May 1, 2009

As swine flu spreads Mexican Catholics pray for protection

(CNS PHOTO/ELIANA APONTE, REUTERS)

By Catholic News Service

People wear medical face masks during Mass at Metropolitan Cathedral in Mexico City April 26. Fears of the spread of the swine flu are keeping millions of Mexicans indoors to avoid the virus.

Catholic san Francisco Northern California’s Weekly Catholic Newspaper

MEXICO CITY (CNS) – In the nation that is at the center of the swine flu outbreak, Cardinal Norberto Rivera Carrera of Mexico City prayed to Our Lady of Guadalupe and canceled Masses in the archdiocese due to the outbreak of swine flu.

The decision to cancel Masses followed instructions from the local health secretariat that all large gatherings be canceled as authorities raced to contain an epidemic that threatened to spread well beyond Mexico. More than 150 Mexicans had died and more than 1,200 were sick in the Mexican capital. The United States had confirmed more than 60 cases in five states.

Cardinal Rivera celebrated Sunday Mass April 26 behind closed doors in the Metropolitan Cathedral for about 50 people who had been permitted to enter.

In his homily, he called on the Mexican population to never lose hope and to mutually assist each another during the crisis. He also prayed to Our Lady of Guadalupe for intervention, noting that she had helped during pandemics four times since 1554.

“We beg for your protection and help for quickly overcoming the epidemic that has affected our nation,” Cardinal Rivera prayed. “Cover us with your cloak; free us from this evil.”

Later in the day, an image of Christ on the cross – known as the “Lord of Health” – was removed from its spot in the cathedral for the first time since 1850 and carried in a procession around central Mexico City. The “Cristo,” as the image is known, has been credited with past miracles, including intervention in an 1850 cholera outbreak.

Much of the swine flu attention has been focused on Mexico City, but the disease has also claimed lives in SWINE FLU, page 15

By Michael Vick Parents and youth ministers must adapt to and embrace new technologies to be relevant to young people, said Pauline Sister Rose Pacatte, director of the Pauline Center for Media Studies in Los Angeles.

“Faith formation has to take place in a digital culture,” said Sister Rose, who led a workshop on media and ministry April 20 at the San Francisco Archdiocesan Pastoral Center. She writes a regular entertainment column for St. Anthony Messenger magazine and co-authored the book “Media Mindfulness: Educating Teens about Faith and Media” in 2007. “There is no way to navigate this media culture without spending time with our kids engaged in the media.”

Adults often lag behind young people in technological expertise and this puts the Church at a disadvantage in its quest to remain relevant to youth, Sister Rose said. She said those parishes and schools that do not incorporate technology into their ministry will see dwindling numbers of youth, who will tune out Church messages in favor of more readily available and entertaining content from other

sources. Parishes that do not adequately use media will stunt the moral growth of the few youth who remain because they are not being spiritually fed in a way that resonates with youth culture, she said.

“If we form children and young people to live outside their times, then when they are immersed full-time in the culture, they will struggle to survive psychologically and spiritually,” she said.

In “Media Mindfulness,” Sister Rose and coauthor Sacred Heart Sister Gretchen Hailer, suggest several ways parishes and Catholic schools can engage young people using technology, many of which require little additional investment.

Educators and parish youth ministers can create a movie critics club, selecting age-appropriate films in theaters or on DVD that youth then review.

Students would independently select their criteria for judging the film and share their reviews with teachers and fellow critics.

Young people can host a mixedgeneration dance with older parish members, selecting danceable tunes from each decade since the 1930s.

DIGITAL WORLD, page 15

(CNS PHOTO/OWEN SWEENEY III)

Church must adapt to digital world to reach youth, says Pauline Sister

Pauline Sister Rose Pacatte talks with a visitor to the Pauline Media Center exhibit at a National Catholic Educational Association convention.

INSIDE THIS WEEK’S EDITION Faith in the public square. . . 3 News in brief. . . . . . . . . . . 4-5 Obituaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Obama and Notre Dame . . 8-9 “Faith in Flux” study . . . . . 10

Student pro-life conference ~ Page 7 ~ May 1, 2009

Pope canonizes five saints ~ Page 11 ~

“Philadelphia’s Mother Teresa” ~ Page 12 ~

SEVENTY-FIVE CENTS

Archbishop’s journal . . . . . . 16 Datebook of events . . . . . . . 21

www.catholic-sf.org VOLUME 11 • No. 16

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Catholic San Francisco

May 1, 2009

On The Where You Live

By Tom Burke daughter, Pat Hendricks, guests included Katie, St. Paul pastor, Father Mario Farana, who gave a special blessing to the honoree, and additional family and friends. “At the time of her 100th birthday, Agnes was honored by the Irish government who continue to keep track of this very special Father Rene Ramoso, right, with his brother, Father person,” Katie said….Happy 63 years married to Rose David Ramoso, and their mom, Teresita Rey-Ramoso at and Carl Dalessio, longtime parishioners of St. Veronica celebration of Father Rene’s twentieth year as a priest. Parish in South San Francisco. The couple took their vows May 12, 1946 at Church of the Nativity in San Francisco.

Happy birthday to Agnes Cassidy, 102 years old Thanks to their daughter, Carla Redenbo, of New York March 22. Agnes was born in Ireland moving to the U.S. City, for the good news. “Both my parents read Catholic and St. Paul Parish in Noe Valley San Francisco and enjoy your articles in 1926. “Agnes has always been an in ‘On the Street,’” Carla told me from active member of St. Paul’s,” Katie the Big Apple via e-mail. Thank you O’Shea, director of the Capital very much, says I, for myself and Campaign at St. Paul’s, told this everyone at CSF…. Congratulations column. Agnes special works include and thanks to Father Rene Ramoso, the Legion of Mary and serving as pastor of St. Augustine Parish in an extraordinary minister of Holy South San Francisco, on the occasion Communion to patients at nearby St. of his 20th year as a priest March 11.

Luke Hospital, a ministry she gave The milestone was commemorated up only last year. In fact, Katie said, with special rites at St. Augustine’s in the absence of others to take up March 14. Joining Father Rene for the collection at a Mass at St. Paul’s the anniversary Mass were his brother, several months ago the then-101 Father David Ramoso, and their Rose and Carl Dalessio year-old Agnes rose from her pew mom, Teresita Rey-Ramoso, who and passed the basket herself. A party commemorating had both flown in from the Philippines as a surprise. The Agnes’ milestone took place March 21. Hosted by Agnes’ priests’ mom made herself known as bearer of her son’s Some 60 students from Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory including Connor Ward, left, as Jud, Pamela Simmonite as Laurey, and Tim Green as Curly contributed as cast and crew to a “sold-out” run of Oklahoma at the San Francisco school.

Students built sets and set pieces that included Jud’s smokehouse, Laurey’s farmhouse and the famed “Surrey with the Fringe on Top.”

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chalice at the Presentation of the Gifts, and as Father Rene turned around he saw his brother among the concelebrants that included their cousin, Father Mark Reburiano, of St. Matthew Parish in San Mateo. The priests’ uncle is the late Father Antonio Rey who served as pastor of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish in Daly City from 1976-1996….Doing good in the light of Easter were eighth grade students from St. John Elementary School in San Francisco. Thanks to Darren Des Roches, dad of St. John’s third grader, Isabella, who arranged the visit, the young people helped prepare and serve lunch at Glide Memorial Church April 21. “The eighth graders were moved by their experience of service and reflected on what they learned with the student body of St. John’s upon their return,” Kenneth Willers, principal, told me. Those on the mission included George Galope, Katrina Tianco, Colleen Bales, Alexandria McCarthy, Sheridan Freedman, Emily Nappi, Sheridan Devlin, Christopher Sabadlab, Emily Callahan-Clarke, Anthony Ramirez, Matthew Hewitson, Jose Gomez, and chaperone, Italia Nappi….

This is an empty space without you. Send items via e-mail to burket@sfarchdiocese.org and by ground to “Street,” One Peter Yorke Way, San Francisco 94109. Electronic photos should be jpegs at 300 dpi. No zip files, please. Hard copy photos are also welcome sent to the Peter Yorke Way address. I can be reached at (415) 614-5634.

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Agnes Cassidy, 102 years old March 22, enjoys a laugh with Father Mario Farana and Katie O’Shea.

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May 1, 2009

Catholic San Francisco

3

Knights’ leader urges US Catholics to keep faith in public square States, and Michael Steele, chairman of the Republican National Committee.

In his talk, Anderson said that today “there are fewer direct assaults on religious liberty ... (but) the subtle pressure to marginalize religious values and voices from the public square has increased.”

He noted how earlier generations of Catholic immigrants to the United States, as members of a minority “ghetto” in a culture sometimes hostile to them, forged “a strong sense of cultural identity and a shared public morality.”

Anderson said groups like the Knights of Columbus, “dedicated to being both faithful Catholics and patriotic Americans,” helped counteract the anti-Catholicism faced by Al

Smith, a Catholic, as he sought the presidency in the 1920s.

John F. Kennedy’s election in 1960 as the first Catholic president of the United States “signaled the end of this ghetto experience,” Anderson said. But he noted that today Catholics and other people of faith face a new challenge: “How do we maintain our distinct religious identity in the midst of a secular culture doing its best to decrease the influence of faith?”

Catholics can no longer retreat into any kind of a ghetto, Anderson said, noting how the influence of the secular world is everywhere, “inside our homes, on our television sets, on the Internet, everywhere we turn.”

(CNS PHOTO/BOB ROLLER)

legislation hadn’t been promoted since the Know Nothing Party in New York passed WASHINGTON (CNS) – Just as the a similar bill 150 years ago.

“But non-Catholics and Catholics – nation’s first Catholic bishop did in the early days of the United States, today’s bishops, priests and laymen – all stood up and stood together.

American Catholics need After the outcry, the legto maintain their religious islators tabled the bill” in identity in a culture that Connecticut, he said. is sometimes hostile to Anderson said Bishop faith, said Carl Anderson, Carroll also had to deal head of the Knights of with John Jay, the first Columbus, at the April 18 chief justice of the United annual dinner of the John States, who before becomCarroll Society. ing chief justice had The society of lay “argued vociferously for men and women in a law in New York that the Archdiocese of would have excluded Washington is named for Catholics from public Bishop John Carroll, who office ... (and) in 1777, Jay in 1789 became the first was chief author of New Catholic bishop of the York’s Constitution, which United States, leading the Carl Anderson banned Catholic imminew Diocese of Baltimore which at that time included all 13 original grants unless they renounced the pope.”

“Confronted with such hostility, as states. The John Carroll Society, founded in 1951, serves the archbishop of Washington patriot and priest, John Carroll was the pubin his charitable and community projects. lic face of a distrusted religious minority, “In defending the practice of faith in the and he left us a shining example of living public square, all of us have something in the faith and defending religious liberty,” common with John Carroll,” Anderson told Anderson said.

In greeting the guests and offering the the nearly 400 guests at the dinner.

Anderson, who as supreme knight serves opening prayer, Washington Archbishop as the chief executive officer and chairman Donald W. Wuerl praised the legacy of the board of the world’s largest Catholic of Bishop Carroll, and noted that thenfamily fraternal benefit society, said he and Washington Archbishop Patrick O’Boyle other Catholics in the state of Connecticut founded the society almo st six decades ago recently had to face an issue that John so lay men and women would reflect their Carroll was familiar with. Lawmakers in Catholic faith in the world.

“Today, that same dynamic continues,” the Constitution State were considering a bill that “would have stripped bishops and he said. “These are challenging moments, pastors of their authority over many parish but they are not unique. What’s important is and diocesan decisions and put boards of that we stand together, and your voice, the voice of the faithful lay men and women, ‘lay trustees’ in charge,” Anderson said.

He said Bishop Carroll and other early is heard.”

Guests at the dinner included John G. Catholic bishops had to deal with such efforts to take away their rights, but such Roberts Jr., the chief justice of the United

By Mark Zimmermann

Reconstruction of historic chapel The reconstruction of a 1667 brick chapel in St. Mary’s City, Md., is expected to be finished in September. A team of historians, archaeologists, architects, archivists and others have worked to re-create St. John’s Chapel, known to be the first brick Catholic church in the English Colonies and a landmark for religious freedom.

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Catholic San Francisco

May 1, 2009

in brief

NEWS

Pope, Arab League head pledge cooperation for justice, peace VATICAN CITY – Pope Benedict XVI and the secretary-general of the League of Arab States met April 24 at the Vatican, pledging to cooperate more closely to promote dialogue, justice and peace. The primary topic of discussion, the Vatican press office said, was the VaticanArab League agreement signed the day before “to foster increased cooperation between the two parties with a view to promoting peace and justice in the world.” During the meeting, Amr Moussa, secretary-general of the organization representing 22 nations, and Pope Benedict gave special attention “to the role of intercultural and interreligious dialogue,” said the Vatican statement issued after the meeting. In addition to the new agreement, the Vatican said, the two exchanged “views on the international situation, especially in the Middle East, and on the need to find a just solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and to the other conflicts which afflict the region.” The official memorandum of understanding was signed April 23 at the Vatican by Moussa and by Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, Vatican secretary for relations with states.

Societies of Apostolic Life, said Sister Annmarie Sanders, a member of the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and LCWR director of communications. The officers involved in the Vatican meetings were: Sister J. Lora Dambroski of the Sisters of St. Francis of the Providence of God, LCWR president; Sister Marlene Weisenbeck of the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration, presidentelect; Sister Mary Whited of the Sisters of the Most Precious Blood, past president; and School Sister of Notre Dame Jane Burke, executive director.

Book says late pope kept sense of fun in his final years WARSAW, Poland – Pope John Paul II sang and made jokes even at the end of his life, said a Polish archbishop who was one of the pope’s personal secretaries. “The pope loved to laugh and could play innocent pranks,” said Coadjutor Archbishop Mieczyslaw Mokrzycki of the Latin-rite Archdiocese of Lviv, Ukraine. “He wasn’t exuberant and didn’t collect information, and he preferred to listen rather than talk. But he also noticed it when you’d had a hard day or were in bad mood. He would wink at you and smile.” The archbishop spoke recently to Poland’s TVN 24 about his book, “He Liked Tuesdays Best,” about life with Pope John Paul. He said that on Tuesdays during the papacy, Pope John Paul often would make discreet, unreported excursions outside Rome. Archbishop Mokrzycki said the pontiff was addicted to fresh air and insisted on keeping his Vatican apartment windows open, even in cold weather. The late pope rose regularly at 5 a.m. to watch the sunrise and “also liked sunset, during which he often cut himself off and became immersed in prayer,” Archbishop Mokrzycki said.

performed under ... social and economic duress meets no one’s standard for ‘freedom of choice,’” he added.

The bill provides “many kinds of life-affirming support for pregnant women and their unborn children,” Cardinal Rigali said, adding that it “reaches out to women with a helping hand when they are most vulnerable, and most engaged in making a decision about life or death for their unborn children.”

New ‘Monologues’ play offers hope for healing after abortion WASHINGTON – A play created by a member of a Minnesota theater company aims to be an alternative to “The Vagina Monologues,” a popular campus play but one that is often criticized for its sexual explicitness. Jeremy Stanbary of Epiphany Studio Productions says his play, “The Vitae Monologues,” portrays powerful stories of hope and healing from women who have suffered from the psychological and physical effects of abortion. Stanbary, founder and executive director of the Minneapolis-based Catholic production company, was inspired to write this play a few years ago after hearing women and men speak publicly of their experiences dealing with post-abortion syndrome at a Silent No More event in Minnesota. Sarah Preissner and Stanbary star in the one-act play designed for performance particularly on college campuses or at high schools. “These personal and very real testimonies are unfortunately often dismissed by the secular, medical community,” said Stanbary in a telephone interview with Catholic News Service. “The Vitae Monologues” or “The Monologues of Life” opens with a scene in a therapist’s office, where several people talk about seemingly unrelated problems they’re having in their lives. Each one has experienced trauma in the aftermath of an abortion.

