People of God, September 2020

September2020 Vol. 38, No.8

Serving the multicultural people of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe www.archdiosf.org

Our Call to Action

Facing the Serious Challenges of 2020 Most Reverend John C. Wester Archbishop of Santa Fe Read Archbishop John C. Wester’s Pastoral Letter pages 4-7

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Prayer Intentions SEPTEMBER/SEPTIEMBRE Respect for the Planet’s Resources We pray that the planet’s resources will not be plundered, but shared in a just and respectful manner.

Respeto de los recursos del planeta Recemos para que los recursos del planeta no sean saqueados, sino que se compartan de manera justa yrespetuosa.

Inside This Month’s Issue 2

Pope Francis’ General Audience Pope Francis greets people as he arrives to lead his general audience in the San Damaso courtyard at the Vatican Sept. 2, 2020. It was the pope's first public audience with pilgrims in six months. (CNS photo/Paul Haring) Annual Catholic Appeal Recipient Spotlight

Pastoral OutreachMinistries The Pastoral Outreach Office assists with discipleship; helping to put our faith into action by nurturing and promoting stewardship of Time, Talent and Treasure, helping to promote and provide pastoral ministry work within our Archdiocese of Santa Fe. This work includes Befrienders Ministry, Blessings of Age Ministry, Detention Ministry, Direct Services for the Poor and Marginalized, Nursing Home Ministry, People Living with Disabilities, Pilot Project for Pastoral Care, Substance Abuse Ministry, Thresholds, Veterans Ministry and more!

To learn more, visit the ACA website at: http://www.acaarchdiosf.org Click on the ‘Ministries and Programs We Support’ icon, ‘Pastoral Ministries Division,’ then ‘Pastoral Outreach’. From there you will find more information on the Pastoral Outreach Office, as well as a direct link to their website for further details.

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Pope’s New Encyclical “Fratelli Tuttil” Archbishop’s Pastoral Letter: Facing the Serious Challenges of 2020 Vicar General’s Corner Vocations Catholic Schools Ministry Resource Center Very Reverend Glennon Jones: Controlling Bias Open Wide Our Hearts: What is Systemic Racism?.

Very Reverend Michael Demkovich, O.P.: When Did We Learn to Lie? African Diaspora Candidates for Sainthood Labor Day Statement Religious Education/Faith Formation Bioethics: Tragedies in Human Medical Experimentation Catholic Charities Archbishop’s Schedule 2020 Census

SPECIAL COLLECTION SEPTEMBER 12-13, 2020 At the request of Pope Francis, the 2020 Pontifical Good Friday Collection is to be taken up September 13, 2020.

People of God Official Magazine of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe Publisher: Most Rev. John C. Wester Editor/Photography/Design: Celine Baca Radigan cradigan@archdiosf.org

Assistant Editor/Photojournalist: Leslie M. Radigan lradigan@archdiosf.org Production: Christine Carter

Published monthly with the exception of July. The editor reserves the right to reject, omit or edit any article or advertising copy submitted for publication. All items submitted for consideration must be received by the 10th of the previous month. Check out media kit online @ www.archdiosf.org. Advertising listings do not imply Archdiocesan endorsement.

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Our Call to Action Facing the Serious Challenges of 2020

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Pastoral Letter from Archbishop John C. Wester September 8, 2020

y dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, In American football, one of the penalties I find interesting is that of

“piling on.” O f c ourse, it qualifies for

what also could be called a “late hit.” But with all the tackling, pounding and smashing that goes on in football, it is somewhat amusing to hear the referee call a penalty for “piling on.” I suppose, however, that if you are at the bottom of the pile, there is nothing amusing about it.

These days I think many of us can identify with that poor fellow at the bottom of the pile as we go through one crisis after another in our Church, our state, our country, and our world.

Just as we were getting into the thick of things with the Chapter 11 Reorganizing, the coronavirus hit. Not only are we worried about our health but we now find so many without work, economic security or a home. Then, the simmering racism that has plagued our country for so long raised its ugly head as evidenced in the number of Black citizens who have been killed by some police officers. Added to the mix is the 2020 presidential election which has people on edge. All this plays out on a stage here in New Mexico on which we are already dealing with poverty, violent crime and addiction. And do not forget the fires and hurricanes. Piling on seems like an understatement!

I cannot speak for you, the reader, but despite

the challenges we face, both communal and personal, I am at peace. Yes, I worry and fret, stress and strain, but overall, I am at peace.

There are three reasons for this, which I would like to share here with the hope that they might help you navigate this difficult time.

We Catholics believe that God is intimately involved with us. God is not aloof. Yes, God is completely other, completely transcendent, but also immanent. God is closer to us than we are to ourselves and is always journeying with us along the way. This is a central theme of Jesus in the Gospel: “If God so clothes the grass of the field which grows today and is thrown into the oven tomorrow, will He not much more provide for you, O you of little faith?” (Matt. 6:30) We have traditionally called this help from God “grace.” The Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us that grace is “…the gratuitous gift that God makes of His own life, infused by the Holy Spirit into our soul…” ( CCC, 1999) In particular, God gives us actual grace to help us in a given situation, difficulty or challenge. Actual grace refers to God’s direct intervention in our lives, that is, intervening with His true presence that gives us what we need to find new life in whatever situation we find ourselves. This is more than simply a psychological assist or the relief expressed by the axiom “misery loves company.” Rather, God’s intervention, God’s grace, enables us to deal with the situation at

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hand and to grow through it into a new way of being. Instead of hiding our heads in the sand, God’s grace prompts us to embrace our problems with the faith that with God at our side there is nothing we cannot accomplish. This is the first reason that I am at peace these days.

The second reason that I find peace now is that I am a member of Christ’s body, the Church. Again, this is more than the bravado one feels by whistling when passing a cemetery at midnight. Through Baptism, I am one with my brothers and sisters in Christ and that intimate union with them is a source of grace in itself. Love is a powerful force in our lives and the love that binds you and me together in Christ gives me the strength to face the challenges of the day.

Love gives me the strength to sacrifice my self for others and in that sacrifice, I find new life. As Jesus told us, if we want to gain our lives then we must first lose them! Reaching out to others during COVID-19, praying for them, sheltering in place, observing the protocols, procedures and policies put in place during the pandemic all contribute to the well-being of the community and to my own well-being. Knowing that I am loved and cared for is a force that stirs up my own resilience and gifts.

Which leads me to my final point. God has placed within each of us wonderful gifts and abilities that we often do not recognize or acknowledge. Some may remember the 1970 movie, “The Out of Towners.” At one point, after Gwenn (Sandy Dennis) has been subjected to too many catastrophes to mention, her husband George (Jack Lemmon) tells her to keep running, “you’re

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stronger than you think!” We have used that line in my family for years when one of us seemed to be giving up. As we wade through the catastrophes of the present moment, it is good to remember that we are stronger than we think. It is prudent to reflect on the spiritual, emotional and intellectual gifts and experiences that God has given us, all of which enable us to deal with whatever comes our way. I remember reading about a young man who was working on his car in the garage. The jack slipped and the car fell on him. He cried for help and his mother came running, only to pick up the car by the bumper just enough for him to crawl out from under it. His mother later told reporters that she had no idea where she got that strength. Love is a powerful force in our lives and so is God’s grace. They both reside deep within each of us.

God’s grace, the support of community and the gifts that we each possess combine to help us face the serious challenges of 2020. I know there are times when we all wish that someone would blow the whistle to stop the piling on. But ultimately, we are only penalizing ourselves if we allow our problems to overtake us and do not avail ourselves of what God has provided for us.

You’re stronger than you think!

Sincerely yours in the Risen Lord,

Most Reverend John C. Wester Archbishop of Santa Fe

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Nuestro llamado a la acción Enfrentando los serios desafíos del año 2020

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Carta pastoral del arzobispo John C. Wester 8 de septiembre de 202

is queridos hermanos y hermanas en C risto: En el fútbol americano, una de las infracciones que me parece interesante es la de “amontonarse”. Por supuesto, reúne los requisitos de lo que también podría llamarse un “golpe tardío”. Pero ante todas las derribadas, los golpes y los choques que se dan en el fútbol, resulta chistoso oír al árbitro pedir un penal por “amontonarse”. Supongo, sin embargo, que para el que está en el fondo de la pila, no hay nada divertido en ello. Considero que en estos días muchos de nosotros podemos identificarnos con ese pobre hombre que está en el fondo del montón, mientras pasamos por una crisis tras otra en nuestra Iglesia, nuestro estado, nuestro país y nuestro mundo.

Justo cuando estábamos haciéndoles frente a los problemas más difíciles de la Reorganización, el coronavirus atacó. No sólo es motivo de preocupación nuestra salud, sino el hecho de que ahora hay muchas personas sin trabajo, sin seguridad económica y sin hogar. Para colmos, el racismo latente que ha atribulado a nuestro país durante tanto tiempo ha asomado su horrible cabeza, prueba de lo cual es que varios ciudadanos de raza negra han sido asesinados últimamente por agentes de policía. A la mezcla anterior se le añade la elección presidencial de 2020 que tiene a la gente nerviosa. En Nuevo México, todo esto ocurre en un ambiente donde de por sí ya estamos lidiando con la pobreza, el crimen violento y la adicción. Y no olvidemos los incendios y los huracanes que han afectado a tantos. ¡Se queda corto el término “amontonarse”!

No puedo hablar por usted, el lector, pero a pesar de las situaciones difíciles que estamos enfrentando, tanto a nivel comunitario como personal, estoy en paz. Sí, me preocupo y me inquieto, me siento tenso y me esfuerzo, pero en general, estoy en paz. Hay tres razones para sentirme así, las cuales deseo compartir con ustedes, con la esperanza de que les sean útiles para sobrellevar este duro momento.

Nuestra fe católica nos indica que Dios está íntimamente unido a nosotros. Dios no es distante. En efecto, Dios es completamente otro, completamente trascendente, pero también está unido a nosotros en esencia. Dios está más cerca de nosotros que nosotros mismos y permanece a nuestro lado en nuestra trayectoria cotidiana.

Un tema central de Jesús en el Evangelio es: “Si Dios viste así la flor del campo que hoy está y mañana se echará al fuego, ¿no hará mucho más por ustedes, hombres de poca fe?” (Mateo 6, 30) Tradicionalmente hemos llamado “gracia” a esa ayuda de Dios. En el Catecismo de la Iglesia Católica se define la gracia así: “La gracia de Cristo es el don gratuito que Dios nos hace de su vida infundida por el Espíritu Santo en nuestra alma...” (CCC, 1999) En particular, Dios nos da una gracia real para ayudarnos a resolver ciertas situaciones y dificultades o cuando tenemos un obstáculo que vencer. L a gracia real se refiere a la intervención directa de Dios en nuestra vida, es decir, que interviene con su verdadera presencia, dándonos lo necesario para encontrar una nueva vida, sea cual fuere la situación en la que nos encontremos. Esto es más que un simple apoyo psicológico o el alivio que sentimos cuando

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solemos decir: “Desgracia compartida, menos sentida”. Más bien, la intervención de Dios —la gracia de Dios— nos permite hacerle frente a la situación en cuestión, crecer mediante ella y alcanzar una nueva forma de ser. En lugar de evadir nuestros problemas, la gracia de Dios nos impulsa a aceptarlos con la fe de que, con Dios a nuestro lado, no hay nada que no podamos lograr. Esta es la primera razón por la cual estoy en paz en estos días.

L a segunda razón por la que actualmente encuentro paz es que formo parte del cuerpo de Cristo, o sea, de la Iglesia. De nuevo, esto es más que hacernos los muy valientes cuando pasamos por un cementerio a medianoche, silbando en actitud despreocupada. A través del Bautismo, soy uno con mis hermanos y hermanas en Cristo y esa unión íntima con ellos es una fuente de gracia en sí misma. El amor es una fuerza poderosa en nuestra vida y el amor que nos une en Cristo me da la fuerza para enfrentar los obstáculos del día. El amor me da la fuerza para sacrificarme por los demás y en ese sacrificio encuentro una nueva vida.

Como nos ha dicho Jesús: ¡si queremos ganar nuestra vida, primero debemos perderla! Tenderles la mano a los demás durante la pandemia de COVID-19, rezar por ellos, respetar la cuarentena, observar los protocolos sanitarios, los procedimientos y las políticas puestas en marcha durante la pandemia, contribuyen en conjunto al bienestar de la comunidad y a mi propio bienestar. Contar con amor y cuidado, produce en mí una fuerza que estimula mi capacidad de recuperación y los dones que poseo.

Lo anterior me lleva a mi punto final. Dios ha puesto dentro de cada uno de nosotros magníficos dones y recursos que a menudo no reconocemos ni admitimos. Tal vez algunos recuerden una película que data de 1970, en la cual la protagonista había sido objeto de demasiadas catástrofes y su marido

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le dice que siga corriendo, porque: “eres más fuerte de lo que piensas”. En mi familia hemos empleado esa frase muchas veces, cuando alguno de nosotros parecía estar rindiéndose. A medida que vamos superando las catástrofes del momento presente, vale la pena recordar que somos más fuertes de lo que pensamos. E s prudentereflexionar sobre los dones y las experiencias espirituales, emocionales e intelectuales que Dios nos ha dado, todos los cuales nos permiten hacer frente a lo que Él nos ponga en el camino.

Recuerdo haber leído sobre un joven que estaba trabajando en su auto en el garaje. El gato que estaba usando resbaló y el auto le cayó encima. Pidió ayuda a gritos y su madre acudió de inmediato a socorrerlo. Agarró el auto por el parachoques y pudo levantarlo lo suficiente para que él pudiera arrastrarse y salir de donde estaba, debajo del auto. Su madre dijo más tarde a los periodistas que no tenía ni idea de dónde había sacado esa fuerza. El amor es una fuerza poderosa en nuestra vida, así como también lo es la gracia de Dios. Ambos radican profundamente en el interior de nuestro ser.

