December 23, 2012 by Catholic San Francisco

Call to prayer: Historical response to modern issues

PAGE 8

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CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | DECEMBER 21, 2012

(PHOTO BY DENNIS CALLAHAN/CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO)

Blessings of Our Lady falling as rose petals Eighteen-hundred people stood shoulder to shoulder Dec. 12 at Mission Dolores Basilica for 5 a.m. Mass celebrated by Bishop William J. Justice in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe. In December 1531, the Catholic convert Juan Diego presented roses to the bishop of Mexico City as proof of his miraculous encounter with Our Lady. As parishioners reenacted the presentation at the Mass, rose petals fell from the basilica dome. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The rose petals symbolize the grace and the blessings we receive from the Blessed Mother and from God,â&#x20AC;? said Mission Dolores pastor Father Arturo Albano.

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ARCHDIOCESE 3

CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | DECEMBER 21, 2012

‘Great Christmas story’: Newborn saved by SFPD officers VALERIE SCHMALZ

‘I knew in my head I wasn’t going to let that baby die on a Muni platform in the rain.’

CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO

Quick thinking by two San Francisco police officers, who drove a dying newborn to the hospital in the front seat of their patrol car, is credited with saving the baby’s life. Officers Steve Gritsch and Matt Cloud are “absolute genuine heroes,” said Police Chief Greg Suhr. “Baby boy Nash is alive today because of the quick thinking of these officers.” Gritsch performed CPR holding the newborn on his lap in the front seat of the car while his partner drove to San Francisco General Hospital, where an emergency room team was prepped and waiting. “It was interesting in a small space and we were sliding around pretty good, but it worked out I guess,” said Gritsch, who had been an EMT and firefighter for about four years in the Santa Rosa area before joining the police department. Gritsch is a five year veteran of the police department and Cloud has been a San Francisco police officer for seven years. “We drove right up front and I kind of sprinted into the hospital and when we put him on the table he was kind of moving around. So I was pretty thrilled about that,” said Gritsch, who when asked, said he did not believe he had a chance of saving the child’s life. Baby boy Nash was stable and doing well at SF General, police said. His mother, Nneka Nash, 39, faces one felony count of willful cruelty to a

OFFICER MATT CLOUD

(PHOTO BY VALERIE SCHMALZ/CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO)

Officers Steve Gritsch, left, and Matt Cloud are “absolute genuine heroes,” San Francisco Police Chief Greg Suhr said. Gritsch performed lifesaving CPR on a dying newborn Dec. 12 while his partner drove to the hospital. child and one misdemeanor count of failure to provide care to a child, said Stephanie Ong Stillman, district attorney spokesman. The story began Dec. 12 when police got a 2 a.m. call of a bleeding baby at Third and McKinnon streets in the Bayview District, where a woman had handed the baby to a man on the street and disappeared, police said.

“We pulled up – some guy hands me a bloody jacket and it was all closed up and I open it up and there’s a blue baby in there. It wasn’t breathing so I began CPR on him and then we just kind of sprinted for our patrol car and hopped in and he drove,” said Gritsch. “There was no movement, no screaming, no crying, no puffing of the chest. I didn’t think he was

breathing,” said Cloud at a press conference Dec. 17 at the Bayview police station. Cloud watched his partner take the baby to the Muni platform to do CPR. Both men have young children. Gritsch has a child almost 2 and Cloud has a 1½-year-old and a 4-year-old. “I knew it was possibly going to be 10 or 15 minutes before the baby got to the hospital and I really didn’t think the baby had any kind of chance at point of waiting that long. I knew in my head I wasn’t going to let that baby die on a Muni platform in the middle of the rain,” Cloud said. Cloud called out his partner’s name, and said, “‘Hey, you want to take him, let’s go.’ His response was, ‘yeah, let’s go,’” Cloud said. “I hopped in the car and we took off and told dispatch if that ambulance catches us we’ll pull over.” The men “couldn’t have been more quick-thinking,” said Suhr. “The baby had to get to the hospital if the baby was going to make it.” “It’s a great Christmas story,” said San Francisco Police Commission President Thomas Mazzucco. “They were doing the Lord’s work.”

Please help the Society of St. Vincent de Paul of San Mateo County

+23( To families and individuals facing emergency situations this holiday season. Your gift brings good tidings of great joy to your neighbor in need.

Give HOPE – keep a family housed $500 Give PEACE – lights & heat $200 Give LOVE – homeless meals $100 Give JOY – family dinner $40 ȰɀɆɃ ȺȿȴɃȶȲɄȶȵ ɀɃ ȿȶɈ ȸȺȷɅ ɈȺȽȽ ȳȶ ȾȲɅȴȹȶȵ ȳɊ Ʌȹȶ ȪɀȳɃȲɅɀ ȝȲȾȺȽɊ ȝɀɆȿȵȲɅȺɀȿ

țɀȿȲɅȶ ɀȿȽȺȿȶ ȲɅ ɈɈɈ ɄɇȵɁ ɄȲȿȾȲɅȶɀȴɀ ɀɃȸ

Ȫȭȵȧ ȪȲȿ ȤȲɅȶɀ ȥɀɃɅȹ ș ȪɅɃȶȶɅ ȪȲȿ ȤȲɅȶɀ ȚȘ

4 ON THE STREET WHERE YOU LIVE

CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | DECEMBER 21, 2012

Time is gift from this Santa and Mrs. Claus TOM BURKE CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO

Curtis Mallegni has served as Santa Claus at St. Cecilia Parish and school since 1995 including suited visits to the primary grades and listening to kids’ Christmas wishes at the annual pancake breakfast he helped begin 17 years ago. Additional stints as the Jolly Old Elf include this year’s faculty and staff party at St. Ignatius College Preparatory. Curtis is a 1967 SI Curtis Mallegni grad. “He looks forward to this time of year because of the joy he sees in the kids when he enters the room,” Curtis’ daughter, Francesca Mallegni Ohanessian, SI 2002 and admission director at Mercy High School, Burlingame told me. Outside of the red suit, Curtis is just as busy. He has coached basketball for more than 20 years at St. Cecilia and is current chairman of the board of trustees at SI. Francesca’s mom, Kathy Mallegni, a Corpus Christi School and Immaculate Conception Academy alum is also much in service. She is very active at ICA and has also served in a volunteer capacity at DeMarillac Academy, Francesca said. Congrats to Francesca and Greg Ohanessian, SI 2002, who were married in June at St. Dominic Church, San Francisco. ZONED FOR CHRISTMAS: With enough structures to set up a gingerbread subdivision, parishioners at Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish built 40 houses from the iconic holiday confection to mark the first Sunday of Advent. “Last year, I came up with the idea to bring IHM parish together for a gingerbread house event,” Rosalie Shaw told me. The plan Andrew Shaw had full support of pastor Father Steve Howell, and took off from the start, Rosalie said. Children and their families from the preschool, elementary school, and religious education program took part. The cookie abodes were decorated with frosting and candy and coconut and about 120 people were on the job. The $30 donation for the prefab houses, proceeds from a hot chocolate booth plus special donations by Rosalie, her husband, Cary and Gloria and Don Oswald, netted about $800 for the par-

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(PHOTO BY ANDREW SHAW)

INSPIRING WOMEN: Beatrice Wirth-Jimenez of St. Anne of the Sunset Parish is this year’s Jane Thain Award winner. The recognition is by San Francisco Archdiocesan Council of Catholic Women for leadership in parish ministry and community service. Also honored for their good work in parish ministry were Paris Edgeton, St. Francis of Assisi Parish, East Palo Alto; Lourdes Schererr, St. Brendan Parish; Cheri Giradot, St. Pius Parish and Mary Alba, St. Agnes Parish. Jane Thain is a former ACCW president “who had a gift for identifying and encouraging laywomen leadership,” ACCW said. Pictured from left are Paris, Lourdes, Janet Thain Schrader, daughter of the award namesake; Beatrice, Virginia Keegan, award chairwoman; Cheri and Mary. and accepted donations for them at their annual “Give a Goat” fundraiser. Proceeds purchased two goats, flocks of geese, ducks and chicks, and honeybees through Heifer International, an organization helping people in 125 countries across the globe with regionally appropriate livestock as well as tree seedlings. At the helm of the St. Anselm effort was second grade teacher, Patty Pryor. “This fundraiser not only transforms one family’s life but entire communities by reaching the world’s most impoverished people,” the school said noting it “lets the second graders become part of that.” ANNIVERSARY: Happy 50 years married Dec. 1 to Nydia and Felipe Arguello, parishioners of St. Monica, San Francisco, for more than 40 years. All of their children graduated from St. Monica School and later Caroline from Star of the Sea High School, ‘81, Jessica, Star of the Sea High School, ‘82, John, Sacred Heart High School, ’84, and Claudia, Presentation High School, ‘86. “We are so grateful that God has blessed us with such wonderful parents!” said youngest, Claudia Hawkins, speaking for the whole bunch. ish. Rosalie and Cary’s son Leo ran the cocoa canteen. HERE A QUACK, THERE A QUACK: Goats do not eat tin cans but can help save lives, and second graders at St. Anselm School have put two goats and a bunch of other animals to work on that spirited mission. Students made 320 rosaries

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ALL HATS OFF: Thank you and sad goodbyes at St. Cecilia Parish, San Francisco, for Cecilia Brown, who died Dec. 5 at age 79. Cecilia was a longtime parishioner serving through the years as sacristan, flower minister, catechist, extraordinary minister of holy Communion and reader. A funeral Mass was celebrated Dec. 12 at St. Cecilia. AULD AND NEW: No CSF Dec. 28 or Jan. 4. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Email items and electronic pictures – jpegs at no less than 300 dpi to burket@sfarchdiocese.org or mail to Street, One Peter Yorke Way, San Francisco 94109. Include a follow-up phone number. Street is toll-free. My phone number is (415) 614-5634.

CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO 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. Postmaster: Send address changes to Catholic San Francisco, 1500 Mission Rd., P.O. Box 1577, Colma, CA 94014

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ARCHDIOCESE 5

CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | DECEMBER 21, 2012

Jan. 1 is holy day of obligation in archdiocese The solemnity falls on New Year’s Day because it is the octave of Christmas and the church celebrates the maternity of Mary eight days after celebrating the birth of Jesus. In this country, as decided by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Jan. 1 is a holy day of obligation. When Jan. 1 falls on a Saturday, Sunday or Monday, the solemnity is celebrated on the Sunday. Often, in the past, if Jan. 1 was on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday or Friday, the San Francisco archbishop dispensed the obligation to attend Mass although the solemnity was still celebrated at Mass.

LAURA BERTONE

January 1 is the Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God, one of the oldest feasts in the liturgical calendar and is a holy day of obligation for Catholics in the Archdiocese of San Francisco. Catholics are required to attend Mass on Jan. 1 and the liturgy will celebrate Mary’s role as the mother of God. The day is also World Day for Peace in the Catholic Church. A celebration commemorating Mary as the mother of God has been on the Catholic Church calendar for more than 1,500 years and is the oldest feast for Mary – celebrated long before feasts such as the Immaculate Conception or Assumption became part of the liturgical year. The feast began to be celebrated following the debates concerning Christ’s divinity. Once the church decreed that Christ was fully God and fully human, and these natures were united in Jesus Christ, Mary’s role as the “theotokos” (God-bearer) as well as the human mother of God, was confirmed and celebrated.

Obligation a duty and responsibility

Day devoted to Mary and peace

Around the 16th century, the feast of Mary on Jan. 1 was replaced in the Roman Church with the feast of the circumcision of Christ. Like all Jews, eight days after his birth Jesus underwent circumcision, marking him as a member of the people of God and part of the covenant between God and Abraham. On that day he also would have been named. However, in 1974 after the Second Vatican Council and the reformation of the liturgical calendar, Jan. 1 once again became the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, and was declared World Day of Peace by Pope Paul VI. “The purpose of the celebration is to honor the role of Mary in the mystery of salvation and at the same time to sing the praises of the unique dignity thus coming to “the Holy Mother...through whom we have been given the gift of the Author of life,” said Pope Paul VI (“Marialis Cultus,” Feb. 2, 1974,

(PHOTO BY DENNIS CALLAHAN/CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO)

A worshipper at Mission Dolores Basilica holds a bouquet of roses as an offering to Mary Dec. 12 on the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. The archdiocese will again venerate Our Lady Jan. 1, the Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God. No. 5). “This same solemnity also offers an excellent opportunity to renew the adoration rightfully to be shown to the newborn Prince of Peace, as we once again hear the good tidings of great joy and pray to God, through the intercession of the Queen of Peace, for the priceless gift of peace.”

This year, we are keeping the day as obligatory for all the faithful to attend Mass, and in particular to pray for peace. Many people object to the word “obligation” and say they do not like to be “required” or “forced” to attend an “extra” Mass. However, if instead it is thought of as a “duty” as Catholics to mark a special day and a “responsibility” as people of faith to celebrate the nature of Christ, the Queenship of Mary and the importance of peace, it is not so burdensome. In addition to attending Mass, canon law asks that on Sundays and holy days of obligation the faithful “… abstain from those works and affairs which hinder the worship to be rendered to God, the joy proper to the Lord’s day, or the suitable relaxation of mind and body” (Canon 1247). So we are asked to pray, celebrate Eucharist together, and truly take a holiday (holy day) to relax and worship. On Jan. 1, 2013, the archdiocese will be able to gather, celebrate the maternity of Mary, a week of celebrating Christmas, and pray for the peace our world so desperately needs. BERTONE is interim director of worship for the Archdiocese of San Francisco.

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thou shalnott KILL Gathering at 10:00 aa.m. m –W Walk from m St St. t Anthony Church to Mission Dolores Church. Church h Conclude with Mass at Mission Dolores Church – Mass starts at 12:00 noon. Accompany Most Reverend Auxiliary Bishop William J. Justice.

If you would ld lik like tto gett iinvolved l d in i Restorative R t ti JJustice ti please l contact t t JJulio li E Escobar b att 415 861-9579. 861 9579

6 ARCHDIOCESE

CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | DECEMBER 21, 2012

CCCYO Season of Caring: Stories of hope and recovery The following stories for Catholic Charities CYO’s Advent Season of Caring campaign illustrate the range of services provided by CCCYO in the archdiocese. To learn more, visit cccyo.org/seasonofcaring or call (425) 972-1291.

Michael and Ben Counseling Services

Michael and Ben, 7 and 10, were referred to Catholic Charities CYO after a severe episode of domestic violence took place in their home. Both boys were placed in foster care and were struggling to deal with feelings of anger and abandonment. It was a particularly hard time for Michael who, as the older brother, had assumed the role of parent and guardian for the family. Over the last two years, both boys have received intensive individual and family counseling. Their mother has also participated in counseling services and has made very positive changes in her life. She has ended her relationship with her boyfriend and has developed new parenting skills that will help reestablish a relationship of trust and support with her sons. Ben has improved his grades in school and Michael was able to play baseball last spring. All of these individual accomplishments and the effort that each member of the family invested were rewarded several months ago when the boys were able to return home.

Church of the Epiphany

(PHOTO COURTESY CATHOLIC CHARITIES CYO)

Jean, at left, and her daughter Randi are pictured together at San Carlos Adult Day Services. The CCCYO program has helped Jean receive the care she needs and helped Randi balance the demands of caregiving and work.

Randi and Jean

San Carlos Adult Day Services

Eight years ago, Randi began to notice that her 85-year old mother, Jean, was having trouble remembering things, which quickly escalated to a severe loss of cognitive function and serious memory loss. Randi suddenly found herself leaving her job so that she could provide 24-hour care for her mother. With very little information or training, the task of keeping her mother safe and healthy was overwhelming and she worried that her mother was not happy. Both of their lives changed

the day they decided to call Catholic Charities CYO and were referred to San Carlos Adult Day Services. During her first conversation, Randi received information about respite care and community resources, and arranged to have her mother visit the program. That was seven years ago. Jean now attends programming five days a week and is thriving. She has friends, enjoys playing bingo and dominoes, and most importantly, is safe and well cared for. Randi is also thriving and has been able to return to work part time. She has also developed new friendships in the caregiver support group and attends caregiver trainings that help her manage her mother’s care.

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2012 Christmas Week Schedule Monday, December 24th—Christmas Eve: 5:30pm (Children’s Mass); 9:00pm; & 12:00 Midnight (11:30pm Caroling)

Tuesday, December 25th—Christmas Day: 6:30am, 8:30am, 10:00am, 11:30am (Spanish), & 1:00pm

Tuesday, January 1st—Solemnity of Mary (Holy Day of Obligation): 6:30am, 8:00am & 11:00am (Vigil on Monday, December 31st 5:30pm)

Saturday, January 5th—Feast of the Epiphany: 5:30pm followed by a reception in the Cafeteria.

“The Faithful Will Be Abound With Blessings.” –P Proverbs 28:20

Julie

Star Community Home

Julie grew up in a home with two parents who suffered from alcoholism. When she turned 18 she ran away with a man who she had fallen in love with and thought she would finally start the life of her dreams. Within several months, the dream became her worst

nightmare and the man who she had trusted became abusive, was arrested and sentenced to prison. Julie found herself homeless, pregnant, and alone. After over 18 months of homelessness Julie and her daughter Catherine were offered a room at Catholic Charities CYO’s Star Community Home. This is the first safe and stable home that Julie has ever known. A smart, vivacious and caring mom, Julie has worked with her case manager to organize child care, pursue full legal custody of her child, create a resume, secure a job, and continue to pursue her GED. Equipped with this support system and new life skills, she now feels stable enough to move into her own apartment. Star Community Home has helped Julie chart a pathway toward well-being, improved self-esteem, healthy parenting, a permanent home and successful career.

Trelease

Treasure Island Supportive Housing

Trelease is known on Treasure Island as the “go to gal” for balloons and bouquets. She is the proud owner of her own small and successful party planning and decorating business and helps families and organizations celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, and graduations with style. Seeing her today, it is hard to imagine that just a few short years ago she was battling serious drug abuse and exiting the prison system. Hoping to start a new life, Trelease sought the support of a female offender treatment and employment program on Treasure Island. She was then referred to Catholic Charities CYO’s Treasure Island Supportive Housing where she receives supportive housing. The process of building her new life has been long and hard but a supportive community, case management services, and life skills training have helped Trelease stabilize her living situation, reunite with her two elementary-school-aged children, and crucial income.

