January 22, 2010

Residents walk in a destroyed area of Port-au-Prince, Haiti two days following the catastrophic earthquake that struck the Haitian capital.

Catholic san Francisco Northern California’s Weekly Catholic Newspaper

F

acing a growing humanitarian crisis after the largest earthquake in Haiti in two centuries, Catholic aid agencies and world governments were boosting efforts to respond to the needs of hundreds of thousands of injured and homeless.

By Dennis Sadowski WASHINGTON (CNS) – Agencies such as Jesuit Refugee Services and Catholic Relief Services as well as smaller organizations from around the world have raised millions of dollars to provide medical services, feed and shelter people and head off the rapid spread of disease.

The agencies were coordinating efforts with other religious, nongovernmental and government operations as hunger grew and some Haitians became increasingly impatient because they had received little or no assistance in the week since the Jan. 12 quake.

Haitian government and relief agency authorities raised their estimates of the num-

(CNS PHOTO/TATYANA MAKEYEVA, REUTERS) (CNS PHOTO/TATYANA MAKEYEVA, REUTERS)

A group of refugees walks along a road Jan. 18 in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Many people who survived Haiti’s devastating Jan. 12 earthquake are expected to soon be looking for new places to live, creating the potential for thousands or even hundreds of thousands of displaced people trying to settle in other countries in the region.

(CNS PHOTO/DANIEL AGUILAR, REUTERS)

(CNS PHOTO/JORGE SILVA, REUTERS)

Agencies boost efforts to help Haitians injured, left homeless by earthquake

Left, women are seen at a makeshift camp site in Port-au-Prince Jan. 19.

A week after a massive earthquake hit Haiti, international aid was just starting to get through to those in need, delayed by logistical logjams and security concerns. Right, A boy runs after receiving a package from an aid distribution point in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Jan. 18. The pace of food and medical aid deliveries picked up in earthquake-shattered Haiti, providing some hope to desperate survivors, but doctors worried disease would be the next big challenge for the tens of thousands left injured and homeless. ber of dead to 200,000. Another 300,000 people were injured. Up to 3 million of Haiti’s 9.8 million people were affected by the most recent natural disaster to strike the small nation.

Catholic Relief Services increased its pledge of aid for the impoverished nation to $25 million, and it could go higher, said Pat Johns, director of safety and security for

the Baltimore-based agency. CRS, which is coordinating the Catholic Church’s response, reported it had collected $13.1 million for earthquake relief as of early Jan. 19.

Caritas Internationalis, numerous other Catholic aid agencies and Catholic religious orders were working alongside CRS staff in a vast outpouring of assistance.

HELP HAITIANS, page 11

Christians must face violence, extremism in Middle East with courage

By Carol Glatz VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Christians in the Middle East are called to be courageous builders of peace in a region too often marred by violence and oppression, said the outline for the Synod of Bishops for the Middle East.

The Vatican released planning details of the planned Synod Jan. 19, in which they noted that Islamic extremism, too, represents a threat to everyone in the region and it must be confronted

by Christians banding together with Muslims who share the same concerns, it added.

The theme of the synod, now being planned and scheduled for Oct. 10-24, is: “The Catholic Church in the Middle East: Communion and Witness: ‘The community of believers was of one heart and mind.’” The quotation is a description of the unity of the early church from the Acts of the Apostles.

The synod’s outline said the two main goals for the October assembly were “to

confirm and strengthen Christians in their identity through the Word of God and the sacraments and to deepen ecclesial communion among the particular churches.”

A renewal of faith and improved ecumenical collaboration also will help Christians better understand their role in Muslim societies and how they can aid their nations by being authentic witnesses of Christ, it said.

The only way to find the strength to overcome the fear or desperation often felt by the Christian minority and to carry

out the mission to “assist your church and your country to grow and develop in peace, justice and equality for all citizens” is to deepen one’s faith, it said.

The “lineamenta,” or outline, of the synod’s theme was released during a Vatican press conference Jan. 19. The document contained dozens of questions about some of the problems confronting Christians and how the church can better prepare people for the challenges they face.

Bishops’ conferences and other groups MIDDLE EAST, page 8

INSIDE THIS WEEK’S EDITION Haiti reflection . . . . . . . . . . . 3 News in brief. . . . . . . . . . . 6-8 Vatican letter . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Archbishop’s Journal. . . . . . 12 Scripture & reflection. . . . . 14

Pope visits Rome synagogue ~ Page 5 ~ January 22, 2010

Deportations separate family ~ Page 10 ~

Film review ‘The Book of Eli’ ~ Page 16 ~ ONE DOLLAR

Datebook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Services, classified ads . 18-19

www.catholic-sf.org VOLUME 12

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No. 3

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Catholic San Francisco

January 22, 2010

On The

Taking a break from Marin Catholic fundraiser with school president, Father Tom Daly, are Tom and Sue O’Neill, parents of MC senior, Drew, and Darcy and Don Tarantino, parents of freshman, Salvatore.

Where You Live

By Tom Burke More than 650 alumni and friends of Marin Catholic High School helped inaugurate the school’s new Pope John Paul II Student Center in Nov. 14 ceremonies welcoming alumna, Sue Lawrence, and alumnus, Tom Lippi, into the Marin Catholic Distinguished Alumni Hall of Fame.

Sue, a 1962 graduate, taught at Marin Catholic for 39 years before retiring in 2007. Her subject areas included English and Theology. The school called Sue a “beloved teacher” with “countless students referring to her as the “best teacher they ever had.” Tom, who earned his diploma in 1969 has taught “all levels of English” at Marin Catholic for 35 years.

He said he still enjoys the classroom and “helping inspire my students to see the usefulness, beauty and power of great writing including their own.” More than $90,000 was raised including $7.800 from live auction of a three-day stay for 14 guests at alum Irene Scully’s Scully Ranch and Vineyards atop the wine country’s Mt. Veeder. Winning bid came from Frank Noonan…. Sorry for the delay but happy anniversary at San Francisco’s Holy Name of

Happy 85th Birthday Dec. 23 to Father Jack Kavanaugh, retired pastor of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Parish in Redwood City and currently residing at Serra Clergy House in San Mateo. On hand to help him celebrate were nieces, Nan Monticelli, left, Sue Mangel, Joan Radsliff, Jean DePartini; his sister, Mary Jane Anderson, and niece, Pat Montgomery. Father Kavanaugh marked his 61st year as a priest Dec. 18.

LIVING TRUSTS WILLS

PROBATE

Jesus Parish to Emiliana and Florio Baldocchi, married San Francisco for 48 years…. Seventh and eighth grad60 years Sept. 4, and Judy and Jim Kenney, married 45 ers at San Francisco’s St. Elizabeth Elementary School years Sept. 5. Holy Name says `thank you’ to parishioner, packed more than 16,000 el bees of food for the needy at Will Casey, for his donation of time, talent materials to San Francisco Food Bank in November. The work was replace outdated sprinklers, set up a drip system for roses, part of the school’s Advent Outreach that also gathered trim back olive trees and revive the front lawn of Holy Name more than 100 gifts for the needy. Second graders, Camila Pastoral Center. Bustin’ at the seams is parishioner, Eileen Lanza and Jerilois Blanco were among those pitchin’ in….

Burns, proud mom of new Palo Alto Police Chief Dennis One more push for St. Paul High School’s class of ’80 Burns. … Another ‘should’a done it sooner’ for Tamara reunion as well as a big push for all reunions especially for Rozofsky, new Director of Youth Ministry and Confirmation those of us whose schools have closed. I received word in prep at St. Peter Parish in Pacifica…. San Francisco’s Star early January that my alma mater Wildwood Catholic High of the Sea Parish announces new Director of Religious School at the Jersey Shore is closing at the end of this school year. It’s actually being converted to Education, Evie Fong. Fond farea regional elementary school that wells and thanks at Star of the Sea combines three parish schools as for exiting DRE, Lorna Feria under part of an ongoing reorganization in whose leadership “the program grew the Diocese of Camden. My hope is by leaps and bounds,” the parish that an alumni group will evolve to said….St. Finn Barr Parish says keep us WC grads as tightly wound `glad you’re here’ to new receptionas the proud alums of closed schools ist Ana Maria Jimenez…. Happy like St. Rose Academy, St. John’s, birthday to Paulist Father Chuck Presentation High School, and St. Kullmann, pastor of Old St. Mary’s Paul’s. So, thanks to Maria Rinaldi Cathedral and 59 years old Nov. Vincent for spurring this rant. Maria 27. Father Chuck, a recent guest on is one of several St. Paul class of ’80 the new Archbishop’s Hour, said Joseph and Barbara Basso alumnae who met recently and felt he’s “looking forward to the next 59.” The Archbishop’s Hour is broadcast Fridays at 9 a.m. as if “time stood still,” she said. “Our school is no longer on on 1260 AM Immaculate Heart Radio with rebroadcasts 29th St. but we are committed to realizing this reunion.” A Friday and Monday at 9 p.m. and Sunday at 11 a.m. St. Paul’s Class of 1980 link is on Facebook and classmates Please join us for great information, interviews, and fun can request either Maria or Bernadette Bitanga.....This with guests from the “working Church” including priests, is an empty space without you. Send items via e-mail to deacons, religious and laity from all walks of ministry and burket@sfarchdiocese.org and by ground to “Street,” One Peter life…. Barbara and Joseph Basso marked 50 years mar- Yorke Way, San Francisco 94109. Electronic photos should ried Dec. 5 with family and friends at Marin Country Club. be jpegs at 300 dpi. No zip files, please. Hard copy photos The Bassos are parishioners of St. Anthony’s in Novato. Dr. are also welcome sent to the Peter Yorke Way address. I can Joseph has been attending podiatrist at St. Anne’s Home in be reached at (415) 614-5634.

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January 22, 2010

Catholic San Francisco

3

(RICK DELVECCHIO/CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO)

(CNS PHOTO/JORGE SILVA, REUTERS

(RICK DELVECCHIO/CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO)

Born in tragedy but devoted to God: reflections on Haitian spirituality

A Haitian woman prays during an outdoor Mass next to the ruins of the cathedral in Port-au-Prince Jan. 17. Haitian schoolgirls line up for Sunday Mass at Notre Dame Cathedral in Cap-Hatien, Haiti, last October. Suzette Bertrand of Oakland, who grew up in Cap-Hatien and mourns the effects of corruption on her native country, said, “The presence of God is very real among the people of Haiti.”

By Rick DelVecchio At the end of Mass on a Sunday last October in Haiti, something took place that I had never seen before on an altar.

A few of the worshipers gathered for the 7 a.m. service at Notre Dame Cathedral in Cap-Hatien, Haiti’s second-largest city, left the pews and formed a line on the altar facing the assembly. The band broke into a swaying, island version of “Happy Birthday”.

On the altar, twin boy toddlers dressed in what looked like tiny Easter suits started dancing to the beat. The woman tending them pulled them back with a stern look, admonishing the children for stepping out of line.

Then, the priest put on a bright smile and walked down the line blessing each honoree with a laying on of hands.

The scene left the powerful impression of ordinary individuals being held high by their neighbors in the center of their community’s circle, while the community itself was held in the wider circle of a Gospel faith that could never grow old.

The second scene met me when I left the church with the languid “Happy Birthday” still in my head. I walked into freshly swept

Cathedral Square – Haitians with brooms had been up at dawn to clean the square and surrounding streets – and stopped at an unexpected sight.

Three long files of crisply uniformed, serious-looking school children were waiting for the next Mass. In a minute I saw the lines move and pour into the cathedral without a waver or a head turning.

The picture of spiritual Haiti was as impressive as, and couldn’t have been more different than, the view of economic Haiti I had seen in the clawing futility of a chaotic downtown Cap-Hatien during the afternoon rush two days before on the main highway through town.

Haiti’s agony after the Jan. 12 earthquake that shattered Port-au-Prince called up such glimpses of Haitian Catholics expressing their faith with a characteristic mix of poise, prayerfulness and celebration. But I wasn’t aware of the depth of Haitian faith until my search for local reaction to the tragedy led me to Suzette Bertrand, a native of Cap-Hatien and a member of the small Haitian community in the San Francisco Bay Area, and Dominican Sister of Mission San Jose Stella Goodpasture, a member of the Haiti Action Committee in the Bay Area and a three-time visitor to Haiti.

Bertrand, who is business manager at Sacred Heart Parish in Oakland, remembered growing up in Cap-Hatien in the 1930s and 1940s and attending Mass at Notre Dame Cathedral with her family at 6 every morning.

“Everyone would go there and pray together,” she said. “It was the whole city coming to church and praying together. They used to call Haiti the country of the good God. Always, God is good. The presence of God is very real among the people of Haiti.”

Bertrand recalled a midnight Mass at Christmas in the early 1940s.

“I left the church at 12 and went back home and I was not afraid,” she said. “They had lights in the streets, so I can walk, at 7 (years old), to my house. They didn’t have those gangs. I used to find money on the street and we weren’t allowed to pick it up – no you don’t do that, this is for poor people.

