December 14, 2007 by Catholic San Francisco

C atholic sa n Fr a ncisco Northern California’s Weekly Catholic Newspaper

Threats to traditional family threaten peace, pope says in message

(PHOTO BY MICHAEL VICK/CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO)

By Cindy Wooden

A Native American Nativity scene is featured prominently in a display of more than 250 crèches at St. Thomas More Church, San Francisco.

Global Nativity scene collection and Holy Land artifacts on display By Michael Vick When he left his native Middle East in 1992, Msgr. Labib Kobti brought a big piece of home with him. His ever-growing collection of ancient artifacts from the Holy Land is now on display in a museum he has created at San Francisco’s St. Thomas More Parish, where he has been pastor since 2002. “I don’t have room for everything,” said Msgr. Kobti, who explained that a large overflow is housed in the basement of the church office. “I hope these most important things will have some meaning for people.” Msgr. Kobti is an avid collector of things spiritual.

For example, he has more than 250 nativity scenes from around the world on display outside the church, along with hundreds of crosses and depictions of the Madonna and child reflecting many different ethnicities and faith traditions. The créches are organized by region, with many different representative sets from Africa, Asia, Europe and North and South America. The sets range from whimsical contemporary pieces featuring anachronistic modern dress, to elaborate and meticulously sculpted crèches. The display is organized to showcase the birth, life and death of Jesus from the cultural traditions of varNATIVITY, page 17

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Anything that threatens the traditional family threatens peace, because the family “is the first and indispensable teacher of peace,” Pope Benedict XVI said in his annual message for the Jan. 1 celebration of the World Day of Peace. The pope said responsibilities learned and the joys and struggles shared within individual families must be mirrored on a global level because everyone is part of one human family. The pope chose “The Human Family, A Community of Peace” as the theme for 2008, the 40th anniversary of the Catholic Church’s celebration of World Peace Day. “The first form of communion between persons is that born of the love of a man and a woman who decide to enter a stable union to build together a new family,” the pope wrote. “But the peoples of the earth, too, are called to build relationships of solidarity and cooperation among themselves, as befits members of the one human family,” he said. War and violence, exploitation of the weak, rampant poverty and underdevelopment, destruction of the environment and the arms race are all threatening signs that POPE MESSAGE, page 21

Role of Church, politics addressed by Archbishop By Dan Morris-Young Acknowledging the “high level of political consciousness and energy” in the Archdiocese of San Francisco as a backdrop, Archbishop George H. Niederauer has issued a pastoral letter on the role of the Church in the political arena. Titled “Religion and Politics – 2008,” the document addresses a series of issues including the role and meaning of conscience, the apparent preeminence of abortion and euthanasia in Church political involvement, and discerning how to vote in situations where candidates clearly hold positions directly opposed to Church teaching.

Full text on Page 6 The Archbishop states that he is releasing the commentary at this time “before candidates have been nominated and party platforms completed so that we can look at these questions for their own value, and not misinterpret them as veiled endorsements or condemnations.” The text quotes frequently from “Faithful Citizenship,” a document revised and issued by the U.S. bishops’ conference during U.S. presidential election cycles. The Archbishop urged Catholics to read the bishops’ pastoral and stressed that “it is not a voter’s guide, nor does it endorse particular candidates or parties.”

INSIDE THIS WEEK’S EDITION Simbang Gabi novena. . . . . . 7

Palestinian woman tells impact of ‘security wall’

~ Page 3 ~

Catholic radio launched . . . . 8 Dominican Republic III . . . 16 Senior living ads . . . . . . . 8-12

Immigration reform asked

~ Page 10 ~ December 14, 2007

Christmas liturgies . . . . 13-17

Labor trafficking growing concern for California Datebook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

~ Page 20 ~

SEVENTY-FIVE CENTS

www.catholic-sf.org VOLUME 9

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No. 38

Catholic San Francisco

December 14, 2007

On The Where You Live by Tom Burke Congrat’s to Jesuit Father Bob Curran, recently elected president of the Residents’ Council at Alma Via Residence in San Francisco. The board assists in areas including resident activities, programs, and trips. Father Curran grew up in Corpus Christi Parish attending St. Ignatius College Preparatory for two years and then graduating from Bellarmine High School in San Jose where he was a boarding student. He holds an undergraduate degree from Gonzaga University and graduate degrees from UCLA, the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley and UC Davis School of Law. He served as vice president and general counsel at USF for 17 years until his retirement in 1999 and also was a USF School of Law faculty member….The lucky number was 30 for the class of 1977 from St. Stephen Elementary School who gathered recently to reminisce and look ahead. “The best part of the evening was when everyone shared their favorite memories,” said classmate and event organizer, Kathleen Dowling McDonough. “They were simple things that stuck in people’s minds like school plays, CYO sports, going to church, and seeing your mom serving hot lunch.”… Congrats to Gertrude and Vincent Struck, married 50 years Oct. 26, and honored during a Mass of Thanksgiving at St. Gregory Church in San Mateo and other rites Oct. 27. Msgr. Robert McElroy, St. Gregory pastor, presided. The couple has deep roots in the parish where Vincent has been an usher for 45 years and Gertrude has been part of holiday decorating of the church

Brother Douglas Draper, SJ

Vincent and Gertrude Struck

and rectory and coordinator of church flowers year-round. Thanks to their daughter, Linda Schulz, for the good news…. On their toes with Stapleton Ballet’s Nutcracker are students from St. Rita Elementary in Fairfax including eighth graders Peri Trono and Madeline Cericola, seventh graders Anna Kehrlein and Samantha Shratter and first grader Charlotte Willin. The school’s first through eighth grades all made their way recently to see the holiday staple at Marin Civic Center and congratulate their classmates backstage. Thanks to assistant principal Maria Kimball for fillin’ us in ….. Hats off, thanks and all the rest to Jesuit Brother Douglas Draper who retires this spring after 41 years at St. Ignatius College Preparatory, 38 as dean of students. Born in San Francisco in St. Thomas the Apostle Parish, Brother Draper entered religious life in 1960.

Though leaving his official post at SI, he’ll continue as minister at the Jesuit community there and also at the school as Fathers’ Club moderator and substitute teacher. “I’m always puzzled when someone asks me why I became a Brother,” Brother Draper said in SI’s school magazine. “It’s a vocation, just like a vocation to the priesthood. I knew that God called me to a religious state as a Brother, and I knew I could be happy doing this work.” Brother Draper has been honored with the Pro Eclesia et Pontifice papal honor…. This is an empty space without ya’!! The e-mail address for Street is burket@sfarchdiocese.org. Mailed items should be sent to “Street,” One Peter Yorke Way, SF 94109. Pix should be hard copy or electronic jpeg at 300 dpi. Don’t forget to include a follow-up phone number. Call me at (415) 614-5634 and I’ll walk you through it. Performers Peri Trono, left, and Madeline Cericola with fellow St. Rita eighth graders Samantha Helbig, left, Maddie Wilmott, Natalie Chapman, Alena Shikaloff, Lilly Bargioni and Anna Marie Smith after performance of classic Nutcracker Ballet at Marin Civic Center.

Mary Casey and Donna Righetti were among revelers at reunion of class of ’77 from St. Stephen School.

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She found Claire by walking along the wall. “Follow the wall and you will get stuck You can see the desperation in Claire at their house,” Cooper said. She knocked on the Anastas’ eyes as she talks door, heard the painful about her family being story and knew she had to “buried alive” by a 26-foot do something. high concrete wall. She is When she relayed desperate enough to come Anastas’s plight to half way around the world “American missionaries” to try to save them – visitshe met in Israel, she was ing the Hawaii Islands and “disgusted” when they simSan Francisco. ply “shook her hand and Claire lives in said good luck.” Bethlehem, a Palestinian Cooper couldn’t do that. Catholic mother of four. The “As a human being, I wall is the security barrier have an imperative to help erected by the Israeli governthis woman,” she said. ment between the Palestinian And so, jeopardizing her territories and Israel. It master’s degree and “maxthreads its way for hundreds Claire Anastas ing out her credit card,” of miles through neighborCooper brought Claire to hoods, across streets and San Francisco where her parents are offithoroughfares and even around buildings. One of those buildings is Anastas’s home. cers with the Salvation Army and then to “We are in the most horrible situation,” Hawaii, from Nov. 6 to 21, to give her a she told the Hawaii Catholic Herald on chance to rescue her livelihood. Anastas is back in San Francisco with Nov. 15. “So horrible. We are surrounded by three sides by the apartheid wall. We are Cooper’s family. She attended Mass at St. Thomas More Church on Dec. 1, and encased completely, alone in a corner.” “Entombed” is another way she shared her story with parishioners there. Anastas also displayed dozens of her described it. Anastas is hardly exaggerating. But it woodcarvings at St. Thomas More. The could be hard to envision unless you’ve seen business at home is now virtually non-existhe pictures themselves. They show a soli- tent, so trips like these are rare opportunitary brick three-story box-like building. A ties to do what Anastas used to do from tall dismal gray wall approaches to within 20 home. “I’ve come here first and foremost to try feet on one side, then proceeds around it on three sides before snaking its way through to help my family,” Anastas told Catholic San Francisco. “They have suffered more the rest of Bethlehem and the West Bank. The building used to be on a busy spot than enough.” on the main road at the entrance to Anastas hopes her trip to the United States Bethlehem from Jerusalem. Now it sits lit- might prove helpful. “I have prayed to God for erally in its own dead end. The barrier, put up to stop terrorists, has cut off the rest of humanity — family and friends, customers and clients. In Claire’s extreme situation, it even blocks the sun, keeping parts of the building in perpetual shadow. Her apartment windows open to a dreary panorama of concrete. The wall has made life nearly unbearable and a livelihood impossible. The 54-year old building belongs to her husband Johnny’s family. It used to house his thriving auto mechanic’s business and Claire’s own shop that sold Bethlehem’s renowned religious olive woodcarvings. It is home for 14 people — Claire, her husband Johnny and their four children ages 10-18, her mother-in-law, and her brotherin-law and his family. Johnny is still in business, though barely. All his Jerusalem customers have been cut off. He can’t relocate his shop because the wall is so close to the building he can’t remove his large equipment. Claire’s business was forced to close, along with many others in the neighborhood. That spot used to be a bustling one, according to Anastas, with “all kinds of shops and restaurants” for residents, pilgrims and tourists. University of Hawaii student Morgan Cooper met Anastas this past summer while traveling through the West Bank territories gathering oral testimony for her master’s thesis from Palestinian women “about how wall affects their daily lives.”

By Patrick Downes Editor, Hawaii Catholic Herald

(PHOTO COURTESY HAWAII CATHOLIC HERALD)

Israeli security wall ‘entombs’ Bethlehem family The Claire and Johnny Anastas home in Jerusalem is surrouned on three sides by the Israel security wall.

hope and asked other Christians to help the Christian community in Bethlehem,” she said. “They have completely encased us,” said Anastas. “All our neighbors have left. Bethlehem is a big prison now, surrounded completely by walls.” Anastas, 39, was born in Bethlehem near the Church of the Nativity, the basilica that marks the birthplace of Jesus. She has lived in Bethlehem and neighboring Jerusalem all her life. Her family— her maiden name is Bandak — has been there for so many generations she does not know how long.

She wants to remain in Bethlehem but is not sure if that is possible. Palestinian Christians, caught in the conflict between the Muslims and the Jews, have been leaving in droves. It is estimated that they are now less than 2 percent of the population, down from 40 percent just a decade ago. Archbishop Fouad Twal, the coadjutor of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, said it is important for Christians to remain in the Holy Land. “Our vocation is to remain despite our BETHLEHEM, page 24

Catholic San Francisco

NEWS

December 14, 2007

in brief (CNS PHOTO/DARIO PIGNATELLI, REUTERS)

Omaha: ‘We turn to God … ‘ OMAHA, Neb. (CNS) — In a time of great sadness and pain, God remains present as a source of comfort, an Omaha priest said in his homily at a Dec. 6 prayer service for the victims of shootings the day before at one of the city’s shopping malls. “We turn to God, not because God will reveal answers to all of our questions, but because God is faithful to his promise: to walk at our side in times of sorrow, even as he does in times of joy,” Father Harry Buse, pastor at St. Leo Church in Omaha, told a capacity crowd of family, friends and coworkers of the victims. St. Leo Church is located just blocks from Westroads Mall where 19-year-old Robert Hawkins entered the Von Maur department store Dec. 5 around 1:30 p.m. with an assault rifle and randomly shot and killed eight and wounded five others before turning the gun on himself.

Cocaine use alarms Irish bishops DUBLIN, Ireland (CNS) — The Irish bishops have expressed concern at “the ever-increasing use of cocaine throughout every village and town of our country.” In a statement issued Dec. 6 at the end of their meeting in Maynooth, the bishops asked Catholics to join them in praying for those who have suffered because of drug abuse. They also asked for prayers in support of agencies and volunteers who reach out to drug users and their families.

warned of a Roman Curia tendency to return to a “preconciliar mind-set.” The book, “A Challenging Reform,” was written by Archbishop Piero Marini, who recently ended a 20-year tenure as papal liturgist. His Vatican career began in 1965 in the office charged with implementing liturgical renewal. Archbishop Marini recounted the rise of a decentralized and dynamic reform movement in the 1960s and its “curialization” in the 1970s by Vatican officials afraid of losing control. Many of the hard-won liturgical changes were accompanied by tensions and disagreements inside the Vatican’s central bureaucracy, he said. The archbishop’s book, published by Liturgical Press, was scheduled for presentation Dec. 14 in London, where the author was being honored at a reception hosted by Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor.

Chronicles liturgical reform battles Unveils basic-texts website VATICAN CITY (CNS) — In a new book, a Vatican archbishop has chronicled the birth pangs of the liturgical reform generated by the Second Vatican Council and

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VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The Vatican’s Congregation for the Clergy unveiled a website offering the Bible in nine languages, the Code of Canon Law, and commentary on Sunday liturgy. The congregation’s new site, www.bibliaclerus.org, is part of its www.clerus.org website which also has increased the number of resources available in its electronic library,

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A man looks on as workers erect an 86-foot-high Christmas tree in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican Dec. 5. The tree was donated to the Vatican by the northern Italian city of San Vigilio.

said a Dec. 8 letter by the congregation’s prefect, Cardinal Claudio Hummes.

Navy chaplain sentenced WASHINGTON (CNS) — A Navy chaplain’s admission he sexually abused at least three servicemen who came to him for counseling represents “a grave violation of his priestly ministry and the trust that had been placed in him,” the Archdiocese of Washington said in a statement. Father John Thomas Matthew Lee, a lieutenant commander who joined the Navy in 1996, was ordained in 1993 for the Archdiocese of Washington. The Washington Archdiocese and the U.S. Archdiocese for the Military Services said no allegations of sexual abuse had been made against Father Lee before he informed officials of both archdioceses in June he was under investigation by military authorities for alleged sexual misconduct with adults. Both archdioceses immediately suspended Father Lee when they learned of the investigation. At his court-martial in Quantico, Va., Dec. 6, Father Lee, 42, was sentenced to 12 years in prison, with all but two years suspended.

Has hopes for talks with Baptists VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Benedict XVI told Baptist and Catholic representatives he hoped conversaNEWS IN BRIEF, page 5

By Patricia Kasten

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December 14, 2007

This 28-page comic book called “Archangel” and a coloring book called “Being Friends, Being Safe, Being Catholic” were produced by the Archdiocese of New York. The books are designed to help elementary, middle and high school students protect themselves from sexual predators and have the courage to report improper advances.

News in brief . . . ■ Continued from page 4 tions between the two denominations “will bear abundant fruit for the progress of dialogue and the increase of understanding and cooperation.” The pope met privately at the Vatican Dec. 6 with more than 20 delegates who were in Rome for a meeting of the joint international commission sponsored by the Baptist World Alliance and the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity.

KC heads hand check to pope VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The supreme knight of the Knights of Columbus and the fraternal order’s bishop-chaplain met privately with Pope Benedict XVI Dec. 6 and delivered a check for $1.6 million. Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson and Bishop William E. Lori of Bridgeport, Conn., handed the pope the check, which represents a year’s interest from the Vicarius Christi Fund, established in 1981 when the Vatican found itself in the midst of a series of huge budget deficits. While the Vatican’s annual budget deficits have been reduced or erased, the 1.7 million Knights worldwide have continued to bring the pope a check each year to support his charities and special projects.

Catholic San Francisco

Theologian’s book could mislead faithful, bishops’ committee says By Nancy Frazier O’Brien WASHINGTON (CNS) — A Vietnamese-American theologian’s 2004 book on religious pluralism contains “pervading ambiguities and equivocations that could easily confuse or mislead the faithful,” the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Doctrine said in a Dec. 10 statement. Father Peter C. Phan’s “Being Religious Interreligiously: Asian Perspectives on Interfaith Dialogue,” published by Orbis Books, also contains “statements that, unless properly clarified, are not in accord with Catholic teaching,” the committee said. In its 15-page statement, the committee said it undertook an evaluation of “Being Religious Interreligiously” at the request of the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and “invited Father Phan to respond” to questions. “Since Father Phan did not provide the needed clarifications, and since the ambiguities in the book concern matters that are central to the faith, the Committee on Doctrine decided to issue a statement that would both identify problematic aspects of the book and provide a positive restatement of Catholic teaching on the relevant points,” the statement said. Reached by Catholic San Francisco, Father Phan said he had not seen the committee’s statement until directed to the USCCB website during the telephone conversation. The theologian said he does not believe he faces any admonishment over his writings and noted that the report conclusion does not oblige him to take any action. “I am responding to God alone,” he said. “I think it’s not good for me respond.” In October, Father Phan was the keynote speaker at a conference held at the Franciscan School of Theology in Berkeley. Orbis did not return a phone call from CNS seeking reaction. The statement was signed by Bishop William E. Lori of Bridgeport, Conn., chairman of the Committee on Doctrine, and the six other committee members. Father Phan, a former Salesian and now a priest of the Dallas Diocese, holds the Ellacuria chair of Catholic social thought in the theology department at Jesuit-run Georgetown University in Washington.

The statement on “clarifications required” in Father Phan’s book cited three areas of concern: ● Christ’s role as “the unique and universal savior of all humankind.” ● The “salvific significance of non-Christian religions.” ● The Catholic Church as “the unique and universal instrument of salvation.” Quoting frequently from the book, the documents of the Second Vatican Council and Dominus Iesus, the 2000 declaration of the Vatican doctrinal congregation on the “unicity and salvific universality of Jesus Christ and the Church,” the committee said Father Phan’s book “could leave readers in considerable confusion as to the proper understanding of the uniqueness of Christ.” Although “the uniqueness of Jesus Christ is affirmed at some points” in the book, it is presented at other times as “not exclusive or absolute,” the committee said. Father Phan says in the book that the terms “unique,” “absolute” and “universal” in relation to Jesus’ role as savior “have outlived their usefulness and should be jettisoned and replaced by other, theologically more adequate equivalents.” But “Dominus Iesus” declares that theological understandings of Jesus as just one of many historical figures who manifest “the infinite, the absolute, the ultimate mystery of God” are in “profound conflict with the Christian faith,” the committee said. Although the Church finds “elements of goodness and truth” in other religions “as a preparation for the Gospel,” Father Phan’s book “rejects this teaching as an insufficient recognition of the salvific significance of nonChristian religions in themselves,” the statement said. By asserting that “God has positively willed non-Christian religions as alternative ways of salvation,” the book calls into question “the very goal itself of universal conversion to Christianity” and implies that “to continue the Christian mission to members of non-Christian religions would be contrary to God’s purpose in history,” the committee said. The Church sees its evangelizing mission not as “an imposition of power but an expression of love for the whole world,” the statement added. “Thus there is no necessary conflict between showing respect for other THEOLOGIAN’S BOOK, page 24

Catholic San Francisco

December 14, 2007

‘Religion and Politics – 2008’ Archbishop addresses Church role in civic arena The following statement by Archbishop George H. Niederauer, “Religion and Politics – 2008,” was released this week. Introduction: What is the proper relationship between religion and politics? Should there be any relationship at all? In recent years in this country those questions have arisen not only during election campaigns but also year round, every year. Often the ensuing debate generates more heat than light. As we approach another election year, the United States Catholic bishops have prepared a document entitled “Faithful Citizenship,” intended to apply Catholic moral and social teaching to the issues that presently confront voters. The bishops have issued such a document for each of the past seven presidential election cycles.

