October 7, 2005 by Catholic San Francisco

Synod of Bishops begins at Vatican

Northern California’s Weekly Catholic Newspaper

By John Thavis

(CNS PHOTO FROM REUTERS)

Catholic san Francisco

Pope Benedict XVI processes into Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican for the opening of the Synod of the Bishops Oct. 2.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The Synod of Bishops on the Eucharist opened with a papal Mass and an overview of the liturgical and pastoral issues up for discussion, including questions about married priests and shared Communion. Pope Benedict XVI, celebrating an opening Mass Oct. 2 in St. Peter’s Basilica, said the Eucharist was a privileged place to meet God. The problem today, he said, is that individuals are often indifferent to God, and Western society wants to banish God from public life. Calling the Eucharist an antidote to this attitude, he said, “God is waiting for us. He wants to be loved by us. Shouldn’t this appeal perhaps touch our hearts?” The synod’s schedule of meetings began Oct. 3 with a meditation by the pope. He appeared to invite open discussion when he said that true collegiality sometimes necessitates “fraternal correction” among bishops. “None of us sees himself very well, or his own defects,” he said. The exercise of collegiality should help them all recognize gaps in their own thinking and become more open, he said. Before it concludes Oct. 23, the assembly was to draw up a list of recommendations or propositions to present to the pope for his consideration in preparing a papal document on the subject. Missing at the synod’s opening events were four bishops from mainland China, who were recently named as synod members by the pope. Vatican officials said the bishops had not yet received government approval for the trip to Rome. At the assembly’s first session, Italian Cardinal Angelo Scola of Venice, synod recording secretary, delivered a lengthy report called a “relatio” that detailed items for discussion over the coming weeks. Cardinal Scola’s report said the synod will have to grapple with questions about ordaining married men, sharing Communion with other Christians and allowing divorced and civilly remarried Catholics to receive the sacrament. But he made clear to the synod, and to journalists at a press conference the same day, that he did not believe current church practice should change on any of those issues. SYNOD OF BISHOPS, page 5

Archbishop Levada asks synod members about politicians, Communion By Cindy Wooden VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Archbishop William J. Levada, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, asked members of the Synod of Bishops on the Eucharist to discuss how they deal with Catholic politicians who want to receive Communion, but do not vote in full accordance with Catholic teaching. The former archbishop of San Francisco, taking advantage of an hour of “free discussion” at the synod Oct. 3, said the issue had “caused some divisions” among U.S. Catholics during the 2004 presidential elections, and he hoped to hear how other bishops would approach the problem.

Archbishop Levada quoted from the synod’s working document, which said, “Some Catholics do not understand why it might be a sin to support a political candidate who is openly in favor of abortion or other serious acts against life, justice and peace.” Given the tension that arose as different U.S. bishops chose different ways to deal with the issue, including publicly announcing they would deny Communion to some Catholic politicians, Archbishop Levada said, “Let’s hear the experiences of synod fathers from other countries.” In the formal sessions of the synod Oct. 3-4, bishops covered a variety of topics, but seemed most con-

cerned about the need for catechesis about the Eucharist; making the Eucharist relevant in secularized societies; explaining the Eucharist in the context of the other sacraments; dealing with the shortage of priests; and connection between the Eucharist and mission, charity and social justice. But Italian Archbishop Bruno Forte of Chieti-Vasto focused on the possibility of reforming the synod process itself. In the first millennium when the churches of the East and West were united, he said, the Eucharist celebrated by the local bishop was the source and sign of the unity of LEVADA, page 5

INSIDE THIS WEEK’S EDITION News-in-brief. . . . . . . . . . 4-5 Respect Life education . . . . 6 Faith Formation Conference. 8 Editorial and letters . . . . . 12 Scripture and reflection . . . 14 Classified ads . . . . . . . . . . 17

Fall Fest 2005

Vocations

‘Proof’ movie review

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~ Pages 9-11 ~

~ Page 16 ~

October 7, 2005

SIXTY CENTS

Datebook . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

www.catholic-sf.org VOLUME 7

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No. 30

Catholic San Francisco

October 7, 2005

On The

The annual Back to School BBQ at St. Gregory’s in San Mateo sent $355 to victims of Hurricane Katrina. Providing the entertainment and dance accompaniments was music group Billy the Kid, featuring, 8th graders, from left, Owen McInnis, Dante Bertana, Johnny Villar and Robert Boscacci. More than 300 people tripped the light fantastic to the lads’ songs including their parents Ian and Mary McInnis, Sharon and Paul Bertana, Patty and Lou Villar, and Frances and Mark Boscacci.

Where You Live by Tom Burke

At their classmates’ service are new members of the Student Council of De Marillac School in San Francisco. From left: Ilenia Chanax, Edwin Luna, Amanda Karan; Student Council Advisor, Jodi Wagner, Maritza Cruz and Henry Soto.

Happy 60 years married June 16th to Liz and Al Bucci, longtime parishioners of Our Lady of Mercy Parish in Daly City, where they commemorated the milestone with Mass and renewal of vows. Family and friends joined them for the prayer and fun including daughter, Marian Waddell, whom we thank for the good news. “Al and Liz hold a very special place in the heart of the parish,” Our Lady of Mercy told me in a special note to this column. “The very first Mass celebrated by the now late, Father Richard Power, for Our Lady of Mercy Parish was held in the Bucci’s garage.” Current pastor Father Bill Brown celebrated Mass marking the parish’s 50th anniversary on the “original site” just months ago….It was a special day for Len Heinz September 8th when he celebrated his “39th birthday in reverse” with fellow daily communicants at Epiphany Parish. Stan Cordes, who was an eyewitness, let me know that “Happy 39th in reverse” is, of course. “Happy 93rd.”… Congratulations to Laura Nordman, 6th grade teacher at Holy Angels Elementary School, and her husband, Dave, who are celebrating 25 years of marriage. Laura as well as the couple’s children, Samantha, Stephanie and Stacey are all

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Holy Angels’ alums. In addition, Laura has been playing the guitar for liturgies at Holy Angels since 1970….Hats off at Notre Dame High School in Belmont to teachers Paul Hance and Douglass Thorogood who were recently named to receive the school’s Rosalind Crosby Excellence in Teaching Award. A sonnet salute to junior, Robin Samaroo, whose verse will be printed in A Celebration of Young Poets. Exploring the mysteries and wonders of medicine was junior, Miranda Sulley, who attended the National Youth Leadership Forum on same over the summer in Boston….Taking home first prize in a 19th Assembly District Arts contest was Natalia de Vera a student at Our Lady of Mercy Elementary School in Daly City. Assemblyman Gene Mullin, longtime parishioner of St. Veronica’s in South San Francisco, presented the honor. Natalia’s proud folks are Patricia and Daniel….It was happy birthday a coupla’ days early

for Marianne Barbara of St. Elizabeth Parish, who was treated to a night out by friends Angeline Foreman and Paul Ross who would have been missing in action on a trip to Russia come Marianne’s September natal day. In addition, Marianne’s grandson, Kenneth Bucho, took her on her first SBC Park outing where she “did the works” including “garlic fries, peanuts” et al….Remember this is an empty space without ya’!! The email address for Street is burket@sfarchdiocese.org. Mailed items should be sent to “Street,” One Peter Yorke Way, SF 94109. Pix should be hard copy or electronic jpeg at 300 dpi. Don’t forget to include a follow-up phone number. You can reach me at (415) 614-5634.

Congrats and good luck to new Student Body Officers at Mercy High School, Burlingame. From left: Roxanne Rubia, Tiffany Codero, Leslie Neill, Danica Espanola and Lisa Acquilina. Liz and Al Bucci

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October 7, 2005

Catholic San Francisco

Young adults ‘step out and trust’ By Jack Smith Nearly 200 young adults from throughout the Bay Area and beyond attended the Ninth Annual Fall Fest held at St. Mary’s Cathedral Sept. 24. The event is an opportunity for Catholics in their late teens, 20s and 30s to gather to share, deepen and celebrate their faith in fellowship with peers. The year’s theme “Step Out and Trust” was made all the more relevant by the uncertain availability of the Cathedral for the festival. Due to the Cathedral’s generous offer to provide shelter and relocation services for refugees from Hurricane Katrina, the organizers of Fall Fest found themselves without their scheduled venue. Only at the last minute, did the Cathedral again become available. Keynote speaker Deacon Nate Bacon invited all present “to give our Church a big hand” for providing immediate assistance to Hurricane victims. He said the “ground we stand on” is holy, not only because it is the Cathedral, but because it “was set aside for a time as a place of refuge.” He also thanked Young Adult Ministry coordinator, Mary Jansen, for the incredible work she did in scrambling to make the event a success. The day began with fellowship and prayer followed by Decaon Nate Bacon’s address – Living the Gospel Adventure. Bacon has lived his own incredible Gospel adventure, the details of which making up much of his talk. Bacon lives and ministers in the Mission District and is Deacon at St. Peter’s parish. He and his wife Jenny helped found the St. Dimas Community in 1992, a ministry with those caught up in gangs and drugs, both in jails and on the streets. They are also involved in Innerchange, an ecumenical Christian order composed of communities of missionaries living and ministering “incarnationally among the poor.” “The Gospel is meant to be an adventure,” Bacon said, “though often we lead it as a complete bore.” Calling upon the theme “Step Out and Trust” he referred to the Gospel story of Christ calling Peter out of the boat to walk on the water. Doing so is crazy, “unless there is a God,” Bacon said. The adventure of discipleship requires small steps of trust and faith he said. Too many of us stay in our boats, Bacon said. “Many of our boats are couches where we turn into potatoes.”

One example of this tendency is the popularity of Reality TV, “where we live vicariously through these adventures,” he said. “God is calling us to a greater adventure,” Bacon said. Christians often don’t respond “because we are too easily pleased,” he said. Bacon’s own adventure began when he and fellow protestant seminary students decided to live as missionaries in the Mission. This “little step” eventually led to his unexpected and successful work with gang members, meeting his wife, entering the Catholic Church and becoming the youngest permanent deacon in the Archdiocese. By taking “little steps,” Bacon said, the adventure “gets larger and larger and larger . . . listening to God and taking those little steps is something that leads us to joy.” Bacon’s adventure also made his life much richer, allowing him to see “God below the veneer . . . in the words of Mother Teresa, ‘Jesus in the distressing disguise of the poor.’” At the end of his talk Deacon Bacon asked all those ready to make a commitment to take a step with Jesus to stand up, and most did. Following the keynote were breakout session held at Sacred Heart Cathedral’s campus adjoining the Cathedral. Among the topics were Healing and Sexuality, the Luminous Mysteries of the Rosary, Men’s Spirituality and Scripture, Ecumenism and various other topics. Mass was celebrated in the Cathedral by San Francisco Auxiliary Bishop Ignatius C. Wang. Bishop Wang’s homily concerned Matthew’s Gospel on the Man who sent his two sons to work a day in his vineyard. One said “no” and then later went to work, the other said “yes” but did not go to the vineyard. Bishop Wang said “The first one is like the young people. They are rebellious. No matter what you say, their first answer is always no. But when they think it over, after digesting it, then they go.” On the other hand, he said, older people often say yes, but don’t follow through. “So there is the beauty of the young people,” he said, but also cautioned, “I advise young people, don’t say no too quickly, consider first.” He also thanked the young adults for “their sacrifice and their time and effort” to make Fall Fest a success. Bishop Wang was also among those who enjoyed, at least the beginning, of the day’s finale, a dinner and dance. Organizer Mary Jansen was thankful for his pres-

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ence. “He is always so generous with his time,” Jansen said. Helen Chen of Sts. Peter and Paul Parish in San Francisco attended Fall Fest for the first time this year. She said this is the first “kind of event I’ve attended with Catholics outside of church.” She was most appreciative of the various displays and information tables offering ways to get involved in Catholic outreach and ministries. She also welcomed Fall Fest as a way to meet Catholics her age. Emilio Gonzalez is new to St. Dominic Parish in San Francisco having recently moved to the City. “I had fun,” he said. He was most moved by the keynote address and its challenge of “accepting a commitment as a Catholic and when we’re ready and what that entails – a radical commitment.” Emilio was one who stood to accept Deacon Nate Bacon’s challenge to step out and trust. “It just means for me to get more involved in the community and to give back . . . I haven’t decided what it is yet, but I have to do something,” he said. Visit website www.sfyam.org for information on upcoming young adult events around the Bay Area. Also visit www.innerchange.org for more information on that ministry.

