February 19, 1999

9 An exclusive interview:

Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, prefect , Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith

Profession of faith , authority, feminism, homosexuality on meeting's agenda

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In this issue...

6

Teachers

Near ly 1 ,200 hear 'educate for life' call

l

Pilgrimage

Marian shrine destination for pil grims

15

Success

Annual Chinese dinner event largest ever

Archbishop Levada:

5

Local editorial 'silly '

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Movie Review:

'Waking Ned Devine' isn 't

fj Family Lif e: | iU

On creation and chaos

i H Liturgy: 11

Seek Christ's healing embrace

COVER PHOTOS:

Cardinal Ratzinger by CHRIS DUFFEY Jen Plummer by EVELYN ZAPPIA

I CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO Official newspaper of the Archdiocese of San Francisco

Most Reverend William J. Levada, publisher Maurice E. Healy, associate publisher Dan Morris-Young, managing editor Joseph Pena, advertis ing director Enrico Risano , production manager Evelyn Z&ppim ,feature editor Tom Burke , "On the Street " and Datebook Kenneth Barroga, assistant edito r Julie Benbow, graphic consultant Sharon Abercrombie , staff writer Editorial offices are located at 441 Church St., San Francisco, CA 94114 Telephone: (415) 565-3699 News fax: (415) 565-363 1 Circulation: 1-800-828-1252. Advertising fax : (415) 565-3681 Catholic San Francisco is published weekly, except the last Friday in December, and bi-weekl y during die months of June, Jul y and August for $20 per year by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco, 1595 Mission Rd., South San Francisco, CA 94080-1218. A pp lication to mail at periodical postage rates is pending at South San Francisco and at additional offices.

Postmaster: Send address changes to Catholic San Francisco, 1595 Mission Rd., South San Francisco. CA 94080-1218 Gnrectitms: If (here is an en-or in tlic mailing label affixed 10 this newspaper, call the Cullwlh- Sim Fmneistia at i -80A-828-l 252. It is hel pful to refer to the current mailing label . Also, please lei its snow it the household is receiving duplieaie eupies. Thank yon.

On The

[STREET II

Where You live

by Tom Burke School Hurrays .' Congratulations to the fifth grade of St. Pius Elementary School , Redwood City for its overall win in a DARE to Say No to Drugs essay contest. Special congrals to Lauren Walovich , whose individual essay was selected best of the more than several hundre d entries , and teacher Barbara Lopes who received a special DARE award for student partici pation. Lauren is the daughter of forever-Notre Dame fans , Carol and John Walovich. Mrs. Lopes is mom of Steve , a future priest of the Archdiocese now study ing in Rome. A recent St. Pius bulletin said Catholic education helps one meet "every circumstance of life with the attitude of Christ. " Rita Carroll is princi pal at St. Pius. Msgr. Peter G. Armstrong is pastor.

The Mothers ' Club of St. Cecilia Elementary School raises funds each year for various improvements there .

Recentl y, the group boug ht new religion books for all nine grades as well as three water fountains arid some new Venetian Blinds. Mothers ' Club president is Janet Gogna and coordinating fundraising for 1999 are Diane Shannon and Jeanine Cuznar. . Holy Names Sister Maril yn Miller is principal at St. Cecilia. Father Michael Harriman is pastor. St. Cecilia 's Class of '39 is p lanning a 60lh reunion for May 5. For information , contact '39er Jerry Fex at (415) 759-0810. If Jerry's cooking, I'll go to the reunion .

He and his wife, Jean, owned Stonestow n 's Red Chimney Restaurant for 25 years Go long! Junipero Serra High School quarterback David Boehle has been named Outstanding Back of the Year by the San Mateo County National Football Foundation and Hal) of Fame. Dave accepted his award, which included a $1000 scholarship, during ceremonies at the big hotel next to the City 's St. Patrick Parish on Feb. 4. Dave and his folks , Diane and Bill, are members of St. Charles Parish in San Carlos and Dave's participation in the parish youth group, Charlie's Angels, p layed a part in his getting the best back nod , said Michael Patterson, Serra 's director of public relations. Dave is also senior class president and with a 3.94 GPA he's off to Princeton University in the fall where he was accepted in an early admissions program.

Once upon a time: Fifth-grader Oscar Roque's essay about 49er Junior Bryant earned him an A-plus trip to the Super Bowl. The prize took the whole Roque famil y, - parents Rosatina and Pedro, and brother, Humberto - to five days of all expenses paid Miami memory making. Fifthgrade teacher Russell Lentz also won Super Bowl seats, and Oscar's school , St. Peter Elementary, received a $1000 dollar check. Oscar called Mr. Bryant a "good example" because he 's "returning what the peop le gave to him" through tri ps to "hospitals and burn clinics " to "hel p peop le get over their pain." The contest was sponsored by the NFL Good Sports Writing Program. "It couldn 't have happened to a nicer boy or family," said St, Peter princi pal , Vicki Butler.

Plaque of Faith: Dr. Gay Ducharme believes so much in RENEW 2000 that the retired doctor has put a vanity plate on her 1998 Mustang that reads, REN2000. Dr. Ducharme is in her second season of coordinating RENEW at St. Monica 's, her parish of 35 years , where she also participates as lector, eucharistic minister, religious education teacher and liturgy committee member. Dr. Ducharme says REN2000 and RENEW 2000 will both be "long-term " in her life. "I think RENEW will be a continuing event for me and others ," the mother of four said. "I feel I've become a better person from it and am inspired by the whole process." She and her husband , Ted, a retired oil company executive, have been married for 38 years. Congratulations and prayerful best wishes to St. Monica 's new pastor, Father John Greene, and former pastor, Father Warren Woods, who will continue his ministry at Nazareth House in San Rafael.

Remember this: Father John Cloherty, pastor, Holy Angels Parish, Colma says "small faith sharing groups hel p build both the faith of partici pants and the faith of the whole community."

Three-peat: Young Adults will gather for the third annual Fall Fest on Oct. 23. Fall Fest is a day for and about Catholics in their 20s, 30s and early-to-mid40s. There will be workshops , an address or two, lots of dialogue, liturgy, lunch , dinner arid a dance. It's great way to spend a Saturday .

Volunteers are needed to help with this yearl y masterpiece and interested parties are inv ited to cal l (415) 675-5900.

Non-stop service: The St. Anthony Foundation has been proving for decades that it 's more than bread that

keeps us from starvation. A rich , old p lank in its service platform continues to be weekl y Coffee Hours at two residential hotels where persons over 60 gather for some Joe and "whatta ' ya ' know '.'". The get-togethers are a work of St. Anthony 's Senior Outreach and Support Services' Spiritual Outreach Team. For more information , contact Erika Macs at (415) 24 1 -2672. Erika says the Coffee Hours have hel ped "create community" in the hotels.

Calling all moms: Moms in Touch , an interfaith group founded to pray for schools , students and faculty members , is looking for members in the San Francisco area. Call Joan Pollard at (510) 582-2110 for information about a March 12 meeting where you can learn more. Joan , who has a 12-year-old son, says she ' s "totall y convinced that prayer makes a difference."

A sprig of semicolons: Felix Ad Sablad , a promine nt and longtime member of the Holy Name Society of the Archdiocese , is now editor of the group 's national newslet-

Dr. Gaye Ducharme ter. This year, the newsletter celebrates its twenty-fifth anniversary. As a proud nei ghbor in the word-trade , Catholic San Francisco invites Felix to come by any time for a cup of commas or anything else he might need to keep the copy flowing. Felix and his wife, Menchie , are members of San Francisco 's St. Mary 's Cathedral Parish.

God Blessed Us Every One: Good works, prayer and community were hallmarks of the recent Christmas season throughout the Archdiocese. At St. Mary Star of the Sea Parish, Sausalito, the Giving Tree was picked clean during one weekend of Masses. Larry Purcell , director of Redwood City 's Catholic Worker House said "thank you , thank you , thank you " to St. Luke Parish, Foster City for being a "never ending" giving tree. For 10 Christmases now, the peop le of St. Peter Parish, Pacifica , have been adopting families in the near-Watsonvilie tow n of Paj aro.

This year they helped 337 peop le in 54 families. Many of St. Peter 's folks drove the hundred-mile tri p to deliver the food and gifts face to face. San Francisco's Most Holy Redeemer Parish invited parishioners to "ring in" the birthday of the Lord by bring ing any- bell they could find for tolling at all Sunday Masses during the Christmas season. These examples speak eloquentl y about what went on agai n and again at parishes all over our three counties. St. Catherine of Siena Parish, BurJingame, reminds that "Christmas is Forever" and the zeal of the season needs to continue even after the songs have ended and "shepherds are back with their flocks." , So now you tell me: "Earth has no sorrow that heaven cannot heal." Father Richard Deitch, pastor, St. Mary Star of the Sea Parish, Sausalito, lifts spirits with this St. Thomas More quote he brought back from a recent tri p home to Chicago where he saw it on a former classmate's desk.

Please send items to Catholic San Francisco, On the Street Where You Live, 441 Church St., SF 94114 or f a xitems to (415) 565-3633. Please include contact phone number for possible follow-up or story expansion.

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The worship space of Most Holy Redeemer Church was dramatically renovated during the first phase of the parish's restoration project. The $3.5 million first phase of the project was dedicated last November.

Most Holy Redeemer Parish restores building and community

By Evel yn Zappia

Most Hol y Redeemer Parish was in crisis long before the Loma Prieta earthquake struck on Oct. 17, 1989, causing millions in damages to parishes.

"In 1985 we were bury ing six to seven of our loved ones weekly," said David Simmons, referring to the AIDS epidemic that was sweeping through San Francisco's Castro District and the parish.

Project manager and campaign director of the Most Holy Redeemer restoration project , Simmons said the "epidemic didn ' t ease until 1994." By 1989 , Most Holy Redeemer parishioners had already buried hundreds of their own. Ironically, when the quake damaged their church building, it seemed to strengthen the parish communityMany of the words in the churc h Project Commemorative Book won ' t be found in

other archival testimonials: "AIDS monument ," "A tragic period , memorializing the departed ," "prevalence of death ."

Churc h records show that in 1985 , Father Anthony McGuire, then pastor , was strugg ling to keep the parish open with a small community population. "After World War II the majority of families moved to San Francisco's Sunset District , responding to a major housing project campai gn. When the Gay community moved into the neighborhood , the population dropped considerably. Father McGuire did an outreach about the time the AIDS epidemic started. You can say two needs met at the same time," said Simmons.

A length y assessment of the quake 's damage was interrupted b y Father McGuire 's appointment in 1991 to China.

New pastor, Father Zachary Shore, was left with the visible reminder of the damage. A black mesh canvas secured to the parish's choir loft protected worshi ppers from falling debris.

Construction was proposed for two phases: first the worship space, then renovation of the parish hall and churchyard .

The $3.5 million first phase of the restoration project was dedicated in standingroom-onl y ceremonies Nov. 8, presiding over by Archbishop William J. Levada.

"I remember ," said Simmons , "the Archbishop stressed the importance of the Church to reach out to those in crisis and help them through the grieving process. To me, many Most Hol y Redeemer parishioners feel they don 't have a home anywhere else but here, and the parish does reach out to them."

In 1995, the Ellard famil y, long-time parishioners , bequested $2 million dollars toward the proposed $4 million project. To date, the capital campaign has raised nearly $900,000 with a donor list of 400 names.

"Most Holy Redeemer is really the people 's church , they designed it," said Father Shore. "The parishioners approved sketch after sketch rendered by architect John

Goldman."

Parishioners ' approval of a U-shape seating arrangement places the new altar nearl y a third into the former seating area.

The worshippers surround the altar on three sides. A new baptismal font is in prominent view upon entering the church.

The second phase of the restoration is underway. The parish' s commemorative book proposes a memorial church yard to include the names of the dead engraved on stone walkways, memorial scrolls placed in a special vault , and a pavement stone where the Easter fire will be ignited yearly.

"Adding names to the churc hyard each year will be creating ongoing records of peop le who worshi pped at the parish ," said Simmons.

"Unfortunatel y, the long history of our parish was not written down years ago and it looks as if the clock started in 1998. Many of the seniors no longer with us have taken their memories. We're trying to gather as Continued on Page 15

Rain down your love ... '

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The Religious Education Institute of the Archdiocese celebrate d its sixtieth anniversary with its 1999 gathering themed "Rain Down Your Love On Your People. " Nearly 700 attended the REI's Jan. 29 evening concert featuring David Haas at St. Ignatius College Preparatory. Double that number took part in Jan. 30's general sessions and workshops , begun with a prayer session that featured many of the archdiocese 's ethnic communities including (photo at right) the Arab Catholic Community represented by Nelly Salem carrying an icon of Mary, and the African American Community represented by Jeanette Howard of Our Lady of Lourdes Parish (carrying banner). Keynote speaker was Social Service Sister Eva

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Lumas (above , right) pictured with Social Service Celeste Arbuckle , archdiocesan director of religious education. Nearly three dozen workshops in Spanish and English were offered. At left above, Presentation Sister Monica Miller and colleague Matthew Shea , who jointly directed a session on young adult spirituality, visit with participants Dante Mendoza (seated , left), a religious education teacher at Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Daly City, and Mark Segretti, youth minister and a RENEW facilitator at St. Mark, Belmont. Siste r Miller directs vocations for her religious community. Shea is pastoral associate at St. Gabriel , San Francisco , and Mark Segreti , youth minister at St. Mark Church in Belmont .

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Vatican travel tip s on new web site

VATICAN CITY — Pilgrims planning a trip to Rome for the j ubilee year can pay a virtual visit first , and even make arrangements for their stay, with a new Vatican Internet site dedicated to the year 2000.

The site, which goes on line Feb. 22, at www.Jubil2000.org, offers practical information, such as how to get from the airport to St. Peter 's Square, as well as city maps, descriptions of special events and the openyoung Christian woman and the murder of ing hours of the major basilicas. her brother. The murders occurred four The bulk of the new site explains where days after unidentified men dressed as pilgrims can go and what they can do durwomen raped a nun in Baripada town in ing the jubilee.

