May 6, 2011

John Paul II beatification: special report

Catholic san Francisco

(CNS PHOTO/PAUL HARING)

(CNS PHOTO/MASSIMO SESTINI, ITALIAN NATIONAL POLICE VIA CATHOLIC PRESS PHOTO)

Northern California’s Weekly Catholic Newspaper

People pack St. Peter’s Square and the Via della Conciliazione leading up to the square during the beatification of Pope John Paul II May 1 at the Vatican. The late Polish pontiff moved a step closer to sainthood during a joyous ceremony that drew more than 1 million people. Above, Polish Sister Tobiana Sobodka, left, who ran Pope John Paul II’s household, and French Sister Marie Simon-Pierre, whose cure from Parkinson’s disease was accepted as the miracle that paved the way for his beatification, place a relic of the late pope near the altar during his beatification Mass.

Pope Benedict beatifies Pope John Paul ‘because of his faith’

By Cindy Wooden VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Benedict XVI beatified his predecessor John Paul II with a tribute to the Polish pope’s “strong, generous and apostolic faith,” as a crowd of more than 1 million people gathered in and around St. Peter’s Square.

John Paul II’s strengths and the “fragrance of sanctity” perceived by many even at the moment of his death in 2005 merited a prompt review of his cause for beatification, Pope Benedict said.

“What the newly elected pope asked of everyone, he was himself the first to do: Society, culture, political and economic systems he opened up to Christ, turning back with the strength of a titan — a strength which came to him from God — a tide which appeared irreversible,” Pope Benedict said in his homily at John Paul II’s Mass of beatification May 1.

More than 1 million people were gathered in and around the Vatican and in front of large video screens in several parts of the city, Italian police said. Many had personal stories about seeing Pope John Paul or even meeting him, and Pope Benedict ended his homily at the Mass sharing his own personal story. “I would like to thank God for the gift of having worked for many years with Blessed Pope John Paul

II,” he said. As prefect of More beatification news the Congregation for the St. Mary’s Cathedral Mass: Worshipers representDoctrine of the Faith from ing the pope’s native Poland and 18 other nations 1982 until his election in celebrated a Mass of thanksgiving at St. Mary’s 2005, Pope Benedict said Cathedral (Page JP2). he worked at the pope’s side “and came to revere “Man of sorrows”: The pope’s true holiness emerged him.” not in his world-traveling hour of triumph but in his “His example of prayer suffering, says journalist Sandro Magister (JP2). continually impressed and An impressionistic word portrait: The pope’s inteledified me: he remained ligence, humor and physicality emerge in memories deeply united to God even from CSF readers who encountered him (JP3). amid the many demands Touching the Incarnation: Could it be that even of his ministry,” the pope in death, Father David Schunk writes, that John said.

Paul could give us an example of being fully alive?

“Today his name is (CSF cover). added to the host of those whom he proclaimed saints and blesseds during the almost 27 years of his pontificate,” the respect for the church’s canonical norms, I wanted his cause of beatification to move pope said in his homily.

Pope John Paul during his pontificate forward with reasonable haste.”

After the Mass, Pope Benedict went into beatified 1,338 people and canonized 482 — more than all of his predecessors St. Peter’s Basilica and knelt in prayer for combined. The beatification of Pope John four minutes before Blessed John Paul’s Paul just six years and a month after his casket, which was set in front of the main death in 2005 was the fastest beatification altar. After the pope left, the concelebrating cardinals filed up to the wooden casket, in some 500 years.

Pope Benedict said that even at the touching it lightly and kissing it.

Eventually, the Vatican opened the moment of his death people “perceived the fragrance of his sanctity and in any number basilica to the general public and planned to of ways God’s people showed their venera- keep it open either until the faithful stopped tion for him. For this reason, with all due coming to pay their respects or until prepa-

rations had to be made for the official Mass of thanksgiving for the beatification May 2.

Thousands of people spent a chilly, damp night camped out near the Vatican in an attempt to find a place in St. Peter’s Square when the gates were scheduled to open at 5:30 a.m. for the 10 a.m. Mass.

The crowds were so large that police began letting people in at 2 a.m., according to news reports.

Thibaut Cappe, a 23-year-old from Paris, got up at 3 a.m. and managed to find a spot half way up the boulevard leading to St. Peter’s Square. He said Pope John Paul “is an example of simplicity in the way of being a Catholic. It’s not always easy to be a Catholic in our world. He was doing it in a way that was understandable for everyone.”

Alongside the altar in front of St. Peter’s Basilica, priority seating was given to official delegations from more than 80 countries, the European Union and the Palestine Liberation Organization. The United States was represented by Miguel Diaz, the ambassador to the Vatican, and by his predecessors, Francis Rooney and Jim Nicholson. King Albert and Queen Paola of Belgium led the list of royalty present and 16 heads of state attended, including Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski and Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe.

Valeria Buonpastore, who is from BECAUSE OF HIS FAITH, page JP2

Young and old remember Pope John Paul as spiritual model

By John Thavis ROME (CNS) — With songs, videos, testimonials and prayers, Catholics of every age and many countries gathered in Rome to remember Pope John Paul II on the eve of his beatification.

“I feel him present here in the Circus Maximus,” the pope’s former secretary, Polish Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz of Krakow told the crowd in Rome’s ancient racetrack April 30. “I feel him returning tonight.”

The vigil began with a two-minute video clip of Pope John Paul talking to young people in 2000, struggling at first to find the words and then bantering easily, to the delight of the crowd.

The video set the evening’s tone of remembrance, and it was followed by a torchlight procession to an image of Mary, evoking the late pope’s special devotion to the mother of Jesus. The vigil featured a live satellite link-up to five Marian sanctuaries around the world, including the pope’s former Archdiocese of Krakow, Poland.

Pope Benedict XVI closed the event with a prayer to Mary and a blessing, telecast live from the papal apartment at the Vatican.

The crowd on a wet evening in the Circus Maximus was small at first but swelled to an estimated 200,000, many of whom planned to pray the entire night YOUNG AND OLD, page JP3

Pilgrims attend a vigil on the eve of the beatification at the ancient Circus Maximus in Rome April 30.

Catholic San Francisco

May 6, 2011

(PHOTOS BY JOSE LUIS AGUIRRE/CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO)

JP2

Archdiocese celebrates beatification A Mass in thanksgiving for the beatification of Pope John Paul II was held at St. Mary’s Cathedral May 1, sponsored by area Polish organizations and others. Preceding the Mass was a “procession of nations” representing the pope’s native Poland and 18 other countries. From left, Jaime Martinez, a parishioner at Mission Dolores, is pictured in the costume he wore when he was among folk dancers who greeted the pope in El Salvador in 1983; children from the Polish School in Union City and the Pope John Paul II Polish School in Walnut Creek process into the Mass; and Mass celebrant Archbishop John R. Quinn, emeritus archbishop of San Francisco, greets Elliot and Evelyn Andrade from the John Paul II Polish School. “John Paul II is a contemporary witness of genuine holiness,” and his beatification is a “powerful statement that God continues to work in our time,” said Archbishop Quinn, who hosted the pope during his 1987 visit to San Francisco. Archbishop Quinn’s homily is posted at catholic-sf.org.

■ Continued from page JP1 Charlotte, N.C., said Pope John Paul “transcended nationalities. He was universal, that’s what made him so great. He was loved by people of other nations, religions. A lot of my Protestant friends loved him, too,” she said.

Also in the square was Sister Marie Clarice, a 30-year-old member of the Little Servants of the Sacred Heart from Madagascar.

She said she remembers when Pope John Paul came to Madagascar in 1989; she was only 7 or 8, and the image that has remained is of a person who cared about the weak and powerless. “I remember the way he welcomed the poor. He embraced them, like this,” she said opening her arms in a wide hug.

Speaking briefly in Polish in his homily, Pope Benedict said of his predecessor: “By his witness of faith, love and apostolic courage, accompanied by great human charisma, this exemplary son of Poland helped believers throughout the world not to be afraid to be

called Christian, to belong to the church, to speak of the Gospel.

“In a word: he helped us not to fear the truth, because truth is the guarantee of liberty,” the pope said.

Pope Benedict read the formula of beatification at the beginning of the liturgy after Cardinal Agostino Vallini, papal vicar for Rome, petitioned the pope by saying, “I humbly ask Your Holiness to inscribe the venerable servant of God, John Paul II, pope, among the number of blesseds.”

The pope responded by saying that after consulting many bishops and members of the faithful and after having the Congregation for Saints’ Causes study the matter, “the venerable servant of God, John Paul II, pope, henceforth will be called blessed” and his feast will be Oct. 22, the anniversary of the inauguration of his pontificate in 1978.

The crowds burst into sustained applause, many people cried and brass players intoned a fanfare as soon as the pope finished reading the proclamation.

Polish Sister Tobiana Sobodka, who ran Pope John Paul’s household, and French Sister Marie Simon-Pierre, whose cure from

(CNS PHOTO/STEFANO RELLANDINI, REUTERS)

Because of his faith . . .

Tapestry portrait hangs from St. Peter’s Basilica during the Mass of beatification.

Parkinson’s disease was accepted as the miracle that paved the way for his beatification, carried a relic to Pope Benedict and then to a stand near the altar. The relic was a clear glass vial of Pope John Paul’s blood held in

a reliquary of silver olive branches.

Reading a brief biography of the late pope, Cardinal Vallini said he “had lived through the tragic experience of two dictatorships” — Nazism and communism — “survived an assassination attempt on 13 May 1981 and, in his later years, suffered grave physical hardship due to the progression of his illness.

However, his overwhelming optimism, based on his trust in divine providence, drove him to constantly look to the horizons of hope.”

In his homily, Pope Benedict also spoke of Pope John Paul’s suffering and his battle with Parkinson’s disease, which eventually crippled him.

“There was his witness in suffering: the Lord gradually stripped him of everything, yet he remained ever a ‘rock,’ as Christ desired. His profound humility, grounded in close union with Christ, enabled him to continue to lead the church and to give the world a message which became all the more eloquent as his physical strength declined,” the pope said.

— Contributing to this story were John Thavis and Carol Glatz.

(CNS/L’OSSERVATORE ROMANO VIA REUTERS)

Proclaiming the ‘man of sorrows’ who embodied Jesus’ beatitudes

By Sandro Magister ROME (www.chiesa.espressonline.it) – In Polish, he used to say of himself in his last years: “I am a biedaczek, a wretch.” A poor old man, sick and worn out. He, so athletic, had become the man of sorrows. And yet it was precisely then that his holiness began to shine, inside and outside of the church.

Commentary Before that, Pope John Paul II was admired more as a hero than as a saint. His holiness began to conquer the minds and hearts of many men and women from all over the world when what Jesus had prophesied for the old age of the apostle Peter happened to him: “Amen, amen, I say to you, when you were younger, you used to dress yourself and go where you wanted; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.”

Now that he has been proclaimed blessed, John Paul II is unveiling to the world the truth of the saying of Jesus: “Blessed are the poor, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

He did not radiate holiness in the hour of his triumphs. Much of the acclaim that he received while he was traveling the world at a breathtaking pace was too biased and selective

Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz, left, and Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone touch John Paul’s coffin after it was exhumed ahead of his beatification.

to be sincere. The pope who knocked down the Iron Curtain was a blessing in the eyes of the West. But when he fought in defense of the life of every man born upon the earth, in defense of the most fragile, smallest life, the life that has just been conceived but whose name is already written in heaven, then few listened to him and many shook their heads.

The story of his pontificate was for him a matter of lights and shadows, welcome and rejection, with strong opposition. But his dominant profile, for many years, was not that of the saint, but of the combatant. When

in 1981 he had a brush with death, shot for reasons still not entirely clear, the world bowed in reverence. It observed its minute of silence, and then went right back to the same old unfriendly song.

Many in the church also distrusted him.

For many, he was “the Polish pope,” representing an antiquated, anti-modern, populist Christianity. They looked not at his holiness but at his devotion, which wasn’t a hit with those who were dreaming of an interior and “adult” Catholicism, so obligingly immersed in the world as to become invisible and silent.

And yet, little by little, from the crust of the pope as athlete, hero, fighter and devotee, his holiness began to unveil itself.

The jubilee, the holy year of 2000, was the turning point. The pope wanted it to be a year of repentance and forgiveness. On the first Sunday of Lent that year, March 12, before the eyes of the world, he presided over an unprecedented penitential liturgy. Seven times, for the seven capital vices, he confessed the sins committed by Christians century after century, and asked God’s forgiveness for all of them. Extermination of heretics, persecution of the Jews, wars of religion, humiliation of women …. The pope’s anguished face, already marked by illness, was the icon of that repentance. The world looked at him with respect, but also with derision. John Paul II exposed himself, defenseless, to blows and

insults. He let himself be scourged. There were some who demanded more repentance each time, for yet more faults. And he beat his breast for all of it.

But John Paul II also wanted that jubilee of 2000 to be the year of the martyrs — the countless martyrs, many of them nameless, killed out of hatred for the faith in that “Dominus Iesus” whom the pope wanted to reaffirm as the only savior of the world, for the many who had forgotten about him.

And the world intuited this: that in the suffering figure of the pope was the beatitude that God had promised to the poor, to the afflicted, to those who hunger for justice, to the peacemakers, to the merciful. The pope mocked, opposed, suffering, the pope who was gradually losing the use of speech was sharing in the fate that Jesus had proclaimed to his disciples: “Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me.”

The beatitudes are the biography of Jesus, and therefore of those who follow him with pure hearts. They are the image of the new world and of the new man that Jesus inaugurated, the overturning of worldly criteria.

This commentary was written for “La Tercera,” the leading newspaper of Chile. The writer is a Rome-based journalist and author.

May 6, 2011

Cyber-bullying prompts school’s look at social mores in a Facebook age

1

Catholic San Francisco

Catholic san Francisco Northern California’s Weekly Catholic Newspaper

What is a friend? Answering that question is at the core of San Domenico School’s response to a cyber-bullying incident that sparked a yearlong reflection at the Marin County Catholic school.

The incident resulted in a student’s temporary suspension and led administrators to hold a number of meetings and bring in speakers to address the topic with students and parents. The student herself is very contrite and details were kept private, said John Bowermaster, academic dean of San Domenico Upper School, a private, all girls high school of 125 students that is part of a K-12 school in San Anselmo.

The incident heightened awareness of how intimately technology and cyberspace have invaded the lives of students with cyber-bullying and “sexting” the two biggest abuses, said Bowermaster. “What we see among students is sort of a devaluation of the boundaries, a lowering of the boundaries of what is acceptable and what is not in terms of civil discourse,” said Bowermaster.

However, the school’s reaction brought students on board much more fully, he said, with two seniors making a movie with a fictional storyline about cyber-bullying that will feature many of the school’s students as actors.

“I think when you are in the moment it is easy to express yourself on the Internet and write on Facebook,” said Nina Pak, 18, head prefect, a student leader who wrote the screenplay and is producing the film with another senior. The fictional story addresses cyber-bullying and the girls hope it will spark discussion among the students who act in it and spread from there. The film should be CYBER-BULLYING, page 16

(PHOTO BY JOSE LUIS AGUIRRE/CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO)

By Valerie Schmalz

Father Francis Htun smiles at a worshiper during Communion at a recent Sunday Mass for Burmese Catholics at St. Monica Church in San Francisco.

Burmese celebrate arrival of homeland priest

Encountering John Paul, beatification pilgrims touched the Incarnation

“There is a lot they don’t understand,” says Lee. “They just go and pray (during Mass).”

On a bright spring Sunday afternoon, Catherine Win Lee and Chin estimate that there are 150 Burmese leaves her home in San Bruno for St. Monica Church in Catholic families in the Bay Area, many of which live in San Francisco.

Daly City. The two men, who migrated to the U.S. during Others travel from their homes in Fremont, Oakland, the ‘70s, said Father Htun would also be instrumental Daly City and other Bay Area locations to join her at the in organizing the community to minister to the needs Richmond District church. of Burmese immigrants arriving now in the Bay Area.

Drawn by the powerful bonds of shared language Chin says that a number of Burmese Catholics have, and culture, they come together as a over the years, stopped attending Mass community to do something they have because of the lack of a Burmese priest. not been able to do for a very long time: Father Htun has already begun meeting celebrate Sunday Mass in Burmese. with some of them in an effort to bring “There are no words to describe how them back into the church. happy we are as a community,” says “Burmese people are shy,” says Lee. Felix Chin.

“We have a hard time going to a priest “I feel like I am home now, singing we don’t know. For those who don’t in Burmese,” says John Lee. speak English, it is even harder.”

As leaders of the Burmese Catholic “You feel at home,” says Win of community in the Bay Area, Chin and attending a Mass in her native language.

Lee — both of whom live in Daly City “It feels more enjoyable. And most of — have something else to celebrate: the us, when we meet each other, we only long-awaited arrival of Father Francis speak in Burmese.”

Father Francis Htun Than Htun, the young Burmese priest Standing in the aisle three or four newly assigned to the Archdiocese of San Francisco. pews deep into the church, Father Htun — who recently “We have been trying to get a Burmese-speaking celebrated his 37th birthday at St. Monica — runs priest in the Archdiocese since 1995,” says Chin, who through the selection of music to be used during the 2 says it has been especially difficult for older members of p.m. Mass. Nearly 60 Burmese Catholics lift their voices the community, who don’t speak English, to receive the together in prayer.

BURMESE CELEBRATE, page 16 sacrament of reconciliation and follow Mass.

By Dana Perrigan

By Father David A. Schunk ROME – So much of our Christian faith centers upon a personal encounter. In the ultimate human encounter of the Incarnation, God comes to each one of us and meets us in the person of Jesus Christ.

This past Sunday, a multitude of people traveled to Rome from all over the world because of their encounter with Jesus Christ. Pope John Paul II was not Christ, but his holiness of life and his witness to the Gospel so clearly radiated the love and presence of Jesus Christ that the faithful who streamed toward St. Peter’s Square for the beatification were able to experience in the person of Blessed John Paul II the nearness of God.

Commentary For the many people whose lives were touched

by John Paul II, his beatification is an affirmation of their belief that when he was alive, they met or saw ENCOUNTERING JOHN PAUL, page 16

INSIDE THIS WEEK’S EDITION On the Street . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Sister creates youth center . 3 News in brief . . . . . . . . . . 4-5 San Mateo’s immigrant roots 6 Latest on Prop. 8 case . . . . . 8

St. Gregory Parish 2011 RCIA class ~ Page 3 ~ May 6, 2011

Chinese School blesses new building ~ Page 5 ~

Indian church leaders protest nuclear plant ~ Page 9 ~

ONE DOLLAR

Scripture reflection . . . . . . 14 Datebook of events . . . . . . 17

www.catholic-sf.org VOLUME 13

•

No. 17

2

Catholic San Francisco

May 6, 2011

On The

Congrats to St. Robert’s seventh grade girls basketball team North/South champs in their division for the second straight year with a 21-4 season. Pictured, back from left, are Coach Rob Lapuyade, Lauren Lapuyade, Alexandra Shiffer, Sara O’Halloran, Lindsey Fontenot, Ixcalli Galindo and Coach Laura Davis. Front from left are Katia Ajam, Caitlin Shick and Paige Dickson.

Where You Live

By Tom Burke Paulist Father Tom Dove, who has served at Old St. Mary’s Cathedral for 17 years, celebrated his 50th year as a priest May 1. Father Dove grew up in Oregon in a parish staffed by Paulists. “When I thought priesthood, I thought Paulist,� the priest told me. He celebrated an Father Tom Dove, CSP anniversary Mass at OSM on May 1, and will preside at another at his boyhood parish, St. Phillip Neri, in Portland, May 15. Father Tom calls San Francisco “a great city� with “greater people.�

Some of his earlier ministry includes a lecture series he led in Los Angeles that drew top theologians and thinkers as featured speakers. “The last year we sold over 1,200 season tickets,’ Father Tom said. He has also served as

Congrats to the sixth grade boys basketball A-Team from St. Charles School in San Carlos on their win of a South Peninsula Championship and second place overall. Pictured back from left are Coach Matt Kraemer, Brett Anchartechahar, Jack Stewart, Brendan Downes, Ryan Matoso, and Coach Dave Matsu. Pictured front from left are St. Charles Principal Maureen Grazioli, Schafer Kraemer, Nick York, Nathan Gonzales, and Justin Matsu.

