December 21, 2007

Archbishop’s Christmas Message 2007

Northern California’s Weekly Catholic Newspaper

‘Enjoy the signs of Christmas and become the signs of Christ’ The signs of the Christmas season in the world around us are not necessarily the signs of Christ.

What are the signs of the newborn Savior? Isaiah was the most passionate herald of the Lord’s birth among the prophets of the Old Testament, and the Church proclaims him to us regularly throughout the Advent season. Listen to Isaiah in the first reading at Midnight Mass: “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom a light has shown. You have brought them abundant joy and great rejoicing. For the yoke that burdened them, the pole on their shoulder, and the rod of their taskmaster you have smashed…”

Isaiah continues, describing the Messiah: “for a child is born to us, a son is given us; upon his shoulder dominion rests.

They name him Wonder-Counselor, GodHero, FatherForever, Prince of Peace.”

The signs of Christ are: light in the midst of spiritual and emotional gloom; freedom and relief for those who are burdened by oppression or violence or want; reconciliation and peace. It’s certain, too, that the son of a couple who could find no lodging and were driven into exile favors justice and compassion for strangers and foreigners.

It’s not a virtue to belittle the ordinary signs of the Yuletide season. The joy they bring also signifies the heavenly kingdom.

But we are called to commit ourselves to the signs of Christ in every season. Long after the signs of Christmas have faded after the trees have dried out, the toys have been broken, and the little lights no longer twinkle - we are called to be Christ for one another, and especially for the neediest among us.

Even though we have already celebrated the birthday of Jesus more than 2,000 times, the promise and hope he brings are still fresh and young. So is his challenge. My prayer for all of us is that we will enjoy the signs of Christmas and become the signs of Christ.

I t ’s c e r t a i n , t o o , t h a t t h e s o n o f a couple who could find no lodging a n d w e re d r i v e n i n t o e x i l e f a v o r s justice and compassion for s t r a n g e r s a n d f o re i g n e r s .

– A rc h b i s h o p N i e d e r a u e r See “About the cover,” Page 3.

Most Reverend George H. Niederauer Archbishop of San Francisco

(PHOTO BY JOCELYN KNIGHT PHOTOGRAPHY)

Catholic san Francisco

INSIDE THIS WEEK’S EDITION Youth protection office . . . . 3 News in brief . . . . . . . . . . . 4 NDNU president resigns . . 8 Dominican Republic IV . . 17

Rights and obligations of evangelization addressed

Novena, Healing Mass draw thousands

Vietnam Christmas season indicates Church emergence

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December 21, 2007

SEVENTY-FIVE CENTS

Datebook . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Classified ads . . . . . . . 18-19

NEXT ISSUE JANUARY 11 VOLUME 9

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No. 39

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Catholic San Francisco

December 21, 2007

Joan Rich Mantecon was among 40 relatives of Catholic Charities founders who took tea in October with Archbishop George Niederauer and Brian Cahill, CCCYO executive director.

On The Where You Live

by Tom Burke Happy anniversary to Marlene and Girard Marcotte, married 50 years Sept. 14. Parishioners of Our Lady of Angels Parish in Burlingame for 40 years, the couple took their vows at St. Brendan Church in San F r a n c i s c o .

Commemorations of the milestone included a Mediterranean cruise for Marlene and Girard in April and a seven-day Northeast coast cruise that took their entire family of 11 through ports including Boston Congressional Page Jessica and Halifax. On the anniversary weekend the Malekos-Smith family scooped up Marlene and Girard for a surprise trip to Yosemite where they met at a Camp Curry dance many moons ago. A big dinner at Yosemite’s famed Ahwahnee Hotel capped the trek.

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Marin Catholic High School seniors, Christina Navarro and Kat Gilmer, co-presidents of the school’s Honor Society are at the helm of a project that will bring Christmas gifts to 20 needy families this Christmas.

The effort is in conjunction with St. Raphael Parish in San Rafael.

Marlene grew up in Ingleside Terrace attending Mass at St. Gomez presented the awards at a Daly City Council meeting Emydius and Girard is an Illinois native…. San Francisco’s Nov. 26. Thanks to Holy Angels art teacher, Kim Cordano, St. Gabriel Parish was among the leaders in wishing a for the good news…. Washington bound is Jessica Happy 100th Birthday to longtime – since 1949 — parish- Malekos-Smith, a junior at Mercy High School in ioner, Cappy Duffy. Friends prayed for the new centenarian Burlingame and soon a congressional page. Her stint in the recently at a Mass of Thanksgiving in honor of the occasion. nation’s capital and Capitol begins in January and she’ll conCappy is still active and among those who take care of altar tinue her service there until June. “Jessica has always had an linens.“Prayers and best wishes, Cappy,” said Dominican interest in how government runs,” said Carol Fraher, public Sister Bernice Garcia, pastoral associate, on behalf of relations coordinator at Mercy, Burlingame. “She has been an intern for State Senator Father John Ryan, pastor, Leland Yee for 18 months and the St. Gabe’s communiand attended Junior ty…. Archbishop George H. Statesmen of America Niederauer hosted tea Oct. Summer School.” Pages 17 for descendants of those serve the House of who helped found Catholic Representatives and the Charities – now Catholic Senate primarily as messenCharities CYO - in the wake gers, Carol said, and have of the San Francisco been a part of the Capitol Earthquake in 1906. “There make-up for 150 years. were approximately 40 guests Jessica will attend what they at the Archbishop’s tea, and call “page school” where class approximately 10 different days begin at 6:45 a.m. and founding families were repreTrisha Garcia and Ashley Santos, eighth graders at she’ll live in the Page sented,” said Julie Harris, a Dormitory. “The Mercy High CCCYO public relations assoHoly Angels Elementary School in Colma, with School community wishes ciate. Included among those their prize winning Peace Posters.

Jessica well in her new with family present were founders Katherine “Kate” Francis Connor Oliver, Alice endeavor,” Carol said. Jessica’s proud parents are Karen Phelan Sullivan, Louisa Guerin Bliss, Susan Rooney Malekos-Smith and Thomas Smith…. No Catholic San Conlin, Elena Atherton Macondray Eyre, Mary “Molly” Francisco Dec. 28 or Jan. 4. Merry Christmas and Happy Catherine Chielovich Fottrell, Catherine Gibbon New Year!! This is an empty space without ya’!! The eKingwell, and Amelie Caire Rossi…. A 21-brush salute to mail address for Street is burket@sfarchdiocese.org.

Trisha Garcia and Ashley Santos whose artwork took first Mailed items should be sent to “Street,” One Peter Yorke and second place in a Lions’ Club Peace Poster Contest. Way, SF 94109. Pix should be hard copy or electronic jpeg Both young women are in the eighth grade at Holy Angels at 300 dpi. Don’t forget to include a follow-up phone numElementary School in Colma. Daly City Mayor Maggie ber. Call me at (415) 614-5634 and I’ll walk you through it.

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Catholic San Francisco

December 21, 2007

3

Office of Children and Youth Protection established An archdiocesan Office of Children and Youth Protection charged with overseeing implementation of requirements contained in the United States Catholic bishops’ charter “Promise to Protect, Pledge to Heal� has been created by Archbishop George H. Niederauer.

To be headed by Deacon John Norris, the new office began work last month “to consolidate the efforts of the various offices of the Pastoral Center that have become involved over time with carrying out mandates for dioceses issued by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in the wake of the clergy sexual abuse crisis of recent years,� an archdiocesan official said. Barbara Elordi will continue as archdiocesan victim assistance coodinator for ministry with victims of sexual abuse, and will work closely with the new office, Archbishop Niederauer said. “Our Archdiocese is rich in its history of education,� Archbishop Niederauer said in announcing the new office. “Parents must be assured that their children are safe while in our care. We know that is the situation that exists today.

This new office is charged with ensuring that remains so, and that the things we do to ensure the safety of children is well communicated throughout the Archdiocese.�

Central to the new office’s work will be

oversight of registration, evaluation, training and monitoring of persons who work with youth in the Archdiocese. Any person with “regular contact with children� under archdiocesan auspices is required to take a training course titled “Recognize, Report and Prevent Child Abuse.�

Available online in Spanish and English and offered in other languages at workshops, the course training as well as background checking has already been done for more than 7,500 priests, employees, catechists, coaches and volunteers who work with youth, according to Tom Hoffman of the archdiocesan Human Resources Office.

In a letter to priests in September 2006, Archbishop Niederauer outlined a policy requiring “all pastors and principals to put into place as soon as possible appropriate plans at your sites to ensure that this mandatory training program is provided to all employees and volunteers who have regular contact with children.�

That is a daunting challenge, Deacon Norris said. “The environment in our schools and parishes is very safe,� he said, “but we don’t always have the necessary records to demonstrate that an employee or volunteer has received the mandatory training or that they have been properly evaluated prior to being granted access to children.�

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Deacon Norris went on to state that the work that has been done and is being done to create and maintain this safe environment must be better publicized so that parents can be assured their children are being cared for properly and safely. “This program requires a lot of intense effort in our parishes, schools and athletic leagues,� he added. “The responsibility of this new office will be to provide clear policies and procedures along with easily understandable communication. We need everyone’s cooperation to make this environment a reality.� “I believe this is an area in which our Church is clearly demonstrating leadership,� Deacon Norris said. “While child abuse is much more likely to be initiated by a family member or a trusted friend than it is by one of our clergy, employees

or volunteers, we must clearly demonstrate that the environment that we provide and into which we invite children is safe. Our biggest challenge will be to cope with the turnover in volunteers as each new project or new athletic season seems to bring new volunteers. This certainly indicates great parish and school engagement, but it also challenges parish and school management in ensuring that all new volunteers and employees are properly trained and evaluated in advance of working with children�.

A letter from Archbishop Niederauer on the Archdiocese’s work in the area of sexual abuse prevention as well as related texts of the U.S. bishops can be directly accessed from the home page of the Archdiocese’s website: www.sfarchdiocese.org.

About the cover This cover photo by Jocelyn Knight Photography of artist Enrico Manfrini’s “Flight into Egypt� bronze sculpture at St. Mary’s Cathedral, San Francisco, was taken during October’s Festival of Flowers there. The floral work was designed by Shirley Finn of Rose & Leona’s Flower Shop in South San Francisco.

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Catholic San Francisco

NEWS

December 21, 2007

in brief

Drug report has good news WASHINGTON (CNS) — Although it was somewhat overshadowed by former Sen. George Mitchell’s Dec. 13 report detailing drug use among dozens of Major League Baseball players, another report released earlier in the week had better news about drug use among middle and high school students. The annual Monitoring the Future survey of eighth-, 10th- and 12th-graders found that the percentage of students reporting illicit drug use in the past month is continuing a decline that began in 2001. The percentage of those in the three grades who said they had used any illicit drug — including marijuana, Ecstasy, LSD, amphetamines, inhalants, methamphetamine, steroids, cocaine, heroin, alcohol and cigarettes — in the past month went from 19.4 percent in 2001 to 14.8 percent in 2007, a 24 percent drop. -

Praises vote to end death penalty WASHINGTON (CNS) — Bishop John M. Smith of Trenton, N.J., said Dec. 14 he was pleased New Jersey legislators voted to abolish the death penalty, but said he would not have a “triumphalist attitude about it” because capital punishment is such a sensitive issue. Members of the General Assembly voted Dec. 13 to end the death penalty in their state, four days after the measure was approved by the state Senate. Gov. Jon Corzine was expected to sign it into law. Bishop Smith, who has testified before state lawmakers to oppose capital punishment, said the legislators showed “a great deal of courage” to take what is an unpopular position against the death penalty.

Laws aid pope at World Youth Day SYDNEY, Australia (CNS) — The New South Wales government has passed special legislation to accommodate Pope Benedict XVI’s visit to Sydney for World Youth Day in July. The temporary laws passed by the government in mid-December will allow police extended powers of search and seizure and the discretion to remove individuals and vehicles from July 15-20 World Youth Day events. The laws, which have been likened to those enacted for the Sydney Olympics in 2000, also restrict air space above World Youth Day venues such as Royal Randwick Racecourse and the pope’s residence while he is in Sydney.

Pope likes Christmas tree, creche VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Displaying the Christmas

tree and a Nativity scene can help create a loving, warm, spiritual atmosphere in a world bent solely on making material gains, Pope Benedict XVI said. Christians “must preserve” the spiritual heritage of the decorated tree and Christmas creche, he told representatives of Italy’s Val Badia region who donated the 86-foot spruce tree adorning St. Peter’s Square.

Vatican recruits ‘spiritual mothers’ VATICAN CITY (CNS) — With a letter to the world’s bishops and a 40-page illustrated brochure, the Vatican’s Congregation for the Clergy is encouraging eucharistic adoration for the holiness of priests and is recruiting “spiritual mothers” to pray for priests and for vocations to the priesthood. The project, launched Dec. 8, aims to highlight the link between the Eucharist and the priesthood as well as Mary’s special role as the mother of every priest, said a letter from the congregation’s top officials.

