May 14, 2004 by Catholic San Francisco

Catholic san Francisco

(CNS PHOTO BY DAVID MAUNG)

Northern California’s Weekly Catholic Newspaper

(CNS PHOTO FROM CATHOLIC PRESS PHOTO)

Above: Sister Mary Alanz holds an infant in the waiting room at Hope Health Center in Tijuana, Mexico, April 26. The clinic, which serves residents living near a city garbage dump, is run by the Servants of St. Margaret Mary of the Poor. The order carries on the health care mission of its co-founder, Mother Maria Guadalupe Garcia Zavala, beatified by Pope John Paul II April 25. The sisters work in Mexico, Peru, Iceland, Greece and Italy. Left: Pope John Paul II beatified Mother Maria Guadalupe Garcia Zavala April 25 during a Vatican ceremony. In 1901 she co-founded the order Servants of St. Margaret Mary and the Poor in the Mexican state of Jalisco. The order is dedicated to serving the poor and the sick.

After beatification, memories abound of Mexican nun who helped poor By Jason Lange Catholic News Service MEXICO CITY — Well into her 80s and confined to a wheelchair, Mother Maria Guadalupe Garcia Zavala worked long hours at the hospital she helped found. For those who knew her, the recently beatified nun is remembered for her tireless dedication and strictness. “Even as an old lady, she moved around in a wheelchair all day to make sure the hospital was being run right,” said Mother Maria del Rosario Placito, a friend for 15 years of Mother Garcia, known in Mexico as Madre Lupita.

For those who never met Madre Lupita, the stories of her devotion are accompanied with growing accounts of miracles. Every day in a room at Guadalajara’s St. Margaret Hospital — which Madre Lupita helped found and where she lived until her death in 1963 — people leave notes, photographs or even locks of hair in thanks for the many miracles attributed to her. Pope John Paul II beatified Madre Lupita April 25 after recognizing the miraculous cure of severe pancreatitis in a Chicago truck driver who had prayed for Madre MEXICAN NUN, page 8 Lupita’s intercession.

Military archbishop, chaplains criticize abuse of Iraqi prisoners By Agostino Bono Catholic News Service WASHINGTON — The abuse of Iraqi prisoners of war by U.S. military personnel must be “condemned without equivocation,” and “we must bring to justice those responsible,” said Archbishop Edwin F. O’Brien, head of the U.S. Catholic Archdiocese for the Military Services. He called “outrageous” the abuses which first came to light in photographs presented April 28 on CBS’ “60 Minutes II” showing U.S. military personnel abusing and humiliating Iraqi prisoners. Agreeing were two chaplains scheduled to become auxiliary bishops of the military archdiocese in July. All three said the abuses go against what the U.S.

military stands for and the actions of the vast majority of the members of the U.S. armed forces. “The military is no place for Rambos. We have to weed them out,” said Bishop-designate Richard B. Higgins, an Air Force chaplain since 1974. He was referring to a fictional movie character named Rambo, played by actor Sylvester Stallone, who is a Vietnam War veteran and a loner who constantly goes off on vendettas. Bishop-designate Joseph W. Estabrook, a Navy chaplain since 1977, said the abuses show the need for military chaplains because they can provide moral guidelines for military people having to act in complex and stressful situations. IRAQI PRISONERS, page 8

INSIDE THIS WEEK’S EDITION Cardinal on controversy. . . 3 Interfaith advocate . . . . . . . 5 School wins honor . . . . . . . 9 Three to be ordained . . . . 11 Editorial and letters . . . . . . 12

Father Tom Daly teaching

Sunday Scripture

‘Peace’ and ‘Paradise’ Book Reviews

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May 14, 2004

FIFTY CENTS

‘Da Vinci Hoax’ . . . . . . . . . 15

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Datebook . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 VOLUME 6

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No. 18

Catholic San Francisco

May 14, 2004

On The Where You Live by Tom Burke

Catholic san Francisco Northern California’s Weekly Catholic Newspaper

Official newspaper of the Archdiocese of San Francisco

Most Reverend William J. Levada, publisher Maurice E. Healy, associate publisher & editor Editorial Staff: Jack Smith, assistant editor; Evelyn Zappia, feature editor; Tom Burke, “On the Street” and Datebook; Patrick Joyce, contributing editor/senior writer; Sharon Abercrombie and Jayme George, reporters Advertising: Joseph Pena, director; Mary Podesta, account representative Production: Karessa McCartney, manager; Tiffany Doesken Business Office: Marta Rebagliati, assistant business manager; Virginia Marshall, advertising and promotion services; Judy Morris, circulation and subscriber services

Catholic San Francisco editorial offices are located at One Peter Yorke Way, San Francisco, CA 94109. Tel: (415) 614-5640 Circulation: 1-800-563-0008 or (415) 614-5638 Advertising: (415) 614-5642 News fax: (415) 614-5633; Advertising fax: (415) 614-5641 Adv. E-mail: jpena@catholic-sf.org Catholic San Francisco (ISSN 15255298) is published weekly except the Fridays after Thanksgiving, Easter, Christmas and the first Friday in January, twice a month during summer by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco, 1500 Mission Rd., P.O. Box 1577, Colma, CA 94014. Annual subscription rates are $10 within the Archdiocese of San Francisco and $22.50 elsewhere in the United States. Periodical postage paid at South San Francisco, California. Postmaster: Send address changes to Catholic San Francisco, 1500 Mission Rd., P.O. Box 1577, Colma, CA 94014 If there is an error in the mailing label affixed to this newspaper, call 1-800-563-0008. It is helpful to refer to the current mailing label.

parishioner of St. Thomas More, was an original member of from here but also not far from here as his care will be in the the Seton board of directors. Much missed is her mom very familiar and welcoming ministry of the Little Sisters of Dorothy who died two years ago…. Gregg Franceschi, a ’94 the Poor….Honored in March for their long service to the alum of Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory, has just pursuit of vocations were members of the Serra Club of the signed on to his alma mater’s developGolden Gate. Diana Seixas of the ment team. “Gregg was a very active and national Serra offices presented a pin for energetic student while at SHCP, and I 50 years as a Serran to John Kaufer. am looking forward to him bringing that Cheered for their 25 years of dedication same energy and enthusiasm to his role in were Brian Fewer, Daniel O’Hara, III, the alumni office,” said John Vigo, SHCP Gregory Currivan, John Gray, Martin development director and a member of Kilgariff, Mike Holway, Paul Crudo, the school’s class of ’81. Gregg, who Ted Rausch, Thomas Mullaney, completed undergraduate studies at San William Marconi, Joe Puig, Mark Francisco State, will be coordinating the Shustoff, John Bianco, Bill Dukes, school’s annual reunion weekend as well John Shea. Thanked with a 10 year as working with Alumni Association insignia were Frank Clark, Margaret leadership and providing outreach to the Deidrich, Beverly and Eugene Engle, women and men who have tread the halls Mimi Fewer, Art Green, Kathleen of the San Francisco school. Gregg and Woods, Connie and Chuck Mertes, his wife, Julie – a ’93 SHCP alumna Happy 62 years married to Teresa and Anthony Puig, Frank Sawyer, Joe and member of the faculty at the afore- James Hampton who celebrated the Simini, Jack Spring, Jack D’Angelo, mentioned St. Vincent de Paul occasion with children, grandchildren Vivian Mullaney and Vern Gilbert…. Elementary – will be married three and great grandchildren at a Mass of Remember, this is an empty space years October 13th….Fond farewells Thanksgiving at Daly City’s Our Lady of without ya’!!! Send items and a follow Mercy Church, January 26th. to Father Stanley Wu who has retired to up phone number to On the Street Taiwan. Father Wu has served in the Where You Live, One Peter Yorke Way, Archdiocese for 30 years at parishes including Holy Name of SF 94109. Fax (415) 614-5641; e-mail tburke@catholicJesus, St, Thomas the Apostle and St. Brigid in San sf.org. Do not send attachments except photos and those in Francisco as well as Our Lady of Mercy, Daly City. He’s far jpeg, please. You can reach Tom Burke at (415) 614-5634….

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All smiles is Katie Girlich, a St. Stephen Elementary 5th grader and winner of the Grand Prize in the San Francisco Dental Society’s 29th annual poster contest. Look for it on “Muni buses and in dentist offices throughout the City,” said her proud dad, Tom. Mom is Natasha. Brother Stephen is a St. Stephen’s 8th grader and soon a freshman at St. Ignatius College Preparatory. Katie’s work of art was chosen from 2,700 entries representing students from 40 schools. Barbara Conti teaches the 5th grade. Coaching Katie on her brushstroke is art teacher, Phyllis Cimente….Comin’ home to share their skills are Kathy Kathy King King and Gregg Franceschi. Kathy’s puttin’ in her hours as executive director of Seton Health Services Foundation in Daly City, an arm of the Daughters of Charity that raises funds for sites including Seton Medical Center. Still a city-dweller and parishioner of St. Ignatius, Kathy’s relationship with the Daughters goes back to her years at Cow Hollow’s St. Vincent de Paul Elementary. “They touched my life in a profound way,” Kathy told me. The money Kathy raises supports, among other humanitarian efforts, Seton’s RotaCare Clinic and New Life Center where indigent patients are helped through illness and pregnancy. More than 700 people were treated at the clinic last year Gregg Franceschi and 184 babies have been born at the New Life Center during its first 12 months of operation. Kathy has previously wielded her expertise with the Diocese of Oakland, Catholic Charities East Bay and Catholic Charities – now Catholic Charities CYO – San Francisco. Kathy’s dad, Edward M. King, 95 and a loyal

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May 14, 2004

Catholic San Francisco

By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service VATICAN CITY — Los Angeles Cardinal Roger M. Mahony said he believes the church’s efforts to educate people about the reality and immorality of abortion are more effective than imposing sanctions on politicians who support legal abortion. The cardinal spoke to Catholic News Service at the Vatican May 11, less than a week after he had a private meeting with Massachusetts Sen. John F. Kerry and his wife. Cardinal Mahony said the May 5 meeting with the presumptive Democratic nominee for president “was very cordial, very friendly,” but private. The cardinal said Kerry and his wife had arranged to visit the new Los Angeles cathedral during a Cinco de Mayo campaign stop in Los Angeles and had asked if the cardinal would be available for a meeting. Like Cardinal Mahony, Kerry declined to tell journalists what they discussed. Kerry’s expected nomination at the Democratic National Convention in July

will make him the first major-party Catholic candidate for president since John F. Kennedy. The conflict between church teaching and Kerry’s political position on abortion has been a source of controversy, especially since February, when Archbishop Raymond L. Burke of St. Louis said he would refuse Communion to Kerry because of his abortion stand. In Rome for the “ad limina” visit bishops make every five years, Cardinal Mahony said: “I’m slightly mystified why this is all coming up now. We’ve had pro-choice Catholic politicians going to Communion since Roe vs. Wade,” the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion. “The church has always been quite cautious about denying anyone the sacraments of the church,” he said. “And, in fact, with respect to the Eucharist, it really is not possible for a priest or bishop to deny someone Communion unless that person is known to have been a public sinner, in the sense of having been interdicted or excommunicated or formally sanctioned in some way. “The presumption is that if someone

California Bishops in Rome to begin ‘ad limina’ visits to Pope, Vatican San Francisco Archbishop William J. Levada and Auxiliary Bishops John C. Wester and Ignatius C. Wang are in Rome this week participating in the periodic “ad limina” visit to the Vatican, which is required of all bishops. The last such visit for the Archdiocese of San Francisco and other California dioceses took place in 1988. Bishops heading dioceses are required to make the visits every five years to report on the status of their dioceses; the six-year gap in the U.S. visits was due to the fact that all “ad liminas” were pushed back a year after the visits were suspended in 2000 because of the pope’s busy Jubilee Year schedule. The round of meetings with U.S. bishops began April 2. Bishops from

heaven can’t wait

Michigan and Ohio completed their May 2-8 “ad limina” just before the visits by California bishops began May 9. Each group of U.S. bishops begins the visit with a concelebrated Mass near the tomb of St. Peter in the grotto of St. Peter’s Basilica. The Latin phrase “ad limina apostolorum” (to the thresholds of the apostles) is a reference to the pilgrimage to the tombs of Sts. Peter and Paul the bishops are required to make. Extensive reports are prepared by dioceses in preparation for meetings and discussions with representatives of various congregations and offices at the Vatican. The visits also include an audience with Pope John Paul II, which, along with liturgies, highlight the ad liminas.

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Cardinal Mahony said Catholic leaders, including lay leaders, must have a regular dialogue with Catholic politicians, discussing political issues from the point of view of Catholic moral and social teaching. “That’s our responsibility,” he said. “We have not been doing that effectively.” In addition, the cardinal said, the Catholic Church in the United States must increase its efforts to let Catholic voters know about the political responsibility statements it issues, to educate them about the church’s moral and social teaching and to encourage them to vote according to a well-formed conscience. “We bishops have to be very careful,” he said. “We cannot be giving the impression that we are telling people to vote for this candidate or that candidate. That has never been our role, and if we give the impression that that is what we are doing, then we have failed our people.”

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presents himself for Communion, that they are doing so with the belief that they are in a state of grace and receiving in good faith the Eucharist,” he said. “That is the decision the communicant makes, not the person giving Communion,” Cardinal Mahony said. The Los Angeles encounter marked the second time in less than a month that Kerry has had a private session with a U.S. cardinal; he met Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick of Washington April 15. Cardinal Mahony told CNS Pope John Paul II’s 1995 encyclical, “Evangelium Vitae” (“The Gospel of Life”), encourages Catholics to defend life at every stage of its development and it lists “a number” of serious threats, including abortion, euthanasia and capital punishment. “If one were to begin cataloguing who should or should not go to Communion, according to the Holy Father’s list,” he said, one might have to consider supporters of the death penalty and other threats to life. “The Gospel of Life,” Cardinal Mahony said, was written “to encourage a change of heart and mind.” The cardinal said the only way to reduce and eventually eliminate abortion is to convince people that it is wrong. “What the church has been doing has had great success,” he said, citing a recent poll of young women showing that support for the most liberal access to legalized abortion “has dropped from 64 percent to 55 percent.” “The politicians themselves are not going in for abortions; it’s women themselves, so that’s the group we need to influence,” he said. The positive efforts to educate people about the reality of abortion and to offer women alternatives, the cardinal said, “are dealt a very negative blow if all of a sudden the church starts sanctioning people.”

(CNS FILE PHOTO)

Cardinal says education on abortion more effective than sanctions

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NEWS

May 14, 2004

in brief

WASHINGTON — House and Senate Democrats introduced a bill in May that the chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Migration said would go far to repair an inadequate immigration system. The Safe, Orderly Legal Visas and Enforcement, or SOLVE, Act was introduced by Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., and Reps. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., and Luis Gutierrez, D-Ill. It would allow people who have entered the country illegally to apply for legal residency if they have been here for more than five years and held jobs. It also would break through backlogs in applications for family reunification visas and create two programs for workers in low-skilled, temporary jobs. In a statement the same day, Coadjutor Bishop Thomas G. Wenski of Orlando, Fla., offered his support for the bill as chairman of the migration committee. The bill reforms “crucial areas of our immigration system in a way that protects the rights of U.S. and foreign workers; promotes family unity; and grants migrant workers and their families in the United States the opportunity to become permanent residents, and if they so choose, U.S. citizens,” Bishop Wenski said.