LIVING TRUSTS WILLS

PROBATE

a judge “on more than 1,400 annulment cases� calling marriage tribunal work “a reconciliation ministry indeed.�

Our conversation on the jubilee took place on the way to Easter. Father Dove, now in his late 70s, said with a smile: “During this Lent my thoughts are thankful as I prepare for Sunday, May 1 which is designated Divine Mercy Sunday, Vocation Sunday for the local parishes, the Beatification of John Paul II, and the Bay to Breakers Race, which I will not be able to run this year because of other commitments.â€?‌ Happy anniversary, May 3, to Jeanne and Irv Mitchell who took their wedding vows 68 years ago at Church of the Epiphany in San Francisco. “Our children will take us out to dinner if Irv is up to it,â€? Jeanne said in a note to this column. Prayers for Irv, please, Jeanne asked. “He has lung cancer and is on oxygen, and will be 90 in August, God willing.â€? ‌ Science fairs continue as a staple of elementary school all over the Archdiocese of San Francisco. Our Lady of Loretto School in Novato leads a “beaker ballyhooâ€? for all participants in their recent compound contests including eighth graders, Sophia Dal Porto, Tavia Vitkauskas, Abby Farrell, Juliana Fisher, Ryan Carothers, and Parker Evans, and seventh graders, Nicole Marino and Ryann Piry. Thanks to science teacher, Jean Scott, for the good news. Project tests included the efficiency of different woods when burned as a heat source, and where wind turbines are best placed for efficient use‌. At St. Anselm School in Ross it’s congrats to science fair prize winners David Saadatnezhadi, San Marie Thomson, Lucas Mancini, Tara Henry, Claire Ongaro, and Annie Hayes. David’s “Smart Metersâ€? project won him an invite to Google Science Fair 2011. Also at St. Anselm’s, chess champs include Frankie Pereira and Alex Kassil who both excelled in a recent CalChess Scholastic State Championship. Frankie placed third among 49 kindergarten students. Alex placed second in a middle school-age group of 89 students‌. Vincentians of the St. Vincent de Paul Society of St. Matthew Parish welcomed Baha’i Family School in Belmont and Baha’i Junior Youth Groups of the Peninsula. Together they packed 107 bags of food for the poor and filled the pantry for the needy kept by the SVDP conference. “I was impressed with

Donate Your Car 800-YES-SVDP (800-937-7837)

MICHAEL T. SWEENEY ATTORNEY AT LAW 782A ULLOA STREET SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94127

(415) 664-8810 www.mtslaw.info FREE INITIAL CONSULTATION

• FREE FREE AND PICKUP sameFAST day pickup • MAXIMUM TAX • Maximum Tax DEDUCTION Deduction • WE •DO PAPERWORK WeTHE do DMV paperwork • RUNNING OR NOT, • Running or not,NO noRESTRICTIONS restrictions • DONATION COMMUNITY • 100%HELPS helps YOUR your community Serving the poor since 1860

www.yes-svdp.org www.yes-svdp.com

Over 1million used books, DVD’s, games, cd’s and VHS tapes available for sale!

ST. VINCENT DE PAUL SOCIETY

First Holy Communion Headquarters First Communion Gift Sets Rosaries—Statues—Holy Cards Greeting Cards—Bibles

Why pay full retail price when you can buy quality used (and new) products at bargain prices.

Shop at:

West Coast Church Supplies 369 Grand Avenue South San Francisco 94080 1-800-767-0660

www.shopcitybooks.com Benicia, CA other locations in Oregon, Indiana & Texas

HELPLINES FOR CLERGY/CHURCH SEXUAL ABUSE VICTIMS

ST. VINCENT DE PAUL SOCIETY

Serving the poor since 1845

their enthusiasm and generosity and the fact that another faith family was so willing to help our St. Vincent de Paul Society,� said conference member, Jeanne Barrett. This is the second year the teamwork has taken place, Jeanne said.

SVDP at St. Matt’s helps 400 families a month from the pantry and other resources they keep available‌. Thank you all for your notes on my recent red-light camera ticket. By the time this is published I will have made my attempt at a lower fine. I gotta’ say, however, that since getting the ticket I am less inclined - even a bit afraid - to make right turns on red. If you’re behind me and don’t like it, sorry!...This is an empty space without you. E-mail items and electronic pictures – jpegs at no less than 300 dpi – to burket@sfarchdiocese.org or mail them to Street, One Peter Yorke Way, SF 94109. Don’t forget to add a follow-up phone number. Thank you. My phone number is (415) 614-5634.

Happy 50 years married April 15 to Jack and JoEllen Loughran who married in Corpus Christi Church in San Francisco and now live in Novato. Thanks to the couple’s daughter, Christine Sharps, for the good news.

AUFER’S

RELIGIOUS SUPPLIES

Serving The Catholic – Christian Community since 1904

Your complete resource for Religious Goods 1455 Custer Avenue, San Francisco 94124 415-333-4494 • FAX 415-333-0402 Hours: M-F 9 am – 5 pm Sat. 10am – 2 pm e-mail: sales@kaufers.com www.kaufers.com

Donate Your Vehicle

GOOD IND of San

&Marin Count

TAX DEDUCTION FOR YOUR CAR, TRUCK or SUV

D O N AT E O N L I N E

vehiclesforcharity.com

1.800.574.0888

&HUWLÂżHG $FFRXQWLQJ 6HUYLFHV &RUSRUDWH 2IÂżFH 3& FDVFRFSD FRP

RFSD FRP

415-614-5506 This number is answered by Barbara Elordi, Archdiocesan Pastoral Outreach Coordinator.

This is a secured line and is answered only

by Barbara Elordi.

415-614-5503 If you wish to speak to a non-archdiocesan employee please call this nunmber. This is also a secured line and is answered only by a victim survivor.

0DUOHQ & 5RVDOHV &3$ 3UHVLGHQW DQG &(2

ITALIAN IMPORTS, GIFTS & RELIGIOUS ITEMS Official Gift Shop of the National Shrine of Saint Francis & Porziuncola Nuova

6H +DEOD (VSDxRO

$ &3$ )LUP 7KDW 3URYLGHV 3HDFH 2I 0LQG $QG 7KH 0RVW 7KRURXJK %RRNNHHSLQJ $QG 7D[ 6HUYLFHV

0LWFKHOO $YHQXH 6XLWH 6RXWK 6DQ )UDQFLVFR &$ 7HOHSKRQH

)D[ &3$ PDUOHQ#PFURVDOHVFSD FRP

3URIHVVLRQDOO\ 3UHSDUHG

Phone: 415-983-0213 624 Vallejo Street, San Francisco CA 94133 Hours: Tuesday – Sunday 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. www.knightsofsaintfrancis.com

Catholic San Francisco

May 6, 2011

3

Sister realizes dream of building youth center in Redwood City Dominican Sister Christina Heltsley addressed the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors in a trembling voice.

She had spent a year dealing with different county commissions. Now she had to convince the supervisors to vote in favor of her dream project: a youth center in the Fair Oaks district, one of the poorest areas in the county.

At the March meeting, tears ran down her face as she learned that her efforts had succeeded: The full board approved a zoning change in a residential area to accommodate the construction of Sister Christina’s Siena Youth Center.

“The idea for the center stemmed from people who told me that there was a need for a space for our youth — a Dominican Sister place where they Christina Heltsley could engage in something positive because gangs are trying to recruit them and capture their minds and their hearts,” said Sister Christina, who has worked in the neighborhood for the past 11 years.

The risks youth face in this neighborhood are all too clear. For example, three years ago a 16-year-old boy was fatally shot in a gang clash. “When he was very young he started to hang out with older boys who were already gang members,” said the victim’s sister, who asked that her name not be published. “He began when he was 14, and since he was very bold he was first in fights.

“Unfortunately,” she said, “he precipi-

tated his own death the day he went across into rival gang territory to scribble his mark. I remember my mom telling him not to leave the house but he did not obey. He was with friends when someone in a car drove by and shot him in the heart with a rifle. He died instantly.”

For over a decade Sister Christina has been the director of St. Francis Center, a nonprofit organization that helps needy families in Redwood City become selfsufficient and live with dignity. It offers housing, food, clothing and education. The teen homicide victim’s sister’s youngest son attends the Holy Family School, which operates inside St. Francis Center.

“Most parents have two or three jobs and do not spend as much time at home as they want or should,” she said. “Their children are by themselves and getting into trouble because the neighborhood is rife with gang activity and drugs.”

Jaqueline Rueda is the mother of two teen boys who attend community college.

“Thanks to Sister Christina I was able to get ahead when I was left alone with my 7-year-old children,” she said. “I don’t know what would have happened to me or to them without the support she gave us. She has been a friend, a sister and a mother. Thanks to her advice my children have stayed out of danger.”

The 10,000-square-foot Siena Center, located near St. Francis Center, will boast a gym for kids to play basketball, baseball and volleyball or exercise with Pilates or Zumba. It will have a small kitchen where culinary classes will be taught to teach youth how to prepare healthy foods and “combine nutrition and physical activity,” Sister Christina said.

There will be a place to do homework and a computer room. The sheriff’s department will run an office where deputies will mentor the youth and be available to teach leadership and gang prevention classes.

Volunteer college students will help out

to keep the gym open in the afternoons and assist with cleaning and safety.

The Siena Youth Center will also be a green building, designed to use energy efficiently and minimize the impact on the environment.

“All construction materials will be local, sustainable, recyclable and highperformance,” Sister Christina said.

“We will use solar heating and energyefficient windows out of respect for the earth and for the people who will use the building.”

The total cost of the endeavor, including the purchase of the land, is $4 million.

Thanks to private donors, foundations, families and individuals Sister Christina has already raised enough money to pay for the project, which will be completed in about seven months.

“I feel very happy to be able to support the youth,” she said. “Not only can we tell them not to join the gangs and not to use drugs but we can offer them something else to do and our voices are not carried away by the wind.”

St. Gregory RCIA class

(PHOTO COURTESY SAL CAMPAGNA)

By Jose Luis Aguirre

Auxiliary Bishop Robert W. McElroy, pastor, is pictured at the Easter Vigil, April 23, with the St. Gregory Parish RCIA class and their sponsors and godparents.

San Mateo County History Museum presents

Visit us at

A Day to Honor our Heritage

Bilingual Staff Information and Referrals ● Care Coordination

catholic-sf.org

Italian-American Community Services Agency

For your local & international Catholic news, website listings, advertising information and “Place Classified Ad” Form

Tel: 415-362-6423 www.italiancommunityservices.org

IMMIGRANTS DAY FESTIVAL 2011

Providing Services to the Italian Community since 1916 Casa Fugazi ● 678 Green Street ● San Francisco 94133

Irish Help At Home QUALITY HOME CARE SERVING THE BAY AREA SINCE 1996 * Attendants * Companions • Insured • Bonded

www.irishhelpathome.com

San Mateo 650 347 6903

San Francisco 415 759 0520

Marin 415 721 7380

S U N DAY, M AY 1 5

KID

’

NEW

Cloth S F A S H es Fro I m Aro O N S H O und th W Child e Wor tradit ren up to 1 ld io

12pm Æ 5pm

8 Sign-u nal dress fr years old w o p to p articip m differen ill model tc ate at history ountries. smc.o rg

International Crafts for Children Ethnic Food Tasting Card Food Stations Open 12:00 - 2:00 pm 2:30 - 4:30 pm

5

$

Thank You To our Sponsors

Performance Groups on Courthouse Square Representing ÆChina ÆGreece ÆIreland ÆJapan ÆMexico ÆPacific Islands ÆPhilippines ÆPortugal ÆRussia ÆSpain

FREE ADMISSION San Mateo County HI ST OR Y MU S E UM 2200 Broadway, Redwood City

Æ 650-299-0104 Æ

historysmc.org

Catholic San Francisco

NEWS

May 6, 2011

in brief

Pope removes bishop VATICAN CITY — Pope Benedict XVI removed Australian Bishop William M. Morris of Toowoomba from office five years after he wrote a pastoral letter indicating he would be open to ordaining women and married men if church rules changed to allow it. In a May 2 announcement the Vatican did not explain the pope’s decision, but in the past has made it clear that the church considers it a matter of faith that Jesus chose only men to be his apostles and, therefore, the church is not free to ordain women.

Vatican blogging forum VATICAN CITY — The church needs active members who blog, but Catholic bloggers also need the church, especially to remind them of the virtue of charity needed in their writing, said participants at a Vatican meeting May 2. The meeting acknowledged the role of blogs in modern communications and marked the start of a Vatican-blogger dialogue.

Libyan bishop invokes John Paul in peace prayer VATICAN CITY — The top church official in Libya said he was praying to Blessed Pope John Paul II for peace and an end to civilian casualties. Bishop Giovanni Martinelli of Tripoli also questioned the morality of the NATO airstrikes against the residence of Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi.

The attack April 30 reportedly killed one of Gadhafi’s sons and three of his grandchildren, but the Libyan leader was said to be unharmed. “The bombs, as precise as the aim, can lead to civilian victims. Bombs are immoral. I wonder

also whether it is moral to kill a head of state. What right do we have to do so?” Bishop Martinelli told the Vatican missionary news agency Fides April 30.

Immigration reform push

Prelate sees danger, hope in bin Laden’s demise LAHORE, Pakistan – Retired Archbishop Lawrence Saldanha of Lahore said Pakistani Christians could suffer a backlash after the U.S. military’s killing of Osama bin Laden, but he expressed hope that Pakistan without bin Laden might become a more balanced nation once more.

“We are a soft target, as they cannot attack America,” Archbishop Saldanha told the Asian church news agency UCA News. But he said he hoped the killing of the world’s most-wanted terrorist would reduce the militant radicalism that has engulfed Pakistan in recent years.”At last we have hope that things will get better gradually,” he said. “His death will change the complexion” of the country.

The Vatican said the killing should prompt serious reflection about one’s responsibility before God, not rejoicing. Bin Laden “bore the most serious responsibility for spreading divisions and hatred among populations, causing the deaths of innumerable people, and manipulating religions to this end,” Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, the Vatican spokesman, said May 2.

Irish Christian Brothers file for bankruptcy: Abuse costs NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. — The Christian Brothers Institute, the legal arm of the Edmund Rice Christian Brothers, filed for bankruptcy protection April 28 amid rising expenses for sexual abuse lawsuits. The institute said April 29 that its trustees voted unanimously to file for bankruptcy reorganization, after “extensive, prayerful and difficult” deliberation. While offering “prayers and support for the Edmund Rice Christian Brothers at this difficult time for them,” the Brothers of the Christian Schools, often called the Christian Brothers or De la Salle Christian Brothers, announced April 30 that the two “are unique religious congregations among many religious congregations who share the educational mission of the Catholic Church.” There is

(PHOTO BY JOSE LUIS AGUIRRE)

4

Rep. Luis Gutierrez, D-Illinois, is pictured in Redwood City April 26 at a meeting that was part of a 20-city tour to promote immigration reform and leniency on deportations. He said President Barack Obama “will have trouble with the Hispanic vote in 2012 if he doesn’t deliver on promises for an immigration overhaul.”

“no connection in either civil or church law” between the two, the Brothers of the Christian Schools said. The Brothers of the Christian Schools minister in the Archdiocese of San Francisco at Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory and De Marillac Academy.

New seminary to be named for Blessed John Paul II WASHINGTON — Cardinal Donald W. Wuerl of Washington has announced that the new archdiocesan seminary opening for the fall semester will be named for Blessed Pope John Paul II. The seminary, which will be located in Northeast Washington, will serve as a college-level pre-theBRIEFS, page 5

Two books for over-busy Catholic moms put hope in love, faith

By Valerie Schmalz Anxious is no way to spend Mother’s Day — or any day, for that matter.

But Michigan pediatrician and author Dr. Meg Meeker says mothers are suffering from a low-grade angst that is specific to this generation of mothers. And she says it’s catching.

Two books by Catholic moms for Catholic mothers offer how-to lists on how to help the harried mom restore joy in her family’s life and in her own.

McCoy Church Goods Co. Inc. Competitive Prices & Personalized Service

“One of the things I have seen happen, particularly in the past 10 years, is this increasing angst among mothers.

This sense that ‘I’m not getting it right,’” said Dr. Meeker, who wrote “The 10 Habits of Happy Mothers: Reclaiming Our Passion, Purpose and Sanity” (Random House 2011).

“We are more focused on doing mom than being mom,” she said.

The biggest challenge for mothers is “too much to do around the home, at work, in our communities and never enough time. We live in an incredibly fast paced

society with technology that has created an instantmessage type of expectation,” says Lisa Hendey, author of “The Handbook for Catholic Moms: Nurturing Your Heart, Mind, Body and Soul” (Ave Maria Press, 2010).

Fresno-based Hendey founded and blogs at the popular site CatholicMom.com.

Dr. Meeker and Hendey say sanity is reclaimed by putting faith in God and personal relationships at the heart of a mother’s life.

BEYOND BUSY, page 7

Don’t miss the “Ave Maria” in this CD.

Your source for the best Catholic books – Bibles music – movies – ministry resources – greeting cards rosaries – medals statues – gifts for Catholic occasions Material en Español 935 Brewster

w Ne ion at loc

(btw El Camino Real & Cal Train)

Redwood City, CA 94063 Telephone: 650.369.4230 redwood@paulinemedia.com Visit: paulineredwood.blogspot.com www.pauline.org

Open Mon - Sat 10:00-6:00

FIRST COMMUNION AND

CONFIRMATION GIFTS AVAILABLE 1010 Howard Avenue San Mateo, CA 94401

(650) 342-0924

Catholic san Francisco Newspaper of the Archdiocese of San Francisco

Most Reverend George H. Niederauer, publisher George Wesolek, associate publisher Editorial Staff: Rick DelVecchio, editor: delvecchior@sfarchdiocese.org; Valerie Schmalz, assistant editor: schmalzv@sfarchdiocese.org; George Raine, reporter: raineg@sfarchdiocese.org Tom Burke, “On the Street”/Datebook: burket@sfarchdiocese.org

Available on CDBaby.com and itunes.

Advertising: Joseph Pena, director; Mary Podesta, account representative Sandy Finnegan, advertising and promotion services

Operated by the Daughters of St. Paul Let us be of service to you through our ministry of evangelization!

Catholic San Francisco editorial offices are located at One Peter Yorke Way, San Francisco, CA 94109. Tel: (415) 614-5640;Circulation: 1-800-563-0008 or (415) 614-5638; News fax: (415) 614-5633; Advertising: (415) 614-5642; Advertising fax: (415) 614-5641; Advertising E-mail: penaj@sfarchdiocese.org

Business Office: Virginia Marshall, assistant business manager; Julio Escobar, circulation and subscriber services

Catholic San Francisco (ISSN 15255298) is published weekly (four times per month) September through May, except in the week following Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day, and twice a month in June, July and August by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco, 1500 Mission Rd., P.O. Box 1577, Colma, CA 94014. Periodical postage paid at South San Francisco, CA. Annual subscription price: $27 within California, $36 outside the state.

Advisory Board: Fr. John Balleza, Deacon Jeffery Burns, Ph. D., James Clifford, Fr. Thomas Daly, Nellie Hizon, James Kelly, Sr. Sheral Marshall, OSF, Deacon Bill Mitchell, Teresa Moore.

Postmaster: Send address changes to Catholic San Francisco, 1500 Mission Rd., P.O. Box 1577, Colma, CA 94014 If there is an error in the mailing label affixed to this newspaper, call 1-800-563-0008. It is helpful to refer to the current mailing label.

Production: Karessa McCartney-Kavanaugh, manager Joel Carrico, assistant

for subscriptions or cancellations please call 1-800-563-0008 or 415-614-5638

May 6, 2011

■ Continued from page 4 ology house of formation, with seminarians attending classes at The Catholic University of America nearby. Cardinal Wuerl said the seminary will be blessed on Oct. 22, the feast day of Blessed John Paul and the anniversary of his installation as pope in 1978.

Southern dioceses reel in historic storms’ wake WASHINGTON — Southern U.S. Catholic dioceses are seeking aid for those shattered by the violent storms and devastating tornadoes that tore through their region in late April, killing more than 350 people. Officials from several dioceses said they are also busy assessing damage to church buildings and schools, and several special collections have been started to help those in need. Pope Benedict XVI has prayed for victims and those engaged in relief and rebuilding.

Catholic offertory may have rebounded WASHINGTON — An equal percentage of Catholic parishes — 40 percent each – say offertory giving is “good or excellent” or “tight,” while the remaining 20 percent are experiencing “some” or “serious” difficulty, a new study found. The study, “Holy Toll,” issued April 27 and conducted by the Hartford Institute for Religious Research, part of the interfaith Hartford Seminary in Connecticut, indicated that Catholic parishes seemed to have weathered the recession of 2008.

State-funded website on teen sexuality criticized BOSTON — The Massachusetts bish-

ops have joined in an effort to eliminate state funding for a controversial website that delves into topics such as abortion and teen sexuality. The MariaTalks.com website “employs demeaning and sexually explicit terminology, an approach that rightly deserves the criticism it is receiving,” said the heads of the state’s four Catholic dioceses in an April 29 statement.

“This tactic only succeeds in talking down to minors under the mistaken assumption that the young are incapable of responding positively to challenging and uplifting appeals to their better nature,” they added.

