October 8, 2004

Catholic san Francisco Northern California’s Weekly Catholic Newspaper

Charismatic Catholics celebrate the gift of the Spirit

(PHOTO BY CATHY JOYCE)

“The tongues is what a lot of people From mouths of toddlers singing spir- latch onto, but charismatic renewal is ited hymns in Spanish to grandparents about much more than that. It’s about speaking in tongues – joyful sounds filled renewing one’s relationship in the Lord the air as 1,500 charismatic Catholics and then reaching out, evangelizing – gathered at St. Mary’s Cathedral last week- family, friends, parish, workplace.”

Enthusiastic teenagers participated in end to celebrate their lives in the Spirit.

About equal numbers participated in a youth track run by Tessie and Mario Spanish and English programs, then Vierneza, members of St. Elizabeth Parish came together for vibrant liturgies during and parents of four grown children.

“Some adults think kids are not interestthe annual Holy Spirit Conference. Latino prayer groups have held archdiocesan ed in religion or faith,” Mr. Vierneza said. conferences for eight years. English lan- “That’s not true, but you must go to them at guage groups, inspired by the example, their level, as Jesus Christ became human to touch our humanity. Charismatic renewal began their conferences a year later.

“There is a strong theme of unity that appeals to you – it’s their style. Once they runs among the Spanish, Filipino, Anglo, know it, they can really get into it. More than Korean, Indonesian, and Vietnamese prayer 3,000 youths have gone to Life in the Spirit groups, all under the umbrella of the San seminars in the archdiocese.”

“We need to bring Francisco renewal,” youth to the Church. If Ernie von Emster, we don’t reach out, coordinator of the they become busy with conference, said. the world,” said. Mr. “The charismatic Vierneza, who has been renewal is really about active with charismatic renewing our hearts, youth groups for 19 really trying to recogyears. “The charismatnize the power of the ic movement has Holy Spirit in our lives made me stronger in and how the Holy my faith and it has Spirit can lead us, brought all of my famguide us, help us, fill ily closer to the us,” Mr. von Emster Father Joseph Landi church.” said.

He works with youths from St. “The conference is a refresher,” he said. “It gives us a chance to touch home Elizabeth, St. Paul of the Shipwreck and base, a weekend of praying and worship- Epiphany parishes. “We meet at St. Paul ping and very solid teaching, outstanding of the Shipwreck from 1 to 3 every Sunday teachers who teach throughout the world afternoon – two hours and they say it’s too short,” he said with a grin. and a good selection of local teachers.”

In a Life in the Spirit seminar, Mandy Praying in tongues was common at the conference but it is only one aspect of charis- Labayen explained charismatic renewal to matic renewal, Mr. von Emster said. “It is a newcomers interested in joining the way of praying in which I’m led to speak in movement. “First, we want to have a perwhat appear to be nonsensical words but sonal relationship with Jesus. We know a which the Holy Spirit is guiding . . . It’s a pow- lot about Jesus but do we really know erful gift. You have to be open. It takes trust. Jesus, are we on friendly terms with him?”

(CNS PHOTO FROM REUTERS)

By Patrick Joyce

The Dalai Lama greets children as Cardinal Norberto Rivera Carrera looks on during a prayer session for peace at Mexico City’s Cathedral Oct. 4. The Dalai Lama, exiled spiritual leader of Tibet, urged people not to blame religion for the world’s conflicts, saying that such problems often have more worldly motives “such as money, power and politics.” said Mr. Labayen of the Lord’s Flock prayer group at St. Andrew’s Parish, Daly City.

All Catholics can readily explain who God the Father is – “the creator of the world,” he said. “And they know God the Son – Jesus. He came to save us,” – but many Catholics have only a vague idea of the Holy Spirit as “the dove over the altar.”

“The seminar wants not only to familiarize you with the Holy Spirit but to instill the Holy Spirit in you,” he said, and

finally, “We want to convince you that the life of the Christian is not easy so therefore you need the support of a community. . . . You cannot do it alone.”

The Apostles did not go out to spread the Gospel until after they received the Holy Spirit, Mr. Labayen said. Charismatics follow the same pattern, he said, but “Do not preach to your families. Don’t say, ‘I have been blessed with the Holy Spirit.’ Show CHARISMATIC, page 17

INSIDE THIS WEEK’S EDITION News-in-brief. . . . . . . . 4-5 Campaign ‘04 . . . . . . . 8-9 Columnists. . . . . . . . . . 13 Scripture & reflection . 14 Reluctant pilgrim. . . . . . 15

Blessing of animals

Sacred Heart Chapel

Preserving heritage

~ Page 3 ~

~ Page 6 ~

~ Pages 10-11 ~

October 8, 2004

FIFTY CENTS

Datebook . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Movie review . . . . . . . . 18

www.catholic-sf.org VOLUME 6

•

No. 32

2

Catholic San Francisco

October 8, 2004

On The Where You Live

by Tom Burke It was all hands on deck for the Fitzmann family at the evening Mass at St. Sebastian Parish, Greenbrae August 21st.

Serving at the altar were Maureen and Patrick Fitzmann’s five children: Mike, a 5th grader at Dixie Elementary; James, a 7th grader at Miller Creek Middle School; Joanna, a freshman at Marin Catholic High School; Maria a junior at Marin Catholic; and John Paul, a freshman at College of Marin.

Maureen served as an extraordinary minister of Holy Communion. Patrick prayed with the assembly. Father Ken Westray, pastor, presided. Remembered at the Mass were Maureen’s folks Mary Reilly, who died in 1997, and Joe Reilly, who died in 2002. The Mass date was chosen to commemorate Mary and Joe’s August 22nd wedding anniversary when they would have been married 53 years. Maureen and Patrick celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary September

The Fitzmann family after Mass at St. Sebastian’s August 21st. Back from left: Maureen, Maria, John Paul and Patrick. Front from left: Joanna, James Michael.

8th….Junipero Serra High School’s 275 freshman were immersed in the work of the school’s namesake – Blessed Friar Junipero Serra - with September visits to Mission San Carlos Borromeo in Carmel which he founded and where he’s interred.

“Serra freshman have been making this pilgrimage since 1999,” said Cathy Pickerel, school campus minister. “A docent-led tour brings to life facts about what life was like when Father Serra lived and worked at the Mission as well as reveals insiders’ information on artifacts and the grounds.” Marking day’s end was a prayer service at the late priest’s gravesite. Also on the bus were

Catholic san Francisco

Making the most of Irish Pride Day at Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory are seniors, front from left, James Aicardi and Chris Sabella. Next row from left: Nina Linebarger, Nicole Gonzalez, Kristina Frias, Ashley Thrailkill, Daniella Morales, Shauna Folan, Allison Weslow, Kristin Ivanco, Andrea Ohlssen. Top row from left: Maidere Sorhondo, Stephanie Wallace, Laura Benson. The celebration is a long SHCP Spirit Week tradition usually celebrated the day of the famed Bruce-Mahoney football face-off against St. Ignatius, a rivalry that goes back to 1891. The game is named for Jerry Mahoney, Sacred Heart ’44, and Bill Bruce, SI ’35, outstanding high school athletes who died in WWII.

Theology Department faculty, Laura Witter, Gary Meegan, Riordan High School and has also served in the Department of Rosario Ballew, Ed Taylor and Tom Monaghan as well as Catholic Schools of the Archdiocese and Catholic Television campus minister, Father Jim Livingstone, and vice-principal Network of Menlo Park.. Please let me speak for us all when I Keith Strange….Happy to run into Franciscan Father Dan say, “Thank you.”…Bid farewell with a “heartfelt thank you” Lackie, now living in Berkeley and still holding forth in ministry at St. Timothy Parish is Gloria Primeaux who has retired after from St. Anthony Foundation. “Hi” to all, he said to 50 years service to the parish primarily with “her first love”, the say….Also glad to speak with Religious Education program. “There Marianist Brother John Samaha, a is no way St. Timothy’s can adequately religious for 55 years, a long friend of thank Gloria for her amazingly long this office and a lifelong San commitment, dedication, and genuine Franciscan. His folks, Anna and John, love for all those she has taught,” the - now deceased - married in 1920. They parish said in a recent bulletin. Prayers made their home first in Mission please for Gloria who is now recovering Dolores Parish and since 1924 in St. from injuries received in an auto acciJames Parish. Brother John’s sisters dent….St. Paul of the Shipwreck are Mildred Samaha, still a St. James Parish says thanks to Socorro parishioner and formerly a volunteer at Rodriguez and Romana Reyes whose Holy Family Day Home; Sister John “tamale sale raised $220 for church supSerra freshmen Ryan Palmero, Trevor Dominic Samaha, a Dominican Sister port.”…It only takes a moment to let of Mission San Jose, and Sister John Ames and classmates kicked off the year us know about a birthday, anniversary, Marie Samaha, a Holy Family Sister. with a visit Carmel Mission in September. special achievement, or special happenBoth have served their congregations ing in your life. Just jot down the basics for more than 60 years. Sister John Dominic is a former princi- and send with a follow-up phone number to On the Street Where pal of St. James Elementary School. Sister John Marie is a for- You Live, One Peter Yorke Way, SF 94109. You can also fax to mer member of the Religious Education Office of the (415) 614-5633 or e-mail, do not send attachments, Archdiocese. Brother John is a former teacher at Archbishop to tburke@catholic-sf.org.

GIVE US YOUR CAR AND WE’LL GIVE THEM HOPE Donate to SV

Northern California’s Weekly Catholic Newspaper

Official newspaper of the Archdiocese of San Francisco

Most Reverend William J. Levada, publisher Maurice E. Healy, associate publisher & editor Editorial Staff: Jack Smith, assistant editor; Evelyn Zappia, feature editor; Tom Burke, “On the Street” and Datebook; Patrick Joyce, contributing editor/senior writer; Sharon Abercrombie and Jayme George, reporters Advertising: Joseph Pena, director; Mary Podesta, account representative Production: Karessa McCartney, manager; Tiffany Doesken Business Office: Marta Rebagliati, assistant business manager; Virginia Marshall, advertising and promotion services; Judy Morris, circulation and subscriber services Advisory Board: Jeffrey Burns, Ph.D., Noemi Castillo, James Clifford, Fr. Thomas Daly, Joan Frawley Desmond, James Kelly, Deacon William Mitchell, Kevin Starr, Ph.D., Sr. Christine Wilcox, OP. Catholic San Francisco editorial offices are located at One Peter Yorke Way, San Francisco, CA 94109. Tel: (415) 614-5640 Circulation: 1-800-563-0008 or (415) 614-5638 Advertising: (415) 614-5642 News fax: (415) 614-5633; Advertising fax: (415) 614-5641 Adv. E-mail: jpena@catholic-sf.org Catholic San Francisco (ISSN 15255298) is published weekly except the Fridays after Thanksgiving, Easter, Christmas and the first Friday in January, twice a month during summer by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco, 1500 Mission Rd., P.O. Box 1577, Colma, CA 94014. Annual subscription rates are $10 within the Archdiocese of San Francisco and $22.50 elsewhere in the United States. Periodical postage paid at South San Francisco, California.

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

DP

St. Vincent de Paul Society Marin – San Francisco – San Mateo Serving the poor since 1860 Donate your Car, Boat or RV

1-800-YES-SVDP

AUFER’S

RELIGIOUS SUPPLIES

Serving The Catholic – Christian Community since 1904

Kaufer’s is your source for custom work.

Statues, Woodwork, Marble, Refinishing and Repairs 55 Beverly St., San Francisco 415-333-4494 • FAX 415-333-0402 e-mail: sales@kaufers.com www.kaufers.com HELPLINES FOR CLERGY/CHURCH SEXUAL ABUSE VICTIMS 415-614-5506 This number is answered by Barbara Elordi, Archdiocesan Pastoral Outreach Coordinator.

This is a secured line and is answered only

by Barbara Elordi.

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

LIVING TRUSTS WILLS ●

●

PROBATE

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

(415) 664-8810

www.mtslaw.info FREE INITIAL CONSULTATION

West Coast Church Supplies 369 Grand Avenue South San Francisco

1-800-767-0660 Easy access: 3 blocks west of 101 Bibles, Books, Rosaries,Statues, Jewelry, Medals, Crucifixes, Baptism and Christening Gifts

Mon – Fri 9:30 to 5:30 Sat 9:30 – 5

DONATE YOUR OLD AUTO To help St. Denis Catholic High School in Uganda Father Joseph tells us 60% of his students are orphans from AIDS and need your love and help!

Classics to Clunkers, running or not.

We do everything for you and you’ll receive a tax deduction for your car.

Please give us a toll free call today. God Bless!

800-511-4409 www.unchildren.org • United Fund For Children, Inc.

October 8, 2004

Catholic San Francisco

3

By Patricia Zapor Catholic News Service WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court Oct. 4 declined to hear the appeal

by Catholic Charities of Sacramento, of a ruling that would require some religious organizations to pay for employees’ contraceptive insurance benefits.

Without comment, the court rejected an appeal of the March ruling by the California Supreme Court that said Catholic Charities may not be exempted from a 1999 law requiring employers who provide insurance for prescriptions to include contraceptives.

Catholic Charities had challenged the law on the grounds that the church-sponsored organization should not be required to pay for something the church considers to be sinful.

The decision could affect universities, hospitals and social service agencies run by churches of all faiths. The organizations have been required to begin providing coverage for contraceptives while the court case has been pending.

An appeal of at least one other state’s similar law is still pending in the courts.

The U.S. Supreme Court is often hesitant to accept appeals until after lower courts in different jurisdictions have issued conflicting rulings.

State Senator Jackie Speier (D-San Mateo) sponsored the Women’s Contraception Equity Act (WCEA) in 1999. The bill passed and went into effect in 2000. Speier’s bill forces all California employers which provide prescription health care to their employees to include in that package contraceptive coverage. WCEA has an exemption for “religious employers” but defines those

as nonprofit institutions directly involved in inculcating religious beliefs, and whose employees and beneficiaries of services are primarily members of the faith group.

The state court ruling said Catholic Charities does not qualify under the provision because it offers secular services to the public without regard for the recipients’ beliefs and without preaching about Catholic values. Catholics do not make up either a majority of its employees or a majority of the recipients of its services.

In his appeal to the federal court, Catholic Charities’ attorney Kevin Baine said the implications of the ruling extend beyond the law covering contraceptives.

“If the state of California can coerce Catholic agencies to pay for contraceptives, it can force them to pay for abortions,” Baine’s appeal said.

Ned Dolejsi, executive director of the California Catholic Conference, told Catholic San Francisco earlier this year, “This case was never about contraceptives.

It was never about insurance. It was about our ability to practice our religion—providing food, clothing and shelter to the neediest among us—as a religious organization which is part of the Catholic Church.”

A California deputy attorney general had argued that Catholic Charities could get around the law by not offering prescription insurance to employees. But, as the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops said in an amicus, or friend-of-the-court, brief to the California Supreme Court, “As a matter of social justice, Catholic Charities considers it a religious duty to provide such coverage.”

In the sole dissent at the State Supreme Court level, Justice Janice

(PHOTO BY JACK SMITH)

Supreme Court declines Catholic Feast of Saint Francis of Assisi Charities contraceptives case

Cats, kittens, dogs, puppies, gerbils, hamsters, bunnies, mice and their owners filled the lower courtyard of St. Boniface Church on Saturday for the Annual Blessing of the Animals in honor of the Feast of St. Francis. A general Blessing was given by Franciscan Father Floyd Lotito followed by individual blessings with St. Boniface Pastor Father Louis Vitale, St. Anthony Foundation’s Father Dan Lackie and other Franciscans. One young girl even received a blessing for her stuffed toy dog from Fr. Vitale. Too big to fit in the courtyard were two officers of the San Francisco Police Mounted Unit on their horses. Father Floyd gave the horses their blessings outside on Golden Gate Avenue. Father Floyd said San Franciscans could honor their Patron Saint by being good stewards of creation and peacemakers with the “charm and joy and playfulness” of St. Francis.

Brown wrote, “the Legislature’s refusal to grant a broader exemption – one which would not embroil the government in the unseemly task of deciding what is ‘religious’ – is inexplicable.”

“A Doctor’s Confession to San Francisco . . . ” And why, despite all, I still do what I do . . .

Dear friend,

C

onfessions are tough. Real tough. But, sometimes a confession can set the record straight, and I want to give credit where credit is due. Before I talk about my confession, though, let me say a few other things first.

Let me start by explaining the photo in this letter. You know, when I meet people in town they usually say, “Oh, yeah, I know you, you’re Dr. Leung. I’ve seen your advertisment with that picture of you and the cute little baby.”

Well, I’m the guy on the right.

Years ago something happened to me that changed my life forever. Let me tell you my story.

“Back then I was a student just about ready college, when my younger brother developed a painful leg condition known as ‘sciatica.’ In his case it came on suddenly. The pain in his leg was so intense that he couldn’t walk without limping, and sometimes he couldn’t straighten his legs to put on his socks. I remember him telling me it felt like someone was stabbing his leg with a screwdriver. He was afraid that he would be confined to a wheelchair if the disability continued. It all happened so fast, one week he was competing as an athlete at the national level and the next week he could barely take care of himself. He was devastated.

After considering surgery (that was the only option, according to the surgeon) he decided against it. I remember feeling so helpless, I wish there was something I could do for him. It was a very scary time . But there’s more . . .

A friend of mine convinced me to have my brother give their doctor a try. This new doctor did an exam, took some films, and then ‘adjusted’ his spine. He told me that the adjustment didn’t hurt, it actually felt good. He got relief, and he can use his legs again. Oh, did I mention that this doctor is a chiropractor? It worked so well for my brother, and I’m so impressed with the other ‘miracles’ I see in this doctor’s office, that

I eventually go to chiropractic school myself.

And that’s how it happened!”

Now for my son Rion (pronounced Ryan), who is the baby in the photo. He’s not old enough to know how chiropractic works, but he loves to get his spine adjusted. Along with making sure that his spine develops properly, spinal adjustments keep Rion’s immune system working at its best. Rion rarely gets sick. That seems like a small thing, but it makes a huge difference to him. It seems like only a new puppy will be able to keep up with his energy.

It’s amazing how life is, because now people come to see me with their sciatica problems.

Also they come to me with their headaches, Forty-eight million Americans no longer migraines, chronic pain, neck pain, shoulder/ have health insurance, and those who do have arm pain, whiplash from car accidents, backfound that their benefits are reduced. That’s aches, ear infections, asthma, allergies, numbwhere chiropractic comes in. Many people find ness in limbs, athletic injuries, just to name a that they actually save money on their health few. care expenses by seeing a chiropractor. Another Several times a day patients thank me for way to save . . . studies show that a chiropractor helping them with their health problems. But may double your I can’t really take immune capacity, the credit. My Here’s what some of my patients had to say: naturally and withconfession is that “Body building takes toll on my neck and back. out drugs.