“Faithful Citizenship” is not a voter’s guide, nor does it endorse particular candidates or parties. Instead, it is intended to help Catholics recognize and understand the implications of their faith for their conduct as citizens of this country. As Archbishop of San Francisco I am aware of the high level of political consciousness and energy in this Archdiocese, and of the rich and challenging diversity of its people. Accordingly, I believe it is appropriate to address some basic questions about the relationship between religion and politics, and to do so now, before candidates have been nominated and party platforms completed, so that we can look at these questions for their own value, and not misinterpret them as veiled endorsements or condemnations. I have chosen the question-and-answer format. I want to prompt readers to obtain a copy of “Faithful Citizenship” when it is available at their parishes after the first of the year. That booklet will contain a much more complete treatment of this important topic. (The U.S. bishops’ statement, “Faithful Citizenship,” also can be found at www.usccb.org) Q: Doesn’t separation of church and state mean that religion and politics should have nothing to do with each other? A: Religion and politics, church and state, should be independent of each other. However, both politicians and religious leaders rightly—and unavoidably—concern themselves with many of the same issues. Ethicists and moral teachers address the principles of right and wrong in human behavior, and those principles guide both believers and citizens. For instance, the question of how best to care for the poor and the homeless challenges religious and civil leaders alike, and it is only sensible that they communicate and even collaborate on the answers. A recent Vatican document makes the point that the political sphere has a “rightful autonomy . . . from that of religion and the Church—but not from that of morality.” The United States of America has a long tradition of religious and civil leaders dealing with many of the same issues. Consider two examples: in the 19th century both churchgoers and voters confronted the issue of slavery. Indeed, the abolition movement was easily as much the work of churches as of political leaders. Similarly, in the 20th century, ministers, priests and rabbis, as well as religious women and men, prodded politicians to commit themselves to the civil rights movement. Q: Why should a Catholic bother with politics at all? It all seems pointless, sordid and “fixed.” A: The Catholic Church teaches that all citizens should take an active part in public life. Education, public safety and law enforcement, health care, and so many essential matters depend for their quality on the direct participation of citizens in the political process. Shrugging cynically and strolling away from any involvement is not a proper response for a follower of Jesus Christ. Ideally, of course, individual members of a party or movement should transform it by a thoughtful application of moral principles, rather than being transformed by it. Q: What moves the Catholic Church to teach about political issues? A: Jesus Christ in the Gospel teaches us about being fully human, about what is true and good in the sight of God. At the foundation of these truths is respect for the dignity of each person, created in God’s image, and the value of each human life. The bedrock of Catholic moral

and social teaching rests on the dignity and value of life and personhood. It is appropriate and necessary for Christians to bring and apply those essential truths into the public square. As Catholics we are called to promote the wellbeing of all, to share blessings with the neediest in society, and to protect the lives and dignity of all, especially the weak, the vulnerable and the voiceless. In addition, Catholics bring important assets to political dialogue: a consistent moral framework based in human reason, the Scriptures and Church teaching, and broad experience in serving those in need. Q: Don’t critics of the Catholic Church increasingly condemn it for interfering inappropriately in public life and trying to impose its doctrine on the entire community? A: Such criticism is on the increase. Cardinal Cormac Murphy O’Connor of Westminster, England, is on target when he speaks of a “new secularist intolerance of religion,” a “secular dogmatism and cynicism toward Christians.” The cardinal continues: “So when Christians stand by their beliefs they are intolerant dogmatists. When they sin, they are hypocrites. When they take the side of the poor they are softheaded liberals. When they seek to defend the family they are right-wing reactionaries.” In this country we can all name newspapers that applaud bishops who oppose the death penalty as courageous moral leaders, and condemn as intrusive dogmatists those same spokesmen when they oppose physician-assisted suicide. Actually, Catholic social teaching does not fit easily into ideologies of “right” and “left,” or the platform of any one political party. We do not trim our teaching of fundamental moral principles to fit the demands of our critics, so they in turn blow hot and cold toward us. Q: Are you saying that churches should tell people how to vote? A: What religious leaders can and should teach is the importance of an informed conscience as a guide for all human activity, and, in particular, teach how to form one’s conscience for making the choices involved in the political process. Certainly churches should urge their members to vote, to participate fully in the democratic process. However, a church should not tell its members which candidates or parties to vote for. Q: What do you mean by “conscience”? A: The document “Faithful Citizenship” says it well: “Conscience is not something that allows us to justify doing whatever we want, nor is it a mere ‘feeling’ about what we should or should not do. Rather, conscience is the voice of God resounding in the human heart, revealing the truth to us and calling us to do what is good while shunning what is evil. Conscience always requires serious attempts to make sound moral judgments based on the truths of our faith. Catholics have a serious and lifelong obligation to form their consciences in accord with human reason and the teaching of the Church.” Q: Isn’t the Catholic Church really interested only in abortion and euthanasia? A: No. The Catholic Church teaches that the primary human right is life. Without human life, no other human rights matter. Thus “Faithful Citizenship” concludes that abortion and euthanasia have become primary threats to human life and human dignity because they directly attack life itself. This moral preeminence of abortion and euthanasia must be reflected in the discernment of voters as they seek to form their consciences during the coming election campaign. Such a preeminence does not discard the moral importance of other issues in the 2008 campaign, but it does mean that abortion and euthanasia should exercise a special claim upon the consciences of voters. Q: Doesn’t that answer sound as if any issue except abortion and euthanasia is a second-rate issue, undeserving of the Catholic Church’s time, energy and attention? A: In “Faithful Citizenship” the U.S. bishops teach that Catholics should avoid two errors. The first consists in making no distinctions among different kinds of moral issues involving human life and dignity. Such an error would lead someone to conclude that all issues have equal weight. For example, a politician might say in effect to Catholic voters, “Well, I’m with you on raising

the minimum wage, so can’t you cut me some slack on abortion and physician-assisted suicide?” The second error to be avoided consists of reducing Catholic moral and social teaching to one or two issues, and refusing to be concerned about a wide range of issues. “Faithful Citizenship” states quite forthrightly: “Racism and other unjust discrimination, torture, the use of the death penalty, resorting to unjust war, war crimes, the failure to respond to those who are suffering from hunger and lack of health care, or unjust immigration policy are all serious moral issues that challenge our consciences and require us to act. These are not optional concerns that can be dismissed. Catholics are urged to seriously consider Church teaching on those issues.” Besides, Catholics don’t merely talk about those concerns; they do something about them as well. Catholics have broad experience in serving those in need—educating the young, caring for the sick, sheltering the homeless, helping women face difficult pregnancies, feeding the hungry, welcoming immigrants and refugees, reaching out in global solidarity, and pursuing peace. Q: It’s now nearly 35 years since the Supreme Court, in Roe v. Wade, legalized abortion. Isn’t it time for the Catholic Church to stop opposing the settled law of the land? A: The United States Supreme Court is not infallible. It has handed down seriously flawed judgments in the past and can do so again. In 1856, in the Dred Scott decision, the Court found that a slave was property and hence had no personal rights. The Civil War and some Constitutional amendments corrected that mistake. Another example: In 1896, in Plessy v. Ferguson, the Supreme Court declared that separating school children by race was permissible according to the U.S. Constitution. After almost 60 years, the Court reversed itself in Brown v. The Board of Education (1954). A third example: During the Second World War the Court declared constitutional the forcible internment in camps of American citizens of Japanese origin. Decades later Congress apologized for this action by the federal government and voted to indemnify the survivors of those camps. With regard to Roe v. Wade, Catholics are not alone in questioning the Court’s decision. The liberal political columnist Michael Kinsley has commented: “Although I am pro-choice, I was taught in law school, and still believe, that Roe v. Wade is a muddle of bad reasoning, and an authentic example of judicial overreaching.” Q: May a Catholic vote for a candidate who takes a position directly opposed to Catholic moral teaching? A: “Faithful Citizenship” gives this answer: “There may be times when a Catholic who rejects a candidate’s unacceptable position may decide to vote for that candidate for other morally grave reason. Voting in this way would be permissible only for truly grave moral reasons, not to advance narrow interests, or partisan preferences or to ignore a fundamental moral evil. “When all candidates hold a position in favor of an intrinsic evil, the conscientious voter faces a dilemma. The voter may decide to take the extraordinary step of not voting for any candidate, or after careful deliberation, may decide to vote for the candidate deemed less likely to advance such a morally flawed position and more likely to pursue other authentic human goods.” Q: Doesn’t the moral perspective of the Catholic bishops on the issues facing voters in 2008 simply deny the reality of today’s partisan divide and political choices? A: Yes, the Catholic Church denies the reality and logic of a political structure in which citizens are forced to choose between protecting unborn children and fighting the horrors of global poverty because there are no viable candidates willing to do both. We deny the reality and logic of a political structure that prevents the emergence of candidates pledged to fighting the evil of euthanasia while seeking comprehensive justice on the issue of immigration.

Most Reverend George H. Niederauer, Ph.D. Archbishop of San Francisco

December 14, 2007

Catholic San Francisco

Simbang Gabi novena open to all early risers Eight Archdiocese of San Francisco parishes participating in the traditional Filipino pre-Christmas celebration known as Simbang Gabi, or the Misa de Gallo, invite the public to attend the early-morning celebration at 6 a.m. from Dec. 16 through Dec. 24. The nine-day novena to the Blessed Mother will be held at St. Stephen Church, 601 Eucalyptus Dr., San Francisco. Each day’s celebration will be hosted by a different parish community. In keeping with the centuries-old tradition, participants will share a light breakfast after each Mass while waiting for the sun to rise. “The Simbang Gabi at St. Stephen” is a collaboration of St. Stephen, St. Anne, St. Brendan, St. Cecilia, St. Emydius, St. Finn Barr and St. Gabriel parishes, in cooperation with the Bayanihan Community Center. Simbang Gabi is rooted in the Philippines’ agricultural past. In the 1660s, missionary friars began celebrating early-morning Masses for farmers and fishermen. The sunrise liturgy became known as Misa de Gallo – Mass of the Rooster.

(PHOTO BY NELLIE HIZON)

By Rich DelVecchio

St. Emydius parishioners and volunteers carry parols at the 5th Annual Parol Lantern Festival and Parade in San Francisco Dec. 8. Parols are traditional Christmas lanterns symbolizing Filipino holiday spirit. St. Emydius is one of eight parishes participating in this year’s Simbang Gabi festival from Dec. 16-24. An early morning Mass will be celebrated each day at St. Stephen Church.

‘For Heaven’s Sake’ TV program features Father Kevin Gaffey

Father Kevin Gaffey

Father Kevin Gaffey, chaplain at Vallombrosa Retreat Center, talks about the priesthood and the Church on “For Heaven’s Sake”’ which airs Dec. 16 on KRON-Channel 4 at 5:30 a.m. Now in active retirement, Father Gaffey recalls his experiences as a priest in the Archdiocese of San Francisco for the past 50 years with host Maurice

Healy, director of communications for the San Francisco Archdiocese. The “For Heaven’s Sake” TV program, which is broadcast on the third Sunday of each month, is a co-production of KRON-4 and the Archdiocese of San Francisco’s Communications Office.

“It is a very appropriate way to anticipate the coming of Christmas,” said Nellie Hizon, a St. Stephen parishioner and a member of the Archdiocesan Pastoral Council. “Back in the country, back in the old days, we really don’t care much about shopping,” said Hizon, who emigrated to the United States in 1984. “The folks celebrate the community much stronger in a lot of different ways than it is done here.” Concelebrated by priests who have offered to participate, the liturgies will include the Gospel reading of the day. Archbishop George H. Niederauer will preside at the Dec. 24 morning Mass with other priests assisting. Before each day’s liturgy, parishioners will visually represent figures in the Gospel reading — for example, John the Baptist on the first day, the genealogy of Jesus on the second and Joseph’s dream on the third. One the fourth day a parishioner will depict Zachariah, and one of the liturgical songs will be communicated in sign language. The pre-liturgy will be held at 5:55 a.m. for the first eight days; at 5:45 on Dec. 24. “It is to give a visual presentation of what is in the Gospel of the day, so (worshipers) will take home something with them,” Hizon said. Following the Dec. 24 liturgy, the novena will culminate with a Pasko Sa Baryo – a potluck Christmas party with music, folk dances and the traditional parol festival. The parol is a Christmas lantern symbolizing Filipino holiday spirit. This year, the culminating Dec. 24 celebration will feature the winning entries in a lantern competition held by the participating parishes.

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Catholic San Francisco

December 14, 2007

Catholic radio station begins Bay Area operation By Tom Burke Easy listening radio took a new turn Dec. 10 when Immaculate Heart Radio signed on as owners and producers of San Franciscoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 1260 AM frequency â&#x20AC;&#x201D; formerly KOIT and now KSFB. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This Bay Area project could not have succeeded without the blessing and support of Archbishop George Niederauer and Oaklandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Bishop Allen Vigneron,â&#x20AC;? said Doug Sherman, who founded Immaculate Heart Radio in Reno in 1997. Immaculate Heart Radio (IHR) began as the result of his and his familyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s attending World Youth Day in 1993, Sherman said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The experience had a profound impact on all of us,â&#x20AC;? Sherman told Catholic San Francisco by e-mail amid the rush of readying the Bay Area station for its grand opening. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I took out a loan to buy the least expensive station I could find in the Reno market,â&#x20AC;? Sherman, a homebuilder by profession, said. The next step was a fundraising letter sent with the assistance and signature of well-known faith-related author and broadcaster, Scott Hahn. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The letter was tremendously successful,â&#x20AC;? Sherman said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We mailed it out across the country and received donations from every state in the union plus Guam and Puerto Rico,â&#x20AC;? Sherman said, explaining that contributions paid for the station and â&#x20AC;&#x153;helped ignite the fire of Catholic radio across the country.â&#x20AC;? Hahn hosts a regular show on IHR and will be part of the Bay Area line-up, according to Sherman. Other programming for the stationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 24-hour broadcast day includes Father Frank Pavone of Priests for Life, and Franciscan Father Benedict Groeschel, known for his work on the Eternal Word Television Network. Sherman said the inaugural IHR station in Reno was â&#x20AC;&#x153;the seventh Catholic radio station in the countryâ&#x20AC;? noting the number today is closer to 150. A new organization called the Catholic Radio Association helps support the ministry and assist new stations on their path. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It is the best example of collaborative work that I have ever experienced,â&#x20AC;? Sherman said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;â&#x20AC;?Over 100 new stations have been started through the CRA and 200 more are in the works.â&#x20AC;? IHR now broadcasts from 20 outlets in California, New Mexico and Nevada reaching a population of some 18 million people, Sherman said.

Sherman said â&#x20AC;&#x153;many good sources of Catholic program- call â&#x20AC;&#x153;all members of the Church to use radioâ&#x20AC;? to that effect. mingâ&#x20AC;? exist and that IHR is â&#x20AC;&#x153;very close to Ave Maria Radio â&#x20AC;&#x153;IHR declares an absolute faithfulness to the Holy Father in Michigan and Catholic Answers Live in and the bishops in union with him. We are San Diego.â&#x20AC;? Eternal Word Radio Network bound to accurately and fully transmit the acts as a clearing-house for Vatican Radio faith as proposed by the teaching authority of from Rome and distributes programming by the Churchâ&#x20AC;Ś. The overriding element in all satellite. Sherman also mentioned stations in of our programming is that it is authentically Omaha, New York and St. Louis as among Catholic â&#x20AC;&#x201C; within the boundaries of the â&#x20AC;&#x153;a long list of networks who are each doing Catechism,â&#x20AC;? a mission statement says. Catholic Radio in their region very well.â&#x20AC;? The networkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s main production studio is â&#x20AC;&#x153;IHR is entirely listener-supported by in Reno and IHR expects to be â&#x20AC;&#x153;building a donations and business sponsorships,â&#x20AC;? local studio here in the Bay Area,â&#x20AC;? Sherman Sherman said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We try to develop good relasaid. Focus of local work will be to get â&#x20AC;&#x153;The tionships at the parish level where our Bishopsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Hourâ&#x20AC;? on its feet, he added. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We potential audience is. We offer to support all Immaculate Heart Radio have offered an hour a day for free to the local insignia parish and diocesan events with free public bishops wherever we start a new station. Here service announcements.â&#x20AC;? in the Bay Area we will help to make that happen and hope Sherman said the purchase of KOIT AM brings one of San to feature a different diocese each day of the week.â&#x20AC;? Franciscoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x153;most popular and historic radio stationsâ&#x20AC;? under CATHOLIC RADIO, page 9 the IHR wing. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It is a wonderful station with a great history going back to the days when it was known as KYA.â&#x20AC;? The signal reaches some eight million people, with its strongest signal during daylight, from â&#x20AC;&#x153;as far South as Monterey to the edge of Sacramento, to Santa Rosa with the entire Bay Area included,â&#x20AC;? Sherman said. The new station will broadcast at 5000 watts during the day and 1000 watts after sundown. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This is a $15 million project to buy the station and get it up and running,â&#x20AC;? Sherman said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We have been blessed to have received about $11 million in pledges and cash which is wonderful, but we still need to raise the balance.â&#x20AC;? The station was purchased from Bonneville Broadcasting, an entity of the Mormon Church of Latter Day Saints. The group is in the midst of relinquishing all of its San Francisco holdings, including KOIT FM, according to Sherman. IHR programming is â&#x20AC;&#x153;primarily catechetical, devotional and inspirationalâ&#x20AC;? and follows a Vatican II directive â&#x20AC;&#x153;to evangelizeâ&#x20AC;? and

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December 14, 2007

North Beach Christmas event combines elements of traditional observances

Michelle Lambert, who will play Mary in La Processione, rides Johnny Appleseed. Jane Mauss, the animal’s owner, will play Elizabeth in the Dec. 23 Nativity re-enactment in San Francisco’s North Beach neighborhood.

■ Continued from page 8 When the project is complete, “We will be able to have all the Bay Area bishops on the air at the same time in a type of round-table discussion or individually if they prefer,” Sherman said, pointing out a prelate will be able to “speak from the comfort of his own office.” With the station now on the air, publicity work begins, Sherman said. “We can now begin our mass e-mails and wordof-mouth campaign to let people know plus some mailings and eventually billboards. We have bumper-stickers and flyers that the Knights of Columbus will be distributing to each parish.” “Spread the word, tell a friend, put a bumper-sticker on your car,” Sherman asks new listeners and supporters. “I could write a book about the number of people and stories and conversations caused by people seeing one our bumper-stickers. It is amazing – a life being changed by seeing a 10-cent bumper-sticker.” The Immaculate Heart Radio website is www.ihradio.org.

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(PHOTO BY IVAN NANOLA)

Mary rides a donkey, the three Magi appear on stilts and a Mariachi band leads the faithful – all are part of the festive Nativity re-enactment known as La Processione in San Francisco’s North Beach neighborhood. The Holy Family and their entourage will begin their journey at 6 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 23, at Sts. Peter and Paul Church, 666 Filbert St. The wanderers will walk along neighborhood streets as Joseph asks businesses and households for a place to stay. The procession will end at 7 p.m. at the National Shrine of St. Francis of Assisi, 610 Vallejo St. Actors playing the roles of Mary, Joseph, the Magi, shepherds and Roman centurions will carry candles and sing of homelessness. Mary will silently ride a donkey to a climactic musical scene in the darkness of the St. Francis shrine. La Processione is modeled on the modern-day Mexican tradition of Las Posadas. It combines elements of a Nativity procession held in North Beach in the 1870s. Spectators are encouraged to attend the 5 p.m. Mass at Sts. Peter and Paul preceding the re-enactment. Spectators who arrive by 6 p.m. may be able to obtain biblical costumes for children to wear during the procession. Local parishes have loaned a limited number of costumes. In a related event, the St. Francis shrine will host a living Nativity display on Dec. 22 and 23 from 1-3 p.m. For more information, call (415) 421-0809 or (415) 983-0405.