Msgr Labib Kobti presents Holy Land Pilgrimage April 15-25, 2013

Please call the Parish Office for more information, (415) 333-7630

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ARCHDIOCESE 7

CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | DECEMBER 21, 2012

City officials endorse Roe ‘celebration’ for same day, place as pro-life march VALERIE SCHMALZ CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors has endorsed a celebration of Roe v. Wade on the 40th year of the U.S. Supreme Court decision to legalize abortion, and two city agencies are among the sponsors of the event – scheduled for the same day and place as the Walk for Life West Coast’s conclusion at the Ferry Building. Walk for Life organizers say this is yet another attempt to damage the grassroots pro-life event, which drew about 40,000 participants in 2012. “There’s a long hisEVA MUNTEAN Co-chair, West Coast Walk for Life tory of opposition to the Walk for Life West Coast from the power structure of San Francisco. The city keeps trying to help pro-abortionists, without much success,” said Walk for Life cochair Eva Muntean, who discovered this month that Justin Herman Plaza had been double-permitted to the Walk for Life and to a pro-abortion rights coalition, Trust Women/Silver Ribbon Campaign. The Archdiocese of San Francisco is a founding sponsor of the Walk for Life, which began in 2005. San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone will attend this year, as both he and thenArchbishop George Niederauer did last year. The Walk for Life begins at Civic Center Jan. 26 with a 12:30 p.m. rally, and the walk along Market Street begins at 1:30 p.m., ending at Justin Herman Plaza at the Ferry Building. The competing event, “The Celebration of Women, Life and Liberty” to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Jan. 22, 1973, Roe v. Wade ruling is scheduled for 10 a.m. to noon at Justin Herman Plaza. An abortion rights rally at the same location last year drew about 80 people, based on reporting and video of the event. On Dec. 11, the Board of Supervisors endorsed the abortion-rights event as part of a wide-ranging resolution marking the anniversary of Roe v. Wade. The resolution, sponsored by Supervisors Malia Cohen and David Campos, states: “Access to legal and affordable family planning health care services has been integral to expanding opportunities for success and satisfaction by women and girls in the emotional, economic, educational and professional spheres, as well as for the men and children in their lives and for communities as a whole.” Cohen did not respond to an email asking for comment on the resolution. Two city government agencies and Bay Area Coalition for Our Reproductive Rights are among the sponsors of the Trust Women/Silver Ribbon Campaign event, which will include a walk down Market Street, a petting zoo, food, face painting and balloon art at Justin Herman Plaza, according to the website oursilverribbon.org. The San Francisco Department of Public Health and Department on the Status of Women are sponsors, according to oursilverribbon.org. In addition, the Center for Policy Analysis, an umbrella organization that includes the Trust Women/Silver Ribbon Campaign, has been granted permits for 3-by-6-foot banners to hang from light poles along Market Street from Castro Street to the Embarcadero from Dec. 27 to Feb. 7, said Rachel Gordon, spokeswoman for the Department of Public Works. The city does not discriminate on content but banners must be in conjunction with a public city event, Gordon said. While many of the actors have changed since 2005, city officials’ antagonism toward the walk is unchanged from its founding when the Board of Supervisors unanimously passed a resolution declaring the date of the walk “Stand Up for Choice Day” in San Francisco, and then-Mayor Gavin Newsom was among the featured speakers at an abortion rights rally the same day, Muntean said.

‘There’s a long history of opposition to the Walk for Life West Coast from the power structure of San Francisco.’

Supervisor David Chiu, now president of the Board of Supervisors, was a speaker at an abortion rights rally the same day as the walk in 2011, Muntean said. Most recently, in 2012, an abortion rights rally

was scheduled for the same place as the walk’s rally at Justin Herman Plaza, so the Walk for Life route was changed and now starts at Civic Center and ends at Justin Herman Plaza, Muntean said.

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8 ARCHDIOCESE

CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | DECEMBER 21, 2012

Call to prayer: Historical response to modern issues 5 WAYS TO PARTICIPATE IN THE CALL TO PRAYER

LAURA BERTONE

As many people read in the last issue of Catholic San Francisco, the U.S. bishops have initiated a Call to Prayer for Life, Marriage and Religious Liberty. Through five components of prayer and sacrifice, Catholics are called upon “to pray for rebuilding a culture favorable to life and marriage and for increased protections of religious liberty.” While the Call to Prayer is an ancient tradition rooted in Scripture and history, all five components are responses to an extremely modern reality: the current way of life of secularism and lack of respect for human dignity and freedom. Throughout the Old and New Testaments, time and again there are calls from God to be in an active, loving relationship with him. This is done through prayer. But not prayer in a vacuum; prayer in the context of a person’s life and the reality in which they live: “Prayer is bound up with human history, for it is the relationship with God in historical events” (CCC 2568). Therefore, throughout the history of the church, leaders have called upon the people to pray for special intentions for the good of all mankind. Jubilee years have been called for centuries as special years of asking for pardon and forgiveness of sins. There are abundant historical accounts of cities and countries gathering for prayer to fight an evil threatening them, such as an enemy attack or the plague. So a call today from our leaders in the Catholic Church in the U.S. to join together and pray that the world we live in be redeemed from an increasing lack of respect for life, family, and freedom is not unusual and should

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EUCHARISTIC HOLY HOUR: Pray with others on or near the last Sunday of the month. PRAY THE ROSARY DAILY: This can be done either privately or with a family or prayer group. PRAYERS OF THE FAITHFUL: Include prayers for life, marriage and religious freedom at all Masses in the prayers of the faithful. FAST AND ABSTAIN FROM MEAT ON FRIDAYS throughout the year with the specific intention of the protection of life, marriage and religious freedom. (CNS PHOTO/CHRISTOPHER RIGGS, CATHOLIC ADVANCE)

not be viewed with skepticism, but as an opportunity to take an active part in change. The bishops have designated five ways in which Catholics can participate in the Call to Prayer which are being implemented throughout the Archdiocese of San Francisco: Pray with others during a monthly Eucharistic Holy Hour on or near the last Sunday of the month: St. Mary’s Cathedral has already announced a Holy Hour to be held from 2:30-3:30 p.m. beginning Dec. 30, the feast of the Holy Family. Many parishes are also planning to schedule a Holy Hour in their church. Pray the rosary daily. This can be done either privately or with a family or prayer group – people can speak with fellow parishioners to see if a group can be organized. Include prayers for life, marriage and religious freedom at all Masses in the prayers of the faithful. All parishes in the archdiocese will begin including such prayers at Masses if they are not already doing so. Fast and abstain from meat on Fridays throughout the year with the specific intention of the protection of life, marriage and religious free-

FORTNIGHT FOR FREEDOM: Participate in the second annual Fortnight for Freedom at the end of June and beginning of July 2013. dom. Any adult Catholic can easily take part in this ancient tradition of sacrifice for a given intention by adapting meals as we already do during Lent. Finally, all Catholics are asked to participate in the second annual Fortnight for Freedom at the end of June and beginning of July 2013. As we get closer to the date, the bishops and the archdiocese will have more information on ways to take part. Joining together as Catholics to pray and making small sacrifices in our lives for the intention of improving the world is a part of our Christian tradition as well as a response to our current reality. As we all hear more about the Call to Prayer for Life, Marriage and Religious Liberty from the USCCB, and in particular from Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone, we have a unique and profound way to respond to the world around us and to take action for change not just in our families and the church, but for all of society. BERTONE is interim director of worship for the Archdiocese of San Francisco.

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NATIONAL 9

CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | DECEMBER 21, 2012

Speakers: US sisters led way in implementing Vatican II BETH GRIFFIN CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

NEW YORK – In responding to the Second Vatican Council’s call to universal holiness, American women religious have been both beacons and lightning rods for the church, according to speakers at a Dec. 11 forum. Religious sisters were in the forefront of Vatican II’s call for church renewal, and their vibrant lives and ministries are still shaped by the council’s documents, panelists said.

Renewal from the inside out

The sisters took seriously the council’s admonition to renew their religious communities from the inside out, explore their original charism and then make the charism come alive in a new setting, said James P. McCartin, director of the Fordham Center on Religion and Culture. The center co-sponsored the forum “Call & Response: How American Catholic Sisters shaped the Church since Vatican II.” “It is sisters, as much as anyone, who have shaped the face of the church in the world today,” McCartin said. “The story of U.S. religious women and a reforming Catholic Church has unfolded amid enormous changes, cultural shake-ups and under contested new developments,” Christine Firer Hinze said. Hinze is co-director of the Francis and Ann Curran Center for American Catholic Studies, the event’s co-sponsor. Hinze said American women religious have “literally lived their lives on the front lines of issues and debates” in the church and society. Those debates have been more than theoretical, becoming part of the women’s lives, relationships, struggles and the ways they sought to “practice their radical discipleship in this day and age,” she added. Mercy Sister Doris Gottemoeller, senior vice president for mission integration at Catholic Healthcare Partners in Cincinnati, said women religious inspire a temptation to nostalgia or selective memory, which does not reflect the complete picture.

Modernization in obedience, not in defiance

In the 1950s, she said, Pope Pius XII presaged some of the changes formalized by Vatican II by urging religious orders to eliminate outdated customs and clothing. Changes implemented by communities after extensive consultation, reflection and experimentation “were an act of obedience to the church” and not an expression of defiance, she said. Sister Mary Johnson, a Sister of Notre Dame de Namur and distinguished professor of religious studies and sociology at Trinity University in Washington, said the women religious who taught her during the 1970s shared a passion for mission, the Advent & Christmas books, cards, cds, nativity sets, angels fontanini figurines

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Dominican Sister Martha Jaegers embraces Dominican novice Renee Asmar Aug. 9 before a rally by laity and religious in support of nuns gathered at the 2012 assembly of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious in St. Louis. poor, the church and the world that came from the “freedom and restraint” of their vows. Their communities were based on liberation, not oppression and they were able to transform old institutions to meet new needs. They crossed ethnic, racial, ideological, social class and linguistic lines “with aplomb” and “opened our parochial world,” she said. Sister Maria Cimperman, a Religious of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and professor of theology at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, said she is a “grateful beneficiary of Vatican II.” Women religious today are challenged to clarify their role in a changed world, consider what the Holy Spirit is inviting them to do and build on the work of religious who went before them, she said. Panelist Sister Maria Theotokos Adams is a member of the Servants of the Lord and the Virgin of Matara, a congregation founded in Argentina in 1988. She serves as director of studies for the order’s American province. The congregation has more than 1,000 sisters in 35 countries, including women at 15 houses in the United States.

Council material still shaping ministry

She said the congregation’s constitutions are infused with council material and Vatican II “continues to shape our religious life and ministry.”

Inspired by Blessed John Paul II’s life, the sisters work among immigrant and minority communities, with a focus on youths, parish life and catechesis in inner-city and migrant areas. Sister Adams said cities are “the urgent modern mission field of the church in America.” A particular strength of the young congregation is its ability to respond to the “confrontation of culture and authority between bilingual, technologysavvy teenagers and their immigrant parents,” she explained. “We answer questions about faith and culture of families and help them discover the church on their own terms,” Sister Maria said. They draw on traditional methods and new evangelization techniques, including the use of door-to-door visits and outreach with mobile devices. Sister Miriam Ukeritis, a Sister of St. Joseph of Carondelet, is CEO of Southdown Institute in Toronto, which serves the mental health needs of clergy and religious. “The bottom line for religious communities to continue to live vibrantly is fidelity to their founding purpose and responsiveness to absolute human need,” she said. Religious women have come to deeper understanding of how to do that, but continue to struggle with understanding their changing role in the church and the world, she added. The speakers said living in community is a powerful example for contemporary society. “We challenge and support one another; we pray together; we go refreshed to our ministry; we decide how much is enough.” Sister Doris said. In the U.S., 1,200 women are in religious formation programs, according to Sister Mary; 40 percent are women of color and represent a span of age and religious practice. “God will work in them, as in past generations, to bring about a new kind of kingdom,” she said. Speakers acknowledged the challenge of incorporating new members of diverse backgrounds. Traditional vows of poverty, chastity and obedience offer both freedom and restraint, panelists said. “Headlines seem to revolve around money, sex and power. My vows give me, and us, a way to deal with those very human drives, address them, be aware and attentive and deal with money, sex and power in ways that are life-giving,” Sister Miriam said.

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CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | DECEMBER 21, 2012

Spirited sparring between judges, lawyers marks HHS appeal prevent implantation of a fertilized egg in the womb. Their cases, rejected separately by different judges, were combined for the appeal. Even so, there are employees at both schools who are ready to sue their respective school if they are not offered free contraception as part of their health plan come Jan. 1, Duncan said. “The government has not said what it is going to do” regarding any modification, Duncan told the judges.

MARK PATTISON CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

WASHINGTON – In the first federal appellate-level hearing on a lawsuit challenging the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services contraceptive mandate Dec. 14, spirited sparring between judges and attorneys marked proceedings that went twice their scheduled length. In the hearing, conducted in Washington at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, lawyers could barely complete their sentences before judges asked questions challenging their assertions. On one hand, the lawyer for Belmont Abbey College, a Catholic school in North Carolina, and Wheaton College, an evangelical school in Illinois, was asked if his appeal was premature since the federal Department of Health and Human Services has said it has planned to finalize by next August a rule to accommodate religious employers that do not fit the mandate’s narrow exemption for churches. On the other hand, the Justice Department attorney representing HHS was asked if he would support injunctive relief for the colleges until the new rule is put in place.

Target of more than 40 lawsuits

The HHS mandate – already the subject of more than 40 court challenges – requires employers, including most religious employers, to provide free coverage of contraceptives, sterilization and some abortion-inducing drugs free in employee health insurance. A narrow exemption applies only to those religious institutions that seek to inculcate their religious values and primarily employ and serve people of their own faith. It does not include a conscience clause for employers who object to providing such coverage on moral grounds. To date, only one federal judge, in New York, has ruled against the government. In the ruling, issued Dec. 5, the judge, Brian Cogan, said, “There is no ‘trust us, changes are coming’ clause in the Constitution.” Many of the lawsuits are still working their way through the court system. In the Dec. 14 hearing, lawyers, scheduled to present oral arguments for 15 minutes each before the three-judge appellate panel, instead went for 30 minutes, and a scheduled four-minute rebuttal period went for 10.

Rule modification unclear

(CNS PHOTO/GREGORY A. SHEMITZ, LONG ISLAND CATHOLIC)

People participate in a rally in support of religious freedom in Garden City, N.Y., June 8. The first appellate-level hearing on the 40 legal challenges to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services contraceptive mandate was held Dec. 14 in Washington.

Arguing ‘rightness’ of issue

Kyle Stuart Duncan of the Washington-based Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, representing the two colleges, said he was arguing on the “rightness” of the issue, not its timeliness. He also expressed his doubts about HHS modifying its rule by August, saying, “We’ve never seen a notice of proposed rule-making” regarding any modification. The final rule on the mandate takes effect in August 2013. Last year the Obama administration put in place a yearlong period, called “safe harbor,” that protects employers from immediate government action against them if they fail to comply with the mandate. It also proposed what it called an accommodation allowing those employers who object to providing contraceptives to pass on the costs of the mandated coverage to their insurance carriers or a third party, rather than pay for them directly. But many dioceses are self-insured, and Catholic officials say the policy would offer no fundamental change. As a Catholic institution, Benedictine-run Belmont Abbey College opposes all forms of artificial contraceptives, according to Duncan, while Wheaton opposes only those such as “Plan B” and the “morning-after pill” because those drugs could

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Adam Jed, arguing the government’s case, said he could not say how HHS might modify the rule as the comment-seeking period for modification has already begun. He added Belmont and Wheaton qualify for HHS’ “safe harbor” period and could qualify for exemption under a modification. Jed said injunctive relief would not be the proper remedy even in the interim as the two colleges had not sought an injunction in their appeal. While Jed sought outright dismissal of the cases, Circuit Judge Merrick B. Garland raised the idea of sending them back to the federal district court, with instructions to put the cases on hold. This would prevent the need for the cases to be refiled anew should the colleges object to a rewritten rule. Circuit Judge Thomas B. Griffith advocated for “judicial restraint” in the matter, defining it as “not having to decide an issue until we have to,” suggesting that it was premature to come to a decision on a rule all know will be changed. Garland, citing an earlier energy rule rewriting case said, “We do not need to decide the issue now. We may never need to decide the issue” if it becomes moot. But Senior Circuit Judge A. Raymond Randolph called that “the lazy judge’s rule,” saying that the “guidance documents” issued to religious employers on the HHS mandate are “like a press release” and “not binding,” with employers having no clear idea of what is expected from them. “The government is sending a mixed message about what’s coming down the pike,” he added. Following questioning by Randolph, Duncan said he invited HHS to enter into a consent decree with the colleges, “but they refused.” Afterward, Duncan said Randolph seemed “most sympathetic” of the three jurists, although “all three were sympathetic at some point during the hearing.” He added he was hopeful for a decision in early 2013.

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WORLD 11

CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | DECEMBER 21, 2012

Peacemakers love, promote life, pope says in peace day message CINDY WOODEN

Those who urge legislative adoption of ‘false rights or freedoms’ are seeking a ‘false peace,’ the pope said.

CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

VATICAN CITY – True peacemakers defend human life at every stage of its existence and promote the common good through their economic policies and activities, Pope Benedict XVI said. In his annual message for the World Day of Peace Jan. 1, Pope Benedict said attacks on human dignity and human rights – from abortion and euthanasia to limits on religious freedom, and from religious fanaticism to “unregulated financial capitalism” – undermine efforts to bring peace to the world. The pope’s message was released Dec. 14 at a Vatican news conference led by Cardinal Peter Turkson, president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace.

Logical, natural principles

While reiterating Catholic teaching about the sacredness of every human life and about the dangers of an unregulated free-market economy, Pope Benedict’s message explained those teachings as logical, natural principles needed for a life marked by dignity and peaceful coexistence. In fact, he said, some people may not even realize they are promoting a “false peace” when they urge the legislative adoption of “false rights or freedoms,” employing “the clever use of ambiguous expressions aimed at promoting a supposed right to abortion and euthanasia.” True peacemakers, the pope said, “are those who love, defend and promote human life in all its dimensions.” “Anyone who loves peace cannot tolerate attacks and crimes against life,” he said. Pope Benedict also said peacemakers need to take a new look at the importance of the traditional family in handing on the values that promote peace and in re-

(CNS PHOTO/PAUL HARING)

Pope Benedict XVI visits the Nativity scene at the conclusion of his general audience in Paul VI hall at the Vatican Dec. 12. The Nativity scene is from the Mexican state of Michoacan. solving problems and tensions that undermine peace. “The family is one of the indispensable social subjects for the achievement of a culture of peace,” he said. Cardinal Turkson, presenting the message, said Pope Benedict was being very concrete in helping people understand what it takes to promote true peace. “He calls attention to the most urgent problems, the correct vision of matrimony, the right to conscience objection, religious freedom as ‘freedom to’ (contribute to society), the question of work and unemployment, the food crisis, the financial crisis and the role of the family in education.”

Principle of conscientious objection

As part of Pope Benedict’s discussion about religious freedom, he insisted governments recognize and uphold “the right to invoke the principle of conscientious objection in the face of laws or government measures that offend against human dignity, such as abortion and euthanasia.” “Sadly,” he said, “even in countries of long-stand-

ing Christian tradition, instances of religious intolerance are becoming more numerous, especially in relation to Christianity and those who simply wear identifying signs of their religion.” In all people of good will, the pope said, the New Year brings hope for a better and more peaceful world. Yet, he said, “it is alarming to see hotbeds of tension and conflict caused by growing instances of inequality between rich and poor, by the prevalence of a selfish and individualistic mindset, which also finds expression in an unregulated financial capitalism.”

