February 2017 by St. Anthony Messenger

AN AMERICAN PILGRIMAGE

ST. ANTHONY Messenger

Rabbi Abraham Skorka on Pope Francis The Prodigal Son Revisited The Grace of Giving Care across Generations

FEBRUARY 2017 â&#x20AC;¢ $3.95 FRANCISCANMEDIA.ORG

REFLECTION

The mission of schools is to develop a sense of truth, of what is good and beautiful. â&#x20AC;&#x201D;Pope Francis CNS PHOTO/KAREN CALLAWAY, CATHOLIC NEW WORLD

CONTENTS

ST. ANTHONY Messenger

❘ FEBRUARY 2017 ❘ VOLUME 124/NUMBER 9

ON THE COVE R

26 The Pope’s ‘Beloved Brother’

Rabbi Abraham Skorka, close friend of Pope Francis, stopped by our offices for an interview and photo session. His personal warmth comes across in his portrait.

This Argentine rabbi and his friend Francis are building bridges among Jews and Catholics. By John Feister

Photo by Gregory Rust

F E AT U R E S

D E PA R T M E N T S

14 Parable of New Beginnings

2 Dear Reader

Prodigal son, forgiving father, resentful brother: there is something here for each of us. By Megan McKenna

3 From Our Readers 4 Followers of St. Francis Carlos Ona, OFM

20 Care across Generations This center brings together toddlers, seniors, and people with disabilities in the Franciscan spirit. By Colleen Jurkiewicz

6 Reel Time Silence

8 Channel Surfing Accidental Courtesy

10 Church in the News

32 St. Junípero Serra’s Camino Pilgrimages may seem out of reach. California’s 21 missions bring this holy journey close to home. Text and photos by Stephen J. Binz

18 Catholic Sites to Explore The Alamo

25 Editorial

38 The Grace of Giving God’s love is present in simple acts of charity and kindness. By Barbara Hughes

A Traffic Report

31 At Home on Earth

Make America Green

46 Ask a Franciscan

42 Fiction: Unraveling the Knot

Celebrate the Reformation?

Her life with Bud made sense. Now, nothing seemed to. By Rebecca L. Monroe

48 Book Corner Particles of Faith

50 A Catholic Mom Speaks I Want My Crayons Back

52 Backstory

DEAR READER

ST. ANTHONY M essenger

Faithful to the End St. Peter Baptist and 25 other Catholics were crucified outside Nagasaki, Japan, on February 5, 1597. The martyrs were three Jesuits, six Franciscan friars, and 17 Japanese Secular Franciscans. They were canonized in 1862. Peter joined the friars in Spain, served in Mexico, and went to Japan in 1592 to represent King Philip II in negotiations with Hideyoshi, the ruler of Japan. After they concluded the diplomatic mission, Peter and his confreres stayed on to spread the Gospel. Unfortunately, missionaries are sometimes seen more as agents of a foreign country rather than people eager to share the good news of Jesus Christ. Alarmed at the missionaries’ success, Hideyoshi in late 1596 had them arrested, condemned to death, and then sent on a four-week march to the city where they were executed. When Christian missionaries were able to return to Nagasaki in the 1860s, they found a community that had passed on its faith for more than 250 years by reading the Scriptures and praying the rosary. On the Roman calendar, the feast of Paul Miki (leader of these Jesuits) and all the other martyrs is celebrated on February 6.

Publisher Daniel Kroger, OFM President Kelly McCracken Editor in Chief John Feister Art Director Jeanne Kortekamp Franciscan Editor Pat McCloskey, OFM Managing Editor Susan Hines-Brigger Assistant Editors Daniel Imwalle Kathleen M. Carroll Digital Editor Christopher Heffron Editorial Assistant Sharon Lape Advertising Daniel Imwalle

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(U.S.P.S. PUBLICATION #007956 CANADA PUBLICATION #PM40036350) Volume 124, Number 9, is published monthly for $39.00 a year by the Franciscan Friars of St. John the Baptist Province, 28 W. Liberty Street, Cincinnati, Ohio 45202-6498. Phone (513) 241-5615. Periodicals postage paid at Cincinnati, Ohio, and additional entry offices. U.S. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: St. Anthony Messenger, P.O. Box 189, Congers, NY 109200189. CANADA RETURN ADDRESS: c/o AIM, 7289 Torbram Rd., Mississauga, ON, Canada L4T 1G8. To subscribe, write to the above address or call (866) 543-6870. Yearly subscription price: $39.00 in the United States; $69.00 in Canada and other countries. Single copy price: $3.95. For change of address, four weeks’ notice is necessary. See FranciscanMedia.org/subscription-services for information on your digital edition. Writer’s guidelines can be found at Franciscan Media.org/writers-guide/. The publishers are not responsible for manuscripts or photos lost or damaged in transit. Names in fiction do not refer to living or dead persons. Member of the Catholic Press Association Published with ecclesiastical approval Copyright ©2017. All rights reserved.

2 ❘ Fe b r u a r y 2 0 1 7

St . A n t h o n y M e s s e n g e r

FROM OUR READERS

Amplified Possibility Thank you for your article on miracles in the December issue of St. Anthony Messenger (“A New Look at Miracles,” by Michael Dennin). A miracle may be defined simply as supernatural intervention in the natural order. This understanding helps to avoid the notion that such intervention violates natural law. There is no logical inconsistency with such an intervention because natural laws are based on observations, not assumptions. The intervention merely adds another observation to our understanding of what is possible. Methodological naturalism—the methodology of empirical science—is not the same as philosophical materialism, which is an assumption falsified by miracles. The miracles documented in Scripture and by the Church at such

What’s on Your Mind? Letters that are published do not necessarily represent the views of the Franciscan friars or the editors. We do not publish slander or libel. Please include your name and postal address. Letters may be edited for clarity and space. Mail Letters, St. Anthony Messenger 28 W. Liberty St. Cincinnati, OH 45202-6498 Fax 513-241-0399

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places as Lourdes should be of significant interest to science. Philip Lehpamer Brooklyn, New York

Honesty Appreciated I am a regular subscriber to St. Anthony Messenger. I am a Jewish convert to Christianity and a Protestant, and I enjoy your magazine immensely and appreciate the respectful way in which you portray a variety of issues. I had read Jeannette De Beauvoir’s article from the October issue, “Why We Pray the Rosary,” with great interest. As a Protestant who happens to own a Catholic Bible, I decided to look up the Scripture you quoted as proof that “Mary is crowned Queen of Heaven and Earth.” Needless to say, I did not find 2 Tim 2:12 particularly relevant. I actually began to send you a letter questioning the citation. Upon receiving the December issue, I kicked myself for not sending you that e-mail. I did look up your correction, Rv 12:1-2, and find it much more persuasive of the Catholic teaching about Mary. Thanks for being honest enough to admit a mistake of such magnitude and offer a correction. Bob Miller Washington, DC

A Singular Parable I’m writing regarding John Feister’s editorial from the December issue of St. Anthony Messenger, “Syrians on the Run.” In the parable of the good Samaritan, Our Lord used a single outsider to help a single victim. He chose to have the Samaritan help the victim in the locale where he had fallen victim. He chose neither to have the Samaritan take the victim to his own home nor to have him turn it into a “we-need-to-help-thisman” situation. By his own compassion, the Samar-

itan proved himself to be the victim’s neighbor. Changing the outsider to outsider(s) and the victim to victim(s) doesn’t change the intent of the lesson that much. Mr. Feister takes this to the level of nation states with “ineffective involvement” and “complicated military strategies” in his editorial. This game in which we need to “step up” is being played on the field of battle. Proverbs 20:18 tells us, “Plans made after advice succeed; so with wise guidance wage your war.” If we welcome refugees into our lands without helping them in the locations of their victimhood, we may prove ourselves compassionate while missing the intent of the parable. Mark E. Mason Wagoner, Oklahoma

Misplaced Guilt Regarding John Feister’s December editorial, “Syrians on the Run,” the villain is not the United States for not taking more refugees and immigrants. The villain is the Islamic State for destroying Syria. Putting guilt on your own country instead of where it belongs is hard to understand. You cite the parable of the good Samaritan to shame Americans and disdain military strategies, saying they are perhaps as much about oil as anything else. You are pointed the wrong way. Take the story of the healing of the centurion’s servant as a teaching of example (Mt 8:5-13; Lk 7:1-10). The centurion had soldiers under him who waged war at his orders. He did not like the idea and said so to Jesus. But his faith in Jesus, that he could heal his servant, was exemplary. Jesus did not rebuke him for his profession, but instead he praised his faith and healed his servant. This should not be overlooked. Bonnie Green Atlanta, Georgia Fe b r u a r y 2 0 1 7 ❘ 3

F O L L O W E R S O F S T. F R A N C I S

A Door That’s Always Open

t’s no secret that vocations to the religious life are rarer than they once were. How do you go about convincing young people of the attraction of a life of service, celibacy, and poverty? For Brother Carlos Ona, OFM, of British Columbia, it’s all about the invitation. “As my biggest task and priority in the order, being a vocation director is to help young people discern their vocation, whether it be Franciscan, other religious, or diocesan calling. I organize ‘Come and See’ weekends where discerners or candidates get a chance to live and interact with the friars,” he says. “I also take them to different ministries where friars are involved. The key is to invite. Many young people feel that they have not been invited to experience life in a religious house or community.” Brother Carlos became director of vocations for the province of Christ the King in western Canada just after his solemn profession in 2013. He jovially describes that it’s not a very competitive position. “No friar would ever dream of asking for this post in the present age and time. It’s a very challenging job. But, thanks to my brothers, I

Carlos Ona, OFM

don’t work alone, and they have been very supportive of my ministry to journey with the candidates.” But even this difficult job is not Carlos’ full-time focus. He serves as secretary of Mission and Evangelization and Franciscan Missionary director, and edits two newsletters—Franciscan Footprints and Franciscan Missionary Union—for the province. His work has given him the opportunity to travel extensively, helping him to be comfortable with the many sorts of people he serves. “We are located in a well-off neighborhood near the University of British Columbia; however, on the flip side of it, nearby we have a mission parish serving the First Nation community,” Brother Carlos says. The province also serves those affected by drugs, alcohol, and unemployment with a soup kitchen (the 9-10 Club) and a drop-in center (The Door Is Open), which provides food, clothing, and a warm, safe environment for those in need. How does Brother Carlos keep up with so many different people to serve and so many duties? St. Francis is the key. “St. Francis was a typical Italian citizen who enjoyed all the

STORIES FROM OUR READERS Hiding in Plain Sight

Learn more about Catholic saints and their feast days by going to FranciscanMedia.org/ source/saint-of-theday.

4 ❘ Fe b r u a r y 2 0 1 7

I had lost my wedding ring. It had slipped off my finger and I had not noticed. I really panicked and became upset. I looked everywhere I could think of, but to no avail. Then, standing outside again to see if it had slipped off in my car or in the garden, I stopped. I was reminded that when I was young and we lost something we always prayed to St. Anthony. My grandmother had taught me the prayer. So I stopped where I was, closed my eyes, and then prayed the prayer to St. Anthony (in Dutch, the language I grew up with). I then turned around, walked into the bedroom, and saw the ring lying there on the floor. I had looked in the bedroom several times—on the floor, in the laundry basket, under the bed, and so on—and had not seen it. I am convinced that St. Anthony helped calm me and helped me see clearly and find my wedding ring. He has always been a friend to me and will always be. —M.C., New Zealand

St . A n t h o n y M e s s e n g e r

ST. CLARE OF ASSISI

A Boy’s Blindness Sister Amata, who was related to Clare, had been at San Damiano for about 25 years when she testified for the canonization process. A young boy who had a kind of film over his eyeball was once brought to St. Clare, who touched the eye and made the sign of the cross over him. Then Clare sent him to Sister Ortulana (her mother), who did the same. When the boy was cured, Clare and Ortulana each credited the other with having cured this boy. –P.M.

CNS PHOTO BY MICHAEL ALEXANDER, GEORGIA BULLETIN

pleasures of life. He grew up in a war-torn society. And even in our own society, there is conflict among religions, races, tribes, or even within our own families. There is so much to learn from him.” We can follow Francis best, he says, by recognizing that each of us is called to the same conversion. We must go out, as Francis did, to meet the lepers of our day—those in prison or suffering with mental illness, those neglected because of their status or race, those with AIDS, and those who feel excluded. Brother Carlos says he feels fortunate that so many supporters share his passion for serving the poor. Even while many have suffered economic setbacks, “the spirit of giving is still strong with most Canadians. We are fortunate that we still have lots of generous benefactors.” The financial, volunteer, and prayer support of the community makes a big difference in enabling the friars to serve others. “People need to have somebody with them,” Brother Carlos says. “We can make such a difference just by learning to see all things with the eyes of Christ.” —Kathleen M. Carroll

To learn more about Franciscan saints, visit FranciscanMedia.org/source/saint-of-the-day.

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REEL TIME

W I T H S I S T E R R O S E PA C AT T E , F S P

Silence

SISTER ROSE’S

CatholicThemed Films A Man for All Seasons (1966) The Mission (1986) The Song of Bernadette (1943) The Keys of the Kingdom (1944) The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928)

6 ❘

February 2017

Favorite

Andrew Garfield (left) and Shinya Tsukamoto costar in director Martin Scorsese’s haunting Silence. In 1635, two Jesuit priests, Father Sebastião Rodrigues (Andrew Garfield) and Father Francisco Garrpe (Adam Driver), embark on a journey from Portugal to Macao. They are in search of their mentor and former teacher, Father Cristóvão Ferreira (Liam Neeson), who has apostatized and abandoned the preaching of the Gospel. In Macao, they meet Kichijiro (Yôsuke Kubozuka), an alcoholic who wants to return to Japan. With Kichijiro as their guide, they reach an island near Nagasaki. There they meet Christians who are living underground because Japan has closed the country to the padres. It is not long before word of the priests’ presence leaks, and Inoue (Issei Ogata), a government inquisitor, seeks them out. But he is cagey and crucifies three men when they will not admit they are Christians who are hiding the padres. Kichijiro is weak and becomes a Judas figure. The priests separate to search for Ferreira. But Father Garrpe dies trying to rescue

Christians being put to death. Father Rodrigues is eventually captured and jailed. His faith is tested: he cannot understand God’s silence in his suffering. That struggle is a central theme in this film. Silence is based on the 1966 historical – saku novel by Japanese Catholic writer Shu – Endo (1923–1996). Martin Scorsese directs the film brilliantly through the lens of his Catholic imagination. He and cowriter Jay Cocks stay very close to the novel, though they combine all the government officials into the character of Inoue. Theological and spiritual themes abound in this deeply acted film. Scorsese shows restraint in his depiction of violence, which surprised me. Silence is a profound story that transcends the usual cinema experience. L, R ■ Violent scenes of martyrdom, peril.

