APRIL 11, 2021
SCOUTS RECOGNITION MASS
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THE OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF THE ROMAN CATHOLIC DIOCESE OF ORANGE n OCCATHOLIC.COM
ROSE RIVER MEMORIAL CHRIST CATHEDRAL HOSTS A COMMUNITY MEMORIAL THAT HONORS O.C. RESIDENTS WHO HAVE SUCCUMBED TO COVID. PAGE 8
THE COMMUNITY MEMORIAL WAS DESIGNED BY LOS ANGELES-BASED ARTIST MARCOS LUTYENS. PHOTO: DREW KELLEY
APRIL 11, 2021
CONTENTS
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CAN WE RECONNECT WITH OUR GUARDIAN ANGELS?
The childhood tradition can support adults in need of comfort, protection and guidance.
HONORING ST. JOSEPH
Pope Francis has declared 2021 The Year of St. Joseph. Here are some ways families can honor him at home.
POPE: TENDERNESS, RECONCILIATION NEEDED IN TODAY’S WORLD The pope calls on the clergy to foster tenderness and care during difficult times.
PLUS
Guest Column, Weekly Readings, Moments In Our Journey
ORANGE COUNTY CATHOLIC MISSION STATEMENT The Orange County Catholic Newspaper seeks to illuminate and animate the journey of faith for Catholics within the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange – building solidarity among the faithful and inviting a deeper understanding and involvement in the mission of Christ – through the timely sharing of news, commentary and feature content in an engaging, accessible and compelling format.
ORANGE COUNTY CATHOLIC
The Official Newspaper of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange Diocese of Orange Pastoral Center, 13280 Chapman Ave., Garden Grove 92840 Publisher: The Most Reverend Kevin W. Vann, Bishop of Orange Executive Editor: Tracey Kincaid, tkincaid@rcbo.org Editor: Kimberly Porrazzo, webeditor@occatholic.com New Ideas: storyideas@rcbo.org Delivery Problems: occatholicsupport@occatholic.com
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GUEST COLUMN
IMBIBING IN AWE BY FATHER EUGENE HEMERICK CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE
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PRING’S AWESOMENESS HAS arrived. In Washington, D.C., forsythia, daffodils and tulips adorn front yards, with azaleas and dogwoods to follow. The stunning colors are splendid, and equally marvelous is experiencing Mother Nature give birth and dormant soil produce life. Synonyms for “awesome” are “amazing,” “astonishing,” “breathtaking” and “remarkable.” Within each of these concepts is the spirit of standing in the presence of wonderment. What is the cause of this awesomeness ultimately? It is God, who is goodness, beauty and truth.
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In Joyce Kilmer’s poem “Trees,” he celebrates God’s amazing creation of the tree: “A tree that looks at God all day,/ And lifts her leafy arms to pray;/ A tree that may in summer wear/ A nest of robins in her hair;/ Upon whose bosom snow has lain;/ Who intimately lives with rain./ Poems are made by fools like me,/ But only God can make a tree.” Inspiring thoughts like this reveal life’s better side. Why is it then that many of today’s people do not enjoy real awe, a feeling that radiates with the heavenly? One reason is we live in a technical, secular culture in which a sense of being God’s creature living in God’s awesome creation is missing. A sense that we are a holy creation of God and are surrounded by God’s astonishing creation is absent.