“The mentality changed with Duvalier,” said Bertrand, who taught in a Catholic elementary school. Francois “Papa Doc” Duvalier was the kleptomaniac strongman who ruled Haiti

from 1957 to 1971 and plunged the nation into the hemisphere’s worst misery. Duvalier’s men killed Bertrand’s brother and cousin, who were in the army, and terrorized and stole from her father, who had an auto parts business.

“When Duvalier went in power, people didn’t trust each other,” said Bertrand, who moved to the United States in 1967. “You couldn’t talk, you didn’t know who that other person was, and sometimes that person would be your cousin, your friend.”

Interviewed at her home five days after the earthquake, Bertrand was angry, grieving and exhausted. She had lost 12 friends in the disaster, and had not heard from her half-sister, Francesca, a retired businesswoman in Portau-Prince. She was angry at the decades of misrule – by Duvalier and by successors she views as no better – that set the stage for the disaster by centralizing the nation’s resources in Port-au-Prince and forcing the poor from their farms into servitude in the capital.

Bertrand’s pain at the cruelty that resulted BORN IN TRAGEDY, page 11

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Catholic San Francisco

January 22, 2010

At 84, pro-life leader and March for Life pioneer Nellie Gray marches on FALL RIVER, Mass. (CNS) – Boston Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley once said some consider Nellie J. Gray the “(Rev.) Martin Luther King Jr. of the pro-life civil rights movement.� “But to me,� he added, “she’s ... the Joan of Arc of the Gospel of life.�

There are many other words to describe this 84-yearold champion of the unborn, but none are more accurate than “mother of the March for Life.� For more than 35 years, Texas native Nellie J. Gray has been working unceasingly to end the slaughter of unborn children in the United States. And like any good mother, she sacrifices everything to protect her children.

Gray served as a corporal in the Women’s Army Corps during World War II. She later earned a bachelor’s degree in business and a master’s in economics. She was an employee of the federal government for 28 years, working for the State Department and the Department of Labor, while attending Georgetown University Law School. Gray found herself practicing law before the U.S. Supreme Court.

In a telephone interview with The Anchor, newspaper of the Diocese of Fall River, Gray said she wasn’t a Catholic as a child, but “I had elements of the Catholic faith in my life.� As a young woman, she encountered a priest who brought to light what the Catholic Church was about and he tutored her until she joined the church.

Gray said that in 1973 when the Supreme Court handed down its Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion virtually on demand, “I knew abortion was wrong, but I really didn’t pay much attention to the ruling. ... I didn’t think anyone would take it seriously.�

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to do something about it, but she wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t quite sure what. of unborn children killed by abortion each year. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The â&#x20AC;&#x153;I was preparing to retire soon, and was thinking about feminist movement has manipulated popular opinion with language like â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;pro-choiceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; and a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;womanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s right to establishing my own practice,â&#x20AC;? she said.

Later that year she retired from her professional life privacy,â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;? she said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;After fighting against evil in and dedicated her efforts to the World War II, I get very upset burgeoning pro-life movement â&#x20AC;&#x201C; that we have Americans trying all on a volunteer basis. to justify abortion,â&#x20AC;? she added.

Gray helped found and later â&#x20AC;&#x153;Somehow a juggernaut of evil became president of the March has grown in this country, includfor Life in the nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s capital first ing Catholics who vote for proheld Jan. 22, 1974. choice candidates. We will never â&#x20AC;&#x153;I received a call from the win this fight until this juggernaut Knights of Columbus,â&#x20AC;? she is exposed and eliminated. I just recalled. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t even know who donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know how weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re going to they were, but they explained their do it.â&#x20AC;? stance against abortion and needed Larry Cirignano, former a place to meet to discuss plans for executive director of Catholic a march. That place was my living Citizenship, a grass-roots educaroom. About 30 people gathered tion organization in Massachusetts, there and they asked if I could help has been working closely with get speakers for the event since I Gray for more than a year. knew Capitol Hill well. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Many priests cite the March â&#x20AC;&#x153;What I couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get was a for Life as the reason for their master of ceremonies for the choice of vocation,â&#x20AC;? he told The event,â&#x20AC;? she said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Politicians didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t Anchor. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Father Frank Pavone of want to get involved in a march, Priests for Life says the march and people at that time werenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t was what inspired him to join the interested in marches after the civil priesthood and make the life issue rights movement and other things.

Nellie Gray, 84, a pro-life leader who his calling.â&#x20AC;?

That left the emcee job to me.â&#x20AC;? founded the March for Life in 1974, is â&#x20AC;&#x153;As a colleague in national proAn estimated 20,000 people pictured Jan. 15 in Washington, D.C. life leadership, Nellie is always joined in that first March for Life. an inspiration to the rest of us,â&#x20AC;?

Since then, hundreds of thousands of pro-life advocates have descended on Washington for Father Pavone said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Her determination is seen, for instance, in how, last year, despite the fact that she fell the event. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Following the march, we had about $400 left over on the day of the March for Life and was in the hospital and we were trying to decide where we should donate that night, she nevertheless was present at an all-day it,â&#x20AC;? Gray said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;One Knight said we need another march meeting of national leaders the very next morning, with a patch on her head.â&#x20AC;? next year, so it went in the coffers.â&#x20AC;?

Cirignano also credits Grayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s efforts for inspiring The March for Life was incorporated in 1974 with Gray as president. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It was then that we established the other pro-life leaders, such as Judie Brown, president life principles that would guide the movement,â&#x20AC;? said and founder of American Life League, and â&#x20AC;&#x153;every person Gray. â&#x20AC;&#x153;A group of us put them together while in a New who has ever prayed outside an abortion mill or worked York airport. We concentrated on â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;thou shalt not kill,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; in a center and saved a baby. â&#x20AC;&#x153;She has inspired all of these people and the annual but we agreed the principles should concentrate on the gathering has been a boost in the arm to continue to fight positive, not the negative.â&#x20AC;?

Set in the context of the Declaration of Independence, and challenge to grow,â&#x20AC;? he added. the life principles demand equal care for the unborn child and the mother, with â&#x20AC;&#x153;no exceptions, no compromise.â&#x20AC;?

Gray, who has attended each of the 36 marches, has seen the number of pro-life supporters grow, particularly with young people. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Many young people donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know that one-third of their generation, thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 50 million people, have been killed through the evil of abortion,â&#x20AC;? she said.

Gray said what keeps her motivated is the millions The annual Walk for Life West Coast in San Francisco will take place Jan. 23, beginning with a pre-walk rally at 11 a.m. at Justin Herman Plaza in Shrine of Saint Jude Thaddeus, Dominican Friars San Francisco. The rally will be followed by a 2-mile walk to the Marina Green. San Francisco Archbishop George Niederauer and other area bishops will participate in the 6th annual event. Visit www.walkforlifewc.com for more information. Also see www. catholic-sf.org for story and schedule of events in Masses: the Jan. 15 issue of Catholic San Francisco.

(CNS PHOTO/NANCY WIECHEC)

By Dave Jolivet

Walk for Life West Coast set for Jan. 23

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January 22, 2010

Catholic San Francisco

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Visiting Rome synagogue, pope honors memory of Holocaust victims

By Cindy Wooden (CNS PHOTO/L’OSSERVATORE ROMANO VIA REUTERS)

ROME (CNS) – Laying a wreath at a memorial to Roman Jews rounded up by the Nazis in 1943 and joining in a standing ovation to a dwindling group of Holocaust survivors, Pope Benedict XVI broke the ice with Rome’s Jewish community even before he began to speak.

The pope made his first visit to Rome’s main synagogue Jan. 17, strongly affirming the Catholic Church’s commitment to improving Catholic-Jewish relations, its respect and appreciation for Jewish faith, its condemnation of anti-Semitism and his own hope that Catholics and Jews can work together to bring biblical values back to society.

Pope Benedict began by telling some 1,500 people packed into the synagogue that he came to “confirm and deepen” the dialogue and to demonstrate “the esteem and the affection which the bishop and the church of Rome, as well as the entire Catholic Church, have towards this community and all Jewish communities around the world.”

But he also responded to a widespread impression within the Jewish community, especially the community in Rome, that Pope Pius XII did not do enough to speak out against the Holocaust. Pope Benedict’s decision in December to advance the sainthood cause of Pope Pius led for calls within the Rome community for the visit to be cancelled and some people boycotted the meeting.

The pope said he could not come to the synagogue without remembering the Jews of Rome “who were snatched from their homes, before these very walls, and who with tremendous brutality were killed at Auschwitz.”

“How could one ever forget their faces, their names, their tears, the desperation faced by these men, women and children?” he asked.

While many people remained indifferent to Hitler’s attempt to exterminate the Jews, he said, “many, including Italian Catholics, sustained by their faith and by Christian teaching, reacted with courage, often at risk of their lives, opening their arms to assist the Jewish fugitives who were being hunted down, and earning perennial gratitude.”

Throughout the meeting, Holocaust survivors, wearing light and dark blue striped scarves, and their children wept at mentions of the Nazi attempt to exterminate the Jews.

Without mentioning Pope Pius by name, Pope Benedict told them, “the Apostolic See itself provided assistance, often in a hidden and discreet way.”

Welcoming the pope to the synagogue, Riccardo Pacifici, president of Rome’s Jewish Community, said the only reason he was born was because his father had been hidden by nuns in a convent in Florence, but many others were not so lucky.

“The weight of history is felt even at today’s event because there are wounds that are still open and cannot be ignored. For this reason, we also respect those who decided not to be here today,” he said.

Pacifici told the pope, “The silence of Pius XII during the Shoah is still painful today.”

If Pope Pius had spoken out more loudly, he said, “maybe he would not have been able to stop the death trains, but he would have sent a signal, a word of comfort, of human solidarity, for our brothers and sisters who were transported to the chimneys of Auschwitz.”

Rabbi Riccardo Di Segni, the chief rabbi of Rome, spoke about the responsibility of people of faith to protect God’s creation, starting with human life and human dignity.

“The silence of God or our own incapacity to hear his voice in the face of the world’s evils is an inscrutable mystery,” the rabbi said. “But the silence of man is on a different level; it makes us wonder, it challenges us, and it does not escape justice.”

The rabbi said that despite continuing tensions, Catholics and Jews must move forward in their dialogue.

All of the speakers mentioned Pope John Paul II’s visit to the synagogue in 1986 and every mention was met with clapping, but the longest applause came when Pope Benedict greeted the retired chief rabbi, 94-year-old Elio Toaff, who had hosted Pope John Paul’s visit.

In his speech, Pope Benedict said that “the closeness and spiritual fraternity” of Catholics and Jews flows from sharing the Hebrew Scriptures or Old Testament.

“It is in pondering her own mystery that the church, the People of God of the New Covenant, discovers her own profound bond with the Jews, who were chosen by the Lord before all others to receive his word,” he said.

Pope Benedict said the Ten Commandments are central to the values that Christians and Jews

share with each other and must share with an increasingly secularized world.

Acknowledging one God as the creator of the universe, calling for respect for human life and upholding the dignity of the traditional family, the Ten Commandments are “a beacon and a norm of life in justice and love, a ‘great ethical code’ for all humanity,” he said.

The pope told his audience that while Christians and Jews pray to the same God, “they often remain unknown to each other. It is our duty, in response to God’s call, to strive to

Pope Benedict XVI visits Rome’s main synagogue Jan. 17. At left is Cardinal Walter Kasper, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity. From right is Rabbi Shear-Yashuv Cohen, the chief rabbi of Haifa, Israel, and Rabbi Riccardo Di Segni, the chief rabbi of Rome.

keep open the space for dialogue, for reciprocal respect, for growth in friendship, for a common witness in the face of the challenges of our time, which invite us to cooperate for the good of humanity in this world created by God.” Renzo Gattegna, president of the Union of Italian Jewish Communities, told reporters that Catholics and Jews still have many issues to discuss and resolve, but the pope’s visit marked a strong step forward.

Anna Foa, a member of the community and a historian who regularly contributes articles to the Vatican newspaper, said, “I was very content. I think it went really well. I believe the pope’s speech marked an opening on several points,” including “the irrevocable nature” of the Jews’ covenant with God, the horror of the Holocaust and his firm commitment to the Second Vatican Council’s teaching of respect for the Jews.

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Catholic San Francisco

NEWS

January 22, 2010

in brief

Pope says helping young people needs collaboration VATICAN CITY — Young people need help in avoiding a lifestyle where relationships and sexuality are trivialized, Pope Benedict XVI said. “The church asks for everyone’s collaboration, in particular from those who work in schools, to teach a lofty view of love and human sexuality,” the pope said Jan. 14 in a speech to officials from the city and province of Rome and the Lazio region of Italy. Young people today are looking for answers that can explain the human condition and the future of humanity as well as “for answers that can show them how to base their life on timeless values,” he said. Christianity offers a “loftier vision of humanity” and the church can contribute much to the urgent task of teaching young people about relationships and sexuality, he said. “It’s necessary to avoid exposing adolescents and young people to ways that promote the trivialization of these fundamental dimensions of human existence,” that is, the dimensions of human sexuality and

love, he said. The pope said when the church says “no” to particular behaviors and lifestyles, “in reality it is saying ‘yes’ to life, to love lived in the truth of giving oneself to another, and to love that is open to life and is not closed up in a narcissistic view of the couple.”

