MIRACLE AFTER THE BOSTON MARATHON
ST. ANTHONY Messenger
APRIL 2014 • $3.95 FRANCISCANMEDIA.ORG
Voice of Joy Friar Alessandro
Way of the Cross in New York
John XXIII and John Paul II, Our Newest Saints St. Peter’s Regret
REFLECTION
E
aster spells out beauty, the rare beauty of new life. —S.D. Gordon
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CONTENTS
ST. ANTHONY Messenger
❘ APRIL 2014 ❘ VOLUME 121/NUMBER 11
ON THE COVER
COVER STORY
Friar Alessandro is reaching out to people throughout the world with his music. His first album, Voice from Assisi, rose to the top of the charts in the Christian and Gospel category for 2012. He has since released his second album, Voice of Joy.
28 Friar Alessandro’s Joyful Voice This humble friar from Assisi has become a worldwide singing sensation. By Murray Bodo, OFM
Photo courtesy of Decca Records
F E AT U R E S
D E PA R T M E N T S
16 St. Peter’s Regret
2 Dear Reader
Jesus showed his friend the way from regret to healing. He can do the same for us. By Jim Van Vurst, OFM
3 From Our Readers 6 Followers of St. Francis Jud Weiksnar, OFM
22 Miracle after the Marathon A Boston Marathon survivor’s heart goes out to an injured child in a faraway land. By Donis Tracy
8 Reel Time Cesar Chavez
22
10 Channel Surfing About a Boy
34 John XXIII and John Paul II: Our Newest Saints
12 Church in the News
“To canonize them both,” says Pope Francis, “will be a message to the Church.” A leading Church historian tells us why. By Christopher M. Bellitto
20 Live Well Reset
33 Editorial The Weight of Our Sins
40 Way of the Cross in New York Bringing the Lord’s passion to the city’s streets Photos by Gregory A. Shemitz
50 Ask a Franciscan
34
Hungry People along the Road
52 Book Corner
44 Fiction: Moving On
The Global War on Christians
She’d lost her husband. She wouldn’t lose her home. By Janice Croom
54 A Catholic Mom Speaks Why Moms Don’t Meditate
56 Backstory 57 At Home on Earth Small Is Beautiful
40
ST. ANTHONY M
DEAR READER
essenger
Jerusalem: Christ’s Tomb Holy Sepulchre Basilica, perhaps Christianity’s most important shrine, was completed in 335 by St. Helena, mother of Emperor Constantine. An early Christian shrine had been replaced with a pagan temple in 135. After the Crusaders seized Jerusalem in 1099, they built the current church, which also includes Mount Calvary. The Muslims regained control of Jerusalem in 1187. Franciscans from Aragon began serving here in 1323. Eleven years later, King Robert and Queen Sanchia of Naples obtained permission from the sultan of Egypt for the friars to live on an upper floor and minister in the basilica. Pope Clement VI appointed the Friars Minor in 1342 as the Latin (Western) Church’s clergy there. Representatives from the Greek Orthodox and Armenian Orthodox Church also minister there; a shared-use agreement dates to 1852. Late next month, Pope Francis will meet Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople here, to mark the 50th anniversary of the kiss of peace exchanged between Pope Paul VI and Patriarch Athenagoras. In the chapel enclosing Christ’s tomb, the friars coordinate Masses at specified hours. They hear confessions in many languages and have a chapel for pilgrims. Downloadable photos and a 360-degree virtual tour are available at www.holysepulchre.custodia.org.
Publisher/CEO
Daniel Kroger, OFM
Chief Operating Officer
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Editor in Chief John Feister
Art Director
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Franciscan Editor
Pat McCloskey, OFM
Managing Editor
Susan Hines-Brigger
Associate Editor
Christopher Heffron
Editorial Assistant Sharon Lape
Director of Marketing, Sales, and Internet Barbara K. Baker
Advertising
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Kingery Printing Co. - Effingham, IL ST. ANTHONY MESSENGER (ISSN #0036276X) (U.S.P.S. PUBLICATION #007956 CANADA PUBLICATION #PM40036350) Volume 121, Number 11, 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 10920-0189. 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 foreign countries. Single copy price: $3.95. For change of address, four weeks’ notice is necessary. Writer’s guidelines can be found at Franciscan Media.org. 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 ©2014. All rights reserved.
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FROM OUR READERS
The Gay Agenda? I read with interest Tracy Rusch’s article, “Mary Fishman and Her Band of Sisters,” in the February issue. I was disturbed by Fishman’s comments on the inequality of women in the Church and her disagreement with the Church’s teachings on homosexuality. The Church’s teachings are God’s teachings, and there is biblical evidence to support it. Does she challenge Scripture? We love our homosexual brothers and sisters, but we simply cannot condone behavior that is contrary to God’s teachings. The bodies of men and women complement each other perfectly for their God-given purpose: procreation. Our bodies were not intended for physical pleasure only. In this country, we have an extremely vocal homosexual com-
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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munity that seems to undermine the teachings of our Church. Lorraine Correia Burlington, Massachusetts
Article Provides Comfort Thank you for featuring Joyce Rupp’s February article, “Give Yourself a Break,” about self-love and compassion. This is exactly the kind of spiritual comfort I needed. In March 2012, my beloved mother died. In September 2013, my good friend Fran died. Just as I was healing from the grief of losing Mama, I lost a dear friend. This is a big deal, emotionally and spiritually, as I often find myself feeling overly sensitive and fragile. I often need assurance from friends and family, and despite once reading Padre Pio’s advice about not worrying and always trusting in God, I find it hard to always heed his advice. Sister Joyce reminded me of the need to be more self-compassionate. I used to berate myself for not having moved on more quickly. I realize that, more than ever, self-love, patience, and nurturing are exactly the kind of “prescription” God would write out for me. Leonora Rita V. Obed Ewing, New Jersey
Forgiving Oneself Isn’t Easy I read Joyce Rupp’s article, “Give Yourself a Break.” Being compassionate toward oneself has been in vogue for some time now. However, I think there is a type of person in which not being able to do it only causes more turmoil. One size does not fit all. Jesus was such a zealot that, had he lived today, he would have probably been labeled a schizophrenic and been institutionalized. I don’t think this takes anything away from the man. He was led by unseen grace. Bonnie T. Green Atlanta, Georgia
Family Norms I don’t understand how you, a Catholic magazine, can show families with only two children, as you did throughout Tom Rinkoski’s February article, “Raising Kids with Faith.” This is a message that a twochild family is the norm. The Catholic Church teaches that artificial contraception is against God’s wishes. Several businesses are currently in the courts fighting having to pay for this through insurance plans. Surely anything printed from a Catholic company should have no fewer than four children as the “perfect family.” Carmelita Bullinger Henrietta, Texas
Women’s Roles in the Church I am responding to the letter “Church Law 101” in February’s “From Our Readers.” The writer was criticizing an earlier letter about understanding the difference between Church law and divine laws. The reader stated, “Church laws can be changed, but divine law cannot.” My main disagreement stands in the area of men and the priesthood. The reader states that only men may be priests, and considers this to be a divine law. If you read up on Church history, the role of the priesthood evolved to become what it is today. It evolved because it is a result of a Church law, not a divinely inspired law. This law can be changed at any time. Jesus did not assign priests. He delegated his apostles to go out and preach the Gospel. This included many women. In the early Church, people remembered Jesus in the breaking of bread within their homes. All who participated were equal in service. It was not until much later in Church history that priests were specifically given that honor. The Church is slowly giving Ap ri l 201 4 ❘ 3
On a recent survey, we asked a portion of our subscribers what they’d like to see in future issues of St. Anthony Messenger. Here are some of their responses. ■ I wish there were more articles geared toward seniors. They are who keep most churches running—especially the women! ■ St Anthony Messenger is my favorite Catholic periodical! ■ Great job as always! Kudos, prayers, and thanks. My lack of interest in some categories isn’t a negative. I get my theology/commentary from a lot of sources. I’m post-college educated and trained in religious life. So many of the more basic or familyoriented features just aren’t of interest. But we need this kind of material, so keep them coming.
■ As always, St. Anthony Messenger is a wonderful read! I have never failed to read each edition from cover to cover. Thank you for a terrific periodical. ■ I tend to like everything in St. Anthony Messenger. I may not read it right away, but over the course of two weeks, I pretty much read the whole magazine. ■ Thanks for not merely reporting news, but helping to push (or is it pull?) the Church and your readers forward. ■ I like the variety of articles in the magazine. There seems to be a little of everything. ■ The magazine has been my standby for years and it still is! ■ Please keep both liberal and conservative ideas in the magazine!
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women many more opportunities to serve. I hope this continues. Mary Ann O’Connor Centereach, New York
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We are taught that baptized Catholics are the Church. Whether male or female, we are God’s people contributing our time, talent, and treasure. It’s sad that a few recent letter writers seem to ignore the fact that yes, God gave us the Ten Commandments, but God gets blamed for human-made rules that have evolved throughout history. We have many amazing and devoted priests today. But we also have a severe shortage of priests, plus the worldwide tragedy of priest sex abuse. It’s clear that the Church needs to rethink its recruitment criteria to include outstanding married, single, male, and female candidates. One of your recent letter writers suggested that Catholics leave the Church if they do not agree with its man-made rules. That isn’t very Christian. Mary Courteau Burnsville, Minnesota
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F O L L O W E R S O F S T. F R A N C I S
Working Together for Change
I
Father Jud Weiksnar, OFM
t’s Thursday afternoon, and The Student Leaders’ Von Nieda Park Task Force in Camden, New Jersey, is meeting. The group, is made up of sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-grade students from St. Anthony of Padua School, as well as students from nearby St. Cecilia and LEAP Academy. The group is discussing ways to improve their neighborhood. The major focus of their work is to make the local Von Nieda Park a safer and more enjoyable place for all to enjoy. Father Jud Weiksnar, OFM, pastor at St. Anthony Parish, is part of that task force. He says the idea came out of a Civic Engagement class during the 2011 summer session of St. Anthony of Padua School. Student leaders meet weekly after school and choose issues to address that are important, challenging, and doable—using the principles of community organizing. So far, the student leaders have improved the park with new trash and recycling bins, fencing around the park playground, and new basketball nets. They recently held a community event, "Un-Dark the Park," where 250 people came with flashlights to
show the need for lights in the park to make it safer after dark. They received a commitment from the county to put over $200,000 of new lighting in the park. “The students find out who has the power to make positive changes in those areas, and invite those county or city officials, and other interested persons to monthly meetings in the community center,” says Father Jud. Then once they convince the officials and get commitments from them, the students follow up at future meetings and with e-mails and phone calls to make sure the officials fulfill their promises. In addition to their work to improve Von Nieda Park, the task force’s efforts also go deeper. The students involved say they want to build power and use it for something good. The biggest changes, according to the leaders, are not in the park, but in themselves. They now have confidence to speak in public, confidence to chair meetings, and confidence to call public officials. Father Jud says he was most proud “when one of our eighth graders said on a local radio broadcast that she is doing this work to improve her community because she feels
STORIES FROM OUR READERS Learn more about St. Anthony and share your story of how he helped you at AmericanCatholic.org/ Features/Anthony.
Yesterday I couldn’t find a gold bracelet that I own. I came to work and looked up the site for St. Anthony, thinking about asking for help for finding my bracelet. But instead I found that you can ask for other things for which you need help. I need help with getting my sense of smell back. So instead of my bracelet I asked for my smell back. When I went home I looked in a drawer that I haven’t been in for years, and there was my bracelet. God does work in funny ways, but I hope he still remembers my smell. —Judy, Kansas
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6 ❘ Apr il 2014
God Works in Funny Ways
Click here for more on The Student Leaders’ Von Nieda Park Task Force.
ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI
Spirit-Filled Leader For many years, Francis gathered friars from all over the world for a chapter (meeting) before Pentecost. Francis felt that the Holy Spirit was the true leader of his brotherhood. After the friars reported on their lives and ministries, some of them would be sent to new places. When numbers and geography made such participation difficult, the friars gathered in regional groups for the same purpose. To this day, a Pentecost chapter, attended every six years by the heads of provinces, draws up new priorities and elects new leaders. –P.M.
CNS PHOTO/OCTAVIO DURAN
called by God to do so.” He adds that she later stood up and repeated it at a citywide meeting of adult community organizers. His hope for the program as it moves forward is that it “can expand to other schools in neighborhoods where community organizing is needed.” This has already happened with the expansion to Holy Name School in North Camden this past January. The school is located on one of the roughest blocks, in the roughest neighborhood, in the nation’s poorest and most dangerous city of its size, says Father Jud. To him, the work of the students is a living example of the beatitudes. “Recently retired Archbishop Elias Chacour [taught] that the words Jesus probably used to preach the beatitudes were active, not passive,” says Father Jud. “Rather than ‘Blessed are the poor,’ [Archbishop Chacour] contends that Jesus was actually saying ‘Get up, do something, you who are poor. For yours is the kingdom of heaven.’ That is a great call to do community organizing in places like our beloved Camden.” —Susan Hines-Brigger
tal Digi as Extr
To learn more about Franciscan saints, visit AmericanCatholic.org/Features/Saintofday.
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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
Cesar Chavez
SISTER ROSE’S
Favorite © 2014 PANTELION FILMS
Biographical Films Lincoln (2012) The Miracle Worker (any version) Cry Freedom (1987) Erin Brockovich (2000) The Blind Side (2009)
8 ❘ April 2014
Michael Peña plays the title role in Cesar Chavez, the true story about this famous civil-rights activist. After his parents lose their ranch in the Great Depression, Cesar Chavez (Michael Peña) goes from working in the fields to becoming an organizer with the Community Service Organization, along with Dolores Huerta (Rosario Dawson). They are committed to the rights of Latino workers. Unsatisfied at their progress, Cesar moves his wife, Helen (America Ferrera), and their children to Delano in California’s San Joaquin Valley. Dolores follows and they struggle for the right to organize the United Farm Workers Union (UFW) in 1962. When their demands for toilet facilities near the fields, adequate housing, and fair wages are not met, the UFW joins Filipino workers in strikes against grape growers, and leads a march on Sacramento. Chavez begins one of several fasts to draw attention to the needs of the workers, but also as a spiritual practice for himself, his family, and migrant workers. The film is based on the life of Cesar Chavez (1927-1993) and is told within the
very Catholic ethos of Chavez’s faith and what really took place, such as the celebration of Mass in the fields. John Malkovich plays a vineyard owner whose resistance to workers’ rights contributes to their misery. Jack Holmes plays Robert F. Kennedy, who challenged the rights of local law enforcement to arrest and mistreat workers. Cesar Chavez is directed beautifully by Diego Luna and is inspiring to watch. Peña could have looked less healthy after a 35-day fast, but his performance is credible, as is Ferrera’s. This film is about the “other” civilrights movement of the 1960s that is good to recall, because the struggle for healthy conditions, just wages, and pesticides that harm workers is not over. Not yet rated, PG-13 ■ Some violence and language.