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December 14, 2007

Union, trade and religious leaders push immigration reform The nation’s estimated 12 million undocumented residents are overwhelmingly peace-loving and productive and deserve the right to work and to seek U.S. citizenship without being attacked as lawbreakers, said faith, business and labor leaders at a news conference in San Francisco Dec. 5. San Francisco Archbishop George H. Niederauer led off the press event in front of St. Patrick Church with a review of a recent statement on immigration by the Catholic bishops of California. The statement calls current immigration policy outmoded and urges more temporary work visas for migrant workers to enter the country in a safe, legal and orderly manner. The bishops argue that although U.S. borders must be safeguarded and the law enforced, undocumented workers deserve respect as economic contributors and compassionate treatment as human beings. “They should be given the opportunity to adjust their legal status and to earn the right to remain in the country permanently and legally,” according to the statement. “We ought not to benefit from the fruits of their labor, on the one hand, and relegate them to an underclass on the other.” Joining the Archbishop were representatives of the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, the hotel, restaurant and construction industries, the health care and hotel and restaurant workers unions and the San Francisco Interfaith Council. The leaders stressed the central role immigrant workers — undocumented and documented — play in service industries and the possible economic disruption from hard-line immigration enforcement. After the news conference, Angus

(PHOTO BY DIANA OTERA)

By Rick DelVecchio

Robert Cervantes told reporters at Dec. 5 press conference he was arrested Sept. 20 and taken to a federal detention center in Arizona, charged with overstaying his tourist visa. Among religious leaders at the gathering were Archbishop George Niederauer (left) and Father John Balleza (second from left), pastor of Redwood City’s Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish.

say that out of 10 immigrants, eight or nine would be successful,” he said, adding that he believes the ratio is similar in the Latino community. Antonia Velasquez, for example, said at the Dec. 5 event she emigrated from El Salvador eight years ago, fleeing domestic violence. She owns a beauty salon and is about to open a second. “I came here looking for dignity for myself and my children,” she said. “During these last eight years I have never missed a single day of work. Thanks to God, I have never had to go on public assistance. I don’t believe I’m a public charge.” Unfortunately, McCarthy said, negative anecdotes about undocumented workers have resulted in pressure for tougher enforcement. He said otherwise law-abiding residents with families are suffering as they face deportation or its threat. “It’s becoming a civil rights issue,” he said. Robert Cervantes told reporters he was arrested Sept. 20 and taken to a federal detention center in Arizona. Charged with overstaying his tourist visa, he faces deportation to his native Philippines. He is out on bail as he waits for his case to move forward and worries what will happen to his 15-year-old daughter if he is sent home. He said he has lost his job as an anesthesiology technician and is threatened with losing his house in a few months. “I know the law’s the law,” he said. “But what should be the law? It should be the morality and ethics of the law.” “It’s so horrible to be tagged as a felon,” he said. “We are just here to build this country.”

McCarthy, a member of the San Francisco pact to legalize. We’re praying and hoping Immigrant Rights Commission, said advo- we can revitalize the debate.” The Senate bill collapsed in the face of cates are taking a new approach as they recover from failure last June of a compre- what The New York Times called a “furious hensive immigration reform bill in the U.S. rebellion among many Republican and Senate. He said they hope to build toward a even some Democratic voters.” McCarthy said the current mood favornew proposal that gives undocumented residents the right to work, the right to travel ing a harder line on immigration enforcement is based on an inaccurate picture of and a path to citizenship. “The law has been broken for many the typical undocumented person. “In the Irish community, I can honestly years,” he said. “Our debate is to OPEN 365 DAYS A YEAR INTERIM HEALTHCARE give these (Formerly Gayle Danz Home Care) ACE PHARMACY workers a

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December 14, 2007

Catholic San Francisco

Norms issued on pre-Vatican II Latin Mass celebration By Dan Morris-Young Norms specific to the Archdiocese of San Francisco for the celebration of the Mass and sacraments in Latin according to the missal of Blessed John XXIII of 1962 were promulgated on the Feast of the Assumption, Dec. 8, by San Francisco Archbishop George H. Niederauer and will officially take effect Jan. 8, 2008. The norms come in response to Pope Benedict XVI’s declaration in July which expanded Catholics’ access to what is commonly known as the Tridentine Mass. The pope issued a motu proprio (on his own initiative) instruction titled Summorum Pontificum which relaxed restrictions on the use of the Latin-language rite that predates the Second Vatican Council, and which said the rite should be made available at any parish where groups of the faithful desire it. The papal instruction took effect on Sept. 14. Both the papal letter and local norms underscore that the Latin-language form of the Mass used prior to the Second Vatican Council will be the “extraordinary form.” Focusing primarily on celebration of the Mass, although other sacraments are mentioned, the new local regulations spell out requirements for clerical competency in the preconciliar form of the Eucharistic liturgy and provide some specifics on pastoral questions. The norms, for example: ● Require that archdiocesan priests “give evidence of

Official Father William Nicholas, currently parochial vicar at St. Cecilia Parish, San Francisco, is appointed parochial vicar at Our Lady of Loretto Parish, Novato, effective Jan. 1.

their ability with the Latin language as well as adequate knowledge of the rubrics for the proper celebration according to the 1962 missal” before they may celebrate in the older form; a priest not of the Archdiocese is required to “provide an authentic letter of good standing” and assurance of liturgical competency from his bishop or religious superior to the archdiocesan vicar for clergy or chancellor; ● Define “stable group” of parishioners who may seek a regular celebration of the Mass in the extraordinary form as 30 persons “in the same location and in an ongoing manner.” ● Suggest priests consider “the possibility of celebrating the ordinary form in the Latin language…as an alternative to using the extraordinary form in satisfying the spiritual needs of the faithful who desire a Latin Mass”; ● Instruct priests they may not on their “own initiative” schedule a public Mass according to the extraordinary form; that such public Masses are to be celebrated only “in parishes where there is a stable group of the faithful who adhere to the earlier tradition” and request such a liturgy; ● Note that the 1962 missal did not employ female altar servers, thus “the function of altar servers is reserved to males, whether youth or adults” in the extraordinary form; ● Remind priests that concelebration was “not envisioned in the 1962 Roman Missal” and therefore, “No priest may concelebrate or assist in any way that may be perceived as concelebrating at any Masses using the extraordinary form.” ● Emphasize that a pastor must keep parish harmony and unity in mind in the event celebration according to the extraordinary form is authorized. Archdiocesan Chancellor Father Michael Padazinski

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emphasized that several issues and questions about Summorum Pontificum are currently before the pontifical commission Ecclesia Dei established to oversee implementation of the instruction, so the local norms might need updating in the future. Among those questions, he said, are the potential role of females as altar servers and the definition of “stable group.” Father Padazinski, who is also judicial vicar for the Archdiocese, spearheaded the preparation of the norms, consulting with other canonists, liturgical experts and with the archdiocesan Office of Worship.” Priests of the Archdiocese have been mailed an explanatory cover letter from Archbishop Niederauer, a copy of the norms, the text of Summorum Pontificum, and a copy of Pope Benedict’s letter to the world’s bishops concerning his motu proprio, Father Padazinski said. In his letter, Archbishop Niederauer says that he has asked Msgr. Steven D. Otellini and Father Lawrence C. Goode to “act as delegates on my behalf in regard to the implementation of the norms.” Msgr. Otellini is to confirm Latin language competency for priests wishing to celebrate the extraordinary form. Father Goode is to verify priests’ proficiency “regarding the rubrics and practical aspects of implementing the motu proprio.” Father Goode is pastor of St. Francis of Assisi Parish, East Palo Alto. Msgr. Otellini is pastor of Church of the Nativity, Menlo Park. Father Padazinski, who is also judicial vicar for the Archdiocese, spearheaded the preparation of the norms, consulting with other canonists, liturgical experts and with Patrick Vallez-Kelly, director of the the archdiocesan Office of Worship.

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Catholic San Francisco

December 14, 2007

University of San Francisco to honor monks of Myanmar

Catholic San Francisco readers were generous in helping supply the names of two persons unnamed in this 1965 photo of a groundbreaking ceremony at San Francisco’s St. Mary’s Medical Center carried with a Nov. 30 story on SMMC’s history. The nurse with the shovel is said to be Kathleen Murphy Linehan. The priest between Fathers Ray Smith (in surplice) and Tim O’Brien is said to be Father Cuchalain (Kevin) Moriarty, who did chaplaincy work at the hospital for many years. Foreground at right is Mercy Sister Mary Joanne De Vincenti, administrator from 1965-1967.

“We honor the monks of Burma to help The University of San Francisco will honor the Buddhist monks of Burma keep the Burmese struggle for democracy in (Myanmar) for their courage and nonviolent the minds and hearts of those of us who enjoy the freedoms they are struggling demonstrations against the to achieve,” said USF President Burmese military earlier this Father Stephen A. Privett, SJ. year by awarding them an hon“These are extraordinary, modorary doctorate at commenceern-day heroes and persons of ment ceremonies today, Dec. 14. faith committed to building a A representative of the better world, even at the risk of monks, Sayadaw U Kovida, arrest, beatings, and death. These will accept the degree on their are the kind of people we hope behalf and deliver the comour graduates will be.” mencement address. He himself “The monks exemplify was imprisoned by the military USF’s moral commitment to junta after participating in 1988 pro-democracy demonstrations Sayadaw U Kovida educate minds and hearts to change the world,” said a USF press release against the Burmese dictatorship. In September of this year, thousands of which also compared the monks to the six Burmese Buddhist monks protested peace- Jesuit priests killed in El Salvador with their fully against their country’s military regime, housekeeper and her daughter 18 years ago. prompting a brutal response from the govern- The graduation ceremony will take place at ment. Thousands of monks were beaten and 3:30 p.m. at St. Ignatius Church on the USF arrested, and many were tortured and killed. campus, 650 Parker Ave., San Francisco.

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December 14, 2007

Catholic San Francisco

Advent Week 3 Jesus lets his actions reveal he is ‘the one who is to come’ The following Advent Wreath prayer is intended to help busy households make Advent a prayerful time during the rush of Christmas preparations. The language is fairly simple to be used by groups of adults or adults with children. Sharing the task of proclaiming the readings will allow for participation by a variety of members of the household. Leader: With the beginning of this Third Week of Advent we’re more than half way home to Christmas. We gather again to pray so that our hearts are truly prepared for the Birth of the Child Jesus. Light three candles on the Advent Wreath Read aloud: Isaiah 35:1-6a, 10; James 5:7-10; Matthew 11:2-11 Leader: In our readings this third week of Advent Isaiah again foretells the coming of the savior. He leaves us with a vision of how marvelous heaven will be for those who live a holy life. The letter from James is like something out of a locker room speech in which a coach urges a team to be patient, to put up with the hardships that will come their way and not to complain. Matthew retells the story of Jesus explaining the role of John the Baptist to the curious crowds. He tells the throng – and us, today, too – that even as great as John

the Baptist is, if we live so as to have a place in the kingdom of heaven, we will be even greater. Closing prayer: (Leader may read all, or others in the household may each read a segment) 1) Dear God, you know that our hearts long for the joy and gladness that life with your promises. Help us to remember you are with us always, and that our hearts will rest only when they rest with you. 2) Holy Spirit, guide the choices we make throughout this week. Help us endure hardship. Remind us to be patient. Stifle our tendency to complain. Help us realize how much we owe the creator for all we have and all we are. 3) Father in heaven, we offer thanks to you for sending John the Baptist to prepare the way for the coming of the Savior. Help us to heed the Baptist’s message to repent and to renew our commitment to live in holiness. 4) Come, Lord Jesus. So often we are impatient for your coming, yet we are fearful of living our lives as one with you. Come and ease our anxiety. Come and reward our patience. Come and remove our sorrow. Our communities and our world eagerly await the day of your birth.

CHRISTMAS LITURGIES 7 Worship with us in Westlake 7

Our Lady of Mercy Parish 5 Elmwood Dr., Daly City Between South Mayfair and Southgate Avenues, with plenty of free parking!

Mon., Dec. 17 to Sun., Dec. 23: 7:30 p.m. Simbang Gabi Masses (except for Saturday at 5:30), followed by a Reception in our Church Hall. Monday, December 24: 4:00 p.m. Christmas Eve Mass with our Children’s Choir. 5:30 p.m. Christmas Eve Mass. 11:30 p.m. Sing-Along Christmas Carols with our Parish Choir. 12:00 a.m. Midnight Mass with our Choir. Tuesday, December 25: Christmas Day Masses at 7:30 a.m. 9:00 a.m. 10:30 a.m. with our Children’s Choir. 12:00 p.m.

Mater Dolorosa Church 307 Willow Avenue, South San Francisco, CA 94080 <

Individual Confessions:

SAINT EMYDIUS CHURCH 286 Ashton Avenue San Francisco, CA 94112 (415) 587-7066 Fax (415) 587-6690

ADVENT/CHRISTMAS/EPIPHANY SEASON PARISH CELEBRATION 2007 Sunday, December 23 Fourth Sunday of Advent – 8:30 am, 10:30 am Monday, December 24 Christmas Vigil Mass – 8:00 pm Tuesday, December 25 Christmas Midnight Mass – 12:00 midnight Christmas Morning Mass – 10:00 am Sunday, December 30 Feast of the Holy Family – 8:30 am, 10:30 am Tuesday, January 1, 2008 Octave of Christmas, Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God – 10:00 am Sunday, January 6, 2008 Solemnity of the Epiphany – 8:30 am, 10:30 am Saturday, January 12, 2008 Anointing of the Sick Mass – 10:00 am

St. Anthony

Thursday, December 20th, 7:30 p.m. Friday, December 21st, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, December 22nd, 5:00 p.m.

Christmas Masses Christmas Eve, Monday, Dec. 24: 5:00 p.m. (Children’s Mass) 10:00 p.m. (Midnight Mass) Christmas Day, Tuesday, Dec. 25th: 8:00 a.m., 10:00 a.m., 12 Noon

New Year’s Eve, Monday, Dec. 31st Pot Luck Gathering beginning at 10:30 p.m. (Followed by Mass at 12:05 a.m.)

New Year’sDay, Tuesday, Jan. 1st 12:05 a.m., 8:00 a.m., 12:00 Noon

1111 Gough St., San Francisco, • Tel: (415) 567-2020

Christmas Schedule THURSDAY, DECEMBER 20 The Cathedral will be closed at 2:00 p.m. and on Sunday, December 23 at 2:30 p.m. for Christmas preparations.

VIGIL OF THE NATIVITY OF THE LORD MONDAY, DECEMBER 24, 2007 7:30 p.m. Caroling with the Cathedral Choirs of Boys and Girls 8:00 p.m. – Mass 11:30 p.m. – Caroling – Cathedral Choir Midnight Mass Archbishop George H. Niederauer, Principal Celebrant

CHRISTMAS DAY TUESDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2007 Please note: NO 7:30 or 9:00 a.m Mass on Christmas Day. 11:00 a.m. – Cathedral Choir 1:00 p.m. – Coro Hispano The Cathedral will close for the Day at 3:00 p.m.

HOLY FAMILY OF JESUS,MARY & JOSEPH SATURDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2007 5:30 p.m. – Vigil SUNDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2007 7:30 a.m., 9:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. 1:00 p.m. – in Spanish

SEVENTH DAY IN THE OCTAVE OF CHRISTMAS MONDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2007 6:45 a.m., 8:00 a.m., and 12:10 p.m.

THE SOLEMNITY OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY,MOTHER OF GOD TUESDAY, JANUARY 1, 2008

MASSES

Archbishop Niederauer has determined that, in accord with the practice of neighboring dioceses, the obligation to attend Mass on January 1, 2008, the Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, is dispensed. New Year’s Day is not a Holy Day of obligation.

Christmas Eve ~ December 24

6:45 a.m., 8:00 a.m. and 12:10 p.m. – The Celebration of the Eucharist

1000 Cambridge St., Novato, CA

Saturday, Dec. 22nd, 3:30 to 4:30 p.m.

Simbang Gabi Masses

CATHEDRAL OF ST. MARY OF THE ASSUMPTION

5:00 PM Children’s Mass 7:30 PM Mass 10:00 PM Mass No Midnight Mass

Christmas Day ~ December 25 7:00 AM Mass 9:00 AM Mass 11:00 AM Mass

New Year’s Day ~ January 1, 2008 9:00 AM Mass Please let us know of any parishioners that should be visited for the Sacraments.

THE SOLEMNITY OF THE EPIPHANY OF THE LORD SATURDAY, JANUARY 5, 2008 5:30 p.m. – Vigil SUNDAY, JANUARY 6, 2008 7:00 a.m., 9:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. 1:00 p.m. – in Spanish 3:30 p.m. – Epiphany Lessons and Carols

FEAST OF THE BAPTISM OF THE LORD SUNDAY, JANUARY 13, 2008 And conclusion of the Christmas Season Regular Sunday Mass Schedule – No Concert this Sunday

Catholic San Francisco

December 14, 2007

A READING FROM THE BOOK OF ISAIAH IS 35:1-6A, 10 The desert and the parched land will exult; the steppe will rejoice and bloom. They will bloom with abundant flowers, and rejoice with joyful song. The glory of Lebanon will be given to them, the splendor of Carmel and Sharon; they will see the glory of the Lord, the splendor of our God. Strengthen the hands that are feeble, make firm the knees that are weak, say to those whose hearts are frightened: Be strong, fear not! Here is your God, he comes with vindication; with divine recompense he comes to save you. Then will the eyes of the blind be opened, the ears of the deaf be cleared; then will the lame leap like a stag, then the tongue of the mute will sing.Those whom the Lord has ransomed will return and enter Zion singing, crowned with everlasting joy;they will meet with joy and gladness, sorrow and mourning will flee. RESPONSORIAL PSALM PS 146:6-7, 8-9, 9-10 R. Lord, come and save us. The Lord God keeps faith forever, secures justice for the oppressed,

THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT Isaiah 35:1-6a, 10; Psalm 146:6-7, 8-9, 9-10; James 5:7-10; Matthew 11:2-11 gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets captives free. R. Lord, come and save us. The Lord gives sight to the blind; the Lord raises up those who were bowed down. The Lord loves the just; the Lord protects strangers. R. Lord, come and save us. The fatherless and the widow he sustains, but the way of the wicked he thwarts. The Lord shall reign forever; your God, O Zion, through all generations. R. Lord, come and save us.

A READING FROM THE EPISTLE OF JAMES JAS 5:7-10 Be patient, brothers and sisters, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains. You too must be patient. Make your hearts firm, because the coming of the Lord is at hand. Do not complain, brothers and sisters, about one another, that you may not be judged. Behold, the Judge is standing before the gates. Take as an example of hardship and patience, brothers and sisters, the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.

A READING FROM THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW MT 11:2-11 When John the Baptist heard in prison of the works of the Christ, he sent his disciples to Jesus with this question, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?” Jesus said to them in reply, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the good news proclaimed to them. And blessed is the one who takes no offense at me.” As they were going off, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John, “What did you go out to the desert to see? A reed swayed by the wind? Then what did you go out to see? Someone dressed in fine clothing? Those who wear fine clothing are in royal palaces. Then why did you go out? To see a prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is the one about whom it is written: Behold, I am sending my messenger ahead of you; he will prepare your way before you. Amen, I say to you, among those born of women there has been none greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.”

CHRISTMAS LITURGIES St. Francis of Assisi Church 1425 Bay Road, East Palo Alto

ST. MATTHEW

St. Raymond Catholic Church 1100 Santa Cruz Avenue Menlo Park, CA (650) 323-1755

650/322-2152

Mass Schedule For For Christmas and New New Year

ONE NOTRE DAME AVE. SAN MATEO, CALIFORNIA

Confessions Monday, December 24, 2007

Christmas Schedule 2007

2007 Christmas Schedule

From 10:30 am to 12:00 pm and from 3:30 pm to 6:00 pm

CONFESSIONS

Christmas Masses

Daily: 5:00 – 5:30 p.m. in the Blessed Sacrament Chapel

Reconciliation Service (Confession) Monday, December 17 – 7:30pm

Monday, December 24, 2007 6:00 pm Bi-lingual Children’s Mass Midnight Bi-lingual Mass

Tuesday, December 25, 2007

Saturday, December 22:

11:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon; 3:30 – 4:30 p.m. MASSES Christmas Eve, December 24: 5:00, 7:00 p.m. (Spanish) and Midnight Christmas Carols begin at 11:00 p.m.

Christmas Eve (Vigil) – December 24 Christmas Concert 4:30pm Mass 5:15 pm

Masses 7:30 am English 9:30 am Spanish 11:30 am English 1:30 pm Spanish

New Year Masses Tuesday, January 1, 2008

Christmas Day, December 25: 6:30, 7:30, 9:00 (Spanish), 10:30a.m. and 12:30p.m. NEW YEAR’S DAY

Christmas Day – December 25, Tuesday 12:00 am, 8:00 am & 10:00 am Mass

Masses 7:30 am English 9:30 am Spanish 11:30 am English 1:30 pm Spanish

Masses will be offered at 6:30, 8:15, 10:00 (Spanish) & 12:05 p.m.

