April 14, 2016 by Catholic San Francisco

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Share truth of family with mercy, help those struggling, pope says CINDY WOODEN CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

VATICAN CITY – The same mercy and patience that are essential for building a strong family must be shown to those whose families are in trouble or have broken up, Pope Francis said in his highly anticipated postsynodal apostolic exhortation. The document, “’Amoris Laetitia’ (The Joy of Love), on Love in the Family,” released April 8, contains no new rules or norms. However, it encourages careful review of everything related to family ministry and, particularly, much greater attention to the language and attitude used when explaining church teaching and ministering to those who do not fully live that teaching. “No family drops down from heaven perfectly formed; families need constantly to grow and mature in the ability to love,” Pope Francis wrote. People grow in holiness, and the church must be there to give them a helping hand rather than turn them away because they have not attained some degree of perfection. The exhortation was Pope Francis’ reflection on the discussion, debate and suggestions raised during the 2014 and 2015 meetings of the Synod of Bishops on the family. Like synod members did, the pope insisted that God’s plan for the family is that it be built on the lifelong union of one man and one woman open to having children. Synod members, including priests, religious and laypeople serving as experts and observers, talked about everything from varied cultural forms of courtship to marriage preparation and from the impact of migration on families to care for elderly parents. Pope Francis’ document touches on all the issues Pope Francis waves as he arrives at a jubilee audience in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican April 9.

(CNS PHOTO/ALESSANDRO BIANCHI, REUTERS)

SEE EXHORTATION, PAGE 12

Church leaders hail document’s mercy but caution against hurried reading CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

WASHINGTON – Church leaders from around the world hailed the tone of mercy in Pope Francis’ apostolic exhortation, “Amoris Laetitia” (“The Joy of Love”), but cautioned against a hurried reading of the document. “What is new about this exhortation is its tone,” Cardinal Wilfrid Napier of Durban, South Africa, told Catholic News Service after the document’s release April 8. He said it calls on all ministers “to be warm and caring in the way they deal with people in difficult circumstances.” “There is no one-size-fits-all” approach and “local churches are urged to adapt church teachings from the synod to their particular circumstances,” he said, noting, for example, that “different cultural understandings of marriage within South Africa would give the church here different challenges to those faced by churches in other parts of the world.”

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Archbishop Diarmuid Martin of Dublin called “Amoris Laetitia” an “encyclopedic document and, like all encyclopedic documents, much of its most valuable content runs the risk of being bypassed by a preoccupation with one or two of its aspects.” “It is not just a collection of separated chapters,” Archbishop Martin said in a statement. “There is a unifying thread: The Gospel of the family is challenging and demanding, but ... with the grace of God and his mercy, is attainable and fulfilling, enriching and worthwhile.” The exhortation reflecting on the 2014 and 2015 synods of bishops on the family contains no new rules or norms. However, it encourages careful review of everything related to family ministry and, particularly, much greater attention to the language and attitude used when explaining church teaching and ministering to those who do not fully live that teaching. “It is a long document. As Pope Francis says, you can’t whiz through it. It needs reflection,” said Bish-

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op Peter Doyle of Northampton, England, a synod participant and chairman of the English and Welsh bishops’ Committee for Marriage and Family Life. “It has particular focus on the need to walk with those of us who feel excluded and to let everyone know that they are loved by God and that that love is a tender love, but also a love that challenges us all to change,” he said. “Some people will be disappointed that it is not full of black-and-white solutions but, as Pope Francis says, every situation is different and needs to be approached with love, mercy and openness of heart,” Bishop Doyle said. In the pope’s home country of Argentina, Bishop Pedro Maria Laxague of Zarate-Campana, president of the laity and families commission of the Argentine bishops’ conference and participant in the last synod, said the document embraced the papal vision of the church being a field hospital, treating the

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INDEX World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Pope Francis: ‘Amoris Laetitia’ . . . . . . 9 Faith . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . 18

2 ARCHDIOCESE

CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | APRIL 14, 2016

Clergy appointments announced

NEED TO KNOW ‘GREENING THE PARISH’ WORKSHOP: Registration is open for “Caring for our Common Home: A Parish Response,” an archdiocese-wide event set for Saturday, April 23, 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m., St. Anne Parish hall, 850 Judah St., San Francisco. Contact Lorena Melgarejo at melgarejol@sfarch.org. To register, visit sfarch.org/green. In this Jubilee Year of Mercy, the archdiocese is working to strengthen our responsibilities as outlined in the papal encyclical “Laudato Sí.” Parishes are invited to send representatives. GOOD SHEPHERD’S 65TH ANNIVERSARY: Church of the Good Shepherd in Pacifica will celebrate its 65th anniversary on Good Shepherd Sunday, April 17. A 12:15 p.m. Mass will be celebrated by Father Luello Palacpac, followed by a procession of the Good Shepherd statue around the church grounds. A potluck reception is set for 1:30 p.m. REFUGEE ADVOCATE HONORED: Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of San Francisco honors Missionary of Jesus Sister Norma Pimentel with its Loaves and Fishes Award April 16 at its annual dinner of the same name at San Francisco’s St. Regis Hotel. Sister Norma, who heads Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley in Texas, met with Pope Francis on his recent U.S. visit where he lauded the “ongoing humanitarian aid she provides to refugees and immigrants on the Texas-Mexico border,” Catholic Charities said in a statement. Sister Norma’s Crisis Relief Center has assisted more than 32,000 refugees and immigrants to date, Catholic Charities said. KQED’s Thuy Vu will serve as the evening’s master of ceremonies. Catholic Charities’ dinner and gala will highlight the agency’s services to refugees and immigrants; St. Regis Hotel, San Francisco; (415) 972-1246; http://catholiccharitiessf.org/loavesandfishes.

LIVING TRUSTS WILLS

Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone announced the following clergy assignments effective July 1, 2016, except as noted.

Pastors:

Father Roger G. Gustafson, St. Brendan Church; Father Stephen H. Howell, St. Philip Church; Father Anthony P. LaTorre , St. Stephen Church; Father Henryk Noga, SVD, St. Kevin Church; Msgr. C. Michael Padazinski St. Patrick Church, Larkspur, effective 9/1/16 while continuing as judicial vicar of the Metropolitan Tribunal and chancellor of the archdiocese; Father Luello N. Palacpac, Church of the Good Shepherd; Father Lawrence Vadakkan, Immaculate Heart of Mary Church.

Pastors, appointed to second six-year terms:

Father William E. Brown, St. Hilary Church; Father Rolando S. De la Rosa, Mater Dolorosa Church; Father Domingo Orimaco, Our Lady of Mercy Church; Father John J. Sakowski , St. Thomas the Apostle Church, as well as St. Monica Church; Father Arnold E. Zamora, Holy Name of Jesus Church.

Pastors, continued:

Father Rene R. Ramoso, St. Augustine Church; Father Eugene D. Tungol, Church of the Epiphany.

Administrators:

Father Ulysses L. D’Aquila, St. Matthias Church, continuing as pastor of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Redwood City; Father Narcis L. Kabipi , St. John of God Church, effective 4/1/16, (priest of the Diocese of Bunda, Tanzania); Father Paul F. Warren, St. Patrick Church, Larkspur, effective 7/1/16 through 8/31/16.

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Parochial vicars:

Father Wade E. Bjerke, part-time parochial vicar, St. Peter Church, and St. Anthony Church, both in San Francisco; Father Vicente Dimatera III, part-time parochial vicar, Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church, effective 2/23/16 through 6/30/16, (priest of the Diocese of Daet, Philippines); Transitional Deacon Andrew W. Ginter, St. Hilary Church, effective 7/1/16, following his Saturday, June 4, 2016 ordination to the priesthood; Father Teodoro P. Magpayo, St. Pius Church; Father Thomas V. Martin, St. Robert Church; Father A. Roy Remo, St. Charles Church, San Carlos, (priest from the Archdiocese of Caceres, Philippines); Father Tony S. Vallecillo, part-time parochial vicar, Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church, Redwood City, and parttime parochial vicar, St. Matthias Church with residence at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church.

Chancery assignments:

Father Stephen H. Howell, parttime director of Ongoing Formation for Newly Ordained Priests (first five years); Father Charles Puthota, director of Pastoral Ministry, effective 4/4/16 continuing as pastor of St. Veronica Church.

Chaplains:

Father Wade E. Bjerke, part-time chaplain, San Francisco General Hospital; Father David A. Ghiorso, part-time chaplain, Junipero Serra High School, continuing as pastor at St. Charles Church, San Carlos; Father Narcis S. Kabipi, chaplain, UCSF Medical Center, Parnassus Campus, effective 4/1/16; Father William H. Thornton, chaplain, San Mateo County Hospital, Mills Health

Studies:

Father Mark D. Doherty, moral theology, Université de Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland, effective 9/1/16; Father Patrick J. Summerhays, summer canon law studies, The Catholic University of America, Washington D.C., effective 6/1/16 through 8/31/16, returning to St. Cecilia Church, San Francisco.

Retirements:

Father Gerald D. Coleman, PSS, from Daughters of Charity Health System (ethicist); Father James L. Fredericks from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, (Dept. of Theological Studies); Father Paul F. Warren, from St. Patrick Church, Larkspur, effective 9/1/16.

Additional changes in the archdiocese:

Father Edward A. Reese, SJ, president, St. Ignatius College Preparatory.

In residence:

Father Joseph P. Bradley, St. Bartholomew Church, San Mateo, effective 5/14/16; Father Raymundo D. Espiga, FFI, St. Peter Church, undertaking English Studies, effective 4/1/16, (Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate, Rome); Father Joseph E. Richard, Serra Clergy House, effective 5/1/16; Father Kirk J. Ullery, St. Vincent de Paul Church, San Francisco, effective 3/15/16.

Departures from the archdiocese:

Father John Paul Otanwa, VC, leaves for doctoral studies in Iowa, effective 6/1/16; Father Norman G. Vitug, returning to ministry in the Archdiocese of San Fernando, Philippines, effective 3/31/16.

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CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | APRIL 14, 2016

‘You are not forgotten,’ Cardinal Dolan tells Iraq’s Christians and Yazidis ELISE HARRIS CNA/EWTN NEWS

DOHUK, Iraq – On his second full day in Iraq, Cardinal Timothy Dolan traveled three hours to Dohuk, the city where the majority of those who fled Mosul, including the members of the minority Yazidi population, escaped to when ISIS overran the city. After the lengthy ride, Cardinal Dolan briefly visited a medical dispensary set up by CNEWA, where he greeted the staff and some refugees, most of whom come from Mosul. He then traveled to the Inishke village in the upper region of Dohuk where he concelebrated Mass in the Chaldean rite in the presence of the local Christian community, a number of refugees, as well as representatives of the Yazidi and Muslim communities. The principal celebrant for the Mass was Bishop Shlemom Wardoni, who is one of three auxiliary bishops serving under Chaldean Patriarch Louis Raphael Sako. Members of other rites, including the SyriacCatholic rite, were also present at the Mass, including a number of displaced priests. Although Cardinal Dolan was not the main celebrant at Mass, he preached the homily, conveying the core message that he came to share with everyone: “We love you…You are not forgotten.”

(ELISE HARRIS/CNA)

Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York visits a displacement center in Dawodiya, Iraq, on April 10, 2016. The center holds refugees displaced from Mosul when ISIS attacked in June 2014, with about 60-70 percent refugees. He then wrapped up his day with a visit to the Dawodiya displacement camp near Dohuk, which consists of roughly 2,200 people. About 60 to 70 percent of the camp’s inhabitants are Yazidi, while the rest are mainly Christians. Some Muslims are also present

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in the camp, as well as a few other small minority religions. The Yazidi population is one of Iraq’s smallest ethnic-religious minorities. Of Kurdish descent, their religion is considered to be a pre-Islamic sect branching from Christianity, Judaism and Zoroastrianism.

Most of the small community lived in Iraq’s Nineveh province prior to the Islamic State’s invasion. Their religion is syncretistic, and some Muslims consider the Yazidis to be devil worshippers. Roughly 125 miles from Erbil, Dohuk is where the majority of Iraq’s Yazidi population now resides, as well as thousands of others forced to leave their homes in Mosul and Sinjar when ISIS unleashed an offensive that took the Nineveh Plain in June 2014. When ISIS stormed Sinjar shortly after, many of the Yazidi population seeking to escape the attacks fled to the surrounding mountains. Facing the possibility of death if they retreated down the mountain, they had been stranded for days without access to food or water. Some, including children, died of dehydration due to the desert’s high temperatures. They were finally released from the nightmare when President Barack Obama air-dropped shipments of food and water onto the mountain, and authorized airstrikes allowing them to safely flee to surrounding cities. Cardinal Dolan’s trip to the city falls on the second day of his visit to Iraqi Kurdistan, where he is currently on a pastoral visit intended to offer support and solidarity to families, church leaders, priests and religious who were displaced as a result of the 2014 ISIS attacks.

