March 26, 2004

Catholic san Francisco Northern California’s Weekly Catholic Newspaper

San Francisco Archbishop William J. Levada and former Boston Mayor and ambassador to the Vatican Ray Flynn will lead a prayer rally in defense of marriage in San Francisco’s North Beach on April 3.

Catholics and all people interested in promoting, protecting and preserving the institution of marriage are invited to participate, say sponsors of the event. A similar rally in Boston drew 3,000 people two months ago.

The prayer rally is scheduled for 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, April 3 at the steps of Sts. Peter and Paul Church, which faces Washington Square and Columbus Avenue in the city’s North Beach district.

Prior to the rally, a benediction and celebration of the Eucharist with Archbishop Levada and other priests of the San Francisco Bay area will begin at 8:30 a.m. at Sts. Peter and Paul Church.

A 12-hour adoration of the Blessed Sacrament will begin Friday evening, April 2 at 8:00 at Sts. Peter and Paul Church.

“Something special is happening with young Catholics across this land,” said Ray Flynn, president of Your Catholic Voice. “The issue of same-sex marriage has touched them deeply and they are responding. We saw that in

(CNS PHOTO FROM REUTERS)

San Francisco Archbishop and former Boston Mayor to lead rally for marriage

Anti-war activists march down Market Street in San Francisco March 19. Hundreds of demonstrators took to the streets in protest on the first anniversary of the start of the war in Iraq. Franciscan Father Louis Vitale is at center with Sister Bernie Galvin to right.

“We need to show the world and lawmakers that, contrary to media perception, there is another strong point of view in San Francisco, ” Meehan said.

“The Catholic Counter-Cultural Revolution has begun!”

The impetus for the rally began as a response by young adults in San Francisco to Mayor Gavin Newsom’s unilateral decision Feb. 12 to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples in violation of state and federal law. The

Massachusetts and now we are seeing it in San Francisco. We are building national support for the Federal Marriage Amendment, the only way to guarantee that marriage will remain between a man and a woman.”

Dolores Meehan of the Saint Dominic Parish Young Adult group is serving as Marriage Committee Chair for Your Catholic Voice, sponsor of the prayer rally along with the Archdiocese of San Francisco.

California Supreme Court halted the practice March 11, pending its ruling.

Newsom’s action came on the heels of the Massachusetts Supreme Court decision that same-gender couples are entitled to marry.

“Your Catholic Voice’s position has nothing to do with gays and lesbians who have a right to live as they choose.

But, that does not give them the right to redefine marriage and the family for all MARRIAGE RALLY, page 18

Father Gerald Brown to head St. Patrick’s Seminary

Sulpician Father Gerald L. Brown

Sulpician Father Gerald L. Brown has been appointed new President/ Rector of St. Patrick’s Seminary in Menlo Park, effective July 1, 2004.

Brown, currently President/Rector at Assumption Seminary in San Antonio, Texas, will fill the post now held by Sulpician Father Gerald D. Coleman who has served for 16 years as President/Rector of St. Patrick Seminary. Fr. Coleman plans to take a sabbatical year at the Carmelite Monastery in Carmel where he will serve as chaplain to the Carmelite sisters.

Father Brown was born in 1938

and ordained for the Archdiocese of San Francisco in 1964 after studies at St. Patrick Seminary. He was released to serve in the Society of Saint Sulpice and earned a Masters degree in Communications from University of Washington and a Doctorate in Speech/Communications from Temple University in Philadelphia.

Brown also holds a Choirmaster’s Certificate from the Gregorian Institute of America.

He served in various teaching and administrative positions with the Sulpicians before becoming President/ Rector of St. Joseph’s

College Seminary in Los Altos in 1978. St. Joseph’s was a minor seminary, serving as preparation for St. Patrick’s. While there, Brown also did extensive work in continuing formation for both diocesan and religious priests, mainly in the areas of priestly spirituality and preaching. He also served as Chairman of the Executive Committee of the National Catholic Education Association Seminary Department.

In 1985, Brown resumed administrative duties with the Sulpicians as Provincial Superior of the order in ST. PATRICK’S SEMINARY, page 18

INSIDE THIS WEEK’S EDITION At mercy of extremists . . . . 3 Social justice activism . . . . 6 ICA film ‘Runaways’. . . . . . 9 Editorial and letters. . . . . . 12 Pope on perserving life. . . 15

FIFTH SUNDAY OF LENT MARCH 28

March 26, 2004

Mission San Miguel

‘de-coding’ Da Vinci

Classified ads. . . . . . . . . . 19

~ Pages 10-11 ~

~ Page 17 ~

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Catholic San Francisco

March 26, 2004

On The Where You Live

by Tom Burke As a strong believer in reconnecting with our former years, here’s a reminder to members of the class of ’68 from St. Anne of the Sunset Elementary who “will be honored” during this year’s parish festival, said ‘68er Jerry Motak. “This is a 36 year reunion in memory of Nancy Quinn and other classmates who have passed away,” Jerry said. The gathering place is the Alumni Casino at 8 p.m. March 27th. “This is our first reunion with many more to follow,” Jerry said, noting that he can be reached for additional info at (415) 661-7378. Jerry and his wife, Cora, will be married 21 years in July. …As I’ve said, I have been lucky for the hospitality-ofheart from my former classmates with whom I have reupped and those I’m continuing to meet again. While I have been a regular participant in my high school reunions – and glad for the opportunity – I had lost touch with pals and desk neighbors from younger years.

Intrigued by the “search” dimension of the Internet, I went a’ lookin’ for old chum Paul Osimo who turned up under several categories of achievement and immediately responded to my inquiry. Paul’s generosity has led to a series of friendship renewals among our class of ’65 from St. Joe’s, Collingdale. We’re chattin’ it up via email and seriously considering putting together a New Old Friends

A tip-off of the hat to the varsity women’s basketball team of Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory who are Central Coast champs for the 5th year in a row. Back from left: Mike Carey, coach; Tim Burke, coach; Tina Saminego, Shawn McGuire, Kiersten McKoy, Michelle Koike, Monique Calvello, Georgia Onyemem, Maidere Sorhondo, Nikki Gonzalez, Brian Harrigan, head coach. Front from left: Colleen Panina, coach; Monica Kelly, Andrea Ohlssen, Fahiza Hill, Trisha Alaba, Claudia Nelson, Monique Garrett, Sara Richen, coach.

almanac. Anyway, it’s been a gas and I wish those of you ing 2nd place billets, Evan Cate, a 3rd place spot, and on the same trail much success….Speakin’ of grade Michael Lunzer, honorable mention. Also invited to take schools, dreamin’ to the top was Good Shepherd 7th part were Anthony Bertolacci, Gregory Fraumeni, grader, Rosaleen Folan, who took the Steve Sheehan, William Swenson, blue ribbon in an on-line I Also Have a Matthew Vukovic….Happy 95th birthDream essay contest. Among her wishes day this past Valentine’s Day to St. are “a world without poverty and hunger” Anne of the Sunset’s Clare Ranken. A which while seemingly “impossible” can member of the parish for 40 years, Clare be won, she said, by “our capacity to love” has served as “rectory volunteer and Holy and “make anything happen.” Rosaleen Rosary Sodality treasurer,” a recent bultook home $500 for her good writing with letin said….St. Kevin Parish asks $1,000 going to her Language Arts “God’s blessing” on Inez and Ismael teacher, Julie Cotter. The scribe’s proud Lopex, married 50 years, and Miriam parents are Maryann and Martin. Sibs are and Charles Astrue, married 25 Martin, a Good Shepherd 5th grader and years…. Remember, this is an empty Bridget, a freshman at Sacred Heart space without ya’!!! Send items and a Congrats to Mike Cathedral Preparatory….San Mateo follow up phone number to On the Armstrong, Athletic County Science Fair met its match in the Street Where You Live, One Peter Yorke Director at Stuart Hall High potions and theories of students from St. Way, SF 94109. Fax (415) 614-5641; eSchool and recipient of this Pius Elementary School. Among the varmail tburke@catholic-sf.org. Do not year’s Norm MacKenzie ious categories’ 1st place finishers was send attachments except photos and those Award for success in Theresa Hannig with Michael Zammuto, in jpeg, please. You can reach Tom Burke program management.

Matt Brand, and Amanda Lunzer earnat (415) 614-5634….

LIVING TRUSTS WILLS ●

Good Shepherd 7th grader, Rosaleen Folan with principal, Patricia Volan, left, and teacher, Julie Cotter.

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March 26, 2004

Catholic San Francisco

3

Church leaders say killing of Hamas leader will spur extremists JERUSALEM — Middle East Catholic leaders said Israel’s killing of Ahmed Yassin, founder and spiritual leader of the Islamic militant group Hamas, will put people at the mercy of extremists. “There can be no positive outcome from such an act,� said Ramze Zananiri, director of the Jerusalem office of the Middle East Council of Churches. “We are heading toward a very deep slope which will have a negative impact on both peoples. This type of action and reaction does not bring the area to any possibility of peace,� he said.

After Yassin’s death, Israel closed the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, and Palestinians called for a three-day general strike and mourning period. “I don’t want to be in the Israelis’ shoes now,� said Father Majdi al-Siryani, legal adviser of the Latin-rite Patriarchate of Jerusalem. “I am afraid (of what Hamas’) answer will be. This is not the way to make peace. Meanwhile we will keep praying.�

He said the Latin Patriarchate schools would be closed during the mourning period.

Father al-Siryani called Yassin “one of the best (Palestinian) leaders� who acted as a “security valve� in that he was able to control the sentiments of the streets, something Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat could not do.

Father al-Siryani added, however, that Hamas has “a different mentality, a different way of looking at things.�

The priest recalled that last year Yassin told Jerusalem Latin Patriarch Michel Sabbah that he (Yassin) realized Christian Palestinians had a “different role� to play in the Palestinian struggle and told the patriarch to continue with his peaceful message.

Father Manoel Musallam of Holy Family Parish in Gaza said he knew Yassin “very well.�

He said Yassin was one of the moderate Hamas leaders.

Father Musallam said that Yassin would intercede when Muslim children bullied or threw stones at children attending the parish school. “If ever there were any difficulties at the school or church or with the priests, we used to go to Ahmed Yassin, and at any moment we would find protection with him,�

Father Musallam said.

In another instance, Yassin kept Palestinian gunmen escaping from Israeli soldiers from trying to hide in the parish church, school or cemetery in order not to endanger those sites, Father Musallam said.

Yassin often came to celebrate Christian feasts at the church, he said.

Father Musallam said the Christian community was not concerned about the leadership of Hamas becoming more extreme because, he said, “we know all the leaders, they are our friends.� “Hamas is fundamentalist, extreme, against Israel; against our enemies not against our people. They love us.

As Christians we are not afraid,� he said. “The future will prove how much these Christians are with Muslims and have not suffered from Muslims.�

However, in the past, Christians in Gaza have expressed concern over their future if Muslim extremism grows. One elderly Catholic from Gaza said, “If Hamas grows, we will disappear.�

Yassin was killed early March 22 by missiles from Israeli helicopters as he left a mosque near his home in Gaza City.

Seven of his bodyguards — including two of his sons — also were killed. Palestinians said 15 other people were injured in the attack.

Tens of thousands of Palestinians streamed into the streets of Gaza City following the attack, and gunmen shot into the air while others threw pipe bombs, according to press reports. Violent demonstrations erupted elsewhere throughout the West Bank.

Israeli military sources called the killing “a significant strike against a central pillar in the Hamas terrorist organization.� “The perception that Yassin was the ‘political’ leader and left the management of terrorist activities to others is incorrect,� the Israeli sources said. “In fact, there is no differentiation between the ‘political’ and ‘military’ wings of Hamas.

Yassin, himself, often authorized and encouraged attacks and strongly preached against Israel. Yassin was directly responsible for a long list of terrorist attacks against both Israeli civilians and foreigners, as well as Israeli security forces.�

Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz called Yassin the “Palestinian (Osama) bin Laden.�

Yassin, who was imprisoned in Israel in 1984 and 1989 and received a life sentence for involvement in the killing of two Israeli soldiers, founded Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

He was released from prison in 1997 under the framework of an agreement with Jordan, and, according to the Israeli sources, he became involved in Hamas terrorist activities and personally authorized suicide attacks, bombings and missile attacks into Israeli settlements.

Following the assassination and closure, Zananiri said his staff was assessing the situation on the ground, specifically at their numerous health clinics in Gaza refugee camps and at West Bank centers for children. “Our first concern is for the centers’ safety, and we are concerned if people will be able to get there. Some employees will simply not be able to come because of (the closure),� he said. “We have to be considerate of the general climate, but in certain sectors like the health clinics they

(CNS PHOTO FROM REUTERS)

By Judith Sudilovsky Catholic News Service

A Palestinian boy holds up an image of slain Hamas leader Ahmed Yassin during a demonstration at a Palestinian refugee camp March 22 in Beirut, Lebanon. Yassin was killed earlier the same day in an Israeli missile attack in the Gaza Strip. A Vatican statement condemned the assassination, saying it was "not justifiable in any state of law."

should be open. We want to make sure the children are OK during the strike and general mourning period.�

Palestinian militant groups vowed immediate revenge for Yassin’s death not only against Israeli targets but also on all Zionist targets abroad and American targets, according to press reports. They charged the United States with approving the attack and, in a statement faxed to The Associated Press, vowed that all Muslims around the world would be “honored to join in on the retaliation for this crime.�

“(Israeli Prime Minister Ariel) Sharon has opened the gates of hell, and nothing will stop us from cutting off his head,� AP quoted Hamas leaders as saying from mosque loudspeakers.

The United States denied involvement and called for restraint on both sides.

Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia condemned the attack, saying that it opened the door “wide to chaos.�

He said Yassin was “known for his moderation� and ability to control Hamas.