Orissa, where suspected Hindu militants By clicking on a camera-shaped icon on had burned alive an Australian Protestant the papal biography page, users will find missionary and his two sons last month . "the most beautiful photos" of the pope, Father Lancy Rodriguese, treasurer of including moments with significant Church the Cuttack-Bhubaneshwar Archdiocese, figures such as Mother Theresa. The site also told UCA News, an Asian church news includes a "virtual rosary" — beads are agency based in Thailand, th at motives for clicked one by one. And there are recordings the attacks were unknown. of the pope saying three prayers in 50 languages: the Our Father, the Hail Mary and the "Salve Regina," a Latin hymn to Mary. '¦ ¦¦ fii:.

Notre Dame says no to student demands

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (CNS) — Trustees of the University of Notre Dame have decided not to add sexual orientation to the school' s legal nondiscrimination clause.

Students who support expanding rights for homosexuals say they will continue their fight.

"It's not a dead issue," said graduate stu dent Aaron Kreider, who organized a Progressive Student Alliance hunger strike in support of the clause before the trustees reached their decision Feb. 5,

Mexican officials retract report

MEXICO CITY — The Archdiocese of Mexico City withdrew from its Web site a docu ment that criticized indigenous theology and the pastoral work of the Diocese of San Cristobal de las Casas.

Dominican Father Gonzalo Ituarte, San Cristobal vicar for justice and peace, said the archdiocesan document was "surely prepared behind the back" of Cardinal Norberto Rivera Carrera of Mexico City.

Father Ituarte told reporters Feb. 5 that Father Guillermo Moreno Braveo, vicar general of the Mexico City Archdiocese, ordered the document be withdrawn and that apologies be given.

Murders trigg er panic and fea r

BERHAMPUR , India — Panic spread among Christians in Orissa state after the rape of a nun , the rape and murder of a

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shared the rectory with the bishop, is the murderer.

Church and human rights groups, as well as the UN Mission in Guatemala , have maintained that Bishop Gerardi '$ murder was carried out by members of the security forces who resented the bishop's criticism of the military 's human rights abuses.

Pontiff appoints Canadian nuncio

WASHINGTON — Catholic liturgical music composer Ray Repp said he will appeal a federal jury verdict which denied his song plagiarism claim against theatrical composer Andrew Lloyd Webber.

But he 'll have to go solo. His attorneys , who were working on contingency hoping to get a chunk of multimillionaire Webber's money, have bowed out of the case.

VATICAN CITY — Pope John Paul II appointed a diplomat with experience in such troubled countries as Haiti and Colombia, along with parts of Europe, African and Asia, to be his Canadian representative.

Italian Archbishop Paolo Romeo, 60, was named nuncio to Canada Feb. 5. He had been serving as nuncio to Colombia since 1990. After studying canon law, he entered the diplomatic service in 1967 and worked in the Phili ppines , Belgium , Venezuela, Rwanda and the Vatican Secretariat of State.

Bishop 's murder case at standstill

Rome endorses shared formation

Composer to appeal p lag iarism suit loss

GUATEMALA CITY — Don't look for an impartial investigation into the case of murdere d Guatemalan Archbishop Juan Gerardi Condera, even though a new public prosecutor, and probably a new jud ge, will be at the helm, say Church sources.

In early Febru ary, public attorney Celvin Galindo was named to head the official investigation into the April 26 murder of the 72-year old Bishop, former head of the Archdiocesan Human Rights Office.

Galindo 's predecessor, Otto Ardon , repeatedl y clashed with archdiocesan officials. Church officials said he failed to carry out an impartial investigation, as did the presiding judge, Isaias Figueroa.

"Given the damage done to the investigations by them, the margin for success is still very little," said one archdiocesan official .

"All that's been done is to throw up little balloons to distract," said Auxiliary Bishop JVIario Rios Mont of Guatemala City. "I only wish we lived in a Guatemala with a rule of law."

The state has claimed that Father Mario Orantes, a diocesan priest who

VATICAN CITY — The trend of religious orders sharing formation programs is positive, as long as the orders also provide a specific formation for their own members, a new Vatican document said.

Sharing programs "manifests concrete solidarity" among communities and "offers an eloquent testimony of the communion to which the Church is called by divine vocation ," the document said.

Citing missionary territories where religious orders are just starting, and in countries where aspirants and formation personnel are few, it makes sense for orders to pool some of their resources, said The Inter-Institute Collaboration for Formation.

However, whenever possible , those preparing for religious fife must live and pray with other members of their own community, it said.

Vatican discusses third world f ood

VATICAN CITY - A lack of water, education, and technology, rapid population growth , pollution , war and selfishness all contribute to the malnutrition and star-

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Divine Word Father Michael Manning of Riverside, Cal., is an anomaly in the television business: a Catholic preacher on a Protestant cable evangelization network.

Father Manning delivers his program, "The Word in the World," at noon EST Fridays on the Trinity Broadcasting Network, via cable systems, reaching an estimated 110 million U.S. homes.

Why do shows for Trinity? "What I hope for is a chance to open some doors , especially for Catholics who are watching," said Father Manning, who presents stories from the Bible and makes the topics relevant to the world today.

Students brave cold , rain to volunteer

WASHINGTON (CNS) — More than 100 students at The Catholic University of America lined up for hours during a cold , rainy night to apply fof 53 positions to build and rehabilitate houses in the South at spring break. Registration for the Habitat for Humanity assignments to New Orleans, and Clearwater and Miami, Fl., opened at 10:30 a.m. on Feb. 6. "I just made it," said a relieved Annie Glanville of Holyoke, Mass., who arrived more than eight hours early at 2 a.m. ¦

Notre Dame declines Bi g Ten membership

NOTRE DAME, Ind. (CNS) —- The University of Notre Dame 's decision not to join the Big Ten athletic and academic consortium highli ghts the school' s Catholic identity, said Holy Cross Father Edward Malloy, Notre Dame president on Feb. 5 when he announced the trustees ' decision to remain independent.

"Just as the universities of Michigan or Wisconsin or Illinois have core identities as the flagship institutions of their states, so Notre Dame has a core identity, and at that core are these characteristics ," the priest said, "Catholic, private and independent."

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O RDINARY T IME

Examiner: editorializing in the dark The application of Ex Corde Ecclesiae , the charter document for Catholic Universities throughout the world , has been the focus of media attention in the last few weeks. No reason why it shouldn ' t be since it has occupied several years of discussion within the university communities, with the American bishops , and with the Holy See. I thought the Sunday Examiner Feb. 7 editorial went well beyond what one might reasonably expect in its rather dismissive, even disdainful , remarks about us bishops and the Holy Father : hence my "Letter to the Editor " which was printed Feb. 14, one week after the editorial in question.

Unfortunatel y, the Examiner edited out my reference to two recent books which document the institutional "secularization " of most private universities in America. For anyone who wants to make a serious examination of the question, these books by Marsden and Burtchaell should be required reading. Moreover, those who heard William F. Buckley at San Francisco 's Commonwealth Club luncheon a few months ago will recall his lament , in a similar vein, about the progressive exclusion of God, Christianity and religion from our great private universities , evidenced by a comparison of commencement addresses 50 years ago and today.

The issues are truly of great monument for all of us in the Catholic Church, for our vision of the role of Catholic institutions in America , and indeed, for the future of our society as a whole. For this reason, I include the full text of my recent "Letter to the Editor" in this week's Ordinary Time: Editor: Since I am in the collective group of American bishops who, according to the Examiner editorial (Feb. 7), "sadly caved in to Vatican pressure," perhaps I may be given the opportunity to present a different point of view

to your readership in the Sunday s "Letters to the Editor ". The editorial itself seems to be a rehash of a recent New York Times article on the subject of the imp lementation of Ex Corde Ecclesiae , a papal document prepared by the Congregation for Catholic Education under the leadership of American Cardinal William Baum , then his successor, former U.S. papal nuncio Cardinal Pio Laghi , both quite knowledgeable about Catholic higher education in the U.S. Both the Times and the Examiner pose the issue primarily as a power play, or issue of Church control. The issues are clearly much broader. Anyone who is interested in these broader issues could find the context in two excellent recent books, George Marsden 's The Soul of the American University, and Rev. J ames Burtchaell , CSC's The Dy ing of the Light. Both books detail extensively the disengagement of American colleges and universities from their original Christian Church sponsors , primarily Protestant.

Everywhere else in the world , so far as I am aware, Catholic universities and colleges have adopted Ex Corde Ecclesiae and adopted it to their own cultural situation. The question for Catholic colleges and universities, and for the Church in America, is whether the pattern of secularization followed by so many American colleges should become the pattern for our Catholic institutions as well.

For some, perhaps, even the couple of Catholic university presidents cited by the Times and reprised by the Examiner, the answer may be yes. For many others of us - bishops, religious and laity alike - the answer is no.

Mainstream Catholics pride ourselves on being both American and Catholic, and we do not readily accede to the myth that unless we accommodate our religious beliefs and practice to the current prevailing "American culture" we cannot or will not survive or gain recognition among our peers.

Archbishop William J. Levada

Ours is still a country where we can expect goodness and truth , and excellence in their pursuit , to be recognized — and sometimes even rewarded. If "institutional autonomy " or "academic freedom " were absolute values - which no reasonable analysis of the American scene could accept - then indeed one might despair of finding a suitable application of Ex Corde Ecclesiae.

The real issue is that of determining what is necessary for these institutions to be Catholic, and whether pope and bishop s have a say in what that is. This dialogue has already gone on for several years around some quite complex details, and I think it is clear to most of us bishops that it will need to continue. Silly as the Examiner 's recommendation that the pope needs to be convinced that "the appropriate place for Hail Mary's in the American college context is on the football field" is, I suppose it presents less of a challenge than trying to convince the Examiner not to editorialize on a matter they know so little about.

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Most Rev. William J. Levada Archbishop of San Francisco

On Being Catholic

Jesus: healer of hearts watered down to "mistakes", simply poor choices with visible in our terms. We could hear with our own ears no blame to be accepted. Advances in psychology help God say, "Your sins are forgiven."

It is possible in any religion to go "ri ght to God" us to understand how complex human nature is, but these findings can also be misused to pass the buck to and express sorrow for sin; and we believe that a lovsome persons or circumstances which absolve us from ing God is always ready to forgive. But onl y in Christ can we hear that word of divine forg iveness spoken in any responsibility for our actions.

The denial of sin is a reality of our age, but it is not human terms, first in the sacrament of the human the invention of our age. In the New Testament we read: Jesus, and since his return to the Father in the sacra"If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves." (1 Jn mental celebrations of his Church.

The reconciliation we experience in this sacrament 1:8) Anyone with small children can testify that denial is one of the first games we learn. Yet the admission of our is not only with God; it is also with the community. One own sinfulness is crucial to our relationship with Christ. of our evasions of guilt is to privatize it: "this is between Jesus was notorious for choosing to associate with sin- me and God." But that is not what the first Christians Father Milton T. Walsh ners. He did so precisely because they knew they were believed. Paul reminded the Corinthians that they were sinners, and in need of God's mercy: "Those who are not islands of self-sufficiency, but members of a single well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick; organic Body : "If one part suffers, all the parts suffer JL he Saturday afternoon lines used to be as much a I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to with it." (1 Cor 12:26) To underscore the social dimension of sin and forg iveness, the Church encourages us to part of Catholic life as the calendar with the Fridays repentance." (Lk 5:31-32) to It is above all in the death of Jesus that we see the celebrate the sacrament of penance in communal liturmarked with a fish. Confession was the prelude Communion, and for many a routine exercise in our extent of our sinfulness , and at the same time the even gies. In this way we can experience in a powerful way Catholic life. With "the sixties" the torrent of penitents greater depth of God's mercy. Even here we encounter our reconciliation with God and with the community.

By celebrating this sacrament regularl y in both the denial of sin, in the pathetic gesture of Pilate washbecame a trickle. What happened? creacommunal and individual forms we encounter our .

But his guilt, cannot be taken We are ing his hands and ours, The "routine exercise" is one culprit. tures of habit , but we are also creatures who shed habits away by any ritual of denial , ancient or modern — weakness and God' s mercy. Which is more important? when they no longer suit us. And not only was confes- only the blood of Christ lifts the burden of guilt from So long as I am preoccupied with myself, "confession " sion routine — it was embarrassing. Confession is good us. It is in his blood that we are washed clean in bap- will mean an admission of guilt wrung out of a hostile for the soul , but hard on the ego. Beneath this, however, tism , and it is his blood which nourishes us in the witness. When I turn my attention to God, "confession" will mean for me what it meant to St. Augustine lurk changing attitudes toward sin: what it is, who Eucharist.

Why, though , this special sacrament of forgive- when he wrote the epic of his spiritual journey — a decides what it is, and how it is dealt with.

This change can be seen positively as a move away ness? Why do I have to confess my sins to a priest , and hymn of praise to God for his mercy. from a preoccupation with "acts" to a centering on "atti- not just go "ri ght to God"? Because, as St. Leo the tudes". Jesus called his contemporaries to such a con- Great taught, "all that Jesus said and did has passed Father Milton T. Walsh is dean of students and version, to a moral life lived from the inside out. over into the sacraments ." Christ continues his saving assistant professor of systematic theology at St. However, this change can also point to the denial of sin work through the Church , which is his Body. By Patrick Seminary, Menlo Park. and the abdication of personal responsibility. "Evil" is becoming human , the Son of God made God's love

'Educating for life'

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"Educating for Life " was the theme and title of the educators ' conference held at St. Ignatius College Preparatory on Feb. 12. Dr. Thomas Groome (above) , whose latest book carries the same title, was guest presenter for the day-long workshop conducted for about 1,200 Catholic school teachers , counselors and professionals in the San Francisco Archdiocese. This in-service day is held annually for ongoing adult education and faith formation for Catholic school teachers. "Catholic means 'Here comes everybody,'" Dr. Groome told participants, quoting from James Joyce 's novel, Finnegans Wake. At right, Mercy Sister Maria Mendoza , who teaches second grade at St. Finn Barr Elementary in San Francisco , commented , "When we are baptized into the Catholic tradition, we inherit all of the privileges and all the responsibilities that come with it." In addition to Groome 's presentations , the conference included small-group discussions such as that pictured at upper right. The day 's opening prayer service included a quote from Groome 's book: "It is a sacred privilege and an awesome responsibility to be an educator.