4 WORLD

CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | APRIL 14, 2016

Pope: It’s not enough to follow the letter of the law with a closed heart ANN SCHNEIBLE CNA/EWTN NEWS

VATICAN CITY – Speaking at morning Mass at the Santa Marta residence, Pope Francis decried those who close themselves to God’s truth, and condemn repentant sinners and the innocent alike in the name of following the “letter of the law.” “The heart is closed to God’s word, it is closed to truth, and it is closed to God’s messenger who brings the prophecy so that God’s people may go forward,” the pope said in his April 11 homily, according to Vatican Radio’s translation. The pope centered his reflection on the day’s reading from the Acts of the Apostles, which recounts the Sanhedrin arresting St. Stephen – who would later become the first martyr of the church – for “blasphemous words against Moses and God.” Because their hearts were hardened, they “could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which (Stephen) spoke,” he said, adding they supported their claims with false witnesses. “Their hearts, closed to God’s truth, clutch only at the truth of the law, taking it by ‘the letter,’ and do not find outlets other than in lies, false witness and death.” Francis recalled Gospel accounts of Jesus likening the cynical and hypocritical “doctors of the letter” to their “fathers” who “had killed the prophets” before him.

(L’OSSERVATORE ROMANO)

Pope Francis at a jubilee audience in St. Peter’s Square on April 9. The pope observed the unwillingness of these “doctors of the law” to open their hearts to the repentant sinner. He cited in particular the scene in which Judas Iscariot, after having betrayed Jesus, regrets his decision and approaches the Sanhedrin to return the money. “It hurts when I read that small passage from the Gospel of Matthew,

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when Judas, who has repented, goes to the priests and says: ‘I have sinned’ ... and gives them the coins. ‘Who cares!’ – they say to him: ‘it’s none of our business!’” “They closed their hearts before this poor, repentant man, who did not know what to do,” he said. “And he went and hanged himself.” The pope spoke of their concern with following “the laws, so many words and things they had built,” but not the good of the repentant man. “And what did they do when Judas hanged himself ? They spoke amongst themselves and said: ‘Is he a poor man? No! These coins are the price of blood, they must not enter the temple’... and they referred to this rule and to that… The doctors of the letter.” Instances of innocent people put to death for being wrongly accused of going against the law appears throughout history, Francis said.

“History tells us of many people who were judged and killed, although they were innocent: Judged according to the word of God, against the word of God,” he said. “Let’s think of witch hunts or of St. Joan of Arc, and of many others who were burnt to death, condemned because according to the judges they were not in line with the word of God.” Noting that Jesus was crucified for his trust and obedience to God’s word, Pope Francis recounted the resurrected Jesus’ words to the disciples on the road to Emmaus: “Oh, how foolish you are! How slow of heart to believe all that the prophets spoke.” The pope concluded: “Let us ask the Lord to look to the large and to the small follies of our hearts with the same tenderness, to caress us gently and to say to us: ‘Oh you foolish and slow of heart’ and begin to explain things to us.”

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CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | APRIL 14, 2016

The blessing of a lifetime: 5-year-old girl going blind meets pope CNA/EWTN NEWS

VATICAN CITY – When Lizzy Myers was diagnosed with a condition that could result in complete blindness, her parents, Steve and Christine, went to work on a “visual bucket list” for their daughter. Today, Lizzy got to check something off: meeting Pope Francis. The 5-year-old, along with her parents and threeyear-old sister Michaela, had special seats for the general audience with the pope on Wednesday, where she was able to meet him in person. She gave him a gift – a piece of meteorite from an observatory she had recently visited – and he gave her a hug and blessed her eyes. “I felt an overwhelming sense of peace” when they met, Christine Myers said at a press conference following the meeting. “Since the beginning of all of this, this is the first time I have felt peace.” As for Lizzy, “She was awestruck. She just stared at him, she had totally big eyes,” Christine said. Lizzy attends a Catholic Montessori school back home in Ohio, and was excited to meet the pope, whom she refers to as the “big guy in the white hat.” When she first heard the family was going to Rome, where the pope lived, she asked if she could knock on his door. The family is in Rome courtesy of Turkish Airlines, whose general manager heard her story and offered the family free plane tickets to anywhere in the world. They chose Rome because of their Catholic faith, and because of all the beautiful art and sights Lizzy could see there. Steve told reporters that he was very grateful for the meeting with the pope, which he didn’t realize would be an option when they first decided to visit Rome. He said the encounter with his daughter and the Holy Father gave him an inexplicable sense of calm.

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Lizzy attends a Catholic Montessori school back home in Ohio, and was excited to meet the pope, whom she refers to as the “big guy in the white hat.” “I was very nervous coming up to that point, I started having stomach pains,” he said. “But as soon as Pope Francis came up to where Lizzy was,

a calm came over me, I don’t even know how to explain it.” “I believe and I think that what Pope Francis has done for her – if there’s any chance for a miracle, it would be there.” After several recent tests, Lizzy was diagnosed with Usher syndrome type II, a rare genetic condition that causes hearing and progressive vision loss, and can result in blindness. Steve and Christine created a “visual bucket list” for their daughter, which included a trip to a local observatory near their hometown. The story made the front pages of a local paper, and caught the attention of The Associated Press, which eventually led to their Rome excursion. There are also many ordinary things on the list, Christine said – catching fireflies, roasting s’mores over a bonfire, kite-flying. The couple said they hope that Lizzy’s story will encourage other parents of children with bi-lateral hearing loss to genetically test their children for Usher II syndrome, so they might be able to give their children as many visual experiences as possible before it’s too late.

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Pope: Christ’s love is open to all – that’s why we go to confession us the forgiveness which flows from the cross and which renews us in his grace.” The Catholic Church is observing the Year of Mercy, giving special attention to the topic. “Jesus did not bring hatred, nor did he bring enmity. He brought love, a great love, a heart open to all – to all of us – a love that saves,” Pope Francis continued. “In this Jubilee Year, let us embrace the Gospel with greater vigor and be heralds of the Father’s mercy and forgiveness.” The pope stressed the importance of forgiveness as a counter to fear. “We are all sinners, but we are all forgiven: We all have the possibility of receiving this pardon, which is the mercy of God,” he said. “We need not fear, therefore, to recognize ourselves sinners, confess ourselves sinners, because every sin was carried by the Son to the cross.” Pope Francis reflected on the fact that before

CNA/EWTN NEWS

VATICAN CITY – God’s mercy is for everyone, and Jesus Christ is proof, Pope Francis said. “In every moment of his earthly life, Jesus made mercy visible: Meeting the crowds, announcing the Gospel, healing the sick, drawing close to the forgotten, pardoning sinners. He showed a love open to all, a love which was fulfilled on the cross,” the pope said April 6. The pope spoke in St. Peter’s Square to a crowd gathered for his general audience. His ongoing catechetical reflections on mercy have begun to focus on how Christ fulfills the promise of God’s mercy. “From the cross, Jesus shows us that no one is excluded from God’s merciful love: ‘Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.’ We should, therefore, never fear to acknowledge and confess our sins, for the sacrament of reconciliation offers

beginning his earthly ministry, Christ went to the Jordan to be baptized by St. John the Baptist, saying that “This event gives a decisive orientation to the entire mission of Christ.” “In fact, he did not present himself to the world in the splendor of the temple: He could have done this,” he said. “He was not announced with a trumpet blast: He could have done this. And he did not even come in the guise of a judge: He could have done this. Instead, after spending 30 years of his life in Nazareth, Jesus went to the Jordan River, together with so many of his people, and got in line with sinners.” Christ “had no shame” in this, the pope said. “He was there with everyone, with sinners, to be baptized. Therefore, from the beginning of his ministry, he was manifested as the Messiah who took on the human condition, moved by solidarity and by compassion.”

Australian bishops: Exposing kids to porn is abuse CAN/EWTN NEWS

CANBERRA, Australia – Exposure to pornography harms children to such an extent it should be considered child abuse, Australia’s Catholic bishops said in a recent call for action. “Children have a right to be children, away from the pressures applied by advertising and other images on television and the Internet for them to dress and act as mini-adults. Bombarding children with sexualized images can hurt their normal development,” a commission of the Australian Catholic Bishops’ Conference said in a statement to the Australian Senate committee last month. The committee was making an inquiry into the harm of Internet pornography. Australia’s Catholic bishops said there is an obligation to protect families from pornography. They said that pornography has become mainstream and is now “the wallpaper of young people’s lives.” They lamented sexualized images in advertising, music videos and computer games. “Allowing children to be exposed to pornography

is a form of abuse,” the bishops said. “The church has its own shameful history of child abuse and, particularly because of that terrible experience for victims, does not want to see other forms of abuse of children such as the harms from the increased availability of pornography.” They cited a link between children’s exposure to pornography and their likelihood of becoming victims of sexual violence. Many children are first exposed to pornography before the age of 13, according to the studies the bishops cited. Children exposed to pornography are more likely to agree with sexual relations before marriage, more likely to have sexual relations before their peers, and more likely to adopt risky sexual behavior. They are more likely to regard women as sex objects and to molest other children. “There is compelling evidence of the need for the Australian community to act to save children from this harm, but also to save the broader community from the harms of adults damaged in their childhood,” the bishops said.

They also noted the Christian case against pornography, citing Jesus Christ’s words from Matthew 5: “Everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” The bishops said pornography “harms the fabric of our community” and makes it more difficult for men and women to relate to each other in a mutually respectful and loving way. Pornography “objectifies people as less than real persons and offers a distorted view of relationships.” Where parents can’t or won’t act to protect children, the community has a duty to do so, they said. The bishops suggested an Internet filtering system, with an opt-out for adults, possibly inspired by the model in the U.K. They advocated researtch on parental awareness of pornography’s dangers for children and a public education program for parents on how to prevent pornography exposure. The bishops’ statement to Parliament was prepared by the Bishops Commission for Family, Youth and Life. The commission’s acting chair, Bishop Peter Comensoli of Broken Bay, signed the statement.

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KENYAN BISHOPS CALL CORRUPTION A ‘CANCER,’ URGE FIGHT ON ALL LEVELS

NAIROBI, Kenya – Kenya’s Catholic bishops challenged the government to show commitment in fighting corruption, calling it a “cancer” that “is killing our country. The ordinary men and women are bearing the burden of corruption,” the bishops said in a statement issued at the end of a twoday meeting at St. Thomas Aquinas Seminary. “The majority of Kenyans are wallowing in poverty and are unable to meet their basic needs,” they said. “They don’t have access to proper medical care. They lack adequate educational facilities and enough teachers for quality education. The youth see no future because of unemployment and, even where there is the possibility of jobs, they have to pay bribes and kickbacks to secure those jobs. Similarly, unless they know somebody high up, nobody will consider them” for jobs. “The fact that the cancer has spread to all arms of government and is going on in both national and county governments, as well as other sectors of Kenyan society, tempts one to despair and to give up without a fight. We can’t give up,” the bishops added. “Now is the time to rise and face this malignant disease with all the weapons we have.” The bishops said that, during his lateNovember visit, Pope Francis urged Kenyans to declare war on corruption.

‘VATILEAKS’ DEFENDANT DENIES GIVING REPORTERS DOCUMENTS

VATICAN CITY – The man who served as executive secretary of a commission Pope Francis established to study Vatican finances said he never gave documents of any kind to Italian

journalists and, in fact, met the two reporters only when he and they entered a Vatican courtroom to face charges connected to the leaking of the documents. Nicola Maio, former executive secretary and assistant to Spanish Msgr. Lucio Vallejo Balda, secretary of the Prefecture for the Economic Affairs of the Holy See, testified at the criminal trial in the Vatican April 11. Maio is on trial along with the monsignor and Francesca Chaouqui, a member of the former Pontifical Commission for Reference on the Economic-Administrative Structure of the Holy See, for “divulging news and documents concerning fundamental interests” of the Vatican. In addition, the Vatican has charged two Italian journalists – Gianluigi Nuzzi, author of “Merchants in the Temple,” and Emiliano Fittipaldi, author of “Avarice” of soliciting the documents and exercising pressure on the defendants, especially Msgr. Vallejo Balda.

