February 20, 2009

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Ken and Alyce Hansell

Lee and June Heise

“God is love, marriage is love” More than 70 married couples renewed their vows Feb. 14 at a special Mass at St. Anne of the Sunset Church attended by more than 400 worshipers. The Mass marked Valentine’s Day and World Marriage Day. Auxiliary Bishop William Justice, the principal celebrant, noted in his homily that marital love is distinct from ordinary pleasures because it is the embodiment of God’s love. The couples, ranging from newlyweds to those celebrating nearly 70 years together, held hands as they renewed their vows. The assembly responded with a prayer of support that concluded: “May your love for each other continue to grow ever deeper and stronger and may your hearts be filled with joy only God can give.”

Concelebrating were Msgr. John Alarcon, Father Daniel Nascimento, Father John Cloherty and Father Frank Bagadiong. Deacon John Dupre assisted.

Joe and Connie D’Aura served as lectors and also celebrated their 25th anniversary. The St. Anne Adult Choir provided the music.

Members of the St. Vincent de Paul Parish Young Adult Group served as ushers. See page 1-S for a group photo of older couples who renewed their vows.

Catholic san Francisco

Pope’s Lenten message unites love for God, love for neighbor

By Cindy Wooden

Northern California’s Weekly Catholic Newspaper

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Fasting from food and detaching oneself from material goods during Lent help believers open their hearts to God and open their hands to the poor, Pope Benedict XVI said in his message for Lent 2009.

He said the Lenten fast helps Christians “mortify our egoism and open our hearts to love of God and neighbor.”

Cardinal Paul Cordes, president of the Pontifical Council Cor Unum, the Vatican’s office for promoting and coordinating charity, said the pope “reminds us of our obligation to open our hearts and our hands to those POPE’S LENTEN MESSAGE, page 7 in need.”

Catholic agencies face tight funds, growing need as recession clobbers incomes high and low

(CNS GRAPHIC/EMILY THOMPSON)

By Rick DelVecchio and Mike Vick

The penitential season of Lent begins Ash Wednesday, Feb. 25, this year. Included in the Scripture readings for Ash Wednesday is the passage, “We are ambassadors for Christ.”

Dave Ross calls them the “new poor.” They are skilled people who had always made a good living until a spreading recession eliminated not only their jobs but also their chances for re-employment at the same income.

“People who would not have thought of themselves as poor a year or two ago are finding out that they are,” said Ross, a therapist who is clinical director of the Archdiocese of San Francisco’s Catholic Charities CYO counseling program in San Mateo.

“We’ve seen people here over the last year who have had well-paying jobs in either the trades or sales who are now doing low-paying jobs – taxi drivers, security guards,” he said. “People who were making a lot of money are now finding themselves security guards for empty buildings.”

The unemployed and underemployed who come to Ross’ office and pay what little they can for a listening ear give a glimpse of the human impact of the recession and the role of Catholic social service providers in easing the suffering.

In many case the agencies are hard-hit themselves, stretching limited funds to handle a growing caseload.

With these forces tugging in opposite directions, some charities are in new and uncomfortable territory.

“I’ve seen our service needs increase before, but I’ve never seen resources go down at the same,” said

Terri Brown, CCCYO’s director of programs and services.

Archdiocese-wide, CCCYO is taking a hard look at next year’s budget as fundraising dips double digits below the year-ago level.

In San Mateo, Ross said his counseling office is scheduling 10 percent more appointments than before the recession but is taking in less money because clients are short on cash.

In Marin County, the St. Vincent de Paul Society is experiencing a dramatic rise in demand, with 25 percent more people at its daily dining room service and as much as 35 percent increase in demand for home visits and housing assistance.

In San Francisco, SVDP reports a 10 percent revenue drop for its feeding, housing and substance abuse programs. Executive Director Chris Cody is bracing for bigger cuts later this year.

“We are pressing very hard to increase donations as well as the visibility of our programs,” Cody said.

“We believe the community, especially the Catholic community in San Francisco, will respond to our clients’ desperate condition if it is clearly communicated.”

As striking as the number of people seeking help is the degree of distress many are experiencing across economic levels, from the day laborer who cannot support his family because work has dried up to the ECONOMIC HARDSHIP, page 7

INSIDE THIS WEEK’S EDITION On the Street . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 News in brief. . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Letters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Senior Section . . . . . . . . S1-S8 Vatican turns 80 . . . . . . . . . S7

Gospel Mass at St. Paul of the Shipwreck ~ Page 6 ~ February 20, 2009

Scripture reflection ‘sins are forgiven’ ~ Page 10 ~

‘Two Lovers’ film review ~ Page 12 ~

SEVENTY-FIVE CENTS

Datebook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Classified ads . . . . . . . . . . . 15

www.catholic-sf.org VOLUME 11

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No. 7

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Catholic San Francisco

February 20, 2009

On The

Helping out in New Orleans with the still lingering effects of Hurricane Katrina were, Meghan Khurana, top left with flag, and Cassandra Hyek; next row down, Ella Sanman, left, Emily Wetherly, Rya Thomas; next row down, Kathryn Ranney, left, and David Decosse; next row down, Lindsey Davis, left, Sydney LaCour, Maria Valle, Matthew Essary; and on step, Michael Reyes and Molly McGonigle.

Where You Live

By Tom Burke

Chaminade Award winner, Joseph Conti with San Francisco Auxiliary Bishop William J. Justice, left, and Marianist Father Tom French, president of Archbishop Riordan High School, at recent award presentation and new facilities’ dedication rites at the San Francisco school.

Lent is just around the corner and much is available to assist in welcoming and abiding the 40-day prelude to Easter.

The listings began last week in Datebook under Lenten Opportunities so please be sure to take a look. Taize prayer, the sung mode made popular in these United States by our own Mercy Sister Suzanne Toolan, is being prayed at several locations including Mercy Center with Sister Suzanne as leader, and Our Lady of Angels Parish in Burlingame with music minister and educator, Liz Hannan, and music director, Matt Mattei, guiding the refrains. Much more awaits and the listings will increase as Lent proceeds, I’m sure. See Datebook….

Happy 67 years married Feb. 7 to Ann and Henry Bohner of St. Dunstan Parish in Millbrae. Congrats are also in order for Henry, now in his 71st year in the “mill and cabinet trade” having joined the woodworkers union Feb. 8, 1938…. Peggy

and Jim Clifford, longtime parishioners of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel in Redwood City told this column that OLMC is looking to adopt St. Francis Xavier in Tanzania – home parish of OLMC parochial vicar, Father Paulinus Mangesho – as a “Sister Parish.” Talks are ongoing and some fact-finding pilgrims are expected to visit the Africa faith-community at a future date. A Pentecost dinner featured Tanzanian food as a “way of initiating parishioners to the culture of the African nation,” Jim noted….Mercy High School, San Francisco welcomed new members into its revered Mercy Society.

Honored for their interest and effort in the school’s welfare are Mercy Sisters Ellen Fitzgerald and Judy Carle, Dora Cortez, Mary Fogarty, Stephanie Mazely, Julie and Rudy Mazzetti, and Edith and Marco Paz. Faculty member, Gail Chastain, accompanied Mercy students to the inauguration of President Barack Obama in Washington, DC. Gail and several of the girls were interviewed on CBS Television’s “Early Show” while waiting for the ceremonies to begin. The troupe included Chika Chuku, Autumn Broyles, Stephanie Webster, Tiffany Hang, Caitlin Nordber, Cara Keegan, Cholomi Jung, Angela Dahiya, Christina Zawaideh and Maya Nieto…. Maureen Huntington, superintendent of Catholic Schools, was official ribbon cutter at dedication ceremonies of new facilities at San Francisco’s Archbishop Riordan High School. The new rooms include The Carl Gellert and Celia Berta Gellert Ministry and Technology Center and The Sarah and Michael Mayer Lecture Hall and Visual Arts Center. Adding to

the day was the honoring of Joseph Conti with the school’s annual Chaminade Award, named for Blessed William Joseph Chaminade, founder of the Marianist Fathers and Brothers who have sponsored Archbishop Riordan High School since its founding in 1949. “Mr. Conti is a member of the Riordan Board of Trustees and volunteered tirelessly to ensure the concept and completion of the new facilities were realized,” the school said in a statement. Joseph Conti’s twin sons, Michael and Robert graduated from Riordan in 2006…. John Michael Reyes, a graduate of Holy Name of Jesus Elementary and Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory and now a senior at Santa Clara University, led an immersion trip to New Orleans in December.

“There were 14 people in the group,” John told me via e-mail, noting all were Santa Clara students plus David Decosse, director of Campus Ethics Programs at the school. Among those helping the helpers on their route of good deeds was Jocelyn Sideco, a Holy Name, St. Ignatius and Santa Clara grad now serving hurricane victims in Louisiana full time, and Holy Name alum, Georgio Reed, who works with Catholic Charities there.

With graduation just down the road, John says his next step will be graduate school or service with the Jesuit Volunteer Corps or the Lasallian volunteers….This is an empty space without you! E-mail items and pictures to burket@sfarchdiocese.org.

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Students from Immaculate Conception Academy attended President Barack Obama’s inauguration ceremonies Jan. 20 in Washington, DC. Tickets were courtesy of California Senator Dianne Feinstein.

Frances Hardin, ICA alumna and former White House correspondent for CNN, arranged housing for the group. From left: Chaperone and ICA coach Nicole Dinas, Kimberly Rodriguez, Jordan Banez, Tara Hickey, Jessica Lacayo and Janee Loftin and school Guidance Director, Anna Maria Vaccaro.

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Catholic leaders worry over Chavez victory BOGOTA, Colombia (CNS) – Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez’s victory in a Feb. 15 referendum that eliminated term limits worries some Catholic leaders, who see it as a blow to the nation’s democracy.

Chavez already has been president for a decade, and by the next presidential election in 2012 he may have accumulated so much power that he will be very hard to unseat, said Auxiliary Bishop Jesus Gonzalez de Zarate Salas of Caracas, Venezuela, in a telephone interview with Catholic News Service.

“He who is in power has the opportunity to wield a great influence over the electorate,” Bishop Gonzalez said.

Before the referendum campaign, the government used government ministries and state-owned industries to push for the constitutional amendment, which passed with 54 percent of the vote.

“The government abused the resources at its disposition,” Jesuit Father Arturo Peraza, who works in a Caracas prison ministry, told CNS. Nevertheless, both Bishop Gonzalez and Father Peraza said Chavez’s opponents should recognize the president’s support and work with the government to move the country forward.

Since he was first elected president in 1998, Chavez has increased his power by eliminating the independence of other branches of government, nationalizing private companies and expanding presidential authority.

The Catholic Church, which has warned about an undue concentration of power in Chavez’s hands as well as violations of human rights, soaring crime rates and social problems, had opposed the constitutional change. Immediately after the voting results were announced, Chavez declared he would run again in 2012.

Despite his referendum victory, many analysts predict Chavez will confront huge economic problems this year, as the sudden drop in global petroleum prices has slashed the oil-exporting nation’s income.

Chavez, who says he is leading Venezuela in a socialist revolution, is an open admirer and ally of communist Cuba, where some religious rights are restricted.

Bishop Gonzalez said he does not expect to see such restrictions in Venezuela, but noted that education reform legislation in the National Assembly could remove autonomy

(FRANCIS DA SILVA/CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO)

By Mike Ceaser

Labor prayer service Auxiliary Bishop William Justice presided at a Feb. 12 prayer service in support of workers at the Hyatt Fisherman’s Wharf. The Archdiocese of San Francisco’s Office of Public and Social Concerns hosted the event.

Participating were Father Ed Dura of St Patrick Parish and Father Charles Kullmann of Old St Mary’s Cathedral. A worker committee at the hotel has petitioned management to choose whether or not to have a union through an alternative to a federally supervised secret-ballot election. The method, called “card check,” is a national legislative priority for organized labor. Unions are urging President Obama to support the Employee Free Choice Act, which would reform federal law governing workplace elections. Critics oppose the measure on the grounds that eliminating secret-ballot elections will subject workers to union intimidation. Pictured, far left, is the Rev. Israel Alvaran, an organizer for Clergy and Labor United for Economic Justice. The woman at the far right is not identified.

from Catholic schools. He also said that free speech has been compromised by the government’s practice of attacking those who disagree with administration policies. Chavez has called church leaders elitist and accused them of behaving more like politicians than religious leaders.

“Many who don’t have the same opinions as the government are ignored – not only ignored but attacked,” Bishop Gonzalez said.

Despite the challenges, he said church leaders will continue speaking out.

“The church’s work is to show the ethical path,” he said.

Committed to the spiritual well being of our residents

In an interview with Caracas’ Union Radio, Archbishop Baltazar Porras Cardozo of Merida, vice president of the Venezuelan bishops’ conference, emphasized that the referendum results show that Venezuela is not a hegemony.

The results “don’t give the right to call the other side the enemy, to ignore it or impose a single form of thinking about society,” he said. “Ignoring the other side means opening the doors to confrontation, to polarization, to hate.”

He called the government’s campaign “the most grotesque abuse to take unfair advantages that has occurred in the history of Venezuela.”

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Catholic San Francisco

February 20, 2009

in brief

NEWS

why Catholics could support abortion and remain in good standing with the Church by giving a convoluted explanation based on misquotes of Sts. Augustine and Thomas Aquinas on “Meet the Press.” Her statements elicited criticism from more than 20 U.S. cardinals, archbishops and bishops. San Francisco Archbishop George H. Niederauer, in whose diocese Speaker Pelosi resides, extended an invitation to Pelosi for a “pastoral” meeting to discuss Church teaching.

Korea’s first cardinal dies Global poverty initiative WASHINGTON – Catholics across a broad spectrum of the Church are being mobilized in a renewed effort to fight global poverty. Baltimore-based Catholic Relief Services and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops are seeking one million Catholics during the next two years to join an initiative designed to show that the difficulties Americans are facing during the current financial crisis are intricately intertwined with the plight of the poor around the world. The effort, Catholics Confront Global Poverty, is tied to Pope Benedict XVI’s World Peace Day message 1 in which he called for humanity to work toward greater human dignity through the promotion of peace and international aid that promotes human development, said Stephen Colecchi, director of the U.S. bishop’s Office of International Justice and Peace. “Our future is linked to theirs. Our security is linked to theirs. Our prosperity is linked to theirs,” said Colecchi.

The initiative will be launched during the annual Catholic Social Ministry Gathering in Washington Feb. 23.

Pope to meet Speaker Pelosi VATICAN CITY – The Vatican confirmed Feb 16 that Pope Benedict XVI was scheduled to meet with the U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi in an audience Feb. 18.

