Namesake to nation’s first Black Catholic fraternal organization PAGE 6
Catholic quiz: How well do you know the
Black Catholic History Month: St. Peter Claver, ‘Slave to the slaves’
Discernment: Extra year prepares seminarians for challenging calling
Vocation
Purgatory: The many graces of praying for the
Solemnity of Christ the King and Michelangelo’s ‘The Last Judgement’
Local News: Archbishop Cordileone ordains five seminarians to the transitional diaconate
Local News: Multicultural Rosary Rally celebrates one family of faith under her protection
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The human encounter of love
A“After all, Francis never railed at the social conventions that separated lepers from non-lepers …. He never tried to break the system. He didn’t encourage lepers to assert their rights ARCHBISHOP
famous story is told of the patron of our city, St. Francis of Assisi, about his encounter with a leper shortly after his conversion. Up until relatively recently, of course, leprosy was the most dreaded of diseases. At the time of St. Francis, lepers were sequestered from society and had to ring a bell to announce when they approached so others could avoid them. Francis was especially repulsed by lepers.
The story is told that one day while riding on his horse outside of town he encountered a leper with particularly loathsome sores, so much so that he was struck with horror. Nonetheless, something moved him to dismount and offer the man an alms; as the man stretched out his hand to receive it, Francis kissed him. From that day on he dedicated himself to visiting hospitals and serving the sick, sometimes giving even his own clothes as well as money to the poor. This encounter moved him down a path of conversion that would change the world forever.
JESUS IN HIDING
As one Franciscan commentator put it, in that moment Francis found that “the object of his fear was not a monster, but a man.” This son of St. Francis gives us much food for thought from his reflection on this encounter. And he goes on:
by throwing away the bell and walking into populated areas. He didn’t tell them they weren’t really lepers at all, that it was an insult for anyone to call them such. He asked no one else to put their life at risk, although he was perfectly willing to sacrifice his own. In other words, he gave none of the standard responses for which modern political activists are known.”
And then he gets to the key lesson about what Francis did do for the lepers, and – by way of example – for the rest of us: “First of all, he recognized their humanity, not through words, but through actions. He embraced them. Kissed them. Looked them in the eye…. He acknowledged that these men and women were first and foremost children of God.”
“In that moment he found that the object of his fear was not a monster, but a man”; “he recognized their humanity.” This is where we find our Lord hiding, behind the humanity of those who are suffering, whom others find repulsive. Is not this what he tells us in the Gospel:
Giving to give, without calculating the return, is the pathway to heaven, to true and lasting joy in this life, and forever in the life yet to come.”
“whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me”? All saints and great moral heroes throughout history have understood this. We can turn to our own patron, the “poor man of Assisi”: he came from the well-to-do merchant class, had a lucrative and funloving future ahead of him, but instead embraced “lady poverty,” and in doing so changed the world so drastically that we feel the effects down to our own time.
THE ENCOUNTER OF LOVE
Such witness speaks to us of the human encounter of love. This is the salve to sooth the spiritual wounds brought about by physical suffering – neglect, loneliness, abandonment – because it is what orients us toward God.
The human encounter of love is the way that God manifests the sound reason for our hope: hope in Him, hope in deliverance from suffering. It is already a small but significant deliverance just that someone is simply paying attention, really cares, sees a fellow human being needing love and capable of loving, not a problem to be solved, looking them in the eye as did St. Francis and acknowledging first and foremost a child of God, a fellow child of God.
TRUE HOME
There is where God reveals Himself; but through the crisis of homelessness, He reveals to us something more. Listen to the words of St. Paul in his Second Letter to the Corinthians: “We know that if our earthly dwelling, a tent, should be destroyed, we have a building from God, a dwelling not made with hands, eternal in heaven.” A tent is something that has made itself very familiar to us recently, even being the urban dwellers that we are. Think, though, about a tent: it is a temporary, makeshift dwelling; it signals impermanence and instability, and so is a reminder of how transitory life in this world is. But it is also the type of dwelling used by nomads, that is, people who are constantly on the move.
Those who live among us without a permanent home, then, provide us with a powerful reminder that we are a people on pilgrimage, that this is not our true home; we are in movement toward our final destiny, our permanent home which lies beyond this world. And so, the reality of our brothers and sisters living among us without a permanent home serves as a sort of sacramental presence for us, in that they make this reality of our life in this world very real and present to us.
What, then, are we to do? Listen again to St. Paul: “Therefore, we aspire to please Him.” The most important thing, the only important thing, is to please God. And then he gives us a sobering reminder as to why: “For we must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ.”
Which brings us back to Matthew 25: we will one day have to render an account for our lives in this world, and what will matter is not how much money we have in the bank, how many houses we own, how many exotic vacations we’ve taken, how famous we’ve become, how much power and prestige we’ve accumulated, but one thing, and one thing only: our response to human need. Notice the distinctive quality of those who are welcomed into the kingdom: they were uncalculating, they didn’t know they were doing this for the king. The ones on the left would have helped if they had known it was the king asking for help. We can easily imagine their protestations: “Oh, we didn’t know it was you,” meaning, “we thought it was someone unimportant.” These are the ones who give to get. But the ones on the right are different: they give to give, their response to human need is pure love, not self-interest.
EUCHARIST
Giving to give: that is how we find Christ hiding there, and that is how we will find Him in heaven. He has a proclivity for hiding behind the simple and the humble. As another saint who loved the poor to the point of identifying with them, one of our own time – Mother Teresa of Calcutta – was fond of saying, these are the disguises our Lord uses to invite us to find Him.
Hiding behind that which appears simple and humble: He does that on the street, and He does that on the altar, when He hides behind the appearances of a simple piece of bread and humble cup of wine when He gives us His Body and Blood in the Holy Eucharist. The Eucharist that remains is kept in the tabernacle, that is, a tent. The favors of the Lord are not exhausted, for He remains present with us here in this life, He journeys with us to our permanent home in heaven.
The way to heaven is made possible through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, a sacrifice made present on the altar at every Mass. We in the ordained ministry are set aside to care for the presence of Christ in the sacrament of the Eucharist, but this is incomplete without you, who are dedicated to caring for the presence of Christ on the street. Thank God for our Catholic and other faith-based organizations, our government leaders, those in the nonprofit and private sectors for all they do to bring the healing balm of loving presence to our brothers and sisters suffering on the streets. Together, we can offer something beautiful to God, and beautiful for our beloved homeless, poor and downtrodden, who are not monsters to be ignored or problems to be solved, but first and foremost children of God, who give us the opportunity to show love and so learn the most valuable lesson of life: giving to give, without calculating the return, is the pathway to heaven, to true and lasting joy in this life, and forever in the life yet to come. ■
How well do you know the Catholic faith?
The
Ultimate Catholic Quiz by Catholic Answers’ founder, Karl Keating.
Excerpted with permission and available for purchase from https://ignatius.com/the-ultimate-catholic-quiz-ucqp/
There are no trick questions, but there are questions that will trip you up if you fail to read carefully. An answer is counted as wrong if any part of it — such as a date or name — is wrong. Your goal is not to find the answer that is least wrong, but the one answer that is wholly right, which may be “none of the above.” On average, most informed Catholics score 50%. How well did you do?
1. How many Judgements are there?
a. None. Jesus taught, “Judge not, that you be not judged” (Mt 7:1).
b. One, which occurs at death.
c. Two, which occur at death and at the end of time.
d. Three, which occur at death, on leaving purgatory and at the end of time.
e. none of the above
2. According to the Bible, “without it is impossible to please God” (cf. Heb 11:6).
a. effort
b. solitude
c. hope
d. fortitude
e. none of the above
3. The Fourth Lateran Council (1215) called God “incomprehensible.” This means:
a. we can know nothing about God.
b. we can know everything about God.
c. we can know some things about God but not everything.
d. we can know nothing about God outside of what has been revealed.
e. none of the above
4. Which of these ancient heretics are described properly?
a. Arians denied that Jesus Christ had a human nature.
b. Antipatrians taught that the Father was the least powerful Person of the Trinity.
c. Pneumatomachians held that the Holy Spirit was the preeminent divine Person.
d. Ebionites denied the divinity of Christ.
e. none of the above
5. Creation occurred:
a. because God was tired of being alone and wanted to give his love to creatures.
b. through the instrumentality of a demiurge.
c. out of nothing by the Logos, who was in all respects a creature.
d. at a definite time that is calculable from dates given in the Old Testament.
e. none of the above
Answer highlights can be found on page 38.
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ST. PETER CLAVER:
‘Slave to the slaves’
St. Peter Claver. Engraving by J. Vitta after P. Gagliardi
Namesake to nation’s first fraternal organization for Black Catholics
BY CHRISTINA GRAY Lead writer, Catholic San Francisco grayc@sfarch.org
With their feathered chapeau and glinting swords, immaculate white suits and tasseled hats, the Knights of Peter Claver and its associated Ladies Auxiliary strode into Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption this fall with a quiet dignity. Dignity was what a young Jesuit priest extended to their African ancestors huddled on slave boats bound for the Americas four centuries ago.