Promoting the right, need to work

Pope Benedict said true peacemakers must work to counter the increasingly popular notion that “economic growth should be pursued even to the detriment of the state’s social responsibilities.” The right to have a steady job is “one of the social rights and duties most under threat today,” he said. With an emphasis on promoting free markets, the right and need to work is too often treated simply as a market variable. “In this regard, I would reaffirm that human dignity and economic, social and political factors demand that we continue to prioritize the goal of access to steady employment for everyone,” he wrote. As the global economic crisis continues to be felt around the world, he said, people need to “promote life by fostering human creativity in order to draw from the crisis itself an opportunity for discernment and for a new economic model.”

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12 WORLD

CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | DECEMBER 21, 2012

IRISH GOVERNMENT PLANS LEGALIZED ABORTION, WITH LIMITS

DUBLIN â&#x20AC;&#x201C; The Irish government has announced plans to legalize abortion in limited circumstances, but Minister for Health James Reilly insisted his plans will take â&#x20AC;&#x153;full account of the equal right to life of the unborn child.â&#x20AC;? The announcement contradicts a 2011 campaign promise by Prime Minister Enda Kenny that his government would not introduce abortion in the predominantly Catholic country. In practice, abortion has been illegal in Ireland under 1861 legislation. However, a 1992 Supreme Court judgment â&#x20AC;&#x201C; known as the X case â&#x20AC;&#x201C; found that there is a constitutional right to abortion where there is a substantial risk to the life of the mother, including the risk of suicide, up to birth. Successive governments have not acted on the issue. But, the European Court of Human Rights ruled in 2010 that Ireland must clarify when women can access abortion under the ruling. After a Cabinet meeting Dec. 18, Reilly announced that the government would introduce legislation to allow abortion where there is a risk to the life of the mother, including the threat of suicide. He also confirmed that the government intends to decriminalize abortion in these circumstances.

VATICAN II MISREAD WHEN SPIRIT IGNORED VATICAN CITY â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Incorrect interpre-

council represent â&#x20AC;&#x153;a tradition wherein the Holy Spirit played no role at all. It was a collection of beliefs and practices fixed once and for all,â&#x20AC;? he said. The other extreme willingly speaks of â&#x20AC;&#x153;the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;spirit of the councilâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, but unfortunately it was not the Holy Spirit,â&#x20AC;? he said, adding that this vague sense of spirit â&#x20AC;&#x153;is open to every whim.â&#x20AC;? The paradox of â&#x20AC;&#x153;renewal in continuityâ&#x20AC;? or â&#x20AC;&#x153;permanence in changeâ&#x20AC;? is resolved by the Holy Spiritâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s action within the church, Father Cantalamessa said. The Holy Spirit â&#x20AC;&#x153;doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t create new sacraments and new institutions. Rather he renews and perennially enlivensâ&#x20AC;? everything Jesus has already created.

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(CNS PHOTO/REUTERS)

Singing Christmas songs in China A man leads children as they rehearse songs for Christmas at a Catholic church in Taiyuan, China, Dec. 16.

tations of the Second Vatican Council are rooted in a denial or a misunderstanding of the role of the Holy Spirit in the life of the church, said the preacher of the papal household. The Holy Spirit â&#x20AC;&#x153;gives us the strengthâ&#x20AC;? to put Gospel principles and church teachings into practice, other-

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wise â&#x20AC;&#x153;even the Gospel precepts, without the grace of the Holy Spirit, would be â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;a letter that kills,â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;? Capuchin Father Raniero Cantalamessa said Dec. 14 in a reflection for Pope Benedict XVI and top Vatican officials. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The insufficient attention paid to the role of the Holy Spirit explains many of the difficulties that arose in the reception of the Second Vatican Council,â&#x20AC;? he said. There have been two opposing interpretations, he said, while the popeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s position of Pope Benedict â&#x20AC;&#x201C; that of â&#x20AC;&#x153;renewal in continuityâ&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201C; has stood between the two extremes. Traditionalist groups that reject the

VATICAN CITY â&#x20AC;&#x201C; The Vatican has a serious obligation to ensure it is using the donations it receives carefully and for the Lordâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s work, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone told Vatican office heads Dec. 18. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The necessary transparency in the economic and financial activities of the Holy See and Vatican City State requires an increasingly incisive and unified commitment to correctness on the part of the individual administrations in the management of their patrimony and economic activities,â&#x20AC;? he said at a workshop designed to familiarize officials with new regulations of the Prefecture of the Economic Affairs of the Holy See. In July, the Holy See, which includes the offices of the Roman Curia and communications outlets such as Vatican Radio, reported a budget deficit of 14.9 million euros (then the equivalent of about $18.4 million) for 2011. It was the largest budget deficit in a decade. ÂŠCATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

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WORLD 13

CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | DECEMBER 21, 2012

World will end, but not because of Mayan calendar CAROL GLATZ CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

VATICAN CITY â&#x20AC;&#x201C; A papal astronomer gave his reassurances that the world will not end Dec. 21, 2012. While the universe eventually will come to a â&#x20AC;&#x153;cold and darkâ&#x20AC;? demise billions of years from now, Christians know that God is always with his creation and welcomes everyone to eternal life, said Jesuit Father Jose Funes, the head of the Vatican Observatory. The Vatican newspaper, Lâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Osservatore Romano, published the priest-astronomerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s article Dec. Jesuit Father 12 under the headline â&#x20AC;&#x153;The end that Jose Funes wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t come â&#x20AC;&#x201C; at least for now.â&#x20AC;? He said the claims that the end of the Mayan â&#x20AC;&#x153;Long Countâ&#x20AC;? calendar Dec. 21 marks the end of the world were â&#x20AC;&#x153;irrational,â&#x20AC;? however, science offers more probable scenarios than pseudo prophesies do. Discoveries suggest the 14-billion-year-old universe is in constant expansion. If that â&#x20AC;&#x153;inflationâ&#x20AC;? model is correct, and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s based on solid findings, he said, the universe will â&#x20AC;&#x153;rip apartâ&#x20AC;? billions of years from now. The mysterious dark energy driving the expansion may produce strange effects, such as â&#x20AC;&#x153;the universe even could have not one end but rather â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;multiends,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; that is, some of its parts will come to an end at different moments,â&#x20AC;? he said. Father Funesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; article was followed by a lengthier piece written by Piero Benvenuti, an Italian astronomer and the former head European scientist for the Hubble Space Telescope project. He said the sciences, not soothsayers, have â&#x20AC;&#x153;very precise data on the evolution of the cosmos, particularly until what point a planet like Earth can sustain biological and intelligent life.â&#x20AC;? The worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s end is linked to the evolution of the sun, which was formed about 5 billion years ago and will warm the Earth for another 3.5 billion years, he said. As the gas fueling the sun starts to be depleted, the sun will slowly turn into a so-called â&#x20AC;&#x153;red giant,â&#x20AC;? expanding more than 250 times its present diameter, he said. That means the planets closest to the sun, perhaps including the Earth, will be â&#x20AC;&#x153;swallowed upâ&#x20AC;? by the swelling star, he said. Not even setting up a human colony on another planet will save the day â&#x20AC;&#x201C; though it might delay the speciesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; extinction â&#x20AC;&#x201C; because the sunâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s next dying phase as a hot, dense â&#x20AC;&#x153;white dwarfâ&#x20AC;? will make the whole solar system uninhabitable, Benvenuti said.

More immediate world-ending disasters could be so-called â&#x20AC;&#x153;Near Earth Objectsâ&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201C; chunks of ice or rock, some more than a mile wide â&#x20AC;&#x201C; hurtling close to Earthâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s orbit, he said. Despite the inevitable end of the world, both Benvenuti and Father Funes underlined the hopeful message of Christ. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It would be a good opportunity, during the season of Advent, that an alternative message of reassuring wisdom come from the churchesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; pulpitsâ&#x20AC;? to counteract the â&#x20AC;&#x153;improbable predictions and other militant prophesiesâ&#x20AC;? that have been flooding the media, Benvenuti said. As the Gospel says, â&#x20AC;&#x153;the kingdom of God is at hand,â&#x20AC;? and Jesus offers humanity â&#x20AC;&#x153;the opportunity to become immune to every upheaval, to every killer asteroid or gobbling sun, by seizing his saving word that doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t change,â&#x20AC;? he said. Father Funes said human history has meaning as the world â&#x20AC;&#x153;was a gift of the God-with-us.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;The word of God reminds us that we are heading toward a fundamentally good future, despite the crises of every kind in which we are immersed,â&#x20AC;? he said.

BISHOP WARNS ON ANTI-CHRISTIAN VANDALISM

JERUSALEM â&#x20AC;&#x201C; The Israeli government must be more attentive to incidents of vandalism against Christian institutions, said Auxiliary Bishop William H. Shomali, Chancellor. In the fifth such incident this year, vandals targeted Christian institutions, slashing the tire of a car and writing anti-Christian graffiti on it and on the walls at the Greek Orthodox Monastery of the Cross in central Jerusalem. Speaking to Catholic News Service following a Dec. 13 meeting with representatives of the American Jewish Committee in Jerusalem, Bishop Shomali said the acts do not physically threaten the Christian community but are meant to harm them morally and psychologically. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the acts â&#x20AC;&#x153;revolting.â&#x20AC;? ÂŠCATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

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14 NATIONAL

CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | DECEMBER 21, 2012

Religious liberty likely to remain big issue in new year CAROL ZIMMERMANN CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

WASHINGTON – Defending religious liberty was a top priority this year for the U.S. Catholic bishops, who repeatedly spoke out against threats to its existence. Much as they did the year before, the bishops in 2012 spoke out consistently against the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ mandate requiring most religious employers to provide free coverage of artificial contraception, sterilization and abortion-causing drugs in their insurance plans, even if they are morally opposed to such coverage. The mandate, put in place in August 2011, has a narrow exemption for employers who object to providing these services on religious grounds, namely if they serve or hire people primarily of their own faith. It does not include a conscience clause for employers who object to providing such coverage.

Bishops reject exemption as too little

The HHS issue took center stage early this year when the Obama administration announced Feb. 10 that it would leave the definition of an exempt religious entity but would shift the costs of contraceptives from the policyholders to the insurers. But the Catholic bishops and other religious leaders rejected the change, saying it failed to ensure that Catholic individuals and institutions would not have to pay for services that they consider immoral, because many dioceses and other Catholic entities are self-insured. At a congressional hearing, nowArchbishop William E. Lori, who heads the Baltimore archdiocese and is chairman of the bishops’ Ad Hoc Committee for Religious Liberty, said the ongoing debate over the mandate demonstrated a need for enacting conscience protection into federal law. The bishops have repeatedly said the mandate is a restriction on religious liberty because the requirement violates church teaching. They echoed this concern throughout the year and urged lay Catholics to similarly speak out against infringe-

(CNS PHOTO/JASON REED, REUTERS)

Actors dressed as Joseph and Mary and the three Wise Men, part of a live Nativity scene, stroll past the U.S. Capitol after demonstrating outside the nearby Supreme Court in Washington Dec. 5 as part of a Christian Defense Coalition demonstration that such displays are protected by the First Amendment. This year has seen growing concerns among Catholics over threats to religious liberty, notably the federal mandate requiring religious employers to provide free contraception coverage. ments to religious freedom. Catholics around the country responded by participating in Masses, devotions, Holy Hours, educational presentations and rallies during the June 21 to July 4 campaign of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops called a “Fortnight for Freedom.”

Wide range of concerns cited

In April, the U.S. bishops’ Ad Hoc Committee on Religious Freedom issued a 12-page statement on threats to religious liberty which highlighted the HHS mandate but also included other examples such as: immigration laws that “forbid what the government deems ‘harboring’ of undocumented immigrants;” and government actions in Boston, San Francisco, the District of Columbia and the state of Illinois that have “driven local Catholic Charities out of the business of providing adoption or foster care services” because the agencies would not place children with same-sex or unmarried heterosexual couples. Prior to the fortnight events, Arch-

bishop Lori said the USCCB planned to closely monitor the lawsuits filed May 21 by 43 Catholic dioceses, schools, hospitals, social service agencies and other institutions challenging the HHS mandate. “Even if we win the HHS lawsuits, the larger cultural issue of preserving religious liberty and the place of religion in our culture is something we’re going to have to engage in for many years to come,” he added. He echoed this sentiment Nov. 12 in a report during the fall general assembly of the USCCB. “Whatever setbacks or challenges in the efforts to defend religious liberty we may be experiencing, we’re going to stay the course,” he said.

Focus on critical life, marriage, liberty concerns

At their annual meeting in Baltimore, the bishops approved a pastoral strategy specifically aimed at addressing critical life, marriage and religious liberty concerns. The campaign, set to begin after Christmas, includes

monthly eucharistic Holy Hours in cathedrals and parishes, daily family rosary, special prayers of the faithful at all Masses, fasting and abstinence on Fridays, and the second observance of a fortnight for freedom. Throughout the year, theologians and Catholic leaders discussed the importance of religious freedom and the issue also was addressed by Vatican officials. In a Nov. 4 speech at the University of Notre Dame, the apostolic nuncio to the United States said threats to religious liberty in the United States may not be as obvious as the religious persecution in other countries, but he stressed that the “not so obvious” threat often “appears inconsequential or seems benign but in fact is not.” Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano specifically mentioned the contraceptive mandate as a threat to religious liberty but added that it was just one example of attacks on “authentic and legitimate exercise of religious freedom” in the United States. The archbishop said religious liberty has been threatened when Catholic Charities agencies are “being removed from vital social services that advance the common good because the upright people administering these programs would not adopt policies or engage in procedures that violate fundamental moral principles of the Catholic faith.”

Democracies ‘neutral’ toward belief

Cardinal Angelo Scola of Milan, Italy, a prominent theologian, said in a Dec. 6 prayer service at the Vatican that most modern democracies have ended up hurting religious freedom in their effort to be “neutral” toward their citizens’ diverse beliefs. He said the “classic problem of the moral assessment of laws has increasingly turned into a problem of religious liberty,” which he said was explicitly evident in the USCCB’s battle against the HHS contraception mandate. In governments’ attempt to protect everyone’s religious freedom by being “neutral” or “indifferent” to religion, a well-intentioned secularity “has ended up becoming a model that is illdisposed toward the religious dimension,” he said.

‘No words’ can describe shock, sadness after shooting, says priest CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

NEWTOWN, Conn. – Msgr. Robert Weiss, pastor of St. Rose of Lima Church in Newtown, was at Sandy Hook Elementary School almost immediately after the horrific shooting Dec. 14. When the enormity of the tragedy began to unfold, other priests, chaplains and Catholic Charities personnel “were on the ground,” Brian Wallace, Bridgeport diocesan director of communications, told Catholic News Service. In the days since, St. Rose of Lima has taken center stage as people gathered for a prayer vigil the night of the shootings and flocked to Sunday Masses seeking solace. They looked to Msgr. Weiss and his staff and other Catholic leaders for pastoral outreach in the aftermath of the violence, which left 20 children and seven adults dead. Eighteen children died at the school and two others died after they had been rushed to the hospital. All of the children were first graders. The adults included the principal and five teachers, as well as the gunman. Police officials identified the shooter

(CNS PHOTOS/MIKE SEGAR, REUTERS)

Twenty-seven wooden painted angels created by Eric Mueller are displayed outside his home in Newtown, Conn., Dec. 16. as Adam Lanza, 20, and said he killed himself as first responders arrived on the scene. “There are no words,” Msgr. Weiss told a TV reporter Dec. 15 in an interview for NBC’s “Today” show after spending hours helping law enforcement officials inform parents that their child had died in the shooting. At least eight of the children belonged to the parish and are being buried from St. Rose. Msgr. Weiss said many of the family members thanked him for his pres-

ence. “There was a lot of hugging, a lot of crying, a lot of praying, a lot of just being silent,” he said. President Barack Obama pledged in the coming weeks to “use whatever power” his office holds “to engage my fellow citizens – from law enforcement to mental health professionals to parents and educators – in an effort aimed at preventing more tragedies like this. “Because what choice do we have? We can’t accept events like this as routine,” he added.

At all of the Sunday Masses at St. Rose, a letter was read from Baltimore Archbishop William E. Lori, Bridgeport’s bishop from 2001 until he was named to Baltimore in March. “Our lives will never be the same,” he wrote. “But neither will we have to face a single day without the strength and peace that only Christ can give to us. In that strength and in that peace, I am very much united with you today.” New York Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, said, “Once again we speak against the culture of violence infecting our country even as we prepare to welcome the Prince of Peace at Christmas. All of us are called to work for peace in our homes, our streets and our world, now more than ever.” After reciting the Angelus Dec. 17, in Vatican City, Pope Benedict XVI, speaking in English, said he was “deeply saddened” by the shooting. “I assure the families of the victims, especially those who lost a child, of my closeness in prayer,” he said. “May the God of consolation touch their hearts and ease their pain.”

WORLD 15

CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | DECEMBER 21, 2012

Holy Land Christmas includes family, parades and Mass he leaves all his other duties half an hour before the Mass and goes to the sacristy to prepare spiritually. “I feel as if ... Jesus Christ is really born at that moment in the grotto. It is very calm. I can feel the holiness of our Lord. The opportunity to say Mass in the grotto is a piece of heaven left for us on earth by our Jesus Christ,” he said. The infant Jesus statue remains in the grotto from midnight until 2 a.m., when it is returned to Our Lady Mary altar. “We pray in the grotto and read the Nativity story from the Gospel. The real feast is in the grotto, but we can’t say Mass there for everybody,” he said. The traditional, more-crowded midnight Mass televised around the world is celebrated at St. Catherine Church.

JUDITH SUDILOVSKY CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

JERUSALEM – The simmering smell of cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves in Catholic parishes across the West Bank and Israel heralds the start of the Christmas season in early December as families prepare burbara, the special wheat pudding eaten to mark the feast day of St. Barbara, known as Eid El-Burbara in Arabic. According to local Christian tradition, St. Barbara, who was beheaded by her pagan father because of her Christian faith, was held and tortured in a tower that stood in the nearby village of Aboud. At a special Mass Dec. 4 at St. Joseph Parish in Jifna, the parish hall was laden with the homemade puddings presented in festive plates and decorated with chocolate Santa Claus bars, colored candies, sugared almonds sprinkled with cocoa. Families send bowls of the fragrant pudding studded with dried fruit and nuts to Muslim and Christian friends and neighbors. “Normally we begin our Christmas celebrations after St. Barbara,” said Father Firas Aridah, pastor. Families begin decorating their homes and Christmas trees after the feast, he said. On Dec. 15 parishioners begin a novena, marking the nine days before Christmas, in a community-wide celebration when the village Christmas tree is lit and all the parishioners light their home decorations.