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NEWS

October 7, 2005

in brief

U.S. Supreme Court to hear cases on religious rights, end of life

U.S. has resources to help at home and abroad, religious leaders say WASHINGTON — The United States not only has the resources but the responsibility to deal with both domestic disasters like hurricanes and “critical needs of the world’s poor and most vulnerable.” How Congress responds “should reflect our moral obligation to reach out to the poor and vulnerable,” said a Sept. 29 letter written by Catholic Relief Services president and CEO Ken Hackett and Bishop John H. Ricard of Pensacola-Tallahassee, Fla., chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on International Policy. “At the same time Congress responds generously and quickly to those who have lost so much, we ask that you continue to work to improve the lives and dignity of those who have so little around the world,” Bishop Ricard and Hackett said in the letter, sent to Senate conferees on a bill appropriating funds for foreign operations. The letter outlined the bishops’ position on several international funding issues before the Senate conferees.

U.S. facing crisis in care for aging population with dementia WASHINGTON (CNS) — With an aging population increasingly affected by dementia and a shrinking corps of available caregivers, the United States is facing “the perfect demographic storm in about six years,” according to a Catholic member of the President’s Council on Bioethics. But, unlike some hurricanes whose impact can be less than predicted, this storm “is unlikely to veer off harmlessly,”

(CNS PHOTO BY PAUL HARING)

WASHINGTON – Under new Chief Justice John Roberts and soon one new associate justice on the Supreme Court, the October term also will bring a busy session of cases that have implications for churches and their interests. The justices were starting their first week with a case on the constitutionality of Oregon’s law permitting assisted suicide. Farthest out on the court’s calendar to date is a case just accepted for early 2006 that raises questions about a campaign finance law that restricted the type of ads Wisconsin Right to Life was allowed to run during last year’s congressional election campaign. In between, the docket includes cases dealing with how the death penalty is applied in different states and laws affecting minors who want abortions and protesters outside abortion clinics.

A woman places a candle in an area where pilgrims leave candles and wax figures at the Marian shrine in Fatima, Portugal, Oct. 2. The site has attracted pilgrims since 1917, when three children -- Lucia dos Santos and her cousins, Francisco and Jacinta Marto -- saw visions of the Virgin Mary and received her messages for prayer and conversion.

said Mary Ann Glendon, a law professor at Harvard University. “Its worst effects can be muted, but only if we start planning now, as a society and in our families.” Glendon and other members of the council participated in a Sept. 29 telephone news conference to talk about the council’s seventh report since its creation in 2001. The report was released that day. The report, “Taking Care: Ethical Caregiving in Our Aging Society,” focuses primarily on the care of people with dementia — currently estimated at 4 million Americans, but expected to triple by mid-century.

Men’s orders concerned about rumored ban on ordaining gays WASHINGTON — Rumors of an imminent Vatican instruction excluding most gay men from seminaries or ordination have sparked concern among superiors of men’s religious orders in the United States. The Conference of Major Superiors of Men is sending a delegation to Rome to voice its concerns, The New York Times reported Sept. 30. One Jesuit superior, in a late September letter obtained by Catholic News Service and other news agencies, said he feared “the great harm this will cause many good priests and the Catholic faith-

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ful” if the Vatican does issue such an instruction. Father Gerald J. Chojnacki, New York Jesuit provincial superior, wrote to members of the province that such an instruction would be unjust and discriminatory. “We know that God does not discriminate,” he said. “We know that gay men have felt God calling them to serve the church as priests and religious. We know that gay men have felt those calls confirmed by prayerful and legitimate discernment processes. We know that gay men who have responded to the call have served the church well as priests and religious — and so why would we be asked to discriminate based on orientation alone against those whom God has called and invited?”

Archbishop says he’s not speaking for Vatican on gays in seminaries WASHINGTON — The archbishop overseeing a program of visitations to U.S. seminaries said that he was not speaking for the Vatican or the U.S. bishops when he said he opposed admitting to seminaries men who have engaged in homosexual activity in the past or who have strong homosexual tendencies. “I was reflecting my personal opinion and offering a prudential practice based on 12

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October 7, 2005

Synod of Bishops . . .

(CNS PHOTO FROM REUTERS)

■ Continued from cover

Members of the National Guard take part Oct. 2 in the first Sunday Mass celebrated at the historic St. Louis Cathedral in New Orleans since Hurricane Katrina more than a month ago. The faithful gathered to mourn those who had perished in the storm and to restore a sense of normalcy to the ravaged city.

years experience as rector (president) of two U.S. seminaries,” said Archbishop Edwin F. O’Brien, head of the U.S. Archdiocese for the Military Services, in a Sept. 30 statement. The archbishop is coordinator of the apostolic visitations of more than 220 U.S. seminaries and houses of formation that began this academic year under the supervision of the Vatican’s Congregation for Catholic Education and with the cooperation of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. His statement was posted on the USCCB Web site.

Our Lady’s message to pray still vital, says Fatima advocate FATIMA, Portugal — Our Lady of Fatima’s message to pray is just as vital

today as it was in 1917 when she appeared to three shepherd children, said the international president of the World Apostolate of Fatima. “We are acting on Our Lady’s request to pray often,” the president, Americo Lopez-Ortiz, said Oct. 1, the eve of the Worldwide Day of Prayer for the Sanctity of Life. “Hard work and prayer will triumph in the battle for life.” On Oct. 2, more than 100,000 people filled the square outside the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima for Mass to mark the day of prayer for life. Bishop Serafim de Sousa Ferreira e Silva of Leiria-Fatima celebrated the Mass, which also served as the annual pilgrimage for lay Franciscans from throughout Portugal and for the people of the diocese. The World Apostolate of Fatima sponsored the day of prayer with the goal of getting 100 million prayers said for the intention of upholding the sacredness of life.

He said bishops should find concrete ways to explain that the Eucharist is a gift, not a right, and that receiving Communion requires fully sharing and living the Catholic faith. Cardinal Scola said the synod should help Catholics rediscover a sense of awe in approaching the Eucharist as Christ’s free, sacrificial gift of himself to the church. The relatio said that, despite church rules against the practice, there was widespread reception of Communion by Catholics who have divorced and civilly remarried without an annulment of the previous marriage. It said the synod should face the question, weighing pastoral concerns with the need to defend the institution of marriage. The relatio also raised the question of married priests as a topic for discussion. Citing the prophetic value of celibacy, it said it seemed reasonable for the church to maintain the celibacy rule even in areas that face a serious shortage of priests. At the press conference, bishops from Asia and Latin America said the lack of priests was a serious problem that needs to be addressed.

Levada . . . ■ Continued from cover the church in all its diversity. The unity was reinforced through the regular gathering of bishops in synods and councils, said Archbishop Forte, who asked how “this ‘synodality’ or ‘collegiality’ of bishops” could be “better expressed and realized?” In other synod speeches: Several speeches focused on the connection between the Eucharist and the sacrament of reconciliation, with Chilean Archbishop Cristian Caro Cordero of Puerto Montt suggesting the church follow

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Bishop Luis Tagle of Imus, Philippines, said that in his country there are “lots of neighborhoods and villages or barrios where people long for the Eucharist.” Even though Philippine seminaries are full, there are still not enough priests to minister to the rising number of Catholics in the country, he said. Bishop Tagle said bishops have tried to help by sending consecrated hosts to lay leaders, who then distribute Communion in local services. Coadjutor Bishop Pierre-Antoine Paulo of Port-de-Paix, Haiti, said there were too few priests in his country, too. Communities promote Sunday gatherings of the faithful for prayer and readings, but without the Eucharist, he said. The Vatican said there were 256 voting members of the synod — 244 bishops and 12 priests — including the four Chinese bishops who had not arrived. Of the total number of participants, 12 came from the United States and six from Canada. Also attending the synod but without voting rights were 32 experts and 27 auditors from around the world. The Vatican said 12 non-Catholic churches and ecclesial communities had been invited to send their representatives to the synod as well. the Year of the Eucharist with a Year of the Sacrament of Penance from Lent 2006 to Lent 2007. Italian Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, head of the Congregation for Bishops, seconded the idea of a year of catechesis and celebration dedicated to the sacrament, but suggested it might be better to have more time to prepare. Several bishops urged the synod to emphasize how accepting the self-sacrifice of Christ in the Eucharist obliges Catholics to go out into the world, preaching the Gospel, engaging in charity and working for social justice and the safeguarding of the environment.