A bipartisan coalition of state legislators is urging Gov. Deval Patrick to take down the website, launched in 2008 by the AIDS Action Group, a Boston-based nonprofit that is dedicated to stopping HIV/AIDS and is funded by the state Department of Public Health. The site includes information on topics such as sexual practices, artificial contraception, teen pregnancy, STD prevention, rape and abortion. The bishops said the website “promotes an overall message that sexual conduct for unmarried minors is acceptable whenever it ‘feels right’” and encourages abortions for minors without parental consent. It describes abortion as “easier than you think” and fails to tell young people that many women “suffer long-term negative consequences.”

High court refuses to hear protest against gay adoption resolution The U.S. Supreme Court decided to let stand a lower court ruling against two San Francisco residents who protested a resolution by the city’s Board of Supervisors denouncing the Vatican for its position against gay adoption. The resolution urged Archbishop George Niederauer to ignore the Vatican’s directive.

Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese

Chinese School’s new building blessed

The St. Mary’s Chinese School Drum and Bell Corps performed at the May 2 blessing of the new six-story building housing St. Mary’s School and Chinese Catholic Center at 836 Kearny St. in San Francisco. The school began in 1921 as a mission school to the Chinese community at a time when Chinese were not allowed to own property and were barred by local law from traveling out of Chinatown unless to work. See catholic-sf.org for a longer article and more photos from the blessing.

of San Francisco withdrew from adoption placements following the 2006 letter from Cardinal William Levada, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

The high court decision May 2 was made without comment. “This case is over.

There is nothing further we can do on it,” said Robert Muise, senior trial counsel for the Thomas More Law Center, who argued

Business Card Directory Pet Grooming

ThePetPGrooming awberSalon Shop Creative Classic & Custom Grooms 323 West Portal Ave., San Francisco

415-668-3992

Catering

insurance

J.B. SHEA JACK SHEA SERVING THE BAY AREA OVER 40 YEARS Auto - Home - Business - Workers Comp - Health - Life 2390 - 15TH AVENUE SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94116-2502 (415) 661-4777 FAX 661-1223

Auto • Home • Renters • Health • Life Business • Workers Compensation

www.arguellocatering.com

ALLIED • HARTFORD • TRAVELERS • FIREMANS FUND • ETC. CA LIC # 0F27253

Event Center Rental

Real Estate

x 20,000-square feet

473 Eucalyptus Drive San Francisco

x A unique setting for your

richhuntsr@cs.com

WWW.SSCEVENTS.COM

Serving the needs of the San Francisco Archdiocese Since 1969 State License 270088

650-588-3893 Garage Doors

Broker Associate

(415) 682-8544

Contact Ethan Leavy for reservations (415) 681-2444

CONSTRUCTION INC.

RICHARD J. HUNT, G.R.I.

x Dual level next event!

(415) 730-1351 Cell

MARCHETTI

970 2nd Street, Novato, CA 94945 Website: zeidlerinsurance.com

St. Stephen Parish Event Center

Please call anytime for free estimate appointment

Al Zeidler Insurance Agency, Inc. 415-895-1936

Great Taste since 1991

3414 18th Street, Office B San Francisco, CA 94110

Construction

1108 Irving St. • San Francisco, CA 94122

Redwood City 650-366-6540 Fax 650-366-6799

Stair Refinishing & Cleaning

INSURANCE 415-753-1936

San Francisco 415-822-3710 Fax 415-822-3711

For Advertising Information, Please Call 415-614-5642

Terrazzo Stair Cleaning & Refinishing

Serving all of your needs from A to Z

CATERING

the case on behalf of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights and two San Francisco Catholics who said the resolution was a violation of the Constitution’s guarantee of government religious neutrality under the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment.

— Catholic News Service and Catholic San Francisco

MANUEL MARROQUIN

INSURANCE AGENCY

LICENSE # 0708733 jbshea@covad.net CELL (415) 710-1086

5

(PHOTO BY JOSE LUIS AGUIRRE/CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO)

Briefs . . .

Catholic San Francisco

G ARAGE D OOR R EPAIR

Homes & Income Properties Sales and Exchanges

Same price 7 days

OVER 35 YEARS EXPERIENCE

Cellularized Mobile Shop

1390 Noriega Sreet San Francisco, CA 94122

(415) 931-1540 24 hrs.

Lifetime Warranty on All Doors + Motors

6

Catholic San Francisco

May 6, 2011

San Mateo festival underscores church as immigrants’ common bond

By James O. Clifford The San Mateo County History Museum holds its annual Immigrants Day Festival May 15, an increasingly popular event that reminds us that we are all of immigrant stock. The festival celebrates what pioneering ethnic groups had in common and underlines that, for many, the common bond was the Catholic Church.

For the sixth straight year, dancers, singers and other perMAY 23-27 SILENT CONTEMPLATIVE Sr. Ishpriya MAY 27-29

HEALING & WHOLENESS Carol Mitchell, Ph.D. Tom Gorham, M.A., CADC II

JUNE 3-5

SCRIPTURE RETREAT Fr. Tom Bonacci, CP

JUNE 17-19 DREAMS RETREAT Dr. Jeremy Taylor JULY 15-17

A FRANCISCAN PERSPECTIVE TO CHRISTIAN/MUSLIM DIALOGUE Sr. Kathy Warren, OSF

2011 THEME:

Jubilee Joy Celebrating our 50th Anniversary

SAN DAMIANO RETREAT

PO Box 767 • Danville, CA 94526 925-837-9141 • www.sandamiano.org

ST. CLARE’S RETREAT

Santa Cruz 2381 LAUREL GLEN ROAD SOQUEL CA 95073 E-mail: stclares@sbcglobal.net Web site: www.nonprofitpages/stclaresretreat Reservations for weekends must be made by mail and accompanied by a $10 non-refundable deposit per person. Suggested retreat donation $115.00 private room, $105.00 per person double room.

forming artists take the stage at Redwood City’s Courthouse Square, a plaza lined with fountains and anchored at both ends by historic buildings: the old San Mateo County courthouse, dedicated in 1910 and now the museum’s home, is to the north where it faces the Fox Theatre, a movie palace that opened in 1929. Last year the festival drew 1,400 people, up from 1,100 in 2009, which was an increase from 1,000 in 2008, according to museum officials.

The program for outside performances lists music and dance from China, Greece, Ireland, Japan, Russia, the Pacific Islands, Mexico, the Philippines, Spain and Portugal. Inside the courthouse, an imposing structure topped by a stainedglass dome, visitors can taste food from around the world.

The dishes range from smoked salmon at the Irish table to traditional Chinese food. “Today most people recognize that San Mateo County is a very diverse place, with close to 30 percent of its population The Immigrants Day Festival is May 15, 2011 from noon to 5, 2200 Broadway, Redwood City. Admission to exhibits is free. Food tasting, $5, noon–2, 2:30-4:30.

Performance groups will present on Courthouse Square with traditional music and dance. www.historysmc.org. born in another country,� said Mitch Postel, president of the San Mateo County Historical Association. “However, most people do not realize that as far back as 1880, 30 percent of the people of San Mateo County had been born in another country.�

A must is a stop at the museum’s permanent exhibit called “Land of Opportunity: The Immigrant Experience in San Mateo County.� Each immigrant group has a display case that features clothing, food, music and artifacts from the past, all items that differed in form but were the same in function.

Some exhibits may surprise. One, called “Strangers in a Strange Land,� recounts the well-known World War II internment of Japanese Americans, but it also shows that some Italians on the San Mateo coast were relocated. “Every new wave of immigration to the United States has

experienced alienation and discrimination,� reads the museum’s text. “Newly arrived immigrants struggle with new customs, culture, values, and language.�

The role the church played is prominent in display cases, showing it was the center of life for the Irish, Italians, Portuguese and Filipinos. For instance, the Portuguese exhibit is built around artifacts that include a Holy Ghost crown and a Santo Cristo Festa cape.

Over the years, the historical association has compiled histories of early pioneers and published them in its journal, La Peninsula. The more recent histories include the Portuguese and Filipinos.

According to Joan Levy, author of the Portuguese story, the customs of the old country are still alive on the coast. “This is thanks, at least in part, to the activities of the local Holy Ghost societies and their commemoration of the Feast of Pentecost that brings people together to celebrate their culture,� Levy said.

The Filipino history, “Invisible Minority No More: Filipino Americans in San Mateo County,� was written by Albert Acena, a professor emeritus of history at College of San Mateo.

After noting the rapid increase in San Mateo County’s Filipino population, Acena added that most, if not all, of the Filipino priests who have been serving parishes in the county were born in the Philippines. “In a way, this is reminiscent of earlier heavy migrations when priests from Ireland followed the Irish to America, and German, Polish and Italian priests did likewise,� he said. “With the numbers of Filipino Catholics in the pews of Catholic churches, the ‘Filipinization’ of American churches is taking place.�

History does seem to be repeating itself. An earlier La Peninsula history on the Irish said that in the 19th-century the Irish “predominated in the pews� and “they also held sway on the altar.�

The writer is a member of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Parish in Redwood City and serves on the Catholic San Francisco advisory board.

MAY 13-15

LEGION OF MARY FR. MICHAEL BARRY, SS.CC

20-22

LEGION OF MARY FR. MICHAEL BRIESE, O.P. “Divine Love and Mercy�

27-29

CHINESE RETREAT/CAMP

JUNE 3-5

MEN & WOMEN FR. MICHAEL BARRY, SS.CC.

6-10

PRIESTS’ RETREAT (CLOSED)

16-23

SISTERS’ RETREAT FR. VITO PERRONE, COSJ “Contemplation and the Journey to Holiness�

Retreats •

Meetings

(831) 423-8093 • Fax: (831) 423-1541

VALLOMBROSACENTER A Ministry of the Archdiocese of San Francisco Retreats s #ONFERENCES s -EETINGS s 7ORKSHOPS

(650) 325-5614 /AK 'ROVE !VENUE -ENLO 0ARK #!

WWW VALLOMBROSA ORG

Mother’s Day Mass & Brunch May 8, 2011 Bring your family to Vallombrosa in Menlo Park to celebrate Mother’s Day. There will be a special Mass at 10:30AM in the Chapel with the Vallombrosa Choir and Fr. George Matanic, O.P. as presider. Following Mass enjoy a delicious brunch, then take a stroll around the beautiful grounds and gardens.

your Datebook, On the Street, local Visit us at For& international Catholic news, website

catholic-sf.org

listings, advertising information and “Place Classified Ad� Form

Adults: $35.00 s Children: $10 (5-11) Family Table for 8: $250 Childeren55and and under Children underare arefree. free.

Visit our website for the brunch menu and details.

May 6, 2011

Beyond busy . . .

■ Continued from page 4 “It’s my firm belief that within our Catholic traditions we have many of the tools necessary to refresh and renew our souls and spirits,” writes Hendey. She sees Catholic parents as “on the front lines” of nurturing Catholic faith even as a 2008 Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life survey found that roughly 10 percent of Americans see themselves as “former Catholics.”

“So many times we may want to wait until the setting for prayer is absolutely perfect, but the truth is most moms I know pray while driving, while doing laundry and with our little ones, rather than on their knees in a chapel,” said Hendey, who is married to an emergency room physician and has two sons.

Dr. Meeker, the mother of four children, three girls and a boy, ages 27 to 19, says a shift in “collective peer pressure” from themselves, friends, media and family is burdening mothers. “ We a r e m o r e focused on kids who are high-performing rather than that they have sound character, and are happy well-adjusted human beings who have something to contribute to the world. In a sense we are living on the superficial performance level and we are creating kids who will live on this superficial performance level. We are missing life,” said Dr. Meeker, who

has also written “Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters: 10 Secrets Every Father Should Know,” and “Boys Should Be Boys: 7 Secrets to Raising Healthy Sons.”

Among Dr. Meeker’s 10 habits, first on the list is: “Understand your value as a mother.” Practice of faith is No. 3 and making time for solitude is No. 6. Her list ends with: “Hope is a decision — so make it!”

Hendey’s list of tips on living better are organized around heart, mind, body and soul, and include chapters for single mothers and mothers of children with disabilities including autism.

Motherhood begins for married women with their husbands, Hendey emphasizes in her first chapter. “We have our husbands to thank for helping us to earn the most important job title most of us will ever hold – mom,” writes Hendey.

Hendey and Dr. Meeker offer a message of hope.

“We moms also tend to judge ourselves a little too critically when things don’t go perfectly according to our plans,” notes Hendey. “I love this quote from one of my favorite intercessors, St. Gianna Beretta Molla, who said, ‘The secret to happiness is to live moment by moment and to thank God for all that he, in his goodness, sends to us day after day.’ God’s plan for my days often goes differently than the plan I wrote on my morning ‘to do’ list and I’m learning to embrace what he sends as a blessing, even when it strays from what I had anticipated.”

Summer Camps • Education

Catholic San Francisco

camp ALUMNI

Announcing the formation of CYO Camp Alumni Group!

CYO Camp Alumni is about creating community, re-kindling the spirit of Camp and honoring the legacy of all generations of those who worked at CYO Summer Camp. Our purpose is to be of service, help sustain and ensure the viability of our beloved Camp for generations to come.

REGISTER TODAY! If you worked at CYO Summer Camp, join us!

SIGN UP: www.cyocamp.org/alumni QUESTIONS? Call 408.266.4089 A PROGRAM OF

Catholic Charities CYO

San Francisco, San Mateo & Marin

7

8

Catholic San Francisco

May 6, 2011

Prop. 8 advocates raise trial judge’s relationship as issue in case In his 21 years on the federal bench Walker made no comment on his sexual orientation. Both ProtectMarriage. com and the American Foundation for Equal Rights, the lead plaintiff organization, did not make an issue of the matter during the 12-day trial. However, when Walker gathered reporters in his office April 6 to discuss the case and his retirement that was effective in February, he also mentioned the fact he has had a 10-year relationship with a man.

“The American people have a right to a fair judicial process, free from even the appearance of bias or prejudice,” Andrew Pugno, general counsel for the proponents of Prop. 8, based in Sacramento, said in a statement. “Judge Walker’s 10-year-long same-sex relationship creates the unavoidable impression that he was not the impartial judge the law requires. He was obligated to either recuse himself or provide full disclosure of this relationship at the outset of the case. These circumstances demand setting aside his decision.”

The San Francisco Chronicle disclosed Walker’s sexual orientation during the trial, but neither of the parties made an issue of it at the time. Walker told reporters April 6 that his sexual orientation is irrelevant to the case.

In Los Angeles, Chad Griffin, the board president of

By George Raine The federal judge who ruled that California’s ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional should have disqualified himself in the case because he is gay and is in a long-term relationship with a man and thus seemingly had an interest in the outcome, sponsors of the ballot measure argue in a court filing.

The sponsors of the measure that was struck down, Proposition 8, are asking the current chief judge of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, James Ware, to vacate the ruling last year by former Chief U.S. District Court Judge Vaughn Walker. Walker, now retired, ruled that denying marital rights to same-sex couples violates their constitutional right to equality, although the U.S. Supreme Court may have the last word.

Lawyers for Prop. 8 sponsor ProtectMarriage.com filed the motion in U.S. District Court April 25, arguing that federal law requires a judge to disqualify himself whenever the judge knows that he has any personal interest that could be substantially affected by the outcome of the case, or any other circumstances in which the judge’s impartiality might reasonably be questioned.

American Foundation for Equal Rights, said of the opposition’s filing, “This motion is yet another in a string of desperate and absurd motions by Prop. 8 proponents who refuse to accept the fact that the freedom to marry is a constitutional right. They’re attacking the judge because they disagree with his decision. Clearly, the proponents are grasping at straws because they have no legal case.”

San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera, who represents the city that joined in the challenge of Prop.

8, called Protect Marriage’s legal theory “preposterous.”

He added, “Regardless of how one feels about same-sex marriage, the logical conclusion of their argument is that a woman judge would have to recuse herself from gender bias cases and a disabled judge would have to recuse himself from Americans with Disability Act cases. It’s a preposterous argument.”

Charles Cooper, the Washington, D.C.-based attorney for ProtectMarriage.com, bases his argument on the maxim that “no man can be a judge in his own case and no man is permitted to try cases where he has an interest in the outcome.” Cooper argued that Walker and his partner potentially could endeavor to marry in California, if the law permitted PROP. 8, page 9

Notre Dame’s Father Jenkins: Christian values best antidote to partisanship ATLANTA (CNS) — The best antidote to bitter partisan political debate is for Catholics to live their Christian values, the president of the University of Notre Dame said in an address at Emory University.

Holy Cross Father John I. Jenkins said people of faith must be engaged in politics, but not in a way that gives ammunition to people who do not hold religious beliefs.

The witness a person of faith gives through personal conduct trumps any cause they champion, he said.

“No political end should overshadow this call to witness, because no work is ever more effective than witness to truly achieving religious ends,” he added. “Indeed, if love is the greatest commandment, then the way we engage one another in public debate is not a means to an end, but the means are the end.”

A person of faith should approach politics with humility, respecting people with differing political views Holy Cross Father and steer clear of marrying John I. Jenkins partisan politics with religious institutions, he said.

Father Jenkins spoke to about 450 people April 14 at Emory University’s Glenn Memorial Auditorium, where he received two standing ovations. His talk on “Passionate Convictions and Respectful Conversations: Faith in a Pluralistic Democracy” was hosted by the university’s Aquinas Center and the Candler School of Theology.

Father Jenkins was elected the president of Notre Dame

(CNS PHOTO/NANCY WIECHEC)

By Andrew Nelson

in 2004, after serving as a member of the philosophy faculty since 1990 and as university vice president. He is a member of the Congregation of Holy Cross and was ordained in 1983.

In 2009, he faced severe criticism, including from many bishops, for inviting President Barack Obama to be the university’s commencement speaker. Opponents complained the president’s position on abortion rights made him unsuitable to speak at the university and to receive an honorary degree.

In an interview before his Emory lecture, Father Jenkins said he was interested in the intersection of politics and faith because issues being debated — from embryonic stem cell research and same-sex marriage to abortion — have an important moral component.

Obviously, faith does play a part in those discussions, he said.

“We have to find a way to make our contribution constructive and helpful. Our communication of the faith can play a role without being divisive,” he said.

Catholics are both citizens and members of the faith community, he said.

“We have to play both those roles. We cannot hold them apart. Our faith forms our political life. And we need to do that in an intelligent way and respecting the integrity of faith and, at the same time, being good citizens in a society that has people of many different faiths, or no faith. There are serious ethical issues we have to grapple with together,” he said.

Responding to a question about the president’s speech, Father Jenkins said to refuse to talk to someone in a democracy because of differing views is not part of the church’s tradition.

“The Catholic Church has never been a sect that has cut itself off,” he said. “We have to persuade. You persuade by trying to understand.”

Father Jenkins cited the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and Philadelphia’s Project HOME, founded by a nun and lay-

woman, which has reportedly reduced homelessness in the city by half, as examples of how Christians’ lived values have contributed to the world.

“Our enduring goal should be the impact that comes when people see Christians, or others of other faiths, living the truth of their faith in ways that even nonbelievers can admire,” he said.

Father Jenkins said Christian witness is most needed during heated disagreements. “(That’s) when we make a genuine effort to treat the other person with respect, to appeal to common values, and to conscience, to win them over.

“To stand apart, proclaim my position and refuse to talk except to judge does not reduce evil or promote love,” he added. “And if it does neither, how can it be inspired

by God?”

Summer Camps Education The Golden Gate Boys Choir and Bellringers (510) 887-4311 (415) 431-1137

ggbcbr@aol.com

Memorial Day Camp Open House & Picnic The BASIC Fund is a privately funded program dedicated to broadening the educational opportunities for children by helping low-income families afford the cost of tuition at private schools.

SCHOLARSHIPS ARE FOR A MAXIMUM OF $1,600 ANNUALLY PER CHILD. For information and Application Please Call

12 – 4 p.m.

Monday, May 30

Oakland Diocese Youth Retreat Center, 1977 Reliez Valley Road, Lafayette

NOW ENROLLING!

Bay Area Scholarships for Innercity Children

Summer Camp for Boys 7-14 Resident Camp:July 31– Aug. 13

268 Bush Street, No. 2717 / San Francisco, CA 94104 Phone: 415-986-5650 / Fax: 415-986-5358 www.basicfund.org

Day Camp Session 1: Aug. 1-5 Day Camp Session 2: Aug. 8-12

www.ggbc.org

Catholic San Francisco

May 6, 2011

Prop. 8 . . .

(CNS PHOTO/VIVEK PRAKASH, REUTERS)

■ Continued from page 8

A woman shouts slogans during an anti-nuclear protest in Mumbai, India, April 26.

Church joins anti-nuke protests lion, 9,900-megawatt, six reactor Jaitapur Nuclear Power Project in Madban village in Ratnagiri district.

It is just one of several nuclear projects planned for a 120-mile-long strip along the Arabian Sea. Bishop Barreto said a grassroots movement involving thousands of people who oppose the projects has gathered momentum.

The main focus of opposition is on the Jaitapur project. Local villagers fear the massive facility will ruin traditional fishing grounds.