BISHOP PRAISES LITTLE SISTERS FOR ‘COURAGEOUS WITNESS’

NOTRE DAME, Indiana – A standing ovation in a packed Basilica of the Sacred Heart at the University of Notre Dame greeted the Little Sisters of the Poor who were on campus April 9 to receive the Evangelium Vitae Award for outstanding service to human life. The Little Sisters operate 30 homes in the United States that offer health care and assisted living for more than 13,000 low-income seniors. The medal has been presented annually since 2011 by the university’s Center for Ethics and Culture. Awardees are announced on Respect Life Sunday in October, with the honor being conferred the following

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spring. The 2016 award event took place about two weeks after the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the lawsuit brought by the Little Sisters, Catholic dioceses and other entities, and other faith-based groups against the federal mandate that requires most employers, including religious employers, to offer employee health insurance that covers contraceptives, sterilizations and abortioninducing drugs – even if the employer is morally opposed to such coverage. The unusual standing ovation erupted early in the homily of Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades of Fort WayneSouth Bend at the Mass preceding the award banquet. He alluded to the first reading from the Acts of the Apostles, comparing the sisters’ witness to that of the apostles who were called before the Sanhedrin, a religious court, and told to stop teaching in the name of Jesus.

ARCHBISHOP, IMAM DECRY TERRORISM, PLEDGE TO WORK TOGETHER FOR GOOD

DEARBORN HEIGHTS, Michigan – Joining Muslim, Jewish and Christian leaders to promote unity and common areas of cooperation, Detroit Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron visited a Dearborn Heights mosque April 5 for an interfaith “unity lunch.” The archbishop’s visit to the Islamic House of Wisdom came at the invitation of Imam Mohammad Ali Elahi, who also spoke to the gathering of about 60 people, including members of the secular media. Imam Elahi spoke for about 20 minutes about the dangers presented by the Islamic State and other terrorist groups in the Middle East

(CNS PHOTO/MIKE STECHSCHULTE, THE MICHIGAN CATHOLIC)

Detroit Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron poses for a photo with a young Muslim boy and girl during a “unity lunch” with local Muslim leaders at the Islamic House of Wisdom in Dearborn, Michigan, April 5.

and across the globe, saying such radical violence harms Christians, Muslims and Jews alike. The imam also decried overgeneralizations and anti-Islamic rhetoric, noting many Muslim groups have stood in unity against terrorism. “They are abusing the ignorant,” Imam Elahi said of groups such as the Islamic State and Boko Haram. “They are brainwashing people who have been suffering from poverty, dictatorship, injustice and oppression. They are fooling them, deceiving them and using them as puppets for their own political purposes. We have to be aware that they have nothing to do with Islam.” The imam noted that he had been the victim of threats from groups such as the Ku Klux Klan, telling him to “depart (the U.S.) or die.” CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

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POPE FRANCIS: ‘AMORIS LAETITIA’ 9

CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | APRIL 14, 2016

US bishops: Don’t rush in reading, interpreting pope’s ‘love letter’ to families ADELAIDE MENA CNA/EWTN NEWS

WASHINGTON – The U.S. bishops are welcoming Pope Francis’s new apostolic exhortation, “Amoris Laetitia,” praising the pope’s call for careful encouragement and support of married life and engagement with families facing challenges. The bishops also echo the pope’s call for a careful and considered reading of the text, urging understanding as Catholics seek to apply the recommendations to their families and to society. “The pope has given us a love letter – a love letter to families,” said Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz of Louisville and president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The document, the archbishop said, challenges the faithful to grow in love and trust in God’s mercy in the face of difficulty. “Let us remember that no obstacle is too big for Christ to overcome.” Archbishop Kurtz also echoed the pope’s own caution against “a rushed reading of the text” when turning to it for pastoral guidance and understanding. “I really encourage each one of us to read and reflect carefully on the words of Pope Francis – how they can be applied to our lives, our families and our society.” Archbishop Kurtz was one of eight American participants in the two-year synod process that led up to the release. The process featured two meetings of bishops, or synods, hosted at the Vatican in 2014 and 2015, which culminated in the release of “Amoris Laetitia” April 8. Bishop Richard J. Malone of Buffalo, chairman of the USCCB Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth, said the letter is a “beautiful and stirring reflection on love and the family” that challenges pastoral ministry to be more “missionary” and to engage with the “concrete reality” of parishioners’ lives. He promised that the U.S. bishops “stand with families and seek to support those who are touched by poverty, trafficking, immigration challenges, domestic violence and pornography.” “We also have room to grow and improve and we welcome the pope’s encouragement of a renewed witness to the truth and beauty of marriage and a more tender closeness with couples and families who are experiencing real difficulties,” he commented. Bishop Malone also stressed that the first step for bishops and pastors in implementing the advice

SCRIPTURE SEARCH

Bishop Richard J. Malone of Buffalo said that American bishops and pastors will likely seek ways to strengthen marriage preparation and support for married couples – both topics Pope Francis emphasizes in the letter. presented in “Amoris Laetitia” is to take time to read and truly understand it. “We cannot rush our interpretation of what we have here,” he said. “We don’t want to be taking bits and piece of them without taking them in context.” While it is too early to know what the full impact of the exhortation will be, Bishop Malone said that American bishops and pastors will likely seek ways to strengthen marriage preparation and support for married couples – both topics Pope Francis emphasizes in the letter. Archbishop Kurtz agreed with his colleague, saying that improvements to marriage preparation and support of couples after marriage “will probably be the largest impact” within the United States. Archbishop Jose H. Gomez of Los Angeles, who

GESTURES, SPIRITUALITY ARE ESSENTIAL IN FAMILY LIFE, POPE SAYS

VATICAN CITY – Simple gestures such as a kind look or a morning kiss and family prayer can strengthen couples in living out their vocation to marriage, Pope Francis said in his apostolic exhortation. Released April 8, “‘Amoris Laetitia’ (The Joy of Love), on Love in the Family,” not only addresses major themes discussed during the 2014 and 2015 meetings of the Synod of Bishops, but also delves deeper into the church’s teachings on true love and the family. It also highlights the importance of sexuality and passion as a manifestation of true love

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Following is a word search based on the first reading and Gospel for the Fourth Sunday of Easter, Cycle C: Jesus’ teaching spreads. The words can be found in all directions in the puzzle. BARNABAS WHOLE CITY REJECT IT ETERNAL STIRRED UP SHEEP FATHER

as a gift. Sex, Pope Francis said, should not be seen as just “a source of fruitfulness and procreation” or “a burden to be tolerated.” The pope reflected on the essence of St. Paul’s definition of true love from the First Letter to the Corinthians, Chapter 13, and its relevance “to the concrete situation of every family.” Simple gestures – a kind look, a morning kiss or an evening blessing – can counter a negative attitude that focuses solely on the other’s shortcomings and allows couples to “to be patient and to cooperate with others despite our differences.”

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also participated in the synod meetings in Rome, welcomed the document as a gift both to the church and to “everyone who wants to understand what God really intends for our true happiness.” The archbishop said in a statement that while he is going to “read his reflections slowly and carefully,” he was encouraged by the pope’s emphasis on marriage preparation and support of couples in their first years of marriage. “I was also touched by our Holy Father’s call for all of us in the church to reach out with compassion to wounded families and persons living in difficult situations,” the archbishop said. Archbishop Charles Chaput of Philadelphia stressed that while the document “changes no church teaching or discipline, it does stress the importance of pastoral sensitivity in dealing with the difficult situations many married couples today face.” Archbishop Chaput also participated in the synod meetings in Rome, and hosted the World Meeting of Families in September 2015 in Philadelphia. Archbishop Chaput pointed to the letter’s large size – more than 250 pages – and praised the pope’s advice to read “Amoris Laetitia” carefully and slowly, promising further thoughts of his own as he finished reading the exhortation. Meanwhile, he thanked the pope for his thoughts and analysis of the “unique witness” of Christian marriage. “Nothing is more essential to any society than the health of marriage and the family,” he said.

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POPE FRANCIS: ‘AMORIS LAETITIA’

CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | APRIL 14, 2016

Excerpts from ‘Amoris Laetitia,’ Chapter 4,

‘LOVE IN MARRIAGE’

Our daily love

Pope Francis opens Chapter 4 of his 256-page post-synodal apostolic exhortation with a lyrical passage from Paul: ‘Love is patient, love is kind; love is not jealous or boastful; it is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way, it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things’ (1 Corinthians 13:4-7)

Love is patient

Being patient does not mean letting ourselves be constantly mistreated, tolerating physical aggression or allowing other people to use us. We encounter problems whenever we think that relationships or people ought to be perfect, or when we put ourselves at the center and expect things to turn out our way. Then everything makes us impatient, everything makes us react aggressively. Unless we cultivate patience, we will always find excuses for responding angrily. We will end up incapable of living together, anti-social, unable to control our impulses, and our families will become battlegrounds. That is why the word of God tells us: “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, with all malice” (Ephesians 4:31). Patience takes root when I recognize that other people also have a right to live in this world, just as they are. It does not matter if they hold me back, if they unsettle my plans, or annoy me by the way they act or think, or if they are not everything I want them to be. Love always has an aspect of deep compassion that leads to accepting the other person as part of this world, even when he or she acts differently than I would like.

Love is at the service of others

Throughout the text, it is clear that Paul wants to stress that love is more than a mere feeling. Rather, it should be understood along the lines of the Hebrew verb “to love”; it is “to do good.” As St. Ignatius of Loyola said, “Love is shown more by deeds than by words” It thus shows its fruitfulness and allows us to experience the happiness of giving, the nobility and grandeur of spending ourselves unstintingly, without asking to be repaid, purely for the pleasure of giving and serving.

Love is not jealous

St. Paul goes on to reject as contrary to love an attitude expressed by the verb ‘zelói’ – to be jealous or envious. This means that love has no room for discomfiture at another person’s good fortune. Envy is a form of sadness provoked by another’s prosperity; it shows that we are not concerned for the happiness of others but only with our own well-being. Whereas love makes us rise above ourselves, envy closes us in on ourselves. True love values the other person’s achievements. It does not see him or her as a threat. It frees us from the sour taste of envy. It recognizes that everyone has different gifts and a unique path in life. So it strives to discover its own road to happiness, while allowing others to find theirs.

Love is not boastful

The following word, ‘perpereúetai,’ denotes vainglory, the need to be haughty, pedantic and somewhat pushy. Those who love not only refrain from speaking too much about themselves, but are focused on others; they do not need to be the center of attention. The word that comes next – ‘physioútai’ – is similar, indicating that love is not arrogant. Literally, it means that we do not become “puffed up” before others. It also points to something more subtle: an obsession with showing off and a loss of a sense of reality. Such people think that, because they are more “spiritual” or “wise,” they are more important than they really are. Paul uses this verb on other occasions, as when he says that “knowledge

puffs up,” whereas “love builds up” (1 Corinthians 8:1). Some think that they are important because they are more knowledgeable than others; they want to lord it over them. Yet what really makes us important is a love that understands, shows concern, and embraces the weak. Elsewhere the word is used to criticize those who are “inflated” with their own importance but in fact are filled more with empty words than the real “power” of the Spirit.

It is important for Christians to show their love by the way they treat family members who are less knowledgeable about the faith, weak or less sure in their convictions. At times the opposite occurs: The supposedly mature believers within the family become unbearably arrogant. Love, on the other hand, is marked by humility; if we are to understand, forgive and serve others from the heart, our pride has to be healed and our humility must increase. Jesus told his disciples that in a world where power prevails, each tries to dominate the other, but “it shall not be so among you” (Matthew 20:26). The inner logic of Christian love is not about importance and power; rather, “whoever would be first among you must be your slave” (Matthew 20:27). In family life, the logic of domination and competition about who is the most intelligent or powerful destroys love. St. Peter’s admonition also applies to the family: “Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for ‘God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble’” (1 Peter 5:5).

Love is not rude

To love is also to be gentle and thoughtful, and this is conveyed by the next word, ‘aschemonéi.’ It indicates that love is not rude or impolite; it is not harsh. Its actions, words and gestures are pleasing and not abrasive or rigid. Love abhors making others suffer. Courtesy “is a school of sensitivity and disinterestedness” which requires a person “to develop his or her mind and feelings, learning how to listen, to speak and, at certain times, to keep quiet.” It is not something that a Christian may accept or reject. As an essential requirement of love, “every human being is bound to live agreeably with those around him.” Every day, “entering into the life of another, even when that person already has a part to play in our life, demands the sensitivity and restraint which can renew trust and respect. Indeed, the deeper love is, the more it calls for respect for the other’s freedom and the ability to wait until the other opens the door to his or her heart.”

