Catholics rally and take concerns to state legislators
Catholic san Francisco Northern California’s Weekly Catholic Newspaper
By Jack Smith
Young adults with Bishop John Wester at Lobby Day. (l-r) Joe Bernabe (St. Dominic parishioner), Diane Barberini (teacher at Carondelet High School), Bishop Wester, Mary Jansen (Archdiocesan Director of Young Adult Ministry & Campus Ministry), Stephanie Wesolek (Administrative Assistant for Young Adult Ministry & Campus Ministry),Tim Kortenkamp (Archdiocesan Office of Public Policy and Social Concerns).
Nearly 1000 Catholics from around the state attended the seventh annual Catholic Lobby Day in Sacramento April 26. Auxiliary Bishop John C. Wester accompanied a delegation of more than 80 people from the Archdiocese of San Francisco. The Archdiocesan group traveled individually from the Counties of San Francisco, San Mateo, and Marin, and also by bus from Stonestown Galleria with stops at St. John of God parish in the Sunset and St. Patrick’s downtown. After arriving and registering, participants took part in a presentation and strategy session on California’s Faithful Citizenship Project. Several San Francisco area parish communities have already successfully taken part in this voter registration project sponsored by the dioceses of California and the Pacific Institute for Community Organization. Mass was celebrated at the Crest Theatre this year because of continued renovations to the preferred venue of Sacramento’s Blessed Sacrament Cathedral. California Catholic Conference President and Stockton Bishop Stephen Blaire presided with Bishop Wester, Auxiliary Bishop Richard Garcia of Sacramento, and Auxiliary Bishop Jaime Soto of Orange concelebrating. Monsignor Eugene Boyle, a veteran worker for social justice and retired San Jose Diocese priest, delivered the CATHOLIC RALLY, page 8
Bioethics chairman speaks out against euthanasia, assisted suicide By Christopher Gaul BALTIMORE (CNS) — The chairman of the President’s Council on Bioethics told a Baltimore audience of health care workers and executives, priests and seminarians gathered at St. Mary’s Seminary and University April 27 that the act of removing the feeding tube from Terri Schindler Schiavo amounted to killing her rather than letting her die. Dr. Leon R. Kass made the comments in a question-and-answer period following his delivery of the seminary’s annual John Carroll lecture on religion and society in which he addressed issues involving death with dignity and the sanctity of life. It was a timely topic given the recent very public but very different deaths of Schiavo, the brain-damaged Florida woman who died March 31, 13 days after her feeding tube was removed, and Pope John Paul II, who died April 2 of septic shock and what was termed “irreversible cardiocirculatory collapse.” Kass was persuaded to give the lecture by fellow bioethics committee member, Dr. Paul McHugh, a
Johns Hopkins psychiatrist and member of St. Mary’s board of trustees. In his remarks, Kass noted that current debate about assisted suicide, for example, makes the notion of death with dignity and the sanctity of life appear to be opposing forces. “Some say that upholding the sanctity of life might seem to be denying some people the dignity of death, that they pull in opposite directions,” he said. The confrontation between the two, though, is nothing new, he said. “I don’t accept the polarization,” Kass said. “The opposite is true. Both are compatible and, if rightly understood, they go hand in hand.” He said the concepts of the sanctity of life and death with dignity are “entirely compatible” with allowing someone to die naturally, “but never with deliberately killing.” And, he said, “when in active euthanasia you have physicians killing patients, even if they ask for it, that violates intervening in the art of healing.” “The practices of assisted suicide and euthanasia do
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not conduce to human dignity,” Kass said, “and our rush to embrace them will only accelerate the various tendencies in our society that undermine not only dignified conduct but even decent human relations,” he said. Kass is the Addie Clark Harding professor in the Committee on Social Thought and the College at the University of Chicago and is also Hertog fellow in social thought at the American Enterprise Institute. He is a former research professor in bioethics at the Kennedy Institute of Ethics at Georgetown University. His numerous articles and books include, most recently, the philosophical/theological work “The Beginning of Wisdom: Reading Genesis.” In taking a strong position against assisted suicide and euthanasia, Kass drew on moral, ethical, historical and biblically based theological arguments against society’s developing acceptance of the idea of assisted suicide and euthanasia, let alone actual use of them. He emphasized that there is a profound difference between euthanizing a suffering animal, something he called a “humane” act, and killing a suffering BIOETHICS CHAIR, page 8
INSIDE THIS WEEK’S EDITION Catholic Assemblywomen . . 4 Rejecting euthanasia. . . . . . . 5
St. Isabella
Editorial and letters . . . . . . 12
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Columnists . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Scripture and reflection . . . 14 Datebook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Pope Benedict XVI
Our Lady of Lourdes
Movie review . . . . . . . . . . . 18
~ Page 3 ~
~ Page 10 ~
www.catholic-sf.org
May 6, 2005
SIXTY CENTS
VOLUME 7
•
No. 16
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Catholic San Francisco
May 6, 2005
On The Where You Live by Tom Burke
Winnie and Harry Gogarty with their children, from left, Donal, Mary Kalbhenn, Catherine Winnett, Jim and Sean.
Students for a day February 18th were faculty members at Mercy High School, San Francisco. The “changing places” idea came about when students at the school exceeded their $4,500 goal for Tsunami aid by almost $2,000. “The teachers were asked their sizes, and the Campus Life Team searched for students whose uniforms they could borrow,” said Colleen McGuinn, school PR person. “They definitely wore them all day.” From left, Rita Cutarelli, Campus Minister, Jim McGarry, Religion Teacher, Gail Bennett, Visual and Performing Arts Teacher and Nilsa Lennig, Director of Alumnae and Community Relations.
Happy 50 years married October 12 to Winnie and Harry Gogarty, parishioners of Our Lady of Angels Parish since 1962 The couple took their vows in 1954 at 5th Avenue’s finest church, St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City. Their five children are all OLA grads and four grandchildren are now students there. Winnie and Harry renewed their vows at OLA with former pastor Capuchin Father Gerald Barron presiding. Prayers please for Harry who is now recovering from a serious fall….Taking the gloves off for charity is the North Marin Auxiliary of the St. Vincent de Paul Society. Proceeds from their annual luncheon March 24th benefited the SVDP Conference of Novato’s St. Anthony of Padua Parish. Members include several alumnae of the much revered and missed St. Paul High School including Johanna Lucey Cullen,
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; Sharon Abercrombie, reporter
Marie Valentino Sullivan, Pat Stahl Kovarik and Susan ways,” the parish said in a recent bulletin. Congrats to Jenny Simpson Delucchi who filled us in. Susan and her husband, Joe Bender, Anita DeMatteis, Arlene Furter, Marge Garber, – a North Beach lad and Sts. Peter and Paul and Sacred Heart HS Fran Kruezer, Peter Lombardo, Laura Markman, Jackie alum– will be married 37 years June 22nd. They took their Polati, Janet and Mick Soli, and Thomas Vance. Honored as vows in Noe Valley’s St. Philip the Apostle Church….A bow ‘coolest teens’ were Tyler Anthony, Ana Kinzel, Lyndsey Soli, of the Bunsen Burner type to Sean Johnson and Joe Bussing. San Domenico 4th grader Will Faithful Servers are Bernard Cook who took top honors in the Archbold and Katie category of Life Science at the Felong….Our Lady of Mercy 2005 Marin County Science Parish bids farewell to Isabel Fair. His proud folks are Lisa Purcell who has moved closer to and David. Also clapping the family in Bakersfield. “Isabel has erasers for Will is the young scideep roots in the parish and entist’s sister, Alexandra, a San many people have been touched Domenico 6th grader. Hats off, by her kindness,” a recent bultoo, to additional 4th and 5th letin said….Thanks to St. graders who were recognized for Benedict Parish for the Deaf their experiments including Jack for this carpe diem tip from Beritzhoff, Andrew Buie, Ally Albert Einstein. “Do not grow Byer, Seth Coad-Douglass, old, no matter how long you It’s 10 years later for Father Mark Taheny who Lauren Monahan, Colin Wells. celebrated his first decade as a priest April 3rd at live. Never cease to stand like a A belated “Hats off” to 8th grad- St. Veronica Parish where he is a parochial vicar. curious child before the great er Brett Finkelstein, who was mystery into which we are Family and friends joined him for the liturgy and selected for Olympic born.”…Remember this is an reception. From left: Jesuit Father (Uncle) Ted Development Program soccer empty space without ya’!! The Taheny, Father Mark’s dad, Jack, Father Mark, in November. “We’re so proud of email address for Street and Jesuit Father (Uncle) Robert Taheny. what Brett has done,” said the is burket@sfarchdiocese.org. lad’s folks, Lynn and Jim….St. Matthias Parish has Mailed items should be sent to “Street,” One Peter Yorke Way, announced its Top 10 Teens and Adults. “This recognition is SF 94109. Pix should be hard copy or electronic jpeg at 300 given to men and women as well as to our coolest teens and chil- dpi. Don’t forget to include a follow-up phone number. You can dren who have served the church community in exemplary reach me at (415) 614-5634.
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May 6, 2005
Catholic San Francisco
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San Francisco Archbishop William J. Levada had an audience with Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican after accompanying members of the Knights of Malta on the group’s annual pilgrimage to the Shrine of Lourdes in France. Each year, the Knights of Malta sponsor the trip for individuals who are ill. At the Vatican, Archbishop Levada was one of the first bishops to be granted an audience with Pope Benedict XVI. Archbishop Levada met the pope May 3 to convey his personal best wishes and those of Catholics in his archdiocese. While the pope has mentioned more than once that he is 78 years old and had thought he would be retiring rather than taking on the challenge of shepherding the universal church, Pope Benedict seemed happy and relaxed in the Apostolic Palace, the archbishop said. “He was genuinely smiling and I think he is radiant, that is the best way to describe him,” Archbishop Levada said. “I hope it is the grace of the Holy Spirit in him and with him.” Archbishop Levada had served on the staff of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith from 1976 to 1982; in 1981 Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, the future Pope Benedict, was named prefect of the congregation. Archbishop Levada also worked with then-Cardinal Ratzinger, on drafting the “Catechism of the Catholic Church.” The new pope also met with Italian President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi and his wife, Franca, who had been close to Pope John Paul II. The Italian president and his wife invited Pope Benedict to visit their official residence, the Quirinal Palace, which once was a papal residence. Pope Benedict accepted the invitation and will make his visit June 24. Pope Benedict left his private library to greet Ciampi in the Room of Sts. Peter and Paul, then led him into the library for a 20-minute private discussion. The president’s wife and entourage entered later to meet the pope and exchange gifts. The Ciampis gave Pope Benedict a 15th-century chalice and paten that had been used by Pope Pius IX. The president explained it had been found in an antique shop, and he and his wife wanted it returned to the Vatican. The pope gave the president and his wife a small wooden statue of Our Lady of Ortisei, which the pope explained was a small town in the German-speaking Alto Adige region of northern Italy.
The art of Mission Dolores School students will be on display at the Zeum in Yerba Buena Gardens May 7 to 14. Andreina Gualco, Mission Dolores principal, said "The sixth grade artwork resulted from their study of Ancient Egypt, and the seventh graders designed Lenten Wreaths." Teachers are Cathy Peterson and Sharon Owyang-Lee. Students are: Tiffany Jones, Marial Roque, Joanna Corleto, Aaron Brown, Gian Gualco-Nelson, Haben Berhe, Victoria Green, Sha’Nae Meitzenheimer, Ericka Velez, Monica Flores, Brittany Anduray, Makaela Haeger, Alejandra Perez, Isabella Vaessen, Antigone Gonzalez, Javier Moreno, Treasure Gardner, Angelica Madriz, Vanessa Altamirano, Roman Koval, Zoe Wong, and Serena Noline.
(CNS PHOTO FROM REUTERS)
San Francisco Archbishop gives best wishes to Pope Benedict XVI
Pope Benedict XVI chats with Italian President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi and his wife, Franca Pilla, in his private library at the Vatican May 3. The Italian president was the first head of state to have a formal audience with the new pontiff.
The annual
CHORAL FESTIVAL Presented by The Archdiocesan Music Committee is celebrating THE YEAR OF THE EUCHARIST Sunday, May 22, 4:00 p.m. St. Cecilia Church 17th Ave. & Vicente St. San Francisco
Choristers, who represent churches throughout our archdiocese, will be singing a program of inspiration music designed to lift your spirits. Compositions by Bruckner, Palestrina, Vaughan Williams, Pote & others.
