The Catholic Spirit - November 4, 2010 by The Catholic Spirit Publishing Co.

Newspaper of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis

Adopting kids with special needs

November 4, 2010

The Catholic Spirit News with a Catholic heart

Catholic schools refuse to cower to bullies By Dave Hrbacek The Catholic Spirit

The horrors of bullying came alive for Jodee Blanco in the 1970s, when she became a victim in the fifth grade. It turned nasty two years later, when a group of students became her tormentors. “These kids in the back of the bus used to dip spitballs in Elmer’s glue and throw them at me,” she said of her seventh-grade year. “At least three days a week, my hair would be so caked in glue, my grandmother had to cut chunks of it off.” That same year, she once was See pinned to the ground during winter by three boys. Then, two girls related forced her jaw open and others editorial, started pushing snow down her page 13 throat. Still others crammed snow underneath her clothing and onto her bare skin. As the gruesome details flowed freely from her tongue, hundreds of students packed into the fieldhouse at Cretin-Derham Hall High School in St. Paul Oct. 27 leaned forward in their seats. Blanco was invited to deliver a message to help students understand the effects of bullying — and to work against it. While recounting the winter episode, Blanco paused, looked at her audience and said, “What do you think they were doing the whole time? Laughing.” “Eventually, I couldn’t breathe,” she said. “Moments later, my mom found me shivering under the bushes.” She told the principal the next day, and the students were punished. But, she said, “that only made things worse.”

Helping students, parents School faculty members heard Blanco speak at the National Catholic Educational Association annual convention last April in Minneapolis. Laurie Jennrich, associate principal at Cretin-Derham Hall, was attending the conference and wanted to hear Blanco,

UST grad’s business helps families

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Internal matters to dominate bishops’ agenda Catholic News Service

BULLYING: Aggressive behavior that is intentional (not accidental or done in fun) and that involves an imbalance of power or strength. Often, bullying is repeated over time. Bullying can take many forms, such as hitting or punching, teasing or name-calling, intimidation through gestures, social exclusion, and sending insulting messages or pictures by mobile phone or using the Internet (also known as cyberbullying).

PLEASE TURN TO BULLYING ON PAGE 24

Source: STOPBULLYINGNOW.HRSA.GOV

Put your Christmas prayer on paper for annual poster contest The Catholic Spirit invites youth in grades one through 12 to enter this year’s Christmas poster contest. Participants must be enrolled in the archdiocese’s Catholic schools or parish religious education programs. Home-schoolers may also enter. Prizes will be awarded to individuals with winning entries. ■ Artists are asked to finish the phrase: “This Christmas I’ll be praying for ____________.” The completed sentence must appear with a picture on each entry. ■ Artists may use markers, crayons, colored pencils and/or paints. ■ Entries must be submitted on 8.5-by-11inch paper. ■ The artist’s name, address, telephone number, school, grade and parish should appear on the back of each entry. ■ A first-place prize will be awarded in each of four categories: grades one through three, grades four through six, grades seven through nine, and grades 10 through 12.

■ The winning entries, along with honorable mentions, will be published in The Catholic Spirit’s Christmas edition, Dec. 16, and online at THECATHOLICSPIRIT. COM. A panel of Catholic Spirit judges will select the winners based on artistic skill, creativity and reproducibility. Each winner will receive a $50 Visa gift card. Entries must be postmarked by Friday, Dec. 3. Posters should be sent to: Christmas Poster Contest, The Catholic Spirit, 244 Dayton Ave., St. Paul, MN 55102. Questions? Call editor Joe Towalski at (651) 291-4455, or e-mail him at TOWALSKIJ@ARCHSPM.ORG.

When the U.S. bishops gather in Baltimore for their 2010 fall general assembly, there will be no blockbuster topics on their public agenda, unlike in past years when clergy sex abuse or the issue of Catholic politicians who support abortion took much of their attention. Instead, the Nov. 15-18 meeting of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops will be devoted primarily to internal matters — the election of new conference leaders, discussion of how their own statements should be pro- Bishops’ duced, budget- anti-poverty ary and structural questions and program i n f o r m a t i o n adopts about how they stronger can better integrate new media policies into diocesan — Page 10 structures. For Cardinal Francis George of Chicago, the meeting will be his last one as president. He has held the post for the past three years. If the conference follows past practice, Bishop Gerald Kicanas of Tucson, Ariz., will succeed Cardinal George as president. As USCCB vice president since November 2007, Bishop Kicanas will be among 10 candidates proposed for the posts of president and vice president. Once a president has been selected, a vice president will be chosen from the other nine candidates. Among the topics scheduled to come before the bishops for debate and vote in their public sessions are a proposed agreement on mutual recognition of baptism by the Catholic and four Protestant churches, guidelines on stipends and benefits for retired bishops, and revised regulations on USCCB statements and publications. Among the topics of oral reports expected to be presented are the church’s response following the earthquake in Haiti, the work of the Ad Hoc Committee on Defense of Marriage, ways to integrate new media into diocesan communications structures, World Youth Day and the needs of the U.S. Archdiocese for Military Services. Although its dates are Nov. 15-18, only 10 hours on Nov. 15 and 16 are scheduled for public sessions. The bishops are expected to spend up to 10 and a half hours in executive session or prayer and an hour and a half in regional meetings.

NOVEMBER 4, 2010 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

No bishop is a single-issue teacher

That They May All Be One Archbishop John C. Nienstedt

Weekend schedule illustrates the diversity of issues a bishop addresses

For reasons I will make clear at the end of this article, I thought it might be helpful to review the schedule I kept this past weekend. I began Saturday morning by celebrating a liturgy in honor of “Our Lady of the Cenacle” with members of the Catholic charismatic movement who were having a national gathering in St. Paul. While their spirituality is not my own, nevertheless, I found myself enjoying the highly expressive song and the “speaking in tongues” that so impressively characterizes these assemblies. At 1:30 p.m. that same afternoon, I hosted a twohour reception at the Archbishop’s residence for the parents of our 62 archdiocesan seminarians. This event was begun some years ago by my predecessor, Archbishop Harry Flynn, who thought it a good idea to bring these parents together to support one another. Some 70 individuals arrived and were offered a splendid buffet, if I may say so myself. It was great fun talking to them about their sons and thanking them for their support of priestly vocations.

Time of solidarity Saturday evening, I accepted an invitation from Father Kevin Finnegan and Father Erik Lundgren to participate in an all-night prayer vigil at the Church of Divine Mercy in Faribault, beseeching God for a just “immigration solution.” I drove one hour south and an hour back again to spend an hour in prayer with about 200 English- and Spanish-speaking parishioners. It was a special time of solidarity. Coincidently, I had previously sent a letter to both our Archdiocesan Council of Catholic Women and our local chapters of the Knights of Columbus asking for their help in calling for a reform of our federal laws regarding immigration. In doing so, I quoted Archbishop Thomas Wenski of Miami who wrote:

The Catholic Spirit The Catholic Spirit’s mission is to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. It seeks to inform, educate, evangelize and foster a spirit of community within the Catholic Church by disseminating news in a professional manner and serving as a forum for discussion of contemporary issues. Vol. 15 — No. 21

MOST REVEREND JOHN C. NIENSTEDT Publisher BOB ZYSKOWSKI Associate publisher

JOE TOWALSKI Editor

Materials credited to CNS copyrighted by Catholic News Service. All other materials copyrighted by Catholic Spirit Publishing Company. Subscriptions: $29.95 per year Senior 1-year: $24.95 To subscribe: (651) 291-4444 Display Advertising: (651) 291-4444 Classified advertising: (651) 290-1631

Mass to honor all military personnel Archbishop John Nienstedt will celebrate Veteran’s Day with a Mass at 10 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 13, at the Basilica of St. Mary, 88 N. 17th St., Minneapolis. All are encouraged to attend and honor military members, living and dead, who have served or are serving the United States of America.

Also inside Archbishop Nienstedt recently attended the closing prayer service for the 40 Days for Life vigil at Regions Hospital in St. Paul. See page 3 for photos from the event.

“The so-called ‘illegals’ are not so because they wish to defy the law, but because the law does not provide them with any channels to regularize their status in our country — which needs their labor: they are not breaking the law; the law is breaking them.” I also had addressed this topic in my Catholic Spirit column last March, asking the archdiocesan faithful to become more involved in efforts to assist our immigrant brothers and sisters. I repeat this call today. On Sunday morning, I made my 155th pastoral visit to one of our archdiocesan parishes. This time, it was the Church of St. Gerard Majella in Brooklyn Park, founded in 1970 and entrusted to the care of the Franciscan Friars of the Third Order Regular in 1990. We had a very festive liturgy with the 1,100-seat church building nearly filled to capacity with parishioners of all ages. It is at celebrations like this that I am enthusiastically reminded of why I became a priest. I look forward to visiting all of our churches in this great archdiocese. PLEASE TURN TO I WAS ON PAGE 13

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You’ve read our pages, now come to our party The Catholic Spirit It’s The Great Catholic Get-Together of 2010 — and you’re invited! Celebrate the 100th anniversary of your Catholic newspaper, get a peek at what’s on the horizon for The Catholic Spirit, and give yourself a fresh start in a new year and a new day in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. Catholics from parishes around the archdiocese are invited to help The Contribute to Catholic The Catholic Spirit mark its historic cen- Spirit Book of tennial. It was Prayer on Jan. 7, — Page 6 1911, that the first issues of the Catholic Bulletin — predecessor to The Catholic Spirit — rolled off the press. Come have some fun looking back at the news, reminiscing and testing how much you remember of Catholic history these last 100 years. See how The Catholic Spirit staff is preparing to share the Good News in new ways during the coming century. And mingle with people from across the archdiocese during an evening of fun, good food and good conversation. The Great Catholic Get-Together of 2010 will be held the evening of Thursday, Jan. 6, at the Nicollet Island Pavilion in Minneapolis. Cardinal John Foley, the former head of communications for the Vatican whose voice you’ll remember from midnight Mass broadcasts on Christmas, is the featured speaker. A one-time editor of a diocesan newspaper himself, he’s a storyteller par excellence who you won’t want to miss. Seating is limited, so reserve your place soon. Make reservations online at HTTP://TCS100.EVENTBRITE.COM, or telephone Mary Gibbs at (651) 2517709.

More parishes exceed Appeal goal Eleven more parishes in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis have now exceeded their 2010 Catholic Services Appeal goal. A total of 91 parishes have now reached their Appeal goal. The 11 parishes are as follows: ■ Assumption, St. Paul. ■ St. Stanislaus, St. Paul. ■ St. Jerome, Maplewood. ■ St. Mary, Hampton. ■ St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, Hastings. ■ St. John the Baptist, Jordan. ■ St. Peter, Mendota. ■ Most Holy Trinity, St. Louis Park. ■ St. Michael, St. Michael. ■ St. Paul, Minneapolis. ■ St. Hedwig, Minneapolis.

“We must all undergo a change of heart. We must look out on the whole world and see the tasks that we can all do together to promote the well-being of the human family.” Gaudium et Spes

Local The Catholic Spirit

News from around the archdiocese

500 join archbishop to close 40 Days for Life

NOVEMBER 4, 2010

Planning process prompts 100 letters appealing 12 of 14 mergers By Pat Norby The Catholic Spirit

Twelve of the 14 mergers outlined in the archdiocesan strategic plan have been appealed by parishioners or parish representatives, said Jennifer Haselberger, chancellor for canonical affairs. The two mergers that are not being appealed are St. Vincent de Paul merging with the Cathedral of St. Paul and St. Augustine merging with Holy Trinity, all in St. Paul. The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis received more than 100 written petitions for appeal between Oct. 18 and Oct. 27, the appeal deadline, Haselberger said. According to canon law, Archbishop John Nienstedt must respond within 30 days of the appeal request.

Responses begin Nov. 18

Above, from left, Arnita Loegering of St. Odilia in Shoreview, Donna Anderson of St. Vincent de Paul in Brooklyn Park and Mary Francis (pink jacket) of Immaculate Heart of Mary in Minnetonka pray during the 40 Days for Life closing prayer session at Regions Hospital in St. Paul Oct. 31. Behind Francis is her mother, Flora Francis (brown jacket). Right, Archbishop John Nienstedt delivers remarks during the 40 Days for Life closing prayer session at Regions Hospital in St. Paul Oct. 31. An estimated crowd of 500 people came to pray and listen to remarks by Archbishop Nienstedt and Rev. Frederick Thoni of Elmwood Evangelical Free Church in St. Anthony, second from right. At left are Camden Wallraff, his mother, Lisa Wallraff, and her fiancé, Curt Locklear, all of whom belong to St. Jude of the Lake in Mahtomedi.

The Catholic Spirit

“At this point, the archbishop has to begin responding by Nov. 18 because of the time frame in which we received the appeals,” Haselberger said. “In some cases, groups have been very organized. So everybody that wanted to be involved in the appeal from one parish sent the same thing, in the same timeline,” she said. “That’s not true with everybody. In some cases, we’ve had different people from different parishes submit things.” Although all the letters received will be considered, only one of three decisions will be made regarding any one merger: uphold the original decision, amend it or withdraw it. “I would assume, although I can’t say for sure, that in some cases [Archbishop Nienstedt] won’t withdraw the decision,” Haselberger said. “In that case, the parish would have the right to appeal to his hierarchical superior, which would be the Congregation for Clergy in Rome. That’s why the process is called hierarchical recourse, because it goes to the superior of the person who made the original decision.”

Photos by Dave Hrbacek PLEASE TURN TO PLAN ON PAGE 8

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THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • NOVEMBER 4, 2010

Alveda King tells about personal pain of abortion Often, they will tell me that they experienced the same thing.”

By Pat Norby The Catholic Spirit

Alveda King, the niece of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., said she has revealed family secrets regarding abortion during personal testimonies and in print ever since 1983, when she “became born again.” King, 60, recently told some of her story in a telephone interview with The Catholic Spirit. She will reveal more during a keynote speech at a benefit gala for the University LifeCare Center on Thursday, Nov. 8., she said. (See the article on this page.) “My mom wanted to abort me in 1950, but my granddaddy stopped her and told her he had seen me in a dream three years before,” King said. That was one of the first of her personal family secrets. “I had two secret abortions . . . and a miscarriage that was related to the abortions,” she continued. “Sometimes when I talk, I miss some of the details,” she said. “In the telling, I’ll try to shorten it or abbreviate it and it comes out two or three different ways and then my critics say, ‘She says this but it was really that.’” So, King has written the exact details in an online testimony at WWW.SILENTNOMOREAWARENESS.ORG/TES TIMONIES/ALVEDA-KING.HTML, at WWW. PRIESTSFORLIFE.ORG and in “How Can the Dream Survive if we Murder the

“The people need to know how

Finding healing

bad [abortion] is and how it hurts the woman, how it hurts the man, the family and society.

”

ALVEDA KING

Children?” (AuthorHouse 2008). When King again became pregnant in the mid-1970s, her grandfather told her, “That is not a lump of flesh, it is a child.” “I believed that it was a person,” she said. But, she didn’t become “totally pro-life” until her spiritual experience in 1983.

Changing views King, a Protestant, said she met Father Frank Pavone, Priests for Life founder, when the two were both scheduled to speak at a right-to-life meeting in New York in the late 1990s. “We realized we had a lot in common concerning the pro-life issues,” she said. That brief meeting led to King’s involvement with the Catholic organization and the fulfillment of a dream. “My uncle said he had a dream that Protestants and Catholics and gentiles and Jews would work together,” she said. “The issue of life is

for everybody and it works well for us together.” King, who is a pastoral associate with Priests for Life and coordinator of its African American Outreach, addresses various leaders and groups about abortion in the African-American community and elsewhere. “Abortion is a human issue. It just happens that the black community was more targeted by the genocide and eugenics movement headed up by Margaret Sanger and Planned Parenthood,” said King, who encourages people to visit the website WWW.TOOMANYABORTED.COM for more information on black pro-life activism. King also has been active with the Silent No More Awareness Campaign, which encourages anyone who has been affected by an abortion to find a recovery program. “All women say the same thing when they hear me [speak about my abortion experience],” she said. “They thank me for my testimony.

■ What: Alveda King will be the keynote speaker at the 35th anniversary gala dinner for the University LifeCare Center. ■ When: 6 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 18. ■ Where: Nicollet Island Pavilion, 40 Power St., Minneapolis. ■ Cost: $75 per person or $600 per table of eight. ■ Registration: Call (612) 6233212 or visit ULIFE@LIFECARE. ORG by Nov. 8. No walk-in registration.

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Although King began speaking about her experiences before she attended a Rachel’s Vineyard Retreat for healing from an abortion, she tells others to get their healing first and then “step out and be silent no more.” The retreat was a “personal and intimate time” that King would not talk about for publication. “Sometimes I will talk about it in intimate settings,” she said. “It did help me and made a big difference; and everybody that attends, says the same thing.” Silent No More, Rachel’s Vineyard Retreats and other healing ministries are all part of the awareness and education campaign that is needed to end abortion, she said. “Some people do things with legislation and politics. Some people are on the prayer campaign. Some people are on the awareness campaign. Some people are in the pregnancy care centers. Some people go to the clinic and stand with the signs. It takes all of that,” she said. “I’d like to see it go beyond [ending] legalized abortion. I’d like for abortion to be unthinkable,” King said. “The people need to know how bad it is and how it hurts the woman, how it hurts the man, the family and society.”

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NOVEMBER 4, 2010 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

Marriage catechesis remains archdiocesan priority in wake of DVD controversy By Maria Wiering The Catholic Spirit

It’s been six weeks since the Minnesota bishops mailed 400,000 DVDs to Minnesota Catholics opposing same-sex marriage. The mailing, which explained the church’s teaching on marriage and urged Catholics to support an amendment to the state constitution defining marriage as between one man and one woman, received praise as well as criticism. Most recently, about 100 people who support samesex marriage formed an arc around the Cathedral of St. Paul after Mass Oct. 31 to protest the DVDs’ message. They held signs with slogans including “Love is NOT a mortal sin” and “God created us to be gay.” Four days earlier, about 75 Catholics who support the bishops’ effort attended an evening event at St. John the Baptist in New Brighton that included a viewing of the DVD, a talk about the church’s teaching on marriage, and a question-and-answer session with three priests.

Those critical of the mailing accused the bishops of attempting to influence voters before the Nov. 2 election, inappropriately spending money during an economic downturn, and discriminating against gay Catholics. (It was later noted that an anonymous donor covered the DVDs’ cost.)