“The government can build a nuclear plant at Jaitapur but over our dead bodies,” said B.G. Kolse Patil, former justice of the Bombay High Court and president of Lokshashan Andolan (Movement for People Power), one of the groups opposing the project.

MUMBAI, India (CNS) — Church leaders in Maharashtra have added their voice to a movement opposed to several proposed nuclear projects in the state, including what would be the largest nuclear power generating plant in the world.

“We don’t want a Chernobyl nuclear disaster or Fukushima crisis to happen in India,” Bishop Alwyn Barreto of Sindhudurg told the Asian church news agency UCA News April 28.

He said the diocesan center for social action organized meetings to educate people on the consequences a nuclear accident could have on the western coastal region.

The Indian government has said it plans to introduce a bill in the next session of parliament to create an independent and autonomous nuclear regulatory authority before starting construction of the $10 bil-

it, and that federal law requires a judge to recuse himself whenever he has an “interest that could be substantially affected by the outcome of the proceeding.”

Under governing California law, said Prop. 8 advocate Pugno, “Judge Walker currently cannot marry his partner. But his ruling in this case, if ultimately upheld, would give him a right to do so.”

He added, “We deeply regret the necessity of this motion. But if the courts are to require others to follow the law, the courts themselves must do so as well.”

Meantime, ProtectMarriage.com appealed Walker’s ruling, issued last August, to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco. The faith-based group filed the appeal when then-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and then-Attorney Gen. Jerry Brown refused to do so, as they endorse the Walker ruling.

Walker had noted in his ruling that it was problematic that the sponsors of a ballot measure were standing in for state officials, who had refused to become engaged. The 9th Circuit judges agreed when the case reached them, and the court very quickly eliminated one of the appellants, Imperial County, finding it lacked what is called “standing” before the court.

The appellate court then put its review on hold, asking the California Supreme Court – final arbiter of California law – to determine whether ProtectMarriage.com can defend Prop. 8 in court in the absence of elected officials. The state high court took the matter up. If the court finds the Prop. 8 advocates don’t have standing, the case could end with the constitutionality of Prop. 8 still up in the air.

The California high court will hold a hearing in September. A ruling could follow within 90 days.

Separately, the motion asking the U.S. District Court to invalidate the Walker ruling will run its own course.

Summer Camps • Education TACSC’s 29th Annual Summer Leadership Conference

July 27 – 31, 2011 All incoming 6th, 7th & 8th graders are invited!

5-day / 4-night Residential Conference St. Mary’s College - Moraga, CA

2011 SUMMER @ %VGLFMWLST

6MSVHER

$589 per student (room, meals, t-shirt & resources) The Association of Catholic Student Councils (TACSC) welcomes ALL student leaders to become part of this leadership learning experience: • Sustainable Leadership • Communication & Presentation Skills • Personal & Team Development

• Collaborate with Peers/Adults • Student Government Basics • Catholic Values Leadership

Visit & Register at www.TACSC.org Space Limited!

%'%()1-'7

Is Your Child Struggling with Academic, Social or Behavioral Issues?

For further Information our Free Parent on Lecture upcoming Thursday, May 19th at 7:30pm Parent Event Call 631-471-1900

For families with Visionary new children approach for helping children ADHD, withwith ADHD, Dyslexia, Dyslexia, Asperger’s and Asperger’s and other other learning learning disabilities disabilities.

'%14 '697%()6

%(:%2')( 743687 '%147 3380 Veterans Geary Blvd., San Francisco 94118 2805 Memorial HWY,CA Suite 10, (415) 213-1760 Ronkonkoma, NY 11779

WWW.BRAINBALANCECENTERS.COM WWW.BRAINBALANCECENTERS.COM

9

*SV MRJSVQEXMSR SR EPP 7YQQIV 4VSKVEQ SJJIVMRKW KS XS [[[ VMSVHERLW SVK WYQQIV

10

Catholic San Francisco

May 6, 2011

When you support the

Loaves & Fishes Sunday Second Collection at Masses this weekend, you are helping

Catholic Charities CYO: PREVENT HOMELESSNESS Catholic Charities CYO helps families stay in their homes.

We assist clients in obtaining information, security deposits and referrals as well as aid in developing payment and budget plans. Our work helps provide families with the basic necessity of shelter so that they can continue to live their lives with dignity.

HELP SENIORS AGE WITH DIGNITY Catholic Charities CYO supports building a strong family that extends across all generations. Seniors are able to maintain their independence and dignity as well as find valuable connections through companionship and friendship. Aging services promote alternative solutions to permanent placement in residential facilities and provide respite to caregivers.

PROVIDE HOUSING & HEALTH STABILIZATION Catholic Charities CYO provides permanent housing and support services for families, seniors and individuals living with chronic illnesses such as HIV/AIDS. We work with our clients to stabilize their housing and their health.

GIVE YOUTH HEALTHY GROWTH & DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES Catholic Charities CYO actively works to give youth valuable opportunities for growth through early childhood development care, appropriate out-of-school programming for youth, organized athletics and summer camp opportunities.

Youth residential programs work to empower and aid young people suffering from abuse, neglect, delinquency issues or emotional disorders in a safe, supportive environment.

WELCOME NEWCOMERS & PROVIDE COUNSELING Catholic Charities CYO helps families by providing help regardless of the client’s ability to pay. Counseling services reduce incidence of child and domestic abuse, depression, alcohol and substance abuse, marital strife, grief, loss and homelessness. Refugees and immigrants receive support in legal status and economic self-sufficiency so that they may become fully active participants in the social and civic life of our communities.

May 6, 2011

Catholic San Francisco

THIS YEAR, EVERY GIFT TO CATHOLIC CHARITIES CYO HAS DOUBLE THE IMPACT. Catholic Charities CYO serves people of all faiths in San Francisco, Marin, and San Mateo Counties. Since 1907, the agency has consistently adapted its services to meet the local needs of the poor, the sick, families, children, youth and senior citizens.

Catholic Charities CYO, the social services arm of the Catholic Church in the Archdiocese of San Francisco, is not funded through the Archbishop’s Annual Appeal. Once each year, we ask you, our parishioners, for your support through this special collection.

THIS SUNDAY, MAY 8, IS THE LOAVES & FISHES SUNDAY SECOND COLLECTION AT YOUR PARISH. YOUR GIFT WILL BE MATCHED. The Loaves & Fishes Sunday Matching Fund was created by some generous donors to inspire giving and amplify the impact of each Second Collection gift. This year each donation made toward the Loaves & Fishes Sunday Second Collection will be matched dollar for dollar, up to the fund total of $100,000. Your $100 will become $200 thanks to matching funds.

Can’t make it to Mass but still want to support your parish second collection?

Use the envelope in this edition of Catholic San Francisco or donate online anytime at www.cccyo.org/sunday.

Your parish will be credited with your gift.

SECOND COLLECTION

Catholic Charities CYO

San Francisco, San Mateo & Marin

11

12

Catholic San Francisco

May 6, 2011

(PHOTO BY DENNIS CALLAHAN/COURTESY ST. MARY’S CATHEDRAL)

Archbishop’s Journal

Anointed for loving service Archbishop George Niederauer delivered this homily at the archdiocese’s annual Chrism Mass, April 19, 2011, at St. Mary’s Cathedral.

From time to time, in magazines or on television, we will see a pseudo-sophisticated commentator describe some Christian believers as so simple-minded and uneducated that they literally believe in the second coming of Jesus Christ.

Imagine such superstition and backwardness in a modern age like ours! Yet, here we are, a cathedral full of such throwbacks, and we have just heard, in that second reading from the Book of Revelation, the vision of that coming of Christ described: “See, he comes amid the clouds! Every eye shall see him even of those who pierced him. All the peoples of the earth shall lament him bitterly. So it is to be! Amen!”

Do we Catholics really believe Jesus is coming back?

Well, yes, but more importantly, we believe he never left!

Jesus Christ has been, is now, and always will be with his church, as the head of the body, giving it life by the gift of the Spirit from the Son and the Father. Jesus came in the flesh, he comes now in grace, and he will come at the end of the ages in judgment.

This is our faith in God’s plan of salvation, and these weeks before and after Easter, leading up to Pentecost, make up our solemn celebration each year of the working out of that plan, from the first moment of creation until the coming of the Messiah, during the life of Christ on this earth and down through the ages, to our age and beyond, until the savior comes as king and judge.

This evening we are gathered here as the local Catholic Church in San Francisco to celebrate that we, the followers of Christ, are a priestly people, who have all been given the gift of a sharing in his priestly identity and work in our baptism, while some have been called to share in his ministerial priesthood, to serve the church as deacons and priests and bishops. In a few minutes we will renew our commitment to priestly service. The oils we bless and consecrate this evening will be used in the coming year to celebrate the sacraments, the living signs of Christ’s life and presence and sanctifying action within and among us.

Our first reading from the prophet Isaiah speaks to us from a time when the kingdom of God and the saving work of the Messiah were only a vision of a distant, far-off moment: Isaiah foresaw that God would send his Spirit upon one who would bring good news to the lowly, heal the brokenhearted, proclaim liberty to captives, release to prisoners, comfort to those who mourn, proclaim a day of vindication and a year of favor from the Lord and give them the oil of gladness.

Furthermore, God’s savior and his plan of salvation would not last for one single, remarkable lifetime, until that light went out and darkness returned. No, the people saved by this Messiah would be permanently changed, transformed, to proclaim and share and minister forth the salvation the Messiah accomplished. Listen to the words of the prophet: “You yourselves shall be named priests of the Lord, ministers of our God you shall be called.”

In the Gospel reading from Luke, we hear the promised Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth, claim in the synagogue in his own hometown that he is the Saving One whom Isaiah foretold and described: “Then he began by saying to them, ‘Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.’”

We Catholics believe that Jesus is the promised Messiah and we are the people whom he promised to make priestly,

who would be ministers of God. Jesus continues to teach us and make us holy and shepherd us in his church, through the service of his ministers and the power of the sacraments.

We gather this evening as a priestly people in the service of the Lord. We value ritual and symbol enormously — this church and our celebration here show that to be true. But we are also deeply convinced that we must live our lives in the power of these rites, that these rites call us and commit us to loving service to God and to one another, all our lives long.

We are anointed, yes, but for loving, self-sacrificing service.

At this Chrism Mass this evening, we Catholics in the Archdiocese of San Francisco celebrate both the priestliness of all the baptized and that of the ordained ministers: deacons, priests and bishops — and the bonds among us all. All the baptized are citizens of that “royal nation of priests” which John describes. These two priesthoods differ, but are intimately related. Think of the oils we bless tonight: We use chrism to anoint all the baptized, to seal those who are confirmed, to anoint a priest’s hands and a bishop’s head, to anoint altars and churches when they are consecrated or dedicated. Ordained priests are drawn from among the baptized for the service of the baptized.

All those preparing for baptism are anointed with the oil of catechumens. The church seeks the healing of all her daughters and sons who are sick with the oil specially blessed for that purpose.

In our rituals, then, we celebrate that God has chosen us — continues to choose us in Christ; in our daily lives, by the way we live, we choose the One who has chosen us.

This is the “both/and” of Catholic living. But the age and the world in which we live very often features “either/or” thinking and choosing. It is a simple-minded view of life: either you oppose abortion or you value human freedom and privacy; either you prize self-reliance or you worry about poor people; either you defend free speech or you oppose child pornography; either you value and participate in democratic institutions or you send your children to Catholic schools.

It’s nonsense, but it’s very popular nonsense.

There’s a place, of course, for “either/or” thinking, especially in the experience of temptation and sin; for example, it’s either a sin to gossip viciously about someone or it’s not. But most of the time, “both/and” thinking is more careful, more respectful of necessary distinctions, more likely to honor the complexities of life, and more likely to be patient and compassionate with the human dignity and the very human struggles of our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Jesus taught carefully, not in slogans.

In the matter of church vocations, we in the church today must be especially sure to think and to talk and to pray in “both/and” terms, and not “either/or.” We affirm the central value of marriage and family life for most Catholics in the church. But also we pray for respect, and encourage God’s call to some Catholics to priesthood and to religious life. God has given this call, and continues to give it. But as a society and as individuals we can resist and impede the call, just as we can make happy, holy family life more difficult. We need holy, happy effective priests and religious, and we have them! But we need many more, and new generations of them.

Isaiah says: “You yourselves shall be named priests of the Lord.” But Jesus must add, speaking through the church, “you will not be named priests in spite of yourselves. It will not happen if you are skeptical or if you do not trust the

Catholic san Francisco Northern California’s Weekly Catholic Newspaper

Conservative offers case against execution In response to Peter J. Fatooh’s letter about capital punishment (“Disagrees with church on capital punishment,” April 8) let me say that I am an unusual conservative since I abhor the death sentence. My position is formulated on the following premises: 1) There have been many innocent people executed because of error or because the ability to find DNA evidence came too late for them; 2) it is extremely more expensive to keep the doomed on death row for 20 years than to give them a life sentence; 3) I would make all prisoners work to make money for the system so that their board,

medical care and so forth is paid for by anyone other than the citizens themselves.

Gerald Studer San Rafael

Laypeople necessary for church to survive The letter from Mr. Christopher Nantista in your April 8 issue appears to be yet one more misogynistic nail in the coffin of a church that has so far survived the scandals and trends in our society and our world and (as he said) depends still on women to staff and run our parishes. His central requirement for nuns, it seems from his comments on them, is docility. He appar-

Archbishop Niederauer is pictured placing the Blessed Sacrament in a reserve tabernacle in rooms below St. Mary’s Cathedral following the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday.

gifts and call of the Lord. You need to pray about such a call, to be open to it, and when you hear my call you need to follow me.”

Jesus calls out to future priests: “Come, follow me.”

Are we still hearing and amplifying that call? Are we letting Jesus call to others through us, his people? Consider this: We receive Christ in the Eucharist, but then we need to share the love of this Christ we have become; otherwise, Eucharist is frustrated, incomplete. In the same way, it is not enough for us to prepare and bless this oil of chrism for anointing — we must also pray for, call forth and support the candidates to be anointed with that Chrism in their ordination. That is the “both/and” of our Catholic faith as applied to the sacrament of holy orders. Calling forth church vocations is the task of each of us in the church: each priest, each religious, each laywoman and layman. Please take that to heart this evening as we rededicate ourselves to the life of the Catholic Church in this archdiocese; take it to heart all year long, and in all the years to come. Then the promise made through the prophet Isaiah will come true in the Archdiocese of San Francisco.

All our living of our lives as Catholics is done in the power and presence of Jesus Christ Our Lord. It begins, continues, and ends in him. That second reading from John concludes with these words: “The Lord God says, ‘I am the Alpha and the Omega, the One who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.’” The Alpha and the Omega — the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet — stand for all the letters there are. Jesus is our all in all. He is our “A through Z.” Try to imagine writing English, but not using any of the letters from A to Z. It can’t be done. That’s all the letters there are - there are no words to write without them. Jesus is all the life in the Spirit there is for us. There is no life for us to live in God without him, solely on our own. As individuals and as a church, we acknowledge him this evening as our all: All we do and are as believers and servants must begin in him, must continue in his empowering gift of the Spirit, and must find fulfillment in our final union with the eternal priest and ruler of the kings of the earth, Jesus of Nazareth, Son of God, saving brother to all of us in this family of God.

ently is dreaming of a past when women, including nuns, did not serve as presidents of major universities, as chief executives of hospital corporations, or doctors, lawyers or engineers. The church is to be commended for its longstanding efforts to educate girls as well as boys, and if those nuns who were our primary-school teachers are now being referred to as “radical feminists” (his words) I say good for them if they produced a generation of students who mostly came from immigrant stock and went forward, with their Catholic education, to take their places in an evolving society. Laypeople, too, are making changes necessary for the church to survive these changing times, but insulting nuns and women is not helping.

Rosemary K. Ring Kentfield

The case of Maryknoll Father Bourgeois Re: “Comment on canonical warning to Fr. Bourgeois,” Letters, April 15; and “Maryknoll head feels ‘sadness’ over warning to fellow priest,” April 22.

I believe that women should be

ordained as Catholic priests. Here’s my view. I grew into adulthood embracing the image of the pilgrim church, a body of people guided by the spirit toward relations that reveal us to be the family of God. Catholic social teachings have inspired and informed my life as I discern my call to work for policies, laws and systems of justice that manifest the dignity of humans as individuals and groups.

I remember a special moment on Holy Saturday, 1964. I was asked to read the passage from Ezekiel 37: “I will make with them a covenant of peace; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them.” I looked out at the church filled with people I knew and was filled with awe that I, as a woman, was acknowledged as capable of proclaiming the good news of God’s promise of peace. I think of the women I’ve met who feel called to be Catholic priests. I will think of them with the hope that one day they will be acknowledged as capable of proclaiming the good news and leading the Eucharist.

Judy Liteky San Francisco LETTERS, page 13

■ Continued from page 12 An ordained clergy that is exclusively male is prejudice against females — or inequity or bigotry or intolerance or whatever term you prefer to use for the sin of the suppression of one group by another.

At this fundamental level of morality, fine historical and theological expostulation are pathetic dodges for the utterly wrong.

Michael C. Busk San Francisco

Inspired by St. Therese When L’Osservatore Romano announced a way of preparing for the beatification of John Paul II, a series of spiritual exercises were mentioned that included prayers to St. Therese of the Child Jesus and a pilgrimage to Lisieux. The announcement allowed me to reflect on my own experiences at Lisieux and the experiences that many other world pilgrims expressed at the shrine of Therese of the Child Jesus.

I visited Lisieux in June 2010 with members of the Paris deaf Catholic community and with American deaf members of our St. Benedict Parish in San Francisco. I learned that Therese and her father (Blessed Louis Martin) were great promenaders. They used to spend their afternoons walking to the many parish churches that surrounded them. When we visited Lisieux, the visitors’ office offered us a map on which we saw the many places to walk to.

While we were there, I understood that even the hearing pilgrims who come to Lisieux do not stay at one place or site. Instead they are plunged into the walking itinerary of Therese and Martin. Those walks make us walk like Therese and Martin, helping us seek grace, illumination and inspiration as they did and enabling us to understand and appreciate the mystery of our lives. They guide us to be one with Therese and Martin. Our walks were rewarding because we sensed that pilgrims were mostly silent. It seemed that the pilgrims who speak out are not speaking, as if one spoke only from inside and not from the mouth.

People go on pilgrimage to feel valued and worthy. However, if we are open to everything regardless of who and how we are, we can see and feel our needs being valued by Therese, who truly wants everyone to grow in the spiritual life. All those promenades left us with sweet memories, experiences and comfort.

Father Ghislain Cheret Bazikila St. Benedict Parish San Francisco The writer was ordained for the Archdiocese of San Francisco in 2008 and ministers to the deaf community in Northern California.

one comment on each separately?

First, thanks very much to the ladies who object to the bishops’ censure of (Fordham professor) Sister Elizabeth Johnson’s book, (Letters, “Reaction to censure of sister’s theology text”). It happens that I read their letters a couple of hours before I prayed the rosary on Saturday, and so became aware that I have been saying the third glorious mystery wrongly all these years.

I shall henceforward meditate on the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the theologians — the ones with Sister Elizabeth advanced degrees, Johnson of course.

Second, I well remember the many pages of ink spilled over the design of the new cathedral. It is true that The Chronicle’s Allan Temko loved it. But the same paper’s Herb Caen spoke for many of us when he said it looked like the inside of a Maytag washer. It still does. (That doesn’t mean I never go to Mass there; I sometimes do, but never without thinking of the late Herb.)

By the way, when I read that Archbishop McGucken was persuaded not to build another Chartres, I could only recall that when I first stepped into Chartres, I thought, “What a magnificent expression of the faith of the thousands of people who built this! This is truly a tribute to God.” And I knelt to pray. My first reaction on entering our cathedral was, “What a remarkable building. I wonder how they did it?” The former turns one’s mind to God and his saints; the other to the architects and their engineers.

E. L. Gelhaar Millbrae

L E T T E R S

Matters theological and architectural Since the April 22 issue of Catholic San Francisco came in two sections, may

Countering Weigel’s critique of unions There’s an elephant in the room and George Weigel does not want to talk about it.

His recent commentary on “The church and the unions” (April 15) conveniently overlooks the overriding fiscal reality of 2011. We live in a country where the top 1 percent of U.S. taxpayers paid an average 23 percent tax rate. The wealthiest U.S. households have accumulated more wealth in the last three decades than any time in our history, thanks to a very generous tax structure, while the bottom 90 percent have realized less than a 1 percent gain in wages over the last 30 years, adjusted for inflation.

Mr. Weigel, the sad truth is the super wealthy don’t want to pay for your school vouchers either. Stop blaming hard-working middle class unionists for your pain.