L a gracia de Dios, el apoyo de lacomunidad y los dones que cada uno de nosotros posee se combinan para ayudarnos a enfrentar las graves situaciones que nos ha presentado el 2020. Sin duda hay momentos en los que todos desearíamos oír el silbato que detiene el amontonamiento. Pero, en última instancia, sólo nos estamos penalizando si permitimos que nuestros problemas nos sobrecojan y no aprovechemos lo que Dios nos ha proporcionado para enfrentarlos y resolverlos. ¡Somos más fuertes de lo que pensamos!

Sinceramento suyo en el Señor,

Arzobispo John C. Wester

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caution. We always have that responsibility in mind— shorter homilies and fewer people allowed in Mass notwithstanding. We all hope and pray that vaccines and cures are found quickly, and look forward to when all these restrictions will be just a memory.

Very reVerend G l e n n J ones

Buen Septiembre, y’all, Well…the pandemic drags on, and we continue to cry out Psalm 13: “How long, O Lord?!” It seems that a lot of the strife going on in our nation and around the world is largely due just to people’s patience wearing thin with the COVID restrictions.

BUT…that doesn’t give us excuse of being nasty or short with people; it provides opportunity to sharpen the virtue of patience through practice.

As St. Paul wrote: “we…boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope…” (Romans 5:3-4) After all, Jesus never said to just love thy neighbor when things are peachy; in fact, grace increases when loving thy neighbor—or following ANY commandment of God—is difficult. So…refrain from choking that annoying co-worker, please.

Now, Catholic schools: As of this writing most are scheduled with hybrid present/online instruction by the time you read this. They will, of course, continue to be attentive to advice of the state. Stay tuned. We’re praying that the kids and teachers have a great learning year despite the obvious difficulties.

Related with that, this contentious age has ushered in many varied (often conflicting) sources of information, and we receive complaints about how we’re being “duped” by the government, leading people astray by restrictions, etc. Thus we ask the question: Should the archdiocese follow the advice of the state’s doctors and infectious disease professionals, or rather act on the info in random websites sent to us? Obviously it seems best that, if to err with lives and health consequences on the line, to err on the side of

Let’s see…concerning the chapter 11/bankruptcy: mediations and proceedings have resumed, though by Zoom video meetings because of COVID restrictions.

This is a slow and painful process for all, though “par for the course” when it comes to bankruptcy proceedings, the lawyers tell us. The Church is caught in a moral vise of both wanting to help victims and their healing, and yet continue its mission of evangelization and charitable works. So let us continue to pray for a reasonable solution for all, and for the healing of the victims AND the Church.

Two scenarios have come to the fore for parishes: 1) Possibly contribute to the archdiocesan settlement and receive a channeling injunction, which keeps individual lawsuits from parish assets in the future; or, 2) Don’t contribute, and possibly be sued individually, thereby risking massive litigation costs and open-ended settlements—likely costing many times more than the first option—perhaps even to requiring liquidation of parish assets—school, parish halls and even church buildings. ANY parish might have this ominous fate looming, with no relief. Thus…it is the (urgent) advice of our (and the parishes’) attorneys that that parishes participate in option 1: the channeling injunction.

That’s the fix we’re in—not at all fair to anyone, neither us now in the Church who have done no (known) wrong, nor the abuse victims who have suffered grievously. But it’s a reality we have to deal with regardless because this is the legal process in this country for bankruptcy. We do not yet know what that settlement will be, so we don’t yet know what might be asked of the parishes, but knowing that the parishes want to support the settlement process is very helpful.

Well…y’all stay safe. Know that we pray for all of God’s flock daily.

With much fondness for Our Lord and His beloved flock,

Fr. Glenn

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¡Buen septiembre para todos!

Y bueno... la pandemia se prolonga, y seguimos clamando el Salmo 13: “¡¿Hasta cuándo, Señor?!”

Parece que gran parte de la lucha que está ocurriendo en nuestra nación y en todo el mundo se debe en gran parte a la pérdida de paciencia de la gente con las restricciones de COVID. PERO... eso no justifica que podamos ser groseros o antipáticos con la gente; nos da la oportunidad de afianzar la virtud de la paciencia a través de la práctica. Como San Pablo escribió: “... nos sentimos seguros incluso en las tribulaciones, sabiendo que la prueba ejercita la paciencia, que la paciencia nos hace madurar y que la madurez aviva la esperanza...” (Romanos 5:3-4) Después de todo, Jesús nunca dijo que sólo se amara al prójimo cuando las cosas estuvieran en paz; de hecho, la gracia aumenta cuando se ama al prójimo - o cuando se sigue CUAL QUIER mandamiento de Dios - no es fácil. Así que... por favor, absténgase de ahorcar a ese molesto compañero de trabajo.

Sobre las escuelas católicas: A la fecha de este escrito, la mayoría están operando en forma híbrida, o sea, parte en presencia y parte en línea. Por supuesto, la administración seguirá atenta a los consejos del Estado. Manténgase a la escucha de actualizaciones.

Rezamos para que los niños y los profesores tengan un buen año de aprendizaje a pesar de las obvias dificultades.

Por otro lado, esta época tan polémica ha dado lugar a una gran variedad de fuentes de información (a menudo conflictivas), y constantemente recibimos quejas acerca de cómo estamos siendo “engañados” por el gobierno, haciendo que la gente se desvíe por las restricciones, etc. Entonces nos preguntamos: ¿Debe la arquidiócesis seguir el consejo de los médicos del estado y los profesionales de enfermedades infecciosas, o por el contrario, actuar en base a la información de los sitios web que se nos envían al azar? Obviamente parece mejor que, si nos equivocamos con respecto a las vidas y las consecuencias de la salud, nos equivoquemos en el lado de la prudencia. Constantemente tenemos esa responsabilidad en nuestra mente: homilías más cortas y menos gente permitida en la misa, pese a todo. Todos esperamos y rezamos que las vacunas y tratamientos se encuentren rápidamente y que todas estas restricciones queden sólo en el recuerdo.

Veamos... con respecto al Capítulo 11/bancarrota o

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quiebra: se han reanudado las conversaciones para tratar de llegar a un acuerdo en las negociaciones con los acreedores, aunque todavía por reuniones virtuales debido a las restricciones de COVID. Este es un proceso lento y doloroso para todos, aunque como nos dicen los abogados, “es de esperarse” cuando se trata de procedimientos de quiebra. L a Iglesia se encuentra atrapada en el dilema moral de querer ayudar a las víctimas y a su sanación, y a la vez continuar con su misión de evangelización y obras de caridad. Así pues, continuemos rezando por una solución razonable para todos, y por la sanación de las víctimas Y de la Iglesia.

Dos escenarios han surgido para las parroquias: 1) L a posibilidad de que las parroquias contribuyan en la liquidación del acuerdo (settlement) al que se llegue y al hacerlo, recibir un requerimiento judicial, lo que impediría que demandas individuales se impusiesen sobre los bienes de la parroquia en el futuro; o, 2) L a posibilidad de que no contribuyan, y posiblemente sean demandadas individualmente, arriesgándose así a incurrir en costos de litigio masivos y a llegar a acuerdos de duración indefinida, que probablemente cuesten muchas veces más que la primera opción, e incluso que requieran la liquidación de los bienes de la parroquia: escuela, salones parroquiales e incluso edificios de la iglesia. CUAL QUIER parroquia podría tener este sombrío destino en el horizonte, sin ningún remedio. Por lo tanto... es el (urgente) consejo de nuestros abogados (y de los abogados de las parroquias) que las parroquias participen en la opción 1: el requerimiento judicial.

Ese es el escenario en el que estamos. Sabemos que no es justo para nadie, ni para nosotros en la Iglesia que no hemos hecho ningún mal (conocido), ni para las víctimas de abusos que han sufrido gravemente.

Pero es una realidad con la que tenemos que lidiar de todas formas porque este es el proceso legal en este país para la quiebra. Aún no sabemos cuál será ese acuerdo (settlement), por lo que aún no sabemos qué se le podrá pedir a las parroquias, pero el hecho de saber que las parroquias están dispuestas a apoyar el proceso para llegar a un acuerdo es muy útil.

Y bien... manténganse a salvo. Sepan que rezamos por todos los miembros del rebaño de Dios diariamente.

Con mucho cariño por nuestro Señor y su amado rebaño,

Padre Glenn

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M a y We Se e the Light and He a r t h e Vo i c e o f G o d !

Pictured here are the six provincial ministers who signed this letter. The picture was taken in the Our Lady of Guadalupe chapel in Albuquerque on January 2019.

NB The following letter was written “Brother to Brother” by the Franciscans. They requested it be shared with all their Sisters and Brothers in Christ.

The Feast of the Transfiguration, 2020 Dear Brothers of Our Province, Over the past several weeks and months, we, like so many others, have been horrified by the treatment received by immigrant men, women and children, both on the border between the United States and Mexico, but also elsewhere throughout our nation. This treatment becomes all the more an issue of conscience for us as people of faith. We recall the ancestors of the vast majority of citizens of the United States, including many of our own ancestors, once came to these shores as immigrants seeking to escape economic hardship, political upheaval, social turmoil, violence, and religious persecution. For us to now turn our backs on the plight of those coming here to seek safety and the opportunity to better their lives and the lives of their families would be to deny not only our history as a nation, but the mandates of our faith to welcome the stranger and care for the suffering. Refusing entry for asylum seekers, the separation of children from their families, the delay of the right to seek asylum, and the deliberate intimidation, in the name of law and order, of those fleeing violence and oppression are all in and of themselves acts of injustice unworthy of our basic ideals as people of compassion.

Asylum and migration are global issues which require global action. But global action starts with local participation. We as Christians must seek to help create the space for knowledgeable dialogue between any and all parties who are ready to put aside partisan gain and easy short-term solutions for the greater and long-lasting good of all concerned.

The space for dialogue can only emerge when we recognize that as people of our common home, we are one human family, facing the same challenges of ecological devastation, economic upheaval, and the destruction created by selfish desires to hoard, rather than share God’s bounty, wherever and whoever we are.

Francis of Assisi inspired the people of his time with the idea that all human beings, and indeed all creation is one

family of sisters and brothers. Some of us are called to prophetic actions; all of us are called to prayer and service. We must seek ways to help all of us to better understand the forces which are leading many some of our sisters and brothers to the desperation leads them to flee their homes and others to the desperation which causes them to react in such strident ways to that flight. We must recognize the right of all nations to maintain the security of their citizens and borders, so that they may live in peace without fear, and recognize as well that the right to life for all human beings must always be respected. We want to be bridge builders for those who cry for walls and those who decry walls. We want to be peacemakers for those who feel threatened by the actions and attitudes of those on every side of these issues.

We want to recognize and respect the reality that legitimate disagreements about how to accomplish equitable solutions to human problems will always be part of the human condition until the final coming of the reign of God. Now is our time to pray, reflect, and act, without expectation that any solution will be easily or quickly achieved. We are today reaping the results of decades of social sin. We call upon you, our brothers, to join us in the long and ultimately blessed way of Franciscan penance. We know that penance is not a punishment or payment for past sins, but a promise to try to do something to make our future lives with God and with each other better. True penance looks honestly at the past and realistically at the present in order to look hopefully to the future.

Asking God’s blessings for all of us and all those around us, we are fraternally, your brothers and Ministers,

David Gaa,OFM,MinisterProvincial - St. Barbara Province TomNairn,OFM, MinisterProvincial - Sacred Heart Province JimGannon,OFM,Minister Provincial - Assumption Province Kevin Mullen,OFM,MinisterProvincial - Holy NameProvince MarkSoehner, OFM, MinisterProvincial - St. John the Baptist Province Jack Clark Robinson, OFM, MinisterProvincial - Our Lady of Guadalupe Province

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Vocations & Formation Thrives at the Abbey Although activities and events at the Norbertine Abbey have been fairly subdued in the Spring and Summer, vocations and formation ministries have continued to thrive at the Norbertine Community of Santa Maria de la Vid Abbey. Two men entered the community in August and one professed vows.

Brother Lorenzo (Edgar) Romero Ramos, O. Praem., professed first vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in the Norbertine Community of Santa Maria de la Vid Abbey on the feast of Saint Augustine, August 28, 2020.

Lorenzo came to live at the abbey in May of 2017 as a postulant and joined the Norbertine Community as a novice in August 2018. Prior to becoming a Norbertine, he studied at the Pontifical College Josephinum in Columbus, OH from 2015 to 2016 as a seminarian for the Archdiocese of Santa Fe. Lorenzo is currently working toward degrees in philosophy and history at the University of New Mexico and serves as sacristan and master of ceremonies at the abbey.

Born in Albuquerque in 1996, Brother Lorenzo was given the baptismal name Edgar Romero Ramos by his parents Carmen Ramos and Felipe Romero. He requested the religious name of Lorenzo upon entering the Order of Canons Regular of Prémontré. Receiving a religious name is an age-old tradition in religious orders and is now optional upon entering the order. Lorenzo is a native son of San Felipe de Neri parish in Albuquerque and graduated from Valley High School in 2015.

Brother Lorenzo said, regarding his vows, “Taking vows are a liberating action of love. Love for God, and His people. To be a living sign and symbol of God’s love is an awesome responsibility that becomes more real

Pictured here fromleft to right are Brother Lorenzo Romero Ramos, Andres Myers (cuddling Norberta aka Berta) and TylerMitcham. having taken the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience.”

Andres Myers and Tyler Mitcham were initiated as novices into the Norbertine Community of Santa Maria de la Vid Abbey at First Vespers of the Feast of Saint Augustine, August 27,2020. This is the traditional time at which members of the community receive their white habit.

Andres was born in Mexico and raised in the United States. He graduated from Cedar Vale High School and then Pittsburg State University in Kansas in 2015 with a degree in finance.