Drawing support, criticism Some Catholics returned the DVD to the archdiocese in protest. Others contributed it to a drive that promised to donate food to St. Stephen Human Services in exchange. Minneapolis artist Lucinda Naylor was suspended from her artist-in-residence position at the Basilica of St. Mary after she began to collect DVDs to create a piece of protest art. Because Archbishop Nienstedt speaks on the DVD, he’s been singled out both locally and nationally for the majority of the praise and criticism. The DVD was integral to an ongoing catechesis effort of the archdiocesan Office for Marriage, Family and Life, PLEASE TURN TO GOD ON PAGE 9

Cardinal: Development must not use people as tools Cardinal Peter Turkson spoke at the University of St. Thomas Oct. 26 on the role of the human person in globalization and development as described in Pope Benedict XVI’s most recent encyclical. A native of Ghana, Cardinal Turkson is the president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace. His talk, “Caritas in Veritate: Good News for Society,” was sponsored by St. Thomas’ Center for Catholic Studies and others. Global progress must focus on the development of the whole human person, and not use people as tools, he told the audience. The current economic challenges are a result of a CARDINAL TURKSON flawed vision of progress, he added. Catholic Spirit reporter Maria Wiering interviewed the cardinal about the encyclical and its meaning for all Catholics, the issue of AIDS in Africa, and Africa’s struggle to develop. Read the entire interview online at THECATHOLICSPIRIT.COM.

Catholics need imagination to address globalized world, journalist says Interview by Maria Wiering The first two trends in the book are the Author to speak at St. Kate’s Achurch foundational ones: One, about the rise of a world in a 21st century environment where The Catholic Spirit

Journalist John Allen was working toward a doctorate in Scripture when he started writing about religion for news publications. “I found I could be paid to write about religion without using footnotes and without using ancient languages by doing it as a journalist,” he quipped. Allen left graduate school to become one of the most respected Catholic news reporters and analysts while covering the last 10 years of Pope John Paul II’s papacy at the Vatican. Today, he is a senior correspondent for the National Catholic Reporter and senior Vatican analyst for CNN. His blog, “All Things Catholic,” can be found at HTTP://NCRONLINE.ORG/BLOGS/ALL-THINGS-CATHOLIC. Allen’s most recent book, “The Future Church: How Ten Trends are Revolutionizing the Catholic Church” (Doubleday, 2009), explores the relationship between globalization and the Catholic Church, and it identifies 10 trends the global church is facing this century. He spoke with The Catholic Spirit about the book, Catholic journalism and the American Catholic Church. The following are excerpts from the interview.

Q A

What inspired you to write “The Future Church”?

There were two things I was trying to accomplish with the book. One was to invite American Catholics to think more globally about issues in the church. If there’s one thing that two decades of covering the global church have brought home to me, it is that we Americans are 6 percent of the global Catholic population, which means that 94 percent of Catholics in the world are not like us, and they don’t have the same instincts about things, the same sense of priorities, and so on. So part of the motive of the book is just to invite a global perspective. The other is to get beyond the fairly narrow canon of issues that we usually think about when we talk about issues in the church. I suspect that if you stopped the average Catholic in Minneapolis-St. Paul and asked them to tick off four or five issues facing the Catholic Church, nine times out of 10 you’d get a pretty similar set of stuff. People would talk about the sex abuse crisis; and women in the church; and debates over sex, particularly gay rights and things like that; and power — how much power do the bishops have, and how much power does the pope have? Those are all phenomenally important questions, of course, but that’s hardly the whole Catholic story. There’s a lot else percolating in the church. I, of course, have long been aware of that. I’ve long been frustrated that in my work as a journalist, and maybe not so much for the National Catholic

John Allen will speak about “The Future Church” Nov. 9 at St. Catherine’s University at 7:30 p.m. at The O’Shaughnessy. The event is free, but reservations are required. Call (651) 690-6700 to reserve tickets.

Reporter, but the stuff that I do for CNN and the big secular news outlets, you rarely get a chance to talk about all that, so the book gave me an outlet. Thinking globally, and thinking beyond the normal mix of things that we think about as issues in the church — that’s what the book is about. Why do you think that American Catholics have developed the view of the church that we have?

We reflect broader American culture. We are the world’s manufacturer of culture, right? We produce the books and the movies and the music that the rest of the world consumes. We’re not in the habit of consuming culture from elsewhere. Very few Americans on a daily basis would read a foreign newspaper. Foreign movies play only in art houses and to a pretty small demographic, and on and on. So part of it is the basic insularity of American culture. In terms of the Catholic thing, we are a very big and very diverse church just unto ourselves. The Catholic experience of the Northeast is very different from the Catholic experience in the Southwest, which is very different from the Catholic experience in the Midwest. When American Catholics think about diversity, I think they typically think about diversity within the American Catholic Church and don’t take the next step of putting it in the context of the diversity of the global church. But increasingly we have to do that because we live in a world where two-thirds of the Catholics on the planet today live outside the West; they live in the Southern Hemisphere. By mid-century, that’s going to be three-quarters, which means that increasingly in the 20th century, the tone in the Catholic Church is going to be set by the global South, and it’s important for Americans to start thinking about what that’s going to mean.

In the beginning of your book, you issue a warning that Catholics will need imagination to rise to the new challenges posed this next century. Of the 10 trends your book identifies, which one might require American Catholics to stretch their thinking the most?

leadership is going to be coming from the global South. The other one I call “evangelical Catholicism,” which is this strong emphasis on recovering a clear sense of Catholic identity, over and against a secular world in the global North. I think both of them challenge American Catholics. They challenge our myopia as Americans, and they also challenge the various ways in which we live in a secular world. And, we do face the challenge of recovering a sense of Catholic distinctiveness. What makes us different as Catholics, and where do we need to draw lines between who we are as Catholics and the kind of values and ways of doing business that are on offer in the broader culture? I think both of those will stretch us in ways that are both creative and sometimes painful. At the end of the book, you describe the tendency among American Catholics to categorize each other’s views as “liberal” or “conservative.” Is this problematic? If so, how can American Catholics move past this when it seems to have become so entrenched in the way we think about the church?

I usually say that the situation in the American church is not so much polarization between left and right, it’s more tribalization. If you look around, we’ve got all kinds of different tribes — there’s the pro-lifers, there’s the neo-cons, there’s the church reform crowd, and there’s the peace and justice crowd, and the liturgical traditionalists, and all of that. I think that, in principle, all of that diversity is very healthy, but it’s obviously very dysfunctional when these tribes stop communicating and start seeing each other as the enemy. I think too often that’s our situation.

And you ask, what can be done about that? Where I would start is realizing that it’s not somebody else’s problem to solve. Quite often, we want to rely on our institutions to fix this problem — [i.e.] this is something the bishops should be doing, or this is something the theologians should be doing. But this isn’t a doctrinal problem, this isn’t a structural problem, it’s a cultural problem, and cultures only change when people decide they need to. So, this is a classic example of where the change has to come from the bottom up rather than the top down. It’s a profoundly counter-cultural exercise because, PLEASE TURN TO AMERICAN ON PAGE 20

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THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • NOVEMBER 4, 2010

Finances force St. Mary’s Home closure By Julie Carroll The Catholic Spirit

St. Mary’s Home, a Catholic-affiliated senior housing facility in St. Paul, will close at the end of the year due to financial challenges, its parent organization, Franciscan Health Community, announced Oct. 20. Franciscan Health Community will assist the Highland Park nursing home’s 70 residents in relocating, said Joe Stanislav, FHC president and CEO. The organization also will provide outplacement and job counseling services to approximately 150 employees whose positions will be eliminated, he said. The facility is set to close Dec. 31. Franciscan Health Community’s Adult Day Services and Southwest Area Meals programs also will be eliminated Nov. 30 due to shared staff and facilities with St. Mary’s Home. Approximately 80 clients will be affected. “This was an extremely difficult decision to make, but the current model of care is no longer viable given changes in health care funding combined with the costly improvements needed to our 74year-old facility,” Stanislav said. He cited as the primary reason for the closure a federal fire code mandate that would have required the installation of an elevator and sprinkler system and other updates to the facility totaling an estimated $2 million to $3 million. In addition, Stanislav said, nursing homes across the country are experiencing severe economic challenges due to reductions in Medicaid and Medicare funding, state aid and the growing trend to provide more home-based services. “This past year, we had 0 percent increase [in government funding],” Stanislav said. Toby Pearson, executive director of Catholic Health Association-Minnesota, said if the state continues to cut or freeze reimbursement rates for nursing homes, more will likely close. Some have responded by adding long-term care and

“This was an extremely difficult decision to make, but the current model of care is no longer viable.

”

JOE STANISLAV

other services to provide a more financially stable “continuum of care,” he added.

Looking to the future Ed Martini, chair of Franciscan Health Community’s board of directors, said in a press release that the organization is working to develop “a new model . . . that will better meet the health care needs of today.” “For the last few years,” Stanislav said, “we’ve focused more and more on end of life care with our home care hospice and taking over sponsorship of Our Lady of Good Counsel Home [in St. Paul]. So our focus is turned there at least in the near term, and we’re working as a board to get a longer term vision.” “However, we’re totally committed to the remaining projects at this point, and we’re going to still be here,” he added. Since 1936, Franciscan Health Community has provided housing and health care services to help seniors live as independently as possible. The organization is a participating affiliate of Catholic Senior Services, the outreach program created by the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis to meet the growing need for quality senior housing and services. It is a member of the Catholic Health Association, Aging Services of Minnesota and the American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging.

Send us your original and personal prayer Hail Mary full of grace The Lord is with thee Blessed art thou among women And blessed is the fruit Of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, mother of God, Pray for us sinners now And at the hour of our death. Amen. The Catholic Spirit Forty-one words. That’s all there are in the “Hail Mary.” We’ll be generous, though. We’ll let you use 100 words to compose a new prayer, and we’ll take the best of those prayers — and some favorites of our own — to create The Catholic Spirit Book of Prayer that also will be accessible on THECATHOLIC SPIRIT.COM. You pick the topic, whatever you choose to say in a prayer. It can be of any of the five types of prayer (see box). You’ll be hitting the mark if you can make your prayer both personal and universal; it should be meaningful both to you and to others — something you want to pray and something other people will find valuable for their prayer lives, too. Members of The Catholic Spirit staff and board of directors will select a variety of entries to include in The Catholic Spirit Book of Prayer, a new project we’ll be producing just in time to help us celebrate the 100th anniversary of our archdiocesan newspaper during 2011. We’ll be creating a “Prayer Room”

5 types of prayer 1. Prayers of praise and adoration, which focus on the love, power, glory and majesty of God. 2. Prayers of penitence, in which one asks for forgiveness. 3. Prayers of petition, where one asks for something for one’s self. 4. Prayers of thanksgiving, that express our gratitude for God’s gifts, mercy, etc. 5. Prayers of intercession, that request something for another.

on our website where those prayers will be available 24/7, 365.

Deadline is Dec. 1 Your entry might be a prayer for a special occasion, for a typical life situation, for a specific special intention or need. Only original prayers will be considered, so don’t copy something from another source. Enter as many times as you like, but remember: 100 words or less. And hurry; the deadline is noon, Wednesday, Dec. 1. Submit entries either of two ways: ■ Go to THECATHOLICSPIRIT.COM. Click on “Web Extras” and then on “Prayer Book” and follow the instructions. ■ By mail to “Prayers,” The Catholic Spirit, 244 Dayton Ave., St. Paul, MN 55102. All entries become the property of The Catholic Spirit Publishing Co., and submission implies permission to publish your prayer in any and all Catholic Spirit media.

NOTICE Look for The Catholic Spirit advertising insert from

SHARING AND CARING HANDS in all copies of this issue.

Adoption

NOVEMBER 4, 2010 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

New addition to busy brood brings blessings and abundant joy By Julie Pfitzinger

Want to know more?

For The Catholic Spirit

Since joining the Thibault family in July, little Stanislav (nicknamed Stas), 3, has made huge strides. He has learned to swallow from a Sippy cup, feed himself, scoot up and down stairs, and he recently started walking — and will probably soon be running — around the family’s Shoreview home. More important, this cheerful little boy born with Down syndrome, who spent the first three years of his life in an orphanage in the Ukraine, has discovered what it means to be loved whole-heartedly by his parents, Dan and Gretchen, and his six siblings. That includes 4-year-old brother Ricky, who also has Down syndrome and was adopted at birth by the Thibaults. It’s a busy life with a brood that ranges in age from 3 to 16, but Gretchen Thibault said she is grateful to God for the blessings of her family. In the first weeks after the couple, along with their oldest daughter, Lizzie, 15, brought Stas home, Gretchen recalls how simple activities like taking her new son out of his car seat would often reduce her to tears. “I would cry out of the joy of his joyful expression and, at the same time, feel so sad for all the other little ones we saw in the orphanage and whose faces I still can’t forget,” she said. At the Ukrainian orphanage, one of several in the region, children like Stas are confined to cribs day in and day out, with little social interac-

Gretchen Thibault of St. Charles Borromeo in St. Anthony plays with her two adopted sons, Stanislav (Stas), left, and Ricky. Gretchen and her husband, Dan, recently adopted Stas from the Ukraine. Dave Hrbacek / The Catholic Spirit

tion. Once they reach the age of 4, they are sent to a mental institution that has patients as old as 18; approximately 80 percent of the children die within their first year there, Thibault said.

Hearing the call The Thibaults’ journey to that orphanage began several months ago when Gretchen and Dan, parishioners at St. Charles Borromeo in St. Anthony, felt called to adopt another child. (In addition to Ricky, who was born in the Twin Cities, they also have an adopted daughter Jenny, 11, from Guatemala). Immediately following the earthquake in Haiti earlier this year, the couple thought that might be where God was calling them, but Gretchen

said she “never felt settled” about that plan for some reason. Around the same time, Lizzie, whom her mother says has a “true heart for special needs children,” was visiting a website called Reece’s Rainbow. Based in Maryland, the organization promotes international adoption of children with Down syndrome and other special needs and provides photos of waiting children. “When we adopted Ricky, it was Dan who initially suggested that we adopt a special needs child,” said Gretchen, adding that her husband had a brother with Down syndrome who died at a young age. Once she saw a photo of Stas, identified as “Ross” because alias names are always used for the

Eastern European children on the Reece’s Rainbow site, Gretchen said she felt “a peace like no other” and knew that God had led them to their new child. Both Ricky and Stas receive occupational and physical therapy, as well as speech therapy. The family has also taught the boys to use sign language; Ricky already knows about 300 words and Stas recently surprised Gretchen by signing “more” back to her when she was splashing with him as she gave him a bath. “It is amazing to us to see how far Stas has progressed in such a short amount of time,” she said.

For more information about Reece’s Rainbow, visit WWW.REECES RAINBOW.ORG. Gretchen Thibault is also willing to answer questions from those interested in learning more about adopting a child with Down syndrome. She can be reached via e-mail at DGTHIBAULT@ COMCAST.NET.

PLEASE TURN TO ADOPTION ON PAGE 8

College scholarships help birth mothers with tough decisions Over the past three years, the Adoption Option Committee Inc., a Minnesota nonprofit, has awarded scholarships totaling $12,000 to Minnesota birth mothers who chose adoption for their children. One scholarship recipient who made an adoption plan for her child said, “Being pregnant at 15 was a frightening, yet eye-opening experience. “I suddenly had decisions to make. Once I realized the option of adoption, I suddenly felt at peace.” The birth mother went on to graduate from high school, earn a bachelor’s degree in psychology, and is in her final year of a master’s program. In addition to her academic success, she and her husband are expecting a child. According to the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, only 40 percent of teens who have a baby at age 17 or earlier finish high school. Scholarship applications are available at AOCI’s Internet site at WWW.AOCI.ORG, at the organization’s teen-focused information site at WWW.ITKTEENS.ORG, and at, social service and high school counselors’ offices across Minnesota. The applicant must be enrolled at a certified institution of higher learning.

Raking in funds for education

Submitted photo

Jada Dean, above, a kindergartner at Our Lady of the Lake School in Mound, joined her classmates Oct. 29 for the school’s annual Rake-a-Thon. The students raked 24 yards in the Westonka community for residents who were unable to do the work themselves. Local businesses Metropro Inc., Landscaping and Beniek Landscaping Services donated trucks to remove the leaf piles. The fundraiser raised $37,000 through sponsorships from friends, family members, co-workers and neighbors. Taylor Leonard and Cheryl Kemunto, left, both second-graders, also volunteered. Other Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis participate in similar fundraising activities at this time of year as part of the Marathon for Nonpublic Education.

NOVEMBER 4, 2010 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

Cemetery, families share monument care responsibility By Maria Wiering The Catholic Spirit

Calvary Cemetery in St. Paul has received more than 200 calls inquiring about sinking grave markers since WCCO’s I-TEAM investigated the phenomenon in early October. Most callers are not calling because they know a grave marker needs maintenance, but to see if the cemetery could check on the status of their loved one’s marker, said Linda Radtke, the cemetery’s office manager. In some parts of the cemetery, markers — stones that lay flush with the ground surface — have sunk as much as four inches into the ground. This affects about 1,000 of the cemetery’s 106,000 graves, said Jon Louris, operations manager at Calvary and St. Mary’s Cemeteries. Most markers that appear sunken are not. Rather, grass and turf have grown over the markers’ edges due to a robust growing season, said Catholic Cemeteries director John Cherek. In these cases, simple maintenance with a weed trimmer or spade remedies the situation. During the summer, two to three visitors per week on average reported the issue to the cemetery office, Radtke said. Most of them are visiting the cemetery for the first time. About 1,000 of the cemetery’s 60,000 to 70,000 markers require more substantial work. The ground around these markers has shifted or settled over the years, and the stones must be reset, which entails removing them from the ground and infilling the spaces under them before they are re-laid. “It’s a natural phenomenon,” Radtke said. “A marker is typically 120 pounds in a two-foot-square area sitting on dirt. As it gets wet and dry, it sinks. The mower goes over it. And, it depends on the soil conditions in different parts of the cemetery.” The part of the cemetery that has the most sunken grave markers is a group of single grave sites (as opposed to family plots) on a hill, and most were laid between 1900 and 1920. Today, the use of grave vaults decreases the likelihood of sinking markers, but vaults were not commonly used until the late 1950s.

Shared responsibility As an organization, Catholic Cemeteries oversees five Twin Cities Catholic cemeteries. Calvary and St. Mary’s Cemetery in Minneapolis are the oldest. Employees maintain the grounds and the grave sites within reason, Cherek said. Resetting grave markers is not usually part of regular maintenance, but it could be done during the restoration of an entire section. Usually families pay for a marker to be reset, which costs about $30. However, Catholic Cemeteries would reset a marker if a family could not afford it, Louris said. Resetting markers is typically done on a case-by-case basis. Calvary Cemeteries has waived the standard fee for marker resetting for now because it reset the marker belonging to the father of Ali Abdullah, the man featured in the WCCO story, for free. Families or friends share responsibility for grave site maintenance with the cemetery, Louris said. They purchase the plot. The cemeteries’ staffs maintain the

Plan outlines appeals process for parishes CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3

Some “sinking” grave markers at Calvary Cemetery in St. Paul require re-setting; most just need trimming. Melanie Richtman / For The Catholic Spirit

grounds, but additional work on monuments or markers requires the plot-owners’ cooperation.

