People of God, December 2014

December 2014 • Volume 32 • Number 11 • www.archdiosf.org

INSIDE THIS ISSUE Executive Order on Immigration ................................ 2 Archbishop’s Letter: Were There Two Synods in Rome? .......................... 3 Felician Sisters Celebrate 140 years ......................... 5 World Day of Peace................................................. 14 Sr. Blandina Segale, SC, Cause of Sainthood ........ 28

Photo by Leslie Radigan-Yodice

Serving The Multicultural People of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe

his is how the birtth off Jesuss Christ came about.

When his mother Mary wass betrothed to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found with child through the Holy Spirit.

Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man, yet unwilling to expose her to shame, decided to divorce her quietly.

Such was his intention when, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home.

For it is through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her.

She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel, which means “God is with us.”

When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took his wife into his home.

He had no relations with her until she bore a son, and he named him Jesus.

MT 1:18-15

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December 2014

A Christmas message from Archbishop Michael J. Sheehan Remember to say, “Merry Christmas” not “Happy Holidays.” Why? Because this is the season of the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Let’s keep Christ in Christmas!

THE ARCHDIOCESE OF SANTA FE PRAYER FOR THE ELECTION OF A BISHOP O God, eternal Shepherd, Who governs Your flock with unfailing care, grant in Your boundless Fatherly love a pastor for Your Church who will please You by His holiness and to us show watchful care.

Gladden us with the gift of a shepherd who will instruct Your people by His virtues and imbue the minds of the faithful With the truth of the Gospel Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.

Amen.

Pope Francis, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople embrace during prayer service in Istanbul

Holy Father’s Prayer Intentions FOR December 2014 Universal: That the birth of the Redeemer may bring peace and hope to all people of good will.

For Evangelization: That parents may be true evangelizers, passing on to their children the precious gift of faith.

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople kisses Pope Francis as they embrace during an ecumenical prayer service in the patriarchal Church of St. George in Istanbul Nov. 29. (CNS photo/Paul Haring)

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Were There Two Synods in Rome?

ARCHBISHOP MICHAEL J. SHEEHAN My friend, Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York, was at the recently concluded synod in Rome. He had some interesting comments to make at the November meeting of bishops in Baltimore. He said that it seemed that there were two synods, the one that he and the cardinals and bishops participated in and the other synod which was the one reported by the news media. He said that the synod fathers were honest in sharing their concerns about marriage and family in our present world. He pointed out that everyone agreed that there was indeed a crisis for marriage brought on by the sexual revolution, by the large number of divorces, and the reality of cohabitation and adultery, and now same-sex marriage. The media concentrated on describing the synod as very controversial and that there was a great deal of heated disagreements on issues such as giving communion to those who were divorced and

remarried outside the church and a more tolerant view of same-sex marriages. The final relatio or report denied that there was any new church doctrine regarding these and other issues. We still have a year to go before the second synod that will take place next year in Rome.

Certainly there were different views and the pope wisely warned of the temptations that can sidetrack healthy dialogue; hostile inflexibility on the one hand and do-goodism that can be destructive and the transformation of spiritual substance,abandoningthewill of the Father for the sake of the expedient and exploiting the deposit of faith or ignoring complicated realities for self serving ends.

Surely, we need to hear from lay people in happy marriage as well as those who have had a failure of their marriages and yet look for ways to return to the sacraments.

One of the important issues

that will be discussed is the matter of simplifying the marriage annulment process in a realistic way to help many couples get back to a valid marriage and the reception of the sacraments of the church. It is important to point out again that nothing in the church doctrine has changed and the final statement from the synod has no doctrinal force. The real work will be between now and the end of the synod next year.

I believe that the annulment process in our marriage tribunals can indeed be simplified; and the pope has established a special committee to work on making this happen. The bishops at the synod were in favor of this and so are the members of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. I attended the annual meeting in Baltimore in November and there is strong support for a simplification of the marriage tribunal process so that the wait for a decision will not take years like it often times does now.

And it can also be a painful process.

I think that some people have just presumed that changes have taken place because the secular media has written about the synod in a way that appears that this is so.

We have had a number of calls and letters from people who believe that this is what happened, but as Cardinal Dolan pointed out, the real synod that he was a part of made no such changes in doctrine or sacramental practice regarding divorce and remarriage on the one hand or the approval of same-sex unions. It must be stated clearly that we love and respect our lesbian and gay brothers and sisters but approving of sexual activity of this kind is clearly against the teachings of the Catholic church.

Before the synod this past October, I discussed the preliminary document on the synod with our Archdiocesan Pastoral Council members

Archbishop Michael J. Sheehan

and also with our Presbyteral Council. We will again have theopportunitythroughoutthe church to have discussions on the recent final report of the synod this year. We pray that God will bless these efforts to both show mercy to our people as well as remaining faithful to the teachings of Jesus and the church. I ask all of you to pray for the process as it moves forward to the synod taking place in October of next year.

Sincerely yours in the Risen Lord,

Most Rev. Michael J. Sheehan Archbishop of Santa Fe

¿Acaso hubo dos Sínodos en Roma?

ARZOBISPO MICHAEL J. SHEEHAN Mi amigo, el Cardenal de Nueva York, Timothy Dolan, estuvo presente en el Sínodo recientemente celebrado en Roma y durante nuestra reunióndeobisposennoviembre en Baltimore nos ofreció al-

gunos interesantes comentarios. Nos dijo que parecía que hubiera habido dos Sínodos, uno en el que él, los obispos y los cardenales participaron y el que los medios de comunicación reportaron. Dijo que los

Padres Sinodales fueron honestos al compartir sus preocupaciones sobre el matrimonio y la familia en nuestro mundo actual. Señaló que todos estuvieron de acuerdo en que hay una crisis en el matri-

monio provocada por la revolución sexual, el gran número de divorcios, la realidad de las parejas que viven juntas sin casarse, el adulterio, y ahora el matrimonio entre personas del mismo sexo. Los medios de comunicaciónseconcentraron en describir el Sínodo como controversial y con una gran cantidad de desacuerdos en temas como el dar la comunión a quienes se han divorciado y vuelto a casar fuera la Iglesia y en una visión más tolerante ante los matrimonios del mismo sexo. El reporte final negó que hubiera alguna nueva doctrina de la Iglesia con respecto a estas y otras cuestiones. Todavía tenemos un año antes de que el segundo Sínodo tome lugar en Roma.

Ciertamentehubodiferentes puntos de vista y el Papa sabiamente advirtió acerca de las

tentaciones que pueden desviar el diálogo sano: el endurecimiento hostil por un lado y el buenismo que puede ser destructivo, la transformación de la esencia espiritual, el abandono de la voluntad del Padre por el bien propio y la explotación del depósito de fe o el ignorar complicadas realidades para fines propios. Sin duda, debemos escuchar de personas laicas en matrimonios felices, así como de los que han tenido un fracaso matrimonial y sin embargo buscan la manera de volver a los Sacramentos.

Uno de los temas importantes que se discutirán es la cuestión de simplificar de manera realista el proceso de nulidad de matrimonio para ayudar a muchas parejas a volver a un matrimonio válido y a recibir los sacramentos CONTINUED ON PAGE 12

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Archbishop’s Schedule December 13 Sat 10:00 a.m.

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Norbertine Transitional Deacon Ordinations, Santa Maria de La Vid Abbey, Albuquerque ======== North American College Reunion, San Francisco, CA 10:00 a.m. Tape TV Mass for Feast of the Holy Family, Catholic Center 10:00 a.m. Tape TV Mass for Epiphany 8:00 a.m.

Three Masses at Los Lunas Prison Facility, Los Lunas 5:30 p.m.

Mass, Dedicate Holy Angels Mission Church, Angel Fire 12:00 Noon Annual Native American Christmas Party, Catholic Center 8:00 a.m.

Archdiocesan Finance Council, Catholic Center 12:00 Noon Archbishop’s Radio Hour 11:30 a.m. Catholic Center Employee Mass & Christmas Luncheon ======== Office Closed 12:00 Midnight Christmas Midnight Mass, Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi, Santa Fe ======== Office Closed 10:00 a.m. Christmas Mass, Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi, Santa Fe ======== Office Appointments 6:00 p.m.

Annual Priest & Seminarian Christmas Party, IHM Retreat Center, Santa Fe 10:00 a.m. Ordination of Transitional Deacons, Shrine of St. Bernadette, Albuquerque 10:00 a.m. Mass, Dedicate La Sagrada Familia Mission Church, Lemitar ======== Office Appointments ======== Office Appointments ======== Office Appointments ======== ======== 9:00 a.m. ======== ======== 6:00 p.m.

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Office Closed Office Appointments Mass, Annual Detention Day, San Jose Mission, Los Duranes Regional XIII Bishops Retreat, Tucson, AZ Office Appointments ACA Kickoff for Northeast Deanery, Immaculate Conception, Las Vegas ACA Kickoff for Northwest & Santa Fe Deaneries, Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Santa Fe

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Together We Can Reach Our Goal!

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Our Goal $3,150,000

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December 2014

The Archbishop Has Made the Following Assignments Effective Wednesday, October 1, 2014 – Rev. Daniel Balizan, has been appointed as rector of Santo Niño Regional Catholic School. This appointment is in addition to his current assignment as pastor of Santa Maria de La Paz Parish in Santa Fe. Effective Wednesday, October 22, 2014 – Rev. Msgr. Jerome Martinez y Alire, has been appointed as dean of the Northwest Deanery. This appointment is in addition to his current assignment as pastor of Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe del Valle de Pojoaque in Pojoaque and its missions.

Effective Saturday, November 1, 2014 – Rev. Simon Ross Carian, has been appointed as associate vocations director under the direction of the vocations director, Rev. Michael DePalma. This appointment is in addition to his current assignment as parochial vicar at St. Thomas Aquinas University Parish under the direction of the pastor, Rev. Michael DePalma. Rev. Clement Niggel will also remain as associate vocations director.

Effective Friday, November 28, 2014 - Rev. Vitus Ezeiruaku, pastor at Sacred Heart in Española and its missions will be leaving the archdiocese for advanced studies before he returns to his home Diocese of Awka, Nigeria.

Effective Friday, November 28, 2014 – Rev. Jonas Romea, has been appointed as temporary sacramental minister at Sacred Heart in Española and its missions.

Effective Friday, November 28, 2014 – Deacon Christopher Raymond Gilbert, has been appointed as temporary parish administrator at Sacred Heart in Española and its missions.

Effective Thursday, January 1, 2015 – Rev. Msgr, Richard Olona, pastor of Santuario de San Martin de Porres in Albuquerque will be retiring.

Effective Thursday, January 1, 2015 – Rev. Oscar Coelho has been appointed as pastor of Santuario de San Martin de Porres in Albuquerque. This will be in addition to his current assignment as adjutant judicial vicar.

Special Collections: Annual Appeal for Retired Religious Sunday, December 14, 2014 The Retirement Fund for Retired Religious distributes basic, supplemental and special assistance retirement grants from the fund to religious institutes based on a formula and criteria approved by the conferences of major superiors and bishops. As designated in 2012, the December retirement collection will be allocated 50/50 between the Retirement Fund for Religious (RFR) and the Archdiocesan Priest Retirement Fund (APFR).

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Have you ever Considered Becoming a Catholic Priest?

Without obligation or commitment, single men (from high school juniors and seniors to age 50) are invited to attend a weekend retreat to learn more

about a priestly vocation.

This is a weekend to explore and learn about a life serving God and His church as a priest. It will be conducted by the Vocation Office of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe. The retreat will cover: • Personal testimonies describing vocations • The challenge of the Gospel (values worth living and sacrificing for) • Life as a seminarian • Possible assignments after ordina-

tion • Concerns about the image of the priest This weekend retreat will start on Friday, January 30, 2015 at 6 pm with registration and will end on Sunday, February 1 at 1 pm.

Learn more about the vocational alternatives to the secular pressures of business and professional life. Come and consider dedicating your life to God in the service of His people.

Questions? Call Fr. Michael DePal-

ma or Sr. Cory Woodcox at the Vocations Office 505.831.8143. If you are interested, please cut and mail registration form before January 21st to: Vocations Office 4000 Saint Joseph’s Place, NW Albuquerque, NM 87120 The retreat will be held at Immaculate Heart of Mary Retreat and Conference Center at 50 Mount Carmel Road in Santa Fe, NM. Private rooms and meals will be provided.

REGISTRATION FOR DISCERNMENT RETREAT January 30, 2015 – February 1, 2015 Name:____________________________________________________________________________________ Address:__________________________________________________________________________________ City:_________________________________________ State:___________ Zip:________________ Home Phone:____________________________________________________ Age:________________ Work Phone:__________________________________ Cell Pho ne:__________________________________

Felician Sisters Celebrate 140 Years of Service in North America The Felician Franciscan Sisters (the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Felix of Cantalice) celebrated the 140th anniversary year of their arrival in North America from Poland on November 21st with the celebration of a holy hour at the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Convent Chapel in Rio Rancho.

The holy hour is the culminating event in a year-long series of events to commemorate and celebrate the Felician heritage in North America. People across North America ministered alongside the Felician Sisters in prayer and service throughout this past anniversary year in gratitude for their 140year legacy of service and presence.

Friends and supporters joined with the Felician Sisters in Rio Rancho as part of the continent-wide Felician Day of Service on April 12th. Together, they spent the day in service at three locations here in New Mexico: the Felician-sponsored ministry of St. Felix Pantry in Rio Rancho; Sacred Heart Parish in downtown Albuquerque; and at the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Convent in Rio Rancho, helping the elderly sisters pack pinto beans for St. Felix Pantry.

The first five pioneer Felician Sisters who carried the Felician Mission and

Charism to North America had left their Polish homeland in late October of 1874, embarking on what would be a 28-day journey across the Atlantic, then by train across the eastern and central states, to finally complete the last ten miles by wagon and arrive at the farming community of Sharon (Polonia), WI, on the evening of November 20th.

Thecongregationhadbeenrequested to send sisters to this poor, country village of Polish immigrants by the Rev. Joseph Dabrowski, who had been overwhelmed with the sad situation of loss of faith among his Polish Catholic parishioners. His hope was that the sisters could restore that faith by starting with the children.