Pelosi, a self-proclaimed “ardent” Catholic, has sparked significant criticism from fellow Catholics in the U.S. for her strident pro-abortion views and political support. She arrived in Italy Feb. 15 for an eight-day official visit. Early this week, Pelosi met with Italian leaders, ministers and legislators. The Holy Father was scheduled to receive the U.S. representative at a Wednesday midday audience. The Vatican press office stressed that Pope Benedict would meet with Pelosi in his capacity as head of state. Still, the idea of providing Pelosi with a “photo-op” has disturbed many Catholics. In August 2008, Pelosi attempted to offer a justification for

SCRIPTURE SEARCH

VATICAN CITY – Korea’s first cardinal, an outspoken defender of human rights, died in Seoul, South Korea, Feb. 16 at the age of 86. At the time of his death, Cardinal Stephen Kim Sou-hwan was the longest-serving cardinal in the Roman Catholic Church, having been named to the College of Cardinals nearly 40 years ago by Pope Paul Cardinal Stephen VI. In a telegram Feb. 16 Kim Sou-hwan offering his condolences to Cardinal Nicholas Cheong Jin-suk of Seoul, Pope Benedict XVI recalled “with gratitude Cardinal Kim’s long years of devoted service to the Catholic community in Seoul and his many years of faithful assistance to the Holy Father as a member of the College of Cardinals.”

Holocaust denial ‘intolerable’ VATICAN CITY – Denying or minimizing the Holocaust “is intolerable and altogether unacceptable,” Pope Benedict XVI told a group of U.S. Jewish leaders. “This terrible chapter in our history must never be forgotten,” the pope said during a meeting at the Vatican with members of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations. The papal audience came less than three weeks after the Vatican announced the pope had lifted the excommunication of several traditionalist bishops, including Bishop Richard Williamson, who has said reports about the Nazi slaughter of the Jews have been exaggerated and who claimed no Jews died in Nazi gas chambers. The Vatican later published a statement saying that Bishop Williamson would not be welcomed into full communion with the church unless he disavowed his remarks and publicly apologized. The pope publicly reaffirmed his recognition of the Holocaust and expressed his respect and esteem for the Jewish people in late January.

Gospel for February 22, 2009 Mark 2:1-12 Following is a word search based on the Gospel reading for the Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B: the cure of the Capernaum paralytic. The words can be found in all directions in the puzzle.

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Editorial Staff: Rick DelVecchio, assistant editor: delvecchior@sfarchdiocese.org; Tom Burke, “On the Street”/Datebook: burket@sfarchdiocese.org; Michael Vick, reporter: vickm@sfarchdiocese.org

Economics and eugenics VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Big economic interests and subtle changes in terminology are helping spread a wider acceptance of eugenics, said Archbishop Rino Fisichella, president of the Pontifical Academy for Life. “The term ‘eugenics’ seems something of the past and just mentioning the word elicits horror,” he said during a Vatican press conference Feb. 17. But as often happens, “subtle linguistic formalism together with good advertising that is supported by big economic interests causes one to lose sight of the real dangers” underlying the many advancements in genetics, he said. A lack of clarity also can prevent people from being able “to recognize actual objective evil and formulate a corresponding ethical judgment,” he added. The archbishop was presenting details of a Feb. 20-21 international congress sponsored by the academy for life that will look at “The New Frontiers of Genetics and the Risk of Eugenics.”

‘Rhetorical restraint’ urged WASHINGTON – In an effort to stem what some have called “the liturgy wars,” a liturgy expert urged Catholics to use “rhetorical restraint, careful historical and theological research, and assessments that respect the ways in which the Western liturgy has evolved and continues to evolve.” Msgr. Kevin Irwin, dean of theology and religious studies at The Catholic University of America in Washington, made the comments Feb. 12 in a lecture titled “Which Liturgy Is the Church’s Liturgy?”

He said the current discussion on liturgical issues has found a home in the blogosphere, which he politely described as a climate that is not always as “upbuilding for the church as it might be.” Liturgical hot topics he mentioned included Pope Benedict XVI’s opening the way to wider use of the Tridentine Mass; the publication of a revised English translation of the Roman Missal, which is not anticipated for several more years; and a proposal to move the sign of peace to a different part of the liturgy, possibly after the prayer of the faithful.

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VATICAN CITY – Meeting American Jewish leaders who were on their way to Israel, Pope Benedict XVI announced Feb. 12 that he, too, was preparing to visit the Holy Land. A papal trip to Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian territories had appeared to be set for May 8-15 until plans seemed shaken by the late-December escalation of violence in the Gaza Strip and along the Israeli border with Gaza. The situation has calmed down and the pope told members of the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations, “I, too, am preparing to visit Israel, a land which is holy for Christians as well as Jews, since the roots of our faith are to be found there.” Alan Solow, chairman of the conference, told the pope during the audience: “We welcome and appreciate Your Holiness’ planned visit to Israel. The people and leaders of Israel are anxiously looking forward to it, as are we.” After the Jewish leaders told reporters the trip definitely was back on the papal schedule, a Vatican official confirmed it, although he declined to provide details.

NEWS IN BRIEF, page 5

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Pope plans Holy Land visit

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On catholic-sf.org

Beverly Eckert, one of 50 victims of the Feb. 12 plane crash near Buffalo, N.Y., is seen attending a Sept. 11, 2003, memorial service in Westport, Conn. Eckert, whose husband, Sean Rooney, was killed in the 2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, was en route to Jesuit-run Canisius High School in Buffalo to present a scholarship award in honor of her late husband.

News in brief . . .

■ Continued from page 4

Recession and consumers LONDON – The current economic recession might result in the moral reawakening of people corrupted by a consumer society, said an English cardinal. Cardinal Cormac MurphyO’Connor of Westminster, president of the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, said he hoped the global economic downturn marked the “end of a certain kind of selfish cap-

italism. This particular recession is a moment when we have to reflect as a country on what are the things that nourish the values (and) the virtues we want to have,” he told the Londonbased newspaper The Times. “Capitalism needs to be underpinned with regulation and a moral purpose,” he said in the Feb. 14 interview. He said he felt “very sorry” for those losing their jobs but added the recession would help people who had “lost their way” to focus on things that should really matter.

– From Catholic News Service, Catholic News Agency and Catholic San Francisco.

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Catholic San Francisco

February 20, 2009

(PHOTOS BY ARNE FOLKEDAL)

6

Praising the apostle Paul On Sunday, Feb. 15, the Catholic community of St. Paul of the Shipwreck Parish in San Francisco welcomed Archbishop George H. Niederauer and joined in a celebration of the Mass honoring St. Paul. Archbishop Niederauer was the principal celebrant at the Mass, enlivened by gospel music. Pope Benedict XVI has declared June 2008-June 2009 the year of St. Paul, in celebration of 2000th years since the saint’s birth.

Black Catholic nun discusses her role in 1960s civil rights movement woman religious administrator of dreamers? I don’t know. How are a U.S. Catholic hospital and was we going to find our dreamers?” one of the founding members WASHINGTON (CNS) – As a black Sister Antona was one of six of the National Black Sisters’ Catholic nun, Franciscan Sister Mary Catholic nuns who joined a delConference.

Antona Ebo risked her wellbeing to par- egation of Catholic clergy and Now living in St. Louis, the ticipate in the legendary 1965 civil rights religious from St. Louis who flew nun, who is a cancer survivor, still protest in Selma, Ala. to Selma on that day, a few days travels the country to promote the But she said her fears for her safety after a peaceful protest march mission of the Catholic Church subsided upon her arrival, when a young resulted in a deadly attack by white to people of all ages and races, black girl burst through the crowd and supremacists that was later known she said. tossed her arms around her while noting as “Bloody Sunday.”

“So many didn’t get to see she had never before seen a nun who shared Rev. King called on religious (President Barack) Obama take her dark skin. leaders all over the country to that oath of office, and there is still Now in her 80s, Sister Antona shared descend on Selma. work for all of us to do,” Sister her experience as the only black nun in a Sister Antona, then 41 and Antona told the audience. “Selma congregation of Catholic sisters who defied working at a St. Louis hospital, was just a part of it. As long as the warnings of many to speak at the March answered that call, even though God gives me strength, I’m going 10, 1965, protest, which was one of three many were concerned that the to keep on keeping on.” marches from Selma to the state capital in color of her skin and her nun’s Father Patrick Smith, the black Montgomery. habit would make her a target of pastor of St. Augustine, applauded She spoke on Presidents Day at St. violence. She was a member of the the nun’s place in history and said Augustine Catholic School in Washington Sisters of St. Mary, now called the the documentary is a must-see for to an audience that came to view a Franciscan Sisters of Mary.

Catholics and people of all races documentary – “Sisters of Selma: Bearing About 10 years ago a woman and religions.

Witness for Change” – about the historic in California who was writing “It’s a story of faith, triumph event. her dissertation on the civil rights and justice,” Father Smith said.

Though she told the audience she was movement asked her for informa“It’s not just a thing of the past. thrilled with the documentary focusing tion about her involvement with the It’s a part of Catholic justice of the attention on an event she said helped with other sisters at Selma. The inforday. It’s great to see our history in the passage of civil rights laws in the U.S., mation was later turned over to Los Sister Mary Antona Ebo, of the Sisters of St. Mary in St. living color.”

Sister Antona cautioned the mainly black Angeles filmmaker Jayasri Hart, a Paul A. Thomas, a black parishaudience not to become complacent, even Hindu born in Calcutta, India, who Louis, talks to the media about black voting rights during a civil rights protest in Selma, Ala., on March 10, 1965. ioner of St. Teresa of Avila Church though the country recently elected its first had encountered Blessed Mother in Washington was in the audience black president.

Teresa many years earlier.

The documentary – complete with that viewed the documentary.

The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. “did Hart was interested in changes The 54-year-old resident of Hughesville, have a dream and worked hard to realize in the Catholic Church involving the Second present-day interviews shot in color and that dream, but that was Martin’s dream, Vatican Council and how that intersected black-and-white footage from the 1960s Md., said that hearing Sister Antona urge in his time,” she told approximately 75 with feminist, religious, civil rights and race – chronicles the impact the nuns had on the the audience to become involved in the civil rights movement of today made him realize people after they watched the documentary issues, and began to focus her attention on events of the day.

As the hourlong documentary points out, he, too, could be doing more for his church, Feb. 16. “What about today? Who are our the nuns who went to Selma.

Sister Antona gained national attention as community and nation. first black nun to march in Selma, and “To have someone right in front of me The Golden Gate Boys Choir and Bellringers the it shows her saying, “I’m here because I’m a who was actually in Selma, who put her A Catholic Pueri Cantores Boy Choir negro, a nun, a Catholic and because I want faith in Jesus Christ to carry her though to bear witness.” such a dangerous situation, really drives Celebrating 20 years of service to families in the Selma was a turning point for Sister the point home for me,” Thomas said.

Archdiocese of San Francisco and Diocese of Oakland Antona, she told the Washington audience, “It’s our responsibility to try and right our and she went on to become the first black wrongs.”

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Poll shows residents of Southern states most religious in country PRINCETON, N.J. (CNS) – As part of a series titled “State of the States,” a new Gallup Poll ranked the top religious states in the United States and found Southern states ranked highest on the list, while several states in the Northeast ranked the lowest.

After more than 350,000 interviews, the survey found that Southern states had the highest percentage of respondents who said they considered religion to be an important part of their daily lives.

Mississippi topped the list with 85 percent of those surveyed claiming that religion was important. Vermont was named the least religious state, with just 42 percent of respondents there who said they were religious.

The data for the poll was collected throughout 2008 via telephone interviews of 355,334 U.S. residents over the age of 18. According to the Princeton-based polling organization, the poll accounted for varying demographics within each state to ensure the accurate representation of the state’s population.

Overall, Gallup found that the U.S. is generally a religious country. Sixty-five percent of the total population said religion was an important part of their lives.

However, Gallup reported that in surveying countries around the world the median percentage of respondents who saw religion as part of their lives was 82 percent.

After Mississippi, the states with the highest percentage of residents who said religion was important to them were: Alabama (82), South Carolina (80), Tennessee (79), Louisiana and Arkansas (both 78), Georgia (76), North Carolina (76), Oklahoma (75), and Kentucky and Texas (both 74).

Just above Vermont at the bottom of the list was New Hampshire with 46 percent of residents who said religion was important; next came Maine and Massachusetts, both with 48. Other states at the bottom were Alaska (51), Washington (52), Oregon and Rhode Island (both 53), Nevada (54) and Connecticut (55).

In the middle of the list, which included the District of Columbia (61), were Ohio and Iowa, where 65 percent and 64 percent, respectively, of residents put a high importance on religion in their lives. In the Southwest, New Mexico ranked 21st on the list with 65 percent, and Arizona was 34th with 61 percent.

Economic hardship . . .

■ Continued from cover middle-class parish couple who lost their income and their house and confront the possibility of having to leave their community to find work.

Many people who could have found stability in previous economic downturns are facing homelessness, said Lorraine Moriarty, executive director of the St. Vincent de Paul Society in San Mateo County. She said one client had to leave a rental home after the landlord lost it to foreclosure, only to be displaced again after the second landlord also lost his home.

By now it is a cliché among economists to say this recession is different. But to Ross, the difference is all too real.

In previous recessions – the early ‘80s and early ‘90s – if people were thrown out of work because their industry was hammered they would go figuratively across the street to an industry that was still hiring, Ross said.

Not so with the current downturn, which seems to have spread across nearly every industry, he said.

“There is no ‘down the street’ to get a job,” Ross said.

Ross is seeing slightly more men than women clients in this recession. Typical is the technology worker, a man in his 30s, who sent out 50 resumes after losing his job and got only one call back.

“He’s trying all kinds of things,” Ross said. “He applied for a taxi driver position. He didn’t get that, because everyone else is applying for taxi driver posi-

Pope’s Lenten message . . .

■ Continued from cover The Vatican invited Josette Sheeran, executive director of the U.N.’s World Food Program, to help present the papal message earlier this month.

“Serving the hungry is a moral call that unites people of all faiths,” said Sheeran, whose organization relies heavily on Catholic charities and other faith-based organizations to distribute food aid.

“At this time of worldwide economic challenges, let us not forget that the food and financial crises hit the world’s most vulnerable the hardest,” she said. “Since 2007, 115 million were added to the ranks of the hungry to create a total of nearly one billion people without adequate food.”

Sheeran said that at a time when the U.S. and other governments are announcing multitrillion-dollar packages to bailout banks, car companies and other industries, the World Food Program is asking that 0.7 percent of all stimulus plans be dedicated to hunger relief.