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October 7, 2005

Stanford professor: Use science to fight human cloning advocates healthcare. Relationships and information are two of the keys of successful organizing, Nolan said. We are in a new era - â&#x20AC;&#x153;the era of developâ&#x20AC;&#x153;Your power is as strong and as powerful as mental biologyâ&#x20AC;? - and those on the side of life your weakest relationship,â&#x20AC;? she said. must use the tools of science to engage propoJan. 22, 5005 was an eye-opener for her nents of human cloning and embryonic stem she had struggled with and made the decision to cell research, a Stanford professor told parish join Archbishop William J. Levada and others respect life coordinators Oct. 2. in the inaugural Walk for Life-West Coast - and â&#x20AC;&#x153;How do we study human development no one knew how it would turn out. without violating the dignity of human life? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m a 24-year-old Latina - walking in the Walk Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the challenge of the era,â&#x20AC;? Dr. William for Life - what does that say for me? Next thing I Hurlbut, consulting professor of the Stanford know - Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m on the front page of the National Neuroscience Institute and member of the Catholic Register!â&#x20AC;? Nolan said. Suddenly a public Presidentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Council on Bioethics, said at the statement she had been struggling with internally Archdioceseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Respect Life Education Day. was national news, and not only that but as she â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s going to be open season on embryos,â&#x20AC;? walked with 7,000 under signs saying â&#x20AC;&#x153;Women Dr. William Hurlbut (second from left) with USF students who are part Hurlbut warned, and recent speeches and Deserve Better than Abortionâ&#x20AC;?, Nolan looked of Heart of Mary Ministries, an off-campus Catholic community essays by politicians and scientists show that across at the angry counter demonstrators lining for women directed by Sister Marie Ignatius, RSHM (right). they are trying to marginalize pro-life voices, the walk route and both sides were surprised: with â&#x20AC;&#x153;religion relegated to partisan ideology.â&#x20AC;? there and change.â&#x20AC;? Hurlbut said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;The whole precedes and â&#x20AC;&#x153;I recognized a lot of them because I was marching with Pro-embryonic stem cell research scientists are increasing- produces the parts. Isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t that amazing, whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s in that cell?â&#x20AC;? them a couple of weeks before for the pro-peace rally.â&#x20AC;? ly pushing the limits of the age of the unborn child when it Later in the day, Vicki Thorn, executive director of the In building a Culture of Life - or in building any conbecomes socially and scientifically acceptable to take apart for National Office of Post Abortion Reconciliation and Healing, dis- stituency - Nolan said relationships are the key. You have to its body parts. While the 14-day embryo - which appears to be cussed reaching two generations of people raised in a post Roe v care about the others you meet. However, Nolan said, that merely a ball of cells - is now the latest-stage embryo that Wade society. She said she finds that more young women ask for doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t mean those who care about promoting a Culture of most pro-cloning scientists say publicly that they will use for help sooner - sometimes as soon as the same day of an abortion. Life are not going to encounter conflict. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Catholic teaching research, that boundary is being pushed back, with a recent She pointed to novels such as The Thin Pink Line, which explain gives it to us straight: We respect the dignity of every livstudy denying early embryos feel pain as just the latest, subtle embryology as part of a Generation Y plotline. Non-religious ing human being, period,â&#x20AC;? Nolan said. volley, Hurlbut said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Seven - to 10 - week old embryos are works springing from within our culture that address these issues A key principle to remember in all efforts is there are going to prove to be the most scientifically useful,â&#x20AC;? he said. signal and affect a shift in consciousness of the value of life, she â&#x20AC;&#x153;no permanent enemies, no permanent alliesâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;just permaWhile federal funding of embryonic stem cell research was said. Thorn also discussed the importance of helping the 40 mil- nent interest,â&#x20AC;? Nolan said. restricted to existing lines in 2001 by President George W. lion men affected by abortion and talked about the biochemistry Nolan helped the group focus specifically on the shortBush, there are almost no limits on privately funded research, of sexuality and sexual relations. Thorn returns to San Francisco term goal of persuading people to vote for Proposition 73 Hurlbut told the group of about 80 people gathered in a to speak at Mercy High School in November. on Nov. 8. Proposition 73 would require anyone performUniversity of San Francisco meeting room. Increasingly, scienFinally, the group heard from Sarah Silva Nolan, who ing an abortion on a minor to notify a parent or guardian in tists are acknowledging the difficulties with embryonic research brought the corporate techniques of organizing to the Annual writing 48 hours in advance. The archdiocese has sent flythat is confined to cloned or in-vitro fertilization embryos Archdiocesan Respect Life Conference. ers and possible bulletin notices to all the pastors in the grown to the 14 day or blastocyst stage, including the developNolan spends half her time working for the archdiocese and archdiocese to educate Catholics on this issue. ment of teratomas or uncontrolled tumors in cloned embryos. the other half working for the interfaith San Francisco Organizing For more information, call the Archdiocesan Respect Life Vickie Thorn, who heads a national post abortion min- Project, which focuses on issues such as affordable housing and office at 415-614-5572 or log on to www.SFlifeandjustice.org. istry, and Sarah Silva Nolan, a parish organizer in the Archdiocese of San Francisco Office of Public Policy and Social Concerns also spoke at the event. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Many of our respect life representatives have been asking for more education in the many and complex issues that are part of the respect life spectrum today,â&#x20AC;? said Vicki Evans, respect life coordinator for the archdiocese. â&#x20AC;&#x153;In order for the pro-life movement to be effective it must be educated,â&#x20AC;? Evans said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The object of todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s program was to provide knowledgeable speakers for the educational outreach that we so need.â&#x20AC;? While much of the success so far is with adult stem cells - and that includes for the purposes of definition fetal cells embryonic stem cells may also yield promising results down the road, Hurlbut said. The critical issue is that, as the Catholic Church teaches, life begins at conception. From a scientific point of view, the one-celled zygote created by the merger of a sperm and an egg contains all of the parts of the human being of which it is just the earliest stage. For many scientists, he said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;It is unintuitive - that you can both be

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October 7, 2005

Catholic San Francisco

Bread of Life and Wine of Love Pope Benedict XVIâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s homily opening the Synod on the Eucharist

EDUCATION

planted very select vines and in spite of this wild grapes ripened. ing. Tolerance, which God admits so to speak in private, but In what do these wild grapes consist? Good grapes which God denies in the public domain, the reality in the world and in our life, is not tolerance but hypocrisy . was expecting - says the prophet - should However, wherever man makes himself have consisted in justice and uprightness. the only master of the world and of himInstead, wild grapes bring violence, self, justice cannot exist. Only the freebloodshed and oppression, which make dom of power and interests can dominate people groan under the yoke of injustice. there. Of course, one can send the Son In the Gospel the image changes: the out of the vineyard and kill him, in order vine produces good grapes, but the tento selfishly taste the fruits of the earth ants keep them for themselves They are alone. But then, the vineyard will soon be not willing to give them to the owner. changed into uncultivated land trodden They beat and kill his messengers and by wild boars, as says the responsorial kill His Son. Their reasons are simple: Psalm (Cf. 79:14) they want to become owners; they take over what does not belong to them. In the Hence, we reach the third element of Old Testament first of all there is an todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s readings. The Lord, in the Old as accusation against violating social justice in the New Testament, proclaims judgfor despising man by man. However, ment on the unfaithful vineyard. The what appears in the background is that by judgment which Isaiah foresaw became despising the Torah, that right given by reality in the great wars and exiles carried God, it is God Himself who is despised; out by the Assyrians and Babylonians. Man only wants to enjoy his own power. The judgment proclaimed by our Lord This aspect is fully underlined in the Jesus refers above all to the destruction of parable of Jesus: the tenants do not want Jerusalem in the year 70. But the threat of Pope Benedict XVI sprinkles a landowner - and these tenants are also a judgment also concerns us, the Church in holy water during a blessing at mirror of ourselves. We men, to which Europe, Europe and the West in general. creation, so to say, is entrusted to manWith this Gospel, the Lord is also crying Mass in St. Peter's Basilica Oct. 2. age, usurp it. We want to be the direct out to our ears the words which in the landowners and by ourselves. We want to own the world and our Apocalypse he addressed to the Church of Ephesus â&#x20AC;&#x153;If you will own lives in an unlimited way. God is our stumbling stone. not repent, I shall come to you and take your lamp-stand from its Either we make Him a simple devout expression or he is denied BREAD OF LIFE, page 15 everything, he is banished from public life, thus losing all mean(CNS PHOTO FROM REUTERS)

Following is the Vatican translation of Pope Benedict XVIâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s homily at the solemn inauguration for the Synod on the Eucharist and 11th Ordinary General Assembly of Bishops: The reading from the prophet Isaiah and the Gospel of today put before our eyes one of the great images of the Sacred Scripture: the image of the vine. The bread represents in the Sacred Scripture everything man needs for his daily life. Water gives the earth fertility: it is the fundamental gift, which makes life possible. Instead, wine expresses the exquisiteness of creation; it gives us the feast in which we surpass the limits of daily routine: wine â&#x20AC;&#x153;gladdens the heartâ&#x20AC;?. Thus wine and with it the vine have also become images of the gift of love, in which we can have some experience of the taste of the Divine. And thus the reading of the prophet, which we have just listened to, begins as a song of love: God created a vineyard - this is an image of his story of love with humanity, of his love for Israel, which He chose. The first thought of todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s readings is therefore the following: to man, created in his image, God has infused in him the ability to love and therefore the ability to also love Him, his Creator. With the song of love of the prophet Isaiah, God wishes to speak to the hearts of his people - and also to each one of us. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I created you in my image and likenessâ&#x20AC;?, he tells us. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I myself am love, and you are my image to the extent in which the splendor of love shines in you, to the extent in which you respond to me with loveâ&#x20AC;?. God waits for us. He wants to be loved by us: shouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t a similar call touch our hearts? In this very moment when we are celebrating the Eucharist, when we are inaugurating the Synod on the Eucharist, He comes to meet us, He comes to meet me. Will this find a reply? Or does this happen with us as with the vineyard, about which God says in Isaiah: â&#x20AC;&#x153;He expected it to yield fine grapes; wild grapes were all it yielded?â&#x20AC;? Is our Christian life often not perhaps rather vinegar than wine? Is it self-commiseration, conflict, indifference? With this we have automatically arrived at the second fundamental thought of todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s readings. They speak first of all of the goodness of the creation of God and of the greatness of the choice by which he expects of us and loves us. But then they also speak of the subsequent story - of manâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s failure. God had

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October 7, 2005

Annual ‘Faith Formation Conference’ set for Oct. 21-22 “The Joy of Belonging to God” is the theme for the 2005 Faith Formation Conference scheduled for Oct. 21-22 at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco. The faith-learning and faith-expanding event is sponsored by the Archdiocese of San Francisco, the Diocese of San Jose and the Diocese of Monterey. A half-day program (9 a.m. – 1 p.m.) on Friday, Oct. 21 features three sessions for individuals in leadership positions in parishes, Catholic schools or Church agencies. The half-day workshops will focus on the Vatican II vision of liturgy, the role of culture in liturgical expression, and liturgy as a source of grace. Saturday, Oct. 22 will feature more than 50 workshops for individuals involved in religious education, youth and young adult ministry, Catholic schools, adult faith formation, and liturgy. The full day begins at 8:30 a.m. and concludes with a 4:30 p.m. liturgy. Workshops are in English, Spanish and Vietnamese. More than two-dozen exhibitors also will be present at the conference. Presenters include Monsignor James Moroney, exec-

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utive director of the Secretariat for Liturgy at the U.S. Bishops’ Conference; Sister Eva Marie Lumas of the Franciscan School of Theology in Berkeley; Jesuit Father J-Glenn Murray, director of Pastoral Liturgy in the Diocese of Cleveland; Thomas Groome, director of Boston College’s Institute of Religious Education and Pastoral Ministry; and Bishop John Wester, A p o s t o l i c Administrator for the Archdiocese of San Francisco. All those who are interested in enriching their faith are welcome. For more information visit www.sforeym.org or call 415 614-5650.

Fr. Bourgeois to speak Oct. 11 Father Roy Bourgeois, Maryknoll priest and founder of the School of the Americas Watch, will speak Tuesday, Oct. 11 at 7:30 p.m. at St. Ignatius Church, 650 Parker Ave. in San Francisco. His topic, “School of Terror: U.S. Policy in Latin America,” will address issues of social justice and human rights in Latin America and the world. A free-will offering will benefit the Nevada Desert Experience, a local faith-based organization working for the abolition of nuclear weapons and non-violent social change. Bilingual Staff Information and Referrals ● Care Coordination

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VOCATIONS

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Dealing with common objections to accepting one’s call By Sr. Joseph Andrew Bogdanowicz, O.P. “Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch” (Lk 5:4). Our Lord is asking us to do something. But who alone holds the power to do it or not to do it? You and I do! God can plead throughout our youth and indeed our entire lifetime but only we can answer Him because of an amazing power called “free will” before which even God Himself bends. What are some of the reasons young people begin to hear God calling them to the priesthood or religious life but don’t answer that call? . . . “I’ll follow my vocation—but later. Right now, I’m too young. I need to experience the world first, have some fun, complete my education, get a job, and see what the world has to offer.” You and I hold the power over our own nets - our hearts. A temptation we might all experience at some time is to fill our empty nets with other “riches”: people, social entertainments, money, prestige, and all the false allurements of this world. Then if we succeed thinking have filled our hearts completely, there will be no room left for God. Ecclesiastes teaches us that there is a time for every purpose under Heaven: a time to discern and a time to decide and act. The timing, it seems to me, for an individual to answer his/her vocation is held in God’s hands, but it is important that we do answer Him and not put Him off with vague excuses. If He is inviting you now to leave all things and follow Him, will you R.S.V.P.? Or will you be more like the “rich young man” in Matthew’s Gospel, who went away sad. Is your “net” - your life - half-empty or half-full? Do you have the courage to open it wider so that Christ can transform your life for all eternity? “I can’t do anything about my vocation now because I have too many debts.” Have you even begun trying to pay them off? Perhaps you should get a job and make the commitment that once they are paid, you will immediately act on your vocation. You might try asking some people you know to assist you with donations. There are many good people and organizations that are only too happy to assist a person who wishes to enter the seminary or novitiate and is in monetary need. But we first need to do our part and let God do the rest. In all this, trust is the virtue before which all temptations must give way in order to answer a call to a religious consecration. This trust is never disappointed. Didn’t Mary Magdalene and the other holy women go to anoint the Body of the Lord knowing full well that there was a huge stone blocking the tomb’s entrance? They knew they couldn’t roll it back - so why did they go? They trusted and they beheld the stone rolled away and an angel there to greet them. For their perseverance and love, they were among the first to whom the Resurrected Christ appeared. “I am not worthy. I’m not holy enough.” Read the life of any saint and I guarantee you’ll find a recurring theme: Jesus seems to always ask us to do more

Sister Joseph Andrew with new postulants who entered her order on September 8, 2005. She calls them “Mother Mary's 'birthday gifts' to her Son in this Year of the Eucharist.”

than we think we are capable of. No one who has an authentic religious vocation would ever believe him/her self worthy of it. But God chooses to use, in the words of St. Paul, the “weak of the world to shame those who think themselves strong.” In any event, the “worthiness” or “strength” of a religious vocation must be ascribed completely to God Himself and not to the weakened humanity being called. Still, each of us tends to put self in the center of the picture - where instead we should be placing God.