I’ve never healed Dr. Leung keeps me tuned up so I can be at my best.”

The immune anyone of any(Daryl Gee, marketing rep. for nutritional supplements) system fights colds, thing. What I do is the flu, and other perform a specific “No more migranes and no more neck pain!” sicknesses. So you spinal adjustment (Petra Anderson) may not be to remove nerve running off to the pressure, and the “I feel better than I have in a long time!” doctor as much. body responds by (Cathy Cheung, CPA) This is especially healing itself. We important if you are self-employed. And an get tremendous results. It’s as simple as that! entire week of care in my office may cost what Being a chiropractor can be tough, because you could pay for one visit elsewhere. there’s a host of so-called experts out there.

You Benefit from an Amazing Offer – Look, They tell people a lot of things that are just it shouldn’t cost you an arm and a leg to correct plain ridiculous about my profession. But the your health. You are going to write a check studies speak for themselves, like the Virginia to someone for your health care expenses, you study that showed that over 90% of patients may as well write one for a lesser amount for who saw a chiropractor were satisfied with chiropractic. When you bring in this advertisement their results. That’s just incredible!

An appeal of the New York law is still pending in the state’s intermediate appeals court, said USCCB General Counsel Mark Chopko. It is likely to be argued in December or January, he said.

PAID ADVERTISEMENT

(by October 22nd, 2004) you will receive my entire new patient exam for $17. That’s with consultation, orthopedic and neurologic exams, x-rays and the second day Report of Findings . . . the whole ball of wax. There are never any hidden fees at our office.

This exam could cost you $275 elsewhere.

And further care is very affordable and you’ll be happy to know that I have affordable family plans. You see I’m not trying to seduce you to come see me with this low start-up fee, then to only make it up with high fees after that.

Further care is very important to consider when making your choice of doctor. High costs can add up very quickly. By law, this offer excludes Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries.

Great care at a great fee . . . Please, I hope that there’s no misunderstanding about quality of care just because I have a lower exam fee.

You’ll get great care at a great fee. My qualifications . . . I’m a Cum Laude graduate of Life College West who has been recognized by the California State Assembly for community service. I’ve been entrusted to take care of tiny babies to other health professionals such as Nurses, Physical Therapists, Dentists, Surgeons and Attorneys. I have been practicing in West Portal for four over years. I just have that low exam fee to help more people who need care.

My assistants are Dion or Josephine they are really great people. Our office is both friendly and warm and we try our best to make you feel at home. We have a wonderful service, at an exceptional fee.

Our office is called West Portal Family Chiropractic and it is at 380 West Portal Avenue (at 15th Avenue).

Our phone number is (415) 564-1741.

Call Dion or Josephine for an appointment. We can help you. Thank you.

– Kam Leung, D.C. P.S. When accompanied by the first, I am also offering the second family member this same examination for only $10.

P.P.S. “If you don’t feel that coming to us exceeded your expectations then your first visit is at no charge.”

PAID ADVERTISEMENT

4

Catholic San Francisco

NEWS

October 8, 2004

in brief

WASHINGTON — The pro-life spokeswoman for the U.S. Catholic bishops praised the Justice Department’s Sept.

28 announcement that it would appeal federal court decisions in New York and Nebraska that ruled the federal ban on partial-birth abortions is unconstitutional. “We commend the U.S. Department of Justice for its vigorous defense of the ban on partial-birth abortion,” said Cathy Cleaver Ruse, director of planning and information in the U.S. bishops’ Secretariat for Pro-Life Activities. “There is no place in a civilized society for this cruel and inhumane practice,” she said in a Sept. 30 statement. In a Sept. 8 ruling, U.S. District Judge Richard Kopf in Nebraska became the third federal judge this year to declare the partial-birth abortion ban unconstitutional. In his ruling, he said the 2003 law should have included an exception allowing that type of abortion to be used in cases where the woman’s health is in danger. The only exception to the ban is when the mother’s life is at risk.

Priests, other pastoral leaders urged to address domestic violence WASHINGTON — The U.S. bishops’ Committee on Women in Society and the Church is urging Catholic priests and other pastoral leaders to promote awareness of domestic violence and to help battered spouses. In a Sept. 28 press release the committee noted that October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month and called attention to information on domestic violence and suggestions for homilies on the issue on its Web site at www.usccb.org/laity/violence.htm.

The resources on the site include suggestions for helping victims of domestic violence and their abusers. They also provide practical assistance to priests, deacons and other pastoral leaders to help them preach about domestic violence. The committee said the U.S. bishops are drawing attention to domestic violence in response to many Catholics who say they never hear about the issue from the pulpit.

Vote on amendment to ban same-sex marriage falls short WASHINGTON – Votes in the U.S. House of Representatives to approve a proposed constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriages fell short Sept. 30. The Marriage Protection Amendment, backed by the nation’s Catholic bishops, received 227 votes in favor to 186 against.

To reach the two-thirds majority required for passage, it would have needed at least 290 votes. In a letter to House members Sept. 28, Bishop Wilton D. Gregory of Belleville, Ill., president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, said marriage as the union of a man and a woman is not just a Catholic concern but “part of the common moral heritage of humanity.”

“It is precisely this moral heritage that must be protected today from a small but vocal minority that would alter the definition of marriage by making same-sex unions the legal equivalent of marriage,” Bishop Gregory wrote. “A same-sex union is not equivalent to marriage,” he added. “It is not based on the natural complementarity of male and female; it cannot cooperate with God to create new life; it cannot be a true conjugal union.” He said marriage “is more than a lifestyle choice. It is

(CNS PHOTO FROM L'OSSERVATORE ROMANO)

Pro-life official praises decision to appeal partial-birth rulings

Pope John Paul II greets Italian aid workers Simona Pari and Simona Torretta inside his private library at the Vatican Oct. 5. "Thank God you are alive," the pope told the young women during a brief meeting.

They were released by their captors after being held for three weeks in Iraq.

an interpersonal relationship with public significance.” The nation’s bishops, he said “strongly believe that marriage is a basic human institution and that, though it is regulated by civil laws and church laws, it did not originate from either the church or the state, but from God. Accordingly, the bishops believe that neither church nor the state can alter the basic meaning and structure of marriage.” In referendums this summer voters in Missouri and Louisiana overwhelmingly approved state constitutional amendments upholding the traditional definition of marriage, and voters in eight more states will be voting on similar amendments Nov. 2.

Knights’ leader says success comes from ethics, not profits NEW HAVEN, Conn. — Using the business practices of the Knights of Columbus’ insurance company as an example, the head of the Knights said corporations can succeed by placing ethical values above profit margins. Carl A. Anderson, supreme knight of the 1.7 million-member organization based in New Haven, spoke Sept. 28 at the St. Thomas More Center on the campus of Yale University in New Haven. “Contrary to the impression given by recent scandals in the business world, not only is it possible to conduct business from a moral standpoint, but it is possible to do so in a way that is successful,” Anderson said. “Furthermore, I think that Catholics have an important contribution to make in this area and there are lessons that may be learned from the experience of the Knights of Columbus,” he added. Although any company will be subject to “failures in training, in diligence, in prudence and in foresight,” Anderson said, “ethical decision-making should permeate every aspect of the life of a company and its employees” and “should provide the context for product development, marketing, investments and employee relationships.”

‘Cost too high’ for embryonic stem-cell research, Senate told WASHINGTON — In testimony before a Senate subcommittee Sept. 29, an official of the U.S. bishops’ pro-life office said “ethical errors” and “dwindling hopes of medical benefit”

mitigate against public funding of embryonic stem-cell research. “Congress should take stock now and realize that the promise of this approach is too speculative, and the cost too high,” said Richard M. Doerflinger, deputy director of the bishops’ Secretariat for Pro-Life Activities, in testimony before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation’s subcommittee on science, technology and space. “That cost includes the early human lives destroyed now and in the future, the required exploitation of women for their eggs and perhaps for their wombs, and the diversion of finite public resources away from research avenues that offer real reasons for hope for patients with terrible diseases,” he added. “Let’s agree to support avenues to medical progress that we can all live with.”

Doerflinger was one of five witnesses at the subcommittee’s hearing on “Embryonic Stem-Cell Research: Exploring the Controversy.”

Catholic Charities honors foster mother of 121 babies COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — At its annual meeting in Denver, Catholic Charities USA honored a Colorado Springs woman who has been foster mother to 121 infants.

For 22 years Barbara O’Connell has been a foster mother of newly born and very young babies for the Catholic Charities adoption program in the Colorado Springs Diocese. In ceremonies Sept. 25 the national organization gave her the Bishop Joseph M. Sullivan Award, citing her for excellence, creativity and leadership in her service to children in need. “I just like what I’m doing, and I was very surprised to learn of this award. I don’t feel like I need special recognition,” she told The Catholic Herald, Colorado Springs diocesan newspaper. O’Connell said she started being a cradle-care foster mother after the second of her two children became a toddler. She takes the infants in for any time from a few hours to several weeks. She will care for babies while their birth mothers, who considering placing them for adoption through Catholic Charities, receive counseling and weigh all the considerations. If adoption is chosen, then she cares for the children for a longer period while the necessary adoption procedures are completed.

New Beginnings Built on 130 Years of Tradition Elder Care Alliance Communities

Special Needs Companion Services The Choice of Discriminating Families for Assisted Living at Home ● ● ● ●

Personalized and compassionate Caregivers are carefully selected, trained and employed by us Locally owned and operated by Jeannie McCullough Stiles, R.N. Services include: meal preparation, light housekeeping, daily exercise, medication reminders, shopping, and assistance with bathing

Call us for a needs assessment

(415) 435-1262 E-Mail: info@specialneedscompanionservices.com www.specialneedscompanionservices.com

Elder Care Alliance is a nonprofit faith centered organization sponsored by the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas, Regional Community of Burlingame, and the Sierra Pacific Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

TH

AlmaVia of San Francisco

■

Assisted Living

■

Dementia Care

Large one bedroom and alcove apartments 24-hour staff and state-of-the-art security systems Spiritual care services Assisted living and dementia care programs

Call Today for More Information!

One St. Thomas More Way (Off of Brotherhood Way)

Special Needs Companion Services

JOIN US FOR AN

Ask OUs PENAbout HOUSE Our SAT. NOV .6 Charter Member 11:30 AM – 2:30 P.M. Incentive.

■

San Francisco, CA

415.337.1339 ■ www.almavia.org RCFE Lic # 385600270

October 8, 2004

(CNS PHOTO BY DAVID MAUNG)

Church should work to reduce drug problems, archbishop says

Two priests celebrate Mass on opposite sides of a fence separating the United States and Mexico near the Mexican city of Tijuana Oct. 3. Father Luis Kendzierski of Tijuana, left, and Father Henry Rodriguez of San Diego presided at the Mass held in memory of more than 3,000 undocumented immigrants who have died while crossing into the United States in the last 10 years. Church and human rights groups say that the 10-year-old U.S. border control strategy, Operation Gatekeeper, has pushed immigrants to take more dangerous routes through mountains and deserts.

Speakers tell how two saintly lives were shaped by love for Eucharist WASHINGTON — The lives of both Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta and Vietnamese Cardinal Francois Xavier Nguyen Van Thuan were shaped by devotion to the Eucharist, two speakers recalled at a eucharistic congress Sept. 25 in Washington. In separate presentations, Sister Nirmala Joshi, superior of the Missionaries of Charity, and Elizabeth Nguyen, Cardinal Thuan’s youngest sister, described the central role of the Eucharist in the

lives of the two courageous religious leaders.

The Sept. 24-25 eucharistic congress — with the theme, “Heaven Unites With Earth” — was sponsored by the Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception and The Catholic University of America. In her presentation, Sister Nirmala spoke of Mother Teresa, the founder of the Missionaries of Charity and a candidate for canonization. “Our mother (said), ‘The closer we understand the living bread, the (more) fervent will be our adoration,’” Sister Nirmala recalled, adding that Mother Teresa had “boundless confidence in the power of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.”

You can make a difference As a young adult Jim Eble wanted to make a difference.

He does. As a Maryknoll priest in Tanzania.

Do you want to explore whether God is calling you to make a difference as a missionary priest or brother?

Join us for a one day retreat Sunday, Nov. 7th / 9 am to 3:30 pm Maryknoll Regional Center, San Leandro For more information Contact Deacon Matt Dulka / mdulka@maryknoll.org 510.276.5021 / www.maryknoll.us Catholic Foreign Mission Society of America, Inc.

NEW YORK — During a conference on substance abuse, religion and spirituality, Archbishop Michael J. Sheehan of Santa Fe, N.M., stressed that the church can take an active role in the prevention and treatment of drug and alcohol abuse. “The church seeks to be a sign of hope: to serve, to reach out, to help rebuild lives and to support individuals and families in their fight against drug and alcohol addiction,” he said during a Sept. 22 conference in New York, sponsored by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University. Archbishop Sheehan, one of the keynote speakers, told participants that he became involved in the issue of substance abuse several years ago after leading a Good Friday pilgrimage that passed a crime scene of a young man and woman who had been killed by someone on drugs. The young couple had been on their way to a Catholic shrine north of Santa Fe for Good Friday services. “These senseless killings on Good Friday moved me to realize how terrible the substance abuse problem was,” the archbishop said.

Pope beatifies five Europeans at St. Peter’s Square Oct. 3 VATICAN CITY — Advancing the sainthood causes of five Europeans, Pope John Paul II beatified the last Hapsburg emperor and the nun whose visions inspired Mel Gibson’s film, “The Passion of the Christ.” The pope said Blessed Charles I of Austria, who died in exile in 1922, was “a friend of peace, in whose eyes war was something terrible.” The emperor’s commitment to Christian values should be a model for European politicians today, he added.

Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich, the pope said, showed heroic patience and firm faith in dealing with years of ill health. The pope did

Catholic San Francisco

5

not mention the German mystic’s controversial book of visions on Christ’s final days, for which she is best known. The three others beatified were: French Father Joseph-Marie Cassant, a Cistercian monk who was best known for his prayer life and his devotion to the Eucharist. He died of tuberculosis in 1903 at the age of 25; Italian Sister Ludovica de Angelis, a member of the Daughters of Our Lady of Mercy, who gained fame for her work at a church-run children’s hospital in Buenos Aires. She died in 1962; French Father Pierre Vigne, an “itinerant missionary” of the 17th and 18th centuries, who would sometimes carry his confessional on his back as he walked through rural France. His devotion to the Eucharist led him to found the Congregation of the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament. He died at the age of 70 in 1740.

The pope, seated on an altar platform decorated with flowers, listened as biographies of the newly beatified were read aloud at the start of the Oct. 3 Mass in St. Peter’s Square.

Sweden honors Vatican diplomat who saved Jews in Hungary ROME — A 97-year-old Vatican diplomat was awarded a Swedish prize for helping to save thousands of Hungarian Jews from the Nazis during World War II. Archbishop Gennaro Verolino, who served as a diplomat in Hungary during the war, received the first “Per Anger Prize” during a ceremony Oct. 1 in Rome. In bestowing the prize, which includes a cash award of about $27,500, the Swedish government called the archbishop “one of the unsung heroes of Budapest in 1944.”

Archbishop Verolino, who lives in Rome, retired from the Vatican diplomatic service in 1963. He later was head of the Pontifical Commission for Sacred Archeology, a statement by the Living History Forum, which administers the prize, said that as a 38-year-old secretary in the apostolic nunciature in Budapest, then-Father Verolino went to great efforts to provide Jews with protective papers.

6

Catholic San Francisco

October 8, 2004

Eucharistic Congress in Mexico marks start of ‘Year of the Eucharist’ San Francisco Archbishop William J. Levada will travel to Guadalajara, Mexico Oct. 9 to participate in the beginning of an International Eucharistic Congress called by Pope John Paul II. He will return to San Francisco Oct. 12.

Pope John Paul II announced in June plans for a special year dedicated to the Eucharist, saying the church needs to highlight its importance for spiritual life and missionary tasks of the 21st century.

The eucharistic year will begin with the International Eucharistic Congress in Guadalajara, this Oct. 10-17, and will end with the Synod of Bishops on the Eucharist in Rome Oct. 2-29, 2005.

The pope made the announcement on the feast of the Body and Blood of Christ, during a Mass at the Rome Basilica of St. John Lateran.

Speaking at the Rome Mass, he said there was a close connection between the Eucharist and announcing Christ.

To enter into communion with Christ in the Eucharist means becoming missionaries of the message of his sacrifice, he said.

“All those who come worthily for nourishment at his table become living instruments of his presence of love, mercy and peace,” he said.

A better understanding of Christ’s presence in the

Eucharist will lead to a better prayer life, which in turn will favor evangelization, the pope said.

“The Eucharist stands at the center of the church’s life. In it Christ offers himself to the Father for us, involving us in his sacrifice, and gives himself to us as the bread of life for our journey along the paths of the world,” he said.

The pope last year wrote an encyclical on the Eucharist, emphasizing its centrality for every aspect of church life.

Pope John Paul II will speak to Eucharistic Congress participants via video.

California bishops support proposition to modify ‘three strikes’ law

By Julie Sly Catholic News Service SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The California Catholic Conference of Bishops, in a statement released Sept. 28, said they support passage of Proposition 66 on the Nov. 2 ballot, which would modify the state’s “three strikes” law.

The ballot measure would redefine the serious or violent felonies requiring increased sentences under the “three strikes” law. The proposal would also increase the punishment for sex crimes against children.

California currently has the toughest “three strikes” law in the nation, passed by the Legislature, signed by former Republican Gov. Pete Wilson and approved by 72 percent of the voters statewide in 1994.

Bishop Stephen E. Blaire of Stockton, president of the California Catholic Conference, said in the statement that the bishops believe in “responsibility, accountability and legitimate punishment.”

Legitimate punishment, he said, should have two clear purposes: protecting society and rehabilitating those who violate the law.

Referring to the U.S. bishops’ pastoral letter issued in 2000 on “Responsibility, Rehabilitation and Restoration: A Catholic Perspective on Crime and Criminal Justice,” the bishop noted: “We will not tolerate the crime and violence that threatens lives and dignity of our sisters and brothers and we will not give up on those who have committed crime and violence in our communities.”

Bishop Blaire added: “In our eyes both the victim and the offender are children of God. The causes of crime are complicated and simplistic sentencing solutions are not an adequate answer. We pledge to work with others to protect public safety, to promote the common good and to restore community.”

In the bishops’ “considered judgment,” he concluded, amending the “three strikes” law “can be a step in that direction.”

Backers of Proposition 66 say the measure is needed to keep relatively minor third-strike felons from being

sentenced to state prison for 25 years to life, at an annual cost to taxpayers of about $31,000 each.

