December 3, 2004

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Pope John Paul II and Ecumenical Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople lead a specia l prayer service in St. Peter 's Basilica at the Vatican Nov. 27. During the service, the pope returned relics of Sts. Gregory Nazianzen and John Chrysostom to the Orthodox Church.

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Vatican returns saints' relics to Orthodox patriarch, faithful

By Cindy Wooden VATICAN CITY (CNS) — After hundreds of years , Orthodox faithful once again will be able to pray before the earthly remains of two of their greatest saints, theologians and p atriarchs: Sts. Gregory Nazianzen and John Chrysostom.

Pope John Paul II consigned part of the relics of the two fourth-century doctors of the church to Ecumenical Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople Nov. 27 during a prayer service in St. Peter 's Basilica.

The relics of St. Gregory were transferred to St. Peter 's Basilica in 1580, making his relics the first after St. Peter 's to be venerated in the new basilica. St. John 's relics were placed in the basilica's Chapel of the Choir in 1626.

The portion of the relics retained by the Vatican will continue to be venerated in the basilica, Vatican officials said.

The Orthodox believe the relics were stolen from Constantinop le, now Istanbul , Turkey, in 1204 when mercenaries p articipating in the Fourth Crusade to the Holy Land sacked the city instead.

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The Vatican said that , while the remains of St. John Chrysostom were "transferred to Rome " in the early 1200s, those of St. Gregoiy Nazianzen were brought to Rome in the ei ghth century "by some of the Byzantine nuns of St. Anastasia who were forced to leave Constantinop le to flee the iconoclast persecutions. " Vatican spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls said the Nov. 27 ceremony was not an act of "reparation and a way for the pope to ' ask forgiveness ' on the part of the Catholic Church for the removal of the relics from the ecumenical patriarchate during the Crusade of the 13th century."

"Such an interpretation is historically inaccurate, " Navarro-Valls said.

"Without negating the tragic events of the 13th century, the return — not restitution — to Constantinop le of the relics of the two saints ... is intended to highlight their edifying example and give rise to a joint prayer by Catholics and Orthodox for their full communion , " the spokesman said.

While Vatican and Orthodox officials differed over

the circumstances that resulted in the bones being p laced in St. Peter 's Basilica, the prayer service focused on the fact that both saints, famed theologians, lived and preached at a time when Christi ans of the East and West were still united.

Before entering the basilica, Pope John Paul , waiting in the atrium , extended his arms to Patriarch Bartholomew as he arrived. The two embraced, kissed each other on the cheeks, then processed into the church with the patriarch walking alongside the pope on his wheeled platform.

Introducing the prayer service, Pope John Paul prayed th at the two saints would be "ardent intercessors for the gift of visible unity for our churches."

During the formal transfer, Vatican ushers carried on biers the new crystal and alabaster reliquaries, which allow the faithful to see the bones.

The biers were offered to Pope John Paul and Patriarch Bartholomew; both kissed the reliquaries.

In accepting the relics, Patriarch Bartholomew said the remains were "returning to the place they RELICS, page 7

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SECOND SUNDAY ADVENT I

Sisters of Mercy

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Catholic agencies

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] Parish key role

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Letter from Africa

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Commentary and letters. . . 12

Church dip lomacy

SpongeBob adventure

Scripture and reflection... 14

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Where You Live b y Tom Burke Hats off to Immaculate Conception Academy freshman, Fatima Duran, on being chosen to partici pate in a National Young Leaders State Conference in Sacramento in September. She was nominated for the honor by Dominican Sister Carolyn Mari e Monahan principal of Saint Anthony/Immaculate Conception elementary of which Fatima is an alum. "The conference helped me learn what 1 need to do to improve myself and project my opinions ," Fatima said. "I learned that setting goals is important to achieving success." Mighty proud is Falima 's mom , Lucy. Visiting ICA in October was well known San Franciscan Angela Alioto whose cousin , Josephine, is a senior at the all-girls Mission District school. "Never give up what you want to do ," she told the school' s more than 250 students, noting that it took her "several tries" to pass the bar as a young attorney. She also talked about her "devotion to St. Francis of Assisi" and said her "faith is the single most importan t thing " in her life. "In whatever you do be yourself," the former SF Supervisor said adding that she 's still working on her dream to be elected mayor of San Francisco. Students said

"It saluted hot rod racing and the custom car history of South San Francisco that goes back to the 1950s," said Steve Jensen about the Classic Car Show at last month's St. Veronica Parish Festival. More than 50 classics from 1915-74 were shown.

Staffing the Pit Crew were, from left, Mella Jensen, Bob Petrini and Dave Collins. Festival chair was Michele Evans.

Dominican Sister Janice Therese Wellington, princi pal, Angela Alioto and, senior, Josephine Alioto at San Francisco 's Immaculate Conception Academy

Angela appears to "love what she does " and will "fi ght for 100 years being celebrated by St. Anne of the Sunset are what " she wants. "Feisty, intelli gent , energetic " and "ani- longtime parishioners Transita and Alfonso Minero who mated" were also used to describe her. Congrats to recently commemorated 71 years as husband and wife. recently honored fCA faculty. Kathleen Marie Hoffman, "Pray for them and their family on this blessed event ,' a 1 6 years .at the school , and Mary Ann Hurley Provence, recent bulletin said Sorry says I to Presentation Sister Constance Constantino who was 9 years in the classroom there, have been identified here as a member of another honored as "Who's Who Among congregation a coup la ' weeks ago. Sister America 's Teachers." Kathleen is a Constance celebrated her 72nd year as a parishioner of Most Holy Redeemer in reli gious in June and has served at San Francisco. Mary Ann lives in St. Nativity Elementary School in Menlo Peter Parish, Pacifica. Her folks are Park for almost 30 years. "Each day I Teresa and Joe Hurley, longtime parishthank God for all the graces and blessings ioners of the Sunset District's Holy he has given me and I ask him to reward all Name of Jesus. Hats off too to Guidance those who have enriched my life by their Director , Anna Marie Vaccaro , this loving support , prayers and acts of kindyear's winner of the Catherine Dewey ness," Sister Constance said in June 2002 Mason Award for counseling. Anna on the occasion of her 70th anniversary Marie doubles as Youth Minister at Mission Dolores Parish....Pretty as a as a Sister of the Presentation....Sts. Presentation Sister Peter and Paul Parish wishes a happy picture was the award winning. "The Constance Constantino anniversary to Salesian Father Paul Dancer" by Renuka Lovett, a 4th grader at San Domenico School in San Anselmo. The painting Maniscalco who recentl y celebrated 70 years as a relitook 1st place among 8 - 1 0 year-olds in an annual Young gious and 60 years as a priest... .It only takes a moment Artist Contest. Entries depicted "the Hispanic heritage and to let us know about a birthday, anniversary, special rich Hispanic population in our region and state," said achievement, or special happening in your life. Just jot Anyra Papsys, school PR director , Renuka 's artwork down the basics and send with a follow-up phone number depicts a Spanish dancer with a rose between her teeth and to On the Street Where You Live, One Peter Yorke Way, maracas in each hand. Award s went to approximatel y 10 SF 94109. You can also fax to (415) 614-5633 or e-mail, percent of the more than 3,000 entries. Cash prizes of do not send attachments - except photos and those in jpeg $1,000 went to both Renuka and the school. Renuka 's please - to tburke@catholic-sf.org. You can reach proud folks are Marien and David....Not far behind the Tom Burke at (415) 614-5634.

Sisters of Mercy celebrate living legacy in marking 150 year anniversary

By Jack Smith "They simp ly looked around , saw a multitude of needs, and went out to meet them." That 's how Mercy Sister Helena Sanfili ppo describes the mission of the first Sisters of Mercy when they arrived in San Francisco 150 years ago on Dec. 8, 1854.

The lives of those first Sisters and the continuing mission of the Sisters of Mercy will be honored at a Mass Dec. 11 at St. Mary's Cathedral celebrated by Archbishop William J. Levada. As the Sisters celebrate their Sesquicentennial anniversary this year, the same mission motivates , thoug h the needs and ministries have changed.

In 1854, at the request of San Francisco's first archbishop, Joseph Sadoc Alemany, 25 year old Mercy Sister Mary Baptist Russell led seven of her companions from Kinsale , Ireland to the burgeoning town of San Francisco. Weathering extreme anti-Catholic prejudice , the Sisters were yet able to raise money from wealth y Irish businessmen and began sevSr. Katie O'Hanlon teaches at St. Anne of the Sunset School in San Francisco. eral projects of mercy within their firs t year. These included visiting the sick in the county hospital , bring ing food and medicine to the poor, The Sisters of Mercy continued to grow and by 1900 had visiting the county jail , establishing an adult ni ght school, founded , stretching from San Francisco to Grass Valley, and establishing a "House of Mercy " for poor girls. hospitals , schools, orphanages, an employment agency, asySoon the Sisters would be cast into prominence in their new lum, and homes for the aged. With the creation of the home with the cholera outbreak of 1855. As conditions became Diocese of Sacramento, sisters working there established a unbearable at the County Hospital , the Board of Supervisors separate foundation , now with a motherhouse in Auburn. accepted the offer of the Sisters of Mercy to manage it under Other groups of Mercy Sisters throughout California and contract. After two years and months of missed payments by Arizona were amalgamated with the original San Francisco the City, County Hospital became St. Mary's Hospital, now the group in 192 1 with their motherhouse now in Burlingame. oldest Catholic Hospital west of the Rockies.

Through the first half of the 20th century, the Sisters'

role in education greatl y expanded to include th ree hi gh schools , two dozen elementary schools , three nursing schools , and a house of formation.

Locall y, the Sisters of Mercy still operate earl y foundations including St. Mary 's Medical Center in San Francisco and Mercy High Schools in San Francisco and Burlingame. Individual Mercy Sisters continue to work in local parochial schools including Our Lady of Mercy, Daly City; St. Dunstan , Millbrae ; St. Matthew, San Mateo; and Hol y Name , St. Anne , St. Gabriel , and St. Peter in San Francisco.

The sisters ' ministry to those in need has expanded in recent years to include new partnershi ps and modern methods of delivering service.