Just listen to Peter’s response to Christ: “Master, we have toiled all night and have taken nothing.” Such a proactive fisherman’s view of things! We toiled . . .. We took nothing. Peter still sees himself as the source of all posVOCATION, page 10

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October 7, 2005

VOCATIONS

Vocation . . . ■ Continued from page 9 sible success. He had failed because he caught nothing though no one could fish like he could! It is only by the power of grace working within him, and his openness to grace, that Peter could consent: “But at your word, I will let down my nets.” Peter decided to open himself to Master. He echoes Mary’s fiat of “be it done unto me according to Thy will.” He is learning the contrast between the active life he has led up to this point of his life and the deeper depths of contemplative prayer. Peter is also learning the meaning of the angel’s words to Mary, “With man, it is impossible. With God all things are possible.” In this dramatic scene of the miraculous catch, Peter’s dependency on God is rewarded with a sharing in Divine power His very life. Thus begins Peter’s inner journey that will culminate in his being the first Supreme Shepherd of the Church and finally, in his martyrdom of love. “Not yet. I’m still discerning and need more time.” This is perhaps the largest group of young people with whom I communicate: people who do not seem to be able to make a decision. They always think that they need more time. It is not my intent to poke fun at those who discern for a long while. After all, the decision of one’s life-long vocation might be the most difficult decision of all. In truth, if I could, I would certainly try to assist these discerners to make some kind of a decision for I have witnessed the agony they endure. No one would question that a certain amount of prudent and prayerful discernment is necessary - but not a lifetime of it. Of what might a truthful discernment process consist? I offer the following suggestions. Men should visit seminaries and experience the seminary life close-up to see if it seems to “fit” God’s plan for them. They need to ask good questions of priests, to begin an honest spiritual life that includes a disciplined balance of prayer, frequenting the Sacraments and Holy Mass, spiritual reading and daily examination of conscience. It is an excellent idea to begin regular correspondence with a priest-friend

who also may, but need not, be one’s spiritual director. Women need to visit convents so that they get a better idea of the reality of women’s consecrated life. They should make retreats that lead them into authentic holiness. Like men, they need to balance their life of sacramental and personal prayer life, spiritual reading, and daily examination of conscience and begin a healthy, holy correspondence with a religious sister-friend who may or may not be a member of the community which the woman aspires to enter. What should you do if you recognize yourself in the “perpetual discerners club” and you want out of it? The answer might be simpler than you’d think. If you think you might know God’s will, simply embrace it as best you can. If, however, you honestly don’t know God’s will and you are putting forth the prayer and effort you should to discern, then never give up. Had Peter given up after his first failed attempt at fishing and not had the courage to go back out and try again; he might not have become the first Pope of the Church. Sometimes it is just when we are about to give up that, in God’s timing, our nets are just about to be miraculously filled—even to the breaking point—the breaking point of our personal joy. God stretches the heart and we grow by just letting God be God! Letting God Be God To let God be God is to allow Him to make us saints; to allow Him to fill us with that holiness which is the wholeness for which we were created. Joy greets those who aspire to live on the same page as God. Others who do not understand may call them “radicals,” “dreamers,” “visionaries” or just “ridiculous.” But imagine for a moment the immense transcendent joy of living the priestly vocation as “another Christ” or the beautiful life of a woman who has been called to be a “Spouse of Christ”! Who among us would ever feel worthy, prepared, ready? We all know the happy ending of this fishing story by which Peter’s life was changed forever. After the obedience in faith, they caught a great number of fish and their nets were tearing. Others were asked for help. To rely on God often means that we will awaken to a new vacuum in our lives - a space that can only be filled when

✝

Archbishop William J. Levada received the first blessing of Father Mark Reburiano who he had just ordained priest on June 25, 2005.

others are let into the deepest places of our lives, of our hearts. We learn to trust God and our neighbor simultaneously because both require of us the humility of a “little one” who knows his own neediness and isn’t frightened by it. Recall Peter had to ask for help for amazement at the catch of fish seized him. A quote from an ancient homily for Holy Saturday brings home this comforting thought for those who might be still awaiting the “resurrection” of knowing the specific vocation to which God is inviting you: Rise from the dead for I am the life of the dead. Rise, let us leave this place, for you

are in Me and I am in you. Together we form only one person and we cannot ever be separated. Be not afraid to cast your net for a catch far beyond all your wildest imaginings! Remember, he who casts, finds! Sr. Joseph Andrew Bogdanowicz, O.P. is the Vicar General and Vocation Directress of the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist in Ann Arbor, Michigan. For more information on her community visit website www.sistersofmary.org.

SERRA CLUB A Catholic Lay Organization

FOSTERING VOCATIONS PRIESTHOOD RELIGIOUS LIFE

to the AND

San Mateo 650.560.9599

San Francisco_ 415.243.8280

In living your life, have only one desire, to be and become the person God wills... JEAN PIERRE MEDAILLE, SJ

What is God’s desire for you?

TALK WITH A SISTER OF ST. JOSEPH OF ORANGE 480 S. Batavia Street, Orange, CA 92868 vocationcsj@csjorange.org (714) 633-8121 ext. 7108 www.sistersofstjosephorange.org

October 7, 2005

Catholic San Francisco

PRIESTS FOR THE FUTURE You haven’t chosen me. I have chosen you.” “Tu no me has elegido. Yo te he elegido a ti.”

PRIESTS FOR THE ARCHDIOCESE

SAN FRANCISCO

John 15:16

God, our Father, In Your love and providence, You call each of us to a more holy and abundant life. We pray for our young people in the Archdiocese of San Francisco. Open their hearts and minds to know the vocation You have planned for them from all eternity. If they are being invited to follow You as a priest, Brother, or Sister, give them a generous heart to respond to Your challenging call and the strength to follow wherever You lead them. May families desire to please You by encouraging and supporting vocations within their homes. We ask this through Jesus Christ, our Good Shepherd. Amen

Archdiocese of San Francisco Seminarians Ghislain C. Bazikila Wade Bjerke Ambrose A. Calonsag A. Durand Garcia Armando Gutierrez

Michael J. Konopik Juan Alejo Justo Felix Lim Juan M. Lopez Jerome Murphy

Dat Nguyen Ngoan Van Phan Joseph F. Previtali Michael F. Quinn David A. Schunk

William Thornton Hansel Tomaneng Tony Vallecillo Paul M. Zirimenya

“Please pray for our seminarians and those currently in discernment.”

Please complete this form and mail to the Vocation Office ❑ I would like information on studying for the priesthood ❑ I will pray for vocations daily. would make a great priest(s). Parish ❑ I believe that ❑ I wish to make a gift to ensure priests for the future. ❑ I have or would like to remember the education of future priests in my will. ❑ I would like information about joining a parish vocation committee. Name

Phone Number

Address City

State

Zip

Please return to: Father Thomas A. Daly, Office of Vocations Archdiocese of San Francisco One Peter Yorke Way, San Francisco, CA 94109 (415) 614-5683 e-mail: daly@sfarchdiocese.org

Catholic San Francisco

October 7, 2005

Catholic san Francisco Northern California’s Weekly Catholic Newspaper

Guest Commentary All in the family By John Leo It took the media a while to acknowledge that most of Katrina’s victims were black. Apparently, it will take longer to mention that most of the victims were women and children. I noticed three commentators who brought up the delicate subject of the mostly missing males—George Will, Gary Bauer, and Thomas Bray, a columnist for the Detroit News. Will noted that 76 percent of births to Louisiana’s African-Americans are to unmarried women, and probably more than 80 percent in New Orleans, since that is the usual estimate in other inner cities. Will wrote: “That translates into a large and constantly renewed cohort of lightly parented adolescent males, and that translates into chaos, in neighborhoods and schools, come rain or come shine.” A good deal of hard evidence shows that this is so. Two decades of research produced a consensus among social scientists of both left and right that family structure has a serious impact on children, even when controlling for income, race, and other variables. In other words, we are not talking about a problem of race but about a problem of family formation or, rather, the lack of it. The best outcomes for children—whether in academic performance, avoidance of crime and drugs, or financial and economic success—are almost invariably produced by married biological parents. The worst results are found in households headed by never-married women. In a policy brief released last week, the Washington-based Institute for Marriage and Public Policy, http://www.marriagedebate.com, looked at 23 recent studies dealing with family structure and youth crime. In 19 of the 20 studies that found family structure to have an effect, children from nonintact or single-parent families had a higher rate of crime or delinquency. Neighborhoods with lots of out-of-wedlock births have lots of crime. Ominously, one study said that the more single-parent families there were in a neighborhood, the more crime there was among two-parent kids living around them. Again, these studies are controlled for race. Among the other findings: — Adolescents in single-parent families were almost twice as likely to have pulled a knife or a gun on someone in the past year. This was after controlling for many demographic variables, including race, gender, age, household income, and educational level of parents. — In a large sample of students in 315 classrooms in 11 cities, the “single most important variable” in gang involvement was found to be family structure. In other words, the greater the number of parents at home, the lower the level of gang involvement. A study of American Indian families found that living in a two-parent family reduced gang involvement by more than 50 percent. — Another study concluded that out-of-wedlock childbearing had a large effect on the rate of arrests for murder, an effect that “seems to have gotten stronger over time.” — “Adolescents in married, two-biological-parent families generally fare better than children in any of the family types examined here,” one study reported. The other family types studied were single mother, cohabiting stepfather, and married stepfather families. — One study, judged most important by the institute, found that divorce rates had no relationship to violent crime rates but that out-of-wedlock births had a strong relationship to youth crime—nearly 90 percent of the increase in violent crime between 1973 and 1995 was accounted for by the rise in out-ofwedlock births. The upshot of these studies is that America is confronted by a form of poverty that money alone can’t cure. Many of us think social breakdown is a result of racism and poverty. Yes, they are factors, but study after study shows that alterations in norms and values are at the heart of economic and behavioral troubles. That’s why so much research boils down to the old rule: If you want to avoid poverty, finish high school, don’t have kids in your teens, and get married. But the conventional wisdom is determined to ignore the evidence. It holds that family fragmentation—sorry, diverse family forms—is positive and here to stay. Peggy Drexler, the author of a new book, Raising Boys Without Men, says people who promote intact families are playing a “blame game” against single mothers. She thinks eating dinner regularly with your children is more important than the number or gender of adults in the home. And boys, according to Drexler, have an innate ability to become men, even without a man in the house. (But if boys can raise themselves, why should any father stick around?) The book carries blurbs from various establishment figures. Why not? Her ideas are ordinary ones among our elites. John Leo is senior contributing editor and columnist for U.S. News & World Report. His column is distributed by Universal Press Syndicate.