Among those supporting the initiative are Joe Klaas of Citizens Against Violent Crime, the California Labor Federation and the American Civil Liberties Union.

Opponents contend the law works as it was intended, by imposing lengthy terms on offenders with serious and violent criminal histories who continue to commit felonies, even if just for crimes such as shoplifting or possessing illegal drugs.

Opponents include the California District Attorneys Association, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and state Attorney General Bill Lockyer.

In an earlier Sept. 8 statement, the state’s bishops voiced their opposition to Proposition 71 on the Nov. 2 ballot, which would seek to fund stem-cell research in which human embryos are killed at a cost to California taxpayers of $6 million.

These are the only two ballot initiatives about which the state’s bishops will take a position, according to officials of the California Catholic Conference in Sacramento.

obituary A special Mass in honor of the late Monsignor Thomas Merson was celebrated

by Archbishop William J. Levada at Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory High School October 3. Following Mass, Archbishop Levada dedicated the school’s new Blessed Sacrament Chapel which is named for Monsignor Merson. Family, friends and coworkers attended the event which also served as a fundraiser for the recently established Monsignor Thomas S. Merson Endowed Scholarship Fund at Sacred Heart Cathedral.

Monsignor Merson died May 4 this year. He would have been 60 on Sept. 28. Monsignor Merson served 14 years as administrative assistant to two Archbishops of San Francisco during his 20 years as a priest. Outside his role as a diocesan administrator, he was known and loved in his ministry to the elderly, imprisoned and young people; his role on many charitable boards and fraternal organizations; and at the parishes where he served.

Sister Mauricita Stuart Former San Francisco educator Sister Mauricita Stuart, a Sister of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, died Sept. 28 at her congregation’s retirement facility in Dubuque. She was 96 years old and had been a religious for more than 70 years.

Sister Mauricita taught at St. Brigid, San Francisco and Noe Valley’s St. Paul Elementary as well as at schools in Iowa, Nebraska, Colorado, and Montana.

Sister Mauricita was born Dec. 25, 1907 in Mondamin, Iowa. She graduated from Audubon High School and worked as a secretary before entering religious life on Sept. 8, 1930. She professed first vows on March 19, 1933 and final vows on Aug. 15, 1938.

She is survived by three siblings, Sister Wilma Stuart, also a Sister of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Louise Bintner, and Robert Stuart.

Interment was in the congregation cemetery.

Remembrances may be sent to the Sisters of Charity, BVM Retirement Fund, 1100 Carmel Drive, Dubuque, Iowa 52003.

“IF YOU LIKE ITALIAN FOOD, EAT WHERE THE ITALIANS EAT”

(PHOTO BY CATHY JOYCE)

Catering

Since 1956

●

www.caesars.citysearch.com

415-989-6000

Valet Parking 2299 Powell St • San Francisco Close To The Powell & Mason St. Cable Car

Full Service Event Productions

●

Social & Corporate Catering

●

Wedding Receptions

FAMOUS FOR OUR 7 COURSE DINNERS

Villa D’Este

Restaurant Directory For Advertising Information Call 415-614-5642

H s Lordships Restaurant on the Berkeley Marina 199 Seawall Drive Berkeley

510-843-2733 – Please Join Us – RESTAURANT

•Monday - Friday Lunch Buffet...$13.95 Lunch 11:30 - 2:30 Monday - Friday Dinner 5-10 7 days a week Early Bird 5-7 Dinner for Two (including wine) $35.00 Enjoy our Sunday Champagne Brunch 11-3 Live Music on Weekends Available for Private Parties Mention this ad for 10% off

2623 Ocean Avenue, San Francisco 415-334-0580 When in Vacaville, visit us at Vaca Joes Leisure World Rd at I-80

• Early Bird Dinner Special $13.95 Experience is Everything Since 1963

(415) 861-3312 255 Mendell Street., San Francisco, CA 94124 FAX (415) 550-8106 www.knightscatering.com

7 days a week, 1:30 pm - 6:30 pm, Except Holidays Prime Rib - Chicken Jerusalem - Catch of the Day Parties of 8 or More $2.00 extra per person

Please Call for Reservations For Those Special Occasions, Wedding Receptions or Company Meetings, Inquire About our Banquet Facilities in our Catering Office

Catholic San Francisco

October 8, 2004

7

Catholic dioceses in hurricane-weary Florida assess damages

By Mary St. Pierre Catholic News Service ORLANDO, Fla. — The scenario of destruction that Hurricane Jeanne left for Florida residents to clean up was similar to that left in the wake of its predecessors, hurricanes Charley, Frances and Ivan.

Jeanne came ashore with 120 mph winds Sept. 26. It was the third time in six weeks that the region was hit by a hurricane.

The Diocese of Orlando was in its direct path. Jeanne also glazed the northern section of the Diocese of Venice and dumped 24 hours’ worth of heavy rain and wind gusts on the Diocese of St. Petersburg. It continued the torrent as a tropical storm as it passed by Tallahassee, in the Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee, before heading to the Georgia border.

Adding to the misery of flooding and destruction, 3.6 million Floridians were left without power and as of Sept. 28 more than 1.9 million households were still without power.

The scope of the enormous storm was felt hardest in the Palm Beach Diocese, where the storm came ashore. With homes, schools and many church structures already damaged by Hurricane Frances, Jeanne lifted off roofs and the wind force pushed rain right through the walls of many buildings.

Students at St. Claire School in North Palm Beach had already been relocated to two other sites for classes after Hurricane Frances. Hurricane Jeanne caused more damage to the shattered school building and then took aim at the parish hall where supplies for the school year were being stored.

The parish rectory was also damaged.

Other diocesan schools reporting damage, according to Sister Joan Dawson, superintendent of schools, were St. Anastasia in Fort Pierce; Cardinal Newman High School in West Palm Beach; and St. Joseph School in Stuart. With phone and power out throughout the diocese, complete reports were hard to obtain without traveling to each location.

Post-hurricane reality, according to Tom Bila, director of Catholic Charities for the

Palm Beach Diocese, seems like a neverending nightmare. To compound the disaster response problem, storage units in Belle Glade, where food and clothing were being stored for distribution, were flooded, destroying all the contents.

“A lot of the food and clothing will have to be discarded,” Bila said.

Heavy rain, according to Bila, damaged the homeless shelter in Vero Beach and several of the elderly residences in the diocese will be closed temporarily because of flooding and mold problems.

Many homes in Stuart that belonged to Catholic Charities’ employees took a direct hit from Hurricane Jeanne and were severely damaged.

Bila said it has been difficult because many had just regained power and phone lines. Now, because of Jeanne, every phone and power pole, including those made from cement, were knocked over.

Peter Routsis-Arroyo, president of Catholic Charities in the Diocese of Venice, watched closely as weather forecasters predicted Jeanne’s path.

With his diocese heavily damaged by the effects of Hurricane Charley in August, he was grateful they didn’t need to launch any assistance programs after Jeanne. The agency is still in recovery mode for those affected by Hurricane Charley with longterm assistance programs under way in many areas.

“You might as well say that everything we do in Arcadia over the next two years is hurricane recovery,” Routsis-Arroyo told The Florida Catholic, newspaper of the Orlando Diocese.

Paul Seitz, director of Catholic Charities, Cocoa and Daytona Beach, for the Diocese of Orlando, said although its office was initially without power, plenty of food packages and vouchers as well as other items were available for immediate needs once the office reopened.

“We’re trying to contact parishes to determine their needs,” Seitz said. “Like with Frances, if we can’t reach them we may just fill up the van and go out to key areas where we’ve heard there’s a need.”

Divorce Recovery Program The Separated and Divorced Catholics of the Archdiocese of San Francisco is offering the Divorce Recovery Course, an exploration of the issues arising from the end of a marriage and the rebuilding of one’s life. The format includes discussion, reflection and readings, and is designed to help participants heal and grow spiritually by drawing strength from their faith and one another. Cost is $45 (includes book and materials).

Sundays, October 10 through November 21, 2004 – 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.

St. Stephens Church - O’Reilly Parish Center 451 Eucalyptus (near Stonestown), San Francisco To register or for information call Vonnie 650-873-4236 or Jerry 415-810-1603.

Pilgrimage for Saint Jude Thaddeus First Pilgrimage for Saint Jude Thaddeus Date: Saturday, October 16, 2004 Time: 10:00 am – 12:00 noon Location: Starting at St. Charles Borromeo’s Church, 713 South Van Ness Ave. At 18th St. (San Francisco) and ending at St. Dominic’s Church, 2390 Bush Street (San Francisco) Mass Celebration: 12:00 noon at St. Dominics Church

Special Guests: • Aux. Bishop Most Reverend John C. Wester • Fr. Xavier Lavagetto, O.P. • Fr. Emmerich Vogt, O.P. • Fr. Francis Goode, O.P. • Fr. Moises Agudo

Parking: Parking will be available at St. Dominic’s Church parking lot. Transportation will be provided from St. Dominic’s Church to St. Charles Borromeo’s Church form 8:30 am to 9:30 am only.

Come and participate in this pilgrimage to honor St. Jude Thaddeus for his constant intercessions with God. For more information please contact Jaime or Rosa Pinto at: (415) 333-8730

Assessing the needs in Haiti in the wake of Tropical Storm Jeanne became a top priority for Coadjutor Bishop Thomas G. Wenski of Orlando. He traveled with a delegation from his diocese and the Archdiocese of Miami to assess what could be done to help the Archdiocese of Port-auPrince, Haiti, where flooding in the city of Gonaives killed more than 1,600 people.

“Many of the people in Haiti who survived have nothing but despair,” Bishop Wenski said. “The best thing anyone can do

to help them is to make a contribution to Catholic Relief Services.”

Catholic Charities in Miami announced Sept. 29 that it is accepting monetary donations on behalf of Caritas in Haiti and CRS, the U.S. bishops’ overseas relief and development agency. Donations can be sent to: Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Miami, “Haiti Storm Relief,” 9401 Biscayne Blvd., Miami Shores, FL 33138.

Contributing to this story were Heather Felton and Julie Greene.

Staying in touch in true 21st century fashion are third graders from All Souls Elementary School in South San Francisco. The 31 boys and girls are email-pals with 31 third graders from their sister and same-name school, All Souls in Sanford, Florida. The communication link should serve as a lesson in technology, writing and charity as the youngsters talk to one another about the rough storm period recently visited upon the Sunshine State. “Hurricane Jeanne did not hit them too hard and they’re praying they will be spared any more hurricanes,” said Nancy Sciandri, third grade teacher at All Souls. Clockwise from left: Heather Ticzon, Lydia Houk, Mrs. Sciandri, Christian Sanchez, Wynton Pettus.

A GREAT DAY IS COMING! On WORLD

MISSION

SUNDAY, October 24, our Holy Father, Pope John Paul II, calls every Catholic to celebrate, at the Eucharist, our vocation to be missionary and to help the Missions…

PRAY for the Church’s worldwide missionary work.

OFFER financial HELP through the PROPAGATION OF THE FAITH. The Society FOR THE PROPAGATION OF THE FAITH…a Pontifical Mission Society

Most Rev. Ignatius C. Wang One Peter Yorke Way, San Francisco, CA 94109 • Dept C Enclosed is my World Mission Sunday gift for the Missions… $100

$50

$25

$10

$______ (other)

Name______________________________________________________ Address____________________________________________________ City_______________________State________Zip_________________ www.worldmissions-catholicchurch.org

8

Catholic San Francisco

October 8, 2004

Campaign ‘04: Candidates present clear differences on abortion issue

By Nancy Frazier O’Brien Catholic News Service WASHINGTON — In the Catholic world, at least, few issues have gotten more attention than abortion during the 2004 presidential campaign.

But putting aside the question of Communion for Catholic politicians, no issue shows a clearer distinction between the major party candidates, Republican President George W. Bush and Democratic Sen. John F. Kerry of Massachusetts.

As president, Bush has signed the ban on partial-birth abortions, which his administration has defended against court challenges; signed the Born Alive Infants Protection Act; reinstituted the “Mexico City policy” that bars the use of U.S. foreign aid to promote abortions in other countries; denied federal funds to the U.N. Population Fund; and nominated pro-life federal judges.

Kerry voted six times against the partial-birth abortion ban; was a co-sponsor of the Freedom of Choice Act, which would have prohibited states from placing limits on abortion; opposes parental involvement in minors’ abortion decisions; and has vowed to reverse the Mexico City policy and to “only appoint Supreme Court justices who will uphold a woman’s right to choose.”

“President Bush has compiled a record during his first term in office that can only be described as extraordinarily pro-life,” said Steven Ertelt, editor and founder of LifeNews.com, in what he said was the Internet-based prolife news service’s “first-ever editorial.”

“And when it comes to the key battles and judicial appointments over the next four years, only President Bush can be trusted to advance the cause of life,” Ertelt added in the Aug. 3 editorial.

The National Right to Life Committee, which tracks the voting records of members of Congress on key pro-life legislation, gives Kerry a 2 percent pro-life voting record since 1984, saying he voted 92 out of 94 times against the position taken by the pro-life organization.

Kerry’s running mate, Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina, joined the Senate in 1998 and has voted 11 out of 11 times against the National Right to Life Committee’s position on abortion-related legislation.

Kerry and Edwards both get 100 percent, however, from organizations that support keeping abortion legal, including NARAL Pro-Choice America and the Planned Parenthood Action Fund.

In “Faithful Citizenship,” their quadrennial statement issued every presidential election year since 1976, the U.S.

bishops call abortion “the deliberate killing of a human being before birth” and say it is “never morally acceptable.”

“We support constitutional protection for unborn human life, as well as legislative efforts to end abortion and euthanasia,” they said. “We encourage the passage of laws and programs that promote childbirth and adoption over abortion and assist pregnant women and children.”

More recently, in their June statement on “Catholics in Political Life,” the bishops said, “Failing to protect the lives of innocent and defenseless members of the human race is to sin against justice.

“Those who formulate law therefore have an obligation in conscience to work toward correcting morally defective laws, lest they be guilty of cooperating in evil and in sinning against the common good,” they added.

Christopher M. Duncan, chairman of the political science department at the Marianist-run University of Dayton in Ohio, said it is difficult to assess what role the abortion issue will play in the decisions of individual voters — even Catholic voters — in the 2004 presidential election.

“There is the hard-core group that I would call single-issue voters, and for them (the pro-life issue) is everything,” he said.

But he said most polls show that “Catholics mirror the general population in their opinions on abortion,” with about 55 percent favoring keeping abortion legal in some circumstances — most notably, to save the life of the mother and in cases of rape and incest — and fewer than 10 percent supporting the criminalization of abortion in all circumstances.

Catholics who identify themselves as weekly churchgoers are more likely to oppose abortion than those who say they go to church less frequently, Duncan added.

Because Kerry is Catholic, the abortion issue “has become more of an issue than it would have been” for another Democratic candidate, the political scientist said. “If he’d been

a pro-choice Baptist or a pro-choice Methodist, he would not have had nearly the same kinds of questions coming his way.”

But abortion’s biggest role in this campaign may be as a “leveraging tool to suggest that John Kerry doesn’t know what he believes in,” Duncan said.

Kerry himself has contributed to that impression with conflicting — and often confusing — statements about when he believes life begins and how that belief affects his stand on abortion.

In early July, the Democratic candidate startled many of his followers — and raised the hackles of his supporters who are working to keep abortion legal — when he told the Dubuque (Iowa) Telegraph Herald, “I oppose abortion, personally. I don’t like abortion. I believe life does begin at conception.”

But in follow-up interviews with ABC News and The Associated Press, Kerry said although he believed unborn children were “a form of life,” they were “not the form of life that takes personhood in the terms that we have judged it to be in the past.”

“My personal belief about what happens in the fertilization process is a human being is first formed and created, and that’s when life begins,” Kerry told ABC’s Peter Jennings. “Within weeks, you look and see the development of it, but that’s not a person yet, and it’s certainly not what somebody, in my judgment, ought to have the government of the United States intervening in.”

Kerry’s opponents have been able to use such comments to “call his genuineness into question,” Duncan said.

This is the third article in a series leading up to the Nov. 2 presidential election.

Catholic Radio Hour Week of October 11 - 15 Weeknights at 7:30 p.m. – KVTO 1400 AM Radio Pray the Rosary – hosted by Fr. Tom Daly One half-hour of prayers, reflections and music Monday: Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary; Sunday Soundbite; Year of the Rosary.

Tuesday: Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary; Fact of Faith: Vatican stamps and coins.

Wednesday: Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary; Devotions: Fr. James Martin.

Thursday: Luminous Mysteries of the Rosary; Devotions.

Friday: Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary; Rome Report.

Prayers requests are welcome. You can help keep the rosary on the air by sending a donation to Catholic Radio Hour, One Peter Yorke Way, San Francisco, CA 94109.

heaven can’t wait Serra for Priestly Vocations Please call Archdiocese of San Francisco Fr. Tom Daly (415) 614-5683

Become a MENTOR for a homeless youth.

Local nonprofit seeks volunteers to mentor homeless/formerly homeless youth.

Make a difference, become a mentor.

Call 415-561-4621 mentor@homeaway.org I did it so can you!

Sponsored by: John Clifford McGuire Real Estate jclifford@mcguire.com

ALL SOULS PARISH

Halloween 2004 Festival

COME FOR A HOWLING GOOD TIME! 6:00 pm – 10 pm, Oct. 15th Noon – 10:00 pm, Oct. 16th 10 am – 7:00 pm, Oct. 17th 315 Walnut Ave., SSF GAMES • PRIZES • PETTING ZOO • •PUMPKIN PATCH • MUSIC • GREAT FOOD & MORE Join us Saturday for our delicious BBQ Steak dinner and/or Sunday for our famous Chicken Polenta dinner.

Make reservation early.

For more information call (650) 871-8944

WHEREVER BOOKS ARE SOLD

Available in Hardcover, as a Time Warner AudioBook™, and in a Large Print Edition Time Warner Book Group

Visit our Web site at www.twbookmark.com

October 8, 2004

Catholic San Francisco

9

While not crucial in euthanasia debate, much hinges on election

By Nancy Frazier O’Brien Catholic News Service WASHINGTON — In the U.S. bishops’ election-year blueprint, “Faithful Citizenship: A Catholic Call to Political Responsibility,� and in other documents, the Catholic Church’s opposition to euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide is clear, ranking second only to its stance on abortion. “Abortion and euthanasia have become pre-eminent threats to human life and dignity because they directly attack life itself, the most fundamental good and a condition for all others,� the bishops say in “Faithful Citizenship.�

Rita L. Marker, executive director of the International Task Force on Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide, said “much hinges on the election as it relates to assisted suicide.�

In 2001, Attorney General John Ashcroft ruled that the use of federally regulated drugs in assisted suicides in Oregon — the only state where physician-assisted suicide is legal — was not a “legitimate medical purpose� and violated the Controlled Substances Act. Doctors who participated in those suicides could face fines or jail time or lose their right to prescribe federally controlled drugs.