Scouts lead procession

Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts lead a festive procession around the village, and the three priests from the Greek Orthodox and Catholic churches come together to celebrate and greet one another at St. Joseph Catholic Church. In Israel, too, many Catholic communities will have own scout procession in the days leading up to Christmas. Some parades are replete with bagpipes, a tradition that extends to the days of British control. A newer tradition in Bethlehem, West Bank, finds people singing Christmas carols in Manger Square starting Dec. 16 as choirs sponsored by the municipality perform through Christmas Eve, said Minerva Andonia,

Post-Christmas visiting

(CNS PHOTO/DEBBIE HILL)

Rami and Loreen Musallam try a Santa hat on their 4-month-old daughter, Sarah, at their apartment in the West Bank city of Bethlehem Dec. 15. 35, of Bethlehem who is Catholic. Her husband is Greek Orthodox. As almost everywhere, gift-giving is an important part of the festivities, though without the shopping frenzy often associated with the Christmas season in the United States and elsewhere. “Presents are necessary,” Andonia said. “It’s the spirit of Christmas, but you can give something not expensive.”

Children await Santa Claus

Children also wait – impatiently – for the arrival of Santa Claus, she said, and are good-naturedly admonished to behave lest they end up with nothing. In Catholic communities in Israel, a family member traditionally dresses up as Santa Claus and hands out presents to the children on Christmas Eve. More recently, stores offer their own “special delivery service” with employees dressing up as Santa Claus to deliver gifts. Across the West Bank in towns with large Christian populations, young people often dress up as Santa Claus during the season and ring hand-held bells as they traipse around the town. In Israeli cities such as Haifa and Nazareth, children dressed as Santa Claus are also a common site.

While pilgrims congregate on Manger Square, most local Bethlehem Catholic families have their holiday meal at home. They attend an early Mass Christmas Eve at their local parish where there is a solemn procession with a statue of the infant Jesus. At St. Catherine Church, adjacent to the Church of the Nativity, Massgoers participate in a tradition reaching back at least to the 18th century. A nearly life-size statue of the newborn Christ, normally kept at the side altar of Our Lady Mary, is placed in front of the main altar a few days prior to Christmas, said the Bethlehem parish priest, Father Marwan Di’des. “At the end of Mass, in a nice procession the Latin patriarch takes the statue and places it in the grotto,” at the Church of the Nativity, said Father Di’des, who as Bethlehem parish priest will be conducting a midnight Mass in the grotto for 60 parishioners who obtained tickets on a first-come basis. “This is important not only for the people there but also for everyone watching via the mass media. For me it is a privilege to be able to say Mass in the grotto.”

Priest prepares spiritually

To prepare for the moment, he said,

The two days following Christmas are spent visiting family and friends across Israel and the West Bank. In Mi’ilyah, the male members of families go together in the early morning to pay condolence calls to families who have lost loved ones during the year. In the West Bank, brothers traditionally visit their sisters, bringing them small gifts and sweets. “This visit makes me feel very happy, because not only my brother comes to visit me but my whole family comes. It makes me feel special,” Andonia said. “Even if we are a minority here we have to celebrate the spirit of Christmas. The Christmas spirit in Bethlehem is one of joy and happiness, and hope with Jesus.” In the Galilee city of Nazareth, Israel’s largest Arab city and where Jesus spent most of his life, an afternoon procession on Christmas Eve launches the evening celebration as the streets are alight with decorations and stores are ablaze with lighted Christmas trees and colorful gifts. Christians from the neighboring villages gather in the city for a procession as well as a fireworks display. Dance parties for youth and parties for children follow the procession. Mass at the Basilica of the Annunciation is held in the early evening. “But here, on Christmas everybody is mainly at home with their families,” Assaf said.

Pope: Christmas trees remind believers of light of Christ CINDY WOODEN CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

VATICAN CITY – The light of Christ has not dimmed over the past 2,000 years, but Christians today have an obligation to resist attempts to extinguish it, knowing that whenever societies have tried to pretend God did not exist, tragedy followed, Pope Benedict XVI said. Pope Benedict make his remarks Dec. 14 during a morning audience with civic leaders and pilgrims from the town of Pescopennataro and the province of Isneria, which donated the 78-foot silver fir tree that became the Christmas tree in St. Peter’s Square. Apparently informed that Pescopennataro has a population of about 350 people, the pope seemed a bit surprised at the crowd of 450 people who came to pay their respects and receive his thanks for the gift of the Christmas tree. “The whole town must be here,” he told them. In fact, the mayor did manage to get

(CNS PHOTO/PAUL HARING)

A Christmas tree decorates St. Peter’s Square after a lighting ceremony at the Vatican Dec. 14. The 78-foot silver fir tree is from the Italian province of Isneria.

everyone on buses and to the Vatican. Along with regional government officials, they met with the pope just a few hours before Bishop Giuseppe Sciacca, secretary-general of the office governing Vatican City, presided over the official tree-lighting ceremony. At the ceremony, the Pescopennataro poet, Angelomaria Di Tullio, read in the local dialect a poem he wrote about the tree, growing for decades near his hometown so that one day it proudly would represent the Pescolani people at the Vatican. At the audience earlier, Pope Benedict said the gift of the tree was a sign of the faith and religiosity of the southern Italian communities that donated the tree for St. Peter’s Square and smaller trees for the Apostolic Palace. Isaiah prophesied the coming of the Messiah as “a great light for the people who walked in darkness,” the pope said. “God became human and lived among us to scatter the darkness of error and sin, bringing humanity his divine light.”

“This great light – of which the Christmas tree is a sign and a reminder – not only hasn’t dimmed with the passing of centuries and millennia, but continues to shine on us and enlighten each person who comes into this world, especially when we go through moments of uncertainty and difficulty,” the pope said. Throughout history when dictators and ideologues have “tried to extinguish God’s light,” he said, “periods marked by tragic violence” and attempts to destroy human beings followed in their wake. “This is because when one tries to cancel the name of God from the pages of history,” real values and real meaning are skewed, Pope Benedict said. “Think about words like ‘freedom,’ ‘common good,’ ‘justice’: deprived of their rootedness in God and his love, in the God who showed his face in Jesus Christ, these realities often end up at the mercy of human interests, losing their connection with the requirements of truth and civic responsibility.”

16 OPINION

The consequences of conscience uring the election period, there were many essays, columns and discussions about the role of conscience in making well formed and correct decisions on moral and ethical matters. These discussions have pointed out the church’s long-standing teaching on conscience formation and have emphasized that this formation is not built on a whim or personal preference but on time-honored standards that make the magisterium of the church a foundational principle in the process. But there has been an esGEORGE sential element missing in the conversation. WESOLEK Usually, the discussion follows the process and then ends with the (true) conclusion that if you have followed this course in forming your conscience then you are required to follow it (Catechism of the Catholic Church, section 1790). Often conscience formation is an exercise in logic instead of an honest effort to understand what the church teaches and why. Many never get to the why. It is a bigger commitment, and more threatening, to delve into the rationale underlying church teaching, especially on sexuality and morality. It is far easier to listen to arguments, pro and con, then decide which most comfortably fit with one’s life experiences and emotions. In this scenario, the bishops are just one voice among many conflicting opinions. This is not discerning conscience. It’s listening to a debate. What is rarely mentioned, if at all, are the consequences that result from this. Example: If one were to discern in a conscience formation journey that for him or her Jesus Christ is not divine but something else following the intense debates about the nature of the Christ in the early Christian era, would there not be an obligation to leave the Roman Catholic Church which has professed the truth of Christ’s divinity for 2,000 years? Being required to follow one’s conscience after a rigorous examination has a natural consequence. Yes, I do not believe in the divinity of Christ. How can I stand shoulder to shoulder with other Catholics at Mass and profess the creed? It is an unconscionable and fundamentally dishonest action. It would seem clear that, in conscience, I have abandoned the tradition and that I need to honestly admit that and find another tradition that fits my beliefs, and, at the very least, discontinue my participation in the faith that is so clear and consistent on this issue. What about social issues flowing from the church’s moral doctrine today? Most of the discussions around conscience formation have been about these: abortion, homosexuality/same-sex marriage. Many Catholics have announced loudly and clearly that they have come to a conscience conclusion that foundationally disagrees with the church on these issues. The conversation usually ends with the affirmation of their right in conscience to follow that path, but it rarely speaks of the consequences of making such a decision so far from the church’s constant and unalterable position on these matters. I know fellow Catholics who publically and loudly proclaim their right to differ with the church and, in the same breath, declare themselves faithful to the church. I can only conclude that they firmly believe that the church, will one day, after 2,000 years, change its teaching on homosexuality and abortion. This is delusional at best and announces a clear misunderstanding of the doctrine of the church. Yet, in the discussions about conscience, the consequences of their conscience journey end with their having the “right” to believe as they do. More than that, they seem to believe in their “right” to change the Catholic Church and the minds of those Catholics who are deluded enough to uphold magisterial teaching. The logic of the conscience formation journey, rather, means that they need to consider where they belong with such decisions. Is it time to move on, based on conscience? Is it time to take stock and move to a real and honest place that reflects their decision-making?

WESOLEK is communications director for the Archdiocese of San Francisco.

CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | DECEMBER 21, 2012

LETTERS After Newtown, Archbishop Hurley’s thoughts on suffering resonate all the more I was quite impressed by Joel Davidson’s sensitive and poignant interview with (retired Anchorage, Alaska) Archbishop Francis Hurley (Dec. 14). The archbishop’s late sister, Phyllis Porter, was a wonderful friend of mine and my wife’s as was their late brother, writer and Irish historian, Bishop Mark Hurley. Because of the archbishop’s geographical distance from San Francisco as archbishop of Anchorage, I did not have the opportunity or pleasure to see or speak with the archbishop. In reading the archbishop’s reflection in Catholic San Francisco, it is quite evident that the Hurleys were, and are, of special stock. One of the archbishop’s comments in the interview was of special significance. He spoke of that “overlooked” teaching within our Catholic faith referring to the nature of suffering. Like the archbishop’s mother, the nuns who taught me in grade school (Most Holy Redeemer/Presentation Sisters of the Blessed Virgin Mary) also imparted that teaching to take our pain and “offer it up for somebody else.” As our nation continues to mourn the enormous tragedy of the senseless killings in Connecticut, Archbishop Hurley’s comments about suffering resonate even more. We often question the goodness of God when such horrible atrocities occur. Yet as hard as it may seem, maybe the unfathomable pain of those families affected by the tragic loss of life as well as our own psychological pain in sympathy for them can be offered for those less comfortable, less advantaged, hurting and sick. This is a great time of year to heed the archbishop’s wisdom: “Offer it up for somebody else.” Peter J. Fatooh San Francisco

This is a great time of year to heed the archbishop’s wisdom: ‘Offer it up for somebody else.’

Injunction of the Fifth Commandment In “Carrying out all the biblical injunctions,” (Letters, Dec. 7), Don Elliott of San Mateo wrote, “While I respect the church position on abortion, I do so recognizing that there is no direct connection between that position and biblical injunctions.” What about “Thou shalt not kill?” M.M. Lodge San Bruno

Heed not Jesus’ words at your own peril Re “What is the population of hell?” (Father Robert Barron, Dec. 14): Some weeks ago our men’s Scripture study took on purgatory, and the purification. We talked about the purification process for the good guys, and one of course could question the whole concept of purgatory. As is mentioned in the piece: Is it that the really good guys – the really, really good guys – pass go, pick up $200 and get right into heaven, never mind that they are sinners too, and should go directly to jail? So where would that line be drawn? Confessed sinners who have confessed? How about sinners who know they need to confess (like that’s an act of contrition in of itself) but don’t get around to it? One of the guys used the word hyperbole when confronted with the words Jesus used in describing the sins that condemn. “Yeah, Jesus said it, but the words were hyperbolic, making a strong point” (paraphrased). The liberal thinking is that we’ll all end up in heaven anyway, so why worry, no problem, I’m a

goat today, and Jesus died for us goats too! But do we not have to become sheep, or like little children by following Jesus, his teachings, and avoiding those sins that in his words ... condemn? Did Jesus not say: Take eat, this is my body, or ... you have no life in you? Literally, no life? Grace? Jesus also didn’t mince his words in Matthew regarding anger and murder, lust and adultery, or divorce and remarriage. Jesus taught many lessons with words and deeds, and those words should mean something. Heed them not at your own peril. Philip Feiner San Carlos

Catechism’s wisdom on human dignity inspires As part of my lay Carmelite studies, I have been reading the Catechism of the Catholic Church. I was very much struck with the simplicity, yet the profoundness I read in Part 3, Section 1, Chapter 1, on the Dignity of the Human Person. The catechism, so little used, is an excellent source for Catholic teaching and for truth. For example, in No. 1703, the fact that from conception, every human being is destined by God for eternal bliss, is a straightforward explanation as to why abortion is an intrinsic evil. Our personal dignity in the eyes of God seems to be so little appreciated these days. What struck me as I meditated on the words I read, so appropriate to this season, was just how we were given this sublime dignity. By the incarnation, of God becoming human, we human beings were raised from the futility of our fallen state and given the ability to respond to a higher calling. By our own power it is impossible for us to save our own souls. But by the Trinitarian mystery, God gave himself to his son, who in turn gave himself fully to us by becoming fully human. Jesus took on human nature so that human nature could become like unto him. Our lives here are invariably a struggle between good and evil, but with God’s grace, won for us by the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, we can attain that eternal bliss. This dignity belongs to all of us, and the incarnation of Christ is what we celebrate at Christmas – the beginning, in time, of God the father’s salvific plan for humankind. Diane Dawes San Francisco

Thought-provoking commentary Page 22 of the Dec. 14 issue contained two excellent opinion pieces. Father (Robert) Barron and Mr. (George) Weigel construct coherent critiques of positions taken, or at least statements, by Ralph Martin and the late Cardinal Martini. Both articles are thought-provoking whether you agree or disagree. Kudos to Catholic San Francisco for publishing this high-quality content. Paul D. Jones San Francisco

Is there a more beautiful word than ‘Christmas?’ This time of year a pet peeve festers within me, namely, the annual skirmish about the word “Christmas.” Somehow, somewhere, there supposedly are people who are offended by the public use of the word “Christmas.” It’s too religious, etc. And so, to try to please everyone, we now have “The holidays” – bland and generic, to be sure. Is there a more beautiful word than “Christmas”? What other word so easily evokes faith, family, old friends and old times? So, the next time someone wishes you a “Happy holiday,” why not say in reply “Merry Christmas?” James Quinn Burlingame

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OPINION 17

CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | DECEMBER 21, 2012

After Newtown, remembering Jesus’ promise of ultimate peace onday, Dec. 17, opened a long and almost unbearable procession of grief as Newtown, Conn., began to bury its dead: the 20 children and six adults gunned down at Sandy Hook Elementary School on Dec. 14, hallowed by President Obama as “20 beautiful children and six remarkable adults.” Newtown, a community of 27,000 people, faced more funerals over the next few days, just as other towns and cities were getting ready for the holidays. This season celebrates FATHER GERALD the life of a child and a seaD. COLEMAN, SS son of light. In Newtown, it’s a time for mourning the most precious gift parents give the world and the teachers who protect them. No words can express the pain and suffering of this tragedy or eradicate the intensity of the experience. It is only a time to grieve and sit with one another in loving support as friends and family, holding tenaciously to the memory and special blessing of the innocent children and teachers who lost their lives in a flash as tragedy struck in the most unspeakable and unimaginable way. In the first pages of Scripture, we learn about the human person’s capacity for evil. We also learn about our persistent fallen nature and the way sins spreads from generation to generation. We can never adequately plunge the meaning of

evil or why it continues to happen. At the same time, Scripture insists that there is something transcendent about the human person. When we are drowning in evil and sorrow, we must cast our eyes toward an unseen God. The evil that visited (CNS PHOTO/JOSHUA LOTT, REUTERS) Newtown calls forth A rose is tied to a cross on a faith. This is why the memorial set outside St. Rose people most affected of Lima Church in Newtown, by the tragedy held a Conn., Dec. 14. vigil and not a rally. There is a great emptiness, an unbridgeable void. But hope endures. The crucified and resurrected Jesus promised ultimate peace. It was the first gift he promised after he rose from the dead: “Peace be with you” (John 20: 19). Peace for those killed. Peace for the brokenhearted. Peace for all our streets and schools. Not for nothing is the babe of Bethlehem called the Prince of Peace. He, too, endured unimaginable suffering. He too knew the face of evil. Can we doubt that he is with the families whose loss is so unbearable? Can we fail to hope that he has already gathered the victims into his arms? SULPICIAN FATHER COLEMAN is vice president, corporate ethics for the Daughters of Charity Health System.

The reawakening of the church of France SANDRO MAGISTER

No one would have bet on it, but after decades of invisibility and torpor, the French Catholic Church has returned vigorously to the public scene. It was a minority and a minority it remains, in a country where less than 5 percent of the population goes to Sunday Mass, and where baptisms of children are increasingly rare. But it is one thing to give up, and another to be creative. That of “creative minority” is the future that Pope Benedict XVI himself has assigned to Catholicism in secularized regions. The church of France is putting this to the test. The turnaround came all of a sudden. One sign of foreshadowing was, in mid-August, the prayer that the archbishop of Paris, Cardinal André Vingt-Trois, had raised to Our Lady of the Assumption: “May children and young people cease to be the object of the desires and conflicts of adults, in order to enjoy fully the love of a father and mother.” A furious controversy exploded, in a France on the path to legalizing marriage between persons of the same sex, with the possibility of adopting. But the newspaper Le Monde also made a stir by entering the fray in defense of the archbishop, with a commentary signed by a famous literary critic who converted to Catholicism, Patrick Kechichian. L’Osservatore Romano reproduced the article on its front page. The impression, however, was that everything could be reduced to the initiative of the cardinal. And that no one would march behind him. But in the fall, everything changed. On Nov. 7, gay marriage obtained the approval of the council of ministers. Cardinal Vingt-Trois protested to President Francois Hollande, Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault, and Minister of Justice Christiane Taubira, and made public what he had objected to them in private. The archbishop responded to what the minister had told him, namely that “what is at stake is a reform of civilization,” and said that he too thinks this way, that the issue is precisely this, of a radical change of the nature of man, of the sexes, of procreation. And therefore one cannot get carried away with an act of tyranny of such

impact, deciding everything by a majority with a margin of 1 or 2 percent. To Minister Taubira, who told him: “We are not touching the Bible,” the cardinal rebutted that not even he was bringing this into discussion: “It is a question that concerns man, and this is enough.” And this is precisely what is new. Against the law on gay marriage a resistance is mobilizing that is not confessional, but humanistic, of men and women with the most varied visions of the world. On Nov. 17 in Paris, and in a dozen other cities, hundreds of thousands of people marched through the streets. The demonstrations were organized by three unexpected figures: the gossip columnist and director of a satirical newspaper known by the pseudonym of Frigide Barjot, the socialist Laurence Tcheng, and Xavier Bongibault, an atheist and homosexual, founder of Plus gay sans mariage. Of the three, only the first is Catholic. No church association hoisted its banners. The Catholics simply blended into the demonstration. But the official church blessed everything. That same morning, in Rome, the pope urged about 40 bishops from France on their “ad limina” visit to “take care to pay attention to proposed civil legislation that could undermine the protection of marriage between a man and a woman.” Also siding with the church and against the “reform of civilization” is the feminist philosopher Sylviane Agacinski, wife of the socialist (and Protestant) former prime minister Lionel Jospin. The archbishop of Paris is no longer a general without an army. The bishops are with him too. They have elected him president of the episcopal conference, something that had never happened with his predecessor late Cardinal Jean-Marie Lustiger, a man of Pope John Paul II but always left alone. The church of France was once called the “eldest daughter of the church.” As a creative minority, it could become that again. Even if it is defeated in the kingdom of this world. MAGISTER, Rome-based journalist, is the creator of the website http://chiesa.espresso.repubblica.it, where this article first appeared.