“Financial rescue packages must serve not only Wall Street and Main Street, but also the places with no streets,” she said.

Cardinal Cordes and Sheeran agreed that the financial bailout plans are necessary not just for helping the world’s richest nations, but also for preventing a worsening situation in poor countries dependent on exports, on development aid and on the money their citizens working abroad send home to support their families.

“If the financial system fails completely, it will hurt

7

Catholic San Francisco

Importance of Religion About two-thirds of all Americans say religion is an important part of their daily life.

Percent who say religion is an important part of their daily life.

42%

80-85 70-79 60-69 50-59 40-49

85%

Results based on telephone interviews with 355,334 U.S. adults conducted in 2008. The margin of sampling error is plus or minus 1 percentage point for most states, and as high as plus or minus 4 percentage points for Wyoming and North Dakota.

Source: Gallup Poll

©2009 CNS

Researchers explained that ethnic and racial distribution could account for the different levels of religiosity across the country, with certain demographic groups in some states having stronger levels of religious affiliation. Each state also has a different culture, which can impact the level of importance residents give religion in their lives, according to the poll.

Regarding other countries, a resounding

100 percent of residents in Egypt reported that religion was important in their lives.

On the other end of the spectrum, just 14 percent of the population in Estonia in northern Europe said they were religious.

Editor’s Note: More information on survey results is available online at www. gallup.com/poll/114022/State-StatesImportance-Religion.aspx.

Resources for people in need Catholic Charities Counseling Services: San Francisco, (415) 564-7882; Marin, (415) 507-4262; San Mateo, (650) 295-2160, ext. 210. All are welcome on a sliding fee scale.

St. Vincent de Paul Society: San Francisco, (415) 202-9955; Marin, (415) 454-3303; San Mateo (650) 373-0623.

St. Anthony Foundation: (415) 241-2600.

Resources for people looking for work Catholic Networking is a lay organization that is encouraging parishes to organize groups to help unemployed members. Its next meeting will be held May 12 at 7 p.m. at St. Dominic Church, 2390 Bush St., San Francisco. For more information contact Connie D’Aura at (415) 664-0164.

St. Matthias Parish in Redwood City has a new support group for workers struggling with job loss or looking for work. The group meets Monday mornings from 9 to 11 in the Merry Room at St. Matthias, 1685 Cordilleras Rd. Call (650) 366-9544 for more information.

GraceWorks provides services for unemployed and underemployed professional through Grace Cathedral in San Francisco. The website is http://www.ministriesofgrace.org/graceworks/ Job Forum is a service of the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce. The website is http://www.thejobforum.org/ Experience Unlimited is a California Employment Development Department networking service for professionals.

The website is http://www.edd.ca.gov/Jobs_and_Training/Experience_Unlimited.htm tions. Trader Joe’s – these are $8-9-an-hour jobs. Didn’t even get a call back.

“What happens is a guy like this will get discouraged quickly,” Ross said. “He can’t use his skills, not to mention the economic pressure. Most of us can’t support a family on $8 an hour. I’m concerned about the emotional effects even if he gets a job tomorrow.”

Ross said he is seeing a number of clients who have lost their jobs at hotels at San Francisco International Airport. “All the hotels are just really struggling,” he said. “We see the service workers, the maids.” the poor first,” Cardinal Cordes said.

Sheeran said the 2007-2008 food crisis – when the price of basic staples soared – combined with more recent job losses because of the financial crisis involved “two separate problems, but the result is the same: malnutrition and death.”

In his message, Pope Benedict said the Lenten practices of prayer, fasting and almsgiving are meant to help Christians focus on God and prepare for the Easter celebration of Jesus’ victory over sin and death.

Focusing his message specifically on the practice of fasting, the pope said it is a way for believers to submit themselves “humbly to God, trusting in his goodness and mercy.”

“Denying material food, which nourishes our body, nurtures an interior disposition to listen to Christ and be fed by his saving word,” the pope wrote.

“Through fasting and prayer we allow him to come and satisfy the deepest hunger that we experience in the depths of our being: the hunger and thirst for God,” he said.

While some people fast to cleanse their body or to lose weight, Christians fast during Lent in order “to heal all that prevents them from conformity to the will of God,” he said.

“Freely chosen detachment from the pleasure of food and other material goods helps the disciple of Christ to control the appetites of nature, weakened by original sin,” the pope wrote.

At the same time, he said, “fasting is an aid to open our eyes to the situation in which so many of our brothers and sisters live.”

What can Catholics do to support friends and family members in financial distress?

“I would say be sensitive, be compassionate,” Ross said. “I would say be available to your friends and family – not that they have to run down here and volunteer to help us out but if they have a friend or family member who needs help, to respond to that.”

People have always leaned on their friends in hard times. But, as the cliché goes, this time is different.

“Now the friends are in the same position,” Ross said.

“That really concerns me.”

Call to Lenten disciplines Lent 2009 begins on Ash Wednesday, Feb. 25.

Following are guidelines for Lenten abstinence and fasting.

Everyone fourteen years of age and older is bound to abstain from meat on Ash Wednesday and the Fridays of Lent including Good Friday.

Everyone eighteen years of age and older but under the age of sixty is also bound to fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.

On these two days, the law of fast allows only one full meal a day, but does not prohibit taking some food during the day, so long as this does not constitute another full meal. Drinking liquids during the day is permitted.

When health or ability to work would be seriously affected, the law does not apply. Where there is doubt concerning fast or abstinence, a priest assigned to pastoral ministry or confessor should be consulted. In the spirit of penance, the Church urges the faithful not to lightly excuse themselves from this obligation.

By fasting in solidarity with the poor, “freely embracing an act of self-denial for the sake of another, we make a statement that our brother or sister in need is not a stranger,” the pope said.

8

Catholic San Francisco

February 20, 2009

Catholic san Francisco Northern California’s Weekly Catholic Newspaper

Views in the news Strategic advice on life

By Nancy Frazier O’Brien WASHINGTON (CNS) – The pro-life community must not become too closely aligned to one political party, waste energy on internal bickering or become diverted by false arguments, Archbishop Charles J. Chaput of Denver told an Irish audience.

Addressing the Irish chapter of Human Life International Feb. 8 in Dublin, the archbishop offered a list of do’s and don’ts on “building and promoting a culture of life” from the American perspective. Abortion is prohibited in Ireland, except to save the life of the mother.

“Americans now have a kind of schizophrenia about the abortion issue,” Archbishop Chaput said in his speech posted on the Denver archdiocesan Web site. “Most believe abortion is wrong. But most also want it legal under some limited circumstances.”

He strongly criticized the U.S. abortion industry for its “very shrewd political lobbyists” and its “public relations machine that would make George Orwell’s Ministry of Truth look amateur.”

But he also acknowledged that the U.S. pro-life movement has made some mistakes.

“The fast pace of party politics, and the illusion that politics rules the ‘commanding heights’ of our society and can fulfill our Christian social obligations, makes political life very addictive,” he said. “And this illusion gets dangerous when defending the unborn child is too closely identified with any particular politician or, even worse, one specific party.

“The more pro-lifers tie themselves to a single political party, the less they can speak to society at large,” Archbishop Chaput said. “In the United States, Catholics – both on the right and the left – have too often made the mistake of becoming cheerleaders for a specific candidate.”

He also said he has sometimes been “baffled by how much energy is wasted on internal pro-life bickering.”

“Acrimony within the pro-life movement is a gift to the other side,” the archbishop warned. “It’s also a form of theft from the unborn children who will suffer the consequences of our division.”

Another area to be avoided, Archbishop Chaput said, is the creation or acceptance of “false oppositions” or options that involve “either/or” choices.

As an example, he cited “so-called pro-life organizations” that have argued for an end to the legal struggle against abortion in favor of efforts to find “common ground” and reduce the number of abortions.

“Did Americans take a gradual, social improvement road to ‘reducing’ racism?” he asked. “No. We passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Nor have I ever heard anyone suggest that the best way to deal with murder, rape or domestic abuse is to improve the availability of health care and job training.

We make rape illegal – even though we know it will still sometimes tragically occur – because rape is gravely evil.”

Archbishop Chaput also rejected arguments that Americans who oppose abortion should “put this ‘divisive issue behind us.’”

“There’s something a little odd about rhetoric that tells us we are the ‘divisive’ ones, and lectures adult citizens about what we should challenge, and when we should stop,” he said. “In a democracy, we get to decide that for ourselves.”

In his list of “do’s” Archbishop Chaput urged his audience to “keep hope alive,” as Americans do with the March for Life that brings hundreds of thousands to Washington each year, and to use new technologies such as blogs, social networks and YouTube channels to deliver the pro-life message, especially to young people.

“The new Internet, if used well, can break through the wall of silence prolifers often face from an unfriendly media establishment,” he said.

But the Denver archbishop also said it was important for pro-lifers to “be strategic.”

“Being sheep in the midst of wolves doesn’t mean we can also be dumb as rocks,” he said, citing St. Thomas More as “a very adroit thinker and a shrewd, intelligent and prudent political leader as he tried to avoid execution.”

That lesson calls for a “big dose of realism” in the pro-life community, he said.

“We should never dream or whine about all the things we could do with the million euros we don’t have,” Archbishop Chaput said. “We need to focus on the 10 euros we do have.

“History shows that guerrilla wars, if well planned and methodically carried out, can defeat great armies,” he added. “And we should never forget that the greatest ‘guerrilla’ leader of them all wasn’t Mao (Zedong) or Che (Guevara), but a young shepherd named David, who became a king.”

Premature forgiveness?

Is George Weigel’s diatribe against Richard Williamson and the Lefebvrists (“Dangers of premature reconciliation,” Feb. 6) based on sound moral arguments? What doctrinal principle makes it a “moral imperative” to “condemn” outrageous and repulsive opinions?

A more appropriate reaction could be to ignore the offender, pray, and trust that the truth will prevail. Bombastic public repudiations may draw more attention to the “blasphemy” than it would otherwise attract on its own.

Mr. Weigel should also be wary of the potential consequences of turning a horrific and sorrowful historical event, such as the Jewish Holocaust, into “an icon of evil.” For this could precisely invite the kind of misguided, if not sordid, calculus of suffering that inflames him in the first place.

Is there a more urgent moral imperative than to remind ourselves of the unique and central focus of our Lord’s message and share it as soon as we can with our brothers and sisters? Where in our texts or in our traditions are we forewarned against the “premature” forgiveness of sins?

Michel Accad San Francisco

Science and reason

L E T T E R S

God bless Vicki Evans! She defends life on behalf of the Archdiocese (and truly on behalf of all life). In a letter to the editor, Dr. Rowden sought to diminish nascent human life by supposedly teaching readers on medical and scientific realities. Ms. Evans replied in the following edition with a letter of correction instructing the good doctor of the need for unchanging morality to supercede and inform medical and scientific techniques.

She noted that moral absolutes, such as Church teaching, do and should guide what we do in the spheres of life, and that we shouldn’t allow the alternations of evolving science to serially determine right from wrong.

In Dr. Rowden’s follow up reply the truth of the underlying position was unmasked.

In the end of his letter he advocates for a breach of the teaching on priestly celibacy (in effect advocating for an unchaste priesthood) in saying “mandated celibacy” [is] “eminently changeable.” In doing so the letter reveals the true underlying position; Church criticism advocating counter-Magisterial teaching in the masquerade of science.

Thank you Catholic San Francisco for printing this dialogue between science and reason. It is most instructive for readers.

Cyrus “Cy” Johnson San Mateo

Reason for speculating In his letter of February 13, Dr. Robert M. Rowden takes issue with Archdiocesan Respect Life Coordinator Vicki Evans (and Church teaching) on when human life begins: “At conception (which takes at least a day) a new genetically distinct individual organism is formed. If in the course of its travel into the uterus it is among the minority of zygotes that implant, a trajectory of human development is under way.” Almost immediately, Dr. Rowden has introduced an arbitrary distinction: the “individual organism” has become “human” in the space of two sentences. What is the connecting link? Uteral implantation. Why is this event decisive for the Doctor? Because: “If it does not implant, no further development takes place and the zygote disintegrates.” Note the euphemism “disintegrates.” What he means is, it dies.

Rowden then quotes Karl Rahner “Will [today’s moral theologians] be able to accept that 50+ percent of all ‘human beings’ – real

Letters welcome Catholic San Francisco welcomes letters from its readers.

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

human beings with immortal souls and an eternal destiny – will never get beyond this first stage of human existence?” and follows this with a quote from some bio-ethicists: “Such vast embryonic loss intuitively argues against the creation of a principle of immaterial individuality at conception.” (Again, note the avoidance of the word “die.”) So? If a 50 percent loss of human life at the zygotic stage is an argument against personhood, what about the 100 percent loss that occurs to each of us throughout the other stages? If a “principle of immaterial individuality” (what Catholics call “the soul”) is the consequence of a specific stage of material human development, what happens when that material development ceases?

But why is any of this significant? Because it’s about abortion. The only people who spend time speculating on when a zygote “becomes” a fetus, when a fetus “becomes” a baby, when a baby “becomes” a person are those who are trying to rationalize when it is okay to kill it.

Gibbons J. Cooney San Francisco Ed. Note: Dr. Rowden agrees that Church teaching is very clear about life beginning at conception. He does not dispute that at all. However, he notes that it is misleading to speak of the “moment” of conception since it is a process that takes about a day. If that teaching is precisely correct, he states, it means that the Creator has allowed the spontaneous abortion of most of mankind at the very beginning of its existence. For him, this raises a logical as well as a theological question.

Still, Dr. Rowden absolutely is not advocating procured abortion or denying the human life of an established embryo.

At dispute, he notes, is the status of the majority of zygotes, which are lost before they can be said to be individuals. Had they achieved implantation would they become one individual human, more than one, or would they combine with another zygote to form a mosaic single organism? How do we understand ensoulment of these?

Failure of secular press Thanks to Catholic San Francisco for estimating the number of people who took part in the Annual Walk for Life march along the city’s waterfront Jan. 24. While CSF placed the figure at more than 30,000, the alleged watchdog press that keeps barking about the public’s right to know virtually dodged the entire event.

San Francisco Chronicle columnist C. W. Nevius urged his readers to ignore the rally and procession that wound its way from the Ferry Building to Marina Green. He wrote, “These people are just trying to provoke a reaction. Why give them what they want?”

Nevius hit hard at the fact that protesters were bused “from all over.” His effort reminded me of the editorials in Southern papers that lashed out at “outside agitators” who came to stir up trouble.

A retired reporter who can’t kick the news habit, I had to see for myself if Nevius’ plea had much impact. At first I thought it did. There were few counter demonstrators and, more to the point, I saw no TV trucks or news helicopters.