T R A V E L

The state of Oregon appealed the ruling and the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco ruled in the state’s favor in August.

Marker told Catholic News Service that the Bush administration has until mid-November to decide whether to appeal the circuit court decision to the U.S. Supreme Court.

But if Kerry is elected president Nov. 2, that appeal “will be dropped like a hot potato,� Marker said, in light of the views expressed by the Democrat in a May interview with the Statesman Journal newspaper in Salem, Ore. Kerry said that although he believes assisted suicide is “the wrong concept or approach personally� he does not think the federal government should interfere in states’ decisions in the matter. “It’s a very complicated, thorny, moral, ethical issue that people wrestle with,� he added. “And I don’t think it is the government’s job to step in. “I think the states have the right to wrestle with those kinds of issues, just as states wrestle with marriage laws,�

Kerry said. “I think states have a right to make those decisions. I have my own personal beliefs about life and about what you do.�

Marker said it is ironic that Kerry is more supportive

Catholic San Francisco invites you

Vacation Rental Condo in South Lake Tahoe.

Sleeps 8, near Heavenly Valley and Casinos.

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

PACIFIC I’NTL TRAVEL AGENCY FOR ALL YOUR TRAVEL NEEDS SPECIALIZING IN

CHINA • INDIA • PHILIPPINES VIETNAM • INDONESIA • THAILAND KOREA • JAP AN • TAIWAN JAPAN AIWAN • EUROPE EUROPE DISCOUNTED BUSINESS CLASS TRAVEL GOING HOME? VISIT OUR WEBSITE FOR SPECIALS

PACIFICTRAVEL.COM CST # 1010514

800-886-5944 580 MARKET STREET SUITE 250, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94104

LOURDES and the GREAT SAINTS of EUROPE October 5, 2004

With excellent foods, varied lodgings, beautiful location and welcoming atmosphere, the Bug makes a great place to plan for great things together.

Departs San Francisco 10-Day Pilgrimage

only

$

2,199

Fr. Michael Lacy Spiritual Director St. Bernadette

Visit: Paris, Lisieux, Normandy, Versailles, Nevers, Paray-LeMonial, Ars, Lyon, Toulouse, Lourdes

October 7, 2004 Departs San Francisco 10-Day Pilgrimage

only

$

celebrations study groups workshops children couples alumni families teams/clubs singles groups

www.yosemitebug.com

2,299

Talk with Caroline about packages at 209.966.6666

Fr. Gino Donatelli Spiritual Director

DGYHUWLVHPHQW

-2,1 27+(5 520$1 &$7+2/,&6 21 7+,6 :((. 9$&$7,21 '(3$57,1* $35,/

Knock

Visit: Dublin,Clonmacnois,Galway, Knock, Croagh Patrick,Kylemore Abbey, Connemara, Cliffs of Moher, Adare, Tralee, Slea Head, Gallarus Oratory, Dingle, Killarney, Blarney Castle, Rock of Cashel & More.

$UL]RQD &DOLIRUQLD *ROGHQ :HVW 7RXU

ITALY

January 11, 2005 Departs San Francisco 11-Day Pilgrimage

LAKE TAHOE RENTAL

This is the fourth article in an election series.

to join in the following pilgrimages

PILGRIMAGE TO IRELAND

G U I D E

of state law allowing assisted suicide than even Ralph Nader, the independent presidential candidate, who is considered more liberal on most issues. In 2000 Nader said he opposed Oregon’s assisted suicide law.

Oregon voters twice have approved physician-assisted suicide, but voters or legislators in Michigan, Maine, Wyoming and Hawaii have rejected it.

On the federal level, Marker said, the anti-euthanasia effort “is totally focused on whether the federal government will proceed with defending its own regulations.�

But if that effort is abandoned, she added, state legislatures that have been “reluctant to go forward� with assisted-suicide proposals until the federal court case was settled might find new impetus.

only

$

1,999

with Fr. Chris Crotty and Fr. Louis Caporicci Visit: Rome, Orvieto, Assisi, Loreto, Lanciano, Mt. St. Angelo, San Giovanni, Foggia, Pompeii, (Papal audience if Holy Father is home)

St. Paul Outside the Wall

For a FREE brochure on these pilgrimages contact: Virginia Marshall – Catholic San Francisco

(415) 614-5640 Please leave your name, mailing address and your phone number

)O\ IURP \RXU FORVHVW PDMRU DLUSRUW WR /RV $QJHOHV 0HHW ³\RXU PDQ´ DW WKH EDJJDJH FODLP FHQWHU IRU \RXU KRWHO WUDQVIHU 7RXU LQFOXGHV QLJKWV LQ TXDOLW\ KRWHOV EDJJDJH KDQGOLQJ DLUSRUW WUDQVIHUV DQG HVFRUWHG PRWRU FRDFK VLJKWVHHLQJ 9LVLW %DUVWRZ 6WDWLRQ 3ULPP 1HYDGD /DV 9HJDV &LW\ 7RXU QR RYHUQLJKW /DXJKOLQ 1HYDGD RQ WKH &RORUDGR 5LYHU *UDQG &DQ\RQ 3DLQWHG 'HVHUW )ODJVWDII $= VFHQLF GULYH VRXWK WKURXJK 2DN &UHHN &DQ\RQ DQG ³5HG 5RFN &RXQWU\´ LQFOXGLQJ 6HGRQD DQG KDYH WZR GD\V LQ 3KRHQL[ $= 1H[W WDNH D VFHQLF GULYH WR 6DQ 'LHJR ZLWK D OXQFK VWRS LQ <XPD $UL]RQD ,Q 6DQ 'LHJR \RXU FLW\ WRXU LQFOXGHV 0LVVLRQ %D\ %DOERD 3DUN &RURQDGR ,VODQG 0LVVLRQ 6DQ 'LHJR GH $OFDOD DQG PRUH 2Q \RXU IUHH GD\ LQ 6DQ 'LHJR RSWLRQDO WRXUV LQFOXGH HLWKHU 7LMXDQD 0H[LFR RU WKH 6DQ 'LHJR =RR %RWK RSWLRQDO WRXUV LQFOXGH D QDUUDWHG FUXLVH RI 6DQ 'LHJR +DUERU 2Q \RXU VFHQLF GULYH EDFN WR /RV $QJHOHV VWRSV LQFOXGH WKH 0LVVLRQ RI 6DQ -XDQ &DSLVWUDQR DQG WKH EUHDWKWDNLQJ &U\VWDO &DWKHGUDO $OVR LQFOXGHG LV WKH <RXU 0DQ 7RXUV FLW\ WRXU RI / $ +ROO\ZRRG DQG %HYHUO\ +LOOV 3ULFH SHU SHUVRQ EDVHG RQ GRXEOH RFFXSDQF\ LV LQFOXGLQJ DOO WD[HV $GG IRU DLUIDUH IURP 6DQ )UDQFLVFR RU 6DFUDPHQWR &$ /LPLWHG VSDFH RQ RXU EXV )DPLO\ IULHQGV ZHOFRPH GHSRVLWV QRZ GXH

California Registered Seller of Travel Registration Number CST-2037190-40 (Registration as a Seller of Travel does not constitute approval by the State of California)

)RU \RXU EURFKXUH ZLWK D GD\ WR GD\ LWLQHUDU\ LQIRUPDWLRQ DQG UHVHUYDWLRQV FDOO

Âľ<285 0$1Âś 72856 3URYLGLQJ FDUHIUHH YDFDWLRQV VLQFH

10

Catholic San Francisco

October 8, 2004

October 8, 2004

Catholic San Francisco

Preserving San Francisco’s faith and heritage

By Jack Smith Catholic institutions make up the largest ownership of historically and architecturally important properties in San Francisco. Many of these, because of their age and construction methods used at the time, are also Unreinforced Masonry Buildings.

San Francisco Catholic parishes have spent nearly $45 million seismically retrofitting the City’s historic churches and are expected to spend an additional $17 million over the next few years. Most of the work has been done in compliance with a 1991 San Francisco Ordinance requiring the seismic retrofitting of all Unreinforced Masonry Buildings in the City. The law was passed in response to concern about the safety of UMBs following the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake. Some of the work is to comply with fire safety and disability access codes which are triggered by performing the seismic work. In the cases of St. Boniface and St. Paul, the work includes costs associated with additional parish buildings which are UMBs. The seven churches which have already completed or are planning retrofit work include five registered Historical Landmarks: St. Boniface, Notre Dame des Victoires, St. Francis of Assisi, St. Patrick, and Old St. Mary’s. The latter three are among the first five landmarks designated by the City. The list also includes two churches widely regarded as among the most beautiful in San Francisco: St. Paul and St. Dominic.

The seven church properties are being retrofitted and entirely through the generosity of the Catholic community, other private donors, or the sale of other parish assets. Catholic churches, unlike other privately owned properties, are not eligible for state assistance because of their religious use.

The generosity of the Catholic community has come in many forms; including outright major financial gifts, the donation of homes or stock, the regular sacrificial giving of average parishioners, and at St. Boniface, the small change of homeless churchgoers. In addition, the Archdiocese of San Francisco made gifts of $1 million each to Old St. Mary’s, St. Patrick and St. Paul and $1.5 million to St. Boniface.

Following is an update on the seven parishes which have completed or are planning retrofit work. The list does not include Our Lady of Guadalupe which no longer functions as a parish.

The Archdiocese spent $600,000 to retrofit the registered San Francisco Historical Landmark, which temporarily houses St. Mary’s Chinese School.

Notre Dame des Victoires

SAINT DOMINIC CHURCH In 1863 the Dominican order purchased a square block at Bush and Steiner for $6,000. In 1873, the first St. Dominic Church was dedicated there. The current St. Dominic’s, dedicated in 1928, is the fourth church in that location.

In 1984 tests determined the church was seismically unsafe, and the Dominicans set about raising money to stabilize and buttress the church. In the interim, the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake seriously damaged the church tower and destroyed

Saint Boniface

Saint Dominic Church during major retrofit and after completion.

Later phases will repair walls supporting stained glass and repair the roof.

its “lantern.” Damage was sustained throughout the building.

By 1992, at a cost of more than $7 million, major structural retrofitting, including the addition of flying buttresses was completed. The vast majority of the cost was paid by thousands of local donations both large and small.

St. Dominic’s is now in the middle of a second phase of church repair and restoration which is estimated to cost an additional $7 million. More than $2 million has already been spent repairing one wall which supports stained glass windows and $250,000 has been spent repairing and securing the church chandeliers. The balance of the work, which includes repairing other walls and windows, repairing the roof, and restoring the century-old, historically-listed, 4,500 pipe organ will be completed as funds are raised by the local community.

NOTRE DAME DES VICTOIRES In 1856 a group of French Catholics purchased a unsused Baptist church at Bush near Grant. Until that time, French Catholics had attended St. Francis of Assisi Church. In the 1880s, the congregation transformed the bare interior into a more suitable Roman church. Pope Leo XIII entrusted the church, in perpetuity, to the Marist order in 1887.

The original church was completely destroyed by the 1906 earthquake and fire and the current structure was built in 1913.

The exterior is modeled after the Basilica of Notre Dame de Fourvieres in Lyon, France, and the interior after St. Ambrose in Paris. Notre Dame’s organ, built in 1915, is the largest known, fully functional instrument by the Johnston Organ and Piano Manufacturing Company. Notre Dame is a registered San Francisco Historical Landmark. The parish celebrates its 150th anniversary in 2006.

Marist Father Etienne Siffert began raising funds for the retrofit of the church in 1987 when it became clear that the church would likely need seismic strengthening. The retrofit was completed in 1997 and cost $3 million. Funds were raised from the parish community including $2 million in proceeds from the sale of three homes given by parishioners to the effort.

SAINT BONIFACE The original St. Boniface church was built at Sutter St. and Trinity Place in 1860 and named for the apostle of Germany who was martyred in 755. The Franciscan order took charge of the parish in 1887. In 1900 construction began on a new church at the current site on Golden Gate Avenue. It was built by and for the local German immigrant community and completed in 1902.

The 1906 earthquake and fire reduced the church to a shell.

Many portions of the original church were retained during reconstruction including the bell tower and sanctuary wall. The current church was completed in 1908 and is a registered San Francisco Historical Landmark.

St. Boniface required major retrofitting, because in addition to being an unreinforced masonry building, joining walls from the church, friary and school supported each other. The school portion, now run as DeMarillac School, also required a higher

standard of retrofit because of its use. The total cost of the completed project is nearly $14 million. Funds were raised privately from more than 4,000 individuals. The size of gifts ranged from change given by local homeless to seven figures.

SHRINE

OF

SAINT FRANCIS

OF

ASSISI

St. Francis of Assisi, though now a National Shrine, was the first parish church in the State of California. In fact, it was a parish church in 1849, one year before California was a State and before San Francisco was incorporated as a City. The original church was a wooden shack, but a new adobe church was quickly built by 1851. This structure served for three years as the Cathedral for Bishop Joseph Sadoc Alemany of Monterey, later first Archbishop of San Francisco. Bishop Alemany celebrated the first ordination to the priesthood in the State of California at St. Francis in 1852.

The cornerstone was laid for the current church in 1859 and it was dedicated in 1860. While almost the entirety of North Beach was destroyed in the 1906 earthquake and fire, the walls of St. Francis stood firm, though the interior and roof burned down.

St. Francis was reconstructed with the same walls and rededicated in 1919. The reconstructed church includes murals on the life of St. Francis by renowned Italian painter Luigi Brusatori, and an acclaimed 1926 Schoenstein organ which was enlarged in 1993.

St. Francis is the fifth San Francisco Historical Landmark.

St. Francis was closed as a parish in 1993, but reopened as a City Shrine Church in 1998 by Archbishop William J. Levada. St. Francis was raised to the Status of a National Shrine by the National Conference of Catholic Bishops in 1999. The Shrine has not yet begun retrofit work. A preliminary estimate of cost for the project is $3.8 million.

OLD SAINT MARY’S The Old Cathedral of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception was dedicated Christmas Eve 1854. It was built as the Cathedral of the newly formed Archdiocese of San Francisco.

From St. Mary’s, Archbishop Joseph Sadoc Alemany led a diocese that stretched from San Jose to the Oregon border and including all the territory north of the Colorado River and west of the Rockies. The Cathedral was designed to resemble a Gothic church from Archbishop Alemany’s hometown in Spain.

By 1881, Archbishop Alemany decided the Cathedral should be moved and in 1891, the new Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption was dedicated on Van Ness. The old Cathedral became a parish church and in 1854, Archbishop Alemany entrusted it to the Paulists.

Old St. Mary’s walls survived the 1906 earthquake, but its roof and interior were burnt out by the subsequent fire. A renovated Old St. Mary’s was rededicated by Archbishop Riordan in 1909. Old St. Mary’s is the second registered San Francisco Historical Landmark.

The community at Old St. Mary’s, which includes many weekday parishioners and tourists, has already raised and spent $7 million in the first phase of retrofitting the church and adjacent facilities. The Paulist Fathers are now raising an additional $8 million to be spent on further improvements including $2.1

million to retrofit the church tower and $1.2 million to meet fire safety and disability access requirements.

SAINT

PATRICK

CHURCH

St. Patrick Church is the second parish church in San Francisco. Mass was originally said in rented rooms on Third and Jessie streets. The parish then erected a wood frame church on Market between Second and Third Streets.

The current Saint Patrick’s church was built on Mission Street between Third and Fourth and dedicated in 1872. That Church was largely destroyed in the 1906 earthquake and fire, but portions of it were retained when the church was rebuilt the same year.

St. Patrick originally served a largely Irish community.

The stained glass windows of St. Patrick’s depict Patron Saints of the various counties in Ireland. St. Patrick’s now serves many weekday parishioners, tourists and a large Filipino community. The church is the fourth registered Historical Landmark in San Francisco and provides a link to the past for the continually developing modern City center around Yerba Buena gardens.

St. Patrick’s retrofitting was completed at a cost of $2.6 million.

SAINT PAUL CHURCH St. Paul began as a mission to a growing, largely Irish community in Noe Valley in 1876. In 1880, when it became a parish, the faithful were meeting for Mass at an abandoned hospital on Noe and 29th. Construction began on the first church, which sat 750, in April of that year.

Construction for the current church began in 1897 and continued for 14 years. Parishioners, many of whom worked on the construction, decided to proceed on a pay as you go basis. There was no debt when Archbishop Riordan dedicated the church on May 29, 1911. The English Gothic landmark was designed by Frank T. Shea and seats 1,400. The beauty of the church architecture is complemented by California’s largest collection of “Munich style” stained glass windows from the famed Franz Mayer studios in Germany. St. Paul Church was the principal location for the 1992 film “Sister Act.” In addition to the church, St. Paul’s other buildings, including schools and convents required seismic retrofitting due to the UMB ordinance. The total cost for the retrofitting, reconstruction and re-organization of St. Paul’s church, convent, school and parish center buildings was $8.5 million. The project was funded in part by the sale of St. Paul’s High School, adjacent convent, and primary school. St. Paul’s parish community has donated generously to the project and continues to fundraise. The parish also received a $1 million grant from the Archdiocese of San Francisco. Church retrofit cost alone was $3.2 million. The parish also built a new primary school and parish center. The parish’s remaining convent was seismically strengthened and houses the novitiate for the Missionaries of Charity.

Saint Paul Church Saint Patrick Church

National Shrine of Saint Francis of Assisi

Old Saint Mary’s

11

12

Catholic San Francisco

October 8, 2004

Catholic san Francisco Northern California’s Weekly Catholic Newspaper

In the news ‘Zero tolerance’ revisited The head of the U.S. bishops’ Ad Hoc Committee on Sexual Abuse has strongly defended the removal from all ministry of any priest who admits to or is proven to have committed at least one act of child sex abuse.

“The reassignment of even one priest who then harms another child is utterly unacceptable,” said Archbishop Harry J. Flynn of St. Paul-Minneapolis, committee chairman.

The protection of minors is the “overall and ultimate purpose” of prevention policies, he said in an article in the Oct. 18 issue of America, a national Catholic weekly magazine published in New York by the Jesuits.

The article appeared about a month before the U.S. bishops’ Nov. 15-18 fall general meeting, when they are to review their program for preventing clergy sex abuse.

The policy of removing a priest from ministry, called “zero tolerance,” is also needed to restore public trust and confidence in the church, the archbishop said.

The ad hoc committee is responsible for suggesting possible modifications to the policies contained in the “Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People” that the bishops approved in 2002. The charter calls for a review after two years.

