December 9, 2011 by Catholic San Francisco

How faith helped break a diplomatic crisis in Iran

Cardinal Theodore McCarrick

(PHOTO BY JOSE LUIS AGUIRRE/CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO)

‘COMPASSION WAS THE KEY’

one of the Advent 2011 Lectures at St. Rita Parish in Fairfax during his visit, said that ot long after three U.S. hikers were the opportunity to engage in developing apprehended in Iran and efforts to a religious channel was “something that have them set free were bogged the Lord delivered into my hands.” It was down in diplomatic quicksand, a U.S. State reassuring, too, he said, at 81 “to be able Department official suggested to their par- to say you can still do something.” ents that they try a religious channel. “Go Working quickly, Cardinal McCarrick see Cardinal McCarrick,” the official said. contacted a number of religious leadCardinal Theodore McCarrick had ers in the U.S., including then-Bishop retired as archbishop of Washington, D.C., John Bryson Chane, Episcopal bishop of in 2006, but he has Washington, asking a long history on them to sign a letthe international ter to the supreme scene, particularly ‘We must not be afraid leader of Iran, Ali with human rights Khamenei, who issues, having been to talk to politicians, is responsible for a recipient of the delineation and Eleanor Roosevelt to all the rich and supervision of Award as a lifethe general polilong human rights the poor alike, and to cies of the Islamic advocate. He knew Republic of Iran. immediately, hear- make the case that the At the time, ing the pleas of the Thanksgiving was hikers’ mothers, nigh, and Cardinal there would be an New Testament makes.’ McCarrick wanted opening. the letter sent before – Cardinal McCarrick it was celebrated “To ignore the possibility of a reliso that he could gious channel in make the point that diplomacy is to cut off a great opportunity Thanksgiving for Americans is “a great to promote justice and help the needy of homecoming, a great family gathering, the world,” he said in an interview in San and wouldn’t it be great if the Iranians Francisco Nov. 29, telling the story of how consider using this opportunity and send he, along with others, played a role in the the kids home.” release of Josh Fattal and Shane Bauer, Twelve religious leaders signed the who in September were reunited with hiker letter – Protestants, Catholics, Orthodox Sarah Shourd, released from an Iranian and several Muslims, who were key to prison in 2010. the effort. Cardinal McCarrick, who also delivered COMPASSION, page 8

By George Raine

N Catholic san Francisco Northern California’s Weekly Catholic Newspaper

Vatican II history without spin Notes, diaries sought for scientific study By Cindy Wooden VATICAN CITY (CNS) – With a view toward the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council, a pontifical committee has launched a worldwide treasure hunt. Many of the more than 2,800 cardinals and bishops who participated in all or part of the 1962-65 council kept diaries, or at least notes; some wrote articles for their diocesan newspapers and most – in the days before emails and relatively cheap trans-Atlantic phone calls – wrote letters home. The Pontifical Committee for Historical Sciences is asking church archivists, and even the family members of deceased council fathers, to look

through their papers to find reflections that can add a personal touch to the historical research already conducted on the official acts of the council. In planning a Vatican II anniversary conference, Norbertine Father Bernard Ardura, committee president, said he is well aware that the treasures unearthed can become the object of squabbles over whether they add to an authentic or fraudulent reading of the council. The committee is promoting “a balanced and scientifically grounded” historical study of the council, in line with the teaching of the pope and “devoid of any ideological inspiration,” he wrote in his project proposal. Father Ardura said there are two extreme “currents” in reference to the council: “For some people it was a unique event that marked a rupture – there’s a ‘before’ and ‘after’ Vatican II; for others, it wasn’t even a real council because it VATICAN II HISTORY, page 6

INSIDE THIS WEEK’S EDITION On the Street . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 News in brief. . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Filipino priests organize . . . . 7 CCCYO’s Season of Caring. 11 Father Rolheiser . . . . . . . . 19

Bishop Ochoa named to Fresno diocese ~ Page 5 ~ December 9, 2011

Exhibit displays Gaudi’s vision ~ Page 10 ~

Bearing witness to the walking dead ~ Page 14 ~

ONE DOLLAR

Book review . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Service Directory . . . . . . . . 23

www.catholic-sf.org VOLUME 13

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No. 39

Catholic San Francisco

December 9, 2011

On The Where You Live By Tom Burke Beverly and Jack Muzio celebrated their 60th anniversary Sept. 9 at the Madonna Inn in San Luis Obispo. Beverly and Jack have been parishioners of St. Gregory Parish in San Mateo for more than 50 years. Among those cheering them on are sons, Ken with his wife, Valerie, Dave with his wife, Sandy, Jack and Beverly Muzio daughter, Joyce with her husband, Aland, and seven grandchildren. • Dominican Sisters from 13 North America communities gathered at the motherhouse of the Dominican Sisters of Mission San Jose in Fremont, Oct. 7, for three days of talks on their future in a global context. Keynote speakers included Sister Toni Harris, Dominican NGO representative at the United Nations. For some, it was a first trip to California, said Kate Martin, communications director for the Dominican Sisters of San Rafael. The Dominican Sisters Rose San Rafael sisters hosted Marie Riley, right, and a dinner on the last day of the sessions. “All of the Maria Maya participants left determined to continue to share their hopes, dreams, and ideas among themselves and with all the North American Dominican congregations,” Kate said. • Fifth grade students at San Francisco’s Holy Name School celebrated All Saints Day with recollection of canonized faithful through portrayal and art. Students presented colorful signs and dressed as St. Catherine of Alexandria, St. Nicholas, St. Therese the Little Flower, St. Josephine Bakhita, St Francis of Assisi and St. Thomas Aquinas at a Mass with pastor, Father Arnold Zamora presiding. Among students participating were Andrew Kau, Taylor Cheng, Anthony Nguyen, Kristos Johnson, David Anthony Brown, Madeline Messier, Samantha Luo,

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Sarah Jones, Michelle Darwis, Natalie Ruffner, Monique Nguyen, and Tianming Chiu. Fifth grade teacher is Noreen Gallagher. • Thanks for the big hearts of students at South San Francisco’s St. Veronica School. The student council, led by prez, Jenna Reynolds, and veep, Amanda Vallecorse, turned the school’s annual Can Drive into what might be called “class warfare.” Grades competed against one another to bring in the most nonperishable goods for the needy. The result was more than 1,800 items, all donated to Catholic Worker Hospitality House in San Bruno. Kathryn Lucchesi, principal and council moderators, Angela Hom and Mark Tomsic, guided the good work along. “St. Veronica now knows that they made Thanksgiving special for multiple people,” Angela told me in a note to this column. Third graders took top spot with more than 400 cans donated. • Speaking of helping the hungry, remember the upcoming curbside donation opportunity at St. Anthony Foundation Dec. 17-24. They’ve been doing it for 24 years now and the details are in Datebook. Check in too with other agencies doing excellent work out there including the St. Vincent de Paul Society, helping the poor now for more than a century and a half. I was grateful to be able to take a coupla’ things to St. Anthony’s before Thanksgiving and the volunteers were wonderful. It’s such a smooth operation. I think the turkey went right from my trunk into the oven. • Happy 50 years married Nov. 21, to Joe and Dolores Bondanza of St. Isabella Parish, Terra Linda. The couple renewed their vows at their home with Father Raymund Reyes, pastor of St. Anne of the Sunset Parish and golf buddy of the groom, presiding. “They were surrounded by their immediate and extended families,” said Frank Lavin, whom we can thank for the good news. Family and friends honored the couple later at Marin County Club. On hand were the best man and bride’s brother, Frank Cassidy also

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December 9, 2011

Catholic San Francisco

Dominican parish to create columbarium 320 niches to serve parish members choosing proper Catholic burial of cremated remains choose cremation are difficult to come by. About 30 percent of those interred in recent St. Dominic Parish in San Francisco is years at Holy Cross Cemetery in Colma were selling 320 niches for cremated remains to cremated, said Monica Williams, director of its parishioners, a first for the Archdiocese cemeteries for the archdiocese. “However, we of San Francisco, and a sign of how things are aware there are a fair number of Catholics have changed from the past when the Catholic who choose not to bury cremated remains at Church banned cremation except for extraor- Holy Cross Cemetery.” dinary circumstances such as an outbreak of Many more Catholics’ remains are being the plague. cremated and their remains kept on a shelf at “In the old days you had cemeteries sur- home, divided between relatives, or scattered, round the church, of one giant piece of God’s she said. Many people do not realize the care,” said St. Dominic’s pastor, Dominican church teaches that cremated remains must be Father Xavier Lavagetto. He said repeated treated with the same respect as a body and requests from parishioners led him to ask buried, Williams said. Canon law specifies special permission from Archbishop George that remains be buried in a blessed Catholic Niederauer to install a columbarium in the cemetery after a Catholic funeral. Friars Chapel behind the main altar. After years of requests by parishioners, The archbishop’s approval was specific to the final impetus for the columbarium at St. the circumstances at St. Dominic, which is Dominic came from a parishioner, said Father owned by the Dominican Order. All niches are Lavagetto, “who had mother at home in an urn.” to be sold to established parishioners with the Until 1963, the Catholic Church profunds remaining from construction to be placed hibited cremation except in extraordinary in an endowment fund for the columbarium. circumstances such as an epidemic, said The niches will be sold for $4,200 to $15,200, archdiocesan canon lawyer Rob Graffio, a with some reserved for indigent parishioners, ruling that developed not because cremaaccording to a parish tion was intrinsically website. The niches wrong but because are available only it became a symbol to registered parish- Many people do not of defiance of the ioners. Christian belief in St. Dominic’s realize the church the resurrection of proposed columthe body. The early barium is an exammartyrs’ ashes were teaches that cremated ple of how prevascattered by their lent cremation has pagan persecutors, become, particularly remains must be treated in defiance of the in California, the church’s teaching. As state with the highest with the same respect as Christianity spread, number of cremaburial became the tions in the coun- a body and buried. norm. In the 19th try with 107,769 in century with the 2009. Forty-six perrise of Freemasonry cent of Californians which denied the chose cremation over whole body burial in existence of an afterlife or the soul, cremation 2009, according to the Cremation Association arose again as a practice. Thus, in 1886, the of North America. Nationally, cremations rose Catholic Church specifically condemned crefrom 33 percent in 2004 to 38 percent in 2009, mation and people who directed their bodies according to the association report. be cremated were denied a Catholic funeral Hard numbers on how many Catholics and burial. Cremation was banned except in

By Valerie Schmalz

Outdoor marble-front niches are pictured in the Our Lady of Lourdes building at Holy Cross Cemetery in Colma. There were 107,769 cremations in California in 2009, representing 46.4 percent of total deaths, according to the Cremation Association of America. The share of cremations to total deaths in the state is projected to rise to nearly half by 2015.

extraordinary circumstances in the 1917 Code of Canon Law. Originally, after the ban on cremation was lifted in 1963, cremated remains could not be present for the funeral Mass, but in 1997 the Sacred Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments authorized each local bishop to set his own policy. In the Archdiocese of San Francisco, cremated remains may be present for the funeral Mass. The sacred congregation states that the remains must be interred after the funeral Mass. Today, Holy Cross Cemetery offers a variety of options for interment of cremated remains, Williams said. They range from inground burial in an existing family plot or in a special plot for cremated remains or placement in an indoor or outside niche. Inside niches can have glass fronts, with room for photos and other memorabilia to be placed in them. Outside niches are marble fronted with the name engraved. People’s ashes can be buried in a family columbarium that holds up to 12 sets of ashes or in smaller and individual columbaria which are placed around the cemetery grounds, Williams said. Aside from the church’s teaching, there are good reasons emotionally and logistically to

bury cremated remains at a Catholic cemetery, Williams said. “If you scatter there really is no place to go visit,” Williams said. “And with Holy Cross having been here for 125 years every day we have people who are children, grandchildren and great nieces and great nephews” who visit, the Catholic cemeteries director said. “Cemeteries stand in testimony to lives lived.” “When people have a place where they can go and visit, the grieving process is better and leads to more positive kinds of resolution, acceptance,” said Father Lavagetto. In granting approval for the St. Dominic columbarium, Archbishop Niederauer said he took into account the careful planning presented by Father Lavagetto and the unique situation of the Dominicans’ ownership of the parish property. In general, the archdiocese recommends burial or interment at Holy Cross or one of the other Catholic cemeteries in the archdiocese. “I did not want to stand in the way since he had planned it very prudently,” said Archbishop Niederauer. “This is not a precedent. If there are other parishes that want to proceed with this in the future, we need to approach those requests on a parish by parish basis, judging the situation individually.”

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NEWS

December 9, 2011

in brief

VATICAN CITY – A Vatican official deplored the growing violence in Syria, and called on political leaders there to enact “real reforms.” Archbishop Silvano Tomasi made the remarks Dec. 2 to a special session of the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva, which was discussing the Syrian crackdown on regime opponents that has left an estimated 4,000 people dead in recent months. He said the anti-government protests that began in Syria last spring arose from legitimate aspirations for a “better future of economic well-being, justice, freedom and participation in public life.” “They point to the urgent necessity of real reforms in social, economic and political life,” he added.

Interfaith pledge on marriage BALTIMORE – Leaders of a newly formed Maryland pro-marriage coalition pledged Nov. 30 to rally citizens across the state to defeat legislation that would alter the traditional definition of marriage. Representatives of the interfaith, nonpartisan Maryland Marriage Alliance said they will not be intimidated by those who would call their position “bigoted.” They warned that religious liberties could be threatened with the passage of same-sex marriage legislation. Following a passionate debate on the floor of the House of Delegates, a bill to legalize same-sex marriage in Maryland died in the last legislative session after it was recommitted to the House Judiciary Committee March 11. Gov. Martin J. O’Malley, a Catholic, has promised to push for the passage of a similar bill in the 2012 legisla-

Pope: Time to look inside In preparing for Christmas “it is important that we find time for self contemplation and carry out an honest assessment of our lives,” Pope Benedict XVI said in reflections before the Angelus prayer at the Vatican Dec. 4. As children gathered around a giant Christmas tree that will be hoisted in place next to the central obelisk in St. Peter’s Square, the pope said the style of John the Baptist goes beyond a model for sober living and is a call for inner change, “starting with the recognition and confession of our sins.”