Did reporters follow his suggestion? I don’t know for sure, but I do know there was little coverage and what little there was gave both sides equal billing.

KPIX-TV made me feel thousands of “pro choice” people were out, not the comparative few who actually followed the route of the march. The Chronicle reported that the three-mile long “route was lined by a smaller group of chanting counter demonstrators.” Much, much smaller is more accurate, and demonstrators trailed the march.

There was no estimate of the crowd size, just “thousands.” The brief AP story I saw also used that term. It is difficult to determine totally accurate numbers, but an attempt should be made.

Catholic San Francisco’s Mike Vick made a professional effort when he reported “the procession stretched for over a mile, with marchers crossing the finish line for an hour.”

I failed to find a story in the Examiner so I sent an e-mail asking if I missed its story. I have yet to get an answer. I think it is worth noting that the following day the paper carried an AP story about an anti-Prop 8 gathering had drawn 400 people in Los Angeles.

James O. Clifford Redwood City

February 20, 2009

Catholic San Francisco

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Celebrating 50 or more years of marriage Couples honored at a special Mass at St. Anne of the Sunset Church in San Francisco Feb. 15 included more than 30 celebrating more than 50 years together. Renewing their vows in their 50th year of marriage were: Richard and Mary Bona; Harold and June Boyd; Jack and Gilda Cardinale; Adriano and Maria Castro; Nick and Eleanor Fesunoff; Ario and Rosemarie Gregori; Guillermo and Miranda Miranda; Ambrosio and Luz Robles; James and Ruth Rogers; Francesco and Maria Spagnoli; Steven and Mary Lou Wald. Also renewing their vows were: Alfred and Josephine Romine (54 years), Frederic and Rosemary Battaglia (55), Gene and Dale Gard (56), Lee and June Heise (56), John and Ann Arnold (57), Anthony and Kathrina Carolla (57), Frank and Mary O’Rourke (57), Thomas and Eleanor Presley (57), Daniel and Nancy Shea (57), Benjamin and Gativa Augustin (58), Carmello and Barbara Pulizzano (58), Rodolfo and Rosalina Arrihas (59), David and Patricia Mayer (60), James and Mira McTiernan (60), Marcel and Helen Revel (60), Anastacio and Beatrice Ver (61), Tom and Mary Stelzner (62), Ken and Alyce Hansell (63), Charles and Mavis Meyer (63), Albert and Elizabeth Bucci (64), John and Mary Johnson (64), Bonifacio and Natividad Camarao (65), James and Teresa Hampton (67).

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Is your Estate Plan in order – contact your parish for help

Latin American society sees elderly as burden But lower birthrates and longer life expectancies are causing a profound demographic shift in Latin America.

VILLA EL SALVADOR, Peru (CNS) – Alfredo Medina While only 8 percent of the region’s population was over Rosas and Rosalina Meza Humanchaqui remember slogging age 60 in 2000, that figure will triple by 2050. And most through sand up to their knees, in darkness unbroken by countries are not prepared. streetlights, to fetch water from distant spigots or catch a “Our main concern is that the issue is not a priority,” bus to go searching for odd jobs.

Romero told Catholic News Service. “There is a lack of This sprawling, low-income district on the southern edge information and lack of awareness.” of Lima, Peru’s capital, was a shantytown then, sprouting In a regionwide survey in 2006, the Chilean polling firm shacks made of cardboard and straw mats. Medina, 78, and Latinobarometro asked people why they believed they sufMeza, 79, were parents of their own young families then, fered discrimination. The top three reasons were “for being with dreams for their children. Brick by brick, they built their poor,” “for lacking education” and “for being old.” lives in Villa El Salvador.

Countries need to plan for changMore than half a century later, ing needs as their populations age, they should be retired, but for many Romero said, taking steps such as “The Church has elderly people in Latin America that providing pensions, understanding term has little meaning. Medina still the contributions made by older enormous potential in does odd construction jobs and Meza adults, and making educational and sells dry goods at a stand in the local health services available. Geriatrics older adults who live market. and gerontology are relatively new They and other older Peruvians fields in the region, and some countheir faith much more say they work to keep busy, “but I tries have only a handful of geriatric think it’s pure necessity,” said U.S. specialists for their aging populaopenly and with great Sister Jacci Glessner, a member of tions, according to the Pan American the School Sisters of Notre Dame Health Organization. and coordinator of a day program Although politicians sometimes commitment” for older adults in Villa El Salvador argue that scarce resources should who have no safety net. not be devoted to such a small proIn a country where half the population is under 30 and portion of the population, “this is an issue that has to do it is common for help-wanted ads to state that no one over with the development of our countries,” Romero said. “It’s 28 need apply, older adults are not a priority for politicians not a matter of taking something away from one group and and services are scarce. Peru is not alone. Throughout Latin giving it to another.”

America, societies, governments and even the Catholic There is a tendency to equate old age with illness or Church tend to think of older adults as a burden – when poverty, Romero said, or to treat older adults as children, they are considered at all. ignoring their opinions, desires and ideas.

There is a common belief that “aging only happens to “You even find these attitudes among professionals,” old people,” said Ximena Romero, coordinator of the Latin she said. As a result, services for older adults may simply American Gerontology Network, founded in 1999 by people become a form of “misunderstood charity.” working with older adults through Caritas Internationalis Some of the countries with the largest percentage of offices in several Latin American countries. Caritas is the older adults – such as Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, Brazil international umbrella network of Catholic aid agencies.

LATIN ELDERLY, page S3

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Olga La Rosa Varona, 73, sings during prayer before lunch at Oscar Romero Parish Center in Villa El Salvador near Lima, Peru and Saturnina Sanchez, 88, is surrounded by handprints of the “Martincitos,” a group of low-income older adults who meet three times a week for hot meals, recreation, medical attention and friendship. Older people in Latin America often struggle to make ends meet in societies where older adults are not a priority for politicians and services are scarce.

Latin elderly . . .

■ Continued from page S2 and Cuba – also have the highest percentage receiving pensions and the lowest number living in poverty. Regionwide, however, only 40 percent of older adults receive pensions, a figure that drops as low as 10 percent to 20 percent in some Central American and Andean countries. In most of those countries, including Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala and the Dominican Republic, one-third or more of older adults live in poverty.

In Bolivia, when President Evo Morales made good on his campaign pledge to provide a “dignity income” for older

adults, outraged local government officials complained that the plan would cut into their share of natural gas revenues.

Considering that Latin America is the region with the widest gap between rich and poor, Christian communities are called to “promote solidarity between generations,” Romero said.

Three mornings a week, about 100 people over age 65 meet at the Oscar Romero Pastoral Center in Villa El Salvador. Calling themselves the “Martincitos,” after St. Martin de Porres, the Peruvian saint who cared for Lima’s poor, they can consult a doctor, nurse or social worker. They also play games, learn handicrafts, tend a tiny garden dotted with fruit trees and several giant squash plants, pray, get two LATIN ELDERLY, page S5

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“Since first learning about Life Care more than 30 years ago, I pictured it as the perfect future for me.

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S4

Catholic San Francisco

February 20, 2009

Living Well

Age-old questions My local newspaper carried a picture of newlyweds, 95 years young, who were celebrating their marriage with a large, extended and multigenerational family. The bride wore white. The groom wore a dapper suit. Both wore big smiles.

Looking at that picture, some might wonder, “At their age?!”

I, however, marvel at their eagerness to unite themselves to each other in marriage in their twilight years, a commitment that many young people seem to shy away from today. And I rejoice that their families were present to celebrate with them, giving their blessing and support as the couple embarks on a new chapter of life. Truly love knows no age or time limit.

This story reminded me of a study published in 2007, which found that the risk for Alzheimer’slike dementia more than doubled in lonely people.

Lonely people were also more likely to be less economically and educationally accomplished, and tended to have more health problems than those who reported having strong social ties.

Loneliness, it seems, can take a horrible toll on us as we age. And yet, in today’s busy world, many of us find less and less time to nurture strong relationships. Time can pass without our calling a friend, visiting a shut-in relative or reaching out to a neighbor. We might take long-term relationships for granted, giving into pressure to spend time on newer, perhaps more exciting ones. We might shun older people because we think we have nothing in common with them. We might ignore younger children for the same reason.

We might lose sight of the fact that, the Lord willing, we too will reach an older age.

True love, one that reflects our faith and value in the worth of other people, does not develop overnight. It cannot be forged in a few online chat sessions or a couple of dates. Parent-child and husband-wife bonds cannot be improved upon by scheduling brief “quality time” and ignoring long-term building.

And yet, more and more, that is what many aspects of society, with an emphasis on anti-aging, quick fixes and instant gratification, would lead us to believe. But we know otherwise, and we have examples from Scripture to guide us.

The greatest example of a long-term, loving relationship is the one we enjoy with our Creator. In Jeremiah 1:5, God says: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you.”

Yes, God knew us then and he knows us now – and he loves us completely!

Love through sacrifice shines in Christ’s example of selfless giving, by his death on the cross and also through his whole life of service to those young, old, strong and infirm.

Maureen Pratt If we look at love through the eyes of faith and expand our understanding of love beyond what television, radio and music outlets describe, we discover that love is ageless and can be expressed in many different relationships.

No one is too young or too old for God’s all-encompassing love.

I think about those “kids,” that couple who traveled 95 years and lived full lives before finding and marrying each other. What an example of the timeless expression of love!

Of course, not every loving relationship will end in marriage. But with examples like this one to inspire us, we too can look beyond society’s often one-sided perception of love and help bring Christ’s compassion and love to the world.

For with Christ, no one is ever alone.

Maureen Pratt, an award-winning author and playwright, writes a biweekly column for Catholic News Service.

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Latin elderly . . .

■ Continued from page S3 hot meals, and spend time with people who care about them.

For Medina and Meza, the group is a lifeline, but it reaches only a small percentage of the older adults in Villa El Salvador. Sister Jacci said her team could easily fill a second program for seniors, but the Martincitos operate on a shoestring, managing to raise about $1,400 a month from donations and volunteers, so they turn away all but the neediest.

She sometimes finds adult children’s neglect of their parents frustrating, she said, but then she realizes, “They’re not able to take care of their (own) children, so how are they going to take care of the grandparents?”

The Martincitos meet three times a week, but the volunteer staff “is on call 24 hours a day,” said Antonio Palomino Quispe, 48, who helped start the group in 1987 and is still one of the coordinators.

The volunteers may find themselves accompanying one of the members of the group to the hospital, or to the police station when a drunk or drug-addicted son becomes abusive, or to court when children try to wrest property from their illiterate parents by having the elders sign documents they cannot read.

Ironically, while church programs like the Martincitos provide outreach not offered by governments, the gerontology network has been working to root out stereotypes about aging within the church as well as among the general public.

“There is still a lot to be done in parishes,” where ministry to older adults is often limited to catechetics, she said. Parishes need to change their perception of older adults and aging and consider “how we should prepare for the future in the Church,” she said.

“The Church has enormous potential in older adults who live their faith much more openly and with great commitment,” Romero said. The challenge for parishes is to “mobilize this commitment for the good of the entire community.”

Catholic San Francisco

S5

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Final approval of Blessed Damien’s canonization VATICAN CITY (CNS) – The Vatican said that final approval would be given Feb. 21 for the canonization of Blessed Damien de Veuster, a Belgian-born missionary priest who served patients with Hansen’s disease on the Hawaiian island of Molokai more than a century ago.

Pope Benedict XVI authorized the publication of a decree recognizing a miracle attributed to the intercession of Blessed Damien last July, clearing the way for his canonization.

The Vatican said Feb. 16 that an “ordinary public consistory” – a meeting of the pope with cardinals resident in Rome and invited bishops and other dignitaries – would be held Feb. 21 to finalize the approval of 10 canonizations, including Blessed Damien’s. The dates for the canonization ceremonies are expected soon after the consistory.

Blessed Damien was a 19th-century missionary, a member of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary. Born in 1840, he spent the last 16 years of his life caring for patients with Hansen’s disease, or leprosy, on Molokai. He died in 1889 and was beatified in 1995.

The miracle attributed to Blessed Damien involves the 1999 healing of Audrey Horner Toguchi, a Hawaiian who had been diagnosed with cancer. She had a tumor and other tissue removed and underwent radiation; when new tumors were found on her lungs, she decided to pray to Blessed Damien instead of undergoing the chemotherapy her doctors recommended.

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Catholic San Francisco

February 20, 2009

Retired Catholic couple’s organic farming practices benefit community PETERSBURG, Tenn. (CNS) – On a chilly and damp winter morning John McGary kneels in front of row upon row of green leafy vegetables, sorting through freshly picked spring salad mix and carefully packing it into plastic containers for his customers.

He and his wife of 48 years, Judy McGary, will deliver the salad mix, tucked into a box alongside sweet potatoes, butternut squashes, radishes, greens and apples to drop-off points in Nashville later that day.

“There’s nothing like taking these boxes of fresh vegetables to families and seeing how excited they are,” said Judy McGary.

Nestled in the rolling hills of Lincoln County near the Alabama border, Doe Run Farm, operated by the McGarys, is one of the few vegetable farms in an area where most land is devoted to cattle and horse farming.

The McGarys also have the distinction of being one of the few certified organic community-supported agriculture programs in the state that operates through the winter. In a community-supported agriculture program, customers purchase a “share” of the crops that are grown, and in return get a box of produce.

Instead of easing into retirement like many couples their age, the McGarys work the land every day, growing and harvesting vegetables and driving hundreds of miles a week to deliver them.

“Our children think we are crazy to be working so hard at our ages, but we have been blessed with good health and feel that we are being good stewards of our land which is dedicated to growing food for our farm supporters’ tables,” said Judy McGary, the mother of three grown children.

With no other regular employees, John, 70, a retired electrical engineer, and Judy, 67, a retired nurse, do everything from planting seeds to marketing the business themselves.

When they were both sick for two weeks during the fall, they still had to harvest and deliver the produce on time.

When deer “picked the tomatoes clean” one growing season, the McGarys had to scramble to fill the customers’ boxes with an alternate vegetable.

While they have never missed a delivery, “some weeks we haven’t been able to deliver what we would have liked,” said John McGary.

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Judy McGary talks to a reporter about the commitment she and her husband, John, have made to organic farming while John sorts spring salad mix into containers for their customers at their farm in Petersburg, Tenn. The McGarys, who have been married 48 years, retired from their first careers and now run a vegetable farm and participate in a community-supported agriculture program.