Critics of “zero tolerance” have said that, just as there are different degrees of sex abuse, there should be different levels of penalties. Some critics say that with proper therapy and supervision, relapse rates are very low, allowing offenders to be returned to some forms of ministry not involving contact with children. Still other critics have said that turning sex offenders loose on society may be more dangerous to children than keeping them under church supervision.

Archbishop Flynn said that past errors by bishops “have limited the bishops’ flexibility today.”

He cited transferring offenders from parish to parish and sometimes to other dioceses often without alerting people to the potential danger.

“These errors included a reliance on secrecy where transparency was needed,” he added.

Such errors led to public perceptions that bishops and priests “saw themselves above the law,” he said.

“There was a risk that the general public might begin to perceive the priesthood itself as a safe haven for criminal behavior,” he said.

“Zero tolerance” for past offenders was “the most contested subject” at the bishops’ 2002 meeting at which they drafted the charter policies, Archbishop Flynn said.

“Yet it was over the question of whether bishops were tolerating the presence in ministry of offenders who might offend again that a breach of trust was most keenly felt by the Catholic people,” he said.

Without “zero tolerance” for past offenders, the charter would have been approved faster at the 2002 meeting, he said.

There was general agreement about applying the policy to future abuses, he said.

“We bishops have now been asking ourselves whether we had mistakenly thought we had the skills and resources necessary to assure that an offender would not reoffend,” he said.

In support of continuing of “zero tolerance,” Archbishop Flynn cited evidence from the study commissioned by the bishops’ National Review Board and conducted by the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York. The study, released last February, collected data from almost all of the U.S. dioceses on credible accusations against clergy from 1950 through 2002.

The archbishop said the study showed that the problem was bigger than expected as “there were over 4,000 priests accused and over 10,000 victims.” He added, “Relatively few clerics committed only the most minor acts of abuse.”

Even though 56 percent of the clerics allegedly abused a single victim, “in most cases, the abuse consisted of a pattern of sexual acts occurring over weeks, months or, in some cases, years.”

Archbishop Flynn said that the issue before bishops is not whether there should be different degrees of punishment for different types of sexual acts. It is “whether a cleric with a proven or admitted act of sexual abuse can and should function in ministry,” he said.

This does not mean the bishops have established an “unforgivable sin” for clerics, he said.

Every sin can be forgiven but it has consequences, he said. Regarding child sex abuse, “one consequence is that an offending cleric cannot remain in ministry or, in some cases, in the priesthood,” he added.

“Loss of faculties to minister and even dismissal from the clerical state are not the same as losing one’s life or liberty,” he said.

The archbishop noted that church law provides due process to protect the rights of the accused and to adjudicate cases.

“When guilt or innocence is yet to be determined, the law must protect the rights of the accused,” he said.

The bishops are working with the Vatican to ensure that accusations “are dealt with justly and as speedily as is consistent with justice,” he said.

Overall, he said, dioceses are cooperating with prevention policies, and “the charter has accomplished much of what it was intended to accomplish” in creating a safe environment for children.

Cases of child sex abuse by clerics are being reported to civil authorities, bishops are consulted on policy with boards composed mostly of nondiocesan employees, and “no bishop will transfer a priest who has offended from one ministerial assignment to another,” he said.

– Catholic News Service

Misleading term I am writing in response to an article that appeared in last week’s edition of Catholic San Francisco in the News in Brief section entitled “Tucson Diocese Seeks Bankruptcy Protection.” I am very bothered by the fact that this article refers to “...just and fair compensation of those who suffered sexual abuse by workers for the church....”

Why is the term “workers for the church” now being used in place of priests? As a teacher at St. Catherine of Siena School in Burlingame, I am also considered a worker of the church. In no way whatsoever do I want to have any shadow of a doubt cast upon us as “workers of the church.” The abuse cases we have been reading about were caused by members of the clergy. It becomes very easy to forget this when another term is used to describe those causing the abuse.

Darlene Esola Burlingame

Art and evangelization

Multilateral partners Associate editor of America Drew Christiansen, S.J.’s declaration (Catholic San Francisco - Sept. 17) that Bush’s foreign policy [enforcing UN resolutions against clearly insane torturous dictators, not incidentally freeing the oppressed, attacking billionaire oppressors before they attack us] “would be the polar opposite of the Catholic position” is internally contradictory. We Catholics beg “Catholic Leaders, peace experts” to shed the Marxist-light scales from their eyes, and know, as we do, there is evil in the world, and those who can oppose it (us), must do so or be collaborationist in the worst sense.

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

Collectivist Catholics Some responses to my letter regarding Father Weare’s commentary on globalization require a reply.

If, according to one respondent, the U.S. Constitution is implicitly unethical, its grounding philosophies of individual freedom and limited government necessarily contrary to Catholic social policies, and anyone who disagrees is either a laissez-faire capitalist or a sociophobe, then no honest Catholic can ever assume public office or swear to defend and uphold the Constitution in time of peace or war. The respondent unknowingly confirms the convictions of eighteenth century pamphleteers in this country: one cannot be a Catholic, subservient to the Vatican, and swear allegiance to the U.S. Constitution. Of course, the position is utter nonsense.

Vatican officials have repeatedly condemned liberation theology and all forms of egalitarian collectivism as required, or even supported, by any Catholic teaching or doctrine.

Nevertheless, leftists continue to ignore Catholic authority and assert in Catholic journals and elsewhere that their repeated attacks on the standard symbols of American government are supported by the Church. Why? Marketing! Leftist elements in the Church give them access to the “international guilt industry” which seeks to convince American Catholics to trade their precious freedoms for absolution.

Well, this writer doesn’t need or want any.

Another respondent implies Father Weare and friends find support in the Catechism: “The goods of creation are destined for the whole human race.” But this begs the question: Who is going to allocate these goods among the human race? A free market economy, or an international socialist bureaucracy whose administrators cannot be removed by direct popular vote? Our forefathers got it right, and that is why national borders are absolutely critical to the survival of the most unique form of government in the world today: the U.S.A. All Catholics want to reduce poverty and oppression in the world. Father Weare and friends want to use the plight of these people to promote their political ideology by blaming their primary political opponent: the United States.

Thomas Werdel San Francisco

L E T T E R S

The account of just twenty-five congregants at a Saturday Mass in Sacred Heart Church (built for 10,000 people) reminded me that Venice’s great Church of San Marcos was constructed for the exclusive use of a Doge’s family.

I can remember when San Francisco’s Catholic churches stayed open all night for the sake, I was told, of saving even one soul who might be drawn into the mystery of the beautiful evidence left by architects, artists and craftsmen who once gave their all—perhaps for this person, at that moment.

Certain financially impractical ideals which stir heart and soul still make perfect sense to me and preserving what we can of our consecrated places that are beautiful and rich in history has become a passion.

In his article, “Beauty as God’s Language,” Father Ron Rolheiser warns us not to underestimate the power of beauty to attract and transform. Our archdiocese is justifiably proud of its preservation work and is now looking, I trust, to survey, retain and restore at least portions of Sacred Heart Church as a gift to future generations.

Patricia Cady San Francisco

Letters welcome

The information revolution at this Millennium shows evil everywhere to us instantly. Every single human being can freely talk to any other, for free, and oppressors tremble that the power of the people is thus growing to absolute. The multilateral partners Father Christiansen hails (France, Germany, Russia, Kofi Annan) were directly in the pay of Saddam’s U.N. Oil-For-Food skimming off millions of dollars meant for food and medicines for the Iraqi poor. That fact makes Fr. Christiansen’s words a dangerous exhortation to the faithful.

Michael Smith San Francisco

St. Anne’s alumni On behalf of the St. Anne School Community I would like to extend our sincere thanks for all the help Catholic San Francisco gave us regarding our Parish’s Alumni Celebration that took place on Sept. 19. As you can only imagine, 100 years of a parish tends to have people “spread out” across the Bay Area. CSF’s assistance helped us reach a great many St. Anne School Alumni. We had a great turnout – over 1,200 people from classes going back to 1928. Everyone in attendance enjoyed their walk down “memory lane.”

You are doing a wonderful job keeping everyone current on what’s going on in our Archdiocese. We look forward each week to reading about the activities in our many parishes and schools.

Thomas White Principal, St. Anne School San Francisco

October 8, 2004

Catholic San Francisco

13

The Catholic Difference In late August, a Vatican delegation returned a venerable icon of the Madonna of Kazan to Patriarch Aleksy II in Moscow. The “Kazanskaya” had had an interesting journey.

She disappeared from Russia in the turbulence of the Bolshevik Revolution, only to turn up in Fatima in the early 1960s, having been bought from an art dealer by the Blue Army. In 1993, the Blue Army gave the icon to Pope John Paul II, who kept it in his apartment chapel, in the Vatican and at Castel Gandolfo, for years – all the while hoping to be able to return the “Kazanskaya” personally to Russia.

Now, after a decade of the Kazanskaya’s “watching over my daily service to the Church” (as he once put it), the Pope decided that, if he would not be permitted the return the icon personally, he would return it anyway. He also sent a moving letter that Cardinal Walter Kasper read to Patriarch Aleksy; here is its central passage: “By a mysterious design of Divine Providence, during the long years of her pilgrimage, the Mother of God in her sacred icon known as Kazanskaya has gathered around her the Orthodox faithful and their Catholic brethren from many parts of the world, who have fervently prayed for the Church and the people whom she has protected down the centuries. More recently, Divine Providence made it possible for the people and the Church in Russia to recover their freedom and for the wall separating Eastern Europe from Western Europe to fall. Despite the division which sadly still persists between Christians, this sacred icon appears as

a symbol of the unity of the followers of the only-begotten Son of God, the One to whom she herself leads us.

“The Bishop of Rome has prayed before this sacred icon, asking that the day will come when we will all be united and able to proclaim to the world, with one voice and in visible communion, the salvation of our one Lord and his triumph over the evil and impious forces which seek to damage our faith and out witness of unity.”

The Pope is a saintly man, who could not imagine toting up the “score” of the Kazanskaya affair, one way or another.

Those not so far advanced along the path of sanctity may be permitted the thought that all the honors in this instance go to John Paul II. He has bent every effort to accommodate Russian Orthodox sensibilities since the collapse of the Soviet Union; the response, in the main, has been the proverbial cold shoulder or worse. The intransigence of Aleksy II, the single most prominent obstacle to the Pope’s making a pilgrimage to Russia, suggests that the Moscow patriarch may not quite share John Paul’s vision of a Christian Church proclaiming “with one voice and in visible communion the salvation of our one Lord,” although Cardinal Kasper reports some progress in moving the dialogue forward.

Since the USSR imploded in 1991, Catholic friends of the Christian East have told themselves that Russian Orthodoxy, having lived through a horrific twentieth century, would take some time to recover its vitality and self-confidence. Those same friends must now ask whether Moscow’s

flirtation with the heresy of ethnicity (that to be “Russian” means, necessarily, to be Orthodox), coupled with historical claims to being the “Third Rome” and the true center of the world Christian George Weigel reality, compounded by the effects of political corruption past and present, have rendered the Russian Orthodox leadership incapable of responding to calls for fraternal reconciliation with the generosity of spirit with which those calls are made by the Pope.

If true, that would be very sad, and not just for ecumenism. Russia is dying. Its birth rates are far below “replacement level” and its death rate is worse than in the Third World; U.N. figures suggest that life expectancy for Russian men today is lower than male life expectancy in what the U.N. primly calls the world’s “less developed regions” – Africa, Asia, and Latin America. It seems highly unlikely that Russia can reverse this demographic death-spiral by turning in on itself.

But isn’t that the attitude that Aleksy II has been fostering, wittingly or not?

George Weigel is a senior fellow of the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington, D.C.

Family Life

A stronger conviction A few months ago, I had the opportunity to visit Washington D.C. with my family. It was, coincidentally, the official opening of the World War II Memorial. We visited the Memorial a few days before the Saturday opening ceremonies. We were lucky it wasn’t crowded and we had time to appreciate the structures and take pictures. The Memorial is magnificent, and in a truly grand and fitting setting between the Washington and Lincoln Memorials.

What struck me more than the actual Memorial though, were all the people of my grandparent’s generation who were visiting our capitol. They came in droves. We recognized our veterans on our flight to D.C., they filled the shuttles from the airplanes to the airport, they filled the Metro, they filled our hotel, and they filled the streets of D.C. As I had the opportunity to speak to a few of these people, I realized it wasn’t just the veterans who came. It was their surviving spouses, like the woman in line behind me at the hotel snack shop who told me her late husband had been a prisoner of war. It was generations of families;

the children, and grandchildren of veterans, all visiting together, or visiting in memory of their lost loved one.

On our last night in D.C. we were coming back from dinner and had just come out of the Metro underground station near our hotel. Suddenly, running toward us to the Metro escalator from a busy street, we saw a young man.

He was running at breakneck speed, and shrieking as if his whole body was on fire (it wasn’t). There was an older man sprinting after him, attempting to talk into a cell phone.

We stopped, stared, and like many city dwellers, waited for someone else to do something. One of the members of what has been called “The Greatest Generation,” who was standing in a group ahead of us, turned to my husband, looked him squarely in the eye, and said quietly, “Someone should help that man.” My husband turned, and did.

About half an hour later, the police finally arrived. It appeared that the young man had just been released from a treatment center. My husband and I were amazed to learn that the first man helping him, the one chasing him and talking into

the cell phone, had never seen him before and had started chasing him when he ran into a busy street.

Reflecting on it later, I realized how unfortunate it was that our initial instinct was to look around for someone else Lynn Smith to help. Instead of reacting with true compassionthe ability to recognize the suffering of another and the willingness to do something about it- we were embarrassed to be made to look foolish. How lucky we were that a member of the greatest generation was on hand, to remind us of the convictions of another era.

Lynn Smith is a parishioner at St. Monica Parish and is mother of a four year old boy.

Spirituality

Struggling with being Blessed Rock star, Janis Joplin, was once asked, “What’s it like being a pop idol?” Her answer: “It can be awful sometimes. You have no idea how hard it is to go out on stage and make love to 20,000 people and then go home and have to sleep alone!”

That’s a remarkable comment. What she’s describing is not simply the rarefied angst of a famous pop star, but a pain that, deep down, afflicts every one of us by the very nature of our being specially blessed by God. And specially blessed we are. All great religious traditions have the idea that human beings carry a special, almost god-like, dignity. The Judeo-Christian scriptures call this “the image and likeness of God in us” and tell us that, because of it, we are special, unique, creative, blessed.

But this is often imagined in a way that’s dangerously simple. What exactly does it mean that we’ve been made in the image and likeness of God? We tend to be overly-romantic about this, simplistically imagining that somewhere deep inside us there is stamped, like a beautiful Russian icon, some imprint of God which then gives each of us a wonderful dignity that may never be violated, endows us with a marvellous creativity, and makes us, among all the creatures of the universe, special. Because we are in the image and likeness of God we are specially called, loved, and blessed.

All of that is true, but something else is true as well. To walk this planet in God’s image and likeness isn’t just a question of standing before the world, feeling a great dignity, bursting with creativity, and saying: “Look at how wonderful, unique, and talented I am!” It’s also, and equally, a question of carrying the burden of all that creativity and divinity. God, as scripture assures us, isn’t an icon, but a fire that can never be

tamed, and we carry that fire inside us, both in the marvel of our positive energies and in the punishing madness, restlessness, and jealousies that rage inside our frustrations. It’s not easy, and sometimes far, far from romantic, to walk the earth as gods and goddesses. That we are blessed also makes for deep struggles.

Why? Why do we struggle with what’s highest in us?

Here’s the algebra: Deep down, all of us know we’re special, that we’re not just accidental, meaningless little chips of energy falling off the conveyor-belt of cosmic evolution, indistinguishable from billions of others. We know we’re unique, precious, have meaning, and are made for a special destiny. We know too we’re lying if we deny it.

But, and this is the point, this sense of being special doesn’t just set off holy and altruistic energies inside us. It also inflames us with narcissism, grandiosity, a sense of entitlement, jealousy, rage, boredom, restlessness, and (ironically) the sense that God does not exist.

Put into simple language, there’s something inside us that says: “If I’m in the image of God then I too have a right to be the centre of the universe, I too have a right to be an object of supreme adoration, and I too am entitled to drink in everything, own everything, and sleep with everyone.

Everything is mine by right! And, if I’m nearly a god myself, why do I need to believe in any God beyond me?”

We all struggle with this, whether we admit it or not. In fact it’s when we don’t admit it that we become most bitter in life. When we’re most enraged it’s precisely because what’s divine in us is not being recognized, acknowledged, and properly honoured by others and, not least, by ourselves.

We get a privileged glance into this struggle when we look at the lives of many artists, pop stars, intellectuals, and

other high-achievers.

Often what’s evident in the life of such a person is that, first; he or she is highly attuned to creative energy, to what’s divine inside the world.

However, often times by the same token, he or she Father is also a person who has Ron Rolheiser to struggle, and mightily sometimes, simply to fit into the flow and the discipline of everyday life, to be “normal”. The person who is highly sensitive to creative energy is often too, by that exact same energy, driven towards addictions, sexual entitlement, jealousy, pathological disquiet, deadly boredom, the rejection of God, and sometimes, sadly, towards self-destruction.

And this kind of struggle should not be seen simplistically, as is often the case, as the result of somebody being a spoiled brat, a child-deity in a high chair, who’s never had to discipline himself or herself to fit in with the rest of the human race. What’s illustrated rather is a universal struggle, just more clearly choreographed, to live out the fact that we’re made in God’s image and likeness.

We’re born into this world with divine fires inside us.

Inside those fires lie seeds of every kind, both for selfdestruction or for greatness.

Oblate Father Ron Rolheiser is a theologian, teacher and award-winning author.

JOHN EARLE PHOTO

The ‘Kazanskaya’ goes home to a dying land

14

Catholic San Francisco

October 8, 2004

TWENTY-EIGHTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME 2 Kings 5:14-17; ; Psalm 98:1, 2-3, 3-4; 2 Timothy 2:8-13; Luke 17:11-19

A READING FROM THE SECOND BOOK OF KINGS (2 KGS 5:14-17) Naaman went down and plunged into the Jordan seven times at the word of Elisha, the man of God. His flesh became again like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean of his leprosy.

Naaman returned with his whole retinue to the man of God. On his arrival he stood before Elisha and said, “Now I know that there is no God in all the earth, except in Israel. Please accept a gift from your servant.”

Elisha replied, “As the Lord lives whom I serve, I will not take it;” and despite Naaman’s urging, he still refused. Naaman said: “If you will not accept, please let me, your servant, have two mule-loads of earth, for I will no longer offer holocaust or sacrifice to any other god except to the Lord.”

RESPONSORIAL PSALM (PS 98:1, 2-3, 3-4) R. The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.

Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done wondrous deeds; his right hand has won victory for him, his holy arm.