Nancy and F.X. Crowley San Francisco Mr. Weigel is entitled to his own opinion, but not to his own facts. Teachers who commit crimes are removed from their classrooms immediately. It may be more difficult to remove poor or incompetent teachers, but it does happen. Without the protection

of unions, teachers would be treated like second-class citizens and paid a minimum wage. The Wisconsin teachers had agreed to lower wages and to a greater share of their health insurance costs before the assault on collective bargaining began. Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker was forced to admit that the ban on collective bargaining had nothing to do with lowering the deficit. It was all about busting the unions, part of the strategy led by Karl Rove and the Koch brothers.

Most teachers, myself included, actually worked 10 months and then taught summer school to make up for the “decent salary” that Mr. Weigel claims all teachers earn. Many young teachers, especially in urban areas, leave the profession because they simply cannot afford to live on their decent salary. I have worked with teachers who drove cabs on weekends and others who worked as mechanics after school hours.

To suggest that dedicated teachers are unable to teach because there are a few incompetent teachers on the faculty, is absurd.

I worked in some of the poorest, most challenging schools in San Francisco and consistently saw some remarkable teaching and some astounding results. Teachers educate their pupils and also provide encouragement, compassion and inspiration to the neediest in our society. Mr. Weigel should spend some time in one of these schools before he condemns the teachers and their unions. To criticize the Catholic Church for supporting the teachers’ union is shameful.

Ann K. Hunt Tiburon

Thanks to supporters of retired religious On behalf of religious women and men throughout the country, I want to express thanks for the outstanding generosity of the people of the Archdiocese of San Francisco.

The checks from the 2010 Retirement Fund for Religious appeal now are reaching our national office, and we are very grateful for the $157,750.34 contributed by Catholics from the archdiocese. This amount represents a 25 percent increase over the amount contributed in 2009, and it is the highest amount contributed by the Archdiocese of San Francisco since 2003. We are deeply grateful.

Given the status of our country’s economy, we realize that this represents sacrifices on the part of many. You can be assured that all of those who contributed so generously will be remembered in prayer by the sisters, brothers and religious order priests who benefit from this kindness.

Sister Janice Bader, CPPS Executive Director National Religious Retirement Office, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Washington, D.C.

Bishops and politicians Re: “Chaput notes lack of common voice on abortion sanctions,” April 15.

In brief why is there so much disunity among Catholics in political life not standing clearly with the church on major moral issues such as the killing of God’s precious infants in the womb. (Denver) Archbishop Charles Chaput put it this way: The reason is that there is no unity among bishops about it. The bishops are afraid Catholic

Catholic San Francisco

13

politicians would be disenfranchised if they held to the teachings of the church in the political arena.

You would think that when a priest reaches the rank of bishop he would be able to comprehend the Nicene Archbishop Creed. Being disCharles Chaput enfranchised in politics is, in my opinion, child’s play; being disenfranchised from God’s eternal kingdom is a very serious eternal matter.

Domenico Petri San Anselmo Archbishop Chaput noted that while there is unity among the bishops about abortion always being wrong, and that you can’t be a Catholic and be in favor of abortion, there’s just an inability among the bishops to speak clearly on this matter — even to say that if you’re Catholic and pro-choice, you can’t receive Communion.

They may be bishops but their lack of moral courage makes them as culpable as the politician they are excusing because it makes political life difficult.

All bishops need to read the article

by Father Tadeusz Pacholczyk (Making Sense of Bioethics, “The courage to refuse to cooperate in evil”) further in the April 15 issue. It is the story of a family man out of work for more than a year-and-ahalf who courageously declined the offer of a most needed job, that of overseeing the electrical work at a new Planned Parenthood facility.

Maybe things never change. The Pharisees are the bishops and the politicians lacking courage.

Carolyn Mueller Novato If Archbishop Chaput believes you can’t be Catholic and be pro-choice he is in a minority. The out-of-touch world in which many of our bishops live only demonstrates that they are not the church and the days of pray, pay and obey are long gone.

Patrick J. Quinn San Francisco

Letters welcome Catholic San Francisco welcomes letters from its readers.

Please send your letters to: ➣ Include your name, address and daytime phone number. ➣ Sign your letter. ➣ Limit submissions to 250 words. ➣ Note that the newspaper reserves the right to edit for clarity and length.

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

‘Knock on doors, get to know the people,’ and giving will follow The following letter was sent to Archbishop George Niederauer in regard to the Archbishop’s Annual Appeal, which funds services at the Pastoral Center and elsewhere in the Archdiocese of San Francisco. In a reply, Michael O’Leary, director of development for the archdiocese, affirmed the writer’s suggestions, thanking him in Archbishop Niederauer’s name for the suggestions.

I am a registered parishioner of St. Mary’s Cathedral.

Though relatively poor in dollars, I managed to make a small contribution to the Archbishop’s Annual Appeal for 2010 and plan to double my contribution for 2011.

According to the parish bulletin, only 157 (cathedral) households out of 831 registered (cathedral) households made a contribution to the AAA in 2010.

My mathematical ability – never good – tells me

that 18.89 percent of registered households contributed in 2010, leaving 81.11 percent I think you would agree that this is not good, to say the least. We can do much better.

I would like to make some suggestions for improving the 2011 AAA and the years to come: Start campaigning for contributions at or shortly after the new year begins.

Remind people that as little as one dollar a day – less than a cup of coffee at Peet’s or Starbucks – put aside starting New Year’s Day amounts to more than $180 by the end of June.

Explain that discipline and sacrifice for those less fortunate brings spiritual rewards and can be useful in other areas, too.

Some people have legitimate reasons for not giving to

the AAA such as job loss or illness but surely 80 percent of registered households aren’t in such dire circumstances.

Try to encourage more residents of the parish to register as parishioners. I know of, at least, two people in my building who are not registered. One is retired and quite affluent and goes to Mass fairly often and the other is a young professional and also affluent.

Get out, knock on doors and get to know the people.

If there were more personal contact with God’s holy people perhaps they would be more disposed to give when asked. This might also result in an uptick in attendance at Sunday and holy day Masses.

Joseph E. Greene San Francisco

(CNS PHOTO/BOB ROLLER)

Letters . . .

(CNS PHOTO/FORDHAM UNIVERSITY)

May 6, 2011

14

Catholic San Francisco

A READING FROM THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES ACTS 2:14, 22-33 Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice, and proclaimed: “You who are Jews, indeed all of you staying in Jerusalem. Let this be known to you, and listen to my words. You who are Israelites, hear these words. Jesus the Nazarene was a man commended to you by God with mighty deeds, wonders, and signs, which God worked through him in your midst, as you yourselves know. This man, delivered up by the set plan and foreknowledge of God, you killed, using lawless men to crucify him.

But God raised him up, releasing him from the throes of death, because it was impossible for him to be held by it. For David says of him: I saw the Lord ever before me, with him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed. Therefore my heart has been glad and my tongue has exulted; my flesh, too, will dwell in hope, because you will not abandon my soul to the netherworld, nor will you suffer your holy one to see corruption. You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence. My brothers, one can confidently say to you about the patriarch David that he died and was buried, and his tomb is in our midst to this day. But since he was a prophet and knew that God had sworn an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants upon his throne, he foresaw and spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that neither was he abandoned to the netherworld nor did his flesh see corruption. God raised this Jesus; of this we are all witnesses. Exalted at the right hand of God, he received the promise of the Holy Spirit from the Father and poured him forth, as you see and hear.”

RESPONSORIAL PSALM PS 16:1-2, 5, 7-11 R. Lord, you will show us the path of life.

May 6, 2011

Third Sunday of Easter Acts 2:14, 22-33; Psalm 16:1-2, 5, 7-11; Peter 1:17-21; Luke 24:13-35 Keep me, O God, for in you I take refuge; I say to the Lord, “My Lord are you.”

O Lord, my allotted portion and my cup, you it is who hold fast my lot.

R. Lord, you will show us the path of life.

I bless the Lord who counsels me; even in the night my heart exhorts me.

I set the Lord ever before me; with him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed.

R. Lord, you will show us the path of life.

Therefore my heart is glad and my soul rejoices, my body, too, abides in confidence; because you will not abandon my soul to the netherworld, nor will you suffer your faithful one to undergo corruption.

R. Lord, you will show us the path of life.

You will show me the path to life, abounding joy in your presence, the delights at your right hand forever.

R. Lord, you will show us the path of life.

A READING FROM THE FIRST LETTER OF PETER 1 PT 1:17-21 Beloved: If you invoke as Father him who judges impartially according to each one’s

works, conduct yourselves with reverence during the time of your sojourning, realizing that you were ransomed from your futile conduct, handed on by your ancestors, not with perishable things like silver or gold but with the precious blood of Christ as of a spotless unblemished lamb. He was known before the foundation of the world but revealed in the final time for you, who through him believe in God who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God. A READING FROM THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE LK 24:13-35 That very day, the first day of the week, two of Jesus’ disciples were going to a village seven miles from Jerusalem called Emmaus, and they were conversing about all the things that had occurred. And it happened that while they were conversing and debating, Jesus himself drew near and walked with them, but their eyes were prevented from recognizing him. He asked them, “What are you discussing as you walk along?” They stopped, looking downcast. One of them, named Cleopas, said to him in reply, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know of the things that have taken place there in these days?” And he replied to them,

M

y first teaching job was in an out-ofthe-way place called Copperas Cove.

Located about 60 miles north of Austin, Copperas Cove is a small Texas town whose people take great pride in being from the Lone Star State. I was a bit nervous when I started teaching there, but not only because it was my first time in the classroom. Having been raised in California, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from these people, people who thought football was king and talked so differently than I was used to.

My experience with people from the South was very limited. Everything I knew about Southerners, I’d learned from watching The Beverly Hillbillies, Smokey and the Bandit, and The Dukes of Hazzard. From what I’d seen and heard, things did not appear very promising.

As a native San Franciscan, I rather arrogantly thought these people were probably simple, backward and none too bright. My mind was pretty much closed and I was convinced I had these Texans pegged. When I met my principal, who both looked and sounded like Jeff Foxworthy, I was absolutely certain I was right and that I was in for a long and tedious year.

It wasn’t long, though, before I realized how mistaken I was about everything. My principal, who talked three times as slowly as I did, had a brain that moved about five times more quickly. He taught me more about teaching in that first year then I’ve learned in the 25 since. My fellow teachers and country neighbors were without a doubt the kindest, most generous, down-to-earth, funniest people I’ve ever lived or worked with. They took me in as one of their own and made me feel welcome

Scripture reflection DEACON MIKE MURPHY

Humbled in Texas and at home. They gave me a great gift, opening my mind and introducing me to a world of new, Texas-sized possibilities.

We see something very similar happening in this week’s Gospel, though on a larger, far more important scale. Initially, we find the disciples on the road to Emmaus terribly discouraged following the crucifixion of Jesus, overwhelmed at the death of their teacher, their hearts full of questions and doubts. Their minds are closed to all that Jesus had said and promised because their human fears consume them. Yet when all seems darkest, they are amazed to discover the risen Jesus in their midst. Then, as the Gospel says, their hearts burn, their minds are opened, and suddenly, all becomes possible. The despair of Good Friday is replaced with the hope of Easter Sunday, and the disciples begin to understand, begin

to clearly see, what Jesus means to them and to all of humanity.

But sometimes, we don’t see and our minds remain closed. We’re filled with preconceived ideas, subtle prejudices, not so subtle stereotypes. We know what we know, and it’s hard for people to change our minds and convince us otherwise. It was even hard for the disciples, and at least they had the benefit of living with Jesus for 3 years and seeing all he had done. Not having had that advantage, we can be obstinate, stubborn, and confident in our ignorance. Our minds are shut tight, because experience has taught us the ways of the world, and we see the world as it really is. Or do we?

Perhaps not, because the Resurrection has changed everything. All our old ways of thinking have to go out the door. The possibilities are now endless. There are no limits, except

“What sort of things?” They said to him, “The things that happened to Jesus the Nazarene, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, how our chief priests and rulers both handed him over to a sentence of death and crucified him. But we were hoping that he would be the one to redeem Israel; and besides all this, it is now the third day since this took place. Some women from our group, however, have astounded us: they were at the tomb early in the morning and did not find his body; they came back and reported that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who announced that he was alive. Then some of those with us went to the tomb and found things just as the women had described, but him they did not see.” And he said to them, “Oh, how foolish you are! How slow of heart to believe all that the prophets spoke! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them what referred to him in all the Scriptures.

As they approached the village to which they were going, he gave the impression that he was going on farther. But they urged him, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening and the day is almost over.” So he went in to stay with them.

And it happened that, while he was with them at table, he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them. With that their eyes were opened and they recognized him, but he vanished from their sight. Then they said to each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he spoke to us on the way and opened the Scriptures to us?” So they set out at once and returned to Jerusalem where they found gathered together the Eleven and those with them who were saying, “The Lord has truly been raised and has appeared to Simon!” Then the two recounted what had taken place on the way and how he was made known to them in the breaking of bread. those we put on ourselves. Unlike the certainty of taxes, even the finality of death is no longer a given. The God who loves us with all of his being shows us there is far more to life than we ever imagined. Hope takes the place of despair.

Expectation takes the place of disappointment.

Eternal life takes the place of death.

But these have to be more than just mere words. We need to let God touch us and open our minds and our hearts so that we live our lives with the Resurrection as our touchstone.

If we do, those little deaths that affect us each day will no longer defeat us and bring us down.

Instead of becoming depressed as we get older and undergo the death of our youth, we will celebrate as we are reborn into the new life that our experience, wisdom, and age now open to us. Rather than mourning at the loss of a dream, or a career that has stalled, we will face the world with confidence and joy because we know now that we will emerge from the darkness, just as Jesus came out of that tomb.

The Resurrection is happening all around us. The disciples realized it when they finally recognized Jesus on the road to Emmaus. If we can wrap our minds around it, we’ll also recognize that this is the central event of our lives, every day of our lives. The Resurrection means that there is always a tomorrow, a tomorrow filled with opportunity and light and hope, a tomorrow where the love of God for us is triumphant and everything is now possible.

Mike Murphy is a permanent deacon serving at St. Charles Parish in San Carlos. He teaches religion at Sacred Heart Schools, Atherton.

St. Damien of Molokai: Embracing the afflicted When Joseph de Veuster (1840-1889; feast day May 10) was born in Tremelo, Belgium, few people in Europe had any firsthand knowledge of leprosy, or Hansen’s disease. By the time he died at the age of 49, people all over the world knew about this disease because of him. They knew that human compassion could soften the ravages of this disease.

Forced to quit school at age 13 to work on the family farm, six years later Joseph entered the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, taking the name of a fourth-century physician and martyr. When

his brother Pamphile, a priest in the same congregation, fell ill and was unable to go to the Hawaiian Islands as assigned, Damien quickly volunteered in his place. In May 1864, two months after arriving in his new mission, Damien was ordained a priest in Honolulu and assigned to the island of Hawaii.

In 1873, he went to the Hawaiian government’s leper colony on the island of Molokai, set up seven years earlier, and soon volunteered to remain permanently. He became their most effective advocate to obtain promised government support. Soon the settlement had new houses and a new church, school and

orphanage. Morale improved considerably.

Damien contracted Hansen’s disease and died of its complications. Damien was canonized by Pope Benedict XVI on Oct. 11, 2009.

When Hawaii became a state in 1959, it selected Damien as one of its two representatives in the Statuary Hall at the U.S. Capitol.

Copyright St. Anthony Messenger Press, 28 W. Liberty St., Cincinnati, Ohio 45202. Taken from Saint of the Day on www.AmericanCatholic.org and used with permission. All rights reserved.

St. Damien is depicted in a mosaic at a church in Lihue, Hawaii.

Catholic San Francisco

May 6, 2011

15

Spirituality for Life

The gift that was Henri Nouwen Henri Nouwen was perhaps the most popular spiritual writer of the late 20th century and his popularity endures today.

More than 7 million of his books have been sold worldwide and they have been translated into 30 languages. Fifteen years after his death, all but one of his books remain in print.

Many things account for his popularity, beyond the depth and learning he brought to his writings. He was very instrumental in helping dispel the suspicion that had long existed in Protestant and evangelical circles toward spirituality, which was identified in the popular mind as something more exclusively Roman Catholic and as something on the fringes of ordinary life. Both his teaching and his writing, helped make spirituality something mainstream within Roman Catholicism, within Christianity in general, and within secular society itself. For example, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has stated that his book, “The Return of the Prodigal Son,” is the book that has had the largest impact on her life.

He wrote as a psychologist and a priest, but his writings also flowed from who he was as a man. And he was a complex man, torn always between the saint inside of him who had given his life to God and the man inside of him who, chronically obsessed with human love and its earthy yearnings, wanted to take his life back. He was fond of quoting Soren Kierkegaard who said that a saint is someone who can “will the one thing,” even as he admitted how much he struggled to do that. He did will to be a saint, but he willed other things as well. “I want to be a saint,” he once wrote, “but I also want to experience all the sensations that sinners experience.” He confessed in his writings

Funeral Services Directory For Advertising Information Please Call 415.614.5642 or Fax 415.614.5641

how much restlessness this brought into his life and how sometimes he was incapable of being fully in control of his own life.

In the end, he was a saint, but always one-in-progress.

He never fit the pious profile of a saint, even as he was always recognized as a man from God bringing us more than ordinary grace and insight. And the fact that he never hid his weaknesses from his readers helped account for his stunning popularity. His readers identified with him because he shared so honestly his struggles. He related his weaknesses to his struggles in prayer and, in that, many readers found themselves looking into a mirror. Like many others, when I first read Henri Nouwen, I had a sense of being introduced to myself.

And he worked at his craft, with diligence and deliberation.

Nouwen would write and rewrite his books, sometimes five times over, in an effort to make them simpler. What he sought was a language of the heart. Originally trained as a psychologist, his early writings exhibit some of the language of the classroom.

However, as he developed as a writer and a mentor of the soul, he began more and more to purge his writings of technical and academic terms and strove to become radically simple, without being simplistic; to carry deep sentiment, without being sentimental; to be self-revealing, without being exhibitionist; to be deeply personal, yet profoundly universal; and to be sensitive to human weakness, even as he strove to challenge what’s more sublime.

Few writers, religious or secular, have influenced me as deeply as Henri Nouwen. I know better than to try to imitate him, recognizing that what is imitative is never creative and what is

creative is never imitative.

Where I do try to emulate him is in his simplicity, in his rewriting things over and over in order try to make them simpler, without being simplistic. Like him, I believe that there’s a Father Ronald language of the heart (that each generation has to creRolheiser ate anew) that bypasses the divide between academics and the street and which has the power to speak directly to everyone, regardless of background and training. Jesus managed it. Nouwen sought to speak and write with that kind of directness. He didn’t do it perfectly, nobody does, but he did do it more effectively than most. He recognized too that this is a craft that must be worked at, akin to learning language.

If you are occasionally tortured by your own complexity, even as your deepest desire is to “will the one thing,” perhaps you can find a mentor and a patron saint in Henri Nouwen. He calls us beyond ourselves, even as he respects how complex and difficult that journey is. He shows us how to move toward God, even as we are still torn by our own earthly attachments.

Oblate Father Ron Rolheiser is president of the Oblate School of Theology in San Antonio, Texas.

Deer Park Villa

Special Event Site & Catering Company Celebration of Life Receptions

Affordable solutions

*Hot Buffet *Cold Buffet *Appetizers & Desserts *Full Bar *Free Consultation No Site Fee at Deer Park Villa Featuring Indoor & Outdoor Private Areas Full Service Bay Area Catering

Cost and Services Choices Church | Cemetery | Cremation Service Mass ❘ Vigil ❘ Burial ❘ Cremation

Please visit our New website Visit

www.colmacremation.com www.colmacremation.com

367 Bolinas Road, Fairfax Ca. 94930 (415) 456-8084 www.deerparkvilla.com

7747 El Camino Real Colma, CA 94014 FD 1522

111 Industrial Road Suite 5 Belmont, CA 94002 FD 1923

650..757.1300 | fax 650.757.7901 | toll free 888.757.7888 | www.colmacremation.com

McAVOY O’HARA Co. SE RV IN G WIT H T R U S T A N D C O NFIDENC E S IN CE 1 8 5 0

E vergreen Mortu a r y 4545 GEARY B O ULE VARD a t T E N T H AV E N UE For information prearrangements, and assistance, call day or night (415) 668-0077 FD 523

“Here’s wishing happiness and wellbeing to all the families of the Archdiocese. If you ever need our guidance please call at any time. Sincerely, Paul Larson ~ President.”