An example of goodness turned into an excuse to deny help t had all the elements to be the best feel-good New York Christmas story since “Miracle on 34th Street.” Instead, it exemplified how we feel about our relationship to the poor. It was a frigid November night when New York City police officer Larry DePrimo noticed a homeless man, shoeless, sitting on the sidewalk. “I went up to him and I was like, ‘Where are your shoes?’ He said, ‘It’s OK officer ... I’ve never had a pair of shoes ... but God bless you and thank you for doing what you’re doing,’” DePrimo said. STEPHEN KENT The officer went to a nearby shoe store, bought a pair of boots and socks, knelt before the man and put the boots on his feet. The officer was unaware a tourist had photographed the encounter. The photo went on the Internet, attracting thousands of comments and attention. The officer appeared on national television. His act of charity was praised. The recipient of the kindness quickly faded from attention as is the norm for the down and out. Two weeks later, reporters from The New York Times tracked down the man, still shoeless. They identified him as Jeffrey Hillman, 54, who appeared neither grateful nor homeless. “I was put on YouTube, I was put on everything without permission. What do I get?” he said. “This went around the world, and I want a piece of the pie.” He told the reporters: “I appreciate what the officer did, don’t get me wrong. I wish there were more people like him in the world.” Two days later, New York’s Homeless Services Commissioner Seth Diamond revealed that Hillman had been living rent-free in an apartment since late last year. Hillman receives benefits because he is a veteran, Diamond said. He also receives benefits from the federal Department of Veterans Affairs, Diamond said, adding that the apartment comes with case management services, which Hillman doesn’t use. The reaction to the revelations was predictable. Disillusion set in, and Hillman was criticized for being ungrateful. The equation went out of balance. The “deserving poor” are expected to be grateful to their benefactors. We expect happy endings. People felt deceived. The original understanding of a policeman’s kindness to the down and out became just another example of life in the big city. Such cases can easily be used to ignore the cry of the poor. People began commenting online about their experiences with the homeless, how they had offered food to the homeless and were rejected by ungrateful people looking for money and refusing to work. We may get taken, we may get scammed, but that’s the risk inherent in fulfilling our obligation. We can’t use it as an excuse. The poor don’t have to make a case for why they should be helped. Like everything else in today’s world, it is not easy to carry out our responsibility to the poor. We used to know neighbors and villagers as individuals who needed help. Now the poor are presented as a group, pre-approved for charity. The kind officer versus ungrateful street person is off-putting. What must it feel like to be God when a gift of unconditional love is not appreciated? A clue may come from the streets of New York.

KENT is the retired editor of archdiocesan newspapers in Omaha and Seattle. Email Considersk@gmail.com. ©CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

18 FAITH

CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | DECEMBER 21, 2012

SUNDAY READINGS

Fourth Sunday of Advent ‘Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.’ LUKE 1:39-45 MICAH 5:1-4A Thus says the Lord: You, Bethlehem-Ephrathah too small to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel; whose origin is from of old, from ancient times. Therefore the Lord will give them up, until the time when she who is to give birth has borne, and the rest of his kindred shall return to the children of Israel. He shall stand firm and shepherd his flock by the strength of the Lord, in the majestic name of the Lord, his God; and they shall remain, for now his greatness shall reach to the ends of the earth; he shall be peace.

Once again, O Lord of hosts, look down from heaven, and see; take care of this vine, and protect what your right hand has planted the son of man whom you yourself made strong. Lord, make us turn to you; let us see your face and we shall be saved. May your help be with the man of your right hand, with the son of man whom you yourself made strong. Then we will no more withdraw from you; give us new life, and we will call upon your name. Lord, make us turn to you; let us see your face and we shall be saved.

PSALM 80:2-3, 15-16, 18-19. Lord, make us turn to you; let us see your face and we shall be saved. O shepherd of Israel, hearken, from your throne upon the cherubim, shine forth. Rouse your power, and come to save us. Lord, make us turn to you; let us see your face and we shall be saved.

HEBREWS 10:5-10 Brothers and sisters: When Christ came into the world, he said: “Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me; in holocausts and sin offerings you took no delight. Then I said, ‘As is written of me in the scroll, behold, I come to do your will, O God.’” First he says, “Sacrifices and offerings, holocausts and sin offerings,

you neither desired nor delighted in.” These are offered according to the law. Then he says, “Behold, I come to do your will.” He takes away the first to establish the second. By this “will,” we have been consecrated through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. LUKE 1:39-45 Mary set out and traveled to the hill country in haste to a town of Judah, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how does this happen to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.”

The Visitation: Sidetracked by an aside hen we think of people who have had visions of heavenly beings, we usually think of saints like Bernadette Soubirous, Juan Diego or the three children of Fatima, and the very public nature of their visions of the Blessed Mother. The events and sites of these visionaries continue to draw much curiosity and devotion. In the case of another visionary, St. Catherine Laboure, her vision of the Immaculate Conception led to the widespread devotion to the Miraculous Medal. Catherine, however, remained very private about the vision, sharing it only with her spiritual director. She finally revealed to her superior, 45 years later, that she was the sister who FATHER WILLIAM received Mary’s instruction NICHOLAS to foster the devotion. Even today, popular devotion is fraught with visionaries throughout the world who claim to have had visions of heavenly beings, some of whom receive pilgrims who gather around them, hanging on their every word!

SCRIPTURE REFLECTION

POPE BENEDICT XVI JUSTICE AND CHARITY NOT IN OPPOSITION

“What should we do?” John the Baptist’s question when he spoke to the people gathered by the River Jordan to be baptized proves to be “of current relevance,” Pope Benedict XVI told the faithful gathered in St. Peter’s Square Dec. 16 as he commented on the day’s Gospel reading. “The first response is addressed to the crowds in general,” the pope said. “The baptist says, ‘Whoever has two cloaks should give one to he who has none, and whoever has food should do likewise.’ Here we can see a criterion of justice, inspired by charity.” In his second answer, the baptist advises despised tax collectors neither to change jobs nor to exact more than what was required. “The prophet, in God’s name, does not ask for exceptional gestures, but rather the honest fulfillment of one’s duty,” the pope said.

While the Blessed Mother seems to be the most popular figure of popular devotion emerging from visions, have we ever regarded Mary, herself, as a visionary? One need look no further than the Gospel of Luke. As the prototype of Christian discipleship, the Virgin Mary received a message from a heavenly being, the angel Gabriel. The message she received would echo throughout history, heralding the end of the reign of sin and the beginning of the messianic era; when David’s family would be restored to the throne of Israel in a reign that would never end! This new era would have its origins in the womb of Mary, herself, impregnated by the power of the Holy Spirit, as she bore, and gave birth to the son of God! As proof, to alleviate any doubt, Gabriel pointed out that Elizabeth, who was thought to be barren, was six-months along in her own pregnancy, likewise brought about by God’s will! So important was the message Mary received from her angelic visitor, that all other stories of visionaries throughout the church’s history pale in comparison! How did Mary respond to this heavenly message? She did not run to her local rabbi to share the story and the message. She did not go into seclusion, to take care of herself during that first trimester. She did not “hold court” by receiving visitors who came to hear the story of her message from God. She in no way fixated on her new role in God’s

plan, nor did she focus, in any way, on herself. Rather, she focused on a side comment made by the angel – Elizabeth is with child, in her sixth month. Mary focused on a mere footnote to Gabriel’s overall message. No sooner did Gabriel tell her of Elizabeth, than Mary gave her response. After the angel departed, Mary traveled “in haste” to be of service to one who was in need of her presence and assistance. Even when she received the greeting of Elizabeth, “blessed are you among women,” Mary responded as only Mary would: “My being proclaims the greatness of the Lord!” If you were to have a vision of a heavenly being, how would you react? Yet, Sunday after Sunday, as we joyfully await the coming of our Lord and savior, Jesus Christ, we have exactly that! Yet, it is not just a “vision.” We see the risen Jesus himself as he becomes present to us in the sacrifice of the Eucharist. It is not an angel, but God himself who speaks to us through his divine word in the Scriptures. It is God who calls each of us, nourishing us with the grace of the sacraments, to go forth and play our role in his continuing plan, to proclaim the greatness of the Lord, and to go “in haste” to serve those in need. FATHER NICHOLAS is parochial vicar at Mission Dolores Basilica, San Francisco.

LITURGICAL CALENDAR, DAILY MASS READINGS MONDAY, DECEMBER 24: Monday of the Fourth Week of Advent. Christmas Eve. 2 Sm 7:1-5, 8b-12, 14a, 16. Ps 89:2-3, 4-5, 27 and 29. Lk 1:67-79. TUESDAY, DECEMBER 25: Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord (Christmas). Is 9:1-6. Ps 96: 1-2, 2-3, 11-12, 13. Ti 2:11-14. Lk 2:1-14. WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 26: Feast of St. Stephen, first martyr. Acts 6:8-10; 7:54-59. Ps 31:3cd-4, 6 and 8ab, 16bc and 17. Mt 10:17-22. THURSDAY, DECEMBER 27: Feast of St. John, Apostle and Evangelist. 1 Jn 1:1-4. Ps 97:1-2, 5-6, 1112. Jn 20:1a and 2-8. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 28: Feast of the Holy Innocents, martyrs. 1 Jn 1:5-2:2. Ps 124:2-3, 4-5, 7cd-8. Mt 2:13-18. SATURDAY, DECEMBER 29: Fifth Day in the Octave of Christmas; Optional Memorial of St. Thomas Becket, bishop and martyr. 1 Jn 2:3-11. Ps 96:1-2a, 2b-3, 5b-6. Lk 2:22-35.

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 30: Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. Sir 3:2-6, 12-14. Or Sir 3:2-6, 12-14. Ps 128:1-2, 3, 4-5. Or Ps 84:2-3, 5-6, 9-10. Col 3:12-21. Or Col 3:12-17. Or 1 Jn 3:1-2, 21-24. Lk 2:4152. MONDAY, DECEMBER 31: The Seventh Day in the Octave of Christmas. Optional Memorial of St. Sylvester I, pope. 1 Jn 2:18-21. Ps 96:1-2, 11-12, 13. Jn 1:1-18. TUESDAY, JANUARY 1: The Octave Day of Christmas. Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God (holy day of obligation USA). Nm 6:22-27. Ps 67:2-3, 5, 6, 8. Gal 4:4-7. Lk 2:16-21. WEDNESDAY JANUARY 2: Memorial of Sts. Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzen, bishops and doctors of the church. 1 Jn 2:22-28. Ps 98:1, 2-3ab, 3cd-4. Jn 1:19-28. THURSDAY, JANUARY 3: Christmas Weekday. Optional Memorial of the Most Holy Name of Jesus. 1 Jn 2:29–3:61. Ps 98:1, 3cd-4, 5-6. Jn 1:29-34.

FAITH 19

CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | DECEMBER 21, 2012

The will to keep Christmas DANIEL S. MULHALL CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

Every year Christmas decorations and gift displays seem to arrive earlier in shop windows and TV screens. Where Thanksgiving once marked the beginning of the Christmas shopping season, today it is not unusual to see Christmas displays appear when the Halloween leftovers are taken down. Every year the questions are asked: “Has Christmas become too commercial?” or “Have we lost the true meaning of Christmas?”

Commercialized Christmas nothing new

While stores and other businesses have certainly become more aggressive in trying to get consumers to buy more, buy earlier and buy more often, the commercialization of Christmas is not new. In some ways it is nearly as ancient as the Christmas celebration. Gift giving has always been a significant part of the Christmas festivities based on the gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh given to the Christ Child by the Magi in the Nativity narrative in the Gospel of Matthew. While we can suppose that most early gifts would have been handmade by the giver, surely some gifts were purchased. Remember that when St. Francis of Assisi began the wonderful tradition of setting up the Nativity scene in the 13th century with the baby Jesus in a stable with Mary and Joseph and angels and shepherds – the Christmas créche – he did so to try and bring people’s focus to the “true meaning of Christmas,” and not the version of the feast then celebrated. Christmas wasn’t always so commercialized in the United States. In fact, the early Puritan settlers didn’t celebrate the feast at all. By the 1800s, however, the celebration of Christmas had become the custom – think of the poem “A Visit from St. Nicholas” (also known as “The Night Before Christmas”), written by Clement Moore in the 1820s. By the early 1900s, the Christmas season had become quite commercialized.

Keeping our will for the sacred

The issue today, it seems, is not the over-commercialization of the feast but whether we have the will, the determination, to keep it a sacred occasion. The influence of the secular culture is enormous, especially with the unceasing barrage of advertising targeted far too often at children. Parents know all too well how their children are being seduced by advertisements. But it isn’t just the children who are being affected. Gradually, the intentions of the parents themselves are worn down by the nonstop message that things can fulfill us, heal us and make us happy. To persevere against this message, we must make a conscious decision to keep the Christmas message alive. In her blog, School of Disciples, Elaine Menardi asks, “In a world where you can have anything you want, what do you need? How much is enough? So if I can truly have anything I want, why don’t I work harder to get it?” Here are some things that she thinks would be worth working harder to acquire: love, patience, peace, time for family and friends, and a closer relationship with God and with the church.

LOVE BINDS VARIETIES OF CHRISTMAS EXPERIENCE

Depending on our background and circumstances in life, the way we experience Christmas varies. Some see it as the season for presents, filled with anticipation of which gift, which toy is to be found under the tree. Others see Christmas as the time to welcome family members, perhaps the only time they’ll get to see loved ones during the year, or to help others materially or by immersing themselves in the lives of the poor. But in the variation of these experiences, it is love that binds them. “Only those who are open to love are enveloped in the light of Christmas,” said Pope Benedict XVI in his 2010 Christmas message. However we choose to mark the season, what’s important is the expression of love toward others. “The proclamation of Christmas is also a light for all peoples, for the collective journey of humanity,” the pope said. “’Emmanuel,’ God-with-us, has come as king of justice and peace.”

Menardi’s insight is helpful. She points out that it isn’t enough for us to want more love or patience or friends or faith in God. Nothing comes from wanting. If something is important to us, we will put out whatever effort it takes to acquire the object of our desires. If we think that Christmas has become too commercialized and want to recapture the true meaning of the Christmas season, then we have to be willing to do the work that’s needed to bring that true meaning to life. There are a few simple ways to do that: Carefully read the Nativity stories as told in Matthew and Luke. Note that these are two different stories, not different parts of the same story. Read a section at a time with family and friends and discuss what they mean. What messages were the evangelists trying to convey? Why are the stories so different?

Let the act of giving change you

Focus on developing a generous spirit. Enjoy sharing what you have with others. Give what you want to give because you want to give, and not because you are expected to give or because someone wants a gift. Give gifts that will make a difference in people’s lives. Let the act of giving change you. Develop a Christmas custom to share with your family and friends. You might read the Nativity story aloud before opening gifts, or make placing the Christ child in the manger a special occasion. Eight hundred years ago, St. Francis tried to shape people’s vision of Christmas by bringing the Nativity story to life. Does the créche still have the power to change the way that people think and act, or has it become a mindless tradition that evokes only sentimental memories, much like the favorite ornament on the Christmas tree? What efforts are you willing to make to keep Christmas this year? MULHALL is a longtime catechist in Laurel, Md.

Free Christmas season resources for families RHINA GUIDOS CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

Families looking for resources to use during Christmas can access a variety of blessings, readings and daily reflections with the click of a computer mouse. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops is offering free material in a digital format at www.usccb. org/prayer-and-worship/liturgical-resources/ christmas/. The content also includes “audio retreats” in English and Spanish for the three Sundays of Christmas. “During this season, we celebrate the birth of Christ into our world and into our hearts, and reflect on the gift of salvation that is born with him

… including the fact that he was born to die for us,” says the introduction to the digital resources. The site offers instructions and dates for blessing the Christmas tree, Christmas manger or the Nativity scene at home, a printable family calendar in English and Spanish, excerpts from Pope Benedict XVI on Christmas, and liturgical notes. The digital calendar offers suggestions for daily activities, such as setting up the creche and hiding the baby Jesus until Christmas, picking up a poinsettia for the home or making plans for receiving the sacrament of penance before Christmas. Families also can find historical tidbits, such as the origins of the popular Nativity scenes, which some trace to St. Francis of Assisi, who made the Christmas créche or manger for Christmas Eve of 1223.

On spiritual arrogance, and naming churches I have not made a Cursillo myself, but I have the impression that it is an intensive study in a retreat-type atmosphere from which an individual should come away with a more intimate relationship with God and a deeper desire to be more Christ-like. In our parish, though, there is a group that makes just about every Cursillo in the area and they project an attitude of being “better than” the rest of us who have not attended. Rather than seeming more Christ-like, they resemble a clique from junior high school days, with them being the “cool kids.” Our pastor just seems to encourage them. I don’t think that he sees the divisive nature of their actions. What advice can you offer? (Missouri) FATHER First, some background KENNETH DOYLE for those unfamiliar with the Cursillo movement. A Cursillo is a “short course” in Christianity, offered usually over a three-day weekend. It was started by laymen in Spain in the 1940s, became popular in the United States in the 1960s and is now a worldwide movement. Its goal is that, by reviewing the fundamentals of Christianity in a retreat-like atmosphere, people might be energized to deepen their friendship with Christ and their commitment to others. Successes from the Cursillo weekend can be well-documented. It has been, for many, a positive and even lifechanging experience to hear other laypeople embrace their faith and testify to its value. There are also follow-up meetings on a regular basis (called “ultreyas”) to share experiences in applying faith to daily life. And when new people make the weekend, they often receive letters from Cursillo “veterans” supporting them with the promise of prayers. As with alumni of any common experience (college fraternity, seminary training etc.), camaraderie is natural and often endures. However, built in through consistent reminders in Cursillo literature is the caution to avoid “spiritual arrogance,” to reject an “us and them” attitude that might suggest that a Cursillo is the only road to holiness. The goal always is for the Cursillo graduate to become a leaven in the wider Christian community. If that is not happening in your parish, why not talk to your pastor directly about your concerns over the “divisiveness”? Our Marian study club has a question for you. How do Catholic churches get their names? Who picks them out? (Belle Plaine, Iowa) Canon law gives wide latitude in the naming of Catholic churches, requiring simply that they be named after: the Trinity; Jesus, under a title or mystery of his life; the Holy Spirit; Mary; the angels; a canonized saint; or, with Vatican permission, someone who has been beatified. Since it is a bishop’s prerogative to establish parishes and churches, it is also his right to name them. Lately, however, more and more deference has been given to the input of parishioners – especially in the case of the merger of parishes. The parish where I am stationed may serve as an example. Four years ago, due to demographic shifts, a neighboring church was scheduled to close and merge with ours to create a new parish. A committee from both churches was formed to help, and name for the new parish was at the top of its agenda. The committee made the decision that, rather than try to combine both former names into a hybrid title, a new name would indicate more clearly that the combined parish was a fresh enterprise, with all parishioners starting off on equal footing. After study and discussion, parishioners at both churches were polled on a dozen possible names. The three leading names were then submitted to the bishop, and the bishop ratified our parishioners’ top choice.