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To be open to a genuine encounter with others, “a kind look” is essential. This is incompatible with a negative attitude that readily points out other people’s shortcomings while overlooking one’s own. A kind look helps us to see beyond our own limitations, to be patient and to cooperate with others, despite our differences. Loving kindness builds bonds, cultivates relationships, creates new networks of integration and knits a firm social fabric. In this way, it grows ever stronger, for without a sense of belonging we cannot sustain a commitment to others; we end up seeking our convenience alone and life in common becomes impossible. Anti-social persons think that others exist only for the satisfaction of their own needs. Consequently, there is no room for the gentleness of love and its expression. Those who love are capable of speaking words of comfort, strength, consolation and encouragement. These were the words that Jesus himself spoke: “Take heart, my son!” (Matthew 9:2); “Great is your faith!” (Matthew 15:28); “Arise!” (Mark 5:41); “Go in peace” (Luke 7:50); “Be not afraid” (Matthew 14:27). These are not words that demean, sadden, anger or show scorn. In our families, we must learn to imitate Jesus’ own gentleness in our way of speaking to one another.

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Love is generous

We have repeatedly said that to love another we must first love ourselves. Paul’s hymn to love, however, states that love “does not seek its own interest,” nor “seek what is its own.” This same idea is expressed in another text: “Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests

of others” (Philippians 2:4). The Bible makes it clear that generously serving others is far more noble than loving ourselves. Loving ourselves is only important as a psychological prerequisite for being able to love others: “If a man is mean to himself, to whom will he be generous? No one is meaner than the man who is grudging to himself ” (Sirach 14:5-6).

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Love is not irritable or resentful

If the first word of Paul’s hymn spoke of the need for a patience that does not immediately react harshly to the weaknesses and faults of others, the word he uses next – ‘paroxýnetai’ – has to do more with an interior indignation provoked by something from without. It refers to a violent reaction within, a hidden irritation that sets us on edge where others are concerned, as if they were troublesome or threatening and thus to be avoided. To nurture such interior hostility helps no one. It only causes hurt and alienation. Indignation is only healthy when it makes us react to a grave injustice; when it permeates our attitude toward others it is harmful.

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Love forgives

Once we allow ill will to take root in our hearts, it leads to deep resentment. The phrase ‘ou logízetai to kakón’ means that love “takes no account of evil”; “it is not resentful.” The opposite of resentment is forgiveness, which is rooted in a positive attitude that seeks to understand other people’s weaknesses and to excuse them. As Jesus said, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34). Yet we keep looking for more and more faults, imagining greater evils, presuming all kinds of bad intentions, and so resentment grows and deepens. Thus, every mistake or lapse on the part of a spouse can harm the bond of love and the stability of the family. Something is wrong when we see every problem as equally serious; in this way, we risk being unduly harsh with the failings of others. The just desire to see our rights respected turns into a thirst for vengeance rather than a reasoned defense of our dignity.

106

When we have been offended or let down, forgiveness is possible and desirable, but no one can say that it is easy. The truth is that “family communion can only be preserved and perfected through a great spirit of sacrifice. It requires, in fact, a ready and generous openness of each and all to understanding, to forbearance, to pardon, to reconciliation. There is no family that does not know how selfishness, discord, tension and conflict violently attack and at times mortally wound its own communion: Hence there arise the many and varied forms of division in family life.”

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Today we recognize that being able to forgive others implies the liberating experience of understanding and forgiving ourselves. Often our mistakes, or criticism we have received from loved ones, can lead to a loss of self-esteem. We become distant from others, avoiding affection and fearful in our interpersonal relationships. Blaming others becomes falsely reassuring. We need to learn to pray over our past history, to accept ourselves, to learn how to live with our limitations, and even to forgive ourselves, in order to have this same attitude toward others.

108

All this assumes that we ourselves have had the experience of being forgiven by God, justified by his grace and not by our own merits. We have known a love that is prior to any of our own efforts, a love that constantly opens doors, promotes and encourages. If we accept that God’s love is unconditional, that the Father’s love cannot be bought or sold, then we will become capable of showing boundless love and forgiving others even if they have wronged us. Otherwise, our family life will no longer be a place of understanding, support and encouragement, but rather one of constant tension and mutual criticism.

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Love rejoices with others

The expression ‘chaírei epì te adikía’ has to do with a negativity lurking deep within a person’s heart. It is the toxic attitude of those who

rejoice at seeing an injustice done to others. The following phrase expresses its opposite: ‘sygchaírei te aletheía’: “It rejoices in the right.” In other words, we rejoice at the good of others when we see their dignity and value their abilities and good works. This is impossible for those who must always be comparing and competing, even with their spouse, so that they secretly rejoice in their failures.

110

When a loving person can do good for others, or sees that others are happy, they themselves live happily and in this way give glory to God, for “God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7). Our Lord especially appreciates those who find joy in the happiness of others. If we fail to learn how to rejoice in the well-being of others, and focus primarily on our own needs, we condemn our-selves to a joyless existence, for, as Jesus said, “it is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35). The family must always be a place where, when something good happens to one of its members, they know that others will be there to celebrate it with them.

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Love bears all things

Paul’s list ends with four phrases containing the words “all things.” Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” Here we see clearly the countercultural power of a love that is able to face whatever might threaten it.

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First, Paul says that love “bears all things” (panta stégei). This is about more than simply putting up with evil; it has to do with the use of the tongue. The verb can mean “holding one’s peace” about what may be wrong with another person. It implies limiting judgment, checking the impulse to issue a firm and ruthless condemnation: “Judge not and you will not be judged” (Luke 6:37). Although it runs contrary to the way we normally use our tongues, God’s word tells us: “Do not speak evil against one another, brothers and sisters” (James 4:11). Being willing to speak ill of another person is a way of asserting ourselves, venting resentment and envy without concern for the harm we may do. We often forget that slander can be quite sinful; it is a grave offense against God when it seriously harms another person’s good name and causes damage that is hard to repair. Hence God’s word forthrightly states that the tongue “is a world of iniquity” that “stains the whole body” (James 3:6); it is a “restless evil, full of deadly poison.” Whereas the tongue can be used to “curse those who are made in the likeness of God,” love cherishes the good name of others, even one’s enemies. In seeking to uphold God’s law we must never forget this specific requirement of love.

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Married couples joined by love speak well of each other; they try to show their spouse’s good side, not their weakness and faults. In any event, they keep silent rather than speak ill of them. This is not merely a way of acting in front of others; it springs from an interior attitude. Far from ingenuously claiming not to see the problems and weaknesses of others, it sees those weaknesses and faults in a wider context. It recognizes that these failings are a part of a bigger picture. We have to realize that all of us are a complex mixture of light and shadows. The other person is much more than the sum of the little things that annoy me. Love does not have to be perfect for us to value it. The other person loves me as best they can, with all their limits, but the fact that love is imperfect does not mean that it is untrue or unreal. It is real, albeit limited and earthly. If I expect too much, the other person will let me know, for he or she can neither play God nor serve all my needs. Love coexists with imperfection. It “bears all things” and can hold its peace before the limitations of the loved one. ‘Amoris Laetitia’ was released April 8 at the Vatican. Access it at https://w2.vatican.va/content/dam/francesco/ pdf/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20160319_amoris-laetitia_en.pdf.

We have to realize that all of us are a complex mixture of light and shadows. The other person is much more than the sum of the little things that annoy me. Love does not have to be perfect for us to value it. The other person loves me as best they can, with all their limits …

Cardinal: Document on family develops doctrine, doesn’t change it CAROL GLATZ CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

VATICAN CITY – Pope Francis’ document on the family reflects an “organic development” of church teaching and doctrine, said Vienna Cardinal Christoph Schonborn, theologian and participant in both synods that dealt with the topic. “There are true innovations, but no break” in tradition, the cardinal told reporters during a news conference at the Vatican April 8 presenting the apostolic exhortation “Amoris Laetitia” (“The Joy of Love”). The document emphasizes the need for greater reflection and discernment by pastors and Catholic couples in so-called “irregular” situations as they look for ways they can participate more deeply in church life, he said. Proper discernment is nothing new, the cardinal told another reporter. It has always been the serious duty of the lay faithful and their pastors or confessors. Everyone is responsible, he said, because “you cannot play with the sacraments, you cannot play with the conscience.” Those in a broken marriage must honestly

examine their conscience before God, he said, and reflect on their role in the marriage’s breakdown or whether it was canonically valid in the first place. A married couple, both philosophy professors, spoke at the news conference about their impressions of the exhortation. Giuseppina De Simone said the pope’s tone and style made it feel like he was taking people “by the hand to discover the beauty of our families – imperfect, fragile, but extraordinary because they are supported in their daily journey by the love of the Lord who never tires, doesn’t renege, and makes everything new.” She said the text is an invitation for people to step away from the noise, confusion and discouragements in the world, and to look, listen and truly appreciate “the treasure we have in our hands, the great good there is in the normalcy of our lives.” So many problems and crises in families, she said, grow out of an inability to make time for the other and look at others with mercy and respect. Families and love are a “dynamic process” that require “struggle and rebirth, reinventing itself and always starting over,” she said.

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CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | APRIL 14, 2016

EXHORTATION: Share truth of family with mercy, help those struggling ‘AMORIS LAETITIA’ HIGHLIGHTS IDEAL OF MARRIAGE: The church must in no way diminish the full ideal of marriage but must ‘try to approach marriage crises with greater sensitivity to their burden of hurt and anxiety.’ DIVORCED AND CIVILLY REMARRIED: Divorced and civilly remarried couples, especially those with children, must be welcomed in Catholic parishes and supported in efforts to raise their children in the faith.

An indigenous family poses for a photo in 2014 outside their home near Villamontes, Bolivia.

(CNS PHOTO/PAUL JEFFREY)

FROM PAGE 1

raised at the synods and gives practical advice on raising children, urges a revision of sex-education programs and decries the many ways the “disposable culture” has infiltrated family life and sexuality to the point that many people feel free to use and then walk away from others. “Everyone uses and throws away, takes and breaks, exploits and squeezes to the last drop. Then, goodbye,” he wrote. Much of the document is tied to the theme of God’s mercy, including Pope Francis’ discussion of welcoming the vulnerable. “Dedication and concern shown to migrants and to persons with special needs alike is a sign of the Spirit,” he wrote. Both are “a test of our commitment to show mercy in welcoming others and to help the vulnerable to be fully a part of our communities.” The synod issues that garnered the most headlines revolved around the question of Communion for the divorced and civilly remarried, as well as Catholic attitudes toward homosexuality. “In no way must the church desist from proposing the full ideal of marriage, God’s plan in all its grandeur,” Pope Francis said. He repeated his and the synod’s insistence that the church cannot consider same-sex unions to be a marriage, but also insisted, “every person, regardless of sexual orientation, ought to be respected in his or her dignity.” On the question of families experiencing difficulties, separation or even divorce and remarriage, Pope Francis said responses to the questionnaires sent around the world before the synod “showed that most people in difficult or critical situations do not seek pastoral assistance, since they do not find it sympathetic, realistic or concerned for individual cases.” The responses, he wrote, call on the church “to try to approach marriage crises with greater sensitivity to their burden of hurt and anxiety.” Particularly in ministry to divorced and civilly remarried Catholics, Pope Francis said, pastors must help each couple look at their actions and circumstances, recognize their share of responsibility for the breakup of their marriage, acknowledge church teaching that marriage is indissoluble and prayerfully discern what God is calling them to. Pope Francis said it would be a “grave danger” to give people the impression that “any priest can quickly grant ‘exceptions’ or that some people can obtain sacramental privileges in exchange for favors.” At the same time, he insisted, “the way of the church is not to condemn anyone forever; it is to pour out the balm of God’s mercy on all those who ask for it with a sincere heart.” Divorced and civilly remarried couples, especially those with children, must be welcomed in Catholic parishes and supported in efforts to raise their children in the faith. Generally, without an annulment of their sacramental marriage, such a couple would not be able to receive Communion or absolution of their sins unless they promised to live as “brother and sister.” But every situation is different, the pope said, which is why the church does not need new rules, but a new commitment on the part of pastors to provide spiritual guidance and assistance with discernment. The diversity of situations – for example, that of a spouse who was abandoned versus being the one who left – makes it unwise to issue “a new set of general rules, canonical in nature and applicable to all cases,” the pope wrote. Quoting St. John Paul II, he said, “‘since the degree of responsibility is not equal in all

COMMUNION: Generally, without an annulment of their sacramental marriage, such a couple would not be able to receive Communion or absolution of their sins unless they promised to live as ‘brother and sister’ but every situation is different and pastors are urged to a new commitment to provide spiritual guidance and assistance with discernment. MARITAL LOVE: Marriage is first an ‘intimate partnership of life and love’ which is a good for the spouses themselves, while sexuality is ‘ordered to the conjugal love of man and woman.’ SAME-SEX UNIONS: The church cannot consider same-sex unions to be a marriage, but ‘every person, regardless of sexual orientation, ought to be respected in his or her dignity.’