And it may be the closest we have to a universal vocation. "

Private elementary school tuition aid program grows

By Sharon Abercrombie

There 's good news on the horizon for financially strapped families struggling to send their children to private elementary schools.

The Basic Fund, a local scholarshi p program going into its second year, has joined forces with The Children 's Scholarship Fund of New York, a national program that also helps lower-income families with tuition assistance.

The cooperative arrangement means that over a million dollars will be available over the next four years, said Jim McCarthy, one of the founders of the Basic Fund. "The Children ' s Scholarship Fund will provide $600,000 to match the $600,000 we are raising," said McCarth y. . In addition to more scholarship money, the fund is expanding its program to include families and schools in Marin and San Mateo counties , as well as San Francisco.

The Basic Fund was initiated by McCarthy and his wife, June , both members of St. Vincent de Paul Parish in San Francisco. It is based on similar programs around the country supported b y CEO of America. McCarthy, 63, who is retire d from Merrill-Lynch , said they wante d to give something back for all the blessings they've received over the years.

Parents of six children themselves, the couple felt that assisting other parents to provide good educations for their own offspring was a good way.

"We wanted to be a helping hand , not a handout ," he said. "Our idea was to help educate the less fortunate, the so-called inner city children who may have to attend

an overcrowded school where learning is impossible, because of gangs, drugs and a lack of discipline."

So in 1997, after finding other investors like themselves, the McCarthys started The Basic Fund with $475,00, to cover scholarships for a five-year period.

Nine members currentl y serving on its board of directors.

For the 1998 school year, The Basic Fund , which is non-denominational , offered 400 scholarshi ps at $1 ,000 each, approximatel y half of most elementary school tuitions. One hundred of the scholarshi ps were offered to children currently in private schools and another 300 offered to children not currentl y in private school.

Basic Fund reci pients are enrolled in 46 different private schools. The Fellowship Academy, an African American Leadershi p School , has 28 students , or 12 percent of its student bod y, receiving scholarshi ps. Sacred Heart School in San Francisco, a parochial school that is predominantl y African American, has 23 students receiving scholarshi ps (20 percent of the student body).

Other Catholic schools in San Francisco with large numbers of students attending thanks to Basic Fund scholarships include St. Anthony, St. Dominic , St. Charles , and Mission Dolores. "Onl y one parochial school doesn 't have any kids on our scholarship program ," McCarthy said. ' "We expect to offer 800 scholarships with a maximum grant of $1500" in 1999 , McCarthy said.

Deadline for applying for 1999-2000 scholarships is April 9. For more information and an app lication , contact the Basic Fund office at (415) 274-7005; or FAX at (415) 986-3196.

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People often ask: What do we do at the Mission Office?

Here is an excerpt of a letter from Zambia , Central Africa , dated 25th Jan. 1999.

Dear Msgr. Wang, This short letter is to thank you for your generous gift of $500 Your gift will be used for buying textbooks , paying school fees and buying school uniforms....

On behalf of the school and the needy students, once again , I say a big thank you....

Brother John St. Paul's Mulungushi Secondary School f

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Please consider becoming a member of the CROSSED WORLD CLUB [ ] While I can , I will support a missionary by my monthly sacrifice of $. .

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Mail to: Society for the Propagation of the Faith 445 Church Street San Francisco CA 94114-1797 Above all, remember our Missionaries in your prayers

Rite of Election set Feb. 21

Marian shrine p ilgrimage

A general invit ation has been issued by the Archdiocese of San Francicso to join "the elect" at the Rite of Election Feb. 21 at 3 p.m. at St. Mary 's Cathedral , I I I I Gough St., San Francisco. Archbishop William J Levada will preside.

The Rite of Election is the first step of an initiation process for those seeking membership in the Catholic Church. This Rite occurs on the first Sunday of Lent.

As described in the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA), the "elect" are both the unbaptized seeking membershi p in the Catholic faith ("catechumens") and those who are baptized but not yet Catholic (" candidates"). All gather at the church' s entrance , and are then escorted by their teachers, sponsors, close community members and friends into the midst of the assembled worshipping community. They officially ask to be received into full communion with the Church.

The Archbishop asks the sponsors and godparents for testimony of readiness of the elect whom they represent. Do the initiates listen faithfully to the Word ? Have they begun their journey with God present every step of the way? Do they share in prayer with the community?

Then he asks the initiates themselves: "Do you wish to enter full y into the life of the Church?" With their response, "We do," their lifelong commitment begins.

Throughout the remainder of Lent, there are subsequent steps and rituals that further the initiation process, which normall y culminates on Easter with the catechumens receiving Eucharist , and the candidates being confirmed.

Archbishop William J. Levada has issued a public invitation to clergy, religious and laity of the Archdiocese of San Francisco to join him Aug. 13-16 on a pilgrimage to the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washingto n, D.C. The largest Catholic church in the Western Hemisphere and the eighth largest in the world, the basilica is dedicated to the patroness of the United States. Several enshrinements call attention to the varied titles to which the Virgin Mary is venerated by generations of immigrant Catholics. The Office of Ethnic Ministries, directed by Noemi Castillo, is coordinating the first-of-its-kind pilgrimage. For registration, price information and brochures , persons may write the office at 445 Church St., San Francisco, CA 94114, or call (415) 565-3622. "It's an exciting opportunity for us to share our faith as one people and to learn about each other as we join the Archbishop on this extraordinary journey. A multicultural celebration is planned along with discussions about our Church in the third millennium," Castillo said

Lent observance

In order that our love for Christ and identification with Him may be deepened, I earnestly exhort all Catholics during the period of Lent and the Easter season to attend daily Mass, to celebrate the Sacrament of Penance, to receive Holy Communion often , to participate in the devotional life of the Church, to give generously to the religious and charitable works of the Church, to assist the sick, the aged and the poor, to practice voluntary fast, penance and self-denial, and to pray more fervently, particularly for the intention of the Holy Father and the mission of the Church.

As Canon 1249 of the Code of Canon Law indicates, "All members of the Christian faithful in their own way are bound to do penance in virtue of divine law; in order that all may be joined in a common observance of penance, penitential days are prescribed in which the Christian faithful in a special way pray, exercise works of piety and charity, and deny themselves by fulfilling their responsibilities more faithfully and especially by observing fast and abstinence," m accord with the norms of Church law for the United States: Abstinence; Everyone 14 years of age and older is bound to abstain from meat on Ash Wednesday, the Fridays of Lent and Good Friday.

Fast: Everyone 18 years of age and older but under the age of 60 is also bound to fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. The Easter fast should also be observed on Holy Saturday until the Easter Vigil if possible.

On Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, the law of fast allows only one full meal a day, but does not prohibit taking some food during the day, so long as this does not constitute another full meal.

Drinking liquids during the day is permitted.

When health or ability to work would be seriously affected, the law does not oblige. In doubt concerning fast or abstinence, a priest assigned to pastoral ministry or confessor should be consulted. In the spirit of penance, the faithful should not lightly excuse themselves from this obligation.

Most Rev. William J- Levada

F o r the B e s t

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Doctrinal off icials gather here and 'talk shop 1

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JLhe challenge for Church leaders entrusted with "promoting and defending Catholic doctrine " centers more on finding teaching "methods " or "models " that make th at teaching compelling th an in changing the message itself , it was emphasized at a press briefing Feb. 12 which concluded a four-day convocation of doctrinal officials fro m the Vatican , U.S., Canada , Australia , New Zealand , Papau New Guinea , Solomon Islands, and the Pacific region.

Convened by the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith at Vallombrosa Center in Menlo Park , the session provided an opportunity for "people with similar responsibilities " to "talk shop," Cincinnati Archbishop Daniel E. Pilarczyk told reporters , The archbishop chairs the U.S. bishops ' doctrinal committee.

During the question-and-answer period reporters directed most questions to Cardinal loseph Ratzinger , prefect of the Vatican doctrinal congregation , who: * Said concern about academic freedom and Catholic theologians raised by Pope John Paul H's 1990 document on higher education {Ex Corde Ecclesiae), should be viewed in terms of the Church' s obligation to assure "the faithful" that theologians teaching Catholic theology are, in fact , teaching precepts in accord with Church doctrine; • Acknowledged tension between some segments of the theolog ical community and the Vatican, but added that "tensions can be a good thing " and diat "it is certainly our intention to have good relations between the theological community and the magisterium;" • Underscored a "need for moral absolutes" and expressed concern about "moral relativism " at the same time cautioned against "being too quick to make absolutes" when asked a question about the trial of President Clinton; • Refeired reporters to a prepared press release when asked

by LAV Angeles Timesreligion writer Larry Stammer about Church latitude on 'blessing same-sex relationships tliat are monogamous with a life-long commitment"; the release stated, "The Church teaches that homosexual acts cannot contribute to the authentic good of the human person" and "consistently condemns any violence against homosexual persons."

• Indicated that judging a Catholic politician's vote on abortion legislation as sinful must take into account circumstances, freedom , intention, and informed conscience, and that ultimately the question lies between the person and his or her confessor.

The meeting 's topics included "authority of the Church' s Magisterium , the importance of the Profession of Faith, the ecclesial role of the theologian, and dialogue between bishops and theologians" as well as "the implications of feminism for Catholic thought and the pastoral care of homosexual persons," according to the press statement.

Toronto's Cardinal Aloysius M. Ambrozic told reporters that feminist thought had provided insights into reconciliation

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Archbishop William J. Levada (left) and Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger

issues, helped the Church "see the Bible in deeper and better ways," and "opened our eyes" to enriched aspects of "characters in the Old and New Testaments."

"Women could not find an all y more clearly determined than the Church to recognize and defend their di gnity," Cardinal Ambrozic is quoted in the press release. When asked about the issue of women 's ordination , he noted that "Jesus was very free of the prejudices and biases of the cul-

"There are moral laws, moral absolutes that do not admit to cultu ra l variance," he said.

"One of the problems with learning truths and teaching truths is that looking at mere statements and doctrines on its own is never enough," Bishop Peter J. Cullinane of Palmerston North, New Zealand, said at the press conference. "When God wanted to show us how much we mean to him — just how much human nature, God's creation , is precious to him — God couldn 't say it simply in statements and doc—"1 nines. The only way God could say it was in the form of a person, whom you and I know to be Jesus of Nazareth.

"Learning the truths and communicating the truths of Christian faith therefore depend on how we relate to the person. It can never be enough to just talk in terms of statements if what God revealed is in the shape and the form of a person. We come to know and communicate those truths out of a relationship of intimacy with that person, our ability to come close to him, to trust him, to love him , to communicate with him , to hem' him. All of those ' sa.X dimensions of relating to the risen Jesus are O absolutely decisive for whether or not we can 7. < come to know the truths that God revealed in 2 the form of a person. o o "Doctrines and statements are only the a spinoffs of what it means to know him."

Archbishop Eric D'Arcy of Hobart , Archbishop Eric D'Arcy (left) and Archbishop Daniel E. Pilarcyzk Australia , and others said they found the giveture of his day, notably in regard to women," yet he select- and-take between the prelates and doctrinal officials ed 12 men as his Apostles. "He knew what he was doing," "encouraging and enlightening — helpful in discussions ot the cardinal said, "and we have to follow his example." how to better convey Church teachings and assuring in know"It is clear not every Catholic believes all of Catholic ing other bishops share similar challenges. "I learned an teaching or follows Catholic moral law," said Cincinnati 's awful lot in a few days," he said.

Archbishop Pilarcyzk. "This, I suspect, has always been the The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has case. I believe people are seemingly more sophisticated today sponsored similar meetings between its officials and reprethan they were in the past and therefore less likely to regard sentatives of doctrinal commissions in other parts of the docility as a virtue. But I believe that the fact not all people world: Latin America (Bogota, 1984, and Guadalajara, 1996), believe what we teach does not mean that what we teach is Africa (Kinshasa, 1987), Europe (Vienna, 1989), and Asia inconect."

(Hong Kong, 1993).

"It means th at we have to keep teaching it," he continued , "and that maybe that we have to find new ways to teach it.

But truth is not arrived at by vote. Or by the number of people who follow" a certain point of view,

Cardinal addresses F ' ides et Ratio '

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convocation of doctrinal officials at Vallombrosa Center, finishes introducing Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger Feb.13 at St. Patrick Seminary Chapel where the prefect for the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith delivered a lecture titled, "Culture and Truth: Reflections o K a.

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Bishop Peter J. Cullinane

San Francisco's Archbishop William J. Levada hosted the gatherin g and delivered an address during it on the doctrinal situation in the U.S. today.

Others attending included Archbishop Tarcisio Bertone , secretary of the Vatican congregation; Archbishop Adrian T. Smith of Honiara, Solomon Islands; Archbishop Michel Marie Calvet of Noumea (New Caledonia); Bishop David L. Walker of Broken Bay, Australia; Auxiliary Bishop Michael E. Putney of Brisbane , Australia; Bishop Soane Foliaki of Tonga; and Bishop Gerard-Joseph Deschamps of Daru-Kiunga , Papua New Guinea.

Advisory staff members included Dominican Father Augustine Di Noia of the U.S. bishops' doctrinal commission, Jesuit Father Gilles Langevin of the Canadian commission, and the Vatican congregation 's Franciscan Father Adriano Garuti , Msgr. Josef Clemens, and Father Chai'Ies Brown.