The Peninsula’s Local Catholic Directors…

Chapel of the Highlands Funeral & Cremation Care Professionals x Highly Recommended / Family Owned x Please call us at (650)

588-5116

El Camino Real at 194 Millwood Dr., Millbrae

www.chapelofthehighlands.com

CA License FD 915

The Catholic Cemeteries ◆ Archdiocese of San Francisco www.holycrosscemeteries.com HOLY CROSS CATHOLIC CEMETERY Intersection of Santa Cruz Avenue, Menlo Park, CA 94025 650-323-6375 PILARCITOS CEMETERY Hwy. 92 at Main St. Half Moon Bay, CA 94019 650-712-1679

A TRADITION

OF

HOLY CROSS CATHOLIC CEMETERY 1500 Mission Road, Colma, CA 94014 650-756-2060 ST. ANTHONY CEMETERY Stage Road Pescadero, CA 94060 650-712-1679

MT. OLIVET CATHOLIC CEMETERY 270 Los Ranchitos Road, San Rafael, CA 94903 415-479-9020 OUR LADY OF THE PILLAR CEMETERY Miramontes St. Half Moon Bay, CA 94019 415-712-1679

FAITH THROUGHOUT OUR LIVES.

Memorial Buffet Menu $ 20.00 per person inclusive Our private rooms accommodate from 50 to 300 people.

No room fee.

Ample free parking

920 Stonegate Drive, South San Francisco, CA 94080 Call Claudia…(650) 589-0729 Fax (650) 875-2790 www.california-catering-company.com

Catholic San Francisco

May 6, 2011

Cyber-bullying . . .

■ Continued from cover completed in time to show it to the student body before year’s end, Pak said.

“They’re using their own cameras, their own materials,” said Bowermaster. “From my perspective this is the best thing that can happen, which is to say the students are taking responsibility for one another.”

Imbuing the students with good values and a sense of community is going to be at the heart of any successful technology policy, said Bowermaster, who teaches a class in the Philosophy of Friendship, beginning with the Greek philosopher Plato.

Pope Benedict XVI addressed the challenges of social media in his 2011 World Communications Day address.

“There exists a Christian way of being present in the digital world,” Pope Benedict XVI said.

“This takes the form of a communication which is honest and open, responsible and respectful of others. To proclaim the Gospel through the new media means not only to insert expressly religious content into different media platforms, but also to witness consistently, in one’s own digital profile and in the way one communicates choices, preferences and

Burmese celebrate . . .

■ Continued from cover “I love being here,” says Father Htun. “The people are hungry for spiritual direction. I’m really looking forward to working with them.”

The only son born into a small Catholic family in Burma, also referred to as Myanmar, Father Htun discerned the call to priesthood through prayer. Seeking God’s guidance during two pivotal events — graduation from elementary school and high school — led to his entering St. Joseph Catholic Major Seminary in Burma.

“The other part was because of my parents,” says Father Htun. “They were very supportive and encouraging and they prayed a lot.”

Ordained in 1992, Father Htun assisted at St. Joseph Church and, later, at St. Michael’s Church in the Archdiocese of Yengon. After studying human development at the Searsolin Institute (Southeast Asia Rural Social Leadership Institute) in the Philippines, he returned to Burma and worked at Catholic Charities for four years.

“It was totally different from the spiritual walk,” he says.

“We learned how to help others, working on projects and other areas of social justice. I learned, leaving the pulpit, just how much the people were suffering.”

After serving the poor through Catholic Charities, Father Htun made his first visit to the U.S. It was during this time that he met Auxiliary Bishop William J. Justice.

“The Burmese community had been asking for a Burmese-speaking priest for years,” says Bishop Justice.

“We just couldn’t find one.”

Following an extended interview with Bishop Justice several months later — in which Father Htun remembers the two of them talking “about everything” — the year-long process of arranging his transfer began.

“Historically, this is what we’ve done in the United

SCRIPTURE SEARCH Gospel for May 8, 2011 Luke 24:13-35 Following is a word search based on the Gospel reading for the Third Sunday of Easter, Cycle A: the journey to the village of Emmaus. The words can be found in all directions in the puzzle.

VILLAGE MIGHTY ISRAEL ANGELS GLORY EVENING BROKE IT

EMMAUS CHIEF PRIESTS THE TOMB CHRIST MOSES TABLE ELEVEN

RECOGNIZING HOPED MORNING ENTER STAY WITH US BREAD RISEN

STAY WITH US G

L

O

R

Y

N

A

N

G

N

N

V

D

I

L

I

E

N

E

L

Z

H

R

L

L

G

I

O

E

A

B

G

M

V

G

L

O

E

E

E

S

N

F

A

E

H

T

R

J

K

S

S

P

S

E

B

P

K

T

I

E

K

O

E

L

S

B

A

C

H

R

I

S

T

M

M

A

U

S

U

R

S

J

O

H

H

A

I

E

A

M

T

L

L

S

I

N

I

N

E

V

E

R

A

W

G

J

K

H

N

P

Y

T

H

O

J

O

T

F

U

I

T

N

C

P

E

E

Y

T

O

E

R

I

R

E

A

D

R

H

R

B

N

A

C

© 2011 Tri-C-A Publications www.tri-c-a-publications.com

Sponsored by Duggan’s Serra Mortuary 500 Westlake Avenue, Daly City 650-756-4500 ● www.duggansserra.com

judgments that are fully consistent with the Gospel, even when it is not spoken of specifically,” the pope said.

Helping teens and preteens keep those Christian values, particularly the values of kindness and chastity, is the challenge.

Within the Archdiocese of San Francisco elementary and high schools, each grade completes an online course either in the classroom or at home that is directed to each age level on the Shield the Vulnerable program website. Courses aim to educate about child abuse, predators, proper boundaries, healthy relationships, respect, the perils of cyberspace and protecting the most vulnerable members of society.

Each elementary student in third through eighth grade takes a developmentally appropriate online course at school.

The parents have access to the online course and can repeat it with their child at home any time during the year. Children from preschool through second grade receive direct instruction from their teacher through the Safe Touch program.

In high school, freshmen take a 60-minute online course called “Teen Safety.” Sophomores are required to take the 30-minute “Dating Abuse” course and juniors and seniors take “Cyber Safety.” Schools that are Catholic but not under the archdiocese also offer similar programs, although not all use Shield the Vulnerable, said Schools Superintendent Maureen Huntington.

“Technology is so easy to abuse,” said St. Gabriel School computer and math teacher Gordon Fair who spearheads that San Francisco parish school’s technology efforts. He noted that students think, “‘I’m not hurting anyone, I’m just typing into a computer.’”

“The biggest challenge is they are not taking responsibility for the comments they make,” said St. Gabriel Principal Mercy Sister M. Pauline Borghello of her experience with preteens’ and teens’ use of social media. The school has a technology policy that is updated each year, based largely on the principles in the archdiocesan anti-bullying policy. “Sometimes they make them just off the top of their head because they do not see the other person. When you look at the other person and see happiness or hurt it really influences how you respond.”

“One of the solutions we suggest is that people talk to people instead of writing it online,” San Domenico student filmmaker Pak said. “I think a lot of students don’t know the weight of putting things online. It will bite you back later.”

Students are experiencing things virtually that are beyond their natural ability to understand, Bowermaster said. An expert this fall talked to the San Domenico freshmen about ‘sexting’ or the sending of provocative or revealing photos via text messages on cell phones. “They are having experiences before we would want them to have them,” he said. “We are trying to stay ahead of the curve.”

States,” says Bishop Justice. “Each wave of immigrants says Patrick Sue, who first met Father Htun when they were that comes in loves to worship with their own language studying to be priests together in the seminary.

A Buddhist, Victor Win — not related to Catherine and traditions. If we can do it, it’s a way of celebrating our — attended the celebration with his Catholic wife, Gina. diversity — as well as our unity in that diversity.”

Once Father Htun’s bishop in Burma agreed to the pro- About 80 percent of Burma’s population of 55 million, says Win, are Buddhist. posal, an R-1 Visa — a visa Catholics comprise only for missionaries or religious about 5 percent of the — was obtained. Since there citizens of the Southeast are no guarantees when it Asian country that borders comes to renewing visas, it Thailand, Laos, Bangladesh is uncertain how long Father and China.

Htun will be able to remain Prior to the arrival of in the U.S. Father Htun, the Burmese Following the Burmese community celebrated Mass, parishioners gather in Mass together on the first the hall beneath St. Monica Saturday of the month at Church to celebrate the St. Thomas More Church in first birthday of Kyi Ky and San Francisco. In an effort Danis Lye’s son Flannan. to better serve them, pastor Arranged on tables located Msgr. Labib Kobti studied along the length of one wall, Burmese and was able to a great quantity and variety of home-cooked Burmese Father Htun joins a post-Mass birthday celebration for celebrate some of the Mass in their native tongue. food beckons — includa young member of the Burmese Catholic community.

“They are a wonderful ing pork curry, crab curry, community,” says Msgr.

Samusa (Burmese-style Kobti. “I’m so happy that Samosa), htamin (white rice), shauk thi thoke (grapefruit salad) and ohn-no swe they have their own priest now.”

Bishop Justice says that Father Htun will remain at St. (coconut noodles). Children immediately pounce on the Monica’s until May 12. Following a temporary assignment cookies and stare longingly at the large birthday cake.

“It is so good to have Father Htun here,” says Catherine at the Archdiocese of Seattle, he will return to the archdiocese June 30, 2012. Shortly thereafter, he will be given a Win. Now in her 80s, Win migrated to the Bay Area in 1978. permanent assignment in one or two parishes.

Catherine Win will be looking forward to his return.

She worked in the city of San Bruno’s payroll department “He’s a very nice priest,” says Win. “He tries his best. until retirement. She grew up in Burma, she says, when it He wants to bring all the Burmese Catholics back into was under British rule.

“Having Father Htun here is a wonderful improvement,” the church.”

(PHOTO BY JOSE LUIS AGUIRRE

16

Encountering John Paul . . .

■ Continued from cover or heard someone who was a holy man, a man of God. In his life, people would ask him for his prayers because they knew him to be a man of prayer. There are accounts of people looking for him in his chapel in the papal apartment, only to find him lying prostrate on the floor deep in prayer. Now, as one who is numbered among the blessed, we may continue to ask Blessed John Paul II to pray for us, making intercession before our loving Father in heaven.

When Pope Benedict XVI concluded the formula of beatification and the tapestry of Blessed John Paul II that hung from the central loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica was revealed, people once again looked upon the face of a friend. John Paul II, however, was more than just a friend to us. He had shared many sorrows of his life with us: the early death of his mother, the abhorrence of his Christian faith by others, and even someone trying to kill him. He also shared our same joys: spending time with friends, writing poetry and enjoying the outdoors.

Though blessed, he was a man, human in every sense like the rest of us, and this meant he realized his need for God’s mercy and forgiveness. I have heard it said of him that he went to the sacrament of reconciliation weekly because he recognized his need to ask the Father for forgiveness. This example of the need for reconciliation with God for you and me is a powerful one that shows to us that not even those who we see as holy are without need of forgiveness. Perhaps one’s personal recognition of the great need for forgiveness is a mark of a holy woman or man who allows the Holy Spirit to work in their heart.

Though sharing in our human frailty, the Lord’s strength showed itself through Blessed John Paul’s suffering as he managed his life while suffering from the effects of Parkinson’s disease. I was fortunate enough to be in Lourdes

during John Paul’s final apostolic journey abroad in August 2004. During this time when his physical affliction was nearing its height, the pope spoke to some of his sick brothers and sisters who had gathered around the Grotto of Massabielle.

He said, “I am here with you, dear brothers and sisters, as a pilgrim to Our Lady. I make my own your prayers and your hopes. With you I share a time of life marked by physical suffering, yet not for that reason any less fruitful in God’s wondrous plan.”

Pope Benedict XVI’s personal reflection put it well in his homily during the Mass for beatification. “His example of prayer continually impressed and edified me: He remained deeply united to God even amid the many demands of his ministry,” he said. “Then too, there was his witness in suffering: The Lord gradually stripped him of everything, yet he remained ever a ‘rock,’ as Christ desired.” As one pope highlighted his predecessor’s firmness of faith in the midst of suffering, that same faith resonates with all who seek God’s consolation.

Finally, Sunday’s gathering displayed our affection for a man who shared our joys. John Paul’s priesthood was filled with time spent enjoying God’s glory in the natural beauty of the outdoors. Even as pope, there are stories of him sneaking away from Vatican City (without escort), heading to the mountains for a little skiing. Throughout his life, he loved to gather with friends and enter into their lives of faith. This took place while he was a young priest from Krakow and continued when he was pope. Again no different than us, he sought to share his life with others. Could it be that even in death, our own John Paul could give us an example of being fully alive?

The writer, who was ordained a priest of the Archdiocese in San Francisco in 2010, is completing his studies in theology at the Pontifical North American University in Rome. He grew up in St. Anthony of Padua Parish in Novato.

May 6, 2011

Our Lady in May May 11, 7:30 p.m.: 30th Annual May Crowning and Living Rosary at All Hallows Chapel, Newhall and Palou in San Francisco. Sponsored by All Hallows #182 Young Ladies Institute. Call Sue Elvander at (415) 467-8872.

Datebook

Young Adults May 14, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.: “Adventure with Jesus: Meditations on Human nature,” a young adult spring retreat for women and men 21-40 at the Dominican Sisters of Mission San Jose motherhouse, 43326 Mission Boulevard with entrance on Mission Tierra Place in Fremont. Presenter is Dominican Sister Donna Marie Moses. “Join us for guided meditations on scenes from the life of Jesus and Mary with shared reflection on some of the more challenging moods and emotions that are part of human nature,” Sister Donna said. Day includes refreshments at 9:30 a.m. as well as lunch and supper at 6 p.m.

Freewill offerings accepted. Please inquire by May 9. E-mail blessings@msjdominicans.org or call (510) 933-6335.

May 29, 12:15 p.m.: St. Paul’s Church celebrates the 100th anniversary of its beautiful church building. Archbishop George Niederauer is principal celebrant.

Father Mario Farana, pastor, is among the concelebrants. A reception and memorabilia display will be held immediately following Mass in the Parish Center at Church and Valley Streets in San Francisco. Call (415) 648-7538.

Social Justice/Lectures/ Respect Life

May 15, 10 a.m.: Archbishop George Niederauer is principal celebrant of 50th anniversary Mass for St. Matthias Parish in Redwood City. A barbecue follows.

Father John Glogowski, pastor, is among the concelebrants. Visit www.stmatthiasparish.org or call (650) 366-9544.

May 11: Bioethics Seminars, 2580 McAllister St. in San Francisco, and sponsored by the San Francisco Catholic Medical Guild. “The Dying Experience” will be presented by Catherine Conway and Mary Ann Schwab with Raymond Dennehy, Ph.D. Refreshments provided. Donation is $15. Call (415) 282-0773 or e-mail gemaloof2003@yahoo.com.

Saturdays: San Mateo Pro-Life prays the rosary at 2890 El Camino Real in Redwood City, corner Renato Court. at 8 a.m. and invites others to join them at the site. The prayer continues as a peaceful vigil until 1 p.m. The group is also open to new membership. Meetings are held the second Thursday of the month except August and December at St. Gregory Parish’s Worner Center, 138 28th Ave. in San Mateo at 7:30 p.m. For more information, call Jessica at (650) 572-1468 or visit www.sanmateoprolife.com Saturdays, 9 a.m. – 10 a.m.: Rosary for Life at Planned Parenthood, 1650 Valencia St. near St. Luke’s Hospital in San Francisco..

June 3, 4, 5: “St. Pius Parish Festival” on campus at 1100 Woodside Road in Redwood City. Friday, 6–10 p.m.; Saturday, 1–10 p.m.; Sunday, 1-8 p.m.

Event marks St. Pius 60th anniversary with a peace and love theme and something “groovy” for everyone. Visit http://stpiusfestival.blogspot.com.

June 11, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.: “Classic Car Show” at Holy Angels School in Colma. See many oldies but goodies plus refreshments and a raffle. Event is sponsored by the Holy Angels School alumni association. Proceeds benefit Holy Angels School.

Call (650) 755-0220.

Aug. 13 or Nov.26: All alumni of St. Anne of the Sunset School, class of 1981 are invited to a reunion. Location/date are undecided. E-mail George Rehmet at georgerehmet@yahoo.com or call (650) 438-9589.

Oct. 22: Presentation High School, San Francisco class of ’66. Contact Martha Kunz Willis at (650) 763-1202 or e-mail mwwmtw@comcast.net or Marilyn Mathers at (51) 232-4848 or mmathers@ deloitte.com.

Food and Fun

Prayer/Special Liturgies

May 7, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.: “Plant and Garden Sale” at the Mount Carmel Shop, 45 Lovell Ave. in Mill Valley. Garden books, tools, vases, annuals, perennials, and vegetables for sale. Tomato plants are featured. Proceeds benefit Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish. Call (415) 388-4332.

May 13, 14, 15: “St. Timothy School Carnival,” Third Avenue at Norfolk in San Mateo. Hours of operation are Friday, 4 – 11 p.m.; Saturday, noon – 11 p.m.; Sunday, noon – 7 p.m. Fun includes rides, games, barbecue, entertainment. Tickets for rides are available before the festival and include all-day wristbands for $30. Visit www.sttimothyschool.org or call (650) 342-6567.

May 14, 8 a.m. – 2 p.m.: “Whale of a Sale” at St. Sebastian Church, Sir Francis Drake Boulevard at Bon Air Road in Greenbrae. Spaces are available for vendors at $35 before May 6 and for $50 after that date. Vendors supply their own tables and chairs. Call (415) 461-0704 or visit www.sebastian94904.com.

Sundays, 1:30 – 2:30 p.m.: Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament with Benediction at Notre Dame des Victoires Church, 566 Bush St. between Stockton and Grant in San Francisco. Convenient parking is available across Bush St. in StocktonSutter garage. Call (415) 397-0113.

Taize Sung Prayer: First Fridays, 8 p.m.: Mercy Center, 2300 Adeline Drive, Burlingame with Mercy Sister Suzanne Toolan. Call (650) 340-7452; young adults are invited each first Friday of the month to attend a social at 6 p.m. prior to Taize at 8 p.m. The social provides light refreshments and networking with other young adults. Convenient parking is available. For more information, e-mail mercyyoungadults@sbcglobal.net. Tuesdays, 6 p.m.: Notre Dame Des Victoires Church, 566 Bush at Stockton, San Francisco with Rob Grant. Call (415) 397-0113.

Third Fridays, 8 p.m.: Dominican Sisters of MSJ Motherhouse Chapel, 43326 Mission Boulevard, entrance is on Mission Tierra Place, between Ohlone College and the Old Mission San Jose in Fremont.

Call (510) 449-7554. Third Wednesdays at 8 p.m. at the Dominican Sisters of MSJ motherhouse chapel, 43326 Mission Boulevard, entrance is on Mission Tierra Place, in Fremont. Call (510) 449-7554.

The traditional Latin Mass celebrated according to texts and rubrics of the Missal of Blessed John XXIII of 1962 is celebrated at these locations: Sunday, 12:15 p.m.: Holy Rosary Chapel at St. Vincent School for Boys in San Rafael. For more information, call St. Isabella Parish at (415) 479-1560; first Fridays, 7 p.m. at St. Francis of Assisi Church, 1425 Bay Road. at Glen Way in East Palo Alto. For more information, call (650) 322-2152. Father Lawrence Goode, pastor, is celebrant; first Sundays, 5:30 p.m. at Mater Dolorosa Church, 307 Willow Ave. South San Francisco.

For more information call (650) 583-4131; second Sundays, 5:30 p.m. at St. Finn Barr Church, Edna St at Hearst in San Francisco. Call (415) 333-3627; third Sundays at Holy Name of Jesus Church 39th Avenue at Lawton in San Francisco. Call (415) 664-8590 for time.

May 21: The Dominican Sisters of Mission San Jose invite you to an exciting “Day at the Races.” Enjoy the Preakness Stakes on screens at Golden Gate Fields. Tickets are $80 for reserved seating and $60 for open seating.

Tickets include valet parking, admission to the Turf Club, Racing Form, and brunch – a prime rib buffet. Raffle prizes include owner’s seat tickets at Giants’ games, a $100 shopping spree at Nordstrom’s and a $100 restaurant package (need not be present to win). For more information or tickets, please call (510) 533-5768 or visit www.visionofhope.org.

Deadline to purchase is May 11. Proceeds benefit tuition assistance to eight innercity elementary schools affiliated with the Dominican Sisters of Mission San Jose.

P UT YOUR

Reunion May 15: St. Gabriel School Alumni Association hosts a Golden Diploma Reunion for the Class of 1961 beginning with Mass at 11:30 a.m. followed by a reception for alumni and guests. Contact Sue Phelps at (415) 566-0314 or e-mail sphelps@ stgabrielsf.com.

May 22, 11:30 a.m.: St. Gabriel Parish, 40th Avenue at Ulloa in San Francisco, celebrates its 70th year with a Mass and reception. All parishioners present and former as well as friends are welcome. Former pastors, parochial vicars, teachers have been invited. Call (415) 731-6161.

Mass in Latin

Holy Cross Cemetery 1500 Old Mission Rd. in Colma, (650) 756-2060 May 7, 11 a.m.: Mass in All Saints Mausoleum.