SAVE THE DATE! For further information, please call or E-mail Linda Myers @ 415-479-8428 / Lpmyers@comcast.net
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Catholic San Francisco
May 6, 2005
Catholic Assemblywomen take stand against assisted suicide women have gone on record against AB 654,” said Carol Hogan, lobbyist with the California Catholic Conference of bishops. Now headed for the Appropriations Committee, the bill could end up in the suspense file —- a boneyard for many bills —- if backers perceive a lack of “votes on the floor.” The bill might be stymied if 10-12 more assemblymembers would come out against it, said Hogan. Even if it passes the Assembly —- a 50-50 proposition according to Hogan —- it still has to get through the Senate, which is traditionally more deliberative on these issues. And, if it doesn’t get through the legislature, predicted Hogan, proponents will go through the initiative process, as they did in 1992 when the “Death With Dignity Act” initiative (Proposition 161) was rejected by California voters. “The problem with this bill is that you can’t legislate against coercion which can be very subtle,” said Hogan. Terminally ill people might be influenced to relieve their exhausted caregivers by choosing physician-assisted suicide. And, Hogan noted, in a state like California with over six million medically uninsured people, the temptation to “aid” an indigent individual to choose suicide might be considered economically advisable to caregivers, be they family members or medical personnel. Currently, Oregon is the only state with physician-assisted suicide, which became legal in 1997. Terminally ill Oregon residents desiring physician-assisted suicide must meet certain criteria —- including having a diagnosis of a six-month life expectancy —- and they must find a doctor willing to participate. Oregon doctors are required to rule out the possibility of a psychiatric or psychological disorder, such as depression, and also offer alternatives such as comfort care, hospice
By Paula Doyle The Tidings Though the physician-assisted suicide bill AB 654, the California Compassionate Choice Act, passed the Assembly Judiciary Committee by a one-vote margin last month, it could face a growing momentum of opposition sparked by two young Democratic Assemblywomen. Assemblywoman Cindy Montañez (D-San Fernando), 31, broke rank with five other Democrats when she sided with the committee’s three Republicans in voting against the bill. That same day, Nicole Parra, (D-Hanford), 35, issued a statement saying, “Doctor assisted suicide is immoral and wrong.” Both Montañez and Parra are Catholic. “I believe that allowing the state to sanction a death in this fashion erodes the sanctity of life,” said Montañez in a statement. “While I understand and sympathize with all the reasons supporters of AB 654 have given me, they still do not outweigh my belief that life is too precious and that we, as a governmental entity, should not be a party to assisted suicide.” “This is one of those bills that most calls to one’s moral beliefs,” said Montañez. “Hopefully, it will be an issue of everyone voting their conscience.” Assemblywoman Parra also has received calls from constituents backing her opposition to physician-assisted suicide and feels there may be a momentum toward a “lessening of support” for the bill among her fellow legislators. She said an uncle’s courageous five-year struggle with Lou Gehrig’s disease has been a huge influence in her life. “My uncle inspired us. He always had hope. I would hate for him to think he was a burden to our family,” said Parra. “It’s a good start that two Democratic
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care and pain control. After obtaining the patient’s written consent signed by two witnesses and following a waiting period, a doctor may fulfill the patient’s request for physician-assisted suicide by writing a prescription for a lethal oral dosage of a controlled drug substance, usually a barbiturate. The law does not require a physician’s presence when lethal medication is taken by a patient. More than 200 individuals have reportedly participated in physician-assisted suicide. Robert Castagna, Oregon Catholic Conference executive director and general counsel, questions the relatively low number of a couple hundred physician-assisted suicides since 1997 because the law does not require the reporting of unsuccessful attempts. Early this year, The Oregonian newspaper reported a man’s failed attempt at physician-assisted suicide. Demanding to know, “Why am I not dead?” after waking up from a coma three days later, the individual lived for two more weeks. “That failed physician-assisted suicide validated assertions that we made back in 1997 that this approach is not a fail-safe mechanism,” said Castagna, citing a reported 25 percent failure rate in The Netherlands where physician-assisted suicide has been openly practiced since the early ‘90s. Castagna said a “credibility cloud” hangs over official Oregon reports on physician-assisted suicide since they don’t reflect “difficult cases” where patients didn’t experience the peaceful death they had anticipated. “It amounts to a whitewashing of the practice,” said Castagna. Most advocates for the disabled are opposed, as are some feminists such as Susan Wolf who declared: “Dimensions of health status that may affect a patient’s value considering physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia differentially plague women.” “Women should be concerned because they live longer than men,” commented
Castagna. “The true engines driving physician-assisted suicide are demographics and economics.” Castagna noted that consumer advocate Ralph Nader came out against it because he was concerned that HMOs would look at physician-assisted suicide as a medical expenditure control device. Castagna credits the group, “Physicians for Compassionate Care Educational Foundation,” for national lobbying efforts against physicianassisted suicide. It started with the encouragement of former Portland Archbishops William Levada and (now Cardinal) Francis George who challenged Catholic members of Oregon’s Medical Association, which has maintained a neutral position on the physicianassisted suicide issue. “Don’t repeat Oregon’s experiment [with physician-assisted suicide]. It’s dangerous,” declared Castagna. Californians Against Assisted Suicide, a grassroots coalition that includes the CCC and the Alliance for Catholic Healthcare, is actively advocating against AB 654. Other organizations aligned with CAAS include the California Medical Association, California Disability Alliance, Western Service Workers, Education and Defense Fund, Coalition of Concerned Medical Professionals, and League of United Latin American Citizens. AB 654 was one of the major bills lobbied April 26 at the CCC’s annual Catholic Lobby Day in Sacramento. Supporters of the bill include Compassion and Choices, the American Civil Liberties Union, the California chapter of the National Organization for Women, and the Conference of Delegates of California Bar Associations. On the federal level, opponents of physician-assisted suicide hope that a case scheduled to be heard by the U.S. Supreme Court later this year will overturn legalized physician-assisted suicide in Oregon based on the argument that it represents a violation of the federally controlled substances act.
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May 6, 2005
Catholic San Francisco
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Vatican official welcomes European vote rejecting euthanasia By Jonathan Luxmoore VATICAN CITY (CNS) — A Vatican official has welcomed a vote by European legislators to reject the legalization of euthanasia. “This is a positive signal,� Msgr. Elio Sgreccia, president of the Pontifical Academy for Life, said in an April 28 Vatican Radio interview. “It means there are still forces in Europe which respect and wish to respect the lives of the gravely ill and dying.� Msgr. Sgreccia said all practical efforts should be devoted to developing “a health system that respects the patient� and to providing “the appropriate therapy and care owed to every human being.� “It can clearly be expected that the push toward euthanasia will return to the attack with other proposals and suggestions, given that certain countries in Europe have already approved it,� the Vatican official said. “At this moment, I think the task of Catholics, believers and those wishing to respect life fully is to explain on a doctrinal level that no one is master of his own life or authorized to suppress his own or someone else’s life.� On April 27, members of the Parliamentary Assembly of the 46-country Council of Europe rejected a resolution — introduced by Swiss liberal Dick Marty — that would have approved doctor-assisted suicide for terminally ill patients. Defending the measure, Marty said euthanasia, like abortion, was “at the crossroads between life and death, free will and religious belief� and evoked “emotional reactions.� However, he added that developments in medicine made it “even more necessary to assist sick people in the last phase of life� and said his aim was “to draw government attention to what is happening on the quiet.� “Every survey confirms that euthanasia is practiced in many countries, in proportions well in excess of what was previously believed. The fact that euthanasia is a criminal offense in virtually every single country forces us to conclude there is a striking divergence between the law and actual practice,� said Marty, whose memorandum was carried on the Council of Europe Web site. “Public opinion polls in several member states show a majority in favor of legislation to regulate euthanasia, at least in certain cases and under very specific conditions.
The measure was rejected 138-26 following a threehour debate in the Strasbourg-based assembly. Speaking during the debate, a Dutch Social Democrat, Erik Jurgens, who described himself as a Catholic, said sympathy was a “basic Christian virtue.� He said assembly members should respect the wish of patients for a “dignified death.� However, a member of Germany’s opposition Christian Democratic Union, Helmut Rauber, said it was estimated up to 100,000 sick Europeans could die annually through assisted suicides if Dutch-style legislation was implemented throughout the 25-country European Union. The Parliamentary Assembly has made three previous
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attempts to approve euthanasia, which was studied by a special committee in 2001-2004. The Council of Europe, founded in 1949, is distinct from the European Union; however, no country has joined the European Union without first belonging to the council. Calls to legalize euthanasia have grown in Europe over the past five years, reflecting economic and demographic pressures. In the Netherlands, doctor-assisted suicides and “mercy killings� were made legal under a 2001 law, which requires patients to be mentally alert and to have requested death while considering other options. In neighboring Belgium, similar legislation was enacted in 2002, allowing medical staff to perform euthanasia on patients facing “continuous and unbearable suffering.�
Grand Rosary Rally on Mother’s Day San Francisco Senatus of the Legion of Mary and St. Patrick’s Church are sponsoring the 11th Annual Public Grand Rosary Rally Sunday, May 8 at 1:30 p.m. A ten-block procession begins at St. Patrick’s near Third and Mission. Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, evening prayer, and a reflection on the Eucharist follow the procession. In previous years, as many as 1000 people have joined the procession. San Francisco Senatus President Ray Frost said all are invited. He expects there may be more this year because of greater advance publicity and interest from other dioceses. The procession will include Cross and candles, a statue of Our Lady, St. Patrick’s parish youth, and parish organizations. The Blessed Sacrament will be carried under canopy by St. Patrick’s Pastor Monsignor Fred Bitanga and other clergy. The purpose of the event is “to give public witness to
our faith and to demonstrate the relationship between Mary and the Eucharist,� said Frost. “We’re trying to stir up the spiritual life in the City.� Marchers will include greater involvement of youth in the Church and peace for the world in their prayer intentions. The setting of Mother’s Day allows marchers to honor Mary particularly as a mother, Frost said. Frost believes the Eucharistic procession is good for the marchers and good for the City. “Even if people don’t know what we’re doing,� he said, “there’s a special blessing because grace is abundant grace is abundant where Mary is and even more where the Eucharist is.� Frost said the purpose of the Legion of Mary is “apostolic work; to give lives in service to the Church in union with Mary.�
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Catholic San Francisco
May 6, 2005
Commentary
Dying with Dignity By Fr. Gerald D. Coleman, S.S. California again faces the political and moral debate about “death with dignity.” This phrase, however, badly describes the main issue. Persons always die with dignity. They are sacred. God embraces them. Everyone’s dignity is indelible. Our worth is inherent. Our humanity is permanent. The real concern is not death, but dying. People fear dying. Physician-Assisted suicide laws manipulate this fear. On April 12th the California State Assembly Judiciary Committee passed AB 654. Modeled on Oregon’s physician-assisted suicide law, AB 654 would allow persons to request medication that kills them. Untruthful advocates indicate it merely “hastens death.” It does not. It kills. The b 2ill’s requirements are five-fold: ● Two physicians agree that a person has less then six months to live. ● A person makes consistent requests to kill him or herself, and has been counseled. ● Physicians determine that there is no mental illness. ● The person can take the killing medication without assistance. ● The person alone makes this decision. Proponents argue that killing oneself eliminates pain, dependency, and cost. They insist that killing oneself brings dignity to an undignified process. Vermont also faces a “death with digni-
ty” law. It redefines suicide by stating that assisted-killing “shall not, for any purpose, constitute suicide, assisted suicide, mercy killing, or homicide.” This is a clear signal: today, self-killing, tomorrow, involuntary killing. The Dutch Groningen Protocol 2004 proposes allowing doctors to euthanize terminally ill newborn babies and persons with severe mental retardation. The fact is that we are no longer on a slippery slope. We are on a precipice. The Oregon law, for example, makes it against the law to state death by selfkilling (assisted suicide) on the death certificate. It must say death by a terminal illness! AB 654 assaults four critical interactions: the physician-patient relationship (the doctor becomes the agent for killing), family relationships (one kills oneself and abandons family and friends), society (its obligation to protect the most vulnerable among us), health care (palliative and comfort care are thought inadequate). In his 1995 encyclical Evangelium Vitae, John Paul II wrote, “In the case of an intrinsically unjust law, such as a law permitting … euthanasia, it is therefore never licit to obey it or to take part in a propaganda campaign in favor of such a law or vote for it.” (n. 73) Why? We face a new moral problem today regarding the proper use of freedom. AB 654 is an example of utilitarian ethics. It is based on the conviction that we tend only to self-interest. In this viewpoint, persons seek
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only what seems right to them. They do not seek what is good in itself, for example, human dignity and self-respect. AB 654 creates a world where God does not exist. It creates a context outside the parameters of good and evil. It abandons the Christian demand to “learn Christ” who entrusted himself into the Father’s hands, “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.” (Lk 23:46) Carl Jung wrote, “If people can be educated to see the lowly side of their own natures, it may be hoped that they will also learn to
VALLOMBROSA CENTER Conferences and Meetings Retreats and Spirituality Programs MAY 7 “Mary Model of Contemplation” $35 includes lunch
Suzanne Young
Scriptural themes vibrate with significance as we connect ourselves to the life and spirit of Mary. The day will include time for reflection and meditation as well as supportive options for personal inquiry and expression. MAY 13 – 15 “Unconditional Love and Forgiveness” $170 for a private room; $150 each for a shared room Rev. Charles Lingo, protestant minister This weekend retreat will offer participants the practice of unconditional love and forgiveness toward self and others as based on the teachings of Buddhist monk Tich Nhat Hanh.
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ST. CLARE’S RETREAT
The Beatitudes traditionally introduce us to the heart of the message of Jesus and invite us to be converted to discipleship and community with God. Drawing primarily from the blessings of Jesus as they appear in Matthew's and Luke's gospel accounts, we will reflect on the meaning and power of these blessings for today's world.
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understand and to love their fellow men better. A little less hypocrisy and a little more tolerance towards oneself can only have good results.” AB 654 dumps self-respect, our vulnerable side, and our love for family and friends. The “I” becomes central. Everything else is forfeited. George Eliot said that “it is never too late to be what you might have been.” Dying is not undignified when I learn Jesus, trust the health care system, count on family and friends, and believe the testimony of Christ, “I will not leave you orphans.” (John 14:18)
JUNE 3-5
Come Holy Spirit of Healing Charismatic Healing Retreat for Men/Women - Linda Schubert & Fr. Bernard J. Bush, S.J.