QUESTION CORNER

Q. A.

Send questions to Father Doyle at askfatherdoyle@gmail. com or 40 Hopewell St., Albany, NY 12208. ©CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

20 FAITH

CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | DECEMBER 21, 2012

Epiphany: Revelation to the nations DANIEL MULHALL

In many countries, gifts are given on Epiphany, not on Christmas Day.

CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

“Do not be afraid. Open, I say open wide the doors for Christ.” With these words, Blessed John Paul II began his pontificate on Oct. 22, 1978. Pope Benedict XVI certainly had these words in mind when calling for the Year of Faith. In his apostolic letter “Porta Fidei,” the pope began with these words: “The ‘door of faith’ is always open for us, ushering us into the life of communion with God and offering entry into his church. It is possible to cross that threshold when the word of God is proclaimed and the heart allows itself to be shaped by transforming grace. To enter through that door is to set out on a journey that lasts a lifetime.”

Blessed John Paul spoke and wrote frequently of the new evangelization, a theme that Pope Benedict XVI has made a central message for the church. The recent Synod of Bishops held in October focused on the need for Christians to take seriously the need to evangelize.

Call for new evangelization

Celebrating the Incarnation

The feast of the Epiphany is an appropriate time for us to consider in a special way what it means for us to enter into a “life of communion with God” because with the Epiphany, the church celebrates God becoming flesh and dwelling with us – the Incarnation. That’s when the doors to the sacred are thrown wide open for all to be transformed by grace. Over the centuries, the Epiphany (a common Greek word meaning “manifestation”) has been traditionally celebrated on January 6, just 12 days after Christmas, although in the U.S. it is now celebrated on the first Sunday following January 1. The song “The Twelve Days of Christmas” commemorates the celebration that historically took place between Christmas and Epiphany. In many countries, gifts are given on Epiphany, not on Christmas Day. This giving of gifts reflects a story in the Gospel. Chapter 2 of Matthew’s Gospel recounts the visit of the Magi to the stable in Bethlehem to pay homage to the newborn king. For this reason the Epiphany is commonly called the feast of Three Kings. However, while the story of the gifts given by the Wise Men is important, focusing on this part of the story often means that the greater significance of the story is lost.

Heart of the Magi story

Another ancient name for the feast of the Epiphany is Theophany, which denotes the appearance of God. This meaning is at the heart of

(CNS PHOTO/CROSIERS)

The Magi knew to look for Jesus because of the star that appeared. How will people today know how to find Jesus unless one of his followers makes his presence known to them? the Magi story: Matthew’s Gospel account doesn’t have angels announcing Jesus’ birth to shepherds or the stable scene as found in Luke. In Matthew, Jesus is born and the Wise Men arrive. Their presence is a pronouncement that Jesus is recognized as the revelation of God by the entire world, even its wise men. The gifts of the Magi pale in comparison to the gift God offers through Jesus, which is our salvation: eternal life with God. For this reason, the feast of the Epiphany is the perfect time for us to consider our participation in this Year of Faith with its renewed call to evangelize others. The Magi knew to look for Jesus because of the star that appeared. How will people today know how to find Jesus unless one of his followers makes his presence known to them?

The word “evangel” (old English) is from the Greek “euangelion,” which means “good news,” from which we get the word “gospel,” the “good news of Jesus Christ.” An evangelizer is one who spreads the good news. Evangelization is the process that is used to spread the Gospel. The call for a new evangelization, then, is a call for the church to find new ways to spread the good news of salvation. The recent synod stated: “A new evangelization is synonymous with mission, requiring the capacity to set out anew, go beyond boundaries and broaden horizons.” On Epiphany we celebrate that, in Christ, we are summoned, as Pope Benedict said in “Porta Fidei,” “to an authentic and renewed conversion to the Lord, the one savior of the world.” The new evangelization offers us the opportunity to strengthen the faith of those who believe, influence those who are doubtful and invite those who don’t yet know Christ. The new evangelization calls us to experience directly God with us in Jesus, who is the light of the world. The Epiphany also challenges us to open wide our hearts and to believe the good news that God offers us in Jesus. Imagine the Magi arriving in Bethlehem and seeing the fulfillment of all that they had ever sought. How must they have felt? How might they have reacted? Do you think they shared that experience with anyone ever? It isn’t difficult to imagine that they were filled with awe, standing in front of the baby with mouths agape as they fell to their knees in wonder and adoration. The feast of the Epiphany challenges us to experience the Christ with new eyes and new hearts, to be overwhelmed by the great gift that God has given us, and then to tell everyone we meet, whether in person or through social media, that God lives among us. MULHALL is a longtime catechist who lives and works in Laurel, Md.

Joy on the Day of Kings: The gift the Magi gave us RHINA GUIDOS

I’m awestruck when I look at the Christmas lights and think about the Magi’s conviction.

CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

As a child, one of my favorite holidays was the feast of the Epiphany. We didn’t receive gifts on Christmas. They were given to us on the holiday we call in Central America the Day of the Kings. I suppose receiving presents as a child was a big deal, but what I love and remember about the feast in the years of my childhood was the pageantry and how interactive it seemed. You could play with the Christmas creche, at home, at school, moving the animals to different places each day, decorating the stable with friends. When the feast was over and we helped take the manger down, the question by friends and family was, “What did the kings bring you?” The question hasn’t changed with the years but the answer has evolved. As a child, the kings brought me toys, clothes, candy. As a college student, they brought me the gift of being able to share the magic I found in Epiphany with Chinese roommates who had never celebrated a religious holiday before. As a young adult living abroad, they brought me the experience of seeing how others in northern Spain marked the Epiphany: less of a religious experience but an occasion to feast on pastries and outings in the countryside with friends. And now, as I enter a more adult stage of life, the kings have brought me a deeper sense of faith.

(CNS PHOTO/GREGORY A. SHEMITZ)

The feast of Epiphany was a day for gift-giving during Rhina Guidos’ childhood. “When the feast was over and we helped take the manger down, the question by friends and family was, ‘What did the kings bring you?’” she writes. The Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us this about the feast in No. 528: “The Epiphany is the manifestation of Jesus as Messiah of Israel, son of God and Savior of the world. The great feast of Epiphany celebrates the adoration of Jesus by the Wise Men (Magi) from the East.” Now that I meditate more in the solitude and

silence of a chapel and am less apt to do it in the mountains, I’m awestruck when I look at the Christmas lights and think about the Magi’s conviction. As Pope Benedict XVI said in his 2012 Epiphany homily, the Wise Men must have endured “a certain amount of mockery” as they set off to find the Messiah. It’s different, but not too far off, than the expression you sometimes receive when you say in some parts of Europe that you’re “a believer.” That’s why the conviction the Magi showed and the example they set for us is so important in a world that struggles with those who believe. While the baby in the manger is the focus, the Magi are the ones who led us there and, in this sense, bestowed on us, not just the greatest gift of all, but a great example. The answer the catechism provides is one to ponder as we’re asked to disperse the gifts the Magi’s example brought to us: “Their coming means that pagans can discover Jesus and worship him as son of God and savior of the world.” GUIDOS is an editor at Catholic News Service.

ARTS & LIFE 21

CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | DECEMBER 21, 2012

Philosophy professor explores human origins for the nonscholarly REVIEWED BY DANIEL S. MULHALL CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

“FROM BIG BANG TO BIG MYSTERY: HUMAN ORIGINS IN THE LIGHT OF CREATION AND EVOLUTION” BY BRENDAN PURCELL. New City Press (Hyde Park, N.Y., 2012). 365 pp., $34.95. Throughout the ages, scholars have pondered the “what” and “why” of human origin. In his book “From Big Bang to Big Mystery: Human Origins in the Light of Creation and Evolution” Father Brendan Purcell, an adjunct professor in philosophy at the University of Notre Dame in Sydney, Australia, attempts to provide answers to these questions, with a great deal of success. Father Purcell has delivered a scholarly work (with 625 footnotes and a 22-page bibliography) that is, at the same time, accessible to the nonscholarly reader. Because the work deals primarily in philosophy and science, the book requires effort to read and understand, yet Father Purcell makes it an interesting and enjoyable read throughout. The author, ordained in 1967 for the Dublin archdiocese, intends this book as a quest for understanding, an exploration of “that exclusively inner dimension that characterizes us as human being.” He is guided (and highly influenced) on this quest by the thought of the late Eric Voegelin, a philosopher of history. Discovering Voegelin’s work while in graduate school in psychology, Father Purcell has pursued this study throughout his life, opening himself to human thought from throughout the ages and from all cultures. The late Stephen Jay Gould, per-

haps the best known of all American evolutionary biologists, argued for the theory of nonoverlapping magisteria. Gould believed that science could not be used to prove a philosophical or theological matter, and that philosophy and theology could not be used to prove a scientific one because they existed in two different realms: science in the realm of fact and theory, theology and philosophy in the realm of ultimate meaning and moral value. One could, however, look at science through the philosophical and theological lens, and use science to help us understand philosophy and theology. And that is exactly what Father Purcell accomplishes here. He does not try to prove his philosophical points with science or his scientific points with philosophy. Instead, he uses the philosophical viewpoints of Voegelin and the late Jesuit Father Bernard Lonergan to help us move through the evolutionary development of human beings. Although much of the book explores the biological differences that set humans apart from all other humanoids (e.g. Neanderthals), Father Purcell’s purpose here is to make “philosophical sense of the mystery of human origins.” He begins by seeking to provide a “clear understanding of what we mean by ‘human.’” He explores this notion by exploring primarily the literature of the Bible and that of ancient Greece. Father Purcell then looks at the natural sciences, focusing on creation and the begin-

ning of time (thus, the Big Bang of his title) and the developments that led to the formation of the human race. Part Three examines how humans belong to but are different from the rest of the “humanoid sequence,” what makes us human. Father Purcell argues persuasively here that it was the biological changes that made human speech possible that is the tipping point between humans and other hominids. Having established biologically what makes us human, Father Purcell finishes the book with arguments from theology and philosophy about human nature. As noted above, Father Purcell’s work requires effort on the part of the reader, both to understand the multitudes of concepts presented and to follow his reasoning throughout. That said, the reader is amply rewarded for the effort. Perhaps the greatest drawback of the book is Father Purcell’s wordy asides. In the introduction he takes several pages to describe how he came to know Voegelin and his works. Elsewhere he quotes long passages from texts when a sentence or two would have been enough. A judicious editing would have helped throughout. This work would stimulate wonderful discussions in high school and college theology classes, as well as in adult book clubs and discussion groups. It deserves serious attention and discussion. MULHALL is a catechetical writer and consultant. He lives in Laurel, Md.

Memoir takes readers into Catholic family’s life in Maine REVIEWED BY MITCH FINLEY CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

“WHEN WE WERE THE KENNEDYS: A MEMOIR FROM MEXICO, MAINE” BY MONICA WOOD. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (Boston, 2012). 235 pp., $24. Memory is a wondrous, awesome thing. Sometimes you can’t remember what you want to remember; other times out of the clear blue the most trivial, oddball things pop into awareness, and you say to yourself, “Where the heck did that come from?!” In the case of writing a memoir, such as Monica Wood’s “When We Were the Kennedys,” however, memory offers a kind of sacramental service, holding your hand, leading you back along paths you once trod, whispering, “See here? See there? This was holy, and this was sacred, and that was holier still, and all these things were so amusing, sometimes hilarious, and so they were among the most sacred things of all. Do you remember, do you?” It is this latter service that memory renders in Wood’s recollections

of growing up in the quizzically named town of Mexico, Maine, in the 1950s and ‘60s, and growing up blessedly Catholic with her four siblings, and with her father – who dies one ordinary morning – and with her mother, who does what one might expect and more, and much more indeed. Over it all is the Oxford Paper Co. where nearly all the men work, and it is what company town companies once were to their employees in this country – just about everything, until it can’t be that anymore. Other characters, and they are all characters, include the kids’ beloved maternal uncle, the priest, who becomes a surrogate father and is holy in his flaws, sometimes bestowing wild blessings unexpectedly. There is the landlord immigrant couple, hilariously idiosyncratic, and there are the various friends and neighbors who round

out the world Monica Wood remembers. All come alive through her evocative, colorful, gentle prose, the reader frequently left with either a tearful or a joyful heart. During and after the presidency of John F. Kennedy, until the widowed Jacqueline Kennedy alienated them by marrying a Greek tycoon, many Catholics felt close to the Kennedys. Hence the book’s title, in particular because the Woods, too, were bereaved by the sudden death of a father and husband. This theme doesn’t have as important a place in the narrative as using it for the book’s title may suggest, however. That minor possibility aside, “When We Were the Kennedys” is a powerfully written literary treasure that deserves many readers. FINLEY is the author of more than 30 books on Catholic themes.

CHILDREN’S BOOK REVEALS POPE’S SENSITIVE SIDE, SECRETARY SAYS

VATICAN CITY – A new children’s book, released by the Vatican publishing house, accurately reveals the “very, very, very sensitive soul” of Pope Benedict XVI, said his personal secretary, Archbishop-designate Georg Ganswein. The Italian-language book, “The Mystery of a Little Pond,” was written and illustrated by the Russian painter Natalia Tsarkova and was presented at a Dec. 11 conference by the archbishopdesignate and a panel of experts. The tale takes place in a pond guarded over by a statue of Mary in the gardens of the papal villa at Castel Gandolfo and features a little goldfish who – even in real life – is fed by Pope Benedict during his evening stroll. Archbishop-designate Ganswein, who will be ordained a bishop Jan. 6 by Pope Benedict and serve as prefect of the papal household, said the book accurately portrays a pope who “pays attention to the littlest creatures.” He said that during his years as a young assistant pastor in Germany’s Black Forest, he was in charge of the children’s liturgies. “It is never easy to prepare a homily … but preparing a homily for children is draining,” the archbishop-designate said. “They immediately see if you are being superficial and they are unforgiving if you are not sincere.” ©CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

TV PROGRAM NOTES/FILM FARE MONDAY, DEC. 24, 4-6 P.M. EST (EWTN) “SOLEMN MASS OF CHRISTMAS EVE WITH POPE BENEDICT XVI,” live from St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. MONDAY, DEC. 24, 8-11 P.M. EST (NBC) “IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE” (1946). Seasonal favorite about the joys and trials of a good man (James Stewart) who, facing financial ruin on the eve of Christmas, contemplates suicide until his guardian angel (Henry Travers) shows him how meaningful his life has been to those around him. MONDAY, DEC. 24, 10 P.M.-MIDNIGHT EST (TCM) “COME TO THE STABLE” (1949). Sentimental but amusing picture from Clare Booth Luce’s story of two French nuns (Loretta Young and Celeste Holm) trying to establish a hospital in New England with some help from an eccentric artist (Elsa Lanchester) and a cynical songwriter (Hugh Marlowe). TUESDAY, DEC. 25, 6-7 A.M. EST (EWTN) “URBI ET ORBI: MESSAGE AND BLESSING.” From the loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica, Pope Benedict XVI gives his blessing to the city and the world. The event will be rerun Tuesday, Dec. 25, 10-11 p.m. EST, and Thursday, Dec. 27, 2-3 p.m. EST. TUESDAY, DEC. 25, 9:45-11:30 A.M. EST (TCM) “THE MIRACLE OF OUR LADY OF FATIMA” (1952). When a young girl reports seeing an apparition of Mary in 1917 Portugal, she is harassed, then arrested by atheistic government officials but nothing can stop the crowds of faithful from coming to the site in expectation of a miracle. TUESDAY, DEC. 25, NOON-2 P.M. EST (EWTN) “SOLEMN MASS OF CHRISTMAS DAY.” Cardinal Donald W. Wuerl of Washington celebrates this Mass, broadcast live from the capital’s Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.

22 COMMUNITY

CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | DECEMBER 21, 2012

MHR begins construction of memorial fountain, garden GEORGE RAINE CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO

Most Holy Redeemer Church in San Francisco has broken ground for a memorial wall and fountain that will honor people, living and deceased, who in some way are associated with the parish and its parishioners – many of them people who died of AIDS. Significantly, the project completes a $2.8 million restoration project that was begun in 1998, with the debt paid off eight years ahead of schedule, said Nick Andrade, a member of the parish finance committee who oversaw much of the project that included restoration of the church. The names of people to be honored are being etched in tiles for the wall and in large bricks called pavers to be placed in front of the fountain. The tiles can be purchased and etched for $150 and the pavers for $250. There will be room for 400

(PHOTO COURTESY DENNIS CALLAHAN)

Most Holy Redeemer parishioners gathered for the groundbreaking of the San Francisco parish’s memorial fountain and garden. At the front of the group, opposite pastor Father Brian Costello, is Presentation Sister Cleta Herold. To her immediate left is Les Hribar; to her right, Olga Barrera, Bernie Banonis.

tiles and 120 pavers, said Andrade. The memorial is set in the church garden. The project is called the Memorial Fountain and Garden, and those being honored include founders of the Most Holy Redeemer AIDS support group, the group that serves supper to homeless people on Wednesdays, hospice workers and other friends and associates of Most Holy Redeemer, said Andrade, who is also a board member of Catholic Charities CYO. Most Holy Redeemer is a relatively small church – only 400 families – but it is vibrant, said Andrade. “The mere fact that we paid parish debt off eight years early speaks to the faith and testament of that community,” said Andrade. He said former Most Holy Redeemer pastors – Father Anthony McGuire, Father Edward Phelan and Father Stephen Meriwether – will attend the dedication, along with the current pastor, Father Brian Costello. Andrade said that will occur in late January or early February, the date to be determined by weather.