On Sept. 7, the African American Ministry of the Archdiocese of San Francisco together with members of the Knights of Peter Claver and Ladies Auxiliary hosted a Mass to honor the feast day of St. Peter Claver, which falls on Sept. 9. The Mass was celebrated by Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone, who in his homily said the self-
subject as it was to the elements on the open sea, limited sanitation and opportunities for bathing, and having to exercise great care not to exhaust the provisions taken for the journey. “And that was for the passengers and crew. For the human freight it was a veritable hell.”
“Father Peter Claver cared for their bodies and their physical health, but ultimately as a means for the greatest care — the care of their souls,” the Archbishop said. “He recognized their human dignity as children of God and affirmed that in them.”
He was reportedly just as concerned with the salvation of the slave owners. He heard the confessions of all he could reach, sometimes up to 15 hours a day – though some slave owners saw him as a troublemaker and blamed him for what they perceived as the slaves’ misbehavior. When Father Claver took ill and was forced to leave his ministry toward the end of his life, “he was almost completely forgotten about” until his public funeral Mass in Cartagena in 1654.
Into this world stepped young Father Peter, who denied himself every comfort, sharing the same cargo hold as the slaves.”
ARCHBISHOP SALVATORE J. CORDILEONE
sacrificing humility and Christian love of St. Peter Claver “is what proclaims the Gospel of Jesus Christ” and is still “urgently needed in our time.”
PATRON SAINT OF THE AFRICAN DIASPORA
St. Peter Claver (1581-1654) left his homeland of Spain in 1610 to be a missionary in the colonies of the New World. He sailed into Cartagena, Colombia, a slave trade port through which 10,000 slaves entered each year after crossing the Atlantic Ocean from West Africa. Although the slave trade had been condemned by Pope Paul III and later by Pope Pius IX as “a supreme villainy,” it continued to flourish. Conditions aboard slave ships were so foul and inhumane that one-third of the slaves died in transit.
“Into this world stepped young Father Peter, who denied himself every comfort, sharing the same cargo hold as the slaves,” said the Archbishop. The promising young Jesuit educated at the university in Barcelona left his life in Spain forever in order to become a “slave to the slaves.”
“We can easily fail to appreciate how hard the sixweek crossing of the Atlantic was back then,” he said,
St. Peter Claver was canonized in 1888. He was named the patron saint of the African diaspora, African missions and Colombia and interracial justice.
NAMESAKE FRATERNAL ORGANIZATION
“On this date we recall the spirit of Black Catholic evangelization modeled by St. Peter Claver which lives on in us today,” said Ansel Augustine, assistant director of African American Affairs for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, in a video message at usccb.org for the feast day of St. Peter Claver.
He is also the namesake of one of the nation’s largest Black Catholic organizations, the Knights of Peter Claver. It was founded on Nov. 7, 1909, by four Catholic priests of the St. Joseph’s Society of the Sacred Heart and three lay Black Catholics from the Diocese of Mobile, Alabama. Father Samuel Kelly, Father Joseph Van Baast, Father John Dorsey and Father Conrad Rebesher each served Black Catholic parishes and missions in Mississippi, Alabama and along the Gulf Coast. Father Dorsey, born in Baltimore, was the second Black American priest educated and ›
Pictured at St. Mary’s Cathedral are local members of the Knights of Peter Claver and Ladies Auxiliary, Inc. They represent councils and courts formed by parishioners of St. Boniface, St. Finn Barr, St. Emydius, St. Dominic, St. Mary’s Cathedral, Our Lady of Lourdes and Epiphany parishes in San Francisco, and St. Francis of Assisi Parish in East Palo Alto. Members from councils and courts in Sacramento and Alameda counties also participated in the special Mass on Sept. 7.
ordained in the U.S. The priests each advocated for the spiritual, educational and economic welfare of the Black communities they served, and collectively understood the need for a Catholic fraternal organization open to lay Black men. Three lay Black Catholic businessmen — Frank Grenier, Gilbert Faustina and Frank Collins – joined them.
“This is undoubtedly the most important movement for colored Catholics that has taken place for many a day,” reported The Colored Harvest, a publication of the Josephite Fathers, in 1910.
The Knights of Peter Claver was modeled organizationally on other Catholic fraternal organizations at the time. Recognizing the importance of the family in Black Catholic spirituality and culture, membership was opened to all. The Knights of Peter Claver formed the Ladies Auxiliary in 1922, and later, the Junior Knights program for boys and the Junior Daughters for girls. Members were required to be active in their church, their local community and the order.
The order has participated in the charitable appeals of many Catholic organizations and have made many contributions to local, state and national organizations including the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, National Black Catholic Congress, Sister Thea Bowman Black Catholic Educational Foundation, National Clergy and National Black Catholic Sisters’ Conferences and the National Council of Negro Women.
Rob Robinson is Grand Knight of the Sacred Heart Council, originally formed in the old Sacred Heart Parish, which closed in 2004. The council, with 10 members, is now associated with St. Boniface Church in San Francisco’s Tenderloin.
Robinson said San Francisco officially has three councils: Sacred Heart Council, Cathedral Council and St. Paul of the Shipwreck Council.
Despite its origin, membership is not limited to African Americans, according to Robinson. “Even three of our founders were white,” he said. Councils in Southern California are appealing to younger Latinos.
Several Knights of Peter Claver are also members of the Knights of Columbus, according to Robinson. Both fraternal organizations are members of the International Association of Catholic Knights. “There is no competition between us,” he said.
THE CHRISTIAN SOLUTION TO OPPRESSION
Archbishop Cordileone concluded his homily by noting that the nation continues to grapple with its history of oppression of vulnerable people, especially those descended from the slaves brought to America from Africa. He believes the solutions the world offers do not work.
“In fact, they can exacerbate the problem when they simply look to solidify power,” he said. “Pious platitudes of equity and inclusion are meaningless if they do not come out of a place of love that recognizes the human dignity of every individual.” ■
Robinson,
Rob
Grand Knight of the Sacred Heart Council
Photos by Francisco Valdez
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Extra year prepares seminarians for challenging calling
WBY LIDIA WASOWICZ
Award-winning journalist Wasowicz, former West Coast science editor and senior science writer for United Press International, has been writing for Catholic San Francisco since 2011.
hat a difference a year makes!
At seminaries around the country, the preparatory, probationary “propaedeutic year” that precedes formal studies is providing critical time and tools for the making of a priest.
Added to the curriculum in response to rising levels of anxiety, stress and self-centeredness spawned by cultural chaos, confusion and consumerism, the change is having major impact.
Students and teachers laud the plan, called for by Pope Francis in 2016 and mandated by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ revised norms for priestly formation, effective Aug. 4, 2023, the feast of St. John Vianney, the patron of parish priests.
At St. Patrick’s Seminary and University in Menlo Park, 17 of 19 candidates who have completed the 12-month program since its launch there in July 2021 gave it a “positive to very positive” review.
With the encroachment of social media, artificial intelligence and other secular influences that sway societal norms, “life has become so much more complicated in just the past 10 years,” noted Propaedeutic Year Director Father Gary Thomas.
Fasting from technology and other worldly distractions and feasting on union with Jesus and each other, the men can delve more deeply into discerning their vocation and developing their faith community, he said.
“In the busy world it can be very difficult to know who you truly are, especially in the eyes of God, and being able to spend a year devoted to prayer and working with others allowed me to more clearly see myself as a whole person in relation to Christ,” said Joseph McIntire, 26, of San Francisco, a convert from atheism in college and one of eight members of the inaugural propaedeutic class four terms ago.
“I was able to build the foundation of a prayer life and relationship with Jesus that would have been difficult had I entered straight into academic formation,” he added.
Absence of grades and absorption in the spiritual self during the introductory year he just completed encouraged “us to get healed from any trauma and addiction we might have (and) build up a brotherhood relationship among our group-mates so that we can walk together in the next years of seminary formation,” said Osvaldo Zuniga, 26, of Stockton, who in April 2022 realized his heart belonged to Christ more than to his fiancée of six months.
One of his seven classmates during the 2023-24 session, David Sibrian, 26, of Redwood City, found the extra year
family life, virtue and sexual ethics,” Father Wagner wrote in a seminal paper he coauthored to mark the spirituality year’s 20th anniversary.
“Many of the seminarians coming to us have been formed more by the secular culture than by a true, intimate, personal encounter with Jesus Christ,” Father Wagner said.
With room for customization and adjustment, the program strives to encourage such encounters through an array of activities and agendas.
“At St. Patrick’s, the propaedeutics — affectionately called ‘the propaedudes’ — would have a formal schedule six days a week, with Saturday as a personal day off,” said Steven Ellison, 34, of Philadelphia of the most recently concluded course.
The routine began with a 7:30 a.m. Holy Hour and morning prayer, typically the Liturgy of the Hours, followed by breakfast, a 90-minute class on Scripture, catechism, saints and other spiritually enhancing topics, Mass, lunch, work assignments — such as stacking wood, setting up tables and chairs, cleaning hallways — three
The propaedeutic year strengthened my initial sense of God’s call to priesthood and helped me not only deepen my prayer life but also come to appreciate prayer as the center of my day.”