“A lot of things are not in your control,” added his wife, a lifelong Catholic whose home parish is Holy Spirit Church in Huntsville, Ala. “Faith plays a real important part in farming, and everything you do,” she added.

This winter season, 65 families signed up to receive a weekly box of produce from them. Since the subscribers know they will receive only what the farmer has available, they agree to share in the rewards and risks that befall the farmer. Community-supported agriculture, said Judy McGary, “is about building relationships.”

Now in their fifth year of operating Doe Run Farm as a community-supported agriculture program, the McGarys are sold on this increasingly popular business model for small farmers. “If you know the families you’re growing for, it means a lot more,” said Judy McGary.

Additionally, with the community-supported agriculture model, “there’s very little waste,” said her husband, and it

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provides for better planning than setting up shop at weekly farmers markets, which the McGarys no longer do.

With 150 shares sold to customers last summer, the McGarys expect even more this year. But, Judy McGary said, “the organic farming movement is still finding its place in the world.”

“I’m all for food that’s fresh, local and doesn’t have to travel 1,000 miles,” John McGary said. But with small-scale, organic food still costing considerably more than conventionally massproduced food, “I don’t know how popular this movement is going to be” as a model for American agriculture, he said.

However, he added, “our customers are willing to sacrifice a little to get fresh, local food.”

Judy McGary has faith in the organic farming movement, she said, because “people are yearning to know more about their food.”

She is also encouraged by the number of young people getting into organic farming, and tries to help any way possible. “We try to have an open door” about giving advice to fellow farmers, she said.

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February 20, 2009

Catholic San Francisco

S7

Marking 80 years: Vatican celebrates its growth into nationhood

By Carol Glatz

Pope Benedict XVI greets the grand master of the Knights of Malta, Matthew Festing of Britain, before a concert in Paul VI hall at the Vatican Feb. 12. The concert marked the 80th anniversary of the founding of Vatican City State.

(CNS PHOTO/GIAMPIERO S POSITO, REUTERS)

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – The smallest nation in the world is celebrating a relatively young 80th birthday this year.

Although the Catholic Church has a 2,000-year history, the 109-acre Vatican City State was established Feb. 11, 1929, to guarantee that the Holy See and the pope could freely carry out their spiritual mission of confirming Christians in the faith and guiding the universal church.

The transition from the Papal States to nationhood was a long and bumpy road.

Starting in the eighth century, the church wielded temporal power over what was known as the Papal States, a shifting group of territories across parts of modernday Italy.

The popes at the time were territorial sovereigns and, as such, had to deal with the unpleasant risks and worries of foreign powers bent on invasion, rival Roman emperors and powerful Roman families vying for control of the papacy.

In the 19th century, revolutionaries fought against papal control in their struggle to unify Italy and the Papal States dissolved in 1870 after Rome and the surrounding territories were annexed to a unified country covering the entire peninsula.

A dispute with the Italian government over the sovereignty of the Holy See kept popes confined inside the walls of the Vatican from 1870 to 1929.

The dispute, which became known as the Roman Question, did not seem to have a quick and easy answer.

On the one hand, Italy had legitimate aspirations “to finally achieve its own state unity and, among other things, to designate as its capital Rome, which had been its point of reference for millennia,” according

to the Vatican newspaper, L’Osservatore Romano.

But on the other hand, it said, Rome was the see of Peter and his successors.

The Holy See legitimately needed a formal and effective guarantee of its independence and freedom, “which are absolutely necessary for the pontiff in order to carry out his spiritual mission on a universal level,” the paper said.

No pope wanted to compromise his task as shepherd of the universal church by being under the control and authority of a sovereign leader.

Years of negotiations under Pope Pius XI finally resulted in a resolution. Vatican and Italian officials signed the Lateran Pacts of 1929 in which the Vatican and the Italian

state recognized each other as sovereign nations.

While it may be “a nearly invisible dot on the world map,” the Vatican plays an enormous role in fostering world peace, solidarity and hope, Pope Benedict XVI said.

The Vatican, which is the home of the tomb of St. Peter and the residence of the pope, “unceasingly announces a message of true social progress, hope, reconciliation and peace,” he said during a Feb. 14 audience with participants in a congress marking the 80th anniversary of the founding of Vatican City State.

This “minute and unarmed state,” which lacks any real army, seems “apparently irrelevant within the big, international geopolitical strategies,” he said.

But precisely because the Holy See is truly free and independent from the world’s geopolitical powers it can continually promote solidarity and the common good, he said.

The Vatican organized a Feb. 12-14 congress titled “A Small Territory for a Big Mission,” to mark the city-state’s 80th anniversary.

The pope told congress participants the Vatican wanted to establish sovereignty so that it could carry out its spiritual mission in the world unimpeded by “the often turbulent events in the sea of history.”

He prayed Vatican City always would be “a true ‘city upon a hill,’ radiant for its beliefs and the generous dedication of all those who work in the service of the ecclesial mission of the successor of Peter.”

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S8

Catholic San Francisco

February 20, 2009

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February 20, 2009

Catholic San Francisco

9

The Catholic Difference

The differences Richard Neuhaus made We talked about everything for 31 years, Richard John Neuhaus and I did: families, friends, and adversaries; hopes dashed and hopes fulfilled; popes and presidents; religious freedom and the just war; magazines, books, and movies; Churchill’s loo at Ditchley House; the relative merits of Jack Daniel’s, W.L. Weller, and Woodford’s; you name it. Part of the reason, I suspect, that a few crabbed souls seemed to resent our collaboration (even as they imputed to it powers and influence beyond our wildest imaginings) is that we were clearly having such a good time. Happily, that’s what happens when you fight the good fights together.

Thus the gap left in my life by Father Neuhaus’s death on Jan. 8 is a large one. Yet if, in the providence of God, it was time for RJN to be called home, I am grateful that the divine mercy arranged things so that the last thing we did together was pray together. And, as his former student, Deacon Vince Druding, told me of the moment of his death, the last thing Richard Neuhaus did in this vale of tears was smile. Perhaps he had been given a glimpse of what awaited him.

I’ve written elsewhere (www.newsweek.com/id/179243) of the enormous impact Father Neuhaus’s ideas had on American public life. One of those ideas – RJN’s argument that the First Amendment’s “no establishment” provision serves its “free exercise” provision, which led logically to the claim that “separation of Church and state” did not mean eradication of religiously-informed moral conviction from public life – reset the default positions in the American Church/state debate. Then there was RJN’s signal contribu-

tion to the pro-life movement, in which he was a leader for 40 years: by insisting that the pro-life movement was the moral heir of the classic civil rights movement (in which he had also been a leader), he inserted the story of the prolife movement into the most compelling moral narrative of contemporary American history – and thereby gave it a chance to prevail.

So let me focus here on two other aspects of Father Neuhaus’s enduring legacy, which have gotten relatively little attention since his death.

First, ecumenism. In the early 1990s, an evangelical intellectual worried aloud to me about the lack of serious theological encounter between the two growing ends of American Christianity, Catholicism and evangelical Protestantism. I mentioned this to Father Neuhaus, whose credentials as a former Lutheran would, I thought, give him a unique brokerage position in any such encounter. Neuhaus contacted Chuck Colson, and the result was the ongoing project, “Evangelicals and Catholics Together,” which has evolved from a forum for discussing common concerns in public life into a bold exercise in ecumenical theology. Go to www.firstthings.com, punch “Evangelicals and Catholics Together” into the search engine, and you’ll see joint statements on salvation, the Bible, and the communion of saints that most of us never expected to see in our lifetimes. While the bilateral ecumenism of the post-Vatican II years was running into one stonewall after another, Neuhaus was pioneering the next phase of ecumenical encounter, and in ways that could shape the

future of Christian witness throughout the world.

Then there was RJN’s unique role in ChristianJewish dialogue. Its roots lay in his friendship with the late Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, out of George Weigel which Neuhaus developed the conviction that the divinely mandated entanglement of Christians and Jews of which St. Paul spoke in Romans 9-11 ought to be explored theologically – and that New York City was the divinely mandated place to do it. So while the conventional Jewish-Christian dialogue was running along its well-worn post-Vatican II grooves (and, to be sure, producing good work), Neuhaus and colleagues like Rabbi David Novak and Rabbi Leon Klenicki launched a theological encounter between serious Christians and faithful Jews. The conversation was of such depth that, one evening, one of our rabbinical partners observed, “You know, Christians and Jews haven’t been talking to each other like this for nineteen hundred years.”

That was RJN. His work will go on. It’s the very least we owe him.

George Weigel is Distinguished Senior Fellow of the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington, D.C.

Potpourri

The bright sadness of Lent For some of us, the time of Lent is regarded as a period of joyless fasting and, if we’re so inclined, abstinence from the frivolities adding a needed zest to the dullness of our days. Still, each year we resolve to “give up” our little pleasures in order to forge ahead with Christ on the bumpy road to Calvary.

For a while we manage to restrain from meat or movies, tequila or television until the inevitable ennui ensues. Instead of the spiritual lift we’re supposed to experience, we feel a downer brought on by our self-induced deprivation. That’s why, when those long weeks are behind us, we often hear ourselves and others lament, “I tried, but I made another terrible Lent.”

In his book “Great Lent,” Orthodox priest and Liturgical Theology Professor, Alexander Schmemann, refers to Lent as, “bright sadness.” Dismissing the negativity of abstention from certain foods or entertainments, Father Alexander explains that by limiting ourselves to the negative of rules and prescriptions, we are missing out on the a very important positive of “something else.”

He writes, “This ‘something else’ can best be described as an atmosphere, a climate into which one enters, as first of all a state of mind, soul, and spirit which for seven weeks permeates our entire life.” He stresses that the purpose of Lent is to soften our hearts in order to “experience the hidden hunger and thirst” for communion with God, a communion pervaded with prayer and worship.

Because the hurly-burly rush of our lives clothes us in the vicissitudes of daily failures or triumphs, we slowly begin to remove the clamor in our minds in order to find holy rest and reflection in the quiet of our hearts. It’s the same quiet we feel when we receive Our Lord’s body and blood in the consecrated species, but it needn’t be limited to our time at Mass, making the Stations of the Cross or visits to the Blessed Sacrament. We can gently descend into it even during the most tumultuous moments of our days, drawing upon it again and again as the season of “bright sadness” slowly leads us to the triumph of Easter.

“This is the climate of Lenten worship,” Father Alexander tells us, “this bright sadness that reminds us of the sadness

of my exile, of the waste I have made of my life; the brightness of God’s presence and forgiveness, the joy of the recovered desire for God. Such is the climate of my Lenten worship, such is its first and general impact on Jane L. Sears my soul.”

Paradoxically, the sad reflection of Lent can be the happiest period we share with Christ on our journey with him to the Cross By making Lent a spiritual exile rather than brief time of “giving up,” the day feast of the Resurrection finds us satisfied that we’ve made a “better” Lent enabling us to share fully in the glory of the Risen Lord.

Jane L. Sears is a freelance writer and a member of Our Lady of Angels Parish, Burlingame.

Spirituality for Life

Fidelity - our greatest gift to others After the funeral of Martin Luther King, one of the newsmen covering the event stopped to talk to an old man standing at the edges of the cemetery. The reporter asked him: “What did this man mean to you? Why was he special to you?” The old man, through tears, answered simply: “He was a great man because he was faithful. He believed in us when we had stopped believing in ourselves, he stayed with us even when we weren’t worth staying with!”

That is a testimony to a life well lived. If, at your funeral, someone says that of you, then you have lived your life well, even if there had been many times in your life when things weren’t going well. What this old man defines so accurately in his testimony to Martin Luther King is what faith means. To be full of faith means precisely to be faithful. That is more than a play on words.

In the end, faith is not simply the good, secure feeling that God exists. Faith is a commitment to a way of living beyond good and secure feelings. To have faith means to sometimes live our lives independent of whatever feelings may come. Ultimately faith is not in the head or the heart but in the action of a sustained commitment. Faith is fidelity, nothing more but nothing less.

And, perhaps more than anything else, that gift is what is needed today in our families, in our churches, and in our world in general. The greatest gift we can give to those around us is the promise of fidelity, the simple promise to stay around, to not to leave when things get difficult, to not walk away because we feel disappointed or hurt, to stay even when we don’t feel wanted

or valued, to stay even when our personalities and visions clash, to stay through thick and thin.

Too often what happens is that, in our commitments, we subtly blackmail each other: We commit ourselves inside of family, church, community, and friendship but with the unspoken condition: I will stay with you as long as you don’t seriously disappoint or hurt me. But if you do, I will move on!

No family, friendship, church, or community can survive on this premise because it is simply impossible to live or work with each other for any length of time without seriously disappointing and hurting each other.

Inside of any relationship - marriage, family, friendship, church community, or even a collegial relationship at a workplace - we can never promise that we won’t disappoint others, that we won’t ever mess-up, that our personalities won’t clash, or that we won’t sometimes hurt others through insensitivity, selfishness, and weakness. We can’t promise that we will always be good.

We can only promise that we will always be there!

And, in the end, that promise is enough because if we stay and don’t blackmail each other by walking away when there is disappointment and hurt, then the disappointments and the hurts can be worked through and redeemed by a faith and love that stay for the long haul. When there is fidelity within a relationship, eventually the hurts and misunderstandings wash clean and even bitterness turns to love.

Many is the man or woman who, on celebrating the anniversary of a marriage or the commitment to religious life, priest-

hood, friendship, or work at a certain job, looks back and no longer feels the countless hurts, rejections, misunderstandings, and bitter moments, that were also part of that journey.

These are washed clean by something deeper that Father has grown up because of Ron Rolheiser fidelity, namely trust and respect.

You sometimes see this, wonderfully, in the mutual, begrudging respect that eventually develops between two people who, while both sincere and committed, are for years at odds because of differences in personality, politics, religion, or history. The simple fact of having to deal with each other over many years eventually leads to a rich understanding and a respect beyond differences.

This also holds true for prayer. All the great spiritual writers give only one ultimate rule for prayer and that rule has nothing to do with method, style, or content. It is simply this: Show up! Don’t ever give up! Don’t ever stop going to prayer! As long as you persevere in going to prayer, eventually God will break through. Don’t ever stop trying! That’s true for all of our relationships.

ROLHEISER, page 11

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Catholic San Francisco

February 20, 2009

Seventh Sunday of Ordinary Time

Scripture reflection

Isaiah 43:18-19, 21-22, 24b-25; Psalm 41:2-3, 4-5, 13-14; 2 Corinthians 1:18-22; Mark 2:1-12 A READING FROM THE BOOK OF ISAIAH IS 43:18-19, 21-22, 24B-25 Thus says the Lord: Remember not the events of the past, the things of long ago consider not; see, I am doing something new! Now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? In the desert I make a way, in the wasteland, rivers. The people I formed for myself, that they might announce my praise.