Cost of maintenance Although removing overgrowth from markers is part of regular maintenance, the lack of funding prevents restoration needed in some areas. “We simply don’t have the staffing that we used to have,” Cherek said. The current U.S. economy is one factor, and changing cemetery practices is another, he said. Because of cremation, some people are foregoing cemetery burial or interment, Cherek said. Instead, an increasing number of families are keeping or scattering cremated remains, or burning the remains on their own property. The Catholic Church discourages these practices, teaching that bodies or cremated remains should be buried or entombed in a cemetery. Cemetery visits have declined, too, Cherek said. Where visiting a grave site may have been part of a person’s regular routine 100 years ago, it is not often a part of contemporary culture. Yet, cemeteries are important sacred spaces for Catholics, and their maintenance is important both for the dignity of those buried in them and their families. Even on Nov. 2, All Souls’ Day, Radtke did not expect many additional cemetery visitors. Catholic Cemeteries is also hoping volunteers will be able to help with maintaining grave sites. It would like to see volunteers spearhead a development fund to pay for additional maintenance, instead of actually doing the demanding physical work. Cherek is aware of other U.S. cemeteries that have developed long-term restoration plans. Lisa McIntire, 50, visited the cemetery Oct. 16 and helped to pull back overgrown sod from some of Calvary’s markers. She thought her great-great-grandfather’s marker was affected by sinking or overgrowth since she couldn’t find it, but then learned he never had a marker. The cemetery’s office helped her locate the grave, and she hopes that clearing markers might help other people locate ancestors’ graves. McIntire, who is not Catholic, would like to see more volunteers doing the same, she said. “I just have this in my value system to do this,” she said.

The decree and the strategic plan outline the entire appeal process for parishioners or parish representatives and give them access to the Code of Canon Law. An appeal to Rome must be submitted in writing within 15 days of the appeal decision by the archbishop or after expiration of the response period if no response is issued.

Some misunderstandings “In a significant number of [appeal letters], there’s been a misunderstanding about what’s actually been decided” Haselberger said. “People will write in and say, ‘Don’t close our church,’ even though the decree has said that no decision has been made regarding closing church buildings.” Each merged parish would decide when it’s no longer possible to maintain a worship site, but those discussions have not been talked about or decided at this time, she said. “When that does happen — if there is a decision taken to close a church building as opposed to merge a parish — that’s a separate process and people have the right to appeal that decision as well,” Haselberger said. “The appeal process that’s established by canon law lets individuals whose rights are impacted challenge any decision. So, the decision to close a church building could definitely be appealed.” The Congregation for Clergy tries to respond in a “timely manner,” Haselberger added. But, sometimes additional information is needed to make a “good and honest choice.”

Strategic plan mergers ■ Annunciation receives Visitation, both in Minneapolis. ■ St. Anthony of Padua receives Holy Cross, St. Clement and St. Hedwig, all in Minneapolis. ■ St. Bridget receives St. Austin, both Minneapolis. ■ Blessed Sacrament receives St. Thomas the Apostle and moves toward cluster with St. Pascal Baylon, all in St. Paul. ■ St. Pascal Baylon receives St. John and moves toward cluster with Blessed Sacrament, all in St. Paul. ■ Cathedral of St. Paul receives St. Vincent de Paul, both in St. Paul. ■ Maternity of the Blessed Virgin receives St. Andrew and moves to collaboration with Holy Childhood, all in St. Paul. ■ St. James receives St. Francis de Sales and moves to collaboration with St. Stanislaus, all in St. Paul. ■ Holy Trinity receives St. Augustine, both in South St. Paul. ■ St. Genevieve, Centerville, receives St. John the Baptist, Hugo. ■ St. Wenceslaus, New Prague, receives St. John the Evangelist, Union Hill; St. Joseph, Lexington; St. Scholastica, Heidelberg; St. Thomas, St. Thomas. ■ Holy Trinity, Goodhue, receives St. Columbkill, Belle Creek, and St. Mary, Bellechester. ■ Our Lady of Grace, Edina, receives Most Holy Trinity, St. Louis Park. ■ Most Holy Redeemer, Montgomery, receives St. Canice, Kilkenny, and clusters with St. Patrick, Shieldsville. To view the entire strategic plan, go to HTTP:// or for more articles visit THECATHOLICSPIRIT.COM. PLANNING.ARCHSPM.ORG,

Adoption takes St. Charles family on journey CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7 While some might assume that raising two children with Down syndrome would be daunting, Gretchen called her sons “pure joy.” “Children with Down syndrome are not who the world makes them out to be,” she said. “All parents typically expect their children to fit into a certain kind of box. These little guys have a whole different box. We don’t know what their potential is. All we want for them is to be the very best they can be.”

Praying together Since adopting Stas, the family has become acquainted via online blogs with several other families affiliated with Reece’s Rainbow who have adopted or are in the process of adopting special needs children. They regularly pray for one another, share information and take joy in the photos they all share of their happy, growing families. Speaking of growing, it’s likely the Thibault family will consider adopting another child with special needs. “I would say it’s not a matter of ‘if’ we will adopt again, it’s when,” said Gretchen. “Sure, life is busy, but if God calls us, we are open.”

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • NOVEMBER 4, 2010

God created marriage, and man cannot change it, church says CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5 said its director Kathy Laird. The office has been focusing on this issue for more than two years, and plans to continue to make it a priority, she said. Whether the DVD can achieve its objective of getting a constitutional amendment on the ballot remains to be seen. But the controversy has exposed a division within the Catholic community over gay marriage that reflects a division within American culture at large. Same-sex marriage is legal in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Iowa, Vermont, Maine and New Hampshire. New Jersey, Maine, Nevada, Hawaii, California, Nevada, Oregon, Washington and the District of Columbia recognize same-sex domestic partnerships or civil unions. Conversely, 30 states have constitutional amendments that define marriage as between one woman and one man. Minnesota is among the states that have statutes, but not an amendment, pro-

hibiting same-sex marriage. The Catholic Church teaches that marriage is reserved exclusively for one man and one woman. Additionally, gay people are to be loved, welcomed and respected, and are called to live chaste lives. Homosexual intimacy is viewed as a grave sin, as is all extra-marital sex. Because the church views marriage as a sacrament instituted by God, rooted in Scripture, and affirmed by natural law, changing its view of marriage as something between one man and one woman is outside of its power. And because it seeks to morally guide the broader culture, the church does not support civil gay unions under any title. “We believe this is an issue not just about the religious meaning of marriage, but the natural, human meaning that affects the common good of all people, including those of us of other faiths, or no faith at all,” Father Michael Skluzacek, pastor of St. John the Baptist in New

Brighton, said at the Oct. 27 gathering. “Every person, no matter what their attraction, is entitled to the same rights, dignity, and respect as everyone else,” he said. “But what the church cannot do, and what we’re saying the state cannot do, is redefine an institution that has been ordained by God and a part of our very nature as human beings. This is not about rights, but about the meaning of an institution, the meaning of marriage — what is it.” Marriage is core to salvation, said St. John Vianney Seminary rector Father Michael Becker, who provided catechesis on marriage at the event. He pointed to Genesis, which describes God creating man and woman in his image. Man and woman image God together in marriage and, as something of God’s image, marriage belongs to God, not to man, he said. Married couples are meant to help each other grow in holiness, he added.

Gay people can live holy lives through chastity, which involves uniting one’s sufferings to Christ, according to a 1986 letter on the pastoral care of homosexuals from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith to Catholic bishops. The U.S. bishops expounded upon the issue in a 1997 pastoral letter to parents of homosexuals: “The chaste life is possible, though not always easy, for it involves a continual effort to turn toward God and away from sin, especially with the strength of the sacraments of penance and Eucharist.”

Challenge of chastity Michael Bayly, a gay Catholic and founder of Catholics for Marriage Equality Minnesota, said the church’s teaching about homosexuality is wrong. The ability to live lifelong celibacy is a gift from God, Bayly said, and he doubts that all gay people are given that gift. Bayly does not disagree with the bishops speaking out on social issues, but a statement on something like immigration or poverty would encourage Catholics to include, not exclude, others, he said. “I just think that’s not the Catholic way,” he said. “I understand Catholicism as being a very sacramental religion, in which God is present in the world. I just wish the hierarchy would be open to God’s presence in gay people’s lives in relationships.” About 25 members of the Rainbow Sash Alliance USA attended Mass at the Cathedral Oct. 31 wearing rainbow sashes to identify themselves as opposed to the church’s view of homosexuality. They were given a blessing instead of the Eucharist when they went to receive Communion. In a statement issued before Communion, sash-wearers were invited to remove their sashes and stand in unity with other Catholics. Cathedral officials viewed wearing the sash as using the Eucharist for political protest; sash-wears, including St. Francis Cabrini in Minneapolis parishioner Mary Eoloff, who has a gay son, described it as a “celebration” of those who are gay. She views church teaching as excluding her son from Catholic life. The church, however, states that homosexuals are welcome in the church, but, like all Catholics, they are asked to renounce sin, which includes homosexual activity. In the church’s view, all sexual acts that use the other person for pleasure, and cannot be fruitful, reduce the other’s dignity and are distortions of God’s intention for sexual intimacy. “Even if two people say, ‘I really do desire the other person’s happiness,’ the reality of this individual act is using another,” Father Becker said. Marriage bookends the Bible, Father Becker said, noting that it is found both in Genesis with Adam and Eve, and in Revelation, with the wedding of Christ to the church. “All of heaven is summed up in a consummation of a love affair, that Jesus Christ is marrying the church, that God is marrying his people,” he said. He added: “The best way we can describe heaven is to speak about marriage. Is marriage just to be one other political issue, very low on the totem pole? Well, if all of heaven is summarized as a wedding, that’s pretty significant.”

“Those who look for the laws of nature as a support for their new works collaborate with the creator.” Antonio Gaudi, architect of Sagrada Familia in Barcelona

Nation/World 10

NOVEMBER 4, 2010

News from around the U.S. and the globe

The Catholic Spirit

Pilgrim pope: Journey to Spain highlights traditional, modern faith By Carol Glatz Catholic News Service

Pope Benedict XVI has said he’s heading to Spain Nov. 6-7 as a pilgrim, and the trip will give him an opportunity to participate in the most popular foot pilgrimage in Europe, the “camino” or journey to Santiago de Compostela. His pilgrimage also will give him an opportunity to pay homage to a more modern expression of a Spaniard’s faith when he travels to Barcelona for the dedication of Antoni Gaudi’s Church of the Holy Family, more widely known by its Spanish name, Sagrada Familia. As a pilgrim, the pope is expected to highlight the virtue of hope and the church’s mission of charity in an increasingly secularized nation.

Spain concerning bishops A traditionally Catholic country, Spain has embarked on a number of policies that have caused local bishops much concern. Since Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero came to power in 2004, church leaders have protested the scrapping of religion classes from the state school curriculum and cuts in funding for Spain’s private schools. They also have taken issue with the government over its relaxation of divorce laws, legalization of gay marriage and legislation to make abortion more accessible. Pope Benedict obviously has something to say about the direction Spain is moving and the trip — the pope’s 18th visit abroad — is likely to include pleas that Spaniards recognize how much the faith has and continues to contribute to the country, a theme Pope Benedict has continually shone the spotlight on during his pontificate.

A pilgrim rests along the Way of St. James in the northern Spanish town of Burgos July 24. Pope Benedict XVI has said he is heading to Spain Nov. 6-7 as a pilgrim, and the trip will give him the opportunity to participate in the most popular foot pilgrimage in Europe, the “camino” or journey to Santiago de Compostela.

Pilgrimage to St. James A high point of the trip will be the pope’s arrival in Santiago de Compostela Nov. 6 to visit one of Catholicism’s most popular and ancient pilgrimage sites. Tradition holds that the remains of the apostle St. James the Greater — Santiago in Spanish — are buried in the city’s cathedral. The city has been a pilgrim destination for 11 centuries and today, thousands of people still walk, bike or ride atop donkeys or horses every year to visit the cathedral. Because the feast of St. James, July 25, fell on a Sunday this year, 2010 marks a holy year in which a special door is opened into the cathedral. In a message to a recent conference on the pastoral care of pilgrimages and shrines, the pope said he was looking forward to his pilgrimage to the tomb of St. James. He said ever since he was elected

CNS photo / Felix Ordonez, Reuters

PLEASE TURN TO CHURCH ON PAGE 25

CCHD adopts stronger policy to ensure funds used match church teaching By Dennis Sadowski Catholic News Service

Under persistent criticism from a small but vocal group of activists as well as questions from some bishops, leaders of the Catholic Campaign for Human Development have established “stronger policies and clearer mechanisms” to guide how grants are awarded to poverty-fighting groups and strengthen oversight of how funds are spent. Made public Oct. 26, the plan places greater emphasis on the Catholic identity of the 41-year-old program and renews the U.S. bishops’ commitment to fight poverty in all its forms, said Bishop Roger Morin of Biloxi, Miss., chairman of the bishops’ CCHD subcommittee. “There were those who were concerned that renewal in some way might mean moving away from a priority of helping the poor achieve greater self-sufficiency. There is a reaffirmation that the CCHD will continue to have a priority for the poor and in helping the poor to help themselves. That has not changed,” Bishop Morin told Catholic News Service. “For CCHD, its focus always was on poverty and try-

ing to always find the best method of dynamics or organizations to address poverty at the local level,” he said.

Making 10 commitments A 15-page document outlining the changes, “The Review and Renewal of the Catholic Campaign for Human Development,” provides a “road map for the renewal” of the program. It includes 10 commitments under which the program will operate. “These 10 commitments are neither an abandonment of CCHD’s foundations nor are they an effort to repackage ‘business as usual,’” the document states. The effort also aligns itself with the five priorities the bishops established for 2008-2011. CCHD goals, according to the document, most closely match three of the priorities: emphasizing the life and dignity of the human person, recognizing cultural diversity and strengthening marriage and family life. John Carr, executive director of the U.S. bishops’ Department of Justice, Peace and Human Development, said broader Catholic participation in the program is

expected under the plan. Traditionally, CCHD has funded neighborhood and community organizations, not all of which were Catholic or had formal Catholic participation. “It will be a plus for an application that has Catholic parishes and institutions,” Carr said. “(It’s) not a requirement, but it is a plus. It weighs favorably. The truth is the majority of our projects have substantial Catholic involvement. But we’re going to encourage and reward Catholic participation.”

Criticized for funding CCHD has been under fire since 2008 from critics who claim the program has lost its way by funding organizations that joined coalitions taking positions contrary to Catholic teaching on issues such as abortion and same-sex marriage. In recent years, at least eight bishops have decided not to participate in the annual collection, citing questions about the activities of groups being funded. The criticisms were the most recent the program has PLEASE TURN TO NEW ON PAGE 25

Nation / World

NOVEMBER 4, 2010 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

Peace is possible in Middle East, pope says at synod By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service

Closing the Synod of Bishops for the Middle East, Pope Benedict XVI said, “We must never resign ourselves to the absence of peace.” “Peace is possible. Peace is urgent,” the pope said Oct. 24 during his homily at the Mass closing the two-week synod. Peace is what will stop Christians from emigrating, he said. Pope Benedict also urged Christians to promote respect for freedom of religion and conscience, “one of the fundamental human rights that each state should always respect.” Synod members released a message Oct. 23 to their own faithful, their government leaders, Catholics around the world, the international community and to all people of goodwill. The Vatican also released the 44 propositions adopted by synod members as recommendations for Pope Benedict to consider in writing his post-synodal apostolic exhortation.

Regional tensions Although the bishops said the main point of the synod was to find pastoral responses to the challenges facing their people, they said the biggest challenges are caused by political and social injustice and war and conflict. “We have taken account of the impact of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on the whole region, especially on the Palestinians who are suffering the consequences of the Israeli occupation: the lack of freedom of movement, the wall of separation and the military checkpoints, the political prisoners, the demolition of homes, the disturbance of socio-economic life and the thousands of refugees,” they said in one of the strongest sentences in the message. They called for continued CatholicJewish dialogue, condemned antiSemitism and anti-Judaism and affirmed Israel’s right to live at peace within its “internationally recognized borders.” Although relations between Christians and Jews in the region often are colored by Israeli-Palestinian tensions, the bishops said the Catholic Church affirms the Old Testament — the Hebrew Scriptures — is the word of God and that God’s promises to the Jewish people, beginning with Abraham, are still valid. However, they said, “recourse to theological and biblical positions which use the word of God to wrongly justify injustices is not acceptable. On the contrary, recourse to religion must lead every person to see the face of God in others.”

Interfaith relations Addressing the synod’s final news conference Oct. 23, Melkite Bishop Cyrille S. Bustros of Newton, Mass., said, “For us Christians, you can no longer speak of a land promised to the Jewish people,” because Christ’s coming into the world demonstrated that God’s chosen people are all men and women and that their promised land would be the kingdom of God established throughout the world. The bishops’ point in criticizing some people’s use of Scripture was intended to say “one cannot use the theme of the Promised Land to justify the return of Jews to Israel and the expatriation of Palestinians,” Bishop Bustros said. In their message, the bishops expressed particular concern over the future of

CNS photo/ Paul Haring

Prelates attend the closing Mass of the Synod of Bishops for the Middle East in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican Oct. 24.

Local pastor: Holy Land needs Christians By Maria Wiering The Catholic Spirit

Drawing upon the Synod of Bishops for the Middle East’s summarizing text, Msgr. Sharbel Maroun, pastor of St. Maron in Minneapolis, a Maronite-rite parish with roots in Lebanon, said the gathering of Catholic bishops was truly “a new Pentecost.” He also described the synod, which was held Oct. 11 to 24 at the Vatican, as “one of the greatest events in the history of the church pertaining to the Middle East.” “It’s the first time that we see the church of the East and the West come together for one concern — the Middle East,” he said. Pope Benedict XVI visited the Holy Land last year, and his trip may have inspired the special synod, which the pope announced in September 2009, Msgr. Maroun said. The synod’s aim was pastoral. “The theme was ‘Communion and Witness’ — how to live as a community of Catholics of difMSGR. MAROUN ferent rites: Maronite, Armenian, Melkite, Coptic and Latin — and yet, how to witness to Christ . . . in the midst of an environment that is surrounded by hundreds of millions of Muslims as well as Jewish brothers and sisters who are our neighbors,” he said. The Catholic Church includes 22 Eastern churches, many of which have roots in the Middle East. “The church is calling the region itself to a rebirth, and a renewal, [and] to discover where it has failed in . . . witnessing to Christ and living the Gospel virtues,” he said. “It’s a big challenge.”