Cardinal asks House members to LCWR, Vatican officials meet back Pregnant Women Support Act Politics at a defining moment for VATICAN CITY – Four top officers of the U.S. WASHINGTON – Whatever their position on abor- Catholic social teaching Leadership Conference of Women Religious met at the Vatican in late April with the head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, who had ordered a “doctrinal assessment” of the group’s activities. The president, president-elect, past president and executive director of the organization of superiors of most of the women’s religious orders in the United States met April 22 with U.S. Cardinal William J. Levada, prefect of the doctrinal congregation. They also met April 24 with officials of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and

tion, any House members who agree that “no woman should ever have to undergo an abortion because she feels she has no choice” or alternatives should co-sponsor the Pregnant Women Support Act, said Cardinal Justin Rigali of Philadelphia. The legislation, introduced by Rep. Lincoln Davis, D-Tenn., “provides an authentic common ground, an approach that people can embrace regardless of their position on other issues,” said the cardinal, chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities, in an April 24 letter to House members. “An abortion

WASHINGTON – The current political environment provides a defining moment for the interplay of Catholic social teachings on issues Congress is facing, according to a panel of Washington-area academics in a symposium organized by the Life Cycle Institute of The Catholic University of America. How the opportunity is used by those with an interest in bringing church teachings to bear on public policy could affect issues as diverse as programs for the poor, health care policy, efforts to mitigate global NEWS IN BRIEF, page 5

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SCRIPTURE SEARCH Gospel for May 3, 2009 John 10:11-18 Following is a word search based on the Gospel reading for the Fourth Sunday of Easter, Cycle B: the Good Shepherd teaching of Jesus. The words can be found in all directions in the puzzle.

GOOD SHEPHERD HIRED LEAVES FATHER THIS FOLD AGAIN MY OWN

LAYS DOWN WOLF RUNS AWAY OTHER SHEEP FLOCK NO ONE POWER

HIS LIFE COMING KNOW ME BELONG TAKE IT UP FROM ME COMMAND

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May 1, 2009

News in brief . . . n Continued from page 4

warming and strategies for nuclear deterrence, said professors in a range of academic disciplines from Catholic University, Georgetown University and the University of Maryland. The April 27 program in the Dirksen Senate Building drew an invited audience of congressional staffers, representatives of the Obama administration, journalists, students and others.

FDA’ decision on Plan B contrary to common sense WASHINGTON – The Food and Drug Administration’s decision not to appeal a court decision that the morning-after pill marketed as Plan B should be available over the counter to minors “flies in the face of common sense,” said the U.S. bishops’ pro-life spokeswoman. “Wider

access to Plan B could endanger the lives of newly conceived children, and will put minors at risk for unnecessary side effects, undermine parental rights and contribute to higher” rates of sexually transmitted diseases, said Deirdre McQuade, assistant director for policy and communications at the bishops’ Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities, in an April 23 statement. The FDA announced April 22 that the Obama administration would not appeal a March 23 decision by U.S. District Judge Edward Korman making Plan B available to 17-year-olds without a prescription. A prescription had previously been required for anyone under 18. Korman, a judge in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York, said the FDA had “repeatedly and unreasonably” delayed a decision on whether Plan B should be available over the counter and had been swayed by politics in ultimately deciding to make the drug available without a prescription only to those 18 or over.

Group seeks bilingual Catholics English-Spanish bilingual Catholics who feel a call to bring the Word of God to youthful offenders are invited to attend threeday training by Comunidad San Dimas, a Catholic restorative justice and ecumenical volunteer service.

Sessions will be held Saturdays May 30, June 6 and June 13 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 3371 16th St. in San Francisco. The training will be given in Spanish. Participants must register but there is no tuition.

In addition to being English-Spanish bilingual, volunteers must be at least 18, must complete all three days of training and must attend monthly meetings. Volunteers also must perform a year of service to discern if they are called to jail ministry and mentor youth released from jail on probation or parole in San Francisco, San Leandro or San Mateo.

Prison ministry is challenging and few

are called, said Comunidad San Dimas director Julio Escobar.

The purpose of the ministry, which is approved by the Archdiocese of San Francisco’s Office of Public Policy and Social Concerns, is to bring the Word of God to youth in order to give them the strength to change their lives. The ministry serves youth from 11 to 18 years old who are involved in gangs, drugs or violence and who are at risk of entering the adult justice system or becoming victims of violence themselves if they return to the street unrehabilitated.

“Our mission is to prepare them and get them to know more about God in case they go through more challenging times in their lives,” Escobar said. “We want to make sure they know more about God because God is with them.”

To register call (415) 244-5594 or e-mail at info@comunidadsandimas.org. See website at www.comunidadsandimas.org.

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Catholic San Francisco

On catholic-sf.org HEADLINE NEWS Varieties of intolerance: Religious and secular Cardinal George Pell of Sydney, Australia fears that unchecked hate speech against Christianity is rising in the West, noting that religious groups defending the traditional definition of marriage are being subjected to a “prolonged “prolonged campaign of payback and bullying.” Link to the article in Origins, the CNS documentary service, courtesy of the California Catholic Conference.

CHURCH/VATICAN The Bible and bioethics The Papal Biblical Commission is seeking wide distribution of a document on biblical guidance for present moral problems based on conformity to the biblical vision of human dignity and the example of Jesus, Zenit reports from Rome.

Pius XII: Shedding light on the “black legend” The image of Pacelli as “Hitler’s pope” is contested by a growing number of scholars, Rome-based journalist Sandro Magister reports.

WORLD Former gang members form church choir Triste is the name of the new choir made up of gang members notorious in this majority-Catholic country for roaming the outskirts of the capital city, the Union of Catholic Asian News reports from Timor-Leste on the island of Timor.

MULTIMEDIA Bringing the Word of God to young offenders The Word can save their lives, says Julio Escobar, who discusses the mission of the Comunidad San Dimas restorative justice ministry. See related article on this page.

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Catholic San Francisco

May 1, 2009

obituaries

Society of Helpers Sister Maria de la Cruz Aymes, author, educator Sister Maria de la Cruz Aymes of the Society of Helpers, died April 25 in Chicago. The late religious, who entered religious life in 1939, was 89 years old.

Sister Maria, who served with the Archdiocese of San Francisco from 1955-66, was known around the world for her work in catechetics. It was during her years with the Archdiocese that she developed and wrote the “On Our Way” series that was first published in 1957.

Deacon Jeffrey Burns, Ph. D., archivist for the Archdiocese of San Francisco and professor at the Franciscan School of Theology in Berkeley, said, “Sister Maria’s work in the “On Our Way” series revolutionized catechetics in the United States and made a tremendous contribution to that field.”

Deacon Burns told Catholic San Francisco, “More importantly she epitomized what it meant to be a Christian. She was gentle, sweet and loving and the way she embodied Christ’s message is as important a teaching tool as what she wrote.”

Sister Maria’s model moved away from the Baltimore

Catechism format of question and answer memorization to personal experience with a focus on deepening the faith not just having knowledge of the faith, Deacon Burns noted. He said her efforts set the standard for newer catechetical materials coming out after Vatican II. Her works have been translated into more than 20 languages, according to a biography of Sister Maria by Jesuit Father Francis J. Buckley who assisted her in subsequent revisions of the books.

“This is a great loss but Sister Maria has gone to her great reward after many years of service,” said Society of Helpers Sister Laetitia Bordes, who knew Sister Maria for 45 years and worked with her on the “On Our Way” series. “Maria was a very humble woman and a woman of vision with a variety of gifts. She was brilliant, kind and compassionate and used all of her gifts in service to the Church.”

Sister Maria also taught at St. Patrick’s Seminary and University in Menlo Park and the University of San Francisco. She is a former president of the Vatican’s International Catechetical

Council and was an expert assistant at the Synod of Bishops on Catechetics in Rome in 1977. She has donated her personal papers to the Archives of the Archdiocese of San Francisco.

In later years Sister Maria’s ministry centered more on Spanish-speaking Catholics publishing several books on faith formation in Spanish as well as producing television Sister Maria de la programs in Spanish.

Cruz Aymes At press time funeral arrangements were pending. Remembrances may be sent to Province of Helpers of the Holy Souls, 4721 J South Woodlawn, Chicago Illinois 60615.

Sister of Charity Jane Dolan, teacher and school administrator A funeral Mass was celebrated April 24 for Sister Jane Dolan, a Sister of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, who died April 21 at her community’s Caritas Center. The Mass was celebrated at the congregation’s Marian Chapel at their Dubuque, Iowa motherhouse. Interment was at the Sisters’ Mount Carmel cemetery.

In the Archdiocese of San Francisco, Sister Jane taught elementary-level students at Most Holy Redeemer School (195461) and St. Philip School (1961-64). She was also an educator and administrator in Stockton (1950-54, 1964-91), Chicago, Ill., and Butte, Mont.

Born Oct. 23, 1926, in San Francisco, she entered religious life from St Paul Parish in 1944. Date of first profession was March

19, 1947 and date of final vows was Aug. 15, 1952. Sister Jane is a graduate of St. Paul Elementary School and St Paul High School and earned a master’s degree in education from the University of San Francisco in 1963.

In Sister Jane’s application for admission to the BVM congregation, she wrote, “It has always been my desire to be a Sister because I want to become in closer contact with Almighty God. I want to give Him everything just as He so generously gave to me.”

Sister Monica Lowry served with Sister Jane in Stockton where the two became good friends. Sister Monica resides now at Caritas Center. In a funeral reflection at the Mass, Sister Monica

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was quoted. “Monica describes Jane as an excellent teacher developing lifelong friendships with some of her students, their parents and her associates. She was an outgoing person interested in the lives of her students, parents and parishioners, visiting people, widows and friends during tragic periods in their lives.”

Surviving are a brother Edward and his wife, Lillian, of San Mateo, as well as a niece Sister Jane Dolan and nephews, and the Sisters of Charity, BVM with whom she shared life for 64 years.

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Catholic San Francisco

7

(PHOTOS BY JOSE LUIS AGUIRRE)

Lila Rose, head of the pro-life group Live Action, rests between speeches at the 8th annual “Exposing Abortion” conference, held at UC Berkeley April 25.

Pro-life students urge activists to be “creative extremists” Lila Rose, founder of the pro-life group Live Action and keynote speaker at the 8th annual California Students for Life Celebrate Life Conference, encouraged participants to take concrete action against abortion.

“Together we all have a place in this battle,” said Rose, a 20-year-old history major at UCLA. “We are given such a time as this to do great things.”

Live Action has become known for its undercover investigations into abortion counseling practices at Planned Parenthood clinics.

Rose maintains that the investigations at clinics in California, Arizona and Indiana have shown that clinic workers failed to report the sexual abuse of minors.

Rose said Planned Parenthood has threatened legal action against her for infringing on the privacy rights of its employees. She said she has since seen her picture posted in clinics around the country and has had to go to clinics in disguise.

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Above, Carol Powell of San Rafael cries while listening to Lila Rose, head of Live Action. Powell says she regrets the abortion she had 32 years ago.

Laurie Rubiner, vice president for public policy and advocacy for Planned Parenthood Federation of America, quoted in an April 2009 Los Angeles Times report, said its patients are of primary concern. “That means making sure that we are complying with minor-abuse reporting requirements,” she said.

The conference, held at the University of California at Berkeley and sponsored by Live Action and Berkeley Students for Life, drew 140 mostly college-age people.

Lois Cunningham, director of crisis pregnancy outreach at the Center for Bio-Ethical Reform, showcased the work of the center’s Genocide Awareness Project. Touring college campuses around the country, the group displays billboard-sized pictures of historical genocide next to pictures of aborted babies.

Cunningham said abortion has become abstract in the minds of many Americans and only graphic depictions of its consequences will end the practice.

Left, Alissa Zarschw listens to speakers at the “Exposing Abortion” conference while holding son Cyrus.

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Catholic San Francisco

May 1, 2009

Bishop: Notre Dame invitation to Obama has led to ‘terrible breach’

By Nancy Frazier O’Brien WASHINGTON (CNS) – Saying that the president of the University of Notre Dame has offered “a flawed justification” for the decision to invite President Barack Obama to speak and receive an honorary degree at commencement, the local bishop urged action to “heal the terrible breach which has taken place between Notre Dame and the Church.”

Bishop John M. D’Arcy of Fort WayneSouth Bend, Ind., said in an April 21 statement that his office had received “over 3,300 messages of shock, dismay and outrage” about the university’s plans to honor Obama, “and they are still coming in.”

The bishop – in whose diocese Notre Dame is located – said Holy Cross Father John I. Jenkins, university president, had erred in saying that the U.S. bishops’ document on “Catholics in Political Life” did not apply in this case.

The 2004 document states: “The Catholic community and Catholic institutions should not honor those who act in defiance of our fundamental moral principles. They should not be given awards, honors or platforms which would suggest support for their actions.”

Critics of Obama said his support of legal abortion and embryonic stem-cell research make him an inappropriate choice to be commencement speaker at a Catholic university.

Father Jenkins has said the invitation to Obama “should not be taken as condoning or endorsing his positions on specific issues regarding the protection of human life, including abortion and embryonic stem-cell research.”

But Bishop D’Arcy, who has said he will boycott the May 17 commencement, said the public outcry shows that the invitation “has, in fact, scandalized many Catholics and other people of good will.”

“It seems that the action in itself speaks so loudly that people have not been able to hear the words of Father Jenkins, and, indeed, the action has suggested approval to many,” he added.

“It would be one thing to bring the president here for a discussion on health care or immigration, and no person of good will could rightly oppose this,” Bishop D’Arcy said. “We have here, however, the granting of an honorary degree of law to someone whose activities, both as president and previously, have been altogether supportive of laws

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against the dignity of the human person yet to be born.”

The bishop criticized Father Jenkins for consulting with other university presidents and other bishops about the interpretation of “Catholics in Political Life” while failing to consult “his own bishop who ... is the teacher and lawgiver in his own diocese.”

“If there was any genuine questions or doubt about the meaning of the relevant sentence in the conference’s document, any competent canonist with knowledge of the tradition and love for Christ’s church had responsibility to inform Father Jenkins of

the fundamental principle that the diocesan bishop alone bears the responsibility to provide an authoritative interpretation,” he said.

Bishop D’Arcy pledged to “work with Father Jenkins and all at Notre Dame to heal the terrible breach which has taken place between Notre Dame and the church.”

“It cannot be allowed to continue,” he added. “I ask all to pray that this healing will take place in a way that is substantial and true, and not illusory. Notre Dame and Father Jenkins must do their part if this healing is to take place. I will do my part.”

Glendon declines to accept Notre Dame’s prestigious Laetare Medal WASHINGTON (CNS) – Citing concerns about plans to honor President Barack Obama despite his views on “fundamental principles of justice” that are contrary to Catholic teaching, former U.S. Ambassador to the Vatican Mary Ann Glendon has turned down the prestigious Laetare Medal from the University of Notre Dame.

In an April 27 letter to Holy Cross Father John I. Jenkins, Notre Dame’s president, Glendon said she will not participate in May 17 commencement exercises during which the award was to have been presented.