(CNS PHOTO/NANCY PHELAN WIECHEC)

A family prays after arriving for Sunday Mass in 2011 at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Alexandria, Virginia.

cases,’ the consequences or effects of a rule need not necessarily always be the same.” Pope Francis used the document’s footnotes to specify that the consequences include whether or not the couple might eventually be able to receive Communion: “This is also the case with regard to sacramental discipline, since discernment can recognize that in a particular situation no grave fault exists,” he wrote. Those who are in a state of serious sin are not to receive Communion. Another footnote commented on the church’s request that remarried couples who had not received an annulment and who want to receive the sacraments forgo sexual relations. “In such situations, many people, knowing and accepting the possibility of living ‘as brothers and sisters’ which the church offers them, point out that if certain expressions of intimacy are lacking, ‘it often happens that faithfulness is endangered and the good of the children suffers,’” he wrote. Pope Francis wrote that he understood those “who prefer a more rigorous pastoral care which leaves no room for confusion. But I sincerely believe that Jesus wants a church attentive to the goodness which the Holy Spirit sows in the midst of human weakness, a mother who, while clearly expressing her objective teaching, always does what good she can, even if in the process, her shoes get soiled by the mud of the street.” Turning to those who believe allowing divorced and remarried Catholics to receive Communion waters down church teaching on the indissolubility of marriage, the pope said, “we put so many conditions on mercy that we empty it of its concrete meaning and real significance. That is the worst way of watering down the Gospel.” In many respects, Pope Francis wrote, church members themselves have presented and promoted such a dreary picture of married life that many people want nothing to do with it even though they dream of a love that will last a lifetime and be faithful. “We have long thought that simply by stressing doctrinal, bioethical and moral issues, without encouraging openness to grace, we were providing sufficient support to families, strengthening the marriage bond and giving meaning to marital life,” he wrote. “We find it difficult to present marriage more as a dynamic path to personal development and fulfillment than as a lifelong burden. “We also find it hard to make room for the consciences of the faithful, who very often respond as best they can to the Gospel amid their limitations, and are capable of carrying out their own discernment in complex situations,” the pope wrote. Yet, “we have been called to form consciences, not to replace them.” The role of an individual’s conscience made frequent

PASTORAL CARE: The pope wrote that he understood those ‘who prefer a more rigorous pastoral care which leaves no room for confusion. But I sincerely believe that Jesus wants a church attentive to the goodness which the Holy Spirit sows in the midst of human weakness, a mother who, while clearly expressing her objective teaching, always does what good she can, even if in the process, her shoes get soiled by the mud of the street.’ SUPPORTING COUPLES AND FAMILIES: ‘We have long thought that simply by stressing doctrinal, bioethical and moral issues, without encouraging openness to grace, we were providing sufficient support to families, strengthening the marriage bond and giving meaning to marital life. We find it difficult to present marriage more as a dynamic path to personal development and fulfillment than as a lifelong burden.’ CONSCIENCE: ‘We also find it hard to make room for the consciences of the faithful, who very often respond as best they can to the Gospel amid their limitations, and are capable of carrying out their own discernment in complex situations.’ Yet, ‘we have been called to form consciences, not to replace them.’ appearances in the document, not only regarding the situation of those who may determine their new union is best for their family, but also regarding decisions over how many children to have. Pope Francis praised Blessed Paul VI’s encyclical “Humanae Vitae,” which insisted every sexual act in a marriage must be open to the possibility of pregnancy, and included a large section reiterating what has become known as St. John Paul II’s “Theology of the Body.” The saintly pope definitively opposed an old idea that considered “the erotic dimension of love simply as a permissible evil or a burden to be tolerated for the good of the family,” Pope Francis said. “Rather, it must be seen as gift from God that enriches the relationship of the spouses.” Pope Francis called for church leaders to ensure more married couples are involved as leaders in designing and carrying out pastoral programs for families. Their witness is key, he said. “Marital love is not defended primarily by presenting indissolubility as a duty, or by repeating doctrine, but by helping it to grow ever stronger under the impulse of grace,” he said. “A love that fails to grow is at risk. Growth can only occur if we respond to God’s grace through constant acts of love, acts of kindness that become ever more frequent, intense, generous, tender and cheerful.”

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Cupich: Pope has ‘intuition about where people live their actual lives’ MICHELLE MARTIN CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

CHICAGO – Archbishop Blase J. Cupich of Chicago welcomed the release of Pope Francis’ apostolic exhortation “Amoris Laetitia” (“The Joy of Love”), saying the document might be surprising to some for its insistence on the need for mercy and compassion and its emphasis on the role of conscience. The document is the pope’s reflection on the 2014 and 2015 meetings of the Synod of Bishops on the family, which addressed all aspects of family life and included contentious discussions about under what circumstances divorced and remarried Catholics could receive Communion. It does not offer any new rules or norms. Rather, Pope Francis urges careful reflection on ministry to families and, especially, greater consideration in the language and attitude used when working with those who do not fully live church teaching. “I think that by and large, the average Catholic is going to find that what the pope is saying here is very arresting and new and creative and imaginative,” Archbishop Cupich said at a news conference April 8, the day the document was released at the Vatican. “He is saying things they haven’t heard before with regard to the church. For instance, individuals in shaping their conscience take responsibility and nobody can come in and in some way try to replace that conscience. “He talks about the need for families to be tolerant with each other in situations where people’s lives are not perfect so that we don’t separate ourselves and judge. … This is not about a reform of rules. This is about a reform of church,” the archbishop added. Archbishop Cupich said that he intends to study the document with lay and ordained advisers, and the Chicago archdiocese will look at the ways it ministers to families, perhaps by extending marriage prepa-

(CNS PHOTO/KAREN CALLAWAY, CATHOLIC NEW WORLD)

Archbishop Blase J. Cupich of Chicago responds to questions from members of the media April 8 about Pope Francis’ apostolic exhortation “Amoris Laetitia” (“The Joy of Love”), which delves into the church’s teachings on true love and the family. ration into the first year of marriage or finding new ways to support parents as they welcome children. Whatever the church does must be done with mercy, he said. “The doctrine of the church has always been one of mercy and compassion and the pope is recovering that in a much stronger and forceful way. It is a part of the doctrine of the church to reach out with compassion to people,” he said. The archbishop acknowledged that some might rather have a clear set of rules to follow, something Pope Francis addressed as well. “He knows that this call for a more compassionate pastoral outreach of accompaniment, discernment and integration, one marked by tenderness, will leave some perplexed,” the archbishop said, then quoted the document: Archbishop Cupich rejected the

idea that meeting people in the midst of the complexities of their lives means a “slippery slope” to a change in church teaching. “It is not a slippery slope but a path forward for people who find themselves stuck,” he said. The document calls on pastors to help people who can’t find that way now, he said. “A healthy dose of criticism is in order for us pastors, in the way that we treat people and the way that we present the church’s teaching,” the archbishop told members of the media. “Too often, he says, we speak in a way that is far too abstract, presenting an almost artificial theological ideal of marriage far removed from the concrete situations and the practical possibilities of real families.” Archbishop Cupich said the document calls on the church and

its pastors to walk with people as they discern the best way forward and to seek to integrate them into the church, and he added that Pope Francis reminds pastors that “we have been called ... to form consciences, not to replace them.” Priests must help people understand the teaching of the church and the guidelines of the bishops when it comes to divorce and remarriage, he said. “It can no longer be said, according to Pope Francis, that all those living in an ‘irregular situation’ are living in a state of mortal sin and are deprived of sanctifying grace,” Archbishop Cupich said. “’No one can be condemned forever, because that is not the logic of the Gospel!’ the pope insists,” he said. “The goal of accompanying people is to help each person find ‘his or her proper way of participating in the ecclesial community and thus to experience being touched by an ‘unmerited, unconditional and gratuitous’ mercy.’ He is not speaking here only of ‘the divorced and remarried, but of everyone, in whatever situation they find themselves.’” Asked in what specific situations he would allow a divorced and remarried person to receive Communion, Archbishop Cupich refused to rule anyone out. “I wouldn’t exclude anyone,” he said. “I would like our pastors to have discussion in all of those folks who are in these kinds of situations. … I know in my experience as a pastor, if you’ve seen a marriage then you’ve seen one marriage. There is no instance that can be replicated. Every situation has its variables that are part of it.” The archbishop said he was impressed with the pope’s crisp, accessible writing style, and the way he draws on varied literary and cultural sources to connect with his audience. “He’s got an intuition about where people live their actual lives,” the archbishop said “He’s not living in a bubble.”

LEADERS: Hail document’s mercy but caution against hurried reading FROM PAGE 1

wounded and attending to those with needs. “There is not a good family or a bad family,” he said. “All require pastoral attention.” He said the exhortation “touches all the realities that a family might experience.” “Today the church can say that it has woken up to the realities of the family,” he told CNS. “We will be able to accompany (all) types of families as a church, as a community, in all situations.” The Archdiocese of Mexico City welcomed the document and praised it for incorporating of various points of views, including conservative ones, and allowing local Catholic leaders some “discernment” in deciding how to go about opening the church to those traditionally left on the outside. The encyclical “reflects the many (diverse) viewpoints expressed at the

synod,” said Father Hugo Valdemar Romero, spokesman for the Archdiocese of Mexico City. “There is an opening, but within the church doctrine,” he added. “There is an inclusiveness ... on a case-by-case basis and the discernment of the local bishop.” Jesuit Father David Neuhaus, patriarchal vicar of the Hebrewspeaking community of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, said people looking for “juicy” headlines would be disappointed. He said the exhortation was meant for people to read and ponder and said the document could help priests and bishops realize that “nobody is beyond the care of the church.” “No one is outside, no matter what the circumstances ... you can’t just take out the law book and say ‘You have gone out of the boundaries.’ Every person has to be treated with love and respect,” said Father Neuhaus. He added that, in the Holy Land,

families are meeting challenges such as poverty, tensions and the breakdown of the family, a reality he described as “true for us and the whole world.” Archbishop Paul-Andre Durocher of Gatineau, Quebec, who attended both synods, called the apostolic exhortation “a precious tool, a guide for pastoral workers accompanying couples. It’s an approach that many pastoral agents and priests have been promoting for a long time, but it now gives stronger theological foundations.” “It invites us to take the teachings of the Bible and the church very seriously while welcoming in a true and realistic way couples experiencing hardships,” he said. He said church leaders “have work ahead of us” regarding homosexuality. “This synod wasn’t the time to have this discussion, with its strong cultural impacts in our world.” Australian Archbishop Mark Coleridge of Brisbane, who attended

the 2015 Synod of Bishops on the family, said the document “is full of contemplative vistas but also down-to-earth practical wisdom which could come only from long pastoral experience of spouses and their families. It moves constantly between the ideal and the real.” In an article for The Weekend Australian, he said the exhortation “insists that we have to deal always with the facts, however messy they may be; we have to be in touch with the reality of marriage and the family, not clinging to some romanticized sense of what the family should be. A genuinely pastoral approach to marriage and the family begins with the facts. “Francis doesn’t claim to be the final word settling every controversial question. Nor does he claim to offer a comprehensive pastoral plan to be implemented around the planet. His claims are more modest – and for that reason more compelling,” he said.