(CNS PHOTO FROM REUTERS)

Immigration bill said to go far in repairing inadequate system

A Muslim woman stands in the ruins of her home in the central Nigerian town of Yelwa May 6. A Muslim community leader there said more than 600 corpses had been buried following a Sunday attack by Christian militia members. Survivors of the raid said the final death toll could reach 1,000. The conflict between the Christian Tarok tribe and the Muslim Fulani is rooted in competing claims over the fertile farmlands of Plateau state. The rivalry has been stoked by growing religious hatred, and the sense among Christians that Muslims are outsiders in Plateau.

Pro-life official praises FDA denial on ‘morning-after pill’

action and collaboration on a wide range of activities, from joint action by church leaders to working together locally on service and social action, catechesis and evangelization.

al property — even though it is fair and helps stimulate progress — can in some instances conflict with other fundamental rights such as the right to good health,” he said.

WASHINGTON — “The voice of reason prevailed” in the Food and Drug Administration’s May 6 decision to withhold permission for over-the-counter sales of the “morning-after pill” marketed as Plan B, according to the U.S. bishops’ chief spokeswoman on pro-life issues. “A drug which can destroy human embryos and increases health risks to women and girls does not belong on the drugstore shelf,” said Cathy Cleaver Ruse, director of planning and information for the bishops’ Secretariat for Pro-Life Activities, in a May 7 statement. Plan B, marketed by Barr Pharmaceuticals in Woodcliff Lake, N.J., is designed to be taken within 72 hours after unprotected intercourse. It involves a large dose of progestin-only birth control pills, which are available only by prescription. Ruse noted in her statement that Plan B is “marketed and advertised as a ‘contraceptive’ but its own proponents admit that it works before and after conception.” The FDA left the door open for approval of over-the-counter sales of Plan B in the future.

Pope laments use of child labor

Bush to make election-year visit to pope in June; top issue is Iraq

Catholic-Lutheran dialogue says churches ‘wounded’ by separation WASHINGTON — The Catholic and Lutheran churches are “wounded” in their ministries and communities by the lack of full communion between the two ecclesial traditions, said a new common statement of the U.S. Lutheran-Roman Catholic Dialogue. The statement recommended that “each church recognize that the other realizes, even if perhaps imperfectly, the one church of Jesus Christ and shares in the apostolic tradition.” It also recommended a mutual recognition, at least partially, of each church’s ministries. It argued that the different emphases on bishop and presbyter (priest or ordained minister) in the two traditions should be seen as complementary and mutually challenging, and not in themselves church-dividing. The dialogue recommended that Catholic and Lutheran leaders and people increase their inter-

VATICAN CITY — Pope John Paul II lamented the use of child laborers, especially at the expense of a child’s basic education. After praying the “Regina Coeli” May 9 from his apartment window with pilgrims gathered below in St. Peter’s Square, the pope appealed for greater recognition of the rights of the world’s children. “Unfortunately, many children in the world are deprived of primary education, and they end up being exploited as laborers,” he said. He mentioned a world congress against child labor taking place in Florence, Italy, May 10-13, and said he hoped the meeting would “contribute to promoting the effective recognition of the rights of children.” According to a 1998 study by the International Labor Organization, some 250 million children worldwide are engaged in economic activity with nearly one-half of them working full time. More than 170 million children are caught up in some of the worst forms of exploitation, including slavery, human trafficking, prostitution and armed service.

Right to profits doesn’t surpass common good, Vatican official says VATICAN CITY — Drug companies’ right to make a profit and protect patents can conflict with people’s right to needed medicines and care, said a Vatican official at a symposium attended by generic pharmaceutical companies. In a speech May 7, Bishop Jose Redrado Marchite, secretary of the Pontifical Council for Health Care Workers, told symposium participants, “We know that producing medicines is a complicated and costly process” and expensive research and development “are indispensable for fighting old and new pathologies.” Patenting such medicines is part of protecting a drug company’s investment in research and development, he said. However, “the right to (protect) intellectu-

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VATICAN CITY — Pope John Paul II will meet with President George W. Bush in early June, and the top item on the agenda will be Iraq, sources in Rome said. The meeting June 4 was arranged after days of quiet talks involving Vatican officials and U.S. diplomats. The White House and the Vatican were expected to officially announce the encounter in mid-May. U.S. Ambassador to the Vatican Jim Nicholson told Catholic News Service May 9 that Bush had altered his schedule in order to make sure he didn’t miss the pope, who is scheduled to travel to Switzerland June 5-6. Instead of arriving in Rome late on June 4, the president will “fly all night” and arrive in the morning, Nicholson said. The president and his aides are expected in the Vatican in late morning, where they will also meet with Cardinal Angelo Sodano, Vatican secretary of state.

Sisters of Mercy apologize for abuse of children in Ireland DUBLIN, Ireland — Ireland’s largest order of religious sisters, the Sisters of Mercy, has apologized unconditionally to people who were abused while in their care at children’s homes between the 1940s and 1960s. Sister Breege O’Neill, head of the congregation’s leadership team, offered the apology during a May 5 press conference in Dublin. Addressing former residents of the order’s schools and orphanages, Sister O’Neill said, “We express our heartfelt sorrow and ask your forgiveness. We ask forgiveness for our failure to care for you and protect you in the past and for our failure to hear you in the present.” She said, “We are distressed by our failures. We have been earnestly searching to find a way to bring about healing. We need your help to do this.” — Cathoilic News Service

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May 14, 2004

Catholic San Francisco

Interfaith advocate for including everyone at the table By Sharon Abercrombie “Let the Beauty we love be what we do. There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground,” observed Mevlana Jallaudin Rumi, a thirteenth century Islamic Sufi poet and mystic. Today, the famous Sufi, who lived and taught in Koyna, Turkey, has a kindred spirit – an Irish-born priest, who, with his startling shock of white hair and vibrant blue eyes could pass for Spencer Tracey’s taller brother, quips Paul Chaffee, director of the Interfaith Center at the Presidio of San Francisco. He is Father Gerard O’Rourke, director emeritus of the Office of Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs for the Archdiocese of San Francisco. The priest, who will be 79 years-old May 27, has made himself open and welcoming to humankind’s diverse ways of worshipping the Divine. Like Rumi, Father O’Rourke has a few choice words of his own that are widely quoted and heeded among his peers, noted Chaffee. “Who is not yet at the table?” the priest frequently asks, when he sits down with religious leaders for interfaith dialogue in the San Francisco Bay area or in such far-flung places as Manresa, Spain. The question is one of his signature statements. Besides wanting to add more chairs and faith traditions to the mix, Father Gerry — as he is fondly known by his friends — goes well beyond the perfunctory exchange of ideas during a few official meetings. “He wants to hear people’s stories. He wants to know you as a person. Father Gerry truly believes that only then can true interfaith understanding and love take place,” explains Don Frew, former owner of Shambala Books in Berkeley, one of the most prestigious interfaith book shops in the Bay Area before its recent closing. Frew represents the Wiccan Religion at the Interfaith Center, and also serves on the board of United Religions Initiative, a San Francisco-based world-wide organization. Initiated by Episcopal Bishop William Swing, Father O’Rourke and other religious leaders in 1995, the group promotes interfaith cooperation to end religiously motivated violence and to create cultures of peace, justice and healing for the earth and all living beings. Wicca, a nature/goddess based religion, still remains one of the least understood spiritual paths for many people. But not by Gerry O’Rourke. In 1998, Father O’Rourke told Frew, “You absolutely have to be here at the table.” Frew and Father O’Rourke have since spent many hours together serving on various committees, the most recent being a planning group for the upcoming Parliament of

World Religions in Barcelona and Manresa this July. Rumi’s words will be played out at a major level in both cities – as thousands of people come together, to celebrate the “hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground.” Father O’Rourke had recently returned from one of the planning meetings in Manresa, Spain, when he sat down with Catholic San Francisco for an interview over lunch. As Paul Chaffee had predicted, another of the priest’s famous phrases would soon be out there in the middle of the table “We live in a kairos moment,” said Father O’Rourke. An Internet definition for Kairos, a Greek word, is “power that is legitimate, but limited and compassionate. For us to survive on this endangered planet today, we must eliminate despotic expressions of power, interpersonal abuse, racism elitism, and ageism,” according to the site. Thanks to the Internet with its treasure of information, said Father O’Rourke, we truly live at a moment in time when it is possible for us all to be united. “We’ve never had this power of the moment, outside of calendar time, when we can have access to information that shows us that every religion has gifts to nourish and bless us all.” One more time, through an electronic energy field, the Sufi poet’s words come to the forefront. But more than a thousand years before Rumi, another man lovingly expressed His openness to those of other faiths, as well. His name was Jesus, said Father O’Rourke. One of the priest’s favorite stories concerns Jesus’ encounter with the woman at the well. The two drank water together. They talked. “But there is no record that Jesus converted her. Rather, she became convinced that she was loved by God and went back to share this message with her people.” Nor is there any record that Jesus sent his disciples out to baptize the man whom he freed of demons, points out Father O’Rourke. “Instead he sent the man off to tell people how great God is. He appears to say, ‘let people be.’” In today’s world, Jesus’ attitude is a realistic one, believes the priest. “We express our own faith, but we have respect for the way others are.” Respecting people of other faiths, and getting to know them as friends, can eliminate the roots of fear and violence. As evidenced by the thousands of religious wars through the centuries still going on today, people kill what they do not understand, said Father O’Rourke. “Somehow, we’ve got to find forums in which we can live together.” Especially, today, when we encounter people on busses, who are of different backgrounds and ethnic groups. Father O’Rourke said the truth of growing diversi-

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Father Gerard O’Rourke

ty at close distances really hit home, when he returned for a family visit to Ireland. His brother, also a priest, has a rural parish “and it’s right across the street from a mosque.” At the opposite end of the spectrum, living in isolation and anger produces tragedies like 9/11, he underscored. Most of the perpetrators involved in the destruction of the World Trade Towers were educated people, “but somewhere along the way, they were not accepted as human beings, were not understood, or listened to, or loved.” Rita Semel, one of Father O’Rourke’s Jewish colleagues at URI, and a longtime friend, seconds his comments. “When people don’t have a relationship with one another, they are threatened by one another. Gerry never lets us forget this. When you establish a relationship, the rest of the issues might be difficult, but we have a basis for working them out.” Father O’Rourke insists that the practice of deep listening to another, without putting up defenses, filters or preconceived notions, is the most important act of peace people can practice today. Jesus did it, he repeats. A large influence on the priest was his experience of studying with Werner Erhard, who he met in 1973. Father Gerry says this relationship was important because of Erhard’s insights and analysis of language, both in listening and speaking. The priest saw that communication is one of the essentials for peace making, and love is a function of communications. That’s one of Erhard’s most important lessons, he said. “Erhard empowered me to see things in a more contextual and inclusive way.” Inspired by Erhard, Father O’Rourke founded the Mastery Foundation with a group of people interested in empowering people working in religious ministry. Several times a year, the INTERFAITH, page 6

Catholic San Francisco

May 14, 2004

Father Stephen Meriwether heads Ecumenical and Interfaith Office By Sharon Abercrombie Father Stephen Meriwether’s ancestors are Chinook tribal people from Iliwaco, Washington who intermarried with French Canadian Catholics working for the Hudson Bay Co. He spent three years in Tanzania as a volunteer with Catholic Relief Services and he has celebrated Mass in Aramaic, the language Jesus spoke. This diverse background may come in handy for his new job as part-time director of the Ecumenical and Interfaith Affairs Office for the Archdiocese of San Francisco. Father Meriwether retains his position as chancellor and also will take on duties as pastor of Most Holy Redeemer Church in San Francisco on July 1. As head of Ecumenical and Interfaith Affairs, he succeeds Father Gerard “Gerry” O’Rourke, 75, who has officially retired from the post. But for the time being, think of the two clergymen as an active working team. “I rely on him very heavily,” said Father Meriwether. And besides, he observed wryly, “retirement is a shifting concept for priests.” Speaking of the purpose of ecumenical and interfaith activities, Father Meriwether said, “It’s very important that we develop a mutual respect, appreciation and understanding for one another’s faiths, while at the same time, we are holding different theological perspectives.” The son of generations of fisher folk in his native village of 500 people, Stephen Meriwether said he felt little inclination to carry on that tradition. “I get seasick.” He went to college at Washington State University in

Interfaith . . . ■ Continued from page 5 priest quietly gets on a plane and travels, at his own expense, to places like Clarksdale, Mississippi, Belfast and Derry in Northern Ireland, and Jerusalem to conduct training to empower people on both sides of longstanding conflicts in ways to develop friendships with one another. O’Rourke’s life journey began in Rosscommon, Ireland where he was born and raised. He went on to study at the National Catholic Seminary in Maynooth and was ordained in 1950 when Ireland’s religious vocations were at their peak. There weren’t enough Irish parishes to go around then, so newly ordained clergy went abroad. The new priest was invited to LaCrosse, Wisconsin, where he served five years. His second assignment, for four years, was at St. Emydius parish in Los Angeles. He then returned to Ireland to a rural parish. He also spent a few years in Brazil and the United States working with the St. Patrick Fathers, a missionary community.

