Archbishop: Mass changes offer deeper encounter with Eucharist Archbishop George Niederauer delivered this keynote address Feb. 22 at St. Mary’s Cathedral at a summit meeting on the implementation of the revised Roman Missal. “The Roman Missal, Third Edition,” the ritual text containing prayers and instructions for the celebration of the Mass, has been approved for U.S. dioceses by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments and will be used for the first time on the First Sunday of Advent, Nov. 27, 2011. This article has been condensed from the archbishop’s full address, which can be viewed at catholic-sf.org.
At prayer service, Irish archbishop repents for clergy sexual abuse
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n an undertaking as extensive and detailed as the translation of the entire Roman Missal into English you may be sure that there is something for everyone to dislike. However, we bishops, priests, religious, deacons, and lay ministers are called to a broader vision of what is happening and of the task before us, a vision that sees beyond this or that particular phrasing or wording. Such a vision will see the opportunity for a catechesis about Eucharist and worship that will recall all of us to a deeper understanding of what Eucharist is and of what our full, active and conscious Eucharistic participation means for us and for the entire church. Forty years ago such a catechesis was spotty at best, but now we have a chance to get it right. As shepherd of Catholics in the Archdiocese of San Francisco I am convinced that I must issue a call to leadership to pastors and parish ministers, to those in Catholic schools and in other Catholic communities in this local church, to work together conscientiously, cooperatively
and responsibly to implement the new translation of the Roman Missal throughout the Archdiocese. I acknowledge that among us are fine Catholic leaders with sincere doubts and critical concerns about the translation. Nevertheless, I believe that we can work together honestly and with integrity as we implement the new Roman Missal. In order to do that let us first consider the catholicity of our church. We cannot leave it up to each celebrant or each congregation to fashion their own texts. If it’s every presider for himself and every parish for itself, then each personnel change can mean a change in Mass texts for the congregation. As Msgr. Phil Murnion liked to say, “Ordination is not a license for private practice.” We are called and sent to do what the church does in the way the church calls us to do it. That does not make us robots or automatons, but ministers responsive to Christ, who is leading us together in the Spirit. MASS CHANGES, page 7
Catholic san Francisco
By Michael Kelly
Northern California’s Weekly Catholic Newspaper
(CNS PHOTO/JOHN MC ELROY)
DUBLIN (CNS) – Repenting for the crimes of priestly sex abuse does not mean that the Irish Catholic Church can return to business as usual, Archbishop Diarmuid Martin told abuse survivors during a Feb. 20 prayer service joined by an American cardinal. However, seeking forgiveness can be an important step toward healing and overcoming the pain that survivors feel, he added as Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley of Boston listened during the “Liturgy of Lament and Repentance” at Dublin’s Pro-Cathedral. Both prelates offered apologies for the church’s failure to respond to reports of abuse during the afternoon service attended by 1,000 survivors and their families and supporters. Many in attendance were visibly moved when Archbishop Martin and Cardinal O’Malley washed the feet of eight survivors as a sign of humility. “The Archdiocese of Dublin will never be the same again,” Archbishop Martin said. “It will always bear this wound within it. The Archdiocese of Dublin can never rest until the day in which the last victim has found his or her peace and he or she can rejoice in being fully the person that God in his plan wants them to be.” Cardinal O’Malley was in Dublin conducting an apostolic visitation of the archdiocese in the wake of a scandal that found church leaders doing little to investigate abuse claims and working to keep abuse reports under wraps to protect the clergy involved and the church’s reputation. Other prelates also visited various Irish dioceses and religious congregations as part of the visitation. “On behalf of the Holy Father, I ask forgiveness for the sexual abuse of children perpetrated by priests and past failures of the church’s hierarchy, here and in Rome, the failure to respond appropriately to the problem of sexual abuse,” Cardinal O’Malley told the congregation in his concluding remarks. “Publicly atoning for the church’s failures is an important element of asking the forgiveness of those who have been harmed by priests and bishops, whose actions – and inactions – gravely harmed the lives of children entrusted to their care,” he said. Planned principally by survivors, the service began with the two prelates lying prostrate in repentance before a silent congregation. A handful of protesters gathered outside insisting they could “neither forgive nor forget” the abuse. ABUSE, page 6
Boston Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley and Archbishop Diarmuid Martin of Dublin, Ireland, lie prostrate before the altar during the “Liturgy of Lament and Repentance” at Dublin’s Pro-Cathedral Feb. 20.
Deacon impressed by inmates’ ‘hunger’ for Christ By George Raine There are enough house rules as is at San Quentin State Prison, and it is not Deacon Larry Chatmon’s place to add to them when he serves inmates in his prison ministry. He does have some friendly advice for them, however, when they leave the chapel after services. “I tell them, ‘You have to take what is in that chapel with you when you go back to the yard,’” he said. “I tell them, ‘For you to Deacon Larry go in there and receive the Chatmon Spirit and just leave it there and go back to where you are is not life-changing. If you want life-changing, if you want to truly experience Christ, take him with you.’”
Chatmon, in fact, was promised a life-changing experience himself when three years ago he added prison ministry to his list of duties and volunteerism at St. Paul of the Shipwreck Parish in San Francisco, where he and his wife, Loretta, have worshiped for more than 25 years. He got what he hoped for. Here’s what Chatmon found: There are people in prison who are probably closer to Christ than most of us, closer to Christ than many people would realize. He was amazed, in fact, by how committed to their faith many inmates are – that they want to learn more about the Catholic Church. “We don’t find a lot of people in our parishes with that hunger,” said Chatmon. “There is a hunger that they have. Part of that comes from where they are and the circumstances in which they have to live.” He added, “It brings about an eagerness. People begin to search for God when they hit the ground, when they hit a brick wall. They start looking for some other way.” DEACON CHATMON, page 8
INSIDE THIS WEEK’S EDITION On the Street . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Operation Rice Bowl . . . . . . . 4 Wedding Guide . . . . . . . . 9-12 Archbishop’s Journal. . . . . . 14 Father Rolheiser . . . . . . . . . 17
Bill Russell receives Medal of Freedom ~ Page 3 ~ February 25, 2011
Young Libyans fight regime for opportunity, justice ~ Page 6 ~
Artwork exhibit from New Spain missions ~ Page 18 ~
ONE DOLLAR
Fr. Greeley’s valedictory . . . 22 Classified ads . . . . . . . . . . . 23
www.catholic-sf.org VOLUME 13
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