The letter, posted on the blog of the magazine First Things, does not mention specific justice principles, but Glendon was critical of Notre Dame’s decision to give Obama an honorary degree.

Obama supports legal abortion and his administration recently proposed new regulations that would allow the use of federal funds for embryonic stem-cell research.

Both are in direct conflict with fundamental church teaching.

The Laetare Medal is presented annually to an American Catholic layperson for outstanding service to the Catholic Church and society.

A spokeswoman for the Indiana university confirmed April 27 that Glendon, who served as ambassador from 2007 until earlier this year, was the first person to accept and then later decline the award.

Father Jenkins offered a two-sentence response on the university’s Web site.

GLENDON, page 10

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May 1, 2009

Catholic San Francisco

9

Guest Commentary Barack Obama, Notre Dame and the future of the U.S. Church

By Archbishop Emeritus John R. Quinn At critical moments in life it is important to take stock.

The demand from many Catholic bishops and lay leaders that the University of Notre Dame rescind its invitation to President Obama to deliver the 2009 commencement address on May 17 is surely a critical moment in the relationship between the Catholic Church in the United States and the wider American society. Before battle lines harden further on this issue, we should take time-out to ask some hard and penetrating questions. These are some of the questions that occur to me.

1. What if the president is forced to back out of his appearance at Notre Dame either because he withdraws or the university withdraws its invitation? If this happens, will that further the pro-life effort in our country? If the president is forced to withdraw, will that increase cooperation between the Catholic Church and the Administration, or will it create mounting tensions and deepening hostility? If the president is forced to withdraw, will that bring about fewer abortions in the United States? Will his withdrawal under such pressure lead more people to support pro-life efforts?

2. If the president is forced to withdraw, how will it impact the image of the Church? Will it enhance the mission of the Church? Will it create a more positive attitude toward the Catholic Church?

3. If the president is forced to withdraw, how will that fact be used? Will it be used to link the Church with racist and other extremist elements in our country? Will the banishment of the first African-American president from Catholic university campuses be seen as grossly insensitive to the heritage of racial hatred which has burdened our country for far too long? Will it be used to paint the bishops as supporters of one political party over another?

Will this action be seen as proof that the bishops of the United States do not sincerely seek dialogue on major policy questions, but only acquiescence?

These questions are not negligible. Cardinal James

Gibbons, when he received the “Red Hat,” in a memorable sermon at the church of Santa Maria in Trastevere, strongly praised the tremendous benefit that came to the Church in our country because of the separation of church and state. During our more than two hundred years of history, the American bishops have until very recently steadfastly held to the position of making judgments about policy but never judgments about persons in the political arena. One reason for this position was that the episcopate recognized that the greater good of the mission of the Church would be served in this way.

Taking account of what serves the greater good of the mission of the Church is not opportunism. It is what Catholic tradition calls prudence. The saints have used various words for this cardinal virtue: discretion, discernment, practical wisdom. The great teacher of discernment, St. Ignatius Loyola, points out in this context the serious evil of the temptation of the good. Not everything that seems good is in fact good. Weighing, discernment and discretion are necessary even in things that seem on the face of it to be good. There is always the twin issue of the objective itself and the means of achieving it. One may be good, the other not.

We American Catholics are grateful for the benefits of the separation of church and state. But that separation is not the separation of church and society–the state is not society. The church has a proper role in society and a constitutionally guaranteed freedom of religion. It is the right and the grave obligation of bishops to speak about the moral dimensions of public issues.

Even so, we must step back and consider the limitations–prudential, moral and political–on the role of bishops in public issues. In doing so we need to consider the longstanding policy of the American episcopate in this matter. We must weigh very seriously the consequences if the American bishops are seen as the agents of the public embarrassment of the newly elected president by forcing him to withdraw from an appearance at a distinguished Catholic university. The bishops and the

president serve the same citizens of the same country.

It is in the interests of both the Church and the nation if both work together in civility, honesty and friendship for the common good, even where there are grave divisions, as there are on abortion.

But it does not improve the likelihood of making progress on this and other issues of common concern if we adopt the clenched fist approach. The president has given ample evidence that he is a man of good will, of keen intelligence, desirous of listening and capable of weighing seriously other views. The Directory for the Pastoral Ministry of Bishops, citing Augustine, points out that “Certain situations cannot be resolved with asperity or hardness” and goes on to say “(B)ecause his daily pastoral concerns give the Bishop greater scope for personal decision-making, his scope for error is also greater, however good his intentions: this thought should encourage him to remain open to dialogue with others, always ready to learn, to seek and accept the advice of others.”

Most Reverend John R. Quinn is Archbishop Emeritus of San Francisco.

Reprinted from America (Mar. 30) with permission.

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10

Catholic San Francisco

May 1, 2009

‘Faith in flux’ study shows reasons why people leave their religions pally teachings on the Bible. The single largest factor cited by Catholics who joined mainline Protestant churches was “family reasons,” such as marrying someone of another faith, mentioned by 31 percent.

Nearly half the people who left the Catholic Church, 48 percent, did so before age 18, the survey found. One-third of Protestants who changed faiths left before 18, they said.

Among both Catholics and Protestants, high percentages of those who have stayed in their churches were active in religious activities in their youth.

The Pew study said 46 percent of people who have remained Catholic described their faith as strong when they were children.

Those who regularly attended Mass as children and teens were more likely to have remained Catholic. Similarly, those who attended their Protestant churches regularly as teens also were more likely to stay in the faith of their childhood.

But participation in religious education as a child, or in youth groups as teens, appears to have had little statistical difference in whether childhood Catholics are still Catholic.

The study found that 71 percent of people who are still Catholic attended religious education as children, compared to 68 percent of Catholics who became Protestants and 68 percent of those who now belong to no organized religion. Thirty-two percent of current Catholics participated in Catholic youth groups, compared to 39 percent of Catholics who became Protestants and 32 percent of former Catholics who are unaffiliated.

Eighty-six percent of people who are still Catholic said they attended church weekly as children, as did 74 percent of those no longer affiliated with a religion and 79 percent of Catholics who became Protestants. Sixty-nine percent of current Catholics

attended church regularly as teens, compared with 60 percent of converts to Protestant religions and 44 percent of people who are unaffiliated with churches.

In a statement issued by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Washington Archbishop Donald W. Wuerl said the report highlights that “adolescence is a critical time in religious development,” and that “what happens in the teen years has a long-lasting effect.”

Archbishop Wuerl, past chairman of the bishops’ Committee on Catechesis and next chairman of their Committee on Doctrine, said the data shows that “we have to help young people and their parents appreciate the importance of going to weekly Mass so teenagers know Jesus is there for them now and always.”

One-quarter of lifelong Catholics attended Catholic high schools, the survey said. Of Catholics who became Protestants, 16 percent went to Catholic high school, as did 20 percent of former Catholics who no longer are involved with a religious group.

Smith explained to CNS that the survey was unable to provide data on people who became Catholics because of the small number who were interviewed. Although those who switched to Catholicism make up 2.6 percent of the U.S. population, Smith said, that translated to just 69 interviews for this survey, too few from which to draw statistically meaningful conclusions.

Of those 69, Smith said about half had come from other Christian churches and half previously had no religious affiliation. That breakdown made it even harder to use the data as representative of all those who became Catholic.

Overall, the retention rate for the Catholic Church, counting those people born Catholic and remaining in the faith, was 68 percent – a level vsecond only to the Mormon Church.

institution’s freedom to invite speakers and engage in serious debate with whomever it wishes.” As a result, she wrote, “I am at a n Continued from page 8 loss to understand why a Catholic university should disrespect it.”

“We are, of course, disappointed, that Glendon said she was also concerned Professor Glendon has made this decithat the university had issued “talking sion,” his statement said. “It is our intenpoints” that implied that her acceptance tion to award the Laetare Medal to another speech for the award would “somehow deserving recipient, and we will make the balance the event.” announcement as soon as possible.”

She quoted two statements from the Jennifer R. Psaki, a White House university: spokeswoman, said Obama also was dis– “President Obama won’t be doing appointed by Glendon’s decision, “but he all the talking. Mary Ann Glendon, the looks forward to delivering an inclusive former U.S. ambassador to the Vatican, and respectful speech at the Notre Dame will be speaking as the recipient of the graduation, a school with a rich history of Mary Ann Glendon Laetare Medal.” fostering the exchange of ideas.”

– “We think having the president come to Notre Dame, “While he is honored to have the support of millions of people of all faiths, he does not govern with the expectation that see our graduates, meet our leaders and hear a talk from everyone sees eye to eye with him on every position, and the Mary Ann Glendon is a good thing for the president and spirit of debate and healthy disagreement on important issues for the causes we care about.”

Glendon wrote that a commencement is supposed to be is part of what he loves about this country,” Psaki added. a joyous day for the graduates and their families.

Glendon, professor of law at Harvard Law School, “It is not the right place, nor is a brief acceptance speech wrote that the Notre Dame’s decision to honor the president disregards a 2004 request from the U.S. bishops to the right vehicle, for engagement with the very serious Catholic institutions and organizations asking them “not to problems raised by Notre Dame’s decision – in disregard honor those who act in defiance of our fundamental moral of the settled position of the U.S. bishops – to honor a prominent and uncompromising opponent of the church’s principles.”

The former ambassador said she felt the bishops’ request is position on issues involving fundamental principles of “reasonable” and does not seek to “control or interfere with an justice,” the letter said.

In light of reports that other Catholic institutions also are choosing to disregard the bishops’ request, Glendon expressed concern that Notre Dame’s example “could have an unfortunate ripple effect.”

Glendon concluded her letter by saying that she would release it to the media without making any other comment “at this time.”

The university has been under nearly constant criticism since announcing March 20 that Obama would speak at the commencement. Bishops, clergy, alumni and conservative Catholic organizations have mounted a campaign seeking to have the university revoke the invitation to the president.

However, students have been reported to be enthusiastic about and supportive of the president’s upcoming appearance on campus.

The Laetare Medal has been awarded by the university since 1883 and is the university’s oldest and most prestigious award for lay Catholics. Past recipients include President John F. Kennedy; Sen. Daniel P. Moynihan; death penalty abolitionist Sister Helen Prejean, a member of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Medaille; and Dorothy Day, co-founder of the Catholic Worker Movement. Last year’s recipient was actor and political activist Martin Sheen.

By Patricia Zapor WASHINGTON (CNS) – On the heels of a study of the U.S. “religious landscape” released last year that showed a quarter of Americans had changed faiths, a follow-up survey has found an even greater rate of “Faith in Flux,” as the latest report is called.

When the number of people who now practice a different faith than that of their childhood is added to those who have moved around among religions or denominations and come back to where they started, nearly half of Americans have changed religions at some point, said the report by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life released April 27.

The study made connections between how actively involved people were in their churches as children and teens and how likely they were to leave the faith in which they were raised.

Across the board, the vast majority of people who changed churches, who stopped being affiliated with any faith or who transitioned from being “unaffiliated” with a religion to belonging to a church did so before the age of 24, the survey found.

The reasons cited most often by those who have left the Catholic Church were that their spiritual needs were not being met, that they “just gradually drifted away” or they “found a religion they liked more.”

Greg Smith, research fellow for the Pew Forum, told Catholic News Service that among the more striking conclusions of “Faith in Flux” were the reasons people gave for leaving the Catholic Church, depending upon whether they joined evangelical or mainline Protestant denominations.

Fifty-three percent of Catholics who became evangelicals said they left because of religious and moral beliefs, princi-

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May 1, 2009

Catholic San Francisco

? VOCATIONS ?

11

Answering God’s call to religious life is based on trust, says pope

By Carol Glatz VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Embracing a religious vocation is not about feeling worthy or strong enough to be one of God’s privileged ministers and witnesses, said Pope Benedict XVI. It is about trusting God so much that one can answer God’s divine call without hesitation, the pope said in his message for the World Day of Prayer for Vocations.

“What is asked of those who are called, for their part, is careful listening and prudent discernment, a generous and willing adherence to the divine plan, and a serious study of the reality that is proper to the priestly and religious vocations, so as to

be able to respond responsibly and with conviction,” he said.

The papal message for the day of prayer, which will be observed May 3 in most countries, carries the theme: “Faith in the Divine Initiative – The Human Response.”

In his message, Pope Benedict said it is God who chooses some to follow his Son, Jesus, more closely and to put themselves fully at the service of the church.

Answering God’s call “is never patterned after the timid self-interest of the worthless servant who, out of fear, hid the talent entrusted to him in the ground,” the pope said, citing Matthew’s Gospel parable of the talents.

Rather, it is a prompt and “ready adherence to the Lord’s invitation,” which is rooted in complete trust in God’s plan, he said.

The pope acknowledged the “worrisome shortage of priests” in some parts of the world as well as the difficulties and obstacles the church can encounter.

However, God’s children can find strength in their unshakeable faith that God is firmly guiding the church toward the fullness of the kingdom and it is the Lord “who freely chooses persons of every culture and of every age and invites them to follow him according to the mysterious plans of his merciful love,” he said.

While God calls some people to special forms of service, all Catholics have a duty to keep God’s appeal for vocations to the priesthood and religious life constantly in their prayers.

“We must pray that the whole Christian people grows in its trust in God, convinced that the ‘Lord of the harvest’ does not cease to ask some to place their entire existence freely at his service so as to work with him more closely in the mission of salvation,” he said.

Editor’s Note: The text of the pope’s message in English is posted online at: www.vatican.va, click on Pope Benedict’s messages. Also find the 2009 Papal Prayer for Vocations at www.sfarchdiocese.org.

By John Thavis VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Pope Benedict XVI canonized five new saints April 26 and said their dedication to the Eucharist, the poor and the world of work made them models for today’s Christians in an era of economic crisis.

By orienting their lives to Christ, the five men and women showed that “it is possible to lay the foundations for construction of a society open to justice and solidarity, overcoming that economic and cultural imbalance that continues to exist in a great part of our planet,” the pope said.

The pope celebrated the canonization Mass in St. Peter’s Square joined by tens of thousands of pilgrims who held up photos or drawings of the saints. The 82-year-old pontiff listened as biographies of the five were read aloud, and then pronounced the canonization, drawing applause from the crowd. Afterward, relics of the new saints were brought to the altar.

In his homily, the pope said the saints’ life stories hold valuable lessons for modern Christians. Each of the newly canonized had a special devotion to the Eucharist, and each transformed that spiritual power into social action, he said.

The five new saints are: – St. Arcangelo Tadini, a parish priest from the northern Italian area of Brescia, who preached strongly in defense of workers’ rights during the industrialization period of the late 1800s.

He organized an association to help factory workers, established a spinning mill to give young girls of the area gainful employment, and eventually founded a religious order of sisters who worked alongside women in the factories.

Pope Benedict said his Gospelinspired social activity was “prophetic”

and is particularly relevant in the current economic crisis. He said the saint taught people that a deep personal relationship with Christ is the key to bringing Christian values into the workplace.

– St. Bernardo Tolomei, who, inspired by his love for prayer and for manual labor, founded a unique Benedictine monastic movement in Italy in the 14th century. Born in Siena, he was forced by an onset of blindness to give up a public career, and he decided to found a small hermitic community. He later founded the monastery of Santa Maria di Monte Oliveto Maggiore, and died in 1348 of the plague while helping victims of the disease; his burial place, in a common pit, has never been found.

The pope called him “an authentic martyr of charity” and said his service to others was an inspiration to all.

