September 17, 2010

(PHOTO BY JOSE LUIS AGUIRRE/CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO)

Students at St. Cecilia School in San Francisco held an emotional prayer vigil on Monday for their classmate, Janessa Greig, 13, who died when the Sept. 9 pipeline explosion and fire destroyed her home in San Bruno. Janessa’s mother, Jacqueline Greig, also died in the disaster.

Catholic san Francisco

“Huge flame in the sky”: parish youth minister helped victims escape

By Valerie Schmalz St. Bruno Parish youth minister Paini Lautaimi was lost in thought, driving south on Skyline Boulevard in San Bruno with his mother, when he felt an intense heat on his face.

He turned and saw “this huge, huge flame in the sky.”

Lautaimi pulled off the road at a gas station and ran toward a field where people were trying to scale a six-foot fence as flames soared behind them. He helped an elderly woman and several others to safety, and then turned toward a man who was screaming.

“My house, my house,” the man said as he sat along the side of the road on Glenview Drive, near the heart of the devastating pipeline explosion and fire on Sept. 9.

Apparently in shock, the man did not appear to realize he “was severely burned and his skin was falling off,” Lautaimi said.

Lautami, despite feeling overwhelmed, stayed with the injured man, assuring him help was coming until paramedics arrived 10 minutes later.

The next day Lautaimi was at St. Bruno Church, tracking down parishioners who lived in the affected area from a map he had drawn of the Crestmoor neighborhood on a white board.

The disaster hit close to home at the two nearest Catholic parishes, St. Bruno and St. Robert.

The grandmother of St. Bruno parishioner Roger Ugaitafa was severely injured, and his mother, Gayle Masunu, was treated and released. Loretta Groulx underwent surgery and was being treated at San Francisco General Hospital, said pastor Father Michael Brillantes, who in the hours after the fire went to evacuation sites and to hospitals in his YOUTH MINISTER, page 8

Northern California’s Weekly Catholic Newspaper

St. Cecilia mourns mom and daughter – parish leader, top student – lost in fire

By Valerie Schmalz Janessa Greig, 13, an honor student and student body president of St. Cecilia School in San Francisco, delivered the introduction to the school Mass on Thursday, Sept. 9.

That evening, the eight-grader was gone, killed along with her mother, Jacqueline Greig, in the pipeline blast and fire that destroyed their San Bruno home.

Janessa’s father James Greig and the couple’s older daughter Gabriela, a high school junior, were at a tennis match at the time at St. Ignatius College Preparatory.

They stayed for back-to-school night.

Janessa came home so she could work on her homework, and her mother was home from work, St. Cecilia School Principal Holy Names Sister Marilyn Miller said.

“So they were home together,” she said.

Janessa, who attended St. Cecilia for nine years, was the eighth grader that all the other students saw every day on closed-circuit TV giving the day’s announcements. Sister Marilyn finds it hard to believe she is gone.

“She always had a smile on her face,” Sister Marilyn said. “She was someone who was very warm, outgoing and generous, respected by all the kids.”

Jacqueline and Janessa Greig St. Cecilia students gathered on Monday for a prayer service in the school pavilion. St. Cecilia pastor Msgr.

Michael D. Harriman spoke about Janessa.

“Jesus is alive in the world. Jesus is going to give us our light today,” Msgr. Harriman said. “We cannot understand how or why this happened, but we do know that Janessa ST. CECILIA MOURNS, page 6

INSIDE THIS WEEK’S EDITION On the Street . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Quran burning fiasco . . . . . . 4 Hawking’s God problem . . . . 5 Top 10 Catholic facts . . . . . 14 Papal trip TV coverage . . . . 20

Wedding Guide ~ Pages 9-13 ~ September 17, 2010

Pope Benedict walks in Newman’s footsteps ~ Page 15 ~

East meets West in Mission arts ~ Page 17 ~

ONE DOLLAR

Datebook of events . . . . . . . 21 Services, classified ads . 22-23

www.catholic-sf.org VOLUME 12

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No. 28

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Catholic San Francisco

September 17, 2010 ered at Dominic’s in South San Francisco to celebrate the occasion.

Five bridesmaids and five groomsmen from the original wedding party were among the guests. Loretta and Art were married April 24, 1960 at San Francisco’s St. Vincent de Paul Church…. Happy 50 years married to Josephine and Julio Apodaca who married August 6, 1960 at San Francisco’s St. James Church. The couple, parishioners Randy Vogel of the Excelsior District’s Epiphany Parish for 47 years now, commemorated the milestone in their home state of New Mexico with family and friends. “They have been a blessing in our lives and we wish them many more years,” said their granddaughter,” Erica Hernandez, in a note to this column. This is an empty space without you. E-mail items and electronic pictures – jpegs at no less than 300 dpi – to burket@sfarchdiocese.org or mail them to Street, One Peter Yorke Way, SF 94109. Don’t forget to add a follow-up phone number.

Thank you. My phone number is (415) 614-5634.

On The Where You Live

By Tom Burke Congratulations to Randy Vogel now in his 40th year at Junipero Serra High School. Through the four decades, the lifelong San Carlos resident has worn many hats at the San Mateo school including teacher, admissions director, public relations director, development director and more than a few others. Randy was honored August 23 at Serra’s Holy Spirit Mass. “I am grateful and somewhat overwhelmed by this honor,” Randy said about the recognition.

“The day was an amazing, memorable experience – one that I’ll never forget. I noticed that we had students at the ceremony whom I had taught during my first year at Serra, as well as students who graduated last year and many in between. Forty years is a long time – about two thirds of my life. Throughout those 40 years, Serra has been a family to me.” Good wishes came in from the U.S. Congress courtesy of Representative Jackie Speier and from the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors. A press release from Serra announcing the recognition noted that Randy’s time at the school goes back to when typewriters not computers were the order of the day along with hand-powered adding machines. “The students I have taught, the families I have met over the years and my fellow faculty and staff members will always have a special place in my heart,” Randy said…. All votes are in and the recent reunion of the class of ’50 from St. James Boys School “was great” according to alum Michael Miller who hosted the good time with his wife, Nancy, at their San Mateo home.

Among those in attendance were Bruce Barichievich, Jim Callaghan, Jesuit Father John Coleman, Tom Dowd, Joe Long, George Mulvanney, Tim Norman, and Bob

Pam and Bob Robbins

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Schnapp. “Almost all the world’s problems were solved and we look forward to solving the rest of them when we meet again in 2015,” Michael, a member of St. Matthew Parish, told me…. Happy 60 years married to Anne and Jim Allio of All Souls Parish in South San Francisco.

The couple, who took their vows at St. Monica Church in San Francisco, was honored on the occasion at a special meeting of the All Souls St. Vincent de Paul Society Conference where Jim serves as president. Thanks to Joanne Burke Gardner for the good news…. Pam and Bob Robbins celebrated 25 years married August 16. They marked the milestone with a Mexican Riviera Cruise accompanied by sons, Benny, a 2009 graduate of Junipero Serra High School, and Bradley, a senior there. Pam’s folks, Dorothy and Jack Jones, as well as more than a dozen other family members were also aboard ship. The partyat-sea also marked Dorothy’s recent 75th birthday. The Robbins and Jones are St. Gregory parishioners where Pam attended grade school. Pam is an admissions assistant at Serra and Bob toils part time at Mercy High School in Burlingame…. Happy 50 years married to Loretta and Art Orrante of Loretta and Art Orrante with their children, St. Robert Parish in San Bruno. More than Marc, Marci, Maria, Mindy, Marlene and Margie. a hundred family members and friends gath-

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September 17, 2010

Deacon Rich Foley named new director of diaconate formation Deacon Rich Foley from St. Matthias Parish in Redwood City is the new Director of Diaconate Formation for the Archdiocese of San Francisco. His appointment was effective on Sept. 1.

Deacon Foley succeeds Deacon Ed Cunningham, who retired in August after serving for more than three years.

Deacon Foley will assume guidance of two classes of 21 prospective deacons enrolled in the Archdiocese’s five-year diaconate formation program.

Ordained in San Francisco in 2006, Deacon Foley, 61, worked for many years as a teacher and principal in San Mateo public schools and on the state level in curriculum development. He continues to supervise student teachers in the teacher education program at Notre Dame de Namur University in Belmont.

As a deacon, he will continue his work with the wellness and alcohol detoxification center of St. Vincent de Paul Society in San Francisco as well as maintaining his connection with St. Matthias Parish.

A Burlingame native, Deacon Foley is married with one son.

The office of deacon was created in the early Church, with St. Stephen as the first deacon and the first martyr of the Church, Deacon Foley said.

“The diaconate goes back to the beginning of the Church,” he said. “In Second Timothy, St. Paul writes about the role of the deacons. In the Acts of the Apostles, it was the Apostles who established the diaconate.

“But sometime in the early Middle Ages,” he said, “a pope abolished the diaconate and it was only reinstated by the Second Vatican Council.”

Deacons, like priests, are ordained by bishops and take permanent vows. They serve at the will of the archbishop.

Although they can be married, they may not remarry if widowed while serving as a deacon.

Deacons cannot celebrate the Eucharist, hear confessions or administer the Sacrament of the Sick. However, they can witness marriages, perform baptisms, preach the Gospel and deliver homilies.

“Part of the idea of the program is to explore their gifts and their call to ministry,” Deacon Foley said of the diaconate formation program.

Catholic San Francisco

Three deacons in training to begin outreach with youth in juvenile jails Francisco and a longtime journalist, recognizes the detention surroundings. At 14, he was a juvenile hall inmate, Three men training to be deacons for the Archdiocese an experience he remembers vividly. of San Francisco this month begin ministries working with “I remember what a bleak time it was, how I felt youth in juvenile jails – befriending at-risk adolescents isolated, alienated – a terrible time. And so I thought I already in the throes of punishment but who are, perhaps, wanted to go there and listen to someone and to talk to candidates for redemption. someone and it would be appreciated,” he said. Perrigan The three – Dana Perrigan, Venancio Garcia, Jr., and said he would have appreciated a visitor when he was a John Murray – are on track to be ordained in 2012. All detainee, but no one came. three men are in their 60s. All bring a wealth of experiTo him, restorative justice is a well-rounded approach ence to the jail ministry and gravitated to it believing they to a thorny dilemma, one that gives perpetrators the oppormay well make a difference in troubled lives. And they are tunity to make amends, while the victims, if so inclined, advocates of the Catholic principle of restorative justice, may confront the people who wronged them and may which combines mercy and atonement. wish to forgive.

“They have initiative “It would help many and the willingness to say, people come to terms with ‘I want to go there,’” said what they have done, and There is something missing Julio Escobar, the director perhaps in so doing it will of the ministry, Comunidad allow them to change,” said (in the justice system), San Dimas, an ecumenical Perrigan. “It gives them the volunteer service named opportunity to take some and what is missing is Christ for the “good thief” who action and do something to was crucified alongside back, and I think that – Diaconate candidate pay Jesus after being assured can make a big difference he would be with him in in someone.”

John Murray paradise.

Perrigan, in fact, believes “We read the Bible when anything is possible in the we come to the jails to be realm of restorative justice with the youth in such a way they can understand it,” – just as Dostoyevsky’s character, Raskolnikov, in “Crime Escobar said. and Punishment,” found redemption after murdering an “The first thing we do is become their friend, introduc- unscrupulous pawnbroker for her money. ing who we are, and we introduce what God is all about,” “How often it happens, I would not say a lot,” he said said Escobar. “And our hope is that they take that with of redemption and change. “But, yes, it is possible.” them. We hope that is what will help them make a deci“With guys in juvenile hall you are not going to get sion about changing their lives in a positive way. We don’t very far if you go in and preach at them.” Perrigan added. force it. We don’t hit them over the head with the Bible.” “They are going to feel you out just as you feel them out, Escobar added: “We do it in such a way that is gentle and so initially you do a little more listening than talking.” and we become the people that they never had in their Still, he said, “You go into the jail,” in the ministry, “and lives,” as so many adolescents in this predicament come you give what you can give – support, comfort, understandfrom, at the least, dysfunctional families. ing. Sometimes in those situations you would be surprised There is a common denominator for Perrigan, Garcia how a little can go a long way.” and Murray, said Escobar. “I see them as mentors.”

Garcia, 61, a parishioner at Church of the Epiphany in Perrigan, 60, a parishioner at St. Monica Church in San DEACONS IN TRAINING, page 7

By George Raine

In Gratitude... ratitude... for a Lifetime of Service It begins with a call . . . a call from Christ to live a relationship with Him by serving his people. It is a call that lasts a lifetime. It involves love of Church, committment, sacrifice and service.

The Archdiocese of San Francisco is blessed to have 81 retired priests who have dedicated as many as 50 years or more of thier lives to caring for and ministering to others.

The Priests Retirement Fund that supports them must be adequately funded and have sufficient resources. The Fund faces challenges similar to Social Security and many pension funds. There is a need for us to ensure and provide for their adequate care and support.

Our priests answered the call of Christ. Will you answer theirs?

You may drop off your gift at your parish or mail it to: Archdiocese of San Francisco Office of Development One Peter York Way San Francisco, CA 94109

3

Please consider a gift to the

PRIESTS RETIREMENT FUND 2010 Special Collection on September 19

4

Catholic San Francisco

September 17, 2010

Ambassador: threat to burn Quran has damaged U.S. image worldwide

(CNS PHOTO/ATHAR HUSSAIN, REUTERS)

By Carol Glatz

A supporter of the Pakistani religious political party Jamaat-e-Islami holds the Quran during a protest in Karachi Sept. 10.

NEWS

in brief

Pope feels “much pain” over Belgium abuse report Pope Benedict XVI is closely following the response to, and feels “much pain” over, an independent report highlighting hundreds of priestly abuse cases in Belgium and more than a dozen suicides among victims.

“Like everybody, he feels much pain after the publication of the report, which again reveals the huge suffering of victims and gives us an even more vivid sense of the gravity of the crimes,” Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, the Vatican spokesman, told Belgium’s RTL-TV1 on Sept. 13.

The report by a commission headed by child psychologist Peter Adriaenssens said 475 cases of abuse had been submitted to it between January and June, including more than 300 involving male victims younger than 15. Two-thirds of victims were male, while 13 killed themselves and six more attempted suicide.

More than 160 girls were sexually assaulted, and many faced abuse into adulthood, the commission reported.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – A U.S. pastor’s threat to burn copies of the Quran has damaged the image of the United States, the U.S. ambassador to the Vatican said.

“The deliberate destruction of any holy book is an abhorrent act,” said the ambassador, Miguel H. Diaz.

Plans by a small Florida Pentecostal church to burn the Quran Sept. 11 represent “disrespectful acts” and in no way reflect “the sentiments of the American people or the U.S. government,” he said in a written statement Sept. 10.

The ambassador’s remarks came after a Florida pastor who leads a small congregation announced he had called off the event, even though later he said he was going to “rethink” that decision.

“The U.S. government condemns the on-again, off-again plans” by the small evangelical group, Diaz said. “The mere threat by a pastor of a small Florida church has already damaged the image of the U.S.” Diaz’s comments were the latest in a series of condemnations by international church leaders and officials. Catholic bishops in Iraq and Pakistan joined a growing chorus of international religious leaders denouncing the planned burning.

The commission documented abuse in most Catholic dioceses and all church-run boarding schools and religious orders.

Belgium’s Catholic bishops said the church would work with the Belgian government to prevent further abuse and bring past cases to light. Church officials would honor victims’ demands to be involved in new “healing initiatives.” They pledged to create a “center for recognition, healing and reconciliation.”

Germany: Pope warns on marriage CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy – Pope Benedict XVI warned of moral and ethical erosion in his native Germany, particularly on right-to-life and marriage issues. He linked the weakening of traditional moral principles to a new concept of God – an impersonal and invisible God who has little impact on society.

The pope’s remarks came in a welcoming speech Sept. 13 to Germany’s new ambassador to the Vatican, Walter Schmid.

The pope zeroed in on continuing efforts in favor of gay marriage in Germany, saying that the church “views with concern the growing attempt to eliminate the Christian concept of marriage and the family.” Marriage should always be a permanent union between a man and a woman, open to the transmission of life, he said.

Catholics “unsung heroes” vs. AIDS in New Guinea ROME – Religious sisters, priests and Catholic missionaries who work in the health care industry are the “unsung heroes” in the fight against AIDS, the Minister for Community Development of Papua, New Guinea, Carol Kidu, said during a U.N. forum in Melbourne, Australia.