In 1871, the sisters began "Our Lady 's Home" for the care of the frail elderly in San Francisco. The facility moved to the East Bay after the 1906 earthquake and is still in existence as Mercy Retirement and Care Center. In 1997 the Sisters of Mercy joined forces with the Sierra Pacific Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America to form Elder SISTERS OF MERCY , page 17

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Judges set f iling deadlines in diocesan bankrup tcy cases

PORTLAND, Ore. — Federal bankruptcy judges in Portland and in Tucson, Ariz., have set April 2005 deadlines for victims of childhood sexual abuse by Catholic clergy in those dioceses to submit claims. Both jud ges approved media notice campai gns that would invite additional victims to come forward before the deadlines. In Portland , however, Judge Elizabeth Penis also ruled that victims who are aware of having been abused will not be limited by the court-set deadline if they have not yet recognized the personal damage caused by the abuse. The Portland Archdiocese, facing lawsuits by more than 60 plaintiffs seeking more than $300 million , filed for bankruptcy protection Jul y 6 under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. The Tucson Diocese made a similar filing Sept. 20. It faces lawsuits by 33 plaintiffs who seek millions of dollars for claims of childhood sexual abuse by church personnel. On Nov. 10 the Diocese of Spokane, Wash., announced p lans to invoke Chapter 11 protec tion after attempts to mediate the claims of some 125 alleged victims broke down. In late November the diocese moved its target date for filing from Nov. 29 to Dec. 6.

SOA p rotest draws largest crowd in event's history; 18 arrested

COLUMBUS , Ga. — This year 's protest against Fort Benning 's training school for foreign military personnel led to fewer than two dozen arrests Nov. 21 but drew a crow d estimated by organizers at 16,000 — several thousand more than the demonstration has ever drawn. Maryknoll Father Roy Bourgeois and actor Martin Sheen led the demonstrators to the gates of Fort Benning in a "funeral" procession for Latin Americans tortured and killed by military forces of their own governments. At the gates the names of the victims were intoned before a silent audience and small wooden crosses inscribed with the victims ' names were inserted in the chain-link fence that guards the fort 's perimeter. Organizers initially said 20 people who engaged in civil disobedience by climbing the 10-foot fence topped with barbed wire were arrested for trespassing. The next day they changed the figure to 18. They said 16 were arraigned and released on bond until their court appearance Jan . 24. One refused to pay bond and remained in Muscogee County Jail. Another, Ed Lewinson, 79, who is blind, was not charged. Lewinson , who was also arrested but not charged in the 2003 demonstration , accused the court of discriminating against him because he is blind.

Religious hose resp onsibility to li\e the Gospel, congress speakersays

ROME — In today's complex world, men and women religious have a responsibility to live according to the Gospel, said participants in an international conference of members of reli gious orders. "It's not an abstract living of the Gospel. It's about reading the times as Jesus would, with compassion and the promotion of life for all," said U.S. Immaculate Heart of Mary Sister Anne Munley. Sister Munley, director of programs and social mission for the International Union of Superiors General, told Catholic News Service, "The world is

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Supporters of Ukrainian presidential candidate Viktor Yushchenko hold a statue of the Virg in Mary during a rally in central Kiev, Ukraine , Nov. 28. The country was deeply divided over the disputed election between Yushchenko and his Russian-leaning opponent, Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych.

cry ing out for the passion of Christ. " She said , "In a globalized, fast-paced world, our calling is to remember that we are rooted in contemplation and prayer and not get caught up in the business world." Sister Munley was one of about 850 men and women reli gious from 130 countries and 500 reli gious communities who attended the first International Congress on Consecrated Life in Rome Nov. 22-28. The congress was organized by the union and its male counterpart , the Union of Superiors General.

Pope urges U.S. bishop s to address decline in priestly vocations

VATICANCITY — The decline in priestly vocations in the United States presents a "stark challenge" that American church leadership needs to address now, Pope John Paul II told U.S. bishops meeting at the Vatican. Bishops also should give particular attention to seminary training and the formation of priests who are capable of "prudent leadership," the pope told some 20 bishops from Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska who came to Rome for their "ad limina" visits , required of heads of dioceses every five years. In his Nov. 26 audience with the bishops, the pope did not make direct reference to the scandal revolving around priestl y sexual abuse of children and young people that has rocked the U.S. church for the past three years. Speaking about the American church's future, he said, "No one can deny that the decline in priestly vocations represents a stark challenge for the church in the United States." That challenge, he said, "cannot be ignored or put off' and should be met with "insistent prayer" and a "program of vocational promotion which branches out to every aspect of ecclesial life."

Vatican off icials spotlight Legionaries, Regnum Christi

VATICAN CITY — In a week of liturg ies, meetings and official documents, Pope John Paul II and Vatican offices have spotlighted the growing influence of the Legionaries of Christ and the associated movement, Regnum Christi . The events coincided with celebrations in Rome of the 60th anniversary of

the priestl y ordination of the Legionaries ' founder and head, Mexican Father Marcial Maciel Degollado. Among other things , the pope entrusted to the Legionaries the administration of an important church institution in the Holy Land , Jerusalem ' s Notre Dame Center. He also approved the statutes and charism of the Regnum Christi movement. The Vatican decree formally approving the statutes said Regnum Christi's specific charism is the same as that of the Legionaries of Christ: to help build the "civilization of Christian justice and love" by knowing, living and preaching Christ's commandment of love. The works carried out by the Legionaries and Regnum Christi today include schools and universities, Catholic media outlets, youth programs, missions, humani tarian aid, economic development, family and parenting programs and adult religious education .

Vatican says wealthy nations should imp rove AIDS eff orts

VATICAN CITY — Industrialized nations should improve their efforts to fi ght HIV/AIDS b y lowering prices for antiretroviral drugs and offering more help to poor countries devastated b y the disease, said a leading Vatican official. Cardinal Javier Lozano Barragan , head of the Pontifical Council for Health Care Workers, also said greater attention was needed to address the growing problem of the millions of AIDS orphans. But chastity and responsible sexual behavior remain cornerstones of AIDS prevention , and educating young people on the values of life and sex is essential , Cardinal Lozano said in his message for World AIDS Day, Dec. 1. The focus of the XJ.N. Program on HIV/AIDS is how the disease is striking an ever greater proportion of women and girls and the effect this has on families , children and society. "The more this infection advances among women, who are the pillars of families and communities , the more the danger of social breakdow n increases," Cardinal Lozano said. "The situation for children is dramatic ," he said in the message- The number of AIDS orp hans increased from 11.5 million in 2001 to 15 million in 2003, he said. The majority of these are in Africa.

Catholic News Se rvice

Catholic agencies j oin to assure housing for people living with HIV/AIDS

By Mary Redington "Without Mercy Housing, we would not be celebrating today," said Brian Cahill , executive director of Catholic Charities CYO at the November 19 dedication of the recentl y renovated Derek Silva Community, the city 's largest residential HIV/AIDS housing development. "Mercy Housing has not onl y been our partner thro ugh thick and thin , but our savior."

The Derek Silva Community property , located at Market and Franklin Streets, provides 68 units of affordable housing and supportive services for peop le living with HIV/AIDS. Since 1992, Catholic Charities has been providing on-site case management and medical care coordination for residents of this community.

In late 2001 , Derek Silva Community 's future was in question , as the landlord for this building wasn 't committed to providing quality housing for these residents.

Mercy Housing stepped forward to meet this community need and purchased the building for $7 million and then renovated the building for an additional $7 million.

"Rehabilitation of Derek Silva has been a tremendousl y rewarding experience ," said Jane Graf , Regional President , Mercy Housing. "This development will hel p the community take great strides in addressing the need for affordable rental housing for peop le living with HIV/AIDS." Catholic Charities CYO has been caring for peop le with HIV/AIDS throug h supportive services since 1985 , one of the first agencies to respond to the crisis in this city. Today, the caring professionals of the HIV Division of Catholic Charities CYO care for more than 1,300 peop le each year throug h its residential , housing support and case management services. "That means we have served 25 percent of all San Franciscans who have ever been disabled due to this disease, over 6,000 clients ," said Glenn Motola , Director of the HIV Division for Catholic Charities CYO. Kristine and Jim Silva, the parents of Derek Silva , for whom the community is named, participated in the dedication of the renovation. Kristine Silva, formerl y a board member of Catholic Charities, read a Gospel passage from Luke about the Good Samaritan as part of the

Shown at dedication are , from bottom left: Kristine Silva, Michael We itzman of Citibank West (hidden), Jim Silva , Clint Reilly, Board President Catholic Charities CYO; first step on left: Judy Graboyes , Bank of America , Jane Graf , Mercy Housing; top level from left: Bill Pavao , State of California Department of Housing & Community Development; Archbishop William J. Levada; Marcia Rosen, San Francisco Redevelopment Agency. Kevin Fauteux of Catholic Charities CYO is heading upstairs.

official building blessing that was conducted by Archbishop Levada.

An emotional hi gh point of the dedication ceremony was when Glenn Motola , an openly gay father spoke about the significance of this accomplishment by sharing his description of the day as if he were speaking to his four year old adopted daug hter.

Dr. Motola spoke in a gentle voice , "I will tell her that today Dadd y stood in a beautifu l home literall y in the heart of San Francisco. I will tell her the home 's name reminds us of the spirit of a young man who 's life was cut way too short; that the home exists today in part due to the generosity of his loving parents; that I stood today with many good peop le who made that home possible , and if asked some of their names they would sound like Brenda , Brian and Kevin. I will tell her that due to the collaborating efforts of two great non-profits, Catholic Charities CYO and Mercy Housing, in conjunction with city government and agencies, that this home will forever be preserved for those who have disabilities. I will tell her today was a good day."

Mary Redington is director of Communications and Marketing f o r Catholic Charities CYO.

Parish offers 'open door ' to everyone on path to salvation, pope says

By Sarah Delaney VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The parish should be "an open door " to salvation , Pope John Paul II said in an address to the Pontifical Council for the Laity, calling the parish the "vital cell" where lay people find their "natural place for participation in the building and in the mission of the church in the world."

Members of the Pontifical Council for the Laity met in Rome Nov. 24-28 for their plenary assembl y, "Rediscover the True Face of Lhe Parish."

The parish "is an open door for everyone , so that each person has access to the path of salvation ," the pope said. "It is the place par excellence for the announcement of Christ and education for the faith."

Parishes need to constantl y renew themselves in order to be a true community and to carry out their missionary activities , the pope said.

He called the Eucharist "the beating heart of the parish , the source of its mission and the presence that constantl y renews it."

Archbishop Stanislaw Rylko, council president , told the pope that hel ping Catholics rediscover the parish was important in a time of "spreading secularism."

He reminded council members of the pope 's commitment to parishes , noting the pope 's visits to more than 300 parish churches in Rome.

The pope also praised "the closer collaboration " among lay associations, communities and movements.

In an interview with Vatican Radio ,

Archbishop Ry lko said that because of increased secularization "the sense of ecclesiastic belonging has been greatl y weakened , and consequently , that of belong ing to a parish."

The pope sees the parish "as the mystery of the churc h that develops and grows around the eucharistic celebration ," Archbishop Ry lko said.

One of the great challenges of church leadership today is to "reawaken in our faithful a lively sense of co-responsibility for the parish ," the cardinal said.

"Everyone must do their part so that the parish trul y becomes a community that is vital and missionary."

Collegiality between the parish and lay groups and movements should be encouraged, he said, but it is important to keep the correct balanc e in the collaboration.