Yet you did not call upon me, O Jacob, for you grew weary of me, O Israel. You burdened me with your sins, and wearied me with your crimes. It is I, I, who wipe out, for my own sake, your offenses; your sins I remember no more.

A RESPONSORIAL PSALM PS 41:2-3, 4-5, 13-14 R. Lord, heal my soul, for I have sinned against you.

Blessed is the one who has regard for the lowly and the poor; in the day of misfortune the Lord will deliver him.

The Lord will keep and preserve him; and make him blessed on earth, and not give him over to the will of his enemies.

R. Lord, heal my soul, for I have sinned against you.

The Lord will help him on his sickbed, he will take away all his ailment when he is ill.

Once I said, “O Lord, have pity on me; heal me, though I have sinned against you.”

R. Lord, heal my soul, for I have sinned against you.

But because of my integrity you sustain me and let me stand before you forever.

Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, from all eternity. Amen. Amen.

R. Lord, heal my soul, for I have sinned against you.

A READING FROM THE SECOND LETTER OF PAUL TO THE CORINTHIANS 2 COR 1:18-22 Brothers and sisters: As God is faithful, our word to you is not “yes” and “no.” For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was proclaimed to you by us, Silvanus and Timothy and me, was not “yes” and “no,” but “yes” has been in him. For however many are the promises of God, their Yes is in him; therefore, the Amen from us also goes through him to God for glory. But

the one who gives us security with you in Christ and who anointed us is God; he has also put his seal upon us and given the Spirit in our hearts as a first installment.

A READING FROM THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK MK 2:1-12 When Jesus returned to Capernaum after some days, it became known that he was at home. Many gathered together so that there was no longer room for them, not even around the door, and he preached the word to them. They came bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. Unable to get near Jesus because of the crowd, they opened up the roof above him. After they had broken through, they let down the mat on which the paralytic was lying. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Child, your sins are forgiven.”

Now some of the scribes were sitting there asking themselves, “Why does this man speak that way? He is blaspheming.

Who but God alone can forgive sins?”

Jesus immediately knew in his mind what they were thinking to themselves, so he said, “Why are you thinking such things in your hearts? Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, pick up your mat and walk?’ But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority to forgive sins on earth” — he said to the paralytic, “I say to you, rise, pick up your mat, and go home.” He rose, picked up his mat at once, and went away in the sight of everyone. They were all astounded and glorified God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this.”

DEACON FAIVA PO’OI

When Jesus saw their faith, he said your sins are forgiven My son had a verbal misunderstanding with his mother-in-law. He was very upset, and he and his wife, decided to kick her out.

The couple came to me for advice. I asked them to tell me what happened and they told me all the problems they were having with the mother-in-law, which they had had with her for a long time. We were talking for a while, and then it came to the difficult part of our conversation. I asked them to forgive the mother-in-law, for although she had made quite a few mistakes, she still is family, and the grandmother of their child. I told them that I knew that it is difficult to forgive someone who hurt them, but I would pray for them and their mother-in-law, and that they should pray, too, and ask God for help and guidance.

In this Sunday’s first reading from Isaiah, the prophet speaks to the Israelites about God’s divine power and forgiveness. He tells the people that God would do something new; this newness is a restoration, a return to their homeland, and a new relationship with God. God said, “It is I, I, who wipe out your offenses; your sins I remember no more.”

For us, is like our baptism, a new relationship with God, especially those in R.C.I.A. who will be baptized on Easter Vigil. God will restore them to new life in Him, a new relationship with God as His adopted sons and daughters. A new change not only for the Israelites, but for all of us when we experience the Divine forgiveness and healing of our loving and compassionate God. In the Gospel, the friends persistently carried the paralytic to the house where Jesus was staying. Their task was to bring their paralytic friend to Jesus, despite the difficulties and physical limitations of the situation.

They climbed and carried their friend and tore the roof of the house off to lower him down on a mat to the floor where Jesus was teaching, risking a set of disapproving stares from the crowd. The paralytic’s friends were retentive, patient, stubborn, but most importantly, they had great faith. Jesus saw this faith and was impressed. He granted forgiveness to the paralytic’s sins. This is a miracle far greater than curing his physical sickness. Such forgiveness is the entryway to salvation.

Who has been a friend like this to you through the years? It could be some members of your own family or friends. In the

case of my son, the mother-in-law might be the one who will lead them to the light of Christ. Perhaps you have someone or some friends like the paralytic’s friends who led you to the Christian faith, to your Church’s community or to our Lord Jesus, and he or she may touch you with those same consoling words that he said to the paralytic; “Your sins are forgiven,” and He may say, “Rise, pick up your mat and go home.” We all need forgiveness and healing from the Lord and, in turn, we forgive others and heal our differences.

Forgiveness is a theme that pervades the entire Gospel. We witness it, when Peter ask the Lord about forgiveness, and at the very beginning of the “Sermon on the Mount,” in the new interpretation of the fifth commandment, when the Lord says to us: “So, if you are offering your gift at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go, first be reconciled to your brother, and then return and offer your gift.”

And even from the cross, we hear Jesus’ prayer, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.”

Forgiveness should start with us, our heart, mind, and our whole being. It is an indispensable ingredient in a redemptive realization of forgiveness, for if I don’t forgive myself, how can I forgive others? Or how can I experience God’s forgiveness? My forgiveness of others would then be partial, less than wholehearted, my experience of God’s forgiveness would be considerably diminished. Our forgiveness of others would then be verbal only. Likely, we have all experienced that, because we never forget what that person did to us, if anything goes wrong in the relationship.

As Jesus comes into our hearts in the Eucharist, we have every reason to believe in the divine authority, and in his power and willingness to heal our ailment, our brokenness, and to forgive our sin. We put all our trust in Jesus and the ever-loving God the Father.

Deacon Faiva Po’oi serves at St. Timothy Parish in San Mateo, and also is the Archdiocesan liaison to the Tongan community.

Our Lenten Journey

Lent: Paradigm of Christian living To see Lent only as a period of spiritual practice, penance, and self-imposed deprivation would be distorted and limited. Some understand Lent solely as a time of painful spiritual exercises accepted more or less willingly. But with reflection and by following attentively the Lenten celebrations brought to us by the Church and its liturgy, we come to recognize that Lent is a parable of Christian life. We come to recognize the wisdom of St. Benedict’s admonition that the lives of Christians and of the Church “ought to be a continuous Lent.”

Lent is an important time of the liturgical year aimed at redressing Christian life. The works of Lent -- prayer, almsgiving, and fasting -- do not have their value in themselves, as the Scriptures proclaim on Ash Wednesday and the following Thursday and Friday. All actions have a Godcentered motive and aim.

In encouraging us to a greater emphasis on private and liturgical prayer, the Church does so to help us recapture dur-

ing Lent their rightful place in Christian life at all times.

Almsgiving and sharing practiced during Lent are part of a movement of conversion regarding the use of goods.

Far from jealously and selfishly keeping material goods for themselves, Christians learn to possess them as not possessing them. They manage their possessions as good stewards, with constant concern for those less fortunate. This is not an occasional practice either. The ideal continues to be relevant at any time there is a need.

Whatever value is assigned to seasonal or even habitual fasting, it essentially is an attack on uncontrolled appetite for earthly goods of all kinds. People yield easily to such an appetite, especially in countries where over-consumption is a matter of course. Not to curb the search for bodily and material satisfactions is pagan. Christians seek to rectify their behavior in order to balance their everyday lifestyle in harmony with their faith and hope. The pagans think we should eat and drink, for tomorrow we die. But the dead

are raised, and now we know that Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of all who have fallen asleep (1 Cor 15).

The lessons from Scripture proclaimed during Lent help us raise Brother John M. our eyes to God and his Samaha, S.M. plan of salvation, to Christ and his mystery that brings this plan to realization, to its fulfillment here and now in the Church and in the world. Of course, this can be said of all seasons of the liturgical year. Still, a density, wealth, and strength of the texts characterize Lenten liturgies. Especially chalSAMAHA, page 11

February 20, 2009

Samaha . . .

Catholic San Francisco

As Lent approaches

■ Continued from page 10 lenging are the Gospel readings for Christian initiation, the selected apostolic catecheses, and the remembrance of the most significant steps of salvation history. In this way Lent proves to be catechumenal for all baptized persons and not only for those preparing for baptism. With special insistence Lent repeats the Church’s never-ceasing call: “Become what you are.”

Lent is a paschal journey because it leads us to the Easter celebrations. It has a fixed place in the liturgical calendar, beginning on Ash Wednesday and ending on Holy Thursday before the evening Mass. But Christian life is wholly paschal because it is an exodus toward our eternal Father. From this point of view, Lent is a parable of the lives of Christians and a paradigm of the Church. What is experienced intensely for forty days must give a new and enduring dynamism to our lives in all the days of the Lord.

A prolific writer, Marianist Brother John Samaha resides at the Marianist Care Center in Cupertino, Calif., and has been a religious for 60 years.

Rolheiser . . .

■ Continued from page 9 The greatest gift that we have to give is the promise of fidelity, the promise that we will keep trying, that we won’t walk away simply because we got hurt or because we felt unwanted or not properly valued.

We are all weak, wounded, sinful, and easily hurt. Inside of our marriages, families, churches, friendships, and places of work, we cannot promise that we won’t disappoint each other and, worse still, that we won’t hurt each other. But we can promise that we won’t walk away because of disappointment and hurt. That’s all we can promise - and that’s enough!

Oblate Father Ron Rolheiser, theologian, teacher, and award-winning author, is President of the Oblate School of Theology in San Antonio, TX.

“Following in the Footsteps of St. Paul” is a six-week series on Tuesdays of Lent at St. Rita Church, 100 Marinda Dr. in Fairfax. Soup supper at 6:15 p.m. precedes 7 p.m. talk Contact Noelle Kostelic at (415) 456-4815 or e-mail nkostelic@sbcglobal.net.

Feb. 24: St. Paul’s life. Background and influence on Church with Jesuit Father Daniel Kendall, Ph. D. March 3: Foundations of the saint with Scott Sinclair, Ph. D. March 10: The spiritual life of St. Paul with Franciscan Father Michael Guinan, Ph. D. March 17: St. Paul’s female partners in ministry with Jean-Francois Racine, Ph. D. March 24: The laity and lay preaching relevant to St. Paul with Darleen Pryds, Ph. D. March 31: Pauline Christology in New Testament hymns with Vincent Pizzuto, Ph. D.

In anticipation of Lent, St. Bartholomew Parish welcomes Father Tom Moran Feb. 21, 9:30 a.m. - 3 p.m. His topic, “Walking With Jesus,” will touch on several Lenten themes. “During this day of prayer and reflection, Father Tom will recall the serious questions Jesus poses in the Gospel of John,” the parish said in promoting the talk. “Just as Jesus challenged the individuals he met, so he calls us to respond to his questions.” Father Moran, former pastor of St. Charles Parish in San Carlos, also will consider how the man born blind and other characters of Scripture responded to Jesus. The retreat takes place at St. Bartholomew Media Center, 600 Columbia Dr. in San Mateo. Fee is $10. Bring a bag lunch. For more information, call (650) 347-0701, ext. 18 or e-mail barby@barts.org.

“Praying Lent: Renewing Our Lives on the Lenten Journey,” is a guide for Catholics about how to celebrate an often misunderstood season. Father Alexander and Maureen Waldron – staff members of the Jesuit-run university’s Collaborative Ministry Office – set up the Creighton University Web site in 1998 to provide daily reflections for the faculty and staff to help them understand the school’s mission. During Lent that year the daily reflections focused on the 40 days leading up to Easter and provided information about what that period means to Catholics and what the church expects from them.

“At the end of Lent of 1998, when we first went online with daily reflections, a woman wrote to us and said she was visiting Hong Kong and90404 heard about our site from a priest from Baltimore and Tour told us how much our postings meant to her during her time overseas,” Waldron told Catholic News Service. “That’s when it occurred to us, ‘We’re not just a campus ministry. We’re reaching out globally.’”

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TV

February 20, 2009

Music

Books RADIO Film Stage

By Harry Forbes NEW YORK (CNS) – “Two Lovers�

(Magnolia) is a downbeat but well-acted domestic drama set in the Brighton Beach neighborhood of Brooklyn, N.Y. Joaquin Phoenix plays Leonard, the depressed son of Jewish dry cleaners (Moni Monoshov and Isabella Rossellini). Though in his 30s, he still lives at home and works in the family business. He seems poised to continue in that trade, despite an apparent talent for photography.

In the film’s opening scene, we see him trying to commit suicide by jumping into the bay, apparently his second attempt at ending his life. His anguish, we later learn, stems from a wrenching broken-off engagement.

Suddenly not one, but two, women come into his life, and he’s torn between them: Michelle (Gwyneth Paltrow), the emotionally troubled new gentile neighbor for whom he falls at first glance, and Sandra (Vinessa Shaw), the stable young Jewish daughter of his father’s business partner, Michael (Bob Ari).

Leonard is infatuated with Michelle, but she considers him only a dear but platonic friend.

Their apartment windows face each other, and they communicate with each other like conspiratorial kids. Eventually, she confides that she’s having an affair with married Ronald (Elias Koteas) at her office.

She even has Leonard join them for dinner one night so that Leonard can size up her lover firsthand. The dinner is cordial, but when Michelle briefly excuses herself from the table, Ronald confides that she has a drug problem, and entreats Leonard to watch out for her.

Meanwhile, nice girl Sandra professes her love for Leonard and desire to take care of him, a match clearly endorsed by both sets of parents. Leonard, though not blind to Sandra’s virtues, continues to obsess over Michelle and, paralleling Sandra’s protective concern for him, longs to look after Michelle.

Directed with low-key naturalism by James Gray (who previously worked with Phoenix on “We Own the Night� and “The Yards�), the familiar triangular tale scores for characterization and mood with solid performances all around. If Phoenix follows through on his recent declaration about quitting the movie business, we’ll be deprived of one of the best actors around today, as his fine, carefully shaded work here beautifully demonstrates.

Gray and Ric Menello’s script treats its characters with compassion and sensitivity.

Though Rossellini’s character, for instance, might easily have been a domineering, overly protective stereotype – as it is, she does peer under her son’s door, and tries to eavesdrop – she is shown to be concerned not controlling, and in one crucial scene, just when you think

Best Selling Books – Paperback 1. Catechism of the Catholic Church, Doubleday/ Our Sunday Visitor/USCCB Publishing.

2. United States Catholic Catechism for Adults, USCCB Publishing.

3. Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis, Harper San Francisco.