Small Christian population Even though Christians make up only a small percentage of the population in the Middle East, they should take heart in the work of the apostles and early Christians, Msgr. Maroun said. “The apostles were only 12, and yet they were able to change the world,” he said. Emigration from the Middle East, including the Holy Land, is an important issue for the whole church, Msgr. Maroun said. Christians are leaving the region because of the economy and violence. Almost half of Iraq’s 850,000 Christians have left since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003. According to Reuters, Christians make up less than 3 percent of the population in most Middle Eastern countries. Lebanon, Egypt and Syria are exceptions, with Christians comprising 35, 10 and 4.5 percent of the population respectively. Christians are less than 1 percent of the population in Turkey, Iran and the Palestinian territories. Yet, it is important for Christians to have a presence in the Holy Land, Msgr. Maroun said. And, it’s easier to bolster Christian presence now rather than to try to re-evangelize the region in the future. The synod summarized its conversations in a 44-point document, which is available at THECATHOLICSPIRIT.COM. The synod’s results represent the interests of all Catholics, not just those in Eastern churches, Msgr. Maroun said. “It’s very important that the whole church join efforts . . . in order to support Christianity in the Middle East. It all started there; it is our homeland,” he said. “If we deny our roots, we have no roots, and we have no future. . . . “[We have] to try to preserve Christianity there now, rather than to later on cry on the ruins, and say we should have done something . . . to keep Christians alive in the Middle East.” Jerusalem, particularly given Israeli “unilateral initiatives” that threaten the composition and demographic profile of the city through construction and buying up the property of Christians and other

Arabs. They also offered words of support for the suffering Iraqi people, both ChrisPLEASE TURN TO FREEDOM ON PAGE 26

Pope calls on world to help end savage violence in Iraq A deadly militant siege of a Catholic cathedral in Baghdad, Iraq, was a “savage” act of “absurd violence,” Pope Benedict XVI said. The pope urged international and national authorities and all people of good will to work together to end the “heinous episodes of violence that continue to ravage the people of the Middle East.” “In a very grave attack on the Syrian Catholic cathedral of Baghdad, dozens of people were killed and injured, among them two priests and a group of faithful gathered for Sunday Mass,” the pope said of the Oct. 31 incident. “I pray for the victims of this absurd violence, which is even more savage because it struck defenseless people, gathered in God’s house, which is a house of love and reconciliation,” he said after praying the Angelus with pilgrims in St. Peter’s Square Nov. 1, the feast of All Saints. Pope Benedict renewed his urgent call for peace in the Middle East.

Hostages taken Armed militants wearing explosives stormed the cathedral Oct. 31 while an estimated 100 faithful were celebrating evening Mass, news reports said. The terrorists first set off a car bomb across the street in front of the Baghdad Stock Exchange, which left at least two people dead. Then they stormed the church, killing another two people, according to reports. The militants, who said they were part of the Islamic State of Iraq — a group with suspected ties to al-Qaida — held parishioners and priests hostage in the hopes of leveraging the release of prisoners from their network. The terrorists demanded prisoners linked to al-Qaida be set free from detention in Iraq and Egypt and they threatened to blow up the church if military forces attempted to break the siege, according to Italian state media RAI. Iraqi security forces ringed the church and U.S. military flew overhead in helicopters. After a standoff that lasted hours, Iraqi forces stormed the cathedral and the ensuing firefight and a series of explosions left a large number of people dead and injured.

‘New evangelization’ is 2012 synod theme Pope Benedict XVI has chosen “new evangelization” as the theme for the next world Synod of Bishops in 2012. The pope said the topic reflects a need to re-evangelize in countries where Christian faith and practice have declined, and where people “have even moved away from the church.” The pope made the announcement at the end of his homily at the closing Mass Oct. 24 for the special Synod of Bishops for the Middle East, which focused on the pastoral challenges of the region. — Catholic News Service

“The people here are so good and so warm and welcoming.” Father Larry Hubbard, a priest of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, speaking about the archdiocesan mission in Venezuela where he once served

This Catholic Life 12

The Catholic Spirit

Opinion, feedback and points to ponder

NOVEMBER 4, 2010

Everybody should spend 10 days with a group of priests spent 10 days this fall traveling, touring, riding in the back of pick-up trucks, dining, praying, shooting the breeze and solving the problems of the world with a handful of our priests. If every Catholic got the chance to do the same they would all have a renewed love for their faith and a renewed faith in the priesthood. What great people. What great storytellers. What a tonic for the troubled times our church is going through. Although the trip ended up rejuvenating me and my spirit, this was no vacation. I went down to South America to report on the 40th anniversary celebration of our archdiocesan mission in Venezuela. I joined a group of priests who had served there, Bishop Lee Piché and two other lay people from our archdiocese who do mission work. The mission today is at Jesucristo Bob Zyskowski Resucitado (Risen Christ) Church in San Felix, a growing city that’s inland some 300 miles from Caracas. The mission lies amidst teeming barrios beset by poverty and unemployment. But this story isn’t about the mission. It’s about priests.

the regular 5:30 p.m. Mass, he was mobbed by parishioners whom he had served years ago. Father Larry Hubbard, retired now after serving several parishes — St. Stephen in Minneapolis most notably — always seemed to be talking about going to visit so and so or having lunch with somebody or other — people who he had befriended during the two different stints he served at the archdiocesan mission at three different San Felix parishes. “The people here are so good and so warm and welcoming,” he said. Father Tim Norris, pastor of St. Mark in Shakopee, had a similar experience, but he is the introvert in the group, the quiet one who listens more than speaks. It took one of the other priests to mention that while our trip wasn’t over yet Father Tim had already visited the homes of 73 families to reconnect with those he had ministered to during his seven years in Venezuela from 2000 to 2007.

Not lost in translation

Reflection

Bob Zyskowski / The Catholic Spirit

Father Frank Fried, pastor of Corpus Christi in Roseville, proclaims the Gospel at Virgen del Valle (Virgin of the Valley) Church, the parish in Puerto Ordaz, Venezuela, where he once served.

Servants first We weren’t in Venezuela for 15 minutes before the first incident happened. Waiting for our luggage to come down the chute at the airport in Caracas, Father Greg Schaffer excused himself from our conversation to help a middle-aged woman pick up the several pieces of luggage that had just tumbled off the piled-high cart she was pushing. It was a scenario repeated over and over and over. Somebody would drop something and Father Frank Fried would be bending over to pick it up for them. Somebody would be carrying something heavy and a priest would grab a portion to lighten their load. Father Thomas McCabe, who is stationed in Venezuela now with Father Greg, had a calendar full of pastoral appointments but never hesitated to make himself available to drive one of us visitors where we needed to go. The coup de grace was the hat incident. To ward off the blazing Venezuelan sun, Eric Simon, who works for the Center for Mission in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, wore a new, white UnderArmour brand ball cap — until the day we were riding in the back of a mission pickup and a gust of wind blew it right off his head. We watched it blow into the street behind us and into the gutter along the median of a busy city road. Eric said it wasn’t worth turning around in the heavy traffic to try to retrieve it. Some five or six hours later, Eric’s hat mysteriously sat on the kitchen table at the mission’s parish center. Father Dennis Dempsey — maybe the most in-shape 62-year-old priest you’ve ever known — finally admitted that when we got back to the mission he had biked back through the 90-degree heat and 95 percent humidity to see if he could find Eric’s hat — and, sure enough, there it was in the weeds on the boulevard.

Random acts of kindness Everywhere we went, at every turn, the priests impressed me. Father Greg had lined up dinners just about every night so we could meet with members of the various

Do you have a story to share? Have you been particularly impressed by a priest after spending several days with him on a pilgrimage or retreat? If so, we’d like to hear your story. Visit this article online at THECATHOLICSPIRIT.COM and share your experience in the comments section at the end.

ministry groups at Jesucristo Resucitado. After the first dinner, we all carried our dirty dishes to the sink in the kitchen. Before anyone else said a word, Bishop Piché had his hands in the water and started washing the dishes. Walking through the hospice for AIDS sufferers run by the Missionaries of Charity, the bishop made a point of going over to shake the hand of a patient in a wheelchair who had called to him. At the anniversary Mass on Oct. 2 one of the altar boys dutifully took the miter of Diocese of Guyana Bishop Mariano Parra, but no one came to take Bishop Piché’s. I watched as he caught the eye of one of the other servers, a little girl, and with a couple of subtle movements of the head and a lift of the miter, motioned for her to come to get his. She did, and came back to her seat beaming with this unexpected, new-found responsibility.

Loved and remembered Father Dempsey, who is pastor of St. Dominic in Northfield, is an extrovert who walked all over the 11 barrios during the visit. On the very first day we arrived, we hadn’t gone more than a block and a half when he heard voices in an inner courtyard and went over to say hello through the wrought iron fence. “Hola Padre Denny!” came the cry from within. Parishioners remembered him by name, even though it had been 11 or 12 years since he’d served in Venezuela. When he arrived at Jesucristo Resucitado Church for

While my four years of high school and college Spanish started to slowly come back, I really depended on the priests to act as translator for me when interviewing Venezuelan parishioners and parish staff. As the current pastor who has been at the archdiocesan mission for 12 years, Father Schaffer never hesitated to make sure I was getting the story. Father Dempsey helped, too. He hasn’t lost much of his fluency in Spanish, especially when it comes to singing. “When I got here I didn’t know any of the hymns in Spanish,” he explained. “I ended up putting together the parish songbook because I realized singing was a good way to push out the proper pronunciation. I realized how important music is in our culture and in theirs, too.” And if it wasn’t for Father Fried’s ability in Spanish, we might never have gotten out of the airport in Caracas. Still, it was how the liturgy affected our priests that impressed me more than anything.

Priorities in order Father Fried, pastor of Corpus Christi in Roseville, seemed visibly nervous, obviously wanting to do well, when he was asked to proclaim the Gospel and preach at Virgen del Valle (Virgin of the Valley) Church, the Puerto Ordaz parish where he had served years ago. Invited to preside at one of the regular parish Masses at Jesucristo Resucitado, Father Dempsey pored over the Spanish-language Bible and was still re-reading the next day’s Scripture to prepare his homily when the rest of us called it a night. Father Hubbard, a short, slight man who is never out of energy, is a walking, talking Wikipedia on both the history of the people of Venezuela and of the work that priests of the archdiocese and the Little Falls Franciscan Sisters have done with the Venezuelans through the years. He’ll readily share what he knows with anyone and everyone. Yet, you have to see him preach to see him really get energized. Walking down the main aisle as he preached at Buen Pastor (Good Shepherd) Church, where he had started the mission, he asked questions, called for people to raise their hands in response, and led shouts of “Viva”! It was fun to watch. And even more fun to get to know these “fathers” who have dedicated themselves to helping us as we make our way back to the Father. Bob Zyskowski is associate publisher of The Catholic Spirit.

This Catholic Life / Opinion-Letters

NOVEMBER 4, 2010 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

Let’s not let bullying claim any more victims

Editorial Joe Towalski

Parents and schools can work together to address a problem that continues to be all too common

Bullying is never OK. Period. It is never acceptable to call someone names, harass them or demean them because of what they look like, how they act or what they say. We know bullying is wrong; our children know it, too. But we also know that it happens all too often in school hallways, on playgrounds and on computers, where cyberbullying is a growing problem. Studies have indicated that 15 to 25 percent of students are bullied with some frequency. And, one survey of high school youth found that 4 percent missed at least one day of school in the previous month because they were frightened or intimidated by someone.

“We need to stay in touch with what’s happening on our children’s computer screens and smart phones in an age when bullying can easily take place on Facebook pages and in text messages.

Tragic consequences The effects of prolonged bullying can be devastating: diminished selfesteem, poor grades and increased social isolation. In some cases, victims may resort to violence, directing it at others or even themselves. That’s what happened at a college recently in a case that made national headlines: A Rutgers University freshman committed suicide last September after other students allegedly posted footage on the Internet of his sexual encounter with another male student. The incident was soon followed by another disturbing report. A survey by the Public Religion Research Institute found that two out of three Americans believe gay people commit suicide at least partly because of anti-gay messages they believe are professed by churches and other places of worship. With regard to the Catholic Church, in particular, that would be a misreading of what it teaches. The church calls all non-married people — including gay people — to chastity, but it also teaches that homosexual persons must be treated with respect and compassion. Picking on or hurting someone because of their perceived or actual

”J

OE TOWALSKI

istock photo

sexual orientation is, like other forms of bullying, never OK. It must be condemned and, when it occurs, the perpetrators must be punished appropriately. We should never knowingly allow someone’s Godgiven human dignity to be violated.

Taking action We shouldn’t forget, however, that students are targeted by bullies for a variety of reasons. Thankfully, schools today are more attuned to the subject of bullying, and many have good programs in place to address the issue with students and staff. Our Catholic schools and parish faith formation programs are uniquely equipped as well to address bullying by sharing Gospel lessons and the church’s teachings about the value of each and every human life. We parents as well should address the topic at home with our children as part of a daily check-in about the

school day. And, we need to stay in touch with what’s happening on our children’s computer screens and smart phones in an age when bullying can easily take place on Facebook pages and in text messages. Even if our children themselves aren’t the direct victims of bullying, we need to be clear that doing nothing when they see others being bullied is also unacceptable. Children need to be reassured they can talk to parents, teachers or other trusted adults who can help put an end to such abuse. They themselves can help by reaching out a hand of friendship to victims. Bullying is never OK. And while it might be naïve to think we can eradicate it totally, we can take additional steps in our schools and homes to reduce the number of children who are still being hurt on a daily basis.

Don’t water down truth in the name of civility It is always disheartening to see the obligatory “both parties are bad” letter that inevitably comes out every election time [“Civility lost in communicating political viewpoints,” Oct 18]. While Mr. Zimmerman’s longing for a spirit of civility is commendable, such a perspective blurs the real and important differences between the two main political parties. No one looking honestly at contemporary politics can deny that one party is consistently wrong on the most important pro-life issues such as embryonic stem cells, euthanasia and abortion. And yes, there is a huge difference between capital punishment and abortion — the catechism never says that abortion is sometimes permissible as it does with the death penalty and even war (see CCC 2267, 2270-2279). We would do well to remember that Jesus wasn’t always civil when he dealt with life’s most serious issues and, when it comes to protecting life, what we say is ultimately more important than how we say it. Let us speak the truth always with love (Ephesians 4:15). But when that truth is obscured, confused or watered down, how authentic can love really be?

Letter

RYAN DOWHOWER Nativity of Our Lord, St. Paul

Material printed on the Opinion and Letters page does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the archdiocese or The Catholic Spirit.

I was ordained to teach full spectrum of the Catholic faith CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2 Later that day, I attended a prayer service to mark the end of a 40-day vigil of prayer and fasting to end abortion at Regions Hospital.

Praying for life As you may or may not be aware, Regions Hospital is a teaching hospital that has its own abortion unit. Naturally, they do not advertise the number of abortions they perform per year, but it is known that more than 60 percent of these gruesome procedures are performed on minority women and on their unborn children. Pro-life Action Ministries organized the 40 days and the concluding vigil, which was attended by hundreds of concerned believers. Part of Sunday evening was spent with the parents of a 3-year-old as she went door-to-door “trick or treating.” The

evening concluded with me handing out candy at the archbishop’s residence.

No picking and choosing I regale you with these activities with one point in mind: no bishop, and in particular this archbishop, is a “single-issue” teacher. I was ordained to preach and to teach the full spectrum of the Catholic faith as it is contained in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. The media pick and choose what they want to cover in terms of controversial issues. I do not have that luxury. Like St. Paul, I must preach the full, Catholic message “whether convenient or inconvenient — correcting, reproving, appealing — constantly teaching and never losing patience” (2 Timothy 4:2). Please pray that I live up to that high standard. God bless you!

Archbishop Nienstedt’s schedule ■ Thursday-Friday, Nov. 4-5: Collegeville, Minn., St. John’s Abbey Guesthouse: Annual retreat of Catholic and Lutheran bishops. ■ Saturday, Nov. 6: 5 p.m., Buffalo, Church of St. Francis Xavier: Sunday liturgy. ■ Sunday, Nov. 7: 2 p.m., St. Paul, Cathedral of St. Paul: Confirmation. 8 p.m., St. Paul, University of St. Thomas: “Lectio divina.” ■ Monday, Nov. 8: 6 a.m., St. Paul, St. John Vianney College Seminary: Holy hour and Holy Eucharist, followed by breakfast. 10:30 a.m., St. Paul, The St. Paul Seminary: Meeting with administration. 11:35 a.m., St. Paul, The St. Paul Seminary: Holy Eucharist, followed by lunch. ■ Tuesday, Nov. 9: 8:30 a.m., St. Paul, Archbishop’s Residence: Scheduling meeting with staff. 9:30 a.m., St. Paul, Chancery: Archbishop’s Cabinet meeting. 1 p.m., St. Paul, Chancery: Presbyteral Council meeting. 3:30 p.m., St. Paul, Chancery: Meeting of College of Consultors. 6 p.m., St. Paul, Archbishop’s Residence: Dinner with St. John Vianney College seminarians who attended the Institute for Priestly Formation. ■ Wednesday, Nov. 10: 5:30 p.m., St. Paul, Archbishop’s Residence: Mass and dinner meeting of the Bio-Medical Ethics Commission. ■ Thursday, Nov. 11: 2 p.m., St. Paul, Chancery: Meeting with Notre Dame consulting firm on Catholic schools. ■ Saturday, Nov. 13: 10 a.m., Minneapolis, Basilica of St. Mary: Mass for Veterans. ■ Sunday-Thursday, Nov. 14-18: U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ general assembly in Baltimore, Md.

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • NOVEMBER 4, 2010

Commentary

/ This Catholic Life

A vocation that puts all your gifts to work is no minor call

Twenty Something Christina Capecchi

‘True calling,’ of course, is a safe, secular way of saying vocation

The question on the cover of the November issue of O, The Oprah Magazine, caught my eye: “What’s your true calling?” It appears beside a pared-down Oprah Winfrey — which is to say her fake eyelashes are less dramatic. The cosmetics are softer: brown eye shadow, peach lipstick. Wrapped in an ivory sweater, Oprah’s hands are drawn to her heart. She’s practically down-to-earth — except for the walnut-sized emerald on her right hand. “True calling,” of course, is a safe, secular way of saying vocation, and the words have the same origin. Vocation comes from Latin — the noun “summons,” based on the verb “to call.” It is, by definition, a call or summons, something with an irresistible pull — not a could-do or a should-do but a must-do. The life you were born to lead was designed by a detail-oriented creator who counted the hairs on your head and stamped you with unmatchable fingerprints.