JUNE 10-12
The Journey of Surrendering to God’s Love Recovery Retreat for Men/Women - Fr. Thomas Allender, S.J.
JUNE 17-19
A Journey through Grief to Healing Retreat for Those in Grief - Fr. Joseph J. Fice, S.J.
2005 May 20 - 22
Legion of Mary for Men & Women Fr. Antonius Wall, O.P. “The Experience of God’s Love in Suffering”
JUNE 17 – 19 “Eucharist and Healing Retreat” Silent retreat led by Father Richard Bain $170 for a private room; $150 each for a shared room
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July 8 - 10
A Silent Retreat for Women Fr. Serge Propst, O.P. “Eucharist Devotion 2005”
During this weekend retreat, you will experience the healing love of Jesus through the Sacrament of Eucharist, prayer, silence and the laying on of hands.
AUG 12-14
Your Care Extends to the Hearts of All Silent Retreat for Men - Fr. Thomas Carroll, S.J.
July 15 - 17
A Silent Retreat for Men & Women Fr. Serge Propst, O.P. “Eucharist Devotion 2005”
JUNE 25
AUG 19-21
We Are Not A Glum Lot! Laughter in Recovery Recovery Retreat for Women - Fr. Timothy Meier, S.J.
July 22 - 24
A Silent Retreat for Secular Franciscans Fr. Serge Propst, O.P. “Eucharist Devotion 2005”
All reservations require a $10 deposit per person. Weekend retreats start with dinner at 6:45 p.m. Friday and end Sunday at noon. Reservations must be made by mail and will be confirmed with directions and brochure. Suggested retreat donation $100.00 private room; $90 per person double occupancy. $10 deposit required. Please write or call for more details.
(831) 423-8093
“A Gardening Retreat” $35 includes lunch
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This one-day retreat will offer an opportunity to consider real gardens and metaphorical gardens as places to grow spiritually and psychologically while creating something of beauty. Wear casual clothes.
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Catholic San Francisco
7
Personal Perspective
The life and death of Terri Schiavo By Robert Rowden, M.D. By reliable accounts, Terri Schiavo was a victim of bulimia and her induced vomiting and purging caused her serum potassium to fall to a level that induced cardiac arrest. Resuscitation was soon begun, but not in time to prevent massive brain damage. Although easily aroused to apparent alertness, Mrs. Schiavo had been unable to take food or liquid by mouth, to communicate, to perform purposeful movements, or to relate to other persons in a meaningful way, and this was her state for fifteen years. The diagnosis of persistent vegetative state was made by competent neurologists in consultation, after long observation and in accordance with strict criteria established by the American Academy of Neurology. The findings on CT scan of profound cerebral atrophy and a flat electroencephalogram confirmed that diagnosis. Michael Schiavo, her husband and two witnesses claim that Terri said that she would not want to live in such a state. The numerous court actions and appeals eventually resulted in the order to remove the gastrostomy tube through which she had been fed since 1990. In a March 2004 address to physicians, Pope John Paul II stated: “The administration of water and food even when provided by artificial means, always represents a natural means of preserving life, not a medical act. Its use furthermore should be considered in principle, ordinary and pro-
portionate, and as such morally obligatory.” Recently this principle has been applied to the Schiavo case by Vatican officials, many bishops and cardinals and others inside and outside the Church who maintain that the removal of the feeding tube from this woman constitutes euthanasia. Further, a statement from the National Catholic Bioethics Center, while recognizing that in a particular case, provision of food and water may be disproportionate and therefore morally optional, nevertheless warned that “many advance directives, which Catholics formerly signed in good faith which require the removal of food and water in cases of persistent vegetative state, may have to be reconsidered.” This is in contrast to the 1980 Declaration on Euthanasia in which the Holy Father stated: “Therefore one cannot impose on anyone the obligation to have recourse to a technique which is already in use, but which carries a risk or is burdensome. Such a refusal is not the equivalent of suicide; on the contrary, it should be considered an acceptance of the human condition, or a wish to avoid the application of a medical procedure disproportionate to the results that can be expected, or a desire not to impose excessive expense on the family or the community.” There are several alternatives to the ingestion of food and water by mouth. Adequate nutrition can be provided by infusion through a centrally placed intravenous catheter, or by a small feeding tube inserted through the nose and into the stom-
ach, as was done to the Holy Father in his last days. Long term administration of nutrients is done via a feeding gastrostomy, a surgical procedure requiring endoscopy under sedation, and an incision through the abdominal wall under local anesthesia by which the feeding tube is inserted into the stomach. While this operation is common and considered a minor procedure, to deny that it is a medical act is absurd. There is a small but real risk of bleeding and infection, and a need to replace the tube from time to time. Mrs. Schiavo’s potential for recovery of brain function was essentially nil. One can argue that a gastrostomy tube was burdensome and extraordinary. Often overlooked in discussions, is the outstanding level of nursing care provided to her by a cadre of persons who turned, changed, and bathed her and cared for her skin and catheters over the 15 years, and the enormous expense incurred thereby. As Richard Gula notes in Euthanasia, Moral and Pastoral Perspectives: Our tradition values life as a basic condition necessary to achieve all other values, but it does not demand an idolatrous reverence that makes physical life an absolute value to be sustained at all costs.” I believe that many who are constantly in the media have succumbed to that idolatry. Despite the media circus and mass hysteria surrounding the demise of Mrs. Schiavo, some good may result if her plight causes serious discussion among physicians, moral theologians and bioethecists about what constitutes euthanasia, as opposed to a legitimate removal of a treatment which is unduly burdenSCHIAVO, page 9
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May 6, 2005
local government and community based organizations for assistance in naturalization services. Following the rally and bag lunch, participants ■ Continued from cover slowly made their way through tightened security at homily. Monsignor Boyle titled his homily “Jesus, the Capitol for pre-arranged meetings with legislators. the Compassion of God,” and said the duty of Parishioners from the Archdiocese and George Catholics in public life includes “Searching for the Wesolek, director of the Office of Public Policy and signs of the times in the spirit of Jesus.” This kind of Social Concerns, and Bishop Wester met directly holistic searching includes recognizing “all the with Assemblyman Gene Mullin (D - San Mateo). forces working against humanity.” Among these, The delegation also met with chiefs of staff for Msgr. Boyle included, “Lack of respect for the Assemblyman Leland Yee (D – San Francisco) and sacredness of all life, which promotes abortion, stem Senator Jackie Speier (D – San Mateo/San Francisco). cell research with embryos and assisted suicide; Others met with aides to Senator Carol Migden (D – racism and xenophobia, which is the dark side of the San Francisco) and Assemblymembers Mark Leno (D immigration debate; individual and corporate greed.” – San Francisco) and Joe Nation (D – San Rafael). Monsignor Boyle said the state budget itself Offices for Senator Joe Simitian (D – Palo Alto) was a moral issue and he decried the “failure of and Assemblyman Ira Ruskin (D – Los Altos) did CCC’s Ned Dolejsi and Bishop John Wester speak at Lobby Day. present government to recognize the state budget not schedule meetings with Lobby Day participants as a theological statement that should especially from the Archdiocese of San Francisco. Evans said the bill “is not about a compassionate society. It’s include sufficient funds for education and health care.” Beyond the three main bills under consideration, parishFollowing Mass, participants marched carrying banners about a society getting rid of those slowing it down.” ioners from the Archdiocese also brought up other topics of She rejected suggestions to use Oregon as a model of interest with their legislators. Among these concerns was to the State Capitol Building for a rally. There speakers addressed three issues before the State Legislature of how California’s assisted suicide bill would work. “At least parishioners’ opposition to AB 19 by Assemblymember importance to the Catholic community upon which organ- Oregon subsidizes health insurance for its poor, and has a Leno attempting to legalize same-sex marriage. izers had decided to present a united front at later meetings safety net for those denied insurance,” she said. Evans wonVicki Evens said the issue of human trafficking and attempts with legislators. Participants also received backgrounders dered what effect the bill would have on the 4.5 million to curb this “modern form of slavery” also were discussed. She and talking points on the three main bills under considera- Californians living below the poverty line “when dying said she invited legislators to the upcoming Public Policy becomes more cost effective than living.” tion and several second tier bills. Breakfast May 17 at St. Mary’s Cathedral. Sister Sheila Novak, Another bill, AB 696 by Assembly Member Chu (D - a member of the Sisters of the Divine Savior and an expert on Assembly Bill 654 by Assembly Members Berg (D - Santa Rosa) and Levine (D -Van Nuys) would change California law Monterey Park) would provide some relief for poor and indi- human trafficking, will be keynote at the event which begins at by allowing doctors to provide a lethal prescription to patients gent Californians dependent on Cal WORKS and food stamp 7:30 a.m. Call 415-614-5567 to register or for more information. found by their attending physician to be terminally ill. The programs from deep cuts mad in social services by the California Catholic Conference has joined a coalition, Governors budget. The Catholic Conference and speakers supported this bill. Californians Against Assisted Suicide, to oppose this bill. AB 930 by Assembly Member De La Torre (D - South Gate) Vicki Evans of the Archdiocese of San Francisco Office of Public Policy and Social Concerns was a main speaker on this is sponsored by Catholic Charities of California and supported by bill which has already passed one Assembly Committee and the Catholic Conference. The bill would require the Department awaits hearing in the Assembly Appropriations Committee. of Community Services and Development to provide funding to
Catholics rally . . .
Bioethics chair . . . ■ Continued from cover human who, although not divine, is nonetheless “godlike” in his creation and “whose life is sacred.” “What about people in a persistent vegetative state who are unresponsive, contorted, with no evident ability to interact?” he asked rhetorically. “What kind of human dignity remains there? Why should we not treat them as we properly treat dumb animals and put them out of their misery?” It would not, he insisted, be treating them with the dignity their godlike humanity deserves.
And, he noted, “in some cases, admittedly rare, people recover from profound coma. Sometimes they report they have partial yet vivid awareness of what was said and done to them even though they gave no external signs that they did.” When it appeared absolutely clear that there was no chance for a patient’s recovery, Kass said he would “do little beyond the minimum to sustain life,” but would oppose the use of lethal injections or any other action to deliberately end life. And that, he said after the lecture, would include removing a feeding tube that had been inserted to sustain life and whose removal would kill the patient, as it did in the case of Schiavo.
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Catholic San Francisco
May 6, 2005
Schiavo . . .
obituary
■ Continued from page 7
Father Robert Gavin, SS Sulpician Father Robert Gavin died April 27, 2005, in Baltimore at the Sulpician Order’s retirement facility. He was 78 years old. The late priest had been an esteemed member of the faculty at St. Patrick Seminary in Menlo Park for 31 years, with spiritual direction as his primary focus. Father Gavin moved to Baltimore from St. Patrick’s two years ago. Father Gavin was a native of Brooklyn, New York. He attended New York State Community College, New York University, and St. Francis College, before enrolling in St. Mary’s Seminary and University in Baltimore. Following his appointment to the faculty of St. Charles College in Catonsville, Maryland, Father Gavin was assigned for one year to St. Mary’s Seminary in Baltimore. His assignment at St. Patrick’s began in 1972 and ended in 2003. Sulpician Father Gerald Coleman, former rector of St. Patrick Seminary traveled to Catonsville, Maryland and preached at Father Gavin’s funeral Mass April 30. In his homily, Father Coleman said, “For thirty-one years, Fr. Gavin was the seminary’s bedrock and icon of peace.” He
9
added, “George Eliot wrote, ‘It is never too late to be what you might have been.’ This hopeful optic marked Fr. Gavin’s life as he interfaced with numerous seminarians, priests, religious sisters, and so many others. He was always there. He affirmed the very best within us.” Msgr. Warren Holloran, who has taught at St. Patrick Seminary for many years, said, “Father Gavin was universally admired, respected and loved by everyone who met him.” Father Kenneth Weare, administrator at St. Rita Parish in Fairfax and a former student at St. Patrick Seminary, said, “Father Gavin always was supportive and understanding, open to students, and marked by a profound commitment to pastoral ministry. His spiritual direction was scripture-based with a practical orientation and approach. Father Gavin was a spiritual person, and an advocate of prayer and common sense.” A funeral Mass was celebrated at Our Lady of the Angels Chapel in Catonsville, Maryland April 30 with interment in the Sulpician Cemetery. A memorial Mass was celebrated May 4 at St. Patrick Seminary and University.
some and therefore extraordinary. Another good will result if individuals are stimulated to execute a durable power of attorney for health care and to make sure that their wishes are known to their agents. It is now possible to give detailed instructions about under what circumstances specific treatments are to be avoided or discontinued. Every adult should have such a document with a copy available to the attending physician. Dr. Robert Rowden is a retired physician and a resident of San Rafael.