Patriots Day Most people will remember April 15, 2013, when brothers Tamerlan (Themo Melikidze) St . A n t h o n y M e s s e n g e r

In Patriots Day, about the Boston Marathon bombing, Mark Wahlberg plays an officer who responds to the call of duty.

CNS PHOTO/WARNER BROS.

and Dzhokhar (Alex Wolff) Tsarnaev set off two homemade bombs at the finish line of the Boston Marathon. It was Patriots’ Day in Massachusetts, held annually to commemorate the first two battles of the Revolutionary War: Concord and Lexington. The film follows a fictional Boston cop, Tommy Saunders (Mark Wahlberg), through that day, from annoying his wife (Michelle Monaghan) at home, to responding to the explosion, to helping hundreds of officers search for and take Dzhokhar into custody. The urban battle between police and the brothers is harrowing. Patriots Day is a story that director Peter Berg and actor/producer Wahlberg believe needs to be told. The surprising element of this very intense, emotional drama is its huge heart. The filmmakers wanted authenticity at all costs. Michael Beach, who plays Governor Deval Patrick, is convincing, as are John Goodman as Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis, and Jimmy O. Yang, who plays the heroic carjacked student from China, Dun Meng. Courage and heroism are in abundance in Patriots Day. Not yet rated, R ■ Violence, peril, and language.

some time later—his hair has grayed and he is filled with despair. He and his wife are separated because their young daughter died. In his loneliness, he writes letters to Love, Time, and Death. Sally (Ann Dowd), the private detective hired by Whit, Claire, and Simon to bring Howard back and save the company, retrieves the letters. The partners then hire actors (Helen Mirren, Keira Knightley, and Jacob Latimore) to confront Howard with those letters—and these encounters certainly get his attention. Will Smith’s heartbreak feels almost too authentic. There is a clever conceit in “the play within a play” structure of this film, but it is entertaining and works as a master class in acting. Collateral Beauty takes its cue from the theory of multiverses and tells us that there is a profound connection to everything. The message of the film is that love is present, even in death. A-3, PG-13 ■ Mature themes.

Will Smith plays an advertising executive mired in a personal crisis in the film Collateral Beauty, costarring Keira Knightley.

Catholic Cl assifications A-1 A-2 A-3 L O

Collateral Beauty Howard (Will Smith) heads an advertising agency with his friends and colleagues Whit (Edward Norton), Claire (Kate Winslet), and Simon (Michael Peña). The film opens with Howard telling the employees of the firm that creating a successful advertising campaign means building on the concepts of love, time, and death. Then we see him Fr anciscanMedia.org

General patronage Adults and adolescents Adults Limited adult audience Morally offensive

■

The Catholic News Service Media Review Office gives these ratings. See usccb.org/movies.

■

For additional film reviews, go to FranciscanMedia.org/movie-review.

February 2017 ❘

CHANNEL SURFING

WITH CHRISTOPHER HEFFRON

UP CLOSE

February 13, 10 p.m., PBS With a booming voice, a bellowing laugh, and a belly so plump his buttons seem ready to burst, Daryl Davis cuts an imposing figure. The celebrated musician has played with the likes of Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Percy Sledge. But in filmmaker Matt Ornstein’s powerfully moving (if blandly titled) documentary Accidental Courtesy, Davis plays a different tune. An African American from Chicago, he has spent decades befriending members of the Ku Klux Klan, some of whom had never exchanged a word of dialogue with a person of color. Davis’ motives are pure: the fiercely intelligent, earnest musician seeks to build bridges, not walls. His efforts have elicited puzzlement from watch groups such as the Southern Poverty Law Center and anger from activist groups such as Black Lives Matter. But Davis’ grassroots efforts have yielded results: over the years, several of his friends—some of whom are interviewed in the film—have left the KKK after getting to know him. Sensitive channel surfers should know that Accidental Courtesy is a fearless—and at times difficult—look at the roots of hatred. The language can be coarse, but the spirit of the film is pure and powerful. Davis simply wants an answer to the question: “How can you hate me when you don’t even know me?”

24: Legacy

PHOTO: DARYL DAVIS

February 5, 10 p.m., FOX For this channel surfer, the first 24, starring Kiefer Sutherland in an Emmy-winning role, came and went. FOX’s reboot of this fan favorite is a fitting consolation prize. Using the same real-time format as its predecessor, 24: Legacy centers around Eric Carter (authoritatively played by Corey Hawkins), a former sergeant with the US Army Rangers who spent six months in Yemen. Now a civilian working highend security, Carter learns that former squad members are being murdered by the followers of Sheik Ibrahim Bin-Khalid, a terrorist killed by Carter and his company in battle. How Carter evades being killed, while trying to stop further terrorist attacks on his own soil, is the racing heartbeat of the series. And it’s a thrilling ride for viewers. Hawkins is amply supported by Mirada Otto, who plays Rebecca Ingram, an intelligence officer who organized the attack on Bin-Khalid stateside and continues to support the veteran with his present-day efforts. Otto, who made an impression on the equally thrilling series Homeland, is given an even meatier role here—and she’s terrific. This series, perhaps a bit too intense for impressionable viewers, addresses themes of friendship and family, as well as post-traumatic stress disorder, an always-invasive problem with our returning soldiers. Well acted and perfectly edited, 24: Legacy is a lot of fun.

Director Matt Ornstein’s thought-provoking documentary Accidental Courtesy is featured on PBS’ Independent Lens in February. 8 ❘

February 2017

St . A n t h o n y M e s s e n g e r

PHOTO BY MATHIEU YOUNG/FOX

Accidental Courtesy

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CHURCH IN THE NEWS

❘ BY SUSAN HINES-BRIGGER

CNS PHOTO/CHARLENE SCOTT

Oklahoma Priest Named Martyr

Pope Francis has recognized the martyrdom of Father Stanley Rother of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City, making him the first martyr born in the United States.

1 0 ❘ Fe b r u a r y 2 0 1 7

Pope Celebrates 80th Birthday Pope Francis received birthday greetings from around the world on

December 17 to mark his 80th birthday, reported CNS. The pope was also joined by eight homeless people—two women and six men—for breakfast at his residence, Domus Sanctae Marthae. According to a statement from the Vatican, “Pope Francis met with them, greeting them affectionately one by one. The homeless gave the Holy Father three bouquets of sunflowers,” which he immediately placed in the residence’s chapel. Following breakfast, the pope concelebrated Mass with bishops living in Rome. At the end of Mass, the pope said, “The past few days one word that seems a bit awful keeps coming to mind—old age. It’s scary, at any rate, scary.” He then reminded the cardinals of something he said shortly after his election in 2013: “‘Old age is where wisdom resides.’ Let’s hope this goes for me, too. Let’s hope this is the case! Pray that it will be like this for me—tranquil, religious and fruitful, and also joyful. Thank you!” More than 70,000 birthday e-mails

CNS PHOTO/L'OSSERVATORE ROMANO, HANDOUT

On December 2, the Vatican announced that Pope Francis has recognized the martyrdom of Father Stanley Rother of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City, making him the first martyr born in the United States. The announcement clears the way for Father Rother’s beatification, reported Catholic News Service (CNS). Father Rother, a native of Oklahoma, was gunned down at the age of 46 in the rectory of his church in Santiago Atitlan, an isolated village 50 miles west of Guatemala City, on July 28, 1981. Father Rother went to Guatemala in 1968 on assignment from the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City. He helped the people there build a small hospital, school, and its first Catholic radio station. He was beloved by the locals, who called him “Padre Francisco.” During the country’s 1960-1996 civil war, many priests and religious in Guatemala became targets, when government forces cracked down on

leftist rebels who were supported by the rural poor. The bodies of some of Father Rother’s deacons and parishioners were left in front of his church. He then began receiving death threats over his opposition to the presence of the Guatemalan military in the area. Because Father Rother was killed in Guatemala, his cause should have been undertaken there. But the local church lacked the resources for such an effort. The Guatemalan bishops’ conference agreed to a transfer of jurisdiction to the Oklahoma City Archdiocese. “This comes as a great joy to all of us here not only in Oklahoma, but I think it’s a great blessing to the Church in the United States,” Archbishop Paul S. Coakley of Oklahoma City told CNS.

Pope Francis accepts a birthday cake from chefs during his general audience in Paul VI Hall at the Vatican December 14. The pope turned 80 on December 17. St . A n t h o n y M e s s e n g e r

Barbara Jatta, an Italian historian and graphic arts expert, has been appointed by Pope Francis to serve as the first female head of the Vatican Museums. Jatta had been serving as vice director of the museums since last June. Each year millions of people visit the Vatican Museums, which include the Sistine Chapel and more than 50 different galleries. Pope Francis will visit Fatima May 12-13 to mark the 100th anniversary of the Marian apparitions of Fatima, the Vatican announced on December 17. The Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors (PCPM) has launched a beta version of its website—protectionofminors.va—in English. The site “aims to provide the general public with regular updates on the PCPM’s work in promoting a culture of safeguarding together with local churches as well as the educational programs involving the PCPM worldwide.” PBS’ “Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly” will air its last episode the weekend of February 24. For 20 years, the weekly half-hour program took a serious look at religion

were sent to Pope Francis, the majority of which were sent in English, Spanish, Polish, and Italian. The Vatican also noted that over 1,000 birthday greetings were sent to the pope in Latin. Prisoners from the Due Palazzi prison in Padua, northern Italy, also had a chance to wish the pope a happy birthday via Skype. Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI called the pope, but also sent “a handwritten and very affectionate message that was particularly appreciated” as well as three small gifts, according to the Vatican press office.

Pope Francis Rates Favorably with US Catholics A poll by St. Leo University Polling Institute in Florida shows that Pope Francis’ favorability dipped slightly among US adults in general, but has risen among adult Catholics to Fr ancisca n Media .org

and religious issues across the spectrum of belief, and how faith intersected with politics, society, and culture. Every episode of the show will remain on PBS’ website for three years after the last broadcast. The sainthood cause of Julia Greeley, a former slave who spent her days caring for the poor in Denver, Colorado, was formally opened on December 18 by Denver Archbishop Samuel J. Aquila. Despite working long hours taking care of children, cooking, and cleaning, she would often be seen walking at night through the streets of Denver, pulling a small wagon of food and supplies, which she would deliver to poor families. She was known as Denver’s “Angel of Charity.”

CNS/ICONOGRAPHER VIVIAN IMBRUGLIA, COURTESY ARCHDIOCESE OF DENVER

CNS/PAUL HARING

N E W S B R I E F S N AT I O N A L A N D I N T E R N AT I O N A L

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just above what it was a year ago, reported CNS. The poll asked 1,001 respondents if their opinion of the pope was strongly favorable, somewhat favorable, somewhat unfavorable, or not at all favorable. The survey has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points. The pope’s popularity dipped slightly from 65.5 percent in September to 62.6 percent in November. Among Catholic adults, his 85.8 percent favorability was up from the 84.2 percent two months before but down from the 87.5 percent rating he was given in June. Pope Francis’ highest favorability rating from this polling group was 75.8 percent in September 2015, just after his visit to the United States. Marc Pugliese, an assistant professor of theology and religion at St. Leo University, said the slight decline could be attributed to the fact that

“the pope has not been as ‘publicly active’ since September 2016 as he had been the previous year.”

Father Tolton’s Cause Moves Forward On December 10, the remains of Father Augustus Tolton (1854-1897) were exhumed and verified, moving his cause for sainthood one step further along. Father Tolton’s cause was officially opened in 2011 by the Archdiocese of Chicago. Father Tolton, a former slave, is the first recognized American diocesan priest of African descent. Father Tolton received the title of “servant of God” when his cause was officially opened and a postulator was named. If the Vatican determines that he led a heroic life of Christian virtue, the Church will then bestow the title “Venerable.” Before the exhumation began, Fe b r u a r y 2 0 1 7 ❘ 1 1

CNS/KAREN CALLAWAY, CATHOLIC NEW WORLD

Crews erect white tents over the burial site of Father Augustus Tolton in preparation for his remains to be exhumed and verified December 10 at St. Peter Cemetery in Quincy, Illinois. diocesan officials gathered for an opening prayer service at the grave site led by Springfield Bishop Thomas J. Paprocki. Once all the remains and artifacts were collected and examined by a forensic pathologist, the process to reinter Father Tolton began. Priests from Springfield vested the remains

with a white Roman chasuble, maniple, amice, and cincture. They were then placed in a new casket bearing a plate that identified him as “Servant of God Augustus Tolton,” along with his dates of birth, ordination, and death. A document was placed on top of the remains attesting to the work done that day. The casket was

Pope Meets Filmmaker Martin Scorsese

CNS PHOTO/ L’OSSERVATORE ROMANO, HANDOUT

The morning after his film Silence was previewed by about 300 Jesuits, US film director Martin Scorsese had a private audience with Pope Francis. During the November 30 meeting, the pope told Scorsese that he had read Japanese author Shu–saku Endo– ’s historical novel, Silence, which inspired the film. The book and film are a fictionalized account of the persecution of Christians in 17th-century Japan; the central figures are Jesuit missionaries.

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then wrapped with a red ribbon and sealed with a wax seal of the Diocese of Springfield. Chicago Auxiliary Bishop Joseph N. Perry, who is postulator of the priest’s cause, said that while the exhumation process may seem macabre, it “is actually a reverent and well-thought-out part of Church law regarding the remains of holy people. “This goes back to a very ancient tradition in the Church for a number of reasons. One was to document that the person really existed and wasn’t a figment of someone’s imagination or some group’s imagination. Finding their grave was the telltale sign that the person lived, breathed, and walked this earth,” he said.

Prayers Sent for Victims of Berlin Terrorist Attack Following the deadly terrorist attack at the Breitscheidplatz Christmas market in Berlin on December 19, Pope Francis prayed for an end to such attacks. Breitscheidplatz is one of Germany’s oldest Christmas markets. The following day, Bishop Gebhard Furst of Rottenburg-Stuttgart held a prayer service at Rottenburg's Cathedral of St. Martin. He called for Christians to interrupt their daily routines with prayer services “in order to hold onto, and pray for, and think of what has happened, especially of the victims, the injured, the severely wounded, of those people who were struck and affected by this misfortune, this deed of horror.” At the end of the service, he lit a single candle on the stone altar as a symbol of Germany’s “hope and courage toward the future.” A telegram from Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, was sent the same day to Archbishop Heiner Koch of Berlin, expressing the pope’s sorrow and solidarity with those affected. “Pope Francis joins all people of good will who are working so that the homicidal madness of terrorism does not find any more room in our world,” Cardinal Parolin wrote. A St . A n t h o n y M e s s e n g e r

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Parable of New Beginnings Prodigal son, forgiving father, resentful brother: there is something here for each of us. BY MEGAN MCKENNA

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Luke sets the scene: “The tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to him, but the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying, ‘This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.’ So to them he addressed this parable” (15:1-3). The three parables are directed, like an arrow to the heart, to the self-righteous who criticize Jesus’ behavior and his dinner companions, refusing to join them for the meal.