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Catholic San Francisco

NEWS

March 26, 2004

in brief

WASHINGTON — Baltimore Cardinal William H. Keeler, chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities, urged the Senate to pass the Unborn Victims of Violence Act which would recognize unborn children as second victims when their mothers are victims of federal crimes of violence. The Senate is expected to vote on the legislation during the week of March 22. The House passed similar legislation Feb. 26. “When a pregnant woman is assaulted or killed, and her unborn child is harmed or killed as a result, the crime has two victims — the woman and her child,” Cardinal Keeler said.

“Without this new law, when a pregnant woman is herself the victim of a federal crime, any resulting injury to her unborn child — harm to which the woman obviously has not consented — goes unpunished.” About 30 states have laws offering some form of protection to unborn victims in crimes against pregnant women. The House previously passed such a bill twice, in 1999 and 2001, but the Senate took no action either time.

Pledge of Allegiance case may be decided on custody grounds WASHINGTON — Despite expectations that the Supreme Court will answer the question of whether God should be mentioned in the Pledge of Allegiance, a pending case may well evaporate over the unrelated issue of parental custody rights.

No matter the direction of oral arguments March 24 as the Supreme Court considers the constitutionality of the words “under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance, the justices first must settle whether the parent who sued had the right to do so. The case of Elk Grove Unified School District vs. Newdow was begun in 1997 by California parent Dr. Michael Newdow, who objected to his then-5-year-old daughter’s exposure to the phrase “one nation under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance.

Even though the Supreme Court ruled more than 60 years ago that students may not be compelled to recite the pledge, Newdow, an atheist, said his daughter’s exposure to its reference to God is coercive and undermines his parental rights to teach her not to believe in God. Newdow and the girl’s mother, Sandra L. Banning, never married and she has always held primary custody. Banning said she doesn’t mind if Newdow exposes their daughter to his atheist beliefs, but that as custodial parent it is up to her alone to make final decisions about the child’s education and to act as her legal representative.

Party chairmen duke it out WASHINGTON — Republican Party chairman Ed Gillespie and Democratic Party chairman Terry McAuliffe both hail from Irish families and graduated from The Catholic University of America’s political science department. They also both have a lot at stake in the upcoming presidential election.

And that’s where their similarities take an abrupt back seat. The two men, who are used to throwing jabs at one another in quick sound bites and on Sunday morning talk shows, squared off for the first time in a formal debate March 18 at their former stomping ground — Catholic University. The hour-long debate, with questions submitted by the school’s faculty and students, was moderated by George Stephanopoulos, anchor of ABC’s Sunday morning program, “This Week.” From the onset, the

(CNS PHOTO FROM REUTERS)

Cardinal Keeler urges passage of Unborn Victims of Violence Act

St. Joseph's University guard Jameer Nelson embraces the Hawks' team chaplain, Jesuit Father Cornell Bradley, during the team's first round NCAA basketball game against the Liberty Flames March 18 in Buffalo, N.Y. St. Joseph's of Philadelphia defeated Liberty University of Lynchburg, Va., 82-63.

two were advised by the school’s president, Vincentian Father David O’Connell, to “fight nice,” but they were almost immediately off and running with verbal punches. McAuliffe, a 1979 graduate, used his opening remarks to criticize the Bush administration, while Gillespie, a 1983 graduate, criticized the likely Democratic nominee, Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts.

National religious order officials denounce Bush land-mine policy SILVER SPRING, Md. — The Bush administration’s new land-mine policy is “a huge step backward in foreign policy,” said the Leadership Conference of Women Religious and the Conference of Major Superiors of Men March 12.

“By this action the president has placed our nation among those very nations he has identified for their terrorist activity,” they said. “We are saddened that our nation will not halt the production and use of land mines because we know that this does not reflect the values and aspirations of the people of our country,” said the statement. The LCWR and CMSM represent the leaders of some 90,000 religious priests, brothers and sisters in the United States.

Question-and-answer book available on ‘The Passion’ WEST CHESTER, Pa. — In its first four weeks in print, the question-and-answer book “A Guide to the Passion: 100 Questions about ‘The Passion of the Christ’” has sold more than 320,000 copies. The book, published by Catholic Passion Outreach, a cooperative venture of Catholic Exchange and Ascension Press, is designed to be used as a free giveaway to moviegoers. In addition to answering questions about the movie, the 96-page book gives further background on Jesus and the church and includes devotional prayers, such as the Stations of the Cross and the sorrowful mysteries of the rosary. Catholic Passion Outreach is also offering a program for dioceses and parishes, including free downloadable small group manuals, ready-made pulpit announcements and posters, and a flier called “12 Ways to Share ‘A Guide to the Passion.’”

Information on these materials is available online at: www.evangelization.com, or by phone at: (888) 488-6789.

Tucson bishop criticizes tightening of Arizona-Mexico border controls TUCSON, Ariz. — Tighter federal government control of the Arizona-Mexico border “will lead to even more suffering and death” for Mexicans trying to clandestinely enter the United States, said Bishop Gerald F. Kicanas of Tucson.

Rather than “border blockade strategies,” the government needs to “create legal avenues for migrants to enter in a safe and humane manner,” said the bishop. His one-page statement March 16 criticized Department of Homeland Security plans to strengthen border vigilance aimed at stopping illegal immigration into the United States. A Homeland Security fact sheet said tighter controls were part of the antiterrorism fight. Bishop Kicanas said the U.S. government has been trying to seal the border for 10 years without success. “Despite these efforts, more than 2,000 migrants have died in the desert attempting to find work in the United States,” he said. “These deaths must stop,” he added.

Without Gibson’s star appeal, ‘Therese’ film finds tough road ROCKVILLE CENTRE, N.Y. — Absent the star power of Mel Gibson, who directed, produced and co-wrote “The Passion of the Christ,” other privately funded Christian films are struggling to get into theaters. One such movie is “Therese,” the story of St. Therese of Lisieux, also known as the Little Flower, who lived a short life in a French Carmelite monastery doing little things with great love.

“Therese” had been scheduled for release last autumn, but it’s been postponed until October to drum up public and monetary support. “‘Therese’ is a different kind of film, filled with the innocence of simplicity and reveals the incredibly rich interior life of the human soul,” said director Leonardo Defilippis, whose nonprofit firm, St. Luke’s Production Co., produced the film. Although the 19th-century period production garnered a standing ovation from Catholic dignitaries associated with mission work at a Vatican screening last May, it has not yet created a stir among the public. Defilippis estimates the company still needs $2 million to open in select theaters.

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March 26, 2004

Catholic San Francisco

5

State Senate stops abortion ban

(CNS PHOTO FROM REUTERS)

PIERRE, S.D. — The South Dakota Senate, by one vote March 15, killed a measure that would have made abortion illegal in the state in most cases. It had voted 18-15 in favor of a similar bill two weeks earlier, but Gov. M. Michael Rounds, a Catholic, had vetoed it and suggested language changes in the bill aimed at keeping existing state restrictions on abortion in force had the proposed law been found unconstitutional.

The South Dakota House had overwhelmingly agreed with Rounds’ language changes by a 52-16 vote March 15, and OK’d the earlier version of the bill 54-15. But the Senate defeated the revised version 18-17. March 15 was the last day of the seven-week legislative session in South Dakota, which effectively kills the bill for the year, although it could be reintroduced. The bill would have outlawed abortion except when the mother’s life was in danger. It was designed expressly to challenge the Roe vs. Wade U.S. Supreme Court ruling that guaranteed a woman’s right to abortion virtually on demand.

Catholic University panelists address faith-culture tensions WASHINGTON — By their nature, faith and culture will always be in dynamic tension, panelists said at an interdisciplinary discussion at The Catholic University of America March 16. Jesuit Cardinal Avery Dulles, who lectured earlier that day on the role of Catholic universities in the evangelization of culture, noted that culture is a “capacious” term with many senses. While Pope John Paul II is often quoted on his contrasts between a “culture of life” and a “culture of death,” he said, the pope has spoken and written extensively on the meaning and importance of culture in many other contexts. When the pope denounces a culture of death, he added, “he really is opposed to anti-culture.” Catholic University professors in theology, canon law, civil law and philosophy addressed issues of faith and culture from their respective fields during the colloquium.

Cardinal Dulles, who teaches at Fordham University in New York, and University of Notre Dame law professor M. Cathleen Kaveny responded to the presentations.

Physicians discussing ethics asked to consider meaning of life, death ROME — As an international group of physicians met to discuss ethical dilemmas in treating patients in a persistent vegetative state, they were asked first to consider more basic questions such as the meaning of human life, suffering and death. When medical treatment is useless, the focus must turn toward helping the patient die a “good death” — not in the way proponents of euthanasia propose, but in the sense of dying with the sure hope of eternal life, said Msgr. Marco Frisina, director of the Diocese of Rome’s liturgy office. The priest, who also is a biblical scholar, was the opening speaker at a March 17-20 conference on life-sustaining treatments for patients in a vegetative state. The conference, which brought together more than 350 physicians and ethicists from 42 countries, was sponsored by the Pontifical Academy for Life and the World Federation of Catholic Medical Associations.

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Armed Palestinians from the military wing of Hamas attend the funeral of Ahmed Yassin in the Gaza Strip March 22. Israeli helicopters killed Yassin, the Hamas founder and spiritual leader, as he left prayers at a mosque at dawn that day. It was Israel's highest profile assassination of a Palestinian in nearly 16 years.

Some experts urge caution when discussing ‘worrisome’ church stats VATICAN CITY — Although much has been said about Europe’s decrease in ordinations and Mass attendance, some religious experts say the church should be more cautious when looking at so-called “worrisome” statistics. “It’s not easy to say what’s happening is ‘good or bad’ based on numbers,” said Father Peter Fleetwood, deputy secretary-general of the Council of European Bishops’ Conferences. “Not many people go to church, period, and nowhere has church attendance gone up,” he said. “But if you read history correctly, people actually never went to church,” he added. Father Fleetwood said church reforms in piety in the late 18th and early 20th centuries introduced the idea of having Mass and Communion every day. This led to more frequent attendance, which peaked in the 1920s.

“The norm before then was that people went (to Communion) once a year. So actually, what we have now is a declining period from an unusually active time in the 1920s,” he said.

Asian sources say Chinese bishop has been released HONG KONG — An underground bishop in northeastern China whose detention prompted the Holy See to demand an explanation reportedly has been released. Bishop Wei Jingyi of Qiqihar was released the afternoon of March 14 after 10 days in detention, several church sources told UCA News, an Asian church news agency based in Thailand, March 16.

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Bishop Wei, 45, was taken into custody with the driver of his car and two French church visitors March 5 at a highway tollbooth on their return from Harbin airport. All except the bishop were released the next day, sources reported earlier. In a rare move, the Holy See issued a statement March 10 demanding that China publicly explain the detention of the bishop. On March 11, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao told the press that “public security officials have not taken any restrictive measures” against Bishop Wei and that “the rumors do not correspond to the facts.”

U.S. bishops begin Rome meetings VATICAN CITY — U.S. bishops begin their “ad limina” visits to the Vatican in late March, a series of encounters that combine prayer, pastoral planning and personal conversations with Pope John Paul II. Conducted by regional groupings over the next 10 months, the visits will represent the most exhaustive review of church life in the United States since the sex abuse crisis erupted into a national scandal two years ago.

But while the pope is expected to speak about priestly sex abuse, the agenda for the “ad limina” visits is much broader than that. Diocese by diocese, the meetings will take the pulse of sacramental life, vocational trends, liturgical developments, religious education and a host of other areas. The visits are made every five years, and their name comes from the Latin phrase “ad limina apostolorum” (to the thresholds of the apostles), a reference to the pilgrimage to the tombs of Sts. Peter and Paul that the bishops are required to make.

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Catholic San Francisco

March 26, 2004

Marin parishioners bring faith to bear on justice

By Tom Burke A present and growing underpinning of the local Church, social justice programs are active in approximately half of the 90 parishes in the Archdiocese.

“Our group started five years ago,” said Jesuit Father Joe Eagan, spiritual director to the Social Justice Alliance at St. Patrick Parish, Larkspur, and a well-known advocate.

“At first, we set out about informing ourselves of the rich social justice teaching of the Church.”

That included days of study and prayer, the priest said, and went on to “inform and raise the consciousness of our parishioners and the larger Marin County on the urgency of justice.” Part of the effort, Eagan said, was offering a Lenten Series featuring local and national speakers on topics including capitalism, debt relief, and hunger, drawing more than 100 people to each talk.

The retired college professor said it has been important in the mission of the social justice group to “make a sharp distinction between works of charity, as valuable as these are, and justice issues.” The group’s focus, he noted, has been “systemic injustice” and attempts to “change the built-in structures of injustice in Marin and beyond.” The membership, now more than a dozen core members and approximately two-dozen associate members, “understand the difficulty of the work and are totally committed to it,” Eagan said.

“I had wanted to participate in a social justice group prior to joining the Church and when I learned about the Social Justice Alliance at St. Patrick’s it seemed the perfect opportunity,” said Jo McEvoy, a co-president of the group and a member for more than two years. Describing herself as a “new Catholic,” McEvoy said the “main message” she received from her experience of joining the Church three years ago was “to give back” and “do for others.”

“I feel that I’m making a difference on important issues,” McEvoy said about her personal reward from the ministry. Additional benefits have been “making improvements in our community and working with the wonderful people in our group” including Father Eagan whom she calls “one of the nicest, most intelligent and compassionate people on the entire planet.”

Social justice is an increasingly important issue,

Members of the Social Justice Alliance of St. Patrick Parish on the steps of the Larkspur church. Back from left, Jeannie Barry, Fred Broemmer, Susan Janson, John Jordan, Hank Cavalier. Front from left: Mona Tieche, Father Joe Eagan, Laurence Garces, Jean Magistrale, Sylvia Thoelecke, Carl Thoelecke.

McEvoy said. “I believe that our nation and the world need more help than ever and I believe and hope that the members of the Catholic Church will rally to assist.”

“The group drew me because of the compassion I saw manifest in some of their projects and the trust I had in the few members I had known,” said co-president, John Jordan, who joined the group a year-and-a-half ago. “I was immediately drawn to join them when they said they could use my help with a project they felt deeply about- children’s access to guns.”

