March 11, 2021

ARCHBISHOP:

SEMINARY:

ST. JOSEPH:

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California’s unscientific worship ban

Father Mark Doherty named St. Patrick’s rector

Novena helps Catholics follow unsung saint

CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO Newspaper of the Archdiocese of San Francisco

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MARCH 11, 2021

$1.00 | VOL. 23 NO. 5

Cleanse your hearts of anger, live the Gospel, pope says at Mass in Irbil CINDY WOODEN CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

IRBIL, Iraq – Having witnessed or even experienced persecution for their faith, the Christians of Iraq must be careful not to harbor thoughts of revenge, Pope Francis told them.

After a full morning paying tribute to the victims of Islamic State violence, Pope Francis reached the last major event of his trip to Iraq: Mass March 7 with some 10,000 people at Irbil’s Franso Hariri Stadium.

Many ignored the social distancing measures put in place, and few wore the masks they were required to have because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Irbil, capital of the Kurdistan autonomous region in northern Iraq, hosts Syrian refugees and hundreds of thousands of displaced people, particularly Christians, from Mosul, Qaraqosh and other towns that (CNS PHOTO/PAUL HARING)

A nun waves a Vatican flag as she waits for Pope Francis to celebrate Mass at Franso Hariri Stadium in Irbil, Iraq, March 7, 2021.

SEE IRAQ, PAGE 16

Masses following CDC health guidelines ‘extremely safe’ to attend, expert says NICHOLAS WOLFRAM SMITH CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO

With parishes across California resuming their liturgical lives, Massgoers should be reassured about the level of risk going to church entails.

“It is extremely safe to attend Mass indoors following common sense precautions as recommended by the CDC,” Dr. Timothy Flanigan said.

Flanigan, professor of medicine and of health services, policy and practice at Brown University, memDr. Timothy P. ber of the university’s Division of Flanigan Infectious Diseases and a Catholic deacon, helped author guidelines published by the Thomistic Institute on safely celebrating Mass during the pandemic.

Following the ‘3 W’s’: “Wear a mask, wash your hands, watch your distance from others,” is key for public safety, as well as heeding CDC recommendations for worship spaces that include good ventilation, staying home when sick and having capacity limits.

“People should worship the way it’s best to worship.

With hundreds of thousands of Masses being celWhen individuals follow the 3 W’s, we have not seen ebrated since parts of the country began reopening, any outbreaks related to longer services,” he said.

“There have been no clusters of cases reported that On Feb. 5, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down have been linked to church attendance where these California’s ban on indoor worship. In a Feb. 8 letcommonsense precautions have been followed,” he ter to priests, Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone said. welcomed the decision, but stressed the importance A series of cases from Seattle, where unknowingly of celebrating Mass safely and noted the ruling “does infected individuals who later reported testing posinot change the science.” Holding Mass outdoors adds tive attended Masses and other services that were “an additional safety precaution for those gathered,” following COVID safety practices, show the effectivehe said, and indoor liturgies must strictly follow the ness of following the CDC’s COVID-19 guidelines. In archdiocese’s safety protocols. each case, no outbreak of the disease was associated “The four principal practices remain in place: with the individual’s attendance. social distancing, masks, sanitation, and ventilation,” “This encouraging news should inspire confidence he said. that the guidelines in place – based on CDC recomThe archbishop reminded priests his dispensation mendations – are working to decrease COVID-19 from the Sunday Mass obligation remains in place transmission,” Flanigan wrote in an Aug. 19 article in Real Clear Science. “While nothing during a pandemic and said parishioners who are sick should not attend Mass, while those who are elderly or at high risk is risk-free, these guidelines mean that Catholics (and from COVID may “in good conscience” remain home. public officials) may be confident that it’s reasonably Flanigan said California’s COVID-19 outlook is safe to come to church for Mass and the sacraments.” personal way to honor your loved one’s patriotism to our country. very encouraging, as CDC data shows cases have Flanigan also saidAthere was no data indicating the If you have received honoring yourrisk lovedfactor one's military length of Mass by itself asa flag a significant for service and would like to donate it the cemetery to be flown as part of an “Avenue of Flags" on Memorial Day, 4th of July and Veterans' Day, PAGE 6 COVIDtotransmission.

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CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | MARCH 11, 2021

California’s unscientific worship ban

NEED TO KNOW APRIL PRO-LIFE MASS SUPPLANTED: The First Saturday Mass for Life at St. Mary’s Cathedral for April 3, 2021 is supplanted by Holy Week. However, participants are invited meet that day at the Bush Street Planned Parenthood Clinic, 9 a.m. for the rosary. For more information, prolife@sfarch.org. Next First Saturday Mass is May 1.

IT’S IN THE MAIL: Restorative Justice School Project brings messages of hope to prisoners in San Francisco County jails from public and Catholic school and faith formation students. It helps young people reach out to the imprisoned, a corporal work of mercy. The prisoners and students remain anonymous to one another.

The project is made possible through the archdiocesan Restorative Justice Ministry, which collects and delivers the messages. The Restorative Justice School Project, formerly named Pen Pal Jr. Project, was launched in 2016, and invites all students to participate. Opportunities are available now for Easter, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. Visit www.sfarchdiocese.org/rjministry-schoolproject. Julio Escobar, escobarj@sfarch.org, (415) 614 -5572 STAYING IN TOUCH WITH LENT: The Eternal Word Television Network is making several resources available during Lent. Visit ewtn.com/lent to find a variety of items including a comprehensive look at the church’s teaching about Lent, daily readings and reflections, special Lenten programming, popular devotions, videoon-demand and more.

LIVESTREAM MISSION DOLORES CONCERTS: Mission Dolores Basilica presents its Second Sunday Concert Series via Livestream on Facebook. Concerts are at 4 p.m., unless otherwise noted. March 14, 2021, Allison Lovejoy, piano. www.missiondolores.org/; www. facebook.com/missiondoloressf. Jerome Lenk, (415) 621-8203, music@missiondolores.org.

ARCHBISHOP CORDILEONE’S SCHEDULE MARCH 11: Presbyteral Council, Priest Personnel Board, Catholic Charities Board MARCH 13: Benedict XVI Prayer Service, St. Ignatius Parish MARCH 14: Respect Life Mass, Cathedral 11 a.m.

MARCH 17: Installation of Rev. Mark Doherty, rector, St. Patrick’s Seminary & University, 5 p.m.

MARCH 18: Priest Personnel Board meeting MARCH 19: Mass for 40th Jubilee of the Diocese of San Jose, 7 p.m.

MARCH 23: Salutations of the Holy Cross with Metropolitan Gerasimos, Belmont, 7 pm MARCH 25: Priest Personnel Board meeting

The following article was published in The Wall Street Journal Feb. 11, 2021, and is reprinted with permission.

T

hese days “follow the science” has become a cliche especially popular with government leaders.

But when it comes to the constitutional right to worship, California began to follow the science only after a recent Supreme Court intervention.

Political elites issuing health orders that they themselves don’t obey – and destroying countless livelihoods without any scientific basis for such action – is infuriating. But it was especially so for us Catholics, who have scientific evidence that positively demonstrates ARCHBISHOP we can celebrate Mass safely SALVATORE J. indoors. In lifting CaliforCORDILEONE nia’s blanket ban on indoor worship, the high court rightly acknowledged the blatant unfairness of treating religious worship differently from secular activities such as shopping.

It’s been a long fight. Even as the pandemic subsided last summer and secular businesses began to open up, we still had to fight San Francisco City Hall for our right to worship. At the time the local government’s health orders were even more severe than California’s statewide policies.

For months, San Francisco banned outdoor gatherings of more than 12 people – even as street protests were conveniently allowed and some city officials even participated.

After numerous attempts at respectful dialogue with the pertinent city officials went nowhere, my patience finally wore out.

I began to criticize City Hall publicly and gather groups for multiple simultaneous outdoor Masses.

In September, the city raised the numerical limit for outdoor gatherings but issued a ruling that only one person at a time would be allowed in a church for private prayer. That prompted a warning letter from the U.S. Justice Department calling on the city to “immediately equalize its treatment of places of worship to comply with the First Amendment.”

Even as the pandemic subsided last summer and secular businesses began to open up, we still had to fight San Francisco City Hall for our right to worship.

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The issue became more intense as Christmas approached. We were already locked out of our churches for Easter, and I could not stomach this happening again. On Dec. 18 I sent my priests a memo giving them permission to bring the congregation indoors if weather or safety required it. The church could be filled only to 20% capacity – then the rule for indoor retail – and strict safety protocols had to be followed: masks, social distancing, sanitation and ventilation. The state health order did not follow the science, and I knew my people had to have access to the Eucharist, rain or shine.

Like all the sacraments, it cannot be livestreamed.

By mid-January several parishes had begun receiving ominous warnings from government officials, and two were officially cited for violations by the city Department of Public Health.

That’s why we are grateful to the Supreme Court for recognizing that, as Chief Justice John Roberts puts it in his understated fashion, “the State’s present determination – that the maximum number of adherents who can safely worship in the most cavernous cathedral is zero – appears to reflect not expertise or discretion, but instead insufficient appreciation or consideration of the interests at stake.”

As an American, I find it hard to digest that this happened. Even today, three justices of the Supreme Court would permit the government of the largest American state to shut the doors of churches indefinitely while keeping open activities secular elites consider “essential.”

The idea of “essential workers” and “essential work” is a problematic new concept produced by the COVID-19 pandemic – one still working its way through the body politic to the detriment of American ideals. While this is bad enough, when it comes to faith it represents a colossal overstep of governmental authority: Only religious authorities have the right to determine which religious services are essential for their people. Even the most restrained interpretations of the First Amendment would have to admit this.

The free exercise of religion means many things beyond the right to worship. But worship is the most fundamental part of it, and for months millions of Americans were deprived of that most simple natural right. Such blatant disregard of the Constitution bodes ill for everyone. These next four years will be a time either to coalesce around core ideals or continue to divide along ideological lines.

Court rulings don’t change the science. We will continue to worship outdoors as weather permits, as an extra safety precaution. But the decision allows us to exercise our constitutionally protected natural right to worship God without fear of harassment from government officials. For that, I am profoundly grateful.

CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone Publisher Jan Potts Interim Director of Communications Rick DelVecchio Editor/General Manager EDITORIAL Christina Gray, associate editor Tom Burke, senior writer Nicholas Wolfram Smith, reporter

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ARCHDIOCESE 3

CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | MARCH 11, 2021

Father Mark Doherty named St. Patrick’s Seminary rector NICHOLAS WOLFRAM SMITH CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO

Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone announced Feb. 25, 2021 the appointment of Father Mark Doherty as the new president-rector of St. Patrick’s Seminary & University. Father Doherty has been the interim rector since October, 2020.

In making the announcement, Archbishop Cordileone said, “Father Doherty has already shown outstanding leadership in these months as interim rector, and his assuming the position of rector now in a stable manner holds out great promise for the future of the seminary. I appreciate his willing acceptance of this appointment, and the commitment, zeal and expertise he brings to this most important position in the life of the church.”

Father Doherty said he was “honored” by the appointment and grateful for the opportunity to serve as president-rector, “because I believe in the Gospel and the value of the priesthood and therefore believe very much in the value of forming men for that work today.”

Archbishop Cordileone appointed Father Doherty the interim rector of St. Patrick’s Seminary & University on Oct. 6, 2020 after Father Daniel Donohoo stepped down as rector because of his health. Father Doherty had been serving as the seminary’s director of liturgy since the summer.

In an interview with Catholic San Francisco, Father Doherty discussed the strengths and challenges facing the seminary, pointing first to its accom-

(COURTESY PHOTO)

Father Mark Doherty has been named president-rector of St. Patrick’s Seminary & University.

plished faculty. “I’ve studied in 8 different universities and we have really good professors here,” he said.

He also praised staff psychiatrist, Dr. Cynthia Hunt, for her work with seminarians, the prayerful atmosphere of the grounds and the contributions by the seminary’s two resident communities of women religious to the spiritual and community life.

The priest also faces significant challenges in his new position, though. The seminary’s top position has seen rapid turnover, and Father Doherty is the fourth president-rector appointed to lead the seminary since 2017, when the Sulpicians withdrew from St. Patrick’s administration.

“There’s a need to establish a certain stable rhythm, so my hope is that I’ll have the opportunity to be in this position quite a number of years,” he said.

St. Patrick is also in the midst of a visit from WASC Senior College and

Celebrate the

Year of St. Joseph

University Commission, which provides accreditation to the seminary.

“We’re confident the end result will be positive,” he said.

Attracting more seminarians and increasing enrollment has also been a consistent aim of the seminary’s adminstration over the last few years.

Fifty-one seminarians enrolled at the seminary this academic year, about half the number that attended a decade ago. Father Doherty said one of his goals will be to “develop relationships with dioceses in the area, try to foster those relationships and see if we can reestablish the historical links between St. Patrick’s and local dioceses.”

A more mundane but still serious issue is maintaining seminary buildings, some of which are more than 100 years old and “in need of serious maintenance,” Father Doherty said.

As far as the seminary’s mission goes, Father Doherty said the “main challenge in priestly formation today is the human dimension.”

As society has become more fragmented and Christian culture has receded, he said, applicants are more likely to have pasts marked by experiences or habits that “are not conducive to stable, flourishing life in ministry, and those things need to be addressed.”

Another task, he added, in light of the changing cultural and religious

Celebrate the Year of St. Joseph with the Office of Faith Formation of the Archdiocese of San Francisco

with the

Thank You for Your Support of the 2020 AAA Your generosity impacts lives

OfficeInofcommemoration Faith Formation of the 150th anniversary of the Proclamation of St. Joseph as of the Patron of the Universal Church, Pope Francis, in Patris Corde, invites us to Archdiocese of San Francisco honor, celebrate and pray to St. Joseph this year.

C

makeup of the U.S., is teaching seminarians to “confidently, peacefully, joyfully engage in contemporary society” and avoid a defensive posture that cuts off the church’s witness to society.

Father Doherty will be formally installed as the seminary’s presidentrector by Archbishop Cordileone on March 17.

Father Doherty was born in Washington and spent his early life in Sierra Leone and Burkina Faso, where his father worked for Catholic Relief Services. In the summer of 1982 the family relocated to San Francisco. Mark and his brothers attended the Lycée Français, St. Monica School, and Sacred Heart Cathedral Prep.

He holds degrees from St. Louis University, Fordham University, St. Patrick’s Seminary & University, and the University of Fribourg, Switzerland. Father Doherty spent 10 years in formation with the Society of Jesus before discerning out of the order.

In 2010 Father Doherty began teaching at Marin Catholic High School and soon after entered St. Patrick’s Seminary. He was ordained in 2014 and has served the archdiocese as a parochial vicar at St. Peter Parish and St. Anthony of Padua Parish, San Francisco, chaplain at Sacred Heart Cathedral Prep, and on the Presbyteral Council and College of Consultors.

In commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the Proclamation of St. Joseph as Patron of the Universal Church, Pope Francis, in Patris Corde, invites us to honor, celebrate and pray to St. Joseph this year.

elebrate St. Joseph with us!

Celebrate St. Joseph with us! oin the Office of Faith Formation of the in praying to St. Joseph for J the needs of our time. The Office has put together a

J

oin the Office of Faith Formation in praying to St. Joseph for the needs of our time.novena* The Office together a novena* tohas St. put Joseph, in English and Spanish, available online and to St. Joseph, in English and Spanish, in hard copy form).