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(CNS PHOTO/MOHSIN RAZA, REUTERS)

‘Real reforms’ urged in Syria

Christians protest NATO strikes A Pakistani Christian man beats his chest while taking part in a Nov. 28 protest in Lahore against a NATO cross-border attack. Catholics joined protests against the U.S. drone attack that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers. Capuchin Father Abid Habib, president of the Major Superiors Leadership Conference of Pakistan, said the cost in civilian lives because of the war against the Taliban was unacceptable.

tive session, agreeing with same-sex marriage activists to sponsor the bill. Mary Ellen Russell, executive director of the Maryland Catholic Conference, noted that marriage is unique because it is “primarily about connecting men and women to their biological offspring.”

Detroit weighs parish closures DETROIT – A pastoral plan for the Detroit archdiocese that includes recommendations such as closing nine parishes, merging 60 parishes into 21 and establishing multiparish teams or initiatives is a “plan to move the life of the church forward” over the next five years, said Detroit Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron. In a media briefing Dec. 1, he told reporters the recommendations are likely to be implemented but not “set in stone.” He received the recommendations from the Archdiocesan Pastoral Council the previous day and will now seek comment on them from the archdiocese’s other consultative bodies. He will then accept, reject or modify them, and is expected to release an archdiocesan-wide pastoral plan in February. Reasons archdiocesan officials have given for the changes include a shortage of priests and the fiscal difficulties facing some of the archdiocese’s 270 parishes. The proposed

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Request denied in abuse case PORTLAND, Ore. – A federal judge in Portland has declined to order face-to-face questioning of Vatican officials in a lawsuit claiming that the Vatican was the employer of an abusive priest in the 1960s. U.S. District Judge Michael W. Mosman ruled Dec. 1 that attorneys for the plaintiff in the case, John V. Doe v. Holy See, had not proven the need for an exception to the immunity given to foreign nations under U.S. law. The Vatican has published online more than 70 pages of documents which, it said, prove the Vatican had no knowledge of a priest’s sexual misconduct until he and his religious order petitioned for his laicization. It also has provided more than 1,800 pages of documentation to the court. When the online posting was made in mid-August, Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, Vatican spokesman, said in a statement that it was being done “to assist those in the public who wish to study the matter carefully, and to assist the United States court in resolving the remaining issues in the case.” – Catholic News Service

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Bishop Ochoa of El Paso to head Fresno diocese WASHINGTON (CNS) – Pope Benedict XVI has named Bishop Armando X. Ochoa of El Paso, Texas, to head the Diocese of Fresno. He succeeds Bishop John T. Steinbock, who died Dec. 5, 2010, after battling lung cancer. A native of California, Bishop Ochoa, 68, has headed the Texas diocese since July 1996. Before that, he was an auxiliary bishop of Los Angeles for 10 years. His appointment to Fresno was announced in Washington Dec. 1 by Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, apostolic nuncio to the United States. Bishop Ochoa is one of 26 active Hispanic Catholic bishops in the United States. At the national level, he has served on bishops’ committees on vocations, laity, permanent diaconate, Hispanic affairs and migration.

The date for his installation in Fresno has not been set. “I am humbled and deeply honored that the Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI would offer me this new challenge at my age,” Bishop Ochoa said in a statement addressed to “my former and new collaborators in the vineyard Bishop Armando of the Lord.” X. Ochoa “I have been privileged to have worked with and gotten to know you my brothers, here in the border region of El Paso,” he continued.” I am still in awe that you so readily accepted me as your new shepherd. Please know that you all will be in my prayers as we await the commemoration of the birth of the Lord.” At news conference Dec. 1, Bishop Ochoa said he would miss the “friendship and warmth of the people of the El Paso diocese” when he leaves to take up his new appointment.”This has been my family for the past 15 years,” he said. He said he expected to be a “good listener” when he moves to

Pope: Theology’s bridge between faith and reason needed to promote peace

Catholic San Francisco

the Fresno diocese, which will probably occur in a few months. Bishop Ochoa noted the great cultural diversity of the Fresno diocese, and said he will be listening to the clergy and people of Fresno in assessing the challenges he will face in his new diocese. The Fresno diocese, which covers a 36,000-square-mile area, has a Catholic population of about 1.1 million, out of a total population of 2.7 million. Born April 9, 1943, in Oxnard, Armando Ochoa attended Catholic schools there, graduating from Santa Clara High School in 1961. In 1962 he entered St. John’s Seminary College in Camarillo and after graduation continued his studies at St. John’s Seminary School of Theology. Ordained a priest for the Los Angeles archdiocese May 23, 1970, he served in several Los Angeles parishes and was associate director of the Spanish-speaking permanent diaconate program for the archdiocese. He was serving as pastor of Sacred Heart Parish in Los Angeles when he was named an auxiliary bishop Dec. 29, 1986. Ten years later, he was named the fifth bishop of El Paso. Archbishop Jose H. Gomez of Los Angeles said Bishop Ochoa’s appointment as Fresno’s fifth bishop is “good news for his many friends in California.” “On behalf of the faithful of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, I offer Bishop Ochoa our prayers and support as he begins his new ministry as bishop of Fresno,” he said.

What does it mean to be a thinking Catholic in the contemporary world?

By Cindy Wooden VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Theology is not simply an academic discipline or a means of explaining the faith to believers, it also has a role in promoting peace and harmony, Pope Benedict XVI said. Catholic theology’s attention to the links between faith and reason “is more necessary than ever today” because it demonstrates the compatibility of different sources of knowledge, avoiding “the violent results of a religiosity opposed to reason and of a reason opposed to religion,” the pope said. Pope Benedict spoke Dec. 2 at a meeting with members of the International Theological Commission, a group of theologians appointed by the pope to advise the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Pope Benedict said Christian monotheism – the belief in one God in the three persons of the Trinity – teaches that God is a community of love to which people are invited in a way that makes it possible for brotherhood and harmony among the men and women God has created. Because “the ethnic and religious conflicts in the world make it more difficult for people to recognize the uniqueness of Christian thought about God and the humanism it inspires,” he said, “Christian theology, together with the life of believers, must restore the felicitous and clear evidence of the Trinitarian revelation on our community.” Christian theology always begins with belief in Jesus Christ as the only son of God, he said. Only on that basis, and in harmony with the tradition of the church, can a theologian intelligently explore the faith while remaining Catholic, he said. “Without a healthy and vigorous theological reflection, the church risks not expressing fully the harmony between faith and reason,” the pope said. “At the same time, without faithfully living in communion with the church and adhering to its magisterium as the vital space of its existence, theology cannot give an adequate explanation of the gift of faith.”

^ƚĂƌƟŶŐ ŝŶ :ĂŶƵĂƌǇ͕ ƚŚĞ ƌĐŚĚŝŽĐĞƐĞ ŽĨ ^ĂŶ &ƌĂŶĐŝƐĐŽ ŝƐ ŽīĞƌŝŶŐ Ă ĐŽƵƌƐĞ ĚĞƐŝŐŶĞĚ ƚŽ ĂŶƐǁĞƌ ƚŚĂƚ ǀĞƌǇ ƋƵĞƐƟŽŶ͘ ŶƟƚůĞĚ Forward in Faith, ƚŚĞ ĐŽƵƌƐĞ ǁŝůů ďƌŝŶŐ ŽŶůŝŶĞ ƉƌĞƐĞŶƚĂƟŽŶƐ ĨƌŽŵ ƚŚĞ ďĞƐƚ ƚŚĞŽůŽŐŝĂŶƐ ĂŶĚ ƚĞĂĐŚĞƌƐ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ŶĂƟŽŶ ƚŽ ŝůůƵŵŝŶĂƚĞ ĂƚŚŽůŝĐ ƚĞĂĐŚŝŶŐ ŽŶ ŚƌŝƐƚ͕ ƚŚĞ ŚƵƌĐŚ͕ ƚŚĞ ^ĂĐƌĂŵĞŶƚƐ͕ ĂŶĚ ƚŚĞ ŚƌŝƐƟĂŶ ŵŽƌĂů ůŝĨĞ͘ DĞĞƟŶŐ ǁĞĞŬůǇ ĨƌŽŵ ϳ͗ϬϬ Ɖŵ ƚŽ ϴ͗ϯϬ Ɖŵ ŝŶ ůŽĐĂƟŽŶƐ ƚŚƌŽƵŐŚŽƵƚ ƚŚĞ ƌĐŚĚŝŽĐĞƐĞ͕ Forward in Faith: ŝƐ Ă ϮϬͲǁĞĞŬ ĐŽƵƌƐĞ ǁŚŝĐŚ ƐĞĞŬƐ ƚŽ ĚĞǀĞůŽƉ ĂŵŽŶŐ ĂƚŚŽůŝĐ ĂĚƵůƚƐ Ă ĚĞĞƉĞƌ ƐĞŶƐĞ ŽĨ ĨĂŝƚŚ ŝŶ 'ŽĚ ĂŶĚ ůŝĨĞ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ŚƵƌĐŚ͘ dŚĞ ĮƌƐƚ ƐĞŵĞƐƚĞƌ͕ ǁŚŝĐŚ ƌƵŶƐ ĨƌŽŵ ƚŚĞ ǁĞĞŬ ŽĨ :ĂŶƵĂƌǇ ϭϳ͕ ϮϬϭϮ ƚŚƌŽƵŐŚ ƚŚĞ ǁĞĞŬ ŽĨ DĂƌĐŚ ϮϬ͕ ϮϬϭϮ͕ ǁŝůů ĚĞĂů ǁŝƚŚ ƚŚĞ ƚŚĞŵĞƐ ŽĨ ĞŶĐŽƵŶƚĞƌŝŶŐ ŚƌŝƐƚ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ^ĐƌŝƉƚƵƌĞƐ ĂŶĚ ƚŚĞ ŝĚĞŶƟƚǇ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ŚƵƌĐŚ͘ dŚĞ ƐĞĐŽŶĚ ƐĞŵĞƐƚĞƌ͕ ǁŚŝĐŚ ǁŝůů ƌƵŶ ĨƌŽŵ ƚŚĞ ǁĞĞŬ ŽĨ ^ĞƉƚĞŵďĞƌ ϰ͕ ϮϬϭϮ ƚŚƌŽƵŐŚ EŽǀĞŵďĞƌ ϲ͕ ϮϬϭϮ͕ ǁŝůů ĨŽĐƵƐ ŽŶ ^ĂĐƌĂŵĞŶƚƐ ĂƐ ĂĐƟŽŶƐ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ŚƵƌĐŚ͕ ĂŶĚ ŽŶ ƚŚĞ ŚƌŝƐƟĂŶ ŵŽƌĂů ůŝĨĞ͘

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Name ___________________________________________ Phone ______________________________ Address__________________________________________Email address_________________________ zŽƵƌ ƉĂƌŝƐŚ ͺͺͺͺͺͺͺͺͺͺͺͺͺͺͺͺͺͺͺͺͺͺWůĞĂƐĞ ƐĞůĞĐƚ ƚŚĞ ůŽĐĂƟŽŶ ǁŚĞƌĞ ǇŽƵ ǁŝůů ĂƩĞŶĚ Forward in Faith: St. Bartholomew, ^ĂŶ DĂƚĞŽ͕ dƵĞƐĚĂǇƐ St. Anthony͕ ^ĂŶ &ƌĂŶĐŝƐĐŽ͕ dƵĞƐĚĂǇƐ St. Charles͕ ^ĂŶ ĂƌůŽƐ͕ tĞĚŶĞƐĚĂǇƐ St. Cecilia͕ ^ĂŶ &ƌĂŶĐŝƐĐŽ͕ tĞĚŶĞƐĚĂǇƐ Mater Dolorosa͕ ^ŽƵƚŚ ^ĂŶ &ƌĂŶĐŝƐĐŽ͕ dŚƵƌƐĚĂǇƐ St. Elizabeth͕ ^ĂŶ &ƌĂŶĐŝƐĐŽ͕ dƵĞƐĚĂǇƐ Our Lady of Mercy͕ ĂůǇ ŝƚǇ͕ dŚƵƌƐĚĂǇƐ Notre Dames des Victoires͕ ^ĂŶ &ƌĂŶĐŝƐĐŽ͕ dŚƵƌƐĚĂǇƐ St. Hilary͕ dŝďƵƌŽŶ͕ tĞĚŶĞƐĚĂǇƐ St. Vincent de Paul͕ ^ĂŶ &ƌĂŶĐŝƐĐŽ͕ dŚƵƌƐĚĂǇƐ St. Isabella͕ ^ĂŶ ZĂĨĂĞů͕ dƵĞƐĚĂǇƐ Star of the Sea͕ ^ĂŶ &ƌĂŶĐŝƐĐŽ͕ dŚƵƌƐĚĂǇƐ

Catholic San Francisco

December 9, 2011

Vatican II history . . . did not formulate dogma, and no excommunications were issued.” But for the committee, “it’s important to work outside these currents and opinions and do work based on the documentation,” he said. In an interview in late November, Father Ardura said the committee contacted archivists last spring and urged a careful search in the diocesan archives and personal papers of bishops who attended the council. By March they should have the beginnings of a decent catalogue of the material and its location. In October, the committee will sponsor an international conference aimed at sharing progress in cataloguing the information and, especially, offering researchers ideas about areas ripe for further study given the availability of documentation. A conference for historians looking more at the substance of the Second Vatican Council’s teaching and at the various interpretations given those teachings is tentatively planned for 2015 – the 50th anniversary of the council’s closing, he said. The 63-year-old French Norbertine has some personal recollections of his own. A student in the minor seminary in 1962, he remembers attending a huge, solemn Mass in Bordeaux celebrated by Cardinal Paul-Marie-Andre Richaud just before he left for the council. And, he said, he remembers the seminary rector renting a television so the students could watch the formal opening of the council: “It was the first time a television entered the seminary.”

(CNS PHOTO/THE REGISTER)

■ Continued from cover

Bishop Frederick Freking of Salina, Kan., third from left, processes with other bishops to the opening of a session of the Second Vatican Council in October 1963.

Father Ardura said the council fathers’ personal papers should give people an idea of what the bishops thought going into the council and whether, to what extent and why their attitudes changed as the council continued. From research on the official published acts of the council and the published diaries of major personalities at the council, he said, it was clear many bishops thought they’d come to Rome and approve a few statements written by the pope and Vatican officials on the liturgy and on the mystery of the church.