May 12, noon: The Serra Club of San Francisco meets for lunch at the Italian American Social Club, 25 Russia Ave., off Mission Street in San Francisco.

Father Vito Perrone, founder of Contemplatives of St. Joseph, will talk about developing the new religious order. Cost for lunch is $17. Contact Paul Crudo at (415) 566-8224 or pecrudodds@aol.com and enter Serra on subject line.

Single, Divorced, Separated Information about Bay Area single, divorced and separated programs is available from Jesuit Father Al Grosskopf at grosskopf@usfca.edu (415) 422-6698.

May 13 – 15: “Widowed, Separated and Divorced Weekend” at Vallombrosa Retreat Center in Menlo

OF

Park. For information and a brochure contact Helen (415) 388-9651 or Cathy (408) 263-3718 or e-mail SJBeginExp@aol.com or visit http://www.beginningexperience.org Would you like support while you travel the road through separation and divorce? The Archdiocese of San Francisco offers support for the journey.

The Separated and Divorced Catholics of the Archdiocese of San Francisco (SDCASF) offer two ongoing support groups at St. Bartholomew Parish, 600 Columbia Drive, San Mateo, on the first and third Tuesdays, at 7 p.m. in the spirituality center, and in O’Reilly hall of St. Stephen Parish near Stonestown, San Francisco, on the first and third Wednesdays, at 7:30 p.m. Call Gail (650) 591-8452, or Joanne (650) 347-0701 for more information.

Catholic Adult Singles Association of Marin County: We are Catholics, single or single again, who are interested in making new friends, taking part in social activities, sharing opportunities for spiritual growth, and becoming involved in volunteer activities that will benefit parishes, community, and one another. We welcome those who would share in this with us. For information, call Bob at (415) 897-0639.

Consolation Ministry Grief support groups meet at the following parishes: San Mateo County: Good Shepherd, Pacifica; call Sister Carol Fleitz at (650) 355-2593. Our Lady of Mercy, Daly City; call parish at (650) 755-2727. Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, Redwood City; call parish at (650) 366-3802. St. Bartholomew, San Mateo; call Barbara Syme (650) 343-6156. St. Peter, Pacifica; call parish at (650) 359-6313. St. Pius, Redwood City; call parish at (650) 361-0655. St. Robert, San Bruno; call Sister Patricia O’Sullivan at (650) 589-0104.

Marin County: St. Anselm, San Anselmo; call Brenda MacLean at (415) 454-7650. St. Anthony, Novato; call parish (415) 883-2177. St. Hilary, Tiburon; call Helen Kelly at (415) 388-9651. Our Lady of Loretto, Novato; call Sister Jeanette at (415) 897-2171.

San Francisco County: St. Gabriel; call Monica Williams at (650) 756-2060. St. Mary’s Cathedral; call Sister Esther McEgan at (415) 567-2020 ext. 218.

Alma Via; contact Mercy Feeney at (650) 756-4500.

Young Widow/Widower Group: St. Gregory, San Mateo; call Barbara Elordi at (415) 614-5506.

Ministry to Grieving Parents: Our Lady of Angels, Burlingame; call Ina Potter at (650) 3476971 or Barbara Arena at (650) 344-3579.

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

Listing must reach Catholic San Francisco at least two weeks before the Friday publication date desired. Mail your notice to: Datebook, Catholic San Francisco, One Peter Yorke Way, S.F. 94109, or fax it to (415) 614-5633, e-mail burket@sfarchdiocese.org, or visit www.catholic-sf.org, Contact Us.

Attach Card Here Deadline for June 10th Issue is May 30th Deadline for July 15th Issue is July 1st Please do not write on your card.

C A THOLI C S A N F RA NCI S CO

ONLY $112.00 P E R M ONTH IN OUR B USINE SS CARD SE CTION NOW AP P E ARING THE FIRST FRIDAY OF E ACH M ONTH.THIS NE W SE CTION IS CE RTAINLY LE SS E XP E NSIVE THAN THE $65,000 IT WOULD COST TO P RINT AND M AIL YOUR B USINE SS CARDS TO ALL OUR RE ADE RS . ONLY $96.00 P E R M ONTH ON A *12-M ONTH CONTRACT. LISTING IN OUR BUSINESS

May 27 – 29: “24th Northern California Catholic Charismatic Convention” at Santa Clara Convention Center, 5001 Great America Parkway, Santa Clara. “Come expecting the power of a faithful God!” organizers said. Event theme is “Hearts on Fire for Jesus.” Opening Mass May 27 at 8 p.m. San Francisco Auxiliary Bishop William Justice will preside. Praise begins at 7 p.m. Convention speakers include Father Chris Crotty, Richard Lane, Martha Fernandez-Sardina, Msgr. James Tarantino.

Registration information is at ncrcspirit.org or call (925) 828-0944. Weekend is sponsored

by Northern California Renewal Coalition serving the dioceses of Monterey, Oakland, Sacramento, San Jose, Santa Rosa and Stockton and the Archdiocese of San Francisco.

B USINE SS CARD IN THE HANDS

FOR

*FREE

17

Vocations/Serra Clubs

210,000 R E ADE RS

Catholic San Francisco

DIRECTORY ON OUR WEB SITE *

AD HE ADING NAM E ADDRE SS CITY ZIP

STATE PHONE

MAIL TO: CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO, BUSINE SS CARD ONE PE TE R YORKE WAY, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109

18

Catholic San Francisco

May 6, 2011

Painting & Remodeling

SERVICE DIRECTORY

John Holtz Ca. Lic 391053 General Contractor Since 1980

For information about advertising in the Service Directory, visit www.catholic-sf.org, Call 415-614-5642, Fax: 415-614-5641 or E-mail: penaj@sfarchdiocese.org

Counseling PLUMBING Unhealed wounds can hold you back - even if they are not the “logical” cause of your problems today. You can be the person God intended.

Inner Child Healing Offers a deep spiritual and psychological approach to counseling: ❖ 30 years experience with individuals, couples and groups ❖ Directed, effective and results-oriented ❖ Compassionate and Intuitive ❖ Supports 12-step ❖ Enneagram Personality Transformation ❖ Free Counseling for Iraqi/Afghanistani Vets

Painting & Remodeling

Fences & Decks

BEST PLUMBING, INC. Your Payless Plumbing

(650) 557-1263

EMAIL: bestplumbinginc@comcast.net Member: Better Business Bureau

S anti

John Spillane • • • •

Retaining Walls Stairs • Gates Dry Rot Senior & Parishioner Discounts

650.2 9 1 . 4 3 0 3

Plumbing and Heating 415-661-3707 Michael T. Santi

Roofing

Since 1972 Ca License # 663641 24 Hour Emergency Service

When Life Hurts It Helps To Talk • Family • Work • Relationships • Depression • Anxiety • Addictions

Dr. Daniel J. Kugler Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist Over 30 years experience • Reasonable Fees

Confidential • Compassionate • Practical (415) 921-1619 • Insurance Accepted 1537 Franklin Street • San Francisco, CA 94109

FOR PEOPLE WHO NEED HELP Marriage, Family, and Individual Counseling David Nellis M.A. M.F.T. (415) 242-3355 www.christiancounseling2.com

ALL PLUMBING WORK PAT HOLLAND

415-205-1235

“The most compassionate care in town”

1655 Old Mission Road #3 Colma, SSF, CA 94080 415-573-5141 or 650-993-8036 *Irish owned & operated *Serving from San Francisco to North San Mateo

(415) 786-0121 • (415) 586-6748

Handy Man Expert interior and exterior painting, carpentry, demolition, fence (repair, build), decks, remodeling, roof repair, gutter (clean/repair), landscaping, gardening, hauling, moving, welding.

All Purpose Cell (415) 517-5977 (650) 757-1946

Lic. # 907564

Care Management for the Older Adult Family Consultation –Bereavement Support

Kathy Faenzi, MA, Clinical Gerontologist Office: 650.401.6350 Web: www.faenziassociates.com Striving to Achieve Optimum Health & Wellbeing

Irish Help At Home QUALITY HOME CARE SERVING THE BAY AREA SINCE 1996

San Francisco 415 759 0520

Marin 415.721.7380

Christopher’s House Cleaning

Electrical

YOUR # 1 CHOICE FOR Recessed Lights – Outdoor Lighting Outlets – Dimmers – Service Upgrades • Trouble Shooting!

Ph. 415.515.2043 Ph. 650.508.1348

Lic. 631209) 9)

Painting BILL HEFFERON

Visit us at www.catholic-sf.org PAINTING For your local and international Catholic news, On the Street, INTERIOR, EXTERIOR All Jobs Large and Small

Datebook, advertising information, Digital Paper, & more!

Service Changes Solar Installation Lighting/Power Fire Alarm/Data Green Energy Fully Licensed • State Certified • Locally Trained • Experienced • On Call 24/7

Painting

10% Discount: Seniors, Parishioners

Notary

Breens’ Mobile Notary Services Timothy P. Breen Notary Public

PHONE: 415-846-1922 www.breensnotary.com

* Member National Notary Association *

Insurance Farmers Insurance Steve Murphy

Call BILL 415.731.8065 • Cell: 415.710.0584 bheffpainting@sbcglobal.net Member of Better Business Bureau Bonded, Insured – LIC. #819191

415.368.8589

S.O.S. PAINTING CO.

➮ ➮ ➮ ➮

Exterior / Interior Additions ➮ Baths Foundations, Stairs, Dry Rot Replacement Windows ➮ Kitchen Remodeling Architect Available ➮ Senior Discount

Call: 415.533.2265 Lic. 407271

➤ Hauling ➤ Job Site Clean-Up ➤ Demolition ➤ Yard Service ➤ Garbage Runs ➤ Saturday & Sunday

FREE ESTIMATES! • Fast & Affordable

PAUL (415) 282-2023 YOELSHAULING@YAHOO.COM

LAST-MINUTE SERVICE AVAILABLE

DA LY

CONSTRUCTION

The Irish Rose

Specializing in home health aides, attendants and companions.

PLEASE RECYCLE THIS PAPER!

Serving San Francisco, Marin & the Peninsula.

CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO

Contact: 415.447.8463

Lic.#942181

KEANE CONSTRUCTION

415-661-2060

Home Healthcare Agency

Eoin Lehane www.Irishpainting-sf.com

www.farmersagent.com/smurphy1

Healthcare Agency

Irish Painting

Construction

Involved in your community as a CYO coach, referee and parishioner

* Attendants * Companions • Insured • Bonded www.irishhelpathome.com

Licensed, Bonded & Insured

DEWITT ELECTRIC

Home • Life • Auto • Renters • Apartments

Home Care

Free Estimates

Electrical

Certified Signing Agent

Clinical Gerontologist

Reasonable rates

ALL ELECTRIC SERVICE 650.322.9288

NOT A LICENSED CONTRACTOR

Senior Care SUPPLE SENIOR CARE

BONDED & INSURED

HOUSECLEANING www.christophershousecleaning.com

HOLLAND Plumbing Works San Francisco CA LIC #817607

Contractor inspection reports and pre-purchase consulting

415.370.4341

Lila Caffery, MA, CCHT San Francisco: 415.337.9474 Complimentary phone consultation www.InnerChildHealing.com

•Interiors •Exteriors •Kitchens •Baths

Lic. # 872560

➤ Drain-Sewer Cleaning Service ➤ Water Heaters ➤ Gas Pipes ➤ Toilets ➤ Faucets ➤ Garbage Disposals ➤ Copper Repiping ➤ Sewer Replacement ➤ Video Camera & Line locate PROMPT AND UNPARALLELED SERVICE

Lic. #742961

Do you want to be more fulfilled in love and work – but find things keep getting in the way?

(650) 355-4926

Affordable Decks • Additions • General Remodel • Carports

415.383.6122

Interior-Exterior wallpaper hanging & removal Lic # 526818 Senior Discount

415-269-0446 650-738-9295

www.sospainting.net FREE ESTIMATES

Construction

Cahalan Const.

Remodeles, Additions, Kitchens, Baths, Dryrot, Stucco

415.279.1266 Lic. #582766 415.566.8646 mikecahalan@gmail.com

Lic.# 593788

NOTICE TO READERS

Licensed contractors are required by law to list their license numbers in advertisments. The law also state that contractors performing work totaling $500 or more must be state-licensed. Advertisments appearing in this newspaper without a license number indicate that the contractor is not licensed.

For more info, contact: Contractors State License Board 800-321-2752

May 6, 2011

Catholic San Francisco

19

Rooms for rent Caregiver Medicare Supplement Island Home Are you Paying Too For rent - 2 Furnished Rooms San Juans For Women Only $600 a month Much For Your Medicare N/S, No pets. Shared Kitchen Supplement Plan Islands Home Call 650-488-0428, 650-982-9065 F, J, G or N? Personal companion, medications, grooming, appointments, shopping, driving, & Alzheimer’s care over 20 years experience, honest and reliable, outstanding references, bonded.

or 650-892-4459

Call (415) 713-1366

PUBLISH A NOVENA Pre-payment required Mastercard or Visa accepted

Cost $26

If you wish to publish a Novena in the Catholic San Francisco You may use the form below or call 415-614-5640

Free Quote (800) 790-6409

Prayer to the Blessed Virgin never known to fail.

Most beautiful flower of Mt. Carmel Blessed Mother of the Son of God, assistme in my need. Help me and show me you are my mother.

Oh Holy Mary, Mother of God, Queen of Heaven and earth. I humbly beseech you from the bottom of my heart to help me in this need.

Oh Mary, conceived without sin. Pray for us (3X).

Holy Mary, I place this cause in your hands (3X).

Say prayers 3 days.

C.O.

Ken Stark CA Lic 0E66061 SE02

Caregivers ACACIA HOME CAREGIVERS

Compassionate, quality home care for seniors

Nancy A. Concon, Owner - Nurse Serving the Bay Area

Your prayer will be published in our newspaper

Prayer to the Blessed Virgin never known to fail.

Name Adress Phone MC/VISA # Exp.

Most beautiful flower of Mt. Carmel Blessed Mother of the Son of God, assistme in my need. Help me and show me you are my mother.

Oh Holy Mary, Mother of God, Queen of Heaven and earth. I humbly beseech you from the bottom of my heart to help me in this need.

Oh Mary, conceived without sin. Pray for us (3X).

Holy Mary, I place this cause in your hands (3X).

Say prayers 3 days.

C.O.

FREE IN-HOME ASSESSMENT

(415) 505-7830 (415) 386-7830 (415) 374-4094

A master suite with a jetted tub, its own deck, a sitting room and 210-degree view of the Strait of Juan de Fuca and Cattle Pass are features of this 3-bedroom, 2 bath unique home on 2.1 acres on Lopez Island.

Very private, yet close to island airport and golf course.

Two-car garage. Stone fireplace.

Walk to beach. $399,000 – $115,000 under county assessed value.

E-mail Dan at cnsuncle01@yahoo.com for more info and/or photos.

(360) 299-0506

Chimney Cleaning PLEASE RECYCLE THIS PAPER! Automotive â?‘ Prayer to the Blessed Virgin â?‘ Prayer to the Holy Spirit

Select One Prayer: â?‘ St. Jude Novena to SH â?‘ Prayer to St. Jude

Please return form with check or money order for $26 Payable to: Catholic San Francisco Advertising Dept., Catholic San Francisco 1 Peter Yorke Way, San Francisco, CA 94109

Hilltop Buick Pontiac GMC Truck I P L B A ! • Extensive inventory means selection

Summ e Speciar/Fall ls

$89

$119

$139

Tutoring Providers Now Enrolling for Summer

• Competitive pricing • Give us your bid • We can offer YOU SAVINGS! • Exceptional customer service

Learn to Express Yourself! with confidence!

• Easy access off I-80 at Hilltop Richmond Summer WRITING CAMPS Small Classes

J

N • 510.222.4141 3230 Auto Plaza, Richmond 94806

One-on-One Coaching

.

.

Real Estate Sue Schultes, Realtor

Language Arts Fundamentals Leading Edge Methodology

Money Back Guarantee!

Director of Luxury Homes Division Seniors Real Estate Specialist

Whether you’re buying a new home or selling your current one, you have to trust your agent. Sue is committed to culSue Schultes, tivating that trust by serving all of her clients’ real estate needs: personal, professional, and financial. Sue loves what Realtor she does, and part of her passion comes from the belief in working for the greater good. Active in her parish at St. Agnes, on the Board of Little Brothers Friends of the Elderly she creates the possibility of a positive future for all of us. Contact her today.

415.307.0153

(800) 886-8070

www.AceAcademics.net

•

1-1 Tutoring

•

Customized Programs

•

Multisensory Methods

•

Proven Results

•

Effective interventions for Learning Disabilities

Reading Comprehension Writing

800-790-5302

Math

Expression

www.TheReadingClinic.com

Catholic San Francisco

SSchultes@Paragon-re.com www.doorsofyourlife.com

classifieds FOR ADVERTISING INFORMATION visit us at www.catholic-sf.org or

Visit us at catholic-sf.org

Call: 415-614-5642 Fax: 415-614-5641 Email: penaj@sfarchdiocese.org

20

Catholic San Francisco

May 6, 2011

In Remembrance of the Faithful Departed Interred In Our Catholic Cemeteries During the Month of March Catherine Hand Robert G. Heim Mama Tila Henriquez Joan Barry Herlihy Carmen Abarca William P. Hernan, Jr. Lindamina E. Alves Mary L. Isola Joseph “Joe” Ambrose Margaret A. Klobucar Bailey Victor Anderson Rev. William L. Knapp Donald “Ozzie” Ashbrook Lambert Kremsreiter Maria De La Luz Edward M. Kurtela Ramirez Ayala William L’Heureux Yolanda I. Bangot Mary Ellen Lanthier Angelina A. Barbitta Tillie LaRocca Barbara Joy Barnes Jesus Carreno Lechuga Marie Rose Bell Michael Vincent Leddy Rev. Robert Beltrami, OFM Renee B. Louhoo Lillian Bozzini Catherine Lubicich Omar Brubaker Patricia J. Madison Elsa G. Cagigal Primo D. Madrid Vera Cecchi Sr. Mary Georgina Maher, RSM Rosalina Bayani Chanco William Marshall Albert John Chelone Michelina Martella Gloria M. Clark Macedonio P. Matias Sr. Cirila Aguilar Cortes, OCD Joseph E. Mazzaferri Mary Agnes Costello Peter Melodia Corina Cruz Henry A. Miller Ivan Cukar Dolores Marie Miranda Rev. Phillip J. Cunningham Oscar E. Miranda, Jr. Thomas Cushen Elena Mohs Carlo S. D’Acquisto Geraldine Molina John E. Dake, Jr. Noemi Payongayong Mullins Donna Dal Colletto Harold W. Muniz, Sr. Ella M. (Maureen) Dalton Regina Murphy James Michael Devine Susan C. Negueloua Walton W. Dickhoff Lena M. Neubecker Michael Anthony DiGuiseppi Eligio N. Noguera Carol B. Dillon Lillian M. Ottoboni Mary Elizabeth O’Boyle Florita Paderes Hale Dolan Grace M. “Dolly” Pallari Anthony J. Duffy Massimo Petri Rona “Redd” Dusuau Margaret Philpott Rico V. Eleazar Jesus Pineda Josefa Espinosa Serafin Zavala Pizano George L. Ferris Dieter H. Poppenhausen Eileen Flaherty Guillermo Pulido Rodolfo Flores Louis Thomas Rebollini Elba Maria Fonseca Maria R. Reichmuth Josefina R. Ford Homer J. Reina Leon G. Franchisteguy Sr. Rena Ricci, RSM Consuelo Freire Victoria Riveral John R. Gaehwiler Richard P. Rost Oscar Galeno Phyllis M. Rubio Eleanor B. Giorgi Rosemarie J Sanchez Thomas Dennis Gonzales Ilar B. Schoenstein Esteban O. Gonzalez John E. Schultz Albert F. Griffin, Sr. Mary E. Shea Evelyn A. Grossman Lucille R. Silva

HOLY CROSS COLMA

Florentino A. Solis Charles R. Springer Daniel J. Stoyko Frances A. Surina Sr. Mary Regina Sutton, RSM Marlene G. Tannehill Claire M. Tehaney Josie K. Tengco Clarisse L. Tom Mary K. Torpey Juliette J. Totah Martha M. Trujillo Arthur Thomas Turiello, Jr. Elida Saldana Valadez Jesus Vega, Jr. Geraldine Velasquez Thomas R. Winter Nancy Liu Zolan

HOLY CROSS MENLO PARK Joseph George Bowman Leona Buyle Gabriel Gonzalez Catherine Joseph Habeeb James R. Mason Moore “Mike” Moran Anne Brown O’Donnell Leonie Emma Schmidt Arthur J. Sullivan Zoe Anastasia Szczerba Efren Ochoa Valencia

MT. OLIVET SAN RAFAEL Rose Dubost Henrique (Henry) Freitas Mary Jane Gaebel Edmond Jaruzel Margaret V. Kenneally John (Jack) McCaffrey Frances H. Paganini Anita Pompeii Edward P. Regalia Elaine C. Regalia Angelina B. Teixeira December: James M. Pandiani

ST. ANTHONY’S, PESCADERO Jesse Manell Gomes

HOLY CROSS CATHOLIC CEMETERY, COLMA FIRST SATURDAY MASS – May 7, 2011 All Saints Mausoleum Chapel – 11:00 a.m.

