Catholic san Francisco Newspaper of the Archdiocese of San Francisco
(CNS PHOTO/OWEN SWEENEY III, CATHOLIC REVIEW)
Two hundred years of faith: Sisters of Charity celebrate bicentennial of order
Sister Sherry Barrett, a Daughter of Charity, leads the opening procession for a Mass Aug. 2, celebrated at the Basilica of the National Shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in Emmitsburg, Md., marking the 200th anniversary of the foundation of the Sisters of Charity.
By George P. Matysek Jr. EMMITSBURG, Md. (CNS) – Peering through a glass display case, 9-year-old Gloria Whitfield was impressed with an old letter that rested on a 19th-century wooden writing desk. Composed by St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, the May 3, 1803, note, written in a flowing black script, was addressed to one of the saint’s daughters on the girl’s birthday. “May almighty God bless you, my child, and make you his child forever,” it said. Establishing an up-close connection with the first U.S.-born saint was a thrill for Gloria, a parishioner of St. Timothy in Centerville, Va. The youngster was equally impressed by a locket with St. Elizabeth Ann’s hair, relics and other historic artifacts on display at the visitor center of the Basilica of the National Shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in Emmitsburg. “It’s cool,” said Gloria. “She did a lot
for Catholic schools. She helped a lot of people.” Gloria was one of about 1,000 people from across the country and around the world who converged in Emmitsburg Aug. 2 to celebrate a special Mass honoring the 200th anniversary of Mother Seton’s arrival in the small town. The celebration also commemorated the 200th anniversary of the establishment of the community of the Sisters of Charity of St. Joseph’s – the first new community for women religious in the U.S. The liturgy was the highlight of a weekend of events that also included the showing of a specially commissioned 30-minute documentary on the life of Mother Seton and the dedication of the Seton Legacy Garden behind the stone farmhouse where she founded the Sisters of Charity July 31, 1809. In his homily, Auxiliary Bishop Denis J. Madden of Baltimore said the key to SISTER OF CHARITY, page 8
State’s budget ‘solution’ hits poor and children say Catholic leaders By Michael Vick Advocates for the poor, including Catholic lobbyists representing California’s Catholic Bishops, have spoken out against major cuts to California’s welfare-to-work program, CalWORKs, in the state’s new budget. Signed July 28 after tense negotiations between Governor Schwarzenegger and the Democratic-controlled Legislature, the budget slashes $528 million from CalWORKs, which formerly had received about $2.9 billion in state resources. Steve Pehanich, senior director for advocacy and education with the California Catholic Conference, the lobbying arm of the state’s bishops, said the deep cuts to the program are a reflection of political maneuvering in the state that put off budget concerns until draconian cuts were nearly unavoidable. “‘Crisis’ and ‘budget’ have become synonymous in Sacramento,” Pehanich said. “We recognize the reality that it is definitely a bad budget year, but our position is that society is judged by how it takes care of the most vulnerable.” Pehanich said that though many have raised the issue of fraud and abuse of the welfare system in California, in his experience recipients are honest people simply unable to survive financially. “Most really want to get jobs,” Pehanich said. “I don’t know a lot of CalWORKs participants who like being on CalWORKs.” The program provides temporary financial assistance, employment services and job skills training to low income parents of minor children. The assistance is limited to 60 months, but under reforms passed as part of the new budget the benefits will last 48 months, with a 12 month hiatus followed by an additional 12 months of payments.
knew there were going to be cuts. The problem now is how Also, for the first time since the program was created, those cuts are going to impact us on the local level.” benefits for minor children can be reduced if the parent is not in full compliance with the work The Western Center on Law and Poverty, requirements of the program, a minimum a lobbying office and legal service focused of 32 hours work per week. Previously, on poverty issues, addressed on its website benefits for the adult portion of the benefit the fallout of the budget cuts to programs could be suspended for non-compliance, like Healthy Families and CalWORKs. but new regulations allow for the suspen“Enrollment into Healthy Families is sion of half the child benefit if parents frozen and in the first eight days of the remain in non-compliance for 90 days. wait list more than 22,000 children were Linda Wanner, CCC’s associate direcwaitlisted,” the center said. “Without tor for governmental relations, said the cuts outside funding the enrollment freeze will to children are of particular concern. continue, turning away hundreds of thou“As budget negotiations were taking sands of children. In addition, more than place behind closed doors, we kept hearhalf a million currently enrolled children ing that the safety net for California’s will be disenrolled.” most vulnerable people was preserved,” Regarding CalWORKs, the center puts Wanner said. “In actuality, it was gutted it bluntly. Steve Pehanich with drastic cuts affecting our children. It “The most difficult of the cuts are those is a sad day for the poor children of California.” to the CalWORKs program,” the center said. “They mark According to the Legislative Analyst’s Office, the end of CalWORKs as we knew it.” California’s non-partisan fiscal and policy advisor, the cuts In a July 6 letter to the State Senate, the Western Center to CalWORKs will remove grants for more than 110,000 on Law & Poverty challenged assertions made by Governor families and more than 234,000 children. Schwarzenegger that CalWORKs is contributing to the state’s George Wesolek, director of the Archdiocese of San budget crisis. In public comments, the Governor called the Francisco’s office of public policy and social concerns, program “fast growing” and a “budget problem.” said he is also disturbed by the budget cuts to programs The WCLP letter noted that due to the recession the for children. CalWORKs caseload has “increased to 526,473 families, “The healthy children’s cut is a major blow since we’re the first increase in nearly 15 years. But this caseload pales trying to expand healthcare coverage,” Wesolek said of the in comparison to the caseloads under the old AFDC pro$194 million cut from the Healthy Families program, which gram, in which caseload in 1994 exceeded 900,000 families. provides health insurance to California’s neediest children. Even in the height of the greatest recession in 70 years, the “We’re very aware that it was almost an impossible situastate is not seeing anywhere near the caseload size that the tion. Everybody’s backs were up against the wall, and we counties previously managed.”
INSIDE THIS WEEK’S EDITION “On the Street” . . . . . . . . . . . 2 God on the go . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Charismatic renewal . . . . . . . 7 Year for Priests . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Letters & commentary . 14-15
News in brief: ‘Anti-Christian violence’ ~ Pages 4-5 ~ August 7, 2009
Day laborer copes with recession ~ Pages 12-13 ~
Books: ‘Angels’ and modern saint ~ Page 21 ~
ONE DOLLAR
Scripture & reflections . 16-17 Datebook of events . . . . . . . 20
NEXT ISSUE AUGUST 21 VOLUME 11
•
No. 24