In need of catechesis In her Sept. 30 letter taking umbrage with your editorial agreeing with the Governor’s veto of same sex marriage, Barbara Loughrey describes herself as a Catholic wife, mother, pastoral assistant, etc. One wonders in what way those titles are supposed to qualify her to demand that you either slant your newspaper to erroneous views contrary to constant Church teaching, or resign? Were Mrs. Loughrey well grounded in Catholic theology and Catechetics she would, hopefully, discover that it is she, not Catholic San Francisco, who needs to be “enlightened.” Any one who proclaims, as she does, that Jesus is “saddened” by disapproval of homosexual sex (or any sex outside of the Holy Sacrament of Matrimony) is missing the point. As for her insistence that homosexual love and commitment shows “that Jesus is present,” He surely is. But not to the deviant sexual activity Mrs. Loughrey advocates. Rather He is present to real love and commitment between both homosexual persons and heterosexuals in which pure, self-sacrificing love means taking great care not to endanger the soul of the beloved soul by indulgence in grave sin. God is, after all, love. Thus, He is present to love - not to lust. Jane L. Sears Burlingame

Brave Cardinal Schonborn

Regarding his assertion that the Church’s tradition on evolution is quite clear by quoting a couple of out of context papal pronouncements is specious. I always thought that the Pope was only infallible when he spoke as head of the Church on matters of faith and morals. Nowhere does this include infallibility on science. Darwin’s theory of blind, chance-driven evolution has more holes than Swiss cheese. It is a theory, nothing more. How about contacting a scientist who believes in intelligent design and having a true debate. There are plenty of them at the University of California. The reason those who believe in strict Darwinian evolution are fighting so hard to keep intelligent design out of public schools is they know when students compare the two, intelligent design will win. Stephen Firenze San Mateo

L E T T E R S

Finally a high ranking Catholic, Cardinal Christoph Schonborn, has the courage to attack atheistic evolutionary Darwinism (CSF – Sept. 16), and what do we get on the same page, but an article by Fr. Gerald Coleman all but calling anyone who doesn’t believe in evolutionary Darwinism a fool.

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

Sneaking in religion

It is a surprise to see a commentary piece in Catholic San Francisco (Sept. 23) supporting the myth of Intelligent Design and/or Creationism. I thought Pope John Paul II put that to rest years ago when he declared he did not find the Darwin theory of evolution inconsistent with Catholic doctrine. The author, Brian Killian attacks the theories of Darwin by declaring, “Over 400 scientists have signed a statement of dissent from Darwin’s theory evolution.” These “scientists” are not identified, nor is the date, or the occasion of the declaration. Only a tiny handful of biological scientists who have been quoted since the recent flurry of publicity on the issue, dissent from Darwin. For those who do not believe in the theory of evolution, I recommend they ask their doctors why penicillin is no longer a favored antibiotic. It is because its initial over use has caused bacteria to evolve defenses to it, requiring the development of new antibiotics. That’s evolution before your eyes. When confronted with a different environment, natural growing things attempt to adapt, i.e., evolve. Which is what Darwin said 150 years ago. The vice of the Intelligent Design notion is exposed by asking the question, whose intelligence? The theory is a back door way to attack valid science in the name of religion. To require its teaching in schools is to introduce religion under the guise of science. It is thus the tool of the right wing evangelicals. Religion doesn’t need that help. Jerome F. Downs San Francisco Ed. Note – The reality of bacterial microadaptation is not denied by proponents of intelligent design. That “growing things attempt to adapt” is denied by strict Darwinian evolution. “Attempt” implies intelligence and will which is inconsistent with a blind process of natural selection.

Faustina Kowalska 1905-1938 feast – October 5 Born a poor Polish peasant, the teenage Helen worked as a maid and her parents, needing money, refused to let her become a nun. But in a vision, Christ directed her to Warsaw, where in 1925 she entered the Sisters of Our Lady of CNS Mercy, taking the name Maria Faustina. Her visions of Jesus as the divine mercy continued, and proclaiming God’s mercy and love worldwide became her mission. She died of tuberculosis. When he canonized her in 2000, Pope John Paul II inaugurated the feast of Divine Mercy on the Second Sunday of Easter. Saints for Today

October 7, 2005

Catholic San Francisco

Spirituality

Proofs for the existence of God Can you prove that God exists? Some of the greatest philosophers believed that it can be done. Anselm, Aquinas, Descartes, Leibnitz, Spinoza, Hartshorne, among others, all tried to do it. They used different approaches. Some, like Thomas Aquinas, tried to try to prove God’s existence by arguing that the existence and design of the universe necessitate a God as its creator and ground. One of Aquinas’ proofs, for example, goes this way: Imagine you’re walking along a road, see a stone lying on the ground, and someone asks you: “Who put that stone there?” You can easily answer that it’s always been there. Not much suggests that this is anything beyond brute nature. However, imagine you’re walking along that same road and you see a watch lying on the ground, still ticking, still keeping time. Could you still answer that it has always been there? Not so easily this time. Its intelligent design suggests that it’s not simply the result of blind nature, but the product of some intelligent designer, just as the fact that it’s still ticking makes it clear that it hasn’t always been there. Aquinas then takes this image and extends it to the whole universe. Its intelligent design (for example, the central nervous system and brain structure of the human being) is a billion times more complex in terms of intelligent design than is a wristwatch and the fact that it’s running down tells us that can’t always have been here. Some intelligent designer must have helped fashion it and it must have had a beginning in time. Descartes, Leibnitz, Spinoza, and Anselm have a different argument. Theirs goes this way: If God is possible, then God exists, because it is impossible to have

a possible God. Since God is possible, God exists! That may sound almost silly to the ordinary mind, but this peculiar little equation, expressed in different ways, has intrigued some of greatest minds on the planet, hinting that the rest of us, ordinary mortals, are perhaps missing something of its meaning. The British philosopher, Frederick Copleston, in a famous debate with Bertrand Russell, once put all of these arguments into one equation: If the universe makes sense, then God exists. Russell, an atheist, actually conceded this truth, but then argued that the universe doesn’t make sense but is simply a brute, accidental fact that cannot be meaningfully explained. What’s to be said about these “proofs”? Do they prove anything? These are not mathematical or scientific equations and therefore don’t prove anything in that fashion. Nor are they arguments that compel a sceptic to believe in God. But that doesn’t mean they’re meaningless either. Their value is that they point to something deeper, beyond mathematics and science, something below the surface that invites you either to trust or doubt, to believe that it all makes sense or is meaningless. Karl Rahner once suggested his own proofs for the existence of God. For him, we taste God in certain experiences and these experiences ultimately imprint us with the belief that the universe makes sense, that we have sufficient reason to love and trust, that there’s a world beyond this one, and that there’s a God. Here’s a paraphrase of his argument: Have you ever remained silent, though you wanted to defend yourself, though you were treated unfairly? Have you ever forgiven, though you received no reward for it and people took it for granted? Have you ever obeyed, not because you had

to or else there would be some unpleasantness, but simply because of some mysterious, silent, unfathomable reality inside of yourself? Have you ever made a sacrifice, without receiving thanks, without recognition, Father without even feeling satRon Rolheiser isfaction inside? Have you ever been absolutely lonely and, within that, had to make up your mind to do something purely for the sake of conscience? Have you ever tried to love when no wave of enthusiasm was carrying you along, where you could no longer confuse your own needs with love? Have you ever persevered without bitterness in doing your duty when that duty looked like death, felt like it was killing you, looked stupid to those outside, and left you helpless to not envy those who have chosen a path with more pleasure? Have you ever been good to someone from whom no echo of gratitude or comprehension came back and where you weren’t even rewarded with the feeling that you had been good and unselfish? If you’ve ever had any of these experiences, then you’ve experienced God and know that there’s a deeper ground beneath the one on which you walk. Oblate Father Ron Rolheiser is a theologian, teacher and award-winning author.

Family Life

Nooks and crannies We had dinner guests tonight - our parish priest Fr. Mike and a diocesan seminarian working at our church this summer. True to form, I was performing random cleanings on unsuspecting nooks and crannies around the house. As I was unloading groceries, I realized it was time to clean the fridge. As I swabbed the main shelf, I noticed something odd: pine straw. “What kind of woman allows pine straw into her fridge,” I marveled. The question reminded me of one I asked myself last week upon discovering three t-shirts and a pair of goggles (belonging to us) in the Lost and Found at the pool. “What kind of woman has this much stuff in the Lost and Found?” Me, as it turns out. For both questions. I realized, after getting all the debris cleared out, that the pine straw made its way into the fridge on the back of a sweaty milk jug. The Suburban carried several bales of the straw home one afternoon, for landscaping purposes. The milk attracted the pine straw. The pine straw got in my fridge. One small area of my life - the back of my filthy

Suburban - had a direct effect on a major area of my life, and one that I keep much, much tidier. Almost a year ago, I got some shocking news. In the course of a very innocent conversation with someone very dear to me, I found out something horrible. A terrible thing done to someone I love dearly. And I found out who did it. It all happened a long, long time ago. But it suddenly seemed very real, very present. A name, a face, to associate with an incredible hurt. I decided at that moment God did not expect me to forgive this person. In fact, I was allowed to think horrid thoughts and to cling to my anger with an iron fist. Unfortunately, I wasn’t bigger than the festering spot. I wanted to reserve one tiny section of my heart to hate this person, but still have love and joy throughout the rest of me. It seemed only fair. But slowly, during the days after that, I started getting angry at a lot. I found I couldn’t easily forgive the child who was mean to my son. I couldn’t forget a squabble with a friend. The person who cut me off in traffic ruined my day.

I chose not to forgive one person, and it seeped into the rest of my being. It was scary, but I knew what I had to do: let it go. Somehow, in some supernatural way, let go of something I thought I deserved. Wasn’t it my Rachel Swenson right to hate and Balducci begrudge? Didn’t this person deserve as much? I don’t know. But I do know this: I didn’t deserve as much. God has so much more in store for me than to live like that. Too much joy to let one area, even an extremely painful area, do so much harm to me. I let it go. Cleaned it out. Got rid of the junk. Rachel Swenson Balducci is a freelance writer living with her husband and children in Augusta, Georgia.