The fuzzy vocations As Catholics, we identify the bigpicture vocations to marriage or religious life. When it comes to the smaller-scale vocations, a person’s work, the options are multiplied exponentially and things get fuzzy. Suddenly it’s time to declare a major, submit a resume and navigate a labyrinth of salaries, superiors and suits. Few jobs provide a perfect fit, satisfying that quiet hunger to use all your gifts and talents at once, heart and head in concert. Whether it is designing a house, building it, deco-

Rescued Chilean miner Alex Vega, center, embraces family members at the San Jose mine in Copiapo, Chile, during a thanksgiving Mass Oct. 17. CNS photo / Carlos Vera, Reuters

rating it, selling it or raising a family in it, a vocation feels both important and fun, exhausting and life giving.

I silently scolded myself then decided to accept the Chatty Kathy attack. I am an eternal reporter. So be it.

We can delay or deny, but the summons of a vocation cannot be escaped. I was reminded of this last week when I indulged in an hourlong massage. The lights were dimmed and ocean waves sounded, and I closed my eyes, preparing to shut up and shut down — until a nagging curiosity bobbed in my brain.

Committed to love

Where was my masseuse from? Where does she live? What’s her family like? I lobbed a few questions her way, and as she massaged my neck, I made eye contact several times, which required a lot of my eyeballs.

My masseuse proved just as committed to her vocation. Sitting beneath a framed diploma, Paula told me she’d been called to her industry as a teen. She rattled off the health benefits of massage and dismissed her lengthy commute. The next day I watched Chilean miners emerge from their deep desert tomb. The second rescue, 39year-old Mario Sepulveda, gave an early interview to CNN, professing a renewed commitment to his vocations of marriage and mining. He resisted the celebrity awaiting him. “I want to be treated as Mario

Sepulveda, as a worker, as a miner,” he said. “I want to continue to work because I think I was born to die tied to the anvil.” Then came the marriage bit, Mario’s counsel against divorce. “You’ve got to talk. Don’t put an end to things just like that. Love is the most beautiful thing in the world. . . . I’m going to live a long, long time, to have a new beginning with my son, my dear wife . . . and my daughter.” So go, pull yourself out of your own rocky entrapments. Follow your love and embrace your loved ones. It’s your true calling. Christina Capecchi is a freelance writer from Inver Grove Heights. She can be reached at WWW.READCHRISTINA.COM.

This world is just a brief stop on our way to final destination

Mission Link Deacon Mickey Friesen

Jericho has been a place you pass by on your way to Jerusalem

We recently passed through a rare occurrence on the calendar that only happens once a century. It was the 10th day of the 10th month of the 10th year — 10/10/10. It was also the symbolic date chosen to celebrate another rare occurrence — the 10,000th anniversary of the city of Jericho. This Palestinian city on the West Bank of the Jordan River is considered one of the oldest human communities in the world. To prepare for the event, planners envisioned great building projects, visits from foreign dignitaries and the hope that this day would lead to the final establishment of a Palestinian state. Well, the date has come and gone, but little progress was made on this plan and the world mostly passed by Jericho again. Passing by Jericho has been a regular part of its history. Jericho is not usually a final destination, but has been a place you pass by on your way to Jerusalem. It reminds me of some of the places you might stop at in South Dakota on the way to the Black Hills, such as the Corn Palace in Mitchell or Wall Drug. I don’t know of anyone who plans a trip to those places as a final destination. Rather, they are tourist stops on the way. Jericho is like that even to this day.

“Jesus passed through our world as a pilgrim among us ready to go out on a limb to meet us where we are and lead us to the New Jerusalem.

”

DEACON MICKEY FRIESEN

In Luke’s Gospel, Jesus also intended to pass through Jericho on his way to Jerusalem. But, he stopped when he encountered Zechaeus, a tax collector who went out on a tree limb to see who he was.

Stepping out on a limb Jesus, in turn, went out on a limb to enter the home of Zechaeus in violation of the ritual and purity laws that segregated the people of his time. Jesus’ mission was more like a pilgrimage on the way to Jerusalem to “seek out and save those who are lost” (Luke 19:10). He showed his disciples, and us, an example of what he meant when he taught: “Whatever town you enter and they welcome you, eat what is set before you, cure the sick in it and say to them ‘The Kingdom of God is at hand for you’” (Luke 10:4,8-9).

Jesus passed through our world as a pilgrim among us ready to go out on a limb to meet us where we are and lead us to the New Jerusalem. In a similar way, Vatican II described the church as a pilgrim people ready to bring the mercy of God to those we meet along the way. I was reminded of our pilgrim mission last month when I was visited by missionary sisters from the Philippines. The sisters have dedicated themselves to seeking out and saving women who have been forced into the sex trade. Each night, the sisters walk the city streets looking for young women who may be ready to leave prostitution. The sisters offer shelter for the women and their children. They also provide rehabilitation and job training to help them to care for themselves. The sisters said that the root of the

sex trade is perpetual poverty, which leads families into desperation; even selling their own daughters to live a life of misery and loss of dignity. They say we must address this root cause if there is to be real change.

Passing through Jerichos As we celebrate all of the saints this month, the Scriptures give us an image of a great procession of people on their way to the throne of the Lamb and the New Jerusalem. It is also an image of the Pilgrim Church passing through the Jerichos of our world, awake and ready to offer the Lord’s hospitality and mercy. We can live with an attitude that makes us ready to meet the Lord in the faces of the hungry, blind, naked and persecuted we meet along the way. “Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? When did we see you ill or in prison and visit you? And the King will say, ‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for the least of these, you did it for me’” (Matthew 25:37-40). Deacon Mickey Friesen is director of the archdiocesan Center for Mission.

“The Soul can hear the violets grow! It can hear the throbbing heart of God!” From “The Song of the Soul” by poet Edwin Leibfreed

The Lesson Plan The Catholic Spirit

Reflections on faith and spirituality

NOVEMBER 4, 2010

Scripture offers answers to challenges about resurrection he 20th chapter of Luke relates how the chief priests, scribes and the Sadducees tested Jesus. He responds to each test with an answer that silences the challengers. The challenge that we hear this weekend concerns a man who marries and dies without an heir. According to Jewish law, the man’s six brothers marry the same woman, each with the same result: death and no heir. The Sadducees ask Jesus whose wife the woman will be in heaven because all seven brothers married her. The Sadducees are not testing Jesus about marriage, as it might seem at first, rather they are challenging him about the resurrection. The Sadducees were a group of Jewish people who did not believe in two important things: the resurDeacon Anthony Urban rection and the immortality of the soul. This weekend’s readings answer the question: Why is the resurrection and the immortality of our soul so important? Jesus addresses this topic because it directly relates to what happens to us when we die. The end of the first reading gives us evidence of a belief in the resurrection in the Old Testament. A mother and her seven sons are being forced to violate God’s law. Each of them suffers great punishment for not giv-

Sunday Scriptures

Readings Sunday, Nov. 7 32nd Sunday in ordinary time ■ 2 Maccabees 7:1-2, 9-14 ■ 2 Thessalonians 2:16 — 3:5 ■ Luke 20:27-38

For reflection Take time to read about the resurrection in the Bible and contemplate the condition of your soul.

ing in to the demands of their persecutors. The fourth of the seven brothers tells his torturers before he dies: “But for you, there will be no resurrection to life.” The torturers were defeated soon thereafter.

Resurrection a reality The resurrection becomes more of a reality during Jesus’ ministry, especially through the raising of Jairus’

daughter (Luke 8:40-56) and the raising of Lazarus (John 11:1-46). We do not get a complete idea of the resurrection until our Lord dies on the cross as the sacrificial offering for the sins of mankind. The Paschal mystery reaches its fulfillment in the resurrection of Jesus after three days in the tomb. Through the resurrection, we are able to inherit eternal life and along with this the beautiful reality of union with God. As Catholics, we believe that after a person dies, their soul leaves their body. Our Lord demonstrates this on the cross when he says, “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit. And having said this, he breathed his last” (Luke 23:46). The Latin word for soul is “anima” and from this word we see the root for the word animate. When a person dies, it is because what animates us leaves our body. What we do now in our daily life has a big impact on what will happen to us after we die because we are judged by God on the condition of our souls. The seven brothers from Second Maccabees model for us how we ought to place our trust in the providence of the Lord. They remind us of this beautiful truth from St. Josemaria Escriva: “We belong to God completely, soul and body, flesh and bones, all our senses and faculties.” Deacon Anthony Urban is in formation for the priesthood at the St. Paul Seminary for the Diocese of Sioux Falls, S.D. His home parish is St. Mary in Sioux Falls and his teaching parish is St. Stephen in Anoka.

Daily Scriptures Sunday, Nov. 7 32nd Sunday in ordinary time 2 Maccabees 7:1-2, 9-14 2 Thessalonians 2:16 — 3:5 Luke 20:27-38 “But the Lord is faithful.” — 2 Thessalonians 3:3 Several years ago, my husband and I were driving over an icy freeway bridge when our car began to spin out of control. As our car headed for the concrete barrier, I felt an inexplicable sense of calm and peace. Although our car was completely totaled, neither of us were seriously injured. Very often our expectations keep us from recognizing God’s faithfulness. We confuse comfort and a carefree existence with God’s fidelity to us. But, it is in the midst of life’s unexpected twists and turns that we come to recognize the presence of God within and around us. Monday, Nov. 8 Titus 1:1-9 Luke 17:1-6 Without forgiveness, unity is impossible. Tuesday, Nov. 9 Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome Ezekiel 47:1-2, 8-9, 12 1 Corinthians 3:9c-11, 16-17 John 2:13-22 What disturbs you enough to risk your security? Wednesday, Nov. 10 Leo the Great, pope and doctor of the church Titus 3:1-7 Luke 17:11-19 Is there a blessing you have

overlooked or taken for granted? Thursday, Nov. 11 Martin of Tours, bishop Philemon 7-20 Luke 17:20-25 We have to let go of our demands before we can notice how God is present in our lives. Friday, Nov. 12 Josaphat, bishop and martyr 2 John 4-9 Luke 17:26-37 Notice what possession, person, role or position would be most difficult for you to give up on a moment’s notice. Saturday, Nov. 13 Frances Xavier Cabrini, virgin 3 John 5-8 Luke 18:1-8 Even our most desperate cries for help contain hope. Sunday, Nov. 14 33rd Sunday in ordinary time Malachi 3:19-20a 2 Thessalonians 3:7-12 Luke 21:5-19 “All that you see here, the days will come when there will not be left a stone upon another stone that will not be thrown down.” — Luke 21:6 Considered one of the most beautiful buildings in the whole Roman Empire, it would have been shocking for people to hear Jesus’ prediction that Herod’s temple would be destroyed. Yet, we know that by A.D. 70 it lay in ruins. One

day, we, too, will have to say goodbye to the things that were once so vital to our identity. Today, take time to notice what you are especially attached to and how far you would go to hang on to a possession, a position or a person. Recall a time when you completely accepted a loss and how you felt. Monday, Nov. 15 Albert the Great, bishop and doctor of the church Revelation 1:1-4; 2:1-5 Luke 18:35-43 Despite the negative voices within and around us, faith empowers us to seek and accept forgiveness. Tuesday, Nov. 16 Margaret of Scotland or Gertrude, virgin Revelation 3:1-6, 14-22 Luke 19:1-10 What extra effort are you willing to make in order to make conscious contact with the mystery we call God? Wednesday, Nov. 17 Elizabeth of Hungary, religious Revelation 4:1-11 Luke 19:11-28 Notice what happens when you make choices out of the fear of losing something or someone. Thursday, Nov. 18 Dedication of the Basilicas of Peter and Paul, apostles, or Rose Philippine Duchesne, virgin Revelation 5:1-10 Luke 19:41-44 Without humility, peace is impossible.

Friday, Nov. 19 Revelation 10:8-11 Luke 19:45-48 It isn’t until we try that we realize how difficult it is to keep mercy and compassion foremost in our hearts and minds. Saturday, Nov. 20 Revelation 11:4-12 Luke 20:27-40 We can focus on theological questions in order to avoid changing our hearts and minds. Sunday, Nov. 21 Christ the King 2 Samuel 5:1-3 Colossians 1:12-20 Luke 23:35-43 “He is the image of the invisible God, the first born of all creation.” — Colossians 1:15 I recently had one of those humbling moments when all my preconceptions and assumptions about a woman I had known for decades were shattered in an instant. I had always thought she was a little stuffy, so imagine my surprise to see her at the State Fair, enjoying a rock band and savoring a corn dog. Just as I carried a distorted and narrow image of that woman, so we remake Jesus in an image to suit our point of view. Today, may we pray for the humility to acknowledge that our knowledge is imperfect and our vision is limited. The daily reflections are written by Terri Mifek, a member of St. Edward in Bloomington and a certified spiritual director at the Franciscan Retreat House in Prior Lake.

The Lesson Plan

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • NOVEMBER 4, 2010

Christians cite reasons to thank God for Fridays By Father Michael Van Sloun For The Catholic Spirit

TGIF: Work release! Most folks like Fridays. Workers eagerly look forward to them. The cheery thought of Friday gives people a lift, so much so that there is a well-known slogan, “Thank God it’s Friday.” A restaurant chain even named itself TGI Fridays. Friday represents the end of the work week and the beginning of the weekend, both reasons to celebrate.

Catholic News Service

Friday, a solemn weekly memorial. Christians also thank God for Fridays, but for a very different reason. Spiritually, Friday ranks behind Sunday, the first and most important day of the week. Sunday is set aside to commemorate the central mystery of our faith, the joyful aspect of the Paschal Mystery, the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. After Sunday, the next most important day of the Christian week is Friday, the day to remember the other half of the Paschal Mystery, the somber part, the suffering and death of Jesus on the cross on Good Friday. We thank God on Fridays for his son Jesus, the Good Shepherd, our Savior, who laid down his life for us. Over the centuries, traditions and devotions have emerged for Fridays to give respect and tribute to Jesus for all that he endured on our behalf and to venerate his saving cross. Abstinence. This well-known and longest-standing spiritual practice is associated with Fridays. Since Jesus sacrificed his flesh on the cross on Good Friday, Catholics refrain from eating flesh meat on Fridays in his honor. Flesh meat includes the meat of mammals and poultry. This spiritual practice began in the first century. For a long while, it was mandatory every Friday throughout the year. Mandatory abstinence was discontinued in 1966. The 1983 revised Code of Canon Law makes Ash Wednesday and Good Friday days of abstinence for those fourteen and older (C. 1251 and 1252), and the U. S. Conference of Catholic Bishops extended abstinence to all Fridays in Lent. Friday and sin. Jesus died for our sins on a Friday, so Friday stands out as a special day for contrition and sorrow for past wrongdoing, as well as the day to perform acts of penance. Abstinence is a form of penance, and while it is required only on the Fridays of Lent, it is both optional and worthwhile throughout the

Pope Benedict XVI praised Catholic women who inspire their husbands and children to live Christian lives. At his weekly general audience Oct. 27, the pope said he wanted to recognize “the many women who, day after day, enlighten their families with their witness of Christian life.” The pope’s remarks about women in the church and family life were part of his address on the life Pope and influence of Benedict XVI St. Bridget of Sweden, who lived in the 14th century. Bridget and her husband, Ulf, were the parents of eight children and were models of “an authentic conjugal spirituality,” the pope said. “Often, as happened in the life of St. Bridget and Ulf, it is the woman who, with her religious sensitivity, delicacy and sweetness, is able to make her husband mature in the faith journey,” he said. After Ulf died, Bridget dedicated her life to prayer and good works, which makes her a model for Christian widows, the pope said. St. Bridget also received divine revelations, many of which were addressed in the form of harsh admonitions, to believers in her time, so that they would correctly live their Christian life, Pope Benedict said. But, he said, she always shared the revelations “with an attitude of respect and full fidelity to the magisterium of the church, particularly to the successor of the Apostle Peter,” Pope Urban V, whom she urged to return to Rome at a time when the papacy was based in Avignon, France. Pope Benedict said that St. Bridget, founder of the Brigittine Sisters, had hoped to establish a monastic order for both men and women, which was common in the Middle Ages “Christian tradition recognizes that women have their own dignity and . . . their own place in the church,” the pope said.

From the Vatican

Father Michael Van Sloun

The crucifixion is depicted in stained glass at St. Charles in Herman, Minn.

rest of the year. Other forms of penance are also highly recommended for Fridays: prayer, fasting, almsgiving and good deeds. Prayer for Fridays. The ideal way to pray on Fridays is to attend daily Mass. The votive Masses of the Holy Cross, the Sacred Heart and the Precious Blood are optional on some Fridays during ordinary time. Other Friday devotions include the Stations of the Cross; the rosary, particularly the Sorrowful Mysteries; Scripture reading, particularly the Passion narratives; and litanies, particularly the Litany of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Liturgies and ministries for Fridays. In many parishes, Friday is the most popular day of the week for Masses or prayer services at hospitals or nursing homes. It is also a common day to bring Communion to the sick and shut-ins, to distribute food and clothing to the needy, and to perform other works of mercy.

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Pope praises women who inspire families to live Christian life

First Fridays. Friday is also a day to honor the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which was pierced by the soldier’s lance (John 19:34). St. Margaret Mary Alacoque reported that Jesus appeared to her a number of times from 1673 to 1675, and asked her to receive holy Communion on the first Friday of every month in reparation for sins and to spread devotion to his Sacred Heart. St. Margaret Mary also recounted how Jesus promised that anyone who made nine consecutive first Fridays and received holy Communion would be given the grace of final penitence, the opportunity to receive the last sacraments, and refuge within the safe haven of his Sacred Heart at the time of death. The spiritual significance of Friday. Christians thank God for Friday. It is the day Jesus died on the cross, and the cross is our salvation. Father Michael Van Sloun is pastor of St. Stephen in Anoka.

Colleges & Careers

NOVEMBER 4, 2010 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

College-Prep Education with a Moral Compass You are Cordially Invited to an Open House! Nov. 4, Nov. 18 or Jan. 11 at 6:30PM

www.ProvidenceAcademy.org 763-258-2502 A Catholic College-Prep PK-12 School 15100 Schmidt Lake Road, Plymouth, MN 55446 ®

Providence admits students of any race, color & national or ethnic origin.

Dave Hrbacek / The Catholic Spirit

PK Yang, right, plays with Vincent, left, and Luke Audette at their home in St. Paul. Yang works as a nanny for the two boys and their younger sister, Laurel.

