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Catholic san Francisco Northern California’s Weekly Catholic Newspaper
Nun collects stones for convent wall A nun and children collect stones to build a wall around their convent near the site of the Myitsone Dam project in Myitkyina, Myanmar’s northern Kachin state, Feb. 26. Myitsone is the site of the confluence of two rivers that form the Irrawaddy River, Myanmar’s lifeblood waterway. In September, President Thein Sein suspended a highly controversial hydropower project that would have flooded the area, including the convent.
Like St. Paul in Athens, itinerant priest ministers in marketplace By Ed Langlois PORTLAND, Ore. (CNS) – Amid a thrum of commercialism, an amiable priest spent most of the month of January waiting patiently. His hope was to talk about faith and life with anyone who took an interest. Dominican Father Antoninus Wall, former president of a school of theology, has made the Lloyd Center Mall in Portland his mission the past two years. His routine includes five hours at the mall on weekdays and seven hours on Saturdays listening to people and discussing joy, family life, evil, sin, the role of the laity, sickness, death, humor, morality and scores of other topics.
“When St. Paul went to Athens, where was the first place he went?” asked the priest, an 86-year-old scholar. “The Agora,” he said, referring to the ancient city’s marketplace and civic center. The Portland mall is within the bounds of Holy Rosary Parish, staffed by the Dominicans, the order of preachers founded in the 13th century to spread the Gospel in newly flourishing European cities and universities. “St. Dominic would be in the marketplace,” Father Wall said, framed by wandering shoppers and the smell of Cinnabon. “A parish is not just a place where people come, it’s a basis of evangelization,”
said Father Wall, who led the Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology in Berkeley from 1980 until 1986. At the mall, John De Guzman of Portland came to Lloyd Center one weekday morning and sat down with the priest for a chat. De Guzman felt curious about Jews and Arabs and got a sensible, respectful treatise from the well-read cleric. As he listened to those who spoke with him, Father Wall’s blue eyes looked at them intently and steadily, despite the chaos of the mall. “This is remarkable,” said De Guzman, a member of Holy Rosary Parish. “I think this is something the church should be doing everywhere.”
Others came to discuss personal problems, such as marriage struggles. Father Wall is as comfortable talking about relationships as he is about Thomas Aquinas. “Millions of people have never talked to a priest in their whole life,” he told the Catholic Sentinel, archdiocesan newspaper of Portland. “They’ve never had the chance.” The priest is not allowed to approach shoppers or hold signs. So he just waited for people to come to him. “The Catholic faith just makes sense when you sit down and talk about it,” said the octogenarian priest with a pleasant, round, Irish face. He was born in San Francisco to parents MARKETPLACE, page 18
By Valerie Schmalz As Sinsinawa Dominican Sister Christina Heltsley opened the patio gate to the St. Francis Center of Redwood City, she stopped to chat in Spanish with a smiling mother holding a baby girl in her arms. Christina Joy, she explained later, was her namesake – and she was suffering from a cold. In 2000, Sister Christina was hired as the center’s executive director, making a midlife shift from teaching, often in inner-
city schools, and school administration. “Everyone has their thing,” said Sister Christina, 56. “I missed working with the economically poor.” Sister Christina succeeded founder Franciscan Sister Monica Asman, now 92, a geneticist at UC Berkeley who started the food and clothing pantry in a double-wide trailer in her retirement. During Sister Monica’s tenure, the 24-unit low-income St. Clare Apartments opened in 1996, converting an existing apartment complex. CHRISTINA, page 17
(PHOTO BY JOSE LUIS AGUIRRE/CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO)
Dominican sister living vocation to be with ‘the economically poor’ Dominican Sister Christina Heltsley’s work in North Fair Oaks, a San Mateo County district whose many young families contend with poverty and gangs, “is so powerful for the community,” said a San Mateo County deputy sheriff.
INSIDE THIS WEEK’S EDITION On the Street . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 News in brief. . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Local news . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 ‘Donut Masses’ . . . . . . . 12-13 Lenten inspiration . . . . . . . 15
What we’re giving up for Lent ~ Page 3 ~ March 2, 2012
Priest remembered as advocate for poor ~ Page 9 ~
Archbishop: Mandate diminishes liberty ~ Page 14 ~
ONE DOLLAR
Occupy and faith. . . . . . . . . 17 Queen Mary book . . . . . . . . 22
www.catholic-sf.org VOLUME 14
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No. 8
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Catholic San Francisco
March 2, 2012
On The Where You Live By Tom Burke
LIVING TRUSTS WILLS
Book sales are a big part of Catholic Schools Week and Joan Cuddihy, left, has chaired the event at St. Thomas More School for eight years. Pitching in were parent volunteers, from left, Jane Pasol, Joyce Panlaqui and Jason Torres.
Second grader Logan Scudmore and his grandfather Efren de los Angeles at Our Lady of Mercy School’s Grandparents and Special Visitors Day on Feb.1.
(PHOTO BY PAM ROBBINS )
Susan E. Daniloff of St. Mary Star of the Sea Parish in Sausalito has been elected president of the board for the St. Vincent de Paul Society of Marin County. Susan, a retired fundraisSusan E. ing consultant, has volDaniloff unteered with the society for eight years and served as conference president. Visit www.vinnies.org. • Welcome back at Star of the Sea Parish to Kathy and Dave Lorentz who will lead song at the Richmond District church’s 9:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Sunday Masses.” Dave and Kathy were a fixture here 15 years ago,” said Father Brian Costello, pastor, in a recent bulletin. “I hope you enjoy their music as much as I do.” Dave teaches religious studies at St. Ignatius College Preparatory and Kathy is religion teacher, liturgy planner and speech coach at Sacred Heart Cathedral Prep. • A memorial Mass for the late Father Peter Sammon will be celebrated March 18 at 5:30 p.m. at St. Teresa Church, 1490 19th St. at Connecticut, San Francisco. Father Sammon, who died in 2002, was pastor of St. Teresa for 32 years. He is remembered for his heroic social justice efforts including the San Francisco sanctuary movement. Father Sammon was a priest for 54 years and 78 years of age when he died. Call Debra Ballinger Bernstein at (415) 5612300, ext. 31. • Prayers, too, please for men and women in the armed forces and the families who miss them. St. Peter Parish in Pacifica publishes names of family members of parishioners “currently serving our country.” I’m proud to share them here: Bryan Batchelder, Kevin Germano, Donald Smith, Brad
Junipero Serra High School seniors Collin Theroux, baseball, University of Nevada; Antonio Freschet, baseball, Northwestern University; and Timothy Glauninger, wrestling, Lehigh University, signed agreements to attend the schools Jan. 25. Coaches Craig Giannino and Ricardo Garcia were on hand for the big moment.
Glosser, Joe Quirarte, U.S. Army; Michael McCarthy, Shannon Hough, Sean Dennison, Ryan Sotelo, U.S. Marines; Robby Schaefer, Melissa O’Connor, U.S. Air Force; Rich Scott, Joshua Lim, Teresa MacDonald, U.S. Navy. • Who better than kids to put on “Bye, Bye Birdie,” the musical featuring the song “Kids” as well as a tale of harried parents and their dreamy-eyed teens. The cast of
40 actors are members of the Salesian Boys and Girls Club. Curtain goes up at 7 p.m. March 10 and 2:30 p.m. March 11 at Salesian Auditorium, 660 Filbert, San Francisco. Call (415) 397-3068 or visit www.salesianclub.org. Thanks to Erin Giordano for fillin’ us in. • Thanks to Matt Mattei, music director at Our Lady of Angels Church for this Lenten exhortation. Not surprisingly Matt
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said he finds inspiration from a song. It’s “Day by Day” from “Godspell,” a musical I’ve always thought a masterwork. “Lent gives us a second chance,” Matt told me. “I find that in the song and its lyric `O dear Lord, three things I pray: To see thee more clearly, love thee more dearly, follow thee more nearly, day by day.’” • The Archbishop’s Hour now airs at 11 a.m. Friday on Immaculate Heart Radio, KSFB 1260 AM. It’s still fun for me as host and we’ve been very glad to welcome George Wesolek, ABH executive producer, as a griller of guests. Of course himself, Archbishop George Niederauer, brings inspiration to the program every week. In fact, the show might be called “All My Children” now that the long-running soap with that title is off the air. Tune it in if you get the chance, please. A little fun, a little faith, a little seltzer down your pants or something like that. • The slogan still holds water but some of the license plate frames bearing it are wearing thin. I was behind one today that said, “I’d rather be hopping at Nordstrom.” • Email items and electronic pictures – jpegs at no less than 300 dpi – to burket@ sfarchdiocese.org or mail to Street, One Peter Yorke Way, SF 94109. Include a follow-up phone number. My phone number is (415) 614-5634.
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March 2, 2012
Catholic San Francisco
What we’re giving up for Lent By Valerie Schmalz Nick Molloy, a freshman at San Francisco State University, wore a red T-shirt that said “Every day I’m praying.” Molloy is taking Lent seriously during his first year in college: “I’m just going to stop with the temptation. Stay away from things that would cause me to sin.” “I’m going to work on doing what I say I am going to do. That’s not just for Lent,” said Alexandra Goldbach, 22, a sociology major. Goldbach and Molloy were among about 300 students, teachers and employees at San Francisco State University who attended an Ash Wednesday Mass at noon Feb. 22 in the school’s Cesar Chavez student center. Ash Wednesday marked the beginning of Lent, a 40-day preparation for Easter, that ends on Holy Thursday. Holy Thursday through Easter is the Easter triduum. In preparation for Easter, Catholics 14 and older abstain from eating meat on Fridays and on Ash Wednesday. Catholics also fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. Fasting means one eats only one full meal and two others that do not equate to a
full meal. The fasting rule applies to Catholics 18 and older until their 60th birthday. During Lent, Catholics are called to fast, pray and give alms. The Mass at San Francisco State was concelebrated by Msgr. James Tarantino, vicar for administration and moderator of the curia in the Archdiocese of San Francisco; and the pastor of St. Thomas More campus ministry, Msgr. Labib Kobti. The Mass was organized by the Verbum Dei Missionary Fraternity, a religious order that runs a Catholic campus ministry in conjunction with St. Thomas More campus ministry. After the Ash Wednesday Mass, Raquel Avalos, 23, a communications major, said that during Lent, “I’m going to start going to church on Sunday. Try to get reconnected to my faith and to the Catholic community.” Jeremiah Santos, 24, a kinesiology major, plans to “grow closer to the Lord.” Santos said he will “try to reform myself. A lot of selfevaluation. Try to pray every day. Stay true to my heart.” Undeclared major Louie Lurati, 18, said he plans to give
up “resentment toward other people, hatred. Pray for those who have hurt me in the past.” Sabin Hernandez, 21, a junior majoring in broadcasting, said, “I plan to spend less time on the computer, Internet. And try to read more books.” He is also going to try “to save water.” Floyce White, 50, a returning student majoring in English education, said, “I gave up playing on the Internet.” Jean-Frances Mendoza, 19, an English major, had a list of intentions for Lent, starting with “a vow of silence every Friday.” “I’m giving up soda and I’ll get back into working out and be more healthy,” Franco Machado, a 28-year-old mathematics major, said. “I’m going to try to go to Mass more and I’m going to pray every morning, “said Katie Ortega, 20, an international studies major with a minor in religious studies, “and to not overindulge myself because I love food.” Michelle Gonzalez, 20, a zoology major, said, “I gave up chips, all kinds of chips. Yeah, I eat a lot of chips.”
Young adults vow many ways to get closer to God
Jeremiah Santos
Alexandra Goldbach
Katie Ortega
Jean-Frances Mendoza
Franco Machado
Louie Lurati
Michelle Gonzalez
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High School Teacher Job Fair Saturday, March 17, 2012 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. Archbishop Riordan High School 175 Phelan Avenue San Francisco CA 94112 (Parking is available on campus and at City College of San Francisco)
Host High Schools Include: Archbishop Riordan High School (San Francisco) Convent of the Sacred Heart (San Francisco) Immaculate Conception Academy (San Francisco) Junípero Serra High School (San Mateo) Marin Catholic High School (Kentfield) Mercy High School (Burlingame) Mercy High School (San Francisco) Notre Dame High School (Belmont) Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory (San Francisco) Saint Ignatius College Preparatory (San Francisco) Stuart Hall High School (San Francisco) Woodside Priory (Portola Valley) Bring copies of your résumé to the Faire.
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Catholic San Francisco
NEWS
March 2, 2012
in brief
Bishops look at role of family in evangelization VATICAN CITY – Making final preparations for the world Synod of Bishops on new evangelization, a committee of cardinals and bishops discussed how difficult it is today to transmit the faith to others. “There was talk about the ‘current fruitlessness of evangelization,’ including because of the presence of certain influences from modern culture that make the transmission of the faith particularly difficult,” said a Vatican press release issued Feb. 27. The ordinary council of the general secretariat of the Synod of Bishops met at the Vatican Feb. 16 to discuss a draft of the working document for the synod, which will be held at the Vatican Oct. 7-28. The theme of the gathering will be “The New Evangelization for the Transmission of the Christian Faith.” In a discussion about challenges to faith and to handing on the faith, the council members focused particularly on the role of the family, the statement said. Within the family, it said, young people “learn both the content and the practice of the Christian faith. The irreplaceable work of the family is continued in the catechesis offered by church institutions and, especially, through the liturgy with the sacraments and the homily.”
Catholic community grieves shooting victims CHARDON, Ohio – The Catholic community “shares the grief of the families and friends of the five victims” of a school shooting Feb. 27 in Chardon, said Bishop Richard G. Lennon of Cleveland. “We continue to struggle in disbelief with
the horrifying nature of the incident and we look to God to bring us peace and comfort,” he said in a statement. Five students were shot when a teenager opened fire in the cafeteria at Chardon High School in the Cleveland suburbs. One student, Daniel Parmertor, died instantly. A second student, Russell King Jr., was declared brain dead at 1 a.m. Feb. 28, but an Associated Press story said it was unclear if the teen remained on life support. Parmertor, 16, was a parishioner at St. Mary’s Church, which is across from the high school. Police said a 17-year-old male suspected of being the shooter was chased from the school and a short time later arrested about a half a mile away. The family of the suspect identified him as T.J. Lane in a statement released through a lawyer on a Cleveland television station later that evening. The Lane family said that they were devastated by news of the shooting and extended “heartfelt and sincere condolences” to the victims and their families. The lawyer described the youth as “extremely remorseful.”
Philly Catholic high schools rescued PHILADELPHIA – All four Philadelphia archdiocesan Catholic high schools that were recommended for closure will remain open, Archbishop Charles J. Chaput said to a round of applause from those gathered at a news conference Feb. 24. At the archdiocesan Pastoral Center in Philadelphia, where he was joined by leading state legislative leaders and local philanthropists, he also announced the establishment of a new independent foundation to support Catholic education in the archdiocese called Faith in the Future: The Fund for Educating Tomorrow’s Leaders. The foundation has a goal of raising at least $100 million in the next five years, he said. “We have a long way to go to put these four high schools and our whole school system on a strong footing,” Archbishop Chaput said, “but this is the kind of deep, grass-roots commitment we need to renew our educational ministry.”
THE SISTERS OF PERPETUAL ADORATION INVITE YOU TO ATTEND THE SOLEMN NOVENA IN HONOR OF:
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Kateri to become first Native American saint SYRACUSE, N.Y. – In December, Pope Benedict XVI advanced the sainthood causes of Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha and Blessed Marianne Cope of Molokai by signing the decrees recognizing the miracles needed for their canonizations. On Feb. 18, the pope announced they would be canonized at the Vatican Oct. 21, along with five others. Blessed Kateri will become the first Native American saint. This is the fulfillment of a long-held dream for many in the United States and Canada. In the Syracuse diocese, the Kateri Tekakwitha Committee was formed in 1978 as part of an initiative to engage the Native American community in the diocese. The committee, made up of Native American and non-Native members, works to evangelize in Blessed Kateri’s name by caring for the sick, elderly, bereaved and lonely, and through outreach to young people. “I can’t tell you how excited we Blessed Kateri are,” said Emily Garrow-Stewart, a Mohawk who grew up hearing Blessed Kateri’s story in her home. “She has been a part of my life since I was a child,” she said. “There was always a picture of her in the house. She is such a good role model and example. In my mind, there is always such a light about her.”
7 states join fight against mandate WASHINGTON – Seven states have filed suit against the Department of Health and Human Services’ mandate that nearly all health insurance plans cover contraceptives free of charge, saying that it violates religious freedom and leaves “countless additional religious freedoms vulnerable to government intrusion.” Joining the attorneys general of Nebraska, South Carolina, Michigan, Texas, Florida, Ohio and Oklahoma in the lawsuit were a Catholic nun, a lay missionary working with the Fellowship of Catholic University Students, Pius X Catholic High School in Lincoln, Neb.,
and the Omaha-based Catholic Mutual Group, a self-insurance fund that covers more than 125 dioceses or archdioceses and 200 Catholic religious congregations in the U.S. and Canada. The latest lawsuit was filed as protests against the HHS mandate mounted. More than 4,500 women signed a letter calling on President Barack Obama, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Congress “to allow religious institutions and individuals to continue to witness to their faiths in all their fullness.” In addition, 18 U.S. senators asked Obama to rescind the mandate, saying that its implementation “will unjustly impact religiously affiliated organizations and individuals.” The mandate requires no-cost coverage of all contraceptives approved by the Food and Drug Administration, including some that can cause an abortion, as well as sterilizations, as part of preventive health services for women. A narrow religious exemption applies only to those employed by houses of worship.