– St. Nuno de Santa Maria Alvares Pereira, a Portuguese army hero in the late 1300s, who, after the death of his wife, abanPope Benedict XVI arrives for a canonization doned his military career and gave Mass in St. Peter’s Square at Vatican April 26. up his wealth to enter a Carmelite monastery. In particular he helped the poor, distributing food to the needy.

He was totally dedicated to Marian prayer, and fasted in Mary’s honor three days of the week.

The pope said he was happy to canonize a person whose faith grew while in the military, a context generally viewed as unfavorable to holiness. It demonstrates that the values and principles of the Gospel can be realized in any situation, especially when they are employed for the common good, he said.

– St. Geltrude Comensoli, born in the mid-19th century in the Brescia area,

(CNS PHOTO/ALESSANDRO BIANCHI, REUTERS)

Pope praises five new saints, says they hold lessons for current crisis who established a religious institute dedicated to the adoration of the Eucharist. In approving the institute in 1880, Pope Leo XIII asked her to include as part of its mission the education of young female factory workers.

Pope Benedict said this connection of contemplative charity with “lived charity” was particularly important “in a society that is lost and often wounded like our own.”

He said the saint’s life shows that adoration takes precedence over acts of charity, because “from love for Christ died and resurrected, and truly present in the Eucharist, comes that evangelical charity that pushes us to consider all men as brothers.”

– St. Caterina Volpicelli, who founded a community of sisters centered on Eucharistic adoration and service to the poor, especially young orphans, in the slums of Naples in the mid-1800s.

The pope said she correctly saw that in order to bring the Gospel to bear on society it was necessary to “liberate God from the prisons in which man has confined him.”

12

Catholic San Francisco

May 1, 2009

? VOCATIONS ?

Mercy nun a finalist for Time list of world’s most influential people PHILADELPHIA (CNS) – You wouldn’t expect to see a Philadelphia nun who works with the homeless on a list of the most influential people in the world.

But Mercy Sister Mary Scullion, co-founder and executive director of Project HOME, was named a finalist in Time magazine’s 2009 annual most influential list, which calls her “Philadelphia’s Mother Teresa.”

Sister Scullion did not make the final list of the top 100, but in early April she was ranked 37th among 204 nominees in continuing online voting, right behind the Dalai Lama.

The list includes people in government, science, technology and the arts.

On the plus side, according to the citation, she has helped slash the homeless rate in half in the City of Brotherly Love, and 95 percent of those who cycle through Project HOME are never again homeless, “a success rate which has made the program a model for dozens of other U.S. cities.”

The only negative, according to the citation: “She’s not too well-known outside of Philly.”

That’s beginning to change.

“It’s not about me; we are a community of a lot of people,” Sister Mary said in an interview with The Catholic Standard & Times, newspaper of the Philadelphia Archdiocese.

She co-founded Project HOME in 1989, along with Joan Dawson McConnon, to whom Sister Mary attributes as much, if not more, responsibility for the organization’s success. HOME stands for Housing, Opportunities for Employment, Medical Care and Education.

Now 55, Mary Scullion, the daughter of Irish immigrants, was a high school senior when she applied to the Sisters of Mercy in 1971.

Sister Ellen Cavanaugh, who was vocations director, remembers the interview well.

Some members of the screening committee looked at Mary in her high school uniform and thought her far too young and inexperienced to enter religious life. Others including Sister Ellen and the congregation’s superior, Mother Mary Joan Thompson, disagreed.

“God knew that within Mary mercy lived,” Sister Ellen said.

In any case, Mary Scullion waited a year before entering the congregation – in the meantime she studied math at Temple University. Her first assignment after formation was

BE THE MISSION

(CNS PHOTO/SA RAH WEBB, CATHOLIC STANDARD & TIMES)

By Lou Baldwin

Mercy Sister Mary Scullion, co-founder and executive director of Project HOME, talks with young men at the homeless program.

teaching seventh grade in an inner-city school, St. Malachy in north Philadelphia.

Living and working among the poorest people in her city, Sister Mary felt drawn to a ministry more directly involved in alleviating their needs. After one year at St. Malachy, she joined the staff of Mercy Hospice, a shelter conducted by her congregation for homeless women.

A defining moment for her was the 41st International Eucharistic Congress, held in Philadelphia in 1976, which brought to the city such advocates for the poor as Mother Teresa of Calcutta, India; Father Pedro Arrupe, the Jesuits’ superior general; Brazilian Bishop Dom Helder Camara; and Dorothy Day, co-founder of the Catholic Worker Movement.

“Father Arrupe said, ‘When people are hungry anywhere in the world, the Eucharist is incomplete,’” she said. “The Eucharist is central to my spiritual life, and there is a place for everyone at God’s table.”

The same principle holds for homelessness. “Our vision is that none of us are home until all of us are home,” she said.

In 1985 she was a co-founder of Women of Hope, a safe haven that provides permanent housing for mentally ill women.

Since 1989, Project HOME has been her main focus. And under the leadership of Sister Mary and McConnon, it has grown from transitional housing for 12 men to a multifaceted agency designed to break the cycle of homelessness for the men and women it serves.

Project HOME, which depends on donations of time, talent and resources, now has 447 units of housing and conducts three businesses, including the Back Home Cafe, that provide employment to the formerly homeless.

Among the newer ventures is Rowan Homes, which houses 31 women with children, where Sister Mary herself has taken up residence.

A former hotel in an upscale neighborhood of Philadelphia was acquired and reopened in 2005 as Kate’s Place; it was converted into apartments for 144 low- and moderate-income people.

“We are building a community of partners who are committed to ending homelessness, and the more people and partners involved the greater our chances in ending homelessness,” Sister Mary said.

Fostering such partnerships was a point she made earlier this year in her speech at the annual meeting of FADICA, Foundations and Donors Interested in Catholic Activities.

She urged FADICA members to embrace a philanthropy that is done in a spirit of partnership with other foundations and the community.

A woman of seemingly boundless energy, she usually finds time for a run through Philadelphia’s Fairmount Park a couple of times each week and hopes to participate in a May 3 10-mile run in the city. But most of her energy is spent in mission.

The question for Sister Mary is what is God’s vision for the world and what can be done to make it happen, through his grace, prayer, Eucharist and community.

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May 1, 2009

Catholic San Francisco

? VOCATIONS ?

13

Discerning a call to be a priest in the Archdiocese of San Francisco In his Apostolic Exhortation Pastores Dabo Vobis (I will give you Shepherds), Pope John Paul II reflected on the words of the prophet Jeremiah, “I will give you shepherds after my own heart.”

Pope John Paul II wrote: “God promises his people that he will never leave them without shepherds to gather them together and guide them.” The Church, the People of God, constantly experiences the reality of this prophetic message and continues joyfully to thank God for it. He continues: “Without priests the Church would not be able to respond to the command of Christ: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations” (Mt 28:19) and “Do this in remembrance of me” (Lk 22:19; 1 Cor. 11:24)…By faith we know that the Lord’s promise cannot fail.”

A young man who feels called to the diocesan priesthood in the Archdiocese of San Francisco will minister to the Catholic faithful in the parishes, schools, and institutions of San Francisco, San Mateo and Marin counties. A candidate for the diocesan

priesthood must complete four years of high school, four years of college and between four and six years of graduate studies in theology before ordination.

A priest is inseparably one with Christ and with the Church.

By baptism he shares in the priesthood of all believers. By ordination he is given a new relationship to Christ and to the community - he becomes configured to Christ, shepherd, head, and high priest, and represents Christ to the Church and to the world. He also represents the Church in her mission to be the sacrament of salvation to the world. The priest reminds the entire community of the baptized of its call to service in the name of Christ prophet, priest, and servant of the kingdom of God. A priest is a servant leader in the Catholic Christian community; he is called to minister in the manner of Christ who “came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mk 10:45).

A priest represents the Church’s teaching and tradition, sensitive to God’s presence in his people and his move-

ment in their history. A priest serves the local community for which he is ordained and the universal Church of Christ, one, holy, catholic, and apostolic.

To learn more about becoming a priest in the Archdiocese of San Francisco, contact Father Tom Daly, Director of Vocations at (415) 614-5684, or write to Vocations Office, San Father Tom Daly Francisco Archdiocese, One Peter Yorke Way, San Francisco CA 94109.

John 15:16 “It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you…”

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Archdiocese of San Francisco Fr. Thomas A. Daly Office of Vocations 1 Peter Yorke Way San Francisco, CA 94109 415.614.5683

Please pray for our seminarians.... and for an increase in vocations to the priesthood and religious life.

14

Catholic San Francisco

May 1, 2009

? VOCATIONS ?

John R. Quinn The Archbishop with the heart of a Deacon: An appreciation

(CNS PHOTO BY NANCY WIECHEC)

Archbishop Emeritus of San Francisco John R. Quinn understandable and relevant to people in the Bay Area. He celebrated his 80th birthday March 28 and to mark the occa- spoke in a clear, powerful, and accessible manner.

While it is impossible to review all his major stands, sevsion, Catholic San Francisco asked Deacon Jeffrey Burns to provide a personal reflection. Archbishop Quinn was born in eral stand out. He was a persistent critic of the United States’ Riverside, Calif. in 1929 and was ordained a priest in 1953. failed policies in Latin America. He personally witnessed the He was made a bishop in 1967 and served as Archbishop of violence and oppression at the funeral for Archbishop Oscar Romero in 1980 in El Salvador, when death squads attacked the San Francisco from 1977 to 1995. mourners, with Quinn nearly being Last year I had the good fortune trampled. In 1983, he issued a pasto introduce Archbishop Quinn at toral letter “On Central America,” in a joint meeting of deacons from which he called for an end of U.S. the Archdiocese of San Francisco military assistance to and intervenand the Diocese of Oakland. I tion in, Central America. He also introduced the archbishop as “the called on Bay Area Catholics to archbishop with the heart of a deaprovide assistance to the refugees. con.” The crowd reacted positively.

By 1983, some 80,000 refugees The heart of the archbishop’s episfrom El Salvador, Guatemala, copacy addressed those issues the and Nicaragua had arrived in the deacon holds closest to his heart Bay Area. In 1985, Quinn all but -- charity and justice. endorsed the Sanctuary Movement, Over the course of his eighteen a movement to provide shelter and year episcopacy, Quinn addressed protection to refugees who did not a wide variety of social issues: have legal status in the U.S. In a abortion, euthanasia, the arms pastoral statement, “When I Was race, war with Iraq, the AIDS a Stranger,” Quinn asserted, “The crisis, violence against gays and moral principles of faith… call lesbians, immigrants and refuupon us to protect and shelter citigees, the economy, the morality zens of other nations who have been of budget cutting in Sacramento deprived of their homeland by the and Washington, D.C., the politithreat of violence or terror or war.” cal crises in Central America In 1993 and 1994, Quinn spoke out and the democratic revolutions against the infamous Proposition in the Philippines and China. On 187, which sought to keep “illegal each issue he spoke out, clearly aliens,” that is, undocumented articulating the moral dimenArchbishop Emeritus of San Francisco immigrants and their children, from sions of public policy issues, John R. Quinn is pictured at The Catholic receiving benefits from California and effectively presenting the University of America in this 2001 photograph. social services. Archbishop Quinn Church’s social teaching. In the opposed this initiative, which he tradition of previous archbishops, Quinn placed the Church in San Francisco squarely on the called “cruel” and “inhumane.” In a pastoral statement he side of the poor, the displaced, the sick, and the powerless. asserted, “Efforts to make life more difficult and unbearable A particular gift of Archbishop Quinn was to transform for immigrants and refugees is morally wrong and an offense somewhat dense, formal Church documents into language against human rights and the dignity of the person.”

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Quinn was equally eloquent in his condemnation of the arms race. On the feast of St. Francis, October 4, 1981, Quinn made a powerful denunciation of the arms race in a sermon at St. Mary’s Cathedral; a pastoral letDeacon Jeffrey ter on the same topic was M. Burns published at the same time. “The continued existence of the human race is seriously endangered today by the threat of nuclear destruction.” Quinn condemned the massive sums being spent: “In human terms, excessive spending on arms production takes lives just as surely as if the weapons produced had actually been put to use.” Using Gospel imperatives and traditional just war theory, Quinn concluded, “The teaching of the Church is clear: nuclear weapons and the arms race must be condemned as immoral.” Quinn played a significant role in the US Bishops 1983 Pastoral “The Challenge of Peace,” authoring three amendments that strengthened its position against the use of nuclear weapons.

Quinn spoke out on many more issues, but this brief selection reflects the heart of his message—concern for the poor and oppressed, concern about the misuse of power, and concern for the dignity of each person made in the image and likeness of God. Quinn spoke out with a clear powerful voice on the central issues of the day. Truly he was the archbishop with the heart of a deacon.

Jeffrey M. Burns, Ph.D, is an author and historian.

He also serves as the Archivist for the Archdiocese of San Francisco and is a permanent deacon serving in the Diocese of Oakland.

For information about the Permanent Diaconate, contact Deacon Leon Kortenkamp at (415) 614-5531 or kortenkampl@sfarchdiocese.org.

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May 1, 2009

Catholic San Francisco

15

Province Bishops Bishops from the San Francisco Metropolitan Province met March 27 and honored Most Reverend John R. Quinn, Archbishop Emeritus of San Francisco, at a luncheon marking his 80th birthday. Shown in a photograph taken that day are: Back from left: San Jose Bishop Patrick J. McGrath, Honolulu Bishop Clarence R. Silva, Salt Lake City Bishop John C. Wester, Stockton Bishop Stephen E. Blaire, Father Daniel Danielson, Acting Administrator of the Diocese of Oakland, and Retired Oakland Bishop John S. Cummins.

Front from left: Reno Bishop Randolph R. Calvo, Sacramento Bishop Jaime Soto, retired San Francisco Archbishop John R. Quinn, San Francisco Auxiliary Bishop Ignatius Wang, San Francisco Archbishop George H. Niederauer, Santa Rosa Bishop Daniel F. Walsh, Las Vegas Bishop Joseph A. Pepe, and San Francisco Auxiliary Bishop William J. Justice.

n Continued from cover

These dances can provide mentoring opportunities for older parishioners and family members, who can share their musical memories with youth. Teens in turn can share their taste in music with older parishioners.

Students can storyboard a biblical video game after reading a Bible story or watching a Bible-based film. Individually or collaboratively, students can outline the game’s story scene-by-scene, write dialogue and sketch the scenes.

The key to helping young people navigate the media is through conversation, not control, Sister Rose said. She said parents should teach children values at an early age and encourage them to seek out those values in the media.

She said though parents and educators may find comfort in placing filters on the Internet and television, these controls often cause more problems than they solve.

Many children whose access to the media is artificially curtailed will find the unfettered access they get outside their homes and schools an irresistible temptation.

Explaining to children why certain types of media are inappropriate based on values can be a more effective answer to negative media influences, she said.

“Control is for a moment,” she said.

“Conversation is for a lifetime.”

Sister Rose also said while parents should rightfully be concerned with violence and obscenity in the media, context is often more important than content.

“In this country we forget context, and we get focused on content – how many bad words, how many scenes of violence, how much sex,” she said. “We fail to look at the way the story is resolved. “Dead Man Walking” was an R-rated movie, but was probably one of the best Catholic movies ever made.”

Some parishes are further along than others in incorporating technology in ministry. Deacon Bill Drobick, director of religious education at Holy Spirit Parish

Swine flu . . .

n Continued from cover the north-central state of San Luis Potosi.