He was an active member of the St. Pius X Catholic Student Center. As a postulant at the abbey during this past two years, he assisted with the youth group and the confirmation program at Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary Catholic Community. Andres has two sisters and one brother. His mother and stepfather, Xochilt and William Myers, live in Cedar Vale, KS. Andres’ father,

Jose Carasco, lives in Mexico. Andres has a passion for the arts and cooking.

Tyler was born in Des Moines, IA and lived in various states growing up. He is a graduate of Duncan High School in Duncan, OK and earned a Bachelor of Art degree in theology from Benedictine College in Atchison, KS in 2019 where he participated in St. Paul’s Outreach Ministries. This past year he was a Seton Teaching Fellow at a school in the South Bronx in New York. Tyler has a brother and two sisters; his father Jason and step mother Susan Mitcham lives in Duncan, OK and his mother Gina and step father Christopher Thomas in Colorado Springs, CO. Tyler is a talented musician and enjoys the outdoors.

If you feel you may have a religious vocation, have questions about religious life, or just want to learn more about vocations at Santa Maria de la Vid Abbey, please visit https:// norbertinecommunity.org/vocations/

Seminar y Burse

The following parishes have sent in excess Mass stipends and other contributions collected at the Archdiocesan Finance Office for seminarian education. These receipts are for the months of August 2020. Excess Mass stipends are from multiple Mass intentions celebrated at parishes. The archdiocesan policy is for excess Mass stipends to be used for seminarian education.

Parish Name/City

Amount Received

Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary – Albuquerque ............................................................................................................................................................ 1,000.00 Our Lady of Sorrows – Bernalillo.................................................................................................................................................................................................. 1,000.00 Our Lady of the Annunciation – Albuquerque ....................................................................................................................................................................... 1,432.50 San Juan Bautista - San Juan Pueblo – Ohkay Owingeh ................................................................................................................................................. 1,000.00 St. Joseph on the Rio Grande – Albuquerque ........................................................................................................................................................................... 260.00 Total $ 4,692.50

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Together,

w e c a n con tin ue the mission of o u r C a t h o l i c S ch ools.

Please consider helping student families by donating to our special Tuition Relief Fu n d

during

C O V I D - 19 p a n d e m i c

the

.

V I S I T: ASFCATHOLICSCHOOLS. ORG TO D O N A T E T O D A Y / asf cat h ol icsch o ol s

asfc at hol i c sc hool s. org

(505) 831-8172

SEPTEMBER 2020

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D U R I N G P A N D E M IC , H O L Y GH O S T D EEP EN S C O M M I T M EN T T O I T S S T U D EN T S Dr. Douglas W ine, Principal | Shawnda Osborn | Holly Filener H oly Ghost Ca th olic Schoo l "How can we keep students six feet apart and still connected?” is a typical rhetorical question asked about school reopening. As the first nationally certified Catholic STEM school, we are working on an answer that is driven by data, creativity, compassion, and faith. In March, Holy Ghost Catholic School closed for two days before reopening to “virtually” educate. Staff met continually to analyze our effectiveness and ensure optimum learning for each child.

We will learn: We have analyzed what our students know and need to know. Now, what took teachers hours of grading will be accomplished during the same class period in order to strengthen personalized instruction.

We will grow in Catholic identity: Our Social Emotional Learning (SEL) values-based program connects students with their faith and beliefs, as well as their peers, as they process all of the uncertainty that comes with COVID-19 and maturing.

We will live a life of joy and possibility: We are painting games throughout the campus that encourage students to play, while following guidelines that keep us healthy.

We will teach: We provide robust curriculums to motivate our students and engage them in literature that challenges their thinking and inspires them to want to read more on their own.

S T . C H A R L E S S C H O O L B E L I E VE S I N T H E I M P O R T A N C E O F C A T H O L I C E D U C A T I ON P a u l Ho rt o n , Pr i ncipal St. C har les Ca tho lic Sc hool Catholic education was built upon the Church’s mission to encourage students to live the gospel, evangelize, and encourage them to live an authentic life that will lead them to heaven. Currently, Catholic schools are faced with the realization that the school’s sustainability, accessibility, and parental choice are being compromised. As Catholic schools continue to face an uphill battle, we as educators understand that our mission is not of this world; we work for the Kingdom and we can do all things through Christ. Sustainability is key to Catholic schools as they are centered on forming the child as a whole – mind, body, and spirit. It provides students with spiritual and moral values through theology classes, service projects, and implementing a discipline process that is reflected in forgiveness and love. Through Catholic education, we can create leaders that allow community members to experience the love of Jesus Christ. As a result of COVID-19, we educators have learned that we really miss the loving presence of students in the classroom. As we gear up for the new school year, everyone at St. Charles has worked diligently to provide a safe environment to our students to ensure that we provide them the best education possible. We will be providing a remote instruction option for students who are not yet ready to make it back to school, as well as continue to provide in-class learning following all CDC and NMDOH protocols to ensure student safety. Although we do not know what this year may hold, we can ensure that each of our students feels safe, loved, and educated. Giving the Catholic Schools sustainability and accessibility ensures that we will carry on God’s mission for us. We are allowing each student to walk as a child of Christ and establish their path to the kingdom of heaven. Here at St. Charles, we are creating future saints!

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By Deacon Keith Davis, Director, Ministry Resource Center The Ministry Resource Center is open (Well, sort of....).

The Archdiocese of Santa Fe public library, otherwise known as the Ministry Resource Center, contains a treasure trove of books and DVD’s available for free check out to any parishioner in the archdiocese. While we still cannot have visitors to the library, you can easily reserve an item in our on-line catalog and we will mail it to you. Just return it via media mail with the U SPS or, if you are in Albuquerque, you can put it in our drop box at the Catholic Center.

Our online catalog can be reached by C LIC KING HERE. There you can find a list of all our resources (we have over 12,000 items) as well as links to become a patron, videos about how to use the library and much more.

While most of our items are religious in nature, we also have a good selection of fiction, including many New Mexican fiction writers. Our video collection contains Hollywood favorites and independent films with religious/ Catholic themes. Many of our DVDs depict the lives of our saints.

Our collection also touts many of the “Great Courses” and “Now You Know” video and audio programs that you may have seen advertised. These courses are taught by some of the best Catholic scholars and include themes related to doctrine, Scripture, Church history and much more. For example, we have a course called “Meaning: Exploring

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the Big Questions of the Cosmos with a Vatican Scientist.” Brother Guy Consolmagno is a Vatican Astronomer who develops for the student a clearer understanding of who we are and why we are here. This item is available in several formats. You can reserve and check out the DVD and C D version through the online catalog (click here) OR you can stream the video or listen to the audio book via our eBook catalog (click here).

If you are not one of the 3,000 plus patrons of the MRC, it is easy and free to join. Just complete a simple form and we will get you signed up. You will receive a confirmation email from us welcoming you as a patron and you can start checking out items. On the form, you will indicate a user name and pin.

These are all you will need to reserve items from our online catalog or from our eBook system (Overdrive).

Accessing eBooks is easy. If you are using a smartphone or tablet, simply go to your app store and download the Overdrive or Libby app. Once you install it, select the Archdiocese of Santa Fe library and you are in. Use your MR C credentials to log in and enjoy reading eBooks, listening to one of our over 150 audio books or view over 100 streaming videos. You can also access the MR C Overdrive library on your computer by going to https:// asfmrc.overdrive.com/ Again, our eBook library mostly contains Catholic material. You will find helpful how-to books, fiction, classical

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literature (even the complete works of William Shakespeare) and much more.

Our collection includes authors such as J.R.R. Tolkein, C.S. Lewis, Rudolfo Anaya, Flannery O’Connor, Immaculee Ilibagiza, Ronald Rolheiser, Scott Hahn, Richard Rohr, Teresa of Avila and so many more!

Using eBooks may seem a bit daunting if you are not used to technology, but the benefits are tremendous. No books to carry around, you can make notes and highlight text, bookmark numerous pages and much more – things you simply can’t do with a normal library book. If you would like to see a short video on how to use eBooks on our system, C LIC K HERE. The staff of the library are available to assist you in finding the right resource.

Deacon Keith Davis, the Director of the MR C and Corey Lucero, the MR C Assistant, are ready to help. Contact us at: MRC@archdiosf.org You can also call: 505831.8179 or 505.831.8187. We look forward to hearing from you!

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ecently I found an intriguing little book entitled “Spy the Lie”—written by CI A operatives —which foc us es on spotting deception. A key point of that skill is that, to be successful in rooting out truth from someone who is lying, one must control one’s own biases toward the person’s state or behavior— avoid assuming either truthfulness or deception in anyone. After all, who among us has not been surprised to find that a favorite co-worker was deceptive, or maybe had a good friend or confidante (or beloved) betray you…or, on the flip side, hear of a homeless person who returned a wad of cash—persons and actions one would never suspect? We need only look at the abuse scandals in churches, schools, the Boy Scouts, the Olympic gymnastics teams, and even in hearths and homes to see—tragically— that no place is free of deceivers…wolves in sheep’s clothing. After all, if treachery even happened against Jesus, what chance do the rest of us have to not ever be betrayed in some way?

We all have biases, whether we want to acknowledge them or not. Even in meticulous scientific inquiry it is standard to simply assume that some element of bias will worm its way into the data or results, no matter how much one tries to eliminate it (that’s one reason for peer review and replication). We see in our daily lives and news extreme biases as well; for example, celebrities solicited for their opinions on subjects with which they have no expertise, politicians given automatic praise and credibility should they simply have the “correct” party

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identifiers (D, R, L , I, etc.). Race, culture, education, socio-economic class, and so many more things can go into making up our biases. Here in New Mexico, we might even dismiss a politician for preferring the “wrong” kind of chile! (“Christmas” is usually the safest bet for budding N M pols).

If you were charged with being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?

These thoughts came to mind while reading the scriptures of the Catholic Mass for August 16 weekend, all passages pointing to the inclusion of any and all peoples of righteous heart into God’s kingdom.

Before Jesus, the Biblical Israelites’ biggest bias was believing themselves to be the only beloved of God, even with such prophecies as: “The foreigners [the non-Jews] who join themselves to the L O R D… I will bring to my holy mountain and make joyful in my house of prayer…for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.” (Isaiah 56:6-7) In the Christian era, St. Paul certainly departed from the early paradigm of evangelizing only Jews in the Gospel of Jesus, for Paul would preach to non-Jews as well and

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even called himself “the apostle to the Gentiles [non-Jews].” (Romans11:13) But Jesus, of course, was the quintessential “bias breaker”, providing example to His disciples by including, and being considerate to, women and Gentiles in the extreme patriarchy and nationalism of the time, and when such inclusion was strongly frowned upon (see the “Woman at the Well” story of John 4).

One of the best examples of Jesus’ inclusion ministry was our Gospel of August 16 of Jesus healing a Gentile woman’s daughter (Matthew 15:21-28).

H e and the disciples were in the region of Tyre and Sidon, then occupied by Canaanites—the people the Israelites displaced when Joshua led Israel into the Promised Land. A s one might imagine, no love was lost between the two peoples even after 1500 years, and in that much harsher age there was none of this “love your enemies” stuff…at least not toward non-Jews.

When you read the story, Jesus at first seems harsh in His response to the Canaanite woman…but it only seems so; H e is drawing her out as a test of faith—for His disciples (then, and now) to witness and remember. We witness the Jewish animosity toward the Gentiles in the disciples’ utterly heartless response to the woman’s earnest and pitiable plea, they asking Jesus: “Send her away,”…implying “Who cares about the daughter of a pagan?” And yet, with the woman’s continued pleading and display of unshakable faith, Jesus heals

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the daughter, praising the woman’s determination and steadfastness. What mattered was not the woman’s race or origin or condition, but rather her heart, reminding us of another scripture: “…the L O R D sees not as man sees; man looks on the outward appearance, but the L O R D looks on the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7) Now…isn’t THAT good advice!—to “not judge a book by its cover.” And yet…how often we do that very thing.

After all, we want to trust…we want to admire our heroes, our friends, our family. And, conversely—and much more blameworthy—we tend to expect dishonesty or ineptitude in certain others, judging not on facts or knowledge, but rather on negative biases and preconceptions. This is

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why racism and prejudice and bigotry are among the most foolish of prejudgments. What does it matter if a person is purple, green or blue if they are honest, adept and virtuous? Therefore, we should examine ourselves constantly, asking: Do I condemn “profiling” while myself profiling? Do I despise the lesseducated, the lower socio-economic person, the person of a different color, etc., for those superficial reasons? Kind of foolish, don’t you think?...especially as we look at the saints and see persons of all races, origin and beginnings.

A common test among those of faith is: “If you were charged with being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?” After all, to be “Christian” is to have faith in

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Christ, to follow Christ, and to sincerely attempt to be like Christ—despite those inevitable failures. To this end, the true Christian (Christ-like) way is to despise no one, remembering that each is God’s creation…God’s child…made “very good” (Genesis 1:31)…and also one whom Jesus loved so much that he died for him/her, desiring “all to be saved.” (1 Timothy 2:4) So, O Christian…dare we despise anyone whom Jesus loved so much?

Loved…to death? “…they sang…‘…thou wast slain and by thy blood didst ransom men for God from every tribe and tongue and people and nation, and hast made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on earth.’” (Revelation 5:8-9)

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What is Systemic Racism?

Today, racism continues to exist in our communities and in our parishes. Racism is what makes us see the "other"with suspicion or to attribute negative characteristics t o an entire group of people.

This evil manifests itself in our individual thoughts, and also in the workings of our society itself. Today's continuing inequalities in education, housing, employment, wealth, and representation in leadership positions are rooted in our country's shameful history of slavery and systemic racism.

These hard-fought victories deserve to be remembered and celebrated.

Still, these advances are incomplete. Data on social and economic welfare show disparities between many persons of color and their white counterparts.