The novena features each day with a available online and(booklet in hard copy (booklet form). The novena features each day with hymn to St. Joseph and a music video of the Litany of St. a hymn to St. Joseph and a music video of the Litany St. English Joseph (also English and Joseph (alsoofin and inSpanish) at the end of each novena day. The Spanish) at the end of each novena day. The novena individuallyoror groups, and can be prayed anytime novenacan can be be used used individually in in groups, be prayed anytime of the day. ofand thecan day.

St. Joseph’s Feast is March 19.

Photofrom fromCreative Creative Commons Commons What a perfect time to begin the novena.

Photo

St. Joseph’s Feast is March 19. What a perfect time to begin the novena.

The novena can be downloaded from our website: www.sfarch.org/ooff or send us an email at ooff@sfarch.org or call (415) 614-5650.

The novena can be downloaded from our website: www.sfarch.org/ooff or send us an email

*A novena consists of nine (9) moments of prayer. It can be prayed daily, weekly, athourly. ooff@sfarch.org or call (415)for614-5650. or A person can pray a novena a specific reason/cause if there is something he/she specifically needs. The petition can also be generic.

*A novena consists of nine (9) moments of prayer. It can be prayed daily, weekly, or hourly. A person can

4 ARCHDIOCESE

CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | MARCH 11, 2021

Lenten program shaped by the spirit of stewardship parishes CHRISTINA GRAY CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO

Parishioners of 11 local parishes and others from parishes many more miles away are being guided through Lent this year with a new spiritual exercises program shaped by the spirit and mission of the archdiocese’s stewardship parishes.

Lent is an “extraordinary time” for Catholics, said Florian Romero, who was tapped to direct the new Office of Stewardship formed in 2017 to help move all parishes in the archdiocese toward a stewardship model.

She told Catholic San Francisco March 3 that she and Jesuit Father John Piderit, the archdiocese’s former vicar for administration, teamed with the five current stewardship parishes last year to develop a daily program of spiritual exercises for Lent 2021 – now the second Lenten season since the coronavirus pandemic began last spring. Father Piderit has since returned to his province in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Stewardship parishes include All Souls, Holy Name, Notre Dame des Victoire and Star of the Sea in San Francisco and St. Andrew in Daly City.

“It is a time for a fresh opening of ourselves to God,” wrote Romero in the introduction to the “46 Days of Spiritual Exercises.” “It calls us back to our best character goals, to our commitment to follow Jesus, and gives us a chance to realign ourselves as stewards of all of God’s gifts.”

The seven-week program features a simple but structured daily checklist of two to four activities that include a mix of reflection, prayer, sacrament, sacrifice and action.

For example, on Ash Wednesday, the first day of the program, an Old Testament reading of Joel 2:12-13 asked for personal reflection. Other activities for the day are listed as a to-do list: Go to

her goal was “to have as many people as possible use these exercises to enhance their Lenten journey during this unconventional year.”

Pastor Father Piers Lahey greatly supported the Lenten program, she said.

He promoted the spiritual exercises in his weekly Flocknote message, in pulpit announcements, posted it to the parish website and distributed hard copies at Mass.

Hortinela herself mailed copies to church ministry members who couldn’t attend in-person Masses due to health issues or who could not access materials online due to limited internet connection. She also left extra hard copies where visitors from nearby Seton Hospital, Serramonte Mall, and a dialysis center might find them.

After presenting the Lenten exercises program at an International Catholic Stewardship Council Conference last year, Romero and Father Piderit offered (COURTESY OF FLORIAN ROMERO, OFFICE OF STEWARDSHIP) to share materials with attendees who Jesuit Father John Piderit, former vicar for administration for the Archdiocese of San Francisco Church Goods & Candles Gifts were enthusiastic about them. is seen in 2019 with parishioners of St. Andrew Parish in Daly City, one of the Religious archdiocese’s five& Books Reina Pantaleón, a parishioner of current stewardship parishes.

Cathedral of Christ the King in the Archdiocese of Atlanta said in an email confession, attend Mass, wear your ashes in thanks for the fruits of their faith to Catholic San Francisco that Lectio actively tend to it with their own time, into the world as a witness to your faith, Divina Zoom prayer and daily Scripture talent and treasure. give up social media for the day, fast. readers have been transformative in “The in main part of stewardship is realOther days included activities like at- 5 locations California raising “an awareness of God’s presence izing how gifted we are,” Father Piderit tending a Zoom Lectio Divina organized in my daily activities and increasing my in aStore: video on the Stewardship

by Romero, cooking dinner for someone Yourexplains Local desire to seek God’s purpose for oneself.” page of the archdiocesan website.

“We in need, fasting from gossip369 andGrand “unkind Ave., S.San Francisco,650-583-5153 Mary Grace Crisostomo, a Livermore are totally gifted people.

That is the words,” praying the Sorrowful Mysteries Near SF Airport - Exit 101 Frwy @ Grand resident and parishioner of St. Michael heart of stewardship. Because it’s all of the rosary and watching an episode Parish in the Diocese of Oakland, said been given to us, the very first response of “Formed,” a portal of digital Catholic www.cotters.com cotters@cotters.com she was never one to join Lenten proshould be gratitude.” movies and videos.

Denise Allen, a volunteer with St. Tim- grams or prayers until this year when The 11 local parishes that embarked her friend Romero invited her to join othy Parish in San Mateo said she loved on the new Lenten journey include All hers. having the daily activities on paper.

Souls, St. Andrew, St. Robert, St. Luke, “Maybe the pandemic and shelter“I have it taped to the mirror in my St. Timothy, St. Veronica and Our Lady in-place triggered that light bulb in room so it’s the first thing I see in the of Mount Carmel parishes in San Mateo my head,” she said. “One thing I can morning,” she said. “I love the journalCounty, and St. Brendan, St. Cecilia, confirm is my great desire to get closer ing, it really helps me to talk directly to Holy Name and St. Anne in San Franto Jesus, follow him and be worthy of Jesus.” cisco. his sacrifice for the sake of my salvation Fe Hortinela, coordinator of St. AnIn simplest terms, stewardship and the rest of mankind.” drew Parish’s stewardship council, said parishes form disciples of Christ who

Encuentro delegates feed the faith this Lent LORENA ROJAS SAN FRANCISCO CATÓLICO

The day after Ash Wednesday, the delegates of the V Encuentro of Hispanic Pastoral – representatives of the churches with religious services in Spanish in the Archdiocese of San Francisco – participated in an event to prepare themselves for Lent. The day included talks on signs and symbols

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Lenten season, beginning with the imposition of the ashes on Ash Wednesday. He explained ashes as a symbol and sign that is quoted in the Bible and used by the Catholic Church to make the invisible visible, for example, repentance.

One biblical passage that mentions the ashes and repentance is that of King David’s sin against Uriah

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of the liturgical season and on personal conversion.

To many representatives, the formation experience helped nurture them spiritually to continue service pastoral ministries and parish groups.

The Lenten reflection via Zoom was led by Jesuit Father Edwin Martínez Callejas, a student at the University of San Francisco.

Father Martínez highlighted elements of the

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CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | MARCH 11, 2021

Every child deserves a

safe environment.

T

he Child and Youth Protection Program in the Archdiocese of San Francisco is part of a national program that extends to dioceses, archdioceses, and eparchies across the United States - all under the guidance of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Secretariat of Child and Youth Protection and the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People. Every entity provides annual training for minors as well as the adults, including priests and deacons, who interact with them.

In 2020, despite the challenges brought on by the pandemic and subsequent closure of schools and parish programs, the Archdiocese of San Francisco again successfully completed its annual audit for the national firm of StoneBridge Business Partners, which specializes in determining whether compliance is present within the USCCB norms on avoiding, detecting, and reporting child abuse.

Our Archdiocese continues to use the VIRTUS program for student training on abuse prevention and awareness, and fingerprinting of adults working with and ministering to minors.

Ongoing training and support is provided to the teachers and catechists presenting the lessons to the students, and to the parish and school VIRTUS administrators. Information about the program is available at www.VIRTUS.org.

Since 2002, the Bishops of the United States have carried out their ministries to protect and heal within all dioceses, archdioceses, and eparchies through the implementation of the Charter for the

♦ Annual audits of dioceses, archdioceses, and eparchies to ensure compliance with Charter guidelines The goal is that all minors in Archdiocesan programs - Faith Formation, Parochial Schools, athletics programs, youth ministry programs and other programs - receive training each year.

Additionally, the adults who either volunteer or are employed in those programs are trained and cleared to work with children before they begin their ministries, and retrained every three years.

If you are an individual who either volunteers with minors or are a paid employee of the Archdiocese who works with minors and have not gone through Safe Environment training, you should immediately consult with your pastor and he will direct you to the correct person. Those with questions about compliance, victim assistance, or the Bishops’ Charter are welcome to contact the following personnel at the Archdiocese Chancery offices:

Deacon Fred Totah Protection of Children and Young People, most recently revised in June 2018. The Charter gives direction on the following matters: ♦ Outreach and healing to victims and survivors ♦ Prompt and effective responses to allegations of abuse ♦ Cooperation with public authorities ♦ Removal of offenders from ministry ♦ Safe environment programs for clergy, employees, volunteers and minors which include information on prevention, identification, and response and reporting of abuse ♦ Fingerprinting for all clergy, employees, and volunteers who have regular contact with minors

What to do if you suspect abuse

Director of Pastoral Ministry (415) 614-5504

Rocio Rodriguez, LMFT -

Victim Assistance Coordinator (415) 614-5506

Twyla Powers -

Safe Environment Coordinator, Adults (non-clergy) (415) 614-5576

Karen Guglielmoni -

Safe Environment Coordinator, Minors (415) 614-5578 Additional information regarding the Church’s response to the abuse of minors and vulnerable adults may be found at www. usccb.org/committees/protection-childrenyoung-people and regarding the Archdiocese of San Francisco’s response at sfarch.org/ protecting-children 1

Anyone who has reason to believe or suspects that a minor has been or is being abused should report their suspicions first to civil authorities and then to the Archdiocese’s Victim Assistance Coordinator, Rocio Rodriguez, LMFT, at 415-614-5506. Investigation should be left to duly appointed professionals. State law requires persons in certain positions (“mandated reporters”) to make such reports. Others (“ethical reporters”) should do so.

Every allegation will be treated seriously and immediate steps taken to protect the alleged victim(s).

These actions will be taken discreetly so as to protect the confidentiality and the rights of both the victim and the accused.

Reporting Instructions by County

Cases of alleged abuse in which the abuser and the victim are members of the same household are to be reported to Child Protective Services (CPS) or Children & Family Services (CFS), while cases in which the victim and the accused do not share a household should be reported to law enforcement authorities. If in doubt, just report to the most convenient agency or local authority. They will help ensure the message reaches the proper agency.

Marin

CFS 415-473-7153 or www.marinhhs.org/children-family-services-emergency-response; Sheriff’s Department 415-473-7250

San Francisco

CPS 24-hour hotline 800-856-5553 or www.sfhsa.org/services/protection-safety/child-abuse; Police Department 415-553-0123

San Mateo

CFS 800-632-4615/650-595-7922 or https://hsa.smcgov.org/children-family-services; Sheriff’s Department 650-216-7676 or 650-363-4911 (after hours)

6 NATIONAL

CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | MARCH 11, 2021

Bishops say pandemic relief bill must be passed without abortion funding CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

WASHINGTON – If it becomes law, the American Rescue Plan Act would pit the great need Americans have for economic relief in this pandemic against those who insist the bill must include abortion funding, said the president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and the chairmen of seven USCCB committees.

“Our nation needs to heal, come together and help one another. The is an important step in the right direction,” the prelates said March 5 in a joint statement.

“It should provide much needed assistance for American families and businesses hard hit by the coronavirus pandemic.”

“However, we are deeply concerned that this important legislation, as written, risks creating new divisions by abandoning a long-standing bipartisan compromise that respects the consciences of millions of Americans,” they added.

The bishops were referring to Hyde Amendment language, which was not included in the House version of the American Rescue Plan, H.R. 1319, a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package approved early Feb. 27 in a 219 to 212 vote.

On March 7, the U.S. Senate passed its version of the COVID-19 relief package 50-49.

The amendment outlaws federal tax dollars from directly funding abortion except in cases of rape, incest or when the life of the woman would be endangered.

“For 45 years, the U.S. Congress – whether controlled

by Democrats or Republicans – has maintained that taxpayers should not be forced against their conscience to pay for abortions,” the bishops said. “Abandoning this compromise in a time of national emergency only serves to divide people in the very moment we should be united. Please, let us instead focus on delivering the COVID relief so desperately needed.”

The U.S. Senate voted on its version following a marathon session that included a 10- to 12-hour reading of

the entire bill, as well as consideration – and eventual defeat – of a number of amendments.

Not a single Senate Republican backed the bill; most were concerned about its size and scope. Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, missed the vote to attend his father-inlaw’s funeral.

The measure now returns to the House for lawmakers in that chamber to reconcile its bill with the Senate version. One main difference is the Senate did not include a mandate for a $15 minimum wage by 2025.

The Senate parliamentarian said under budget rules, it could not be included.

“We urge President (Joe) Biden and the leadership on Capitol Hill not to force upon Americans the wrenching moral decision whether to preserve the lives and health of the born or unborn, all of whom are our vulnerable neighbors in need,” the U.S. bishops said March 5. “We ask that our leaders please not pit people against one another in such a way.

“We ask all members of Congress to include the same protections against abortion funding that have been present in every COVID relief bill to date, and every annual spending bill for almost half a century.”

Archbishop José H. Gomez of Los Angeles, USCCB president, issued the statement along with these USCCB committee chairmen: Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York, Committee for Religious Liberty; Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann of Kansas City, Kansas, Committee on Pro-Life Activities; Archbishop Paul S. Coakley of Oklahoma City, Committee on Justice, Peace and Human Development; Bishop David J. Malloy of Rockford, Illinois, Committee on International Justice and Peace; Bishop Michael C. Barber of Oakland, California, Committee on Catholic Education; Bishop Shelton J. Fabre of HoumaThibodaux, Louisiana, Ad Hoc Committee Against Racism; and Auxiliary Bishop Mario E. Dorsonville of Washington, Committee on Migration.

On March 4, Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., said the

ban on taxpayer-funded abortion was being “stripped away.” He made the comment on “Washington Watch,” a daily radio program hosted by Family Research Council president Tony Perkins. He estimated “$414 billion in their (Senate) spending is not Hyde-protected.”

“If they (put) a bill in front of us that provided more money for getting the vaccines distributed more widely and faster, and some other assistance for direct COVID relief,” Cramer added, “they’d get 100 votes in the Senate.”

From the House floor ahead of the Feb. 27 vote, Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., criticized House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and the House Rules Committee for refusing to allow a vote on adding language to the House bill “to ensure that taxpayers aren’t forced to subsidize abortion,” as provided by the Hyde Amendment.

Leaving out the language is “a radical departure from all previous COVID-19 relief laws,” Smith said.

The McMorris Rodgers-Foxx-Walorski Amendment – co-sponsored by 206 House members – would have added the Hyde language, but it was rejected on the floor and as what became the final bill worked its way through to the House floor.

Besides the Catholic bishops, a number of national pro-life leaders also have decried the absence of Hyde language in the American Rescue Plan.