Father Stephen Meriwether

Pullman to study American history, and began exploring a call to the priesthood. But he felt torn because an opportunity to serve as a CRS volunteer in East Africa likewise beckoned strongly. Besides, since he had never even been out of his home state, shouldn’t, he thought, perhaps wait awhile before entering seminary? The priest had frequently visited San Francisco during his early years in America and loved the city. “There is such a sense and power of place here. People talk about a mountain, a hill, a valley that holds power for them. Jesus was aware of it. And I’m Celtic. I walk into a place and sense it.” The priest applied to the Archdiocese of San Francisco in 1978 and was accepted in 1979. His first assignment was at Mill Valley, in the shadow of Mt. Tamalpais. He did pastoral work at Our Lady of Mount Carmel and then served as director of RENEW for a time, before moving to the Interfaith office. After serving nearly a dozen years as director of Ecumenical and Interfaith Affairs for the Archdiocese of San Francisco, O’Rourke has turned over the post to Father Stephen Meriwether. However, as director emeritus, he will continue to lend a hand with relationships whenever he is needed. His many friends in the interfaith movement in Northern California are glad that he will still be involved. Ms. Nahid Anga, director of the International Forum on Sufism in San Rafael said she treasures Father O’Rourke as a friend who is dedicated, compassionate towards human rights and people of other faiths. Everyone loves him. “

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With the encouragement of his vocation director, he went to Tanzania for three years. “We’ll be waiting when you get back,” the advisor assured him. And sure enough, they were. And so was his vocation, as strong as ever. Father Meriwether came to the Bay Area to join the Dominican Order, subsequently studying in Berkeley and Oakland at both the Graduate Theological Union and St. Albert’s Priory. As a deacon he transferred to the Archdiocese of San Francisco where he was ordained in 1983. He was assigned to St. Dunstan Parish in Millbrae and then to St. Agnes in San Francisco. Father Meriwether discovered the Aramaic language in 1989 when he went to Washington, D.C. to study canon law at Catholic University of America. One of his professors, who had a background in the Marionite rite, encouraged him to study it. Unlike the Latin rite, which comes out of Rome, the Marionite originated in Antioch and uses Aramaic in its liturgy. Father Meriwether’s teacher thought the extra liturgical training would be valuable, since there were two Aramaic parishes in California, and he could perhaps serve as a replacement clergyman. As it turned out, he was duly appointed pastor of Our Lady of Lebanon Parish in Millbrae, where he stayed for three years, while also working as judicial vicar for the Archdiocese Marriage Tribunal. He was later appointed pastor of Nativity parish in Menlo Park, where he served for four years. Most recently, he has been in residence at St. Theresa parish in San Francisco, while dividing his time between Chancellor and the Marriage Tribunal. Rick Murray, a member of St. Dominic parish in San Francisco, is director of resource development for URI and has known Father O’Rourke since 1977. “He’s my vision of the ideal priest,” said Murray, who called him “a heroic pioneer and a master at breaking down walls. He gets people to transcend dogma and relationships with one another.” Murray remembers one occasion in particular, where there was a gathering of representatives from Sufism Judaism, Islam, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism, and Buddhism. Gerry O’Rourke turned out to be the point person who “listened to each person, and then cut a path through their differences, so everyone could coalesce around him.”

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Catholic San Francisco

May 14, 2004

Mexican nun . . . ■ Continued from cover Madre Lupita’s beatification makes her one of two beatified Mexican women. Beatification is the last formal step before sainthood. Born in 1878 in the city of Zapopan in western Mexico, Madre Lupita co-founded the Congregation of the Servants of St. Margaret Mary and the Poor at the age of 23. Her

Iraqi prisoners . . . ■ Continued from cover All three spoke in answer to a question by Catholic News Service at a May 7 news conference in Washington to announce the appointments of Bishops-designate Higgins and Estabrook. Archbishop O’Brien spoke via telephone from the Spangdahlem Air Force Base in Germany during a tour of U.S. military installations. The archbishop contrasted the abuses in the photos to the “excellent attention” he said he saw wounded Iraqi prisoners of war receive at U.S. military hospitals in Germany. Bishop-designate Estabrook said he has been teaching a moral decision-making course for Marines in which reallife military situations are simulated and students have to decide courses of action to take. Marines coming back from Iraq have spoken about the moral decisions they have had to make and “I’m proud of them,” he said. At the time of his appointment, Bishop-designate Estabrook was command chaplain at the Marine Corps Base at Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii. Meanwhile, the Leadership Conference of Women Religious called for prosecution of those responsible for the abuses and experts on interreligious dialogue said the abuses have harmed Catholic-Muslim relations. The leadership conference, representing 73,000 Catholic women religious in the United States, said it

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religious order, which was founded to provide assistance to the hospitalized but evolved into a network of hospitals, clinics and health education groups, has 22 foundations in Mexico, Peru, Iceland, Greece and Italy. At the Hope Health Center in Tijuana, Mexico, which is part of Madre Lupita’s order, the staff offers medical assistance to people living in impoverished neighborhoods surrounding the city’s garbage dump. Sister Mary Alaniz, who helps run the clinic, said Madre Lupita’s example of diligence continues to inspire

the nuns who work as nurses and administrators there. “We are her daughters,” Sister Alaniz said. Although Sister Alaniz never met Madre Lupita — the clinic was founded after the co-founder’s death — she and others who work there are well schooled in the examples of her life. “When she was just a little girl, she would visit hospital patients and helped serve them water or in changing their sheets,” Sister Alaniz said. “She was humble and dedicated, which is what we try to be as well.”

reaches out “to our Muslim sisters and brothers. We grieve with you. We share your outrage.” In a May 7 statement, the conference called for a thorough investigation of the abuses with the results made public. Any military or civilian personnel “found to have engaged in or encouraged acts of torture or inhumane treatment” must be prosecuted, it said. The statement also called for a congressional investigation of the treatment of all detainees under U.S. custody and access by international humanitarian organizations to all prisoners held by the United States. John Borelli, special assistant for interreligious initiatives to the president of Jesuit-run Georgetown University, said the abuse “sets back our work on reconciliation” with Muslims. “We are trying to get past the stereotypes and ill will from our past,” Borelli said in a telephone interview with CNS. “The abuse reveals in the minds of U.S. citizens a dehumanizing view of Arabs and Muslims,” said Borelli. Prior to joining Georgetown in February, Borelli was involved in Catholic-Muslim dialogue as an associate director of the U.S. bishops’ Secretariat for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs. “The abuses go against everything the U.S. military teaches its soldiers about treatment of prisoners of war,” said Borelli.

“I know from my personal experience as an Army interrogator during the Vietnam War,” said Borelli. John Voll, director of Georgetown University’s Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding, said the long-term impact on interreligious dialogue would depend on how Christian leaders react to the abuses. “Strong, highly visible statements by Pope John Paul II and Catholic and Protestant leaders in the United States” could soften the harmful impact, he told CNS. The fact that women soldiers were in the photos humiliating Iraqis feeds into the hands of fundamentalist Muslims critical of the freedoms women have in Western society, he said. “One of their points is that the way the United States treats women leads to cultural degradation,” said Voll. Right now, the abuses are a “conversation stopper” when it comes to dialogue with conservative and fundamentalist Muslims, just as the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, were conversation stoppers for some Christians, he said. Politically, the abuses are embedded in the bigger issue of what will the United States do with Iraq, he said. “If the U.S. gets out in a timely way leaving behind a relatively stable, democratic and free country, this will seem as a glitch,” he said. “Otherwise, these images become the symbol of the U.S. occupation of Iraq.”

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Catholic San Francisco

St. Gabriel school takes statewide honor The Academic Decathlon team from St. Gabriel school in San Francisco won third place overall in the 2004 California Catholic Schools Junior High Academic Decathlon held in Los Angeles May 1. The statewide competition brought together teams who had already placed first in local diocesan-wide competitions. St. Gabriel advanced to the statewide competition after placing first, for the fifth time in seven years, in the Archdiocese of San Francisco Academic Decathlon held in March at Junipero Serra High School in San Mateo. This is St. Gabriel’s second overall third place win at the statewide competition. The Academic Decathlon competition is open to sixth, seventh and eighth graders who compete individually in tests on eight academic subjects, and as a team for a logic competition and Super Quiz. Three St. Gabriel eighth graders won individual awards at the statewide competition: Samantha Eng, second in Fine Arts; Ryan Meredith, third in Math; and Douglas Ryan, third in Current Events. Other team members contributing to St. Gabriel’s overall win were Spenser Cheung, Beverly Chau, Melissa DiGrande, Elizabeth Fonte, Aaron Huang, Morgan Jarrell and Elena Trierweiler.

St. Gabriel Academic Decathlon Team members, from left (front row): Aaron Huang, Elena Trierweiler, Douglas Ryan, Morgan Jarrell; (back row) Samantha Eng, Melissa DiGrande, Spencer Cheung, Beverly Chao, Ryan Meredith, and Elizabeth Fonte.

Academic Decathlon team members prepare for competition by studying individually and as a team during lunch recess and after school. Coaches this year were: eighth grade teachers Lynn Grier and Pat Tucker; seventh grade

Catholic Radio Hour Week of May 17 – 21 Weeknights at 7 p.m. – KEST 1450 AM Radio Pray the Rosary – hosted by Fr. Tom Daly One half-hour of prayers, reflections and music Monday:

Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary; Fact of Faith: Ascension; Sunday Soundbite: Fr. Gregory Friedman, OFM.

Tuesday:

The Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary; Pope’s Human dignity/ end of life issue: Richard Doerflinger.

Wednesday: Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary; Sudan refugees flee to Chad: David Coddington. Thursday: Luminous Mysteries of the Rosary; Catholic Home Missions Appeal: Dr. David Byers; Catholic Charities USA Volunteer of the Year: David Cleveland. Friday:

Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary; Office of Film and Broadcasting: Teenage girls take on rap lyrics: Gerri Pare.

teachers Mara Hill and Rick Moseley; fourth grade teacher Mary Boland; first grade teacher Maria Courtright; and parent Donna Bruno. Mercy Sister Pauline Borghello is St. Gabriel principal.

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Catholic San Francisco

May 14, 2004

Father Daly with his senior Theology class at Marin Catholic.

Marin Catholic High School Father Tom Daly continues to teach the faith as school president While the appointment of Father Tom Daly as president of Marin Catholic High School might have relieved him of teaching duties, soon after he learned of Archbishop William J. Levada’s decision, he said, “I will continue teaching at the school because one of the most important roles of a priest is teaching the faith.” This enthusiasm for teaching the faith has made Father Daly’s religion class a Marin Catholic tradition, a legacy handed down by former students to their brothers, sisters, and friends since the young priest stepped on campus and began his ministry in 1992. His current senior class, Religion 12 – Introduction to Theology, has the largest attendance on campus. After extending the limit of 25 students to 35, Father still had to turn some students away, according to Chris Hansen, his assistant of 12 years. What attracts kids to the priest’s religion class? According to students, the idea that he is a priest is one major reason, along with his great sense of humor, his ability to relate to teenagers, and his kind heart. As school president, Father Daly will be responsible for the college preparatory program, Marin Catholic’s fiscal stability, and its Catholic mission. The position adds to the priest’s many sacramental engagements, and long resume as director of vocations, director of seminarians, chaplain of San Rafael’s St. Vincent’s School for Boys, and educator. Reflecting on some of the people who have influenced his life, the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul at Our Lady of Visitacion Elementary, and Christian Brothers of Sacred Heart High School, he cherishes teaching because of its possibility of “bringing the young people back to the heart of the Church,” “Teaching Theology in 2004 is no walk in the park,” said Colleen Mary McGuigan, chair of the religion department. “Father is always open to the thoughts and feelings of his students, but does not shy away from his main call in life, bringing souls to Christ.” Father Daly loves the interaction with the students whom he said are very bright, and have forced him to go back and research why the Church teaches, and why he believes, leaving him to search for better ways to present the richness of the faith. He said, “My experience has been that most of our young people have a great openness to Jesus and what the Church teaches but they struggle with how to live it. There has been a lot of confusion through parents and society.” “They are good kids, faith filled, who come from good families,” he continued, “but some parents don’t attend Mass anymore, and some kids think nothing of missing Mass for a couple of weeks, and that troubles me. The Eucharist is so important in the life of the Church.” Another disturbing trend the priest sees is the great focus on sports. “Sports are great, but how many sporting activities take up all of Sunday,” he asked. “It is far more counter-cultural today than when I was raised in the 70s,” he said. “The kids are searching, but I

(PHOTOS BY EVELYN ZAPPIA)

By Evelyn Zappia

Father Daly teaches students about prayer. think it is as if God has given them a greater grace to believe and the struggle is there.” “If anything, the scandal of the Church among the priests makes it clear that we, as priests, as shepherds, have to be humble and genuine. The kids know the Church isn’t perfect. They see that in the apostles and the saints, but they want someone to look up to and assist them spiritually,” he said. Some students could not agree more with Father Daly saying they preferred taking religion from a priest and that “spiritual questions need to be answered by a person of authority, someone who has been trained in the Church.” Noting the benefit of an ordained perspective, others said, “priests have insights that lay teachers would not necessarily possess.” The kids relate to the priest, and he to them. He has somehow managed to break the teen barrier that rarely invites anyone other than their closest friends into the circle. “I would trust him with anything,” said Sabrina DeMartini. “ He is that kind of a person.” Danielle Bastien said, “He is easy to talk to and approachable. I would feel comfortable asking him for advice.” John Anki, who has received advice from the priest said, “Father always seems to be there when you need him.” “It is said that ‘a dad should possess the Three D’s: discipline, direction and devotion, in order to raise healthy and joyful children.’ Father Daly exemplifies the Three D’s,” said McGuigan. As a priest, Daly has “great concerns regarding who will be the next generation of pastors, presidents of schools, chaplains, and who will carefully be guiding the people.”

“I’ll be honest,” he added, “I sense God calling some of these young men, and I want them to be open to it.” If he sees qualities in students that may represent a possible vocation to the priesthood, he asks, “Have you thought of being a priest?” For those who are undecided, the priest advises them to pray that God will guide their choice. “Some kids feel they are not worthy enough,” said Father Daly. “I tell them the fact that you feel that way is a good sign.” Father Daly knows that most of the students will be going to college, and he wants them to be spiritually prepared by recognizing the value of prayer, and the peace it will bring them for their life-changing journey just ahead. “Father Daly is a great example of a priest,” said senior Danny Descalso. “He brings leadership to the school, and tries to keep it strong religiously. It’s important that the traditions of the Church not be lost.” “Father Daly had the courage to become the man that God willed him to be, and he continues to offer his entire life in the service of Christ and his Church,” said Colleen McGuigan. “We are grateful to have him at Marin Catholic.” Realizing the important work done by his fellow priests in the parishes and the Archdiocese, Daly admits to being disappointed that more priests do not teach young people. “It’s important to have interaction with young people,” he said, reflecting on the importance of bringing them to “the heart of the Church.” Speaking as the Vocations Director he said, “When we have more priests, and we will, my hope is that more priests will teach, even if they are associates in nearby parishes teaching one class.”