The sisters’ arrival on the eve of the feast of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, November 21, 1874, thefoundingdateoftheCongregation in Poland only 19 years earlier, had a significance that inspired the sisters to give their all to this new and challenging ministry.

It was their singular mission to serve God’s people wherever they were called to serve, and to help bring about the spiritual renewal of the world.

This was the directive from their inCONTINUED ON PAGE 8

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Tuesday, November 25, 2014

Letter from Most Rev. Michael J. Sheehan, Archbishop of Santa Fe to the Albuquerque Journal Thanksgiving is a time to reflect on our lives and our blessings, and to give thanks for it all. For too many families across our country, the shortcomings have often outweighed the blessings. This year is different. This year millions will have one very important blessing – relief from family separation.

This week, President Obama announced that he is expanding eligibility for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) for youth who came to this country as children as well as creating the new Deferred Action for Parental Accountability (DAPA) program for parents of U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents.

With immigration reform legislation completely stalled in Congress, our nation could no longer wait to end the suffering that our broken immigration system has caused for millions of families who have been separated from their loved ones. This is why as we enter the Thanksgiving holiday on the heels of President Obama’s announcement of Administrative Relief, we will give thanks with the millions immigrants and their families who will be receiving relief from deportation.

Our immigrant community and our supporters have been praying, fighting, and asking for a relief from deportations for decades, but many who are not directly affected by immigration still do not understand what a deportation could mean. For many it means being deported to a country they do not know that is plagued by poverty and violence, while being torn apart from their family.

One could only imagine what it would be like to set your table this Thanksgiving, and have to leave an empty chair for your husband, or wife, or son, or daughter. For so many families that have been separated by deportations this has been their reality. For those of us who have parishes within immigrant communities, we have witnessed on a daily basis the chilling consequences that our nation’s current immigration laws and enforcement practices have on our communities. Pope Francis reminds us that, “the mission of the Church, herself a pilgrim in the world and the Mother of all, is thus to love Jesus Christ, to adore and love him, particularly in the poorest and most abandoned; among these are certainly migrants and refugees, who are trying to escape difficult living conditions and dangers of every kind.”

That is why it’s so important for us to give thanks for Administrative Relief.

No human being should ever have to live his or her life in fear. No mother or father should ever have to prepare their children on what to do if they do not return home from work. No family should ever be separated. Many of us call ourselves believers in Christ – yet many forget that Christ too was an immigrant. Our immigrant friends and neighbors do not deserve any form of persecution: they deserve our compassion.

While Administrative Relief is a welcome development, it falls short of longterm comprehensive immigration reform. This will not give relief to all of the eleven million undocumented immigrants in our country. So what of the other six million that are here?

They will not have access to this new program, and many will still be living in the shadows. The Lord says: “I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.”

This is why we will continue to work for comprehensive immigration reform – because no family should be separated. This Thanksgiving though, we will give thanks for the relief that was granted to part of our community. We will give thanks that five million people will not be separated.

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Rocío González: Outstanding Diocesan Director of Hispanic Ministry

BY MICHELLE MONTEZ, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, PASTORAL MINISTRIES DIVISION Rocío González, Director of Hispanic Ministry for the Archdiocese of Santa Fe was awarded the Outstanding Diocesan Director of Hispanic Ministry from the National Catholic Association of Diocesan Directors for Hispanic Ministry (NCADDHM) and Loyola Press at the recent Raices y Alas conference in San Antonio, TX in November. Nominated by Archbishop Sheehan for her work in the Hispanic Ministry office, this award recognizes a diocesan director whose accomplishments are the embodiment of the dedicationandcommitmenttomaking a positive impact in their community and diocese in the area of Hispanic ministry.

Rocío has worked in the Archdiocese of Santa Fe for the past 13 years and was appointed Director of Hispanic Ministry for the Archdiocese of Santa Fe in July 2012. She promotes active participation in parish life and ministries among the Hispanic Catholic community. Newly-arrived immigrants and others whose primary/ preferred language in matters of faith is Spanish are of particular interest.

She encourages them to become an integral part of the parish community regardless of language and cultural differences.

She invites others to recognize and develop their God-given baptismal gifts, for the good of the church, especially through the coordination and implementation of diocesan Adult Faith Formation programs in Spanish: Escuelas de Ministerios and Formación para el Liderazgo Hispano.

Rocio and her staff, Elvia Becerra and Claudia Ceballos, have reformatted and updated the monthly publication of the Spanish language newsletter Mi Casa es Su Casa, distributed to over 3,000 Catholic households. Her office is responsible for the production of the

weekly televised Sunday Spanish Language Mass as a viable ministry to the homebound, incarcerated and other shut-in populations. In addition, Rocío works in close collaboration with other pastoral offices in the archdiocese for the benefit of Spanish speaking populations.

On behalf of the archbishop, Rocío serves with other national and local agencies that are concerned for the welfare of the immigrant. She is a board member of the New Mexico Faith Coalition for Immigrant Justice (NMFCIJ), an ecumenical group consisting of local faith leaders whose work is to increase awareness within churches and congregations of the needs of recently arrived immigrants and their families. Through their work, she advocates for the welcoming of the stranger among us. Rocío participates in forums, promotes the USCCB Justice for Immigrants Campaign and local community efforts concerned with the welfare of immigrants.

Rocio actively works with her colleagues and other Hispanic ministry leaders advocating for bridge-building between cultures, especially within parishes. Rocío is a team player and does not shy away from responsibility.

She is willing to take on more than her share to ensure that the mission of the church is promoted so that everyone hears the Good News. Congratulations Rocio on this award well-deserved!

Our Sisters & Brothers in the Family Residential Center in Artesia

BY ROCÍO GONZÁLEZ , DIRECTOR, OFFICE OF HISPANIC MINISTRY, BOARD MEMBER OF THE NMFCIJ At the end of October, along with 11 other members of the New Mexico Faith Coalition for Immigrant Justice (NMFCIJ), I had the opportunity to

visit the Family Residential Center in Artesia, NM. This center opened its doors in July to accommodate some of the many families from Central America that have recently arrived in the country seeking asylum. In this center reside about 500 Central American CONTINUED ON PAGE 23

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What other Areas of Study and Concern Ought I to Know?

Despite differences between Catholics and theOrthodox,Protestant,andReformedcommunions in the witness of our faith in Christ, we are all incorporated in the one Body of Christ through baptism, and we share many of the same elements of the Christian life.

This real and imperfect communion should be shared and expressed in common prayer and study. The church encourages us to get to know the outlook of our separated fellow Christians through prayer, study, dialogue and service. Suggestions for topics of study as well as templates for ecumenical prayer and worship can be found in the Part III of the archdiocesan Handbook for Ecumenical and Inter-Religious Affairs.

When and How Should We Become Involved in Ecumenism?

The short answer to the question of“when” is: “Now.” Jesus says as much at the close of his encounter with the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well, when he says, “the hour…is now here when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth” (John 4: 23).

The short answer to the“how”of ecumenism is simply this: “through Christ.” As Christians, we believe that Jesus is God Incarnate, as revealed in holy scripture. The “how” of ecumenism, then, is through common prayer, study, and service, undertaken in “spirit and truth.”

Each year between January 18 and 25, the church observes the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. Parishes are encouraged to invite neighboring Christian communions to pray and study the Word of God together.

The theme chosen for this year’s observance is “Jesus said to her, ‘Give me a drink’” (John 4:7), taken from the same gospel account referenced above. From beginning to end, this encounter illustrates the challenges associated with bridging spiritual divides, both personal and ecclesial. It closes with Jesus saying that the “hour is now [and always] here,” in Him. The upcoming Week of Prayer for Christian Unity calls us to such an hour. The theme reminds us that Jesus thirsts for it to be. You can help quench His thirst this January by assisting your parish in hosting an ecumenical prayer and study event.

Guidelines for the observance are online at www.geii.org. Look for more details on the week in the January issue of People of God.

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Pope, Turkish Leaders Trade Concerns About Religious Discrimination ANKARA, Turkey (CNS) -- Interreligious dialogue dominated Pope Francis’ first day in Turkey, with the pope and Turkish leaders frankly stating their concerns, respectively, about discrimination against Christians in the Middle East and against Muslims in the West. “It is essential that all citizens -- Muslim, Jewish and Christian -- both in the provision and practice of the law, enjoy the same rights and respect the same duties,” the pope said Nov. 28 in a speech to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and other officials at the presidential palace. “Freedom of religion and freedom of expression, when truly guaranteed to each person, will help friendship to flourish and thus become an eloquent sign of peace,” the pope said, adding that commitment to such freedoms is essential to countering “fanaticism and fundamentalism, as well

as irrational fears which foster misunderstanding and discrimination.” Turkey’s secularist constitution guarantees freedom of religion, but Pope Francis’ call for equality“both in the provision and practice of the law” seemed to allude to persistent de facto discrimination against non-Muslims. Members of the country’s minuscule Christian community -- less than 0.2 percent of a total of 76 million -- are still commonly regarded as foreigners by the Muslim-majority population, and authorities have kept the country’s only Greek Orthodox seminary closed since 1971. Speaking prior to the pope, Erdogan raised the issue of prejudice and intolerance against Muslims in other countries, stating that “Islamophobia is a serious and rapidly rising problem in the West” and lamenting that “attempts to identify Islam with terrorism hurt millions.”

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The Windows of the Heart Illumined, Love Will Find a Way

BY MANUEL CASIAS, ST. FELIX PANTRY Recently,thegrandmotherofaremarkable young man and the step mother of a remarkable young lady walked into my office bearing gifts. They brought in 68 new coats for men, women and children.

When asked why they were making such a huge donation the room fell silent. Tears began to flow. At that moment I noticed that each was wearing a necklace with the small photos of these remarkable youth. “You are wearing the reason right?” I stated.

The grandmother shook her head yes. She began to tell me that Nicolas and Adriana were both killed in two separate car accidents a year apart from one an-

other. Two years later, the grief is still very visible. I offered both women some consolation saying “your tears are an invitation to all of us at the Pantry to enter into the mystery of what you are going through.”

I assured them that something special will be done with the coats in memory of Nicolas Ventura and Adriana Gatt. Indeed, love will find a way. “We will give them away to the most needy just before Christmas and tell the families that they came from Nicolas and Adriana, New Mexico’s very own ambassadors that reflect the heart and spirit of St. Nicolas or as most of us know as Santa Claus.

Having served as a professional chaplain for 14 years one of the most vivid memories I have is that

FELICIAN SISTERS FROM PAGE 5 spired foundress, Blessed Angela Truszkowska, as she blessed them and sent them on their way to America.

The sisters’ dedicated service quickly attracted vocations and the community grew. From Polonia, WI, the sisters responded to calls for ministry in Michigan, New York, Nebraska, Kansas, Illinois, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

The sisters arrived in the Archdiocese of Santa Fe in 1975, and immediately began serving in local parishes as catechists and directors of religious education. Parishes that have benefitted from the Felician Sisters’ presence include St. Thomas Aquinas, Rio Rancho; Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Alameda; San Ysidro, Corrales; Our Lady of Sorrows, Bernalillo; and St. Anne, Santa Fe. The sisters have served on faculties of Albuquerque Catholic schools, including Queen of Heaven School, St. Therese School, St. Pius X High School and the former St. Francis Xavier School. One Felician Sister has also served as librarian for the Bureau of Indian affairs – Pueblo Schools, and at the Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute. Over the years, the sisters have ministered in other New Mexico communities including Roswell, La Union, Garfield and Hatch.

Today the most well-known ministry of the Felician Sisters in the archdiocese is St. Felix Pantry in Rio Rancho. The pantry has grown from its humble origin at the back of the sisters’convent on Meadowlark Lane, to a large food distribution center on Barbara Loop, with a dedicated lay staff and a support group of generous merchant donors across the Albuquerque metropolitan area. The mission of the St. Felix Pantry is to restore hope to those in need by providing food clothing and referral services.

St. Felix Pantry, like all Felician-sponsored ministries throughout North America, under-lines service with the Core Values of Respect for Human Dignity, Compassion, Transformation, Solidarity with the Poor, and Peace and Justice.

The Felician-sponsored ministries in the U.S. and Canada include three hospitals, two homes for the physically and mentally challenged; a day-care center for adults; three retirement homes; a university and two colleges; four high schools; two Montessori schools; three child care centers; a hospice center; two counseling centers; four pantries – two serving hot meals; afterschool programs and neighborhood outreach centers. Recently the North American Felician Sisters have started a mission in Haiti.

Young women who are interested in “waking up the world with hope and joy” (words of Pope Francis), as a consecrated woman religious, and would like to explore a vocation as a Felician Sister, please contact Sister Veronica Marie Lucero by e-mail: sveronicalucero@feliciansisters.org

for many patients who were dying, they did not fear the idea of dying as much as they feared the thought of being forgotten. I assured both women sitting in my office this morning that their gift will indeed keep the memory of Nicolas and Adriana alive.

St. Felix Pantry, a Felician-Sponsored ministry.

Please consider making a donation in someone’s memory.We accept donations at our location on 4020 Barbara Loop SE in Rio Rancho, Tuesday through Saturday from 6 am until 12 noon. We are located at 4020 Barbara Loop SE in Rio Rancho, New Mexico, 87124.

For more information about St. Felix Pantry please call 505.891.8075 or email: mcasias@stfelixpantry. org

Keeping an Eye Out for the Quiet Hero Among Us

BY EFFIE CALDAROLA, CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE The Jesus of the Gospels is amazing in his power to observe people and to understand human character.

Consider the way the Pharisees and Sadducees continually try to trip him up, asking questions conceived to put him on the wrong side of religious authority. Jesus’answers are always clever yet truthful. He so often stymies these self-conceived religious experts, turning the table on their questions and revealing their lack of human compassion and their obsession with rules.

He was a brilliant man, but also, of course, a man of shrewd insights into the motivations of others. Jesus could take the measure of a man -- or a woman -- quickly. He knew human nature.

It’s amazing how well the Gospel writers, telling his story so many years after Jesus’ death and resurrection, are able to reveal this aspect of his character.

Do we appreciate Jesus’observant powers, especially the attention he pays to the poor?

