The Catholic Spirit - December 11, 2014

‘Masculine genius’ 8 • Advent 12 • Why beliefs matter 15 December 11, 2014 Newspaper of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis

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Bishop Cozzens Reflections on his first year in leadership

O

n Dec. 9, Bishop Andrew Cozzens celebrated the oneyear anniversary of his ordination as an auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. It was a busy year of confirmations, engagement in Latino Ministry and taking an active role in helping victims of sexual abuse heal. Read his reflections on his first year of ministry as a bishop on page 5.

Dave Hrbacek/The Catholic Spirit

ALSO inside

Pro-life Paleos

Holy hallways

Nun on the gridiron

Restaurant owners decide to give some of their revenue to archdiocese’s Life Fund.

— Page 4

All Saints parishioner puts up more than 200 crosses in his basement.

— Page 6

Sister Lisa Maurer coaches football at St. Scholastica in Duluth.

— Page 9

Page Two

2 in PICTURES “The attitude of Mary of Nazareth shows us that being comes before doing, and that we must let God do in order to be truly as he wants us to be. He will accomplish marvels in us.”

Pope Francis in celebrating the feast of the Immaculate Conception Dec. 8.

“We must never forget, nor may we ignore, the suffering of so many men, women and children whose human dignity is violated through this exploitation.”

Cardinal Vincent Nichols of Westminster, England, addressing attendees of a conference on human trafficking Dec. 6.

FEAST DAY TRADITION A firefighter places a wreath on a statue of Mary overlooking the Spanish Steps in Rome Dec. 8, the feast of the Immaculate Conception. Rome’s firefighters have observed the tradition every year since 1857. CNS/Paul Haring

NEWS notes • The Catholic Spirit

Rediscover: app 2.0 available for download The Rediscover: app version 2.0 is now available to download for iPhone and Android devices. Version 2.0 builds on the first app with new and enhanced features to support Catholics on their faith journey, including: • Look and Listen: A new section for news, videos, plus Rediscover: Music and Movies, where users can discover Christian artists across genres, and movies that go deeper than entertainment.

• Confession Helper: A comprehensive guide through the confession process, including an examination of conscience and prayers to recite during confession.

• Find A Location: Now it’s easier for users to find a parish in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, with live search results as they type, plus filter options for Mass, confession and adoration times, and locations.

• My Faith Life: Users can keep their favorite content at their fingertips by bookmarking app content. Plus, goal scheduling is more flexible, with options for weekly, monthly, quarterly or annual reminders.

VATICAN CHRISTMAS TREE A nun watches as workers position the Christmas tree in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican Dec. 4. The tree is an 82-foot white fir from the Calabria region in southern Italy. CNS/Paul Haring

WHAT’S NEW on social media The feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe is Dec. 12. This week, a post on The Catholic Spirit’s Facebook page asks, how do you celebrate?

Read the latest news about the local and universal Church by following The Catholic Spirit on Twitter @CatholicSpirit.

Pope Francis shares about his pilgrimage to Turkey, his call for Christians and Muslims to work together for justice and peace. Watch the video at www.catholicnews.com.

The Catholic Spirit is published bi-weekly for The Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis Vol. 19 — No. 26 MOST REVEREND JOHN C. NIENSTEDT, Publisher ANNE STEFFENS, Associate Publisher United in Faith, Hope and Love

December 11, 2014 • The Catholic Spirit

JESSICA TRYGSTAD, Editor

• For First-Time Users: Enhanced in-app documentation walks users through features.

Since the Rediscover: app was first launched in February 2013, more than 8,700 users have downloaded it. Rediscover: app 2.0 can be downloaded from the iTunes App Store and Google Play. For more information, visit www.rediscoverapp.com.

New website launches for Minn. Catholic Directory Subscribers to the Minnesota Catholic Directory website will see a fresh, new look. Along with a clean, user-friendly design, the new directory site is mobile ready, so subscribers can access information about any parish or Catholic school within all Minnesota dioceses. Users also can look up parish listings by deanery on the new site.

New subscribers can sign up for the directory by visiting www.mncatholicdirectory.com.

Current subscribers received an email last week with their new login information, including a temporary password. If you are a current subscriber and did not receive this email, please email directory@ thecatholicspirit.com.