May 14, 2004

Catholic San Francisco

Three to be ordained to the priesthood June 5 at St. Mary’s Cathedral By Evelyn Zappia On June 5, Archbishop William J. Levada will ordain three men to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of San Francisco at St. Mary’s Cathedral. The background and life experiences of the transitional deacons present a picture as diverse as the people they will serve. Deacon Linh Nguyen is a native of Vietnam and who came to the United States 10 years ago. He was raised in Bien Hoa City and Catholicism was a way of life in the Nguyen family. Each day started with daily Mass, and all the children were encouraged by their parents to stay close to the faith they loved deeply through religious activities at their Church. He was born July 2, 1970, the sixth child of eight, and believes his parents, Tam and Dai Nguyen have 30 grandchildren. At a very young age, Nguyen became an “altar boy, rising each morning at 3 a.m. to serve Mass. At eight-years old, parish priests asked him if he thought of becoming a priest. He considered it an honor, and truly felt the call. With the permission of his parents, he lived with the priests in the hometown rectory in the Diocese of Xuan Loc. “I began living my faith to love God and serve others, without being forced or pressured by the priests or my family,” he said. He loved the life of the priests, and knew some day he would be one of them. After high school, the young man saw little hope of realizing his dream. The underground seminary of the Xuan Loc Diocese was too oppressed by the Communist government. The future of those studying to be priests was uncertain. In 1989, he left Vietnam , crossing the seas in a small sailboat to Hong Kong, where he spent more than five years in a refugee camp. Life in the refugee camp was extremely difficult and filled with hardship. But, Nguyen said, “Having faith in God, you can overcome everything, even in the worst situations. I believe that everything that happens has a cause or reason.” It was in the Hong Kong refugee camp his call to priesthood was strengthened and influenced by “the many priests and nuns who came to serve the poor and lowly, ceaselessly and lovingly.” Nguyen arrived in San Francisco in 1994. Father Anthony McGuire, currently pastor of St. Matthew Church in San Mateo, sponsored him. He studied English at the University of San Francisco for a year, and then the Archdiocese sent him to St. Francis Seminary in San Diego. He graduated from the University of San Diego, and continued his priestly formation at Menlo Park’s St. Patrick’s Seminary. “As a future priest, I am looking forward to being with my people, whom I will serve,” said Nguyen. “I love people. The more activities and ministry I perform seem to bring me more energy and enthusiasm.” “Linh is a very happy man,” said Dean of Students, Sulpician Father Vincent Bui of St. Patrick’s Seminary. “He is gifted in music, a good singer, and very charitable to people. I believe his greatest gift to the Archdiocese will be assisting people who are in great need of God.” Director of Vocations and Seminarians, Father Tom Daly said, “Having suffered and sacrificed a lot, Linh will bring with him a sense of compassion that he can share, that sense of faith.”

“I believe I have gifts to bring to the people of the Archdiocese, my presence, being available, singing, smiling, life faith experiences, cultural background, and theological understanding,” said Nguyen. Nguyen’s parents were recently permitted to leave Vietnam to witness their son’s ordination. “I’m very happy,” he said. Deacon Ulysses D’Aquila was born Dec. 20, 1949 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. As the son of an Air Force pilot father, he remembers living in many places. He lived throughout the United States and in Madrid, Spain with his parents, three sisters and a brother. “Spain was a very important part of my upbringing. I think it made my family open to the world and to different cultures,” he said. “I remember being struck by the wonderful ethnic diversity of San Francisco, and the atmosphere of the Bay Area, in the mid-seventies, and decided this is where I wanted to live,” he said. D’Aquila said he grew up with the idea that he might be a priest, but events happened, and the sense of vocation did not return until decades later. His sister, Mary D’Aquila Lindsay who lives in Petaluma said, “I wasn’t surprised when he told me about his calling. We had conversations for years about his thinking and faith. For as long as I can remember he has been a central figure in my life, always guiding me morally in a really important way.” His undergraduate years were spent at the University of Oklahoma. He received a diploma from San Francisco State University and teaching credential. A friend encouraged him to consider teaching English as a Second Language. He did and for 14 years he taught at City College of San Francisco. “I truly found a vocation in teaching English to immigrants,” he said. “What I liked best was the human dimension of the work that inevitably became involved in the lives and welfare of these new Americans. At the same time, he was a parishioner of St. Dominic’s Church in San Francisco. He became “more and more drawn into the rich liturgical life of the wonderful parish.” He went from regular Friday evening and Sunday attendance at Mass to daily Vespers and daily Mass. In 1998, he began to feel that God wanted something else from him. “One summer, feeling out of sorts, I spent a very long time praying at the parish’s beautiful St. Jude Shrine,” he said. “It was there that I first discerned that the Lord wanted me to enter ministry.” He spoke with the Dominican priests of the parish and took their suggestion to study at the Dominican School in Berkeley. He also researched other religious communities, and decided he was best suited for a diocesan priest. He approached the Archdiocesan Vocations Office, and began the application process, leading him to Menlo Park’s St. Patrick’s Seminary and his priestly formation. Father Tom Daly views the deacon’s teaching experience with immigrants as a wonderful asset for helping people coming to the United States. “He brings with him his sense of people and compassion, and leadership,” he said. “I really enjoyed my time at St. Patrick’s and feel that the spiritual formation, the theological

education and the practical experience the seminary afforded me were invaluable. I especially enjoyed the study of Liturgy and Sacramental Theology,” he said. According to Father Bui, the future priest began his leadership skills at the Seminary as President of the Student Body. “Ulysses is a very generous person,” he said. “He is especially helpful to students needing assistance with English. He will contribute to those who need his language skills.” “My deepest desire is simply to be the best parish priest I possibly can be, and to use whatever gifts God has given me in the service of His people,” said D’Aquila. Deacon Andrew Johnson was born April 20, 1930 in Upper Montclair, New Jersey. He is the fourth child of seven. His mother, Florence Marie Endler, was a devout Catholic, while his father, Rupert H. Johnson, was a Southern Baptist. He received his law degree at the University of Virginia with classmates Robert Kennedy, known then only as the brother of Senator John F. Kennedy, and John Barrett, who became one of his dearest friends, currently a retired Municipal Judge for Miami, Florida. “He’s achieved enormous success and now has received a call in the truest sense to the priesthood,” said Judge Barrett. “He will perform magnificently, focusing on his priestly obligations.” “Some say my brother has seen everything,” said Mary Frances Furlong. “He buried two wives, lost his first child at nine months, worked on Wall Street, and interacted with people all his life.” “Deacon Johnson’s long life of administration and business expertise will be great assets for any parish he serves,” said Father Daly. “He will bring a commitment to the sick, having cared for his wife through her illness. He also will bring to the Church, wisdom that comes with age.” “He is decent, mature, considerate, and an honest man,” said Judge Barrett. “If he makes a decision, he’ll keep it. He is someone to rely upon.” Although Johnson’s faith was influenced by many, he named Father Jerome Nadine of Christ the King Parish in Las Vegas, Nevada as friend, supporter, and mentor. “Father is one of our first African American Priests,” said Johnson. He was turned down for the seminary by 26 bishops, but he never doubted his vocation and kept pursuing it. He has been ordained 46 years and is more active than most priests I know, even though he has passed retirement age.” Johnson said that St. Patrick’s was a great preparation for the priesthood, and a great experience. He enjoyed all of the Theology classes, especially those of Dr. Margaret Turek and Dr. Charles James. He believes his “prior life experiences, as a father of six and grandfather of two will be effective in assisting people on this great journey of life and faith that our Lord has put us all on.” His goal as a priest is “to bring God to the people and the people to God.” With Father Daly’s blessings to the future priests comes advice. “It is important that you never forget, no matter how old you are, you still need to continue learning. As a priest, you will learn something every year. I will be a priest 17 years next month, and I have learned that being ordained as a priest does not give you instant answers. It helps point the way.”

Catholic San Francisco

May 14, 2004

Catholic san Francisco Northern California’s Weekly Catholic Newspaper

“A Time for Honesty” By Archbishop John J. Myers Our times demand honesty. It is possible to value sincerely one’s Catholic heritage and to revere one’s Catholic forebears and yet not to have Catholic faith. Faith is a free and personal act inspired by the Holy Spirit, by which we entrust ourselves to the living God and to Jesus Christ his Son and our Lord. While intensely personal, the act of faith is always at the same time ecclesial. This means that the act of faith embraces the Church to which Christ Himself has entrusted His mission. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, “Whoever says ‘I believe’ says ‘I pledge myself to what We believe.’” In other words, faith, while free and personal, is also a commitment to make one’s own faith the faith of the Church. It is always a temptation to emphasize the personal aspect of faith with the intent of “reducing” the faith to those elements with which we are comfortable in our life. This is deeply erroneous. The commitment of faith is a commitment to grow not only closer to Jesus Christ but also to continue to grow, sometimes through questions and struggles, into the full faith of the Church. It is clear in the constant teaching of the Church, and recently articulated in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, that protecting the fullness of the proclamation of the faith in any generation is a task entrusted to the bishops of the world in union with the Bishop of Rome. Through the grace of the Holy Spirit, the bishops are charged in each era and in each culture with proclaiming the truth of the Gospel and maintaining that truth in good times and in bad. Cardinal Christoph Schonborn of Vienna has pointed out that perhaps the most powerful words in the Creeds of the Church are those that come first: “I believe in God the Father Almighty Creator of Heaven and Earth….” With these words we acknowledge that God is the source of the universe and of our existence. It is God’s world in which we live and it is our task to come to understand and respect that and live in the world as God intended. Authentic Christians know that it is not ours to define our own being in an absolute way, but rather it is ours to discover and live with joy the being in the world, which God has given us. This is also true for the human conscience. Clearly each human person has a conscience and should follow it because by definition conscience is the intellectual act of judgment of what is right and wrong to do or not to do. It is the last best judgment of what one ought to choose. Thus, conscience must be formed through education and prayer, and be informed by the teaching of Christ. We cannot form our conscience in solitary isolation or simply with reference to cultural practices or convictions. Conscience can only be formed authentically by reference to the truth. Truth and conscience go together. Following an authentic conscience builds the truly human. Following a conscience without reference to truth sets an individual and society adrift on a sea of hopelessness. There are many implications of these principles. We profess our faith not merely in a formula of words, but rather in the realities to which those words refer. And that certainly applies in the matter of abortion, euthanasia, cloning and other issues which are before the American people and the world public at this time. Long before science made clear that each individual is genetically new and unique from conception, the Church taught that abortion is a great evil. She still teaches this even in the face of the tragedy in our country where respect for the sanctity of human life has been eroded. There is no right more fundamental than the right to be born and reared with all the dignity the human person deserves. On this grave issue, public officials cannot hold themselves excused from their duties, especially if they claim to be Catholic. Every faithful Catholic must be not only “personally opposed” to abortion, but also must live that opposition in his or her actions. In Robert Bolt’s play A Man for All Seasons, St. Thomas More remarks, “I believe, when statesmen forsake their own private conscience for the sake of their public duties…they lead their country by a short route to chaos.” Sadly, too few follow the example of St. Thomas More. As voters, Catholics are under an obligation to avoid implicating themselves in abortion, which is one of the gravest of injustices. Certainly, there are other injustices, which must be addressed, but the unjust killing of the innocent is foremost among them. At the same time, I point out that this is not simply a Catholic issue, EDITORIAL, page 17

Bad catechesis A May 1st statement quoted in the S.F. Chronicle, and attributed to Nancy Pelosi, read: “I believe that my position on choice is one that is consistent with my Catholic upbringing, which said that every person has a free will and has the responsibility to live their lives in a way that they would have to account for in the end.” Well said, Nancy, the conclusion is fine, but the premise is erroneous. To say your position on choice is consistent with your Catholic upbringing may be true, and, if it is, your upbringing was not in accord with Catholic teaching, on the matter of abortion at least. Abortion has always been condemned by the Catholic Church. Whoever told you differently did not believe or accept the teaching. Or, if you follow “Cuomoism:” - “I personally don’t believe in abortion, but I believe everyone should be free to choose”… you have a problem of reconciliation with the teaching of the Church. It is true that your conscience must be your guide, but it also true that you must have an informed conscience. For Catholics that “information” comes from the Bible and from Tradition - the teachings of the Church as articulated by the Holy Father and Bishops in agreement with him. “I fully intend to receive Communion, one way or the other,” said Nancy. To approach the Eucharistic table anytime you attend Mass is not a right but a privilege, and the privilege is reserved to those of good conscience in communion with the Catholic Church. One who supports partial birth abortion (the infant is drawn out of the womb as far as the head, and before being pulled from the opening, its skull is pierced and its brains sucked out) is guilty of supporting infanticide. One who is in the state of grave sin or assists others to sin gravely and receives Holy Communion, commits a sacrilege. Does anyone have the “choice” to kill a baby in that fashion? And yet that is what these pro-choicers would like to promote. Sorry, Nancy, you get a failing mark in Catholic Answers 101. You need to review your Catholic Truths and brush up on your logic. Rev. John J. Malloy, S.D.B. San Francisco

marriage go hand-in-hand with the bubbles of self-deception in which homosexuals choose to live. As the recent Vatican letter on same-sex unions points out, such unions are not even analogous to marriage. The sexual differences between men and women are objective, transcending cultures and historical periods. Accordingly, the complementarity between the two sexes is also objective: each has what the other lacks but needs and the ultimate fulfillment of that complementarity is the procreation of new human life. Even though some couples do not have children, either by choice or physical anomaly, the point is that human procreation occurs only between heterosexuals. Because the sexual differences are objective natures, it follows that the kind of love man and woman give each other is unique and cannot be replicated by same-sex couples; it also follows that it is preposterous that a man could give the same nurturing love to a child that a woman can or a woman the same disciplining love given by a man. The attraction of same-sex couples for each other parodies marriage, as it is a merely subjective, albeit misdirected, attraction. Raymond Dennehy San Francisco

L E T T E R S

Logic-free apologies Tom Lucas (letters - 4/30) expresses perplexity over what the participants were supporting when they held a rally for traditional marriage since he “…always thought that couples protected their own marriages with love, communication, trust and honesty.” Here Lucas commits a category mistake: the rally was in support of the meaning of marriage as an institution; it is quite another matter that couples have the power to enhance or destroy their commitment to their own individual marriages. Next Lucas sees fit to announce the resounding irrelevancy, “My mother never told me that the key to a happy marriage was to make sure that gays and lesbians are barred from exchanging marital vows in front of the altar.” Such a display of filial piety is admirable, but does he really expect his readers to believe that the only true statements are those his mother revealed to him? Such logic-free apologies for same-sex

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

➣ Include your name, address and daytime phone number. ➣ Sign your letter. ➣ Limit submissions to 250 words. ➣ Note that the newspaper reserves the right to edit for clarity and length. Send your letters to: Catholic San Francisco One Peter Yorke Way San Francisco, CA 94109 Fax: (415) 614-5641 E-mail: mhealy@catholic-sf.org

Thou shall not kill Thank you to Archbishop Levada for his courage in standing up to those who would seek the death penalty in the murder of Officer Espinoza. It is obvious that those seeking the death penalty are looking for nothing more than revenge. Obviously the killer needs to be locked up for the rest of his life, but the death penalty solves nothing but adding more violence to a world already filled with violence. The commandment “Thou shall not kill” does not say, “Thou shall not kill unless you kill and then I can kill you.” I saw a billboard in New Mexico that said, “What is it about ‘thou shall not kill’ that you don’t understand?” It was signed “God.” Deacon George Salinger Assistant Catholic Chaplain San Quentin State Prison

Right note

I just wanted to applaud Archbishop Levada’s stand for ‘Life’ in his beautiful letter of April 23. He wrote: “Harris wants to lead us to face down and punish a terrible crime of violence in a nonviolent way. I think we should support her in this conviction.” I agree. I believe that Officer Espinoza’s soul will rest more peacefully if his killer is shown non-violent justice. I do not support the death penalty in our society as we have the means to protect the innocent from heinous criminals, but I am also not soft on crime. I think Archbishop Levada’s pastoral letter hit the right note. Dolores Meehan San Francisco