General’s deportation set in 1980 nun slayings WASHINGTON – Family and friends of four American churchwomen murdered in 1980 welcomed a Florida immigration judge’s decision that paves the way for the deportation of a former Salvadoran defense minister found to have a role in their killings. James Kazel, brother of Ursuline Sister Dorothy Kazel of Cleveland, said the expected deportation to El Salvador of Gen. Carlos Eugenio Vides Casanova was “past due as far as I’m concerned.” “He got away with murder and got away with living in the United States,” Kazel told Catholic News Service from his home in Avon, Ohio. “He didn’t deserve to be here.” Vides, who served as defense minister from 1983 to 1989 before retiring and moving to Florida, commanded the Salvadoran National Guard in December 1980 when the women were murdered by guardsmen along a rural road outside the capital, San Salvador. The judge found that Vides assisted in the murders of Sister Dorothy, Maryknoll Sisters Ita Ford and Maura Clarke and lay volunteer Jean Donovan of Cleveland. The women were kidnapped, raped and killed on a rural road before being buried in a shallow grave. Their killings at the beginning of the civil war, which eventually claimed 70,000 lives, shocked American officials and church leaders. The U.S. had backed the military-led government in its fight against leftist guerillas. – Catholic News Service
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March 2, 2012
Catholic San Francisco
5
Maryland leaders pledge to put same-sex marriage issue on ballot By George P. Matysek Jr. BALTIMORE (CNS) – The Maryland Catholic Conference’s executive director, vowing to work with others to bring the measure to a referendum, said the people of the state “will be outraged” at how quickly the bill to legalize same-sex marriage made it through the Legislature to final passage. The state Senate approved it 25-22 the evening of Feb. 23 after deliberating just 48 hours. The House of Delegates had already approved the bill Feb. 17, and Gov. Martin J. O’Malley, the bill’s sponsor, has pledged to sign it quickly into law. Cardinal “I expect that the people of Maryland Edwin F. will be outraged at the manner in which this O’Brien legislation has been rammed through the Legislature, and they will be all the more inspired to do everything necessary to ensure the opportunity to vote in support of traditional marriage,” said Mary Ellen Russell of the Catholic Conference. The conference is the public policy arm of the bishops serving Maryland Catholics from the Washington and Baltimore archdioceses and the Diocese of Wilmington, Del. Cardinal Edwin F. O’Brien, apostolic administrator of the
Baltimore archdiocese, said that “by daring to redefine this sacred union between one man and one woman,” Maryland’s politicians “unconscionably have chosen political expediency over the good of society – the fundamental charge of their office.” Calling it “radical legislation,” he said the lawmakers’ action “poses a grave threat to the future stability of the nuclear family and the society it anchors.” The Archdiocese of Washington said the measure was “regrettably” passed through “expedited hearings” and despite the fact that “Catholics and individuals across Maryland encouraged the lawmakers to protect the long-standing and proper definition of marriage as a union of one man and one woman.” “The word marriage describes the exclusive and lifelong union of one man and one woman with the possibility of generating and nurturing children. Other unions exist, but they are not marriage,” the archdiocese said in a statement. The Washington archdiocese also supports bringing the issue to a referendum. More than 55,000 signatures will need to be collected to put the measure on the November ballot – a number Russell believes will easily be obtained. Under Maryland’s Constitution, the process to collect signatures can begin even before O’Malley signs the bill into law. The Maryland Marriage Alliance, a coalition of Protestant
clergy and churches, will be working to collect those signatures and Catholic parishes are expected to be a major force in the drive. Russell said the conference and the alliance will work closely together to bring it to a referendum. “I anticipate that our churches will get involved and a number of our parishes will enthusiastically embrace the effort to collect signatures,” she said. Maryland will join Massachusetts, New York, Connecticut, Iowa, New Hampshire, Vermont, Washington state and the District of Columbia in allowing same-sex couples to marry when the bill is signed into law. “It’s a grave disappointment that the governor would use the power of his office to promote a measure that has such deep, significant moral consequences for all of us in this state,” Russell said. “This should have been a vote of conscience, but – especially in the House of Delegates – lawmakers were under incredible pressure to pass this measure.” The Maryland Catholic Conference, in a statement Feb. 23, said the Maryland legislation “was forced through the House with extraordinary political pressures and legislative maneuvers.” The conference said civil law guarantees a child the right to a mother and a father – a right “consistently ignored by proponents of the bill to redefine marriage, in favor of the claim that we must redefine marriage in order to provide legal protections to any two people who love each other.”
Supporters of California marriage ban seek full appellate review By George Raine Supporters of Proposition 8, California’s ban on same-sex marriage, have asked that the ruling against them by a three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals be reviewed by an 11-judge panel of the appellate court. The matter may or may not be accepted for review, but the filing in the appellate court will certainly prolong the matter, while it is expected the U.S. Supreme Court will ultimately decide its fate. On Nov. 7, the three-judge panel ruled 2-1 that Prop. 8, approved by voters in 2008, discriminates by taking away the right to marry for no other reason that moral disapproval. The court said that the proposition served no conceivable legitimate state interest and that support for the initiative is inexplicable on any grounds other than “disapproval of gays and lesbians as a class,” and of “same-sex couples as a people.”
In a filing in the appellate court in San Francisco on Feb. 21, a coalition of religious organizations, including Catholics, called ProtectMarriage.com, wrote, “This charge is false on its face, and leveling it against the people of California (who approved Proposition 8) is especially unfair.” The group argued that “disapproving of the fundamental redefinition of marriage to include same-sex couples is plainly not the same as disapproving same-sex couples as a people.” The supporters of the measure are appealing a ruling by a federal district court judge in 2010 that Proposition 8 is unconstitutional, concluding it discriminates on the basis of sexual orientation and gender. After the ruling was issued, the judge, Vaughn Walker, now retired, told the press that he has been in a relationship with another man for 10 years. ProtectMarriage.com argued in the appellate court that Walker thus had an interest in the outcome and that made “his presiding over this case unlaw-
ful.” The three-judge panel rejected that and ProtectMarriage. com is asking the larger panel of 11 judges to consider the matter. Of appealing to the larger panel, Andy Pugno, general counsel for the proposition’s proponents, said, “After careful consideration, we determined that asking for reconsideration by the full 9th Circuit is in the best interests of defending Prop. 8. This gives the entire 9th Circuit a chance to correct this anomalous decision by just two judges overturning the vote of 7 million Californians.” While Proposition 8 defined marriage as a union of a man and a woman, attorneys for same-sex couples argue that marriage is a basic civil right and the courts must extend it to all couples regardless of sexual orientation. “This case is about marriage and equality,” Theodore Olson, an attorney for a same-sex couple has said throughout the proceedings. “People are being denied their right to marry and their right to equality under the law.”
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“She Passed Away in a Nursing Home Unable to Recover From Years of Neglecting Herself”
D
ear Friends…..Ten years ago something happened that changed my perception of senior independence forever. I was a doctor working in San Francisco with many senior patients in my practice. At the end of a busy day, a kindly woman walked through the door and introduced herself as Mrs. Ann C. (name withheld due to confidentiality). Mrs. C. was one of the sweetest people you could hope to meet and soon became a regular visitor to our office. Months went by and we noticed that Mrs. C. (who was in her early 80’s) was having difficulty with some of her basic care needs and, we suspected, her nutritional intake was not adequate. As her health declined, Mrs. C. requested home visits. After meeting with Mrs. C. in her home, it was obvious that she needed a person who would come to her home and help her with meal preparation, laundry, grocery shopping and have conversation with to keep her spirit healthy. Because she could not afford this help, her health declined rapidly along with her quality of life. Eventually, she was forced to leave her home and live in a senior care facility. I tell you this story with a sense of regret. It was a helpless feeling for those of us who were watching Mrs. C. fail, knowing that it could have been prevented had she been able to afford the cost of care. Unable to recover from the previous years of neglect, she eventually passed away. In 2009, an opportunity presented itself for me to participate in the founding of a new homecare agency, Accredited Caregiver Specialists. Knowing that there are more elderly people like Mrs. C, I entered into this agency with the goal to create and provide a service that would meet the needs of others. This agency needed to hold to core principles designed to guide all of agency interactions and procedures. First and foremost, the service needed to be affordable. Second, the quality of the care provided had to be consistent with the best practices of the home care industry, i.e., caregivers had to be well trained, experienced, and come highly recommended. Third, the agency staff had to be service oriented, caring and spend time getting to know those we would be helping. By doing this, we saw an opportunity to make a break from the traditional way of providing care. Helping someone now may mean the difference between dignified independence for them or loneliness and decline. Accredited Caregiver Specialists was founded by doctors to meet the need for affordable, non-medical homecare for seniors. Services include light housekeeping, meal prep, laundry, driving to medical appointments, memory care, personal care and more. Rates start at $17 an hour (compared to the average $25/hour for similar services). Accredited Caregiver Specialists is an affiliate member of the California Association of Health Care Services at Home. Schedule a free needs assessment by calling 650-307-3890 or visiting www.accreditedcaregivers.com.
Dr. K. Leung
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Catholic San Francisco
March 2, 2012 PAID ADVERTISEMENT
Catholic lay missionary preserving dignity of young girls with help from Cross Catholic Outreach “Momma Nirva, only Jesus knows the goodness you’ve done for me,” Iverose says, her eyes filling with tears as she speaks. “I can’t thank you enough. Only Jesus can.” Iverose, 13, lives at Bethsaide, a Catholic residential home for at-risk girls in Haiti founded and operated by lay missionary Nirva Desdunes. Iverose comes from an extremely poor family where living conditions are terrible and hope has run thin. Nirva, or “Momma Nirva” as she is called by the girls, takes Iverose in her arms and hugs the fragile young girl. This is what she was called by God
Nirva is a true disciple of Christ. She opened her life up to this call from God and has never looked back. Nirva Desdunes shares the gospel with at-risk girls at her ministry in Haiti.
to do, Nirva says — rescue young girls like Iverose from the dangers of poverty. The children come to Nirva from urban slums and desperately poor rural villages. There, the young girls were in constant danger of sexual assault, forced prostitution, arranged marriage or human trafficking. They lived in constant stress, desperation and fear. At Bethsaide, they find blessed relief. It’s a literal oasis in Haiti’s sea of poverty. Word is spreading about the haven Bethsaide provides,” Nirva said. “People are asking about it and telling others what we offer here. We keep a waiting list of those who want to take part in the outreach,” she said. Nirva refuses to take credit for her work. Instead, she gives all the glory to God. Born and raised in Haiti, she once worked successfully in Haiti’s
banking industry, but all the while she felt called by God to do something more. In the Bethsaide mission, God brought her dream to fruition. With help from Cross Catholic Outreach, a South Florida-based ministry, she was able to launch the program to protect at-risk girls. It has given Nirva the ability to transform young women’s lives in profound and lasting ways. “Nirva is a true disciple of Christ. She opened her life up to this call from God and has never looked back. We’re proud to know her and thrilled to have had a role in empowering her mission,” said Jim Cavnar, president of Cross Catholic. “We also look forward to celebrating the fruit of her sacrifices. When these young women are strong, productive members of society, all of Haiti will have been blessed by the work she is doing today.”
The shelter and stable home life provided by Bethsaide is only part of the program’s approach. Nirva also ensures girls receive a quality education and undergo training in areas such as agriculture and sewing during their three-year stay. The girls’ parents are provided with training, monthly food supplies and self help opportunities. “We don’t just give bread to the hungry. We teach them. We show them how to break the cycle of poverty,” Nirva said. When the girls return home, their families are better prepared to support them and keep them out of danger. “The ultimate goal is to return the girls to their parents. Over the course of the three years, we try to help the parents become better mothers and fathers — stable, loving parents to their children,” Nirva said.
According to Cavnar, Nirva’s education-based, Christ-centered approach has been extremely effective at preventing young girls from becoming victims of exploitation. “The girls become filled with the spirit, are armed with an education and have the confidence to support themselves as adults. This vastly reduces the risks they might otherwise face,” Cavnar said. American Catholics agree this approach is effective, Cavnar says. “Catholics have always understood the value of an education and the importance of keeping families together,” Cavnar said. “All of this is happening at Bethsaide, and it’s protecting the innocence of young girls and giving them a better future.” To support the worldwide outreaches of Cross Catholic Outreach, look for the ministry brochure enclosed in this issue of the paper or mail your donation to Cross Catholic Outreach, Dept. AC00851, PO Box 9558, Wilton, NH 03086-9558. All contributions to the ministry are tax deductible.
Haiti Quick Facts: • More than 220,000 people died and more than 300,000 were injured as a result of the 2010 earthquake. • About half of the Haitian population can’t read or write. • 80% of people lived below the poverty line before the earthquake. • 25% of the remaining houses in Port-au-Prince are so damaged they require demolition. • About 9 million people live in Haiti.
Cross Catholic Outreach Now Endorsed by More Than 50 Bishops, Archbishops As Cross Catholic Outreach (CCO) continues its range of relief work to help the poor overseas, its efforts are being recognized by a growing number of Catholic leaders in the U.S. and abroad. “We’ve received an impressive number of endorsements from Bishops and Archbishops — more than 60 at last count,” explained Jim Cavnar, president of Cross Catholic Outreach. “They’re impressed by the fact that we’ve done outreaches in almost 40 countries and that we undertake a variety of projects; everything from feeding the hungry and housing the homeless to supplying safe water and supporting educational opportunities for the poorest of the poor.” Archbishop Robert Carlson of St. Louis sent one of the more recent letters of encouragement, writing: “It is my hope that this ministry will continue to flourish and reach as many people as possible. I will inform the priests of the Archdiocese of St. Louis of the important work that
Cross Catholic Outreach does and elicit their prayerful and financial support for the service you provide to the less fortunate around the world.” In addition to praising the work CCO accomplishes, many of the Bishops and Archbishops are also impressed by the unique collaborative relationship Cross Catholic has with the Pontifical Council Cor Unum in Rome. This allows the charity to participate in the mercy ministries of the Holy Father himself. In his praise of CCO, Archbishop Dennis Schnurr of Cincinnati underscored this unique connection. “Cross Catholic Outreach’s close collaboration with the Pontifical Council Cor Unum is a source of encouragement,” the Archbishop said. “The Holy See has unique knowledge of local situations throughout the world through its papal representatives in nearly two hundred countries and through its communications with Bishops and others who care for the poor and needy in every corner of the world.”
CCO president, Jim Cavnar, explained the significance of this connection. “Our collaboration with Cor Unum allows us to fund outreaches in virtually any area of the world and
we have used that method in special cases — to help the victims of natural disasters, for example,” he said.“It only represents a small part of our overall ministry, but it can be a very important benefit in those situations.”
March 2, 2012
Catholic San Francisco
PAID ADVERTISEMENT
Cross Catholic Outreach helps nuns, lay missionaries fight exploitation of young girls “Without my education, I would be working in the rice fields,” says accounting graduate Mae Dung, and fellow student Be Loc agrees that the value of an education is profound. “Without the scholarship I received, I would have left school a long time ago and married a South Korean to support my family. That’s what other girls in my village have been doing to survive.” Both young women have grown up in the rural river deltas of Vietnam, an area of the country where clean water, steady jobs, medical care and schools are almost non-existent. It is also a place where human traffickers are common. They lurk on the fringes of society, looking for vulnerable girls they can trick into prostitution or forced marriages. Mae and Be were among those in danger. They could have easily become one of the thousands of young girls who are trafficked out of Vietnam each year as part of the international sex trade. Fortunately, they were saved from that fate by a Catholic program that houses and educates poor, vulnerable girls. “Our program is an expression of the commitment of the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul. We want to put an end to this despicable exploitation of women and the
Mae Dung would be working in the rice fields if not for her education.
enormous physical and emotional pain it causes,” said Sister Beatrice Nguyen Thi My, founder and director. Sr. Beatrice’s outreach sponsors the education of girls like Mae and Be from elementary school through college or vocational school. Each girl has a different story, but one characteristic is always the same: the family is extremely poor. Left in this condition, the girls could easily become victims of prostitution or a forced marriage and the sexual abuse that often ensues. “The plight of these girls is particularly tragic because they start with all of the gifts and hope any of our daughters might have. Their innocence and potential are shattered when a predator exploits them. This terrible practice has to stop. It’s not how God would want his precious children treated,” said Jim Cavnar, president of Cross Catholic Outreach, a ministry working to protect the
Poor Vietnamese girls live with the constant risk of human trafficking.
dignity and innocence of at-risk girls. Cross Catholic supports numerous ministries actively working to protect and educate young girls around the globe. The issue of trafficking and child abuse grows more pressing every day, Cavnar notes. “It’s a horrible fact, but the trafficking of girls into the sex trade has skyrocketed in the last ten years, and it’s the poorest of the poor who suffer most. Their lives are already difficult. This extra burden of risk is terrible for them,” Cavnar said. The best way to protect the poor girls is to educate them and empower them with Christ, he added. If girls are empowered by an education and Christ’s teachings, they are less desperate and less likely to be duped by outsiders. In addition to the success Cross Catholic is achieving in Vietnam, the ministry also has strong, effective educational programs in Mozambique, Africa. One key program located there is operated by the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary. “In AIDS-ravaged Africa, orphaned girls can feel pressure to turn to prostitution to feed themselves and their siblings,” Cavnar explained. “It’s a terrible choice that can turn into a death warrant if they contract the AIDS virus themselves.” In the Caribbean nation of Haiti, abject poverty is the villain and risk. There, Cross Catholic supports a residential program run by Nirva Desdunes, a compassionate Catholic lay-missionary with a heart for girls in need. Her ministry’s threeyear program provides education, vocational training and spiritual formation for at-risk girls. She also arranges training and support for the
poor families of these children. “At the end of the three years, the girls earn a school certificate, as well as other certificates for specific job skills and recognizing their spiritual training. They move forward with all the skills they need to live happy, healthy, stable lives,” Nirva said. “In all of the programs Cross Catholic supports, there’s a strong commitment to religious education,” Cavnar said. “That’s one of the things that separates Cross Catholic from many other charities. We believe that the gift of the Gospel is as valuable and important as food, medicines and shelter. Our Catholic faith and tradition is worth sharing.” Cross Catholic’s strategy is working too. The Catholic outreaches it supports — those run by Catholic orders and lay missionaries — are making a huge difference in the lives of thousands of at-risk girls around the world. “I praise God for allowing Cross Catholic Outreach to play a role in this area of need — and for using us to advance the goals of the Catholic Church worldwide,” Cavnar said. “Of course, none of that would be possible without the help we receive from American Catholics. Our charity’s benefactors are the real heroes in this case. “Catholics know the importance
Girls living in extreme poverty are vulnerable to abuse and human trafficking every day.
of tending to the ‘forgotten’ people of society — the poor, the sick, the disabled, the weak and vulnerable,” he added. “Standing on the sideline while young girls endure sexual exploitation would go directly against Catholic teachings. We are people of action, called to demonstrate Christ-like compassion in the world. I’m confident our benefactors will continue to support us in this effort. Mae and Be are on a safe and successful path now, but there are many children like them who still need our help,” Cavnar concluded. “I believe God will use Cross Catholic and our benefactors to meet that need, serving these girls and thousands more!”