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Systemic Racism Discrimination based on race and ethnicity takes many forms. The United States has made progress in eliminating some of the institutional, legalized racial discrimination of years past such as slavery, Jim Crow laws, “separate but equal” schools, and prohibitions on voting or owning land.

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Unemployment rates for Africans Americans, Latinos, and Native Americans are considerably higher than the national average. Growing income inequality increasingly affects minorities.

In the United States, median wealth for white households is ten times greater than for black households, and eight times greater than for Hispanic households.

Minority homeownership rates lag behind their white counterparts, and yet research shows that minorities face extra hurdles in getting approved for mortgages.

African Americans, Latinos, and Native Americans are disproportionately affected through every stage of the criminal justice system, despite the evidence that different racial and ethnic groups commit crimes at roughly the same rates.

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What is Systemic Racism?

Racism’s Impact in our Communities America remains a deeply divided place in many ways. Many Americans of all racial and ethnic backgrounds live in neighborhoods that are homogenous. This often limits the opportunity to learn from, interact with, and befriend people who are racially and ethnically different. Yet, having experiences living near those with different experiences and backgrounds can strengthen communities and the Body of Christ.

Many people of color living in low-income areas experience low or no upward economic mobility due to limited access to quality schools, safe neighborhoods, reliable transportation, or higher-paying jobs. Laws and practices in more affluent communities, such as refusing rent assistance vouchers, can prevent low income persons from moving into these communities. As a result, dialogue and encounter with others with diverse backgrounds, experiences, and opinions can be limited or non-existent. In Evangelii Gaudium (no. 59), Pope Francis noted that exclusion and inequality create the climate for discord. Recent violence in communities across the country and the hurtful rhetoric that mark conversations about refugees and migrants indicate that there is still much work to do.

As Christians, we are constantly called to examine our own hearts and consciences for how we might

“Racism can only end if we contend with the policies and institutional barriers that perpetuate and preserve the inequality—economic and social— that we still see all around us. With renewed vigor, we call on members of the Body of Christ to join others in advocating and promoting policies at all levels that will combat racism and its effects in our civic and social institutions.”

– U.S. bishops, Open Wide Our Hearts

contribute to or break down racial divisions, intolerance, and discrimination. The failure to act to end systemic racism hurts those who are victimized and denies all of us the opportunity to benefit from the gifts of diversity.

This handout is excerpted from the Creating on the Margins Contest Packet. Visit usccb.org/youthcontest or usccb.org/concursojuvenil to learn more about Creating on the Margins, a contest for youth in grades 7-12 that educates youth about poverty in the U.S. and our Catholic response. The 2018-2019 theme is “A Time to Heal Racism.” The contest is sponsored by the Catholic Campaign for Human Development.

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Racism and Voting In the November 2018 pastoral letter against racism, Open Wide Our Hearts, the Catholic bishops of the United States urge all Catholics to acknowledge “the scourge of racism” that still exists in our hearts, words, actions, and institutions. Racism can be individual, when persons fail to recognize certain groups as created in the image and likeness of God and equal in dignity, or it can be systemic, where practices or policies treat certain groups of people unjustly. One example of systemic racism is lack of access to the vote for some communities of color.

The Church teaches that all persons have both a legal right and a responsibility to have their voice heard in the public square to promote human dignity and the common good of society. As people of faith, we have the obligation to help shape the moral character of society by voting and other acts of public participation. We also must act to ensure that the right to vote is protected for all citizens. This has often been threatened for many minorities in the U.S.

“Racism can only end if we contend with the policies and institutional barriers that perpetuate and preserve the inequality – economic and social – that we still see all around us.”

– U.S. bishops, Open Wide Our Hearts Sixty years ago, the United States Commission on Civil Rights documented a history of pervasive discrimination toward minorities in all aspects of voting, despite the 1870 Fifteenth Amendment that prohibits denying citizens the right to vote because of "race, color, or previous condition of servitude.” Since the 1870s, threats of violence and actual violence, especially in the South, had been used to discourage African Americans from voting.

Government officials openly opposed minority voting. For example, U.S. Senator Theodore Bilbo of Mississippi called for Klansmen to visit African Americans the night before elections to send a message that they should not try to vote. Poll “taxes” became a part of the election system in many states, requiring money from poor sharecroppers for voting privileges.

Literacy tests were another systematic attempt to deny voters of color access to the voting booth: in states where educational opportunities for minorities were very limited, many African Americans had little

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Racism and Voting or no literacy skills. Some of these tests were designed so no one could pass, such as demands to recite the entire U.S. Constitution or to count the bubbles in a bar of soap to prove math abilities.

Gerrymandering, the practice of redrawing voting district boundaries, was historically used to suppress the African American vote.

(especially true in the South and on Native American reservations), and illegal purges of voting rolls, which disproportionately affect African-American and Latino American voters. One in ten Latinos have been harassed at polling places.

These injustices prompted the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which was initially successful in eliminating many of the barriers to voting for minorities. However, a 2018 Report by the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights detailed a decline in the Act’s enforcement.

The report suggests Latino Americans, Native Americans, and African Americans are facing new barriers to voting. Some Catholic voices are raising concerns about voter identification laws seen in many states in recent years. The Maryland Catholic Conference opposed one such legislative proposal in 2017, which would “make voting more difficult for people with disabilities, the elderly, and the poor,” who “have already established their identities via voter registration.”

State Catholic conferences have also been vocal about other issues related to access to voting, including gerrymandering and restoration of voting rights. Others raise concerns about restrictions on early voting, lack of local and accessible registration opportunities and precinct voting locations

Today, too many barriers to the right to vote remain for minorities. In response, we are called to work to ensure that all are able to exercise their rights, as faithful citizens, to raise their voices in the public square.

Pray with St. John Paul II “Lord our God, you created the human being, man and woman, in your image and likeness, and you willed the diversity of peoples within the unity of the human family. At times, however, the equality of your sons and daughters has not been acknowledged, and Christians have been guilty of attitudes of rejection and exclusion, consenting to acts of discrimination on the basis of racial and ethnic difference. Forgive us and grant us the grace to heal the wounds still present in your community on account of sin, so that we will all feel ourselves to be your sons and daughters.”

(Universal Prayer on Day of Pardon)

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By Very Reverend Michael Demkovich, OP, Episcopal Vicar for Doctrine & Life

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s a child I was taught “Thou shalt not lie” and that meant I should always tell the truth.

When my little friends and I found one of us lying I recall

us chanting “Liar, liar, pants on fire, nose is longer than a telephone wire.” The story of Pinocchio also taught us to not tell lies. But that doesn’t mean we didn’t tell our share of lies. I know that I did lie mostly because I thought lying was better than getting in trouble. At the time it seemed safe but somehow my parents could detect my lies. So how did they know? How could they tell I was lying?

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someone is lying?

First off, the key is recognizing there is truth and we are best served by knowing the truth. But what is truth?

Thomas Aquinas tells us truth is “Veritas est adaequatio rei et intellectus” (“Truth is the correspondence of things and intellect”). Our knowledge of a thing is true because it matches or corresponds with reality itself. This is the gold standard of truth telling and it is essential to our common good. Truth telling is a moral task that defines a person’s integrity and a society’s justice. This is so important that in the Genesis account the fall of humanity came about because of a grand lie that created doubt -- “Did God really say…?” Doubt and deception, suspicion and mistrust, are the tools

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that undermine reality and truth. The Master Lie Teller always uses deception so we think the lie is truer than truth itself, the counterfeit more real than the masterpiece. The serpent deceived humanity saying “that’s not true” and sowing doubt, “God said that because….”

Calumny, creating doubt and suspicion by slander and defamation, remains the Great Lie that undermines and destroys human trust and creates enmity.

The danger in lying is that it becomes addictive and the lie distorts reality itself.

The old saying, “Oh what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive” is true, because it names the real price of deception.

I fear we have come to the point in American society where truth is

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more and more difficult to know. What is alarming is the implication of that statement. A culture of lies is a culture that denies reality. G. K. Chesterton’s classic The Screwtape Letters advises Wormwod, the inept apprentice devil tempter, to use sex, pride, gluttony, and war to keep people from the truth, from knowing God and the Good. Lies undermine trust because instead of relating us to reality itself they rather create alienation and division. Now, more than ever, we need to discover the importance of our human relatedness to reality but this means we must peal back the layers of lies and take down the walls of division so we can again walk humbly with our God. What will this require?

What is the great lie of our age?

Instead of truth as correspondence to reality, modern ‘truth theories’ simply get rid of reality. The deception instead says truth is nothing more than a coherence to what we believe to be true, is true -- a fetus isn’t human. Or, something is true if it is pragmatic or useful. If it works it must be true, the end justifies the means.

It is true if it gets you to think or do as I want you to do -- rioting and violence are justifiable if I get what I want. Both undermine and devalue what is really real. So you see, truth as “coherence” and truth as “utility” put walls between the human project and what is really real. Instead, reality is reduced to our ideology, whatever we say is true is true, or it is reduced to its utility, if it works it is true. But reality is not so easily distorted or deformed. Reality is raw existence, our encounter with creation and a Creator.

Aquinas tells us that in order to know a thing rightly we must know it in its causes. So why do we, as a nation, seem to lie as much as we do?

I think the root lie plaguing us all is our failure to realize the reality of life in its fullness. The COVID pandemic has certainly opened our eyes to the precious significance of life and how we are meant to live. The dignity and sanctity of human life, from womb to tomb, is really real, it is truly true. Life is a precious gift that is “created” beyond our comprehension and has its “ultimate end” beyond the pall of death. To deny this is to choose what St. John Paul called a “culture of

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death.” It is the ideologue who denies the reality of the unborn, it is the pragmatist who denies the reality of the poor, the infirmed, the alien, the aging, and the dying. Once a person abandons the hard task of striving to be really real, of seeing being as being, then lies and lying come easy to that person and it bankrupts the very meaning and worth of a person’s life. The political activist Saul Alinsky’s ideological and pragmatic Rules for Radicals (1971) has become the blueprint for so-called social change. He has given, what I think can fairly be called, a list of how to lie, confuse or deceive your opponent, in order to get people to think the way you want. Or, how to create doubt and suspicion so people do what you want. These rules have become all too common and sadly most of us are unaware of just how pervasive they are in political discourse and social media today. The requirement of a good lie is to create credible doubt, the brilliance of a great lie, is to masquerade as being truer than true. For that, it requires you divorce a person from reality (that’s not true, did God really say…) and devalue itwith doubt (God said that because…).

Sadly many people today have become masterful liars, that is to say they have abandoned the demands of relating to reality. Alinsky’s rules advocate deceit (rule #1), confusion (#2) and fear (#3), ridicule and isolation of your opponent (#5), the use of tactics that seem enjoyable to others, that do not drag on, and that keep constant pressure on your opponent (# 6, 7, 8), that threaten and terrify your opponent (#9), criticizes your opponent’s position but does not offer alternatives (#10), and attacks and isolates your opponent (#11). I find this list frightening because I see it being played out time and time again as a politics of power and a control technique that alienates us from genuine human relationship and from reality itself.

Life, dignity and respect for all life, at all aspects of life, grounds us in reality, which is the truly true. Murder, violence, torture, and war are naturally abhorrent to us because they deny the real wonder and mystery of life itself. When they become acceptable or common place we are no longer being real! The more

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Very Reverend Michael Demkovich, OP, Episcopal Vicar for Doctrine & Life one is connected to life itself, the more one senses the value and worth of life itself, then the more one knows the premier value of truth, our rightly relating to reality. But once we believe the lie that life has no value, then lying becomes easier and easier to do. If a person can lie about the reality of human life, they can very easily lie about everything. Lies only serve to alienate and divide us from the shared common life of the human family.

We see this manifested in politicians, protestors and reporters who deny the sacredness of life and in that lie, life itself become a grand lie, a false narrative we have to tell ourselves in legislation and in print. The reality is that human life is a diverse and wonderful relationship of differences. The differences are real and vital and this means that truth is a multi-faceted mystery and we must live in that reality. Unity is not conformity, disagreement is not division, purpose is not utility, and reality is not ideology. As a nation, lies rob us of the real gift and joy of humanity, being truly and really one.

The Great Lie Teller relishes in having us cohere to an ideology and cling to the utility of things, creating a false value and obscuring their true worth. The Great Lie Teller dreads us asking the question “What is real?” This unsettles every liar the most!

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Welcome Israela Garcia, the New CCHD Intern

By Israela Garcia, CCHD Intern

Greetings to all my brothers and sisters in Christ! I have owned and operated Baila!

Baila!, Inc. since 1990 which is based in Albuquerque, NM. I currently work in the capacity of President and Artistic Director of Baila!

Baila! Dance Academy. I also teach Traditional Mexican Folk Dance in the Albuquerque Public School system as a contractor. I am a professed

sister in the Ordo Franciscanus Saecularis (OFS) - Third Order Franciscans - serving as Vice Minister of the St. Anthony Fraternity in Albuquerque under Our Lady of Guadalupe Empress Of The Americas Region #75. I am in the process of opening a religious retreat center in the North Valley of Albuquerque. I am happy and humbled to be able to serve the Archdiocese of Santa Fe through the offices of the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD).

As an intern for CCHD, I look forward to ministering to our very diverse community.

With your help and the help of the Holy Spirit, I know that we can move forward as a community through Catholic social teaching and tackling the challenges that our brothers and sisters in need face on a daily basis. At your request, we can provide a Zoom presentation on Catholic social teaching and poverty for your youth/young adult group, confirmation group or adult

SEPTEMBER 2020

faith formation group. I look forward to meeting as many of you as possible. You can reach me at igarcia@archdiosf.org, or our office at 505.831.8235.