Labor Day As Labor Day weekend begins in 1987, the reclusive and sad divorced mom, Adele (Kate St A n t h o n y M e s s e n g e r . o r g
CNS PHOTO/PARAMOUNT
Oscar winner Kate Winslet and Josh Brolin play broken people in need of connection and healing in Labor Day.
CNS PHOTO/WARNER BROS
Winslet), takes her 13-year-old son, Henry (Gattlin Griffith), shopping for school clothes. Frank (Josh Brolin), an injured man, approaches Henry in the store and forces the boy and Adele to take him to their home. Frank has just escaped from prison and needs a place to stay until evening. Adele and Henry are afraid, but cooperate. At home, Frank ties them up and makes chili for supper. He wins their trust and unties them, and begins fixing things around the house. When a neighbor brings over peaches from his tree, Frank makes a pie in a way that mesmerizes Adele and Henry. Through flashbacks, we learn the characters’ stories, which reveal possibilities for the future. Labor Day is based on the 2009 novel of the same name by Joyce Maynard. As with so many films, the audience has to suspend disbelief in order to accept the premise of the story and its outcome. Winslet is terrific as the complex mother, and Brolin is threatening enough. But the only thing I came away with was that you never want to bond with a kidnapper, no matter how lonely you are—and how to make an incredible peach pie. L, PG-13 ■ Mature themes, sensuality, brief violence.
Emmet is mistaken for a master builder who can save the city by preventing Lord Business from gluing the universe together, but Emmet steps up to the challenge. He must find the “Piece of Resistance” that will stop Lord Business from using the “Kragle,” a super-weapon, against the city. This 3-D, computer-animated family comedy is smart and has many comedic and touching moments, and is filled with causeand-effect complications. The film also has Lego versions of well-known figures of fantasy (Gandalf from The Lord of the Rings trilogy), comic book characters (Batman), and even contemporary celebrities (Shaquille O’Neal). The movie has a good heart and offers lessons about creativity and freedom as well as relationships between fathers and sons. But it was way too long for me, and that song is an annoying but funny earworm that I can’t get out of my head. A-1, PG ■ Mild action and some rude humor
The Lego Movie is not only a box-office smash, but is much-loved by critics worldwide. A sequel is already in the works.
Catholic Cl assifications A-1 A-2 A-3 L O
The Lego Movie Emmet (voice of Chris Pratt) is a clueless but contented construction worker in a weird city of commerce. The evil Lord Business (voice of Will Ferrell) demands that everyone follow instructions or suffer the consequences, while radios continue to play an annoying ditty which is called “Everything Is Awesome.” 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.
■
Find reviews by Sister Rose and others at CatholicMovieReviews.org. April 2014 ❘ 9
CHANNEL SURFING
WITH CHRISTOPHER HEFFRON
UP CLOSE
Tuesdays, 9 p.m., NBC The trouble with mid-season replacements is that they often get the ax before viewers have a chance to really settle in with them. About a Boy might be one such casualty. But I hope this one makes it, despite elements that might offend some channel surfers. This new series—loosely based on the 2002 Hugh Grant film of the same name—is a three-person comedy-drama about Will, played by David Walton, a morally challenged San Francisco bachelor who lives next door to a single mom, Fiona, and her precocious son, Marcus, played by Minnie Driver and Benjamin Stockham, respectively. Will is a vagabond in his own life, gliding through responsibilities and romantic relationships with ambivalent haste. Fiona is a struggling mother trying to keep her sanity in check with a son at her side. The chemistry among the three players is engaging, but what gives the show a lift is its central theme: despite our baggage, we all need human connection to feed our spirits. Will is a large child whose dormant skills as a father figure are beginning to grow. Fiona and Marcus are finding their way in a city of strangers. The budding friendship between Will and Marcus is fun to watch, but there’s an undercurrent to their relationship: Marcus gives Will direction; Will gives Marcus camaraderie—and an endless bucket of ribs.
Growing Up Fisher Tuesdays, 9:30 p.m., NBC The always-interesting J.K. Simmons plays Mel Fisher, a successful attorney and single father of two who enjoys playing sports with his son, sawing down trees, and driving expensive cars. Here’s the problem: Mel is blind. There’s much to admire about this series, not the least of which is the Fisher family dynamic: though Mel is divorced from Joyce—colorfully played by Jenna Elfman— they still have a very sweet, supportive relationship. The novelty of a blind man fooling others about his disability might prove tiresome for some viewers, but Simmons and Elfman keep it watchable. And it’s rare to find a show—let alone a good one—that focuses on a person thriving in his personal and professional life, despite a disability.
American Pickers
© NBC/JORDIN ALTHAUS
Wednesdays, 9 p.m., History Channel This is no Antiques Roadshow. For hosts Mike Wolfe and Frank Fritz, finding forgotten treasures is their calling. Wolfe and Fritz do some serious investigating. They scour attics, junkyards, and swap meets hoping to find history’s forgotten relics. The discovery of antique toys, cars, motorcycles, and furniture is interesting enough, but the stories behind these items are what give American Pickers its flavor. The show also pays homage to the importance of the oral tradition, a fact that isn’t lost on our hosts. It’s the memories that give these items real value. Take that, IKEA.
Benjamin Stockham (left) and David Walton play neighbors who become friends in About a Boy. 10 ❘ April 2014
St A n t h o n y M e s s e n g e r . o r g
© NBC/COLLEEN HAYES
About a Boy
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CHURCH IN THE NEWS
❘ BY SUSAN HINES-BRIGGER
Pope Offers Wisdom to Engaged Couples
CNS/PAUL HARING
the pope said, Adam immediately passed the blame, saying, “‘Uh, no, it was that one over there who gave it to me!’ and accusing the other, to get out of saying ‘I’m sorry’ and ‘Pardon me.’” Obviously, couples will make mistakes and fight, he said, but “never, never, never end the day without making peace.” Each of the couples in attendance received a small white pillow with Pope Francis’ signature and his papal crest; the cushion has two satin ribbons for securing wedding rings during the marriage ceremony.
Pope Francis greets Miriam and Marco, an engaged couple who spoke during an audience for engaged couples in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican February 14, Valentine’s Day. At left is Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, president of the Pontifical Council for the Family.
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nize when they’ve done wrong and ask forgiveness. The instinct to accuse someone else “is at the heart of so many disasters,” starting with Adam, who ate the forbidden fruit. When God asked him if he did it,
Following clashes between police and protesters in Kiev, Ukraine’s capital, Pope Francis and Ukrainian Church leaders called for an end to all violence and a serious commitment to dialogue for the good of Ukraine, reported CNS. Snipers opened fire on protesters in Kiev’s
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On the feast of St. Valentine, Pope Francis greeted over 10,000 engaged couples in St. Peter’s Square, telling them that a healthy family life absolutely requires frequent use of three phrases: “May I? Thank you, and I’m sorry,” reported Catholic News Service (CNS). The audience was for couples who were completing their marriage preparation courses and planning to be married in the church this year. The initiative, “The Joy of ‘Yes’ Forever,” was organized by the Pontifical Council for the Family. During his comments to the couples, the pope assured them that “the perfect family doesn’t exist, nor is there a perfect husband or a perfect wife, and let’s not talk about the perfect mother-in-law!” he said to laughter and applause. “It’s just us sinners.” But “if we learn to say we’re sorry and ask forgiveness, the marriage will last.” The pope urged couples to recog-
Ukrainian Archbishop Prays for Peace
Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk of Kiev-Halych, major archbishop of the Ukrainian Catholic Church, speaks at a Rome news conference about recent events in the Ukrainian capital. St An t h o n yM e s s e n g e r . o rg
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Oscar-winner Russell Crowe, who is starring in the film Noah, invited Pope Francis via Twitter to see the movie, reported Religion News Service. Crowe’s tweet read in part, “The message of the film is powerful, fascinating, resonant.” He also sent out a tweet to his 1.37 million followers, asking them to try to convince the pope themselves: “Villagers, given his environmental focus/scholarly knowledge, trying to screen #Noah for Pope Francis. @Pontifex. You help? retweet previous.” The $125-million film by director Darren Aronofsky has received criticism from some religious groups who say the story line takes too many liberties. There was no official response from the Holy See. The 7th US Circuit Court of Appeals ruled on February 21 that the University of Notre Dame must provide free coverage of contraceptives as required by the federal health care law despite its moral objections to doing so. In its lawsuit,
Independence Square on February 19, killing 77 people. Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk, major archbishop of the Ukrainian Catholic Church, said, “Those holding power bear full responsibility for what is happening in our country. In the name of God, we condemn violence, ruthlessness and the ignoring of human rights and the will of the Fr an ci s can M e di a. o rg
Notre Dame had argued that the mandate’s purpose “is to discriminate against religious institutions and organizations that oppose abortion and contraception.” In a statement issued after the ruling, Notre Dame spokesman Paul J. Browne said, “Our concern remains that if government is allowed to entangle a religious institution of higher education like Notre Dame in one area contrary to conscience, it’s given license to do so in others.” The Archdiocese of St. PaulMinneapolis released details on the size of settlements it had made with victims of clergy sexual abuse. According to an audit report issued February 13 by the archdiocese, net claims and litigation expense, not counting legal fees, for the one-year period ending last June 30 came to $3.95 million. The Archdiocese of Los Angeles— in what Church officials said was the last of its pending abuse lawsuits— reached a $13 million agreement with 17 clergy-sexual-abuse victims in mid-February, shortly before the scheduled start of a trial over lawsuits involving alleged acts of thenFather Nicolas Aguilar-Rivera, a visiting priest from Mexico who police believe molested more than two dozen boys in 1987. The Legionaries of Christ will no longer be overseen by papal delegate Cardinal Velasio De Paolis, after the order adopted a new constitu-
nation.” The archbishop said he had asked Catholics to fast and pray for peace, and asked Catholic churches to ring their bells in rejection of “fratricidal evil.” At the end of his weekly general audience that same day, the pope said, “I assure the Ukrainian people of my closeness, and I pray for the victims of the violence, for their fam-
tion, elected new officers, and issued a statement of apology to the victims of the order’s founder, the late Father Marcial Maciel Degollado. Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI has written a letter to journalist Andrea Tornielli, a Vatican correspondent for the newspaper La Stampa and the website Vatican Insider, saying questions regarding the validity of his resignation are “simply absurd.” Tornielli had written to the retired pope after reading articles questioning the canonical validity of his announcement February 11, 2013, that he was stepping down. “There is absolutely no doubt regarding the validity of my renunciation of the Petrine ministry,” wrote Benedict. Tornielli also asked why the retired pope continues to wear a white cassock—a simplified version of what he wore as pope—and why he did not go back to using his given name, Joseph Ratzinger. “I continue to wear the white cassock and kept the name Benedict for purely practical reasons,” the former pope said. “At the moment of my resignation, there were no other clothes available. In any case, I wear the white cassock in a visibly different way to how the pope wears it. This is another case of completely unfounded speculations being made.” For more news, visit American Catholic.org.
ilies, and for the injured. “I call on all sides to stop every violent action and seek agreement and peace,” he added. A peace agreement was signed on February 21, but on February 25, Archbishop Shevchuk told reporters in Rome that “the danger that our neighbor [Russia] will provoke a civil war has not passed,” He added that Ap ri l 201 4 ❘ 13
the protests have solidified the Ukrainian people’s commitment to independence, freedom, and democracy.
Pope Pens Letter to Families In February, Pope Francis sent a letter to the world’s families, asking them to pray for the success of the extraordinary Synod of Bishops on the “pastoral challenges to the family in the context of evangelization,” according to CNS. The synod will take place at the Vatican this October. In his letter, the pope wrote that the synod would be dedicated to the
“challenges of marriage, of family life, of the education of children; and the role of the family in the life of the Church.” Pope Francis has said the synod will take up the subject of Church teaching and practice on marriage, including the eligibility of divorced and civilly married Catholics to receive Communion—an issue he has said exemplifies a general need for mercy in the Church today. “In your journey as a family, you share so many beautiful moments: meals, rest, housework, leisure, prayer, trips and pilgrimages, and times of mutual support,” the pope wrote. “Nevertheless, if there is no love, then there is no joy, and au-
Pope Francis Creates 19 New Cardinals
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On February 22, the feast day commemorating the authority Jesus gave to St. Peter and his successors, Pope Francis created 19 new cardinals in the presence of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, reported CNS. It was the first time Benedict had joined Pope Francis for a public prayer service in the basilica since his resignation in February 2013. The following day, Pope Francis celebrated Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica with the new cardinals. He told them to see their new role as one of humble service and sacrifice, not one of worldly honor, reported CNS. “A cardinal enters the church of Rome, not a royal court,” the pope said. “May all of us avoid, and help others to avoid, habits and ways of acting typical of a court: intrigue, gossip, cliques, favoritism, and preferences. “May our language be that of the Gospel: ‘yes when we mean yes; no when we mean no,’” he said. “May our attitudes be those of the beatitudes and our way be that of holiness.”
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thentic love comes to us from Jesus.” The pope also noted that October’s synod would be followed by an ordinary Synod of Bishops on the same subject next year. The World Meeting of Families will then follow up on the theme in Philadelphia in September 2015. Pope Francis is expected to travel there for the event.
New Panel to Oversee Vatican Finances In a February 24 statement, the Vatican announced that Pope Francis has established a new panel—The Council for the Economy—to oversee the finances of the Holy See and Vatican City State, reported CNS. A separate office, headed by Cardinal George Pell of Sydney, will implement the panel’s policies. According to the Vatican, the council will include “eight cardinals and bishops to reflect the universality of the Church” as well as “seven lay experts of different nationalities with strong professional financial experience.” The group will “meet on a regular basis to consider policies and practices and to prepare and analyze reports on the economicadministrative activities of the Holy See.” Lay members of the new council will exercise an unprecedented level of responsibility for non-clerics in the Vatican, where the highest offices have always been reserved for cardinals and bishops. Pope Francis established the panel on recommendations from the Pontifical Commission for Reference on the Economic-Administrative Structure of the Holy See, which he established in July to review accounting practices in Vatican offices and devise strategies for greater fiscal responsibility and transparency. The Vatican said the new council will “enable more formal involvement of senior and experienced experts in financial administration, planning, and reporting, and will ensure better use of resources,” particularly for “our works with the poor and marginalized.” A St An t h o n yM e s s e n g e r . o rg
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egret R Jesus showed his friend the way from regret to healing. He can do the same for us. B Y J I M V A N V U R S T, O F M
Peter’s Loyalty Is Tested The actual test confronted Peter hours later in the courtyard of the high priest where Jesus was being held. Note that he was not being threatened by someone in authority or by some tough guards who remembered Peter when they arrested Jesus in the garden. It came from a teenage servant girl. She saw Peter warming 16 ❘ April 2014
himself by the fire and told him that she recognized him as one of Jesus’ followers. Peter was startled, shocked, and filled with fear. In an instant, all of Peter’s bravado from a few hours before had vanished. “I do not know the man,” Peter said loudly, trying to sound convincing to those around him. In a panic, Peter moved on. Another bystander heard Peter’s Galilean accent. Surely this linked him as a disciple of Jesus. Matthew relates, “At that he began to curse and to swear, ‘I do not know the man’” (Mt 26:74). Despite all his protestations of loyalty and bravery just hours before, Peter’s selfconfidence collapsed like a house of cards. He had perjured himself. How serious was Peter’s triple denial of Jesus? More than a few spiritual writers would say it trumps even Judas’ sin of betrayal.