In Mexico City, as the disease spread, face masks were common, traffic was light and many businesses stayed closed. The swine flu forced the closure of schools and universities throughout the country and even nightclubs in beach areas such as Puerto Vallarta and Acapulco.

in Fremont and an attendee of the April 20 forum, spearheaded the creation of a state-of-the-art religious education center, which opened its doors Feb. 8.

The facility includes a 135-seat movie theater, the first of its kind in a California parish. Four fixed seating classrooms, each equipped with plasma screen televisions, occupy the back of the building. A multipurpose room equipped with roundtables in the front of the building can be further divided into four modular rooms, each with its own plasma screen, for meetings, classroom use or dining.

Drobick said the center, eight years in the making, will serve as a hub for adult and youth faith formation for the parish and its elementary school. He has already shown audiences films ranging from documentaries on the lives of Jesus, Mary and Peter, to Jon Voight’s turn as Pope John Paul II in the 2005 TV biopic. Drobick has also scheduled showings of mainstream films like “A Beautiful Mind” and “Deep Impact,” which will be studied from a Catholic perspective along with the book “Lights Camera … Faith!” coauthored by Sister Rose.

“We’re trying to get people to think about scripture who might not pursue it in an academic setting,” Drobick said.

“People will be spiritually fed here in ways they otherwise wouldn’t have been.”

Drobick also incorporated technology in his ministry on a more basic level, sending out e-mail blasts to his adult and youth faith formation classes. Problems with this method of communication led him to consider a more appropriate technology.

“When I finally sit down to write them, I often go into depth,” he said. “My son asked, ‘Do you ever notice that people don’t get past the first paragraph?’”

Drobick acknowledged he would often have to remind people about information in his e-mails, indicating they likely had not read that portion. His son suggested Twitter, a free service that enables users to send and read other users’ updates, called “tweets.” Tweets must be no longer than 140 characters, and can be sent and received via Twitter’s website, download-

able applications or cell phone text messages.

Barbara Regan, head of adult faith formation at St. Bartholomew Parish in San Mateo and an attendee of the technology forum, said the workshop was an encouraging sign that the Archdiocese of San Francisco is looking to the future, and hoped it would be only the first of many such opportunities.

“We need to be up with the times, not lagging behind in everything we do,” Regan said.

Regan said her parish has already embraced digital media. The parish hosts a movie night every month, with spiritually-themed recent and classic films.

Confirmation candidates view and discuss films as part of their catechesis, with past films including “The Nativity Story” and “Bella.” The parish’s library of books and DVD titles is searchable on its website and parishioners can request a hold on titles from home.

Vivian Clausing, associate director for youth ministry and catechesis for the Archdiocese of San Francisco’s Office of

Religious Education and Youth Ministry, said the April 20 workshop is the opening salvo in a series of initiatives aimed at integrating technology in ministry.

“This is a digital age, and we’re working in ministry in it,” Clausing said. “Our strategy is to be mindful of our use of media and to talk to kids about our values in that context.”

Sister Rose said the way the Church responds to the digital world will have a profound effect on how it is perceived by young people and the world at large.

Hanging in the balance, she said, is nothing less than the souls of children the world over.

“The media makers of tomorrow are in our pews, our classrooms and our living rooms today,” she said. “Within ten years or so, 30 percent of the workforce will be in the creative industries. They will be telling stories. Who owns the greatest story ever told? What are we doing with it?”

For more information and resources, visit the Pauline Books and Media Center at 2640 Broadway in Redwood City, call (650) 369-4230 or visit www.PaulineCMS.org.

In the U.S., most of New York City’s 45 reported cases were related to St. Francis Preparatory School, which closed April 27 and 28 and canceled all student activities “because of the number of students with flulike symptoms,” the 2,750 student school said on its Web site.

“The New York City Health Department is working closely with your school’s administration to ensure that measures are in place to provide you with up-to-date information on how to protect yourself from infection,”

the department said in a note to students distributed by the school.

“So far, all infections with swine influenza in the United States have been mild and all the people who got sick have recovered or are recovering,” However, the U.S. Center for Disease Control in Atlanta said April 28 that the human swine flu outbreak continues to grow in the United States and internationally. CDC reported additional cases of confirmed swine influenza and a number of hospitalizations of

swine flu patients. Internationally, the CDC said the situation was more serious too, with additional countries reporting confirmed cases of swine flu.

The World Health Organization has raised the worldwide pandemic alert level to Phase 4, which is characterized by confirmed person-to-person spread of a new influenza virus able to cause “community-level” outbreaks.” The increase in the pandemic alert phase indicates that the likelihood of a pandemic has increased, the CDC said.

PHOTO BY MIKE VICK

Digital world . . .

Deacon Bill Drobick of Holy Spirit Parish in Fremont at a showing of “Peter: Keeper of the Keys” in the parish’s new theater complex.

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May 1, 2009

Archbishop’s Journal ‘I know God is here, but I want someone with skin on’ I heard a story about a little girl named Allison who had lots of trouble going to bed and getting to sleep at night. After reading a story and saying her prayers and having a drink of water, it was still a struggle. As her mother walked away toward the door, she called out, “Mommy, I’m afraid of the dark.” Her mother said: “Allison, there’s nothing to be afraid of. You know God is right here with you.”

Allison answered, “I know God is here, but I want somebody with skin on!”

We all can feel like that sometimes. No matter how old we get, we can all feel afraid of the dark.

And there are lots of kinds of darkness besides night time to be afraid of: the future; the unknown; our failings; our own temptations and sinfulness; the feelings and opinions of others; losing a job in a scary economy; getting sick or growing old; and other darknesses as well.

When we feel those fears, it helps to have someone who loves us nearby, somebody, as Allison put it, “with skin on.” Our loving God knew that was even more true of our relationship with him. For us God can seem so far away, so powerful and yet so distant, so unreachable and untouchable. That’s why God’s Son became one of us, human, in Jesus Christ, a God “with skin on,” so that we could hear him speak, touch him, watch him, draw near to him.

Those followers we heard about in the gospel reading from Luke had experienced Jesus just that way for nearly three years. Then, in a horrible few days, he was snatched from them, tortured, killed and buried. They felt that all their hopes were buried with him. Then Jesus appeared to them as they were eating in that upper room. They couldn’t believe their eyes. Some of them were afraid Jesus was a ghost.

Jesus said: “Why do such ideas cross your mind?

Look at my hands and feet; it is really I. Touch me, and see that a ghost does not have flesh and bones as I do.” Then Jesus asked them for something to eat,

to convince them further; after all, ghosts do not eat baked fish dinners with their still-living friends. Once again Jesus was God’s love, “with skin on.”

Jesus then told his friends why all these things had happened to him and to them: “It is written that the Messiah must suffer and rise from the dead on the third day.” For our sake, Jesus faced the worst that sin and death can do to any of us, so that, in the power of his death and rising, all of us who believe in him might have forgiveness of our sins and the strength of his life in us here and now – and for all eternity as well.

However, that saving plan does not work if you and I do not respond to it. As St. Augustine said, “God, who created you without you, will not save you without you.” So at the end of his sermon in that first reading, St. Peter says to the people of Jerusalem, “God has brought to fulfillment by this means what he announced long ago through all the prophets: that his Messiah would suffer. Therefore, reform your lives!

Turn to God, that your sins may be wiped away!”

What is our response to be? It’s a two-part answer: 1) believe the good news of Jesus Christ and put it to work in your life; 2) witness the good news to others – don’t keep it to yourself – spread it. For St. John, writing in that second reading, if you experience God’s love for you in Jesus Christ, the only genuine response is to obey the teaching of Jesus out of love.

For St. John, the one who says he or she loves God and then lives a selfish life is a spiritual phony. You can’t say that Jesus means everything to you and then treat others like dirt. Loving Jesus necessarily means following Jesus’ way of loving, day by day, in each situation and relationship. Listen to John’s words: “The man who claims, ‘I have known him,’ without keeping his commandments is a liar; in such a one there is no truth. But whoever keeps his word truly has the love of God made perfect in him.”

Jesus knew that his followers would need closeness to him if they were to keep up this lov-

Catholic san Francisco Northern California’s Weekly Catholic Newspaper

For the record Thank you Catholic San Francisco for publishing my reminiscence (CSF April 10) about Our Lady of Perpetual Help School in Daly City. Before a knowledgeable pioneer points out that I or a computer botched some names, here are the corrections: St. Maximus, Fr. James Donohoe, Sr. Grace Marie Schabert, St. Callista Maisel, and Mother Francis Lirette. Thanks again and best wishes.

Father Joe Gordon San Francisco

Culture of no boundaries?

Catholic leaders, urge support for traditional family values as validated by Scripture, natural law, and the beliefs of major religious traditions. It should be

Letters welcome Catholic San Francisco welcomes letters from its readers.

Please send your letters to: Catholic San Francisco One Peter Yorke Way San Francisco, CA 94109 Fax: (415) 614-5641 E-mail: healym@sfarchdiocese.org or visit our website at www.catholic-sf.org, Contact Us

recognized that the true objective of same sex marriage proponents is to legitimize immoral conduct, or in other words, to declassify it from sin to a matter of choice. Just like abortion “rights.” The concomitant effects of legislating same sex marriage include destruction and attack on family values; disruptive effects on classroom education; an expansion of the culture of no boundaries as to choice; fostering a culture of deviancy and immorality under the guise of tolerance.

On another topic, the question of sanctions against heretical Catholic politicians such as Pelosi, Eshoo, Kerry, Biden, Sebelius, is easily handled. Request them to formally respond in written form of their acknowledgement of the Catholic doctrine. If they do not, the time honored sanction of the Church, excommunication should be imposed.

Richard T. LemMon Atherton

Condemn all violence The “domestic violence” cover photo for the March 27 issue of Catholic San Francisco was not able to give a real picture of this form of violence. Likewise, photos related to abortion often are not presented that would accurately portray the real violence in the extermination of life. For example we don’t see pictures of a dismembered four month aborted baby. The U.S. government proclaims it is acceptable to use violence to destroy a human child in a mother’s womb. But if

ing response all their lives long.

That’s why Jesus Christ gave us the Catholic Church, its sacraments, its teachings and its members. These gifts are to be the Archbishop signs and symbols George H. by means of which Neiderauer Jesus continues to be, for us, God “with skin on.”

The Neophytes, the newly baptized catechumens from parishes throughout the Archdiocese of San Francisco, are celebrating here with us today at this Mass in St. Mary’s Cathedral. They appreciate so deeply the gifts that our faith, our witness, our worship and our service can be in making Christ present in the Church and in the world. Because we are sinners, we do not respond perfectly to Christ’s call to make him present. What matters is that we continue to try to answer that call.

Jesus says to us what he said to those first disciples in the gospel reading for this morning from Luke: “Penance for the remission of sins is to be preached to all the nations beginning at Jerusalem.

You are witnesses of this.” The strongest way you and I witness to Jesus Christ is not by preaching on street corners but by showing the difference our risen Savior makes in His Church and in our lives, moment by moment and day by day.

San Francisco Archbishop George H. Niederauer gave this homily April 26, 2009, at St. Mary’s Cathedral, for a Neophyte Mass attended by many newly baptized members of the local Church.

we allow this kind of violence, how can we decry other forms of violence?

Roy Petri San Anselmo

Weigel and the Times George Weigel’s most recent criticism of the New York Times leads me to believe that he is annoyed that they quoted his off-the-cuff denunciation of the Vatican regarding the affair of the Holocaust-denying Bishop Williamson.

Perhaps we should question instead Mr. Weigel’s judgment in making such a statement for publication before consulting with Church officials who are responsible for vetting such things.

Journalism has always had a wide range of attitudes but the New York Times is unquestionably a well-written paper with high standards of investigative reporting and does not assume its readers are idiots. I was personally delighted to receive last week a gift subscription to the Times from a friend who also appreciates its variety of informative and entertaining articles.

It also should be said that the Times gives the Catholic Church much free publicity of beneficial nature, with its in–depth reporting of Vatican developments, as well as international news that Catholic San Francisco has neither the staff nor the space to cover thoroughly.

Fairness in both papers is always appreciated by conscientious readers.

Rosemary K. Ring Kentfield

to a lost soul trapped in denial to twist the truth and put the blame on other factors, such as Wall St. and bankers. Spoken like a naive socialist who doesn’t grasp reality and the merits of the free market system. Doesn’t the recent writer realize that every economic system that has failed so far was regulated by a left-leaning government and its intrusive policies?

Gary Hardeman San Francisco

‘Green’ and Catholic As Catholics, we are called to be good stewards of God’s creation. The “Green earth” letter writer (CSF April 24) is right to be concerned about pollution, overconsumption of natural resources, and other environmental problems. However, he is wrong in claiming that the Church bans “scientific methods” of family planning.

While Church doctrine does not permit artificial contraceptives, it does allow married couples to use modern methods of Natural Family Planning.

Today’s NFP is not the outdated calendar-based Rhythm method but rather scientifically based methods that can be downright high-tech such as the electronic fertility monitor I personally use. Research has shown modern NFP to be just as effective as the Pill and more effective than barrier contraceptives such as condoms.

I also question the letter writer’s negative view of population growth.

Reducing consumption can be accomplished without limiting family size by switching to a simpler lifestyle. In Genesis 1:28 God tells us to “be fruitful and multiply,” but as God reminded Moses in Leviticus 25:23 “the land is mine, and you are but aliens who have become my tenants.” As Catholics, we must lead by example that “green” families do not have to be small ones.

Claire Hazlett Foster City

L E T T E R S

Cause of the crisis Like another recent letter writer (CSF April 24), I also remember reading a letter some years ago saying that raising the minimum wage was going to wreck the U.S. economy. At the time, I admired the writer’s remarkable insight and intelligence, and knew the truth would soon become evident. Now that the first writer’s prediction came true, leave it

May 1, 2009

Catholic San Francisco

17

The Catholic Difference

Mr. Blair’s cafeteria This past Lent, in the course of an interview with Attitude, a gay magazine, Tony Blair said that Pope Benedict XVI’s “entrenched attitude” toward homosexual behavior was less tolerant than that of many ordinary Catholics.

“There are many good and great things the Catholic Church does,” the former British prime minister and recent Catholic convert opined, “and there are many fantastic things this pope stands for, but I think what is interesting is that if you went into any Catholic church, particularly a well-attended one, on any Sunday here and did a poll of the congregation, you’d be surprised at how liberal-minded people were.”

Well, that’s certainly a relief. I was beginning to worry that Blair’s conversion would set in motion a train of events that would result in gays being burned at the stake throughout Her Britannic Majesty’s lands.

In December 2007, Tony Blair said the following, as he was received into the full communion of the Catholic Church: “I believe and profess all that the holy Catholic Church believes, teaches, and proclaims to be revealed by God.” Among the things the holy Catholic Church believes, teaches, and proclaims to be revealed by God is the truth about the human person -- which includes the truth about the sexual nature of the human person and the truth that homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered. So what is going on here? There would seem to be only two possibilities.

The first is that Mr. Blair understood what he said during the ceremony of his reception into full communion, but

did not believe the words he spoke. In other words, he made a false oath. This seems unlikely, given Mr. Blair’s public record as a man of honor who stands by his convictions, right or wrong, popular or unpopular.

The second is that Mr. Blair was woefully ill-catechized prior to his reception into the full communion of the Church.