14 FAITH

CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | APRIL 14, 2016

SUNDAY READINGS

Fourth Sunday of Easter ACTS 13:14, 43-52 Paul and Barnabas continued on from Perga and reached Antioch in Pisidia. On the Sabbath they entered the synagogue and took their seats. Many Jews and worshippers who were converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who spoke to them and urged them to remain faithful to the grace of God. On the following Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and with violent abuse contradicted what Paul said. Both Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and said, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken to you first, but since you reject it and condemn yourselves as unworthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles. For so the Lord has commanded us, I have made you a light to the Gentiles, that you may be an instrument of salvation to the ends of the earth.” The Gentiles were delighted when they heard this and glorified the word of the Lord. All who were destined for eternal life came to believe, and the word of the Lord continued to spread through

the whole region. The Jews, however, incited the women of prominence who were worshippers and the leading men of the city, stirred up a persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from their territory. So they shook the dust from their feet in protest against them, and went to Iconium. The disciples were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit. PSALM 100:1-2, 3, 5 We are his people, the sheep of his flock. Sing joyfully to the Lord, all you lands; serve the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful song. We are his people, the sheep of his flock. Know that the Lord is God; he made us, his we are; his people, the flock he tends. We are his people, the sheep of his flock. The Lord is good: his kindness endures forever, and his faithfulness, to all generations. We are his people, the sheep of his flock. REVELATION 7:9, 14B-17 I, John, had a vision of a great multitude, which

no one could count, from every nation, race, people, and tongue. They stood before the throne and before the Lamb, wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands. Then one of the elders said to me, “These are the ones who have survived the time of great distress; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. “For this reason they stand before God’s throne and worship him day and night in his temple. The one who sits on the throne will shelter them. They will not hunger or thirst anymore, nor will the sun or any heat strike them. For the Lamb who is in the center of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to springs of life-giving water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” JOHN 10:27-30 Jesus said: “My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish. No one can take them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one can take them out of the Father’s hand. The Father and I are one.”

Doubt and faith SISTER JOAN L. ROCCASALVO, CSJ

The Gospel narratives record at least seven instances of disbelief in the Lord’s resurrection. The words were spoken not by outright disbelievers but by most of the Eleven.

Last week, The New York Times published an article titled “God Is a Question, Not an Answer.” Its author William Irwin asks if we should avoid claiming with certainty whether or not God exists. And what of the resurrection of Jesus Christ? The Gospel narratives record at least seven instances of disbelief in the Lord’s resurrection. The words were spoken not by outright disbelievers but by most of the Eleven. On returning from the empty tomb, the women couldn’t wait to announce the good news to them. But the Eleven didn’t, or wouldn’t, believe the women. “Idle chatter,” they called it. In the Johannine Gospel, when people walked away from Jesus, it was over the issue of eating his flesh and drinking his blood. He asked the disciples if they too would leave him. Of course not. “Lord,” they answered, “to whom shall we go, you have the words of eternal life.” Their belief was short-lived.

Disbelief of Peter, Thomas, and others

On the first day of that week, on finding only linen cloths at the tomb, Peter went home wondering what happened to the body. Wondering what? Then there was Thomas. You can almost hear his impertinence, “I will not believe unless I can see the print of the nails, and place my finger in the mark of the nails, and place my hand in his side.” Only then would he condescend to believe. Jesus didn’t reprove Thomas but engaged him. Once Thomas professed his belief, he personified all those who, through the centuries, have not believed. His acclamation, “my Lord and my God,” has become a common confession of faith for those who have moved from doubt to the certainty of faith. For them, it is as though two plus two equal four and not five. The two disciples at Emmaus had just about given up on the Lord’s promise and prediction of his resurrection. They had hoped as well … You can understand the disciples’ doubt or anyone’s doubt for that matter about the resurrection of a mere person. Yet throughout his short ministry, Jesus foretold his resurrection. Didn’t they listen to him? Weren’t they the ones who had protested that he was the Christ and expected Messiah? Why were they so obtuse? For days, they were gripped by doubt, their vision, clouded.

The women at the tomb; Mary Magdalene

Not so with the women. Seeing the empty tomb, they were afraid, at least initially. Then, assured by the angel, they believed. There was no doubt about it. No need to rationalize, they hurried back to the Eleven with the joyful news. It was a slightly different story with Mary

(L’OSSERVATORE ROMANO)

Pope Francis holding the Easter candle during the entrance procession of the Easter Vigil Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica.

Magdalene, a woman with much love to give. Yet, there was nothing gullible or naïve about her. Unlike Peter, she stayed behind at the tomb weeping, all the while trying to sort things out and attempting to unravel the mystery of the missing body. Distress aside, she was sleuthing around for any clue as to the Lord’s whereabouts. Little did she suspect how close he really was. The scene unfolds: “Why are you weeping,” ask the angels at the empty tomb? Mary ignores their question but observes that “they” took away the body, whoever “they” are. She doesn’t know where they laid him implying that she ought to know. Then a gardener appears and asks what she’s looking for. Assuming he has some information, she blurts out “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I’ll take him away.” She will look after the body? How? Such is the language of love that blurts out a protestation and solution, both unrealistic and impossible, before reasoning it out. Love knows no reason. Cen-

turies later, Blaise Pascal would say: “The heart has its reasons of which reason knows nothing.” Only one week before, in an act of profligate love, Mary had poured out costly perfume on Jesus’ feet. “What a waste,” sneered Judas. But Jesus told Judas to his face that he needed human consolation before his passion and death. The gardener of course is Jesus in disguise, and the encounter between them paints a lovely picture. Jesus calls out, “Mary.” The voice stills her. His intonation is filled with consolation. Her instinct is to touch him, but this cannot be. A new relationship now exists between them. She hurriedly goes to the disciples to announce what the Lord has done for her … not unlike Mary of Nazareth who had visited her cousin Elizabeth. Do we wonder that Magdalene’s name has been placed at the head of the named women in the Gospels? She is the “apostle to the apostles” signaling her special place among them all. The Johannine encounter between Jesus and Mary Magdalene parallels the words of Isaiah 43:1:“Do not be afraid, for I have redeemed you. I have called you by name; you are mine.”

Contemplation as event

In prayer, try role playing and repeat what the disciples said in a cynical tone. Utter the harsh words, “I will not believe.” For a moment or two, it will align you with the thousands who refuse to believe in God, not to mention the Lord’s resurrection. Then, recreate this scene and listen for Jesus to call your name. It may not be possible to share the news of the risen Christ in the way Magdalene did. But sensitivity to others brings possibilities that are perhaps more creative. The time may come when others, instead of finding in you an indifferent Catholic or a mere cultural Catholic, they will discover a disciple and companion of the Lord. For most of us, it means touching others quietly, without hesitation, and with a joyful faith. You and I live in a world that often shouts the harsh words, “We will not believe.” You and I must pray, “Lord, we believe; help our unbelief” (Mark 9:24). The pearl of great price – our faith – is not difficult to lose. CNA/EWTN

OPINION 15

CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | APRIL 14, 2016

Bill Nye is not the philosophy guy

eliable sources have informed me that for the millennial generation Bill Nye is a figure of great importance, due to his widely watched program from the 1990s called “Bill Nye the Science Guy.” Evidently, he taught a large swath of American youth the fundamentals of experimental science and became for them a sort of paragon of reason. Well, I’ll take their word for it. But judging from a recent video in which Bill Nye discussed the relation between science and philosophy, I can only tell you that he sure is BISHOP ROBERT not the “philosophy guy.” BARRON In a rambling and largely incoherent response to an interlocutor who wondered whether philosophy is still relevant, Nye denigrated the discipline, stating that philosophy never deviates from common sense, that it doubts the reality of sense experience, and that it engages in speculation about whether we might be part of an intergalactic pingpong mattch! In regard to the first observation, I would say that, pretty much from Socrates on, philosophers have practically specialized in deviating from common sense. In regard to the second (which flatly contradicts his first assertion), I would say that some philosophers – Descartes most famously – speculated along these lines in order to perform a sort of epistemological experiment and certainly not to prove the nonexistence of the physical world. In regard to the third, I can only say that this has more to do with someone on an LSD trip than any serious philosopher that I’m aware of. I don’t want to spend any more time engaging Nye’s rather silly claims, but I do want to address an issue that undergirds everything he says and that is infecting the minds of many young people today, namely scientism. Not to put too fine a point on it, scientism is the reduction of all knowledge to the scientific form of knowledge. In other words,

The very success of the sciences invites the distortion of scientism, an epistemological imperialism which consigns extra-scientific forms of rationality to the intellectual ash-heap. it is a strict identification of the rational with the deliverances of the scientific method developed in the late-16th century. That this method – empirical observation, followed by hypothesis, followed by experimentation, followed by confirmation through repeated experimentation – has indeed rendered abundant fruit is obvious to anyone. And that its accompanying technology has benefited the world in countless ways is beyond dispute. But the very success of the sciences invites the distortion of scientism, an epistemological imperialism which consigns extra-scientific forms of rationality to the intellectual ash-heap. And what an impoverishment this produces! At the very dawn of philosophy, Plato spoke to us of prisoners chained up inside a cave. All they can see are flickering shadows on the cave wall. One prisoner managed to free himself from the chains, escape from the cave, and find an upper world of light and substance. He realized that the shadows that he had spent his life watching were but simulacra of what is truly real. Finally, he gazed up to the sun, whose brilliant light made all things visible. This splendid fable is the metaphorical representation of the process by which one moves from knowledge of the evanescent world of nature to knowledge of the more permanent things and finally to the source of all knowledge and being. Plato’s disciple Aristotle presented the same idea in a more prosaic manner, speaking of the transition from physics (the study of matter in motion) to mathematics (the study of numeric relations), and finally to metaphysics (the study of being as such). Neither philosopher despised

what we would characterize today as science – in fact Aristotle can credibly claim the title as father of Western science – but they both recognized that there are things the sciences can’t know, things that are, in point of fact, the most important, lasting, and fascinating. The physical sciences can reveal the chemical composition of ink and paper, but they cannot, even in principle, tell us anything about the meaning of “Moby Dick” or “The Wasteland.” Biology might inform us regarding the process by which nerves stimulate muscles in order to produce human action, but it could never tell us anything about whether a human act is morally right or wrong. Optics might disclose how light and color are processed by the eye, but it cannot possibly tell us what makes the Sistine Chapel ceiling beautiful. Speculative astrophysics might tell us truths about the unfolding of the universe from the singularity of the big bang, but it cannot say a word about why there is something rather than nothing or how contingent being relates to noncontingent being. How desperately sad if questions regarding truth, morality, beauty, and existence qua existence are dismissed as irrational or pre-scientific. The scientism that I’ve been describing and criticizing is but a symptom of a more far-reaching problem, namely, the fading away of the humanities in our schools. If the study of literature, the arts, and philosophy is regarded as impractical and “soft” in comparison to the study of the sciences, we will produce a generation of, I’m sorry to say, prisoners chained inside of Plato’s cave. They will know a great deal about the evanescent world of nature, but they won’t know anything about how to live a decent life, how to differentiate between the sublime and the mundane, how to recognize God. So listen to Bill Nye as he leads you through an experiment, but please don’t listen to him in regard to the higher questions and the more permanent things. BISHOP BARRON is the founder of Word on Fire Catholic Ministries and an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.