CHURCH OF THE GOOD SHEPHERD 901 OCEANA AVE., PACIFICA, CA 94044

St. Dominic’s Catholic Church

Merry Christmas CHRISTMAS SCHEDULE 2007

EUCHARISTIC CELEBRATIONS

PREPARING THE HOUSE OF THE LORD

DECEMBER 24, 2007 CHRISTMAS EVE 5:00 PM - FAMILY MASS 8:30 PM – CHRISTMAS CAROLS 9:00 PM – MASS

SUNDAY DECEMBER 23, 2007

1:15 D ECORATE

FOR

C HRISTMAS

ALL PARISHIONERS ARE INVITED TO HELP

There is No Mass at Midnight

DECEMBER 25, 2007 CHRISTMAS DAY 8:00 AM 10:00 AM 12:00 NOON JANUARY 1, 2008 NEW YEAR’S DAY 9:00 AM

The National Shrine of Saint Francis of Assisi 610 Vallejo Street San Francisco, CA 94133 (415) 983-0405

The Nativity of Our Savior Jesus Christ December 24-25, 2007 11:30 p.m. Vigil of Scripture and Carols

12:15 p.m. Solemn Mass Celebrated by Rev. Robert Cipriano, Rector

5:30by p.m. - Christmas Eve Family Mass Mass at Midnight 11:15 p.m. - Christmas Carols followed by Mass at Midnight December 25: CHRISTMAS DAY - THE NATIVITY OF OUR LORD December 25: CHRISTMAS NATIVITY OUR LORD Sunday 7:30 (organ)DAY , 9:30- THE (family) andOF11:30 a.m. (solemn), Tuesday 7:30 a.m.(organ), 9:30 a.m. (family), 11:30 a.m. (solemn), 1:30 p.m. (en español) (No 5:30 or p.m. Masses) 1:30 p.m. (en espanol) (No 5:30 or 9:00 p.m.9:00 Masses) December 31: NEW YEAR’S EVE DecemberSaturday 30: SOLEMNITY OF THE HOLY FAMILY 6:00, 8:00 5:30Schedule p.m. (traditional) Vigil for Sunday Sunday Regular Mass and a.m., Confession 9:30 and 11:30 a.m. ; 1:30, 5:30 &THE 9:00MOTHER p.m. January7:30, 1: NEW YEAR’S DAY - MARY, OF GOD Sunday Regular December 31: NEW YEAR’SMass EVEand Confession Schedule Monday Daily7:30 Masses at 6:30 & 8:00 a.m.; 5:30 p.m. (quiet) , 9:30 (family) , 11:30 a.m. (solemn) MARY, (contemporary) THE MOTHER OFand GOD 9:00 p.m. January 1: NEW1:30 YEAR’S DAY-, 5:30 (en español) Tuesday 9:30 (candlelight) a.m. – Only Mass of the Day

On Steiner at Bush (parking available) 415.567.7824 www.stdominics.org

Reconciliation (Confession) Saturday, December 22nd 3:30 – 4:20 p.m. 4th Sunday of Advent Masses Saturday 4:30 p.m. Sunday Vigil 8:00, 9:30, 11:30 a.m. & 6:45 p.m. Simbang Gabi Masses 6:00 a.m. December 16th thru 24th

Christmas Day Masses 8:00, 9:30 & 11:30 a.m. No evening Mass on Christmas Day

Latin Gregorian Chant, Carols, and Motets

December CHRISTMAS EVE Christmas Concert, 7:30 p.m. December 18: 24: Bethlehem Down: A Romantic Saturday 5:30 p.m. (family) December 24: CHRISTMAS EVE - Christmas Eve Family Mass and 8:00 a.m.(solemn) – Advent Masses Monday 6:3011:15 p.m. - Christmas Carols followed

Christmas Eve Masses 4:30 p.m. Family Mass 12:00 a.m. Midnight Mass

12:00 Solemn Mass at Midnight Celebrated by Rev. Robert Cipriano, Rector 12:00 Noon Carols

CATHOLIC CHURCH

Latin Gregorian Chant, Carols, and Motets

Gift Shop Hours: 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday

Sunday, December 30th Masses Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary & Joseph Regular Sunday Mass Schedule Saturday 4:30 p.m. Sunday Vigil 8:00, 9:30, 11:30 a.m. and 6:45 p.m. January 1st Mass Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God 9:30 a.m. Traditional Christmas Music at All Masses

Saint Stephen Catholic Church 451 Eucalyptus Drive @ 23rd Avenue (near Stonestown Mall) 415.681.2444 www.saintstephenSF.org

Christmas Celebrations 2007

December 14, 2007

Scripture reflection FATHER BILL NICHOLAS

Overlooking the externals and recognizing the obvious If one were to ask the average Catholic to name the greatest person born of woman (aside from Jesus), most of them would stand erect, place their hands over their heart, chant the Salve Regina and then tell you without hesitation – the Immaculate and Most Holy Blessed Virgin Mother of God (that is to say, Mary)! Hands down, plain and clear, nothing more obvious to our tradition. And yet we have in the Gospel for this Gaudete Sunday, Jesus himself declaring John the Baptist to be the greatest. Clear, obvious and from the mouth of the Messiah. At the same time, however, Jesus indicates that the least in the kingdom is still greater than John (but it is still quite a compliment to the Baptist). It may, therefore, be somewhat puzzling when John the Baptist asks the question he does. Is Jesus, the one John spent his life paving the way for, the one who provoked John’s stirring even in the womb? Is Jesus truly the one who is to come, or is there someone else? How can John’s greatness be reconciled with such a question? Has John’s inspiration decreased to a moment of doubt? We would surely do a double take at such a question coming from the

man whose very mission was to prepare the people for the coming of the Messiah. Perhaps, like Jesus’ detractors, John’s expectation of the Messiah was different from what eventually came to be. Maybe he too was expecting someone grander; a great king, a military leader, a political liberator who would usher in a physical manifestation of God’s reign on earth, overthrowing the Roman oppressors and establishing the dominance of God’s holy people. Instead, he is presented with a simple carpenter who began by joining John’s followers in baptism (much to John’s confusion) and associated himself not with military leaders, nor with social greatness, but with the lowly; not with the politically powerful or religious elite, but with the sinner. Perhaps John was a little perplexed by such a paradox. Perhaps he was merely re-iterating the questions of his own followers who were confused by what they saw (and didn’t see) in Jesus. Yet, unlike Jesus’ other detractors who simply condemned, crucified and otherwise criticized the “blasphemy” of a man who was, to others, so obviously wrong, John the Baptist asked questions. He did not descend into doubt

All are Welcome at St. Bartholomew Parish Community Corner of Crystal Springs and Alameda de las Pulgas San Mateo, Ca. 94402 ● (650) 347-0701 www.barts.org ● e-mail: stbarts@barts.org

and judgment. He looked for clarification. Rather than allow his confusion to draw him away, he sought to understand better. Yet even then, Jesus does not give a clear answer. Rather, Jesus instructs John and his followers to recognize what is right there in front of them, things that should be obvious. In short, Jesus tells John not to be distracted by what he is at first glance: a simple, rather unimpressive carpenter from the small town of Nazareth. He tells John to look at the fruits of his work – the blind see, the crippled walk, the sick are cured, the dead are raised and the destitute are uplifted by the good news. If these things do not convince people that Jesus is “He who is to come,” nothing will. In the same way, Jesus points out the same paradox in John himself. Why did the people go, of all places, into the desert rather than to lavish palaces to hear the message of John? Not because he was impressive to look at, or was himself lavishly dressed, but because of something quite obvious to one who is undistracted by externals. This wild man of the desert was a prophet from God whose message of repentance resonated with those who heard it.

Catholic San Francisco

So who is the messenger sent to prepare the way of the Lord, the greatest man born of woman? Is it this wild man of the desert who dresses in camel’s hair and eats grasshoppers and wild honey, or is it the prophet who calls the people to repentance? Who is the man that is “He who is to come”? Is it this simple, unimpressive carpenter from Nazareth, or is it the one who cures the sick, raises the dead and brings the good news to the poor? In the same vein, who are the followers of the Son of God? Are they these common folk, unimpressive by their station in life (or lack thereof) who live according to an objectionable, politically incorrect value system compared the modern, “enlightened” and elite minds, or are they the witnesses who answer the call of God himself to preach and bear witness to the good news? What is this church of God that Jesus left? Is it this institution with a checkered history, occasional scandal and regular manifestations of human frailty, or is it the body of leaders and believers who continue to serve as the conduit through which “He who is to come” is continually present in our world, NICHOLAS, page 17

Our Lady of Angels Catholic Church 1721 Hillside Drive, Burlingame Capuchin Franciscans 650-347-7768

2007 Christmas Schedule Confessions Saturday, December 22, 3:30-4:45 p.m. Monday, December 24, 3:00-4:00 p.m. Christmas Eve 5:00 p.m. 7:00 p.m. (Children’s Mass) Midnight Mass

CHRISTMAS LITURGIES

Christmas Day 8:00, 10:00 and 12 noon New Year’s Day Masses 8:00 a.m. & 10:00 a.m. New Year’s Day is not a Holy Day of Obligation The Capuchin Franciscans & Parish Staff wish our Parishioners and Friends Peace, Love and Hope for Christmas and the New Year

We gather to worship in the Christmas Season: Reconciliation Service: Christmas Eve: Christmas Day:

December 18th, 7:00pm December 24th, 4:00pm, 6:00pm, 11:15pm Caroling followed by Mass at 12:00 Midnight December 25th, 8:00, 9:30, 11:15am (No 5:30pm Mass)

Please Celebrate Christmas With Us! ¡Ven y celebra Navidad con cosotros! December 24 – 7 p.m. th

December 24 5:00pm December 25 Midnight, 7:00am, 8:00am, 9:30am, 11:30am New Year’s Eve, 4:00pm New Year’s Day, 8:00am, 10:00am Confessions are heard all year long every: Saturday 4:00-4:45pm Wednesday 7:15-7:45pm

With Gospel Choir Our Lady of Lourdes Church, Innes & Hawes Streets

and 11 p.m. With Samoan Choir All Hallows Chapel – Newhall & Palou December 25th – 9 a.m. All Hallows Chapel

Christmas at Saint Cecilia Seventeenth Avenue and Vicente Street The Parkside District in San Francisco

LIVE BROADCAST: WWW.STCECILIA.COM CHRISTMAS EVE MASSES 5:00 p.m. – Msgr. Michael Harriman 8:00 p.m. – Fr. Joe Landi with our Children’s Choir 11:15 p.m. – Singing Carols Midnight Mass – Msgr. Michael Harriman with Clergy with our Adult Choir and Ensemble CHRISTMAS DAY MASSES 7:30 a.m. – Fr. William Nicholas 9:30 a.m. – Msgr. Michael Harriman with Holy Spirit Music Ministry 11:30 a.m. – Fr. Joe Landi with Choir and Ensemble No Evening Mass on Christmas Day

Catholic San Francisco

December 14, 2007

Dominican Republic — Day 3 Sustainable livelihoods sought over handouts Catholic San Francisco Assistant Editor Rick DelVecchio returned Nov. 30 from a five-day pilgrimage and fact-finding trip to the Dominican Republic sponsored by Food for the Poor, an independent relief organization which supports education and economic projects addressing poverty in that Caribbean nation.

By Rick DelVecchio EL CERCADO, Dominican Republic — This is a farming province between mountain ranges. The soil is rich. The topography and the lushness of the hills in the rainy season are reminiscent of parts of Northern California, including the fog hugging the hills in the morning. But a closer look tells a different story. Farmers plow behind horses amid a scene of odd quiet for a region that looks as if it ought to be phenomenally productive. This is a forgotten corner of the country, lacking education, investment and political support. The people, as a result, struggle even though many of them own land. They lack the resources to make the land productive, and most of them make their living working seasonally for big growers at $3 to $6 a day. “I’m one of the cases where I don’t have anything to live on,” said Confesor Fulcar, 74, who described himself as a community leader in the valley hamlet of El Puertecito. “The government isn’t helping me.” Most of the improvements in this area are due to outside help, much of it organized by Food for the Poor and its Dominican partner, Mi Casa a tu Casa. A delegation representing the two organizations visited El Puertecito and other communities in the El Cercado region to check on projects funded by charitable donations, including a school, housing and a farm where fish, poultry and vegetables are being raised. At the new pre-school in El Puertecito, Daisy Encarnacion, a medical doctor working for Mi Casa a tu Casa, was checking on children. Some had arrived shivering; the foggy morning was unusually cool. She said some of the children have been suffering from diarrhea and infections due to effects of Tropical Storm Noel. Asked if the children have an adequate diet, she said, “Not necessarily. A lot are lacking basic foods for proper nutrition.” “No pollo, no leche, no huevos,” she said. (No chicken, no milk, no eggs.) The modern Escuela Primero Rural El Puertecito, which serves 42 students under the age of 6 and doubles as a primary school for 12 older students in the afternoon, replaced a building made of mud and sticks with a dirt floor. “I always said they wore gray boots because the dust would dirty their feet up to the mid-calf,” Dr. Encarnacion said. The delegation left El Puertecito and drove down the val-

ley to the settlement of La Franchia, the site of the Trinity Agriculture and Tilapia Center. The center, freshly painted a cheery shade of green, is one of the most ambitious economic experiments in the valley. It represents a $350,000 investment by donors who are increasingly interested in supporting sustainable projects rather than simply giving food away. With Taiwanese expertise, ponds have been built to grow tilapia fish for consumption locally and as a cash product. Local residents are learning to farm and market the fish, which are sold at a retail counter on-site for 75 cents a pound. The center now has the capacity to raise 15,000 fish a year but could expand to 100,000. The center also includes poultry sheds, an organic cabbage patch, a fruit-tree nursery, vegetable gardens and a composting shed. Goat and rabbit pens are coming. There are dorm rooms and a suite for volunteers who wish to make the pilgrimage to El Cercado and pitch-in on a working farm. The delegation left the shiny new economic plant and crossed a creek, the bus scraping rocks as it climbed a road to a small residential neighborhood on a hillside. A long row of cabins painted in vibrant Caribbean pinks, blues and greens emerged along the side of the dirt road: the newly built village of Manyai. Food for the Poor and Mi Casa a tu Casa built these homes for local residents to replace the shanties that had been there before. The charities donated the homes to the people. Residents and their patrons held a ceremony to inaugurate the development but some, like Enrique Encarnacion, stayed back and were happy to invite visitors inside. The home had the pleasant smell of fresh lumber as Encarnacion drew the curtains to show the two smaller rooms off the main room of the three-room dwelling. Encarnacion said he shares the home with his wife and their five children. Sun and fresh air entered the front door as Encarcion posed in the main room of his little castle next to a giant loudspeaker decorated with knickknacks.

CHRISTMAS LITURGIES Saint Agnes Church A Welcoming Parish Christmas Eve ~ Monday, December 24 Liturgies of the Nativity of the Lord 5:00 pm Children’s Liturgy with Children’s Choir 10:00 pm Christmas Vigil with Choir, Woodwinds, Harp, Strings & Brass

Christmas Day ~ Tuesday, December 25 Liturgy of the Nativity of the Lord 10:30 am with Choir, Woodwinds, Strings & Brass There is no 8:30 am or 6:00 pm Liturgy

New Year’s Day~ Tuesday, January 1, 2008 Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Liturgy at 10:30 am

1025 Masonic Avenue, San Francisco (415) 487- 8560 www.saintagnessf.com

Enrique Encarnacion proudly poses in his new home where he resides with his wife and five children. The home was built with help from relief organizations Food for the Poor and Mi Casa a tu Casa.

STAR OF THE SEA CHURCH 4420 Geary Blvd., San Francisco, CA 94118 (415) 751-0450

CHRISTMAS SCHEDULE 2007 Penance Services Monday, December 17, 7 pm (with individual confessions) Saturday, December 22 – Confessions: 3:15–4:15 pm Christmas Eve Liturgies Monday, December 24 Masses 7:30 am, 12:05 pm & 4:30 pm 9 pm – Christmas Carols by the “Stella Maris Choral Group” 10 pm – First Mass of Christmas Note: There is no Midnight Mass Masses on Christmas Day Tueday, December 25 8, 9:30, 11 am (Chinese), 12:15 pm. No 4:40 pm Mass New Years’ Day 2008 January 1, 2008 Feast of Mary, Mother of God 10 am Concelebrated Mass – Only Mass New Year’s Day The parish staff joins me in wishing all of you a very Blessed and Merry Christmas and our promise of prayers for all of you in the New Year. – Msgr. Floro B. Arcamo

St. Dunstan Church

S T. M ONICA PARISH 470 – 24th Ave., San Francisco 94121 (415) 751-5275

CHRISTMAS SCHEDULE 2007 SATURDAY, DECEMBER 22

Confessions: 4:00 – 4:45 p.m. ✩ Mass: 5:00 pm

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 23

(PHOTOS BY RICK DELVECCHIO/CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO)

Two workers tend to the fish ponds at La Franchia in the Dominican Republic. The raising of talapia fish provides new protein and income for the residents.

1133 Broadway Millbrae, CA 94030

650-697-4730 One of the greatest pleasures of the Christmas Season is the opportunity to send our thoughts and prayers to those whose friendship and goodwill we value so highly. The priests and staff of St. Dunstan Parish join in wishing you a very blessed Christmas.

Masses: 8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. (Cantonese) 10:30 a.m.

May the gift of faith, the blessing of hope, and the peace of God’s love be with you and yours throughout the New Year.

CHRISTMAS EVE MONDAY, DECEMBER 24TH

Fr. Joe, Fr. Paddy and Fr. Jim

5:00 p.m. Family Christmas Eve Mass with children’s choir and Nativity Play 11:30 p.m. Festive music of the season with Saint Monica’s choir 12:00 a.m. Solemn Midnight Mass Mozart Mass in C

CHRISTMAS DAY TUESDAY, DECEMBER 25TH Masses: 8:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. with choir No Evening Mass ✩ No Cantonese Mass

NEW YEAR’S DAY TUESDAY, JANUARY 1, 2008 Mass: 10:30 a.m.

Parking is available in our Oak Street Lots.

FEAST OF THE EPIPHANY SUNDAY, JANUARY 6, 2008

Inclusive + Diverse + Jesuit

Masses: 8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. (Cantonese) 10:30 a.m. Mass with Choir Evening Prayer and Benediction at 4:00 p.m.

CHRISTMAS CELEBRATIONS AT ST. DUNSTAN 2007 Sacrament of Reconciliation: Tuesday Dec. 18 7 – 8 pm Saturday, December 22 8:30 – 9 am Confessions; 12 – 1 pm Confessions Monday, December 24 6:30 am & 8 am Christmas Eve Masses 4:30 pm Children’s Mass with Pageant 11:00 pm Carols Singing and Scripture Readings 11:30 pm Christmas Mass Christmas Day Masses 7:00 am, 8:30 am, 10:00 am and 11:30 am No 5:00 pm Mass on Christmas Day

Catholic San Francisco

December 14, 2007

Nativity . . . ious groups. Christ’s resurrection is displayed writ large in a mural inside the church itself, painted by artist Mark Adams, who also designed ornate stained glass windows of the church. The Holy Land Museum is likewise geographically organized with rooms dedicated to Bethlehem, Nazareth and Jerusalem. It is also ordered on Jesus’ life and the events described in the Bible. The museum’s scope spans the period between the calling of Abraham and the resurrection of Jesus. Msgr. Kobti often leads small tours, describing each element in a level of detail known only to real scholars of the region. In spite of his extensive knowledge of the Middle East, some elements are still a mystery. “We don’t know why God chose this land to reveal himself to people,” the priest of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem admitted. The guest book reveals visitors from every part of the world — India, Rome and the Holy Land itself. Cardinal William Levada is among the signatures of those who have visited the St. Thomas More museum.

Nicholas . . . ■ Continued from page 15 overcoming any shortcomings, continually preaching the good news, calling all to repentance, serving the poor and, through its sacraments, bringing God’s saving grace to a waiting world? Father Bill Nicholas is parochial vicar of St. Cecelia Parish, San Franciso, and author of “I Saw the World End: An Introduction to the Bible’s Apocalyptic Literature,” released recently by Paulist Press.

