January 15, 2010

(CNS PHOTO/L’OSSERVATORE ROMANO VIA REUTERS)

Rabbi sees pope’s visit as commitment to dialogue

Pope Benedict XVI baptizes a baby during a Mass in the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican Jan. 10, feast of the Baptism of the Lord. The pope baptized 14 infants, calling it a “great day for these children,” as he welcomed them into the Church and stressed the faith nurturing role of parents and godparents.

Catholic san Francisco Northern California’s Weekly Catholic Newspaper

By Cindy Wooden ROME (CNS) – Rome’s chief rabbi said the planned visit of Pope Benedict XVI to the city’s main synagogue and community center is a sign that Catholics and Jews are committed to respectful dialogue, even when their relationship hits stumbling blocks.

Rabbi Riccardo Di Segni, the chief rabbi, told Catholic News Service there is “a solid basis” for positive relations, but “with a storm every now and then.”

The rabbi spoke in his office Jan. 12, just five days before Pope Benedict’s first visit to the synagogue.

Rabbi Di Segni said Pope Benedict’s visit is important first of all as “a symbolic continuation of the gesture made by (Pope) John Paul II, who was the first pope to set foot in a synagogue in 19 centuries. There is precedence, though,” because St. Peter obviously had been in synagogues, he added.

Visiting the synagogue 23 years after Pope John Paul did “is important because it is saying that the journey undertaken has not been interrupted, but will move forward,” he said.

“Times have changed,” the rabbi said. “Many things have been achieved; other things still need to be done. The path, the Jewish-Catholic encounter, is terribly complicated. It is not a smooth road leading onward, but it is one continually filled with stumbling blocks. The visit of a pope to the synagogue should demonstrate that beyond the stumbling blocks there is a substantial desire to communicate with each other and resolve problems.”

While the Jewish community has expressed concern over several of Pope Benedict’s decisions, including his decision a year ago to lift the excommunication of a traditionalist bishop who denied the extent of the Holocaust, the rabbi said the key problem is what Jews see as mixed signals from POPE’S VISIT, page 15

Walk for Life in San Francisco Jan. 23 expects 35,000 people

By Valerie Schmalz Walk for Life West Coast organizers expect 35,000 people from the San Francisco Bay Area and elsewhere in northern California and beyond to participate in the annual rally and walk set for Jan. 23.

San Francisco Archbishop George Niederauer and other bishops will participate as will thousands of lay Catholics along with clergy, religious and seminarians.

Also present will be Abby Johnson, who credits prayer for giving her the strength and the wisdom to walk away from her job as executive director of a Planned Parenthood clinic in October after she held the ultrasound probe during an abortion.

“What I saw during the procedure was so gruesome to me, and something I had never experienced before, that I just thought: ‘I’ll never do this again,’” said Johnson, 29, the married mother of a 3-year-old, who had worked at the Bryan-College Station, Texas, clinic for eight years.

Johnson will be among a slate of speakers at the 6th Annual Walk for Life West Coast on Saturday, January 23, in San Francisco.

An 11 a.m. rally at Justin Herman Plaza near the Ferry Building is followed by a 2-mile Walk to Marina Green. An Info Faire and a Silent No More rally with those who regret their abortions are scheduled for Walk’s end. Food vendors and music will be available at the Green. Participation should be higher than last year’s 30,000, based on early

response, organizers say. The archdiocese co-sponsors the Francisco seminarian Tom Martin, who said the seminary Walk. EWTN and Immaculate Heart Radio (1260 AM in will be hosting their fellows from outside the archdioSan Francisco) will broadcast the Walk events live. cese. Martin said the seminarians will sit in a block at the San Francisco Archbishop 8 a.m. Mass and will walk together George Niederauer, Auxiliary with banners at the Walk.

Bishop William Justice, and retired “It’s a great opportunity for Bishop Ignatius Wang will attend, the people of God to see that the as will Oakland Bishop Salvatore seminarians are joining with them Cordileone, Santa Rosa Bishop not only in praying for life, but also Daniel Walsh, Stockton Bishop taking a stand,” said Martin, who Stephen Blaire, San Bernardino grew up in St. Anne of the Sunset Bishop Rutilio del Riego, Orange parish and worked on former San County Bishop Tod Brown, and Francisco Mayor Willie Brown’s Bishop Armando Ochoa of El Paso, staff before entering the seminary.

Texas.

This year, parties for young Archbishop Niederauer and the adults and for college students are bishops will celebrate 8 a.m. Mass scheduled at different venues for the at The Cathedral of Saint Mary night of the Walk (see accompanyof the Assumption (1111 Gough ing box). Also this year, the Walk St.), before the Walk. Archbishop is sponsoring a year-round speaker Niederauer will be the main speaker bureau for high schools with young Abby Johnson at the Interfaith Committee for professionals and college students Life Prayer Service at Holy Trinity as speakers (for more information, Orthodox Church (999 Brotherhood Way) at 7:30 p.m. on bowmanannie@gmail.com or 510-325-8530).

Friday, January 22.

“We not only have buses coming from a huge number Seminarians from St. Patrick’s Seminary in Menlo of parishes but we also have more and more pastors joinPark have chartered buses to bring 120 seminarians from ing in with their parishioners coming to the Walk,” said SF WALK FOR LIFE, page 6 Denver, Oregon, and California to the Walk, said San

INSIDE THIS WEEK’S EDITION Challenge to Prop 8 . . . . . . . 3 ‘Mercy Beyond Borders’ . . . . 6 Franciscan giving witness. . . 9 Archbishop’s Journal. . . . . . 12 Scripture & reflection. . . . . 14

On the Street Where You Live ~ Page 2 ~ January 15, 2010

News in brief Winter Olympics ~ Pages 4-5 ~

Ministering to Deaf Catholics ~ Pages 10-11 ~ ONE DOLLAR

Haiti Journal . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Services, Classifed ads . 18-19

www.catholic-sf.org VOLUME 12

•

No. 2

2

Catholic San Francisco

January 15, 2010

Elementary School and a regular helper at the Thanksgiving Dinner for residents of Koret Family House at UCSF Medical Center. Mighty proud are her folks, Lori and Pat, both SFPD Inspectors, and brother, Patrick, a third grader at St. Veronica’s.

The meal is part of the larger volunteer work at the facility coordinated by SFPD Officer Kevin Martin, also vice president of the SFPD Officers Association. “Vice

By Tom Burke president Martin goes beyond what is expected and organizes our officers in the union to do community service,” Caitlyn’s Happy 50 years married to Zita and John Escobosa dad, Pat, said. “Most parents stay at the longtime members of Our Lady of Angels Parish and hospital with their children night and day. who renewed their vows at the Burlingame church on their Kevin puts together a group of police anniversary, Jan. 1. The couple - high school sweethearts at officers and other volunteers to cook a San Francisco’s Washington high - married at St. Peter and wonderful home cooked Thanksgiving Junipero Serra High School sophomores Anthony Totah, left, Rohan Paul Church in North Beach. Mighty meal with all the trimAcharya, Eric Bet and Jesse Clay with some of the 10,000 carrots they proud are their children, Debbie, John mings for these famisorted and packed at Second Harvest Food Bank. and David as well as grandchildren, lies.” Monthly visits to Ray and Joseph Zavala and great the hospital are also part grandson, Raymond Zavala. “I’d do of the good work and include games with for warm clothes for the poor. St. Anthony Foundation the young patients, the oldest of whom continues with its We Need Socks campaign and Pastoral it all again,” is a quote from both of the are in their teens…. Thanks for the Center employees, who filled a bin with socks just before the still young-at-hearts…. Celebrating example to Gabriella Beemsterboer, holiday, invite CSF readers to pitch in, too. Socks as well as 60 years of marriage are Loretta and an eighth grader at Ecole Notre Dames travel size shampoo, lotion and toothpaste are needed. You Erwin Schoenstein of St. Catherine des Victoires who, with her mom, Joni, can drop the items off here in the Pastoral Center lobby or of Siena Parish in Burlingame. They took the Corporal Works of Mercy to St. take them directly to St. Anthony’s, 150 Golden Gate. For marked the occasion with family Tereza Preschool in Brazil. St. Tereza’a more information, visit www.stanthonysf.org. Brrrrr! The including their six children at the Irish serves children in a very poor neighbor- word has become a regular part of our vocabulary lately so Cultural Center not far from St. hood of the South American country. it’s not hard to imagine the need…. Remember this is an Cecilia Church where they took their Joni and Gabi Beemsterboer Members of a nearby parish saw the empty space without you! Via e-mail, send items to burket@ vows Nov. 8, 1949. Thanks to their daughter, Therese Povey, for the good news….Showing the children and their need as they passed on their way to Mass sfarchdiocese.org. Via regular mail, send to Street, One Peter way is Caitlyn Cadigan, an eighth grader at St. Veronica and in response established the school. Gabi, who was born Yorke Way, San Francisco 94109. Pictures are welcome and in Brazil, and her mom, both speak Portuguese. As a team if sent via e-mail should be separate jpegs at 300 dpi to the they helped the children in daily basics including organizing e-mail address above. Hard copy pix may be sent to the Peter their belongings and how to use words in settling disputes. Yorke Way address. Please include a follow-up phone number.

Gabi has been busy recounting the summer excursion sharing Call me at (415) 614-5634 with questions. the experience with her fellow NDV schoolmates. “Children learn what they live,” Gabi said. “Being poor doesn’t mean being unhappy.”… More than 30 Junipero Serra High School students and members of the school’s Fathers Club sorted and packaged food for the needy at Second Harvest Food Bank in San Carlos before Thanksgiving. In addition, the school’s rowing team donated more than 40 turkeys to the group. Serra’s Adopt-a-Family program helped 19 families through Christmas with goodies and essentials including toys, electronics, clothing, and food and gift cards.

Serra’s Big Brothers Club led the campaign raising more than $9,000. “This is the most we have ever raised,” said Campus Ministry Director, Kyle Lierk. “I’m really proud of our community. The reason we do this is our faith.” Kyle and faculty member, Kimberly Bohnert, oversee the Big Brothers Club. “We shopped, organized and delivered said, Kevin Martin, San Francisco Police Officers junior, Andre Mercurio. The “most rewarding part” was Association; Caitlyn Cadigan; SFPD Officer Anna the “smiling faces,” said senior, Peter Dowden. Junior, Cuthberson, and Karen Toy of the San Francisco Brad Robbins, said, “Jesus taught us to help the less forSheriff’s Department. tunate.”… Christmas has passed but the need goes on Zita and John Escobosa

On The

Where You Live

LIVING TRUSTS WILLS

PROBATE

MICHAEL T. SWEENEY ATTORNEY AT LAW 782A ULLOA STREET SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94127

(415) 664-8810 www.mtslaw.info FREE INITIAL CONSULTATION

Donate Your Car 800-YES-SVDP (800-937-7837)

• FREE sameFAST day pickup FREE AND PICKUP • MaximumTAX Tax Deduction • MAXIMUM DEDUCTION WeTHE do DMV paperwork • WE• DO PAPERWORK • Running not, noRESTRICTIONS restrictions • RUNNING OR or NOT, NO • 100%HELPS helps YOUR your community • DONATION COMMUNITY Serving the poor since 1845

Donate Your Vehicle

GOOD IND of San

&

Marin Count

TAX DEDUCTION FOR YOUR CAR, TRUCK or SUV

D O N AT E O N L I N E

vehiclesforcharity.com

1.800.574.0888

ST. VINCENT DE PAUL SOCIETY

www.yes-svdp.org www.yes-svdp.com

Serving the poor since 1860

ST. VINCENT DE PAUL SOCIETY

AUFER’S

RELIGIOUS SUPPLIES

Serving The Catholic – Christian Community since 1904

Ifjj N`cjfe JXc\j I\gi\j\ekXk`m\ :Xcc d\ ]fi pfli DXZd`ccXe Xe[ JI8 e\\[j

+(,$),+$-'., DfY`c\ ifjjVn`cjfe7dZ^iXn$_`cc%Zfd _kkg1&&ZXc`]ki\Xjli\j%Zfd nnn%jiX`dX^`e\`kZX%Zfd

West Coast Church Supplies 369 Grand Avenue South San Francisco

Your complete resource for Religious Goods

1-800-767-0660

1455 Custer Avenue, San Francisco 94124 415-333-4494 • FAX 415-333-0402 Hours: M-F 9 am – 5 pm Sat. 10am – 2 pm e-mail: sales@kaufers.com www.kaufers.com

Easy access: 3 blocks west of 101

February 6 & 7, 2010

Bibles, Books, Rosaries,Statues, Jewelry, Medals, Crucifixes, Baptism and Christening Gifts

Mon – Fri 9:30 to 5:30 Sat 9:30 – 5

Catholic San Francisco

January 15, 2010

3

Federal trial on same-sex marriage ban opens in San Francisco

By Rick DelVecchio A challenge in Federal court to the constitutionality of the voter-approved 2008 California ballot measure Proposition 8, which defined marriage as a union of one man and one woman, began Monday, Jan 11, in San Francisco in the courtroom of Chief U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker.

At the first-ever federal trial on same-sex marriage and a possible preview of a debate that may eventually reach the U.S. Supreme Court, a lawyer challenging Proposition 8 told Judge Walker that marriage is a basic civil right and the courts must extend it to all couples regardless of sexual orientation.

“This case is about marriage and equality,” said Theodore Olson, who represents two same-sex couples challenging the 2008 ballot measure, in his opening remarks before Judge Walker. “People are being denied their right to marry and their right to equality under the law.”

Olson characterized marriage as “one of the most pivotal personal rights essential to the orderly pursuit of happiness.” It is crucial to intimate choice, spiritual unity and personal fulfillment, he said.

Charles Cooper, representing advocates for Proposition 8, said voters approved the measure because they wanted to preserve the institution of marriage – “an institution of overriding cultural and social importance.”

“Over 52 percent voted to restore and preserve the traditional definition of marriage as the union of a man and a woman – a definition that has prevailed in nearly every society in recorded history since long before the advent of modern religions,” he said.

Cooper maintained that voters were

motivated by “special regard for this institution” rather than by bias on the ground of sexual orientation.

“The people of California have been generous in extending rights to the state’s gay and lesbian population,” Cooper said.

“Except for marriage, gays and lesbians in California have been immensely successful in obtaining their policy goals through the political process.”

However, Olson argued that Proposition 8 was discriminatory in its intent and has harmed the plaintiffs, characterizing marriage as more personal and more fundamental than domestic partnership.

“What the state has done is give a sanction to a formal relationship that’s part of our culture and part of society,” Olson said. “It has labeled a separate relationship as a unique relationship that’s reserved for opposite-sex couples.”

Voters approved Proposition 8 in November 2008, overturning a May 2008 state Supreme Court ruling that enlarged the definition of state-sanctioned marriage to include all couples. Proposition 8 provides that “only marriage between a man and a woman is valid and recognized in California.”

Cooper said the central purpose of marriage is to promote procreation. He said the institution is also vital because it promotes the welfare of children.

“Is this institution designed for pro-child reasons, or is it to produce companionship and personal fulfillment?” Cooper asked.

“Are those purposes important enough to run risks to the accomplishment of the prochild purposes?”

If Proposition 8 is overturned, Cooper

Taking Care of yourself while helping others ➠ Being empathic with clear boundaries

predicted, marriage rates will decline. “The procreative purposes are diluted and marriage as a pro-child institution is weakened – that will likely follow,” he said.

Judge Walker asked Cooper why the courts should not decide the issue.

Cooper answered that the constitutional challenge is legally unsound. “Our proposition is that the 14th Amendment does not govern this issue and does not take this issue out of the hands of the people in the democratic process.”

The trial is expected to run at least through Jan. 20, with expert witnesses testifying on such questions as the impact of same-sex marriage on the stability of opposite-sex marriage and whether a married mother and father promote the optimal child-rearing environment.

“It is clear that our opponents are trying

to re-characterize Prop 8 – which simply restored the age-old meaning of marriage – as part of an agenda of hate and discrimination against gays and lesbians,” Andrew Pugno, general counsel for the Proposition 8 coalition ProtectMarriage. com, blogged after the trial’s opening day.

“One attorney said as much, claiming that Prop 8 promotes hate crimes against gays and lesbians, depression, homelessness, etc. These claims are preposterous, and we hope that they will be seen as such as the trial progresses.”

Olson said his witnesses would challenge both major defenses of Proposition 8 – procreation and parenting. Marriage “has never been restricted to the procreative activity of those who enter into it,” he said. “It has no relationship to parenting, because same-sex couples are permitted to parent.”

U.S. Bishops call on parishes to help stop abortion funding in health care reform WASHINGTON—In a nationwide call to Catholics to prevent health care reform from being derailed by the abortion lobby, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has sent bulletin inserts and pulpit announcements to almost 19,000 parishes across the country.

“As long-time advocates of health care reform, the U.S. Catholic bishops continue to make the moral case that genuine health care reform must protect the life, dignity, consciences and health of all, especially the poor and vulnerable,” the insert says. “Health care reform should not advance a pro-abortion agenda in our country.”

As Congress negotiates a final health care bill, the insert encourages Catholics to contact their Senators and Representatives, urging them to keep longstanding restrictions against federal funding of abortion and full conscience protection in the legislation. If these criteria are not met, Catholics are asked to urge Congress to oppose the final bill.

The bulletin insert and pulpit announcement can be found in English and in Spanish at www.usccb.org/healthcare. Catholics can contact their legislators online by going to www.usccb.org/action.

Free Faith Formation Resources Now that you’ve got your class, what are you going to teach them?