R. The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.

The Lord has made his salvation known: in the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice.

He has remembered his kindness and his faithfulness toward the house of Israel.

R. The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.

All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation by our God. Sing joyfully to the Lord, all you lands: break into song; sing praise.

R. The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.

A READING FROM THE SECOND LETTER OF SAINT PAUL TO TIMOTHY (2 TM 2:8-13) Beloved: Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, a descendant of David: such is my gospel, for which I am suffering, even to the point of chains, like a criminal. But the word of God is not chained. Therefore, I bear with everything for the sake of those who are chosen, so that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, together with eternal glory.

This saying is trustworthy: If we have died with him we shall also live with him; if we persevere we shall also reign with him.

But if we deny him he will deny us.

If we are unfaithful he remains faithful, for he cannot deny himself.

A READING FROM THE HOLY GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE (LK 17:11-19) As Jesus continued his journey to Jerusalem, he traveled through Samaria and Galilee. As he was entering a village, ten lepers met him. They stood at a distance from him and raised their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!”

And when he saw them, he said, “Go show yourselves to the priests.” As they were going they were cleansed. And one of them, realizing he had been healed, returned, glorifying God in a loud voice; and he fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him. He was a Samaritan. Jesus said in reply, “Ten were cleansed, were they not?

Where are the other nine? Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?” Then he said to him, “Stand up and go; your faith has saved you.”

How to rediscover Peace

By Father Eugene Hemrick Catholic News Service On a recent drive back from Chicago to Washington, I stopped at my favorite resting place, St. Vincent’s Archabbey in Latrobe, Pa. It is a monastery with a college, so it bustles with activity. Yet, when I am there I am at peace.

While staying overnight, I fell asleep to the melodious sound of crickets and awoke to singing birds. A better accompaniment to restfulness you could not find.

On my way to breakfast I looked out over the countryside surrounding the monastery — rolling hills dotted by trees and lush fields. I allowed the wonder of God’s peace to fill me.

On this particular visit, I learned yet another lesson about peace. Peace is generated by wholesome sharing. Many of the monks have become close friends — people with whom I can share my ideas freely, especially my inner feelings. In my conversations with them, I have had this experience often, even though it is momentary. We connect and are “all there” for each other.

Interestingly, the wonderful theologian Father Romano Guardini defined the power of stillness and peace as “being all there.” He meant that we’re all there when we focus our whole being on another, leaving self out of the picture.

On that same trip home, I happened to stay at a rectory in order to meet with a friend who was visiting there. While there,

the pastor came in, sat down and gave us his undivided attention. He was “all there” with us. Though I only stayed overnight, it was so refreshing to experience this hospitality and to feel at one with him.

As I reflected on this, it dawned on me that as bad as the priesthood shortage is, if we who are priests could be “all there” for each other, even though momentarily, we would not only find the strength to carry on, but probably would be a happier priesthood and attract more vocations. I believe this holds true for all of us facing tensions and seemingly hopeless situations.

When we feel someone is all there for us, it tends to free us up to be ourselves.

Buried problems come to the surface and are aired out. Exciting aspirations are shared. New insights are generated. Hope is revived. What is more important, our spirit is refreshed and renewed.

When an Italian says that he or she is doing well, a phrase that is used is “non si preoccupare,” I am not preoccupied. In other words, I am not being torn apart by going in many directions. I am focused and “all there.”

Today it is so easy to be preoccupied by events or concerns that destroy our peace. The daily news more often than not is disturbing, and no matter where we look we can’t seem to find serenity. If you feel you are at the end of your rope, find a friend who is all there for you and be all there for him or her.

Spend time sharing, and see if it doesn’t restore that inner calm you seek.

Scripture FATHER BILL NICHOLAS

The other nine lepers Why are we so hard those other nine?

I remember when, as a first grade student in Catholic School, I first learned the story of the Ten Lepers – how only one thought enough to come back and thank Jesus for curing him, while the other nine left without a thought. How atrocious! How ungrateful can one get? However, as I grew older and began to notice some of the more intricate details of the story I began to wonder if perhaps we have been giving those other nine a raw deal. Even Jesus does not offer a criticism of the others, but merely asks a simple question – “Where are the other nine?”

The answer is simple. The other nine were doing exactly what Jesus commanded them to do – “Go and show yourselves to the priests.”

This is consistent with the Law of Moses as we find it in Leviticus 13:16-17. If a person stricken with leprosy has been cured, it is the priest who verifies the cure and declares them “clean” and fit to return to society. Jesus commanded the lepers to carry out this command, and this is what they did. So let us not be too hard on those other nine. They were acting in obedience to Jesus’ instruction.

The one leper who returned, however, would have found himself in a particular position with regard to that command. As a Samaritan, he more than likely would not have been welcome in the synagogue or Temple, but would have been turned away at the door. (“Recall that Jews have nothing to do with Samaritans” – Jn 4:9) As such, the Samaritan leper had nowhere else to go. So he returned to Jesus to offer his personal thanks, since he could not do so according to the Mosaic Law. What we have, then, in both the one leper who returned and the nine who “left” are examples regarding prayer and thanksgiving that we all participate in as Catholics. The nine carried out what could be considered a legal or liturgical precept, conducted and verified by a religious leader. This is, in fact, what we do whenever we celebrate a liturgy, particularly the Mass, as a community of faith. The fact that it was nine who did this put their action in the context of community.

On the other hand, the Samaritan leper’s thanks was more personal, giving that thanks to the very source of his grace and cure.

Because he was only one, his thanks was more of a personal nature, and this is what we do whenever we pray individually, or bring a personal investment to our liturgical celebrations.

In the story of the Ten Lepers we see the two forms of prayer we are called to live as people of faith. We are people of liturgy, with rites, precepts and obligations to fulfill as a community. However, we must also bring ourselves to our prayer in a very personal way, and not be limited to simply the carrying out of liturgical actions or the recitation of particular words. In

the same way we are not to remain isolated in our spiritual life, but recognize our belonging to a community, and our call to join that communal prayer in the liturgies we celebrate.

Sadly we can all relate to examples in which one side is exaggerated to the exclusion of the other. There are those whose approach to the Mass on Sunday is little more than a rigid habit done to fulfill an obligation. Even, perhaps especially, those who regularly arrive late for Mass and leave early, approach their attendance and participation with the age-old precept learned by all that “as long as I arrive in time for this part of the Mass and stay long enough for that part, I have fulfilled my Sunday Obligation.” Others may be present for the entire celebration, but treat the liturgy as little more than a functional series of prayers before receiving communion. Of such people, Jesus may ask, “Where are the other nine? Is there no one who gives thanks?”

While fulfilling a precept or obligation – as did the nine lepers – such people fail to bring the personal connection to God we all strive for, even in a communal, liturgical setting.

Another group, who exemplify the other extreme, would be those who seldom fulfill communal obligations. Of these we often hear such lines as “I don’t attend Mass, but I still pray at home,” or “I do not abstain from meat on Lenten Fridays because I do not get anything out of it personally.” Even those who refuse to see the Mass as a communal celebration, but as a period for personal prayer fall into this category. Such individuals strive to personalize their relationship with God, but do so at the expense of the liturgical principles or communal observances that are meant to bring us together as community. To such as these, Jesus may ask, “Why did you not go with the other nine?”

As a community of faith and a people called to have a relationship with God, we must strive to bring a balance to both aspects of our prayer life. Like the nine Lepers of the Gospel, we are called to fulfill the precepts that call us to a life of community. In doing so we carry out God’s command regarding our life and worship as Church. Yet, like the one Samaritan leper (whose options were very limited) we must also bring that personal touch in giving thanks to God for the many blessings given us day by day, week by week, throughout the year and every moment of our lives.

So let us give the other nine lepers a break.

Let us see ourselves in both the nine who “left” and the one who returned as we strive to be faithful to our call as a community of worship, and also bring that individual touch of gratitude and love to the Savior who heals us.

Fr. Bill Nicholas is a parochial vicar at Nativity Parish, Menlo Park.

The Prophet Elisha and Naaman, Lambert Jacobz, c. 1630.

October 8, 2004

Catholic San Francisco

15

Guest Commentary Medjugorje – Thoughts of a reluctant pilgrim

By Brian Cahill For the last few years, my wife gently has been urging me to go with her to Medjugorje, a small village in Bosnia, where the Blessed Mother appeared to six children in 1981 and has continued to appear to them. My wife had been there before, and I knew she had some extraordinary, life changing and prayerful experiences.

Still, as she gently urged me to go, I gently resisted, telling her that when I want to go away to pray, all I have to do is visit a Retreat Center.

But because I love my wife, because I so respect her intuition, and because she is far more evolved spiritually than I am, I finally agreed to go. However, since we were flying through Vienna and on to Sarajevo, I told her that with all due respect to Our Lady, I would only go if we could spend some time in Austria as well.

Bosnia-Herzogovina, part of what until recently has been known as Yugoslavia, has a history of war and conflict since the east-west split of the Roman Empire, the subsequent split of the Catholic Church, the three hundred year occupation of the Ottoman Empire, the long rule of the Hapsburg dynasty, the Nazi era, the Communist occupation and more recently the tragic and bloody breakup of Yugoslavia. At the same time the Catholic faith of the Croatian people in Bosnia, nurtured by the Franciscans since the 11th century, is deeply rooted in this place.

After 16 hours in the air, we took a bus from Sarajevo to Mostar and finally up into the mountains of western Bosnia to Medjugorje. Our small group stayed at the house of one of the visionaries, Mirjana, today an attractive, college educated 39 year-old mother of two girls. She and her husband Marko, have added a number of guest rooms on to their house to accommodate pilgrims who come here. She experiences an apparition annually on her birthday, and since 1987 on the second day of each month. She is bright, funny and very down to earth. She is obviously a very prayerful and devout Catholic who does serious fasting before each apparition.

I believe in the Resurrection, I believe that Christ appeared to his disciples after Easter, as we read in the Acts of the Apostles, I believe that miracles have happened and can happen, and I accept the unique role that the Mother of God plays in our faith. But I came to this place a bit put off by all the focus on the apparitions; by what appeared to me to be simplistic, repetitive, patronizing apparition messages from Our Lady and by the references to rosaries turning gold. I figured I would come here, be open, make my wife happy, pray for my children, especially my grown daughter who is dealing with a great deal of emotional pain, and pray for a number of friends who are dealing with life threatening illness, the death of a loved one, divorce, and the alienation of a child. I would be here, I would pray, and then I would move on to Austria for some serious eating, drinking and sightseeing.

On the first morning, Tuesday before Palm Sunday, we went to the English Mass at St. James, a beautiful church built in 1969 and staffed by the Franciscans.

The introductory song was “Here I Am Lord”. We had orientation sessions most of the day and later went back to St. James for all 15 mysteries of the Rosary, a Croatian Mass and an hour of adoration. It was a real marathon. The Church was jammed and I was exhausted from the travel, so I didn’t think much of it at the time.

The next day we went to the English Mass and decided to fast all day on bread and water, which is really no problem because Croatian bread is delicious.

We then went to Apparition Hill (Podbrdo), where Mary first appeared to the six young villagers. This was when my pilgrimage really began. Our young tour guide led us in the Joyful Mysteries as we began to climb up the hill. In 1989, an Italian sculptor, Carmelo Puzzolo, created beautiful bronze reliefs of each of the mysteries. As I stood there seeing this beautiful depiction of the Annunciation and seeing through this man’s art Mary’s faith filled “yes,” I finally figured out what the phrase “praying the Rosary” really meant. I said the Rosary with my family as a child. In recent years I have said the Rosary with my wife and friends in a small prayer group, but I have always found it repetitive and mind numbing. But that day on that hill, I started to pray, and as we moved up the hill and moved into the Sorrowful Mysteries, I realized that the Rosary is simply a way to reflect on Jesus’ life and our response to His redemptive work.

Further up the Hill is a beautiful statue of Our Lady where she first appeared. The statue is on a flat but rocky area looking out at the village, the Church and the surrounding hills and mountains. At any given time

hundreds of people are sitting or kneeling quietly praying. I came back there every day for the rest of the week.

Later that day at my wife’s urging, I went to confession. I saw no reason to go, because, I had done my Lenten confession two weeks earlier, and I figured I’d go again next Advent. But when I walked over to the Church, I saw a separate building to the left of the Church housing at least 20 separate confessionals.

Eight of the confessionals had priests inside and there were at least 40 people waiting in the lines. All of this on a weekday at five in the afternoon. I went in and said, “Bless me father, it’s been two weeks since my last confession, I haven’t really done anything and I’m only here because my wife said I should go”. He asked what were the areas of weakness in my life and I told him. He asked me about my prayer life and I told him I did a brief morning and evening prayer and that I tried to get to Mass two or three times during the week.

He looked at me and smiled and said “well you have to learn to pray more, that’s why you’re here.” I finally figured out that prayer is a never ending process of coming closer to God, and it was something I wanted to do. For my penance he gave me the Memorare, not to mention, a lot to think about.

Statue of Our Lady on Apparition Hill.

The next day, after Mass, we visited the Oasis of Peace, a small monastic community of lay people from all over the world who gave away all their assets and belongings and came here to live. We also heard a talk from the pastor of St. James, a very spiritual man who described prayer as “going further with God,” closing the distance between ourselves and God, and eventually surrendering to God’s will. He described going on pilgrimage as “going public for God,” not by our words, but by our actions.

That night we went to the adoration hour at St. James. The Church was overflowing with pilgrims and Croatians from the surrounding villages. Every five or six minutes there was beautiful singing in English, French, German, Italian and Croatian with the words projected on a large screen to the left of the sanctuary so everyone could join in the singing. Prayers in these languages also were projected onto the screen so the entire congregation was participating. After each song and prayer there was silence for five or six minutes.

The beauty of the music, the power of people in common prayer from so many different parts of the world, the intense sense of God’s presence among us was overwhelming.

On the next day, April 2, we were present with a few hundred people in a large tent for Mirjana’s apparition.

It lasted five or six minutes and it was clear to me that

she was listening to and communicating with someone not in the tent. There has been a great deal of physiological and psychological testing of the visionaries by independent researchers and each effort has concluded that they are communicating with someone or something outside the natural. I believe that Our Lady is capable of appearing to anyone she wishes. As I began to read the messages she has given to the visionaries, they are not about herself, they are not about miracles, they are about prayer, they are about her Son, they are about us as God’s children coming closer to Him. Later at the house, Mirjana spoke with us, and while she did not speak specifically about her experience that morning, she did make two points. First, there is nothing special about her or the other visionaries. Second, and this captured the whole week for me, she said, “if you have a choice to witness an apparition or to attend Mass, go to Mass.”

On the following day, after Mass, we said the Stations of the Cross on Mt. Krizevac, with a beautiful view of the village and beyond. In 1933 the villagers erected a 30 foot concrete cross to celebrate the 1900 years since the birth of Jesus. It is a steep and rocky walk up to the top, and many pilgrims do it barefoot.

Each station is depicted in the same beautiful bronze relief sculptures as on Podbrdo. Our guide did a reflection on each station and it was a powerful, unforgettable experience. We finished the day with another intense and prayerful Holy Hour of Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, and I realized it is impossible not to pray here.

On Sunday we visited Chenaculo, a drug rehabilitation community for young men mostly from Europe and America. There is no formal therapy, but rather a great amount of prayer and work, and a very high success rate. Later we went over to St. James and were amazed to see hundreds of people waiting for confession not just at the building near the Church but also waiting in lines for priests seated in chairs along the outside of the Church wall, priests brought in from neighboring parishes to handle the overflow. For the Palm Sunday Croatian Mass that followed, there were loudspeakers and twelve rows of benches running the length of each side of the Church for those who could not get inside.

Thirty million people have visited Medjugorje since 1981. I feel blessed to be one of them. I have done a lot of stupid, sinful and destructive things in my life. I was away from the practice of my faith for a long time, and I’m not qualified to tell anyone what to believe or how to pray or how to live their life. Nor am I qualified or capable of painting a complete picture of Medjugorje.

But I do know that the messages from Our Lady have to do with Mass and the Eucharist. They have to do with prayer, especially the rosary. They have to do with Scripture. They have to do with fasting. They have to do with the power and grace of Confession. I do know that Medjugorje is a Christ centered, prayerful and grace filled place.

On the plane home (after visiting Austria), I found myself wondering what would happen if we all prayed more. Would the killing in the Middle East stop, would genocide and starvation stop, would the homeless people on our streets and the invisible poor and working poor people in our midst be supported? Would those who live in quiet despair be comforted? What would happen if we spent less time arguing about the issues that divide us in our society and especially about the issues that divide us in our Church, and more time praying about those issues. I don’t know, but I know I’m not praying enough about any of these issues. I know I’m always ready to fire away with my opinion, my values and my perspective, and I’m willing to put way more energy into arguing about an issue than I am into praying about that same issue.

I have a real urge to go back to Medjugorje, and God willing I will. But I know I have to live the spirit of Medjugorje here in my daily life. I am a slow learner in this area, and I don’t think I have written anything here that hasn’t been written before, but this trip made me realize that Medjugorje is not a place that is primarily about apparitions or about miracles. It is a place and spirit that is primarily about prayer, it is an invitation to come closer to God. Brian Cahill is the Executive Director of Catholic Charities CYO and a member of St. Emydius Parish in San Francisco.

16

Catholic San Francisco

At St. Mary’s Cathedral Exposition of the Most Blessed Sacrament every First Friday after the 8:00 a.m. Mass Friday and continuing throughout the day and night until 7:45 a.m. Saturday with Morning Prayer and Benediction. (Exposition is suspended during scheduled Masses at 12:10 noon, 7:00 p.m. and 6:45 a.m. according to liturgical norms.) Join us as we pray for world peace, a culture of life, priests and the special intentions commended to our prayers.

For more information or to volunteer please call (415) 567-2020 x224.

Oct. 23: A chant conference, entitled “Singing Chant in the Twenty-First Century,” from 1:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Topics will encompass the use of Latin chant in today’s liturgy, function and form in Gregorian Chant, a session on the proper texts and their performance, as well as a chant practicum. The day will culminate in a novus ordo Latin Mass at 5:30 p.m., with Archbishop William Levada, presiding and music by the Cathedral Choir and the St. Anne’s Chapel Choir. The conference is co-sponsored by the Music Commission of the Archdiocese of San Francisco. The cost for the conference is $25.00.

For more information, or to pre-register, please call the Cathedral Music Office at (415) 5672020 ext. 213, or email ctietze@stmarycathedralsf.org.

Sundays: Concerts at 3:30 p.m. Call (415) 5672020 ext. 213. Open to the public. Admission free.

Oct. 10: David Hatt, organist. Oct. 17: Richard Riley, tenor.

October 8, 2004

Datebook

Meetings 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) 3222152.