Chaldean Catholic Bishop Shlemon Warduni, the auxiliary of Baghdad, called the proposed act “totally against the spirit of Christianity.”

Bishop Warduni said the Florida pastor “must know and understand the consequences for Christians all over the world: Violence brings violence, not peace.”

The anti-Islamic gesture coincides with the three-day celebration of Eid al-Fitr, the end of Ramadan, the Muslim month of fasting, Chaldean Archbishop Louis Sako of Kirkuk, Iraq, said.

It is “act of violence against the Islamic religion but also all religions,” Archbishop Sako said.

Archbishop Lawrence Saldana of Lahore, president of the Pakistan Catholic Bishops’ Conference said the burning would be an act of desecration violating Christian principles.

“I call upon the American government to stop this senseless and insane plan because it injures the feelings and sentiments of our Muslim brethren and will seriously damage interfaith relations and peace throughout the world, especially in Pakistan,” he said.

The statement also pointed out that “this outrageous AMBASSADOR, page 7 According to Fides news agency, a large number of hospitals in Papua are operated by the Catholic Church, and thanks to their efforts, the number of new cases of HIV is being controlled and may even decrease, Catholic News Agency reported.

Italian teen to be beatified Italian teen Chiara Badano will be beatified on Sept. 25 in Rome, just 20 years after her death from bone cancer.

She is the first member of the Catholic lay Focolare movement to be beatified.

In San Francisco, St. Thomas More Church will host a public celebration at 6 p.m. on Sept. 24, including a showing of a film of her life.

“We will speak about who Chiara Badano she is, how she lived her 19 years in sainthood and present her to all the youth of the Archdiocese,” St. Thomas More pastor Msgr. Labib Kobti said.

An only and much-wanted child born after her parents had been married for 11 years, Chiara lived for God in the moment – true to Focolare ideals, friends and family said.

“We need holiness also now,” former Bishop of Acqui Livio Maritano said. “There is a need to help the youth to find a guide, a reason for living, to go beyond their uncertainties and solitude, their enigmas in front of failures.”

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Catholic San Francisco

September 17, 2010

5

Jesuit rebuts God-denying scientist Hawking’s “curious metaphysics” Academy of Sciences since 1986, said in his new book, “The Grand Design,” that “because there is a law such as gravity, the universe can and will create itself from nothing.”

“Spontaneous creation is the reason why there is something rather than nothing, why the universe exists, why we exist,” Hawking added. The book, written with physicist Leonard Mlodinow, was published Sept. 7.

Father Spitzer, author of the recently published “New Proofs for the Existence of God: Contributions of Contemporary Physics and Philosophy,” said Hawking’s “fundamental assumption about the universe” is “that it came from nothing.”

But the priest said “what many term the

first principle of metaphysics” is “From nothing only nothing comes.”

“If the physical universe had a beginning (a point at which it came into existence) then prior to that point it was nothing,” Father Spitzer said in his blog. “And if it was nothing then it could not have created itself (because only nothing can come from nothing).

“So what does that imply?” he asked. “The very reality that Dr. Hawking wants to avoid, namely, a transcendent power which can cause the universe to come into existence.”

Father Spitzer holds a doctorate in philosophy, master’s degrees in theology, divinity and philosophy, and a bachelor’s in public accounting and finance. He is pro(PHOTOS BY JOSE LUIS AGUIRRE/CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO)

WASHINGTON (CNS) – Some say scientific super-brain Stephen Hawking can’t see the big picture.

A Jesuit priest has taken to YouTube and his blog to rebut arguments raised by the British physicist, who says in a new book that God had no role in creating the universe.

“Though Dr. Hawking is an outstanding physicist, his metaphysical skills are less than honed,” said Jesuit Father Robert J. Spitzer, now president of the Magis Center of Reason and Faith in Irvine, Calif., who headed Gonzaga University from 1998 to 2009. He made the comments in a sevenminute YouTube video titled “The Curious Metaphysics of Dr. Stephen Hawking.”

Hawking, a member of the Pontifical

Religious donate brains for Alzheimer’s research CHICAGO – More than 500 religious sisters, brothers and priests have died and donated their brains to science in an effort to find a cure for Alzheimer’s disease.

They are among more than 1,150 religious who have participated in the Religious Orders Study coordinated by Rush University in Chicago since 1993, Our Sunday Visitor reports in its Sept. 19 issue.

Sister of St. Joseph Adrienne Schmidt of LaGrange Park, Ill., was 65, the minimum age, when the study began, and she was one of the first volunteers from her congregation.

“It was my being able to help someone else, being able to give some hope,” she told OSV.

Jewish poet, Catholic nun: exhibit highlights bond NEW YORK – When the traveling “Women & Spirit” exhibit on Catholic

women religious opens in the shadow of the Statue of Liberty Sept. 24, it will recall once again the connection between two 19th-century women – one Jewish, one Catholic.

The final illness of Emma Lazarus, the Jewish poet best known for the words that appear at the bottom of the Statue of Liberty, led Rose Hawthorne Lathrop to found the Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne for the care of incurable cancer patients.

Lazarus’ poem “The New Colossus,” reads in part: “Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.”

“Few who can quote this famous excerpt know that this Jewish woman poet-activist inspired her friend, Rose Hawthorne ... to start a religious order,” Mercy Sister Camille D’Arienzo said.

The exhibition’s Web site is www.womenandspirit.org.

The Nuns of the Carmelite Monastery of Cristo Rey invite you to attend the annual Novena for 2010 in honor of St. Therese of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face S eptember 2 3 – October 1

“After my death I will let fall a shower of roses…I will spend my heaven doing good on earth.”

St. Therese

Novena will be conducted by R ev.. P hilip Sullivan, O .C.D.

D aily Masses 8:00 a.m. & 5:30 p.m.

R osary 5:00 p.m.

If you are unable to attend, you may send your prayer intentions to: Carmelite Monastery of Cristo Rey 721 Parker Avenue San Francisco, CA 94118-4227

ducing a documentary on God and modern physics, which is scheduled for completion in November.

Hawking’s latest book also drew comment from various religious leaders after The Times of London published an excerpt.

“Belief in God is not about plugging a gap in explaining how one thing relates to another within the universe,” Anglican Archbishop Rowan Williams of Canterbury said. “It is the belief that there is an intelligent, living agent on whose activity everything ultimately depends for its existence.”

Editor’s Note: Father Spitzer’s YouTube video and blog and information about his book and upcoming documentary are available at http://magisreasonfaith.org.

St. John Bosco relic visits SF Corpus Christi School children greet the reliquary of St. John Bosco as it arrives at the Salesian parish and school in San Francisco on Sept. 13. A relic of the Italian saint is inside the acrylic likeness and is on a world wide tour to mark the 200th anniversary of the Italian saint’s birth. The relic stopped at the first Salesian parish in the United States, Sts. Peter and Paul, on Sept. 12.

Catholic U grad to play Lincoln in PBS film WASHINGTON – Chris Sarandon, one of many working actors who graduated from the master’s program in acting from The Catholic University of America in Washington, will portray Abraham Lincoln in the upcoming PBS documentary “God in America.”

The documentary’s producers “didn’t have a locked vision of who Lincoln is, other than his writing and the volume of books that have been written about him,” so “they seemed very, very open” to discussions about how to portray him, Sarandon told Catholic News Service.

Sarandon’s characterization of the Civil War president will be seen on Oct. 12, the second day of the three-day, six-hour documentary.

Sarandon is just one of several actors in “God in America” portraying historical figures dating back to Puritan times.

The acting bug didn’t bite Sarandon, now 68, until his junior year at West Virginia University. He applied to the three schools that at that time offered a master’s degree in acting. Catholic University was the only one that accepted him.

“I was coming from a very sort of cloistered life – raised as a Greek Orthodox, both of my parents being Greek,” he said.

He recalled being in class when the professor would walk in, the students would stand and all would say, “Hail Mary, full of grace, blessed are you,” with “everybody crossing themselves.”

“It turned out to be one of the great experiences of my life. I got a great education there,” he said.

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Catholic San Francisco

St. Cecilia mourns . . .

■ Continued from cover and Jacqui Greig are with You. This is our faith. That’s why we are here; we are friends, friends in Jesus.”

“The pronoun she used always was ‘we’,” he said later in an interview with Catholic San Francisco.

Jacqueline Greig, 44, was on the pastoral council, serving her third year in the volunteer position as secretary. James Greig had served on the council before her. The family sat together weekly at 9:30 a.m. Mass.

“There was a hole on Sunday,” said Mother’s Club president Sally Holper, whose family often sat behind the Greigs.

Jacqueline Macedo Greig was quiet and effective on the pastoral council because “she really listened to people,” Msgr. Harriman said.

“She had a beautiful smile,” he said. “She was a beautiful, unassuming woman. She was there when you needed her.”

Jacqueline worked full-time but made time for school activities, recently helping with the Mexican food booth at the school

September 17, 2010 multicultural day in the spring, serving nachos with her father. Her focus was on her children, Janessa and Gabriela.

“Wherever her girls were, she was there,” Sister Marilyn said.

In the drama club, Janessa played Aladdin as a sixth grader in the school musical, danced ballet and took singing and art lessons. Holper said Janessa had a half-finished self-portrait at the art studio where Janessa and Holper’s daughter Charlotte studied drawing together.

The school Mass where Janessa gave the introduction was originally scheduled for the next day, Sept. 10, a Friday. But, at the beginning of the week, Msgr. Harriman learned that a funeral was scheduled for that day.

In a move that both found providential, he and Sister Marilyn changed the Mass date to Thursday, which would turn out to be Janessa’s last day.

The Sunday night after Janessa died, the pastor took out the DVD from last spring’s Rite of Confirmation, where Janessa was chosen to deliver one of the reflections.

He was struck by her mature grasp of her Catholic faith.

“She had an incredible understanding of theology,” Msgr. Harriman said. “She had a

(PHOTO BY JOSE LUIS AGUIRRE/CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO)

6

St. Cecilia School students mourning their classmate Janessa Greig heard from their principal and pastor about Janessa’s qualities as a friend and scholar.

“The pronoun she always used was ‘we,’’ pastor Msgr. Michael Harriman said.

wonderful understanding of what it means to be a confirmed Christian. She talked about Jesus as the center.

“It was striking,” he said, “just striking.”

Those wanting to help James and Gabriela

Greig may send donations to St. Cecilia School with a memo noting that the gift is for the Greig family. The address is St. Cecilia School, 660 Vicente St., San Francisco, CA 94116-3077.

Guest commentary In disaster’s wake, stocking our spiritual kits with sacramental gifts

By Jane L. Sears On the heels of the shock of the horrendous San Bruno fire tragedy, came the ninth anniversary of 9/ll with its painful memories and horrific photos of sudden death, destruction and mourning. Whereas

the catastrophe of the untimely deaths of all the victims ignites prayers for them, and for their grief-stricken loved ones, it ultimately raises the question that cannot be answered.

“Could a calamity like this ever happen to me?”

By revisiting the two instances of unex-

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pected chaos of fiery death, we are reminded of the need to always be prepared for sudden havoc, not just physically, but spiritually as well. More than the basic necessities necessary for survival of our bodies during any deliberate or accidental act of mayhem by man or nature, is the spiritual survival kit that needs daily review and replenishing for the life of our souls. For we, too, could someday be the victim of sudden and unexpected death.

Chilling as it is, the idea can be intellectualized, albeit spiritually. I recently attended a retreat given by a priest who emphasized the

folly of fearing death if one lives in the unmerited favor of God, who will call us to him when and how He sees fit. By always remaining submerged in the grace that cleanses us from both venial and grave sin and keeps our conscience fine tuned, we are free to face our days armed with the heavenly sustenance necessary to accept whatever the hours may bring, knowing that come what may we are wrapped safely and surely in the arms of a loving Creator.

Scripture is bursting with gentle parables warning us to be ready for the coming of the IN DISASTER’S WAKE, page 8

September 17, 2010

Deacons in training . . .

Pope: Gospel message of love and charity is “revolutionary”

■ Continued from page 3

(CNS PHOTO/ALESSIA PIERDOMENICO, REUTERS)

Pope Benedict XVI gestures as he arrives to celebrate Mass in Carpineto, Italy, the birthplace of Pope Leo XIII.

CARPINETO ROMANO, Italy (CNS) – Every pope and pastor of the Catholic Church is called to give his flock a concrete message, not abstract truths, that can help people put their faith into action, Pope Benedict XVI said.

The pope spoke during a brief Sept. 5 visit to Carpineto Romano, the birthplace of Pope Leo XIII. As part of celebrations marking the 200th anniversary of Pope Leo’s birth, the pope celebrated Mass in the town about 35 miles southeast of Rome.

Pope Leo, like many pastors, sought to address the burning questions and problems of his day in a way that was faithful to Catholic tradition and teachings, Pope Benedict said in his homily.

Pope Leo’s 1891 encyclical, “Rerum Novarum” (on capital and labor), marked the start of modern Catholic social teaching; the document emphasized workers’ rights and the responsibility of employers to promote the common good.

During Pope Leo’s pontificate from 1878 to 1903, poverty and slavery existed hand in hand with a nascent industrial revolution while political movements were often strongly anticlerical, the pope said.

Yet, Pope Leo approached social justice issues in a way that was “positive and effective, with dialogue and mediation,” said Pope Benedict. Pope Leo showed Catholics how they could constructively participate in society by being firm in their Christian principles, yet also “capable of openness,” he added.

“Every pastor is called to give the people of God not abstract truths, but ‘knowledge,’ that is, a message that joins faith and life, truth and concrete reality,” Pope Benedict said.

The Gospel message of love and charity has “revolutionary power,” the pope said.

Christianity, with its concept of brotherhood and everyone being a child of God, overcomes all social and economic castes while it promotes social change and development through individual renewal, he said.

“Charity – Christ’s love – renews humanity and the world,” he said.

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San Francisco, retired four years ago as an information technology project manager for the State Compensation Insurance Fund.

In that job, he always conferred with all stakeholders to determine their needs, their problems and what they wanted to achieve.

“And we tried to determine what would work best for everyone and come up with a system that hopefully addresses the needs of all,” he said.

He finds that restorative justice uses the same template. “It is looking at a crime from all the different aspects and angles – the victim’s and the victim’s friends and family and the perpetrator of the crime and their family and the society as a whole, and our justice system,” he said. “It makes sense.”

Garcia added: “There is wrongdoing and that is not to be forgotten, although there is an aspect of trying to understand and an aspect of making amends and trying to have everyone responsible meet and determining what would work best for each person who is involved in this particular crime.”

In his experience conferring with inmates, he has met people who want to have a relationship with God. “What I do most is listening to what they want to say and every now and then they say that something is missing in their lives and that is where they need God.” The ministry, he said, “is where the Holy Spirit is leading me.”

Murray, 67, a semi-retired attorney who is a parishioner at Church of the

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Catholic San Francisco

7

Immaculate Heart of Mary in Belmont, said he was inspired by a Bay Area youth minister, Jose Penate-Aceves, who came from El Salvador and who devotes his life to helping people in need.

“I thought that was something I should try,” said Murray.

Murray embarked on the road to becoming a deacon, he said, after asking himself what he wanted to do with the rest of his life. He said he was drawn to the youth jail ministry and restorative justice because, in his experience, while people are treated fairly in the justice system, sometimes fairness is not enough.

“The end product does not elevate,” he said of the justice system, because there will be people who feel they have been cheated.

“There is something missing, and what is missing is Christ,” he said.

Murray added, “Restorative justice is regular justice-‘plus’ – plus heart and love.

That is something that regular justice does not offer.”

The three future deacons, like all others in their class, are required to commit to a community service apart from their parish several days per month, over a year’s time.

They may feed the hungry, work in a hospital or in any other setting where services to the needy are provided.

Comunidad San Dimas is approved by the Archdiocese of San Francisco’s Office of Public Policy and Social Concerns, and juvenile justice detention facilities in San Francisco, Alameda and San Mateo Counties, as well as the adult facility in San Bruno. More information is available at www.comunidadsandimas.org.

Ambassador . . .

plan was a “totally insensitive and disrespectful act” and was “all the more shocking because such a campaign goes totally contrary to the teachings of Jesus Christ.”