Rev. William Brady, Celebrant

Memorial Day Mass Monday, May 31, 2011 Holy Cross Mausoleum Chapel – 11:00 a.m.

Archbishop George H. Niederauer – Celebrant

The Catholic Cemeteries Archdiocese of San Francisco www.holycrosscemeteries.com HOLY CROSS CATHOLIC CEMETERY 1500 Mission Road, Colma, CA 650-756-2060 PILARCITOS CEMETERY Hwy. 92 @ Main, Half Moon Bay, CA 650-712-1676

HOLY CROSS CATHOLIC CEMETERY Intersection of Santa Cruz Avenue, Menlo Park, CA 650-323-6375 ST. ANTHONY CEMETERY Stage Road, Pescadero, CA 650-712-1679

MT. OLIVET CATHOLIC CEMETERY 270 Los Ranchitos Road, San Rafael, CA 415-479-9020 OUR LADY OF THE PILLAR CEMETERY Miramontes St., Half Moon Bay, CA 650-712-1679

A Tradition of Faith Throughout Our Lives.

May 6, 2011

Catholic San Francisco

JP3

A portrait of the pope in the words of those who touched his cloak The character of Pope John Paul II emerges in these vignettes, most of A papal touch, and tears them shared by Catholic San Francisco readers who personally encounBy Cyrus and Rebecca Johnson tered the pope.

The blessing of Brendan

By Elaine O’Rourke My family will never forget the pope’s appearance at Mission Dolores for the special blessing for those afflicted with AIDS. My husband and I brought Brendan, our 4-year-old son, who had recently been diagnosed. My two sisters, Marcia and Philomena, were sitting with us in the pew.

My sister-in-law, Delta, who was also sick, was in the back of the basilica with my two nieces, Angie and Rachael.

Brendan and Pope John Paul II had a special moment as they shared a warm embrace.

This embrace was photographed and published in newspapers worldwide. I truly believe these photos opened people’s hearts to those suffering with HIV/AIDS. We had recently moved away from our parish of St. James in the city, and I was afraid that when people in our new parish and school found out our son had AIDS, they would not welcome us out of fear of Brendan’s condition.

After the pope embraced Brendan, I knew I had no cause to worry. Pope John Paul II modeled Christ’s love for those in need of healing. Brendan became the face that could

Pope John Paul II embraces Brendan O’Rourke at Mission Dolores in 1987 in an iconic moment in his papacy.

now be associated with that terrible disease.

The church’s compassionate response was no longer in doubt.

The pope’s embrace and the acceptance that followed helped us immeasurably. We felt supported by our new parish and by the greater Roman Catholic community.

The writer, who lives in San Francisco, is the mother of Brendan O’Rourke, who died Aug. 17, 1990 of AIDS shortly before his 8th birthday.

Pope John Paul II is the patron of our family. He has never once let us down.

We both joke now that we are “relics,” and “second-class” at that.

During the jubilee year of 2000 we had the high privilege and grace of attending the audience with the Holy Father and receiving the Sposi Novelli blessing June 7, 2000 on our recent marriage begun four days before.

What does one say to the pope? This was the question we pondered. “Nice to meet you.” “How are you?” “Thank you, good to see you.” Everything sounded completely trite and inappropriate to us.

Then we remembered that the best expression would be one of love, because God is love, and, being both from Polish families, that the best expression would be in his native tongue.

“Kocham Cie” is the best we could muster to say “I love you” in the native tongue of the first pope from Poland in the history of the church who was especially legendary in our part Polish- descended families. We planned to say it together.

When we were blessed by the pope, Cyrus, lost in time, completely forgot to say “Kocham Cie.” The papal handlers had just begun to politely nudge us to the side to make room for the next couple when

of joy for newlyweds

Newlyweds Cyrus and Rebecca Johnson in St. Peter’s Square with the pope in 2000.

Rebecca remembered and blurted out, “Kocham Cie.” At this point John Paul raised his hand to the handlers as if to stop them from removing us and leaned forward in his chair to take Rebecca’s face in his outstretched hand (the picture). Whether he said anything, neither of us now remembers for at that point we were lost in tears of joy and great emotion.

That is how we became “second-class relics” and why John Paul II is patron of our family. Santo Subito!

The writers are members of St. Matthew Parish in San Mateo.

Piloting the pope

Prayerful, playful pontiff during Vatican visit

By Michael L Cariño

By Donna Nathanson

In February of 1981, as a helicopter pilot in the Philippine Air Force, I had the very distinct honor of flying Pope John Paul II in a helicopter when he first visited the Philippines.

The flight was but a short one — just 20 minutes or so and could be categorized as routine and generally inconsequential. But what made that event truly memorable to me was the simple fact that I was directly rendering a service to the pope, and that I had the very rare opportunity and privilege to be literally close enough to touch him. The fact was I saw to it that I, and no one else among my crew, would personally fasten his seatbelt! It was one of the few times that I exercised the privileges of my rank in the military service.

It was an experience that couldn’t be forgotten. The tremendous feeling of awe and reverence that accompanied Pope John Paul II’s presence was to me, truly indescribable. I

My mom and I met Pope John Paul II in September 1991 while visiting my brother who was studying in Rome. I jokingly told my brother that if I was traveling all that way to see him that the least he could do was arrange a meeting with the pope.

My brother, Capuchin Father Julian Haas, got the call from the papal office while we were walking the halls of the Vatican. He hung up and said, “Mom, on Monday morning we get to meet the Holy Father and have Mass with him.”

For my mother, this was her moment of heaven on earth. We arrived at the Vatican’s large bronze doors by 6 a.m. and walked through the Vatican into the pope’s private meeting quarters. My brother was invited to concelebrate Mass with the pope and we were invited to attend.

When we turned the corner to the chapel it was like something hit me … I just got tears in my eyes. A gal from Kansas, moved to the big city, kept her faith, joked with her brother about meeting him and there Pope John Paul II was, right in front of me. He was praying when we entered. Head bowed, hands on forehead in deep prayerful concentration. My first thought was, “I am in the presence of Our Lord.” I mean, imagine meeting Jesus. It was so beautiful, so peaceful, and so uniquely quiet, and prayer and happiness surrounded you. If this is what heaven is like, sign me up! I want to be on the guest list.

After Mass, the pope spoke with each of us.

When he and I spoke, he was kidding around

Young and old . . .

■ Continued from page JP1 in preparation for the beatification Mass in St. Peter’s Square the next morning. One of the many homemade banners read in Engish: “Karol, we are here with you.”

Brother Tristan Abbot of the Cayman Islands, a member of the Society of Our Lady of the Holy Trinity, was among those who came to remember and pray. “John Paul II is our hero. He taught us what it is to love. … We want to have his courage,” he said.

Mob angered pope Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz, the archbishop of Krakow, who was the pope’s personal secretary for some 40 years, said he knew he was living and working next to a saint — even before his election as pope in 1978.

The cardinal said he could remember only two times when Pope John Paul showed anger. One was during a trip to Sicily in 1993, when the pope vehemently denounced the Mafia in language that “frightened all of us,” he said.

The other time he saw the pope angry, he said, was just before the start of the U.S.-led war against Iraq in 2003, when the pope publicly warned that military action would never resolve the problems.

“He was right,” Cardinal Dziwisz added.

Then-Maj. Michael Cariño with the helicopter he piloted for Pope John Paul II in 1981.

couldn’t find the words to adequately explain it but could only say that perhaps that feeling would be somewhat close to what I’d have if ever I am fortunate enough in my afterlife to be in the presence of the Lord.

The writer, a member of Our Lady of Mercy Parish in Daly City, is a retired Philippine Air Force colonel.

Lady Joy Okechukwu from Abuja, Nigeria, came to Rome with 41 people from her archdiocese. Asked why she considered Pope John Paul II a saint, she said: “His humility, his kind heartedness, his love for the Blessed Virgin Mary. I love her too.”

Thousands of candles glimmered in the darkness as a Philippines choir sang “Ave Maria.” In an amateur video montage made

by Rome students, young people said in simple language what they appreciated about the late pope — especially his spiritual depth and his ability to reach out to all kinds of people.

The crowd cheered French Sister Marie Simon-Pierre, whose cure from Parkinson’s disease was accepted as the miracle that paved the way for Pope John Paul’s beatification. The nun beamed as she recounted her unexpected healing.

She said when she was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2001 at the age of 40, she found it difficult to watch Pope John Paul, who suffered from the same disease. “I saw in him the image of my illness. But I admired his strength and courage,” she said.

When the pope died, she felt a great emptiness, as if she had lost someone who could sustain and support her. Two months later, her condition had worsened. Then, after prayers to the late pope, she awoke early one morning feeling well rested.

“I felt something had changed in me, and I was healed,” she said. The crowd in the Circus Maximus erupted in applause.

Donna Nathanson with the pope.

with me and he punches me in the arm. I’m like, “the pope just punched me.” My brother tells me that I was messing with him as well, but I can’t remember that part. Pope John Paul asked me if I was married and I said, “No, but I was hoping that one day I would meet someone special.” Then he asked me where I was from and I said “San Francisco.” He commented, “There are many suffering with AIDS and illness there.” Then he put his arms on my shoulders and he gave me a rosary. He gave me a blessing and said, “May God bless you and your children.” I was like, “I don’t have any kids.” And his comment was with a wink, “You will.” Lonny and I met on Jan. 3, 1994 and we have Alex (the little love of my life, besides Lonny, that is!)

I have a picture hanging in our living room of me when I met Pope John Paul II. I sometimes stare at the picture and say, “Wow, I met a saint. How cool is that?”

The writer is a member of St. Gabriel Parish.

Pope John Paul: ‘An aura of light around him’

By Bertha Rivas On March 17, 1990, my aunt and uncle, my husband and I, attended an audience with Pope John Paul II at the Vatican. There were people from all over the world and Pope John Paul spoke in several languages.

I was mesmerized to hear and see him in person. There was an aura of light around

‘Beautiful’ San Francisco

By Sean and Patricia Spiers Our experience meeting Pope John Paul II was in 1987. Our good friend Msgr. John Magee (now a bishop) was at that time secretary to the pope. He arranged for us to be in the front row of the pope’s general audience.

It was one of the most memorable events

him. At the end of his audience, Pope John Paul walked up one aisle and back on the other side. My aunt was able to touch his hand, and then she touched all three of us.

We were blessed to see him so close. He was radiant. It was an unforgettable and glorious experience for the four of us.

The writer is a member of St. Charles Parish in San Carlos. in our lives when Pope John Paul held our hands and spoke to us. He asked where we were from and when we answered it was San Francisco, he smiled and said “beautiful.” He then blessed the medals we were wearing.

Our son, Michael, had backpacked across Europe with his friend Mark Deville after college graduation. While in Rome, Bishop Magee, arranged for them to have a private PORTRAIT OF THE POPE, page JP4

JP4

Catholic San Francisco

May 6, 2011

For many, John Paul’s humanity made him a more accessible saint

Portrait of the pope . . .

■ Continued from page JP3 audience with the pope at Castel Gandolfo where he was recovering from the attempt on his life. During their conversation with Pope John Paul he asked Michael if he was a theology student and Michael replied that no, his major was economics. The pope then

CNS PHOTO/CATHOLIC PRESS PHOTO

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — One of the most curious tributes in the run-up to Pope John Paul II’s beatification came from Mexico, where church officials recalled the late pope’s love for mangos.

During his first trip to Mexico in 1979, the pope enthused about the Latin American fruit, and his Mexican hosts began preparing dishes that used the mango in every possible way. Afterward, they regularly sent boxes of mangos to the Vatican so there would always be some on the pope’s table.

Even when Pope John Paul was very ill toward the end of his life, the late Cardinal Ernesto Corripio Ahumada of Mexico City sent him mangos — and called the deputy secretary of state to make sure the pope had received them.

The story, recounted by the Vatican missionary news agency Fides April 28, may seem marginal, but it offers insight into the ways Pope John Paul connected with people of every place and culture. His spiritual intensity may have made him a saint, but his humanity made him a saint they could relate to.

Throughout his 26-year pontificate, Pope John Paul paid attention not only to world leaders but also to the “little people” and what was on their minds. On his journeys outside the Vatican, he would chat with workers, visit the sick and make pilgrimage to even the most humble of local shrines.

More than once, he stepped off the official papal motorcade route to drop in on families in Africa and Latin America. He sipped tea in their huts, and once, after visiting a Brazilian shantytown, he took off his papal ring and left

CNS PHOTO/CATHOLIC PRESS PHOTO

By John Thavis

Pope John Paul II gestures during his 1980 visit to Paris. At right, two children stand with Pope John Paul II in 2005 as they release two white doves off the balcony of the pontiff’s private apartment at the Vatican.

put people at their ease, often with a sense of humor. When he held hands and danced onstage with young people in Australia in 1986, one of the girls began to cry. The smiling pope hugged her and said simply, “Don’t worry.”

Carl Anderson, the supreme knight of the Knights of Columbus, was impressed with the way Pope John Paul patiently greeted the sick and disabled at his public events, chatting with them one by one and blessing them. He was not going through the motions; he was interested in them.

“These were small actions that were not necessary and not expected. It was something he was doing that was different, personal and made that person feel very special with the encounter,” Anderson said.

The late pope routinely went outside the traditional boundaries of the papacy, in things

smiled and with a twinkle in his eye said “Well, that’s the theology of the church.”

The Holy Father then presented each of them with a rosary which he blessed and tickets to a beatification ceremony presided over by the pope the next day at St. Peter’s. It was an experience that touched them deeply and that they will never forget.

The writers are members of St. Gabriel Parish in San Francisco

A meal for no ordinary man -- at Carmel Mission

‘He looked into my soul’ during Vatican visit

By Bill and Pat White In the fall of 1989, my wife Pat and I went to Rome. Our pastor at the time, Father John Glogowski, arranged for us to attend Mass celebrated by Pope John Paul II at the Vatican.

We were in the hall for more than an hour as the pope said Mass and then gave a brief welcome address (without notes) in many different languages. He was very inspiring.

At the end of the address, the pope began his exit from the hall by walking up the center aisle toward the rear, giving blessings from side to side to those along the way as he slowly moved toward us. My wife and I were seated two-thirds of the way back directly on the aisle — perfectly located for the pope’s approach.

There were two small nuns sitting by us, but we were blocking their view and their ability to get closer to the aisle and receive a blessing from the pope. As Pope John Paul approached, Pat and I looked at each other and moved aside so that the delighted nuns could move right to

the aisle. I can remember thinking — these were two who had given their lives to God and they, more than we, deserved to get a closer view of the pope.

Unknown to Pat and me, the pope had seen us step back. And when he reached our row, he showered attention on the two nuns. But he also stepped into our aisle and specifically reached out to touch my hand. He grabbed my hand in a firm grasp and looked me directly in the eye for what felt like an eternity. I felt he looked deep into my soul. I was totally overwhelmed with the joy of touching the pontiff’s hand. Pat would later joke that I didn’t want to wash my hand for two days.

We left the chapel full of joy. This holy man missed little of what was around him.

He was such an inspiration of love — not just for the nuns, but for all of us. Pope John Paul II has held a special place in our hearts ever since that day.

The writers are parishioners of St. Mary Star of the Sea Parish in Sausalito.

Strumming ‘Silent Night’ Retired TWA pilot Nelson Krueger was captain of “Shepherd One,” the pope’s transportation on his Oct. 1-7, 1979, apostolic journey to the U.S. Hearing that the pope played guitar for youth in Ireland, Krueger brought his 12-string along, just in case.

Waiting for clearance to take off from Philadelphia for Des Moines, Krueger unpacked his guitar and strummed a chord. Like a shot, the pontiff raced to the cockpit.

“He looked at the guitar, so I handed it to him,” Krueger said. “He started strumming it, then he adjusted two strings by ear. Then he strummed a full C chord and belted out ‘Silent

big and small. He was the first modern pope to visit a synagogue, a fact that’s remembered with affection by the Jews in Rome’s ancient “ghetto” neighborhood. Many of them keep a photo of the Polish pope in their shops.

One of his favorite Christmas meetings was with Rome’s garbage collectors and street sweepers, who would welcome him to their nativity scene near the Vatican. He never gave a speech, and instead joked with them about getting direct orders from God not to skip their annual encounter.

Pope John Paul was, of course, serious about evangelizing. But he seemed to recognize that evangelization was easier after building bridges with people in every walk of life. Sometimes he did it by giving a speech.

And sometimes he did it by slipping on a rock star’s sunglasses, or savoring a mango.

it to be sold for the benefit of the local residents.

He opened a hostel for the poor inside the Vatican, and personally hosted the homeless for holiday dinners. In Rome, he visited the most out-of-the-way parishes and spent the better part of his Sundays with parishioners.

Everywhere he went, Pope John Paul seemed to imbibe the local culture and embrace its expressions. He did this in the simplest of gestures: donning a tribal headdress in Kenya, swinging a hockey stick in St. Louis or drinking a pepper-root brew from a coconut shell in Fiji.

He did it through words, routinely taking language lessons before his travels. In Tanzania in 1990, thanks to a cassette tape he dutifully toted en route, he was able to charm and amaze his listeners in near-perfect Swahili.

During public ceremonies, Pope John Paul

Night,’ in a big, full, nice voice.

“Then he looked at me and nodded, like, ‘Aren’t you going to join in?’ so I did,” Krueger said. “Soon, everybody was singing, ‘Holy night. All is calm, all is bright.’”

By the time the song was finished, the flight was cleared for takeoff.

Krueger put the guitar back in its case with a TWA sticker, telling the pope that TWA meant, “This Way America.”

“Oh, no,” said the pope. “It means, ‘Traveling With Angels.’”

– Courtesy The Catholic Key, newspaper of the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph, Mo.

By Douglas Robertson My Catholic wife encouraged me to join the church and complete the sacraments years before. Thanks to her urging, I got the gig to be the pope’s chef during his visit to Carmel. I prepared a meal of corn chowder, a salad complete with Carmel Valley greens and Castroville artichokes, a poached salmon freshly caught in Monterey Bay, and a fruit tart dessert in the shape of a Franciscan cross. My wife made the pope’s coffee.

In a historic snapshot, we shake hands and smile for an obliging cardinal holding my camera. It was a delicious moment.

As a career chef I’ve had the opportunity to shake hands with a few celebrities, politicians and the like, but this was different.

Serving that one meal cemented my faith in a way that nothing else could, because Pope John Paul II was unlike any other man.

A footnote on the 1987 papal meal at Carmel Mission: Several times during the meal, Robertson interacted with the pope, including when he brought in the dessert

Chef Douglas Robertson’s “delicious moment” with the pope at Carmel Mission in 1987.

and the pope told him, “Douglas, you do good work.” The pope’s coffee was vanillaflavored, and the pontiff drank three or four cups. After the meal, the pope thanked each person, Robertson recalled. “When he shook my hands, I said, ‘We will meet again,’” Robertson said. “He kind of stopped, looked me in the eye, and winked. That was intense.”

Recalling Cardinal Wojtyla in Bay Area

By Caria Tomczykowska At the time of his first visit to San Francisco in 1976, Cardinal Karol Wojtyla met with representatives of Polish organizations, veterans, school children and Scouts.

The meetings were held at various parishes and each person that encountered him, shook his hand, or was blessed by him, never forgot that moment or the moment when he was elected in 1978.

Cardinal Karol Wojtyla befriended our family through the efforts of my late mother, Wanda Tomczykowska, founder of The Polish Arts and Culture Foundation here which was devoted to establishing a free Poland. Mother was also instrumental in obtaining a reproduction of the icon of Our Lady of Czestochowa for the sacristy at St. Mary’s Cathedral at which the pope prayed before saying Mass.

At the Mass at Candlestick Park Sept.

18, 1987, Pope John Paul II had a smile on his face as my mother approached for Communion. That picture still invokes a shiver through me when I see it, and I find great comfort in it, as it hung by her bedside when

The writer’s late mother, Wanda Tomczykowska, receives Communion from the pope.

she died. I am sure that they now have had some amazing moments together, discussing history, sharing stories and hovering over us. The very special Certificate of Apostolic Blessing for her, and The Polish Arts and Culture Foundation were sources of ongoing encouragement. In looking at it now for this article, I just realized it was dated March 2, 1982, and she died on March 2, 2010.

The writer lives in the Diocese of Oakland.