Taize Prayer 3rd Wed. at 7:30 p.m. with the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur in their Province Center Chapel, 1520 Ralston Ave., Belmont across from Ralston Hall on the campus of their Notre Dame de Namur University.. Call (650) 593-2045, ext. 350 or www.SistersofNotreDameCa.org.

1st Fri. at 8 p.m. at Mercy Center, 2300 Adeline Dr., Burlingame with Mercy Sister Suzanne Toolan. Call (650) 340-7452; Church of the Nativity, 210 Oak Grove Ave., Menlo Park at 7:30 p.m. Call Deacon Dominic Peloso at (650) 3223013.

3rd Fri. at 8 p.m. at Woodside Priory Chapel, 302 Portola Rd., Portola Valley. Call Dean Miller at (650) 631-2882 1st Sat. at 8:30 p.m. at SF Presidio Main Post Chapel, 130 Fisher Loop. Call Catherine Rondainaro at (415) 713-0225

Food & Fun Oct. 9, 10: 85th Columbus Day Bazaar benefiting Sts. Peter and Paul Parish and School on Washington Square. A North Beach festival of games, food and entertainment for the whole family.

Sat: 11 a.m. – 9 p.m. and Sun: 10 a.m. – 7 p.m. Call (415) 421-0809.

Oct 13: Monthly breakfast meeting of the Catholic Professional & Business Club. New members are always welcome! Join us on our new day and in our new location, SF City Club at 155 Sansome (at Bush). Today hear Joanne Hayes-White, San Francisco Fire Chief.

NMonthly 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. 15, 16, 17: All Souls Parish Halloween Festival with games, music, food and more. Come join the fun. Fri. 6 – 10 p.m.; Sat. noon – 10 p.m.; Sun. 10 a.m. – 7 p.m. 315 Walnut Ave., South San Francisco. Call (650) 871-8944.

Oct. 15, 16, 17: Fall Festival benefiting Star of the Sea Parish, SF on 8th Ave. between Geary and Clement. Prizes, games, bingo, raffles, Karoake and more. Kiddie Carnival 1 – 4 p.m. Chinese and Italian dinners. Fri. 7 – 11 p.m.; Sat. 1 – 11 p.m.; Sun. 1 – 9 p.m. Call (415) 751-0450.

Oct. 15, 16, 17: Feelin’ Groovy, St. Cecilia Parish Festival, 17th Ave. at Vicente, F. Food, games, raffle, silent auction, and fun for all ages. Fri: 6 – 10 p.m.; Sat: noon – 4 p.m./6 10 p.m.; Sun. noon – 6 p.m. Call (415) 664-8481.

Oct. 16: St. Thomas More School Fall Festival at 50 Thomas More Way off Brotherhood Way, SF from 11:30 a.m. – 10 p.m. Theme booths, games, inflatables, food, and fun for the entire family. Call (650) 756-9525 or (650) 755-1297.

Oct. 16: New York! New York! An annual Women’s Auxiliary fundraiser benefiting St. Vincent’s School for Boys. Takes place at Peacock Gap Country Club, San Rafael. No host bar at 11:30 a.m. followed by lunch raffle and fashion show. Tickets $40 per person. Call Carol Brenk at (415) 897-8584.

Oct. 16: Our Next Century, a 101st Anniversary BBQ Bash Extravaganza of the Ancient Order of Hibernians in Bedford Hall of St. Gabriel Parish, 40th Ave. at Ulloa, SF. Fun, food, door prizes and more begin after 5 p.m. Mass. Tickets $10 adults/ $25 family/ under 10 free with adults. Call (Ed McEntee at (650) 343-5212 or Kathleen Manning at (415) 664-0828.

Oct. 21: Fundraising Dinner for La Madre de los Pobres, another of the charitable works established by Franciscan Father Alfred Boeddeker. $100 per person/$150 per couple/$750 for table of 10. Guest speaker is Franciscan Father John Vaughn former Minister General of Franciscan Friars worldwide. Call (925) 846-7031.

Oct. 23: St. Luke Mass and Banquet for members of the medical profession. Bishop Ignatius Wang presides at 5 p.m. Mass in St. Cecilia Church, 17th and Vicente, SF with dinner in parish Collins Center. Honorees are past president, Dr. Gerald Murphy and former chaplain, Father Frank Murray. Tickets $60 per person. Call (415) 219-8719.

Oct. 27: Octoberfest Luncheon and Bingo benefiting Sisters of the Good Shepherd and Gracenter at Basque Cultural Center, 599 Railroad Ave., South San Francisco. Social hour at 11:30 a.m. with lunch at 12:30 p.m. Tickets $45 per person. Call Elizabeth Pinelli at (415) 5851766.

Oct. 29: Award winning composer, John Michael Talbot, performs at 7 p.m. at St. Raphael Church in San Rafael. The singer “blends music, Christian witness, and teaching to minister to audiences in a special way,” the parish said. $20 is suggested donation for tickets. Call (415) 4548141, ext. 42.

Oct. 30: Crab Bash benefiting St. AnthonyImmaculate Conception School. Tickets are now on sale! “It’s an evening of delightful food and fun,” the school said. Call (415) 648-2008.

Millbrae, Dianne Johnston at (650) 697-0952; Our Lady of the Pillar, Half Moon Bay, Meghan at (650) 726-4337; St. Peter, Pacifica, Chris Booker at (650) 738-1398.

Soiree Incredible, a 35th annual Fashion Show benefiting St. Ignatius College Preparatory and taking place November 6th and 7th at the Sunset District School.

It’s a Here’s Looking at You Kid” Opening Night Gala at $150 per person Saturday and a Play It Again Sam Encore Luncheon at $85 per person Sunday. Call Joni Amaroli at (650) 344-9705. Dressed to the nines for the occasion are SI president, Jesuit Father Tony Sauer, and, from left, co-chairpersons, Robin Canonica, Susan Woodel-Mascall, Denise Trani-Morris, Sue Campbell.

Reunions Archbishop Riordan High School is in search of alumni moms! Call (415) 586-8200, ext. 217.

Oct. 16: Reunion for all alumnae of the revered and much missed St. Brigid High School, San Francisco beginning at 11 a.m. at St. Brigid Elementary School at Van Ness and Broadway.

Contact Pat Sabatini at (650) 685-5666.

Nov. 5, 6, 7: Reunion Weekend Celebration for Notre Dame High School, Belmont honoring graduates from classes of ’54, ’59, ’64,’ 69, ’74, ’79, ’84, ’89, ’94, ‘ 99. Weekend features are Nov. 6 luncheon at 11:30 a.m. and all alumnae are invited to Nov. 5 lunch as well as Mass and Brunch on Nov. 7. Call the Development Office at (650) 595-1913, ext. 351.

Nov. 13: Class of ’54, St. Cecilia Elementary School, SF. Reception and dinner at the school.

Contact Mary Rudden at (415) 824-7695 or Don Ahlbach at (650) 348-5577 or dahlbach@pacbell.net.

Nov. 13: Class of ’74, Lowell High School, SF at Delancey Street Restaurant. $89 per person.

Contact Lisa Coughlin Clay at Lisa.Clay@sfport.com or Connie D’Aura at daura@ccwear.com. If without Internet access, call (415) 664-0164.

June 25: “It’s been a long time but it’s coming,” said St. Agnes Elementary alum, Sam Coffey, about upcoming reunion for all former students of the missed and now closed SF school. Please contact Sam at coffey@eesclaw.com; Leanne Guth Chapman at chapman@stanne.com; Jana Serezlis at janaser@hotmail.com. If without Internet access, contact Leonor Pokorny at St. Agnes rectory at (415) 487-8560.

Prayer Opportunities/Lectures Oct. 12 and subsequent 2nd Tuesdays: Sodality of the Children in Mary invites new members especially former students of Lone Mountain College.

Gathering begins with Mass at 2 p.m. at Convent of the Sacred Heart, 2222 Broadway, SF. Light refreshments. Patricia Landers is president. Call (415) 5855467.

Oct 16: Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur offer Saturday Morning Prayer 9:30 – 11:30 at their Province Center, 1520 Ralston Ave. across from Ralston Hall on their university campus in Belmont.

Call (650) 593-2045, ext. 350. This year’s theme is the Beatitudes: Becoming Beatitude People.

October’s focus is Blessed are the poor in Spirit.

Speaker is Larry Purcell, founder Catholic Worker House, Redwood City.

Oct. 29, 30: Proclaiming Christ, Doing Justice, an annual Faith Formation Conference takes place at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, 99 Grove St., SF. Sponsored by the Archdiocese of San Francisco and the Diocese of San Jose, keynote speakers include Catholic San Francisco columnist Oblate Father Richard Rolheiser. In a letter promoting the event, Archbishop William J. Levada said workshops would be “engaging, informative and practical for those in catechetical ministry.” San Jose Bishop Patrick J. McGrath said “the theme merges the call to share our faith in Christ with our responsibility to pursue justice in our world and local communities.” Tickets are $25 per day. Call the Office of Religious Education and Youth Ministry at (415) 614-5650.

Single, Divorced, Separated Sundays, Oct. 10 through Nov. 21: Divorce Recovery Course offered by Separated and Divorced Catholics of the Archdiocese of San

Francisco. Sessions provide chance to explore issues arising from end of marriage and rebuilding one’s life. Designed to help participants heal and grow spiritually gaining strength from their faith and one another. Takes place at St. Stephen’s O’Reilly Parish Center, 451 Eucalyptus Dr., SF, 7 – 9 p.m. $45 fee includes book and materials. Pre-registration required.

Call Vonnie at (650) 873-4236 or Jerry at (415) 810-1603.

Separated and Divorced support groups meet 3rd Sat. at 6:30 p.m. at St. Mary’s Cathedral, call Pat at (415) 492-3331; and 1st and 3rd Wed. at 7:30 p.m. at St. Stephen Parish Center, SF, call Gail at (650) 591-8452.

Catholic Adult Singles Assoc. of Marin meets for support and activities. Call Bob at (415) 8970639 for information.

Consolation Ministry Groups meet at the following parishes. Please call numbers shown for more information.

San Mateo County: St. Catherine of Siena, Burlingame. Call (650) 344-6884; Our Lady of Angels, Burlingame. Call Louise Nelson at (650) 343-8457 or Barbara Arena at (650) 344-3579.

Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, Redwood City. Call (650) 366-3802; Good Shepherd, Pacifica. Call Sister Carol Fleitz at (650) 355-2593; St. Robert, San Bruno. Call (650) 589-2800.

Immaculate Heart of Mary, Belmont. Call Ann Ponty at (650) 598-0658 or Mary Wagner at (650) 591-3850. Marin County: St. Isabella, San Rafael. Call Pat Sack at (415) 472-5732.

Our Lady of Loretto, Novato. Call Sister Jeanette at (415) 897-2171.

San Francisco: St.Gabriel. Call Barbara Elordi at (415) 564-7882. St. Finn Barr in English and Spanish. Call Carmen Solis at (415) 584-0823; St. Cecilia. Call Peggy Abdo at (415) 564-7882 ext. 3; Epiphany in Spanish. Call Kathryn Keenan at (415) 564-7882.

Ministry for parents who have lost a child is available from Our Lady of Angels Parish, Burlingame. Call Ina Potter at (650) 347-6971 or Barbara Arena at (650) 344-3579. Young Widow/Widower group meets at St. Gregory, San Mateo. Call Barbara Elordi at (415) 5647882.

Information about children’s and teen groups is available from Barbara Elordi at (415) 564-7882.

Returning Catholics Programs for Catholics interested in returning to the Church, have been established at the following parishes: Marin County: St. Hilary, Tiburon, Mary Musalo, (415) 435-2775; St. Anselm, Ross, call (415) 4532342; St. Sebastian, Greenbrae, Jean Mariani at (415) 461-7060; Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, Mill Valley, Rick Dullea or Diane Claire at (415) 388-4190; St. Mary Star of the Sea, Sausalito, Lloyd Dulbecco at (415) 331-7949.

San Francisco: Old St. Mary’s Cathedral, SF, Michael Adams at (415) 695-2707; St. Philip the Apostle, 725 Diamond St. at Elizabeth/24th, SF. Call (415) 282-0141; St. Dominic, SF, Lee Gallery at (415) 221-1288; Holy Name of Jesus, SF, (415) 6648590.

San Mateo County: St. Bartholomew, San Mateo, Dan Stensen at (650) 344-5665; St. Catherine of Siena, Burlingame, Silvia Chiesa at (650) 685-8336; Our Lady of Angels, Burlingame, Dorothy Heinrichs or Maria Cianci at (650) 347-7768; St. Dunstan,

Volunteer Opportunities St. Vincent de Paul Society of San Francisco needs your help at its Help Desk. Service includes sorting donations and helping clients. If anyone would like to volunteer - also small groups of volunteers one Saturday a month - they should call (415) 202-9955.”

St. Vincent de Paul of San Mateo County needs Spanish/English-speaking volunteers to answer phones in 2 – 3 hour shifts between 9:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. at their offices, 50 No. B St., San Mateo.

Volunteers do intake of clients’ requests, log the call and enter into Access-based computer data system.

Call (650) 373-0620.

Most Holy Redeemer AIDS Support Group needs volunteers to provide practical and emotional support to individuals with HIV-AIDS and/or assist with various program events and activities. Many opportunities available. Call (415) 863-1581 or www.mhr-asg.com. Caring for the Caregiver with Carolina Shaper meets Mondays 6 – 7:30 p.m. Call Ms. Shaper at (415) 984-0501.

Help a child succeed in school and in life by serving as a tutor for two hours a week at Sacred Heart Elementary School, 735 Fell St., SF. Sessions take place Mon. – Thurs. from 3:30 – 5:30 p.m. Help welcome in a variety of subjects. Call Mary Potter at (415) 621-8035.

St. Joseph’s Family Center, a homeless shelter for families at 10th and Howard St., SF, is looking for volunteers to help on a regular basis to help with monitoring the computer lab and routine clean up of the facility. If you are interested, call David Harvey at (415) 575-4920, ext.

218. Young adults visit here Saturdays, twice a month.

Contact Susan Guevara, susangsf@yahoo.com.

Young adults are invited to assist in the Tenderloin Children’s Reading Program, Tuesdays, 5:30 – 7 p.m. at 570 Ellis St., SF. Helps 6 – 11 year olds with homework. Contact James Nitz, tenderloinkids@aol.com, and (415) 923-0376.

San Francisco’s St. Anthony Foundation needs volunteers as well as canned goods and other staples. Non-perishable foods may be taken to 121 Golden Gate Ave. M – F from 8”30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Volunteer candidates should call (415) 241-2600 or visit the web site at www.stanthonysf.org.

SF’s Laguna Honda Hospital is in need of extraordinary ministers including Eucharistic ministers and readers as well as volunteers to visit with residents and help in the office and with events. Call Sister Miriam Walsh at (415) 6641580, ext. 2422.

St. Francis Fraternity, a secular Franciscan organization, needs volunteers to help with their 20 year old tradition of serving breakfast on Sunday mornings to their Tenderloin neighbors. Call (415) 621-3279.

Maryknoll Affiliates: Bay Area chapter meets 4th Sat. for two hours at St. Ignatius Church, corner of Fulton and Parker, SF, to share community, prayer, and action on social justice and global concerns.

Members occasionally do short periods of mission service around the world at Maryknoll locations. Call Marie Wren at (415) 331-9139 or mwren48026@aol.com.

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.

Catholic San Francisco

October 8, 2004

17

(PHOTO BY CATHY JOYCE)

Movement helps to satisfy a certain yearning among some Catholics

Charismatic conference participants pause in prayer.

Charismatic. . .

■ Continued from cover them the change that has come to you by loving them more and serving them more.”

The concluding liturgy began with separate Spanish and English liturgies of the Word.

The two groups then came together to conclude the Mass, with Father Mario Castaneda and Father Joseph Landi concelebrating.

In his homily, Father Landi spoke of the gift of faith and the difficulties of sustaining it: “This is not a spectator sport. Being a Christian means living it day by day.”

“There comes a time in all of our lives when faith flickers,” he said. “There are three reasons for that. One is our human nature. . . . There are good days and bad

days. Some days we’re up, some days we’re down. Some days our faith is going to be very high, sometimes it is low.”

At other times, Father Landi said, “The darkness can be traceable to God. God allows the darkness to take place, allows the flame to flicker because he wants to get our attention. He wants us to grow from that situation and to call upon him to give us the lift we need to get out of it.”

“Finally,” he said, “the cause of the flickering of our faith is ourselves. We don’t do anything to nourish the seed. . . . We find reasons not to nourish it.” The challenge, he said, is to change and seek ways of nourishing that faith.

“When that happens” Father Landi said, “we’re going to change the world – not by leaving it. We’re going to make it a better place by staying here and increasing our faith.”

EWTN to air programs on pope Special programs in October on EWTN, 24-hour Catholic TV channel, include “Witness to Hope,” a documentary on Pope John Paul II, which airs Oct. 14 at 10 a.m. and Oct. 16 at 5 p.m. Another program, “25 Years with the Pope,” which features footage of papal audiences with youth and young adults, airs Oct. 16 at 11:30 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 54 in the Half Moon Bay-Coastside area and on Channel 74 in Atherton, East Palo Alto, Menlo Park, Portola Valley and Woodside.

Many Catholics are “going to Mass on Sunday, doing all the right things, but are still looking for something more meaningful in their lives, and they don’t know where to find it,” Ernie von Emster said.

“What the renewal has to offer will meet a lot of that desire, that interior yearning. It’s a great way to grow in your faith, in all areas of our lives. It’s not for everybody. There is no one thing for everybody.

But this is part of our evangelization – to meet that hunger, that yearning.”

At the heart of the charismatic renewal in the archdiocese are about 100 parishcentered prayer groups. “Most parishes have one, some have two, and all are under direction of the pastor,” Mr. von Emster, a parishioner at St. Charles Parish, San Carlos said. “Generally we meet once a week and try to do it at the parish – in the church, chapel, parish hall.”

“The people in charismatic renewal

Catholic San Francisco

are very active in our parishes and perform many of the key responsibilities in our parishes,” Mr. von Emster said. They serve as lectors, Eucharistic ministers, teachers and members of parish councils.

“The prayer groups are where we get our strength, but we are called to be an evangelizing people,” he said. “We evangelize our families, our parishes, our workplaces. We don’t stand up on a corner and say ‘Jesus is coming.’ That’s just not the nature of what we are but we can speak a kind word. We can help somebody. We can recognize when someone is hurting.”

“It is because of what I gained through the charismatic renewal that I do my job better,” Mr. von Emster, the chief financial officer of Peninsula Building Materials, said. “I’m a CPA but it does not make me a better technical accountant. It helps me in my relationships with people. I understand people and their hearts better.”