THIRD-YEAR
“most useful for being able to take a step back and ask the Lord, ‘Am I really called for this?’”
It enabled Matthew Grehm, 25, of Rocklin, California, who entered St. Patrick’s in August 2022, to answer that question with a firmer “yes!”
“The propaedeutic year strengthened my initial sense of God’s call to priesthood and helped me not only deepen my prayer life but also come to appreciate prayer as the center of my day,” said the third-year seminarian.
“These foundations continue to help ground me in the somewhat busier rhythm of seminary life I’m experiencing now,” Grehm added.
Such testimonials fall in line with aims enshrined in the modern program and envisioned decades ago by Pope St. John Paul II, said Father Brady Wagner, director of propaedeutic year and its predecessor and model, spirituality year, introduced in 1999 at St. John Vianney Theological Seminary in Denver, where he himself experienced its benefits prior to ordination.
The pontiff’s 1992 warning about the deception of “self-sufficiency” inherent in the worldwide spread of “practical and existential atheism” becomes “even more acute in our time with the continuing deterioration of the understanding of truth, the makeup of the family and
hours of free time until the 5 p.m. evening prayer and rosary and 6 p.m. dinner.
In the off-hours, the bucolic 40-acre campus offered inviting spots for contemplation and quiet conversation with the Lord.
Friday night movies, bowling, pool, golf, board games and other recreation, Sunday Mass at local parishes and a “field education day” distributing food, serving at a Missionaries of Charity hospice or tutoring at a Catholic elementary school rounded out the week.
The May immersion mission for the 2023-2024 propaedeutic year sent Zuniga and his group to his home diocese in Stockton for a week to pick blueberries four hours a day with migrant fieldworkers.
“The beauty of this program is that we can tailor it quite a bit to each new class and the particular needs of the men within it,” said Father Michael Niemczak, formation director and coordinator of the propaedeutic stage, instituted in the summer of 2023 at the 135-year-old Mount Angel Abbey in Saint Benedict, Oregon, the West’s oldest seminary.
To build bonds with each other and ease into a strikingly different lifestyle, the newcomers start out sleeping, dining and praying in quarters separated ›
SEMINARIAN MATTHEW GREHM
from the more advanced and acclimated segments of the community. As they adjust, they incrementally integrate into the larger seminary community.
“The program (is) structured based on the four pillars of seminary formation: human, intellectual, spiritual and pastoral,” said Grehm, who heard God’s call in high school in 2017 and answered it five years later in St. Patrick’s second propaedeutic class.
To assess and assist with growth in these pillars, every candidate is assigned an accompanying formator, or faculty priest.
“Each seminarian is discussed thoroughly at faculty meetings both in the fall and spring semesters, and each man is voted on to continue toward the next year and phase of formation or not,” explained Father Thomas.
Of the 25 propaedeutics enrolled in the first three years of the program, 19 remain among the 75 seminarians advancing toward priesthood, with 12 headed for ordination, Father Thomas said.
At Mount Angel, 12 of the 18 men in the first propaedeutic class and all 26 admitted for the current term number among the student body of 75.
“These two incoming classes of propaedeutic-stage seminarians — last year and this year — are significantly bigger than the last several incoming classes of what was formerly known as College 1 or Pre-Theology 1,” Father Niemczak reported.
St. John Vianney, with a current enrollment of 80, also has seen a seesaw climb of entrant totals — ranging from 15 to 24 in the past eight years — since the first spirituality year class opened its doors to nine hopefuls.
“The number of applicants varies year to year, but in the past few years, we’ve had a tremendous spike in those applying from our local Denver archdiocese,” Father Wagner said.
Not all who are called are chosen, and not all who are chosen end up feeling called.
“It often happens that a few applicants are not accepted each year, mainly because they are not quite ready to enter into formation,” Father Wagner said.
Photo by Dennis Callahan
As the men grow more in their relationship with the Lord throughout the year and as they come to understand their identity in Christ, about onethird of the men discern they are not called to the priesthood.”
“As the men grow more in their relationship with the Lord throughout the year and as they come to understand their identity in Christ, about one-third of the men discern they are not called to the priesthood,” he added.
Father Thomas took issue with a public perception that seminaries are lax or lacking in vetting candidates.
“There is a very rigorous process that every man goes through,” he emphasized.
Starting with an educational minimal requirement of an associate degree from a two-year college, it makes a series of strict demands.
During initial inquiry, the aspirant consults with his vocation director, submits a resume and attends preliminary meetings.
If he passes, he completes more in-depth application forms and autobiographical compositions, undergoes physical, psychological and spiritual evaluations, and
responds to queries from diocesan priests, admissions panels and the bishop.
Once they validate his potential calling and deem him a qualified candidate, he follows similar steps in seeking approval from the seminary that culminates in interviews with the faculty and rector.
It took nearly a year to receive the longed-for acceptance notification, said McIntire, a parishioner at St. Stephen’s Church in San Francisco in his fourth year at St. Patrick’s.
In the interim, Father Thomas has tweaked the propaedeutic year and solicited suggestions “as a way to help the men attain ownership in the program itself.”
Aside from making some minor modifications — expanding the exercise and labor segment, clarifying expectations, refining customization — seminarians told Catholic San Francisco they would leave the program intact.
Ellison, propaedeutic class of 2024, particularly praised the prayer-centered schedule and “psychological and spiritual healing through the added support of regular therapy, spiritual direction, positive and faithful community and healing (and) prayer retreats.”
Sibrian, a parishioner at St. Anthony of Padua in Menlo Park in his second year at St. Patrick’s, judged the program as essential and effective for himself and others.
“I have heard positive feedback from the other upper seminarians who have had the propaedeutic year, and ›
ST. IGNATIUS COLLEGE PREPARATORY
Honors Paul Totah
Teacher, Communications Director, Author of ‘Spiritus Magis’
RECIPIENT OF SI’S 2024 CHRIST THE KING AWARD
We are proud to announce that Paul Totah ’75 is the 2024 recipient of the Christ the King Award, the highest honor St. Ignatius bestows on alums. Each year, the SI Alumni Board selects an alum distinguished in their profession, who has shown a commitment to the SI community, and who best exemplifies the ideal of service to God and others.
“It’s hard to tell the story of St. Ignatius without talking about Paul Totah, partly because he wrote the book on SI,” said Director of Alumni Relations Tom Hsieh ’83. “We are so happy to present this honor to Paul, an Ignatian who has dedicated himself to this community for over three decades. From shaping minds as a teacher to keeping SI connected as Genesis’ editor, SI is stronger because of his leadership, service, and example.”
For those who are called to it, the priesthood is truly one of the greatest privileges and greatest blessings that God offers to His people.”
they have all told me that without (it) their discernment would look absolutely different,” he said.
Father Thomas summarized the main benefits as enabling seminarians to:
• Identify and cope with family issues from the onset.
• Collaborate with mental health professionals provided by the seminary to foster physical, mental and emotional health.
• Develop a strong prayer life and fraternity among peers.
• Better prepare for the philosophical studies that lie ahead.
• Discern their vocational call in a setting free of traditional academic demands and at an earlier stage.
Since becoming the spirituality/propaedeutic year director at St. John Vianney eight years ago, Father Wagner has “yet to hear a man speak of the year without tremendous gratitude, even if it was deeply challenging.”
“As they learn to follow the Lord, listening to his voice in their own lives, they will also learn how to guide others to encounter the love and mercy of God in Jesus,” he added.
“What the world hungers and thirsts for is this encounter which radically changes one’s whole life, an encounter that offers the peace and joy that remains in the midst of the crosses of daily life and abides unto eternity.”
The enhanced preparation will better equip future shepherds to lead their flocks to Jesus, Ellison agreed. Grehm expressed confidence that “this additional step in formation will help to anchor priests to Christ through prayer, particularly amidst their busy lives and ministerial duties (and strengthen) relationships among brother priests to support each other in sometimes isolating parish environments.”
In his overview, Father Wagner pointed to the
“tremendous fruit” already born of St. John Vianney’s expanded formation program.
In published reflections, graduates ordained since 2008 detailed its influence and impact.
One cited “a rhythm and method of prayer (that) is still a foundation of my priestly prayer life.”
Another related “healing — of deep spiritual wounds — that I do not believe would have happened if I had gone directly into studies.”
Declared a third: “Now, as a priest, the graces and gifts I received in the spirituality year have proved invaluable.”
Zuniga regards these as so invaluable, he encourages all single men to consider the consecrated life.
“If it turns out that the priesthood is not their vocation, the time discerning the priesthood in seminary won’t be wasted,” he said. “On the contrary, it could make them better future husbands.”
Concurring, Ellison pointed out that no matter the personal dreams or ambitions, only God can provide the deepest sense of satisfaction.
“Our faith is full of paradoxes that the secular culture cannot understand, such as joy in suffering, freedom in obedience to God, dying to self in order to live more fully in God and spiritual richness in poverty or detachment,” he said.
Grehm urged all men to give a listening ear to the Holy Spirit and a trusting heart to the Almighty.
“The propaedeutic year is a response of the universal Church to this need to form and support holy priests, and each member of the faithful can work to build a culture of holiness through their own prayer, virtue and service within their proper vocation,” he said.