“But they ended up talking about everything,” he said. In four sessions, the council issued documents on Scripture, ecumenism, relations with other religions, communications, religious freedom, religious orders and other subjects. “For many, they had never even been to a meeting of the bishops of their own country” – bishops’ conferences didn’t exist in most countries, he said. “This was their first experience of collegiality.” “But it’s also true that, little by little, different currents developed,” trying to draw the church one way or another, he said. The personal letters, notes and diaries may shed more light on the personalities involved and how they tried to influence other council members. Even setting aside the council’s discussions, Father Ardura also said he expects the research to underline big, even revolutionary changes, in the church over the past 50 years. For one thing, he said, while all the world’s bishops were invited to the council and many from Africa participated, in the 1960s most of the heads of African dioceses were missionaries from Europe. He said he suspects their personal papers are in the archives of their religious orders in Rome. Another issue stems from the fact that, up until 1966, very few bishops retired; they tended to die in office, he said. After the council, Pope Paul VI asked bishops to voluntarily offer to resign at age 75 – which became a requirement with the Code of Canon Law promulgated by Pope John Paul II in 1983. What that has meant for archivists, Father Ardura said, was that even the personal papers of bishops who died in office tended to be filed in the diocesan archives. Bishops who retire at 75 obviously leave official papers with the diocese, but they tend to take their personal papers with them. That’s why family members of bishops at Vatican II are being asked to help, he said.

Ad push aims to bring faithful back to pews ATLANTA (CNS) – A new advertising campaign aims to bring Catholics back to church with ads airing on major television networks Dec. 16-Jan. 8. The campaign, sponsored by the Atlantabased organization Catholics Come Home, aims to reach 250 million television viewers in more than 10,000 U.S. cities. Tom Peterson, the organization’s founder, said the campaign’s “inspiring messages” are an invitation to Catholic neighbors, relatives, and co-workers to come “to the largest family reunion in modern history.” The ads – airing in prime time on broadcast and cable channels – focus on the richness and history of the Catholic Church and highlight Catholic traditions of prayer, education and help for the poor. “If you’ve been away, come home to your parish, and visit Catholicscomehome.org today”

is part of the ad’s message scheduled to air more than 400 times starting before Christmas and going through the feast of the Epiphany. Since they began their media campaigns in 2008, Catholics Come Home officials say Mass attendance has increased 10 percent in the markets where the ads have been shown and 300,000 people have come back to the church. In its announcement, the organization highlighted the number of Catholics who do not attend Mass, citing a recent study by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown University that said only 33 percent of U.S. Catholics attend weekly Mass, or put another way, 42.7 million Catholics, or two-thirds, do not attend Sunday Mass. Other statistics cited included how many hours per week the average American is “consuming media” particularly via TV and the Internet (38 hours).

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US national assembly of Filipino priests ‘a dream come true’ By Valerie Schmalz The first National Assembly of Filipino Priests was convened in Los Angeles Nov. 8-11, and drew more than a third of the 839 Filipino priests working in the United States. The four-day conference was the result of three years of planning among Filipino priests under the guidance of Bishop Oscar Solis, auxiliary bishop for Los Angeles, the first Filipino bishop ordained for the United States and episcopal moderator for Filipino priests. About 370 Filipino priests attended. “This is a dream come true,” Bishop Solis told The Tidings, the newspaper of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. “We’ve been trying to find a way which can provide a venue for Filipino priests serving the local church in the United States to gather. So this is a much awaited moment.” Los Angeles Archbishop Jose Gomez stressed “the beautiful diversity of our Catholic Church and our great country,” and reminded the audience of the first arrival of Filipinos at Morro Bay in 1587, “bringing with them a culture of worship and work long before America had a name.” California is home to 34 percent of the Filipino priests who serve in the United States. Among them are 54 Filipino priests in the Archdiocese of San Francisco. The first wave of Filipino priests to the United States began in the 1960s, with the influx

Boston prelate calls flock to regular Mass-going BOSTON (CNS) – Describing Sunday Mass as the “family meal” for Catholics, Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley of Boston called Catholics in his archdiocese to more frequent and more enthusiastic participation in weekly services. In a 12-page pastoral letter dated Nov. 20, Cardinal O’Malley said it was “a great sadness to me as spiritual leader of the Archdiocese of Boston to note that, on any given Sunday, so many Catholics choose to be absent from Mass.” He said that throughout history and even today in many

peaking in the 1980s and 1990s, said Father Eduardo Dura, pastor of St. Patrick Parish in San Francisco. At the end of the week, the priests had a better idea what God had prepared them for, even though each of them came to the U.S. in a different way – some as priests, but others as students and professionals who found their vocation after arriving in the U.S., said St. Anne Father Eduardo Dura of the Sunset pastor Father Raymund Reyes: “It was the recognition that we are missionaries. Our coming to this country, although for various reasons, is part and parcel of God’s plan for each of us in making us his missionaries.” Father Dura was appointed to a committee that will guide the Filipino priests movement going forward, including forming a separate nonprofit organization, the National Assembly of Filipino Priests. He said the priests came away from the event renewed in their belief they are part of the American church. “The overall philosophy is how can we relate to the universal church in the United States,” Father Dura said. “We are one with them, we are not separate.” The National Assembly’s theme was “Para Pinoy: Celebrating Our Gifts.” The conference was held in conjunction with the 10th anniversary of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ pastoral statement, “Asian and Pacific Presence: Harmony in Faith.” In addition to a number of

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The 18th annual Our Lady of Guadalupe pilgrimage – “Guadalupana Pilgrimage” – is planned for Dec. 10, covering a 12-mile route. Participants will pray as well as sing in Spanish and English along the route, and there will also be opportunities for confession and counseling – along with access to restrooms, water and food. The faithful will begin forming at 4 a.m. at All Souls Church, 315 Walnut Ave. (at Miller Avenue), in South San Francisco. There will be stops at Holy Cross Cemetery in Colma; Holy Angels Church in Colma; and St. John the Evangelist Church in San Francisco, and the walk will end at St. Mary’s Cathedral. A Mass will be celebrated at 2 p.m. with retired San Francisco Archbishop John R. Quinn presiding. Archbishop Quinn presided at the first pilgrimage Mass in 1994. Father John Balleza, pastor of St. Raphael Church in San Rafael, is spiritual director for the walk. Information can be found at www.cruzadaguadalupana.org.

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Filipino priests of the Archdiocese of San Francisco, Auxiliary Bishop Robert McElroy, and retired Santa Rosa Bishop Daniel Walsh, now in residence at St. Anne in San Francisco, attended. “We are ordained to serve Christ and God’s people where we are,” said Reno Bishop Randolph Calvo, born in Guam of Filipino descent and raised in San Francisco. Bishop Calvo is chairman of the USCCB’s subcommittee on Asian and Pacific Island Affairs. “The challenge remains for us to be faithful in our missionary call and to be living signs of God’s presence in the country we now consider our home,” Father Reyes said. “As living signs and modern missionaries, our job is not just to point where people need to go. Rather, we have to be in the journey with them and head toward where our Lord Jesus, the missioner, takes us through his life and example.” Doris Benevides of The Tidings contributed to this story.

parts of the world, Catholics have risked their lives or suffered great inconvenience in order to participate in Sunday Mass. But he said that rather than becoming “fixated on the reasons Catholics give for skipping Sunday Mass,” it is better to focus on “the many reasons why Catholics throughout the church’s history have come, and continue to come, with eager anticipation.” Among the nine reasons he offered were a desire “to encounter Christ in the most profound way possible” and a desire to provide “a living legacy to our children and grandchildren.” “Children who hear from their parents how much, and why, they love Mass will be less inclined to compare Mass to television and consider it ‘boring,’” he said.

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Catholic San Francisco

December 9, 2011

Documentary tells story of Polish priest born a Jew during Holocaust WASHINGTON (CNS) – If someone were to make a movie about a Polish priest who was born a Jew during the Holocaust, adopted by Polish parents who didn’t tell him until he was in his 30s of his parentage, his pilgrimage to Israel to reclaim his Jewish heritage, and his stubborn insistence to Israeli authorities that he be considered simultaneously both a Jew and a Catholic, “Torn” would be the perfect title. Ronit Kertsner is on the film festival circuit with her documentary, which examines the life of Father Romauld Jakub Weksler-Waszkinel. The Weksler surname comes from his Jewish parents, who gave him up for adoption March 25, 1943. “I must have been eight days old, I’m not sure,” he said in a 1993 interview. The Waszkinel surname comes from the Polish couple who adopted him before the rest of the Weksler family perished at the hands of the Nazis.

Kertsner said she first ran across Father Weksler-Waszkinel in the late 1990s when she was making a documentary called “The Secrets,” about Catholics in Poland who found out they had been born Jewish. Kertsner herself was born to Polish Jews, and adopted by French Jews who settled in Israel after World War II but who never told her about her adoption until she stumbled upon the facts as an adult. She filmed Father Weksler-Waszkinel’s journey at age 67 to Israel, where he lived on a kibbutz. Kertsner said no Catholic monastery in Israel would accept him because he was a Jew, and no kibbutz would allow him to leave for a couple of hours on Sundays to celebrate Mass. Kertsner said Father Weksler-Waszkinel now works at a Holocaust museum researching documents in his native Polish. His quest for Israeli citizenship has been stymied by

Israel’s “right of return” law which states that someone who was born Jewish but practices another religion cannot be granted citizenship. He has, though, been granted permanent residency. “He believes he has the right (to citizenship). I believe the same,” Kertsner told CNS. “Who are we to judge him? He’s a victim of the Holocaust. He got into this situation not by choice, but by the circumstances of the Holocaust. He is so unique. It’s not like there is going to be thousands of people (under similar circumstances) coming over to Israel. He’s a very unique case, and we should accept him as he is.” She added, “When I gave him the name of the film, he was completely against it: ‘I don’t feel torn. I feel whole.’ ‘You may feel whole, but everyone else looks at you like you’re torn.’ Then he calls me some time later, and he says to me, ‘Maybe I am a bit torn.’”

Compassion . . .

“My point was that we recognize that we don’t have channels now through the U.S. but that should not mean we don’t have communications on a religious level,” said Cardinal McCarrrick. “And he agreed and said at the end of the meeting, ‘I really want you to come to Tehran.’” The trip – Bishop Chane again accompanied Cardinal McCarrick, along with two Muslim Americans – was difficult to arrange, but was made. “It was very hush-hush,” said Cardinal McCarrick. “I did not tell the State Cardinal Theodore Department. I told my McCarrick superiors. We traveled on Turkish Airlines and when we landed in Istanbul I had a phone call from the White House, in which an aide said, ‘The president knows you are going and wishes you good luck,’” he said.

He added, “So, there is nothing totally hidden from anybody.” The cardinal and his group met with religious leaders who in turn told Ahmadinejad to set the Americans free and he bought into it, although he met initial resistance in the Iranian judicial system. The cardinal’s message to religious leaders, he said, was borrowed from the Quran, which speaks of mercy and compassion. “Ours was a call to the compassionate, which is so important in Islam, and it ultimately would allow them (Iranian religious leaders) to say, ‘OK, we will agree, let the president take them,’” he said. “Compassion was the key, which is the cornerstone of our belief in God and the cornerstone of theirs,” said Cardinal McCarrick. Ultimately, in September, Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said of Oman obtained the release of the hikers, and paid $1 million in bail, but the religious channel had been opened. “We must not be afraid to talk to politicians, to all the rich and the poor alike, and to make the case that the New Testament makes, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John – that is what we have to proclaim,” said Cardinal McCarrick.

■ Continued from cover Some four or five months passed before the supreme leaders’ office replied, said Cardinal McCarrick – and that was to “assure us that if (the hikers) were not guilty they would go free, and if they were guilty they would be punished.” That was not news to Cardinal McCarrick, but the reply meant that a channel had been opened – key, because the U.S. and Iran do not have diplomatic relations and, indeed, he was the first person in the U.S. who was not a government official to get an official message from the supreme leader. Separately, the mothers of the hikers obtained transportation to Iran and visited their children, but they were unable to have them set free and returned home upset and frustrated. They asked Cardinal McCarrick again to help. Meantime, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad learned of the religious channel and of Cardinal McCarrick’s efforts, “and (he) indicated a willingness to see me,” said the cardinal. Ahmadinejad at the time was in New York to speak at the United Nations, and met there with Cardinal McCarrick, Episcopal Bishop Chane and several other religious leaders.

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December 9, 2011

Catholic San Francisco

Bishop rebukes RI gov’s Christ-less public ‘holiday tree’ PROVIDENCE, R.I. (CNS) – Gov. Lincoln D. Chafee invited the public to gather around a 17-foot Colorado blue spruce in the Rhode Island Statehouse Dec. 6 for what he termed a “Holiday Tree Lighting” ceremony. The description left many, including Providence Bishop Thomas J. Tobin, to question the governor’s choice of such secular terminology in referring to a symbol most commonly associated with the Christian celebration of Christmas. “Governor Chafee’s decision to avoid the word Christmas at the statehouse ceremony is most disheartening and divisive,” Bishop Tobin said in a statement Nov. 29. “It is sad that such a secular spirit has swept over our state. The governor’s decision ignores long-held American traditions and is an affront to the faith of many citizens,” the bishop said. “For the sake of peace and harmony in our state at this special time of the year, I respectfully encourage the governor to reconsider his decision to use the word Christmas in the state observance.” Earlier that day, Chafee said in a statement that he is only following in the footsteps of how previous governors have termed the event. “Use of the term ‘holiday tree’ is a continuation of past practice, and does not represent a change of course on my part,” he said. The governor then suggested that those with opinions on both sides of the tree issue instead refocus their energy on helping the less fortunate. That move to defuse the issue prompted a rejoinder from Father Timothy Reilly, chancellor of the diocese. “In the governor’s attempts to unify, his decision has done quite the opposite,” Father Reilly said. “The irony is that we see more confusion and lack of unity. Christmas is a precious and sacred word in our faith vocabulary.” The son of the donor of the statehouse blue spruce said he was disappointed that the governor has “removed the word Christmas” in describing the tree. “We provide him with a Christmas tree,” said Timothy Leyden. “It came from Big John Leyden’s Christmas Tree Farm. It is not a holiday tree. We don’t sell holiday trees.” Chafee’s attempt to “be politically correct has gone overboard,” he said.