Continues hunger strike BARRA, Brazil (CNS) — Despite a court order halting work on a controversial water project, a Brazilian bishop who has been on a hunger strike said he would continue until the government shelves the plan. Bishop Luiz Cappio of Barra in the northeastern state of Bahia began a protest of fast and prayer Nov. 27 over a project designed to rechannel water from the Sao Francisco River, which flows through five states and 503 districts.

On Dec. 11, a Brazilian court issued an injunction halting work on the project, which began in March and involves construction of more than 400 miles of canals.

Chinese biblical diary reprinted MACAU (CNS) — A biblical diary with scriptural reflections by Chinese Catholics went into its second print run in less than a month. Macau-based Claretian Publications printed 3,000 copies of the pocket-sized Bible Diary 2008 in traditional Chinese characters in late October. The company had to print 3,000 more after the first batch sold out in just two weeks, the Asian church news agency UCA News reported Dec. 11. To ensure distribution on the mainland, the publishing house run by Claretian missionaries cooperated with Hebei Faith Press in northern China to make an additional 3,000 copies in simplified Chinese characters available in late November.

CRS aids Sri Lanka COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (CNS) — Catholic Relief Services’ staffers have to overcome political obstacles as they try to help the people of Sri Lanka rebuild three years after a tsunami hit, said a CRS official. Anne Bousquet, Sri Lanka country director for CRS, the U.S. bishops’ international relief and development agency, said renewed conflict has led to the suspension of some CRS-funded housing construction for tsunami survivors.

Bousquet said uncertainty about whether affected families would be allowed to rebuild near the beach was one

(JOHN BLAUSTEIN PHOTO)

4

The Oakland Diocese’s new Cathedral of Christ the Light being erected near Lake Merritt will be dedicated Sept. 25, 2008, according to a recent announcement by Bishop Allen Vigneron. The above photo was taken Oct. 24. Interior scaffolding was scheduled to be removed by the end of the year to allow completion of the cathedral’s interior.

problem. The government quickly established a buffer zone, seeking to ban all rebuilding along the coastline and insisting that new houses be rebuilt inland, away from any danger of future tsunamis. But many fishing families resisted.

Pax Christi USA co-founder dies WAUWATOSA, Wis. (CNS) — Gordon Zahn, a cofounder of Pax Christi USA, the U.S. branch of the international Catholic peace movement, died Dec. 9 at St. Camillus Health Care Center in Wauwatosa. Zahn, 89, had been suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. A conscientious objector during World War II, Zahn became a noted sociologist and author. One of his books, a biography of Austrian conscientious objector Blessed Franz Jagerstatter — who was beheaded in Berlin for refusing to serve in Adolf Hitler’s army — was used by Jagerstatter’s wife and daughters to repeal Jagerstatter’s conviction. Jagerstatter was beatified in October.

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Most Reverend George H. Niederauer, publisher Maurice E. Healy, associate publisher & executive editor Editorial Staff: Dan Morris-Young, editor; Tom Burke, “On the Street” and Datebook; Rick DelVecchio, assistant editor; Michael Vick, reporter

Advertising: Joseph Pena, director; Mary Podesta, account representative Sandy Finnegan, advertising and promotion services Production: Karessa McCartney, manager Business Office: Marta Rebagliati, assistant business manager; Judy Morris, circulation and subscriber services Advisory Board: Jeffrey Burns, Ph.D., James Clifford, Fr. Thomas Daly, James Kelly, Deacon William Mitchell, Kevin Starr, Ph.D.

Catholic San Francisco editorial offices are located at One Peter Yorke Way, San Francisco, CA 94109. Tel: (415) 614-5640;Circulation: 1-800-563-0008 or (415) 614-5638; News fax: (415) 614-5633; Advertising: (415) 614-5642; Advertising fax: (415) 614-5641; Advertising E-mail: penaj@sfarchdiocese.org Catholic San Francisco (ISSN 15255298) is published weekly (four times per month) September through May, except in the week following Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day, and twice a month in June, July and August by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco, 1500 Mission Rd., P.O. Box 1577, Colma, CA 94014. Periodical postage paid at South San Francisco, CA. Annual subscription price: $27 within California, $36 outside the state.

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December 21, 2007

Catholic San Francisco

5

Document: Catholics have duty, right to share Gospel VATICAN CITY (CNS) — When Catholics fulfill their right and duty to share their faith with others, they are not engaging in proselytism or showing contempt for the beliefs of others, says a new document from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

Sharing the Christian faith with the hope that another may accept it is a command given by Christ to his followers and is a natural result of wanting others to share something special, said the “Doctrinal Note on Some Aspects of Evangelization.”

Cardinal William J. Levada, prefect of the doctrinal congregation, presented the document at a Dec. 14 Vatican press conference.

In addition to reminding Catholics of their obligation to share the Gospel with others, the document harshly criticized Catholics who believe every religion offers salvation, and it defended Catholics in some Orthodox countries from charges of proselytism when they welcome into the Catholic Church people who freely ask to join.

“For a long time, the reason for evangelization has not been clear to many among the Catholic faithful,” the document said.

“It is even stated that the claim to have received the gift of the fullness of God’s revelation masks an attitude of intolerance and (is) a danger to peace,” it said.

In reality, the document said, when Christians share their faith with another they are responding to the right and the need the other has to hear the truth and to accept or reject it.

Cardinal Levada said the document’s preparation began while Pope Benedict XVI, then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, was still prefect of the congregation. It is the result of a growing “confusion about whether Catholics should give testimony about their faith in Christ,” particularly to people who already belong to another religion, he said.

Respect for another, Cardinal Levada added, absolutely forbids use of “coercion or tactics unworthy of the Gospel,” but it also means sharing one’s blessings, the greatest of which is the good news of salvation in Christ.

Indian Cardinal Ivan Dias, prefect of the Congregation for Evangelization and a member of the doctrinal congregation, also participated in the document’s presentation and spoke about the need to balance respect for other religions with the desire to lead others to faith in Christ.

When talking with members of other religious traditions, “Christians must try to discover the action of the Holy Spirit, that is, the ‘seeds of truth,’ as the Second Vatican Council called them,” that are present in those religions, he said. At the same time, one must try “to lead them, without any superiority complex, to a full understanding of the truth in Jesus Christ.”

“Even if the various non-Christian religions possess seeds of truth planted in them by the Holy Spirit and the

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people who follow them may be saved, that does not mean that the proclamation of the good news of Jesus Christ is irrelevant,” Cardinal Dias said.

Nigerian Cardinal Francis Arinze, prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments and also a member of the doctrinal congregation, told reporters, “The sharing of our Catholic faith with others who do not yet know Christ should be regarded as a work of love, provided that it is done with full respect for their human dignity and freedom.

“Indeed, if a Christian did not try to spread the Gospel by sharing the excelling knowledge of Jesus Christ with others, we could suspect that Christian either of lack of total conviction of the faith or of selfishness and laziness in not wanting to share the full and abundant means of salvation with fellow human beings,” Cardinal Arinze said.

Archbishop Angelo Amato, secretary of the doctrinal congregation, said the document is a practical follow-up to the 2000 document Dominus Iesus, on the uniqueness of Christ and universal salvation in him.

Despite the 2000 document’s insistence on proclaiming salvation in Jesus Christ, he said, “There still exists a coolness toward missionary activity” in many parts of the Church.

In addition, he said, the document is an affirmation of the right and duty of Catholics to share their faith with oth-

Cardinal William J. Levada, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, speaks at a Vatican Dec. 14 press conference at which he presented “Doctrinal Note on Some Aspects of Evangelization.” Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, the Vatican spokesman, is seen at right.

ers who ask to know more, whether those asking belong to other religions or to other Christian communities.

He said that when non-Catholics are free to minister to their members in predominantly Catholic countries, it only makes sense that the Catholic Church would have the same right to offer pastoral care to Catholics in predominantly non-Catholic countries.

Besides China, where all religion is restricted, and some Muslim countries where Christians cannot openly practice their faith, the issue also involves some parts of the former Soviet Union, where the Russian Orthodox Church has accused the Catholic Church of proselytism, or trying to convince members of the traditionally Orthodox population to become Catholic.

Asked specifically about the Russian Orthodox claims, Cardinal Levada said, “Especially in a country like Russia where there were long years of atheistic communism, one must respect the sensitivity of the Orthodox, who are concerned about rekindling Christianity in the life of their people.”

While some evangelical groups have launched proselytism campaigns in Russia, he said, the Catholic Church is there to offer pastoral care to Catholics.

“We do not proselytize, but it can happen that someone has an encounter with the Catholic faith and wants to join the Catholic Church,” the cardinal said.

6

Catholic San Francisco

December 21, 2007

‘Hooting and hollering’ greet Catholic radio station’s ‘cut-over’

By Tom Burke KSFB-AM 1260 signed on Dec. 10 as Immaculate Heart Radio in the San Francisco Bay Area, the newest outlet in a prospering Catholic radio network and possibly the largest single Catholic radio station in the country.

KSFB, formerly KOIT, is the group’s 20th station in a network founded 11 years ago in Reno by Doug Sherman.

“I’m excited and grateful that our 20th station is located in San Francisco,” Sherman said in a press release.

“We look forward to sending the Word of the Lord over the airways in order to reach as many souls as possible.”

In a Dec. 12 letter to Sherman, San Francisco’s Archbishop George Niederauer congratulated him and colleagues for getting the station onto the air after “a long, challenging struggle.”

“I wish you many blessings and graces as you embark on this new service,” wrote the Archbishop, who heads the U.S. bishops’ Communications Committee and is a member of the Pontifical Council on Social Communications.

Both Archbishop Niederauer and Oakland’s Bishop Allen Vigneron endorse the mission of the radio outlet on an IHR promotional DVD. “This project would not have succeeded without the hard work and support of many people, but there would be no station if it were not for the work of Mike Lambert and Father Andrew Johnson,” Sherman told Catholic San Francisco.

A retired stockbroker, Lambert said he has been involved with Immaculate Heart Radio since its beginnings and has helped Sherman with development of the current San Francisco-based operation. Father Johnson is a retired attorney and investment banker ordained in 2004 for the Archdiocese of San Francisco. Both Lambert and the priest are Knights of Malta.

“You must know how emotional the cut-over was,” Lambert said in a conversation with Catholic San Francisco. “After six years of going down blind alleys it seemed this would never happen. All the years of trying were very good for us. The Holy Spirit guided us around those hazards. When that signal cut-over we were jumping up and down and hooting and hollering.”

More than a dozen persons attended the Dec. 10 event marking the transition from KOIT to KSFB, Lambert said, including Bill McInerney and Dennis Kelly, attorneys who worked on the project; Mark Bromley and Eva Muntean of Ignatius Press; George Keisel and Charlotte Keisel, both long time supporters of Catholic radio.

Even though on the air only a short time, “ We have had some very touching feedback from listeners,”

From left, Mike Lambert, Doug Sherman and Father Andrew Johnson at the Dec. 10 signing-on of KFSB-AM 1260, the newest of Immaculate Heart Radio’s 20 outlets.

The station was formerly San Francisco’s KOIT.

Lambert said, adding, “My understanding is that KSFB is the largest Catholic radio station in the U.S. and the largest English language Catholic station in the world.”

KSFB officials estimate the broadcast facility’s signal can reach nine million, nearly doubling the IHR network’s potential audience.

The price tag for KOIT-AM, formerly owned by Bonneville Radio (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints) was $14 million with a total project cost of $15 million. To date, $11 million has been pledged toward the work. “The donors were mostly people known to IHR or individuals helping with the fundraising,” Lambert said. “We hope the remaining $4 million comes in soon.”

“I think it will be easier to raise money now that people can actually hear the station. Before it was all intangibles but now it is there – 24/7. Anybody with money they’re not using should let us know and we’ll take it off their hands for a very good cause,” Lambert said with a laugh.

“The Church exists to help people save their immortal soul,” Father Johnson said in a statement printed in the Dec. 16 bulletin of St. Thomas More Church in San Francisco where he is stationed. Considered the station’s

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chaplain, he added, “IHR helps to do this in a big way.

Many lives have already been changed for the better as a result of listening to IHR.” Father Johnson assisted by two Legionaires of Christ priests from San Jose led the Dec. 10 blessing ceremony for the new broadcast operation.

The network’s website www.ihradio.org carries broadcast schedules. KFSB-AM 1260 airs 24 hours a day and programming includes a daily Mass and rosary as well as talk and information from Eternal Word Radio Network.