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FATHER EUGENE HEMRICK WRITES THE CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE COLUMN “THE HUMAN SIDE.” PHOTO: CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE
It is true that people experience awesomeness, but often it is superficial ersatz emotion -- excitement, that, though momentarily strong, is neither fruitful nor
lasting. Take for example, movies filled with awesome feats and tender love that quickly fade once the sensations die. How then is lasting, godly awesome cultivated? In German, “wahrnehmen” means to receive the truth -- to receive into oneself, to submit to the influence of things, to place oneself within their grasp, to see and perceive. In the Canticle of Daniel, we are invited to practice “wahrnehmen”: “Everything growing on earth, bless the Lord. ... Seas and rivers, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever.” The awesome list of God’s creations invites us to enter into God’s awesomeness, to grasp it and submit to how blessed we are to participate in it, to experience awesome holiness. Equally important, when we enter into God’s astounding creation, we are elevated to an exhilarating level of wonderment.C
DAILY READINGS AND REFLECTIONS
shepherds “ We are called to
DOUBT
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HE DESIRE TO BE ABLE TO PROVE the existence of a divinity has troubled humanity since human consciousness first became aware of the divine. To this very day we are fond of saying that any number of things—from sunsets to hot fudge sundaes— are “proof that there is a God.” We get so caught up in the story of “doubting Thomas” that we fail to notice that today’s Gospel gives us John’s account of Pentecost, the bestowing of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples following the Resurrection. Thomas, evidently, missed out not only on seeing the Risen Christ, but receiving the Holy Spirit as well. This is not to be taken lightly and, perhaps, makes Thomas’ disbelief a bit easier to comprehend. It also makes his professing that Jesus is his Lord and God—the only time the New Testament explicitly refers to Jesus Christ as “God”—more remarkable. Copyright © J. S. Paluch Co. C
help rebuild respectful and constructive relationships between persons, groups and cultures within society...
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- Pope Francis
STANISLAUS OF KRAKOW
SAINT PROFILE
1030-1079
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EVERED AS PATRON OF POLAND, this son of the knightly class became a priest and canon at Krakow Cathedral. He was elected Krakow’s bishop in 1072. There is some uncertainty about what led to his death. One scenario involved charges of treason, but the story traditionally accepted is that Stanislaus collided with King Boleslaus II over the latter’s immortality and injustice. After rebuking the king several times, Stanislaus excommunicated him. When the king’s soldiers refused to execute the bishop, the king did it himself.C
READINGS FOR THE WEEK
PHOTOS: CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE, SHUTTERSTOCK
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
SUNDAY
ACTS 4:23-31; PS 2:1-3, 4-9; JN 3:1-8
ACTS 4:32-37; PS 93:1-2, 5; JN 3:7B-15
ACTS 5:17-26; PS 34:2-9; JN 3:16-21
ACTS 5:27-33; PS 34:2, 9, 17-20; JN 3:31-36
ACTS 5:34-42; PS 27:1, 4, 13-14; JN 6:1-15
ACTS 6:1-7; PS 33:12, 4-5, 18-19; JN 6:16-21
ACTS 3:13-15, 17-19; PS 4:2, 4, 7-9; 1 JN 2:1-5A; LK 24:35-48
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FEATURE
CAN WE RECONNECT WITH OUR GUARDIAN ANGELS? ADULTS CAN TURN TO THE GUARDIAN ANGELS THEY KNEW IN CHILDHOOD FOR COMFORT, PROTECTION AND GUIDANCE FOR A BETTER LIFE BY NICOLE GREGORY
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ATHOLICS MIGHT remember this prayer from childhood: Angel of God, my guardian dear, to whom God’s love commits me here, ever this day be at my side, to light and guard, to rule and guide. Amen As children, Catholics are taught that each of us has a personal guardian angel who provides protection, comfort and guidance. But as adults, many Catholics forget all about their guardian angels when facing the big and small struggles of life. And that is a loss, says Marilyn Santos, associate director of the Secretariat of Evangelization and Catechesis at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in Washington, DC. “They’re missing an opportunity of the incredible gift that God created for all of us,” she says. A guardian angel’s purpose is specific. “A guardian angel is a supernatural being that God created solely to be an assistant to his daughters and sons while we’re on Earth,” Santos explains. Saint Jerome referred to angels that guard over us, and Saint Matthew wrote: “Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven.” Franciscans and Jesuits began the practice of honoring guardian angels in the 1600s, Santos says, and angels play important roles throughout the Bible. In the United States, the topic of guardian angels is relegated to lessons
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AN ANGEL GRAVE MARKER IS PICTURED IN A FILE PHOTO AT ST. PATRICK CATHOLIC CEMETERY IN NEENAH, WIS. PHOTO: BRAD BIRKHOLZ, FOR THE COMPASS / CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE
for children just before the Feast of the Guardian Angels, October 2. But in other countries, guardian angels are celebrated openly by everyone. “In Japan, people set up altars nine days before actual feast day,” Santos explains. “And in Latin America people set up altars and guardian angels are celebrated and acknowledged publicly,” she says. That’s why Santos was not surprised that Pope Francis, born in Buenos Aires, speaks often about guardian angels. She surmised that his Latin American
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upbringing emphasized communicating with one’s guardian angel. “I would like to ask you all a question: Do you speak to your angel?” Pope Francis challenged Catholics in 2018. “Do you know the name of your angel? Do you listen to your angel? Do you let yourself be taken by the hand along the path or pushed to move?” Guardian angels can provide not just guidance and protection to Christian adults, but they can nudge them to take healthy risks.