Materials credited to CNS copyrighted by Catholic News Service.

All other materials copyrighted by The Catholic Spirit Newspaper.

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3 When I was a pastor of a large suburban parish outside Detroit, I preached one Advent Sunday on the Advent virtue of courage as exemplified by the life of St. John the Baptist. I encouraged my parishioners to be fearless in speaking about their faith before others and not to be afraid of defending the truths of their Catholic faith.

After Mass, a mother came up to me to thank me for the homily but added, “Father, next week could you preach on the virtue of patience?

That’s the virtue I really need!”

And isn’t that true for all of us?

THAT THEY MAY ALL BE ONE Archbishop John Nienstedt

When I find myself waiting in long lines at the pharmacy, I say to myself, “I’ve got to be patient.” When I am trying to complete a project under deadline and someone calls with a long list of complaints, I say to myself, “I’ve got to be patient.” When

La virtud de la paciencia en Adviento Cuando yo era pastor de una parroquia suburbana a las afueras de Detroit, prediqué un domingo de Adviento de la virtud de la valentía ilustrada en la vida de San Juan Bautista. Animé a mis feligreses a no tener miedo de hablar de su fe ante los demás y a no tener miedo de defender las verdades de la fe Católica. Después de la Misa, una madre se acercó a mí para darme las gracias por la homilía, pero añadió, “¿Padre, la próxima semana podría usted predicar sobre la virtud de la paciencia? Esa es la virtud que ¡realmente necesito!” ¿Y no es eso cierto para todos nosotros? Cuando me encuentro esperando en una fila larga en la farmacia, me digo a mí mismo: “Tengo que ser paciente.” Cuando

someone misunderstands what I have said and misrepresents it to others, I say to myself, “I’ve got to be patient.”

Yes, indeed, that mother was right: Patience is an Advent virtue, a virtue exercised in the watching, waiting and wonder that characterizes not only the Advent season, but really the whole of our lives. We wait nine months to enter the world. We wait 16 years to drive a car on our own. We wait 18 years to qualify to vote. We wait several months for an engagement to end and a Christian married life to begin.

Often we wait for weeks, if not months, by the side of a loved one as he or she prepares to meet the Lord. Thus, anything of real significance in life involves a certain amount of waiting, and a lot of patience.

Advent, as we know, is centered on not one, but the three comings of Jesus Christ.

He came that first Christmas night. He comes to us in the Word and Sacrament at Mass. He will come again at the end of time to judge the living and the dead. The Scripture readings for the first part of Advent challenge us to consider how well we are psychologically and physically prepared for the Lord’s return in glory. Then, beginning with Dec. 17, the focus changes to emphasize the people and events that had to do with Christ’s first coming among us. By

estoy tratando de completar un proyecto en plazo y alguien llama con una lista larga de quejas, me digo a mí mismo: “Tengo que ser paciente”. Cuando alguien no entiende lo que he dicho y tergiversa/confunde a los demás, me digo a mí mismo: “Tengo que ser paciente.”

Sí, en efecto, esa madre tenía razón: la paciencia es una virtud de Adviento, una virtud que se ejerce en la vigilia, la espera y maravilla que caracteriza no sólo el tiempo de Adviento, pero en realidad en la totalidad de nuestras vidas.

Esperamos nueve meses para entrar en el mundo. Esperamos 16 años para conducir un coche. Esperamos 18 años para tener derecho a votar.

Esperamos varios meses para que un compromiso termine y una vida matrimonial cristiana empiece. Muchas veces esperamos semanas, si no meses, al lado de un ser querido mientras él o ella se preparan para recibir al Señor. Por lo tanto, todo lo que tiene importancia real en la vida implica

remembering His first coming, we should be more attentive and expectant to His coming in Word and Sacrament, and even better disposed and hopeful for His coming at the end of time.

And the attitude that should accompany our reflections of the three-fold arrival is one of watching, waiting and wonder. I believe this is best achieved in silence and prayer.

The silence allows the prayer to happen and the prayer interiorizes the watching, the waiting and the wonder. And throughout this process, I try to be patient, knowing the Lord is near.

From the Archbishop

Watching, waiting and wonder: the virtue of patience

On the first Saturday of Advent, I had the privilege of celebrating Mass for the members of the Archdiocesan Council of Catholic Women as part of their Advent day retreat.