■ Continued from page 4 In Indonesia the same day, Bishop Petrus Mandagi of gesture has been unequivocally denounced by the Vatican Amboina and Bishop Johannes Pujasumarta of Bandung met with Muslim, Christian, Buddhist, Confucian and Hindu and other world leaders.”

In a Sept. 8 statement, the Vatican’s Pontifical Council leaders in Jakarta.

“We are deeply hurt by for Interreligious Dialogue this group’s plan to harm a said the “deplorable acts of violence” of Sept. 11, 2001, Stop this senseless and insane plan religious symbol which is highly respected by Islam,” “cannot be counteracted by an outrageous and grave – Archbishop Lawrence Saldana, the Indonesian bishops said in a statement at the meetgesture against a book coning. “We strongly denounce sidered sacred by a religious Pakistani Bishops Conference the plan and any similar community.” action committed by any In Lebanon, the Catholic party elsewhere.”

Church and all the evangeliContributing to this story were Doreen Abi Raad in Beirut cal churches condemned “completely this attack against the Quran,” Maronite Father Joseph Mouannes, secretary of the and Anto Akkara in Bangalore, India.

Commission for the Catholic Bishops of the Middle East, told Catholic News Service.

As Christians, Father Mouannes said, “we have to respect the beliefs of other religions and other societies. Our Gospel doesn’t permit hate and condemnation against people. The core of the Gospel is respect and forgiveness.”

“Imagine what damage he (the Florida pastor) can do for Christian minorities in the Islamic world,” he added.

“We have to think of all the Christian people in the Islamic world, especially, in the Middle East.”

On Sept. 1, Cardinal Oswald Gracias of Mumbai, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India, said the

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Catholic San Francisco

September 17, 2010 (PHOTO BY JOSE LUIS AGUIRRE/CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO)

8

Youth minister . . .

The Archdiocese responds to the San Bruno disaster

■ Continued from cover

• Archbishop George Niederauer said Mass at St. Robert Parish in San Bruno the morning after the fire.

• All Souls School in South San Francisco held a free dress day and raised $2,800.

• St. Robert Parish is holding a fundraiser on 4:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Sept. 24 in the parish hall. Cost is $10 for adults, $5 for children. To donate, Lori Lynch (650) 225-0522.

• Our Lady of Loretto Parish’s Knights of Columbus group was coordinating a clothing drive, and the rectory in Novato began accepting donations to forward to Catholic Charities CYO. • Donations to CCCYO can be made via the ccccyo.org website with the San Bruno Fire Relief Fund or the Catholic Charities CYO Counseling Service as designated recipients. Volunteers may contact Liz Rodriguez at (415) 972-1297 or erodriguez@cccyo.org.

• Junipero Serra High School held a prayer service for the families affected instead of a pep rally, and raised nearly $1,800 in baskets circulated around the gym.

• Archbishop Riordan High School’s campus ministry held a clothing and toiletries drive.

• St. Ignatius College Preparatory held a prayer service and Mass.

• St. Bruno Parish listed all the victims on the board in their perpetual adoration chapel and the staff called local hotels to get free and discounted rooms.

• Archdiocesan Schools Superintendent Maureen Huntington said the Department of Catholic Schools will assist victims with tuition and material needs. Contact DCS, attention Annette Brown.

• “We will begin collecting money for these families and disburse it to those in needs through the principals. If you or members of your community wish to contribute to the families who have been impacted by the fire, please send funds to DCS, attention Annette Brown and we will disburse the funds to the principals on behalf of their families. We will make additional tuition assistance available to families who have lost everything,” she wrote in a letter to principals and other school officials.

clericals and “made myself visible” in case someone needed a priest.

One of the four identified fatalities from the disaster was Elizabeth Torres, an 81-year-old mother of nine children who was registered at St. Robert parish. Three of her family members who were severely injured were in St. Francis Memorial Hospital’s burn unit, according to the San Jose Mercury News.

Jessica Morales, 20, also died in the flames and her boyfriend was at St. Francis Hospital. Scores were injured, and four others were missing, according to San Bruno City officials at press time.

Although the entire area of the San Bruno gas explosion is within the St. Robert parish boundaries, it appears no one from any of the school’s families was injured or killed, said Yvonne Olcomendy, St. Robert principal.

Nine parish families lost their homes and other school family homes were damaged, Sister Sheral Marshall said.

Pastor Father Roberto Andrey said the parishioners immediately made a list of families living in neighborhood of the blast – 90 parish families had homes in the affected area–and began calling. With land lines down or burned, they relied more on word of mouth to relay the news.

The parish offered its 12-room convent for shelter and two families stayed there for several days, Sister Sheral said.

In disaster’s wake . . .

■ Continued from page 6 Lord to take us from this life into the next. Just as we make sure that our gas tanks are filled and our food and water supply stand ready for any emergency, we need to concentrate even more on the fate of the foolish virgins who, when the Lord was delayed, waited too long to fill their lamps. When the Lord finally came they were devastated that He did not know them. “Therefore stay alert, because you do not know the day or the hour” (Matthew 25:1-13) By the same token, in Psalm 23 we are soothed by the promise that, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.”

Finally, less we not remain mindful of the need timely preparation for future eventualities, in Ecclesiastes 5:2, we remember our dependency on God’s providence: “All things

St. Robert worshipers at Mass the day after the disaster.

At the time of the disaster many families were at the church helping organize next week’s parish festival, and others were picking up uniforms for sports teams.

“They were down here so they weren’t home when it happened,” Olcomendy said.

St. Robert parishioner and school parent Tim Reid, a lieutenant in the San Mateo Sheriff’s Department, heard the explosion as his family was sitting down to dinner.

“We ran like hell,” he said.

Once his wife and two daughters were safe, Lt. Reid returned to help with the evacuation. A shift in the wind diverted the fire, leaving their home unscathed.

“It was good for me,” Lt. Reid said, “but bad for a lot of other people.” have their season, and in their times all things pass under heaven. A time to be born and a time to die–” The heavenly reassurance that death is not to be feared is easily assimilated into our minds by the holy habits of regular confession and communion readily available to help us accept God’s holy will in all things, even a sudden and accidental death, and to shield us against the same fate of the foolish virgins.

The stunning devastation of San Bruno and 9/ll are wakeup calls reminding us to keep readying our spiritual survival kits with these sacramental gifts from God Himself, so that when we ask ourselves, “Could a calamity like the San Bruno inferno ever happen to me?” our morbid musings will have been replaced with the wise assurance of French poet Jean de la Fontaine: “Death never takes the wise man by surprise; he is always ready to go.”

Jane L. Sears is a freelance writer and a member of Our Lady of Angels Parish, Burlingame.

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Catholic San Francisco

September 17, 2010

9

Wedding Guide Mixed marriages Church teaching guides interfaith couples to grace-filled unions

By Emilie Lemmons More than 40 percent of couples married in the Catholic Church are of “mixed” religions.

Until recent decades, the idea of a Catholic marrying outside the faith was practically unheard of, if not taboo. Such weddings took place in private ceremonies in the parish rectory, not in a church sanctuary in front of hundreds of friends and family.

Now more than 40 percent of couples married in the Catholic Church are of “mixed” religions, according to theologian Robert Hater, author of the 2006 book, “When a Catholic Marries a Non-Catholic.”

Because of the challenges that arise when a Catholic marries someone of a different religion, the Church doesn’t encourage the practice, but it does try to support interfaith couples and help them prepare to meet those challenges with a spirit of holiness. “To regard mixed religion marriages negatively does them a disservice,” Hater writes. “They are holy covenants and must be treated as such.”

A marriage can be regarded at two levels – whether it is valid in the eyes of the Church and whether it is a sacrament. Both depend in part on whether the non-Catholic spouse is a baptized Christian or a non-baptized person, such as a Jew, Muslim or atheist.

If the non-Catholic is a baptized Christian (not necessarily Catholic), the marriage is valid as long as the Catholic party obtains official permission from the diocese to enter into the

marriage and follows all the stipulations for a Catholic wedding. The church regards all marriages between baptized Christians as sacramental, as long as there are no impediments.

“Their marriage is rooted in the Christian faith through their baptism,” Hater explains.

In cases where a Catholic is marrying someone who is not a baptized Christian – known as a marriage with disparity of cult – “the church exercises more caution,” Hater says. A “dispensation from disparity of cult,” which is a more rigorous form of permission given by the local bishop, is required for the marriage to be valid.

The union between a Catholic and a nonbaptized spouse is not considered sacramental.

However, Hater adds, “Though they do not participate in the grace of the sacrament of marriage, both partners benefit from God’s love and help [grace] through their good lives and beliefs.”

Marriage preparation Good-quality marriage preparation is essential in helping couples work through the questions and challenges that will arise after they tie the knot.

“It is recommended that the parish minister preparing the engaged couple spend time exploring the influence and impact of the differing faith traditions on their future life together,” advises the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. On its website, the Cincinnati archdiocese recommends a number of areas to cover: In which faith community will the couple be involved – both, one, or none?

How will the couple include the other faith tradition in their children’s lives, given that they will promise to raise the children Catholic?

How will the couple respond to extended family members who may not be accepting of the spouse of a different faith tradition?

In what ways can the couple foster a spirit of unity in the face of their religious differences, so that it becomes a positive, not negative, force in the marriage?

Of all the challenges an interfaith couple will face, the most pressing one likely will be the question of how they raise their children.

“The church makes clear … that their marriages will be more challenging from the perspective of faith,” Hater writes. “… Special challenges exist as well when it comes to raising children.”

The Church requires the Catholic spouse to be faithful to his or her faith and to “promise to do all in his or her power” to have their children baptized and raised in the Catholic faith. This provision of the 1983 Code of Canon Law – with its wording to try one’s best – is a change from the 1917 version, which required an absolute promise to have the children raised Catholic.

Likewise, the non-Catholic spouse is no longer required to promise to raise the children in the Catholic faith, but “to be informed at an appropriate time of these promises which the Catholic party has to make, so that it is clear that the other party is truly aware of the promise and obligation of the Catholic party,” the code states.

The wedding ceremony Because Catholics regard marriage as a sacred event, the church prefers that interfaith couples marry in a Catholic church, preferably the Catholic party’s parish church. If they wish to marry elsewhere, they must get permission from the local bishop. He can permit them to marry in the non-Catholic spouse’s place of worship or another suitable place with a minister, rabbi or civil magistrate – if they have a good reason.

This permission is called a “dispensation from canonical form.” Without it, a wedding not held in a Catholic church is not considered valid.

It’s popular, and acceptable, for an interfaith couple to invite the non-Catholic spouse’s minister to be present at the wedding. But it’s important to note that, according to canon law, only the priest may officiate at a Catholic wedding. A minister may offer a few words, but may not officiate.

According to Hater, church policies generally recommend that interfaith weddings not include Communion, therefore, most interfaith weddings take place outside of Mass. “The reception of Communion is a sign of unity with the ecclesial community,” he explains. “On a wedding day, the fact that one-half of the congregation does not belong to the Catholic community [and, hence, does not receive Communion] cannot be a sign of welcome or unity on a couple’s wedding day.” It might be “likened to inviting guests to a celebration and not allowing them to eat,” he adds.

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Catholic San Francisco

September 17, 2010

Wedding Guide Questions for Catholic Engaged Encounter The Archdiocese of San Francisco recommends and offers Catholic Engaged Encounter weekends for marriage preparation. Catholic San Francisco asked the local coordinating couple for the Archdiocese of San Francisco, Libby and Chuck Meyer, about Engaged Encounter and what the experience brings to successful marriages. For more information go to www.sfcee.org.

What is Engaged Encounter and how does Catholic Engaged Encounter differ from other forms of the marriage preparation course?

CEE is a not for profit volunteer organization that ministers to engaged couples preparing for marriage within the Catholic Church. Our program is a two-night weekend retreat, facilitated by two Catholic married couples, who are, when possible accompanied by a priest throughout the weekend.

Mixed marriages . . .

■ Continued from page 9 In some dioceses, if an interfaith couple wants to have a full wedding Mass with Communion, they must get permission from the bishop, Hater says.

Catholic-Jewish weddings Jews and Christians share a view of marriage as a holy union and symbol of God’s bond with his people.

Stricter branches of Judaism, such as Orthodox and Conservative, forbid or strongly discourage Jews from marrying

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The role of the facilitating couples, or “presenting couples”, is to share their life-experiences as a married couple, following an outline approved by the Church that emphasizes open and honest communication with your future spouse. The engaged couples are provided with their own notebooks, in which are a set of questions under each topic of the outline. After a 15-minute presentation of the topic at hand is made by one of the presenting teams, the engaged couples are asked to part, so that they may reflect on the series of questions on their own. After writing down their thoughts and describing their feelings, each individual rejoins his/her fiancé, so that they may share each other’s reflections in private. The questions are challenging and may seem overwhelming for the time allowed. Therefore, we like to encourage the engaged couples to at least focus ENGAGED ENCOUNTER, page 11 non-Jews and prohibit their rabbis from participating in interreligious marriage ceremonies.

“Conservative Judaism sees only the marriage of two Jews as … a sacred event,” reported the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs, which discussed Catholic-Jewish marriages at a conference in November 2004. The Reform branch of Judaism strongly discourages mixed marriages, but there is no legal prohibition against it as there is in the stricter branches.

Often, a Catholic-Jewish wedding is held at a neutral site – with permission from the bishop – so that neither family will feel uncomfortable. In such cases, a rabbi is likely to officiate.

The couple needs to have a dispensation from canonical form for such a wedding to be valid in the Catholic Church.

As for the children of a Catholic-Jewish marriage, religious leaders agree that it is “vastly preferable for the offspring of mixed marriages to be raised exclusively in one tradition or the other, while maintaining an attitude of respect for the religious traditions of the ‘other’ side of the family,” the conference report said.

Traditionally, Jews consider any child of a Jewish woman to be Jewish. The question of what faith in which to raise children must be an ongoing topic of dialogue between the couple and during marriage preparation.

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Marriage preparation For marriage preparation programs, check first with the pastor and/or the parish overseeing the couple’s marriage preparation process (this parish may have its own marriage preparation program in place). Many parishes have their engaged couples attend an Engaged Encounter weekend. For couples who need a one-day marriage preparation program, a program is offered in an all-day Saturday format. For more information, go to www.sfcatholic.com/prep/.

Natural Family Planning For information about Natural Family Planning, contact Deacon John Norris by phone at (415) 614-5504, by fax at (415) 614-5658, or by email at norrisj@sfarchdiocese.org. their own particular challenges. In 2004, Pope John Paul II released a strongly worded document urging Catholics, particularly women, to be cautious about marrying Muslims.

Referring to women as the “least-protected member of the Muslim family,” the pope wrote that “bitter experience” reveals the difficulties facing European women who marry Muslim men – difficulties that are compounded if the couple lives in a Muslim country.

Islamic men may marry outside of their faith only if their spouse is Christian or Jewish. In fact, the prophet Muhammed had a Christian wife and Jewish wife. A nonMuslim wife is not required to adopt any Muslim laws, and her husband cannot keep her from attending church or synagogue. However, Islamic women are forbidden from marrying non-Muslim men unless the spouse agrees to convert to Islam.

For Catholics and Muslims, one of the most difficult aspects of a mixed marriage is the religion of the children.

Both faiths insist that the children of such marriages be part of their own religious faith.

Such issues will continue to be challenges for Catholics marrying outside the faith in this increasingly diverse world, Hater writes. But with positive approaches to preparation and ministry, and a spirit of welcome to both parties, many mixed marriages can be intimate, holy reflections of God’s love.

For more information, go to the U.S. bishops’ website foryourmarriage.org.

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Catholic San Francisco

11

Wedding Guide Engaged Encounter. . .

■ Continued from page 10 on the one question they find most thought provoking for it may give rise to other issues the couple has yet to discuss.

We believe that what makes CEE so unique is the opportunity it offers to delve into sensitive issues, while solely focusing on the one person who will be the closest to you in the whole world without any outside distractions. Our retreat experience is geared towards providing a safe, intimate, and mutually supportive environment.

What is the importance of marriage preparation and how does the Archdiocese handle it?

Statistics tell us that half of the marriages in the United States end in divorce. We are an example of that statistic.

Both our first marriages were not by the Catholic Church, nor did either of us participate in a marriage preparation program. We think it is very wise of the Catholic Church to require such participation and we firmly believe in CEE, because the issues our engaged couples face during the weekend retreat, encourage them to be open and honest about their true feelings and expectations with themselves and with their future spouses. Only by knowing and accepting your true self, can you sincerely open yourself to being fully accepted by another. The lack of such knowledge and mutual acceptance often times is one of the causes of marital strife.