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CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | DECEMBER 21, 2012

OBITUARY

Celebration, service around the archdiocese

DEACON JOSEPH BORG, 73 – ‘MODEL OF INNER STRENGTH’

Deacon Joseph Borg died Nov. 7 from heart disease. A funeral Mass was celebrated Nov. 12 at St. Anthony Church, Novato. He was 73 and a deacon for 22 years. He and his wife Paulette would have been Deacon Joseph married 49 years Borg Nov. 15. Deacon Leon Kortenkamp, director of the diaconate program for the Archdiocese of San Francisco said: “Deacon Joe Borg’s ministry reflected his deep spirituality, love of family and a lifetime of dedication to the service of others. He was a blessing to all who knew him, and in his later years, as he struggled with poor health, he was a model of inner strength for those in difficult circumstances. His spiritual depth and gentle sense of humor will be deeply missed in the community of deacons and their wives and by those he touched through his ministry.” Deacon Borg, a former San Francisco police officer, served at Northern Station which is not far from St. Mary’s Cathedral where Deacon Borg was assigned from1990-94. “After Joe was ordained, he would sometimes see police officers from his old post at the cathedral for Mass,” Paulette Borg told Catholic San Francisco. Deacon Borg also served at Our Lady of Loretto Parish in Novato and St. Hilary Parish in Tiburon. He retired from active ministry in 2005. In addition to Paulette, survivors include their daughter Katherine Nehmens and granddaughters, Stephanie, Angela and Melissa Nehmens; daughter Deborah Borg-Tedrick, husband Donald and grandson, Dalton Ryken; daughter Suzanne Borg; son Daniel; and grandchildren, Jessica, Nathan and Veronica Borg. Remembrances may be made to the Mother of God Carmelite Monastery, 530 Blackstone Drive, San Rafael 94903.

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REUNION: San Francisco’s Sts. Peter and Paul School class of 1962 celebrated a 50th reunion Sept. 22, with Mass and dinner in North Beach. Current principal Lisa Harris and Salesian Sister Debbie Walker took the group on a school tour, followed by Mass with classmate Father David Casaleggio of the Diocese of Las Vegas as principal celebrant. Concelebrants included Salesian Father John Itzaina, pastor, and former pastor Salesian Father Armand Oliveri, who knew the class as youngsters and continues in their lives today. Reunion organizers were Edie Garaventa Pignati, Maria Zarich Antonini, Marilyn D’Acquisto Niehaus and Franca Ghiglieri Marchetti.

WHEN I WAS HUNGRY: Parishioners of San Francisco’s Notre Dame des Victoires, like these eighth and first graders, prepare and serve breakfast for homeless people at St. Boniface Parish as part of The Gubbio Project.

2 2

KIDS COLLECT TOYS FOR KIDS: St. Timothy Parish children collected toys for San Mateo families in need for the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. “We want to give to kids who don’t have enough,” said Andre Jaurigui, St. Timothy student body president.

HOSPITALITY: Volunteers from St. Rita Parish, Fairfax, served meals for the homeless at San Rafael Wellness Center Dec. 6. Pictured, from left, are St. Rita servers Leticia Fish, Jessee Hinton and Marisa Davidson.

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24 CALENDAR

CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | DECEMBER 21, 2012

TUESDAY, DEC. 25 CHRISTMAS DAY MASS: Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone is principal celebrant of midnight Mass at St. Maryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Cathedral, Gough Street at Geary Archbishop Boulevard, Salvatore J. San FrancisCordileone co. Caroling with the cathedral choir begins at 11:30 p.m. Christmas Eve. Archbishop Cordileone is also the principal celebrant of the Christmas Day 9 a.m. Mass at the cathedral. www.stmarycathedralsf.org. CHRISTMAS TV MASS: A TV Mass is broadcast Christmas Day at 6 a.m. on KOFY-TV 20 and Fox 40 Sacramento and at 9 a.m. on KTSF Channel 26 Msgr. Harry San Francisco. Schlitt It is produced for viewing by the homebound and others unable to go to Mass by God Squad Productions with Msgr. Harry Schlitt, celebrant. Catholic TV Mass, One Peter Yorke Way, San Francisco 94109, (415) 614-5643, janschachern@aol.com.

FRIDAY, DEC. 21 NO ROOM AT THE INN: St. Bruno Parish, 555 W. San Bruno Ave. between El Camino Real and Route 101, San Bruno, presents â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Search for an Inn,â&#x20AC;? 7 p.m. A reenactment of the story of Mary and Joseph

on the search for a place to give birth to Jesus. The ensemble will process to locations surrounding the parish, sing Christmas carols and end with a community potluck celebration. Will you have room for Christ in your heart?

SATURDAY, DEC. 22 CURBSIDE DONATIONS: St. Anthonyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s is accepting curbside donations outside its temporary Dining Room at 150 Golden Gate Ave., San Francisco, Saturday, Dec. 22 through Monday, Dec. 24, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. all days. Essential items needed include food, hygiene items, new socks, scarves and hats. Visit www.stanthonysf. org/?q=about/san-francisco-benefitsand-charity-events. Call (415) 5922899. Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir and Nothing but Treble sing for guests at St. Anthonyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Dec. 22-23. SAN RAFAEL DINING ROOM: The San Rafael Free Dining Room asks for donations of ground beef, fish, canned tuna, chicken and turkey. Meat donations are accepted at 820 B St., San Rafael, from 6:30 a.m.-1p.m., seven days a week. Drive to the front of the Free Dining Room and hand off donations to a volunteer. Call (415) 4543303, ext.12. Visit www.vinnies.org. A work of the St. Vincent de Paul Society of Marin.

FRIDAY, DEC. 28 ANCIENT PHILOSOPHY: Conversation group on ancient philosophical texts, St. Maryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Cathedral, Gough Street at Geary Boulevard, San Francisco, Msgr. Bowe Room, 7:30-10 p.m. reynaldo.miranda@gmail.com. (415) 584 8794.

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 2

takes place first and third Wednesdays, 7:30 p.m., St. Stephen Parish Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Reilly Center, 23rd Avenue at Eucalyptus, San Francisco. Groups are part of the Separated and Divorced Catholic Ministry in the archdiocese and include prayer, introductions, sharing. It is a drop-in support group. Jesuit Father Al Grosskopf, (415) 422-6698, grosskopf@usfca. edu.

YOUTH RALLY: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Shine!â&#x20AC;? with Jesse Manibusan for junior high school and high school students at Mission Dolores, 16th Street at Dolores, San Francisco. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Come and learn more about our faith, celebrate Mass and connect with friends,â&#x20AC;? the Office of Religious Education and Youth Ministry said. Cost $20 per person. High-school students welcome to volunteer. Contact Vivian Clausing at clausingv@sfarchdiocese.org with questions or to register. FATIMA MASS: Immaculate Conception Chapel, 9 a.m., 3255 Folsom St., off Cesar Chavez, San Francisco. Franciscan Father Guglielmo Lauriola, pastor emeritus, celebrant and homilist. (650) 269-2121.

SATURDAY, JAN. 5 MASS: First Saturday Mass at Holy Cross Cemetery, 1500 Old Mission Road, Colma, All Saints Mausoleum Chapel, 11 a.m. Father Tony LaTorre, pastor, St. Father Tony Philip Parish, LaTorre San Francisco, celebrant and homilist. (650) 756-2060.

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SEPARATED DIVORCED: Meeting takes place second and fourth Tuesdays, St. Bartholomew Parish Spirituality Center, Alameda de las Pulgas at Crystal Springs Road, San Mateo, 7 p.m. Groups are part of the Separated and Divorced Catholic Ministry in the archdiocese and include prayer, introductions, sharing. It is a drop-in support group. Jesuit Father Al Grosskopf, (415) 422-6698, grosskopf@usfca.edu.

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FRIDAY, JAN. 11 DAILY TV MASSES: EWTN airs Mass daily at 5 a.m., 9 a.m., 9 p.m. and a 4 p.m. Mass Monday through Friday. EWTN is carried on Comcast 229, AT&T 562, Astound 80, San Bruno Cable 143, DISH Satellite 261 and Direct TV 370. In Half Moon Bay EWTN airs on Comcast 70 and on Comcast 74 in southern San Mateo County.

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 16 SEPARATED DIVORCED: Meeting takes place first and third Wednesdays, 7:30 p.m., St. Stephen Parish Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Reilly Center, 23rd Avenue at Eucalyptus, San Francisco. Groups are part of the Separated and Divorced Catholic Ministry in the archdiocese and include prayer, introductions, sharing. It is a drop-in support group. Jesuit Father Al Grosskopf, (415) 422-6698, grosskopf@usfca.edu.

TUESDAY, JAN. 22 SEPARATED DIVORCED: Meeting takes place second and fourth Tuesdays, St. Bartholomew Parish Spirituality Center, Alameda de las Pulgas at Crystal Springs Road, San Mateo, 7 p.m. Groups are part of the Separated and Divorced Catholic Ministry in the archdiocese and include prayer, introductions, sharing. It is a drop-in support group. Jesuit Father Al Grosskopf, (415) 422-6698, grosskopf@usfca.edu.

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CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | DECEMBER 21, 2012

VATICAN II TALKS: “Moral Theology” with Sulpician Father Gerald Coleman at St. Pius Parish, Homer Crouse Hall, Woodside Road at Valota, Redwood City, 7 p.m. (650) 361-1411, ext. 121. laura@pius.org.

FRIDAY, JAN. 25 ‘LATE NIGHT CATECHISM’: St. Matthew Parish, San Mateo, kicks off its 150th anniversary with the hit comedy “Late Night Catechism.” The professionally performed show takes you on a nostalgic and hilarious journey back to your Baltimore Catechism days. Tickets at $50 include wine, appetizer and dessert bar before the show, 6:30 p.m. in the Ward Hall building. Purchase tickets online at www.stmatthew-parish. org/150th/. Call (650) 344 7622, ext. 104.

WALK FOR LIFE: Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone, actress Jennifer O’Neill, and tens of thousands of pro-lifers participate in the Walk for Life West Coast. The day kicks off with Mass at St. Mary’s Cathedral, Gough Street at Geary Boulevard, San Francisco, 9:30 a.m. The Walk for Life rally begins at 12:30 p.m. at Civic Center Plaza followed by the Walk for Life on Market Street at 1:30 p.m. Visit www. walkforlifewc.com.

SATURDAY, FEB. 2 CONFIRMATION RETREAT: “Catch the Spirit” at Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish, Alameda de las Pulgas at Ralston Ave., Belmont, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. with Brother Scott Slattern for junior high and high school students preparing for the sacrament of confirmation. $25 per student includes T-shirt, lunch and program. Contact Vivian Clausing at clausingv@sfarchdiocese.org.

SATURDAY, JAN. 26 CRAB FEED: Archbishop Riordan High School hosts its annual crab feed benefitting Crusader athletics, 6 p.m. Enjoy delicious fresh crab, good fun and good company. Tickets $55. Visit www. riordanhs.org or call Sharon Udovich, (415)586-8200 ext. 217. Event will sell out – book early!

FRIDAY, FEB. 8 MARRIAGE ENCOUNTER WEEKEND: A weekend where married couples can get away from jobs, kids, chores and phones and focus only on each other. If you’d like greater depth, growth and enrichment in your relation-

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SATURDAY, FEB. 23 CONFIRMATION RETREAT: “Catch the Spirit” at St. Monica Parish, 23rd Avenue and Geary Boulevard, San Francisco, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. with Brother Scott Slattern for junior high and high school students preparing for the sacrament of confirmation. $25 per student includes T-shirt, lunch and program. Contact Vivian Clausing at clausingv@sfarchdiocese.org.

THURSDAY, FEB. 28 VATICAN II TALKS: “Liturgy and Sacraments” with Father David Pettingill at St. Pius Parish, Homer Crouse Hall, Woodside Road at Valota, Redwood City, 7 p.m. (650) 361-1411, ext. 121. laura@pius.org.

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SATURDAY, MARCH 9 YOUTH FOOD FAST: Lenten retreat for high school students at St. Peter Parish, 700 Oddstad Blvd., Pacifica, 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Join other students in fasting in solidarity with those who are hungry and learning more about how you can make a difference in the world. Catholic Relief Services speaker Deacon Steve Herrera will share about his work and there will be youth-led hands-on activities to teach about the causes of poverty and hunger. Suggested donation for CRS is $10 per person. Contact Vivian Clausing at clausingv@sfarchdiocese.org.

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CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | DECEMBER 21, 2012

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Faith-Based Outreach Coordinator: Mission Hospice and Home Care is Looking for a bi-lingual individual to reach out to Catholic and Protestant churches In San Mateo County with Spanish-speaking congregations, communicating the value of comfort care. This individual should be comfortable discussing death and dying with church pastors and congregations. This is a 20-hour a week position, including some evenings and weekends.

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Be a part a growing ministry that connects the faithful in the 90 parishes of the archdiocese. If you would like to add your tax-deductible contribution, please mail a check, payable to Catholic San Francisco, to: Catholic San Francisco, Dept. W, One Peter Yorke Way, San Francisco CA 94109.

Associate Director of Youth Ministry and Catechesis Archdiocese of San Francisco-Office of Religious Education and Youth Ministry

This is a full-time, Exempt position that reports to the Director of Religious Education Start date: Immediately Facilitation of comprehensive youth ministry formation of Youth Leaders in parishes and provides leadership to assist parish or deaneries in building a solid formation of faith growth for students in grades 7-12 and their parents. Includes programs for confirmation preparation, master catechist formation and collaboration with various departments in the Archdiocese and region. Strong interpersonal and problem resolution skills. Excellent verbal, written and communication skills (Spanish Language helpful) Able to work in a multi-cultural setting. Organized, reliable, timely; and good planning skills. Proficient in WORD, Publishing and Excel. Practicing Catholic in good standing. Masters Degree in youth ministry, faith formation or related fields. 4-6 years experience in parish and diocesan ministry. Valid Calif. drivers license with clean driving record and car for work. Able to work nights and weekends.

Send cover letter, resume and three references to: arbucklec@sfarchdiocese.org or Sister Celeste Arbuckle, SSS, One Peter Yorke Way, SF 94109

HELP WANTED JOB DESCRIPTION Office of the President Archbishop Riordan High School Archbishop Riordan High School in San Francisco is seeking highly qualified candidates for the Office of the President. Archbishop Riordan High School (ARHS) is a Catholic all male San Francisco Archdiocesan High School, founded in 1949. ARHS is sponsored by the Society of Mary (Marianist). The Characteristics of Marianist Education are as follows: Educate for formation in faith • Educate in the family spirit • Provide an integral, quality education • Educate for service, justice and peace • Educate for adaptation and change ARHS prepares young men of San Francisco, the surrounding communities and various countries from around the world for leadership through its inclusive college preparatory curriculum. ARHS fosters development in faith, character, academics, the arts and athletics, in a diverse and inclusive family environment. The school currently serves 625 students including 40 international students from six different countries. The international students reside on the ARHS campus. ARHS is a WASC accredited school. The school received the maximum six-year accreditation during the last review. The current accreditation is in place through 2014.

Qualifications and Requirements: • The qualified candidate with be a practicing Catholic in good standing with the Church, and will have obtained a minimum of a Masters’ Degree in Administration, and experience in secondary education. POSITION: Office of the President: Exempt, Full-time, Salaried position with an extensive benefits package RESPONSIBILITIES: The responsibilities of the Office of the President include but are not necessarily limited to the following: • Maintain the Catholicity and Marianist Charism of ARHS. • Primary responsibility to maintain respectful and cordial relationships with all Archdiocesan Offices and Officials, The Board of Trustees, the Society of Mary and the Parent Board. • Report to, seek the advice of and act upon the agreed direction of the Board of Trustees to insure the continued successful operation of ARHS now and in the future. The Board of Trustees meets with the President and appropriate staff at regularly scheduled Executive Board and Full Board meetings five times during the school year. The President should be prepared to advise the Board of Trustees on the status of the following: current status and strategic plans for various School Departments, implementation of said plans and integration into the various programs at ARHS. • Supports the Office of the Principal to insure the success of the Academic and Activities Programs. • Direct, Manage and Support the efforts of various Administrative Departments to insure the success of their missions. Observe and evaluate the staff of the Administrative Dept. REPORTS: The Office of the President reports to the Archbishop of San Francisco, through the Archdiocesan Superintendent of Catholic Schools, the ARHS Board of Trustees and the Society of Mary. Qualified applicants should send Resume and Cover Letter to:

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Maureen Huntington, Superintendent of Schools One Peter Yorke Way, San Francisco, CA 94109

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CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | DECEMBER 21, 2012

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May the Sacred Heart of Jesus be adored, glorified, loved & preserved throughout the world now & forever. Sacred Heart of Jesus pray for us. St. Jude helper of the hopeless pray for us. Say prayer 9 times a day for 9 days. Thank You St. Jude. Never known to fail. You may publish.

Prayer to the Blessed Virgin never known to fail.

P.J.

Most beautiful flower of Mt. Carmel Blessed Mother of the Son of God, assist me 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. M.T.

Prayer to the Blessed Virgin never known to fail.

Prayer to the Holy Spirit

Prayer to the Blessed Virgin never known to fail.

Holy Spirit, you who make me see everything and who shows me the way to reach my ideal. You who give me the divine gift of forgive and forget the wrong that is done to me. I, in this short dialogue, want to thank you for everything and confirm once more that I never want to be separated from you no matter how great the material desires may be. I want to be with you and my loved ones in your perpetual glory. Amen. You may publish this as soon as your favor is granted. M.B.

Prayer to St. Jude Oh, Holy St. Jude, Apostle and Martyr, great in virtue and rich in miracles, near Kinsman of Jesus Christ, faithful intercessor of all who invoke your special patronage in time of need, to you I have recourse from the depth of my heart and humbly beg to whom God has given such great power to come to my assistance. Help me in my present and urgent petition. In return I promise to make you be invoked. Say three our Fathers, three Hail Marys and Glorias. St. Jude pray for us all who invoke your aid. Amen. This Novena has never been known to fail. This Novena must be said 9 consecutive days. Thanks. M.B.

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St. Jude Novena May the Sacred Heart of Jesus be adored, glorified, loved & preserved throughout the world now & forever. Sacred Heart of Jesus pray for us. St. Jude helper of the hopeless pray for us. Say prayer 9 times a day for 9 days. Thank You St. Jude. Never known to fail. You may publish.

M.B.

Read the latest Catholic world and national news at catholic-sf.org.

“125 Years of History, Ministry & Service” A book celebrating the story of Holy Cross Cemetery

Books now available $20.00 Books may be purchased at the cemetery office or by mail. If you wish to purchase by mail, please add $3.00 and send request to: Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery, P.O. Box 1577, Colma, CA 940l4

28 COMMUNITY

Celebration, service around the archdiocese

CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | DECEMBER 21, 2012

JOY TO THE WORLD: Our Lady of Loretto third and fourth graders belt out songs of the season for diners at the Novato parish’s Christmas luncheon Dec. 7.