Cardinal Ratzinger 'Catholic faithfu l have rig ht to know what is Catholic and what is not Catholic '

By Dan Morris-Young A ielding a question about the often-repeated perception of him and the Vatican congregation he leads as "repressive," "censorial ," or even "Inquisitorial ," Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger insisted that "clearly the ideas the media give about our congregation are not correct " and repeated a sentence many have heard him say: "The Catholic fai thfu l have a ri ght to know what is Catholic and what is not Catholic."

During a brief interview with Catholic San Franciscojust prior to delivering an address at St. Patrick Seminary Feb. 13, ("Culture and Tnith: Reflections on the Encyclical Fideset Ratio"), Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger said the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith serves two mandates — promoting the Catholic faith and defending it.

Both have become closely associated with the widel y influential 71-year-old cardinal who has lived through six papacies and served in any number of high-level capacities, including key roles in significant Church events — for example, issuance in 1992 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

"I will not say that we are infallible or that we have never made errors or mistakes," he said about the congregation he has headed since 1981 , "but we do what is necessary to clarify the identity of our faith and perhaps to protect people against falsifications of the faith."

At the same time, he added , "we generally do all that is possible to have due process and respect the ri ghts of the theological community. " During a press conference the previous day {see Page 8), he acknowledged "tensions " between the Vatican and segments of the theological world, but noted "tensions can be a good thing. " Speaking softly in his Bavarian accent in the office of St. Patrick Seminary rector, Sulp ician Father Gerald Coleman, on a topic he would treat later during his lecture, the cardinal pointed to "subjectivism " as a "pervasive problem in our culture , not onl y American culture , but Western society " in general.

"Widel y held opinions " too often substitute for "moral

absolutes ," he exp lained , leaving society nidderless , "in a situation where all opinions are equivalent. " "This necessari l y leads to the fragmentation of society in essential things ," he continued , adding, "If we cannot have common values , common truths , sufficient communication on the essentials of human life — how to live , how to respond to the great challenges of human life — then true society becomes impossible."

That theme, he said, runs through Pope John Pau l IPs recent encyclical , Fideset Ratio (Faith and Reason), notabl y in its exhorting its audience to focus anew on ultimate questions such as the meaning of life , the nature of God , and "transcendent truths."

Discussion and dialogue on issues such as humankind 's relationshi p to God animate Pope John Paul II in private conversation , his confidant confirmed. "It is exciting for him ," said Cardinal Ratzinger, who meets regular with the pontiff to discuss congregational issues as well as broader Church matters.

"I would say he needs it," the cardinal added , alluding to the fact Pope John Paul had been a popular professor of p hilosoph y. "A thinking, reflecting type of personality cannot be onl y an administrator. " He described how the pope schedules "working lunches" on such issues that begin an hour before the actual meal.

"And then lunch sometimes will last another two hours," he smiled. "He is very passionate, this man of thinking, on these questions."

idea of God, and that we are ideas of God incarnate. " How different cultures express the idea of God and other theolog ical formulations are an increasingly intense area of discussion and scholarship, tile cardinal told Catholic San Francisco. "On the one hand ," he said, "truth and our faith need cultural realization. Yet there is also a danger to exaggerate the differences of cultures so that cultures appear impenetrable , one from (he other."

He noted the role of culture "was a great question " at both the most recent synods of bishops in Africa and Asia.

He stressed that the faith of the Churc h calls for a "communion of cultures " and in his evening lecture spent several minutes on the subject , declaring "Christianity 's claim to

PHOTOS BY CHRIS DUFFEY

Asked what he hoped the average Catholic might gain from the highly scholarly Fides et Ratio, the diminutive former professor of theology readily conceded the encyclical "is written for bishops , pastors, educators and others with intellectual responsibilities."

"However, it is not without importance 'for the simple faithful," he said , "because all the faithful want to possess the confidence that their true decision to be a Christian is well founded , that their faith is more than a cultural tradition, that it is more than a consequence of one 's birth into a family, that their faith can help one have a real contact with the real God and with Christ," Alluding to the story of St. Augustine "who was surprised that his mother Monica who without any intellectual formation still had the same intuitions and visions as he did" even without "his comp licated ways," the cardinal said it is "clem- even average people have the capacity to understand that God is creator and that creation is an expression of the

universality, which is based on the universality of truth , is often countered in our day with the argument of the relativity of cultures...."

However, he told the nearly 3(X) in attendance, "Cultures are not fixed once and for all in a single form. They have the capacity to make progress and be transformed.,..

Revelation is not something extraneous to cultures, but rather it responds to an inner expectation within cultures themselves."

He quoted Fides et Ratio: "While it demands of all who hear it the adherence of faith , the proclamation of the Gospel in different cultures allows people to preserve their own cultural identity. This in no way create s division , because the community of believers is marked by a universality which can embrace every culture.,.. " In Fide et Ratio 's critique of modern sciences as motivated more by the "utilitarian " than what is good for humankind, Pope Joh n Pau l II had in mind developments such as biolog ical weapons and research "in which the human person becomes an element in experimentation ," said Cardinal Ratzinger, "There has been immense progress in our technical powers," he pointed out , "but we have not at the same time made the same progress in our ethical capacities. We do not have a balance between our technical power and our mora l power. There needs to be a proportion between the two sectors."

A balance of a different sort is also necessary, he said, in evaluating the function "experience" should play in arriving at philosophical or theolog ical conclusions, "Clearl y we need experience," he emphasized. "Experience is absolutel y necessary. Otherwise, we tire onl y in abstract spheres. This is one of the essent ial points of Aristotelean philosoph y — that onl y what was in the senses can also be in the intellect. You always have to start from experience."

RATZINGER, Page 14

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Kristin Age: 19

nside Guerrero House, young adults battle drug addiction, eating disorders, joblessness, absentee parents , the memories of p hysical and mental abuse, depression and more. The fight is their choice. They came to Guerrero House to turn their lives around.

In residence: four months MfflMBMWmWW::: J Past: After admitting to her parents she was gay,her mom wrote her a letter throwing her out of the house. The youngTexan put all her belongings in a backpack and hitchhiked to the interstate. She slept under overpasses and was befriended by an old homeless man who showed her the ropes. In San Bernardino a man held her against her will. She escaped after four days.When she arrived in San Francisco she slept on Ocean Beach, for three nights. One morning she went to Market Street in search of better weather. Sitting on the curb,cold and hungry,a security guard approached her and asked if she needed help. He gave her several phone numbers. She had 35 cents. It was all she needed. Guerrero House accepted her.She states,"It's just a story now, because everything has changed."

Present: "Guerrero House gives me a lot of strength.The staff is beautiful.

They all have something to offer and they offer it to you daily. I think it's kind of cool that the Catholic Church backs this up. Its nice to see something positive. I felt so much negativity from religious things. It's really refreshing to find something positive that stems from a religious aspect. I've taken advantage of all the resources and I know I will make it. My parents and I are on speaking terms now. I went to visit them at Christmas time. I don't know if they accept me or are just dealing with me, but things are better between us." Kristin is employed at Larkin Street Youth Center as an administrative assistant. She also works at San Francisco Running Crew doing technical theater through BRAVA,Theater for Women in the Arts. It's a part-time training and employment position.

Future: Kristin is starting at San Francisco State, exploring the arts. She's been saving money and plans to be in her own place by the summer. She loves San Francisco and can't think of living anywhere else. iiiMirmiiMiMliiiiiiiii ii iirrii

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Richard Age: 19 In residence: one year Past: Richard had problems with his parents, severe enough to have the New Orleans Court grant him emancipation from them at age 15. He received a work permit from the school board, I went to school, held two jobs and had his own apartment At age 18 he was offered a bartender's job (legal in New Orleans) and was making good money.

When he lost the job he moved to California and thought he would conquer the world. He worked as a waiter in an upscale hotel in San Francisco but was let go because his job would entail serving liquor. He was only 19. His money ran out quickly. He became ! homeless.

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Guerrero House, Catholic Charities ' transitional living program for homeless young adults, opened its doors in July of 1990 at a 20-bed one-time mansion atop a hill in San Francisco's Mission/Liberty District. It is the largest residential program in San Francisco to target homeless youth , ages 18-21 Guerrero House program manager, Sandra Vanderpool, said , "This is the hardest job I've ever had. It's also the favorite of all my jobs."

"My biggest frustration is," she added, "like most social services, the program is under funded. We're partially funded by HUD (Housing Urban Development), DHS (Department of Human Seivices) and we rely heavily on private and corporate funding. If it weren't for the great staff willing to wear several hats and pitch in where needed a lot of things couldn 't get done."

The funding short fall at Guerrero House manifests itself in challenges such as keeping up with ubiquitous computer upgrades. The older model computers used by the residence's young people are often incompatible with the latest software .

The old building could stand a coat of paint and some repairs. Christmas in April, a non-profit organization , will soon lend a skilled hand. On April 24 and 25 Christmas in April personnel will work with Guerrero staff , residents, and friends in an extensive "work party" to repair, paint , upgrade and beautif y.

Prospective residents for the Guerrero House program are not automatically accepted, pointed out Vanderpool. They are assigned case managers who thoroughly discuss their backgrounds. A one-on-one meeting with the clinical coordinator is held. This licensed dierapist and the applicant look into any psychological problems that might make it difficult to achieve program goals. The screening continues as staff and prospective residents meet to discuss the program and ask questions. Staff and applicants mutually decide whether the program is the right one, if it can provide the services needed to insure successful transitions.

When accepted, new residents sign a contract committing to the rules of the program and the house.

Vanderpool tells new residents Guerrero House is not just a shelter or "a place to flop."

There is work to be done and all are expected to pitch in. A sign-up sheet displayed on a bulletin board lists some of the chores - cooking, garbage, cleaning, and grocery shopping.

Guerrero House acceptance comes with a 30-day probation. In that time each new resident is expected to obtain a California Identification Card and a job as well as continue education by returning to high school or studying for the GED (General Equivalency Diploma) test, or enrolling in classes at community, city or state colleges.

Neither drugs nor violence is tolerated.

Drug possession or violence spell an automatic exit from the program . "All residents have a right to be in a safe place. These are the two rules of the house which, if not followed, call for immediate departure ," said Vanderpool.

Present: "Guerrero House is helpful and very beneficial. But it's difficult for me because I have always taken care of myself without help from anyone. I know it's the best thing for me right now but I'm uncomfortable. I have two jobs and I'm saving money. I'm doing internships learning how to design web pages." -

'Most of the kids we serve escaped — ran away because the streets were literally safer th an their

Future: Richard wants to attend college and make a four-to-eight year commitment. He is working toward a good job and living in California.

own homes.1 uuerrero nouse program manager bandra vanderpool

"Also," she noted, "a huge emphasis is put on controlling anger and dealing

\with the stresses of life without turning to drugs."

Monet

Residents are assigned case managers for support with focus on teaching

1life-skills, decision making and conflict resolution. "Appropriate referrals to ttherapy and working with service providers is all part of the program . We use

every service possible to help these kids to enter successful permanent living environments," said Vanderpool.

Photos and Story Money management skills are high on the Guerrero House program .

By Evelyn Zappia Residents must pay 30 percent of their income toward progra m fees. An additional 20 percent goes to savings to be used when a resident transitions to an inde1pendent living situation. Case managers work with the young people to create and jmaintain a realistic budget.

"We try to do in 18 months what should have been done in 18 years," said Vanderpool. Residents learn how to negotiate residential contracts, open a bank account, fill out a check, and manage money.

At times Guerrero House resembles a college dorm — residents preparing dinner in the kitchen , some lounging in chairs reading books, small groups chatting in the living room , and others visiting on the front porch.

Every Tuesday evening, community meetings are held so participants and staff can keep in touch with each other and voice any problems that need to be discussed.

Once a month , Vanderpool convenes a meeting with residents only. At that meeting anyone may speak freel y regarding any problems with staff or rules. "I believe it is an important forum for the residents even though I rarely get complaints about the staff," said Vanderpool.

Tuesday evenings are also for drop-in applicants. The homeless youth gather in the reception hall, appearing uneasy as they wait to convince a stranger they need help. On the streets they 've heard of the two to three month wait. They 're told to call in once a week to let "The House" know they are still interested.

Outreach coordinator Jen Plummer Some never come back. Others wait a year before becoming a resident.

Catholic Charities estimates 1,500 youth ages 18-21 live on the streets of San Francisco.

Jen Plummer, outreach coordinator for Guerrero House, goes where the kids congregate — the Haight, Tenderloin, Polk Street, and Market Street, to let them know there is a way out before, as the kids say, "the streets take you under."

The young Plummer can easily be mistaken for a resident/peer with her multi-colored hair, a nose ring, and tattoos. "Outreach is best when it is done by one of their own," said Vanderpool.

As Plummer seeks the homeless youth on the streets, she hands out sandwiches made by residents , also blankets. She explains the Guerrero House program to them. "She gets results," said Vanderpool.

Recently, an outreach internship was created to help Plummer with her campaign. A male resident asked for the position. Plummer and the young man now work together. "He has quite a talent in reaching the kids. He's doing a great job , and is considering social work as his life 's career," said Vanderpool.

"Most of the kids we serve escaped - ran away because the streets were literally safer than their own homes. That's why Jen 's outreach is so important ," said Vanderpool.

"The papers want you to believe that kids are living on the streets for the adventure, " said Vanderpool, referring to a recent major daily newspaper 's article about homeless youth on Haight Street. "That article was wrong. I live in the Haight and I know the peop le who were featured. I also know they are adults of varying ages who want to be on the streets and not looking to change. They are the ones that contribute to the exploitation of the kids we serve ," Although residents can stay at Guerrero house up to 18 months, the average stay is seven months. According to Vanderpool, the reason for the short stay is the impatience of youth wanting to make it on their own. An after-care program provides graduates with an additional 12-18 months of services and support upon leaving the program to nurture long-term success.

Guerrero House boasts a success rate of more than seven in 10 young adults who successfully enter permanent living environments and become viable community members. Yet, the daily successes within Guerrero House are powerful as the young adults fight and overcome the poor odds they were dealt.