What are some examples of benefits that couples have received from the Engaged Encounter experience?

Probably the most frequent benefit the couples have reflected back to us is that our program brings up so many aspects of a life together that the engaged couples have not thought about or discussed, and they appreciate the framework of communication in which we stress couples need to be able to talk, and talk through, often touchy subjects.

Do most pastors recommend couples go through the process?

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Yes, most pastors recommend that engaged couples prepare themselves for a sacred, life time commitment and SFCEE has the honor of a preferential recommendation by our Archbishop due to the program’s in-depth process (you may view his letter on our website: www.sfcee.org) How are key Church teachings handled/taught during the Engaged Encounter – indissolubility of marriage, prohibition of artificial contraception, information on Natural Family Planning, issue of living together before marriage and reception of Holy Communion?

There are parts of the program outline that touch on all these areas and resources are discussed, so that couples may obtain further information, for example, on NFP. However, the role of the presenting teams is not to preach, but in using our own life experiences as examples, to emphasize that couples address these issues between themselves in an open, honest, and respectful manner. When a priest is available on the weekends, it is his role to describe the Church’s teaching, and be available for individual couples, who have further questions.

How are issues of married life that are more general handled – philosophies of child-rearing, work-life balance, in-laws, tactics for handling conflict?

Our program addresses these issues as well, and provides the engaged couples with strategies for communicating with each other in a constructive way. Emphasis is placed on developing a life-giving marriage. Aside from the team presentations, a community “rap session” is held Saturday evening. Earlier in the day, the group is encouraged to anonymously write down any and as many questions as they want throughout the day. During this session, the engaged couples have the opportunity to come together as a group

of peers and discuss a multitude of issues. The rap session is one of our favorite parts of the weekend, because the presenting teams, though present, do not participate unless specifically asked, and we have been fortunate to see and hear how the group mutually supports each other while discussing some serious issues. A wealth of knowledge is shared during those sessions.

Do some couples choose not to marry after the weekend?

Yes, we have heard of that, and couples making such a decision show a deep commitment to understanding what they are ready for or not ready for. A couple may love each other very much and, therefore, agree that they need more time to work towards their life-long commitment. As one of the Holy Sacraments, marriage within the Catholic Church is a covenant, and not a contract that expires, or can easily be dissolved and renewed.

What is the most important thing you and your husband want the couples to come away with?

As with all good and beautiful things, to maintain a lifegiving marriage throughout the years and amongst life’s stressors is hard work. The couple must strive together for this. Like the saying goes, it takes two to tango! You cannot change a person or expect them to solely be responsible for your happiness. We hope that couples come to understand, that in order to work successfully together, you must know yourself very well—your values and ideals—and be honest with yourself and your partner about who you really are, so that you may reach sincere mutual acceptance. Only in this way will you be able to stand by each other “for better or for worse”. Moreover, and most importantly, God forms part of a couple’s marriage, not only of their wedding, and our faith is a powerful tool.

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Catholic San Francisco

September 17, 2010

Wedding Guide “Above all, pray!”

U.S. bishops’ top 10 tips for planning a Catholic wedding Couples should memorize their vows to experience the exchange of consent in a more powerful way, by speaking them from the heart. Here are some things to consider for planning the celebration of marriage in the Catholic Church: Marriage is a Sacrament!

The celebration of Marriage is not just a religious ceremony. A marriage between two Christians is a sacrament, which means it is an encounter with Jesus Christ.

In a particular way, the bride and the groom, in offering their lives to each other (symbolized in their vows), pledge their selfless love for each other. This selfless love embodies and makes present the love of Jesus, who gave himself in love for his people. All who are present at a wedding can look at the bride and groom and see Jesus.

More importantly, the bride and the groom look at each other and see Jesus’ love.

The Bride and the Groom are the Ministers of the Sacrament In some ways, marriage is less about the ceremony or the sacramental celebration than it is about the daily living of marital life. The priest (or deacon) is not the minister of the sacrament. He merely acts as the official witness of the church and the state (of course if the wedding takes place at Mass, the priest is the celebrant of the Mass). The bride and the groom marry each other, and as such, they are the ministers of the sacrament. The celebration of marriage, then, ought to be a reflection of the couple’s faith and love.

Marriage is a matter of faith As a sacrament and an action of the Church, marriage both presupposes faith and renews and strengthens faith. The process of preparation for marriage invites couples to reflect on God’s presence in their lives. In the Sacrament of Marriage, God “enriches and strengthens” the husband and wife by giving them his special gifts of grace to enable their daily living in marriage “in mutual and lasting fidelity.”

The Scriptures: God’s Word to you, and your word to the world Couples are invited to choose the readings from the Bible that will be proclaimed at the wedding Liturgy.

Normally three readings (one from the Old Testament, one from the New Testament letters, and one from the Gospels) are proclaimed. The Church provides many choices for each, and most parishes provide resources with background on each possible choice. The Scripture is the very Word of God speaking to the Church. Couples should reflect on what they believe God is speaking to them as they enter into Marriage, and they should also consider what they want to communicate about their own faith to those who will gather to celebrate with them on their wedding day.

Vows: what you say, what you promise, what you live The heart of the Rite of Marriage is the exchange of consent between the bride and the groom. In this moment, they, as ministers of the sacrament, express their lifelong commitment to love and honor each other, as the priest (or ABOVE ALL, PRAY!, page 13

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Catholic marriage preparation involves several steps, one of which is the Pre-Cana Program. This program takes several forms, and each parish decides what is required: an Engaged Encounter Weekend, or a one-day session which meets the diocesan requirements. Vallombrosa staff has worked with the Archdiocese of San Francisco and the Diocese of San Jose to create a one-day Pre-Cana Program which will include presentations/workshops by Catholic professionals on various aspects of married life, such as Intimacy, Communication, Spirituality, Role Expectations, and Sexuality.

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Catholic San Francisco

13

Wedding Guide Listening, cheerfulness, continual courtship: secrets of marital bliss What are the secrets of a happy marriage? First, ponder St. Thomas Aquinas’s definition of love, which has never been improved upon: “To love is to will the good of another.”

Notice that Aquinas does not mention feelings. If you decide that the good of the person to whom you’re married is the most important thing in your life – more important than your job, your friends, even your children-then the feelings will take care of themselves, and the children will be cared for in the depth of your love for each other.

Second: Marriage is a continual courtship. I once attended a depressing lecture on marriage by a woman who said that marriage is like an airplane flying from New York to Philadelphia: It uses 80 percent of its fuel on takeoff. After the honeymoon, she warned, a couple should be prepared to settle into boring reality. But marriage does not have to be like that. On your wedding day your courtship should be just beginning. Husbands, give your wife the sense that you are preoccupied with her. Wives, do the same.

Third: Successful spouses listen. When their partner has something to say, they put down the paper, turn off the television, and listen with their eyes, so to speak. There is a constant exchange about small, daily details –for example, the family finances.

Fourth: Good spouses make quality time for one another.

I do not believe in quality time with children. I once heard a Wall Street banker make the classic remark, “I only see my children on Saturdays from two until four-thirty, but it’s quality time.” The problem with this is that the truly extraordinary moments with children are always unscheduled. There is, however, such a thing as quality time between spouses.

Fifth: Learn to yield cheerfully in matters of personal preference. It did not occur to me until several years into my marriage that a father can give a bath to a small child and do it cheerfully. Marriage should never be a fifty-fifty proposition. Each spouse must try to make those small daily sacrifices which are a key to family happiness.

Sixth: Be cheerful, period. Even a serious disagreement should not make you lose your cheerfulness. There is far too much talk in our society about feelings. Feelings are important, but they are not the final court of appeal. You can decide to be cheerful.

Above all, pray! . . .

The Rite of Marriage suggests that the liturgical ministers (priest, deacon, reader, servers) lead the procession, followed by the bride and bridegroom, each escorted by “at least their parents and the witnesses.” Perhaps the groom goes first, led by his attendants and escorted by his parents, followed by the bride, led by her attendants and escorted by her parents.

sider as well: readers to proclaim the readings from Scripture and announce the intentions of the general intercessions, family or friends to present the offertory gifts of bread and wine, or perhaps even servers to assist at the altar and extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion. All of this preparation takes place as couples work with the officiating priest (or deacon), who provides guidance throughout the process.

The celebration of Marriage is not just a religious ceremony.

A marriage between two Christians is a sacrament, which means it is an encounter with Jesus Christ.

Family + Friends = Liturgical Assembly Couples invite their closest friends and members of their families to be part of their wedding day. That gathering also represents the community of the Church, as they surround the couple with their encouragement and their prayers.

Above all, it is an occasion for worship: in celebrating the sacrament, the couple, together with their family and friends, forms a liturgical assembly, who stand before the Lord with hearts open to his loving power.

■ Continued from page 12 deacon) acts as a witness. It is often suggested that couples memorize their vows not only to experience the exchange of consent in a more powerful way, by speaking them from the heart, rather than repeating them phrase by phrase after the priest. In this they will also spend time pondering what the vows mean, and hopefully remember the words for years to come, as the words take on more and more meaning in their day–to–day love and care for each other.

Music: To stir the soul and lift the mind Music for the celebration of Marriage not only adds beauty and dignity to the ceremony, but it has a more important liturgical function. In addition to music to accompany the procession of the ministers and the bridal party, music is an integral part of the Liturgy itself: the singing of the acclamations and responses by the assembly, hymns and songs at the entrance (gathering) and communion procession are prescribed in the Rite of Marriage. Music should reflect and communicate, above all, the mystery of God’s love in Jesus, especially as it pertains to the couple joined together in marriage.

Procession: Here comes the bride… and the groom!

What the movies depict isn’t necessarily what the Church envisions. The bride and the groom enter freely and equally into marriage, and the entrance procession symbolizes that, as the couple approach the altar to stand before the Lord.

Ministries: More than just the bridal party One of the important tasks couples undertake in planning their wedding is the selection of the bridal party. Couples invite siblings, cousins, and close friends to stand by them as attendants, who show their support by their close presence.

They also perform a liturgical function as official witnesses of the marriage rite. There are other liturgical ministries to con-

Marriage counselors are often astounded, when dealing with young couples having difficulties, at the number of issues that were not discussed before the wedding day. The two that cause the most trouble are money and in-laws. A couple should also talk about children, religion, the financial budget, and so forth.

These problems are not going to solve themselves automatically after the honeymoon.

– George Sim Johnston, Crisis Magazine, from catholicnewsagency.com

Above all, pray!

The wedding liturgy (whether celebrated at Mass or apart from it) is an act of worship. As such, it is a time to offer praise and thanks to God for his gifts, and to seek his continued blessings and help in your lives. In particular, thank God for the gift of your spouse, and pray to the Lord to bless you and guide you together as you become witnesses of his love for each other and for the world.

The author is associate director of the U.S. bishops’ Secretariat of Divine Worship.

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Catholic San Francisco

September 17, 2010

Guest Commentary

Ten facts Catholics should know?

Let’s start with love, hope and forgiveness As a middle school religion teacher, I was excited when I saw the Catholic San Francisco article headlined “10 Facts Most Catholics Don’t Know (but should!)” by Gary Zimak.

As my students can attest, I can use all the help and advice I can get, and this initially seemed to be an answer to my prayers. I thought I might use it as a guide in my class, keeping the kids interested while at the same time insuring their education was both well-rounded and complete.

However, after reading the article, I have to admit I started having doubts. While I’m sure Mr. Zimak’s points are well taken, I thought their selection to be extraordinarily subjective and arbitrary and did nothing to celebrate the beauty or truth found in our Catholic faith. In choosing “facts” like penitential Fridays, hell/purgatory, and “no salvation outside of the Church,” Mr. Zimak’s focus seems rather dark and foreboding. In deciding to emphasize issues such as “women will never be priests,” in vitro fertilization, and annulments/divorce, he was raising concerns which can cause people great pain and should always be addressed with compassion and within the proper context.

To be honest, I thought he appeared to be very much like the Pharisees of old, legalists who always knew the letter of the Law but never truly grasped its meaning.

I was stumped. If I were to go into my classroom and tell my students that these ten things were what they really needed to know as Catholics, their eyes would glaze over as they texted each other under their desks, wondering what was for lunch that day. To be honest, I wouldn’t blame them.

This list merely affirms their belief that religion is all about rules and regulations. There is so much more I would rather they know about God and Catholicism and what it means to develop a deep and personal relationship with God. As a result, I came up with my own 10 facts that every Catholic should know. I realize this is presumptuous of me.

There’s a little thing called the Apostles Creed that does a much better job. However, since making Top Ten Lists is a great American tradition, I decided to go ahead and jump right in. I used as my guide and motivation those young teenagers that I work with each year. When I leave my classroom each June, I’m hoping that all of my kids will know the following:

Catholic san Francisco Northern California’s Weekly Catholic Newspaper

Let us dispute charitably

Inspired by Bishop McElroy’s openness

To several writers whose letters appeared Aug. 13 expressing disappointment with this paper’s choice of “conservative”, “backward-looking”, or “hateful” content: Some of the letters into this paper are clearly from non-Catholics, ex-Catholics or those with one foot out the door and an axe to grind. Look, I don’t agree with everything I read in this paper or other papers either, but I’m still glad we have CSF. The best way to test our thinking is to read viewpoints we disagree with. But let’s defend our viewpoints in a spirit of (friendly, charitable) debate.

Some pieces too traditionalist for some of you? I think we need some conservative articles to remind us why it is important to preserve historical roots of our faith. Some pieces too liberal for others? I’m glad to read them, too, and I agree with some of them.

Finally, yes, some matters are nonnegotiable, in Catholicism and in other areas of life. If that’s just too uncomfortable for some, regrettably they choose to leave.

None of us are forced to stay. Currently there are hundreds of protestant sects, and non-Christian “do-it-yourself” variants people can choose from. A recent study of Americans’ religious habits also show many people change congregations multiple times in their lives. Whatever makes them “feel good” is the flavor of the day.

But when faced with an alternative of such spiritual chaos, doesn’t it make sense to take another look at the faith which is traced directly back to the apostles, the faith that Christ promised against which Satan shall not prevail?

J.R. Hermann San Mateo

The report of the interview with Bishop-elect Robert McElroy in the Sept.

3 issue was, indeed, an inspiring read.

How fortunate we are to have such a well-educated, intelligent and thoughtful Catholic leader as our Auxiliary Bishop.

His openness to discussion with the laity on contemporary issues and challenges facing the Church and its people is truly welcome and inspiring. The Bishop-elect’s statement that was particularly meaningful to me was: ”One of the most distressing elements of our national dialogue in the present moment is that our society is increasingly polarized, not merely in how we approach social, political or economic questions, but more importantly in how we view the fundamental realities that make us a society.”

I, personally, thank God for the gift of such an insightful, empathetic leader to the San Francisco Archdiocese and to the American Church. I look forward to his leadership!

Ad multos annos!

Joseph C. Barbaccia MD San Francisco

Letters welcome Catholic San Francisco welcomes letters from its readers.

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

“Be quiet, pick up a broom” I take umbrage as an American and a Catholic over Mr. Magliano’s specious argument that we are, as a nation, numb, submissive, greedy and insensitive to the situation of the poor. “The poor will always be with you.” Should we not be submissive to the will of God? Indeed, are we as Catholics not called to submission? To do God’s will over our own desires? What power or authority, including the Church, invites, “boat rocking?” Boat rocking implies disaster from unsafe, miscalculated and reckless behavior.

I would like to see the study Mr. Magliano is citing when he claims, “Most of those who hold wealth and power rarely want to share it and, therefore, work hard to keep things much the way they are. Their continued goals are to make the system work to their benefit.” This sounds to me like, argumentum ad hominem. Mr. Magliano’s piece goes downhill from there.

Americans, as a whole, are as generous as any other people. Having worked with the rich and the poor, it has been my experience that the poor do not want a handout; they want opportunity and the rich got rich

1. God loves us As many of us feel we are fairly lovable, we sometimes take this most important and fundamental idea Deacon Mike for granted. Yet if we stop and think about it Murphy for a moment, we can’t help but be filled with awe and gratitude. The Infinite Creator of the Universe, the Most Powerful Being in Existence, loves each and every one of us! We don’t need to earn God’s love, we do nothing to deserve it. His love is unconditional, overwhelming, all-encompassing, and is a complete and total gift. Indeed, God Himself is love, and every time we are loved or love someone, we are experiencing God in all His glory!

