California bishops decry breakdown on budget deal: ‘Devastating for poor’
Catholic san Francisco Northern California’s Weekly Catholic Newspaper
The breakdown of budget talks between California Gov. Jerry Brown and state lawmakers is “tremendously disappointing for Californians but particularly devastating for the poor and vulnerable,” Los Angeles Auxiliary Bishop Gerald Wilkerson said April 1 in his role as president of the California Catholic Conference. Bishop Wilkerson said the news that Gov. Brown and legislative leaders have halted budget talks virtually guarantees there will be no special election in June. Talks with Republican lawmakers fell apart on the Democratic governor’s proposal for a special election on a mixture of budget-balancing cuts and tax extensions. “The job of elected officials in Sacramento isn’t to carry out partisan agendas, but to pursue the common good,” Bishop Wilkerson said. “We fervently pray that both sides return to the bargaining table as soon as possible and make the compromises necessary to meet our moral responsibility to California’s most vulnerable citizens and put the state back on a solid financial footing.”
(CNS PHOTO/PAUL HARING)
Catholics’ challenge of facing the stranger
Pope Benedict XVI kisses a child as he leaves his general audience in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican March 30.
Page 11 of this week’s issue features articles on the challenges of welcoming the newcomer in a changing church. Embrace Latino newcomers or they will flee the church, a Notre Dame theologian told a Catholic conference in Washington, D.C. Migration is a global phenomenon that “cannot be ignored, because it involves human beings,” Cardinal Theodore McCarrick told the conference. In the Archdiocese of San Francisco, where Hispanics make up more than a third of the faithful, an archdiocese-wide pastoral initiative is under way. On Page 14, Los Angeles Archbishop Jose. H. Gomez reflects on the legacy of Cesar Chavez.
By Valerie Schmalz Sister Antonella Manca says Burlingame Catholics call them “the Italian order.” Four sisters sent from Italy in 1975 at the request of then-Archbishop of San Francisco Joseph Thomas McGucken, the Missionaries of the Sacro Costato teach and administer at St. Catherine of Siena School in Burlingame. And the result makes the school a little more oldschool. Students can choose to learn Italian or Spanish. Catholic Schools Week this year emphasized traditional Catholic devotions including a day to pray the rosary and another day when each class took a turn visiting the parish church for eucharistic adoration before the Blessed Sacrament. “It was beautiful. They were very touched,” said Sister Antonella, who returned to St. Catherine’s in 2006 to take over as school principal after 11 years as a missionary in Albania. “One of the seventh graders came up and told me, ‘that was the best time of my life. I felt Jesus was talking to me.’” The school believes learning how to write well is important and was featured in an ABC-7 feature in March titled, “School embraces lost art of penmanship.”
Kindergarteners sing the “Ave Maria” in Latin, vigorously and on pitch, under the gentle supervision of Sister Alessandra. Nurturing the imagination is part of the package, too. On St. Patrick’s Day a wide-eyed kindergarten girl rushed into the hallway to inform Assistant Principal Adrian Peterson that leprechauns had come while the class was at recess “and everything is upside down!” Parents of students join the Catholic Church each year, usually with their children, Sister Antonella said. “To see this happiness in the families is beautiful,” she said. Listening to Sister Alessandra tell Bible stories when Aidan, now in fourth grade, was a kindergartener was a turning point for parent Judy Chao, who entered the church in 2007 with husband Frank Lew and their two boys. “It’s home. It’s how I feel when I go to St. Catherine’s,” said Chao, who attended Catholic preschool in Taiwan. “We are Chinese. Our philosophy is respecting everyone, being kind. From kindergarten to eighth grade, they are driven by ‘always be respectful, be kind to others.’” For a long time, a mainly Caucasian school that reflected the earlier demographics of the neighborhood, the school is slowly diversifying, said Peterson. “We are starting to represent more of the neighborhood. A lot of ITALIAN NUNS, page 3
(PHOTO COURTESY JUDY CHAO)
Italian missionary nuns model old-school Catholic faith to suburban families
“The Italian order” at St. Catherine of Siena School: Sister Amy, Sister Corinna, Sister Alessandra, Sister Antonella.
INSIDE THIS WEEK’S EDITION April 9 tsunami benefit. . . . . 3 News in brief. . . . . . . . . . . 4-5 School kids, soldiers bond . . 9 George Weigel. . . . . . . . . . . 13 Father Rolheiser . . . . . . . . . 15
Nun’s theology text censured ~ Page 8 ~ April 8, 2011
Homeless find shelter, hospitality at Marin church ~ Page 10 ~
Deaf Catholics’ Lourdes pilgrimage ~ Page 12 ~
ONE DOLLAR
Classified ads . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Service directory . . . . . . . . . 20
www.catholic-sf.org VOLUME 13
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No. 14