How to Help: Your help is needed for Cross Catholic Outreach to bring Christ’s mercy to the poorest of the poor. Use the enclosed postage-paid brochure to mail your gift or send it to Cross Catholic Outreach, Dept. AC00851, PO Box 9558, Wilton, NH 03086-9558.
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Catholic San Francisco
March 2, 2012
Mexico’s political scene more open to church but still has bumps MEXICO CITY (CNS) – When Pope John Paul II touched down in Mexico for the first time in 1979, he arrived in a deeply Catholic country estranged from the Vatican, with rules prohibiting priests from wearing their robes in public and forbidding the church to own property. When Pope Benedict XVI arrives in Mexico March 23, he’ll find a country casting aside the old anti-clerical provisions, where the Vatican is now recognized and politicians and political parties openly court church favor. “Mexico has changed over the past 30 years,” said Auxiliary Bishop Victor Rodriguez Gomez of Texcoco, secretary-general of the Mexican bishops’ conference. “We now have freedom of worship, an official recognition of the church,” he said. “This has changed the landscape.” The changes in Mexico have been profound and controversial, and the church has been at the center of much of it: an imperfect democratic transition, the emergence of civil society and nongovernmental organizations, more freedom of expression and the press, and, in recent years, a deterioration in the public security situation. Mexicans are faced with the violence of a drug war, continued corruption, debates over controversial social issues such as abortion and same-sex marriages and increased income inequality – all in a nation that has the world’s wealthiest man, Carlos Slim Helu, and where half the population is considered poor. Bishop Rodriguez recognizes the church is still adapting to the changes. “Little by little, we’re learning the new rules – the government as much as the church,” Bishop Rodriguez told Catholic News Service. The rules continue to evolve. During every political campaign, politicians from all parties call on Father Jesus Gallegos Lara, the gun-toting, mariachi-singing priest better known as Padre Pistolas, who is popular with the poor in the most impoverished areas of Michoacan and of Guanajuato, where the pope will visit March 23-26. For instance, just before the November election, thenMichoacan gubernatorial candidate Luisa Maria Calderon,
MAR. 23-25
FRANCISCAN RETREAT Fr. Joseph Chinnici, OFM
MAR. 26
QUIET DAY Rena Grant, MA
APR. 5-8
HOLY WEEK RETREAT Retreat Team
APR. 14
TRANSFORMING ADDICTIONS Shoshana Kobrin, MFT
APR. 27-29
LECTIO/VIDEO DIVINA Victoria MacDonald, MA
(CNS PHOTO/DAVID MAUNG)
By David Agren
Teenage pilgrims from Hidalgo state show their religious pendants after Mass at the church atop Cerro Cubilete in Mexico’s Guanajuato state.
the president’s sister, visited the priest and donated 30,000 pesos ($2,300) for fixing up his 16th-century parish. In the past, politicians publicly avoided prelates, preferring to instead show their anti-clerical credentials. Now they make donations, attend clergy birthday parties, meet with senior church leaders and seek their support. However, the Mexico City government has been at odds with the church leadership over social issues such as abortion and same-sex marriage. The Archdiocese of Mexico City has taken on the city’s policies on such issues but has largely failed to mobilize Catholics and the country at large to its causes. At least 18 state legislatures have approved bans on abortion since 2008. Federico Estevez, political science professor at the Autonomous Technological Institute of Mexico, says the prohibitions – for which the church lobbied behind the scenes – were approved without much debate or public passion, for or against. “They were issues handled at the top; probably polite society involved itself on the conservative side,” he said.
The church’s inability to mobilize the masses over social issues is something Father Oscar Enriquez, a Ciudad Juarez priest and human rights center director, attributes to people caring more about economic and security issues than moral debates. The drug war has claimed more than 47,000 lives since President Felipe Calderon took office in December 2006, and some priests, including Father Enriquez, describe the church response as timid and deferential to authority, especially in the face of alleged excesses committed by police and soldiers and the impact on ordinary citizens caught in the crossfire. “The church has been distant from the people,” Father Enriquez said of the Catholic response. “People also resent the lack of an illuminating, hopeful voice in confronting such problems.” In February 2010, the church published a pastoral letter on violence, which Bishop Rodriguez acknowledges made little media impact. But he says dioceses are acting on recommendations to bolster social ministries and have parishes train lay members to promote peace on the local level. Other Catholics, including poet Javier Sicilia, whose son was murdered last year, have taken a more confrontational approach. Sicilia’s actions have included protest marches, caravans to Mexico’s northern and southern borders, highlighting the plight of drug-war victims and participating in public meetings with the president and senior politicians. He has received little public support from the church hierarchy, however, exposing long-standing divisions among Mexican Catholics on the subject of human rights and how to go about criticizing state actions. One group in the church that has appeared willing to challenge the authorities is the human mobility ministry, which coordinates a network of shelters the length of the country to serve undocumented migrants transiting Mexico. Some of the priests have become media sensations for their work. In the case of Father Alejandro Solalinde in Oaxaca, the favorable coverage stems from his continued defiance of the authorities – who have tried to close his migrant shelter – and the criminal groups that have threatened him with death.
Workshop focuses on helping infertile couples
SAN DAMIANO RETREAT
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VATICAN CITY (CNS) – The majority of the world’s fertility specialists have spent so much time and effort trying to promote and perfect in vitro fertilization that they have wasted resources and time that could have been used to find ways to prevent and treat infertility, a U.S. physician told a Vatican audience. “Infertility is a symptom of an underlying condition,” and too many physicians do not even attempt to find the cause and treat it; they simply recommend in vitro fertilization, said Dr. Thomas W. Hilgers, a member of the Pontifical Academy for Life and director of the Paul VI Institute for the Study of Human Reproduction in Omaha, Neb. Hilgers was one of 16 speakers at a workshop Feb. 24 sponsored by the Pontifical Academy for Life to discuss the latest research on the causes, prevention and treatment of infertility, which affects about 15 percent of the population in the industrialized world and up to 30 percent in some developing countries.
The Catholic Church teaches IVF is immoral, first of all because fertilization does not take place through the sexual union of a husband and wife, but also because of the number of fertilized embryos that usually are destroyed or frozen. Richard Doerflinger, associate director of the U.S. bishops’ Secretariat for Pro-Life Activities, said many people mistakenly believe that in the field of sexuality and fertility, the Catholic Church is against the use of advances in medicine and science. “That’s not it at all. It’s about keeping the two essential meanings of sexuality – the unitive and procreative – together,” he said. An almost exclusive reliance on technology and a focus on profit seem to dominate the fertility, Pope Benedict XVI told members of the Pontifical Academy for Life Feb. 25 after the workshop. What couples need and deserve, he said, is “a correct diagnostic evaluation and a therapy that corrects the causes of infertility.”
Retreats VALLOMBROSACENTER A Ministry of the Archdiocese of San Francisco
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“To Forgive or Not to Forgive: A Road to Happiness” led by Fr. Patrick LaBelle, OP s -ARCH s PMn PM G Growth in the Spirit is something that comes when we are at peace within ourselves and with w tthe people and world around us. Getting to that peace is never easy. The Gospel mandate to “Love p One Another” is not a suggestion. Rather it is the O only certain way to finding peace. We will look o means to that love: FORGIVENESS. at the most available ava Won’t you join for this thoughtful discussion?
ST. CLARE’S RETREAT
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MARCH 9-11 16-18
Lenten Prayer Service with the Vallombrosa Choir Visit our website for details. 250 Oak Grove Avenue Menlo Park, CA 94025 (650) 325-5614 www.vallombrosa.org
-ARCH s PMn PM Join us for music, prayer and reflection during the Lenten Prayer Service on Sunday, March 25. The collection taken during the service will benefit the St. Anthony Padua Dining Room. We will also collect canned and non-perishable food items; there will be collection baskets out before and after the service for donations.
23-25 30-Apr.1
SILENT WOMEN’S RETREAT Fr. Allen Ramirez, OFM Conv. “The Lenten Eucharist” SILENT WOMEN’S RETREAT Fr. Allen Ramirez, OFM Conv. “The Lenten Eucharist” SILENT WOMEN’S RETREAT Fr. Allen Ramirez, OFM Conv. “The Lenten Eucharist” SILENT WOMEN’S RETREAT Fr. Allen Ramirez, OFM Conv. “The Lenten Eucharist”
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Catholic San Francisco
March 2, 2012
9
Priest remembered as advocate to poor, counselor to Cesar Chavez By George Raine Father Donald C. McDonnell, a passionate advocate for the poor who was a counselor to and confidant of Cesar Chavez years before he would launch the farm labor movement in California, and just as intense a champion of right-to-life causes, died Feb. 20 of complications related to pneumonia. He was 88. He had an ear for language. He spoke Spanish with braceros he ministered to in the then-agricultural Santa Clara Valley, Mandarin with Chinese who changed the demographic around Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in San Francisco, where he was pastor from 1970 until his retirement in 1989, as well as Japanese, Korean, Portuguese and other languages that he fancied. Father Donald His message in any language turned C. McDonnell on social justice. Father McDonnell was particularly well known for his work, beginning as a young priest in the 1950s, in the East San Jose barrio of Sal Si Puedes – meaning Escape If You Can, or escape from poverty and suffering – and later for his advocacy on the front lines of anti-abortion campaigns, including his willingness to be arrested for the cause. Father McDonnell and Father Lawrence Goode, the pastor of St. Francis of Assisi Church in East Palo Alto, were among the first people arrested at an Operation Rescue demonstration in the Bay Area, in Daly City in the mid-1980s. He was also synonymous with Project Rachel, a post-abortion ministry. “He was dedicated to all aspects of Respect Life – the pastoral, the prayer and the activism,” said Mary Ann Schwab, the Project Rachel coordinator at the Archdiocese of San Francisco. Sal Si Puedes was home to Cesar Chavez, and he and Father McDonnell became close friends. Father McDonnell introduced him to Catholic social justice thinking and to the writings of St. Francis and Mahatma Gandhi – who believed that non-violence will bring positive change. In his book, “Trampling Out the Vintage: Cesar Chavez and the Two Souls of the United Farm Workers,” Frank Bardacke writes about Father McDonnell’s influence on Chavez, who directed what farm workers called “La Causa”:
“Father McDonnell was a professional of political hope. He was only five years older than Cesar, not yet 30, but he spoke with the maturity of a priest and the confidence of an intellectual who had worked on his ideas and was not just repeating a memorized doctrine.” He understood the nexus between the Catholic faith and politics, and he introduced Chavez to an iconic labor leader, Fred Ross Sr., who taught Chavez organizing – concepts
Father McDonnell led a barrio procession – for hope. he applied in creating the United Farm Workers. Chavez, according to Bardacke, said, “Father McDonnell radically changed my life.” Father McDonnell at the time was in residence at St. Patrick in San Jose, but he spent a great deal of time at what was then Mission Our Lady of Guadalupe in Sal Si Puedes, where on Good Friday he led a candlelight procession, holding forth in his Jeep and directing the event through a bullhorn, recalled Salvador Alvarez, now a deacon in the Diocese of San Jose, who worshiped at the mission as a high school student. A large group of men in the procession bore a telephone pole that represented a cross – Father McDonnell’s point being that “the cross of poverty is too hard to carry by any one person,” said Deacon Alvarez. Bill Orella was a volunteer for Father McDonnell in those years, and on Sundays he drove an old tour bus that the priest had acquired to farm workers’ camps and brought braceros to Mass at either the mission or Our Lady Star of the Sea Church in Alviso. “I followed him unquestionably,” said Orella. “He was so holy and so good.” Sometimes, said Father Goode, his longtime friend, he decided to celebrate Mass for the farm workers at midnight or 2 a.m., and they would be rousted. “He’d say, ‘Wake them up. They’re Catholics,’” said Father Goode. Also in those years, Father McDonnell had radio programs on KSJO and KLOK, reading the New Testament, prayers and hymns and explanations of encyclicals. By 1958, his following was so great that people wanting to hear him preach jostled for space at St. Patrick.
At the request of Cardinal Richard Cushing of Boston, and responding to an appeal from Rome for priests to serve in Latin America, Father McDonnell was posted in Cuernavaca, Mexico, in 1961, teaching an intensive formation program in Spanish language, culture and history for priests, brothers, sisters and lay volunteers en route to assignments in Latin America. Then he was off to Tokyo to learn Japanese and, in 1964, was sent to Brazil to minister to Japanese immigrants. He remained there through the 1960s, ministering and celebrating Mass in Japanese, Portuguese, Korean, Spanish and English. He returned to the Archdiocese of San Francisco in 1970 to begin his assignment at Our Lady of Guadalupe. Here, he became a force in right-to-life causes, and once spent 30 days in jail in Sunnyvale for blocking a Planned Parenthood entrance. In jail, said Father Goode, he trained his handlers to wake him in the morning with the greeting seminarians of his day were given, “Benedicamus Domino” (Let us Bless the Lord), to which he replied, “Deo Gratias” (Thanks be to God). He also could induce tears in his jailers, said Father Goode, telling them that doctors advised his mother to abort him when she had had a problem pregnancy. He also spent time in the law library working on his defense, and it paid off: he was released on a technicality. “He wasn’t a practical man,” said Father Goode. “Sleeping, eating – normal human things were not high on his list of priorities. But his legacy is courage. And his commitment to respect life is a great legacy.” Donald Charles McDonnell was born Nov. 21, 1923, in Alameda, the son of an Oakland police officer and a homemaker. He was ordained June 13, 1947, by Archbishop John J. Mitty, at St. Mary’s Cathedral in San Francisco. He lived in Oakland in recent years and helped out at St. Margaret Mary Church. His funeral Mass was celebrated Feb. 25 at St. Mary’s Cathedral. Cardinal Roger Mahony, retired Los Angeles archbishop, worked one summer as a seminarian with Father McDonnell in Sal Si Puedes and said, “During that summer my heart and soul were converted to the work of service to our migrant brothers and sisters, and since then my life and ministry have been focused upon them.” Contributions in Father McDonnell’s name may be made to Project Rachel of the Archdiocese of San Francisco, One Peter Yorke Way, San Francisco, CA 94109.
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Catholic San Francisco
March 2, 2012
Celibacy should be seen as ‘gift of grace,’ not burden, speakers say By Ann Carey NOTRE DAME, Ind. (CNS) – Priestly celibacy must be seen as “a freely accepted commitment and a gift of grace,” not simply a functional discipline that frees a man for ministry, the keynote speaker at a University of Notre Dame symposium said Feb. 15. Capuchin Father Raniero Cantalamessa, preacher to the papal household, opened the Feb. 15-17 symposium with a call for a deeper understanding of celibacy based on biblical and theological roots. Msgr. Stephen Rossetti, a psychologist who has studied the priesthood, closed the symposium with the good news that a solid Capuchin majority of priests embrace celibacy as a Father Raniero benefit to their priesthood, especially those with a good understanding of the theologi- Cantalamessa cal and scriptural basis for celibacy. In between the opening and closing speakers, two archbishops and several scholars spoke about the biblical and theological roots of celibacy and how a richer understanding of celibacy results in happier priests who are better able to shepherd their people. Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron of Detroit said the people
of God need to be educated about the worth of priestly celibacy. The fact that Jesus lived in a state of virginity is “a sure point of reference” to understand the tradition of celibacy in the church, he said. Archbishop J. Peter Sartain of Seattle said in a talk on “Celibacy and the Pastoral Ministry of the Priest” that the mystery of the Lord is revealed in priestly celibacy in four ways: By being a man of prayer and keeping close to God; by living celibacy as an abiding presence of Jesus and as a sign of single-hearted commitment to loving God and his people; by being a good father to his pastoral family; and by participating in the sacrifice of Christ through the eucharistic celebration. Mary Healy, an associate professor of Scripture at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit, said that in the Old Testament, celibacy as a religious ideal did not exist because marriage and children were considered a “primordial blessing.” However, in the New Testament, the entirely new concept of a “fruitful virginity” was introduced at the Annunciation, she said. Later, Matthew, the evangelist, speaks of remaining unmarried for the kingdom of heaven as a gift given by God. And Jesus himself implies that celibacy for the good of the kingdom is rooted in his own mystery, “the God who desires to wed his people,” with the ministry of the disciples being a participation with Jesus, the bridegroom, she said. Jesuit Father Joseph Lienhard, professor of theology at
Fordham University in New York, said the reasons for embracing celibacy in the early church were threefold: eschatological – celibacy for the sake of the kingdom; theological – the church is the bride of Christ who brings forth children from the font of baptism, and the celibate priest is committed fully to the bride church; and Christological – the priest acts in the place of Christ, who is a model for celibacy. Msgr. Michael Heintz, director of the master of divinity program at Notre Dame and rector of St. Matthew Cathedral in South Bend, said that too often celibacy is discussed only in terms of sexual renunciation. Rather, celibacy should be viewed positively as a charism, a gift, a grace that is freely and joyfully chosen so that the priesthood can be shared with, and on behalf of, others. Father Carter Griffin, vice rector of Blessed John Paul II Seminary and director of vocations for the Archdiocese of Washington, spoke on “The Fatherhood of the Celibate Priest.” We are accustomed to thinking of Jesus as the son, he said, but Jesus is also a father in his own right, for the virginal Jesus acts as a father in providing physical and spiritual food, teaching, healing, protecting and generating children for the kingdom of heaven. Thus, the celibate priest, who is configured to Christ, is appropriately called “Father,” for he is a sanctifier, teacher and shepherd who begets children for eternal, heavenly life. It is the “greatest privilege” of a priest to exercise this supernatural fatherhood, Father Griffin said.