“For those who are called to it, the priesthood is truly one of the greatest privileges and greatest blessings that God offers to His people.” ■
Photo by Dennis Callahan
VALLOMBROSA RETREAT CENTER
We are open for your spiritual renewal
In a beautiful and peaceful park setting that includes many prayer and meditations spots*, we will host your group’s retreat or conference. You may also sign up for a private retreat. We especially invite you to attend one of our five-day silent retreats which are very powerful and reasonably priced.
For group reservations or a private retreat:, call 650-325-5614 Or email jaynie@vallombrosa.org.
For our five-day retreat, call Deacon Dominick Peloso, (650) 269-6279
*The meditation spots available include: Lourdes, Fatima, St. Joseph, St. Mother Theresa, St. Francis, Spiritual Works, Corporal Works, Adoration Chapel, and (coming fall of 2024), a large (50’ x 12’) crucifixion scene by Timothy Schmaiz.
Proprietor
FROM PRESCRIPTIONS TO PRAYER
BY CHRISTINA GRAY Lead writer, Catholic San Francisco grayc@sfarch.org
Sister André Marie of Divine Mercy professed her solemn vows as a Dominican nun at Corpus Christi Monastery this summer on June 29. Like a bride in anticipation of her wedding day, she was fitted for her ring and measured for the new habit she will wear after nearly 10 years of discernment.
The Gothic-style monastery in Menlo Park is where she and more than a dozen other contemplative Dominican
nuns live a communal, cloistered life of prayer, praise and sacrifice. The 100-year-old structure, its peaceful grounds and its purpose stand as an enduring counterpoint to the worldly pursuits of the burgeoning tech world less than a mile away.
“I had never considered religious life,” said Sister André Marie. “And I was not someone who others could see joining a religious order, either.”
STIRRED BY THE EUCHARIST
Sister André Marie Vuong was born in South Vietnam, the oldest of three children. Her family was one of the
Sister André Marie Vuong stepped away from a successful career as a pharmacist after a life-changing encounter with the Blessed Sacrament. She took her final vows as a cloistered nun in June.
final wave of refugees who escaped Communist rule by boat after the fall of Saigon in 1975. They settled in San Jose where the children were educated and raised Catholic.
After completing her studies, she established herself in a successful career as a pharmacist and enjoyed all the “good things” that seemed to go with it: designer clothing and makeup, an active social life with friends and family, world travel and a diamond engagement ring.
As far as her faith, she practiced its obligations, she said, but did not go much beyond Sunday Mass or occasional adoration.
One weekend, her parents asked her to come with them to a Catholic charismatic conference in Oakland and she agreed.
Sister André Marie said she was completely unprepared for her experience in adoration at the conference.
“I couldn’t stop thinking about those moments before the Blessed Sacrament,” she said. The peace and joy she had felt convinced her to attend Mass more often, then daily.
“Sometimes I even stayed for the second Mass,” she said. She spent her time in prayer and signed up for pilgrimages and retreats.
But at the same time, she was engaged.
Her fiancé, who was not Catholic, could not understand her sudden religious turn, she said, and she admits to a period of “inner struggle.”
“I did question why the Lord would stir me in this way when I was about to be married,” she said. Ultimately, Sister André Marie said, the engagement was called off, but not so she could join religious life. It was providential, she said. “I didn’t have that sense of peace and joy when I was engaged because that was not my vocation.”
A DEEPER LONGING
Sister André Marie said that for a period of a year or so, she continued to work as a pharmacist and travel as she had before, while simultaneously conducting research on religious vocations.
“I’d come back from trips and think, well, that was wonderful, but now what?,” she said. Material things did not satisfy her in the way they once had.
“There was a deeper longing within me that I could get a tiny glimpse of before the Lord,” she said. Eventually, she learned about Corpus Christi Monastery in Menlo Park through the Institute of Religious Life and contacted the vocations director.
In 1921, a small group of Dominican nuns settled at Corpus Christi Monastery, establishing the cloistered life of prayer centered on the Eucharist that continues today. ›
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Sister André Marie’s initial “aspirancy” included a one-month, live-in experience for “mutual discernment” within the community.
“I came into the cloister for 30 days to live with the community and see the way they live and to discern whether this is the way of life God is calling me to,” she said.
The rhythm of each day for the enclosed community at Corpus Christi Monastery follows a prescribed schedule of prayer, worship, study, work, meals, silence, recreation and adoration. The latter is what Sister André Marie found most compelling. There is a sister in prayer before the Eucharist all day.
“I felt such a sense of joy and peace in the sacred silence of adoration,” she said.
It’s in this silence, she said, that “God lets us know we are so precious in His eyes, looks at us with so much love, each and every one of us. Sometimes we forget that we are very loved by God no matter the state of our life.”
MIXED REACTION FROM FAMILY AND FRIENDS
Following another year of at-home discernment, Sister André Marie entered Corpus Christi Monastery as a postulant. The reaction from family and friends was mixed.
“My mom had always said it would be so great if one of her children would join religious life,” she said. But when she first told her, she wondered why her daughter didn’t want to join an active order.
“But prayer is active,” said Sister André Marie. Her parents have supported their daughter’s vocation, she said.
I had never considered religious life. And I was not someone who others could see joining a religious order either.”
Some of her friends, on the other hand, were shocked. Even three years later, after her first vows, she recalled a friend who was “happy for me,” but still in disbelief.
“I cannot believe this is you,” she told her. “But you do look so happy.”
‘TRY HOLDING THE ROSARY,’ NOT YOUR PHONE
Sister André Marie requested and received, with approval from the prioress, the name she will bear for the rest of her consecrated life. It is the result of a trip to Montreal, Canada, with her family and spiritual director.
Her spiritual director had a “great devotion to St. Joseph,” she said. In the choir stall of St. Joseph Oratory, they both prayed that her vocation would be “pleasing to God.”
Sister André Marie’s name refers to St. André Bessette, a lay brother of the Congregation of the Holy Cross credited with thousands of reported healings associated with his devotion to St. Joseph.
Until she took her solemn vows, Sister André Marie was still considered “in formation” among the 16 nuns of the community ranging in age from 24 to 89. She had her studies, and took her turn in the kitchen and in the altar breads department, which supplies altar breads to priests and parishes, campus ministries and retreat centers.
She has had the opportunity to utilize her natural creativity in the development office. Using computer graphic design programs, she helps produce and send newsletters and mailers, manages social media posts and more.
“Some people think about religious life and only what you are going to give up,” she said. “But no, the Lord will use everything that He’s given you,” she said.
When she was working as a pharmacist, Sister André Marie said she filled medical prescriptions but came to know that “God is the Divine Physician who heals not only physical ailments, but more importantly, spiritual ailments.”
“Now, as a nun, the orders I fill are prayer requests from the faithful,” she said.
For anyone discerning their next steps in life, large or small, Sister André Marie suggests the sacred silence of adoration and praying the rosary.
“Try holding the rosary instead of your phone,” she said. ■
SCAN TO LEARN MORE ABOUT VOCATIONS AT CORPUS CHRISTI MONASTERY or visit opnunsmenlo.org/discerning-a-vocation
Courtesy of Dominican Nuns of Corpus Christi Monastery
Dominican Sister André Marie Vuong, right, is pictured with Bishop of Fairbanks (Alaska) Steven J. Maekawa after her solemn profession June 29 at Corpus Christi Monastery in Menlo Park.
The many graces of praying for the dead
BY CHRISTINA GRAY
Lead writer, Catholic San Francisco grayc@sfarch.org
On All Saints Day on Nov. 1, Catholics recognize the holy men and women who lived, died and have already entered into eternal glory in heaven. One day later, on Nov. 2, we remember and pray for the souls in purgatory on All Souls Day.
While November is traditionally a month of remembrance, praying for the dead needn’t be, even shouldn’t be, limited to once a year, according to the rector of the Shrine of Montligeon in rural Normandy, France. At Montligeon, Mass is celebrated daily for the souls in purgatory.
“When we pray for the dead, we are expressing our love for them,” Father Paul Denizot, CSM, told Catholic San Francisco. He is the face and voice of the shrine, which is described at montligeon.org as the “world center of prayer for the dead.”
“It is an ‘act of love’ to pray that the purification process of purgatory may come to completion in our loved ones and for God to welcome them into heaven,” he said. “Yes, our prayers for the deceased help remember and honor their memory.” But they also have a “prescriptive” power.
In one of the principal dogmatic constitutions of the Second Vatican Council, Pope Paul VI wrote in 1964’s “Lumen Gentium” (Light of the Nations) that “death does not sever the relationship between the living and the dead.”
Pope Benedict XVI also wrote in his 2007 encyclical letter, “Spe salvi” (Saved in Hope), that “the souls of the departed can obtain solace and refreshment from the Eucharist, prayer and almsgiving.”
“The belief that love can reach into the afterlife, that reciprocal giving and receiving is possible, in which our affection for one another continues beyond the limits of death — this has been a fundamental conviction of Christianity throughout the ages, and it remains a source of comfort today,” he wrote.