More than 150 women were present.

That same day, more than 100 women spent the day in retreat at the St. Paul Seminary, and another 100 women were on retreat at St. Pius X parish in White Bear Lake. Imagine! While these women could have been busy with many other things less than 30 days before Christmas, they chose to spend that time with the Lord. Advent watching, waiting and wonder doesn’t get any better than that!

God bless you!

una cierta cantidad de espera y de mucha paciencia.

El Adviento, como sabemos, se centra en no uno, sino las tres venidas de Jesucristo. Llegó la primera noche de Navidad. Él viene a nosotros en la Palabra y el Sacramento de la Misa. Él vendrá otra vez al final de los tiempos a juzgar a los vivos y a los muertos.

Las lecturas bíblicas de la primera parte del Adviento nos desafían a considerar qué tan bien estamos psicológicamente y físicamente preparados para la venida del Señor en gloria. Entonces, a partir del 17 de diciembre, el enfoque cambia para destacar a las personas y eventos que tienen que ver con la primera venida de Cristo entre nosotros. Al recordar su primera venida, debemos estar más atentos y ansiosos a Su venida en Palabra y Sacramento, e incluso mejor preparados y esperanzados para su venida al final de los tiempos.

Y la actitud que debe acompañar nuestras reflexiones de la llegada triple es una de vigilia, espera y

maravilla/asombro. Creo que esto se logra mejor en el silencio y la oración. El silencio permite que la oración suceda y la oración interioriza la vigilia, la espera y el asombro/la maravilla. Y en todo este proceso, trato de ser paciente, sabiendo que el Señor está cerca.

El primer sábado de Adviento, tuve el privilegio de celebrar Misa para los miembros del Consejo Arquidiocesano de Mujeres Católicas como parte de su día de retiro de Adviento. Más de 150 mujeres estaban presentes.

Ese mismo día, más de 100 mujeres pasaron el día en retiro en el Seminario de Saint Paul, y otras 100 mujeres estaban en retiro en la parroquia de St. Pius X en White Bear Lake. ¡Imagínese! Mientras que estas mujeres podrían estar ocupadas con muchas otras cosas con menos de 30 días antes de la Navidad, optaron por pasar ese tiempo con el Señor. ¡No hay nada mejor que anticipar/vigilar, esperar y maravillar el Adviento! ¡Que Dios los bendiga!

Vatican sends bishops preparatory questionnaire for 2015 family synod Catholic News Service To help set the agenda for the 2015 Synod of Bishops on the family, the Vatican is sending the world’s Catholic bishops’ conferences a list of questions on a range of topics, including matters

of marriage and sexuality that proved especially controversial at the 2014 family synod.

Together with the final report of the 2014 assembly, the 46 questions published by the Vatican Dec. 9 comprise a preparatory document, known as a

“lineamenta,” for the Oct. 4-25 synod, which will have the theme: “The vocation and mission of the family in the Church and the modern world.”

Bishops’ conferences are being asked to consult with “academic institutions, organizations, lay

movements and other ecclesial associations” in preparing their responses, which are due at the Vatican by April 15.

The bishops’ responses will serve as the basis for the synod’s working document, to be published by summer.

December 11, 2014 • The Catholic Spirit

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John and Elizabeth Pavlick, owners of recently-opened Paleos restaurant in Lino Lakes, have decided to give 10 percent of their December revenue to the Life Fund of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. They are shown with one of their top menu items, the guacamole burger. Dave Hrbacek/The Catholic Spirit

Paleos restaurant: healthy dining, dollars for moms and babies

By Dave Hrbacek The Catholic Spirit Looking for a place that serves good hamburgers? Or steaks? Or seafood? And, also allows you to make a difference in the lives of babies and mothers while you’re dining?

These seemingly incongruent acts converge nicely at a new restaurant in Lino Lakes owned by a Catholic couple, John and Elizabeth Pavlick of St. Mary of the Lake in White Bear Lake.

They opened their restaurant, Paleos, on Oct. 7 and were looking for a way to both offer meaningful help to the less fortunate and to express their pro-life views.

A series of phone calls and conversations led them to Nancy Schulte Palacheck of the Office of

Marriage, Family and Life in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. She told them about the Life Fund, an archdiocese-wide collection that helps women and infants. Money and baby items are given to pregnant women and women who have just delivered babies.