Prophetic stand May God give you peace! On behalf of our parish, I would like to thank Archbishop William Levada for his statement of April 23, on seeking the death penalty in the killing of San Francisco Police Officer Isaac Espinoza. Our prayers and hearts are with the family of Officer Espinoza. As a Pastor of a parish in the Bayview/Hunters Point neighborhood, I am deeply grateful for the efforts of our San Francisco Police to end the many tragic and senseless murders and acts of violence that plague our neighborhood. They have our prayers and support. As Catholics, I feel that we need to prophetically stand for a consistent ethic of the sanctity of life. I feel the Archbishop’s statement was a clear articulation of that value in the midst of a very painful time for our city. Violence, whether directed at the unborn, the elderly, a foreign dictator, or even one who could commit such a heinous crime as the murder of Officer Espinoza, is not a solution to the complex problems we face today. One more death will only perpetuate the myth that violence solves problems, and will propagate this vicious cycle. Rev. John Heinz, O.F.M., Conv. San Francisco

May 14, 2004

Catholic San Francisco

The Catholic Difference With sales of The DaVinci Code now topping seven million, it’s a safe bet that Dan Brown’s Catholic readership is well into seven figures. Anecdotal evidence from around the Catholic scene confirms the hunch that a lot of Catholics have read the book – and more than a few have been disturbed by it. The question is – why? DaVinci’s premise is preposterous: that Jesus married Mary Magdalene and appointed her the head of a movement devoted to the “sacred feminine;” thus the legendary “holy grail” was Mary Magdalene, who nurtured within herself Jesus’s descendants. This “truth,” ruthlessly suppressed by centuries of venal churchmen, was preserved by a super-secret “Priory of Sion,” of which Leonardo DaVinci was a member. In DaVinci’s famous “Last Supper,” what you thought was St. John is really Mary Magdalene, the “holy grail” present at a table without a chalice. And so forth and so on, one bizarre assertion after another – and that’s not to list the flat-footed mistakes in DaVinci, like claims that the Dead Sea Scrolls revealed new information about Jesus (the Scrolls, immensely valuable in other respects, don’t mention Jesus). Why should this ridiculous foundation for a contemporary whodunit that includes obligatory side-swipes at the conspiracy-driven Vatican disturb Catholics? I can (barely) imagine Catholics appreciating DaVinci as a kind of wildeyed fantasy – although the “fantasy” contains so much covert and overt anti-Catholicism that you’d have to wonder about Catholics enjoying it. But why should reasonably well-educated Catholics find the novel’s plot raising questions about their faith? What’s to get disturbed about?

You remember the canary in the cage – the old miners’ trick, in which a caged canary, keeling over from asphyxiation deep beneath the earth, would signal miners that the air was getting too foul and that it was time to get out? DaVinci is a kind of literary canary-in-the-cage. The signal being sent by too many Catholics’ inability to dismiss Brown’s story as rubbish is that Catholics have learned to mistrust the Bible. Which is not what the Second Vatican Council had in mind, to put it gently. The Council wanted to return the Bible to the people of the Church as “their” book, an entirely worthy goal. Just when Catholics were rediscovering the Old and New Testaments, however, “historical criticism” of the Bible was breaking out of classrooms into the American cultural mainstream – and into pulpits, where Catholic priests, newly instructed to preach on each Sunday’s biblical texts, were often tempted to explain what the New Testament wasn’t, rather than preaching the religious, moral, and historical truths the New Testament conveyed. The cultural and ecclesial ground was thus tilled for The DaVinci Code. If, over the past thirty-some years, you’ve absorbed the idea that the New Testament is really elegant, inspired fiction, it’s but a short step to buying Dan Brown’s storyline, which is that this whole Church business has been a vast, lie-driven conspiracy from the git-go. That’s certainly not what mainstream historical-critical scholars intended to teach Catholics. The disturbances caused by DaVinci suggest that that’s what a lot of people learned, however: they learned to be suspicious about the integrity of Christianity’s basic text.

DaVinci is a problem that could become an evangelical possibility. Pastors and adult education directors might want to ensure that the parish pamphlet racks are full of an admirable brochure, George Weigel The DaVinci Code: The facts behind the fiction of the bestselling novel, available from Our Sunday Visitor (www.osv.com). The brochure briskly identifies the numerous errors and historical implausibilities in the book while inviting readers to encounter the story told in the Gospels: “the story in which the truth is, if not stranger, certainly more interesting and life-giving, than fiction.” (I carry the OSV brochure in my briefcase, to hand out on planes and trains when I find someone reading DaVinci.) Then there’s The DaVinci Hoax by Carl Olson and Sandra Miesel, a new book from Ignatius Press that Cardinal Francis George of Chicago calls the “definitive debunking” of Brown’s hypothesis. It’s not hard to imagine an attractive adult education series being built around this able demolition job. Dan Brown has offered pastors and teachers with nerve and wit a real opportunity. I hope they seize it. George Weigel is a senior fellow of the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington, D.C.

Coming of Age

Vote me off the island, please Vote me off the island, please. This particular Average Jane has had quite enough of the bachelors, big brothers, idols and survivors that have come to rule our cultural roost the past few years. I was standing in line at the drugstore with aspirin and Altoids, killing time by paging through a magazine. On the cover was a picture of a square-jawed, handsome man — the new “Bachelor,” the caption said. Behind me, two women were engaged in an anti-Trump tirade, cursing out the realestate czar for sacking Kwame. Over the speaker system, “American Idol” finalist Clay Aiken sang about invisibility. It was too much. I hoped to find a refuge from the realityshow onslaught in my car, where a local DJ took calls from listeners defending American Idol contestant LaToya London. “Yo, vote for Fantasia! It’s more important than the presidential election!” he joked. After hoping desperately that people don’t actually believe him, I conceded that the DJ may be partially right. My drugstore experience only goes to show how omnipresent reality shows are and how much influence they’ve had on pop culture and the way we look at the world. And I’m not sure that’s a good thing. On MTV’s “The Real World” each season — come on, you know the drill — eight strangers are picked to live in a house together. Their every move is filmed and aired once

a week to millions who watch them fight, talk on the phone and spill their secret confessions to MTV cameras. While I enjoyed the show, there was nothing “real” about it. The houses were huge, with amenities the average 20-something couldn’t hope to own: private docks, new furniture, backyard Jacuzzis and gourmet kitchens. And interactions sometimes rang hollow due to the blatant black-andwhite stereotypes that ruled over a few seasons — the ultrareligious Christian girl, the punk-rock atheist, the fashionista, the homophobe, the gay man, the macho jock. To win on “Survivor” you have to outfox people intent on stabbing you in the back while you attempt to do the same to them. Never mind that if I were stranded in the middle of nowhere with only a bathing suit, a set of brains and eight other people I’d probably want them around to help me hunt, gather and construct some decent shelter. For many world cultures, community ties — helping each other out, creating a better world for one another — are crucial to an individual’s very existence. For our TV survivors, having those ties and loyalties are signs of weakness. Scrambling to the top on the backs of others, forsaking friends and betraying neighbors are cardinal virtues. “Survivor” is not the kind of world I want to live in. I watched “The Bachelor” for a little while, only to succumb to a sense of nausea watching him smooch, snog

and woo 12 girls at once. (They really want a guy who goes from girl to girl like that? Ugh!). The girls change who they essentially are to survive the rose ceremonies and stay on the Bachelor’s good side, Karen Dietlein sublimating their own special qualities in order to mold themselves into the Bachelor’s ideal woman. Whatever happened to loving someone for who he or she is? I think there’s very little truth in the backstabbing and bickering of “Survivor,” in the forced “love” of “The Bachelor” and in the homes of the “Real World.” Yet, it’s still everywhere: in our conversations, our books, our schools, our music and our philosophies. And, in the process, they are becoming our reality. Karen Dietlein writes from Albany, N.Y., where she is a staff member at The Evangelist, newspaper of the Diocese of Albany.

Spirituality

On becoming post-liberal We’re a people losing heart. There’s a loss of heart for almost everything: for fidelity in relationships, as fewer and fewer people find within themselves the resiliency needed to live out the tensions that long-term commitment inevitably brings; for church, as more and more people quietly or angrily leave their ecclesial communities rather than deal with their own and their church’s humanity; and for politics and the effort needed to build neighborhood, city, and country because fewer and fewer people find the time, energy, and heart to work for others. We’re losing ground most everywhere. There’s a loss of heart for children, for simple freshness, for romance, for innocence, for proper aesthetics, and even for manners. Thoreau once suggested that we live lives of “quiet desperation.” That may have been truer of his generation, but it’s less true today. Our struggle is more with internal bleeding, though Thoreau’s right about its quietness. This hemorrhaging is mostly quiet and unrecognized, perceptible mainly in its effects. In itself, it looks only like tired-

ness, battle fatigue. But it’s more. Permit me a little thesis here: Two major proclivities have characterized the past couple of generations, at least in the Western world. First, an unbridled itch for sophistication has driven us out in such a way that, for good and for bad, we’ve ended up shattering most of our former naivete, debunking most of our former heroes and heroines, and wreaking havoc with most of our childhood faith and values. Second, an ever-increasing sensitivity has progressively polarized and politicized life around marriage, church, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, culture, hierarchy and values. While much of this was needed and is, in many instances, a clear intellectual and moral progress, we’ve been slow to admit something else. This is also slowly tiring us, gradually wounding the heart and draining away much of its strength and resiliency. To be innocent, etymologically, means to be “unwounded.” The loss of our innocence has, precisely, left us wounded in the heart. A wounded heart seeks to protect itself, to find respite from

what wounded it in the first place. Hence, more and more, we have less heart to put up with the strains and tensions of family, church, neighborhood, community and country. Instead, we protect ourselves by Father surrounding ourselves Ron Rolheiser with like-minded people, safe circles, and we have too little heart for actually dealing with the tensions that arise from our differences. We’re well-intentioned, but tired, too tired to be robust enough to deal with tension. Like the woman in the Gospels suffering from internal bleeding, we, too, are finding that constant internal hemorrhaging is making it imposROLHEISER, page 15

JOHN EARLE PHOTO

Dealing with DaVinci

Catholic San Francisco

May 14, 2004

SIXTH SUNDAY OF EASTER Acts 15:1-2, 22-29; Psalm 67:2-3, 5, 6, 8; Revelation 21:10-14, 22-23; John 14:23-29

Scripture MARK P. SHEA

My peace I give to you A READING FROM THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES (ACTS 15:1-2, 22-29) Some who had come down from Judea were instructing the brothers, “Unless you are circumcised according to the Mosaic practice, you cannot be saved.” Because there arose no little dissension and debate by Paul and Barnabas with them, it was decided that Paul, Barnabas, and some of the others should go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and elders about this question. The apostles and elders, in agreement with the whole church, decided to choose representatives and to send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. The ones chosen were Judas, who was called Barsabbas, and Silas, leaders among the brothers. This is the letter delivered by them: “The apostles and the elders, your brothers, to the brothers in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia of Gentile origin: greetings. Since we have heard that some of our number who went out without any mandate from us have upset you with their teachings and disturbed your peace of mind, we have with one accord decided to choose representatives and to send them to you along with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, who have dedicated their lives to the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. So we are sending Judas and Silas who will also convey this same message by word of mouth: ‘It is the decision of the Holy Spirit and of us not to place on you any burden beyond these necessities, namely, to abstain from meat sacrificed to idols, from blood, from meats of strangled animals, and from unlawful marriage. If you keep free of these, you will be doing what is right. Farewell.’” RESPONSORIAL PSALM (PS 67:2-3, 5, 6, 8) R. O God, let all the nations praise you! May God have pity on us and bless us; may he let his face shine upon us. So may your way be known upon earth; among all nations, your salvation. R. O God, let all the nations praise you! May the nations be glad and exult because you rule the peoples in equity; the nations on the earth you guide. R. O God, let all the nations praise you!

May the peoples praise you, O God; may all the peoples praise you! May God bless us, and may all the ends of the earth fear him! R. O God, let all the nations praise you! A READING FROM THE BOOK OF REVELATION (RV 21:10-14, 22-23) The angel took me in spirit to a great, high mountain and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God. It gleamed with the splendor of God. Its radiance was like that of a precious stone, like jasper, clear as crystal. It had a massive, high wall, with twelve gates where twelve angels were stationed and on which names were inscribed, the names of the twelve tribes of the Israelites. There were three gates facing east, three north, three south, and three west. The wall of the city had twelve courses of stones as its foundation, on which were inscribed the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. I saw no temple in the city for its temple is the Lord God almighty and the Lamb. The city had no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gave it light, and its lamp was the Lamb. A READING FROM THE HOLY GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN (JN 14:23-29) Jesus said to his disciples: “Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words; yet the word you hear is not mine but that of the Father who sent me. “I have told you this while I am with you. The Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid. You heard me tell you, ‘I am going away and I will come back to you.’ If you loved me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father; for the Father is greater than I. And now I have told you this before it happens, so that when it happens you may believe.”

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. Today’s passage from Scripture is one that is very frequently recalled. What is not so frequently recalled is the fact that these words were spoken within an hour or two of the speaker’s betrayal, arrest, trial, whipping, public humiliation, and death by crucifixion. Jesus was fully aware of the fact that this destiny hung over him when he spoke these words. Not many minutes later, he was sweating blood in the Garden of Gethsemane. He knew as well that the apostles would be reeling with shock, terror, self-recrimination, and sheer physical horror within 24 hours. What then, could he have meant when he said, “My peace I give to you”? The operative word is “my”. As Jesus says, “Not as the world gives do I give to you.” The essence of all that the world gives is that it cannot stay. Every good thing the world gives vanishes like summer snow. Peace, love, comfort, beauty (especially beauty) are all, in this world, like wild-

flowers which today are, and tomorrow are thrown into the oven. As St. John says, “The world passes away.” But as with the world’s peace, so with the world’s pain. It too is not eternal. Only the things of God are eternal. And so the peace of Christ defeated the turmoil of this world, not by avoiding it, but by passing through it into the Resurrection. Likewise, for us, it is only through embracing pain and even death by the power of the Holy Spirit, that we can ultimately come to peace — his peace. The Hebrew word for peace, shalom, speaks of more than simply feeling good, it connotes a sense of wholeness, well-being, friendship, safety, prosperity, health, tranquillity and contentment. The only way that this kind of peace can be experienced is by entering into a serious relationship with Jesus. Today, let’s make it a priority to walk and talk with the Prince of Peace. Mark P. Shea is Senior Content Editor for CatholicExchange.com. Used with permission.