The merciful grace of the truth

t the Easter Vigil a few weeks ago, tens of thousands of men and women, mature adults, were baptized or entered into full communion with the Catholic Church. Each of them walked a unique itinerary of conversion; each of these “newborn babes” (1 Peter 2.2) is a singular work of the Holy Spirit. Some of them came to Catholicism from an empty space, a spiritual desert; others found in the Catholic Church a more complete expression of the one church of Christ into which they GEORGE WEIGEL had been baptized, albeit in a different Christian community. So there are no grand generalizations to be made about those who became Catholics at Easter. But it’s probably fair to say that few of them embraced Catholicism because they found it ambiguous. Or uncertain about the Creed it professes. Or confused about its understanding of how Christians ought to live the truth of their baptism. In fact, it’s almost certainly the case that, for many of those who came into full communion with the Catholic Church from other Christian communities, it was the doctrinal and moral confusions in the community of their baptism that led them to seek a church that knew what it believed, why (and who) it worshipped, and how it proposed that we should live. If these new Catholics were properly catechized before their baptism or reception, they were also prepared for the Christian reality of failure, which the church calls “sin”: They would have come to understand that every one of us lives by the divine mercy alone; that we are all “worthless servants” (Luke 17.10); and

(CNS PHOTO/PAUL HARING)

Copies of Pope Francis’ apostolic exhortation on the family, “Amoris Laetitia” (“The Joy of Love”), are seen during the document’s release at the Vatican April 8. The exhortation is the concluding document of the 2014 and 2015 synods of bishops on the family.

that we are, finally, saved by the merits of Jesus Christ alone. Yet these new Catholics would also have learned that failure is an old story in the church, and that the Father of mercies is eager to welcome back those who stray, if only they acknowledge that they have fallen off the path marked out by God’s son and commit themselves to a different future. I thought of these new Catholics, and their motivations for entering the church, when reading Pope Francis’ apostolic exhortation, “Amoris Laetitia,” “The Joy of Love,” and particularly this sentence in paragraph 307: “To show understanding in the face of exceptional situations never implies dimming the light of the fuller ideal, or proposing less than what Jesus offers to human beings. Today, more important than the pastoral care of failures is the pastoral effort to

strengthen marriages and thus to prevent their breakdown.” The Holy Father set in motion these past two years of contention and, one hopes, constructive dialogue in the church because he knows that marriage and the family are in deep trouble throughout the world, just as he knows that marriage, rightly understood, and the family, rightly understood, are the basic building blocks of a humane society: The family is the first school of freedom, because it is there that we first learn that freedom is not mere willfulness; marriage, for its part, is the lifelong school in which we learn the full, challenging meaning of the law of self-giving built into the human heart. Why are marriage and the family in trouble? “Amoris Laetitia” reviews a lot of the reasons, some of which go back to Adam and Eve, and some of which are contemporary expressions of that original sin of pride. The Holy Father also speaks with understanding and compassion of the difficulty that many young people have today in forming lifelong commitments. And he calls the church to take the ministry of marriage preparation with ever greater seriousness, seeing it as an essential instrument of evangelization, especially for those who have trouble understanding that commitment is liberating. In reading his apostolic exhortation, I came back to a conversation I had with Pope Francis some months after his election. I said that I wanted to present his vision of the church accurately. So was I right in saying that he stressed God’s mercy so that, through an experience of that mercy, people would come to know God’s truth? He assured me I was. It is within that dyad of mercy and truth, which can never be separated, that I suggest the church read and absorb “Amoris Laetitia.” WEIGEL is Distinguished Senior Fellow of the Ethics and Public Policy Center, Washington, D.C.

16 OPINION

CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | APRIL 14, 2016

Catholics and acceptable uses of contraceptives

ontraceptives include drugs and devices like condoms, the pill, and spermicides. It might come as a surprise to some to learn that the Catholic Church does not always oppose the “use of contraceptives.” A couple of trivial examples can help explain this point. The church would not oppose the use of a contraceptive spermicidal gel to lubricate the axle of a bicycle tire to improve its rotation, nor would it specifically oppose the use of FATHER TADEUSZ inflated condoms as party balloons. PACHOLCZYK The particular context is important. More serious examples of acceptable contexts and uses for contraceptives would include using the pill medically to treat serious gynecological problems, or using the pill to block the release of an egg from a woman’s ovary in a situation of rape to protect her from becoming pregnant from the attack. Contrary to popular confusion, as

MAKING SENSE OUT OF BIOETHICS

we can see, the church does not always oppose the “use of contraceptives.” What the church does always oppose, however, are acts of contraception. An act of contraception is a very particular type of disordered human action that involves the decision freely to engage in marital intercourse, while pursuing countermeasures in anticipation of, contemporaneously with, or after the completion of the sexual act, to try intentionally to block it from achieving its proper finality, namely, the engendering of new human life. These countermeasures can include, to borrow the words of Pope Paul VI, “any action which either before, at the moment of, or after sexual intercourse, is specifically intended to prevent procreation—whether as an end or as a means” (“Humanae Vitae,” n. 14). Pope Francis, in a recent interview, pointed out that Pope Paul VI, in a difficult situation in Africa, “permitted nuns to use contraceptives in cases of rape.” This use of contraceptives by a group of nuns occurred during an exceptional wartime situation in the Belgian Congo. Although no document has ever been found in the Vatican indicating that permission was actually given by the pope, these women were given the pill by their physicians because they appeared to be in imminent danger of sexual assault during the up-

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risings of 1960. The pill was provided to prevent their ovaries from releasing an egg, so that if they were raped during the chaos, the attacker’s sperm would not be able to fertilize any of their eggs, and a pregnancy would not occur. This “use of contraceptives” would clearly not be an act of contraception, because there would be no consensual sexual act, but only an act of violence and brutality forcibly directed against the women. Hence, this use of contraceptives constituted, in its essence, an act of self-defense, not an act of contraception. A rapist, of course, has absolutely no right to forced sexual intimacy with his victim, nor does he have any right to bring about her impregnation, and the woman has absolutely no moral duty to make her eggs available to an attacker’s sperm. Hence the use of contraceptives in an emergency situation like this would be morally permissible precisely because it would not constitute, morally speaking, an act of contraception, but would rather represent a defensive and self-protective maneuver in a situation of grave and imminent danger. The use of contraceptives can be morally acceptable in other contexts as well, again, because such uses do not constitute acts of contraception. For example, when a woman has severe menstrual bleeding, or pain from ovarian cysts, the hormonal regimen contained in the pill may sometimes provide a directly therapeutic medical treatment

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for the bleeding or the pain. This use of contraceptives is an act of medical therapy to address a pathological situation, not an act of contraception. The secondary effect from the treatment, namely, marital infertility, is only tolerated, and should not be willed, desired, or intended in any way by the couple. It is worth noting that it would not be acceptable to make use of contraceptives like the pill for these medical cases if other pharmacological agents or treatments were available which would offer the same therapeutic benefits and effects without impeding fertility. In sum, while the church has always taught that marital acts of contraception are morally wrong, the use of contraceptives can sometimes be acceptable within certain other contexts outside of consensual conjugal acts. Janet Smith has succinctly summarized the issue this way: “The church teaches that acts of contraception are always against the plan of God for human sexuality, since God intended that each and every act of spousal intercourse express both the intention to make a complete, unitive gift of one’s self to one’s spouse and the willingness to be a parent with one’s spouse. These meanings of the spousal act are, as “Humanae Vitae” stated, inseparable.” FATHER PACHOLCZYK is a priest of the Diocese of Fall River, Massachusetts, and Director of Education at The National Catholic Bioethics Center, Philadelphia.

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To serve the living ~ The journey of Joe Stinson

EDRS specialist. The staff also includes Desiree Samora and Jason Bacigalupi, EDRS specialists and Arrangement Counselors, and Kathy Jacobson and Joyce Van Horn, Arrangement Counselors. Christine also certified as a Bereavement Facilitator is Family Services Manager at Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery but is involved in the family business with accounting and the on-line store. “We nurture each other through our journeys here,” Stinson said. Colma Cremation and Funeral Services is a grief-based practice, though that service, grief support, is free. All of the following are offered – green burials, pre-planning, memorial service planning, transportation from place of death, funeral coach (hearse), caskets, urns, form explanation and processing, cremation and burial options. Since day one, the company’s goal has been to offer affordable solutions for funerals and cremation. There is no embalming. “Embalming is not required by California law, but you do have to have refrigeration,” Stinson said. Embalming is expensive. It requires an embalming room and it must be in compliance with OSHA guidelines. No state or province in North America requires the routine embalming of bodies. (As needed, CCFS can hold someone in refrigeration for a month.) “Today we are seeing more processes of a natural death,” Stinson said. “Less people are in an ICU. Many people are dying natural deaths at home or in nursing homes. So it doesn’t make a lot of sense to take a person who has just experienced a very natural process, that we are designed to do, to die, like we are designed to be born, and then proceed with embalming, a horribly invasive procedure which when done, leaves the deceased not looking anything like they did in life. “ “Many funeral homes will tell loved ones that they have to have that,” Stinson continued. “But that is misinformation. And I am saying that out loud to the entire world. Embalming has nothing to do with anything.” Stinson said that death is also life affirming. “When a person dies, you have had them in your life, and you want to keep them in your life,” Stinson said. “And there is an understood promise that you make to your loved one – that you will take care of yourself. And when you take care of your health, by taking care of your grief, you will continue to get the messages that they are sending you. When you are not healthy, the messages will be there, but you will never hear them.”

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It happened more than 40 years ago in Jeannette, Pennsylvania, a small city near the center of Westmoreland County and about 25 miles east of Pittsburgh. 14-year-old Joe Stinson and his two buddies from junior high school, left school at 1 p.m. to go up to the Catholic church for their weekly instruction. “I was running a little ahead of them and we had to cross the four big tracks that went through town,” Stinson said. His friends decided they were going to play hooky but Joe couldn’t and continued on to catechism. “We are up there in that class for about 45 minutes and when we all came out, we headed to the bridge a little further down that crossed the tracks,” Stinson recalled. “Then we all see it. This big train is stopped and everybody is talking about how two kids got killed by the train. And then it hit. I knew.” Joe’s friends had followed the steel rails a good way down, long past the spot where a bridge serves as a safety guide over land which curve downs. Eventually they turned around and came back into an area called “Dead Man’s Cut,” where two hillsides grow at such a degree, that one cannot hear a loud train coming. They were hit from behind. “Back then, what to do about grief didn’t exist,” Stinson said. “And at that age, you go through what you go through. I went to the funerals and it was horrible. When you are 14, these are your brothers. We were extremely close.” “After their deaths, one family was a little distant to me,” Stinson said, “because I was the one that lived. But the other family brought me in.” It wasn’t until after high school, that the young man from Jeannette was really able to move on from what happened and start to see a need. Now a grief counselor, funeral director and the CEO of Colma Cremation and Funeral Services, Stinson said, “It was because of this lifechanging event, that I took up the baton of funeral work.” Joe started in the funeral business with part-time work at a local funeral home while attending Robert Morris University. (With special thanks, he wants to note here, to his dear and recently departed friend John Dobrinick.) Following college and his subsequent graduation from the Pittsburgh Institute of Mortuary Science, Stinson began his internship in Pennsylvania. But when the girl of his dreams moved to Southern California with her parents, Joe flew out West and he and Christine were married in Vegas. “That was in 1967, the Summer of Love!” Stinson went to work for Gates, Kingsley & Gates (Funeral Directors) in Santa Monica, Culver City and Westwood. The couple stayed a year; then returned to their hometown when Christine became pregnant with their first daughter. (They have two “wonderful” daughters and two “fabulous” grandsons.) In 1969, Stinson received his Funeral Director and Embalmer license. In 1975, through the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine Organ Donor Team, he became certified in eye enucleation surgery for cornea transplant. While working full time as a funeral director, he donated his time to transplant teams at three area hospitals. For this work he received the Distinguished Service Award. He was additionally an Associate in Hospital Pathology, as well as a Deputy Coroner and an Associate in Forensic Pathology. In 1978, he pursued courses in the field of grief and bereavement counseling and became nationally certified as a Bereavement Facilitator. “When I originally entered the funeral business, the

type of work I did was traditional,” Stinson said. “But one day a family came in that I knew like my own family. I greeted them the way I greeted others, but I got a very, very different reaction and that’s because I wasn’t educated on grief. When individuals go to school to get their license in medicine, psychology, health care, ministry, sociology, funeral service – if they want to specialize in end of life care or grief work, they have to add the study of grief as part of their discipline, because it is not naturally taught as part of their discipline.” “In this country, we really learned about grief from the family members of Vietnam Vets missing in action,” Stinson continued. “These family members were really getting sick because they could never grieve. And grieving is about health.” But before Stinson really learned about “grief,” he said he did what many professionals do in the various fields which deal with illness and/or heartache – he did everything he could to be liked by the person experiencing grief. “Once you understand how grief works, you know that you are not there for these people so they can watch your performance and your hope is that they like you,” Stinson said. “People are going to talk to you about things they can’t talk to any other human being about. When you are not a grief counselor, you don’t want to ask them how they are, because if they tell you, you won’t know what to say. In the understanding of grief, we have taken it from a psychological issue to a physiological issue and so it becomes about wellness and health and this puts us on the ‘Kübler-Ross ‘ side of things.” Swiss-born psychiatrist Dr. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross (1926-2004) was a pioneer in “near-death” studies. In her 1969 book “On Death and Dying,” she examined the five stages of grief, as it relates to the news of one’s impending death – denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. These five stages have also since been recognized as applying to the survivors of a loved one’s death. “When one goes through grief and trauma, it changes the way the hormones are produced in the body,” Stinson said, “and you are going to have these symptoms. One is loss of memory, way more than is comfortable, regardless of age. Children have it too. You are going to have a hard time following a thought process and completing it, whether you are talking or thinking. Your five senses are actually diminished, so things are not getting to you. That’s where you hear people say they are numb. Your immune system drops, so you are more susceptible to disease and you have feelings of being overwhelmed. When someone comes in, I am going to talk to them about this. Because the more that person grieving knows this, the more they know there is nothing wrong with them. What they are going through is a normal process. A big part of what we do here, is give individuals all kinds of coping skills.” Since being educated on grief, Stinson has fully embraced teaching what he knows. He taught in Hospice for fifteen years. He teaches “grief ” in certified continuing education courses for health providers. He designed a course, “Death, Dying, Loss and Survival,” which he teaches to elementary school students through university students. He is a frequent guest on Kelly Howell’s “Theatre of the Mind” podcast. At one point he created and was the host of “Good Grief Radio,” where his guests included Frank Ostaseski, the creator and founding director of Zen Hospice Project, and Father Miles Riley, PhD, a wellness speaker known for his radio ministry. In 1987, with their daughters in or about to enter college, Joe and Christine headed back to California, this time to the Bay Area. “Among our top reasons for moving here is that ‘here’ is where (American rock band) the Grateful Dead lived and we’re huge fans,” Stinson laughed, adding that he wasn’t kidding. Also, Joe needed some new challenges. Having grown up in Jeannette, and having been at one time a well-known school athlete, he felt things were too often handed to him. The family moved and Joe’s sister and brother-in-law made the move as well. Stinson worked in various funeral homes, then bought Colma Cremation and Funeral Services in the early 90s. He partnered with Pam Taylor, a licensed funeral director, whose background included caregiver responsibilities with Mission, Pathway and Kara Hospice. Like Stinson, she received her National Certification as a Bereavement Facilitator. Joe and Christine’s daughter Amy Stinson, also nationally certified as a Bereavement Facilitator, is the company’s manager, Associate Funeral Director and