“There is the danger of not going on the journey,” Pope Francis said. “And how many people settle down, and don’t set out on the journey, and their whole life is stalled, without moving, without doing anything . . . It is a danger . . . And so many people don’t know how to make the journey, or are afraid of taking risks, and they are stalled. But we know that the rule is that those who are stalled in life end up corrupted. Like water: when the water is stopped up in a place, the CONTINUES ON PAGE 7
FEATURE / CATHOLIC FAMILY LIVING CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6
mosquitos come, they lay their eggs, and everything is corrupted. Everything. The angels help us, they push us to continue on the journey.” The idea of the guardian angel is grounded in Catholic teaching, says Santos. “As Catholics we believe that everyone, including non-Christians, has an angel assigned to them for guidance on Earth. They are here to help us in our humanity, to protect us from evil and encourage us to do good works. Like God, the angel cannot affect our free will. But your guardian angel will whisper in your ear to remind you of who God meant you to be.” This enforces the idea that guardian angels are a direct connection to God. “Our angel is not only with us; he also sees God the Father,” Pope Francis said. “He is the daily bridge, from the moment we arise to the moment we go to bed. He accompanies us and is a link between us and God the Father. The angel is the daily gateway to transcendence, to the encounter with the Father: that is, the angel helps me to go forward because he looks upon the Father, and he knows the way. Let us not forget these companions along the journey.” The pandemic has created tremendous stress and worry for adults. “In the past year my friends and colleagues and I have reached out to our guardian angels more than we had in a long time,” says Santos. “We’re not looking for a magic wand to make everything better. But it’s comforting to know that there is a presence that God uniquely created just for me.” Reconnecting with one’s guardian angel is possible any time. Santos suggests intentionally revisiting childhood prayers and lessons or speaking to a parish priest about how to renew the relationship with a guardian angel for guidance in today’s challenges and those in the future. C
HONORING ST. JOSEPH MYRIAD ACTIVITIES TEACH ABOUT HIS FAITH, STRENGTH, AND LOVE BY CATHI DOUGLAS
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HEN POPE FRANCIS announced that 2021 is The Year of St. Joseph, he explained his reasons in an Apostolic Letter, Patris Corde: “Each of us can discover in Joseph – the man who goes unnoticed, a daily, discreet and hidden presence – an intercessor, a support and a guide in times of trouble,” the Holy Father writes. “Saint Joseph reminds us that those who appear hidden or in the shadows can play an incomparable role in the history of salvation. A word of recognition and of gratitude is due to them all.” We honor St. Joseph by participating in the many activities offered throughout the Diocese of Orange and at various local parishes during this year honoring St. Joseph. Catholic families and individuals also will find myriad ideas for crafts, activities, prayers, and novenas online. In “The Catholic Family Handbook,” the Rev. George A. Kelly notes that children can be taught to emulate St. Joseph “for his sense of duty, which impelled him to take such loving care of the Blessed Virgin and the Infant Child. “Because St. Joseph was a humble carpenter, he is regarded as the patron saint of workers everywhere; and the fact that his trade was not highly regarded by worldly men should teach us that it is more important to develop the spiritual qualities which he exemplified than to strive for material success.” Thus, suggestions for crafts, projects, and other activities emphasize St. Joseph’s work as a carpenter, his status as the patron saint of Italy, and his
STAINED GLASS WINDOW, FEATURING ST. JOSEPH, AT ST. JOSEPH CATHOLIC CHURCH IN PLACENTIA. PHOTO COURTESY DIOCESE OF ORANGE
dedication to the Holy Family. Catholicicing.com offers these ideas for family activities: n Create a St. Joseph’s altar. The site offers suggestions for creating a simple