The Easter Season – Season of Hope By Sister Antonio Heaphy Easter has come and gone! Has it really? Most of us, once Easter Monday has rolled around, put away our Easter decorations, finish off our Easter eggs, and vow not to eat any more chocolate. How sad that we forget that the Easter Season lasts for fifty days, ten days longer than Lent! The Church gives us fifty days to celebrate the greatest event of all time, the Resurrection of the Lord. Just as the Lenten Season is a time for reflection on our need for repentance and reconciliation, so the Easter Season is our time for reflecting on our Redemption and our reason for hope. The fact that the brutalized, crucified Christ overcame death and rose from the dead on the third day is truly a great mystery and a great victory. This is the reason for our faith and our hope. St. Paul reminds us that, “If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain”. (1Cor. 15:14) In fact all through his Epistles St. Paul continually reminds his readers of the importance of the Resurrection and the importance of being harbingers of hope. So the burning question is: How do you celebrate the Easter Season; how do you proclaim to the world that you are a person imbued with hope? In these sad days of war, political chaos and traumatic events in our Church it may be difficult for us to center on hope and to proclaim the “good news” to our world. However, it seems to me, that this is the time for us to make a difference in our society and to show the world that there is reason for hope. We sometimes act as if we, humans, are in charge. What a terrible mistake! We must never loose sight of the fact that the God who raised Jesus from the dead is still at work in our world and in our Church. God is in charge! Every year the Church gives us fifty days to focus on this very fact. We are meant to be a sign of hope to our world. Recently I read a little story which showed me that a young child can know and understand the essence of hope. It goes something like this: A dad and his six year-old daughter were going on a journey on a rainy afternoon. After a few minutes of silence the little girl said, “Dad, I’m thinking of some-

thing.” Dad, wondering what she was about to say to him, said, “What are you thinking?” She answered, “The rain is like sin, and the windshield wipers are like God wiping our sins away.” Her surprised father, wondering how far this little child would take this revelation asked, “Do you notice how the rain keeps on coming? What does that tell you?” Without a moments hesitation the child replied, “We keep on sinning, and God just keeps on forgiving us.” What an amazing story! Here was a six year-old reflecting and using an ordinary event to put her in touch with the presence of God in her life. Yes, it is true, that in our journey of life we keep on sinning, making terrible mistakes in all sorts of ways and God never gives up on us. God never says, “That’s it, I’ve had enough of this, I will not show you the way again!” Our gracious God is always there ready to forgive, to “wipe the sin away” and to give us clear vision once again so that we can go forward in trust and the hope of getting to our final destination. In his homily at the Mass that preceded the recent National Catholic Prayer Breakfast in Washington, DC, Coadjutor Bishop Thomas G. Wenski of Orlando, Florida, said a lack of hope has become one of the significant problems of the age. “We have forgotten ... we were created for life in God,” he said. “Problems such as abortion, drug abuse and promiscuity reflect that many people lack hope for the future. Our world needs us to be witnesses to hope, and we witness to hope through prayer. The journey with Christ is never a cakewalk, but a walk along the way of the cross, but we are confident if we share in his cross, we will also share in the glory of his resurrection.” As you continue your celebration of the Easter Season I urge you to take the time to reflect on how you can be a witness to hope in the world around you. Christ died so that all peoples might live with Him in glory. If we truly believe this we will be bearers of hope and make a significant difference to all persons with whom we have contact. Presentation Sister Antonio Heaphy is director of the Office of Evangelization for the Archdiocese of San Francisco.

May 14, 2004

Catholic San Francisco

‘Da Vinci Hoax’ debunks claims of best selling novel, ‘Da Vinci Code’ By Jack Smith Author Carl Olson writes books and travels the country debunking New York Times listed best selling fiction novels. Why debunk fiction, he asked a packed auditorium at Campion College in San Francisco April 24, “It’s just a novel, why should we be concerned about it?” But Olson thinks fiction is important. “The fact is fiction conveys a particular worldview. Fiction is a means by which truth or falsehood can be transmitted,” he said. Olson’s last book, “Will Catholics Be Left Behind,” examined the claims of the best selling “Left Behind” series by Timothy LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins. The series is a fictional foretelling of the popular Fundamentalist notion of the Rapture based on an interpretation of Scripture called premillennial dispensationalism invented by an ex-Anglican minister in the 1830s. Olson, himself a former Fundamentalist and dispensationalist who converted to Catholicism seven years ago, explains in his book that the anti-Catholicism of LaHaye and Jenkins is based on a poor understanding of Christian history, faulty scholarship and subjective interpretations of scripture. Olson’s newest book, “The Da Vinci Hoax,” (Ignatius Press) written with medieval historian Sandra Miesel, looks at the claims and anti-Catholicism of the only novel more popular than the latest installment of “Left Behind.” Dan Brown’s, “The Da Vinci Code,” is a murder mystery, conspiracy theory and romance novel “interrupted by an 80 page lecture,” Olson said. The conspiracy or “lecture” part of the novel which so many are accepting as fact is summarized by Olson, “Jesus and Mary Magdalene were married and had kids. Jesus was not divine. Mary Magdalene had to flee because the Apostles wanted to kill her. The Apostles took over the Catholic Church and turned it into a woman hating institution which controls the minds of millions. Mary Magdalene is the Holy Grail.” Olson thinks “The Da Vinci Code is more than just a novel.” As proof, Olson offered a selection of published quotes from people who liked the book: “The idea behind this story may seem controversial, but once you think about it, it really becomes quite real and even natural,” said one. “It definitely made me question all that I have been brought up to believe,” said another. Finally, “I can’t wait to confront my devout Catholic mother with this historical information.” Olson said “it is fascinating” that with both “The Da Vinci Code” and the “Left Behind” series, “fiction has really become the new catechetical method of our society.” Fiction acquires even more importance as a “medium by which minds are formed . . . in an age where most people are historically illiterate,” he said. He doesn’t exempt himself from that illiteracy. “As a fundamentalist, I was raised with this particular understanding of Christian history, ‘2000 years ago Christ lived, the New Testament was written, and then you skip for-

Rolheiser . . . ■ Continued from page 13 sible for us to become pregnant with new life. Like her, we need healing. How? First, by recognizing and naming this loss of heart. Our marriages, families, homes, churches, communities, friendships, and even civic communities are too much breaking apart because we haven’t the heart to deal with their tensions. If this is true, and it is, then we need to ask ourselves: What’s being asked of us today? What do we need to do to regain some resiliency of heart? Things looked different in the past. When I was young, society and the church both suffered from an unhealthy naivete and an unhealthy rigidity. The great social movements of that past 40 years, along with new attitudes and

ward and there was a man named Billy Graham.’” Olson cited a study which found the average high school graduate does not know in which century the Civil War took place. “If Americans don’t know that much about American history, what in the world do they know about early Christian history,” Olson asked. Nonetheless, the prime reason Dan Brown’s novel is successful in imparting fiction as fact is not so much historical illiteracy, “but intellectual slop – people aren’t stopping to think ‘is this true?’” Dan Brown “assumes people are not going to check his facts and unfortunately he is correct,” Olson said. Olson turned then to refute ten false claims made by “The Da Vinci Code.” Among them are bald assertions not supported by any historical record, statements directly contradicted by established historical records, and thematic errors at odds with the Gnostic (esoteric non-canonical accounts of Christ’s life) Gospels which Brown’s protagonists purport to advocate. The main unsupported assertion Olson addressed is Brown’s claim that Jesus and Mary Magdalene were married. Olson said, “there is no evidence of this being the case, but it has been an occultic interest since the 1800s.” Brown’s source for this assertion is that Christ kisses Mary Magdalene in the Gnostic Gospel of Phillip, which uses a word for her that Brown translates as spouse. In fact, Olson noted, the term is used throughout the New Testament to refer to a companion on a journey and not a spouse. For instance, he said, those men who traveled with Paul are referred to by the same term. In addition, the imagery of a kiss is used in the Gnostic Gospels as a device for imparting Gnosis, or secret knowledge. In the Gnostic Second Gospel of James, Christ kisses James in a scene whereby Christ is clearly imparting secret wisdom to James, Olson said. Even scholars who are supportive of Gnostic texts disagree with Brown on this interpretation. “The purpose of Gnosticism is to escape this world. The physical world, according to Gnosticism, is something to be escaped, including sex and marriage,” Olson said. Among the historical falsehoods is the claim that Pope Clement V burned hundreds of Knights Templar and threw their ashes in Rome’s Tiber River. In fact, Clement was an Avignon Pope and ruled in exile in France. The claim is made that Leonardo’s last supper contains no chalice. In fact there are 13 men with 13 plates and 13 glasses. “You would not expect a poor itinerant rabbi to reach inside his clothing and pull out a big golden goblet for the last supper,” Olson said. Numerous items of Christian belief or usage are claimed to have been stolen from paganism. Among them the book claims Christ’s presentation with gold, frankincense and myrrh at his birth is an image stolen from the birth of Krishna, and that Christian imagery of altar use is taken from pagan ritual. In fact, there is no mention of gold, frankincense and myrrh in the earliest written accounts of Krishna’s birth, which at any rate, Olson said, “were written 250 years after the writing of the first Gospels.” Christian imagery and use of altars clearly descends from its birth from Judaism, not paganism. sweeping reforms inside the churches, have exorcized most of that naivete and rigidity. A more liberal view of things has taken hold inside virtually all circles — government, legal, ecclesial, academic, the arts, popular culture. We live with the results: endless deconstruction of the old and an uncompromising emphasis on freedom, individual rights, social justice, gender equality, ethnic equality, multiculturalism, wider tolerance, the ending of old privilege, and on the shortcomings of being naive. Part of this, too, in terms of faith and the church, has been a strong, relentless challenge to grow beyond an infantile belief, to face the dark corners of doubt, to not hide behind false securities. Much of this, I believe, was good, needed — prophetic even; but I believe as well that it’s now time for a different response, at least for a while. Another shift is needed, though not one which tries to roll back the last 50 years. What’s required is not a conservative or fundamentalistic

Carl Olson

“There are more than 300 references to altars in the Old Testament,” Olson said. Brown also claims no one believed Jesus was divine prior to Constantine making him so at a close vote of the Council of Nicea. Olson cited several sources to the contrary beginning with the Gospel of John wherein the Word which was “with God” and “was God” from the beginning, clearly is Christ. Other scripture passages and the writings of the earliest Church fathers were clear and direct in claiming Divinity for Christ, Olson said. At issue at the Council of Nicea was a particular heresy called Arianism which confused Christ’s relationship to the Father, calling him divine, but at a lower level than the Father. Arianism was rejected at the Council, not by a close vote, but by 250 to two, a fact granted even by one of Brown’s main stated sources, “Holy Blood, Holy Grail,” Olson said. Thematically, there is Brown’s claim that the Gnostic Gospels “are more historically accurate and provide a more human Jesus rather than the more spiritual Jesus in the Gospels,” Olson said. “Dan Brown and The Da Vinci Code have it completely backwards,” he said. “The Jesus in the Gnostic Gospels is a kind of floating spiritual being who goes around talking about strange things like Aeons and archons and spiritual enlightenment,” he said. In contrast, “The canonical Gospels are full of details about political situations, sociological realities and the everyday life of Jewish people in first century Palestine.” Olson said, “The Canonical Gospels present us with a very human Jesus, who is also God, whereas the Gnostic texts present us with a being who simply appears, imparts his wisdom and then disappears.” Olson ended his talk by discussing elements of modern American culture making “The Da Vinci Code” popular beyond its merits as a mystery/romance. Among them are the current appeal of anti-Catholicism and the appeal of gnosis (secret knowledge) – the desire to “find out the real story.” Another is the prevalence of those who claim “I’m into spirituality, not religion.” Olson said there is a “certain arrogance” and appeal of superiority in this view when it says, “I’m not going to bring myself down to the level of religious people and be involved in some dogmatic religion. I’m above that. I’m a spiritual person.” Lastly, he said, “The Da Vinci code succeeds as a post-modern myth – It states that truth is whatever you want it to be.” Visit website www.DaVincihoax.com for a more thorough discussion of “The Da Vinci Code” or to order “The Da Vinci Hoax.” Visit www.campion-college.org for information on other public lectures or Catholic continuing education opportunities. turn, though that clearly seems to be the temptation for many. We can’t unlearn — nor do we want or need to — what we’ve learned through these years of deconstruction. We’re not called to turn back the clock, to become arch-conservative or fundamentalistic. We’re called instead, I believe, to become post-liberal, post-critical, post-modern, post-sophisticated, post-deconstructionist, post-ideological, post-hypersensitive, and post-politically correct. What exactly does that mean? How do we do these things by rolling the clock forward rather than backward? How is this different from the vision of the conservative or the fundamentalist? Answering those questions, beyond the agenda of both the conservatives and the liberals, is precisely the task. Oblate Father Ron Rolheiser, is a theologian, teacher and award-winning author.

Catholic San Francisco

Food & Fun May 14: Wine Tasting/Silent Auction Gala benefiting Star of the Sea School, SF, 7 – 10 p.m. in school auditorium. $10 ticket includes hand-painted wineglass. Auctions items include private tour of CBS-5 Eyewitness News and chance to meet anchors Kate Kelly, Dana King and others. Sponsored by Star of the Sea Parents’ Guild. Babysitting available. Call (415) 221-8558 or Starparents@starsf.net. May 15, 16: Art Since the Founding, a “jubilee exhibit” of pottery, calligraphy, photography, water colors and more, all from the hands of Sisters of Notre dame de Namur. Showing commemorates the congregation’s 200th anniversary and takes place noon – 4 p.m. at Weigand Art Gallery, on the campus of Notre Dame de Namur University, Ralston Ave., Belmont. Call Sister Veronica Skillin at (650) 593-2045, ext. 252. May 15: 9th Annual Whale of a Sale benefiting St. Vincent de Paul Conference of St. Sebastian Parish, Bon Air Rd. at Sir Francis Drake Blvd., Greenbrae, 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. More than 80 vendors and families selling crafts, jewelry, household items, famous maker clothes. Refreshments available. Call Kathie Meier at (415) 461-4133. May 16: International Food/Ministry Fair/Carnival benefiting St. Raphael Parish, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. on parish grounds, 1104 Fifth Ave., San Rafael. Enjoy food, drink, and music from around the world. Call (415) 454-8141. May 20th: Monthly breakfast meeting of the Catholic Professional & Business Club featuring Bishop John C. Wester who will speak about how we, as members of the Catholic Church of San Francisco, work in accordance with the universal church. Meeting includes full breakfast beginning at 7:00 am in the lower-level conference center halls located below St. Mary’s Cathedral, Gough and Geary St., SF. Cost is $20 for non-members, $15 for members. Membership dues are $45 annually. Call (415) 6145579, or visit the website at www.cpbc-sf.org. May 21, 22, 23: Seussical, a musical commemorating the 100th anniversary of the children’s book author performed by 8th grade students of Notre Dame des Victoires Elementary School, 649 Pine St., SF. Curtain 8 p.m. except Sunday at 2 p.m. Tickets $7. Call (415) 421-0069. May 22: Potluck Dinner sponsored by Marin County Respect Life Program with talk by Jan Carroll staff to the National Right to Life Committee and the California Pro-Life Council. Begins at 5:45 p.m. following 5 p.m. Mass in St. Sebastian Church, 373 Bon Air Rd. at Sir Francis Drake Blvd., Greenbrae. Call Vicki Evans for info and reservations at (415) 945-0180. May 22: Rudy Ruettiger, model for the hit film, Rudy, will speak at the Performing Arts Center in San Mateo, May 22nd at 7 p.m. The well known underdog and “the only player to be carried off the field on his teammates shoulders” in the history of Notre Dame University “rose from valleys of discouragement and despair to the pinnacles of success.” Hear him “share his experience and insight on living your dreams and making them a reality.” The Rotary Club of San Mateo sponsors the evening. Proceeds benefit Rotary International’s, Polio Plus,

The Cathedral Choir of Boys and Girls is currently recruiting for the Fall 2004 season. Now in its twelfth year, the choir has performed all over the Western United States. On a recent pilgrimage to Italy, the choir sang for a papal Mass in front of 150,000 faithful. The choir sings twice a month at the cathedral and other locations in the archdiocese. During their time in the choir, members learn about responsibility, vocal production, and music reading. The choir is open to any boy or girl in grades 3 through 8, and carpools from Marin and San Mateo Counties can be arranged. There is no charge for membership. For more information, please call Christoph Tietze, Music Director, (415) 567-2020x213, ctietze@stmarycathedralsf.org.