(CNS PHOTO/MOLLY RILEY, REUTERS)

By Rick Snizek and Brian Lowney

The National Christmas Tree is lit in front of the White House during a lighting ceremony in Washington Dec. 1. In Providence, R.I., Gov. Lincoln D. Chafee invited the public to attend a “Holiday Tree Lighting” in the statehouse rotunda, prompting some to question the secularized description.

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NY’s Bishop Sheridan, 89 NEW YORK (CNS) – Auxiliary Bishop Patrick J. Sheridan, a retired vicar general and one of the best-known and most popular priests in the New York archdiocese, died Dec. 2. He was 89. Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan of New York was scheduled to offer the funeral Mass at 10:30 a.m. Dec. 7 in St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Burial was to be in Calvary Cemetery, Queens. Bishop Sheridan, who was named vicar general by Cardinal John J. O’Connor, held numerous pastoral and administrative positions in the archdiocese in his 64 years of priesthood – accepting each of them enthusiastically. “You were trained to render service there, to preach, to teach, to sanctify,” he said in an interview with Catholic New York, archdiocesan newspaper, in 2001. “Any of the other specialties came later, as a part of your priesthood. But everything was established on the concept of service to the people in the parishes.”

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December 9, 2011

Vatican exhibit displays inspirational elements of Gaudi church “Apart from the functionality of his architectural project, Gaudi also uses it to tell us the story of Jesus and to transmit VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Without leaving the Vatican, the essential elements of the Christian message to us,” Giraltvisitors exiting St. Peter’s Basilica can gain firsthand exposure Miracle said. to another impressive church, Antoni Gaudi’s La Sagrada As visitors enter the dimly lit exhibit, they are introduced Familia. to a chronological timeline of both the life of Antoni Gaudi The Vatican exhibit “Gaudi, La Sagrada Familia of and the construction of La Sagrada Familia accompanied by Barcelona. Art, Science and Spirituality,” explores how Gaudi, a massive, aerial image of the church. a Catholic whose beatification cause is under way, The art section of the exhibit displays other incorporated art, science and spirituality in the works by Gaudi that contain physical and symdesign of the Barcelona church. bolic features similar to those used in La Sagrada The exhibit, which runs through Jan 15, proFamilia. Giralt-Miracle said the idea is “to vides a glimpse into Gaudi’s masterpiece through immerse spectators in Gaudi’s aesthetic, regaling images, models and virtual tours of the church. them with his colors, his forms and the wide range Construction of the church began in 1882 and is of artistic trades that he employed in his work.” expected to be finished in 2025. The section on science helps visitors underDuring a news conference Nov. 24, curator stand the technical, mathematic and geometrical Daniel Giralt-Miracle thanked the Pontifical aspects Gaudi used both in his models and in the Council for Culture and the Holy See for hosting construction of the church. The architects continuthe exhibit and explained its purpose. ing Gaudi’s work on La Sagrada Familia provided “We wanted to explain what is most essential two models that represent the completed version Crucifix at about Gaudi in a single exhibition, to do this of the church in 2025. Gaudi exhibit through his most outstanding work, La Sagrada The last section of the exhibit examines Familia de Barcelona, and through the three main vertices that Gaudi’s spiritual inspiration, symbolized in the architecture in my view shape his personality: art, science and spiritual- of the church. It features illustrations of the Passion Facade ity,” he said. and stained glass windows created by Gaudi’s successors Giralt-Miracle, who has studied the Catalan architect since using his instructions, as well liturgical objects and furniture the 1970s, said he hoped the exhibit will help visitors “under- from the church. stand Gaudi’s personality and his approach to his work.” He The exhibit ends with a short film featuring video clips said Gaudi took his inspiration from the Scriptures, the liturgy from Pope Benedict XVI’s 2010 visit to La Sagrada Familia and main characters in the Bible. to dedicate the church and proclaim it a minor basilica.

(CNS PHOTOS/PAUL HARING)

By Kristin Gobberg

At the Vatican Dec. 1 a visitor looks at a model of Antoni Gaudi’s Basilica of the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona.

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December 9, 2011

Catholic San Francisco

Single mother receives stable housing support through CCCYO By Gabrielle Slanina Gallagher Dana is a young, single mother living in the Bayview District of San Francisco. Each day, she wakes up, feeds her 8-month old son and gets ready for school. She carries her son in his stroller down three flights of stairs and is on the bus before the sun comes up. CCCYO’s Advent She drops her son off at a famSeason of Caring ily member’s home and heads to school. After a full day of classes, she picks up her son and heads home to cook dinner. At the end of the day, she thinks about where her life used to be and where she wants it to go now. A year ago, Dana was living with her aunt after years of living in the foster care system. When she became pregnant, she knew she wanted to give her son a chance at a better future. Her son, Javon, was born in February 2011. His first home was at Catholic Charities CYO. Dana’s life changed the day she entered St. Joseph’s Family Center, Catholic Charities CYO’s emergency shelter for families transitioning into long-term or supportive housing. She moved into the shelter when she was eight months pregnant and immediately began to work with her case managers and support staff to establish a plan for her future. Through counseling and parenting workshops, Dana learned to balance the emotions she was carrying from struggles she had with her own parents in order to focus on becoming the type of mother she wanted to be for her son. “I’m going to be there for my son every day. I want to be at every school event and field trip. I want to be on the PTA. I want to build a better life for him – the life I never had,” Dana says.

`I’m going to be there for my son every day. I want to be at every school event and field trip. I want to be on the PTA. I want to build a better life for him – the life I never had.’ – Dana, a CCCYO client

Pictured from left are former St. Joseph’s Family Center resident Dana with her case manager Caroline Caselli. Dana’s last name is withheld by request.

In addition to the therapeutic support she received, Dana also learned how to balance her budget with support from her case manager, Caroline Caselli. Dana began to understand the importance of money management and was able to identify what resources were available to her. After six months at St. Joseph’s, she has transitioned into her own apartment. She was able to pay her deposit and rent, in part, due to subsidies from Catholic Charities CYO’s homelessness prevention programs. “Dana is very ambitious and has so much motivation to change her life,” case

manager Caselli said. “She knows if you work hard enough, there will always be a way to make great things happen. Each small step brings her closer to her goal.” Dana takes the lessons and resources she received from Catholic Charities CYO and benefits from them every day. The counseling she received helps her be a better mother, the money management she

learned helps her make educated decisions, and the friendships she gained with staff and other residents remind her that a better life is possible. Dana is one of over 375 single parents who gain hope from Catholic Charities CYO’s work to prevent homelessness each year. Dana’s story is the second in a series from Catholic Charities CYO’s Advent Season of Caring campaign. This holiday giving campaign shares intimate stories of the clients the organization serves and how their lives have been changed for the better because of the organization’s work and the generosity of its supporters. For ways to help, visit www.cccyo.org/seasonofcaring or call (415) 972-1291.

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Catholic San Francisco

December 9, 2011

Catholic San Francisco

True spirit of stewardship St. Raphael Parish’s John Diego, 90, rises at 4:15 a.m. every day to serve God and his community After nearly seven decades in the work force, John Diego is spending his retirement years as any good steward would – gratefully and generously sharing his God-given gifts with others. Waking at 4:15 a.m., the 90-year-old former shoeshine man, cobbler, tractor grinder, furniture mover, Navy ship repairman, fire captain, landscaper, carpenter and general contractor puts his considerable professional experience and personal charm to indispensable use in his community. His daily routine at St. Raphael Parish in San Rafael begins with opening the parking lot gates at 5:30 a.m. and greeting worshippers at the 6:30 a.m. Mass. Following a quick run home for breakfast and a change into work clothes, he returns to attend to whatever needs fixing in the rectory, church, mission or classroom at the parish school. The list has run the gamut, from installing new wiring, changing the electrical outlets and replacing light fixtures throughout the complex to enlarging the kitchen, remodeling the altar and moving the choir loft. “He pretty much is familiar with every nook and cranny so if you need anything, John Diego knows where it is or how to fix it,” said Keenny Aguilar, parish secretary for the past 14 years. “He’s gone so far beyond what any volunteer can do, he’s a legend here.” His status as such was sealed in 2005 when former pastor, Father Paul Rossi, instituted the John Diego Stewardship Award. “I wanted to honor John as a faithful steward now, when he is alive and not merely posthumously so that it truly is a living award,” said Father Rossi, now pastor of St. Pius Parish in Redwood City. The priest was a classmate of one of Diego’s daughters at St. Raphael School. Recipients, selected by the parish pastoral council, receive the annual award at a special Mass and reception and have their name inscribed on a plaque in the church vestibule that bears an image of Diego’s face. “No one gets in or out the front doors of the church without a hug, kiss, handshake or hello from John,” Father Rossi said. Although retaining a remarkably youthful appearance, attitude and agility, Diego has not been immune to the aging process, necessitating some unwelcome restrictions on his activities. “I used to do everything, but Father Rossi said ‘no’ to climbing ladders,” said Diego, who prides himself on having scaled every light pole in San Rafael during his 33-year tenure with the city’s fire department.

“I made him promise not to climb ladders and crawl under floors,” Father Rossi said. “Still, he did things when my back was turned.” He recalled how eight years ago the 82-year-old Diego became stuck while crawling underneath the school flooring to make repairs. “He laughed and said, ‘OK,’ after I asked him to stop,” Father Rossi said. “He probably did it again, and I never knew.” “I have to hide the ladders from him,” said Vicky Otto, pastoral associate and parish manager, who oversees building maintenance. To secure his safety and his family’s peace of mind, Diego must now check in for his to-do list with the facilities manager. To increase the odds of compliance, that job has been assigned to Eduardo Vazquez – Diego’s grandson-in-law. “We thought it would make things easier than having to report to a stranger,” Otto said. The bighearted volunteer, who spent eight years ministering to inmates at San Quentin Prison and many more remodeling homes pro bono for his neighbors, reserves a particularly soft spot for his seven children, 18 grandchildren, 23 great-grandchildren and bride 26 years his junior. “He’s the most wonderful man in the world, totally dedicated to his family,” said Marsha Taffi, 64, who became Mrs. Diego on Jan. 16, 2010. Nearly 50 years earlier, the native San Franciscan was a classmate of one of Diego’s daughters at San Rafael High School. “It’s really God who put us together,” she said. Childless and unmarried, she had lost her sister and fell ill when the winsome widower came knocking at her door. “I was all alone, and he brought me Communion,” Marsha Diego said. “When I married him, I got an instant family of 90.” It includes four surviving sisters of Diego’s 13 siblings. Born in Auburn, N.Y., to Italian immigrant parents, who instilled in their children a belief in God and hard work, Diego set up three shoeshine chairs at an amusement park at age 12. He then moved through a series of jobs before joining the Navy. He served on a floating dry dock in Guam, repairing ships damaged in the fighting zone. In 1945, the Navy stationed him in Marin County, where he has done his good work ever since. “I’m now looking forward to seeing my fifth generation,” Diego said, noting that his oldest great-grandchild is 18, “and to continue to do the work God’s got for me – and there’s plenty of that left yet.”

‘I’m looking forward to seeing my fifth generation and to continue to do the work God’s got for me – and there’s plenty of that left yet.’ – John Diego

(PHOTO BY JOSE LUIS AGUIRRE/CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO)

By Lidia Wasowicz

John Diego is pictured in St. Raphael Church, on the parish grounds and at home with his wife, Marsha Diego. Diego earned such a high reputation for Catholic stewardship that an award was created in his name in 2005.

Catholic San Francisco

December 9, 2011

Guest Commentary

Rwanda: Bearing witness to the walking dead By Christine Therese Broesamle One night a strange woman wandered into my classroom in Rwanda, where we have our lectures for a master’s program (I am the only non-Rwandan in the class). The room got very quiet and most were looking at her with disgust and fear, calling for a security guard. “She is not in our class.” I realized the woman was mentally disturbed, with a rather ghostly presence. Then one classmate took over the situation, kindly asking the woman what she needed. She whispered her answers in my classmate’s ear, like a little child. It turned out that she was disoriented, looking for the office of someone who helps her financially. Afterward I talked with my classmate and commented gratefully on the gentleness with which she treated

Former mayor convicted In 1994 and in particular between April and July, some 800,000 Rwandans were killed during a campaign of extermination directed against Tutsis and moderate Hutus. On Nov. 17, in the latest trial to bring those responsible to justice, The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda found Gregoire Ndahimana, a former mayor of Kivumu Commune, guilty of genocide and extermination as a crime against humanity in connection with a massacre at the Catholic church in Nyange. The court sentenced him to 15 years in prison but found that a mitigating factor was “broad coordination among various groups, local and religious authorities as well as civilian assailants.” – Research by Catholic San Francisco

the lost waif. She said that the woman was traumatized from the 1994 genocide, possibly a repeated rape victim, and that she has worked with such people for years. To witness someone walking wounded like this, barely in the land of the living after 17 years, was sobering. It was as if she had one foot in the world and one foot in the netherworld among spirits. Most of the time I work with people who appear well Cover of “100 Days: In The and have plenty of savvy. I Land of a Thousand Hills,” often wonder what sort of a cartoon book for chilhealing is still needed. But dren by the International I recall what someone said Criminal Tribunal for to me recently: “You keep Rwanda, explaining the thinking of people like they 1994 Rwanda genocide are normal.” Last night was a vivid reminder that the pain is still horribly real for many people. I’m reminded also of the psychiatric hospital outside town, where a few hundred people spend their days, completely out of touch with reality, so totally beside themselves that one might forget to honor their humanity. I remember the first truly hungry man I met, my first week in this country. His cheeks hollowed out from starvation, eyes bulged from his face. In the clearest English, he said, “I am hungry. Can you help me?” I had two croissants in my bag,

The nation and American Catholics both can help keep Iraq from sliding into chaos once U.S. troops leave the country at the end of the year, said two U.S. bishops who visited Iraq for four days in October. “The U.S. withdrawal of combat troops does not reduce the obligation to help,” principally to protect Iraqis and provide assistance, said Bishop Gerald F. Kicanas of Tucson, Ariz., chairman of the board of Catholic Relief Services, during a Nov. 15 press briefing during the U.S. bishops’ fall general meeting in Baltimore. “It would be extremely important for our government to participate in an orderly transition. ... The great fear right now is if the troops leave, the violence will intensify,” Bishop Kicanas said. The American public needs to be sold on the necessity of providing sufficient aid to Iraqis in a time of budget crunches, said Bishop George V. Murry of Youngstown, Ohio, who accompanied Bishop Kicanas to Iraq. “It becomes a matter of not putting Iraq out of our minds” once the soldiers have returned, Bishop Murry said. “Along with the pain that we went through and the number of men and women who have lost their lives, we talked about going into Iraq to liberate Iraq from years of oppression. “That liberation is not just the physical removal of Saddam

Eternal sign of the rose We reflect back to the Oct. 1 feast of St. Therese, known well as the Little Flower, and her showering prayerful roses from heaven on those who pray to her. We remember the feast of the Holy Rosary, Oct. 7, when St. Dominic received a rosary from Our Lady and when Dominicans often pass out roses after Masses. I thought it would be a nice gesture to remember our retired San Rafael Dominican Sisters at Lourdes Convent with roses. On my way to find a florist I came upon a florist’s truck and asked the woman at the wheel

Letters welcome Catholic San Francisco One Peter Yorke Way San Francisco, CA 94109 Fax: (415) 614-5641 delvecchior@sfarchdiocese.org, include “Letters” in the subject line.