WARM HEARTS FOR THE POOR: Students at St. Anthony-Immaculate Conception School collected more than 100 jackets for distribution by St. Anthony Foundation to the city’s poor. Pictured with some leaders of the campaign is Miguel Martinez, principal.

O COME, LET US ADORE HIM: The Knights of St. Francis of Assisi invite you to a live Nativity at the Porziuncola Nuova, Vallejo at Columbus in San Francisco, Dec. 23 at 6 p.m. The evening is complete with pipers and animals and joy. Pictured is last year’s ensemble.

YOU ARE THE BRANCHES: Parishioners at St. Charles Church, San Carlos, assisted people whose first names and Christmas gift wish hung from the parish Advent Giving Tree. The Cremer family – Pat, Mike and their children Samuel, Stuart, Shepherd and Sullivan – were among the helpers.

(PHOTO COURTESY OUR LADY OF LORETTO SCHOOL)

Spreading the news, and the good news 18

CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | OCTOBER 26, 2012

CITIZENSHIP STRESSES FUNDAMENTAL ETHICAL DEMANDS In 2002 Pope John Paul II approved a Vatican doctrinal note on “The Participation of Catholics in Political Life.” Here is an excerpt. When political activity comes up against moral principles that do not admit of exception, compromise or derogation, the Catholic commitment becomes more evident and laden with responsibility. In the face of fundamental and inalienable ethical demands, Christians must recognize that what is at stake is the essence of the moral law, which concerns the integral good of the human person. This is the case with laws concerning abortion and euthanasia (not to be confused with the decision to forgo extraordinary treatments, which is morally legitimate). Such laws must defend the basic right to life from conception to natural death. In the same way, it is necessary to recall the duty to respect and protect the rights of the human embryo. Analogously, the family needs to be safeguarded and promoted, based on monogamous marriage between a man and a woman, and protected in its unity and stability in the face of modern laws on divorce: in no way can other forms of cohabitation be placed on the same level as marriage, nor can they receive legal recognition as such. The same is true for the freedom of parents regarding the education of their children; it is an inalienable right recognized also by the Universal Declaration on Human Rights. In the same way, one must consider society’s protection of minors and freedom from modern forms of slavery (drug abuse and prostitution, for example). In addition, there is the right to religious freedom and the development of an economy that is at the service of the human person and of the common good … Finally, the question of peace must be mentioned. … Peace is always the work of justice and the effect of charity. It demands the absolute and radical rejection of violence and terrorism … .

7 KEY THEMES ABOUT CATHOLIC SOCIAL TEACHING IN THE PUBLIC SQUARE

OPTION FOR THE POOR AND VULNERABLE DIGNITY OF WORK AND RIGHTS OF WORKERS: Right to productive work, to decent and just wages, to adequate beneﬁts and security in old age SOLIDARITY: Promoting global peace and justice; addressing extreme poverty and disease CARING FOR GOD’S CREATION: Moral obligation to protect the planet “FORMING CONSCIENCES FOR FAITHFUL CITIZENSHIP,” U.S. CONFERENCE OF CATHOLIC BISHOPS

The economy Both presidential campaigns put a lot of emphasis on the economy and claim their respective plans will better help the middle class and create more jobs. Obama’s job creation plan puts emphasis on short-term efforts to stimulate hiring as well as promote jobs in “green technologies.” His plan also emphasizes increased spending in education to better prepare the nation’s future workforce. Romney’s job creation plan is centered on making the environment better for businesses through changing current government regulations on businesses and reworking government taxation and spending policies. Both candidates acknowledge the sluggish economy has a long way to go to improve. In their quadrennial statement “Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship,” offering Catholics guidance for election decisions, the bishops say: “The economy must serve people, not the other way around.” At their spring meeting in June, the bishops voted to move ahead with a draft of a message on work and the economy that is expected to be ready in time for a final vote at the bishops’ fall meeting in mid-November. Titled “Catholic Reflections on Work, Poverty and a Broken Economy,” the message is aimed at raising the profile of growing poverty and the struggles that unemployed people are

(CNS PHOTO/REUTERS)

RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES: Right to life; right to access things required for human decency

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Here are excerpts from background articles by Catholic News Service reporters on the presidential election in light of key areas of Catholic social teaching.

Life

CALL TO FAMILY, COMMUNITY AND PARTICIPATION: Protect marriage; respect the family in all its aspects; defend parents’ right to care for children, including choice of education

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SEPTEMBER 28, 2012

COMPARING THE PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGNS ON KEY MORAL ISSUES

A pro-life activist demonstrates in front of the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington in this June 25 ﬁle photo.

THE RIGHT TO LIFE AND DIGNITY OF THE HUMAN PERSON: Direct attacks on innocent life are never morally acceptable; other direct threats include euthanasia, human cloning, destruction of human embryos for research; oppose torture, unjust war, genocide, racism; overcome poverty and suffering; promote peace

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At the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C., the differences on abortion between President Barack Obama and his Republican presidential opponent, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, were clear. Speeches in prime time on successive nights touted the president’s support for keeping abortion legal, and videos praised his stands on “reproductive choice” and “women’s rights.” The speakers included Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America; Cecile Richards, president of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America; and Sandra Fluke, a Georgetown Law School graduate who has spoken out against religious exemptions to the Department of Health and Human Services’ contraceptive mandate. At the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., there were few speeches that touched on abortion, but candidate Romney pledged in his acceptance speech to “protect the sanctity of life” and the GOP platform states that “the unborn child has a fundamental individual right to life which cannot be infringed.” “We support a human life amendment to the Constitution and endorse legislation to make clear that the 14th Amendment’s protections apply to unborn children,” the platform adds. “We oppose

using public revenues to promote or perform abortion or fund organizations which perform or advocate it and will not fund or subsidize health care which includes abortion coverage.” The Democratic Party’s platform approved in Charlotte says the party “strongly and unequivocally supports Roe v. Wade and a woman’s right to make decisions regarding her pregnancy, including a safe and legal abortion, regardless of ability to pay. We oppose any and all efforts to weaken or undermine that right.” In recent years, there has been much debate about whether Catholics can legitimately support a candidate who does not oppose abortion, if the candidate’s positions on other issues are in line with church teaching. In a document prepared for the 2012 elections, the Catholic bishops of Kansas answered that question with a decisive no. “The Catholic faith requires Catholics to oppose abortion, embryonic stem cell research, euthanasia, assisted suicide and the redeﬁnition of marriage,” said Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann of Kansas City and Bishops Michael O. Jackels of Wichita; John B. Brungardt of Dodge City; and Edward J. Weisenburger of Salina. “These matters are not negotiable, for they contradict the natural law, available to everyone through human reasoning, and they violate unchanging and un-

changeable Catholic moral principles,” they added. As a matter of fact, the Kansas bishops said, those issues should not be seen, strictly speaking, as political issues. “Instead, they are fundamentally moral questions involving core Catholic teachings on what is right and what is wrong,” they said. “Catholics who depart from church teaching on these issues separate themselves from full communion with the church.” On the issue of assisted suicide, neither candidate has taken a clear stand, although the Republican platform states: “We oppose the nonconsensual withholding or withdrawal of care or treatment, including food and water, from people with disabilities, including newborns, as well as the elderly and inﬁrm, just as we oppose active and passive euthanasia and assisted suicide.” The Democratic Party’s platform makes no mention of the issue. In response to a question about assisted suicide in 2008, Obama said he was “mindful of the legitimate interests of states to prevent a slide from palliative treatments into euthanasia” but thought that “the people of Oregon did a service for the country in recognizing that as the population gets older we’ve got to think about issues of end-of-life care.” Assisted suicide has been legal in Oregon since voters approved it in 1994. It also is legal in Washington state and in Montana.

As president, Obama revoked President George W. Bush’s policy on embryonic stem cell research, which limited such research to cell lines derived from embryos before August 2001. He allowed the National Institutes of Health to expand the acceptable lines to any embryos created for in vitro fertilization purposes and later discarded, if the couple agreed to such research. Romney’s campaign site calls stem cell research “a great scientiﬁc frontier,” but says it “must be pursued with respect and care.” As Massachusetts governor, Romney vetoed a bill to allow cloning of human embryos. On the issue of the death penalty, the Democratic platform says it “must not be arbitrary.” “DNA testing should be used in all appropriate circumstances, defendants should have effective assistance of counsel, and the administration of justice should be fair and impartial,” it adds. The Republican Party’s platform says, “Courts should have the option of imposing the death penalty in capital murder cases.” The U.S. Catholic bishops, in their document “Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship,” say “our nation’s continued reliance on the death penalty cannot be justiﬁed.” The Catholic bishops of California support Proposition 34 on the Nov. 6 ballot to ban the death penalty.

(PHOTO BY JOSÉ LUIS AGUIRRE/THE CATHOLIC VOICE)

CROSS & GOLD: LD:

PAGE ABC10: Teaching, service top concerns

Alemany’s story still inspires

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PAGE ABC17: Archbishop’s coat of arms PAGE ABC32: Ordination on St. Francis’ feast

(CNS PHOTO/BRENDAN MCDERMID, REUTERS)

People wait in line to meet with job counselors during a job fair in New York Sept. 6. experiencing. It also would advance the bishops’ priority of human life and dignity. The message would be a follow-up to a Sept. 15, 2011, letter by Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York, president of the U.S. bishops’ conference, in which he urged bishops and priests across the country to preach about “the terrible toll the current economic turmoil is taking on families and communities.” In a July reﬂection titled “The Economy and the Election,” the bishops of Kansas pointed out that even though the Catholic Church doesn’t endorse “speciﬁc solutions to our economic challenges,” it can point to the relationship between the economy and morality. “Unlike issues involving intrinsic evils such as abortion, same-sex marriage and threats to religious liberty

and conscience rights, Catholics of good will may have legitimate disagreements about how to apply church teaching in the economic sphere,” they said. The bishops urged voters to look to candidates who will practice stewardship and provide a safety net for the poor and vulnerable, and to judge “economic choices and institutions by how they protect or undermine the life and dignity of the human person.” They also noted that just as individual households should live within their means, the government should also “live within its means as an indispensable part of our nation’s economic recovery.” “It is irresponsible for those elected to positions of political leadership to fail to address realistically and effectively government debt and unfunded obligations,” the bishops said.

War and foreign policy Despite the contingent of U.S. troops remaining in Afghanistan, observers told Catholic News Service that Obama and Romney rarely mention the war as talk focuses on rebuilding the American economy. Afghanistan gets scant attention even on the candidates’ websites. Obama’s reference to Afghanistan is two lines long, promising to withdraw U.S. troops by the end of 2014. The site, however, credits Obama for the decision to raid Osama bin Laden’s compound in Pakistan and “eliminating” the mastermind behind the 9/11 attacks. Romney’s website offers a longer narrative on the war. But his criticism of the president’s surge and the 2014 deadline to withdraw forces is longer than his plan for addressing Afghan security. “Withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan under a Romney administration will be based on conditions on the ground as assessed by our military commanders,” the site concludes. “The truth is that both candidates have avoided talking about Afghanistan because neither has really good answers,” said Michael. J. Boyle, assistant professor of political science at La Salle University in Philadelphia. Paul Pillar, nonresident senior fellow at Georgetown University’s

PAGE ABC2: Archbishop called to evangelize

(CNS PHOTO/OMAR SOBHANI, REUTERS)

U.S. troops pray during a Sept. 11 ceremony in Kabul, Afghanistan, marking the 11th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks in the United States. Center for Security Studies, said he found that the stances of Obama and Romney on Afghanistan diverge only by matter of degree. “This is one very sign in the national security area that the basic course of American policy will not be appreciably affected by this election,” he said. “We’re on the glide path to have the troops out in 2014,” Pillar said. “The (Obama) administration has left it kind of vague.” The lack of speciﬁcity on Afghanistan by both candidates has implications for broader U.S. foreign policy, Pillar added. “I think the way we need to approach this election is not in trying to predict this or that initiative, but rather what sort of way the Obama administration versus the Romney administration will react to particular challenges like a 9/11 or who

knows what,” Pillar said. “What will the emphasis be? Will it be one of a more assertive use of military offense in starting wars and more intent on unilateralism or a more restrained use of military force and more emphasis on cooperative endeavors and the use of diplomacy?” Beyond the military action, the U.S. has an obligation to provide humanitarian assistance and rebuild both Afghanistan and Iraq, explained Stephen Colecchi, director of the U.S. bishops’ Ofﬁce of International Justice and Peace. Throughout the eight-year war in Iraq, the bishops called for a “responsible transition” under which the U.S. would gradually return control of the country to Iraqis. The last U.S. troops pulled out Dec. 18, leaving behind massive destruction and a country ravaged by violence.

2 ARCHDIOCESE

CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | JUNE 22, 2012

NEED TO KNOW

LOOKING BACK

FORTNIGHT FOR FREEDOM: The U.S. bishops’ campaign of teaching and witness for religious liberty begins June 21 – the vigil of the feasts of St. John Fisher and St. Thomas More – and ends July 4. The fortnight is a special period of prayer, study, catechesis and public action to emphasize both our Christian and American heritage of liberty. Archbishop George Niederauer is encouraging pastors in the archdiocese to explain the purpose of the campaign in their Sunday bulletins and to include special prayers in the prayers for the faithful at Sunday Masses on June 24 and July 1. The archbishop will celebrate 11 a.m. Mass July 1 at St. Mary’s Cathedral. Resources available at the bishops’ “Fortnight for Freedom” website include daily reﬂections and readings from the Vatican II document Declaration on Religious Liberty (“Dignitatis Humanae”). The public policy focus of the campaign is the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services mandate “which would force virtually all employers – even those with conscientious objections – to provide health coverage for contraceptives, sterilization and abortion-inducing drugs,” said Baltimore Archbishop William E. Lori, chairman of the bishops’ Ad Hoc Committee for Religious Liberty. DIACONATE ORDINATION: A new class of 12 permanent deacons for the archdiocese will be ordained June 24 at 3:30 p.m. at St. Mary’s Cathedral.

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1942: Our Lady’s Knights of the Skies San Francisco Archdiocesan priest and Army Air Force Maj. William Clasby, seen addressing recruits at the Santa Ana Air Base in 1942, began a little-remembered devotional group called Our Lady’s Knights of the Skies. He was pastor of St. Vincent de Paul Parish in San Francisco from 1965 until his death in 1986.

YEAR OF FAITH: The U.S. bishops’ promotion of the Year of Faith will include homily helps, a gathering of theology professors and even Facebook posts about the lives of the saints. The year is a celebration by the entire Catholic Church, running from Oct. 11 — the 50th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council and the 20th anniversary of the publication of the Catechism of the Catholic Church – to Nov. 14, 2013, the feast of Christ the King.

TO ASSIST THE ARCHIVES OF THE ARCHDIOCESE OF SAN FRANCISCO, WE’RE SEEKING INFORMATION FROM READERS ABOUT OUR LADY’S KNIGHTS OF THE SKIES. PLEASE REPLY TO SCHMALZV@SFARCHDIOCESE.ORG OR WRITE MYSTERIES OF THE ARCHIVES, CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO, ONE PETER YORKE WAY, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. ATTN: VALERIE SCHMALZ

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E-BOOK CATECHISM: The Catechism of the Catholic Church is now available at the U.S. bishops’ website in a format identical to an e-book. Download at www.usccb.org/beliefs-andteachings/what-we-believe/catechism/ catechism-of-the-catholic-church/ index.cfm.

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OCTOBER 5, 2012

$1.00 | VOL. 14 NO. 30

Bishops urge voters to end death penalty’s ‘failed system’

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The idea that the death penalty in California should be repealed in favor of sentencing our most heinous killers to life in prison without the possibility of parole may be gaining traction this year, presented more as an economic argument than as an emotional one: The state is hemorrhaging money on a badly broken death penalty system. That is the narrative the proponents SEE DEATH PENALTY, PAGE 15

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Several hundred people walked from City Hall to Union Square San Francisco Sept. 15 to raise awareness of the genocide of baby girls in India, where 10 million girls have been killed through sex-selection abortion and infanticide in the last 20 years.

Outrage over India’s 50 million ‘missing girls’ VALERIE SCHMALZ CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO

A Bay Area ﬁlmmaker is one of the leaders of an international movement to raise awareness of the killing of millions of unwanted unborn or infant girls in India. “Nearly 50 million girls are missing in India – 10 million killed by their parents via sex-selection abortion or infanticide in the past 20 years. (And) only because they’re girls and they’re considered a burden,” said Nyna Pais Caputi, a documentary ﬁlmmaker and mother of two small boys who started the walk and mobilized women and men around the globe to hold similar walks beginning in 2010. This year several hundred people gathered Sept. 15 at City Hall in San Francisco and walked to Union Square, holding signs that said, “If you kill your daughter where or how

will you find brides for your sons?” and “Endangered species – India’s girls”. Walks were also held in Minneapolis and Seattle, and in Canadian and Indian cities. In addition to Caputi, activists raising awareness of the genocide of girl babies include The 50 Million Missing Campaign (50millionmissing.wordpress.com) and the Virginiabased Population Research Institute. If the baby is not aborted, often parents or in-laws will kill a baby girl after her birth, Caputi documents in her film, “Petals in the Dust: India’s Missing Girls,” scheduled for release next year. In a trailer for the film, found at petalsinthedust.com, Caputi interviews an Indian woman who describes how her husband took her newborn daughter to a friend’s house, and fed her rice husks, choking her to death. The 2011 India census reveals the

Brown vetoes deportations bill GEORGE RAINE CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO

ratio of women to men is the lowest since India’s independence in 1947 with 914 girls to 1,000 boys. One district in western India has a ratio of 591 women to 1,000 men, Caputi said. In India, doctors are prohibited from notifying parents of the unborn baby’s gender and the government has gone so far as to require the registration of ultrasound machines. Nevertheless, Caputi said many doctors circumvent the law by giving clues of plus or minus, or pink or blue, Caputi said. “We found that even amongst the Christian community it was being done – women went in for abortions when they had already two or three girls,” Maryanne Ekka, coordinator for Global Walk for India’s Missing Girls in Jamshedpur, wrote in an email. Ekka is involved with Catholic Mahila Sangh of Jamshedpur

Gov. Jerry Brown has vetoed a bill backed by California Catholic bishops that was designed to reduce the likelihood that undocumented residents will be deported following their arrest. Advocates for the legislation said families are being torn apart sometimes for very minor offenses. The bill, known as the Trust Act, by Assemblyman Tom Ammiano, D-San Francisco, was endorsed by the California Catholic Conference, which is the voice of the state’s bishops. It would have directed law enforcement ofﬁcers to comply with a federal request that undocumented people be detained following arrest to accommodate deportation action only if the arrested person had been convicted or was charged with a serious or violent crime. The governor announced on Sept. 30 that he was vetoing the bill. He said he

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INDEX On the Street . . . . . . . . . 4 National . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Opinion. . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Faith. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Community . . . . . . . . . 22