May 14, 2004

Datebook Anybody asking “Who’s Who Among American Teachers” will hear the names of local educators Maureen Zane and Terrence Hanley among them. Maureen teaches 6th grade at Mater Dolorosa in South San Francisco. Terry teaches 8th grade at South City’s St. Veronica’s. Both were recognized for “making a difference” in students’ lives. an effort to eradicate the disease around the world. Adult tickets range from $30 to $45.Youth tickets are $15. Call (650) 579-5568, ext. 205. May 28, 29, 30: St. Anselm School Carnival, 40 Belle Ave., San Anselmo. “Fun for the whole family, plenty of free parking.” Enjoy carnival rides, game booths, BBQ, plus raffle and White Elephant sale. Fri: 5 – 10 p.m.; Sat: 10 a.m. – 10 p.m.; Sun: 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. Call (415) 454-8667. June 4, 5, 6: St, Pius Parish Festival featuring “many new attractions along with old time favorites.” Good, food, game booths for all ages.” Fun includes Silent auction, Friday; Live Auction, Sat. and Sun.; plus a Saturday Pie Eating contest. Edibles include Rib dinner on Fri.! Spaghetti on Sat! BBQ Chicken on Sun.! Raffle featuring large cash prizes with tickets at 3 for $25. Fri: 6 – 10 p.m.; Sat: 12:30 – 10 p.m.; Sun. 12:30 – 9 p.m. Takes place in parish compound, Woodside Rd. at Valota, Redwood City. Sundays: Concerts at 4 p. m. at National Shrine of St. Francis of Assisi, Vallejo and Columbus, SF. Call (415) 983-0405 or www.shrinesf.org. Open to the public. Admission free. May 23: John Renke organ recital featuring French music; May 30: David Schofield organ recital featuring the Pentecost Suite by Tournemire; June 6: The Novello Quartet with music of Franz Joseph Haydn. Sundays: Concerts at St. Mary Cathedral at 3:30 p.m. Gough and Geary Blvd., SF. Call (415) 5672020 ext. 213. Concerts are open to the public. Admission free. May 16: Mimi Ruiz, soprano; May 30: Arthur Johnson of Reno, Nevada, organist. .

TV/Radio Mon – Fri., KEST 1450 AM, 7 p.m.: Catholic Radio Hour features rosary, music and commentary with Father Tom Daly. Sunday 6 a.m., WB Channel 20/Cable 13 and KTSF Channel 26/Cable 8: TV Mass with Msgr. Harry Schlitt presiding. 1st Sun, 5 a.m., CBS Channel 5: Mosaic, featuring conversations on current Catholic issues. 3rd Sun, 6:30 a.m., KRON Channel 4: For Heaven’s Sake, featuring conversations about Catholic spirituality.

Reunions

Prayer Opportunities/Lectures Memorial Day Masses: Holy Cross Cemetery, Colma, Holy Cross Mausoleum Chapel, Bishop Ignatius Wang presides. Holy Cross Cemetery, Menlo Park, Father Patrick Michaels, pastor, St. Raymond Parish, presides. Mt. Olivet Cemetery, San Rafael, Retired Father Louis Robello presides. All at 11 a.m. Call (650) 756-2060. June 19: Day of Recollection: Franciscan Prayer and Meditation, 9 a.m. – 3:30 p.m., at the Poverello, 109 Golden Gate Ave between Leavenworth and Jones, SF. Franciscan Father John Vaughn, spiritual director for the Poor Clare Sisters in America, will lead the day. $10. Bring lunch. Drinks provided. Call (415) 621-3279 or contact angelpierre2000@yahoo.com to register by June 15. Sponsored by the St. Francis Fraternity.

Retreats —— VALLOMBROSA CENTER —— 250 Oak Grove Ave., Menlo Park. For fees, times and details about these and other offerings call (650) 325-5614. Presentation Sister Rosina Conrotto, Program Director. May 22: Fire and Wind: Rekindling Liturgical Energies, “a day of support, engagement and joyful refreshment for lay ministers, parishioners and clergy,” with musician/liturgist Rob Grant. Day explores liturgy 40 years after Vatican II, its evolution through that time and its call to foster the “full, active and conscious” participation of the laity.

—— PROVINCE CENTER —— Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, 1520 Ralston Ave. across from Ralston Hall on their university campus in Belmont. For times, fees, and details about these and other offerings, call (650) 593-2045, ext. 350. May 23 – 27: Busy Person’s Retreat, an opportunity for men and women to take time for reflection and prayer in the midst of their busy schedules assisted by an experienced spiritual director or companion. Participants commit one hour daily for prayer and meeting with spiritual advisor. 2nd Sat.: Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur offer Saturday Morning Prayer and discussion from 9:30 – 11:30 a.m. Relationship: Fathers and Daughters.

Consolation Ministry

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

Groups meet at the following parishes. Please call numbers shown for more information. St. Catherine of Siena, Burlingame. Call Elaine

Yastishock at (650) 344-6884; Our Lady of Angels, Burlingame. Call Louise Nelson at (650) 343-8457 or Barbara Arena at (650) 344-3579. Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, Redwood City. Call (650) 366-3802; Good Shepherd, Pacifica. Call Sister Carol Fleitz at (650) 355-2593; St. Robert, San Bruno. Call (650) 589-2800. Immaculate Heart of Mary, Belmont. Call Ann Ponty at (650) 598-0658 or Mary Wagner at (650) 591-3850. St. Isabella, San Rafael. Call Pat Sack at (415) 472-5732. Our Lady of Loretto, Novato. Call Sister Jeanette at (415) 897-2171.St. Gabriel, SF. Call Barbara Elordi at (415) 564-7882. St. Finn Barr, SF in English and Spanish. Call Carmen Solis at (415) 584-0823; St. Cecilia, SF. Call Peggy Abdo at (415) 564-7882 ext. 3; Epiphany, SF in Spanish. Call Kathryn Keenan at (415) 564-7882. Ministry for parents who have lost a child is available from Our Lady of Angels Parish, Burlingame. Call Ina Potter at (650) 347-6971 or Barbara Arena at (650) 344-3579. Young Widow/Widower group meets at St. Gregory, San Mateo. Call Barbara Elordi at (415) 564-7882. Information about children’s and teen groups iis available from Barbara Elordi at (415) 564-7882.

Returning Catholics Programs for Catholics interested in returning to the Church, have been established at the following parishes: St. Philip the Apostle, 725 Diamond St. at Elizabeth/24th, SF. Call the parish office at (415) 282-0141; St. Hilary, Tiburon, Mary Musalo, (415) 435-2775; St. Anselm, Ross, parish office at (415) 453-2342; St. Sebastian, Greenbrae, Jean Mariani at (415) 461-7060; Old St. Mary’s Cathedral, SF, Michael Adams at (415) 695-2707; St. Dominic, SF, Lee Gallery at (415) 221-1288; Holy Name of Jesus, SF, Dennis Rivera at (415) 664-8590; St. Bartholomew, San Mateo, Dan Stensen at (650) 344-5665; St. Catherine of Siena, Burlingame, Silvia Chiesa at (650) 685-8336, Elaine Yastishock at (650) 344-6884; Our Lady of Angels, Burlingame, Dorothy Heinrichs or Maria Cianci at (650) 347-7768; St. Dunstan, Millbrae, Dianne Johnston at (650) 697-0952; Our Lady of the Pillar, Half Moon Bay, Meghan at (650) 726-4337; St. Peter, Pacifica, Chris Booker at (650) 738-1398; Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, Mill Valley, Rick Dullea or Diane Claire at (415) 388-4190; St. Mary Star of the Sea, Sausalito, Lloyd Dulbecco at (415) 331-7949.

Meetings 2nd Wed.: Men’s Evening of Reflection: Being Catholic in the Modern World at the National Shrine of St. Francis of Assisi, 610 Vallejo St. at Columbus, SF beginning at 7 p.m. Call (415) 983-0405. 3rd Sat: Reconnecting With Yourself, a group for survivors of abuse by Catholic Church clergy or personnel, 3 –5 p.m., Epiphany Parish Center, 605 Italy St., between Athens and Naples, SF. Sponsored by the Archdiocese of San Francisco. Contact facilitator, Richard Krafnick, MFT, (415) 351-2463. Courage, a Catholic support group for persons with same-sex attraction, meets Thursdays at 7:30 p.m. Call Father Lawrence Goode at (650) 322-2152.

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

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Editorial . . . but a basic moral issue of justice and human dignity. It applies to all persons. Some justify their actions by saying that they must respect the consciences of others. But this “respect” for another’s conscience should never require abandoning one’s own properly formed conscience. Conscientious opposition to abortion, rooted in an understanding of the sanctity of human life, may not be sacrificed simply because others, whose consciences are gravely mistaken, would unjustly take the life of an unborn baby. I have already said this before, in a previous Pastoral Letter in 1990: “Although we must all follow our conscience, the task of conscience is not to create moral truth, but perceive it. It is quite possible for an individual to perceive the moral reality of a particular situation erroneously. Such a person may be sincere, but he or she is sincerely wrong. “Catholics who publicly dissent from the Church’s teaching on the right to life of all unborn children should recognize that they have freely chosen by their own actions to separate themselves from what the Church believes and teaches. They have also separated themselves in a significant way from the Catholic community. “The Church cannot force such people to change their position; but she can and does ask them honestly to admit in the public forum that they are not in full union with the Church. “One who practices such dissent, even in the mistaken belief that it is permissible, may remain a Catholic in some sense, but has abandoned the full Catholic faith. For such a person to express ‘communion’ with Christ and His Church by the reception of the Sacrament of the Eucharist is objectively dishonest.” This is not a new teaching of the Church. From the earliest years, it has been pointed out that one cannot claim to be a Christian and yet believe other than what the Church teaches. In the second century St. Justin Martyr described the Eucharist in this way: “No one may share the Eucharist with us unless he believes that what we teach is true, unless he is washed in the regenerating waters of baptism for the remission of his sins, and unless he lives in accordance with the principles given us by Christ.” The law and discipline of the Church recognizes this fact in various ways. It is a time for honesty. I ask and urge that Catholic voters and Catholics in public life carefully consider their position if they find themselves in opposition to Church teaching in these matters. Sadly, I must point out that to continue down this road places them in danger of distancing themselves even more from Jesus Christ and from His Church. Perhaps it is also time to remind ourselves of the meaning and purpose of communion. No one has an absolute right to the Eucharist. It is a gift given to us by a merciful and gracious God. In fact, the Eucharist is God’s gift of Himself to us. In receiving Him we are made one flesh with him. This reception also symbolizes

Catering

(CNS PHOTO FROM ARCHDIOCESE OF NEWARK)

■ Continued from page 12

Archbishop John J. Myers of Newark, N.J.

and makes real our union with the whole Church. To receive unworthily or without proper dispositions is a very serious sin against the Lord. St. Paul explicitly teaches this in his letter to the Church at Corinth when he wrote, “This means that whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord unworthily sins against the body and blood of the Lord. A man should examine himself first; only then should he eat of the bread and drink of the cup. He who eats and drinks without recognizing the body eats and drinks a judgment on himself” (1 Cor 11: 2729). “Without recognizing the body” refers both to recognizing the presence of Christ in the Eucharist and recognizing the Body of Christ, which is the Church. Obviously this means that no Catholic should approach communion unless properly disposed (without unconfessed mortal sin on one’s conscience, having fasted at least one hour in accordance with the Church’s discipline, etc.). But, receiving the Eucharist also means that one is in fact in full communion with Christ and His Church. To receive communion when one has, through public or private action, separated oneself from unity with Christ and His Church, is objectively dishonest. It is an expression of communion by one’s action that is objectively not in accordance with one’s heart, mind, and choices.

Communion is Not Private Because the Eucharist is the source and summit of our faith, the most sacred action of our Church, to misuse the Eucharistic symbol by reducing it to one’s private “feeling” of communion with Christ and His Church while objectively not being in such union is gravely disordered.

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This is particularly true when it comes to the area of protecting human life. Abortion and infanticide are, as Vatican Council II stated, “abominable crimes” (Gaudium et Spes, Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World, 51). The fact that all too many U.S. citizens have grown comfortable with the on-going injustice of abortion on demand is quite upsetting. That some Catholics, who claim to believe what the Church believes, are willing to allow others to continue directly to kill the innocent is a grave scandal. The situation is much much worse when these same leaders receive the Eucharist when they are not objectively in communion with Christ and His Church. Their objective dishonesty serves to compound the scandal. Some might argue that the Church has many social teachings and the teaching on abortion is only one of them. This is, of course, correct. The Church’s social teaching is a diverse and rich tradition of moral truths and biblical insights applied to the political, economic, and cultural aspects of our society. All Catholics should form and inform their conscience in accordance with these teachings. But reasonable Catholics can (and do) disagree about how to apply these teachings in various situations. For example, our preferential option for the poor is a fundamental aspect of this teaching. But, there are legitimate disagreements about the best way or ways truly to help the poor in our society. No Catholic can legitimately say, “I do not care about the poor.” If he or she did so this person would not be objectively in communion with Christ and His Church. But, both those who propose welfare increases and those who propose tax cuts to stimulate the economy may in all sincerity believe that their way is the best method really to help the poor. This is a matter of prudential judgment made by those entrusted with the care of the common good. It is a matter of conscience in the proper sense.

Injustices Are Impermissible But with abortion (and for example slavery, racism, euthanasia and trafficking in human persons) there can be no legitimate diversity of opinion. The direct killing of the innocent is always a grave injustice. One should not permit unjust killing any more than one should permit slave-holding, racist actions, or other grave injustices. From the perspective of justice, to say “I am personally opposed to abortion but…” is like saying “I personally am against slavery, but I can not impose my personal beliefs on my neighbor.” Obviously, recognizing the grave injustice of slavery requires one to ensure that no one suffers such degradation. Similarly recognizing that abortion is unjust killing requires one—in love and justice—to work to overcome the injustice. Among my most important responsibilities is that of pastor and teacher. In light of recent developments in our nation, I wish once again to affirm the teaching of the Church. Human life is a gift from God and as Catholics we have a most grave obligation to defend all human life from the moment of conception until natural death. God help us if we fail in this most fundamental obligation. Archbishop Myers of Newark issued this Pastoral Statement May 5, 2004.