That seems more likely, and fits neatly with a related fact, namely, that Mr. Blair’s wife, Cherie, has been known to harbor dubious views about the Church’s teaching on human sexuality. Thus the new archbishop of Westminster, Vincent Nichols, might wish to have a look into the state of catechesis in England’s premier Catholic see – not so much as a punitive matter (although someone was clearly derelict in their duty here), but as a means of seizing an opportunity to remind English Catholics that the Church’s defense of the dignity of the human person (which Mr. Blair applauds) is very much involved in the Church’s teaching on sex (which Mr. Blair deplores, or at least dislikes).

In his interview, Blair compared the situation of religious communities holding classic moral beliefs to that of a political party on the ropes: “You can either...hold onto your core vote...[saying] ‘Let’s not break out because if we break out we might lose what we’ve got, and at least we’ve got what we’ve got so let’s keep it,’ or...you say, ’Let’s accept that the world is changing, and let us work out how we can lead that change and actually reach out.’”

Plan B, we may be sure, did not occur to Edmund Campion as he was tied to the rack during the English Reformation.

There is something terribly sad about all this.

By all accounts, Tony Blair is a man with longstanding, serious religious and spiritual interests; he is also a man of obvious intelligence. Yet, judging George Weigel by his Attitude interview, he is ill-informed about the nature of the Church and ignorant of the “yes” behind the Church’s “no” to the morality of homosexual acts – which is a “yes” to the good of sexual love within marriage. And judging by a lecture Blair gave at Westminster Cathedral shortly after his conversion, he knows little of the Church’s social doctrine, preferring instead a mishmash of leftist pieties.

Tony Blair is being cheated by the Church he embraced.

And the whole Church is being cheated as well, for a wellcatechized Blair could be a powerful witness to Catholic truth in a moment when that truth, a deeply humanistic truth, is under fierce assault.

Archbishop Nichols, isn’t it time for some serious catechesis and teaching about the Catholic faith for Mr. Blair?

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

Of Grace and Sippy Cups

Giving the yucky things to God These days, I am the Official Holder of Random and/or Disgusting Things. Anytime my two-year-old finds something odd on the floor – a shriveled pea, a week-old fragment of cheese, a piece of lint – he hands it to me. “Mommy,” he asks, “what dat?”

“Oh, thank you,” I say politely, trying to identify the object in question. Off I go to the trash, where the offensive article is immediately disposed of.

Matthew’s faith is touching: he never doubts my ability to take the yucky things away. He knows that Mighty Mom will make them vanish swiftly and completely.

Matthew’s trust is a good reminder of what’s possible in my relationship with God. All too often, I forget that I too have a parent who will take the “icky” and “yucky” things away.

Years ago, long before Matthew was born, I was embroiled in a troubled romantic relationship. I had to decide whether to resuscitate the relationship or move on.

The decision was paralyzing me; I lost sleep and a great deal of peace. Finally, one evening, I’d had enough. “Okay, God, I’m giving this situation over to you,” I prayed.” You figure it out and get back to me, okay?”

It was instantly liberating. I’d been slogging along under the weight of my decision, forgetting that God would willingly shoulder the burden for me. And passing the tough stuff to him turned out to be exactly what I needed. I gained clarity. I moved on from the relationship. I’ve never looked back.

For some reason, though, these days I often forget to pass the yuckies of my life to God. It’s the curse of a self-reliant nature; it’s so easy to forget that God is there, tapping gently on the window, saying; “Hello? Remember me? I’m here to help.”

Last fall, though, the day before my second child was born, I slipped into church to pray. For weeks, I’d been worried about how the new baby would change my relationship with Matthew. I was afraid that he’d feel abandoned; I wondered how I’d have any energy for him once the baby arrived. All those sweet, precious Matthew-and-Mommy moments we’d shared: would I ever have them again?

As I sat with my hands resting on my huge belly, I could feel God saying, “Give this worry to me. I’ll take care of it for you.” And, for a huge pregnant woman, I suddenly felt weightless with relief. When I put Matthew down to

bed that evening, the last evening before little Luke was born, it felt more sweet than bitter.

With the worry off of my shoulders, I could focus on the preciousness of the moment before me.

At some point, Ginny when Matthew is older, Kubitz Moyer I’ll have to train him not to give me the pieces of lint, the odd crumbs of food. I’ll have to teach him to get rid of such icky things himself. But when it comes to the sticky fears and the disconcerting anxieties, I hope he knows that he’ll never, ever have to outgrow his need for God. I sure haven’t.

Ginny Kubitz Moyer is the author of “Mary and Me: Catholic Women Reflect on the Mother of God.” Contact Moyer via her blog at www.maryandme.org.

Spirituality for Life

Points of convergence in religions When we look at all the major world religions we see that they are more similar than dissimilar in how understand the spiritual quest, the path of discipleship and holiness. When we look at Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, and Native religions, we can draw out these major points of convergence: First, in all of them the aim of the spiritual quest is the same, union with God and union with everyone and everything else. There are different disciplines, different understandings of God, and different understandings of life, but all the great spiritual traditions are ultimately seeking the same thing, union with the divine and, through that, peace with one another and with physical creation.

Second, in all the great spiritual traditions the path to union is understood as coming through compassion.

In every great spiritual tradition, what religion ultimately strives to achieve is to form a heart that is properly shaped in compassion and wisdom. Then, and only then, are worship, dogma, and justice done correctly.

Third, in every great spiritual tradition, the route to compassion and union with God is paradoxical, requiring that somehow we have to lose ourselves to find ourselves, die to come to life, and give so as to receive. In every major spiritual tradition we are taught that we cannot come to joy, delight, and happiness by actively pursuing

these. These are always a byproduct of something else, namely, of trying to create joy, delight, and happiness for someone else. Every great spiritual tradition would be at ease with the Prayer of St. Francis: Affirming that in giving we receive, in consoling others we are consoled, and in trying to understand others we are understood.

Fourth, every great spiritual tradition is clear that spiritual progress requires hard discipline and some painful renunciations; that the road-more-travelled won’t get you home. The gate to heaven is always the narrow one, the one that requires discipline and renunciation. Indeed the word “discipleship” comes from the word “discipline.”

When Hinduism and Buddhism speak of different kinds of “yoga” they are simply referring to various forms of discipline (from which we take our reduced sense of the word “yoga”).

Fifth, every great spiritual tradition tells us that the spiritual quest is a life-long journey with no short-cuts, no quick paths, no hidden secrets, and no appeal to privilege that can short-circuit the discipline and renunciation required. They also tell us that there are no exempt areas within the spiritual life and that there are no moral or psychological areas that we can ignore or write-off as unimportant. No great spiritual tradition lets us chose between personal integrity and social justice, personal

holiness or political action. Every one of them tells us that both are non-negotiable.

Sixth, in every great spiritual tradition consolation and desolation, religious fervor and dark nights of the soul, Father both have an important Ron Rolheiser role within the spiritual journey. Both provide a necessary, if very different, kind of nurturing. All traditions caution us not to identify progress only with consolation and fervor, just as all of them caution us not to make suffering, desolation, and dark nights an end in themselves.

Seventh, and perhaps surprisingly, all the great spiritual traditions downplay the importance of extraordinary phenomena within the spiritual journey. Visions, altered states of consciousness, mystical trances, ecstasies, miracles, and appearances by persons or forces from the other world, whether benign or malevolent, soothing or frightening, are all downplayed in every major tradition.

ROLHEISER, page 19

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May 1, 2009

The Fourth Sunday of Easter

Scripture reflection

Acts 4:8-12; Psalm 118:1, 8-9, 21-23, 26, 28, 29; I John 3:1-2; John 10:11-18 A READING FROM THE BOOK OF ACTS ACTS 4:8-12 Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said: “Leaders of the people and elders: If we are being examined today about a good deed done to a cripple, namely, by what means he was saved, then all of you and all the people of Israel should know that it was in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazorean whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead; in his name this man stands before you healed. He is the stone rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. There is no salvation through anyone else, nor is there any other name under heaven given to the human race by which we are to be saved.”

RESPONSORIAL PSALM PS 118:1, 8-9, 21-23, 26, 28, 29 R. The stone rejected by the builders has become the cornerstone.

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his mercy endures forever.

It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man.

It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes.

R. The stone rejected by the builders has become the cornerstone.

I will give thanks to you, for you have answered me and have been my savior.

The stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.

By the Lord has this been done; it is wonderful in our eyes.

R. The stone rejected by the builders has become the cornerstone.

Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord; we bless you from the house of the Lord.

I will give thanks to you, for you have

A

FATHER CHARLES PUTHOTA

answered me and have been my savior.

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his kindness endures forever.

R. The stone rejected by the builders has become the cornerstone.

A READING FROM THE FIRST LETTER OF JOHN 1 JN 3:1-2 Beloved: See what love the Father has bestowed on us that we may be called the children of God. Yet so we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we shall be has not yet been revealed. We do know that when it is revealed we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.

A READING FROM THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN JN 10:11-18 Jesus said: “I am the good shepherd. A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. A hired man, who is not a shepherd and whose sheep are not his own, sees a wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away, and the wolf catches and scatters them. This is because he works for pay and has no concern for the sheep.

“I am the good shepherd, and I know mine and mine know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I will lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold.

These also I must lead, and they will hear my voice, and there will be one flock, one shepherd.

“This is why the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down on my own. I have power to lay it down, and power to take it up again. This command I have received from my Father.”

Accepting the call of the good Shepherd At a family reunion, a Shakespearean actor was asked to render a passage. Agreeing, he asked for a suggestion. A clergyman, also a member of the family, suggested Psalm 23: “The Lord is my shepherd.” The actor agreed, but on condition that after he had rendered it, the pastor would also recite the psalm. The modest clergyman consented rather reluctantly.

The actor rendered the psalm with elegance and brilliance, his voice modulating to the right pitch and tone. Spellbound by the power of his eloquence, the gathering applauded excitedly.

However, when the pastor began to recite the psalm, his voice was hoarse, his diction shaky.

But the words acquired a mysterious spirit.

A hushed silence descended on the audience.

When he finished, almost everyone had tears in their eyes. Moved, the actor said, “I spoke to your ears, but the pastor reached your hearts.

The reason is: I know the psalm, but he knows the Shepherd.”

Knowing the Shepherd is our desire and prayer, as we seek to reach the hearts of others. In our Catholic way of being human and religious, sometimes there may be a tendency to become so engrossed in multifarious things that we could forget that to know Jesus who shepherds the world at the present time is a fundamental gift. Unless we know Jesus, we cannot come to love and follow him; we cannot live by his values; we cannot become his witnesses.

As we luxuriate in Easter Jesus – victorious and glorious, yet humble and charming – we take a fresh look at him as our good Shepherd and us as his sheep. In the gospel, he speaks of himself in hauntingly beautiful words as the shepherd. Subjected to excruciating suffering and humiliating death, all for the sake of his sheep, Jesus does not desert us, no matter at what cost. Now risen from the dead, he calls us

“I do my best to plant and water the field that my Divine Savior has confided to me. … You must assist in this exceptional mission of mine.” (Father Damien)

Aloha, FROM THE BLESSED DAMIEN CATHOLIC PARISH on Molokai, the third smallest of the Hawaiian Islands with a population of 7,000 and a practicing Catholic community of 300 families. Our parish is in dire need of a new church.

Our planned new church will be named in honor of the 19th century Sacred Hearts priest, Blessed Damien de Veuster, who for 16 years selflessly served the leprosy patients who were exiled to Kalaupapa, a remote peninsula on Molokai. Father Damien died of leprosy in 1889.

Father Damien will be canonized Saint Damien on October 11, 2009 at the Vatican.

Since 1995, we have worked diligently to raise money to build a new church to replace our aged St. Sophia church which St. Sophia, site of stands in the heart of Kaunakakai, the main town on future Saint Damien Catholic Molokai. We have outgrown our 1937 wooden church Church of Molokai that seats only 150 parishioners. At Mass many of the faithful sit in the church yard because there is no room in the church.

They hear but are not ably to fully participate in the Eucharist. Our children attend classes in the church carport and in the adjoining storage spaces.

We ask for your help. Celebrate Father Damien’s canonization and continue his mission to bring the gospel to the faithful and to the unchurched. Make your tax deductible donation today. Send your donation to: Blessed Damien Building Fund P O Box 1948, Kaunakakai, HI 96748 For more information about the Blessed Damien Church Building Fund, please see www.damienchurchmolokai.org

Blessed Damien de Veuster

A window at St. Mary’s Church in Killarney, Ireland, depicts Jesus Christ as the good shepherd.

to come to know him closely. He says, “I know my sheep and they know me.”

Present with us now in Spirit, Jesus knows and loves his sheep, but we on our part tend to fall far short of knowing him. If we knew him, our lives would take on a new meaning and power, a new vision and direction, a new energy and purpose. Then we would live not for ourselves, but for others, as the good shepherd does. We would then oppose evil and hatred in the world. We would go about spending our lives in healing and transforming the world.

Peter and John are powerful witnesses of this kind of new life. Knowing the good Shepherd who is now the risen Jesus, they cannot but heal the wounded and bring comfort, as Jesus did. Not afraid of authorities, they share the good news courageously, as Jesus did. Shepherding those in need of physical and spiritual needs, they closely resemble the good Shepherd in words and deeds.

They proclaim Jesus as the corner stone of the new world order. Jesus’ mission thrives in his apostles and those newly baptized. Now in us, Jesus’ words and deeds live on.

The world is intensely in need of good shepherds like Jesus. There are too many wolves and “hired” people but not enough shepherds. We realize that the present economic crisis leading to massive job losses and anxiety is caused by a dearth of shepherds who can care for others rather than themselves. Ideologically divided, many people cannot perceive the acute shortage of good shepherds in political, economic, military, religious, and social arenas.

We need shepherds to care for the welfare of everyone, even the “other sheep that do not belong to this fold.” This would mean those of other churches and even of other religions.

Irrespective of who belongs where, Jesus the good Shepherd desires to reach out to everyone, especially when people are lost and cannot find the basic needs of safety and wellbeing.

We are inspired to embrace the vocation of being good shepherds after the heart of Jesus the good Shepherd. No one can afford to shirk the sacred mission of transforming the world by selflessly caring for others. A vocation within a vocation, priesthood and religious life are signs of those desiring to know the good Shepherd and sharing him with others by living simply for others. Hence we have the invitation this Sunday to promote and pray for vocations – not merely for the sake of the church but for the entire world.

Father Charles Puthota, Ph.D., is pastor of St. Veronica Church in South San Francisco.

Catholic San Francisco

May 1, 2009

Rolheiser . . .

n Continued from page 17 These can be real and they can mark our lives, but they are not indicative of real growth and progress which, in all great traditions, take place within the ordinary breadand-butter of life. In every major spiritual tradition, the essential things that God wants us to know are public, available to all, and written down. All traditions make the distinction between public revelation (which is binding for everyone) and private revelations (which can be meaningful but which are not binding for everyone and are not the salient revelation even inside of the life of the person to whom they are given.)

Eighth, all great spiritual traditions affirm that, while we are on the spiritual path, we will meet great temptations and powerful demons and that these need to be recognized

and taken seriously. All of them caution against naiveté, especially naiveté regarding certain innate tendencies within our own make-up and within the dynamics of every crowd.

Finally, all the major spiritual traditions agree that the spiritual journey will always partly be mystery. Just as the God we meet on this journey is ultimately ineffable, so too is the experience. In the end we will never find adequate words and concepts either to understand or to describe what we experience on the journey. Hence all traditions caution strongly against ever thinking that our grasp of things is adequate, even remotely so.

All the great religious traditions agree: The road is narrow and hard and there are no short-cuts.