Bishop Pelotte credited for making ‘mark in history’ GALLUP, N.M. — Hundreds of priests, religious and laity gathered Jan. 14 at Sacred Heart Cathedral for the funeral Mass of retired Bishop Donald E. Pelotte of Gallup, who died Jan. 7 at age 64. When he was named a bishop in 1986, the appointment was remarkable for his youth — he was 40 years old — and for the fact he was the first American Indian to be named a Catholic bishop in the United States. He was a member of the Abenaki tribe from Maine. “History was being made,” said homilist Msgr. Leo Gomez. The priest noted the challenges inherited by Bishop Pelotte and said he met them with both verve and vision. Bishop Pelotte, who was coadjutor of Gallup for four years and became head of the diocese in 1990, “was well prepared through the Second Vatican Council to accept the responsibility and leadership of our missionary diocese,” said Msgr. Gomez, a retired Gallup diocesan priest. “And he did a wonderful job.” The homilist recalled how shocked everyone was by the bishop’s first chrism Mass homily where he outlined an ambitious plan to strengthen ministries and empower laypeople to help lead parishes and missions.

Bishops express concern about Jewish settlements JERUSALEM — Representatives of U.S. and English bishops meeting with colleagues from Europe and the Holy Land expressed concern over the increasing construction of Jewish settlements around Jerusalem. “There is continuing development of not only the Old City but also the historical basin area around the Old City, and the plans seem to be taking place without any discussion with Muslim and Christian authorities about their holy places,” said Bishop Gerald Kicanas of Tucson, Ariz., vice president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. “There is concern about (this) continuing development.” Bishop Kicanas noted that at locations such as the Mount of Olives, where the Jerusalem municipality recently approved construction of four new buildings, there are sites considered holy by both Jews and Christians. “The settlers are interested in (the Mount of Olives) because of the historic and religious meaning it has for Jews, and that is obviously important, but also in that area of the land the other faiths are important, too. Certainly the Mount of Olives is important in the Christian faith,” he said. Auxiliary Bishop William Kenney of Birmingham, England, said the apparent lack of accountability in the planning of the development of these projects circling Jerusalem is very disturbing. “The basic impression (from briefings) is that something is going on that is not transparent, and it sounds extraordinarily odd,” said Bishop Kenney. “Obviously it seems to be a campaign to make sure Palestinians leave East Jerusalem.”

Pope meets, forgives Christmas Eve attacker VATICAN CITY — As a sign of his forgiveness, Pope Benedict XVI met with the woman responsible for knocking him down during a Christmas Eve Mass, a papal spokesman said.

The pope met with Susanna Maiolo after leading his weekly general audience Jan. 13 in the Vatican’s Paul VI hall, Father Federico Lombardi said in a written statement. In a private room NEWS IN BRIEF, page 8

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January 22, 2010

Catholic San Francisco

From left: Joe Tassone, Thilini Chandrasekera, Erin Stewart, Magdalena Fitipaldi, Morgan Kerrigan, Rev. Walter Hoye, Ryan Mayer, Lori Hoye, Kirk Warner, and Keith Pence.

Marin Catholic High School hosted talks Jan. 6 by Rev. Walter Hoye, a noted Bay Area pro-life activist. The event took place in the school’s new Pope John Paul II Student Center. Father Tom Daly, Marin Catholic president, offered opening remarks and welcomed the visiting Baptist minister.

Rev. Hoye, who recently served a 30-day jail term for protesting outside of Planned Parenthood facilities, focused on the need to be vocal about pro-life. He spoke very positively about the upcoming Walk for Life West Coast where he has been a featured speaker in past years. Students from Marin Catholic are expected to march in this year’s walk Jan. 23.

Rev. Hoye gave six one-hour presentations in order to reach the entire 720-member student body and visitors.

“Rev. Hoye was able to eloquently and powerfully reveal the truth about abortion and young people are always drawn to the truth,” Father Daly said following the talks.

Hoye proclaimed from the psalms noting “children are a heritage from the Lord and the fruit of the womb is a reward from him.”

(PHOTO BY ARNE FOLKEDAL/CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO)

Students hear pro-life talk

Archbishop George H. Niederauer celebrated a Mass at St. Mary’s Cathedral Conference Center Jan. 16 to honor the 45th anniversary of California Handicapables Inc., a group that assists disabled Catholics. Handicapables founder Nadine Calliguri is pictured to the archbishop’s left. Also pictured at right are Deacons R. Christoph Sandoval and Pete Pelimiano. Calliguri, who has cerebral palsy, founded Handicapables in San Francisco in 1965.

The organization now has branches in the United States, Europe and Asia.

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Catholic San Francisco

January 22, 2010

News in brief . . . n Continued from page 6

(CNS PHOTO/KAREN CALLAWAY, CATHOLIC NEW WORLD)

of the audience hall, the pope held a brief meeting with Maiolo and members of her family in order to “demonstrate his forgiveness,” to see how she was doing and to “wish her good health,” the statement said. Maiolo told the pope she was sorry for what had happened during the Christmas Eve Mass, the Vatican said.

Maiolo, 25, jumped a security barrier at the start of the Dec. 24 liturgy as Pope Benedict processed into St. Peter’s Basilica.

As Vatican guards tackled her, she was able to grab the pope’s vestments, causing him to lose his balance and tumble to the floor. She was taken for mandatory psychiatric evaluation to a hospital in Subiaco outside of Rome and released Jan. 9. While hospitalized, she received a visit from the pope’s secretary, Msgr.

Georg Ganswein, who wished to show the pope’s concern for her situation, according to a Vatican statement.

Middle East . . . n Continued from cover

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in the region were asked to respond to the questions by April 4. The responses will form the basis of the synod’s working document.

A major problem many face in the Middle East is political conflict for example: the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories, divisions in Lebanon and the war in Iraq, which has “unleashed evil forces within the country” that target all Iraqis, the document said.

The increasing influence of Islam on politics and the retreat of Christians from political life, as can be seen in Egypt, have led to intolerance, inequality and injustice, it said.

In some countries authoritarian regimes force all citizens, including Christians, to silently accept the status quo, it said.

The influence globalization is having on cultures, including in the Middle East, can help promote human rights, but it also risks destroying local value systems, the institution of the family and spirituality, it said.

Responding to threats to traditional values, Islamic fundamentalism has spread – blaming the source of all social ills on neglecting Islam, it said.

“These extremist currents, clearly a threat to everyone, Christians and Muslims alike, require a treatment in common,” it said.

Christians and Muslims share some of the same concerns, especially regarding the threats of atheism, materialism, relativism and indifference, said the outline, and working together to overcome these tendencies is needed.

Living in a region caught up in so many military conflicts can make working for peace seem impossible, it said, “considering that war and violence are virtually forced upon us.”

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“The solution to conflicts rests in the hands of the stronger country in its occupying and inflicting wars on another country. Violence is in the hands of the strong and weak alike, the latter resorting to whatever violence is within reach in order to be free,” it said.

Christians must courageously denounce those who oppress, who work against their country’s best interests, or who resort to violence in order to overcome oppression, said the outline.

It will take a great deal of courage for Christians to convince people that violence has led only to failure and that, with dialogue, “peace is the most realistic path to follow even though the majority of people might reject it.”

The Middle East is the cradle of Christianity, it said, yet Christians have been emigrating from the region in increasingly greater numbers.

“We bear a grave responsibility not only to maintain the Christian faith in these holy lands, but more still to maintain the spirit of the Gospel among Christian peoples and (in) their relations with non-Christians,” it said.

Despite its small size, Christianity plays an irreplaceable role in the Middle East, it said, because it upholds the values of peace, justice and forgiveness, which are fundamental to promoting the common good.

While global policies and local politics “will likely have an impact on a decision to stay in our countries or emigrate,” the faithful will find reason to stay in their home countries when they accept their vocation as Christians – finding hope and strength in God and working to bring peace and justice for all, the document said.

Christians are called to proclaim the message of Christ “despite difficulties and persecution,” it said.

The desire to evangelize has also diminished and the outline emphasized the responsibility of all Christians to share the Gospel message of love and hope.

Editor’s Note: The outline in English is posted on the Vatican Web site.

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Scalabrini Sister Noemia Silva prays as Catholics joined people from different denominations at First Baptist Congregational Church in Chicago for a rally focusing on immigration and human rights Jan. 16.

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Catholic San Francisco

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Vatican Letter: For Pope Benedict, a different shade of green

By John Thavis VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Over the last few months, Pope Benedict XVI has opened a wider dialogue on the subject of environmental protection, and in the process put a sharper focus on an issue that’s become central to his pontificate.

It’s increasingly clear that the “green” label slapped onto Pope Benedict after he installed solar panels at the Vatican and joined a reforestation project in Europe was not the whole story. Now the pope is defining which shade of green — in moral arguments that are not always popular.

The pope began weighing in on environmental themes in 2006. His strong defense of the Amazon’s fragile ecology, his appeals for safe water and his warnings on pollution’s burden on the poor all received general acclamation.

When he approved the installation of solar panels on several Vatican buildings and funded tree-planting in Hungary, the Vatican drew praise for trying to become the world’s first carbon-neutral state.

But lately, the pope’s words on ecology have raised eyebrows and even some objections.

In a speech Jan. 11 to the diplomatic corps accredited to the Vatican, the pope extended the discussion of “human ecology” to same-sex marriage.

“Creatures differ from one another and can be protected, or endangered, in different ways, as we know from daily experience. One such attack comes from laws or

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proposals which, in the name of fighting discrimination, strike at the biological basis of the difference between the sexes,” he said.

That prompted protests from homosexual activists, including the head of an Italian gay organization, who said the pope’s linkage of gay marriage and ecological irresponsibility was “almost comical.”

Pope Benedict, however, was not trying to score a cheap political point. His argument touched on what might be called the leitmotif of his pontificate: that man is not God, and that man’s actions should correspond to God’s plan — or, as he phrased it to the diplomats, to “the structure willed by the Creator.”

This is a long-held opinion of the German pontiff.

In 2004, in a major Vatican doctrinal document on the relationship of men and women, then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger said the “obscuring of the difference or duality of the sexes” was part of a misguided effort to free the human being from biological conditioning.

Addressing the diplomats, the pope said he was thinking of legislative initiatives in countries in Europe, North America and South America. Three days earlier, the Parliament in heavily Catholic Portugal was the latest to pass a law that would legalize same-sex marriage.

In the same speech, the pope underlined that protecting the environment makes no sense unless it begins with protecting human life, including the life of the unborn. Here, too, the pope was emphasizing that the church’s “green” philosophy always puts the human being at the center, precisely because humans are made in God’s image.

Critics might argue that the pope was hijacking environmental issues to push the Church’s agenda on the usual topics of abortion and homosexuality. But in fact, the pope’s analysis of morality and ecology went in several other directions, too, challenging conventional policies.

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One of his strongest points to the audience of diplomats — and one that received relatively little coverage in mainstream media — was that the protection of creation demands a re-allocation of resources away from military spending and the development of nuclear weapons.

It echoed an appeal he made for disarmament in his World Peace Day message Jan. 1, which was dedicated to the environment. In that text, the pope said the continued existence of nuclear weapons “threatens the life of the planet and the ongoing integral development of the present generation and of generations yet to come.”

Likewise, the pope probed the link between war and ecological damage. He noted that many current conflicts around the world arose from a struggle for natural resources, and in turn inflict immense harm on the environment.

He looked at the connection between environmental destruction and migration, and pointed to the drug trade in places like Afghanistan, where agriculture is largely dedicated to the production of narcotics. “If we want peace, we need to preserve creation by rechanneling these activities,” he said.t In short, the pope’s analysis is not a simple one, nor is it easily categorized. His environmental “position” touches on climate change (he urged an international agreement, warning that the future of some island nations is at stake) and the global economic crisis (which he blames in part on the selfish activities of the investment industry).

He sees the ecological crisis as part of a wider moral crisis, and the common denominator is what he calls a “self-centered and materialistic way of thinking which fails to acknowledge the limitations inherent in every creature.”

With that as a starting point, the pope’s continuing catechesis of ecology is likely to keep grabbing attention and ruffling feathers in coming months.

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.

10

Catholic San Francisco

January 22, 2010

Parents’ deportations divide long-time parish family

By José Luis Aguirre ilbert Mejia and his sister Helen thought the end of the world had arrived when they said goodbye to their parents and Dulce, their four-year-old sister, at San Francisco International Airport in November.