The Catholic Difference “Why isn’t there a ‘progressive’ candidate?” was, to some, one of the mysteries of this past April’s conclave. The fact that John Paul II had named so many of the electors was suggested as the explanation. But that didn’t work, as a quick riffle through the Vatican yearbook easily revealed the names of at least thirty cardinals whom no one would ever label “conservative” – and every one of them had been named by John Paul II. At the time, I suggested that there was no “progressive” candidate because the campaign to compel the Catholic Church to deconstruct its doctrine and bend its moral teaching to a thin notion of freedom-as-autonomy was exhausted. Confirmation of that thesis now comes from a bizarre essay in the October 6 issue of the New York Review of Books. Under the rubric “Fringe Government,” Garry Wills proposes that Father Richard John Neuhaus, Father Joseph Fessio, S.J., Michael Novak, and your scribe are “situated at the contact points between the similar ruling systems of the Vatican and the White House,” from which perch we are busily – doing what? Well, according to Garry Wills, destroying American democracy and turning the ecclesiastical clock back to the days of Pius IX, or maybe even Pius V. I take it as an iron law of controversy that people turn to conspiracy theories and personal nastiness when they’ve run out of ideas. Dr. Wills is, evidently, out of ideas, or at least arguments. In the course of his New York Review essay, he doesn’t engage a single idea that Neuhaus, Novak, or I have proposed over the past twenty-five years. As our students will

readily attest, my friends and I relish real debate; but how does one respond to cartoons masquerading as arguments? Garry Wills is is a very intelligent man who has made important contributions to our understanding of American history – which makes it all the more discouraging when his commentary on things Catholic comes unhinged. So, for the record, here are what I take to be some of the key ideas three of his Great Conspirators have been propounding: 1. The Founders and Framers did not intend the United States to be built around a “naked public square” in which religiously informed moral argument is deemed out-ofbounds in public life. The Supreme Court should recognize that the First Amendment was intended to create the legal and cultural conditions for the free exercise of religion – “no establishment” being one means to the end of free exercise. 2. The abortion license defined by Roe v. Wade is a grave injustice because it legalizes the willful taking of innocent human life. Similar threats to first principles of justice are entailed in euthanasia and in embryo-destructive stem cell research. These issues can be adjudicated on genuinely “public” moral-philosophical grounds, without appeals to ecclesiastical authority or “sectarian” doctrine. 3. The free economy is superior to state-based economies because it creates wealth more efficiently, distributes it more equitably, and reflects the economic creativity built into us as rational and moral beings. If you believe the poor are people with potential and your goal is to empower the poor to unleash

the creativity that is theirs, you work to incorporate the poor into those networks of productivity and exchange that we call the “free economy;” you don’t keep poor people trapped on the welfare plantation. George Weigel 4. The just war tradition, a tradition of statecraft, remains the normative Catholic method of moral reasoning about world politics and provides a public moral grammar by which free societies can debate their responsibilities in a dangerously conflicted world. 5. The pontificate of John Paul II was not a pontificate against modernity, but a pontificate advancing a distinctively modern appraisal of modernity, one that included both affirmation and critique. 6. The Catholic Church has a “form” given it by Christ. All genuinely Catholic reform is by reference to that “form.” In the event that he pulls himself out of the slough of progressive Catholic despond, it would be instructive to learn Dr. Wills’s objections to these six points. George Weigel is a senior fellow of the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington, D.C.

JOHN EARLE PHOTO

Dr. Wills comes unhinged

Catholic San Francisco

October 7, 2005

TWENTY-EIGHTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME Isaiah 25:6-10a; Psalm 23:1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6; Philippians 4:12-14; Matthew 22:1-14 or 22-1-10 A READING FROM THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET ISAIAH (IS 25:6-10A) On this mountain the Lord of hosts will provide for all peoples a feast of rich food and choice wines, juicy, rich food and pure, choice wines. On this mountain he will destroy the veil that veils all peoples, the web that is woven over all nations; he will destroy death forever. The Lord God will wipe away the tears from every face; the reproach of his people he will remove from the whole earth; for the Lord has spoken. On that day it will be said: “Behold our God, to whom we looked to save us! This is the Lord for whom we looked; let us rejoice and be glad that he has saved us!” For the hand of the Lord will rest on this mountain. RESPONSORIAL PSALM (PS 23:1-3A, 3B-4, 5, 6) R. I shall live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life. The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. In verdant pastures he gives me repose; beside restful waters he leads me; he refreshes my soul. R. I shall live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life. He guides me in right paths for his name’s sake. Even though I walk in the dark valley I fear no evil; for you are at my side with your rod and your staff that give me courage. R. I shall live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life. You spread the table before me in the sight of my foes; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. R. I shall live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life. Only goodness and kindness follow me all the days of my life; and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord for years to come. R. I shall live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.

A READING FROM THE LETTER OF SAINT PAUL TO THE PHILIPPIANS (PHIL 4:12-14, 19-20) Brothers and sisters: I know how to live in humble circumstances; I know also how to live with abundance. In every circumstance and in all things I have learned the secret of being well fed and of going hungry, of living in abundance and of being in need. I can do all things in him who strengthens me. Still, it was kind of you to share in my distress. My God will fully supply whatever you need, in accord with his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. To our God and Father, glory forever and ever. Amen. A READING FROM THE HOLY GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW (MT 22:1-14 OR 22:1-10) Jesus again in reply spoke to the chief priests and elders of the people in parables, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son. He dispatched his servants to summon the invited guests to the feast, but they refused to come. A second time he sent other servants, saying, ‘Tell those invited: “Behold, I have prepared my banquet, my calves and fattened cattle are killed, and everything is ready; come to the feast.”’ Some ignored the invitation and went away, one to his farm, another to his business. The rest laid hold of his servants, mistreated them, and killed them. The king was enraged and sent his troops, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city. Then he said to his servants, ‘The feast is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy to come. Go out, therefore, into the main roads and invite to the feast whomever you find.’ The servants went out into the streets and gathered all they found, bad and good alike, and the hall was filled with guests. [But when the king came in to meet the guests, he saw a man there not dressed in a wedding garment. The king said to him, ‘My friend, how is it that you came in here without a wedding garment?’ But he was reduced to silence. Then the king said to his attendants, ‘Bind his hands and feet, and cast him into the darkness outside, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.’ Many are invited, but few are chosen.”]

Scripture FATHER GERARD O’ROURKE

A challenging invitation In the readings for the 28th Sunday of Ordinary Time we read about two banquets of regal proportions. The first, from the words of Isaiah the Prophet contains some of the most heartening statements in the Bible. In contrast, the parable from Matthew’s Gospel is a lot about refusals to celebrate and to participate as well as new invitations that are received and accepted. The reading from Isaiah opens up for us a magnificent vision of the end of time. His vision of that moment is an awesome banquet of epic proportions. It is an event that envisions a mountain where God will host and provide wonderful food and drink in a gigantic feast for all peoples and all nations. It will be a festive coming together and a reconciliation time for all of us, for all humans. It is also the envisioned moment when God will destroy “the veil that veils all peoples, the web woven over all nations. God will destroy death forever.” What an amazing vision of a universal banquet with no one left out, as well as the end of death and when guilt, sorrow and tears will be wiped away by the love and mercy of God. As our nation and especially the Gulf Coast cities and states are reeling from the devastations of the hurricanes, these are very consoling words from Isaiah. For people contending with trials, horrors, shame, demeaning moments and tragedies, these words of God are full of the love and the mercy of a God who cares for us all. For a nation also dealing with an intractable and deadly war, the prophetic words of Isaiah are a source of empowerment in the face of all these staggering breakdowns, reprisals and horrific suffering and death. It is heartening for us to know and realize that these words of Isaiah were written at a time of calamity for him and his people. Yet Isaiah as a person of faith could see and envision beyond the calamities of the moment to the new life and promise that awaits us all through the mercy and love of God. May this passage from Isaiah enkindle new hope and trust in all of us especially in our inevitable moments and incidences of trial and testing in our lives. Isaiah words are also a great blessing for us when we have to deal with the death of a loved or a friend or when we must have to look at death in our personal lives. They also remind us our death is not the end. Beyond death there is life and there will be rejoicing and gladness because “God has saved us” and we have the word of God on that. The Gospel reading makes us look at some of our more seamy sides where we tend to prefer our divisions, our separation and our annoyance and even rejection of those in authority. The mood of the exhilaration and enthusiasm of

Isaiah shifts drastically. There is instead a mood of truculence, and a refusal to cooperate and to celebrate on the part of the people invited by a king to a regal banquet. Firstly, the invited refuse the invitation. Then after a second formal invitation, hand delivered by servants of the king, some ignored the invitation. Others went off to their business interests. The rest mistreated the king’s servants and even killed them. When Jesus tells a story it can really get to us. It can rattle us. It can maybe shake us up and wake us up with a powerfully tough question for ourselves. Have you or have I ever turned down an invitation from God? Are we even conscious that we do ignore the invitations of God in our lives? Or have we ever gone so far as to insult God, even as God reaches out to us? These are useful questions to engage in as we listen to the parable of Jesus about the king’s invitations to the wedding feast of his son. Just substitute God the Father for the king and Jesus Christ for the son and yourself for one of the invitees. Then you will get a personal connection with the story and begin to see where you might fit in by your response. You will also notice that the initial invitees were really the elite, the preferred, the chosen, the select few, the movers and shakers. And they ignominiously refused their invitations. This opened up the space for the king to invite everyone else, even the outsiders, the rejected, the ignored, the passed over, the unworthy, the hidden, the shy, the scared, or as the reading puts it, “whomever you can find.” That sounds like everyone with no exceptions! So once again, as in the reading from Isaiah, we are made aware of the universal mercy of God and the openness of God to include all people in the divine invitations to celebrate and to participate. Those of us, who love God and our Church, must take this to heart and indeed take it on as a sacred trust. May we all accept the invitation of God and in turn make sure that everyone we know is included in these loving invitations of our God. If this challenge daunts us, as it may, let’s turn to the words of Saint Paul in the second reading. We can listen to his word for inspiration: “I can do all things in God who strengthens me,” and, “My God will fully supply whatever you need. Those are words to live by as we take on the challenges and the openings of the readings. They are full of invitations. May we receive them with joy and share them with a truly generous spirit. Father Gerard O’Rourke is Director Emeritus of the Office of Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs for the Archdiocese of San Francisco.

Canticle of Brother Sun

The Guest without a Wedding Robe is Thrown Out – 18th century copper engraving courtesy of Pitts Theological Library at Emory University.

Most High Almighty Good Lord, Yours are praise, glory, honor and all blessings; To You alone! Most High, do they belong, and no man is worthy of speaking Your Name! Be praised, Lord, with all Your creatures, and above all our Brother Sun, who gives us the day by which You light our way, and who is beautiful, radiant and with his great splendor is a symbol to us of You, O Most High! And be praised, Lord, for our Sister Moon and the Stars. You created them in the heavens bright, precious and beautiful! And be praised, Lord, for our Brother the Wind and for the air and the clouds and for fair weather and for all other through which You sustain Your creatures. And be praised, Lord, for our Sister Water, so useful, and humble, and chaste! And be praised, my Lord, for our Brother Fire, through whom You light up the night and who is handsome, joyful, robust, and strong! And be praised, my Lord, for our Sister, Mother Earth, who supports and carries us and produces the diverse fruits and colorful flowers and trees! Praise and bless the Lord and give thanks to Him and serve Him with great humility! Be praised, my Lord, for our Sister, bodily Death from whom no living man can escape! Woe only to those who die in mortal sin; but blessed are those who have done Your most holy will; for the second death can cause them no harm! - Saint Francis of Assisi

October 7, 2005

Bread of Life . . . ■ Continued from page 7 place”(Rv 2:5). Light can also be taken away from us, and we are right to let this warning ring again in our soul in all its seriousness, crying out at the same time to the Lord: “Help us to convert! Give us all the grace of true renewal! Do not allow your light in our midst to blow out! Strengthen our faith, our hope and our love. So that we can bring good fruit!”. However, at this point we ask ourselves: “But isn’t there any promise, any comforting word in the reading and in the page of today’s Gospel? Is the last word a threat?” No! The promise is there, and it is the last one, the essential one. We can see this in the Alleluia verse, taken from the Gospel of John: “I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me, with me in him, bears fruit in plenty. (Jn 15:5). With these words of the Lord, John shows us the last, and true result of the story of God’s vineyard. God never fails. At the end He wins, love wins. A slight hint at this can already be found in the parable of the vineyard proposed in today’s Gospel and in the concluding words. Also there the death of the Son is not the end of history,