“We wanted to do something to give back,” said John, 49. “We landed on the Life Fund, which is to help pregnant women and women who just had a baby. One hundred percent of the [fund’s] proceeds go directly to the women.

We thought that was a good way to go.”

The Pavlicks have decided that 10 percent of all their restaurant revenue — food, liquor and gift cards — during the month of December will go to the Life Fund.

Life Fund helps women and babies The Life Fund of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis is an outreach to help women carry their unborn babies to term or care for their newborn babies during their first year. All funds come from donations, and every dollar collected goes directly to the women in need.

Last year, the fund collected $30,151 and helped 228 women. It is managed by the archdiocesan Office of Marriage, Family and Life, and helps with things such as baby items and rent.

“The need for donations is always great,” said Sonya Flomo, the office’s Life Fund grants administrator. “With government cuts and program changes, many families fall through the cracks of government assistance.

Housing is the most critical need.”

For more information about the fund, call (651) 291-4515. To donate, make checks payable to Archdiocesan Life Fund and mail to: The Archdiocesan Life Fund 328 W. Kellogg Blvd.

St. Paul, MN 55102-1997

December 11, 2014 • The Catholic Spirit

They hope their contribution will add up to several thousand dollars.

“We just feel strongly about the babies,” said Elizabeth, 48. “And, we were just trying to think what to do for Christmas. [John] ran it by me, and I’m like, ‘Yeah, cool.

Let’s do it.’”

In addition to helping women and their babies, Paleos customers also will be able to give their own bodies a boost, in the form of gluten-free, healthy fare. The restaurant’s beef comes from grassfed cows, and no grains of any kind enter the kitchen. One noticeable result is that hamburgers arrive at customers’ tables without buns.

“We’ve been eating that way for a couple years,” Elizabeth said.

“We gave up sugar for Lent a few years back. And, after going six weeks, we thought we should just keep going. That was how the sugar-free part started. And then, John lost quite a bit of weight. So, we started doing more reading about stuff. Then . . . we decided to go gluten free. And, the last step was doing dairy free. The more we read about stuff, the more we kept pushing it along.”

The two believe there is something spiritual about eating this way, especially denying cravings for unhealthy food like sweets. They also incorporate fasting into their dietary regimen.

And, just like prayer, they believe this type of eating pattern should be a permanent part of their lives.

“It’s a lifestyle,” Elizabeth said.

“It’s not something you do short-

term [and then quit]. It’s the way you’re going to eat for the rest of your life, not a short-term diet.”

Slowly, they are converting people to the health benefits of this diet, often referred to as the Paleo diet, which is where the name for their restaurant came from. They have developed some loyal customers already, but still recognize that taking the bun off the hamburger will take some getting used to.

“We’re kind of going out on a limb with this,” John said. “You can go [elsewhere] and get something that’s gluten free, but not a menu that’s [all gluten free].”

Said Elizabeth: “We’re the only restaurant of this type in the state.

And, very few even nationwide right now.”

To show support for what the Pavlicks are doing — and to enjoy some good food — Schulte Palacheck said she will eat at the restaurant.

“I plan to visit them personally, first and foremost because John and Elizabeth are giving back to their broader community, especially women who struggle financially while trying to care for their baby,” she said. “I think their menu looks phenomenal and healthy. . . . I am definitely hoping others will visit Paleos, and thank John and Elizabeth for the wonderful way they are giving back — such a gift to these mothers in need.”

For more information about Paleos, visit paleoslinolakes.com.

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What’s it like to be a bishop?

‘Lots of excitement,’ Cozzens says Bishop Andrew Cozzens offered the following comments on his first year of ministry as an auxiliary bishop in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis.

The Catholic Spirit

Q. What has this last year been like for you?

A. “I would say that this year has been like somebody took away my old life and gave me a new life.

In a certain way, everything has been new — many new experiences, many new challenges.

Of course, this year has been a challenging year for the whole archdiocese. I have felt that profoundly as I have entered into leadership in the archdiocese. It’s been a year of lots of excitement. I got to meet the pope twice. It’s also been a year of some fear, stress and joy, and a year of lots of prayer. It’s been a very busy year where I’ve gotten to meet a lot of people from around the archdiocese and to attend a lot of wonderful events and to see the great work that’s going on around the whole archdiocese.”