Age 21 In residence: one year Past: Monet, in California all her life,was passed from one foster home to another since she was seven. She was abused most of her life. When the pain became too much, she turned to drugs.At 18, she had no place to go. Although she was offered enrollment at a drug rehabilitation center, she says,"I didn't want help. I had problems with authority figures, didn't know who I could trust." She lived on the streets for more than two years.Then she hit rock bottom.

Present: "Catholic Charities is a great program. It's great that this home helps homeless kids like me. I encourage kids to take advantage of it to turn their lives around. I was a street thug and now I am a responsible adult. People outside of Guerrero House don't know how much it's helping people. I've been off drugs for a year and will stay this way. I want to give back what was given to me and go into social work. I've found a vocation. I'd like to be a case manager and help homeless kids. Maybe I can help them because I've been through it. I'm only one test away from getting my G.E.D. and through my work at Episcopal Community Services I've saved a lot of money. I'll be out on my own soon and I'll miss this place. I'll never forget what it has done for me."

Future: Monet would like to be a case manager at Guerrero House or at a comparable shelter.With one more test to pass she will obtain her G.E.D., then she plans to attend college and study counseling and social work. She also wants to travel and see things in her new world.

T

S* li

I

Leina ge 19 A In residence: five months 1 I— Past: Leinas parents could — —— not accept her sexuality.They gave her an ultimatum she couldn't live with.

Originally from Hawaii, she found California a difficult adjustment. She has a history of emotional problems and struggles with panic attacks. She was known as "the quiet one," the sensitive one, and the one unable to relate well with peers and others.When she first came to Guerrero House, it was difficult for her to take charge of her life.

Present: "I'm working out my emotional problems with my case manager.

I have a part-time job at the Daly City Youth Center. I work and volunteer there for Project Play, a mentoring program. I love the job. It's given me self-confidence. I recommend Guerrero House to' anyone. I found people who I can trust and I'm changing.Through all of this, I've actually gotten more religious because as I grow I realized I need God in my life.What kids on the streets need is more Guerrero Houses."

Future: Leina wants to become an outreach worker for troubled youth. She plans to take full advantage of Guerrero House programs, live there for a year, attend City College,and move out on her own. She hopes that some day her parents will accept her.

CATHOLIC

"SAN FRANCISCO \.. like rolling down the street in a car you 're trying to p oint' If you know fol ks who Jived m the basement of their home while they fini sh building it — or if you 've been there yourself — you have a sense of what it has been like here at Catholic San Francisco for the past several weeks as we pitched in to make the presses move — last week rolling-out the first newspaper for the archdiocese in nearly 15 years.

We have used other metaphors as well. "It ' s like rolling down the street in a car you're trying to paint." "Ever heard of liquid chaos?" "It's like a tsunami of details, and the wave is about to crest."

At the risk of giving the impression we are totally disorganized, it 's only fair to point out that varying degrees of chaos are part and parcel of publishing a newspaper. Invariably last-minute developments force re-thinking, re-arrangements, and revisions.

As I am wri ting this, for example, we learn the City Planning Commission in South San Francisco has rejected St. Augustine's application to expand its plant and build a parish school , despite the fac t the city 's own planning staff had worked extensively with the parish to help it meet city requirements. This is news.

Something on these pages will be "tweaked".

We did push a bit, largely because we wanted to be able to announce the kick-off of RENEW 200G, the spiritual renewal program and process in which thousands of you are already participating. (By the way, if you are a should-I-or-shouldn 't-I fence sitter about joining a RENEW faith-sharing group of fellow parishioners, leap off your perch. The weekly get-together will quickly become an oasis of sanity and soul nurturing.

Guaranteed. And you aren 't late. It 's not like walking into a movie and missing the opening scene.)

Arid, we did not want to be so far removed from Catholic Schools Week (Jan . 24-31) or the Religious Education Institute (Jan. 29-30) that they would be ancient news. (For the record , a large number of the laity we interviewed for last week's cover story were partici pants in the REI).

And, we wanted to be in homes before Lent began. Somehow we hoped you would appreciate that. We would like to think columnists such Archbishop Levada ("Ordinary Times"), Father David Pettingill (Scripture), Sister Sharon McMillan (liturgy), Vivian Dudro and Christine Dubois (family), and Father Milton Walsh (church in world) can enhance your Lenten reflections.

And we were fortunate. Little did we realize that the prefect for the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, would, fortuitously, respond to our request for a one-on-one interview at the kind request of our Archbishop (See Page 9) and be featured in our second issue.

Archbishop Levada, as was noted in commentaries last week, deserves the fundamental credit for bringing fruition to Catholic San Francisco. It 's a significant undertaking and commitment of resources. Director of the Office of Communications , Maurice Healy, likewise has labored unbelievable hours to spearhead converting the notion of a newspaper into an actual newspaper — in about a year 's time (refer to "tsunami of details").

We would like to issue a public thank you also to colleagues in the Catholic Press who have supported , counseled and encouraged us" — often sharing expertise for which consultants could have charged a fortune. These include the staffs of Oakland' s Catholic Voice, Los Angeles' Tidings, Sacramento 's Catholic Herald , New York's New York Catholic, Seattle 's Catholic Northwest Progress , and Catholic News Service.

Catholic San Francisco is blessed to be able to have joined in a mutual operating agreement with its sister newspapers in Sacramento and Oakland. The cooperative effort also includes El Heraldo, the Spanish-language newspaper published in common by the three sees. The mutuality in business, advertising, and circulation has already paid benefits.

A final thank you goes out to all the people who have expressed their appreciation and compliments and constructive criticism. It is for you we will continue the building of Catholic San Francisco.

Let ' fac e it...

scribing to the dail y secular newspaper because I found it depressing. The only Congratulations on a fine, first edition reason we have the Sunday paper is for the of Catholic San Francisco. comics.

I enjoyed particularly the excellent article I for one would welcome unslanted ,

by Evelyn Zappia on the St. Bruno shelter. honest and unsensationalized reporting. We You have a great editorial board and a get enough of that on television. The only good future. I am p leased to see that you program on that medium that I enjoy is are not ignoring San Mateo County. Let's "Touched by an Angel. " 1 onl y wish face it — that is where the Church is thriv"Mosaic " was on at a better time slot. ing from Daly City to the Coastside to I enjoyed Sunday to Sunday.

Menlo Park.

Gloria Flores Jack Russell South San Francisco (Past president, Association of Catholic Journalists) Belmont

Marian 'turning p oint'

This is punis hment?

I received the first issue of Catholic San Francisco and read it all with . some inte rest.

I also read the editorial on the death penalty with some interest. It always confuses me a bit that "life imprisonment without possibility of parole" for what you refer to as "horrific acts of violence" is considered dreadful punishment.

If someone commits a terrible crime, I do not understand why free room and board for life is punishment at all. As I said , 1 find this somewhat confusing .

This will probably get me in trouble. Expressing my opinion often does.

Roberta Bauccio San Carlos

Is it possible not to be afraid in this wartorn , sin-saturated world with diabolical forces on the march everywhere? "Most assuredly," answered our beloved pontiff , John Paul II. In a book entitled Do Not Be Afraid by Andre Frossard, Pope John Paul II directs the reader to an igniting spiritual force in his life that was to be, in his own words, "a turning point in my life".

This spiritual force was his own personal consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and the Sacred Heart of Jesus through her Immaculate Heart, using the 33day method of St. Louis De Montfort. The Holy Father strongly recommended to all Catholics in his encyclical , Mo ther of the Redeemer, to make this Act of Consecration.

If the reader wishes to thank God for the 20 years he has given us this remarkable pope and, at the same time be flooded with the Holy Spirit 's fear-erasing gifts of love, joy, courage and confidence , then, with deep humility and filial obedience, you should follow our pontiff's strong recommendation of personal consecration to the Blessed Mother. You will never regret it in time or eternity.

The book, Total Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, can be obtained throug h most Catholic bookstores.

Joseph C. Evers McClean, VA

E

nr

Thanhs, but THREE?

T E E S

My first issue of Catholic San Francisco has just arrived. In fact , THREE copies have arrived. Will you please delete two of the addresses from your database? The one of the three I prefer is "Beatrice Laws."

I don't know how you got my husband mixed up in your Catholic addresses. He is a card-carry ing Presbyterian, and elder in what he calls the "True Kirk." I have hopes for him yet, but we 've got to go easy and not intimidate him with mailings.

Beatrice Laws San Francisco (Ed. Note : If you are receiving multiple copies of Catholic San Francisco, please call 1 800 828-1252. Refer to the nine-digit account number on the address label.

Thanks.)

Takes me bach

Received and read Catholic San Francisco and enjoyed it greatly. Takes me back to The Monitor days.

In the column, "On the Street Where You Live," you spoke of the Jesuit Volunteers. Would you know how I can get additional information? Also , what is Catholic San Francisco 's e-mail address?

Thanks for the articles and for answering the above requests.

C. Pauling Suhiing Redwood City (Ed note: The Jesuit Volunteer Corps can be contacted at (510) 653-8564. Catholic San Francisco 's e-mail address is dvoung @catholic-sf.or g. Thanks for asking.)

Welcome news

The announcement of a Catholic newspaper is welcome news to me.

Long ago I stopped reading or sub-

Good benchmark

Congratulations and best wishes for continued success. If the inaugural issue is a benchmark then it speaks well for the future of Catholic San Francisco and its promise as an outstanding Catholic newspaper.

The new paper satisfies a need we have had for a long time to keep people informed about the Church on a local, national and international level. I especially think the cover was excellent and am proud how the lead story about homelessness showed our concern as Church.

Father Tom Moran, pastor St. Charles Parish, San Carlo

Letterswelcome

I

Catholic San Francisco welcomes letters from its readers. Please: >- Include your name, address and daytime phone number, >- Sip your letter. *- Limit submissions to 250 words. >• Note that the newspaper reserves the right to edit for clarity and length.

Send your letters to: Catholic San Francisco 441 Church St San Francisco, CA 94114 Fax: (415) 565-3633

The Catholic Diff erence

George Weigel IVXaking new year 's resolutions for others is generally considered bad form. But I shall risk the charge of Pharisaism by proposing the following to my fellow pundits and scribes: Give Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger a break in 1999.

The cardinal is an adult who doesn 't fret over criticism. Serious reporting and analysis of Cardinal Ratzinger and his thinking won 't do much of anything for the Bavarian-born theologian . But laying off the caricature of Ratzinger-the-Pankzerkardinal would do wonders for Catholic reporting and commentary.

A recent Catholic News Service story from Rome explored the range of Ratzinger 's undoubtedly enormous influence , a perfectly legitimate topic. But it djd so b y depicting the cardinal as a curial busybody who constantly injects himself into others ' business. The writer also noted Ratzinger 's "steel-like sense of purpose;" it was not made clear why the Church would be well served by a prefect of the Congregation for the

Give cardinal a break in c99 Doctrine of the Faith who had a gelatinous sense of purpose .

The eminent Cambridge historian, Eamon Duffy, writing thoughtfull y in the London Tablet on a recent Roman consultation on the history of the Inquisition , simply could not resist a dig at Ratzinger , the "presentday 'Grand , Inquisitor ' ." Sure ly such tired humor among the ecclesiastical chattering classes has run its course .

Those interested in discovering the real Ratzinger should start with Salt of the Earth, a book-length interview with German journalist Peter Seewald, published in English by Ignatius Press. Salt of the Earth caused a mild sensation when it first appeared in Germany in 1996. Where was the fierce, repressive, censorious Panzerkardinal? Who was this engaging, generous, charming, modest, insightful theologian and pastor?

Those who dug deeper found even more interesting material, particularly in the contrast between the cardinal's view of the 21st-century Church - a smaller, purer, less culturally-assertive community - and Pope John Paul IPs "springtime of evangelization." That two men who work so well together should have such visions of the future only added to the tang of Salt of the Earth.

Joseph Ratzinger the man is further displayed in his recently published memoir, Milestones, which covers the first 50 years of his life, from 1927 through 1977 .

Milestones is, in many respects, a much less substantial book than Salt of the Earth. But Ratzinger 's narrative of the unexpected course of his own Christian pilgrimage unveils a truth that Peter Seewald, for all his intense questioning, didn 't quite bring to the surface: Joseph Ratzinger, the obedient , dedicated disciple, has given up a great deal to fulfill the service the Church has asked of him for these past 20 years .

Like many other great theologians, Ratzinger had a

life project in mind in his case, to write a dogmatic theology that brought all the facets of the Christian proposal together in an intellectuall y compelling, comprehensive statement of faith for the modern world. That project was put on hold by his 1977 appointment as archbishop of Munich-Freising and definitively shelved when Ratzinger accepted the 1981 call to Rome.

To abandon his project and his academic work must have been a tremendous sacrifice for Ratzinger. But he had never believed there was a radical difference between being an academic theologian and a theologian for the Church; academic theology was meant to serve the Church, and it was the Church' s prerogative to decide where he, Joseph Ratzinger, would serve best.

As Father Richard Neuhaus put it , in a fine essay on Ratzinger entitled "Christ's Donkey," Ratzinger's critics are not the only ones who wish he had stayed in the academy ; "many of his admirers think his appointment as prefect of CDF deprived the Church of the enormous contribution he would have made through his writing and teaching." But , as Neuhaus concludes, others are immeasurably grateful that John Paul II called him to a universal classroom where, in a darkened confusion , he has encouraged students beyond number in rekindling the lights of theol ogical inquiry in service to Christ and his Church , and therefore in service to the world.

Those who are not so grateful as Neuhau s (or your scribe) might , nonetheless, consider whether giving Joseph Ratzinger a break isn ' t, well, the Christian thing to do in 1999.

George Weigel is a senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington, D. C.

VaticanLetter,

Cardinal's influence enormous

John Thavis X JLe has censured wayward theologians and banned thei i books. He has sharply defined the limits of dissent and the boundaries of ecumenical dialogue.

He has rewritten liturgical texts, pulled the reins on bishops' conferences and warned of "abuses" in lay ministries. He has turned the Vatican's spotlight on evangelization problems in Asia, Oceania and elsewhere.