Peter’s Road to Redemption Could Peter forget what he did to Jesus that night? Jesus had even washed Peter’s feet a few hours earlier. No amount of repression, rationalization, or denial could ever blot out from his mind those denials. They were forever part of his personal history and memory. Think of the night when Jesus was led across the courtyard and saw Peter. Luke tells us that Jesus spoke no words. He simply looked at Peter. At that moment, Peter saw Jesus’ battered face and realized in his heart the terrible thing he had done. What did Jesus convey with that look in St A n t h o n y M e s s e n g e r . o r g
ILLUSTRATION BY HEIDI YOUNGER
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N INCIDENT in the Gospels can help us put the worst act we have ever committed into perspective. It’s what Peter did to the Lord on the evening of Holy Thursday. Peter, the leader of the apostles, did something he would never forget. On the night Jesus was arrested, he denied knowing him and being his disciple. And, shockingly, he did this three times. Worse yet, Peter was not being tortured (though many years later he would be, as would many Christians who were burned, beaten to death, or crucified for their faith). We go back to the Last Supper, when Jesus frightened Peter and the others by describing a dreadful series of events. Jesus’ enemies would arrest him. He would be beaten and put to death on the cross. He also warned them that their faith would be shaken. Peter, filled with self-confidence and pride, assured Jesus that his faith was unshakable. Jesus then predicted Peter’s denials. Again, he protested: “Even though I should have to die with you, I will not deny you” (Mt 26:31-35).
tal Digi as Extr
Click here for more information on this topic.
Not without Hope When I preach parish workshops, one of the most important topics is “Our Life’s Journey.” I give each person a blank sheet of paper and ask them to put the date of their birth on the far left. On the far right, they should put the present date. In the middle they mark their journey’s midway point. Then we take time for them to reflect on their journey— from their birth to the present. This includes times of happiness, growth, and success. It also includes difficult times of struggle and failure. Most people are surprised to realize their journey has been more eventful than they might have imagined. Good memories bring smiles to their faces. Difficult memories are painful. Some participants now have an opportunity to deal with events in their past that have felt like boulders on their backs. Many good people tend to be more understanding and compassionate with another’s past failings. With themselves, however, they often show no mercy. Even with the certitude that their sins have been forgiven, there remains the burden of remembering the hurt they’ve caused. Regret can be best described as a feeling that rises from the pit of our stomach. It is a sense of sorrow or remorse for a sinful act or decision we know was wrong. It can be like a painful lament. There is no question that the deepest regrets result from hurting people we love and who love us. A husband may have been unfaithful; a parent abused a child; a woman had one or more abortions. Yet in the midst of the deep guilt and regret that can result, a person is never without hope.
his eyes? It could have been this: “Peter, didn’t I tell you that this would happen? But you refused to pay attention. I’m disappointed beyond words.” That’s not how it went, though. Jesus’ teachings about mercy and forgiveness tell us what he conveyed with his eyes in just three words: “I love you.” At that moment Peter’s pride and self-sufficiency were exposed and came crashing down. Peter had fallen flat on his face. It’s no wonder “he went out and began to weep bitterly” (Lk 22:62). When Peter got up, that traumatic experience left him wounded and paralyzed. But what he did not realize was that while he had fallen so terribly, he actually fell forward. At that moment of despair, he was on his way to inner healing. It was only in his sinful act that he realized something: without Jesus, he could do nothing. We might wonder how Peter could not suffer with paralyzing regret—both emotionally and spiritually. Powerful memories can have that effect. Peter was forgiven; he knew that. His guilt and sin were removed. But because he was human, he would never forget what he had done. After Pentecost, we read that Peter and the other disciples preached in Jerusalem with a conviction that stunned and frightened the chief priests. For the next dozen years, Peter proclaimed Jesus as Lord; and he, too, suffered imprisonment and beatings. In the end, he was faithful to the death, being crucified during the persecution of Emperor Nero around AD 64.
Four Truths to Remember There is so much to learn from Peter’s experience. When dealing with our own regret, it is important to remember: Regret is healthy. It is important to understand that regret itself is a sign of emotional and spiritual health. It means we have a value system by which we live. When we violate our most important values, the result is guilt and regret. For all that, it is far worse for those who commit terrible crimes against others but experience no regret. They are called psychopaths. Gratitude equals growth. With a sense of gratitude for the Lord’s mercy—the same forgiveness Peter received— the remembrance of past sins and hurts against others can help us grow in making better choices in the future. Once Peter realized that he had to rely on the Lord and the power of
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the Spirit, he could accomplish more than he could have ever dreamed. There were times in Peter’s ministry when a fellow Christian confessed to him in tears that he had denied his faith under torture. I imagine Peter smiling and embracing that person and saying, “Jesus loves you. Do you think what you did was bad? Let me tell you about my greatest failure.” Let go, let God. One of the unfortunate effects of regret is that we can become almost obsessed with ourselves and how we have failed. A person can ask again and again, “But how could I have done that?” If we are honest with ourselves, though, we realize that we are never going to be perfect. The startling truth is that we are capable of doing anything. We dare not think to ourselves, I could never do that, as though some sins were beyond us. We can imagine that’s what probably crossed Peter’s mind, too: Lord, don’t worry about me. I’m not weak like your other disciples. Feelings of regret can also stem from hurt pride and a wounded self-image. As wounded human beings, we are all in the same boat. What is so significant is that Jesus is sitting there with us. We are human. Some will fool themselves by protesting, “If only I had known then what I know now!” But we make a mistake if we believe that living life over would protect us from failures. We already know from experience that we can repeat the same sinful behavior. It’s foolish for any of us to fantasize about living life over thinking we can take care of ourselves.
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St. Francis of Assisi, who once said he was the most sinful among men, often prayed this little prayer which helped him put everything in his life into proper perspective: “Who are you, O Lord, and who am I?” In the midst of the moments of hurt and regret, those few prayerful words can lead us to a sense of gratitude and peace of heart. We know the Lord is always saying, “I love you.” A Jim Van Vurst, OFM, has done pastoral counseling in mental-health clinics. Currently, he is the assistant for the Poor Clare nuns in the Midwest and is a contributor to Franciscan Media’s free e-newsletter A Friar’s E-spirations.
JOIN US as we begin the nine-week Novena to St. Anthony on Tuesday, April 15, 2014 at the National Shrine of St. Anthony in Cincinnati. The Novena will conclude on his feast, Friday, June 13.
‘I Love You’ There are two very helpful ways of dealing with regret. First, when those painful feelings rise up inside, turn to the Lord and ask, “Why am I feeling so down?” He speaks the same words to us as he did to Peter: “I love you.” Second, as we continue to accept our own human weakness, we grow in self-knowledge and understanding. We avoid wasting time thinking how we could do such a thing. We act with humility, and true humility is best seen as the truth. Self-loathing only makes us feel worse. Fr anciscanMedia.org
www.stanthony.org For more information on how to pray the Novena or to post your prayer intentions or light a candle, visit us at www.stanthony.org April 2014 ❘ 19
LIVE WELL
❘ BY COLLEEN MONTGOMERY AND JIM BRENNAN
Reset
© DOREEN SALCHER/FOTOLIA
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he Brennan family has it going on! Between Colleen and me—as well as my other children—we write books, build houses, keep the streets safe, and bake until we drop. We run and bike countless miles, tend gardens, and keep up with the most energetic 4- and 6-year-olds the world has ever seen. Between relationships and commitments, life can get downright crazy. But when life becomes overwhelming, it’s time to slow down, examine our values, and refocus our energies on appreciating the things that bring calm, happiness, and wholeness. In other words, reset!
Relationships Relationships with family, friends, and coworkers play a central role in our emotional and spiritual well-being. Minimize the things that interfere with spending time with people you care about. 20 ❘ Ap ri l 201 4
Reset. Spend time with people who make you feel good and fill you with energy; reassess relationships that drain your energy. Self-acceptance, acknowledgment, and acceptance of your flaws are the pathways to a more intimate relationship with yourself, others, and, most importantly, the Lord. Activities and Commitments Our lives are filled with family, social, and work obligations. Each commitment demands time and energy. It’s easy to become overcommitted. Reset. Examine commitments in the context of your well-being. Recognize the difference between commitments that are fulfilling and those that cause stress. It’s important that we learn to say no! Change the way you look at your job. One specific task may skew your perception of your entire job. Having an honest conversaSt An t h o n yM e s s e n g e r . o rg
For Jim Brennan’s tips on ways to simplify your life, click the button on the left.
Less Stuff/Less Stress
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Leisure. We should schedule time
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Reset your life! Refocus and restore
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for activities that enrich our lives— exercise, meditation, reading, enjoying nature, and praying.
Slow down. Appreciate the people in your life, the world around you, and the arts. Slowing down will improve relationships and rejuvenate your soul.
Organize. Take 10 minutes to empty a closet or a drawer, or organize your desk. Put back in only the essentials: discard or donate things you no longer use. Be content with things you have.
Think Minimal ■ Be
still for one hour.
■ Set
aside a day with no obligations.
■ Walk
priorities that continually serve your physical, emotional, and spiritual wellbeing.
■ Be
alone in nature.
present in conversations with others.
■ Spend ■ Put
an afternoon organizing your closet.
aside 30 minutes for yourself every day.
■ Start
and end each day with prayer.
tion with your boss or coworkers can lower stress and lead to change. Prioritize!
Things That Clutter—Stuff
Jim Brennan writes about health and fitness from Bucks County, Pennsylvania. His daughter, Colleen Montgomery, is a registered clinical exercise physiologist and certified wellness coach.They alternate this column monthly. Fr an ci s can M e di a. o rg
My soul rests in God alone, from whom comes my salvation. —Psalm 62:2
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PHOTOS FROM FOTOLIA: CLOCK © DUSK, LANDSCAPE © MICHEJ
Material things—your stuff—rob time and attention from life’s essentials. Recognize the difference between needs and wants, and narrow the list to things that are essential. Reset. Live frugally! Change your relationship with stuff. See it for what it is. Buy only what is practical and functional. Acknowledge that material things don’t feed your soul. Things that enhance your well-being are usually free. The happiest time of your life was likely when you probably had less stuff— childhood or college days.
Karen, marathon bombing survivor, holds her iPad showing a family photo of Estefania, now using a wheelchair after being struck by an illegal dragracer. Karen is determined to get Estefania out of the wheelchair and using a prosthetic, as she does.
Miracle after the
Marathon
A Boston Marathon survivor’s heart goes out to an injured child in a faraway land. BY DONIS TRACY
A PHOTO BY GREGORY L. TRACY; MARATHON PHOTO: CNS PHOTO/METROWEST DAILY NEWS/KEN MCGAGH, HANDOUT VIA REUTERS
PRIL 15, 2013, was a day full of promise for Karen Rand. Together with her good friend Krystle Campbell, Karen was at the finish line of the Boston Marathon, camera in hand, cheering on her boyfriend, Kevin McWatters. They were to join Campbell’s boyfriend and other friends afterward at the Summer Shack in Boston’s Back Bay. At 2:49 p.m., all that changed. The two bombs that wreaked havoc on the Boston Marathon exploded right where the two women were standing. Karen’s life would never be the same. “I was alert the entire time, and knew something terrible was going on,” Karen recalls in an interview with St. Anthony Messenger. Karen was rushed to Massachusetts General Hospital, where Dr. Malcolm Smith and his team of doctors tried to save both her legs, but to no avail. After four days, Karen’s left leg had to be amputated. Krystle was not so fortunate. At 29, the Medford, Massachusetts, native was one of three people killed in the bombing. For the next two weeks, Karen remained at Massachusetts General Hospital; two weeks that the 52-year-old admits are “a blur” to her. “I was totally out of it,” she says. “It took over a week for the reality to set in.” She recalls being told that President Barack Obama wanted to visit with her. Fr anciscanMedia.org
“I remember telling the nurses they had to have the wrong person,” she says with a laugh. “The president of the United States—I don’t think so!” The president indeed visited. After two weeks, Karen was stable enough to be transferred to Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, where she began physical therapy—a therapy that continues today. “I have been so happy with all the physical therapists there,” stresses Karen. “I don’t know what it is about the people there, but they just care. They are constantly learning new ways to help people.”
Runners scramble for safety as police mobilize after the two explosions that rocked the crowd at the Boston Marathon finish line, April 15, 2013. Three people, including Karen’s best friend, standing next to her, were killed; more than 260 were injured.
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(Below) Karen and Krystle pose for a picture together in Boston Public Garden the morning of the marathon. Krystle would die that day in the bombing; Karen would be critically injured. Karen’s healing “was really about Krystle,” she says.
CNS PHOTO/JESSICA RINALDI, REUTERS
(Top) A makeshift memorial developed in the days following the terrorist act, with crosses representing the three who died. Karen’s close friend, Krystle Campbell, was among the dead.