Father Frank Pavone, national director for Priests for Life and heard regularly on EWTN and Immaculate Heart Radio, will be the featured speaker Jan. 18 at 7:30 p.m. for the annual Interfaith Memorial Service for Victims of Abortion at St. Mary’s Cathedral, Gough St. and Geary Blvd. in San Francisco. The evening is sponsored by the Interfaith Committee for Life.

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December 21, 2007

Catholic San Francisco

7

Initiatives seek parental involvement, SB777 repeal

By Rick DelVecchio A coalition of pro-family groups based in Sacramento hopes to gather enough signatures for a statewide initiative to strike down SB 777, a new law stating that public schools may not discriminate against students on the basis of disability, gender, nationality, race or ethnicity, religion and sexual orientation.

In addition, a separate campaign has begun for a November 2008 ballot measure to amend the state Constitution so that a minor may not have an abortion without the consent of a parent or other responsible family member. The proposed initiative is called the Child and Teen Safety and Stop Predators Act: Sarah’s Law. In a change from two previous initiatives that sought to mandate parental notice of a minor’s pending abortion but were defeated by voters, it would allow a minor to designate another family member for notification if she fears she could become the victim of parental abuse.

“In this particular initiative, in order to get around the abusive-parent argument, it is not only the parent who needs to be notified but it can also be a relative,” said Vicki Evans, director of the Respect Life Ministry of the Archdiocese of San Francisco.

Advocates of parental notification say the existing law is unjust and harmful to minors.

“The existing law is you don’t need parental consent,” Evans said. “So you have school and counselors taking girls as young as 13 for abortions, thinking they are doing the girl a favor. But really what they’re doing is harming the child physically and emotionally by keeping her in the dark.”

Sonoma County winemaker Don Sebastiani, who is a member of the campaign’s steering committee, said the initiative also is intended to counter the trend of adult males using underage girls for sex. The notification of parents or family members by minors seeking abortions would help expose the abusers, he said.

“We’re trying to put as many impediments to it in as many ways possible,” he said, adding that the proposed initiative is modeled on parental notification measures in force in other states.

Opponents of SB 777 are collecting signatures at 44 centers in the state, mostly in Southern California and the Central Valley. Their goal is to gather 435,000 verified signatures from registered voters by Jan. 10, the deadline for county clerks to receive petitions for measures seeking to qualify for the June ballot.

If the campaign succeeds in gathering the required number of valid signatures, the implementation of the law would be suspended until the election is decided.

The campaign is being directed by Capitol Resource Family Impact, a pro-family group based in Sacramento, said Karen England, the group’s executive director.

In an interview with Catholic San Francisco, England said she fears that the law, also called the California Student Civil Rights Act, “is promoting a social and sexual agenda in the classroom.”

The California Catholic Conference and Catholics for the Common Good, a San Francisco-based lay apostolate for the evangelization of culture, raised similar concerns in September in an unsuccessful attempt to persuade Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger not to the sign the bill. Catholic opponents also warned that the bill could make it illegal to

Rite of Election, Call to Conversion seen as ‘a joy for the entire Church’

By Tom Burke Archbishop George H. Niederauer will preside at the Rite of Election and Call to Continuing Conversion 2008 at St. Mary’s Cathedral Feb. 10 at 3:30 p.m.

“This is the rite by which Archbishop Niederauer recognizes and calls catechumens - those preparing for baptism, confirmation and Eucharist - to continue with the final stage of their preparation before their initiation at the Easter Vigil,” said Patrick Vallez-Kelly, director of the Office of Worship of the Archdiocese of San Francisco.

“Additionally, in this Archdiocese, the Archbishop also recognizes and encourages already-baptized adult candidates who are preparing to make a profession of faith and to celebrate confirmation and first Eucharist,” Vallez-Kelly said.

“According to the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, and with much precedent, it is the bishop’s role to admit adult catechumens to their election and the sacraments,” Vallez-Kelly said, noting that while those participating in the RCIA experience most of their religious and spiritual progress in their parishes, it is important for them to connect with the larger Church community and particularly with the Archbishop and the archdiocesan Church.

Vallez-Kelly said exact numbers are not available at this time but in past years an average of 180 catechumens and 215 candidates have taken part each year.

He said the first highlight of the event is the gather●

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The Enrollment of Names is also memorable, VallezKelly said. “At the Archbishop’s invitation, the catechumens process forward to sign their names in the ‘Book of the Elect’ of their parish. It is a significant ritual moment, and immediately after this the Archbishop declares these catechumens to be members of the Elect — those to be initiated through the sacraments of baptism, confirmation and Eucharist at the Easter Vigil on March 22.”

Among those attending will be the catechumens, candidates, sponsors, godparents and their families as well as RCIA catechetical teams. “We want to remind people of the Archdiocese that the initiation of new members is not simply the task of ministers in the parish,” Vallez-Kelly said. “It is the responsibility and joy for the entire Church community. All are welcome to this special ceremony.”

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uphold certain Church teachings, such as traditional marriage as a benefit for children and society.

A fact sheet by the campaign to defeat SB777 at the polls, called Save our Kids, argues that the measure “purposely adds new mandates for school instruction and activities.”

In a Dec. 17 e-mail to supporters, England added: “We are constantly amazed at the lengths to which our opposition goes in hiding their true agenda from the unsuspecting public.”

She wrote that in prohibiting discrimination against students on the basis of sexual orientation, the measure opens the door to pro-gay classroom instruction and activities.

In an interview, she said students had ample civil-rights protections before the law was passed. She argued that proponents are promoting bias under the guise of eliminating it.

“It promotes the idea that bisexuality and homosexuality are equal to heterosexuality,” she said. “San Francisco values shouldn’t be forced on all the other school districts in the state.”

Proponents of SB777 strongly disagreed.

The law does not expand the civil-rights protections that were in the state Education Code before the governor signed it, Superintendent of Instruction Jack O’Connell said in a Nov. 29 letter to county and district superintendents and charter school administrators.

“It does clarify just what those protections include by providing an explicit and clear list of all the prohibited bases of discrimination” in publicly funded K-12 schools, he wrote.

The bill’s sponsor, state Sen. Sheila Kuehl, said the clarifications were made at the request of school districts. “The whole bill is about discrimination,” she told Catholic San Francisco. “It does nothing affirmative.”

Geoff Kors, executive director of Equality California, a group whose mission is to achieve equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Californians, said SB777 clarifies language that had been confusing for school districts.

“There’s nothing in it that requires any curriculum change whatever,” he said. “That is the law in California: marriage is between a man and a woman. And while I personally may be willing to change that, the law is the law. We don’t let teachers bring personal prejudices in.”

Asked to comment on opponents’ allegation that the change in law is a means to promote curriculum changes, he said: “We always want teachers to know about curriculum that is supportive of education and supportive of LGBT people, but that’s not required of schools.”

8

Catholic San Francisco

December 21, 2007

Holy Days of Obligation – 2008 The following solemnities will be observed as Holy Days of Obligation in the Archdiocese of San Francisco in 2008: � Aug. 15, The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Friday) � Dec. 8, The Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Monday) � Dec. 25, Christmas (Thursday) Explanatory notes and background on 2008’s holy days and solemnities � Archbishop George Niederauer has determined that, in accord with the practice of neighboring dioceses, the obligation to attend Mass on Jan. 1, 2008, the Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God is dispensed. � The Solemnity of The Ascension of the Lord is observed on the Seventh Sunday of Easter, May 4, 2008 for our Metropolitan Province as approved by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and confirmed by the Congregation for Bishops. � Nov. 1, 2008, the Solemnity of All Saints falls on a Saturday and is not a holy day of obligation. According to the 1992 general decree of the U.S. bishops, the precept to attend Mass is dispensed when this solemnity falls on a Saturday or a Monday. � The Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception is always a day of obligation except in years when Dec. 8 falls on a Sunday and the solemnity is observed on Dec. 9.

Transfer of solemnities in liturgical calendar for Lent and Easter of 2008 The following solemnities in the year 2008 are transferred to alternate dates due to the timing of Holy Week and the Octave of Easter. â—? The Solemnity of St. Patrick, principal copatron of the Archdiocese of San Francisco, normally observed on March 17, is transferred to Friday, March 14. â—? The Solemnity of St. Joseph, normally observed on March 19, is transferred to Saturday, March 15. â—? The Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord, normally observed on March 25, is transferred to Monday, March 31.

Join Us! New Year’s Eve Vigil Monday December 31 � 9 p.m. – Midnight A program of meditation and reflection, including a Eucharistic Celebration ending at midnight. All welcome – donation.

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NDNU president resigns; campus issues had mounted BELMONT – Notre Dame de Namur sion between the university and the City of University has announced that Dr. John B. Belmont over neighborhood complaints Oblak has resigned as its president effective about excessive noise from Koret Field, NDNU’s recently renovated athletic field.

Dec. 31.

In addition, the school’s “It is with great regret that the staff asked the university’s board of trustees accepted the trustees to investigate the situaresignation of Dr. Oblak,� said tions.

Trustee Marc Desautels. “The According to NDNU board wishes to thank Dr. Oblak spokesman Richard Rossi, for his many years of service to enrollment has declined “by the institution and its mission less than 100,� from just under and for his many accomplish1,600 to just more than 1,500. ments over the past seven and a Oblak has been quoted in half years. However, we undernews reports as saying the stand his desire to return to the school will have a $750,000 East Coast and wish him and his John B. Oblak, Ph.D. fiscal year surplus. Rossi said family well.�

In recent months both faculty and student the budget picture is in flux, but “by the end groups have expressed public concerns about of the year we will likely be in balance.�

Executive Vice President and Provost Oblak. On Oct. 16 faculty leadership recommended the resignations of both Oblak and Judith Maxwell Greig will assume the NDNU board chair Cressey Nakagawa. On responsibilities and duties of president until the same day the Associated Student Senate further notice, officials said.

Founded by the Sisters of Notre Dame passed a resolution of no confidence, accordof Namur, Belgium in 1851 and chartered ing to the campus student newspaper.

Both groups cited concerns about enroll- by the state in 1868, Notre Dame de Namur ment, finances and other issues. Among the University is an independent Catholic, other concerns, apparently, is ongoing ten- coeducational institution.

Flag torched at St. Raphael Parish Very little damage was done Dec. 11 when a San Rafael man soaked a stolen American flag in cognac and set it on fire on an eight-foot cross at St. Raphael Church in San Rafael, parish officials confirmed.

Roger Jesus Estrella-Suarez, 29, was arrested that day after a witness reported a man setting a fire outside the parish church, according to a report in the Marin Independent Journal.

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Catholic San Francisco

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(PHOTO COURTESY JOYCE HERBERT/NATIONAL SHRINE OF ST. FRANCIS)

December 21, 2007

Cement was poured Dec. 17 at San Francisco’s National Shrine of St. Francis of Assisi for the base of the Porziuncola, an exact replica of the church built in Assisi, Italy by St. Francis. The structure is expected to be complete for a grand opening Sept. 25. The walls of the chapel will be anchored on the posts protruding from the concrete.

Standing at the entrance is Alfonso Rocciola, left, Nibbi Brothers Contractors project manager. The Shrine renewal website is www.shrinerenewal.org.

Midnight Mass and caroling Dec. 24 at National Shrine The National Shrine of St. Francis of Assisi’s celebration of Christmas will include a Dec. 24 Midnight Mass preceded by Scripture reading and carols at 11:30 p.m.

Mass Christmas day will be at 12:15 p.m. Gregorian Chant will accompany both liturgies. Leading song at the Masses and the prelude will be the Shrine Schola.

The shrine begins its second annual Novena to Mary, the Mother of God on her feast by that name, Jan. 1 at the 12:15 p.m. Mass. It continues daily at that time through Jan. 9.

The Shrine website is wwwshrinesf.org or call (415) 983-0405.

In charge of a recent holiday food drive at St. Stephen Elementary School were, from left, Alex Lithgow, Joe Holl, Jamie Maciel, Brook Bruneman, Joe Salvamini, Kelly McCarthy, Natalie Kern, Megan Cleary, Kerry Crowley, Thomas Egan, Jackie Hazelwood and Megan Hallisey. Students collected 7,316 canned and dry food items for the pantries of the St. Vincent de Paul Society

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December 21, 2007

(PHOTOS BY RICK DELVECCHIO/CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO)

10

A worshiper adds a painting of Our Lady of Guadalupe to gifts at the altar of St. Anthony Parish, Menlo Park, during the Dec. 7 Healing Mass.

Father Jose Corral, who presided at the Mass, smiles following the three-hour liturgy.

‘Gracias, Señor’ Healing Mass: piety, prayer and passion merge

By Rick DelVecchio The Charismatic Healing Mass at St. Anthony Church in Menlo Park on Dec. 7 started at 7 p.m., but people were gathering at least an hour earlier. From a distance it looked as if a festival was underway. Floodlights went up in the parking lot as parishioners set up outdoor stalls in an atmosphere of seasonal cheer.