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ordinary people accomplish truly Jean Bartlett is a features writer forexceptional the Pacifica Tribune careother for their and This themselves. and Bayloved Area one Papers. article originally ran in the “February 20 – 27, 2013” issue of the Peninsula Progress and is printed withI.permission fromFDr the713 author. Joseph Stinson owner, director, grief counselor

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THURSDAY, APRIL 14 PRO-LIFE: San Mateo Pro Life meets second Thursday of the month except in December; 7:30 p.m.; St. Gregory’s Worner Center, 28th Avenue. at Hacienda, San Mateo. New members welcome. Jessica, (650) 572-1468; themunns@yahoo.com.

FRIDAY, APRIL 15 3-DAY MARRIAGE HELP: Retrouvaille weekend, Hilton Garden Inn, Mountain View, $100 registration fee is all that is needed for hotel and all meals and no one is ever turned away for financial reasons, Joel and Sharon Walter, Retrouvaille, San Francisco, SF@RetroCA.com; www.HelpOurMarriage.com; (415) 893-1005.

SATURDAY, APRIL 16 ‘LOAVES & FISHES’: Catholic Charities’ Dinner and Gala will highlight the agency’s services to refugees and immigrants. Sister Norma Pimentel will be honored; St. Regis Hotel, San Francisco; (415) 972-1246; http://catholiccharitiessf.org/loavesandfishes. FIESTA: Our Lady of Manaoag in the Bay Area at Mater Dolorosa Church, 307 Willow Ave. at Miller, South San Francisco, noon rosary, Mass and procession, bring Our Lady of Manaoag statues for blessing and procession, (650) 952-8238. REUNION: Immaculate Conception Academy Alumnae/Mothers’ Reunion, 11 a.m., Basque Cultural Center, 599 Railroad Ave., South San Francisco, $65, Patricia Cavagnaro ‘60 (415) 824-2052 ext. 31. pcavagnaro@ icacademy.org.

SUNDAY, APRIL 17 MERCY TALKS: Immigration with Jesuit Stephen Pitts, 10:50 a.m., Fromm Hall by St. Ignatius Church, Parker and

SUNDAY, APRIL 17 CONSECRATED LIFE MASS: Annual Mass to celebrate consecrated life and recognizing 37 men and women religious marking milestone jubilees, Sister Catherine St. Mary’s Browne, OP Cathedral, Gough Street at Geary Boulevard, San Francisco 4 p.m. with Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone principal celBrother Artie ebrant and Lee, SJ homilist. Religious in attendance celebrating jubilees will renew their vows at the Mass, and religious will serve as ministers of the Mass including readers and gift bearers. A general reception follows the Mass in the cathedral’s lower halls with a special dinner for jubilarians later in the evening. Among those celebrating jubilees are San Rafael Dominican Sister Catherine Browne, 75 years; and Jesuit Brother Artie Lee, 50 years; (415) 614-5535; conrottor@ sfarchdiocese.org.

VOCATIONS MASS: A Mass remembering bishops, priests, deacons, religious and those preparing for same, St. Sebastian Church, Sir Francis Drake Boulevard and Bon Air Road, Greenbrae, 5 p.m., followed by a buffet supper, Father Mark Taheny, pastor, principal celebrant, Schola Sancta of the Bay Area and Marin Baroque Chamber Choir will lead song, (415) 456-7820.

president, Immaculate Conception Academy and Alessandro Baccari, writer and historian, with the Archbishop Alemany Award for service to the church and society; Mass at 5:30 p.m., St. Mary’s Cathedral, Gough Street at Geary Boulevard, San Francisco, dinner at 6:30 p.m. in the cathedral’s lower halls, tickets $200, tables of 10 $1,900; Ian Brooks (510) 883-2056; www.dspt.edu/alemany2016.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 20

MERCY TALK: Congresswoman Jackie Speier, an alumna of Mercy High School, Burlingame, on “Living Mercy in Public Life,” 2 p.m., Mercy Center, 2300 Adeline Drive, Burlingame; talk followed by discussion as part of the continuing celebration of the Year of Mercy. An alumna of Mercy High Burlingame, Congresswoman Speier was present when Pope Francis addressed the U.S. Congress in September 2015, free. Please register, (650) 340-7474.

DIVORCE SUPPORT: Meeting takes place first and third Wednesdays, 7:30 p.m., St. Stephen Parish O’Reilly Center, 23rd Avenue at Eucalyptus, San Francisco, Separated and Divorced Catholic Ministry in the archdiocese, drop-in support group. Jesuit Father Al Grosskopf (415) 422-6698, grosskopf@ usfca.edu. SVDP LUNCH: Annual Spring Luncheon, benefiting St. Vincent de Paul Society of Marin County, $45, Marin Country Club, Novato; (415) 8833055; haleyannf@yahoo.com.

THURSDAY, APRIL 21 GRIEF SUPPORT: Drop-in grief support group, Most Holy Redeemer Church, Parish Library, 100 Diamond St., San Francisco, meets third Thursdays, 7:308:45 p.m.; inclusive, nondenominational, and not restricted to type of loss; email gcm@mhr.org with any questions.

Fulton, San Francisco, free and open to the public, free parking all USF lots, jacoleman@usfca.edu, Dan Faloon, (415) 422-2195. REUNION: St. John Ursuline High

cheon honoring 1966 graduates with Golden Diplomas, 11 a.m., United Irish Cultural Center, San Francisco, $40, sjualumnae@gmail.com; Theresa Keane (415) 867-3575, register by April 1.

HANDICAPABLES MASS: Mass at noon then lunch in lower halls, St. Mary’s Cathedral, Gough Street at Geary Boulevard, San Francisco, Gough Street entrance. All disabled people, caregivers invited. Volunteers welcome, (415) 239I O Joanne N Borodin, S 4865; www.Handicapables.com. ALEMANY AWARDS: The Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology honors Dominican Sister Diane Aruda,

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CELEBRATING MOTHERS: Epiphany Center’s beloved event raises muchneeded funds for San Francisco’s most vulnerable women, children, and families featuring spectacular orchid sale, silent auction, and delicious food. Founded in 1852 as Mount St. Joseph-St. Elizabeth by the Daughters of Charity, the agency continues today to support the city’s most vulnerable women and children, providing them with the support and confidence they need to transform their lives. For more information, (415) 3514055; www.TheEpiphanyCenter.org.

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SCHOOL CENTENNIAL: St. Paul School, San Francisco, two-day celebration of its first 100 years, with Mass at 4 p.m. Saturday, with reception following; food and beverages will be available for purchase, Cardinal William J. Levada, principal celebrant, and Sunday family Mass at 9:15 a.m. followed by pancake breakfast at $5 per person; www.stpaulschoolsf.org; (415) 648-2055.

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THURSDAY, MAY 5 MERCY: “Reconciling in the Year of Mercy” with Father Chuck Durante’s reflection on our relationships with ourselves, with God and others; how can faith and mercy help? Dominican Sisters’ Gather@Grand series; all are welcome; Dominican Sisters Center, 1520 Grand Ave., San Rafael; 7-8:30 p.m. RSVP CommunityRelations@ sanrafaelop.org; (415) 453-8303.

FRIDAY, MAY 6 BREAKFAST TALK: Catholic Marin Breakfast Club, St. Sebastian Church, Sir Francis Drake and Bon Air Road, Greenbrae, Mass, 7 a.m. followed by breakfast and talk from Dominican Sister Carla Kovack, breakfast $10 members, $15 others, (415) 4610704, 9- 3p.m. or Sugaremy@aol. com. TAIZE: All are welcome to Taizé prayer around the cross, Mercy Center, 2300 Adeline Drive, Burlingame, 8 p.m. Taizé prayer has been sung on first Fridays at Mercy Center since 1983. Mercy Sister Suzanne Toolan, (650) 340-7452.

SATURDAY, MAY 7 FOOD FAIRE: St. Ignatius College Prep, 2001 37th Avenue, San Francisco, 4-7 p.m., fun day of food,

FRIDAY, MAY 6 CATHEDRAL ANNIVERSARY: St. Mary’s Cathedral 45th Anniversary Gala in the cathedral’s lower halls following vespers in the main church with ArchbishArchbishop op Salvatore Cordileone J. Cordileone, presiding. Evening includes dinner, music and a special appearance by Franc D’Ambrosio, renowned singing star of “Phantom of the Opera,” and remembered for his performances at anniversary celebrations of the Porziuncola Nuova in North Beach; Deacon Christoph Sandoval, rcs7777@ comcast.net; www.stmarycathedralsf.org.

Francisco, 9 a.m., Father Daniel Carter, pastor, principal celebrant and homilist; (650) 580-7123; zoniafasquelle@gmail. com. OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE: “God Came Close” with Mercy Sister Ana Maria Pineda, associate professor, Santa Clara University, on Our Lady of Guadalupe who Pope Francis said awakens “a veritable banner of love and justice,” 9:30-noon; Dominican Center, 43600 Mission Circle, Fremont, $20 suggested offering, RSVP http:// bit.ly/Our-Lady_Guadalupe.

THURSDAY, MAY 12 PRO-LIFE: San Mateo Pro Life meets second Thursday of the month except in December; 7:30 p.m.; St. Gregory’s Worner Center, 28th Ave. at Hacienda, San Mateo, new members welcome; Jessica, (650) 572-1468; themunns@ yahoo.com.

SUNDAY, MAY 15 festivities, entertainment, tasty bites from many cultures represented in the school community plus DJ, dancing, raffle baskets, early bird tickets $15/ adult, $10/student, $3 kids 5 and under at www.siprep.org/foodfaire Prices higher at the door; Angela Koros at akoros@comcast.net. PEACE MASS: Our Lady of Lourdes Church, 1715 Oakdale Ave., San

MERCY SERIES: “To visit the sick, to comfort the afflicted,” Mercy Sisters Judy Cannon and Diane Clyne: The archdiocesan Office for Consecrated Life hosts a series of Sunday afternoon talks commemorating the Year of Mercy, Presentation Sisters’ convent, 2340 Turk Blvd., San Francisco, 2-4:15 p.m. with talk, refreshments, and exposition of the Blessed Sacrament

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SATURDAY, SEPT. 17 REUNION: Mercy High School, San Francisco class of 1956, the first graduating class of Mercy High School, El Rancho Inn, 1100 El Camino Real, Millbrae. Ann Marra Doran, adoran712@ comcast.net.

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REUNION: Class of 1956, St. Cecilia School, San Francisco, Mass 4 p.m., Our Lady’s Chapel, followed by cocktails and dinner, Gold Mirror Restaurant, 800 Taraval at 17th Avenue, $75. Bernadette Lang Webb, (415) 924-5196; Peggy Niland Cooney, (650) 878-8260. RSVP by May 10.

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CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | APRIL 14, 2016

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