Enduring Loss The most difficult part of her recovery, however, was accepting the loss of her close friend Krystle. Karen and Krystle had met eight years earlier while working for Jasper White’s Sum24 ❘ April 2014
PHOTO COURTESY OF KAREN RAND
As she was about to be discharged, another obstacle loomed before her: she lived alone in a fourth-floor apartment in Cambridge in a building with no elevator. Karen spent the next three weeks at a local hotel before she moved into an apartment at her boyfriend, Kevin’s, family home in Somerville, a city just outside of Boston. Although the apartment was on the third floor, she would be surrounded by the McWatters family, so she would always have people around to assist her in whatever she needed. Karen recalls with a smile that when she first moved into the apartment, her prosthesis had not yet arrived, so she had to slide herself painstakingly up and down the stairs. Another challenge Karen faced was being thrust into the limelight. Normally a private person, she suddenly found herself recognized everywhere she went. Simple tasks, like shopping, were suddenly filled with strangers who recognized her, wanting to hug her, speak with her. “It seemed that everywhere I went, everyone knew who I was all of a sudden,” she says with a laugh. “I’ve had to face the fact that it was going to be hard to hide for a while.”
mer Shack restaurant. Karen was White’s executive assistant; Krystle had been one of the restaurant’s managers. Despite their difference in age, the two became fast friends. “She was a lot like me,” explains Karen. She was “a hard worker, a no-nonsense kind of person, but fun still. I really liked that about her. She had that personality that when she came into a room, you couldn’t help but smile.” Losing her was a terrible shock. “I’ve watched how each individual person I’ve met that has been a victim in this bombing has handled their own tragedies and St A n t h o n y M e s s e n g e r . o r g
News from Afar Four months had passed since the bombing. Karen was accustomed to her prosthesis. With the help of Home Depot, which had donated materials, and whose workers built a special railing on the staircases leading to her apartment, her mobility was greatly advanced. People from the television show This Old House had rebuilt the front walkway of the house to accommodate her needs. She had bought herself a handicapped-accessible condominium in Portland, Maine, that overlooked the ocean—a haven where she went on weekends. Life had returned to some semblance of normal. Karen and her now-fiancé Kevin had decided to buy some new furniture, and she knew just where she wanted to go. While working for Chef White, she had become familiar with Boston Home and Barstool, a local contemporary-furniture store owned by Mauricio Quiroga. “At that point I didn’t have a cover for my leg,” she explains, “so you could see the pipe.” Wearing shorts that plainly revealed her prosthesis, she and Kevin went shopping. Store owner Quiroga recognized her from the news of the Boston Marathon bombing. He personally attended to her and Kevin, and after they made their purchases, he approached Kevin. “I was puttering around and Mauricio began talking to Kevin,” recalls Karen. “He said to [Kevin], ‘I have a story about a young girl in El Salvador. I just found out about it.” Quiroga went on to explain how Melissa Estefania Salinas, who was 13 at the time, had been hit by a car drag racing illegally along the streets of El Congo, Santa Ana, in El Salvador, on August 11. Estefania had been walking with her little sister, Sandra Daniela, to a local bakery, when one car lost control. As the car came barreling Fr anciscanMedia.org
A Friar on the Scene “The Boston Marathon is the greatest, most aesthetic marathon in the whole world,” says Father Brian Jordan, OFM, passionately. A chaplain at St. Francis College in Brooklyn Heights, New York, he was among hundreds of spectators who found themselves eyewitnesses to last April’s act of terror as two bombs Father Brian comforted the exploded close to the finish line. afflicted that day. Jordan was not new to the Boston Marathon. Beginning in 1979, he ran the marathon 21 times, but last year was sidelined due to a knee injury. So he went to the marathon’s starting line in Hopkinton, Massachusetts—a small town 22 miles west of Boston—and celebrated Mass with close to 100 state police, Boston firefighters, and Army veterans before heading downtown. “I promised them I would root for them on Boylston Street when they came in,” he says, but that never happened. As he was arriving at the finish line, the bombs went off. “After the second explosion, when I sensed this was an act of violence, I hobbled over to St. Anthony's Shrine and put on my Franciscan habit. I went toward the finish line, which was closed down after the bombings, and met people who seemed dazed and fearful in the Boston Common and off nearby side streets,” recalls Father Jordan. “I provided consolation to anyone who cared to receive it— whether it be spectators or family members of runners who were concerned about their loved ones. “I knew from previous experience that the Franciscan habit is a sign of compassion and consolation, especially during times of danger and uncertainty,” he continues, noting that he urged people to remain calm and prayed for “God's consolation for all who were affected by this terrible tragedy.” According to the Boston Globe, in addition to three people killed, there were more than 260 injured at the marathon. This year, on April 15, the Tuesday before the 118th running of the Boston Marathon, there will be an invitation-only memorial ceremony for about 2,500 people, featuring speakers representing government, families, police, medical workers, and others profoundly affected by the attack. Father Brian, formerly of Manhattan, also was present to serve victims of the 9/11 terrorist attack in 2001, and ministered to recovery teams on the site in the years afterward.
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PHOTO BY RICK RELKIN/ST. FRANCIS COLLEGE
injuries in their own way,” she says. “Everyone has their own thing,” such as recovering from their injuries or learning to run once again. “For me it was really about Krystle. It was trying to accept her loss and trying to figure it all out. That was my hardest thing. “As far as my leg goes,” she says with a shrug, “other than getting frustrated every once in a while, I have just said, ‘I’ve got to just do this.’ What else can I do? I can sit here and mope, or I can move on.” Little did Karen know that, in August, once again her life would be permanently changed.
toward her sister, Estefania pushed her out of the way and was crushed herself. In a coma, she had lost her leg due to multiple fractures. Her other leg, too, was extremely injured; pins had been put in place to try to save it, but the prognosis was not good. Young Estefania would likely be a wheelchair user for the rest of her life, Quiroga said. Prosthetics are not readily available in El Salvador, and because she was being raised by a single mother, he explained, she was unable to afford travel to another country where prostheses were available. Quiroga, who is Colombian, had first heard of Estefania’s plight through a mutual friend who lives in the Boston area. Captivated by her story, he had set up a GiveForward account in her name, as well as the Melissa Estefania Salinas Prosthetic Fund on Facebook, to try to get Estefania walking again. (GiveForward.com is a fund-raiser website.) “Kevin looked at her picture and said, ‘Karen and I would like to donate,’” recounts Karen. As soon as they left the store, Kevin told Karen the whole story. “I said, ‘Geez, I would like to see her picture,’” recalls Karen. “From the moment we saw her picture and heard her story, for some reason we just couldn’t let her go.” The couple decided to help. From that moment forward, Karen’s story would take a new direction, one of compassion for the plight of a child with a similar injury.
AP PHOTO/JOEL PAGE
Seeking Help
By August, Karen was back at the races accompanying her now-fiancé, Kevin McWatters. She sounded the starting horn this day for the Bank Beach to Beacon race in Cape Elizabeth, Maine; Kevin ran. 26 ❘ April 2014
In addition to donating money themselves, Kevin spoke to his extended family and they, too, wrote checks for Estefania. Karen checked progress on the GiveForward account almost daily, too, but it was stagnant. “Even though her story got out right away and there were funds set up for her, the people there are so poor—they were submitting $5 at a time—that it just didn’t seem possible” to raise the thousands that were necessary to give Estefania a prosthesis, recalls Karen. Again, Kevin turned to his family. Growing up Irish Catholic in Somerville, he had seen his family rally several times around different causes, and knew they would be willing to give more money to jump-start Estefania’s fund. “That’s their life of mission—to not be wrapped up in themselves, but to be able to give of themselves freely,” says Karen. Sure enough, the entire family gave once again. But Karen and Kevin both felt that wasn’t enough. St A n t h o n y M e s s e n g e r . o r g
Fr anciscanMedia.org
Next came the housing hurdle. Shriners agreed to provide housing for her mother and sister, free of charge, while the girl is a patient there. Once she is released, though, she begins physical therapy—a process that could Click here for more on take months. Karen kept lookthe Boston Marathon ing. Furnished Quarters, a anniversary and links to Boston-area rental agency spehelp Estefania. cializing in short-term rentals, agreed to donate an apartment for the family. Although things are certainly looking up for Estefania, Karen knows that the road ahead will be tough. “She’s just a child,” Karen stresses. “She’s going to need care for the rest of her life. The more money we can raise, the more help we can give. This is a one-shot deal.”
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PHOTO COURTESY OF KAREN RAND
“Ever since [Estefania’s] come into our lives— and it’s been since August—it’s been something we think about every day,” Karen explains. “It’s not like, ‘Oh, there’s some kid out there that we’re trying to help.’ It’s gotten to be so much more than that.” Although the two of them have never met—or even spoken to each other, except through an interpreter— Karen admits, “She’s become like our child.” Every few days, Kevin found himself calling Boston Home and Barstool to ask Mauricio Quiroga for an update. “Before my furniture even arrived, we had become good friends with Mauricio because we were calling him so much,” Karen jokes. Yet the news was not promising. Trying to find Estefania the care she needed, Karen first turned to Next Step Bionics and Prosthetics, the company that had provided Karen with her new leg. “We told Karen, ‘You get her here and we’ll figure out how to get her prosthesis,” recounts Arthur Graham, clinical director of the Boston office. Graham went to his suppliers, who also offered to donate the materials necessary to make a prosthesis for Estefania. “We will happily donate the prosthesis,” Graham says, a donation worth almost $15,000. “As a company we have been very fortunate, and so this is a way to pay it forward a little. “Because she is going to go back to El Salvador, we need to get her something that will be fairly simple, but something that will last,” he adds. “We don’t know if we are ever going to see her again.” After securing the prosthesis, Karen then began searching for an area hospital that would donate its medical expertise to Estefania. “I think the most nerve-racking part was trying to find a hospital that would take her,” admits Karen. Just before Christmas, there was a major breakthrough: Shriners Hospital for Children in Boston agreed to review the case. “They take children from all around the world—that’s part of their mission—and they don’t charge for their care,” says Karen, beaming. “After reviewing her case . . . they made the decision that they felt like they could help her. “Between the two of them—Next Step and Shriners Hospital—they can provide something worthwhile for her,” she says with a smile. Shriners Hospital also helped in filling out the necessary paperwork to bring Estefania, her mother, and her sister to the United States.
Thinking back on the last several months, Karen muses that Estefania has been a godsend for her. “Her story has captivated me and still captivates me,” she says pensively. “To be able to help someone else has been wonderful. “It has made me realize, ‘Wow, I really don’t have it so bad,’” she continues. “No matter what has happened, or what happens, you can survive it and get better when you have people around you who care.” A
Thirteen-year-old Estefania (left) sits with her sister, Sandra, near their home in El Congo, El Salvador, before the roadside accident that would cost Estefania her leg.
Donis Tracy is a Catholic freelance journalist who lives and works in the Boston area. She is a frequent contributor to The Pilot, newspaper of the Archdiocese of Boston. Karen Rand is managing Melissa Estefania’s Prosthetic Fund at Boston Home and Barstool, 29 Mystic Ave., Somerville, MA 02145, and an online donation fund at GiveForward.com. April 2014 ❘ 27
Friar Alessandro’s
Joyful Voice This humble friar from Assisi has become a worldwide singing sensation. B Y M U R R AY B O D O , O F M
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PHOTO BY PAUL DRIVER, COURTESY OF DECCA RECORDS
’M WAITING beneath two stunning magnolia trees in the courtyard of the friary of Our Lady of the Angels, whose chapel, the Porziuncola—the “Little Portion”—St. Francis restored with his own hands. Here, on the plain below Assisi, is where St. Francis died. Here, St. Clare was received into the order as the first Franciscan woman, and here, Friar Alessandro Brustenghi, the “Voice from Assisi,” lives and ministers. I’m waiting to interview this new musical sensation. A 36-year-old Franciscan friar who, before his recording debut with Decca, worked as a relatively anonymous friar doing occasional carpentry, welcoming pilgrims from all over the world who visit this important Franciscan shrine every year. His days also included playing the organ for the music of the liturgies, the daily prayers of the Divine Office, and other celebrations at the shrine. Suddenly the door of the friary opens and out bounds Friar Eunan McMullen, a friar of the Assisi Province of Franciscans and formerly a practicing barrister in Belfast. “Alessandro will be late. He’s caught in traffic near Perugia. He’s been visiting his parents and family before embarking on his first CD album tour to Rome, Paris, and London. Let’s go to the friary snack room and wait for him.” A cup of tea and a short wait later, Friar Alessandro arrives, out of breath and apologetic. He needn’t be. Friar Eunan has been filling me in on background material. The young friar before me looks much like the St. Francis people usually imagine: relatively short, broad smile, curly black hair, and black eyes that seem to have a permanent twinkle. He enters our ongoing conversation and, though hassled and tired, happily answers my prepared questions, though I quickly discard them and just listen and talk with Friar Alessandro. As listening always does, it answered any questions I may have had—and more. Our time is limited. He has to play the organ for vespers. The prayer of the fraternity always comes first. But it was time enough to learn that Friar Alessandro was born and grew up in Castiglione della Valle, a small village 18 kilometers from Perugia, the region’s capital city.
A Conversion Story Though Friar Alessandro is now in his mid-30s, he looks and acts much younger, having been later born again, that is, when he was 16 years old. It happened one day near his home when he lay down in a field and asked God to come to him. April 2014 ❘ 29
PHOTOS COURTESY OF DECCA RECORDS
Suddenly, the field and everything around him was suffused with a light that seemed to emanate from nature itself. It was alive, and he felt intimately connected to all of creation. As he himself puts it: “I discovered the presence of God, a new presence, a different presence. Not just the feeling of goodness, but God as a person. I felt him close to me. He is in creation, in people. I felt him inside of me; I felt his love for all people. I felt that it is love that is important; and if Jesus gave himself, the only way for me to say thank you was to give myself as a consecrated person.” That was the beginning of his conversion
where he and his sister, his parents, and his four grandparents lived when he was growing up. “Eight people,” he says, “within 90 square meters, a space that taught me to know and reverence the difference between youth and old age, the importance of moderating my own needs to respect the needs of others, and to appreciate the small daily triumphs of learning to love.” He excitedly relates how at a young age he was fascinated by the organ and by organ music, and how, at age 9, with his parents’ encouragement, he began to study in earnest. He studied piano first, and then switched to the pipe organ at the Morlacchi Conservatory in Perugia, having already studied informally for two years with his uncle. His uncle was a demanding teacher who for those two years wouldn’t allow Alessandro to touch an instrument until he’d mastered solfège, the practice of sight-reading music, and singing the notes and their intervals correctly. “What a trial for a little boy!” Friar Alessandro readily admits. But that insistence on learning the fundamentals became the best foundation for his life as a musician and as a friar. Everything must start with a firm foundation, even his life as an international singing star who, one might think, leads a high-flying lifestyle as he jets to Rome, London, Paris, and wherever his concert tours may take him.
His Greatest Lesson When he’s not on tour, Friar Alessandro—seen here looking toward the Basilica of St. Francis in Assisi—spends his time focusing on music and fraternal life.
which led to the beginning of his vocation as a Franciscan friar. That vocation became clear when he saw a film about St. Francis and learned that St. Francis himself, who lived 800 years before in the nearby town of Assisi, had had a similar experience. Friar Alessandro went to a friary and inquired what he must do to become a friar, only to be told that he was to finish what he had begun. And that is what Alessandro proceeded to do in order to become Friar Alessandro: he continued and completed his studies in Perugia. But that event, he told Italian chronicler Gianpaolo Masotti, “I touched with my hand and it changed my life forever.”
Learning the Fundamentals With a rueful smile, Friar Alessandro tells me that his town of some 500 inhabitants is now one fewer since his departure to live with the friars. It is evident how much Alessandro loves his town and his family and the small house 30 ❘ April 2014
As an organ student, Friar Alessandro became quite the expert, and quite a little show-off in the way he’d play with a flourish of the hands and shake of the head, especially at the climax of a passage and at the end of a piece. Then one day, when he felt quite proud of himself playing for his organ and composition teacher, Wijnand Van de Pol, he finished with a particularly grand flourish. His maestro said, “And what was that little display all about?” Abashed, Alessandro said, “Well, I’ve been watching and being inspired by the great organists and how they play for effect.” “Oh, have you? Well, it’s evident, then, that you’ve learned little about what it means to be an organist. It’s not about you! It’s about the music. Don’t waste your time learning to play music until you’ve learned to be humble and reverent before the music that you are channeling.” This, Friar Alessandro says, is the greatest lesson he learned from the man he calls his true St A n t h o n y M e s s e n g e r . o r g
musical master. It’s not just about technique and mechanical expertise; it’s about humbly entering into the mystery and beauty of the music itself.