2. God made us to be people of love LOVE, HOPE & FORGIVENESS, page 19

Retired priests’ fund collection this Sunday Our retired priests – there are 86 in all in the Archdiocese – are healthier and living longer because of improved medical care. The Priests’ Retirement Fund that supports them must be adequately funded to supplement Medicare and cover a portion of extended care if the need arises. In this Sunday’s second collection, we hope you will consider a gift to the fund. The Archdiocese is blessed to have hundreds of priests who have dedicated, in some cases, more than 50 years to active ministry, and many continue to perform the sacraments and say Mass regularly. Our priests have answered the call from Christ and have selflessly given of themselves, and they thank you for your support in their later years. by not giving it away without good reason.

Mr. Magliano’s suggestion that wealth and power be shared more equitably because it is “social justice” makes no sense as stated.

Mr. Magliano at no time offers any real direction as to how one would bring this to fruition other than to rock-the-boat and pass laws. Mr. Magliano then goes on to call us names: ignorers of the vulnerable and poor, and mockers of America’s founding principles. Why? Because such organizations as Planned Parenthood and Martin Marietta exist in the world. Mr. Magliano sounds more like a progressive Democrat who is against abortion than a Catholic.

“Render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s and render unto God what is God’s.” If you are blessed by grace to help, then help. Perhaps Mr. Magliano and the other social justice folks should follow the advice of Mother Teresa, “Be quiet; pick up a broom and sweep.” This, in my opinion, would be of more benefit to the poor than spreading these specious arguments.

Paul Hornbrook Belmont Editor’s note: Tony Magliano’s column “Rock the boat! Transform American culture!” appeared in the Aug. 27 issue of Catholic San Francisco.

Magliano writes a column on social justice for Catholic News Service.

Mary, the ideal disciple

believe, in good conscience, that we must acknowledge that Jesus was linked to a particular historical time. He did not correct all the evils of that time, including slavery and the subjugation of women. I suspect Jesus’ treatment of women and His recognition of their value in society was fairly radical in its time, but still, I don’t believe women apostles traveling the world to spread His message would have been accepted then. But rather than locking itself into the mindset and culture of that period, the Church needs to grow.

“Apostolic tradition” cannot and should not be used as an argument to lock in a cultural value from 2,000 years ago.

That amounts to nothing more than “That’s the way we’ve always done it.”

Mary’s involvement in her son’s life and her connection with the apostles argue against this tradition.

One last note in support of the argument for female priests: Mary WAS in the Upper Room with the Apostles when the Holy Spirit came down to all of them on Pentecost.

Rather than “prayerfully accepting” that women can never be priests, I pray that that same Spirit will guide our institutional Church to realize that there is no real reason to bar women from sharing in priestly ministry.

That would be a breath of fresh air – the breath of the Spirit – that would open Christ’s Church to much greater potential, as well as faithfulness to His message. And I firmly believe that in this day and age, we would have Jesus’ full support in doing so.

Ed Hurd Fairfax

L E T T E R S

Re “Telling role of Mary” (Letters, CSF, Aug. 27, 2010), isn’t it funny how two people can look at the same set of facts and come to opposite conclusions? The example of Mary that Ms. Beasley cites is the very reason I believe female priests should be allowed in the Catholic Church. Jesus did not have to choose His mother as an apostle; she was already “on the team,” already his “perfect disciple.” Far from being in the background, Mary, at Cana, was the catalyst for Jesus’ public ministry.

Granted, I am not a learned scholar of history, theology, or Scripture, but I firmly

Msgr. O’Malley’s mentor Please ask (Msgr.) O’Malley the name of his eighth grade teacher/nun who suggested his vocation. I attended St. Paul’s Grammar School and perhaps I knew her. Loved reading the article.

Thank you.

James Donovan San Mateo

September 17, 2010

Catholic San Francisco

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Guest Commentary

By Gordon Seely, Ph.D. Pope Benedict XVI’s long-anticipated visit to England and Scotland this week culminates with the beatification of Cardinal John Henry Newman, a giant of the Catholic Church in England. In looking briefly at Newman, we might also be surprised to learn of the significant contributions of his lesser-known collaborator, Father Frederick William Faber.

The pontiff will find relations between the Church of England and the Roman Catholic Church in a state of upheaval. This situation has been caused in part by the possible ordination of female bishops in the Church of England and the departure for Rome of many Anglicans who may opt to join a newly created English prelature, faithful to the pope, within the Roman Catholic Church.

There are similarities in the English religious scene today to the mid-19th century, a time of great turmoil

and flux in the Church of England because of the Oxford, or Tractarian, Movement. Central to the Movement as a tenet of Anglo-Catholicism was the “three branch” doctrine of the Catholic Church. It held that the early church of the apostles had evolved into three co-equal, co-legitimate branches: the Anglo-Catholic, the Roman Catholic, and the Orthodox.

From 1833 to 1845 Newman had served AngloCatholicism as a most influential writer and thinker and defender of the three-branch theory. By 1845, however, he came to reject the theory as inadequate and left Anglo-Catholicism behind to “swim the Tiber” and become a Roman Catholic. Father Faber soon followed him.

Ordained in Rome in 1846 as a Catholic priest, Newman joined the Oratory of St. Philip Neri, a congregation of secular priests founded by St. Philip, “The Apostle of Rome.” Oratorians live under a distinctive,

(CNS PHOTO/DAVID MOIR, REUTERS)

When Catholic passion and logic challenged the English Church Two vestments once owned by Cardinal John Henry Newman will become holy relics after Cardinal Newman’s beatification by Pope Benedict XVI Sept. 19. They are on display here at Abbotsford House, Scotland.

less structured rule, quite suitable to Newman’s retiring yet independent personality. The chief goal of the Oratorians is to lead people to God in joyful ways by means of prayer, frequent popular preaching, and the ENGLISH CHURCH, page 20

The Catholic Difference

A promise to Pope John Paul II On the evening of Dec. 15, 2004, I had dinner in the papal apartment with Pope John Paul II and several of his aides. Although his health had been deteriorating for years, the Pope was in good form that night, his sense of humor intact. Knowing that he liked large photo albums, I gave him a volume on U.S. national parks as a Christmas present. When an aide opened the book to Rocky Mountain National Park, the Pope put on as much of a smile as his Parkinson’s disease would permit and said, “Denver: World Youth Day 1993! The bishops of the United States said it couldn’t be done.

I proved them wrong!” We all laughed as John Paul flipped through the pages; in his mind’s eye, he was back hiking in the Rockies.

The conversation over dinner was wide-ranging, and at one point, after the usual papal kidding about my having written “a very big book,” John Paul asked about the international reception of “Witness to Hope,” his biography, which I had published five years earlier. He was particularly happy when I told him that a Chinese edition was in the works, as he knew he would never get to that vast land himself. As that part of the conversation was winding down, I looked across the table and, referring to the fact that “Witness to Hope” had only taken the John Paul II story up to early 1999,

I made the Pope a promise: “Holy Father,” I said, “if you don’t bury me, I want you to know that I’ll finish your story.”

It was the last time we saw each other, this side of the Kingdom of God. “The End and the Beginning: Pope John Paul II – The Victory of Freedom, the Last Years, the Legacy,” published by Doubleday on Sept. 14, fulfills the promise I made to John Paul during our last evening together.

In addition to revisiting Karol Wojtyla’s battle with communism through the prism of previously classified and top-secret communist files, given to me by Polish researchers, the book details the drama of the Pope’s last six years: the Great Jubilee of 2000 and his pilgrimage to the Holy Land; 9/11, and the Pope’s efforts to frustrate Osama bin Laden’s insistence that his war with the West was a religious crusade; the Long Lent of 2002, when the Church in America grappled with the twin crises of clerical sexual abuse and episcopal misgovernance; John Paul’s ongoing efforts to build bridges with the Churches of the Christian East; his struggle with illness, which brought him into at least one “dark night” spiritually; and his heroic last months, in which his priestly death became, metaphorically, his last encyclical. “The End and the Beginning” concludes

with a lengthy evaluation of Karol Wojtyla, the man, and John Paul II, the pope. There, I’m able to tell some stories not previously on the public record, while assessing all that went right, and the things that George Weigel went wrong, in one of history’s most significant pontificates.

The story of Wojtyla vs. communism in “The End and the Beginning” is by no means simply a reprise of “Witness to Hope”; on the contrary, the Polish, East German, Soviet, and Hungarian secret police and foreign ministry files I obtained from Polish colleagues shed new, and often dramatic, light on the communist effort to destroy John Paul’s work and reputation.

John Paul II was the great Christian witness of this era. Telling his story in full has been the privilege of a lifetime.

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

Potpourri

Transcendence and the new Missal It has been said that after seven years of shelf life, a package of Twinkies will be as soft and creamily bland as it was on the purchase date. Forty years later many would say the same about the English translations of the Mass made during the reform of Vatican II, which is why the coming changes due to take place in Advent 2011 are being met with great enthusiasm.

With a bit of tweaking, what has become routine will once again be transformed into phrases made heartfelt and pious by their beautiful significance. Given careful study, they will show that it is God, not us, who is glorified. For me, one of the most dramatic changes is the one I am already saying in my heart. Instead of “Lord, I am not worthy to receive you,” we will once again respond with, “Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof.”

In his article “Re-Enchanting the Mass,” Alvin F. Kimel Jr. shows the many different Bible translations of “under my roof” in Matthew 8:8. He points out that by eliminating the reference to “my roof,” the ICEL (International Commission on English in the Liturgy) translators divorced the liturgy from the story of Jesus and the centurion and eliminated the depths of meaning conveyed by the metaphor “self-as-house.” Moreover, as the respected translator of Dante, Anthony Solemn, has noted, the statement “I am not worthy to receive you” obscures the action of Christ, directing attention to the speaker.

The new translation restores the original significance

of the text – the miraculous coming of the risen Christ into our personal homes, into our bodies, hearts and souls, in mercy and grace. With the centurion we declare our faith: “Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof.”

Knowing the rich import of “my roof” as my own place readied to receive the Lord makes His entering into it spiritually compelling in a way it was meant to be. After all, what is prayer if it is nothing more than a jumble of meaningless words failing to impart an awareness of God before us, hearing us and accepting our humble entreaty to enter into our abode?

Another plus in the restoration of the ancient translation is a return to words that are not ordinary in the sense that “and also with you,” is ordinary. In the revised response, when the priest says, “The Lord is with you,” we reply, “and with your spirit.” I like the bit of mystery in the word spirit because it brings to fore the essence of our being – our immortal souls. The thought of that, of immortality, heightens our awareness of ourselves without de-emphasizing the presence of Christ in His fullness. The rich texture of linguistic heights to which the new translations lift us allows us to rightfully indulge in the luxury of transcendence – that range of spirituality that surpasses the lackluster vanilla of the current form.

Seldom, in the bland stupor of the current translations, have I felt something special in that moment during the Ecce Agnus Dei when the priest raises the host and says, “This is the lamb of God.” That’s why the interjection

of “Behold!”, which will now preface the prayer, is a holy exclamation that startles and electrifies, reminding everyone that, Behold!

He is before you; you are looking upon Him! Along with the revivJane L. Sears al of the original beauty of our words to God will surely come a new and joyous awareness that when I ask the Lord to “but only say the word,” I will now know that “my soul shall be healed.”

Jane L. Sears is a freelance writer and a parishioner at Our Lady of Angels Parish in Burlingame.

This is one in an occasional series of news and opinion articles on revisions to the Roman Missal.

“The Roman Missal, Third Edition,” the ritual text containing prayers and instructions for the celebration of the Mass, has been approved for U.S. dioceses by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments. The first use of the new text will be on the First Sunday of Advent, Nov. 27, 2011.

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Catholic San Francisco

A READING FROM THE BOOK OF AMOS AM 8:4-7 Hear this, you who trample upon the needy and destroy the poor of the land!

“When will the new moon be over,” you ask, “that we may sell our grain, and the sabbath, that we may display the wheat? We will diminish the ephah, add to the shekel, and fix our scales for cheating! We will buy the lowly for silver, and the poor for a pair of sandals; even the refuse of the wheat we will sell!” The Lord has sworn by the pride of Jacob: Never will I forget a thing they have done!

RESPONSORIAL PSALM PS 113:1-2, 4-6, 7-8 R. Praise the Lord who lifts up the poor.

Praise, you servants of the Lord, Praise the name of the Lord.

Blessed be the name of the Lord both now and forever.

R. Praise the Lord who lifts up the poor.

High above all nations is the Lord; above the heavens is his glory.

Who is like the Lord, our God, who is enthroned on high and looks upon the heavens and the earth below?

R. Praise the Lord who lifts up the poor.

He raises up the lowly from the dust; from the dunghill he lifts up the poor

September 17, 2010

Twenty-Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time Amos 33:7-9; Psalm 113:1-2, 4-6, 7-8; I Timothy 2:1-8; Luke 16:1-13 or 16:10-13 to seat them with princes, with the princes of his own people.

R. Praise the Lord who lifts up the poor.

A READING FROM THE FIRST LETTER OF PAUL TO TIMOTHY 1 TM 2:1-8 First of all, I ask that supplications, prayers, petitions, and thanksgivings be offered for everyone, for kings and for all in authority, that we may lead a quiet and tranquil life in all devotion and dignity.

This is good and pleasing to God our savior, who wills everyone to be saved and to come to knowledge of the truth. For there is one God. There is also one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as ransom for all. This was the testimony at the proper time.

For this I was appointed preacher and apostle — I am speaking the truth, I am not lying —, teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth. It is my wish, then, that in every place the men should pray, lifting up holy hands, without anger or argument.

A READING FROM THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE LK 16:1-13 Jesus said to his disciples, “A rich man had a steward who was reported to him for squandering his property. He summoned him and said, ‘What is this I hear about you?

Prepare a full account of your stewardship, because you can no longer be my steward.’

The steward said to himself, ‘What shall I do, now that my master is taking the position of steward away from me? I am not strong

I

n the Romantic comedy “As Good as it Gets,” Melvin Udall is a blissfully miserable obsessive compulsive whose only joy in life is harassing Simon, his neighbor, Verdel, Simon’s dog, and Carol, the only waitress willing to wait on Melvin at the cafe where he has his daily breakfast. Melvin’s self-centered routine is centered on his ill treatment of these three.

Suddenly, his world begins to collapse around him as his routine is abruptly interrupted.

Simon is brutally attacked by robbers. Unable to work, he soon loses his apartment next to Melvin’s. At the same time, Carol’s chronically ill son is in greater need for his mother to work closer to home, and Carol becomes absent from the cafe.

In a desperate effort to maintain his neurotic status quo, Melvin hires a doctor to take personal care of Carol’s son, so she can return to work at the cafe. He also takes Simon on a road trip so he can be reconciled with his parents, after which he allows Simon to move in with him, so that Simon and Verdel will continue their presence in the apartment.

Throughout this period of desperation, Melvin, rather unintentionally wins their sincere gratitude and friendship for his selfless generosity; and in this unlikely way, learns the virtue of basic human kindness.

One of the most unusual stories told by Jesus is the parable named “The Dishonest Steward,” concerning a man who is fired for squandering his master’s property but is driven by desperate circumstances to exercise generosity toward those who are in debt to his master. Biblical scholarship suggests that what

Scripture reflection FATHER WILLIAM NICHOLAS

The “shrewd” steward the steward writes off is his own commission in collecting the debt, leaving to his master’s debtors only the amount they owe (minus his commission). In doing so his reputation is transformed from one of a thief, who squanders his master’s property and takes advantage of his master’s debtors, to one of generosity, as he lightens the debt of those who owe money, depriving himself of the commission that he would have received; all in order to secure for himself some stability, wrought from gratitude, after he is discharged.

While usually understood negatively, the word “shrewd” is also defined by MerriamWebster’s dictionary as “marked by clever, discerning awareness and hardheaded acumen” – acumen meaning “keenness and depth of perception, discernment, or discrimination

especially in practical matters.” In Matthew 10:16, Jesus, Himself, tells his disciples to be “shrewd as serpents, but innocent as doves” because “I am sending you out as sheep among wolves.” This is interesting since the serpent is the well-known tempter of Adam and Eve, and a mythological antagonist to humanity in multiple ancient cultures. Nonetheless, Jesus praises those children of the light who show a clever shrewdness in dealing with the people of the world, all in an effort to promote the Gospel against which the world is particularly hostile.