Religious indifference , a growing privatization of religion and individualism in today 's world have had a negative influence on parish life, Archbishop Rylko said.

In his address to council members, the archbishop said that reinforcing parish life was the antidote to postmodern culture with "extreme pluralism and relativism."

The faith of many seems to lean toward an "extremely subjective reli giousness" marked by a "do-it-yourself or "supermarket faith ," the archbishop said.

But there are signs that "many lay people are rediscovering the value of faith and the role of the Christian community in their lives ," so that now "they seek to live the Gospel in a trul y radical way," he said.

"These lay people are becoming more numerous. This is an important sign for hope," he said.

Santa Clans was part of the recent Holiday Boutique sponsored by the Women 's Guild of St. Peter Parish in Pacifica , which raised more than $2,800 for charities , according to Sheri McLaug hlin, co-chair of the event.

Denise Doyle, daughter of co-chair Darlene Doyle and a senior at Terra Nova High School, took the role of shutterbug elf snapping pictures of Santa and more than 60 iads and lasses. Taking her turn to tell Santa her Christmas wishes is kindergartner, Caitlin Kerrigan, age 5. In from the North Pole to gather

his list and check it twice is Brian Redfield , a freshman at Skyline College.

Relic s...

M Continued from cover belong. In this way, their involuntary, centuries-long absence — imposed by unhappy circumstances for the churc h — comes to an end."

The "sacred act" of transferring the relics, he said, "repairs an anomal y and an ecclesiastical injustice. " "This fraternal gesture of the church of ancient Rome confirms that within the church of Christ there are no insurmountable problems when love , justice and peace meet in the sacred service of reconciliation and unity," the patri arch said.

Patriarch Bartholomew told the pope, "Every act that heals old wounds and prevents new ones contributes to the creation of the necessary conditions for continuing the dialogue of truth in love between our churches."

The pope 's decision to give the relics to the Orthodox , he said, is a "shining example to be imitated , a fraternal Orthodox Christians lean to kiss the relics of St. Gregory Nazianzen and St. John Chrysostom , preserved in glass boxes at Aya Yorgi Church in Istanbul , Turkey, Nov. 27.

Ecumenical Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew accepted the return of the relics from Pope John Paul II during a special prayer service the same day at the Vatican.

message and an admonition to all those who arbitrarily possess and keep the treasures of the faith , piety and civilization of others ."

Pope John Paul' s message at the ceremony, read by a top official of the Vatican Secretariat of State , focused on the saints ' faith , which is shared by Catholics and Orthodox.

"Now some of their relics — remains of those bodies that lived following Christ , suffered persecution tor his name and were temp les of (he Holy Spirit — return to Constantino p le ," the pope 's message said.

"In the translation of such hol y relics we have a blessed occasion for purif ying our wounded memories , strengthening our journe y of reconciliation and confirming that the faith of our hol y doctors is the faith of the churches of the East and West," he said.

The pope 's message also said, "Now is the favorable time for uniting our prayers to their intercession so that the Lord will hasten the hour when together in the celebration of the hol y Eucharist we can live in full communion and

contribute in a more effective way to ensuring that the world believes that Jesus Christ is tire Lord."

Addressing the patriarch, the pope said. "Beloved brother, I will never tire of firmly and resolutely seeking this communion among the disci p les of Christ because my desire, in response to the will of the Lord , is to be a servant of communion in truth and in love. " Accompanied by a Vatican delegation , led by Cardinal Walter Kasper , president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, Patriarch Bartholomew was to take the relics to Istanbul the same evening.

The relics were to remain in the chape l of the patriarch' s residence until being transferred to the Cathedral of St. George Nov. 30, the feast of St. Andrew, (he patron saint of the patriarchate.

St. Gregory Nazianzen led the patriarchate from 379 to 381. St. John Chrysostom held the office from 398 to 404.

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Letter from Africa

Father J ohn J imenez writes dispatch f r om southern Sudan

Father John Jimenez , a young priest of the focused on building schools and clinics first , then and cause destabilizaArchdiocese of San Francisco, traveled to the troubled churches. He actually did not have much success in tion - doing the African country of Sudan in August. Since then he has establishing missions, but later Verona (Comboni) mis- fiercest fi ghting for the government it its been working in the southern part of Sudan help ing sionaries built on what he started.

Father Julius was an altar boy serving at the side of civil war. Father Julius peop le who are victims of violence sponsored by the northern Sudanese government. He writes from Loa , a the Comboni missionaries when the church in Loa was was forced along with finished in 1946. His mother was a catechist and others to carry supvillage in southern Sudan.

Dear friends , I think of you and pray for you today teacher in the school , a pioneer woman in those days of plies , though he was not tortured. Some vilon this feast day of our patron , St. Francis, patron of Africa. lagers were beaten or "Job" for all the Perhaps I could call Father Julius peace, and looking forward with hope to the October 7 feast day of Our Lad y of the Rosary, and the day that trials he has been throug h as he stayed with his parish- mutilated for not folpeace negotiations resume between the northern ioners during the attacks. "I could have left to be in a lowing exactl y the Sudanese Islamic government and representatives from safer place, but my p lace is with the people, to be their most minute comthe African Christian south which has been persecute d priest ," he told me one night by the li ght of a kerosene mand. Eventuall y he lamp, as we watched lizards pick off bugs attracted to was released, and conby the northern government for 20 years. tinued to travel the Thank you for your letters to the U.S. State the light - sort of a nightl y entertainment.

It was in 1994 that bombers would fly over regularl y roads of Palotaka to do Department asking that pressure be put on the Sudanese government to be accountable for its human ri ghts and dro p bombs. The primary and secondary school, a his pastoral work.

Palotaka has since become extremely anuses. unsafe. Attacks still occur there regularl y.

I pray at Mass here at St. Mary of the It is on a major pathway that the LRA Assumption parish in Loa, 30 miles north uses to get supplies and weapons from of the U ganda border , where I am northern government outposts. assigned under the venerable Fr. Julius Apparentl y, the trade off is that the LRA Idda. 1 watch as he celebrates Mass with gets supplies and weapons as long as it reverence, his salt and pepper cotton hair does the job of terrorizing the southern and his tall , lanky frame.

Sudanese , along with its brutalization in I look up to the cupola of the sanctunorthern Uganda. ary, the colored glass windows shattered In 2002 Father Julius returned to Loa by bullets 10 years ago when the governto help the villagers begin cultivating the ment attacke d this village and the civilland and open a clinic. Recently, a priians had to flee. I look up to the galvamary school was built and classes started . nized metal roof above. More bullet holes We will rebuild the secondary school in from the soldiers who purposely wanted December and open it ahead of schedule holes in the roof so that rain would leak throug h.

1*3 for the new term beginning in February.

The pews where parishioners would sit M We also hope to begin a vocational train!Âť ing and adult education center , especiall y are gone. Made of a good hard teak wood , 05 for those disabled and traumatized by the they were taken north for their trade X war. value. Now, there are logs to sit on.

I look to the adobe walls along the After this , I may move on to Palotaka $ side, and more pock marks from bullets . trs to help the parish priest there, perhaps Z fj with a primary school and clinic , funded One side-altar is empty where a stature of oy netping tne people export a very sweet St. Joseph once stood. That statue was In Kenya, which borders Sudan, Catholics leave Sunday Mass at St. Joseph destroyed. At the left side altar stands the and tasty honey that is produced there. the Worker Church in Nairobi earlier this year. The Catholic population in Blessed Virgin Mary holding the Christ This would be like Job' s sweet reward for child with the Child's head missing, shot Africa has increased by an estimated 30 percent over the last decade. his trials. off by government soldiers.

If you would like to help with these When one looks to the Church from the outside, you clinic and a well for obtaining water were hit. People projects , you may send donations through the diocesan would see a large and beautiful , red brick Romanesque fled. Then in July of 1994 government soldiers came to minor seminary which is strategically in a better place style building made from bricks formed from the local take the town. Those who were physically able escaped. to get supplies. You may send it in the name of and reddish clay soil by the Comboni missionaries. Father Julius went to the churc h to rescue the Blessed addressed to St. Mary 's Seminary, P.O. Box 154, Construction began in 1932, but was interrupted b y Sacrament , and was shot at as he was fleeing. After Adjumani , Uganda, East Africa.

World War II and finished in 1946. On the rooftop out- consuming the hosts with those whom he hid, he This letter has been delayed in transit as communiside at the front of the church stands the Cross. You can returned and organized the transport of the elderly and cations are very difficult. Please know that I wish for all see many pock marks on it where the government sol- disabled to leave. of you the peace of Christ. Thank you for your prayers, diers used it for target practice. Yet, the Cross still In 1997, while he was serving in Palotaka , about 40 Father John Jimenez. miles northeast of Loa, Father Julius was abducted b y stands.

Ed. Note: Catholic San Francisco suggests that any St. Daniel Comboni came to Africa in the late 1800s, LRA rebels, the terrorist group supported by the Sudan donations be sent in the form of money orders, which led by a call to "build a church for and by Africans, " He government. The LRA seeks to terrorize rural villages are available at most banks.

1 I

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Finding a welcome in the Church

By

Tom Burke

Mary Janscn likes being Catholic and working for the Church. The Orange County native is director of Young Adult Ministry for the Archdiocese of San Francisco.

"My parents were founding members of our parish - St. Martin de Pones - and we went to Mass every Sunday," Mary said, noting that most of their nei ghbors also were Catholics allowing for "carpools to church."

Mary holds an undergraduate degree in English from UC Irvine and recently completed a graduate degree in Theology at the University of San Francisco. The classroom was her first career choice. "I thought about teaching but that really scaled me so I went into public relations for the hightech industry." After four years she decided to move to San Francisco where she shared a home with her brother.

In an effort to meet new people and make friends , Mary and her brother joined the Young Adult Group at St. Vincent de Paul Parish in the Marina. "I had fallen away from the Church," Mary said. "I was definitel y searching at that time. I knew I wanted to get back involved in the Church but I wanted to do it in a way that stuck."

Mary proceeded to join Landings - a ministry for returning Catholics - at St. Dominic Parish. "At St. Dominic 's I knew I found a home. I wanted to learn about my faith and had reall y forgotten how to pray while I was away."

Mary said the Landings program was a process of "recommitment " for her. "I attended Mass every Sunday but refrained from Communion. I really set that as a value for myself. I late r went to Confession , returned to Communion and had a real healing." Involvement at St. Dominic 's in liturg ical and other ministries followed.

"The Church has saved my life," Mary said. "Il connected me with people who cared about me as a person and hel ped me through difficult times. I also developed a friendshi p with Jesus that I had lost through the years."

Mary said she has recently relumed to a small faith-sharing group. "It hel ps me stay in touch with the Gospel of the week and is a way of being in fellowshi p and talking about Christ and how we can bring Christ into our daily work life."