German Cardinal Josep h Ratzinger is not pope, but many people at the Vatican think his influence these days is second only to that of Pope John Paul II - and a close second. In recent months, his Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has issued a stream of documents, guidelines and commentaries on some of the most sensitive issues in Church life.

A few years ago, Cardinal Ratzinger spoke of retiring after 15 years at the helm of the doctrinal congregation.

But today, the man who is sometimes called the "Panzer Kardinal" - after the German tank - is mnning in high gear.

"He's become the last check on everything, the final word on orthodoxy. Everything is passed through his congregation," said one Vatican source.

When Australian Church leaders were summoned to a "dialogue " with leading Vatican official s in midNovember, they didn 't know what was on the agenda.

They did hear that it was Cardinal Ratzinger's idea.

Cardinal Ratzinger helped arrange a similar meeting with Indian bishops a couple of years ago, because he was worried that Christian evangelization on the subcontinent was being watered down or "relativized" - one of the most dangerous trends in the Church, in his view.

U.S. bishops experienced the reach of the Cardinal Ratzinger 's doctrinal congregation during a review of English liturgical prayer translations, normally a question handled by Vatican worship officials. But citing "doctrinal" issues in translations, Cardinal Ratzinger took charge of the discussion, set ad hoc guidelines and made major changes to a proposed Lectionary.

The cardinal's influence was evident in a wide range of documents issued over the past year.

In June, for example, when the pope published the three-page apostolic letter, Ad Tuendam Fidern, invoking canonical penalties for certain forms of dissent, it was twinned with a six-page commentary from Cardinal Ratzinger that warned Catholics they would put themselves outside the communion of the Church if they rejected its teachings on eight specific issues.

In July, Cardinal Ratzinger was back again, unveiling a papal document on the limited authority of bishops' conferences. The Congregation for Bishops had worked inconclusively on the document for several years, trying to put together a text that had significant support from the world 's bishops. But in 1996, the pope handed the project over to Cardinal Ratzinger, who brought it into port.

Cardinal Ratzinger 's congregation also had a leading role in preparing a controversial document on the laity, issued late last year, which warned against lay ministries straying into areas proper to the ordained priesthood.

In ecumenism, Cardinal Ratzinger's doctrinal evaluations can arrive like arctic cold fronts. In October, with no forewarning to Vatican ecumenists, he issued nine pages on papal primacy, one of the most sensitive questions on the ecumenical horizon, declaring that, in the end, only the pope has the authority to make changes in his universal ministry. It 's a matter of faith, he said.

Vatican officials speak of a symmetry and a complementary relationship between Cardinal Ratzinger and Pope John Paul. The two meet nearly every week for private talks on congregation affairs and other topics.

Some have suggested that as the pope 's health and stamina have waned in recent years, Cardinal Ratzinger may be dominating Church policy - the "power behind the throne," as one priest in Rome put it. But those on the inside deny that the pope has ceded any part of his papal ministry to his doctrinal guardian.

"The pope wouldn 't let anything like that slip out of his control. And it would be very hard to say that Cardinal Ratzinger has an agenda that goes beyond the pope 's," said one longtime Vatican official.

Recently, the cardinal has been giving book-length speeches at Rome universities on the pope 's much praised encyclical, Fides et Ratio ("Faith and Reason"), which Cardinal Ratzinger helped prepare for publication. The cardinal also has a book of memoirs out in English , Milestones, which reveals, among other things, his deep disappointment at post-Vatican JJ liturgical changes.

At age 71, the white-haired cardinal has become even more visible in the universal Church. Those who see him in action often remark on his gentle manner, but beneath it is a steel-like sense of purpose.

John Thavis is chief of Catholic News Service 's Rome bureau.

Waking Ned Divine': giggles often turn to ash

By Three Mothers & a Father

The gigg les—sure 'n' they 're plenty—often turn to ash and stick in your throat: at least for folks who are Irish or who value ethical integrity. Both Irish and ethics take a beating in "Waking Ned Divine." But , hey, it 's only a movie.

Are Irish people always drinking? Is that funny ? Do they start their children on whiskey and cigars before 10 (age 10, not 10 p.m.) and how cute is that? If Ned Divine died with the winning lottery ticket in his hand, would everyone in town pretend that someone else was Ned in order to split up the 7,000,000 pounds? And who would hear all those confessions?

Still, the Emerald countryside is 36 shades of breathtaking green, the plot is simple, and the characters are fey and fabulous—even if the evil is a bit whitewashed. Like when one of bitty tries to report the deception in order to get the reward (worth more than her share of the spoils,) and accidentally gets pushed off the cliff , everyone in the movie—and the theater—laughs and prays a sigh of relief.

"Enoug h with the hysterical stereotypes and the smirking celebration of immorality Accidental death is humorous?

And would the local Catholic Church and pastor go along with the scam "just as long as there 's more money in the collection basket " as one young lad (the only child we could find in the town and perhaps the film 's Christ-figure and voice of truth) predicts? Of course, his mom has had sex with at least three of the 53 men in the village—and you'll never guess who his father is. Well, it 's only a movie.

The moviemakers surely got one thing terribl y wrong: there is no way on God' s green earth that the Irish could keep this silliness a secret. The whole story would be told in every pub in the county by sundown. Not recycle a rumor this juicy ? Do they know nothing about Irish human nature? Yes, of course, it's only a movie.

In movies like "The Devil' s Advocate " and "Pulp Fiction" evil is portrayed as evil. In "Waking Ned Divine" the deadly sins are portrayed as laughable , lighthearted rationalizations. Enough with the hysterical stereotypes and the smirking celebration of immorality.

"Waking " needs a wake-up call: to authentic humanity and redemptive spirituality, for which the Irish are famous.

Language not only reflects reality—it creates reality.

Film not only reflects culture—it creates culture. Besides, the Irish do wakes much better than this. ("Waking Ned Devine" is rate A-III — adults — by the U.S. Catholic Conference Office for Film and Broadcast.)

"Three Mothers & a Father " is an occasional movie review column f o r Catholic San Francisco, written by three mothers (with nine children and three master 's degrees among them) and a father (with a doctorate in theology).

St. Augustine Parish officials caught off guard by plan rejection A proposal to expand St. Augustine Church and build a nine-grade elementary school at the site has been tu rned down by the South San Francisco City Planning Commission. An appeal of the decision will be heard by the South San Francisco City Council on Feb. 24.

Father Eugene Tungol, pastor of St. Augustine since 1993, said 3,500-fami ly community "was stunned" by the decision. "We feel the decision was subjective and opinionated," he said, adding that the parish has already spent $180,000 developing the proposal and raising money to pay for the new structures. "The decision takes something from us ' and says no to education and no to our religious freedom."

"We all want additional schools and to see a church enlarged but thi s proposal was too much for too small a space," said Planning Commission chairperson, Judith Honan. She said "on several previous occasions" the parish had been encouraged to erect the school away from

the parish, an accommodation she said might have won her approval of the church enlargement.

Father Tungol said he thought the parish had been working "hand in hand" with personnel of the city ' s planning department and that approval was imminent. "We can only hope for the best on Feb. 24," he said.

Father Tungol said it's not a matter of choosing between an enlarged church or the new school because each is so important to the life of the parish. He is encouraging parishioners to attend the Feb, 24 meeting at 33 Arroyo between El Camino Real and Camaritas at 7:30 p.m.

Michael Upston , a South San Francisco associate planner, said his office had recommended the church and school proposal "conditionall y " and that the Planning Commission ' s rejecting a recommended proposal "was not extraordinary." Conditions , which Father Tungol is convinced the parish has met, included capping

school enrollment at 299 students and adding a Mass on Sunday.

The idea for the school and larger church was a result of the Archdiocesan Pastoral Planning process in late 1994. Since that time, the parish has raised $2.5 million of the $3.5 million necessary to complete the project. All but a $750,000 grant from the Archdiocese has come from parishioners.

St. Augustine is the largest parish 'in 'the Archdiocese with 3,500 registered households and as many as 1,500 unregistered households , according to Father Tungol, who said "hundreds of families" have indicated a desire to send their children to the school if it were built.

Original plans had the school opening in the fall of this year with kindergarten throug h third grades and eight grades by the year 2004. The church plan calls for 350 seats to be added to the 600 now available. More than 4,000 people attend St. Augustine's nine weekend Masses.

Cardinal takes time to bless students

Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, prefect of the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, after taking part in a press conference Feb. 12 in Menlo Park, took time out to visit and bless the University of San Francisco members of the St. Ignatius Institute before their spring silent Ignatian Retreat under direction of Father Anthony Mastroeni.

Some 50 USF students and their faculty awaited the arrival of the cardinal and his aides in front of the Carmelite Convent of Cristo Rey amidst strong winds and threatening skies.

Jesuit Father Joseph Fesio, former director of the St. Ignatius Institute , introduced the cardinal to the students.

After the blessing, Cardinal Ratzinger processed down the chapel aisle to the ornate statue of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Mexican motif, where the "Salve Regina" was sung by the whole congregation.

Afterwards, the cardinal met with students outside the chapel and posed for group pictures. He asked some students if they read Plato. Responses were that Plato's "Symposium" and "Phaedras" were assigned readings within the Institute 's four-year curriculum.

Cardinal

¦ Continued from Page 9 However, he underscored, "Experience alone is not sufficient. One must interpret experience, and to do this you need philosophical tMnking. A pure experience without preceding questions and without consequent interpretations is not really complete."

He would return to that theme during his evening lecture. "The Hol y. Father," he later stated, "emphasizes the limits of the concept of 'experience,' which today in keeping with the dominant limitation to what is apparent, is often elevated even in theology to the level of the ultimate standard."

"Indeed," the cardinal added, "the reduction to experience traps the human person in the subjecdve. Revelation is more than experience, and only thus does it give us an experience of God and help us to bring our own experiences together, to order them rightly, and through positive and critical discernment, to understand and communicate them."

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Annual Chinese Dinner draws 700

Nearly 700 persons including San Francisco Archbishop William J. Levada and Auxiliary Bishop John C. Wester attended the Eighth Annual Chinese Dinner Jan. 29 sponsored by the archdiocesan Chinese Ministry office, directed by Canossian Daughter of Charity Sister Maria Hsu (to p right). Persons of all ages enjoyed the fundraiser which generated nearly $15,000 for the Ministry's operation. At left, Sts. Peter and Paul parishioners Mary Ann Kong and her daughter, Sebrina , hope for luck during raffle. At right, Archbishop Levada exchanges remarks with Msgr. Ignatius Wang, acting chancellor and archdiocesan directo r of the Propagation of the Faith Office.

Chinese New Year Mass and ritual Feb. 28 at Cathedral Customarily, at the beginning of the Chinese New Year, the Chinese perform a ritual of petitioning God for blessings upon family, and pay a special tribute honoring and remembering their ancestors.

Deep respect for ancestors in Chinese tradition parallels the Western Christian tradition of remembering the dead in the Communion of Saints. Celebrations are normally celebrated in the spring and again the fall.

The San Francisco Archdiocese also has a tradition of celebrating a special Mass for the Chinese Catholic Community on the occasion of the Chinese New Year. This year, the Year of the Hare, 4697, this Mass with Archbishop

Claims priests arrested

STAMFORD, Conn. (CNS) — Two underground Catholic priests were among an unknown number of Church members recently arrested in northern China, said the Cardinal Kung Foundation.

Based in Switzerland, the foundation said Fathers Pei Junchao and Chen Hekun and other people — possibly including priests and seminarians — were arrested Jan .

25 in China 's Hebei province.

A statement from the foundation said Father Pei is from Youtong village near Shijiazhuang City, about 120 miles southwest of Bejing, and Father Chen, 36, is from Quantou village in Anxin County, about 75 miles southwest of Bejing.

The foundation claimed said 80 percent of Youtong's 2,200 villagers and 90 perecent of the 1,000 in Quantou are underground Catholics, Father Chen has been arrested at least twice before, the statement said, and beaten severely.

William J. Levada as the main celebrant is scheduled Feb. 28 at 3 p.m. at St. Mary's Cathedral , 1111 Gough St. At the conclusion of Mass there will be a ritualized reenactment of the Ceremonial Tribute to the Ancestors.

The rite is in accord with Vatican approval and catechesis reached between Pius XII and Archbishop Paul Yu-ping of Nanking who later became China's cardinal primate.

This rite is significant in that it marks the end of nearly 400 years of prohibition against Chinese ceremonial tributes to the ancestors because of their identification to the Chinese Rites Controversy. Once deemed "heathen," a j udgment dating to when Mateo Ricci entered Peking in

1601, ceremonial tributes to ancestors for centuries had been a primordial folk way for the Chinese.

After years of cross-cultural studies, many negotiations and the Church's efforts toward understanding faith and culture, many non-Eurocentric ethnic groups are no longer being discouraged from reenacting some rituals of religious celebration, which are true to their history, philosophy and practices.

Ironically, some present generations of AmericanChinese have become so assimilated into Western Christianity, they confuse this effort toward inculturation as a return to Buddhism, local officials noted.

¦ Continued from Page 3 much history as possible for our parish's centennial in 2001 and tie it with the restoration. This includes seniors who were born in this neighborhood and attended our parish and the school we once had, and parishioners who died in World War I, San Francisco's great flu epidemic of 1918, World War II, the Vietnam War, and the AIDS epidemic. Somehow we'd like to show all this with the new memorial churchyard," said Simmons.

An AIDS memorial monument for the churchyard is also proposed in the commemorative book. It 's described as a raised pool containing water plants surrounding a simple sculpture circulating running water. The imagery of

water and plants serves as a hopeful reminder as all Christians anxiously await resurrection.

"Today, AIDS is less of a death sentence and more of a treatable disease, but it still claims five or six lives a year at Most Holy Redeemer. No one is sure what that future holds.

But our parishioners are proud to know that we restored our church to last another hundred years," said Simmons.

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Family Lif e

Martha Stewart never slept here, but . . .

latest Disney flick. Originall y, he was supposed to salute and raise his sword. Now he just hits himself in the head.