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even if this is not directly told. But Jesus expresses this death death of the Lord until He comes, says St Paul (Cf. 1 Cor 11:26). through a new image taken from the Psalm: “The stone which However, we also know that from this death springs life, because the builders rejected has become the cornerstone...” (Mt 21:42; Jesus transformed it into an offering gesture, in an act of love, Ps 117:22). From the death of the Son springs life, a new build- changing it thus in depth: love won over death. In the holy ing is erected, a new vineyard. He, who in Canaan changed Eucharist, He draws us all towards Him from the cross (Jn 12:32) water into wine, changed his blood into the and makes us become branches of life wine of the true love and thus changed the which is He Himself. If we remain united to wine into his blood. He anticipated His God waits for us. Him, then we will also bear fruit; then also death in the Cenacle and transformed it in from us there will no longer be the vinegar the gift of Himself, in an act of radical love. He wants to be loved by of self-sufficiency, of discontent of God and His blood is a gift; it is love, and for this of His creation, but the good wine of joy in reason it is true wine which the Creator was us: shouldn’t a similar God and of love towards one’s neighbor. We expecting. In this way Christ Himself has pray to the Lord to give us his grace, so that become life, and this vine always brings during the three weeks of the Synod which good fruit: the presence of his love for us, call touch our hearts? we are about to begin not only will we say which is indestructible. beautiful things about the Eucharist, but Thus, these parables lead at the end to the mystery of the above all we live from its strength. We invoke this gift through Eucharist, where the Lord gives us the bread of life and the wine Mary, dear Synodal Fathers, whom I greet with great affection, of His love, and invites us to the feast of eternal love. We cele- together with the different Communities from where you come brate the Eucharist in the awareness that its price was the death and which you represent, so that submissive to the action of the of the Son - the sacrifice of his life, which is present in it. Holy Spirit, we can help the world become in Christ and with Whenever we eat this bread and drink this cup, we proclaim the Christ the fruitful vine of God. Amen.

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Proof Reviewed by Peter T. Chattaway Proof is such a nice little film that you almost wish it didn’t come with such a weighty pedigree. The film is based on a Pulitzer-winning play by David Auburn, who wrote the screenplay with Arthur Miller’s daughter Rebecca. The film stars Oscar winners like Anthony Hopkins and Gwyneth Paltrow, the latter of whom is here reunited with director John Madden for the first time since their prize-winning collaboration on Shakespeare in Love. Add to this the fact that the film is about mathematicians who fear for their sanity, and the viewer could be forgiven for expecting another mind-expanding opus like A Beautiful Mind or Pi. Proof does touch on big ideas, but very lightly, and whatever concern it expresses for the mind is ultimately channeled towards the heart. This may be a film about intellectuals, but it is not an intellectual film. The story concerns a math student named Catherine (Paltrow) who has put her education on hold to look after her father, Robert (Hopkins), a once-brilliant mathematician whose career came to an end due to the onset of dementia. The film begins shortly before Robert’s funeral, which happens to coincide with Catherine’s 27th birthday. Robert is dead, but Catherine still sees him and talks to

him occasionally, which is one of a few things that cause her to wonder if she has inherited his tendency towards madness. And since most mathematicians do their best work by their mid-20s, Catherine also faces the possibility that there may be no point in going back to school. She may be preparing for her father’s funeral, but her own life might just as well be over, too. Catherine’s reclusive, anti-social tendencies are not helped by the presence of two other people in her father’s house. Hal (Jake Gyllenhaal), a math teacher who was once Robert’s dissertation student, pores through the hundred-plus notebooks filled with Robert’s ramblings in search of something, anything, that might have been the late professor’s one last meaningful contribution to the field. Catherine regards this with an attitude that wavers between dismissive and paranoid; she highly doubts that her father did write anything useful, but if he did, she suspects Hal will try to steal it and pass it off as his own. Meanwhile, Catherine’s sister Claire (Hope Davis) comes back to Chicago from New York, ostensibly for the funeral but also to nudge Catherine into starting a new life. In the original stage play, these four people were the only characters, but the film wisely opens things up just a tad, par-

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Catholic San Francisco

Food & Fun Oct. 7, 8, 9: All Souls Parish Festival featuring games, prizes, music, food, silent auction and more. Fri: 6 – 10 p.m.; Sat.: noon – 10 p.m.; Sun.: 11 a.m. – 8 p.m. Come join the fun at 315 Walnut Ave. in South San Francisco. Oct. 8, 9: 86th Annual Columbus Day Bazaar benefiting St. Peter and Paul Elementary School on Washington Square, SF. Sat.: 10 a.m. – 7 p.m. and Sun.: 10 a.m. – 7 p.m. A North Beach family festival of games, food and entertainment. Call (415) 421-0809. Oct. 12: The Gospel of Work with attorney, Michael J. Nader, this month’s speaker at the Catholic Professional & Business Club breakfast at St. Mary’s Cathedral. The CP&BC meets for breakfast on the second Wednesday of the month. Monthly meetings include a full breakfast beginning at 7:00 a.m. Speaker program begins at 7:30 a.m. Cost is $20 for members, $27 for non-members. Membership dues are $45 annually. Call (415) 614-5579, or visit the website at www.cpbc-sf.org for more information. Oct. 14, 15, 16: Annual Fall Festival benefiting Star of the Sea Parish, 8th Ave. between Geary and Clement, SF. Prizes, games, raffles, nightly dinners and more. Fun for all ages. Fri.: 7 – 11 p.m. Sat.: 1 – 11 p.m. Sun.: 4 – 7 p.m. Call (415) 751-0450. Oct. 15: Holiday Boutique benefiting Sisters of the Holy Family at their Fremont Motherhouse, 159 Washington Blvd., 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. All types of needlework, seasonal items holiday decorations baked goods and more. Oct. 15, 16: St. Augustine Parish marks its 35th anniversary with a parish fair. Saturday: 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. Sunday: 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Come and join us for children's games, home and garden booths, Silent Auction, good food and much more. The address is 3700 Callan Boulevard, SSF. Oct. 15: Annual Fall Festival benefiting St. Thomas More Elementary School, 50 Thomas More Way, Sf, 11:30 a.m. – 9 p.m. Booths, games, food, and plenty of fun for all. Call Patricia at (650) 7569525 or Linda at (650) 755-1297. Oct. 15: Immaculate Heart of Mary School Golf Fundraiser at Crystal Springs Golf Course followed by catered Awards Dinner at San Mateo Elks Club. Call Tim Connolly for Tee Times (650) 592-7714 Golf $150; Dinner $50; Golf & Dinner $180. All Proceeds benefit IHM School Programs. 4-person scramble, games, prizes, contests, raffles. Oct. 16: Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Fashion Show 2005 at the Argent Hotel, 50 3rd St. between Mission and Market in SF. Proceeds benefit St. Brendan Elementary School. Festivities include silent auction and raffle. Tickets: $60 adults/$45 children. Call (415) 731-2665. Oct. 18: Octoberfest Fall Carnival at Panorama School, 25 Bellevue Ave., Daly City, 11 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. Fun all day! Great food, face painting, crafts, balloon jump, raffle and silent auction. Call (415) 586-6595. Oct 22: The Saint Stephen Women's Guild is sponsoring its annual fashion show at the Olympic Club Lakeside at 11am. Tickets to this fun event--"Cougar Couture"--are still available through event chairs Nancy Crowley and Colleen O'Meara. Raffle tickets are also available for grand prizes including a $500 shopping spree at Stonestown Galleria. (Winner need not be present to win; free drawing ticket available at school office upon request.) Contact Nancy @ 415/664-7164 or email: nancycinsf@aol.com; or Colleen @ 415/7314736 or email: colleenomeara@comcast.net. Nov. 12: Fundraising Hawaiian Dinner Dance sponsored by St. Emydius Church Fil-Am Unity Club. Dinner 6:30 -8:00pm. Dance till midnight. Father O'Reilly Center, 255 Jules Ave., San Francisco. Donation $25.00. Ticket must be paid by October 31st to reserve seat. Call Jose or Bea Delgadillo - (415) 239-0632 or Cora Cabal – (415) 469-0311.

Shows/Entertainment Nov. 5: The "SangTinig Choir", (formerly SF Oct. 24, 25, 26, 27: St. Matthias Church presents a four day mission entitled Come Find Yourself, a spiritual program designed to illustrate how people might best find themselves by finding God. Deacons John Sequeira and Jim Myers speak at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. The mission will be introduced at weekend Masses Oct. 22 and 23. Envelopes will be distributed for free will offerings. Hospitality will be served. St. Matthias Church is located at 1685 Cordilleras in Redwood City. For more information, call Laurie Coulter at 366-7085, ext. 12.

October 7, 2005

Datebook

Nov. 5: Class of ’60, All Souls Elementary School. Call Nancy Eli-Galli at (650) 593-5334. Nov. 4, 5, 6: Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory Reunion Weekend 2005. Friday, Nov. 4 begins the festivities with Back to School Day. Saturday, Nov. 5, enjoy the reunion dinner featuring cuisine from the various diverse neighborhoods of San Francisco. Sunday, Nov. 6, attend Alumni Mass and Brunch. For more information, contact Gregg Franceschi, Director of Alumni Relations at 415.775.6626 ext. 636 or gregg.franceschi@shcp.edu. Nov. 12: Class of ’65 from St. Emydius Elementary School at the United Irish Cultural Center at 2700 45th Ave., San Francisco.For reservations, please contact one of the following people: Christine Terry (Hutson) at (408) 298-7676; Dennis Warde at (510) 208-4811 or Emmet Monahan at (415) 586-4588. Nov. 12: Class of ’64 Holy Name of Jesus Elementary School. Contact Kevin Brady at kbrady2626@msn.com or www.holynamesf.com/alumni. Nov. 18: Archbishop Riordan High School’s Annual Downtown Luncheon at Sir Francis Drake Hotel. $60 per person. Guest Speaker: Football’s Ronnie Lott. For information email vrassam@riordanhs.org Nov. 19: Class of ’80, Presentation High School, San Francisco. Contact Bernadette Sallaberry Hurley at (650) 359-8218 or jbjnhurley@aol.com. April 21-23: Reunion for class of 1956 -Notre Dame High School, San Francisco. Call Rose Doonan O’Leary at (415) 821-6512. Holy Angels Elementary School in Colma is looking for graduates of its class of ’56 with a reunion in mind. Call (65) 755-0220 or email Holyangls@aol.com.