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Catholic San Francisco
May 6, 2005
May 6, 2005
A PRECIOUS FOUNTAIN:
New windows at St. isabella
New Book Celebrates the African American Catholic Community at Our Lady of Lourdes
T
ucked away in the southeastern section of San Francisco, in what is popularly called the Bayview-Hunter’s Point district, lives a vibrant faith community known as Our Lady of Lourdes parish. Unfortunately, this community is a fairly well-kept secret. It seems as though the only time the media sees fit to report on this part of the city is to record some act of violence or tragedy. The good work of the community goes largely unnoticed. Not any more. Sister Mary McGann, RSCJ, a professor at the Franciscan School of Theology in Berkeley, has written a beautiful book about the faith community at Lourdes by exploring and experiencing the community’s music and worship, a music and worship that has striven to be “authentically Black and truly Catholic.” A Precious Fountain: Music in the Worship of an African American Catholic Community (Collegeville,MN: The Liturgical Press) focuses on the years 19931997, when Sister McGann not only conducted a scholarly investigation of the community, but became part of the community, regularly attending parish liturgies and choir practices, ultimately becoming fully accepted as a member of the Lourdes choir. Though white of Irish descent, McGann was warmly accepted by the largely African American community. As participant observer McGann has written a loving book which also critically reflects on what the Lourdes community’s life and worship may offer the rest of the Church. Our Lady of Lourdes was established as a mission parish of All Hallows Parish in 1942. At the onset of World War II, the increased activity at the Hunter’s Point’s shipyard spurred a dramatic growth of the area. Many African Americans migrated to the Hunter’s Point from Louisiana to take advantages of the resultant job opportunities. From 1943-1957, Our Lady of Lourdes had a resident pastor or administrator, but by 1957 the parish had once again become a mission of All Hallows, and the parish plant began to be neglected. Several parishioners remained loyal to the mission including Mrs. Margaret Fisher, who, along with a Mrs. Coleman and Mrs. Joseph, regularly prayed the rosary in front of the church in hopes the church would reopen. As Mrs. Fisher put it, “I believed the church was going to reopen.” In 1965, a Mr. Jesse Banks began repairing the church building and caring for the church grounds. In 1968,
By Patrick Joyce
Redemptorist Father Donald MacKinnon and Brother Gary Pometta arrived and began rebuilding Our Lady of Lourdes. They began by providing simple service to the community that addressed the community’s needs. While the efforts of MacKinnon and Pometta were important, at the center of Lourdes’ rebirth was the liturgy and the liturgical music. In 1970, Sister Martin de Porres Coleman, SNDdeN, “a classically trained musician, vocalist, choral director, and teacher” arrived in the parish. She formed a Youth Gospel Choir, which began a synthesis of African American worship styles, i.e Gospel, with more traditional Catholic liturgical styles. The choir began singing at several local churches. Then Sister Martin formed an adult choir, that ultimately developed into the highly popular Lourdes Gospel Choir of today. With the development of the choirs, Our Lady of Lordes was ready for rebirth. As Father MacKinnon put it simply of the rebirth, “Its in the music, the poetry.” The music at Lourdes is not simply singing, it is the bursting forth of the Spirit, of a community testifying to the love and power of God in their life. As choir director Pat Goodall, put it , “We do not perform! We sing to do God’s will…We are here to deliver a message!” Another choir member noted that all the songs have basically the same simple message, “Put your faith and trust in God.” And McGann summarizes the community’s perception, “At Lourdes, music-making is revelatory—-revelatory of the community’s experience of who God is, of what it is like to be in God’s presence, of what it means to be created in God’s image, and of what it is like to experience God as living Presence at the heart of the community’s prayer. In the rhythms of the body one discovers the rhythms of God’s Spirit—a God who loves singing and dancing.”
(PHOTOS BY JACK SMITH)
Review by Jeff Burns
Lead singer Jean Alexander leads praise at this years Martin Luther King Day Mass.
Clergy and congregation join Lourdes Gospel Choir in song.
McGann celebrates not only the singing, but also the extraordinary contributions made by the lay members of the community. Lovingly depicted are such vibrant personalities as choir director Pat Goodall, pianist Reed Frommer, drummer Isaiah Brown, who began drumming at the age of 3, and many, many other choir and community members. The portrait of one congregant particularly stands out, that of Mr. Jesse Banks, known as “Brother Banks” and referred to by one parishioner as “the soul of the community.” Mr. Banks came to San Francisco from Louisiana during World War II, where he found work as a cook in the navy. Though raised a Baptist, he converted to Catholicism during the war. Following the war he married his wife, Deona, and together they raised seven children. Mr. Banks worked two jobs to support his family and to see that all his children received a Catholic education— driving a streetcar for Muni and working for the California Highway Maintenance Division. He also worked in support of All Hallows Parish. As noted earlier he came to Lourdes in 1965 and began repairing the church. In 1968, in response Father MacKinnon’s invitation to become more involved in the reborn parish, Brother Banks responded simply, “You can depend on me!” And over the course of the next thirty-one years of his life until his death in 1999, Brother Banks fulfilled that promise abundantly. In the early 1970s, Brother Banks joined three other men in a year of training to become lay Eucharistic Ministers. “They were to represent the people at the altar,” according to Father MacKinnon, and were called forth by the
Catholic San Francisco
community to serve the community. (In an important way, these men were predecessors of the permanent diaconate). Over the years, Brother Banks emerged as the community prayer leader, becoming “an elder of the community who functions liturgically as a deacon.” Brother Banks personified the Lourdes community with his deep faith and joyful spirit. As one parishioner noted, “He’s a man of God. If anybody’s ever known or seen a child of God, he is one.” In 1990, the Redemptorists left Lourdes. For one year the sainted Father Jack Isaacs pastored the parish, replaced the following year by Father Kirk Ullery, who remains as pastor to the present. Though white, Father Kirk has supported the community’s growth and struggle to become “authentically Black and truly Catholic.” The community at Our Lady of Lourdes remains a vibrant, faith filled community that radiates joy: “If you’re looking for joy, you’ve come top the right place,” as one parishioner put it. It radiates welcome: “I felt welcome at Lourdes right from the beginning,” another opines. It radiates unwavering faith, as the spiritual prays, “Lord give me that unwavering faith.” It radiates the love and spirit of the Risen Lord, of a God who makes a way out of no way, of a people in love with the God who brings them new life. As the Gospel song proclaims, “I love you Lord! You are my strength when life has me down/ There’s so many mountains you’ve led me around,/ And I love you Lord.” Sister Mary says that her book is intended for “scholars and pastoral leaders,” and indeed there is much to offer them in the book, but it would be unfortunate if that is all who read it. The book is more than just a scholarly treatise; it is an intimate portrait of a community, of its struggles and triumphs; of a parish where, as one parishioner put it, “You can feel the love radiating.” Though the book contains plenty of theological reflection and scholarly analysis, its beauty lies in the wonderful stories, portraits, music and devotions it presents. Sister Mary McGann has successfully brought the Lourdes community to life in this book. The stories and songs presented here deserve a much larger audience than just scholars and liturgical leaders. I found the stories quite moving and dare to suggest that this book would make good Lenten reading. Sister Mary’s own closing words give us an appropriate ending: “In each of our lives, we meet persons or groups that we perceive as ‘bushes aflame’—and like Moses in the book of Exodus , we take off our shoes knowing that we are on holy ground. For the past ten years, I have stood on holy ground. To God be the glory,/ To God be the glory,/ To God be the glory, for the things he has done!” We simply add “Amen!” and strongly recommend this book and a visit to the Our Lady of Lourdes community. The book is available from Liturgical Press and can be ordered online at www.litpress.org or ask your bookstore to order it. Jeff Burns is archivist of the Archdiocese of San Francisco and a deacon of the Diocese of Oakland.
New stained glass windows have not only beautified St. Isabella’s Church in San Rafael but created a more prayerful atmosphere and, like the windows in the cathedrals of Europe, become a source of religious education, Father Michael Keane says. The church was built as a gymnasium and was to serve only temporarily as a place of worship, but the temporary became permanent, Father Keane, the pastor since 1989, says. “The church had colored glass windows but it needed something to look more like a place of worship,” he says. Now, the series of stained glass windows depicting the life of Christ has taken away “the feeling that this is a gym.” “You can pray anywhere, but there is a certain atmosphere that makes you more apt to pray,” Father Keane says. “The stained glass windows have created a much more prayerful atmosphere. The people have been absolutely enthralled.” The impact of the windows has not been limited to adults, Father Keane says. “The windows in the great cathedrals of Europe were used to teach the faith at a time when many people could not read or write. The windows here are having a similar effect on the children. They see them and they prompt questions about the life of Christ,” he says. Father Keane is quick to give credit for the stained glass windows to those who contributed money to the project and particularly to Marilyn Hunter, the parishioner who came to him with the idea of the windows eight years ago. “I told her, ‘If you want to take this on, you have my approval but we don’t have the resources to pay for it,’” he recalls. “She said, ‘I’ll get the money.’” She did. Mrs. Hunter also found the stained glass artists who created and installed the windows, and she presided over the project. Over the years, Mrs. Hunter says, “The gym was modified to be a true church, but lacked the beauty that fine art can bring to the liturgy. It had yellow glass windows high up, as a gym does,” she says. In 1997, Mrs. Hunter asked Father Keane, to form a Renovation Committee. “He
agreed and has been extremely supportive of our work,” she says. “We have done many things to beautify the church but none have made the monumental change in the building like the stained glass windows.” From the beginning, Mrs. Hunter hoped to add stained glass windows. “I looked at stained glass anywhere I could,” she says. She visited churches and talked to artists. Some of them were “too old world, too modern or way too expensive.” Then, three years ago, at the suggestion of another parishioner, she found the Powers Brothers in Scottsdale, Arizona. (powersstainedglass.com) “They showed us their work in churches of many faiths, commercial buildings as well as work in private homes. I knew their style and excellent craftsmanship was for us.” After the firm gave a presentation at the six panels parish, Father Keane and the Parish Council on each agreed with Mrs. Hunter. A fund raising effort was launched by the renovation committee. side of Individual parishioners, parish organizations, the and groups of friends quickly agreed to help church out, contributing to pay for individual panes. depict “The reactions to these windows are events in more positive and joyful than we ever imagined,” Mrs. Hunter says. “They have not only the life of Christ. added beauty, but have given new meaning to the liturgies. The windows are genuine works of art, with some of them containing as many as 3,000 cut pieces of glass.” The decision to have windows depicting the life of Christ is a reflection of parishioners’ vision of St. Isabella’s “as a Jesus-centered parish,” Mrs. Hunter says. Stained glass artist Chris Powers of Scottsdale, Arizona, visited the parish and studied the church before starting work on the windows. He came away inspired and “has often told parishioners he feels the Holy Spirit guiding his hand while designing the windows,” Mrs. Hunter says. The entire project cost about $450,000. The Powers Brothers installed stained glass panels in the 12 doors entering the church from the front and two side foyers, plus three large panels over the front entry doors. These panels are “Eucharist”, “Lamb of God” and “Pilgrim.”
This bottom panel of the ascension of the lord measures twelve feet by five and a half feet and is composed of 12 panes.
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Catholic san Francisco Northern California’s Weekly Catholic Newspaper
Guest commentary Culture in crisis By Michael Novak In today’s liberal democracies, Pope Benedict XVI has observed, the move to atheism is not, as it was in the 19th century, a move toward the objective world of the scientific rationalist. That was the “modern” way, and it is now being rejected, in favor of a new “post-modern” way. The new way is not toward objectivity, but toward subjectivism; not toward truth as its criterion, but toward power. This, the pope fears, is a move back toward the justification of murder in the name of “tolerance” and subjective choice. Along with that move, he has observed, comes a dictatorial impulse, to treat anyone who has a different view as “intolerant.” For instance, those (on the “religious right”) who hold that there are truths worth dying for, and objective goods to be pursued and objective evils to be avoided, are now held to be “intolerant” fundamentalists, guilty of “discrimination.” In other words, the new dictatorial impulse declares that the only view permissible among reasonable people is the view that all subjective choices are equally valid. It declares, further, that anyone who claims that there are objective truths and objective goods and evils is “intolerant.” Such persons are to be expelled from the community, or at a minimum re-educated. That is to say, all Catholics and others like them must be converted to relativism or else sent into cultural re-training camps. On the basis of relativism, however, no culture can long defend itself or justify its own values. If everything is relative, even tolerance is only a subjective choice, not an objective mandatory value. Ironically, though, what post-moderns call “tolerance” is actually radically intolerant of any view contrary to its own. Most commentators, even those who support him, are misinterpreting the pope’s point. What the pope defends is not dogmatism against relativism. What he defends is not absolutism against relativism. These are false alternatives. The pope views relativism as the regulative principle that all thought is and must remain subjective. What he defends against such relativism is the contrary regulative principle, namely, that each human subject must continue to inquire incessantly, and to bow to the evidence of fact and reason. The fact that we each see things differently does not imply that there is no truth. It implies, rather, that each of us may have a portion of the truth, and that in this or that matter some of us may hold more (or less) truth than others. Therefore, since each of us has only part of all the truth we seek, we must work hard together to discern in all things wherein lies the truth, and wherein the error. The pope wishes to defend the imperative of seeking the truth in all things, the imperative to follow the evidence. This imperative applies to daily life, to science, and to faith. The great Jewish and Christian name for God is connected to this imperative — one of the Creator’s names is Truth. Other related names are Light, and Way. Humans are made seekers after truth. It is no more than a fact that ours is a pluralistic world, in which individuals have virtually an infinite variety of views. For the new pope, not only is this individual variety normal and to be praised; it shows the infinite number of ways humans have been made in the image of the infinite God. Each one of us, as it were, mirrors a different aspect of the infinite abundance of God. But the fact of human “relativity” — that is, the fact that we each see things differently, or that the life-voyage of each of us is unique and inimitable — should not be transformed into an absolute moral principle. The fact of relativity does not logically lead to the principle of moral relativism. No great, inspiring culture of the future can be built upon the moral principle of relativism. For at its bottom such a culture holds that nothing is better than anything else, and that all things are in themselves equally meaningless. Except for the fragments of faith (in progress, in compassion, in conscience, in hope) to which it still clings, illegitimately, such a culture teaches every one of its children that life is a tale told by an idiot, signifying nothing. For the pope, moreover, it is not reason that offers a foundation for faith, but the opposite. Historically, it is Jewish and Christian faith in an intelligent and benevolent Creator that gave birth in the West to trust in reason, humanism, science, and progress, and carried the West far beyond the fatalistic limits of ancient Greece and Rome. To the meaninglessness of relativism, the pope poses respect for the distinctive, incommensurable image of God in every single human being, from the most helpless to the seemingly most powerful, together with a sense of our solidarity with one another in the bosom of our Creator. This fundamental vision of the immortal value both of the individual person and the whole human community in solidarity has been the motor-power, the spiritual dynamic overdrive, of an increasingly global (catholic) civilization. Michael Novak is a Templeton Prize winner (1994) for progress in religion and the George Frederick Jewett Scholar in Religion, Philosophy, and Public Policy at the American Enterprise Institute.