It was the fourth day of the novena to Our Lady of Guadalupe, and Miriam Lombera sold images of the most recognizable Catholic icon in the Americas.

She switched on one Blessed Virgin statue to show how tiny alternating colored lights outlined the figure.

Her daughter, Mariela, 5, scampered behind the counter. Her son, Jesus, was helping to manage the shop. Jesus mentioned that although the Friday congregation would be large, it would be nothing compared to the crowds expected for the Masses on the 11th and 12th.

Amid dances, flowers and a procession nearly 12,000 took part in Masses those two days, Father Corral told Catholic San Francisco Dec. 13.

The church, which is in the heart of the South Bay’s Latino community, hosts a healing Mass the first Friday of each month and this particular Friday was blended into the novena schedule. In Spanish it is called Misa de Sanación Carismática, Coro Agua Viva.

Agua Viva – healing water – is bestowed generously on the worshipers at the close of the liturgy by an animated Father José Corral, who has been the celebrant since the first-Friday tradition began eight years ago. He has not missed a single one.

Pastor at St. Finn Barr in San Francisco and archdiocesan liaison to the Spanish-speaking charismatic ministry, Father Corral celebrates the healing Masses on his day off.

Through the back doors Father Corral could be seen watching from the sanctuary as worshipers began filling the lobby to insure they would get seats. To his left was a shrine to Our Lady, depicting the Patroness of the Americas on a cloud of roses and St. Juan Diego, the peasant to whom she appeared in 1531, looking heavenward as roses spilled from his cloak.

The Virgin gave Juan roses to prove to the skeptical authorities that the vision was real. The cloak in which he carried the flowers is said to have been miraculously preserved.

Father Corral measured the crowd.

“Fifteen minutes to go,” he said. “Right now we have 900.”

The worshipers at the healing Mass are largely from St. Anthony, but the liturgy draws people from as far away as Salinas, Sacramento and Los Angeles. Nearly all the worshipers are of Latino descent.

Isabel Chavez of Newark crossed the bay to attend Mass Dec. 7. Asked what attracts her to the charismatic service, she answered simply: “Because I love it.”

The children’s procession was now in place, and the back lobby was jammed with worshippers. The crowd was notable for the range of ages: many elderly, many school children, and not a few babes in arms.

Michael Vera, three months old, was cradled in the arms of his mother, Veronica Vera of Redwood City. His father, Mario, said the family is very attracted to the event to pray the rosary which is recited prior to the Mass.

Mass began. Children marched to the altar with red roses for the Virgin. Adults followed, carefully placing floral gifts at the foot of the shrine.

Others placed different

kinds of modest gifts on the other side of the altar: pictures of Marian icons, candles, bottles of water, a calendar from a bakery. Later during the liturgy a young man came forward shouldering a finely made cross of 4-x-4 redwood.

As the offerings continued Father Corral introduced Josefa Sanchez, coordinator of the prayer group Pescador de Hombres and one of the most important keepers of the tradition at St. Anthony. Later in the liturgy, she testified about her devotion to the Virgin and the Virgin’s role in physical healing in her family.

The Catholic charismatic tradition, which largely began 40 years ago in Pittsburgh, Pa., and spread worldwide, shows where Protestant and Catholic worship styles overlap. But the Mass Dec. 7, expressive as it was compared with a traditional European-style service, focused on community prayer, the sacraments and especially the Holy Spirit as worshipers experienced God’s power through their veneration of the Virgin. There were no individual expressions of ecstasy, such as speaking in tongues.

“The charismatic Mass means it is a joyful celebration of the Mass,” Father Corral explained. “A lot of adoration and acclamation of the Holy Spirit. Lively music. We raise our hands in prayer. We sing and sometimes we lay our hands on people. The Catholic Church is becoming open and more accepting of this way of praising God.”

A third of U.S. Catholics are Latino and they are bringing a more expressive style of worship, the Pew Hispanic Center and the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life said in a survey released last April. The survey identified more than half of Hispanic Catholics as attracted to a charismatic worship style.

Father Corral watched parishioners placing flowers at the foot of the altar and his eyes widened as he pictured the far larger display he expected for the Dec. 11 Mass. “The altar will be filled with 3,000 dozen” roses in five colors, he said.

He said 1,500 people would attend that Mass, and three times more would be turned away.

“It’s amazing,” Father Corral said.

“I’ve never seen that many in my entire life – roses or people.”

Many participants stood behind Father Corral on the altar during the Mass.

Teresa Preciado, holding a statue of the infant Jesus, was with her daughter, Carmen, who explained why so many people attend the charismatic service.

“Today’s the day when the priest tells everyone to come up front if they have something that’s not right in their health,” she said. “He prays for them.”

Father Corral’s energy was rising with that of the congregation. During the liturgy he stepped aside and said in a low voice: “I’m having fun, as you can see.”

And he said: “I’m going to sprinkle them with holy water – tons and tons of holy water. They like it.”

Servers appeared with three large bowls and a pitcher. Father Corral rolled up his sleeves.

Within minutes he had scattered the contents over the congregation, dousing many parishioners on the center aisle. A five-man mop crew followed close behind.

Clearly uplifted by the experience, Father Corral returned to the sanctuary and broke into a grin as his face dripped with water.

He turned to the figure of the crucified Christ above the tabernacle and said: “Gracias, Señor.”

Mexican and Aztec folk dance troupes closed the event with performances before the altar. The young lady who led the Aztec group, called Quetzalcoatl, bore a goblet of burning incense.

Catholic San Francisco

December 21, 2007

11

Christmas in Vietnam: indicator of widening Church role Cool evening breezes sweep down treelined streets. Houses and shops of French colonial design are highlighted by patterned rows of colored Christmas lights.

Overhead, large strands of illuminated decorations span the avenues. Banners strung across major intersections proclaim in large letters, “Merry Christmas.”

Offices and hotel lobbies display tall, decorated Christmas trees accompanied not by reindeer but ornate manager scenes, sheep and shepherds included. The small well-lighted plaza in front of St. Joseph Cathedral proudly displays a magnificent Nativity scene, with bigger-than-life statues of Mary, Joseph, baby Jesus, the shepherds, the wise men, and a wide assortment of animal figures. The choir inside is robustly practicing traditional Christmas carols.

Paris or Prague? Brussels or Berlin?

Madrid or Marin? None of these. In this capital city of Hanoi, in this nation of Vietnam, one of the five remaining communist countries in the world, nowhere can one find the “Happy Holidays” signs of San Francisco. Here, it’s all about Christmas, all about the birth of Jesus Christ.

Vietnam has changed. Vietnam is changing. “Today we enjoy a much improved and much better relationship with the government,” stated the Most Rev. Giuse Ngo Quang Kiet, archbishop of Hanoi. In a meeting recently, the archbishop noted that “priests function freely in their parishes and our seminaries are filled.”

The archbishop was especially thrilled that a year ago last fall, 57 priests were ordained in St. Joseph Cathedral in Hanoi.

The main celebrant was Cardinal Crescenzio Sepe, prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, on an official visit to Vietnam. Eight of the 57 new priests were ordained for the Archdiocese of Hanoi.

The others were ordained for the neighboring seven dioceses.

The archdiocesan seminary has 250 students, and the archbishop has plans to build an additional seminary to house an increasing number of students. Until recently, the government would only allow a new class of entering seminarians once every two years.

Now a new class is allowed every year.

Proportionately, Vietnam has more Catholics than any other country in Asia, except the Philippines. Today, there are approximately seven million Catholics in Vietnam, roughly nine per cent of the total population of 83 million. “In the Archdiocese of Hanoi, we have 300,000 Catholics in a population of three million,” said the archbishop. “Most of them are practicing their faith.”

Vietnam has 26 dioceses, including three archdioceses. There are 39 bishops, more than 2,200 diocesan priests, and 521 religious order priests. There are 11,443 women religious, 1,778 men religious, 1,395 lay missionaries, and 50,605 catechists.

(PHOTOS BY FATHER KENNETH WEARE, PH.D.)

By Father Kenneth M. Weare, Ph.D.

For their Christmas project, students at the St. Joseph Cathedral parish school in Hanoi created poster boards with birth-of-Christ themes.

Archbishop Ngo Quang Kiet was also particularly pleased the government approved the establishment of the new Ba Ria Diocese. “The Church is growing. The Church is dynamic,” he said, “and we now have good relations with the government.”

Following reunification of Vietnam in 1975, the Communist government severely restricted religious activities. The Catholic Church was viewed by many authorities as a capitalist institution and a competitive center of power that could undermine the revolution.

The positive tone of today’s improving relations was echoed by government and Communist party authorities. At a meeting with a group of visiting university professors in his office last year, Nguyen Huu Tin, vice chairman of the People’s Committee [Board of Supervisors] of Ho Chi Minh City emphasized the positive direction of church-state affairs. “We are doing a lot to develop good relations with the Catholic Church,” he said, “and we all cooperate together.” He noted Vietnam’s guarantee of the freedom of religion. “All people are free to follow any religion they choose. We have freedom of religion. We work together with people of all faiths”.

Father Joseph Dang Duc Ngan was pastor of St. Joseph Cathedral and its more than 3,000 parishioners when this author visited there early this year. Every Sunday, five Masses are celebrated. “We have a very active parish,” he said. “The people are very involved.”

In October he was appointed bishop of the Diocese of Lang Són et Cao Bang.

Father Hung Nguyen Quoc is the associate pastor. Ordained just a few years ago at the age of 37, he is perhaps one of the happiest and most fulfilled priests one might encounter. “I love my work and I love my people,” he says. His enthusiasm is inspiring. Among other responsibilities, he heads up the youth program. “We have many young people in our group,” he said. “It’s very encouraging for the future.”

Many of the young take part in a school

program offered by the cathedral parish.

For their Christmas project, each class created a large poster board expressing their understanding of Christmas. The posters were mounted along the Cathedral wall leading to the large well-decorated Nativity display. The Cathedral itself was surrounded by Christmas lights and decorations.

Christianity was introduced into Vietnam in the 16th century by European missionary priests. They arrived in the ancient town of Hoi An. One of the 17th century missionaries was the brilliant French Jesuit priest, Father Alexandre de Rhodes (1591-1660).

He arrived in 1627. In barely six months he was already preaching in Vietnamese. He is most noted for constructing quoc ngu, the Latin-based phonetic alphabet in which Vietnamese is written as it is today. For his important contribution to Vietnamese culture and his dedication to the Vietnamese people, he remains honored today as cha caa (father). In Ho Chi Minh City there is a

memorial statue of Father de Rhodes. In Hanoi, the Foreign Ministry building is located on a street that bears his name.

Catholics today assist in efforts to eliminate hunger and reduce poverty. The parishioners in the Dac Nong Province, for example, organized a successful campaign to build more houses for the poor.

Earlier this year, the Representatives of the Congress of Catholics of the Central Highlands Province of Dac Nong held their first meeting; 92 delegates attended, representing the 95,000 parishioners from 11 local parishes. Among other goals, the group is encouraging Catholics to assist one another in economic development.

The Catholic Church in Vietnam is dynamic today and fully participating in the development of the nation. Last January the Committee for Solidarity Among Vietnamese Catholics honored 90 Catholic leaders from parishes and religious communities for their labors in development of the country.

Deputy Prime Minister Vu Khoan praised the Catholic citizens, noting they had made valuable contributions in efforts to unite people for the common good of all.

The cooperation of Church and society he characterized as “good life, good religion.”

In particular he highlighted the success of Catholic citizens in working effectively to address hunger and poverty.

In the words of Archbishop Ngo Quang Kiet: “We are very hopeful about the future.”

Father Kenneth Weare, Ph.D., teaches social ethics at the University of San Francisco and is pastor of St. Rita Parish in Fairfax.

He was in Hanoi early this year to present a paper, “Globalization and Free Trade,” at the Ho Chi Minh National Political Academy.

Elaborate Christmas displays are common in commercial as well as religious settings in the Vietnam of today, writes Father Kenneth Weare.

Left, St. James Elementary students will have many children smiling with toys they collected for the San Francisco Fire Department’s Toys for Tots. “We filled two big barrels with new and used toys,” said Dominican Sister Mary Susanna Vasquez, principal. Student helpers included, from left: Serena Quiroz, third grade; Andres Ramirez, eighth grade; and Justin Claudio, fifth grade. The school also collected personal items for residents of St. Anne’s Home.

Right, St. Elizabeth Elementary School students collected a total of 1,670 food items in their holiday food drive benefiting the San Francisco Food Bank.

Among those doing the good work were, from left: Amalia Galimba, Erica Liu and Alex Martinez.