The two teenagers, 18 and 13 years old respectively, were witnessing the deportation of their parents to Guatemala. The couple had come to the United States without documentation 17 years earlier and had established a home of their own and a family. Both parents had good jobs: Salvador Mejia worked as a carpenter and Elida Mejia-Perez was a caregiver for children and older adults.

But despite what the couple accomplished in a starting a new life, they were sent back to Guatemala because they were living in the United States illegally, according to a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) complaint that was upheld in court after a long fight.

“Mom and dad were very productive citizens,” said Precious Blood Father Dave Matz, a parochial vicar at St. Raphael Parish in San Rafael, where the Mejias are long-time members.

Advocates for immigration reform point to the breakup of families as one reason that current law is unjust and should be changed. Cases such as that of the Mejias are not uncommon, although most undocumented people who are prosecuted by ICE do not fight the charges as hard as the Mejias did.

“There are so many like them in the same situation,” said St. Raphael parishioner and Marin Organizing Committee activist Susan Brown, who is leading a community effort to assist the Mejia children. “It’s just that they fought it.”

According to current U.S. law, when Helen, a U.S. citizen, turns 21, she can petition to bring her parents back to the United States. However, because they were deported, they are barred from returning for 10 years.

Helen Mejia, 13, with her brother Gilbert, 18, and Precious Blood Father Dave Matz, The nightmare for the Mejias began in March 2007 when ICE officers knocked on the door of the sleeping parochial vicar at St. Raphael Parish in San Rafael. The teens are struggling family’s home in Novato. They had a warrant for somewith the aftermath of their parents’ deportation to Guatemala. one the family did not know.

“Because we opened the door and they were already inside the house, they decided to ask for our documents,” very bad and was very angry that not even in the airport hard for a better life,” Father Matz said. “Immigration Gilbert remembered. did ICE take the bracelets off,” she said. “They did that officials should be conscious that they are separating “They entered in a very violent way,” Helen added. only when my parents were in the airplane. They treated families and leaving them with an open wound for the rest of their lives.”

“There were eight agents in the house and some more them like criminals.”

Helen said the immigration authorities should consider in the backyard. They spoke loudly, had guns, and took Nobody told Dulce about the situation. Instead, her me off the bed, pointing at me with their guns. Then I siblings told her she was going to meet her grandma in the impact of their actions on families.

“Everybody in this country is an immigrant in a differsaw how they handcuffed my parents.”

Guatemala where she was going to have a pet.

ICE agents let Elida Mejia-Perez remain in the house Since arriving back in their native Quetzaltenango in ent way,” she said. “Immigration officials are not taking to take care of her children. Salvador Mejia and an uncle Guatemala’s western highlands, the couple has not been into consideration the feelings of the families when they were arrested and taken to a detention center in San able to find a job. They continue to worry about their are deported, when people don’t even know when they are going to see each other again. They should walk in Francisco. He was released on bail pending a hearing two children in the Bay Area. on his case.

The couple are now living in Xela, the second most our shoes because they have families, too. What would While they awaited their court date, the couple had important commercial city in Guatemala, but are still they think if they got separated against their will?”

Gilbert, who coordinates the youth group at St. to wear electronic ankle bracelets and report frequently unable to find work, Gilbert said. to immigration officers.

“Things are really, really hard there,” he said. “There Raphael Parish, added: “Family separation is very harmful. If I could send a message to the immigration officials, That was a blow espeare zero jobs.” cially to Salvador Mejia, The teenagers live I would tell them that instead of spending millions of who lost work as a carwith another uncle in the dollars on deportations, they should spend that money penter because he had same house their parents on comprehensive immigration reform.”

Asked to comment on the case, ICE spokeswoman to report to immigration had bought, but the mortofficers three times weekgage and other bills have Virginia Kice said: “This family had access to due proly in San Francisco. to be paid. A December cess and their case was reviewed, and ultimately it was determined that they didn’t have a legal basis to remain “With his hands and property tax bill is due. skills he was doing the Their relatives help, as in the country. ICE doesn’t make the determination about American dream,” Brown do other concerned adults a foreign national’s deportability. Those decisions are said. “Unfortunately he including Father Matz made by immigration judges.”

The law allows immigration courts very little disdidn’t come over on the and Father Paul Rossi, Mayflower, so his papers pastor at St. Raphael cretion to suspend deportation for family reasons, said Francisco Ugarte, an attorney for the San Francisco are required.”

Parish.

In October 2007, an “The same week their Immigrant Legal and Education Network.

“While ICE may say they take families into considerimmigration judge in parents were deported, San Francisco ruled in we decided to start a fund ation in their law-enforcement decisions, that is simply favor of the Mejias after with the help of some not true,” Ugarte said. “I have seen countless families family members testiparishioners” Father torn apart.”

Family unity would be a cornerstone of immigrafied that both Helen and Matz said. “For me it is Dulce were born in the such an honor to put my tion policy under one measure in the current Congress, United States and that the effort into helping these the Comprehensive Immigration Reform for America’s Security and Prosperity Act of 2009, HR. 4321, introentire family would sufkids.”

Efforts to help the duced by Illinois Democrat Luis V. Gutierrez. fer if they had to return The Mejias’ legal troubles are not over. On the day children are focusing on to Guatemala. finding more employ- of the raid at the family’s home, the officers did not ICE appealed. The Helen and Gilbert Mejia ment for the uncle and an detain Gilbert because assumed that he was an American family continued to fight aunt, who have stepped in citizen. But three days later, they found out that he was to remain in the United States, spending more than $30,000 on legal fees to as caregivers. People helping the family are struggling to born in Guatemala.

Gilbert is due in court in July, when a judge will contest the appeal. They also asked U.S. Sen. Dianne keep the household intact and to make sure that the aunt Feinstein to sponsor a private bill for them. She reviewed and uncle earn enough to cover the mortgage payments decide if he can stay in the United States or if he must return to Guatemala, a country he doesn’t know. He said on the house. the case twice, but declined to intervene.

“They go month to month trying to make the pay- his lawyer weighs his chances at 50-50.

In the end, the couple lost their case and had to return The Mejia-Perez Family Fund has been established at ment,” Father Matz said. to Guatemala, taking Dulce with them.

Father Matz has taken Gilbert to meetings and events Marin Bank, l4460 Redwood Highway, San Rafael, CA “It was the saddest day in my life,” said Gilbert, a student at Santa Rosa Junior College who wants to become where he can connect with people who might be able to 94903. The account number is 03-131026. help, especially with legal matters. an architect. “Now, I feel the solitude in the house.”

Catholic San Francisco Assistant Editor “We are talking about a family with a strong conHelen, a ninth grader at Novato High School, said that watching her parents’ struggle was very difficult. “I felt nection with the community, who have worked very Rick DelVecchio contributed to this story.

G

January 22, 2010

Catholic San Francisco

11

Help Haitian . . .

(CNS PHOTO/JORGE SILVA, REUTERS)

As the pace of the response accelerated, agencies took extra security measures after reports of looting in some Port-au-Prince neighborhoods. CRS was sending in its security expert from Africa and was working with U.N. peacekeepers to protect convoys as supplies were taken across the border from the neighboring Dominican Republic, Johns told Catholic News Service.

Christian Fuchs, communications director for Jesuit Relief Services USA in Washington, said the agency had opened several medical centers to assist injured people in some of the poorest neighborhoods of the Haitian capital and the surrounding area. The agency had raised about $150,000 for its relief effort as of Jan. 19.

Jesuit-run hospitals and clinics in the Port-au-Prince neighborhoods of Turgeau, Haut Turgeau, Delmas and Canape Vert reopened. A health care facility in the quakeravage town of Leogane, about 25 miles west of Port-au-Prince, also reopened, he told CNS Jan. 19.

Teams of medical personnel from across the United States were being shuttled to Haiti. Creighton University in Omaha, Neb., and Loyola University Chicago are among institutions sending medical staff.

CRS was sending a plane with medical supplies and equipment as well as medical personnel and additional staff from Miami the afternoon of Jan. 19.

Johns said operating rooms and several medical clinics were operating on emergency power.

“One of the things we had is a big HIV/ AIDS program through these clinics,” Johns said. “We tapped into that.”

CRS also opened a supply pipeline from the Dominican Republic border town of Jimani, about 35 miles from Port-au-Prince, to the Haitian capital.

Johns said shelter kits, bedding, mosquito nets, water and food were being distributed from one of two CRS warehouses in the capital. Although undamaged, the second warehouse was blocked by debris and distribution of its contents not yet begun as of Jan. 19, he said.

The agency hired workers to clear the blockage and Johns said he expected it

(CNS PHOTO/MARCO DORMINO, UNITED NATIONS)

n Continued from cover

Haitians pray during a outdoor Mass held next to the ruins of the Catholic cathedral in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Jan. 17. As earthquake survivors sought food, water and medical help, world leaders pledged aid to rebuild Haiti after what the United Nations called the worst humanitarian crisis in decades.

would be at least another day before the stored supplies could be distributed.

Fuchs reported that Jesuits in Haiti and

Catholic aid agencies accept donations for Haitian quake relief WASHINGTON (CNS) – The following international aid agencies are working with partner agencies and local religious leaders in Haiti and are accepting donations for victims of the Jan. 12 earthquake.

– Catholic Relief Services, the U.S. bishops’ international relief and development agency, is accepting donations by phone at (800) 736-3467; online at www.crs.org; or by mail to CRS, P.O. Box 17090, Baltimore, MD 21203-7090.

– The Salesians are accepting donations by phone at (914) 633-8344; online at www.salesianmissions.org; or by mail to Salesian Disaster Relief, Salesian Missions, P.O. Box 30, New Rochelle, NY 10802-0030.

– The Archdiocese of Miami, which has a large Haitian population, has set up a place to donate online at www.newmiamiarch.org.

– Caritas Internationalis is accepting donations for Haiti at www.caritas.org.

– Food for the Poor is also accepting donations at www.foodforthepoor.org.

– Catholic Medical Mission Board is accepting monetary donations by mail to CMMB, 10 W. 17th St., New York, NY 10011; by phone at (800) 678-5659; or online at http://support.cmmb.org/Haiti. Medicines and medical supplies may be donated by calling CMMB’s Kathy Tebbett at (212) 242 7757.

– Jesuit Refugee Service is accepting donations at www.jrsusa.org; click on “Donate Now” box on right of page.

– The Pontifical Mission Societies have established a long-term solidarity fund to help Haiti. Contributions may be directed to: Pontifical Mission Societies, Haitian Solidarity Fund, 70 W. 36th St., New York, NY 10018. Credit card donations can be made at www.onefamilyinmission.org.

– The Vincentians have set up an online donation forum at www.cammonline.org.

– Cross International Catholic Outreach is accepting donations online at www. crosscatholic.org/relief; by mail at 600 SW 3rd Street, Suite 2201, Pompano Beach, FL 33060; or by phone at (800) 391-8545.

– Contributions for Haiti disaster relief and recovery can be made via the national Web site of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul at www.svdpusa.org, or by mail to: Haiti Earthquake, Society of St Vincent de Paul USA, 58 Progress Parkway, St Louis, MO 63043.

– To help rebuild the church’s structures and ministries in Haiti, checks or money orders payable to Collection for the Church in Latin America may be sent to: Help the Church in Haiti, USCCB Office of National Collections, 3211 Fourth Street NE, Washington, DC 20017. The Web site is www.usccb.org/nationalcollections/helphaiti/index.shtml.

– The Federal Association of the Order of Malta, which operates a hospital, medical clinics and social service organizations in Haiti, is accepting donations at its Web site, www.orderofmalta-federal.org.

the Dominican Republic were seeing a growing exodus of people from Port-au-Prince heading to the Dominican border.

Born in tragedy . . . n Continued from cover

from the centralization reminded me of something St. John the Evangelist Sister Nidia Victoria Zuluaga told me in Dajabon, Dominican Republic. The handful of rich and the millions of poor in Haiti have grown to live in different worlds, physically and morally.

“The educated people never want to show that things are as bad as they are,” Sister Zuluaga said. “They’re embarrassed about other Haitians. It’s a cultural battle. They’re embarrassed about the poor people.”

Bertrand couldn’t help but feel a sense of justice that the earthquake crippled the government.

“That’s what I call the cleansing,” she said.

“They have to go.”

The poor were victims as well, but they have been victims since the 1950s, Bertrand said.

“We have to have a closing of the old Duvalier (system), so we can go back to our culture,” she said, “because that’s not Haitian what they’re doing. The people were a good people but with Duvalier they were corrupted.

We have to have an end to the corruption.”

Sister Goodpasture said she found Haitians to be polite, hospitable, generous and respectful.

“I have never encountered so many people with the same kinds of qualities,” she said. “It’s a national characteristic. They will not take the first piece of food off the plate. They will wait until everyone is served. This is the kind of spirit they have.

“I find them to be a very religious people,” Sister Goodpasture said, recalling a visit to St. Joseph’s Home for Boys in Port-au-Prince. All the children at the home were outside when the quake hit and no one was hurt.