➠ Counteracting obstacles to self-care ➠ Recognizing unhealthy helping styles ➠ Addressing the unique stress of helpers

Presentations – Retreats – Private Sessions

Dennis Portnoy MFT www.myselfcare.org 415/922-3567

Get a free copy of the Maryknoll magazine for each student with poster and study guide

x

Browse or buy videos, DVDs, books, posters on global spirituality, social justice, AIDS in Africa, global hunger, immigration and more

x

Most of our resources can be borrowed for free at our office or online for a small shipping fee

Visit us in San Lorenzo or online at: www.maryknoll.us Maryknoll Fathers & Brothers 16642 Ashland Avenue San Lorenzo, CA 94580 510-276-5021 info@maryknoll.us

Masses: Sat. 5:00 PM Sun. 7:30 AM • 8:45 AM Spanish • 10:30 AM Gospel Mass

x

4

Catholic San Francisco

NEWS

January 15, 2010

in brief

Migration week legislative push WASHINGTON – As the Catholic Church observed National Migration Week Jan. 3-9, support for legislative efforts took the forefront amid various other steps to bring attention to the concerns of migrants and refugees. In a teleconference Jan. 6, Bishop John C. Wester of Salt Lake City, chairman of the bishops’ Committee on Migration, described several steps being undertaken by the U.S. bishops, including a new Web site, a nationwide action alert and a previously announced postcard campaign to encourage members of Congress to support comprehensive reform. The Web site is a revamped version of www.justiceforimmigrants.org.

“The American public, including the Catholic and other faith communities, want a humane and comprehensive solution to the problems which beset our immigration system, and they want Congress to address this issue,” Bishop Wester said. Elsewhere around the country, Catholic, interfaith and nonreligious groups small and large held immigrationrelated events.

Demographics program helps parish connect with members WASHINGTON, Pa. – Managing a parish the size of Immaculate Conception in Washington, just outside of Pittsburgh, takes serious planning. The parish is huge with 3,308 families in a geographic area covering 286 square miles. After years of attempting to expand its outreach

to parishioners by creating small groups and building a stronger sense of community, the parish has found what Father William Feeney, pastor, calls the perfect tool. It is the MissionInsite program, a Web-based demographic system.

The program is designed to provide substantial information based on census figures about communities within a parish’s boundaries, enabling it to provide focused ministry and outreach. Pittsburgh’s diocesan Department of Envisioning Ministry became associated with MissionInsite a year ago and offers it free to all parishes. The department is helping several parishes to implement it and create “neighborhoods” or smaller faith communities within their parishes.

Immaculate Conception has completed its initial steps, forming 14 regional neighborhoods, each with a coordinator and a name with a Marian theme.

Do real men pray the rosary?

Texas man says yes, many agree McALLEN, Texas – Throughout his childhood, David Calvillo’s mother urged him to pray the rosary but he admits the recommendation went in one ear and out the other.

“I thought the rosary was for old ladies and funerals,” Calvillo said. His mindset began to change when he attended a retreat at the Benedictine Sisters of the Good Shepherd Monastery outside of Rio Grande. Going to the retreat proved to be a life-changing experience. “As we were praying the rosary at the retreat, I saw something that I had never seen before,” Calvillo said. “I felt this incredible connection.” Over time, through his research, prayer, retreats and fellowship with other men of faith, he developed a deep appreciation for the rosary. He was finally sold on the notion that the rosary was indeed a prayer for men. After exploring ways to promote the rosary, Calvillo formed an apostolate called Real Men Pray the Rosary. The

apostolate encourages praying the rosary in several ways: through education via a variety of channels, by physically making rosaries during rosary-tying events and finally, by distributing the rosaries.

NY doctor works to deliver care consistent with Catholic values NEW YORK – “Catholic women in many communities feel they have no access to health care that is consistent with their values,” said the founding director of a new women’s medical center in midtown Manhattan that will provide “authentically Catholic” primary care, obstetrics, natural family planning and infertility treatment. Dr. Anne Mielnik said Gianna – The Catholic Healthcare Center for Women is the first dedicated practice in New York and one of only a handful in the country to offer a combination of effective infertility treatment alternatives to morally objectionable assisted reproductive technologies such as in vitro fertilization. Sponsored by St. Vincent Catholic Medical Centers, the facility opened Dec. 8, the feast of the Immaculate Conception. The Gianna center uses the Creighton Model FertilityCare System, a natural method of family planning and gynecological health monitoring, in conjunction with a comprehensive system of reproductive health management called natural procreative technology, or NaPro technology.

Both methods were developed by Dr. Thomas W. Hilgers, founder of the Pope Paul VI Institute for the Study of Human Reproduction in Omaha, Neb.

Papal liturgist endorses ‘reform of the reform’ VATICAN CITY – The pope’s chief liturgist, Msgr.

Guido Marini, endorsed calls in the church for a “reform of the reform” of Catholic liturgy. “For some years now, several voices have been heard within church circles talking about the necessity of a new liturgical renewal,” Msgr.

Marini said. A fresh renewal movement would be “capable of operating a reform of the reform, or rather, move one more NEWS IN BRIEF, page 5

Archbishop praises New Jersey Senate vote ‘for the truth of marriage’

By Catholic News Service WASHINGTON – The New Jersey Senate “stood for the truth of marriage as a bulwark of the common good” with its recent vote to defeat a bill that would have legalized same-sex marriage, said the chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Ad Hoc Committee for the Defense of Marriage.

“Preserving marriage between one man and one woman is a matter of justice; indeed it is one of the premier social justice issues of our time,” said Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz of Louisville, Ky., in a Jan. 11 statement. “It does not deny but rather supports basic human

rights – especially the rights of children.”

By a 20-14 tally Jan. 7, the state Senate voted down a bill called the Marriage Equality Act; if the bill had passed and been signed into law, New Jersey would have joined five others states in allowing same-sex couples to marry.

The others are Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont.

But Archbishop Kurtz noted in his statement that the New York state Senate rejected a similar measure by a 38-24 margin in December and in November the voters in Maine overturned a legislative move to redefine marriage to include same-sex couples.

“The recent decisions in Maine, New York and New Jersey are signs of hope and sources of encouragement,” he said.

“We are in a pivotal moment in this country on the issue of marriage as more and more people recognize that protecting the basic rights of persons need not and should not come at the expense of the unique truth and value of marriage,” said Archbishop Kurtz.

“The good of the love between husband and wife, the vital responsibilities of mothers and fathers, and the rights of children all deserve unique protection under law – all of these are indispensable to a just society that serves the dignity of all people and the common good,” he added.

Alcatraz. Inescapable.

MORTGAGE RATES PLUMMET IN 2009!

“Lowest fixed rates in 30 years!”

Save time – avoid the lines!

4.5%

Purchase and print tickets online at

30 year fixed apr. 4.63% 1528 S. El Camino Real Suite 307 San Mateo, CA 94402 650-212-5050 Real estate broker, california dept. or real estate license #01370741 exp. 3/12/2007

www.alcatrazcruises.com 415-981-Rock (7625)

REFINANCE NOW! SFR, CONDOS & INVESTMENT PROPERTIES

Call me today . . .

KARA FIORE

Pier 33, Alcatraz Landing San Francisco, CA 94111

Loan Consultant DRE#00977921

415.999.1234

Alcatraz Cruises is an authorized Concessioner of the National Park Service, Department of the Interior. Alcatraz is part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. ©2009 Alcatraz Cruises.

All Rights Reserved.

kfiore@gmwest.com

Catholic san Francisco Newspaper of the Archdiocese of San Francisco

Most Reverend George H. Niederauer, publisher Maurice E. Healy, associate publisher & executive editor: healym@sfarchdiocese.org Editorial Staff: Rick DelVecchio, assistant editor: delvecchior@sfarchdiocese.org; Tom Burke, “On the Street”/Datebook: burket@sfarchdiocese.org;

Advertising: Joseph Pena, director; Mary Podesta, account representative Sandy Finnegan, advertising and promotion services

Catholic San Francisco editorial offices are located at One Peter Yorke Way, San Francisco, CA 94109. Tel: (415) 614-5640;Circulation: 1-800-563-0008 or (415) 614-5638; News fax: (415) 614-5633; Advertising: (415) 614-5642; Advertising fax: (415) 614-5641; Advertising E-mail: penaj@sfarchdiocese.org

Production: Karessa McCartney-Kavanaugh, manager Joel Carrico, assistant Business Office: Virginia Marshall, assistant business manager; Julio Escobar, circulation and subscriber services

Catholic San Francisco (ISSN 15255298) is published weekly (four times per month) September through May, except in the week following Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day, and twice a month in June, July and August by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco, 1500 Mission Rd., P.O. Box 1577, Colma, CA 94014.

Periodical postage paid at South San Francisco, CA. Annual subscription price: $27 within California, $36 outside the state.

Advisory Board: Fr. John Balleza, Deacon Jeffery Burns, Ph. D., James Clifford, Fr. Thomas Daly, Nellie Hizon, James Kelly, Sr. Sheral Marshall, OSF, Deacon Bill Mitchell, Teresa Moore.

Postmaster: Send address changes to Catholic San Francisco, 1500 Mission Rd., P.O. Box 1577, Colma, CA 94014 If there is an error in the mailing label affixed to this newspaper, call 1-800-563-0008. It is helpful to refer to the current mailing label.

for subscriptions or cancellations please call 1-800-563-0008 or 415-614-5638

January 15, 2010

Catholic San Francisco

News in brief . . . n Continued from page 4

(CNS PHOTO/ANDY CLARK, REUTERS)

step ahead in understanding the authentic spirit of the liturgy and its celebration,” he said. Msgr. Marini, who has served as master of papal liturgical ceremonies since late 2007, spoke Jan. 6 to a conference of priests from English-speaking countries gathered in Rome to mark the Year for Priests. The conference was sponsored by the Australian Confraternity of Catholic Clergy and the U.S.- based Confraternity of Catholic Clergy. The papal liturgist said the goal of the new reform movement “would be to carry on that providential reform of the liturgy that the conciliar fathers had launched” but which has “not always, in its practical implementation, found a timely and happy fulfillment.”

Malaysian bishops worry: violence against churches VATICAN CITY – Malaysian Catholic bishops called the escalation of violence against Christian churches in their country a “worrisome and delicate,” situation, according to Fides, the Vatican missionary news agency. “The Malaysian church is concerned and did not expect that the question of the use of the word “Allah” would be followed by a reaction of this kind, with attacks against churches and Christian buildings,” the bishops said Jan. 11, according to the news agency. “There is an urgent need to work for dialogue and social harmony, to defuse the conflict that fundamentalist groups are trying to ignite in the nation.” they said. The violence was triggered by a recent Malaysian court ruling. The High Court in Kuala Lumpur ruled that a national Catholic weekly can use the word “Allah” to refer to God and that the Home Ministry’s order banning certain uses of the word was illegal. The court decision met with opposition by many in the Muslim-majority nation, and some Malaysians responded with violence. A series of reprisals on Catholic and other Christian churches, including firebombing and acts of vandalism, began soon after the Dec. 31 court decision.

Selfishness, lack of respect cited VATICAN CITY – War, hunger, oppression, environmental degradation and the current global financial crisis are all the result of selfishness and a lack of respect for the human person created in God’s image, Pope Benedict XVI told diplomats from around the world. “If we wish to build true peace, how can we separate or even set at odds the protection of the environment and the protection of human life, including the life of the unborn?” the pope asked ambassadors from the 178 countries that have diplomatic relations with the Vatican. Pope Benedict met Jan. 11 with the ambassadors to offer them his best wishes for the New Year. After

his speech, he spent more than half an hour greeting each of them and their spouses. In his speech, the pope highlighted his hopes and concerns regarding the state of the environment, ongoing wars and violence, military spending and the arms trade, restrictions on religious freedom and attacks on the unborn and on the traditional family. Much of his talk focused on the environment, echoing his message for World Peace Day Jan. 1, which had as its theme “If You Want to Cultivate Peace, Protect Creation.” The pope told the diplomats, “The denial of God distorts the freedom of the human person, yet it also devastates creation,” he said.

Philippine bishop speaks out MANILA, Philippines – Catholics must continue living their faith without fear, the bishop of Jolo said after a grenade blast outside his cathedral. “Whether in your office, in the marketplace, inside the city hall, wherever you are, you must live your Christian faith, as we cannot act as if we are afraid,” Bishop Angelito Lampon said in a Jan. 11 interview over church radio. His remarks were reported by the Asian church news agency UCA News. A grenade exploded outside Our Lady of Mount Carmel Cathedral in Jolo about 20 minutes before the first Mass Jan. 10, the bishop said. Police reported no casualties. It was the first day of the gun ban being implemented nationwide before the May 10 general elections.

Bishop Lampon said he believes the church was the target.

“How can it be random if it was thrown inside the church compound near pastoral offices?” the bishop asked. However, he said he had no idea who was behind the attack and why it happened. Police have not identified any suspects.

This facility is available for

2ETREATS s #ONFERENCES -EETINGS s 7ORKSHOPS

VALLOMBROSACENTER …where challenging issues of the day are explored in a reflective and prayerful environment.

250 Oak Grove Avenue Menlo Park, CA 94025-3218

5

A city worker puts up Olympic banners in Vancouver, British Columbia.

The Canadian west coast city is hosting the 2010 Winter Olympics, which begin Feb. 12.

Vancouver Archdiocese extends hospitality for Olympic visitors VANCOUVER, British Columbia – The Archdiocese of Vancouver is warming up for its own type of Olympic event. However, it won’t take place on ice or snow; it will be on the streets of the city. “(We) have embraced the theme of radical hospitality for our initiatives; that is, to see Jesus as both guest and host at these games,” Vancouver Archbishop J. Michael Miller wrote in a letter to athletes and participants of the 2010 Winter Olympics.

The archbishop said the city of Vancouver had prepared for the Olympics for years by improving infrastructure and building state-of-the-art sporting facilities. He also recognized the throngs of volunteers donating their time to make the XXI Winter Olympics a success. Vancouver and Whistler will host the Olympics Feb. 12-28 and the Paralympics March 12-21. “While you are here, we hope you will consider visiting one of the archdiocese’s downtown hospitality centers for athletes,” Archbishop Miller wrote, referring to Holy Rosary Cathedral and the archdiocesan offices. “We think you will find these places to be sanctuaries while you take a break from the rigors of competition.”

TECHNICAL HOUSE CALLS Need help with your Computer, ter, TV, Stereo or Phone?

Contact Your Main Man now to simplify your life. www.yourmainman.net - 415-935-4093 Independent Living | Assisted Living Memory Care | Skilled Nursing

Celebrating Life and Faith

(650) 325-5614 www.vallombrosa.org

Calendar of Events: 1/24:

The Catholic Church in the World: “Law, Morality and the Culture Wars” with Cathleen Kaveny 2/6: Engaging the Heart: Catholic Marriage Preparation 2/21: Lenten Prayer Service with the Vallombrosa Choir 2/21–25: Busy Persons Retreat 3/5–7: Private Silent Retreat

2 to 3:30PM 9AM to 5PM 2PM

Salem Lutheran Home Oakland | 510.269.4538

Winter Specia ls!

Mercy Retirement & Care Center Oakland | 510.228.4725 AlmaVia of Union City | 510.400.7496 AlmaVia of San Rafael | 415.233.6095 AlmaVia of San Francisco | 415.335.4867 “Residents are the heart of our community.”

Elder Care Alliance, a nonprofit organization, is cosponsored by the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas West Midwest Community & the Sierra Pacific Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Mercy: RCFE Lic # 015600255, SNF Lic # CA020000237, Salem: RCFE Lic # 015600254, SNF Lic # CA020000442, CCRC Lic #178, AVUC: RCFE Lic # 015601209, AVSF: RCFE Lic # 385600270, AVSR: RCFE Lic # 216801868.

6

Catholic San Francisco

January 15, 2010

Secret to joy is welcoming people, longtime refugee worker says convent to families that were held up in their travel. Then, the sisters took in a Hmong family WASHINGTON (CNS) – The part about that lived with them for nine months. The next working with refugees that is often overlooked year, Sister Marilyn left the United States for by people who haven’t done it, according to the first time, moving to Thailand for a year Mercy Sister Marilyn Lacey, is that every day to volunteer at a refugee camp near the border brings great joy. with Laos.

“People ask me, ‘How From then on, her career come you’re so happy?’” she kept her in the refugee world, said, when they learn that her dealing with resettlement, work constantly brings her helping immigrants learn in touch with strangers in English, find jobs, bring in desperate straits, who have relatives, apply for political little prospect of improving asylum, obtain proper medical their lives. and legal care and in general adjust to life in the United “I tell them, ‘You should try States. it,’” she said. ‘”Who wouldn’t A sabbatical a few years be happy if you were encounago gave Sister Marilyn the tering God every day?’” chance to write the book about In Washington to speak her experiences, including her to employees of the U.S. spiritual journey. In it she told Conference of Catholic Bishops Sister Marilyn Lacey the stories of “lost boys” from during National Migration Week, Sister Marilyn said in an interview with Sudan, of war refugees from Laos and Somalia Catholic News Service Jan. 6 that stepping far and of her own sometimes painful, sometimes outside her comfort zone to work with refugees amusing encounters with foods, customs and has changed everything about her life. And she lifestyles far different from her own.

Much of her spiritual understanding of her attributes the happiness it has brought her to the encounters with refugees is summed up by her simple act of welcoming “the stranger.”

“The secret to joy is to welcome other belief that offering hospitality to strangers is “a people” is how she summed up the philosophy profound invitation from God.” Some things about work with refugees have that came to her gradually over 30 years of changed little over the years, said Sister Marilyn. working with refugees.