Prayer/Lectures/Trainings Oct. 16: Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Fashion Show 2005 at the Argent Hotel, 50 3rd St. between Mission and Market in SF. Proceeds benefit St. Brendan Elementary School. Festivities include silent auction and raffle. Tickets: $60 adults/$45 children. Call (415) 731-2665. From left: Jeannette Ryan, co-chair, Kim Legarza, St. Brendan Mothers’ Club president, Mahgie Murphy, event co-chair. Archdiocesan Filipino Choir) will stage “Encore”, its premiere performance at 7:00 p.m. at the St. Thomas More Church in 1300 Junipero Serra Blvd., San Francisco. Donation is $15.00. For information call: Loy Banez (650) 878-5149 or Delia Valencia (415) 239-8185. Oct. 9 – Nov. 20: The de Saisset Museum at Santa Clara University will feature a moving exhibition of photographs by English photographer Michael Kenna documenting the physical legacy of the Nazi concentration camps. Impossible to Forget: The Nazi Camps Fifty Years After, is a collection of 88 images, selected from the thousands Kenna photographed during his travels across Europe. In addition, the museum will host Multiply by Six Million: A Personal Perspective on the Holocaust: Portraits of Survivors from the Legacy Project by Evvy Eisen. Museum hours are Tues. through Sun., 11 a.m.- 4 p.m. Closed Mondays and Nov. 21, 2005 and Jan. 26, 2006. Call (408) 554 - 4528 or visit http://www.scu.edu/deSaisset/exhibits/index.html. Sundays: Concerts at St. Mary’s Cathedral, Gough and Geary St., SF at 3:30 p.m. Call (415) 567-2020 ext. 213. Open to the public. Admission free. November 20: Vincent de Pol (Germany), Organist. November 27: Christoph Tietze, Organist. December 4: Vytenis Vasyliunas (Germany), Organist. December 11: 3:30 p.m.: Richard Riley, tenor. December 18: 3:30 p.m.: David Hatt, Organist. Sundays: Concerts at 4 p. m. at National Shrine of St. Francis of Assisi, Vallejo and Columbus, SF. Call (415) 983-0405 or www.shrinesf.org. Open to the public. Admission free.

Respect Life/ Family Life Oct. 8: Memorial Mass and Healing Liturgy at the Rachel Mourning Shrine in Holy Cross Cemetery, Colma at 11 a.m. The prayerful hour remembers children living and dead and asks for the healing of their families and friends. A luncheon follows. Sponsored by

the Project Rachel Ministry of the Archdiocese and Holy Cross Cemetery. Call (415) 717-6428 or (415) 6145572. Last year’s Mass drew several hundred people.

Reunions Oct. 19: Class of ’40, Presentation High School at Delancey Street Restaurant on the Embarcadero. Contact Anne Brickley (516) 824-7990 or Grace Schotz at (415) 664-9678. Oct. 20: St. Joseph Grammar School and St. James High School Reunion at Archbishop Riordan High School ‘s Lindland Theatre. For information email vrassam@riordanhs.org Oct. 22: Archbishop Riordan High School - Alumni Homecoming. $15 per person includes lunch and admission to the game. For information email vrassam@riordanhs.org Reunion in planning for Class of ’55 from St. Cecilia Elementary School. "Come back to the finest, the greatest and the best," said classmate. Andi Thuesen Ibarra. Contact Andi at (415) 6650959 or andrea.ibarra@med.va.gov. Class of ’56, Notre Dame des Victoires High School is planning a reunion for June 2006. Call Marilyn Donnelly at (650) 365-5192. Marin Catholic High School announces upcoming reunions for class of ’65, Nov. 5; ’95, Nov. 26. Contact LeAnn Tarrant at (415) 464-3843 or ltarrant@marincatholic.org. Oct. 29: Class of ’55, Immaculate Conception Academy at Embassy Suites in Burlingame. Contact Anne Nolan Dowd at (650) 359-2601 or andown@aol.com. Nov. 5: Class of ’85, Mercy High School, San Francisco, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Patio Espanol, 2850 Alemany Blvd, San Francisco. Tickets are $40 per person. Please contact mercyhs85@yahoo.com or call (510) 845-5728 for tickets.

Oct. 29: A “Great Happening” in the Bayview Hunters Point Community. The SF Giants and St. Mary’s Medical Center are teaming up again this year to help strike out disease and illness. Our Goal is to heighten awareness and provide opportunities for all to be enrolled and gain access to healthcare services. The 3rd Annual Faith-based, Interfaith, Community Health Fair takes place at St. Paul of the Shipwreck Catholic Church, 3rd and Jamestown and The Arthur H. Coleman Medical Center, 6301 3rd St. at Ingerson. All Services are Free and everyone is welcome! Continental Breakfast at 9:30 a.m. followed by workshops and lunch. Take advantage, too, of multiple health screenings, “Ask the Doctor Booths”, fitness and wellness programs, insurance enrollment, and many other services for all ages until 3 p.m. For more information, call (415) 750-5683.

Oct. 15: Training for New Lectors, 9 a.m. -3:30 p.m. at St. Thomas the Apostle Church, San Francisco. Sponsored by the Office of Worship. Please pre-register at 415-614-5585 or at vallezkellyp@sfarchdiocese.org. Cost $15. Oct. 29: St. Luke Mass and Banquet sponsored by SF Guild of the Catholic Medical Association at St. Cecilia Parish, 17th Ave. and Vicente, SF beginning with Mass at 5 p.m. Contact George Maloof, MD, at (415) 219-8719.or gemaloof2003@yahoo.com. Saturdays: Prayer meeting at St. Hilary Church, 761 Hilary Dr. Tiburon, at 9:30 a.m. Father James Tarantino, presiding. Hospitality follows. All are welcome. Call Moriah at (415) 756-5505 Saturdays: Bible Study at St. Hilary Church, 761 Hilary Dr. Tiburon, 12:30 - 2:00 p.m. All are welcome. Call Moriah (415) 756-5505.

Meetings Oct. 15: The San Francisco Archdiocesan Council of Catholic Women’s Fall Convention at St. Sebastian Parish, 373 Bon Air Road at Sir Francis Drake Blvd, Greenbrae. Trafficking: Human Exploitation of Women & Youth is the topic of the day. Keynote speakers include Holy Names Sisters Jean Cather and Mary Alice Heinz. Panel discussions with political, governmental, social justice/human rights and law enforcement representatives follow. Day begins with Mass at 9 a.m. and ends after lunch. For more information or for a ride, call Diana Heafey (415) 731-6379 or Carole Gianuario (650) 5935681. $25.00 cost covers the program, continental breakfast, luncheon and handouts. 2nd Wed.: Men’s Evening of Reflection: Being Catholic in the Modern World at the National Shrine of St. Francis of Assisi, 610 Vallejo St. at Columbus, SF beginning at 7 p.m. Call (415) 983-0405. Courage, a Catholic support group for persons with same-sex attraction, meets Thursdays at 7:30 p.m. Call Father Lawrence Goode at (650) 322-2152.

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.

NOW

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This extraordinary book, with a preface by Archbishop William J. levada, contains 39 essays on Catholic history in the Bay Area over the past 150 years. The 300-page hard-cover book, with scores of historical photographs, includes essays on Catholic pioneers, immigrants, schools, and women and men religious, as well as topics of labor, civil rights, church-state conflict, local impact of Vatican II, and more!

Catholic San Francisco: Sesquicentennial Essays can be obtained by sending a check for $24.95 to Communications Office; One Peter Yorke Way, San Francisco, CA 94109. The new book also is available at Kaufers Religious Supplies and Pauline Books and Media in San Francisco, and McCoy Church Goods in San Mateo.

Catholic San Francisco

October 7, 2005

Proof . . . ■ Continued from page 16 process for explaining and defending theorems, but it also refers to matters of trust, and thus of faith, at least in the non-religious sense of the word. Things can be “proved” in mathematics by lining up the right equations, but in almost every other part of life, there is room for at least some doubt and thus for a belief that goes beyond what can be proved. Without giving too much away, a significant part of the story hinges on the question of which character wrote a mathematical proof, and there is no way to prove who wrote it; there is only the evidence surrounding the proof, the claims made by certain people, and the interpretations that other people make of these things. Before these characters can believe the claims made by each other, they must first believe in each other. And thankfully, the cast makes it fairly easy for us to believe in them, too. None of the actors stretch their range all that much, but they are still capable of conjuring up some quietly affecting moments. One such scene occurs when

Robert and Catherine, who had thought they were collaborating on something, discover that they are actually on altogether different wavelengths. Alwin Kuchler’s cinematography and Stephen Warbeck’s music contribution gives some scenes, especially the flashbacks, a nice dreamy feel. The one major drawback, alas, is the film’s central metaphor, or rather, how it makes use of that metaphor. The film, like Auburn’s play, just isn’t interested in mathematics all that much; characters talk about how this or that will be the biggest thing since sliced variables, or whatever, but we never get even a taste of the thinking that lies behind these claims. To some viewers, this might seem a little like making a movie about the love life of Shakespeare that doesn’t display any interest in his plays or poems. On that level, this film is inferior to Madden and Paltrow’s previous joint venture. But as a story about personal and family dysfunction, and about coming to terms with life’s uncertainties, Proof isn’t bad. This article first appeared in September 23, 2005 issue of Christianity Today. Used by permission of Christianity Today International, Carol Stream, IL 60188.

EWTN specials on Assisi and Intelligent Design Special programming in October on EWTN, the Global Catholic Network, includes “The Triumph of Design and The Demise of Darwin,” with U.C. Berkeley law professor Philip Johnson. Johnson makes his case that the universe manifests intelligent design. The telecast airs Oct. 15 at 5:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. and again on Oct. 20 at 10:00 a.m. “The Holy Cities: Assisi” portrays the hometown of St. Francis and St. Clare as a bridge between the past and the future and a center of reflection and spiritual encounters. It airs Oct. 22 at 5:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. and again on Oct. 27 at 10:00 a.m. EWTN is carried on Comcast Digital Channel 229; RCN Channel 80; DISH Satellite Channel 261; and Direct TV Channel 422. Comcast Airs EWTN on Channel 70 in Half Moon Bay and on Channel 74 in southern San Mateo County.

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Catholic San Francisco

(415) 614-5640

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Catholic San Francisco

October 7, 2005

Theology on Tap Fall Schedule

At a St. Francis of Assisi blessing of the animals at St. Mary’s Cathedral Oct. 1, Vanita Louie, First Communion teacher at St. Ignatius Church, presents her pug “Frisco” for a blessing by Father Lawrence Finegan.

Young Adult Ministry of the Archdiocese of San Francisco is sponsoring “Theology on Tap,” a popular program that allows young adults to gather round a tap and discuss faith with theologians and other church leaders. “Catholic Social Thought in Theory and Practice” is the theme for the four-evening program, co-sponsored by the Lane Center for Catholic Studies and Social Thought at the University of San Francisco. The events are free and open to young adults over 21 years of age in the Bay Area. All of the Theology on Tap events are on Tuesday nights, 7 to 9 p.m. at Ireland’s 32 located at 3920 Geary Blvd. at 3rd Avenue:

(PHOTOS BY MAURICE HEALY)

OCT. 4 - CATHOLICS IN THE ERA OF GLOBALIZATION Fr. Tom Massaro, SJ Professor of Social Ethics, Weston Jesuit School of Theology, Cambridge, MA. Author of Living Justice: Catholic Social Teaching in Action and Co-Editor of American Catholic Social Teaching.

At St. Isabella Church in Marin County, Father Michael Keane, pastor, and a parish canine check each other out before the blessing. Also at St. Isabella, Deacon Jim Myers provides close-up attention to a pet in his blessing.

OCT. 11 - FEMINISM IN TODAY’S CHURCH Dr. Mary Brian Kelber, RSM Professor of Nursing, University of San Francisco and Dr. Mary Criscione, RSM Lecturer, St. Patrick’s Seminary OCT. 18 - MAKING JUSTICE YOUR CAREER IN A GLOBAL WORLD: A ROAD MAP David Batstone Professor of Ethics, University of San Francisco Executive Editor, Sojourners Magazine Author, Saving the Corporate Soul-and (Who Knows?) Maybe Your Own with – Bishop John C. Wester Apostolic Administrator, Archdiocese of San Francisco OCT. 25 - IMMIGRATION: MORAL CONVICTIONS AND SOCIAL POLICIES Fr. Stephen Privett, SJ President, University of San Francisco

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