The remains of the Catholic cathedral of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, is seen in a Jan. 15 handout photo provided by the United Nations. Officials with the Catholic aid agency Caritas in Haiti reported that most of the churches in Port -au-Prince had been destroyed in the earthquake that rocked the capital.

“We’re concerned that could be an overwhelming situation,” he explained. “We’re pushing that anyone displaced by the earthquake be given accommodation in Haiti.”

The church efforts supplemented the global response from the world’s governments. As of Jan. 19, the United States had more than 11,000 military personnel on the ground or offshore preparing to mobilize. In addition nearly three dozen helicopters were flying supplies to nine landing zones around Port-au-Prince.

“When they have their prayers, this is the style of their prayer,” she said. “They stand in a circle, a name is called, and each boy has to name three people that he saw do something wonderful that day.

“I’d have to say it’s the Gospel at its best,” Sister Goodpasture said.” Instead of looking for evil, they’re looking for what good this person has done.”

The Haitian people started in misery, Bishop Chibly Langlois of the Diocese of Fort Liberte told journalists in October.

We reached Bishop Langlois after driving across the northern plains. Bertrand, a student of Haitian history, told me that the French who colonized Haiti and populated it with African slaves made their riches here.

She said sugar cane spread from the road to the foothills, in fields strikingly lacking in life today.

The slaves revolted and Haiti won its independence in 1803. But Haiti, a republic formed

by Africans in an overwhelmingly European hemisphere, was feared and shunned.

“A high percentage of people are not educated,” Bishop Langlois said, “and if you know the history of Haiti you probably will understand why we are like that. Especially how we were treated after our independence in international relations, is one of the reasons for this misery.”

Farid Moise, a member of the Catholic Relief Services staff in Haiti, elaborated.

“Nobody (wanted) to deal with Haiti,” he said. “France made us pay for our independence. We were indentured, the entire island.

This entire island was set up with slaves.”

Bishop Langlois brought the conversation to a close.

“When we start talking about the story, it will be a long story,” he said. “We are not responsible for the situation that we’re in, and yet at the same time we are responsible.”

12

Catholic San Francisco

January 22, 2010

Archbishop’s Journal

Message of Cana: Dignity and meaning of Christian marriage, and much more Let’s look at John’s story about Cana, a town near Nazareth, Jesus and Mary’s home town. Mary is a guest at the wedding, and Jesus and his early followers have been invited too. Mary is something of a special guest, and she may have had something to do with helping arrange the reception. When she becomes aware that the hosts are running out of wine, her faith in her Son leads her to tell him of the problem.

Remember, in John’s telling of the gospel story, Jesus has not yet worked any sign or miracle. Jesus even says to his mother, “My hour has not yet come.”

For one thing, in this story John shows the ordinary humanity of Jesus. And, remember, John is a great emphasizer of Jesus as Son of God. Nevertheless, we see Jesus at Cana enjoying the happy social occasion of a wedding, and acting in sympathy, kindness and understanding toward people who aren’t in the worst trouble there is, but still are acutely ashamed and embarrassed.

And the Catholic Church has always understood Jesus at Cana as a powerful sign of the value he places on Christian marriage as a sacrament and a vocation.

We don’t even know the young couple’s names, but we consider them one of the most privileged couples in history, to have Jesus and Mary as guests at their wedding. And yet, as I like to point out when I preside at a Catholic wedding, every young couple who get married in the Church are more privileged than they.

The couple from Cana invited Jesus to their home and he changed water into wine for them. But Jesus invites each Catholic couple into the church, the home he shares with them, and for them and their guests at Mass he changes bread and wine into his own Body and Blood, with which he nourishes them for their life together in Him. The dignity and meaning of Christian marriage is challenged in our time, especially by people who contend that different kinds of partnering should be indistinguishable from one another, that there is noth-

ing unique about the union of a man and a woman, and the life they share with one another and their children.

Besides, we are often told, this is the 21st century, and the traditional family of husband, wife and their children is passé, going quickly out of style.

In a Sunday cartoon sometime ago Doonesbury took satiric aim at such ideas; he showed his hero watching Geraldo or some such tabloid show. The host began: “Meet Brad and Carol. They have been married for ten years. They have two happy, welladjusted children who were not born out of wedlock. Both Brad and Carol go to church, give time to charities, love their parents, and help their kids with their homework. Neither has ever battered the other. Neither is addicted to sex, drugs, alcohol, food, violence, cigarettes, or each other. Today on Geraldo: Happily married people who are not recovering from anything!!” Then the host says: “So, Brad and Carol!

What’s it like, being freaks?” Brad answers, “It’s fine.

No complaints.” Carol says, “Actually it’s strengthened our marriage.”

I’m not saying Jesus doesn’t care about troubled lives or troubled relationships. He seems to care most about those, and so should we in the Catholic Church.

But that doesn’t mean there isn’t a Christian ideal, and it does mean that the people who strive toward it need our prayers, support and encouragement.

And the story of Cana speaks to each one of us baptized Catholics about our own vocations as Christians.

Cana shows us that Jesus has the power and the desire to make the ordinary in us into the spiritually extraordinary, just as he transformed the water into wine. But we have to do as those waiters did: we have to take Mary’s advice — “Do whatever he tells you.” That is the only piece of advice Mary gives to anyone in all four gospels, and twenty centuries later it is still the best piece of spiritual advice for Christians: “Do whatever Jesus tells you.”

In today’s Gospel story St. John is not just telling

Catholic san Francisco Northern California’s Weekly Catholic Newspaper

Reverence for planet While no expert on environmental issues, toxic waste, the ozone layer, pollution or global warming, I have been on this planet long enough to learn from my teachers and my own parents that we need to do our part to protect our natural resources – long before I became a Catholic.

Now that I am a Catholic, I am puzzled why some of my brothers and sisters in the faith get so angry about these issues, as if working for a cleaner

Letters welcome Catholic San Francisco welcomes letters from its readers. Please: ➣ Include your name, address and daytime phone number. ➣ Sign your letter. ➣ Limit submissions to 250 words. ➣ Note that the newspaper reserves the right to edit for clarity and length.

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

world were somehow anti-Catholic – the many letters to the editor in this very paper show this tendency.

For those who are indeed fervent in the Catholic faith, yet nervous about movements to protect the planet, I gently suggest they GOOGLE the phrase “Green Pope” and read what the Holy Father has taught over and over again about our sacred duty to work for change.

If Pope Benedict XVI believes and firmly teaches that these issues are an essential part of being good Christians, and good stewards of the earth, that’s good enough for me.

Father William E. Brown Pastor Our Lady of Mercy Parish Daly City

Enough to go around Regarding a recent column by Antoinette Bosco, “Mean-spiritedness takes over again” (CSF, Oct. 9), my question is where was she during the last eight years? Mean-spiritedness never left us! She talks about “super-popular talkshow hosts” on radio and television “who spew out hatred.” I assume she means conservative commentators by the slant in her column. Yes, just as with film stars and comedians they may be going for the shock value. However, these are people in the “entertainment” industry.

What do you say to the average citizen who by and large spews hatred, such as blog sites and bloggers who blame

us about something Jesus did many centuries ago in a town halfway around the world. It’s a story about what Jesus is Archbishop always doing.

George H. In this connection, Dr. William Barclay, Niederauer the Presbyterian scholar of Scripture, told a story about a British laborer who drank away his wages at the pub every week with his friends from work. Consequently, he was behind in the rent, his wife had begun to pawn their furniture, and there was little food on the table. One day he went to a Christian temperance meeting and turned his life around. He stopped drinking. Now there was food on the table and money for the rent. His family was delighted.

However, his co-workers were not; they had lost their drinking buddy. They teased him endlessly, and one day one of them asked him sarcastically “Do you really believe Jesus Christ turned water into wine?”

The man answered, “I don’t know about that, but if you come over to my house I’ll show you how he turned beer into furniture!”

The message is that Jesus comes into our lives too, with the same power that could change water into wine. Here’s a promising question, not a scary one: What change do you need to make in your life that you can’t do by yourself? What is the “beer” in your life that needs to be changed into “furniture?”

If you were to take Mary’s advice, and do whatever Jesus tells you, what change could he make in your life if you let him?

Archbishop George H. Niederauer delivered the homily above Jan. 16 at a Handicapables Mass at St. Mary’s Cathedral Conference Center.

tsunamis that wipe out hundreds of thousands of people on the former president, saying it was some sort of war tactic? I think if we are going to talk about meanspiritedness, then we can’t categorize only one “side” as mean-spirited, which is what Bosco seemed to do. There is an ideological divide in this country that threatens to tear us apart. The writer and I agree only on her statement that we need to protest meanness with prayer. That is what this forum should be about, prayer not politics.

Jeanne Asdourian Corte Madera

Respect earth and science

was itself based on a short telephone interview with a little-known Indian scientist then based at Jawaharlal Nehru University in Delhi, who “has since admitted that the claim was ‘speculation’ and was not supported by any formal research. If confirmed it would be one of the most serious failures yet seen in climate research. The IPCC was set up precisely to ensure that world leaders had the best possible scientific advice on climate change.”

We should have respect for God’s creation, of course. But when considering global public policies, we also should demand scientific opinions that are reliable.

Roger S. Thorne San Francisco

L E T T E R S

Regarding recent letters on the subject of climate change, it is interesting to note a story in the Jan. 17 edition of the London Times, which carried a headline, “World misled over Himalayan glacier meltdown.”

The London Times’ story said, “A warning that climate change will melt most of the Himalayan glaciers by 2035 is likely to be retracted after a series of scientific blunders by the United Nations body that issued it. Two years ago the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) issued a benchmark report that was claimed to incorporate the latest and most detailed research into the impact of global warming. A central claim was the world’s glaciers were melting so fast that those in the Himalayas could vanish by 2035.”

The Times noted that the scientists behind the warning have admitted that it was based on a news story in the New Scientist, a popular science journal, published eight years before the IPCC’s 2007 report. The New Scientist report

No moo please

This is just a brief note regarding an interesting subtitle to a recent column by Father Peter J. Daly (CSF, Jan. 8). I enjoyed, and always do enjoy reading Catholic San Francisco, and my compliments go to all who dedicate time and articles for our pleasure. In this case, it brought a broad smile and a good laugh to see the title of Father Daly’s column identified as “Parish Dairy” rather than “Parish Diary.” Bless you and keep up the good work, with best wishes from a conscientious spelling observer.

Jean Hedemark San Rafael Editor’s note: Jean Hedemark’s graciousness and good nature characterize many readers of Catholic San Francisco, including one who said, with tongue-in-cheek, that the parish “dairy” reference was a natural addition to the traditional parish pantry. We note, however, that Father Daly writes the “Parish Diary” column.

January 22, 2010

Catholic San Francisco

13

The Catholic Difference

Lord, please don’t hear this prayer – yet again This past Dec. 28, I was jolted out of my morning fog at 8 a.m. Mass when the deacon offered this petition: “For those who are considering abortion: may our prayers and the intercession of the Holy Innocents whom we honor today help them choose life as the best option, let us pray to the Lord.”

I can’t remember whether I blurted “What?” loud enough to be noticed by my faithful companions at daily Mass—many of whom wear hearing aids—but I know I certainly didn’t answer with the prescribed “Lord, hear our prayer.”

The best option? Oh, so the decision whether to carry a child to term is a pragmatic calculation, and we’re to pray that those concerned get the calculation, er, right? How did this morally degrading nonsense get written? How did it get past an editor with any theological grain of sense?

It happened because the parish I was attending, like many others, uses canned general intercessions for weekday Masses, bought from a “liturgical aids” service: the daily intercessions come with a tacky binder in a tear-‘em-outafter-you-use-‘em format, they fit neatly inside the ambo— so why not? Well, Dec. 28 illustrated why not: because more often than we’d like to admit, these intercessions are thoughtlessly written, reflecting the ambient cultural smog rather than the truth of Catholic faith. Moreover, they’re typically organized to suggest that the world of politics is, somehow, the real world: after a brief intercessory nod to the pope, the bishops, or both, we’re immediately invited to pray for

sundry social and political causes, never identified as such but wrapped in the gauziness of Feel Good Prayer.

And what gets omitted is often as instructive, and depressing, as what gets addressed. How often last year did you hear a general intercession petition for Christian unity?

For the relief of persecuted Christians? For the conversion of non-believers? For victory in the war against terrorism?

(Eight years and four months after 9/11, I’m still waiting for that one.) But I’ll bet you heard a dozen or more exhorting you to environmental responsibility.

In parishes that take their liturgy seriously, the canned intercessions usually disappear on Sunday, to be replaced by intercessions composed locally by responsible parties, sometimes with the aid of thoughtful resources like Magnificat.

The solution to the weekday problem, I suggest, is to regularize and routinize the petitions at daily Mass, making them serenely formulaic and thus immune from the temptation to political or cultural homiletics.

Here’s one possible scheme for such a “reduction:” For the holy Church of God throughout the world, let us pray to the Lord.