Workshop topic: Spiritual, practical help against online moral traps By Valerie Schmalz One in four Internet searches are for online pornography, a symptom of a growing problem that even affects some priests and others who minister in the Catholic Church, a psychologist told representatives of eight West Coast dioceses at St. Patrick’s Seminary and University in Menlo Park. “It’s more pervasive than most people imagine,” said San Jose Auxiliary Bishop Thomas Daly, who also spoke at the conference. The anonymity and instantaneousness of the Internet is fueling online pornography, ensnaring up to 40 percent of those who use the Internet, said Nancy Kluge, a psychologist with the St. Luke Institute, an internationally recognized treatment facility for Catholic clergy and religious based in Silver Spring, Md. “People who would never dream of going into a bricks and mortar pornography store say, ‘It is in my own home, no one would ever know,’” Kluge said. “Essentially, it’s what we’re hearing in the confessional and it’s affecting married men, it’s affecting young men, college age and high school age, and those are the pool where we draw seminarians and the age group we have priests in,” said Bishop Daly, who said pornography is a sin against the Sixth Commandment (“Thou shall not commit adultery”) so that in addition to psychological and emotional damage “there’s the sinfulness of it, the evil.” The “Walking Into the Light: Realities of the Internet”
workshop Feb. 9-10 was sponsored by the Vatican II Institute for Clergy Formation in conjunction with the Diocese of San Bernardino, which offered the same workshop earlier in the week. The workshop was designed to help administrators and others recognize when someone has a problem and offered ways to address it, said St. Patrick rector and president Sulpician Father James L. McKearney. “It’s a huge problem in American society and American culture,” Father McKearney said. A strong spiritual life and helping priests live in a way that is connected emotionally with others are the biggest ways to help prevent the problem of addiction, he said. One of the workshop’s goals was to equip participants, mostly administrators, with the tools to confront the problem if it affects a priest, Father McKearney said. At the seminary a focus on human and spiritual formation is intended to head off this problem, he said. “I am very proud of what we are doing,” he said. Following a presentation of the workshop at the U. S. Conference of Catholic Bishops meeting in Seattle in June 2011, attended by about 60 bishops, the bishops’ Committee on Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations began encouraging dioceses to offer the workshop, said Sulpician Father Jim Myers, director of the Vatican II Institute for Clergy Formation at St. Patrick’s. The workshop at St. Patrick’s was broadened to include administrators in general in the church, not just those who are ordained ministers, he said. The idea was to help administrators “respond effectively to the people under their care who are
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caught up with abuse of the Internet,” Father Myers said. The workshop also addressed developing “appropriate legal and work space considerations to make sure the diocese is doing due diligence in creating an atmosphere in the organization that safeguards people’s well-being,” he said. “Pornography has evolved from a product that was difficult to procure to a $57 billion industry that is difficult to avoid,” according to the St. Luke Institute’s brochure. Among those attending at St. Patrick’s were San Francisco Auxiliary Bishop William J. Justice, Bishop Daly, archdiocesan vocations director Father David Ghiorso and archdiocesan director of diaconate formation Deacon Leon Kortenkamp. “How much of a problem is this with priests? Unfortunately we don’t have any numbers on that,” said Kluge, who works with sex offenders and those with sexual addictions at St. Luke’s. “There’s been no systematic study of that. We put the workshop together simply because we were seeing more priests coming to St. Luke’s for treatment.” Father McKearney said factors that can lead someone to addictive behavior include loneliness, feeling overworked and “giving in to the entitlement mentality.” Advice for priests to stay healthy and to become healthy include making sure they have a spiritual director and are part of a priests support group. For others, be part of a group in your church that is geared to your age group – making a faith-based connection is very important, she said. “There’s a lot of shame related to this. People are not going to immediately tell you I have fallen into looking at pornography for hours on end at night,” Kluge said. On an up note, she said she has had fairly good success treating people with the problem, and although there is a large number of people who view Internet porn, statistically somewhere between 1 percent and 3 percent suffer from a true uncontrollable addiction.
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March 2, 2012
Catholic San Francisco
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Tereszkiewicz and Bush designed the presentations. “The power of music, art and dance to uplift people and create hope in any life situation is a universal truth,” Tereszkiewicz said. “Our cross cultural arts summer camp was a chance for all participants – students and teachers alike to experience joy, unity and pride.” In a note to Tereszkiewicz, the David Rattray Foundation, camp sponsors said: “The general assessment was that all the children who had attended the camps returned more confident, assertive, enthusiastic, communicative and open. They spoke out more freely, expressed themselves better and were now assuming leadership roles in their various groups Marybeth Tereszkiewicz challenges South or classes.” African students at dance class In January. Among the students who participated in the program, 40 Memorial Church choir, are just back percent were orphaned; 40 percent were from leading an arts camp for youth in HIV positive and most came from poverty living conditions. The program and the South Africa. Tereszkiewicz and Bush journeyed in foundation focus on education as a way January to KwaZulu Natal, South Africa, of lifting children out of poverty and help for two weeks with a group of 18-year- bring reconciliation between white and old South African students looking to black South Africans. The teachers hope to develop a docucelebrate how African culture influenced North American hip-hop, gospel, mentary film about the experience to be and Afro-Brazilian music and dance. released in 2012.
(PHOTO BY JOSE LUIS AGUIRRE/CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO)
ICA teacher’s South African sojourn Marybeth Tereszkiewicz, art teacher at Immaculate Conception Academy and a former professional dancer, and Vernon Bush, the San Francisco school’s choir director and a soloist with the Glide
Brady headlines Serra fundraiser A fundraising dinner at Junipero Serra High School Feb. 23 honored New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady. More than 800 people attended the event raising more than $500,000 for scholarships to the San Mateo school. A Serra football jersey signed by Brady, a 1995 Serra alumnus, was auctioned for $20,000. Among those in the audience were Brady’s parents Galynn and Tom, longtime members of St. Gregory Parish.
Ash Wednesday Mass at SFSU Msgr. James Tarantino, vicar for administration and moderator of the curia for the Archdiocese of San Francisco, celebrated Ash Wednesday Mass Feb. 22 at San Francisco State University. The Mass was concelebrated by Msgr. Labib Kobti, pastor of St. Thomas More Parish.
5 elementary schools in St. Pat’s Day parade Students from five San Mateo Catholic elementary school bands will march in the St. Patrick’s Day parade in San Francisco March 17. The parade begins at 11:30 a.m. at Second and Market streets and ends at Civic Center. “We’ve been doing it for a number of years,” said Bill McClanahan, band instructor at the schools. Between 100 and 120 students in grades four through eight will
participate, he said. “It’s always a lot of fun.” Participating schools are Good Shepherd, Holy Angels, St. Robert, St. Timothy and St. Gregory. All the students wear white hooded sweatshirts with a dancing green leprechaun on the front. This year, the band will carry a banner that says “Catholic Elementary Schools Marching Band,” and will play “Tequila,” McClanahan said. Archbishop Riordan High School’s marching band also will be in the parade.
Novato students aid children in Somalia
Tom Brady is pictured with, left, retired Serra High School Principal Mike Peterson and school admissions director Randy Vogel.
EDUCATION AND S UMMER S CHOOLS
June 11 July 6
The students at Our Lady of Loretto school and parish in Novato are collecting money and praying for children in Somalia through the Holy Childhood Association this Lent. The Holy Childhood Association was founded in 1843 by French Bishop Charles Forbin-Janson so that children could help poor children in the missions all over the world through donations and prayer. Father Manuel Mejia, a Maryknoll missionary affiliated with the Archdiocese of San Francisco, visited the school Feb. 16 to speak with each of the classes about the works of the Holy Childhood Association. Each year the school collects funds for the
Holy Childhood Association “specifically because it is kids helping other kids,” said principal Annette Olinger. The program is parish-wide, and includes the children in the religious education program, said Olinger. The students presented Father Mejia with a check for $400, raised from bingo on Valentine’s Day, said Olinger. Each student has been given a coin box or coin folder to collect donations. The money that the children raise will go directly toward filling the needs of other children, for items including bread, rice, milk, books, medicine, bibles, crutches, vitamins, blankets and desks, she said.
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Catholic San Francisco
March 2, 2012
March 2, 2012
Catholic San Francisco
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HAVE A D NUT… By Valerie Schmalz When it’s done right, serving donuts after Mass builds a sense of welcome and belonging. In the Archdiocese of San Francisco, most parishes offer some kind of hospitality after one or more Masses – some every Sunday, some on special occasions, some once a month. At St. Denis Church, the weekly children’s Mass draws the biggest crowd and “absolutely” features donuts and coffee and juice, said Lynore Tillim, office manager for the Menlo Park parish. “At the 9:30, the kids run around and it makes for a wonderful sense of community,” Tillim said. The 11:30 a.m. Mass includes wine and cheese, and even salami, after Mass once a month, too. “Not a lot of wine is poured,” Tillim said. “What it does, it builds a sense of community. It has the advantage of having people linger and they’ll chat.” At St. Veronica Parish in South San Francisco, “Oh, my gosh, hospitality is very big,” said Sandy Kearney, parish manager. Donuts, little pastries, sometimes fresh fruit and a selection of juices and coffee are offered after the 8 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. Masses, she said. “It is an integral part of our community-building,” Kearney said. “It is especially nice when you see a lot of the families after the 9:30 Mass from the school and parish, networking together.” Hospitality is about much more than grabbing a snack, it is about bringing all kinds of people together, said pastor Father Charles Puthota, adding, “It’s a joy for me to tell the children after the Masses to ‘run and get a donut.’” “Too often, parishioners do not know each other. They might be attending the same Mass for decades, but they have not had a chance to meet and talk with each other,” said Father Puthota. “There is a lot of anonymity in the parishes. I suppose it’s part of Catholic culture. Hospitality helps break down anonymity and bring people together.” “Unless we know each other, how can we serve one another and build up the ‘body of Christ’?” the priest asked. Even donuts after Mass can fail if parishioners congregate in cliques, warns Rochester, N.Y.-based Richard McCorry, author of “Company’s Coming: A Spiritual Process for Creating More Welcoming Parishes” (iUniverse, Inc., 2008).
At St. Mary’s Cathedral, there are a variety of Spanish delicacies for sale after the 1 p.m. Spanish Mass and coffee and donuts after the7:30 a.m., 9:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. Masses. At Holy Family Mission, the Chinese Catholic parish associated with Old St. Mary’s Cathedral, tea, coffee and light refreshments are offered after 9:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. Masses outside the auditorium where Mass is celebrated. St. Andrew’s in Daly City has had hospitality organized by the Knights of Columbus at every Mass –and it has been in place at least since the ‘90s, said Leo Redondo, administrative assistant. In Novato, St. Anthony of Padua Parish buys its donuts from Golden Creme Donuts and the Knights of Columbus pick up the donuts and make the coffee for weekly hospitality after the 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. Masses, said Marianne Kamber, parish secretary. “The people look forward to it,” Kamber said, noting quite a few older people catch up with friends during hospitality. At Church of the Good Shepherd in Pacifica, Mazetti Bakery donates the donuts. St. Anselm Parish in San Anselmo tends to chocolate chip cookies and animal crackers. St. Bartholomew in San Mateo rotates the responsibility for hospitality but it goes beyond donuts after Mass, said Lois Pileri, hospitality chair. Holy cards are distributed by one group, Halloween candy and Christmas candy by others. “As a ministry, our goal is to build community in the parish. We do that by partnering with others,” Pileri said. “Communitybuilding, that’s the whole aim.” At St. Thomas More parish, pastor Msgr. Labib Kobti said refreshments after Mass are “a way to let people talk to each other and people love it.” “These moments are really very holy moments. You convert people. They say, my son is coming for the first time, can you speak to him? You speak to him while he is eating a cake, while he is drinking a soda,” Msgr. Kobti said. St. Raphael Parish in San Rafael hosts hospitality the first Sunday of the month after the 9 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. Masses. At St. Rita, its coffee and donuts and juice after the 9 a.m. Mass every Sunday. Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Mill Valley hosts hospitality outside, with groups of parents chatting and children running around on the sidewalk outside. A parish couple, Steve and Ellie Reyder have organized the weekly 10:15 a.m. Mass treats for 15 years, said Gina Carneiro, parish office manager. “It gives the children a chance to relax and the parents all talk. It’s a nice social time,” Carneiro said.
Why hospitality? ❶ Because it has first been extended to us by God, and probably by others ❷ To be true to the Gospel, the ministry that Jesus Christ established ❸ To be true to our own Christian identity ❹ To assist in the reality of the reign of God and to strengthen the church ❺ To build up your own parish –Laura Bertone, interim director, Archdiocese of San Francisco Office of Worship
He said he has visited hundreds of Catholic parishes as a stranger in his work advising parishes on ways to accentuate a sense of welcome. “My most common experience is that I feel like I’m invisible, like my presence makes no difference to anyone,” McCorry said. With about a third of registered parishioners attending Mass on a weekly basis, McCorry said everyone in the parish needs to become involved in reaching out to those around them. One tool he suggests is for each parishioner to find a new person to talk with during the first three minutes after Mass. At Mass, studies have shown the first three minutes may determine if a newcomer returns, he said. “When the person in the pew next to me welcomes me, that is a wow experience,” said McCorry. Hospitality has its own character at individual parishes – whether it means groups sharing the responsibility, the parish buying snacks, or different parish groups hosting breakfasts that become a tradition. For instance, the Corpus Christi Bible-study group offers breakfast after Mass on Sundays at the San Francisco parish.
(PHOTO COURTESY HOLY NAME PARISH)
Post-liturgy snacks help many parishes sustain a sense of fellowship
Holy Name of Jesus School students help serve treats after Mass at the San Francisco parish. The students are pictured with pastor Father Arnold E. Zamora and Sister Esther Ling, director of religious education.
Parishes with hospitality hours after Mass San Francisco County St. Mary’s Cathedral; Church of the Epiphany; Church of the Visitacion; Corpus Christi; Holy Family Mission; Holy Name of Jesus; Mission Dolores Basilica; Most Holy Redeemer; National Shrine of St. Francis of Assisi; Notre Dame des Victoires; Our Lady of Lourdes; St. Agnes; St. Anne of the Sunset; St. Anthony of Padua/Immaculate Conception; St. Benedict/St. Francis Xavier; St. Brendan; St. Cecilia; St. Dominic; St. Elizabeth; St. Ignatius; St. James; St. John of God; St. John the Evangelist; St. Kevin; St. Monica; St. Patrick; St. Paul; St. Paul of the Shipwreck; St. Philip the Apostle; St. Stephen; St. Thomas the Apostle; St. Teresa; St. Thomas More; St. Vincent de Paul; Star of the Sea; Sts. Peter and Paul. San Mateo County All Souls, South San Francisco; Church of the Good Shepherd, Pacifica; Immaculate Heart of Mary, Belmont; Mater Dolorosa, South San Francisco; Our Lady of Angels, Burlingame; Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Redwood City; Our Lady of Refuge Mission, La Honda; Our Lady of the Pillar, Half Moon Bay; Our Lady of the Wayside Mission,
Portola Valley; St. Andrew, Daly City; St. Anthony, Menlo Park; St. Bartholomew, San Mateo; St. Charles, San Carlos; St. Denis, Menlo Park; St. Francis of Assisi, East Palo Alto; St. Luke, Foster City; St. Mark, Belmont; St. Matthew, San Mateo; St. Matthias, Redwood City; St. Peter, Pacifica; St. Pius, Redwood City; St. Raymond, Menlo Park; St. Robert, San Bruno; St. Timothy, San Mateo; St. Veronica, South San Francisco; St. Catherine of Siena, Burlingame. Marin County Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Mill Valley; Sacred Heart Church/St. Mary Magdalene Mission, Olema; St. Anselm, San Anselmo/Ross; St. Anthony of Padua, Novato; St. Cecilia/St. Mary, Lagunitas; St. Hilary, Tiburon; St. Isabella, San Rafael; St. Mary Star of the Sea, Sausalito; St. Patrick, Larkspur; St. Raphael, San Rafael; St. Rita, Fairfax; St. Sebastian, Greenbrae. Parishes offer hospitality Masses as often as weekly to bimonthly. For information on how to reach parishes, visit sfarchdiocese.org/parishes. Editor’s note: This list is based on a thorough survey by Catholic San Francisco but is not necessarily inclusive.
Tip No. 16: Establish a ‘three-minute rule’ – that is, regular attendees and members spend the first three minutes after Mass visiting with someone they don’t know.
(CNS PHOTO/GERRY LEWIN, CATHOLIC SENTINEL)
Rides to church, house calls, parking privileges: Tips for welcoming the stranger Parish hospitality goes beyond after-Mass coffee and donuts. Here is one Catholic expert’s list of 29 best practices in church welcoming programs 1. Top-down training of diocesan personnel, parish staffs, and parishioners designed to build awareness and to challenge communities to become more welcoming. 2. Hiring a “Welcoming the Stranger” coordinator. 3. Developing and distributing a resources book on “Welcoming the Stranger.” 4. Conduct a self-study and develop a three-year plan for creating welcoming parishes. 5. Produce a cookbook with recipes that come from new people. 6. Produce and show a video on the importance of welcoming the stranger. 7. Provide transportation to and from liturgical services for newcomers. 8. Ask someone from outside your church community to come to all the weekend liturgies and to reflect back on the extent to which they felt (or did not feel) welcomed. 9. Newcomers are acknowledged and welcomed by someone on the altar during the Mass. 10. Everyone is involved in the welcoming of newcomers. Sometimes the most gratifying welcome a visitor can receive is from someone s/he wouldn’t expect to welcome him/her, in a place s/he didn’t expect it to happen.