or elaborate altar. n Wear red. Red is the color of Italy and thus a fitting way to honor St. Joseph. n Celebrate with traditional food. Meatless meals appropriate for Lenten celebrations include traditional foods such as lava beans, fancy breads in symbolic shapes, pasta, breads decorated with figs, wine, Italian pastries, and various fruits. n Collect food for the less fortunate. Many parishes and the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, as well as the Cantlay and Second Harvest food banks, collect and/or deliver food to the poor. n Bake zeppole. These are the famous pastries traditionally eaten on St. Joseph’s feast day. Filled with cream and featuring ricotta cheese, zeppole are topped with a red cherry. You can find a recipe at goodfoodstories.com/ zeppole-for-saint-joseph. St. Joseph’s patronage for various places and causes are fodder for other creative drawings and crafts. He is the patron saint of the Catholic Church, unborn children, fathers, immigrants, workers, travelers, carpenters, and realtors, as well as the patron of Canada, Croatia, Korea, Zapotlan, and Vietnam. In celebrating St. Joseph, families may want to contemplate these thoughts from St. Alphonso Liguori: “Go, then to Joseph, and do all that he shall say to you; Go to Joseph, and obey him as Jesus and Mary obeyed him; Go to Joseph, and speak to him as they spoke to him; Go to Joseph, and consult him as they consulted him; Go to Joseph, and honor him as they honored him; Go to Joseph, and be grateful to him as they were grateful to him; Go to Joseph, and love him, as they love him still.” C
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FEATURE
ROSE RIVER MEMORIAL CHRIST CATHEDRAL HOSTS A COMMUNITY MEMORIAL THAT HONORS O.C. RESIDENTS WHO HAVE SUCCUMBED TO COVID BY LARRY URISH
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OSES MEAN A GREAT DEAL to devoted Catholics. Mother Mary is intimately aligned with roses, and the rosary includes a selection of prayers to Mary as a spiritual bouquet, of sorts. But to internationally renowned artist Marcos Lutyens, roses mean even more. To Lutyens, and to a growing number of people backing him in a grand, noble project that began last August, one rose honors one American who died of COVID-19 during the pandemic. “I like the idea of roses because it’s a symbol used in the U.S. in a lot in funerals,” the native of Britain says. “And they’re used to symbolize courage and valor. Every rose has a beautiful value to it.” Thus far Lutyens has created five community installations in Southern California, as well as two out of state, displaying hand-made felt roses, each separately attached to mesh netting. The first of Lutyens’ memorial displays, in East L.A.’s Boyle Heights community, included some 200 roses. The latest Rose River Memorial, now located on the Christ Cathedral campus, includes more than 4,600 of the felt flowers, created by sponsors and community volunteers. They represent the number of O.C. residents who have
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BISHOP KEVIN VANN SPRINKLES HOLY WATER TO BLESS THE MEMORIAL. PHOTO: DREW KELLEY
died of COVID to date. A similar display, composed of 4,000 roses, was displayed at the Orange County Museum of Art from March 1-7. Some 600 O.C. residents have died between the beginning of March until the day the Christ Cathedral Memorial was installed. “That’s 600 people in 22 days,” Lutyens says. “And it’s not over yet.” Lutyens thinks big. When he first envisioned a memorial composed of felt roses, he saw a permanent national display in Washington, D.C., honoring every American who has died of COVID. At the time, the country’s death toll was 170,000. In just seven months, that figure has surpassed 500,000. “If we built
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the national memorial today, it would spread over three acres,” he says. However, Lutyens – whose work has appeared in such lofty locales as the Guggenheim, the Royal Academy of Arts and MoMA – remains undaunted. He and his team are working on other memorials to appear in several other states. Grieving volunteers have mailed Lutyens felt roses from throughout the country. As support grows, so will the number of community memorials. He hopes that more than half a million roses will eventually be combined and displayed permanently. As he saw the COVID death toll rising last August, Lutyens was saddled
with an emotion that remains all too common during the pandemic: helplessness. “Although I hadn’t lost anyone close, I saw the front-line workers in crisis, I saw the mental health crisis, all the mourning. I wanted to do something.” While Lutyens notes that many of the roses used in the installations are made and donated by surviving family members, most are created by those who haven’t undergone a terrible loss. “Making and donating roses helps people to process the grief and do something tangible to counteract that feeling of helplessness,” he says. The memorial at Christ Cathedral is CONTINUES ON PAGE 9
SOCIAL MEDIA / FEATURE orangediocese • follow April 4, 2021 orangediocese “Today we have a reminder of how much God loves us. That he gave us his only son Jesus Christ, who died and rose from the dead. Giving us the promise of eternal life.” An Easter reflection from Bishop Freyer.