Pope prophesied The death of Pope John Paul II on the eve of Divine Mercy Sunday stresses the importance of the messages given to Saint Faustina for our times. Pope John Paul II both beatified and canonized Saint Faustina and fostered the devotion to the mystery of Divine Mercy. One of Saint Faustina’s messages was “from Poland will come the spark that will prepare the world for my final coming.” Mary Wiltanger Lagunitas
Stop stalling I’m writing to express my support for the compromise proposal to end obstruction of Senate voting on judicial nominees. The proposal ensures that the filibuster remains a tool to obstruct legislation, but not for taking a vote on judicial nominees. We need appointed judges and we need to move forward. I believe the Democrats are obstructing these nominees because they likely to follow the Constitution and written law and less likely to legislate from the bench as so many recent judges have done. Anne Doherty San Francisco
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Infelicitous appellation
L E T T E R S
The San Francisco Chronicle isn’t supposed to be the cheerleader for the Church, and I don’t believe that it’s attacking the Church. Rather, it’s doing its job of reporting, commenting and expressing on the editorial page to a diverse readership its views of the Church, leaders, problems, challenges, future, and much more. Different views on where the Church is and where it may be going should not be boxed into a shallow “David-and-Goliath encounter.” We should welcome and support a continuing dialogue on the issues facing the Church, its leadership, and the faithful and work to have a good conversation in an atmosphere of sincerity and respect. There is no need for Fr. Ribotta (Letters – Apr. 19) to rebuke the Chronicle’s reporting of sexual abuse of children by priests. It was and is a sad fact and it’s not something to swept away. We have a lot
Letters welcome
more to learn from this in order to prevent it. My son joined the Church while a student at Sts. Peter and Paul and his teachers and the Sisters helped him to learn how to think and to open to the world and not be afraid to question and to seek answers. We need more of that encouragement and teaching because what is happening today is so much more than a media war. Leonard.G. Anderson San Francisco What a sarcastic title that was (Compassionate sarcasm) for the wellspoken letter from Marcel Matley (Letters – Mar. 25), which your editor’s note summarily dismissed by (a) attacking a point Marcel did not make (that only Republicans passed the politically motivated, so-called “Palm Sunday compromise”) and (b) that Marcel made a gaffe in referring to Tom DeLay as Speaker of the House, when he is, in fact, only the house majority leader. C’mon like Catholic San Francisco has never misspoken? As you know, I’m sure, the reference was not to Dennis Hastert, but rather to the piety-spouting Tom DeLay, who has all the morals of a badger but somehow remains untouched by the scandals that surround his activities and instead pronounces medical and “moral” opinions on Terri Schiavo. I’m deeply disappointed in your response to a letter that actually makes some thought-provoking points. Judith Girard San Carlos
Terri’s ordeal The comparison of Terri Schiavo’s ordeal to Christ’s Crucifixion was inevitable and obvious. Even our seven year old granddaughter Mary observed, “That lady is dying just like Jesus on the cross.” How sad that the “powers that be” killed an innocent woman in a horrible way in our name. May Terri’s martyrdom be remembered and may God bring good from this evil. Bonnie de Rutte Lagunitas
Correction Last week a photo caption on page four incorrectly identified participants at a prayer service in Manila for Pope Benedict XVI. The women in the photo were former Philippine President Corazon Aquino and current President Gloria MacapagalArroyo. The caption mistakenly identified the woman with President Arroyo as her mother. The photo and incorrect caption were supplied by Catholic News Service. Catholic San Francisco regrets the error.
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The Catholic Difference The election of Pope Benedict XVI means many things: a resounding affirmation of the pontificate of John Paul the Great; an overwhelming vote of confidence in Joseph Ratzinger, one of the great Christian minds and spirits of our time; dynamic continuity in the world’s oldest office. In the long view of history, though, April 19, 2005, may mark the moment at which the forty-year effort to force Catholicism to tailor its doctrine and its message to the tastes of secular modernity crashed and burned. Ever since the Second Vatican Council, some Catholics and most of the world media have expected — and in certain cases, demanded — that the Catholic Church follow the path taken by virtually every other non-fundamentalist western Christian community over the past century: the path of accommodation to secular modernity and its conviction that religious belief, if not mere childishness, is a lifestyle choice with no critical relationship to the truth of things. These expectations have involved both doctrinal accommodation (e.g., the question of whether Jesus is the unique savior of the world) and moral accommodation (e.g., the many issues involved in the post-Freudian claim that human beings are essentially bundles of desires). I respect the decisions that other Christian communities have made, before God and before the bar of history, in adopting accommodation strategies. Yet it is very, very difficult to argue that this strategy of cultural accommodation — which in some cases bleeds into cultural appeasement — has solved the twohundred-fifty-year-old problem of being Christian in the modern world. Nor is it possible to demonstrate, empirically, that cultur-
al accommodation or appeasement produce vital, growing, compelling Christian communities. Precisely the opposite is the case. Christian communities with porous doctrinal and moral boundaries wither and die. Christian communities with clear doctrinal and moral borders flourish, even amidst the acids of modernity. Yet it was expected that the Catholic Church would, indeed must, take the path of accommodation: that has been the central assumption of what’s typically called “progressive” Catholicism. That assumption has now been decisively and definitively refuted. The “progressive” project is over — not because its intentions were malign, but because it posed an ultimately boring question: how little can I believe, and how little can I do, and still remain a Catholic? In choosing a pope with an unparalleled command of ancient, medieval, and modern theology, the College of Cardinals has sent a clear signal to the entire Catholic Church: the really interesting question is, how much of this rich, vast, subtle tradition have I made my own? At the same time, the College of Cardinals, by electing Pope Benedict XVI, has told both the Church and the world that the evangelical adventure of dynamic orthodoxy launched by John Paul II will not only continue, but be deepened. Conventional wisdom notwithstanding, the great divide in world Catholicism these past several decades has not been between “liberals” and “conservatives,” “reformers” and “integrists.” It’s been between bishops, priests, religious and laity who see the Church primarily in terms of its evangelical mission, and bishops, priests, religious, and laity who see the
Church primarily in terms of institutional maintenance and the exercise of intra-institutional power. The conclave of 2005 was a rout for the latter and a smashing triumph for the former. George Weigel The conclave of 2005 also repudiated what might be called “fifty-yard-line Catholicism” — the attempt to find the safe, comfortable, unthreatening “center” between “the extremes.” Pope Benedict XVI, like his immediate predecessor, is emphatically not a fifty-yard-line bishop. If one end zone is the truth of the world, and the other embodies a false story about the world and about us, you can’t split the difference and rest comfortably at midfield. Benedict XVI, to press the imagery a little further, will not play to avoid the interception; he’ll play for the touchdown. Pray for his success. Pray that he’ll inspire the bishops of the Church to do the same, so that the people of the Church are given bold leadership in the critical task of showing the world the face of Christ, which reveals both the mercy of God and the truth about us. George Weigel’s column is distributed by the Denver Catholic Register, the official newspaper of the Archdiocese of Denver. Phone: 303-715-3215.
Family Life
The miraculous fighting fish Like many parents, we’ve tried to put off the “dog issue” for as long as possible. We’ve employed two strategies. The first strategy is postponement, as in, “Maybe when you’re nine.” I’m not sure how we picked nine, except that it used to seem like a long way away. The second strategy is to sort of work our way up to a dog. So for the past year or so we’ve had a fish. Figure next is a lizard, then hamster, guinea pig, bird, etc…and we can buy ourselves some time. So we have a red fighting fish which we call a “she” because our son named her Daisy, and he began telling everyone very proudly, “I have a pet.” Unbeknownst to him however, we are now on our third Daisy. About six months ago Daisy #1 began to exhibit strange symptoms. One of her eyes began to swell up alarmingly, and her whole body seemed to be breaking down. I made several trips to the pet store over the course of a week, returning home with various medicines and water treatments that were sup-
posed to help her, but nothing seemed to make any difference. My husband looked for information on the internet and found that her symptoms had names – we read about “pop eye” and “fin rot.” Sadly within a few days she died. “She’s not dead she’s just sleeping,” I declared to our son. A plan was hatched for one of us to take him to the park and the other to go the pet store and replace Daisy, and then proclaim her “miraculous recovery.” Unfortunately, Daisy #2 died within a few days and was once again surreptitiously replaced. I was describing this ordeal to a close friend, and explaining the elaborate measures we had undertaken to spare our son the sadness of the death of his fish. “You know,” she said to me after listening to my story, “that’s one of the reasons we have pets. Our pets provide us with our first experience of death, of that feeling of total loss.” She then described to me her own experience as a teenager of the death of her dog.
I also had dogs growing up, and my own mother told me when I was about five that Frisky went to “live on a farm.” It was only as an adult that I realized why we were never allowed to go visit him. I think as a parent it’s Lynn Smith natural to want to protect our kids from any suffering. But as my friend gently pointed out, I should instead do what will be much more difficult, which is to share with him in his sadness, and mourn Daisy. Lynn Smith is a parishioner at St. Monica Parish and is mother of a three year old boy.
Spirituality
Welcoming a new pope There has been a mixed reaction to the election of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger to the papacy. For many conservatives there was joy and celebration. This was the best of all possible choices. The stunning outpouring of love and respect that the world showed at the death of John Paul II indicated that it wanted more of the same. In Benedict XVI, by all indications, it should get that. His election made it clear that there would be real continuity with what John Paul II had started. It also meant, for them, that the world and the church are to expect no major changes from the Vatican. The church is once again in safe, trusted hands. For many liberals, though, the reaction was very different. They were, at least initially, deflated and depressed by the choice. Why? Well, as the whole world knows, Pope Benedict XVI, formerly Cardinal Ratzinger, has been the head watch-dog in the church for the past 24 years and, in that role, accumulated some baggage. He also acquired a persona within which he is perceived as hard, inflexible, ultra- conservative, overlyclerical, negative towards women, regressive on Ecumenism, overly centralizing in his ecclesiology, hostile rather than understanding towards the world, and too prone to listen to selective pockets of malcontents rather than to the wider community. Many of these perceptions are perhaps unfair; he was, after all, a symbolic lightening-rod around which a lot of freefloating frustration and anger could constellate. However it is fair to say that, more than his supporters would be willing to admit, this is how he has been perceived. Beyond this, there is too the perception that, in choosing him, the Cardinals may have been more motivated by the desire to batten down the hatches against secularity than by the kind of love, concern, risk, and self-dying for the
world that Jesus embodied and expressed when he said, “My flesh is food for the life of the world!” In times of uncertainty, clarity too easily trumps everything else, especially risk. Liberals fear this has happened here. Where do I weigh in on this? Cardinal Ratzinger wasn’t my first choice and may have been in fact my last choice, but, after some initial disappointment, I’ve made my peace with his selection. Why? I’ve never met the man, but am close to many people who have and all of them, to the person, attest that his public persona is not accurate, and never has been. Our new pope, they assure us, is more soft than hard, more understanding than judgemental, more respectful than authoritarian, and, as even his critics admit, stunning in his intelligence. Moreover, as his first homilies and actions already indicate, he promises to be quite different as a pope than he was as head- disciplinarian in the church. As a friend of mine explains it: “I was once a vice-principal in a school, in charge of discipline. Later on, I became the principal, in charge now of animating spirit and life. The different roles gave me an entirely different agenda - and a very different persona.” Benedict XVI was a brilliant and even liberal theologian before being named to head up the Congregation of Faith and Doctrine. My suspicion is that we will see some flashes of that again, now that he is freed of the watchdog responsibility. He might well surprise everyone, liberals and conservatives alike, as did John XXIII. We might have the surprise of our lives and might find ourselves inside Morris West’s novel, Lazarus, where an aged pope, known for his strong conservatism, stuns everyone by not being what anyone expected. Finally, there is this too: Given where John Paul II had taken the church and the curia, it might be wise to have a pope,
for a while, who will try to move things ahead only slightly, without being a major reformer. Any major reformer would, I suspect, find himself quickly crushed, and not just inside Vatican walls, by the Father structure and legacy that Ron Rolheiser John Paul II left behind. Thus, ironically, Pope Benedict XVI might be the best placed person right now to actually achieve any reform. Critics of reform will find it difficult to fight him, given his pedigree. To risk an analogy here: Ariel Sharon, because of his uncompromising pro-Israeli stance and his history in helping establish some of the Jewish settlements in Palestine, might be for that reason precisely the man best placed to dismantle the settlements and lead Israel into a new relationship with Palestine. Like Ariel Sharon, Benedict XVI’s past can be his greatest asset in helping lead us into something new. We may yet see the deep wisdom in this selection. Beyond all of this of course is the Holy Spirit. Faith asks us to believe in the Spirit’s role in these things even when our personal expectations and agendas aren’t met. The community is more important than personal need. Good will come of this choice, no doubt, even if, for now, not everyone is equally enthusiastic. Oblate Father Ron Rolheiser is a theologian, teacher and award-winning author.