Recently, a daily liturgical reading focused on the woman who put two coins in the temple treasury. It had been a busy day for Jesus. He was in the temple, involved in the usual back and forth with his adversaries, who were peppering him with questions, about a tribute to Caesar, about the resurrection of the dead, baiting him with what they considered trick questions, bent on catching him in error.

It must have been stimulating yet exhausting for Jesus. Later, sitting with his disciples, he notices the woman, a widow, who places her coins in the treasury. Surely, she would have been amazed to know someone was observing her so thoughtfully.

Jesus points out to his disciples that “she, from her poverty, has offered her whole

livelihood” while others far wealthier gave more, but money they could easily spare.

Jesus’ observation is, let’s face it, so upside down from the way our world views giving.

This year, Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook, was lauded for giving the largest single charitable donation of 2013. Others, like Bill Gates and many other billionaires whom he and Warren Buffett have inspired, all receive ample attention for their charity.

I’m grateful that they are putting some of their wealth to work.

But many of the world’s wealthy donors continue to live in luxury and prestige. Meanwhile, there are still people, unobserved and unheralded, who are noticed by Jesus alone for “offering their whole livelihood.”

When you get the annual report from your alma mater, who’s listed first in the brochure?

The wealthy person who gave the most, of course, not the woman who gave from “her whole livelihood.”

Jesus always noticed the poor. He heard the blind man calling him from the side of the road even when others tried to shush him. He felt the woman who touched his garment in the hopes she would be healed, even when the crowd pressed all around him. He focused on the woman about to be stoned, not her multitude of accusers.

As Pope Francis teaches us, Jesus is interested in the poor and in mercy. He had to contend with those obsessed by rules and regulations, but his interest was first in real people and their suffering.“The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath,” he famously tells his interlocutors in Mark’s Gospel.

Jesus is asking us to view others, especially the poor, as he did and not as the world does. He’s asking us to be countercultural Christians, to be observant as he was of the unnoticed hero, the quiet sufferer, the unnoted faithful, and to model our lives after them.

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“We Pray As We Believe”

BY REV. WILLIAM E. YOUNG, PASTOR, QUEEN OF HEAVEN, MEMBER OF THE COLLEGE OF CONSULTORS This ancient saying expresses the heart of the act of worship and liturgical celebration. Essentially, it means all we do in formal praise of God as His beloved community of disciples is an embodiment of our common faith and devotion. This is particularly true of the Mass—worship we render to the Father, in our Lord Jesus, by the power of the Holy Spirit.

The Mass is unique. It is given to us by Christ Himself. It is the perfect prayer. Every Mass is a re-presentation of the Passion, Death, Resurrection and Ascension of Jesus. Remember that Jesus is true God and true man. All that Christ did in His human nature during His earthly life among us two thousand years ago is also done as God in His human nature. Therefore, as God, all that He did in time is also an eternal moment since there is no time for God who is eternal.

In every Mass, we as baptized Christians, enter into that eternal offering of Jesus to the Father, and the Father’s eternal acceptance of that sacrifice.

Through our baptism we are made members of His body the church, in which He offers Himself to the Father in the celebration of the Eucharist. We are empowered to offer Jesus with Him to the Father, and at the same time offer ourselves with Jesus’ own redemptive, salvific and life-giving sacrifice.

This insures that as adopted sons and daughters of the Father, our sacrifices and prayers are always acceptable to the Father. The liturgy of the Mass is literally our entry into the reality of the life, love, power and holiness of God.

By our words, gestures, and unity of our thoughts the Holy Spirit unifies us in praise, belief and joy. What a profound and wonderful mystery!

Our prayer in the liturgy is never a disembodied “spirit only” activity.

Our unity is expressed and formed in all that we do together in the liturgy.

We pray our unity in faith. We pray with our whole selves—body, mind, spirit, heart and strength.

In order to reflect the true spirit of the liturgy, we make sure our praying is as it should be—attentive, purposeful and reverent. Remember, despite all the many distractions we may encounter, whether from outside of us, or from within our own thoughts, feelings and bodies, we have come together in the presence of God to offer Him perfect praise and worship. We enter into the presence of the living God in a special and dedicated way when we enter His house. When we celebrate the Divine Liturgy, our demeanor, speech, thoughts, dress and gesture should all be oriented to that supernatural reality.

The Second Vatican Council (19621965) taught in the document on the sacred liturgy that when the assembly unites for Mass, Christ is present in four ways: in the people, the sacred scripture, the priest, and in the most sublime way, the Holy Eucharist himself, which is the source and summit of our Christian life, because it is Christ’s own body, blood, soul and divinity.

The power of the gift of faith makes our belief in all of this possible. We are aware that we do not just observe a sacred action when we attentively participate in Mass, but that with Jesus, by the power of the Holy Spirit, this is also something we do.

1st Annual Trunk for Treats Roadrunner Food Bank at St. Therese Ruffles the clown along with fellow catechists enjoyed hot dogs and other goodies along with music provide by D.J. Bill.

This event was put together by D.R.E. Deacon Raul Talavera and catechists, who decorated their vehicles along with other parishioners and gave out candies on Halloween. The event included best costume and best decorated

vehicle with gift cards donated by fellow parishioners Mary and Benny Padilla of Padilla’s restaurant. The event was very successful and safe A lot of food was collected for Runner Food bank and tons of candy was given out. Everyone had a blast and can’t wait for next year!

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San Miguel Socorro Continues 400 years of Faith, Culture and History

BY FR. ANDREW J. PAVLAK, PASTOR, SAN MIGUEL & ITS MISSIONS, SOCORRO The celebration of San Miguel’s 400 years of faith continues allll through December. Here is a recap from last month’s pilgrimage and some highlights of thingss happening in the nextt weeks.

Over 47 pilgrimss journeyed to Socorro rro South (just East of El Paso) in November for a prayerful and historical experience. Socorro South is the area where, during the Pueblo Revolt of 1680, inhabitants of Socorro, Isleta and Senecu were all relocated for their safety. Along the way, the pilgrims stopped at what is thought to be the very first site of Socorro at the remains of a ruin of a Piro pueblo in Luis Lopez (about seven miles south of the current Socorro). From there, the pilgrims stopped at Elephant Butte and then to a lecture at New Mexico State by Dr. Laurence S. Creider, head, Archives and Special Collections Department on the Diocese of Durango in the 17-19th Centuries. After an overnight in Las Cruces, the group proceeded to La Purissima Church in Socorro South.

These pilgrims were greeted by 40-50 young dancers from the community.

Then, they heard four separate presentations from members of the congregation of La Purissima. Mass was celebrated by the pastor of San Miguel, Socorro, Rev. Andrew J. Pavlak and Rev. Angel Maldonado the pastor or La Purissima concelebrating with Deacon Michael Ybarra from San Miguel assisting. Returning home to Socorro the pilgrims were moved by the experience. All have a more clear understanding of the heritage they hold so dearly.

Coming in December: Along with the regular celebrations of December including the feast of the Immaculate Conception (December 8), Posadas (December 16-24), the Christmas and New Year’s celebrations (December 24 & 25, 31 and January 1) we have one more very special event at San Miguel. On Friday evening December 12, 2014, the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Fr. Tim Martinez, pastor of Risen Savior Catholic Community AND a son of San Miguel (Fr. Tim

was baptized at San Miguel) will be giving a lecture on Our Lady at 7 pm in the San Miguel Church. This will be most interesting and an a precursor for those who will be going on a second pilgrimage in February (3-12, 2015) to Mexico City and Cuernavaca.

All are welcome to join us for this lecture and there are still a couple of spaces left for the pilgrimage too. Contact the San Miguel Office at 575.835.2891 for more details.

If you come to San Miguel for a visit try and take notice of the beautiful refurbished and new stained glass windows. In this current restoration of San Miguel, the original windows installed sometime in the early 20th Century were repaired and new protective exterior glass was installed into new aluminum frames. Also, because of the generosity of the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, two new windows were installed into the side (north transept) chapel. The former wavy yellow glass was replaced with one window honoring the Piro Indian and Franciscan establishment in faith in the community. A second window representing the baptism of Jesus Christ is near to the door of this side chapel that was built in the late 19th Century when the community had outgrown the original space. All the work on these windows was completed by the Adrian Cavallini Studios of San Antonio Texas. These magnificentwindowscapturetheimportance of the sacramental faith and history of this community.

June 13-25, 2015 Celebrate the 400th anniversary of San Miguel Parish with a 13 day pilgrimage to Barcelona, Spain; Lourdes, France; Assisi, Italy and Rome, Italy. Pilgrimage will be under the spiritual leadership of Rev. Andrew Pavlak.

Pilgrimage will be round trip air to and from the Albuquerque International Airport. Pilgrimageincludes11breakfasts,seven dinners, tours, tour guides, and motor coach transportation. Daily mass will be celebrated at different places.

Cost is $4,925, plus $111.00 gratuity and $199.00 travel insurance. Space is limited to 40. Call San Miguel Office 575.835.2891 for more details.

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December 2014

A JOURNEY THROUGH MODERN-DAY

Bethlehem Our Lady of Belen

BY DR. MATT BACA, PARISHIONER, OUR LADY OF BELEN The doublando of the church bells (ringing of the bells) at The Lady of Belen Catholic Church in Belen, NM had a startling effect on the pigeons that had perched on the bell towers overnight. They nosily took flight in the early morning air; their plumage iridescent in the morning lights. The clarion ring of the bells was the calling of the faithful to Mass.

From the humble beginnings of the Belen Catholic Church, first in the dusty moonscape of Old Town (1793)

and later in a new church building at New Town (1858) people worshipped devoutly. At daybreak, people filed silently into the church and knelt down for opening prayers. In past generations, people liked to attend an early Mass because they felt the light in the early morning seemed to come straight from heaven and had a special mystical effect. People would raise their eyes to heaven under the vaulted ceiling of the church. Moments of light burst into the darkness as bars of lights filtered through the high windows.

Resplendent in their gold and silver gowns, La Nuestra Señora de Belen

FINDING

BY ERICK ROMMEL, CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE It doesn’t matter whether you’re in a classroom or boardroom, working for minimum wage or for a large salary: There’s somewhere else you’d rather be.

Look around you. Out of all the countless places you could be, you are in particular place doing a particular thing. You are not skiing in the snowcapped mountains of Utah or communing with kangaroos in Australia.

To make matters worse, whatever it is that you wish you were doing, someone else has your dream job or the life you want. Why is it that we are never fully happy with what we have? Why do we always want more?

This isn’t new. Every generation goes through this. They see that the grass is always greener on the other side.

The other side of what, you ask? I assume a fence. I think grandparents had those when they were kids. Today our

THE

and Baby Jesus watched the people from their dais. The beauty of the young prince and his beautiful mother (statues) were astonishing and memorable. The women of the parish saw to it that they were bedecked in assorted flowers especially in the month of May with the beautiful Rosas de Castilla flowers. They surrounded Mary and Jesus with these assorted colored flowers. These roses were brought over from Spain when the first Spanish settlers came to the new world. Originally, these flowers were brought by the Moors from Persia to the Iberian Peninsula and on to the new world.

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barriers are digital. Material to spark our curiosity is at our fingertips, which makes the pain more tangible when we realize our interests far exceed what we’re able to do.

How do we get from where we are to where we want to be? Some would say you should evaluate what you like (and don’t like) and decide if change would make you happier.

Imagine being where you’d like to be. Imagining doesn’t cost anything, and if you’re realistic and take into consideration that every situation has limitations, you may discover that a move isn’t always for the best. You may not like where you are, but where you’d like to go may not be that great either.

If you’re in class and bored, is leaving an option? If you dropped out, could you still get the job you want without a diploma or a degree? If you don’t have a degree, will you be able to make the amount of money you want in the future?

IN THE

These Rosas de Castilla were the ones that our Lady of Guadalupe gave to Juan Diego to carry in his tilma.

In the year of faith as proclaimed by Pope Benedict, people show their devotion and faith to God by blindly honoring God. The church-going laity had shown a theological bent for blind faith.

For over 200 years, the Catholic people worked and contributed to the cultural and theological aspect of their lives.

In the beginning, and afterwards, there was much work. But not all was work.

There were moments of entertainment and gayety for the people. In such ocCONTINUED ON PAGE 11

PRESENT

What if you’re the boss? You may have enough money, but would it be as enjoyable as you imagine?

Some people find happiness by overcoming great challenges. Others take risk with no fear of consequence. Some are the opposite. They let opportunity pass by, finding contentment in a simpler, less lucrative life.

All paths are good. If you enjoy the journey and your path doesn’t hurt others, all that matters is your contentment, not what others think.

In the end, self-evaluation reveals something shocking for most of us.

We realize we may be exactly where we’re meant to be. That place may not be perfect. We may wish we were somewhere else. But if we’re honest, we realize the world we created for ourselves is the world in which we were meant

to be. If we left, we’d miss that comfort.

Contentment doesn’t mean we can’t dream or strive for improvement. We should always try to become better.

Sometimes the greatest happiness comes from making the space within our fence the best it can be and stop coveting the greenery on the other side.

December 2014

BETHLEHEM CONTINUED FROM 10 casions as weddings and fiestas, people enjoyed themselves immensely.

The feast of the Assumption was held every year on August 15. This was the most anticipated event: the “Belen Fiestas” with its many delightful festivities. It started with vespers (beginning prayers). The festivities would not start until vespers were held.

Viva las Fiestas de Belen.

Then the bailes (dances) started. Carpas (tents) were erected near the church. These carpas had low benches on the perimeter with a band situated on one of the corners. Two or three poles held up the cloth roof. Usually, the dance floor was of hard wood or they danced on the dirt. When the music started the men would walk to the women who sat on the opposite side of the tent and ask her for the honor of dancing with her. If she accepted she would extend her hand to him so that he would lead her to the dance floor. In some cases he had to gain permission from the parents, who sat beside her, before he could dance with her. Each dance piece was a two part affair.

They would dance and when the music stopped all the couples would stand in the middle of the floor, usually conversing. An attendant would circle around collecting a dime from each couple. He would drop it in a tin can, then the music for the second part of the dance piece would resume (same tune) and when the music stopped the man escorted his dancing partner back to her original spot. This was repeated several times during the night. This was a good example of“the power of music.” People danced until the wee hours of the morning.