Finding His Voice Friar Alessandro says that he had two great teachers: Van de Pol and Gabriella Rossi, who asked him one day to sing for her. She felt he had a voice somewhere inside him, but at the moment it was a small, weak voice. Would he consider studying voice with her? The move would mean his voice would need to be found and trained, which would also mean switching majors in the midst of his studies, from organ to voice, from Van de Pol to Rossi. All of this Alessandro finally did with sadness in leaving Van de Pol, who ended up giving his blessing to the move. It took two years of agonizing work and worry that he wouldn’t graduate because his voice continued to be trapped somewhere inside him. Then one day, at the very end of his studies, in an experience not unlike that of his conversion, his voice suddenly broke forth in a rich tenor that surprised him with a new sound coming, it seemed, from his diaphragm and not just from his vocal cords. “I found my voice,” Friar Alessandro says. “I passed the exam with distinction. I began to love opera. I met a friar who introduced me to the voices of the great tenors. I joined the order and, when I was a postulant, I told my spiritual director that I would now stop singing. ‘I just want to be a friar to work and pray with the others.’ But my director said, ‘No, you will continue. It is a talent from God; you can’t refuse it.’ “So I continued to sing, even doing concerts. Then my director said, ‘Now you are going to stop singing.’ At first it was hard, but then I felt a new strength, because I discovered that the music was still there inside of me. God’s gift was in my heart. When I woke up in the morning, in my heart I heard melodies. “This had been a test, and when my director saw that I was at peace with this sacrifice, he told me that in two months I could continue singing in public again. I then made my first profession of vows and began to prepare for final profession.” Except there was a glitch.
Years of Discernment “Just then I had a vocational crisis,” explains Alessandro matter-of-factly. “I no longer believed in my vocation as a friar. It’s a mystery to me why.” Fr anciscanMedia.org
After much discussion with his director, Alessandro took a leave of absence from the friars. “I decided, like St. Francis, to live like a hermit, in solitude. I continued singing, though, and woodworking and restoring musical instruments. They were three long, torturous years. I would sing every day and weep every day, and the years felt like a self-punishment. “But though the journey was not easy, I finally felt I had to be a friar. And I knew I could both sing and be a friar, so I re-entered the order and made my final vows in 2009.”
A Turn toward Fame Today music and fraternal life with his brothers occupy Friar Alessandro’s days within his Franciscan fraternity, where he still plays the organ but now also practices singing for hours during the week. He also gives an occasional solo singing concert. It was after one evening of such a concert in Perugia that something momentous happened. He was told that an English gentleman would like
to speak with him. Another new birth was about to take place. The Englishman, it turned out, was Mark Pinder, the agent of the legendary audio producer/engineer Mike Hedges, whose work was nominated four successive years at the Grammys. The man who’d discovered the Priests, a singing trio of priests from Northern Ireland. The man who had worked as part of the musical team for the film Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, and the man whose credits include the Cure, U2, Dido, the Undertones, Main Street Preachers, Travis, Texas, and the Beauti-
With the release of his first album—Voice from Assisi— Friar Alessandro became the first friar in the history of music to land a major record deal. The album has led to performances such as this one, in October 2012, on the Alan Titchmarsh Show, in London.
April 2014 ❘ 31
PHOTOS COURTESY OF DECCA RECORDS
(Right) During Friar Alessandro and Friar Eunan’s visit to Westminster Cathedral in London, Cardinal Vincent Nichols blessed the pair’s mission. In order to avoid the potential downfalls of the music industry, Friar Eunan was chosen to serve as Friar Alessandro’s constant companion and point man for his musical endeavors.
Friar Alessandro stands in the fields below the town of Assisi, as did St. Francis centuries ago.
ful South. And now, through Mark Pinder, he was about to discover the “Voice from Assisi,” the young Franciscan, Friar Alessandro Brustenghi. Pinder asked Friar Alessandro if he would be willing to sing in Assisi before a panel of experts from Decca Recordings, stunning the young friar, who was both surprised and excited. He knew he could not make that decision on his own. The decision would have to come from his Franciscan brothers, which in the end, it did. His superiors acquiesced and said that if only one person was converted by Alessandro’s voice, then it would be good and worthwhile. The concert in Assisi led to the panel inviting Friar Alessandro to London to be introduced as their new recording artist before Decca representatives from 25 countries gathered there for the 2012 International Decca Conference in Westminster. Again, Friar Alessandro was given the permission, which led to recording Voice from Assisi, a CD that rose to the top of the charts in the Christian and Gospel category for 2012. The CD was recorded at the famed Abbey Road Studios where, in 1963, the Beatles recorded Please Please Me, their first album, the album that launched their career, just as Friar Alessandro’s first album made him an international star—much to the surprise of the friar and his brothers and the small town of Castiglione della Valle.
Sharing the Gospel
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But from the very beginning his superiors saw the dangers in what they were giving permission for. So when Decca offered to provide an agent for Friar Alessandro, they said no. Friar Click here for more on Friar Alessandro has a friar as his Alessandro and samples from companion wherever he goes, his latest album Voice of Joy. and they must always stay in a friary, not a hotel, when they travel. They chose as Friar Alessandro’s companion Friar Eunan, who, as a lawyer, has the expertise necessary to study contracts and the steady hand to be a good companion, guide, secretary, and point man for Friar
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Alessandro’s dealings with Decca, the press, and his fans. Friar Eunan tells me that their ministry is to transmit the Christian message in how they relate to one another and others, and to also transmit the Franciscan message, and preserve fraternity with their brothers at the Porziuncola, who look after their chores when they are on the road. When they are not on the road, they are to enter into the life of the fraternity and its ministries. And because of Friar Alessandro’s vow of poverty, all profits from concerts and royalties go to fund the Franciscans’ charitable initiatives and ministries. The Franciscan lifestyle, then, and the daily schedule of prayer and work at the friary, are what Friar Alessandro continues to embrace. He continues extra hours of voice exercises as he prepares, at the time of our interview, for the CD Voice of Joy, which was released in the fall of 2013. But these practices are not solely about voice exercise. Friar Alessandro’s is not just a voice as a natural gift or a cultivated, trained instrument, though it is both of these. Rather, his voice strives to be an instrument of the peace and joy of saying yes to God and all of God’s creatures, calling them, as did his father St. Francis, his brothers and sisters. “Twenty years have passed” since his profound conversion, Alessandro told chronicler Masotti. “Finally, I am no longer focused so much on myself. . . . I live in a world that is not my work, but a gift of the love of God.” It is this spirit, the spirit within him and within the Franciscan fraternity out of which he sings, that makes Friar Alessandro’s voice different and distinctive. A Murray Bodo, OFM, is a Franciscan friar of the St. John the Baptist Province and the author of many books, including the best-selling Francis: The Journey and the Dream. St A n t h o n y M e s s e n g e r . o r g
EDITORIAL
The Weight of Our Sins Even after we’re forgiven, sometimes the emotional burden of our sins sticks around. I am a sinner. As an 11-year-old, I remember eyeing a miniature Cincinnati Reds baseball bat at my friend Mike’s house (name has been changed to protect the sinned-against). And I wanted it. I don’t have one, I clearly remember reasoning, and he has so many toys that he won’t notice. So I took it. Until last Christmas, it was still in my possession. Every time I saw the bat, I would wrestle with guilt. It was a moral stumble decades ago, but the psychological bruises from the fall lingered, despite having been absolved of the sin. I’ve committed many other sins in my life, but few have bothered me like this one. The bat was a tangible reminder that I had wronged—that I caved to a selfish whim. Sinning is easy. And though we may be forgiven, the psychological damage from our sins can hinder us from peace. Pope Francis understands the uneven path of the human journey. Anybody who’s worked as a bouncer—as he did—has seen the best and worst in people. And he has sound advice for us weary travelers who can’t forgive ourselves.
Can’t Hide from God I am human. Sinning isn’t only easy, but let’s be honest: it can be fun at the time. We’re told by our parents to be decent. As we get older, however, we must govern ourselves, which makes sinning even more attainable. But after we sin, regret usually finds us. Then shame. It’s easy to fall back on rationalizations—as I did. But self-realization is a healthy step toward self-forgiveness. “Facing the truth about ourselves is not easy,” the pope said in Rome last February. And he’s right. Before we seek God’s forgiveness, we must first shine an unflattering light on ourselves. Why did I stumble? What Fr an ci s canM e di a. o rg
was my motivation? Can I avoid the near occasion of sin tomorrow? Asking ourselves the tough questions is a crucial step in the process. Knowledge is power, but first we must know ourselves. We read in Proverbs 28:13: “He who conceals his sins prospers not, but he who confesses and forsakes them obtains mercy.” It might be easy to turn a blind eye to our sins, but we can’t shield them from God.
Feeling Free I am forgiven. Sin might be easy, but the aftermath can be hard. What about the emotional baggage we haul around after the infraction? Pope Francis made a bold statement last year when he said that post-sin shame can be a good thing. “We are all sinners,” he said. “The problem isn’t the sinner. The problem is not repenting our sins, not being ashamed of what we have done.” I have the regret part down. Self-reflection? Exhausting, but essential. Sinners like me should take comfort in knowing that we have a forgiving God and that we can experience the blessing of forgiveness in the sacraments. Regardless, no sin can keep us from grace if we are truly sorry and granted forgiveness. If we are made in God’s image, then there is far more room in our souls for salvation than for sin. Last Christmas, I could no longer stand the sight of the bat, nor could I Click here for more carry the weight on sin and guilt. of that sin on my back. So I donated it to a toy drive. It was just a piece of wood, but the guilt of having stolen it was too much to carry around anymore. I gave it away and traded my guilt for grace. God knows our flaws and loves us in spite of them. We are not irredeemable. To believe otherwise is the real sin. —Christopher Heffron
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X X I I I and
Our Newest “To canonize them both,” says Pope Francis, “will be a message to the Church.” A leading Church historian tells us why.
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T WAS CERTAINLY no surprise when Pope Francis declared last July that Blessed John Paul II (1978-2005) would be the next papal saint. The Polish pope’s canonization seemed only a matter of time, just like that of Blessed Mother Teresa. However, in what is becoming his characteristic way of catching everyone unaware, Pope Francis declared not only that he was naming Pope John XXIII (1958-1963) a saint—and at the St A n t h o n y M e s s e n g e r . o r g
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PAINTINGS BY PETER GRAY, SS
Saints same time waiving the customary requirement of a second miracle—but also that he would canonize John XXIII and John Paul II together in the same ceremony on April 27.
Previous Papal Saints Popes John XXIII and John Paul II will join 81 prior popes who have been canonized over the centuries. This comes out to about a third of the more than 260 successors to St. Peter. Fr anciscanMedia.org
BY CHRISTOPHER M. BELLITTO Most date to the Church’s first few centuries when many bishops of Rome were martyred during the episodic persecutions of polytheistic Roman emperors, often looking for scapegoats for their own failures in moral, economic, and political leadership. Following St. Peter, who is clearly his own category, every one of the next 48 bishops of Rome, except one, was canonized by local acclamation. The standout is Liberius, who April 2014 ❘ 35
CNS/L’OSSERVATORE ROMANO VIA REUTERS
How Is a Saint Made? Blessed John Paul II revised the saint-making process in 1983 with some significant changes, in response especially to modern science and more sophisticated historical research methods. He reduced the number of miracles needed for beatification to one and for canonization to two.
was bishop of Rome 352-366. A weak man, he bent to political pressure and appeared to undermine the Nicene Creed by condemning its architect, the theologian Athanasius. That Nicene Creed is the same one we pray at Sunday Mass today. The next 500 years of Christianity saw another 30 papal saints, culminating in Pope Gregory VII, who died in 1085 and revolutionized the papacy. Remarkably, before the upcoming canonization of John XXIII and John Paul II, only three popes have been declared saints since then: Celestine V (the pope who resigned in 1294), Pius V (15661572), and Pius X (1903-1914). Not counting the two new upcoming papal saints, there are nine other popes who have been beatified but not yet canonized.
At one time, as many as four miracles were needed; some say modern medicine might force removal of these altogether at some point. Also, John Paul II removed the adversarial aspect of what used to be essentially a trial of the candidate conducted by the person known commonly as the “devil’s advocate,” who challenged the candidate’s alleged sanctity. Now, the promoter for the faith, as the official is known, takes the position that the candidate is indeed saintly unless it can be proven otherwise. While the process ends with the pope considering the recommendation of the team of investigators from the Vatican’s Congregation for the Causes of Saints, today it still begins locally as it did throughout Church history. People recognize their neighbor and ask the bishop to investigate this person designated as a servant of God. There is a five-year waiting period in nearly every case, though recent memory has seen it waived twice: for Mother Teresa and John Paul II. A local postulator begins to gather evidence from eyewitnesses, if they are still alive, and to assemble a paper trail to examine what the candidate said and wrote. Once that portfolio is complete, it is sent to Rome and assigned to a relator, who reviews the material and sends it
Canonizing Vatican II
along for consideration. Once the pope decides to name a candidate a saint, a date is set for the ceremony and the person is assigned a feast day, which is frequently the date of the new saint’s death.
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CNS/L’OSSERVATORE ROMANO VIA CATHOLIC PRESS PHOTO
Pope Francis greets Cardinal Angelo Amato, who has served as prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints since 2012, and thus oversaw the cases of both new saints.
Why is Pope Francis canonizing both men—and doing so at the same time? On the one hand, and at a certain surface level, if we buy into caricatures of John XXIII as a progressive pope and John Paul II as a conservative pope, the dual canonization can be seen as an attempt to satisfy two wings of the Church and unite them in a big tent. This was the conventional interpretation given when Pope John Paul II beatified Pope Pius IX (1846-1878), a staunch papal monarch and no friend of modernity, along with John XXIII, a pope with a far softer and more collegial touch, who opened the Church to the world (and the world to the Church) in the 1960s. Pope Francis certainly envisions the Catholic Church as something like Noah’s ark, with all sorts of animals St A n t h o n y M e s s e n g e r . o r g
Pope Francis prayed at the tomb of John Paul II last year, but few noticed that he also prayed at the tombs of John XXIII and Pius X.
In his remarkably frank and informal press conference with journalists on the flight back from World Youth Day in Brazil in July 2013, Pope Francis spoke about his two soon-to-be-sainted papal predecessors. He was asked by the journalist Valentina Alazraki, “What is, according to you, the model of holiness that emerges from them both and what is the impact that these popes have had on the Church and you?” Here are excerpts from Pope Francis’ long response to that question: “John
XXIII is a bit like the figure
of the country priest, the priest who loves all the faithful, who knows how to care for the faithful, and this he did as a bishop, and as a nuncio. How many baptismal certificates did he forge in Turkey to help the Jews [during the Holocaust]! He was courageous, a good country priest, with a great sense of humor and great holiness . . . . He was meek and humble, CNS PHOTO
and he always concerned himself with the poor . . . . “Regarding John
Paul II, I would
say he was the great missionary of the Church: he was a missionary, a man who carried the Gospel everywhere, as CNS/GIANCARLO GIULIANI, CATHOLIC PRESS PHOTO
packed together: we may not like each other, but we are in the same situation and might as well get along for the common good in Christian charity. It could well be that Pope Francis feels the need for the support of all voices inside the Church as they are represented, if only superficially, by these popes. Just a few weeks after his own election, Pope Francis prayed at the tomb of Blessed John Paul II on April 2, 2013, the eighth anniversary of his death. That is not unexpected, but in a signal that we all missed, that day he also stopped at the tombs of Blessed John XXIII and St. Pius X. But we must remember that the Catholic Church is far more complex than caricatures and factions. It defies standard labels. It cannot be forced into common definitions of right and left, conservative and progressive. Take the three popes now forever linked together, for example. Certainly John XXIII, John Paul II, and Francis are all doing their duty as bishops, let alone as popes, of conserving the faith. But all three are at the same time leading voices in protecting the poor and unborn, advocating for social welfare and human rights, and speaking for those who have been left behind in a world of materialism and wealth that is out of control. So are they right or are they left? We sometimes forget that John Paul II was as much a critic of capitalism as he was of communism. Moreover, Benedict XVI was a complex voice on social issues, but call him a progressive or liberal, at least on those issues, and most would laugh at you. Those labels, and in particular American political labels, simply fail to describe and do justice to the complexity of Catholic teaching and values.