Her 2009 book, “This Flowing Toward The origins of refugees who are admitted to the Me,” tells story after story of her encounters United States change every four to five years, with refugees in the United States, Asia and for instance, shifting with U.S. political tides as Africa, viewing the experiences through a lens well as the nature of conflicts in the world.

According to the U.N. High Commissioner of spirituality, specifically the scriptural call to for Refugees, there currently are about 11 mil“welcome the stranger.”

After starting her life as a Mercy sister as a lion refugees worldwide. Of those only a small schoolteacher in her home state of California, fraction are ever able to be resettled in a new Sister Marilyn has gone on to travel the world, country. About 75,000 were expected to be eventually running the refugee resettlement settled in the United States in 2009, according program of Catholic Charities in San Jose to State Department estimates.

The public attitude in the United States for 21 years. Most recently she started Mercy Beyond Borders (www.mercybeyondborders. toward refugees “ebbs and flows with the U.S. com), a charitable organization to aid Sudanese economy,” said Sister Marilyn. “When times women through education assistance and grants are booming here, people are happy to welcome others. When they’re not, immigrants become to finance small businesses.

The first step on this road came in 1979, scapegoats, and people don’t distinguish among while she was working in the administrative refugees, legal or undocumented immigrants.”

Going into an expected tough battle in offices of her Burlingame, Calif.-based province.

Finding the work a bit boring after having taught Congress this year to try to pass a comprehenat an inner-city school, she sought to liven up her sive immigration reform bill, Sister Marilyn said free time by responding to a plea for volunteers a key point to convey especially to Catholics is to come to San Francisco International Airport to the understanding that just as all immigrants and refugees are “the other” or strangers, so too is help arriving refugees from Southeast Asia.

As she describes in her book, that first day’s God “the other.”

“God is the ultimate ‘other,’” she said. “If work of helping exhausted, baffled refugee families get to their connecting flights gradually we say we want to live in harmony with God and we don’t open ourselves to others we will led to deeper and deeper involvement.

First, she offered overnight lodgings at the never meet God.”

By Patricia Zapor

SF Walk for Life . . . n Continued from cover

Vicki Evans, Respect Life Coordinator of the San Francisco Archdiocesan Office of Public Policy and Social Concerns. “The pastors know it is a peaceful event and it is good for the parishioners and the parishes.”

The national director of 40 Days for Life, David Bereit, will receive the Walk’s Gianna Molla Award for pro-life work. Founded in 2004 in Bryan, Texas, 40 Days for Life’s headquarters is located a few doors away from the Planned Parenthood clinic where Johnson was employed. Forty Days for Life is a national prayer campaign outside abortion clinics. Five abortion facilities completely shut down and at least 26 clinic workers walked away from their jobs following local 40 Days for Life campaigns that drew 200,000 people who prayed and fasted in 50 states, Canada, Australia, Northern Ireland and Denmark, according to 40 Days for Life. During Lent, the Archdiocese of San Francisco supported a 40 Days for Life campaign outside an abortion clinic in the city.

Also speaking will be UCLA student activist Lila Rose, 21, a San Jose native and founder of Live Action, an activist organization that focuses on exposing Planned Parenthood’s abuses. Other speakers will be Rev. Clenard Childress, founder of Blackgenocide.org and director of LEARN, who has spoken at every Walk since its inception in 2005; Irene Beltran with Georgette Forney, of Silent No More, an organization for those who regret their abortions; and Jim Garlow, lead pastor of Skyline Church in San Diego. Frank Lee of Asian Americans Against Abortion will lead

a prayer at the start of the rally. Father Frank Pavone, founder of Priests for Life, will attend and speak at Marina Green.

“Abortion hurts children, women and men – our speakers this year directly address the huge financial and political clout of Planned Parenthood, the nation’s largest abortion provider and recipient of $350 million in tax dollars annually,” said Walk co-chair Eva Muntean, noting that Rev. Childress has focused on the founder of Planned Parenthood Margaret Sanger’s belief in eugenics. Planned Parenthood clinics perform about one third of all abortions in the United States, about 300,000 abortions in 2007-2008, according to Planned Parenthood’s annual report released in 2009.

Former clinic director Johnson held onto her faith as an Episcopalian throughout her time at the clinic, where she started as a volunteer during college, she said. “I was always trying to rationalize my work and my faith and I was trying to make it fit,” said Johnson.

“There’s no spirituality in abortion because there really can’t be. It’s very hard to justify what you’re doing if you’re a Christian.”

Johnson agonized for almost two weeks after watching on the ultrasound monitor as the 13-week-old fetus tried to escape, then crumpled, on the clinic’s “abortion Saturday,” she said. She looked frantically for another job because she and her husband were a twoincome family with a young child. Eventually, as the clinic’s semi-monthly abortion Saturday approached again, Johnson looked out the window of the clinic and saw several members of 40 Days for Life praying outside. “I just thought, ‘That’s where I need to go,’” she recalled. “God was in this the whole time and he is the one who led me out of there.”

Our Lady of Loretto School Novato’s neighborhood Catholic School for over 50 years

OPEN HOUSE

Sunday, January 24, 2010 10-11:30 am 1811 Virginia Avenue Novato, CA 94945 415.892.8621 WWW.OLLNOVATO.ORG

Your City

Your Archbishop Who are we?

Since 1883, the Young Men’s Institute (YMI) has operated as a fraternal ho arsupporting e w e? its motto of “Pro Deo, Pro Patria” (For God, CatholicWorder For Country). Today, over 2500 members (called brothers) honor this motto by working together on worthwhile programs & activities for our Catholic faith & for our communities.

Besides doing good deeds, YMI brothers and their families enjoy a variety of fun social events (e.g., dinners, tournaments, picnics, etc), as well as membership benefits (e.g., scholarships, death benefits).

Can I Join?

Yes, we are looking for new members to join us. If you are a Catholic adult male, simply email us at ymius@aol.com or call us at 1-650-5887762 orCa 1-800-964-9646.

You can also visit our website for more info n I J oi n? at www.ymiusa.org. We will provide you a brief YMI application form simp ly m a il council. us at Membership to complete and the location of the nearest YMI ius@a ol.c om or ca$4 ll or$5 us d uring [ M- F 9 a m to 5 fees are ym very affordable (about per month) pm] a t 1 -6 5 0- 58 8- 7 76 2 or 1- 8 00 -9 6 4- 96 46 . ur website for mor e info at The YMI . .visit . . . oJoin the Brotherhood! www. ym iusa.or g.

Your Business Join Archbishop George Niederauer and the Catholic Professional and Business Club for a lively discussion at our new downtown meeting place.

WHEN: Wednesday, January 13, 5:30 to 7:30pm WHERE: Chancellor Hotel, 433 Powell (btwn Post and Sutter), San Francisco COST: $20 per members, $30 for non-members (become a member for $45) RESERVATIONS : Mail your contact information & a check payable to “CPBCADSF” to: CPBC, Attn: Mary Jansen, One Peter Yorke Way, San Francisco, CA 94109

January 15, 2010

Catholic San Francisco

7

White House protest new to March for Life activities on Roe anniversary right and overturned most state laws banning the procedure.

WASHINGTON (CNS) – Pro-life activists As usual, the main event will begin with a noon flocking to the nation’s capital for the 37th March rally Jan. 22 on the National Mall, followed by a for Life Jan. 22 will be buoyed by recent polls that march along Constitution Avenue that will end at say they are among the majority of Americans who the U.S. Supreme Court. From there, participants are identify themselves as pro-life. urged to meet with members of Congress to lobby Organizers of the massive demonstration also on abortion-related issues. have scheduled – for the first time in its history – a Pro-life activists have been encouraged in the last two-hour rally at Lafayette Park, across from the year that their message has been resonating with the White House, the evening before the march, in an American public and organizers of the March for effort to demonstrate their commitment to the proLife hope to energize participants with poll numbers life movement to President Barack Obama. released in 2009.

Billed as a mini-rally because the permit limits A poll conducted last May as part of the annual the gathering to 3,000 demonstrators, organizers say Gallup Values and Beliefs survey found that a majorthey planned the White House event to bring the “life ity of Americans (51 percent) described themselves Pro-life marchers make their way past the Supreme Court building principles to the president of the United States.” as “pro-life” with respect to the abortion issue, while in Washington during the 2009 March for Life. This year’s event Obama, nearing the end of his first year in office, only 42 percent said they were “pro-choice.” will be the 37th since the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court has repeatedly said he supports keeping abortion It marked the first time since Gallup began decision that legalized abortion across the nation. legal in the U.S. asking the question in 1995 that more respondents Tens of thousands from all over the U.S. travel said they were pro-life than pro-choice, and was a each year to the nation’s capital for the Jan. 22 anniversary The same day the Supreme Court ruled on the Roe case, shift of 7-8 percentage points from a year earlier, when 50 of the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1973 Roe v. Wade decision it also handed down the companion decision Doe v. Bolton. percent said they were pro-choice and 44 percent said they legalizing abortion.

Together, Roe and Doe defined abortion as a constitutional were pro-life.

(CNS PHOTO/BOB ROLLER)

By Chaz Muth

Walk for Life West Coast Schedule of Events Walkforlifewc.com SATURDAY, JANUARY 23, 2010 The Walk for Life West Coast Time: 11:00 am Location: Justin Herman Plaza on Market Street, San Francisco Go to walkforlifewc.com for more information.

OTHER WALK-RELATED EVENTS ON FRIDAY/SATURDAY – SATURDAY, JANUARY 23, 2010 – San Francisco Catholic Mass at St. Mary’s Cathedral Time: 8:00 am Location: 1111 Gough St., San Francisco.

Archbishop Niederauer will celebrate with bishops.

All priests are welcome to concelebrate.

College Student After Party Time: Right After the Walk For more information, contact Meghan Redmond at m.t.redmond@gmail.com.

Location: Meet at the California Students for Life booth on the Marina Green, and walk together to Amici’s East Coast Pizzeria at 200 Lombard Street, San Francisco.

Sponsored by the California Students for Life (CASTL), a network of pro-life college campus groups.

Young Adult Walk for Life After Party Time: 7:00 p.m.

Location: St. Dominic’s Parish Hall, 2390 Bush St., San Francisco Get there early to enjoy the party! Last year we had a line up the stairs of people outside waiting to come in by 6:45! This is a great opportunity to fellowship and have fun with other young adults who share your values.

There will be a $5 cover charge. For more information or to volunteer contact Julie at stjeanii@yahoo.com.

KOHL MANSION

– FRIDAY, JANUARY 22, 2010 – San Francisco Events Interfaith Committee for Life Prayer Service Time: 7:30 p.m.

Location: Holy Trinity Orthodox Church 999 Brotherhood Way, San Francisco Main speaker is Archbishop George Niederauer Eucharistic Adoration Time: 8:00 p.m. Friday to 7:00 a.m. Saturday Location: Sts. Peter and Paul Church 666 Filbert Street, San Francisco The Church has a well-lit parking lot.

Please enter through the Church Office.

For more information, contact Gibbons at 415-421-0809.

Oakland Events The 3rd Annual Standing Up 4Life Walk in Oakland “The Impact Of Abortion In The Minority Community!”

Time: 12 noon, Friday Location: Oakland City Hall, One Frank H. Ogawa Plaza, Oakland, California 94612 www.issues4life.org/oakland.html The 3rd Annual Leadership 4Life Conference “The Impact Of Abortion In The Minority Community!”

Time: 2:30 p.m.

Location: Chosen Vessels Christian Church, 710 Haight Avenue, Alameda, CA 94501 Contact: 510-523-6707 Email: cvcc@alldifferent.org www.alldifferent.org East Bay Memorial Prayer Service Time: 7:00 p.m.

Location: The Cathedral of Christ the Light, 2121 Harrison St., Oakland, California 94612 Speakers include Bishop Salvatore Cordileone, Pastor Antione Lamar Miller, Prima Marquez-Mosely www.issues4life.org/eastbayprayer.html

Over 1million used books, DVD’s, games, cd’s and VHS tapes available for sale!

(OHJDQW :HGGLQJ &HUHPRQLHV 5HFHSWLRQV

Why pay full retail price when you can buy quality used (and new) products at bargain prices.

Dianne Devin

Shop at:

650 • 762 • 1137

www.shopcitybooks.com

ddevin@mercyhsb.com www.kohl-mansion.com

HELPLINES FOR CLERGY/CHURCH SEXUAL ABUSE VICTIMS 415-614-5506 This number is answered by Barbara Elordi, Archdiocesan Pastoral Outreach Coordinator.

This is a secured line and is answered only

by Barbara Elordi.

415-614-5503 If you wish to speak to a non-archdiocesan employee please call this nunmber. This is also a secured line and is answered only by a victim survivor.

EWTN to air pro-life march and walk EWTN, 24-hour Catholic television, will mark the 37th anniversary of the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion by telecasting America’s largest annual pro-life demonstrations: the March for Life in Washington, D.C. and the Walk for Life West Coast in San Francisco.

Live coverage of a Solemn Vigil Mass for Life begins EWTN’s special programming. The Vigil Mass airs Jan. 21 at 3:30 p.m. from the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.

The following morning, EWTN will air live a Solemn Mass for Life for participants in the March for Life, Jan. 22 at 4:30 a.m.

EWTN will provide live coverage as marchers gather in the National Mall for the pre-March Rally, Jan. 22 at 8 a.m.; with an encore at 7 p.m. Speaking at the rally will be Members of Congress and pro-life leaders from across the nation. EWTN cameras will focus on the March itself as participants move along Constitution Avenue and up Capitol Hill to the Supreme Court and congressional offices.

EWTN’s coverage of the 6th annual Walk for Life West Coast will focus on the pre-Walk “Rally for Life” across from San Francisco’s Ferry Building at Justin Herman Plaza. Live coverage will begin Jan.23 at 10 a.m., with an encore Jan. 24 at 6:30 a.m. Speakers include Abby Johnson, a former Planned Parenthood worker who now is pro-life; Rev. Clenard Childres, director of LEARN; David Bereit, a founder of “40 Days for Life;” Lila Rose, president of Live Action; and Irene Beltran and Georgette Forney of Silent No More, an organization of post-abortive women.

EWTN is carried on Comcast Channel 229, AT&T Channel 562, Astound Channel 80, San Bruno Cable Channel 143, DISH Satellite Channel 261 & Direct TV Channel 370. Comcast airs EWTN on Channel 70 in Half Moon Bay and on Channel 74 in southern San Mateo County. For more EWTN programming information, visit www.ewtn.com.

DYSLEXIA STUDY The UCSF Hyperactivity, Attention, and Learning Problems (HALP) program is testing a medication to treat Dyslexia or reading delay in children 10-16 years old. The study is not appropriate for children who are doing well on their current treatment. Qualified volunteers may receive at no cost: Physical exam and study-related medical care Written report of diagnostic/psychological results Payment for time and travel To learn more, please call Nancy at 415-476-7854.

Benicia, CA other locations in Oregon, Indiana & Texas

QUALITY HOME CARE SERVING THE BAY AREA SINCE 1996 * Attendants * Companions * Hospice * Respite Care

Competitive Rates All service providers carefully screened We are insured and bonded Full Payroll Service 2021 Taraval Street #2, SF www.irishhelpathome.com

Tel: 415 759 0520

8

Catholic San Francisco

January 15, 2010

PASSION PLAY 2010 Presents…

Passion Play & Bavaria July – August 2010

8 Days • 10 Meals: 6 Breakfasts • 1 Lunch • 3 Dinners

Highlights... Munich - Glockenspiel • Innsbruck • Nuremberg • Rally Grounds • Justice Palace • Oberammergau • Passion Play

Double $3,899 (100% inclusive, air, taxes, gratuities)

Imperial Cities featuring Prague, Vienna & Budapest and the Oberammergau Passion Play

September 16 - 25, 2010

T R A V E L

Spectacular Spectacular

Sierras by Train Choose from three different train tours to experience a unique getaway this Winter!

California Zephyr

SM

Amtrak®

2010

From Only: $ Per Person Double

Roundtrip aboard Amtrak’s daily train California Zephyr from SF Bay Area, 2-nights Hotel, meal & show discounts, & more!

D I R E C T O R Y

FAMOUS

RENO FUN TRAIN

2010

195.* Midweek

$

245.*

Weekend

Full Package $ From

285.

FEB-MAR WEEKENDS:

Departs Fridays, Returns Sundays A Special Train with Dancing and Entertainment.

To ride this party train passengers must be 21 years of age or older.

AUTHENTIC

RENO SNOW TRAIN

2010

Full Package $ From

235.

Departs Tuesday Mornings, Returns Thursday Afternoons February - March Only. Wintertime Sightseeing at its Best.

Packages include roundtrip train, 2-nights deluxe hotel (dbl occ.), discount meals and shows, taxes & more. Subject to availability.

Group and Holiday Rates vary. * $6.00 Resort Fee not included.

Highlights…Budapest • Hungarian Horse Show • Mathias Church

Catholic San Francisco

• Fishermen’s Bastion Renaissance Dinner • Vienna • Schoenbrunn Palace • Grinzing Evening • Danube River Cruise Prague • Hradcany Castle • Oberammergau Passion Play

to join in the following pilgrimages

10 Days • 15 Meals: 8 Breakfasts • 2 lunches • 5 Dinners

invites you

$4,999 (100% inclusive, air, taxes, gratuities)

Discover Switzerland with Oberammergau’s Passsion Play

IRELAND January 15 – 25, 2010 Departs San Francisco 11-Day Pilgrimage

May 17 - 26, 2010 10 Days • 15 Meals: 8 Breakfasts • 1 lunch • 6 Dinners

Highlights…Engelberg • Bern • Bear Pit • Lucerne • Innsbruck • Austrian Alps • Salzburg Mirabell Gardens • St. Peter’s Restaurant • Bavaria • Oberammergau • Passion Play

Double $4,699 (100% inclusive, air, taxes, gratuities)

2,599

only $

($2,699 after Oct. 7, 2009)

Fr. Chris Crotty, Spiritual Director

Kylemore Abbey

Visit: Shannon, Cliffs of Moher, Knock, Croagh Patrick, Kylemore Abbey, Galway, Limerick, Blarney Castle and more.