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A Cross Cultural Mission: African Diaspora Candidates for Sainthood

By Louise Davis, Member, African American Steering Committee

Father Augustus Tolton, the first recognized U.S. diocesan priest of African descent, is pictured in an undated photo. (CNS photo/courtesy of Archdiocese of Chicago Archives and Records Center)

When God gives you an assignment, you must follow. The first nonJewish convert by the Apostle Philip was an Ethiopian. The Ethiopian was dark-skinned and Philip’s light skin color made a difference in Phillip's day, but it didn't stop the spirit of God then, and it shouldn't stop us now in the Land of Enchantment. Let's go on a cross cultural mission, we call God our Father; in Aramaic, the term Abba is a term of great endearment. If we are His sons and daughters, we must open wide our hearts. We are all precious in His sight. In the upcoming months, it gives me great pleasure to introduce five perfect people from the African diaspora that are in line for sainthood. Watch People of God magazine in coming months for information on Fr. Augustus Tolton, Mother Mary Elizabeth Lane, Venerable Henrietta Delille and Venerable Pierre Toussain. Join us in prayer for these holy men and women!

Honoring our Awardees in a Video Series Please consider a donation to our

2020 Emergency Catholic Community Fund

Help support our parishes, schools, and community organizations who are serving those most in need during this unprecedented time.

Over $118,000 has been donated and distributed since March 2020.

Visit thecatholicfoundation.org or call us at 505-872-2901.

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SEPTEMBER 2020

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ARCH DI OCE SE OF SANTA FE

R E LIG IO U S EDU CATION / F A I TH F O R M A T I O N 2020 - 2021 Directives, Best Practices, Supplemental Resources

P

arents are the primary catechists of their children and it is our responsibility to make resources available to strengthen and inform the faith of parents. “The Church is called to cooperate with parents through suitable pastoral initiatives, assisting them in the fulfillment of their educational mission to become above all the first catechists of their own children.� (2020 Directory for Catechesis,#124)

T

his was a collaborative effort by the Parish Catechetical Leaders across the Archdiocese with the Office of Religious Education. I wish to

thank everyone who participated in the brainstorming and assisted in providing the Best Practices and Supplemental Resources.

SM Edna Pearl Esquibel, CSSF Director, Office of Religious Education

TABLE OF CONTENTS Letter to Pastors and Parish Catechetical Leaders Letter to Parents Best Practices Supplemental Resources

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ARCHDIOCESE OF SANTA FE The Catholic Center

LETTER TO PASTORS AND PARISH CATECHITCAL LEADERS

Office of Religious Education

August 3, 2020 RE: 2020-2021 Religious Education / Faith Formation Dear Pastors and Parish Catechetical Leaders, Archbishop Wester, after consultation with the Archdiocesan Rapid Response Team, has approved the following directives and attached best practices: •

•

• •

Religious Education may begin in the Archdiocese of Santa Fe any time afterAugust 22-23, 2020 The preferred method of instruction in the Archdiocese is: o one that in accordance with shelter-in-place protocols, o

abiding with directives in the State of New Mexico’s Public Health Order as amended and where applicable, the orders of the Pueblo Governors.

o

using video conferencing (i.e. Zoom, Skype, Google Classroom, Facebook, etc.), recorded classes (DVD, USB flash drive, YouTube, etc.) and other remote learning platforms.

If face-to-face, gathered instruction is necessary and/or possible, particularly for smaller rural parishes, all protocols are to be followed: o 6-foot social distancing o masks must be worn by all o regular cleaning and disinfecting of the environment o hand sanitizers must be available o frequent hand, washing opportunities should be available o percentage of those gathered or in attendance will not exceed the percentage allowed by the State of New Mexico Public Health Order and, where applicable, those of the Pueblo Governors.

Both in person (gathered) and remote learning (non-gathered) methods are to be made available to the families, particularly if parents have concerns or are fearful about sending their child to in-person classes. o Children may not be required to attend gathered formation classes against the parents’ wishes.

Adult Formation and youth programs may also begin following these same protocols, in keeping with the Public Health Order from the State of New Mexico and, where applicable, the orders of the Pueblo Governors.

Please remember that the parents are the primary catechists of their children and it is our responsibility as Catechetical Leaders to make resources available to strengthen and inform the faith of parents. “The Church is called to cooperate with parents through suitable pastoral initiatives, assisting them in the fulfillment of their educational mission to become above all the first catechists of their own children.” (2020 Directory for Catechesis, #124) Sincerely in Christ, SM Edna Pearl Esquibel, CSSF Director of Religious Education

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LETTER

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Dear Parent and Guardians,

If necessary and possible by obeying all the following protocols, face-to-face, gathered instruction, particularly for smaller rural parishes, may take place. Social distancing of 6 feet must be observed. Masks must be worn by all. The gathering spaces must be cleaned and disinfected regularly. Hand sanitizers must be available and frequent hand, washing opportunities made available. At this moment in time, not gathering space should have more than the 25% allowed by the State of New Mexico Public Health Order.

Both in person (gathered) and remote learning (non-gathered) methods must be made available to the families, particularly if parents have concerns or are fearful about sending their child to inperson classes.

We ask God’s blessing upon each of you as you contemplate what is best for your family at this time and ask your help in keeping each other safe and well.

Peace and all good!

Hna. M. Edna Pearl Esquibel

*“to equip and empower families to once again embrace their role as the domestic church: a

place where faith takes root and is nurtured” [Found on pg 62, first paragraph (Ch 4 “Empowering Families to be the Domestic Church” in All God’s People - Todo El Pueblo de Dios.]

PARENTS AND GUARDIANS

Archbishop Wester, after consultation with the Archdiocesan Rapid Response Team, has allowed Religious Education to resume in the Archdiocese of Santa Fe any time after August 22-23, 2020.

However, the preferred method of instruction in the Archdiocese is one that follows shelter-inplace protocols, all directives of the State of New Mexico’s Public Health Order, and make use of video conferencing (i.e. Zoom, Skype, Google Classroom, Facebook, etc.), recorded classes (DVD, USB flash drive, YouTube, etc.) and other digital learning platforms.

TO

It is the obligation of the Church to equip and empower families to once again embrace their role as the domestic church: a place where faith takes root and is nurtured. As well as to assist and encourage parents in their role as the first or primary catechists of their own children. Your parish catechetical leadership has been reminded of this responsibility as they begin planning for Religious Education (Catechism) classes. We know that you have concerns about the safety of your children and family during this pandemic. Every effort will be made to keep you and them safe.

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RECOMMENDATIONS OF BEST PRACTICES

RECOMMENDATIONS OF BEST PRACTICES FOR PARISH BASED RELIGIOUS EDUCATION FOR THE 2020-2021 CATECHETICALYEAR The below are recommendations for safely resuming both non-gathered (distanced) and gathered (inperson) faith formation classes. These recommendations are based on the following guiding principles: Out of fraternal love, we will keep the Protection, Safety, Wellbeing, and Health of our children, families, and entire parish community at the forefront in resuming catechetical ministry.

(Non-gathered) Socially distanced (at home) Faith Formation • Parish Catechetical Leaders should be prepared to offer a workable, non-gathered (at-home, or virtual/web-based) Religious Education (Faith Formation/Catechism) program for the year.

• The registration process should maintain social distance by using on-line, mailed or drop off forms • Safely compile ‘at home’ packets for parents/children • Check in regularly by phone, video chat, email, Flock Note, etc. with parents/guardians/grandparents to see how they are doing (not just with classes but as a family trying to stay safe and well), if they need help or prayers, if they have questions, etc.

• Creatively involve the entire family in the lessons and interactive activities that provide depth and fun • Recommend websites, videos, etc. for parents to add greater formation opportunities (MRC website: https://archdiosf.booksys.net/opac/archdiosf/index.html#menuHome) • Seek permission to use any Copyrighted material before making copies (Non-gathered) Virtual Faith Formation • Parish Catechetical Leaders should be prepared to offer a workable, non-gathered (at-home, or virtual/web-based) Religious Education (Faith Formation/Catechism) program for the year.

• The registration process should maintain social distance by using on-line, mailed or drop off forms • Obtain parent /legal guardian permission for student to use web conference/internet based platform based on safe environment protocols which also includes recognition that classes will be recorded and stored for a time • Obtain parent/legal guardian permission for parish to post photos or screen-shots on parish website, official Facebook, Instagram etc.

• Have two (2) safe environment certified adult (VIRTUS trained) catechists or youth ministers present for on-line or phone conference classes at all times • Ensure adult catechists stay connected/on-line (“in the room”) until every child logs off the platform so children are not left on the platform unsupervised.

• Ensure protocols for the platform being followed to keep participants safe and protect them from on-line predators • Be aware of family limitations to technology and scheduling conflicts based on school requirements or parent work requirements and be flexible regarding attendance and participation o Provide alternatives for those without Wi-Fi access, those who have data limits on smart

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• •

• •

•

phones, or have limited shared devices.

Check in regularly via phone, video chat, email, Flock Note, etc. with parents/guardians/grandparents to see how they are doing, if they need help or prayers, if they have questions, etc.

Provide a Code of Conduct for those participating in virtual classes (See Sample Permission regarding appropriate behavior and dress, participants remain in common area of home where parents can monitor). o Code of conduct would apply to parents, grandparents, godparents who join in the class discussions Address bad behavior of the child with child and parents as soon as possible (a parent or guardian should be in the vicinity of the area the child is connected to the class) Access additional resources offered by Catholic publishers for on-line learning. o On-line components that complement text books for faith formation as well as worksheets, etc. o Religious Education publishers offer webinars on “how to” use their on-line services and any associated costs Ensure that any video or other links provided are authentic Catholic teaching o Check with your pastor or the Archdiocesan Pastoral Ministries Offices if you do not know or are uncertain.

(Gathered) In-person (classroom) Faith Formation: • Know the parish facility’s capacity (number of people allowed in each room) and how many children and catechists make up no more than the percentage allowed by State of NM Health Order Guidelines and, where applicable, the orders of the Pueblo Governors. (See attachment) •

•

Train catechists and volunteers with regard to safety and health protocols of social distancing, cleaning, disinfecting, etc. o

Catholic Mutual, NM Department of Health websites have further information

o

Learn common symptoms of COVID-19 and what to watch for in themselves and children

Schedule cleaning and disinfecting of spaces used o

Know whose responsibility it will be to ensure cleaning/disinfecting happens 

o

•

Parishes may have janitorial staff taking care of the church; but, they may not be responsible for other parts of the parish plant (i.e. classrooms)

Ensure there are sufficient supplies and materials needed (disinfectant, gloves, masks, etc.) 

Be aware that parishes with large groups of children and multiple other formation ministries who share a common space may find this task more complicated and may require greater effort in planning.



Identify frequently touched areas (door handles, tables, desks, chairs, light switches, copy machines, etc.)

Limit non-essential visitors

RECOMMENDATIONS OF BEST PRACTICES

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RECOMMENDATIONS OF BEST PRACTICES

Office of Religious Education

•

Set up rooms with a minimum of 6’ distance of individual space for catechists, children/youth o

Children youth should all be facing the same direction (i.e. desks, tables & chairs, mats, etc.)

o

Use a larger facility if the classroom space is too small to distance (i.e. parish hall, church, gym, etc.) for formation classes

•

Provide FDA approved hand sanitizer for every classroom if there are no hand washing stations

•

Stagger arrival/dismissal times, bathroom visits, etc. to avoid large group gatherings

•

Avoid instances where masks would have to be removed such as meals, snacks, etc.

•

Provide or recommend children bring bottled water rather than using water fountains or sinks o

•

Water should be consumed outside of classroom

Ensure each individual (catechists, children, youth, guests) wears a mask (3-ply) while at parish facilities. o

Those who are medically excused from wearing a mask should have accommodations made for them to participate in non-gathered formation options.

•

Consider use of a COVID-19 screening questionnaire (See Attachment E) and/or take temperatures (100.4O +) for catechetical staff, children, visitors (i.e. parents needing to pick up a child or be in a classroom for special needs children)

•

Encourage those who are ill to stay home

•

Encourage those who are high-risk to stay home and provide non-gathered formation opportunities.

•

Ensure that books and other materials are not shared by children. o

Each child should take possession of and be responsible for bringing books or materials to class each session.

o

If possible, text books or workbooks, folders, etc. may be stored at the parish facility if each child has a specific location where their materials may be kept separately (cubby, desk, etc.) and only the individual child accesses the materials.

•

Explore new ways of group tasks, projects, community service, retreats that would not require gathering in groups or sharing supplies

• •

Avoid any activities that include contact between participants (i.e. games, holding hands, etc.)

Provide alternatives to gathered/in-person catechesis for parents who are concerned about their child attending class. o

Let empathy and compassion be your guide for parents concerned about the health and safety of their child, family, etc.

o

No “mandatory’ in-person classes, community service, projects, etc.