Examples of this can be seen in the lives of certain saints. St. Paul certainly showed a particular shrewdness when, in the face of conviction by Roman-Judean authorities in the face of Jewish accusations against him, he used his secular Roman citizenship to appeal

enough to dig and I am ashamed to beg. I know what I shall do so that, when I am removed from the stewardship, they may welcome me into their homes.’ He called in his master’s debtors one by one. To the first he said, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ He replied, ‘One hundred measures of olive oil.’ He said to him, ‘Here is your promissory note. Sit down and quickly write one for fifty.’ Then to another the steward said, ‘And you, how much do you owe?’ He replied, ‘One hundred kors of wheat.’ The steward said to him, ‘Here is your promissory note; write one for eighty.’ And the master commended that dishonest steward for acting prudently. “For the children of this world are more prudent in dealing with their own generation than are the children of light. I tell you, make friends for yourselves with dishonest wealth, so that when it fails, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.

The person who is trustworthy in very small matters is also trustworthy in great ones; and the person who is dishonest in very small matters is also dishonest in great ones. If, therefore, you are not trustworthy with dishonest wealth, who will trust you with true wealth? If you are not trustworthy with what belongs to another, who will give you what is yours? No servant can serve two masters.

He will either hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other.

You cannot serve both God and mammon.” his case to the Emperor, presumably to preach the Gospel before the highest authority in the land (the fact that the Emperor was Nero was a particular inconvenience).

Perhaps the best example of this kind of shrewdness is seen in St. Thomas More, who was faced with choosing loyalty to his King, Henry VIII, and loyalty to his faith and conscience. As portrayed in “A Man for All Seasons,” Sir Thomas engages in a great deal of shrewd legal wrangling, to the great frustration of those who sought to accuse him of treason. He is always dodging the accusations with his legal acumen, until finally, he can no longer avoid the choice, whereupon he chooses his God, and his Church, over his king.

The Dishonest Steward showed shrewdness when faced with the possibility of being reduced to poverty after losing his position, when he earned the gratitude of the debtors after exercising generosity in writing off some of their debt.

We too are called, not to use our worldly cleverness for corrupt, dishonest ends, nor are we to cower in the face of trouble, opposition, crisis, or even persecution. Rather, we are called to be clever and shrewd in outsmarting those whose priorities are of this world as we strive to live and promote the call of the Gospel, which calls us to the world that is to come.

Father William Nicholas is Parochial Vicar at Our Lady of Loretto Parish in Novato. Visit his website at www.frwcnicholas.com.

Spirituality for Today

Mental health is spiritual health St. Paul said, “Rejoice always, and be grateful in all circumstances.” To do this you have to learn to repeat self-affirming thoughts; think through your faith, and control the thoughts you think.

Happy people do what they must to lift up their spirit. They avoid self-pity and self-defeating thoughts. They follow the Gospel.

As a Christian, it is important to remember the words of Jesus, “I have told you all these things that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete.”

God wants you to be happy. You can do this. There are plenty of choices you can make that will lead to a happier frame of mind.

This commitment doesn’t cancel the cross. There is much unavoidable suffering that is a normal part of human life. You will have to carry your cross, but mental discipline will enable you to cope better with the inevitable darkness of the human condition.

Here, in alphabetical order, are some positive affirmations that you can repeat to yourself. This is based on the alphabet. You can make up other words to fill in the blanks: A, B, C, D, etc.

I am Astonishing; I am Blessed; I am Chosen; I am Delighted; I am Energetic; I am Friendly; I am Grateful; I am Happy; I am Intelligent; I am Joyful; I am Kind; I am Loved.

Fill in the rest of the alphabet to suit yourself. The only one I have trouble with is X. By focusing on positive thoughts, you eliminate the many toxic thoughts that lurk in the shadows and need to be rejected right away.

Believe it or not, many people say these things to themselves every day: “I don’t deserve to be happy; God must not like me; I will never amount to anything; there must be something wrong with me; I never seem to get people to like me; I can’t control my feelings; I have to make myself feel guilty all the time because I don’t trust myself; my happiness depends on someone else’s approval; I’m probably going to die a miserable death; I will never be happy.”

These are thoughts straight from the devil. Don’t believe one word of it. God is love, and Jesus died so that you may have life and have it in abundance.

Faith tells us that God loved us so much that he gave his only begotten son that we might live. Jesus told us to come to him if we are burdened and he will give us rest. He said when your emotions become upsetting, do not be afraid. Fear is useless, he said; what you need is trust.

Do the math. Read the signs. Choose joy over fear and sorrow.

How do you do this?

It is all in the will. The will has only one function; the will says yes or no. Put Father John on the will to bear discomfort. Endure all things for Catoir the Lord, and be grateful in all circumstances.

This is what we call Christian discipline.

Self-pity, fear and doubt are the enemies of a vibrant faith.

Reject them. You have the power, and with the help of God you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you.

Once again, my favorite quote from Jesus, “I have told you all these things that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete.”

Father John Catoir, head of St. Jude Media, writes a column for Catholic News Service

September 17, 2010

Catholic San Francisco

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USF exhibit showcases Spanish, Asian influence on Mission arts A Japanese dictionary printed in Mexico City during the time of the California Missions. A painting of a Madonna, with the clothing of Our Lady of Guadalupe but with Chinese features. A Chumash basket woven with a Spanish coat of arms.

Chinese silk vestments. Bits of Ming China rescued by Native Americans after a Spanish galleon crashed off Point Reyes in 1595 and used as tools and incorporated into native artwork.

The artifacts and art on display at the Thacher Gallery in the Gleeson Library at the University of San Francisco illustrate in subtle ways that East and West met from the very beginnings of the Spanish settlements in what are now California, Mexico and Central America. They also paint a colorful picture of the story of the Spanish exploration of the Western hemisphere and the often overlooked Asian influence on the era. The exhibit, “Galleons and Globalization: California Mission Arts and the Pacific Rim,” spans the 16th to 19th centuries, when the Spanish influence predominated. It is free to visitors and open during library hours, seven days a week.

“Then as now, the whole world ended up in California,” said museum curator Jesuit Father Thomas Lucas, USF professor of art and architecture. “Drawing from trade documents, historical accounts, early maps, and local lore, the exhibition speaks to the pluralism that defines what it means to be Californian.”

The exhibit presents more than 125 objects that exemplify the cultural interchange among missions in the Philippines, Macau, China, Japan, Mexico, Peru, Paraguay, Baja and Alta California. It includes artifacts from four sunken ships: the wreck of the galleon “San Diego” outside Manila Harbor (1600) and three North American sites, including that of the “San Agustin” that broke up at Point Reyes in 1595. The artifacts are on loan from the California Missions and 32 museums and private collections.

Beginning in 1565, galleons crossed the Pacific from Acapulco to the Spanish

possession of the Philippines, carrying silver from Mexico. The wealth was used to purchase Asian goods such as spices, silk and porcelain. These were carried back by the large trading ships, with a series of explorations for better trade routes also taking the ships along the California coast.

The Far East goods, once they arrived in Acapulco, were transported across Mexico for shipment to Spain, where they provided essential revenue to the Spanish crown and economy. But goods also remained in Mexico, Peru and Alta California and furnished homes, churches and cities in the New World.

While the California Missions were generally built by the Franciscans, led by Blessed Father Junipero Serra, the first missionaries to New Spain were Jesuit.

The first mission was established in Baja California in 1683 by the Jesuits. The first California mission was established in 1769 in San Diego. Misión San Francisco de Asís or Mission Dolores was founded in 1776 in San Francisco by Blessed Father Serra.

The exhibit is complemented by an extensive display of imprints from Japan, China, the Philippines, Mexico, and Peru on display in USF’s Donohue Rare Book Room. A scholarly conference, “Legacies of the Book: Early Missionary Printing in Asia and the Americas” will take place September 24-26, 2010.

The exhibit coincides with the 400th anniversary of the death of Jesuit Father Matteo Ricci, whose outreach and evangelization to China opened that country to Christianity. The exhibit also emphasizes Jesuits’ missionary work in Japan and China as well as the Americas. The interplay is highlighted by artifacts such as a Japanese language dictionary printed in Mexico City that “points to the Jesuits profound interest in engaging cultures other than their own not only for evangelization but to learn from their contacts about the world,” Father Lucas said.

“What the Jesuits did better than anyone else is they engaged the cultures they found. They engaged at high levels,” said Father Lucas, noting that Father Ricci

translated Confucius into Latin and Euclid into Mandarin. “He was able to reach the very highest level of culture, which of course the Chinese appreciated.”

The Church opened Father Ricci’s cause for sainthood in January of this year. Because Father Ricci drew parallels between Chinese concepts of God and Christianity, learned Chinese and accepted much of Chinese culture living in Imperial

China, he was controversial for centuries.

However, Pope Benedict XVI said in May that Father Ricci was a “singular case” among missionaries in the history of the Church for his capacity to proclaim the Gospel and promote dialogue between cultures. Pope Benedict XVI called the era of Father Ricci and his disciples “one of the highest and happiest points in relations between China and the West.”

Vase with a blue painting of the crucified Christ, late 18th to early 19th century, Jingdezhen porcelain, from Santa Casa de Misericordia, Macau.

Asia’s influence is pronounced in this figure of the Christ child.

Tabernacle made in the Philippines, from Mission Dolores.

Carved angel, probably from a Spanish ship, from Mission Santa Barbara.

By Valerie Schmalz

“Our Lady of the Galleons,” Mexico, late 18th century, from Mission Dolores, depicts the Madonna and Child coming ashore in San Francisco Bay with Spanish trading ships behind them.

Dual sainthood cause for Father Ricci, Chinese collaborator The Chinese province of the Society of Jesus hopes that Father Matteo Ricci, the pioneering Italian Jesuit missioner to China, and his Chinese collaborator Paul Xu Guangqi can be canonized together.

This is not only in line with the modern Church’s trend of cooperation between priests and lay people, but would also encourage young Chinese men to think of a religious vocation and perhaps even join the Jesuits, said Father Louis Gendron, the provincial.

“It is a rare thing in Church history for a foreign missioner and his local collaborator to be proclaimed confessor saints together,” said the American priest.

The Jesuit Chinese province began helping the Holy See with the sainthood cause of Father Ricci (1552-1610) in early May. His native Macerata diocese in Italy re-launched the process in January after it had lost some impetus following the initial phase concluded in 1985.

Shanghai diocese, the birthplace of Xu (1562-1633), plans to start the sainthood cause for the Ming imperial official and has urged local Catholics to pray for this.

To mark the 400th death anniversary of Father Ricci, the Chinese province has also printed prayers for the priest’s sainthood cause and for vocations to the Jesuit order.

Union of Catholic Asian News

Father Mateo Ricci

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Catholic San Francisco

September 17, 2010

T R A VE L DIR E C TORY In the Footsteps of Jesus & the Apostles

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Love, hope & forgiveness . . .

■ Continued from page 14 Having created us in and for love, God looks for us to do only two things. He wants us to love Him in return and to love our neighbors as ourselves. Rather than trying to burden us, He realizes that it’s in loving Him and in others that we find our greatest joy and that we become fully the people He created us to be. Our lives and our world, both now and forever, become characterized by generosity, compassion, mercy, contentment, and delight as we build His Kingdom, yesterday, today, and tomorrow!

3. God gives us eternal life God, because He loves us so deeply, wants us to be with Him for all of eternity. He wants us to experience His love and peace without limit, without end. All pain will be washed away, all questions and doubt will fade, as we are united with God in Heaven. The joy and happiness we feel in this world is a mere foretaste of what awaits us in the next as we celebrate forever with our Lord, with those whom we’ve loved, and with all of the Saints in heaven! (As we see in a moment, in order to make this happen, God willingly gave up His life for us.)

4. God became one of us God became one of us to walk the talk, so to speak, and demonstrate His infinite, incredible love. God entered the world in a very unique way 2,000 years ago, as the Word became flesh in the person of Jesus. Rather than issuing orders while sitting on a distant throne in Heaven, God freely chose to stand by our side and show us what it means to live a grace-filled life of courage and humility. Then, in a mystery of love and sacrifice that is simply beyond our understanding, Jesus took on all of our sins, suffered for us, died for us, gave Himself up completely for us, that He might bring forth His Kingdom, both in this world, and the next!

5. God is our Father Jesus tells us that we should call God “Father” when we pray and when we think of Him. Not “Your Majesty” or “Your Honor”, but “Father.” I love this! I’m a weak, self-serving knucklehead of a father myself, but I would do absolutely anything in the world for my son because he means everything to me. If that’s true for someone like me, how much more it must be true of God, who wants only the best for us and is infinitely more kind, compassionate, generous, and understanding than I or any other father could ever possibly be.

6. God always forgives us No matter what we do, no matter how hard we try to alienate God and run far from Him, He will always be there to forgive us and welcome us back. The story of the Prodigal Son captures this beautifully. Read it sometime (Luke 15: 11-32) and notice the first thing the father does when he sees the son coming home. Rather than saying “I told you so” or demanding an accounting, the father races to the son and hugs him with great joy. Next time you look to God, have that picture in your mind. It’s YOU He’s running out to hug and welcome home!

7. Catholicism is a religion that is all-inclusive Jesus welcomed everyone; can we do any less? Jesus associated with sinners, tax collectors, prostitutes, Roman officials, lepers, and many more; just about every outcast of his day. As Catholics, our Church doors are always open and everyone is invited to be a member of our faith. Any time we make the mistake of judging others, limiting membership, or excluding people, no matter how valid we feel our reasons might be, we’re failing to follow the wonderful, merciful example that Jesus set for all of us.

8. Catholicism is a religion of community As Catholics, we encounter our Lord through community,

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through each other. We don’t pray “My” Father; we pray “Our” Father. We build His Kingdom together. We go through life, with its many celebrations and tragedies, joys and sorrows, together. God is always there for us, and we often come to understand this reality in the people that are there when we need them. It’s one reason why our gathering as a community at Mass is so crucial. It’s very difficult to be a Catholic in isolation.

9. Catholicism is a religion of resurrection In rising from the dead, Jesus showed us not only that we are destined for eternal life, but that we can rise from the many smaller deaths we suffer in this life as well. This is beautifully made evident through the power of the Eucharist and all of the sacraments, as the Church is there during all of those transitional and challenging moments in our lives, helping us rise to new and often unexpected glory!

10. Catholicism is a religion of the weak, wounded, and broken From Peter to Paul to all the rest of us, Jesus and the Church have always welcomed and turned to people which society sees as damaged and less than perfect. It’s why our Church can slip up from time to time, but it’s also why we are a Church of unlimited hope, optimism, and expectation.

God chooses and looks to all of us, no matter who we are, what we’ve done, or where we come from. Often, after having suffered and lost, we find we have more to offer and give, and in so doing, we become a good and holy people, a redeemed people, a people of faith and love.

As I hope to show my students, we become a people of God. A hopeful and forgiving people. A Catholic people.

Mike Murphy is a permanent deacon serving at St. Charles Parish in San Carlos. He teaches religion at Sacred Heart Schools, Atherton.

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Catholic San Francisco

September 17, 2010

ting by Sir Edward Elgar in 1900. Elgar had received a copy of the poem as a wedding present in 1889, a copy with extensive notes by the pious, famed Victorian ■ Continued from page 15 mystic General Charles “Chinese” Gordon, a favorite faithful dispensing of the sacraments. St. Philip laid great of Queen Victoria, who was beheaded by the Mahdi stress on attractive liturgy and good music. Among the at Khartoum in January1885. First performed at the many aphorisms attributed to him, one that best captures Birmingham Triennial Music Festival in 1900, the text his effervescent spirit declared: “A joyful heart is more of the oratorio is deeply Catholic in tone. As Bach also easily made perfect than a downcast one.” The musi- always did, Elgar dedicated the work ad maiorem Dei cal form called oratorio took its shape from devotional glorium, to the greater glory of God. exercises first sung in St. Philip’s Oratory.