ITALY

Holy Shroud of Turin

April 20 – 30, 2010 Departs San Francisco 11-Day Pilgrimage

2,599 per person

only $

Mexico’s Colonial Jewels

featuring Mexico City, Guanajuato, San Miguel de Allende, Zacatecas, Tequila & Morelia

Feb. 20th, April 17th, May 29th, 2010

($2,699 after January 10, 2010)

Visit: Milan, Turin, Florence, Assisi, Norcia, Rome (papal Audience)

Shroud of Turin

12 Days • 17 Meals: 11 Breakfasts • 6 Dinners

Highlights…Our Lady of Guadalupe • Pyramids of Teotihuacan • National Folkloric Ballet Performance • San Miguel de Allende • Granaditas Museum • Rafael Coronel Museum • El Eden Silver Mine • Hospicio Cabanas • Tequila Agave Fields • Patzcuàro • Morelia - National Museum of Anthropology

Double $2,189 (100% inclusive) All tours depart from SFO

OBERAMMERGAU plus Munich, Salzburg, Vienna & Budapest Sept. 28 – Oct. 8, 2010 Departs San Francisco 11-Day Pilgrimage

3,999

only $

($4,099 after June 20, 2010)

Fr. Dennis Duvelius, Spiritual Director

Schöenbrunn Palace

Visit: Munich, Neuschwanstein, Oberammergau, Salzburg, Danube River Cruise, Vienna, Budapest

DOOR TO DOOR Airport Transportation ( 100% included for all tours)

For a free brochure or information contact

BJ Travel @ (800) 897-5170

California Sellers of Travel #1003860-40

For a FREE brochure on these pilgrimages contact: Catholic San Francisco (415) 614-5640

Please leave your name, mailing address and your phone number California Registered Seller of Travel Registration Number CST-2037190-40 (Registration as a Seller of Travel does not constitute approval by the State of California)

January 15, 2010

Catholic San Francisco

9

U.S. Franciscan detained on Cairo street while on march to Gaza Father Vitale said he decided to join the march “because our world is a community and when we see people unjustly suffering, we have to support them.�

The two priests left 10 days before the scheduled Franciscan Father Louis Vitale’s recent travel to the West march so they could visit the West Bank to see for Bank and Cairo was not a journey for the fainthearted. themselves what daily life is like for He was tear gassed outside a Palestinian Palestinians. They met farmers who canolive grove and detained on the streets not get into their own fields to care for of Cairo, Egypt, by a large police force. their crops because of the Israeli security He went without food for a few days in wall and other government efforts to solidarity with residents of the Gaza Strip limit Palestinian movement, he said. who do not have enough to eat because of The priests joined a group of farmers Israel’s ongoing blockade, and he offered who gather each Friday in front of their energy bars and water to weary Egyptian fenced-off farms to peacefully protest the cops who surrounded him and some of the Israeli actions. The group was bombarded 1,362 people from 42 nations who were in with tear gas. the Egyptian capital for a Gaza freedom “It really hurts,� Father Vitale said. march Dec. 31.

But the visitors witnessed some For Father Vitale, the adventures were positive developments as well. They met normal parts of his life. A long-time Palestinians who are reaching out in peace pacifist, he co-founded the Nevada Desert to their Israeli neighbors. One group began Experience, a movement to end nuclear when an Israeli man whose daughter had testing, and Pace e Bene, an Oakland-based been killed in a disco bombing met a organization that sponsors peace trainings.

In this file photo, Palestinian whose brother also had been He has spent time in federal prison for parFranciscan Father killed by a terrorist. ticipating in civil disobedience at the former Louis Vitale is shown “The two realized they had their pain School of the Americas in Fort Benning, speaking at St. Catherine and hurt in common,� Father Vitale said.

Ga., and for nonviolently protesting torture of Siena Church in “So they determined to get other people training at Fort Huachuca, Ariz.

Burlingame in May 2008. like themselves talking to one another.

In December, the 78-year-old priest and They started a hot line where Palestinians former pastor of St. Boniface Parish in San Francisco who now lives at St. Elizabeth Parish in Oakland, and Israelis who had lost loved ones could talk with each joined a fellow pacifist and writer, Jesuit Father John Dear, other.�

Father Vitale concelebrated midnight Mass with Latin on the trip to Cairo, the first leg of a journey through the Sinai Peninsula into Gaza to commemorate the first anni- Patriarch Fouad Twal of Jerusalem and 200 other priests versary of an Israeli attack on the area that left 5,000 men, at St. Catherine’s Church in Bethlehem, West Bank.

Patriarch Twal told the churchgoers that the plight of today’s women and children wounded.

Palestinians is similar to the oppressive situation that Jesus, Mary and Joseph suffered under the Roman occupation 2,000 years ago.

And like the Holy Family’s exodus to Egypt, the next part of Father Vitale’s journey was to Cairo for the solidarity march.

The march did not happen, however, because the Egyptian government banned the group from making the trek. It also banned them from all public gatherings and meetings in Cairo. Even groups as small as five were considered public gatherings, Father Vitale said.

As a peaceful protest, the two priests decided to join 22 individuals in a fast that included Hedy Epstein, an 85-yearold Holocaust survivor.

When a large group of the protesters gathered in front of a museum, vowing to walk to Gaza, they were immediately surrounded and detained by the police. Father Vitale said he felt some empathy for the lawmen because they are very poorly paid and were on duty for 24 hours straight.

While sitting on the curbs, the protesters began singing and offering the police energy bars and water. The priest observed: When it comes right down to it, in state-sponsored oppressive situations, “we are not the only prisoners in the prison.�

TRAVEL DIRECTORY

-RLQ RWKHU 5RPDQ &DWKROLFV RQ WKLV VSULQJWLPH WRXU DQG FUXLVH RI 1HZ (QJODQG DQG )UHQFK &DQDGD 6WDUW LQ %RVWRQ IRU WZR QLJKWV ZLWK DQ LQFOXGHG FLW\ WRXU 7UDYHO RQ \RXU VFHQLF PRWRU FRDFK WR 1HZSRUW 5, YLVLWLQJ WKH 1HZSRUW 0DQVLRQV RQ \RXU ZD\ WR 1RUZDON &7 1H[W VSHQG D GD\ LQ WKH ³%LJ $SSOH´ 1HZ <RUN 1HZ <RUN ZLWK DQ LQFOXGHG FLW\ WRXU 9LVLW WKH ³FUDGOH RI RXU QDWLRQ ´ 3KLODGHOSKLD .LQJVWRQ 1HZ <RUN DQG 0RQWUHDO 4XHEHF YLD WKH $GLURQGDFN 0RXQWDLQV $IWHU D FLW\ WRXU RI 0RQWUHDO ERDUG \RXU 6WDU VKLS +ROODQG $PHULFD /LQHœV PV 0DVVGDP (QMR\ DOO WKDW D +ROODQG $PHULFD &UXLVH LV IDPRXV IRUWKH FXLVLQH LV H[HPSODU\ WKH VHUYLFH LPSHFFDEOH WKH DFWLYLWLHV HQGOHVV DQG WKH HQWHUWDLQPHQW RXWVWDQGLQJ 3RUWV LQFOXGH 4XHEHF &LW\ 4XHEHF 6FHQLF &UXLVLQJ RI WKH *XOI RI 6W /DZUHQFH &KDUORWWHWRZQ 3ULQFH (GZDUG ,VODQG 6\GQH\ 1RYD 6FRWLD +DOLID[ 1RYD 6FRWLD DQG %DU +DUERU 0DLQH 'HEDUN LQ %RVWRQ DQG IO\ KRPH

By Sharon Abercrombie Catholic News Service

LAKE TAHOE RENTAL Vacation Rental Condo in South Lake Tahoe.

Sleeps 8, near Heavenly Valley and Casinos.

Call 925-933-1095 See it at RentMyCondo.com#657

PASSION PLAY IN OBERAMMERGAU plus Czech Republic, Austria & Germany

11 Days â&#x20AC;˘ May 18-28, 2010 â&#x20AC;˘ $4,488 (100% inclusive: air, land, taxes, gratuities) Breakfast Buffet & Dinner DAILY Lunch included on the day of the Passion Play performance

BLUZANDS TRAVEL & TOURS CST - 2023920-10 323 Geary Street, Suite 315, San Francisco, CA 94102 415-981-4344; 415-981-4346 Msgr. Fred Bitanga Betty Santos, General Manager Spiritual Director Larry D. Ursua,Travel Consultant For a free brochure pls. call: Msgr. Fred 415-260-4448 Betty Santos 408-464-2021 Larry Ursua 510-586-8747

7UDYHO ZLWK 2WKHU &DWKROLFV Âą 'DLO\ 0DVV $ERDUG 6KLS

1RUWK (DVW +HULWDJH 7RXU &UXLVH )UHQFK &DQDGD

%26721 Âą 3+,/$'(/3+,$ Âą 1(: <25. &,7< 1(:3257 Âą 02175($/ Âą 48(%(& Âą 129$ 6&27,$

'D\V 'HSDUWV 0D\ IURP

$GG WD[ VHUYLFH JRYÂśW IHHV $LUIDUH LV H[WUD &DOO IRU GHWDLOV

)RU LQIRUPDWLRQ UHVHUYDWLRQV EURFKXUH FDOO GD\V D ZHHN

<07 9DFDWLRQV

Affordable fun-filled vacations since 1967!

10-Day Pilgrimage â&#x20AC;˘ July 2 -11, 2010 â&#x20AC;˘ Limited Space Available!

Oberammergau Passion Play 2010 Visit our web site www.petersway.com

A 10-Day Pilgrimage featuring the famous Passion Play in Oberammergau

â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Best of Austria & Germanyâ&#x20AC;? with St. Matthew Church Led by Fr. Anthony McGuire Inclusive, per person sharing a twin, from San Francisco

$3,995.00 + $395.00* Departure Taxes & Fuel Surcharges *Airline departure taxes and fuel surcharges are subject to increase until the time of ticketing (approximately 30 days prior to departure).

Land only price: $3,195.00

Peterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Way Tours Inc. For more information call: 1-800-225-7662

â&#x20AC;˘ Vienna â&#x20AC;˘ Linz â&#x20AC;˘ Passau â&#x20AC;˘ Salzburg â&#x20AC;˘ Oberndorf â&#x20AC;˘ Bavaria

For Itinerary, Tour Brochure & Enrollment Information Call: Barbara Barrett

650-343-1373 Ext.142 or email: bbarrett@stmatthewcath.org

Enroll Today! Deposit deadline January 29, 2010

10

Catholic San Francisco

January 15, 2010

January 15, 2010

Catholic San Francisco

11

Ministering to Deaf Catholics, the “lost sheep” of the Church

F

ather Paul Zirimenya is chaplain to the Deaf Community in the Archdiocese of San Francisco. The community consists of more than 3,000 families. Father Zirimenya describes his ministry, and the needs and concerns of Deaf Catholics, in this series of responses to questions presented by Catholic San Francisco. Six weeks ago, on Dec. 6, Archbishop George H. Niederauer celebrated Mass at St. Benedict Parish in San Francisco, the home of the Deaf Community in the archdiocese. Father Zirimenya notes that the term Deaf in this article applies to Deaf, Hard of Hearing and Deaf-Blind people.

Pope urges support for deaf, including access to health care

By Carol Glatz

What do you find most challenging?

1) Geographically the Deaf are spread out; it is not always easy to get everyone together. Most families see me on a particular Sunday. Also, deafness is still the “invisible handicap.”

A lot of efforts have been put in place but still, in some areas it is evident that the Church does not always recognize the needs of the Deaf. And there is also lack of interpreting services for Catholic Deaf people. It requires a lot of determination, preparation and commitment to interpret a Catholic Liturgy and there not a lot of interpreters that can do that but with God everything is possible and I am sure in future, more interpreters would be open to interpreting Catholic liturgy.

2) Most Deaf children are born to hearing parents who can’t sign and so, how do we expect them to learn their faith when it’s inaccessible to them in many cases? But today, they probably get more than they do in their whole lives because they’ve missed so much. I have great admiration for those Deaf Catholics who continue to attend Mass and practice the faith, even though they may not fully understand it.

3) People who stray away from the Church for some reason.

4) Homiletics: Many CODAS (Children Of Deaf Adults) are highly educated. Part of the reason is because their Deaf parents want to give them something they never got in life and the joy of any Deaf parent would be to see their child achieving their dreams. Some of them are holders of doctoral degrees in medicine and others are university professors. The challenge: How does a priest prepare a homily that will be informative and challenging to people at all levels of income and education?

5) In most cases members of Deaf parishes are not well equipped with the tools to raise funds.

Do you feel that discrimination against the Deaf is a significant issue – or, is this something that has lessened over the years?

There is still a feeling that Deaf people can’t do things, that doors are closed. But really, Deaf people can do anything. And so, sadly, yes, discrimination still exists. We have made major strides in San Francisco and many other parts of the country, especially with the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) serving as a reference for fighting discrimination. Right now with the current economy, often Deaf people are not able to access workshops because of costs related to interpreter services. This is a social justice issue.

The 2008 annual report of the International Catholic Foundation for the Service of Deaf Persons stated: “Deafness is the hidden cross. Catholic Deaf persons are rarely recognized as part of the Church and tragically overlooked as a vital and life-giving community within our Church?” What are your thoughts on this statement?

I think from a Deaf person’s perspective, deafness is not a hidden cross but the societal attitudes are the cross. In other words, for many Deaf people, deafness is a way of life but it is the barriers in society that disable them – including barriers in our own Church. Thus, Deaf Catholics continue to be the

Archbishop George H. Niederauer celebrated Mass Dec. 6 at St. Benedict Parish for the Deaf and Hearing Impaired at St. Francis Xavier Church in San Francisco. It was the archbishop’s first pastoral visit to both the Deaf and Japanese communities in the archdiocese. The readings and psalm were proclaimed in American Sign Language and the Gospel in Japanese.

Pictured with the archbishop during Mass are, from left, Father Paul Zirimenya, chaplain to the Deaf Community; Deacon Mike Curran; and Father Ghislain Bazikila, an archdiocesan priest who is deaf and is assigned to Sacred Heart Preparatory and Mercy High School in San Francisco.

Father Eric Freed, chaplain to the Japanese Community, concelebrated.

“lost sheep” in the Catholic Church. Many Deaf Catholics have moved on to protestant Churches where interpreting services are provided and more access is provided.

Do you get a lot of assistance from non-deaf people who know sign language? Is there a need in the ministry for laity who know sign language? If so, where do they go for more information?

Hearing people who are fluent in sign language are a great help, we have a number of hearing people at St. Benedict who are vital in our ministry, people who would like to volunteer or get more information should contact me. St. Benedict Parish is not just a parish for Deaf people but also hearing people who are both signers and non-signers.

What are the thoughts on priestly formation in terms of meeting the needs of Deaf ministry? Is there adequate curriculum, teaching and pastoral training available for those entering the priesthood? What more could be done?

I would also love to see more commitment from the Church and the services for the Deaf. More commitment to training priests in sign language and serve Deaf Catholics. This will be so wonderful for the Church. The Deaf Catholic community is a significant part of the Church. We need to help them realize that they belong to the church and are part of the family. Deaf Catholics should be able

to share their experiences to seminarians, share their experiences and difficulties of being included in the Catholic Church.

What options are available for parishes without a Deaf priest?

They have two options: 1) A hearing priest takes courses in Sign Language to prepare for Ministry with Deaf persons; 2) Deaf parishioners attend mainstream parishes, with interpreters available all over the diocese. In this case a lay person or pastoral worker is the Coordinator for Deaf Ministry.

Sometimes their offices could be located at the Chancery or at one of the parishes.

Any thought on cultural issues in Deaf ministry? Are there particular needs for, say, Deaf Catholics from Latin America, or Southeast Asia, or Africa?

I have always been asked if Sign Language is universal and the answer is NO. I am an example, I arrived in the United States in June, 2000, having minimal knowledge of American Sign Language. However, I think a newly arrived Deaf person to the United States who is not fluent in American Sign Language will be able to communicate with a Deaf American through gestures, and normally Deaf people pick up other sign languages almost immediately.

Bear in mind that the level of education for Deaf people from

other countries is sometimes low due to discrimination and being treated as second-class citizens. That doesn’t mean it is too late to learn, although it poses challenges when it comes to understanding Catholic faith. But I have learned that LOVE is the most powerful tool in our Catholic faith regardless of education.

Do you have contact information for people who want to know more about Deaf ministry, such as websites, phone numbers, e-mails?

Parish address: 1801 Octavia St., San Francisco, 94109; video phones: (866) 720-0102 or (866) 896-0968; Voice/ Telecommunications Device for the Deaf (TDD): (415) 567-9855; fax: (415) 567-0916; email: info@sfdeafcatholics.org; website: www.sfdeafcatholics.org. For a schedule of Mass times and faith formation classes, see http://sfdeafcatholics.org/MassTimes.htm.

Do you have any other thoughts and comments?

I want people, especially Deaf people, to know that God loves us, and God wants us to be with him. God gives us, the Church, different means to have a relationship with Him. Evangelization is very important, and we need to get the message through to everyone.