12

Catholic San Francisco

December 21, 2007

Catholic san Francisco Northern California’s Weekly Catholic Newspaper

Guest editorial Time to reprogram the stem cell debate

By Richard M. Doerflinger

(CNS PHOTO/COURTESY OF JUNYING YU, UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON)

When the founder of human embryonic stem cell research says a new advance spells “the beginning of the end” for his field, we should pay attention.

That happened last month, when Dr. James Thomson of Wisconsin and Dr. Shinya Yamanaka of Japan discovered how to “reprogram” ordinary adult cells to act like embryonic stem cells. Dr. Thomson said these induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) “meet the defining criteria we originally proposed for human ES cells, with the significant exception that the iPS cells are not derived from embryos.”

That is a very significant exception, in light of the past nine years of intense debate over destroying embryonic human beings for their stem cells. Dr. Thomson says the new cells will replace those taken from embryos: They are noncontroversial, are easily produced, and can be an exact genetic match to particular patients (the elusive goal that scientists pursued unsuccessfully by trying to clone human embryos).

Dr. Thomson now admits he always had moral qualms about destroying embryos.

“If human embryonic stem cell research does not make you at least a little bit uncomfortable, you have not thought about it enough,” he says. And Dr. Yamanaka has told the New York Times how a flash of moral insight, experienced while looking through a microscope at an embryo in Genetic modifications in skin cells, shown a fertility clinic, led him to here, were created by a scientific team the stem cell breakthrough from the University of Wisconsin-Madison of the decade. “When I saw and may negate the need for stem-cell the embryo,” says Dr. research involving human embryos.

Yamanaka, father of two girls, “I suddenly realized there was such a small difference between it and my daughters... I thought, we can’t keep destroying embryos for our research. There must be another way.” And he went out and found it.

This looks like a happy ending, a win for science and ethics. But politicians and biotechnology CEOs who have invested money and reputations in embryo destruction fought this advance every step of the way, and are not ready to give up yet.

A few months ago these critics said Yamanaka’s advance in “reprogramming” adult mouse cells was a fluke - until it was confirmed by three other teams of scientists. They blocked legislation to provide federal funding for such research - but President Bush promoted it, and signed an executive order to ensure funding. They said it wouldn’t work the same way in human cells - until Drs. Yamanaka and Thomson issued their new studies last month. Then they said iPSCs may fail to reverse disease - until an even newer study showed they can reverse sickle-cell anemia in animals, producing better results than embryonic stem cells from cloning. Now they say iPSCs pose a risk of tumor formation - but that is also true of stem cells from destroying embryos.

At present, adult and cord blood stem cells remain the gold standard for safe and effective treatments. But if embryonic stem cells had any important research uses that could not be achieved with adult stem cells, it seems iPSCs will do as well or better.

Some politicians want to ignore this advance, and continue their fight to force taxpayers to fund research involving destruction of human embryos. They may want to listen to the scientists themselves, who are heaving a sigh of relief that they no longer have to be involved in this dirty business.

(Richard Doerflinger is deputy director of the Secretariat for ProLife Activities, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. To learn more about the bishops’ pro-life activities, go to www.usccb.org/prolife.)

Sentence confusing I just read the Dec. 14 article“Navy chaplain sentenced,” and very much agree with the Archdiocese of Washington and the Church’s standing on this. But I’m confused with the 12-year prison sentence.

Doesn’t the service now have that “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy?

And, if these men are adults how could it be abuse, couldn’t they just say, “No”?

I’m not defending the priest. He deserves punishment, but I just don’t understand theNavy sentence as much as the Church suspending him.

John Lynch Redwood City

Bishops misguided The recent statement on illegal immigration by the California bishops is an example of equivocation that only muddles the issue. While they say they are against illegal immigration, they are also for immigration reform, which is amnesty. Illegal immigrants are better served by encouraging them to do the right thing — leaving, applying for immigrant visas, and waiting in line in their home countries, as what legal immigrants are doing.

Illegal immigration must be seen for what it is. It is human trafficking on such a scale not seen here since the days of slavery. Illegal immigration is corrupting America, as slavery did before.

Mexico is using illegal immigration to get rid of its poor citizens. It is passing on to America its responsibility of providing jobs, shelter, education, welfare and health care.

Even more ominous is Mexico’s sinister motive here. More than a century ago, many Americans settled in big areas of Mexican territory.

Their large numbers enabled them to gain, with American government help, control of these areas. These are now the states of Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas and California.

By flooding America with millions of its citizens, Mexico is now doing to America what America did to it.

Illegal immigration has created a large, unassimilated segment of the population. If left unchecked, it may lead to two separate nations, one English-speaking and the other Spanish-speaking.

Is this what the good bishops want for America?

Ernesto Macatuno South San Francisco

secrecy makes it all the more pervasive.

This invisibility is a major reason our Christian society has been able to largely avoid the issue. When’s the last time anyone heard a homily on the subject at Mass?

The very brave and committed Mr. Foti sheds a bright, focused light on this American holocaust. Is it too bright?

G.P. Heckert San Mateo

Rethink priorities I’d like to know why the Archdiocese hasn’t had a December second collection for the Retirement Fund for Religious for this year and last year. Many worthy causes need our support. However, I feel the Archdiocese has to rethink its priorities.

For example, I think that supporting our retired religious is much, much more important than contributing to a bunch of young, privileged kids via the second collection for the Catholic University of America. Hopefully, this situation is just an unfortunate mistake and not a true reflection of Archdiocese priorities.

Dave Dion San Francisco (Ed note: The Archdiocese has reinstituted the collection for the Retirement Fund for Religious for next year; it is scheduled for Dec. 14, 2008.)

L E T T E R S

Light too bright?

Thank you for publishing Jack Kirkpatrick’s Dec. 7 letter (“Pro-lifer treated unfairly”) supporting Mr. Ross Foti’s alarming signs. I don’t know either gentleman but I believe the signs serve an important purpose. Abortion is the most immoral and heinous social injustice of all, the wanton taking of totally innocent life in such huge numbers – several tens of millions in the U.S. alone since Roe v. Wade became law.

In addition to its sanctioned legal status, the fact that it takes place in virtual

Gift card strategy

I am sending this letter to both your publication and a couple of other Catholic newspapers that I read both in print and on-line. It is my hope that you will print my letter because it deals with an important topic, especially at the season of Christmas and New Years.

I recently read an article in the Wall Street Journal that stated statistics from the National Retail Federation that predicted that an amazing $26 billion in gift cards will be purchased this Christmas season by U.S. consumers.

I would like to share with your readers a strategy. I have received gift cards in recent years for which I have had no use. Last Christmas I received a $50 gift card for a retail chain store whose business practices I do not necessarily like.

Thinking that this gift card would be useless to me, I donated it to a local home for unwed mothers and was told by an appreciative staff member it would go a long way to help a young mother who has made the courageous decision to have her baby in the abortion-saturated culture in which we live. Afterwards, I donated two other gift cards that were hanging around from past years, which were also put to good use.

Sometimes these “useless” gift cards go lost or unused. I would like to encourage your readers to consider donating such gift cards to a local home for unwed mothers.

Such gift cards can make the difference for a brave young mother who has courageously chosen life and has a rocky road ahead of her.

John Nguyen Niantic, Conn.

Try cyber pilgrimage Letters welcome Catholic San Francisco welcomes letters from its readers. Please:

➣ Include your name, address and daytime phone number. ➣ Sign your letter. ➣ Limit submissions to 250 words. ➣ Note that the newspaper reserves the right to edit for clarity and length.

Send your letters to: Catholic San Francisco One Peter Yorke Way San Francisco, CA 94109 Fax: (415) 614-5641 E-mail: morrisyoungd@sfarchdiocese.org

You can enjoy the blessings and pleasures of a pilgrimage by sitting at your computer and visiting a different kind of shrine.

Simply call up “The Mary Page,” website of The Marian Library and its International Marian Research Institute at the University of Dayton. Then embark on a cyber pilgrimage in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Acknowledged as the premier Marian website, “The Mary Page” is a fascinating and valuable resource about everything concerning the Mother of the Redeemer.

Encyclopedic in scope, it treats an extensive range of topics that will both inform and inspire. This website is a veritable treasure trove of matters Marian.

Your ticket is www.udayton.edu/mary.

Or enter “The Mary Page” on Google or another search engine.

Brother John Samaha, SM Cupertino

December 21, 2007

Catholic San Francisco

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Guest Commentary

Has ‘reign of the child’ begun?

Consider these statistics: One in 18 children today are born to men over 50; there are 10.4 million single moms in the U.S. today (seven million more than in 1970); and approximately 150,000 fathers stay at home while the mother goes to work.

But according to Mark Penn and Kinney Zalesne, authors of the newly released book “Microtrends: The Small Forces Behind Tomorrow’s Big Changes,” the most dramatic change yet is the shift from parent to kid in the everyday power struggle at home. Today kids are calling the shots, not the parents.

Penn, who has been studying polling data for over 30 years, says it starts from the day the infant is brought home. Up until the 1950s, pediatricians advised parents to keep a strict sleep schedule, to make them “cry it out” in the middle of the night.

Parenting expert Dr. Spock was labeled “permissive” when he suggested that sometimes it is OK to go in and comfort the child. Today 66 percent of moms believe that parents should absolutely comfort wee ones if they cry during the night, while 30 percent insist that babies should cry it out so that they learn how to sleep on their own.

It is a cultural shift, a generational thing.

A few months ago I was visiting a friend of mine who is in his 70s. Four-year-old Katherine started to fuss.

“Don’t you dare give in to her,” he said to me. “If you do, she’ll be a monster of a teenager. You can’t raise kids with sympathy.”

He went on about how he raised 11 of his siblings and offered me the same advice older teachers give to newbies on their first day of school: “Don’t crack a smile until after Christmas.”

But that’s not me. Really not me. And in raising Katherine and David, I need to be me.

I see the cultural war surface in playgroups that I attend. The strict parents are counting “That’s 1,” and off giving their children a timeout for disruptive behavior.

Permissive types like me (and the 66 percent in Penn’s polls) are giving in to the requests and whines made by the little people.

Here’s where it gets complicated, according to Penn, for Gen-X moms like me who sleepwalk in the middle of the night to console their preschoolers: The job of fostering the unique-

ness, individuality and self-expression of our youth comes at the price of exhaustion.

Is this a good thing?

The jury’s still out, say Penn and Zalesne.

We simply don’t know yet if “all this child-cenTherese J. teredness and greater Borchard permissiveness will turn out stronger citizens, or just less obedient ones.”

In a strange way, I was relieved in reading their conclusion: “If you’re completely exhausted — or have the distinct sense that parenting today is harder than it used to be — the reign of the child is probably why.”

Therese J. Borchard is a Catholic News Service columnist.

Spirituality for Life

Advent – a time to learn how to wait Carlo Carretto, the renowned spiritual writer, spent many years living alone as a hermit in the Sahara desert. He wrote a number of books from that place of solitude, including “Letters from the Desert.” In that book, he has a message for those of us who live busy lives in the world. “What is God trying to say to us in our busy lives?” He suggests this: “Be patient! Learn to wait - for each other, for love, for happiness, for God!” Learn to wait! That’s not something we do easily and many of our problems flow from that.

Annie Dillard shares this story about proper waiting: She had been watching a butterfly emerge from its cocoon and was fascinated by the process until she grew impatient with how long it was taking and, to speed things up, took a candle and heated the cocoon, albeit very gently.

The experiment worked, but it was a mistake in the long run. The butterfly emerged more quickly; however, because adding heat violated something within the natural process, the butterfly was born with wings too weak to fly. Haste and prematurity had stunted and deformed a natural process.

Dillard understood immediately what had gone wrong. A certain chastity had been violated. Impatience had triggered an irreverence that had interfered with and damaged the natural order of things. In essence, the Christmas gift had been opened too early; the bride had been slept with before the wedding; a process that needed an allotted period of time had been short-circuited. There hadn’t been enough advent.

Advent means waiting. Among other things, it celebrates the idea that the messiah must be born from a virgin. Why? Is sex something unworthy of God? If Jesus had been born in a natural way, would that somehow have given him less dignity? This is a

dark underside in some spiritualities, but Jesus’ birth from a virgin has nothing to do with that.

Scripture and Christian tradition emphasize that Jesus was born of a virgin to underscore the fact that he had no human father and also to teach an important truth: for something sublime to be born there must, first, be a proper chastity, a proper time of waiting, a season of advent. Why? The answer lies in properly understanding chastity.

Chastity is not, first of all, something to do with sex. Chastity has to do with how we experience reality in general. To be chaste is to have proper reverence - toward God, each other, nature, ourselves, reality in general and toward sex.