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

Catholic San Francisco invites you

19

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20

Catholic San Francisco

May 1, 2009

Music TV

Books RADIO Film stage

Downey and Foxx perform powerful duet in “The Soloist” NEW YORK (CNS) — Though it echoes a number of recent films, including “Resurrecting the Champ” and “August Rush,” “The Soloist” (DreamWorks/ Universal) registers as the engrossing portrait of an unpredictable friendship thanks in large part to impressive performances from Robert Downey Jr. and Jamie Foxx.

In this fact-based drama, Downey plays Los Angeles Times journalist Steve Lopez.

Estranged from his former wife, Mary (Catherine Keener) — who is still his editor — Lopez leads a solitary existence in his upscale but empty home, lulling himself into oblivion, night by night, with a bottle of wine and Neil Diamond tunes.

With readership shrinking and layoffs all around him, Lopez desperately needs a human interest story to keep his career on track. He stumbles across an especially compelling one when he meets Nathaniel Ayers (Foxx), a musically gifted homeless man.

As he profiles and eventually befriends Ayers — whose passion for Bach and Beethoven Lopez finds infectious — the columnist works to get him settled in an apartment and find him a safe environment in which to practice.

Eventually he strikes on the real-life Lamp Community, a refuge on LA’s skid

(CNS PHOTO/FRANCOIS DUHAMEL, DREAMWORKS)

By John Mulderig

Jamie Foxx and Robert Downey Jr., star in a scene from the movie, “The Soloist.”

row. Like Ayers, whose schizophrenia cut short his promising cello studies at New York’s Juilliard School, many of the Lamp Community’s beneficiaries are on the street as a result of mental illness.

Though Lopez flatters himself that he has the solution to Ayers’ problems, Susannah Grant’s script eschews easy answers. The film is adapted from Lopez’s memoir, “The Soloist: A Lost Dream, an Unlikely Friendship and the Redemptive Power of

Music.” Based on a series of columns about Ayers, the book won a Christopher Award April 16 for its depiction of one motivated individual’s impact on the lives of others.

Joe Wright, who did such a perceptive job with last year’s “Atonement,” again demonstrates his flair for bringing literary works to the screen by delving into the underworld of Tinsel Town’s dispossessed. The implicit plea for treating the marginalized with dignity will resonate with Catholic viewers.

Interestingly, many of the extras in “The Soloist” are actual homeless people from the Lamp and other outreach centers.

While, in a boost for marital commitment, Lopez acknowledges the mistakes that led to his breakup with Mary and clearly longs for a reunion, the script’s treatment of religion is somewhat ambivalent.

A voice-over of Ayers earnestly reciting the Our Father as he and crowds of fellow street-dwellers bed down on the sidewalk is moving. But the portrayal of the pious musician Lopez contacts to prepare Ayers for a performance at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, suggests that his poor judgments arise from his evangelical-style Christian faith.

Yet the positive values underlying this celebration of a consistently challenging, but mutually respectful relationship make it estimable viewing for adults. They may also outweigh, for the parents of at least some mature adolescents, the objectionable elements listed below.

The film contains drug use, a few rough and crude words, a couple of uses of profanity and occasional sexual references. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification is A-III — adults. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG-13 — parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.

EWTN TV schedules coverage of Pope Benedict’s Holy Land visit, May 8-15 EWTN television’s live and encore coverage of Pope Benedict XVI’s visit to Jordan, Israel and the West Bank, May 8-15, will include the following telecasts (all times are Pacific Daylight Time): Arrival at Amman Airport, May 8 at 4:30 a.m., repeated May 8 at 6:30 p.m. Visit with the King and Queen of Jordan, May 8 at 7:30 a.m., encore May 8 at 8:30 p.m.

Visit to the Memorial of Moses on Mt. Nebo and other meetings, May 8 at 11:15 p.m., encore May 9 at 10 a.m.

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Vespers in Greek-Melkite Cathedral in Amman, May 9 at 7:30 a.m., encore May 9 at 3 p.m.

Papal Mass at Amman International Stadium, May 10 at 12 a.m., encore May 10 at 11a.m. Blessing of Latin and Greek-Melkite Churches, May 10 at 7:30 a.m., encore May 10 at 6 p.m.

Farewell ceremony at Amman Airport -- May 11 at 12 a.m., encore May 11 at 11:30 a.m.

Welcoming ceremony at Tel Aviv Airport, May 11 at 1 a.m., encore May 11 at 2 p.m. Visit with the President of Israel in Jerusalem, May 11 at 6 a.m., encore May 11 at 2:30 p.m.

Visit to Yad Vashem Memorial in Jerusalem; meeting with organizations for interreligious dialogue, May 11 at 7:30 a.m., encore May 11 at 5 p.m.

Visit to Dome of the Rock on Temple Mount, meeting with Grand Mufti of Jerusalem; visit to Western Wall, meeting with Chief Rabbis of Israel; recitation of the Regina Coeli Bilingual Staff Information and Referrals ● Care Coordination

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in the Cenacle of Jerusalem; visit to the co-cathedral of the Latins, May 11 at 11 p.m., encore May 12 at 10 a.m.

Mass in Valley of Josaphat in Jerusalem -- May 12 at 6:30 a.m., encore May 12 at 4 p.m.

Address in Bethlehem and Mass on Manger Square, May 12 at 11 p.m., encore May 13 at 2 p.m.

Visits to Church of Nativity, Caritas Baby Hospital and Aida Refugee Camp; visit with the President of the Palestine National Authority, May 13 at 5:30 a.m., encore May 13 at 6 p.m.

Mass in Nazareth, May 14 at 12 a.m., encore May 14 at 3 p.m. Meetings in Nazareth with Israeli Prime Minister and religious leaders of Galilee; Vespers at the Grotto of the Annunciation, May 14 at 5:45 a.m., encore May 14 at 6 p.m.

Ecumenical Meeting at the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate; Visit to Holy Sepulcher and to the Armenian Church of St James in Jerusalem, May 14 at 11 p.m., encore May 15 at 12:30 p.m.

Farewell Ceremony and departure for Rome, May 15 at 3:30 a.m., encore May 15 at 8 p.m.

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Support Resources Relevant to the Economy Edgewood Works, an employment support group, meets Mondays 9 a.m. – 11 a.m. and 4th Thursdays from 7 – 9 p.m. in Merry Room at St. Matthias Church, 1685 Cordilleras Rd. in Redwood City There is no cost to attend. Drop-ins welcome. Call (650) 906-8836 or e-mail edgewoodworksstm@gmail.com for more information.

May, 6, 13, 20, 7 – 9 p.m.: “Keeping the Faith During the Downturn,” a series of evening sessions exploring ways to God even in the midst of the downturn. Patrick O’Halloran, Ph.D., a licensed clinical psychologist with degrees in English, Theology and Psychology, will facilitate. Takes place at Vallombrosa Retreat Center, 250 Oak Grove Ave. in Menlo Park. Call (650) 325-5614 or visit www.vallombrosa.org June 12, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.: “Slowing Down to the Present Moment,” part of the “Retreat in Times of Stress Series” at Mercy Center, 2390 Adeline Dr. in Burlingame.

Suzanne Buckley and Mercy Sister Loretta Moffatt will facilitate. No fee but registration is required. Call (650) 340-7454 to reserve a spot. Bring a bag lunch.

Taize/Chanted Prayer 1st Friday at 8 p.m.: Mercy Center, 2300 Adeline Dr., Burlingame with Mercy Sister Suzanne Toolan. Call (650) 340-7452; young adults are invited each first Friday of the month to attend a social at 6 p.m. prior to Taize prayer at 8 p.m. The social provides light refreshments and networking with other young adults. Convenient parking is available. For information contact mercyyoungadults@sbcglobal.net Tuesdays at 6 p.m.: Notre Dame Des Victoires Church, 566 Bush at Stockton, San Francisco with Rob Grant. Call (415) 397-0113.

Trainings/Lectures/Respect Life First Saturdays: San Mateo Pro-Life prays the rosary at Planned Parenthood, 2211 Palm Ave. in San Mateo at 9 a.m. and invites others to join them at the site. The group is also open to new membership. Meetings are held the second Thursday of the month except August and December at St. Gregory Parish’s Worner Center, 138 28th Ave. in San Mateo at 7:30 p.m. For more information, call Jessica at (650) 572-1468.

May 9: “Spring Conference” of the San Francisco Archdiocese Council of Catholic Women at St. Gregory Parish at 2715 Hacienda Street and 28th Avenue, San Mateo. The theme is “Servant Leadership”. Registration 9 a.m., Mass 9:30. Panelists include Father John Sakowski, parochial vicar at St. Charles Church, San Carlos; Canossian Sister Maria Hsu, Director of Ethnic

21

Live!@888 Brannan (formerly the San Francisco Gift Center Pavilion) in San Francisco The event unites Bay Area fashion students and professional designers by transforming discarded clothing and fabric into fashionable couture items. All items will be auctioned at Discarded to Divine to raise money for the St. Vincent de Paul Society of San Francisco. Visit www.discardedtodivine.org for sponsorship and ticketing information.

May 9, 10 a.m. – 9 p.m.: St. Anselm School’s 4th Annual Festival of Fun with rides, games, entertainment and food at 40 Belle Avenue, in San Anselmo. For information, please call 415.454.8667

Datebook

Reunions May 3, 11 a.m.: San Francisco’s St. Thomas the Apostle School, 3801 Balboa St., at 39th Ave., celebrates its 60th year of academic excellence in Catholic education in the Richmond District. All parents, students, alumni, and friends are invited to attend the celebration beginning with the 11:00 a.m. Mass. Father Daniel Maguire, pastor, will preside. School tours and a reception follow. More information can be found at www.sfsta. org or call (415) 221-2711.

Class of ’59 from San Francisco’s Star of the Sea Academy is planning its 50th reunion. Contact Maria Elena Keizer at (415) 924-9756 or Keizerm@sutterhealth.org May 17: Class of ’79 from Notre Dame Elementary School at the school 1200 Notre Dame Ave. in Belmont.

For more information, e-mail jpenner@nde.org

Good Health May 9, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.: Stanford Hospital hosts “Pituitary Patient Education Day 2009”, an educational event for patients, families and those interested in learning more about pituitary disorders. At the daylong event, patients will be able to speak with top pituitary experts from Stanford, learn more about their specific diseases, available treatments, and receive tips on how they can better manage their disease. Not only will the day raise awareness of these conditions, but it will also give the public insight into how patients cope with being diagnosed with such rare and often misdiagnosed diseases.

The event takes place at The Cabaña Hotel & Resort- Palo Alto, 4290 El Camino Real, Palo Alto. continental breakfast and lunch included. Admission is free but registration is required. Contact Kimm Angel at (650) 721-1020.

May 16th, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.: The Empowered Healthcare Conference at UCSF Mission Bay Campus. Attendees will learn how to make their voice heard in health care, how to advocate effectively for themselves and their loved ones and how to protect themselves from medical errors and hospital infections. Expert speakers include Dr. Dean Ornish and 2007 Nobel Peace Prize winner Dr. Stephen Schneider. The cost of the non-profit educational event is $80.00 and includes light breakfast, a full lunch and certificates of attendance. For more details and registration please visit www.EmpoweredHealthCon.com or call (415) 681-1011. A limited number of scholarships are available. Those interested in a scholarship should send an e-mail to empoweredhealthcon@gmail.com.

Catholic San Francisco

Single, Divorced, Separated

May 21, 22, 23 at 7:30 p.m. and May 24 at 3 p.m.: Mission Dolores Theater Arts Group presents “Bigger Than Life.” American folk tales and legends come to life with stories and songs. “It is amusement, amazement, and entertainment for the whole family,” information said. The show plays at Mission Dolores School Auditorium, 16th St. at Dolores in San Francisco. Tickets available at the gate or at (415) 621-8203 Adults: $5 / students and seniors $4 / children $2..

Proceeds benefit Theatre Arts Ministry at Mission Dolores School.

Ministries in the Archdiocese of San Francisco; and Amy Love, president, St. Vincent de Paul Conference, St. Kevin Parish. Lunch is at 12:30 followed by testimony and discussion of women as servant leaders. The day ends following a 50/50 drawing at 2:15 p.m. Fee for the conference is $20 per person and includes morning coffee, snack and lunch. To register or more information, call Marianne Larke, at (650) 368-4300.

Special Liturgies May 2, 11 a.m.: First Saturday Mass at Holy Cross Cemetery, Colma, All Saints Mausoleum Chapel. Call (650) 756-2060 or visit www.holycrosscemeteries.com.

May 3, 11 a.m.: San Francisco’s St. Thomas the Apostle School, 3801 Balboa St., at 39th Ave., celebrates its 60th year of academic excellence in Catholic education in the Richmond District. All parents, students, alumni, and friends are invited to attend the celebration beginning with the 11:00 a.m. Mass. Father Daniel Maguire, pastor, will preside. School tours and a reception follow. More information can be found at www.sfsta. org or call (415) 221-2711.

May 4, 7:30 p.m.: 28th Annual May Crowning and Living Rosary in All Hallows Chapel, Newhall and Palou in San Francisco. Sponsored by All Hallows #182 Young Ladies Institute. Call Sue Evander at (415) 467-8872.

May 7, noon – 1 p.m.: National Day of Prayer on steps of San Francisco City Hall (Civic Center Plaza side) 7 Prayer points by prayer leaders including government, military, media, business, education, church, and family. Contact person: Sharon Gilbert -Event Coordinator (650) 757-7827.

The Tridentine Mass is celebrated Sundays at 12:15 p.m.: Holy Rosary Chapel at St. Vincent School

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for Boys. For more information, call St. Isabella Parish at (415) 479-1560, and First Friday: Latin High Mass of the Sacred Heart of Jesus at St. Francis of Assisi Church, 1425 Bay Road at Glen Way, East Palo Alto.

Mass is followed by the Litany of the Sacred Heart and Exposition of the Most Blessed Sacrament until midnight. Confessions are heard before Mass. Low Mass in Latin is also offered every Friday evening at 6 p.m.

For further information, call (650) 322-2152.

May 23, noon: Father John Jimenez leads the rosary for the Public Square Rosary Crusade at United Nations Plaza in San Francisco. Pray for the world, its people, and its leaders. For information, call Juanita Agcaoili at (415) 647-7229.

Food & Fun May 3: St. Raphael and St. Isabella Parishes will host the 5th annual “Bocce Ball - BBQ Fundraiser” at the state of the art courts at Albert Park in San Rafael.

The event will benefit the parishes’ St. Vincent de Paul Conferences. Gates open at 8:30 a.m. and games begin at 9:30 a.m. Championship rounds and award presentations end the day. Continental breakfast, barbecue lunch will be served with drinks and refreshments throughout the day. Two divisions – novice and experienced – will face off in the tournament with every team playing a minimum of three rounds. Teams consist of a minimum of 4 to a maximum of 6 players. Cost per team is $270.

Picnickers and spectators are welcome at $25 each.

Tickets include all the day’s benefits. For more information or to register, contact Joe Martino at (415) 785-1459.

“This is an opportunity to have fun while helping people in need,” information from SVDP said.

May. 7, 6:30 p.m.: Discarded to Divine fashion show and auction unites fashion with compassion at

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Information about Bay Area single, divorced and separated programs is available from Jesuit Father Al Grosskopf at grosskopf@usfca.edu (415) 422-6698.

May 1 – 3: Widowed, Divorced, Separated Weekend at Vallombrosa Retreat Center, in Menlo Park. Contact LaVerne at (650) 355-3978 or Helen at (415) 388-9651 or e-mail SJBeginExp@aol.com Weekend is designed as time of closure on past and hope for the future. Those attending should be beyond initial feelings of anger and despair and want a new beginning.