A Familiar Tale The parable of the prodigal son begins simply, disarmingly so: “A man had two sons.” This is a story about the father’s relationship with both of them and, more importantly, their relationship with each other. We know from hearing the story so often that both have terrible relationships with their father and are estranged from each other. As we listen, we tend to decide which son we are like: the one who wants his inheritance now (in effect saying, “I want you dead and gone”) or the one who says, “I’ve slaved for you my whole life, and I have nothing to show for it.” In the time of Jesus, the elder son would inherit everything from his father. In turn, it was his responsibility to care for the other members of the family, carry on his father’s name, and honor him. Usually, after the initial inheritance, the elder son would give a portion to his siblings. But the younger son wants his share now! And from the very first action of the father, things start to get strange. Instead of following St . A n t h o n y M e s s e n g e r

esus is a storyteller—a master storyteller. But the stories he shares are not the kind we are used to hearing. Jesus uses parables, a form not often told in Western cultures. We’re accustomed to stories that have a beginning, a middle, and an end—“happily ever after,” if possible. A parable, on the other hand, sets the scene, continues with an odd detail here and a subtle hint there, and, just when we expect it to end—it doesn’t. It leaves us hanging—waiting, hoping, wondering. Parables are meant to throw us offkilter, to make us wonder “if,” to call us to conversion. Most of us have heard the parable of the prodigal son, also known as the prodigal father, the merciful father, the lost son(s). Each title reveals something about the story. But these titles focus on the middle of the story. When it comes to parables, the beginning and the end are the places of power and deepest insight. The prodigal son is the third story in a triad that focuses on God’s concern for those who are lost. It follows the parables of the lost sheep and the lost coin. The beginning of Luke’s narrative provides a context for understanding these parables and gives us important insight about the audience for whom the stories are intended. Luke situates these stories at a feast, a public meal. Jesus celebrates and eats with tax collectors and sinners—outcasts and those on the fringe of acceptable religious society. Many would think he shouldn’t be seen with these people, much less share a meal with them.

the tradition of the Jewish community by passing on the full inheritance to the elder, the father splits it in half and gives the younger son an equal share. Jesus’ listeners would be shocked. What kind of Jew—and father—is this man? From the onset, the actions of the father are about one thing, which becomes more obvious toward the end of the story: getting his children to realize how much he loves them, and to reconcile with each other.

A Calculated Plan?

A Family in Turmoil When the younger son sold his birthright and inheritance, he betrayed his community, his religion, and his God. On his route back he will have to face his angry neighbors and other Jews. They will probably throw dung and garbage at him, if not stones. The geography of small communities followed the same pattern. The houses were in the heart of the town, then the public areas, marketplaces, the well, synagogue and other buildings, then the outlying fields owned by all the extended families. He would have to work his way back into his father’s house. This is the reason his father goes out every day to seek his lost son, hoping against hope that he will return. When he does, he will serve as his shield, walking back in with him. He is willing to humiliate himself day after day, hoping the younger son returns. This action reveals the sorry state in the family. It was the responsibility of the elder son to keep the family together. The older son 16 ❘

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The Heart of the Story The younger man returns, but his father is a couple of steps ahead of him. He catches sight of his younger son from afar, is filled with compassion, runs to him, and embraces and kisses him. He orders the servants to quickly bring the finest robe for him, put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Again, this father breaks family and societal traditions. Typically the elder son would receive these items as part of his inheritance: the robe, the signet ring that bears the seal of the family, and sandals for contact in public with others in the community. The father not only welcomes the younger son back, but also gives him all of the older son’s expected authority and power as the head of the family. The father’s next words convey the core of the story: “Then let us celebrate with a feast, because this son of mine was dead, and has come to life again; he was lost, and has been found.” And the celebration begins—the gathering of people, the telling of the story, the preparation of the table and food, music, and the entertainment. Phase one of the father’s plan is set in motion. And now, we see the elder brother’s relationship (or lack of it) with his father and his brother. He’s out in the fields, tending to what’s left of his inheritance. He hears the music, dancing, and celebration and asks a servant what is going on. In Luke, this servant represents Jesus, the obedient servant of the Father—our oldest brother who preaches the good news of forgiveness. “Your brother has returned and your father has slaughtered the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.” The Gospel has been proclaimed!

We know the gist of the parable. The younger son squanders his share of the inheritance on “a life of dissipation.” He has cut his ties not only to his father and family, but also to his race, his country, and his God. Then he falls on hard times, reduced to the lowest level of survival, taking care of swine. He’s so hungry, he wants to eat the pig slop, but nobody offers him any. He finally “comes to his senses.” We tend to interpret this as repentance, but it is nothing of the sort. It’s a coldly calculated plan to take care of his basic needs. He will return home, “eat humble pie,” and offer to resume working on the estate—to be paid as an ordinary hired hand, nothing more. This would widen the gulf with his older brother, who has lost half his inheritance and now has to pay his wayward brother while he stays at home.

should have gone after his brother. He has disregarded the first of his duties as elder son/brother, causing his father to be humiliated daily before the whole community.

God’s concern for those who are lost is shown in the joyous welcome the prodigal son receives. His father celebrates by giving him the finest robe and a feast, demonstrating his unconditional love.

An Understandable Reaction Enraged, the older brother refuses to enter the house. Their father goes out again in sight of the townspeople, humbling himself, trying to lure his other son back. One had been lost in the “wilds” of the world; the other is “lost in his father’s house.” St . A n t h o n y M e s s e n g e r

When his father begs him to join the family and welcome his brother home, the elder son bluntly replies: “Look, all these years I served you and not once did I disobey your orders; yet you never gave me even a young goat to feast on with my friends. But when your son returns who swallowed up your property with prostitutes, for him you slaughter the fattened calf.” He sees himself as a slave to his father, and he refuses to acknowledge that the other son is his brother. The father makes it clear that he loves them both: “My son, you are here with me always; everything I have is yours. But now we must celebrate and rejoice, because your brother was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.” And the parable ends abruptly.

Despite his father’s pleas, the resentful elder son refuses to join the celebration. The parable reminds us of God’s desire for us to forgive and live in peace with one another.

What Comes Next?

Our Place in the Story We are all lost in many ways—both in our worlds and in our Abba’s house—when we Fr anciscanMedia.org

There is a saying among storytellers that “the story begins when the teller stops talking.” This story can end in a number of ways. The elder brother can come back with his father and embrace his brother, reconciling with him. He can act as if everything is all right and still despise his brother, biding his time to get what remains of his rightful inheritance. Or he can refuse to come in and stay in the field, shaming his father even more. The younger brother can notice they are both missing and go out and ask forgiveness of his brother. He can send a servant out with a gift, a peace offering, asking him to come in and celebrate. Or he can ignore them both and selfishly think he’s got a good thing going here. The father can go back in, weep, and send his servant to each of them, begging them to return home (and the servant is beaten or killed by them both). The brothers can both go out and meet halfway. Or, others from the community can try to bring them together, working on the one they know from friendship and life. This is the intent of the parable. A man had two sons who were both lost, and who refuse to live as brothers, tearing the family and the community apart. To sit together at the table is to forgive and be forgiven, to begin to reconcile and start to live in communion as the beloved sons and daughters of God, who is intent on bringing us all home together.

refuse to live in communion with our brothers and sisters. The parable is about the God in whose image we are made—Father, Beloved Child, and Spirit who holds us together as the three who are One. Our relationship with God is only as good as our relationship with one another. The story can have many names. Perhaps these will open doors of insight and action for us: “The Family Reunion: The Feast Begins!” Or, “Time for Dinner! Come Home, Children. Come Sit at the Table, and Let’s Eat Together.” We know in our hearts that at any meal, what’s on the menu isn’t the prime reason we’re there. What’s important is who we break bread with and who we toast with the wine we ANSWERS TO PETE AND REPEAT share. 1. There is an extra envelope on the table. Jesus’ parable, told at a meal, 2. The curtain behind Pete now has a tieback. reminds us that all are invited 3. Pete’s shirt has a collar. to the feast. Our God wants us 4. The crease on the curtain is longer. all at home, sitting around the 5. Pete is holding a pencil instead of a pen. table, rejoicing and dwelling in 6. A stamp is on one of the envelopes. peace. A 7. The curtain has moved behind Pete’s shoulder. Megan McKenna is a freelance writer 8. There is an arrow through the heart on from Albuquerque, New Mexico. She is the card. the author of more than 30 books and numerous articles. February 2017 ❘

❘ THE ALAMO

ANDRE M/WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

CATHOLIC SITES TO EXPLORE

Religious and Civic Shrine

lthough the Alamo is a national historic site (especially for Texans!), most visitors don’t realize that before the famous 1836 battle between a few dozen men and a Mexican army numbering in the thousands, this site was already holy ground as a Franciscan mission founded to evangelize the area’s Native Americans. In 1724, Father Antonio de San Buenaventura y Olivares relocated Mission San Antonio de Valero (founded six years earlier) to a more promising location. The Mexican government seized the property in 1792. After Colonel Dickinson and his men made their last stand there, the mission suffered a great deal of damage, leaving only a very small chapel and the friars’ residence (the convent). The mission compound has been partially recreated. Many visitors are surprised—maybe even disappointed—at the site, now in the noisy heart of downtown San Antonio. Those who brace themselves for these changes will probably enjoy their experience much more than someone who only remembers John Wayne’s 1960 movie The Alamo. In the city’s San Fernando Cathedral, a

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white marble sarcophagus contains the remains of the mission’s fallen defenders. Because General Santa Ana considered the defenders to be simply rebels, his troops burned their corpses. After the Mexican army left, Texans gathered up the remains, sealed them in a chest, and buried it in the cathedral’s sanctuary. After the chest was rediscovered in 1936, the remains were moved to the vestibule. When you visit the Alamo, step into the old, battered chapel and say a prayer for the missionaries and their converts. Pray also for the souls of the brave men who died at the Alamo. A Adapted from 101 Places to Pray Before You Die by Thomas J. Craughwell (Franciscan Media). Next: Our Sorrowful Mother Sanctuary

TEX A S

San Antonio •

The Alamo 300 Alamo Plaza San Antonio, TX 78205 210-225-1391 www.thealamo.org

St . A n t h o n y M e s s e n g e r

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Care This center brings together toddlers, seniors, and people with disabilities in the Franciscan spirit. BY COLLEEN JURKIEWICZ

(Above) Sister Edna Lonergan, OSF, founder and president of St. Ann’s, exudes a spirit of welcome with her warm smile. (Top) The recently built Bucyrus campus is an ample 80,000 square feet, a much-needed space to serve the hundreds of adults and children who come daily. (Right) Heartfelt hugs abound at the St. Ann Center for Intergenerational Care. 20 ❘

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A Shared Purpose “It’s about developing meaningful relationships on the part of the children and generativity on the part of the older generations,” says St. Ann’s founder, Sister Edna Lonergan, OSF. “The older generations need to keep giving back. They need to have a sense of purpose. Everybody needs to have a reason to get out of bed in the morning. That’s how we grow. If we never have that sense of purpose or achievement, I don’t think we’re happy.” Planned intergenerational activities, such as music class and literacy club, are frequent, but staff and clients say the real beauty of the concept lies in the spontaneous interactions enabled by the open-concept design of both the new Bucyrus campus and the original Stein campus in St. Francis. At the heart of both of these buildings is a large gathering space, or “intergenerational park.” “The way our campus is set up, it makes us move throughout the center in ways where we encounter as many different people as possible,” explains Angie Squiers, director of child care at the Stein campus. Children are frequently led on walks around the building so they can see and communicate with their adult friends, who are informally grouped by the level of care they require. Even the smallest clients get in on the action: babies in strollers are wheeled into the Wellness Unit in the afternoons so they can be spoiled and cuddled by these sets of foster grandparents. Whenever the infant care rooms are overwhelmed with persistent crying, a “rock-a-bye alert” goes out over the building’s intercom to let all staff and clients know that a few extra baby whisperers are needed in the childcare wing. This is community-based health care taken to a new level, relates Sister Edna. “It really brings back the possibility of the St . A n t h o n y M e s s e n g e r

PHOTO BY CATHY FELDKAMP; BUILDING PHOTO BY BRETT MURPHY/GENERAL ELECTRIC

PHOTO FROM BMO HARRIS BANK

T’S 9:30 A.M. on a late-October Monday at the St. Ann Center’s Bucyrus campus. In defiance of the bleak autumn skies, falling leaves, and last night’s Packers’ loss, the mood is upbeat here at this sprawling, recently built facility on Milwaukee’s northwest side. An energetic gaggle of 2-year-olds is making its way across the building’s courtyard, heading to join another group of St. Ann day-care attendees. It promises to be a morning of fellowship and fun, painting pumpkins, and playing Halloween games. A similar scene is playing out in day cares across the country this morning, but there’s a twist in the plot at St. Ann’s. It’s not other children who sit waiting patiently down the hall for the toddlers to arrive. They are seniors, individuals with Alzheimer’s and dementia, as well as younger adults with cognitive and physical disabilities. But to these toddlers, they are just their “adult friends.” According to nearly everyone you encounter at either this campus or its sister site 20 minutes south in St. Francis, Wisconsin, the St. Ann Center for Intergenerational Care is much more than a day care. Every day, close to 500 individuals ranging in age from 6 weeks to upward of 90 years come to spend the day together in these two buildings. Whether they are at the dawn of life or its twilight, whether they are learning their names or forgetting them, whether they are from a loving home or all alone in the world, the staff and hundreds of volunteers want to make sure everyone who comes through the doors understands one thing: in this place, they are welcome.

across

Generations

PHOTO BY CATHY FELDKAMP

With a backdrop of singing and music, four toddlers participate in the celebratory opening of St. Ann’s Bucyrus campus in September 2015.

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extended family and how much we learn from our elders and people who are older and wiser than we are.”