BISHOP VANN SPEAKS ABOUT THE IMPACT OF THE PANDEMIC DURING THE EVENT. PHOTO: DREW KELLEY CONTINUED FROM PAGE 8
orangediocese • follow April 1, 2021 orangediocese Let us pray for the victims of the mass shooting yesterday evening in Orange. And let us also remember the families of the victims as they grieve the unfathomable loss of their loved ones. The Most Rev. Kevin W. Vann, Bishop of Orange
To report sexual abuse by clergy or church personnel please call: 1 (800) 364–3064 Healing and Hope After Abortion: 1 (800) 722–4356 New Hope Crisis Counseling Hot Line (24/7): 1 (714) NEW–HOPE or 1 (714) 639–4673
sponsored by the O.C. Autism Foundation, an organization that spreads disability awareness throughout the county and globally to the Vietnamese community. It pushes for equal access to health care and education for those living with autism and other disabilities. “Our community is stronger when we come together for a common cause and lend our support to one another each day, especially in times of need,” says Julie Diep, the O.C. Autism Foundation’s founder and director. “We want to celebrate each person in Orange County, in our community, who has died of COVID. Each individual should be honored. That’s why it was so important to partner with [the Diocese]. Faith-based organizations really help families and communities come together and heal.” “Julie [Diep] has been amazingly supportive,” Lutyens says. “She originally put us in touch with the Diocese. And everyone here has been super supportive and welcoming.” The acclaimed artist was also impressed with the Diocese’s home. “Christ Cathedral is such a fitting and nice shelter for this memorial. Most
cathedrals feel very heavy, as they’re made of stone, whereas this is made of glass and is light all the way through.” During a memorial dedication on March 23, Bishop Kevin Vann blessed an example display of roses set up on the Christ Cathedral campus. “Today we offer blessing to these roses as a reminder of all those we have sought to minister to this past year, and have prayed for and been with them as they went to their eternal reward, and to remember them today,” he said. … “Bless these roses, which we offer this day, in thanksgiving.” The memorial will be on display in the campus’ Small Gallery, near the Arboretum, through June 30. Stories and photos of those who have died from COVID will be included. To contribute roses and view detailed rose-making instructions, or to help fund the project, visit www. roseriver.memorial. (The web address has no “dot-com”.) “I’m hoping for more outreach,” Diep says, envisioning a permanent national Rose River Memorial. “Hopefully people will want to say, ‘I want this in my city. And we’ll go to Washington, D.C., to celebrate when it’s done.’” C
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DIOCESAN NEWS
SCOUTS RECOGNITION MASS
YOUTH AND ADULTS RECOGNIZED FOR CONTRIBUTIONS TO CATHOLIC SCOUTING BY BERNIE KILCOYNE
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HE DIOCESAN CATHOLIC Catholic Committee on Scouting held its Catholic Youth Ministry Recognition Mass at St. Joachim Catholic Church earlier this year. Fr. Mike Hanifin was the celebrant, with Deacon Nick Sherg and Deacon Jorge Sanchez Ph.D. in service on the altar. Five youth were awarded the Light of Christ medal, designed as a steppingstone to future religious medal programs. Fourteen youth were awarded the Parvuli Dei medal, centered around the youth learning more about his/her faith through visits to places of interest. Twenty youth were awarded the Ad Altare Dei medal, a scripture study and project-centered program based on the sacraments related to youth scouting and religious life. Twenty-six youth were awarded the Pope Pius XII medal, a program to help the teenage youth learn more about his/ her personal vocation as a Catholic now, and his/her career vocation in the future. Twelve youth received the Pillar of Faith pin, where these youth earned all four scouting youth ministry religious medals. Six youth received the St. Francis award, presented to youth in scouting providing outstanding service, volunteering their talents to serve the needs of their community and Roman Catholic Church parish. The Our Lady of Guadalupe award was presented to Jon Bergler, for outstanding service and leadership to the
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DEACON NICK SHERG (LEFT) WITH JON BERGLER WHO RECEIVED THE OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE AWARD. PHOTO: BERNIE KILCOYNE
community, scouting and his church, in addition to having earned his Eagle, Summit or Quartermaster scouting award. It was also announced after the awarding of this medal that Jon was discerning entering the seminary. The Vic Rogers Youth Award recognizes young adults for their continual and dedicated service to the spiritual growth of scouts and was presented to Peter de Grood. Six Catholic partnered scout units were recognized for the Pope Paul VI National Catholic Unit Excellence award.