Summer job now $13 million business By Susan Klemond For The Catholic Spirit

In 2001, Joe Keeley and his college roommates came home tired each night from their summer jobs — the roommates from digging swimming pools and Keeley from swimming in a pool with kids he was caring for. Before long, some of Keeley’s friends asked the then-University of St. Thomas sophomore to get them jobs like his. At the same time, parents he met wanted to

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know if students would nanny for their kids. “I saw the supply of the students that I was going to school with and the demand of the families that I got to know and simply started connecting at that point,” said Keeley, a parishioner at Nativity of Our Lord who turned his informal service into a $13 million company called College Nannies and Tutors. Please turn to STUDENT on page 19

Colleges & Careers

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • NOVEMBER 4, 2010

Catholic Extension gives more than $1 million to U.S. campus ministries Catholic News Service Catholic Extension is awarding more than $1 million in grants to campus ministry programs at 59 college campuses in 30 under-resourced dioceses served by the Chicago-based organization. “We are determined to reach young

Catholics, not only because they need our support during these critical years when they are emerging as adults, but because we need their spirit and innate sense of hope if we are to continue to grow the dynamic presence of the Catholic faith in our country,” said Father Jack Wall, Catholic Extension

president. “Strong, well-funded and well-run campus ministry programs for our college students are the best way to fuel our faith’s bright future in under-resourced regions of America,” he said in an Oct. 19 statement. The University of Wyoming in Laramie, in the Cheyenne Diocese, is receiving $45,000 to support its St. Paul Newman Center which has a 57 percent participation rate among Catholics on campus. At Florida State University in Tallahassee, $20,000 from Catholic Extension will subsidize salaries of two members of the Brotherhood of Hope who minister to students at the Catholic Student Union. A Catholic campus ministry program at the University of Texas at El Paso is

receiving $16,000. Catholic Extension also is providing more than $29,000 to Catholic Volunteer Network, one of the Chicago organization’s partner groups. The network, based in Maryland, fosters and promotes faith-based volunteer service opportunities to mission dioceses in the United States and abroad. The grant will help expand its outreach and help create leadership positions for students on campuses in U.S. mission territory. Catholic Extension will award more than 1,000 grant requests this year to under-resourced and isolated communities across the United States and its territories. Last year, the organization invested $14 million in America’s 86 mission dioceses.

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Colleges & Careers

NOVEMBER 4, 2010 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

Cretin-Derham Hall, in conjunction with the Cretin Alumni Association and the Derham Hall Alumnae Association, is pleased to announce its 2010 alumni/ae award winners.

Kenneth Herriges ’45 Bishop Cretin Award

Discover Your Potential/ Celebrate Your Achievements

Father Thomas Garvey ’47 St. De La Salle Award

Barbara Lehman ’61 Carondelet Award

Maureen Cullen McDonald ’72 Hugh Derham Award

Mary Clements Michaels ’77 Hour Glass Award

Co-sponsored by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet and the Brothers of the Christian Schools 550 S. Albert St., St. Paul, MN 55116 • 651-690-2443 www.c-dh.org

Challenge Yourself CHANGE OUR WORLD www.stthomas.edu

Student entrepreneur supports families CONTINUED

FROM PAGE

From his start in 2001 connecting 12 students with families, Keeley applied what he was learning at St. Thomas about entrepreneurship and Catholic social teaching to develop the foundation of his franchise business, which manages about 10,000 connections between childcare professionals and families nationwide. With a goal of building stronger families, the company gives nannies and tutors professional experience as role models for children while their flexible, custom care gives parents peace of mind, he said. Now a father using the service himself, Keeley added that dependable child care also benefits marriages. “We want the family to be as strong as possible,” he said. “We think that having a nanny or tutor that matches what their needs are can make them stronger.” Keeley initially planned to put aside the nanny business and get a “real job” when he graduated. But, it continued to grow

and he sought assistance from UST’s entrepreneurship program and soon switched majors, still figuring he would eventually get a full-time job. Keeley took a course, team-taught by the entrepreneurship and Catholic studies departments, on blending entrepreneurship and Catholic social teaching. He studied church teaching on the importance of work while learning about good business practices. “The pursuit of Want Catholic social teaching and your . . . busito know ness pursuits do not more? have to be mutually For more exclusive, and I think information that that is the most about important thing that College I’ve learned,” Keeley Nannies and said. “Those two Tutors, visit things can and need WWW.COLLEGE to coexist together to NANNIES.COM. create value out in the marketplace.” When he graduated in 2003, Keeley decided to give his business a year, in part because of its potential to do good for families. He worked to transform his college business into a franchise, developing manuals and addressing liabilities. “The goal that I had was if this works in Minneapolis-St. Paul, there’s no reason why it wouldn’t work in New York and San Diego and Houston and all these other cities,” he said. “If children can be happy and students can be as successful as their potential, that family’s going to be stronger.” To find a good match, the company screens applicants and families, and also handles legal issues, payroll and other arrangement details while offering nannies and tutors professional development, workers compensation and liability insurance, he said. CNT nannies aren’t required to be college students, Keeley said. Though 95 percent of nannies are women, increasing numbers of men are applying.

Reducing stress As a new nanny who started caring for Tom and Sandy Audette’s three children in St. Paul several months ago, PK Yang said the service helped her get started. “Going through the agency really helped legitimize me as a nanny,” said the recent St. Cloud State University graduate. A nanny helps parents and kids reduce the stress of child care, said Sandy Audette, who with her family attends Nativity of Our Lord. Because the couple works non-traditional hours, having Yang in their home provides flexibility. “It helps me be a dad and at the same time take care of my work responsibilities,” Tom Audette said. Nannies enable couples to take important time away together, Keeley said. “It keeps us connected in a very busy lifestyle because I believe the most important thing I can do for my kids is have a good marriage.” Since starting as a UST student with a good idea, Keeley believes he’s developed a way to strengthen families as their needs continue to change. “What does it look like 10 years from now? It becomes much, much more of a mainstream way to navigate childrearing, which is a process, and the needs are as different as families are different,” he said. “Being able to customize that solution for each family is rewarding.”

NOVEMBER 4, 2010 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

‘American tribes’ need to communicate, do grassworks work for unity CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5 let’s face it, this problem doesn’t just exist in the Catholic Church in the United States. This is true of our culture generally. We live in an enormously tribalized, acrimonious, divided culture in America. Just look at the mid-term elections, right? It’s got to start with a recognition that this is something that Catholics, at the grassroots, on a one-by-one basis, have to make a decision that we’re just not going to live this way anymore, at least in terms of our relationships in the church. And we’ve got to make a very intentional, countercultural effort to build friendships with people who come from other tribes. That’s the only way this is going to change. You’re whole book is on globalism and steering Americans from focusing solely on the trends that you see in America. But, what are some of the trends you can identify in America in particular? If you wanted me to tick off a couple things that in American Catholic life are hugely prominent big-picture issues, one would be the demographic shift in American Catholicism from a church that was pretty white-bred, European immigrant, to a church [in which] by 2030, according to the Pew Forum, white Catholics are going to be a statistical minority. [The] church [will be] dominated particularly by Hispanics, but also by Asian-Americans and African-Americans and so on. In other words, the American Catholic population in some ways is becoming a microcosm of the global church. And, I don’t think we’re anywhere close to understanding,

Q A

or even starting to think about, quite what all that is going to mean. Another trend in the American Church would be recovering moral authority in the wake of the sexual abuse crisis. Most people who know the inside of the American Catholic Church would say that, internally, we’ve done a great deal to make things right. We’ve got tough policies these days for dealing with priests who abuse. We’ve invested a massive amount of resources in terms of educating for the prevention of abuse. In some ways, you could argue that the American Catholic Church is a model for how you try to get your hands around this problem. But, in the court of public opinion, little of that has registered, and as you know these days, anytime the Catholic Church in the United States speaks out on anything, the automatic blowback is going to be, “We’ll listen to you guys when you clean up your act on the sex abuse mess.” In other words, the kind of blow to the moral credibility to the Catholic Church in America that the crisis has produced is just astronomic, and I think we’re still just on the brink of trying to turn that around. So, certainly, those two things would be hugely important issues in American Catholic life. Some have accused you of being a “liberal” Catholic reporter. How does that strike you? Actually, most liberal readers of [the National Catholic Reporter] actually accuse me of being a conservative. There are some people that, because I write for NCR, presume I must be a liberal. As I say, there are a lot of

Q A

One Family In Mission “The help received from the Propagation of the Faith is literally our ‘lifeline.’” This seminary rector in India is speaking of the financial help that supports the education of young men preparing to serve as priests. “Daily the seminarians pray for the great sacrifices made for them year after year. We continue to ask God to bless you and the important contribution you make toward the Church in India.” Through a Gift Annuity with the Propagation of the Faith, you can help the missionary work of the Church, providing for the education of mission seminarians, well into the future. A Gift Annuity can also provide you with income for your lifetime at a favorable rate of return. Please write for information; your inquiry will be kept in strict confidence.

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traditional readers who read my stuff and presume I’m a conservative. What I hope is that most people think I’m just trying to get the story right. I don’t perceive myself as trying to advance an ideological agenda — that’s somebody else’s business. My job is to try to get the facts right, try to provide the context that you need to think about those facts intelligently, and leave the conclusions to somebody else. Which church figure, past or present, has made the biggest impression on you and why? It’s not original, but John Paul II. I had the great privilege of covering the last 10 years of his papacy, which, from the outside, you might think of as the least compelling, in that, for a good period of that time the pope was in physical decline and limited in what he could do, and yet, it was an amazing, dynamic time. What this kind of frail, physically struggling figure could nevertheless do to move global opinion and change the history of his times was just astounding. I think John Paul II, taking off my Catholic hat and just putting on my journalist hat, was the most compelling journalistic story of the last half century, and to be able to cover it on an up-close and personal basis was an amazing gift. And then, obviously, on a personal spiritual level, just being able to watch the kind of fire of faith burn in that man was an incredible gift. Now, covering Benedict XVI is as equally compelling in a very different way, but in a way, as a journalist, he’s my second pope, and that first is always going to have a special place in my heart.

Q A

More online Read the whole interview with John Allen online — including his take on gay marriage as a (non)global issue and the role of Latino Catholics in the American Catholic dialogue — at THECATHOLIC SPIRIT.COM.

“You don’t choose your family. They are God’s gift to you, as you are to them.” Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu

Arts & Culture The Catholic Spirit

Exploring our church and our world

NOVEMBER 4, 2010

Woman featured in film ‘Conviction’ still helps prisoners Catholic News Service The Catholic woman whose efforts to free her wrongly imprisoned brother became the inspiration for the new motion picture “Conviction” still advocates for prisoners whenever she gets a chance. Betty Anne Waters, who runs a bar in Bristol, R.I., got her high school diploma, a college degree and a law degree so she could represent her brother Kenny in the appeal of his murder conviction. Speaking a mile a minute in a thick New England accent, she said she no longer practices law, but, “I help the New England Innocence Project with cases. And I go into New York to help change (criminal justice) policies and go to legislatures to get statutes changed and to get DNA preserved, and I speak WATERS against the death penalty.” Waters, started school part time in 1986, three years after her brother was convicted and while raising two young children. After getting a law degree 12 years later, DNA evidence helped her overturn Kenny’s conviction for murder and robbery. He was serving a life sentence.

Hilary Swank and Sam Rockwell star in a scene from the movie “Conviction.” CNS photo / Fox Searchlight

Waters, 56, said she expected to lead a normal life after Kenny’s release. But calls kept coming in, she told Catholic News Service in an Oct. 22 telephone interview. Waters called Barry Scheck from the Innocence Project, a nonprofit organization dedicated to proving the innocence of wrongly convicted people, which helped her with the case. With help from a Hollywood friend of Scheck’s, the two resolved to make a deal to tell the story, condensing 17 years into a couple of hours. Regarding her Catholic faith, Waters admitted, “I

Wayzata parish to celebrate gift of The Saint John’s Bible St. Bartholomew in Wayzata will welcome the gift of The Saint John’s Bible, Heritage Edition with an ecumenical service at 7 p.m., Tuesday, Nov. 9, at 630 E. Wayzata Blvd. As the first parish in the country to receive a Heritage Edition, St. Bartholomew will celebrate and share it with the larger community during “Illuminated by God’s Word: An Ecumenical Service Celebrating The Saint John’s Bible.” The gathering will include a multimedia service of Scripture, preaching, music and projected illuminations from The Saint John’s Bible. Area clergy and community leaders will take part. Volumes of the Bible will be on display beginning at 6:30 p.m. and a reception will follow the service. A freewill offering or nonperishable food items will be welcomed on behalf of Interfaith Outreach and Community Partners’ food shelf. “It’s a privilege for us to gather together Christian leaders from the area to celebrate our unity in God’s covenant and God’s word,” said Father Michael Reding, St. Bartholomew pastor. Participating clergy will include Rev. Valerie Strand Patterson, St. Philip the Deacon Lutheran Church in Plymouth; Rev. John Ross, Wayzata Community Church; and Rev. Steve Richards of Messiah United Methodist Church in Plymouth. LaDonna Hoy, Interfaith Outreach and Community Partners executive director, will also participate. St. Bartholomew welcomed the first four of the Heritage Edition’s seven volumes on Oct. 31 with a reception, blessing and dedication. (See photos of the event

don’t practice (the faith) as much as I probably should.” But, she recalled walking two miles to St. Mary’s Church in Ayer, Mass., as a child. “I’m a grandmother now, my grandson is a Catholic,” she added. Waters said a high point for her was when she met St. Joseph Sister Helen Prejean, who is a well-known death penalty opponent and author of “Dead Man Walking.” Something the movie “Conviction” doesn’t say is that Kenny died from a fractured skull he suffered when he fell off a 15-foot wall six months after his release. Also left out of the film is that Waters pursued and won a malicious prosecution suit against the town of Ayer for its handling of her brother’s case, collecting a $3.4 million judgment. “Most of it’s going to the IRS, (but) I didn’t do it for the money,” Waters said. “I did it to prove what Nancy Taylor did.” Taylor, portrayed by Melissa Leo, was the secretary to the town police chief and was permitted to conduct criminal investigations without training. CNS film critic John Mulderig called “Conviction” “a gritty yet touching drama” in his review. CNS classified the movie L — limited adult audience, films whose problematic content many adults would find troubling. The Motion Picture Association of America rated it R — restricted. Under 17 requires a parent or adult guardian.

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The cover of “The Book of the Gospels: The Saint John’s Bible Edition” and the rest of the Bible was illustrated using quills and handmade inks. CNS photo / Courtesy of Liturgical Press

at THECATHOLICSPIRIT.COM.) Parishioners John and Nancy Berg donated the Heritage Edition to St. Bartholomew to share with the entire faith community. “The Saint John’s Bible takes the words St. Thomas followed and adds modern illustrated interpretations to them, showing us God’s word is relevant to all ages. What a wonderful teaching tool for all,” said Nancy Berg. “This is not intended to be a precious artifact locked up and admired from afar,” Father Reding said. “We hope to make use of it in educational programming, days of reflection, and other opportunities for prayer.” The Saint John’s Bible is the first handwritten, illuminated Bible commissioned by a Benedictine Abbey in more than 500 years. The handwritten lettering and stunning artworks represent the Word of God in an engaging and inspirational way, added. For more information on the service, visit the website WWW.ST-BARTS.ORG or call St. Bartholomew at (952) 473-6601.

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THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • NOVEMBER 4, 2010

Dining out Fish fry at Knights of Columbus Hall, Bloomington — Nov. 5 and 12: 5 to 9 p.m. at 1114 American Blvd. Cost is $10.95. Call (952) 888-1492 for reservations. Chili and hot dog supper at St. Mary. St. Paul — Nov. 7: 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 261 Eighth St. E. Includes choice of toppings, chops and dessert. Cost is $8 for adults and $4 for kids. KC chicken and rib dinner at Knights of Columbus Hall, Bloomington — Nov. 10 and 17: 5 to 9 p.m. at 1114 American Blvd. Cost is $12. Call (952) 888-1492 for reservations. KC Lumberjack breakfast at Mary, Queen of Peace, Rogers — Nov. 14: 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 21304 Church Ave. Free will offering. KC pancake breakfast at Transfiguration, Oakdale — Nov. 14: 8 a.m. to noon at 6133 15th St. N. Free will offering. Take-out available. Donations of baby items such as clothes and diapers are requested. Pancake breakfast at St. Odilia, Shoreview — Nov. 14: 8 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. at 3495 N. Victoria St. Cost is $5.50 for adults and $3 for children 4 to 10. Pancake breakfast at St. John Byzantine, Minneapolis — Nov. 14: 10:30 a.m. to noon at 2201 Third St. N.E. Also features a craft and bake sale. Spaghetti supper at Our Lady of the Prairie, Belle Plaine — Nov. 14: 4 to 7 p.m. at 212 N. Chestnut St. Free will offering or reserve a table for 8 for $100 and get the “royal treatment.” Call (952) 873-6564. Pancake breakfast at Sacred Heart, Robbinsdale — Nov. 14: 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at 4027 W. Broadway. Cost is $6 for adults and $3 for children under 10. KC all-you-can-eat breakfast at Holy Name of Jesus, Wayzata — Nov. 21: 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at 155 County Road 24. Free will offering. KC benefit breakfast at Knights of Columbus Hall, Stillwater — Nov. 21: 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 1910 S. Greely St. Cost is $6 for adults and $3.50 for children 12 and under.

Parish events Christmas fair at St. Timothy, Blaine — Nov. 6: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 707 89th Ave. N.E. More than 70 tables, bake shop, luncheon and more. Turkey bingo at St. Bernard, St. Paul — Nov. 6: 2 to 5 p.m. at the parish center, 147 W. Geranium. Cash and turkey prizes. KC turkey bingo at Transfiguration, Oakdale — Nov. 6: 5 to 9 p.m. at 6133 15th St. N. Luncheon and style show at Holy Cross, Minneapolis — Nov. 6: Social at 11:15 a.m. followed by luncheon and fashion show at 1621 University Ave. N.E. Features fashions by Dress Barn. Tickets are $20 and are available by calling (612) 789-7238. Holiday bazaar at Assumption, Richfield — Nov. 6: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 305 E. 77th St.

Don’t miss Free Thanksgiving dinner for those in need The Bierstube Steakhouse and Grill is offering a free Thanksgiving dinner from noon to 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 25, to those who wish to celebrate, but find it difficult to do so. Anyone in need is welcome. There are two locations: ■ JW’s Bierstube at 7121 10th St. N. in Oakdale. ■ JJ’s Bierstube at 2670 E. County Road E. in White Bear Lake. Please call Jodi at (651) 271-4961 if you would like to attend.