The writer is a parishioner at Church of the Nativity, Menlo Park, and has been a missionary since 2009 in the East African nation of Rwanda.

(CNS PHOTO/AZAD LASHKARI, REUTERS)

Report from Iraq: ‘We lived in Eden, now we have hell’

and I handed him one. He snatched it up and began tearing at it with his teeth right in front of me -- and Rwandans never eat food on the street. Horrified and moved, I gave him the other croissant and he blessed me over and over, thanking me as he walked away. I knew that I had just seen Jesus: “I was hungry and you gave me something to eat.” A few weeks ago I was startled to see someone who looked just like him, healthy and strong. I could have sworn it was the same man (you don’t vividly remember a chance encounter for two years for nothing), but he didn’t recognize me and he wasn’t speaking English! Maybe he got the gift of tongues so I could give him the bread. Steven Curtis Chapman’s song, “What Now” rings in my ears as God pushes me to continually say yes, to obey him and move forward: I saw the face of Jesus in a little orphan girl She was standing in the corner on the other side of the world And I heard the voice of Jesus gently whisper to my heart Didn’t you say you wanted to find Me? Well here I am, here you are So, what now? What will you do now that you found Me? What will you do with this treasure you’ve found? I know I may not look like what you expected But if you remember, this is right where I said I would be You’ve found Me What now?

An Iraqi woman prays in Irbil, Iraq, Sept. 11, 2011. Attacks on Iraqi Christians have increased in recent years.

Hussein, but we have to give them the opportunity to live their lives with dignity, with freedom and with hope.” Bishop Murry said that to aid Iraq he envisioned a “modern-day version of the Marshall Plan, which helped to rebuild Europe after the Second World War.” He also said the United States and Western Europe must be open to receiving refugees. The size of the Christian minority in Iraq, principally Chaldean Catholics, has shrunk since the war. While there had been an estimated 100,000 Christians in the capital

how I might buy the 24 roses I sought. “No need,” she said offering me 25 long-stemmed roses free of charge. All I had to do was pick them up. Her name was Teri and she lived just around the corner from the convent. She was a sign of the rose. The feast of St. Elizabeth of Hungary is Nov. 17. Devoted to the poor, she would carry food in her cloak for them. When once challenged about what she was carrying, her cloak was opened and roses fell to the ground instead of food. How appropriate for us to reflect on giving food to the poor at Thanksgiving and all year round. The feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Dec. 12, lets us reflect on Mary holding Jesus in her womb, a sign and request to end abortion. Our Lady not only let roses fall from Blessed Juan Diego’s cloak but also left her image for all to see. Our Lady of Guadalupe is a true sign of the rose. Mary asks us over and over again to pray the rosary every day. We can pray the rosary for many intentions including world peace,

city of Baghdad, Bishop Murry said he was told only 4,000 remain today. “We have focused so much on disengaging from Iraq and getting our soldiers back to our families,” he said. “Our president and our Congress have to realize there’s more to the question than bringing the soldiers home. We’re leaving a country that’s in very difficult straits and they need our help more than ever before.” According to a February report on Iraq by Human Rights Watch, “Attacks against minorities have had a profound effect by targeting their communities’ social infrastructure, leaving victims and others fearful to carry on with their everyday lives. Lacking militias and tribal structures to defend themselves, a disproportionate number have fled the country.” Bishop Kicanas said a frequent refrain he heard during the Iraq visit was, “We need jobs. We need work. We need peace.” In a Nov. 21 article in America magazine, Bishop Kicanas wrote, “The bishops encourage their people to stay in Iraq, this land that has been home to Christians from the very beginning of the church. The people, though, ask their bishops if they can assure their safety. The bishops are frustrated that they cannot give that assurance. Christians continue to leave.” Caritas Iraq is bringing people together to create an environment where peace can be nurtured, Bishop Kicanas wrote. “Caritas staff told us of the divisions that are tearing the community apart,” he wrote. “ One worker said, ‘We have lost the bridges of communication. We need peace building. We need peaceful messengers among Christians and Muslims, people who see peace as a viable alternative.’ “So much has been lost. As one bishop told us, ‘We lived in an Eden garden, and now we have hell.”’ – Catholic News Service, Catholic San Francisco

end to violence, suffering children throughout the world, the church, the pope, bishops, priests religious, laity and vocations, and an end to abortion. We can pray in thanksgiving for all our blessings and for the gift and sign of love in the rose. Marguerite A. Mueller San Rafael

Rep. Speier and food stamps

L E T T E R S

George Raine’s story on Congresswoman Jackie Speier, (“Humbling, difficult: Bay Area rep’s week on a food stamp diet,” Nov. 18) was the publicity that Speier wanted. Speier could care less about the working man/ woman. A career politician, she is beholden to special interests and lobbyists. Your story made Speier look great. Your newspaper and reporter and editor surely didn’t do their homework. Speier is very pro-abortion;

research her voting record. Her voting record on abortion goes against Catholic doctrine. Steve Duncan Burlingame

Guest worker abuse

Please print again Tony Magliano’s column of Sept. 9 (“Guest worker abuse outrage”) suggesting that we stop shopping at Target and Walmart in protest of the working conditions for women making their products outside of the United States. We can’t in conscience ignore the fact that it amounts to having tortured women slaves making the clothes we buy at the two stores. I stopped shopping at Target when the article first appeared. I miss shopping at Target but can’t in conscience go there anymore. Anne Johnson Tiburon

December 9, 2011

Catholic San Francisco

Archbishop’s Journal

A God who is hard to shop for What gift do you give a God who has everything? No doubt about it, God is hard to shop for at Christmas time. Maybe that’s why he gets overlooked on many a list. First of all, God doesn’t need anything. There isn’t anything he’s run out of, or hasn’t seen in the stores, or would be surprised by. And if God has a wish list, you and I haven’t seen it. Or have we? Sometimes the gifts people give provide a clue to what they would like to receive. After all, it was God who gave the first Christmas gift 2000 years ago. He wrapped his divine son in flesh and blood like ours and gave him to all of us. And God gave us the gift of Jesus Christ forever. If there was ever a “gift that keeps on giving” it certainly is our savior. So many other precious gifts come from the gift: our Catholic faith and church; our share in God’s life in baptism; our spiritual food from heaven in

Eucharist; the forgiveness of our sins in the sacrament of reconciliation; eternal life with the Father and the Son and the Spirit. God gave his son as saving gift for all, and men hung him on a tree – not a Christmas tree but a cross. Then his Father raised him from the dead so that all could have life in Christ’s name and power. Surely, God’s gift to us at Christmas provides the best hint about what to give him in return. In giving Jesus God gave us himself, and that is what God wants us to give him – ourselves. Your self is the only gift God will not have if you do not give it to him. St. Ignatius Loyola, founder of the Jesuits, grasped this truth very well. His famous prayer expressed the gift of self to God perfectly: “Take Lord, and receive all my liberty, my memory, my understanding and my entire will – all that I have and possess. You have given all to

me. To you, O Lord, I return it. All is yours, dispose of it wholly according to your will. Give me your love and your grace, for this is sufficient for me.” How should we wrap the gift of self Archbishop to God at Christmas? George It probably doesn’t matter much, though Niederauer it certainly is important to let God keep the gift permanently, and to let him do with it what he wants, according to his loving will.

Twenty Something

Christmas paintings that open our eyes By Christina Capecchi I’ve been shopping for the perfect Christmas card, sifting through Nativity scenes framed in holly berries and bows. None of the Marys feel right. The lips are taut. The face is unblemished. We see none of the bliss and bewilderment that must have surged after birthing the son of God. We see no emotion at all. This year’s traditional Christmas stamp issued by U.S. Postal Service, Raphael’s “Madonna of the Candelabra,” shows a stoic Mary casting her eyes away from her infant. Painted in the early 16th century, it was a product of the Italian High Renaissance, but it’s hard to imagine the new mom letting a single moment pass without studying the Savior in her hands. Eventually I found a card that compelled me, the store’s last boxed set of its kind. First I noticed the baby, who looks as he should: like a baby: brown fuzzy hair, apples for cheeks and a light in his eyes. Mary holds him close, kissing his right cheek. The painting was inspired 11 years ago when Morgan Weistling, now a 47-year-old father in California, heard Steve Amerson’s song “Mary, Did You Know?” on the radio. It was the Dolly Parton version. One phrase stood out to him: “when you kiss your little baby you’ve kissed the face of God.” “Immediately I felt I was supposed to paint this,” Morgan told me. “I had been praying and asking God, ‘Give me an idea here.’”

Amerson’s phrasing appealed to him. “This little child she bore was God in the flesh, and yet, she cuddled and kissed him just as all mothers do.” The painting poured out of Morgan in three days. He didn’t feel the need to sketch in charcoal on his canvas to begin, as he usually does; it was oil paint right away. He didn’t go back to make any alterations. The first draft was the final. Morgan’s paintings are so realistic they look like pictures, and he uses people as models. His Mary was 16, a brunette named Katie who had a “sweet humbleness to her,” Morgan said. “It wouldn’t have worked with a blonde.” The baby was of Jewish descent, born to a woman with a crack addiction and recently placed in a foster home. Morgan knew he needed to master Mary’s kiss, rendering it tender, not “hokey.” Her left hand, pressing the swaddled baby to her heart, also was crucial. Morgan had long admired the way Mary’s marble hand grips Jesus’ side in Michelangelo’s Pieta. Morgan’s published image, titled “Kissing the Face of God,” sold out in two weeks. It remains his most popular painting – “my big gift from God,” he said – and the only original he’s kept, despite a standing offer of $100,000. Every year Morgan receives requests to reproduce the image. One year National Geographic used it for a corporate Christmas card. The painting speaks to the brokenhearted, Morgan told me. “A lot of women who have lost a child really attach to ‘Kissing the Face of God.’”

“Kissing the Face of God” by Morgan Weistling

I’m grateful to the artists who help us see ourselves in the Blessed Mother, because she is for everyone. I once spoke to a victim of clergy abuse who had lost her Catholic faith but held on to Mary. I read about a woman whose conversion to Catholicism began in labor, when she called on Mary in urgent prayer: “Don’t abandon me now.” This season we celebrate the mother who brings us to God with such capacity for love and grief and everything in between. Christina Capecchi is a freelance writer from Inver Grove Heights, Minn. She can be reached at www.ReadChristina.com.

The Catholic Difference

Books – real books – for Christmas If memory serves, this past year saw electronic books top printed books in the sales figures at Amazon.com. Be that as it may, books – real books – still make wonderful Christmas gifts. Here are some recently published (and read) titles I can recommend with enthusiasm. “The Union War,” by Gary W. Gallagher (Harvard University Press): As the Civil War sesquicentennial gets underway in earnest, it’s good to have Gary Gallagher of the University of Virginia as a guide to why what happened, happened. His book argues that the northern war was, above all, a war for the Union, as his previous volume, “The Confederate War,” demonstrated that nationalism, and the defense of what the South understood to be its liberties, was at the heart of its war effort. Gallagher uses the tools of social history, including letters from veterans on both sides and Civil War-era journalism, to buttress his case. “Ascension Theology,” by Douglas Farrow (T & T Clark): One of North America’s rising younger theologians, Doug Farrow of Montreal’s McGill University, is also a superb writer who makes theology come alive for the literate, but not necessarily specialist, reader. He positions the Ascension at the center of the Christian proclamation and creed and thereby sheds new light on everything, from the nature of the church to the full meaning of the Eucharist. “Newman and His Contemporaries,” by Edward Short (T & T Clark): Another Newman book? Well, yes, and a particularly fine one that explores Newman’s relationships with the great ecclesiastical, literary, political and journalistic

figures of his time. Short’s close reading of Newman’s vast correspondence also demonstrates just how many of our postVatican II arguments were anticipated in the 19th century among Newman and his interlocutors. “YouCat” (Ignatius Press): I will admit to a certain skepticism when the Youth Catechism of the Catholic Church was announced, but my dubieties have given way to enthusiasm. The Q-and-A of a classic catechism is complemented here by deftly chosen, brief selections from Scripture, the Fathers of the Church, great saints, and noble human spirits of many cultures. Good for the “young” from, say, 18 to 85 or so. “The Tigress of Forli,” by Elizabeth Lev (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt): I’m a suspect witness in the matter of Liz Lev, a friend with whom I’m working on a book on the Roman station church pilgrimage of Lent. She’s the best Anglophone art and architecture guide in Rome, and in her first book she has also shown herself a master storyteller. Caterina Riario Sforza de Medici was indeed, as the book’s subtitle proclaims, “Renaissance Italy’s most courageous and notorious countess,” and Lev’s re-creation of her life opens up a dramatic world of intrigue and passion, even as it illuminates Italian Catholic life on the edge of that religious tsunami, the Reformation. “The Forum and the Tower,” by Mary Ann Glendon (Oxford University Press): A collection of essays on scholars, politicians, and their interaction from one of the Catholic Church’s most distinguished laywomen, who, in her new book, runs the keyboard from Plato to Oliver Wendell Holmes with-

out misplaying a chord. The former U.S. ambassador to the Vatican is equally at home explaining why Cicero was the superstar of ancient Rome and how Eleanor Roosevelt worked with the Lebanese George Weigel scholar-diplomat Charles Malik to give birth to the modern human rights movement. Further disclosure: Professor Glendon is another friend – and the mother of Elizabeth Lev, thus falsifying any claim that parent and child can’t share a literary vocation. “Catholicism: A Journey to the Heart of the Faith,” by Robert E. Barron (Image): The companion book to the brilliant 10-part television series, this eminently readable exploration of Catholicism-in-full is an even ampler introduction to the mind and spirit of the church’s most important American apologist. “Portrait of a Spy,” by Daniel Silva (Harper): It’s hard not to get addicted to Silva’s Gabriel Allon novels of international skullduggery. James Bond and his supporting cast were cardboard cartoons compared to the fictional characters Dan Silva, a man with a well-calibrated moral compass, has created. George Weigel is distinguished senior fellow of the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington, D.C.