We can make a difference through prayer. If a person is sick, bring them soup. Visit them. That makes a difference. That’s a miracle.

We need to pray and care for one another to make a difference in the world. Everybody has the ability to make a difference.

(CNS FILE PHOTO)

What do you find most fulfilling about your ministry?

I would summarize what is most fulfilling about my ministry in one word: PRESENCE with families preparing for and celebrating sacraments or rites. Experiencing both their joys and sorrows – I think that is the joy of any priest. Also, being able to reach Deaf people through sign language: Many Deaf Catholics have not had the opportunity to learn about their faith in their own language.

A choir uses sign language during a special meeting between Pope Benedict XVI and handicapped youths and their caregivers in New York during the pope’s 2008 U.S. visit.

Mercy High students serve as interpreters More than 30 students from Mercy High School, Burlingame, served as sign language interpreters at a Nov. 29 Mass at St. Benedict Parish.

Mercy High students learn American Sign Language through a four-year curriculum offered at the school.

“Under the direction of teacher Vicki Johnson, students have the opportunity to become fluent in sign language, which affords them to be of service in a unique way to the deaf and hearing impaired,” said Sandy Flaherty, Mercy’s director of mission effectiveness.

American Sign Language is considered a foreign language and fulfills the language requirement for students, Flaherty said.

The visit also celebrated the 80th birthday of parishioner Jane Lampe, who has been “an intricate part of the parish for more than 35 years,” Flaherty said.

Father Paul Zirimenya presided at the Mass, which was celebrated in American Sign Language with a voice interpreter.

Mercy students participate at St. Benedict about five times a year, Flaherty said.

(CNS PHOTO/PAUL HARING)

(PHOTOS BY JOSE LUIS AGUIRRE/CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO)

Describe the scope of your responsibilities here in the archdiocese – pastorally, sacramentally, administratively.

The chaplain to the Deaf community provides for the sacramental care of Deaf and Deaf-Blind persons through making available signed/interpreted Masses and other sacramental/ liturgical services. The chaplain also provides sacramental preparation for baptism, reconciliation, Eucharist, confirmation, marriage and anointing of the sick. In addition, the chaplain prepares Deaf and Deaf-Blind catechumens and candidates for the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults and special liturgical celebrations and participation at St. Mary’s Cathedral and events.

Other responsibilities include recruiting and training catechists and volunteers to work with Deaf and Deaf-Blind individuals in religious education, pastoral visits and pastoral counseling. The chaplain also serves as an advocate for Deaf Catholics.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – At a Vatican conference last November, Pope Benedict XVI lamented the serious lack of public programs and measures to address the needs of deaf people and a lack of even basic health care, which often can prevent hearing impairment.

He spoke Nov. 20 to some 400 people attending a Vatican conference addressing the role of the deaf in the church. A handful of interpreters signed the pope’s words to deaf participants during the audience in the Clementine Hall of the papal palace.

The two-day conference was organized by the Pontifical Council for Health Care Ministry and was dedicated to “The Deaf Person in the Life of the Church.”

The pope said it is impossible to forget “the grave situation in which (the deaf) still live today in developing countries, both for the lack of adequate policies and legislation and for the difficulty in gaining access to basic health care.” Deafness “is often the consequence of easily preventable diseases,” he added.

“Therefore, I appeal to political and civil authorities, as well as international bodies, to offer the necessary support to promote, even in these (developing) countries, the needed respect for the dignity and rights of non-hearing people and to promote with adequate assistance their full integration into society,” the pope said in his address.

The pope lamented the ongoing prejudice and discrimination against the deaf, calling it “deplorable and unjustifiable.”

Archbishop Zygmunt Zimowski, president of the health care ministry council, said that of the more than 278 million people with a hearing impairment and 60 million deaf people in the world, 80 percent of them live in low- and mediumincome countries.

There are 1.3 million deaf Catholics in the world, he said, and the church has much to do to improve the kind of pastoral care it offers them. Deafness is “an invisible handicap” that is difficult for parishes to accommodate, he said.

Most handicaps require building modifications to ease accessibility, the archbishop said, but making the Mass and pastoral activities accessible to deaf people necessitates having someone on hand who can translate the spoken word into sign language.

Without sign language, a deaf person risks being isolated behind “an invisible and impenetrable wall of silence,” he said.

Barry-Alan Davey, right, interprets using tactile sign language for Father Cyril Axelrod, who is blind and deaf, during a conference on “The Deaf Person in the Life of the Church” at the Vatican Nov. 20.

12

Catholic San Francisco

January 15, 2010

Archbishop’s Journal

Free Will, Conscience and Moral Choice: What Catholics believe In a recent interview with Eleanor Clift in Newsweek magazine (Dec. 21, 2009), House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was asked about her disagreements with the United States Catholic bishops concerning Church teaching. Speaker Pelosi replied, in part: “I practically mourn this difference of opinion because I feel what I was raised to believe is consistent with what I profess, and that we are all endowed with a free will and a responsibility to answer for our actions. And that women should have the opportunity to exercise their free will.”

Embodied in that statement are some fundamental misconceptions about Catholic teaching on human freedom.

These misconceptions are widespread both within the Catholic community and beyond. For this reason I believe it is important for me as Archbishop of San Francisco to make clear what the Catholic Church teaches about free will, conscience, and moral choice.

Catholic teaching on free will recognizes that God has given men and women the capacity to choose good or evil in their lives. The bishops at the Second Vatican Council declared that the human person, endowed with freedom, is “an outstanding manifestation of the divine image.”

(Gaudium et Spes, No. 17) As the parable of the Grand Inquisitor in Dostoevsky’s novel, The Brothers Karamazov, makes so beautifully clear, God did not want humanity to be mere automatons, but to have the dignity of freedom, even recognizing that with that freedom comes the cost of many evil choices.

However, human freedom does not legitimate bad moral choices, nor does it justify a stance that all moral choices are good if they are free: “The exercise of freedom does not imply a right to say or do everything.” (The Catechism of the Catholic Church, No. 1740) Christian belief in human freedom recognizes that we are called but not compelled by God to choose constantly the values of the Gospel—faith, hope, love, mercy, justice, forgiveness, integrity and compassion.

It is entirely incompatible with Catholic teaching to conclude that our freedom of will justifies choices that are radically contrary to the Gospel—racism, infidelity, abortion, theft. Freedom of will is the capacity to act with moral responsibility; it is not the ability to determine arbitrarily what constitutes moral right.

What, then, is to guide the children of God in the use of their freedom? Again, the bishops at the Council provide the answer—conscience: “Deep within his conscience man discovers a law which he has not laid upon himself but which he must obey. Its voice, ever calling him to love and to do what is good and to avoid evil, sounds in his heart at the right moment . . . . For man has in his heart a law inscribed by God . . . . His conscience is man’s most secret core and his sanctuary. There he is alone with God whose voice echoes in his depths.” (GS, No. 16) Conscience, then, is the judgment of reason whereby the human person, guided by God’s grace, recognizes the moral quality of a concrete act. In all we say and do, we are obliged to follow faithfully what we know to be just and right.

How do we form and guide our consciences? While the Church teaches that each of us is called to judge and direct his or her own actions, it also teaches that, like any good judge, each conscience masters the law and listens to expert testimony about the law. This process is called the education and formation of conscience.

Catholics believe that “the education of conscience is a lifelong task.” (CCC, No. 1784) Where do we go for this education of our consciences? Our living tradition teaches us that “In the formation of conscience the Word of God is the light for our path; we must assimilate it in faith and prayer and put it into practice. We must also examine our conscience before the Lord’s Cross. We are assisted by the gifts of the Holy Spirit, aided by the witness or advice of others and guided by the authoritative teaching of the Church.” (CCC, No. 1785)

Our Catholic beliefs about free will, conscience and moral choice are rooted in the Good News of Jesus Christ’s teaching Archbishop and his redemptive life, George H. death and resurrection: “For freedom Christ Neiderauer has set us free” (Gal. 5:1); “Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom” (2Cor. 3:17); we glory “in the liberty of the children of God.” (Rom. 8:17). Common caricatures of Christian morality portray believers as living in fear of punishment or concerned only with an eternal reward. Long ago, however, St. Basil the Great, a fourth-century bishop and theologian, taught that the Christian, in living a moral life according to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, “does not stand before God as a slave in servile fear, nor a mercenary looking for wages, but obeys for the sake of the good itself and out of love for God as his child.” (CCC, No. 1828) As participants in the life of the civil community, we Catholic citizens try to follow our consciences, guided, as described above, by reason and the grace of God. While we deeply respect the freedom of our fellow citizens, we nevertheless are profoundly convinced that free will cannot be cited as justification for society to allow moral choices that strike at the most fundamental rights of others. Such a choice is abortion, which constitutes the taking of innocent human life, and cannot be justified by any Catholic notion of freedom. Because of these convictions we commit ourselves to a continuing witness to, and dialogue about, the Gospel values that underlie our understanding of freedom, conscience, and moral choice.

Listen to ‘The Archbishop’s Hour’ Immaculate Heart Radio – 1260 AM “The Archbishop’s Hour” with San Francisco Archbishop George H. Niederauer airs each Friday morning at 9 a.m. – with encore broadcasts Friday evening at 9 p.m., Sunday at 11 a.m., and Monday at 9 p.m. Be informed, inspired and entertained, while meeting interesting Catholics from the Bay Area and beyond.

Produced by the Office of Communications of the Archdiocese of San Francisco, the Archbishop’s Hour is broadcast without charge by Immaculate Heart Radio-1260 AM San Francisco.

Catholic san Francisco Northern California’s Weekly Catholic Newspaper

Two short takes I would like to ask Sister Sheral marshal (“Continuing tragedy in Gaza,” Dec. 4) A. Who shot rockets into Israel, regardless of schools, hospitals or synagogues? B. Who uses innocent Gaza citizens as shields and mosques, schools, hospitals as fortresses?

Bravo to Mr. Walter Marston (Letters, Dec. 4). He refuted Columnist Tony Magliano’s claim that Afghanistan (like Iraq) is an “immoral war.” My son is a Sergeant, Purple Heart nominee, professional in the Army on his third tour in Kuwait/Iran.

Tom Nelson Novato

‘Frightening and sad’ What is often overlooked regarding the fraud that is global warming is that it

Letters welcome Catholic San Francisco welcomes letters from its readers.

Please send your letters to: Catholic San Francisco One Peter Yorke Way San Francisco, CA 94109 Fax: (415) 614-5641 E-mail: healym@sfarchdiocese.org or visit our website at www.catholic-sf.org, Contact Us

was never really about global warming in the first place. It really is about moving towards a world government, while taking away the sovereignty of independent governments. And it will be a world government without Jesus Christ, the Lord of Lords and the King of Kings. Global warming is one of the canards to suck in the fools. Furthermore, the global warming movement is pure sheer naturalism, a heresy dating back to the first century.

Naturalism is a rationalistic system of philosophy and theology which denies the supernatural and centers on nature alone. It rejects God through a pantheistic concept that deifies nature and rejects revelation. The new world order when it comes will totally reject Christ and to see so many seemingly intelligent Catholics leading the charge for global warming is both frightening and sad.

Stephen Firenze San Mateo

Mixed messages?

Catholic San Francisco (Dec. 11) published an article that priests should be compassionate and not judgmental.

Right above this was a column by Father William Nicholas dealing with the fact that people really don’t want to hear the truth and accept the rules of our faith totally.

If all priests through the years were like Father Nicholas, there would not have been the great exodus of priests and nuns during the 60’s. Church attendance would

reach maximum capacity. No more closed churches or Masses being eliminated. Just the opposite would be the case. You would see lots more young heads at church than old grey heads like mine outnumbering the young.

Is Father Bill being scolded? If so!

Good – then we have a saint in the making.

Marjorie A. Long Novato Editor’s note: Good priests, like Father Nicholas, are both compassionate and firm in the teachings of the Church. Archbishop George Niederauer, in comments on “The Archbishop’s Hour” (1260 AM radio, Friday mornings at 9 a.m.) said Jesus “challenges us to our roots.” He noted that Jesus is compassionate to sinners, but firm in the teaching, “Go and sin no more,” reflecting the compassion, forgiveness and grace available to us from God.

God bless us all

Short and sweet Father Ron Rolheiser makes Catholic San Francisco! He is thoughtful, analytic, intelligent, and compassionate.

Dr. and Mrs. T.A. Torres Millbrae

Right thing to do Thank you for including the guest commentary, “The Truth about Immigrants and Health Care,” by Bishop John C. Wester in the Jan. 8 issue of Catholic San Francisco. Bishop Wester’s call for President Obama and Congress to include immigrants in health care reform and to then enact immigration reform legislation is not only good public policy, it is the right thing to do. In the famous judgment scene in Matthew 25 we are called to serve the “least of these” with a specific exhortation to welcome the stranger.

At Catholic Charities CYO our Refugee and Immigration Services team works with local parishes, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, the Catholic Immigration Legal Network, law enforcement and other non profits to help refugees and immigrants resettle in our country legally. We serve our clients with compassion and respect for who they are as children of God and with appreciation and sensitivity for the struggles they face each and every day.

America is a nation of immigrants and Bishop Wester is right to suggest that defining the issue of immigration as merely political gamesmanship is to the detriment of all Americans.

Jeffrey V. Bialik, Executive Director San Francisco Catholic Charities CYO

L E T T E R S

To those who think that Scripture only refers to God in masculine terms (Jane Sears, CSF, Nov. 13 and Letters, CSF, Dec. 4) please refer to the Book of Wisdom.

For example, Chapter 10, verses 15-18 (Good News Bible) describes Wisdom in feminine terms leading the Israelites out of Egypt: Wisdom once rescued an innocent and holy people from a nation of oppressors.

She entered the soul of one of God’s servants and stood up to dreaded kings by performing miracles. She rewarded God’s people for their hardships. She guided them along a miraculous journey. She gave them shade during the day and brilliant starlight at night. She led them through the deep waters of the Red Sea. Louise Courpet Daly City

January 15, 2010

Catholic San Francisco

13

Our Turn

‘Beyond Blue’ – keeping my end of the bargain I’m a tad over hearing about how depression and other mood disorders are yuppie diseases for folks with the time and resources to ruminate and obsess. I could do without all the advice on how to transform my thoughts into happy campers, even as I try every mindfulness strategy and cognitivebehavioral trick in the book.

And I’d like to, one day, be able to tell family and friends the truth when they ask the predictable question, “How are you?”

We need to understand something important: Depression kills.

It killed my godmother – my mother’s younger sister – at the tender age of 43. It kills approximately 800,000 people across the globe every year, and it is the second-leading cause of death inn females ages 15 to 40.

By 2020, depression is expected too be the second most debilitating diseasee worldwide.

But if you don’t care about those se statistics, let me tell you this: Depression on nearly killed me.

For two years after the birth of my youngest child, I was a suicidal mess. The worst part about it? Unlike

a cancer victim, I had to keep it all to myself. I wasn’t able to utter a word to the outside world. Because I had already been judged plenty.

Well-intentioned people said I wasn’t eating organically, that I wasn’t doing the right yoga, that I should be praying ri harder harde and that my meditation attempts were lame. They told me to get over my childhood crap and move on, to buck up child like the rest of the population.

So I continued to fall into my cereal cere bowl every morning, to carry with wit me a paper bag for imminent panic pan attacks, to lock myself and my kids kid into the restroom of a Starbucks until un my meltdown subsided and to pull pu over onto the side of the road whenever I started to shake. w After trying 23 medication combinations, working with seven c psychiatrists, participating in two p inpatient hospital psychiatric programs and attempting every alternative therapy out there, I made a alterna bargain with God. “I will dedicate the rest of my life to helping people who suffer from mood disorders,” I promised, “if I ever

wake up and want to be alive.”

Miraculously, that day did come – the morning I woke up and thought about coffee.

So here I am. With my mission: to educate Therese J. folks about mental illness and to offer support Borchard to those who, like me, suffer from mood disorders.

That’s why I wrote “Beyond Blue: Surviving Depression & Anxiety and Making the Most of Bad Genes.”

So that others might find a seed of hope in my story and be able to hang on for one day longer. So that anyone who struggles with anxiety or depression – even in the slightest way – might find a companion in me, some consolation in the incredibly personal details of my story and a bit of hope to lighten an often dark and lonely place.

It’s about my end of the bargain.

Therese J. Borchard, author and speaker, writes a column for CNS and ‘Beyond Blue,’ at www.beliefnet.com.

Of Grace and Sippy Cups

Praise, not pride: Learning to sing at Mass “Make a joyful noise unto the Lord,” the Psalms exhort us. Earlier in my life, I never had a problem doing this. When I was a kid, I adored the songs we sang at Mass – “City of God,” “Sing to the Mountains,” “Here I am, Lord.” Dressed in my blue school uniform, I’d lift my voice with great vigor, joyfully, one of many happy little singers in the pews.

And then, as a teenager, I fell silent. Mass became a time to listen mutely to the choir and to try, at all costs, to hide my vocal shortcomings. Singing would only expose my flat tones and pathetic eight-note range to the people in the pews around me, who would be sure to hear me because they weren’t singing, either. For several years, well into my twenties, I was resolutely silent.

I might still be treating Mass like my own personal concert, were it not for a priest I encountered some years ago. I’ll call him Father Moe. He, like most priests, wore a microphone, but here’s the thing: he didn’t turn it down during the singing. His voice dominated the church, and it was – I must be honest here – pretty awful. It was nasal and flatter than week-old soda.

But the more I heard Father Moe, the more something shifted in me. I went from vicarious embarrassment to real admiration for him. He, unlike me, was engaging fully in the Mass. He was earnest and sincere – not out to impress, just to praise. And that struck me.