Lack of chastity is irreverence, in any area of life, sex included. And reverence is a lot about proper waiting. We can see this by looking at its opposite. To lack chastity, to be irreverent, is to be impatient, selfish, callous, immature, undisciplined or boorish in any way so that our actions deprive someone else of his or her full uniqueness, dignity and preciousness. We do this every time we short-circuit waiting.

Thus, it is understandable why the prime analogate for chastity is proper reverence in the area of sex. Sex, because it so deeply affects the soul, speaks most loudly about chastity or lack of it. Sex is only chaste when it is not short-circuited by impatience, selfishness or lack of respect. Sadly, because sex is so powerful, these things are often short-circuited. We violate chastity in sex whenever there is prematurity, unfair pressure, subtle manipulation, crass force, taking without giving, posturing an intimacy we don’t mean, lack of respect for previous commitments, disregard for the wider relationships of family and community, or failure to respect long-range happiness and

health. Annie Dillard’s metaphor basically captures it. There is a fault in our chastity when we put a candle to the cocoon so as to unnaturally rush the process.

Chastity is about proper waiting, and Father waiting is about Ron Rolheiser patience in carrying the tensions and frustrations we suffer as we live the unfinished symphony of our lives.

There are some wonderful refrains in apocalyptic literature around the importance of waiting. Before the messiah can be conceived, gestated and born, there must always be a proper time of waiting, a necessary advent, a certain quota of suffering, which alone can create the proper virginal space within which the messiah can be born: “God is never in a hurry!” “Every tear brings the messiah closer!” “It is with much groaning of the flesh that the life of the spirit is brought forth!”

All of these phrases say the same thing: What’s sublime depends upon there first having been some sublimation; a feast can only happen after there has first been some fasting; love can only be a gift if the gift is fully respected; and (as Carretto so poignantly puts it) we must learn to wait - for God, for love, for the bride and for Christmas.

Father Ron Rolheiser’s website is www.ronrolheiser.com.

The Catholic Difference

The God with an infant’s face As my too-cute-to-be-true grandson, Master William Joseph Susil, careened around the house over Thanksgiving, exercising his rapidly expanding vocabulary and wrecking havoc on unsecured objects in his path, I couldn’t help but imagine possible futures for him: The guy who breaks Alex Rodriguez’s MLB record for career home runs? Author of the Great American Novel? Victor over Chelsea Clinton in the 2048 presidential campaign? The first American pope? (No, one shouldn’t wish that job on anyone.) Inventor of morally-sound genetic therapies?

Reveries aside, William’s presence in the family these past 20 months has been a happy reminder that nothing so sweetly pulls us out of ourselves as a baby. Infants and toddlers are human magnets drawing the rusty metal of selfabsorption out of the members of the species who fancy themselves grown up while leading us into the bright, sometimes frightening, but never cynical world of childhood. Which prompted a further thought: this special capacity of babies to drain the rest of us of egocentricity and cynicism helps explain why God decided to enter the world as a newborn.

Because we certainly would have done it differently, wouldn’t we? If any of us were God, I doubt we’d have chosen to be born in less-than-optimal obstetrical circumstances in a ramshackle village on the far edge of the civilized world.

Indeed, were any of us God, would we have chosen to go

through the normal human drill of growing up, with its seemingly endless frustrations and alarums? Why not just arrive on the scene full-grown, at the height of our divine/human powers?

That, however, is not how Emmanuel, whom Pope Benedict XVI calls the “God who has a human face,” chose to make his entrance. By coming into the world and its history as a newborn, Emmanuel, from the beginning, begins to draw the lives he touches out of themselves and into self-giving love. Mary, Joseph, shepherds, Magi, the rest of the familiar cast of characters: they don’t know the Chalcedonian confession of “two natures in one divine person,” but they do know that this is a baby, beautiful as all babies are. And whatever the hymns of the angelic choir add by way of identifying this baby as Someone Special, the characters we place around our crèches are already being drawn out of themselves and into self-giving love by...well, by a baby.

In an interview on German television before his return home in the autumn of 2006, Pope Benedict suggested that “it’s become more difficult to believe because the world in which we find ourselves is completely made up of ourselves.”

That’s a crowded place, that world in which there is only us – which, primarily, means, “only me.” A world made up of me, myself and I – and those few others I occasionally deign to let into my “space” – is a closed and claustrophobic world. And one of the goods that’s shut out of such a world is love.

In that same interview, the Holy Father noted that “Christianity, Catholicism, isn’t a collection of prohibitions: it’s a positive option.” It’s an option for love, for that radical self-giving and George Weigel receptivity in which both giver and receiver are mysteriously enhanced. It’s an option for losing oneself to find the truth about each of us: that our human and spiritual fulfillment comes through making ourselves into the gifts for others that our lives are to us.

Christianity isn’t about our search for God. Like its parent, Judaism, Christianity is about God’s search for us, and our learning to take the same path through history that God does. The God with a human face began the climactic portion of his salvific journey through history as a baby, calling others out of themselves as only babies can do.

Every year, the crèche calls us to ponder the Law of the Gift written on the human heart by the God who is Love.

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

14

Catholic San Francisco

December 21, 2007

FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT Isaiah 7:10-14; Psalm 24:1-2, 3-4, 5-6; Romans 1:1-7; Matthew 1:18-24

A READING FROM THE LETTER OF PAUL TO THE ROMANS ROM 1:1-7 Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God, which he promised previously through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, the gospel about his Son, descended from David according to the flesh, but established as Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness through resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord. Through him we have received the grace of apostleship, to bring about the obedience of faith, for the sake of his name, among all the

Gentiles, among whom are you also, who are called to belong to Jesus Christ; to all the beloved of God in Rome, called to be holy. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

A READING FROM THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW MT 1:18-24 This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about. When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found with child through the Holy Spirit. Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man, yet unwilling to expose her to shame, decided to divorce her quietly. Such was his intention when, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her.

She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel, which means “God is with us.”

When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took his wife into his home.

Advent Wreath: Week 4 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: One more time we gather to pray to be better prepared to welcome the Christ Child into the world at Christmas.

This Fourth Week of Advent marks the beginning of the end of our waiting – the gift we’ve be longing for is almost here.

Light all four candles on the Advent Wreath Read aloud: Isaiah 7:10-14; Romans 1:1-7; Matthew 1:18-24 Leader: Way back in the time of the Prophet Isaiah people were nervous and afraid, and God reassured them that he would not abandon them by giving a sign: a virgin giving birth to a son whose name shall mean “With us is God.” The evangelist Paul greets the Romans by explaining who he is and why he has come – to spread

FATHER CHARLES PUTHOTA

Let’s pause and reflect: a baby is about to be born

A READING FROM THE BOOK OF ISAIAH IS 7:10-14 The Lord spoke to Ahaz, saying: Ask for a sign from the Lord, your God; let it be deep as the netherworld, or high as the sky!

But Ahaz answered,“I will not ask! I will not tempt the Lord!”

Then Isaiah said: Listen, O house of David! Is it not enough for you to weary people, must you also weary my God? Therefore the Lord himself will give you this sign: the virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall name him Emmanuel.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM PS 24:1-2, 3-4, 5-6 R. Let the Lord enter; he is king of glory.

The Lord’s are the earth and its fullness; the world and those who dwell in it.

For he founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers.

R. Let the Lord enter; he is king of glory.

Who can ascend the mountain of the Lord? or who may stand in his holy place?

One whose hands are sinless, whose heart is clean, who desires not what is vain.

R. Let the Lord enter; he is king of glory.

He shall receive a blessing from the Lord, a reward from God his savior.

Such is the race that seeks for him, that seeks the face of the God of Jacob.

R. Let the Lord enter; he is king of glory.

Scripture reflection

the teachings of that child to whom the virgin gave birth – so that they too will be holy and enjoy salvation. Matthew’s Gospel, then, is like a flashback in a movie: Here’s how it all came about folks. Listen, because it’s the greatest story ever told.

Closing prayer: (Leader may read all, or others in the household may each read a segment) 1) Dear God, help us always to remember the reason that we wait each year in such anticipation for Christmas – not for presents but for the greatest gift of all, your son.

2) Holy Spirit, guide the choices we make as Christmas nears. Through all we say and do, let us be evangelists who live and model the Gospel way of life that Jesus taught when he walked this earth.

3) Father in heaven, we offer thanks to you for the sign that Christmas is to the world – a sign that God is with us all our days, in every age and time.

4) Come, Lord Jesus. Through our Advent prayer our lives and our hearts are prepared to welcome you. Be with us, for we are your people, and you are our God.

Christmas is almost upon us. Amidst the hustle and bustle, the last Sunday of Advent offers us a moment of respite and reflection on what is about to arrive in our lives: a baby.

Our plans and preparations, all enthusiasm and expectations are centered on this baby.

With bated breath, the whole world awaits him. When the baby is born, wouldn’t it be magical if we could ask his mother to let us hold him, if for a moment, so he can rest on our chest and hear our heartbeat? Wouldn’t he then touch our lives as never before and align our heartbeat with his? Wouldn’t we then know for certain that this baby, at the core of our existence, is the one we love, treasure and follow now and into eternity?

“A baby is God’s opinion that the world should go on,” says Carl Sandburg. Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore says, “Every child comes with the message that God is not yet discouraged of man.” A child is able to bring such a powerful message of hope, thanks to this divine child born 20 centuries ago and is about to be born all over again in our lives, who bridges the chasm between heaven and earth and unites God and people because he himself is human-divine. Because of the child Jesus, Emmanuel, Savior, we shall live forevermore.

Having created the universe in an extraordinarily spectacular manner, God re-creates it, especially the human beings, in an even more astounding way through this child. Through Jesus we receive grace upon grace, mercy over mercy, freedom from sin and death, and love in superabundance. God accomplishes all these marvelous miracles through a child, fragile and vulnerable, born of a virgin.

In Prophet Isaiah, we discover that God’s solution to mighty problems is through the gift of a child. Ahaz, the King of Judah, in 8th century B.C., besieged by Israel and Syria, seeks a military alliance with Assyria.

Unhappy, Isaiah offers a “sign” from the Lord: “The virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall name him Emmanuel.”

Matthew sees Isaiah’s prophecy fulfilled in the child to be born of the Virgin Mary.

Through Joseph, the child will become the son of David. Conceived through the power of the

Holy Spirit, he will be anointed as the Son of God. The son of David becomes the Son of God and the Son of God becomes the son of David. The child thus initiates the revolution of the divine enraptured by the human and vice versa. Echoing this truth, Paul speaks of God’s son, “descended from David according to the flesh, but established as Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness.”

When sin, evil and death seem insurmountable and people are in bondage, God sends his son in the form of a child to bring about victory and freedom. The child to be born is entrusted with the immense task of saving the world. Hence the title: “Savior.” He is also to become the embodiment of God’s abiding presence, “Emmanuel,” in the world.

At his birth, God is with us. Later, when Jesus will return to his father, he will continue to be with us: “I’ll be with you always, even to the end of time.”

As we are about to enter the mystique of Christmas, we look around us. The world’s problems seem immense and interminable.

Will we ever achieve the basic needs for everyone: peace, justice, food, clothing, shelter, clean water, protection from disease and danger, dignity and respect, education, nurturing of the mind, heart and spirit, sharing with the needy, reverence for environment? These are some of the colossal issues we face.

The holy baby to be born shows us that answers don’t lie in political, military, economic forces and alliances, but in simple and humble baby steps of upholding, consoling, and comforting one another; in the handshake of friendship, tears of sorrow for those who suffer, the embrace of an enemy, a cry for justice, food for the hungry, hospitality for immigrants. These incarnational gestures make Jesus present amidst us. It is in these compassionate efforts that he is born as a baby in our midst. Our joy, sharing and laughter this Christmas will truly be genuine—-and holy—-when we let Jesus be born in the world of today.

Father Charles Puthota is parochial vicar at St. Patrick Parish, San Francisco.

Catholic San Francisco

December 21, 2007

Music TV

Books RADIO Film

15

Stage

Pope Benedict’s ‘Jesus of Nazareth’ leads Catholic Best-Seller list again Following is the Catholic Best-Sellers List for January 2008, according to the Catholic Book Publishers Association.

HARDCOVER 1. “Jesus of Nazareth.” Pope Benedict XVI (Doubleday) 2. “Mother Teresa: Come Be My Light.”

Mother Teresa with Brian Kolodiejchuk.

(Doubleday) 3. “The Dream Manager.” Matthew Kelly (Beacon/Hyperion) 4. “Rediscovering Catholicism.” Matthew Kelly (Beacon) 5. “A Book of Hours.” Merton & Deignan (Ave Maria) 6. “Celebration of Discipline” 25th Anniversary Edition. Richard Foster (HarperOne) 7. “The Rhythm of Life.” Matthew Kelly (Beacon/Fireside) 8. Catechism of the Catholic Church.