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Pack 227 St. Bonaventure; Pack 620 St. Hedwig; Troop 671 St. Hedwig; Troop 691 St. John Neumann; Troop 818 Serra Catholic School; and Crew 1910 The Bishops Crew. Adults were recognized for their contributions and dedicated service to Scouting Youth Ministry. Christopher Curry, Sophia Tran and Jacob Walker were awarded the Bronze Pelican medal. The pelican has been traditionally used as a Liturgical symbol since the early days of Christianity. It denotes the tender care of the young by the parent and the Church,
recognizing Catholic spiritual development. Mike Bergler was awarded the St. George medal, a recognition by the National Catholic Committee on Scouting, to those who have made a significant contribution to scouting in the field of Catholic relationships. Gerald de Santos was awarded the Monsignor Sammon award, recognizing an adult for extended, dedicated and continuous service to youth, the Diocese and the Diocesan Catholic Committee on Scouting. C
DIOCESAN NEWS
ELIZABETH JENSEN TAPPED TO HEAD USCCB COMMITTEE
THE DIOCESE OF ORANGE CFO NOW LEADS THE USCCB ACCOUNTING PRACTICES COMMITTEE the USCCB General Secretary to join the Accounting Practices CommitIOCESE OF ORANGE tee in July 2018. She was known to Chief Financial Officer many of the existing members as an Elizabeth Jensen has been excellent accountant with dynamic appointed as the new chair leadership skills. Those two attriof the United States Conference of butes – excellent accountant and Catholic Bishops Accounting Pracdynamic leadership skills – are what tices Committee. made her a superb candidate to chair The committee is comprised the committee. Her appointment of leading finance and accounting became effective January 1, 2021. As experts that help guide accounting a well-rounded experienced CFO, practices and financial reporting for she will be looked to, to guide the the Catholic dioceses in the United committee in updating the well-used States. Diocesan Financial Management: A The Accounting Practices Commit- Guide to Best Practices that resides tee is a lay-committee that falls under on the USCCB website.” the purview of the US Conference of Of the appointment, Jensen said, Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Bud- “I am honored to accept the nomiget and Finance. Its members are nation as chair of the USCCB Acdiocesan CFOs and financial advisors. counting Practices Committee. I am Established in 1976, the committee confident that my experience in both represents the interest of the entities public accounting and as the CFO of of the Catholic Church in the formuone of the largest dioceses will allow lation of accounting principles and me to serve the Church in this imreporting practices and in presenting portant role and to assist dioceses in the same before professional standard the United States in adhering to the setting groups and governmental accounting and financial reporting bodies when necessary. standards of the industry.” According to Joyce Jones, CFO of Jensen began her new role Januthe USCCB, “Jensen was invited by ary 1. C
ELIZABETH JENSEN, DIOCESE OF ORANGE CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER / PHOTO COURTESY DIOCESE OF ORANGE
BY STAFF
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The Diocese of Orange, through OC Catholic newspaper, presents local, national and world news about the Catholic Church. Our intention is to give our readers access to a variety of perspectives in order to help them to process the information within the framework of our Catholic faith, but also to better understand the perspectives of those with opposing viewpoints. We hope that ultimately our readers will be better equipped to have constructive conversations that further the growth of the Catholic Church. C
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CATHOLIC NEWS AROUND THE WORLD
VATICAN CALLS FOR ACTION TO ASSIST PEOPLE DISPLACED BY CLIMATE CHANGE BY CINDY WOODEN CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Whether people admit it or not, climate change and environmental destruction are forcing millions from their homes, and Catholics have a responsibility to assist them, Pope Francis wrote in the preface to a new document. “When people are driven out because their local environment has become uninhabitable, it might look like a process of nature, something inevitable,” the pope wrote. “Yet the deteriorating climate is very often the result of poor choices and destructive activity, of selfishness and neglect, that set humankind at odds with creation, our common home.” The papal preface appears in “Pastoral Orientations on Climate Displaced People,” a document released March 30 by the Migrants and Refugees Section of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development. In addition to offering parishes, dioceses and national bishops’ conferences suggestions for offering pastoral care to people forced to move because of rising sea levels, desertification and increasingly strong storms, the document encourages Catholics to study and track climate change and to change their lifestyles to help mitigate some of its effects. “The climate crisis has been unfolding since the Industrial Revolution,” Pope Francis wrote. “For a long time, it developed so slowly that it remained imperceptible except to a very few clairvoyants.” “Even now it is uneven in its impact: climate change happens everywhere, but the greatest pain is felt by those who have contributed the least to it,” the pope wrote. “The huge and increasing numbers (of people) displaced by climate crises are fast becoming a great emergency.”