11. Have a “welcome to the church” gathering with both newcomers and established parishioners attending. 12. After an appropriate length of time to become acquainted, invite the newcomer to commit to some parish service/ministry. Challenge the newcomer to envision what they would like to experience spiritually over the next 12 months, and then to imagine how the church can help them to realize that dream. 13. Provide visitor information cards and ask new people to either drop them in the collection basket or another designated receptacle in the church. 14. Create a Rapid Response Team. Have a group of parishioners who are willing to visit the newcomers with some fresh-baked bread or cookies in the week following the newcomer’s first visit to the church. Two weeks later is already too late in many cases. 15. Pray (publicly and privately) for the newcomers and for the next stranger to walk through the doors of the church. If the parish has organized prayer groups or small Christian communities, make sure they are praying for the newcomers. 16. Establish a “three-minute rule” – that is, regular attendees and members spend the first three minutes after Mass visiting with someone they don’t know. 17. Create a “Welcome New Members” board in the church vestibule. For each new person, there is a picture and
a brief bio: where they are from, how long they’ve attended the church, their family, hobbies, and so on. 18. Establish programs and/or activities for the newcomer that follows up on the initial welcome. These could include: divorce recovery workshops, bereavement groups, marriage and parenting enrichment programs, out of work support and networking groups. 19. Make “Welcoming the Stranger in Our Midst” an ongoing part of every parish meeting agenda. 20. Recruit people to become umbrella escorts who would arrive a half-hour early on rainy days and escort people from their cars to the church. 21. Designate well-marked “Visitor Parking” spaces close to the church building and ask “regulars” to please refrain from parking there. 22. Have monthly (or quarterly depending on numbers of new people) hor’dourves gatherings of newcomers with the pastor and other parish staff. 23. No matter how efficient and cost effective an answering machine may be, newcomers are most impressed when the phone is answered by a knowledgeable, friendly, helpful person. 24. One church in Anchorage, Alaska, assigns a deacon to a person or family who attends Mass for several Sundays. 25. Enfoldment Coordinators. They link visitors with a “first friend,” who visits the new persons at their home.
The “first friend” learns the visitors’ interests and refers their names to the appropriate ministry area. 26. Integration Czar. When a person expresses interest in a program or ministry, the czar assigns a specific leader to extend an invitation to the newcomer. The czar then follows up with the leader, asking about the newcomer’s response. This ensures all invitations get made. 27. Family Mentor. Assign a mentor family to each new person or family. The church attempts to match the backgrounds and interests of its mentor family with those of the newcomers. To gauge the effectiveness of the mentor program and to identify needs, a committee tracks people’s attendance in Mass, involvement in service, and giving habits. 28. Tracking Changes. One church puts its people on notice: “If we don’t see you, we’ll call you.” A call or visit is made when someone’s attendance pattern changes. 29. Hold a parish mission designed to instruct and inspire your parishioners to become a more welcoming community. Ideal missions will: help parishioners to get in touch with God’s blessings upon their lives, explain that the way to demonstrate our gratitude for these gifts is to welcome the stranger in our midst, and to instruct in the ways of being hospitable to newcomers. Source: The Center for Parish Hospitality, www.catholichospitality.com/resources.htm
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March 2, 2012
Archbishop’s Journal
Contraceptive mandate diminishes liberty “It’s about the tea,” British newspapers proclaimed in 1774 as Parliament passed a bill to close Boston Harbor until the citizens of Massachusetts reimbursed the East India Company for the tea that had been thrown into the bay by American patriots. “It’s all about the tea.” Of course it wasn’t about the tea at all. It was about a fundamental diminishment of liberty that had led the American colonists to refuse to comply with a law that breached the freedom which was theirs by right. I thought of this episode from our nation’s history during the debate that we have been having across the United States during the past two weeks about the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ newly imposed mandate on health care for religious hospitals, universities and charitable services. It has become commonplace to dismiss the questions that have arisen as merely revolving around contraception. In the process, immensely deep questions of fundamental liberty are being shoved aside. Embedded in the seemingly innocuous new federal regulations pertaining to contraception is a radically new and sharply diminished approach to how government will define religious liberty in the future. Only those religious institutions that center directly upon the inculcation of faith, and which employ and serve predominantly members of that faith, are to be seen as fully religious institutions. Other religious institutions, which always in the past have been seen as religious employers by the federal government, are now labeled only marginally religious and given a sharply lesser degree of religious freedom. The consequences for the religious landscape of our nation, and the architecture of religious liberty in the United States,
are enormous and immensely troubling. It is a basic tenet not only of Catholic faith, but of most religious communities, that religiously organized service to the poor, the sick, the marginalized and the outcast is to be undertaken precisely as an act of faith. This religious mandate to serve those in need, regardless of the religious beliefs of those who are served, has been the foundation for the only real safety net that existed during most of our nation’s history. Now the very belief of religious communities that their faith compels them to reach out with care and consolation beyond the boundaries of their own faith is cast as an obstacle to receiving the full measure of religious liberty in the United States. The hospitals, homeless shelters, colleges, dining rooms for the poor, counseling clinics and senior centers operated by the religious communities across the nation are experiencing a dramatic reduction of their religious freedom, because of a small clause in health guidelines that promises to be the launching point for erecting a two-tier notion of religious freedom within the federal bureaucracy. Not far into the future, this new notion of religious liberty could easily be used to require Catholic hospitals that serve Catholics and non-Catholics alike to perform abortions, i.e., to “offer a full range of reproductive services.” By way of contrast, here’s one early instance of this country’s great tradition of religious liberty in action: In 1804, as a result of the Louisiana Purchase, New Orleans, formerly governed by the French Empire, passed to the jurisdiction of the United States of America. Sister Marie Therese Farjon of the Ursuline order of sisters, serving in New Orleans, wrote to President Thomas Jefferson to ask whether the sisters’ property
and ministries would be secure under the new government. In a remarkable letter, President Jefferson, the author of the doctrine of separation of church and state, replied: “The principles of the Archbishop Constitution and the govGeorge ernment of the United States are a sure guarantee Niederauer to you that it will be preserved to you sacred and inviolate and that your institution will be permitted to govern itself according to its own voluntary rules without interference from the civil authorities. I salute you, holy sisters, with friendship and respect. Thomas Jefferson, President of the United States.”Apparently the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is convinced that it has found a better interpretation of religious liberty than Thomas Jefferson. I respectfully disagree. The issue of contraception is extremely important in American society. There are frameworks though which the government’s desire to make contraceptives widely available and affordable, and the Catholic Church’s desire not to be involved in supplying contraceptives that conflict with Catholic faith, can both be accomplished. So, the core disagreement is not about contraception, but about religious liberty. Again, it’s not about the tea.
Bishop: HHS mandate presents problems of principle, practicality WASHINGTON (CNS) – The Department of Health and Human Services’ contraceptive mandate and its extremely narrow religious exemption present problems both of principle and of practicality, according to the bishop who heads the Ad Hoc Committee for Religious Liberty. Bishop William E. Lori of Bridgeport, Conn., said in a Feb. 23 telephone interview with Catholic News Service that the “accommodation” announced Feb. 10 by President Barack Obama represents “an intrusion into the internal life of the church that we think is a violation of religious liberty.” On a practical level, he added, the mandate as revised by Obama “does not really address how we are organized” as church institutions. “It seems to me that for the government to ask us to over-
ride our teachings, whether popular or not, there has to be a compelling government interest,” Bishop Lori said. But he said 90 percent of insurers already cover contraceptives, with companies that object to contraception representing a “relatively small number” of employers. “The insurance plans that are in question are good benefits packages, but they don’t include these things that are abundantly available elsewhere and at a reasonable cost, despite what is being said,” he added. Obama’s revised mandate says religious employers could decline to cover contraceptives if they were morally opposed to them, but the health insurers that provide their health plans would be required to offer contraceptives free of charge to women who requested such coverage.
Catholic san Francisco Northern California’s Weekly Catholic Newspaper
Archbishop’s wellreasoned article We wish to thank Archbishop Niederauer for his San Francisco Chronicle article Feb. 27 on the debate surrounding President Obama’s interpretation of the U.S. Constitution. His well-reasoned and clear explanation of the real problem with the president’s directive takes away the hysterics and hyperbole and should be required reading for Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi and those who can’t see beyond their collective noses. To quote the archbishop, “ … it’s not about the tea.” Walt and Kathe Farrell San Francisco
Bishops must uphold teaching
eral rules that are against the teachings of the Catholic Church. Their flocks’ souls as well as their own souls are their responsibilities. Mary Ann Rouse Redwood City
L E T T E R S
Re “Health care is a personal choice,” Letters, Feb. 17: It may be the employees’ right to choose whether they will use contraceptives but it is not the employers’ responsibility to pay for it. I as a Catholic do not want my tax dollars or my church contributions to be used to kill innocent babies. It is the Catholic bishops’ responsibility to their flock to oppose any fed-
Need policy on vacant property
I congratulate the Marc and Lynne Benioff family for their generous donation of $995,000 toward the conversion of the vacant convent at Star of the Sea Parish in San Francisco to a residence for homeless mothers and their children. Catholic Charities CYO and Father Brian Costello, pastor, are dealing with this immediate need in a Christian way. The parish will also, no doubt, be enriched spiritually by this outreach. My former grade school in Buffalo, N.Y., was closed in 1987 and converted four years ago to a similar use. We must have now-unused convents and buildings all over the country that could be converted to special needs. I recommend a bishops’ commission on use of the church’s vacant real estate. Rosemary K. Ring Kentfield
Bishop Lori questioned why the federal government would compel coverage of contraception but leave other decisions on “essential health services,” such as coverage of high blood pressure medication or HIV/AIDS drugs, to the states under the health reform law. “It’s hard to see how that is a compelling government interest” when other important treatment decisions are left to the states, he said. Asked about his Feb. 16 testimony before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, Bishop Lori said he “could not help but notice how polarized the committee is, as I think the whole Congress is.” “The opportunities to engage and to look for points of commonality are few and far between,” he said.
Need question-andanswer page in paper It seems this newspaper is missing one thing: a question-and-answer page. While submitting a letter to comment is fine, there is no answer or response. I am sure there are many Catholics with questions, large and small, that they have wondered about concerning their faith or what is going on in the church. I have one that has bothered me for quite a while and I ask it now to start what may be a new part of this fine paper. The importance of the sacrament of reconciliation is brought up in many ways. One needs the absolution from a priest to forgive our sins through Jesus Christ. I remember when this was of such importance that this sacrament was available on Saturday morning and afternoon. I checked all parishes in the South San Francisco area and confession is only offered for one hour, usually on Saturday at 4. Some parishes give only 45 minutes. It seems, especially in this Lenten season, that the chance to receive this sacrament should be made available more often in preparation for Easter. Your comment appreciated. Joseph Thelen South San Francisco Editor’s note: This paper has begun to carry Father Kenneth Doyle’s “Question Corner” column as a regular feature. The column is distributed by Catholic News Service. A locally written question-andanswer column is a good idea and is in fact in the idea stage here at the paper.
Supporting bishops’ cause for conscience Thank you for your continuing support of the American Catholic bishops in their fight to protect liberty of conscience. I am saddened
that many decent Catholics have been taken in by the Obama administration’s so-called “compromise,” which still requires Catholic hospitals to do indirectly through their insurers what they may not do directly: provide not only contraception but abortifacients. Frankly, I am sick at heart that here in San Francisco some Catholics have openly attacked the bishops in print, suggesting that the bishops’ support for freedom of conscience is motivated by opposition to health care. In fact, the U.S.Catholic bishops have supported public health care since at least 1919. The real issue is not whether one chooses to use contraceptives, but whether Catholic hospitals may be forced by the government to engage in practices that are contrary to our faith. If the government can compel them to provide contraceptives and abortifacients today, all in the name of health care, tomorrow it will be able to force them to perform abortions. Next it will be assisted suicide. My liberal Catholic friends should realize that if a liberal Democratic administration can destroy conscience rights on this issue today, in the not-too-distant future a conservative Republican administration could compel Catholic social services to check the immigration status of those whom they serve, since by that time conscience rights will no longer exist. Roger Ritter San Francisco
Letters welcome Catholic San Francisco One Peter Yorke Way San Francisco, CA 94109 Fax: (415) 614-5641 delvecchior@sfarchdiocese.org, include “Letters” in the subject line.
March 2, 2012
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What’s your Lenten discipline? The examples on this page may inspire: a parish that has adopted praying the psalms during Lent; and a bishop’s fresh look at 10 familiar Lenten practices.
(PHOTO BY JOSE LUIS AGUIRRE/CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO)
40 DAYS
Catholic San Francisco
Praying the psalms By Father Peter J. Daly It’s Lent again. I’m glad. I think I’m sort of a Lent Christian. Not that I don’t like to sing Easter alleluias. It’s just that I like the realism of Lent. This is a season that recognizes two things. First, we are going to die. We start with ashes: “Remember that you are dust, and unto dust you shall return.” Second, that we need God’s grace to overcome the human condition of sin: “Repent and believe the Gospel.” This year, I wanted our whole parish to be on the same page during Lent. I mean literally on the same page, at least in the Bible. So I came up with the “psalm a day” plan. We gave out a Lent booklet that includes a citation for a different psalm that everyone in the parish will read each day. I asked each household, whether a single elderly person or a large family, to read the psalm out loud each day. For instance, on Ash Wednesday, Lent began with one of my favorites: Psalm 63:1-9. It starts with a longing for God: “Oh God, you are my God, it is you I seek.”
Lenten Sacrifice
The Thursday after Ash Wednesday is an invitation to prayer in Psalm 95:1-9. “Oh, that today you would hear his voice: Do not harden your hearts.” Since Friday is the penitential day in the church, the first Friday of Lent we read the classic psalm of penance, Psalm 51: “Have mercy on me, God, in accord with your merciful love; in your abundant compassion blot out my transgressions.” And so begin all the 40 days of Lent. At the end of Lent, everybody in the parish will have read 40 psalms from the Bible. That may very well be 40 psalms more than they have ever read before. It also means that by the end of Lent, every household in the parish will have either located or purchased a Bible. That is something that Catholics have not always done. Since Sundays are not included in the 40 days of Lent, at least when we count up the days, they are a bonus day. I decided that we should all read Psalm 23 every Sunday. That is the psalm that begins, “The Lord is my shepherd. There is nothing I lack.”
No meat can be taken by those 14 and older on Ash Wednesday and all Fridays. FASTING A limit of one full meatless meal by those 18-59 on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. SELF-DENIAL Voluntary acts of selfdenial are recommended on weekdays during Lent.
PRAYER AND CHARITY Can include daily Mass, Scripture study, Stations of the Cross, almsgiving and showing mercy and kindness to others. ©2010 CNS
Father Peter Daly writes a column for Catholic News Service.
10 Lenten practices to remember these mysteries year after year. We spend our entire lives growing closer to God. Don’t try to cram it all in one Lent. 1. Remember the formula. The church does a good job That’s a recipe for failure. capturing certain truths with easy-to-remember lists and 7. Lent reminds us of our weakness. Of course, even when formulas: The Ten Commandments, seven sacraments, three we set simple goals for ourselves during Lent, we still have persons in the Trinity. For Lent, the church gives us almost a trouble keeping them. When we fast, we realize we’re all just slogan – prayer, fasting and almsgiving – as the three things one meal away from hunger. we need to work on during the season. 8. Be patient with yourself. When we’re confronted 2. It’s a time of prayer. Lent is essentially with our own weakness during Lent, the an act of prayer spread out over 40 days. As temptation is to get angry and frustrated. Don’t do too much: “What a bad person I am!” But that’s we pray, we go on a journey, one that hopefully brings us closer to Christ and leaves us the wrong lesson. God is calling us to be changed by the encounter with him. patient and to see ourselves as he does, It’s best to keep 3. It’s a time to fast. With the fasts of with unconditional love. Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, meat9. Reach out in charity. As we experiLent simple and less Fridays, and our personal disciplines ence weakness and suffering during Lent, interspersed, Lent is the only time many we should be renewed in our compassion focused. Catholics these days actually fast. And for those who are hungry, suffering or maybe that’s why it gets all the attention. otherwise in need. The third part of the “What are you giving up for Lent? Hot dogs? Beer? Jelly Lenten formula is almsgiving. It’s about more than throwing beans?” It’s almost a game for some of us, but fasting is a few extra dollars in the collection plate; it’s about reaching actually a form of penance, which helps us turn away from out to others and helping them without question as a way of sin and toward Christ. sharing the experience of God’s unconditional love. 4. It’s a time to work on discipline. The 40 days of Lent 10. Learn to love like Christ. Giving of ourselves in the are also a good, set time to work on personal discipline in midst of our suffering and self-denial brings us closer to general. Instead of giving something up, it can be doing loving like Christ, who suffered and poured himself out something positive. unconditionally on cross for all of us. Lent is a journey 5. It’s about dying to yourself. The more serious side of through the desert to the foot of the cross on Good Friday, Lenten discipline is that it’s about more than self-control as we seek him out, ask his help, join in his suffering, and – it’s about finding aspects of yourself that are less than learn to love like him. Christ-like and letting them die. 6. Don’t do too much. It’s tempting to make Lent some Bishop David L. Ricken of Green Bay, Wis., is chairman of the Committee on Evangelization and Catechesis of ambitious period of personal reinvention, but it’s best to keep it simple and focused. There’s a reason the church works on the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
By Bishop David L. Ricken
ABSTINENCE
Everybody should know that psalm. By reading it six times during Lent, my hope is that we will all begin to commit it to memory. Psalm 23 should be part of our prayer memory bank, just like the Our Father or the Hail Mary. Part of this effort is to make the parish a school of spirituality and prayer. I have always thought that the parish is the basic school of spirituality and the Bible is the basic manual of prayer. The real treasury of time-tested, God-inspired, churchapproved prayers is the psalms. That is what the monks, nuns, bishops and priests use for their prayer every day. So this year my parish is on the same page. We are on the psalm a day plan. By the end of Lent, we will know God’s word a little better. At the end of Lent, we will have all prayed together. You can see the list of our Lent psalms at our website, www.sjvchurch.net.