(Doubleday/Our Sunday Visitor/USCCB) 9. “The Apostles.” Pope Benedict XVI (Our Sunday Visitor) 10. (tie) “Mother Angelica’s Little Book of

Life Lessons and Everyday Spirituality.”

Raymond Arroyo (Doubleday) 10. (tie) “Catholic Household Blessings & Prayers.” (USCCB) PAPERBACK 1. “Mere Christianity.” C.S. Lewis (HarperOne) 2. Catechism of the Catholic Church.

(Doubleday/Our Sunday Visitor/USCCB) 3. “Behold Your Mother.” Stephen Rossetti (Ave Maria) 4. U.S. Catholic Catechism for Adults.

(USCCB) 5. “Good News About Sex & Marriage.”

Christopher West (Servant) 6. “My Life With the Saints.” James Martin (Loyola) 7. “Handbook for Today’s Catholic.” A Redemptorist Pastoral Publication (Liguori) 8. “Watch for the Light.” Johann Christoph Arnold (Orbis) 9. Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Libreria Editrice Vaticana (USCCB)

10. “The Complete C.S. Lewis Signature Classics.” C.S. Lewis (HarperOne) CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE 1. “Totally Lent! A Child’s Journey to Easter 2008.”

Jean Larkin (Pflaum) 2. “Totally Lent! A Kid’s Journey to Easter 2008.”

Jean Larkin (Pflaum) 3. “Making Things Right” Revised. Jeannine Timko Leichner (Our Sunday Visitor) 4. “Handbook for Today’s Catholic Teen.”

Jim Auer (Liguori) 5. Tear Soup: A Recipe for Healing After Loss.” Schwiebert & DeKlyen (ACTA/Grief Watch) 6. “Totally Lent! A Teen’s Journey to Easter 2008.” Jean Larkin (Pflaum) 7. “The Mass Book for Children.” Gortler & Piscitelli (Our Sunday Visitor) 8. “Called to His Supper” Revised.

Jeannine Timko Leichner (Our Sunday Visitor) 9. “The Catholic Faith Handbook for Youth.”

FUNERAL SERVICES DIRECTORY For Advertising Information Please Call (415) 614-5642

Brian Singer-Towns (St. Mary’s Press) 10. “My First Missal” Revised. Maria Grace Dateno (Pauline) SPANISH-LANGUAGE 1. “Jesus de Nazaret.” Papa Benedicto XVI (Doubleday) 2. Catecismo de la Iglesia Catolico. (Our Sunday Visitor, Doubleday and USCCB) 3. “Manual para el Catolico de Hoy.” A Redemptorist Pastoral Publication (Liguori) 4. “Novena Biblica al Divino Nino Jesus.”

(Pauline) 5. Compendio Catecismo de la Iglesia Catolica. Libreria Editrice Vaticana (USCCB)

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16

Catholic San Francisco

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 at 1122 Jamestown Ave.; phone (415) 468-3434). All are invited.

Refreshments will be served following Mass.

December 21, 2007

Datebook

Vocations

Consolation Ministry

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 who 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.

Faith Opportunities Jan. 5: First Saturday Mass at Holy Cross Cemetery, Colma at 11 a.m. Call (650) 756-2060.

Feb. 23: Training for new extraordinary ministers of Communion offered by the Office of Worship at Church of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Belmont, 9:30 a.m.- 3:30 p.m. Expert instruction offered in basic liturgical theology, spirituality and practice. Pre-registration required, $15. Call Pat Vallez-Kelly at (415) 6145586 or e-mail vallezkellyp@sfarchdiocese.org.

Feb. 23 and March 8: 1-day training for new lectors offered by the Office of Worship at Church of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Belmont.

Session I: Feb. 23, 9:30 a.m.- 3:30 p.m. Session II: March 8, 10 a.m.- noon. Instruction in basic liturgical theology, spirituality and practice. Preregistration required, $20.00. Call Pat VallezKelly at (415) 614-5586 or e-mail vallezkellyp@sfarchdiocese.org.

March 8: Training for extraordinary ministers of Communion to the sick offered by the Office of Worship at Church of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Belmont, 10 a.m. - noon. Pre-registration required, $5 or prior attendance at Office of Worship EM training. Call Pat Vallez-Kelly at (415) 614-5586 or e-mail vallezkellyp@sfarchdiocese.org.

Adult faith formation in San Mateo County: Several parishes in San Mateo County have collaborated on a new website. On the site there is information on workshops, retreats, speakers and web resources all in one place. The site is constantly updated and organized by topic, date and location. Visit www.increaseourfaith.org. For more information, contact Kevin Staszkow at (650) 365-0140 or Kevin@pius.org.

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.

San Francisco’s St. Anthony Foundation hosts its 20th Annual Curbside Donation event right up until Christmas.

Volunteers and staff greet donors at the street’s curb and take their contributions right then and there. Especially needed are canned food, 25lb bags of staples like rice, flour and beans, and large meats.

“Donations at the Thanksgiving Drive were down about 50 percent from last year,” a St. Anthony Foundation spokesperson said, “and many of our programs depend on holiday donations to keep them afloat year round.” 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. Volunteering: (415) 592-2829.

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) 3596313.

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) 7763795.

Catholic Adult Singles Association of Marin meets for support and activities. Call Bob at (415) 897-0639 for information.

Cookin’ up a storm for St. Thomas More School’s upcoming Crab Bowl Jan. 26 and Cioppino and Silent Auction Feb. 23 are, from left, Mike Giusti, Tom Restani, Jose Ruiz, Don Brenes, Bob Archer, Dave Rehn and, not pictured, Eric Wiseman.

The Crab Bowl tickets are $40 and include an “all you can eat crab extravaganza” with wine and dessert. Sponsored by St. Thomas More Alumni Association.

Contact Linda at Lp1114@aol.com or call (415) 218-0401.

For good health Jan. 28, 6 p.m.: The Alumnae Council of Mercy High School, San Francisco will host a “Breast Health Education Workshop” in Rist Hall.

Alumnae and friends of Mercy are invited to participate in a lecture and discussion on breast health. The workshop will include demonstrations, distribution of literature and complimentary refreshments. Mercy High School is located at 3250 19th Ave. For more information, contact Marguerite Rodriguez at (415) 337-7218 or mrodriguez@mercyhs.org.

St. Mary’s Cathedral The following events are taking place at or are coordinated by the cathedral of the Archdiocese located at Gough and Geary St. in San Francisco. Call (415) 567-2020 for more information about any event listed here.

Jan. 4: 24-hour exposition of the Blessed Sacrament. Adoration begins in Our Lady’s Chapel, located behind the main altar, following 8 a.m. Mass. A special Mass at 7:30 p.m. highlights the adoration, which continues through the night to conclude with morning prayer at 7:30 a.m., Saturday. For details, further information, or to volunteer, contact Mary Ann Eiler at (415) 5672020, ext. 224.

Jan. 6: Epiphany Lessons and Carols, a free concert of holiday music featuring the Cathedral Choir of Boys and Girls and the Golden Gate Boys Choir and Bell Ringers at 3:30 p.m. with Christoph Tietze, Cathedral organist and music director.

Jan. 11, 7:30 p.m.: A celebration of the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. featuring the Touch of Class Youth Choir and Dance and Ensemble and the Combined Adult Gospel Choir of the Bay Area. Admission is free. For more information, call Doug Benbow at (415) 5672020, ext. 220.

Food and Fun 3rd Wednesdays: The fun continues at Immaculate Conception Chapel where a spaghetti and meatball lunch is served for $8 per person. The feast begins at noon. The popular family-style lunches consist of salad, bread, pasta and homemade meatballs. Beverages are available for purchase. The meal is served in the church hall beneath the chapel, 3255 Folsom St., San Francisco. Call (415) 824-1762.

Jan. 5, 2 p.m.: St. Anselm Church, 97 Shady Lane, Ross, will once again host the Schola Cantorum of San Francisco in an Epiphany concert; tickets: $20/$15 students and seniors. Call (415) 453-2342. The choir has been proclaimed as one of the best of its type in the nation.

Jan. 13, 3 p.m.: One of the Bay Area’s six performances of the 21st Annual Dia de Los Reyes Concerts at Mission Dolores Basilica, Dolores St. at 16th, San Francisco. Donation $20 general/$15 seniors and students. Youth under 18 free. For advance tickets or more information, call (415) 431-4234 or visit www.corohispano.org. Program includes choral and instrumental music from Latin America, Spain and Portugal.

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) 355-2593. 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) 472-5732. Our Lady of Loretto, Novato; call Sister Jeanette at (415) 897-2171.

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

St. Gabriel; call Elaine Khalaf at (415) 5647882.

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

The Catholic Charismatic Renewal plans events throughout the year. Information about the group’s activities can usually be found in Datebook and always at their Web site: www.sfspirit.com. First Fridays of the month are commemorated with rosary and Mass at selected churches throughout the Archdiocese usually beginning at 7 p.m.

Jan. 4: First Friday Mass will be held at St. Anne of the Sunset, Judah and Folsom, San Francisco. The rosary will begin at 7 p.m. and the Mass at 7:30 p.m. For further information contact John Murphy at exmorte@aol.com or call (415) 665-1600, ext. 22.

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) 3758023. Pacifica, St. Peter: Sylvia Miles (650) 3556650, Jerry Trecroci (650) 355-1799, Frank Erbacher (650) 355-4355. Half Moon Bay, Our Lady of the Pillar: Meghan (650) 726-4337.

TV/Radio

Social Justice

Sunday, 6 a.m., WB Channel 20/Cable 13 and KTSF Channel 26/Cable 8: TV Mass with Msgr.

Harry Schlitt presiding.

Saturday, 4 p.m.: Religious programming in Cantonese over KVTO 1400 AM, co-sponsored by the Chinese Ministry and Chinese Young Adults of the Archdiocese.

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.

Jan. 17: National death penalty conference in San Jose. Registration is $35 for students or $80 for a full day of workshops. Scholarships available. For more information, to inquire about scholarships, or to register, visit: http://www.ncadp.org/events.cfm or call (202) 331-4090. Conference will take place at the San Jose Holiday Inn,1740 N. 1st St. Jan. 18, 7:30 p.m.: Annual Interfaith Memorial Service for Victims of Abortion, St. Mary’s Cathedral, Gough St. and Geary Blvd. in San Francisco. Father Frank Pavone, national director of Priests for Life is guest speaker.

Refreshments follow service. Call the Interfaith Committee for Life at (415) 664Father Frank 3570 for more inforPavone mation.

Feb. 9, 2008 – St. Paul of the Shipwreck’s third annual Zydeco Dance fundraiser. The dance will be located in the St. Paul of the Shipwreck gym (at the corner of Third and Jamestown in San Francisco). The dance, which features Andre Thierry & Zydeco Magic, starts at 8 p.m. and goes until midnight. Must be 21 years of age to attend. Tickets can be purchased in advance for $15 – call (415) 468-3434) — or purchased at the door for $20.

Catholic Charismatic Renewal

Reunions Jan. 19: Notre Dame des Victoires Elementary School, class of 1982, NDV Church Hall, $45 includes drinks, dinner and more. Contact Mary Vlahos at Marygv68@comcast.net if you would like to help or have questions.

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.

Feb. 23: Class of ’53 from Jefferson High School at Basque Cultural Center in South San Francisco. Contact Ario Gregori at (650) 3437009.

March 29: Class of ’58 from Notre Dame High School, San Francisco. Contact Patricia Cassidy Hendricks at (415) 822-1549.

Single, Divorced, Separated I nformation about Bay Area single, divorced and separated programs are available from Jesuit Father Al Grosskopf at (415) 422-6698.

Separated and divorced support groups: 1st

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, or e-mail burket@sfarchdiocese.org.

December 21, 2007

Catholic San Francisco

17

Dominican Republic — Day 4 Sense of mystery underpins faith life of rural dwellers Catholic San Francisco Assistant Editor Rick DelVecchio returned Nov. 30 from a 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. This is the fourth and final report on that trip.

All four installments can be seen on the newspaper website: catholic-sf.org.

St. Francis of Assisi is the patron saint of Banica in a remote area of the Dominican Republic.

This sign adorns the side of the parish school there.

By Rick DelVecchio (PHOTOS BY RICK DELVECCHIO/CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO)

BANICA, Dominican Republic — This village near the Haitian frontier is the home of St. Francis of Assisi Parish which serves 1,300 Catholics in the town and 4,500 in the countryside.

The pastor is Father Daniel Gee, a 38year-old diocesan priest on missionary assignment from the Diocese of Arlington, Va. Father Gee is an athlete, and that helps explain the boxing gloves hanging next to the back door. He has been teaching boys at the parish school how to box.

Father Daniel Gee, here, and Father Christopher Murphy rely on motorcycle transportation to reach farflung areas of their mission parishes.

Father Christopher Murphy has 35 chapels within his mission parish.