Countless stories were told of having met their future spouses at the dance. The lovers’ secrets were whispered in the dark of the night as they danced. The musicians were very talented. They played their instruments well and of course there was some vocal music accompanying the instrumental music. Rancheritas, a type of Spanish western music, was played and is still enjoyed today. Corridos, epic songs were played as well as waltzes among others.

Another enjoyable thing in the

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fiesta was the food prepared at the bizarre. The aroma of freshly prepared food was in the air.

Roosted green Chile was perhaps the favorite food. It was perhaps the food that people had waited for all summer and now the freshly harvested vegetables were available.

Funerals were another source of gatherings. Before there were funeral parlors, wakes were held at the homes of the deceased. If the death occurred in the winter the men would congregate around a bon-fire while the women were inside baking biscohitos (sugar cookies). And before there was a stigma to it, the men would share a bottle of liquor.

Between sobs and prayers people offered their condolences to the bereaved. A holy rosary was then recited. Many candles were lit. After this, people went into the kitchen for coffee and cookies.

Belen has a long list of Catholic priests that served the people of Belen. Many of these priests came from different parts of the world. Many of the services were held in Spanish because this was the lingua franca of the time and place. The influx of English-speaking people from the eastern part of the United States changed this. Delving into the church history one can see the positive influence the priest had on the people of the area. This is well documented. In these early times it appeared as if there was a type of theocracy (religious) type of government.

The city of Belen had its beginning closer to the river and was known eventually as old town.

The area was prone to flooding.

The Catholic church was built in 1793 in Old Town mostly out of adobes with some bricks and rocks. Across the street was located a dance hall also made of adobe.

On one occasion there was a wedding dance being held after the ceremonies at the church.

Everyone was invited to the dance. The gaiety of the occasion was affected by the solemnity of a heavy rainfall and the worry that the water would overflow river banks. Howev-

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er, the dance hall was bright, noisy and effervescent with its hanging lanterns and music.

The following day it was discovered that the water had done considerable damage to the church.

And this was not the first time.

The young priest Fr. Paulet had a problem: whether to build a new church in a different location or try to repair the old and damaged one. Many people from Old Town opposed the moving of the church to the newer part of town. The people of New Town wanted the church built in their area.The situation slithered completely out of control between the two factions. Finally another man wearing a wide brimmed hat arrived on horseback to help decide. He was the archbish-

op of Santa Fe. Bishop Lamy threatened people of Plaza Vieja with excommunication if they did not obey his orders on the new location of the church. The controversy between the people of Plaza Vieja and New Town eventually ended with the decision to build the church building in New Town.

The following men donated land for the new church in New town. Messrs. Gregorio Artiaga, Matias Baca (my great-grandfather and name sake), Ignacio Garcia, member of the Belen Land Grant and others. To raise funds, Fr. Paulett received permission to sell the Glorietta trees that were located in front of the church at Plaza Vieja. One wonders if any of these trees or offshoots have survived to this day.

Work was started in 1858. The work was brought to a successful end in November 19, 1860.

On that date Bishop Lamy rode down from Santa Fe and blessed the church.

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ROMA CONTINUED FROM 3 de la Iglesia. Es importante señalar una vez más que nada en la doctrina de la Iglesia ha cambiado y la declaración final del Sínodo no tiene fuerza doctrinal.

El verdadero trabajo se realizará entre hoy y finales del próximo Sínodo.

Creo que el proceso de anulación en nuestros Tribunales de matrimonio puede definitivamente simplificarse. El Papa ha establecido un comité especial para hacer que esto se lleve a cabo. Los Obispos en el Sínodo estuvieron a favor de esto y también los miembros de la Conferencia Episcopal de los Estados Unidos. Yo asistí a la reunión anual en Baltimore este Noviembre y pude ver un notable apoyo para la simplificación del proceso matrimonial ante el Tribunal para que la espera por una decisión no tarde años, como frecuentemente sucede hoy en día. El actual proceso además puede ser doloroso.

Creo que algunas personas han asumido que ya se han implementado cambios debido a lo que los medios de comunicación secular han escrito sobre el Sínodo aparentando que es así. Hemos recibido una

serie de llamadas y cartas de personas que creen que esto es lo que pasó, pero como el Cardenal Dolan ha señalado, el verdadero Sínodo en el que él participó no realizó cambio alguno a la doctrina o a la práctica sacramental en relación al divorcio y al nuevo matrimonio o la aprobación de uniones del mismo sexo.

Debe quedar claro que amamos y respetamos a nuestros hermanos y hermanas homosexuales y lesbianas, pero la aprobación de la actividad sexual de este tipo claramente va en contra de las enseñanzas de la Iglesia Católica.

Antes del Sínodo de este pasado octubre, repasé el documento preliminar acerca del Sínodo con los miembros del Consejo Pastoral Arquidiocesano y también con nuestro Consejo Presbiteral. Tendremos la oportunidad en la Iglesia para debatir de nuevo sobre el informe final del Sínodo de este año. Oramos para que Dios bendiga estos esfuerzos por mostrar misericordia a nuestro pueblo y ser fieles a las enseñanzas de Jesús y de la Iglesia. Les pido a todos que oren por el proceso a medida que nos acercamos al Sínodo del próximo año en Octubre.

Sinceramente suyo en el Señor Resucitado,

Reverendísimo Michael J. Sheehan Arzobispo de Santa Fe

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December 2014

Catholic Charities and Mexican Consulate Form a Partnership

The Center for Educational Opportunity at Catholic Charities has been working with and educating adults and children in Albuquerque for almost 40

classes to people mainly in the South Valley community in Albuquerque. However, through ourpartnershipwithAlbuquerque Public Schools and other organizations we offer classes in 13 elementary schools in the Albuquerque metro area, Barelas Community Center, Bernalillo County Housing,

years. In that time, our program has evolved into a system that focuses on those most in need of beginning level education. We offer English as a Second Language, HSE-GED preparation, and citizenship classes.

We assist the underserved in community who are low literacy in order to help them reach their goals, whether to assist their own children and grandchildren with school work or to improve their own lives.

We offer free Adult Education

and Encuentro. Adults in our program receive free instruction, set of books – student bookandworkbook,handouts, and free or low cost childcare.

Subject area strands are designed to enhance students’ achievement in academic and workplace skills. A variety of instructional strategies including cooperative learning, discussion, hands-on activities as well as direct teaching will be incorporated to cover course content and address multiple intelligences or learning

BY LORENA OROZCO, CATHOLIC CHARITIES - CENTER FOR EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITY CIT COORDINATOR

styles. Multi-media resources and technology is used whenever available and appropriate.

Fur t h e r m o re, last year we partnered with the Mexican Consulate to be a site for Plaza Comunitaria, a learning component that provides literacy, ele- Lorena Orozco, Ann Kelleher, Jim Gannon , CEO Catholic Charities, Archbishop Michael J. mentary, and Sheehan, Mauricio Ibbarra Ponce de Leon, Consul of Mexico, Mexican Consulate Staff Member mid-high education in Spanish.

Now, we are able to offer more opportunities to our student population, especially to those who lack of literacy skills in their native language. As part of thiscollaboration we are receiving the 21st century demands on State of New Mexico, the a grant for $15,000 through workplace and in society. The Archdiocese of Santa Fe, and IME Becas, an initiative of funds received will be issued Albuquerque Public Schools the Mexican Government that to 365 HSE-GED students en- we will be able to continue invests in efforts to increase rolled in our program to pay providing classes in adult edthe educational opportunities for their books. ucation in order to support for the Mexicans abroad, these Thanks to the funds granted our mission of promoting efforts are aimed to those with by the government of Mexi- self-sufficiency, strengthening low income and low litera- co via IME Becas along with families, fighting poverty and cy skills to prepare them for the funds we obtain from the building community.

Caridades Católicas y Consulado de México Forman Una Asociación Por Lorena Orozco, Caridades Católicas – Coordinadora del Centro para Oportunidades Educativas El Centro de Oportunidad Educacional de Caridades Católicas ha estado trabajando y educando a adultos y niños en Albuquerque por alrededor de 40 años. Durante este tiempo, nuestro programa se ha convertido en un sistema que se enfoca en aquellos que necesitan educación a nivel básico. Ofrecemos clases de inglés como segundo idioma, clases de preparación para el examen de HSE-GED y de ciudadanía.

Proporcionamos asistencia a la comunidad con menos oportunidades y cuyo nivel de educación es bajo, esto con el fin de ayudarles a alcanzar sus metas, ya sea ayudar a sus hijos y nietos con las tareas de la escuela o mejorar sus propias condiciones de vida. Ofrecemos clases gratuitas de educación para adultos principalmente en la comunidad del Valle del Sur en Albuquerque. Así mismo, a través de nuestra colaboración con las escuelas públicas de

Albuquerque y otras organizaciones, podemos ofrecer clases en 13 escuelas primarias en el área metropolitana de Albuquerque, el Centro Comunitario Barelas, El Departamento de Vivienda de Bernalillo y en Encuentro. Los adultos en nuestro programa reciben instrucción, libros y materiales gratis, así como guardería gratuita o a bajo costo. Las materias están diseñadas para enriquecer las habilidades académicas y laborales del estudiante. Durante el curso se incorporan una variedad de estrategias pedagógicas, tales como aprendizaje colaborativo, discusión, actividades prácticas así como instrucción directa, las cuales abordan inteligencias múltiples o estilos de aprendizaje. Además, se utilizan recursos de multimedia y tecnología cuando se encuentran disponibles y es apropiado.

Además, el año pasado nos asociamos con el Consulado de México para ser sede de Plaza Comunitaria, un componente de aprendizaje en el cual se provee alfabetización y educación primaria y secundaria en español. Ahora, tenemos la capacidad de ofrecer más oportunidades a nuestra población

estudiantil, especialmente a los que necesitan educación básica en su idioma natal. Como parte de esta colaboración recibimos un subsidio por $ 15,000 dólares a través de IME Becas, una iniciativa del gobierno mexicano quien invierte en esfuerzos para incrementar las oportunidades de los mexicanos en el extranjero, estos esfuerzos están dirigidos a aquellos con bajos ingresos y poca educación formal, con el fin de prepararlos para las demandas laborales y de la sociedad del siglo XXI. Los fondos recibidos se otorgaran para cubrir el costo de los libros de texto a 365 estudiantes inscritos en nuestro programa de HSE-GED. Gracias a estos fondos otorgados por el gobierno de México a través de IME Becas, conjuntamente con los fondos obtenidos del gobierno estatal de Nuevo México, la Arquidiócesis de Santa Fe y las Escuelas Públicas de Albuquerque podremos continuar ofreciendo clases de educación para adultos con el fin de apoyar nuestra misión de crear auto suficiencia, fortalecer familias, combatir la pobreza y construir comunidad.

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Photos by Leslie Radigan-Yodice/ASF

For It Is In Giving That We Receive

BY LESLIE M. RADIGAN-YODICE, OFFICE OF COMMUNICATIONS/MEDIA Students at St. Charles Borromeo Catholic School in Albuquerque have worked diligently to collect clothing for Project Clothing which benefits our brothers and sisters served by the Little Brothers of the Good Shepherd.

Early in December, the air in the gymnasium of St. Charles was ignited with excitement as the fourth grade class marched proudly inside. Mrs. Lyn Hafner and Mrs. Karen McElroy’s fourth grade students held two bake sales resulting in a combined profit of $516.40. Some of the students made deals with their parents that in lieu of baking, they would do chores around the house while the parents baked. After studying the Beatitudes in Religion class, the children wanted to help those whose needs are great and resolved to be disciples of Jesus by becoming agents of change in a world so full of inequities. St. Charles students and parishioners will be continuing their service by collecting needed clothing and volunteering at the Good Shepherd Center.

The cardinal is the mascot of St. Charles. After researching the cardinal, it was found the cardinal reminds us to hold ourselves with pride - not ego pride. Rather, the cardinal asks us to stand a little taller, be a bit more re-

gal, step into our natural confidence as if we were born to lead with grace and nobility. Regarding the students and staff at St. Charles, this mascot is spot on!

The Good Shepherd Center, established in 1951, was the first homeless safe place in Albuquerque. The shepherd in Jesus’ parable risks 99 sheep for the sake of one.

He risks all he has for what he doesn’t have.

As followers of Jesus, the Shepherd Lord, we too are called upon to be risk takers...to be a people ready and willing to risk position, reputation, security, comfort, time and talent for the sake of the man, woman or child who is lost, abused, alone, frightened and bewildered in a world of high-tech productivity and fast-paced

living.

Br. Charles T. Schreiner, Director of Operations of the Good Shepherd Center, attended the all-school assembly to accept the check and donations.

He spoke to the students about the center and its mission.

He explained the center was based on the Corporal Works of Mercy. When he asked the students if they knew what they were, Zachariah, a young man in Mrs. JoAnn Tomita’s third grade class, raised his hand immediately. When called upon, he stood, politely stated his name and

explained, “The Corporal Works of Mercy are: to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, shelter the homeless, visit the sick, visit the imprisoned, and bury the dead.”

Br. Charles, as many of the other adults, was so pleasantly surprised he knew every single one of them!

Br. Charles didn’t join The Congregation of the Little Brothers of the Good Shepherd (LBGS) until he was 46 years old. He said he had a great job with the Federal Government and went on wonderful vacations, and while he was happy, as he stated, “I wasn’t happy, happy.” So he decided to do some volunteer work with the homeless and that’s when he found true happiness.

He then explained the works of service they provide for the poor and homeless community. They clothe, shelter and provide hope to those who have next to nothing. He gave examples of how some people become homeless.

More often than not, the loss of a job leads to losing one’s house, which is a big contributor to homelessness. Some have recently been released by a correctional facility and have nowhere else to go. Because one of the largest causes of homelessness is the use and abuse of drugs and/or alcohol, the staff at the Good Shepherd Center are all certified drug & alcohol abuse counselors.

If you are interesting in donating money, clothes, your time or talents, please contact the center at 505.243.2527 or chasschreiner@aol. com. They are located at 218 Iron SW, Albuquerque, NM 87103. Anything is appreciated!