A ‘Second Home’ For Sue Gock, St. Ann offers a day-care environment that embraces the two most important aspects of her identity: faith and motherhood. Gock, an award-winning forensic scientist, suffered a massive cerebral aneurysm in 2010. At the time she was the director of the Milwaukee medical examiner’s toxicology laboratory, but the aneurysm deprived her of the ability to work and care for herself. After enrolling Gock in two separate hospital rehab facilities to relearn how to walk, talk, and swallow, her husband and adult children began searching out places where she could continue her recovery. When they visited St. Ann’s and saw the children running around, “They were like, ‘This is the place for Mom,’” she says. Now Gock can be found at the Stein campus’ Northwest Unit between two and four days a week. She meets regularly with the physical and occupational therapists, making and reaching goals for strengthening her legs and walking more steadily. By participating in jewelry making, she has improved her dexterity and handeye coordination. She now walks more steadily and can resume some activities around her house. But what makes this place her “second

home,” she offers, is the fact that she can regularly interact with children of all ages. “That’s what I love the most: these kids. They help you get back to being normal,” she says. “They remind you of your kids. I like to tell them they can be whatever they want to be. I always tell little girls, ‘You can go into science, too.’” Back at the Bucyrus campus, the 2-year-olds are gathering in the Wellness Unit to play a Halloween parachute game. Monday is “IG day” here, where little ones spend about 15 to 20 minutes with different groups of their adult friends. Several adults form a circle with their wheelchairs, children in between, helping the feebler ones to grasp the edges of a parachute. Others sit off to the side, watching. Not everyone wants to participate, and no one is ever obligated to. But even for them, the mood changes when the children enter the room. “I love it when the children are here,” says Tania, one of the onlookers. “It’s the kids that make the difference for me.” There is cheering, hollering, clapping, and laughter as the group launches a pair of stuffed pumpkins into the air with the parachute. “Do you feel it in your upper arms? If you don’t, I’m gonna make you take it higher! I need you to feel this in your upper arms!” exclaims staff member Shanness Williams to the group. She explains later: “We want to keep them moving. Some don’t bend much. And it helps the children get out all that energy.”

Raising a Sensitive Generation “They still have a lot of independence, and we want to maintain what they’ve got,” says activities coordinator Wanda Gray. It is the mission of the Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi, who run St. Ann’s, to serve the underserved. That was what inspired Sister Edna to open the St. Ann Adult Day Care Center in 1983 in the basement of her convent. She was alarmed by the increasing rate of institutionalization of senior citizens, many of whom required only minimal daytime assistance. Over the years, many of her employees were single mothers who struggled to find child care. She allowed them to bring their children to work and realized the energy it created in both the staff and the clients. In 1999, she officially incorporated child care into the St. St . A n t h o n y M e s s e n g e r

PHOTO BY CATHY FELDKAMP

Generations come together over creative and fun activities. This pair is designing a colorful mask for the annual Mardi Gras parade at St. Ann’s Stein campus.

Ann’s ministry with the opening of the Center ties, just makes [the children] think a little bit for Intergenerational Care. Since that time, more,” he says. the mission of St. Ann’s has expanded. In addiKaren Bauer’s daughter Cecilia, age 4, doesn’t tion to serving the underserved, what Sister have many opportunities to interact with seEdna and her colleagues hope to do now is to nior citizens outside of her experience at St. raise a generation of children sensitive to the Ann’s. “Both of my grandmas are deceased, needs of those who live on the margins of and both of her grandmothers are fairly young. society, rather than fearing them or, worse, This is her exposure to elderly people that she ignoring them. wouldn’t get elsewhere,” Bauer points out. “I This philosophy is a huge selling point for think [her] seeing that as you get older, you the child day-care center. At the Stein campus, can still be an active member of the commuthere is a waiting list of one to two years. Like nity—that’s a big deal.” many other St. Ann’s parents, Karen Espiritu put her son, Ethan, on the waiting list before A Friend at Every Turn he was even born. She works in health care Children “might be fearful at first,” when and wants her son to understand that “there encountering adults with disabilities or senior are people out there who need daily help, and citizens, explains Squiers. That’s OK at St. that’s OK. These people are part of our society Ann’s. “We often say it’s all right to ask quesjust like we are. It’s not that they’re weird or strange; it’s just a different normal,” she says. “I think, societally, Your Digital we tend to not see them on a day-toEdition day basis.” • Free to print subscribers Charles Stollenwerk has been send• Does not change your ing his three children to St. Ann’s for print subscription five years. He feels that it gives them • Many digital extras a broader view of the world. “You learn to have some common understanding. • Register at Franciscan Media.org/ It’s not just black and white or good subscription-services/ and bad. Knowing what’s driving people, knowing that somebody may have a different set of experiences than you do or maybe a different level of abiliFr anciscanMedia.org

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February 2017 ❘

PHOTOS BY CATHY FELDKAMP

An adult volunteer greeter starts the day by sharing an energetic high five with one the toddlers at St. Ann’s Bucyrus campus. (Right) Dancing and clapping are an everyday occurrence at St. Ann’s, as adult client Lois and her young dance partner demonstrate.

tions. We don’t want to make them feel bad about being fearful. We explain that these are our friends. Everyone here is our friend: Would you like to meet them?” “I remember one of the very first times that we went there, there was a woman who was nonverbal, and my daughter would just stare at her,” says Bauer. “I kept reminding her, ‘That’s one of your adult friends; she goes here at St. Ann’s, too.’ Now, my daughter would not look twice at someone who’s different from her. To me, that’s invaluable.” Abby Manning, whose two children attend St. Ann’s, relates, “I like to think that, if we’re out in public, they don’t flinch at seeing somebody who maybe looks different or is in a 24 ❘

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wheelchair—it’s not different for them.” Even though their family recently moved about 15 minutes southwest of the Stein campus, making for a more difficult morning commute, the Mannings did not even consider switching day cares. “We already have so much at St. Ann’s,” Manning adds. “A lot of [the adult clients] don’t have grandkids. They’ve never been married. For them— to hold a baby, to play with a 2-year-old, to color with a 4-year-old—some of them might never have had that experience,” observes art therapist Yolanda Jones. “They help each other. They’re company for each other. They work together.” “When we keep shutting the elderly away unnecessarily, what kind of message are we giving—that older people aren’t important or necessary?” Sister Edna asks. “Children, from a young age, are learning here that diversity is a good thing, and it’s something that’s very enriching,” she continues. “They have no problem getting up on someone’s lap who’s missing a leg. That’s just Jack or Joe.” In the summer of 2017, St. Ann’s will host the Global International Conference presented by advocacy organization Generations United. Groups will come from all over the world to see the work done by St. Ann’s, attend presentations on innovative practices in the field of intergenerational care, and strategize ways to shift the cultural perception of the aged. Beyond that, Sister Edna has big plans for the future of St. Ann’s. With the 2015 completion of the 80,000-square-foot Bucyrus campus in one of Milwaukee’s most economically depressed zip codes, the momentum is strong. There is already a medical and dental clinic for disabled people at Bucyrus, and she is working on raising funds to add overnight respite care, an Alzheimer’s unit, and community gathering spaces such as a 350-seat band shell. “Primarily, the next generation of elderly people—the baby boomers—want communitybased health care. They want to be able to stay in their own homes,” Sister Edna says. She is already hoping to build yet another campus, this one in central Milwaukee. “The central city is very large, and they need to have something astronomically beautiful— the very best for the children and the adults. I think we need a St. Ann’s in every neighborhood in the United States.” A Colleen Jurkiewicz is a freelance writer from Port Washington, Wisconsin. A work-at-home mother, she enjoys writing about the Church and also writes fiction in her free time. St . A n t h o n y M e s s e n g e r

EDITORIAL

A Traffic Report Millions of Americans will tune in to the Super Bowl this month. Few will consider the crimes lurking on its periphery. Sharon was a 19-year-old runaway on a New York City subway when a man approached her, offering to buy her food and clean clothes. He lured the young woman into his apartment where he beat her, she reported to ACT (Abolish Child Trafficking). So began Sharon’s “career” as a sex worker. She and her trafficker would travel to various cities, work the streets for a few weeks, and then move on. Other girls who escaped were recaptured and never seen again. Sharon got out of the trade, incredibly, but others aren’t as lucky. According to Polaris Project, a global leader in the fight to eradicate modern slavery, an estimated one in five endangered runaways reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children was likely the victim of sex trafficking. And those numbers are climbing.

Pigskin and Peddling Roughly 120 million Americans will tune in to this month’s Super Bowl in Houston, but few will consider the crimes lurking on its periphery. Sex workers within the city will be present to meet the influx of tourists. The same could be said for last summer’s COPA America soccer tournament and the Olympics in Rio. Trafficking numbers always spike around big sporting events. In fact, researchers from Arizona State University found that online sex ads in New Jersey, host of the 2014 Super Bowl, intensified leading up to the game and dissipated after it was over. Second only to drugs in terms of gross revenue, sex and labor trafficking—a 32billion-dollar industry—is the fastestgrowing organized crime enterprise worldwide. Specifically, since 2007, Polaris reported that the National Human Trafficking Hotline received 14,588 cases in the Fr ancisca n Media .org

United States. Globally, it’s far worse. The International Labor Organization estimates that there are 4.5 million people worldwide who are exploited for sex or labor. Pope Francis spoke on the issue on the International Day for the Abolition of Slavery in 2014: “We declare on each and every one of our creeds that modern slavery, in terms of human trafficking, forced labor and prostitution, and organ trafficking, is a crime against humanity.”

One Body Shamere was a college student looking to earn tuition money when she was coerced into the sex trade in Manhattan. Her trafficker threatened to kill her family if she resisted or escaped. “There was no hope,” Shamere shared with End Slavery Now, an advocacy group. “I was alive, but was not living. I was a slave.” But she did escape. Now she uses her story as a cautionary tale. Hundreds of stories like Sharon’s and Shamere’s are findable online—but these souls aren’t always findable on the streets, as many trafficked young people are held against their will in makeshift brothels. But federal laws are in place, and organizations such as Polaris Project, The Exodus Road, UNICEF, and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops have devoted resources to putting an end to trafficking and helping those who are trafficked. But awareness is our responsibility. Volunteer opportunities abound. We just have to look for them. Pope Francis spoke of the dignity of every living person in his 2014 address. “Every human being, man, woman, boy and girl, is made in God’s image. God is the love and freedom that is given in interpersonal relationships, and every human being is a free person destined to live for the good of others in equality and fraternity.” The millions of trafficked men and women, boys and girls in this country and beyond who are exploited in body are, after all, still the body of Christ. —C.H. Fe b r u a r y 2 0 1 7 ❘ 2 5

The Pope’s

‘Beloved

Brother’

W This Argentine rabbi and his friend Francis are building bridges among Jews and Catholics. BY JOHN FEISTER

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HEN RABBI ABRAHAM SKORKA says that he knows Pope Francis, he isn’t exaggerating. “When I receive an e-mail from my good friend from Rome, the e-mail begins always, ‘My beloved brother,’” he tells St. Anthony Messenger. “And when I respond to him, of course in Spanish, ‘Querido hermano,’ ‘Beloved brother.’” It seems this happens regularly. This Argentine rabbi has been a close friend with the Holy Father in Buenos Aires, and now across the Atlantic, over the past 20 years. They built their friendship around showing anyone who would listen that Jewish and Catholic people have much in common, and, together, can build bonds of love. The two men produced a regular radio show back home, even wrote a book together, On Heaven and Earth. They were poised to start another round of radio recordings soon after Cardinal Bergoglio was to return from the 2013 conclave. Instead, Rabbi Skorka got a phone call, he recalls. “My good friend, how are you?” Skorka asked the cardinal. Pope Francis told him, in good humor, “Look, people caught me here in Rome, and they won’t let me go back home!” The recording session they had planned a few weeks from then would be canceled. But their work together would move well beyond Buenos Aires to a world stage. Rabbi Skorka was in Cincinnati recently for a talk at Xavier University, at the invitation of Franciscan Media friend Rabbi Abie Ingber, who heads an interfaith effort at Xavier. The two rabbis came by our studios for Skorka to be interviewed by St. Anthony Messenger. We spent the time hearing stories about Pope Francis, yes. But we also talked of the work of Pope Francis and Rabbi Skorka, together helping people of differing faiths break through barriers

of misunderstanding and distrust, to a place where respect and understanding can take root.

How It Started Who knows what kinds of walls or fears might have existed between Archbishop Bergoglio and Rabbi Skorka 20 years ago? The archbishop made the first move to overcome them in a formal setting. Archbishop Bergoglio was leading a government-sponsored independence day event, where Skorka, rector of Seminario Rabínico Latinoamericano Marshall T. Meyer, was representing the Jewish community. Skorka St . A n t h o n y M e s s e n g e r

CNS PHOTO/ PAUL HARING

was known for his newspaper articles and television presence, promoting friendship among religions. During the event, to loosen formality a bit, the archbishop asked each community representative to share aloud their favorite football (soccer) team. “In Argentina, football is part of your identity!” Skorka says with a smile, telling this story during his Xavier University talk. The rabbi announced an underdog team, River Plate, whose fans are jokingly called “chickens” for being always in second place. Even now, Pope Francis roots for the team San Lorenzo (founded by a priest, Father Lorenzo). As the leaders came forward formally Fr anciscanMedia.org

to greet the archbishop (and the Argentine president), Rabbi Skorka stepped forward and, clearly impressed, congratulated the archbishop for his preceding talk: “You speak in a way that reminds me of the prophets,” said Skorka. Archbishop Bergoglio looked Skorka “very deeply in my eyes” and said, “I guess this year we are going to be eating chicken soup!” Skorka, who has recounted this story many times, told journalist Anne Cohen of the New Yorkbased national Jewish newspaper Forward, “Behind this joke, I realized that Bergoglio was saying, ‘The door is open.’ And so that was the beginning.”

Rabbi Abraham Skorka and Pope Francis have been close friends for decades. Here, the rabbi and the pope share a joyful reunion in Philadelphia in 2015, during the Holy Father’s pastoral visit to the United States.

February 2017 ❘

PHOTO BY GREGORY RUST

From there, perhaps, the two found another natural starting point in their common love of science. The pope famously worked as a chemist before going to the seminary; Skorka has a chemistry doctorate, specializing in biophysics. Like his future friend, Skorka had responded to a religious vocation, he said during our interview. “God was telling me, ‘OK, your intellect is strong, but you have a spiritual mission in life.’ So I began serving as a rabbi.” His spiritual mission, long established, took on a new dimension as he began to work with Archbishop Bergoglio. He started the journey of Jewish-Catholic dialogue, though it had no such lofty name. “Knowing the other. This is the first step,” says the rabbi. “You cannot love the other if you know nothing about the

During his St. Anthony Messenger interview, Rabbi Skorka explains that dialogue means to have an attitude of empathy, “to demonstrate love— not compromise—to the other.”

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other.” That common sense shows, perhaps, how these two down-to-earth men proceeded over the years. They began to meet occasionally and soon began to gain “an esteem, to discover the spiritual values of the other,” Rabbi Skorka says. Each prominent in his own community, they set an example of dialogue. But having a Jewish or a Catholic friend is not enough, says Skorka. “Don’t judge Judaism through your knowledge of just one Jew; try to investigate further,” is his advice for those following his and Francis’ example. The same holds true, conversely, for him: “It cannot be just a good example of one person to know what a Catholic must be. Take a look at the whole history of Catholicism and the spiritual attitudes of certain groups in Catholicism.” Clearly, both he and Cardinal

Bergoglio broadened their friendships into each other’s circle. That method, he says, is the same for deepening our understanding of any culture. “We have to disassemble all of the prejudices.” In that sense, “It’s much more than drinking coffee or eating meals together,” he says. Dialogue means “to understand the other, to have an attitude of empathy, to put yourself in the place of the other. Dialogue means to think of the other and to demonstrate love—not compromise—to the other.”