Pope Francis on John XXIII and John Paul II
you know better than I. How many trips did he make? But he went! He felt this fire of carrying forth the word of the Lord. He was like Paul, like St. Paul, he was such a man; for me this is something great.”
A Tale of Two Popes John XXIII and John Paul II were very different men. John XXIII spent most Fr anciscanMedia.org
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CNS PHOTO
Pope John XXIII 1881 Born Angelo Roncalli in Sotto il Monte, near Bergamo, Italy 1904 Ordained. Serves as his bishop’s secretary, seminary teacher of Church history, and publisher of the diocesan newspaper 1915-18 Serves as stretcher-bearer and chaplain during World War I 1925-53 Serves as papal diplomat in Bulgaria, Greece, Turkey (saving many Jewish people), and France 1953 Named cardinal and appointed patriarch of Venice 1958 Elected pope 1959 Announces plans for an ecumenical council 1962 Helps mediate Cuban missile crisis; opens Vatican Council II on October 11, saying that the Church “prefers to use the medicine of mercy rather than that of severity” 1963 Addresses historic “Peace on Earth” encyclical to bishops, clergy, and laypeople, as well as to “all people of goodwill” (April); dies on June 3 2000 Beatified by Pope John Paul II
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Click here for more information on Popes John XXIII and John Paul II.
of his career as a diplomat, not a diocesan bishop; elected at 77, he had a short papacy. He was older, quite obviously of wide girth, and fairly quiet. John Paul II was an extrovert, an athlete, and a relatively young pope at 58 who ended up with the second-longest papacy in history, behind that of Pius IX (and Peter’s traditional 35 years). Despite his advanced age and somewhat old-world career, John XXIII conveyed a greater openness to new ideas and shared governance. And while an openness to the world’s diverse cultures characterized much of the first half of John Paul II’s papacy, that approach took a backseat to the firmer, more centralized hand he played in internal Church affairs in the second half. For all their apparent differences, however, both men shared a love of life and a sense that the Church needed to reach far and wide to spread the Gospel in a changing world. Taking up this challenge of balancing Church tradition and renewal while the world was often at war also linked them. As a young priest, John XXIII had served as a military chaplain in World War I. During World War II he held complicated diplomatic posts in dangerous places, frequently doing what he could to aid Jews in escaping totalitarian regimes. John Paul II’s formative years and career were spent fighting Nazism and Communism. Like John XXIII, he had positive personal experiences with Jews that significantly impacted his papacy and changed the Church. Most important, both popes were men of Vatican II (1962-1965). As Pope Francis said of John XXIII, “He was also a man of the council: he was a man docile to the voice of God, which came to him through the Holy Spirit, and he was docile to the Spirit. Pius XII was thinking of calling the council, but the circumstances weren’t right. I believe that John XXIII didn’t think about the circumstances: he felt and acted. He was a man who let the Lord guide him.” Vatican II was specifically mentioned when John XXIII’s canonization was announced and the lack of a second miracle had to be explained. St A n t h o n y M e s s e n g e r . o r g
CNS/GRZEGORZ GALAZKA
As Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi, SJ, said, “He is loved by Catholics, we are in the 50th anniversary of the council, and, moreover, no one doubts his virtues.” Karol Wojtyla attended Vatican II as a young bishop and archbishop. With Paul VI and Benedict XVI, John Paul II played a critical—and not uncriticized—role in interpreting and implementing the council. By canonizing John XXIII and John Paul II together, it appears that Pope Francis is, in a sense, canonizing the council. Perhaps he is affirming, too, the multiple ways of understanding Vatican II’s meaning as a blueprint for the future that grows vibrantly from a centuries-old tradition that firmly grounds the Church. It may be, too, that Pope Francis will seek to draw on the papacies and followings of both men to shape and steer his own papacy. After all, in some senses John XXIII had the easy job: he called the council but passed away before the enthusiasm waned and the hard work of reconciling competing ideas of making Vatican II began. That fell to Paul VI, whose own papacy was marked by the turbulent 1960s and 1970s, and especially to John Paul II, the last of these four who was at Vatican II. Church history shows that all councils and indeed every revolution tend to swing in what the German philosopher Hegel called a dialectic: one interpretation (thesis) at first carries the day but then it is challenged by its opposite interpretation (antithesis). In a best-case scenario, a synthesis then takes place that draws from the constructive ideas of both sides. As we celebrate the 50th anniversary of Vatican II’s sessions and documents, it may well turn out that Pope Francis will be the great synthesizer of Vatican II—and we might suppose that he will be praying for the guidance, wisdom, and intercession of both St. John XXIII and St. John Paul II. A
Pope John Paul II 1920 Born Karol Józef Wojtyla in Wadowice, near Krakow, Poland 1938-45 Enrolls in university; studies are suspended; works in quarry and chemical plant; involved in underground seminary studies 1946 Ordained and begins doctoral studies in Rome 1953-78 Teaches philosophy at Catholic University of Lublin 1958 Appointed auxiliary bishop of Krakow; later becomes archbishop, then cardinal 1962-65 Participates in all four sessions of Vatican II 1978 Elected pope (October 16); in coming years visits 130 countries on all continents 1981 Is shot in St. Peter’s Square 1985 Holds first World Youth Day in Rome; attends later ones worldwide 1986 First pope to visit main synagogue in Rome; in Assisi, hosts first World Day of Prayer for Peace 1993 Establishes diplomatic relations between the Holy See and Israel 2000 Leads celebrations for millennial Jubilee Year
Christopher M. Bellitto, PhD, is chair and associate professor of history at Kean University in Union, New Jersey. His books include 101 Questions & Answers on Popes and the Papacy and Renewing Christianity (both from Paulist Press). Fr anciscanMedia.org
2005 Dies on April 2 2011 Beatified by Pope Benedict XVI
April 2014 ❘ 39
Way of the Cross in New York Bringing the Lord’s passion to the city’s streets PHOTOS BY GREGORY A. SHEMITZ
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“
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t is no use walking anywhere to preach unless our walking is our preaching.”
St A n t h o n y M e s s e n g e r . o r g
This quote is widely attributed to St. Francis of Assisi, and the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal in New York City take that message to heart—and to the streets. Every Good Friday, clad in their habits and accompanied by scores of faithful, the brothers bring the Gospel to the people with their annual Way of the Cross procession from St. Joseph Friary in Harlem to St. Crispin Friary in the South Bronx. The journey isn’t terribly long—just over two miles—but it’s filled with meaning. The Fr anciscanMedia.org
brothers walk this to better understand the Lord’s passion. They also walk to give witness, to bring Good Friday to the good people of New York City. This call to witness is in their history. Their patron saint, after all, wasn’t idle: Francis logged many miles to bring the Gospel to the people. These friars are following his lead. The origins of this practice date back to the Holy Land when Christians visited the path that Jesus walked in his final hours. By the 15th
(Opposite page) The Way of the Cross participants bring this prayerful event to the bustling streets of New York City. (Above) Bother Peter Marie Westall carries the 30-pound cross—a load he doesn’t bear alone. Other friars take turns with it. April 2014 ❘ 41
(Right) Brother Simon Marie Dankoski grimaces slightly as Brother John Joseph Brice places a crown of thorns on his head. (Below) The Way of the Cross procession is two miles long and takes about two hours to complete. Over 150 faith-filled people join the friars on the journey.
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century, the Way of the Cross was practiced in several European countries. It has been written that St. Leonard of Port Maurice (1676-1751), a Franciscan, Click here for more on established nearly 600 sets of the Franciscan Friars of Stations of the Cross in Italy. the Renewal and the Way He also set up the Way of the of the Cross. Cross in the Colosseum in Rome, where the pope processes each Good Friday. The roots of this tradition go deep. The Franciscan Friars of the Renewal continue it, though in a bustling, contemporary setting. Friars take turns carrying the 30-pound
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cross, and each wears a crown of thorns. Along their journey, they and other participants kneel, sing, and pray. They pass out rosaries and Way of the Cross pamphlets. Onlookers take pictures. New York City police officers keep traffic at bay. After it ends, the friars talk to onlookers, vendors, neighbors, friends. It’s a somber journey—a short pilgrimage of faith that is centuries old, but timeless for today’s turbulent world. A Gregory A. Shemitz is an award-winning independent photojournalist based in Stony Brook, New York. Text for this story was written by Associate Editor Christopher Heffron. St A n t h o n y M e s s e n g e r . o r g
(Left) Journey’s end: the participants complete the short pilgrimage at St. Crispin Friary in the South Bronx. (Below) Sister Ann Kateri Hamm, a Franciscan Sister of the Renewal, venerates the cross during the Good Friday service at St. Crispin Friary.
(Left) “I am the resurrection and the life,” Jesus said in John 11:25. The Way of the Cross participants, such as this woman, use those words—and this experience—as guides to reflection and prayer. Fr anciscanMedia.org
April 2014 ❘ 43
Moving On
She’d lost her husband. She wouldn’t lose her home. FICTION BY JANICE CROOM
44 ❘ Ap ri l 201 4
H
er husband, Don, swore old houses talked to you if you just listened. The house spoke to Beth now, but not in words. She didn’t have words, so she certainly couldn’t expect the house to. They spoke to each other in moans, the universal language of loss. Fifty-five years ago, she and Don moved here, built a home from an abandoned barn, raised a family, fought, and loved. She dreamed they’d die here too. Just lie down one night, cradled in each other’s arms, and wake in eternity. Her dream died when Don passed on in a cold hospital room, hooked up to all manner of machines. The physician, who’d thrived on healing everyone else, couldn’t heal himself. Their children were grown and gone. They took turns staying with Beth through Don’s ill-
ness. Made daily calls to check how things were going. They’d been a big help, but now they wore on her nerves. They weren’t Don. They could never fill the void he’d left, no matter how hard they tried. They had their own lives to live, lives they’d neglected in their quest to run hers. With Don gone, they’d decided she should divide her time among the three of them, staying a few months with each. In her entire life she’d moved only once, from her parents’ house to this one, yet her children thought she’d enjoy spending her final days moving from place to place like a nomad. “You’re too old to stay in that big house by yourself,” Clarice, her middle child, said. “What if you fell? It might be days before anybody even found you.” Her baby, 45-year-old Hank, fretted about the stairs. She’d climbed those stairs a million St An t h o n yM e s s e n g e r . o rg
ILLUSTRATION BY JOANNA GORHAM
times over carrying everything from baskets of laundry to squirming toddlers. Junior, the oldest and most educated of the bunch, spouted statistics. “Thirty-three percent of adults over the age of 65 fall each year.” He thought it might be even higher for women who lived alone, and promised to get back to her with revised numbers. She’d never fallen before, so she didn’t understand why her children thought she’d take up falling in her old age. It was only when they ganged up on her in the church vestibule after the funeral, only when she stopped listening and took a good hard look at them, that she realized the real problem. Clarice had lost weight she didn’t have to lose and sucked on a stray lock she’d pulled from her neat chignon. Hank gnawed a hole in his bottom lip. He’d found all of Clarice’s lost weight and then some. Junior had taken Fr an ci s can M e di a. o rg
up smoking again, something he hadn’t done since college. They were a mess. And though they’d never said it aloud, Beth knew that in the arrogance of youth, they thought by keeping her close they could somehow stop death from claiming her too. Where they feared death, she welcomed it. Death would reunite her with Don. Until then, she didn’t want to send her children to an early grave, so she promised to at least talk to a real-estate agent. Junior set it up. “Skye is the best,” he said.
T
hree days later, Beth watched from her second-floor window. At exactly 2:00, Skye made her way up the sidewalk. At least she was punctual. That counted for something. Although it appeased her children, Beth considered the whole business a colossal waste Ap ri l 201 4 ❘ 45
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of an afternoon. First off, she hated the name Skye, one of those hippydippy names straight out of Woodstock. Even if Beth wanted to sell, she’d never entrust their home to a Skye. Skye was young, barely older than Beth’s grandchildren. She had some height to her. Most short women made Beth nervous, bouncing around like those little yipping dogs. Skye’s skirt was too short for Beth’s taste, but that was the style nowadays. Beth opened the door and realized Skye’s height came from a pair of sixinch platform heels. Beth had always worn sensible shoes. If anybody fell down the stairs it’d be Skye, not her. Skye gazed at the towering ceiling and smiled. Always a purist, Don had kept most of the original barn, refusing to cover what he called the ribs of the house with plywood and paint. The warm brown plank walls curved into the ceiling and flowed into the hardwood floors. Beth had used barrels of lemon oil on those floors. The smell always said home to her. The bowed shape combined with the rugged timbers made it look like Noah’s ark from her Sunday school books. Like the ark, it’d been their safe shelter, weathering every storm except death. Downstairs consisted of one giant room. Beth loved that she could cook in the kitchen and watch the kids play in the family area. “We’re going to make a fortune on this place,” Skye said. “I don’t know what my children told you, but I don’t want to sell.” “Sure you do. You don’t need all this space.” Beth had noticed that the older she got, the more other people thought they knew what she did and didn’t need. Her children were one thing, but she hadn’t known this brash young woman five minutes. If she hadn’t promised the children, Skye would have ended up on the wrong side of the door right then and there. Skye pulled a camera from her bag and started taking pictures. “Wait ’til you see the e-brochure I work up. Reconverted barns are so hot right now. Even in this market we’ll proba-
bly get a bidding war. I know at least 10 clients who’d go mad for this place.”
O
f course they’d want it now. If they’d seen what Don brought her to, they’d have run out of here screaming. She almost did and thought he was joking when their ride in the country ended up in front of a decrepit old barn that Don said would be their new home. It didn’t have any windows at all then, only two openings toward the top that had been used for loading hay. The rust stains beneath them looked like dried tears. Don swung the big doors open and took her inside, chattering away about all the possibilities this place offered. Beth only saw the possibility of rabies from the bats sleeping in the eaves. What excited Don most was that this particular barn had purlin systems, double-connected tie beams, and hand-hewn timbers. She’d smiled and nodded without understanding any of it. All she really understood was that he expected them to live in a barn. “We don’t want one of those cookiecutter houses,” he said. That’s exactly what she wanted: a cookie-cutter house with a white picket fence, real windows, and no bats. In the days before women’s lib, women like her did what their husbands said. If that meant living in a barn, they lived in a barn. “She doesn’t look like much now,” he said. “But I’ll build you a palace.” And he had.