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Catholic San Francisco
A READING FROM THE BOOK OF GENESIS GN 22:1-2, 9A, 10-13, 15-18 God put Abraham to the test. He called to him, “Abraham!” “Here I am!” he replied. Then God said: “Take your son Isaac, your only one, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah. There you shall offer him up as a holocaust on a height that I will point out to you.” When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. Then he reached out and took the knife to slaughter his son. But the Lord’s messenger called to him from heaven, “Abraham, Abraham!” “Here I am!” he answered. “Do not lay your hand on the boy,” said the messenger. “Do not do the least thing to him. I know now how devoted you are to God, since you did not withhold from me your own beloved son.” As Abraham looked about, he spied a ram caught by its horns in the thicket. So he went and took the ram and offered it up as a holocaust in place of his son. Again the Lord’s messenger called to Abraham from heaven and said: “I swear by myself, declares the Lord, that because you acted as you did in not withholding from me your beloved son, I will bless you abundantly and make your descendants as countless as the stars of the sky and the sands of the seashore; your descendants shall take possession of the gates of their enemies, and in your descendants A familiar parable is told about a boy who put an eagle’s egg into a chicken’s nest. A baby eagle hatched out of the egg and grew up with baby chickens. Convinced he was a chicken, the eaglet thrashed his wings clumsily, made chicken noises, and scratched the dirt for food. Years later, one day the grown eagle saw a magnificent bird, soaring high in the sky and gliding effortlessly on the wind. Excited, he asked the chickens, “Who’s that impressive bird?” The chickens said: “That’s an eagle, the king of the birds. Don’t be silly – we could never be like him or do what he’s doing.” Often times, we are clueless about ourselves. We arrange our lives – and the world – on the basis of our false identity. Selling ourselves short, we settle for things unrelated to our glory and grandeur. Trapped in the ephemeral reality, we lose sight of eternity and immortality. We fail to let the divine spark within us grow into the “living flame of love” by which we can attain warmth and light, comfort and confidence. On the one hand, it is true that our lives are a mere speck viewed against the backdrop of the vast universe. On the other hand, we are precious and honored in the eyes of God who loves us and cherishes us. We matter because God himself has called us into existence – and transcendence.
March 2, 2012
Second Sunday of Lent Genesis 22:1-2, 9a, 10-13, 15-18; Psalm 116:10, 15, 16-17, 18-19; Romans 8:31b-34; Mark 9:2-10 all the nations of the earth shall find blessing-all this because you obeyed my command.” RESPONSORIAL PSALM PS 116:10, 15, 16-17, 18-19 R. I will walk before the Lord, in the land of the living. I believed, even when I said, “I am greatly afflicted.” Precious in the eyes of the Lord is the death of his faithful ones. R. I will walk before the Lord, in the land of the living. O Lord, I am your servant; I am your servant, the son of your handmaid; you have loosed my bonds. To you will I offer sacrifice of thanksgiving, and I will call upon the name of the Lord.
R. I will walk before the Lord, in the land of the living. My vows to the Lord I will pay in the presence of all his people, In the courts of the house of the Lord, in your midst, O Jerusalem. R. I will walk before the Lord, in the land of the living. A READING FROM THE LETTER OF PAUL TO THE ROMANS ROM 8:31B-34 Brothers and sisters: If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but handed him over for us all, how will he not also give us everything else along with him? Who will bring a charge against
Scripture reflection FATHER CHARLES PUTHOTA
‘Jesus was transfigured before them’ “If God is for us, who can be against us?” Jesus has ushered us into the divine milieu. If only we knew who we truly are, our lives would be transformed forever and the world would never be the same again. In Lent, God seems to say to us: “Have some common sense; find your true identity and be transformed.” The transfiguration event in the Gospel enshrines that invitation persuasively. Jesus reveals his true identity on the holy mountain, shrouded in mysterious light and cloud. In case the apostles had thought that Jesus was a mere man, a
miracle or social worker, a powerful speaker and a great soul, the transfiguration became an awe inspiring experience that awakened them into Jesus’ identity. With Moses and Elijah present, Jesus becomes the fulfillment of the law and prophets. In his book “Life of the Beloved: Spiritual Living in a Secular World,” Henri Nouwen inspires us to see ourselves as God’s beloved. Couching this invitation in the eucharistic language, Nouwen says that we are taken (chosen), blessed, broken and given. This
God’s chosen ones? It is God who acquits us, who will condemn? Christ Jesus it is who diedor, rather, was raised- who also is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us. A READING FROM THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK MK 9:2-10 Jesus took Peter, James, and John and led them up a high mountain apart by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no fuller on earth could bleach them. Then Elijah appeared to them along with Moses, and they were conversing with Jesus. Then Peter said to Jesus in reply, “Rabbi, it is good that we are here! Let us make three tents: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” He hardly knew what to say, they were so terrified. Then a cloud came, casting a shadow over them; from the cloud came a voice, “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.” Suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone but Jesus alone with them. As they were coming down from the mountain, he charged them not to relate what they had seen to anyone, except when the Son of Man had risen from the dead. So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what rising from the dead meant. is our true identity: Like Jesus, we too are God’s own beloved. As individuals and community, we are called; gifted by God; though wounded, given to the world. The more we accept our awesome calling, the more we will be transfigured into the image of Jesus Christ himself. Abraham’s story is shocking, but it was a warning against human sacrifice prevalent those days. Abraham is transformed, on account of his resolute faith, into God’s channel of blessings to all descendants. One day, a son of Abraham, would sacrifice himself on the cross to turn his obedient faith into fruits of endless blessings of life and love, peace and fulfillment. In Lent, we would do well to view sin as a sad state against our true identity as God’s beloved. Conversion would be to restore our relationship with God as his children and with one another as brothers and sisters caring for each other’s life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. If we can help our family and those who inhabit our small worlds to see the possibilities of transfiguration, our Lenten season might be filled with meaning and purpose. Father Charles Puthota, Ph.D, is pastor of St. Veronica Parish in South San Francisco.
Question Corner
Episcopal to Catholic priests; vacations for priests Question: I would like to know about the process of bringing Anglican clergy into the Catholic priesthood. Does it involve a ceremony of ordination that confers the power of consecrating the Eucharist, or do they already possess this power? (Richmond, Va.) Answer: In 1980, Pope John Paul II issued a pastoral provision allowing married or unmarried Episcopal priests in the United States to become Roman Catholic priests after proper new formation. Since then, a number of men have made this “transfer,” and they have all been ordained in a new ceremony of Roman Catholic ordination. By contrast, an Episcopalian who wants to become a Roman Catholic would not be re-baptized but simply received into the Catholic Church by professing his or her faith after a period of convert instruction. The difference lies in the fact that, at least at this point in history, the Catholic Church does not recognize the validity of Anglican orders. This goes back to a papal bull called “Apostolicae Curae,” issued in 1896 by Pope Leo XIII. After convening eight scholars of divergent views who met during 12 sessions, Pope Leo concluded that Anglican ordinations were null and void, based on the fact that the intention of the Anglican rite was not clearly to confer the power to consecrate bread and wine and to offer it in a eucharistic sacrifice. In 1978, Cardinal Basil Hume, the Roman Catholic archbishop of Westminster in London, observed that the Catholic Church “needs to look carefully again at ‘Apostolicae Curae’ and its status.”
Now, more than a century since Leo XIII, due to extensive dialogue between Catholic and Anglican scholars and a developing convergence regarding the nature of the Eucharist and ordained ministry, the validity of Anglican orders is still a matter of ongoing discussion. The working assumption is that “Apostolicae Curae” is still in force, so Anglican clergy wishing to become Catholic priests are ordained anew. On Jan. 1, 2012, Pope Benedict XVI established a U.S. Catholic ordinariate (similar to a diocese) for Episcopalians who wish to become Catholic. About 100 Anglican priests and 1,400 laity from 22 Episcopal parishes are seeking to enter the Catholic Church through this ordinariate. When they do move into full communion with the Catholic Church, they will be allowed to maintain some elements of Anglican worship, including many elements of the Anglican Book of Common Prayer. Question: How often is the pastor of a rather large, onepriest parish allowed to take vacation? (Batesville, Ind.) Answer: Your question is interesting. It seems to suggest that one particular priest is taking too much vacation, whereas most doctors, counselors and spiritual directors today would define the problem as the reverse: Namely, that priests take too little time off. Many priests are now doing what a generation ago was the work of two or even three priests. Some are additionally carrying diocesan responsibilities. An August 2010 article in The New York Times reported on studies that showed that members of the clergy – Protestant as well as Catholic – now suffer from obesity, hyperten-
sion and depression at rates higher than most American men. To answer your question, Canon No. 533.2 of the Code of Canon Law says that “unless there is a grave reason to the contrary, a pastor is perFather mitted to be absent from the parish each year for Kenneth Doyle vacation for at most one continuous or interrupted month.” In addition, dioceses commonly encourage priests to take one day off a week, cognizant of the fact that priests enjoy no weekends off. These breaks allow the priest to recreate, read, be refreshed and stay connected with family and friends – then hopefully to return to ministry with new energy. (A priest must use common sense, of course, and not take vacation during particularly busy times in a parish, such as Christmas or Holy Week.) The reality is that often priests simply cannot take a week or two at a time to go on vacation. Father Doyle’s column is carried by Catholic News Service. Send questions to Father Kenneth Doyle at askfatherdoyle@gmail.com and 40 Hopewell St., Albany, NY 12208.
March 2, 2012
Catholic San Francisco
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Interfaith allies believe in Occupy’s future, despite questions While the Occupy tents at San Francisco’s Justin Herman Plaza have disappeared, questions about the validity of the movement that spawned them – as well as the role the religious community might play in that movement – have not. They were taken up by clergy and lay people from a variety of faiths and denominations Feb. 16 during a roundtable discussion on “Calling for a Moral Economy” at St. Cyprian’s Episcopal Church on Turk Street. The event was the first in a series of planned roundtables hosted by San Francisco Interfaith Allies of Occupy. “Is this real change?” asked panel member Michael Pappas. “Should the religious community be part of it?” The short answer, said the director of the San Francisco Interfaith Council and Human Rights Commission, is “yes.” Pappas pointed out to the 45 people in attendance that Time magazine’s Person of the Year cover was that of an anonymous protester. And while he said his organization, which consists of 800 religious congregations in the city and county of San Francisco, has been cautious in its public response to the Occupy movement, he believes in its message – and that there is “a moral obligation” to respond. “I believe that when the history books are written,” said Pappas, “this is going to be the movement of our generation.” Rabbi Moshe Levin agreed. “So the Occupy movement really teaches us what to focus on,” said the leader of Congregation Ner Tamid in the Sunset District. “And that is to break the concept of the ‘Me Generation.’” Both men said the Occupy movement has brought inequities and injustices into the national spotlight: The lack of adequate and affordable health care; students saddled with enormous debt in a faltering economy; wide scale foreclosures caused by greedy and corrupt financial institutions and, finally, a gross disparity of income that endangers the county’s democratic system. For Rabbi Levin, who served as an Air Force chaplain in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War, the movement also serves as a reminder of the importance of being engaged. “I was ashamed for what I did back then,” he said. “I was part of the system, part of the establishment. I was asleep – and I don’t want to be asleep now.” Rabbi Levin pointed to Martin Luther King Jr. and the Berrigan brother priests as religious people who followed their consciences by speaking out against injustices and fighting for social change. Unfortunately, said the rabbi, the Jewish establishment is “primarily concerned with keeping its rituals – not healing the world.”
(PHOTO BY JOSE LUIS AGUIRRE/CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO)
By Dana Perrigan
OccupySF demonstrators are pictured during a march on Market Street in San Francisco last December.
Drawing from St Paul’s Letter to the Romans, Pope Benedict XVI reflected on the role of finance and the media during a visit to Rome’s Major Seminary Feb. 15. “The world of finance, while necessary, no longer represents an instrument that favors our well-being or the life of mankind,” the pope said. “Instead it has become an oppressive power that almost demands our adoration – mammon, the false divinity that truly dominates the world.” “Faced with conformity and submission to this power,” Christians are non-conformists, the pope said. “It is not having, but being that counts. We do not submit to this, we use it as a means, but with the freedom of the children of God.” – Vatican Radio
And Christians, in general, he said, seem to be more concerned with personal salvation than working for the common good. “It’s a reflection of the ‘Me Generation’ of the 1980s,” he said. He believes the religious community has an important role to play. “It can add dignity to the movement so that more folks would get involved,” he said. “It can bring dignity to a movement that is easy for others to degrade.” But the dignity the religious community’s support would bring to the Occupy movement, said the rabbi, would quickly be erased by the use of violent demonstration tactics – the type, for instance, that was on display recently when protesters threw furniture off the roof of the vacant Cathedral Hill Hotel. “We know that anarchism, that violence is not the way to make change,” he said. An Alameda pastor who has served as a pastor at the interfaith tent of Occupy Oakland said that the media has focused too much on some of the violence that has taken place at recent protests, and failed to put it into context. “What you’re seeing in the mainstream media is not what’s going on the ground,” said the Rev. Laura Rose, pastor of the First Congregational Church in Alameda. While there have been some acts of violence at recent protests, she said, some of it has been perpetrated by frustrated police. And in the wider definition of the word, Wall Street is also guilty of violence. “We need to show that violence is broader,” she said. The Rev. Rose said she has been impressed by the movement’s community, its inclusiveness.
“It’s a fluid movement,” she said, “and I feel like I’m trying to constantly catch up.” Susan Green, a member of the OccupySF movement, said members have been meeting regularly in various groups to discuss plans and strategy for spring. “We’ve been very busy since the encampment shut down,” said Green. “We have moved out of Justin Herman Plaza and into the community – even though there’s nothing snazzy for the media to write about.” Before every action or march, said Green, there is always a statement against the use of violence. “These acts of violence are definitely not planned,” said Green. “Consistently, there are very small groups of people who want to make a violent statement against corporate greed. It’s a minority. The problem is that the media blow that out of proportion and we lose the impact of what it’s really all about.” Green encouraged those who want to get involved, or simply to stay in touch with what is going on, to check out the OccupySF website. The Rev. Will Scott, vicar at St. Cyprian’s, later said that he was impressed by the broad spectrum of faiths and denominations present at the roundtable meeting. “It’s a good sign,” he said, “and I think it was inspiring to see the engagement around economic issues.” He has also been impressed by those at St. Cyprian’s who are supportive of the Occupy movement. “They may not be down there in the camp,” he said, “but they’re cheering on from the sidelines, and they have respect for the people there and what they’re doing.”
Christina . . . (PHOTO BY JOSE LUIS AGUIRRE/CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO)
■ Continued from cover Sister Christina stepped into a neighborhood that for decades has been an entry point for drugs and now also is a gateway for gangs from the Mexican state of Michoacan, said Father James Garcia, former pastor of St. Anthony of Padua, a Spanish-language parish in Redwood City and now pastor of St. Anthony of Padua in San Francisco. “We worked together to soften the landscape of North Fair Oaks, to make it a little more human,” said Father Garcia, noting the parish and county sheriff’s department contributed funding to build a soccer field during his tenure in San Mateo. “Sister Christina embodies the Sinsinawa Dominican mission ‘to proclaim the Gospel through the ministry of preaching and teaching in order to participate in the building of a holy and just church and society,’” said Dominican Sister Mary Ellen Gevelinger, prioress of the Wisconsin-based religious order, in an email. The goal of the center and its works is to help poor people become self sufficient while offering help for the journey. The center’s motto: “Compassion, not judgment.” A tile of St. Francis from Sister Christina’s mother’s kitchen decorates the wall beside the door into the St. Francis Center. The people served simply call it ‘La Casita’ – The Little House,” the center’s website states. “This nickname reflects spirit of our work. We strive to make the St. Francis Center a place of hospitality: warm, clean, inviting and even pretty. “ So far, during her tenure at St. Francis, Sister Christina has founded a one-class school, the Holy Family Academy; upgraded St. Clare Apartments so it received a mayor’s beautification award; and raised the funds for and oversaw construction of two new buildings, the three-story St. Francis Center and the Siena Youth Center. “I truly believe God intended it to be,” Sister Christina said, calling the achievements “a miracle.”
Pope’s words on finance, media
Dominican Sister Christina Heltsley and a young neighborhood resident are pictured last Nov. 19 at the opening of the Siena Youth Center in Redwood City. The center is one of the latest projects of Sister Christina’s St. Francis Center in the North Fair Oaks neighborhood of San Mateo County.
The St. Francis Center is located in a section of North Fair Oaks, backed up against the railroad tracks, that is “very densely populated, exceedingly young, and there are a lot of babies and moms,” said Sister Christina, herself one of nine children. Many of the residents are undocumented. The center distributes food to 2,500 families a month and clothing to 30 to 50 families a day. The center
includes The Holy Family Academy, adult education classrooms, a computer lab and four low-income apartments. It is supported by the community, including Catholic parishes, and 120 volunteers work two or more hours a week there. One volunteer, who wants to remain anonymous, donated most of the funds to build the Siena Center in honor of her late husband, also a volunteer. At the Holy Family Academy, started in 2001, 13 students are taught by Dominican Sister Susan Ostrowski, who lives in community with Sister Christina and a lay associate of the order. Holy Family Academy is tuitionfree but there is a “nonnegotiable” requirement that each mother sign a contract to spend one day a week in English as a Second Language classes at the center. “When you give someone an education it cannot be taken away,” said Sister Christina. Because North Fair Oaks is cross territory for competing gangs, the new Siena Youth Center includes a substation for the San Mateo sheriff that overlooks the gym and has a membership board made up of adults and teens to screen applicants and filter out gang members. Sister Christina said “98 percent” of the area residents are hardworking, law-abiding people. An incident the night of the Siena Center ribbon cutting Nov. 19 illustrates the area’s challenges. A 17-yearold boy sitting in his truck, unaffiliated with any gangs, was stabbed 12 times and the knife left in his neck as a warning the night of the grand opening – an event that attracted 600 people to celebrate, she said. “You’re messing with their recruits,” someone told her, Sister Christina said. “The neighborhood is so, so volatile,” Sister Christina said. The boy survived and the sheriff’s department is investigating, an official said. The work of Sister Christina “is so powerful for the community. She provides so many services for people in need,” said San Mateo County Deputy Sheriff Christina Corpus, who helps staff the new sheriff’s substation at the Siena Center. “It’s really about giving the kids in that neighborhood a chance,” the deputy sheriff said.