OUR LADY OF MONTLIGEON
The Catholic Shrine of Our Lady of Montligeon is dedicated to Our Lady of Montligeon. She is also known as Our Lady of the deliverance of the poor souls, or Our Lady of Deliverance.
The shrine was founded by a local French priest, Father Paul-Joseph Buguet (1843-1918) in 1876. After a series of personal losses, he set out to advocate for the souls in purgatory and to assist the bereaved. Today the shrine is a pilgrimage destination for the mourning and facilitates a worldwide fraternity of prayer for the concern of souls in purgatory. People enrolled in the Fraternity of
Father Paul Denizot is rector of the Shrine of Montligeon in Normandy, France, which is considered the “world center of prayer for the dead.”
It is an ‘act of love’ to pray that the purification process of purgatory may come to completion in our loved ones, and for God to welcome them into heaven.”
FATHER PAUL DENIZOT, CSM
Montligeon are petitioned for during the shrine’s daily prayers, particularly in the daily Mass.
“Here, we are reminded that we, the living, can do something for our deceased,” said Father Denizot. “It is never too late, never, to say thank you or ask for their forgiveness and thus help them in their state of purification after death.”
“PURGATORY
IS GOOD NEWS”
According to Father Denizot, in some parts of the developed world including the U.S. and much of Western Europe, the growth of secularism means “people don’t
like to talk about death or the limitations of the human being.”
When it comes to the relationship between the living and the dead, some people believe it is “definitely finished” at death.
“If you are on that page, you have to think there is no future for love,” he said.
The teaching on purgatory in the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC 1030-1032) consists of three main points:
(1) That there is a purification after death for those who die in the state of grace but whose love is not perfectly ordered to God; (2) That the purification process can be uncomfortable; and (3) That God assists ›
Photo courtesy of sanctuaire Notre-Dame de Montligeon
The shrine’s statue of Our Lady of Deliverance shows Mary holding Jesus in her arms. At their feet, two female characters symbolize one and the same soul: one side is still in purgatory, enchained by the bonds of sin. The other is received by Jesus who bestows her with a crown of glory.
Here, we are reminded that we, the living, can do something for our deceased.”
FATHER PAUL DENIZOT, rector, The Shrine of Montligeon
us in our purification in response to the actions of the living.
“I understand a lot of people have a problem with purgatory,” said Father Denizot. The 19th century was a “dark period of time” with nightmarish depictions in artwork and literature representing nothing short of an image of purgatory as “hell-lite.”
These kinds of representations can be “toxic for the faith,” he said. “Here, we try to give a Catholic comprehension about purgatory. Purgatory is good news. When the souls are in purgatory, they are in God’s love, and God’s love cannot be dark. It is a cure from sin, to prepare us for heaven. That’s the representation we claim – a cure of the soul.”
WILL EVEN “GOOD” CATHOLICS FACE PURGATORY?
“If I died today, will I go straight to heaven?” Father Denizot asked. “I do not think so. I have some hate in my heart, even if I’m Catholic or a priest. I have to be purified of that.”
Extending forgiveness to a deceased person or asking them to forgive us can be an important exchange between the living and the dead, according to Father Denizot. Purgatory teaches us that we need others, he said.
“We cannot be saved by our own works or acts of charity,” he said. “We need the prayers of others.” ■
HOW TO PRAY FOR THE DEAD
The Shrine of Our Lady of Montligeon is the only shrine in the world devoted to praying for the dead. It is not a mere pilgrimage destination, according to Father Denizot, but is also the seat of a vast “spiritual fraternity” of prayer for the dead.
Souls enrolled in the fraternity are petitioned for at the shrine’s daily Mass. The shrine website also offers a treasury of Catholic resources on death and dying, funerals and burial, mourning, purgatory, and how to pray for the dead. A special resource
called the Way of Consolation is available for loved ones of children who died before birth.
SCAN TO LEARN MORE ABOUT PRAYING FOR THE DEAD, or visit montligeon.org.
Photo courtesy of sanctuaire Notre-Dame de Montligeon
Kri8Tours
Experience a life changing pilgrimage following the footsteps of the Saints, Marian Shrines, the Jubilee Year 2025 and more.
FEATURE DEPARTURES:
Sep 22-Oct 6, 2024 Greece, Greek Isles and Turkey: Following the footsteps of St. Paul and Mother Mary
Oct 23- Nov 3, 2024 Poland, Prague, Austria, Munich and Medjugorje
Nov 4-18, 2024 Introducing Our Lady of Einsiedeln, Switzerland. The Holy Chapel is known to have been consecrated by Jesus himself 948 A.D.) Marian Shrines: Medjugorje, Fatima, Lourdes, Montserrat, Barcelona, Loreto, Padre Pio, St. Francis of Assisi and Rome
Jubilee Tours 2025
March 3-14, 2025 Jubilee Year Italy: Rome, Loreto, Padre Pio, Assisi; France: Nice, Lourdes; Spain: Salamanca; Portugal: Fatima
Aug 4-16, 2025 - Rome: Papal audience, major basilicas, St Francis of Assisi, St Carlo Acutis, Padre Pio, Archangel Michael Grotto, Siena, Florence, Turin & Milan
Sep 1-14, 2025 Italy, France, Spain, Portugal & Switzerland.
Sep 23 - Oct 3, 2025 In the footsteps of the New Testament
If we are dazzled as we contemplate ‘The Last Judgement’ by its splendor and its terror, admiring on the one hand the glorified bodies and on the other those condemned to eternal damnation, we understand too that the whole composition is deeply penetrated by a unique light and by a single artistic logic: the light and the logic of faith that the Church proclaims, confessing: ‘We believe in one God … maker of heaven and earth, of all things seen and unseen.’”
- ST. JOHN PAUL II1
1 John Paul II, “Homily for the Celebration of the Unveiling of the Restorations of Michelangelo’s Frescos in the Sistine Chapel,” (Sistine Chapel, Vatican City, April 8, 1994), https://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/homilies/1994/documents/hf_jp-ii_hom_19940408_restauri-sistina.html.
The Solemnity of Christ the King and Michelangelo’s ‘The Last Judgement’
BY REV. JEROME A. MAGAT, STHD
Tourists and pilgrims to Rome anticipate visiting St. Peter’s Basilica and the Vatican Museums. The terminus for the Vatican Museums is the worldrenowned Sistine Chapel, which contains the subject of this article’s reflection: Michelangelo’s The Last Judgement. It is an appropriate piece of art to consider as the Church nears the Solemnity of Christ the King, which evokes many of the themes taken up in the fresco. Michelangelo executed the work between 1536 and 1541. Visitors are bedazzled by the sheer size of the fresco (nearly 43 square feet) and by the cornucopia of colors Michelangelo employed in his depiction of the Last Judgement (Mt 25:31-46).
The fresco is centered around the dominant figure of Christ, who returns in glory to judge the living and the dead at the end of the world. His calm and imperious gesture commands attention and placates the surrounding figures, many of whom are agitated. The whole painting seems to rotate in wide, slow motion, in which all the figures are involved, excluding the figures in the two upper lunettes. Here, groups of angels bear the symbols of the Passion—trophies of Christ’s victory over sin and eternal death.
1 To the Lord’s right is the Blessed Virgin Mary, who turns her head in a gesture of resignation. She realizes that she can no longer intercede for her spiritual children but only await the result of her Son’s judgement.
2 The saints and the elect, arranged around Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary, also anxiously await the verdict. Some of them can be easily recognized, bearing their instruments of torture: St. Peter with the two keys; St. Lawrence with the gridiron; St. Bartholomew with a scalpel and his own skin (which is usually recognized as a self-portrait of Michelangelo); St. Catherine of Alexandria with the cogwheel; and St. Sebastian kneeling
1 3 4 5 6 2 2
and holding arrows. In the center of the lower section are the angels of the Apocalypse who awaken the dead to the sound of long trumpets.
3 On the left (Christ’s right side), the elect recover their bodies as they ascend toward heaven.
4 On the right (Christ’s left side), angels and devils fight over the damned as they are cast into hell. One figure within this section writhes in utter agony knowing his impending fate. This creates a sense of urgency toward repentance.
5 & 6 At the bottom of the painting, Charon (the fabled ferryman from Greek mythology) swings an oar, forcing the damned to disembark from his boat and face the infernal judge, Minos, whose body is wrapped in the coils of a serpent. These are references and a tribute to Michelangelo’s fellow-Florentine, Dante Alighieri, and his Inferno within the Divine Comedy
Acclaimed as it is, The Last Judgement has not been without controversy. Upon the fresco’s unveiling, the papal master of ceremonies, Biagio da Cesena, complained about the inappropriateness of the many nude figures in the original work. In response, the congregation of the Council of Trent voted to have some of the figures covered with braghe (pants). Michelangelo resisted this intervention and painted da Cesena’s face onto Minos’ body as revenge.