“That’s much of what I believe the group offers all of us: the chance to feel deeply about something with the consolation and encouragement that the others around me will share that concern and support me in realizing some meaningful action toward improving it.” He said the “social justice alliance of St. Patrick’s is searching for ways to increase the number of voices ready to answer: ‘We were there, Lord.’”

Jordan is the father of four young adult sons. He speaks of them as future activists. “I believe their concern will lead them to it soon,” he said. “I tell them it is their world that is being sold out, degraded, and divided faster today than at

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any time in history. They must step in before their inheritance is lost. They struggle to grasp what that could mean when they live so easily in such a beautiful and safe and insulated place but it comes closer to home everyday.”

The Office of Public Policy and Social Concerns of the Archdiocese puts the number of parishes with “an individual or committee of people actively working on justice and peace related topics” at approximately 45. The effort dates back some 40 years locally and “began mainly with issues concerning housing for the African American community,” said Melanie Piendak, the office’s assistant director for programs.

“These groups bring their faith to bear on social issues ranging from affordable housing, to peace in the world, to international issues such as the war in Iraq,” Piendak said. “Our office really tries to make the connection between the life issues and the justice issues. We see these different issues as all forms of justice, both economic justice and justice surrounding life.”

“Not only does our office assist parishes and communities just beginning to establish these types of committees with their formation and structure, we provide ongoing support to these groups and parish leaders so they continue to stay vibrant and active,” said George Wesolek, director of the public policy office.

“We offer workshops and leader training. We facilitate networking opportunities between parish communities and groups. We provide annual conferences and gatherings for committees and parish leaders to learn about specific issues and how they pertain to our faith.”

Two years ago, the St. Patrick’s Social Justice Alliance targeted affordable housing as a priority issue and was recently presented with the 2004 Mel Boyce Award for Housing Advocacy in recognition for their efforts on behalf of Corte Madera’s San Clemente Family Homes, Father Eagan said.

“Our group led by Jean Magistrale attended interminable public hearings, spoke out in favor of the San Clemente project and the urgent need for affordable housing in Marin,” he said. “We wrote letters to the Planning commission, made phone calls, sent emails, all of it.” The award is named for Marin psychologist, Mel Boyce, “an active volunteer for affordable housing until his death in 1991,” the priest said.

If you would like to contact the Office of Public Policy and Social Concerns, call (415) 614-5570. Tom Burke can be reached at tburke@catholic-sf.org.

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Catholic San Francisco

March 26, 2004

7

In wake of scandal, Vatican enhancing monitoring role of archbishops

By John Thavis Catholic News Service VATICAN CITY — In the wake of the clergy sex abuse crisis, the Vatican is enhancing and emphasizing the role of the metropolitan archbishop as a vigilant monitor of “suffragan� — or dependent — dioceses.

Under the policy, each archbishop is being asked to watch carefully for “abuses and errors� in episcopal ministry in the dioceses of his province, to confront the bishop as an “elder brother� when necessary, and to inform the Vatican in serious cases.

The move is significant for several reasons, Vatican sources said in midMarch.

It promotes “fraternal correction� when a local bishop mismanages an area of pastoral administration. It relies on a fellow bishop instead of a lay board for episcopal oversight. It establishes the archbishop as a link between smaller dioceses and the Vatican in some situations of controversy.

The policy was detailed in the Vatican’s 301-page “Directory for the Pastoral Ministry of Bishops� in early March, under a new section titled “Tasks of the Metropolitan Archbishop.�

The new role for archbishops also has been emphasized recently in talks to visiting groups of bishops by Vatican officials, including Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, head of the Congregation for Bishops, and Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

The clerical sex abuse crisis was not the only reason for bolstering the responsibilities of archbishops, but it was a major factor, several Vatican sources said.

For months, Vatican officials have

been quietly debating how to increase oversight so that individual bishops can be confronted and corrected if necessary when they mismanage cases such as sex abuse accusations against priests.

One suggestion has been to establish a “panel of episcopal peers,� a group of bishops that would monitor bishops’ compliance with sex abuse procedures.

Others in the Vatican have argued that setting up new oversight structures may be unnecessary, especially when church law already envisages similar responsibilities by metropolitan archbishops.

The role of the metropolitan archbishop hinges on a hierarchical substructure of which most Catholics are unaware. A metropolitan archdiocese is the chief diocese of an ecclesiastical province, and a metropolitan archbishop is the head of the province. Only a few archdioceses are not metropolitan sees.

In the United States, there are 33 metropolitan sees and about 150 suffragan dioceses.

But the archbishop’s traditional role of “first among equals� in his province has been rarely implemented in the past.

The Vatican is now making it more explicit and more detailed. “It’s in canon law, but we need to highlight it,� said one Vatican official. “It’s not that the metropolitan is the superior of a local bishop. It’s more a question of vigilance. If a local bishop isn’t responding to some problems in his diocese, the metropolitan should inform the pope,� he said.

The Vatican sources said enhancing the metropolitan’s role was considered one layer of protection against mismanagement, not a magic bullet. They noted, for example, that the Archdiocese of Boston, the epicenter of the sex abuse scandal in the United States, is a metropolitan see.

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In the past, metropolitan archbishops occasionally have been called upon to manage specific crises in suffragan dioceses. The new policy calls on archbishops to monitor provincewide governance in a more regular and preventive fashion.

The “Directory for the Pastoral Ministry of Bishops,� which is currently being translated into English, said the metropolitan archbishop has the responsibility to “watch carefully so that throughout the entire province the faith and church discipline are diligently maintained, and so the episcopal ministry is exercised in conformity with canon law.� “If he should notice abuses or errors, the metropolitan ... should report thor-

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oughly to the pontifical representative in that country so the Apostolic See can take the necessary steps,â&#x20AC;? it said.

Before taking it to the Vatican, the metropolitan should generally discuss the problems with the local bishop, it said.

The directory said the metropolitan archbishopâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s role is not limited to disciplinary aspects. He can promote common initiatives to respond to the needs of the province, such as formation programs for clergy or pastoral conferences on various topics, it said.

If the metropolitan archbishop needs special powers in order to implement these provincewide pastoral programs, he can request them from the Vatican, it said.

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Catholic San Francisco

March 26, 2004

Bishops from seven dioceses in California joined another half-dozen bishops from dioceses around the country to participate in an Institute on Islam and Catholic-Muslim Relations held March 15-18 at Vallombrosa Retreat Center in Menlo Park, south of San Francisco.

The Institute, the second in a three-year program sponsored by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Subcommittee on Interreligious Dialogue, was an opportunity for U.S. Bishops to increase their understanding of Islam and Catholic-Muslim relations.

Archbishop Michael L. Fitzgerald, president of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue led the Institute, which was facilitated by Professor Scott C. Alexander of the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago and Dr. John Borrelli of Georgetown University.

The Subcommittee on Interreligious Dialogue, chaired

by Bishop Tod Brown of Orange, is part of the U.S. Bishops Committee for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs, chaired by Bishop Stephen Blaire of Stockton.

Archbishop Fitzgerald said, “The Institute is an opportunity for bishops to expand their awareness of Islam and to promote a better understanding of this major religion within their dioceses.”

The Institute’s four days of presentations and discussions covered major topics such as Muhammad, the Koran, forms of Islam, contemporary Islam and political developments, the history of Christian-Muslim relations, Catholic teaching on Islam, Catholic-Muslim relations, and pastoral issues and questions A panel of Muslim leaders, which included Omar Ahmad, Chairman of the Board of the Council on American-Islamic Relations; Iftekhar Hai, Director of Interfaith Relations for United Muslims of America; and Samir Laymoun, of the Muslim Community Association, talked with the bishops on the afternoon of March 17. They were accompanied by Father Gerald O’Rourke, director emeritus of the San Francisco

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Institute on Islam and Catholic-Muslim Relations held at Vallombrosa Center

Bishops and other participants at March 15-18 Institute on Islam and Catholic-Muslim Relations.

Archdiocese’s Office of Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs.

Bishop Blaire and Bishop Brown noted the importance of the Institute in broadening the perspectives and deepening the understanding of Islam and relations with Muslims among spiritual leaders of the U.S. Catholic Church.

U.S. Bishops attending the Institute on Islam and Catholic-Muslim Relations included Bishop Gerald R. Barnes, Diocese of San Bernardino; Bishop Stephen E. Blaire, Diocese of Stockton; Bishop Edward K. Braxton, Diocese of Lake Charles; Bishop Tod Brown, Diocese of Orange; Bishop Patrick Cooney, Diocese of Gaylord; Retired Bishop Pierre R.

Dumaine, Diocese of San Jose; Greek-Melkite Bishop John A. Elya, Diocese of Newton; Auxiliary Bishop Dominic Luong; Diocese of Orange; Bishop Robert E. Mulvee, Diocese of Providence; Bishop Ricardo Ramirez, C.S.B., Diocese of Las Cruces; Retired Bishop Stanley G. Schlarman, Diocese of Dodge City; Bishop William K. Weigand, Diocese of Sacramento; and Auxiliary Bishop John C. Wester, Archdiocese of San Francisco.

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March 26, 2004

9

Short film explores lives of “Runaways” Immaculate Conception Academy film makes New York festival

By Jayme George With a budget under a thousand dollars, a cast of six high school girls, and a thirtytwo minute movie, Marybeth Tereszkiewicz has proved that when it comes to filmmaking, sometimes size really doesn’t matter.

Tereszkiewicz, Visual and Performing Arts Chairperson at Immaculate Conception Academy, is director of the short film “Runaways” about homeless teens living on the streets of San Francisco. What started as a drama project to promote community outreach has turned into the ultimate success story for Tereszkiewicz—the film was recently accepted into the prestigious New York Independent Film and Video Festival.

The movie is an adaptation of a musical play by Elizabeth Swados, who based her work on poetry and words written by runaway teens in New York City.

Tereszkiewicz directed a stage production of “Runaways” at ICA twelve years ago, but says the film version is an entirely different experience. Only a few of the monologues were selected, and the music was scrapped, leaving the lyrics to be performed by the actors as spoken word poetry.

“Film allows a certain intimacy that you simply cannot achieve on the stage,” said Tereszkiewicz. “When casting this film, I looked for kids who could express the intensity of the emotions without bringing an ‘acting’ feel to the performance.” As a result, the six girls chosen to portray runaway teens bring a fresh, raw edge to the film that belies their inexperience and lack of formal training.

Seniors Alaina Abadilla, Maggie Doyle, and Catherine Misener, sophomores

Karmyn Johnson and Desiree Tienturier, and freshman Sabrina Woon are the six ICA students who star in the film, each one bringing a unique back story to the characters that the girls created themselves. The budding actresses even committed to staying in character throughout the three days of shooting that lasted up to six or seven hours a day.

“The hardest part about making this movie was trying to find that feeling of being vulnerable but tough at the same time,” said Karmyn Johnson. “You want to show the emotions of the character, but you can’t be weak on the streets.” Maggie Doyle found that the challenge to put yourself into the world of the character was the hardest but also the most rewarding part of the process. “These characters have really stayed with us,” said Johnson. “We couldn’t get rid of them now if we wanted to.”

Ending up in the New York Film Festival was almost an accident, like something out of a fairy tale, said Tereszkiewicz. “I showed the movie to some of my actor friends and they suggested that I submit it to some festivals.

So I figured, if I am going to dream, I should dream big.” The day after Tereszkiewicz contacted the New York Festival, she received a call telling her that they were interested. The New York festival organizers are currently in the process of trying to arrange for Tereszkiewicz and cast to come to the première of the film at the festival, which runs from April 22 to May 2 in New York City.

For Tereszkiewicz, making this movie was not about getting into film festivals or earning notoriety among her peers, that’s all just a fortunate by-product. The real story is about the 4,000 runaway teens living on the streets of San Francisco. “Runaways are not

Alaina Abadilla

Maggie Doyle

spoiled kids,” said Tereszkiewicz. “They are coming from a situation that they should be running from. Many of these kids just can’t go back home.”

Over 3,000 of these runaways pass through Larkin Street Youth Street Services, the program to which ICA has donated half of the proceeds from the school wide film screening.

Runaways range in age from 13-18. Some are running from abuse and some are simply foster kids who have been kicked out of their foster homes as soon as they turn 18 year old.

Tereszkiewicz explained, “It’s sad, but some of these foster families are just in it for the money. Once a kid turns 18 they are

officially out of the foster care system. But 18 year olds are not an adults, and they suddenly find themselves with no money, no job skills, and no place to go.”

Tereszkiewicz, the cast, and the film’s editor Monique Miller, of Storymill Productions, are all surprised and delighted by the response they have received for their humble yet heartfelt work. As the underdog of the New York Film Festival, “Runaways” will go up against films with professional actors and budgets in the thousands of dollars. All “Runaways” has are a few sad tales and the people who brought them to life. It should be more than enough to make Tereszkiewicz and crew into festival favorites.

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Age Requirement: 3 1/2 – 9 years of age Services: arts & crafts, academics, fieldtrips twice a week, special events, sports, games, cooking and baking and stage production.

Catholic San Francisco

March 26, 2004

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Entrance to Mission Complex

Mission San Miguel Arcángel Monument of faith and history Patrick Joyce

“Like all these things, the repairs need to be done yesterday.” Brother Bill ver its nearly two centuries, Mission San Miguel Arcángel managed to said. That is almost literally true. Just ride out other quakes, but not the one that struck the Central Coast on December 22. as the earthquake hit, the mission was Almost immediately after the earthquake, government inspectors ordered the mission getting ready to put in a new window church and some other parts of the historic complex closed. In an earlier era, the church as part of ongoing efforts to strengthen might have stayed open. Its closure reflects both the stricter safety standards of modern the mission church against future California as well as the extent of damage to the building. earthquakes.

The closing means not only that the historic landmark is closed to visitors but also While building inspectors won’t let that the people of the tiny farming community of San Miguel have lost their parish anyone into the mission Church, church for the indefinite future. But neither the church building nor its supporters are Brother Bill said, “The mission ready to give up. church is not in immediate danger of The 300-family parish has happily raised funds for the mission with bake sales, collapse – but loose pieces could fall Detail of tamale sales and an annual fiesta raising a total of about $10,000 a year. Meanwhile, the and injure someone. The roof was Mission complex.