March for Life’s president, Jeanne Mancini, said that “pro-abortion Democrats are using this bill to push through billions of dollars in subsidies for abortions, not only here in the U.S. but also abroad.”

Only 9% of the $1.9 billion proposed by the House and Senate in their respective bills is earmarked for pandemic relief.

Both the House and Senate versions include $246 billion for extending unemployment benefits through August and increasing the federal supplemental payment from $300 per week to $400. Lawmakers hope a final bill can be sent to Biden for his signature before unemployment assistance expires March 14.

MASSES: Following CDC health guidelines ‘extremely safe’ to attend FROM PAGE 1

decreased about 90% since the state saw record numbers of positive tests in December and January.

Those two months saw seven-day moving averages of reported cases peak around 43,000, compared to about 4,000 in the first week of March.

With case rates dropping and the vaccination campaign rapidly progressing – about 18% of California’s population has received at least one dose of a vaccine – Flanigan said people should look forward to the phased lifting of COVID-19 restrictions.

“The COVID vaccine has been an enormous success and has provided levels of protection that have been

much higher than any of us predicted. There is real cause for optimism and rejoicing,” he said.

Going forward, Flanigan said one of the top priorities for churches will be addressing the effects of the lockdown, which has led to “unprecedented” isolation, extracted a significant toll on physical, mental and spiritual health, and stressed the social fabric of local communities.

“In our churches we’ll need to go out and visit, whether it’s spiritual support to pray together, bringing Jesus in the Eucharist, or inviting people to come back to Mass so they can worship together. We’re really going to be called to do this two by two, just like Jesus sent out the disciples in the Gospel,” he said.

On Jan. 25, Gov. Gavin Newsom ended the state’s stay-at-home orders, returning counties to a 4 tier system based on new daily cases, rate of positive tests and ICU capacity. Purple counties, indicating widespread COVID-19 with seven or more new daily cases per 100,000 residents or an 8% positive testing rate, have the most restrictions, while yellow counties, with fewer than one new case per 100,000 or a positive test rate below 2%, will have the fewest limitations.

All counties in the archdiocese are currently in the red tier, with churches limited to 25% of building capacity. Movie theaters and restaurants are also limited to 25% of their capacity, and retail locations and malls are open to 50% of capacity.

ENCUENTRO: Hispanic pastoral delegates feed the faith this Lent FROM PAGE 4

and his wife. Father Martínez explained that David sprinkled ashes on his body to show repentance, then entered a penance period of 40 days, a number that symbolizes the process of his conversion.

The number 40 in the Bible is not a chronological time but a period that means “God’s time,” Father Martínez said.

He also referred to the three pillars of Lent: Prayer, fasting and charity or almsgiving. He noted that the three themes are mentioned in the readings throughout Lent.

Father Martínez explained that each year Christians are redefining Lent, which does not mean changing the meaning of Lent but rather living it from different contexts and realities.

“For some who have already managed to change something in their lives, for example selfishness, this year the need of change may be something different like quitting an addiction,” Father Martínez said.

Sister Estela Martínez, coordinator of the V

(PHOTO LORENA ROJAS/SAN FRANCISCO CATÓLICO)

Sister Estela Martínez is seen at St. Peter Church in the Mission District during a presentation on the progress of the V Encuentro in the Archdiocese of San Francisco.

Encuentro in the Archdiocese of San Francisco and pastoral associate at St. Paul of the Shipwreck Parish, said that Lent is a liturgical time to stop along the way and think about what God is asking us. “For me, Lent always has this personal challenge, to reflect on what kind of Christian I am,” she said.

Sister Martínez shared that the V Encuentro has been helpful not only for delegates who are spiritually nourished with these talks but also for the parishioners they represent.

She lamented that some of the members in V Encuentro have fallen ill with COVID-19 and others have lost family and friends to the coronavirus.

Vicente Cortés, a delegate from the V Encuentro representing All Hallows Church in San Francisco and a member of Marriage and Family Life Ministry in the archdiocese, said that topics such as this Lenten reflection he attended with the V Encuentro group are teachings that can be shared in pastoral groups.

The leaders of his pastoral team will share this Lenten reflection at their next meeting, he said.

ARCHDIOCESE 7

CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | MARCH 11, 2021

Archdiocesan novena helps Catholics follow year of St. Joseph NICHOLAS WOLFRAM SMITH CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO

Following Pope Francis’s announcement of a year dedicated to St. Joseph, the archdiocese has produced a booklet of prayers to help Catholics ask for the saint’s intercession and learn more about him.

Sister Celeste “I’m really hoping Arbuckle that if people pray this or look at it, that they as families and individuals take on putting a special place somewhere in their home or apartment this year to remember St. Joseph and what we’re supposed to be about as Catholics today,” said Social Service Sister Celeste Arbuckle, director of faith formation for the Archdiocese of San Francisco.

Produced by the archdiocese’s faith formation and worship offices, the digital booklet, written in English and Spanish, contains a novena, or series of nine prayers, to St. Joseph, art and links to other prayers and music.

The novena can be prayed as often as wanted, Sister Arbuckle said, whether alone or as part of a group.

If a parish or ministry group wants to pray together, she said, they could coordinate a time to meet remotely or in person.

Sister Arbuckle hopes the booklet will also educate people about the saint and how he is celebrated across the world. Each prayer in the booklet has a piece of art so that as people “pray the novena they have a visual image that can connect them to St.

Joseph and have an opportunity for meditation or quiet reflection,” she said.

St. Joseph is the universal patron of the church, as well as of the Archdiocese of San Francisco, and asking his intercession is as timely as ever. Sister Arbuckle said St. Joseph’s connection to dying and death is especially relevant as the pandemic continues, and it is important to ask him to intercede for those suffering from COVID-19 and other life threatening illnesses. As the patron of workers, he also has a connection to the service and health care employees whose work the lockdowns depended on.

He is also a patron of immigrants, Sister Arbuckle said, and the violence directed against Asian immigrants, along with the immigration crisis at the border, are a call to “take time to pray and hold them up, that they be cared for well.”

The story of the Holy Family’s flight to Egypt “has so much to say about how we’re supposed to be church today and socially conscious of the world, and how we’re supposed to bring Jesus and St. Joseph to people,” she said.

Pope Francis announced in a Dec. 8 apostolic letter, “Patris Corde,” that the church would celebrate a year of St. Joseph from Dec. 8, 2020-Dec. 8, 2021, to coincide with the 150th anImagine life with a complete support system. niversary of being named the patron of the universal church.

He said St. Joseph offers to ChrisIt’s like an extended family working together tians “an intercessor, a support and Visual & aPerforming Arts training guide in times of trouble.” and making things easier. Meals, prescriptions, preparedness classes The booklet is available forAcademic download in English and Spanish at the Weekly educationalmedical field tripsappointments, personalized care, Office of Faith Formation’s website, sfarchdiocese.org/ooff.

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CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | MARCH 11, 2021

REMAINS OF FATHER EMIL KAPAUN, KOREAN WAR MILITARY CHAPLAIN, IDENTIFIED

WICHITA, Kan. – A U.S. government forensic team announced March 4 it has identified the remains of Father Emil Kapaun, a priest of the Diocese of Wichita, who was an Army chaplain and died in a Chinese prisoner-of-war camp during the Korean War. Father Kapaun, a native of Pilsen, Kansas, who is a candidate for sainthood, was an U.S. Army Chaplain in World War II and the Korean Father Emil War. Kapaun “It was a joyful and exciting surprise for the Diocese of Wichita that Father Kapaun’s mortal remains were recovered after so many years and we continue to look forward to his process of canonization in the future,” said Wichita Bishop Carl A. Kemme.

The U.S. Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, known as the DPAA, made the announcement about the priest’s remains. The DPAA recently concluded Father Kapaun was among the unidentified soldiers buried in the National Cemetery of the Pacific in Hawaii. Remains of many U.S. soldiers were moved from North Korean burial sites to Hawaii in the 1950s and the 1990s.

Details regarding the transport of the priest’s remains and his final resting place are now being planned by the family.

Father Kapaun was known for risking his life on the battlefield during the Korean War to minister to the troops on the front lines. He was taken a prisoner of war in November 1950, enduring a brutal captivity where he continued to serve and bolster the morale of fellow prisoners. Father Kapaun died in a prison camp on May 23, 1951.

In a 2013 White House ceremony, he was awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously for his heroic actions on the battlefield. It is the United States’ highest military honor.

CARDINAL TOBIN INVITES FAITHFUL TO ‘RETURN TO GRACE’ THROUGH THE EUCHARIST

NEWARK, N.J. – Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin has invited the faithful of the Archdiocese of Newark to reflect on how the pandemic-induced “Great Eucharistic Fast” has affected their faith life and called on them to spiritually prepare for the eventual return of in-person worship when it can be done safely.

Writing in “Returning to Grace: A Pastoral Letter on the Eucharist,” Cardinal Tobin said the inability to receive the body and blood of Christ in holy Communion has left a vacuum in people’s lives.

He expressed hope that people would gratefully return to regular Mass attendance in due time.

“Is it possible that Catholics who have been denied access to this great sacrament – including those who have ‘walked away from it’ over many years – may realize what they are missing and return to experience the loving presence of Christ in this mystery of grace?” he wrote.

The title of the pastoral letter reflects the vital need for Catholics to invite others to “return to full, conscious and active participation in the eucharistic liturgy” and to do so by emphasizing “the graciousness of this great gift and its incomparable beauty,” the letter said.

“I have given this pastoral letter the title ‘Returning to Grace’ because I firmly believe this is what all of us are called to do after and in response to the Great Eucharistic Fast imposed on us by COVID-19,” Cardinal Tobin wrote.

By receiving the Eucharist, he explained, the faithful are “called to recognize ourselves as true members of the same body and blood of Christ who are intimately united with him and with each other through the miracle” of the mystery of the real presence of Jesus.

“Each time we receive the holy Eucharist, we accept the Lord’s great commission to proclaim his Gospel and to minister to his people in every nation to the ends of the earth,” Cardinal Tobin said.

Despite the livestreaming of Masses, the “forced separation” from normal church life since last March “remains a great tragedy,” the cardinal said.

NEW MEXICO ABORTION, ASSISTED SUICIDE BILLS CALLED ‘GRAVELY DISAPPOINTING’

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – With abortion and assisted suicide front and center in the New Mexico Legislature, “I wonder, what have we become?”

Santa Fe Archbishop John C. Wester said in a March 3 statement.

“The repeal of abortion restrictions and the potential legalization of assisted suicide are gravely disappointing but not defeating,” he said. “Just as the disciples witnessed Jesus’ death and resurrection, we understand disappointment. And we know that love wins.”

On Feb. 26, Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grish-

HAPPY ST. PATRICK’S DAY

am signed a bill into law overturning a dormant 1969 ban on most abortion procedures.

If the law had remained on the books, it would go into effect if the U.S. Supreme Court eventually overturns the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling legalizing abortion nationwide in 1973. Because of the court’s ruling, New Mexico’s law never took effect.

If Roe is overturned, “the legalization and regulation of abortion falls to each state,” Archbishop Wester said. “New Mexico is set to legalize abortions with very few restrictions. Particularly concerning is that this law also removes all conscience protections for medical providers and requirements that abortion be performed only by a doctor, both of which had been enforceable, even under Roe v. Wade.”

Republican state Sen. Gregg Schmedes, a physician, voted against the repeal and has promised to introduce an amendment later that would provide a “conscience protection clause” so health professionals who oppose abortion on religious or moral grounds would not be forced to perform them.

Archbishop Wester said a bill to legalize assisted suicide is quickly making its way through the Legislature, and it is “set to be the worst in the nation, making it a requirement that all patients in hospice care be offered assisted suicide as an option.”

MANY TEXAS PARISHES TO KEEP FACE MASKS, EVEN WITH MANDATE LIFTED

WASHINGTON – Many Catholic parishes in Texas will continue to ask parishioners to wear face masks and will limit capacity for Masses even though the state’s governor, Greg Abbott, announced March 2 these pandemic restrictions would be lifted the following week.

Bishop Mark J. Seitz of El Paso said he has been getting a lot of questions after the governor’s announcement wondering if it would affect parish coronavirus safety practices.

“The short answer is no!” he said in a March 4 statement, noting Abbott has often pointed out that “churches are free to exercise their religious liberty and set their own protocols.”

“The protocols we have established were intended to collaborate with state and local practices but were not undertaken under the direction of these entities,” Bishop Seitz said.

He stressed that the Catholic parishes in El Paso County “will not be making any changes at the present time to the protocols we have presently set in place. For the time being, churches will be limited to a maximum of 25% of their capacity. Social distancing and masks will be required in all church facilities.”

CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

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NATIONAL 9

CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | MARCH 11, 2021

Retire? At age 102, California deacon says he’s not ready DENIS GRASSKA CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

SAN DIEGO – Deacon Albert Graff, who turned 102 Jan. 23, explains the secret to his longevity in two words: “Never retire.”

An engineer by profession, he had scarcely retired after 25 years at General Atomics when he began his more than 30 years of ministry as a permanent deacon.

“I retired from General Atomics in April of 1983 and was ordained a deacon in May of 1983,” said Deacon Graff, who ministered to the St. James-St. Leo Catholic Community in Solana Beach, 22 miles north of San Diego.

He continued in active ministry well into his 90s, retiring for good only after suffering a stroke five years ago. He still attends Mass at the parish, including Friday school Masses.

Born in North Dakota, Deacon Graff grew up in Los Angeles, where he attended Catholic schools through high school.

His family was far from affluent, and his Catholic secondary education was made possible through a unique arrangement: His pastor said the parish would pay his tuition if he cleaned the church every week.

Deacon Graff went on to earn a degree in mechanical engineering from University of California, Berkeley.

In 1947, he married his wife, Marion, who died in 2000. The couple settled in San Diego in 1958, becoming members of St. James Parish.

In the late 1970s, at a time when there were already

ST. BONAVENTURE PRESIDENT DIES OF COVID COMPLICATIONS

ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. – Dennis R. DePerro, the 21st president of St. Bonaventure University, died of COVID-19 complications March 1. He was 62.

“Words simply can’t convey the level of devastation our campus community feels right now,” said Joseph Zimmer, who is provost and vice president for academic affairs at the Franciscan university in Western New York. He was named acting president in late February while DePerro was in recovery.

“I know when people die it’s become cliche to say

(CNS PHOTO/DENIS GRASSKA, THE SOUTHERN CROSS)

Deacon Albert Graff is seen after Mass at St. James Church in Solana Beach, California, Jan. 29, 2021. He turned 102 Jan. 23.

two deacons serving the St. James-St. Leo Community, he remembers asking his pastor, “Can you use a third?” Emboldened by the priest’s response – “I can use a dozen” – he entered the San Diego Diocese’s diaconal formation program.

Among his duties as a deacon, he had a particular love for preaching and was committed to serving the poor of nearby Tijuana, Mexico, and San Diego.

In 1985, he co-founded Esperanza International, a nonprofit that has constructed more than 1,000 homes for poor families in Tijuana.

“While other charitable groups were building ‘homes’ from discarded garage doors that were really

things like, ‘He was a great leader, but an even better human being,’ and yet, that’s the absolute truth with Dennis. We are heartbroken,” he said in a March 1 statement.

DePerro was admitted to a Syracuse, New York, hospital Dec. 29 after testing positive for the coronavirus on Christmas Eve. He had been placed on a ventilator in mid-January. The university flag will fly at half-staff in his honor through the end of March.

CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

little more than glorified shacks,” recalled Msgr.

Richard Duncanson, pastor of St. James-St. Leo from 2001 to 2006, “Deacon Al developed a system by which the families built their own homes using interlocking concrete blocks, which they made and assembled on-site.”

In 1988, Deacon Graff co-founded Community HousingWorks, which provides affordable apartments for the working poor in San Diego.

Three years later, he co-founded the St. Leo Medical-Dental Clinic in Solana Beach, which treats patients who cannot afford health insurance.

“Deacon Al has always had a heart for the poor,” Deacon Peter Hodsdon, who has served the St. James-St. Leo Catholic Community since 2006, told The Southern Cross, San Diego’s diocesan newspaper. “In the days when it was unclear what a deacon was supposed to do, Al had a ready answer – to serve the folks on the margins.”

Deacon Graff also has been a benefactor of St. James Academy, the parochial school where four of his five children were students. The Deacon Al Graff Scholarship Fund was started in January 2019 to help make Catholic education accessible to parishioners with limited financial means.

For his own part, Deacon Graff’s message to fellow Catholics is a simple one: “Stay involved with your church. ... You need to practice your faith.”

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10 NATIONAL

CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | MARCH 11, 2021

Bishops’ working group on Biden completes task JULIE ASHER CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

WASHINGTON – A special working group of the U.S. bishops formed last November to deal with conflicts that could arise between the policies of President Joe Biden, a Catholic, and church teaching has completed its work, Los Angeles Archbishop José H. Gomez said in a March 1 memo to all the U.S. bishops.

Catholic News Service obtained a Archbishop José copy of the memo issued by ArchH. Gomez bishop Gomez, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, as a follow-up to a February memo he sent to the bishops explaining the working group’s two recommendations given to him in its final report.

The March 1 memo confirms the actions taken on them.

The first of two recommendations made by the working group, he said, was to write a letter to Biden “conveying the USCCB’s eagerness to work with him on issues where we will undoubtedly express strong support, while acknowledging a lack of support on other issues where we cannot agree with anticipated policies.”

The second recommendation was to develop “a document addressed to all of the Catholic faithful on eucharistic coherence,” the archbishop said.

Archbishop Gomez issued the Biden letter Jan. 20, which was Inauguration Day and Biden was sworn in as the nation’s 46th president. “I look forward to working with President Biden and his administration, and the new Congress,” the archbishop said. “As with every administration, there will be areas where we agree and work closely together and areas where we will have principled disagreement and strong opposition,” he said.

The archbishop said that the bishops hold deep concerns about “many threats to human life and dignity in our society,” including euthanasia, the death penalty, immigration policy, racism, poverty, care for the environment, criminal justice reform, economic development and international peace.

He also expressed hope the incoming administration “will work with the church and others of good will” to “address the complicated cultural and economic factors that are driving abortion and discouraging families.”

For the U.S. bishops, the “continued injustice of abortion” remains the “preeminent priority,” Archbishop Gomez said, but “’preeminent’ does not mean ‘only.’

We have deep concerns about many threats to human life and dignity in our society.”

Bishops address concern over J&J vaccine’s abortion link CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

WASHINGTON – Use of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine, approved Feb. 27 by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, raises moral concerns because it was “was developed, tested and is produced with abortion-derived cell lines,” the chairmen of two U.S. bishops’ committees said March 2.

The bishops concluded, however, that “while we should continue to insist that pharmaceutical companies stop using abortion-derived cell lines, given the world-wide suffering that this pandemic is causing, we affirm again that being vaccinated can be an act of charity that serves the common good.”

Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades of Fort Wayne-South Bend, Indiana, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Doctrine, and Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann of Kansas City, Kansas, chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on Pro-Life Activities, made the comments in a joint statement.

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In December, the prelates addressed concerns over what then were the newly approved BioNTech and Moderna vaccines because “an abortion-derived cell line was used for testing them,” but “not used in their production.”

However, the Johnson & Johnson Janssen oneshot COVID-19 vaccine raises “additional moral concerns” because it was “developed, tested and is produced with abortion-derived cell lines,” Bishop Rhoades and Archbishop Naumann said.

In their December statement, the bishops noted that cell lines used were derived from fetuses aborted in the 1970s.

In their March 2 statement, the bishops quoted the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which judged that “when ethically irreproachable COVID-19 vaccines are not available ... it is morally acceptable to receive COVID-19 vaccines that have used cell lines from aborted fetuses in their research and production process.”

“However, if one can choose among equally safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines,” the bishops added, “the vaccine with the least connection to abortion-derived cell lines should be chosen.

Therefore, if one has the ability to choose a vaccine, Pfizer or Moderna’s vaccines should be chosen over Johnson & Johnson’s.”

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As for developing a document on “eucharistic coherence,” as Archbishop Gomez called it, he said this recommendation has been “forwarded to the Committee on Doctrine in the hope that it will strengthen an understanding and deepen a common faith in the gift that has been given to us in the sacrament of the altar.”

The reference to “eucharistic coherence” may reflect a growing concern among the bishops regarding Catholic understanding and practice regarding the sacrament.

While there has been fierce debate in some circles, including among bishops, over the reception of the Eucharist when one is not in accord with church teachings, there also is a deep concern about polling that suggests a confusion or lack of understanding about the real presence in Catholic belief and practice.

Archbishop Gomez announced the establishment of this special working group at the end of the public portion of the U.S. bishops’ fall general assembly Nov. 16-17, which was held completely online because of the pandemic.

Other members were the chairmen of USCCB committees focused on various policy areas.

“We are facing a unique moment in the history of our country” with the election of Biden, only the second Catholic to become president, Archbishop Gomez said in announcing the group. “This presents certain opportunities but also certain challenges.”

ARCHBISHOP CORDILEONE’S STATEMENT Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone released the following statement March 4, 2021, regarding Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine: The increased availability of COVID-19 vaccines is already having a welcome effect in reducing the spread of this virus. I encourage everyone to be vaccinated in consultation with their physician.

“The first available vaccines (Pfizer and Moderna) have been determined to be morally acceptable. The newer Johnson & Johnson vaccine, however, is more morally compromised in that stem cells from a line deriving from an aborted fetus were used in its manufacture, not only in testing.

As noted by the chairmen of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Doctrine and Committee on Pro-Life Activities, “The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has judged that ‘when ethically irreproachable COVID-19 vaccines are not available ... it is morally acceptable to receive COVID-19 vaccines that have used cell lines from aborted fetuses in their research and production process.’ However, if one can choose among equally safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines, the vaccine with the least connection to abortionderived cell lines should be chosen. Therefore, if one has the ability to choose a vaccine, Pfizer or Moderna’s vaccines should be chosen over Johnson & Johnson’s.”

Please also continue to practice recommended safety precautions: wear a mask, wash hands, and observe social distancing. All these things together, we pray, will bring us through the pandemic soon.

Working for you to keep you safe, working with you to protect our city Tony Montoya President

NATIONAL 11

CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | MARCH 11, 2021

COVID bill OK’d without Hyde language to stop abortion funding JULIE ASHER CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

WASHINGTON – Over a dozen nonprofit organizations, including Catholic Charities USA, praised the American Rescue Plan passed by the U.S. House early Feb. 27 for including “several provisions of importance to the charitable nonprofit sector.”

The $1.9 trillion relief package, which now goes to the Senate for a vote, “would provide much-needed relief to many nonprofits on the front lines of helping people in communities across this country as we continue to deal with the challenges created by the pandemic and economic downturn,” said a joint statement from the National Council of Nonprofits.

After the vote, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-California, said the measure would be “transformative” in mitigating poverty amid the pandemic. “We are putting money in workers’ pockets,” she said in a statement. “As President (Joe) Biden has said, help is on the way.”

However, on the House floor ahead of the vote – which came at 2 in the morning (EST) – Rep. Chris Smith, N.J., criticized Pelosi and the House Rules Committee for refusing to allow a vote on an amendment to add language to the bill “to ensure that taxpayers aren’t forced to subsidize abortion,” as provided by the long-standing Hyde Amendment.

The Hyde Amendment, reenacted every year for 45 years, outlaws federal tax dollars from directly funding abortion except in cases of rape, incest or when the life of the woman would be endangered.

The McMorris Rodgers-Foxx-Walorski Amendment – co-sponsored by 206 members – would have added Hyde language to the American Rescue Plan.

The Hyde language also was rejected as what became the final bill worked its way through various House committees, said Smith and other national pro-life leaders.

“In a radical departure from all previous COVID-19 relief laws – the bill before us today mandates taxpayer funding for abortion on demand,” Smith said. He and other members allowed to address the full House were given only one minute each to speak. Smith’s longer written statement on the issue was entered into the Congressional Record, along with his delivered remarks.

“Unborn babies need the president of the United States and members of Congress to be their friend and advocate – not another powerful adversary,” he said.

Smith, a Catholic, who is co-chair of the Congressional Pro-Life Caucus, quoted a letter that Biden, who also is Catholic, “once wrote to his constituents explaining his support for laws against funding for abortion by saying it would ‘protect both the woman and her unborn child. ... Those of us who are opposed to abortion should not be compelled to pay for them.’’’

“Most Americans agree – 58% according to the most recent Marist poll,” added Smith, who was among the 212 House members who voted against the measure. All of the Republicans and two Democrats rejected the bill. It passed with 219 votes.

Allocations in the American Rescue Plan include $17 billion for vaccinerelated activities and programs and $110 billion for other efforts to contain the pandemic; $130 billion for public schools; $246 billion for extending unemployment benefits through August and increasing the federal supplemental payment from $300 per week to $400; and $143 billion to expand child tax credit, child care tax credit and earned income tax credit mostly for one year.

Other provisions include $45 billion to temporarily expand Affordable Care Act subsidies for two years and subsidize 2020 and 2021 coverage; $50 million for family planning; $25 billion for grants to restaurants and bars; $7

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billion to allow more loans under the Paycheck Protection Program; $6 billion to increase nutrition assistance; and $350 billion for states and localities.

The bill also provides for checks of $1,400 to go to individuals who earn up to $75,000 a year, heads of households earning $112,500 or married couples earning $150,000. Eligible dependents, including adult dependents, also would each get $1,400.

The House measure also mandates phasing in a hike in the minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2025.

The Senate is to take up its version of the measure the first week of March, but news reports said many in the chamber are divided over the size and scope of the bill. The minimum wage provision will not be included; the Senate parliamentarian said under budget rules, it cannot be considered.

In praising the House measure, the National Council of Nonprofits also said it falls short in some areas, including the expansion of who is eligible to apply for PPP loans by including some nonprofits with over 500 employees but said the deadline for applying for these loans should be extended beyond March 31, so newly eligible nonprofits have time to apply.

“We call on senators to include the additional relief that more than 3,000 organizations are calling for, so nonprofits can all continue to keep our workforces intact and help people in our communities,” the organization said.

March for Life’s president, Jeanne

Mancini, weighed in on the House not including a Hyde provision.

“At a time when our country is mourning the deaths of 500,000 Americans, very little (less than 10%) of the misnamed COVID relief package actually goes toward combating the pandemic,” she said. “Pro-abortion Democrats are using this bill to push through billions of dollars in subsidies for abortions, not only here in the U.S. but also abroad.”

These lawmakers “are attempting to use the budget reconciliation process to accomplish this because they would not otherwise have the votes needed to do away with popular pro-life riders that protect Americans from funding the life-ending procedure,” she said.

Like Smith, Mancini pointed to “consistent polling” that shows “most Americans oppose their tax dollars funding abortion both here and abroad. So much for unity.”

Carol Tobias, president of National Right to Life, said some estimate that over $414 billion in taxpayer dollars in the American Rescue Plan “potentially could be used to pay for elective abortions or insurance plans that cover elective abortions.”

“Democrat leaders in the House are not interested in the wishes of the majority of Americans who oppose taxpayer funding of abortions,” Tobias said. “Democrat leaders are more concerned with fulfilling election-year promises made to pro-abortion groups.

Those groups are interested in abortion at anytime, anywhere, for any reason and paid for by taxpayers.”

12 FAITH

CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | MARCH 11, 2021

SUNDAY READINGS

Fourth Sunday of Lent 2 CHRONICLES 36:14-16, 19-23 In those days, all the princes of Judah, the priests, and the people added infidelity to infidelity, practicing all the abominations of the nations and polluting the Lord’s temple which he had consecrated in Jerusalem.

Early and often did the Lord, the God of their fathers, send his messengers to them, for he had compassion on his people and his dwelling place. But they mocked the messengers of God, despised his warnings, and scoffed at his prophets, until the anger of the Lord against his people was so inflamed that there was no remedy.

Their enemies burnt the house of God, tore down the walls of Jerusalem, set all its palaces afire, and destroyed all its precious objects. Those who escaped the sword were carried captive to Babylon, where they became servants of the king of the Chaldeans and his sons until the kingdom of the Persians came to power.

All this was to fulfill the word of the Lord spoken by Jeremiah: “Until the land has retrieved its lost sabbaths, during all the time it lies waste it shall have rest while 70 years are fulfilled.” In the first year of Cyrus, king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the Lord spoken by Jeremiah, the LORD inspired King Cyrus of Persia to issue this proclamation throughout his kingdom, both by word of mouth and in writing: “Thus says Cyrus, king of Persia: All the kingdoms of the earth the LORD, the God of heaven, has given to me, and he has also charged me to build him a house in Jerusalem,

which is in Judah. Whoever, therefore, among you belongs to any part of his people, let him go up, and may his God be with him!”

PSALM 137:1-2, 3, 4-5, 6 Let my tongue be silenced, if I ever forget you!

By the streams of Babylon we sat and wept when we remembered Zion. On the aspens of that land we hung up our harps.

Let my tongue be silenced, if I ever forget you!

For there our captors asked of us the lyrics of our songs, and our despoilers urged us to be joyous: “Sing for us the songs of Zion!”

Let my tongue be silenced, if I ever forget you!

How could we sing a song of the LORD in a foreign land? If I forget you, Jerusalem, may my right hand be forgotten!

Let my tongue be silenced, if I ever forget you!

May my tongue cleave to my palate if I remember you not, If I place not Jerusalem ahead of my joy.

Let my tongue be silenced, if I ever forget you!

EPHESIANS 2:4-10 Brothers and sisters: God, who is rich in mercy, because of the great love he had for us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, brought us to life with Christ — by grace you have been saved — raised us up with him, and seated us with him in the

heavens in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come. He might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not from you; it is the gift of God; it is not from works, so no one may boast. For we are his handiwork, created in Christ Jesus for the good works that God has prepared in advance, that we should live in them.

JOHN 3:14-21 Jesus said to Nicodemus: “Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.” For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.

Whoever believes in him will not be condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the verdict, that the light came into the world, but people preferred darkness to light, because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come toward the light, so that his works might not be exposed. But whoever lives the truth comes to the light, so that his works may be clearly seen as done in God.

Christ, our judge and savior

I

n the first reading for the Fourth Sunday of Lent, we hear of Cyrus, a pagan emperor who vowed to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem for the Jews who had been carried captive into the land of Babylon.

In the second reading, Paul recognizes the wonderful gift of new life given to us by a gracious God. In the Gospel, we hear of the messenger that God sent into the world to show us how much he cares for us. The bright light of his divine love pierces the darkness of our human frailty.

In the midst of this vast and seemingly impersonal universe, in the midst of all we have experienced for the past 12 months, we may find ourselves asking ourselves: “Is DEACON God really on our side? Does FAIVA PO’OI he really care what happens to you and me?”

In the Gospel for this Sunday, Jesus answers that question in the affirmative. He says: “Yes, God so loved the world that he gave his only son, that whoever believes in him may not die but may have eternal life.” Notice that Jesus viewed his father’s

SCRIPTURE REFLECTION

Jesus is not a judge on the bench, but a helper and friend. He is here with us to lead us out of the darkness and into his glorious and eternal light. love as both general and specific: “God so loved the world.”

“The world” pertains to the billions of people who populate this planet – past, present, and future. But Jesus also said: “God gave his only son, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.” The word, “whoever,” is a singular pronoun. It tells us that God not only loves all people collectively, but also each person individually and uniquely.

Jesus spoke to Nicodemus and said: “Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the son of man be lifted up.” These words were Jesus’ way of announcing his impending death on the cross. He knew that he was going to be crucified. But even in the face of this horrendous realization of what was before him, Jesus dared to speak of God’s great love for the whole world. Our Gospel reading tells us that the coming of Christ into this world has shattered the darkness and turned on the light. No longer can we hide in darkness and conceal our sinfulness.

Let us look now at another aspect of this truth.

Our reading also reminds us that this Christ who is our judge is at one and the same time our savior.

Jesus said, “God did not send the son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.” Jesus’ coming into the world has not only revealed our sinfulness, but has also made visible to each of us, the potential of what we might become. Jesus is not only the doctor who diagnoses our problem. He is also the surgeon under whose treatment we can be made whole again.

When we look at our lives in the light of Jesus’ presence, we know, without a doubt, that we can never measure up to what he is. But then we just need to remember: God sent his son into the world, “not to condemn, but to save.” Jesus is not a judge on the bench, but a helper and friend. He is here with us to lead us out of the darkness and into his glorious and eternal light.

In his first letter to the church, John speaks of this: “Dearly beloved, we are God’s children now; what we shall be later has not been brought to light. We know that when it comes to light we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.” Judgment will come, but there is no need to be afraid of it. We have our savior, Jesus Christ.

DEACON FAIVA PO’OI serves at St. Timothy Parish in San Mateo.

LITURGICAL CALENDAR, DAILY MASS READINGS MONDAY, MARCH 15: Monday of the Fourth Week of Lent. IS 65:17-21. PS 30:2 and 4, 5-6, 11-12a and 13b. AM 5:14. JN 4:43-54.

TUESDAY, MARCH 16: Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Lent. EZ 47:1-9, 12. PS 46:2-3, 5-6, 8-9. PS 51:12a, 14a. JN 5:1-16.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 17: Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Lent. Optional Memorial of St. Patrick, bishop and confessor. IS 49:8-15. PS 145:8-9, 13cd-14, 17-18. JN 11:25a, 263. JN 5:17-30.

THURSDAY, MARCH 18: Thursday of the Fourth Week of Lent. Optional Memorial of St. Cyril of Jerusalem, bishop, confessor and doctor. EX 32:7-14. PS 106:19-20, 21-22, 23. JN 3:16. JN 5:31-47.

FRIDAY, MARCH 19: Solemnity of St. Joseph,

Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary. 2 SM 7:4-5a, 12-14a, 16. PS 89:2-3, 4-5, 27 and 29. ROM 4:13, 16-18, 22. PS 84:5. MT 1:16, 18-21, 24a or LK 2:4151a.

SATURDAY, MARCH 20: Saturday of the Fourth Week of Lent. JER 11:18-20. PS 7:2-3, 9bc-10, 1112. SEE LK 8:15. JN 7:40-53.

SUNDAY, MARCH 21: Fifth Sunday of Lent Scrutiny Year A Readings. EZ 37:12-14. PS 130:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8. ROM 8:8-11. JN 11:25a, 26. JN 11:1-45 or JN 11:3-7, 17, 20-27, 33b-45.

MONDAY, MARCH 22: Monday of the Fifth Week of Lent. DN 13:1-9, 15-17, 19-30, 33-62 or 13:41c-62.

PS 23:1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6. EZ 33:11. JN 8:1-11.

TUESDAY, MARCH 23: Tuesday of the Fifth Week of

Lent. Optional Memorial of St. Turibio de Mogrovejo, bishop. NM 21:4-9. PS 102:2-3, 16-18, 19-21. JN 8:21-30.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 24: Wednesday of the Fifth Week of Lent. DN 3:14-20, 91-92, 95. DN 3:52, 53, 54, 55, 56. SEE LK 8:15. JN 8:31-42.

THURSDAY, MARCH 25: Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord. IS 7:10-14; 8:10. PS 40:7-8a, 8b-9, 10, 11. HEB 10:4-10. JN 1:14ab. LK 1:26-38.

FRIDAY, MARCH 26: Friday of the Fifth Week of Lent. JER 20:10-13. PS 18:2-3a, 3bc-4, 5-6, 7. SEE JN 6:63c, 68c. JN 10:31-42.

SATURDAY, MARCH 27: Saturday of the Fifth Week of Lent. EZ 37:21-28. JER 31:10, 11-12abcd, 13. EZ 18:31. JN 11:45-56.

OPINION 13

CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | MARCH 11, 2021

LETTERS Shock and anger

I am writing in response to the shock and anger I felt after reading “San Rafael Carmelites to resettle in separate monasteries,” Catholic San Francisco, Feb. 11, 2021.

I fail to understand how a decision to evict four elderly Carmelite women, devoted to God and Mary, can be considered a Catholic action reflecting God’s call to love others as ourselves.

Could no alternative be found? Apparently not.

Instead, the sisters had to leave March 1, during a deadly winter. Two are driving to Wahpeto, North Dakota (where at the moment it is 3 degrees) and the other two are heading to Clinton Township, Michigan, (a warmer 23 degrees as I write). The government is acting in a more Christian-like manner, extending the COVID-19 eviction moratorium until June.

In addition, the sisters will be separated for the first time in years. Heartbreaking.

Jan Dennison Pacifica

A heartbreaking separation

It broke my heart to read your article about the closure of the Carmelite monastery in San Rafael and the four elderly nuns that live there. They’re being evicted, separated and sent to live somewhere in the Midwest. Two of the nuns will have to drive themselves 2,000 miles from San Rafael to North Dakota. The other two will be sent to live in Michigan. Mother Dolores is 98 years old and can’t understand why they have to leave. If her broken heart doesn’t kill, the Midwest winters probably will.

My question: Why can’t the church step in and support the monastery or at least find a place close by where they can be together? They’ve given their whole lives to the Catholic Church and now it’s abandoning them.

Sometimes I’m ashamed of my church.

Jane Sweeney San Francisco

Contrasting pro-life views

It was interesting to read the letter from Marie Zahn on one page and the article regarding pro-life

by Sister M. Carol Baetz on the next in the Feb. 25, 2021, issue of Catholic San Francisco.

I have encountered too many Catholics who hold on to that one thing regarding a candidate: Do they oppose abortion? These same Catholics have no problem with the death penalty, which is essentially condoned murder by the state.

Donald Trump may oppose abortion now but given his past lifestyle as a womanizer and patron of prostitutes, I have no doubt he has paid for an abortion for one of his dalliances or for one of his sons’ “mistakes.” If Donald Trump were truly prolife, he would have intervened in February 2020, to avoid the deaths of over half a million people directly due to COVID-19 as well as deaths indirectly caused by the pandemic. He would not have separated children from their families at the border.

He would have shown compassion to those trying to escape persecution in their countries. He would not have caused the deaths of five people by inciting riots on Jan. 6, 2021.

It is unbelievable that people would support such an immoral human as Trump for his position on abortion, when he has told (per the Washington Post) 30,573 lies; has shown racist tendencies; has no compassion for his fellow human; and is basically an evil individual.

Further, the path to outlawing abortions is a waste of time. It will not happen in Congress or in many legislative houses of our states. Instead, we need to teach women and men to respect their bodies and understand the consequences of their actions. If the church would enter the 21st century and acknowledge the benefits of condoms and other methods, abortions as birth control would be viewed as an unpopular option.

Thomas J. Stillman San Francisco

Everything but abortion?

Reading Sister M. Carol Baetz’ column, it was hard to avoid the impression that Sister believes that being pro-life means talking about everything but abortion.

I am sure that is not what Sister meant, but, again, it was difficult to avoid that impression.

Albert Alioto San Francisco

Editor’s note The following is a response to comments on this page by Peter Mandell (“Science and politics,” Letters, Feb. 25, 2021): Throughout the pandemic, Archbishop Cordileone has given clear safety protocols to pastors to ensure the well-being of worshippers. These protocols include washing hands frequently; wearing a mask; watching social distance; proper sanitation; and opening doors and windows for ventilation. He has also frequently cited a study conducted last summer of 1 million Masses celebrated over a 14-week period following these safety protocols which found not one outbreak of COVID traceable to the celebration of these Masses. Find links to the protocols and study at sfarch.org/ healthalerts.

Thou shalt not kill

To the letter writer who complained about President Biden’s and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s stances on abortion, isn’t it the Fifth Commandment, not the Sixth, that relates to abortions?

John Lum San Francisco

Sister’s pro-life challenge

I applaud Sister M. Carol Baetz, RSM, for her opinion article, “Who isn’t pro-life?” She has thoughtfully and honestly explained the essence of what it really means to be pro-life. Far too many Catholics are one-issue, (i.e., abortion) Christians, and Sister clearly demonstrates the compassion needed to be truly pro-life in a broader context.

Any pro-life stance should openly embrace issues of social justice, affordable housing, gun control, immigration policy and environmental stewardship that are sacred in protecting one’s life. Sister’s article is a challenge to all Catholics and Church leadership, especially bishops, to advocate the fullness of our faith’s fundamental teachings on the value of life.

William Higgins Mill Valley

Why I voted

During the past presidential election many articles by the Catholic media were anti-Biden and some of my evangelical friends could not understand why, I, as a practicing Catholic, would vote for Joe Biden. I have always sought to vote, not on party lines, but on what comes out of a person’s mouth. Also, let me add, the Ten Commandments make it very clear: Thou shall not kill. I have always been aware that killing is being done in many different ways. Abortion is a “just” priority, and we must do our utmost to support the pro-lifemovement.

The Catholic bishops stated the individual’s conscience as a possible reason to vote differently, but Sister M. Carol Baetz, RSM, in her article, “Who isn’t pro-life”, explained it perfectly. I commend her for such an excellent and very clear article, which could provide answers to Catholics and non-Catholics alike why we are still Catholic Christian and not sinners if we voted for President Biden.

Alvaro Bettucchi South San Francisco

Where are the geniuses?

Instead of condemning on both sides the stands taken on abortion by the Catholic Church and government, why don’t we use our collective and immensely educated genius to figure out how to create a society that supports and encourages women of all ages, who are in crisis pregnancies to consider keeping their babies?

Are we more fixated on the moral failure of women affected negatively by their sexual choices than we are by their humanity? What would Jesus say about our moral indignation about the choice for women to have sex and their need to deal with a crisis pregnancy? He would say your sins are forgiven but go and sin no more.

As a society we need to provide women with the means and ability to sin no more. We need to help women find ways to support themselves whether they are educated or not. For those who are working at jobs that require 12 hours of work to make a living wage, why can’t there be some creative think tank that shows us how to work with industry and business to create four-day work weeks that give women the opportunity to work at their passions, earn a living wage and take care of their families.

Why are we not arguing that business gets precedence over families in this country? Why are we not doing something besides just raising the minimum wage to change that? Is it because there is a law of survival of the fittest and women in crisis pregnancies are not the fittest of human beings? What would Jesus say about that? If we can set in motion a multitrillion dollar compassionate support package for those most affected by the effects of the coronavirus, why can’t we pay a few geniuses to come up with a compassionate solution that will change society to enable women to be human beings, sharing their talents and strengths with their societies and be good mothers, too Where are all the geniuses? This society isn’t working for all its citizens.

Elizabeth Haran San Rafael

Thanks for archbishop’s leadership

In response to Michael Biehl’s letter to the editor: How wonderful that Archbishop Cordileone is on the air. There is less than a handful of bishops and even fewer parishioners willing to hang their reputation and name on the line. We need mighty men of God to stand up for righteousness and not bow to the socialist agenda that is being yoked upon us. Of such the world is not worthy of. Be glad that a bishop actually adheres to the teachings of the church and speaks them from a conscience that is duly formed to glorify God, benefit man and shame the devil.

Keep it up, good bishop. There are many praying for you and watching for leadership from the church.

We know there are few who will give up their lifestyle or are willing to die for what they believe. May it not come to that here in America but without people who will hold the line, we as a nation are doomed as a free country.

Thank you for your leadership in the face of opposition.

Lori Harris Chico

Paper seems left-leaning

With the election, the paper seems to have become very obviously left-leaning. A little bit on the left or right I understand. However I had previously noticed some conservative contributors were dropped. Now, I’m shocked at all the new pro-Biden headlines without a visible criticism of his support of abortion across the globe, gender issues, battling the Little Sisters of the Poor, etc., etc. This was in recent issues (and maybe there are exceptions) and the pattern was clear. This was in stark contrast to the programming on Catholic Radio and EWTN. Please compare. I used to love the paper until about four years ago.

Thus, I wish to cancel my subscription (after 12-plus years). Please consider being more critical of any politician (left or right, socialist or not), and helping readers understand fundamental truths and how to safeguard them. Otherwise, you’re merely pushing a political bias, consciously or not, without critical thinking and application of our faith to current issues. I know it’s not easy. Good luck.

Bertrand Legrand Menlo Park

Words of wisdom

Re “Read the Beatitudes, do not judge,” Letters, Feb. 25, 2021: Margaret’s letter just really so impressed me, I just had to write commending you, first of all for publishing it, and applauding Margaret from Novato for so succinctly voicing what so many of us Catholics surmise. Her words gave clarity to my SEE LETTERS, PAGE 15

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14 OPINION

CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | MARCH 11, 2021

An invitation to something higher

I

n 1986, Czechoslovakian novelist Ivan Klima published a series of autobiographical essays titled, “My First Loves.” These essays describe some of his moral struggles as a young agnostic seeking for answers without any explicit moral framework within which to frame those struggles. He’s a young man, full of sexual passion, but hesitant to act out sexually, even as all his peers, men and women, seemingly do not share that same reticence.

He remains celibate, but isn’t sure why; certainly, it’s not for religious reasons since he’s agnostic. Why is he living as he FATHER RON is? Is he being responsible or is ROLHEISER he simply uptight and lacking in nerve?

He’s unsure and so he asks himself: If I died and there is a God and I met that God, what would God say to me? Would God chastise me for being uptight or would God praise me for carrying my solitude at a high level? Would God look at me with disappointment or would he congratulate me for going without consolation?

As he writes this book, Klima doesn’t know the answer to that question. He’s not sure what God would say to him and whether at any given moment God is smiling or frowning upon him. Irrespective of the answer, what’s insightful here I believe, is how Klima frames his moral choice. For him, it’s not a question of what’s sinful or not, but rather a question of carrying his solitude and tension in a way that makes for nobility of soul. At first glance, of course, that can

y

seem self-serving; trying to be special can also make for a pride that’s very judgmental. However, true nobility of soul isn’t something sought for its own sake, but something sought for the good of others.

One does not try to be good to set oneself apart from others. Rather one tries to be good in order to create a beacon of stability, respect, hospitality, and chastity for others.

This, I believe, can be a second starting point for moral theology and spirituality. The first starting point, of course, is more basic. It focuses on keeping the Ten Commandments, and most of these begin with a negative warning, “thou shalt not.” At a base level, moral theology and spirituality are very much identified with ethics, with sorting out what’s right and what’s wrong, what’s sinful and what’s not. However, keeping the Ten Commandments and sorting out what’s a sin and what’s not, while a non-negotiable and critically important endeavor, is to moral theology and spirituality what elementary arithmetic is to higher mathematics, a necessary base, no more. Once that fundamental base has been essentially achieved, the real task starts, namely, the struggle to become big-hearted, to put on the heart of Christ, to become a saint so as to create a better world for others.

Let me risk an earthy example to try to illustrate this. When I was a seminarian studying moral theology, one day in class we were examining various questions within sexual morality. At one point, the question arose as to sinfulness or non-sinfulness of masturbation. Is this an intrinsic disorder? Seriously sinful or not anything serious? What’s to be said morally about this question?

After weighing the various opinions of students, the professor said this: I don’t think the important

y

TheThe Hibernian Newman Hibernian Newman ClubClub

question is whether this is a sin or not. There’s a better way of framing this. Here’s where I land on this question: I disagree with those who say it’s a serious sin, but also disagree with those who see no moral issue here whatsoever. The issue here is not so much whether this is a sin or not; rather it’s a question of what level, compensatory or heroic, we want to carry this tension. In the face of this issue, I need to ask myself; at what level do I want to carry my solitude?

How noble of soul can I be? How much can I accept to carry this tension to make for a more chaste community inside the body of Christ?

At this second level, moral theology and spirituality cease being a command and become an invitation, one to a greater nobility of soul for the sake of the world.

Can I be more big-hearted? Can I be less petty? Can I carry more tension without giving in to compensation? Can I be more forgiving? Can I love a person from whom I’m separated by temperament and ideology? Can I be a saint? Saints don’t think so much in terms of what’s sinful and what isn’t. Rather they ask, what is the more loving thing to do here? What’s more noble of soul and what’s more petty? What serves the world better?

In the synoptic Gospels, Jesus begins his preaching with the word metanoia, a word that implies infinitely more than what’s connoted in its English translation, Repent. Metanoia is an invitation to put on a higher mind, to be more noble of heart, and to leave paranoia, pettiness, and self-gratification behind.

OBLATE FATHER RON ROLHEISER is former president of the Oblate School of Theology, San Antonio, Texas where he is now a full-time faculty member in the school’s Spirituality Institute.

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OPINION 15

CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | MARCH 11, 2021

LETTERS: Words of wisdom FROM PAGE 13

opinion, and one that has vexed many of us that use our Catholic faith as a moral compass on this life journey. “Read the Beatitudes, do not judge” could be a wonderful topic open for discussion for anyone wrestling with this important subject.

Thank you, Margaret, for your wisdom, and putting it in writing.

Claire Rovegno Burlingame

The dignity of every human life

At the top of the front page of the Jan. 28 issue of Catholic San Francisco are three photos. Juxtaposed between that of a young girl carrying the sign that reads, “I am the Pro-Life Generation” and the one of Archbishop Cordileone admonishing Nancy Pelosi, is Lisa Montgomery, the first woman to be executed in federal prison since 1953.

The newspaper devotes four articles on our arch-

bishop’s strong stance and teaching on pro-life, yet absent from this teaching is the evil of capital punishment. To quote the archbishop, “The raw ugliness of evil is never so apparent in our land than in this horrendous crime of abortion.” Do we, as Christians, believe in the equal dignity of every human life, or do we prioritize which life is worth more than another?

During the Trump administration, 13 prisoners were executed in federal prison within six months, three of them a few days before the inauguration, among whom was Lisa Montgomery. More Federal prisoners were put to death under the Trump administration in the last six months than have been executed over the last six decades. The silence of the archbishop on these executions is sad and unacceptable by those of us who believe that no person, whatever the crime, can be robbed of their human dignity. The caption next to Lisa’s photo said it all: “Bloodlust.”

We have a new administration which begins in the midst of a broken political structure. President Biden has said he will put an end to federal executions. As Catholics, let us not showcase our divisions but rather focus on working together. Can Archbishop Cordileone encourage the flock that he shepherds to join the Catholic Mobilizing Network that advocates for the end to capital punishment?

Let us be examples to our children that we are

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Joe Barbaccia, MD Laetitia Bordes, SH George Williams, SJ St. Agnes Parish San Francisco

Excommunication doesn’t save lives

From Maureen Newman (Letters, Feb. 8. 2021): “Pope Francis should have made a vote for a proabortion politician, a matter of excommunication.

If he had done so, the lives of millions of unborn children would have been saved.”

First, no politicians are “pro-abortion”; some are “pro-choice.” Second, let’s look at the implication that our vote can save or cost the lives of the unborn. If we were to all vote “pro-life,” and Roe v.

Wade were reversed by the court, or Congress were to outlaw abortion, would abortions end? Or would the rich continue to find a legal abortion somewhere and the poor return to clandestine, unregulated, and dangerous practices?

I am pro-life, and I see that we have to change more than our vote and our laws to reduce abortions.

Excommunication doesn’t save lives.

Paul Seliga San Bruno

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16 FROM THE FRONT

CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | MARCH 11, 2021

IRAQ: Cleanse your hearts of anger, live the Gospel, pope says FROM PAGE 1

had been under the thumb of Islamic State militants in 2014-2017.

After blessing the altar with incense, Pope Francis blessed a partially restored statue of Mary from a parish in Karmless. The Islamic State militants decapitated the statue and cut off its hands. The restoration re-attached the head, but left the hands dangling.

“Here in Iraq, how many of your brothers and sisters, friends and fellow citizens bear the wounds of war and violence, wounds both visible and invisible,” the pope told the crowd. “The temptation is to react to these and other painful experiences with human power, human wisdom,” but the path of Jesus was to serve, to heal, to love and to offer his life for others.

Referring to St. John’s Gospel account of Jesus cleansing the temple, Pope Francis said Jesus did not want his Father’s house to be a marketplace, and “neither does he want our hearts to be places of turmoil, disorder and confusion.”

“Our heart must be cleansed, put in order and purified,” the pope said.

Anything that leads a person away from God or causes them to ignore the suffering of others must be cleansed, he said. “We need the baneful temptations of power and money to be swept from our hearts and from the church.”

LIFE TRIUMPHS OVER DEATH AS CHRISTIANS REBUILD IRAQ

QARAQOSH, Iraq – Amid the rubble and bombed out remains of four churches destroyed by Islamic State militants, Pope Francis paid tribute to Iraqi Christians who endured persecution and even death.

But visiting Mosul and Qaraqosh in northern Iraq March 7, he also urged the Christians to live up to their faith and honor the sacrifice of those who died by promoting peace and reconciliation.

Much of Mosul’s old city center remains in ruins or under reconstruction. And Pope Francis stood in Hosh al-Bieaa, church square, facing some of those ruins: the remains of the Syriac Catholic, Armenian Orthodox, Syriac Orthodox and Chaldean Catholic churches all destroyed between 2014 and 2017.

His message was clear: “If God is the God of life – for so he is – then it is wrong for us to kill our brothers and sisters in his name.

“If God is the God of peace – for so he is – then it is wrong for us to wage war in his name.

(CNS PHOTO/PAUL HARING)

Pope Francis participates in a memorial prayer for the victims of the war at Hosh al-Bieaa (church square) in Mosul, Iraq, March 7, 2021.

But, the pope told them, “to cleanse our hearts, we need to dirty our hands, to feel accountable and not to simply look on as our brothers and sisters are suffering.”

Through his own suffering, death and resurrection Jesus “liberates us from the narrow and divisive notions of family, faith and community that divide, oppose and “If God is the God of love – for so he is – then it is wrong for us to hate our brothers and sisters.”

In Mosul, 250 miles north of Baghdad, Pope Francis listened to the stories of Christians forced to flee, the fear many have to return and the encouragement of Muslim neighbors committed to making the city a thriving, multicultural metropolis again.

Father Raid Adel Kallo, pastor of Mosul’s Church of the Annunciation, told the pope that he and many of his people left the city in June 2014; at that point, he said, his parish had 500 families. “The majority have emigrated abroad,” but 70 families have returned. “The rest are afraid to come back.”

LIVING THE BEATITUDES CAN CHANGE THE WORLD, POPE SAYS

BAGHDAD – Pope Francis told Iraqi Christians that when they suffer discrimination, persecution or war, the Eight Beatitudes are addressed to them.

“Whatever the world takes from us is nothing compared to the tender and patient love with which the Lord fulfills his promises,” the pope told the

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exclude, so that we can build a church and a society open to everyone and concerned for our brothers and sisters in greatest need. “ “At the same time,” the pope said, “he strengthens us to resist the temptation to seek revenge, which only plunges us into a spiral of endless retaliation.”

With faith in Jesus and the experiences of the past decade, Pope Francis told them, the Holy Spirit sends them forth “as missionary disciples, men and women called to testify to the life-changing power of the Gospel.”

At the end of Mass, Chaldean Catholic Archbishop Bashar Warda of Irbil thanked the pope for traveling to Iraq during the pandemic, telling the pontiff he made real the saying, “Do not be afraid.” The archbishop said Iraqis must give life to the pope’s message of peace, brotherhood and forgiveness.

Then Pope Francis addressed the crowd – and those watching on television: “Now the time I must leave for Rome draws near. But Iraq will always remain with me in my heart. I ask all of you, dear brothers and sisters, to work together in unity for a future of peace and prosperity that leaves no one behind and does not discriminate against anyone. I pray that members of the different religious communities, together with men and women of good will, cooperate to strengthen the bonds of fraternity and solidarity at the service of the good and for peace.

Salaam, salaam, salaam, shukran and God bless everyone, God bless Iraq, Allah ma’akum (God be with you).” congregation sitting inside and outside the Chaldean Catholic Cathedral of St. Joseph March 6.

“Dear sister, dear brother, perhaps when you look at your hands, they seem empty, perhaps you feel disheartened and unsatisfied by life,” he said in his homily. “If so, do not be afraid: The beatitudes are for you – for you who are afflicted, who hunger and thirst for justice, who are persecuted. The Lord promises you that your name is written on his heart, written in heaven!”

Iraqi President Barham Salih and Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein attended the liturgy, which included a prayer for government officials, asking God to help them be “examples of honesty for the common good” and “know how to collaborate for a renewed world in which liberty and harmony reign.”

One of the prayers of the faithful, recited in Arabic, echoed the pope’s homily. “Benevolent Father, sustain your holy church with the strength of the Spirit so that it would courageously witness to Christ and would be for our country a sign of reconciliation and solidarity among all the children of Abraham, our father in faith.”

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WORLD 17

CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | MARCH 11, 2021

Returning from Iraq, pope talks about ‘risks’ taken on trip CINDY WOODEN CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

ABOARD THE PAPAL FLIGHT FROM IRAQ -- The Catholic Church’s commitment to dialogue with other churches and with other religions flows from the Gospel, but Pope Francis said he knows some Catholics disagree.

“Often you must take a risk” to promote harmony, he told reporters March 8 as he flew back to Rome from Baghdad. “There are some criticisms: ‘The pope isn’t courageous, he’s reckless.’ He’s doing things against Catholic doctrine. He’s a step away from heresy.’”

Still, he said, through prayer and listening to the advice of experts and aides, he has become convinced that God wants the church -- and all humanity, for that matter -- to continue promoting a sense of belonging to one human family.

And, he said, it does not matter if some religions, sects or groups seem further from sharing that vision.

“The rule of Jesus is love and charity,” the pope said. “But how many centuries did it take us to put that into practice?”

Preaching and living “human fraternity” -- recognizing that all men and women, created by God, are members of the same human family and brothers and sisters to one another -- is a process that requires effort, emphasis and repetition.

“You are human. You are a child of God. You are my brother or sister,” the pope said.

With sporadic violence continuing in Iraq, the pope’s trip March 5-8 involved a massive security operation with the deployment of thousands of police and military officers. Even the Vatican police and Swiss Guards wore bulletproof vests under their dark suits, an unusual practice on a papal trip.

But the other danger was posed by COVID-19 and the risk that people gathering to see the pope, who has

(CNS PHOTO/PAUL HARING)

Pope Francis speaks with journalists aboard his flight from Baghdad to Rome March 8, 2021. been vaccinated, would create a surge in the already-rising number of cases in Iraq.

Pope Francis said the pandemic -- not the security issue -- was what made him repeatedly think, “maybe, maybe not” about the visit.

Decisions about foreign trips are “stewed over time,” the pope said. “I thought so much, prayed so much” about the Iraq trip because of the coronavirus pandemic, “and in the end I made the decision freely, but it came from within. And I said to myself the one who helped me decide this will take care of the people.”

And even though many experts do not expect the pandemic to be resolved by the fall, Pope Francis said he has promised to go to Budapest, Hungary, for a day in September to celebrate the closing Mass of the International Eucharistic Congress, which was postponed from 2020.

The other trip he would like to make soon, he said, is a visit to Lebanon.

Cardinal Bechara Rai, patriarch of the Maronite Catholic Church, even asked him to stop in Lebanon on the way to or from Iraq, the pope said, but doing that would seem like giving the Lebanese people “crumbs” given how they are suffering.

Asked about his meeting March 6 in Najaf with Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, an authority figure for Shiite Muslims in Iraq and around the world, Pope Francis described him as “a great man, a wise man, a man of God.” The meeting, he said, “was good for my soul” and was another step on the path of promoting greater understanding and cooperation with Muslims.

The day after meeting the ayatollah, Pope Francis traveled to Mosul, a city terrorized and left largely in ruin by Islamic State militants who controlled the area from 2014 to 2017.

Even though he said he had seen photos of the ruined churches of

Mosul, Pope Francis said standing amid the rubble was “unbelievable, unbelievable.”

But even more touching, he said, was the testimony of survivors, including of a mother who lost a son, who spoke about the importance of forgiveness and of rebuilding.

“We are so great at insulting people and condemning them,” he said, but too many people have forgotten the power of forgiving others.

Asked when, if ever, he will make a trip to Argentina, Pope Francis repeated that he imagined either dying or resigning and remaining in Rome, “my diocese.”

He joked that he had spent 76 years in Argentina and didn’t see why people wanted him to spend more time there.

But, denying he had what he termed “patrio-phobia,” he told reporters that he had planned a trip to Argentina, along with Chile, in November 2017. However, the trip was pushed back to January 2018 because of elections in Chile. And January in Argentina would have been just too warm.

“I don’t know if the trips will slow down now, but I can tell you that on this trip, I’ve felt more tired,” he said, adding that being 84 comes with some baggage.

However, he said, he does enjoy being with people, especially “after these months of imprisonment” because of the pandemic and the lockdown in Italy.

“I feel different when I am far from the people,” he said, adding that he would continue to follow the recommendations of government health authorities as far as holding general audiences or other events that could attract a large public.

“Closeness to the people of God” is an essential part of being a priest, the pope said. “The only ones who save us from pride are the holy people of God,” otherwise priests run the risk of acting like “an elite caste.”