One might wonder if Mary was destined for her current assignment with the Archdiocese. "My parents met in a Catholic Young Adult group," she 's quick to admit not onl y in pride but to dispel the notion that Young Adult Ministry - outreach to people in their late teens, 20s and 30s - is something new in the Church. "M y folks were doing this 50 years ago. Young Adult Ministry has been in the Church from the beginning. Who were the early disciples? They were young adults.

Jesus died a young adult."

Mary said she would like to work for the Church after outgrowing her position in Young Adult Ministry. "I don ' t see this as a long term career because I think Young Adult Ministry should be carried out by a young adult," the 34 year-old said.

"I look forward, however, to continuing with the Archdiocese in another ministry. I really enjoy Church ministry."

The women's volleyball team of Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory added a page to its history in November with its first Central Coast Championship. "I think ultimately the girls believed we would win," said Margi Beima, head coach. "They pulled together and got it done as a team. " Back row from left: Coach Beima, Michelle Koike, Monique Cafvello , Kaitlin Hipp, Laura Benson , Shauna Folan , Samantha O'Brien, Assistant Coach Crissy Emmons. Middle from left: Allison Weslow, Nicole Gonzalez, Stephanie Wallace , Joanna Gresh. Front from left: Kimiko Naito, Daniella Morales, Monica Kelly.

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By Tracy Earl y NEW YORK (CNS) — The Vatican nuncio to the United Nations said the validity of Catholic partici pation in international di p lomacy is historically rooted and widel y acknowledged, but the church' s partici pation has "characteristics that set it apart " from the diplomacy of others.

"The Hol y See acts in the international arena according to its nature and ends, which are essentiall y religious , moral and humanitarian ," said Archbishop Celestino Mi gliore .

The Church does not engage in military affairs , territorial disputes or the international trade and financial activity that absorb much of the normal di plomatic routine, he noted .

Nor, he added , can it rely on military or economic muscle to advance its interests. Its authority comes from religious and ethical factors , the nuncio said.

Archbishop Migliore made the remarks in delivering the annual Merton Lecture at the chapel of Columbia University in New York.

Archbishop Migliore said that while many people consider the influence of religion weak, the Holy See considers "the creative impact of religious and ethical factors capable of influencing the evolution of geopolitical paradigms."

Pope John Paul II, he said, gave strong emphasis to interreligious dialogue long before the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11 , 2001, which led many other people to elevate its importance.

Archbishop Migliore said religious and ethical factors have not only survived in the face of Marxism and technical rationalism, but "have actuall y re-emerged, making dieir presence felt again on the world stage as indispensable and effective components in the development of modern political ideology."

The nuncio acknowledged that "religion plays a central role in much of the world's strife today," but said its importance would likely "continue to increase in response to the perceived threat to traditional values" coming from globalization.

Although Marx called religion the opiate of the people, Archbishop Migliore said it actually was "the vitamin of the poor" because it gave a sense of identity to (hose "who otherwise get left behind on the road to globalization."

Many people who had long recognized "the divisive influence of religion" have come to see "die potential contribution of faith-based initiatives in international peacemaking," he said.

Archbishop Migliore said a characteristic of the diplomacy of popes and papal representatives was a rejection of the agnostic view that no absolute truths were obtainable , and that relativism was better for safeguarding freedom.

But the Catholic Church maintains that "freedom only reaches full development when it acknowledges truth ," a concept people of faith put "beyond the mani pulation of politicians ," he said.

The nuncio said "truth and politics" belonged together because democracy was properly grounded onl y by recognition of "the existence of objective truth and the ri ght to search for it as individuals and as a society."

At the major international conferences of the 1990s, the Holy See made its contribution b y pointing out that claims to a right to actions such as abortion and euthanasia did not become hue just because they might be supported by majority opinion, he said.

Regarding globalization , Archbishop Mgliore said the

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§ Women carry water in a camp near El Fasher in western Sudan ' s Darfur region Nov. 21. Pope John Paul II sent an envoy to the Darfur region this year in response to the humanitarian crisis there. Humanitarian concerns , along with religious and moral factors , provide the foundation for Vatican diplomati c efforts, according to Archbishop Celestino Migliore, U.N. nuncio.

experience of Pope John Pau l with the Polish solidarity movement led him to propose a "culture of solidarity " as "a way of constructing a new world order after the fall of communism."

The pope did not just say that "capitalism had won" but urged that it "reform itself on the basis of "an ethical-political synthesis of human rights and duties ," the nuncio said.

JLCATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO Guest Commentary

Don 't discount moral views

By John Leo I am struggling to understand the "don 't impose your values " argument.

According to this popular belief , it is wrong, and perhap s dangerous , to vote your moral convictions unless everybody else already shares them.

Of course if everybody already shared them, no imposition would be necessary. Nobody ever explains exactly what constitutes an offense in voting one 's values, but the complaints appeal' to be aimed almost solely at conservative Christians, who are viewed as divisive when they try to "force their religious opinions on us." But as UCLA law Prof. Eugene Volokh writes, "That 's what most lawmaking is—trying to turn one 's opinions on moral or pragmatic subjects into law."

Those who think Christians should keep their moral views to themselves, it seems to me, are logically bound to deplore many praiseworthy causes, including the abolition movement, which was mostly the work of the evangelical churches courageously applying Christian ideas of equality to the entrenched institution of slavery. The slave owners, by the way, frequently used "don ' t impose your values" arguments, contending that whether they owned blacks or not was a personal and private decision and therefore nobody else 's business. The civil rights movement, though an alliance of Christians, Jews, and nonbelievers, was primarily the work of the black churches arguing from explicitly Christian principles.

There is a double standard at work here. The "don't impose" people make little effort to be consistent, deploring, for example, Roman Catholics who act on their church's beliefs on abortion and stem cells but not those who follow the pope 's insistence that the rich nations share their wealth with poor nations or his opposition to the death penal ty and the invasion of Iraq. If the "don 't impose" people wish to mount a serious argument, they will have to attack "imposers " on both sides of the issues they discuss—not just their opponents.

They will also have to explain why arguments that come from religious beliefs are less worthy than similar arguments that come from secular principles or simpl y from hunches or personal feelings. Nat Hentoff , a passionate opponent of abortion, isn 't accused of imposing his opinions, because he is an atheist. The same arguments and activity by a Christian I activist would most likely be seen as a violation of some sort.

Consistency would also require the "don't impose" supporters to speak up about coercive schemes intended to force believers to violate their own principles: antiabortion doctors and nurses who are required in some jurisdictions to study abortion techniques; Catholic agencies forced to carry contraceptive coverage in health plans; evangelical college groups who believe homosexuality is a sin defunded or disbanded for not allowing gays to become officers in their groups; the pressure from the ACLU and others to force the Boy Scouts to admit gays, despite a Supreme Court rul! ing that the Scouts are entitled to go then- own way.

Then there is the current case of Rocco Buttiglione, an Italian Christian Democrat who was named to be justice and home affairs commissioner of the European Union, then rejected for having an opinion that secular liber¦ als find repugnant: He believes homosexuality is a sin. The Times of London attacked the hounding of Butti glione "for holding personal beliefs that are : at odds with the prevailing social orthodoxy . .. despite a categorical statement that he would not let those beliefs intrude upon policy decisions." The Times said this is a clear attempt by Butti glione 's opponents to impose their views. No word of protest yet from "don ' t impose" proponents.

Sometimes the "don't impose " argument pops up in an odd form , as when John Kerry tried to define the stem-cells argument as science versus ideology. But the stem-cell debate in fact featured ideology versus ideology—the belief that the chance to eliminate many diseases outweighs the killing of infinitesimal embryos versus the belief that killing embryos for \ research is a moral violation and a dangerous precedent. Both arguments | are serious moral ones. Those who resent religiously based arguments : often present themselves as rational and scientific, whereas people of faith : are dogmatic and emotional. This won't do.

As Professor Volokh argues, "All of our opinions are ultimately based on unproven and unprovable moral premises." No arguments are privileged because they come from secular people, and none are somehow out of bounds because they come from people of faith. Religious arguments have no special authority in the public arena, but the attempt to label those i arguments as illegitimate because of their origin is simply a fashionable form of prejudice. Dropping the "don't impose" argument would be a step toward improving the political climate.

John Leo is a nationally syndicated columnist (Universal Press). His writing appears in U.S. News & World Report and other publica tions.

Good Catholic lif e

Speaking on behalf of the staff at Hol y Angels Parish and School of Reli gion , I wish to thank Catholic San Francisco for the article abou( Sister Marianne Smith (This Catholic Life Nov. 5). No one deserves the accolades more than this deserving woman does.

We also want to compliment Tom Burke for capturing the essence of the real Sister Marianne as we know and love her.

Margaret Anne Kerns Holy Angels Parish Colma

Justice in Sudan

We are a group of elders living in San Francisco. We are writing to thank you for the great interest Catholic San Francisco has shown in regards to the atrocities in Sudan. It is obvious that you share our interest in this urgent problem. We are grateful for the articles you have published and the effect your coverage has had in educating us and the rest of the public on this pressing issue.

Frances Miller Peace and Social Justice Committee Alma Via, San Francisco

Who 's imp osing ?

by a majority and a minority in the context of knowing that majorities and minorities change with time and few blocs are homogeneous or permanent.

Second , the basic rules of our system , i.e. the Constitution , include checks and balances and set aside many matters, e.g. in the Bill of Rights , as beyond the legislative will of the majority. Third , the operating rules have built-in limits , e.g. filibuster , to give the minority defensive tools.

Archbishop Chaput disparages the idea of separation of church and state as "an empty slogan...intended to discourage serious debate." The Archbishop is undoubtedl y a holy and wellmeaning man and what he seeks to "impose " on the minority this time - the prohibition of all abortions - is generally a good thing, but I am sure that if he thoug ht about it longer he could think of a few reli gions whose tenets he would fight to the death before he allowed them to be "imposed" on all Catholics , if we happened to be the minorityOn another note , have you considered the possibility of expanding the "Letters to the Editor " segment? Lumen Gentium tells us that the laity is meant to partici pate in the intellectual life of the Church.

Perhaps an expanded section for lay opinion could encourage more to reflect and express views. Some will be off the mark, but an active dialogue mi ght help a larger audience.

John Weiser Kentfield Ed. Note - At times, when the flow of letters has warranted it, we have extended the letters page to two pages. Most weeks , however, there is a close fit with the letters to be published and the space regula rly reserved for letters.

L E T T E R _S_

Thank you for publishing Archbishop 's Chaput 's guest editorial (CSF - Oct. 29). Thank you also for publishing in the same issue the summary of Fr. Kop fensieiner 's article on oneissue voting and the gloss on that article by Fr. Coleman. Fr. Coleman distances himself fro m Kopfensteiner (who "presents his case ambiguously "), brings in Cardinal Ratzinger and Archbishop Levada , and his intellectual honesty brings him to conclude that one can choose among imperfect choices and select the candidate who on balance more effectively promotes Gospel values.