California Missions Foundation and other experts have estimated that repairs including reinforced 60 or 70 years so that is in seismic retrofitting could cost $10 million to $15 million. pretty good shape. Our main concern Finding that money is a huge challenge but one that the Diocese of Monterey and the is the sacristy. It shows the most serious damage.”

Franciscans who operate the parish and mission complex are willing to take on. The The sacristy is attached to the north side of the church and shares its roof. It apparFranciscans are inspired by the fact that contributors gave millions of ently has acted as a sort of “shock absorber” for the church, dollars to a similar project at St. Boniface Church in San Francisco’s sparing it more serious damage during earthquakes. Stabilizing impoverished Tenderloin. the sacristy will not only help preserve that structure but is also “We have learned a lesson from the Franciscans at St. Boniface important for “the health of the mission church itself,” Brother Church,” Brother Bill Short, leader of San Miguel’s Franciscan comBill said. “Now some cracks in the sacristy walls are big enough munity, said. “St. Boniface was in need of a massive retrofit and to put your hand in,” he said. restoration. We learned from them that even a poor community has There are currently ten Franciscan Friars at Mission San friends, and we know there are many people across the country who Miguel, including some retired friars, teachers, a tailor, and love the missions and want to preserve this part of our history.” friars engaged in maintenance and study of the California “We cannot raise the money from our little community’s fund missions. Father Raymond Tintle, OFM, is pastor of Mission raisers and the contributions of the fourth graders who come here San Miguel Parish, and two other friar priests help out partas part of their study of California history. So, the Diocese of time in various parish duties. This year the Franciscan Monterey and the Franciscans are preparing a major campaign novitiate hosts four men discerning vocations as Brother Bill Short for restoration of the mission. We will seek contributions from Franciscans. foundations – the California Mission Foundation has already been very helpful – Brother Bill is the superior of the local Franciscan community and has overall responbut from other foundations, too, and individuals who see the value of maintaining sibility for the Mission’s museum, gardens and grounds. the missions.”

The Franciscans have a long and proud history at Mission San Miguel Arcángel. “It was founded by Father Lasuen on July 25, 1797 at the request of the native Salinan people,” Brother Bill said. “Their relatives lived at Mission San Luis Obispo to the south and San Antonio to the north. They wanted a mission closer to where they lived.”

The Christian Indians built the mission itself and the interior walls of the church are covered with “paintings that show the skill and hard work of the native people,” Brother Bill said. “The trick in seismic retrofitting is to be able to preserve those painted walls.”

The mission program included instruction for newcomers preparing for baptism and a religious program for those who had been baptized. The new Christians lived in the neophyte village at the mission and raised livestock, farmed, did crafts and produced textiles. The new Christians were supposed to remain at the mission but, Brother Bill says with a smile, many could not resist the lure of fishing in the Pacific and headed to the coast from time to time. To accommodate them, the Franciscans founded a branch of the mission near San Simeon on the coast.

Like the other missions, San Miguel was closed when the Mexican revolutionary government took over California in the early 19th century. Instead of being turned over to the Indians, as promised, the mission became an inn owned by Governor Pico and an Interior of room in Mission.

Englishman named Reed.

O

Catholic San Francisco

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Interior of Mission.

(PHOTOS BY CATHY JOYCE)

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March 26, 2004

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Sideview of Mission Church.

While the new owners converted the rest of the complex into a profit-making business, “They respected the church,” Brother Bill said. It remained unused for decades but managed to survive because the roof was preserved.

In the late 1800s, little pieces of the missions were returned to the church, and in 1928 the Franciscans returned to San Miguel Arcángel. “We found the church in pretty good shape but much of the complex needed to be repaired,” Brother Bill said.

So the Franciscans set out to restore their mission themselves. “We made our own adobe and rebuilt the buildings brick by brick, until in 1963 the last wing was finished,” Brother Bill said.

Franciscans have a special connection to San Miguel and other missions, as part of their continuous presence in California from 1769 to the present, even during the years of

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Promote

secularization. Since a number of missions, like San Miguel, have been rebuilt “by hand” by the friars’ own work, they feel a special bond to these places.

“The Franciscans at San Miguel recognize that the Mission was originally the work of the Salinan people, and honor it as an example of their craftsmanship and artistry,” Brother Bill said.

“Tribal leaders have been very helpful in identifying and protecting significant cultural artifacts at the site, and are always present when work is done in areas that could contain any native burial sites or the living spaces of their ancestors. A stone monument in the Mission cemetery honors these ancestors.

“The missions are our link with the past.” Brother Bill said.

“The cities of Europe have their great cathedrals. In California the missions are our cathedrals. For Catholics they certainly are a symbol of the history of the Church in California, but for all Californians, they are a monument to the state’s history.”

Damaged front of Mission Church.

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Preserve

Protect

Marriage & Family PRAYER

RALLY

We invite all concerned faithful

to pray with us to preserve legal marriage as the union of one man and one woman, an institution designed to nurture and protect children. Pray with us to maintain marriage as the foundation of our society.

Pray with us for San Francisco and all of its citizens. Pray with us for our country.

Pray with us that our politicians and our judges will uphold the law of this state and

SCHEDULE

of this country to preserve legal marriage as the union of one man and one woman.

Fri. April 2nd

8:00 pm

Begin 12–hour Adoration (optional) at Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church

Sat. April 3rd

8:30 am 9:00 am 10:00 am

Benediction Mass with Archbishop William J. Levada Rally and Rosary with Former Boston Mayor and Vatican Ambassador Ray Flynn

PRAYER RALLY

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SAN FRANCISCO

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12

Catholic San Francisco

March 26, 2004

Catholic san Francisco Northern California’s Weekly Catholic Newspaper

Rebutting the ‘Catholic but…’

By Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted “I am a Catholic businessman but I don’t let the Church influence what I do at the office or in the boardroom;” but Jesus says (Mt 7:21), “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the Kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.”

“I am a Catholic politician but I don’t let my Catholicism impact on how I vote or what legislation I promote;” but Jesus says (Mt 7:26-27), “Everyone who listens to these words of mine but does not act on them will be like a fool who built his house on sand. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. And it collapsed and was completely ruined.”

“I am a Catholic physician but I don’t let my faith mold my decisions regarding abortion, contraception, or other medical practices;” but Jesus says Mt 5:37), “Let your ‘Yes’ mean ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No’ mean ‘No.’ Anything more is from the evil one.”

“I am a Catholic talk show host but I don’t let the Church inhibit my right to say whatever I want on the air;” but in the Letter of James, God says (2:17) “Faith of itself, if it does not have works, is dead.”

“I am a Catholic priest but I don’t let Magisterial teaching keep me from dissenting from moral or doctrinal points nor let it limit my own ‘pastoral solutions,’” but at ordination each priest professes a solemn oath, “I believe everything contained in God’s Word, written or handed down in tradition and proposed by the Church… I also firmly accept and hold each and every thing that is proposed by the Church definitively regarding teaching on faith and morals.”

Lent is the time to kick the “Catholic but...” out of our own daily lives. It is the time to expunge rationalization from our minds and to root out compromise from our hearts. Lent is the time to say a determined “No” to the temptation to water down our faith for personal gain. It is the time to say a much larger “Yes” to Jesus and His Gospel of Life. Lent is the time for Totus Tuus, the time to renew our commitment to love God with all our mind and heart and strength.

The “Catholic but…” syndrome stands in direct contradiction to Jesus’ clear and unequivocal demand (Mk 8:34-36), “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and that of the Gospel will save it. What profit is there for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life?”

The “Catholic but…” syndrome is not without precedent in history. The fact that Jesus Himself directly and frequently opposed such rationalization shows its prevalence 2000 years ago. How often we are tempted to separate what we do in Church from what we do at home, to isolate what we believe from how we vote or what we do at work or at leisure. How easily we can compartmentalize our lives, thus keeping our adherence to Christ from shaping all that we say and do. This is why the formation of conscience holds such a pivotal role in our effort to grow to full maturity in Christ.

Each Lent, the Church urges us to rekindle our love for Jesus and to take a closer look at how completely we are taking up the Cross that fidelity to Him entails. This means we need to examine our consciences, and to insure that they are formed on the solid foundation of the Gospel.

During these 40 days before the Easter Triduum, the Father shines new light upon our souls so we can discover (or rediscover) the essential connection between truth and freedom, and between faith and culture. When freedom is detached from truth, objectivity goes out the window, relativism reigns, and ethical chaos gives rise to the “Catholic but…” It becomes impossible to establish right from wrong, good from evil. The pursuit of holiness is thrown off course.

To take the time, then, during Lent to form our consciences more fully in accordance with objective truth (known from God’s Revelation and the natural law) not only brings wholeness and integrity to our personal lives; it also makes it possible for us to bring healing and reconciliation to society. Let us take advantage, then, of this Lenten season 2004 to engage seriously in the pursuit of truth and freedom. Here are some concrete suggestions for doing so: Ask the Holy Spirit for His gifts of courage and understanding, humility and right judgment.

Consult the Catechism of the Catholic Church to find clear teaching about the moral conscience and its correct formation (See paragraphs #1776-1802).

Consider your own family situation, your work and your civic duties, and then ask: “Do I live my whole life as a vocation and a mission from the Lord?”

Carve out a few days for a spiritual retreat or at least set aside half a day to go apart from everyday life and examine, with God’s help, how you are integrating the gift of faith in all dimensions of your life.

On the first day of Lent each year, the Lord says to us through St. Paul (2 Cor 6:2), “Behold, now is a very acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.”

Now is the time to rebut the “Catholic but…”It is the time to say “Yes” when we mean “Yes,” and to say “No” when we mean “No.” Lent is the time to profess our Catholic faith with gratitude and to put every part of it into practice.

Most Reverend Thomas J. Olmsted is Bishop of Phoenix.

Betrayed

Committed parishioners

Since I arrived here in 1955, I have been exuberantly happy in San Francisco.

But that all came to a screeching halt, several weeks ago, when the guy for whom I worked so hard, became Mayor of San Francisco. He betrayed me and turned me into a bigot, overnight, because I believed, and continue to believe, that marriage should be between a man and a woman.

If that was not bad enough, the Catholic Church and Catholic clergy have been quite subdued in their criticism of the Mayor on this issue. Then I got the shock of my life when, minutes before the Saint Patrick’s Day Parade, my wife handed me a copy of the Sunday newspaper informing me that the Irish community in the City had bestowed upon Mayor Newsom their highest honor, the Distinguished Leadership Award.

Where O where is the leadership we used to have in the Catholic community? Where O where is the leadership we used to have in the Irish community?

The last time I felt so betrayed was in World War II when another Irish American, Lord Haw Haw, was singing the praise of Hitler from Berlin.

To all the people of San Francisco whom I convinced that this Mayor was going to be the next Joseph Alioto, I am profusely sorry. I was 100 percent wrong. This Mayor is no Joseph Alioto and never will be.

John Thomas San Francisco

It did my heart good to read Sharon Abercrombie’s feature article on St. John of God’s commitment to sanctuary and to the people of El Salvador. On March 24, we celebrate the 24th anniversary of Archbishop Oscar Romero, brutally assassinated because he spoke loudly, clearly, and publicly against the atrocities committed against the poor.

During the 12 year Civil War, 75,000 people died while the United States was sending up to one million dollars a day in military aid to support a regime that was killing its own people. The parishioners of St. John of God have not abandoned the victims of that war.

Hopefully, we can follow their example and not abandon the victims of our wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and stand on the side of the voiceless of Haiti who have seen a democratically elected President overthrown by a coup engineered by the U.S. government.

Sister Laetitia Bordes, s.h.

San Bruno

Delicate sensibilities

L E T T E R S

Although it’s understandable that Mel Gibson’s magnificent film, The Passion of the Christ, is not for the fainthearted, the excuse of the Hitchcock couple (March 12) not to see it seems unusually lame. Their fear is that the stark reality of the film will disturb their “personal imaginings” of the Stations set to show tunes from Jesus Christ Superstar. They insist this is the only type of meditation they prefer and they will not tolerate Gibson’s “power to take them from it.”

A narrow and limited focus on one’s own delicate sensibilities rather than the bloody horrors suffered by the Divine Victim is undoubtedly an easy way not to be personally involved. Obviously, Peter and the other apostles, excluding the stalwart John, avoided risking the same participation when they shrank away and ran off to hide while their savior walked the bloody and brutal way of the Cross to ultimate crucifixion and death for them, but without them.

Gibson’s film brings Christ’s bloody Passion to life and pulls us into the midst of it. In an unforgettable, sometimes uncomfortable and heart-wrenching way, Gibson’s film inspires us to honestly face up to our sinful part in it. How sad that some would shun such a spiritual reawakening for such flimsy reasons.

Jane Sears Burlingame

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

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

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

Emperor’s clothes Kudos to Laurette Elsberry for her “No Clothes” contribution in the March 19 Catholic San Francisco letters section.

After attending the FORUM at Grace Cathedral last Sunday, at which Rev. Alan Jones interviewed City District Attorney Kamala Harris, I would like to add both of them to the list of those who claim to have seen the Emperor’s illustrious new clothes.

Lisa Fredericks San Francisco

Gift for writing I want to express my sincere gratitude for the “wonderful” job Evelyn Zappia did on the article for AlmaVia. The residents were quite proud and we received numerous calls as a result.

Evelyn has certainly contributed to our ministry through her gift for writing.

Blessings on her work.

Sister Joan O’Donnell, RSM Chaplain, AlmaVia San Francisco

Great guest columns Your decision to publish the article by Thomas Sowell of the Hoover Institution in the March 12 Catholic San Francisco was great. His article on gay marriage and “the strained analogies with the civil rights movement” was well explained. I’m sending it to my 34 year old grandson.

Also, Maggie Gallagher’s Feb. 13 article was well worth the reading time.