ST. PAUL OF THE SHIPWRECK CATHOLIC COMMUNITY 1122 Jamestown Ave.,San Francisco,CA 94124

2007 CHRISTMAS SCHEDULE

(PHOTO BY MICHAEL VICK/CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO)

■ Continued from cover

Msgr. Kobti said it was important for him to share his firsthand knowledge of the Holy Land and his love of collecting ancient artifacts from the region with his adopted home in San Francisco Archdiocese. “I wanted people to discover the Holy Land,” he said. “I feel that I am on a mission…. We were all born in Jerusalem by faith. We were all born in Bethlehem.” Because such a large portion of his collection sits unused, Msgr. Kobti has a standing request that if a

Church of St. Isabella One Trinity Way P.O. Box 6166

San Rafael, California 94903

(415) 479-1560

CHRISTMAS 2007 – SCHEDULE OF SERVICES Monday, December 24th - Christmas Eve 5:00 p.m. Family Mass 9:00 p.m. Vigil Mass (Adult/Handbell Choir) 11:00 p.m. “Midnight” Mass (PYC Choir) Tuesday, December 25th - Christmas Day 7:30, 9:00 and 11:00 a.m. No Evening Mass on Christmas Day

December 24th – 7:00 pm Christmas Eve Concert – 8:00 pm Christmas Eve Mass

Monday, December 31st 7:30 a.m. and 9:00 a.m.

December 25th – 8:30 am English Mass – 10:00 am Spanish Mass

Tuesday, January 1st - New Year’s Day (not a Holy Day) 7:30 a.m. and 9:00 a.m.

St. Gabriel Church

2559-40th Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94116 (415) 731-6161

Advent / Christmas 2007

MOST HOLY REDEEMER 100 Diamond Street, San Francisco, CA 94114 Tel. (415) 863-6259

Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confessions) Monday, Dec. 17 – 7:00 PM Communal Reconciliation Saturday, Dec. 22 – 3:30 PM Communal Reconciliation

Christmas Masses Christmas Eve (Monday, December 24) 4:00 PM Christmas Vigil Mass. Guitar Accompanist. 5:30 PM Christmas Carols with Children’s Choir. 6:00 PM Family Mass. Children’s Choir 11:30 PM Christmas Carols with Adult Choir. 12:00 AM Christmas Midnight Mass. Adult Choir. Christmas Day (Tuesday, December 25) 7:00 AM Christmas Mass at Dawn. 8:30 AM Cantor. 10:00 AM Guitar Accompanist. 11:30 AM Adult Choir.

NO EVENING MASS.

St. Bruno’s Church

Christmas Schedule Monday 9:30 p.m. Dec. 24, 2007 10 p.m.

Carol Service Christmas Vigil Mass

Tuesday 8 a.m. Dec. 25, 2007 10 a.m.

Christmas Mass Christmas Mass

Monday 8 a.m. Dec. 31, 2007

Christmas Octave Mass (No Evening Mass)

Tuesday Jan. 1, 2008

10 a.m.

Mass of the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God (Not a Holy Day of Obligation)

God’s Inclusive Love Proclaimed Here!

ST. THOMAS MORE CHURCH 415-452-9634

(650) 588-2121 555 W. San Bruno Avenue, San Bruno, CA 94066

1300 Juniperro Serra Blvd. San Francisco, CA 94132

2007 CHRISTMAS WEEK SCHEDULE

CHRISTMAS SCHEDULE

December 23, Sunday: 5 AM Misa de Gallo December 24, Monday: 5 AM Misa de Gallo 6 PM Vigil Mass 9 PM Christmas Carols 10 PM Midnight Mass (Trilingual)

December 25, Tuesday: 5 AM Dawn Mass Christmas Day 8 AM English Mass 10 AM Spanish Mass 12 Noon English Mass

December 30, Sunday, Feast of the Holy Family: Blessing of Families in all masses

January 1, Tuesday, New Year’s Day: 8 AM 6 PM

Morning Mass Evening Mass

International Christmas Novena 7:00 PM – December 15th to the 23rd (start with 5 PM Mass on Saturday, December 15th)

Confessions Wednesday, December 19th: 6:30 – 8:30 PM Monday, December 24th: 4:30 PM Children’s Mass (English) 7:00 PM Christmas Eve Mass (English) 9:00 PM Christmas Eve Mass (Arabic) 12:00 AM Midnight – English Mass

Christmas Day, December 25th: 10:00 AM Mass for all communities No Arabic Mass 4:00 PM Brazilian Mass 8:00 PM English Mass

Msgr. Labib Kobti holds a 2000-year-old lamp from the Holy Land. Remarkably, the lamp still works. This type of lamp is described in the Parable of the Ten Virgins.

property becomes available for dedicated museum space, he would welcome the opportunity to display his entire collection. The priest hopes proceeds from such a venture could go directly back to the Archdiocese. The Holy Land Museum and the nativity display can be seen by visiting the rectory of St. Thomas More Church, located at 1300 Junipero Serra Blvd. The museum may also be visited online at http://www.stmchurch.com/holylandmuseum.htm.

HOLY NAME OF JESUS 39th Ave. & Lawton St., San Francisco, CA

2007

CHRISTMAS SCHEDULE CHRISTMAS EVE MASSES Monday December 24 5:00 p.m. (Family/Children’s Mass) 7:00 p.m. (Vietnamese Mass) 11:30 p.m. Christmas Carols Holy Name Choral Ministry 12:00 MIDNIGHT MASS Pontifical High Mass Most Rev. Ignatius C. Wang, Main Celebrant

CHRISTMAS DAY MASSES Tuesday, December 25 7:30, 9:30, 11:30 a.m.

NEW YEAR’S DAY MASSES Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God (Not a Holy Day of Obligation)

C L H R I S T M A S

I T U R G I E S

Tuesday, January 1 9:30 a.m.

CONFESSIONS Saturday, Dec. 15, 2007 4:30 – 5:00 p.m.

Sunday, Dec. 16, 2007 1 / hour before 2

7:30, 9:30 & 11:30 a.m. Masses

Saturday, Dec. 22, 2007 4:00 – 5:00 p.m.

2007 CHRISTMAS SCHEDULE Christmas Eve, December 24th 5:00 p.m. Family Mass 11:15 p.m. Carols Christmas Day, Dec. 25th 12:00 Traditional Midnight Mass (English) 7:30, 9 & 10:30 a.m. Sung Masses (English) 12:00 noon Cantonese Mass New Year’s Day, January 1st 9:00 a.m. Mass (English)

St. Anne of the Sunset Church

850 Judah St., San Francisco (415) 665-1600 www.stanne-sf.org

Catholic San Francisco

December 14, 2007

Catholic san Francisco Northern California’s Weekly Catholic Newspaper

Guest editorial Subverting Christmas Even secular Americans are starting to notice. Time magazine published an essay in its Nov. 19 issue bemoaning the bunching up of the holidays: Halloween being hawked in September. Christmas being hawked in October, November and December. Thanksgiving Day transformed from a day of praise and gratitude to a day of carb fueling before the really important Friday kickoff to the Christmas shopping season. Time’s essayist quoted George Bernard Shaw: “A perpetual holiday is a good working definition of hell.” Is it just us, or is it getting hot in here? Christians should have even more to bemoan than capitalism’s compulsion to overlap all the seasons into one long line of ringing cash registers. Christmas carols were started in earnest the weekend after Halloween. In the Midwest, leaves were still on the trees and winter had not yet shaken its white head, yet shoppers were hearing about sleigh bells and silent nights. Radio stations started their 24/7 Christmas tune playlists. Thus was launched the two-month marathon of consumption, with images of perfect families and perfect gifts and perfect dinner tables crammed into our conscious and unconscious brains. We are as far from a humble manger as one can possibly get. Worse still, Americans are being told that it is almost their patriotic obligation to shop, as if every Christmas is a potential economic 9/11 and all that is asked of the citizenry is to charge itself into debt for the sake of the nation. And as absurd as this entire spectacle is, it is made worse by the fact that we can hardly avoid it. Waiting in line at Lowe’s to buy a “family tree,” negotiating the mall for the 6 a.m. dash for early-bird sales, or just doing a bit of grocery shopping in November surrounded by Xmas Muzak: It is a “working definition of hell.” At the risk of sounding a bit loony, we would like to remind our readers that it doesn’t have to be this way. There is such wonderful logic to the church’s refusal to play any Christmas carols in church until midnight Mass. Advent is a time of preparation, of readying ourselves for a real miracle that has nothing to do with a jolly fat man or some kind of misty-eyed appreciation of a really expensive gift. Even if we are too world-weary to rejoice in the birth of the God-man, this time of reflection and repentance is what our souls crave. And as we listen to the Mass readings and remember what God promised his people and what God gave us on Christmas Day, we have another opportunity to recover what Christmas really is all about. This Christmas season, commit yourself to some seditious acts in defense of the real celebration. If you must put up lights Thanksgiving weekend, be sure to keep them gloriously alight until the 12th day of Christmas (traditionally the feast of the Epiphany on Jan. 6). Make a game out of saying no to the overconsumption, perhaps limiting your gifts for loved ones to three (as in the three gifts of the Wise Men). Play the winter solstice tunes (those nostalgic nonreligious songs) all you want, but save the great religious carols for Christmas Eve and the 12 days that follow. Tithe your gift giving, so that a certain percentage goes to the less fortunate, alms in memory of the Savior who gave us everything. If you really want to lift the burden of Christmas expectations, ignore the Christmas cards and make a point of mailing out Easter cards. Give gifts on Epiphany and ditch the whole Advent shopping madness all together. But whatever you do, keep in mind the reason for this season: It is a good working definition of heaven. The above unsigned editorial appeared in the Dec. 9 issue of Our Sunday Visitor, a national Catholic newspaper published in Huntington, Ind. Reprinted with permission.

Majestic cantata

Weigel is insular

“The Birth of Christ” by Andrew T. Miller, composer, conductor and producer is singularly the most majestic addition to our Western Cultural music repertoire in recent memory. An American Catholic, praying in front of the Blessed Sacrament, not knowing how or by what means he was to accomplish this feat, said yes to the Voice of the Lord. Fittingly, this near transcendent cantata gives great emphasis to the role of Mary and her “yes” that produced the greatest gift to all mankind. Underscoring Mary’s great yes Miller contrasts the stubborn defiance of Zechariah, father of John the Baptist, denying God’s power and being struck silent until his assent to God’s Will as given to his wife Elizabeth in their old age. Set to voices of three choirs and solo soprano Amy Bils, tenor Robert McPhearson and baritone John B. Cooper we hear the lyrics of Gabriel’s Hail Mary as well the great Canticle of Zechariah and Mary’s Magnificat as sung in Morning and Evening prayers of the Church for centuries. Premiered on Nov. 6 in the great Protestant Christ Church Cathedral in Dublin, Ireland this work brought together Catholics and Protestants amidst the backdrop of violent sectarian differences. The miracle of “The Birth of Christ,” in this media, at this time and venue magnifies both the power of music and of the relentless power of the Gospel to bring peace on earth. Taken from Luke, Andrew Miller places this story within our daily experience as we choose to hear the Word spoken to each of us in our hearts waiting in hopeful expectation for our “yes.” Mary McCurry Pacifica

It appears from George Weigel’s Nov. 30 column that he envies Al Gore, who won a Nobel Peace Prize for his long-standing efforts on environmental issues (and not just for his film, “An Inconvenient Truth,” which was also excellent, as well as his book of the same title). Mr. Weigel might do well to take a very thoughtful look at what he personally is promoting in the cause of world peace. If a film can heighten awareness of important issues to a nation or the world, it has more value than an opinion column that is frequently insular and biased, and does nothing but make unjustified personal attacks on people who are brave enough to buck the negative tide. And that includes the film people who have also spoken out against injustice and war, whether they win awards or brickbats for their efforts. Rosemary K. Ring Kentfield

Weigel is right

L E T T E R S

George Weigel is quoted: “For the first time in human history, no one has to be poor...no one has to go to bed hungry or, worse, starve.” The obvious left leaning bent of Mr. Weber misses the point. Weigel is right! But for those dictators and inhumane others, warehousing food and commodities, hoarding and not distributing the great abundance we have on this earth, for their own political, and economic gain, there would be in fact, no hunger. It’s a distribution problem. We keep giving, and what we give goes to the powerful few and not to where it was intended, to the poor and hungry. George is right again, as Mr. Weber chastises him for being negative towards the Nobel Committee. Yasser Arafat gets a Nobel prize for peace? Al Gore receives the peace prize for a terribly flawed work? Please, as a reader of the Catholic, I applaud varied commentary, and I pray that George Weigel continues to have space and is able to write without being censored by those who disagree. Philip Feiner San Carlos

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Heroes needed

Regarding the Ross Foti imbroglio, if our bishops and pastors were doing their job properly from the pulpit we would not need laymen to go to the streets with pictures to show the reality of abortion. The real scandal is that the rate of abortion for Catholics is about the same as that for the general population. Maybe some of those offended parishioners need to have their consciences pricked. Surely abortion is the moral issue of our time. Yet where are the heroes to stand up and say so? Even Nazi Germany had Blessed Cardinal von Galen, the “lion of Munster,” and the Lutheran pastor Dietrich Bonhoffer. By contrast, for nearly 35 years the Catholic bishops’ bland statements in opposition to abortion have been ignored and forgotten. Only Cardinal Bernardin’s slippery and devious “seamless garment” argument has received some media attention. And that has been used to give cover to such politicians as Senator Kennedy, Governor Cuomo, and now Nancy Pelosi. We thank God for the witness of the late Congressman Henry Hyde. Real Catholics stand up for life and we stand with Ross. Beatrice Smalley San Francisco

Full story? I refer to the Nov. 30 letter (“Exclusive inclusiveness?”) written Mary E. Wynne of Atherton. I am sure many of readers like me have found the case of a pastor placing a parishioner under citizen’s arrest very alarming. But then I wonder if there is another side to the story. I wish the pastor of St. Matthew Church, or any of the parishioners could tell us their side. I don’t believe that any one should be condemned until the full story is out in the open. Walter E. Marston San Francisco

December 14, 2007

Catholic San Francisco

The Catholic Difference

Some Christmas book recommendations A year ago, the formidable Dorothy Rabinowitz asked me for a Christmastide Wall Street Journal column, to be dubbed the “Five Best Books on Christianity.” I suggested Matthew, Mark, Luke, John and Acts. Dorothy demurred. So I simmered down and gave her a list that included the late Dorothy Sayers’s translation of Dante’s “Divine Comedy.” I still love my Sayers, but I now wish I had listed Anthony Esolen’s “Divine Comedy” (Modern Library). The translation makes Dante sing; and the notes, which are nothing short of brilliant, are a splendid introduction to the Christian worldview. In his introduction to the”Inferno, Professor Esolen writes that “there are three principles regarding created things that I find fundamental to Dante’s view of the world and its beauty; they are also the principles that underlie the beauty of Dante’s poems and that, for our purposes in the ‘Inferno,’ will help us see the justice that inspired his zeal. They are these: Things have an end. Things have meaning. Things are connected.” I don’t know a more succinct riposte to the confusions that underlie the new atheism. If you’re looking for a Christmas gift that offers a poetic and theological vaccination against the rants of Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett, Sam Harris and Christopher Hitchens, give all three volumes of Esolen’s ”Divine Comedy.” Then buy yourself a set. Vienna’s Cardinal Christoph Schoenborn, OP, has long been a significant intellectual player in a related set of arguments having to do with creation and evolution. One of Catholicism’s most learned and wise men, Schoenborn is

no pre-modern. His rejection of evolution-as-ideology in “Chance or Purpose? Creation, Evolution, and a Rational Faith” (Ignatius Press) has nothing to do with biblical literalism and everything to do with the canons of reason. If a mutually enriching conversation between science and religion is to unfold in the 21st century, the rubbish strewn over the field by the new atheists (and especially by Dawkins) will have to be cleared away. Cardinal Schoenborn’s book does that deftly, while staking out a position ahead of the usual battle-lines and demonstrating how evolution construed as an ideology of purposelessness is demeaning to genuine humanism. A great gift for that young person who’s beginning to ask the Big Questions. Earlier this year I mentioned Volker Schloendorff’s gripping film on the priests’ barracks at Dachau, “The Ninth Day.” Zaccheus Press, a fledgling Catholic publisher in Bethesda, Md., now gives us Father Jean Bernard’s “Priestblock 25487,” the memoir on which “The Ninth Day” was based. In marked (but unstated) contrast to the critiques of the Catholic Church during the Nazi period, “Priestblock 25487” tells the largely-unknown story of priestly resistance to the brutality of German National Socialism under some of the most difficult circumstances imaginable, and explores the moral and spiritual challenge of remaining human and humane amidst sadism and inhumanity. It’s a good book for those who think everything has been said about the mysterium iniquitatis, the mystery of evil, in its Nazi form. One of the major surprises of the pontificate of John

Paul II was its enthusiastic reception by evangelical Protestants, especially in North America. “The Legacy of John Paul II: An Evangelical Assessment,” edited by Tim Perry and published George Weigel by InterVarsity Press, sheds the light of evangelical theological scholarship on John Paul’s efforts to remind the world that human beings can indeed grasp the truth of things, including the moral truths of things. Put aside your dubieties about the John Paul II book industry and get a taste of the ecumenism of the future, made possible by the man Baptist theologian Timothy George calls “our common teacher.” Finally, let me confess to a new airplane reading addiction: the spy novels of Daniel Silva. Start at the beginning of his Gabriel Allon series (“The Kill Artist”) and proceed on from there, skipping “The Confessor,” but making sure not to miss the next one set in the Vatican, “The Messenger.” Silva is a great read who provides a healthy dose of moral realism about the passions of the Middle East and how they affect all concerned. George Weigel is a senior fellow of the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington, D.C.

Guest Commentary

Dream of green, not white, this Christmas? By Lisa M. Petsche During this time of year, many of us stress ourselves to the limit, seeking the “perfect” gifts, shopping until we drop and spending beyond our means. But besides saving our sanity, avoiding debt and of course focusing more on the religious aspect of the season, there’s another reason to combat Christmas commercialism: protecting our planet’s natural resources. During the holiday season, household waste increases by more than 25 percent, the extra garbage consisting primarily of shopping bags, product packaging and gift wrap. Given the environmental crisis, we all have an obligation to change our holiday habits, especially when it comes to gift giving. Our first consideration should be reducing the number of gifts we give. If exchanging gifts with certain people no longer holds meaning, tactfully suggest discontinuing the ritual. Chances are they, too, will be relieved. Other strategies include drawing names, pooling resources, giving couple or family presents, and giving one or two major gifts that loved ones really want (as long as they’re within your budget), instead of numerous smaller-scale ones.

When pondering presents, consider non-material options. These include gifts of experience that allow the recipient to try something new, such as an art class or dance lessons, or an offer to teach a skill you possess; membership in an organization - an automobile club or naturalist group, for example - that will benefit the recipient or a favorite cause; a long-distance phone card; a gift certificate for a restaurant or a professional service such as housecleaning or a spa treatment; tickets to a cultural or sporting event, a movie or museum passes. Another great idea is IOU coupons for gifts of time or service. The possibilities are almost endless — from child care and home-cooked meals to chauffeuring and dog walking. For the person who seems to have everything, consider a charitable donation in their name or in memory of a recently deceased relative or pet. If you wish to give something tangible, homemade gifts are ideal and tend to be highly valued - jam, sauce or sweets from your kitchen, art work or a handcrafted item. When seeking something store-bought, avoid products that are trendy, disposable, have limited use, require batteries or don’t appear durable. Instead, give preference to items made from recycled materials or can be recycled; have minimal packaging; save energy (a hand-

cranked flashlight, for example); reduce waste (for instance, a travel mug); focus on nature (potted plant or bird feeder?); or for which the proceeds go to an environmental organization. If you’re unsure, choose a gift certificate. For wrapping, choose re-usable, easy-to-store gift bags and boxes, or make the wrapping part of the gift for example, a scarf, dish towel or photo storage box. Challenge yourself and your family and friends to get creative. With over-sized gifts, use a green garbage bag tied with red ribbon or adorned with a big bow. Better yet, leave the item unwrapped, hide it and provide clues on where to find it. Ensure any wrapping paper is made from recycled materials – and save for re-use. Get your kids or grandkids to help make gift tags from old Christmas cards. In today’s materialistic society, and especially during this season of hyper-consumerism, it’s easy to forget we don’t have to give something tangible or spend a cent to show loved ones we care. In fact, gifts of self - time and talent - are the most valuable presents we can give, not only at Christmas but throughout the year. Lisa M. Petsche is a clinical social worker and a freelance writer specializing in family life.