Avoid Violence We Catholics are familiar with the big stories of the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament, to us). But have you heard these stories from a rabbi? “From the biblical source,” he explains, “it’s very, very clear that dialogue is the tool first and foremost to avoid clashes, to avoid violence with your fellow man.” And off we are on a lesson about interfaith dialogue. The only creatures that God conversed with, after all, were humans. “After Adam ate the forbidden fruit appears the very famous question of God to the first human being: ‘Adam, where are you?’ Of course, God knew where exactly the first human being was. But he tried to enter with him in dialogue. He didn’t cut him off. The same after Cain murdered his brother: ‘Hey, Cain! Where is Abel, your brother?’ Of course, God knew what occurred! But he asks in order to enter with him into dialogue.” Abraham and God, the prophets and God, all are examples of God calling us toward truth, explains Skorka, not by vindication or by violence, but rather by engaging, or, as Pope Francis calls it, by encounter. That encounter is what each of us is called to do, to engage with people different from ourselves. That encounter will open our hearts. The opposite is prejudice, to close ourselves off. “To leave with prejudice is to leave a situation in which you have big and huge walls which separate you [from] your fellow. This really is the image of prejudice,” says the rabbi. Asked if Pope Francis is taking interfaith dialogue to a new place, Skorka is quick to answer: “Undoubtedly.” Skorka uses an ecumenical example, Pope Francis’ trip to Sweden this past October to stand with Protestant leaders marking this year’s 500th anniversary of the Reformation, to make his point: “It’s a St . A n t h o n y M e s s e n g e r

CNS PHOTO/ PAUL HARING

On October 31 in Lund, Sweden, Pope Francis and the Rev. Martin Junge, general secretary of the Lutheran World Federation, lead a prayer service amid the 500th anniversary celebration of the Reformation.

historical mark that he’s putting in the history of the Church. And he’s doing the same with Judaism, by building up new bridges of confidence between Jews and Christians.” Skorka sees in all of this a plan on the part of Pope Francis: “He’s moving, trying to enact deep turning points in history. He’s a person with a lot of spiritual courage, and he is making huge steps. John Paul II made very important steps. Ratzinger made important steps. But [Pope Francis] is on the foundation of their steps. He tries to produce greater steps. This is his idea.” Rabbi Skorka says this last phrase in such an offhand way, with such confidence, that one can only imagine conversations he has had with the pope himself. What is his fondest memory of his friendturned-pope? Rabbi Skorka says there are many examples of Francis touching his heart. Perhaps most deeply felt was the call from an author writing a definitive biography of Cardinal Bergoglio in Argentina, who had asked the cardinal to suggest a person to write the foreword. The cardinal told the author to call Skorka. “Imagine if this happened to you!” he says, clearly moved to be telling the story. “The archbishop of Buenos Aires, one of the most important Catholic cities in the world, undoubtedly. He chose for writing the foreword in his authorized biography a Jew, a rabbi!” Sometime soon thereafter, he had a moment to ask his friend: “I said, ‘Let me ask you a question.’ He said, ‘Yeah, yeah.’ ‘Why did you choose me?’ Without any hesitation, he said, ‘Because in this way it came out from my heart.’”

Heschel’s Problem “We stand on the brink of an abyss, together.” Those famous words of Abraham Heschel, the Fr anciscanMedia.org

great Jewish theologian and philosopher, were given in New York almost exactly 50 years ago. Back in those days when religious groups were just beginning to talk outside their own circles, he saw days coming when secularization would grow and challenge religious understanding. Who would protect a biblical understanding of our world, one beyond fundamentalism, one that would nurture a deep understanding of God’s mercy, the deepest theme of Scripture? Heschel asked. His work was foundational for the interreligious dialogue that Pope Francis and Rabbi Skorka are working to develop. The foundation of that conversation, as in Scripture itself, is love. As Rabbi Skorka, the teacher, points out, “In the Bible, the verb to know means “to know,” but at the same time, is a synonym of “to love.” Absolute love. The love when a man is with his wife—together, totally together.” But to know also indicates other types of love: “It’s also used in the book of the prophet Hosea to refer to the love between God and the people of Israel. . . . You can only love when you know who is the other. And when you are able to accept the great parts of the other and the not-so-great parts of the other.” It is in that way that this rabbi loves Pope Francis: “There is a great love sentiment that draws us to be together.” Loving trust undergirds any effective interreligious dialogue. That trust casts out fear, says Skorka, fear that keeps people from sharing, from knowing. “To enter into dialogue, first you must be very sure of your faith . . . but not that you are the best one, that everything you are doing in your Judaism or Catholicism, this is the most beautiful or perfect thing. Take a look at what the other is doing. It may

“Pope Francis is a person with a lot of spiritual courage, and he is making huge steps.” —Rabbi Abraham Skorka

February 2017 ❘

be that the other in his conception of God is doing something from which you can learn.” Dialogue is not where one converts the other, or a “Who’s right?” struggle among religions. You don’t lose your religious identity in dialogue; you enrich it. Of Pope Francis, Skorka recalls, “Many people used to ask me, ‘What did you learn from him?’” To really open up and learn with humility, says Skorka, is the real key to dialogue. “If you are not humble, first and foremost, you will think that you know everything, admitting that you know just a small piece of your own reality. To search, to investigate, to analyze, to explore, you must admit that you don’t know.” Without humility, you can’t even approach the truth. “You must admit,” after all, “that even though we know a lot, our knowledge is very, very small.” That knowledge demands constant relearning. The fact that you have to teach yourself that all the time is a lesson from his upbringing, his study of Scripture, from his father, his grandparents: “A person who is not humble begins to believe in himself, not God.” He recalls a conversation with thenCardinal Bergoglio, who said to him, “In the moment when you lose your humbleness, in that very moment, you are spiritually shrinking.”

“First and foremost, you must be an honest person, a person who paves the way of his life through justice, and so on. But the ultimate step is to love. We share this conception of God with Christians and Muslims.” There remain deep differences, some signified most obviously in the struggle over rights in Israel and Palestine. But the importance of finding the bonds of unity seems to be most pressing in the world today. “This has much to be developed,” says Rabbi Skorka. “That is our challenge.” What starts with individuals must progress into communities, he says, “a lot of people practicing dialogue which is interacting one

At the Wailing Wall

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CNS PHOTO/ PAUL HARING

The most memorable image we have of Rabbi Skorka is the embrace among Skorka, Pope Francis, and Argentine Muslim leader Omar Abboud, their common friend, in May of 2014, at the Western Wall in Jerusalem. The trip was Israeli President Peres’ idea; Skorka was recruited to be a conduit between Israel and the Vatican. “I told him, ‘I am dreaming about embracing you in front of the world in order to make an image, an icon, showing that after 2,000 years of no dialogue, we try to begin a new era.’” As the idea evolved, Pope Francis invited Abboud. “It becomes an icon of three Religions of the Book, as we used to say.” He means by that, of course, that all three of these world religions—Judaism, Christianity, and Islam—rely on the Hebrew Scriptures in their founding. “It’s very important, because we share the faith in a total spiritual God, a God who has interest in each one of us, a God for whom love is very important,” he insists.

with the other—the activities of cultural activities, this community with this parish, speaking, and working in order to transform the dialogue.” He recalls an insight of Pope Francis: “The idea of the dialogue is that the Jew becomes a better Jew, and the Christian a better Christian.” The same could be said for Muslims. The deepest aim of that dialogue, as the rabbi says, is “to build up a new reality, very different from our present.” It’s a new reality, of heaven on earth, that Pope Francis and Rabbi Skorka are working to achieve. A

This historic embrace, May 26, 2014, in Jerusalem, is among three friends: Pope Francis, Rabbi Skorka, and Argentine Muslim leader Omar Abboud (center).

John Feister is editor in chief of this publication. He holds master’s degrees in humanities and theology from Xavier University, Cincinnati. St . A n t h o n y M e s s e n g e r

AT HOME ON EARTH

❘ BY KYLE KRAMER

Make America Green

beauty and wonder can continue to offer us sacramental signs of God’s presence. Strong regulations from the federal government are not the only or even the best way to assure the health of God’s creation. In the Pope’s The actions that we take as Footsteps individuals and communities are crucial. If, for example, Pope Francis has provided we refuse to buy products a detailed list of what and services that have high Catholics can do to lessen environmental or social costs, their environmental then businesses must deliver impact. Read paragraph us better options or else lose 211 in his environmental market share to those who encyclical, “Laudato Si’” will. A competitive market is (“On Care for Our far more efficient at deliverCommon Home”). ing environmental goods than is heavy regulation—but Pope Francis calls us to only if we consumers vote for “ecological conversion” our values with our dollars. and “ecological education” We will have to become (“Laudato Si’,” 209-221). more conscious consumers Use the pope’s words to and take the time to make help discern what this informed decisions about might look like in your what we support with our family, parish, or school. purchases. In many ways, as Pope Francis reminds us, we Read paragraphs 176-198 may simply have to throttle in “Laudato Si’” to learn back our consumption— about Pope Francis’ underperiod—and adopt a simpler, standing of the proper role more moderate lifestyle. for politics and national Finally, we Catholic citigovernment in safeguardzens will have to become ing God’s creation. watchdogs, activists, and advocates, holding our government accountable for any abuses of power that damage our Earth and hurt those who are vulnerable. Ultimately, it is up to us, more than our government, to help the Earth and all creatures thrive. We should never assume that political leaders will do for us what the Gospel and Church teaching call us to do for each other. A

The beauty of God’s creation comes with a responsibility for us to cherish and protect it.

Kyle Kramer is the executive director of the Passionist Earth and Spirit Center in Louisville, Kentucky.

Fr ancisca n Media .org

Fe b r u a r y 2 0 1 7 ❘ 3 1

CNS PHOTO/COURTESY US CONFERENCE OF CATHOLIC BISHOPS

CNS PHOTO/GUSTAVO AMADOR, EPA

he current political climate has sent a wave of concern through the environmental community. On the campaign trail, issues came up such as the contention that humanly caused climate change is a hoax, a strong support for fossil fuels, and the potential for gutting many environmental regulations. How can Catholics, if we want to be faithful to our Church’s clear teaching about the need to care for God’s creation, respond? Some wealthy business owners have been very successful at navigating what writer Wendell Berry calls the “little economy,” the global exchange of goods and services as measured by gross domestic product. But we must remind our leadership that the “little economy” always and only functions within the “great economy,” which is the entire, God-given, complex ecosystem called planet Earth. God’s great economy cannot be fooled, short-sold, overdrawn, or circumvented. If we destroy the health of the planet, our little human economy will crater, too. But it’s not simply about dollars and cents—or even basic survival. As Catholics, we need the natural world for spiritual reasons, too: so its

St. Junípero Serra’s

Camino TEXT AND PHOTOS BY STEPHEN J. BINZ

A Pilgrimages may seem out of reach. California’s 21 missions bring this holy journey close to home.

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T THE HEART of pilgrimage is a longing that has fascinated and compelled the human spirit from time immemorial. And this ancient practice is experiencing a growing attraction and taking on new forms today. In fact, America now has its own pilgrim way: the road connecting the California missions of St. Junípero Serra, canonized in 2015. In ancient times, pilgrimage often involved distant travel along hazardous roads and across perilous seas. Today, Christians continue to make long journeys along ancient pilgrimage routes—the path of Jesus through Galilee to Jerusalem, the way of the early martyrs in Rome, and the Camino of Santiago de Compostela—seeking the transforming power that seems to reside in these sacred places. But such distant travel is not necessary to experience a pilgrimage. More and more people are discovering that a journey in the way of America’s great missionary saint, the apostle of California, is a superb way of absorbing his saintly passion and love for the Gospel. Travelers today, like pilgrims of old, are experiencing a transforming journey along the Camino—the pilgrim way. Serra’s motto—¡Siempre Adelante! (“Always Forward!”)—expresses his courageous life, bringing the good news of Jesus Christ to the Native Americans of California. By traveling

his Camino with a pilgrim’s heart, we can prepare ourselves to continue, in our own way, the journey forward that he began in California from 1769 to his death, in 1784. By embodying his spirit on pilgrimage, we can become more missionary in our discipleship and more evangelical in our Catholicism.

Traveling the Camino The missions—21 in number, beginning in San Diego and stretching to Sonoma, north of San Francisco Bay—were the inspiration of Serra. As he envisioned them, the missions would form a holy ladder, with rungs placed conveniently up and down the coast. This “royal way”—El Camino Real—holds the tangible memories of the days when Christianity first came to California. Serra’s Camino links these missions as a pilgrimage route. Begun as trails created by the California Native Americans for travel and trade, this roadway was adopted by the Spaniards as they explored and settled California. Today, while much of it lies under the asphalt of Highway 101, in other areas it can be traced along city streets, rural roads, and still occasionally as dirt trails on mission grounds. Nowadays, this Camino is most conveniently traveled by car along the California coastal highways. The route is marked by a series of miniature mission bells originally St . A n t h o n y M e s s e n g e r

Missions 1 San Buenaventura 2 Dolores 3 Nuestra Señora de la Soledad 4 Santa Inés 5 La Purísima 6 San José 7 San Gabriel 8 Santa Clara

A joyful and open-minded missionary, St. Junípero Serra traveled the dirt roads of California, ministering to the Native Americans. He had 9 missions built. Other friars added 12 more to this holy ladder along the coast. February 2017 ❘

9 San Diego de Alcalá 10 San Antonio de Padua 11 Santa Cruz 12 San Juan Bautista 13 San Juan Capistrano 14 San Fernando Rey de España 15 San Francisco Solano 16 San Luis Rey de Francia

10 erected in the early 20th century. These castiron bells have been hung from 11-foot bent guideposts, designed to resemble a shepherd’s staff and to be easily visible along the route. Travelers simply follow a map or set their GPS device to move from one mission to the next. Each of the 21 missions is a unique jewel and a spiritual oasis. The sacrifices of the indigenous peoples who built these places and memories of the early missionaries and their ardor for the Gospel pervade these grounds. The walls and ceilings of the mission structures express the Native American culture, with bright oranges, reds, yellows, and blues in geometric patterns. Iridescent abalone shells, spiritually powerful objects for the Indians, hold holy water in wall niches and adorn the tab-

ican talents blended with European ways to create thriving communities. Yet those who travel along this ancient road not only experience slices of history, but also gain opportunities to encounter the presence of the living God in tangible ways today. All but two of the missions are functioning churches, where Christian Baptisms, holy Mass, and beautiful weddings are regularly celebrated. The Sunday schedule of worship alternates between English and Spanish and sometimes includes services in Vietnamese, Haitian, Portuguese, and other languages for California’s immigrant communities. Serra’s Camino is the ideal pilgrimage. It challenges the traveler to make an internal, spiritual journey that parallels the external, geographical trip. In traveling this road, pilgrims encounter holy places, communities of faith, occasions for meditative prayer, and prospects for inner healing—all opportunities to align their lives more closely with the Gospel. The pilgrimage can be as rugged or as luxurious as you choose. My first trip through the missions was in a rental car, driving along the coast at my own pace, stopping to seek lodging at the end of each day. I’ve also led pilgrimages in luxury coaches, with nice hotels and dinners awaiting us each evening. And I’ve always admired hikers and cyclists trekking to one mission after another, as in the days before gasoline and electric power.

