Pope’s trip to Czech Republic takes him to the most highly secularized nation in Europe
Catholic san Francisco Northern California’s Weekly Catholic Newspaper
(CNS PHOTO/ETTORE FERRARI, REUTERS)
By Carol Glatz
Pope Benedict XVI, who travels to the Czech Republic Sept. 26-28, is shown meeting with Czech President Vaclav Klaus earlier this year at the Vatican.
VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Pope Benedict XVI is traveling to the Czech Republic this weekend, making a threeday visit to a nation that is widely viewed as Europe’s least-religious country. The Sept. 26-28 trip coincides with the feast of St. Wenceslas – a 10th-century prince who is credited with bringing Christianity to the Czech people. It will be a religious pilgrimage for the pope, who will make stops in the capital to see the Infant of Prague at the Church of Our Lady of Victory and in Stara Boleslav to celebrate the feast of St. Wenceslas, patron saint of Czechs. Pope Benedict also will speak to political and cultural leaders in Prague and meet with President Vaclav Klaus. It will be his first papal visit to the Czech Republic – a nation with a population of 10 million people – and his 13th trip outside Italy He will reach out to the country’s Catholics with Masses in Brno and Stara Boleslav, hold meetings with bishops and celebrate vespers with religious and lay groups. He also will address ecumenical representatives, young people and scholars. These occasions offer the pope numerous opportunities to draw on recurring themes of his pontificate: the importance of reviving Europe’s
Christian roots, the relevance of a millenniums-old faith for addressing today’s current ills, and the need to promote a political and social culture based on love, hope and solidarity. The 82-year-old pope has made it a custom to visit a Marian pilgrimage site in Europe every September. This year he will visit Stara Boleslav – a town 15 miles northeast of Prague and home to the Shrine of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. The highlight of the trip will be the Sept. 28 Mass and feast day celebration of St. Wenceslas. The gathering coincides with the country’s national pilgrimage to Stara Boleslav, which attracts the attention and interest of the whole nation, including political and cultural leaders. Sept. 28 is a day when patriotic sentiment and religious devotion merge as the country celebrates Czech statehood. The national pilgrimage to Stara Boleslav – the town where St. Wenceslas was murdered by his brother – has become an extremely popular event over the past decade and has turned into “a manifestation of unity in a common Christian spiritual tradition,” according to the Czech bishops’ Web site. Like the Church in other former communist nations, the Church in the Czech Republic suffered under Soviet control after World War II. Church properties POPE’S TRIP TO CZECH, page 18
Pastor praises parishioners for their faith and prayers Father Larry Goode celebrated 45 years as a priest June 15. The Redwood City native has recently been appointed to his second six-year term as pastor of St. Francis of Assisi Parish in East Palo Alto. “I’m happy about that,” Father Goode told Catholic San Francisco in the dining room of the parish rectory. “I like it here.” The parish is large with 1,800 families and almost 700 baptisms a year. Prominent ethnicities include Hispanic, Pacific Islander, and African-American. Several of the weekend Masses are packed, Father Goode said, particularly those in Spanish. “The 9:30 Mass is filled to the brim,” Father Goode said. “The
people are up in the choir loft and out into the hall all the way down the aisle” Similar crowds attend some of the other weekend Masses, too, Father Goode said. Four Spanish choirs and a Tongan choir are among parish song groups. While parishioners tend to gather among similar backgrounds, participation by all parishioners is noteworthy, Father Goode said. “The people kind of travel on parallel lines,” Father Goode said but “are anxious to take part.” The nationalities blend, Father Goode said at major celebrations where attire of homelands is encouraged. “The Tongan women and men dress beautifully and the people really love it,” Father Goode said.
Father Larry Goode, pastor of St. Francis of Assisi Parish in East Palo Alto, says “I’m a priest who keeps on trying.”
Fluent in Spanish for more than 40 years, Father Goode said immigrant parishioners are among those being hit hardest by the economy. “A lot of them have been hit by job loss, foreclosure and deportations but they have handled it very well,” he
observed, offering that the resiliency in no small way comes from their faith. “I think relying on God is a major thing that gets them to the other side of that sadness.” “The best thing about this parish is the YEAR FOR PRIESTS, page 7
INSIDE THIS WEEK’S EDITION News in brief. . . . . . . . . . . 4-5 Fr. Damien’s SF connection . 6 Notre Dame’s pro-life effort . 7 Immigration reform . . . 11, 19 Archbishop’s Journal. . . . . . 14 Scripture and reflection . . . 16
Iraq to Nicaragua ~ Page 3 ~ September 25, 2009
Power pitcher ~ Page 7 ~
Touch-screen Bibles ~ Pages 12-13 ~ ONE DOLLAR
Media and Datebook. . . 20-21
www.catholic-sf.org VOLUME 11
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