Would you like support while you travel the road through separation and divorce? The Archdiocese of San Francisco offers support for the journey. The Separated and Divorced Catholics of the Archdiocese of San Francisco (SDCASF) has two ongoing support groups in the 1st and 3rd weeks of each month. There is one on the Peninsula, at St. Bartholomew Parish, 600 Columbia Dr, San Mateo, on the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays, at 7:00 PM, in the Spirituality center on the main floor of the ‘school’ building. The other one is in the parish hall of St. Stephen Parish near Stonestown, San Francisco, on the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays, at 7:30 PM. Call Gail (650) 591-8452, or Joanne at St. Bart’s, (650) 347-0701 for more information.

Consolation Ministry Grief support groups meet at the following parishes.

Young Widow/Widower Group: St. Gregory, San Mateo; call Barbara Elordi at (415) 614-5506.

Ministry to Parents: Our Lady of Angels, Burlingame; call Ina Potter at (650) 347-6971 or Barbara Arena at (650) 344-3579.

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, e-mail burket@sfarchdiocese.org, or visit www.catholic-sf.org, Contact Us.

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Catholic San Francisco

May 1, 2009

New St. Stephen Parish Center to include gym, full-service kitchen San Francisco’s St. Stephen Parish has undertaken construction of a new Parish Center. Building of the 20,000 square foot multi-use facility is now under way and expected to be open for use in November of this year.

The new two-level building features a gymnasium on the top floor, and a large social hall, which can be converted to smaller meeting rooms, on the lower floor.

“The new Parish Center will change the life of our parish in ways we haven’t imagined,’ said Father Joseph Walsh, pastor.

“Volleyball and basketball practices and games will be held in our own gym for the first time in 57 years of organized sports at St. Stephen. Our 50-Plus Senior Club, our Youth Group, and our Religious Education program are anxious to move into the new space on the lower floor. Our St. Vincent de Paul Society will have a larger staging area to organize clothing and food drives and have the benefit of our new full-service kitchen.”

The parish has more than 25 ministries “that will benefit from a new and welcoming place to gather,” Father Walsh added.

Counseling When Life Hurts It Helps To Talk • Family • Work • Relationships • Depression • Anxiety • Addictions

Dr. Daniel J. Kugler Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist Over 30 years experience • Reasonable Fees

Confidential • Compassionate • Practical (415) 921-1619 • Insurance Accepted 1537 Franklin Street • San Francisco, CA 94109

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

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

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

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

Healthcare Agency

The new St. Stephen Parish Center is set to open in November.

Total cost of the project is $6.9 million with about $1 million yet to be raised. Gifts have come from parishioners, school families, alumni and friends of St. Stephen as well as in several grants from foundations. Late parishioner, June Ransom, left a bequest of $250,000 to the project.

Robert W. Hayes of Sausalito is architect. Nibbi Brothers General Contractors is overseeing construction.

Home Healthcare Agency Specializing in home health aides, attendants and companions.

Serving San Francisco, Marin & the Peninsula.

Contact: 415.447.8463

TREE CARE

SERVICE S.O.S. PAINTING CO. DIRECTORY FOR ADVERTISING INFORMATION

Visit our website: www.catholic-sf.org Call 415-614-5642 Fax: 415-614-5641 E-mail: penaj@sfarchdiocese.org

Contractor

David G Vidulich GENERAL CONTRACTOR Remodels • Additions • Kitchens • Baths Dry Rot • Windows • Doors • Earthquake

650.992.1837

Free Estimates

Fully licensed and insured Certified arborist WC 5304

Serving Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish for over 25 years

650.355.1277

Tax Services TA XMAN CORTES TAX SERVICE Income Tax ● Notary Public Alan J. Cortes Ph: (415) 641-4292 3750 Mission St. (415) 641-4295 San Francisco, CA 94110 Fax: (415) 839-8501

Interior-Exterior wallpaper hanging & removal Lic # 526818 Senior Discount

415-269-0446 650-738-9295

GARIBALDI MAINTENANCE CO. Complete Janitorial – Window Cleaning Quality Service Since 1946

“Large Enough to Matter, Small Enough to Care”

FREE ESTIMATES (415) 441-2454 www.garibaldimaintenance.com

Fully Insured

Garage Door Repair Discount

www.sospainting.net

Garage Door

FREE ESTIMATES

Repair

painting and remodeling

Lic #376353

John Holtz

Ca. Lic 391053 General Contractor Since 1980

(650) 355-4926

Painting & Remodeling •Interiors •Exteriors •Kitchens •Baths

Broken Spring/Cable?

Operator Problems?

Lifetime Warranty All New Doors/Motors

One Price 24 /7

415-931-1540 0% Financing Available

Roofing

Contractor inspection reports and pre-purchase consulting

Lic.#318166

Plumbing BEST PLUMBING, INC. Your Payless Plumbing

Lic. # 872560

(650) 557-1263 EMAIL:

bestplumbinginc@comcast.net Member: Better Business Bureau

Plumbing • Fire Protection • Certified Backflow

John Bianchi Phone: 415.468.1877 Fax: 415.468.1875 100 North Hill Drive, Unit 18 • Brisbane, CA 94005

Construction Celtic Home Care Caring for the Elderly

Serving SF & Bay Area

CAHALAN CONST. Foundations, Earthquake Dryrot, Termite, Siding, Stucco Additions. Remodels lic# 582766

415.279.1266

Auto Service

HOLLAND Plumbing Works San Francisco

HABELT’S AUTO SERVICE

ALL PLUMBING WORK PAT HOLLAND

Complete Auto Repair

415-205-1235

415-664-1735

BONDED & INSURED

S anti

Plumbing and Heating 415-661-3707 Michael T. Santi Since 1972 Ca License # 663641 24 Hour Emergency Service

Painting BILL HEFFERON

PAINTING INTERIOR, EXTERIOR All Jobs Large and Small

10% Discount: Seniors, Parishioners Call BILL 415.731.8065 • Cell: 415.710.0584 Member of Better Business Bureau Bonded, Insured – LIC. #819191

(415) 786-0121 • (415) 586-6748

415.637.3405 415.425.8609

Lic. No. 390254

CA LIC #817607

Removal of challenging trees Fine Pruning 24 Hr. emergency service Insurance work

Alicia Cabe-Reyes, eighth grade teacher at St. Anthony-Immaculate Conception Elementary School, was recently honored with an “Herbst Foundation Award for Teaching Excellence.” Jerrol Harris, left, director of the foundation’s board presented the award, which includes a $2,000 prize for Cabe-Reyes and a $2,000 grant for the school in the area of staff development. School Principal Dennis Ruggiero is at right.

Painting Maintenance Services

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

The Irish Rose

Award for teaching excellence

3865 Irving St. at 40th Ave. – Since 1964 –

NOTICE TO READERS Licensed contractors are required by law to list their license numbers in advertisments. The law also state that contractors performing work totaling $500 or more must be state-licensed.

Advertisments appearing in this newspaper without a license number indicate that the contractor is not licensed.

For more info, contact:

Contractors State License Board

800-321-2752

Carpet Cleaning Safe Non-Toxic, No Shampoo, Dry in Hours not Days Commercial & Residential Serving SF & San Mateo Co. St. Charles Parishioner

(650) 593-5959

Senior Care IN HOME CARE FOR SENIORS LIC.# 39702

We provide excellent services to fit your needs. Our caregivers are caring individuals who have many years experience assisting elderly patients in diverse cases. Our rates are reasonable and competitive.

35 Years in San Mateo County 25 Years Experience Caring for Elderly We provide Live-In; Live-Out; Daily; Weekly; Long-Term; Short-Term

vm: 650-286-7547 • bus: 650-367-7327 cell: 650-834-7227 • e-mail: ebw8bion@yahoo.com

Handy Man Painting, roof repair, fence (repair/ build) demolition, carpenter, gutter (clean/ repair), kitchen/bathroom remodel, decks, welding, landscaping, gardening, hauling, moving, janitorial.

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

May 1, 2009

Catholic San Francisco

23

catholic san francisco’s CALL: 415-614-5642 OFFICE SPACE AVAILABLE

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

Cost $26

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

Name Adress Phone MC/VISA # Exp. Select One Prayer: ❑ St. Jude Novena to SH ❑ Prayer to St. Jude

Most beautiful flower of Mt. Carmel Blessed Mother of the Son of God, assistme in my need. Help me and show me you are my mother.

Oh Holy Mary, Mother of God, Queen of Heaven and earth. I humbly beseech you from the bottom of my heart to help me in this need.

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

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

Say prayers 3 days. D.L.M.

Prayer to the Holy Spirit

native San Franciscan, 19 yrs. exp. seeks employment with elderly woman exc. ref.

415-252-8312

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

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

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

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

M.B.

Prayer to the Blessed Virgin never .known to fail

Holy Spirit, you who make me see everything and who shows me the way to reach my ideal.

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

D.L.M.

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

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

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

Say prayers 3 days.

C.O.

Prayer to St. Jude

Prayer to the Blessed Virgin never known to fail.

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

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

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

D.L.M.

CERTIFIED GERIATRIC HOME AIDE,

Piano

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

Prayer to the Blessed Virgin never known to fail.

For Rent Geriatric Home Aid Vocation LAKE TAHOE RENTAL

Most beautiful flower of Mt. Carmel Blessed Mother of the Son of God, assistme in my need. Help me and show me you are my mother.

Oh Holy Mary, Mother of God, Queen of Heaven and earth. I humbly beseech you from the bottom of my heart to help me in this need.

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

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

Say prayers 3 days.

M.P.L.

Desire Priesthood?

Religious Life?

Lay Ministries?

Superb Sabbatical?

Jesuit Retreats?

800-645-5347 – 24/7 gonzaga.edu/ministryinstitute

Maid Services

PIANO LESSONS BY

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

CALL (415) 921-8337.

MAID CLEANING SERVICES

Vacation Rental Condo in South Lake Tahoe.

Sleeps 8, near Heavenly Valley and Casinos.

Call 925-933-1095

I clean houses, apts & offices.

LOW PRICES – 20 yr. experience reliable

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See it at RentMyCondo.com#657

Approximately 2,000 to 10,000 square feet first floor office space available (additional space available if needed) at One Peter Yorke Way, San Francisco (between Gough & Franklin), is being offered for lease to a non-profit entity.

Space available includes enclosed offices, open work area with several cubicles, large work room, and storage rooms on the lower level of the Archdiocese of San Francisco Chancery/Pastoral Center. We also have mail and copy services available, as well as meeting rooms (based on availability).

Reception services available.

Space has access to kitchen area and restroom facilities. Parking spaces negotiable. Ready for immediate occupancy with competitive terms.

Come view the space.

For more information, contact Katie Haley, (415) 614-5556 email haleyk@sfarchdiocese.org.

Public Service Announcement

Help Wanted

2009 Annual

RNs, LVNs, CNAs, Caregivers

Food Drive The United States Postal Service (USPS) and the National Association of Letter Carries (NALC) will be having their 17th annual Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive throughout the nation to benefit food banks, pantries, and shelters. On Saturday, May 9, 2009, letter carriers will collect non-perishable donations from homes as they deliver mail along their postal routes. We ask for the public to support this noble cause, as “Millions and millions of families are suffer ing and struggling to make ends meet and put food on the table.”

Chimney Cleaning

We are looking for full or part time

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

ADVANCEMENT EVENT COORDINATOR - Full time Position description: Mercy High School, an all-girls Catholic college preparatory high school in Burlingame has an opening for a fulltime Event Coordinator starting July 1st, 2009. Position is responsible for creating and implementing various special events throughout the year Candidate must be a dynamic, creative, experienced development professional, experienced in creating and executing dynamic events that reflect current fund-raising best practices and engage the school’s constituents and encourage philanthropic support of the school.. The Coordinator serves as moderator of the Mercy Parents’ Club and is responsible for all club meetings, events, and fundraisers.

Minimal qualifications: • 3+ years experience in event planning/management in a non-profit environment • Demonstrated ability to produce successful events within budget criteria and create a surplus to meet fund-raising goals • Extensive leadership and organizational skills to produce well-designed and -managed events; including oversight and management of volunteer leaders and groups • Strong interpersonal and verbal/written communication skills • Ability to multitask and meet multiple deadlines • Working knowledge of Microsoft Word and Excel, Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge as well as Auction Maestro Pro or similar auction program preferred.

Education and/or Experience AA required, BA preferred. Degree or certification in event planning highly desirable Position requires candidate to be on campus daily, with additional weekend and evening meetings and events required.

Salary: Commensurate with experience.

All resume materials must be received by Friday, Friday, May 8th, 2009.

Send resume and cover letter to: Kay Carter, Director of Human Resources, Mercy High School, 2750 Adeline Drive, Burlingame, CA 94010; email: kcarter@mercyhsb.com

24

Catholic San Francisco

May 1, 2009

My Will I have a will.

Two months ago I couldn’t say that.

It took the death of a close friend to wake me up. Now I’m wondering why I procrastinated so long.

Let me tell you about my will.

My will reflects my wishes. Instead of the courts

I can change or amend my will. It is not set in

appointing an executor (personal representative), my son will handle this, and without bond.

concrete. I can change it easily, whether adding a codicil or by simply having it redrafted. The important thing is that I have a workable will in place-right now.

My will makes provision for family members in a way state laws would not do. My will lets me give money to my children and grandchildren in an orderly manner after I pass on. My will identifies my parish and the Archdiocese to receive special bequests. In short, my will allocates my assets according to my desires.

My will is safely stored. I have a copy of my will in my files at home, but I keep the original in a safety deposit box. I don’t want to lose this important document through fire or theft. I also made sure my personal representative, my son, knows how to find my will.

My will is legally valid. I went to an attorney who

My will provides peace of mind. For years, I lived

specializes in estate planning. She knew the right questions to ask and the best way to accomplish my goals. I was tempted to take a short cut and use one of those will documents I saw at the stationary store. I even thought of just sitting down and writing out my will on a piece of paper, a sort of do-ityourself project. I’m sure glad I didn’t fall into that trap. After all, why do a will and then spend the rest of your life or the last moments of life wondering whether it is truly valid?

with a nagging apprehension about what would happen if I died without a will. Those feelings are gone. I now have a sense of peace about these matters. It took a little time and effort and it cost a few dollars, but it was well worth it all.

My will is up-to-date. This is because I only

If you do not have a current, valid will or comprehensive living trust, we at the Archdiocese of San Francisco urge you to care for this very important matter. Not only will such planning benefit your loved ones, we believe that you will want to remember the Archdiocese as well.

recently created it and it reflects my current situation. But life never stays the same. Within a few years, new laws may arise. Family members may have different needs. My estate may change.

As my attorney says, “An out-of-date will could be as harmful as having no will at all.”

We can assist you by providing information about wills and charitable bequests.

Feel free to call us at(415) 614-5580, email development@sfarchdiocese.org, or use the handy response coupon below.

____________ Please send me free literature about making a will. ____________ I have already provided a bequest for the Archiocese of San Francisco in my will. ____________ Please invite me to the next Planned Giving Seminar.

Name: Address: City:

State:

Zip:

Phone:

Mail this form to: Archdiocese of San Francisco, Office of Development One Peter Yorke Way, San Francisco, CA 94109 Phone (415) 614-5580 ● Fax (415) 614-5584 ● Email: development@sfarchdiocese.org