Spiritually, The Last Judgement reminds viewers that in this life, man lives under God’s mercy. When the world ends, he will live under His justice. While many contemporary pieces of art and music refer to this event as Dies Irae (Day of Wrath), Michelangelo chose to depict both dimensions of the end times: the just will be saved and the damned will receive their punishment. Both realities are held in dynamic tension but never in conflict. The triumph of Christ the King, judge of the living and the dead, is echoed in the liturgical acclamation: “Through Him, and with Him, and in Him, … all glory and honor is yours, forever and ever!” ■
St. Patrick’s Seminary & University
Sausalito nonprofit sets sail for veteran healing
BY LIDIA WASOWICZ
An all-volunteer crew captained by a former Navy pilot has anchored hopes for helping fellow veterans combat anxiety, depression, post-traumatic-stress disorder and other mental scars of military service in a donor-funded program of sailing and restoring vessels.
Over the past decade, Wooden Boats for Veterans, rechristened VetsBoats in a Jan. 1, 2024, retrofit, has plied the seas with more than 1,000 men and women who, statistics show, often encounter a tempest of trials and tribulations after returning to civilian life.
With the New Year’s Day refining and restructuring aimed at expanding and elevating its impact, the Sausalito-based nonprofit anticipates more than 500 veterans and their families will get on board during the scheduled 18-outing, April-toOctober season in Northern California.
“Today we live amidst a silent crisis: over one million veterans are battling some form of addiction, and each day as many as 17 veterans are taking their own lives,” noted Terry Moran, the organization’s founder and executive director.
“At VetsBoats, our purpose as a foundation is to reverse this trend, to raise awareness, provide hope and community and to make a difference that sends ripples outward to veterans and their families all around us.”
The only child of Irish parents who immigrated to the United States when he was two sees the cause as a ministry and mission rooted in lessons learned and events experienced growing up on a boat in Sausalito, attending Catholic schools, flying the supersonic fighter jet F-14 Tomcat
(immortalized in the 1986 movie “Top Gun”) and completing two tours in Iraq.
Accomplished in an array of fields, including his current career as a consultant to Collins Aerospace Corp., one of the world’s largest suppliers of aerospace and defense products, “my true calling lies in giving back to those who have sacrificed so much for our country,” said Moran, whose eldest son Terence, a staff sergeant in the Marines, represents the family’s fifth uniform-wearing generation.
His wife Jen, administrative assistant at the couple’s parish of St. Mary Star of the Sea in Sausalito, gives back as VB’s marketing director. “We’re always thinking about how to better serve veterans and how to reach more veterans,” she said.
The couple exemplify “the teachings that Terry and I experienced at St. Ignatius College Preparatory: being men and women for others,” said VB donor and volunteer Tony
Award-winning journalist Wasowicz, former West Coast science editor and senior science writer for United Press International, has been writing for Catholic San Francisco since 2011.
Strength promotes healing, and healing is what many of us veterans need most.”
ED SANCHEZ, VB outreach coordinator, Penn Valley, California.
An all-volunteer crew assists veterans in combatting anxiety, depression, post-traumatic-stress disorder and other mental scars of military service through sailing.
Maffei of Reno, the father of a naval aviator and a retired battalion chief from North County Fire in Daly City who suffered posttraumatic stress injury.
Partnering with commercial boat owners and agencies, VetsBoats “has exposed dozens of veterans to the joy of sailing and the healing effects of being on the water.”
Both benefits appeared on deck in the season opener April 20 aboard the Derek M. Baylis, a sleek, 65-foot craft particularly attuned to San Francisco Bay’s whipping winds.
Splashed with saltwater, sprinkled with sunshine and supported by sympathetic shoulders, the 21 guests “were super happy with the experience and are looking to sail again,” said Ed Sanchez, a VB outreach coordinator from Penn Valley, California.
The experience helps break down walls and build up connections, he said.
“That camaraderie promotes strength and resilience, especially in our at-risk veteran population that might be suffering from military trauma, post-traumatic stress, survivor guilt, addiction or any number of other personal demons,” said Sanchez, semi-retired from a parttime job at a residential treatment center for emotionally troubled youth.
“Strength promotes healing, and healing is what many of us veterans need most.”
Among the volunteer deckhands on the rebranded group’s first voyage, Air Force Maj. Travis Bellicchi of Napa hoped to meet that need.
“I showed up thinking I was just going to help out on the boat, but it turns out I became one of those being helped in completely unexpected ways,” ›
Being out in the beautiful, safe, stable setting of the sea all day is magnificent in and of itself, but add a shared military background, and it becomes a therapeutic experience you can’t get sitting in a conference room in a hospital.”
AIR FORCE MAJ. TRAVIS BELLICCHI
Steeped in the spirit of those who have sailed them, these craft point to the rehabilitative powers of communal efforts to remove rusted joints and replace rotted mechanisms, said Moran, a member of the charitable Order of St. John, Knights Hospitaller in the Commandery of St. Francis, descended from a medieval order of chivalry founded in Jerusalem to guide and protect pilgrims to the Holy Land.
Since 2016, volunteers have been scraping, scrubbing, sanding and spiffing up the historic World War II cutter Clover, built in England in 1938, forgotten and forsaken for a decade and sinking precipitously when VB bailed it out.
Terry Moran, founder and executive director of VetBoats, and his wife, Jen, who serves as marketing director, dedicate their work to those who have sacrificed so much for their country.
said Bellicchi, who had sampled sailing’s soothing effects following intense training as a maxilofacial prosthodontist (specializing in reconstruction, restoration and replacement of tissue and teeth ravaged by cancer and other disfiguring conditions) that had left him “exhausted” and “broken.”
“Being out in the beautiful, safe, stable setting of the sea all day is magnificent in and of itself, but add a shared military background, and it becomes a therapeutic experience you can’t get sitting in a conference room in a hospital,” said Bellicchi, who operates a clinical practice for service personnel and trains newly minted dentists entering the armed forces.
His observations correlate with pilot Veterans Administration studies published in the March/ April 2022 issue of Military Medicine that point to benefits of supplementing conventional mental-health treatments with sailing and other recreational therapies.
As another adjunct, VB — with a non-salaried staff of 22 advised by a VA psychologist, two recreational therapists and four social workers — offers a place at the restoration table of wooden vessels.
“In 2026, 10 years after Clover was donated, it is our goal for her to set her sails with veterans aboard and to once again provide relief for those affected by their service,” Moran said of the 68-foot gaff-rigged sloop that, among other duties, rescued wounded, weary men off cargo ships and tankers barraged by German U-boats while crossing the Atlantic.
Work remains to realize the ultimate dream of transforming Clover into the foundation’s flagship making biennial trips to Hawaii.
“She still needs a mast and many other expensive parts and systems restored or installed to make her operational,” said Kevin Houchin, a Rancho Cordova truck delivery contractor and VB contact person, who joined the Navy at age 18 in a failed attempt to kick his drug habit.
“If we’re lucky, our VetsBoats sailing program will grow to where we just can’t charter enough boats every season, and when Clover comes online, we will have demand enough to sail her every week,” said Houchin, 61, who this year celebrates 18 years of staying clean and married. “That would be amazing!”
What many colleagues and customers consider amazing is the progress Moran has made since starting the venture on his yacht Valiant, built in 1962 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Refurbished, repainted and revarnished by Moran, his father Fergus, who passed away
in 2020, and his children Terence, Sean and Megan, the 45-foot winsome sloop designed by Sparkman & Stephens took to the seas with its first set of veteran voyagers in August 2014. Their enthusiastic evaluation prompted expansion of the program, acquisition of Clover and, in 2021, sale of Valiant as a costsaving measure.
Budgeting remains a crucial consideration, according to VB Director Tom Gilheany, the current commander of the St. Francis Commandery, which raises seed money for projects supporting the San Francisco Bay Area’s wounded warriors.
“The restoration and repair work on Clover is time- and capital-consuming so we are taking care not to overextend ourselves,” said Gilheany, a cybersecurity executive and longtime parishioner at St. Dominic Church in San Francisco.
“As we grow, additional staff is something we are also focused on addressing immediately.”
To address the challenges and augment awareness among benefactors and beneficiaries, Moran hired Ashley Matchett Woods, owner of Branded by EQ (Excellence Quotient), a business consulting and marketing company.
“I hope more and more people get involved, perhaps setting up VetsBoats chapters beyond California, like McDonald’s franchises,” said Woods, the strategist behind the foundation’s recent rebranding. “I know people who would love to do it.”
Already, VB board member Matt Cline, a Springfield, Ohio, cinematographer, filmmaker and videographer, has purchased a boat to host veteran sailing excursions “for our own little branch project here in the Midwest under the VetsBoats mission.”
Among the worthy organizations competing for time, talent and treasure, VB stands apart as a “practical realization of the faith-based calling that Terry especially inspires in all of us,” said Cline, who has been spreading information and invitation through his Cline Cinematography, a company with a global reach.
“There will never be a shortage of people in need of other people’s assistance,” he said.
“But as we look upon the devastating epidemic of veteran suicides and destroyed lives among those who have chosen to serve us, how can we not be inspired to contribute to their restoration and reclamation?” ■
Seeing with spiritual eyes
As Jesus revealed Himself to the holy Apostles in true flesh, so He reveals Himself to us now in sacred bread. And as they saw only His flesh by an insight of their flesh, yet believed He was God as they contemplated Him with their spiritual eyes, let us, as we see bread and wine with our
bodily eyes, see and firmly believe
that they
are His most holy Body and Blood living and true.”