Spirituality for Life

Advent: a time to kindle our souls Pierre Teilhard de Chardin once suggested that peace and justice will come to us when we reach a high enough psychic temperature so as to burn away the things that still hold us apart. In saying this, he was drawing upon a principle in chemistry. Sometimes two elements will simply lie side by side inside a test-tube and not unite until sufficient heat is applied to bring them to a high enough temperature where unity can take place. That’s wonderful metaphor for advent. Advent is about getting in touch with our longing. It’s about letting our yearnings raise our psychic temperatures so we are pushed to eventually let down our guard, hope in new ways and risk intimacy. John of the Cross has a similar image: Intimacy with God and with each other will only take place, he says, when we reach a certain kindling temperature. For too much of our lives, he suggests, we lie around as damp, green logs inside the fire of love, waiting to come to flame but never bursting into flame. Before we can burst into flame, we must dry out and come to kindling temperature. We do that, as does a damp log inside a fire, by first sizzling for a long time in the flames.

How do we sizzle psychologically and spiritually? For John of the Cross, we do that through the pain of loneliness, restlessness, disquiet, anxiety, frustration and unrequited desire. In the torment of incompleteness our psychic temperature rises so that eventually we come to kindling temperature and, there, we finally open ourselves to union in new ways. That too is an image for advent. Advent is all about loneliness, but loneliness is a complex thing. Nobel Prize winning author, Toni Morrison describes it this way: “There is a loneliness that can be rocked. Arms crossed, knees drawn up, holding, holding on, this motion, unlike a ship’s, smoothes and contains the rocker. It’s an inside kind — wrapped tight like skin. Then there is a loneliness that roams. No rocking can hold it down. It is alive, on its own. A dry and spreading thing that makes the sound of one’s own feet going seems to come from a far-off place.” All of us know exactly what she is describing, especially the latter type, the roaming kind of loneliness that haunts the soul and makes us, all too often, too restless to sleep at night and too uncomfortable to be inside our own skin during the day.

What we learn from loneliness is that we are more than any moment in our lives, more than any situation we are in, more than any humiliation we have experienced, more than any rejection we Father have endured, and Ron Rolheiser more than all the limits within which we find ourselves. Loneliness and longing take us beyond ourselves. How? Thomas Aquinas taught that we can attain something in one of two ways: through possession or through desire. We like to possess what we love, but that isn’t often possible, and it has an underside. Possession is limited, desire is infinite. Possession sets up fences, desire takes down fences. To quote Karl Rahner, only in the torment of the insufficiency of everything ROLHEISER, page 23

Catholic San Francisco

December 14, 2007

Labor trafficking targeted By Rick DelVecchio

abor trafficking is an underreported crime in California and victims, often fearful and economically bound to their abusers, need immediate help from government and nongovernmental organizations working together, advocates say. A sense that labor traffickers operate with impunity despite tougher state and federal laws is driving new outreach efforts in Northern and Southern California. In San Francisco, Catholic Charities CYO is working to build a network of advocates in the faith community so that Latino victims in particular can feel safe stepping forward. “A lot of people don’t even know they are victims,” said Irina Goldenshteyn, a case manager for CCCYO’s Refugee and Immigrant Services. “They think it’s supposed to be like that. They don’t know there’s any other way.” Human trafficking, which has been called modern-day slavery, is a global problem that has its sources in nations where economic and civil disruption leaves poor and marginalized people open to exploitation. With the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000, Congress put in place measures to hold foreign governments accountable and doubled the prison sentence for a federal trafficking conviction. It also created a new type of visa for victims who cooperate with law enforcement and face peril if forced to return home. But recently, lawmakers have been hearing advocates’ pleas that more be done to provide legal protection and social services to the estimated 17,500 victims trafficked into the United States each year. In September, Bishop Gerald R. Barnes of the Diocese of San Bernardino, chairman of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Migration, lamented the lack of public education on the problem. “Humane responses have remained slow,” he said in a statement. “The global community, including the United States, is only beginning to comprehend the scope and impact of selling human persons in the world.” That position was given significant support by a report released Dec. 4 by a 19-member statewide task force, the California Alliance to Combat Trafficking and Slavery. The 130-page report says the state’s international border, numerous ports and airports, soaring immigrant population, and expansive economy all contribute to California being a prime target for human trafficking. The report says labor trafficking includes much more than sex trade and lists farming, construction, clothing manufacturing, domestic work, restaurants and the motel/hotel industry among others. It cites a study by the University of California, Berkeley, Human Rights Center which reported that between 1998 and 2003 university researchers uncovered 57 forced labor operations in a dozen California cities involving more than 500 persons from 18 countries. Members of the Alliance include San Francisco Superior Court Judge Susan Breall; San Francisco County District Attorney Kamala Harris; and Ivy Lee, staff attorney for San Francisco’s Asian Pacific Islander Legal Outreach. Local advocates fear widespread abuse among domestic workers and farm workers, saying undocumented workers are particularly at risk by abusers who take advantage of their lack of education and sense of powerlessness to defend their rights. In a typical case, a fellow national abuses the victim. Key to rescuing victims is to make sure there are trusted people who will hear their stories. These first-line advocates often include priests and women religious. CCCYO’s Goldenshteyn said she hopes to recruit priests and nuns not only to reach out to victims but also to provide assistance for any who seek help. Emergency housing is the most critical assistance because it helps create stability essential to victims’ participation in legal action against traffickers and in making the transition to normal work and family life. Because the housing must be available on short notice, Goldenshteyn is seeking parishes that will agree in advance to provide shelter for new victims referred by law enforcement. An extended refuge can be crucial in labor trafficking cases, which are harder to prove than sex trafficking cases. This is partly due to victims’ economic dependence on their abusers.

Goldenshteyn said neighbors and fellow parishioners also could play a role in combating trafficking. Often trafficking is in plain sight, but difficult to detect, she said. A compassionate eye can spot warning signs in a victim’s demeanor. “I want people to understand we have to help our Spanishspeaking community raise awareness of the issue, to try to identify the signs and talk about it,” Goldenshteyn said. Goldenshteyn said she recently interviewed a young Central American woman who was referred to Catholic Charities by a federal agency as a potential victim of trafficking or domestic violence. It was difficult to separate the two. “She was an actual example for me,” Goldenshteyn said. “The look in her eyes. It was nothing specific. She spoke in Spanish and was very positive, but the look in her eyes – looking for protection.” The experience convinced Goldenshteyn more should be done to reach out to labor trafficking victims. “I was scared that millions of people would be exploited the same way and wouldn’t be able to have help, or would be deported, or wouldn’t have the guts to tell it,” she said. Kay Buck, executive director of the Los Angeles-based Coalition to Abolish Slavery and Trafficking, said Asian workers are the most numerous labor trafficking victims, followed by workers from Latin America. Mexico and Guatemala are notorious sources of victims who are typically domestic or sweatshop workers. Buck said she suspects there is much underreported trafficking in the agriculture industry and noted her organization is beginning an outreach in the Central Valley. Recently, there has been an increase in victims from Africa, Buck added. “In general this crime is underreported for reasons of fear, which are really legitimate,” she said. “Traffickers not only threaten the victims but also their families back home. They’ll threaten to kill the children. We haven’t had cases where they’ll murder their kids but we have had cases where they’ll burn their houses down and intimidate the families.” Victims of labor trafficking

suffer a kind of indentured servitude. They are subjected to abuses including lack of pay, no time off, poor housing and unsanitary conditions. They are too afraid to stand up for their rights as employees under state and federal laws. “What happens a lot is domestic servitude where people are tricked into thinking they’ll come here to be a nanny to take care of a home or to be a travel companion to a family,” Buck said. “When they get here, that’s when they realize the traffickers had no intention of that.” Goldenshteyn said she recently handled the case of a Southeast Asian woman who was brought to the Bay Area to work as a domestic servant for a diplomat. The case was reported by a Good Samaritan. After an investigation the Samaritan brought the victim to Catholic Charities, which in turn transferred her to an emergency shelter. The woman had been a domestic servant since she was 16. Her parents had pressed her into it. “It’s a combination of domestic violence and trafficking together,” Goldenshteyn said. “They almost force you to do it.” She agreed to come as the diplomat’s nanny, but her responsibilities changed dramatically after she arrived. She was paid only twice over three years, her documents were taken and she was told she could not leave the employer’s home. “No life, no free time,” Goldenshteyn said. “This is labor trafficking.” She arrived at Catholic Charities in a depressed state. Gradually she recovered, moving to transitional housing, then to independent housing with a roommate. She attended community college and worked as a babysitter. The diplomat, immune from prosecution, went home after his assignment in the Bay Area ended. In congressional testimony Oct. 31, Anastasia Brown, director of refugee programs for the U.S. Catholic bishops, stated her support for provisions of the latest expansion of the U.S. government’s legal power to combat trafficking, the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2007. Services should be made available to victims from rescue until they are in good health, and the federal government should make it easier for victims to receive a broader range of services, she said. Ed note: The complete text of the report on labor trafficking by the California Alliance to Combat Trafficking and Slavery Task Force can be see at www.safestate.org under “Focus Areas.”

Catholic San Francisco

December 14, 2007

Milk Grotto brings faith, hope and sometimes babies BETHLEHEM, West Bank (CNS) — The rows of framed letters and baby pictures are testimony that the Milk Grotto — where Mary is said to have nursed Jesus as the Holy Family fled to Egypt — has been much more than a pilgrimage to many couples. One picture on the wall of the Milk Grotto’s chapel shows a mother from Argentina happily nursing her newborn baby. In another letter a mother from Spain wrote, “Carmen is a gift from heaven.” A couple from Ireland wrote, “In thanksgiving and deep gratitude to Our Blessed Lady for our dear son Jamie.” Another mother from India described how she and her husband had given up on a child after nine years of trying to conceive. Now, she wrote, after the birth of their daughter, her “whole life will be a life of thanksgiving.” From Venezuela another woman wrote how after five miscarriages she gave birth to a “miracle baby, Leonardo Jose.” One after another, parents from such far-flung places as Sri Lanka, the United States, Canada, Bermuda and England have written about the miraculous birth of their children after having prayed using the “milk powder” from the grotto. “Throughout the centuries this has been a place for special devotion for women ... who are trying to conceive,” said Franciscan Brother Lawrence, an American who oversees the grotto and chapel for the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land. According to tradition, he said, a few drops of Mary’s milk dropped onto the cave floor as she stopped to nurse her child.

(CNS PHOTOS/DEBBIE HILL)

By Judith Sudilovsky

A woman prays near a small altar at the Milk Grotto chapel in Bethlehem, West Bank, Dec. 5. The grotto is believed to be a place where Mary fed Jesus as the Holy Family fled to Egypt. Pilgrims, especially women who want to conceive, have visited the grotto for centuries.

“Women who can’t have children have a very hard time. With this prayer they are filled,” he said. Some people have even brought their babies back to the small shrine inside the grotto to give thanks, he said. The grotto is at least 2,000 years old and the early Christians came to pray here, he said, but the first structure was built over it around 385. The faithful have venerated the spot for its powers as early as the fourth century, he said, and local women of all

Franciscan Brother Lawrence stands amid baby photos and testimonies from people who have visited the Milk Grotto chapel in Bethlehem.

Pope message . . . ■ Continued from cover individuals and nations have not learned to live together in harmony and mutual responsibility, the pope said. “Humanity today is unfortunately experiencing great division and sharp conflicts which cast dark shadows on its future,” he said. Cardinal Renato Martino, president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, presented the message to the press Dec. 11. He said Pope Benedict’s concerns about the arms race, both nuclear and conventional, reflects the fact that global military spending reached an all-time high in 2006 and that, in many cases, countries have tried to justify their increased military spending by claiming it was necessary to combat terrorism. “After the terrorist attacks against the United States of Sept. 11, 2001, the international community adopted severe measures against the risk of terrorism,” Cardinal Martino said. “At the same time, nations — especially the nuclear powers — began a renewal of their military apparatus and their weapons. “On this basis,” he said, “it seems correct to affirm that

faiths and denominations come here to pray for children, taking with them bits of the “milk powder” from the soft limestone found throughout the grotto. Holes the width of a finger can be found in several spots in the grotto ceiling of the newly renovated shrine, where over the years people have scraped out the fine dust to take home with them. About 10 years ago when B r o t h e r Lawrence came to the grotto the Franciscans began preparing small packets of the limestone powder to give people for a small donation. They do not sell the powder online, he said, because the number of requests would be overwhelming and expensive to fill. Plenty of limestone to last for years is in blocked-off places in the grotto, said Brother Lawrence. Sometimes friends and relatives of a couple trying to conceive have visited the shrine and take back the powder with them, and people have written attesting to the powder’s power to heal illnesses and reverse breach babies, he said.

the current policy of state security threatens the very peace and security of the people it intends to defend.” In his message, Pope Benedict wrote, “In difficult times such as these, it is necessary for all persons of good will to come together to reach concrete agreements aimed at an effective demilitarization, especially in the area of nuclear arms.” In explaining the theme he chose for the message, the pope said the fact that a strong, healthy family is the basis of a healthy society is not simply a slogan. “In a healthy family life we experience some of the fundamental elements of peace: justice and love between brothers and sisters; the role of authority expressed by parents; loving concern for the members who are weaker because of youth, sickness or old age; mutual help in the necessities of life; readiness to accept others and, if necessary, to forgive them,” Pope Benedict said. The pope said that anyone who weakens the institution of the family weakens “what is in effect the primary agency of peace” in society. “Everything that serves to weaken the family based on the marriage of a man and a woman, everything that directly or indirectly stands in the way of its openness to the responsible acceptance of a new life, everything that obstructs its right to be primarily responsible for the edu-

The renovations on the shrine, which were started three years ago and completed at the end of 2006, have revealed sixth- and seventh-century Byzantine mosaic floors. The walls and ceiling were cleaned of soot from centuries of oil lamps and candle-burning. The structure was made handicapped-accessible, and a larger chapel was added on the second level to accommodate pilgrim groups who want to celebrate Mass there. A local Mass is held every Wednesday afternoon in the small church adjacent to the grotto. The Sacramentine Nuns hold a roundthe-clock prayer vigil in shifts at a special altar behind a glass window in a cordoned-off part of the shrine. Faithful of all religions and denominations continue to venerate the grotto, said Brother Lawrence. Every denomination has a different form of prayer with the powder, he said, but according to Catholic tradition both the husband and wife must drink a bit of the powder mixed with milk or water for nine days and recite the prayer for the third joyful mystery of the rosary, said Brother Lawrence. “They pray from their heart asking Our Lady of the Milk for intercession in healing,” he said, noting that he has heard of 1,700 babies born in the last 10 years and has read every one of the 400 letters that have been sent to the shrine, including 60 in the last six months.

Two photos of Italian children hang in the Milk Grotto chapel in Bethlehem, Dec. 5. They are among the hundreds of letters and images received by the shrine from people who have prayed there.

“The joy is immense,” he said. “When you have faith you can move mountains.” B r o t h e r Lawrence said he knows there are people who are skeptical about the powers of such holy relics, and the powder’s mystery probably will not work on those who do not have faith. “Faith is a gift from God,” he said. “We who have been baptized have to be open to the Spirit. We need for our faith to be alive and that will enrich us.”

cation of its children, constitutes an obstacle on the road to peace,” he said. The family needs and has a right to a home, employment, education for the children and health care, the pope said. Pope Benedict said costs and sacrifices required to protect the environment and to halt its degradation must be shared globally, but — as in a family — with an awareness of the limited resources of the poorer nations and the greater responsibility of industrialized countries. The pope said it might be necessary to establish a new international agency to coordinate efforts to ensure “the stewardship of this ‘home’ of ours.” Pope Benedict also dedicated a chapter of his message to the need for people around the world, like members of one family, to hold certain values in common. “For the sake of peace,” he wrote, “a common law is needed, one which would foster true freedom rather than blind caprice and protect the weak from oppression by the strong.” In too many situations, the pope said, “the weak must bow not to the demands of justice, but to the naked power of those stronger than themselves.” The Vatican’s translation of the pope’s message is available at: http://www.vatican.va.

Catholic San Francisco

December 14, 2007

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Pope among 12 religious leaders on CBS documentary WASHINGTON (CNS) — The genesis for a documentary on why people use religion and faith as justification for some of history’s most horrible acts came from one recent horrible act: the World Trade Center attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Jules Naudet, who with his brother Gedeon produced the upcoming CBS documentary “In God’s Name,” collaborated with his older brother on “9/11,” which aired on CBS five years ago. Until those terrorist attacks, the Naudets were planning on making a documentary on the lives of firefighters. What resulted was entirely different. And the effects of that tragedy provided some motivation for “In God’s Name.” “It was the moment where I was filming in the lobby of the World Trade Center, and hearing that horrible roar coming from above,” the Paris-born Naudet told Catholic News Service in a telephone interview from New York, his home for the past 18 years. He and his brother were at the trade center that day because they had begun work on their film about firefighters. “Having the first World Trade Center tower coming down on us, me running for my life and thinking I was going to die,” Naudet said, “this strange question popped into my head: Why am I here? What is the meaning of life? I survived that day, and for a few months these questions were in the back of my head and nagging me. I talked it over with my brother.” They decided “why don’t we go to see the people who should have these answers? These are kind of the spiritual beacons on our planet,” he said. Pope Benedict XVI is one of 12 spiritual leaders, five of them Christian, featured in the documentary. NonChristians include the Dalai Lama, the chief rabbi of Israel, a Hindu spiritual leader and a prominent Sunni Muslim leader. The pope was the only one of the 12 who did not sit down for a private interview.

(CNS PHOTO/STEPHAN CRASNEANSCKI/ COURTESY OF CBS)

By Mark Pattison

Pope Benedict XVI leads the traditional Way of the Cross at the Colosseum in Rome in April. The pontiff is one of 12 spiritual leaders featured in the documentary “In God’s Name,” which airs Dec. 23 at 9 p.m. PST on CBS.

“The Vatican historically has not given interviews. A pope has not given a private interview because his exclusivity in a way would not be fair,” Naudet said. “But I think we worked very closely with him. We went through all the archives and found features of His Holiness to find answers to the questions we had: What

is the meaning of life? What is the future, his hopes, his fears?” Through the archival research, they were able to find images “that never had been seen before,” Naudet said. “I think people will look differently on the pope when you see him. ... That will give them another dimension that people would not previously see.” The Naudets couldn’t say exactly what viewers will see when “In God’s Name” hits the airwaves Dec. 23, 911 p.m. PST. They were still in the editing room. Making a film, Naudet said, is like “putting together this amazing and beautiful puzzle. It’s hard to do.” The brothers calculated that over 165 days of filming “we have 180 hours of footage to condense into a twohour special. It’s heartbreaking in a way. Every time you remove something you feel like you’re tearing a limb from yourself,” Naudet said. The two have been a filmmaking team since boyhood. “Gedeon was 12, I was 9 and I was more the actor and he was the director,” Naudet said. “We had our dad lend us a small camera and we made our first film, which I think was a small thriller, which was in our neighborhood in Paris, and then (we made) a small documentary about our school. Then we went to film school in New York together.” “We see slightly different things. We are a body with two different heads. We arrive at the same conclusion but from two different points of view,” he added. Raised as an agnostic by their parents, Naudet said his beliefs didn’t change when making “In God’s Name.” “I don’t think I can say at the end of the journey itself after meeting these people that I found God,” he told CNS, “but I found hope — which is what I was wrestling with. I did not know what kind of answers we were going to get. It was a little frightening. “The lesson I get from this is that we have more to unite us than divide us,” he said. “That is what gave me great hope.”

December 14, 2007

Music TV

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Stage

Cinema Vita Film Festival Masses and music top to call attention to life issues EWTN’s holiday airings Inspired by the success of the film “Bella,” the Respect Life Program of the Archdiocese of San Francisco has scheduled its first Cinema Vita Film Festival in cooperation with the Oakland Diocesan Respect Life Ministry, Marriage for Life and Ignatius Press. The festival will showcase “After the Truth,” an internationally acclaimed German film that depicts the fictional trial of Dr. Josef Mengele, the “angel of death” at Auschwitz. Organizers are accepting submissions of three to five minute original films that treat “contemporary issues concerning life and explore life’s deep signifi-

cance,” states a press release. Films will compete in three divisions: high school, college and an open category. For submission guidelines, visit www.cinemavita.org or call (415) 387-2324. Deadline for submissions is Feb. 1. The festival will be held on March 7 at the Delancey Street Theatre, 600 Embarcadero in San Francisco. Tickets are $15, or $10 for students and persons over 65. Organizers noted that “After the Truth” “poses ethical questions about experimentation on human life that are still relevant today, perhaps even more relevant.”