18
Catholic San Francisco
March 2, 2012 (CNS PHOTO/ED LANGLOIS, CATHOLIC SENTINEL)
Spirituality for Life
Porous and buffered personalities By Father Ron Rolheiser A friend of mine tells this story: As a young boy in the 1950s he was struck down with pneumonia. His family lived in a small town that had neither a hospital nor a doctor. His father had a job that had taken him away from the family for that week. His mother was home alone with no phone and no car. Frightened and without resources, she came to his sickbed, knelt beside it, pinned a medal of St. Therese of Lisieux to his pajamas, and prayed to St. Therese in words to this effect: “I’m trusting you to make my child better. I’m going to remain kneeling here until his fever breaks.” Both my friend and his mother eventually fell asleep, he in his sickbed and she kneeling beside it. When they woke, his fever had broken. My friend shares this story not to claim some kind of miracle took place – though who is to judge? He tells it to make the point that his mother, in a situation of helplessness, dropped to her knees and turned to God as if by instinct and how, today, that kind of a response is no longer our instinct. Few of us today, faced with this kind of situation, would do what his mother did. Why not? Because our personalities have changed. Charles Taylor, in an outstanding book, “A Secular Age,” traces out how, as our world has grown more secular, we have moved more and more from being porous personalities to becoming buffered personalities. We have a porous personality when our consciousness fears threats from nature or elsewhere, from which our main and often only defense is power from the other world –God, angels, saints, dead ancestors, benign spirits, fairies, genies. Our personalities are porous when they are made fragile by threats that only powers beyond us can ultimately appease. All human resources are seen as inadequate in securing our lives. Part of that belief too is that the natural world itself is far from only natural. Instead it is an enchanted world within which lurk spirits of all kinds, good and bad. Thus, coping with life means dealing not only with the physical things of our world but also with spirits who can bless or curse us. I
remember as a child sprinkling myself with holy water for safety during lightning storms. I had a porous personality. A buffered personality, on the other hand, is one within which everyday consciousness lives inside of what Taylor calls “a self-sufficient humanism.” Self-sufficient humanism believes that we are essentially adequate to handle the darkness and the threats within life and that there are no ghosts and spirits lurking beneath the surface. There is only what we see and that’s all - and that’s also enough. We don’t need help from another world. In self-sufficient humanism you don’t sprinkle yourself with holy water during lightning storms; you stand securely behind a safe window and enjoy the free fireworks. And that lack of fear is not necessarily a bad thing. It’s an illusion of course, but, even so, God doesn’t want us to live dominated by fear. The word “gospel” after all means “good news,” not threat. Jesus came into this world to rid us of false fear. But the belief that we are self-sufficient is still a dangerous illusion and a crippling immaturity. In the end, we are not safe from lightning and disease, no matter how safe our windows or good our doctors. To think of ourselves as self-sufficient is naive, an illusion, a living under a pall-of-enchantment. We are not in control. Moreover, there is an immaturity in the belief that we are so much more advanced and freer than were our grandparents who were afraid of lightning and pinned religious medals on sick children. Their fear inspired an important virtue. What was it? Robert Bellah once looked at how community and religion tend to thrive inside immigrant communities and challenged us, post-immigrants, to become “inner-immigrants.” That’s also true here. We need to get in touch with our “inner porous self” – our deep-down fragility. The purpose of that is not to instill fear but gratitude. It is only when we realize that we are not in control and that our lives and our safety are in the hands of a great and loving power beyond us that we will bend our knees in gratitude, both when we are joyous and when we are afraid. Oblate Father Ron Rolheiser is president of the Oblate School of Theology in San Antonio, Texas.
Dominican Father Antoninus Wall listens to John DeGuzman in January at a mall in Portland, Ore.
Marketplace . . . ■ Continued from cover who had come from Ireland. He entered the Dominicans out of high school and in 1947 was sent to Rome to study theology. One of his classmates was a young Polish man named Karol Wojtyla, the future Pope John Paul II. In 1986 – after years of teaching, administrating and a little parish work – Father Wall became a missionary preacher. He has traveled all over the nation and to India. Currently, he is on a preaching mission at St. Patrick Church in Fredericksburg, Va., for Lent. In the back of his mind, he long thought the church should establish a presence in U.S. shopping malls, so he commits each January to the Portland mall. On weekdays, he wore his black clerical garb and sat in a chair across from Macy’s on the mall’s second floor. On Saturdays, he rented a kiosk on the first floor near the ice rink. Ideally, Father Wall said, the Dominicans would like to raise enough money to have a permanent space at Lloyd Center, where they could offer counseling, Mass and seminars. The priest has published pamphlets on pastoral problems such as terminal illness, the death of a loved one and postabortion spiritual trauma. Central to all his messages is pointing out God’s abiding task – inviting humanity toward greater love. “Whatever love is in you is part of God’s love,” he said.
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March 2, 2012
Catholic San Francisco
19
(PHOTO BY JOSE LUIS AGUIRRE/CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO)
Protestants discovering St. Francis On Saturday, March 3, at 5 p.m. something new will happen at the National Shrine of St. Francis of Assisi in North Beach: Catholics and Protestants will gather together for an hour of music, prayer, Scripture reading and faith sharing. According to Capuchin Father Gregory Coiro, shrine rector, it began last year when a group of students from Santa Barbara’s Westmont College visited the historic church on Vallejo Street at Columbus Avenue. “I told them that to understand St. Francis, you had to start with the premise that he was nuts, crazy about Jesus,� Father Coiro said. That resonated with Barry Brown, a for-
Pilgrimage of Hope and Unity
Charismatic Mass
Hurry! Pope Bendict XVI Tim e and Visit to Cuba space ar e March 24-29, 2012 limited.
About 500 people gathered Feb. 18 and 19 at St. Anthony of Padua Church in San Francisco to celebrate the 21st evangelization congress organized by the prayer group Cristo Rey. Aleyda Galo, above, is pictured leading prayer during the event. Father James Garcia, pastor of St. Anthony; Father Jose Corral, director of the Charismatic Hispanic Movement; and Father Rigoberto Zamora from the Dominican Republic were among the preachers.
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mer pastor in the Church of the Nazarene, who was with the group. He contacted other evangelical Christians and met several times with Father Coiro to plan a way for anyone who is “crazy about Jesus� to come together at the shrine. “Over the doors of the church are two bible passages,� Father Coiro said. “The first says, ‘One Lord, one faith, one baptism,’ and the other says, ‘One flock and one shepherd.’ We’re going to check our theological differences at the door and celebrate those things that unite us, especially our faith in the Lord Jesus, and learning to see him through the eyes of Francis.�
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20
Catholic San Francisco
March 2, 2012
Marin’s Joseph Giacomini’s legacy of service to church, home, country From the moment he came into the world on June 27, 1922, as the only one of 12 siblings to be born in a hospital to the day he left it on Christmas Eve 2011, Joseph Giacomini made his mark wherever he went: the award-winning dairy farm he managed; the U.S. Navy ship he guarded from a kamikaze who survived his suicide mission; the legal profession he entered on his 53rd birthday; the Rotary Club he founded; the polio-eradication program he championed, and the parishes he served as an altar boy at age eight and as a eucharistic minister 80 years later. “He was a wonderful man, aptly named,” said Susan Giacomini Allan, 59, of Inverness, one of his four surviving children. “Like St. Joseph, my father was a patient, hardworking, giving man.” In youth, he enlisted so his brothers, needed to run the family farm, wouldn’t have to. In middle age, he often performed legal work pro bono. In his late 80s, he brought Communion and camaraderie to the housebound. “Just like the hero of ‘It’s a Wonderful Life,’ Uncle Joe touched and changed a lot of lives,” said Peter Giacomini, 56, of Verona, Wis. He felt his uncle’s influence from early childhood when the large, close-knit clan would spend Sundays together, lunching at the grandparents’ house after Mass before heading home at 4 p.m. to milk the cows. Born in the Humboldt County seat of Eureka into a long line of dairymen, Giacomini grew up in a household dedicated to its ranch and to religion. He excelled in 4-H clubs and led the Future Farmers of America on the state and national levels. As an altar boy, he served Mass in two churches a few miles from the family’s farm near Ferndale. After dinner each evening, Rose Giacomini would gather her children around the table to recite the rosary, a daily devotion Joseph retained throughout life. Among his adolescent achievements, he played the tuba and marched with the prize-winning Fortuna High School Band across the Golden Gate Bridge at its opening in 1937. Hoping the move would spare his brothers from the draft, he joined the Navy in 1942. While stationed at the Alameda Naval Air Base, he hitchhiked 250 miles on the weekends to see his high school sweetheart, Helen Bertocchini. Their marriage lasted 65 years, until her death in 2009. Routinely, he caught the six-hour ride home with the San Francisco Chronicle delivery truck – even on Aug. 14, 1943, his wedding day. Four months later, the machinist mate first class sailed to the Pacific Theater aboard the USS Natoma Bay. The Navy’s flagship during the Battle of Leyte Gulf., the largest naval engagement of World War II, was struck by a kamikaze on June 7, 1945. The attack ripped a 10-foot-by-25-foot hole in the flight deck and side. Amazingly, the pilot lived. Giacomini guarded the brig while waiting for the Marines to pick up the prisoner. Receiving an honorable discharge on Oct. 23, 1945, Giacomini returned to the dairy business. His Gypsy Guernsey
(PHOTOS COURTESY SUSAN GIACOMINI ALLAN)
By Lidia Wasowicz
Joseph Giacomini is pictured sharing the history of Rotary at his club’s annual installment celebration last June. After his death in December, his club devoted a full meeting to sharing memories of him.
Young Joe, right, is pictured with brother Eugene.
Giacomini was an award-winning dairyman whose herds took top honors at state and county fairs.
Giacomini with granddaughter Christina on her wedding day, Sept. 10, 2011.
Farms earned a reputation for excellent management and productive Grade A-registered herds that took top honors at state and county fairs. The loss of his only son, Stephen, at age 14 in a tragic tractor accident on Jan. 26, 1964, and his own near-fatal runin with a train 21 months later altered the course of his life. “Our jaws dropped when we learned about the huge change” he had in mind, Allan said. In 1967, Giacomini sold the farm and moved his wife, three daughters and four-year-old son adopted shortly after Stephen’s death to San Rafael to pursue his longtime dream to practice law. Earning his degree at the John F. Kennedy School of Law, he passed the bar on the third try. He practiced trust and estate law in Tiburon for 30 years, an endeavor so successful, the San Francisco Bay Guardian named him “Best in the Bay” attorney in 1998, when he was 76. Civic-minded since his teens, Giacomini capped his long association with the world’s second-largest service organization in 1977 when he founded the Rotary Club of TiburonBelvedere. He focused on the PolioPlus program to stomp out the crippling disease he and his 22-month-old daughter Joan
had contracted in 1948. He recovered fully, but she suffered permanent paralysis in her legs. In 1985, Giacomini raised more than $100,000 for the launch of the global initiative to immunize every child. “Rotary International is given credit for taking charge of eradicating polio worldwide, and Joe was a major part of that charge,” said Barbara Newhouse, president of the Tiburon club. Perennially on the lookout for service opportunities, Giacomini started a rosary prayer group in his retirement home when he was 86 and began volunteering as an extraordinary minister of holy Communion minister in his parish at age 88. “He was always thinking of ways to give to others,” said Karen McFadden, outreach coordinator at St. Isabella Church in San Rafael. “He’d come over for the 9 a.m. Mass and deliver Communion to those who couldn’t attend, missing only one Sunday – six days before he passed away.” His death from myeloma and pneumonia shook the senior residents of Drake Terrace in San Rafael, where Giacomini had moved with his wife in 2008. “Every single person was visibly moved and upset because he was so highly regarded and needed,” said Steve Friedman, the facility’s resident relations director. “Knowing people like Joe makes you feel better about the world.”
The 161st Annual San Francisco
St Patrick’s Day Parade & Festival Will be held on Saturday, March 17th, 2012
‘Catholicism’ on EWTN “Catholicism,” a documentary series created and hosted by Archdiocese of Chicago priest Father Robert Barron, airs on EWTN for 12 weeks starting March 4. EWTN will present three showings of each weekly episode: Sunday, 5 p.m.; Wednesday, 7:30 p.m., Saturday, 1:30 p.m.
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March 2, 2012
FRIDAY, MARCH 2 RUMMAGE SALE: Mother’s Club of Church of the Visitacion, 701 Sunnydale at Rutland, San Francisco, Friday from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. and Saturday March 3, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. All kinds of items are for sale including clothes, furniture, books, and a new items booth. Call (415) 494-5517.
Datebook
SATURDAY, MARCH 3
SATURDAY, MARCH 10 YOU’RE IN: Catholic Charities CYO Athletics Hall of Fame Dinner at the Father O’Reilly Catholic Charities CYO Center at 6:30 p.m. at St. Emydius gym, San Francisco. Inductees are Steve Phelps and Paul Watters who will be honored for their extraordinary impact on the CYO Athletics community. For information about the dinner, tickets or sponsorship opportunities, visit http://athletics. cccyo.org/hof/ or call Mary Beth Johnson Deel at (415) 972-1252. SOLD! Belmont to Broadway Auction and Show benefiting Notre Dame High School, Belmont at the Foster City Crowne Plaza Hotel. For ticket, sponsorship, or volunteer opportunities contact Denise Severi at (650)595-1913 ext. 446 or dseveri@ndhsb.org. CRAB FEST: Bleu Bayou: St. Monica School Annual Auction Fundraiser Dinner, an evening of fun, food, and friends at the Parish Hall, Geary Boulevard and 23rd Avenue, San Francisco. This adults-only event starts at 6 p..m with live jazz performances by The Jerry Grosz Jazz Kitchen! Menu includes: appetizers, marinated cold crab, roast chicken, plus wine and beverages. Tickets are $50 per person. All attendees will be entered for a chance to win an Apple iPad! Visit http:// stmonicasf.org/parents/auction.php or call (415) 751-9564.
SUNDAY, MARCH 11 BARBECUE: Point Reyes St. Patrick’s Day fun, noon-4 p.m., sponsored by Sacred Heart Church, Olema/St. Mary Magalene Mission Church, Bolinas at Dance Palace, 5th and B Sts., Pt. Reyes Station. Menu includes charcoal barbecued chicken, hot pasta, salad, milk, tea, coffee. Tickets are $14 per person/$8 children. Available for purchase are
CATHEDRAL: Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption, Gough Street at Geary Boulevard, San Francisco. When available, docents are on duty in the cathedral Monday through Friday from 10 a.m.-noon, Saturday from 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m. and Sunday after Masses. The Docent program also offers special tours and a school program. Schedule a tour by calling (415) 567-2020 ext. 207. Visit www.stmarycathedralsf.org.
ectory
of
e s e c o i d h c Ar o c s i c n a r F n Sa
ir 2011 official d
ORDER FORM
Christine Watkins
Drakes Bay barbecued oysters, desserts, Irish coffee, beer, wine. Auction and raffle, too. Call (415) 663-1139 or visit www.sacredheartmarin.org.
ST. PATTY’S DAY: Hibernian-Newman Club holiday lunch at the Westin San Francisco, 50 Third St. at Mission Street. No-host reception is at 11 a.m. with traditional Irish music and Irish lunch at noon. Tickets are $85 per person. Proceeds benefit Catholic campus ministries. Keynote speaker is San Francisco Police Chief Greg Suhr. Walter Farrell will be honored as Hibernian of the Year. Call (415) 386-3434.
SATURDAY, MARCH 17
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 21
ST. PATTY’S DAY: St. Patrick’s Day Mass with San Francisco Auxiliary Bishop William J. Justice as principal celebrant at St. Patrick Church, 756 Mission St., San Francisco at 9 a.m. in anticipation of the St. Patrick’s Day Parade at 11:30 a.m. A daylong Irish Festival at Civic Center begins at 11 a.m. The United Irish Societies sponsor these and other events. For a full schedule, visit www. uissf.org. ST. PATTY’S DAY: Corned beef and cabbage dinner sponsored by Knights of Columbus in new hall of Our Lady of the Pillar, Half Moon Bay. No-host cocktails at 6 p.m. and dinner at 7 p.m. Tickets are $25/ children under 12 $12. Live music from Scottish fiddlers plus raffle. Call Brian at (650) 799-001; Bob at (650) 464-0164 or email knightscouncil7534@yahoo.com.
THAT’S ENTERTAINMENT: Epiphany Center’s Benefit Party and Show, 6:30 p.m. cocktail buffet with show at 8 p.m. at Great American Music Hall, 859 O’Farrell St., San Francisco. Tickets are $175 per person. Sponsorships are also available. Call (415) 351-4055 or visit www.msjse.org. Proceeds from this traditional night of live musical comedy benefit the most vulnerable women, children, and families in San Francisco at Epiphany Center Mount St. Joseph-St. Elizabeth: Serving San Francisco’s at-risk families since 1852. PASTA: Spaghetti and meatballs at Immaculate Conception Church, 3255 Folsom St. just up the hill from Cesar Chavez at noon. Delicious meal is served family style. Tickets are $8 per person with beverages available for purchase. The Bernal Heights tradition is now in its plus-50th year.
SUNDAY, MARCH 18
SATURDAY, MARCH 24
PRIEST REMEMBERED: A memorial Mass for the late Father Peter Sammon will be celebrated at 5:30 p.m. at St. Teresa Church, 1490 19th St. at Connecticut, San Francisco. Father Sammon, who died in 2002, was pastor of St. Teresa for 32 years. He is remembered for his heroic social justice efforts including the San Francisco sanctuary movement. At the time of his death, he was called “an exceptional priest” and a “courageous defender of workers.” Call Debra Ballinger Bernstein at (415) 561-2300, ext. 31.
MILESTONE ANNIVERSARY: Mercy High School, San Francisco celebrates the legacy of women’s education in San Francisco as the school marks its 60th year. In honoring the mission of Catherine McAuley, the foundress of the Sisters of Mercy, Mercy High School, San Francisco has been dedicated to the education of young women with nearly 10,000 alumnae. The celebratory event will be an unforgettable evening of dinner and dancing in the Catherine McAuley Pavilion on the school campus. Visit www.mercyhs.org.