Admonition 1:19-21, “Francis of Assisi: Early Documents” Regis Armstrong, J.A. Wayne Hellman and William Short, editors, New City Press, New York, 1999, vol. 1, 129
BY FATHER BOBBY BARBATO, OFM CAP. Rector, National Shrine of St. Francis
St. Francis of Assisi is known for his radical following of Jesus Christ. He did not do this alone, but as a part of the Church. Central to his Catholic faith was his belief in the Real Presence of Jesus in the sacrament of the Eucharist. He did not write many things, but in his writings the theme of the Eucharist is very strong. In these months I would like to reflect on three themes from the writings of St. Francis of Assisi concerning the Body and Blood of Christ.
When I was growing up and hearing about Jesus and His followers, I thought how much easier it would be if we, like the Apostles, had Jesus right in front of us, to teach us
and help us to live His words. Maybe St. Francis of Assisi thought the same thing too, yet as this quote from one of his teachings (called the Admonitions) shows us, he realized that Jesus gives us the same opportunity and challenge as He gave to His earliest followers: to see beyond what our senses tell us to find the presence of God in our midst.
While our faith is based on a historical reality, the real life, death and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth, who lived in a certain place and a certain time, we also know that we are not called merely to honor these historical facts or simply admire Jesus from afar. He promised us in so many ways to be a living presence in our midst. He said, “Where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” (Mt. 18:20)
St. Francis realized that merely seeing Jesus’ bodily presence was not enough. Many had seen Jesus during His
earthly ministry and yet had not believed. Pontius Pilate not only saw Him, but spoke with Him and heard Him declare, “My kingdom is not of this world.” (Jn 18:36) Yet Pilate in the end did not see the Son of God there in front of him.
The Apostles had to learn how to see Jesus not only as a human being but also as the Word made Flesh. Despite such events as the Transfiguration and Jesus’ miracles, it took them a long time to see the reality of who Jesus was. As St. Francis says, they had to learn to look on Jesus with “the eyes of the Spirit.” It was this Spirit that Jesus promised to send down upon His Church, the same Spirit which guided the Church not only from its earliest days, but throughout the ages.
In a very real way, the sacrament of the Eucharist is the way the Lord invites us to see, in our own day and age, “with the eyes of the Spirit.” We are invited to look with faith on the elements of bread and wine and believe that they really become for us the Body and Blood of Christ. In the Eucharistic prayer at every Mass, we call down the power of the Spirit to transform the elements. We ask to be able to see with our minds and hearts that what appears unchanged really is the sacramental presence of Jesus Christ.
What does our faith in this sacramental presence mean? That we are called to see the presence of God in our very midst. It calls us first of all to believe that God really sent His Son, that in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus we truly see the work of God. The Eucharist calls us to know that Jesus’ passion is not just a past event, but that His suffering, death and resurrection are present among us and call us into deeper faith in God’s presence in the world, even in its pain and anguish. It was the same Jesus that Francis encountered in the Blessed Sacrament who also came to him in the embrace of a leper.
We cannot force ourselves to have eyes of faith. We have to call upon the Holy Spirit to help us to see, to train us to look for God’s presence in our midst. We have the example of St. Francis and St. Clare and many other holy men and women who invite us to trust in God and open ourselves to the work of the Spirit.
Through the power of the Holy Spirit, the Word really was made flesh in the womb of the Virgin Mary. From the moment of His conception, Jesus was both fully human and fully divine. Mary our Mother can help us to see with new eyes. She pondered in her heart the mystery of God revealed in her Son Jesus. She believed even when she was in anguish as He died on the cross. She was also with the Church when the Holy Spirit came down on Pentecost. I know that our Mother beheld her Son with great love when He came to her and the rest of the Church in the sacrament of His Body and Blood. We can ask her help to see truly the presence of her Son, Jesus Christ, in the Blessed Sacrament, in the Church and in the world that God so loves. ■
Archbishop Cordileone ordains five seminarians to the transitional diaconate
BY MARY POWERS
Assistant director of communications and media relations. Office of Communications, Archdiocese of San Francisco
St. Patrick’s Seminary was bustling with excitement on Sept. 28 as Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone ordained five men to the transitional diaconate. Leandro Calingasan and Emmanuel Gutierrez were ordained transitional deacons for the Archdiocese of San Francisco; Brother Mikhael Josip Maria Mihic of the Holy Cross and the Holy Name of Jesus for the Contemplatives of St. Joseph; and Maurice Tokay and Alphonse Tolenga for the Diocese of Tshumbe in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The ceremony of ordination to the transitional diaconate took place during Mass after the homily. The candidates were presented to the ordaining bishop, Archbishop Cordileone, by Father Mark Doherty, president and rector of St. Patrick’s Seminary & University. The candidates then made a promise to remain celibate for the sake of the kingdom of God, maintain and deepen a spirit of prayer and celebrate the Liturgy of the Hours for the Church and the world, and respect and obey the archbishop and his successors.
The candidates then laid prostrate on the marble floor as the faithful prayed the Litany of Saints, symbolizing that the entire communion of saints is praying for the candidates upon their ordination. After this, the Archbishop laid his hands on each candidate and prayed over them. The candidates then returned to the front of the sanctuary and knelt down as the Archbishop prayed the prayer of ordination.
The newly ordained deacons returned to their seats to be vested for the first time assisted by two priests. Once vested, the deacons again approached the Archbishop and he handed the Gospels to them saying, “Receive the Gospel of Christ whose herald you have become. Believe what you read, teach what you believe, and practice what you teach.”
The Archbishop then greeted the new deacons and the deacons greeted each other as brothers in Christ.
From left, newly ordained Deacon Alphonse Tolenga (Diocese of Tshumbe), Deacon Emmanuel Gutierrez (Archdiocese of San Francisco), Deacon Leandro Calingasan (Archdiocese of San Francisco), Deacon Mikhael Josip Maria Mihic of the Holy Cross and the Holy Name of Jesus (Contemplatives of St. Joseph), and Deacon Maurice Tokay (Diocese of Tshumbe). Left, Archbishop Cordileone ordains Deacon Emmanual Gutierrez.
The deacons then joined the Archbishop in the sanctuary to assist in the celebration of the Mass.
In his homily, Archbishop Cordileone spoke of how the cup of suffering is unique for each Christian. He said that each of the newly ordained has a different path with different struggles and sufferings, but each is called to serve the people of God.
“My dear sons about to embark upon this path: you do so with the view, God willing, of eventually serving God’s people as an alter Christus… Do so always mindful of this day, always remembering the first step of service at table, the call to humble charity, which always draws souls into communion with our ever-loving Lord Jesus Christ,” said Archbishop Cordileone.
The ordination was followed by a celebratory reception at the seminary.
Photos by Colleen Hera
Dominican friars lift a statue of Mary onto their shoulders in a procession around the streets of the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption.
Multicultural Rosary Rally celebrates one family of faith under her protection Mary, Mother of Christian Unity
BY CHRISTINA GRAY Lead writer, Catholic San Francisco grayc@sfarch.org
The Bay Area Rosary Rally on Oct. 12 united local Catholics from nearly a dozen ethnic cultures in a day dedicated to “Our Lady Who Unites All Peoples.”
This was the first year that the Rosary Rally was combined with the Mass offered for All Immigrants under the theme chosen by Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone. The nave of the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption was a visual display of unified Marian devotion as members of the Archdiocese of San Francisco’s Hispanic, Chinese, Filipino, Nigerian, Black Catholics, Vietnamese, Indonesian, Myanmar, Korean, Polish/Slavic, Arab-American and Maronite communities arrived in native dress for the annual event. Seated with them were members of religious communities including Dominicans, Franciscans, the Missionaries of Charity and the faithful from parishes across the Archdiocese.
The program included the sacrament of
MATERNAL PROTECTION
A woman visits a special exhibit featuring statues of Mary from various cultural traditions brought from Star of the Sea Parish.
reconciliation, a Dominican talk on the history of the rosary, communal rosary prayer in five languages, the multilingual “Mass of the Americas” liturgy celebrated by Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone and a procession with the Holy Eucharist around the cathedral, Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament and Benediction. The day ended with a free multicultural food festival and Immigrant Rights worshop in the cathedral’s event center.
Photos by Dennis Callahan
“IT WAS INTERESTING HEARING THE ACT OF CONTRITION IN SO MANY LANGUAGES THIS MORNING.”
— Father Joseph Illo, Star of the Sea Parish
The day began with bi-lingual confessors heard confessions in English, Spanish, Igbo, Vietnamese, Cantonese and Tagalog. The day ended with multicultural food festival and Immigrant Rights workshop in the event center.
“MY JOB TODAY IS TO INSPIRE YOU TO PRAY THE ROSARY. THAT’S IT.” — Father Michael Hurley, O.P., pastor of St. Dominic’s Parish
“The beads of the rosary are the Our Fathers, the Hail Marys, the Glory Be to the Fathers,” said Dominican Father Michael Hurley in a talk on the history of the rosary. “But what unites them is the core, the rope, the string… Our Lady is like that core. She’s like the string that unites all peoples together to bring them reliably to her Son.”