Please print more of these types of writers.

Alvina Sawyer Atherton

Something topical My parish in San Mateo county, where I have been a member for 30 years, is very active and very well run.

The Sunday homilies are well done and normally reflect the theme of that day’s scripture. However, after some thought, I would like to suggest that occasionally the Sunday homily could be more topical.

If possible, I would like to hear the Church’s opinion and teachings concerning current affairs. As a Roman Catholic, I am often disturbed when reading or hearing about: birth control, Roe vs.

Wade, abortion and partial birth abortion, homosexuality, same-sex marriage, pedophilia in the clergy, immigration issues, etc.

I realize that most of these topics are controversial. However, with the Church’s resources and the ability of the clergy, these subjects could be explained and discussed from the pulpit for the education and peace of mind of the parishioners.

Michael Milani San Mateo

March 26, 2004

Catholic San Francisco

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The Catholic Difference Not all presidential elections are equal. It made a lot of difference to America’s future that Andrew Jackson beat John Quincy Adams in 1828, that Abraham Lincoln bested Stephen A. Douglas in 1860, and that the twentieth century’s two most influential presidents, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Ronald Reagan, topped Herbert Hoover and Jimmy Carter, respectively. Conversely, it’s not easy to see that the Republic was decisively affected by James Polk’s victory over Henry Clay in 1844, Samuel Tilden’s disputed loss to Rutherford B. Hayes in 1876, or the see-saw between Grover Cleveland and Benjamin Harrison in 1884, 1888, and 1892.

The presidential election of 2004 will be another nation-defining fork in the road, a decision with enormous historical consequences.

Beneath the blizzard of rhetoric in recent months, two issues of grave importance have surfaced. The parties, the candidates, and the American people seem deeply divided on them; the coveted “middle ground” is going to be hard to find. (Indeed, in the months ahead, there will be several occasions to remember something I first heard in Texas: “The only things in the middle of the road are yellow stripes and dead armadillos.”)

The first great issue in this election is the choice between the world imagined by “September 10 people” and the world imagined by “September 12 people.”

For September 10 people, what happened on September 11, 2001, is best understood as a crime – crime on a vast, unprecedented scale, to be sure, but crime nonetheless. On this analysis, the appropriate response to the crime of

September 11, and the way to prevent such criminal acts in the future, is through more vigilant and effective police work. Al-Qaeda and similar terrorist organizations should be dealt with in about the same way we deal with international criminal organizations: through enhanced intelligence, interdiction strategies, and the use of international legal institutions. It’s not unlikely that September 10 people would find sympathy for their views among many Europeans.

For September 12 people, September 11 was an act of war. Its purpose was what an enemy’s purpose always is in war: to break the opponent’s will and thus force the opponent to surrender. The appropriate response to an act of war, September 12 people argue, is war: the use of proportionate and discriminate military force to defeat the aggressor and those who support aggression, to deter future predators, and to restore the necessary minimum of order to world affairs. September 12 people agree with September 10 people that the U.S. needs better intelligence-gathering and analysis; but September 12 people are inclined to use that intelligence to take the battle, forcefully, to the enemy, whom they understand as a combatant, not a criminal.

The second great issue underlying the 2004 campaign involves the nature of freedom. Is freedom a means to satisfy personal “needs?” Or does freedom have something to do with moral truth – with goodness? Is freedom doing things “my way?” Or is freedom doing the right thing for the right reasons in the right way, as a matter of habit (which is another name for “virtue”)? Once again, the parties, the candidates, and the nation seem sharply divided here.

The abortion debate, the struggle to define moral and legal boundaries for the development of biotechnology, and the question of a Federal Marriage Amendment are all expressions of this George Weigel more fundamental division over the nature of freedom. If the argument for freedom as personal willfulness (“my way”) prevails, it seems likely that abortion will remain unrestricted, the biotech industry virtually unregulated, and “marriage” will mean, eventually, any configuration of (perhaps any number of) consenting adults. If the argument prevails that freedom means freely choosing what we can know to be morally good, there may be a real chance to accelerate the building of a culture of life in America.

In President Kennedy’s last speech, the morning before he died, he told the people of Fort Worth that America is “the keystone in the archway of freedom.” Forty years later, the two great questions before the Republic are, what is that freedom, and how shall we defend it? A lot of 21st century history will turn on how the American people answer those questions on November 2.

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

Guest Commentary

Where suffering and love meet During his junior year, Mark sat in my religion classroom, fidgeting, distracted and distracting, his large frame dwarfing his desk, legs extended into the aisle, taking at least twice as much room than that to which he was actually entitled, a man-child heavily burdened with one question he was driven to ask at least once a week, no matter what the context: “Why do people suffer?”

He was relentless. When he asked the question and probed me, he wasn’t flip, and he wasn’t laughing. His brow would knit and his eyes, although they would sometimes meet mine, more often did not and would focus on a spot behind me.

At midyear, it all came out — a close family friend, a young man with children of his own, had died a slow, lingering death from cancer the previous year, and Mark could just not make sense of it.

I can’t tell you how many times I addressed this topic with Mark, and never once to his satisfaction. I talked about mystery, trying not to make it sound like a total cop-out: I don’t know why there is suffering, and I am not one to fall back on “God knows what’s best for us” or “Good can come out of pain,” although I think both of those are certainly true.

But Mark could barely hold back his laughter when I’d try to go in that direction. He’d heard it all before and had the answer ready. If he, as a relatively helpless 17 year-old boy watching a friend die, would do anything to quell the suffering he witnesses, why wouldn’t the all-powerful God? In the end, the best I could do was point to the cruci-

fix on our classroom wall and paraphrase the words of Peter Kreeft, who has written: “God’s solution to the problem of evil is His son, Jesus Christ. We do not worship a deistic God, an absentee landlord who ignores his slum; we worship a garbage-man God who came right down into our worst garbage to clean it up. How do we get God off the hook for allowing evil? God is not off the hook; God is the hook. That’s the point of a crucifix.” (From Fundamentals of the Faith) Book closed. Exam graded. Summer vacation.

And then Mark’s father died.

It was sudden — a swimming accident in the middle of July. Mark had gone out on a boat into the Gulf with a friend and returned to find that in the hours he was gone, his father’s life had ended, and there was nothing more to say, ever again.

How strange, I thought. How very tragically ironic.

I didn’t teach Mark the following year, but I would stop him periodically and ask him how he was doing. “Okay. Fine,” he’d say, and his teachers reported they didn’t see much change in him in any direction. His father’s death didn’t seem to evoke any greater seriousness about life from what anyone could see on the surface, but, thankfully, nor did it seem to drive him into a more destructive place.

He was probably just mostly numb, I imagine.

Perhaps there was a reason for it. Perhaps Mark worked through all those questions, not only because he is, I believe, a deeply philosophical soul under all his adolescent posturing, but because he was responding to a prompting deep within that was telling him to prepare, to ready himself — as

we all are when we mull over those questions ourselves, in light or in darkness, in the abstract or the painful concreteness of our own suffering.

And we, like Mark, find scant satisfaction in Amy Welborn the answers that begin with “because.” It’s the same with any vital question, such as the one lovers ask: “Why do you love me?” Even the most heartfelt response emerging from the deepest emotion and commitment is, at best, a faint reflection of the depths of the mystery.

So both the lover and the mourner find their answers not in words, but in presence. We love because love is, and even God joins us there. We suffer because there is suffering and God joins us there too.

And in a crucifix on a classroom wall, we see both — love and suffering — and faith leads us to what lies beyond: a tomb that, because it is empty, fills the universe with a Presence that answers every question our yearning hearts can dare to ask.

Reprinted courtesy of catholicexchange.com, an internet homepage for Catholics.

Amy Welborn is a popular columnist and author of the soon to be released De-Coding DaVinci.

Spirituality

The Agony in the Garden: The place of special prayer Poet Theodore Roethke once wrote: “In a dark time, the edge is what we have.” In a dark time we also have prayer.

In the Garden of Gethsemane, as he sweated the blood of loneliness and misunderstanding, Jesus dropped to his knees in prayer: “‘Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Let this cup pass; yet not my will, but yours be done.’ And coming back and finding his disciples asleep, he returned and prayed even more earnestly.” From Jesus’ prayer in the garden, we can learn how we, too, should pray in a dark time.

What are the key ingredients in Jesus’ prayer in Gethsemane? Among other things, five elements might be highlighted: ● Childlike intimacy with, and reliance upon, God as a great, all-loving, all-powerful parent who can make everything OK: Jesus begins his prayer with the words: “Abba, Father…”

Abba is a word which, at the time, a child would use affec-

tionately for his or her father, roughly equivalent to our words “Daddy” or “Papa.” Obviously, it connotes a deep connection, an intimacy beyond even friendship, a certain daily familiarity. But it also implies more, namely, the simple, childlike hope that one’s father (or mother) can fix what’s wrong.

Some years ago, a mother described to me the horror of watching her teen-age son die of a gunshot wound. They were in their house when someone shot her son through a window. The boy, stunned, muted, and dying from the gunshot, stumbled into the room in which she was sitting. He was unable to speak in words, but his eyes spoke the clear, simple plea of a child: “Mum, make this OK!” Of course she couldn’t, and he died in her arms.

Jesus’ opening words in his prayer in Gethsemane say roughly the same thing – and prayer in a dark time invites us to make this kind of plea. ● Trust in God, despite overpowering darkness and chaos: “All things are possible for you.” Despite his aloneness, his

betrayal, the hatred and madness around him, and the fact that darkness, not light, appears to be triumphing, Jesus prays in trust, trusting that the center still holds, trusting that despite every indication to the contrary, God is still solidly Lord of this Father universe. In essence, his Ron Rolheiser prayer is saying: “Father, I believe you are still master of this world, still more powerful than all of these forces, and your truth and light are still worth giving everything for, despite the fact that right now everything seems to belie that.”

ROLHEISER, page 17

JOHN EARLE PHOTO

A nation-defining election

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Catholic San Francisco

March 26, 2004

FIFTH SUNDAY OF LENT Isaiah 43:16-21; Psalm 126; Philippians 3:8-14; John 8:1-11

A READING FROM THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET ISAIAH (IS 43:16-21) Thus says the Lord, who opens a way in the sea and a path in the mighty waters, who leads out chariots and horsemen, a powerful army, till they lie prostrate together, never to rise, snuffed out and quenched like a wick.

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.

Wild beasts honor me, jackals and ostriches, for I put water in the desert and rivers in the wasteland for my chosen people to drink, the people whom I formed for myself, that they might announce my praise.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM (PS 126:1-2,2-3,4-5,6) R. The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.

When the Lord brought back the captives of Zion, we were like men dreaming.

Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with rejoicing.

R. The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.

Then they said among the nations, “The Lord has done great things for them.”

The Lord has done great things for us; we are glad indeed.

R. The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.

Restore our fortunes, O Lord, like the torrents in the southern desert.

Those that sow in tears shall reap rejoicing.

R. The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.

Although they go forth weeping, carrying the seed to be sown, They shall come back rejoicing, carrying their sheaves.

R. The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.

A READING FROM THE LETTER OF ST. PAUL TO THE PHILIPPIANS (PHIL 3:8-14) Brothers and sisters: I consider everything as a loss because of the supreme good of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have accepted the loss of all things and I consider them so much rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having any righteousness of my own based on the law but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God, depending on faith to know him and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by being conformed to his death, if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead.

It is not that I have already taken hold of it or have already attained perfect maturity, but I continue my pursuit in hope that I may possess it, since I have indeed been taken possession of

by Christ Jesus. Brothers and sisters, I for my part do not consider myself to have taken possession. Just one thing: forgetting what lies behind but straining forward to what lies ahead, I continue my pursuit toward the goal, the prize of God’s upward calling, in Christ Jesus.

A READING FROM THE HOLY GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN (JN 8:1-11) Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. But early in the morning he arrived again in the temple area, and all the people started coming to him, and he sat down and taught them. Then the scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery and made her stand in the middle. They said to him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery. Now in the law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?” They said this to test him, so that they could have some charge to bring against him.

Jesus bent down and began to write on the ground with his finger. But when they continued asking him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” Again he bent down and wrote on the ground. And in response, they went away one by one, beginning with the elders. So he was left alone with the woman before him. Then Jesus straightened up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She replied, “No one, sir.”

Then Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you.

Go, and from now on do not sin any more.”

Margaret Clitherow c. 1553-1586 feast – March 25 Born into a prosperous York Protestant family when Catholicism was forbidden, Margaret married wealthy Protestant John Clitherow, whose brother became a Catholic Crosiers priest. Margaret soon became a Catholic and set up Mass centers in her home and a nearby inn. She was imprisoned three times for failing to attend Protestant services. When officials confirmed the secret Masses, Margaret was sentenced to death for treason. She died a martyr, pressed to death by a heavy load.

Saints for Today

© 2004 CNS

Scripture SISTER SHARON MCMILLAN, SND

He is forming people after His own heart Isaiah the prophet shatters my complacency and dashes my routine. God says, See, I am doing something new! Do you not perceive it? God right here, right now, is doing something new in my life, in our lives. I only need to perceive it, see it, be awake to it, welcome it.

What is this something new? The Lenten journey has been five weeks long already; the Triduum, the Three Days, is fast approaching. What is this new thing, God, that you are creating for us? Isaiah makes it clear that God’s new thing is as extraordinary as a way opened in the sea, as a path in the mighty waters, or as a way in the desert, as a river in the wasteland. God’s new thing is like finding safety in danger, companionship in despair, healing in anguish. God’s new thing is the faithful promise to embrace us in love no matter what.

Who is this new thing for? God answers, For my chosen people, for the people whom I formed for myself. God invites us to see these fresh new things every day. God is forming us to be chosen people. He asks us, Do you not perceive it? Do you not see my compassionate care and healing presence? Do you not see every day the new thing I am doing in your life to form you, to bring you closer to me, to bring you closer to your brothers and sisters?

Today’s gospel is a vivid proclamation of God’s greatest gift for us, the person of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.

Here is truly God’s new thing incarnated and dwelling with us.