When I suggested throwing him out, the kids were aghast. "Mom, no! We use him in our time travel game!" Seems the boys and their dad have built a whole scenario around a time travel machine and a prince who says, "I'd rather hit myself in the head than travel in time!"

Our children learned early that we value creativity ahead of neatness. Although they were expected to clean up the living room before bedtime, they soon found a loophole: If they could persuade us that a pile of blocks, trucks , and dinosaurs was an artistic statement, it could stay. Before he could even pronounce it, Lucas was saying, "I leave here, Mama. It 's a 'fistic V^/ur house has what people tactfully call a "relaxed , statement."

I'd always imagined that when I owned a home, it lived-in look." Papers are piled on the kitchen table, mismatched towels are strewn around the bathroom , and, of would look, if not quite as good as Martha Stewart 's, at least clean , neat, and tastefully attractive. course, toy s are everywhere.

I remember desperately cleaning house late one It's not that my kids get more toys than your average American child. It ' s just that they never get rid of night , trying to get ready for my father 's visit the next anything. No matter how old or broken or poorl y made morning. About 2 a.m., I set down the dust rag to admire my work. The counters were clear, the floor something is, they see only its creative possibilities. 've spotless, the table empty except for the centerpiece. got dozens of those little plasFor example, they I looked around and realized , "I liked it better the tic toys the burger chains give away with kids' meals, including a six-inch figure of Prince Whoever from the other way."

I missed the little toy cars on the counter, the stacks of school papers and baseball cards on the table , the newspaper cli ppings , the notebooks by the phone filled with notes for my articles , the sea shells from last summer 's vacation , the Lego spaceships on the floor. It wasn 't just clutter , it was our life.

The Bible tells us that God created the world out of chaos — not out of neatness and order. Like splattered paint in an artist 's studio, messiness is a sign of creativity and life.

It 's a princip le that holds true in our spiritual lives, too. We try hard to keep our lives in order — only to discover that it 's those messy, chaotic times that can turn out to be the times of greatest personal and spiritual growth.

I've finally accepted that our home is a tribute to family and creativity, not a monument to good taste.

And I've learned that when we allow a little creative mess, we make room for the Spirit to blow through our lives.

Martha Stewart might not want to stay here . But I bet that Jesus would.

(Try this at home: How do you see God at work in the messy areas of your life?)

A; Even though you report a similar response for both your mother and brother , I strongly suspect a misunderstanding along the line somewhere. Communion for people in their circumstances in the form of wine is routine and should have been available.

Through all my years as a priest, I have never known a person who could not receive a few drops of the consecrated wine on the tongue, even though he or she was unable to take the bread .

The wine could be from a Mass at home, in a hospital or other institution , or it could be brought from the church in a small vial or bottle. Many priests and extraordinary

According to our Catholic faith , at least , and the faith of others who believe as we do about the Eucharist , the living Christ is no more real, no more present in the ..bread than in the wine. Thus , as you say, we should exert every effort to make the Eucharist available to the sick in whichever form they are able to receive.

Finally, it seems you are suggesting as one possibility that Communion could , like other food , be administered through some form of artificial feeding. That is not a proper option.

Receiving the Eucharist is not a physical event as is nourishment with other food. It is a spiritual reality, eating and drinking the eucharistic body and blood of Christ as an act of faith and communion with him. As I explained , that kind of receiving should be possible as long as the patient is able to act consciousl y.

By the way, lest some readers comp lain that one should not speak of bread and wine after these elements have become the bod y and blood of Christ, I refer you to the Eucharistic Prayers, where this happens several times. The meaning is quite clear in the context.

Christine Dubois

QUESTION CORNER Please explain Communion for tube-fed patients \£l Eleven years ago, my mother, who had attended daily Mass for at least 40 years, was paralyzed by a stroke. She could not walk or speak , was fed by a tube, but was alert.

Afte r more than a year, our pastor came and told us he could not g ive her Communion under the species of bread, He could , however, give her Communion under the species of wine, but that would require say ing Mass in our home. He did so, and mother died a month later.

Subsequently, my brother contracted Lou Gehrig 's Disease. He was in a Catholic facility where Mass was offered daily. He too was denied Communion because he was tube fed. Yet medications were given by tube, which were much coarser than the host.

According to the rules of the Church, food and water must be available to the ill unti l the end. But the sp iritual food of the Eucharist is denied them? Cannot some eucharistic ministers f ill this gap without the priest needing to offer Mass at the home or other facility? (New York)

...under the form s of either bread or wine our Lords eucharistic p resence is total and complete. It is worth reminding ourselves of that doctrine... eucharistic ministers have given Communion to the sick that way, sometimes for several years, giving great spiritual consolation and strength to the sick person and the family.

From your words , you apparently realize very well that under the forms of either bread or wine our Lord 's eucharistic presence is total and complete. It is worth reminding ourselves of that doctrine here. Some Catholics speak and act as if Christ is present in the form of wine in only a vague secondary, less whole way, than in the bread.

That is not true .

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Father John Dietzen

(Questions for Father Dietzen may sent to him at Box 325 Peoria, IL 61651. This column is copyrighted by Catholic News Service.)

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LITURGY & SCRIPTURE Seek Christ's healing embrace How can we seek in sacrament of penance the harmony of Eden?

"Bless me, Father, tor I have sinned." For many of us, that 's a phrase we know by heart.

We had memorized this opening formula for the sacrament of penance and it worked just fine. Why change a good thing?

For the next five issues of Catholic San Francisco, Father John Talesfore and I will explore the topic of confession. How do we celebrate the sacrament these days with confidence and care? But with so many liturgical topics to choose from , why are we starting with confession? Three reasons.

One is the holy season of Lent which we have all just entered with the ashes of repentance on our foreheads: Turn away from sin and be faithful to the Gospel. These six holy weeks urge us to walk more closely in Christ's own footsteps. The penitential character of this holy time awakens us again to our baptismal promise to be partners with Christ in his dying and rising, to be partners in his Paschal Mystery. Through the sacrament of penance, Christ reaches out to console and transform us, preparing us for the joyous celebration of the Easter Triduum in our parishes.

A second reason is Jubilee 2000 whose special joy is based upon the forg iveness of sins, the joy of conversion. A beloved image in preparation for the Jubilee is the father 's compassionate embrace of the repentant , prodigal son. What a tender and compelling image for each of us - to come home and know God' s extravagant forg iveness , to experience that extraordinary reconciliation and peace awaiting us especiall y in sacramental confession.

The call to continuing conversion rings out with particular urgency during these preparation days ^r Jubilee 2000.

Sister Sharon McMillan , SND A third reason for us to tocus on contession is Archbishop (William J.) Levada 's own encouragement of each of us in the Church of San Francisco to renew and deepen our appreciation of the sacrament this year. Father John and I offer our words in response to the Archbishop 's pastoral concern.

Yes, some things about confession have changed , but none of them touch the heart of the sacrament. The faithful who fall into sin after baptism are still reconciled with God and renewed in grace. But some elements of how we Roman Catholics celebrate this reconciliation did change. Some of us may have felt awkward or unsure about approaching the sacrament because of the changes. Perhaps these words may be an invitation to take another look at this source of healing and wholeness.

Let's start with individual confession. "Bless me, Father, for I have sinned. It has been. . .since my last confession." Why change this formula , so familiar to many of us?

The changes had only one purpose: to express more clearly the meaning of the sacrament.

Take the beginning of the sacrament, for example. Our pastors make sure that we still have the choice to remain unknow n in the confessional , if we wish, although many people find they actually prefer going "face to face." The choice, however, is ours .

Once we're in this place of our choice, what happens then? The first words describing the sacrament for the priest ask that when penitents come to confess their sins, the priest welcomes them warmly and greets them with kindness. Jesus ' own welcome of us is experienced in this very moment. For me, it 's like being that lost sheep whom Jesus searches for and carries jubilantly home on his shoulders. Don 't each of us long to be rescued and held that way? The sacrament of penance is a privileged way to know that experience of coming home, of being once lost and now found.

After this welcome, we make the sign of the cross with the priest , and hear heart-felt words like these: "May God who has enlightened every heart, help you to know your sins and trust in his mercy." We can certainly say "Amen!" to that. Or the priest may calm our fears by saying: "May the Lord Jesus welcome you. He came to call sinners, not the just.

Have confidence in him." Our confidence rests in knowing that Christ's own healing and forgiveness come to us through this ministry of the Church.

So far, we've only had to appreciate being welcomed and then greeted with words of assurance. The next element of this way of celebrating the sacrament is optional, but it can be so significant that I'd like to mention it in particular. It is the reading of the Word of God. The reading of a favorite Psalm or Gospel story, the reading of a section of one of St. Paul's letters or of the prop het Isaiah , the reading of one of the Scriptures from the coming Sunday, for example, can be a powerful way to prepare for confession.

Prayerfull y reading over Scripture in this way can let the Word of God penetrate our mind and heart , can guide our desires toward complete peace and reconciliation with any we have harmed.

If we wish , we can bring this Scripture passage with us into confession and let it be the proclamation of God's mercy for this celebration. Or the priest may read a scripture text for us that he has chosen. Or the priest and penitent may choose a passage together.

Some suggestions? Luke 15:1-10, the rejoicing in heaven over one repentant sinner; Luke 15: 11-32, the compassionate father; John 15: 9- 4, remain in my love.

Next week: individual confession of sins.

Notre Dame Sister Sharon McMillan is an assistant p rofesssor of sacramental theology and liturgy at St. Patrick Seminary, Menlo Park,

Each Sunday, the Lord's day, I Genesis 2:7-9; 3:1-7 sees us reconsecrated as God's peoFirst SlinddV Romans 5:12-19 r ¦ . pie and missioned to our world OT Lem Matthew 4:1-11 because we assemble to hear God's Word and celebrate the Eucharist.

Each Sunday sees us realize the purpose of Jesus' death and resurrection: the formation of a community both gathered and sent.

Each year we celebrate more intensely the meaning of Jesus' death and resurrection over some 90 days: Lent (Feb. 17 - April 1), the Triduum (April 1-3), and Eastertime (April 4 - May 23).

During this "Sacred Springtime" of the Church, two groups interact in our parishes: those who have already been initiated into the Church through Baptism, Confirmation , and first Eucharist and those who will be initiated in the Church at the Easter Vigil (April 3).

The Church hopes that the first group will come together more completely, heal divisions, seek reconciliation on every level, and reach out to tire crying needs of our world. In other words, the Church wishes this group to be a community ready to initiate new members who will find a home.

The second group begins its final days of preparation for the Sacraments of initiation at the Easter Vigil and its final formation in the "new way" during Eastertime. Local parishes will send these people to the Rite of Election at the Cathedral of St. Mary (First Sunday of Lent), will pray for them at the scrutinies (third, fourth and fifth Sunday s of Lent), initiate them at me Easter Vigil, and continue to form them during Father David M. Pettingill the 50 days of Easter.

A mere essential to the formation of both groups presents itself in Sunday's readings: the Word of God. Hearing the Word and taking it to heart enables us to enjoy Eden 's harmony, to be one within ourselves, one with each other, one with all God has made, and one with the God, who walks with his creatures "in the cool of the day." Hearing the Word and taking it to heart wards off the withering forces of chaos and sad division. Hearing the Word and taking it to heart meant Word-empowered conduct for our species from the beginning. "It is only about the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden that God said, 'You shall not eat it or even touch it, lest you die.'" (Gen. 3:2-3) Alas, the Genesis myth so accurately describes our species' experience: instead of having fulfilled what the serpent promised, " ' God knows well diat the moment you eat of it your eyes will be opened and you will be like gods; '" we have the wrenching comment of Genesis fulfilled: "then the eyes of both of them were opened and they realized that they were naked."

Powerful indeed, then, is Jesus' defeat of these forces of evil by the very Word of God he lives and quotes. Thus Matthew presents Jesus as the faithful Israel in Sunday 's Gospel. As Israel spent 40 years in the desert being tempted all the while, so Jesus spends 40 days in the desert because Matthew condenses Jesus' lifetime of temptations into this time frame to make us think of Israel.

The temptations which confront Jesus are the ones Israel encountered and failed to resist. Armed with the Word of God, Jesus defeats these temptations and becomes the founder of the new Israel of God. Notice each response of Jesus quotes the book of Deuteronomy: " 'One does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God' " (8:3); " 'You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test '" (6:16) and " 'The Lord, your God, shall you worship and him alone shall you serve ' " (6:13) To welcome Jesus the Lord in the Word we hear is to be rescued from the forces of evil and chaos which separate and divide us, to be gathered as a faith-filled community, and to proclaim to our wounded and almost despairing world what Romans announces: "the gift is not like the transgression.For if by the transgression of one, the many died, how much more did the grace of God and the gracious gift of the one man Jesus Christ overflow for the many."

With this Word, we can be the Church God desires, a community where grace more abounds, where forgiveness and welcome prevail, where God still walks his Eden "in the cool of the day."

'

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Father David Pettingill directs the Archdiocese of San Francisco 's Office of Parish Life.

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Retreats/Days of Recollection Feb. 21 -24: Lenten Mission at St. Monica Parish, 23rd Ave. and Geary Blvd., SF. Father Peter Sanders will preside. For information , call (415) 751-5275.

Feb 26 - 28: "Sacred Sound in Prayer and Healing," Franciscan Brother Rufino Zaraqosa and Dalen Daniels at Mt. Alverno Conference Center, 3910 Bret Harte Dr. Redwood City. See how sound and chant can be more sacramental in everyday life. For fees and times, (650) 3690798 Feb. 27, 28: Lenten retreat at St. Peter Parish, 700 Oddstad Blvd., Pacifica, with Dominican Sister Joan King and Ursuline Sister Jean Hopman. Sat. 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday 1 to 4 p.m. $20. For information , call (650) 3596313.