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SUPPLEMENTAL RESOURCES 2020-2021 Catechetical Year https://archdiocesesantafegiving.org/ministry-resource-center-mrc (ASF Ministry Resource Center e-books, videos, books, etc.) https://archdiosf.org/christian-service (Ongoing formation classes for adults) https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKqUBEwZJxQHVQVrOPA7P0w/videos (video reflections youth/young adults) https://www.cmdnet.org/yma https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9yQiKa6PAY&list=PLpbT9GQ03mWK1XR5l8vO09IhXlPDvdWT- (How To Video for Youth/Young Adult) https://www.loyolapress.com/3-minute-retreats-daily-online-prayer/ (3 minute retreat for anyone) https://www.sliconnect.org/how-to-pray-in-times-of-crisis/ (On-demand video for anyone) https://www.emmausproductions.com/ (Music, video retreats, etc. for anyone) https://catechistsjourney.loyolapress.com/category/all-things-catechist/technology-in-catechesis/ (Help for catechists) http://www.twentythirdpublications.com/wegatonefare.html (Family 1st Eucharist Retreat) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvWn186jqWU&feature=youtu.be (Pflaum new resources-family catechesis) https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PLpTzvCOJa7DBTwbqphYNgG8mxWWHLY7f0&time_continue=194&v=0-h4vff6N2s&feature=emb_logo (Video from USCCB – parents as First Catechists) http://www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/how-we-teach/catechesis/catechetical-sunday/Received-Handed/putting-parents-at-the-center-of-our-ministry-efforts.cfm (Article from USCCB Importance of Parents) https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PLpTzvCOJa7DBTwbqphYNgG8mxWWHLY7f0&time_continue=194&v=0-h4vff6N2s&feature=emb_logo (Video from USCCB – parents as First Catechists) http://www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/how-we-teach/catechesis/catechetical-sunday/Received-Handed/putting-parents-at-the-center-of-our-ministry-efforts.cfm (Article from USCCB Importance of Parents) https://catholicbrain.com/ (Fully online resource for children/middle school children Faith Formation) https://www.cmdnet.org/ (Youth Ministry & Family Faith Formation Resources) https://teamrcia.com/?utm_source=ActiveCampaign&utm_medium=email&utm_content=Multiple+RCIA+seekers+on+the+journey+of+faith+at+the+same+time&utm_campaign=2020-07-06+Newsletter (Resources for those preparing others for the Rite of Christian Initiation) https://aliveinchrist.osv.com/ (Our Sunday Visitor[OSV] supplemental virtual resources)

SUPPLEMENTAL RESOURCES

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ARCHDIOCESE OF SANTA FE The Catholic Center Office of Religious Education https://d2y1pz2y630308.cloudfront.net/20349/documents/2020/7/BASICS%20%20INTRODUCTION.pdf (FlipGrid: OSV’s tips for catechists on virtual catechesis) http://rclbfamilylife.com/ & https://www.flourishkh.com/rclb/login (RCL Benziger online faith formation programs) https://store.rclbenziger.com/product/our-family-faith-series-our-family-faith-resource-guide-3-year-license & https://store.rclbenziger.com/product/our-family-faith-series-our-family-devotions-english (Resource for Family Faith Formation – digital resources and print in English & digital only in Español) https://www.loyolapress.com/general/faith-formation/ –– & –– https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=loyola+press (Loyola Press supplemental virtual resources) https://www.youtube.com/user/SadlierReligion (Resources from Sadlier & catechist formation webinars) https://www.sadlier.com/religion/blog/flipping-catechesis-3-simple-strategies-for-flipping-faith-formation (Flipped Catechesis-collaboration between parents and parish) https://www.youtube.com/user/avemariapress (Resources from Ave Maria Press & catechist formation webinars)

SUPPLEMENTAL RESOURCES

https://www.smp.org/product/E2924/Called-to-Mercy/ (Confirmation Program App) https://www.youtube.com/c/ascensionpress (Resources from Ascension Press) https://www.youtube.com/user/ignatiuspress (Resources from Ignatius Press) https://dynamiccatholic.com/ (Resources from Dynamic Catholic for Sacramental Preparation) https://thesignsofgrace.org/ (Virtual resource from Augustine Institute for Sacramental Prep) https://pastoral.center/eresources (Virtual resources from The Pastoral Center for all ages) https://store.rclbenziger.com/product/family-celebrations-through-year-mark-online-license (RCL Benziger resource for Family Faith Formation) https://sophiainstituteforteachers.org/una-familia-de-fe-covid-19-temporary-access (Sophia Institute Family Faith resource – Español) https://sophiainstituteforteachers.org/a-family-of-faith-covid-19-temporary-access (Sophia Institute Family Faith resource – English) https://bayardfaithresources.com/products/sunday-fun-for-faith-filled-families-ideas-prayers-and-activities-tocelebrate-the-lord-s-day-shareable-parish-and-school-use (Breaking open the Sunday Readings from Twenty Third Publications) Supplemental Resources 2020-2021 Catechetical Year https://app.feedblitz.com/f/f.fbz?Sub=1093293 (Subscribe to get the daily readings from USCCB and a weekly Lectio Divina on the Sunday Readings) https://store.rclbenziger.com/product/praying-scriptures-lectionary-resources-church-year-b-1-year-license (RCL Benziger resource for Sunday readings Praying the Scriptures. Spanish version Orando con las Escrituras available in August. Whole parish license available under $20@year)

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The Catholic Center Office of Religious Education https://www.wordonfire.org/ (Adult Faith Formation opportunities with Bishop Baron) https://www.archindy.org/catechesis/documents/Rejoicing%20in%20Suffering%20w_%20St.%20Paul.pdf (Reflection on times of suffering with St. Paul from the Archdiocese of Indianapolis -English) https://www.archindy.org/evangelization/documents/Spanish%20Booklet%20Rejoicing%20in%20Suffering.pdf (Reflection on times of suffering with St. Paul from the Archdiocese of Indianapolis –Español) http://familyformation.net/ Strong Catholic Family Faith (Family Faith Formation) http://www.catholicfamilyfaith.org (Parent Faith Formation) http://www.usccb.org (United States Conference of Catholic Bishops . . . choose “Family Resources”) http://www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/how-we-teach/new-evangelization/year-of-faith/year-of-faith-familyresources.cfm http://www.cymt.org/involving-parents-in-faith-formation-part-1/ (podcasts Center for Youth Ministry Training . . .includes faith formation resources for parents) http://catholicmom.com (Catholic Mom) www.faithink.com (Faith Inkubators) http://susanvogt.net (Family Matters (Susan Vogt) Crafts for Kids: www.dltk-kids.com www.cmdnet.org (Fashioning Faith - Center for Ministry Development) http://www.thereligionteacher.com (The Religion Teacher) http://parentteachersupport.org (Resources for parents, catechists and teachers) https://bayardfaithresources.com/products/sunday-fun-for-faith-filled-families-ideas-prayers-and-activities-to-celebrate-the-lord-s-day-individual-use (e-book) http://sjeciowa.org/spanish-resources/ & http://sjeciowa.org/resources/ (multiple resources from St. Joseph Education Center-Diocese of De Moines) http://www.catholicplayground.com/ (children/family activities) https://www.sharingcatholicfaith.com/default.html https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Browse/Search:catholic%20religion (catechetical activity resources) https://www.catholicmom.com/resources (catechetical activity resources) https://www.lentecatolico.com/ (children/family videos in Spanish)

SUPPLEMENTAL RESOURCES

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ARQU IDIÓCESIS DE SANTA FE

2020 - 2021 E D U C A C I Ó N R E L I G I O S A /F O R M A C I Ó N Directrices, recomendaciones de mejores prácticas y recursos complementarios

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os padres de familia son los catequistas primarios de sus hijos y es nuestra responsabilidad hacer disponibles recursos para fortalecer e informar la fe de estos padres. "La Iglesia está llamada a cooperar con los padres de familia a través de iniciativas pastorales adecuadas, ayudándoles a cumplir su misión educativa para convertirse sobre todo en los primeros catequistas de sus propios hijos". (Directorio 2020 para la catequesis, #124)

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ste fue un esfuerzo de colaboración de los líderes catequísticos de la Arquidiócesis con la Oficina de Educación Religiosa. Deseo agradecer a todos los que participaron en las reflexiones y ayudaron a proporcionar las mejores prácticas y recursos suplementarios.

Hermana Edna Pearl Esquibel, CSSF Directora de la Oficina de Educación Religiosa

TABLE OF CONTENTS Carta a los pastores y líderes catequísticos de las parroquias Carta a los padres Recomendaciones de Mejores prácticas Recursos suplementarios

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The Catholic Center Office of Religious Education 3 de agosto de 2020 Asunto: Educación Religiosa / Formación en la Fe 2020-2021 Queridos párrocos y líderes catequísticos de la parroquia, El Arzobispo Wester, después de consultar con el Equipo de Respuesta Rápida de laArquidiócesis, ha aprobado las siguientes directrices y las mejores prácticas. Favor de ver anexo.

La Educación Religiosa puede comenzar en la Arquidiócesis de Santa Fe en cualquier momento después del 22 y 23 de agosto del 2020.

• -El método preferido de instrucción en la Arquidiócesis es: o uno que esté de acuerdo con los protocolos de “shelter-in-place” (Quédense en casa), o cumplir con las directivas de la Orden de Salud Pública del Estado de Nuevo México con sus enmiendas y, en su caso, las órdenes de los Gobernadores de los Pueblos o usando videoconferencias (por ejemplo, Zoom, Skype, Google Classroom, Facebook, etc.), clases grabadas (en DVD, memoria USB, YouTube, etc.) y otras plataformas de aprendizaje a distancia.

• Si es necesaria y/o posible una instrucción cara a cara y presencial, en particular para las parroquias rurales más pequeñas, se deberán seguir todos los protocolos: o Un distanciamiento social de al menos 6 pies (1.8 metros) o Todos deberán usar mascarillas o Realizar limpieza y desinfección regular del ambiente o Se debe disponer de desinfectantes para las manos o Llevar a cabo frecuente lavado de manos o El porcentaje de los reunidos o asistentes no excederá el porcentaje permitido por la Orden de Salud Pública del Estado de Nuevo México y, en su caso, las órdenes de los Gobernadores de los Pueblos.

• Se pondrán a disposición de las familias métodos de aprendizaje tanto en persona (reunidos) como a distancia (no reunidos), en particular si los padres tienen preocupaciones o temen enviar a su hijo a clases en persona. o No se podrá exigir a los niños que asistan a clases de formación en persona en contra de los deseos de los padres.

• La formación de adultos y los programas para jóvenes también pueden iniciar siguiendo estos mismos protocolos, de acuerdo con la Orden de Salud Pública del Estado de Nuevo México y, en su caso, las órdenes de los Gobernadores de los Pueblos.

Por favor recuerde que los padres de familia son los catequistas primarios de sus hijos y es nuestra responsabilidad hacer disponibles recursos para fortalecer e informar la fe de estos padres. “La Iglesia está llamada a cooperar con los padres de familia a través de iniciativas pastorales adecuadas, ayudándoles a cumplir su misión educativa para convertirse sobre todo en los primeros catequistas de sus propios hijos”.

(Directorio 2020 para la catequesis, #124) Sinceramente en Cristo, Hermana Edna Pearl Esquibel, CSSF Directora de Educación Religiosa

CARTA A LOS PASTORES Y LÍDERES CATEQUÍSTICOS DE LAS PARROQUIAS

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Queridos padres de familia y tutores: Es la obligación de la Iglesia equipar y capacitar a las familias para que vuelvan a adoptar su papel como iglesia doméstica: un lugar donde la fe eche raíces y se nutra. Es también la obligación de la Iglesia ayudar y animar a los padres de familia en su papel como los principales catequistas de sus propios hijos.

A los responsables de la catequesis de sus parroquias se les ha recordado esta responsabilidad alcomenzar a planificar las clases de Educación Religiosa (Catecismo). Sabemos que ustedes están preocupados por la seguridad de sus hijos y su familia durante esta pandemia. Haremos todo lo posible para mantenerlos a ustedes y a ellos a salvo.

El Arzobispo Wester, después de consultar con el EquipoArquidiocesano de Respuesta Rápida, ha permitido que la Educación Religiosa se reanude en la Arquidiócesis de Sant a Fe en cualquier momento después del 22 y 23 de agosto del 2020. Sin embargo, el método preferido de instrucción en la Arquidiócesis es aquel que sigue los protocolos de “quedarse en casa”, así como todas las directivas de la Orden de Salud Publica del Estado de Nuevo México y hace uso de los sistemas de videoconferencia (ej.

Zoom, Skype, Google Classroom, Facebook, etc.), clases grabadas (DVD, USB flash drive, YouTube, etc.) y otras plataformas digitales de aprendizaje.

CARTA A LOS PADRES

En caso de ser necesario y posible, obedeciendo todos los protocolos siguientes, pueble llevarse a cabo una instrucción presencial, un particular para las parroquias rurales más pequeñas. Se deberá observar el distanciamiento social de por lo menos 6 pies (aprox. 2 metros). Todos deberán usara mascarillas o cubre bocas/nariz. Los espacios de reunión deberán limpiarse y desinfectarse regularmente. Se debe contar con desinfectantes para las manos y se deberá dispones de oportunidades para lavarse las manos con frecuencia. En este momento, ningún espacio de reunión debe dar cabida a más de 25% permitido por la Orden de Salud Publica del Estado de Nuevo México.

Deben ponerse a disposición de las familias métodos de aprendizaje tanto en persona (presenciales) como a distancia (no presenciales), en particular si los padres tienen preocupaciones o temen enviar a su hijo a clases presenciales.

Pedimos la bendición de Dios sobre cada uno de ustedes al considerar lo que es mejor para su familia en este momento y les pedimos su ayuda para mantener a todos sanos y salvos. ¡Paz y Bien!

Hna. M. Edna Pearl Esquibel *”para equipar y capacitar a las familias a abrazar una vez mas su papel como la iglesia domestica: un lugar donde la fe echa raíces y se nutre” [Encontrado en la pagina 62, primer párrafo (Cap. 4 “Capacitar a las familias para ser la iglesia doméstica” en All God’s People – Todo el Pueblo de Dios.]

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The Catholic Center Office of Religious Education RECOMENDACIONES DE MEJORES PRÁCTICAS PARA LA EDUCACIÓN RELIGIOSA EN LAS PARROQUIAS PARA EL AÑO CATEQUÉTICO2020-2021

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A continuación, se presentan recomendaciones para reanudar con seguridad tanto las clases de formación religiosa no presenciales (a distancia), como las presenciales (en persona). Estas recomendaciones se basan en los siguientes principios que nos guían: Por amor fraternal, mantendremos la protección, seguridad, bienestar y salud de nuestros niños, jóvenes, familias y de toda la comunidad parroquial mientras se implementa la reanudación del ministerio catequético.

Formación en la fe (no presencial) Socialmente distanciados (en casa) • Los líderes de la catequesis parroquial deben estar preparados para ofrecer un programa de Educación Religiosa (Formación de la Fe/Catecismo) factible y no presencial (en casa o virtual/en la red) durante el año.

• El proceso de inscripción debe mantener la distancia social mediante el uso de formularios en línea, enviados por correo o entregados.