Clearly Archbishop Chaput also wants us to choose the candidate who promotes Gospel values. He is entirely right in that.

We must bring our moral formation to our decision-making, including our choices in elections.

However, Archbishop Chaput , it seems to me , is focused more on organizational discipline and command. He defends the "imposition " of his position , since, in his view, the essence of democracy is the "imposition " of the will of the majority on the minori ty. That choice of words tells us a lot , but it is the wrong choice. First, majority rule is one of practicality, so things can get done , but those things are usuall y negotiated out

Letters welcome

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

Send your letters to:

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

Missions deserve honor

This letter is in response to an open forum article by Elias Castillo in the San Francisco Chronicle Nov. 8 titled , "The dark , terrible secret of California 's missions."

It is usuall y wiser not to waste time discussing serious matters with a person for whose opinions one has no respect, but I remember receiving, when I was at the Vatican as director of the documentation , information and press office of Caritas Internationalis , the draft of a doctoral dissertation eventuall y published a dozen years ago by the head of the Camillian Fathers in Rome and entitled "500 Years of Evangelization. " The Spanish friars and missionaries for the Americas were chosen by the king as chaplains of the conquistadores , whose task it was to obtain "gold for Spain and souls for the Church." I remember clearly the author 's statement that they were chosen as yes-men, to do the king 's bidding, and "most of them, chosen against the wishes of their legitimate superiors."

The miracle was that those friars understood immediately the plight of the Indians and became their protectors and teachers , with Blessed Juni pero Serr a, founder of the California Missions , writing the first Indian Bill of Ri ghts. Obviousl y, Elias Castillo appears unaware that the statu e of the founder of all those "concentration camps where California 's Indians were beaten , whipped , maimed, tortured and virtuall y exterminated by the friars " is among our nation 's heroes in the Capitol Rotunda.

Fr. Larry N. Lorenzoni, S.D.B. Salcsian Provincial Office San Francisco

Guest Commetnary

What divides reds and blues?

Msgr. Lorenzo Albacete Television political commentator Chri s Matthews kept showing the red/blue colored map of the United States showing the results of the November 2, 2004 elections.

Along the coasts of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, as well as the Great Lakes region, the map was blue (Democrats won), the rest of the country was red (Republicans won).

You could fly from Boston to San Diego without fl ying over Democratic territory . "How do I explain this to nonAmericans?" Matthews kept asking. If I exp lain this to a friend from Africa , he would say : "I understand it. The United States is divided by two tribes."

America is divided into many tribes , but these are united in their loyalty to a political system which , in their opinion , best guarantees those fundamental rights to which the national project is dedicated: life , liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

Americans recognize that there are many different ways of interpreting these ideals , but most Americans agree that their political system is a fair way for individuals and communities to pursue them. What is absolutel y required is respect for the rules of the game. This has not changed, as shown by Senator Kerry 's graceful acceptance of his defeat. The red and blue division does not divide America into two nations. When something happens that is felt to threaten the basis for their united fidelity to the "American way," the country comes together in a surge of patriotism , as was clearly shown right after the attack of September 11, 2001. This is still the case today and , indeed , one of the factors in the election was the hesitance of many Americans to change Presidents while their country is in the midst of the terrorist threat to the American "way of life." In fact , those Americans who understand the terrorist threat as going beyond a "crime" problem to pose an actual threat to the American national project voted for Bush no matter where they lived. ' Others say the division is religious in nature. I do not see it this way. There is a vast religious difference between an evangelical Christian and a Catholic who loves the Pope and frequently receives the sacraments. And yet both ended up voting for President Bush . In any case, for most Americans religious pluralism is a good to be appreciated.

"Religion" as such is not rejected in the blue states. What bothers the blues is reli gious morality, not "religion " in general.

For this reason, it became popular to say that it was a matter of a struggle between "moral values." The two sides were responding to different value-systems , it is said. Data from the exit polls seemed to confirm that "values " were an important issue for most voters . This, however, tells us nothing. Divisions are not in terms of values. Everybod y is pro-life; everybod y is pro-choice. Gay marriage supporters are "pro-fami ly !" The question is: to what experience do moral values refer? Values refer to "experiences of life" as we have sensed it can be lived. One "knows" what freedom is when one has experienced it and someone tell us: "that is what freedom is." Experience is necessary . Otherwise the language of values means nothing. It 's the language of ideology. This brings us close to the nature of the problem.

Protestantism has been renewed and again b y enthusiastic , revivalist movements that appeal to profound experiences. (President Bush' s own Protestantism is the result of a non-Church mediated experience.) As a result , those "mainline " Protestant Churches that did not partici pate in these movements by and large ceased to have any influence on American life beyond the promotion of insp irational , content-less values. They have fallen to ideolog ical spiritualism. It is the evangelical Christians that resist the "ideolog ization " of American life, because their religious convictions are the result of intense personal experience of change in their lives , of having been "born again." The secularist blues do not understand this world because their spiritualism poses no threat to ideology.

Kerry and the ideologically driven core of today 's Democratic Party were totally unable to "connect " with those in regions of the country where the religious sense is still tied to an experience of life as an unassailable fact. They consider them "vulgar."

The question is , though, for how long can this last? Evangelical Christians are struggling against the culture that dominates the nationall y powerful media of communication , education , and enterThe American people ' s distrust of government has tainment. One cannot live all the time with the kind of made it difficult for ideolog ical thinking to gain a politi- powerfu l experience (mostly emotional) that grounds cal foothold in America. Ideology seeks to exp lain every- evangelical Christianity. One way out is fundamentalism , thing from preconceptions , and is thus closed to the that is to say, adherence to the literal reading of the texts experience of the radicall y new. Instead , the American of the Bible. But this means constantl y trying to solve experience has been of open spaces to try out new forms contemporary problems that did not exist when the Lexis of life, opportunity to create new business , invent new were written. products , and develop new initiatives to deal with new The evangelical Christian s need to discover the expechallenges. The result is American pragmatism , even rience of the Church. Can the orthodox Catholics help them materialism. As Peguy noted , materialism comes from with this? Only if they themselves escape the reduction of the withdrawal of the "eternal" from the "temporal; " the teachings of the Church to a spiritualistic ideology or a whereas its opposite , Spiritualism , is the withdrawal of moralistic fundamentalism and re-discover their roots in the "temporal" from the "eternal." Both are ideologies, the experience of coming together as the Church. This but (exactly the opposite from the way it is spoken about) would be the most important contribution of Catholicism to ideological materialism tempts the reds, and ideological the American national quest. Then the "Catholic vote" spiritualism tempts the blues. Of these two, Peguy says, would really matter. materialism is less dangerous because it cannot "stand up against the heart . It is too vul gar." Spiritualism , on the other hand , closes itself to the one reality that can destroy Monsi gnor Lorenzo Albacete is a theology ideologies: the experience of undeniable facts verified by professor at St. Joseph Seminary in New York, their impact on the desires of the heart. and is national chap lain of Communion and What is it in the "life-experiences " of the reds that Liberation. This article orig inally appeared favored Bush? Here is where evangelical Christianity and a part.

American in the Italian journal Tempi. orthodox Catholicism play

'Religion ' as such is not rejected in the blue states. What bothers the blues is relig ious morality, not 'religion' in general.

Sp irituality

Songs of innocence and experience There 's a wonderful little book of essays by Christopher de Vinck entitled , Songs of Innocence and Experience. It radiates what its title suggests, innocence and experience , a rare combination.

Innocence and experience are indeed a rare combination. It 's hard to find in one and the same person a certain purity, trust , childlike curiosity, freshness , reverence, and respect , living peacefully alongside a mature awareness that life isn't simple, that sentimentality isn ' t always a virtue, that safety too can be a danger, that people are inextricably sexual, that life is best entered into without undue fear and timidity, and that we shouldn 't pretend that all is always rainbows, sweetness, and God. It 's rare to find both reverence and sop histication , idealism and realism , purity and passion, inside the same person. And yet, to my mind , that 's one of the keys to life. Though it 's also a formula for tension. One of the great tensions in life is the ongoing battle inside us between innocence and experience.

On the one hand , something inside us yearns always for innocence, purity, freshness, and trust. If we lose these, we soon find ourselves cynical and disillusioned with an unhapp iness that comes precisely from being over-sophisticated , fro m having been around , from having had our eyes opened , from having knowledge without innocence. As Albert Camus once said , when we first p lunge into experience (partly as an unconscious vengeance against the fears and restraints of our childhood) it feels like a liberation. Soon enough, however, it turns into disappointment and defeat . Like Adam and Eve after eating the apple, our "minds are opened", but we find out too that we 're naked and don 't trust each other, and our innocent happiness is gone .

And real innocence isn 't easy: There 's a pressure inside of us to distance ourselves from it because we

fear it as a naivete, a timidity, a frigidity, a hiding one 's head in the sand, a failure to look life in the eye. We have an innate resistance to what 's unsophisticated and frightened. At the same time, there 's a pressure inside us to idealize innocence. We like to put innocence on a pedestal , yearn for it, but then see it as a simplicity and a sexuality that is as impossible for a full-blooded adult as it is undesirable. We see this over-idealization , for example, in our unwillingness (and flat-out incapacity) to see Jesus as being in any way sexual, to see Mother Theresa as complex and subject to temptation , and in our inability to conceive of the feminine except as either virgin or prostitute.

Just as we long for innocence, we also long to give ourselves over to all that life offers without undue fear, frig idity, and taboo. Our better instincts tell us: Experience is good , so keep your head out of the sand, accept the pathos and the complexity of life, don 't be in denial about sexuality, and don 't be overly sentimental about childhood and innocence because sentimentality itself is an over-emphasis on innocence.

And here too we feel all kinds of pressures that can easily warp our perspective. On the one side, the pressure comes from fear (fear of confusion , of getting hurt , of losing ourselves , of being misunderstood , of being betrayed). This can make us timid and reticent , at the door of experience but too fearful to enter. We fear precisel y having our eyes opened. On the other side, especially in Western culture today, the pressure is to embrace experience as salvation itself , namely, to idealize experience in a way that denigrates innocence ("Get beyond the nonsense you were taught as a child!") and plunges us into experience without proper checks and taboos so as to make sophistication , knowledge, and p leasure the meaning of life itself. Like Adam and Eve, this soon enough opens our eyes , but experience without innocence , is a formula for unhap-

piness - cynicism, distrust , sarcasm, arrogance.

Experience and innocence need to be held in a proper tension. We need to sing both songs. But that 's no easy task, given all the temptations there are to resolve this tension too easily towards one side or the other.