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A WOMAN COLLECTS WATER FOR WASHING AS FLOODWATERS BEGIN TO RECEDE IN THE AFTERMATH OF A 2019 CYCLONE NEAR BEIRA, MOZAMBIQUE. MANY CLIMATE SCIENTISTS HAVE ASSOCIATED AN INCREASED NUMBER OF NATURAL DISASTERS AND THEIR SEVERITY WITH CLIMATE CHANGE. PHOTO: MIKE HUTCHINGS, REUTERS / CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE
According to the document, “In the course of 2019 alone, more than 33 million people were newly displaced, bringing the total number to almost 51 million, the highest number ever recorded; and of these, 8.5 million (were displaced) as a result of conflict and violence and 24.9 million due to natural disasters.” “In the first half of 2020, 14.6 million new displacements were recorded; 9.8 million as a result of disasters and 4.8 million associated with conflict and violence,” the document said, citing statistics from the Geneva-based Internal Displacement Monitoring Center. In addition, it said, climate change is
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“a threat multiplier, intensifying existing conflicts where resources are scarce.” Responding to the needs of people displaced within their home countries or forced to migrate because of climate-related catastrophes is “at the heart of being a credible and witnessing church, a caring and inclusive ecclesial community,” the document said. Many people either do not know about the human cost of climate change or refuse to believe it, the text said. “Blindness about these issues is widespread and its causes are mainly: a) plain ignorance; b) indifference and selfishness vis-à-vis phenomena that endanger the common
good; c) the purposeful denial of reality to protect vested interests; d) misunderstanding.” “God gives the means to see, but human beings must be willing to journey from blindness to awareness,” the document said, which is why many of the suggestions in the text involve education at all levels of the church, ecumenical and interreligious cooperation in sensitizing people to the issues and in responding to the needs of people displaced by climate crises and listening to and advocating for the real needs of displaced people and those threatened with displacement. CONTINUES ON PAGE 14
CATHOLIC NEWS AROUND THE WORLD
TENDERNESS, RECONCILIATION NEEDED IN TODAY’S WORLD, POPE SAYS BY JUNNO AROCHO ESTEVES CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Priests must follow the example of Jesus, the good shepherd, who laid down his life not just for his flock but also for the sheep that strayed away, Pope Francis said. Addressing students and faculty from the Pontifical Mexican College March 29, the pope said the problems of today’s world should awaken “in every priest an authentic compassion, both for the sheep entrusted to him and for those who have gone astray.” Those problems, he said, “demand of us priests that we conform ourselves to the Lord and the gaze of love with which he contemplates us. By conforming our gaze to his, our gaze is transformed into a gaze of tenderness, reconciliation and fraternity.” In his prepared remarks, the pope highlighted the challenges facing the Catholic Church in Mexico which, like in many countries across the globe, have been made even more difficult due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Tenderness, he said, is needed to address “the problems that afflict society,” including violence, social and economic inequalities, corruption and a lack of hope. Priests also must foster reconciliation, which is needed to confront differences as well as corruption that have weakened the “multicolored web of cultures that make up the social and religious fabric of the nation.” Mexican priests must show particular care and concern for “those who have been discarded because of their indigenous roots or their particular popular religiosity,” the pope continued. “We shepherds are called to help rebuild respectful and constructive rela-
POPE FRANCIS LEADS AN AUDIENCE WITH STUDENTS AND FACULTY FROM THE PONTIFICAL MEXICAN COLLEGE AT THE VATICAN MARCH 29, 2021. THE POPE SAID THE PROBLEMS FACING TODAY’S WORLD SHOULD AWAKEN “IN EVERY PRIEST AN AUTHENTIC COMPASSION, BOTH FOR THE SHEEP ENTRUSTED TO HIM AND FOR THOSE WHO HAVE GONE ASTRAY.” PHOTO: VATICAN MEDIA / CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE
tionships between persons, groups and cultures within society, proposing to all to ‘allow themselves to be reconciled by God’ and to commit to the restoration of justice,” he said. Lastly, Pope Francis told the students and faculty that they must have “a shared and unifying vision that can
impel us to create fraternity” by highlighting the “points of connection and interaction in the heart of cultures and in the ecclesial community.” Such a vision, he said, will encourage and guide the faithful “to be respectful of our common home and become builders of a new world, in collaboration with all
men and women of goodwill.” “In order to see in this way, we need the light of faith and the wisdom of those who know how to ‘take off their sandals’ in order to contemplate the mystery of God and, from this perspective, to read the signs of the times,” the pope said. C
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CATHOLIC NEWS AROUND THE WORLD
A VIEW OF THE A-68A ICEBERG IN ANTARCTICA IS PICTURED FEB. 15, 2021. FROM 1914 TO 1917, ERNEST SHACKLETON’S INTREPID TEAM SURVIVED APPALLING TRIALS AND DISASTERS ON AN ANTARCTIC EXPEDITION, INCLUDING THE CRUSHING OF THEIR SHIP BY PACK ICE AND A 720-MILE JOURNEY TO SOUTH GEORGIA ISLAND IN AN OPEN LIFEBOAT. PHOTO: POVL ABRAHAMSEN, BRITISH ANTARCTIC SURVEY, HANDOUT VIA REUTERS / CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE CONTINUED FROM PAGE 12
Presenting the document during an online news conference March 30, Salesian Father Joshtrom Kureethadam, an official at the dicastery, said, “Climate crisis and other ecological hazards are becoming the primary drivers for displacement, and could re-shape patterns of migration in the coming decades.” The crisis, he said, “is ultimately a moral problem. The poor and vulnerable communities whose carbon emissions are only a fraction of those of the rich world are already the early and disproportionate victims of the crisis.” Asked to clarify the moral teaching behind the document, Cardinal Michael Czerny, undersecretary for migrants and refugees, said, “I don’t think the moral argument needs to be any more complex” than that all human beings were created by God, are brothers and sisters to each other and are living on the same planet. They have an obligation to each other and to the earth. “We really seem to be at the point of deciding, actively or passively, whether we will take care of the one home we have or we destroy it,” the cardinal said. Maria Madalena Issau, a 32-year-old widowed mother of five, who also cares for her two orphaned nephews, joined the conference from Mozambique, where she lives in a displaced persons’ camp outside
of Mutua. She and the children have lived in the camp since March 2019 when Cyclone Idai struck Beira where she was living on the beach, buying and reselling fish to support her family. A nongovernmental organization is starting to build one-bedroom homes to replace the tents at the resettlement center, she said, but there is “no work and no businesses, no projects to educate the youth or to occupy the people, and for odd jobs people must travel many kilometers.” Archbishop Claudio Dalla Zuanna of Beira told reporters, “Climate change is not a hypothetical threat, but a reality that requires immediate action, including the creation of the conditions necessary to welcome those displaced by the increasing number of catastrophes.” Emergency responses, “sometimes motivated by emotions that disappear rapidly,” are not enough, the archbishop said. Nor is it right to simply resettle people without thinking about how to provide essential services. Where communities are particularly at risk of severe storms, flooding or desertification, he said, the obligatory contingency planning called for by the new document obviously applies to governments, but “also to the church in its vocation to be a welcoming home, the family of God.” C
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In recognition of The Year of St. Joseph, Bishop Timothy Freyer on March 17, 2021 led a blessing of the St. Joseph statue now placed in the Crean Tower on the Christ Cathedral campus. —Photo by Drew Kelley
Send your photos that capture Catholic life in your parish community to: webeditor@occatholic.com
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