SATURDAY, MARCH 31 RELIGIOUS LIFE TODAY AND TOMORROW: Sharing the New Wine: Vowed Religious in a Postmodern Age, a day of communal reflection and dialogue on the present reality and future of religious life, at Santa Clara University, Locatelli Hall, 500 El Camino Real, Santa Clara, 8:30 a.m.-5:15 p.m. Visit www.sharingthenewwine.blogspot.com and www.scu.edu/jst/religiouslife. Day is sponsored by California Province of the Society of Jesus, Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary, Verbum Dei Missionary Fraternity, and others.
FRIDAY, APRIL 13 SEW: St. Vincent de Paul Society-San Francisco’s Seventh Discarded to Divine with unique fashions and home décor from recycled clothes, benefitting homelessness and domestic violence programs. Complimentary public preview 6-8 p.m., de Young Museum. Visit www.discardedtodivine.org/.
THURSDAY, APRIL 26 SEW: St. Vincent de Paul Society-San Francisco’s Seventh Discarded to Divine with unique fashions and home décor from recycled clothes, benefitting homelessness and domestic violence programs. Gala reception, live show, auctions from 6-10 p.m., San Francisco Design Center Galleria. Tickets are VIP $195 and general admission $95 ($75 if purchased by March 31). Visit www.discardedtodivine.org/.
SATURDAY, APRIL 28 REUNION: Immaculate Conception Academy, class of 1972 in San Francisco. Contact Michele Clark at (916) 607-5691or mclark2514@comcast.net.
SUNDAY, APRIL 29 WALK: San Francisco Interfaith Council’s Communities Responding to Overcome Poverty Walk around Lake Merced, 1:30 p.m. registration and 2 p.m. start time at parking circle at Sunset and Lake Merced Boulevard. One aspect of extreme poverty identified by the UN that is both treatable and preventable is malaria. More than 1,800 deaths occur every day from malaria and 86 percent of those deaths are children under 5. Proceeds from the walk will help fight malaria, and homelessness in San Francisco. Visit www. cropwalksf.org.
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LEARN MORE: Did you know that students who attend Catholic elementary schools go on to attend the city’s top high schools? Are you interested in finding out about what a Catholic education could do for your child? Come and meet representatives from San Francisco Catholic schools. Learn about the application process, tuition assistance and more at the Catholic Middle School Fair, 4:30-7 p.m. at St. Mary’s Cathedral, Gough Street at Geary Boulevard, San Francisco. Visit www.sfdcs.org/dcs/mythbusting or www. sfdcs.org/dcs/
ARCHDIOCESE OF SAN FRANCISCO 2011 DELUXE DIRECTORY
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TUESDAY, MARCH 20 LENTEN MISSION: If you’d like some inspiration halfway through Lent, come to St. Robert Parish, 1380 Crystal Springs Road, San Bruno. John Angotti leads this parish mission March 20 and March 21. John has given retreats and concerts all over the world and participated in World Youth Day in Madrid. The mission theme is “Extraordinary Love.” Sessions Tuesday and Wednesday from 9:10 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 7 to 8:15 p.m. On Tuesday from 10:15 to 11:15 a.m. and 3:30-4 p.m. St. Robert School and religious education students will have sessions with John. Everyone is most welcome to attend whichever sessions fit their schedule. Free will offerings gladly accepted. Call (650) 589-2800.
FRIDAY, MARCH 16
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TUESDAY, MARCH 27
SATURDAY, MARCH 10 US: Got Love? Love, Sex, and Relationships is a Bay Area wide conference for young adults and youth seeking to empower people with the truth about love and purity, to bring joy and fulfilling relationships with God and others. Mass is at 9 a.m. with San Jose Auxiliary Bishop Thomas A. Daly as principal celebrant at Church of the Nativity, 210 Oak Grove Ave. between El Camino Real and Middlefield Road, Menlo Park. The rest of the day is at Sobrato Pavilion at Nativity School. The conference features engaging speakers, including author Christine Watkins, dynamic workshops, catered lunch, info tables, and book vendors. Confession will be available throughout the day. Open to college, graduate, and high school students. The event is $20 for adults and $15 for students. Conference ends at 4:45 p.m. Visit www.gotlove.info or call Deacon Dominick Peloso at (650) 269-6279.
AUCTION: Mercy’s Got Talent! - Auction and Dinner benefiting Mercy High School, Burlingame with performances and artwork both on the stage and in the auction from Mercy students. Tickets are $80 per person. Contact the Mercy Advancement Department for ticket/auction information at (650) 762-1190 or visit www.mercyhsb.com. Proceeds fund Mercy scholarships, athletics and general operations. CRAB FEST: St. Luke Church Crab Feed in the church community center, 1111 Beach Park Blvd., Foster City. Enjoy all-you-can-eat crab, salad, pasta, dessert and coffee with music for dining and dancing, door prizes and a cash raffle. Social hour is at 6 p.m. with dinner at 7 p.m. Tickets are $40 per person with a no-host bar. Call John Bernat at (650) 341-4045 or (650) 345-6660. FASHION: St. Stephen Women’s Guild presents Via Passerella at the Olympic Club Lakeside. Contact Renee Wallis at (650) 994-9212 or Samantha Martinez at (650) 438-1839.
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March 2, 2012
Challenging biography of Queen Mary offers insights on divisive era ‘MARY I: ENGLAND’S CATHOLIC QUEEN” by John Edwards. Yale University Press (New Haven, Conn., 2011). 336 pp., $35.
Reviewed by Brother Jeffrey Gros, FSC (CNS) The Tudor family is a favorite for TV and Hollywood producers and their publics. However, for Catholics and their ecumenical colleagues, healing of memories calls for a more faith-filled approach to this fascinating and tragic era in the Christian pilgrimage. The epitaph on the Westminster Abbey common tomb of sisters Mary and Elizabeth Tudor better captures the spiritual attitude of Christians approaching this bygone era in their quest for unity and healing: “Remember before God, All those who, Divided at the Reformation, “By different convictions, Laid down their lives for Christ and conscience’ sake.” However, in addition to the new spiritual attitude of Christians together, and a sustained approach to dialogue, we also need solid research on this divisive era, devoid of the polemics of earlier studies and based on the best documentation available. “Mary I,” a new biography of the first woman and last Catholic monarch of England by John Edwards of Oxford University, is just such a contribution. It will be a challenging, but rewarding read for those with the interest in biography, church or history. It mines the best of the European archives, especially Spain and the rest of the continent, to document both the successes and failures of this queen: her short five-year reign; her marriage to
Philip of Hapsburg, heir to the Spanish throne; her relationship with her cousins Reginald Pole, last Catholic archbishop of Canterbury, and Emperor Charles V of Rome; and her connections with her own people and clergy, and with the authorities in Rome to whom she was attempting to reconcile her people. It is a fascinating tale of a complex woman, deep in her religious conviction to the point of unpopular violence against some of her subjects. She had to pioneer a woman’s way in a very male world, ironically opening some doors for her sister Elizabeth, who had a longer time to build on her strengths and avoid some of her sister’s mistakes. Mary brought unique gifts to the throne, having been marginalized during the reigns of her father and brother. As granddaughter of Isabella the Catholic (1451-1504), the queen who presided over the reconquest of Spain from the Moors, the conquest and evangelization of the New World, the Spanish Inquisition and the expulsion of Spanish Jews, she was not unfamiliar with the idea of women as heads of state. In fact, as this study documents, she not only survived in a divided kingdom, with an unpopular marriage, but among other achievements she also augmented the English navy which allowed her sister’s victory of her widower’s fabled Spanish Armada. Religious reforms are not documented in detail here. This volume is well complemented by reading Eamon Duffy’s recent “Fires of Faith,” devoted to the five-year reign and its influence on the Counter-Reformation and the Council of
Trent, an influence that did not continue in England under her sister and successor. However, her work with Cardinal Pole and with the various popes of the period is detailed. Ironically, one of the most difficult episodes arose when the newly elected culture warrior of the era, Pope Paul IV, revoked Cardinal Pole’s credentials as legate of the Holy See and called him back to Rome on heresy changes. In 1550 the great English cardinal had been one vote away from being elected pope himself, and in 1558 at his death he was one channel away from the Inquisition jail, such the volatility of the era. Yet, when they both died on the same day – Nov. 17, 1558 – Canterbury and papal courts were still operating because of Mary’s action, even without Roman authorization. When Elizabeth moved back toward a more Protestant England, only 5 percent of Mary’s Catholic clergy felt the need to resign their posts, but, of course, all the bishops had to go. Yes, the reconciliation of memories and the burying of stereotypes of one another is a challenging discipline for serious Christians. However, this scholarly volume with its exciting story is an important contribution to understanding, which is always a prelude to communion among the churches, even the heirs of this tragic era. Brother Gros, a member of the Brothers of the Christian Schools, is resident scholar in Catholic studies at Lewis University in Romeoville, Ill.
Life of trailblazing black Catholic journalist profiled in new book By Mark Pattison WASHINGTON (CNS) – It only seems ironic that a new book that tells the story of Daniel Rudd, the black Catholic journalist of the late 19th century, has been written by someone who is not black, not Catholic and not a journalist. But, like Rudd and his newspaper, the American Catholic Tribune, the Rev. Gary B. Agee sought answers to vexing questions about the nature of racial equality and how it can be achieved. “I was working in my Church of God of Anderson, Ind. It’s a small Protestant organization,” said Rev. Agee in a telephone interview with Catholic News Service from his home in Eaton, Ohio, near Dayton. “I was going to graduate school. I’ve been interested in (the topic of) race and the church. In our church, our primary charism is unity. But in my community we have parallel ministerial groups – African-American churches in the Cincinnati district and ... essentially white churches” elsewhere in southwest Ohio, he said. In his inquiry, Rev. Agee read “The History of Black Catholics in the United States,” written by a black Benedictine
SCRIPTURE SEARCH Gospel for March 4, 2012 Mark 9:2-10
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weren’t practicing what they were preaching. ... He knew there were Catholics who needed to be bought back.” “There were these sources that suggest that Rudd’s circulation at this paper was 10,000,” Rev. Agee said. “That’s an extraordinarily large newspaper (for its time). “That would make it one of the largest black newspapers in the country.” Rudd was doing more than running a newspaper. He was also a key figure in what was then called the Colored Catholic Congress. Rev. Agee, who been teaching church history for a number of years at the Anderson University School of Theology as an adjunct faculty member, said some issues Rudd raised in the American Catholic Tribune find parallels today. “The whole jobs thing, the whole African-Americans in education issue – that’s probably the best one to start with,” he said. “We talk about the failing rates of many of our schools. Oftentimes minorities are forced to attend these schools by where they’re residing. He editorialized about this. AfricanAmericans deserve the opportunity to get an education, and he wrote about this. “He even took to task Catholic leaders,” Rev. Agee added, paraphrasing a common Rudd theme: “African-Americans can’t get into Catholic schools in places like Washington, D.C., so what gives here?’” Editor’s note: “A Cry for Justice” (256 pp.) retails for $39.95 and can be purchased through the University of Arkansas Press website, www.uapress.com, or from major online booksellers.
Web-based dramatic series mirrors Lenten themes By Paula Doyle
Following is a word search based on the Gospel reading for the Second Sunday of Lent, Cycle B: a mountaintop experience. The words can be found in all directions in the puzzle. JESUS JOHN TRANSFIGURED WHITE RABBI THREE LISTEN TO HIM
priest, Father Cyprian Davis. In that book, Father Davis wrote about Rudd and his aspirations for equality in post-Civil War America, both in U.S. society and within the Catholic Church. Mesmerized by what he read, Rev. Agee conducted voluminous research into Rudd’s life. He read every edition of the American Catholic Tribune, which Rudd published between 1886 and 1897, still known to exist – more than 250 issues. From that came his biography, “A Cry for Justice: Daniel Rudd and His Life in Black Catholicism, Journalism, and Activism, 18541933.” It was published in the fall by the University of Arkansas Press. “I was fascinated by this guy,” Rev. Agee said. “He was a prophetic voice calling its tradition to live up to its teaching: the fatherhood of God, the brotherhood of man – a cardinal piece of Catholic teaching.” He read each of the 256 copies of the American Catholic Tribune – “My dissertation adviser told me I’m the only guy who ever read it, ‘so read all of it to say that you’ve done it,’” Rev. Agee said. From all that reading, the author learned that Rudd was an optimist by nature, hoping that racial equality would come. But Rev. Agee said Rudd “wasn’t naive. He understood there were Catholics who
LOS ANGELES (CNS) – A new, locally produced Webbased dramatic series offers a unique Lenten experience to believers as well as seekers. Produced by Loyola Productions in association with the Midwest Jesuits and Loyola Press, the post-apocalyptic drama “40” premiered its first episode on the series website, 40theseries. com, and social media sites on Ash Wednesday, Feb. 22. The series –- filmed on location in Los Angeles early last December –- centers on the journey of seven strangers who appear to be the only survivors of a mysterious, calamitous event in an empty Los Angeles, devoid of people. Two new episodes will appear each week during Lent on the “40” website, YouTube, Vimeo and Facebook until the finale airs April 4, which is Wednesday of Holy Week, also known as “Spy Wednesday,” an apparent reference to Christ’s betrayal by Judas. The episodes air on Mondays and Wednesdays. Jesuit Brother Michael Breault, an award-winning writer/ director, developed the Lenten series to offer something new and engaging. “’40’ is not just a series; it’s unique in that it also serves as a Lenten allegory,” Brother Breault told The Tidings, newspaper of the Los Angeles archdiocese. “At the heart of each episode are questions and scriptural meditations designed to enhance a person’s Lenten journey.” “The characters in ‘40’ are unique in their own way, but they all carry universal human qualities and, when the world is crashing down around them, they have a need to come together to search for answers,” said Jesuit Father Eddie Siebert, founder of Culver City-based Loyola Productions and “40” executive producer, and a board member and chaplain for Catholics in Media Associates in Studio City.
The characters of different ages and backgrounds discover they all have the same mysterious blue mark on their shoulder and ponder why they have been “left” or “chosen.” They deal with issues that mirror Lenten themes, such as exile and journeying, loss and grief, hunger and thirst, mortification and fasting, sin and redemption, the path through the desert and the Way of the Cross. The series, said Father Siebert, requires viewers to use their imagination as they watch the characters wrestle with unanswered questions. “St. Ignatius (the Jesuits’ founder) was all about using imagination to deepen one’s experience of faith,” explained the priest. “If we don’t raise the bar by inviting people to open their hearts and imagination, their faith experience can become stagnant.” He added that he was thrilled that talented actors from different faiths and walks of life came together to participate in “40.” Production challenges for the 14-episode series included a limited budget and the requirement to make Los Angeles look empty during filming which took place Dec. 5-16. Filming permits were obtained for shooting scenes in a warehouse, where the “survivors” gather, and in a residential area for exterior shots taken during the early morning hours to get the “empty street” look. Loyola Productions has set up focus groups around the country at two universities, a high school, parishes and prayer groups to watch the series and offer feedback. “People are thrilled that we’re trying something innovative to assist them on their faith journey,” said Father Siebert. “Using a cutting edge medium combined with mixed media to prepare for a centuries-old spiritual tradition is very exciting for us and the entire Jesuit community,” he added. “We hope to reach a wide audience and get people talking. ‘40’ is about conversation and community.” Editor’s note: More information on the “40” series and the full schedule of airdates is available at 40theseries.com.
March 2, 2012
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Help Wanted GOSPEL CHOIR DIRECTOR POSITION AVAILABLE!
(415) 666-3542 St. Paul of the Shipwreck Catholic Church has a fabulous Gospel Choir, and we are looking for a Director to direct our choir and musicians at the 10:30 a.m. Sunday Gospel Mass. Salary is negotiable within range of the Archdiocese of San Francisco established guidelines. Email your Resume/Application to spswoffice@aol.com, or FAX to (415) 468-1400. For more details, call Rev. Mr. Larry Chatmon, Deacon, daytime at (415) 557-5330, or evening (510) 430-0353.
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Hosted by the Daughters of St Paul, this prayer experience using the Gospel reading of the Liturgy for the day and the ancient form of Lectio Divina, the “divine reading of Scripture”, will enhance your Lenten journey and bring you into contact with the Living Word of God. We will be using the book, Lenten Grace as our guide. Bring your own Bible. Obtain a copy of Lenten Grace at the Pauline Book center. When?
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Help Wanted Elementary School Principal Position Available We are looking for a principal for the 2012-2013 school year who will enable our faculty, staff, students, and families to “look at the signs of the times in light of the Gospel message.” (Gaudium Et Spes, #4) St. Cecilia’s, a double-class, K-8, elementary school, has been making a difference in the Sunset District of San Francisco since 1930. In the context of a faith community, St. Cecilia School and Parish nurtures faith development, challenges academic learning, promotes leadership and service, encourages parent involvement, and integrates technology into the curriculum.
To learn more about us, take a look at our websites: school www.stceciliaschool.org parish www.stcecilia.com
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Candidates must be a practicing Roman Catholic, possess a valid teaching credential, a Master’s degree in educational leadership, an administrative credential (preferred), and five years of successful teaching experience at the elementary level. Please send resume and a letter of interest by March 16, 2012 to: Bret E. Allen Associate Superintendent One Peter Yorke Way San Francisco, CA 94109 Fax: 415-614-5664 Email: allenb@sfarchdiocese.org
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL PRINCIPALS SOUGHT The Department of Catholic Schools in the Archdiocese of San Francisco is seeking elementary principals for the 20122013 school year. Candidates must be practicing Roman Catholic, possess a valid teaching credential, a Master’s degree in educational leadership, an administrative credential (preferred), and five years of successful teaching experience at the elementary level.
Please send resume and a letter of interest by March 16th, 2012 to: Bret E. Allen Associate Superintendent for Educational & Professional Leadership One Peter Yorke Way San Francisco, California 94109 Fax (415) 614-5664 E-mail: allenb@sfarchdiocese.org
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SERVICE DIRECTORY For information about advertising in Catholic San Francisco's Service Directory, visit www.catholic-sf.org, Call (415) 614-5642, Fax: (415) 614-5641 or E-mail: penaj@sfarchdiocese.org
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