It can be argued that despite the importance of Returning to England in 1848, Newman founded the Newman’s intellectual work, both apologetic and defenfirst English Oratory at Old Oscott, which came to be sive, Father Faber enjoyed in his time an even wider called the Birmingham Oratory. There began a most popularity among ordinary English Catholics. His profruitful cooperative ministry when Newman was joined ductivity was staggering as a popular preacher, tireless

by Father Faber. Both men shared much in common, confessor, author of many spiritual works, and, perhaps beginning with work in the Oxford Movement, eventual most enduringly, as a hymn writer. Over 150 hymns are relinquishment of Church of England orders and ordina- credited to Faber including “My God, How Wonderful tion in the Roman Catholic Church.

Thou Art” and “There’s a Wideness in God’s Mercy.”

In time, Newman sent Father Faber to the capital, His communion hymn, “Jesus, My Lord, My God, My where he established the London Oratory in a most All” is well known to many older Catholics even today. modest storefront setting. The Oratory prospered under A dominant theme in Father Faber’s short life was Father Faber’s leadership, and subsequently in 1884 a fervent devotion to Our Lady at a time in Victorian the stunning Italianate Oratory that is known today as England when even among Catholics there was much the Brompton Oratory was completed. It is located next neglect of her publicly. English Catholics, we must door to the Victoria and Albert Museum and just down remember, were just emerging in the 1850s from centuKnightsbridge from Harrods famed department store. ries of persecution and hostility. It was only in 1829 that After beatifying Newman in Cofton Park, a Birmingham the Catholic Relief Act granted the suffrage to Catholics. suburb, on Sept. 19, the Sad to say, the Holy Holy Father will visit the Father on his trip may chapel of St. Philip in the encounter a new, strident The Holy Father’ s week in Oratory and will be the hostility to his person first pilgrim to pray at and to the Church. Peter Cardinal Newman’s footsteps Newman’s shrine.

Stanford, former editor of From his days as a the Catholic Herald, comyoung seminarian after mented recently: “To stand World War II, Benedict XVI was introduced to the up publicly and be counted as a Catholic in Britain can thought of Newman. As Paolo Rodari, a respected be to invite a tirade.” observer of the Vatican scene, commented recently in Il While many may not be aware of his authorship, Foglio, the pope and Newman share one important ele- Faber’s best known hymn is “Faith of Our Fathers,” ment in their thought – “their aversion to a relativistic which has sometimes been called the anthem of society.” Newman, upon receiving the “red hat” of car- Catholicism. Written in 1849 and given its musical setdinal in 1879 from Pope Leo XIII had said: “Liberalism ting by Henri F. Hemy in 1864, it recalls the struggles is the religious doctrine that there is no positive truth and sacrifices of England’s 16th century Catholics in in religion, but that any belief is as good as any other, England. Interestingly, the hymn was sung at the funeral and incompatible with any recognition of a religion as of President Franklin Roosevelt, an Episcopalian, in the true.” For his part, the Holy Father, immediately before White House in 1945, just as World War II was coming entering the conclave that elected him Pope in 2005, to an end in Europe. gave voice to Newman’s concern and spoke out strongly The words of “Faith of Our Fathers” are generally against the “dictatorship of relativism that does not lustily sung in Catholic and protestant churches today. recognize anything as definite and whose ultimate goal The words are perhaps as familiar as those of any other consists solely of one’s own ego and desires.” hymn.

Newman and Faber were complementary figures in Victorian England’s Roman Catholic Church. Unlike “Faith of Our Fathers” Newman (1801-1890), who lived a long life of 89 years, Stanza One: Faith of our fathers, living still; in spite Father Faber (1814-1863) suffered from ill health dur- of dungeon, fire and sword. O how our hearts beat high ing much of his ministry, dying at 49 from Bright’s with joy, whenever we hear that glorious Word! disease. He is entombed in St. Wilfred’s Chapel in the Refrain: Faith of our fathers, holy faith! We will be Brompton Oratory. true to thee till death.

Newman is esteemed to this day for his erudite Stanza Two: Faith of our fathers, we will strive to win writing on Christian doctrine, university education and all nations unto Thee; and through the truth that comes defense of his Catholic faith. His affecting poem, “The from God, We shall then be truly free.

Dream of Gerontius” (1866) was given an oratorio setStanza Three: Faith of our fathers, we will love both

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A painting of St. Philip Neri adorns the retable in St. Philip’s Chapel of the Birmingham Oratory in Birmingham, England. Cardinal John Henry Newman brought the Oratory of St. Philip Neri to England in the mid- 1800s.

friend and foe in all our strife; and preach Thee, too, as love knows how by kindly words and virtuous life.

Original Third Stanza: Faith of our Fathers, Mary’s prayers shall win our country back to Thee; and through the truth that comes from God, England shall then indeed be free.

Father Faber doubtless preferred his original third stanza, one that reflects his strong Catholic devotion to the Blessed Mother and his hopes for an English Catholic Church then emerging from the shadows of persecution and hostility.

With the help of the intercession of Blessed John Henry Newman, may the visit of Benedict XVI encourage English Catholics to nurture again their once-strong devotion to Mary.

As Father Faber wrote: “Mary’s prayers shall win our country back to Thee…”.

Belmont resident Gordon Seely, Ph.D., is an emeritus history professor at San Francisco State University.

EWTN’S coverage of the Holy Father’s Sept. 16-19 visit to England and Scotland

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leaders and people of faith to discuss religion and belief, Sept. 17, 3:30 a.m., with an encore Sept. 17 at 1:30 p.m.

Meeting with the Archbishop of Canterbury at Lambeth Palace, in the presence of Anglican and Catholic bishops, Sept. 17, 7:30 a.m., with an encore Sept. 17 at 2:30 p.m.

Address to representatives of British society in Westminster Hall, Sept. 17, 9 a.m., with an encore Sept.

17 at 5 p.m.

Evening Prayer celebration in Westminster Abbey with the Archbishop of Canterbury and Christian leaders. Prayers at the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior and the Shrine of St. Edward the Confessor, Sept. 17, 10 a.m., with an encore Sept. 17 at 7 p.m.

Mass in Westminster (Catholic) Cathedral and greeting of the people of Wales, Sept. 18, 2 a.m., with an encore Sept. 18 at 2 p.m. Open-air prayer vigil in London’s Hyde Park, Sept. 18, 10 a.m., with an encore Sept. 18 at 7 p.m.

Beatification of Cardinal Newman in Birmingham, Sept. 19, 1:30 a.m., with encores on Sept. 19 at 6 p.m. and Sept. 23 at 10 a.m. Departure for Rome, Sept. 19, 10 a.m., with an encore Sept. 19 at 10:30 p.m.

EWTN is carried 24 hours a day on Comcast Channel 229, AT&T Channel 562, Astound Channel 80, San Bruno Cable Channel 143, DISH Satellite Channel 261 & Direct TV Channel370. Comcast airs EWTN on Channel 70 in Half Moon Bay and on Channel 74 in southern San Mateo County. Visit www.ewtn.com and click on “Television,” “Program Schedules” and “September Grids” for updates.

September 17, 2010

Youth Ministry Visit http://sforeym.googlepages.com Sept. 26, 4 p.m.: Mass in Celebration of Youth at St. Anne of the Sunset Church, Judah St. at Funston in San Francisco. This is a collaborative event of high school campus ministers and parish youth ministers/ Confirmation coordinators. Youth are encouraged to get involved as music ministers, readers, extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion, and ministers of hospitality. Help is also needed with set-up, clean-up and refreshments. Contact your parish youth minister or school campus minister or call (415) 614-5654.

Datebook Sept 22, 7 p.m.: Mass commemorating the 100th anniversary of the ordination of Capuchin Friar and saint, Padre Pio, and the 50th jubilee of Capuchin Friar Fintan Whelan. San Francisco Auxiliary Bishop Robert W. McElroy will be present in the sanctuary. All are welcome to Our Lady of Angels Church, 1721 Hillside Dr. in Burlingame. Reception follows. Call (650) 347-7768. The Capuchin Friars of the Western America Province are celebrating their 100th year in California, Oregon and Mexico in 2010.

A special evening marks the milestone October 9.

Visit www.olaparish.org or call (650) 347-7768.

Arts and Entertainment Oct. 8, 8 p.m.: A Night of Prayer and Song with musicians Bob Hurd and Dan Schutte at St. Kevin Church, 704 Cortland Ave. in San Francisco. Songs written by the pair include Pan de Vida and Here I Am Lord. Tickets at $25 per person include refreshments at 7:30 p.m. Visit www.lanier.org/st-kevin or contact Matt Lanier at (650) 738-1632 or matt@lanier.org.

Proceeds benefit the parish.

Social Justice / Lectures Respect Life Sept. 25, 9 – 10 a.m.: Walk a Mile in My Shoes, a benefit marking the 50th anniversary of the St. Vincent de Paul Society conference at St. Raphael Church in San Rafael. No fees or registration costs.

“Please help us celebrate by joining us as we walk one mile for people who are poor and hungry in San Rafael,” SVDP said. “Be a voice for the poor.” Call (415) 454-8141, ext. 10, or visit www.saintraphael. com.

Volunteer Opportunities Catholic Charities CYO is an independent nonprofit organization operating as the social services arm of the Catholic Church in the Archdiocese of San Francisco. Rooted in our faith traditions of charity and justice, CCCYO works to support, stabilize and strengthen families.Volunteers have the power to change lives and impact communities. Contact Liz Rodriguez at erodriguez@cccyo.org or (415) 972-1297 to fill out a volunteer application. A list of current open volunteer positions is available online at www.cccyo.org/volunteer.

Come volunteer your time and talents with the St. Vincent de Paul Society of San Francisco (SVDP). SVDP works to provide direct person to person service to San Francisco’s poor, homeless, and victims of domestic violence. Serving more than 1,000 children, women and men every day, volunteers play a critical difference in our community. Through serving meals, helping in our laundry room, community garden, tutoring, or in our holistic Wellness Center- St. Vincent de Paul Society volunteers get a chance to get out, have fun, and truly make an impact. For more info contact Tim Szarnicki: tszarnicki@svdp-sf.org 415-977-1270 x3010.

St. Anthony Foundation serves thousands of poor and homeless individuals and families through its food program, drug and alcohol recovery, free medical clinic, clothing program, tech lab, and other programs. Our award winning Volunteer Program is an integral part of our services and relationships. For more information, visit www.stanthonysf.org and fill out a volunteer opportunity request form or contact Marie O’Connor at 415-592-2726.

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul of San Mateo County is the safety net every year for over 40,000 San Mateo County residents in need, including more than 17,000 children. See how you can join us. Call Atrecia at 373-0623 or e-mail svdpinfo@yahoo.com.

Oct. 11: 18th Annual Capuchin Golf Tournament at Green Hills Country Club in Millbrae. $300 includes golf, range and cart as well as lunch, dinner, beverages, tee prizes and tournament prizes. Tickets at $50 include dinner only. The Capuchin Friars are celebrating their 100th anniversary in the Western United States in 2010. Proceeds benefit social service programs of the Capuchin Friars of the Western America Province. For reservations, call Bill Mason at (650) 906-1040 or Roy Nickolai at (650) 760-6584. For dinner reservations only, call Anne Hahn at (650) 692-5044.

Handicapables continues its 40-year tradition of prayer and fellowship each month at St. Mary’s Cathedral. Volunteers are always welcome. Call Olivia at (415) 751-853, or Jane at (415) 585-9085, for more information or to volunteer. Handicapables will not meet at the Cathedral in October but another event is planned. Ask at the numbers above..

La Porziuncola Nuova at National Shrine of St. Francis of Assisi. To volunteer and become a Knight of Saint Francis, contact Jim Brunsmann at jimbrunsmann@comcast.net or go to www. knightsofsaintfrancis.com and follow the Volunteer Application link at the bottom of the home page.

Food & Fun Sept. 17, 18: Our Lady of Angels “Surfin’ OLA Fun Faire.” For the past 25 years the Fun Faire has brought together families from the parish and community for a weekend of games, rides, music, raffle and food. New attractions this year are laser tag and Euro Bungee plus a fabulous silent auction featuring vacation homes, tickets to Giants, 49er’s, Warriors games, magnificent wine packages and more. Proceeds benefit the parish school. Break out your favorite surfing clothes and surf board Friday, 6 p.m.-10 p.m. and Saturday, 2 p.m. -11 p.m. on the OLA Campus located at 1721 Hillside Drive in Burlingame. Admission is free with food, beverages, rides and games available for purchase. Hang 10!

Sept. 19, 3 – 6 p.m.: Third Annual Wine and Roses benefiting Redwood City’s St. Francis Center at The Sullivan Estate and Vineyard in Woodside. Day includes wine tasting, music, silent auction, and raffle. Tickets are $75 per person. Call Lynda Connolly at (650) 592-7714 or e-mail lyndaconnolly@c2usa.net Sept. 19, 1 – 5 p.m.: Champagne Bingo in downstairs gym at St. Peter and Paul Church on Washington Square in San Francisco. No children.

Free parking is available. Donations of $20 include champagne, hot lunch and two free bingo cards plus door prizes. No tickets sold at the door. Call (415) 885-0567 or (415) 421-0809.

September 26, 9 a.m. - 8p.m.: International Food, Music and Dance Festival featuring ethnic cuisine, music and entertainment. Enjoy foods from Brazil, Burma, the Philippines, the Middle-East, Greece and the United States. Also: animal balloons, cotton candy, face painting, hookahs, jewelry, photos and smoothies. Foods will be available for purchase.

Admission is $3. Takes place at St. Thomas More Church, at Brotherhood Way at Thomas More Way, San Francisco. (415) 452-9634.

Oct. 9, 10 a.m.: Star of the Sea Parish and School festival. Festivities include live entertainment, crafts,

Touch -a- Truck and kid’ games. Get some holiday shopping done at the upstairs boutique while you enjoy homemade treats. Bingo11a.m.-5p.m. Family pasta dinner starts at 5 p.m. Free parking available.

Come to Star of the Sea Parish Center at 345 8th Ave. between Clement and Geary in San Francisco.

Call (415) 751-0450 for tickets or information.

October 15, 16, 17: Relive childhood memories and create new ones at “Playland at St. Cecilia”, where you can enjoy the Giant Slide, delight in an It’s It, and maybe get a glimpse of Laughing Sal. Join us at our annual festival benefitting St. Cecilia Parish, Vicente Street and 18th Avenue in San Francisco: Friday 6-10 p.m.; Saturday noon-4 and 6-10 p.m.; Sunday noon-6 p.m. Tons of indoor and outdoor games, silent auction, bingo, raffles (over $5000 in cash prizes), fun house, carnival activities and salami toss. Enjoy a hot lunch and dinner in our snack bar.

Call (415) 309-8073 or visit www.scfestival.com.

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

Oct 2, 6 p.m.: Separated and Divorced Catholics of the Bay Area Annual Gala Dinner at the Lakeside Café, 2529 Ocean Ave., San Francisco (near Stonestown). No-host wine and beer at 6 p.m. with a gourmet dinner at 7 p.m. Tickets at $40 include wine and dessert. Evening guarantees a good meal and great companionship. Reservations are required by September 25.To respond or for more information, call Jack at (415) 566-4230 or Miriam at (415) 992-3657.

Oct. 22-24: A Beginning Experience Widowed, Separated and Divorced Weekend at Vallombrosa Center, Oak Grove Avenue in Menlo Park. Contact Cathy at (408) 262-3718 or Helen at (415) 388-9651 You may also e-mail SJBeginExp@aol.com or visit www.beginningexperience.org. Jesuit Father Al Grosskopf is the group’s spiritual director.

Reunion Sept. 26, 11 a.m.: Notre Dame Elementary School’s annual Family Mass and Picnic. Mass at 11 a.m. at the NDNU chapel with the picnic to follow on the Notre Dame Elementary School Field, 1200 Notre Dame Avenue, Belmont. All families and friends of Notre Dame Elementary are invited to attend. For more information, contact Jodie Penner at jpenner@nde.org.

Oct. 2, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.: Our Lady of Loretto

Oct. 6, 11 a.m.: St. Vincent de Paul Society of San Francisco’s annual Brennan Award Civic Luncheon. This year’s award recipients are Sharon McCarthy Allen, right, and Joanne Murphy. Sharon is principal of San Francisco’s St. Stephen School.

Joanne, a Dame of Malta, is a former member of the faculty at St. Brendan School.