S
kye discovered Don’s wall of photos documenting the restoration. “Would these stay with the house?” she asked. Where else would they go? They were as much a part of the house as its red door. When she passed on, would a new owner try to take credit for Don’s work? Should she care? “We can always make copies,” Skye said. “Can I see the rest of the house?” Open staircases, more like ladders really, led to the second-floor deck which ringed the house. Beth remembered the slap, slap, slap of the boys running laps up there. As they climbed, St An t h o n yM e s s e n g e r . o rg
Beth expected Skye to fall off those shoes any second. But she managed just fine. The bedrooms branched off from the deck. Every time she got pregnant, Don built a new one. “Too much space for anybody to have to share a room,” he said. They let the children decorate their doors. Clarice’s was pink and sparkly with glitter and fairy dust until she hit that dark patch in junior high and painted it black. Hank covered his with pictures of his favorite players he’d cut from the newspaper. Junior painted his door white and wrote “Don’s room—KEEP OUT” in big black letters. He’d escape there when he tired of his younger brother and sister. The rooms looked just like the children left them. They’d talked about redecorating but never had. No need to. Beth had her sewing room; Don had his shop. Whenever the kids visited they stayed in their rooms, and the grandkids bunked out in their parents’ old play area. Beth took Skye into every room except one. Its door was closed and unpainted. The family knew not to talk about it. There were times when Beth forgot it was even there. She was headed back toward the stairs when she saw Skye turning the knob. “Another bedroom?” Skye asked.
that would never be. When they were all cried out, Don locked the door. It’d stayed locked from that day to this. “Nothing in there for you to see,” Beth said. How could they expect her to leave here when every nail, every door, every sound in this house screamed Don? Leaving would be like losing him all over again. Skye followed Beth down the stairs. Since technically Skye was a guest, albeit an unwelcome one, Beth felt obligated to feed her. She served freshbaked oatmeal-raisin cookies and lemonade out on the screened-in porch: the last thing Don built before he got sick. Skye perched on the edge of her chair as if she’d bound out of it any second. It puzzled Beth that with their whole life in front of them young people always seemed to be in such a hurry. Beth didn’t remember being like that, but supposed she must have been. They didn’t start slowing down until they got old. Almost seemed like it should be the opposite, like at the beginning of life you’d take things nice
and slow with a mad rush at the end. While Skye prattled on about comps and inspections or some such nonsense, Beth gazed at Don’s garden. The tulips were coming up. Soon they’d be a riot of color. Next would come the daylilies. As summer grew closer, new flowers would burst from the ground every few weeks—all but one. To build the porch, they’d had to move the balloon flowers. It would’ve been better to wait until the spring. Don must have known he wouldn’t
ANSWERS TO PETE AND REPEAT 1. A fence rail is missing. 2. The sky has turned dark. 3. One of the plants has bloomed. 4. Sis has a hand trowel. 5. Pete has a star on his shirt. 6. A second plant is growing in one of the pots. 7. There is another cloud in the sky. 8. Sis is wearing a bow, not a headband.
I
t was supposed to be. They’d just bought the yellow paint. Back then, you didn’t know if you were having a boy or a girl until it was born. Yellow was a nice neutral color. Beth wanted the room painted to give it time to air out before they brought the baby home. That doctor’s visit was supposed to be a routine checkup. Don almost didn’t come in with her. Thought he’d grab a quick haircut, but the barber couldn’t take him right away. The baby who’d been full of more beans than the other three combined had up and died on them. Don took the children to his mother’s. He and Beth shut themselves in that room and cried for the child Fr an ci s can M e di a. o rg
Ap ri l 201 4 ❘ 47
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see the spring with her. Or if he did, that he wouldn’t be in any shape to do it, because he’d tried moving them last fall. Balloon flowers have taproots that dig down deep. Once they get established they want to stay right where they are. When Don moved them, they all died. The plot that should have been filled with blue balloonshaped buds lay barren. Covered with mulch, it looked like what it was—a grave.
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kye finished her cookies and went to grab her computer from the car. “We need to start the paperwork,” she said. Once Skye reached her car, Beth shut the front door and locked it, ending the whole affair. Beth was heading upstairs when the doorknob turned. That impertinent girl was trying to get in. Beth glared at Skye through the door’s window. “Did you forget I was coming back?” Skye asked. “Of course I didn’t forget. I’m not senile. Our business is done.” “Are you crying?” Beth touched a face wet with tears. She hadn’t cried when Don died, hadn’t even cried at the funeral. Through it all, she’d stayed strong for the children. Funny that she should cry now. “My allergies are acting up. Now, go away.” A business card with “call me” scrawled across it slid under the door. Beth threw it in the junk basket she kept at the bottom of the stairs. The house was quiet, too quiet. Everyone said she needed to stay busy, so she flitted about straightening magazines, dusting knickknacks, polishing silver. Staying busy wasn’t what she needed. She set the timer for five minutes and resurrected Don’s favorite sweater from its plastic shroud. The mixture of vanilla pipe tobacco and Old Spice overwhelmed her. The timer went off. Sensible Beth would have re-entombed the sweater to make Don’s scent last as long as possible. Instead, she slipped it on and
returned to the garden, the last place Don had been truly alive.
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ays became weeks. She tolerated her children’s calls but not their admonitions to sell her house. After she hung up on them a few times, they stopped bringing it up. It was summer now, and despite double- and triple-wrapping Don’s sweater in plastic, his scent grew fainter until the day came that she couldn’t smell him at all. All things Don were slipping away from her, even the garden’s solace. The daylilies bloomed. Buds filled the hydrangea bushes. The garden teemed with life except for the one thing Don had tried to save: the balloon flowers. Despite the beauty surrounding her, she couldn’t see past their mulch-covered grave. Finally, she couldn’t stand it any longer. She took a rake to the plot, determined to destroy this reminder of Don’s failure. Mulch filled the air. Suddenly she stopped, seeing something that shouldn’t have been there. She knelt. With bare hands she pushed back the mulch finding not death, but life. Tiny green sprouts poked through the dirt. Weeks later than they should have, the balloon flowers were coming up. They’d survived and moved on. Soon they’d fill this plot with their balloon buds and later their star-shaped flowers. Beth returned to the house. Once it’d been filled with laughter and love. First the children left and then her beloved Don. Someday, she’d join him and they’d never be separated again. She understood now why he’d fought so hard to save the balloon flowers. He’d wanted to remind her that despite its obstacles, life moves on. She picked up the phone and dialed a number she never thought she would. Skye answered on the third ring. “I’m ready to sign those papers now,” Beth said. A Janice Croom is a freelance author from Bloomington, Illinois. This year she will release Death of an Idiot Boss, her first book in the Kadence MacBride mystery series. St An t h o n yM e s s e n g e r . o rg
POETRY
The Selvage Edge
Mother of the World
I stumble on the “selvage edge” of memory when I hear the term spoken for the first time since my mother explained the bound edge of a piece of cloth important to know when making a dress on the old Singer, working the treadle as she sewed for my sisters and me
Good Friday burned in Mary’s heart when she saw Christ Dying on the cross.
on Holy Saturday, our hair set in rags after the bath, our shoes set out with socks, all in waiting for her to finish sewing and pressing the new dresses’ seams down, buttons on. We dreamed that night in clean beds, sheets washed and blown dry on the selvage edge of resurrection.
—Judith Robbins
A Song for Easter (for Forrest Prince) Sing out bird from your fragile perch high in the leafless tree sing out bird sing a joyous song set the morning free
But Easter Sunday Was her joy when she became Mother to the world.
—Marion Schoeberlein
April: Harbinger of Spring After the long, barren winter, I observe the new season with expectancy, easy flight of small, black birds, elusive scent of lilac, familiar sound of honeybees, pale, cloudless roof of sky, temperate breeze; the close, certain promise of rebirth.
The cold stone is rolled away the tomb stands empty sing out bird to the dawning day He has set the mourning free
—Herman Sutter
—William Beyer
Sunset Shining shafts of molten gold Sift through green branches; Shimmering sunset!
—Jeanette Martino Land
Fr an ci s canM e di a. o rg
Ap ri l 201 4 ❘ 49
ASK A FRANCISCAN
❘ BY FATH ER PAT McC LOS KEY, O FM
Hungry People along the Road What should we do when we’re driving and we see a man by the side of the road holding a sign that reads, “Family hungry. Will do anything for food”? When I see this, I feel sad and confused. What if the person is not really in need, but hoping to get money for drugs? What if the person really is in need, but I can’t stop to help? If I could stop, how should I help? A little voice in my head recalls, “Whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.” What would you do? What would Jesus do in 2014? Thanks for asking. Your question shows that your conscience is not asleep! This quote from Matthew 25:40 is Jesus’ response to the people saved at the Last Judgment who ask when did they feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and perform simi-
lar works of mercy. The negative version of those words (25:45) answers the condemned people who ask when did they fail to recognize Christ in what Blessed Mother Teresa of Kolkata much later described as his “distressing disguises.” In the story of Lazarus and the rich man (Lk 16:19-31), perhaps the rich man told himself that Lazarus really didn’t need the rich man’s help. People in need can become invisible to those who might help. You are right that it is not always possible to stop and help in such a situation; money given might not be used to buy food. Would you rather err on the side of generosity or of stinginess? It’s too easy to say that every person who begs represents some type of scam. Helping one hungry person or family will not stamp out hunger here or around the world. Have you ever donated time, goods, or money to the St. Vincent de Paul Society,
No Mass on a Cruise Ship
© ARCHMEN/FOTOLIA
I have booked a cruise on a ship that has no Sunday Mass, but instead provides a nondenominational service. I have been on other cruises that had a priest who celebrated a Sunday Mass. If I go on this cruise, must I confess that I missed Mass that Sunday? The obligation to participate in Sunday Mass is a serious one, but not an absolute one. Sometimes that is simply not possible. The thought of missing Sunday Mass bothers you precisely because doing so is very uncharacteristic of you. I encourage you to keep such a decision atypical in your life, knowing that there may occasionally be times when you can legitimately be absent.
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Catholic Charities, a soup kitchen, or similar organization? A three-parish food pantry here recently reported a 34 percent increase in families requesting assistance in 2013. Have you ever protested cuts to food stamp programs? Should budgets be balanced on the backs of the poorest people? Have you considered joining a local or national group such as Bread for the World? May the Lord bless your discernment about how best to invest your resources and energies on behalf of those who are hungry.
Why Was Jesus Baptized? Matthew 3:13-17 describes the baptism of Jesus, including John the Baptist’s objection that Jesus should be baptizing him. Why did Jesus want to be baptized, anyway? This question was raised by Christians already in the first century, which is probably the reason that it is recorded here—unlike the baptism accounts in Mark 1:9-11 and Luke 3:21-22. John the Baptist had disciples and a very well-known ministry before Jesus had disciples or a public ministry. In fact, in the earliest decades of Christianity, there were people called Mandaeans; among other things, these gnostic Christians asserted that John the Baptist was, in fact, superior to Jesus. Mainstream Christianity rejected that view. In later passages, the Gospels of Mark and Luke clearly present the superiority of Jesus. The Gospel of John records John the Baptist as approving when Andrew and another disciple became disciples of Jesus (1:35-37). St An t h o n yM e s s e n g e r . o rg
Jesus did not have the same motivation to be baptized as the people immediately ahead of him or behind him at the Jordan River; they were baptized as a sign of repentance. By being baptized, Jesus identified himself with sinful humanity. His prayer and the revelation of Father and Spirit tell us that Baptism unites us with the Trinity and makes us beloved children of God. Jesus later speaks of having to undergo a baptism, namely, his plunge into depths by which he saves humanity and all creation. During the Easter season, our liturgy affirms that by his being baptized, Jesus sanctified even water. Jesus was baptized to encourage his later followers to be baptized. That action began his public ministry; similarly, that act begins the new life of every follower of Jesus. Jesus’ baptism resembles in some ways the key visions of Old Testament prophets (Is 6:1-13; Ez 1—3; Dn 7—8; Am 1:1-2; Mi 1:1—2:13; Hb1:1—2:20). The Jewish Christians for whom Matthew wrote would have made that connection readily. Other New Testament passages indicate how the Baptism celebrated by Jesus’ followers differs from the baptism that John the Baptist administered (Acts 8:14-17 and 18:24-26).
Same Eucharist? I am a lifelong Roman Catholic who married a man who is a lifelong member of the National Polish Catholic Church. We raised our children in the Roman Catholic Church. My Roman Catholic pastor recently preached about the divisions within Christianity, saying that we are allowed to attend Mass and receive Communion in an Orthodox Church, but not in the National Polish Catholic Church. He said the Eucharist at an Orthodox Church is the same as ours, but that is not true of the Eucharist in the National Polish Catholic Church. My husband’s pastor says that does not represent his Church’s belief. Why can members of the National Fr an ci s canM e di a. o rg
Polish Catholic Church receive holy Communion in our parishes but Roman Catholics cannot do the same in theirs? Since 1996, the following statement from the US bishops has appeared in all worship aids printed in this country: “Members of the Orthodox churches, the Assyrian Church of the East, and the Polish National Catholic Church are urged to respect the discipline of their own churches. According to Roman Catholic discipline, the Code of Canon Law does not object to the reception of communion by Christians of these Churches (canon 844:3).” According to the Roman Catholic Church, you could receive the Eucharist in any of these Churches— if they would permit that. Under no circumstances should a Catholic do this primarily to “make a statement.” Christ present in the Eucharist deserves to be received devoutly. Because many readers may be unfamiliar with the Polish National
Catholic Church, here’s a bit of background. It has approximately 25,000 members and was established in 1897 in Scranton, Pennsylvania, by Father Franciszek Hodur, who felt that Polish American Catholics were discriminated against by mostly Irish American bishops. The teaching of Polish was forbidden in some Catholic schools, and there were disputes over ownership of Church property. The Polish National Catholic Church is in dialogue with the Roman Catholic Church through the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. 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. This column’s answers can be searched back to April 1996 at StAnthonyMessenger.org.