4. Not By Bread Alone: Daily Reflections for Lent, Sherri L. Valee, Liturgical Press.

5. The Great Divorce, C.S. Lewis, Harper San Francisco.

6. The Screwtape Letters, C.S. Lewis, Harper

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7. Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Libreria Editrice Vaticana, USCCB Publishing.

8. The Return of the Prodigal Son, Henri J.M. Nouwen, Image.

9. Becoming Who You Are, James Martin, Hidden Spring.

10. In the Name of Jesus, Henri J.M. Nouwen, Crossroad. – Catholic Book Publishers Association

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Well-acted film “Two Lovers� may be Phoenix’s last

Gwyneth Paltrow and Joaquin Phoenix star in a scene from the movie “Two Lovers.�

she’ll pull the self-pitying mother routine and destroy her son’s dreams, she holds back.

Actual onscreen sexual content is minimal.

There’s a brief bedroom scene between Leonard and Sandra, and later (this is a slight spoiler) an impromptu fully-clothed rooftop coupling with Michelle.

Though not exactly gripping, the film is enhanced by well-modulated performances and the exoticism (for some viewers) of the ethnic Brooklyn milieu. There is some dramatic ambiguity in Leonard’s final actions, but from a moral standpoint the resolution would seem to be sound.

The film contains an adulterous affair,

suicide attempt, two brief nonmarital sexual encounters without nudity, unwed pregnancy, brief upper female nudity, drug references, several uses of the F-word as an expletive and brief profanity. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification is L – limited adult audience, films whose problematic content many adults would find troubling. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is R – restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.

Forbes is director of the Office for Film & Broadcasting of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. More reviews are available online at www.usccb.org/movies.

EWTN Program Notes EWTN will offer a variety of special programming as February draws to a close. “Jesus of Nazareth� has a meditative theme that features classical music and paintings depicting scenes from Christ’s life. It is presented in two segments. The first segment focuses on the Flight into Egypt and the Prophet in the Wilderness. It airs Feb. 22 at 10:30 a.m. and Feb. 28 at 12 a.m. The second segment – shown immediately after the first segment –continues the meditative theme and focuses on Christ’s miracles, words and deeds. It airs Feb. 22 at 11 a.m. and Feb. 28 at 12:30 a.m. (30 min).

Another special program, “Harambee! A Gift for Africa,� explores an Opus Dei project in Kenya that teaches women the very basics of life: cooking, reading, writing, etc. It airs Feb. 23 at 12 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. (30 min).

At the start of Lent, EWTN will focus on Pope Benedict XVI celebrating the Mass for Ash Wednesday, with the blessing and imposition of the ashes. It airs live from the Basilica of St. Sabina in Rome, Feb. 25 at 7:30 a.m., with an encore the same day at 3 p.m. (2 hrs.).

All times listed are Pacific Time. EWTN is carried 24 hours a day on Comcast Channel 229, Astound Channel 80, San Bruno Cable Channel 143, DISH Satellite Channel 261 and Direct TV Channel 370. Comcast airs EWTN on Channel 70 in Half Moon Bay and on Channel 74 in southern San Mateo County. Visit www.ewtn.com for more information.

February 20, 2009

Lenten OpportunitiesAsh Wednesday Feb. 25 Taize Prayer: 1st Friday at 8 p.m.: Mercy Center, 2300 Adeline Dr., Burlingame with Mercy Sister Suzanne Toolan. Call (650) 340-7452; young adults are invited each first Friday of the month to attend a social at 6 p.m. prior to Taize prayer at 8 p.m. The social provides light refreshments and networking with other young adults. Convenient parking is available. For information contact mercyyoungadults@sbcglobal.net. Tuesdays, 6 p.m.: Notre Dame Des Victoires Church, 566 Bush at Stockton, San Francisco with Rob Grant. Call (415) 397-0113. 3rd Friday, 8 p.m.: Dominican Sisters of Mission San Jose, Motherhouse Chapel, 43326 Mission Blvd in Fremont. Contact Maria Shao at (408) 839-2068 or maria49830@aol.com or Dominican Sister Beth Quire at (510) 449-7554 or beth@msjdominicans; March 6 and additional Fridays during Lent, 7:30 p.m.: Taize will be chanted and prayed for one hour at Our Lady of Angels Church, 1721 Hillside Dr. near El Camino Real in Burlingame. There will be no Taize Prayer the evening of Good Friday. Call Liz Hannan at (650) 342-1759.

Employment Support Group meets Mondays 9 a.m. – 11 a.m. at St. Matthias Church, 1685 Cordilleras Rd. in Redwood City “to share emotional, spiritual, and networking support and hear job search advice from guest speakers.” There is no cost to attend. Call (650) 366-9544 for more information.

Feb. 21, 9:30a.m. – 3 p.m.: “Walking With Jesus,” a Lenten retreat with Father Tom Moran at St. Bartholomew Media Center, 600 Columbia Dr. in San Mateo. Father Moran is a former pastor of St. Charles Parish in San Carlos and currently serves in retirement at Our Lady of the Wayside Church in Portola Valley. $10 fee. Bring a bag lunch. Please respond to (650) 347-0701, ext. 19 or e-mail barby@barts.org Feb. 21, 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.: The Society of Jesus (Jesuits) will host an informal “Come and See” gathering at the Jesuit School of Theology, 2621 Ridge Road, Berkeley. Single men, ages 18 to 45, interested in learning more about the Jesuits and/or exploring a vocation to religious life are invited to attend this event. Includes Mass, prayer period, vocation stories, panel discussion, and Q&A session. No cost; lunch is provided. To RSVP, contact Radmar Jao, S.J. at (510) 225-6137 or rjao@calprov.org. General info: contact Br. Jim Siwicki, S.J., Vocation Director, at (408) 884-1613 or jsiwicki@calprov.org.

Feb. 22, 12:30 p.m.: Organ concert by Father Paul Perry at St. Isabella Church in San Rafael/Terra Linda.

One-hour program includes works by Bach, Franck and others. Free admission.

Following in the Footsteps of St. Paul, a six-week series beginning Feb. 24 at St. Rita Church, 100 Marinda Dr. in Fairfax. Soup supper at 6:15 p.m. precedes 7 p.m. talk Contact Noelle Kostelic at (415) 456-4815 or e-mail nkostelic@sbcglobal.net.

Feb. 24: St. Paul’s life, background and influence on Church with Jesuit Father Daniel Kendall, Ph. D. March 3: Foundations of the saint with Scott Sinclair, Ph. D. March 10: The spiritual life of St. Paul with Franciscan Father Michael Guinan, Ph. D. March 17: St. Paul’s female partners in ministry with Jean-Francois Racine, Ph. D. March 24: The laity and lay preaching relevant to St. Paul with Darleen Pryds, Ph. D. March 31: Pauline Christology in New Testament hymns with Vincent Pizzuto, Ph. D. Feb. 25 through April 5, 7 a.m. – 7 p.m.: Members of San Mateo Pro-life will be praying for an end to abortion during this “40 Days for Life.” The “peaceful prayer vigil” will take place in front of Planned Parenthood, 2211 Palm Ave. in San Mateo all days during the assigned hours. “All are welcome,” said Jessica Munn, an officer of the pro-life group. Visit www.40daysforlife.com/sanmateo or e-mail fortydaysforlife@yahoo.com or call (650) 572-1468. A “prayerful presence” will also take place at Planned Parenthood, 815 Eddy Street (between Van Ness and Franklin) in San Francisco from 8 a.m. – 8 p.m. Interested persons may register and volunteer at www.40daysforlife.com/sanfrancisco Feb. 25 – April 17, 7:30 p.m.: Lectio Divina - Scripture Faith Sharing: The Wednesday evenings of Lent, at Dominican Sisters of Mission San Jose Motherhouse

Our Lenten Journey Presented by Fr. Tom Weston, S.J. “Early in the morning, while it was still dark, Mary went to the tomb.” Join us Wednesday, March11th, for a special breakfast featuring Fr. Tom Weston. Fr. Tom will present some reflections on Lent, the challenges we face today, and living our lives in the light of Easter. Fr. Tom Weston is one of the most popular speakers in the Bay Area so don’t miss this unique opportunity!

With his very diverse background in teaching, leading, and counseling, Fr. Tom’s presentation should be a great addition to everyone’s Lenten journey. Originally from San Jose, Fr. Tom entered the Society of Jesus in 1965. He graduated from Gonzaga University in Spokane, WA in 1971 and subsequently taught history and theology at Loyola High School in Los Angeles. This was followed by studying theology at the Jesuit School of Theology in Berkeley, receiving his Masters in Divinity in 1977. Tom was ordained a priest in 1978 by Archbishop John Quinn in San Francisco, CA. He has also been the Director of the Jesuit Volunteer Corps, Southwest. Since 1984 he has led retreats on a full-time basis with recovering addicts and alcoholics. Currently, Tom is the Superior of the Jesuit Community in Oakland.

Event Details –

Event Date: Wednesday, March 11th Event Location: Palio D’Asti Restaurant, 640 Sacramento Street at Montgomery; San Francisco, CA 94111 Format: Registration begins at 7:00am followed by mass. Program begins at 7:30am, ending by 8:30am.

Includes breakfast buffet.

Registration: Either mail your money in with the form below or pay at the door.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Yes, I would like to attend this event on 3/11/09.

Check one:

$20 $30

St. Patrick’s Day Festivities

March 14, 6:30 p.m.: St. Luke Crab Feed at Parish Center, 1111 Beach Park Blvd., Foster City. All-youcan-eat crab (or chicken), including antipasto, salad, pasta, dessert and drink are included. Dancing and raffle follow. Ticket is $40. Call (650) 3456660. Charlie Maguire, left, JoEllen Maguire and Eleanor Linquist say “Come on by!”

Join us March11th for Breakfast-

_______ I am a member . Event cost is $20 per member _______ I am Not a member. Event cost is $30 per non-member

NAME: _______________________________________PHONE: _______________________________ ADDRESS:___________________________________________________________________________ E-MAIL _________________________________________PARISH: ___________________________ This information is for CPBC only and will not be used for any solicitation. Mail this form & a check payable to “CPBC-

ADSF” to: CPBC, Attn: Mary Jansen, One Peter Yorke Way, San Francisco, CA 94109

13

be celebrated at St. Peter Church, 700 Oddstad Blvd., Pacifica with rosary at 7 p.m., Mass at 7:30 p.m. Contact John at exmorte@aol.com or call (415) 564-PRAY.

Datebook

- Main Parlor 43326 Mission Blvd. Fremont. For more information, contact Dominican Sister Beth Quire at (510) 449-7554 or beth@msjdominicans.org Feb. 26, 7 – 8:30 p.m.: A presentation and discussion of the religion and religious impact of Charles Darwin, around the occasion of his 200th Birthday (Feb. 12) at St. Agnes Spiritual Life Center in San Francisco.

Many people found it difficult to reconcile evolution and religion. How did Darwin himself view it? How did Catholics react? How should we Catholics react today to the theory of evolution, while still believing in God? No knowledge of science is needed to enjoy this presentation by Jesuit evolutionary biologist and seminary student at the Jesuit School of Theology and Berkeley (JSTB), John Braverman. Please bring your ideas and questions. For more information contact Rosemary Robinson at (415) 487-8560, ext. 228 or rosemary@ saintagnessf.com Feb. 27, 7:30 p.m.: “The Gospel of Mark” performed

by Michael Reardon and directed by Patrick Lane at Notre Dame des Victoires Church, 566 Bush St. in San Francisco. Reardon and Lane have performed the spellbinding proclamation of Scripture more than 1,000 times around the world. A meet-the-artists reception follows the play. Admission to the two-hour event is free though free-will offerings will be accepted. Call (415) 397-0113 for more information. Visit www.gospels.org for more about the group.

March 7, 3:30 p.m.: Young Men’s Institute Annual Red and White Mass, at All Souls Church, 315 Walnut Ave. in South San Francisco. Afternoon begins with spiritual reflection led by Msgr. Michael Harriman, pastor, St. Cecilia Parish in San Francisco, on “Married Life, Family Enrichment, Parish Ministry and Lay Leadership.” Mass and dinner follow at 5:15 p.m. in parish school cafeteria.

Tickets for dinner are $15 per person. Call Bob Bartoli at (650) 871-7878. Sponsored by YMI Council 32. Please reserve by Feb. 24.

March 8, 2 – 4 p.m.: Bay Area Vocation Discernment Day at Mercy Convent, 2300 Adeline Dr. in Burlingame.

Vocation ministers from a variety of women’s and men’s religious communities will be on hand. Everyone welcome. To register call Mercy Sister Cindy Kaye at (650) 340-7434.

March 11, 7 a.m.: Our Lenten Journey, a talk by Jesuit Father Tom Weston at monthly meeting of Catholic Professional and Business Club at Palio D’Asti Restaurant, 640 Sacramento St. at Montgomery in San Francisco. Father Weston is superior of the Jesuit Community in Oakland and a well-known retreat leader, especially with those in recovery. His talk will “present reflection on Lent, challenges we face

Catholic San Francisco

today and living our lives in the light of Easter,” meeting sponsors said. Tickets at $20 for members and $30 for non-members include buffet breakfast and may be purchased at the door. Registration at 7 a.m. followed

by Mass and talk. For more information, contact Mary Jansen at cpbc.sf@gmail.com.

Mar. 11, 18, 25 7 p.m.: The aim of this three part series is to break open God’s Word—its beauty and richness, by learning the prayer of Lectio Divina. This course will seek to help participants discover a method of reading Scripture, which is meditative, reflective and prayerful.

By giving both theory and practice, Sister Germana Santos will show that even in uncertain times, God’s Word is an anchor. For more information call Pauline Books & Media, 2640 Broadway, Redwood City 94063 (650) 369-4230 March 11 through April 30: Adult Scripture Study focusing on St. Paul at Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish, St. Michael’s Hall, Alameda de las Pulgas at Ralston in Belmont. $25 fee includes materials. Sessions held Wednesday evenings at 7:30 p.m. and Thursday mornings at 9:30 a.m. Contact Marie Felix at (650) 593-6157, ext. 27 or e-mail mfelix@ihmbelmont.org March 14, 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.: Day of Recollection sponsored by San Francisco Catholic Medical Guild at Most Holy Rosary Chapel, One St. Vincent’s Dr. in Marinwood. Day includes liturgy, rosary, procession to Our Lady of Lourdes grotto and talk on Lourdes

by Father Andrew Johnson, a Knight of Malta. Lunch included. Tickets are $35. Call (415) 305-2408 or e-mail gemaloof2003@yahoo.com.