As a mom, now, I think about this often. There’s a larger issue here, the issue of how I deal with my own imperfections. Truth is, if I only did things that I know I can do brilliantly, I’d have a pretty impoverished life. I’d probably never have become a writer, never have re-engaged with the Church after my lapsed phase; heck, I’d probably never have become a mom. Sure, I’ve gotten better at those things with time (something I can’t say about my singing). Still, I think it’s extremely important that I lift my voice during Mass.

You see, one of my great realizations of the past few years is that when it comes to praise and prayer, I don’t have to be a pro. Period. My atonal singing is a gift to God – something that God surely cherishes as much as I love my son’s squiggly crayon pictures. Matthew could present me with a hand-drawn Mona Lisa, and it wouldn’t mean

any more to me than the barely recognizable picture of my husband that he drew with such sweet concentration. Nothing touches a parent more than seeing the earnest efforts of their children.

So at Mass, if I’m Ginny not busy chasing a todKubitz Moyer dler down the aisle, I always sing. I sing happily and earnestly and not very melodiously. And when I do, I can sense that God is smiling: not at me but with me, taking delight in my imperfect but joyful noise.

Ginny Kubitz Moyer is the author of “Mary and Me: Catholic Women Reflect on the Mother of God.” Contact Moyer at www.blog.maryandme.org.

The Catholic Difference

Epiphany, history and us One of the sadnesses of the reformed liturgical calendar is the loss of “Sundays after Epiphany,” which, with the frequent translation of the solemnity itself to a Sunday (this year, Jan. 3), diminishes the impact of what ought to be one of the principal pivots of the liturgical year – the “real” year, for serious Christians.

If Christmas and the revelation of the Christ child to the shepherds mark the insertion of the Son of God into a human community – the Jewish people – the manifestation of the child to the gentile Magi at the Epiphany celebrates the coming of the Incarnate Word into human history. And if that stupendous event is, in truth, the pivot on which the entire human story turns, then the Solemnity of the Epiphany is, with Easter, one of the two great pivotal moments of the Church’s year of grace.

That fact is nicely captured by a feature of the Roman Missal that, for some reason, only appears in a sacramentary supplement published in 1994 (which means the overwhelming majority of our parishes don’t have it): the sung proclamation of the date of Easter by a priest, deacon, or cantor, immediately after the Epiphany Gospel has been read or sung.

Here is what you missed this year (the translation is my own, from an Italian missal): “Dear brethren: The glory of the Lord has been made manifest to us and will always be manifest in our midst until his return. Amidst the rhythms and turnings of time, we

remember and live the mysteries of salvation. The center of the entire liturgical year is the Triduum of the crucified, buried, and risen Lord, which culminates on Easter Sunday, April 4. On every Sunday, which is the Easter of each week, the holy Church makes present this great event in which Christ conquered sin and death. From Easter stem all the other holy days: Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent, which is Feb. 17; the Ascension of the Lord, which is May 13; Pentecost, which is May 23; and the First Sunday of Advent, which will be celebrated on Nov. 28. In the feasts of the holy Mother of God, the apostles, and the saints, as well as in the commemoration of the faithful departed, the pilgrim Church on earth proclaims the Easter Passover of her Lord. To Christ who was, who is, and who will come again, the Lord of time and of history, be endless praise forever and ever. Amen.”

In an age of gnostic religion – religion detached from the stuff of this world, faith conceived as a personal lifestyle choice, worship misconstrued as a form of auto-therapy – the liturgical proclamation of the date of Easter is an important reminder that Christian faith is grounded, not in “narrative,” and certainly not in “myth,” but in history. Two millennia ago, certain things happened to the eastern fringe of the Roman Empire: things that forced men and women not-so-different from us to make decisions. On those decisions, which are themselves historical facts, the history of the world turned.

Because of things that happened in history, men and women

were transformed, and transformed the human story as a result.

History, Peter Kreeft neatly reminds us, is not one darn thing after another, but rather His-story: the story of a God who George Weigel acts, first in creation, then in covenant and prophecy, and ultimately in the Easter Triduum. Thus it’s not a matter of “world history,” here, and “salvation history,” there,” as if the drama of salvation is being played out on a track parallel to world history. No, what we call “salvation history” is world history, read at its true depth and against its most ample horizon.

On Jan. 17, the Church will enter so-called “Ordinary Time.” It seems a singularly misbegotten moniker. There is nothing “ordinary” about any time, if we take the Epiphany seriously. When the eternal Word of God enters time, time is caught up in eternity and history is revealed as His-story, in which we have been called to participate. Nothing “ordinary” there – nothing at all.

George Weigel is Distinguished Senior Fellow of the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington, D.C.

14

Catholic San Francisco

A READING FROM THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET ISAIAH IS 62:1-5 For Zion’s sake I will not be silent, for Jerusalem’s sake I will not be quiet, until her vindication shines forth like the dawn and her victory like a burning torch.

Nations shall behold your vindication, and all the kings your glory; you shall be called by a new name pronounced by the mouth of the Lord. You shall be a glorious crown in the hand of the Lord, a royal diadem held by your God. No more shall people call you “Forsaken,“ or your land “Desolate,“ but you shall be called “My Delight,“ and your land “Espoused.” For the Lord delights in you and makes your land his spouse. As a young man marries a virgin, your Builder shall marry you; and as a bridegroom rejoices in his bride so shall your God rejoice in you.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM PS 96:1-2, 2-3, 7-8, 9-10 R. Proclaim his marvelous deeds to all the nations.

Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all you lands.

Sing to the Lord; bless his name.

R. Proclaim his marvelous deeds to all the nations.

Announce his salvation, day after day.

Tell his glory among the nations;

January 15, 2010

Second Sunday In Ordinary Time a

Isaiah 62:1-5; Psalm 96:1-2, 2-3, 7-8, 9-10; I Corinthians 12:4-11; John 2:1-11 among all peoples, his wondrous deeds.

R. Proclaim his marvelous deeds to all the nations.

Give to the Lord, you families of nations, give to the Lord glory and praise; give to the Lord the glory due his name!

R. Proclaim his marvelous deeds to all the nations.

Worship the Lord in holy attire.

Tremble before him, all the earth; Say among the nations: The Lord is king.

He governs the peoples with equity.

R. Proclaim his marvelous deeds to all the nations.

A READING FROM THE FIRST LETTER OF PAUL TO THE CORINTHIANS 1 COR 12:4-11 Brothers and sisters:

There are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit; there are different forms of service but the same Lord; there are different workings but the same God who produces all of them in everyone. To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit. To one is given through the Spirit the expression of wisdom; to another, the expression of knowledge according to the same Spirit; to another, faith by the same Spirit; to another, gifts of healing by the one Spirit; to another, mighty deeds; to another, prophecy; to another, discernment of spirits; to another, varieties of tongues; to another, interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit produces all of these, distributing them individually to each person as he wishes.

A

woman in one of my graduate theology classes was talented, attractive, tri-lingual, and getting an M.A. at the seminary to further credential herself for pastoral ministry.

She said something I have never forgotten.

“The ones who know best what resurrection means are women who have survived abandonment and divorce.” Her husband had walked out on her after ten years of marriage.

She was re-making her life. Twenty-five years later, she is the pastoral administrator and religious education director of a Chicagoarea parish. When I visited her, she gave me a tour of the church, and proudly showed me the dramatic, back-lit arrangement of three large crystal cruets of holy oil displayed in a niche as we entered. She had commissioned this sacramental display, she said, as a sign of the Church’s ministry of healing.

As I read the first reading from Isaiah, with God’s promise to restore Israel after its period of exile, I thought of women like Mary Ann. I remembered what she said about resurrection. I was inspired by her dramatization of what healing means.

Women and children, non-combatants in war, have been for centuries the first victims of inter-national violence and internecine combat. They know what it is to be defeated and powerless, shamed and forsaken, desolate and displaced, physically violated, their survival threatened, and made all the more vulnerable because of responsibility for their children.

Isaiah addresses the whole Jewish population as though they are, collectively, a woman who has been abandoned and forsaken.

When God restores Israel, their feelings will be reversed. They will feel revived like a woman who is loved, not as “the good wife” who opens her door to the shame-faced return by a husband who has repented of his

Scripture reflection SISTER ELOISE ROSENBLATT

God’s abundance adultery. Rather, they will feel as though they are in love again as in the very beginning of the magic of the two rejoicing at having found each other, when love is mutual, fresh, intense, and dreamy with a promise of the future. Love at its start holds both the young man and his betrothed in a timeless sense of enduring affection, a total sense of joy.

A disheartened community could not have made sense of Isaiah’s promise, without empathy for women’s vulnerability in marriage, and for what they suffered when they were abandoned or divorced. Women would be the natural interpreters and explainers of Isaiah’s prophecy of God’s abundant restoration.

Paul’s message to the Corinthians appeals to a similar theology of God’s largesse in pouring out many and diverse spiritual gifts upon its members. These talents are so numerous and so beneficial that the community should welcome the abundance and marvel at it. Paul is addressing human beings

who are inclined, even after baptism, to be jealous and competitive. In this teaching, the Spirit is magnanimous and generous in enriching the community, empowering it by wise teaching, learning, faithful and loyal membership, healing power, administrative skill, ability to motivate and inspire others, psychological sensitivity, and responsiveness to people’s actual spiritual needs. Paul says these gifts are not “earned” or a sign that one member belongs to a higher social class or stands in greater divine favor than someone else. Rather, the same Spirit gives each of the gifts for different kinds of service to the community. The divine source of these different gifts is proven, not by divisions, competitiveness or resentment, but rather by a commitment to unity among the receivers. When God’s generosity is recognized, it should arouse the same spirit of largesse in each individual toward other members of the community. This is the very opposite of siblings expressing the sort of resentment

A READING FROM THE HOLY GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN JN 2:1-11 There was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the wedding. When the wine ran short, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.”

And Jesus said to her, “Woman, how does your concern affect me? My hour has not yet come.”

His mother said to the servers, “Do whatever he tells you.”

Now there were six stone water jars there for Jewish ceremonial washings, each holding twenty to thirty gallons.

Jesus told them, “Fill the jars with water.”

So they filled them to the brim.

Then he told them, “Draw some out now and take it to the headwaiter.”

So they took it. And when the headwaiter tasted the water that had become wine, without knowing where it came from — although the servers who had drawn the water knew —, the headwaiter called the bridegroom and said to him, “Everyone serves good wine first, and then when people have drunk freely, an inferior one; but you have kept the good wine until now.”

Jesus did this as the beginning of his signs at Cana in Galilee and so revealed his glory, and his disciples began to believe in him. featured in the title of Deborah Tannen’s recent book, “You Were Always Mom’s Favorite.”

Wine at Cana, the first miracle of Jesus in John’s gospel, breaks the synoptic pattern where the first mighty deed of Jesus is an exorcism or the cure of a disease. Here, the marriage feast, a biblical symbol for the messianic era, sets the tone for Jesus’ ministry as a time of celebration. Whatever were the deprivations before, there is abundance now. Depression-era family members saved string, counted pennies in jars, rationed gasoline, and skimped even on necessities.

Cana suggests that the coming of Jesus creates a spiritual boom-time.

Cana also signals that God’s intentions are magnanimous and do not depend on what we do to earn divine favor. Who could have expected that when the wine ran out, the water jars would pour out so much more?

Like the arrival of the cavalry over the hill for a beleaguered army, the abundance of good wine was more than anyone could have hoped for, and what a relief as well.

God’s true nature, expressed at Cana, alters our spiritual expectations about the spiritual life. The question is not what can we do to survive and get through, but how shall we deal with so much that is given to us? The best, the good wine, has been saved for now, says John. That wedding celebration may have lasted several more days than the families and guests originally expected, but I doubt anyone was unhappy. Cana is the memory of unbelievable happiness and good fortune that also awaits us.

Sister Eloise Rosenblatt, RSM, Ph.D., is a theologian and an attorney in private practice in San Jose.

Spirituality for Life

Lessons from the monastic cell Monks have secrets worth knowing. Here’s some advice from the Desert Fathers: Go to your cell and your cell will teach you everything you need to know. Here’s another counsel from Thomas a Kempis’ famous book, The Imitation of Christ: Every time you leave your cell you come back less a person.

On the surface these counsels are directed at monks and cell refers to the private room of a monk, with its small single cot, its single chair, its writing desk, its small basin or sink, and its kneeler. The counsels suggest that there is a lot to be learned by staying inside that space and there are real dangers in stepping outside of it. What can this possibly say to someone who is not a monk or contemplative nun?

These counsels were written for monks but the deep principles underlying them can be extrapolated to shed wisdom on everyone’s life. What’s the deep wisdom contained in these counsels?

These counsels are not saying, as has sometimes been taught, that a monastic vocation is superior to a lay vocation. Nor are they saying that, if someone is a monk or a professional contemplative, social interaction outside of one’s cell is unhealthy.

Cell, as referred to here, is a metaphor, an image, a place inside of life, rather than someone’s private bedroom. Cell refers to duty, vocation, and commitment.

In essence, this is what’s being said: Go to your cell and your cell will teach you everything you need to know: Stay inside of your vocation, inside of your commitments, inside your legitimate conscriptive duties, inside of your Church, inside of your family, and they will teach you where life is found and what love means. Be faithful to your commitments and what you are ultimately looking for will be found there.

Every time you leave your cell you come back less a person: This is telling us that every time we step outside of our commitments, every time we are unfaithful, every time we walk away from what we should legitimately be Father doing, we come back less Ron Rolheiser a person for that betrayal.

There’s a rich spirituality in these principles: Stay inside your commitments, be faithful, your place of work is a seminary, your work is a sacrament, your family is SPIRITUALITY FOR LIFE, page 15

Catholic San Francisco

January 15, 2010

Pope’s visit . . . n Continued from cover

the pope about the Catholic Church’s position on the religious significance of Judaism itself.

“From a strictly religious point of view, the question is the significance of Judaism. Has its role ended? Must we all convert?” he said.

While affirming that salvation comes through Jesus Christ, some Catholic theologians and some of the writings of Pope Benedict have recognized the ongoing value of the Jewish people’s covenant with God. In a book-length interview in 2000, then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger said the Jews have a mission to fulfill in the world until the Messiah comes again.

Spirituality for Life . . . n Continued from page 14

a monastery, your home is a sanctuary, stay inside of them, don’t betray them, learn what they are teaching you without constantly looking for life elsewhere and without constantly believing that God is elsewhere.

Carlo Carretto, the renowned Italian spiritual writer, shares a story to illustrate this: After he had been a monk for more than a quarter of a century and had spent thousands of hours alone in the desert praying, he went to visit his elderly mother. She was a woman who had been so consumed with the duties of raising a large family that for long periods of time, paralleling his years of solitude in the desert, she had been too busy to have any quiet time in her life. He had spent long years in quiet. She has spent long years in activity. Yet, by his admission, she was perhaps

15

But, Rabbi Di Segni said, the pope is also the person who, as head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, in 2000 published the document “Dominus Iesus,” which insisted faith in Christ was necessary for salvation.

Another point of tension, the rabbi said, is Pope Benedict’s decision in December to move forward the sainthood cause of Pope Pius XII, whom many Jews believe did not do enough to denounce the Holocaust.

“It is a historical question, a problem that is still very much open,” the rabbi said.

For the Jewish community, especially in Rome, the question of Pope Pius is “a dramatic one, it’s a raw nerve that involves the behavior not only of that one personality, but also regards the anti-Judaism of the church and the interpretation of the Shoah,” the Holocaust, he said.

The rabbi said that such a sensitive issue should be handled

“much more slowly and with much deeper study.”

Still, Rabbi Di Segni said, Pope Benedict’s visit and other “grand gestures” made by the popes and leaders of the Jewish community have a great impact on helping faithful Catholics and Jews see one another as neighbors to be respected.

“We experience this each day, even though there may be scattered pockets of resistance or fundamentalist attitudes or even hostility” toward one another, he said.

While Rome’s Jewish community has only about 10,000 registered members, he said, “our community has a huge symbolic importance because we are the community next door to the Vatican. It is here that the first Christian Jews came – there were already Jews here for two centuries and they never left, so there was always a relationship with the Vatican.”

As is often the case, he said, “it’s hardest to establish good relations with the person closest to you.”

more contemplative than he was. Moreover, he suspected that she was more selfless than he and that she possessed a depth of soul that he could, at that stage of his life, only envy.

But the conclusion he drew from that realization was not that there was something wrong with what he had done during those long, monastic years in the desert. Rather there was something very right about what his mother had done in giving herself over so selflessly to her duties as a wife and mother. He had gone to his cell and it had taught him what he needed to know. She had gone to her cell and it had taught her what she needed to know. His was a monk’s cell in the technical sense. Hers was a monastic cell in the wider sense. Both lived monastic lives and both monasteries taught them what they needed to learn.

As well, every small betrayal of his monastic vocation had left him less himself, just as, for his mother, every small betrayal of her duties as wife and mother had left her less herself.

What we have committed ourselves to constitutes a monastic cell. When we are faithful to that, namely, to the duties that come to us from our personal relationships and our place of work, we learn life’s lessons by osmosis. Conversely, whenever we betray our commitments as they pertain to our relationships or to our work we become less than what we are.

We are all monks and it matters not whether we are in a monastery or are in the world as spouses, parents, friends, ministers in the church, teachers, doctors, nurses, laborers, artisans, social workers, bankers, economic advisors, salespersons, politicians, lawyers, mental health workers, contractors, or retirees. Each of us has our cell and that cell can teach us what we need to know.

Funeral Services Directory

Oblate Father Ron Rolheiser, theologian, teacher, and award-winning author, is President of the Oblate School of Theology in San Antonio, TX.