The Missions as Spaces for Encounter

During Mass at Mission San Diego, one sees the colorful interior common among the Camino churches, which blend Native American art with European spirituality.

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February 2017

ernacle for the Eucharist. Old Spanish mission art can be found next to Indian wall paintings, as symbols of piety from two centuries ago form a wonderful, holy mix. Some of these missions are found wedged into cities; others are surrounded by mountains and valleys. They have all been shaped and reshaped for generations. The grounds are filled with bells, statues, fountains, and gardens, all symbols of life and feasts of color. Native Amer-

Far more than museums documenting the past, the missions have always been places of encounter among peoples. They began as Native American and European cultures met. Two traditions wove themselves together: the Spanish Franciscan way—which affirmed the goodness of creation and the Incarnation of God in the world—and the California Indian spirituality—which practiced respect for the earth and the divine spirit that fills it. Serra was part of a missionary team that went out to the peripheries—beyond the geoSt . A n t h o n y M e s s e n g e r

13 graphical, social, and racial boundaries of their time—to proclaim the Gospel. Yet in his encounter with the Native American people, he sought to understand their indigenous spiritual beliefs. His diaries show examples of how he used traditional beliefs as springboards for preaching the Gospel. He fiercely criticized the Spanish colonists and military, consistently protecting the Native American people from being mistreated or morally tainted. He poured out his life out of love for the California Indians, and they deeply loved him in return. 600 wept at Serra’s funeral, piling his bier high with wildflowers, and countless people testified to his sanctity. At Serra’s canonization, Pope Francis said that he embodies a Church which goes forth: “He was excited about blazing trails, going forth to meet many people, learning and valuing their particular customs and ways of life. He learned how to bring to birth and nurture God’s life in the faces of everyone he met; he made them his brothers and sisters.” Following St. Junípero Serra’s Camino convinces us that all of the baptized have two fundamental callings: the calls to holiness and to mission. In the extraordinary life of Junípero Serra, holiness and mission were one, unified in the joy of the Gospel. As pilgrims in his way, we take on his joyful conviction, learning to leave behind our islands of comfort and witness to Jesus Christ in the modern world. And because of our call to holiness, we proclaim his good news not only with words, but above all by a transfigured life. Pope Francis said that this call to evangelize must be a normal part of a mature, authentic, and integrated Christian life. Evangelization is the urgent call of our Church: to renew, expand, and cultivate disciples. Serra’s Camino points the way forward for us. “The joy of the Gospel,” the pope said, “is something to be experienced, something to be known and lived only through giving it away, through giving ourselves away.” The response of Serra and his followers to Fr anciscanMedia.org

Ways of Following St. Junípero Serra’s Camino An armchair pilgrimage. With a pilgrimage guidebook in hand, you can easily make an at-home pilgrimage to the 21 missions. Take a day for each mission, supplementing your learning from the website of each mission and other links. Look at the online photos and explore the history and spirituality of each of these holy places. Enter into prayer, invoke the intercession of St. Junípero Serra and the patron saints of the missions, and ask God to give you the heart of a missionary disciple. Pilgrimage by automobile. Begin in San Diego and make your way northward (or vice versa), exploring up to three missions a day at a quick pace or following a more leisurely schedule. Just enter the name of each mission into the GPS device and enjoy the journey through the beautiful scenery of coastal California. You can reserve hotels for the end of each day or, if you are more adventurous, you can simply seek nearby lodging along the way.

Pilgrimage on foot or bike. Walking or biking the Camino of St. Junípero Serra is more difficult than the well-traveled Camino de Santiago in Spain, but walkers and bikers can frequently be found along the way. Though the trail is not marked for trekkers—and travel along busy highways is often necessary—some pilgrims have posted their own routes online for the benefit of others who may be interested in slowly traveling El Camino Real with a backpack.

Travel with a pilgrimage group. Tour companies offer pilgrimages along the mission trail, bringing groups of 20, 30, or 40 people along the way via luxury coach. I post my upcoming tours on my website at Bridge-B.com. By traveling with a community of faith, you can benefit from a guide, offer prayer together in each church, and celebrate Mass at some of the missions. ARMCHAIR: © ARCADY/FOTOSEARCH; CAR, BIKE, BUS: © SOLEILC/FOTOSEARCH

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17 San Luis Obispo de Tolosa 18 Santa Barbara 19 San Miguel 20 San Rafael Arcangel 21 San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo

(Right) Serra built a loving, mutual bond with the California Indians, embracing their spiritual beliefs and protecting them from the domineering Spanish colonists.

February 2017

the call to share the Gospel is a complex reflection of who we are and have always been as a Church: a sinful yet holy people, constantly striving to follow God’s will as best we can in light of our weaknesses and our strengths, with both our blindness and our zeal to be missionary disciples of Jesus Christ. From our perspective today, we can see that the early missionaries of California were often too immersed in their own European culture to clearly see the richness of the culture they were entering. In their eyes, European culture was “civilized” while the Native American culture was “primitive.” As global Christians today, we have to learn to see how the Gospel lives in a multitude of cultural contexts, obliging us to be humble in examining beliefs and customs in order to bring Jesus Christ to another culture. Today, Christian Native Americans in California seek ways of being equal participants in the life and mission of the Church—as indigenous people. They continue to explore ways to experience the freedom and spiritual

ith this book in hand, you can travel through your imagination or with an automobile to each of the 21 missions. You’ll receive a tour of each mission, inspiring stories of its founders, the life of the mission’s patron, and a prayer service. You’ll learn more about the heroic life of St. Junípero Serra and be enriched by the native Californian and the Spanish Franciscan traditions. Here you’ll find photos, maps, inspiring quotes, and citations from missionary biographies. You’ll discover yourself becoming more committed to being a missionary disciple, always desiring to communicate the joy and hope of the Gospel.

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power of the Gospel, while still fully embracing their tribal identity, traditional customs, and cultural ways in their expressions of faith in Jesus Christ. As we embrace a multicultural Church, as it exists today in California and in our own local context, let us celebrate our universal Christian faith, expressed through the languages, customs, art, music, values, and rituals of Native American, Spanish, Mexican, and a host of Asian, African, and European cultures. By doing so, we continue to follow the Camino of St. Junípero Serra.

A Pilgrimage Worth Taking Traveling along Serra’s Camino and enjoying the beautiful California missions, let us work for healing, lamenting what went wrong in the past and acknowledging the real pains that remain. But let us also recognize the heroism of St. Junípero Serra and all the great men St . A n t h o n y M e s s e n g e r

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per couple* 21 and women, Native American and Hispanic, who sanctified the missions of California and bear witness to their history. Go to the mission churches with a pilgrim’s heart searching for God. Take the water of the font at each door into your hand, reminding you of Baptism and the water of new life that God desires to spring up within you. Bless yourself as a tangible sign of the saving death and resurrection that unites believers in one faith. Light a candle at your favorite altars as a sign that your prayer lingers in this place after you depart. If you arrive and the church is filled with people celebrating a Mass, Baptism, wedding, or funeral, don’t turn away, disappointed that your touring has been impeded. But stand to the side, grateful that the faith these missions represent remains alive for so many today. The questions that arise along America’s pilgrim way become the challenges of our discipleship today. Can the missionary past be transformed into something new that speaks powerfully and challenges the era in which we live? Can the sparks of sanctity still alive from missionary California come to flame today to bring about justice and reconciliation for the people of our land? The rich spirituality of pilgrimage along St. Junípero Serra’s Camino can arouse within Christian travelers today a deep desire to hope, work, and pray for a new civilization of love. A Stephen J. Binz is a biblical scholar, award-winning author, and popular speaker. He is the author of over 50 books, including Saint Junipero Serra’s Camino (Servant Books, from Franciscan Media, 2016). Discover more about his work at BridgeB.com. Fr anciscanMedia.org

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in the beautiful change of seasons starting in Philadelphia and Gettysburg. Cross the border into Canada and spend two nights in awe-inspiring Niagara Falls, visit Kingston and enjoy a scenic cruise though the 1000 Islands. Back in the U.S., continue through the Adirondack region, stop in Lake Placid and observe the scenery of the Green and White Mountains before arriving in Boston. Complete your tour with included sightseeing in Cape Cod, Newport and New York City. Departs September 29, 2017.

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THE

Grace OF

Giving God’s love is present in simple acts of charity and kindness.

T HAD BECOME almost a habit. I would see a street person asking for money, roll down the car window, and hand him or her a couple of dollars. Then I would drive away, feeling good about myself as the words of Jesus played in my head: “I was hungry and you gave me to eat, thirsty and you gave me to drink.” As I handed my meager donation to the person in need, I would often imagine Jesus standing in place of the person. After all, it was Jesus who said, “What you do for the least of my brothers you do for me.” However, it was only after a close family member, Gary, fell on hard times and became homeless that I began to see street people in a whole new light. Witnessing firsthand the downward spiral of the life of someone I knew and loved opened my eyes to a deeper understanding of the words of Jesus.

Understanding the Reign of God When Jesus traveled the roads among the people of Galilee, he proclaimed that the reign of God was in their midst, but he also said it was coming. I understood this to mean that every time we feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, care for the sick, and welcome the stranger, the reign of God is made visible in a tangible way. I began to understand this recip38 ❘

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rocal dimension of servanthood when Gary eventually came to live with us. With each passing day, the reign of God was revealed to me in unexpected ways. Gary had gone from sleeping in homeless shelters to having a room of his own and access to a fully stocked kitchen in our home. His gratitude was palpable, but gradually I realized there is more to the reign of God than basking in the glow of being a “good Samaritan.” The reign of God is also present in the dayto-day challenges and tensions that accompany family life. It is present when we work through disagreements, choose to overlook a thoughtless remark, or extend an olive branch after a disagreement. When I felt impatient, was tempted to judge, or gave in to discouragement, I saw Jesus in Gary—Jesus the teacher challenging me to rethink my need to fix and control rather than discover the hidden grace within the challenges that are part of life. Daily I witnessed the reign of God being released as Gary appeared more confident of our love and concern. As his invisible wounds continued to heal, Gary was able to initiate simple acts of kindness, preparing meals for us, even surprising us with tokens of appreciation. This was the reciprocal dimension that comes with giving, which may explain why St . A n t h o n y M e s s e n g e r

BY BARBARA HUGHES

When we treat someone with the respect he or she deserves, the reign of God is revealed and hearts are transformed. © LUSHPIX/FOTOSEARCH

so many homeless individuals express their gratitude for whatever they receive by saying, “God bless you.”

Divine Energy in Giving and Receiving Hidden within every act of giving and receiving is a type of divine energy that is released. It raises up those who have been cast down and awakens in the giver a deeper appreciation for the goodness of the other. And so both are blessed by God. The experience may be fleeting, and they may not even recognize it, but in that moment when the worth of the afflicted person is acknowledged, he or she is empowered to bless the other. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that the words “God bless you” flow with ease from the lips of the poor. Such blessings are an outward expression from one who has been lifted from the shadows. When we treat someone with the respect he or she deserves, the reign of God is revealed and hearts are transformed. And through the act of giving, both the giver and receiver are changed. In fact, it might be difficult to distinguish who is gifted more through the experience. The encounter is not simply about the few dollars that have been placed in the palm of another’s hand, but about a sense of solidarity that is established between the giver and the receiver. A few dollars will do little to change the status or temporal well-being of a poor person, but with each gift, he or she is reminded that life matters and that he or she 40 ❘

February 2017

deserves a better life. Each time we give, we unleash the power of God, since every act of kindness done in the name of God reminds the giver, the receiver, and any bystanders that we have been called to love our neighbor as ourselves.

Learning from St. Francis Perhaps few people understood this better than St. Francis of Assisi. When St. Francis embraced the leper at the crossroads of his life, both Francis and the leper were changed. Perhaps for the first time since the disease invaded his body, the leper experienced the power of love through the gentle touch of another human being. The act became a defining moment for both the saint and the leper. God had chosen an outcast of society to be a conduit of grace that would transform a conflicted young man into one of the greatest saints in the Catholic Church. The reign of God was made present, and in that moment both lives were touched by God. From then on, Francis was drawn to lepers because each encounter became an encounter with Christ and an opportunity for Francis to be Christ. As he went about tenderly anointing their disfigured bodies with the chrism of love, Francis became another Christ for the lepers. And so it was that the power of divine love was unleashed in the hills of Assisi, just as it had been when Jesus of Nazareth traveled the dusty roads of Galilee. That same power is being released today on St . A n t h o n y M e s s e n g e r

street corners, in homeless shelters, and around kitchen tables, as it was in our home.

Realizing What God Is Really Asking of Us

Just as Jesus showed us what the reign of God looked like when he reached out and shared his love with the least and the lowly, so he invites us to be agents of change by continuing the mission he began. It was not a one-anddone event, but is evolving, and all who follow in his footsteps are part of the process. When Gary came to live with us, God was using Gary’s presence in our home to awaken in me the need to examine old ways of thinking. Early on, Gary voiced certain dietary preferences, and I admit to feeling indignant. I thought that he should be grateful for whatever we set before him. But as I prayed about my resistance, I began to realize that such thoughts were rooted in a sense of superiority that had no place in Christian charity. After all, why should I be allowed certain preferences while denying someone who is my brother in Christ the same? It was an awakening that not only manifested itself in my thoughts, but also led to Gary and me working together side by side in the kitchen, trying new recipes, and exchanging shopping tips. It became the ground for personal transformation and in the process, our dinner hour was transformed from being strained to enjoyable—a reality I can only attribute to the grace that is unleashed whenever the reign of God is present. I learned so much from being in the company of those who are homeless. Whether listening to their stories in a soup kitchen, observing Gary being lifted from the shadows of society, or teaching a class in a homeless shelter, there were times when I felt as if I were sitting at the feet of Jesus, learning firsthand about patience and humility. Being around homeless individuals has called me to question the importance I place on material possessions and has challenged me to strive for a deeper trust in God. In serving others, I am learning that the reign of God is not stagnant, but ongoing and a life-giving reality that is present when we are open to both giving and receiving. I also came to realize that charity is not about replacing the face of the homeless with the face of Jesus. Charity is about actually seeing the face of the homeless. It is about looking into the

eyes of the poor, the suffering, and the marginalized and treating them with the kind of love that Jesus afforded them. It is no longer enough to see Jesus in the face of people in need; I am being called to be Jesus for them. And then—O blessed irony of ironies —they become Jesus for me, wearing not the face of the one being served, but the one who is serving. Such discoveries are ongoing and we grow into them slowly, not so different from the way St. Francis, the Poverello (“poor man”) of Assisi, grew into understanding his role in the Church. When St. Francis heard the voice of Jesus speak to him from the cross at San Damiano, telling him to rebuild his church because it was falling to ruin, he began by repairing churches, stone by stone, until he discovered that the Lord was asking more of him. Like St. Francis, we may begin building the kingdom of God by performing small acts of kindness toward family and friends. But gradually, and in God’s time, as our understanding of the reign of God deepens and we are open to setting aside old ways of thinking, we, too, will become aware of opportunities for greater service. And when we embrace them in the name of God, our hearts will overflow with perfect joy. Like St. Francis, we will discover the irony of perfect joy: that it is in giving that we receive. A

It is no longer enough to see Jesus in the face of people in need; I am being called to be Jesus for them.