Rolheiser . . .

we often long for — sex, revenge, fame, power, glory, pleasure. However, even in these fantasies, be they ever so crass, there is present always a deeper desire, for justice, for peace, for joy, for oneness in Christ. Our loneliness and longing are a hunger and an energy that drive us beyond the present moment. In them we do intuit the kingdom of God. Advent is about longing, about getting in touch with it, about heightening it, about letting it raise our psychic temperatures, about sizzling as damp, green logs inside the fires of intimacy, about intuiting the kingdom of God by seeing, through desire, what the world might look like if a Messiah were to come and, with us, establish justice, peace and unity on this earth.

■ Continued from page 19 attainable do we know we are more than the limits of our bodies, our present relationships, our jobs, our achievements, and the concrete situations within which we live, work and die. Loneliness and longing let us touch, through desire, God’s ultimate design for us. In our longing, the mystics tell us, we intuit the kingdom of God. What that means is that in our desires we sense the deeper blueprint for things. And what is that? Scripture tells us the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, of simple bodily pleasure, but a coming together in justice, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Ultimately, that is what we ache for in our loneliness and longing: consummation, oneness, intimacy, completeness, harmony, peace and justice. Sometimes, of course, in fantasies and daydreams that isn’t so evident. God’s kingdom seems something much loftier and more holy than what

Christmas Season programming on the Eternal Word Television Network will include “Candles & Carols,” an annual performance by more than 200 college choral and instrumental groups, Dec. 22 at 7 p.m. and Dec. 26 at 11 a.m. Midnight Mass with Pope Benedict XVI will be telecast live from St. Peter’s Basilica on Dec. 24 at 3 p.m. and will encore Dec. 25 at 5 a.m. and 4 p.m. Choral meditations and the Mass of Christmas Eve will air live from the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C., Dec. 24 at 7 p.m. The pope’s Christmas message to the world will be telecast live from St. Peter’s Square on Dec. 25 at 3 a.m., with encores Dec. 25 at 7 p.m. and Dec. 26 at 12 a.m. and 2 p.m. With programs for all ages, EWTN is carried 24 hours a day on Comcast Digital Channel 229; Astound Channel 80; San Bruno Cable Channel 143; DISH Satellite Channel 261; and Direct TV Channel 370. Comcast airs EWTN on Channel 70 in Half Moon Bay and on Channel 74 in southern San Mateo County. Visit www.ewtn.com for more Christmas programming information.

Catholic San Francisco invites you

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Oblate Father Ron Rolheiser, theologian, teacher and awardwinning author, is president of the Oblate School of Theology in San Antonio, Texas. His website is www.ronrolheiser.com.

Fr. Richard Cash, Spiritual Director

Saint Peter of Gallicantu

Visit: Tel Aviv, Netanya, Caesarea, Mt. Carmel, Tiberias, Upper Galilee, Jerusalem, Masada

IRELAND June 30 – July 9, 2008 Departs San Francisco 10-Day Pilgrimage

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Fr. John Moriarty, Spiritual Director Visit: Shannon, Cliffs of Moher, Galway, Knock, St. Mary’s Cathedral Croagh Patrick, Kylemore Abbey, Connemara, Bunratty Folk Park, Ennis, Adare, Slea Head, Gallarus Oratory, Dingle, Killarney, Gougane Barra Park, Blarney Castle, Cork, Waterford, Rock of Cashel, Holy Cross Abbey, Kilkenny, Wicklow, Glendalough, Dublin

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Fr. Martin Gillespie, Spiritual Director Visit: Rome (Papal Audience), Orvieto, Siena Assisi, Loreta, Lanciano, Mt. St. Angelo, San Giovanni, Sorrento, Capri, Positanto, Amalfi. Pompeii,

Sorrento

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Catholic San Francisco

December 14, 2007

St. Hilary event will support work of Trinitarian Sisters By Tom Burke Friends of the Trinitarian Sisters will celebrate the religious order’s good work and raise money for their ministries at St. Hilary Parish in Tiburon Jan. 26. Tony and Maria Good have been supporters of the Trinitarians of Mary for several years. The couple met the congregation’s founder, Mother Lillie, while Tony was undergoing treatment for cancer in San Diego. “I was blessed to spend much time with Mother Lillie and learn of her work,” Good said. “During our visits, a voice or something told me that a huge need was to help provide for the people she sought to help.” Mother Lillie traces beginnings of the Trinitarian Sisters to a pilgrimage to Fatima in 1992 where she said she was enlightened to the idea. With the assistance of the Diocese of Tijuana, Mexico and spiritual and practical direction from the now late Mother Teresa of Calcutta, the then lay Carmelite Lillian Diaz founded the order she now heads. Currently, she and 40 Trinitarian Sisters live and work from Mt. Tabor Monastery atop a “desolate mountain” in Tecate overlooking a road to Tijuana. Mother Lillie had the opportunity to meet several times with Pope John Paul II who blessed the Trinitarian group and encouraged its work. “Our charism is to adore Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament of the Altar, praying for priests and for the conversion of the whole world,” Mother Lillie states on the order’s website (http://trinitariansofmary.org). While the Sisters live what they call a

Bethlehem . . . ■ Continued from page 3 small number in the land where Jesus preached, redeemed humanity and founded the Church,” he said in July. Anastas’s concerns are much more personal. “We are civilians,” she said in her soft Arabic-accent. “This is our home.” Deeply anxious about her children’s future, she said they have been psychologically damaged by years of violence and the fear and isolation caused by the wall. When she had a birthday party for her youngest son recently, only one of his 35 classmates showed up, a relative. “He doesn’t want to have a birthday anymore,” Anastas said. There was no consultation before when the wall went up. The initial blockade was set up in a day. Civil leaders told them nothing could be done about it. “They told us it was a hopeless case,” she said. The Christian community has received some support from the Catholic Patriarch of Jerusalem, Archbishop Michel Sabbah. And Anastas has had limited help from her Catholic parish of St. Joseph, where the younger children attend school. The Vatican, alarmed by the hardships caused by the barrier, has long urged for an international solution. Speaking Nov. 8 at the United Nations, the

Theologian’s book . . . ■ Continued from page 5 religions and fulfilling Christ’s command to proclaim the Gospel to all the nations.” Father Phan’s book also says the Church’s claim “as the unique and universal instrument of salvation” should be “abandoned altogether,” primarily because of “the humanness of the Church and her historical entanglement with sin and injustice,” the committee said. “The book is certainly correct when it points out that members of the Church, through the course of history, have sinned and that the credibility of Christian witness

Mother Lillie

“semi-contemplative” life of prayer, they have taken to live with them poor young women from the area surrounding their convent. “In the three years we have been helping the Sisters, we have raised nearly $75,000,” Tony Good said. “This has helped provide food, medical supplies, additional water supply and solar power. In addition, the Sisters provide relief to 1,000 people who travel to Mt. Tabor each month .” “Since Maria and I became involved in this we have gotten to know Mother Lillie quite well. She is often called the `Mother Teresa of Mexico’ and for good reason. She has the ability to move people without saying a word. We hope to have her at this year’s event.” The fundraiser follows St. Hilary’s 5 p.m. Mass and will include a Mexican fiesta theme with Mariachi music, food and silent and live auctions. Tickets are $100. For more information, contact Tony Good at honolark@aol.com or (415) 927-7065. Vatican’s permanent observer to the U.N., Archbishop Celestino Migliore, said “the numerous incidents of violence and challenges to free movement posed by the (Israeli) security wall” have prompted the Vatican to renew calls for internationally guaranteed provisions that ensure the freedom of religion and conscience for those who live there. The Vatican is pressing for “permanent, free and unhindered access to the holy places by the faithful of all religions and nationalities,” he said. In the meantime, Anastas can’t wait. She prays and prays. She carries with her a worn Arabic prayerbook with the image of the Divine Mercy Jesus on the front and St. Faustina on the back. She feels her family’s future rests on her shoulders. “It’s our responsibility, we need to do something.” She knows she can’t remove the wall, much less bring peace to that deeply troubled land. Her motivation is not political, it’s maternal and simple. She wants to reopen her shop. She wants pilgrims to visit Bethlehem. She wants to return to making a living selling olive wood carvings and provide a future for her family. “We wish to live in peace,” she said. “This is what we are asking for, nothing else.” Ed. note: Claire Anastas may be contacted at claireanastas@gmail.com, or through her website: www.anastas-bethlehem.com. Catholic San Francisco reporter Michael Vick contributed to this story. to the world has suffered greatly from this,” it added. “Nevertheless, the holiness of the Church is not simply defined by the holiness (or sinfulness) of her members but by the holiness of her head, the lord Jesus Christ.” In the Bay Area Father Phan argued that the Church share power with the “global South” — the poor and deeply religious of Africa, Asia and Latin America. He challenged the idea of a unified Christendom as indicative of Eurocentric ideology. “We say ‘Christianities,’ plural,” he said. “In fact, in the first seven centuries the most successful fields of mission were not Europe but Asia and Africa, with Syria as the epicenter.”

December 14, 2007

Advent Opportunities Dec. 14, 15, 16: “A Christmas Carol,” the musical, at Notre Dame de Namur Theater, 1500 Ralston Ave. in Belmont. Admission free. For tickets and curtain times contact boxoffice@ndnu.edu or call (650) 508-3456. Dec. 14, 7:30 p.m.: St. Charles Parish, 880 Tamarack Ave. in San Carlos presents its annual Christmas Concert under the direction of Claire Giovannetti accompanied by Jim Stevens and Chris Candelaria. Performance features Adult and Children’s Choirs with music of Advent and Christmas. Free-will offering benefits parish music ministries. Call (650) 591-7349, ext. 32. Dec. 14, 15, 7:30 p.m.: Gifts from the Heart, annual Christmas benefit concert featuring Mater Dolorosa Parish Hallelujah Chorale and Cherubim Children’s Choir directed by Angelita Pasamba at the church, 307 Willow Ave. in South San Francisco. Tickets are $10. Call (650) 583-4131. Dec. 15, 6:30 p.m.: Separated and Divorced Catholics annual Christmas potluck dinner at St. Dominic Church (lower level), 2390 Bush St. near Steiner in San Francisco. The cost is $5 if you bring food, $10 if you don’t. For details, call Gail at (650) 591-8452 or Vonnie at (650) 8734236. Dec. 15, 2 p.m.: Annual Tenderloin Christmas, a musical story about the birth of Christ, at St. Boniface Theater, 175 Golden Gate Ave. in San Francisco The event will benefit the St. Francis Living Room (www.sflivingroom.org), an organization providing for elderly seniors in the Tenderloin neighborhood. Show features Litz Plummer, The Opera Lady known for singing outdoors along Maiden Lane to the delight of many locals and tourists. Santa Claus will hand out goodies for the kids. Admission is free. Visit www.LivingMiracleProductions.com. Dec. 15: 190th anniversary celebration, Mission San Rafael Arcangel. Features Native American exhibits, 4-5 p.m.; Mass at 5 p.m. with retired Sacramento Bishop Francis A. Quinn presiding; reception from 6:30-8 p.m. hosted by Mission San Rafael Arcangel Preservation Foundation. For information, contact Theresa Brunner McDonald at (415) 454-8141, ext. 12, or tbrunner@saintraphael.com. Dec. 15, 11 a.m.: Christmas remembrance service “for those who have died and in prayerful support for those who grieve” in the All Saints Mausoleum Chapel of Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery, Colma. For more information, call (650) 756-2060, or visit the cemetery website: www.holycrosscemeteries.com. Dec. 16, 5:30 p.m.: Christmas cookies and caroling in St. Mary’s Cathedral’s St. Francis Hall, Gough and Geary Blvd. in San Francisco at 5:30 p.m. A holiday concert and caroling fundraiser for Cathedral Choir. Tickets - $20 adults/$10 seniors and children available at the door. For further information, contact Music Director Chris Tietze: (415) 567-2020, ext. 213 Dec. 16, 5 p.m.: The internationally renowned Mission Dolores Basilica Choir presents its16th Annual Candlelight Christmas Concert at Mission Dolores, 16th and Dolores St. in San Francisco. Tickets $12 to $25. Visit www.missiondolores.org or call (415) 621-8203. Dec. 16, 7 p.m.: Theology by the Glass with Christopher Lyford, assistant superintendent of schools for the Archdiocese of San Francisco at Savvy Cellar, 2048 Broadway in Redwood City. Sponsored by St. Pius Parish. Contact Kevin@oius.org or call (650) 365-0140. Dec. 16-24, 6 a.m., Simbang Gabi at St. Stephen: Now on its 11th year and with 8 parishes participating: St. Anne of the Sunset, St. Brendan, St. Cecilia, St. Emydius, St. Finn Barr, St. Gabriel, St. Stephen and Star of the Sea. Liturgies will include scenes from the Gospel reading of the day. A parish community hosts each day. As in the homeland, a light breakfast daily before “going off to the fields.” Archbishop George Niederauer will celebrate Mass on Dec. 24 followed by a “Pasko sa Baryo” potluck Christmas party with cultural dances, music and parol festival. Contact Nellie Hizon: (415) 699-7927. Dec. 17 – 24, 6:30 p.m.: Join the Sisters of St. Paul each evening in their Solemn Christmas Novena (with Scripture and song). First time ever opened for public participation! Pauline Books & Media, 2640 Broadway, Redwood City; (650) 369-4230. Dec. 18, 7:30 p.m.: “Bethlehem Down,” a romantic Christmas concert at St. Dominic Church, Bush and Steiner St. in San Francisco featuring St. Dominic’s Solemn Mass Choir and Festival Orchestra. Tickets: $20 adults, $10 students/seniors. Call (415) 567-7824. Dec. 19, 7:30 –9 p.m.: Take time to pray this Advent. The Dominican Sisters of Mission San Jose invite all to Lectio Divina - Scripture Faith Sharing. Takes place at the Motherhouse(main parlor), 43326 Mission Blvd., Fremont. For more information, contact Sister Beth Quire, O.P. at (510) 657-2468 or beth@msjdominicans.org. Dec. 19 through Feast of Epiphany, Jan. 6: Live Nativity scene at Our Lady of the Pillar Church, Kelly and Church St. in Half Moon Bay. Event is sponsored by Knights of Columbus, Our Lady of the Pillar Council 7534. Live singing and music. For times and special events, call Mel Ewing at (650) 726-6765 or Jose Diaz at (650) 728-0274. 1st and 3rd Tuesdays: Noontime concerts – 12:30 p.m. - at Old St. Mary’s Cathedral, 660 California St. at Grant, San Francisco; $5 donation requested. Sundays at 3:30 p.m.: Concerts at St. Mary’s Cathedral, Gough and Geary St. in San

Datebook

Catholic San Francisco

Chuck McNeil at (415) 567-7824; St. Finn Barr (bilingual); call Carmen Solis at (415) 584-0823. St. Gabriel; call Elaine Khalaf at (415) 564-7882. Young Widow/Widower Group: St. Gregory, San Mateo; call Barbara Elordi at (415) 6145506. Ministry to Parents: Our Lady of Angels, Burlingame; call Ina Potter at (650) 347-6971 or Barbara Arena at (650) 344-3579. Children’s Grief Group: St. Catherine, Burlingame; call Debbie Simmons at (650) 5581015. Information regarding grief ministry in general: call Barbara Elordi at (415) 614-5506.

Returning Catholics

Archbishop Riordan High School welcomed more than 200 seventh and eighth grade students to it first Leadership Day Nov. 9. Representing schools including All Souls, Mission Dolores, Notre Dame des Victoires, St. Brendan, St. Dunstan, St. Elizabeth, St. Finn Barr, St. Gabriel and St. James, the students took part in a roster of leadership development events. Francisco, followed by Vespers. Call (415) 5672020. Adult Faith Formation in San Mateo County. Adult Catholics, are you interested in growing in your faith, but have no idea where to start? Several parishes in San Mateo County have collaborated on a new website. On the site, you’ll find several concrete ways to grow in your faith. At last there is one place to go to find out about workshops, retreats, speakers, and web resources all in one place. The site is constantly updated and organized by topic, date and location. Check it out at www.increaseourfaith.org. For more information contact Kevin Staszkow at (650) 365-0140 or Kevin@pius.org. St. Anthony Padua Dining Room in Menlo Park needs volunteers Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. to help prepare and serve noon meals. More than 500 people daily are helped by the program. Call (650) 365-9664. St. Anthony Foundation hosts its 20th Annual Curbside Donation event where community members can join in the season of giving by dropping off donations for their poor and homeless brothers and sisters without even getting out of their cars. Volunteers and staff greet donors at the street’s curb and take their contributions right then and there. St. Anthony Foundation, 121 Golden Gate Ave., weekdays 8:45 a.m. – 6 p.m. and weekends 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. Donations: (415) 592-2734 or volunteering: (415) 592-2829.

St. Anthony curbside volunteers.

Taize/Chanted Prayer 1st Friday at 8 p.m.: Mercy Center, 2300 Adeline Dr., Burlingame with Mercy Sister Suzanne Toolan. Call (650) 340-7452; Young Adults are invited each first Friday of the month to attend a social at 6 p.m. prior to Taize prayer at 8 p.m. The social provides light refreshments and networking with other young adults. Convenient parking available. For information contact, mercyyoungadults@sbcglobal.net. 1st Friday at 7:30 p.m.: Church of the Nativity, 210 Oak Grove Ave., Menlo Park at 7:30 p.m. Call Deacon Dominic Peloso at (650) 322-3013. Tuesdays at 6 p.m.: Notre Dame Des Victoires Church, 566 Bush at Stockton, San Francisco with Rob Grant. Call (415) 397-0113. 2nd Friday at 8 p.m.: Our Lady of the Pillar, 400 Church St. in Half Moon Bay. Call Cheryl Fuller at (650) 726-2249. 1st Tuesday at 7 p.m.: National Shrine of St. Francis of Assisi, 610 Vallejo St. at Columbus, San Francisco. Call (415) 983-0405 or visit www.shrineSF.org.

Sundays: Gregorian Chant at the National Shrine of Saint Francis, 610 Vallejo St., San Francisco, 12:15 p.m. Mass. For more information, call (415) 983-0405.

TV/Radio Sunday, 6 a.m., WB Channel 20/Cable 13 and KTSF Channel 26/Cable 8: TV Mass with Msgr. Harry Schlitt presiding. 1st Sunday, 5 a.m., CBS Channel 5: “Mosaic,” featuring conversations on current Catholic issues. 3rd Sunday, 5:30 a.m., KRON Channel 4: “For Heaven’s Sake,” featuring conversations about Catholic spirituality.

Food & Fun Dec. 19: Christmas luncheon benefiting Good Shepherd Guild at Olympic Club, Lakeside with social at 11:30 a.m. and lunch at 12:30 p.m. Tickets are $65. Call Judith Terracina at (415) 753-2081.

Reunions - 2008 Jan. 24: First meeting of St. Dunstan Elementary School Alumni Association, St. Dunstan Parish Center, 1133 Broadway in Millbrae at 7 p.m. Call Michelle Jackson at (650) 303-4874 or alumni@st-dunstan.org.

Single, Divorced, Separated Information about Bay Area single, divorced and separated programs are available from Jesuit Father Al Grosskopf at (415) 422-6698. Dec. 15, 6:30 p.m.: Please come to Separated and Divorced Catholics annual Christmas potluck dinner at St. Dominic’s Church (lower level), 2390 Bush Street near Steiner in San Francisco. The cost is $5 if you bring food, $10 if you don’t. For more details, please call Gail at (650) 591-8452 or Vonnie at (650) 873-4236. Separated and divorced support groups: 1st and 3rd Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. at St. Stephen Parish Center, San Francisco; call Gail at (650) 591-8452 or Vonnie at (650) 873-4236. 1st and 3rd Thursday at St. Peter Parish Religious Education Building, 700 Oddstad Blvd., Pacifica. Call Diana Patrito or Joe Brunato at (650) 359-6313. 2nd and 4th Wednesday in Spanish at St. Anthony Church, 3500 Middlefield Rd., Menlo Park at 7:30 p.m. Call Toni Martinez at (650) 776-3795. Catholic Adult Singles Association of Marin meets for support and activities. Call Bob at (415) 897-0639 for information.