As the Food for the Poor delegation arrived in the rectory courtyard, Father Gee was suiting up for his day’s assignment: saying Mass and baptizing babies in a remote area of the parish. It is not as remote an area as the neighboring mountain parish served by his fellow missionary from Arlington, Father Christopher Murphy.

Father Murphy has 35 chapels in his parish and tries to make the circuit monthly.

Father Murphy’s next road trip was scheduled for an upcoming Saturday: three hours by motorcycle and four by mule to a chapel where he expects 20 people for Mass.

Father Gee left by motorcycle and later caught up with the Food for the Poor delegation in the community of La Palma, part of the way up the mountain to his work site.

He doffed his helmet and goggles to hear a description of the economic development under way in La Palma by Food for the Poor, including a fish farm and a windmill to generate power. The parts for the windmill’s turbine were kept in a shed the town uses for children’s catechism lessons.

Father Gee quizzed the charity’s representatives and then was on his way again, but not before telling reporters stories about the realities of being a pastor in a poor, rural area where the people are traditionally Catholic but relaxed in how they practice the faith.

For example, he said, he could not be sure how many baptisms awaited him on the road ahead. The people are informal

and tend not to alert Father Gee to their plans in advance.

The people are not evangelicals, Father Gee said, but Rome is very far away. “You get more of the Protestant influence in Haiti,” he said. “Here, it’s just lapsed Catholics.”

“They’re Dominican (citizens), so they’re Catholic, but what that means in terms of personal faith is lost on most people,” he said.

Funerals also can be unusual for Father Gee. In the suburbs back home in Arlington, dying and death is business-like and families call in a priest early in the process. In Banica, Father Gee often does not find out a person has died until a funeral procession is “marching down the street with the body and you have to stop what you’re doing.”

However, he said, he finds it refreshing not to have to worry over the funeral Mass as he would back home.

St. Francis is the patron of the town and every year on the saint’s feast day there is a pilgrimage to the top of nearby mountain named for him. The pilgrims enter a cave where the saint is said to have appeared to a missionary. If drops of water touch them, that is considered a blessing. They place a cross on the mountain and put stones on the arm of the cross. After the pilgrimage there are novenas for many days, but often a beer truck arrives in town and the celebration “can resemble something pagan,” Father Gee said.

A doctoral student from the United States spent time in Banica recently to study a rare flower that lives atop the mountain.

She watched the plant for weeks and was frustrated that it would not open, Father Gee said. Finally, the local bishop took the matter in hand and said a Mass in which the people prayed the flower would open.

The next day, it did.

“There may be something to this legend after all,” said Father Gee as he rode off in a cloud of dust.

Simbang Gabi novena continues The centuries-old, Filipino cultural Christmas tradition of a Simbang Gabi novena continues through Dec. 23 at St. Catherine of Siena Church, 1310 Bayswater Ave., Burlingame, according to its coordinators.

Spearheaded by the Filipino-American communities of several Deanery 10 parishes (St. Bartholomew, St. Catherine, St.

Gregory, St. Luke, St. Mark, St. Matthew, St. Timothy and Our Lady of the Pillar), the novena began Dec. 15 at a Mass at which Archbishop George Niederauer presided.

The final 7 p.m. daily novena Mass at St. Catherine will be celebrated Dec. 23, preceded by the sacrament of reconciliation at 6:30 p.m. A reception will follow in the parish hall.

Catholic San Francisco invites you

to join in the following pilgrimages HOLY LAND December 27, 2007 – January 8, 2008 Departs San Francisco 13-Day Pilgrimage

only

$

2,699

($2,799 after Sept. 18, 2007)

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

only

$

2,999

($3,099 after March 14, 2008)

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

ITALY May 12 – 23, 2008 Departs San Francisco 12-Day Pilgrimage

only

$

2,999

($3,099 after February 8, 2008)

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

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

(415) 614-5640 Please leave your name, mailing address and your phone number California Registered Seller of Travel Registration Number CST-2037190-40 (Registration as a Seller of Travel does not constitute approval by the State of California)

Catholic San Francisco

December 21, 2007

(PHOTO BY GREG TARCZYNSKI)

18

SERVICE DIRECTORY For Advertising Information

CHIMNEY SWEEPING PLUMBING

Call 415-614-5642 E-mail: penaj@sfarchdiocese.org

NORTHBAY CHIMNEY & FIREPLACE

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

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

75

• Relationships • Addictions

The niece of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., will lead an estimated 20,000 participants along San Francisco’s waterfront proclaiming "Abortion Hurts Women" in the Fourth Annual Walk for Life West Coast on Saturday, Jan. 19. In addition to Alveda King, the march keynote speakers will include Black Genocide founder The Rev. Clenard Childress, Jr., and saline abortion survivor Gianna Jessen.

Website for the march is www.walkforlifewc.com.

Last year’s march (left) drew 15,000.

BEST PLUMBING, INC. Your Payless Plumbing

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

(650) 557-1263 EMAIL:

bestplumbinginc@comcast.net Member: Better Business Bureau

Expert Plumbing Repairs ●

General Repairs Clean Drains & Sewers Water Heaters ●

●

SANTI PLUMBING & HEATING

FAMILY OWNED

415-661-3707

Lic. # 663641

24 HR

Dr. Daniel J. Kugler Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist Over 25 years experience

Plumbing • Fire Protection • Certified Backflow

John Bianchi

Confidential • Compassionate • Practical (415) 921-1619

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

Inner Child Healing Offers a deep spiritual and psychological approach to counseling: ❖ 30 years experience with individuals, couples and groups ❖ Directed, effective and results-oriented ❖ Compassionate and Intuitive ❖ Supports 12-step ❖ Enneagram Personality Transformation

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

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

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

Featuring Pressure Washing ● Repairs ● Safety Grab Bars ●

MICHAEL A. GYDESEN Lic. # 778332

(650) 355-8858

Lic. No. 390254

Contact: 415.447.8463

Dolls Authentic 16” Porcelain Sister of Notre Dame Dolls 510.233.8312

Tell our advertisers you saw their ad in Catholic San Francisco!

Marin County (415) 895-1264 Unlicensed chrismorris324@comcast.net

Specializing In Wood Fences

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

BONDED & INSURED

415-205-1235

PARTY RENTALS

lic. 343633

S.B. CONSTRUCTION Specializing in Bathroom And Kitchen Remodels. * Demolition/Framing * Plumbing/Electrical * Drywall/Tile Etc. * License/Bond # 804282 * Fax # (415) 681-4438 * Cell # (650) 346-9985 * Competitive Rates *

SM

Demolition

REAL ESTATE SPECIALIZING IN SAN MATEO COUNTY REAL ESTATE 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 . . .

Today

Home Healthcare Agency Serving San Francisco, Marin & the Peninsula.

Decks, Patios, Deck repair, Remodeling, Small odd jobs, No job too big, or small

(650) 994-6892

ABBEY party rents sf

TABLES SEATING LINENS SETTINGS SERVEWARE STAGING

METAL, STEEL, WOOD, ETC. . .

1- 800-717-PARTY

Variety of jobs / repairs also, hauling.

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

WWW.ABBEYRENTSSF.COM

* Parishioner of St. Gregory’s Church, San Mateo

Specializing in home health aides, attendants and companions.

Chris Morris

FINE SERVICE, BETTER EVENTS.

HEALTHCARE AGENCY The Irish Rose

Maine Man Construction

MORROW CONTRUCTION

Phone: 415.468.1877 Fax: 415.468.1875

1537 Franklin Street • San Francisco, CA 94109

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

Construction

MIKE TEIJEIRO Realtor (650) 523-5815 m.teijeiro@remax.net

GARAGE DOOR REPAIR Discount

Garage Door

ACCOUNTANT

Repair

BOOKS IN BALANCE

Accounting & Tax Preparation (415) 979-070 979-0706

Service, Quality, Respect

www.booksinbalance.net

Certified Public Accountant

MCRCPA.COM (650) 589-9225

Handy Man Painting, roof repair, fence (repair/ build) demolition, carpenter, gutter (clean/ repair), skylight repairs, landscaping, gardening, hauling, moving, janitorial. All purpose.

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

Lic #376353

ACCOUNTANCY

Individual & Business Small Business Start-ups & Restructuring

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

Broken Spring/Cable?

Operator Problems?

Lifetime Warranty All New Doors/Motors NOTICE

One Price 24 /7

415-931-1540 0% Financing Available

TO

READERS

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

For more information, contact:

Contractors State License Board 800-321-2752

Painting & Remodeling John Holtz

Ca. Lic 391053 General Contractor Since 1980

(650) 355-4926

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

December 21, 2007

NOVENAS PUBLISH A NOVENA Pre-payment required Mastercard or Visa accepted

Cost $26

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

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

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

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

Prayer to the Holy Spirit

Prayer to the Blessed Virgin never known to fail.

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.

B.K.

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. A.G.R.

St. Jude Novena

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.

S.M.

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

Say prayer 9 times a day for 9 days.

Thank You St. Jude.

Never known to fail.

You may publish.

A.G.R.

Catholic San Francisco

Catholic San Francisco

Help Wanted classifieds

For advertising Information Please Call: 415-614-5642 Fax: 415-614-5641 or Email: penaj@sfarchdiocese.org

Elderly Piano Care Lessons Personal care companion, Help with daily activities; driving, shopping, appointments.

27 years experience, references, bonded.

(415) 713-1366

PIANO LESSONS BY

CAROL FERRANDO. Conservatory training, masters degree, all levels of students.

CALL (415) 921-8337.

Vitamins Organist

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

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

Retreat forHallRent

JESUIT SUMMER RETREAT: 3 to 30 days.

Anchorage.

Panoramic setting.

Then Tour Alaska’s Grandeur.

(907) 346-2343, ext. 215

holyspiritcenterak.org

– EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR –

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. "

ORGANIST WEDDINGS • FUNERALS

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

415.215.8571

Volunteers Needed Walk for Life West Coast Seeks Experienced Volunteers: Publicist and Event Planning Coordinator

ADVERTISING SALES

Help Wanted

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

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

SCHOOL PRINCIPAL Notre Dame High School, embracing the charism of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, is a Diocesan Catholic college preparatory school for young women. The current enrollment is 353 young women. A competent and caring Catholic community consisting of 40 administers, teachers and staff works with the principal in faith community affairs, academic affairs and student affairs. A dedicated Board of Trustees works with the principal in the areas of mission effectiveness, development affairs and business affairs. This 9th through 12th grade school is located in the Diocese of Monterey on the central coast of California just 20 minutes east of Monterey. Notre Dame High School has been a pillar of the community since 1964.

The successful candidate must be a Catholic in good standing with the Church; have Catholic high school administrative experience; and hold a California administrator’s credential or its equivalent from another state. The starting date is July 1, 2008.

The letter of application should include a resume, transcripts and three references. Application materials are to be sent to:

Walk for Life West Coast’s pro-woman pro-life message is aimed at reaching out both to pro-choice supporters and women and men affected by abortion. We also stand as a witness to a strong and growing and young pro-life movement on the West Coast. Visit our website: http://www.walkforlifewc.com

Kim Pryzbylski, Ph.D., Superintendent of Schools Diocese of Monterey 485 Church Street, Monterey, CA 93940 Email: kpryzbylski@dioceseofmonterey.org Fax: 831-373-0173

We are seeking volunteers with professional work experience as a publicist and/or events planner to work closely with our public relations/event team.

Deadline for applications to be received is Friday, February, 15, 2008.

REQUIRED: ● A commitment to pro-life ideals ● Public relations experience, preferably in reaching non-religious mainstream and alternative media, or ● Events Planning experience If you would like more information, or are interested in volunteering your time and expertise to help organize the 4th annual Walk for Life West Coast (event date January 19th, 2008) send a letter of your qualifications to email address below.

Please pass this on to any professionally qualified family member or friend that might be interested in this unique opportunity to get involved in the pro-life movement on the West Coast.

Contact Karen Hodel at media@walkforlifewc.com if you have media experience or Eva Muntean at info@walkforlifewc.com if you have event planning experience.

See you in January!

19

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

20

Catholic San Francisco

December 21, 2007

ince the Sisters of Mercy first arrived from Ireland in the 1850s and began tending the sick and poor, St. Mary’s Medical Center has touched the hearts of generations of San Franciscans. The Sisters began their lifesaving ministry, first by visiting patients at The State Marine and County Hospital, then managing and establishing the first St. Mary’s Hospital.

This year, St. Mary’s Medical Center honors its rich legacy as the oldest continuously operated hospital in San Francisco. We look forward to continuing our mission to provide the Bay Area with compassionate, personalized care combined with the latest advances in medical care and cutting-edge technology. Call 1-800-984-9808 today for a booklet commemorating St. Mary’s 150 years of service to San Francisco.