For Benedict, Bishop of Rome, and the bishops in communion with him, let us pray to the Lord.

For this local Church of [name of diocese], for [name of bishop], its chief shepherd, and for the priests and deacons of [name of diocese], let us pray to the Lord.

For this parish of [patron of other name], its pastors and its people, let us pray to the Lord.

For an abundance of vocations to the priesthood and the consecrated life, let us pray to the Lord.

For the unity of all Christians, for the relief of those suffering persecution for their Christian George Weigel faith, and for the conversion of their persecutors, let us pray to the Lord.

For the civil authorities, that we may be governed in justice and truth, let us pray to the Lord.

For those who are sick, and for all those with special needs, let us pray to the Lord.

For our beloved dead, let us pray to the Lord.

That, I suggest, covers the most important bases. Such a scheme also locates the local parish within the broader Christian community of the diocese, and locates the diocese within the ambit of the universal Church: facts about which Catholics in America often need reminding. And such a formulaic schema avoids politics while making clear that we should pray regularly that the politicos recognize both the responsibilities and limits of their power.

Try it. It is, if you’ll permit me, the best option.

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

Guest Commentary

America the Ambiguous: Evangelizing the culture about the family Cardinal Francis George, O.M.I., Archbishop of Chicago, has written a wonderful book entitled “The Difference God Makes: A Catholic Vision of Faith, Communion, and Culture.”

It contains some highly useful ideas for speaking about the family in America. Marriage and the family are not featured topics in the book; communion with God and among all human beings is its theme. Cardinal George explores this theme widely throughout the book as it applies, for example, to members of the Catholic Church, to interfaith dialogue, to all members of the human family.

Yet he notes early on how our work to transform culture – in order to “remake ourselves” in the paradigm of the heavenly communion – needs to begin with our remaking the family as an expression of communion. Subsequently, he offers ways of approaching and evangelizing American culture in particular, which I would like to consider from the point of view of family. Cardinal George’s work is theologically rich and important for anyone who wishes to join him in pursuing John Paul II’s project to “evangelize culture.”

Cardinal George reminds us that the Catholic Church is not without hope for our culture. Human nature is wounded, but “not hopelessly corrupt,” he writes. This recalls Pope Benedict XVI’s frequent admonitions over the past several years not to succumb to “anthropological pessimism.” Rather, every culture is both fertile and rocky ground in relation to the Word of God. Cardinal George calls this our culture’s “evangelically ambiguous” situation.

On the positive side, Americans cherish the equality of all human beings, freedom, justice, an openness to diversity alongside a will to unity, participatory decision making, and effective communication. On the negative side, we are attached to our subjective points of view (and thus suspicious of Divine Revelation, which by definition comes to us from God); we value transient emotional states; and we champion freedom to the point of license, without reference to the truth. We also tend to champion freedom without considering the needs of those persons we do not “choose:” persons who are nevertheless our nearest neighbors, who have been placed in our path having both needs and gifts to give. There is also a growing attachment in America to what might be called “scientism,” the notion that nothing can be true or even of interest unless it can be verified by the senses or the hard sciences. This renders faith propositions out of bounds, even though they do not contradict, but rather illuminate reason.

Cardinal George is correct that in order to evangelize such a culture, work to rebuild the family should come first. Family is the first community, the place where we learn what we use later to build culture; this includes at the very least our hierarchy of values and the means to express them. It would seem that the

first task here is to recover America’s ideological strengths, as Cardinal George names them, to serve the family instead of undermining it. Currently, in other words, lawmakers and other opinion leaders are twisting our love affairs with freedom, equality and diversity to serve short-term goals which ultimately weaken the family. First and foremost, our love of freedom has been transmuted into a demand for legalizing any sort of sexual intimacy one might choose. It has also been used to support a “right” to choose whether to value or to destroy nascent human life. Our respect for diversity has been misconceived as the necessity of tolerating choices about family life which are harmful both for the adults and the children involved. Our insistence upon equality has been misused to deny the obvious differences between same-sex and opposite-sex pairs.

How can these interpretations be turned around, and our weaknesses overcome?

Cardinal George suggests several ways. First, we must reestablish the link between truth and freedom. This is a huge task on its face. In the family context, we are aided today by the enormous amount of empirical research which measures outcomes of various family choices. It is opening eyes for the first time in half a century to the fact that neither men nor women are experiencing authentic freedom when they choose to ignore the truth about intimate human relationships, e.g. these relationships’ orientation to permanence, to exclusivity and to procreation. Children suffer terribly when adults deny foundational truths about love, marriage and parenting.

Second, we must also reestablish the connection between freedom and communion. A great deal of legal and sociological scholarship published in the U.S. today suggests that the human person is naturally a “chooser.” It suggests that sometimes – and for relatively brief periods – adults choose to be in a partnership. Sometimes they choose to have one or two children, a task which takes only a fraction of their adult life. Often, they will choose not to marry, or they will choose divorce or abortion – the severing of relationships. In short, the adult human is above all else, an isolated individual who chooses, and whose choices are directed primarily toward selfgratification. Catholic teaching and sound philosophy as well as common sense beg to disagree. Beginning with God’s utterance in the garden that “It is not good for the man to be alone,” and proceeding through the rest of the scriptures, our texts state that the human person, like God, is meant for communion. Man, after all, as Aristotle and others through the centuries have held, is by nature a “social” animal. Loneliness and individualism are the exceptions, the problems, not the rule or the goal. Psychological research tends to confirm this. (See, e.g. John T. Capioccio & William Patrick, “Loneliness: Human Nature and the Need for Social Connection” (2009)). Family patterns confirm this too: the

vast majority of Americans want to and do marry; the vast majority want to have children and do, and will even go to outrageous and Helen Alvaré expensive lengths to acquire them; divorced Americans remarry at record rates (see Andrew Cherlin: “The Marry Go-Round”) or cohabit following their divorce, but regularly find that the grass is not greener on the other side of their first marriage. Happiness studies indicate in fact that permanently partnered adults are happiest and that separated and divorced adults are the least happy. Relationships mean friction at some point; of this there is no doubt. But they are the very stuff of most of our lives, the source of growth, the thing without which we are not able to feel happy or even to love ourselves. Americans know this; it’s what they tell pollsters and friends and radio d.j’s. In short, the message of human communion may not always be easily sold, but America is naturally receptive to it nonetheless.

Cardinal George further advises that we reflect on the “pattern of holiness evident in those who, formed within [our] culture, became saints of God.” In other words, if we analyze how a particular American saint manifested holiness from within our own culture, perhaps we can inspire others with her example. He considers in particular Katherine Drexel, a wealthy Philadelphian who inherited from her parents the notion that all her family’s riches were “on loan” for sharing with the less fortunate. She understood all her life as a gift too, and eventually took religious vows and spent her entire fortune on religious schools for poor and minority Americans. Her freedom of action, her greatness, arose from her submission to the will of God, and her ability to see her life and her possessions as gifts in trust for others. There is also Mother Teresa, who is not one of “our own,” but might as well be given how passionately she is venerated in America.

Deep within our American hearts, we wish, we hope that we might be capable of their way of self-emptying generosity and disinterest regarding material things. We hope that we, like them, can see another’s humanity and dignity and equality perfectly clearly, and then respond in kind.

Our families are the first people with the right to call upon us for this type of behavior. Of course we hope to treat all those we encounter with this kind of love and respect, but it is generally foolish to assume that we could do for strangers what we will not do for our first given neighbors.

In “The Difference God Makes” Cardinal George makes the case for hope, even while he faces realistically the challenges to converting Americans toward real freedom and toward understanding life as loving communion.

Helen M. Alvaré, J.D., is Senior Fellow in Law at the Culture of Life Foundation.

Reprinted with permission.

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Catholic San Francisco

A READING FROM THE BOOK OF NEHEMIAH NEH 8:2-4A, 5-6, 8-10 Ezra the priest brought the law before the assembly, which consisted of men, women, and those children old enough to understand.

Standing at one end of the open place that was before the Water Gate, he read out of the book from daybreak till midday, in the presence of the men, the women, and those children old enough to understand; and all the people listened attentively to the book of the law. Ezra the scribe stood on a wooden platform that had been made for the occasion. He opened the scroll so that all the people might see it — for he was standing higher up than any of the people —; and, as he opened it, all the people rose.

Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God, and all the people, their hands raised high, answered, “Amen, amen!” Then they bowed down and prostrated themselves before the Lord, their faces to the ground. Ezra read plainly from the book of the law of God, interpreting it so that all could understand what was read.

Then Nehemiah, that is, His Excellency, and Ezra the priest-scribe and the Levites who were instructing the people said to all the people: “Today is holy to the Lord your God. Do not be sad, and do not weep” — for all the people were weeping as they heard the words of the law. He said further: “Go, eat rich foods and drink sweet drinks, and allot portions to those who had nothing prepared; for today is holy to our Lord. Do not be saddened this day, for rejoicing in the Lord must be your strength!”

RESPONSORIAL PSALM PS 19:8, 9, 10, 15 R. Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.

The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul;

January 22, 2010

Third Sunday in Ordinary Time Neheniah 8:2-4a, 5-6, 8-10; Psalm 19:8, 9, 10, 15; I Corinthians 12:12-30; Luke 1:1-4, 4:14-21 The decree of the Lord is trustworthy, giving wisdom to the simple.

R. Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.

The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; The command of the Lord is clear, enlightening the eye.

R. Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.

The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever; The ordinances of the Lord are true, all of them just.

R. Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.

Let the words of my mouth and the thought of my heart find favor before you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.

R. Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.

A READING FORM THE FIRST LETTER OF PAUL TO THE CORRINTHIANS 1 COR 12:12-30 Brothers and sisters: As a body is one though it has many parts, And all the parts of the body, though many, are one body, so also Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free persons, and we were all given to drink of one Spirit.

Now the body is not a single part, but many. If a foot should say, “Because I am not a hand I do not belong to the body, “it does not for this reason belong any less to the body.

Or if an ear should say, “Because I am not an eye I do not belong to the body, “it does not for this reason belong any less to the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? But as it is, God placed the parts, each one of them, in the body as he intended. If they were all one part, where would the body be?

But as it is, there are many parts, yet one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, “I do not need you, “nor again the head to the feet, “I do not need you.” Indeed, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are all the more necessary, and those parts of the body that we consider less honorable we surround with greater honor, and our less presentable parts are treated with greater propriety, whereas our more presentable parts do not need this.

But God has so constructed the body as to give greater honor to a part that is without it, so that there may be no division in the body, but that the parts may have the same concern for one another. If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it; if one part is honored, all the parts share its joy.

Now you are Christ’s body, and individually parts of it. Some people God has designated in the church to be, first, apostles; second, prophets; third, teachers; then, mighty deeds; then gifts of healing, assistance, administration, and varieties of tongues. Are all apostles?

Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work mighty deeds? Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret?

A READING FROM THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE LK 1:1-4, 4:14-21 Since many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the events that have been fulfilled among us, just as those who were eyewitnesses from the beginning and ministers of the word have handed them down to us, I too have decided, after investigating everything accurately anew, to write it down in an orderly sequence for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may realize the certainty of the teachings you have received.

Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news of him spread throughout the whole region. He taught in their synagogues and was praised by all. He came to Nazareth, where he had grown up, and went according to his custom into the synagogue on the sabbath day. He stood up to read and was handed a scroll of the prophet Isaiah.

He unrolled the scroll and found the passage where it was written: The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord. Rolling up the scroll, he handed it back to the attendant and sat down, and the eyes of all in the synagogue looked intently at him. He said to them, “Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.”

Scripture reflection FATHER WILLIAM NICHOLAS

Year for Priests Letter to a friend E

veryone loves to receive letters from family and friends. Every Christmas Season I enjoy receiving cards wishing me the joys and happiness of the season. Some include a letter that constitutes, more or less, a year in review for that individual or family. In the case of priests, these letters (more often than not going into great detail and printed in very small font) usually begin with detailed comments about the season we are celebrating, making me chuckle as I begin reading my copy of what I have begun to refer to as their “annual Christmas Epistle to the Colossians.”

In the case of one very good friend, this year’s Christmas letter took up four pages!

Throughout Scriptures we see various examples of letters. Some written by prophets of the Old Testament, such as the letters sent by Jeremiah, and his companion Baruch, to the Jewish people already in exile in Babylon. In the New Testament we find the letters written by Peter, Paul and John to the early Christian communities.

Even one of the four Evangelists, presents his gospel account in the form of a letter. Both the Gospel According to Luke and the Acts of the Apostles begin with the author addressing his work to a friend, the “most excellent Theophilus” (Lk 1:3), whose identity is the subject of much scholarly speculation. Some even suggest that Theophilus was the financial patron who sponsored Luke’s writing of the Gospel for a more general audience, and that Luke’s cover letter to his patron was incor-

porated into the body of the text. Be that as it may, the finished product of Luke’s writings indicate a letter which presents a narrative of great beauty; the result of Luke’s theological reflection on the life, ministry and mystery of Jesus, which reveals his remarkably deep faith in Jesus as Messiah and Son of God. Within any newspaper or magazine the letters to the editor is often a favorite section for readers. These letters express a wide range of sentiments and opinions, as well as varying degrees of writing styles and talents.