The five decades of the rosary were prayed as a community in five languages: English, Spanish, Vietnamese, Tagalog and Igbo, one of the native languages of Nigeria.
“SHE IS THE MOTHER OF THE SOURCE OF OUR UNITY: HER SON, OUR LORD, JESUS CHRIST.” — Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone
The Rosary Rally featured the Mass of the Americas, a multilingual tribute to Our Lady of Guadalupe and Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception. It was conceived by Archbishop Cordileone and composed by Frank La Rocca.
Two Sisters of the Immaculate Conception brought up the gifts.
Photos by Dennis Callahan
“SHE WILL KEEP US ON THE PATH THAT LEADS US TO HER SON”
- Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone
As a public sign of their devotion to Mary, the faithful processed around the city blocks of the cathedral led by the Holy Eucharist. They returned for Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament and Benediction.
MULTICULTURAL FOOD FESTIVAL
After the Mass, participants were invited to a free ethnic food festival with different cultural groups sharing their traditional cuisine. The day included live performances, including a youth Mariachi group and a traditional Lebanese dance by Maronite teens. There was also an info fair, with tables staffed by Catholic Charities, St. Vincent de Paul-SF, Real Options, Legion of Mary and archdiocesan Office of Human Life & Dignity. Catholic Charities offered two Immigration Rights workshops in English and in Spanish in collaboration with the archdiocesan Office of Human Life & Dignity.
SCAN FOR A COMPREHENSIVE STORY ON THE 2024 BAY AREA ROSARY RALLY or visit sfarchdiocese.org/catholic-sf
Photos by Dennis Callahan
Contemplatives of St. Joseph Seeds of a new religious order
BY CHRISTINA GRAY Lead writer, Catholic San Francisco grayc@sfarch.org
The pews of Mater Dolorosa Church in South San Francisco overflowed with witnesses to a significant historic event in September: The ritual Mass of religious profession marked the solemn professions and promises of the first religious order founded within the boundaries of the Archdiocese of San Francisco in more than a century.
Three priest-monks of the Contemplatives of St. Joseph’s First Order made their solemn vows, and 10 lay members of its Third Order made their solemn promises at the Mass celebrated by San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone.
“It feels like, after being ordained to the priesthood, probably the greatest day of my life,” said Father Vito Joseph Mary Perrone of the Holy Face and the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The pastor of Mater Dolorosa since 2022, Father Perrone received then-Archbishop George H. Niederauer’s blessing in 2010, and in 2013 Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone made the COSJ a public clerical association of the Christian faithful, a formal step toward the formation of a religious order.
“All of my life I have felt called to the monastic tradition,” said Father Perrone.
The Contemplatives of St. Joseph Order is based out of the former convent at Mater Dolorosa parish. Father Perrone said the order brings to the Archdiocese and the parish itself monastic spiritual traditions with an emphasis on “the call to holiness and liturgy.”
“We look at our vocation as forming people in the contemplative
From left, Father Joseph Homick, COSJ, Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone, Father Vito Perrone, COSJ, and Brother Mikhael Josip Mihic on Sept. 18 after the ritual Mass of religious profession.
tradition,” he said. “And that primarily takes place through silence in front of the Eucharist in adoration.”
Recognizing that adoration, contemplative spirituality and liturgical diversity are new to many lay Catholics, Father Perrone plans to hold workshops on these and other topics.
Brother Mikhael Josip Maria Mihic of the Holy Cross and the Holy Name of Jesus, a seminarian with the Archdiocese of San Francisco and Contemplatives of St. Joseph, was dressed in the order’s monastic robe and sandals when he also took his solemn vows at the Mass. Brother Mihic was ordained to the transitional diaconate on Sept. 27 at St. Patrick’s Seminary & University. Father Joseph Homick of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the Precious Blood of Jesus formally transferred his vows to the Contemplatives of St. Joseph at the Mass after having previously taken solemn vows with another religious community.
“It is a very important step for a beginning religious order like the COSJ to have three people reach the stage of solemn vows,” said Father Perrone. That’s what made the day so special, he said. “This was the culmination of a lot of years marking the end of our first era and the beginning of our second.”
The Third Order for laypeople was launched a few years later, and since 2018, the Contemplatives of St. Joseph has also welcomed female religious vocations.
Ten men and women of the Third Order made their solemn promises at the Mass as well after a sevenyear formation program. While they don’t wear religious robes, they do wear a Contemplatives of St. Joseph medallion as a visible sign of their vocation.
Both First and Third Orders serve in active apostolates including at St. Patrick’s Seminary & University and with the Missionaries of Charity. The order also has a monthly healing Mass and offers the parish the unique distinction of celebrating the Byzantine Divine Liturgy as well as modern and traditional forms of the Mass.
“This is what we are about here today,” said Archbishop Cordileone in his homily. “God in our very midst is working something new, something great beyond our own vision.”
Father Perrone expressed his gratitude to Archbishop Cordileone for his support and sharing a vision for the Archdiocese.
“Today was the day when the roots of 12 years of Contemplatives of St. Joseph formation will bear the seedlings that will turn into a beautiful spiritual fruit in the years to come,” he said.
1. How many Judgements are there?
C. The second post-death judgement will occur at the end of time. It is known as the general judgment. “The Son of Man is to come with His angels in the glory of His Father, and then He will repay every man for what he has done” (Mt 16:27).
2. According to the Bible, “without _______ it is impossible to please God” (cf. Heb 11:6).
E. The correct response is faith; therefore this is the right answer.
3. The Fourth Lateran Council (1215) called God “incomprehensible”. This means
C. We can know some things about God through reason alone — for example, that He exists, created us and rules the world. Other things we know
about God only through revelation from God — for example, the Trinity (God’s own inner life), the Hypostatic Union and the Incarnation. But there is far more that we don’t know about God and, given our creaturely limitations, can’t know about Him.
4. Which of these ancient heretics are described properly?
D. The Ebionites were Jewish Christians of the earliest centuries who thought Jesus was the Messiah, but they rejected his divinity and insisted that the old Jewish customary laws had to be followed. What little is known about them comes not so much from their own time as from later writings by patristic writers.
5. Creation occurred E. This is the right answer because the others are wrong.
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Come out and join us
SCAN TO SEE THE COMPREHENSIVE CALENDAR OF EVENTS or visit sfarch.org/events
Nov. 16:
Skills for Sacramental
Marriage Building Workshop
Invest in your marriage by attending the Skills for Sacramental Marriage Building workshop on Saturday, Nov. 16, from 9 am to 4:30 pm at St. Bartholomew Catholic Church. You will discover ways to: communicate more clearly, improve understanding, make marriage a priority, and learn to love like Jesus. This skills for marriage building day combines Catholic teaching with the latest relationship research to enable couples to learn practical, attainable skills for a more successful marriage. Learn more and register at: https://sfarch.org/ event/skills-for-sacramentalmarriage-building/
Nov. 25:
Fall Lecture at St. Patrick’s Seminary & University
Join St. Patrick’s Seminary & University for their fall lecture by Gen. H. R. McMaster on Monday, Nov. 25, at 5:15 pm. His talk is entitled “Why this soldier goes to Mass.” General McMaster is a retired U.S. Army lieutenant general who served as U.S. national security adviser in 2017–18. He holds a doctorate in military history from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and was an assistant professor of history at the U.S. Military Academy.
Dec. 6: Simbang Gabi Commissioning Mass
Join the Archdiocesan Filipino Ministry for their annual Simbang Gabi Commissioning Mass on Friday, Dec. 6, at 6:30 pm at St. Augustine Church. Each year, the Archdiocese holds a Commissioning Mass to herald the beginning of “Simbang Gabi Masses” widely celebrated in its various parishes throughout the Archdiocese of San Francisco during the Christmas season. “Simbang Gabi” is a prominent centuries-old Filipino Catholic faith practice with roots in farming and fishing communities dating back to the 1600s.
General McMaster is the Fouad and Michelle Ajami senior fellow at the Hoover Institution of Stanford University.
Nov. 29 – Dec. 1:
Women’s Retreat for Healing after Abortion (Spanish)
The Archdiocese of San Francisco sponsors Project Rachel which helps women and men heal the pain of abortion and to find the path to peace and reconciliation. Father Armando Gutierrez will lead this three-day retreat, which will include Mass, the sacrament of reconciliation, counseling, and sharing as much as each woman is comfortable doing in this warm and healing environment.
The retreat, offered in Spanish, will be held at a confidential location. If you are interested call 415-6145567 or email projectrachel@ sfarch.org.
Dec. 7:
Cruzada Guadalupana
The 31st Cruzada Guadalupana pilgrimage sponsored by St. Mary’s Cathedral of San Francisco will take place on Saturday, Dec. 7. The day begins at 5 am. at All Souls Catholic Church, with a blessing at 5:30 am. Departure from All Souls Church is at 6 am. There will be 5 stops along the way with the pilgrimage ending at St. Mary’s Cathedral for Mass with Archbishop Cordileone at 2 pm.
Photo by Dennis Callahan
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