It is early in the morning in Jerusalem and Jesus comes to the temple area.

Perhaps to pray? Perhaps to study Torah with his disciples? But John tells us that all the people started coming to him. He is moved with compassion for the thirst they bring, the thirst to know God, to touch God, to hear the words of God. So Jesus sat down and taught them. He

taught them to perceive the new things that God was creating in their lives. He taught them about their Father and about the “family resemblance” that must exist in each other.

Rather than bringing their thirsts to Christ, rather than drinking in every word of his, the scribes and Pharisees plot to trap him. The righteousness of the law is not their interest. Genuine justice is not their interest. They use this vulnerable woman to force Jesus to choose. Or so they think.

But the compassionate heart of God is revealed through Jesus’ every action. He invites them to reflect on what God really desires in this situation. He invites them to reflect perhaps on their own sins.

He invites them to remember times when they had extravagant forgiveness shown to them.

What is Jesus writing on the ground?

A prayer? A proverb? A list of their own sins? A simple design to give them time to think?

The stoning traditionally would have begun with the eldest, and here it is the elders who recognize God’s wisdom in their midst. It is the elders who are the first to leave. The case is closed. Only one without sin remains and he does not condemn her. Here God is truly doing something new. Here God is truly forming people after his own heart.

Jesus responds to her with the utmost respect and reverence as the unique and beloved human being she is. She is not beaten into repentance but invited to live as God’s chosen one. She is invited into the something new that God is doing in her. She is invited to sin no more, to live as one who belongs to God. I can easily hear her saying to all those people sitting around Jesus, in the words of St. Paul to the Philippians: “I consider everything as a loss because of the supreme good of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.”

15

Catholic San Francisco

March 26, 2004

By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service VATICAN CITY — Patients who are in a persistent vegetative state, even for years, must be given nutrition and hydration as long as their bodies can absorb the nourishment, Pope John Paul II said.

“The administration of water and food, even when delivered using artificial means, always represents a natural method of preserving life and not a medical act,” the pope told an international group of physicians and ethicists.

The pope met the group March 20 at the end of a four-day meeting on the ethical decisions surrounding life-sustaining treatments for patients in a persistent vegetative state.

The conference, sponsored by the Pontifical Academy for Life and the World Federation of Catholic Medical Associations, brought together dozens of speakers with differing points of view, especially regarding the moment when providing artificial nutrition and hydration goes beyond an act of protecting human life and becomes a burdensome fight against death and the hope for eternal life.

Pope John Paul told the group that, while “vegetative state” has been accepted as a medical description of the clinical condition of patients who give no sign of consciousness or awareness of their environment, too many people think “vegetative” also describes the patients themselves, as if they were no longer human.

“I feel an obligation to reaffirm vigorously that the intrinsic value and the personal dignity of every human being does not change no matter what the concrete situation of his life,” the pope said.

A human being “never becomes a ‘vegetable’ or an ‘animal,’” he said.

“Even our brothers and sisters who are in the clinical condition of the ‘vegetative state’ maintain their human dignity in its entirety,” he said. “The loving gaze of God the Father continues to watch over them, recognizing them as his children who are particularly in need of assistance.”

Pope John Paul said that as long as the patient is not dying artificial nutrition and hydration must be considered “ordinary and proportionate and, as such, morally obligatory to the degree that — and as long as — they reach their aim, which consists in providing nourishment to the patient and easing suffering.”

The pope said an evaluation of the monetary costs of continuing care cannot outweigh the value of protecting human life.

Pope John Paul also urged doctors and parishes to do more to help the families of patients in a persistent vegetative state.

“They cannot be left alone with their heavy human, psychological and economic burden,” he said.

Dr. Salvino Leone, a moral theology professor who works with the Hospitaller Order of St. John of God in Rome, said there is “a profound ethical and conceptual” distinction between causing death and letting someone die.

One must never hasten a patient’s death, he told the conference March 20, and one always must provide pain relief, nutrition and hydration and take precautions so that bedsores and infections do not develop.

But a Christian, Leone said, also must recognize that “letting die is a service to the gift of God, the humble consciousness of being a creature in the face of divine will and the acknowledgment of his absolute lordship over human destiny. In a single word: It is a true act of faith.”

Determining the exact moment when it becomes ethical to let someone die is difficult to determine, speakers at the conference said, and some argued that there even are instances when the artificial provision of nutrition and hydration is so burdensome to the patient and his or her family that it is not obligatory.

Dr. Gianluigi Gigli, president of the federation of medical associations, said the different positions presented at the conference reflected the complexity of the issues involved and the continuing search by Catholic ethicists and physicians to make decisions informed by the best medical opinions and the highest moral standards.

Ann Verlinde, president of the International Committee of Catholic Nurses, said that because nurses spend so much time with patients and their families their opinions should be given greater weight on hospital ethics boards and in discussions with individual families about continuing or withdrawing certain types of care.

In many situations, she said, “nurses find it easier than doctors to say, ‘It is finished; let them go. We will be with them, caring for them as they die.’”

Msgr. Kevin T. McMahon of St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Philadelphia said that with patients in a persistent vegetative state artificially delivered nutrition and hydration are simply “the medically assisted supply of food and drink.”

He said people should keep in mind that, while a return to consciousness is “highly improbable” after one year in a vegetative state, withholding nutrition and hydration always results in death.

Dr. Eugene F. Diamond, director of The Linacre Institute of the Catholic Medical Association, based in Boston, said that while polls show most people would not want “life-sustaining” treatment if they had no chance of recovering consciousness he thought the responses would be different “if people were asked if they wanted to starve to death.”

“No one is arguing to use all means, at all costs, for all persons in all circumstances, particularly those who are imminently dying and unable to benefit from the treatment,” he said.

But with patients who are not dying, Diamond said, “our choice is really between caring for such persons or abandoning them.”

In a presentation written with Ronald P. Hamel of the Catholic Health Association of the United States, Dr. John Collins Harvey of the Georgetown University Center for Clinical Bioethics in Washington offered concrete examples of cases in which artificial nutrition and hydration were necessary and useful and when they became overly burdensome.

He told of a woman in a persistent vegetative state for four years whose Catholic husband and six children struggled with decisions regarding her care, particularly because of aspiration pneumonia and lung damage caused by regurgitation.

“They questioned whether continued biological life was the highest good for the human person and whether maintaining biological life was always morally obligatory,” he said.

Human life is sacred, he said, but the duty to prolong life “is not absolutely binding under all circumstances, because we know that our ultimate end lies in eternal life with God.” Msgr. Marco Frisina, director of the Diocese of Rome’s liturgy office, told the doctors March 17 that when medical treatment is useless the focus must turn toward helping the patient die a “good death” — not in the way proponents of euthanasia mean, but in the sense of dying with the sure hope of eternal life.

(CNS PHOTO FROM REUTERS)

Pope says patients must get nutrition, hydration as long as possible

Pope John Paul II prays during a beatification ceremony in St. Peter's Square March 21. He advanced the sainthood causes of two Spanish nuns, an Italian priest and an Italian nun.

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Catholic San Francisco

Lenten Opportunities March 30: The National Shrine of St. Francis of Assisi Lecture Series featuring talks from speakers including Franciscan Sister Ramona Miller, Father David Anderson of the Byzantine Rite.

Presentations are at 7:15 p.m. at the Shrine, Vallejo and Columbus, SF. Call (415) 983-0405.

March 26: Via Crucis, a concert of choral music for the Stations of the Cross by Palestrina, Mendelssohn and others featuring the voices of the Solemn Mass Choir of St. Dominic Church, 2390 Bush St. at Steiner, Sf, at 7:30 p.m. $10 donation requested.

Simon Berry, director. Call (415) 567-7824.

March 27: Day of Recollection sponsored by the SF Guild of the Catholic Medical Association at St. Cecilia Church, 17th Ave. at Vicente, SF from 9 a.m.

– 2 p.m. Light breakfast and lunch included in $30 fee. Facilitated by Dr. Pierre Barbet and based on the book A Doctor at Calvary, “this discussion and reflection on the Passion of Jesus Christ will provide a medical perspective on the aspect of Christ’s physical suffering.” Members of the medical community especially invited. Call (415) 219-8719.

March 28: Passion Cantata featuring voices of Peninsula choirs at St. Matthew Church, One Notre Dame Ave. off El Camino Real in San Mateo. The 2:30 p.m. concert includes songs and readings reflecting on the Passion of Christ.

March 29, 30, 31, April 1: Journey with the Holy Spirit on this Parish Mission with Paulist Father Rick Walsh at St. Pius Church 1100 Woodside Rd., Redwood City. Morning and evening presentations.

Call Sister Mary at (650) 368-0429 or mary@pius.org.

April 2: 1st Friday Mass of SF Catholic Charismatic Renewal Board at Our Lady of Mercy Church, One Elmwood Dr., Daly City with rosary at 7 p.m. and liturgy at 7:30 p.m. Father Joe Landi will preside. Call (650) 756-7563.

April 3: The Psalms, a Day of Recollection with Franciscan Father Michael Guinan of the Franciscan School of Theology in Berkeley. Takes place in St. Emydius Parish Center, 255 Jules Ave. between DeMontfort and Holloway, SF from 10 a.m.

– 3 p.m. Bring a bag lunch. $5 donation requested.

Sponsored by small faith groups of the parish. Call Peggy or Joe Koman at (415) 585-8260.

Sundays: Concerts at 4 p. m. at National Shrine of St. Francis of Assisi, Vallejo and Columbus, SF. Call (415) 983-0405 or www.shrinesf.org. Open to the public. Admission free.

Sundays: Concerts at St. Mary Cathedral at 3:30 p.m.

Gough and Geary Blvd., SF. Call (415) 567-2020 ext.

213. Concerts are open to the public. Admission free.

Food & Fun March 26, 27 and April 2, 3, 4: The ever-popular Hello Dolly! at Archbishop Riordan High School, 175 Phelan Ave. across from City College. Curtain at 8 p.m. except April 4 matinee at 2 p.m. Tickets $10 adults/$7 students and seniors except Alumni Night, March 27th when $25 tickets include champagne reception at 6 p.m. Call (415) 587-5866.

March 26, 27, April 1, 2, 3: Cinderella with music by Rodgers and Hammerstein and featuring the talent of students from Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory in the school’s De Paul Auditorium, corner Ellis and Gough St., SF. Tickets $10/$5 students. Curtain at 7:30 all nights with additional matinee performances Saturdays at 2 p.m. Call (415) 775-6626, ext. 784.

March 26, 27: Celebrate Spring, a weekend of events benefiting Schools of the sacred Heart and held Join the Sisters of Mercy as they continue commemoration of their 150th year in the Archdiocese of San Francisco. April 1st, hear talks on Mercy and Justice: Two Communities Working for a Sustainable World featuring Mercy Sister Mary Waskowiak, president of the Burlingame Region, and human rights activist, Medea Benjamin. Takes place at Mercy Center, 2300 Adeline Dr., Burlingame. April 15th it’s How the Sisters Tamed the West, an historical entertainment featuring the talent of Sisters from eight local communities at Mercy High School, 3250 19th Ave., SF. Call (650) 373-4588.

March 26, 2004

Datebook

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

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

Consolation Ministry

Island Elegance, 15th Annual Auction Dinner Dance and Grand Drawing benefiting Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish, Belmont takes place April 3rd at Redwood City’s Hotel Sofitel beginning at 5:30 p.m. Evening includes silent auction, gourmet dinner, live auction and dancing to the Jack Aces Band. Tickets $75 per person.

Reservations are a must. Call Gail at (650) 593-6157. Celebrating her 90th birthday at the event is Agnes Pasquesi shown here with her daughter, Gloria Oswald, gala co-chair and Gloria’s husband, Don, who serves on the event committee. in its Flood mansion, 2222 Broadway, SF. Champagne Luncheon is Friday from 10 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. and includes a boutique and flower mart. Tickets $60.

Family Festival is Saturday from 10 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. with family carnival, food, games, magic show and raffle. Tickets $5. Evening Gala is Saturday from 6 – 10 p.m. with cocktails, wine auction, gourmet fare, live auction and dancing. Tickets $175. Call (415) 345-5825.

March 28: Have fun at Mercy Care and Retirement Center’s It’s Never Too Late to Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day affair from 1:30 – 4 p.m., 3431 Foothill Blvd., Oakland.

The event features music, good food – including corned beef sandwiches, beer and Irish soda bread - and cheer.

Tickets $20 per person. Tours of the facility will be available. Mercy Care and Retirement Center is sponsored by the Sisters of Mercy, Burlingame. Call (510) 534-8540.

March 31: Welcome Spring, the annual Luncheon/Fashion Show of the Good Shepherd Guild at Green Hills Country Club, Ludeman lane, Millbrae. Begins with social hour at 11:30 a.m. with luncheon at 12:30 p.m. Tickets $45. Contact Beverly Desmond at (415) 587-5374 by March 24th.

April 1, 2: Annual Rummage and Garage Sale sponsored by Mothers’ Club of Church of the Visitacion Parish, 655 Sunnydale Ave., SF Thurs.: 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.; Fri.: 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Jewelry, furniture, dishes, clothes, collectibles, toys and more. Also a booth with new items. All proceeds benefit the parish. Call Viola Rusca at (415) 467-7338.

April 3: Salesian Boys and Girls Club Dinner Dance and Silent Auction beginning at 6:30 p.m. at the Westin St. Francis Hotel. Dancing to sounds of Black-Tie Jazz Orchestra. Arrigo Sturla will be honored for his contributions to the organization. Tickets $160 per person. Call (415) 397-3068.

April 24: An Evening in Tuscany, annual auction and

dinner benefiting St. Isabella Elementary School, San Rafael beginning at 5 p.m. in the Marin Civic Center Exhibition Hall. All alumni especially encouraged to attend. Evening includes gourmet dinner, dancing, silent and live auctions. Tickets $70. Call (415) 898-1742 or wendycal@marincounty.net.