We priests, too, are accustomed to receiving letters and e-mails from those we serve; usually complaints (almost never from someone with the courage to speak to us in person), but occasionally they are complimentary, from people who wish to express their appreciation.

However, every now and then, we receive a letter from a parishioner or friend, in which one can read and feel the deep faith from which the person writes. Such letters do not seek to admonish, criticize, or even to agree or disagree.

Rather they share how the writer’s faith has been stirred by something we or someone else said or did – a homily preached, a visit paid, a class taught or simply the manner in which we performed our duties, being present to them in some way, shape or form. Such letters seek not to blatantly boost our own egos, so as to butter us up and make us pat ourselves on the back for our inspirational brilliance. Rather they are a sincere sharing of deep faith, and how each of us being present to one another and nurturing of

one another in and with our parishes continues to stir that faith, making it real and alive.

These are the letters worth reading over and over again. A reminder that we as priests, while called to serve the people, nonetheless stand with them as people of faith, all on a journey as we grow closer to our God. Luke shared this in the letter to his friend, the “most excellent Theophilus.” Paul shared it in his letter to his friend Philemon, and in his letters to the many communities with which he was so closely associated. Jeremiah and Baruch wrote so as to lift up in faith a people so deeply demoralized by exile.

While we are accustomed to hearing a sermon or homily in which the faith is preached, while we may find joy in hearing faith expressed in song, it is a different experience of our shared faith when we see it expressed in writing, whether proclaimed as Holy Scripture in our liturgies and prayer services, or as reflections written by great saints, or simple

letters from friends and parishioners, sharing how much that faith means to them.

In this Year for Priests, as we look to the eventual observance of Lent 2010, perhaps we might consider as a resolution to help us grow more deeply in our faith, positive notes of gratitude to those (especially our priests) who nurture our growth through thoughtful sharing of their faith, letters that speak of how faith is stimulated and deepened by the worship and ministry of the Church and its workers. Then as we continue to come together to hear and proclaim we will have the resolve to express and share our faith, not bitterly, but by reading widely and writing wisely.

Father William Nicholas is parochial vicar at the Marin County parish of Our Lady of Loretto in Novato. Visit his website at www.frwcnicholas.com.

January 22, 2010

Catholic San Francisco

15

Spirituality for Today

Passing on the faith Once upon a time there were two teachers who taught religion at the same school. They were both good people. However, one of them was stern and humorless, and made use of fear tactics to communicate lessons. This approach turned the children off.

The other teacher was playful and less rigid, with a cheerful attitude that was endearing to the children. This teacher seemed to know that the secret of teaching religion was more related to happiness than fear.

Communicating theological truths is best done when religion is seen as encompassing an attitude of excitement about the

St. Agnes Died c. 304 • Feast January 21 Agnes may have been only 12 or 13 when she died a martyr’s death in Rome. According to tradition, Saints she refused to consider marrying and consecrated her maidenhood to God. When a persecution broke out, she left home and offered herself for martyrdom, probably dying by being stabbed in the throat, a common form of Roman execution. She was buried in a cemetery on the Via No mentana, where a church honoring her was built about 350. Her name and feast date were listed in a calendar of martyrs in 354. She is the patron of girls.

Crosiers

gifts of the Father. These gifts range from those of life, family, health and happiness to faith in the promises of Jesus Christ and the joy that comes from the knowledge of God’s love.

One of the most subtle truths in all of revelation is the belief that eternal happiness can begin right here and now. Sanctifying grace is a participation in God’s life. Since God is love, and love and joy are two sides of the same coin, we can begin right now to live in God’s joy.

St. Augustine wrote that, as God’s people, alleluia is our song!

Teaching religion involves a skill in communicating the excitement that comes from experiencing God’s love.

This is not an easy thing to do, especially if you approach teaching as the development of memory.

Passing on our faith is not just about communicating doctrinal tenets; it’s about creating a joyful family here on earth as we prepare for the joys of heaven.

For instance, the Mass is a joyful celebration – or at least it should be. For those who have the eyes to see, it is much more than a church ritual or an obligation – it is an act of love.

Amazing, isn’t it!

We give ourselves to God at the offertory, and God gives himself right back to us at holy Communion.

This intimate exchange of love is holy and produces good fruit. A joyful spirit comes to those who drink deeply from this fountain of love. We gradually come to see that while the problems of this world are monumental, they could become infinitely

The Catholic Cemeteries

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worse if we forget to count our blessings each day.

Even if all the world’s problems were solved tomorrow, people would still find things to worry about. So we have to teach our children to be more optimistic and Father hopeful about the future in spite of the darkness around John Catoir us. Teach them that the highest values of the human spirit are truly attainable because God’s grace makes all things possible.

“I have told you this so that you might have peace in me,” Jesus told his apostles. “In the world you will have trouble, but take courage, I have conquered the world” (Jn 16:33).

Teach children to count their blessings. Protect them from pessimism and fear by inviting them to live a more joyful life because of the knowledge of God’s love. Best of all, we can start teaching them to see God in the beauty of nature all around them.

God is beauty and joy. Our longing for paradise is nothing more than a supernatural appetite for living joyfully and without fear.

With God’s grace it can be done.

Father Catoir is the founder of St. Jude’s Media Ministry.

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Music

January 22, 2010

Film Books RADIO

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‘The Book of Eli’ – more contemplative and lyrical than you might expect NEW YORK (CNS) – More contemplative and lyrical than advertised, the first big action movie of 2010 incorporates religious faith and Judeo-Christian principles to a surprising degree.

Directed by twin brothers Albert and Allen Hughes, “The Book of Eli” (Warner Bros.) prompts the question whether, assuming a minimum level of respect, the attempt to integrate religion and Scripture into a mass-appeal film is by itself laudable.

“The Book of Eli” exhibits sufficient reverence for the Bible, and yet its coarse language and violence – though not excessive when compared to many films of this ilk – could fuel the opinion that Hollywood should avoid all sacred texts. It does not endorse aggression as a means to redemption, however.

While dabbing them with morbid humor, the Hughes brothers don’t prolong the fight sequences, nor are the proceedings saturated in blood. The mayhem is balanced by frequent meditative passages. Moreover, next to the bleak depictions of humankind’s future that abound at the multiplex (last year’s adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s novel “The Road” springs to mind) their vision is decidedly optimistic. Centering on a prophetic hero driven by faith and hope, “The Book of Eli” has more in common with the 2007 Will Smith vehicle “I Am Legend.”

The character of Eli, portrayed by the always-convincing Denzel Washington, descends from the strong, mysterious strangers Clint Eastwood played in the so-called spaghetti Westerns of Sergio Leone, as well as from the spiritually potent protagonists in numerous Asian martial-arts films. In the near future, following a climactic disaster that precipitated “the last war,” Eli has spent 30 years traversing the blighted landscape of the western United States carrying the only extant copy of The King James Bible.

Books were burned and libraries pillaged in the aftermath of the vaguely described apocalypse. Now, with survival a Herculean

(WARNER BROS.)

By John P. McCarthy

Denzel Washington stars in a scene from the movie “The Book of Eli.”

challenge, he skillfully defends himself and his precious cargo using a machete, bowand-arrow, and gun. His belief that he’s shielded by God appears to be well-founded after he arrives at a dusty town run by Carnegie (Gary Oldman), whose marauding minions are charged with bringing him every book they can find.

Carnegie’s power derives from controlling the water supply, but he’s convinced his dominion over the surviving population will grow if he wields the words of the Bible. His blind, common-law wife, Claudia (Jennifer Beals), has a daughter, Solara (Mila Kunis), who eventually hits the road with Eli, becoming a disciple of sorts.

The production draws on everything from the dichromatic look of a John Ford Western to the camerawork and staging techniques deployed by action directors such as John Woo. Logic is not one of its strengths, but there’s plenty of visual texture and narrative substance to offset doubts.

Do Opposites Attract?

(Find out before Valentine's Day)

How authentically Christian is Eli’s religiosity? Not only does he safeguard and transport the Bible, he reads it daily and quotes from it often. He also prays – most notably at the end of the film, when he gives thanks to God and confesses the sins he committed as the Good Book’s chosen courier. The most explicit expression of Christian doctrine comes when

Eli tells Solara what he’s learned from his in-depth study of Scripture, namely, “Do more for others than you do for yourself.”

In the same scene, he voices what might be a dig at those inclined to read the Bible too literally, clinging to the words while ignoring the spirit. “The Book of Eli” presents a parallel dilemma. It’s possible to excuse the movie’s more brutal moments by placing them in a broader context. It’s also possible to focus exclusively on its objectionable qualities and dismiss the project out of hand.

The film contains intermittent strong violence including gun- and swordplay and a killing intended to be merciful, much rough language, some crude language, and brief sexual innuendo. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification is L – limited adult audience, films whose problematic content many adults would find troubling. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is R - restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.

John P. McCarthy is a guest reviewer for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Office for Film & Broadcasting.

More reviews are available online at www.usccb.org/movies.

EWTN highlights: Week of Jan. 24-30 The following are program highlights from EWTN, 24-hour Catholic TV for the week of Jan. 24-30.

Monday, Jan. 25, 8:30 a.m. – “Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul, Celebration of Vespers (Live).” Pope Benedict XVI presides over this service celebrating the feast of the Conversion of St Paul from Rome’s Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls. The liturgy will be rebroadcast at 2 p.m.

Saturday, Jan. 30, 11 a.m. – “Iraq’s Christian Refugees.” This documentary takes viewers inside the lives of Christian refugees in Syria and Jordan and features interviews with major Catholic leaders, including Chaldean Archbishop Louis Sako of Kirkuk, Iraq, and Chaldean Bishop Antoine Audo of Aleppo, Syria.

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.

SCRIPTURE SEARCH Gospel for January 24, 2010 Luke 1: 1-4. 4:14-21 Following is a word search based on the Gospel reading for the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C: how Jesus began his public ministry. The words can be found in all directions in the puzzle.

UNDERTAKEN THEOPHILUS TAUGHT ISAIAH POOR SIGHT YEAR

NARRATIVE JESUS NAZARETH LORD SENT ME BLIND SAT DOWN

WRITE SPIRIT TO READ ANOINTED CAPTIVES OPPRESSED HEARING

IN NAZARETH Mike and Jeanne Emry

Dean and Claire Simonich

Two lively and loving couples from our local Worldwide Marriage Encounter join us for an evening that could bring new light to your relationships.

Most business people know the importance of understanding personality styles in team building and other work activities.

Yet we often forget that our personality styles affect our home life as well.

Find out how and why at this special event.

WHEN: Wednesday, February 10, 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) Includes delicious appetizers and no-host bar

RESERVATIONS : Mail your contact information & a check payable to “CPBCADSF” to: CPBC, Attn: Mary Jansen, One Peter Yorke Way, San Francisco, CA 94109

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www.catholic-sf.org For your local & international Catholic news, website listings, Place Classified Ad” Form and more!

January 22, 2010

St. Mary’s Cathedral Gough and Geary Blvd. in San Francisco. Call (415) 567-2020 First Friday 24-Hour Adoration: Friday 8 a.m. to Saturday 8 a.m. in Our Lady’s Chapel, and Msgr. Bowe Room. Weekday Mass Schedule: 6:45 a.m., 8 a.m., 12:10 p.m.; with additional first Friday Mass at 7:30 p.m.. Adoration begins in Our Lady’s Chapel after the 8 a.m. Mass through evening Mass at 7:30 p.m. Adoration then moves downstairs to the Msgr. Bowe Room (facing Cleary Court) until 6:30 a.m. For information, contact Mary Ann Eiler at (415) 567-2020, ext. 224

Pauline Books and Media Daughters of St. Paul, 2640 Broadway, Redwood City (650) 369-4230 - Visit www.pauline.org Second Wednesday of the Month, 7 p.m.: Catholic Fiction Book Club. Delve into some of the greatest Catholic novels of our times and times past. Discover the beauty of the written word and the power of literature to nourish faith. Discuss various works of Catholic literature and how their timeless themes relate to our own lives.

Taize/Chanted Prayer 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. 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.

Arts and Entertainment Jan. 27: Comedy Cabaret Show benefiting the Epiphany Center with cocktail buffet at 6:30 p.m. and

Datebook

Food & Fun

Jan. 31: Annual celebration of SVDP’s Catherine’s Center, a mutual work of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul of San Mateo County and the Sisters of Mercy, at Kohl Mansion in Burlingame. Ed Watson, former president of the San Mateo SVDP Council, and Mercy Sister Judy Carle, a former president of the Sister of Mercy, Burlingame, are the evening’s honorees. Entertainment is by Mostly Motets, a well known Bay Area Gregorian choir. Event includes a champagne reception, presentation of awards, followed by desserts and Irish Coffee. Tickets are $100 per person. Call (650) 373-0637. SVDP’s Catherine’s Center is a transitional home for women recently released from incarceration offering solace, safety, and a path to a new productive way of life. Program Director, Mercy Sister Marguerite Buchanan said it is “a program that nourishes and enables a new life for the women we serve.” Pictured are Ed Watson and Mercy Sister Judy Carle, right, with SVDP’s Catherine’s Center alumnae, Lillian and Laverne. show at 8 p.m. at Great American Music Hall, 859 O’Farrell Street, San Francisco. Tickets are $175 each.