Barbara Hughes holds a master’s degree in formative spirituality from Duquesne University. She is author of Ministry and the Mystical Path and a regular columnist for The Catholic Virginian. She is a spiritual director, educator, and an experienced retreat facilitator.

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Our legal title is: Franciscan Media LLC 28 W. Liberty Street ■ Cincinnati, OH 45202-6498 For more information, call: 1-800-488-0488 February 2017 ❘

Unraveling the Knot

Her life with Bud made sense. Now, nothing seemed to. FICTION BY REBECCA L. MONROE

ILLUSTRATION BY DANIEL HASKETT

AVIS MOVED THE LAST EMPTY box to the back room and then went to the living room to survey her work. It looked all right, if a bit crowded. The kitchen, which she could see through the stylish divider of a half wall, looked cozy. But the dining room table, with a vase of fake flowers in the middle, was much smaller than her old one. Be honest, Mavis sighed. It was an alien place with her things in it. She could have bought a double-wide, gone into debt until the house sold. It had been too much. There were so many details no one told her about. Not just the funeral. There was also all the paperwork to be processed to prove Bud was gone and she was his widow. It was as if no one believed their names had been one for 40 years. She had to prove it. In the end, she’d been too exhausted to deal with a bank loan and so had settled for the single-wide. Nice enough, since it was new. But not her, not what had been them. She went to the table where the last quarter cup of her coffee waited. The window in the dining room looked out on the road that circled about the trailer court. It was nice. Clean trailers bought for the convenience court living provided, without the maintenance a real home involved. The neighborhood cars were well shined and cared for. Mavis sipped the cold coffee. She’d been up since four, an old habit she’d never broken. Once it had allowed her a few hours of peace before work and, after she’d retired, before Bud awoke. Now it was seven and not a soul moved. Everyone was already off on the morning commute to work. And here she was, 65 years old, with her house clean and nothing to do at seven o’clock in the morning.

Fr ancisca n Media .org

“What would you do if you didn’t have to pick up after me?” “What would you do if I didn’t fix this?” Blast you, Bud! She closed her eyes, sending the thought upward. She could go shopping. She could get a job. She didn’t need the money, though it would help fill in the time until . . . until what? She died, too? Good Lord.

avis bolted from the table and briskly snatched the coffeepot from the maker to fill it, the only task in sight to occupy her mind. Perhaps today’s mail would bring another moronic government entity needing proof Bud was gone. They had been a blessing, she saw now—keeping her busy and frustrated for six months. Then she would go grocery shopping when the stores opened. By 10, Mavis had completed the shopping and put away the groceries. She picked up the remote for the television, flopped on the couch, and turned it on, ignoring the voice whispering, “It’s a beautiful day out. What about your yard?” The yard had always been Bud’s thing. When it came to mulching and topsoil, he’d growled and done it himself. She flicked through the channels. Dumb, depressing, seen it, seen it, angry, dumb. She turned the television off. She saw herself in her mind’s eye—sitting on the couch, scowling at the television, dressed for drab in faded blue jeans and a T-shirt. Her hair was steel gray and too long to be compact, too short to have curl. The clothes made her look thicker than she actually was though she’d long since lost the stressed, overworked, thin shape she had once had. She enjoyed being a bit plump and liked overlarge sweatshirts and T-shirts in place of the tight business clothes she used to wear. Perhaps she’d call Carla. Except Carla was at Fe b r u a r y 2 0 1 7 ❘ 4 3

work and they’d talked yesterday. Her daughter had the life she’d once had: a child, marriage, and a full-time job. The last thing Carla needed was a clinging, lonely mother who ate up even more of her precious time. Mavis pushed herself off the couch. She’d go for a walk. Bud had never been much for walks. She got a light jacket because the breeze was still brisk and locked the door behind her, carefully tucking the key in her pocket. She needed to hide a spare outside somewhere. Bud had had one under the rock by their step at home. She followed the road past the other singles and double-wides. The shapes were the same but there the similarities ended. This one liked flowers, beds already prepared, pots on the porch. That one collected stone animal statues. Another had trees and shrubs so thick she could hardly see the trailer itself. She continued on around a curve. Behind her she heard a car start, the crunch of tires as it rolled well within the speed limit. Ahead, a gray and white cat stepped out into the road as the car came abreast of her. It slowed even more for the cat, and she kept her gaze straight ahead as she heard a man’s voice from inside the car saying, “It’s a start, OK? Sign the thing and trust the rest will come. We have to start somewhere. Geesh!” Once clear of the cat, the car accelerated and she saw the man inside stuff a cell phone back in his shirt pocket. Which one was he? Flowers? Shrubs? Statues?

he continued walking, slower now, looking at the way a porch had been built, allowing a place to sit on summer evenings with greenstriped lawn chairs yawning open. One place had a sign in the middle of its small yard: His/Hers, with arrows pointing different directions. His side was cluttered with short cedars and small spruce trees. Her side had flowers in neat rows starting to bloom. Birdhouses and feeders hung like Christmas tree ornaments on many of the branches. In the back there was a shed with its door open. The sawdust scat-

4 4 ❘ Fe b r u a r y 2 0 1 7

tered on the ground, and tools visible inside showed where the feeders and houses came from. A man stepped out on the porch. “You want something?” She shook her head and resumed her walk. When she made the circuit back to her own trailer, she noticed how bleak it looked by comparison. It was functional, like walking into a hardware store after being in a variety store. She didn’t want to go back inside. She could buy flowers and plant them in the yard—except it wasn’t hers, was it? It wasn’t “her.” She didn’t like the trailer, didn’t like not owning the lot. She didn’t want to copy what others had done with their manic attempts to make a square metal box home. You want something? Want. What did she want? Who was she? Not the filtered-through-life-with-Bud her. But who she was now: a human being standing on the planet Earth. That her. What did she want? The world swayed. Not this. Careful, Mavis, identifying what’s not is the done thing. It’s easy to make everything wrong and list the reason for it. A great way to avoid answering the hard question: What do you want? The trailer with all the trees popped into her mind—too closed in. The one with the flowers? Too structured. She wanted openness, warmth, and a bit of wild. Bud’s job, and then hers, had always kept them in the midst of suburban life. They’d only managed a pretend wilderness in the backyard, and even then Bud had tamed it with bark mulch and pruning. It would mean moving again, repacking, selling what she’d just bought. She’d probably take a loss, and she had no idea where to go. It wouldn’t be right to move too far away from Carla and grandbaby Sheritta.

he climbed the metal stairs (the porch she saw would be nice) and went into the trailer, leaving the door open. “Flies will come in,” Bud’s memory voice whispered. She left it open anyway because the trailer was stuffy. Quickly she went through and opened all the windows until cold

clashed with forced air, cleaning it out. “You want something?” Yes. To live. To wake up each morning eager for a new day rather than dreading it as time to be waded through. She wanted to sleep deeply, pleasantly exhausted, rather than her normal light, twitchy dozing. When she’d worked, she’d dreaded the Monday-through-Friday routine, waiting to retire. Now she was and here she was. “Hey!” Mavis jumped before she realized the yell was from two kids outside. “Hey! It’s mine.” “Yeah? So?” the other kid yelled back. “Come and get it.” “I’m gonna tell Mom.” “Yeah? So? You’re a baby!” The children moved past as the clock on the coffeemaker ticked from 11:59 to 12:00. Carla would be available to talk now. Mavis took a deep breath and let it out slowly, remembering the conversation of the day before. Too many “uh-huhs” on Carla’s part. Face it, Mavis. Carla loves you dearly but wishes you’d quit calling so much. She slammed down the hurt feelings. You’re boring, Mavis. You call to say nothing. So here she was, standing in her kitchen, mind sidetracked from the real question. If she moved, Carla would come see her. Using Carla as an excuse to stay was ridiculous. But it would be such a waste of time and money to move once more. Yeah? So? Mavis got an apple from the bowl on the counter and took it outside to her steps to eat.

car swung onto the court street, making a practiced right and then left to park in the drive of the trailer across from her. A woman whirled out like a little dust devil, spinning past her flowers on the way inside, plucking a dead bud here and there. Lunchtime. Use each second for something. Business suit and heels disappeared inside with the whack of the screen door. The apple was too bland. She’d bought the kind Bud liked—slightly St . A n t h o n y M e s s e n g e r

soft, tasting more like water than apple. Mavis rested her forehead on her knuckles, apple turned outward. How long before she could go an hour without thinking of Bud? The food he liked, the schedule he kept, his needs, his values. There was still so much to sort through, disentangling him from what was now her. Waste of money was him speaking, not her. And, be honest, Mavis, don’t glorify. The only time wasting money had bothered him was when it was what she wanted. A month of sorting through guns never shot, tools never used, and magazines never read was proof enough. If she moved, what would she do? Wouldn’t she be just as bored? Just as much at a loss? Was she trying to relocate or run away? She could put everything up for sale, put what was left in storage, buy a motor home, and tour the country. Mavis snorted, grinning. That smacked of going off the deep end. Besides, while she liked to travel, she hated driving. Bud, she thought with a sigh. Bud always did the driving. Yeah, so? Did she really hate driving? Or did she hate being told where to turn, to stop, to back up? Mavis took another bite of the apple. It didn’t matter. She liked having a home, liked her things. Being a nomad definitely wasn’t her style. The woman across the street came out and down the steps in a quick walk. At her car door, she noticed Mavis and paused to stare. Mavis saw how she must appear to the woman—seated on her steps, apple in hand, a beautiful day to enjoy at will. Longing darted from the woman like a bird zipping past. When she got in her car and drove by, it was at a slower, more thoughtful rate. Mavis felt herself breathing hard, returning to life now. For an instant, she’d been the other woman. Too busy, too tired, waiting for the day when she could sit on her steps while others went to work. Bud had never been in the picture, just the desire for peace, quiet, and time. Most of all, time to think, to be lazy, to explore. What would she do if she moved? Fr ancisca n Media .org

She didn’t know, did she? Maybe she would move again. And again, until she did know. Right now she needed to separate what was her from what had been them. In truth, more him than them. And that meant getting out of the trailer he would have bought for her because it was cheap, easy to care for, and had neighbors. Mavis began to laugh, tears stinging her eyes. Bud, even after death you’re here. I need to truly put you to rest. She rose to go in the house, tossing the apple into the bushes. She could

at least plant some flowers in pots. Tonight she would get on the computer and start searching for what suited her. It was a step forward and the best she could hope for. She would trust the rest would come. She paused in her doorway, looking back, a shiver walking down her back. Where had she heard that? A Rebecca L. Monroe is a retiree living in Troy, Montana, who has written over 90 short stories. An avid reader, she also enjoys hiking, camping, and volunteering at a local animal shelter.

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❘ BY FATHER PAT McCLOSKEY, OFM

Celebrate the Reformation?

CNS PHOTO/PAUL HARING

Thanks for all the information in the “Ask” column. Born and raised Catholic, I grew up in a very Catholic community with little exposure to Protestants. My boss of 29 years is a devout Protestant and celebrates Reformation Day with a party on October 31. As a Catholic, I don’t see this event as one to celebrate but to observe with sadness, for Christ’s Church was split apart.

unity of all who believe in him. He tells us that he is the true vine and that we are the branches, that just as he is one with the Father, so we must be one with him if we wish to bear fruit. “Here in Lund, at this prayer service, we wish to manifest our shared desire to remain one with Christ, so that we may have life. We ask him, ‘Lord, help us by your grace to be more closely united to you and thus, together, to bear a more effective witWhile your boss was hosting his ness of faith, hope, and love.’ This is 2016 party, Pope Francis was at a also a moment to thank God for the prayer service at the Lutheran catheefforts of our many brothers and sisdral in Lund, Sweden. He said there: ters from different ecclesial commu“‘Abide in me as I abide in you’ (Jn nities who refused to be resigned to 15:4). These words, spoken by Jesus division, but instead kept alive the at the Last Supper, allow us to peer hope of reconciliation among all into the heart of Christ just before who believe in the one Lord. his ultimate sacrifice on the cross. “As Catholics and Lutherans, we We can feel his heart beating with have undertaken a common journey love for us and his desire for the of reconciliation. Now, in the context of the commemoration of the Reformation of 1517, we have a new opportunity to accept a common path, one that has taken shape over the past 50 years in the ecumenical dialogue between the Lutheran World Federation and the Catholic Church.” Pope Francis later added, “Through shared hearing of the word of God in the Scriptures, important steps forward have been taken in the dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Lutheran World Federation.” On the feast of All Saints, the pope celebrated Mass in Swedbank Stadium in Malmö. Pope Francis and the Rev. Martin Junge, general Commenting on the Gospel secretary of the Lutheran World Federation, attend (Beatitudes, Mt 5:1-12a), Pope an ecumenical prayer service at the Lutheran catheFrancis recalled two Swedish dral in Lund, Sweden, October 31, 2016. saints, Mary Elizabeth Hessel4 6 ❘ Fe b r u a r y 2 0 1 7

blad and Birgitta (Bridget), who “prayed and worked to create bonds of unity and fellowship between Christians.” He continued: “The saints bring about change through meekness of heart. With that meekness, we come to understand the grandeur of God and worship him with sincere hearts. For meekness is the attitude of those who have nothing to lose because their only wealth is God.” The pope identified six modern beatitudes, ending with, “Blessed are those who pray and work for full communion between Christians.” Pope Francis is sad that Christianity is divided but is working to restore unity. All of us can follow his lead.