Reunions April 17: Annual Mass and Luncheon of SF Chapter of Notre Dame Alumnae begiing at 11 a.m. at Mission Dolores Basilica followed by lunch at the Spanish Cultural Center, 2850 Alemany Blvd. SF. Golden Belles of ’54 and Silver Belles of ’79 will be specially honored.

Call Debbie Calgaro at (415) 776-1900.

April 25: St. John Ursuline High School, SF, all classes. Contact Gayle Vannucci at (650) 692-4196.

April 25, May 2: Class of ‘54’s, Golden Grads, meet April 25, for Mass at 11: 30 a.m. and reception April 25.

Members of the class of 2000 gather for Mass, May 2 at 5:30 p.m. followed by dinner. Call (415) 566-0314.

Our Lady of Mercy Parish celebrates its 50th anniversary in May.and is looking for original members who may want to join in the celebration or who have pictures and memories they could share.

Among the traditions honored during the year are the contributions of the Dominican Sisters of San Rafael and the Sisters of the Holy Family. Contact Barbara Cantwell at (650) 755-2727.

May 22: Class of ’54 from the Mission District’s St. Peter’s Academy at Caesar’s Restaurant, 2299 Powell St. at Bay, SF, beginning at noon. Call (415) 269-9094.

Sept. 18: St. Paul High School, San Francisco, class of ’64, 1 p.m. at the Terrace Room of El Rancho Motel, Millbrae. Contact classmate, Liz Hannan, at lizhannan3@yahoo.com.

Catholic Marin Breakfast Club gathers April 2 for Mass and talk by guest speaker, Father Tom Daly, president, Marin Catholic High School and vocations director for the Archdiocese. Father Daly, ordained in 1987, is a graduate of San Francisco’s Sacred Heart High School – now Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory – and USF. The morning begins at 7 a.m. in St. Sebastian Church, Bon Air Rd. and Sir Francis Drake Blvd., Kentfield.

Breakfast and presentation follow in parish hall. Reservations required to Sugaremy@aol.com or (415) 461-0704 daily. Members $7, others $10.

Dues $20 per year.

d e i f i s s a Cl ecial Sp

0 0,00r 0 2 r e v e s O m o h t c s a u Re ntial C cisco, PoteSan Fran& Marin! in Mateo San

Fr. Tom Daly

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

St. Catherine of Siena, Burlingame. Call Elaine Yastishock at (650) 344-6884; Our Lady of Angels, Burlingame. Call Louise Nelson at (650) 343-8457 or Barbara Arena at (650) 344-3579. Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, Redwood City. Call (650) 366-3802; Good Shepherd, Pacifica. Call Sister Carol Fleitz at (650) 355-2593; St. Robert, San Bruno. Call (650) 5892800. Immaculate Heart of Mary, Belmont. Call Ann Ponty at (650) 598-0658 or Mary Wagner at (650) 591-3850. St. Isabella, San Rafael. Call Pat Sack at (415) 472-5732. Our Lady of Loretto, Novato. Call Sister Jeanette at (415) 897-2171. St. Gabriel, SF. Call Barbara Elordi at (415) 564-7882.

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

Ministry for parents who have lost a child is available from Our Lady of Angels Parish, Burlingame. Call Ina Potter at (650) 347-6971 or Barbara Arena at (650) 344-3579.

Young Widow/Widower group meets at St. Gregory, San Mateo. Call Barbara Elordi at (415) 564-7882.

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

Returning Catholics Programs for Catholics interested in returning to the Church, have been established at the following parishes: St. Philip the Apostle, 725 Diamond St. at Elizabeth/24th, SF. Call the parish office at (415) 2820141; St. Hilary, Tiburon, Mary Musalo, (415) 435-2775; St. Anselm, Ross, parish office at (415) 453-2342; St. Sebastian, Greenbrae, Jean Mariani at (415) 4617060; Old St. Mary’s Cathedral, SF, Michael Adams at (415) 695-2707; St. Dominic, SF, Lee Gallery at (415) 221-1288; Holy Name of Jesus, SF, Dennis Rivera at (415) 664-8590; St. Bartholomew, San Mateo, Dan Stensen at (650) 344-5665; St. Catherine of Siena, Burlingame, Silvia Chiesa at (650) 685-8336, Elaine Yastishock at (650) 344-6884; Our Lady of Angels, Burlingame, Dorothy Heinrichs or Maria Cianci at (650) 347-7768; St. Dunstan, Millbrae, Dianne Johnston at (650) 697-0952; Our Lady of the Pillar, Half Moon Bay, Meghan at (650) 726-4337; St. Peter, Pacifica, Chris Booker at (650) 738-1398; Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, Mill Valley, Rick Dullea or Diane Claire at (415) 388-4190; St. Mary Star of the Sea, Sausalito, Lloyd Dulbecco at (415) 331-7949.

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

Datebook is a free listing for parishes, schools and non-profit groups. Please include event name, time, date, place, address and an information phone number. Listing must reach Catholic San Francisco at least two weeks before the Friday publication date desired.

Mail your notice to: Datebook, Catholic San Francisco, One Peter Yorke Way, S.F. 94109, or fax it to (415) 614-5633.

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March 26, 2004

Music TV

Catholic San Francisco

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17

Stage

New book examines issues raised in best seller ‘The Da Vinci Code’

By Catholic News Service WASHINGTON — “The Da Vinci Code,” a bestselling book by Dan Brown, stirred up controversy with its assertions that the Gospels didn’t tell the true story of Jesus and claims that Jesus married Mary Magdalene and appointed her to lead a feminist spiritual movement.

“De-Coding Da Vinci: The Facts Behind the Fiction of ‘The Da Vinci Code,’” a new book published by Our Sunday Visitor, examines these claims and countless others in the best seller and points out what it describes as factual and historical inaccuracies.

The best seller, published last year, begins with the premise that Leonardo da Vinci used his art to communicate secret knowledge about the Holy Grail. It then claims that early Christians did not see Jesus as divine and also criticizes the church for keeping secret thousands of texts that detail Christ’s humanity.

“De-Coding Da Vinci,” which will be in bookstores in April, was written by Amy Welborn, a columnist for Our Sunday Visitor and formerly for Catholic News Service. It asserts that Brown’s novel contains a mixture of “a number of different strands of speculation, esoteric lore, and pseudo-history published in other books.”

Welborn said there is simply no evidence to support the premise that Jesus wanted to begin a movement focusing on awareness of the “sacred feminine” which was eventually suppressed by Emperor Constantine.

She holds up many of Brown’s claims to credible scholarly sources with the hope that readers will be able to distinguish fact from fiction.

Rolheiser . . .

■ Continued from page 13 Jesus trusts God not just when truth seems to be prevailing, but also, and especially, when falsehood seems to be triumphing. ● Radical honesty and boldness in expressing fear: “Let this cup pass.” In Gethsemane, Jesus lifts mind and heart to God. He doesn’t tell God what he thinks God wants to hear; nor does he tell God where he, Jesus, would like to be at in terms of maturity. No, he tells God where in fact he really is at, namely, cringing, frightened, and reluctant before bitter duty. There’s no denial or pretense in his prayer. His humanity expresses itself with childlike clarity. He cringes before duty and is not ashamed to express that to his Father.

Iris Murdoch once wrote: “A common soldier dies without fear, Jesus died afraid.” His Gethsemane prayer reflects that. ● The willingness to give God the space within which to be God: “Yet not my will, but yours be done.” Despite everything in him that cringes before the implications of saying yes, Jesus still consents to give God the space within which to be God. He accepts that God’s bigger plan necessitates that sometimes real life, real blood, and real dreams (and in this case his own)

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

In her introduction, Welborn finds fault with “The Da Vinci Code” for its claims to historical accuracy. She said the book’s “imaginative detail and false historical assertions are presented as facts and the fruit of serious historical research, which they simply are not.”

After Welborn takes a close look at Mary Magdalene, the Gospels, women in Christianity, Leonardo da Vinci’s art, Opus Dei, the Holy Grail and other topics, she concludes that a positive outcome from the popularity of “The Da Vinci Code” is the interest it stirred in thinking about who Jesus really is, what Christianity was all about, and issues of gender and spirituality.

“What’s unfortunate,” she writes, “is that the reading public has embraced the historical assertions made in ‘The Da Vinci Code’ with such enthusiasm.”

She notes that the way people have been so taken up by the book shows a “failure of churches of all kinds to communicate these very basic facts of history and Christian theology” to their members. She suggests that readers set themselves straight by going back to a source they most likely already have on their bookshelves — the Bible.

Editor’s Note: “De-Coding Da Vinci: The Facts Behind the Fiction of ‘The Da Vinci Code’” will be in bookstores this April for $9.95. It can be ordered directly from Our Sunday Visitor by phone at: (800) 348-2440, ext. 3. Our Sunday Visitor has also produced “The Da Vinci Code” pamphlet examining the best seller’s claims and providing succinct answers for parish or group use. The pamphlets can be purchased in bulk orders of 50 for $12.95. have to be sacrificed in the short run. He accepts that there’s no other way and, because there isn’t, he surrenders to duty, pain, misunderstanding, and death, without demanding in turn that God keep everyone fully briefed and satisfied at each stage of the process. His prayer gives God a blank check, along with the time and space to fulfill his purposes, even if, for a time, that purpose is grossly misunderstood. ● Repetition, repeated prayer: “He returned and prayed even more earnestly.” Scripture promises that faith and prayer will move mountains, but it doesn’t promise that they will move them immediately.

Sometimes for prayer to be effective, it has to be prayed many times, over and over. Jesus does this in Gethsemane. Only after repeated efforts does an angel finally come and strengthen him.

St. Monica prayed for her wayward son, Augustine, for many years. Eventually he converted and became one of the great saints in history. Gethsemane teaches us this lesson, prayer needs to be repeated.

C.S. Lewis once said that “the harshness of God is kinder than the softness of man, and God’s compulsion is our liberation.” The prayer of Jesus in Gethsemane, the model for all prayer in a dark time, illustrates that great truth.

Catholic Radio Hour Week of March 29 – April 2

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

Friday: Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary; Office of Film and Broadcasting: The Passion of the Christ.

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Weeknights at 7 p.m. – KEST 1450 AM Radio Pray the Rosary – hosted by Fr. Tom Daly One half-hour of prayers, reflections and music Monday: Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary; Fact of Faith: How long is Lent?; Reflection on last Sunday’s readings: Fr. Adelmo Dunghe, SJ; Sunday Soundbite.

Tuesday: The Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary; California Supreme Court ruling: Carol Hogan.

Wednesday: Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary; Devotions; Commentary on same sex unions: Theresa Notare.

Thursday: Luminous Mysteries of the Rosary; Devotions; Tapestries in Our Lady of Angels Cathedral: David Tlapec.

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

18

Catholic San Francisco

March 26, 2004

In past year, 123 Catholic schools closed or consolidated, 34 opened

By Carol Zimmermann Catholic News Service WASHINGTON — According to a new report by the National Catholic Educational Association, 123 Catholic schools were closed or consolidated in the past year and 34 new Catholic schools opened in September.

Because some consolidations involved several schools, the net loss for 2003-04 was 45 schools. But more than one-third of Catholic schools nationwide, 2,801, have waiting lists for admission.

Total Catholic school enrollment dropped by 2.7 percent.

Michael Guerra, NCEA president, called the school closings a “significant loss for our country.”

Many of the school closings were in urban areas, according to NCEA research. Enrollment is now at 2,484,252, a drop of 69,025 students from the previous academic year when there were 2,553,277 elementary and secondary students.

“Economics and shifting populations play major roles in this report,” Guerra said. “While we have many programs in place to help lower-income families with tuition, this support is not widely available to middleincome families who are being squeezed by a soft econ-

Marriage rally . . .

■ Continued from cover of society,” Meehan said. “Changing the legal definition of marriage would codify a relationship that legally denies a child’s right to a mother and father.”

Your Catholic Voice said “Love and Tolerance - Yes/ Same Sex Unions – No” will be a major theme of the public rally .

St. Patrick’s Seminary . . .

■ Continued from cover Baltimore. During his tenure as Provincial he was active in the Conference of Major Superiors of Men serving as Secretary/Treasurer, Vice-President and finally President from 1993-1995.

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omy. Also, we have students anxious to attend Catholic schools in places where we don’t have enough buildings. In other areas we have an abundance of buildings but fewer students.

“In many cases, displaced students can find a home in nearby Catholic schools. This holds true for many of the consolidated school situations,” Guerra added. But each closed school’s loss of “traditions, promise and potential ... is tragic, especially for the schools that are shutting down in the inner cities.”

Of the 123 closed or consolidated schools, 114 were elementary schools and nine were secondary schools.

Hardest hit regions were the Midwest, with 39 schools affected, and the Great Lakes, with 30.

Twenty-seven of the newly opened schools were elementary, while seven were secondary schools. Thirteen of the new schools — 11 elementary and two secondary — were in the Southeast.

Guerra stressed that Catholic educators have a longstanding commitment to urban education, noting that more than 44 percent of Catholic schools are in urban and inner-city areas. He pointed out that while some Catholic schools closed because of demographic shifts others could have survived if parents had the financial means to choose those schools for their children.

The NCEA report on U.S. Catholic elementary and

secondary schools in the 2003-2004 school year provides statistical information on schools, enrollment and staffing. It was compiled by Sister Dale McDonald, a member of the Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary and NCEA’s director of public policy and education research.

According to its figures, there are 1,842,918 students currently enrolled in 6,727 Catholic elementary schools. Secondary school enrollment declined slightly, with 641,334 secondary students, compared to 646,407 last year.

Minority students represent 26.8 percent of the Catholic school enrollment, and 13.5 percent of the students in Catholic schools are not Catholic.

The report also shows that nearly all elementary schools (99 percent) are coeducational. At the secondary level, 65.7 percent of schools are coeducational, 14 percent are male and 20.3 percent are female.

The number of full-time Catholic school teachers and administrators is 162,337. These staff members are 94.9 percent laity, with women making up 74.8 percent and men 20 percent. Religious women and brothers and clergy members make up the other 5.1 percent. Of that figure, 3.9 percent are sisters; brothers are 0.7 percent and clergy are 0.6 percent. The average student to teacher ratio is 15-to-1.