Tickets are $150 per person. Sponsorship opportunities are also available from $10,000 including tickets for 10 to $500 including tickets for two. For ticket information, visit www.svdp-sf.org/brennan or call (415) 977-1270, ext. 3079.

Catholic San Francisco

21

Alumni! The “Fall Festival” is back! Come and visit for a day of family fun for all ages! Enjoy carnival games, balloons, golf, bungee run and jumpy house during the day for the kids, followed by an Italian Dinner in the courtyard for families in the evening. Contact the School Office at (415) 892-8621 for ticket information or any questions. Looking forward to seeing you there and meeting old friends and classmates!

Oct. 23: Class of 2000 Notre Dame High School, Belmont with campus tours at 4:30 p.m. and celebratory event at 7 p.m. at King Fish Restaurant in San Mateo. E-mail ndbjaguars2000@gmail.com.

Oct. 23: Archbishop Riordan High School, class of ’60 dinner dance, at the Italian American Social Club in San Francisco. Contact Tucker Spolter at teespot@earthlink.net or (415) 461-4628, or Tom Aspell at aspellt@al.com.

Oct. 24: St. John Ursuline High School, San Francisco is having the class of ’75, ’76, ’77 Reunion Lunch at the Irish Cultural Center.Contact Karen Grimley (75’) at karen.grimley@ssf.net or Theresa Keane (77’) at theresakeane@gmail.com for information – please respond by by Oct. 1.

Nov. 20, 4 – 8 p.m.: Class of ’60, Holy Name of Jesus Elementary School in San Francisco on school campus at 40th Ave. and Lawton. Contact Dennis Norton at (415) 454-3184 or danort@comcast.net.

Taize/Sung Prayer September 15, 7 p.m.: Taize Prayer with Kayleen Asbo and cantored by Robin O’Brien accompanied by piano and flute at Santa Sabina Center, 25 Magnolia Ave. in San Rafael. An introductory session on Lives of the Saints precedes the Taize prayer. Suggested offering is $10 or $20. For more information call (415) 457-7727 or e-mail info@ santasabinacenter.org.

1st Friday at 8 p.m.: Mercy Center, 2300 Adeline Dr., Burlingame with Mercy Sister Suzanne Toolan.

Call (650) 340-7452; young adults are invited each first Friday of the month to attend a social at 6 p.m. prior to Taize prayer at 8 p.m. The social provides light refreshments and networking with other young adults.

Convenient parking is available. For more information, e-mail mercyyoungadults@sbcglobal.net.

Tuesdays at 6 p.m.: Notre Dame Des Victoires Church, 566 Bush at Stockton, San Francisco with Rob Grant. Call (415) 397-0113.

3rd Friday, 8 p.m.: Dominican Sisters of Mission San Jose, Motherhouse Chapel, 43326 Mission Blvd. (off Mission Tierra), Fremont. For further information, please contact Dominican Sister Beth Quire at (510) 449-7554 or visit our website at www.msjdominicans.org for more information.

Oct. 9, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.: Archdiocese of San Francisco Respect Life Conference - Rediscovering the Family in a Technological Age at Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption – St. Francis Hall, Gough St. at Geary Blvd. in San Francisco. Tickets are $40 for general admission; $60 for nurses CE; and $90 for doctors CE. Families are faced with physical, spiritual and psychosocial dilemmas in today’s world. These talks compare and contrast Natural Law with today’s concept of marriage, conscience, birth control and artificial reproduction. A Course Evaluation will be completed for CE requirements.

To register Visit: www.ncbcenter.org/NetCommunity/ Page.aspx?pid=1069 or www.ccwf.org or www. sflifeandjustice.org. For information contact Vicki Evans vevans1438@att.net or call (415) 614-5533, Kathleen O’Connell-Sundaram, RN, BSM adminccwf@gmail.com (408) 391-6211; Julie Kelley jkelly@ ncbcenter.org (215) 877-2660.

Datebook is a free listing for parishes, schools and non-profit groups. Please include event name, time, date, place, address and an information phone number.

Listing must reach Catholic San Francisco at least two weeks before the Friday publication date desired. Mail your notice to: Datebook, Catholic San Francisco, One Peter Yorke Way, S.F. 94109, or fax it to (415) 614-5633, e-mail burket@sfarchdiocese.org, or visit www.catholic-sf.org, Contact Us.

Put your business card in the hands Attach Card Here Deadline for October 1st Issue is September17th

210,000

Deadline for November 5th Issue is October 22nd Please do not write on your card.

Readers of Catholic San Francisco For only $112.00 per month in our business card section now appearing the first Friday of each month. This new section is certainly less expensive than the $65,000 it would cost to print and mail your business cards to all our readers. Only $96.00 per month on a *12-month contract. * Free listing in our Business Directory on our website*

Ad Heading Name Address City ZIP

State Phone

Mail to: Catholic San Francisco, Business Card One Peter Yorke Way, San Francisco, CA 94109

22

Catholic San Francisco

September 17, 2010

Investment SERVICE DIRECTORY FOR ADVERTISING INFORMATION Call 415-614-5642 Fax: 415-614-5641 E-mail: penaj@sfarchdiocese.org

Handy Man Construction

Painting

(650) 355-4926

Painting & Remodeling •Interiors •Exteriors •Kitchens •Baths Contractor inspection reports and pre-purchase consulting

Casarotti + Design

• Remodels • Additions • Free Estimates • Permit Drawings

PAINTING INTERIOR, EXTERIOR All Jobs Large and Small

10% Discount: Seniors, Parishioners

Call BILL 415.731.8065 • Cell: 415.710.0584 bheffpainting@sbcglobal.net Member of Better Business Bureau Bonded, Insured – LIC. #819191

Limousine A-A Limousine Service • 415.308.2028 email: Augustshi@sbcglobal.net

Music

lic. 343633

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

800.321.2752

The Irish Rose

Home Healthcare Agency Serving San Francisco, Marin & the Peninsula.

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

Contact: 415.447.8463

Carpet Cleaning

Electrical ALL ELECTRIC SERVICE 650.322.9288

(650) 593-5959

Plumbing ADÁN PLUMBING, HEATING, A/C Serving all your plumbing needs.

Complete bathroom renovations ◆ Senior, parishioner discounts

◆

Serving the entire S.F. Bay Area www.adanplumbing.com 650.270.7766 Lic# 841835

S.O.S. PAINTING CO. Interior-Exterior wallpaper hanging & removal Lic # 526818 Senior Discount

415-269-0446 650-738-9295

www.sospainting.net FREE ESTIMATES

David E. Nellis, MA, MFT (415) 242-3355 801 Portola Drive, Suite 108 San Francisco www.counselingforchristians.com Do you want to be more fulfilled in love and work – but find things keep getting in the way?

Commercial & Residential Serving SF & San Mateo Co. St. Charles Parishioner

Painting

anti Plumbing and Heating

415-661-3707

Michael T. Santi

Since 1972 Ca License # 663641 24 Hour Emergency Service

BEST PLUMBING, INC. Your Payless Plumbing

Decks • Additions • General Remodel • Carports

415.383.6122

Lic.# 593788

➤ Hauling ➤ Job Site Clean-Up ➤ Demolition ➤ Yard Service ➤ Garbage Runs ➤ Saturday & Sunday

FREE ESTIMATES! • Fast & Affordable

PAUL (415) 282-2023 YOELSHAULING@YAHOO.COM

LAST-MINUTE SERVICE AVAILABLE

(650) 557-1263

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

John Spillane • • • •

Retaining Walls Stairs • Gates Dry Rot Senior & Parishioner Discounts

650.291.4303

Electrical DEWITT ELECTRIC YOUR # 1 CHOICE FOR Recessed Lights – Outdoor Lighting Outlets – Dimmers – Service Upgrades • Trouble Shooting!

Ph. 415.515.2043 Ph. 650.508.1348

Lic. 631209) 9)

Home Care

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

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

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

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

QUALITY HOME CARE SERVING THE BAY AREA SINCE 1996 * Attendants * Companions * Hospice * Respite Care Competitive Rates • Screened • Insured • Bonded

Full Payroll Service www.irishhelpathome.com

Tel: 415 759 0520

Roofing

Home Care Mariah’s Garden Home Care Agency Provides home help, companionship, personal care to seniors.

Serving San Francisco Bay Area.

Free assessment service 24/7.

Contact 650.619.5870 • 650.921.8161

(415) 786-0121 • (415) 586-6748

Lic. # 872560

➤ Drain-Sewer Cleaning Service ➤ Water Heaters ➤ Gas Pipes ➤ Toilets ➤ Faucets ➤ Garbage Disposals ➤ Copper Repiping ➤ Sewer Replacement ➤ Video Camera & Line locate PROMPT AND UNPARALLELED SERVICE EMAIL: bestplumbinginc@comcast.net Member: Better Business Bureau

HOLLAND Plumbing Works San Francisco ALL PLUMBING WORK PAT HOLLAND CA LIC #817607

Affordable

Counseling

Specializing in home health aides, attendants and companions.

S

DALY CONSTRUCTION

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Safe Non-Toxic, No Shampoo, Dry in Hours not Days

Fully Licensed • State Certified • Locally Trained • Experienced • On Call 24/7

*Serving from San Francisco to North San Mateo

Marriage and Individual Counseling

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*Irish owned & operated

Insured and Bonded - Affordable Rates Driving • Housekeeping • Meal prep • Personal Care

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Service Changes Solar Installation Lighting/Power Fire Alarm/Data Green Energy

1655 Old Mission Road #3 Colma, SSF, CA 94080 415-573-5141 or 650-993-8036

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Call: 415.533.2265

by Accredited Caregivers

650.255.5821 Healthcare Agency Lic. #933007

Specializing In Wood Fences

Senior Care

Housekeeping & Senior Care

For more info, contact: Contractors State License Board

MORROW CONTRUCTION

Discount

“The most compassionate care in town”

N. San Mateo County - SFO…$30* San Francisco - SFO………….$40* *plus airport fee Any other charter with reasonable price. Good Service.

Licensed contractors are required by law to list their license numbers in advertisments.

The law also state that contractors performing work totaling $500 or more must be state-licensed. Advertisments appearing in this newspaper without a license number indicate that the contractor is not licensed.

NOT A LICENSED CONTRACTOR

➮ Exterior / Interior Additions ➮ Baths ➮ Foundations, Stairs, Dry Rot ➮ Replacement Windows ➮ Architect Available ➮ Senior

SUPPLE SENIOR CARE

Airport Special

NOTICE TO READERS

Call (650) 757-1946 Cell (415) 517-5977

KEANE CONSTRUCTION

Lic. #742961

John Holtz Ca. Lic 391053 General Contractor Since 1980

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

(TCP 10581P)

painting and remodeling

BILL HEFFERON

BONDED & INSURED

415-205-1235

Clinical Gerontologist

Lic. # 907564

Care Management for the Older Adult Family Consultation –Bereavement Support Kathy Faenzi, MA, Clinical Gerontologist Office: 650.401.6350 Web: www.faenziassociates.com Striving to Achieve Optimum Health & Wellbeing

Notary Breens’ Mobile Notary Services

Certified Signing Agent

Timothy P. Breen Notary Public

PHONE: 415-846-1922 www.breensnotary.com

* Member National Notary Association *

September 17, 2010

Catholic San Francisco

classifieds

FOR ADVERTISING INFORMATION visit us at www.catholic-sf.org or Call: 415-614-5642 Fax: 415-614-5641 Email: penaj@sfarchdiocese.org

Catholic San Francisco

23

Public Service Announcement St. Bruno’s Church (650) 588-2121

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

Cost $26

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

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

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

Help Wanted Small SF law firm seeking part time Receptionist; M-F either 8:30 am - 1:00 pm OR 1:00 pm - 5:30 pm. $10/hr. Duties include answering, sorting and scanning mail, filing etc.

Must be familiar with Word and Excel. mlr@brandilaw.com

Caregiver Available 10 years experience.

For more information, please call 415.368.2030 (cell), or 415.921.1196 (home)

555 W. San Bruno Avenue, San Bruno, CA 94066

Calling on all old-time parishioners of St. Bruno Church: St.Bruno Parish celebrates the 50th anniversary of the dedication of the church with a bilingual mass on October 9, Saturday at 6pm; food sales and entertainment are on the following day. You are cordially invited.

Also, two years from now (2012), St. Bruno’s celebrates the 100th anniversary of its foundation as a parish. If you have old pictures and stories that represent that history of St. Bruno’s, kindly lend them to us for exhibit purposes so that these beautiful memories mayb shared by others. Thank you.

Chimney Cleaning Summ e Speciar/Fall ls

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

Prayer to the Blessed Virgin never known to fail.

Prayer to the Blessed Virgin never known to fail.

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

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

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

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

Say prayers 3 days.

MR

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

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

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

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

Say prayers 3 days. C.O.

PLEASE RECYCLE THIS PAPER! CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO

OFFICE SPACE AVAILABLE Approximately 2,000 to 10,000 square feet first floor office space available (additional space available if needed) at One Peter Yorke Way, San Francisco (between Gough & Franklin), is being offered for lease to a non-profit entity. Space available includes enclosed offices, open work area with several cubicles, large work room, and storage rooms on the lower level of the Archdiocese of San Francisco Chancery / Pastoral Center. We also have mail and copy services available, as well as meeting rooms (based on availability). Reception services available.

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

Come view the space.

$89

$119

Recycling Event FREE eWASTE RECYCLING FUNDRAISER ⋈帶桶ⳋそ䏤⡙㚱䷇㲹㺶⑐!!

Benefitting the

Archdiocese of SF – Chinese Ministry ⪤ᾶ㛔ᾄ坤⽽侸㛔Ⓕ啪‵ⴒㄍ ⑔埐!

楮㭽䬊∮⽠⃗!

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 25th 9AM – 3PM

St. Anne of the Sunset Church ⪤ᾶ㛔凑’予⥽⇗恅⦯ 840 Judah, San Francisco, CA 94122 WHAT YOU CAN RECYCLE monitors, TVs, computers, laptop computers, cell phones, telephones, wire/cable, PCB Boards, keyboards, mice, printers, fax machines, copy machines, stereo equipment, telecom equipment, DVD/CD players, microwave ovens, MP3 Players, toner, batteries, and fluorescent lights and more

ᅇᨲ≀ရ 㢷♧ჾ㸪㟁どᶵ㸪㟁⭔㸪ᡭᥦ㟁 ⭔㸪ᡭᥦ㟁ヰ㸪㟁ヰ㸪 㟁⥺㸪㟁㊰∧㸪㘽┙㸪⁥㰡㸪ิ

For more information, contact

Katie Haley, (415) 614-5556 email haleyk@sfarchdiocese.org.

$139

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Funds raised will help support the Archdiocese of SF – Chinese Ministry in their music evangelization. For more information, contact : ⡟Ḱᑘ⏝᪊ኳ୺ᩍ୕⸬ᕷ⦻ᩍ༐⳹ ே᐀ᚐ஦ົ⹦ⓗ㡢ᵹ⚟ബᕤసࠋヲ ᝟ྍ⫃⤡:

S.F. - Fiona Kong fionkong@yahoo.com South Bay – Susanna Leung susannaleung@gmail.com

442 Reynolds Circle San Jose, CA 95112 www.greenmouse.com

GreenMouse, Inc. is a California State Approved Collector, CEW ID #103153, (408) 715-7891

24

Catholic San Francisco

September 17, 2010

A Life Remembered C r e m at i on Op t i on s

If you are thinking about cremation, it is important to know and understand all of the choices available to you. Cremation is not the end. Just as the full body is placed in a grave or crypt, the cremated body should be treated with respect as well. Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery oďŹ&#x20AC;ers many options to celebrate and remember a life. Each person can make a decision about what is appropriate for his/her needs and those of their family.

Placement & Memorial Options Legac y - Select a family columbarium to house multiple urns or inter an urn in an existing family plot; an opportunity to share the family stories and unite loved ones in memory Garden - Interment of an urn in a resting place along a garden path, marked by a shamrock or heart-shaped stone Elegance - Beautiful glass niches display urns personalized to reďŹ&#x201A;ect a life story Tribute - A marble niche in a Garden Court or Mausoleum features engraved names, dates and photo medallions Tr aditional - In-ground burial, marked by a headstone designed to commemorate a life well-lived Memorial - Memorialf options p g y include: inscribing a name on a Memory Tree, designing a memorial bench, lighting a memorial candle, donating one of the Stations of the Cross or placing a name on a family monument