The road forward , I believe, lies in what is sometimes called "second "naivete". This refers to an innocence that has alread y incorporated experience, gone beyond it, is post-sop histicated , has looked life in eye, tasted it, and decided that some things are worth reverencing, that a certain purity is alway s needed , that we have to unlearn some things even as we learn others because children have a secret worth knowing.

Allan Bloom , the great American educator, used to tell his students: "You've had a rich experience. You've seen and done a lot of things. I respect that sop histication. But , I' m going to try to teach you how to believe in Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny again so that you 'll have a chance at being happy!"

Jesus taught that too. In essence , he said: "Be childlike, without being childish. Learn again , without denying experience, the innocence that makes for happiness."

Father Ron Rolheiser

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

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SECOND SUNDAY OF A DVENT Isa iah 11:1-10;

Psalm 72:1-2, 7-8, 12-13, 17; Romans 15:4-9; Matthew 3:1-12

~

A READING FROM THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET ISAIAH (IS 11:1-10) On that day, a shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse, and fro m his roots a bud shall blossom.

The spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him: a spirit of wisdom and of understanding , a spirit of counsel and of strength , a spirit of knowledge and of fear of the Lord, and his delight shall be the fear of the Lord.

Not by appearance shall he jud ge, nor by hearsay shall he decide , but he shall jud ge the poor with justice , and decide ari ght for the land' s afflicted.

He shall strike the ruthless with the rod of his mouth , and with the breath of his lips he shall slay the wicked.

Justice shall be the band around his waist, and faithfulness a belt upon his hi ps.

Then the wolf shall be a guest of the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; the calf and the young lion shall browse together, with a little child to guide them.

The cow and the bear shall be neighbors, together their young shall rest; the lion shall eat hay like the ox.

The baby shall p lay by the cobra 's den. and the child lay his hand on the adder 's lair.

There shall be no harm or ruin on ail my hol y mountain ; for the earth shall be tilled with knowledge of the Lord, as water covers the sea.

On that day, the root of Jesse, set up as a signal for the nations , the Gentiles shall seek out , for his dwelling shall be glorious.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM (PS 72:1-2, 7-8, 12-13, 17) R. Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever.

0 God, with your judgment endow the king, and with your justice, the king 's son; he shall govern your people with justice and your afflicted ones with judgment .

R. Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever.

Justice shall flower in his days , and profound pe ace, till the moon be no more.

May he rule from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth.

R. Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever.

For he shall rescue the poor when he cries out , and the afflicted when he has no one to help him.

He shall have pity for the lowly and the poor; the lives of the poor he shall save.

R. Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever.

May his name be blessed forever; as long as the sun his name shall remain.

In him shall all the tribes of the earth be blessed; all the nations shall proclaim his happiness.

R. Justice shall flourish in his time , and fullness of peace for ever.

A READING FROM THE LETTER OF SAINT PAUL TO THE ROMANS (ROM 15:4-9) Brothers and sisters: Whatever was written previousl y was written for our instruction , that by endurance and by the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to think in harmony with one another, in keeping with Christ Jesus , that with one accord you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Welcome one another, then , as Christ welcomed you , for the glory of God. For I say that Christ became a minister of the circumcised to show God' s truthfulness , to confirm the promises to the patriarchs , but so that the Gentiles might glorif y God for his mercy. As it is written: Therefore , I will praise you among the Gentiles and sing praises to your name.

A READING FROM THE HOLY GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW (MT 3:1-12) John the Baptist appeared, preaching in the desert of Judea and saying, "Repent , for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!" It was of him that the prophe t Isaiah had spoken when he said: A voice of one crying out in the desert.

Prepare the way of the Lord, make strai ght his paths.

John wore clothing made of camel's hair and had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. At that time Jerusalem , all Jude a, and the whole region around the Jordan were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the Jordan River as they acknowledged their sins.

When he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, "You brood of vipers ! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce good fruit as evidence of your repentance. And do not presume to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father ' For I tell you, God can raise up children to Abraham fro m these stones. Even now the ax lies at the root of the trees. Therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. I am baptizing you with water, for repentance, but the one who is coming after me is mightier than 1.1 am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fan is in his hand. He will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable tire."

Virgin and Child with St John the Baptist and St Andrew, Taddeo di Bartolo, 1395.

Scripture

RAYMOND O'CONNOR

Prepare the way of the Lord Mohandas Gandhi, a champion for nonviolence, once said, "Be the change you want to see in the world ." Advent seems the ideal time for Christians to reflect on our hopes and expectations for the world in which we live.

As a liturgical season, it focuses our attention on one of Christianity 's core beliefs, the Incarnation - a belief that has radicall y changed our world. This particular Advent calls us to be agents of that change. It cries out for us to truly experience the hope and joy that is Christ among us in a world burdened b y hei ghtened violence and terrorism. It begs us to resist the numbing reality of terrorism and counter-terrorism and the despair it generates.

I once learned about Advent is a time of "muted joy." At first, that didn 't make much sense to me but , given our world situation , it makes more sense to me now. We, Christians, must search hard to find the joy of Christmas, that is, the joy of Emmanuel , "God with us."

Jesus lived that joy. It embraced and sustained him even when he disrupted the familiar and challenged the complacent. Certainly, John the Baptist speaks to this in today ' s Gospel: "He will baptize you with the Holy Sp iri t and fire " - a truly revelatory and inspiring mix of the Spirit who insp ires and a fire that purifies. It challenged and changed many people who encountered Jesus. Life simply could not continue day-to-day, year-to-year with so many people oppressed by religious legalism, burdened by ethnic divisions, and feeling afraid of a distant God. Jesus ' life clearly repudiated such things.

Fortunately, the early Christian community quickly recognized in the resurrected Christ the hopes and expectations that Isaiah of Jerusalem envisioned in today 's first reading.

Even though Isaiah prophesied some 650 years before Jesus, his words capture Jesus ' very identity: 'The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him . . . Justice shall be the band around his waist, and faithfulness a belt upon his hips."

Isaiah probably did not have Jesus in mind when he spoke these words. Rather, his focus was more historically immediate. The rulers of Judah could choose to live justl y and embrace faithfully the Mosaic covenant, or suffer some calamity at the gathering forces of the Bab ylonian Empire. Witnessing the reluctance and resistance of the rulers and people, Isaiah knew that things were not going to change. As the Babylonians grew stronger and drew nearer, Isaiah saw the inevitable - Judah will fall.

Yet, Isaiah prophesies an amazing hope. A hope of reconciliation and harmony that certainly fired Jesus ' imagination as it flashes out over the centuries urging us to seek a peaceable kingdom where violence is not met with violence. A hope that encourages us to be the change we want to see in the world.

This is the Kingdom of heaven of which John the Baptist speaks in Matthew 's Gospel.

This Kingdom, however, comes with a high price. Whether it is Isaiah's vision of a peaceable kingdom or God's Kingdom, the first reading and the Gospel suggest a necessary pre-condition before we experience God' s promise of joy and peace. For Isaiah that precondition is justice and faithfulness, for John the Baptist and Jesus it is repentance and change. There seems, however, to be a formidable obstacle to fulfilling this pre-condition - the self. Too often I insist on my way, I shut out another 's point of view, I will not budge to help out, and I will not change. This obstacle fuels division and isolation that hinders God's peace and joy. Somehow, someway we need to allow the Holy Spirit and fire to burn through the fortresses our egos persistently build. Advent is an appropriate time for this.

Consider what Dr. Rachel Naomi Remen,

M.D. writes in her short article, "In the Service of Life" (Noetic Sciences Review, Spring 1996). She suggests that service differs from hel p ing or fixing. Helping implies inequality and fixing requires brokenness. Hel p ing and fixing often unintentionally reinforce our ego 's need to control and judge. Service, however, draws on our experiences, our limitations , our wounds , and even our darkness in order to find life ' s wholeness. In wholeness we are equals, and as equals we are woven together like an exquisite tapestry. Dr. Remen writes: "We can onl y serve that to which we are profoundly connected , that which we are willing to touch.

This is Mother Teresa's basic message. We serve life not because it is broken but because it is holy." Jesus came to serve, not to help or to fix. Likewise, Jesus calls us to a God who neither helps nor fixes. This God serves from a deep sense of wholeness and connectedness.

How difficult it is to really serve out of this wholeness when both John the Baptist and Jesus say "repent " - a call that reminds us we are not whole - as they proclaim the coming of God's Kingdom. All times and places need people who serve but today seems especiall y desperate for them. Yet to be a server requires repentance and repentance requires an honest appraisal of our allegiances. This honest appraisal requires us to be the change we want to see in the world. Consider the following story that I heard from Fr. John Shea.

Once there were two servants of a very wealthy king. Both lived (o serve their king and make for themselves a full and rich life.

One day, one of the servants decided to disobey the king and soon found himself outside the palace. Many years passed and the faithful servant, exceedingly wealthy and secure, set out to find the servant who disobeyed. He searched throughout the kingdom for days and could not find him. It wasn 't until he happened upon the poorest shack in the kingdom ' s poorest nei g hborhood that he discovered his fellow servant. He pushed open the wooden door and there he was sitting on a dirt floor sipping thin soup. The king 's faithful servant laughed at this sight and said, "My friend , if only you learned to obey the king, you would not be sitting there sipping thin soup." The poor servant looked up and said, "Oh no, my good friend, if only you learned to sip thin soup, you would not have to obey the king." Our loyalties command our lives and if we take seriously the Gospel's call for repentance and change, perhaps we may need to more closely examine our loyalties and allegiances this Advent.

Dr. Remen continues, "The wholeness in us serves the wholeness in others and the wholeness in life. The wholeness in you is the same as the wholeness in me. Service is a relationshi p between equals." I suspect little will change in our world if we resist recognizing that our unity and wholeness heals the divisions our egos create. I trust in God and ponder Isaiah's vision of harmony and peace. I have not and will not ever believe that God's Spirit will abandon us to the violence humanity unleashes upon itself. Life is holy, and Advent begs us to recognize this holiness and to become a part of it. Repent; be glad, for God's Kingdom is at hand. Now and always let us follow Paul's advice to the Romans: "Welcome one another, then, as Christ welcomed you , for the glory of God." Here's a good way to become the change we want to see in the world. Have a joyful Advent and a Merry Christmas.

Raymond O 'Connor chairs the Theology Department and directs the Community Service Program at Stuart Hall Hig h School, San Francisco and attends Most Holy Redeemer Parish.

- 2004 WOMEN RELIGIOUS JUBILARIANS Dominican Sisters of San Rafael

Sister M. Anselm Beardsley, OP

Sister Sally Brady, OP

Sister M. Peter Damian Lang, OP

Sister Millie McMurdo, OP

Sister M. Sylvester McVey. OP

Sister Billie Olin. OP

Sister M. Carol Quimi, OP

Sister M. Jutl e Stockholm, OP

Sister M. Brigid Noonan, OP

Sister Susan Marie Roche, OP

75 years

Sister M. Anselm Beardsley, OP, a graduate of the Dominicans ' now closed St. Rose Academy, taught for 50 years in schools throughout the state and served an additional 17 years in parish ministry. She is now reti red and living at Our Lady of Lourdes Convent in San Rafael.