For more information, call (415) 351-4055. Proceeds benefit the Epiphany Center, and your generous support makes a difference in the lives of at-risk women and children in San Francisco. More than 150 families are helped each year. Epiphany Center is a work of Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul.

Feb. 7: Lolek, a play depicting the early years of “Venerable Pope John Paul II” in war torn Poland at Our Lady of Peace Family Learning Center, 2800 Mission College Blvd., Santa Clara. Authentic Polish dinner at 6:30 p.m. and play at 7:30 p.m. Featured on EWTN, the play offers profound insights into the pontiff’s heart and soul ending with his ordination to the priesthood.

Tickets at $20 for adults, $15 for students or $50 per family are available at Paypal at www.ccwf.org.

For information, e-mail info@ccwf.org or call Michele at (650) 814-1995 or Suzanne at (408) 530-9848.

Trainings/Lectures/Respect Life

March 6: The Diocese of Stockton announces its annual Ministry Day at St. Mary’s High School in Stockton. The event includes more than 60 workshops in English and Spanish. Stockton Bishop Stephen Blaire will preside at the day’s Mass and also deliver the keynote address.

Check out new resources with more than 30 vendors. Program and registration form are at www.stocktondiocese.org and the Shepherd the Word link or call (209) 466-0636.

17

Jan. 26 and Fourth Tuesdays, 7:30 p.m.: Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament –Silent prayer before the Blessed Sacrament. 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.

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

Year for Priests Events Feb. 4, March 24, 7 p.m.: St. Patrick’s Seminary and University Year for Priests Speaker Series in Olier Hall at the seminary, 320 Middlefield Rd. in Menlo Park.

Feb. 4: “Priest as Teacher” with Sulpician Father Gladstone Stevens. Father Stevens, vice-rector and academic dean at St. Patrick’s, holds a post-graduate degree in Systematic Theology from Marquette University and is a priest of the Archdiocese of Louisville.

March 24: “Spirituality of the Priesthood” with Sulpician Father Jim McKearney, president and rector of St. Patrick’s, and a priest of the Archdiocese of Hartford, Connecticut. Tickets are $10 per session. Seating is limited. Register on-line at www.stpatricksseminary.org under Speaker Series. Register by mail with payment to: Speaker Series, St. Patrick’s Seminary and University, 320 Middlefield Road Menlo Park 94025.

Catholic San Francisco

Jan. 23: Walk for Life West Coast 2010! 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.

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.

Jan. 30, 11:30 a.m.: Annual networking meeting of Kappa Gamma Pi at Perry’s Restaurant on the Embarcadero. Call Betty at (510) 821-1042.

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) 5721468 or visit www.sanmateoprolife.com 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.

Special Liturgies 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.

Jan. 30, 6 p.m.: Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory celebrates its 10th annual Cioppino Dinner. Evening includes no-host bar, appetizers, dinner, dessert, and live music and dancing. Tickets are $50 per person. Visit www.shcp.edu for more information or to purchase tickets.

Jan. 30, 8 p.m. – midnight: Annual Mardis Gras/ Zydeco Dance at St. Finn Barr Parish Goode Hall, 415 Edna St. at Hearst in San Francisco. Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the door. Food and drinks available for purchase. Music by Andre Thierry and the Zydeco Magic. Call Alice at (415) 585-4524 or the parish office at (415) 333-3627.

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 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. For information and reservations, call Diana Heafey at (415) 731-6379. Event funds greater portion of group’s charitable works.

Jan. 31, 6 p.m.: Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory celebrates the 10th annual cioppino dinner. Evening includes no-host bar, appetizers, dinner, dessert, and live music and dancing. Tickets are $50 per person. Visit www. shcp.edu for more information or to purchase tickets.

Consolation Ministry 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.

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

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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.

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Catholic San Francisco

January 22, 2010

FOR ADVERTISING INFORMATION

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

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Counseling

Auto Service

MARRIAGE AND FAMILY COUNSELING

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Healthcare Agency The Irish Rose

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NOTICE TO READERS 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.

For more info, contact: Contractors State License Board

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catholic-sf.org

For your local & international Catholic news, website listings, advertising information and “Place Classified Ad” Form

January 22, 2010

Catholic San Francisco

19

Catholic San Francisco Pizza Delivery Retreat

classifieds

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Help Wanted

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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,

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Help Wanted We are looking for full or part time

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Catholic author

MICHAEL H. BROWN RETREAT,

heaven can’t wait Serra for Priestly Vocations

Please call Archdiocese of San Francisco Fr. Tom Daly (415) 614-5683

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 PUBLISH A NOVENA 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

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. M.P.L.

Your prayer will be published in our newspaper

St. Jude Novena

415.614.5642 or email

Name Adress Phone MC/VISA # Exp.

penaj@sfarchdiocese.org

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

Select One Prayer: ❑ St. Jude Novena to SH ❑ Prayer to St. Jude

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

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.

VARSITY SOFTBALL COACH

Mercy High School, San Francisco, is currently seeking a varsity softball coach for the upcoming season. The season begins February 1, 2010 and ends May 31, 2010.

Mercy competes in the West Bay Athletic League and is a member of the Central Coast Section.

Qualified applicants please send/email resume to Debbie Mathews, Athletic Director, Mercy High School, 3250 19th Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94132 or dmathews@mercyhs.org. For more information, call 415-334-0525 x217.

ASSOCIATE SUPERINTENDENT FOR CURRICULUM SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT ARCHDIOCESE OF SAN FRANCISCO, DEPARTMENT OF CATHOLIC SCHOOLS REPORTS TO: Superintendent of Schools, located in the heart of San Francisco at Geary and Gough.

STATUS: Regular Full Time, Exempt, Start Date 7/1/2010 PRIMARY OBJECTIVE OF POSITION: To provide direction, consultation, and inservice in secular curricular areas for administrators and faculties in the K-12 Archdiocesan School System. To provide leadership in the WCEA/WASC/CAIS Accreditation Process.

The Department of Catholic Schools of the Archdiocese of San Francisco is dedicated to the teaching mission of the Catholic Church.

For our elementary and secondary schools we strive to provide quality leadership, to develop programs of educational excellence, and to prepare students for a truly Christian life.

MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES: 1) Develops, implements, and evaluates elementary in-service programs and promotes secondary in-service programs in order to assist K-12 educators in teaching secular subjects: • Arranges for consulting services and presenters for workshops that will enable elementary faculties to improve teaching strategies • Organizes and coordinates the annual elementary and secondary Curriculum Conference • Provides guidance to individual elementary and secondary principals and faculties in selection of curriculum materials, textbooks, supplementary resources, and classroom practices in subject areas, • Prepares and reports on the general Curriculum, Staff Development, and the Archdiocesan Testing Program, 2) Chairs and moderates the Archdiocesan Staff Development Committee 3) Responsible for the Standardized Testing Program QUALIFICATIONS: Must be a believing and practicing Catholic in good standing with the Church, and have a strong commitment to the philosophy and teaching of the mission of the Catholic Church. Must have 8 to 10 years of successful Classroom and Administration experience with a minimum of 2 to 3 years as Principal or Administrator. Masters Degree in Education is required. Must have proven experience in curriculum theory and practice.

Proven track record in sensitivity to cultural and racial diversity as well as varied learning and teaching methods. Must understand and can clearly communicate testing theories and practices.

For additional details about this Position and its responsibilities see the full description at: www.sfcatholicschools.org/ 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

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

20

Catholic San Francisco

January 22, 2010

In Remembrance of the Faithful Departed Interred In Our Catholic Cemeteries During the Month of December HOLY CROSS COLMA Salvador Aguirre, Jr. Edith H. Aicardi Bernice A. Almada Lionel E. Andrade Manuel M. Angeja Amanda M. Aparicio Bernard H. Archbold Joseph Arias Patricia F. Arroyo Justina Audiffred Sergio Gomez Ayala Bonifacia Balingit Maria A. Barrientos Kelly Batrez Margaret Bayone Bridget Beere Cecile M. Berube Robert H. Bodeman Marie E. Bottaro Agustius B. Bruneman Rosa Miriam Calles Elaine C. Carlsmith Blanca E. Carrillo Olga C. Carroll Katherine J. Casey Joseph P. Cerrito Hwa-Lin Chang Francis J. Charlton, M.D. Evelyn Mae Chase Kyung Bok Chung Leslie A. Colvin John Cutaja Doris D’Angelo Ed Da Silva Nancy Suguitan Daludado Maria M. De Jesus Dolores Y. Dehesa Vincent F. Deitchman Albert Joseph Demartini Angelo R. Devincenzi Kirby Ku Dong William B. Dorsey Leroy J. Duddy Valerie E. Duffy Catherine T. Dunleavy James R. Escue Rosalinda M. Esteban Alejandra U. Estrada Delfina R. Estrella-Baca Jeanne B. Fambrini

Edward J. Farley Ignacio Q. Fernandez Margaret Ferrier Tosca Rosemarie Fetter Inez Fitzgerald Eugene A. Foppiano Louise Fortunato Helen P. Friday Angela Gaglione Beatrice D. Gai Thomas R. Giannini, Jr. Juana C. Gonzales Elizabeth Haggarty Irene E. Handlin Jeffrey David Hardimen Rev. Joseph Healy Frances J. Heffernan Charles Willis Hickox Frances Hicks George M. Hoenisch Diane J. Howard John Hsueh-Ching Huang Flora Shing-Ying Huang Joseph “Joey” Jackson Marjorie V. Johnson Romana M. Jones Dolores Marie Kelly Arthur J. Krol Donal A. Lee Milton Leibowitz Tza Hui Liu Alejandro Lopez Mamie Lottice Carlos Napoleon Lucha Sabina Reyes Lopez Luna Esther M. Macaluso Jose T. Magbuhat Vera F. Mahoney Frank P. Maradiaga Orlando Z. Mares Joseph Pete Martella Margaret Ann Martella Edward A. Mc Cluskey, Jr. Irene M. Mihovich Caroline Mota Eugenia Motylewski Marjorie J. Norton William Charles O’Brien Christina O’Flaherty Carl Olsen, Jr. William Pacumio Martha Palma Monico M. Paule

Linda A. Peil Altagracia Ramirez De Zelidon Charles E. Ratti Manuel R. Raygoza Justina Rios Andrew Roche Agnes E. Rosenberry Domenica Rossi Olive C. Rubek Ketti L. Sakhel Delfin Jose Salazar Elynore J. Seaman Jamileth Tapia Gertrude Trask Licerio C. Valencia Edgardo Vides Curtis James Vogl Gladys M. Walden Jodyne Winne Thomas J. Wrin John R. Zavaleta

MENLO PARK Irma Alvarez Margaret G. Durrer Rachel R. Fragola Irene C. Jarret Vera Lockwood Hector Manuel Jaimes Morales Ralph Oswald Michael Joseph Richter Warren E. Spieker Jose Angel Villanueva Rita A. Walker

MT. OLIVET Letha C. Behrens Louis M. Bolla Mary P. Coleman Joan P. Hammond Jack T. L. Hsu Frederic P. Matocq Marjorie Chase Mitchell Gloria J. Nuttman Jean Mackay O’Brien Martin H. O’Brien Rev. Louis J. Robello Bruna Zavosky

OUR LADY OF THE PILLAR Alzira Pinheiro

HOLY CROSS CATHOLIC CEMETERY, COLMA First Saturday Mass Saturday, February 6, 2010 All Saints Mausoleum Chapel – 11:00 am Rev. Diarmuid Casey. Pastor St. Dunstan Parish, Millbrae

The Catholic Cemeteries Archdiocese of San Francisco www.holycrosscemeteries.com HOLY CROSS CATHOLIC CEMETERY 1500 Mission Road, Colma, CA 650-756-2060 PILARCITOS CEMETERY Hwy. 92 @ Main, Half Moon Bay, CA 650-712-1676

HOLY CROSS CATHOLIC CEMETERY Intersection of Santa Cruz Avenue, Menlo Park, CA 650-323-6375 ST. ANTHONY CEMETERY Stage Road, Pescadero, CA 650-712-1679

MT. OLIVET CATHOLIC CEMETERY 270 Los Ranchitos Road, San Rafael, CA 415-479-9020 OUR LADY OF THE PILLAR CEMETERY Miramontes St., Half Moon Bay, CA 650-712-1679

A Tradition of Faith Throughout Our Lives.