Mrs. Lynn Hafner contributed to this article.

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QUEEN OF HEAVEN’S BUDDING JOURNALISTS Articles submitted by Ms. Jennifer Hunt, 4th-8th Grade Teacher

September 11th Rememberance Quilt

El Rancho de Las Golondrinas Field Trip

The 2’ x 4’ September 11th Remembrance Quilt created by the students at Queen of Heaven Catholic School. Alongside photo Photo by Mrs. Jennifer Hunt

BY GRACIE FERNANDEZ, FOURTH GRADE, AND EMILIANO GRANADOS, FIFTH GRADE, STUDENTS AT QUEEN OF HEAVEN CATHOLIC SCHOOL

BY EMILIANO GRANADOS, FIFTH GRADE STUDENT, QUEEN OF HEAVEN CATHOLIC SCHOOL The 4th-8th grades at Queen of Heaven made a September 11th Remembrance Quilt. The Social Studies teacher Mrs. Jennifer Hunt read with the students articles about

September 11th and showed the documentary Holidays for Kids: Remembering September 11th. She then told the kids to make a picture of what reminded them of September 11th. During the creating of the quilt squares the students viewed pictures from that day. Mrs. Hunt then made the pictures into a quilt.

Photo by Mrs. Jennifer Hunt

Queen of Heaven Knight Fence

BY ASPEN OWENS, SIXTH GRADE STUDENT, QUEEN OF HEAVEN CATHOLIC SCHOOL In August 2014, Queen of Heaven Catholic School unveiled a fence decoration that says “QofH Knights” on the playground fence off of Madeira Drive Northeast. It was un-

veiled to students, parents and families at the school’s Back to School night. Christina Owens, a parent of the school researched and presented the idea of the fence decoration to the school’s principal Ms. Mary Catherine Keating and the school’s PTO. A group of parents put together the fence decoration before the unveiling. Come by and see it!

Academy: New Classes at Queen of Heaven Catholic School

BY GRACIE FERNANDEZ, FOURTH GRADE, AND LEXIE HIDALGO FIFTH GRADE, STUDENTS AT QUEEN OF HEAVEN CATHOLIC SCHOOL Academy is a new class at Queen of Heaven Catholic School in Albuquerque. The 4th-8th grade students take this class the last period every Tuesday and Thursday. Students take fun classes like digital and computer

animation, cooking, weaving, embroidery, speech, acting, debate, newspaper, and card games. Since we have four quarters in our school year the students can take four different classes. Each quarter four Academy classes are taught. In the first quarter Mr. Brett Haworth’s class was “Digital Picasso”where the students created digital pictures. Mrs. Janine Burford’s was “Deal Me In” where the students

learned different card games. Mrs. Jennifer Hunt’s was “Duh It’s All About Me” were the students participated with speech and acting. Senora Ana Villicana’s was “Get the Point” where the students made pillows and embroidered them. All the classes are very popular. In a survey the students said that if they were able to take the class that had during the first quarter again, they would.

El Rancho de Las Golondrinas is a great museum to visit. This was a field trip the 4th – 8th graders from Queen of Heaven Catholic School went on. El Rancho de Las Golondrinas means Ranch of the Swallows. In the museum you can grind corn to make flour for corn tortillas, and you can discover how they used to wash clothes before washing machines and dryers. You can bring a camera and take pictures at a scenic outlook. You can visit goats in a goat barn, and you can visit a village to see what homes were like back then. You can also make tinnery using a hammer and a nail to design art.

You can see how buffalo and other animal skins were turned into soft, thin clothes, robes, and blankets. You can grind corn with manos and metates. In the church they learned how the church was back in the pioneers’ day. In the blacksmith, we watched a man make a pickax. In the schoolhouse, we learned how school was in 1878. We also went to a Spanish village and learned how it worked back then.

The service is great and the experience is wonderful to all who visit. The school’s favorite display was the schoolhouse.

Queen of Heaven 4th and 5th Graders Sing at CACE Conference

BY GRACIE ELISE COOPER, FOURTH GRADE STUDENT, QUEEN OF HEAVEN CATHOLIC SCHOOL In October, the fourth and fifth grade students from Queen of Heaven Catholic School had the great honor of performing at the Chief Administrators of Catholic Education (CACE) Conference held at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Downtown Albuquerque. There were 350 superintendents from across the nation in attendance. The fourth and fifth grade students sang “Blest Be the Lord” along to the piano playing of Mr. Paul Sadowski. Mr. Sadowski is the music teacher and the 2014 Archdiocese of Santa Fe Teachers of the Year at Queen of Heaven Catholic School.

The students who sang are also members of the school’s choir. Parents of the students were also there.

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A TIME TO CELEBRATE A BOUNTIFUL HARVEST Serra Club and One Hundred Club Christmas Dinner Members of the Serra Club joined those of the One Hundred Club to celebrate a bountiful harvest of vocations at their Annual Christmas Dinner December 3, 2014. The evening is always a festive one, but this year even more so as Archbishop Michael J. Sheehan, Rev. Michael DePalma, Archdiocesan Director of Vocations, and Rev. Edward Domme, Chaplain of Serra Club and pastor of Our Lady of the Assumption Parish in Albuquerque thanked the members for their heroic work and continued prayers for our seminarians.

Archbishop Sheehan commended Rev. DePalma for his fastidious work not only as Vocations Director but his energetic leadership as pastor of Aquinas Newman Center. He said he and Rev. Simon Carian, associate pastor, “…are doing many great things such as, 85 college kids coming to Monday Night Bible Study…a number of young men wanting to become priests and young ladies who are thinking of joining religious life….” Rev. DePalma told the group it had been a privilege to work with Archbishop Sheehan because of his strong collaborative style and incredible support…always treating each seminarian as his own son, including he, himself having been ordained only a few years.

Rev. DePalma said with the 2014 Fall Class of 41 Seminarians, “…our prayers have been answered in spectacular ways.” The class consists of not only a record-breaking number, but “…it’s the quality of these wholesome, great men who are on their road to becoming very holy and wonderful priests that is remarkable.”

Grateful to our foreign students, the 2015 Ordination Class is a mirror of the United Nations. It consists of eight men to be ordained into the priesthood and four transitional deacons in 2015. Rev. DePalma reported the majority of the new seminarians are New Mexicans.

Brian O’Malley, President of Serra Club, presented Archbishop Sheehan a check for $15,000 raised by the Priest Appreciation Dinner held earlier this year. Mike Puccetti, Treasurer of the 100 Club reported they were able to contribute $24,000 to seminarians this year for their day-to-day necessities. Both Clubs extend an invitation to all interested in fostering and affirming vocations to the priesthood and vowed religious life. Celine Baca Radigan, Editor.

Serra Club President, Brian O’Malley, presents $15,000 check to Archbishop Michael J. Sheehan.

100 CLUB FOR RELIGIOUS VOCATIONS DONATES $24,000 FOR SEMINARIANS

bishop of Santa Fe, to provide financial assistance “Pray, therefore, that the Lord of the harvest may send to men who are studying for the priesthood.

While the Archdiocese provides tuition and livlaborers to gather in the harvest.” ing expenses, and students’families and students With a record forty-one seminarians studying for the themselves provide other needed essentials, there Archdiocese of Santa Fe in 2014, parishioners who are are times when funds are lacking and when emermembers of the 100 Club have come forward with a gencies arise. It is for these situations, and also generous donation for their support. The 100 Club for to provide a small monthly stipend to those who Religious Vocations is a not-for profit corporation with need it, that the funds of the 100 Club are used. the support of Archbishop Michael J. Sheehan, ArchCONTINUED ON PAGE 23 Albuquerque Serra Club Mission To foster and affirm vocations to the priesthood and vowed religious life.

Serra Club Monthly Mass for Vocations First Thursdays of every month at 5:30 pm Our Lady of the Annunciation Church Serra Club Meeting First Thursdays of every month at 6:15 pm Our Lady of the Annunciation Church St. Magdalene Hall Please join us.

Guests are welcome. www.SerraClubAlbuquerque.org

Blessed Junipero Serra – and all the saints – an increase of laborers for Your Church – fellow laborers with Christ to spend and consume themselves for souls – through the same Jesus Christ – Your Son – Who lives and reigns with You – in the unity of the Holy Spirit – God forever – and ever.

Amen.

Prayer for the Perseverance of Vocations O God, You have constituted Your only-begotten Son supreme and eternal Priest for the glory of Your majesty and the salvation of mankind: grant that those whom He has chosen ministers and dispensers of His mysteries may be found faithful in fulfilling the ministry they have received.

Amen.

Prayer for Vocations O God, Who wills not the death of a sinner – But rather that he be converted and live – grant we beseech you – through the intercession of the Blessed Mary, ever Virgin – Blessed Junipero Serra, Pray for us Saint Joseph, her spouse –

100 Club President Scott Lardner presents check for $24,000 to Archdiocesan Vocations Director Fr. Michael DePalma

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January is Poverty in America Awareness Month—Plan Activities Now! Did you know that, in 2013, 46.5 million people were living in Poverty in the Unites States? Families continue to struggle to keep their heads above water as jobs are lost, incomes are lowered, and it becomes a hard-

er challenge every day. As Catholics, we are called to respond to this immense human suffering! Learn how you can help at www.povertyusa.org and at www.usccb.org. Help your youth group, confirmation class

or young adult groups learn more about poverty and the U.S. and the Catholic Campaign for Human Development—contactSandraArpero to schedule a presentation at 505831-8235 or justice2@archdiosf.org

Join Pope Francis and Plan a Prayer Service for the 48th Annual World Peace Day on January 1!

Join Pope Francis’effort to promote world peace by planning a prayer service for World Peace Day. “Slaves no more, but brothers and sisters” will be the theme for the Jan. 1, 2015, commemoration and for the message Pope Francis will write for the occasion, according to the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace. Pope Francis has called human trafficking “a crime against humanity” and “an open wound on the body of contemporary society, a scourge upon the body of Christ.” Go to www.usccb.org for resources, including the annual messages from all the popes back to 1968!

National Migration Week, Jan, 2015 Resources are now available for National Migration Week, which is January 4-10, with the theme, “We are One Family Under God.” The observance began over a quarter century ago by the bishops to provide Catholics an opportunity to take stock of the wide diversity of the Church. Just as on the road to Emmaus, Christ’s disciples met him in the guise of a stranger, this year’s theme helps remind us that Christ makes himself present to each of us in the lonesome traveler, the newcomer, and the migrant. We are called to open our hearts and provide hospitality to those in need. It is our duty to create a space of welcome and acceptance to the migrant who finds himself or herself far away from home and in a vulnerable situation. As the face of the local churches continue to change, these materials are becoming increasingly important. A poster, prayer card, and bulletin insert focusing on the economic crisis, underdevelopment, and the stresses and strains of migration on families, can be found at http:// www.usccb.org

St. Francis Pledge: Pray + Learn + Assess + Act + Advocate =This You Can Do! The heaviest impact of climate change falls on the world’s poor. As Catholics, our faith demands prudent action. All across our country, Catholics are taking the St. Francis Pledge to Care for Creation and the Poor and joining the Catholic Climate Covenant. The St. Francis Pledge is a promise and a commitment

by Catholic individuals, families, parishes, organizations and institutions to live our faith by protecting God’s Creation and advocating on behalf of people in poverty. To join the Covenant, you commit to act on each of the five elements of the St. Francis Pledge. See more at http://catholicclimatecovenant.org/

African American Catholic Community Fr. Rollins Lambert Scholarship Announcement Applications for School Year 2015-2016 The African American Catholic Community of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe is pleased to announce the fourth annual Fr. Rollins Lambert Scholarship for African American children, Catholic or non-Catholic, who are enrolled or will be enrolled in grades kindergarten to eight at ASF Catholic schools beginning in the fall of school year 2014-2015. Parents may pick up scholarship applications at a Catholic school principal’s office in January 2015. Completed current Grant and Aid Assessment in FACTS is required to be on file at the Catholic school. Applicants must meet all eligibility requirements and deadlines provided in the application to qualify. The deadline for the completed application is Friday, March 13, 2015. If there are questions or need for further information, contact the Office of Social Justice and Respect Life (see box) or Gerry Harge, 505.831.0800.

Save the Dates for January 2015 Events!

Sat Jan 17, 9-12 noon: Workshop with Deacon Robert “Bobby” White of St. Martin of Tours Catholic Church, Washington, DC. Topic and place TBA. Sun Jan 18: Noon: African American Catholic Community Martin Luther King, Jr. Mass & Celebration, homilist: Deacon Robert “Bobby” White, St. Martin of Tours Catholic Church, Washington, DC, St. Joseph on the Rio Grande, Albuquerque. Info: Brenda at 836-6327.

Wed Jan 21: Annual Sanctity of Life Unity and Awareness Day Mass, with the 3 Bishops of New Mexico, Noon, St. Francis Cathedral Basilica, Santa Fe followed by a Prayer March to the Roundhouse and Rally.

CCHD REMINDS US: OUR JOY IS A GIFT TO OTHERS! “Joy is the true gift of Christmas” (Pope Benedict XVI, homily at Mass on the fourth sunday of Advent, December 18, 2005). In this season of joy when we prepare and celebrate the birth of Jesus, let us not forget about the circumstances He was born in. He came to this world as one of us and as part of a poor family. This calls us to see Jesus in the face of all our brothers and sisters, but especially the poor. Every time we see the poor, we are called to find the defenseless Jesus “wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger” (Luke 2:12). In a society where we experience a division between the rich and the poor, we ought to attend the needs of the poor and vulnerable first, since they don’t have the voice and the strength to take care of themselves. To learn more about how you

can do this, schedule a presentation for junior high and high school youth, confirmation groups, young adults or adults, in English or Spanish, by contacting Sandra Arpero 505.831.8192.

Rice and Beans Social Justice Project Two hundred and forty two bags of rice and beans!

That was the number of needed food bags created by the first grade classes at Our Lady of Annunciation Catholic School. These bags of rice and beans were lovingly created to support the refugee and homeless housing families being settled by Catholic Charities.