Turkey bingo at St. Jude of the Lake, Mahtomedi — Nov. 6: 6 p.m. at 600 Mahtomedi Ave. Donate to the food shelf and get a free bingo card. Food available. Cost is 50 cents per card or $1 for three. Celebrations of St. Olaf at St. Olaf, Minneapolis — Nov. 6: 6:30 p.m. at 215 S. Eighth St. Features dinner, live music and silent auction. Cost is $34. Call (612) 332-7471 for reservations, or order online at WWW.SAINTOLAF.ORG. Craft fair at St. Rita, Cottage Grove — Nov. 6: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 8694 80th St. S. Sloppy Joes, hot dogs and refreshments available, also features a bake sale. Fair trade sale at St. John Neumann, Eagan — Nov. 6: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 4030 Pilot Knob Road. Features fair trade handcrafts and foods. Honduran food for sale from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Craft fair at Mary, Mother of the Church, Burnsville — Nov. 6 and 7: 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Sat. and 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Sun. at 3333 Cliff Road. Christmas boutique and breakfast at Ascension, Minneapolis — Nov. 6 and 7: 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sat. boutique and bakery only and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sun. with breakfast at 1723 Bryant Ave. N. Bazaar at Epiphany, Coon Rapids — Nov. 6 and 7: 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Sat. and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sun. at 11001 Hanson Blvd. N.W. More than 70 crafters, bake sale, lefse, children’s corner. Holiday Faire and craft sale at St. Joseph, Hopkins — Nov. 6 and 7: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sat. and 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sun. at 1310 Mainstreet. Homemade chili lunch Sat. from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. ($5). Turkey bingo at St. Catherine, Spring Lake Township — Nov. 7: 2 p.m. at 24425 Old Hwy. 13 Blvd., Jordan. $5 per card, $1 per coverall. Free lunch served. Sunday Night Dinner at St. Peter, Richfield — Nov. 7: Dinner, followed by presentations. Choose between “The Gospel of Luke,” and “Lights, Camera, Faith.” Third in a 5-night series at 6730 Nicollet Ave. S. RSVP to (612) 866-5089. Turkey dinner and boutique at Holy Childhood, St. Paul — Nov. 7: 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 1435 Midway Parkway. Take-out available. Ensemble Polaris performs at St. Patrick, Edina — Nov. 7: 4 p.m. at 6820 St. Patrick’s Lane. Admission is a

free-will donation. For information, call (651) 226-5465. Parish mission at Mary, Mother of the Church, Burnsville — Nov. 7 to 9: 7 to 8:30 p.m. each night. Features Jesuit Father J-Glen Murray. For information, visit WWW.MMOTC.ORG. ‘The Wit and Wisdom of G.K. Chesterton’ at All Saints, Lakeville — Nov. 8: 7 to 8:30 p.m. at 19795 Holyoke Ave. Dale Ahlquist, president of the American Chesterton Society will speak. Free-will offering. ‘On the Complementarity of Men and Women’ at Nativity of Our Lord, St. Paul — Nov. 10: 7 to 8:30 p.m. at Prior and Stanford Avenues. Presenter is Dr. Deborah Savage. Veteran’s Day concert at the Basilica of St. Mary, Minneapolis — Nov. 11: 7 p.m. at 88 N. 17th St. Features the U.S. Naval Academy Men’s Glee Club. Purchase tickets at WWW.MARY.ORG. ‘Why are We Afraid to Speak about Heaven and Hell?’ at St. Boniface, Minneapolis — Nov. 11: 7 to 8:30 p.m. at 629 Second St. N.E. Father Bill Baer will speak. Second of two talks sponsored by the Holy Name Society of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis.

Nov. 13: 5 p.m. Mass, 6 p.m. social followed by dinner and talk at 2739 Stinson Blvd. N.E. Speaker is Teresa Collett, who will speak on, “Striving to be a ‘Good and Faithful Servant.’” Tickets are $30 and must be purchased by Nov. 5. Holiday bazaar at Mary Queen of Peace, Rogers — Nov. 13: 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at 21304 Church Ave. Features crafts, theme baskets, food and more. Craft and bake sale at St. John the Baptist, Savage — Nov.13: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 4625 W. 125th St. Christmas bazaar at St. Boniface, Minneapolis — Nov. 13: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 629 N.E. Second St. Features games, crafts, raffles and more. Refreshments and roast beef sandwiches. Craft and bake sale at St. Pius X, White Bear Lake — Nov. 13 and 14: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sat. and 8 a.m. to noon Sun. at 3878 Highland Ave. Bake sale at St. Maron, Minneapolis — Nov. 13 and 14: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sat. and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday at 600 University Ave. N.E. Features Lebanese pastries, bread and more. Holiday bazaar at St. Alphonsus, Brooklyn Center — Nov. 13 and 14: 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sat. and 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Sun. at 7025 Halifax Ave. Features crafts, book sale, games and food all day. Christmas Bazaar at St. Joseph, Lino Lakes — Nov. 13 and 14: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sat. and 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Sun. at 171 Elm St. Holiday boutique at Blessed Sacrament, St. Paul — Nov. 13 and 14: 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sat. and 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sun. at 1801 LaCrosse. Visits with Santa from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. both days. Holiday open house at St. Patrick, Shieldsville — Nov. 13 and 14: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sat. and 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Sun. at 7525 Dodd Road, Faribault. Features home-based businesses and local crafters.

Men’s Club fall wine tasting at St. Matthew, St. Paul — Nov. 12: 7 p.m. at 507 Hall Ave. Sample wines, cheese and a chocolate fountain. Admission is $15. For information, Call (651) 224-9793.

St. Catherine Choral Society performs at Holy Spirit, St. Paul — Nov. 14: 2 p.m. at 515 S. Albert St. They will perform “Lord Nelson” Mass and “Break Forth in Song.” Cost is $10 for adults and $5 for students.

Euchre tournament at St. Patrick, Cedar Lake Township — Nov. 12: 6:30 p.m. registration, 7:30 p.m. start at 24425 Old Hwy 13 Blvd., Jordan. Cost is $20 per team.

Turkey bingo at St. Patrick, St. Paul — Nov. 14: After the 10:15 Mass at 1085 DeSoto St. Food served from 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Cost is 10 cents per card or three for 25 cents.

Turkey bingo at St. Matthew, St. Paul — Nov. 13: 5 to 9 p.m. at 507 Hall Ave. Pizza, games, beverages. No admission charge.

‘Pope Culture: The highs and lows of being Catholic today’ at Holy Spirit, St. Paul — Nov. 14: 7 p.m. at 515 S. Albert St. Radio host Lino Rulli will speak. $5 donation suggested. For information, visit WWW.HOLY-SPIRIT.ORG.

Gift expo and silent auction at St. Genevieve, Centerville — Nov. 13: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 6995 Centerville Road. Features more than 50 vendors, hourly door prizes, fresh cinnamon rolls and more. Turkey bingo at Immaculate Conception, Columbia Heights — Nov. 13: Two sessions, 1:30 to 4 p.m. and 6:30 to 9 p.m. at 4030 Jackson St. N.E. Afternoon session in English and Spanish. Cards are 50 cents or 3 for $1. Food available. Fall craft and vendor sale at St. John Vianney, St. Paul — Nov. 13: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 1815 Bromley St. An Evening Affirming the Faith at St. Charles Borromeo, Minneapolis —

Quilters and crafters holiday boutique at St. Peter Claver, St. Paul — Nov. 13 and 14: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sat. and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sun. at 375 N. Oxford St.

Prayer/ liturgies All night vigil with the Blessed Sacrament at Our Lady of Guadalupe, St. Paul — Nov. 5 to 6: 7 p.m. Fri. to 8 a.m. Sat. at 401 Concord St. CALENDAR CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE

Calendar Submissions DEADLINE: The Catholic Spirit is biweekly. Items should be submitted by Noon Thursday, seven days before the anticipated Thursday date of publication. Recurring or ongoing events must be submitted each time they occur. LISTINGS: Accepted are brief notices of upcoming events hosted by Catholic parishes and institutions. Items are published on a space available basis. ITEMS MUST INCLUDE the following to be considered for publication in the calendar: • Time and date of event. • Full street address of event. • Description of event. • Contact information in case of questions. E-MAIL: SPIRITCALENDAR@ ARCHSPM.ORG.

(No attachments, please.) FAX: (651) 291-4460. MAIL: “Calendar,” The Catholic Spirit, 244 Dayton Ave., St. Paul, MN 55102.

Calendar

NOVEMBER 4, 2010 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

World Apostolate of Fatima Parish Vigil of Reparation at Holy Trinity, South St. Paul — Nov. 5 to 6: 7 p.m. Fri. to 1:15 a.m. Sat. at 749 Sixth Ave. S. For information, call (952) 892-7153.

Healing Mass at Lumen Christi, St. Paul — Nov. 15: Rosary at 7 p.m., Mass at 7:30 p.m. at 2055 Bohland Ave. Father Frederick Sserugga will be the celebrant.

Knights of Columbus traveling rosary at St. Columba, St. Paul — Nov. 7: 2 p.m. at 1327 Lafond Ave.

School events

Knights of Columbus traveling rosary at St. Mary, St. Paul — Nov. 14: 2 p.m. at 261 Eighth St.

‘Little Women’ presented by CretinDerham Hall theater department St. Paul

M AG I T R AV E L Over 25 Years of Service May 9-19

Italy

Holy Land Jordan, Istanbul

Ireland

Jan 13-23; May 1-11; Oct. 6-16

April 25-May 5

English Garden Tour

Fatima & Lourdes

May 21-31

May 1-11

952-949-0065 • magitravelinc.com

A Franciscan Pilgrimage to Assisi and Rome March 19-27, 2011 Join us for a pilgrimage focused on Saint Francis, Saint Clare and the Franciscan Movement which includes visits to Assisi, Rome, Siena, Florence and other Franciscan sites.

For more information contact: UNIVERSITY Father Steven McMichael, OFM Conv. OF at 612-272-3530 or sjmcmichael@stthomas.edu. ST. THOMAS

— Nov. 5 to 7: Fri. and Sat. performances are at 7 p.m. and Sun. matinee at 2 p.m. at 550 S. Albert St. Cost is $6 for students and seniors, $8 for adults.

Albert St. For prospective students entering grades 9 to 12. For information, call (651) 690-2443 or visit WWW.CRETIN-DERHAMHALL.ORG.

‘Glass Menagerie’ presented by The Academy of Holy Angels theater, Richfield — Nov. 5 to 7: Fri. and Sat. performances are at 7 p.m. and Sun. matinee at 2 p.m. at 6600 Nicollet Ave. S. Cost is $5 for students and seniors, $10 for adults.

Information night and course sampler at St. Paul Seminary School of Divinity, St. Paul — Nov. 9: 5:15 p.m. at 2260 Summit Ave. Gather in the St. Christopher Room for information, followed by a sample class at 6:30 p.m. RSVP to (651) 962-5063 or e-mail GRADTHEOLOGY@STTHOMAS.EDU.

‘Once in a lifetime’ presented by VISTA Productions at Visitation School, Mendota Heights — Nov. 5 to 7 and 12 to 14: Performances at 7:30 p.m. Fri. and Sat. and at 4 p.m. Sun. at 2455 Visitation Drive. Cost is $10 for adults and $5 for students and seniors.

Kinder story hour at St. Thomas More School, St. Paul — Nov. 12: 1 p.m. at 1065 Summit Ave. Prospective students entering kindergarten next year can visit the teacher for a story, an art activity and a snack.

Open house at St. Thomas Academy, Mendota Heights — Nov. 7: 1 p.m. at 949 Mendota Heights Road. For prospective students and their parents. For information, call (651) 454-4570.

Open house at Benilde-St. Margaret School, St. Louis Park — Nov. 16: 6 p.m. at 2501 Highway 100 S. For students entering grades 7 to 12. For information and to preWWW.BSMSCHOOL.ORG/ register, visit ADMISSIONS.

Open house at Cretin-Derham Hall School, St. Paul — Nov. 8: 7 p.m. at 550 S.

PLEASE TURN TO CALENDAR ON PAGE 25

St. John Neumann

Just Marketplace Ministry Invites you to

A FAIR TRADE SALE Saturday, November 6, 2010, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM St. John Neumann Church, Social Hall 4030 Pilot Knob Road, Eagan, MN Honduran food by Raquel will be available for sale from 11 am to 3 pm, or while supplies last. Products from many organizations include handcrafts and foods items made by economically disadvantaged artisans and farmers in developing regions of the world. Fair Trade is a new model of international trade that provides a clear and just alternative to the free trade system.

Cash or Check only. We are unable to accept credit cards. For More Information Contact: Lorna Smith 952-894-2438; Jeanne Creegan 651-681-9575

All readers of the Catholic Spirit are cordially invited to a beautiful, inexpensive, lakeside weekend of wonderful relaxation and spiritual rejuvenation. The Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate with Director, Fr. Louis Studer, OMI, and his staff, offer every kind of spiritual retreat. For information and a free calendar of retreats contact:

Fr. Louis Studer, OMI

Christ the King Retreat Center 621 First Avenue South, Buffalo, MN 55313 Phone: 763-682-1394 Email: christtheking@kingshouse.com Website: www.kingshouse.com

NOVEMBER 4, 2010 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

Bullying victim offers a cure for issue

Want to hear more?

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 but she was not able to get into the overcrowded room where Blanco was speaking. As a member of CDH’s climate committee formed last fall to cultivate an attitude of respect among students, Jennrich was greatly interested in what Blanco had to say. Six months later, Jennrich finally got that chance at CDH. Blanco gave three presentations at the school. She did the same thing at the Academy of Holy Angels in Richfield in September. At CDH, Blanco addressed the students, gave a workshop for faculty and conducted a family seminar in which parents were invited to come and hear her story and, most important, learn how to recognize and respond to their children’s experiences of being bullied. After hearing Blanco’s talk, Jennrich was asked to offer her reaction. She replied, “Am I allowed to cry? When she said what [cruel things] people say is like taking a razor and taking a slice out of your self-esteem, that really resonated with me. I have worked in high schools for over 30 years, and I think about my own past, and then all the students because teenagers can be cruel.” Blanco wrote a book about her experiences titled “Please Stop Laughing at Me” in 2003. Since the book was published and became a New York Times best seller, she has toured the country talking at schools and trying to help victims of bullying. Studies show that between 15 and 25 percent of American students are bullied with some frequency, according to the website STOPBULLYINGNOW.HRSA.GOV, an initiative of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Health Resources and Services Administration. Blanco found a captive audience at Cretin-Derham Hall, holding students’ attention for an hour and a half and hugging dozens of them after receiving a standing ovation at the end of her presentation. Also attending were 17 students from Totino-Grace High School and its director of diversity, Coach Nakumbe.

‘Bullied mercilessly’ Dressed in all black, Blanco stood alone on the floor of the school’s field house, with bleachers full of students on each side. She roamed the floor freely and even bounced up and down both sets of bleachers while giving raw, riveting and revealing details about the torment she endured at the hands of several bullies. “I was bullied mercilessly from fifth grade through high school,” said Blanco, who attended numerous schools in both Chicago and New York City and even in Europe before graduating from Carl Sandburg High School in New York in 1982. “I’m the only survivor-turned-activist who’s working deep inside the trenches of the school system to generate change,” she said. Her list of bullying episodes is long. The torment continued all the way to her last day of high school. Like all of her classmates, she was asking people to sign her yearbook. There was a popular boy name Tyler that she — and most others — thought was cool. He had been nice to her on occasion, so she worked up the courage to ask him to sign her yearbook,

Those interested in learning more about Jodee Blanco’s story can read her book, “Please Stop Laughing at Me,” which was published in 2003. She also has written a sequel entitled “Please Stop Laughing at Us” (2008). To find out more about the books and Blanco’s background and anti-bullying efforts, visit WWW.JODEEBLANCO.COM.

Dave Hrbacek / The Catholic Spirit

Speaker and anti-bullying activist Jodee Blanco, right, hugs Cretin-Derham Hall junior Gabrielle Bruhjell after Blanco’s talk to students at the school Oct. 27. Awaiting their turn to greet Blanco are ninth-grader Sally Nguyen, left, and senior Rory Scherer.

hoping to end her high school days on a good note. She handed him the book, and he agreed to sign it, taking a permanent marker and writing a message. Her excitement turned to horror when she got the book back and saw what Tyler had written: “(Expletive) you, (expletive). Everybody hates you and always will. You are God’s worst mistake.” One boy in the class saw the message and got tears in his eyes. Later, he saw her at a class reunion and, eventually, married her. He was one of the only people in the entire class who was nice to her during high school. And, such kindness is the antidote for bullying, Blanco said.

Making a difference Treating herself like she’s still one of the many lonely, isolated kids at schools across the country, Blanco asked this challenging question to her audience: “What would it take for one of you to invite one of us to go to the mall with you or sit with you at lunch? Why is that such a big deal? You keep treating us like we’re invisible, we don’t exist, we’re ghosts.” At least one student heard that part of her message loud and clear. Senior Bryan Linehan said it was one valuable lesson he learned from the presentation. “I was really shocked when she said that bullying is the nice things you don’t do,” he said. “I don’t think of myself as a bad person, but there’s got to be times when someone needed a compliment and I just didn’t give it to them. I just think it’s a difficult challenge. We do need to be better rescuers of outcasts in our school.” Jennrich said that, while CretinDerham Hall may not have instances of bullying like Blanco experienced, it’s still an issue that needs to be addressed. That’s why the climate committee was formed, and it’s also why she works so hard to have activities available for all students. In fact, she oversees all school activities except athletics. “If it’ll help kids feel connected, we’ll do it,” she said. “We have kids who want to do fencing, we’ll have a fencing club. We have kids who want to play bridge, we have a bridge club that meets every Monday. Anything kids want. We’ve had jump rope club. . . . We’ve had ping pong club.

“I think it helps them feel like they belong. It’s an opportunity to be part of something. . . . And, if there’s something we don’t have for them, we’re going to do our best to keep it going for them.” These efforts appear to be working at Cretin-Derham Hall. At least one student who was bullied in grade school has not had any trouble in high school. Senior Chelsea Terhark-Luger was teased when she transferred to a new school in sixth grade after moving to Minnesota from South Carolina. “I switched schools halfway through sixth grade and I was bullied when I got to my new school,” she said. “It was bad. I came from a different state and I had an accent because I came from South Carolina. They bullied me because I had an accent. I just switched schools after sixth grade.” About her high school years at CDH, she simply says, “It’s fine for me.” It helps that some high-profile students have set a good example. Back when Minnesota Twins star Joe Mauer attended the school (he graduated in 2001), Jennrich said he invited a blind student to sit at his table regularly for lunch. Mauer would cut his food for him.