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Catholic San Francisco

May 14, 2004

Music TV

Books RADIO Film

Stage

Planning for peace and living through war THE HUMAN RIGHT TO PEACE, by Douglas Roche. Novalis (Toronto, 2003). 261 pp., $19.95. ANOTHER DAY IN PARADISE: INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN WORKERS TELL THEIR STORIES, compiled by Carol Bergman. Orbis (Maryknoll, N.Y., 2003). 256 pp., $24.95.

Reviewed by Frida Berrigan Catholic News Service “Those who engage in peace work are the true realists of our time,” writes Canadian Sen. Douglas Roche, former chairman of the United Nations Disarmament Committee, in his 16th book, “The Human Right to Peace.” Roche says that before we can envision a culture of peace we must have a clear understanding of the culture of war. And he gives readers just that: an unblinking look at the ecological effects of militarism and the destructive power of nuclear weapons. Then, in a lively and persuasive voice, Roche describes an alternative vision of a culture of peace — a “world that is human centered and truly democratic, a world that builds and protects peace, equality, justice and development.” He devotes chapters to religion, education and civil society, describing how each is vital to making this alternative vision a reality. Roche was elected to Canada’s Parliament four times, serving from 1972 to 1984. He served as Canada’s ambassador for disarmament from 1984 to 1989. In 1995 he was awarded a papal medal as well as a U.N. medal of honor for his services as special adviser on disarmament and security matters. Given his years of work with the United Nations it is not surprising that Roche views that organization as a model and a tool for a culture of peace. He suggests that “the best

response to today’s sense of vulnerability is for the United Nations to step up its lifesaving work around the world: preventing and containing conflict, eliminating weapons of mass destruction, fighting poverty, reducing hunger, improving health care, defending human rights, protecting the environment and promoting democracy.” The United Nations is involved in lifesaving work around the world, and Roche’s vision of an even-more-constructive U.N. role is inspiring. But it does not reconcile with the reality that the United Nations is often hampered by its member states, their national political and military agendas, and their failure to adequately fund programs and initiatives. The Millennium Development Goals, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and all the treaties and statements issued by the United Nations do not alter the reality that this international body is only as strong as its member states — particularly the permanent members of the Security Council — allow. And changing global priorities begins with abolishing the hierarchy of the Security Council’s permanent members. In “Another Day in Paradise: International Humanitarian Workers Tell Their Stories,” peace workers — some of them true realists — have a chance to share firsthand accounts of what the culture of war has wrought. Editor Carol Bergman has collected writings from international humanitarian workers working in war zones, postconflict areas and regions destroyed by natural disasters. In the foreword, novelist John le Carre describes the relief workers as “members of a rare breed: unedited, unbought eyewitnesses to our collective folly.” These nurses, documentarians, nuns and social workers write dispatches from Sudan, Afghanistan, Thailand, the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories, Ecuador and elsewhere. From these different locations and contexts, humanitarian workers describe the same tension between a sense

S E R V I C E

of mission and assurance that they must do what they are doing mixed with inescapable hopelessness that in the larger context what they are doing might not matter. John Sifton, surveying U.S. bombing damage to civilian property in Afghanistan, writes, “The farmer is looking at me, as though I am going to explain why the bombs fell in the middle of his orchards and vineyards. Perhaps he expects that I will give him some money as compensation. He doesn’t really know who I am, after all. I could be some rich man from America, come to pay him back for the damage done to his livelihood. But I have nothing to offer except my bearing witness to his misfortune and offering a theory as to why it occurred.” Douglas Roche would probably say that what Sifton offers is a start — a step toward a culture of peace. Both “The Human Right to Peace” and “Another Day in Paradise” are highly recommended. Berrigan works as an associate at the Arms Trade Resource Center, a project of the World Policy Institute in New York City. She is the daughter of the late anti-war activist Philip Berrigan.

D I R E C T O R Y

For Advertising Information Call 415-614-5642 • E-mail: jpena@catholic-sf.org

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PAINTING & REMODELING John Holtz

Ca. Lic 391053

General Contractor

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CHURCHES – SCHOOLS – THEATRES COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS – SPORTS FACILITIES

not a licensed contractor

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PLUMBING

COUNSELING

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Healing Your Inner Child Lila Caffery, MA, CCHT Christian Family Counselo r

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Painting & Remodeling

Intercoms / Paging Systems Cable TV & Data Systems

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Contractor inspection reports and pre-purchase consulting

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GARAGE DOOR REPAIR

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G ARAGE D OOR R EPAIR

Divorce resolution, Grief resolution, Supportive consultation. Substance abuse counseling, Post trauma resolution, Family Consultation.

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

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

Barbara Elordi, MFT Licensed Marriage, Family and Child Therapist. Offers individual, couple + family and group counseling.

The Peninsula Men’s Group, now in it’s 7th year, is a support group which provides affordable counseling in a safe and nurturing setting. Interested candidates may call for a free brochure.

(650) 591-3784 974 Ralston Ave. #6, Belmont, CA 94002

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AUTO SALES Wally Mooney Auto Broker

650-244-9255 Spells Wally 650-740-7505 Cell Phone All Mfg. Warranty: Rebates and Special Dealer Finacing goes to Registered Owner/s P.O. Box 214 San Bruno, CA 94066

St. Robert’s Parish San Bruno

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

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LEGAL SERVICES

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– Senior Discount –

May 14, 2004

Catholic San Francisco

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Irish Handymen

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415-509-8473

Cost $25

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Truck for Sale

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

1998 Ford Ranger XLT with camper shell, short bed, automatic, AM/FM/CD player. Lots of miles. Needs work “as is”. $2,000 or best offer. (415) 806-0631.

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Prayer to the Blessed Virgin never known to fail. Most beautiful flower of Mt. Carmel Blessed Mother of the Son of God, assist me in my need. Help me and show me you are my mother. Oh Holy Mary, Mother of God, Queen of Heaven and earth. I humbly beseech you from the bottom of my heart to help me in this need. Oh Mary, conceived without sin. Pray for us (3X). Holy Mary, I place this cause in your hands (3X). Say prayers 3 days. G.R.R.

Prayer For Motherhood O good St. Gerard, powerful intercessor before God and Wonder-worker of our day, I call upon thee and seek thy aid. Thou who on earth didst always fulfill God’s design help me do the Holy Will of God. Beseech the Master of Life, from Whom all paternity proceedeth to render me fruitful in offspring, that I may raise up children to God in this life and heirs to the Kingdom of His glory in the world to come. Amen. C.S.

Prayer to the Holy Spirit Holy Spirit, you who makes me see everything and who shows me the way to reach my ideal. You who gives 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. S.C.

Dear Jesus, I adore you and thank you for being always there for me. I’m sorry for my shortcomings and ask your help in being a witness to you. Only you know what Ineed. Please assist me on my need. One Our Father, one Hail Mary. Publication may be made as soon as your favor is granted. B.B.S.

Assistant Principal St. Francis High School (Sacramento) has an opening for Assistant Principal for Curriculum. Responsibilities include curriculum development and oversight, new teacher mentoring, teacher professional development, coordination of the Academic Advisory Committee, and standardized testing. Resumes accepted through May 21, 2004. Job description and application available at www.stfrancishs.org (916) 452-3461, ext. 218

RECRUITER

FOR

OVERSEAS MISSION

Maryknoll Lay Missioners, a Catholic overseas mission program seeks a Western Regional Recruiter to be based in San Francisco Bay Area. Responsible for increasing pool of qualified applicants for service in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Full-time Mission experience, preferably overseas; excellent communication skills; comfort with addressing groups; willingness to work out of home.

Resume to: Susan Marble Cuthbert: smcuthbert@aol.com or Box 902, Marlboro, MA 01752. 888-828-6623; FAX 775-201-5329. (www.maryknoll.org)

Miscellanious flat for rent for sale FLAT FOR RENT

For Sale Pine Baby Crib, 4-Drawer Drawing Chest $200.00 415•731•0887

Worship Services, Catholic Experience Marie DuMabeiller 415-441-3069, Page: 823-3664 VISA, MASTERCARD Accepted

Call: 415-614-5642

Catholic San Francisco

$1,800 mo. Lower Pacific Heights 2 BD, 2 BATH, Family Room, W/D, Private Patio. Dogs OK.

(415) 931-6203 1820–A Bush Street (xSt. Laguna)

Employment Opportunity ~ MAINTENANCE

DIRECTOR ~

for Serra High School. Exp. with boilers, pool, custodial, grounds and general maintenance. Good communication / supervisory skills, excellent benefits, salary DOE.

Send Resume to: J. O’Sullivan – 451 W. 20th Ave. San Mateo, CA 94403 Seeking DIRECTOR OF FAITH FORMATION to provide vision, leadership, and coordination for comprehensive program at multi-ethnic parish of 4,500 households. Must be enthusiastic and flexible about phasing in Whole Community Catechesis. Send letter of interest and resume to mjneault@olaclaremont.org or M.J. Neault, Our Lady of the Assumption Parish, 435 Berkeley Ave., Claremont, CA 91711. For info call (909) 626-3596, ext. 216. www.olaclaremont.org

K – 8 CATHOLIC SCHOOL PRINCIPAL MEDFORD, OREGON Sacred Heart Catholic School is seeking an experienced Catholic leader ready to continue a rich tradition of excellent Catholic education and financial development. This position will begin in the 2004-2005 school year. Sacred Heart, a parish school is located in the beautiful Southern Oregon Rogue Valley, serves 287 students with a staff of 35 and with strong pastoral and parental support. The ideal candidate must be a practicing Catholic, hold a valid Administrative Credential, a Master’s degree, and/or prior successful experience in school administration.

PLEASE

SEND APPLICATION BY

MAY 14TH TO:

Sacred Heart Catholic School / Medford Search Committee Mr. Robert Mizia / Superintendent of Catholic Schools Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon 2838 East Burnside Street, Portland, Oregon 97214

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Catholic San Francisco

May 14, 2004

In Remembrance of the Faithful Departed Interred In Our Catholic Cemeteries During the Month of April Georgiann Thill Brian G. McBrady Harry C. Dubay HOLY CROSS Joanne Marie Topliff Julia Anne McKinley Isaac A. Espinoza Lois L. Truett Leonardo Meneses, Sr. Cecelia F. Fioresi COLMA Don P. Adams Julia Ahern Claudi J. Airaudi Anthony Alhona, Jr. Anthony J. Allaria Lelia S. Allen Lucrecia Alvarez Bonifacio Amolo Saturnina C. Amora David A. Anderson, Sr. Apolinario B. Badio Sergio Barba Rosabel Barcenas Christopher Noe Bazan Sally Becker Jose N. Bell Rose M. Berticevich Peter Bodroghy Elizabeth M. Bolante Henry T. Borjas Bernard J. Brady Joan E. Brennan Nancy M. Caccia Joseph W. Caimotto Jesus Siordia Cano Jesse Leo Cecil Henry J. Cirby Eleanore D. Compagno Margaret O. Conway Purtle Cook Herbert L. Cook Enid L. Cronin Sr. M. Felicitas Cronin, PBVM James J. Cunningham Sr. Catherine Ann Curry, PVBM Marie De Camp Concordia L. deAquino Helen Vera Deming Jewell Kump Doherty Margaret H. Doran

Kathleen E. Fixa Kathleen Ann Flynn Harold P. Fontenot Mario Gaggero Doris M. Galea Theresa M. Garcia Denise Gavigan Elsie V. Giovannini Catherine Juanita Gonzalez Antoinette L. Greco Joseph J. Guardino Lillian C. Hammond Paul T. Hart Hazel J. Hartnett Edith Ann Heaney James M. Hickey Edward “Merito” Huertas Gertrude F. Jones Frank T. Kane Asipau K. Kautai Genevieve D. Kavanaugh Frank H. Keller Cecile Marie-Louise Kelley Jean M. Kelly Phyllis M. Kelly Gloria M. LaStella Katherine F. Lazzarini Cuong Thi Le Hi Le Noel F. Leonard Evelyn V. Lethart Rosario Lim Vonda C. Linehan James Liston Berta Vazquez Lowry Robert Antony Lowry Christine A. Mahoney Gabriel J. Majoulet Maureen Mannix Jose H. Marquez

Anne Meredith Marguerite Merrill Aurea D. Munar Dorothy E. Murname Stephen J. Natoli Soledad R. Nethercott Patrick Newell James E. Normanly Mary B. O’Connor Mae O’Donnell Milagros B. Orbeta Alice Alejandra Ortega Dolores Martha Padovan Lance James Pardi David J. Passanisi Shirley Pecson Frank J. Portman, Sr. Rene J. Quilici Maria Eufemia Ramos Mercedes B. Ramos Claire C. Ranken Michael J. Riordan IV Mary Robinette Theresa Romo Amelia R. Rudometkin Robert J. Ryan Harold Sacks Abdon G. Santiago, Sr. Henry A. Schatzle Paul Otto Schiebold III Marion Elissamburu Schoenstein Eileen C. Shea Bernadette M. Simien-Gordon Norma A. Soher Bertha E. Solis Arturo Solorzano Esther Stupian Laura M. Sullivan Sharen Theresa Sulpizio-May George J. Taylor

Agnes L. Unterein Dolores S. Valdes Nello P. Venturi Soledad M. Villegas Rosalina Viola Ruth Brown Ward Robert C. Werdeman Marion Raymond Williams

HOLY CROSS MENLO PARK Louise A. Boudreau Thomas Michael Curran Tina Candelaria Gonzales Ben O. “Doc” Hebert Claire Couture King Dolores Klika-Stadler Vicente Elisondo Mendoza Carmen Santiago Frank H. Siino Nicholas Cristobal Terry Delores M. Vercellino

MT. OLIVET SAN RAFAEL Mary Kathleen Baker Peter L. Croenen Robert B. Croenen Bob Grahame Hildegarde Francis Sabaca

HOLY CROSS CATHOLIC CEMETERY, COLMA 1st Saturday Mass June 5th, 2004 – 11:00 a.m. All Saints Mausoleum Chapel

Memorial Day Mass – Mon. 31st – 11:00 a.m. Most. Rev. Ignatius Wang Auxiliary Bishop of San Francisco, Celebrant Holy Cross Mausoleum Chapel

Memorial Day Masses

Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery, Menlo Park Mt. Olivet Catholic Cemetery, San Rafael Rev. Patrick Michaels, Celebrant St. Raymond Church, Menlo Park Outdoor Mass – 11:00 a.m.

Rev. Louis J. Robello, Celebrant Outdoor Mass – 11:00 a.m.

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

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

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

A Tradition of Faith Throughout Our Lives.