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St. Anthony Messenger is only $39.00 for 12 monthly issues. This price includes our NEW digital edition: StAnthonyMessenger.org/DigitalEdition __ YES! Please begin my subscription. Ship to: Name ________________________________________________ Address _______________________________________________ City/State/Zip ___________________________________________ Payment Options (Choose one) ___ Please bill me $39.00 for 12 monthly issues. ___ Enclosed is my check or money order. ___ Charge my: __ Visa __ Mastercard Card #: __________________________ Expiration Date ______ Signature __________________________________________ Phone _____________________________ ________________ Mail to: St. Anthony Messenger, P.O. Box 189, Congers, NY 10920-0189 For fastest service, call toll-free: 866-543-6870, M-F, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (Eastern) To order a subscription online: StAnthonyMessenger.org/subscribe Ap ri l 201 4 ❘ 51
BOOK CORNER
❘ BY CAROL ANN MORROW
The Global War on Christians Dispatches from the Front Lines of Anti-Christian Persecution
What
Our Readers Recommend When Faith Feels Fragile Scott Hurd Notes from the Underground: The Spiritual Journal of a Secular Priest Donald Cozzens Confucius from the Heart: Ancient Wisdom for Today’s World Yu Dan Saint: Why I Should Be Canonized Right Away Lino Rulli Sonia Sotomayor: The True American Dream Antonia Felix
52 ❘ Ap ri l 201 4
By John L. Allen Jr. Image Books 308 pages ● $25 Hardcover/e-book Reviewed by ANTHONY J. GITTINS, CSSp., professor emeritus of theology and culture at Catholic Theological Union, Chicago. He has written 14 books on theology, anthropology, and discipleship. John Allen, respected religion correspondent and analyst for the Boston Globe (formerly of National Catholic Reporter), Vatican analyst for CNN, and prolific author and speaker, pulls no punches and takes no prisoners: his title and subtitle articulate his thesis unambiguously. This is not light reading, and the picture painted is far from pretty. Yet the end result is as informative and challenging as it is bleak and sobering. To be pondered in small doses rather than read straight through, the book is structured to allow readers to be selective and to identify areas of interest and concern. After an introduction identifying his sources, part 1 provides a round-the-world tour of areas notable for persecution of Christians. Part 2 debunks five “myths” about the global war on Christians, and part 3 looks at global deleterious effects and positive consequences, offering suggestions for appropriate responses to this ongoing war. Allen is perfectly aware that he needs to justify the provocative words in his title
(global, war, persecution), and he does so persuasively. Neither rhetoric nor hyperbole, they are clinically applied to a contemporary, persistent, and escalating reality. Though statistics are notoriously unverifiable, Christians in personal danger today may number 100,000,000, while those actually killed are around 100,000 annually, he reports. The reader may become overwhelmed by figures, but the author is careful to put names and faces to the cold statistics, thus humanizing abstract numbers. He helpfully distinguishes the “global war on (individual) Christians” from the “war on religion” whose object is institutional rather than individual. “Myths”—or half-truths— abound, especially to the effect that only Christians in the religious or ethnic minority are at risk; that persecution is essentially about rogue-Islam(ists); or that it is really a political (rather than a religious) issue. Perhaps the most tenaciously held error is that the motives derive explicitly from religious principles. That is, some people might acknowledge that this or that person was persecuted or violently abused, but that such abuse was not religious. Not only does Allen address such issues head-on, meeting many objections on the way, but he readily acknowledges the fact of Western provocation and the reaction it may draw. Some of the detail is numbing and occasionally incorrect (the “10/40 window” refers to the area of the earth between 10 degrees north and 40 degrees north, not south, of the equator), but the research is comprehensive and the results compelling. This book, by a trustworthy guide and a man with a mission, deserves a place in every college and seminary library, yet it is not aridly academic. The lack of bibliography and footnotes—a considered decision— is a limitation, however. But anyone who imagines persecution of Christians of whatever stripe to be a thing of the past will be shaken awake. This book needed to be written; more, it needs to be read, reflected upon, and responded to, urgently. St An t h o n yM e s s e n g e r . o rg
BOOK BRIEFS
New Avenues of Discovery for Lent Making a Case for God Faithful Encounters By William P. Clark, OMI Liguori Publications 94 pages ● $10.99 Paperback/e-book
Stitches A Handbook on Meaning, Hope and Repair By Anne Lamott Riverhead Books/Penguin Random House Company 96 pages ● $17.95 Hardcover, e-book, audiobook Reviewed by ALICE CAMILLE, M.Div., author of Working Toward Sainthood and This Transforming Word, and widely published as a freelance writer, religious educator, and retreat leader. There are legions of wisdom teachers out there, telling the rest of us how to live. Anne Lamott isn’t one of those. She’s first to admit she doesn’t have a clue, while launching into an often hilarious reminiscence intended to verify her lack of higher-order credentials. And then—as Lamott readers know to expect—she’ll do an about-face, stacking story after story of folks she’s read, met, loved, or lost who did have a clue or two to offer the rest of us. That’s when we realize: Anne Lamott isn’t a wisdom teacher. But, just as good, she’s a student of wisdom. If we put ourselves in her hands, we’ll find ourselves well led. Lamott reminds us there are lots of true and rich philosophies out there; but they often work only on good days. There is no “cute position” that can minimize the Crucifixion, which remains a brutal reality central to our humanness. Sometimes pain obliges us to say, “This is a nightmare. I hate everything,” and hide in the garage, as Lamott attests. But suffering also invites us to become seekers of the “divine plop,” as she writes, “the joy of settling down deeply into something,” sometimes found in books and more often in friends. Lamott’s new book is the best divine plop of the season. Fr an ci s canM e di a. o rg
Does God exist? This book, friendly in appearance and vocabulary, addresses an immense and central question. The author uses philosophy, history, Scripture, anecdotes, and even a joke or two to help readers grapple with the search, the arguments, and the encounters with the Almighty.
Believing By Eugene Kennedy Orbis Books 224 pages ● $20 Hardcover/paperback/e-book Dr. Eugene Kennedy has written more than 50 books on psychology and religion. This book is not argumentative but probing, helping the reader to probe and articulate his or her own beliefs. The eight chapters preceding “What do I believe in?” will assist in shaping an honest response.
Walking on Water with St. Peter Reflections to Strengthen Your Faith By Giuseppe Agostino The Word Among Us Press 142 pages ● $12.95 Paperback/e-book In this Easter season, who better to walk with than St. Peter? Archbishop Agostino obviously enjoys Peter: “his spontaneity, his enthusiasm, his weakness, his generous . . . and his deep and passionate, tried-and-tested faith.” This book offers meditations to help readers “get out of the boat,” just as Peter did.
Books featured in this column 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 Ap ri l 201 4 ❘ 53
A CATHOLIC MOM SPEAKS
❘ BY SUSAN HINES-BRIGGER
Why Moms Don’t Meditate more into my everyday life. Thanks to kids’ schedules and family obligations, I was finding myself missing more and more classes, so I decided to re-create my spiritual escape at home. That was my first mistake.
Meditation Gone Wrong
O
ver the past few months, I have been trying to become more meditative. It was part of my New Year’s resolution, having found myself drifting away from the reflective nature of my faith, focusing more on the actions than the message. Mass had become less about being spiritually connected; more about making sure that my kids were paying attention.
54 ❘ Ap ri l 201 4
So I signed up for a one-hour, once-a-week class on meditation at a local retreat center. It was a nice escape for an hour for this full-time working wife, mom, and caregiver. That hour each week became my blocked-off time to decompress, pray, reflect, and shut out everything else. In fact, I came to enjoy it so much that a few weeks ago I thought maybe I would try to incorporate it
I retreated to the basement, grabbed a CD of meditative music I had gotten for Christmas, laid out a blanket, and hit Play. I had barely sat down when our dog began to tug at the blanket. I corrected her and continued my practice. A few seconds in, I opened my eyes to see my 8-year-old daughter, Riley, standing over me. “Whatever it is you’re doing, can I do it with you?” I grumbled a bit, but said, “Sure.” “By the way, what are you doing?” “Meditating.” “Oh, OK.” Two minutes later, another kid had joined us. I repeated the previous conversation. And then another came along. Didn’t these kids have anything else to do? Suddenly I had four kids and a dog all attempting to meditate with me. It quickly became obvious to me that if the whole point of doing this was to relax, it was not going to work. Not wanting to discourage my children’s interest, and quite frankly hoping it might keep them calm— and quiet—for a while, I excused myself, went upstairs to the kitchen, and got a bowl of ice cream. It seemed the next-best means of relaxation and peace.
Time to Meditate After I finished my ice cream, I decided to try again, this time in a St An t h o n yM e s s e n g e r . o rg
ILLUSTRATIONS BY MARY KURNICK MAASS
WHAT THE CATECHISM SAYS Meditation is a part of our Christian tradition, and a way to connect our faith and life. The Catechism of the Catholic Church addresses meditation in this way: “Meditation is above all a quest. The mind seeks to understand the why and how of the Christian life, in order to adhere and respond to what the Lord is asking” (2705). “To the extent that we are humble and faithful, we discover in meditation the movements that stir the heart and we are able to discern them. It is a question of acting truthfully in order to come into the light: ‘Lord, what do you want me to do?’” (2706). “Meditation engages thought, imagination, emotion, and desire. This mobilization of faculties is necessary in order to deepen our convictions of faith, prompt the conversion of our heart, and strengthen our will to follow Christ” (2708).
new location. I retreated to my bedroom, closed the door, lay on my bed, and closed my eyes. In the spirit of Psalm 46:11 (“Be still and know that I am God”), I chose a word on which to focus and reflect. I locked in on the word “calm,” and tried to shut out the world around me. It didn’t take long for me to realize once again that my home was definitely not conducive to a quiet, meditative atmosphere. Before I could even utter “calm” for the first time, I was greeted with the screams of “Mom!” Apparently they had grown tired of lying on the basement floor and being quiet. Each
time someone yelled “Mom,” I replaced it with “calm” and tried to maintain my “calm.” I settled back into my restful pose and worked to relax my muscles and focus on my breathing. As I deeply inhaled, I was suddenly overcome by the smell of my daughter’s new perfume—which she obviously did not realize needed only one spray. On the exhale, I puffed out my cheeks in exasperation as I listened to my son and daughter bicker. Inhale—dirty diaper. Exhale—well, more of a sigh than an exhale. I heard the door creak open. “Mom,” said a voice that was trying to whisper, but was actually
louder than a normal speaking voice. I lay still, hoping Kacey, my 3-yearold daughter, would go away. “Mom,” she said again. I could feel her breath on my cheek, so I knew she was close by. “Dad, I think something’s wrong with Mom,” she yelled downstairs. “She’s not moving.” I opened one eye and glared at her. “Never mind,” she screamed. “She’s alive.” I rolled onto my side and asked what she wanted. “Can I have a snack?” “Go ask your dad,” I said, rolling onto my back. “He already said no.” “Then why are you asking me? Can’t you see I’m busy?” “Looks like you’re just lying there doing nothing.” “I’m trying to meditate. Now go downstairs.” “What’s meditating?” “Obviously something I’m not going to get to do,” I responded. “Are you done now?” “Sure looks that way.” And that, my friends, is why moms—at least this one—don’t meditate. A
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@FranciscanMedia.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 47)
Fr an ci s can M e di a. o rg
Ap ri l 201 4 ❘ 55
BACKSTORY
Eastertide
L
ent and Easter are times when we Catholics renew our faith. In our parishes, we follow our newest members of the community through the crescendo of initiation, their Baptism at the Easter Vigil. At
home we are observing one form of Lenten practice or another, including our Friday abstinence, our occasional fasting, and perhaps some increased daily devotion or commitment to more frequent works of charity, all of it given its deepest meaning when we gather to celebrate the Eucharist.
PHOTO BY CHRISTOPHER HEFFRON
Eventually, the excitement of Easter and all of its preparation will settle down into the everyday life of faith. That’s as true for us at St. Anthony Messenger as it is for all Catholics. This is a job—we’re not volunteers— but it’s more than a job, too. We take our faith seriously. As we set about our tasks on the magazine each PHOTO BY EUGENE PLAISTED, OSC/THE CROSIERS
day, we ask ourselves: How can we share our faith to lift each other up, to help those in need, to invite others to follow in the footsteps of Jesus? We don’t wear it on our sleeves—our editorial offices are pretty filled with the stuff of most other offices (though we hope we’re a little more gentle). People here worry and fuss, chafe against each other from time to time while sharing the deep joy of what we’re about. People are people. The friars among us, fewer as they are these days, remind us of the gifts that St. Francis brings to the Church, including bringing a sense of simplicity, common sense, and down-to-earth approach to all that we do. Some of us have more academic training in things Catholic, often with advanced degrees at university; some are more well-schooled in other things Catholic: the stuff of everyday life, single or married, children at home or grown and sent from the nest. And there are the God-given gifts— a huge part of our Catholic faith—that help us to do well what we do in words and in art, in print and beyond. That variety of skills and perspectives helps us to craft a stronger magazine for you each month. We live the rest of the time, too, as Catholics. I know that most of you also are Catholic. Happy Easter!
Editor in Chief
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St An t h o n yM e s s e n g e r . o rg
AT HOME ON EARTH
❘ BY KYLE KRAMER
Small Is Beautiful
B
© ELENA ELISSEEVA/DREAMSTIME
systems always rests on the small fry. Come what may, insects and bacteria will likely outlast us all. Several decades ago, the Catholic economist E. F. Schumacher made famous the phrase “small is beautiful,” arguing that a more human-scaled economy would make for more fulfillStarting Small ing social relationships and less environmental destrucTry to fast from digital tion. In our era of “supersize social media for one day a me” and behemoth global week. Two days? corporations, however, it’s very easy to put our faith in Show your support for a the gospel of Bigger Is Better. small, local business by Worshiping in a megachurch patronizing it regularly. of metrics—our number of Facebook likes and Twitter Look up subsidiarity. Can followers, or our personal you recognize examples of wealth—makes it easy to it in your own life? despair when our lives (inevitably) don’t quite measure up. We may, to paraphrase philosopher and statesman Edmund Burke, make the mistake of doing nothing because we can do only a little. Most of us, though, will only be able to do a little: our lives won’t play out on the grand stage; our sphere of influence will seem relatively small. Jesus’ good news—preached by, among others, St. Thérèse of Lisieux (the “Little Flower”) and the humble St. Francis—is that God’s paradoxical power actually seems to work best through the beauty of small things. So whatever change you might want to see in the world or in your own life, don’t be afraid to start (and even finish) small. You’re in great company. A
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Kyle Kramer, an organic farmer, is author of A Time to Plant: Life Lessons in Work, Prayer, and Dirt (Sorin Books).
Small is the rule in nature. Start with a little and you’ll achieve the change you desire. Fr an ci s can M e di a. o rg
tal Digi as Extr
Click here for more ways to connect with nature. Ap ri l 201 4 ❘ 57
© AFISPHOTO/PHOTOXPRESS
y the end of April, we’ve finished much of the spring planting on our Indiana farm. The young seedlings look puny and fragile amid the open expanses of our gardens and fields. But at the height of the growing season, these tiny plants will take over and transform the landscape into an overgrown jungle. Jesus also had faith in small things: the mustard seed, the children he blessed and embraced, even his little band of ragtag disciples. He was unimpressed with influential political and religious leaders of his day. He turned away from the expansive kingdom with which Satan tempted him in the desert, and he was content to confine his ministry to a small corner of a provincial backwater in the Roman Empire. Small is the rule in the world of nature, too. We may be impressed by large, magnificent creatures such as lions, elephants, and sperm whales—or dinosaurs and woolly mammoths from bygone eras—but the health, resilience, and durability of eco-
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