Small gestures matter Jennrich, Blanco and other anti-bullying advocates say this type of action is all it takes to turn the tide against bullying, which, sadly, has become an epidemic in the United States and has regularly garnered newspaper headlines, beginning with the Columbine shootings 11 years ago and continuing today. Some victims harm others, some harm themselves. But, students, including those present at Blanco’s talk, can prevent the violence associated with bullying. In fact, Blanco saved that message for the end of her talk, when she asked everyone in the field house, students and faculty alike, to close their eyes and imagine the worst harm a bully ever did to them. “Exactly how you felt at that worst moment is exactly how that person feels who you never think to include,” she said. “I want you to go up to that person, look them in the eye and say, ‘Hey, how’s it going?’ That tiny gesture of human kindness could change that person’s whole life, and could save yours.”

Six points on bullying ■ There’s more to bullying than acts of meanness. “Bullying isn’t just the mean things you do, it’s all the nice things you never do,” Blanco said. “Bullying is also when you never go out of your way to include someone.” She went on to say that it’s the feeling of isolation and loneliness that often drives victims to commit violence — against others or themselves. ■ One effective way to help a bullying victim is to reach out to them and include them in your social plans. For example, invite them to sit with you at lunch or to go to the shopping mall. According to Blanco, such simple acts make a difference. ■ If you are being bullied, report it to an adult you trust. Much more so than when Blanco was in high school, adults, especially school teachers, counselors and administrators, are more aware of bullying and, in many cases, have received training in how to handle it. Cretin-Derham Hall High School, for example, has a section in its school handbook about it, and students are encouraged to come forward if they are bullied. ■ Victims are encouraged to find activities they like that will help them make new friends. They also are encouraged to do so outside of school so they can develop a social network away from school. ■ If you witness bullying, Blanco advises creating a diversion that will put a stop to the episode. She recommends bursting on to the scene and asking the victim for help with a problem, or telling the victim he or she is wanted in the school office. That’s more effective, she says, than just stepping in and asking the bullies to stop. Then, after you have gotten the victim away from the bullies, be sure to invite him or her to hang out with you. ■ Parents need to be watchful of what their children are doing on their computers. Laurie Jennrich, associate principal at CretinDerham Hall, said bullying can happen via the Internet. “It’s all gone cyberspace,” she said. “I call it finger courage. They [bullies] get a lot of finger courage when they’re on their computer. The sad thing is, [the effect] is permanent.” — Dave Hrbacek

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • NOVEMBER 4, 2010

New CCHD application for funding makes Catholic social teaching clear CONTINUED FROM PAGE 10 faced. CCHD’s emphasis on funding programs that empower poor and lowincome people largely through community organizing activities has been the target of critics almost since the program started in 1969. Bishop Morin said five of the 270 organizations funded in the 2008-2009 grant cycle lost their awards for violating grant guidelines. He apologized to donors — people in the pews — for the program’s lapses. “This is not a perfect world or a perfect organization,” he told CNS. “We can only do our best to continue the process with the benefit of finding out where there is failure. Where there is failure there is the opportunity to build something better.”

Recommitment to principles Bishop Morin said the review allowed CCHD officials to recommit to the program’s founding principles, including its Gospel-based mission of seeking justice rooted in Catholic social teaching and faithful stewardship of human, financial and institutional resources. Some of those efforts will include community organizing activities to find solutions to common problems, such as getting a fire hydrant fixed in an inner-city neighborhood or improving access to quality education for poor children, he said. “I don’t think there is anything wrong to get the government to assume its legislative responsibility of the well-being of the people. In order to do that, you have to be organized,” he said. Ten months in the making, the review and renewal document was approved by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ administrative committee in September. It will be presented to the entire body of bishops during the conference’s semiannual meeting Nov. 15-18 in Baltimore.

The first listed commitment encompasses the program’s Catholic identity and promises to “emphasize the principles of Catholic social and moral teaching in all CCHD materials and communications.”

Catholic identity watch-dog The plan calls for CCHD staff responsibilities to be reassigned so that one person will “focus on promoting, safeguarding and monitoring the Catholic identity of CCHD” and checking on the work of funded agencies. Other commitments include steps to: Bring in at least one moral theologian as consultant on the application of Catholic moral teaching on collaboration and cooperation. Establish a review board to hear complaints about the activities of funded organizations and decide if a grant should be withdrawn. Redesign grant applications so that they include an explanation that CCHD’s mission is based on Catholic social and moral teaching. Start a national strategic grant program to “address emerging challenges,” paid for with funds set aside from the national CCHD collection, which is usually taken up in parishes on the weekend before the beginning of Advent. An example of such a grant is the $300,000 awarded to organizations giving voice to the fishermen and communities affected by the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. Other commitments stress the program’s priority for the poor, improving communication about the accomplishments of CCHD-funded programs in local dioceses, strengthening partnerships between the national office in Washington and local dioceses and addressing moral issues related to poverty.

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Singles Sunday Spirits walking group for 50plus Catholic singles — ongoing Sundays: For Catholic singles to meet and make friends. The group usually meets in St. Paul on Sunday afternoons. For information, call Judy at (763) 2213040 or Al at (651) 482-0406. 50-plus Second Sunday Supper event at St. Joan of Arc, Minneapolis — Nov. 14: 5 p.m. at 4537 Third Ave. S. Includes social hour, supper and program. Cost is $10. Call (952) 884-5165.

Other events St. Therese Auxiliary Christmas boutique at St. Therese Care Center, New Hope — Nov. 5 and 6: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at 8000 Bass Lake Road. Holday bazaar at Catholic Eldercare, Minneapolis — Nov. 7: 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at 817 Main St. N.E. Features a bake sale, basket auction, craft sale, raffle and our famous beef sandwiches and cabbage rolls. The Cassidy Brothers CD release party at New Life Community Church, Maple Grove — Nov. 7: 6 p.m. at 6900 W. Fish Lake Road. An evening of inspirational music with this quartet from Ascension parish in Minneapolis. Special guest is Mary Beth Carlson. Tickets are $7. For information, visit WWW.CASSIDYBROTHERSMUSIC.COM. For Pastoral Ministers: A Day of Renewal at Benedictine Center, Maplewood — Nov. 11: 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 2675 Benet Road. Prayer, reflection, conversation and time for personal prayer.

23 Jackie Witter, director of the iLLUMINARE program will facilitate the retreat. Cost is $30 and includes lunch and materials. For information, visit WWW.STPAULSMONASTERY.ORG.

Retreats Mini-retreat with Relevant Radio executive director Father Francis ‘Rocky’ Hoffman at the Cathedral of St. Paul, St. Paul — Nov. 6: 8 a.m. to noon at 239 Selby Ave. Topic is “Having a Heart for Christ.” For information, call (651) 2281766. Vocation retreat with the Conventual Franciscans at Franciscan Retreats and Spirituality Center, Prior Lake — Nov. 12 to 14: Begins Friday evening and ends Sunday by noon at 16385 St. Francis Lane. For single men ages 16 to 40 who are interested in learning more about the priesthood and brotherhood. For information, call (800) 4249955. Discernment retreat for single women at School Sisters of Notre Dame, Mankato — Nov. 13: 9 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. at 170 Good Counsel Drive. Register by Nov. 8 at WWW.SSNDMANKATO.ORG. Advent retreat with Jesuit Father Roc O’Connor at Our Lady of Grace, Edina — Dec. 3 and 4: 6:30 p.m. Friday to Saturday afternoon at 5071 Eden Ave. Cost is $30 for pre-registration by Nov. 29 or $35 at the door. For information, call (651) 645-6004 or e-mail IGNATIAN ASSOCIATE@GMAIL.COM. DEADLINE: The Catholic Spirit is published biweekly. Items should be submitted by Noon Thursday, seven days before the anticipated Thursday date of publication. Recurring or ongoing events must be submitted each time they occur.

Church to be consecrated almost 130 years after construction began CONTINUED FROM PAGE 10 pontiff, he wanted to live his ministry “with the sentiments of a pilgrim who travels over the roads of the world with hope and simplicity, bringing on his lips and in his heart the saving message of the risen Christ, and strengthening his brothers in the faith.” In fact, he said he included the image of a shell — the symbol of the Santiago pilgrimage — on his papal coat-of-arms as a sign of his pilgrim’s mission.

Consecrating Gaudi’s church The other focus of the trip is the dedication Nov. 7 of the Sagrada Familia church, Gaudi’s unfinished masterpiece. A UNESCO World Heritage site, the massive church with intricate sculptured facades, attracts an estimated 10,000 visitors a day. The church dedicated to the Holy Family was begun in 1882. But Gaudi died in 1926 before it was finished. Now completion is set for 2026, the 100th anniversary of the architect’s death. Even though church services are held in the uncompleted church, it has never been formally consecrated. Gaudi was a Catholic who renounced secular art in his later years and dedicat-

ed much of his adult life to building the church. When questioned about the lengthy construction period, he would answer, “My client is not in a hurry.” The architect’s sainthood cause is under way. Supporters for his beatification are working on a biography detailing the life and holiness of Gaudi. The volume, called the “positio” or position paper, will need to be filed with the Congregation for Saints’ Causes and evaluated before he can be declared venerable. Promoters say there are already two possible miracles; one miracle attributed to Gaudi’s intercession would be needed for his beatification. The pope’s 31-hour visit will be simple: two Masses, lunches with Spanish bishops and cardinals, private meetings with the king and queen of Spain and the prince and princess of Asturias, and a visit to a Catholic-run center in Barcelona that provides social, educational and medical assistance. There may not be much chance to speak with Prime Minister Zapatero, who is scheduled to see the pope off at the airport Nov. 7. However, the two leaders have met a number of times, most recently in June at the Vatican. During that meeting, Zapatero pledged his government’s full support for Pope

Benedict’s visits to Spain in November and again for World Youth Day in 2011. The Vatican said the pope and prime minister discussed world affairs as well as “the eventual presentation of a new law on religious freedom, the sacredness of human life from the moment of conception and the importance of education.”

Zapatero’s government has drafted a religious freedom law that would strengthen the secular character of the state, including the removal of religious symbols from government-run buildings. Apparently, however, no action on the law is expected until after Pope Benedict’s pilgrimage.

NOVEMBER 4, 2010 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

Freedom of conscience too often not respected, synod members say CONTINUED FROM PAGE 11 tians and Muslims, and for those forced to flee the country. The synod members said they talked extensively about Christian-Muslim relations and about the fact that they both are long-standing citizens of the same countries and should be working together for the good of all. But Christians must be given their full rights as citizens and the future peace and prosperity of the region require civil societies built “on the basis of citizenship, religious freedom and freedom of conscience.”

Religious freedom Throughout the synod, members said that while religious freedom and freedom of worship are recognized in most of the region’s constitutions, freedom of conscience — particularly the freedom to change religious affiliation — is not respected in many places. The synod propositions called for educating Christians in the beliefs of their Muslim and Jewish neighbors and for strengthening dialogue programs that would help the

region’s people “accept one another in spite of their differences, working to build a new society in which fanaticism and extremism have no place.” Much of the synod’s discussion focused on the fact that many Christians are emigrating because of ongoing conflicts, a lack of security and equality and a lack of economic opportunities at home. They praised those who have remained despite hardship and thanked them for their contributions to church and society. While they did not call on emigrants to return home, they did ask them to consider it eventually and to think twice before selling their property in their homelands. Several bishops had told the synod that Christians selling off their property was turning previously ChristianMuslim neighborhoods and towns into totally Muslim areas. The synod members affirmed their commitment to promote full Christian unity and promised to strengthen cooperative efforts with other Christian churches in the region because “we share the same journey” and unity is necessary for effectively sharing the Gospel.

The bishops at the synod also recognized their own failures in not promoting greater communion between Catholics of different rites, with other Christians and with the Jewish and Muslim majorities of their homelands. The propositions called for creation of a “commission of cooperation” between church leaders of different rites, the sharing of material resources and establishment of a program to share priests. They also echoed a repeated call in the synod for the pope to study ways to expand the jurisdiction of Eastern Catholic patriarchs and major archbishops to allow them greater power in providing for their faithful who live outside the traditional territory of their churches and to consider dropping restrictions on ordaining married men to the priesthood outside the traditional homeland of the particular church. Maronite Archbishop Joseph Soueif of Cyprus told reporters, “The synod is not a medical prescription or a cure” for the problems Christians face in the Middle East, “it’s a journey that is just beginning” and will have to be implemented by the region’s Catholics.

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“I firmly believe God drilled that hole.” Greg Hall, owner of Drillers Supply International, a company that aided in the rescue last month of the 33 trapped Chilean miners who were trapped underground for 69 days

Overheard NOVEMBER 4, 2010

Quotes from this week’s newsmakers

Minnesotan who is Carmelite monk ordained a priest Carmelite Brother Michael Mary of the Trinity was ordained a priest on Oct. 15 at St. Mary’s Cathedral in Cheyenne, Wyo., by Denver Bishop James Conley. Michael Wright (Father Michael Mary) attended Visitation parish in Minneapolis with his parents, Jack and Florence Wright, and his 10 siblings. He became a postulant in 2000 at The the Hermitage of the Catholic Spirit Most Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel in Lake Elmo, where Father Daniel Mary of Jesus Crucified was then novice master. On Oct. 15, 2003, Wright became a novice and co-founder, with Father Daniel Mary, of the Carmelite monastery Immaculate Heart of Mary in Wyoming, which has 19 members. For more information on the monks, visit WWW.NEWMOUNTCARMELFOUNDATION .ORG.

A memorial Mass was offered Oct. 25 at St. Charles Borromeo in St. Anthony for Marist Father Thomas Dubay, 88, who died Sept. 26 in Maryland. A native of Minneapolis and De La Salle High School graduate, Father Dubay was ordained a Marist priest in 1950. He served as a teacher at several colleges and was in residence at St. Louis, King of France in St. Paul for 10 years. He also was a spiritual director, retreat guide, author and televangelist on EWTN. Twin Cities philanthropist Henrietta Veronica Schmoll Rauenhorst, 83, died Oct. 13. Her funeral Mass was Oct. 16 at Our Lady of Grace in Edina. She was a St. Catherine University emerita trustee, Convent of the Visitation board member and active member of the Minneapolis League of Catholic Women, St. Thomas Academy Mothers’ Club and the choir at Our Lady of Grace. She and her husband, Gerald Rauenhorst, have been honored by several organizations for their promotion and financial support of Catholic education.

Days noting donors National Donor Sabbath will be celebrated Nov. 12, 13 and 14. The event was established to dispel any myths about transplant donation and religious beliefs. To learn more about organ donation visit the website WWW.DONATELIFEMN.ORG. Pope Benedict XVI, who previously professed that he is a “card-carrying organ donor,” also said that tissue and organ transplants represent a great advance of medical science and a sign of hope for many people. Church teaching states that the gift of organ donation after death is to be encouraged as an expression of generous solidarity.

“If you’re looking for hope and change, you’ll find a lot of both in the direction of Rome. It’s the best kind of hope because it offers forever and the MATALIN best kind of change because it happens in your own life.”

News Notes

Notable deaths

The Catholic Spirit

— Mary Matalin, a Republican political consultant and recent convert to Catholicism, speaking about the church during the 65th annual dinner of the Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Oct. 19 in New York

Dianne Towalski / The Catholic Spirit

Archbishop Harry Flynn accepts the St. Jeanne Jugan Award from Mother Theresa Gertrude Robertson during a gala celebration Oct. 19 at the Crowne Plaza St. PaulRiverfront Hotel in St. Paul.

Little Sisters of the Poor honor Archbishop Harry Flynn with award The Catholic Spirit Archbishop Emeritus Harry Flynn has always been close to the Little Sisters of the Poor. When he was pastor of St. Ambrose parish in Latham, N.Y., the Little Sisters maintained a home on the property for elderly persons in need. It was the same home his aunt — at the time, the last living member of his father’s family who helped raise him — moved into after he was appointed bishop of Lafayette, La. He then became friends with the Little Sisters in nearby New Orleans, where they also maintained a home. And he continued to support their ministry after he was appointed archbishop of St. Paul and Minneapolis. “I’ve always been so grateful to them,” Archbishop Flynn said of the sisters, who maintain Holy Family Residence in St. Paul. “They have this profound reverence for the elderly, and that carries over into spoiling the elderly poor in a beautiful, beautiful manner.” The appreciation he feels is mutual. On Oct. 19, the sisters awarded Archbishop Flynn with their St. Jeanne Jugan Award at a fundraising gala in St. Paul, thanking him for his support and dedication to the Little Sisters both locally and nationally, and honoring him on his 50th anniversary of priesthood.

Special family member “Archbishop Flynn represents the utmost epitome of gracious hospitality of our Lord Jesus Christ but also that of our

foundress, Jeanne Jugan,” Mother Theresa Gertrude Robertson, superior of the St. Paul community, noted in the gala’s program. “During the special occasions when he celebrated Mass with us, he always took the time to acknowledge and show his gratitude for every person who had a role — the choir, the servers, the lectors,” she said. “When visiting the residents and sisters, he often enjoyed bringing a treat and taking time to share a cup of coffee. Archbishop Flynn exudes an aura of cordiality that makes each individual welcome him as a very special member of our family.”

Fundraising goal exceeded About 500 people attended the gala, which featured silent and live auctions. The event exceeded its fundraising goal of $100,000, Mother Theresa Gertrude said. The proceeds are being used for the Little Sisters’ chapel renovation, which includes making the sanctuary handicapped-accessible, providing lighting and acoustical enhancements, refinishing pews, adding heating in the balcony and doing other repairs. The sisters, who have been ministering in the archdiocese since 1883, hope the chapel renovation will be finished by the end of the month, Mother Theresa Gertrude said. A chapel rededication and blessing with Archbishop Flynn will be scheduled for early next year.

“I think we’re failing to demonstrate the relevance of Catholicism in our modern life. I think Catholicism is being rejected a lot because it’s old. It is old, but KELLY it’s like an old treasure map. A treasure map is valuable if it leads to treasure. If you find a treasure map, you don’t throw it away because it’s old.” — Matthew Kelly, an international Catholic speaker and author, speaking to participants at a recent “Christ Our Life” Catholic conference in Des Moines, Iowa

“We have the means to bring an end to poverty. Do we have the will? That is the question.” — Archbishop Francis Chullikatt, who heads the permanent observer mission of the Holy See at United Nations headquarters in New York, speaking to a U.N. committee

“Dear brother bishops, to defend life we must not fear hostility or unpopularity, and we must refuse any compromise or ambiguity which might conform us to the world’s way of thinking.” — Pope Benedict XVI, speaking Oct. 28 at a meeting with bishops from northeast Brazil

NOVEMBER 4, 2010 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT