September 7, 2012

Page 1

PAPAL JOURNEY TO LEBANON: Pope to meet

PASSION FOR THE TRUTH: Museum guide Vincent Medina focuses on natives’ narrative of Mission days

Christians, Muslims on Mideast trip

PAGE 12

YEAR OF FAITH: Questions for catechists, teachers as a special time of evangelization begins

PAGE 18 PAGE 21

CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO Newspaper of the Archdiocese of San Francisco

www.catholic-sf.org

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SEPTEMBER 7, 2012

Rosary rally set Oct. 13

Austrian priest: Dissent aids healthy church

VALERIE SCHMALZ CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO

The Catholic Church in San Francisco is going public – again – to pray the rosary in the city’s center. Thousands are expected to walk from St. Mary’s Cathedral, and to be joined by many more, to pray the rosary literally in the public square – United Nations Plaza across from San Francisco’s City Hall – at noon Oct. 13. The Second Annual Rosary Rally coincides with the opening of the Year of Faith by Pope Benedict XVI two days earlier. Catholic school children, religious education students, and all the parishes are invited, with busloads from Bay Area parishes and schools expected, organizers said. The rally was re-instituted last year on the 50th anniversary of Father Patrick Peyton’s rosary rally which drew a SEE LETTER, PAGE 19

Archbishopdesignate apologizes THE CATHOLIC VOICE

OAKLAND – In a letter to the Diocese of Oakland, Archbishopdesignate Salvatore J. Cordileone, to be installed in October as archbishop of San Francisco, apologized and offered thanks for the support and prayers he has received since being charged with two misdemeanors on suspicion of driving under the influence Aug. 25. “I also want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for the outpouring of support and prayers you have extended to me in my time of trial. I could not have asked for more, or SEE RALLY, PAGE 19

SARAH MACDONALD CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

highest obligation of Christian discipleship is the abolition of nuclear war taking the precedence over everything else. And she understood that,” said John Schuchardt, who joined Sister Anne as one of the Plowshares 8 in 1980 at the former General Electric nuclear weapons plant in King of Prussia, Pa., where they hammered on nuclear missile casings. “I’ll never forget Anne reading from the Book of Wisdom and the gentleness and the spirit of wisdom she read,” Schuchardt said. Oblate Father Carl Kabat, another Plowshares 8 participant, told Catholic News Service that Sister Anne held firm to her beliefs about the danger of nuclear war and was prepared to face the consequences of her actions even if it meant she was to be imprisoned.

DUBLIN – The leader of the Austrian Priests’ Initiative said the dissident group’s call to disobedience reflects the lack of accountability among those who exercise power and authority in the Catholic Church. Msgr. Helmut Schuller told Catholic News Service that reform and substantive structural change are “essential for Msgr. Helmut the future of the Schuller church” in Europe and the wider world. The Priests’ Initiative, which now represents 500 clergy in Austria, wants the Vatican to revive the “Lex Ecclesiae Fundamentalis” project initiated by Pope Paul VI following the Second Vatican Council. The project, which sought to establish a common fundamental code or church constitution similar to the U.S. Bill of Rights for church members, was shelved by Pope John Paul II in 1981. “We are talking about providing basic rights for the people of God and a structure of participation in decision-making and feedback between the top, center and base of the church. We also want to establish a system of control for those who hold power and authority in the church,” said Msgr. Schuller, former vicar general of the Archdiocese of Vienna and former director of Caritas Austria. The Priests’ Initiative was founded in 2006 and made international headlines in June 2011 when it issued its “Appeal to Disobedience” over its agenda, which includes making clerical celibacy optional,

SEE PLOWSHARES, PAGE 19

SEE DISSENT, PAGE 19

(CNS PHOTO/COURTESY GROUND ZERO CENTER FOR NONVIOLENT ACTION)

Sister Anne Montgomery, left, who participated in six so-called Plowshares actions to protest nuclear weapons between 1980 and 2009, died Aug. 27 at age 85 at Sacred Heart Sisters’ elder care center in Atherton. She is pictured with Sister Megan Rice in a 2010 photo.

Remembering Sister Anne Montgomery, anti-nuke leader CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

WASHINGTON – Nuclear weapons posed such a grave danger to all life on earth in the eyes of Sacred Heart Sister Anne Montgomery that she devoted more than 30 years of her life to protest their stockpiling by the world’s governments. From participating in the first of the so-called Plowshares actions Sept. 9, 1980, until her sixth and last protest Nov. 1, 2009 – for which she served two months in federal prison – Sister Anne epitomized the “heart and soul” of a movement which has spanned the globe, several friends and fellow activists for peace said. Sister Anne died of cancer Aug. 27 at Oakwood, the Society of the Sacred Heart’s elder care center in Atherton. She was 85. “Thomas Merton said it best that the

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CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | SEPTEMBER 7, 2012

NEED TO KNOW POPE’S SEPTEMBER PRAYER INTENTIONS: Pope Benedict’s XVI’s general prayer intention for September is: “That politicians may always act with honesty, integrity, and love for the truth.” His mission intention: “That Christian communities may have a growing willingness to send missionaries, priests, and lay people, along with concrete resources, to the poorest churches.” EMAIL A SAINT: Devotees of St. Rose of Lima who cannot travel to Lima, Peru, can send their petitions to her at santarosa.correo@gmail. com, and staff in the Archdiocese of Lima will print the messages and drop them down the well, Catholic News Service correspondent Barbara Fraser writes on the CNS blog. Since the beginning of August, more than 5,000 messages have arrived from as far away as Turkey, Germany, France, the United States and the Philippines, Daniel Jacobo, archdiocesan press spokesman, told CNS. FLOOD CLOSES PARISH SCHOOL: Our Lady of the Visitacion School in San Francisco reopened Sept. 4 after a city water main flooded the school and convent with hundreds of thousands of gallons of water. The Aug. 28 break in the 42-inch water main at Tomaso Court and Sunnydale Avenue caused between $400,000 and $500,000 in damage to the school and convent, said Steve Kalpakoff, construction coordinator for the Archdiocese of San Francisco. The City and County of San Francisco’s insurance policies will pay for repairs, Kalpakoff said. ST. RITA VATICAN II SERIES: St. Rita Parish, Fairfax, is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council with a special noontime Mass Oct. 11 – the date Pope John XXIII opened the council 50 years ago. Stockton Bishop Stephen E. Blaire will be the main celebrant and will deliver the homily. The Mass inaugurates the annual St. Rita Autumn/Advent Lecture Series with this year’s theme, “Vatican II, Continuing: Becoming Church in the 21st Century.” All the clergy, religious, and laity of the archdiocese are invited to participate with Bishop Blaire and Father Kenneth Weare, pastor. For more information, call (415) 456-4815 or email saintritafairfax@att.net. ST. PIUS THEOLOGY SERIES: St. Pius Parish, Redwood City, begins its Theology Cafe speaker series Oct. 25 with a talk by Archbishop-Emeritus John R. Quinn titled “Why Vatican II?” Sulpician Father Gladstone Stevens gives the second talk in the series, “The Vision of Church,” on Nov. 15. All events in the series, which celebrates the 50th anniversary of the council, are from 7-8:30 p.m. in Homer Crouse Hall. For the full schedule contact the parish at (650) 361-1411, or see catholic-sf.org.

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Father Serra educational comic books donated to fourth graders In honoring the yearlong celebration of Father Junipero Serra’s 300th birthday, the Serra Cause for Canonization, along with St. Anthony Messenger Press, donated 2,000 educational comic books about Father Serra arriving in California to fourth graders in schools of the Archdiocese of San Francisco and religious education programs. This event was held Aug. 25 on the steps of Old Mission Dolores, or Mission San Francisco de Asis, one of the nine missions that Father Serra founded and visited. Father Serra and the mission’s first administrator, Franciscan Father Francisco Palou, are credited with naming the city and county of San Francisco, and the entire region, after their patron, St. Francis of Assisi, making Mission San Francisco de Asis, or Mission Dolores, the birthplace of modern San Francisco. The comic books will enhance the education of the recipients who will learn about the founding of modern California and Father Serra. A part of the celebration is the California Mission Ride, where a group of people are taking a 600-mile horseback ride on Father Serra’s original route on the El Camino Real from Mission San Francisco Solano, Sonoma, to Mission San Diego. Students from the Alliance of Mission District Catholic Schools, specifically St. Finn Barr and St. James, and religious education students from Mission

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Dolores Parish were in attendance to receive the comic books. Along with the superintendent of Catholic schools, Maureen Huntington, and the archdiocesan director of religious education and youth ministry, Social Service Sister Celeste Arbuckle, Andrew Galvan, curator of the mission museum, presented the comic books. For more information, visit www.serra300.org/, and www.thecaliforniamissionride.org.

Archbishop-designate addresses Oakland faithful Oakland Bishop Salvatore J. Cordileone, who will be installed as archbishop of San Francisco Oct. 4, wrote this letter to the people of his diocese last week. A related article is on the cover of this issue. My Dear People of the Church of Oakland, This past week has been the occasion of much prayer, reflection and soul-searching for me. I wish to share some of these reflections with you now. As in most families of religious faith and traditional morality, in my family we were taught right from wrong, trained to do the right thing and encouraged to aspire to do something noble with our lives. I have always tried to regulate my life according to these guidelines and ideals. While I have not always lived up to them, I now have to face a particularly painful incident in trying to do so. First and foremost, though, I want to apologize to you for any embarrassment I may have caused you. Oakland is a vibrant Diocese, filled with spiritual energy and pastoral creativity, a place where faith is put into action with enthusiasm and determination. It has been an honor to serve you as your bishop, and I am proud of you as the people

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entrusted to my pastoral care. For myself, I have always striven to live in a way that would make you proud of me as your bishop. I profoundly regret that I may have let you down in this regard. At the same time, I also want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for the outpouring of support and prayers you have extended to me in my time of trial. I could not have asked for more, or dare expect it. You have sustained me, strengthened me and comforted me in the midst of very severe self-inflicted anxiety. It is your love that helped to get me through it. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Please know that you will always have a special place in my heart, and I will continue to hold you in prayer even as I look forward to assuming my new responsibilities in the Archdiocese of San Francisco. I trust that God in His infinite mercy will, by the power of our prayer lifted up to Him in union with Mary and the saints, grant me the grace that will supply for my human weaknesses and shortcomings, for His glory and the salvation of souls. With love and prayers in our Blessed Lord, The Most Rev. Salvatore Cordileone

CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO Archbishop George Niederauer Publisher George Wesolek Associate Publisher Rick DelVecchio Editor/General Manager EDITORIAL Valerie Schmalz, assistant editor George Raine, reporter Tom Burke, On the Street/Calendar

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ARCHDIOCESE 3

CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | SEPTEMBER 7, 2012

Chinese language radio show touches un-churched, Protestants, Catholics VALERIE SCHMALZ CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO

San Francisco Bay Area Cantonese speakers tune in every Saturday – often by accident – to a Catholic radio show broadcast entirely in their native language and with an ear to those who have little if any familiarity with Christianity, never mind Catholicism. Cross Radio is a production of the Office of Ethnic Ministries of the Archdiocese of San Francisco and a small group of Catholic Chinese lay people who feel a call to share their faith. “We are trying to send out the message. There are lots of Chinese who don’t even know about Jesus. They never heard of him,� said Mary Wong, one of the show’s hosts and producers. She sees results, with people dropping by her parish of St. Monica, which has a Cantonese Mass, or by other Cantonese and Mandarin Masses in the archdiocese and St. Leo in the Diocese of Oakland. At work, people who don’t even know she is Catholic will tell her they heard her on the radio, Wong said. First begun in the ‘90s by Canossian Sister Maria Hsu, director of the

ethnic ministries office, the hourlong show has been aired on several stations, including the now defunct KUSF at the University of San Francisco. Today Cross Radio is broadcast live at 4 p.m. Saturdays on 1400 AM, and rebroadcast at 8 p.m. Sundays. The website is crossradio. Canossian Sister Maria Hsu com. “I think a lot of people are listening actually,� said retired San Francisco Auxiliary Bishop Ignatius Wang, who gives a Gospel reflection once a month in Mandarin. He said the amount of response surprises him and the commitment of the young adults impresses him, particularly their willingness to fund a commercial radio broadcast, calling it “very touching.� “It’s really an amazing thing,� Bishop Wang said. “I think it is a very good vehicle for some people, like the gas station attendant where I fill my car,� said Sister Maria, “because he switches it on the whole day. He is not Catholic.� Chinese Marriage Encounter receives more interest because of

Jesus said to them, "Come after me, and I will make you ÀVKHUV RI PHQ ¾ - Mark 1:17

“We are trying to send out the message. There are lots of Chinese who don’t even know about Jesus. They never heard of him.� MARY WONG radio publicity, she said. As soon as the show airs a spot about the ministry, Sister Maria says she starts getting phone calls from people who are not Catholic but tell her they heard it on the radio. “They are totally ignorant of religion, but because of what they heard on the radio, they come,� and sometimes, they convert, she said. Deacon Simon Tsui, who offers a reflection several times a month on the show, said Cross Radio reaches native Cantonese speakers. “In Chinatown 95 percent of the Chinese are at home during the day and they listen to this Chinese station, 1400 AM,� said Deacon Tsui, who is assigned to Old St. Mary’s Parish/Holy Family Mission in Chinatown. “Twelve years ago

we figured out the best way to reach the Chinese is radio, television,� and began purchasing time on the radio station, he said. “That is the radio station most of the Chinese listen to, particularly the Cantonese-speaking population here, and also in Oakland,� the deacon said. The show begins with a 15-minute Scripture reflection. Once a month the reflection is by Bishop Wang, with the other weeks featuring Deacon Tsui, Sister Maria or another speaker. The remaining 45 minutes are devoted to a variety of topics that will be of interest to people who may not be Catholic, Wong and Deacon Tsui said. Many in the audience have not heard of Jesus, Wong stressed, so “we usually share our own personal experience – as Catholics how we look at this, our obstacles.� Deacon Tsui knows where his audience is coming from – and where he’d like them to end up. “I’m a convert. I really love Catholicism,� said Deacon Tsui, who was a Protestant when he married his wife at Old St. Mary’s Church 28 years ago. He joined the Catholic Church in 1991. “My wife was Catholic and I thought I could convert her, but God has his own plan and converted me instead.�

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CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | SEPTEMBER 7, 2012

Friar’s beautiful voice for all to hear TOM BURKE CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO

Angela Alioto says being in Italy “makes her heart sing” and on Aug. 11, feast day of St. Clare, she was with singer and Franciscan Friar Alessandro Brustenghi at the 800th anniversary of St. Clare at the Porziuncola in Assisi. “His voice is angelic,” Angela told me in a note to this Angela Alioto and Franciscan Friar column. The 34-yearAlessandro Brustenghi old friar signed a recording contract in May with major label Decca. Proceeds will benefit OFM works. A singer all of his life the singing priest is also a carpenter. His first album will be released in October. In published reports of the Decca deal, the friar said: “Music for me is a direct line with God. It’s the way to communicate with him, and it’s the way God uses to communicate with us. It’s the way to spread the Gospel to everybody.” Hope is that Friar Alessandro will be in the U.S. and San Francisco soon to sing at the Porziuncola Nuova in North Beach, Angela said. MEMORY DOES SERVE: Remembered in every meal at the St. Vincent de Paul Society’s San Rafael Free Dining Room is Will Gundry who died in 2009. He graduated from Drake High School in 2006. Will’s folks Karen Gundry Smith and Frank Gundry established the Will Gundry Fund to assist the poor of Marin in Will’s memory and so far have raised more than $50,000 for the dining room. “We are honored and blessed to conWill Gundry tinue working in support of the Free Dining Room,” they said. “We embrace the core values of the St. Vincent de Paul Society and we are grateful to have the opportunity to extend the hand that our beloved William always extended in love and friendship to all, especially those in need.” ANNIVERSARY: Happy 60 years married Aug. 23, to Gloria C. and Marion S. Lombardo. Married in Union City’s Our Lady of the Rosary Church, they are the parents of five – all are grads of St. Thomas More School with the three boys attending Archbishop Riordan High School and two girls attend-

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The class of 1952 from San Francisco’s Sacred Heart High School met in April for a reunion at St. Francis Yacht Club. “We had 43 classmates attend – not bad after 60 years,” Frank Noonan told me. Planners of the event in addition to Frank included Don Phillips, Bob Ford and Tom Duffy. Pictured from left at the milestone good-time are classmates Chuck Markee, Rich Moriguchi, Tony Urbano, Ed Plousha and Charles Spink. lic San Francisco’s new format as well as their kind words about this column. “Life is good out here in Epiphany parish,” both noted in the postcard. BIG BIRTHDAY: Happy birthday to Salesian Father Austin Conterno, 97 years old July 29. “God bless him,” said a recent Sts. Peter and Paul Parish bulletin where he has been doing good work for many years. “Father Count is still serving the people of God every day,” the announcement said. Father Austin is seen many days “walking around the neighborhood praying his rosary and meeting the people of North Beach.” THANK YOU AND FAREWELL: Elaine Lovett, rectory cook at St. Anne of the Sunset Parish for 18 years has retired. “Elaine has decided to lay down the oven mitts,” said Ken DelPonte, parish manager, in a recent bulletin. “Thank you, Elaine, for the many good meals. Your bright spirits will be missed.” An SVdP St. Francis of Assisi Food Pantry in East Palo Alto was blessed at groundbreaking ceremonies July 8. The contemporary root cellar helps Vincentians from the St. Vincent de Paul Society’s St. Francis of Assisi Parish conference bring staples and care to more than 3,000 households annually. Hard-hatted and not at the big day are Father Lawrence Goode, pastor, St. Francis of Assisi Parish; and Vincentians Alfredo Montonya, Allen McIntyre, Mary McIntyre, Melody McLaughlin, Verna Winston and Mary Ann Rose. ing St. John Ursuline High School. The Lombardo family also includes 13 grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. The couple renewed their vows at their 50th anniversary Mass with Father Piers Lahey, then-pastor of Good Shepherd Parish, Pacifica, presiding. “I am an extraordinary minister of holy Communion and sacristan at Good Shepherd Church and Marion is an usher when needed,” Gloria told me in a note to this column. KEEP UP GOOD WORK: Thanks to Ann and Stan Cordes for their affirming note about Catho-

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ALL HATS OFF: Immaculate Conception Academy keeps the late Jeanie Lawson in loving memory. Jeanie served as the school’s honorary gala chair for two years helping the event raise more than $400,000. Jeanie was known for a “wow factor” in events she planned bringing years of experience from work with groups including Catholic Charities CYO, Little Children’s Aid, Little Sisters of the Poor, and Mount St. Joseph-St. Elizabeth. CHOICES: The gym I go to is on two floors. Am I breaking any rules by taking the elevator to the treadmill? Email items and electronic pictures – jpegs at no less than 300 dpi to burket@sfarchdiocese.org or mail to Street, One Peter Yorke Way, San Francisco 94109. Include a follow-up phone number. Street is toll-free. My phone number is (415) 614-5634.

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ARCHDIOCESE 5

CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | SEPTEMBER 7, 2012

‘Amazing changes’ noted as Mount Carmel parish marks 125th year JAMES O. CLIFFORD, SR.

Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish, Redwood City marked its 125th year when it installed a new pastor and held a jam-packed celebration of a history that has seen “amazing changes.� The “amazing changes,� which mainly involved demographics, were hailed by Auxiliary Father Ulysses Bishop William J. D’Aquila Justice when he formally installed Father Ulysses D’Aquila, Aug. 25. Father D’Aquila told the congregation that OLMC was an example of the true meaning of Catholic because it is “open to diversity.� More than 400 people attended the Mass in which songs were sung in both Spanish and English. The congregation then walked to the school gym, or large hall. The walk to the party involved passing by scores of newly laid bricks neatly placed in rows near the front entrance to the church, which is part of a complex of school, rectory and parish center that takes up an entire block. Most of the bricks, which were paid with individual donations, are emblazoned with the names of families that have been members of the parish for generations. Donations also paid for an impressive fence of concrete pillars and iron spikes that runs about half a block between the church and the parish center, replacing a perfunctory cyclone fence that had bordered the schoolyard. Reno Bishop Randolph Calvo, a former OLMC pastor, was a special guest at the event. Both Bishop Calvo and Father

D’Aquila speak Spanish, as does Father John Balleza, whom Father D’Aquila succeeded as pastor. The linguistic ability is a sign of changes in the pews, which once were lined with Ellis Island Americans, particularly Irish and Italian. Now every Sunday the noon Mass is said in Spanish. “The multicultural makeup of the parish was challenging; the parish responded in a welcoming manner,� said Bishop Calvo, pastor from 1997 to 2006. Father Balleza said OLMC is “definitely an immigrant church,� noting “There are some people who forget this, or want to.� The dinner was held at Cavanagh Hall, named for Father John P. Cavanagh, who was of Irish stock. Father Cavanagh was appointed pastor in 1927 serving until his death in 1961. He oversaw the building of both the school and church. The present school was built in 1932, preceding the church by 20 years. Until the church opened in 1952, Mass was held in the hall that bears Father Cavanagh’s name. Building the school before the church was not unusual for Mount Carmel. The school celebrated its 125th anniversary in 2010. The first school was known as St. Mary’s and was located east of El Camino. Redwood City was once considered mission territory and did not become a parish until 1867, although it already had a church building, a frame structure on El Camino and Brewster that stood until 1937 when it was razed so El Camino could be widened. The official name of the parish is Our Lady of Mount Carmel, or OLMC for short. However, it has been called Mount Carmel for eons, particularly by real estate agents who boast that a home “is located in the Mount

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6 NATIONAL

CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | SEPTEMBER 7, 2012

Priest apologizes after rebuke for comments on sexual abuse CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

NEW YORK – Father Benedict Groeschel, a Franciscan Friar of the Renewal who has long been a popular speaker and television personality, apologized Aug. 30 for interview comments he made that were published online two days earlier, saying that “in a lot of cases� the victim of child sexual abuse is “the seducer.� Father Groeschel also had said priests who have committed abuse just one time should not go to jail. In the interview, Father Groeschel referred to Jerry Sandusky, the former Penn State assistant football coach who

was convicted in June on 45 charges relating to the sexual abuse of 10 different boys, as a “poor guy.� “I apologize for my comments. I did not intend to blame the victim,� said Father Groeschel, 78, in an Aug. 30 statement. “A priest – or anyone else – who abuses a minor Father Benedict is always wrong and J. Groeschel is always responsible. My mind and my way of expressing myself are not as clear as they used to be.� Eternal Word Television Network an-

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nounced Sept. 3 that Father Groeschel had decided to step down as host of its “Sunday Night Prime� television show after consulting with EWTN and his religious community. “Father Benedict has led a life of tremendous compassion and service to others and his spiritual insights have been a great gift to the EWTN family for many years,� said Michael P. Warsaw, president and CEO of EWTN Global Catholic Network, in a statement. “At the same time, we ask our EWTN family to pray for all those who have been affected by this painful situation and in particular those who have been victims of sexual abuse,� he added. Joseph Zwilling, a spokesman for the Archdiocese of New York, said in an Aug. 30 statement before Father Groeschel’s apology that the priest’s comments were “simply wrong.� Zwilling added, “Although he is not a priest of the Archdiocese of New York, what Father Groeschel said cannot be allowed to stand unchallenged. The sexual abuse of a minor is a crime, and whoever commits that crime deserves to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.� He also took exception to Father Groeschel’s characterization of sexual abuse victims as seducers. “The harm that was done by these remarks was compounded by the assertion that the victim of abuse is responsible for the abuse, or somehow caused the abuse to occur. This is not only terribly wrong. It is also extremely painful for victims,� Zwilling said. The interview had been posted Aug. 28 on the website of the National

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Catholic Register, which is owned by EWTN; Father Groeschel has appeared frequently on EWTN over the years. Although the Q-and-A interview was removed from the website, other sites had copied the comments and reposted them. National Catholic Register editor-inchief Jeanette R. De Melo issued an apology Aug. 30. “Child sexual abuse is never excusable. The editors of the National Catholic Register apologize for publishing without clarification or challenge Father Benedict Groeschel’s comments that seem to suggest that the child is somehow responsible for abuse. Nothing could be further from the truth,� she said. The Franciscan Friars of the Renewal, which Father Groeschel helped found 25 years ago, also apologized. “Father Benedict made comments that were inappropriate and untrue,� the order said in an Aug. 30 statement. “These comments were completely out of character. He never intended to excuse abuse or implicate the victims.� The order cited Father Groeschel’s worsening health: “In recent months his health, memory and cognitive ability have been failing. He has been in and out of the hospital. Due to his declining health and inability to care for himself, Father Benedict had moved to a location where he could rest and be relieved of his responsibilities. Although these factors do not excuse his comments, they help us understand how such a compassionate man could have said something so wrong, so insensitive and so out of character.�

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NATIONAL 7

CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | SEPTEMBER 7, 2012

Doctrine committee adopts protocol to respond to theological questions DENNIS SADOWSKI CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

WASHINGTON – The U.S. bishops’ Committee on Doctrine has developed a protocol to respond to questions raised about the work of theologians. Approved provisionally in September 2011, the protocol outlines various steps that committee members and the staff of the Secretariat for Doctrine at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops can take when evaluating the work of theologians to ensure that the material in question conforms to church teaching. Father Thomas The six-page protocol states that G. Weinandy the committee reserves the right to “seek authorization to publish its statements without the prior consultation” with a theologian or the theologian’s representative “if it judges that intervention is needed for the pastoral guidance of the Catholic faithful.” Publication of any comment, however, must be approved by the bishops’ Administrative Committee. The protocol was approved after the Committee on Doctrine issued a critique of the book “Quest for the Living God: Mapping Frontiers in the Theology of God” by Sister Elizabeth A. Johnson, a Sister of St. Joseph who is a professor of theology at Fordham University. After a yearlong review, the committee in March 2011 criticized the 2007 book for having “misrepresentations, ambiguities and CASA FUGAZI 678 GREEN STREET SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94133 TEL: 415.362.6423 FAX: 415.362.3565 INFO@ITALIANCS.COM WWW.ITALIANCS.COM

errors” related to the Catholic faith. The committee did not meet with Sister Elizabeth prior to issuing the critique. In subsequent written responses in 2011, Sister Elizabeth defended the book, saying her work was “thoroughly misunderstood and consistently misrepresented” by the committee. A statement from the Secretariat for Doctrine introducing the protocol in Origins, the Catholic News Service documentary service, said the Committee on Doctrine does not consider the protocol as a replacement for the 1989 document “Doctrinal Responsibilities: Approaches to Promoting Cooperation and Resolving Misunderstandings Between Bishops and Theologians.” That document calls for a bishop to seek an informal conversation to discuss concerns with a theologian during any review. However, Capuchin Franciscan Father Thomas G. Weinandy, executive director of the bishops’ Secretariat for Doctrine, maintained in December that the doctrinal responsibilities document was never intended to apply to the Committee on Doctrine and instead was written for diocesan bishops who wanted to talk with theologians in their respective dioceses. The new protocol was developed to explain the various options available to the Committee on Doctrine “when diverse requests and issues arise,” according to the introductory statement. “This protocol is a working tool for the Committee on Doctrine, one that the committee is free to update, modify or elaborate at any time, and one

that gives only a general description of the steps that the committee might take in the process of investigating a theological work,” the statement said. The protocol calls for the executive director of the Secretariat for Doctrine to begin proceedings by preparing for the committee chairman a written preliminary analysis of a work in question that considers the origin of the request; the “nature and gravity” of the doctrinal issues in question; whether the committee is able to take action; the intended audience of the writing or statement in question; distribution of the writing or statement; pastoral implications of the writing or statement; prior attempts by ecclesiastical authority to address any concerns; and published scholarly reviews of the writing or statement. After the preliminary analysis, the committee may decide that a more thorough evaluation of a writing or statement is necessary and could then ask two or more experts to submit written evaluations of the work in question. The protocol includes a series of options for response including: – Offering its own evaluation or an evaluation prepared by the Secretariat for Doctrine staff to the appropriate diocesan bishop, who can issue the statement in his own name. – Referring the matter to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith at the Vatican if the concerns are serious enough or if the impact of the theologian’s writing or statement extends beyond the territorial boundaries of the USCCB.

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8 NATIONAL

CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | SEPTEMBER 7, 2012

In convention speech, Romney focuses on his personal story PATRICIA ZAPOR CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

WASHINGTON – In a nomination acceptance speech that focused largely on defining himself and criticizing the incumbent, Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney Aug. 30 made little more than passing reference to a handful of the themes in the U.S. bishops’ quadrennial document offering Catholics a framework for election decisions. Speaking on the closing day of the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, spent about three-quarters of his address talking about his background and describing personal and political disappointments the American public may have experienced. Romney made a few specific promises: – To create 12 million new jobs by “taking full advantage of our oil and coal and gas and nuclear and renewables;” by giving “our fellow citizens

(CNS PHOTO/ERIC THAYER, REUTERS)

Delegates bow their heads during the closing prayer by New York Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan at the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., Aug. 30. the skills they need for the jobs of today and the careers of tomorrow;” by forging new international trade agreements; by assuring “every entrepreneur and every job creator that

their investments in America will not vanish;” by championing small business; and by controlling the cost of health care by “repealing and replacing” the law he calls Obamacare. – “I will not raise taxes on the middle class.” – “I will protect the sanctity of life. I will honor the institution of marriage. And I will guarantee America’s first liberty: the freedom of religion.” The bishops’ “Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship” document is a 45-page discussion of Catholic teaching, how people can be involved in public policy, how church teaching relates to a range of contemporary

CARDINAL DOLAN CLOSES GOP CONVENTION WITH PRAYER

TAMPA, Fla. – Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York offered the closing prayer at the end of the Republican National Convention in Tampa Aug. 30, thanking God for “the great gift of our beloved country.” Cardinal Dolan, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, was also scheduled to offer the closing prayer at the Democratic National Convention Sept. 6 in Charlotte, N.C. In his prayer following Mitt Romney’s acceptance speech for the

policy issues and what positions the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops takes on those issues. It is available on the USCCB website at www.usccb.org. It clusters issues under four themes: human life; family life; social justice and global solidarity. Each section includes multiple subthemes. For example, the human life section touches on abortion, euthanasia, adoption, care for the sick and dying, the death penalty, avoiding war and promoting peace, and the use of military intervention only as a last resort. The family life portion includes church teaching on marriage as between one man and one woman and church positions on educational rights, access to the Internet and parental choice of schools. The social justice theme addresses issues ranging from just wages, care for the earth and the right to join a union to reduction of poverty, preservation of the social safety net, affordable housing, affordable and accessible health care for all and arguments for comprehensive immigration reform and protection for refugees. The global solidarity section discusses global poverty and religious liberty, urges support for “beneficial” U.N. programs and says the U.S. should be active in seeking peaceful resolutions to regional conflicts and a just settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Romney’s speech mentioned a few of those issues, but there was little that fleshed out his positions.

Republican presidential nomination, Cardinal Dolan asked God to bless those in this country “yet to be born” and those at the end of their lives. He prayed for families who have been in this country for generations and recent immigrants, soldiers, those looking for jobs and those “afflicted by the recent storms and drought and fire.” He asked that God help those who seek public office “remember that the only just government is the government that serves its citizens rather than itself.”

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WORLD 9

CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | SEPTEMBER 7, 2012

New Zealand bishops oppose marriage redefinition “To propose any alternative definition will have implications in law, and in society, but also for education and the family structure which, throughout hisWELLINGTON, New Zealand – New tory, has been seen as the fundamental Zealand’s Catholic bishops expressed unit in every society,” Archbishop Dew disappointment over Parliament’s apsaid in a statement after the vote. proval during first reading of a bill that “Society doesn’t have the would legalize same-sex right to deprive a child of marriage. both its father and mother, The Marriage (Definition both equally significant of Marriage) Amendment in their upbringing. We’re Bill passed, 80-40, Aug. 29; it concerned about children moves on for consideration growing up without one or by a parliamentary select both parents as part of the committee, which observers primary parenting partnerconsider a formality. ship. We also understand The bill amends New that, as humans, we have Zealand’s Marriage Act 1955 a real need to get to know to redefine marriage as the both of our biological parunion of two people, regardents,” he said. less of “their sex, sexual ori“While there are families entation or gender identity.” that include single parThe bishops, representing ents and same-sex couples New Zealand’s six dioceses, raising children, there is a voiced their concerns about question to be asked about fundamentally changing the family structure on ARCHBISHOP JOHN A. DEW whether we want to legislate for a new norm for the which New Zealand society OF WELLINGTON family unit,” he added. is built. The bishops had appealed to members Archbishop John A. Dew of Welof Parliament to keep marriage defined lington, president of the New Zealand as between a man and a woman. They Catholic Bishops Conference, said the pointed out that other legal avenues, Catholic Church affirms love, fidelity such as the country’s civil union law, and commitment in all relationships, exist for same-sex couples to publicly “but believes that marriage should be declare their love and lifelong commitdefined as being between a man and a ment to each other. woman.” PETER GRACE

CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

“Society doesn’t have the right to deprive a child of both its father and mother, both equally significant in their upbringing.”

A few hours before the bill was debated in Parliament, 70 New Zealand religious leaders, including the Catholic bishops, signed a statement urging the government to show Parliament that there should be no doubt what mainstream Christian views are on the issue. In mid-August, the Catholic bishops issued a letter addressed to young New

Zealanders. Titled “From the Beginning of Creation,” it urged them to oppose any change to the legal definition of marriage. Member of Parliament Louisa Wall of the opposition Labor Party, who introduced the bill, and other supporters said the legislation would uphold homosexual equality and end discrimination.

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10 WORLD

CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | SEPTEMBER 7, 2012

Smartphones down: A real pilgrimage takes time, reflection CINDY WOODEN CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

VATICAN CITY – Father Caesar Atuire is not naive enough to ask his pilgrims to leave their smartphones at home. However, the CEO of a Vatican-related pilgrimage agency does ask his pilgrims to at least look at the holy sites – perhaps even say a prayer – before clicking and capturing the moment in a photo, text message, Tweet or Facebook post. Father Atuire, a Ghanaian-born priest of the Diocese of Rome, personally leads at least three of the pilgrimages he oversees each year for Opera Romana Pellegrinaggi, which organizes spiritual travel from Rome for 40,000-50,000 people each year and assists about 700,000 pilgrims visiting the Eternal City annually. More and more, he said, helping travelers become pilgrims means overcoming a fixation with images that completely overshadows experiencing the reality of setting off on a journey, meeting new people, exploring different cultures and entering into prayer. People at audiences and Masses with Pope Benedict XVI see the pope through their camera lens, cellphones and iPads. The same thing happens at Christian holy sites around the world, he said. “What I insist with our pilgrims is live the experience and, if the experience is so powerful, then try to immortalize it with an image, but don’t start off with the image,” he said.

WIRED AND DISTRACTED

A second, similar modern obstacle to an authentic pilgrim experience is Facebook or other social networks and the general ease of communicating with others anywhere in the world. Father Atuire talks about “being present, but absent.” He said, “I can be here with you, but all that I’m doing is geared toward telling people elsewhere what I’m doing right now. That’s a kind of absenteeism that’s becoming very pronounced even in our pilgrimages.” The third big risk is speed, he said. “It takes 90 minutes to fly from Rome to Lourdes,” and as soon as the plane lands, he said, people are calling home, “asking the kids to take the laundry out of the machine. And I say, ‘Wait a minute, you still aren’t here.’” People’s minds, hearts and souls need time to move from thoughts of work, home or school, Father Atuire said, so his agency offers catechesis on the planes. In addition, each morning guides

(CNS PHOTO/PAUL HARING)

People take photos and video as Pope Benedict XVI ordains bishops in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican in this Feb. 5, 2011, file photo. Pilgrims increasingly view the pope and life experiences through cameras, cellphones and iPads. Father Caesar Atuire, the head of a Vatican-related travel agency, encourages people to not let a fixation with images overshadow the pilgrim experience. conduct a brief meeting to remind people of where they are and what they’re about to do. All people need a break from the daily grind now and then, he said. They need to get in touch again with their families, with nature, with themselves and with God. If a person isn’t traveling for work, they usually either are “running away from something or searching for something,” the priest said.

SEARCHING FOR A SPIRITUAL ENCOUNTER

The key difference between leisure travel and a pilgrimage is the search for a spiritual encounter, he said, and throughout history certain shrines and sites have become known as places with “a density of God’s presence,” he said. For the priest, who travels often, the three places that top his list for “spiritual density” are the chapel of Christ’s tomb in Jerusalem’s Church of the Holy Sepulcher; the grotto where Mary appeared to St. Bernadette in Lourdes, France; and the Sea of Galilee in the silence of the early morning or late evening.

SCRIPTURE SEARCH Gospel for September 9, 2012 Mark 7:31-37 Following is a word search based on the Gospel reading for 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B: healing a man’s ears and speech. The words can be found in all directions in the puzzle. TYRE DECAPOLIS SPEECH TOUCHED TO TELL ASTONISHED HEAR

SIDON TO HIM HIS HAND EPHPHATHA MORE HAS DONE

GALILEE DEAF EARS SPOKE PLAINLY PROCLAIMED ALL THINGS SPEAK

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While a pilgrimage is a purposeful break from one’s normal routine, it’s not a break from rules and good manners, he said. “A pilgrimage is putting order into your life, going back to put real order in your life – order in terms of your relationships with other persons, order in terms of your relationship with God,” he said. “Sin is disorder, and a pilgrimage is an opportunity to recover that harmony that has been lost through everyday life. That’s why it’s a deeply religious experience.”

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“I don’t think you can do anything but pray” in those places, he said. “Religious experience has a corporal dimension,” Father Atuire said. “When people are in search of a deep religious experience, the body somehow needs to be involved,” so setting off from home and going on a pilgrimage is quite natural, not only for Christians, but also for members of most other major religions. “Christian pilgrimage is all about encounters,” beginning with encountering other seekers and believers, but also being encouraged by them or learning from them how to move closer to the encounter with God. Unfortunately though, he said, too many people today focus so much on getting to the holy places that they lose sight of the fact that a pilgrimage is a journey: “The road is the pilgrimage and it prepares you for the encounter.”

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CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | SEPTEMBER 7, 2012

TRAPPIST MONASTERY NEAR JERUSALEM VANDALIZED

JERUSALEM – Vandals burned the door of a Trappist monastery outside Jerusalem and spraypainted a wall with the names of illegal Israeli outposts, one of which had been evacuated two days earlier. In addition to the names of the outposts – Jewish enclaves not approved by the Israeli government – the vandals scrawled slogans against Christianity including “Jesus is a monkey” on the walls on the Latrun monastery, best known for its contemplative monks and winemaking. The monastery, about 20 miles west of Jerusalem, sits on a hill overlooking the road linking Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. Trappist Father Louis Wehbee, who is responsible for the formation of novices at the monastery, said a monk heard a noise outside early Sept. 4 and went to investigate. He found the wooden door in flames and alerted the other monks. He was able to put out the flames with a fire extinguisher. “We were very surprised and can’t understand why this has happened,” Father Wehbee told Catholic News Service in a phone interview. “Never in our 122-year history here has something like this happened to us. We are opened to all people, we have good relations with everybody. What makes us sad is the graffiti which they wrote against our faith. If there are political tensions, why are they taking it out against our religion?” A day earlier, Israel authorities had evacuated residents from an unauthorized Jewish enclave in Migron, West Bank. Migron was one of the names spray painted on the wall. Police said they had been preparing for such

a so-called “price tag” attack against a Palestinian or Muslim target, which has been the recent modus operandi of a group of extremists following an outpost evacuation or other government action that they oppose.

POPE SAYS CARDINAL MARTINI’S LOVE FOR BIBLE GUIDED HIS LIFE

MILAN, Italy – The late Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini was a “generous and faithful pastor of the church,” who not only studied the Bible, “but loved it intensely and made it the light of his life,” Pope Benedict XVI said. In a message read at Cardinal Martini’s funeral Sept. 3 in Milan, where the cardinal had served as archbishop from 19792002, the pope said the Jesuit car- Cardinal Carlo dinal’s love of Scripture enabled Maria Martini him “to teach believers and those searching for truth that God’s word is the only word worthy of being listened to, accepted and followed.” Cardinal Martini, a renowned biblical scholar, died Aug. 31 at the Jesuit retirement center near Milan after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease. His body was transferred to the city’s cathedral Sept. 1 where, according to the Archdiocese of Milan, 200,000 people filed past his body to pay their respects. Pope Benedict’s message to mourners, read at the funeral by Cardinal Angelo Comastri, praised Cardinal Martini’s “great openness” and willingness to engage in dialogue with everyone, to explain the reasons for his faith and hope.

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CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | SEPTEMBER 7, 2012

CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | SEPTEMBER 7, 2012

Ohlone descendant and devout Catholic tells painful truths about Mission days

MISSION MEMORY WALL PLANNED The names of the 6,000 Native Americans who were baptized at Mission Dolores will be projected on a wall at the mission museum, in a permanent display designed to bring visitors in touch with the individual experiences of Native Americans affected by the mission experience. The revolving display, which is scheduled to begin operation in late October, will show the names of each person baptized at the mission from the late 1780s to 1830, said museum assistant curator Vincent Medina. Medina said Native Americans came to the mission for a variety of reasons at first but “what they didn’t know at the very beginning was that they were forced to stay.” Medina does not judge the missionaries or the policies that governed the mission system but focuses on the often painful stories of the people who came in contact with the system. Many suffered because of poor nutrition, disease and other factors. “There were horrible things that happened here,” Medina said. “A lot of natives do not want to set foot in the mission. There will be a lot of healing that has to be done. We’re taking baby steps.”

‘The truth sets us free,’ says Vincent Medina DANA PERRIGAN CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO

Vincent Medina has a passion for the truth. As a 10-year-old boy visiting one of the California missions with his class 15 years ago, he recalls being told how the Spanish – working harmoniously with the “peaceful, happy Indians” – established a string of missions from Sonoma to San Diego in the late 1700s. “Even as a fourth grader,” says Medina, “I knew that was pretty messed up to say.” As the assistant curator and guide at Mission Dolores for the past three years, Medina – a descendant of the very Ohlone Indians who built the San Francisco mission – has presented a different version of events to his tour groups than the one he heard as a boy. “Our church wants to be able to tell the truth,” Medina told a group of about 35 students from San Francisco State University on a bright July morning. “They know a lot of horrible things happened here. But the truth sets us free. I’m very fortunate because we have the approval of our pastor.” “I am very supportive of his work here,” says Father Arturo Albano, who incorporates Indian prayers into the liturgy during the yearly celebration at Mission Dolores. “It’s important to present the other side of the mission story, from the viewpoint of the Indians. Most missions only present the perspective of the Spanish.” The truth, says Medina – a devout Catholic who received his first Communion at Mission Dolores – is that the Spanish strove to transform Indians into Spaniards. They baptized them, gave them new names. They enslaved them, and forced them to perform heavy labor. They occasionally punished them with beatings, and worked to eradicate their culture and replace it with their own. They failed. Today, Medina lives with his

family in Castro Valley – a half-mile from where his ancestors once lived. The Ohlone language, Chochenyo, is still spoken in homes. The old stories are still told. His mother still cooks with acorn flour – even if she sometimes orders it on the Internet. They socialize with some of the several thousand Ohlone presently living in the Bay Area. “So there’s a lot of pressure on me from my family to meet a good Ohlone girl,” Medina says with a laugh. Medina begins the tour, which lasts about an hour and 15 minutes, in the cemetery adjacent to the Old Mission. A path meanders through short rows of weathered grave stones sheltered by trees and adorned with flowers. While thousands of Indians were buried here, Medina informs the group, their wooden grave markers were used by San Franciscans as firewood following the 1906 earthquake. After stopping off at a small enclosed museum containing drawings, paintings and artifacts, the students are led into the basilica, whose sides are lined with stained glass windows depicting the 21 California missions. The tour ends, later, in the Old Mission church, with an opportunity for visitors to ring one of the three original mission bells before heading out the door. While the Ohlone managed to preserve much of their culture, many of those currently living in the Bay Area – including Medina’s parents and grandparents – continue to practice the Catholicism the Spanish introduced them to. While many others practice the native religion, Kuksu, still others – as has been done in some South American and African nations – practice a hybrid of Catholicism and their native religion. Reconciling Catholicism with the way their ancestors were treated by the Spanish, says Medina, is difficult for some Ohlones. “It is hard to reconcile,” he says. “I still go through struggles internally sometimes.”

For Andrew Galvan, curator at Mission Dolores and, like Medina, an Ohlone Indian whose ancestors lived and died at the San Francisco mission, a little perspective is necessary. “What happened in the past isn’t what is happening in the church today,” says Galvan, a Catholic whose older brother is a priest. “The missionaries were well intentioned, but they weren’t anthropologists. Father Junipero Serra was a very, very good person in a very, very bad system.” A great admirer of Serra – whose 300th birthday will be celebrated by the church next year – Galvan is a board member of The Serra Cause, a group whose goal is having the Franciscan friar promoted to sainthood. Founded in 1776 by Lt. Joaquin Moraga and Father Francisco Palou, Mission Dolores was the sixth religious settlement in the state. It played a prominent role as a religious, cultural and social institution from its inception until 1834, when the Mexican government enacted secularization laws that greatly reduced the church’s holdings. In its heyday, about 1,000 Indians, overseen by a few priests, lived and worked at the Mission. By 1842, however, there were only eight Christian Indians living there. Both Galvan and Medina are involved in a tribe-wide movement to revitalize the Ohlone language. Using the handwritten records kept by the Spanish, they are also working on a project that will result in the names of the 6,000 Indians – the majority of them Ohlone – buried at Mission Dolores being digitally projected onto the Mission’s walls. “It’s important to talk about it so that it doesn’t happen again,” says Medina. “And to give recognition to those who lived and died here.” Standing in the Old Mission church, Medina points to the ceiling, which was originally painted more than 200 years ago

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Above, Vincent Medina is pictured in the Mission Dolores Museum, where he is assistant curator and is dedicated to telling the story of the mission from the perspective of Native Americans. Right, Medina stands next to the grave markers of two of his ancestors. Left, a painting in the museum shows Native Americans performing a ceremony at the mission in the 1830s. (PHOTOS BY RICK DELVECCHIO/CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO)

by his ancestors in an ancient Ohlone chevron pattern using three colors sacred to the Indians. “It’s a very strong message,” says Medina. “They weren’t going to give up their culture.

People here fought as much as they could to keep their culture. This is a very special and sacred place for me. I can imagine my ancestors standing here being baptized, being married.”

VISITING MISSION DOLORES: Located at the corner of 16th and Dolores streets, Mission Dolores is open daily, excluding Christmas, Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day, from 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. (May 1-Oct. 31);

and from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. (Nov. 1-April 30). Docent-led tours are available for groups of 10 or more. Reservations should be made from four to six weeks in advance. For more information, call the curator at (415) 621-8203.

Workers following ‘footsteps of Christ’ help victims of trauma in Africa DANA PERRIGAN CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO

(PHOTO COURTESY AJUO BASIL)

This photo of a group outside a field office of The Centre for Rehabilitation and Abolition of Trauma in Bamenda, Cameroon, includes members of the staff of the organization, which is dedicated to healing Africans’ trauma from torture, war and other forms of violence. Trauma and violence feed “the roots of civil war in Africa,” said the organization’s executive director, Ajuo Basil. Basil recently visited the Bay Area to learn organization and fundraising skills.

For Ajuo Basil – a Christian activist from the Republic of Cameroon – action follows faith as surely as summer follows spring. “I’m from a family of Catholics,” says Basil, sitting on a sofa in the Berkeley apartment that belongs to a friend of a friend, “a family of activists, from a family of people who don’t just say things but who take action to bring about Ajuo Basil change.” As the 33-year-old executive director of the Centre for Rehabilitation and Abolition of Trauma – a nonprofit organization dedicated to restoring hope, healing and dignity to people traumatized by torture, war and other forms of violence – Basil has been doing just that. Located in a west central African nation known for its widespread corruption, poverty and abuse of human rights, CRAT has served thousands of people since its inception in 1999.

“These are the roots of civil war in Africa,” says Basil, who is in the U.S. for eight weeks to learn organizational and fundraising skills, “and that is what we want to prevent.” Often referred to as “Africa in miniature” because of its cultural and geographic diversity, the Republic of Cameroon is a relatively small African nation which is home to approximately 20 million people, 70 percent of whom are Christian. Many are poor and work as subsistence farmers. A German colony since the late 1800s, Cameroon was divided following World War I and ruled by Britain and France. It achieved its independence and re-integration in 1961.

COMPLAINTS OF WIDESPREAD CORRUPTION

Since 1982, however, the country has been ruled by President Paul Biya and his People’s Democratic Movement party. International human rights organizations have accused Biya’s party of tampering with elections, imprisoning and torturing political dissenters, and widespread corruption. “He (Biya) has been in the seat of the dictator for 29 years,” says Basil. “Everybody is aware that he is not a legitimate president.”

Since 2008, says Basil, when eight people were killed protesting Biya’s attempt to change the constitution and proclaim himself president for life, the country has not been stable. People – some of whom are refugees from other countries – are routinely imprisoned and tortured because of their ethnicity, sexual orientation or political opposition. Ninety percent of those in jail, says Basil, are awaiting trial. Working in cooperation with Catholic Relief Services, the United Nations, the Oak Foundation, local church groups and the Justice and Peace Committee of the Diocese of Bamenda, Basil’s organization offers prisoners legal and medical aid and counseling. Its core staff of 19 workers includes physicians, psychiatric nurses, psychologists, social workers and human rights activists. All, says Basil, have a strong desire to promote social justice in their country.

FIGHTING “TO BRING JUSTICE TO THESE PEOPLE”

“Our organization is not strictly a Catholic organization,” says Basil, “but most of the members are Catholic who are practicing their Christianity. They are fighting against

suffering, for those who are poor. They want to bring justice to these people, for those who are marginalized, who are disadvantaged. In that way, they want to follow the footsteps of Jesus Christ.” Much of CRAT’s work is educational. It educates villagers about their rights, and offers training in mediation skills to keep conflicts from escalating into violence. It has also established a network of women to monitor communities and report abuse. Basil says CRAT’s ultimate goal is to restore victims of trauma to their community, where they have an opportunity to regain their dignity and well-being. For some, says Basil, the journey can be long and difficult. He tells the story of a young woman who was raped by her employer while working as a live-in domestic servant. The young woman stole bus fare money from him and ran away, was caught, tortured and thrown into a cell with male inmates. During her three years of imprisonment, she contracted the AIDS virus and became pregnant. Through CRAT’s intervention, the young woman received legal aid, medical care and counseling.

“Today,” says Basil, “she has become part of the support system for other victims. There are many more cases like this lady. There are many more of these stories.” Since his arrival in the Bay Area three weeks ago, Basil has made presentations to Survivors International, the Center for Justice & Accountability and Emergency USA. “He’s not the type who comes out and asks for money,” says Wesley Ueunten, an assistant professor of Asian American Studies at San Francisco State University. “He’s very honest and sincere. He loves his country. Whatever he learns here he will take back with him.” Ueunten, who met Basil five years ago at a conference in Brazil, says he is amazed by his friend’s faith and dedication. For Basil, the two go hand-in-hand. “My Catholic faith is very, very important to me,” he says. “It’s part of who I am.” The Centre for Rehabilitation and Abolition of Trauma’s headquarters is in Yaounde, Cameroon. It has a field office in Bamenda. Its website is www.cratcameroon.org. Ajuo Basil’s email is cratbamenda@yahoo.com.

14 OPINION

CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | SEPTEMBER 7, 2012

Wounded warrior wins gold

Negative campaigns damage our nation’s spirit

Paralympian Brad Snyder, who was blinded by an improvised explosive device when he was serving in Afghanistan, pauses between laps to listen to instructions from Loyola University Maryland swim coach Brian Loeffler during a training session in Baltimore July 31. The 28-year-old Catholic, who competes by visualizing his environment and goals, is a member of the U.S. swim team competing in the 2012 Summer Paralympics in London. Snyder won a gold medal in the men’s 100-meter freestyle Aug. 31 and a silver in the men’s 50-meter freestyle Sept. 1.

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ecently I’ve heard a lot of: “I can’t wait until the November elections are over!” The remark doesn’t reflect the desire to move on with life as much as it reflects disgust with the negative political campaign ads bombarding us. No one will deny that it’s annoying when we are hit repeatedly with FATHER EUGENE the same politiHEMRICK cal ad during a TV program. It is an affront to our intelligence and patience. There is an old saying, “If you can’t beat them, join them.” It suggests that we not get uptight, but go with the flow. Negative politics is as old as our country. In their early history in the U.S., political campaigns were much more vicious than today. It is also true that it’s a way of life most of us have come to accept. So, why should we be upset? After the elections are over, most claims will be forgotten and bygones will be bygones. Do we let our disgust, annoyance and impatience play themselves out, or should we dissect what is causing this? The latter should be our choice. Why? It is because truthfulness is at stake. Thanks to the media and journalistic investigations, corruption that once was hidden is now uncovered and prosecuted more than before. At its base is revealing dishonesty and blatant untruthfulness. On the subject of truthfulness, theologian Father Romano Guardini once wrote, “All relations of men with each other, the whole life of the community, depend on faithfulness to truth.” Truth is the glue that binds us together as a nation, a family and a society. When it is jeopardized, so is the life of our community. What is particularly disturbing about today’s political ads and claims is the way falsehoods are cleverly interspersed with truth. A campaign ad will make a claim or recite statistics, and within minutes, someone who has researched the truth of the matter will point out they aren’t as true as made to sound. When this happens repeatedly, it spawns skepticism and diminishes respect and confidence. The result is that the dignity of our country’s spirit is damaged. No doubt, time passes and with it so does another campaign. But there comes a time when certain disturbing things should not be allowed to pass. As we endure the next few months of negative campaigning, do we sit and be bystanders, or should we examine to see if the truth is being trampled? Is the glue that truth possesses becoming weaker or stronger in our country? Is the bar of honesty as high as it should be? ©CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

(CNS PHOTO/TOM MCCARTHY JR., CATHOLIC REVIEW)

LETTERS

Theory not necessary to predict impact of Ryan policies Father Robert Barron, in concluding his article “The great both/and of Catholic social teaching” (Aug. 24), said that solidarity and subsidiarity kept in balance “be kept in mind as the debate over Paul Ryan’s policies unfolds.” Apparently the father would like people to have a better understanding of Ryan’s policies. But do we have to go to the Catholic social theories of solidarity and subsidiarity, or even have to read a pope or certain philosophers’ explanation of these theories, in order to better understand Ryan’s policies that he proposes to solve the deficit and recession? Are the circumstances that made him propose his policies, and are the possible effects

of these policies if implemented, so hard to understand that we have to go to these theories? Consider this: During the Clinton administration, there was a surplus. The next administration, Rep. Paul Ryan when it took over, cut taxes. What followed were deficits that made this country borrow from China and from other countries, and recession. Now, what are Ryan’s proposals? Among them are smaller government and tax cuts for the rich. In a smaller government, allotments are trimmed, so less money is spent.

In this proposal, assistance for the needy, food stamps and Medicare, on which senior citizens depend for their health, are among those affected. As to the tax cut for the rich, the reason is to give more money for them to invest. How sure are we that this will happen? The rich had their taxes already cut, yet recession happened. In Ryan’s proposal, the rich will become richer and government will become smaller, resulting in smaller services directed to many basic human needs like food stamps. Do we have to go to the Catholic social theories to better understand the possible outcome of Ryan’s policies? Luis Magarro San Francisco

Concerns about LCWR comments

group of cells. From a religious, this is abhorrent. Additionally, to be silent about same-sex marriage may be PC, but it is not taking a stand in truth: that marriage is between a man and a woman (Commandment #6). She should be advocating protecting the sanctity of marriage, not further muddling this already muddled, crucial issue, which the very fabric our society depends on. Erika Hathaway Belmont

invitation sends the message that it is “business as usual,” and the church really does not have a big problem with what the administration is trying to do. It is not a time for that. Of course, it would have been precedent-shattering to not invite a president to the Al Smith Dinner. But not as precedent-shattering as what the administration has chosen to do with its mandate. Albert Alioto San Francisco

In response to the July 27 and Aug. 24 articles regarding the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, I would like to point out that the radio show in which (Franciscan) Sister Pat Farrell was interviewed, NPR’s Fresh Air, has a listenership of 4.5 million. Sister Farrell posits if one can “be a Catholic and have a questioning mind.” I have never had any qualms about asking questions to pastors or deacons. It is concerning that she seems to feel it’s okay to denigrate our church to protect and defend her position. She goes on to state that she has to perform “nonviolent strategizing.” When I read this, I thought, “Are we talking about the Catholic Church here, or some kind of oppressive regime? Sister Farrell indicated that the LCWR is “more silent about” abortion and same sex-marriage. Later, she had the audacity to state that the LCWR is pro-life. Speaking as a hard-working pro-life volunteer, I am appalled that she can be silent about the killing of unborn human life (Commandment #5). Her last statement, “We would question, however, any policy that is more pro-fetus than actually pro-life.” Her term “pro-fetus” is tantamount to saying the unborn are just a

Obama invite sends wrong message

Enlarge debate about equality

One should certainly not lightly dismiss Cardinal Dolan’s reasons for making the traditional invitation to President Obama to speak at the New York archdiocese’s annual Al Smith Dinner (“Some object, but cardinal says civility rules in Obama invite, Aug. 24). The cardinal’s reasoning is certainly worthy of respect. But the cardinal ought to consider that what the Obama administration is doing with its contraception mandate is not a matter of a policy about which reasonable people may have an honest disagreement. It is an assault on the church which ought to call Henry VIII to mind. Under the circumstances, the

James Clifford seems miffed about what he considers an unfair use of the term “marriage equality” (Letters, Aug. 10) I’m ready to make him happy. Once same-sex marriage is made legal in California, as it will in time, then we can look at aspects of marriage that currently exist and determine the degree of equality between same-sex and opposite sex marriage: child abuse, divorce, adultery, spousal abandonment and abortion would be places to start. I hope he supports same-sex marriage so we can have a discussion about the other aspects of marriage “equality.” Jim McCrea Piedmont

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OPINION 15

CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | SEPTEMBER 7, 2012

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Recovering the art of civility

friend of mine who is a nun and fellow journalist, asked me to write a column on civility. But my immediate response was that civility didn’t really apply to the social justice and peace theme of my column. But then the obvious hit me. I thought how can we hope to build a world where everyone has a fair share of the goods of the earth, has his or her human rights fully respected, and where violence surrenders to nonviolent love if we cannot even talk and act with civility to each other? TONY MAGLIANO So, just like the school boy I once was at Our Lady of Pompei, I said “Yes, sister!” Webster defines civility as politeness; kind attention; good breeding. Just the sound of these words makes one begin to feel good, peaceful and hopeful. But it is sad to note that in our society rudeness and even downright meanness is now more common than civility. It has become the norm to be disagreeable – and disagreeable in a nasty manner at that. The art of respectful dialogue has all but disappeared in serious private and public discourse. From the intractability in Congress, to talk radio, to the family interaction, consistent respectful discourse has become almost nonexistent. I once heard the late American President Gerald Ford respond to a heckler by saying that we must learn to disagree without being disagreeable. Even in the Catholic Church civility is often lacking. I have worked at various levels in five dioceses, and have found genuine politeness and kind attention to be less than common among many employ-

ees – both clergy and laity. And over the years, my social justice and peace column has generated many mean-spirited responses. This rudeness and unkindness is hurtful not only to individuals, but to the whole body of Christ. And it greatly weakens the church’s ability to proclaim to the world the justice, peace and love of Christ the savior. In his book “Choosing Civility,” Dr. P.M. Forni, director of The Civility Initiative at John Hopkins University, shares that an important aspect of civility is the art of being agreeable. He writes, “One major area of everyday life to grace with agreeableness is that of conversation. Respect for others entails having an essentially welcoming attitude toward the words they address to us. This means, among other things, that contradicting for its own sake should be banned as utterly uncivil. There are two fundamental abilities to cultivate in order to be agreeable in conversation: the ability to consider that you might be wrong, and the ability to admit that you don’t know. “At any given moment, on any issue, there is the possibility that you might be wrong and someone else might be right. Keep that possibility in mind. Then, if you realize that you are wrong, find the strength to acknowledge it openly. Do so graciously, without harboring resentment toward the person who happens to be right.” A humble, honest search for the truth, with knowledge that none of us possess the whole truth, is a virtuous journey all of us should be on. St. Paul’s words to the Colossians ring as true today as they did nearly 2,000 ago: “But now you must get rid of … anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive language. … As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.” MAGLIANO is an internationally syndicated social justice and peace columnist.

Placing hope for the economy in the Gospel

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aiting for “the recovery” as something that is all but inevitable may be little more than misplaced hope. “This time it is different” was the much scorned optimistic line used by those who tried to deny historic economic cycles when touting their latest scheme, be it the medieval Holland tulip bulb craze or the dot.com bubble of the last decade. This time it really may be different. This pessimistic view of the economy is the environment in which bishops are writing a message STEPHEN KENT on work and the economy. “The bursting of the debt bubble three years ago was not just a severe example of the ups and downs that are an inevitable part of American capitalism,” Joe Nocera of The New York Times wrote in 2011. “Rather, it was the ultimate consequence of the modern global economy.” He pointed out that the entry of China, Russia, India and other countries into the global economic mainstream resulted in stagnant wages, income inequality and oversupply of labor in America. Recovery implies a return to normal. It is not all but assured; therefore, it is important to have a strong spiritual component in this situation. The emphasis upon productivity in recent decades affected today’s situation. If recovery means restoring jobs eliminated because work could be done more efficiently, what would bring about an increased workforce? If a store can serve the same number of customers with a reduced sales staff, what compels it to hire additional staff ? If a company finds it can make an equal number of widgets with fewer people, what would motivate it to restore unnecessary – and unprofitable – jobs? The other day I stopped into a store of a national specialty hardware chain to pick up one item. I stood by one of two checkout stands, each unstaffed. Two more customers, each with carts overflowing with merchandise, waited behind me. Finally a

clerk came running up from the back of the store where he was helping other customers, filling the role of both salesman and checkout clerk. Why would that store decide to restore a position for separate checkout and sales person? A few days later, my wife and I were at the mall and had a question about our account at a national department store. We asked for the customer service department where one could inquire about accounts. We were told it hadn’t existed for years. All such business is now handled in a central office via telephone. What will motivate that chain to create a job in each of its units to provide customer service? There are not many employers ready, willing and able to restore superfluous positions, and the situation may not get any better. It is in this environment that the U.S. bishops’ conference is preparing “Catholic Reflections on Work, Poverty and a Broken Economy.” “We are not out to provide answers,” said Bishop Stephen E. Blaire of Stockton, chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development. “Neither are we out to enter into the complicated difficult approaches to the economy.” The purpose of the document is to set forth the principles of Catholic social teaching and to show the moral, social, spiritual and community costs of the economic downturn, Bishop Blaire said. Waiting for recovery may be waiting for something that may not come. It is time to face the moral dimensions of the economy and the challenges it presents to workers and the poor around the world. The document would ask all “to engage, to reflect, to pray, to discuss and see what the Gospel can bring into the economy,” Bishop Blaire said. This is not ivory tower church talk. This is how to deal with real life today. Rather than hoping for what may never come, it is far better to place hope in the Gospel. KENT, now retired, was editor of archdiocesan newspapers in Omaha and Seattle. He can be contacted at Considersk@gmail.com. ©CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

Assisted suicide and Mary’s assumption

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n Aug. 15, Catholics honored the feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary into heaven, body and soul. The Assumption is a doctrine proclaimed officially in relatively recent times, but it has been celebrated and believed since the church’s earliest days. The Assumption has a special meaning for my family and myself. It marks the anniversary of the death of my wife’s mother. Every Aug. 15, we remember what a happy death she had, surrounded at home by her family, singing and praying the rosary. JOHN GARVEY This was fitting. The chief appeal we make in the rosary (53 times) is for a happy death: “Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death.” When he proclaimed the feast of the Assumption, Pope Pius XII explained in “Munificentissimus Deus” that because Mary was conceived without sin, “she was not subject to the law of remaining in the corruption of the grave, and she did not have to wait until the end of time for the redemption of her body.” People who regularly repeat such prayers – who think like this about the end of life – are bound to disagree with some of our unhappiest cultural trends. Assisted suicide, which the law allows in Oregon and Washington, is on the ballot in Massachusetts this November. We all know the occasional case where someone, sadly depressed and mentally unstable, tragically takes his own life. But the modern campaign wants to make suicide a right for everyone. The arguments for it are simple enough. A consistent materialist might assert that we are only lumps of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen, and when the electricity stops, we’re done. If that’s the case, there is no moral harm in turning off one’s own switch, is there? Light is useful, but if the light is painful, why not extinguish it? Others might reach the same conclusion from an opposite and more spiritualist perspective. A modern Manichean might hold that the soul shares in God’s life, but death is only a matter of shuffling off this mortal coil. Why should there be any more harm in that than in a snake shedding its skin? Catholics think differently than modern culture does about bodies. We believe God created us in body and soul, and saved us entirely. We believe that the Word was made flesh and not just spirit, that eternal life is about bodies no less than souls. We who hold that we are equally body and soul – that both are essential to us, both in our own view and in God’s – cannot imagine destroying either. The act of suicide is an explicit denial of what the Assumption affirms, that Christ has already triumphed over sin and death. Suicide repudiates all of God’s goodness and the entire world he made, as G.K. Chesterton wrote, “the man who kills himself, kills all men; as far as he is concerned, he wipes out the world. When a man hangs himself on a tree, the leaves might fall off in anger and the birds fly away in fury: for each has received a personal affront.” Mary’s trust in God throughout her life was so great that to this day, Muslim pilgrims visit and revere the Ephesian home from which some believe she was assumed. She did not presume to choose the hour God chose for her. It is one of the few things in life that none of us has a right to choose.

The act of suicide is an explicit denial of what the Assumption affirms, that Christ has already triumphed over sin and death.

GARVEY is president of The Catholic University of America in Washington. ©CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

16 FAITH

CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | SEPTEMBER 7, 2012

SUNDAY READINGS

Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time “He has done all things well. He makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.” MARK 7:31-37 ISAIAH 35:4-7A Thus says the Lord: Say to those whose hearts are frightened: Be strong, fear not! Here is your God, he comes with vindication; with divine recompense he comes to save you. Then will the eyes of the blind be opened, the ears of the deaf be cleared; then will the lame leap like a stag, then the tongue of the mute will sing. Streams will burst forth in the desert, and rivers in the steppe. The burning sands will become pools, and the thirsty ground, springs of water. PSALM 146:7, 8-9, 9-10 Praise the Lord, my soul! The God of Jacob keeps faith forever, secures justice for the oppressed, gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets captives free. Praise the Lord, my soul! The Lord gives sight to the blind; the Lord raises

up those who were bowed down. The Lord loves the just; the Lord protects strangers. Praise the Lord, my soul! The fatherless and the widow the Lord sustains, but the way of the wicked he thwarts. The Lord shall reign forever; your God, O Zion, through all generations. Alleluia. Praise the Lord, my soul! JAMES 2:1-5 My brothers and sisters, show no partiality as you adhere to the faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ. For if a man with gold rings and fine clothes comes into your assembly, and a poor person in shabby clothes also comes in, and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say, “Sit here, please, “while you say to the poor one, “Stand there, “ or “Sit at my feet,” have you not made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil designs? Listen, my beloved brothers and

sisters. Did not God choose those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom that he promised to those who love him? MARK 7:31-37 Again Jesus left the district of Tyre and went by way of Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, into the district of the Decapolis. And people brought to him a deaf man who had a speech impediment and begged him to lay his hand on him. He took him off by himself away from the crowd. He put his finger into the man’s ears and, spitting, touched his tongue; then he looked up to heaven and groaned, and said to him, “Ephphatha!”– that is, “Be opened!” – And immediately the man’s ears were opened, his speech impediment was removed, and he spoke plainly. He ordered them not to tell anyone. But the more he ordered them not to, the more they proclaimed it. They were exceedingly astonished and they said, “He has done all things well. He makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”

Opening our hearts – and souls – to God’s truth

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hen my son was applying for college a few years ago, the counseling office at his high school offered all sorts of excellent advice. One thing they emphasized was that we should only talk about college applications with our kids one day a week. They said that high-school seniors were always being asked about their college plans and the incessant questioning drove the kids crazy. I smiled, nodded knowingly, and proceeded to totally ignore them. It’s now six years later, and because my son is the forgiving sort, I’m hoping he’s no longer upset with me. Needless to say, the counseling office was right on. Yet DEACON MICHAEL because I thought I knew better, I chose not to listen, MURPHY and it took me a long time to climb out of the hole I dug for myself. Perhaps if I’d heard this week’s Gospel earlier, I would have saved myself a great deal of grief. In it, Jesus touches and cures a deaf man. Imagine

SCRIPTURE REFLECTION

POPE BENEDICT XVI ‘PRAYER IS NOT TIME WASTED’

Marking the Aug. 29 feast of the martyrdom of St. John the Baptist, Pope Benedict XVI said Christians must not bow to the pressure of the powerful who demand a denial of Christ or of the truth he taught. The Baptist’s example of prayer teaches believers that “prayer isn’t time wasted, it does not steal time away from work – even apostolic work,” the pope told some 2,500 people gathered outside the papal summer villa in Castel Pope Benedict Gandolfo, Italy. XVI Rather, he said, St. John the Baptist’s life is a reminder that “only if we have a faithful, constant, trusting prayer life, God himself will give us the ability and strength to live happily and serenely, to overcome difficulty and witness to him courageously.”

the man’s joy as a whole new world is open to him. After a lifetime of silent isolation, he’s now able to appreciate the beauty of music, revel in the laughter of his friends, listen to the voices of those he loves. Yet perhaps most important of all, he can now hear the words and the message of Jesus, a message of hope and joy and salvation that will totally change his life. Our challenge this week is to let Our Lord touch and cure us as well, so that we too might come to hear and thus become the loving, compassionate, holy people God wants all of us to be. The problem, of course, is that we often don’t realize we’re deaf. We might believe we’re listening, as I felt I was with my son’s college counselors, but just because we hear the words doesn’t mean they’re penetrating our sometimes thick skulls (or even thicker hearts). More often than we might care to admit, our arrogance, fears and prejudices prevent us from hearing and recognizing the truth, both from the Lord and from those around us. Relying on clichés or clinging to ideas from our past, we have no desire to open ourselves to anything that might require us to change or accept a new way of looking at ourselves, our neighbors, and our universe. We prefer listening to our favorite political commentators, reading the blogs that reinforce our current beliefs, or talking to those

friends who agree with us and see the world just as we do. Yet if we truly want to be followers of Christ, we must be willing to allow him to open not only our ears, but our hearts and souls as well. This often takes a great deal of courage and the strength to change as we’re challenged to move out of our comfort zones. We may find ourselves having to love neighbors that don’t seem all that lovable, accepting ideas that startle or even frighten us, and admitting that maybe, just maybe, we were wrong. But once we let God work in our lives, we’ll encounter a world of love, compassion and justice beyond anything we could ever imagine. We’ll hear a wonderful music that will resonate in our very being as we recognize the beauty and truth all around us. Things will start to make sense and peace will begin to fill our souls. We’ll find ourselves in the center of the action, working with all of our newly discovered brothers and sisters, building God’s kingdom. It might be scary, it might be exhilarating, but once God touches us and opens our ears, nothing will ever be the same again. DEACON MURPHY is a permanent deacon serving at St. Charles Parish, San Carlos. He teaches religion at Sacred Heart Schools, Atherton.

LITURGICAL CALENDAR, DAILY MASS READINGS MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 10: Monday of the Twentythird Week in Ordinary Time. 1 Cor 5:1-8. Ps 5:5-6, 7, 12. Lk 6:6-11.

NICHOLAS OF TOLENTINO 1245-1305 Feast: September 10

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 11: Tuesday of the Twentythird Week in Ordinary Time. 1 Cor 6:1-11. Ps 149:1b2, 3-4, 5-6a and 9b. Lk 6:12-19.

Born in Italy and named for St. Nicholas of Bari, the saint to whom his childless parents had prayed, Nicholas made his Augustinian vows while still a teen. An early job was distributing food to the poor at the friary gate. At his ordination in 1269, he already was reputed to be a healer and miracle-worker. About 1274, after several assignments, he was sent to Tolentino, where he spent the rest of his life. A successful street preacher, he often spent entire days hearing confessions. Nicholas truly befriended the poor and sick. During his sainthood process, the Vatican accepted about 30 miracles attributed to his intercession. He is the patron of poor souls and mariners.

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12: Wednesday of the Twenty-third Week in Ordinary Time. Optional Memorial of the Most Holy Name of the Blessed Virgin Mary. 1 Cor 7:25-31. Ps 45:11-12, 14-15, 16-17. Lk 6:20-26. THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 13: Memorial of St. John Chrysostom, bishop and doctor of the Church. 1 Cor 8:1b-7, 11-13. Ps 139:1b-3, 13-14ab, 23-24. Lk 6:27-38. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 14: Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. Nm 21:4b-9. Ps 78:1bc-2, 34-35, 3637, 38. Phil 2:6-11. Jn 3:13-17. SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 15: Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows. 1 Cor 10:14-22. Ps 116:12-13, 17-18. Jn 19:25-27 or Lk 2:33-35.

©CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

FAITH 17

CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | SEPTEMBER 7, 2012

Life’s great paradox: Freedom lies in obedience

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here’s a well-known axiom that I will phrase more delicately than its usual expression. It goes this way: Every time you tell yourself that you should do something, you pay a bad price. The insinuation is that we are forever mistaking the voice of neurosis for the voice of conscience and putting ourselves under false obligations that rob us of both of freedom and maturity. Is that true? Yes and no. The axiom sounds cleverer than it is. It says that there should not be any shoulds in our lives; but that statement FATHER RON is self-contradictory. ROLHEISER Still it needs to be given its due. There’s wisdom in its instinct, even if it is expressed with the subtlety of a sledgehammer. It has this positive challenge: Many times when we feel a nagging obligation inside (“I must do this! I should do that!”) the imperative is not coming from God or truth but from some other voice that is being falsely heard as the voice of God. Put more technically, most of the voices we hear inside that demand that we do something are psychological and emotional rather than moral or religious. They don’t tell us what’s right or wrong, or what God wants of us, they only tell us how we feel about certain things. For example: a feeling of guilt does not indicate that we did something wrong, it only tells how we feel about what we did, and that feeling can be healthy or unhealthy. Perhaps we didn’t do anything wrong at all, but are only wounded and neurotic. Sorrow and contrition are better indicators of morality than any feeling of guilt. So where do these feelings of obligation and guilt come from? They come from nature and nurture, from genetics and socialization, from our unconscious and from our wounds. Freudians, Jungians and Hillmanians offer different explanations, but they all agree on the main thing, that is, many of the voices inside of us that speak of right and wrong and demand that we do this or that are not moral or religious voices at all. They may well have important things to teach us but, if we take them as the voice of God and morality, we will end up acting out of something other than God and conscience. Many of the “should” we feel inside of us are not the voice of conscience at all. But, with that being said, some important qualifications need to be added: Simply put, some-

times the voice of obligation that we feel inside is profoundly moral and religious, God’s voice. False voices speak inside but so too do true ones. C.S. Lewis, for example, in describing his own conversion, shares how he didn’t want to become a Christian but something inside of him told him that he had to become one. Despite being “the most reluctant convert in the history of Christendom,” at a point in his life, he came to realize “that God’s compulsion” was his liberation. He became a Christian because, paradoxically, in a moment of genuine freedom, he came to know he had no other choice existentially except to surrender himself to something, God’s compulsion, which presented itself to him as an obligation. “God’s compulsion” is precisely a deep and authentic ‘should’ inside us, and the great paradox is that when we submit to it we become freer and more mature. It’s also what brings joy into our lives. It’s no accident that the book in which Lewis describes this experience is called, “Surprised by Joy.” There’s a great paradox at the heart of life that’s hard to accept, namely, that freedom lies in obedience, maturity lies in surrender, and joy lies in accepting duty and obligation. Jesus clearly taught and embodied this paradox: He was the freest human person to ever walk this planet, yet he insisted constantly that he did nothing on his own, that everything he did was in obedience to his Father. He was the paradigm of human maturity, even as his life was one within which he habitually surrendered his own will. And he was free of all false religion, false morality, and false guilt, even as he constantly drew upon moral and religious imperatives deep inside of his own soul and inside of his own religious tradition. Simone Weil, that extraordinary philosopher and mystic who guarded her freedom so deeply that, despite her belief in the truth of Christ, she resisted baptism because she wasn’t sure that the visible church on earth merited this kind of trust, was, despite fierce instinctual resistance, clear that what she ultimately wanted and needed was to be obedient. We spend our whole lives, she once stated, searching for someone or something to be obedient to because unless we give ourselves over in obedience to something greater than ourselves, we inflate and grow silly – even to ourselves. She’s right. We need to stop obeying false voices inside of us. Neurosis is not to be confused with conscience. But, that being admitted, there are some “should” that we should do!

Q.

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QUESTION CORNER

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pointed to the fact that the Greek word “adelphos” used in this Marcan passage could mean not just “blood brother” but also such relations as stepbrother, nephew or cousin. But there are still other interpretations consistent with the perpetual virginity of Mary. The second-century protoevangelium of James, for example, described these “adelphi” as children of Joseph by a previous marriage. Likewise, Orthodox churches today speculate that Joseph was a widower who had other children before he married Mary, and some Catholic commentators agree. (They point to the fact that Joseph is often portrayed in art as an older man and that Joseph had clearly died before the public ministry of Christ, or else his role in that ministry would have been treated in the Gospel accounts.) That Jesus had no “blood brothers” gains support from the fact that Jesus, on the cross, entrusted his mother to the beloved apostle John; Jewish law dictated that the responsibility of caring for a widowed mother would have passed to the next oldest son, had one existed. Send questions to Father Kenneth Doyle at askfatherdoyle@gmail.com and 40 Hopewell St., Albany, N.Y. 12208.

ater this summer, I will spend some time with the deacons of the Diocese of Paterson, N.J., my home diocese. I hope to share material from my books and videos from the past 25 years, including some lessons on joy. Joy is a gift of the Holy Spirit. It is given freely to anyone who asks, but it needs to be developed through practice the same way a musically gifted person must practice with his or her instrument. To be joyful, you must will it every FATHER JOHN day. CATOIR Here are some thoughts I want to share with them and with you. – Jesus explained his mission in these words: “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete” (John 15:11). – Jesus Christ first directs us to be loving and kind, knowing that joy always follows a loving heart. – Pope John Paul II restated the same idea: “Christ came to bring joy; joy to children, joy to parents, joy to families and friends, joy to workers and scholars, joy to the sick and elderly, joy to all humanity.” – We are all called to be messengers of joy. The supreme law enables us to do that: Love God with your whole heart, and love your neighbor as you love yourself. In other words, ask God to help you to be a good and decent person, and then learn to be your own best friend. – Cling to God, think of others and don’t put yourself down. Those who lack the discipline necessary to reject needless fear will not be able to control their emotions. Choose joy over gloom. – The thoughts you allow yourself to think will create the emotions you will have to live with day in and day out. Do not perpetuate your sadness. – Joy is the byproduct of loving service. Be kind to yourself. Trust God and dismiss fear as a waste of time. When you practice the art of being your own best friend, you will no longer indulge the foolish habit of being your own worst enemy. – Love leads to service, and service, in turn, leads to sacrifice. Sacrifice often leads to the cross. Love enables you to embrace the cross with courage because it will free you from self-absorption. Smile more and frown less. You can create a joyful heart, even in dark times, by simply choosing to be joyful. – If you are truly wise, you will choose Jesus Christ as your guide to eternal joy. After that, choose mental health as an allimportant goal. – St. Thomas Aquinas is credited by St. Teresa of Avila of saying, “If you want to be a saint, will it.” He understood that the center of the personality is the will. The will has only one function: to say yes or no. Say no to thoughts that make you sad and fearful, and yes to thoughts that lift up your spirit. – To choose joy is to cleanse your mind of needless fear. Refer to the Gospel, “Do not be afraid; just have faith” (Mark 5:36).

©CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

©CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

OBLATE FATHER ROLHEISER is president of the Oblate School of Theology, San Antonio, Texas.

Did Jesus have siblings? At a Bible study group in our apartment complex, it was shared with those attending that Jesus had five siblings. What Bible passage does that come from and, if it’s true, why do we call Our Lady “Virgin Mary”? (Some in the group said that Mary was a virgin at the time of Jesus’ birth but had five additional children with her spouse Joseph.) (Albany, N.Y.) The perpetual virginity of Mary – before, during and after the birth of Christ – has been consistently taught by the church from the early Christian era. We reflect that belief at Mass when we say, in the Confiteor, “blessed Mary ever-virgin.” What, then, are we to make FATHER of such passages as Mark KENNETH DOYLE 6:3, where Christ’s neighbors in Nazareth ask, “Is he not the carpenter, the son of Mary and the brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?” Traditionally, Catholic biblical scholars have

Late-summer musings: We are called to be messengers of joy

The thoughts you allow yourself to think will create the emotions you will have to live with day in and day out. Do not perpetuate your sadness.

18 WORLD

CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | SEPTEMBER 7, 2012

For Pope Benedict in Lebanon, the pastoral is political FRANCIS X. ROCCA CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

VATICAN CITY – When Pope Benedict XVI travels to Lebanon Sept. 1416 – assuming spillover from the civil war in neighboring Syria doesn’t force a last-minute cancellation of the trip – his purpose will be above all pastoral; and, as usual for papal trips, most of his remarks will focus on the spiritual. Yet as the Syrian conflict exemplifies, the concerns of Christians in the Middle East are in many respects inseparable from politics; and however diplomatically the pope may word his statements, some will inevitably touch on the region’s political struggles and tensions. Pope Benedict’s primary reason for visiting Lebanon is to deliver his document of reflections on the 2010 special Synod of Bishops, which was dedicated to Christians in the Middle East. At that gathering, bishops spoke out on a range of issues that included the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the rise of Islamic fundamentalism, dialogue with Islam and Judaism, and the emigration of Christians driven by persecution, military conflict and economic hardship.

NONSECTARIAN MODEL OF CITIZENSHIP

Bishops at the synod also affirmed the value of “positive secularism” and of an idea of citizenship that recognized a person’s full rights and responsibilities in society without reference to religious affiliation. According to Michael La Civita of the Catholic Near East Welfare Association, these are strikingly new concepts for the region, where sectarianism still dominates public as well as private life. Pope Benedict may draw on the bishops’ vocabulary of secular citizenship when he addresses Lebanon’s political, religious and cultural leaders in the presidential palace Sept. 15. He is also likely to renew his earlier calls for the protection of religious minorities. That cause has become an increasingly urgent one for Christians in the Middle East since the start of the Arab Spring, a revolu-

(CNS PHOTO/NANCY WIECHEC)

Students attend class at Notre Dame University in Louaize, Lebanon, in this 2010 photo. A Catholic institution founded by a Maronite order, the university enrolls about 6,000 students. When he visits Lebanon Sept. 14-16, Pope Benedict XVI will deliver his document on the 2010 special Synod of Bishops, which was dedicated to Christians in the Middle East. tionary wave that started in December 2010, leading to the fall of dictatorships in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and Yemen, and currently threatening the government of Syria. Though they profess no love for the old regimes, many Middle Eastern Christians fear that revolution has furthered empowered Islamist extremism in the region, increasing the danger of attacks and persecution of the sort that Iraq’s Christians have suffered since the fall of Saddam Hussein. According to Habib Malik, a professor of history at Lebanese American University, the pope in Lebanon will find an especially receptive audience for any talk of minority rights, since the country’s Muslim and Christian populations are both composed of a variety of smaller communities, and moderate Muslims there are also “scared of the radical elements in their midst.” Yet, Pope Benedict knows from experience how sensitive a topic this is. In January 2011, after the pope denounced killings of Christians in Egypt and called for the protection

of religious minorities, the Egyptian government recalled its ambassador to the Holy See, and the most prestigious university in the Sunni Muslim world, Cairo’s al-Azhar University, suspended its interreligious dialogue with the Vatican.

SYRIA A DELICATE TOPIC

An even more delicate topic for the pope during his visit will be the Syrian civil war. Some Christian leaders have opposed the fall of President Bashar Assad, and the Vatican has yet to take a stand on proposals for outside military intervention to end the fighting. In Lebanon, the pope will also confront the sensitivities and complexities of local church politics. Historically a refuge for Christians in the Middle East (with a Christian population today of nearly 40 percent, the largest proportion in the region), the country is home to at least a dozen major Christian churches, including Eastern Catholics in communion with Rome, Orthodox and Protestants. At the 2010 synod on the Middle

East, bishops affirmed the importance of preserving the variety of ancient traditions of Eastern Catholicism, whose survival is especially threatened by emigration; but the bishops also warned against the dangers of confessionalism: an attachment to distinct identities in a spirit of tribalism that undermines Christian unity. As Father Guillaume de Brute Remur, rector of Beirut’s Redemptoris Mater seminary, told Vatican Radio in August, Pope Benedict’s unifying message is urgently needed in Lebanon, “especially in the midst of Middle Eastern revolution, where Islam also arises with some force and a certain radicalism threatens the unity.” Even as he addresses Christians who are now a minority in a country where they once predominated, Pope Benedict will also be speaking to a global audience. So he may choose to draw or suggest parallels between the church’s situation in the Middle East and that in other parts of the world. The Lebanon trip comes less than a month before the pope opens the world Synod of Bishops on the new evangelization, a project aimed particularly at revitalizing the church in an increasingly secular West. For Bishop Gregory J. Mansour, who leads Maronite Catholics in 16 states on the East Coast of the United States, the Christian minority in the Middle East sets an example for the new evangelization through its network of social services, including schools and health care facilities. Such services are extensively used and highly valued by the region’s Muslim majority, Bishop Mansour notes, and thus constitute a powerful though nonconfrontational form of witness. Yet the bishop says that the long and arduous experience of Middle Eastern Christians also holds another lesson for Christians in the West, and particularly in the United States: “Don’t be silenced by anybody.” “We deserve a robust freedom of religion, freedom of conscience, freedom in the city square,” Bishop Mansour said. “The message of Christians in the Middle East is not to be silent.”

Syrian women, children caught in a situation they never imagined MARK PATTISON CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

WASHINGTON – While media images of the Syrian civil war are mainly those of men with guns, workers from Catholic Relief Services have seen “predominantly women and children, fleeing,” said a communications officer who recently returned from the Middle East. Syrian women, hailing from a society that gives them little chance to make their voices heard, were “tugging on my sleeve, begging me to tell their stories” in the United States, said the manager, Caroline Brennan, who visited with the refugees in Lebanon and Jordan. The 250,000 Syrian refugees, part of a larger group of 1.5 million Syrians displaced from their homes due to the fierce fighting enveloping their country, have been “blindsided by what is happening to them,” she said in a webcast Aug. 22. These Syrians were “viewing (the war) from a distance, never thinking this would affect their lives,” Brennan

said. “Many of these people, literally fleeing for their lives, are middle class. They have nice homes. The country has no debt. They never expected to see this happening.” Brennan told of a pregnant Syrian refugee who got a job as a maid in exchange for shelter for her and her sons. She worked until she gave birth and went back to work again shortly thereafter. “She had no way to see a doctor or pediatrician” until CRS stepped in,” she said. “Many of these women have bullet wounds. Their children need care.” “One woman I met in Jordan ... she was with her mother and they heard gunshots and they scurried around a corner. And the woman saw her mother, lying next to her, on the ground,” felled by a bullet. “Families are trying desperately to stay together,” but not always succeeding, Brennan added. Sometimes, men “stay home trying to protect their land, or they’re fighting – or worse, they’ve been kidnapped. The women are left to lead the family. They think: ‘What

is happening to the people they love in this world?’” But she also told of a Syrian husband and father named Faizad. “He came across the border, but his wife and (most of their) children weren’t allowed to make it. But then he has a son he has to care for. He (the son) cries at night, he misses his mom,” Brennan said. Workers can tell from the boy’s drawings that he has seen “people with guns killing innocent people,” she added. “This is a humanitarian crisis at its heart,” she said. There are “huge social needs of the people, especially children and mothers,” said Vivian Manneh, a 20year CRS veteran currently serving as a regional program manager for the Middle East. “Kids are starting to think, ‘What is going to happen to us? Where are we going to be?’ There are lots of psychosocial needs, lots of basic needs such as food, clothing, shelter.” Manneh said she sees people “who are in need of food, who are praying and lacking lots of the basics. They are leaving their homes with noth-

ing. Their children are out of school. They have no clothing. They are using fruit trees to chop as cooking gas. Their situation is dire. The humanitarian crisis is increasing a lot.” She added, “If you see people coming out with babies, they have nothing to cross (the border) with, no sustenance – they had to flee quickly.” The shelter issue is complicated. Because of the Syrian refugees’ impressions of Palestinian refugee camps, they resist as long as possible going to the camps set up for them. “There are not a lot of places to go to. The rents are increasing,” Manneh said. Because of the prior long-term stability of their country, few Syrians have relatives in other countries who can take them in. “They will come back (to Syria) as long as they feel safe. They will go back even if they know their home is laying right on the ground and they know they don’t have a place,” Manneh said. Brennan concurred. She said refugees have told her, “I’d rather sleep on the dirt of my home” as long as there was peace.

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CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | SEPTEMBER 7, 2012

PLOWSHARES: Sister Anne Montgomery FROM PAGE 1

“She was very strong,” he said. “She was a very good person, very wonderful, (who was) motivated by faith.” In addition to Sister Anne, Father Kabat and Schuchardt, the Plowshares 8 included Molly Rush; Jesuit Father Daniel Berrigan; his brother, Philip, a former Josephite priest; Elmer Maas; and Dean Hammer. The protest was the first of more than 75 in which participants around the world shared a desire to bring to life the biblical call to “beat swords into plowshares.” Sister Anne’s last Plowshares action – the Disarm Now Plowshares – took place on All Saints’ Day in 2009 at the U.S. Navy’s Strategic Weapons Facility, Pacific in Bangor, Wash., where more than 2,300 nuclear warheads are believed to be stored. After being indicted at age 83 in September 2010 for the All Saints’ Day protest, Sister Anne told CNS she felt called to continue protesting nuclear weapons and would do so in one way or another until her last days. “I have been involved since 1980 in Plowshares movements, which are really saying we as human beings, as Christians, as citizens of a country which is supposed to be governed by its citizens, we are responsible to eliminate these weapons,” she said. Jesuit Father Bill Bichsel joined the protest with Sister Anne and said she was filled with courage in trying to make the world a better place for everyone, especially people living on the margins. “The constancy of what she was about was impressive,” he told CNS. “It was not just about abolishing weapons. It was about trying to bring about a world that is compassionate.” Sister Anne was born Nov. 30, 1926, in San Diego

to Rear Admiral Alfred E. and Alice Smith Montgomery. Her brother, Brook, preceded her in death. The family moved several times during Sister Anne’s childhood before settling in Pennsylvania. She joined the Society of the Sacred Heart in Albany, N.Y., in 1948, professing final vows in 1956. She taught at several Sacred Heart-run schools including those in New York City and Albany, where she experienced the challenges faced by poor and minority people. In 1975, Sister Anne completed training to work with children with learning disabilities and returned to New York to work with school dropouts in East Harlem. The work led her to the Catholic Worker in New JOHN SCHUCHARDT York and to the Little one of the Plowshares 8 Sisters of the Assumption. By 1980, she moved into full-time ministry as a peace advocate, becoming known among faith-based activists on both the East and West coasts. Sister Anne later became involved with the Christian Peacemaker Teams, a nonviolent, ecumenical anti-war organization, serving as a witness for peace in Iraq, the Balkans and the West Bank. One week before her death, Sister Anne received the 2012 Courage of Conscience Award from the Peace Abbey in Sherborn, Mass., for her lifetime commitment to peacemaking. A funeral Mass is scheduled for 10 a.m. Sept. 15 at Oakwood. Burial will be in Oakwood Cemetery.

“I’ll never forget Anne reading from the Book of Wisdom and the gentleness and the spirit of wisdom she read.”

RALLY: Faith in the public square FROM PAGE 1

half-million people to Golden Gate Park in 1961. “God does care about what is happening around us. As his followers and representatives to the world at large, ‘The Rosary Rally,’ is a powerful tool to witness the ‘good news’ of Christ to those in need of hope and direction,” said Msgr. James Tarantino, vicar for administration and moderator of the clergy. The rally will include recitation of five decades of the rosary in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament, Benediction, and speeches by the host of EWTN’s “Life on the Rock,” Franciscan Missionary of the Eternal Word Father Mark Mary, and the archdiocese’s vicar for Hispanic ministries, Father Moises Agudo. For many the day will begin with a 9: 30 a.m.

Hispanic Mass at St. Mary’s Cathedral, followed by several thousand mostly Latino Catholics walking to U.N. Plaza, singing and carrying banners and three statues of Mary, said Pedro Garcia, who also organizes the annual 7.5-mile walk to the cathedral for the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe in December. Julia Dobel, theology teacher at Convent of the Sacred Heart High School, attended the 2011 rally with her young daughter and friends. Reciting the centuries-old prayer for the intercession of Mary at Civic Center “ironically brought my heart, mind and spirit into deep interior contemplation,” said Dobel. The rosary rally is sponsored by the Archdiocese of San Francisco, the Legion of Mary, Knights of Columbus, Guadalupanas, Ignatius Press and Immaculate Heart Radio. For more information visit rosaryrallysf.com.

LETTER: Archbishop-designate apologizes FROM PAGE 1

dare expect it,” he wrote. (Editor’s note: Read the letter in full on Page 2). In an Aug. 27 statement, the archbishop-designate, a San Diego native who has been bishop of Oakland since 2009, said that after dinner at the home of some friends, he was driving his mother to her home near the campus of San Diego State University where police had set up a DUI checkpoint. He was arrested and released after he posted a $2,500 bond. He is accused of one count each of driving under the influence and of driving with a blood alcohol content level greater than the legal limit of .08 percent. “I’ve given my whole life to serving the church, loving the church,” he told a meeting of the Oakland chancery staff Aug. 31. “I want to take this opportunity to apologize to you for any embarrassment I’ve caused you, any confusion or hardships I have caused you,” he said. “I will repay my debt to society and I ask forgiveness from my family and my friends and co-workers at the Diocese of Oakland and the Archdiocese

of San Francisco,” he said in the Aug. 27 statement. “I pray that God, in his inscrutable wisdom, will bring some good out of this.” According to the California Department of Motor Vehicles, the only other traffic infraction committed by the archbishop was for failure to stop at a stop sign two days before Christmas last year. Archbishop Cordileone is chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Subcommittee for the Promotion and Defense of Marriage. He was Archbishopa leader in the movement that designate spurred California voters to apSalvatore J. prove preserving the traditional Cordileone definition of marriage in the law. He is also a member of the Committee on Canonical Affairs and Church Governance, has served on the U.S. bishops’ Task Force on Cultural Diversity, and currently is on the Religious Liberty Committee of the California Catholic Conference. THE CATHOLIC VOICE IS THE NEWSPAPER OF THE OAKLAND DIOCESE. WIRE SERVICES CONTRIBUTED.

DISSENT: Priest says reform ‘essential’ to future of church FROM PAGE 1

allowing divorced and remarried Catholics who did not receive an annulment to receive Communion, and advocating a softer line on homosexual partnerships. Msgr. Schuller, 60, told CNS that the group is engaged with the question of celibacy because of the lack of priests and concern over its future implications. “The No. 1 issue for the church in Austria is the future of parish communities. They need a new model of leadership,” he said. The second central issue for the group is the church’s structures, which “must respect the rights of its members” and the operation of the institutional church’s offices of authority. On the position of women, he suggested there is “a contradiction in respect of the church’s message that men and women are equal before God but not in church.” Calling on the Austrian hierarchy to engage in dialogue with the Priests’ Initiative, he rejected suggestions that the group is intent on schism. Though earlier this year Vienna Cardinal Christoph Schonborn publicly urged the group to recant its call to disobedience, Msgr. Schuller said the group is standing firm on the matter. He said the real danger to the unity of the church is in the way the bishops and the pope continue to separate themselves from the views of the majority of the laity. “It is no longer enough to say ‘no’ or to tell people that they have to be obedient or say something is not allowed,” he said. Msgr. Schuller said he would like the Vatican to give the group a chance to respond to the questions Pope Benedict XVI raised in his homily at this year’s chrism Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica, when the pope suggested that renewal will emerge through obedience and a focus on Jesus. “He asked questions such as can disobedience be a way of reforming the church; is it the right thing? We want to answer these questions,” Msgr. Schuller said. In May the leadership of the Priests’ Initiative wrote to the pope, requesting an opportunity to meet and discuss these issues, but so far there has been no response from Rome. “We are waiting,” he said. The group’s membership is growing, and its Austrian members network with other groups internationally. Cardinal Schonborn has been credited with circumventing an escalation of the standoff in Austria, and so far there has been no censure of members, though the cardinal has said Priests’ Initiative members can no longer be appointed as deans in his diocese, and the Congregation for Clergy has warned the Austrian hierarchy that no member can hold diocesan leadership roles. Msgr. Schuller said the group is angered by the amount of time and effort the Vatican has dedicated to accommodating the demands of the traditionalist Society of St. Pius X, a group he said represents a “tiny minority.” “It is ridiculous. We are conveying the views and desires of the vast majority of Catholics, but the way Rome is acting you would think the SSPX speak for the majority. It is an inversion of reality,” he told CNS. The lack of will to give the group space to dialogue with the Austrian hierarchy or Vatican officials means the group believes it must continue to “move forward without such discussions,” Msgr. Schuller said. “We are calling on parish communities to make their own decisions as they face the possibility of running out of priests,” he said. “We are suggesting that they shouldn’t ask what will happen, but should decide for themselves what they want to be in the future. Then they can ask the bishops how they can help them. “At the moment there is a very strong dependency on the bishops and their decisions,” he said. “But there is no decision-making happening in the center of the church, and time is running out.”

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CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | SEPTEMBER 7, 2012

9 Catholic schools in archdiocese name new leadership Susan Naretto

Principal – St. Isabella School, San Rafael Naretto, an educator for 30 years, says her new post at St. Isabella “allows me to join together two things I value so dearly, family and my return to Catholic education.” Naretto holds an undergraduate degree and teaching credential from Cal State Northridge and has served at schools in Oregon and Southern California including 16 years at Our Lady of Mount Carmel School in Santa Barbara. “I believe that Catholic schools are places where our Catholic faith can be truly lived by staff, students, parents and parishioners,” Naretto told Catholic San Francisco. “As a Catholic School educator I have been able to ensure a place where children can explore their relationship with God, learn to serve others, and share their gifts with gratitude and humility. I look forward to joining your community and share the knowledge and experience I have gleaned from my roles in Catholic, public and private schools.”

Susan Naretto

Angela Taylor

Cynthia Mallet

Patricia M. Esling

Chris Giangregorio

Michelle Timmons

Principal – Convent of the Sacred Heart School, San Francisco

Ann Marie Krejcarek

President – Schools of the Sacred Heart, San Francisco Krejcarek holds a doctorate from Teachers College at Columbia University. She has served for 15 years, most recently as headmaster, at St. Andrew’s School, Boca Raton, Fla. Krejcarek is a lifelong practicing Catholic with a deep understanding of the role played by spiritual growth in educating the whole child, Sacred Heart Schools said. “I was drawn to Schools of the Sacred Heart because of the way the community embraces the educational mission of the Religious of the Sacred Heart of Jesus,” Krejcarek said. “Providing our students a values-based, loving education in the Catholic tradition means we are truly preparing our young people to meet the needs of the third millennium.”

Mary Forsyth

Interim principal – Convent of the Sacred Heart High School, San Francisco Forsyth has a long history with Convent of the Sacred Heart having served as a teacher and administrator there for 27 years. She has also served as an administrator at Sacred Heart Schools, Atherton. She is a graduate of a Sacred Heart high school and college and is steeped in the mission of Sacred Heart education, Sacred Heart Schools said. “After 35 years in Catholic education, I continue to appreciate the mission served by our schools,” Forsyth said. “In a world where values are measured by incomes and possessions, education rooted in principles of faith and morality is precious. Our students, families and faculties are seeking authentic directions in life. Catholic education offers a path to love of learning embracing respect for mankind.”

Marian Connelly

Principal – St. Cecilia School, San Francisco Connelly, a St. Cecilia alumna, has taught sixth grade at the school since 1983 as well as serving as vice principal for the last 10 years. She holds a graduate degree in elementary education and a California teaching credential. She attends Mass at St. Gregory Church in San Mateo. “St. Cecilia School has been making a difference in the Sunset District of San Francisco since 1930,” Connelly told Catholic San Francisco. “I believe parents as primary educa-

Mary Forsyth

Marian Connelly

WELCOME FROM THE SUPERINTENDENT

Angela Taylor

Taylor, who holds a graduate degree in school administration from the University of Massachusetts, has served in Sacred Heart schools since 2000. She began her career in education as a homeroom teacher for grades four and five in Atlanta, and then as a math and science teacher to grades six and seven in Oakland and Boston. “I think the commonality among Catholic institutions is that we are dedicated to developing the whole child, providing a well rounded education that fosters spiritual, academic and social growth,” Taylor said. “Concurrent with a strong focus on reading, writing, and mathematics, a Catholic education is one where students learn to manage their emotions, resolve conflicts and follow their own moral compasses.”

Ann Marie Krejcarek

It is my pleasure to welcome our new school principals and presidents to the Archdiocese of San Francisco and 2012–13 school year. These new school administrators are both academically prepared and experientially qualified for this leadership role. They are excellent examples of Catholic leadership in our church. I am both delighted and proud to be able to work with them in our ministry of Catholic education. Please join me in welcoming these new principals and presidents to our schools!

Maureen Huntington Superintendent of Catholic Schools Archdiocese of San Francisco Nancy Arnett

Mercy Sister Mary Katherine Doyle

tors and teachers, as facilitators of learning, work together to provide quality education that assists students in developing their unique capabilities and prepares them as responsible citizens.”

Cynthia Mallet

Interim co-principal – St. Paul School, San Francisco Mallet has been part of the St. Paul faculty since 1991 as eighth grade homeroom teacher, and seventh and eighth grade algebra teacher. “My family has a long history here at St. Paul’s,” Mallet told Catholic San Francisco. “My dad attended and graduated from St. Paul’s and my brother and I continued the tradition.” Mallet holds an undergraduate degree and teaching credential from Holy Names University, Oakland and worked in the public sector before coming to the classroom. “While I came late to teaching, it is a decision I have never regretted,” she said.

Patricia M. Esling

Interim co-principal – St. Paul School, San Francisco Esling has taught at St. Paul’s since 1991 serving five years previously at St. Stephen School. She has served as English, religion, art and homeroom teacher and vice principal. She is a graduate of San Francisco’s St. Thomas More School, and Mercy High School, and San Francisco State University where she completed a degree in English and earned a California teaching credential. “I do not only have experience at St. Paul’s as a teacher,’ she said, “I have also been a parent in this school community. My daughter graduated from St. Paul’s in 2005. I am familiar with St. Paul’s from `both sides of the teacher’s desk.’”

Chris Giangregorio

Principal – DeMarillac Academy, San Francisco Giangregorio has been a member of the DeMarillac Academy community for six years teaching sixth grade language arts, social studies and math, and as director of student achievement. He has served within the Lasallian Association of San Miguel Schools system as a teacher and coach in St. Louis and New York. He holds an undergraduate degree in liberal and civic studies and a multiple subject teaching credential from St. Mary’s College, Moraga and is currently in a graduate program there. “I believe that schools must provide students with an engaging and inspiring education that is enhanced through a supportive faculty and informed parents,”

he told Catholic San Francisco. “As Catholic school educators, our call to form the whole child is lived out among passionate teachers who respect the diverse needs of students, and who collaborate closely with parents in their role as primary educators.”

Michelle Timmons

Principal – St. Timothy School, San Mateo Timmons has served for 10 years at St. Anne School, San Francisco as first grade teacher and primary level coordinator. She said she is a “daughter in a military family, raised in many parts of the United States” and has been in the Bay Area for 13 years. She holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Virginia in commerce, and a graduate degree in organization and leadership, and administrative services credential from the University of San Francisco. She likes traveling and the arts. “I am honored to become part of such a wonderful school community and look forward to working with our staff and parents to help each of our students realize the full potential of the talents God has given them,” Timmons told Catholic San Francisco. “I know we are going to have a great year.”

Nancy Arnett

Principal – St. Matthew School, San Mateo Arnett has served at St. Matthew School for six years as junior high English teacher and vice principal. She also brings 17 years of business experience to her new role as principal. “A Catholic education gives spiritual context to the vast amount of information being provided to students in today’s world,” she told Catholic San Francisco. “I am honored to be a part of that faith formation.”

Mercy Sister Mary Katherine Doyle

Interim president – Mercy High School, Burlingame Sister Katherine holds an undergraduate degree in history, graduate degrees in liturgical studies and educational administration and California credentials in teaching and administration. She served in community roles including director of communications for the Mercy Sisters of Auburn from 1994-2004. “Fostering another’s growth to his or her full potential is one of the greatest gifts we can give to another,” Sister Katherine said. “Education in the Catholic tradition, in the Mercy tradition is rooted in the belief that every person is created in God’s image, is entrusted with the call to foster the reign of God in the here and now.”

ARCHDIOCESE 21

CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | SEPTEMBER 7, 2012

Catechists, teachers look ahead to Year of Faith With his apostolic letter of Oct. 11, 2011, “Porta Fidei,” Pope Benedict XVI declared that a Year of Faith will begin on Oct. 11, 2012 – the 50th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council and the 20th anniversary of the Catechism of the Catholic Church – and conclude Nov. 24, 2013. During the Year of Faith, Catholics are asked to study and reflect on the documents of Vatican II and the catechism so that they may deepen their knowledge of the faith. With this special year of evangelization beginning soon, Catholic San Francisco assistant editor Valerie Schmalz asked Catholic school teachers and parish catechists these questions about their faith: Why are you Catholic? What is one of the hardest questions a student has asked you about the Catholic faith, and what was your response?

Why are you Catholic? STEPHEN BACCARI: I am a Catholic because, although I was baptized into the faith, I have constantly studied and discerned its authenticity. I believe with full conviction in the teachings of Jesus and in the practices of the Catholic Church which have emerged from our Judean-Christian ancestors. SABRINA SPENCE: Short answer: Because my family is Catholic. However, I, like many people, chose not to practice my faith after high school. I spent about 10 years searching – reading about other faiths and people’s stories and trying to find God for myself. When I was 29 years old, I began working at St. Matthias and that brought me back to the church. I have been so nurtured by the love of this community and have such a deeper understanding of what it means to be loved by God. DOMINICAN SISTER NELIA PERNECIA: I am Catholic because I have loved Jesus Christ since I was 7 years old. I experienced God when I received him during my first Communion. At that time I started attending the Mass, talking to God, following the commandments of God and visiting the church every day. I loved the traditions, rituals, prayers, customs and beliefs like praying novenas, adoring Jesus Christ in the Blessed Sacrament, praying the rosary every day, praying the Angelus every 6 o’clock in the evening, Lenten observance, Advent observance and Baltimore Catechism. I realized that these experiential moments I had as a Catholic made me a strong believer. Most of all, I am so thankful to my beloved parents who brought me up as an active Catholic and that I had a strong religious foundation in my younger age and more so as a Dominican sister. The fact of the matter is that, we are eight in the family and four of us entered the religious life and serve God faithfully. It is indeed an indescribable, incomprehensible and unexplainable experience I have being a Catholic. I will never give up my religion whatsoever will happen in my life. It is my strong conviction that everything happened in my life according to the will of God and always in his time and not my time. This is my faith! A faith that made me realize that without God I am nothing. AMY BJORKLUND REEDER: I was

While the earth rotates I have been so on its own, there had nurtured by the love to have been an of this community. initiator, and this SABRINA SPENCE children’s faith formation and confirmation initiator, I believe, coordinator and teacher of seventh and eighth grades and high school youth, is God. St. Matthias Parish STEPHEN BACCARI

theology teacher, Archbishop Riordan High School

It is indeed an indescribable, incomprehensible and unexplainable experience I have being a Catholic. I will never give up my religion whatsoever will happen in my life.

By the nature of our name, Catholic, we are the universal past, present and future church. AMY BJORKLUND REEDER

director, Our Lady of Loretto Parish school of religion, Novato

DOMINICAN SISTER NELIA PERNECIA principal, St. Charles Borromeo School, San Francisco so fortunate to have been raised Catholic! But if not, I would still choose this as my church because Catholics represent the true body of Christ. We are forgiven and beloved by God the father. By the nature of our name, Catholic, we are the universal past, present and future church. We celebrate life from conception to natural death in a disturbingly ever-increasing culture of death. Our church remains strong in its teachings while others challenge us to compromise and weaken. We are courageous in our beliefs because we know they are pleasing to God.

What is one of the hardest questions a student has asked you about the faith? What was your response? BACCARI: Although this question is not Catholic specific, the most difficult question I have been asked many times by students is to prove the existence of God. I answer this question by referring to the writings of St. Thomas Aquinas. Aquinas wrote in his “Summa Theologica” “that no inanimate object can move by itself. Whatever is in motion must be put in motion by another.” A good example of this Aquinas finding can be seen in looking at the earth’s rotation. While the earth rotates on its own, there had to have been an initiator, and this initiator, I believe, is God. SPENCE: Below is a question that I was recently asked by one of our confirmation candidates and my short response. “If/when I’m confirmed, would God be disappointed if I didn’t pray daily or go to church every day?”

Confirmation is a sacrament of initiation or belonging. By saying that you are ready to be confirmed, you are saying that you are ready for that responsibility. Just like when you join a team – you are expected to do certain things, like attend practices and the games. Some coaches mandate that players must attend practices in order to stay on the team. Now, God is loving and all-forgiving so missing church sometimes does not mean you will get “kicked off the team” but by not going you are missing out on the worship and praise in a communal setting that God desires of us. About prayer – the more you rely on God through prayer, the more your faith is rewarded and you are strengthened. SISTER NELIA: The hardest question a student had asked me about the Catholic faith was “Why do Catholics confess their sins to the priest and why don’t other religions?” My automatic response to that was “We Catholics truly believe that the priest is the representative of God and so therefore in the light of faith we see God in the presence of the priest. When the priest absolves our sins, we reverently listen, follow, agree, say we are sorry for the sins we committed and do our penance with deep contrition and forgiveness because God forgives us. Other religions do not believe or agree that the priest could forgive sins and so they confess their sins directly to God. REEDER: Recently, as we were implementing the changes involved with the new Roman Missal, a student happened to ask me about the Apostles’ Creed. “Why did Jesus have to go to hell?” Usually the students’ questions are easy for me but I found this one difficult to explain. The question compelled me to look at the catechism, where I found the explanation at CCC 634. Christ had to descend to hell to fulfill his message of salvation. In

ancient texts, hell was the place of the dead – there was no distinction between a good place or a bad place, simply one place for all dead. Jesus’ time there was his final act of bringing his message of salvation to all.

KEY EVENTS OF THE YEAR OF FAITH: OCT. 11: Opening celebration with the presidents of the bishops’ conferences from all over the world, the synodal fathers and the conciliar fathers OCT. 21: Canonization of seven martyrs and confessors of the faith in St. Peter’s Square, including Blessed Marianne Cope of Molokai, Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha and the Filipino martyr Pedro Calungsod FEB. 2, 2013: World Day of Men and Women Religious in St. Peter’s Basilica with Pope Benedict XVI MARCH 24: Youth Day in preparation for World Youth Day MAY 5: Confraternities and popular piety day MAY 18: Faith-based movements JUNE 2: Pentecost vigil JUNE 16: Day dedicated to Blessed Pope John Paul II’s 1995 encyclical Evangelium Vitae JUNE 22: Concert of sacred music in St. Peter’s Square JULY 7: Vocations day SEPT. 29: Catechists day OCT. 13: Marian day NOV. 24: Concluding celebration

22 ARTS & LIFE

CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | SEPTEMBER 7, 2012

Saints’ stories make fascinating reading REVIEWED BY PEGGY WEBER CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

“SAINT WHO? 39 HOLY UNKNOWNS” by Brian O’Neel. Servant Books (Cincinnati, 2012). 141 pp., $13.99. “THREE IRISH SAINTS: A GUIDE TO FINDING YOUR SPIRITUAL STYLE” by Kevin Vost. TAN Books (Charlotte, N.C., 2012). 220 pp., $14.95. “SAINTS AS THEY REALLY ARE: VOICES OF HOLINESS IN OUR TIME” by Michael Plekon. University of Notre Dame Press. (Notre Dame, Ind., 2012). 261 pp., $30. Saints have always been a fascinating subject and these three books contribute well to the topic. They offer new insights and good writing in differing but interesting ways. Brian O’Neel draws the readers’ attention to saints who have dropped off the radar. In “Saint Who? 39 Holy Unknowns,” he continues with his work on educating people to some holy lives. He previously wrote “39 New Saints You Should Know.” This book focuses on many “older” saints who are not household names. He uses a witty and conversational style to talk about them. And he tries to pique the readers’ inter-

est with catchy phrases by calling Blessed Sebastian de Aparicio “the first cowboy,” and St. Mary Helen MacKillop “the excommunicated saint.” Each saintly profile features a biography and a section about why each saint deserves our attention and devotion. The brief chapter then ends with a prayer. This book would be an ideal addition to a classroom, discussion group or home. A profile a week or a day would bring home the message quite well. St. Kevin Kevin Vost’s book, “Three Irish Saints,” focuses on Sts. Kevin of Glendalough, Patrick of Ireland and Brigid of Kildare. It also includes brief biographies of a variety of interesting and probably unknown Irish saints. The book offers biographical information on Sts. Kevin, Patrick and Brigid. However, the author uses their lives as a springboard for a discussion of spirituality. He notes that their lives reflect a contemplative, apostolic and charitable style. The reader can peruse the book to figure out which saint applies to what label. Vost notes that each style translates into being a thinker, doer or lover. It is an interesting way to apply the lives of the saints to one’s own life.

Diverse books showcase Bible REVIEWED BY BRIAN WELTER CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

“A YEAR WITH THE BIBLE: SCRIPTURAL WISDOM FOR DAILY LIVING” by Patrick Madrid. St. Benedict Press (Charlotte, N.C., 2012). 388 pp., $44.95. “THE BIBLE AND THE BELIEVER: HOW TO READ THE BIBLE CRITICALLY AND RELIGIOUSLY” by Marc Zvi Brettler, Peter Enns & Daniel Harrington, SJ. Oxford University Press (New York, 2012). 224 pp., $27.95. “BIBLE BASICS FOR CATHOLICS: A NEW PICTURE OF SALVATION HISTORY” by John Bergsma. Ave Maria Press (Notre Dame, Ind., 2012). 180 pp., $14.95. Three books offer three views and uses of the Bible for Catholics, showing the rich and diverse nature of our faith. In “A Year with the Bible,” prolific Catholic writer Patrick Madrid presents readings from every part of Scripture to address the ups and downs of Christian life. Madrid demonstrates the Bible’s path to a devotional life through accompanying thoughts and prayers to selected brief readings. The three scholarly authors of “The Bible and the Believer” – one for each of the Jewish, Catholic and Protestant traditions – challenge readers religiously and intellectually. They examine their respective traditions’ use of the Old Testament by reflecting on the historical-critical method together with a religious reading. The Jewish writer Marc Zvi Brettler notes, “Reading a text religiously means connecting it to your community in the present. In contrast, reading a text from a historical-critical perspective means connecting it to its original author and setting.” Each of the three authors shows clearly how the historical-critical method, which unearths inconsistencies and strives for new understandings of muchloved readings, caused a stir when it developed out of 19th-century German Protestantism. While each of the three faith groups did eventually accept this approach, religious authorities have only done so while finding a way to continue their traditionally religious way of reading Scripture. Catholics rely on tradition, reason and the Bible, all officiated by the magisterium, so we are somewhat insulated against new findings that for strict biblicists might hurt their faith. Jesuit scholar Father Daniel Harrington outlines the Catholic acceptance of the historical-critical method. He notes how the spiritual or religious reading of Scripture still takes center place, though the scholarly method begins most discussions.

Catholics will learn much about Protestantism, and the vulnerability of their faith to different readings of the Bible. Without a similarly developed tradition-reason aspect to the faith, and lacking a central religious authority such as the pope, the winds of academic change often carry them away. Many have gone down the “slippery slope to unbelief,” while others built a fortress against the outside world in a vain effort to keep their Protestant faith pure. Catholics have much to be thankful for, in other words, with our deposit of faith. “Sola Scriptura” (Scripture alone), well defined by Protestant Peter Enns, makes the Bible into the final arbiter for theological disputes. Yet the Bible is much more chaotic, diverse, and inconsistent than the Protestant reformers could have imagined. “Sola Scriptura” has therefore brought about unceasing dispute and division among Protestants, not only because of the rebellious nature of Protestantism, but because of this nature of the Bible, which has failed to live up to the uniformity and consistency that Protestants have asked from it. Enns wisely suggests that Protestants stop asking the Bible to do the impossible for them. He calls for more Catholic-type contemplation, since that tradition assumed and invited the type of spiritual struggle and critical examination of old religious beliefs and the self that Protestants have long avoided. Readers will learn from the Jewish scholar Brettler that the Jewish reverence for a lively, engaged tradition parallels Catholicism, and that Protestants share the same endless division and disagreement with Jews resulting from not having a central religious authority. John Bergsma’s “Bible Basics for Catholics” offers a clear, consistent, and faithful introduction to the Bible that does assume a unified whole to Scripture. He concentrates on this unity by avoiding particularities. His bird’s eye view of sacred history notes how God has called humanity to “divine filiation”, or a father-child relationship, with humans from the beginning. Bergsma traces the various attempts by God to establish a living, fruitful covenant with humans through Adam, Noah, Moses, David and the new David, Jesus, who re-established the Davidic covenant while also fulfilling it. This followed God’s promise, spoken through the prophets, that he would write the law on our hearts. Bergsma’s consistent theological reading of the Bible introduces basic dogma as well. These three books, by varying so greatly from each other, reflect the diverse Catholic uses for the Bible, depending on the occasion and need. WELTER is studying for his doctorate in systematic theology and teaching English in Taiwan.

The book also brings attention to saints who usually don’t get a lot of press. Vost also has written a book about St. Albert the Great and the author penned his personal story on his return to Catholicism. The book offers a lot of information for readers and could lend itself well to a book club. Father Michael Plekon’s “Saints As They Are” is a continuation of his writing on saints and holiness. The book also includes some autobiographical material from the author’s life as a Carmelite seminarian and brother and now as an Orthodox priest. He stresses that saints do not have to be super-holy or without failings in order to lead a good life. It would have been nice if the book had a listing of the “saints” in the book. Also, some of the saints are not well known so that may be of interest to some readers. It certainly delves into new material and reveals the spirituality of saintliness in “ordinary” lives. The mixing of the personal story and profiles works enough, but the author’s story is more interesting. He has a good voice and would have been better served, perhaps, just writing about his own journey. WEBER is a reporter, producer and social media editor for Catholic Communications for the Diocese of Springfield, Mass.

EWTN TO BROADCAST POPE’S LEBANON VISIT EWTN will provide daily TV coverage of Pope Benedict XVI’s Sept. 14-16 visit to Lebanon, where he will meet with bishops and representatives from across the Middle East and North Africa and assess the precarious situation of Mideast Christians. Highlights of the visit include the following, based on a schedule issued July 3 by the Vatican. Times shown are Pacific time. SEPT. 14, 3:45 A.M. – Arrival ceremony at Beirut’s Rafig Hariri International Airport. Remarks by pope. SEPT. 14, 8 A.M. – Visit to St. Paul’s Basilica in Harissa and signing of the post-synodal apostolic exhortation. Talk by the pope. SEPT. 15, 12 A.M. – Courtesy visit with President Michel Suleiman at the presidential palace in Baabda. Private meetings with the president of the parliament and the prime minister. SEPT. 15, 12:50 A.M. – Meeting with leaders of Muslim communities at the presidential palace. SEPT. 15, 1:15 A.M. – Meeting with cabinet ministers, government officials, diplomats, religious and cultural leaders at the presidential palace in Baabda. Talk by pope. SEPT. 15, 8 A.M. – Meeting with young people in the square outside the Maronite patriarch’s residence in Bkerke. Talk by pope. SEPT. 16, 12 A.M. – Mass and the presentation of the post-synodal apostolic exhortation for the Middle East at Beirut city center waterfront. Homily by pope. Recitation of the Angelus. Remarks by pope. SEPT. 16, 7:15 A.M. – Ecumenical meeting at the residence of the Syriac Catholic patriarch in Charfet. SEPT. 16, 8:30 A.M. – Farewell ceremony at Rafig Hariri International Airport. Remarks by pope. Departure for Rome. EWTN is carried 24 hours a day on Comcast Channel 229, AT&T Channel 562, Astound Channel 80, San Bruno Cable Channel 143, DISH Satellite Channel 261 & Direct TV Channel 370. Comcast carries EWTN on Channel 70 in Half Moon Bay and on Channel 74 in southern San Mateo County. Go to www.ewtn.com/tv/schedule_index.asp for rebroadcasts (“encores”) and for dates and times of more papal visit events.

23

CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | SEPTEMBER 7, 2012

We've Helped Raise Over $50,000 This Year!

TRAVEL DIRECTORY

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United States Northwestern Lieutenancy of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem

The Missions We Visit:

Trips Include: -guided tours of the Missions

San Juan Bautista

-morning mass

San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo

-all transportation

PILGRIMAGE TO THE HOLY LAND & JORDAN with

Nuestra Senora de la Soledad

-all meals

San Antonio de Padua

-local accommodations

San Miguel Archangel

-admission fees to all Missions

$3972.00 per person /double occ. Add $760 for single occ. All Welcome

Dolores, San Rafael, and Sonoma

10% of all proceeds donated to your group! Two Day Six Mission Pilgrimage to the Central Coast

One Day Three Mission Tour of the North Bay

$200

-local deli lunches

October 28 thru November 10, 2012

San Luis Obispo de Tolosa

-all taxes, service charges, and gratuities

-sit down dinner and breakfast -accommodations in Paso Robles

$75

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per person

-Mass at Mission Dolores

per person (double occup)

-Saturday departures

Parishes we've worked with this summer: Holy Angeles

St. Jarlath

St. Augustine

Church of the Epiphany

St. Brendan

Our Lady of Peace

St. James the Apostle

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton

Star of the Sea

Good Shepherd

St. Veronica

All Souls

Let us plan a departure from your parish for the Fall and Winter season! Bishop Daniel Francis Walsh

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Visit Tel Aviv, Tiberias, Amman, Petra, Allenby Bridge, Jerusalem For further information on this pilgrimage please contact:

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A 12 - DAY ‘CORNERSTONES OF FAITH’ PILGRIMAGE TO ROME & THE HOLY LAND November 4 - 15, 2012 Mass Celebrated Daily Spiritual Director: Rev. Msgr. Fred Bitanga $3,950.00 per person/ double occupancy Price includes round-trip airfare from San Francisco, first-class hotels, breakfast and dinner daily, expert tour directors & local guides, all sightseeing with admission / entrance fees. Also included are all taxes, fuel charges & gratuities for personnel utilized during the tour.

For a complete brochure, please call:

Monsignor Bitanga at 415-260-4448 or PILGRIMAGE TOURS at 1-800-278-1351

Catholic San Francisco invites you

to join in the following pilgrimages of SICILY & CENTRAL ITALY Basilica St. Francis

Nov. 26 - Dec. 7, 2012 Departs San Francisco 12-Day Pilgrimage

with Most Revered Donald J. Hying

3,199 per person

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Visit: Rome, Catania, Taormina, Etna, Syracuse, Florence, Assisi (Rome-Papal audience)

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Visit: Tel Aviv, Netanya, Caesarea, Mt. Carmel, Tiberias, Upper Galilee, Bethany, Jerusalem

For a FREE brochure on these pilgrimages contact: Catholic San Francisco (415) 614-5640

Please leave your name, mailing address and your phone number

California Registered Seller of Travel Registration Number CST-2037190-40 (Registration as a Seller of Travel does not constitute approval by the State of California)

24 COMMUNITY

CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | SEPTEMBER 7, 2012

Annual cathedral flower fest Oct. 6-7

2 to be honored at Red Mass Oct. 18 San Francisco Auxiliary Bishop Robert W. McElroy will be principal celebrant of the St. Thomas More Society Red Mass Oct. 18 at Sts. Peter and Paul Church, San Francisco, at 5:30 p.m. Attorney J. Dennis McQuaid, a former St. Thomas More Society president, will be honored with the group’s namesake award. Late attorney J. Dennis Don Casper, another former presiMcQuaid dent, will also be honored. “The St. Thomas More Society of San Francisco is delighted to honor attorney and past president Dennis McQuaid with the 2012 St. Thomas More Award,” said Bob Zaletel, president. “Dennis is involved in many community and religious organizations and exemplifies the virtues of our patron St. Thomas More.” McQuaid is a graduate of University of San Francisco Law School and holds an undergraduate degree from St. Patrick’s Seminary & University, Menlo Park. He served as an attorney with the U.S. Air

Force, leaving active duty in 1972 when he began a 40-year civilian real estate and land-use practice. He is a partner with law firm Hanson Bridgett LLP in San Francisco. McQuaid as a Catholic Charities board member led the effort to establish The House at San Quentin, which serves the needs of visitors to the facility. He has advised the Don Archdiocese of San Francisco in Casper matters of finance and today is a member of St. Leo Parish in Sonoma. He and his wife Susan have four children and five grandchildren. Donald A. Casper was born in San Francisco and is a graduate of Sts. Peter and Paul School and St. Ignatius College Preparatory. “The St. Thomas More Society of San Francisco will be making a contribution to Sts. Peter and Paul Church capital campaign to restore the magnificent towers at the church in Don’s memory,” Zaletel said. Visit www.stthomasmore-sf.org, or email Timothy.crudo@lw.com.

The Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption, 1111 Gough St., San Francisco, will host its sixth annual, free Cathedral Festival of Flowers Oct. 6-7, welcoming some of most renowned floral artists from the Bay Area and beyond. The public exhibit schedule is 9 a.m.-7:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 6, and 8:30 a.m.-6 p.m. A gala preview and opening night reception will be held Oct. 5, with tickets at $50. There will be special floral arrangements designed to honor the 25th anniversary of Pope John Paul II’s visit to the cathedral in 1987. The Cathedral Treasures exhibit also will feature artifacts from the 1987 visit. The cathedral’s jazz/gospel Mass on Oct. 6 will feature the Bay Area Gospel Mass Choir with Gabriel Angelo, a child prodigy trumpet player; Dave Scott, renowned jazz trumpeter; and Howard Wiley, jazz composer and saxophonist. For more information, contact Janet Haney at janet@janethaney.com or (415) 902-4283.