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CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | MARCH 11, 2021

Heroes of love: New pathway open for future saints CAROL GLATZ CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

VATICAN CITY – Pope Francis has yet to sign decrees in sainthood causes that follow the new path he approved in 2017, that of giving one’s life in a heroic act of loving service to others.

It is still a bit early as the normal sainthood process is never quick, and cases require careful and thorough investigation, study and verification.

For now, some causes of candidates, which could have followed the new path of “the offering of life” but were introduced before the 2017 decree, continue to be pursued and advanced according to the traditional pathway of heroically living the Christian virtues.

A clear example came Feb. 20 when Pope Francis recognized the heroic virtues of three Italian nuns who died of the Ebola virus while ministering to patients in Congo in 1995. A total of six sisters, all nurses and members of the Congregation of the Sisters of the Poor, died over the course of 35 days; the sainthood causes of the remaining three are also being studied.

Sister Linadele Canclini, the postulator general for the congregation, began looking into the possibility of having them declared saints in 2011 and the formal diocesan investigation opened in 2013 in Congo.

In a phone interview from the order’s motherhouse in Bergamo, Italy, she told Catholic News Service that when the new pathway was declared in 2017, she immediately sought advice from another expert on whether they should pursue that avenue instead.

She was advised that they should keep following the

(CNS PHOTO/TYLER ORSBURN)

A mosaic of St. Damien of Molokai is seen in the Trinity Dome at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington in this July 13, 2017, file photo. The 19th-century Belgian missionary spent his life ministering to people with Hansen’s disease in Hawaii. Pope Francis opened a new path to sainthood in 2017 for “martyrs of charity,” those who made heroic sacrifices during pandemics and other situations of contagion.

path they were on, she said, since they were already so far advanced in having a lot of “strong testimony” and material demonstrating the sisters heroically lived the Christian virtues.

It is important to outline what makes the “offering of life” different from the other pathways, particularly when some criticism emerged after the 2017 decree that it would somehow be “easier.”

For centuries, consideration for sainthood required that a candidate heroically lived a life of Christian virtues or had been martyred for the faith. The third, less common way, is called an equivalent or equipollent canonization: when there is evidence of strong devotion among the faithful to a holy man or woman, the pope can waive a lengthy formal canonical investigation and can authorize their veneration as saints.

The fourth way, called the “offering of life,” came after the Congregation for Saints’ Causes conducted an in-depth study meant to help interpret many other possible cases of holiness.

Like the pathway recognizing the heroic practice of virtues, a miracle attributed to the candidate’s intercession is needed for beatification. And there must be evidence of having lived out the Christian virtues – at least in an ordinary way – before having offered one’s life to others and until one’s death.

This does not necessarily mean the person lived the virtues less heroically, just that there is less burden of proof needed in this regard and more focus is on the nature of their sacrifice, making sure it stems from a SEE HEROES OF LOVE, PAGE 20

French clergy abuse more extensive than thought, bishops’ report says CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

PARIS – Catholic clergy in France perpetrated more than three times as many sexual abuse offenses as previously thought, said the head of a bishops’ commission whose report is due out in September.

Jean-Marc Sauvé, 71, a lay Catholic and head of the French Institute of Administrative Sciences, presented new data from the Independent Commission of Sexual Abuse in the Church. The commission of lawyers, psychiatrists, historians and theologians was established by the bishops in 2018.

“I received a Catholic education, and I knew certain abnormal, blameworthy things had happened – but I never imagined the reality would be so bleak and alarming,” Sauvé said in a March 2 interview with France Inter public radio.

“The great question we still have to answer is how all of this could have happened. This is very much our mission, knowing how the Gospels demonstrate the radically intolerable nature of sexual abuse within the church.

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mitted here not by unknown people, but by priests “The Catholic Church adopted a zero-tolerance who were familiar with their victims and trusted by policy, and we now wait to see whether this new orientation is being fully and systematically applied,” he them.”

Sauvé said his commission had conducted invesadded. “Issues hidden for decades must be solved in a tigations among France’s religious orders and 94 decisive, radical manner.” metropolitan dioceses and had also circulated a quesHe told France Inter that the commission had tionnaire to 30,000 people to ascertain how abuse in received more than 8,000 victim testimonies since the church compared with abuse in other sectors of June 2019 in response to a public appeal, and he now society. He added that the commission had referred believed “at least 10,000” abuse cases occurred after 30 clergy suspects to prosecutors over the past two 1950 in the French church, rather than the 3,000 cited years, in line with civil law obligations. in a preliminary report last June.

A Catholic journal, Témoignage chrétien, said Feb. He added that 62% involved boys and 38% girls, with 25 that disputes over the church’s responsibility for half of all cases dating from the 1950s and 1960s, and pedophilia and liability for reparations had caused a 30% from the 1970s and 1980s. “crisis” at a Feb. 22-24 online bishops’ meeting, which “While there were systemic abuses within the heard testimonies from 30 abuse victims and pastoral church, there were also quasi-criminal enterprises, workers. as in the rest of society, and extremely serious It added that 95% of past abuse perpetrators were personal vices and faults in an institution that failed believed dead, making the “moral responsibility” at all levels,” Sauvé said. “Whereas girls and young for recompense unclear. It said the issue would be women made up most victims in wider society, most discussed further at the bishops’ spring assembly at victims in the church were boys. It was also characRequested Funeral DirectorsLourdes in theMarch Archdiocese of San Francisco 22-26. teristicThe that Most acts of violence and abuse were com-

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CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | MARCH 11, 2021

Bible reading boosts mental well-being among Christians, UK survey says CAROL GLATZ CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

ROME – Reading the Bible has had a positive effect on people’s “mental wellbeing” during the pandemic, according to a Christian Research survey conducted in the United Kingdom.

The survey also found that respondents were reading the Bible more and turning to Bible-related videos more during the pandemic.

The survey, carried out on behalf of the Bible Society, posed a number of questions to 1,000 people in the United Kingdom who identified themselves as Christians and who had attended church at least once a month before restrictions aimed at curbing the pandemic. The questions were asked in December, and the results were published online by the Bible Society March 1.

Forty-two percent of respondents reported that reading the Bible increased a “sense of hope in God during the crisis, rising to nearly half (49%) among 45- to 54-year-olds,” the report by the Bible Society said.

“Some 28% said that reading the Bible had increased their confidence in the future,” while 63% said they felt

(CNS PHOTO/PAUL JEFFREY)

A woman reads the Bible in St. Ignatius, Guyana, in this 2019 file photo. A survey conducted for the Bible Society found that increased reading of the Bible during the pandemic led to a greater feeling of hope in God and confidence in the future. their level of confidence remained the same, rather than dropping, it said.

It said 23% of those surveyed said the Bible “had increased their mental well-

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being, including 47% of 24- to 34-yearolds,” and 33% of 16- to 24-year-olds reported that reading the Bible had helped them “feel less lonely.”

The report said 35% of survey respondents were reading the Bible more during the pandemic with the biggest increase among 25- to 34-year-olds in which “53% were reading the Bible more often.”

“A quarter of those asked, said that they were reading the Bible ‘multiple times a day’ and half said that they were reading the Bible on a daily basis,” the Bible Society said.

It also found that 25% of the 25- to 34-year-olds in the survey said they had begun reading the Bible during the pandemic.

While many continue to turn to print editions of the Bible, 23% reported using “a Bible-reading app, 30% are now listening to the Bible” and 59% of those surveyed said that “they now watched more Bible-related videos or had started watching them.”

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St. Thomas the Apostle is grounded in its mission and philosophy: making Christ a vital part of the lives of its students by providing a strong Catholic/Christian community, a solid doctrinal foundation in Catholic tradition, academic excellence, and an environment in which each child is respected and valued as a unique individual encouraged to achieve his/her full potential. STA is dedicated to developing the whole child spiritually, academically, morally, emotionally and socially. St. Thomas the Apostle is a STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, & math) school.

Position Title: Principal Position Type: Full-time, exempt, benefited Job Description: General Duties and Responsibilities: The principal is the administrative officer of the school and is the spiritual, educational, managerial leader, subject to the ultimate canonical responsibility entrusted to the pastor. The principal has as highest priority the building of a Christian community of faith in which the Christian message and experiences of community, worship, service and social concern are integrated. Additionally, a paramount responsibility is to promote and facilitate student learning of the highest quality.

Requirements/Qualifications: 1. Be a practicing Roman Catholic in good standing with the Church.

2. Hold a valid California Standard Teaching Credential or its equivalent from another State.

3. Have a minimum of five years of experience in teaching and/or in administration with Catholic school experience.

4. Have attained one or both of the following: Masters degree in an educational field and/or an California administrative credential*.

5. Be certified as a catechist at the Basic level **.

6. Have a deep commitment to the Catholic life of the school.

7. Have demonstrated expertise in the area of curriculum and technology in the classroom.

8. Be adept at inspiring teachers and galvanizing them around the pursuit of educational excellence.

9. Have strong interpersonal skills and be adept at building and maintaining relationships.

Application Instructions: To be considered for a principal position within the Archdiocese of San Francisco, a person must: • Complete the official application from the Department of Catholic Schools (DCS) • Establish a personnel file with the DCS (applicants with existing DCS personnel files are required to create a new file) • Attend an introductory/prescreening interview with the Human Resources Manager for the Department of Catholic Schools Application Materials may be downloaded from the official DCS website by clicking on the following link: www.sfarchdiocese.org/employment The requested material plus a letter of interest should be submitted to: Christine Escobar, Human Resources Manager Department of Catholic Schools, One Peter Yorke Way, San Francisco, CA 94109-6602 The Archdiocese of San Francisco adheres to the following policy: “All school staff of Catholic schools of the Archdiocese of San Francisco shall be employed without regard to race, color, sex, ethnic or national origin and will consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories”. (Administrative Handbook #4111.4)

20 COMMUNITY

CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | MARCH 11, 2021

MICHAEL BROWN, CSF ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER, DIES AT 73

Michael Brown, retired Archdiocese of San Francisco communications director and associate publisher of Catholic San Francisco, died peacefully at his Peninsula home Feb. 21, 2021, following a long battle with cancer. He was 73.

Brown was born in Spokane, Washington, and moved to Ladera in the foothills of the Stanford Michael Brown Linear Accelerator Center in 1954 with his parents Ralph and Eleanor Brown, now deceased.

He attended St. Raymond School in Menlo Park and Bellarmine College Preparatory in San Jose.

He earned an undergraduate degree in English at the University of San Francisco in 1969.

Brown, since 2015, assisted Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone and the more than 85 parishes of the Archdiocese of San Francisco with their communications and media needs retiring just a few weeks before his death.

“A man of deep faith, Mike asked for our prayers as he entered hospice and was comforted by the assurances that they were sent,” Father Patrick Summerhays, moderator of the curia, said in announcing Brown’s death to chancery employees. “We pray now that the angels will guide him to paradise, that his soul will be at rest, and that his family will be comforted.”

Father Summerhays called Brown “a veteran in media relations and crisis communications, with a background in journalism” and that “he oversaw the expansion of the digital media and internal communications aspects of the communication department.”

Brown began his professional career in 1968 as a copy boy for the San Francisco Chronicle soon becoming aide to late nationally syndicated columnist Charles McCabe.

In 1981 he became the director of Alumni Relations and University Communications for the University of San Francisco, where he served for more than a decade.

Subsequently, he assisted corporations including Southern Pacific Railroad, Fleishman Hillard and Consolidated Freightways with strategic communications. Brown was a founding partner at Brown and Raleigh, a full-service public relations firm.

In 2002, Brown became director of communications and community relations for the Diocese of Oakland overseeing public relations and communications much to do with the new Christ the Light Cathedral.

Survivors include Brown’s wife of 51 years, Kathy Fenton Brown, daughters Becky Brown of Ashland, Oregon, and Molly Toapanta Brown of Mindo, Ecuador, sons Michael Brown of Fort Collins, Colorado, and Thomas Brown.

A funeral Mass was celebrated at St. Raymond Church in Menlo Park.

HEROES OF LOVE: New pathway open for future saints serious and consistent Christian life.

Something similar happens with the cause of a recognized martyr where the focus is less on the degree to which the candidate lived the virtues and more on the nature of his or her death, in this case, where the candidate’s blood was shed out of hatred of the faith.

The new pathway puts the focus on the nature of the candidate’s death – that it was a free and willing offer of one’s Christian life and a heroic acceptance, out of love, of a certain and early death.

The required connection between the heroic act of charity and the premature death has meant that a person who follows this model of holiness is often called a “martyr of charity,” a term used by St. Pope Paul VI when he beatified St. Maximilian Kolbe in 1971 and by St. John Paul II when he canonized the Polish friar in 1982.

Pope Benedict XVI referred to St. Bernardo Tolomei as “an authentic martyr of charity” in 2009 when he canonized the 14th-century Benedictine, who died of the plague after devoting himself to the sick monks in his care. However, Pope Benedict also emphasized three years earlier that a person could not be declared a true martyr without “irrefutable proof” of the victim’s willingness to die for the faith and without “moral certainty” that the persecutor’s action stemmed “directly or indirectly” from a hatred of the faith.

Pope Francis has used the term “martyr of charity” several times, most recently referring to Father Roberto Malgesini, an Italian priest who was stabbed to death in 2020 by a mentally ill homeless man he was helping.

A “martyr of charity” uses the word “martyr”

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to ensure public health and slow the spread of the pandemic, he said. But some measures have gone so far as to “impinge on the free exercise of numerous human rights.”

“Any limitations on the exercise of human rights for the protection of public health must stem from a situation of strict necessity,” he said. “Such limitations must be proportional to the situation, applied in a nondiscriminatory fashion and used only when no other means are available.”

However, the archbishop said, in some regions and nations, those criteria were not met when it came to religious gatherings. And, while agreements to respect religious freedom while protecting public health were possible, some government officials never thought to contact and work with religious leaders.

VATICAN CITY – For believers, the ability to practice their faith and receive spiritual guidance are “the highest of essential services,” and pandemic practices over the past year have shown they are not automatically super-spreader events, the Vatican foreign minister said.

Speaking Feb. 23 during the high-level segment of the U.N. Human Rights Council session in Geneva, Archbishop Paul R. Gallagher said, “There are numerous examples of how the freedom of worship can be guaranteed while taking all the necessary precautions to protect reasonably public safety.”

Pope Francis, the Vatican and most bishops around the world acknowledged and accepted most of the measures imposed by local and national governments

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as meaning “a witness” of charity or of love, Sister Canclini said. “It has evangelical value, but it is not a juridical term, it grants nothing” special since the cause must follow all the regular procedures including a miracle needed for beatification.

Many saints of the past gave that kind of heroic witness, risking their lives in times of contagion; they include St. Aloysius Gonzaga, the famed Jesuit priest who died during a plague in Rome; and St. Damien of Molokai who assisted those afflicted with Hansen’s disease.

The selfless ministry of those serving during epidemics will never be over, Sister Canclini said.

The sisters working in Kikwit, Congo, found themselves at the epicenter of Ebola in 1995, and the congregation found itself at the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic in Bergamo in March 2020.

Sister Canclini said they prayed to the now venerable sisters for their intercession during the pandemic, but they also called on their younger members to help them in the residential facility they operate for the disabled and for the elderly – a facility where, unfortunately many older residents died.