Catholic San Francisco

A READING FROM THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET ISAIAH IS 61:1-2A, 10-11 The spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me; he has sent me to bring glad tidings to the poor, to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and release to the prisoners, to announce a year of favor from the Lord and a day of vindication by our God. I rejoice heartily in the Lord, in my God is the joy of my soul; for he has clothed me with a robe of salvation and wrapped me in a mantle of justice, like a bridegroom adorned with a diadem, like a bride bedecked with her jewels. As the earth brings forth its plants, and a garden makes its growth spring up, so will the Lord God make justice and praise spring up before all the nations. RESPONSORIAL PSALM LK 1:46-48, 49-50, 53-54 My soul rejoices in my God. My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked upon his lowly servant. From this day all generations will call me blessed: My soul rejoices in my God. A holy man’s followers wanted to know the stages he had passed through before attaining enlightenment. “God led me first into the land of action,” he said. “Years later, he led me into the land of sorrows, where my heart was purged of all inordinate attachments. Then I was led into the land of love whose flames consumed whatever was left in me of self. That’s when God led me into the land of silence where the mysteries of life and death were revealed to me.” Eager, the disciples asked if it was the final stage. “No,” said the enlightened man. “God one day said that he would take me into the innermost sanctuary of the temple, into depth of the divine heart. And he led me into the land of joy.” Joy is the theme of this Sunday, traditionally known as Gaudete (Rejoice!) Sunday. Despite the vagaries and vicissitudes of our life, God possesses the power to lead us into the realm of joy. Joy in the biblical sense is not a superficial sense of happiness or contentment, but a state of fullness of life, a glimpse into the realization of our ultimate destiny, a taste of the culmination of blessings, a touch of superabundance of love, and an assurance of perfection of our personhood. Joy is part of God’s grand design for the human family. Anticipating Christmas in two

December 9, 2011

Third Sunday of Advent Isaiah 61:1-2a, 10-11; Luke 1:46-48, 49-50, 53-54; I Thessalonians 5:16-24; John 1:6-8, 19-28 The Almighty has done great things for me, and holy is his Name. He has mercy on those who fear him in every generation. My soul rejoices in my God. He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty. He has come to the help of his servant Israel for he has remembered his promise of mercy, My soul rejoices in my God. A READING FROM THE FIRST LETTER OF PAUL TO THE THESSALONIANS 1 THES 5:16-24

Brothers and sisters: Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. In all circumstances give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophetic utterances. Test everything; retain what is good. Refrain from every kind of evil. May the God of peace make you perfectly holy and may you entirely, spirit, soul, and body, be preserved blameless for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will also accomplish it.

Scripture reflection FATHER CHARLES PUTHOTA

Are we ready to rejoice? weeks, this Sunday we hear the clarion call to be prepared for joy. At Christmas time, there will be joy to the world wrapped in glad tidings. When Easter comes, there will be the risen Christ’s joy which no one can take away from us. Come to think of it, Jesus’ life is framed by joy at birth and resurrection. Instructing the Thessalonians to “rejoice always,” Paul prays that they “entirely, spirit, soul, and body, be preserved blameless for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” The

hope for joy on account of the nearness of the Lord is made clear again in the letter to the Philippians 4:4: “Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it again: Rejoice…. The Lord is near.” Isaiah too celebrates God’s gift of joy as related to the mission to establish justice: “I rejoice heartily in the Lord, in my God is the joy of my soul.” Joy will enable the prophet – and all of us – to seek out those crushed by society and bring liberty to those enslaved in

A READING FROM THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN JN 1:6-8, 19-28 A man named John was sent from God. He came for testimony, to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to testify to the light. And this is the testimony of John. When the Jews from Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to him to ask him, “Who are you?” He admitted and did not deny it, but admitted, “I am not the Christ.” So they asked him, “What are you then? Are you Elijah?” And he said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” He answered, “No.” So they said to him, “Who are you, so we can give an answer to those who sent us? What do you have to say for yourself?” He said: “I am the voice of one crying out in the desert, ‘make straight the way of the Lord,’” as Isaiah the prophet said.” Some Pharisees were also sent. They asked him, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ or Elijah or the Prophet?” John answered them, “I baptize with water; but there is one among you whom you do not recognize, the one who is coming after me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to untie.” This happened in Bethany across the Jordan, where John was baptizing. various ways. Jesus himself who will proclaim this passage in the synagogue at Nazareth will realize that it is fulfilled in his own life. Each of us is anointed by the spirit and filled with joy to bring about the transformation of society and culture in favor of blessings for everyone. Hence personal purification is necessary, especially in Advent, a season of conversion. As John the Baptist is self-effacing in acknowledging that he is neither the Christ, nor Elijah, nor a prophet, but a mere voice crying out in the desert, we need to seek God’s grace to be freed from selfishness and pride. How can we hope to change the world without changing ourselves? Approaching Christmas soon, let us rejoice, like Isaiah, like John the Baptist, like Mary, at what God can do in our lives. Emptied of inflated ego, filled with joy, we can do wonders for God and people. The world desperately looks up to us for the material and spiritual blessings. Are we ready to rejoice? Are we willing to be sharers of God’s joy? Can we thus help Jesus be born all over again in the world? Father Charles Puthota is pastor of St. Veronica Parish in South San Francisco.

Question Corner

Confirmation sponsors; gluten-free hosts Question: In the past, I have been privileged to be the confirmation sponsor for two of my grandchildren, one in Kentucky and the other in Indiana. Another grandchild is scheduled to be confirmed soon and was told that neither parents nor grandparents could be sponsors. I don’t understand this, since I was the sponsor for this child’s sister only four years ago. Could you please explain? (Floyds Knobs, Ind.) Answer: What you heard is incorrect. It is true that a parent cannot be a confirmation sponsor, but grandparents are certainly permitted to be and often are. The church’s Code of Canon Law (No. 893) stipulates that, with reference to sponsors, the same rules apply to confirmation as to baptism, and one of those rules (No. 874) clearly states that a sponsor may “not be the father or mother of the one to be baptized.” No mention at all is made of grandparents. The reason for excluding parents is evident: The role of the sponsor is to assist the parents in the religious upbringing of their child. Parents, in the Ritual of Baptism, are called “the first teachers of their child in the ways of faith,” and they will nearly always be the primary influence on the religious outlook of their children; but the church provides additional guidance in the person of sponsors, so that the child will have an even greater likelihood of developing into a true witness to the Christian faith. A sponsor must be a Catholic who has already received the sacraments of baptism, first Communion and confirmation, and who “leads a life of faith in keeping with the function to be taken on” (No. 874), and many grandparents are well qualified.

Question: A woman I know claims to have celiac disease; she says that she is not able to receive holy Communion because it is bread, and that, if she takes the host, she will become violently ill. She told me that she discussed this with her parish priest, who told her that she could bring a “wafer” from home, which he would then consecrate and give to her as Communion. I find it hard to believe that something as small as a Communion wafer would make her sick. Could you comment? (Mays Landing, N.J.) Answer: It’s quite likely that the woman is describing her condition accurately. Some studies estimate that as many as one in 130 Americans suffers from celiac disease, and even a small amount of gluten can trigger in them an adverse reaction. Canon No. 924 of the Code of Canon Law specifies that the Eucharist must be celebrated with bread and wine (after the model of Jesus at the Last Supper), and that “the bread must be only wheat.” So where does that leave the celiac sufferer? Fortunately, there is a solution, one which our own parish has employed for the last two years. The Benedictine Sisters in Clyde, Mo. (telephone (800) 223-2772), after 10 years of research, have developed “low-gluten altar breads,” which comply both with church requirements and the needs of those who cannot tolerate wheat gluten. The gluten content of these hosts is .01 percent, and, in the opinion of experts from the Center for Celiac Research at the University of Maryland, “you would have

to eat 270 wafers every day to reach the danger point.” (With abundant caution, though, the sisters advise that celiac sufferers still consult their doctors before receiving these hosts.) The hosts are shipped Father separately from regular Kenneth Doyle altar breads, and the priest consecrates them on a separate paten. In our parish, the celiac sufferer simply alerts the priest before Mass, and the priest puts a low-gluten host on the altar to be consecrated and given to that person at Communion time. The alternative, of course, is for the person to receive Communion only from the cup, but this may not work for a variety of reasons: Some people with celiac disease also suffer from a cross-allergy to wine or the wine can become contaminated when the priest drops a small particle of the host into the chalice. Even though one who takes the precious blood from the cup receives Christ as surely as one who takes the host, some people may feel that they have not participated fully if they are unable to receive the host. Father Doyle’s column is carried by Catholic News Service. Send questions to askfatherdoyle@gmail. com and 40 Hopewell St., Albany, N.Y. 12208.

December 9, 2011

Catholic San Francisco

Poverty in the midst of plenty: Hunger persists in the United States Hardship in the US

Poor and near-poor

The number of people at risk of hunger increased from 36.2 million in 2007 to 48.8 million in 2010. Charities and food assistance programs are feeling the strain with these increased numbers.

The face of poverty in the United States is more diverse than shown by official measures, according to a new Supplemental Poverty Measure developed by the Census Bureau. The new measure looks at the impact on household finances of government benefits, taxes, expenses for necessities and health care costs. The results show higher SPM poverty rates than the official measure for most groups. The following characteristics define many Americans included in the new measure.

unemployed

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program households

Food Bank Client households

– 65 and older

– Foreign born

– Living in a male householder unit – Living in suburbs outside principal cities

– Living in the West

0 BEFORE THE RECESSION Sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics, USDA, Feeding America

the most desperate people in the world,” said the Rev. David Beckmann. The Lutheran minister, who is president of Bread for the World, a Christian anti-hunger lobby, made the comments in a preface to the organization’s 22nd annual hunger report, titled this year “Rebalancing Act: Updating U.S. Food and Farm Policies.” The report is peppered with indictments of current U.S. food policy. “Current policies favor production of calories, not nutrients,” it said. “Today, the United States does not even produce enough fruits and vegetables for Americans to meet the recommended daily allowances of vitamins and minerals.” Elsewhere, the report noted: “Agricultural research has been starved for public support. Shrinking food supplies, and the use of food crops to make biofuels, such as corn to make ethanol, are driving up the cost of food well beyond what people in poverty can afford.” One woman reported that on days when money is scarce, she’ll get by on a two-liter bottle of soda to feel full so that her children can eat real meals. “We do not need farm policies that encourage farmers to produce more fats and sweeteners to feed hungry children,” the report said. At a Nov. 21 news conference to introduce the “Rebalancing Act” report, Rev. Beckmann said a new farm bill should get rid of agricultural subsidies in favor of revenue insurance, thus freeing up more funds for nutrition assistance in a country where federal statistics show that close to 46 million people are living in poverty. “What farmers really need is some risk management,” Rev. Beckmann said.

– With private health insurance

AFTER THE RECESSION

– Research by Catholic San Francisco

(CNS PHOTO/NANCY PHELAN WIECHEC)

WASHINGTON (CNS) – As U.S. nutritionists cringe over the prospect of an overweight nation indulging in a two-month binge of “season’s eatings” – from Halloween candy to Thanksgiving dinners to Christmas feasts to New Year’s parties – there are millions of Americans who aren’t sure they’re going to get enough to eat this day or the next. The problem is made worse by lack of access to nutritious food, as residents of America’s poorest cities and neighborhoods have little choice but to make do with fast food or convenience stores that don’t stock fresh produce. And even if they were the food-savviest consumers in the country, the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program – the new name for food stamps – doesn’t stretch far enough to let each member in the household eat a healthy meal three times a day, seven days a week. Earlier this year, SNAP benefits were cut to pay for a boost in school lunch programs. Hunger isn’t the only issue. A Catholic Charities USA third-quarter “snapshot” of its member agencies issued Nov. 22 found that 88 percent of the agencies either had to turn away people or maintain a waiting list for at least one service, 64 percent couldn’t meet the need for emergency financial assistance, and 56 percent couldn’t meet requests for utility assistance – including 67 percent in Southern states dogged by heat waves and an extended drought. In the Archdiocese of San Francisco, Catholic Charities CYO participated in the snapshot survey results “and we definitely have had to maintain waiting lists,” said communications officer Gabrielle Gallagher. Catholic Charities CYO supplied these statistics for the period from July 1 to Sept 30, 2011: for utilities and rental subsidy assistance, wait list of 70 people; child care, 66 children on wait list as of July 1; counseling services, up to eight people on wait list; immigration services, wait list of 50 people for U-Visa counsel and 120 people turned away for immigration workshop due to capacity challenges; and refugee services, 25 turned away/referred elsewhere. “It is also important to note that our St. Joseph’s Family Center utilizes the San Francisco city wait list for families entering emergency shelter,” Gallagher said. “For the period July 1 – Sept 30, this number was at an all-time high at 227. It was recently reported that number is now closer to 267 families.” What’s more, according to the Catholic Charities USA snapshot, requests for help by the working poor were up 80 percent over the second quarter, requests by families were up 66 percent, by the homeless up 60 percent – and by the middle class up 59 percent. “In the House’s agricultural appropriations bill for 2012, it voted to take away nutrition assistance from 600,000 young children and their mothers who now participate in the WIC (Women, Infants and Children) program and to eliminate food aid rations for 14 million of

households (millions)

By Mark Pattison

A woman tows away groceries she received from the food ministry at St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church in northeast Washington Nov. 9. The number of people seeking help has doubled over the last year or so, said the ministry’s coordinator.