• Preparar de forma segura paquetes “Para la casa” para los padres de familia y los niños (Ver AnexoA) • Asegurarse de estar en comunicación constante por teléfono, video chat, correo electrónico, Flock Note, etc. con los padres/guardianes/abuelos para ver cómo están (no solo con las clases sino cómo familia que tal vez está tratando de mantenerse segura y saludable), si necesitan ayuda u oraciones, si tienen preguntas, etc.

• Involucrar creativamente a toda la familia en las lecciones y actividades interactivas que proporcionan profundidad y diversión • Recomendar sitios web, videos, etc. para que los padres de familia agreguen mayores oportunidades de formación (sitio web de MRC: https://archdiosf.booksys.net/opac/archdiosf/index.html#menuHome) • Solicitar permiso para utilizar cualquier material con derechos de autor antes de hacer copias Formación de fe virtual (no presencial) • Los líderes de la catequesis parroquial deben estar preparados para ofrecer un programa de Educación Religiosa (Formación de la Fe/Catecismo) factible, no presencial (en casa o virtual/en la red) durante el año.

• El proceso de inscripción debe mantener la distancia social mediante el uso de formularios en línea, enviados por correo o entregados.

• Obtener el permiso de los padres o tutores legales para que el estudiante utilice plataformas basadas en conferencias web o en Internet, con protocolos de entorno seguro que incluyan el reconocimiento de que las clases se grabarán y almacenarán durante un tiempo (véase el anexo B).

• Obtener el permiso de los padres/tutores legales para que la parroquia publique fotos de pantallas en el sitio web de la parroquia, en el Facebook oficial, en Instagram, etc. (Ver Anexos C.1 y C.2) • Asegurarse de tener dos (2) catequistas adultos certificados en el programa del ambiente seguro (entrenados en VIRTUS) o ministros juveniles presentes para las clases en línea o por teléfono en todo momento.

• Asegurarse de que los catequistas adultos se mantengan conectados/en línea (“en la reunión”) hasta que todos los niños se desconecten de la plataforma para que no se queden en la plataforma sin supervisión.

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Asegurar que se sigan los protocolos de la plataforma para mantener a los participantes a salvo y protegerlos de los depredadores en línea Estar consciente de las limitaciones de las familias a la tecnología y de los conflictos de horarios basados en los requisitos de la escuela o los requisitos de trabajo de los padres y ser flexible en cuanto a la asistencia y la participación Proporcionar alternativas para aquellos que no tienen acceso a Wi-Fi, a los que tienen límites de datos en los teléfonos inteligentes, o tienen dispositivos compartidos limitados.

Estar en contacto regularmente por teléfono, video chat, correo electrónico, Flock Note, etc. con los padres/tutores/abuelos para ver cómo les va, y si necesitan ayuda u oraciones, si tienen preguntas, etc.

Proporcionar un Código de Conducta para aquellos que participan en las clases virtuales (Ver ejemplo de permiso con respecto a la conducta y vestimenta apropiadas, los participantes permanecen en un área común de la casa donde los padres pueden monitorear). o El código de conducta se aplicará a los padres, abuelos, padrinos que se unan a las discusiones de la clase Atienda el mal comportamiento del niño con el niño y sus padres lo antes posible (un padre o tutor debe estar cerca del área en la que el niño está conectado a la clase).

Acceda a recursos adicionales ofrecidos por editoriales católicas para el aprendizaje en línea. o Componentes en línea que complementan los libros de texto para la formación de la fe, así como hojas de trabajo, etc. (Véase la lista de recursos suplementarios adjunta) o Las editoriales de Educación Religiosa ofrecen seminarios web sobre “cómo” utilizar sus servicios en línea y si es que hay costos asociados Asegurarse de que cualquier video u otros enlaces proporcionados son auténticas enseñanzas católicas o Consulte a su pastor o con las Oficinas de Ministerios Pastorales de la Arquidiócesis si tiene dudas o no está seguro de algo.

MEJORES PRÁCTICAS

Formación en la fe en persona o presencial (en el salón de clases): • Conozca la capacidad de las instalaciones parroquiales (el número de personas permitidas en cada salón) y cuántos niños y catequistas conforman no más del porcentaje permitido por las Guías de Ordenamiento de Salud del Estado de NM y, en su caso, las órdenes de los Gobernadores de los Pueblos • Capacitar a los catequistas y voluntarios en lo que respecta a los protocolos de seguridad y salud de distanciamiento social, limpieza, desinfección, etc. o Los sitios web de la compañía de seguros Catholic Mutual, Departamento de Salud de NM tienen más información o Aprenda los síntomas comunes de COVID-19 y lo que hay que tener en cuenta en ellos mismos y en los niños • Programar la limpieza y desinfección de los espacios utilizados o Saber de quién será la responsabilidad de asegurar que se lleve a cabo la limpieza/desinfección  Puede ser que las parroquias tengan personal de limpieza cuidando de la iglesia, pero tal vez no ser responsables de otras partes de la planta de la parroquia (por ejemplo, las aulas). o Asegurarse de que hay suficientes suministros y materiales necesarios (desinfectante, guantes, máscaras, etc.)  Tenga en cuenta que las parroquias con grandes grupos de niños y otros múltiples ministerios de formación que comparten un espacio común pueden encontrar esta tarea más

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complicada y pueden requerir un mayor esfuerzo en la planificación.

Identificar áreas que se tocan con frecuencia (manijas de puertas, mesas, escritorios, sillas, interruptores de luz, fotocopiadoras, etc.)

Limitar los visitantes no esenciales Preparar habitaciones con un mínimo de 6 pies (1.8 metros) de distancia de espacio individual para catequistas, niños/jóvenes o Los niños y jóvenes deben estar todos orientados hacia la misma dirección (es decir, escritorios, mesas y sillas, colchonetas, etc.) o Usar una instalación más grande si el espacio del aula es demasiado pequeño para la distancia social requerida (es decir, salón parroquial, iglesia, gimnasio, etc.) para las clases de formación Proporcionar desinfectante de manos aprobado por la FDA para cada aula si no hay estaciones de lavado de manos Escalonar las horas de llegada y salida, las visitas al baño, etc. para evitar reuniones de grupos grandes.

Evite los casos en los que haya que quitarse las máscaras, como las comidas, los refrigerios, etc.

Proporcione o recomiende a los niños que traigan agua embotellada en lugar de usar fuentes de agua o lavabos o El agua debe ser consumida fuera de la clase Asegurarse de que cada individuo (catequistas, niños, jóvenes, invitados) usa una mascarilla (de tres capas) mientras esté en las instalaciones de la parroquia. o A aquellos que están médicamente dispensados de usar una mascarilla deben se les debe ofrecer los medios para participar en las opciones de formación no presenciales.

Considerar la posibilidad de utilizar un cuestionario de selección de COVID-19 (véase el anexo E) y/o tomar temperaturas (100.4O +) para el personal de catequesis, los niños, los visitantes (es decir, los padres de familia que necesitan recoger a un niño o estar en un aula para niños con necesidades especiales) Animar a los que están enfermos a quedarse en casa Animar a los que son de alto riesgo a que se queden en casa y proporcionar oportunidades de formación no presenciales Asegurarse de que los libros y otros materiales no sean compartidos por los niños. o Cada niño debe tomar posesión y ser responsable de traer libros o materiales a la clase en cada sesión. o Si es posible, los libros de texto o libros de trabajo, carpetas, etc. pueden ser almacenados en las instalaciones de la parroquia si cada niño tiene un lugar específico donde sus materiales pueden ser guardados por separado (cubículo, escritorio, etc.) y sólo el niño individual tiene acceso a los materiales.

Explorar nuevas formas de tareas en grupo, proyectos, servicios comunitarios, retiros que no requieran reunirse en grupo o compartir suministros Evitar cualquier actividad que incluya el contacto entre los participantes (por ejemplo, juegos, tomarse de la mano, etc.)

Proporcionar alternativas a la catequesis presencial, reunida en persona, para los padres que se preocupan por la asistencia de su hijo a clase. o Deje que la empatía y la compasión sean su guía para tratar con los padres de familia preocupados por la salud y la seguridad de su hijo, la familia, etc. o No hay clases “obligatorias” en persona, servicio comunitario, proyectos, etc. 

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Recursos complementarios 2020-2021 CatecheticalYear https://archdiocesesantafegiving.org/ministry-resource-center-mrc (ASF Ministry Resource Center e-books, videos, books, etc.) https://archdiosf.org/christian-service (Ongoing formation classes for adults) https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKqUBEwZJxQHVQVrOPA7P0w/videos (video reflections youth/young adults) https://www.cmdnet.org/yma

RECURSOS COMPLEMENTARIOS

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9yQiKa6PAY&list=PLpbT9GQ03mWK1XR5l8vO09IhXlPDvdWT- (How To Video for Youth/Young Adult) https://www.loyolapress.com/3-minute-retreats-daily-online-prayer/ (3 minute retreat for anyone) https://www.sliconnect.org/how-to-pray-in-times-of-crisis/ (On-demand video for anyone) https://www.emmausproductions.com/ (Music, video retreats, etc. for anyone) https://catechistsjourney.loyolapress.com/category/all-things-catechist/technology-in-catechesis/ (Help for catechists) http://www.twentythirdpublications.com/wegatonefare.html (Family 1st Eucharist Retreat) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvWn186jqWU&feature=youtu.be (Pflaum new resources-family catechesis) https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PLpTzvCOJa7DBTwbqphYNgG8mxWWHLY7f0&time_continue=194&v=0-h4vff6N2s&feature=emb_logo (Video from USCCB – parents as First Catechists) http://www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/how-we-teach/catechesis/catechetical-sunday/Received-Handed/putting-parents-at-the-center-of-our-ministry-efforts.cfm (Article from USCCB Importance of Parents) https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PLpTzvCOJa7DBTwbqphYNgG8mxWWHLY7f0&time_continue=194&v=0-h4vff6N2s&feature=emb_logo (Video from USCCB – parents as First Catechists) http://www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/how-we-teach/catechesis/catechetical-sunday/Received-Handed/putting-parents-at-the-center-of-our-ministry-efforts.cfm (Article from USCCB Importance of Parents) https://catholicbrain.com/ (Fully online resource for children/middle school children Faith Formation) https://www.cmdnet.org/ (Youth Ministry & Family Faith Formation Resources) https://teamrcia.com/?utm_source=ActiveCampaign&utm_medium=email&utm_content=Multiple+RCIA+seekers+on+the+journey+of+faith+at+the+same+time&utm_campaign=2020-07-06+Newsletter (Resources for those preparing others for the Rite of Christian Initiation)

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https://aliveinchrist.osv.com/ (Our Sunday Visitor[OSV] supplemental virtual resources) https://d2y1pz2y630308.cloudfront.net/20349/documents/2020/7/BASICS%20%20INTRODUCTION.pdf(FlipGrid: OSV’s tips for catechists on virtual catechesis) http://rclbfamilylife.com/ & https://www.flourishkh.com/rclb/login (RCL Benziger online faith formation programs) https://store.rclbenziger.com/product/our-family-faith-series-our-family-faith-resource-guide-3-year-license & https://store.rclbenziger.com/product/our-family-faith-series-our-family-devotions-english (Resource for Family Faith Formation – digital resources and print in English & digital only in Español) https://www.loyolapress.com/general/faith-formation/ –– & –– https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=loyola+press (Loyola Press supplemental virtual resources) https://www.youtube.com/user/SadlierReligion (Resources from Sadlier & catechist formation webinars) https://www.sadlier.com/religion/blog/flipping-catechesis-3-simple-strategies-for-flipping-faith-formation (Flipped Catechesis-collaboration between parents and parish) https://www.youtube.com/user/avemariapress (Resources from Ave Maria Press & catechist formation webinars) https://www.smp.org/product/E2924/Called-to-Mercy/ (Confirmation Program App) https://www.youtube.com/c/ascensionpress (Resources from Ascension Press) https://www.youtube.com/user/ignatiuspress (Resources from Ignatius Press) https://dynamiccatholic.com/ (Resources from Dynamic Catholic for Sacramental Preparation) https://thesignsofgrace.org/ (Virtual resource from Augustine Institute for Sacramental Prep) https://pastoral.center/eresources (Virtual resources from The Pastoral Center for all ages) https://store.rclbenziger.com/product/family-celebrations-through-year-mark-online-license (RCL Benziger resource for Family Faith Formation) https://sophiainstituteforteachers.org/una-familia-de-fe-covid-19-temporary-access (Sophia Institute Family Faith resource – Español) https://sophiainstituteforteachers.org/a-family-of-faith-covid-19-temporary-access (Sophia Institute Family Faith resource – English) https://bayardfaithresources.com/products/sunday-fun-for-faith-filled-families-ideas-prayers-and-activities-tocelebrate-the-lord-s-day-shareable-parish-and-school-use (Breaking open the Sunday Readings from Twenty Third Publications) Supplemental Resources 2020-2021 Catechetical Year https://app.feedblitz.com/f/f.fbz?Sub=1093293 (Subscribe to get the daily readings from USCCB and a weekly Lectio Divina on the Sunday Readings)

RECURSOS COMPLEMENTARIOS

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ARCHDIOCESE OF SANTA FE The Catholic Center Office of Religious Education https://store.rclbenziger.com/product/praying-scriptures-lectionary-resources-church-year-b-1-year-license (RCL Benziger resource for Sunday readings Praying the Scriptures. Spanish version Orando con las Escrituras available in August. Whole parish license available under $20@year) https://www.wordonfire.org/ (Adult Faith Formation opportunities with Bishop Baron) https://www.archindy.org/catechesis/documents/Rejoicing%20in%20Suffering%20w_%20St.%20Paul.pdf (Reflection on times of suffering with St. Paul from the Archdiocese of Indianapolis -English) https://www.archindy.org/evangelization/documents/Spanish%20Booklet%20Rejoicing%20in%20Suffering. pdf (Reflection on times of suffering with St. Paul from the Archdiocese of Indianapolis –Español) http://familyformation.net/ Strong Catholic Family Faith (Family Faith Formation) http://www.catholicfamilyfaith.org (Parent Faith Formation)

RECURSOS COMPLEMENTARIOS

http://www.usccb.org (United States Conference of Catholic Bishops . . . choose “Family Resources”) http://www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/how-we-teach/new-evangelization/year-of-faith/year-of-faith-familyresources.cfm http://www.cymt.org/involving-parents-in-faith-formation-part-1/ (podcasts Center for Youth Ministry Training . . .includes faith formation resources for parents) http://catholicmom.com (Catholic Mom) www.faithink.com (Faith Inkubators) http://susanvogt.net (Family Matters (Susan Vogt) Crafts for Kids: www.dltk-kids.com www.cmdnet.org (Fashioning Faith - Center for Ministry Development) http://www.thereligionteacher.com (The Religion Teacher) http://parentteachersupport.org (Resources for parents, catechists and teachers) https://bayardfaithresources.com/products/sunday-fun-for-faith-filled-families-ideas-prayers-and-activities-tocelebrate-the-lord-s-day-individual-use (e-book) http://sjeciowa.org/spanish-resources/ & http://sjeciowa.org/resources/ (multiple resources from St. Joseph Education Center-Diocese of De Moines) http://www.catholicplayground.com/ (children/family activities) https://www.sharingcatholicfaith.com/default.html https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Browse/Search:catholic%20religion (catechetical activity resources) https://www.catholicmom.com/resources (catechetical activity resources) https://www.lentecatolico.com/ (children/family videos in Spanish)

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Tragedies in Human Medical Experimentation

By Rev. Tadeusz Pacholczyk,Ph.D.