50 years

Sister Sally Brady, OP, formerly Sister M. Denise, attended San Francisco schools including St. Monica Elementary and St. Rose Academy. Now chaplain at Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital , her service includes 32 years as a teacher and 2 years at the Dominicans ' Santa Sabina Retreat Center.

Sister M. Peter Damian Lang, OP, is a former Major Superior of her congregation. She taught for more than 15 years and for almost a decade served as chair of St. Mary 's Hospital in Reno. She now resides in retirement at Our Lady of Lourdes Convent in San Rafael.

Sister Millie McMurdo, OP, formerly Sister M. Ambrose, is a graduate of the Dominicans' St. Rose Academy in San Francisco and Dominican University in San Rafael. She spent 25 years as a teacher and more than 10 years in pastoral assignments. For almost a decade she has been a Senior Peer Counselor in Marin County.

Sister M. Sylvester McVey, OP, was teacher and school administrator for 35 years and for the last 15 years has assisted at the Dominicans ' Santa Sabina Retreat Center.

Sister Billie Olin, OP, formerl y Sister M. Dunstan , continues her more than 40 year teaching career today with the sixth grade at St. Vincent 's School in Vallejo. She resides in San Rafael.

Sister M. Carol Quinn, OP, has been a teacher for 40 years and today lives in San Rafael.

Sister M. Jude Stockholm, OP, was teacher and school principal for 43 years. She additionally served for seven years at a women's crisis center,

40 years

Sister M. Brigid Noonan, OP, was teacher and school administrator for more than 30 years and for almost a decade was Director of Formation for her congregation. Today she lives in San Domenico Convent in San Anselmo.

25 years

Sister Susan Marie Roche, OP, a nurse for 30 years, has served at Oakland's Alta Bates Hospital for 17 years. The Dominican Sister who baptized her at birth in the face of medical complications told Sister Susan 's mom that the future religious was "born and baptized into our Dominican family."

Year of the Eucharist

The Advent Eucharist

Although the season of Advent Mis in December, it would be more fitting if the month were called January.

Janus was the ancient Roman god of doors , and the patron of beginnings and endings. He was portrayed as a figure with two faces looking in opposite directions.

Advent, too, invites us to look backwards and forwards: back to the centuries leading up to the first coming of Christ, and ahead to the Day of His glorious return.

The Eucharist is a chain which links together all of salvation history - past, present and future. The roots of salvation lie hidden deep in prehistory: Christ is the unblemished lamb chosen from before the foundation of the world (1 Pt 1:20), and early Christian art sometimes depicted God giving Adam and Eve a sheaf of wheat and a lamb - symbols of agriculture, but also allusions to the Eucharist.

It is with the great events of the Old Testament that the evident involvement of God in human history begins.

As we read through unfolding drama of the encounters between God and His people, we see how God fulfills His promises with an exactness beyond our imagining, and how the fulfillment of each promise brings with it the promise of an even greater gift. The Eucharist sheds light on this mysteiy of God's generous providence.

When Moses led the Jewish people through the wilderness , God sent manna to nourish them; the manna fed them

for forty years, and ceased only when they entered the Promised Land. God had given them "bread from heaven" through the agency of Moses, but the people dreamed of a day in the future when God Himself would feed His people. With the coming of Jesus, that promise was fulfilled, When we read of the miracle of the loaves and fishes it is clear that the event harkened back to the great drama of the Exodus: a tired, hungry crowd miraculousl y fed in the wilderness. But now it is not a prophet but God Himself in the person of Christ who feeds the multitude .

The evangelists understood that the miracle of the loaves and fishes was not only connected to the past, but that it also pointed to the future. In their description of what Jesus did, they used the same language as they would later in nanating what He did at the Last Supper: He took the bread, blessed it, broke it and gave it to His disciples. God Himself had fed the people with the loaves and fishes, but at the Last Supper there was a greater miracle: the disciples received , not bread and wine, but the very Body and Blood of Christ. Another link in the chain had been forged, a gift had been given which was beyond human imagining.

What happened in the Upper Room was truly remarkable, but it was limited to one specific time and place.

Here God Himself was providing the meal, and giving

Himself as the meal; but only a handful of people could partake of it. In the reality of the Resurrection , a new stage is reached: the risen Christ can now be present in every Eucharistic celebration. All of us are given the Body and Blood of Christ by Christ Himself. We step into a stream of grace which courses through the ages of salvation history. In the Exodus, God feeds His people through Moses; in the ministry of Jesus , God Himself feeds His people earthly food; at the Last Supper and the Eucharist, Christ Himself gives Himself as food. But this stream also carries us into the future; God has greater things in store for us.

What could be greater than the Eucharistic feast?

Only one gift: a banquet which does not come to an end.

So long as we are on earth, we are creatures of time and space; even the most j oyful celebration can only go on so long. What we look forward to is a banquet which will never end. This is why Jesus described heaven as a wedding feast - the most joyous celebration in the village, but now with no "morning after."

Dag Hammarskjold, Secretary-General of the United Nations fifty years ago, composed a short prayer which can help us enter into the Advent Eucharist: "For all th at has been, thanks; to all that will be, yes."

Part of a series presented by the Archdiocese of San Francisco Liturgical Commission.

Advent Opportunities Dec. 4, 5: Follow the Star creche display at St. Bartholomew Parish, Columbia Dr. and Alameda de Las Pulgas, San Mateo from 1 - 7 p.m. More than 100 Nativity scenes from around the world to be seen. Free admission. Call (650) 347-0701 .

Dec. 8: Monthly breakfast meeting of the Catholic Professional & Business Club. New members are always welcomel Join us on our new day and in our new location, SF City Club al 155 Sansome (at Bush). Today, hear Brian Cahill, executive director , Catholic Charities CYO. Monthly meetings include a full breakfast beginning at 7:00 a.m. Speaker program begins at 7:30 a.m. Cost is $20 for members , $27 for non-members. Membership dues are $45 annually. Call (415) 614-5579, or visit the website at www.cpbc-sf.org for more information.

Datebook

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Dec. 11: Training for New Lectors at Marin Catholic High School, 675 Sir Francis Drake Blvd., Kentfield. Sat , 9am-3:30 p.m. Please pre-register at (415) 614-5585.

Dec. 11: The Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur Saturday Morning of Prayer series continues 9:30 11:30 a.m. with "Blessed are the Lowly: People who are Poor" with prayer and reflection based on the universal message of Our Lady of Guadalupe in light of the poor. Presenters will be Sister Rosa Dolores Rodriguez, Director of Casa de ta Cultura, a resource center for Spanish-speaking population in Pajaro (Watsonville) and Sister. Theresa Linehan, formerly a health and diabetes care provider at Casa de la Cultura. Takes place at Not re Dame Province Center, 1520 Ralston Avenue in Belmont across from Ralston Hall on the campus of Notre Dame de Namur University. Information: 650-5932045 X277 or www.SistersofNotreDameCA.org.

Dec. 11: All are invited to Mass and reception honoring Our Lady of Guadalupe - Mother of the Americas - at St. Thomas the Apostle Churc h, 40th Ave. and Balboa St. SF at 6 p.m. Mariachis lead song at Mass and reception follows. Fine food will be served. You may bring a dish to share if you like.

Come and bring family and friends.

Dec. 12: Reflections of Christmas, an afternoon of prayer, readings, songs and organ solos at St, Veronica Church , 434 Alida Way, South San Fracisco at 3 p.m. The Advent/Christmas program is a way to thank all who contributed to the fund used to purchase the new church organ as well as welcome others. Christopher Lindstrom , church organist and music director, has served at St. Veronica's for 18 years and has enjoyed helping enrich the parish music program. Call (650) 588-1455.

Dec. 12: The Community of St. Philip the Apostle Church, 725 Diamond St., presents a Christmas Concert at 5 p.m. featuringThe Messiah - Part I, the Prophecy - under the direction of Carlton White with Chamber Orchestra from the San Francisco Conservatory. Traditional carols and the St. Philip Children's Choir, too. Suggested donation is $10 adult/$5 children. Call (415) 824-2158.

Dec. 15: St. Gabriel Parish, 40th Ave. between Ulloa and Vicente, invites all to an evening of Advent Reflection and Music with Dan Schutte, whose compositions include Here I am Lord and other popular hymns, at 7 p.m. Call (415) 731-6161.

Dec. 18: Annual Potluck Christmas Party and Ornament Exchange sponsored by Separated and Divorced Catholics of the Archdiocese at St. Mary's Cathedral Conference Center, Gough and Geary St., SF at 6:30 p.m. Call Vonnie at (650) 873-4236.

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

San Mateo County : St. Catherine of Siena , Burlingame. Call (650) 344-6884; Our Lady of Angels , Burlingame. Call Louise Nelson at (650) 343-8457 or Barbara Arena at (650) 344-3579. Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, Redwood City. Call (650) 3663802; Good Shepherd, Pacifica. Call Sister Carol Fleitz at (650) 355-2593; St. Robert , San Bruno. Call (650) 589-2800. Immaculate Heart of Mary, Belmont. Call Ann Ponty at (650) 598-0658 or Mary Wagner at (650) 591-3850. Marin County: St. Isabella , San Rafael. Call Pat Sack at (415) 4725732. Our Lady of Loretto, Novate Call Sister Jeanette at (415) 897-2171.

Dec. 10, 12: The Messiah in both concert and sing-along forms. The St. Mary 's Cathedral Choir will perform the Handel classic Friday at 7 p.m. at the cathedral. All are invited to a mass singing of the "wouldn't be Christmas without it" piece Sunday at 3 p.m. at St. Raphael Church , 1104 5th Ave . in San Rafael. Sing-alongers may reserve a spot and purchase a score. Tickets $15/10 for both. Call (415) 567-2020, ext, 213 for more information.

Dec. 10: The St. Charles 3rd Annual Christmas Concert at 7:30 p.m. "Please join in this celebration in song with the Adult and Children' s Choirs of St. Charles Church , " said Claire Giovannetti , parish music director and conductor. St. Charles is at 880 Tamarack Ave., San Carlos. Free will offerings will be accepted. Call (650) 591-7349, ext, 32 for more information.