March 6: "Turn to Me," a St. Paul Parish retreat with Jesuit Father Bernie Bush. This day of prayer, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., will focus on Lent as an opportunity for conversion and deepening one's relationship with God. The day begins at 9 a.m. and closes with Eucharist at 5 p.m. St. Paul Parish is at Church and Valley St. in San Francisco. For more information or to register, call (415) 648-7538.

VALLOMBROSA CENTER 250 Oak Grove Ave., Menlo Park. For fees and times, call (650) 325-5614.

March 12 - 14: "Washed in the Blood of the Lamb," a retreat for women with Father Jim Franck and Sister Toni Longo.

March 26 - 28: "Passion for Life," Contemplative weekend for women and men with Father Greg Cornelia and Sister Toni Longo.

April 9 - 1 1 : "Making Our Lives Into Best Sellers - But First the Basics." Empowering the authentic self with Sharon Carberry, MFCC and Kate McNichols, M.Div. April 22: "Healing with Humor" facilitated by Bereavement Specialist Connie Marcellino, LCSW and Kate McNichols, M.Div. April 24: "A Secret Garden" with Carol Kaplan, MFCC. JESUIT RETREAT HOUSE 300 Manresa Way, Los Altos. For fees and times, call (650) 948-4491.

March 12 - 14: "Prayers From the Cross ," silent retreat for women and men of the legal profession with Jesuit Father John Mossi.

March 19 - 21: "Spirit of Lent, Spirit of Freedom," silent retreat for women with Jesuit Father Bernie Bush.

March 26 - 28: "The Final Journey to Jerusalem," silent retreat for men with Jesuit Father Robert Scholia.

MERCY CENTER 2300 Adeline Dr., Burlingame. For fees and times, call (650) 340-7474.

Feb. 27: "Men's Spirituality - Finding God in the Seasons of Life," a day exploring the different times in men's lives facilitated by Jim Neafsey, D. Min. March 6: "Lenten Journey - Exploring Hidden Riches Through Meditation, Dance and Music," with Mercy Sister Suzanne Toolan and liturgical dance expert Carla DeSola.

March 23: "Spring Day of Prayer," several hours of meditation , silence, song, story and Taize Prayer with Mercy Sister Suzanne Toolan.

Worship Mass in American Sign Language is celebrated each Sunday at 10:30 a.m. at St. Benedict Parish, 1801 Octavia (between Pine and California) , SF. A Sign Language Mass is celebrated at St. Anthony Parish, 3500 Middlefield Rd. in Menlo Park on the third Saturday of the month at 10:30 a.m. and later that day at 4 p.m. in the chapel of Marin Catholic High School, 675 Sir Francis Drake Blvd. (at Bon Air Road) in Kentfield. For more information , call St. Benedict at (415) 567-9855 (voice) or (415) 567-0438 (TDD).

Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament: Church of the Nativity, 210 Oak Grove Ave., Menlo Park, 24 hours everyday, (650) 322-3013.

St. Sebastian the Martyr Church, corner of Bon Air Rd. and Sir Francis Drake Blvd., Greenbrae, Mon. - Fri. 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. in the Adoration Chapel, (415) 461-0704.

Vocations March 12 - 14: Vocation retreat sponsored by Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary at Epiphany Convent , SF. Register

by March 5 with Sister Monica Miller , PBVM at (415) 751-0406, ext. 22.

Pray for vocations every Friday of Lent at St. Francis of Assisi Shrine, 610 Vallejo St. at Columbus, SF. Mass at 12:15 p.m., Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament afte r Mass until Benediction at 5:15 p.m. A talk on a Lenten theme by one of the shrine's Conventual Franciscan Friars begins at 6 p.m., (415) 9830405.

Datebook St. Anselm Parish, Ross, is hosting a special RENEW Group for anyone facing a life-threatening illness. The group will meet on Friday mornings beginning Feb.19 and is open to all. Grief Counselor Brenda MacLean will facilitate. For information , call the parish at (415) 453-2342.

—TAIZE PRAYER AROUND THE CROSS— Second Friday of the month at 8 p.m. at Presentation Sisters Motherhouse Chapel, Turk and Masonic, SF. For information , call Sister Monica Miller, PBVM at (415) 751-0406.

Second Friday of the month at 7:30 p.m. at St. Luke Parish, 1111 Beach Park Blvd., Foster City,. For information, call (650) 345-6660.

Third Thursday of the month at 7:30 p.m. at Vallombrosa Center, 250 Oak Grove Ave., Menlo Park. For information, call Sister Toni Longo, ASC at (650) 325-5614

Gatherings Feb. 26: The St. Vincent de Paul Society holds its annual Vincentian Family Day gathering at St. Finn Barr Parish, 415 Edna St., SF from 6 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Bishop Patrick Ziemann of Santa Rosa will speak on "Walking with God, the Father Toward the First Millennium." Call (408) 993-9502.

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Fall Fest '99, the annual gathering of Young Adults in the Archdiocese, can use your help.

Volunteers interested in assisting with the October 23 celebration should call (415) 6755900.

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Weekendsavailable beginning April 16-18. In San Mateo County, call Claire and Dean Simonich at (650) 348-8957; in San Francisco, call Mary and Bob Hawkins at (415) 564-4838; in Marin, call Pam and Walt Birdsall at (415) 883-6649.

Twelve Step Ongoing: St. Anthony of Padua Parish, 3215 Cesar Chavez St., SF, (415) 647-2704:

Monday St. Peter Parish , 700 Oddstad Blvd., Pacifica, doors open 5 p.m., warm-up games start at 6:45 p.m., regular games at 7 p.m. (650) 359-6820 Tuesday St. Anne of the Sunset Parish, Judah & Funston St., SF, doors open 5 p.m., games start 6:45 p.m. (415) 665-1600 Thursday Our Lady of Mercy Parish, One Elmwood Dr., Daly City, 7 p.m. (650) 755-2727 Friday All Souls Parish, 315 Walnut Ave., SSF, 7 p.m.

(650) 871-8944 Saturday St. Matthias Parish, Canyon and Cordilleras Rd., Redwood City, doors open 5 p.m.; 50/50 sessions at 6:30 p.m.and regular bingo at 7:30 p.m. (650) 366-9544 Our Lady of Mercy Parish, One Elmwood Dr., Daly City, 7 p.m. (650) 755-2727

Food & Fun Feb 24: Information session for young women, age 18 to 25 of Irish descent, interested in entering this year's Rose of Tralee Competition, at United Irish Cultural Center, SF; 7:30 p.m.

Winner receives all expense paid trip to Ireland.

For information , contact Erris Cafferkey at (650) 342-6046 or the Irish Center at (415) 661-2700.

Feb. 27- 28: Flea Market St. Kevin Parish Hall, 704 Cortland St., SF, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., (415) 648-4441.

Feb. 21, 28: Sunday recitals at 4 p.m. following sung Vespers at 3:15 p.m., St. Francis of Assisi Shrine, Vallejo St. at Columbus, SF. For information, call (415) 983-0405.

March 6: Auction and Dinner Dance benefitting Notre Dame High School, Belmont , at the SF Airport Westin Hotel. Call (650) 595-1913, Ext.305. '

• Sun, at 4 p,m„ Neurotics Anonymous; • Mon. at 7:30 p.m. Al-Anon in Span.: • Wed. at 7 p.m., AA in Eng. & Span.; • Thur. at 5:30 p.m., Overeaters Anon, in Eng. and at 7 p.m. Sex Addicts Anon in Eng; )Fh. at 6:30 p.m., Al-Anon in Eng; • Sat. at 7 p.m. Neuroticos Anonimos.

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Feb. 27, 28: "A Journey Together" at Our Lady of Angels Parish, 1721 Hillside Dr., Burlingame. Sat. 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., Sun. 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Days feature prayer, presentations, dialogue, meals, games and more. $40 fee includes T-shirt and several meals. Call Carol at

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Separated, Divorced, Widowed For information about ministries and activities for separated, divorced and widowed Catholics, call Susan O'Keefe-Smith at (415) 664-8351.

"Kids" Turn" is an organization serving children and parents of separation or divorce. For information , call (415) 437-0700.

Volunteer Opportunities Catholic Charities' St. Joseph Village can use donations of clothing, shoes , accessories , kitchen supplies, diapers, linens etc . To volunteer to assist in this program that helps homeless families become self-sufficient , call Kristen Rauda at (415) 575-4920, ext. 223.

San Francisco's St. Anthony Foundation invites you to volunteer in one of its many outreach programs to the poor. Call (415) 241 -2600.

Classes/ Workshops/Lectures Ongoing: The School of Pastoral Leadership, call Joni Gallagher at (415) 2429087 for information.

Would a Grief Support Group be right for your parish? Contact Barbara Elordi, MFCC, coordinator of Grief Care Ministry for Catholic Charities at (415) 564-7882.

Classes in the new Catechism for adults at St. Sebastian the Marty r Church, corner of Bon Air Rd. and Sir Francis Drake Blvd., Greenbrae, every Wednesday, 9:30 to 11 a.m. and 7:30 to 9 p.m., (415) 461-0704.

Thursdays During Lent: "Justice is Who We Are and What We Believe" is the principle guiding Soup Supper presentations and dialogue at St. Luke Parish, 1111 Beach Blvd., Foster City.

For information , call Ruth Sieber at (650) 3458290 Feb 22: "Sacraments for a Sacramental People," with Father Bryan Joyce of the Diocese of Oakland. Learn again how Eucharist and reconciliation reveal the identity of Catholic Christians, 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. at St. Anne School, 1320 14lh Ave., SF, $10, (415) 665-1600.

Feb. 27: 50"' reunion of classes of '49 from St. Vincent's, Sacred Heart and St. Peter's high schools, begins with Mass at St. Mary Cathedral then dinner at Olympic Club. For information , call Sacred Heart Cathedral Alumni Office at (415) 775-6626, ext. 765.

Parish Prof ile Us

Photographs of the Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya by Mercy Sister Marilyn Lacey are on display at the Art Gallery at Mercy Center, 2300 Adeline Dr., Burlingame until Feb. 28. The gallery is open free to the public from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. For information , call (650) 340-7480.

Feb. 27, March 6, 20, 27: Self-defense classes for women with physical or developmental disabilities by San Francisco Women Against Rape.

For information, call (415) 861-2024, ext. 304.

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ST . PAUL 'S CHURCH

Church Street and Valley Street , San Francisco Construction of this English Gothic could pay for it. At the time of its dedilandmark began in 1897 and it was ded- cation, all of its $260,000 cost had been icated by Archbishop Patrick William met. St. Paul' s stained glass windows Riordan in 1911. Architect was Frank T. are from Germany and its original altars Shea, "the Churc h Builder of San are made of Carrara marble. The origiFrancisco ," alread y known for his nal tower bell, which must be handdesign of Pacific Heights ' St. Brigid's rung, is still used to call worshippers .

Church and St. Paul neighbor St. James. The church was principal location for Father Michael D. Connolly, then pas- the hit film "Sister Act." tor, is said to have had every able person pastor; Father Mario Farana in the parish , including himself , at work on the project. Reports say many were Masses: Saturday s 5 called and chosen, including Saturday p.m./Sundays 8, 9:15, 10:45 morning religious education students a.m. (Spanish), 12:15, 5 p.m. who , according to the parish centennial Seating capacity: 1,100 history, "tended to end up at- the Thirtieth and Castro Streets quarry haul- Founding dates: as mission ing rocks down to the church." The 1876; as parish 1880 priest built the church as the parish Phone: (415) 648-7538

Feb. 27: Parenthood classes in Cantonese seven-week course covering infant development, nutrition and care at Chinatown Public Health Center, 1490 Mason St., 2"J Floor. For more information , call (415) 705-8500. Registration required.

Feb. 27: The third annual Archbishop John R. Quinn Colloquium on Catholic Social Teaching will take place from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the Pacific Rim Conference Center on the Lone Mountain Campus of the University of San Francisco. Titled "Black and White in America: A Catholic Perspective ," presenters include moral theologian Father Bryan Massingale and Toinette M. Eugene Ph.D., director of the African American Pastoral Center ot the Oakland Diocese. Lone Mountain is at 2800 Turk Blvd.between Parker and Masonic. Contact Tara Carr at (415) 565-3673.

March 13 - 14: Robert Grant , Ph.D., a trauma specialist who has taught in countries around the world, will facilitate a workshop titled "The Psychological and Spiritual Impact of Trauma" at Mercy Center, 2300 Adeline Dr. , Burlingame. Registration deadline is Feb. 27. Call (650) 340-7474 for fees and more information.

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

Mail your notice to: Datebook , Catholic San Francisco, 441 Church St., S.F. 94114 or f a x it to (415) 565-363.3

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Director of Religious Education

Coordinator of Campus Ministry/Community Service

A large parish on the San Francisco peninsula seeks a qualified candidate with th ree years experience in catechetical formation for Director of our Reli g ious Eduacation pro gram. The position entails programs for catechetical and leadershi p formarion (RCIA , CCD , sacramental program , adult educa tion). Minimum qualifications include MA in Reli gious Education , Theology, Pastoral Ministry or equivalent; strong organizational , management , communication and' training skills; and aprofessional temperament.

Serve as Full-time (10 month) Campus Ministry/Community Service Coordinator in a K-12 Catholic, Independent School of 850 students.

Previous experience needed.

Masters Degree in related fields preferred. Please contact: Chair, Search Committee for Campus Ministry Coordinator, Schools of the Sacred Heart, 2222 Broadway, San Francisco, CA 94115.

FAX (415) 563-3005.

Send terror of application, resume, salary history and references ro Sr. Pius Church , 110(1 Woodside Road, Redwood City, CA 94061. Or fax ro (650) 369-3641

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The Catholic Church lights the way at all the quintessential moments or your lire.

When you pass from this lire , choose - as you always have - to let the Church support you.

By choosing a Catholic Cemetery as your final resting place, you reaffirm in death all of the traditions you loved in life. You light a candle that will glow . . . faithfully . . . forever.

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Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery Santa Cruz Avenue • Menlo Park 650.323.6375

Catholic Cemetery

270 Los Ranchitos Road • San Rafael

415.479.9020