Between 1932 and 1972, a series of highly unethical medical studies were performed on a group of 400 African-Americans by doctors from the U.S. Public Health Service.

Officially referred to as the Tuskegee Study of Untreated Syphilis in the Negro Male, the research protocol enrolled 399 impoverished sharecroppers from Macon County, Alabama, all of whom had syphilis, and a control group of 201 others who were free of the disease.

The 399 were never told that they had syphilis or that their condition was sexuallytransmitted, but only that they had “bad blood.”

The study began at a time when no effective treatments for syphilis existed, but as penicillin became the standard of care during the mid-1940s, the infected men were not offered the new drug; in fact, it was withheld from them during the next 25 years, to enable researchers to track the progression of their disease.

The outcry that followed the public revelation of these unethical research methods, described in an investigative report in the Washington Star, resulted in the study’s finally being shut down. By then, there had already been widespread devastation, with 28 participants having died from syphilis, 100 more having perished from related complications, and

the subjects’ having transmitted the disease to at least 40 spouses and 19 of their children.

In May, 1997 President Clinton issued a public apology to the victims and their families, stating, “The United States government did something that was wrong—deeply, profoundly, morally wrong.” Many afterward questioned how such ethically offensive research could have continued unabated for so many decades.

In the final analysis, the Tuskegee syphilis experiments relied upon a defective theory of ethics, still popular today, known as “utilitarianism.”

Utilitarianism seeks to determine right from wrong by focusing on a calculation of consequences (and so is sometimes also called “consequentialism”), asserting that the best ethical choice is the one that produces “the greatest good for the greatest number” and maximizes “usefulness.”

For the Tuskegee experiments, the usefulness was the knowledge gained through studying the progression of syphilis in human patients, including what consequences (like blindness, insanity) typically can be expected to occur, at what stages, etc. This basic medical knowledge could end up serving the interests of thousands or millions of other individuals in the future, it was asserted, even as doctors overlooked the litany of sufferings and harms inflicted

on an unfortunate few.

A utilitarian approach to justifying scientific research on humans usually implies that we need to “balance” the value of new scientific discoveries against the dignity of human experimental subjects. In this view, the two represent “competing values,” and in a world with no moral absolutes, some individuals may emphasize one set of values, while others will give more weight to another. Compromise can then open up a “middle” solution, allowing for some experimentation on humans to be carried out for the good of research, even if it might at times be harmful, debilitating or lethal to its subjects. In any real world setting, this means that those who are most vulnerable —the poor, the weak, the disenfranchised and the sick —become rife for exploitation whenever particular research goals are declared worthy of pursuit.

This utilitarian approach to “balancing values” provides a highly flawed ethical framework that has been used to justify other immoral biomedical research projects like the German medical experiments on prisoners during the Second World War, human embryonic stem cell research, and other forms of exploitative human experimentation.

In each of these, researchers have been motivated by good goals like learning about disease, developing treatments, and helping others. Finding treatments and making progress against disease is clearly very praiseworthy. But a good end cannot justify an

immoral means. That is where the need for a non-utilitarian ethical understanding becomes paramount. Maintaining immovable negative ethical norms against the abuse of research subjects is key, including norms like: “Do no harm,” “do not kill,” “always secure informed consent,” etc.

The rights of patients to these protections should not be taken as values to be balanced against the goals of research.

This risks sweeping away the vital interests of human subjects in a tide of appeals to societal utility or medical progress. The negative norm, which requires that one should never harm, exploit or destroy human life in the pursuit of laudable research goals, can only be fulfilled in one way: by refusing to violate the norm.

These kinds of negative norms serve the essential role of setting fixed and clear boundaries for ethically acceptable research, strict limits on the pursuit of even the most worthwhile of scientific goals. This helps assure that humans, who are endowed with an absolute value and a unique dignity in themselves, are appropriately protected from any forms of utilitarian reckoning.

Rev. Tadeusz Pacholczyk, Ph.D. earned his doctorate in neuroscience from Yale and did post-doctoral work at Harvard.

He is a priest of the diocese of Fall River, MA, and serves as the Director of Education at The National Catholic Bioethics Center in Philadelphia. See www.ncbcenter.org and www. fathertad.com.

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Matthew 25 Giving Society Awards Dinner Goes Virtual The annual Matthew 25 Giving Society Awards Dinner has historically been an opportunity for Catholic Charities to honor its most dedicated supporters. Attended by members of our Matthew 25 Giving Society, this gathering also serves as an opportunity to recognize individuals and groups who have been important supporters of each of Catholic Charities’ service areas with our Hands of the Holy Spirit and Simon of Cyrene awards.

Our event will look different this year, with no in-person gathering due to public health guidelines. Instead, we will gather virtually to hear a talk from Fr. Fred Kammer (Director of the Jesuit Social Research Institute [JSRI] at Loyola University New Orleans) and honor our awardees within our Matthew 25 Community. Our event will be held at 4:00 p.m. on September 22, 2020 via Zoom video conferencing. This is the first in a series of exclusive talks offered to our Matthew 25 Giving Society Members.

We are filled with joy and gratitude as a member couple has offered to double the Society’s contributions received until October 31, 2020 up to $50,000.00! One dollar becomes two dollars, and collectively, we pray that $50K becomes $100K. To attend, learn more about the Matthew 25 Giving Society, or to set up a pledge, please email loyae@ccasfnm.org.

First Virtual International Club Summer Camp a Success Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, the Center for Refugee Support continued to provide opportunities for refugee youth. Though everyone would have preferred a camp that included outdoor adventures, community games and shared meals, our priority has been to continue programming while keeping the safety of families at the forefront during this time.

Throughout the month of June, 22 students in 3rd-12th grades joined in on Zoom meetings for English language learning, fitness, math skill building, art and writing club, and learning expeditions. They studied adjectives, poetry, the elements of story, number sense, multiplication, and trigonometry in addition to researching subjects of interest.

Of course, no summer camp is complete without a little fun, so game time was an integral part of the experience for everyone. High school students in Future Pathways Academy also designed their own clubs for a leadership project. The focus of their clubs varied from discussing social justice and equal rights to teaching dance, sharing books and hair care tips. This summer camp offered something for every participant.

Were it not for the support, contributions and investment of Albuquerque Academy High School volunteers Adela Yapita, Gabrielle Nemer, Grace Steffen, Megan Blackwell, Mia Wheeler, and Rachel Templeton, in addition to long-time volunteers Ellen Buelow, John Bellum, Anne Callaghan, and Martha Ketelle, this experience would not have been possible. Providing not only their time, but also helping to plan lessons and provide online resources, these volunteers continually stepped up to meet the needs of students each day. For these high school students, especially, to devote their summer time to helping others learn, engage and grow was an incredible gift for all involved.

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Remembering former Chief Program Officer, Jan Mathison We are saddened by the loss of a dear friend and colleague at Catholic Charities, Jan Mathison EdD. Jan was the Director of Educational Services for the agency and then advanced to become our first Chief Program Officer. She was committed to advancing the Social Teachings of the Church in our communities. Perhaps her greatest joy at Catholic Charities was reflected in her advocacy for the children in our preschool services and adult learners who filled our classrooms previously located at the “old” Bridge Blvd. offices. Jan shared her vision with Jim Gannon, Executive Director, from a window at the old Bridge location by pointing to the empty lot just west of the building and saying “Wouldn’t that be a fine place to build a state of the art Children’s Learning Center”. That lot is now our Casa de Corazon campus, which opened 3 1/2 years ago. Casa de Corazon’s first floor is almost entirely in use by the Children’s Learning Center. Jan was most comfortable as advocate for others and seeing the individual success so many made with help from Catholic Charities. Jan passed away on July 20, 2020 at 77 years of age. She was a dear friend who will be deeply missed.

Catholic CharitiesAnnual Second Collection Thank you for your generosity in giving to our Annual Second Collection! We are grateful to the many parishioners throughout the Archdiocese of Santa Fe who supported our annual appeal. If you would like to give to our annual appeal, it’s not too late! Visit our website at https:// www.ccasfnm.org/second-collection.html, click on the donate button and check the box that says “I would like to direct my gift to COVID-19 Relief or another specific program or appeal,” then choose Second Collection from the dropdown menu. Or, mail a check directly to our office, located at 2010 Bridge Blvd SW. Albuquerque, NM 87108.

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Rest in Peace

Sr. Pauline Richter, OP Sr. Pauline Richter, formerly known as Sr. Rose Angeline, died on Monday, May 18, 2020, at the Dominican Life Center in Adrian, MI. She was 86 years of age and in the 66th year of her religious profession in the Adrian Dominican Congregation.

Sr. Pauline was born in Albuquerque, NM to Otto and Mary (Hauschel) Richter. She graduated from St. Mary High School in Albuquerque, and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Latin from Siena Heights College (University) in Adrian and was also licensed as a physical therapist by the Pima Medical Institute in Albuquerque.

Sr. Pauline ministered in New Mexico for over 15 years: Alpha Nurses Health Care, Home Health Nurse Aid, Albuquerque (1985-1986); Holy Ghost Parish, Staff Cook, Albuquerque (1986-1989); St. Joseph Medical Center, Nurse Technician, Albuquerque (1990-2001); Aquinas Newman Center, Volunteer, Albuquerque (2001-2002).

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ARCHBISHOP’S SCHEDULE September Weds, Sept. 9 Date

Event

Thurs, Sept 10 5:30 (English) 6:30pm (Spanish)

Zoom - EMHC Training (Extraordinary Ministers of the Holy Communion) - Best Practices during this extraordinary times of COVID -19 https://tinyurl.com/y2x49h97

Sun., Sept. 13

Fri, Sept. 11

Patriot Day

Mon., Sept. 14

September 12-13

At the request of Pope Francis, the 2020 Pontifical Good Friday Collection is to be take up September 13, 2020.

Thurs., Sept. 17

Sept. 15 – Oct. 15

Hispanic Heritage Month

Sun, Sept. 27

Priesthood Sunday

Sun, Sept. 27

World Day of Migrants & Refugees

October

Respect Life Month Domestic Violence Month

Weds, Sept. 23

October Sun., Oct. 4 Weds., Oct. 7

Sunday Televised Mass Schedule English Televised Sunday Mass at 6:30 a.m.

KASY My50TV

English Televised Sunday Mass at 7:30 a.m.

KRQE 13.2 KBIM 10.2 KREZ 6.2 Comcast and Dish Network– 2 Direct TV – 16 Spanish Sunday Mass 7 a.m. KASY My50TV 8 a.m. on KSWV 810 AM/99.9 FM.

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Thurs., Oct. 8 Weds, Oct. 14

Archbishop Wester’s Town Hall (English 6-6:30 p.m. MT; Spanish 6:30-7p.m. MT) Live on Zoom (check website for meeting code archdiosf.org/archbishop-westertown-hall) and Facebook Live (Archdiocese of Santa Fe Official) Fiesta Mass live-streamed from the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi Chrism Mass live-streamed from the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi Diaconate Candidacy Liturgy of the Word, St. John the Baptist, Santa Fe Archbishop Wester’s Town Hall (English 6-6:30 p.m. MT; Spanish 6:30-7p.m. MT) Live on Zoom (check website for meeting code archdiosf.org/archbishop-westertown-hall) and Facebook Live (Archdiocese of Santa Fe Official) Feast of St. Francis of Assisi livestreamed Mass from the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi Archbishop Wester’s Town Hall (English 6-6:30 p.m. MT; Spanish 6:30-7p.m. MT) Live on Zoom (check website for meeting code archdiosf.org/archbishop-westertown-hall) and Facebook Live (Archdiocese of Santa Fe Official) Adult Confirmation, Our Lady of the Assumption, Albuquerque Archbishop Wester’s Town Hall (English 6-6:30 p.m. MT; Spanish 6:30-7p.m. MT) Live on Zoom (check website for meeting code archdiosf.org/archbishop-westertown-hall) and Facebook Live (Archdiocese of Santa Fe Official)

2020 Abuse Awareness Training for Adults Creating a Safe Environment for Our Children Sponsored by the ASF

PROMISE to Protect

ALL CLASSES HAVE BEEN POSTPONED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE DUE TO THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

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