JOHN EARLE PHOTO
What the election of Benedict XVI means
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May 6, 2005
ASCENSION OF THE LORD Acts 1:1-11; Psalm 47:2-3, 6-7, 8-9 Ephesians 1:17-23; Matthew 28:16-20
A READING FROM THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES (ACTS 1:1-11) In the first book, Theophilus, I dealt with all that Jesus did and taught until the day he was taken up, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. He presented himself alive to them by many proofs after he had suffered, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God. While meeting with the them, he enjoined them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for “the promise of the Father about which you have heard me speak; for John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” When they had gathered together they asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” He answered them, “It is not for you to know the times or seasons that the Father has established by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” When he had said this, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him from their sight. While they were looking intently at the sky as he was going, suddenly two men dressed in white garments stood beside them. They said, “Men of Galilee, why are you standing there looking at the sky? This Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven will return in the same way as you have seen him going into heaven.” RESPONSORIAL PSALM (PS 47:2-3, 6-7, 8-9) R. God mounts his throne to shouts of joy: a blare of trumpets for the Lord. or: R. Alleluia. All you peoples, clap your hands, shout to God with cries of gladness, for the Lord, the Most High, the awesome, is the great king over all the earth. R. God mounts his throne to shouts of joy: a blare of trumpets for the Lord. God mounts his throne amid shouts of joy;
Ascension of Christ – Garofalo, 1510-1520.
the Lord, amid trumpet blasts. Sing praise to God, sing praise; sing praise to our king, sing praise. R. God mounts his throne to shouts of joy: a blare of trumpets for the Lord. For king of all the earth is God; sing hymns of praise. God reigns over the nations, God sits upon his holy throne. R. God mounts his throne to shouts of joy: a blare of trumpets for the Lord. A READING FROM THE LETTER OF SAINT PAUL TO THE EPHESIANS (EPH 1:17-23) Brothers and sisters: May the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, give you a Spirit of wisdom and revelation resulting in knowledge of him. May the eyes of your hearts be enlightened, that you may know what is the hope that belongs to his call, what are the riches of glory in his inheritance among the holy ones, and what is the surpassing greatness of his power for us who believe, in accord with the exercise of his great might, which he worked in Christ, raising him from the dead and seating him at his right hand in the heavens, far above every principality, authority, power, and dominion, and every name that is named not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he put all things beneath his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of the one who fills all things in every way. A READING FROM THE HOLY GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW (MT 28:16-20) The eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had ordered them. When they saw him, they worshiped, but they doubted. Then Jesus approached and said to them, “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”
Scripture FATHER GERARD O’ROURKE
Blessed with an advocate, trusted to be a witness As I welcome the wonderful feast of the Ascension, I am once again blessed to be with the special readings of this feast day. The first reading from the Acts of the Apostles has to be for all of us who are Christians a most special one. In it, we have the last recorded words of Jesus as he was about to leave this world. In this reading we get a glimpse of the beginning of the Church as a small community of the apostles, disciples and friends of Jesus. The time was before Pentecost! Then the Holy Spirit would come with all the divine gifts needed to empower this new community of faith to take off and to become the vast worldwide community of faith that we are today. In the reading, Jesus is preparing his apostles for what Luke calls “the day he was taken up.” It was forty days after his resurrection. He had requested them to gather together in a group in the Jerusalem area. We read in another place that there about five hundred in all. This included the apostles, disciples and friends of Jesus. It included men, women, children, even we can be sure, little babies, the whole community. Once again Jesus has to deal with the political question “are you going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” It was of course a “guy” question. It was not a question that came from Mary, his Mother, or Martha or Mary, or the other holy women. Jesus told the “guys” and all of us who have such “end time” questions down through the centuries, “It is not for you to know the times or seasons that the Father has established by his own authority.” In other words “it is none of your business” to know these things or to be concerning yourselves or bothering yourselves or others with such questions. Then Jesus set them up with the huge promise of the coming of the Holy Spirit upon them. This is the promise that lives in the Church to this day. It lives in each and every one of us who follow him. Of course, without that promise and its fulfillment, we could not be able to take on his next assertion: “You will be my witnesses.” This has to be one of the most extraordinary declarations of Jesus. It was spoken to all of them. He did not single out the apostles, as he could have, for this declaration. No, it included all of those present, including the babies! And beyond the five hundred or so present, he included all his followers throughout history until the end time. Somewhere in that throng are all of us, you and I and all of us. Yes, you and I, and all of us are trusted by Jesus to be his witnesses. A witness is one who speaks for, acts for, takes the place of, testifies for, proclaims for, declares for. It is an amazing act of trust when someone declares that we can be trusted to be a witness for him or her. That is what Jesus Christ, the Son of God, our Savior, the Resurrected One, did on that first Ascension Day. He declared us to be his witnesses, his ambassadors, his representatives in this world. He then proclaimed where we would
represent him and give witness for him. It was then “in Jerusalem, in Judea, in Samaria and to the ends of the earth.” This was in no mere local, municipal, appellate, state or even Supreme Court! This was to start in our hometown or city, include the neighboring city, state or country and extend to the ends of the world as we know it today. For us here in our locale it is San Francisco or one of the cities or townships of our archdiocese; it would be Oakland, San Jose or Santa Rosa; it would include our great state of California, our nation and all the countries of our world today. In the global village we live in today’s world we in this archdiocese are connected with probably all the countries of the world either because we were born there, lived there or have family or relationships across the family of nations that make up our world today. Within the last few weeks with the death and funeral of our late, Pope John Paul II and the election and inauguration of our new Pope Benedict XVI we have been graphically put in touch with the vision of Jesus on Ascension Day. As Jesus was connected with the world and its subsequent history on that Ascension Day, so we in these last few days have been put in touch with our connection to all people in the world today. We are indeed reminded of the declaration of Jesus that we are his witnesses by our lives in the world we live in today. That of course is a staggering realization for us to accept as it was for those who heard it the first time on Ascension Day. If you and I are looking for meaning in our lives this is a great place for us to start from by our own willingness to take on being a witness for Jesus Christ in our lives. Let us take on the word of Jesus to be his witness not as a burden or a heavy weight. Let us take it on as a divine gift of trust to live great and purposeful lives, full of the love we are called to live. Jesus is gone back to the Father. We are left behind to be his witnesses, literally to be him in our world today. All we need to be is to be ourselves; living our lives from day to day; being conscious that we are his witnesses, that we do matter to our Savior Jesus. We are, by his designation, his witnesses and he trusts us fully with this title. Does his trust in you scare you? If so just let it be. This same Jesus said that he will not desert us or leave us “like orphans!” And as we read in the last line of the Gospel Reading for Ascension Day “I am with you always until the end of the age,” that is until the end of time. That takes care of all the worry, the fears, the shame, the despair, the unworthiness, the failures and whatever else comes up for us in our witnessing. Do not forget it - let it into your heart - “I am with you always.” Amen. Father Gerard O’Rourke is Director Emeritus of the Office of Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs for the Archdiocese of San Francisco.
May 6, 2005
Catholic San Francisco
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News Analysis Leno’s ‘gay marriage’ bill faces hurdles of politics and national trends By Patrick Joyce While both sides argue passionately about moral imperatives – equal rights on one side, traditional family values on the other – the fate of San Francisco Assemblyman Mark Leno’s “gay marriage” bill will be determined by more prosaic matters: local politics, national trends, California’s initiative process and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s polling numbers. Like a bill introduced by Leno last year, AB 19 would redefine marriage in California – now defined in law as a relationship between a man and a woman – to a relationship between “two persons.” Last year, Leno dropped his bill after he failed to convince enough members to vote for it on the Assembly floor. This year, supporters say they believe the bill will be approved by the Legislature. Opponents disagree but it clearly faces an uncertain future if it reaches Governor Schwarzenegger’s desk. Even if it is signed into law, gay marriage will certainly face a challenge on the ballot next year. With a Democrat majority in the Assembly, the outcome of the Judiciary Committee vote on AB 19 was never in doubt. The six Democrat members, all from safe districts, voted yes; the three Republicans on the committee voted no. Last year, Leno’s bill cleared the committee on a similar party line vote, only to die in the Assembly Appropriations Committee. Now the same-sex marriage bill is again in the hands of Appropriations, even though no one in the Capitol thinks it will have any measurable impact on the state’s $112 billion budget. While the Appropriations Committee does deal with many important fiscal bills, it also serves some quite different purposes: a quiet graveyard for some controversial bills, a safe haven for others as their authors try to gather support for a vote by the full Assembly. Last year, the Appropriations Committee postponed action on Leno’s “gay marriage” bill. The committee cited fiscal reasons for the delay but neither opponents nor supporters of the bill shared those concerns. A week later Leno dropped his bill without mentioning money. The problem, he said, was that he didn’t have the 41 votes needed for approval by the full Assembly. This year Leno faces a similar problem. While 21 Assembly members have joined him as co-authors of his bill, he needs19 more votes to get Assembly approval of the bill. Republicans are solidly opposed to AB 19, and Democrats from competitive districts are reluctant to support it, just as they were last year. The vast majority of Assembly members – Republicans as well as Democrats – come from safe districts, thanks to a legislative redistricting deal between the two parties. The deal guaranteed a Democrat majority but also preserved safe seats for Republican incumbents. Governor Schwarzenegger has been promoting an initiative that would take away legislators’ power to draw their own districts and give redistricting to a panel of retired judges. Even without that reform, some districts are still competitive and some Assembly members are worried about the competition if they vote for gay marriage. “Not every Democrat represents Los Angeles or San Francisco,” Assemblyman Joe Canciamilla, D-Pittsburg, said after Leno introduced AB 19 last December. “There are a number of members who think this is a mistake.” Canciamilla is one of the most outspoken Democrats in the Assembly but other members of his party quietly agree with him. They come largely from the Central Valley and inland Southern California where opposition to the bill is strong. So, AB 19 will sit in the Appropriations Committee while Leno tries to convince those members that they can vote for it and still have a political future. That will be a tough job. AB 19 attempts to legalize same-sex marriages just five years after California voters approved Proposition 22, an initiative defining marriage as a union of a man and a woman. Opponents of the Leno bill say it is an illegal effort to overturn that initiative. Supporters disagree. They say Proposition 22 was intended only to ensure that California was not forced to recognize “gay marriages” performed in other states. Those points are in dispute but both sides know that voters saw Proposition 22 as a referendum on the meaning of marriage. And they know it won 61 percent of the vote statewide, losing in only six counties, all in the solidly Democratic Bay Area. Even voters in Democratic Los Angeles County favored Proposition 22 with a 59 percent majority. Across the country, supporters of the traditional view of marriage have had similar success. Last November, 11 states had amendments on the ballot that defined marriage as a union of a woman and a man. Large majorities of voters approved the measures in all those states, including Oregon and Michigan, states where Democrat John Kerry defeated George Bush. “Gay marriage” has never been approved by a state leg-
islature or a vote of the people. It is legal only in Massachusetts, in response to a ruling by that state’s highest court. Following that ruling, the Massachusetts Legislature quickly approved a constitutional amendment defining marriage as a union of a man and a woman. Gay marriages continue in Massachusetts, because the amendment cannot go into effect until it is approved by a vote of the people next year. If AB 19 does manage to get through the Assembly, it is likely to sail through the more liberal Senate and land on Governor Schwarzenegger’s desk. At that point, political irony will play a pivotal role. While the Governor’s plunging approval ratings – from 65 percent last year to 40 percent now — work in favor of his opponents on many issues, those same poll numbers could doom the Leno bill. In the days of his highest popularity, Schwarzenegger could count on support from Democrats and independents, and he did not seem to worry about the support of social conservatives in his own party. Last year, comedian Jay Leno asked Schwarzenegger whether he opposed legalizing same-sex marriage. The Governor, then at the height of his popularity, “No, I don’t have a problem. If the people change their minds and want to overrule that, that’s fine with me.” A few months later, he responded to a similar question by saying, “I don’t care one way or the other.” In March of this year, as his popularity fell and his need for conservative support began to rise, the Governor said, “I don’t believe in gay marriage.” A month later, after the Judiciary Committee vote, a spokeswoman for Schwarzenegger said he believes marriage is between a man and a woman.