1 5 2 5

Weekly except the Fridays after Thanksgiving, Easter, Christmas & First Friday in January; twice a month during the summer.

5 2 9 8

10/1/2004 $10 within Archdiocese $22.50 outside

41

Maurice Healy

1500 Mission Rd., PO Box 15777, Colma, CA 94014 (415) 614-5632

One Peter Yorke Way, San Francisco, CA 94109

Most Reverend William J. Levada, Archbishop of San Francisco One Peter Yorke Way, San Francisco, CA 94109 Maurice Healy, One Peter Yorke Way, San Francisco, CA 94109

Maurice Healy, 1500 Mission Rd., PO Box 1577, Colma, CA 94014

The Roman Catholic Archbishop

One Peter Yorke Way

of San Francisco, A Corporation Sole

San Francisco, CA 94109

BIOETHICS FILM FESTIVAL NOW PLAYING: “PLAYING GOD” OCT. 21–23 AT THE LARK THEATER, LARKSPUR

AFTER THE TRUTH Thursday, October 21 – 7:30 The trial of Josef Mengele – “Angel of Death of Auschwitz” In the name of medical science – will the end justify the means?

Nominated for the German Film Festival Award

GATTACA Friday, October 22 – 8:00

Catholic San Francisco

Starring Ethan Hawke & Uma Thurman – shot on location at the Marin Civic Center. Introducing a society created by genetic engineering – but there is no gene for the human spirit!

the sixth day Saturday, October 23 – 8:00 Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger A brave new world of cloning – Who lives? Who dies? Who decides?

Adults . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$ 10.00 Students & Seniors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$ 6.00 Series of 3 movies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$ 25.00

9/17/04

87,200

87,300

43,028

43,091

44,175

43,717

87,202

86,808

880

400

880

400

Group rates available – contact jennifer.lahl@thecbc.org Tickets may be purchased online at www.thecbc.org

88,082

87,208

73

92

Discussion will follow movies

88,155

87,300

M O V I E S

S U B J E C T

T O

C H A N G E

W I T H O U T

99%

N O T I C E

10/8/04

549 Magnolia Ave. Larkspur wwwLarkTheater.net 415-924-5111

99.5%

18

Catholic San Francisco

October 8, 2004

Music TV

Books RADIO Film

Stage

Woman Thou Art Loosed

By David DiCerto Catholic News Service NEW YORK — “Woman Thou Art Loosed” (Magnolia Pictures) is a potent and soul-inspiring drama about the healing power of forgiveness.

Based on the best-selling novel and stage play of the same name by evangelical author and pastor T.D. Jakes, the quality film deals with difficult subjects — including sexual molestation and murder — though in a way which challenges viewers of faith to take seriously the Christian imperatives of love and reconciliation.

Kimberly Elise stars as Michelle Jordan, a young woman raped as a child by her mom’s live-in boyfriend Reggie (Clifton Powell). Loretta Devine plays Cassie, Michelle’s mother whose fear of “losing her man” and being alone blinds her to the evils perpetrated on her daughter.

The film is bookended by a scene of a revival meeting with Jakes (playing himself) preaching to a packed house. Michelle enters — distraught — and approaches the altar. In a sudden fit of rage, she pulls a gun from her handbag and fires off several rounds, killing someone in the crowd. The victim’s identity is initially withheld, though it becomes less of a mystery as the story unfolds.

Jakes visits Michelle on death row as she awaits execution. They talk and he coaxes Michelle to open up to him about the painful events which set her downward spiral in motion.

The film see-saws between past and present, as Michelle recounts her tragic tale of childhood abuse and neglect, which she says robbed her of not only her innocence but her hope. In short order, the film proceeds to show how these early violations plunged Michelle headlong into a self-destructive abyss of drug addiction, prostitution and prison, before arriving back where the movie began.

Elise delivers an emotionally penetrating performance, but, sadly, one which will probably be overlooked for Oscar consideration because of the film’s limited release. Jakes, who also financed the project, has a presence to match his sizable frame, and exudes a sincerity which is both charismatic and consoling, cultivated no doubt through years of real-life pastoral experience.

Echoing the moral conscience of “Dead Man Walking” and informed by the Christian understanding of each individual’s sacred value, the picture attempts to neither justify the characters’ wrongdoings, nor minimize their humanity by painting them as irredeemable villains.

S E R V I C E

Twana (Debbie Morgan) and Michelle (Kimberly Elise) in Woman, Thou Art Loosed.

Instead, it portrays them as flawed, but still worthy of our compassion and understanding, or at the very least — as in Reggie’s case — forgiveness. To help in this effort, the film contains soul-searching interludes where each character gets to address the audience directly.

Moreover, the film clearly advocates accountability, emphasizing that a vital step on the road to recovery and repentance involves taking responsibility for one’s actions.

Lifting its title from the verse in the Gospel of Luke where Christ cures a crippled woman, the grace-filled film speaks to the brokenness in each of us, and manages to maintain a tenor that is both unflinchingly raw and edifyingly hopeful, avoiding, for the most part, any slushy sentimentality.

As directed by Michael Schultz, “Woman Thou Art Loosed” sees sin for what it is:

ugly, destructive and spiritually suffocating.

But it does not offer pie-in-the-sky piety as an easy antidote to the human condition.

Instead the movie agrees with C.S. Lewis that “hell is locked from the inside.”

Ultimately, the movie suggests that the key to freeing ourselves from our selfimposed imprisonment is to let go of our anger and accept the gift of God’s “harsh and dangerous love,” to borrow a phrase from Dorothy Day, which demands that we extend forgiveness to even those least deserving of it.

Due to several instances of violence, including the implied rape of a young girl, a sexual encounter with blurred nudity, recurring drug content and some crude language, the USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification is A-III — adults. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is R — restricted.

D I R E C T O R Y

For Advertising Information Call 415-614-5642 • E-mail: jpena@catholic-sf.org

AUTO SALES Wally Mooney

COUNSELING

Healing Your Inner Child

P.O. Box 214 San Bruno, CA 94066

GARAGE DOOR REPAIR

St. Dominic’s Parishioner

•Individuals, Couples, Family •Addictions; Food, Chemical, Love •Enneagram Personality Work •Spiritual Direction• Sliding Scale

415-337-9474 • 650-888-2873 www.innerchildhealing.com When Life Hurts It Helps To Talk

G ARAGE D OOR R EPAIR

• Family • Work • Depression • Anxiety

• Relationships • Addictions

Dr. Daniel J. Kugler Same price 7 days Cellularized Mobile Shop

( 415 ) 931-1540 24 hrs.

Lifetime Warranty on All Doors + Motors

SOUND SYSTEMS Intelligent Sound and Communications Solutions Since 1985

KANSORA COMMUNICATIONS

CHURCHES – SCHOOLS – THEATRES COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS – SPORTS FACILITIES ●

●

Sound Systems Digital Carillons / Bells

●

●

Intercoms / Paging Systems Cable TV & Data Systems

415-453-2898

WWW.KANSORA.COM CA LICN # 747210

PARISH CD’S “Have you ever wanted to make a recording of your choir, band, orchestra, conference?

Were you overwhelmed by the thought?”

Since 1997 Splendid Productions has been working with schools, churches and businesses around the Bay making professional, affordable recordings.

Go to www.splendidsound.com and read what our customers are saying and listen to audio clips or call Stephan Duffy at 510-329-7020.

Plumbing • Fire Protection • Certified Backflow

Carpentry, Cabinetry, Painting,Refinishing Floors and Furniture, Door & Window Instal.,Cement Work.

Se habla Español & Tagalog.

Serving also the East Bay, Contra Costa,&Marin Counties

John Bianchi Phone: 415.468.1877 Fax: 415.468.1875

Christian Family Counselo r

650-244-9255 Spells Wally 650-740-7505 Cell Phone

St. Robert’s Parish San Bruno

HANDYMAN

Lila Caffery, MA, CCHT

Auto Broker

All Mfg. Warranty: Rebates and Special Dealer Finacing goes to Registered Owner/s

PLUMBING

Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist Over 25 years experience

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

PAULA B. HOLT,

LCSW, ACSW Adult, Family, Couple Psychotherapy, LCS 18043 Divorce resolution, Grief resolution, Supportive consultation.

Substance abuse counseling, Post trauma resolution, Family Consultation.

Support and help a phone call away!

415-289-6990

4000 Geary Blvd., Suite 201, San Francisco, CA 94118

100 North Hill Drive, Unit 18 • Brisbane, CA 94005 Lic. No. 390254

EXPERT ROOTER

The Peninsula Men’s Group, now in it’s 7th year, is a support group which provides affordable counseling in a safe and nurturing setting. Interested candidates may call for a free brochure.

Religious jewelry

Experience Quality Service at Honest Affordable Rates Senior and Military Discounts LIC. NO. 769967

Over 600 Pieces

CALL FOR FREE ESTIMATES (650) 742-6746

Expert Plumbing Repairs ●

General Repairs Clean Drains & Sewers Water Heaters ●

●

SANTI PLUMBING & HEATING

FAMILY OWNED

415-661-3707

Lic. # 663641

24 HR

PAINTING & REMODELING John Holtz

Ca. Lic 391053

General Contractor

Since 1980

(650) 355-4926

Painting & Remodeling Interiors Exteriors Kitchens Baths

(650) 591-3784

Contractor inspection reports and pre-purchase consulting

974 Ralston Ave. #6, Belmont, CA 94002

SPIRITUAL DIRECTION

drain cleaning & plumbing professional

PAUL K. KAPUNIAI III ~ Owner & Operator

Barbara Elordi, MFT Licensed Marriage, Family and Child Therapist.

Offers individual, couple + family and group counseling.

415-239-8491

IT’S A SAFE BET!

not a licensed contractor

of Crosses, Patron Saints Medals in Gold & Silver.

Fine Workmanship!!! www.crossesonline.com

Home Services All purpose: Painting, Fencing, Carpenter, Small Roofing Repairs, Skylight Repairs, Demolition Work, Rain Gutter Repair & Cleaning, Landscaping, Gardening, Hauling, Moving, \Janitorial.

Call (650) 757-1946 not a licensed contractor

PLUMBING HOLLAND

Plumbing Works San Francisco ALL PLUMBING WORK PAT HOLLAND CA LIC #817607 BONDED & INSURED

415-205-1235

CONSTRUCTION

You Can Reach 90,000 Catholic

REPAIRS & PRESSURE WASHING

Households with this Ad!

Leaks, Dryrot, Decks Mike: (650) 355-8858

Call

415-614-5642

Lic #: 778332

– Senior Discount –

October 8, 2004

Room Wanted

Catholic San Francisco

A 55 year old former Catholic Monk wants to rent an inexpensive room in San Francisco. It must be near public transportation. I am quiet, considerate and honest. I do not smoke and have no pets.

Please call David (650) 839-0428

Classifieds

Personal My grateful thanks to St. Anthony for the miracle he granted to me for my son. LS

For Infor mation

Organist

Call: 415-614-5642 Fax: 415-614-5641 Email:

ORGANIST WEDDINGS • FUNERALS Worship Services, Catholic Experience Marie DuMabeiller 415-441-3069, Page: 823-3664 VISA, MASTERCARD Accepted Please confirm your event before contracting music!

heaven can’t wait

19

H’S LORDSHIP RESTAURANT in Berkeley seeks catering sales representative. Must have 3 years experience.

Serra for Priestly Vocations

RESTAURANT

Please send or fax resume to Rhonda Dykos, Director of Catering (510) 843-8144, FAX (510) 843-8018 or e-mail: doc15@srmail.com

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

ADVERTISING SALES For The Largest Publisher of Catholic Church Bulletins

St. Francis Catholic High School, Sacramento, seeking a full time Registrar.

This is a Career Opportunity!

• Generous Commissions • Excellent Benefit Package • Minimal Travel • Stong Office Support • Work in Your Community

Call 1-800-675-5051 Fax resume: 707-258-1195

Database experience required.

Registrar experience a plus. Skills: analytical, reliable, detail-oriented.

Job description and application available at www.stfrancishs.org.

Information: (916) 452-3461, ext. 218

Special Needs Nursing, Inc.

jpena@catholic-sf.org

RNs or LVNs We are looking for you.

Work At Home

Work FULL or PART time while your children are in school.

Are you being paid what you’re worth?

Nurses are needed to provide specialized nursing care for children in the San Francisco Public School setting.

Catholic/professional husband & wife are seeking people who want to transition into being their own boss by partnering with a successful INC 500 wellness co. Low Investment-Tax Deductible-Money Back Guarantee-Unlimited Income. NO MLM. NO Inventory. NO Order Taking.

NO delivering. FREE training. Famed Rich Dad author, Robert Kiyosaki, calls us the “perfect business”. This business is lots of fun & is based on teaching people & enhancing lives!

Read about us at: www.milestoneopportunity.com or call: 415-614-1908 for more info.

PUBLISH A NOVENA Pre-payment required Mastercard or Visa accepted

h e l p w a n t e d

Catholic San Francisco

Cost $25

Generous benefit packages for generous nurses.

Fax your resume to: Jeannie McCullough Stiles, RN 415-435-0421 Send your resume: Jeannie McCullough Stiles, RN Special Needs Nursing, Inc. 98 Main Street, #427 Tiburon, Ca 94920

Special Needs Companion Services

If you wish to publish a Novena in the Catholic San Francisco You may use the form below or call 415-614-5640

Gift Ideas

We are looking for you.

• Honest • Generous • Compassionate • Make a Difference • Respectful

Your prayer will be published in our newspaper

Name Adress Phone MC/VISA # Exp.

TheArtofPerú.com

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

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

Fax your resume to: Jeannie McCullough Stiles, RN 415-435-0421 Send your resume: Jeannie McCullough Stiles, RN Special Needs Nursing, Inc. 98 Main Street, #427 Tiburon, Ca 94920

Gifts from Perú and around the world

Please return form with check or money order for $25 Payable to: Catholic San Francisco Advertising Dept., Catholic San Francisco 1 Peter Yorke Way, San Francisco, CA 94109

Northern California's Weekly Catholic Newspaper

Work Full or Part-time in San Francisco – Marin County • Provide non medical elder care in the home • Generous benefit package

CLASSIFIED AD INFORMATION

DEADLINE THURSDAYS - 3 PM

TO PLACE AN AD: By phone, call (415) 614-5639 or (415) 614-5640 or fax (415) 614-5641 or

COMMERCIAL ADS: (Four line minimum) $15 for four lines, $2 per EXTRA line – applies to

e-mail: vmarshall@catholic-sf.org; Mail or bring ads to Catholic San Francisco, One Peter Yorke Way, San Francisco, CA 94109; Or by (please include credit card number & expiration date).

Business Services, Real Estate, Buying or Selling for profit, and Transportation Dealers.

PAYMENT: All ads must be paid in advance. Money order, or imprinted checks. Credit Cards

PRIVATE PARTY ADS: (Four line minimum) $10 for four lines, $1.00 per EXTRA line – applies to

by telephone, mail, or fax. ONLY VISA or MASTERCARD ACCEPTED.

individuals only, Garage Sales, Help Wanted, Transportation / Vehicles.

1st line has 19 spaces, subsequent lines have 26 spaces. Every letter, punctuation mark or spaces between words counts as a space.

START HERE

CATEGORIES:

Announcements Appliances Business Opportunities Child Care Children’s Misc.

Collectibles Counseling Education/Lessons Electronics Employment Financial Services For Sale Garage Sales Health & Fitness Home Furnishings Miscellaneous Office Equipment Personals Pet Supplies Professional Services Religious Articles Wanted to Buy Automotive Real Estate

☛

PRIVATE PARTY

(Please Print Legibly)

COMMER.RATES

Classified display ads may be prepaid or billed.

RATES

NAME CITY METHOD OF PAYMENT

❏

VISA

CREDIT CARD # SIGNATURE

ADDRESS ZIP

$15 $17 $19 $21 $23 $25

ADD $1 PER EACH ADDITIONAL LINE

ADD $2 PER EACH ADDITIONAL LINE

TOTAL ENCLOSED:

PHONE

❏ CHECK ❏ MASTERCARD

$10 $11 $12 $13 $14 $15

❏ MONEY ORDER EXP. DATE REFERENCE # leave blank please

CATEGORY:

❏ ❏

CLASSIFIED DISPLAY 25 per column inch – 1 time $ 20 per column inch – 2 times $

TERMS We reserve the right to reject or cancel advertising for any reason deemed appropriate. We want our readers to know that it is not always possible to verify promises made by our advertisers.

Catholic San Francisco

October 8, 2004

LIVING TRUSTS

FINANCES

●

WILLS

PROBATE

●

MICHAEL T. SWEENEY, ATTORNEY AT LAW 782A ULLOA ST., SAN FRANCISCO 94127 415-664-8810 ● www.mtslaw.info

FREE INITAL CONSULTATION

ANNUITY OWNERS READ THIS! ALL annuities are not created equal!

You need ANSWERS to many important questions regarding ANNUITIES.

Some annuities historically have returned (7% to 9%)* Tax Deferred ● With NO RISK To Principal And Gains.** Inheritants pay little or

NO TAXATION.*** IRA’s qualify, too!

CA insurance license # 0820443 Call for your FREE educational booklet on

THE “ANNUITY RESCUE PROGRAM” A booklet designed to help resolve the financial concerns facing seniors today.

FOR YOUR FREE COPY CALL TOLL FREE

1-800-742-1085

(24 Hours)

1652500

20

* Past performance is not indicative of future results or any particular insurance company * Advantage Compendium. ** Surrender charge may apply. *** Tax Rider Option.

w w w. s te rl i n g b a n k . c o m

Your Real Estate Bank STOP BY OR CALL US

The SAN FRANCISCO TWINS

We made our wills for three good reasons

5498 Geary at 19th Ave.

415-379-6990 825 Irving at 9th Ave.

415-682-2250 2045 Van Ness St.

415-674-0200 2122 Market at Church

Our family,

415-437-3860

ourselves,

600 Montgomery, 40th Floor

415-658-2888

and our

Burlingame–1210 Broadway

Church.

650-685-6430

They Know Where to Find the

1.75%

BEST DEALS

415-437-3860 415-658-2888

APY

Or, if you would like an electronic version of the Planning Kit, please e-mail us at:

For Mortgage and Home Equity Solutions

For Commercial Real Estate/Construction Lending

Call us for your Free Estate Planning Kit

Annual percentage yield (APY) effective as of 9/30/04 and subject to change without notice. $2,500 minimum balance required on money market accounts. Statement fees may reduce earnings if minimum balance not maintained. Sterling Bank & Trust, FSB, San Francisco, CA.

olearym@sfarchdiocese.org

Office of Development Archdiocese of San Francisco One Peter Yorke Way, San Francisco, CA 94109 (415) 614-5580