Tianna Gaines-Turner, mother of three children and stepmother to another three, is a member of Witnesses to Hunger, founded in Philadelphia by a Drexel University professor so hungry people could document what their lives are like continuously living hand-tomouth. After two years of volunteering, she got a job with Witnesses to Hunger last year

and is helping set up new chapters in Boston, Baltimore, Omaha, Neb., and Martha’s Vineyard, Mass. – not the first place one associates with hunger and poverty. Gaines-Hunter told Catholic News Service Nov. 21 she planned to spend Thanksgiving “thankful that I have an adequate meal” and a safe, secure place to live for herself and her family. Some are even less lucky. The D.C. Central Kitchen prepares 426 breakfasts and dinners each day for 801 East, a men’s shelter in Washington operated by Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington. For many of the men, it is the only food they’ll eat all day. The men must be out of the shelter by 7 a.m. each day, and cannot return until 7 p.m. each night. The number of homeless men climbed with the onset of the 2008 recession, said Paul Amara, who helps manage shelters for Catholic charities. It was in this downturn, he added, that he first started seeing young men barely past the age of majority seeking shelter. Amara told CNS that 801 East tries to give the men a little something extra at Thanksgiving and Christmas; some of the men may be taken in by relatives for the holiday. But the dynamics of homelessness are complicated, he said. “Some stay and move on to other transitional housing programs. We have guys who come into the shelter and in the matter of a month or two get a job or something,” Amara said. “We have some who stay forever. We also have recidivists. From November to March, the chronically homeless stay off the street. “After that, you see them disappear.”

New Jersey bishops call for ‘action agenda’ to face rising poverty TRENTON, N.J. (CNS) – Poor people in New Jersey number in the hundreds of thousands and yet “they are often invisible to us,” said the state’s Catholic bishops in a Nov. 21 statement on the growing rate of poverty. “As the plight of these, our brothers and sisters, continues to spiral downward, we cannot stand by in silence,” they said. “We cannot ignore children who go to bed hungry, parents who are jobless, families who are homeless, the sick who suffer without medical care, or the elderly who live in infested or unsafe housing. “We ... call upon all people of good will to address the critical needs of the poor who live among us. We must remember that the moral worth of a society is measured primarily by how justly it responds to the most vulnerable,” the bishops said. Individual efforts to help the poor are “a critical starting point and even can be noble and lifesaving,” but more is needed, they said,

and called for an “’agenda for action’ by individuals, churches, synagogues, mosques, government and the private sector.” To that end, the bishops announced the New Jersey Catholic Conference, with cooperation from Catholic Charities agencies, will convene four task forces to help develop that agenda by focusing on “critical issues impacting poverty: the weakening of family life, failing education systems, unemployment and low-paying jobs, and unavailable affordable housing.” “The goal will be to identify pragmatic recommendations to help strengthen families, improve schools, reduce unemployment, assure living wages and increase affordable housing,” the bishops explained. They will put together an advisory council of community leaders to oversee the initiative. Citing national and state statistics on population, labor and the economy, the bishops noted that the latest figure from the U.S.

Census Bureau, released Nov. 11, shows that more than 49 million Americans, or 16 percent of the total population, live in poverty. The Census Bureau said it arrived at the new figure by using a broader formula to calculate data released in September, which said 46. 2 million people were living in poverty, or 15. 1 percent. In New Jersey, “a state that is frequently ranked as the second- or third-richest state in the country,” the bishops said that more than 799,000 residents “had incomes lower than the official poverty rate – incomes so low that they were unable to make ends meet and required food stamps to survive.” The state figures were for 2009, the latest available. “Poverty has many faces – the young and old, the professional and nonprofessional, the educated and uneducated, the native born and the immigrant, and those with or without a religious faith,” the bishops said, noting that poor people live in cities, suburbs

and rural areas and may even be one’s nextdoor neighbor. “The poor are not a static socioeconomic group. Many people who were once selfsufficient now find themselves on the edge of poverty because of a life-changing event,” they said. Catholic Charities agencies are reporting that some people who were once donors “are now clients in need of services.” Catholic social teaching calls for providing direct services to those in need and also addressing inequities in society by advocating for “fair public policies” for housing, health care and education, the bishops said. “Scripture calls us to act with courage, generosity, justice and love. If we fail to act, our faith commitment rings hollow,” they said. “Empathy, alone, does not help the poor. We need a firm societal commitment to action – a grass-roots movement that begins with individuals, and then expands to family, community and government,” the bishops said.

Catholic San Francisco

December 9, 2011

Ministry of presence (PHOTOS BY JOSE LUIS AGUIRRE/CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO)

St. Raymond Parish Vincentians deliver ‘coffee and a smile’ to area day laborers By Dana Perrigan On a cool and cloudy November morning, Freddy Perez stands among a group of men in the Home Depot parking lot in San Carlos. Dressed for work in cement-splattered boots and jeans, he and the others have traveled from Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras to make their living as day laborers in the United States. For $10 an hour – the going rate – they will pour cement, paint, frame a house or office building, sheetrock walls, pull weeds, mow lawns and dig ditches. “We will do any work to feed ourselves and our families,” says Perez, a stocky, middle-aged man with a mustache and a missing index finger on his right hand. “There is no work where we come from. But lately, there hasn’t been much here, either.” Along the eastern perimeter of the store’s parking lot there are half a dozen similar groups, about 80 men altogether, who have

Marie Christine Escudero, left, a volunteer from St. Raymond Parish; Lorraine Moriarty, executive director of SVdP San Mateo, and Roger Hagman talk to a day laborer while he enjoys a cup of coffee with cookies.

‘There is no work where we come from, but lately there hasn’t been much here, either.’ – Freddy Perez been waiting since dawn for a truck or van to pull up and offer them a job. The men in Perez’ group smile when they spot an approaching van. While they know that this particular vehicle – which bears the logo of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul on its exterior – contains no offer of work, they are still happy to see it. They gather around it as it comes to a halt to welcome those inside, who emerge bearing steaming carafes of Peet’s coffee, cream and sugar, and cookies. “This is very much a ministry of presence,” says the van’s driver, Roger Hagman. “We give them coffee and a smile. We let them know that there are people who care about them. I don’t think people do very much for them – they’re always out there doing things for everybody else.” Hagman and other occupants of the van belong to the St. Raymond Conference of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. Shortly after purchasing the van two years ago, they began ministering to the day laborers here every other Friday morning – delivering coffee and cheer and, when needed, connecting day laborers in need with other services and programs. “It’s very much a kind of grass-roots operation,” says Hagman, an architect with Hagman Associates and a former St. Vincent de Paul board member. “We go out to a couple of spots where they tend to gather to look for jobs.” A native of Mexico who has been in California for four years now, Perez shows up at the parking lot six mornings a week. “When I first came here, there was a lot of work,” he says. “I worked every day. Now, I work two or three days a week.” Marie-Christine Escudero, a parishioner at St. Raymond’s in Menlo Park, pours a cup of coffee for Pablo, a 26-year-old Guatemalan who asks that his full name not be used. Pablo, who says he has been in the United States six years, is married and has an 8 day-old son. He and his wife, who works

Arnoldo Xitumul arrived in the United States from Guatemala two years ago.

Adalberto Carrasco, right, from Mexico has lived in the United States for 23 years. He worked as a waiter’s assistant but lost his job. In the last year, he has been a day laborer. Jose Luis Diaz, left, arrived from Mexico two months ago.

St. Raymond parishioner Roger Hagman waves to day laborers as his van approaches their location.

cleaning hotel rooms, share an apartment with another family. “Yesterday,” says Pablo, speaking in Spanish, “I made only $30. The day before, there was no work. But still, we are much better off here than we were in Guatemala.” A native of Mexico, Sergio – who also declined to give his last name – has been in the United States 20 years. He and his wife have five children. “When I first came to the United States,” he says, “We lived in Texas and Arizona. But there is a lot of racism there, and so we came to California.” Sometimes, says Sergio, contractors refuse to pay them after the job is done, or give them less than was promised. Since they have no legal status, there is nothing they can do. A native of Honduras, Hector came from

Los Angeles to the Bay Area a year ago to find work. His wife and two children are still in Los Angeles. He shares an apartment with six other men in Menlo Park. “We are just like everyone else,” he says. “We are just trying to make a better life for ourselves. I have to come here – I have no choice.” Hector says he works two or three days a week. “Today,” he says, glancing up at the darkening clouds, “there will probably be no work because of the rain.” But there will be, thanks to the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, at least a cup of hot coffee and cookies. The men show their appreciation with a smile and a slight bow as they receive what is given to them. Helping to pass out coffee and cookies,

Day laborers say that a good way to start the day is having a hot cup of coffee and some cookies. Sometimes this is their only meal of the day.

Lorraine Moriarty – executive director of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul in San Mateo County – says the mobile outreach van offers another way for the agency to fulfill its mission of serving the poor. Because of the foundering economy, says Moriarty, the need is growing. During the past two years (fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 2010) the society helped more than 2,500 households with rent assistance. Last year, 40,000 residents were assisted with food, clothing or temporary shelter. The mobile outreach van, Moriarty says, has enabled the society to gain the trust of the day laborers. “They know they’re not going to be judged,” says Moriarty, “They know that they’re going to be treated as a brother or a sister.”

December 9, 2011

Catholic San Francisco

Spirituality for Life

Empathy for the world, like it or not By Father Ron Rolheiser There’s a story told, more legend perhaps than fact, about a mayor of a large American city in the late 1960s. It wasn’t a good time for his city: It was facing financial bankruptcy, crime rates were spiraling, its public transportation system was no longer safe at night, the river supplying its drinking water was dangerously polluted, the air was rife with racial tension, and there were strikes and street protests almost weekly. As the story goes, the mayor was flying over the city in a helicopter at rush hour on a Friday afternoon. As the rush-hour bustle and traffic drowned out most everything else, he looked down at what seemed a teeming mess and said to one of his aides: “Wouldn’t it be nice if there was a plunger and we could flush this whole mess into the ocean!” He was being facetious, but I worry that we sometimes subtly think the same thing about our world. Too often we and our churches tend to see the world precisely as a mess, as caught up in mindless trivialization, as self-indulgent, as narcissistic, as shortsighted, as no longer having values that demand self-sacrifice, of worshipping fame, of being addicted to material goods, and of being anti-church and antiChristian. Indeed, it is common today in our churches to see the world as our enemy. And, far from feeling heartbroken about it, we feel smug and righteous as we gleefully witness its downfall: The world is getting what it deserves! Godlessness is its own punishment! That’s what it gets for not listening to us! In this, our attitude is the antithesis of Jesus’ attitude toward the world. Jesus loved the world. Really? Yes. Is this what the Gospels teach? Yes.

Here’s how the Gospels describe Jesus’ reaction toward the world that rejected him: As Jesus drew near to Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it saying: “If you, even you, had only recognized on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes.” Jesus sees what happens when people try to live without God, the mess, the pain, the heartbreak, and, far from rejoicing that the world isn’t working, his heart aches with empathy: If only you could see what you’re doing! Looking at a world that’s breaking down because of its self-absorption, Jesus responds with empathy, not glee; with understanding, not judgment; with heartache, not rubbing salt in the wounds; and with tears, not good riddance. Loving parents and loving friends understand exactly what Jesus was feeling at the moment when he wept over Jerusalem. What frustrated, heartbroken parent hasn’t looked at a son or daughter caught up in wrong choices and selfdestructive behavior and wept inside as the words spontaneously formed: If only you could see what you’re doing! If only I could do something to spare you the damage you’re doing to your life by this blindness! If only you could recognize the things that make for peace! But you can’t see, and it breaks my heart! The same is true among friends. True friends don’t rejoice and become gleeful when their friends make bad choices and their lives begin to collapse. Instead there are tears, mingled with anxious empathy, with heartache, with pleading, with prayers. Genuine love is empathic and empathy is never gleeful at someone else’s downfall. We are asked by our Christian faith to have a genuine love for the world. The world isn’t our enemy. It’s our wayward

child and our loved friend who is breaking our heart. That can be hard to see and accept when in fact the world is often belligerent and arrogant in its attitude toward us, when it’s angry with us, when it wrongly judges us, and when it scapegoats us. But that’s exactly what suffering children often do to their parents and friends when they make bad choices and suffer the consequences of that.

The 17-year-old standing belligerent and angry before her parents isn’t a bad person, she’s just not yet fully grown up. That’s true too for our world: It’s not a bad place; it’s just far from being a finished and mature one. Oblate Father Ron Rolheiser is president of the Oblate School of Theology in San Antonio, Texas.

Benedictine Heritage Journey to Italy Led by Fr. Geoffrey Fecht and Fr. Eric Hollas

April 10-21, 2012

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Catholic San Francisco

December 9, 2011

Politics, human failings behind world famines, author contends “THREE FAMINES: STARVATION AND POLITICS” by Thomas Keneally. PublicAffairs Books (New York, 2011). 323 pp., $27.99.