Through prayer, song and letter-writing, the first graders expressed the need for food in our community. “We believe in helping our brothers and sisters” was the class mission, and feeding the hungry just like Jesus was the inspiration. Thank you to all the teachers, students, and families that support this special social justice project. To learn more about serving food to our brothers and sisters in need, contact Kathy Freeze, parish liaison, at 505.724.4694 or at freezek@ccasfnm.org.

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Placing the Poor and the Vulnerable First this Advent

BY SANDRA ARPERO, CCHD INTERN Look! The virgin is with child and will give birth to a son whom they will call Immanuel, a name which means ‘God-is-with-us’. - Matthew 1:23 Advent is a time of preparation to receive Jesus with joy in Christmas. During this time, we try to increase our prayer and good works, to be ready for the coming of Christ. It is also a beautiful time to reflect on the way Jesus came to our world.

Jesus was not born to a rich and important family. Instead, Jesus was humble and poor. God sent His only son to this world as a defenseless baby of a poor family. Jesus, the king of the world, lived among the poor and as a poor person himself.

In this time of preparation to receive Jesus, we can’t forget about the poor and the vulnerable who live among us. As Christians, we ought to see the face of Jesus in them. The poor and the vulnerable have a special place in our Catholic social teaching because they lackthestrengthandthevoicetodefendthemselves. We are called to love everyone, but the poor and the vulnerable require our greater

response.

As Christians, we are called to solidarity with the poor. Just as the Magi followed the star to find Jesus in swaddling clothes and lying in a lowly manger, we have to look for the poor around us and share some of the gifts God has blessed us with in our life. We ought to go to them and take a stand beside them, to serve them with the roles of both advocacy and support.

The church teaches us that we should do this in two complementary ways: charity and social justice. Through charitable works, we provide immediate assistance to people who lack their basic needs. But we also need to work for social justice and change the social structures that are causing people to live in poverty. By doing that, we remind them that God is with us.

To learn more about why we ought to include the poor and vulnerable in our prayers and good works this Advent, you can schedule a presentation for junior high and high school youth, confirmation groups, young adults or adults, in English or Spanish, by contacting Sandra Arpero, CCHD intern for the Office of Social Justice and Respect Life 505.831.8192.

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Q&A on Ebola with CRS Staffer Who Was On the Ground in Liberia

Jennifer Poidatz, director of Humanitarian Response at Catholic Relief Services (CRS), recently traveled to Liberia to meet staff and partners involved in the Ebola response. She spoke to CRSNewswire on her return. More information at www.crs.org.

BY JIM STIPE, CRS COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER

Catholic Charities GED Celebration

BY KATHY FREEZE, CATHOLIC CHARITIES CENTER FOR COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT On a beautiful October Saturday, many gathered at the St. Pius X High School’s St. Cecilia Auditorium to celebrate the graduation of over 50 adult students who earned their GED or Citizenship through classes taught by Catholic Charities.

Archbishop Michael J. Sheehan gave his inspiring opening remarks in Spanish and proud families gathered to celebrate their graduate. Often the support and encouragement to complete this class came from the graduate’s teacher, children, parents, and spouse. It was truly a day for celebrating!

The celebration was made possible by many volunteers and donations. There was everything that should be at a graduation celebration – gowns and mortar boards, punch and cake, flowers, music, and of course photographers!

These students, mostly women, between the ages of 18 and 45, worked especially hard and juggled many responsibilities and commitments to attain this goal. Many of the graduates are parents of young children, and they are seeking to improve their lives but the lives of their children. By attaining this education goal, they are able to help their children with homework and school while increasing their own potential income, and creating a more stable and self-sufficient life for the whole family.

Catholic Charities is one of the very few organizations that teach GED courses in Spanish. We are the only organization that has a formal relationship with the Mexican government to quantify and measure an individual’s primary education so that they can begin to take GED classes. This is significant because many of our students left school well before high school and must take remedial classes to even get to a GED level class.

Classes taught by Catholic Charities take place all over the city. Our dedicated instructors meet several times a week for two hours of class. We are currently serving 633 students who are on the pathway to achieving their high school equivalency. Each individual must dedicate time both in and out of the classroom, including homework. For some, it may be a year or two, while for others, it may be many years as they must master basic literacy first. For all, it is hard work. For those who achieve their GED it is a blessing and certainly a time for celebration!

What is everyday life like in Liberia right now?

People are taking Ebola seriously. They are conscious that this is a serious situation, which is a positive sign. Everywhere you go—banks, shops, restaurants and hotels—you see hand-washing stations and literature on Ebola. When you make a phone call, during the first 30 seconds you hear a public service announcement about Ebola.

What is the current state of health care in Liberia?

The situation is very sad. Health care workers are on the frontlines, courageously and selflessly providing care and support to those who are most vulnerable. They’re facing an extremely challenging environment.

How are CRS and our partners responding to Ebola?

The Catholic health infrastructure is critical in terms of providing routine care. The Catholic Hospital in Monrovia, the capital, is the referral hospital for all health infrastructure in Monrovia—public and private. This network reaches more than 300,000 people. Unfortunately, the Catholic Hospital has been closed for several months after several staff members died from Ebola.

The Ministry of Health has asked the Catholic Church to focus on keeping the health facilities open, and that’s been the biggest priority. We are supporting our partners’efforts in making sure health workers can deliver care safely. Our partners our reviewing and enhancing infectious control procedures, how to use personal protective equipment, how to screen for people suspected of having Ebola and providing those people with at least minimal care while they wait to be transferred to a treatment center.

It’s also important to ensure that those who need to receive care are not afraid to go to these centers. We are helping promote hygiene and other practices that are protecting people from Ebola infection, including not coming into physical contact with persons showing signs of infection.

In the long-term, we need to make sure the health infrastructure has the capacity to combat infectious diseases with continuous training and improvement.

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S T E WA R D S H I P (The following is an edited stewardship talk given by a parishioner to fellow parishioners on November 8-9, 2014, Archdiocesan Stewardship Weekend).

As I was preparing to give this talk, I took a look at this weekend’s readings.

When I read the Gospel, I have to confess, I was kind of spooked. There is Jesus chasing the money changers out of the temple and saying, “Stop making my Father’s house a marketplace!” Am I supposed to talk about stewardship of treasure after hearing that?

The word stewardship means more than simply dropping money into the basket. Stewardship means sharing, not just money, but time and talent as well. As a parish, we work as a team.

We have seen our parish grow and prosper because of teamwork. That growth has come from the generosity, of time, talent, and money that all of you have been willing to share.

So when I stop to think again about what Stewardship entails, I realize that today’s Gospel is not inconsistent with what I am talking about. Instead, the Gospel forces us to focus on the value of sharing.Jesuswasupsetwiththemoney changers because they were using the temple for their own personal profit, not to build up the church!

I remember listening to catechism lessons about charity and sharing. When the word charity is used, mostly it was used in the context of sharing with the less fortunate - giving to the poor. In the Gospel about the rich young man he asks Jesus what he must do to gain admission into heaven. As you recall, Jesus told the man to sell everything he had and give it to the poor, and then

come and follow Jesus. The rich man could not bring himself to do this.

Probably every one of us, when we hear that Gospel feels a bit of guilty about our own efforts to accumulate material things. Of course Jesus’ answer had two components. One had to do with giving money that is true.

But the last part of Jesus response was “Come and follow me.” In other words, share your time and talent with the Lord, not only your treasure. That is the real meaning of stewardship.

I don’t believe that Jesus expects all of us to impoverish ourselves. But he does expect us to share what he has entrusted to us, generously and cheerfully. Jesus’ answer to the rich young man really emphasized the point that those who have much are expected to share much. Jesus could have told the rich man to sell only half, or 1/4, and the rich man’s response would probably have been the same. He was not prepared to share his time, talent, or his wealth. He was looking for an easy answer.

When our pastor asked me to speak this weekend, I asked myself, “Why me”? Who am I to speak about stewardship? I would like to be able to stand up here and tell you that I give ten percent of my income to charity and that I spend 20 hours a week working at a homeless shelter. But the truth is that I am an average parishioner, just like most of you. My wife Cathy and I have to budget our resources, just as you do.

I know that when you are raising a family, there never is an overabundance of time or money.

While reflecting on Christian stewardship, especially stewardship of treasure, I thought of some of the reasons or excuses that I have used over the years,

Clapping at Mass

By Father Kenneth Doyle Catholic News Service

Q. I have noticed that when the choir does a piece of music differently or performs a song especially well, someone inevitably starts to applaud andtherestofthecongregationfollows suit. I think that this detracts from the mood that the music has just created and interferes with the solemnity of the Mass. Is it just me, or should applause be reserved for musical performances outside of Mass? (Lilburn, Georgia) A. The church has no specific «rules» for or against applause at Mass, so we arelefttoreasonforourselvesaccording towhatcomportswiththepurposeand

spirit of the liturgy. Fundamentally, I agree with your observation. Music during Mass, whether sung by the choir or by the congregation, is not a performance. It is meant to glorify God and sanctify the faithful. It is a form of prayer and should draw those present into deeper contact with the Lord.

All of which inclines me in the direction of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (later to become Pope Benedict XVI), who in the year 2000 wrote in “The Spirit of the Liturgy” that “whenever applause breaks out in the liturgy because of some human achievement, it is a sure sign that the essence of the liturgy has totally disappeared and been replaced by a kind of religious enter-

or that I have heard others use to avoid really sharing our resources.

Reason number one for me, and I would bet for most of you, is “I can’t afford to give that much this week!”When I think about this excuse, I remember what my mom used to say about having kids. There were six kids in my family and money was tight. Mom would laugh when she would hear people say that they couldn’t afford to have kids.

She pointed out that if you waited until you could afford kids, no one would ever have them! We can always think about other things we need, or more realistically, things we want - new houses, a new play station or TV, a vacation trip.

Yet when kids arrive, they fit smoothly into the family and somehow, we make do.

For me, it is a matter of budgeting and making a commitment to share. We all make choices and set goals. I find in my case that I constantly need to re-examine my choices and goals. Am I choosing to share the blessings that God has given me to me, or am I choosing to accumulate or hold back? Am I following Jesus, or am I imitating the rich young man in the Gospel?

Each time I think about cutting back on contributions to the church, I try to remember the many blessings that God has given me. Sometimes I forget, as I am sure most of you do. As human beings we sometimes fail. But as God’s people, chosen in Christ, we are called upon to rise from those failures and try again.

This brings me to another common reason for not sharing, and that has to do with doubt about the needs of our church. We tend to justify our own lack of charity with rationalizations like tainment.”

There are moments in certain liturgical celebrations when applause is welcomed, although not explicitly called for. For example, in the ordination of a priest, there is a point at which the congregation is invited to give its approval to the candidate «according to local custom,» which in the United States usually results in applause.

Apart from such instances, it seems inappropriate during Mass to break the flow of the liturgy and spirit of prayer by clapping. Having said that, we are properly grateful to musicians and singers for adding beauty and reverence to the celebration of the Mass.

Perhapsthatgratitudecouldbestbeexpressed once the closing hymn is completed -- either by applause or by tak-

“the Church has plenty of property”; the Church has plenty of money. Or as I heard one lady say, “I am tired of giving. What does the priest do with all that money anyway”!

Many of our parishioners have no idea what it takes to run our parish! Besides keeping up our facilities, paying utilities, and implementing a multitude of pastoral programs, we have a highly competent team of dedicated parish staff. We have an obligation to compensate our employees fairly. They too have families and obligations to meet.

These parish obligations, along with many others, are all part of what it means to be good stewards who live our parish mission statement, “To make present the saving act of Jesus Christ through our worship, our word, our witness, and our just and compassionate work in the world”.

My final thoughts about stewardship have to do with you and me. I asked myself, “What can I do? How can I be a better steward?” Then I began to consider whether I was really sharing, or simply giving from the leftovers. My own conclusion is that I can do more.

As a family, I know that we can do better.

So I call upon you to do the same to pray and reflect upon your blessings.

If all of us, as average parishioners, resolve to be more generous with God’s blessings, our parish community will not be just average; we will truly build an outstanding community, not just as a parish, but also as an Archdiocese, and as the People of God! Robert D. Gorman Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary Parish, Albuquerque ingthetimetocomplimentmembersof the choir personally.

Q. In the past, we celebrated every fall the feast of Christ the King. But I notice that now this feast is called «Christ, King of the Universe,» and that prompts my question. The Nicene Creed says, «I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible.» It seems to me that this makes God the Father the King of the universe, not Jesus Christ.

We know very little of what›s out there beyond ourselves in the entire universe. Are there other solar systems with living beings created by God? Did those planets and cultures need to be saved also, as Christ did for the earth›s inhabitants? What is the basis CONTINUED ON PAGE 23

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The Catholic Difference

KOW TOWING

BY GEORGE WEIGEL In his tireless work for Christian unity, St. John Paul II often expressed the hope that Christianity in its third millennium might “breathe again” with its “two lungs:” West and East, Latin and Byzantine. It was a noble aspiration.

And when he first visited Orthodoxy’s ecumenical patriarchate of Constantinople in 1979, perhaps the successor of Peter imagined that his heartfelt desire to concelebrate the Eucharist with the successor of Andrew would be realized in his lifetime.

It wasn’t to be, but not for lack of trying on John Paul’s part. Contentions within Orthodoxy; Russian Orthodox resentments (and worse) over John Paul II’s pivotal role in the Revolution of 1989; and a deeply engrained sense among some Orthodox Christians that not-being-in-full-communion-with-thebishop-of-Rome is a defining element in Orthodox identity—all these conspired to frustrate John Paul’s desire that the East/West fracture formalized at thebeginningofthesecondmillennium (in 1054), could be healed by the Great Jubilee of 2000, so that Rome and Constantinople might undertake the new evangelization in the third millennium,

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together.

Those frustrations have been compounded in the post-John Paul II era by the increasingly aggressive actions of the Russian Orthodox patriarchate of Moscow, within the Orthodox community of churches and on the global stage.