The Leading Catholic Funeral Directors of the San Francisco Archdiocese

For Advertising Information Please Call 415.614.5642 or Fax 415.614.5641

Pre-planning “My Funeral, My Cremation, My Way” www.duggansserra.com

www.driscollsmortuary.com

www.sullivanfuneralandcremation.com

Duggan’s Serra Catholic Family Mortuaries Duggan’s Serra Mortuary 500 Westlake Ave., Daly City FD 1098 Driscoll’s Valencia St. Serra Mortuary 1465 Valencia St., SF FD 1665 Sullivan’s Funeral Home & Cremation 2254 Market St., SF FD 228 www.duggansserra.com

The Catholic Cemeteries

◆

650/756-4500 415/970-8801 415/621-4567

Archdiocese of San Francisco

www.holycrosscemeteries.com HOLY CROSS CATHOLIC CEMETERY Intersection of Santa Cruz Avenue, Menlo Park, CA 94025 650-323-6375 PILARCITOS CEMETERY Hwy. 92 at Main St. Half Moon Bay, CA 94019 650-712-1676 A TRADITION

OF

HOLY CROSS CATHOLIC CEMETERY MT. OLIVET CATHOLIC CEMETERY 1500 Mission Road, 270 Los Ranchitos Road, Colma, CA 94014 San Rafael, CA 94903 650-756-2060 415-479-9020 ST. ANTHONY CEMETERY OUR LADY OF THE PILLAR CEMETERY Stage Road Miramontes St. Pescadero, CA 94060 Hald Moon Bay, CA 94019 650-712-1679 415-712-1679 F A I T H T H RO U G H O U T O U R L I V E S .

McAVOY O’HARA Co. SE RV IN G WIT H T R U S T A N D C O NFIDENC E S IN CE 1 8 5 0

Church | Cemetery | Cremation Service

Please visit our New website E vergreen Mortu a r y 4545 GEARY B O ULE VARD a t T E N T H AV E N UE For information prearrangements, and assistance, call day or night (415) 668-0077 FD 523

www.colmacremation.com 7747 El Camino Real Colma, CA 94014 FD 1522

111 Industrial Road Suite 5 Belmont, CA 94002 FD 1923

650..757.1300 | fax 650.757.7901 | toll free 888.757.7888 | www.colmacremation.com

16

Catholic San Francisco

January 15, 2010

Clerie’s story: Though heartbroken, a Haitian woman touches independence Haiti Journal: On the migration trail Abandoned by her husband, Haitian citizen Celsie Constant is striving for independence in foreign country as she sells meals to construction workers in Santo Domingo. At right, Constant speaks with the foreman at a housing construction site in the Dominican Republic capital.

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic – No woman should have to make the choices Clerie Constant had to make.

Constant, all too typical of Haitian women, was abused by her husband. He left her, taking their only child, a 5-year-old son, from their home here back to Haiti.

Apparently he expected that she would come groveling back. But she had other ideas, painful though they were.

Constant had to give up motherhood in order, first, to escape a destructive relationship and, second, to make sure she would never have to be dependent on a man like that again.

Independence is a notable achievement for any poor woman from Haiti, a country where women are lowered for the benefit of men and usually abused in the process.

Haitian women “assume violence is going to part of the relationship,” said Miriam Christian, a psychologist with Centro de Servicios Legales para Mujer, a non-profit organization that provides victims of gender violence with legal support and opportunities to go to school and start a career. Christian said that when she discusses gender abuse with Haitian women as a problem, they look at her as if it’s too obvious to mention.

Violence against women, in public and in private, is condoned as a male weapon in a deeply paternalistic culture. Few women are untouched. Violators act with impunity in a justice system that scarcely responds, according to a 2007 report by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.

Sometimes the abuse is physical, other times it is psychological. Often women are expected to pay a man with sex in

exchange for a routine need, like having a place to sleep or running an errand, Christian said.

With Haitian women “there’s pressure to get married,” Constant, 27, said in an interview at her home in October. “If they don’t finish school, they’ll marry anyone. They marry any person they think can help. But if they go to school and have a career, they will get married to a person they like.”

Living in the Dominican capital as a migrant, Constant was referred to Christian’s organization by a Haitian community leader. The organization, supported by Catholic Relief Services among other donors, took on her case and guided her on a path to independence.

Constant worked as a domestic at first. Then, thanks to a loan that doesn’t require immediate payments, she started a small business selling meals at construction sites.

On a recent weekday, she was setting up her wares of lemonade, pasta and rice against the fence of a public housing construction site where Haitian men in hard-hats were doing the heavy lifting under Dominican supervision. She conversed with the boss and almost seemed part of the crew.

This scene of a woman who had been cast aside but was holding her own in a man’s world gave way to different picture at Constant’s home.

Her apartment in a neighborhood where many people live in extreme poverty was tidy and well-scrubbed, light curtains blowing gently and sunshine filling the sitting room. Yet the mood was one of loss.

The focus of the room was the sole decoration on one wall: a framed portrait of her son, taken when he was three. He wears a suit.

Will she see her son again?

“No,” Constant said, “because his father doesn’t want to.”

Has she had any contact with her son since then?

“No, nada.”

The conversation quickly shifted to the only topic that wasn’t too painful to explore: Constant’s career plans.

She said she is finishing high school and wants to become an accountant. She hopes to attend college, preferably in the Dominican Republic. She can stay legally on a visa as long as she is a student, but it’s unclear if she’ll be able to regularize her status when she’s out of school.

But Constant knows one thing: She’s a free woman and plans to keep it that way.

“Sometimes a woman goes back to her husband because they don’t know how they will survive,” Constant said. “Now, I can stay alone. It is not necessary to go back to my husband.”

(PHOTOS BY RICK DELVECCHIO/CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO)

By Rick DelVecchio

Catholic San Francisco Assistant Editor Rick DelVecchio recently visited Haiti and the Dominican Republic to report on migrants and refugees, whose vulnerability as they cross national borders in search of a better life is a growing humanitarian concern for the Church and for civil authorities worldwide. The trip was organized by Catholic Relief Services. This is the fourth installment in a five-part series. Stories can be found at Catholic San Francisco’s website, www.catholic-sf.org.

Constant lives alone, happy to be on her own but heartbroken that she is separated from her son.

Her husband, the boy’s father, abandoned Constant and returned to Haiti with the child. Constant does not have any way of getting in contact with him.

SCRIPTURE SEARCH Gospel for January 17, 2010 John 2:1-11 Following is a word search based on the Gospel reading for the Second Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C, about the wedding at Cana. The words can be found in all directions in the puzzle.

THIRD DAY INVITED MY HOUR GALLONS DRAW SOME OUT CALLED FIRST

IN CANA NO WINE STONE FILL THE JARS TAKE BRIDEGROOM HIS SIGNS

GALILEE WOMAN THIRTY THE BRIM TASTED DRUNK GLORY

WINE JARS F

G

G

L

O

R

Y

N

I

Y

E

B

L

I

A

G

N

C

P

A

N

T

D

R

K

T

L

A

A

N

A

M

C

R

E

I

N

A

I

L

T

M

J

O

A

I

T

D

U

K

L

L

T

Y

T

W

N

H

I

E

R

E

E

O

J

H

S

S

A

T

V

G

D

I

E

N

P

O

E

T

R

H

N

R

E

T

D

S

M

U

O

J

O

I

I

O

T

T

H

E

B

R

I

M

A

N

F

O

S

N

O

W

I

N

E

L

L

R

E

M

A

U

C

H

I

S

S

I

G

N

S

C

T

H

I

R

D

D

A

Y

H

N

Y

X

© 2009 Tri-C-A Publications www.tri-c-a-publications.com

Starts Friday, January 22

Sponsored by DUGGAN’S SERRA MORTUARY 500 Westlake Avenue, Daly City 650-756-4500 ● www.duggansserra.com

January 15, 2010

St. Mary’s Cathedral Gough and Geary Blvd. in San Francisco. Call (415) 567-2020 Jan. 20, 10:30 a.m.: You are invited to a free Grief Support Workshop at St. Mary’s Cathedral in the Msgr. Bowe Room, on the west side of the lower level of the Cathedral (enter directly from Cleary Ct. side of parking lot). Presenter is Barbara Elordi, MFT, Director of the Archdiocesan Grief Care Ministry. Call Sister Esther at (415) 567-2020 ex. 218.

Datebook

Consolation Ministry

January 21, 6:30 p.m.: Running Without Injury, St. Mary’s Medical Center’s Outpatient Therapies Department will have a physical therapist explaining how the most common running injuries occur and how to train to prevent them. Takes place at Sports Basement in the Presidio, 610 Old Mason Street, San Francisco. (415) 437-0100.

Taize/Chanted Prayer

Support Resources Relevant to the Economy Tuesdays, 6:30 – 8:30 p.m.: Stress Management Group - Benefit from relaxation techniques, mind and body awareness practices, group support.

Takes place at Catholic Charities CYO, 36 West 37th Avenue, San Mateo. Cost is $15 per sessionEnroll by calling Catholic Charities CYO at (650) 295-2160, ex.199. Pamela Eaken, MFTI, and Natasha Wiegand, MFTI, facilitate the sessions. The program is supervised by David Ross, Ph.D.

Trainings/Lectures/Respect Life

(PHOTO BY JOSE LUIS AGUIRRE/CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO)

Jan. 19, 7 p.m.: Dave Miner, president of Bread for the World talks about hunger and the one billion people in the world who suffer from it daily. In the United States

Jan. 23: Walk for Life West Coast 2010 from San Francisco’s Justin Herman Plaza.

Speakers include LiveAction founder, Lila Rose. More than 30,000 pro-life advocates are expected for this now annual event where supporters “peacefully proclaim our message that abortion hurts women and we all deserve better than abortion,” according to materials promoting the day-long march and rally. To volunteer, call (415) 586-1576 or e-mail info@walkforlifewc.com. Visit www.walkforlifewc.com.

17

desert. No-host bar starts at 5:30 p.m. with dinner at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $45 each. Call the school at (415) 468-3247 or e-mail at stelizabethfsa@yahoo.com.

Jan. 31, 11 a.m.: San Francisco County Council of Catholic Women’s Annual Fundraiser “Masquerade” at the Olympic Club at Lakeside on Skyline Boulevard, San Francisco. No host cocktails and the silent auction begin at 11 a.m. with luncheon at 12:30 p.m. followed

by Fashions by White Rose Boutique. Tickets are $55 per person, tables of ten are available. Reservations required by January 15. This is the group’s major fundraiser. For information and reservations, call Diana Heafey at (415) 731-6379.

Good Health

1st Friday at 8 p.m.: Mercy Center, 2300 Adeline Dr., Burlingame with Mercy Sister Suzanne Toolan.

Call (650) 340-7452; young adults are invited each first Friday of the month to attend a social at 6 p.m. prior to Taize prayer at 8 p.m. The social provides light refreshments and networking with other young adults. Convenient parking is available. For information contact mercyyoungadults@sbcglobal.net.

Tuesdays at 6 p.m.: Notre Dame Des Victoires Church, 566 Bush at Stockton, San Francisco with Rob Grant. Call (415) 397-0113.

3rd Friday, 8 p.m.: Dominican Sisters of Mission San Jose, Motherhouse Chapel, 43326 Mission Blvd in Fremont. Contact Maria Shao at (408) 839-2068 or maria49830@aol.com or Dominican Sister Beth Quire at (510) 449-7554.

Catholic San Francisco

Jan 20, noon: Back after a two-month holiday break is the spaghetti and meatball lunch at Immaculate Conception Chapel, Folsom off Cesar Chavez/Army St. in San Francisco. Tickets are $8 per person. The family-style meal includes salad, bread, pasta and homemade meatballs. Beverages are available for purchase.

The meal is served in the church hall, beneath the chapel. Call (415) 824-1762.

At a lunch before the holidays Immaculate Conception pastor, Father William, greets regular diners John Moriarty, left, and Alan Brooks. the number of people who have difficulty putting food on the table in 2008 surged to more than 49 million, up from 36.2 million in 2007. Individual efforts, even just writing a letter, can often make a real difference. As the U.S. Catholic Bishops have said, “we can help shape a world where the lives and dignity of all people are respected and protected” (A Place at the Table).” Dave Miner will share information about ways in which we can help. Evening is sponsored by and takes place in the Kennedy Room of St. Raphael Parish, Fifth Ave. at A St. in San Rafael. Respond to (415) 457-3821.

Jan. 25, 7 p.m.: San Francisco County Council of Catholic Women’s first meeting of 2010 at St. Paul’s Church Hall, Church Street between 29th & Valley Streets. All Christ Child layette items will be displayed so bring your new infant baby clothes with you to the meeting. Speaker is Margarita Mendoza of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton New Life Center.

Refreshments will follow her presentation.

Saturdays: San Mateo Pro-Life prays the rosary at Planned Parenthood, 2211 Palm Ave. in San Mateo at 8 a.m. and invites others to join them at the site. The prayer continues as a peaceful vigil until 1 p.m. The group is also open to new membership. Meetings are held the second Thursday of the month except August and December at St. Gregory Parish’s Worner Center, 138 28th Ave. in San Mateo at 7:30 p.m. For more information, call Jessica at (650) 572-1468.

Saturdays, 9 a.m. – 10 a.m.: Rosary for Life 815 Eddy St. – Planned Parenthood – in San Francisco.

Reunions Class of ’60 from Notre Dame High School in Belmont is planning its 50th reunion. Contact Bettina Igoa McCall at Mcbett@comcast.net or (510) 851-2344.

St. Paul High School, San Francisco, class of ’80 planning a reunion sometime in June 2010 to coincide with graduation day of May 31 1980. E-mail Maria Rinaldi Vincent at vncntmtvincent@aol.com or call (650) 349-1642.

Jan. 23, 11:30 a.m.: Class of ’51 from San Francisco’s St. Agnes Elementary School at the United Irish Cultural Center, 45th Ave. at Sloat Blvd. in San Francisco. Contact Charles Norton at (209) 835-2073 or cfn@pacbell.net; Kevin Carter at (214) 893-3130 or KevinCarter@prodigy.net; Urie Walsh at (415) 668-6501 or wuwkmw@aol.com.

Special Liturgies Jan. 17, 10:30 a.m.: Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday Celebration and Gospel Mass at St. Paul of the Shipwreck Church, Jamestown at 3rd St. in San Francisco. Deacon Larry Chatmon will preach. Deacon Larry, ordained in 2006, has been a member of St. Paul’s for 25 years. Founder of Christian Men of Shipwreck, he is active with Inspirational Voices Choir and involved with youth ministry, RCIA training, and Catholics Returning Home. For more information, call (415) 468-3434.

Jan. 31: Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Elementary School celebrates the start of its 125th year with a commemorative Mass. Archbishop George H. Niederauer will preside.

An all-school reunion and Blue and Gold Ball, are planned during the year. For more information call (650) 366-8817. Father John Balleza is pastor. Teresa Anthony is principal. Priest alumni include Monsignor Edward McTaggart, retired pastor, St. Brendan Parish in San Francisco and Father Lawrence Goode, pastor, St. Francis of Assisi Parish in East Palo Alto.

Third Tuesdays, 7:30 p.m.: Manifest Mysteries Rosary Prayer – Examine how the mysteries of the rosary are manifested in daily life using short film and the Dominican Rosary prayer. 7:30 - 8:30 pm at Dominican Sisters of Mission San Jose, Motherhouse Chapel, 43326 Mission Blvd. (off Mission Tierra), Fremont. Call Sister Beth Quire, at (510) 449-7554 or visit our website at www.msjdominicans.org for more information.

First Tuesdays, 7:30 p.m.: Lectio Divina– Pray with Sacred Scripture and share your Faith with others. 7:30 - 8:30 pm at Dominican Sisters of Mission San Jose, Motherhouse Chapel, 43326 Mission Blvd. (off Mission Tierra), Fremont. Call Sister Beth Quire, at (510) 449-7554 or visit our website at www. msjdominicans.org for more information.

Food & Fun Jan. 30: St. Elizabeth School (Cantwell Hall-490 Goettingen Street off Silver in San Francisco) is hosting its annual Crab Dinner and Dance. We will be serving marinated and/or non marinated crab or roast chicken, along with appetizers, salad, pasta and

Grief support groups meet at the following parishes. San Mateo County: St. Catherine of Sienna, Burlingame; call Debbie Simmons at (650) 558-1015.

St. Dunstan, Millbrae; call Barbara Cappel at (650) 692-7543. Good Shepherd, Pacifica; call Sister Carol Fleitz at (650) 355-2593. Our Lady of Mercy, Daly City; call Barbara Cantwell at (650) 755-2727.

Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, Redwood City; call parish at (650) 366-3802. St. Robert, San Bruno; call Sister Patricia at (650) 589-2800.

Marin County: St. Anselm, San Anselmo; call Brenda MacLean at (415) 454-7650. St. Isabella, San Rafael; call Pat Sack at (415) 472-5732. Our Lady of Loretto, Novato; call Sister Jeanette at (415) 897-2171.

San Francisco: St. Dominic; call Deacon Chuck McNeil at (415) 567-7824; St. Finn Barr (bilingual); call Carmen Solis at (415) 584-0823. St. Gabriel; call Monica Williams at (415) 350-9464.

Young Widow/Widower Group: St. Gregory, San Mateo; call Barbara Elordi at (415) 614-5506.

Ministry to Parents: Our Lady of Angels, Burlingame; call Ina Potter at (650) 347-6971 or Barbara Arena at (650) 344-3579.

Children’s Grief Group: St. Catherine, Burlingame; call Debbie Simmons at (650) 558-1015.