(CNS) Drought is not the true cause of either the starvation or death linked with the famines so frequently witnessed in our world, according to Thomas Keneally’s “Three Famines.” The Australian writer makes the case that during a famine people indeed hunger, grow sick and die because food is inaccessible to them, but that numerous political, economic and human failings ought to be held accountable for that. The rail-thin children introduced to the world by famine photography signify that much more has failed people than rainfall or crops. In Keneally’s famine accounts, political leaders sometimes disturbingly concluded that meeting the needs of the hungry would interfere with other political goals they considered greater priorities. His book tells of government heads all too ready to believe that the news of famine hunger within their borders was greatly exaggerated or who were convinced that hungry people brought this suffering upon themselves. Added to all that is a tendency among the better-fed citizenry to develop an immunity over time toward hungry people – that is, to begin ignoring starving people in their midst. It suits governments, “who naturally wish to be exempted from all blame,” to argue “that famine is due utterly to a natural disaster, or even to the previous sins of the victims themselves,” the author writes. Keneally is the well-known author of “Schindler’s Ark,” a 1982 historical novel based on the life of Oskar Schindler, a German Catholic industrialist who acted during World War II to save the lives of some 1,100 Jews from the Holocaust. His book was adapted for Steven Spielberg’s 1993 hit movie, “Schindler’s List.” However, Keneally also is the author of numerous nonfiction books, to which he now adds “Three Famines,” an analysis both of the causes of famine and the realities of human suffering yielded by unrequited hunger. The book’s three famines include the Great Famine of Ireland that began in 1845, often called the Potato Famine; the deadly 1943-44 famine in Bengal, located in the Indian subcon-

(CNS PHOTO/FEISAL OMAR, REUTERS)

Reviewed by David Gibson

Internally displaced Somalis stand in a line Sept. 5 waiting for relief food in famine-stricken Mogadishu. Author Thomas Keneally says famine is no accident but the result of a host of political, economic and human failings.

tinent’s northeastern region; and an Ethiopian famine that occurred in two phases, in the early 1970s and the mid-1980s. “Though these famines are in obvious ways diverse from each other, they were also siblings to each other,” Keneally says. He explains: “In those people who suffered these famines; in those who denied the suffering or propounded theories to explain it, excuse it and so see it as necessary; in those who – against the wishes of government – told the world what had happened and still was happening, or tried to address the suffering by giving aid, there is a remarkable continuity of impulses and reactions.” Many will learn in “Three Famines,” perhaps to their horror, what starving people actually eat and the desperate steps they take to cope with their situation’s impossibilities. Keneally describes how, in the end, the starving become “recklessly omnivorous.”

Catholic Professional and Business Club

Christmas Party Once again it's time for our annual Christmas party at the Elks Lodge, a chance to kick off the festive season in the Catholic spirit. It's free for members, but anyone is welcome to join us for good conversation, tasty food, and to meet other local Catholic business people and professionals. WHEN: WHERE: the COST: $20)

Wednesday, December 14, 2010 - 6 pm to 8 pm San Francisco Elks Lodge, 450 Post St at Powell (3rd Floor, inside Kensington Hotel), San Francisco 94102 FREE for members, $10 for non-members (become a member for Includes delicious appetizers and a no-host bar for “holiday cheer”

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The painful truth about the relationship of disease and famine is reported by Keneally. A wide range of diseases and fevers “opportunistically strike the malnourished,” he says. “If bacteria were sentient,” Keneally believes “they would look upon famine fields as arenas of near-miraculous chance, an opportunity for a vicious dance across grand reaches of humans, whose resistance to invasion has fatally withered.” Keneally introduces readers to various heads of state and governmental officials who failed remarkably to respond to famine hunger. He also shows how the efforts of some government officials to do well by hungry people were thwarted by their superiors. Some older readers, who in Keneally’s words “were charmed” decades ago by the Emperor Haile Selassie, may be startled by his depiction of the Ethiopian leader. Selassie “dealt with minor famines by ignoring them,” and he apparently hoped to treat famine as a state secret, fearing that reports of it could prove embarrassing to his country, Keneally indicates.

He tells of a newspaper article in which, speaking of famine, Selassie declared that “each individual is responsible for his misfortunes, his fate.” Still, the author makes clear that Selassie’s shortsightedness in the face of famine appears modest compared with that of the Marxist Mengistu Haile Mariam, who became Ethiopia’s head of state in 1977. In his final chapter, Keneally shows readers how common famines are, including the many “created by flood.” Russia, China, North Korea and many parts of Africa have known famine well. A recent famine in Darfur, a region of western Sudan, is especially pertinent to the overall purpose of Keneally’s book. He writes that during the 21st century’s first decade, “Darfur was an example of the way armies, militias, race and government policy combined to create what the experts call ‘a humanitarian crisis.’” Gibson was the founding editor of Origins, Catholic News Service’s documentary service. He retired in 2007 after holding that post for 36 years.

SCRIPTURE SEARCH Gospel for December 11, 2011 John 1:6-8, 19-28 Following is a word search based on the Gospel reading for the Third Sunday of Advent, Cycle B: John’s Gospel about John the Baptist’s ministry. The words can be found in all directions in the puzzle. A MAN LIGHT JEWS DENY IT ANSWER ISAIAH UNTIE

FROM GOD BELIEVE PRIESTS ELIJAH VOICE BAPTIZING

TESTIFY JOHN LEVITES I AM NOT CRYING OUT WATER BETHANY

JOHN ON THE JORDAN A

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December 9, 2011

Advent Opportunities People wanting to learn about St. John (Don) Bosco are invited to a study group on the man whose 100th birthday is in 2015. The group will meet three to four times a year. Salesian Father Arthur Lenti’s “Don Bosco: History and Spirit” will be the primary source for study and discussion. Contact Frank Lavin at (415) 310-8551 or franklavin@comcast.net with questions or to sign up. Dec. 9, 10, 7:30 p.m.: “In Dulci Jubilo - Sweet Sounds of Rejoicing,” a holiday concert featuring the Mater Dolorosa Hallelujah Chorale and Cherubim, directed by Angelita Pasamba at Mater Dolorosa Church, 307 Willow Ave., South San Francisco. Sounds of Broadway as well as the Christmas season are featured. Tickets are $15 in advance, $20 at the door, and children 5 and under are free. Proceeds benefit stained glass window project. Call (650) 583-4131, (650) 878-1715, or email mdssf50@ yahoo.com. Dec. 11: “Holiday Boutique and Concert” at Archbishop Riordan High School benefiting the school’s band. Boutique hours are 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. – 6 p.m. The award-winning Archbishop Riordan High School band will perform at 1:30 p.m. For tickets to the concert - boutique is free - and event information, visit www.riordanhs.org. Dec. 13, 7 p.m.: “Christianity and Social Progress Today,” Advent lectures at St. Rita Church, 100 Marinda Drive in Fairfax. Jesuit Father James R. Stormes speaks on justice and economic development. Talks are free. Call (415) 456-4815 or email saintritafairfax@att.net. Dec. 17-25: “Live Nativity” at Our Lady of the Pillar Church, 400 Church St., Half Moon Bay with celebrity guests portraying characters in the play including former San Mateo County Sheriff Don Horsley and Half Moon Bay Mayor Mary Patridge. Presentation includes live music. For times and other details, call (650) 726-6765 or (650) 867-5779. Event is sponsored by Knights of Columbus Council 7534. Dec. 17-24: St. Anthony Foundation’s 24th year of accepting curbside donations. In addition to turkeys, needed items include clean, gently used clothing especially men’s clothing; new packages of socks and underwear; jars of peanut butter, cans of tuna fish, large bags of rice and beans and travel sized toiletries. Curbside times December 17-24 are Monday through Friday from 8 a.m.–6 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Drive up to 105 Golden Gate Ave. at Jones Street in San Francisco For more information call (415) 592-2700 or visit Error! Hyperlink reference not valid. Dec. 18, 4 p.m.: “Tota Pulchra,” internationally renowned classical musicians celebrate the life of Mary at St. Mary’s Cathedral, Gough Street and Geary Boulevard, San Francisco. Admission free but freewill donations welcome. Free parking. Concert is 90 minutes long with an interlude when “Meeting Mary” by Christine Watkins will be heard. Feb. 4, 9 a.m.-noon: “St. Paul the Apostle” with Paulist Father Terry Ryan at Old St. Mary’s Paulist Center, 614 Grant Ave. at California Street, San Francisco. Hear how the saint “prone to violence toward Christians” had a “direct encounter with truth” and “fell in love with Christ.” Admission is free but donations are welcome. Call (415) 288-3844.

Our Lady of Guadalupe Dec. 10, 6 p.m.: “Mass and Fiesta” commemorating the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe at St. Thomas the Apostle Church, 3835 Balboa St., San Francisco. Food is free and a raffle adds to the fun. Music is by youth mariachi band. Dec. 11, 2 p.m.: “Our Lady of Guadalupe San Mateo Pro-Life Procession – Rain or Shine” Meet at the large front doors of St. Matthew Church in San Mateo at El Camino Real and 9th Avenue. While praying the rosary beneath Our Lady of Guadalupe’s banner procession goes north up El Camino Real to Planned Parenthood at 35 Baywood Ave. – about a 1.5 mile trip - and returns the same way.

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Food and Fun Dec. 11, 11:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.: St. Monica School “Santa’s Village Brunch and Christmas Boutique” in Foudy Hall, 5950 Geary Blvd. at 23rd Avenue, San Francisco. Pancake brunch, Santa’s workshop (kids’ activities area), Santa photos, numerous crafters selling handmade unique and one-of-a-kind gift items. Brunch tickets are $10 in advance, $13 at the door. For more info, contact Stephanie at (415) 751-9564 or santasvillage@stmonicasf.org. Jan. 21, 6-11 p.m.: Archbishop Riordan High School hosts its annual “Crab Feed Dinner” benefitting Crusader athletics. Enjoy delicious fresh crab, good fun, and good company. For more information visit www.riordanhs.org or call Sharon Udovich at (415) 586-8200 ext. 217. Tickets are $50 per person. No-host cocktails at 6 p.m. with dinner at 7 p.m. Event will sell out – book early!

Holy Cross Cemetery 1500 Old Mission Road, Colma, (650) 756-2060 Dec. 10, 11 a.m.: Christmas Remembrance Service in All Saints Mausoleum Chapel. Msgr. John Talesfore, pastor, St. Mary’s Cathedral, will preside.

Dec. 18, 5 p.m.: Mission Dolores Basilica Choir Candlelight Christmas Concert, “Behold the Star!” at Mission Dolores in San Francisco. Under the direction of Jerome Lenk, the evening’s program includes C. Hubert H. Parry’s “I Was Glad,” Morten Lauridsen’s “O Magnum Mysterium,” as well as selections from Spain, France and the Philippines. Also featured is Heather Heise, in a Bach harpsichord concerto with strings. Tickets, $25 reserved, $18 premium general and $15 general admission, are available at (415) 621-8203 or www.missiondolores.org. Free parking. Mission Dolores Basilica is accessible via J-Church, MUNI 22, 33, 14, 49 and Market/ Church underground station, and BART to 16th Street Station.

Walk for Life West Coast

Young Adults

Jan. 21: “Walk for Life West Coast” this year starts at a different time and takes a different route. Mass Jan. 21 at St. Mary’s Cathedral, Gough Street at Geary Boulevard is at 9:30 a.m. The rally preceding the walk begins at 12:30 p.m. at San Francisco’s Civic Center Plaza across from City Hall. Guest speakers include former abortionist, Dr. Vansen Wong and “Silent No More” representative, Jacquie Stainaker. An “Info Faire” at Civic Center Plaza begins at 11 a.m. “The Interfaith Committee for Life Prayer Service” is Jan. 20 at 7:30 p.m. at St. Mary’s Cathedral. All the event activities are available at www.walkforlifewc.com. You may also email info@walkforlifewc.com.

The Dominican Sisters of Mission San Jose have announced retreats for young adult women and men. Visit www.msjdominicans.org or call (510) 933-6335 or (510) 657-2468. You may also email blessings@msjdominicans.org or vocations@ msjdominicans.org.

Volunteer Catholic Charities CYO: 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. St. Vincent de Paul Society of San Francisco: Contact Tim Szarnicki at tszarnicki@svdp-sf.org or (415) 977-1270 x3010. St. Anthony Foundation: 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: Call Atrecia at (650) 373-0623 or email svdpinfo@yahoo.com. Handicapables: Call Jane at (415) 585-9085. La Porziuncola Nuova at National Shrine of St. Francis of Assisi: 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.

Vocations A monthly discernment group for single, Catholic women ages 18-40 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. with the MSJ Dominican Sisters. Day includes group discussion and reflection on your vocation, and Eucharist and lunch with the sisters at their Motherhouse, 43326 Mission Blvd. entrance on Mission Tierra Place in Fremont. Email vocations@msjdominicans.org with questions or for more information.

The National Shrine of St. Francis of Assisi LA NUOVA PORZIUNCOLA Vallejo and Columbus in North Beach Visit www.shrinesf.org and www.knightsofstfrancis.com. The shrine church is open every day 10 a.m.-5 p.m. The Porziuncola and “Francesco Rocks” Gift Shop are open every day but Monday 10 a.m.–6 p.m. Mass is celebrated in the shrine church Monday through Saturday at 12:15 p.m. and Sundays at 10 a.m. Rosary is prayed daily in Porziuncola at 4:30 p.m. Dec. 10, 11: Lord Nelson Mass performed by City Oratorio and Orchestra under the direction of Josh Law, at 3:30 p.m. Free

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. Marriage Help – Retrouvaille (pronounced retro-vi) a Catholic program has helped thousands of couples at all stages of disillusionment or misery in their marriage. For confidential information about the next Bay Area weekends or to register for the program call (415) 893-1005 or email SF@ Retrouvaille.org or visit www.Retrouvaille.org or www.retroCA.com” Would you like support while you travel the road through separation and divorce? The Archdiocese of San Francisco offers support for the journey, every week. The Separated and Divorced Catholics of the Archdiocese of San Francisco now have two ongoing support groups. There is one on the Peninsula at St. Bartholomew Parish, 600 Columbia Drive, San Mateo, on the second and fourth Tuesdays, 7 p.m., in the spirituality center. The other one is in O’Reilly hall of St. Stephen Parish near Stonestown, San Francisco, on the first and third Wednesdays, 7:30 p.m. Call Father Al (415) 422-6698, or Joanne at (650) 347-0701 for more information. Catholic Adult Singles Association of Marin County: We are Catholics, single or single again, who are interested in making new friends, taking part in social activities, sharing opportunities for spiritual growth, and becoming involved in volunteer activities that will benefit parishes, community, and one another. We welcome those who would share in this with us. For information, call Bob at (415) 897-0639.

Datebook is a free listing for parishes, schools and nonprofits 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 to: Datebook, Catholic San Francisco, One Peter Yorke Way, San Francisco 94109, or fax it to (415) 614-5633, email burket@sfarchdiocese.org.

Archdiocese of San Francisco 2011 Deluxe Directory INCLUDES:

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Dec. 18: Advent and Christmas Carol Concert by the Golden Gate Boys Choir and Bell Ringers under the direction of Steven Meyer at 3 p.m. Visit www. shrinesf.org.

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December 9, 2011

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