The process of reaching out to social conservatives began in earnest late last month with the Governor’s comments on illegal immigration. First, Schwarzenegger talked about the need to “close” the border with Mexico. He quickly apologized, saying he meant to say “secure” the border, but then, a few days later, went on talk radio to praise the efforts by “Minuteman” patrols on the Arizona border with Mexico. Finally, no matter what happens to the Leno bill, supporters of traditional marriage say they will take the battle to the ballot box. A day after the Judiciary Committee vote, a group called ProtectMarriage.com said it would place an initiative on the ballot next year defining marriage as the union of a woman and a man. The initiative will be patterned on Proposition 22. The major difference will be the fact that the measure will take the form of a constitutional amendment. Its supporters believe that will prevent either the court rulings or bills passed by the legislature from changing the meaning of marriage: a union of a woman and a man. In the November 2004 national election, measures prohibiting gay marriage were approved by solid majorities in every state where they appeared on the ballot. In that election, constitutional amendments banning same-sex marriage were approved by voters in Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Michigan, Mississippi, Montana, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon and Utah. Eight of the measures also prohibited granting marriage-like benefits to same-sex partners under a different term, such as civil unions. Earlier in 2004, voters passed state constitutional amendments in Missouri and Louisiana. Four other states had previously approved similar measures: Alaska, Hawaii, Nebraska, and Nevada.
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Catholic San Francisco
Food & Fun May 8: Mothers’ Day Champagne Brunch benefiting retired Holy Family Sisters at motherhouse in Fremont. Seatings at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Call (510) 624-4512. May 13: Just Say Ciao, the Spring Social Dinner benefiting St. Matthias Parish, 7 – 11 p.m. at Foresters’ of America Hall, 1204 Middlefield Rd. at Walnut St. in Redwood City. It’s an evening of food, friends, and fun with live music, auctions and more.Tickets $25/$15 seniors. Call Sabrina Spence at (650) 366-9544. May 15: Hanna Boys Center 55th Anniversary Open House beginning with Mass at 10 a.m. and tours from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Call (877) 994-2662 or visit www.hannacenter.org. May 21: Our Lady of the Visitacion School is holding a silent auction to benefit the replacement of the school play structure at 6:30pm. A wide assortment of items available, ranging from golf packages, to I-pods, gift baskets and certificates of every kind. A BBQ dinner and nohost bar will begin the evening, in the OLV hall. Tickets are $25.00 each. All questions and donations can be addressed to the school office at (415) 239-7840. 3rd Wed.: All you can eat Spaghetti Luncheon at Immaculate Conception cafeteria, 1550 Treat St., SF. $7 per person includes salad and French bread. All you can eat from noon on! Reservations not required. Call (415) 824-1762. Proceeds benefit St. Anthony-Immaculate Conception School. 3rd Sat.: Handicapables gather for Mass and lunch at St. Mary Cathedral, Gough and Geary St., SF, at noon. Volunteer drivers always needed. Call (415) 585-9085. 4th Sat.: Handicapables of Marin meet at noon in the recreation room of the Maria B. Freitas Senior Community adjacent to St. Isabella Church, Terra Linda, for Mass, lunch and entertainment. Call (415) 457-7859. California Handicapables needs volunteers including drivers, servers, donors, and recruiters of those who might benefit from the experience. Call Jane Cunningham at (415) 585-9085.
Respect Life/ Family Life Are you in a troubled marriage? Retrouvaille, a program for couples with serious marital problems, might help. For information, call Tony and Pat Fernandez at (415) 893-1005. Information about Natural Family Planning and people in the Archdiocese offering instruction are available from the Office of Marriage and Family Life of the Archdiocese, Chris Lyford, director, at (415) 614-5680. Sat. at 9 a.m.: Pray the Rosary for Life at 815 Eddy St. between Franklin and Van Ness, SF. Call (415) 752-4922. Worldwide Marriage Encounter Weekends can add to a Lifetime of Love. For more information or to register, call Michele or George Otte at (888) 568-3018. The Adoption Network of Catholic Charities offers free adoption information meetings twice a month. Singles and married couples are invited to learn more about adopting a child from foster care. Call (415) 406-2387 for information.
TV/Radio 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, 5:30 a.m., KRON Channel 4: For Heaven’s Sake, featuring conversations about Catholic spirituality.
Reunions May 14: All-school reunion for graduates and former students of St. Raphael Elementary School in San Rafael beginning with 5 p.m. Mass and continuing with tours and refreshments. “This celebration promises to be a gala event,,” said development director, Susan Neff. “If you know alumni please lass the word along.” Call (415) 454-4455 to volunteer to help or get more information.
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PARENTS
May 6, 2005
Datebook
Marin County: St. Hilary, Tiburon, Mary Musalo, (415) 435-2775; St. Anselm, Ross, call (415) 4532342; St. Sebastian, Greenbrae, Jean Mariani at (415) 461-7060; Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, Mill Valley, Rick Dullea at (415) 388-4190; St. Mary Star of the Sea, Sausalito, Lloyd Dulbecco at (415) 331-7949. San Francisco: Old St. Mary’s Cathedral, SF, Michael Adams at (415) 695-2707; St. Philip the Apostle, 725 Diamond St. at Elizabeth/24th, SF. Call (415) 282-0141; St. Dominic, SF, Lee Gallery at (415) 221-1288; Holy Name of Jesus, SF, (415) 664-8590. San Mateo County: St. Bartholomew, San Mateo, Dan Stensen at (650) 344-5665; St. Catherine of Siena, Burlingame, Silvia Chiesa at (650) 685-8336; Our Lady of Angels, Burlingame, Dorothy Heinrichs or Maria Cianci at (650) 347-7768; St. Dunstan, Millbrae, Dianne Johnston at (650) 697-0952; Our Lady of the Pillar, Half Moon Bay, Meghan at (650) 726-4337; St. Peter, Pacifica, Chris Booker at (650) 738-1398; St. Matthew, San Mateo. Jim Shea at (650) 344-7622.
Taize Prayer
Nurses now retired from St. Mary’s Medical Center gathered for their annual Christmas party in December. “We worked together at St. Mary’s for from 20 – 40 years,” said Barbara Bottarini, a longtime Church of the Epiphany parishioner. “We’ve been doing this for 20 years.” From left: Priscilla Lyons, Betty Lubey, Beverly Desmond, Kay Brannigan, Pat McCue, Ginny Prichard, Audrey Chisholm, Dolores Colen, Maureen Rossi. In addition to bearing this good news, Barbara Bottarini also snapped the pix. May 14: Class of ’51 Our Lady of Perpetual Help elementary, Daly City. Looking for classmates! Call Janet Cirimele at (650) 579-7458. June 11: Class of ’85, Star of the Sea Academy in Star of the Sea elementary school auditorium, 360 9th Ave., SF at 7 p.m. Contact Debra Stashuk at ssa_classof85@yahoo.com. June 25: The St. Agnes School All-Class Reunion will be held at 5:30pm in St. Agnes Gym, 1563 Page Street, SF. The evening includes Hors d’ Oeuvres and Desserts. Tickets $35 per person before May 15, $40 before June 15, $45 before June 24 and $50 at the door, pending availability. No refunds. For more information, please contact Sam Coffey at (415) 398-6390 or coffey@eesclaw.com Sept. 17: St. Paul’s Grammar School reunion for class of 1960, 6 p.m. at Irish Cultural Center, San Francisco. Call Liz Hinds Hannan at (650) 342-1759. Oct. 29: Class of ’55, Immaculate Conception Academy at Embassy Suites in Burlingame. Contact Anne Nolan Dowd at (650) 359-2601 or andown@aol.com.
Young Adults Office of Young Adult Ministry and Campus Ministry: Connecting late teens, 20s and 30s, single and married to the Catholic Church. Contact Mary Jansen, 415-614-5596, jansenm@sfarchdiocese.org. Check out our Web site for a list of events around the Bay Area and download our Newsletter at www.sfyam.org. We publish a quarterly newsletter to connect college students and young adults to the Catholic Church. August 11-22: Please pray for our young adults preparing for the pilgrimage to World Youth Day to Cologne, Germany 2005. Financial support is appreciated. For more information, www.sfyam.org. Sept 24: Fall Fest 2005, 9th Annual Young Adult Conference at St. Mary’s Cathedral. Volunteers needed. Contact Mary, jansenm@sfarchdiocese.org, 415-6145596. Registration available in June. www.sfyam.org. Young adults recite the rosary in chapel of St. Dominic Church, 2390 Bush St. at Steiner, SF each Wednesday at 7 p.m. Contact Tony at (415) 387-1654.
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GRANDPARENTS
2nd and 4th Mon.: St. Vincent de Paul Young Adult Group meets. “Just show up and be part of our community.” Meetings take place at SVDP, Steiner and Green, SF at 7:30 p.m. Thurs. at 7:30 p.m.: St. Dominic Adult Formation Series in the parish hall 2390 Bush St. at Steiner, SF. Explore the skills needed to understand the bible and help it inform daily life. Join at any time. Contact Scott Moyer at scott@stdominics.org.
Consolation Ministry Groups meet at the following parishes. Please call numbers shown for more information. San Mateo County: St. Catherine of Siena, Burlingame. Call (650) 344-6884; Our Lady of Angels, Burlingame. Call Louise Nelson at (650) 343-8457 or Barbara Arena at (650) 344-3579. Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, Redwood City. Call (650) 366-3802; Good Shepherd, Pacifica. Call Sister Carol Fleitz at (650) 3552593; St. Robert, San Bruno. Call (650) 589-2800. Immaculate Heart of Mary, Belmont. Call Ann Ponty at (650) 598-0658 or Mary Wagner at (650) 591-3850. Marin County: St. Isabella, San Rafael. Call Pat Sack at (415) 472-5732. Our Lady of Loretto, Novato. Call Sister Jeanette at (415) 897-2171. San Francisco: St.Gabriel. Call Barbara Elordi at (415) 564-7882. St. Finn Barr in English and Spanish. Call Carmen Solis at (415) 584-0823; St. Cecilia. Call Peggy Abdo at (415) 564-7882 ext. 3; Epiphany in Spanish. Call Kathryn Keenan at (415) 564-7882. St. Dominic. Call Margaret Passanisi at (415) 931-5241. Ministry for parents who have lost a child is available from Our Lady of Angels Parish, Burlingame. Call Ina Potter at (650) 347-6971 or Barbara Arena at (650) 344-3579. Young Widow/Widower group meets at St. Gregory, San Mateo. Call Barbara Elordi at (415) 564-7882. Information about children’s and teen groups is available from Barbara Elordi at (415) 564-7882.
3rd Wed. at 7:30 p.m. with the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur in their Province Center Chapel, 1520 Ralston Ave., Belmont across from Ralston Hall on the campus of their Notre Dame de Namur University. Call (650) 5932045, ext. 350 or www.SistersofNotreDameCa.org. 1st Fri. at 8 p.m. at Mercy Center, 2300 Adeline Dr., Burlingame with Mercy Sister Suzanne Toolan. Call (650) 340-7452; Church of the Nativity, 210 Oak Grove Ave., Menlo Park at 7:30 p.m. Call Deacon Dominic Peloso at (650) 322-3013. 3rd Fri. at 8 p.m. at Woodside Priory Chapel, 302 Portola Rd., Portola Valley. Call Dean Miller at (650) 474-2882. 1st Sat. at 8:30 p.m. at SF Presidio Main Post Chapel, 130 Fisher Loop. Call Catherine Rondainaro at (415) 713-0225
Volunteer Opportunities St. Anthony Padua Dining Room in Menlo Park needs volunteers Wed., Thurs, and Sat. from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. to help prepare and serve noon meals. More than 500 people daily are helped by the program. Call (650) 365-9664. St. Vincent de Paul Society of San Francisco needs your help at its Help Desk. Service includes sorting donations and helping clients. If anyone would like to volunteer - also small groups of volunteers one Saturday a month - they should call (415) 202-9955.” St. Vincent de Paul of San Mateo County needs Spanish/English-speaking volunteers to answer phones in 2 – 3 hour shifts between 9:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. at their offices, 50 No. B St., San Mateo. Volunteers do intake of clients’ requests, log the call and enter into Access-based computer data system. Call (650) 373-0620. Most Holy Redeemer AIDS Support Group needs volunteers to provide practical and emotional support to individuals with HIV-AIDS and/or assist with various program events and activities. Many opportunities available. Call (415) 863-1581 or www.mhr-asg.com. Caring for the Caregiver with Carolina Shaper meets Mondays 6 – 7:30 p.m. Call Ms. Shaper at (415) 984-0501.
Returning Catholics Programs for Catholics interested in returning to the Church, have been established at the following parishes:
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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.
RELATIVES
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FRIENDS
HONOR YOUR SPECIAL GRADUATE Catholic San Francisco will publish your special message along with a photo (if you wish) on Friday, June 10th,, 2005.
ACTUAL SIZE OF AD
Please submit name, photo of graduate and your special message (Please 16 words only) and $40.00. Make check payable to Catholic San Francisco or please call to pay with credit card. GRADUATE’S NAME
You can e-mail your submission with a picture (optional) and your message to: production@catholic-sf.org OR mail it to: CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO One Peter Yorke Way San Francisco, CA 94109 Photo Preference – TIFF or JPEG at 300 dpi or higher. IMAGE MUST BE USABLE SIZE, no smaller than 2” x 3”
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DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS IS MAY 27, 2005
May 6, 2005
EWTN hosts Mother’s Day, missionary specials EWTN will broadcast a special Mother’s Day tribute to Our Lady as a model for all mothers. The program airs Sunday, May 8 at 8:00 a.m. and stars Loretta Young, Ethel Barrymore and Ann Blyth. A five part reality style series on medical missionaries airs May 23 through 27 each day at 3:30 p.m. The half hour segments follow a group of Americans through remote Amazon jungles where they provide badly needed medical care to indigenous
tribes. The all volunteer medical missionaries come away with lessons for living a Christian life in today’s world. EWTN is carried on Comcast Digital Channel 229; RCN Channel 80; Dish Satellite Channel 261; and Direct TV Channel 422. Comcast airs EWTN on Channel 54 in the Half Moon Bay area and on Channel 74 in southern San Mateo County. For additional programming information visit website www.ewtn.com.
THE SISTERS OF PERPETUAL ADORATION INVITE YOU TO ATTEND THE SOLEMN NOVENA IN HONOR OF
CORPUS CHRISTI IN THIS YEAR OF THE EUCHARIST Conducted by
Fr. Peter Ignatius, S.J. May 21th to May 29th, 2005 At 3:00 P.M.
Catholic San Francisco
PILGRIMAGE TO SHRINES OF FRANCE, SPAIN & PORTUGAL Sep. 5th – 19th 2005 Complete Price: $ 2975.00 For information and detailed itinerary contact Fr Stan Zak-tel.510-336-0698, e-mail: stanzak7@yahoo.com; or Andre tel. 408-229-1950; Website: www.s-traveler.com
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Services: Daily Mass –– 7:00 A.M. Holy Rosary –– 2:30 P.M. Benediction –– 3:00 P.M. Novena Mass –– 3:05 P.M. Send petitions to: Monastery of Perpetual Adoration 771 Ashbury Street San Francisco, CA 94117-4013
(415) 614-5642
Catholic San Francisco invites you to join in the following pilgrimages FRANCE
GUADALUPE
September 20 – 30, 2005
November 29 – December 6, 2005
Departs San Francisco 11-Day Pilgrimage
Departs San Francisco 8-Day Pilgrimage
only
$
2,699
only
$
1,799
($2,799 after June 17, 2005)
($1,899 after Aug. 21, 2005)
Fr. Larry Hehman
Fr. John Mikalajunas
Spiritual Director
Spiritual Director
Visit: Paris, Lisieux, Normandy, Chartres, Lyon, Ars, Lourdes
Lourdes
Visit: Mexico City, Puebla, Ocotlán, Tlaxcala, San Miguel
January 9 – 19 , 2006 Departs San Francisco 11-Day Pilgrimage
Departs San Francisco 11-Day Pilgrimage
only
$
2,399
only
($2,499 after 7/14/05)
Spiritual Director Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa
St. Peter’s Basilica
Catholic San Francisco
November 28 – December 7, 2005
(415) 614-5640
Departs San Francisco 10-Day Pilgrimage
2,249
Please leave your name, mailing address and your phone number
($2,349 after Aug. 2005)
Fr. Donald Eder
California Registered Seller of Travel Registration Number CST-2037190-40
Spiritual Director
Visit: Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Tiberias, Upper Galilee
Visit: Venice, Florence, Assisi, Rome (Papal Audience), Siena
For a FREE brochure on these pilgrimages contact:
HOLY LAND
$
2,299
Frs. Chuck McCabe & Michael Tapajna
Spiritual Director
only
$
($2,399 after Oct. 6, 2005)
Fr. Mark Jurzyk Visit: Warsaw, Nie Pokalanow/Glogoweic, Czestochowa, Krakaw, Auschwitz, Wadowice, Wieliczka and Prague
Our of Ocotlán
ITALY
POLAND and PRAGUE October 17 –27, 2005
Via Dolorosa
17
(Registration as a Seller of Travel does not constitute approval by the State of California)
18
Catholic San Francisco
May 6, 2005
Review by Frederica Mathewes-Green What’s wrong with this picture? Take your red crayon and draw a circle around the whale falling through space. Now draw a circle around the bowl of petunias falling beside him. A whale and a bowl of flowers falling through endless space are not impossible — they’re merely improbable, which is how they happened to get there. The spaceship Heart of Gold has an Improbability Drive. It would be improbable for this elegantly minimalist spaceship to leap from one end of hyperspace to another, so if you push the big Improbability button on the dashboard, that’s what will happen. Other improbable things happen too: the two missiles pursuing the spaceship are changed into a whale and a bowl of petunias. The people inside the spaceship might be changed into anything. When the Heart of Gold first picks up the hitchhikers Arthur Dent and Ford Prefect, they arrive in the form of sofas. In a later scene, the whole crew is turned into yarndoll copies of themselves. Arthur, spacesick, emits a brilliant flow of multicolored yarn. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is based on the five-volume “trilogy” by Douglas Adams, who had finished a rewrite of his screenplay when he unexpectedly died of a heart attack, on his 49th birthday, in 2001. He was steeped in the kind of light-touch British surrealism that Americans love, but are too rambunctious to be able to replicate; he was a writer on the BBC series Dr. Who, and appeared as a pepper-pot lady in a Monty Python sketch. As I watched the film in a packed screening audience I kept wondering “What’s wrong with this picture?” Fans of the book, who are as dedicated and picky as fans of Harry Potter or Star Wars, have been heaping the movie with gar-
lands of praise. But they weren’t laughing. They seemed to appreciate and respect the movie, and at the end gave a long round of sincere applause. But while the film was rolling they studied the screen silently. I think the problem is that the charm of Adams’s work depends on surprise. Absurd juxtapositions and whimsical images are delightful the first time you run across them. The fans were there to make sure all these old familiar surprises were in place, and they were pleased. They were even touched, as if their late lamented friend and hero Adams were gazing at them from the screen (he is, very briefly, in one of the film’s last images). The petunia bowl rates a smile of grateful recognition, not a burst of surprised laughter. For those of us with less exposure to the books, the film seems merely frenetic. Adams was not strong on developing characters, or exploring complexity in relationships. His plots are headlong, and it’s easy to lose the thread. The newbie viewer will often wonder “How did we end up on this planet? What happened with that other character? What’s going on?” You just have to hang on for the ride, and enjoy whatever scraps you pick up along the way. The scraps are often delicious. For one thing, instead of using computer-graphic effects, the space monsters are the product of Jim Henson’s workshop, so they are big, stuffed authentic creatures rather than digital illusions. They have a homey familiarity, in an 80s’ kind of way. Likewise Marvin the Paranoid Android; he’s old school, pleasantly so. Sam Rockwell is terrific as Zaphod Beeblebrox. John Malkovich is suitably eerie as a new character provided by Adams, Humma Kavula. Yet overall the movie is a grab-bag of bizarre images, rather than a story. The love triangle between Zaphod, Trillian, and Arthur Dent, nearly absent from
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415-337-9474 • 650-888-2873 www.innerchildhealing.com 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.
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to the ultimate questions, Arthur Dent runs into somebody who has stopped thinking about it. This character is Slartibartfast, brilliantly portrayed by Bill Nighy, who brings a twitchy nobility to the role and manages to make the whole raucous movie slow down for a moment and be human. Slartibartfast works for a business that creates custom-made planets, and was part of the team that made earth (“I did the bit called Norway. I got an award for it.”) Slartibartfast tells Arthur that, as time goes by, you realize that it’s futile to run after questions of ultimate meaning. You might as well just enjoy life as it flies past. “I’d much rather be happy than right any day,” he tells Arthur. “Well, are you?” Arthur responds. Twitch. “No. That’s where it falls down, of course,” he says. Here’s an ultimate question for you. Look at a photo of the beautiful earth taken from space. Think about the confusion and tragedy that fills it. And ask: What’s wrong with this picture? This article originally appeared in National Review Online.
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the book, is here developed just enough to seem implausible. Hovering in the background are the Big Questions. A computer named “Deep Thought” was once built to answer the question of “life, the universe, and everything.” After 7 1/2 million years, Deep Thought produced the answer, after warning, “You’re not going to like it.” The answer is 42. The new quest, then is to discover what the ultimate question is, which will go with the answer “42.” Douglas Adams was a self-described “radical atheist.” He added the “radical,” he said, to make clear that he was not an agnostic. “I am convinced that there is not a god,” he told American Atheist magazine in a 1999 interview. “As a teenager I was a committed Christian,” he said. “Then one day when I was about eighteen I was walking down the street when I heard a street evangelist and, dutifully, stopped to listen. As I listened it began to be borne in on me that he was talking complete nonsense.” As the characters of the Hitchhiker’s Guide scramble through the galaxy looking for clues
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A Vogon character, Mos Def and Martin Freeman in "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy."
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May 6, 2005 Prayer to the Blessed Virgin never known to fail.
PUBLISH A NOVENA Pre-payment required Mastercard or Visa accepted
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. M.K.C.
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R o o m Wa n t e d
Holy Spirit, you who make me see everything and who shows me the way to reach my ideal. You who give me the divine gift of forgive and forget the wrong that is done to me. I, in this short dialogue, want to thank you for everything and confirm once more that I never want to be separated from you no matter how great the material desires may be. I want to be with you and my loved ones in your perpetual glory. Amen. You may publish this as soon as your favor is granted. M.K.C.
Catholic Cornell Univ. female student needs summer housing in San Francisco. Safe neighborhood & close to public transportation. Honest & responsible - please E-mail AMJ26@CORNELL.EDU
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Piano Lessons
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St. Albert the Great Church, a dynamic and stable Roman Catholic Parish in Reno, Nevada is looking to replace our retiring Pastoral Associate. Duties include, but are not limited to, working directly with the parish Priest(s), administrative and financial supervision of the Parish, Child Development Center, and School (grades K-8).
$50 mo. once a week lesson
Position is open on July 1, 2005.
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Organist ORGANIST WEDDINGS • FUNERALS Worship Services, Catholic Experience Marie DuMabeiller 415-441-3069, Page: 823-3664 VISA, MASTERCARD Accepted Please confirm your event before contracting music!
Caregiver Personal care companion. Help with daily activities; driving, grocery shopping, doctor appts. Required: CNA, Nurse’s Aid, Certificate, honest, reliable, excellent refs, bonded. Call Ori 415-713-1366
Caregiver Senior or disabled person desired. In-home care, 24-hours. Room w/private shower overlooking beautiful backyard. No smoking, no drinking, 25 yrs. experience. For more info, please contact Billie Gastinell at (415) 822-5179 or Mr. Wade at (415) 786-0715.
Singers/Actors Needed Singers/actors needed for musical drama about St. Bernadette & Our Lady of Lourdes “smallest of all”. Contact Patrick at PabbyBoy2000@yahoo.com
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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. L.T.B.
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Special Needs Nursing, Inc.
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RNs or LVNs We are looking for you.
For The Largest Publisher of Catholic Church Bulletins
This is a Career Opportunity! • Generous Commissions • Minimal Travel • Excellent Benefit Package • Stong Office Support • Work in Your Community
Call 1-800-675-5051, Fax resume: 707-258-1195
DIRECTOR OF RELIGIOUS EDUCATION Opening for a full-time Director of Religious Education in a spirit-filled Catholic community of 4,000 families. Responsible for the supervision of the leadership of the following programs: Sunday School/Vacation Bible School, Children’s Liturgy (6th – 8th), High School Youth Ministry (9th – 12th) and Confirmation. Involves approximately 150 volunteer Catechists, 1,100 children and young people and 50 volunteer team leaders. Seeking a person with strong collaborative and administrative skills and pastoral or ministry training with skills in organization. Have a minimum of three (3) years of K-12 supervisory experience in religious education and some recent teaching experience. Knowledge of Catholic Church policy and position on various social and moral issues. Computer literate. Successful experience in developing adult volunteers.
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INFORMATION REGARDING THE PARISH CAN BE OBTAINED FROM THE PARISH WEBPAGE:
Work FULL or PART time while your children are in school. Nurses are needed to provide specialized nursing care for children in the San Francisco Public School setting. Generous benefit packages for generous nurses. Fax your resume to: Jeannie McCullough Stiles, RN 415-435-0421 Send your resume: Jeannie McCullough Stiles, RN Special Needs Nursing, Inc. 98 Main Street, #427 Tiburon, Ca 94920
Special Needs Companion Services We are looking for you.
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Work Full or Part-time in San Francisco – Marin County • Provide non medical elder care in the home • Generous benefit package
www.stphilipchurch.org along with the DRE Job Description and Employment Application. Send request for application materials to: Mr. Alvin Sandrini, DRE Search Chairman, P.O. Box 11777, Bakersfield, CA 93389, Ph: (661) 829-2776, Fax: (661) 829-2786. Send inquiries to: asandrini1@bak.rr.com
Northern California's Weekly Catholic Newspaper
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Fax your resume to: Jeannie McCullough Stiles, RN 415-435-0421 Send your resume: Jeannie McCullough Stiles, RN Special Needs Nursing, Inc. 98 Main Street, #427 Tiburon, Ca 94920
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Catholic San Francisco
May 6, 2005
The 11th Annual
Public Grand Rosary Rally Sunday, May 08, 2005 ~ 1:30 PM
St. Patrick Church ~ San Francisco, CA Let us offer our prayers and sacrifices for peace in the world, for vocations and that the Holy Spirit may inspire our youth to participate more actively in the life of the Church. Exposition and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament with Evening Prayer and instruction on the Eucharist will take place after the procession.
EVERYONE is welcome!!
Sponsored by the Legion of Mary â&#x20AC;&#x201C; San Francisco Senatus
~ Rosary ~ ~ Procession of the Blessed Sacrament ~ ~ Benediction ~ Procession: from St. Patrick Church (756 Mission St. Btwn. 3rd & 4th Streets) west to 7th St., north to Market St.,east to 1st St., south to Mission St. and west back to St. Patrick. ~ Fellowship and light refreshments will follow in the Parish Hall ~ For further information, please contact the Legion of Mary San Francisco Senatus at (415) 665-5542