Single, Divorced, Separated

"We are marking a time of recommitment to the courage and compassion that motivated ourforemoth ers to come to California and respond to the challenges of their time," said Sister Mary Waskowiak , president of the Sisters of Mercy, Burlingame Region. The Sisters of Mercy, Auburn and Burlingame Regions celebrate their 150 years in the Bay Area December 11th with Mass at St. Mary's Cathedral. Archbishop William J. Levada will preside at the two o 'clock liturgy. Bishop John C. Wester is homilist. Music for the rite is by Mercy Sisters Helen Marie Gilsdorf, Suzanne Toolan and Rosaleen O'Sullivan. Heritage Day - August 6,2004 - and other commemorative events were part of preparation for the "culminating celebration of the150th year on December 11, " Historically accurate dress of the eras covered by the Sisters ' time here was a highlight. For more information visit www.mercy150.org

At 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.

Dec. 3: Exposition of the Most Blessed Sacrament every First Friday after the 8:00 a.m. Mass Friday and continuing throughout the day and night until 7:45 a.m.

Saturday with Morning Prayer and Benediction.

(Exposition is suspended during scheduled Masses at 12:10 noon, 7:00 p.m. and 6:45 a.m. according to liturgical norms.) Join us as we pray for world peace, a culture of life, priests and the special intentions commended to our prayers. For more information or to volunteer please call (415) 567-2020 x224.

Dec. 10, 12: The Messiah in both concert and sing-along forms. The St. Mary's Cathedra l Choir will perform the Handel classic Friday at 7 p.m. at the cathedral. All are invited to a mass singing of the "wouldn't be Christmas without it" piece Sunday at 3 p.m. at St. Raphael Church, 1104 5th Ave , in San Rafael. Sing-alongers may reserve a spot and purchase a score. Tickets $15/10 for both. Call (415) 567-2020, ext. 213 for more information.

Sundays: Concerts at 3:30 p.m. Call (415) 567-2020 ext. 213. Open to the public. Admission free. December 19:3:30 p.m. Organ Recital: ChristophTietze December 26: 3:30 p.m. Organ Recital: David Hatt The Cathedral Autumn Group welcomes men and women 55 years and older. Call Mercy Sister Esther McEgan at (415) 567-2020, ext . 218.

Reservations required for all events. Dec. 16: Christmas Luncheon at Seasons Restaurant.

Food & Fun Dec. 4: Santa's Breakfast and Christmas Boutique benefiting Mater Dolorosa Elementary School, 1040

Miller Ave., South San Francisco, 9 a.m. - 2 p.m. Start with delicious French Toast breakfast and pictures with the Jolly Old Elf himself before going on to view a wide assortment of holiday items. Hands on crafts to take home, too. Live entertainment and Raffles! Tickets in advance or at the door. Call (650) 588-8175.

Dec. 4, 5: St. Pius Women 's Club Gift Boutique in the new Fitzsimon Center, 1100 Woodside Rd„ Redwood City, Sat. 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. and Sun. 9 a.m.

- 3 p.m. Call (650) 364-5204.

Dec. 4, 5: A Magical Christmas , 34th annual St. Brendan Mothers ' Club Christmas Boutique benefiting the parish school. Features wide selection of holiday gifts , decorations, gourmet baskets and ornaments. Raffle , food courts , and children's game area too. Sat. 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. and Sun. 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. All in church hall, 234 Ulloa at Laguna Honda Blvd., SF. Call (415) 731-2665.

Dec.5: Holiday Fair benefiting St. Thomas More Elementary School , 9 a.m. - 3 p.m., 50 Thomas More Way at Brotherhood in SF. Arts and Crafts , children's activities, raffle, baked goods and more.

Caroling, refreshments and Santa , too! Call Anarose at (415) 337-6713.

Dec. 11: Annual Mt. Carmel Holiday Home Tour of five beautiful homes in the Redwood City Mt. Carmel neighborhood that are splendidly decorated for the season. Refreshments , entertainment , and holiday gift boutique too. Tickets $20/$25 at door.

Benefits OLMC Elementary School. Call (650) 3663802 or Joni Reicher at (650) 568-9359.

Dec. 11: Auxiliary to the de Paul Youth Club, 50th Annual Noel Ball, Venetian Room of the Fairmont Hotel, $150.00 per person. Contact Maria Melrose 922-8432 or Louise Bea 563-1685. The Auxiliary to the de Paul Youth Club supports the de Paul Youth Club and has done so for 50 years. The Youth Club provides recreation and organized sports to the youth of the parish of St. Vincent de Paul.

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

Ministry for parents who have lost a child is available from Our Lady of Angels Parish , Burlingame. Call Ina Potter at (650) 347-6971 or Barbara Arena at (650) 344-3579. Young Widow/Widower group meets at St. Gregory, San Mateo. Call Barbara Elordi at (415) 564-7882.

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

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

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

San Mateo County : St. Bartholomew, San Mateo, Dan Stensen at (650) 344-5665; St. Catherine of Siena , Burlingame , Silvia Chiesa at (650) 685-8336;. .

Our Lady of Angels , Burlingame , Dorothy Heinrichs or Maria Cianci at (650) 347-7768; St. Dunstan, Millbrae, Dianne Johnston at (650) 697-0952; Our Lady of the Pillar, Half Moon Bay, Meghan at (650) 726-4337; St. Peter, Pacifica , Chris Booker at (650) 738-1398.

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.

Sisters of Mercy . . . ÂŚ Continued from pa ge 3 Care Alliance which devel ops and operates elder care facilities throug hout the state.

Facilities include Alma Via in San Francisco and other homes in Union City and Camarillo providing assisted living and dementia care for the elderl y. A new Alma Via facility is in development in San Rafael. In addition to providing financial and administrative assistance to the venture , Mercy Sisters serve as chaplains at some Elder Care Alliance facilities.

In 1989 the Sisters of Mercy joined with other communities of reli g ious women to sponsor Mercy Housing. The organization develops and administrates housing for poor families, persons with special needs and seniors. The now nationwide housing corporation has developed more than 5,000 low cost and supportive housing units in California with nearly 3,000 under development. Nearl y 11 ,000 people are served b y Mercy Housing facilities in California , including 3,700 children.

In the San Francisco Archdiocese, nine facilities serve poor families, twelve serve seniors, and seven seive people with special needs including the physicall y disabled , those suffering from AIDS, and homeless persons. A Mercy Housing project under development on 4th Street in San Francisco will be a significant

part of the new Mission Bay nei ghborhood , and the Carter Terrace facility for families will open January in Visitacion Valley.

Mercy Sisters provide money and oversi ght to the housing projects through its board of trustees, and some Mercy Sisters work fulltime at Mercy Housing including Sister Patsy Harney who oversees the management of resident programs for all 90 facilities in California , and Sister Amy Bayley, Vice-President of Community Planning for California.

The Mercy Sisters ' commitment to health care continues throug h their sponsorshi p of seven hosp itals in California including St. Mary 's Medical Center in San Francisco. Six Mercy Hospitals joined in 1986 with other community hospitals and communities of women reli g ious to form Catholic Healthcare West. The association manages 41 hospitals in California and Arizona. The CHW network includes nearly 7,500 physicians and 40,000 employees. In 2004, CHW hospitals provided more than $566 million in community benefits and free health care for the poor.

Sisters of Mercy also host Mercy Center, a conference and reheat center in Burlingame serving more than 30,000 people each year.

The Sisters of Mercy of the Auburn and Burlingame regions invite their friends and the public to join them in celebrating the 150th year of their founding at St. Mary ' s Cathedral in San Francisco Dec. 11. Mass

Sr. Karen Kielb ministers at Mercy Housing 's Presentation Senior Community in San Francisco. will be celebrated b y Archbishop William J. Levada at 2:00 p.m. San Francisco Auxiliary Bishop John C. Wester will g ive the homil y. Music for the Mass has been writte n by Sisters Helen Marie Gilsdorf and Suzanne Toolan, with text by Sister

Rosalee n O'Sullivan. Mercy Housing residents and student singers and dancers from Mercy Hi gh Schools will partici pate in the ceremony.

Visit website www.mercyl50.org for m ore information.

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The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie WP

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B y David DiCerto NEW YORK (CNS) — Everyone 's favorite bri ght-yellow sea sponge makes a splash on the bi g screen in the animated underwater adventure "The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie" (Paramount).

Based on the hugely popular TV cartoon and directed b y "SpongeBob " creator Stephen Hillenburg , the wacky and whimsically appealing feature-length film uses much of the show's original voice talent and remains true to the series' li ght-hearted, kid-friendl y tone. OK , so it is like watching an extended episode — at times, overextended — but as its tag line proudl y proclaims, the movie version is "bigger, better and more absorbent. " On the second count , opinions will vary.

Unless you 've been holed up in a hermit-crab shell for the past few years, you Tambor) crown which was stolen by probabl y alread y know that SpongeBob Plankton (voiced by Doug Lawrence), a is an incurabl y optimistic little sea microscop ic megalomaniac who uses the sponge, who lives in a pineapp le house in theft to set in motion his diabolical masthe backwater cove of Bikini Bottom , ter plan to subjugate all of Bikini where he works as a fry cook at Krusty Bottom.

Krab 's (voiced by Clancy Brown) fish Along the way, SpongeBob and Patrick joint. wiggle out of some close scrapes with In the film , the porous protagonist deep sea monsters and a hired hit man (voiced , as in the TV series, by Tom (voiced by Alec Baldwin), aided in their Kenny) and his dimwilted starfish pal , efforts by Neptune 's kind-hearted daughPatrick (voiced by Bill Fagerbakke), ter, Mind y (voiced by Scarlett Johansson). must undertake a perilous quest to recov- They even get to hitch a ride aboard er King Neptune 's (voiced by Jeffrey "Baywatch" star David Hasselhoff .

Compared to the computer-generated , painterl y seascapes of "Finding Nemo" and the manic mari ne metropolis of "Shark Tale," the eye-poppingly colorful , handdrawn "SpongeBob" has a much zanier absurdist look — more nonsensical than nautical.

The movie features several catch y, plot-padding tunes , among them the whistle-worth y "Goofy Goober Song."

Mixed in with the animation are several live-action sequences , including a rousing opening number sung by a ship load of pirates.

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Loyal fans — many of whom are adults — will go home happy, and even those not particularl y fond of the spunky sponge may find themselves cracking a smile.

Parents should be aware that the film contains one scene where SpongeBob and Patrick are captured and roasted under a sunlamp, which may prove a bit upsetting for very young children. Also , viewers catch a glimpse of both SpongeBob' s and Patrick' s bare bottoms , which onl y the crustiest of Krusty Krabs would find offensive.

As in the TV show, the clever humor is never mean-spirited and refreshing l y cynicism-free. Underneath its looney-tune silliness is a positive believe-in-yourself message that extols the virtues of childhood . In a world where kids grow up way too fast , it 's nice to see a movie that actuall y celebrates innocence. Not a bad lesson to absorb.

In spite of a few scenes of menace and some mildl y crude humor, the USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification is A-I — general patronage. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG — parental guidance suggested.

DiCerto is on the staff of the Office f o r Film & Broadcasting of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.