“The younger sisters willingly went to help, aware of the danger because of the spirit of our congregation whose founder said our sisters will work at the service of the poor even in times of contagious diseases,” she said.

Blessed Luigi Palazzolo, who founded the Congregation of the Sisters of the Poor, was born and died in Bergamo in the 19th-century and lived at a time when waves of cholera swept through the region, she said.

“We have testimony that the nuns then were infected taking care of (the afflicted), therefore, we are on the same track. The charism is alive, it will never leave us, it cannot die.”

FROM PAGE 18

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LITURGY & PRAYER FRIDAY, MARCH 19: The Prophets, with special focus on Isaias, Jeremiah, Hosea, Elijah and Elisha. 10 a.m. virtual lecture with Jesuit Father Paul Devot. All are welcome to the St. Ignatius Parish “Older, Wiser and Livelier Seniors” (OWLS) program. Visit stignatiussf.org/event/lecture-series-history-ofthe-israelite-people-the-prophets-andthe-psalms.

WEDNESDAYS THROUGH MARCH 31: “Shelter in Faith” is a free, sevenweek prayer group by the founders of faith-sharing group, Random Acts of Catholics. The online meetings are designed to help participants, in the words of St. Ignatius of Loyola, ’see Christ more clearly, love him more dearly and follow him more nearly.’ 6:30 p.m.

Features Ignatian-style prayer. Visit randomactsofcatholics.org.

THURSDAYS THRU MAY 27: Book of Psalms. Weekly Online Course with Father William Nicholas: These 150 prayers express a variety of sentiment and feeling covering a wide range of spirituality from earthy to mystical, thanksgiving to regret, deep affection to equally deep resentment, joy to the depths of despair. Father Nicholas presents an overview of the prayers 7-8:30 p.m. Visit frbillnicholas.com/zoompresentations.

SUNDAY, MARCH 14: (Public event) Respect Life Essay Contest Mass and Awards: Archbishop Cordileone will celebrate the winners of the archdiocesan Respect Life Essay Contest at 11 a.m. at a special Mass at St. Mary’s Cathedral, 1111 Gough St., San Francisco. Awards ceremony to follow. Visit sfarch.org/ essay-contest.

SATURDAY, MAY 1, 2021:(Public event, monthly) Mass and Rosary Procession for Life: A monthly Mass at St. Mary’s Cathedral, 1111 Gough St., San Francisco, followed by a rosary procession to the Bush Street Planned Parenthood Clinic. 8 a.m. Visit sfarch. org/events.

LEARNING

Father Michael Hurley

THURSDAY, MARCH 18: “Angels and Us,” a webinar with Dominican Father Michael Hurley. The pastor of St. Dominic Parish in San Francisco will open our eyes to appreciate the world of angels and demons of which we are a part. In this presentation by the Dominican School of Philosophy & Theology, participants will discover both the nature of these spiritual persons and a better understanding of how to interact with them on our journey toward salvation. Visit dspt.edu/events/ michael-hurley.

MUSIC & ART SUNDAY AFTERNOONS: St. Mary’s Cathedral Sunday Afternoon Livestream Concerts: Enjoy the longest continuously running organ concert series in San Francisco, and other instrumental and vocal recitals. For the time being, these musical meditations are not open to the public but are being livestreamed at smcsf.org/event/musical-meditations-3.

SUNDAY, MARCH 14: Mission Dolores Basilica Livestream Concert: Livestream concert, 4 p.m. at the basilica. Allison Lovejoy, piano. Visit missiondolores.org.

LEARNING THURSDAY, MARCH 4-TUESDAY, APRIL 13: The Sts. Peter and Paul Don Bosco Study Group: Discussion of the first 13 chapters of Jesuit Father James Martin’s “Jesus: A Pilgrimage.”

The remainder of the book will be the topic of the subsequent meeting on Tuesday, April 13 (in preparation for, and in celebration of Easter). No reading is necessary to attend. Contact Frank Lavin at (415) 310-8551, or franklavin@ comcast.net.

WEDNESDAYS THROUGH MARCH 17: Adult Education series on St.

Joseph, Patron of the Universal Church: 2021 was named the Holy Year of St. Joseph by Pope Francis.

Join St. Mary’s Cathedral Deacon Christoph Sandoval for an educational Zoom series leading up to a personal Cathedral consecration to Chaste Heart of St. Joseph on his feast day, March 19. 7 p.m. Wednesdays. Visit smcsf. org/event/consecration-to-st-josephpreparation-lectures.

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If you receive the print paper or if you don’t, we invite you to connect in any these ways.

EMAIL: A newsletter with staff picks of the latest news, comment and inspiration, delivered weekly to your inbox. To sign up, visit catholic-sf.org/free-email-newsletter.

FACEBOOK: Join our growing community of 3,800 followers. Our news feed is

updated regularly with news and photos and is becoming a showcase for the work of CSF photographers. We highlight the archdiocese but include our picks of significant national and world news and comment as it happens. You’ll find us at www.facebook.com/CatholicSF/.

WEDNESDAYS, THRU MARCH 17: St. Anselm Parish Parable & Poetry Lenten Retreat: 9 a.m. or 7. p.m. If you’re feeling depleted by the pandemic or disillusioned by political, economic and racial strife, reclaim your inner peace with Dominican Father Jude Siciliano and Dominican Sister Patricia Bruno in this weekly online retreat. Email modear@comcast.net.

TUESDAYS, MARCH 16, 23, 30; APRIL 6, 13, 20: Art, Elevation and Liturgy: “Lift Up Your Eyes” is a sixweek online series with art historian Elizabeth Lev. This series explores the history of art in the context of the liturgy, specifically works designed to elevate the mind, heart, and spirit during the Mass. Visit sfarch.org/liftupyoureyes.

SATURDAY, APRIL 17: Hope & Healing after Abortion Retreat sponsored by the Archdiocese of San Francisco: Counseling, Mass and the Sacrament of Reconciliation will be offered. Led by Father Vito Perrone of the Contemplatives of St. Joseph. Retreats held at a confidential site. Visit sfarch.org/rachel or email projectrachel@sfarch.org.

TUESDAY, MARCH 16: A Virtual Lenten Soup Supper presented by St. Patrick Parish, Larkspur. Father William Nicholas on “The Catholic Church as Mother of Modern Science,” 6-7 p.m.

Call the parish office at (415) 924-0600 by 3 p.m. March 15 and leave name and email. Registered participants will receive a Zoom link by email the day before the event.

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THURSDAY, MARCH 18: Epiphany Center 24th Annual Benefit and Show (virtual): For over two decades this event has raised funds to help San Francisco’s at-risk women, children and families heal and transform their lives. Ticket includes a catered meal delivered to your home, show, client testimonials and more. $250. Center was founded in 1852 to care for San Francisco’s orphans. Visit TheEpiphanyCenter.org for more information and to purchase tickets.

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V Encuentro: Delegados en San Francisco alimentan la fe esta Cuaresma las lecturas a lo largo de la Cuaresma desde el Miércoles de Ceniza hasta el final de este tiempo litúrgico.

LORENA ROJAS SAN FRANCISCO CATÓLICO

Un día después del Miércoles de Ceniza los delegados del V Encuentro de Pastoral Hispana, representantes de las iglesias con servicios religiosos en español en la Arquidiócesis de San Francisco participaron en un evento de preparación para la Cuaresma, el cual incluyó los temas de los signos y símbolos de este tiempo litúrgico y el asunto de la conversión personal, entre otros.

A muchos de los delegados esta formación, en la Cuaresma, les hace muy bien para alimentarse espiritualmente y continuar el servicio que ofrecen en diferentes ministerios pastorales o grupos parroquiales.

La reflexión de Cuaresma fue dirigida vía Zoom por el padre jesuita Edwin Martínez Callejas, estudiante de un doctorado en la Universidad de San Francisco (USF), quien resaltó varios elementos propios del tiempo de Cuaresma comenzando con la imposición de las cenizas el Miércoles de Ceniza. Él explicó el elemento de las cenizas como un símbolo y signo que

Redefiniendo la Cuaresma

(FOTOS LORENA ROJAS/SAN FRANCISCO CATÓLICO)

La hermana Estela Martínez se ve en la iglesia San Pedro durante una presentación sobre los avances del V Encuentro en la Arquidiócesis de San Francisco.

Vicente Cortés posa junto al padre jesuita Arturo Araujo en una reunión del V Encuentro Arquidiocesano de Pastoral Hispana en el otoño del 2017 en la Catedral Santa María.

menciona la Biblia y que usa la Iglesia Católica para hacer visible lo invisible, por ejemplo el arrepentimiento.

Uno de los pasajes bíblicos que hace alusión a las cenizas y al arrepentimiento es el relato de David, al reconocer el pecado cometido contra Urías y su esposa, explicó el padre Martínez.

Agregó que el rey David roció

cenizas en su cuerpo como demostración de arrepentimiento, luego entró en un período de penitencia de 40 días, número que simboliza el proceso de su conversión.

El número 40 en la Biblia no es un tiempo cronológico sino un período que significa “tiempo de Dios”, dijo.

A la Cuaresma se le conoce como tiempo de Dios, porque es un periodo de reflexión y trabajo interior de cada persona, en el camino hacía la Pascua de la Resurrección. Es el tiempo máximo en la vida de un cristiano.

También se refirió a los tres pilares de la Cuaresma: Oración, ayuno y caridad o limosna, temas citados en

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Año de San José

Al referirse a los ejercicios penitenciales como el ayuno, la abstinencia, la caridad entre otros, el padre Martínez explicó que los cristianos cada año van redefiniendo la Cuaresma.

Redefinir, no significa cambiar el significado de la Cuaresma, más bien vivirla desde los diferentes contextos y realidades, lo que quiere decir, por ejemplo que este año una persona puede tener diferentes necesidades de las que tuvo durante la Cuaresma del año anterior, diferentes comportamientos que cambiar o diferentes sacrificios que realizar. Lo que es un sacrificio para una persona, quizá no lo sea para otra dependiendo de las circunstancias, explicó.

“Para muchos que ya lograron superar algo en el camino de sus vidas por ejemplo el egoísmo, este año la necesidad puede ser otra como superar una adicción”, ejemplificó el padre Martínez.

La hermana Estela Martínez coordinadora del grupo de V Encuentro en la Arquidiócesis de San Francisco y asociada pastoral en la iglesia del Naufragio de San Pablo, dijo que la Cuaresma es un tiempo litúrgico para hacer un alto

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La novena aparece cada día con un himno a San José y hymn to St. Joseph and a music video of the Litany of un video musical de la Letanía de San José (también en inglés(also y español) al final de cada día de novena.

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*A novena consists of nine (9) moments of prayer. It can be prayed daily, weekly, or

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CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | MARCH 11, 2021

V ENCUENTRO: Delegados en San Francisco alimentan la fe esta Cuaresma DE PÁGINA 22

en el camino y pensar en qué es lo que Dios nos está pidiendo, “para mí la Cuaresma siempre tiene este reto personal, de reflexionar qué tipo de cristiana soy”.

Desde esta reflexión cuaresmal, la hermana Martínez comparte que el V Encuentro ha sido en la Arquidiócesis un respiro tanto para los delegados que se alimentan espiritualmente como para los ministerios que ellos representan en sus parroquias.

A pesar de la pandemia, en el V Encuentro nos hemos mantenido fortaleciéndonos con buenos conferencistas que nos han hablado sobre diferentes temas, entre ellos la justicia social de la Iglesia y la migración, entre otros asuntos.

La unión de este grupo de delegados del V Encuentro ha sido un gran apoyo para las familias hispanas de

(FOTOS LORENA ROJAS/SAN FRANCISCO CATÓLICO)

El padre Edwin Martínez Callejas alza la mano durante una presentación de Cuaresma Vía Zoom dirigida a los delegados del V Encuentro en la Arquidiócesis de San Francisco, el 18 de febrero. la arquidiócesis, dijo la hermana Martínez.

Ella lamentó que algunos de los delegados se han enfermado

por COVID-19, otros han perdido familiares y amigos por el mismo virus, y el grupo ha estado apoyándose mutuamente en estos tiempos difíciles.

DECLARACIÓN DEL ARZOBISPO SALVATORE J. CORDILEONE SOBRE LA VACUNA COVID-19 DE JOHNSON & JOHNSON

“El aumento de la disponibilidad de las vacunas Covid-19 ya está teniendo un efecto bienvenido en la reducción de la propagación de este virus. Animo a todos a vacunarse en consulta con su médico.

Se ha determinado que las primeras vacunas disponibles (Pfizer y Moderna) son moralmente aceptables. Sin embargo, la nueva vacuna Johnson & Johnson está más Arzobispo moralmente comprometida porque las Cordileone células madre de una línea derivada de un feto abortado se utilizaron en su fabricación, no solo en las pruebas”.

“Como señalaron los presidentes del Comité de Doctrina de la Conferencia de Obispos Católicos de los Estados Unidos (USCCB, por sus siglas en inglés) y el Comité de Actividades Pro-Vida, ‘la Congregación para la Doctrina de la Fe ha juzgado que “cuando las vacunas de Covid-19 éticamente irreprochables no están disponibles... es moralmente aceptable recibir vacunas de Covid-19 que han utilizado líneas celulares de fetos abortados en su proceso de investigación y producción”.

Sin embargo, si se puede elegir entre vacunas de COVID-19 igualmente seguras y efectivas, se debe elegir la vacuna con la menor conexión con las líneas celulares derivadas del aborto.

Por lo tanto, si una persona tiene la capacidad de elegir una vacuna, las vacunas de Pfizer o Moderna deben elegirse sobre las de Johnson & Johnson”.

“Por favor, continúen también practicando las precauciones de seguridad recomendadas: usar una máscara, lavarse las manos y observar el distanciamiento social. Rezamos para que todas estas cosas juntas nos lleven a superar la pandemia pronto”.

NÚMEROS DE AYUDA PARA VÍCTIMAS DE ABUSO SEXUAL DE PARTE DEL CLERO 0 MIEMBROS DE LA IGLESIA Este número 415-614-5506 es confidencial y Ie atiende Rocio Rodríguez, LMFT, Coordinadora de la oficina arquidiocesana de ayuda a las víctimas de abuso sexual.

Si usted prefiere hablar con una persona que no está empleada por la arquidiócesis por favor marque este número: 415-614-5503; es también confidencial y usted será atendido solamente por una persona que ha superado la experiencia traumática del abuso sexual.

Reporte el abuso sexual de un obispo o su interferencia en una investigación de abuso sexual a un tercero confidencial: 800-276-1562. www.reportbishopabuse.org

1400 Dillon Beach Rd., Tomales, CA

Para continuar llevando los conocimientos hasta los diferentes grupos y ministerios en las parroquias de la arquidiócesis todavía hace falta apoyar a algunos delegados con el uso de la tecnología para que puedan compartir en sus iglesias estas enseñanzas como la reflexión de Cuaresma.

Vicente Cortés, delegado del V Encuentro en representación de la iglesia Todos los Santos en San Francisco y miembro de la Pastoral Familiar Arquidiocesana dijo que temas como la reflexión sobre la Cuaresma son enseñanzas que se pueden compartir en los grupos pastorales.

Agregó que los líderes de su ministerio de la Pastoral Familiar van a compartir esta reflexión de Cuaresma en su grupo, la próxima reunión que tendrá lugar este mes de marzo.

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CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | MARCH 11, 2021