March 18, 2 p.m.: “Creating Successful Transitions,” a talk at Alma Via of San Rafael, 515 Northgate Dr. led by Patrick Arbore of the Center for Elderly Suicide Prevention and Grief Related Services. Arbore will discuss moving through grief as well as age. Call (415) 491-1900. Series continues April 15 with presentations on normal forgetfulness and more serious memory loss.

Tessa ten Tusscher, Ph. D., of the Institute on Aging will lead the discussion.

March 18, 7:30 – 9 p.m.: Bioethics seminar at 2580 McAllister St. in San Francisco on “The Dying Experience” Sponsored by San Francisco Catholic Medical Guild. USF Professor Raymond Dennehy is among presenters. Refreshments provided. Call (415) 305-2408 or e-mail gemaloof2003@yahoo.com. Fee is $15. Additional sessions take place April 15 and May 20.

Catholic Charismatic Renewal March 6: Catholic Charismatic First Friday Mass will

March 1, 5:30 p.m.: Columban Fathers Annual Dinner and Raffle at United Irish Cultural Center, 45th Ave. at Sloat Blvd. in San Francisco. Guests of honor are Nora Mullane and Terry and Dan Kelleher. Tickets at $40 per person include pot roast or chicken pomadora dinner.

Call Pam Naughton at (415) 566-1936 or Anne Quilter at (415) 586-8017.

March 7, 6 p.m.: Corned Beef and Cabbage dinner benefiting Holy Name of Jesus Parish and School in Ryan Hall, Lawton St. between 39th and 40th Ave. in San Francisco. Entertainment includes Irish Pipers, Irish Dancers and Shades of Green with Kevin Roche. Menu includes corned and beef cabbage, homemade Irish soda bread and no-host refreshments. Tickets are $25 per person. Call (415) 731-4077 or (415) 664-8590.

March 12, noon: Meeting and St. Patrick’s Lunch of the Serra Club of San Francisco at Italian American Social Club, 25 Russia Street off Mission Street in San Francisco. Jeffrey Burns, Ph. D., archivist for the Archdiocese of San Francisco, will speak about San Francisco’s Irish history. Tickets are $20 per person.

Non-members are welcome. Contact Paul Crudo at (415) 566-8224.

Mar. 14, 6 p.m.: Annual St. Patrick’s Dinner in Saint Anne’s Moriarity Hall, Funston Street (between Irving and Judah). No host cocktails followed by dinner and dancing. Evening includes corned beef dinner, raffle, Whelan Dancers, Irish Pipers, and dancing to the music of Fergus and Michael’s Irish Band. Tickets are adults $30, children 12 and under $10. For reservations call Patty Diner (415) 566-7500 by March 9.

March 14, 6 p.m.: St. Patrick’s Corned Beef Dinner at Our Lady of the Pillar Church in Half Moon Bay. Tickets are $25 adults/$12 children. Contact Brian at (650) 7990011 or e-mail knightscouncil7534@yahoo.com.

March 14, 6 p.m.: Corned beef and cabbage or chicken dinner sponsored by the Men of St. Matthew’s and the St. Matthew School Parents’ Association in school auditorium, Aragon off El Camino Real in San Mateo. Menu includes dinner and dessert. Evening includes entertainment and children’s bingo. No-host refreshments. Tickets are $15 adults/$5 children.

Contact Charlie Jadallah at charliejad@yahoo.com or call (650) 628-6848.

March 17, 11 a.m.: Hibernian-Newman Club’s annual St. Patrick’s Day luncheon benefiting Catholic College Campus Ministry programs for the Archdiocese of San Francisco at Hilton San Francisco Hotel, 333 O’Farrell St. Maureen McLaughlin will be honored as Hibernian of the Year. Former San Francisco Mayor Willie Willie Brown Brown is guest speaker.

No-host refreshments. Menu is corned beef and cabbage. Enjoy traditional Irish music and entertainment.

Tickets are $80 per person. Call (415) 386-3434.

Datebook is a free listing for parishes, schools and non-profit groups. Please include event name, time, date, place, address and an information phone number. Listing must reach Catholic San Francisco at least two weeks before the Friday publication date desired. Mail your notice to: Datebook, Catholic San Francisco, One Peter Yorke Way, S.F. 94109, or fax it to (415) 614-5633, or e-mail burket@sfarchdiocese.org.

THE SISTERS OF PERPETUAL ADORATION INVITE YOU TO ATTEND THE SOLEMN NOVENA IN HONOR OF

GREAT ST. JOSEPH Conducted by

The Dominican Friars March 11th to March 19th, 2009 At 3:00 P.M. Services: Daily Mass –– 7:00 A.M. Holy Rosary –– 2:30 P.M. Benediction –– 3:00 P.M. Novena Mass –– 3:05 P.M.

Send petitions to: Monastery of Perpetual Adoration 771 Ashbury Street San Francisco, CA 94117-4013

14

Catholic San Francisco

February 20, 2009

Remembering St. Peter and St. Paul The relationship between Peter and Paul can clarify how the ministry of Peter was understood in the first century. Paul insists that his apostolic credentials came directly from the risen Lord and so he began his mission without first conferring with the apostles in Jerusalem (Gal 1:17). However, Paul strongly declares that he was not acting alone and was in communion with the apostles, especially Peter whom he met three times: twice in Jerusalem and once in Antioch.

arrived later from Jerusalem (Gal 2:11-14). While Paul highly respected Peter’s authority, he related to him in a In our liturgical calendar, Feb. 22 is normally celebrated way not weighed down with what we know as contemas the feast of the Chair of St. Peter. However, this year it porary ecclesiastical protocol. However supreme Peter’s is liturgically celebrated as the Seventh Sunday in Ordinary recognized authority, he too, stood under the judgment of Time, the last Sunday before Lent begins. As we continue the Gospel. So, Paul demanded that the practice sanctioned to celebrate the Jubilee Year of St. Paul, we take time to in Jerusalem be enforced. reflect on the fact and meaning of the significant relationship Paul and Peter had their paths converge for the final time of Peter and Paul. We recall that Pope Benedict XVI instiin Rome. Ancient traditions tell us that both of them died as tuted this Pauline Year (2008-09), which martyrs in the imperial capital. The Letter began and concludes on the solemnity of Clement, for example, notes how the That Peter and Paul were martyred and buried in Rome of Sts. Peter and Paul, June 29. two apostles met opposition in Rome and Commemorating a piece of furniture eventually were denounced before the can seem to be an inappropriate focus Roman authorities. The two leaders were led to the primacy of honor that the rest of the world’s for a liturgical celebration. The Chair of executed during the reign of Emperor St. Peter actually represents the pastoral dioceses gave to the diocese of Rome in the early centuries. Nero and were buried in places where the and teaching authority of St. Peter – and two Basilicas in their honor now stand: St. of his successors – over both the diocese Peter’s and St. Paul’s Outside the Walls. of Rome and the universal Church. It originated as a comThat Peter and Paul were martyred and buried in Rome Paul first went to meet Peter in Jerusalem three years memoration of deceased relatives and friends during which after his conversion during which he conferred and stayed led to the primacy of honor that the rest of the world’s dioa chair was left empty in their honor. As the exact date of with him for fifteen days (Gal 1:18). Their second meeting ceses gave to the diocese of Rome in the early centuries.

Peter’s martyrdom was unknown, it was also observed on came fourteen years later. Having preached the gospel to The Bishop of Rome was honored as the Vicar of Peter and this date. In the fourth century, it developed into this specific the Gentiles without requiring circumcision before entry Paul. Two millennia later, the Bishop of Rome has evolved celebration. to the church, Paul wanted to be certain that he was acting into just the Successor of Peter but the Vicar of Christ with The Gospels show that Peter was gifted with the role in agreement with the Jerusalem authorities. In a sign of its primacy of power and jurisdiction symbolized in the of primacy among the apostles. He was the first disciple apostolic collegiality, the Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15) Chair of St. Peter today. In this Jubilee Year of St. Paul at whom Jesus called, consistently listed first, and spokesman was convened and here James, Peter and John acknowledged the beginning of the third millennium, is it not possible to for the others. In our Catholic tradition, the biblical basis the grace of Paul’s mission and ratified his practice with reframe the papacy, retrieve its lost Pauline dimension, and for placing the primacy of leading and teaching the Church a handshake of fellowship extended to him and Barnabas reorient it to its original and humbler office as Vicar of Peter on Peter is embedded in three texts: “…you are Peter, and (Gal 2:1-10). and Paul? Then, we celebrate not just the Chair of St. Peter upon this rock I will build my church….” (Mt 16:13-19); Paul’s third encounter with Peter happened in Antioch. but of St. Paul too. “…you must strengthen your brothers” (Lk 22:31-32); and, Paul narrates how he strongly confronted Peter, as he was Father Laput, a Vincentian priest, is “Feed my lambs… Tend my sheep… Feed my sheep” (Jn wrong in withdrawing from table fellowship with Gentile 22:15-17).

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

Prayer to St. Jude Oh, Holy St. Jude, Apostle and Martyr, great in virtue and rich in miracles, near Kinsman of Jesus Christ, faithful intercessor of all who invoke your special patronage in time of need, to you I have recourse from the depth of my heart and humbly beg to whom God has given such great power to come to my assistance.

Help me in my present and urgent petition. In return I promise to make you be invoked. Say three our Fathers, three Hail Marys and Glorias. St. Jude pray for us all who invoke your aid. Amen.

This Novena has never been known to fail. This Novena must be said 9 consecutive days. Thanks.

M

Prayer to the Blessed Virgin never known to fail.

Most beautiful flower of Mt. Carmel Blessed Mother of the Son of God, assistme in my need. Help me and show me you are my mother. Oh Holy Mary, Mother of God, Queen of Heaven and earth. I humbly beseech you from the bottom of my heart to help me in this need.

Oh Mary, conceived without sin. Pray for us (3X).

Holy Mary, I place this cause in your hands (3X).

Say prayers 3 days.

S.G.

Help Wanted ADVERTISING SALES For The Largest Publisher of Catholic Church Bulletins

This is a Career Opportunity!

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

Call 1-800-675-5051, Fax resume: 925-926-0799

Seeking a kind, healthy, mature lady for a live-in companion, 10 hours/week of cleaning in exchange for room and private bath.

PLEASE CALL

(415) 921-8337

CAREGIVER AVAILABLE Caregiver/ companionship, livein/live-out, hourly, with 10+ years experience, excellent references, drive to doctor’s appts, etc. Please call (650) 787-4503, or (650) 400-2429, or (650) 464-0256

Help Wanted Elementary Teacher Job Faire Saturday, March 28, 2009 Mercy High School 3250 19th Avenue San Francisco, 94132 10:00am - 1:00pm *Bring Résumés*

JOB ANNOUNCEMENT CHANCELLOR/DIRECTOR of PASTORAL SERVICES The Diocese of Sacramento has an immediate opening for a Chancellor/Director of Pastoral Services. This position reports directly to Bishop Soto and the Moderator of the Curia and will serve as a member of the Bishop’s management team. The successful candidate will have a Master’s degree or the equivalent in Catholic Theology, management, administration and/or comparable fields. A working knowledge of the Code of Canon Law is desirable. Bilingual communications skills preferred (English and Spanish).

Please send resume to Rev. Tim Nondorf at tnondorf@diocese-sacramento.org by March 15, 2009. To view the job description please visit our web-site at www.diocese-sacramento.org under Job Opportunities.

For more information:

Please Call Mrs. Ofa Po’oi (415) 614-5668 or email:

pooio@sfarchdiocese.org

Catholic San Francisco

15

Help Wanted We are looking for full or part time

RNs, LVNs, CNAs, Caregivers

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

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL PRINCIPALS SOUGHT The Department of Catholic Schools in the Archdiocese of San Francisco is seeking elementary principals for the 2009-2010 school year. Candidates must be practicing Roman Catholic in good standing with the Church, possess a valid teaching credential, a Master’s degree in educational leadership, an administrative credential (preferred), and five years of successful teaching experience at the elementary level.

Please send resume and a letter of interest by March 20th, 2008 to: Bret E. Allen Associate Superintendent for Educational & Professional Leadership One Peter Yorke Way San Francisco, California 94109 Fax (415) 614-5664 E-mail: allenb@sfarchdiocese.org

San Francisco Archdiocesan Secondary

Teacher Job Faire EDITOR – CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco is seeking a highly qualified and motivated individual to serve as editor of Catholic San Francisco – the official newspaper of the San Francisco Archdiocese.

Catholic San Francisco Editor plans newspaper content including news and feature stories; organizes and directs editorial staff, freelancers, photographers; writes and assigns stories; edits copy; selects wire service material; works collaboratively with advertising director and production manager, leads the production of each issue of the newspaper, and manages/oversees the content of the Catholic San Francisco Online website. Position reports to associate publisher/ executive editor. This full-time position is located at the Archdiocesan Pastoral Center, One Peter Yorke Way, in San Francisco.

Desirable candidates for the editor position will have a degree in journalism and 14 or more years of newspaper experience, including 7 or more years experience as editor or assistant editor. Candidates should be faithful Catholics with a commitment to Church doctrine and teaching. They also should have a working knowledge of the U.S Catholic Church and an understanding of the universal Church. Prior diocesan newspaper experience is helpful, but not required.

Catholic San Francisco is published weekly most of the year and twice a month in June, July and August.

Please send cover letter, resume, and samples of work to schmidtp@sfarchdiocese.org.

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco

Saturday, March 14, 2009 10:00am - 12:00pm St. Ignatius College Preparatory Carlin Commons 2001 37th Avenue San Francisco, California 94116

Host High Schools Include: Archbishop Riordan High School Convent of the Sacred Heart (San Francisco) Immaculate Conception Academy (San Francisco) Junipero Serra (San Mateo) Marin Catholic (Kentfield) Mercy High School (Burlingame) Mercy High School (San Francisco) Notre Dame (Belmont) Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory (San Francisco) Sacred Heart Preparatory (Atherton) Saint Ignatius (San Francisco) Woodside Priory (Portola Valley)

Bring copies of your resume to the Faire

www.sfcatholicschools.org

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Catholic San Francisco

February 20, 2009

Join the marching of the Red and the White Life will ever be a pledge of loyalty, Live on to honor thee, Mercy High, All hail to thee!

Mercy High School Alma Mater

Mercy High School San Francisco invites all alumnae, current and former faculty, staff and administrators to join us on April 18, 2009.

Time: 4:00pm-7:00pm Location: McAuley Pavilion Drinks and Appetizers will be served

For more information, please contact Teresa Lucchese at 415-334-0525 x242 or tlucchese@mercyhs.org