Not to put too fine a point on it, Moscow, which has long imagined itself the “Third Rome,” seems less interested in unity within the family of Orthodoxy, and between East and West, than with asserting itself over-against the“Second Rome,” Constantinople, and with supporting Russian foreign policy. Those obstacles to a Church “breathing again with both its lungs” are not going to be resolved by kowtowing to the patriarchate of Moscow and tacitly accepting its dubious “narrative” about the history of Christianity among the eastern Slavs: a distortion that, by privileging Moscow and subordinating Kyiv, buttresses the revanchist aggression of Vladimir Putin’s Russia—not coincidentally, one assumes.

Herewith, then, what seems a self-evident ecumenical axiom: For so long as the leaders of Russian Orthodoxy aspire to hegemony within Orthodoxy, claim to be the sole legitimate heirs of the baptism of Rus’ in 988, and act as

agents of Russian state power in world politics, for just that long will Russian Orthodoxy be a serious obstacle to a more unified Orthodox world and to reconciliation and full communion between Catholicism and Orthodoxy.

Yet what seems so clear to others is, somehow, not self-evident in the halls of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity. In a recent interview with Vatican Radio, the pontifical council’s president, Cardinal Kurt Koch, said that “the changes in 1989 (that is, the collapse of communism in central and easternEurope)werenotadvantageous for ecumenical relations” because “the Eastern Catholic churches banned by Stalinre-emerged”fromunderground— and that made life difficult for Roman ecumenists, given Russian Orthodox phobias about “Uniate churches” like the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, Byzantine in liturgy and polity but in full communion with Rome.

What is going on here? No local Church in modern times suffered more for its fidelity to Rome than the Greek Catholic Church in Ukraine—the world’s largest underground religious community between 1946 and 1989.

Was Cardinal Koch suggesting that it would have been better for“ecumenical

relations” if the communist crack-up in 1989 hadn’t occurred and if the Soviet Union had remained intact? It’s bad enough to be subjected to ex-KGB officer Vladimir Putin’s laments about the Soviet crack-up being the greatest geopolitical disaster of the 20th century; it’s even worse when the Catholic Church’s top ecumenical officer expresses what seem, at first blush, to be ominously parallel sentiments.

Now I don’t really think that Cardinal Koch wishes the Berlin Wall, or the Soviet Union, back. But his unfortunate formulation, which reflected certain institutionalized notions in the Roman Curia, confirmed that the Vatican’s ecumenical default positions badly need re-setting. And that re-set must begin with a clear-eyed view of recent Russian Orthodox prevarications and aggressions. Nothing will be gained, ecumenically speaking, from further kowtowing to the self-styled “Third Rome.”

George Weigel is a senior fellow of the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington, D.C. George Weigel’s column is distributed by the Denver Catholic Register, the official newspaper of the Archdiocese of Denver. Phone: 303-715-3215.

Are Womb Transplants Immoral?

A recent news report described the unusual story of a baby’s birth from his grandmother’s womb. A 29-year old woman from Sweden, born without a uterus, received a transplanted womb from her mother, the same womb that had brought her into the world a generation earlier. The womanthenbecamepregnant through in vitro fertilization (IVF) and delivered a healthy baby boy.

The research had been dogged by controversy and questions: Could a transplanted womb from a post-menopausal woman be “triggered” back into action once it had been introduced into the body of a younger woman? Could a transplanted uterus effectively provide nourishment to

a growing baby during all the gestational stages of a pregnancy? Would such a costly and risky surgery involving two people, mother and daughter, donor and recipient, be justifiable? Are such transplants ultimately ethical?

The specific circumstances involved are critical to determining whether this novel type of transplant is ethical.

Various medical anomalies can cause a woman to be missing a uterus. A congenital disease called Rokitansky syndrome can cause the uterus to develop anomalously, or not form at all. Uterine cancer or other serious gynecological issues may necessitate that a woman undergo a hysterectomy, resulting in permanent infertility.

The womb is a unique organ with a highly specific func-

tion, and the transplantation of a healthy womb into a woman who lacks one due to a birth defect or disease is loosely parallel, some would say, to a situation where a patient’s kidney fails, and another person donatesahealthyreplacement organ.

Yet others would say that the womb is not a vital organ like a kidney, and while the transplantation of a womb is directed towards improving a patient’s quality of life, it clearly does not constitute life-saving surgery like a kidney transplant.

Therefore, womb transplants require strong ethical justifications.

As we reflect on the ethics surrounding new medical treatments and technologies, it can help us to recall the general principle, enshrined

in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, that the morality of a human act depends on three factors: the object, the end, and the circumstances involved. An act is morally good only if all three of these factors are morally good. If any one of them is bad, we recognize that the overall act itself becomes morally bad.

For example, a diva using her voice to sing a passage from a famous opera has the morally good object of performing a beautiful and artistic musical composition. The end for which a diva might sing would be to perfect her singing skills — also morally good. But if she decides to do it at 3 a.m. in a dormitory, so that it disturbs the sleep of her neighbors, then the circumstances would not be good, and we would conclude that

the action of singing in that way by the diva is, in fact, morally bad.

In the case of carrying out a womb transplant, the object of the act would be good, namely, to restore a woman’s bodily wholeness by transplanting a healthy womb in situations where she lacks one. The end for which the womb transplant would be carried out would also be good, namely, to achieve a pregnancy.

But particular circumstances can easily render the womb transplant immoral. If the transplant were done for the purposes of pursuing a pregnancy through IVF, this circumstance would render the entire act of the womb transplant morally bad and disordered, given that IVF is invariably immoral as a means CONTINUED ON PAGE 22

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A n n i ve r s a r i e s Ortiz, Duran

Sisneros

Mr. Gilbert Duran and Miss Pauline Ortiz received the Sacrament of Matrimony on the 26th day of December 1964 at St. Francis Basilica in Santa Fe, NM. They are currently members at St. Francis Basilica in Santa Fe. With faith, love, and patience, Gilbert and Pauline Duran, are celebrating 50 years of being happily married. Together they have raised four children, eight grandchildren, and one great-grandchild within the Catholic faith. They have also achieved success professionally working side by side for over 45 years daily, running their own construction company, PCI, in Santa Fe. With much love and affection their children, grandchildren, family and friends wish them love and prayer for many more years to come as they continue on their journey of love for God and family.

Happy 50th Anniversary! We love you!

The family of Ray and Julie Sisneros are happy to announce their 50th golden wedding anniversary.

Ray and Julie Sisneros were united in the holy sacrament of matrimony on November 7, 1964, at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Raton, NM. Ray served in the Air Force and retired from Phillips Labs and Julie is a retired counselor from Albuquerque Public Schools. Together they raised three children and have six grandchildren. Ray and Julie are active members of Holy Ghost Parish in Albuquerque. We, the children, spouses, and grandchildren of Ray and Julie Sisneros, wish them a very happy anniversary and thank them for their constant love and guidance.

WOMB CONTINUED FROM PAGE 21 to engender new human life. All reported instances thus far of womb transplants followed by successful pregnancies have arisen because of the use of IVF. A similar problem with the circumstances of the transplant could arise if the womb that was used for transplant had been donated by a healthy woman still in her reproductive years who harbored a contraceptive intention and no longer desired to have more children of her own with her husband.

In such a situation, her uterine donation would cause her to become sterile, and would represent a seriously flawed moral circumstance that would likewise render the action of receiving the transplanted womb unethical on the part of the other woman.

When might a womb transplant be morally acceptable? If a uterus were transplantedfromeithera deceased or a freely-con-

senting, post-menopausal woman to another woman whose ovaries, fallopian tubes and other reproductive tissues were then able to function so she could conceive a child within the marital embrace, rather than through IVF (and assuming minimal medical risks to both donor and recipient), the womb transplant could represent an ethical means of resolving her uterine-factor infertility. In conclusion, the specific circumstances of both the donor and recipient are crucial in discerning the ethical appropriateness of this unusual procedure.

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

December 2014

Gallegos, Sandoval Mr. Bennie (Ventura) Sandoval and Miss Adela Gallegos were joined in holy matrimony on December 11, 1944 at Sacred Heart Catholic Parish.

The padrinos were Mr. and Mrs. Antonio Villescas.

Bennie was born in Albuquerque and moved with his parents to Torreon, NM. He worked at several jobs out-of-state at the age of 16 and later worked at General Electric in Albuquerque where he retired.

Adela was born and raised in Villanueva, NM where she attended Catholic school. She moved to Albuquerque at the age of 23 to be with her sister and brother-in-law and worked at several jobs in Albuquerque. More than a few years later, Bennie and Adela exchanged their vows in holy matrimony.

Bennie was dedicated to his family and worked hard to support them, he taught them responsibility and good work ethics. Adela dedicated her life to being a loving housewife and mother of four sons and two daughters, Max Sandoval, Irene & Jose Cruz, Mary Sandoval, Tom & Ruby Sandoval, Paul & Rosemary Sandoval, Bennie Jr. & Merlinda Sandoval. Their generation keeps on growing with 11 grandchildren and 18 great grandchildren. We as children and grandchildren feel honored and blessed to have parents of 70 years as husband and wife in the Catholic faith. They are parishioners of St. Joseph on the Rio Grande in Albuquerque.

December 2014

VOCATIONS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 17 Considering the large number of seminarians in our Archdiocese, these men need our strong support and encouragement. The 100 Club works closely with the Serra Club, which also donates money to the Archdiocese for seminarian tuition expenses.

The 100 Club is made up of over 75 contributing members and new members are welcome and much needed in this time of bountiful vocations. The funds of the 100 Club are raised by annual membership dues. There are three classes of membership, $100 (Bronze); $150 (Silver) or $200 (Gold) per year to the 100 Club For Religious Vocations. There are no other responsibilities of membership, no monthly meetings CLAPPING CONTINUED FROM PAGE 20 for expanding the title of this feast? (Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin) A. You are correct as to the current title of the feast.

In 1925, as a response to growing nationalism and secularism, Pope Pius XI instituted the feast of Christ the King. He wanted to highlight the fact that the kingdom of Jesus was one not of pomp and power but of love and service. It was then celebrated on the last Sunday of October.

In 1969 Pope Paul VI gave the feast a new title and a new date. It is now called formally the solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe and is marked on the last Sunday of the liturgical year, one week before the first Sunday of Advent.

If you read further down in the Nicene Creed, it is said of Jesus that «through him all things were made,» which I would take as a warrant for calling Christ the king of the universe itself, not just the sovereign of our small planet.

But your question raises an interesting topic: the possibility of intelligent life in other parts of the universe.

On this matter, the church has no fixed position, and the current name for the feast makes no declaration.

The matter of extraterrestrial life is a scientific question,notatheologicalone.NothingintheScriptures

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or committee assignments, etc. The 100 club board (president, secretary, and treasurer) are all volunteers.

Normally the only overhead expenses are postage for mailing out letters to our members, whose contributions are 100% tax deductible. More than ninety-nine percent of donations go to the seminarians through the Archdiocese.

If you are interested in helping to support our seminarians please contact us. We are also seeking to visit parishes throughout the Archdiocese and or place announcements in parish bulletins. Contact us at: Michael D. Puccetti, Treasurer 100 Club For Religious Vocations morfocangrande@gmail.com (505) 554-1997 confirms or contradicts the possibility. The part that fascinates me is whether such beings would be fallen or unfallen? Would they need redemption? Would the Son of God have visited them as he came to live with us? We don’t know. What we know is that Jesus showed us how to live and offers to us a path to heaven.

Questions may be sent to Father Kenneth Doyle at askfatherdoyle@gmail.com and 40 Hopewell St., Albany, N.Y. 12208.

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ARTESIA CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6 immigrants, mostly young mothers and children under 14.

When we arrived, agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) took us inside the center and stayed right by our side at all times, as they closely guided us on a tour through some of the facilities located in a completely fenced and heavily guarded area. We saw several portable structures which, according to ICE Agents, are used as a cafeteria, restrooms, a recreation hall, offices, a health unit, and portable classrooms.

We were able to visit the interior of one of the communal dormitories, also a portable building where residents are separated in rooms in which between 8-10 women and children live; it was the closest we were allowed to be to the families. What I saw were the faces of women and children who clearly have laughed and enjoyed life, but who now suffer, hoping and praying they will have an opportunity to formally present their asylum request and be granted the opportunity to leave this residential center.

Most of the residents in this center come from locations where living conditions have become intolerable. They fled the terror of violence, the threats from drug cartels and the lack of security in general. It was clear to me these mothers neither left their land and their roots nor risked their children undertaking a long journey full of dangers simply from a desire to migrate. These mothers left the little security they had in a familiar world simply out of desperation to give their children a chance to live. They have come to the United States seeking protection from violence and have been detained, along with their children, at a residential center from which they cannot leave.

While recognizing the legitimate right of the government to protect its borders, we must also recognize that family detention conflicts with our core values; it is inhumane and goes against international treaties on Human Rights.

Our faith calls us to welcome the stranger and to protect the most vulnerable among us advocating for justice in these situations and seeking more humane solutions than this.

The situation leading to the existence of family detention centers is a complex issue that I think none of us can fully understand. Without a doubt, the living conditions there are not conducive to the emotional stability of those seeking asylum and protection from what has already happened in their lives. The creation of more centers like this cannot continue. We must advocate for the greater implementation of community-based alternatives to detention that already exist. Community programs with goodcasemanagementaremorehumanitarian, less costly and more effective, while still ensuring that measures required by the immigration courts are followed.

To learn more about this complicated issue and how to advocate for more humane measures, visit United States Conference of Catholic Bishops page: http://www.justiceforimmigrants.org or NM Faith Coalition for Immigrant Justice: www.nmimmigrantjustice.org

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BOOKS & MEDIA Christmas With Bernadette

By Emily Grace Ortega Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (September 2014) Bernadette and her family are back! With Christmas approaching, Bernadette wants to give everyone gifts. But it’s so hard with only the pocket change of a seven year old. And Mama’s about to have a new baby…which is exciting, but seems to wear her out. Will everything at home at school smooth out to give Bernadette and her family a beautiful and blessed Christmas?

Ishmael: The Shepherd Boy of Bethlehem

By Odile Haumonte Publisher: Ignatius Press (October 2014)This is the

conventional medication available today to fight this disease.

Alzheimer’s is the sixth leading cause of death in the U.S.—and the only one of these diseases on the rise. More than 5 million Americans have been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s or a related dementia; about 35 million people worldwide.