Learning about the Reformation Although the Reformation is much in the religious news these days, I realize that I don’t know much about it. Could you recommend some books by Catholic authors about it? I would like to understand more about this time in the Church’s history and its impact today. The Reformation began on October 31, 1517, when Martin Luther, an Augustinian professor of theology, posted 95 Theses on the door of the castle church in Wittenberg, Germany. There will be many events this year to mark that anniversary. Justification (how people are saved) became a major point of dispute during the Reformation: faith alone or faith and good works? On October 31, 1999, representatives of the Lutheran World Federation and the Holy See signed the “Joint Declaration on Justification,” St . A n t h o n y M e s s e n g e r

stating that on this issue “a consensus in basic truths exists between Lutherans and Catholics” (40). According to a key passage, “Together we confess: by grace alone, in faith in Christ’s saving work and not because of any merit on our part, we are accepted by God and receive the Holy Spirit, who renews our hearts while equipping and calling us to good works” (15). A Popular History of the Reformation by Father Philip Hughes (Doubleday) is reliable; Hubert Jedin’s Reformation and Counter Reformation (Volume V of his History of the Church) is more detailed. Volume 4 of Jaroslav Pelikan’s The Christian Tradition gives a fair account from a Lutheran perspective. Heiko Oberman, a Dutch Protestant, wrote the well-received Luther: Man between God and the Devil.

When Was Adam Created? When in the history of the world did Adam, the first man, start to live with a thinking brain and the need for survival? The Book of Genesis was a kind of universal history of mankind. Where did Moses get all his facts for the primitive story? Are all of these facts true, or is this simply a story to put some sense to how humans came to be? What was the date that is presented as to when man actually arrived to breathe air, live, survive, and multiply? The Book of Genesis has always bothered me; there seem to be so many questions not clearly answered, so many loopholes. Our beginning is not really clear—other than the fact that God created us, which I believe. Does anyone truly know when it all began? Unintentionally, you may be expecting the Book of Genesis to answer countless specific questions while not appreciating the answers to questions that it does address. First of all, the Bible’s first book is not universal history in the sense of a chronological history of the Fr ancisca n Media .org

human family. It is a faith history radically different from the creation stories of Israel’s pagan neighbors. Moses has been considered the author of this book, but all of it occurs well before he was born. In fact, the two stories of creation (1:12:4a and 2:4b with its following verses) represent two theological traditions: Priestly (sixth century BC) and Yahwist (ninth century BC). A third theological tradition (Elohist) arose in the seventh century and appears prominently in the Book of Genesis. A fourth theological tradition (Deuteronomic) dates from the seventh century and is reflected especially in the Book of Deuteronomy and elsewhere in the Bible. The Book of Genesis affirms that the world was created by a loving God who made men and women in the divine image. Sin entered the world not through some defect in God’s creation but rather through a misuse of freedom: what makes people most like God. We cannot complain that the

comics section in a newspaper does not give the latest stock prices; each section must be judged according to what it is trying to do. We cannot fairly ask the Book of Genesis to answer questions it never intended to address. Truth is not simply what we can capture through a photo or an audio recording with a date stamp. Although the Book of Genesis is absolutely true regarding the faith questions that it addresses, it is not a “you are there,” chronological account. God gave us intelligence to explore specific questions such as the ones you raise—without denying the priceless teachings of the Book of Genesis. A Father Pat welcomes your questions! Send them to: Ask a Franciscan, 28 W. Liberty Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202-6498, or Ask@FranciscanMedia.org. All questions sent by mail need to include a selfaddressed stamped envelope.

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Fe b r u a r y 2 0 1 7 ❘ 4 7

BOOK CORNER

❘ BY CAROL ANN MORROW

Particles of Faith A Catholic Guide to Navigating Science By Stacy A. Trasancos Ave Maria Press 192 pages • $15.95 Paperback/E-book Reviewed by MICHAEL DENNIN, professor of physics and astronomy at the University of California, Irvine, and author of Divine Science: Finding Reason at the Heart of Faith.

WHAT I’M READING ■ Henriette

Delille: Servant of Slaves, Witness to the Poor, by Fr. Cyprian Davis, OSB

■ Jesus:

A Pilgrimage, by James Martin, SJ

■ The

Case for Jesus: The Biblical and Historical Evidence for Christ, by Brant Pitre

■ The

Gospel of Mark, by Mary Healy

■ Leading

Change, by John P. Kotter

■ Letters

to My Brothers: Words of Hope and Challenge for Priests, by Stephen J. Rossetti

■ Not

Just Good, but Beautiful: The Complementary Relationship between Man and Woman, by Pope Francis, et al.

Bishop Shelton J. Fabre serves as the bishop of the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux, Louisiana. Bishop Fabre also currently serves the USCCB as a member of the committee on cultural diversity in the Church, as chairman of the subcommittee on African American affairs, and on the subcommittee for the Catholic Campaign for Human Development.

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When approaching the topic of science and religion, the goal of speakers or authors is often to “prove” that their side is correct. Particles of Faith by Stacy A. Trasancos takes a refreshing view by following the path of St. Benedict who said, “If faith and reason were to appear to contradict, then you are misinterpreting one or both of them.” Or is a critical conjunction in Benedict’s observation, pointing to the need for Catholics to be equally informed about doctrines of faith and the discoveries of science. Particles of Faith is a great book for those who want a primer in both Church teaching and scientific studies that impact the “classic” questions in science and faith—creation and evolution—as well as other relevant topics, such as free will and the question of when human life begins. Trasancos, a practicing scientist and a theologian, has structured the book to reinforce the journey by providing three sections: 1) a discussion of the relationship between science and faith; 2) questions related to the physical sciences; and 3) questions related to the biological sciences. This book has several other strengths. Trasancos brings a personal element to the discussion that allows the reader into her journey of faith and discovery. The examples of her own scientific research and conversion to Catholicism, as well as her experience of family and her study of theology, allow the reader to connect to the deeper questions she discusses in a unique way. Her discussions of both science and doctrine are appropriate for the general population, and make an easy read. The only potential drawback of her approach for a general audience is its strong Catholic focus. This may be its greatest asset for the reader who is not fully versed in all the details of Catholic doctrine as it relates to scientific issues such as evolution and creation. Though the detailed discussions of Catholic doctrine may not have the same interest for the non-Catholic reader, the general message of how to approach and understand science in the context of religion is well done and of value for anyone interested in these questions. St . A n t h o n y M e s s e n g e r

BOOK BRIEFS

Splashes of Faith-Filled Color Inkspirations Fruit of the Spirit Coloring Designs to Nourish You with Love, Joy, Faith, Peace and More

Jean Vanier Logician of the Heart By Michael W. Higgins Liturgical Press 136 pages • $14.95 Paperback/E-book Reviewed by DIANE SCHARPER, author of several books, including Radiant: Prayer/Poems, published by Cathedral Foundation Press. Eighty-eight-year-old Jean Vanier, author of 30 books, is a Catholic layman who founded the L’Arche network. After visiting a French psychiatric hospital and hearing one of the patients ask him to be his friend, Vanier left a career as a professor of philosophy to work with mentally disabled persons. As Michael Higgins explains in this biography—which, as part of the People of God series, focuses on heroes of faith for general readers—Vanier believes disabled persons are a gift. They remind people of human values in a world of material things. In 1964, Vanier established the first L’Arche residence, where he lived with two disabled men in a village near Paris. As L’Arche grew to 147 communities across the globe, Vanier organized 1,500 worldwide Faith and Light support communities for those with disabilities. In 1981, he retired from administrative duties to focus on writing. In 2015, he received the Templeton Prize for his efforts to promote humanity’s spiritual dimension. Influenced by eminent religious figures such as St. John Paul II, Vanier saw the disabled as a source of grace. In many minds, Jean Vanier will be a strong candidate for sainthood. Higgins, a prize-winning biographer of other luminaries including Henri Nouwen and Thomas Merton, helps to build the case in this informative, often inspiring narrative. Fr ancisca n Media .org

Illustrated by Lorrie Bennett Health Communications, Inc. 72 pages • $10.95 Paperback Scripture verses from the Old and New Testaments combine with illustrations to make beautiful, frame-worthy (and, with its perforated pages, frame-ready) pieces of art. The book opens with a short, full-color primer on color theory, tips, and tricks for budding artists.

Saints An Adult Coloring Book Daniel Mitsui Ave Maria Press 64 pages • $9.95 Paperback Daniel Mitsui offers 30 very short saint biographies, with entries from the well-known Gabriel to the obscure Gobnait. The illustrations range in style from Celtic patterns to those inspired by traditional Chinese art, all with icon-style images.

Our Lady’s Garden A Coloring Book for Prayer and Meditation Veruschka Guerra Pauline Books and Media 48 pages • $14.95 Paperback Centered entirely on the Blessed Mother, Guerra’s art is paired with traditional Marian prayers and quotes from the apparitions at Fatima, Lourdes, and Guadalupe. —K.C.

Books featured in Book Corner and Book Briefs can be ordered from

St. Mary’s Bookstore & Church Supply 1909 West End Avenue • Nashville, TN 37203 • 800-233-3604 www.stmarysbookstore.com • stmarysbookstore@gmail.com Prices shown in Book Corner do not include shipping. Fe b r u a r y 2 0 1 7 ❘ 4 9

A CATHOLIC MOM SPEAKS

❘ BY SUSAN HINES-BRIGGER

I Want My Crayons Back

hen I was younger, I used to love coloring. I remember spending hours creating masterpieces that I would freely give to others as gifts. At some point, though, I guess I convinced myself that coloring was too juvenile for me. When I had kids, the pastime of coloring came rushing back into my life. Even then, though, every plea of “Will you color with me?” often seemed to be met with a laundry list of reasons why I couldn’t. “Not now, honey. I have to . . . ” Every once in a while, I would allow myself the luxury of sitting down, opening up one of my kids’ coloring books, and inhaling that unmistakable smell of a box of crayons. Not once did I regret it. Yet I still continued to fight this step back into my past. Perhaps I saw it as a frivolous

5 0 ❘ Fe b r u a r y 2 0 1 7

waste of time. After all, what was I going to do with my creations? Hang them on the refrigerator? Give them to my dad, sisters, or my husband, Mark, for his office?

More Than Just a Hobby Then the other day I was walking through the store when I passed a giant display of coloring books. These weren’t the regular old coloring books for kids, featuring cartoon characters and seasonal events, though. No, these were coloring books filled with intricate designs geared toward adults. Yes, adult coloring books have become quite the industry these days. A Google search of “adult coloring books” will quickly give you 12,400,000 results. Those results cover a range of offerings from available coloring books and pages to a long list of articles on the health benefits of this popular activity. St . A n t h o n y M e s s e n g e r

In 2015, an estimated 12 million adult coloring books were sold in the United States, according to Nielsen Bookscan. You can find books on nature, TV characters, or a wide variety of other topics. The late psychologist Carl Jung was a huge proponent of using coloring in his work. He gave his patients mandalas to color as part of their therapy. Recent studies have shown that the simple act of coloring can benefit individuals with PTSD, anxiety, or stress. It also is shown to enhance problem-solving and fine motor skills. In fact, most medical professionals seem to agree that coloring should not be just for kids anymore.

WHAT BRINGS YOU JOY?

Added Benefit It’s clear that there are a number of reasons to bust out the crayons, but I think there’s something even more beneficial to this latest craze. That’s the opportunity to stop and spend some time with your kids. Now, I’m pretty certain my 18year-old daughter, Maddie, and 14year-old son don’t want to color with me, but my daughters Riley and Kacey sure do. In fact, the other night, Kacey and I sat coloring for quite a while. And you know what? It was a lot of fun. When we were done, we even hung our pictures up on the refrigerator for all to see. The experience reminded me of a quote I once read by author Hugh Macleod: “Everyone is born creative; everyone is given a

box of crayons in kindergarten. Then when you hit puberty they take the crayons away and replace them with dry, uninspiring books on algebra, history, etc. Being suddenly hit years later with the ‘creative bug’ is just a wee voice telling you, ‘I’d like my crayons back, please.’” That sounds about right. A

ILLUSTRATIONS BY MARY KURNICK MAASS

Stop and think about the last time you did something that really brought you joy. Now, ask yourself if you’re doing it enough. I know we’re all really busy. But maybe we should take a cue from our kids and grandkids and find time for ourselves. The other day, I was watching my kids to see what they were doing that brought them joy. My oldest was listening to music. Alex was playing on his video game console. Riley was practicing her dancing, and Kacey was outside exploring in the backyard. Maybe coloring is not your thing. That’s OK. We all have different interests. What brings you joy? Is it reading? Painting? Writing? Exercising? For me, personally, I enjoy the challenge of putting together a puzzle. Whatever it is, though, try to make an effort to work it into your schedule. You’ll thank yourself.

Do you have comments or suggestions for topics you’d like to see addressed in this column? Send them to me at “A Catholic Mom Speaks,” 28 W. Liberty St., Cincinnati, OH 45202-6498, or e-mail them to CatholicMom@Franciscan Media.org.

PETE AND REPEAT These scenes may seem alike to you, But there are changes in the two. So look and see if you can name ILLUSTRATION BY TOM GREENE

Eight ways in which they’re not the same. (Answers on page 17)

Fr ancisca n Media .org

Fe b r u a r y 2 0 1 7 ❘ 5 1

BACKSTORY

Armchair Pilgrims

any of you will have noticed by now a new column in this issue of St. Anthony Messenger. “Catholic Sites to Explore” (p. 18) is a name that came after much debate among our editors. The

column, or department as we call it on the contents page, is drawn from a book recently published by Franciscan Media, 101 Places to Pray Before You

PHOTO BY CHRISTOPHER HEFFRON

Die. It’s a collection of descriptions of 101 (in truth, a few more) pilgrimage destinations in the United States. Stand by—I’m about to walk you through the less glamorous side of our backstory. After we filled a whiteboard with possible names, it boiled down to either “Catholic Sites to Visit” or “Catholic Sites to Explore.” We wanted the word Catholic in there; we were looking to convey an inviting feel, but also useful information to help you find out more. I suggested that most of our readers were unlikely to get in a car and visit a distant pilgrimage site, but that you would at least be interested in learning about these inspiring places. As you can see, “Catholic Sites to Explore” carried the day. Explore has several connotations—you can explore by visiting and looking about; or you can explore simply by deepening your knowledge of something. What sites, though? We then had to whittle 100-plus down to 12. (We tend to run these special departments for 12 months.) We should go for geographic spread, we knew, since we have readers spread across the country. Have we covered some of them in the magazine already? Which of these represent some interSTHAMBI/FOTOSEARCH

The Alamo, once a Franciscan mission, is a popular place not only for tourists but also for pilgrims (see page 18 for more).

esting variety? Better to do obscure destinations or familiar ones? Erase the whiteboard! Father Pat drew a quick sketch of a US map and we started placing and removing pilgrimage spots. (There was a discussion about whether we could forget our own St. Anthony Shrine in Cincinnati. Yes, our readers hear about that monthly in our “Followers of St. Francis” column.) See how we spend our time? Rather than have one editor condense 12 of these for you, we decided to each take on two. I think mine is coming in June—I could use some time to get caught up before taking an assignment!

Editor in Chief @jfeister

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St . A n t h o n y M e s s e n g e r

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