Information regarding grief ministry in general, call Barbara Elordi at (415) 614-5506.

Single, Divorced, Separated Information about Bay Area single, divorced and separated programs is available from Jesuit Father Al Grosskopf at grosskopf@usfca.edu (415) 422-6698.

Divorce Recovery Course offered by the Separated and Divorced Catholics of the Bay Area provides a chance to understand the emotional journey begun with the loss of a relationship. It takes place over seven Sunday evenings at St. Bartholomew Church, Spirituality Center, 600 Columbia Dr, San Mateo from 7 to 9 p.m. The cost of $45 covers book and materials. To register or for more information, call Joanne at (650) 347-0701 or Susan at (415) 752-1308.

Would you like support while you travel the road through separation and divorce? The Archdiocese of San Francisco offers support for the journey. The Separated and Divorced Catholics of the Archdiocese of San Francisco (SDCASF) has two ongoing support groups in the 1st and 3rd weeks of each month. There is one on the Peninsula, at St. Bartholomew Parish, 600 Columbia Dr, San Mateo, on the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays, at 7 p.m. in the Spirituality center on the main floor of the ‘school’ building. The other one is in the parish hall of St. Stephen Parish near Stonestown, San Francisco, on the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays, at 7:30 p.m. Call Gail (650) 591-8452, or Joanne at St. Bart’s, (650) 347-0701 for more information.

Datebook is a free listing for parishes, schools and non-profit groups. Please include event name, time, date, place, address and an information phone number.

Listing must reach Catholic San Francisco at least two weeks before the Friday publication date desired. Mail your notice to: Datebook, Catholic San Francisco, One Peter Yorke Way, S.F. 94109, or fax it to (415) 614-5633, e-mail burket@sfarchdiocese.org, or visit www.catholic-sf.org, Contact Us.

PUT YOUR BUSINESS CARD IN THE HANDS Attach Card Here Deadline for February 5th Issue is January 22nd

210,000

Deadline for March 5th Issue is February 22nd Please do not write on your card.

READERS OF CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO For only $112.00 per month in our business card section now appearing the first Friday of each month. This new section is certainly less expensive than the $65,000 it would cost to print and mail your business cards to all our readers.

Only $96.00 per month on a *12-month contract. * Free listing in our Business Directory on our website*

Ad Heading Name Address City ZIP

State Phone

MAIL TO: CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO, BUSINESS CARD ONE PETER YORKE WAY, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109

18

Catholic San Francisco

January 15, 2010

Handy Man Painting, roof repair, fence (repair/ build) demolition, carpenter, gutter (clean/ repair), kitchen/bathroom remodel, decks, welding, landscaping, gardening, hauling, moving, janitorial.

Call (650) 757-1946 Cell (415) 517-5977 NOT A LICENSED CONTRACTOR

SERVICE DIRECTORY Plumbing

Roofing

Plumbing • Fire Protection • Certified Backflow

John Bianchi Phone: 415.468.1877 Fax: 415.468.1875 100 North Hill Drive, Unit 18 • Brisbane, CA 94005 Lic. No. 390254

(415) 786-0121 • (415) 586-6748

Lic. # 872560

➤ Drain-Sewer Cleaning Service ➤ Water Heaters ➤ Gas Pipes ➤ Toilets ➤ Faucets ➤ Garbage Disposals ➤ Copper Repiping ➤ Sewer Replacement ➤ Video Camera & Line locate PROMPT AND UNPARALLELED SERVICE

(650) 557-1263 EMAIL:

bestplumbinginc@comcast.net Member: Better Business Bureau

ADÁN PLUMBING, HEATING, A/C

Construction KEANE CONSTRUCTION ➮ Exterior / Interior Additions ➮ Baths ➮ Foundations, Stairs, Dry Rot ➮ Architect Available ➮ Senior Discount

Call: 415.533.2265

Lic. 407271

Vonnegut Thoreau Construction

◆

Serving all your plumbing needs. ◆ Complete bathroom renovations ◆ Senior, parishioner discounts

Serving the entire S.F. Bay Area www.adanplumbing.com 650.270.7766 Lic# 841835

Quality Remodelers and Builders Serving the San Francisco Bay Area

HOLLAND

Matt Joyce

Plumbing Works San Francisco

415.314.8415

ALL PLUMBING WORK PAT HOLLAND

VTConstruct.com Lic# 903690

CA LIC #817607

BONDED & INSURED

415-205-1235

Matthew W. Johnson General Contractor • Residential kitchen and bath remodeling • Additions • Free estimates • Safe clean secure worksites Free counter top appliance w/completed proposal Free food processor with kitchen

Clinical Gerontologist Care Management for the Older Adult Family Consultation –Bereavement Support

S

anti Plumbing and Heating

415-661-3707

Michael T. Santi

Since 1972 Ca License # 663641 24 Hour Emergency Service

In Home Care

IN YOUR HOME CARE FOR SENIORS

Striving to Achieve Optimum Health & Wellbeing

Home Care

Maintenance Services

CAHALAN CONST.

GARIBALDI MAINTENANCE CO.

Foundations, Earthquake Dryrot, Termite, Siding, Stucco Additions. Remodels lic# 582766

MORROW CONTRUCTION Specializing In Wood Fences

(650) 994-6892 lic. 343633

Auto Service HABELT’S AUTO SERVICE

Complete Auto Repair 3865 Irving St. at 40th Ave. – Since 1964 –

415-664-1735

Painting S.O.S. PAINTING CO. Interior-Exterior wallpaper hanging & removal Lic # 526818 Senior Discount

415-269-0446 650-738-9295

www.sospainting.net

• Non-Medical Companion • Companionship, • Personal Hygiene Socializing, Outings • Medication Reminder • Light Housekeeping • Other Medical Assistance • Special Needs • Errands – Doctor’s Appts • Affordable Rates • Meal Preparation License #39702

650-834-7227 Cell ebw8bion@yahoo.com

Healthcare Agency

Full Payroll Service www.irishhelpathome.com

Tel: 415 759 0520

Senior Care Homecare for Seniors

$17/hr

Free in-home assessment www.accreditedcaregivers.com 650-307-3890

SUPPLE SENIOR CARE “The most compassionate care in town” 1655 Old Mission Road #3 Colma, SSF, CA 94080

415-573-5141 or 650-993-8036 *Irish owned & operated *Serving from San Francisco to North San Mateo

FREE ESTIMATES (415) 441-2454 www.garibaldimaintenance.com

Fully Insured

Pizza PIZZA PARTY

Gourmet Pizza baked at your door!

Pizzaonwheels.com

650.348.8865

Massage Theraphy RELAX, RENEW Trained In: Conscious Body Work, Shiatsu, Foot Massage, Reflexology Swedish, Deep Tissue. Cranio – Sacral, Pre-natal, Hot Stone & Aromatherapy.

Transform your muscles back to your supple blissful state and harmonize your energies.

Call Desiree, CMP

415-756-4581 Gift Certificates Available $10 Off with this ad

desi173@yahoo.com

Do you want to be more fulfilled in love and work – but find things keep getting in the way?

Unhealed wounds can hold you back - even if they are not the “logical” cause of your problems today. You can be the person God intended.

Inner Child Healing Offers a deep spiritual and psychological approach to counseling:

painting and remodeling John Holtz Ca. Lic 391053 General Contractor Since 1980

(650) 355-4926

Painting & Remodeling •Interiors •Exteriors •Kitchens •Baths Contractor inspection reports and pre-purchase consulting

❖ 30 years experience with individuals, couples and groups ❖ Directed, effective and results-oriented ❖ Compassionate and Intuitive ❖ Supports 12-step ❖ Enneagram Personality Transformation ❖ Free Counseling for Iraqi/Afghanistani Vets

Lila Caffery, MA, CCHT San Francisco: 415.337.9474 Complimentary phone consultation www.InnerChildHealing.com

When Life Hurts It Helps To Talk • Family • Work • Relationships • Depression • Anxiety • Addictions

Dr. Daniel J. Kugler Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist Over 30 years experience • Reasonable Fees

The Irish Rose

PLEASE RECYCLE THIS PAPER!

Home Healthcare Agency

CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO

Specializing in home health aides, attendants and companions.

NOTICE TO READERS

Serving San Francisco, Marin & the Peninsula.

Contact: 415.447.8463

by Accredited Caregiver Specialists

SF Bay Area

Quality Service Since 1946

“Large Enough to Matter, Small Enough to Care”

Investment Counseling

QUALITY HOME CARE SERVING THE BAY AREA SINCE 1996 * Attendants * Companions * Hospice * Respite Care Competitive Rates • Screened • Insured • Bonded

Complete Janitorial – Window Cleaning

FREE ESTIMATES

Caring compassionate and committed to our client’s well-being and safety.

Specialize in Dementia, Alzheimer, Cancer patients, Hospice and Wheelchair Bound.

24 hours, 7 days a week Kathy Faenzi, MA, Clinical Gerontologist Office: 650.401.6350 Web: www.faenziassociates.com

Visit our website: www.catholic-sf.org Call 415-614-5642 Fax: 415-614-5641 E-mail: penaj@sfarchdiocese.org

Construction 415.279.1266

BEST PLUMBING, INC. Your Payless Plumbing

FOR ADVERTISING INFORMATION

Painting BILL HEFFERON

PAINTING INTERIOR, EXTERIOR All Jobs Large and Small

10% Discount: Seniors, Parishioners

Licensed contractors are required by law to list their license numbers in advertisments. The law also state that contractors performing work totaling $500 or more must be state-licensed.

Advertisments appearing in this newspaper without a license number indicate that the contractor is not licensed.

Call BILL 415.731.8065 • Cell: 415.710.0584

For more info, contact: Contractors State License Board

Bonded, Insured – LIC. #819191

800.321.2752

bheffpainting@sbcglobal.net Member of Better Business Bureau

Confidential • Compassionate • Practical (415) 921-1619 • Insurance Accepted 1537 Franklin Street • San Francisco, CA 94109

MARRIAGE AND FAMILY COUNSELING David Nellis M.A. M.F.T. Marriage and Family Therapist (MFT 1319)

(415) 242-3355 www.counselingforchristians.com

Carpet Cleaning Safe Non-Toxic, No Shampoo, Dry in Hours not Days Commercial & Residential Serving SF & San Mateo Co. St. Charles Parishioner

(650) 593-5959

January 15, 2010

Catholic San Francisco

19

Catholic San Francisco

FOR ADVERTISING INFORMATION CALL: 415-614-5642 Fax: 415-614-5641 Email: penaj@sfarchdiocese.org

Certified Live-In Room Room Geriatric Companion for Rent for Rent Aide

Help Wanted

classifieds Seeking live-in companion, female, honest, to help with personal care and light housekeeping, in San Francisco.

(415) 587-5331

Master bedroom w/private bath, $650/month plus utilities.

Non-smoking/drinking.

PLEASE CALL (415) 341-5427

Visit us at

catholic-sf.org For your local & international Catholic news, website listings, advertising information and “Place Classified Ad” Form

RICHMOND DISTRICT IN SF, $575/MO, female, working, non-smoker, no pets, references required.

Leave msg. at (415) 387-7226

Pre-payment required Mastercard or Visa accepted

Cost $26

If you wish to publish a Novena in the Catholic San Francisco You may use the form below or call 415-614-5640 Your prayer will be published in our newspaper

Name Adress Phone MC/VISA # Exp. Select One Prayer: ❑ St. Jude Novena to SH ❑ Prayer to St. Jude

❑ Prayer to the Blessed Virgin ❑ Prayer to the Holy Spirit

Please return form with check or money order for $26 Payable to: Catholic San Francisco Advertising Dept., Catholic San Francisco 1 Peter Yorke Way, San Francisco, CA 94109

CERTIFIED GERIATRIC HOME AIDE,

RNs, LVNs, CNAs, Caregivers

native San Franciscan, 19 yrs. exp. seeks employment with elderly woman exc. ref.

Will work overnight shifts 415-252-8312

In-home care in San Francisco, Marin County, peninsula Nursing care for children in San Francisco schools

Retreat Catholic author

MICHAEL H. BROWN RETREAT, and Mass, February 27, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., South San Francisco Conference Center, the Blessed Mother, our current times, afterlife, spiritual protection,

If you are generous, honest, compassionate, respectful, and want to make a difference, send us your resume: Jeannie McCullough Stiles, RN Fax: 415-435-0421 Email: info@sncsllc.com Voice: 415-435-1262

Call 386-446-8139 or www.spiritdaily.com

Novena PUBLISH A NOVENA

We are looking for full or part time

St. Jude Novena May the Sacred Heart of Jesus be adored, glorified, loved & preserved throughout the world now & forever. Sacred Heart of Jesus pray for us.

St. Jude helper of the hopeless pray for us.

Say prayer 9 times a day for 9 days.

Thank You St. Jude.

Never known to fail.

You may publish.

S.C.M.

Prayer to the Blessed Virgin never known to fail.

Most beautiful flower of Mt. Carmel Blessed Mother of the Son of God, assistme in my need. Help me and show me you are my mother.

Oh Holy Mary, Mother of God, Queen of Heaven and earth. I humbly beseech you from the bottom of my heart to help me in this need.

Oh Mary, conceived without sin. Pray for us (3X).

Holy Mary, I place this cause in your hands (3X).

Say prayers 3 days. C.O.

Help Wanted ELEMENTARY SCHOOL PRINCIPALS SOUGHT The Department of Catholic Schools in the Archdiocese of San Francisco is seeking elementary principals for the 2010-2011 school year. Candidates must be practicing Roman Catholic in good standing with the Church, possess a valid teaching credential, a Master’s degree in educational leadership, an administrative credential (preferred), and five years of successful teaching experience at the elementary level.

Please send resume and a letter of interest by March 19th, 2010 to: Bret E. Allen Associate Superintendent for Educational & Professional Leadership One Peter Yorke Way San Francisco, California 94109 Fax (415) 614-5664 E-mail: allenb@sfarchdiocese.org

The Department of Catholic Schools, Archdiocese of San Francisco, is seeking a qualified President for Archbishop Riordan High School, San Francisco, CA. This President is responsible to the Archbishop of San Francisco through the Archdiocesan Superintendent of Catholic Schools, and to the Board of Trustees of Archbishop Riordan High School (ARHS).

Archbishop Riordan High School, an Archdiocesan Catholic High School in the Marianist tradition, prepares young men of the Bay Area for leadership through its inclusive college preparatory curriculum, its emphasis on formation in faith, and its dedication to community service and justice. In a diverse family environment, Archbishop Riordan fosters development in faith, character, academics, athletics and the arts. ARHS – is WASC Accredited: ARSH has received the maximum six-year re-accreditation (through 2014) RESPONSIBILITIES include: MANAGEMENT • Maintain the Catholicity and Marianist Charism of ARHS (See http://www.riordanhs.org/about/marianists.php ) • Maintain cordial relationships with Archdiocesan officials, the Board of Trustees and the Society of Mary (Marianists) • Assist the Board of Trustees in strategic planning, its organization, its implementation, and its integration into the various programs at ARHS • Assist in the development of a Master Plan for school improvements and growth • Maintain communications with Pastors, Principals of Catholic, Private and Public feeder schools

DEVELOPMENT • Supervises the work of the Development Office to insure smooth function and that it reflects the mission of the school.

• Serves as chief spokesperson for Archbishop Riordan High School.

• Communicates with various publics through properly prepared materials and literature.

• Approves all programs and campaigns of the Development Office.

• Monitors long-range planning and development goals.

• Insures the creation and implementation of a comprehensive development plan for the school.

• Along with the Director of Finance establishes and guides the development of the annual budget.

SPECIAL RELATIONSHIPS • Fostering the Marianist “Curriculum of the Heart” within the school community • Chairs the Administrative Council • Coordinating the Teaching As Ministry program within the school community by preparing teachers and staff in concepts of the Marianist charism • Promotes the formation of Lay Marianist leadership at ARHS MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: • A practicing Catholic in good standing with the church • A master’s degree • Five years of successful school administration at the secondary level including mission driven school advancement and Board development For additional details about this Position and its responsibilities see the full description at: http://www.sfcatholicschools.org/ For more detailed information about ARHS, see the school’s web site: http://www.riordanhs.org/ Tentative Application Deadline: Resumes and cover letters must be submitted by March 1st, 2010. Interviews for finalists are tentatively planned for early March.

Mail or Email Resume and Cover Letter to: Patrick Schmidt, Associate Director of Human Resources 1 Peter Yorke Way, San Francisco, Ca 94109

schmidtp@sfarchdiocese.org

20

Catholic San Francisco

January 15, 2010

A Life Remembered C r e m at i on Op t i on s

If you are thinking about cremation, it is important to know and understand all of the choices available to you. Cremation is not the end. Just as the full body is placed in a grave or crypt, the cremated body should be treated with respect as well. Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery oďŹ&#x20AC;ers many options to celebrate and remember a life. Each person can make a decision about what is appropriate for his/her needs and those of their family.

Placement & Memorial Options Legac y - Select a family columbarium to house multiple urns or inter an urn in an existing family plot; an opportunity to share the family stories and unite loved ones in memory Garden - Interment of an urn in a resting place along a garden path, marked by a shamrock or heart-shaped stone Elegance - Beautiful glass niches display urns personalized to reďŹ&#x201A;ect a life story Tribute - A marble niche in a Garden Court or Mausoleum features engraved names, dates and photo medallions Tr aditional - In-ground burial, marked by a headstone designed to commemorate a life well-lived Memorial - Memorial options include: inscribing a name on a Memory Tree, designing a memorial bench, lighting a memorial candle, donating one of the Stations of the Cross or placing a name on a family monument