Consolation Ministry Grief support groups meet at the following parishes. San Mateo County: St. Catherine of Sienna, Burlingame; call Debbie Simmons at (650) 5581015. St. Dunstan, Millbrae; call Barbara Cappel at (650) 692-7543. Good Shepherd, Pacifica; call Sister Carol Fleitz at (650) 3552593. Our Lady of Mercy, Daly City; call Barbara Cantwell at (650) 755-0478. Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, Redwood City; call parish at (650) 366-3802. St. Robert, San Bruno; call Sister Patricia at (650) 589-2800. Marin County: St. Anselm, San Anselmo; call Brenda MacLean at (415) 454-7650. St. Isabella, San Rafael; call Pat Sack at (415) 4725732. Our Lady of Loretto, Novato; call Sister Jeanette at (415) 897-2171. San Francisco: St. Dominic; call Deacon

Programs for Catholics interested in returning to the Church have been established at the following parishes: Marin County: Tiburon, St. Hilary: Mary Musalo, (415) 435-2775. Ross, St. Anselm: (415) 453-2342. Greenbrae, St. Sebastian: Jean Mariani (415) 461-7060. Mill Valley, Our Lady of Mt. Carmel: Rick Dullea (415) 388-4190. Sausalito, St. Mary Star of the Sea: Lloyd Dulbecco (415) 331-7949. San Francisco: Old St. Mary’s Cathedral, Michael Adams (415) 695-2707; St. Philip the Apostle (415) 282-0141; St. Dominic, Lee Gallery (415) 221-1288; Holy Name of Jesus (415) 664-8590; St. Paul of the Shipwreck, Deacon Larry Chatmon and Loretta Chatmon (415) 468-3434. San Mateo County: San Mateo — St. Bartholomew: Donna Salinas (650) 347-0701, ext. 14; St. Matthew: Deacon Jim Shea (650) 344-7622. Burlingame — St. Catherine of Siena: Silvia Chiesa (650) 685-8336; Our Lady of Angels: Holy Names Sister Pat Hunter (650) 375-8023. Pacifica, St. Peter: Sylvia Miles (650) 355-6650, Jerry Trecroci (650) 355-1799, Frank Erbacher (650) 355-4355. Half Moon Bay, Our Lady of the Pillar: Meghan (650) 726-4337.

Social Justice/Family Life Interested in St. Vincent de Paul? Tour facilities in San Francisco, where 1,000 of the city’s most needy are served every day. Tours are scheduled the first Tuesday at 10:30 a.m. and second Saturday at 11 a.m. every month. Phone (415) 927-1270, ext. 3003 to reserve a spot. Troubled marriage? Retrouvaille, a program for couples with serious marital problems, might help. For information, call Tony or Pat Fernandez at (415) 893-1005. Information about Natural Family Planning and people in the Archdiocese offering instruction are available by calling (415) 614-5680. Saturdays at 9 a.m.: Pray the Rosary for Life at 815 Eddy St. between Franklin and Van Ness, San Francisco. Call (415) 752-4922. Worldwide Marriage Encounter Weekends: For information or to register, call Michele or George Otte at (888) 568-3018.

Martin Luther King Commemorations Jan. 20, 2008 - St. Paul of the Shipwreck Parish, San Francisco, will welcome revivalist preacher Father Maurice Nutt from Holy Names of Jesus and Mary Catholic Church in Memphis, Tenn., as guest celebrant and homilist as part of the 23rd Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Solidarity Gospel Mass at 10:30 a.m. St. Paul of the Shipwreck is located Father Maurice Nutt at 1122 Jamestown Ave.; phone (415) 468-3434). All are invited. Refreshments will be served following Mass.

Vocations Do You Hear a Calling? Men ages 21-40 are invited to a Priesthood Discernment Retreat Weekend Feb.1-3 at St. Patrick’s Seminary and University in Menlo Park. Contact the Vocations Office at (415) 614-5683 for registration form. Register soon for room availability. Dec. 31: Join the Dominican Sisters of Mission San Jose and friends will gather for a third year to welcome the New Year. Gathering will be a reflective evening with time to connect with friends and meet new people, pray with Taize – Prayer Around the Cross, celebrate faith with a Mass starting at 11:30 p.m. followed by a potluck. Come for any part or all of the evening at the Motherhouse of the Dominican Sisters of Mission San Jose 43326 Mission Blvd., Fremont. For more information or to RSVP call Sister Beth Quire at (510) 657-2468 or e-mail beth@msjdominicans.org.

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

December 14, 2007

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S.B. CONSTRUCTION Specializing in Bathroom And Kitchen Remodels.

Broken Spring/Cable? Operator Problems? Lifetime Warranty All New Doors/Motors

CA LIC #817607

BONDED & INSURED

415-205-1235 Expert Plumbing Repairs ●

General Repairs Clean Drains & Sewers Water Heaters ●

●

Repair

SANTI PLUMBING & HEATING

Lic #376353

415-661-3707

One Price 24 /7

415-931-1540 0% Financing Available

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

❖ 30 years experience with individuals, couples and groups ❖ Directed, effective and results-oriented ❖ Compassionate and Intuitive ❖ Supports 12-step ❖ Enneagram Personality Transformation

Lic. # 872560

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

ALL PLUMBING WORK PAT HOLLAND

lic. 343633

Confidential • Compassionate • Practical (415) 921-1619

BEST PLUMBING, INC. Your Payless Plumbing

Construction

(650) 994-6892

Dr. Daniel J. Kugler

Lic. No. 390254

HOLLAND Plumbing Works San Francisco

Discount

• Relationships • Addictions

Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist Over 25 years experience

100 North Hill Drive, Unit 18 • Brisbane, CA 94005

(415) 517-5977 (650) 757-1946

Specializing In Wood Fences

• Family • Work • Depression • Anxiety

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

bestplumbinginc@comcast.net Member: Better Business Bureau

GARAGE DOOR REPAIR

When Life Hurts It Helps To Talk

Phone: 415.468.1877 Fax: 415.468.1875

(650) 557-1263 EMAIL:

MORROW CONTRUCTION

Contact: 415.447.8463

John Bianchi

NORTHBAY CHIMNEY & FIREPLACE

Serving San Francisco, Marin & the Peninsula.

1537 Franklin Street • San Francisco, CA 94109

PLUMBING

CHIMNEY CLEANING CALL (415) 485-4090 CHIMNEY $ CLEANING SPECIAL!

Specializing in home health aides, attendants and companions.

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

CHIMNEY SWEEPING

Variety of jobs / repairs also, hauling.

* Demolition/Framing * Plumbing/Electrical * Drywall/Tile Etc. * License/Bond # 804282 * Fax # (415) 681-4438 * Cell # (650) 346-9985 * Competitive Rates *

WWW.ABBEYRENTSSF.COM

The Irish Rose

Home Healthcare Agency

ACCOUNTANT COUNSELING

If I can be of service to you, or if you know of anyone who is interested in buying or selling a home, please do not hesitate to call me . . .

Interior Exterior ● Residential ● Commercial

John Holtz Ca. Lic 391053 General Contractor Since 1980

411 ALLAN STREET DALY CITY, CA 94014 FAX 415-715-6914 TEL 415-715-6900

SPECIALIZING IN SAN MATEO COUNTY REAL ESTATE

●

Painting & Remodeling

1- 800-717-PARTY

ABBEY party rents sf

REAL ESTATE

●

Call for a FREE estimate

(PHOTOS BY BROTHER LUPE GONZALES, OP)

Nearly 1,500 worshippers from throughout the Archdiocese of San Francisco took part in the fourth annual pilgrimage from St. Ignatius Church to the Shrine of St. Jude at St. Dominic Church in San Francisco. At left, leading the two-mile, Oct. 27 pilgrimage Dominican Brother Simon Kim (left) and Dominican Father Martin de Porres Walsh, Shrine director. At right, pilgrims enter St. Dominic Church. Lead organizers of the event are Jaime Rosa Pinto. Website for the Shrine is www.stjude-shrine.org.

FAMILY OWNED

NOTICE TO READERS

Lic. # 663641

24 HR

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

GENERAL CONTRACTOR Gydesen Const., Inc. General Contractor ● ●

Featuring Pressure Washing ● Repairs ● Safety Grab Bars ●

MICHAEL A. GYDESEN Lic. # 778332

(650) 355-8858

Licensed contractors are required by law to list their license numbers in advertisments. The law also state that contractors performing work totaling $500 or more must be statelicensed. Advertisments appearing in this newspaper without a license number indicate that the contractor is not licensed. For more information, contact:

CONTRACTORS STATE LICENSE BOARD 800-321-2752

December 14, 2007

CLASSIFIED RATES HELP WANTED

PRIVATE PARTY 4 lines for $12.00 Each additional line $2.00 26 spaces per line

PER COLUMN INCH $ 1 time 25 $ 2 time 20 $ 15 3 time minimum 1 inch Add .50¢ per column inch for website listing

Leave a space between words and/or phone numbers

CALL 415-614-5642 FAX 415-614-5641 EMAIL penaj@sfarchdiocese.org

CALL 415-614-5640 FAX 415-614-5641 EMAIL penaj@sfarchdiocese.org

Caregiver Pilgrimage Available

Irish caregiver available to work with the elderly. Many years experience, very dependable, excellent references.

PLEASE CALL (415) 221-3649

Tell our advertisers you saw their ad in

Catholic San Francisco

Tahoe Rental

LAKE TAHOE RENTAL Vacation Rental Condo in South Lake Tahoe.

PILGRIMAGE TO CATHOLIC FRANCE, LOURDES,

See it at RentMyCondo.com#657

916-652-7560 Not a licensed travel agent

415.215.8571

From SFO $3,200.00 May 13-28

KAREN CHAPPELEAR

car,

PIANO LESSONS BY

or any other items with a Classified Ad in Catholic

CAROL FERRANDO. Conservatory training, masters degree, all levels of students. CALL (415) 921-8337.

Call 415 614-5642

Vitamins VITAMIN SUPPLEMENTS, HERBAL PRODUCTS AND INFORMATION, NUTRITIONAL SKINCARE AND HAIRCARE PRODUCTS AND MORE; 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. go to www.reesehealthnet.com

NAZARETH HOUSE is a non profit, faith based, Christian retirement community in San Rafael with a long tradition of providing compassionate and quality care in its independent, assisted living and skilled programs. The Sisters of Nazareth are committed to strengthening their mission by recruiting an Executive Director that embodies their values and exhibits strong leadership, dedication and a desire to collaborate. The Executive Director is responsible for the overall operations of the community, to maintain a consistent level of quality care, services and innovative programming, which meets the Sisters of Nazareth standards, goals and mission. Leadership skills include ability to supervise and implement the best practices for care, services and financial management. SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE A minimum of 5 years experience working in senior housing or related field. Degree in gerontology, nursing, social work or related field An RCFE Administrator’s licensed, skilled nursing administrators license a plus. Experience working with faith based nonprofit organizations Ability to communicate well orally and in writing Ability to develop and implement a budget Illustrates ability to be a strong leader and promoter of staff development

Please respond to hr@agesong.com. Nazareth House is an Equal Opportunity Employer. "

Acceptance of an advertisement in Catholic San Francisco while based on an assumption of integrity on the part of the advertiser does not imply endorsement of a product or service.

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

Name Adress Phone MC/VISA # Exp. Signature Select One Prayer: ❑ Prayer to the Blessed Virgin ❑ Prayer to the Holy Spirit

Room for Rent Room for rent, $625/mo. including utilities, washer/dryer, Richmond district in SF, no pets.

(415) 668-2690

Only $10 for 4 lines

– EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR –

Pre-payment required check, Mastercard or Visa accepted

Personal care companion, Help with daily activities; driving, shopping, appointments. 27 years experience, references, bonded. (415) 713-1366

San Francisco

Help Wanted

Cost $26

Prayer to the Holy Spirit

Piano Elderly Lessons Care

Help Wanted

SCIENCE TEACHER CATHOLIC SCHOOL IN BURLINGAME

is seeking a full-time science teacher for grades 6–8. Experienced in teaching science and credentials desired.

Call 650-343-9200 Position starts Jan. 7, 2008

PUBLISH A NOVENA

Holy Spirit, you who make me see everything and who shows me the way to reach my ideal. You who give me the divine gift of forgive and forget the wrong that is done to me. I, in this short dialogue, want to thank you for everything and confirm once more that I never want to be separated from you no matter how great the material desires may be. I want to be with you and my loved ones in your perpetual glory. Amen. You may publish this as soon as your favor is granted. G.D.R.

HALL FOR RENT Knights of Columbus San Rafael #1292 Dining and dancing rooms for up to 120. Kitchen facility. Ideal for Baptisms, graduations, birthdays, anniversaries, etc. tassonejoe@hotmail.com

Sleeps 8, near Heavenly Valley and Casinos.

Call 925-933-1095

Hall for Rent

SELL

your house,

Catholic San Francisco

❑ St. Jude Novena to SH ❑ Prayer to St. Jude

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

Prayer to the Blessed Virgin never known to fail.

Most beautiful flower of Mt. Carmel Blessed Mother of the Son of God, assist me in my need. Help me and show me you are my mother. Oh Holy Mary, Mother of God, Queen of Heaven and earth. I humbly beseech you from the bottom of my heart to help me in this need. Oh Mary, conceived without sin. Pray for us (3X). Holy Mary, I place this cause in your hands (3X). Say prayers 3 days. G.D.R.

ADVERTISING SALES For The Largest Publisher of Catholic Church Bulletins 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: 925-926-0799

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

We are looking for full or part time

RNs, LVNs, CNAs, Caregivers In-home care in San Francisco, Marin County, peninsula Nursing care for children in San Francisco schools If you are generous, honest, compassionate, respectful, and want to make a difference, send us your resume: Jeannie McCullough Stiles, RN Fax: 415-435-0421 Email: info@snsllc.com Voice: 415-435-1262

The Sisters of Mercy is located in a beautiful approximately 40-acre campus in Burlingame. It has immediate openings for the following on-call positions: LICENSED VOCATIONAL NURSE / MEDICAL TECHNICIAN Provides for the administration of medications and basic healthcare monitoring and preventative healthcare programs for residents. Must possess a LVN Nursing degree from accredited vocational college or university, a CA LVN license and currently CPR certified. Must have one year recent experience in an assisted living facility, skilled nursing or acute care facility. Gerontology experience preferred. Must demonstrate personal integrity and commitment to ethical principals, tact, flexibility, leadership qualities, ability to work well with others, make independent decisions, knowledge in nursing and medical practices and procedures, maintain confidentiality. ASSISTANT TO THE CAMPUS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR – NIGHTS The work schedule is from 9:45 p.m. to 6:15 a.m. The person shall serve as the centralized communications, safety and security, and hospitality coordinator for the campus during the night hours. High school diploma required, some college and/or technical training preferred. Salary commensurate with experience, skills, and qualifications plus night shift and on-call differential. RECEPTIONIST Duties include welcoming retreat/conference guests at Mercy Center, answering telephone and providing clerical assistance. Requires typing and/or computer experience with Microsoft Office. High School diploma or one year related experience or equivalent combination of education and experience preferred.

PLEASE SEND YOUR RESUME TO Sisters of Mercy, Human Resources 2300 Adeline Drive, Burlingame, CA 94010 or e-mail cmoore@mercyburl.org or fax (650) 373-4509.

Catholic San Francisco

December 14, 2007

In Remembrance of the Faithful Departed Interred In Our Catholic Cemeteries During the Month of November Frances M. Maxoutopoulis Betsy Walsh Embree Gladys Del Carmen Trzupek HOLY CROSS Margaret McVeigh Ramon S. Esquivel Melekiate Tuipulotu Margaret M. Miller Bernardine V. Fantham Walter M. Ubick COLMA Gerald T. Mitchell Ignacio Fernandez Ione L. VanBeckum Cleva T. Actis Jose Juvenal Alcantar Juanita Asadon Aaron Aviani Lavin Vincent Backus Erick Balderas Louis P. Baldini Edward V. Baraty Ernestina Barros Frieda J. Bernauer Anthony Biocini Charles Bricker Maurice W. Burke Patrick Burke Fidel R. Cabrera Albert John Capurro William A. Carroll Gil Castro Mary Louise Cattolica Lydia E. Caunday Robert Charles Cefalu Sebastian Centeno Aileen M. Cerf Randall B. Chinn Angela Basili Cizmich Arthur James Clark Francisco Jornacion Claudio Florence Coffey Nellie E. Collins Dolores M. Collins Timothy S. Collins Miguelina Colon Esiquiel A. Correa Sr. M. John Bosco Crivello, SHF Frank J. Davis Ferrell Davis Nancy Taylor Day Sr. Ana C. de la Mora, AP Dalton L. Delahoussaye John J. Doran Leland D. Duffield, MD Frances L. Dwyer Chelsea Lynn Edwards

Yvonne Fernandez Concepcion Figueras Victoria F. Flores Charles L. Fontana Maria Padua Fontanilla Renard DeMille Fontenot John Frederick Frick Roy E. Friday Violeta S. Gadbois Eleanor Gaggero Patricia A. Gallagher Frank Garbero Isabella Garcillano Mai Yuk Gee Marie F. Gobert Noela Goudal Raymond Guillory Dorothy Hearne Charles H. Heinbockel, Jr. Elsie E. Inglese Eula Jones Ruth B. Judice Eileen M. Kenealey Thomas J. Koschnick Mathe Kovac Mathe Kovac Madeleine Kwok Vera H. Lama Albert J. Lambrechts Charlotte Larissou Coressa Lede Brenda Cardelli Livesey Patricia M. Lyons Marina A. Macay Frank T. Machi Joseph L. Madison Steven Joseph Maes Bernard A. Mamaril Frances A. Manalo Grace N. Marcheschi John W. Mark

Peter Molinelli Rosemary Navarro Janet M. Newsom Jonathon M. Nieto-Fox Josephine F. Nutini Robert Nutterfield Tonya J. O’Leary Irene G. O’Neill Santiago P. Ofrecio Anne J. Olave Catherine C. Pacelli Irma C. Pacheco Rosalie A. Pedranzini Francisco R. Pereyra Therese M. Petrini Carmen Pollock Victoria M. Ramirez Sidney P. Ramos John J. Regan Thomas Cavan Reilly Josephine B. Rich Richard Francis Richardson, Jr. John Riordan Eleanor Margaret Riordan Wallace B. Robinson Richard C. Robinson Gloria Sainz Margaret Scanlon Jane E. Sicke Michael Siegfried Anne Margaret Smith Elsie T. Stout Robert G. Stout Mary L. Sullivan Eleanor Marie Taheny Eugene F. Talesfore George H. Terhaar Salvador R. Tocci Mary D. Torre Msgr. Andre P. Tournier Mary P. Trevizo

Grace Ann Varin Barbara M. Villarreal Andrew Viranyi Virginia S. Wales Margaret C. Waters Rachel Watterson Elroy G. Wenzel Gregory James West, Sr. Jason W. Wong Carlos Yanez Rosalia R. Ybanez Claire M. Zwicker

HOLY CROSS MENLO PARK Robert Bollinger Mary T. Bravo Clara Flores Emily Perez Joseph Robles

MT. OLIVET SAN RAFAEL Evelyn Baratta Mary J. Di Genova Rose Fradelizio Dolio Anna J. Drummond Evelyn M. Feru James G. Flynn George J. Grady Florence Brown Smith Joan V. St. Martin

HOLY CROSS CATHOLIC CEMETERY, COLMA Christmas Remembrance Service (Not Mass) Saturday – December 15, 2007 – 11:00 a.m. Rev. John Talesfore, Officiating

First Saturday Mass Saturday – January 5, 2008 – 11:00 a.m. Rev. Tom Seagrave, Celebrant St. John of God Parish.

The Catholic Cemeteries Archdiocese of San Francisco www.holycrosscemeteries.com Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery 1500 Mission Road, Colma, CA 94014 650-756-2060

Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery Intersection of Santa Cruz Avenue, Menlo Park, CA 94025 650-323-6375

Mt. Olivet Catholic Cemetery 270 Los Ranchitos Road, San Rafael, CA 94903 415-479-9020

A Tradition of Faith Throughout Our Lives.