Greg O’Brien, an award-winning investigative reporter, has been diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s and is one of those faceless numbers. Acting on long-term memory and skill coupled with well-developed journalistic grit, O’Brien decided to tackle the disease and his imminent decline by writing frankly about the journey. O’Brien is a master storyteller. His story is naked, wrenching, and soul searching for a generation and their loved ones about to cross the threshold of this death in slow motion. On Pluto: Inside the Mind of Alzheimer’s is a trail-blazing roadmap for a generation—both a“how to” for fighting a disease, and a “how not” to give up!

The Church of Mercy

By Pope Francis Publisher: Loyola Press (April 2014)

exciting story of Ishmael, a shepherd and handsome boy of thirteen who knows how to be gentle and kind, but is not afraid of putting up a fight to protect his sheep.

Along with the other shepherds in his family and their flocks, he arrives in Bethlehem. Crowds are pouring into the town to obey the command of Emperor Augustus: he has ordered a census to count all the people in the world. Ishmael is worried. Shepherds are not always welcome in the villages. What would happen in Bethlehem?

A beautiful and moving Christmas story about peace and reconciliation, brilliantly illustrated.

Ishmael is about to discover friendship and peace of heart through the birth of Christ. What if all the children of the world were to come and kneel before the baby Jesus, and receive that same deep love and peace?

On Pluto: Inside the Mind of Alzheimer’s

By Greg O’Brien Publisher: Codfish Press (August 2014) This is a book about living with Alzheimer’s, not dying with it. It is a book about hope, faith, and humor—a prescription far more powerful than the

In the year since he was elected, Pope Francis’s simple message of mercy, service, and renewal has spread to every corner of the world. Through his gentle demeanor, selfless actions, and welcoming call for service to others, Pope Francis has captured the attention of a world longing for an authentic message of hope—we want to hear what he has to say.

Collected from Pope Francis’s speeches, homilies, and papers presented during the first year of his papacy, The Church of Mercy is the first Vatican-authorized book detailing his vision for the Catholic Church. From how to be citizens of the world to answering God’s call for evangelization, Pope Francis’s deep wisdom reminds us that the Church must move beyond its own walls and joyfully bring God’s mercy wherever suffering, division, or injustice exists.

Named TIME Magazine’s 2013 “Person of the Year,” Pope Francis is helping the Church continue toward an authentic Christianity that is faithful to the

Gospel and resonant with the world’s greatest needs.

The Church of Mercy encourages each of us to ignite the flame within to help share the light of Christ and revitalize the Church.

Pope Francis: Why He Leads the Way He Leads

By Chris Lowney Publisher: Loyola Press (October 2013) From choosing to live in a simple apartment instead of the papal palace to washing the feet of men and women in a youth detention center, Pope Francis’s actions contradict behaviors expected of a modern leader. Chris Lowney, a former Jesuit seminarian turned Managing Director for JP Morgan & Co., shows how the pope’s words and deeds reveal spiritual principles that have prepared him to lead the Church and influence our world—a rapidly-changing world that requires leaders who value the human need for love, inspiration, and meaning.

Drawing on interviews with people who knew him as Father Jorge Bergoglio, SJ, Lowney challenges assumptions about what it takes to be a great leader. In so doing, he reveals the “other-centered” leadership style of a man whose passion is to be with people rather than set apart. Lowney offers a stirring vision of leadership to which we can all aspire in our communities, churches, companies, and families.

December 2014

Rev. Vincent A. Nicosia, SOLT Fr. Vincent Nicosia, SOLT, age 87, who was born on March 10, 1927 in Brooklyn, NY and a resident of Bosque, NM went to be with our Lord on Wednesday, November 5, 2014. He was the first-born son of Anthony and Vincenza (Anna Ingrassia) Nicosia. He attended P.S. 202 and Boys High School in Brook-

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lyn but never graduated. He proudly served in the United States Navy for two years towards the end of WWII. After he was honorably discharged from the service he attended a Technical Institute receiving a diploma in electronics. For some years he was employed as a TV technician until he and his brother moved out to Santa Monica, CA where they were both employed by Douglas Aircraft Company as electronic technicians in the missile division. It was during this period that he met and married Goldie Inzer, a widow with three children.

After some 16 years with the then MacDonald Douglas Corp. (presently Boeing) he took a lay off rather than make a move with the company to another state.

He then ventured into becoming a General Contractor doing alterations and remodeling to homes. After some 15 years as a contractor and the passing of his wife after a long illness, he discontinued the business and returned to school. It wasn’t very long after the death of his wife that he felt the calling by the Lord to follow in His footsteps. He was accepted at Holy Apostles College & Seminary in Connecticut

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with the goal of being ordained a Catholic priest. After having become a professed member of the Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity, he was ordained at his home parish of St. Louis de Montfort in Santa Monica, CA on October 24, 1992 at the age of 65. After ordination he was made pastor of Our Lady of Sorrows Parish in La Joya, NM. After 8 ½ years as pastor, he retired from the parish at the age of 75.

Returning to the Formation Center in Bosque, NM, he continued to work as Director of Financial Development for the Society.

He was preceded in death by his parents; his beloved wife, Goldie Inzer Nicosia; step-daughter, Sondra Shlanta and husband, Alexis; brothers, Charles and Albert Nicosia; and brother-in-law, Robert Baer.

Fr. Vincent is survived by his step-son, Eugene Inzer and wife, Anita; step-daughter, Brenda Miklos; granddaughter, Norelle Shlanta; sister, Grace Baer; brother, Joseph Nicosia and wife, Marcia; seven grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.

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December 2014

Mark Your Calendar

TV Mass Schedule The Catholic Center St. Joseph/St. Francis Chapel Sunday at 6:30 a.m. on KRQE TV-13, KBIM TV-10, KREZ TV-6 and FOX 2 American Sign Language (ASL) Interpreted TV Mass Donations may be sent online to www.archdiosf.org or mailed to: Chancellor’s Office/ TV Mass, 4000 St. Joseph’s Pl. NW, Albuquerque, NM 87120

December 14, 2014 3rd Sunday of Advent Rev. Andrew Pavlak

IS 61:1-2A, 10-11 LK 1:46-48, 49-50, 53-54 1 THES 5:16-24 IS 61:1 (CITED IN LK 4:18) JN 1:6-8, 19-28 December 21, 2014 2 SM 7:1-5, 8B-12, 14A, 16 4th Sunday of Advent PS 89:2-3, 4-5, 27-29 Rev. Andrew Pavlak ROM 16:25-27 LK 1:38 LK 1:26-38 December 28, 2014 SIR 3:2-6, 12-14 OR GN 15:1-6; 21:1-3 Holy Family of Jesus, Mary & Joseph PS 128:1-2, 3, 4-5 OR PS 105:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 8-9 Archbishop Michael J. Sheehan COL 3:12-21 OR COL 3:12-17 OR HEB 11:8, 11-12, 17-19 COL 3:15A, 16A OR HEB 1:1-2 LK 2:22-40 OR LK 2:22, 39-40 January 4, 2015 IS 60:1-6 Epiphany of the Lord PS 72:1-2, 7-8, 10-11, 12-13.

Archbishop Michael J. Sheehan EPH 3:2-3A, 5-6 MT 2:2 MT 2:1-12

“May the Dear Lord bless you...”

December 2014 15 Rev. Dino Candelaria 17 Rev. Jose Maria Blanch, SF 18 Rev. Ramon Aragon 20 Rev. Earl Rohleder 23 Rev. Carlos Alberto Gonzales 23 Rev. Msgr. Richard Olona 26 Rev. Augustine Moore 28 Rev. Joseph Mary Deane, CFR 29 Rev. Robert Lancaster 29 Rev. Felipe Valadez 31 Rev. Msgr. J. Gaston Hebert 31 Rev. Arthur Jakobiak January 2015 2 Rev. Hoi Tran 3 Rev. Donatus Onyeke 8 Rev. Sean. M. Garrity, CSJ 10 Rev. Urlic Pax, OFM 10 Rev. James Suntum, SF 12 Rev. Scott Mckee 13 Rev. Ronald J. Bowers

Roman Catholic Saints Calendar

December 2014 15 Blessed Mary Frances Schervier 16 Blessed Honoratus Kozminski 17 Lazarus 18 Blessed Anthony Grassi 19 Blessed Pope Urban V 20 St. Dominic of Silos 21 St. Peter Canisius 22 Blessed Jacopone da Todi 23 St. John Kanty 24 Christmas at Greccio 25 Solemnity of the Birth of Our Lord 26 St. Stephen 27 St. John the Apostle 28 Holy Innocents 29 St. Thomas Becket 30 St. Egwin 31 St. Sylvester I

January 2015 1 Mary, Mother of God 2 Sts. Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzen 3 Most Holy Name of Jesus 4 St. Elizabeth Ann Seton 5 St. John Neumann 6 St. André Bessette 7 St. Raymond of Peñafort 8 Blessed Angela of Foligno 9 St. Adrian of Canterbury 10 St. Gregory of Nyssa 11 Blessed William Carter 12 St. Marguerite Bourgeoys 13 St. Hilary 14 Servant of God John the Gardener

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Pictured here after the Cicagna, Italy Special Presentation on the Opening the Cause of Sainthood for Sister Blandina Segale, SC are Most Rev. Ricardo Ramirez, Bishop Emeritus, Diocese of Las Cruces, Postulator for the Cause; Roberto Bacigalupo, Mayor of Cicagna, Italy, Donatella Ruggiero author and professor; Adriana Govo; Allen Sánchez, Petitioner for the Cause; Paola Segale, Romina Sesenna, Franco Segale, Laura Segale, Sr. Blandina’s relatives; and Most Rev. Alberto Tanasini Bishop of Chiavari, Italy.

Sister Blandina’s Official Website Has Been Launched www.sisterblandinasegale.com Most Rev. Ricardo Ramirez, C.S.B., Diocese of Las Cruces, Postulator for the Sainthood Cause of Sister Blandina Segale, SC, Servant of God has announced the launching of the official website for Sister Blandina’s Sainthood Cause. The new website offers a clean, modern design, easy-to-navigate functionality, and a content-rich site experience. The goal in launchingthenewwebsiteistoprovideonlinenationalandinternationalresourcesforthose eager to learn more about this saintly woman whose heroic virtues stand the test of time.

The dynamic site will continue to grow as information is received. So check in for updates as the journey to sainthood continues. The website includes news, prayers, history, photos and videos of the historic decree announcement at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi, Santa Fe, NM as well as comments by representatives of the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati, OH. The website is sponsored by CHI St. Joseph’s Children. Celine Baca Radigan, Editor

On the Road to Becoming the First Saint from New Mexico MOST REV. RICARDO RAMIREZ, BISHOP EMERITUS, C.S.B., DIOCESE OF LAS CRUCES, POSTULATOR FOR THE SAINTHOOD CAUSE OF SISTER BLANDINA SEGALE, SC, SERVANT OF GOD

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ast month I had the very pleasant privilege to travel to Cicagna, in northern Italy, to visit the birthplace of Sister Blandina Segale, whose process for beatification and canonization began recently.

Mr. Allen Sánchez, CEO of Catholic Health Initiatives (CHI) St. Joseph’s Children, and I were invited by Mayor Roberto Bacigalupo of Cicagna, Most Rev. Alberto Tanasini, Bishop of the Diocese of Chiavari and other local authorities to make presentations at an event announcing the process of Sister Blandina’s beatification. An in-depth presentation was made by Professor Donatella Aurili Ruggiero, author. I spoke about the canonization process and Mr. Sánchez spoke about the spirituality of the Servant of God. Sister Blandina’s relatives and the citizens of Cicagna were grateful to learn more about the holy person who, at the age of four, moved to the USA with her family. Bishop Tanasini shared with the crowd his happiness and encouragement of the opening of Sister Blandina’s Cause.

He plans to promote the prayer for her Cause and her Novena in all parish-

es of his Diocese. It was a day filled with great joy and hope. Cicagna is proud of their “paisana.”

Who was Sister Blandina?

When she was four years old her parents brought their family to Cincinnati, Ohio, from Italy. Later Maria Rosa (her baptismal name) Segale and her sister, Giustina, joined the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati. One of Sr. Blandina’s first assignments was to Trinidad, Colorado, where she began to build schools and hospitals that would especially serve the poor. She did the same thing when she was assigned to northern New Mexico. Her absolute trust in God’s providence drove her to begin building projects with practically nothing. When people saw her digging for buildings’ foundations, they gave her materials, money and their labor. Her work in Colorado and New Mexico is well documented in her letters to her sister Giustina; later these letters were published as a book entitled At the End of the Santa Fe Trail.

She was tireless in her work of teaching and healing the poor, as well as being an advocate for women and children. She challenged the Territorial governments and the military in their treatment of Native Americans.

She came to the aid of mistreated railroad workers while at the same time

building schools, orphanages, trade schools and hospitals. Some of these structures are still standing today, such as the convent and school next to San Felipe de Neri Church in Old Town Albuquerque. As an advocate for restorative justice, Sr. Blandina helped those guilty of crime to seek forgiveness from their victims. Once she saved a man from a lynch mob by facilitating reconciliation between him and a man he shot. In 1966 this story was featured in the episode, “The Fastest Nun in the West,” in the CBS series, Death Valley Days.

Upon her return to Cincinnati in 1897 she founded the Santa Maria Institute to serve European immigrants.

The Institute is still in operation today, serving the poor of that part of the city. In 1900 she came back to Albuquerque and helped start St. Joseph Hospital whose mission continues today as CHI St. Joseph’s Children, also known as St. Joseph Community Health.

Last June, Archbishop Michael J. Sheehan announced that the Vatican has given permission to open the Sainthood Cause of Servant of God, Sister Blandina Segale. The Congregation for the Cause of Saints named the Archbishop as Judge for the Cause, Mr. Allen Sánchez was designated as Petitioner, and I was named Postulator.

Remains of Cicagna church in which Sister Blandina was baptized.

This is the first time in the 400 year history of the Catholic Church in New Mexico that someone who lived and worked in the state is being considered for beatification and, we pray, eventual sainthood. More information on Sister Blandina can be found at www.sisterblandinasegale.com.