Chris Guirlinger, also from St. Dominic’s said, “Archbishop Levada set a great example by standing up and publicly witnessing the truth on marriage. . . It is part of our baptismal promise to stand with him.”

San Francisco Archbishop William Levada will celebrate 9:00 a.m. Mass on April 3, followed by the 10:00 a.m. prayer rally. Archbishop Levada and Ambassador Flynn will both speak at the rally. A processional through the neighborhood of North Beach concludes the event.

“This is not a time to be quiet,” said Jeanne Condon, anoth-

er rally organizer from St. Timothy Parish in San Mateo. “We need whole cities to stand up and say enough erosion of basic values. I am bringing my eight children to show solidarity.”

Your Catholic Voice is publicizing this event throughout the Bay Area and beyond. “We invite all who share our belief in the importance of marriage to join us in public prayer,” Flynn said.

Sts. Peter and Paul Church is located on Washington Square in San Francisco on Filbert between Stockton and Powell. Call 415-586-1576 for more information.

Brown has been President/Rector of Assumption Seminary in San Antonio, Texas since 2000. San Antonio Archbishop Patrick Flores said Fr. Brown “will be missed very much” in San Antonio and praised his service to Assumption Seminary. Under his leadership, the number of resident seminarians at Assumption has grown from 32 to 58. The seminary also developed a strategic plan for renovation of buildings and construc-

tion of a new seminarian residence, and established an endowment for the ongoing support of the seminary.

In a statement to St. Patrick’s Seminary community, Father Gerald Coleman said of his successor, “As a San Francisco priest and alumnus of St. Patrick’s, he brings to the seminary as wealth of talent and knowledge of the Bay Area. St. Patrick’s is blessed with its new President/Rector.”

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

Call (650) 757-1946

SERVICE DIRECTORY For Adver tising Information

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Sound Systems Digital Carillons / Bells

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Intercoms / Paging Systems Cable TV & Data Systems

415-453-2898

WWW.KANSORA.COM CA LICN # 747210

GARAGE DOOR REPAIR

MENLO PARK PET SITTERS Serving the entire Peninsula

We love animals and will care for your pet like its our own.

Same price 7 days Cellularized Mobile Shop

( 415 ) 931-1540 24 hrs.

Lifetime Warranty on All Doors + Motors

Call 415-614-5642 E-mail: jpena@catholic-sf.org

INSURANCE Al Zeidler Insurance Agency 35 Mitchell Blvd. Suite 9-B, San Rafael, CA 94903

* Homeowners * Life * Business * Bonds * Umbrella’s Serving The Entire Bay Area Phone: (415) 507-0231 Fax: (415) 507-0236 Email: zeidlerins@sbcglobal.net

Al Zeidler Broker Lic: 0B96630

AUTO SALES Wally Mooney

Confidential • Compassionate • Practical (415) 921-1619

Lila Caffery, MA, CCHT

Interiors Exteriors Kitchens Baths

Christian Family Counselo r

Contractor inspection reports and pre-purchase consulting

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

Licensed Marriage, Family and Child Therapist.

Offers individual, couple + family and group counseling.

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

Free Estimates Free Consultation Lic #: 16449

(650) 299-8848

Since 1980

Painting & Remodeling

Healing Your Inner Child

St. Dominic’s Parishioner

Ca. Lic 391053

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1537 Franklin Street • San Francisco, CA 94109

HOLLAND

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Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist Over 25 years experience

Barbara Elordi, MFT

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650-589-9225

John Holtz

Dr. Daniel J. Kugler

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Auto Broker

St. Robert’s Parish San Bruno

• Relationships • Addictions

415-239-8491 not a licensed contractor

TAX PREPARATION

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• Family • Work • Depression • Anxiety

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PAINTING & REMODELING

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Substance abuse counseling, Post trauma resolution, Family Consultation.

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Catholic San Francisco

March 26, 2004

Tours

Tours

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THE BEST OF EUROPE 15-Days: May 26 to June 9, 2004 Cost: $2,889.00

THE SHRINES OF EUROPE

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15-Days: Oct. 18 to Nov. 1, 2004

15-Days: Sept. 9 to 23, 2004

Cost: $2,889.00

Cost: $3,189.00

Visiting: Italy, Spain, Our Lady of Lourdes and Fatima

Visiting: England, Scotland and Ireland

Visiting: Holland, Belgium, Germany, Austria, Italy, Switzerland, and France Deadline: 3/31/04

DEPART FROM SAN FRANCISCO

For information or a FREE Brochure Call 1-800-211-5114

Business Opportunity WONDERFUL BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY

Apt. For Rent 3 BDRMS, UPPER FLAT $1,900 w/w sunny near Mission / Valencia Sts. EMANUEL 648-8002; 519-2210

For Sale Assisted Living/Residential Health Care facility in small friendly Kansas Community. Lots of options. Some work with handicapped veterans. Financial assistance available. Great business opportunity for licensed RN. Free video available of facility.

Our community is also looking for small manufacturing other business. Great place to retire on modest income.

For more info call (785) 244-6565

Framing, Trim, Decks, Fences, Tile Settings, Carpentry

415-509-8473 Not A Licensed Contractor

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

Your prayer will be published in our newspaper

Name Adress Phone MC/VISA # Exp.

Book

Select One Prayer: ❑ St. Jude Novena ❑ Prayer to St. Jude/S.H.

MADELEINE DELBRÊL A LIFE BEYOND BOUNDARIES

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

by Charles F. Mann Ph.D. First English biography of dynamic Frenchwoman, social activist and secular mystic considered for canonization.

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

$11.95 plus $2.00 S+H to NEW WORLD PRESS P.O. Box 640432 SF, CA 94164 Tel: (415) 292-7008

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Estate and vintage items, jewelry, china, books, clothing, art, furniture, kitchenware, collectibles, greeting cards, everything under the sun.

Help Wanted

Bookkeeper / Office Manager Jesuit Volunteer Corps, a Catholic lay volunteer corps working for justice and peace, seeks a responsible individual for bookkeeping, data-entry and office operations for SF office supporting 90 full-time volunteers in the Southwest. Requires excellent organizational skills, keen attention to detail, proficiency in Quickbooks, MSWord, Excel. F/T; $27K + benefits.

DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATE CAPUCHIN FRANCISCAN FRIARS – Full-time position –

415-652-2094

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

LITTLE SISTERS OF THE POOR SATURDAY APRIL 3, 9 A.M. – 3 P.M. 300 LAKE ST. SAN FRANCISCO

Responsible for the administration of the Development Office. Coordinates all contract management, data entry, gift acknowledgement, and receipting, prepares and distributes standard and ad hoc reports and department records.

Not a licenced contractor

Cost $25

HUGE YEARLY SALE

Irish Handyman

Available For Construction:

Pre-payment required Mastercard or Visa accepted

Rummage Sale

Irish Handymen available. Carpentry, plumbing, stone work, landscape construction.

PUBLISH A NOVENA

Advertising Pays

19

Ctc: Fr. Donal Burke, O.F.M. Cap. (650) 259-9152 or FAX resume to (650) 259-9209

Send cover letter & resume: Executive Director, JVC: SW, P.O. Box 40039, San Francisco, CA 94140; fax: (415) 522-1633

CAMPUS MINISTER, UNIVERSITY OF THE PACIFIC

Youth Minister

Exciting opportunity to serve as on-campus leader to students on beautiful university campus with well established campus ministry presence.

A ten month/year position. Housing and utilities provided. Position organizes faith formation and liturgical & worship opportunities; coordinates pastoral plan for evangelization; develops Catholic educational programs, including lectures and retreats.

Min. Qual: MA in Theology or equivalent, competence in nurturing a Catholic faith community; successful work experience with young adults; commitment to ecumenical relationships.

Qualified layperson or priest encouraged to apply. Exc benefits.

Contact Hedy Yurong-Olaso at (209) 546-7653 or holaso@stocktondiocese.org for application.

Dealine to apply: Monday, April 12, 2004 4pm

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

Large, vibrant parish on the San Francisco Peninsula is seeking a Youth Minister to run their youth program.

Responsibilities include: Organize regular Sunday Evening Youth Ministry program and work with the leadership of the Youth Ministry program.

Plan with the Youth Enrichment Coordinator the weekly Youth Mass which is celebrated at 5 pm on Sunday.

Coordinate the Confirmation Program for tenth graders and upper grade high school students.

Organize the Confirmation Retreat and a retreat for the St. Pius Eighth Grade class.

After-school program for seventh and eighth graders two days a week.

Organize a Parish outreach to young adults ages 18-30.

25 to 30 hours per week. Compensation based on Archdiocesan guidelines for Parish Youth Ministers. This includes health insurance and pension plan.

Send resume, salary requirements and references to: Youth Minister Search, c/o Barbara Drake, St. Pius Church 1100 Woodside Road, Redwood City, CA 94061, phone: (650) 361-1411, FAX (650) 369-3641, e-mail: barb@pius.org

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TO PLACE AN AD: By phone, call (415) 614-5639 or (415) 614-5640 or fax (415) 614-5641 or e-mail: vmarshall@catholic-sf.org; Mail or bring ads to Catholic San Francisco, One Peter Yorke Way, San Francisco, CA 94109; Or by (please include credit card number & expiration date).

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20

Catholic San Francisco

March 26, 2004

In Remembrance of the Faithful Departed Interred In Our Catholic Cemeteries During the Month of February Jose Francisco Vigil Rita Asbert Mor F. Fox HOLY CROSS Charles Teofilo E. Vilan Robert P. Moreno, Sr. Joseph A. Frontiera Sr. Mary Ann Villagomez, FMA Charles “Bud” Mozzetti Nellrose Galley COLMA Lydia A. Vinluan Gerard J. Mulhall Ernest M. Garcia Margaret Aguirre Nick Amato Florence J. Archibald Emma Baires Florence M. Baldocchi Matt Ban Joseph V. Bauccio Josephine Bliss Jose Rodolfo Bonilla Ronald R. Bower John J. Browne Clifford P. Buelow, Jr. Walter M. Burkard Ann Elizabeth Burns Armando C. Calero, Sr. Eileen M. Calonico Carmen Camilleri Madeline M. Carey Marie C. Cauhape Joseph Henry Celeste Hedy Chilcote Frances M. Clifford Lorraine R. Comisky Marian C. Conlan Virginia M. Crivello Ramoncito R. Cruz Ellen Dennehy Daniel G. Dolan Everett R. Dorsey Sophie A. Dybdal Mae V. Egli Vicente A. Elmgren Alice Bottini Fanucchi Nellie M. Fetta Lina S. Fischer Mary Ann Fitzpatrick Benito S. Florentino Jaykee M. Ford

Lily F. Gee Anna M. Genasci June M. Ghilardi Henry M. Gimondo Miranda A. Giovannini Ramona L. Giron Ronald W. Golden Frank David Granzella, Jr. Joseph Grech Claire Griffin Helen J. Gunning Elisabeth Hamster James G. Harrison Marian C. Heafey Frances O. Hearne Lee K. Heintz Paul J. Herlihy Kathryn N. Holecek Francis H. House Herbert H. (Jack) Huebel Frances Z. Hughes Claire C. Hunter Bette A. Imholz Esther A. Ingalls Hilda R. Jarquin Hobart Jones Felisa G. Joves Jerry M. Kozloski Robert G. Lagomarsino Wan Lee Margaret E. Lenhart Phoebe Mary Liang Rosario B. Lomibao James Anthony Magner Julieta C. Martinez James M. McCabe James R. McCarthy

Lillian J. Murphy Edna P. Murphy George F. O'Brien Margaret O'Grady Bolivar A. Olivardia Margie C. Oubre Miguel A. Palma Violet M. Peace Anthony Joseph Perkocha Annie Louise Peterson Jerry J. Picardo Maria I. (Marisa) Pope Andreas Emanuel Porter Francisca Quinteros Barbara M. Raeon Elio Raugi Reynoso M. Reyes Maria F. Riccomini Gilbert T. Rucker Roy M. Sanders Amerigo (Sandy) Sansoe Remedios B. Santos June E. Schacherl Salvatore Schembri Margaret M. Schwartz Bernadette M. Senasac James Emmett Sheehan Marguerite Sheehan Alma Shuster Felino Q. Silverio, Sr. Frances Simonetti Marie M. Smith Dorothy Strong Nancy J. Strouse Malia P. Tuipulotu Cecelia L. Uriarte Ysbrand P. Van Egmont Mary J. Vargas

Marion D. Weaver John L. Wheeler Helen A. Wiget Olga D. Lombardi Woodman

HOLY CROSS MENLO PARK Robert B. Fox, Jr. Arthur “Arty” Hiatt James H. Lyons Joseph Maskiewicz James M. Richter Corinne Marytherese Schultz Gladys Tagler

MT. OLIVET SAN RAFAEL Mary Elizabeth Capelli Mary Ann Carne Pascal J. Cucaro Frank A. Cuneo Colleen M. Massad James Murray Eugenia K. Papp Warren F. Redding Martha G. Robbins Bessie E. Schlinger Eileen M. Stahl

HOLY CROSS CATHOLIC CEMETERY, COLMA 1st Saturday Mass April 3rd, 2004 – 11:00 a.m.

Rev. Xavier Lavagetto, O.P., Celebrant St. Dominic Parish All Saints Mausoleum Chapel

79th Annual Mass Honoring Father Peter Yorke (1864-1925) Palm Sunday, April 4th, 2004 – 10:30 a.m.

Rev. Anthony Hannick, Celebrant All Saints Mausoleum Chapel

Retreats for Those Grieving Transforming Grief – A day of retreat for those who are grieving the loss of a loved one.

St. Anselm, San Anselmo – Saturday, April 17th – 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

St. Gabriel, San Francisco – Saturday, April 24th – 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Please call Barbara Elordi at (415) 564-7882 for reservations and information.

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

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

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

A Tradition of Faith Throughout Our Lives.