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

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Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery 1500 Mission Road, Colma, CA 94014 650-756-2060 St. Anthony Cemetery Stage Road Pescadero, CA 94060 650-712-1679

Mt. Olivet Catholic Cemetery 270 Los Ranchitos Road, San Rafael, CA 94903 415-479-9020 Our Lady of the Pillar Cemetery Miramontes St. Half Moon Bay, CA 94019 415-712-1679

A Tr a d i t i o n o f Fa i t h Th r o u g h o u t O u r L i v e s .

for the latest Vatican headlines.

25

CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | SEPTEMBER 7, 2012

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NOVENA Prayer to the Blessed Virgin never known to fail. Most beautiful flower of Mt. Carmel Blessed Mother of the Son of God, assist me in my need. Help me and show me you are my mother. Oh Holy Mary, Mother of God, Queen of Heaven and earth. I humbly beseech you from the bottom of my heart to help me in this need. Oh Mary, conceived without sin. Pray for us (3X). Holy Mary, I place this cause in your hands (3X). Say prayers 3 days. M.R.

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

Wide diversity of merchandise, furniture, art collection, fine & costume jewelry, books, vintage & fine clothing,

house hold furnishings, crafts, shoes, food!

ANTIQUES t

First time ever and free admission!

SAINT PETER ANTIQUE & COLLECTIBLES SHOW “A FUN Raiser for our Raise th Roof Fund” Saint Peter Catholic Parish 700 Oddstad Blvd. Pacifica, CA 94044 www.stpeterpacifica.org/antiqueshow (650) 722-2308 / (415) 602-6410

Come find your next treasure. Showcase or browse; lots of fun for all. Saturday, Sunday September 15 and 16, 2012 Sat 10:00 am – 6:30 pm Sun 10:00 am – 3:00 pm Fri vendor set up (10:00 am – 2:00 pm) Jewelry, art poetry, books, watches, hats, tools, baseball cards, paintings, toys, writing pens, vintage clothing and more …

SEND CSF AFAR! Spread the good news through a Catholic San

Francisco gift subscription – perfect for students and retirees and others who have moved outside the archdiocese. $27 a year within California, $36 out of state. Catholics in the archdiocese must register with their parish to receive a regular, free subscription. Email circulation.csf@sfarchdiocese.org or call (415) 614-5639.

HELP WANTED PILGRIMAGE SALES – Unitours, one of the most respected names in Catholic Pilgrimage Travel is seeking a sales representative in this area. Representatives call on local priests and parish pilgrimage organizers to assist in planning and promoting Catholic Parish Pilgrimages to Europe and the Middle East. Position is commission based and international travel experience and basic computer skills are required. To apply, complete the application and attached resume at www.Unitours.com/sales

TEACHER AIDE - SPECIAL EDUCATION Daily and long-term assignments available working with pre-school through high school age special needs students in schools throughout San Mateo County. 6.5 hr. work days M-F. $16.17/hr.

To apply call The Personnel Department at San Mateo County Office of Education at 650-802-5309.

ALL SOULS PRESCHOOL is looking for a full time preschool teacher. This person will become a part of the All Souls Community as we begin a new preschool program. Primary responsibilities: Creating and maintaing a stimulating play based preschool program for a multiage classroom of 3-5 year olds. This program will coincide with our school adopted curriculum. Qualifications for application include: • Minimum of 12 Early Childhood Education units at an accredited community college or university. • A Bachelor’s Degree preferred in Early Childhood Education, Child Development or Liberal Studies in Education. • 1 year experience with children • Current CPR and first aid certification Complete the online employment form on the school website @ www.ssfallsoulsschool.org and submit a letter of intent along with your resume and at least 3 references with knowledge of your skills to: Mrs. Rosemary Omron Director, All Souls Preschool 479 Miller Ave., South San Francisco, CA 94080 Phone: 650-4583-3562 | Fax: 650-952-1167 email: preschool@ssfallsoulsschool.org

26 CALENDAR

CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | SEPTEMBER 7, 2012

FRIDAY, SEPT. 7 BLOCK PARTY: Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish and CYO sponsor Mill Valley Block Party, 3 Oakdale Ave., 4-9 p.m. Visit Facebook.com/MillValleyBlockParty. WEEKEND RETREAT: Post-abortion: Rachel’s Vineyard, Vallombrosa Center, 250 Oak Grove Ave., Menlo Park. Christine, (415) 260-4406. christine4faith@ gmail.com. www.rachelsvineyard.org. FIRST FRIDAY: Contemplatives of St. Joseph offer Mass, Mater Dolorosa Church, 307 Willow Ave., South San Francisco, 7 p.m., followed by healing service and personal blessing with St. Joseph oil from Oratory of St. Joseph, Montreal.

SATURDAY, SEPT. 8 PRAYER: Pro-life rosary, 9 a.m., Planned Parenthood, 35 Baywood Ave., San Mateo, each first Saturday. San Mateo Pro-Life, Jessica, (650) 572-1468.

FOUR PILLARS GALA: Evening benefits St. Patrick’s Seminary & University, Menlo Park. Honorees are Cardinal William J. Levada, Archbishop George Niederauer and ArchArchbishop bishop John R. Quinn. Cardinal William Archbishop George Gala begins with J. Levada John R. Quinn Niederauer vespers at 5 p.m. in seminary chapel with cocktails and tours of the facility at 5:30 p.m. and dinner at 6:30. For ticket information and reservations, email advancement@ stpatricksseminary.org, call Katie Bailey, (650) 319-7162.

of Bach, Rachmaninoff and other composers at St. Sebastian Church, Bon Air Road and Sir Francis Drake Boulevard, Greenbrae, 12:30 p.m. Admission free. Music and commentary lasts one hour.

THURSDAY, SEPT. 13 SUNDAY, SEPT. 9 POLICE/FIRE MASS: Father John Greene, chaplain, San Francisco Fire Department and pastor, St. Robert Parish, San Bruno, is principal celebrant at St. Monica Church, Geary Boulevard and 23rd Avenue, San Francisco, 10:30 a.m. Concelebrants include Father Tom Hamilton, pastor, St. Gabriel Parish, chaplain, San Francisco Sheriff’s Department. Reception by SF Firefighters Local 798 and SF Police Officers Association. PETER CLAVER: “Turnout” honoring St. Peter Claver at St. Boniface Church, Golden Gate Avenue at Leavenworth Street, San Francisco, 9 a.m. Gospel Mass followed by food and fellowship, Knights of Peter Claver-Sacred Heart Council and Ladies’ Auxiliary Court #296. Knights of Peter Claver, nation’s only African-American Catholic fraternal organization and world’s largest black Catholic lay organization. Sec296@ comcast.net. RECITAL: Father Paul Perry with music

SUNDAY, SEPT. 16

SATURDAY, SEPT. 15

PRO-LIFE: San Mateo Pro-Life, St. Gregory Parish, Worner Center, 135 28th Ave., San Mateo 7:30 p.m. Meetings second Thursday except December, Jessica, (650) 572-1468.

FRIDAY, SEPT. 14 3-DAY FESTIVAL: St. Robert Parish, San Bruno, Friday 6-11 p.m.; Saturday 1-11; Sunday 1-6. BriJit Lopez (650) 245-7801. WEEKEND ENGAGED ENCOUNTER: Visit www.sfcee.org. Scholarships are available. Engaged Encounter is nonprofit, volunteer ministry dedicated to marriage preparation in the Catholic faith. TENNIS: Tennis classic benefiting Hanna Boys Center, Sonoma. Round robin doubles tournament starting 9 a.m. Silverado Country Club. Cost is $150 per player. Register, donate or volunteer at www.hannacenter.org.

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

2-DAY ANTIQUE SALE: Antique and Collectibles Show, St. Peter Church, Sept. 15, 16, 700 Oddstad Blvd., Pacifica, Saturday 10 a.m.-6, Sunday 10-3. Visit www.stpeterpacifica.org/ antiqueshow. Proceeds benefit capital repairs. REUNION: Presentation High School, San Francisco, class of ‘57, Presidio Golf Club. Diane Meiswinkel, (415) 752-9968. REUNION: Class of ’77 Presentation High School, San Francisco, 1 p.m., Il Fornaio Restaurant, San Francisco. Tickets at $50 include 3-course lunch. Contact Liz Garduno Herrera, (415) 290-7497, lizh1059@ gmail.com. ST. LUKE MASS: St. Thomas More Church, 1300 Junipero Serra Blvd, San Francisco, Mass, 5 p.m., reception with music by soprano, Frances Peterson, 6, dinner, 7. Dinner tickets $25. (415) 305-2408. gemaloof2003@ yahoo.com. INDIA WALK: Walk for India’s Missing Girls 11 a.m. San Francisco City Hall. www.petalsinthedust.com. Indian-American filmmaker Nyna Pais-Caputi, a parishioner of Sts. Peter and Paul Parish, leads the effort.

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WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 19 PASTA: Immaculate Conception Church, 3255 Folsom St., just up the hill from Cesar Chavez Street, noon. All the pasta, meatballs and salad you want, family style, $9. Beverages are available for purchase. GRIEF SUPPORT: Free grief support session, St. Mary’s Cathedral, third Wednesdays, 10:30 a.m.-noon, Msgr. Bowe Room, parking lot level. Sister Esther, (415) 567-2020, ex. 218.

THURSDAY, SEPT. 20 VINCENTIAN FAMILY MASS: Msgr. John Talesfore is principal celebrant of a Vincentian Family Mass at St. Mary’s Cathedral, Gough Street and Geary Boulevard, San Francisco, 7 p.m. Maryanne Murray (415) 564-3846, murrayassoc@aol.com.

FRIDAY, SEPT. 21 3-DAY GARAGE SALE: Italian Catholic Federation, Branch 19, Colma, 8 a.m.5, Sept. 21, 22, 23, 300 Second Ave. at Valley, Daly City. Proceeds benefit ICF charitable works.

TO ADVERTISE IN CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO VISIT www.catholic-sf.org | CALL (415) 614-5642 EMAIL advertising.csf@sfarchdiocese.org

HOME HEALTH CARE

When Life Hurts It Helps To Talk

WEEKLY CATHOLIC TV MASS: A TV Mass is broadcast Sundays at 6 a.m. on the Bay Area’s KTSF Channel 26 and KOFY Channel 20, and in the Sacramento area at 5:30 a.m. on KXTL Channel 40. It is produced for viewing by the homebound and others unable to go to Mass by God Squad Productions with Msgr. Harry Schlitt, celebrant. Catholic TV Mass, One Peter Yorke Way, San Francisco 94109, (415) 614-5643, janschachern@aol.com.

SATURDAY, SEPT. 15

THE PROFESSIONALS COUNSELING

INTERNATIONAL FOODS: Enjoy foods from Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, as well as live music, dancing, 8-4, St. Raphael Church, 1104 Fifth Ave., San Rafael, benefits parish capital campaign. www.saintraphael.com.

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NOTICE TO READERS

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

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

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CALENDAR 27

CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | SEPTEMBER 7, 2012

SATURDAY, SEPT. 22

(650) 906-1040, Roy Nickolai (415) 760-6584.

REUNION: Immaculate Heart of Mary School, Belmont, class of ‘72. Terri Cook, terrimcook@comcast.net.

SATURDAY, SEPT. 29

ANNIVERSARY: Immaculate Heart of Mary School, Belmont, 1-7 p.m. Day includes alumni gatherings, school tours, Mass and reception. www.ihmschoolbelmont.org. Karen Andreano, development@ihmschoolbelmont.org, (650) 593-4265. REUNION: Presentation High School, San Francisco, ‘72, brown-bag lunch 11:30 a.m. to 4, Central Park, Area #3, 50 East Fifth Ave., San Mateo, Joan Collins, jfreudman@comcast. net; Davina Cosenza davinacsf@ earthlink.net.

ZYDECO DANCE: Our Lady of Lourdes Parish hosts New Orleans style-event featuring music by Andre Thierry and Zydeco Magic, 7 p.m. 1601 Lane St., San Francisco/Bayview YMCA. Advance tickets $20/$25 at the door. Father Dan Carter (415) 285-3377, Terry Oertel (415) 405-6309. SVDP WALK: Friends of the Poor Walk, 8 a.m. Lake Merced, San Francisco, proceeds benefit people in need throughout San Francisco. (415) 7866868. www.svdp-sf.org.

MONDAY, SEPT. 24

FRIDAY, OCT. 5

GOLF: Day benefiting Capuchin Franciscan programs, Green Hills Country Club, Millbrae. 18-hole scramble, 10 a.m. check-in/lunch, noon shotgun start, cocktails 6 p.m. dinner 7:30. Tickets, $300, include driving range, golf, cart, lunch, dinner, cocktails, tee prizes. Bill Mason,

3-DAY FLOWER FESTIVAL: St. Mary’s Cathedral Festival of Flowers, Oct. 5-7, Gough Street and Geary Boulevard, San Francisco. Friday includes a gala preview event with tickets at $50 per person. Free exhibits are open Oct. 6, 9 a.m.7:30 p.m. and Oct. 7, 8:30 a.m.-6 p.m. Exhibits include arrangements designed

to honor the 25th anniversary of Pope John Paul II’s visit to St. Mary Cathedral in September 1987 as well as artifacts from the visit. A jazz/gospel Mass Oct. 6 features the Bay Area Gospel Mass Choir. www.cathedralflowers.org. 100 YEARS: St. Bruno Parish celebrates 100 years with dinner and awards at South San Francisco Convention Center, 255 South Airport Blvd., South San Francisco, secretary3@saintbrunos.org.

SATURDAY, OCT. 6 CENTENNIAL MASS: St. Bruno Church, 555 San Bruno Ave., San Bruno, 5 p.m., Archbishop John R. Quinn, presides. Coronation Ball follows. secretary3@saintbrunos.org. MASS: First Saturday at Holy Cross Cemetery, Colma, All Saints Mausoleum Chapel, 11 a.m. Father Arnold Zamora, pastor, Holy Name of Jesus Parish, celebrant. (650) 756-2060.

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HONOR RETIRED PRIESTS: St. John Vianney Luncheon for retired priests at St. Mary’s Cathedral, Gough Street at Geary Boulevard, Msgr. Harry San FrancisSchlitt co. Proceeds benefit Priests Retirement Fund. Opportunities to contribute toward the cost of the event as well as to purchase tickets to attend the event are available. Contact Office of Development (415) 614-5580 or email development@sfarchdiocese. org. Msgr. Harry Schlitt, retired vicar for administration for the Archdiocese of San Francisco, is among the more than 100 priests who will be honored at the luncheon. Laugh-getter Michael Pritchard will emcee.

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28 COMMUNITY

CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | SEPTEMBER 7, 2012

OBITUARY

CEMETERY CORNER: BENNIE BUFANO

Father Fintan Whelan, OFM Cap. A funeral Mass was celebrated Aug. 16 at Our Lady of Angels Church for Capuchin Father Fintan Whelan, a former pastor of the Burlingame parish who died Aug. 10 at Mercy Retirement and Care Center in Oakland. Interment was Aug. 17 at the Capuchins San Lorenzo Friary Father Fintan in Santa Ynez. Born Whelan, OFM Cap. in Ireland, Father Fintan, 81, was a Capuchin friar for 60 years and a priest for 52 years. Father Fintan served 12 years on the faculty of the Capuchins’ St. Francis High School in La Caùada and in 1982 he was assigned to Our Lady of Angels Parish in Burlingame as associate pastor for three years and for six years as pastor. He also served in pastoral roles

at parishes in Solvang, Tranquility and Bend, Ore. In recent times he lived at the Capuchin friary in Burlingame before moving to the retirement center in Oakland. In 1989 he received a doctorate in ministry from the Graduate Theological Foundation in Notre Dame, Ind. “Father Fintan was a man of great talents,� the Capuchins said in a notice of his death. They called the priest “a great teacher� and “preacher who could always come up with a story, often one that would make the congregation laugh.� A skilled athlete, he played tennis and golf. He had a great devotion to St. Pio of Pietrelcina, a contemporary Capuchin. Father Fintan is survived by his sister Harah Duffin and many nephews and nieces. Send remembrances to the Capuchin Franciscan Foundation for Retired Friars, 1345 Cortez Ave., Burlingame 94010.

CLAVER GROUP TO MEET AT ST. BONIFACE

a gospel Mass with the Sacred Heart/ St. Boniface Gospel Choir under the direction of Knight John Scott and Grand Lady Velma Gaines-Miller. The 50-minute Mass will be followed by food and fellowship in the school cafeteria. The Knights of Peter Claver is the nation’s only African-American Catholic fraternal organization and the world’s

The African-American Catholic group the Knights of Peter Claver will hold its first “turnout� at St. Boniface Church, 133 Golden Gate Ave., San Francisco, on Sept. 9. at 9 a.m. The event, sponsored by the Knights’ Sacred Heart Council and Ladies’ Auxiliary Court #296, will begin with

Plan Now For A

You’ve seen his sculptures near Lake Merced, in Chinatown and Fisherman’s Wharf, in Hillsdale Shopping Center and dozens of other areas in Northern California, but have you visited the one that marks his grave at Holy Cross Cemetery? Beniamino (Bennie) Bufano was an Italian-born sculptor who spent much of his career locally, creating the distinctive rounded animal sculptures and towering monuments for which he is known. Bufano was quoted as saying that art should be “big enough to belong to everybody, too big for anyone to put in his pocket and call his own.� An outspoken advocate for peace and social causes, many of his works were religiously themed, depicting the Madonna or St. Francis. After his death in 1970, the Bufano Society for the Arts selected one of his St. Francis statues to mark his grave and a site in Section W, overlooking the graves of hundreds of poor children, was deemed appropriate

largest black Catholic lay organization. The order was founded in 1909 in Mobile, Ala., for black men who were barred from other organizations in the Catholic Church. The organization’s membership has since expanded to include the entire Catholic Church including bishops and cardinals from around the world.

(PHOTO BY RON HORNE)

Bennie Bufano’s grave marker to reflect the messages he sought to convey through his art. Cemetery Corner is an occasional feature marking the 125th anniversary of Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery, Colma.

The order is named after St. Peter Claver, a Jesuit priest from Spain who ministered to African slaves in Cartagena, Colombia, in the 1600s. Peter Claver is said to have converted more than 300,000 slaves to Catholicism. For more information contact Council #296 secretary L. Rob Robinson at Sec296@comcast.net.

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