Q.

What has been the greatest joy in being a bishop?

A. “The greatest joy has been being with the people and getting to see all of the wonderful things that happen around our archdiocese and our parishes, and to see the many faithful people; getting to confirm over 1,000 young people. I especially enjoyed those confirmation ceremonies, just to get to be with the young people of our archdiocese.”

Q. What has been the greatest challenge?

A.

“The greatest challenge has been learning to deal with new levels of stress, which have come from the new levels of responsibility. The life of a bishop is a life that often has to deal with crisis, and that has been especially true for us in this past year. That has certainly been a challenge for me. It’s also been an area where I’ve been able to see the Lord’s provision and how he cares for me and for the local Church.”

Q. What has it been like working side by side with Archbishop John Nienstedt and Bishop Lee Piché?

A. “It’s been a great joy to be able to work with Archbishop Nienstedt and Bishop Piché. I immediately felt welcomed into the leadership of the archdiocese and trusted as a fellow leader with the archbishop and Bishop Piché.

I also was amazed at how much Archbishop Nienstedt consults and seeks advice from others in the difficult decisions that he has to make. And, I was grateful to be able to stand by his side in the many difficulties of this last year.

I’ve seen that the other bishops of this diocese are men who really care about the flock that they shepherd. They are also men of deep prayer, and that’s been inspiring to me.”

Q. What has been the biggest surprise about being a bishop?

A. “I’ve been surprised at how many people recognize me as a bishop when I’m in the airport or in other places. A lot more people seem to know me now than when I was a priest. So, one feels a lot more like a public person. That’s been surprising.

I’ve also been surprised at how many people have told me that they’re praying for me. That’s been a great encouragement, to know that people all over the archdiocese pray every day for their bishops.”

Q. You have taken on a role as a spokesperson for the archdiocese in the area of clergy sexual abuse. What has that been like?

A. “Obviously, at times being a spokesperson for the clergy sex abuse that has happened in the past in the archdiocese has been a difficulty. Of course, most of the cases of abuse that have come forward in this past year because of the statute of limitations being lifted in Minnesota are cases that happened a long time ago. So, many times, I haven‘t always been able to answer questions about those cases since they were things that happened under other leadership.

I can say that I have been very marked in this past year by the time that I have spent listening to victims of clergy sexual abuse. In

Bishop Andrew Cozzens talks with members of the Handmaids of the Heart of Jesus, including Mother Mary Clare, center, at the Rediscover: Catholic Celebration Oct. 4 at the Minneapolis Convention Center. Bishop Cozzens helped start the order, which is in the Diocese of New Ulm. Dave Hrbacek/The Catholic Spirit some ways, that has been one of the most difficult things, but also one of the things that has helped me to grow. I’ve really seen how, in some ways, the abuse of a young person by a priest is worse than any other kind of abuse because it has the power to prevent the person from coming back to God himself, who is the healer and the one who wants to offer healing to victims of abuse. So, when the abuse is done in the name of God, it’s perhaps worse than anything else.

I’ve been grateful, though, that I have been able to speak on behalf of the archdiocese and to apologize for the terrible things that were done by some priests. These are obviously things that should have never been done, and I’ve been grateful in some way to try to be a part of reconciliation and healing for victims, even though I recognize we still have a long way to go.”

Q. What would you say to people who are hoping for healing and closure on this?

A. “I would say that it’s important not to hope for closure on the clergy sexual abuse too quickly. Of course, many of us would like to get this chapter of our history behind us, but we must make sure that we deal with this issue rightly and justly, especially for the victims. This means that we have to always keep the victims first in our mindset, as we attempt to bring healing and closure.

Therefore, it will take time.

Sometimes, these wounds take a long time to heal. I hope that everyone in the archdiocese, even as we seek to bring closure to this chapter, will remember what a terrible thing clergy sexual abuse is and help us all to be vigilant so that the young people in our churches are always safe and have their dignity respected as they deserve.”

Q. What new challenges lie ahead for you?

A. “I continue to be challenged by the number of demands that are placed upon me as a bishop. And so, I continue to need to find ways to balance my schedule so that I can do practical human things like exercise. I also continue to need to grow in leadership skills so that I can help others to fulfill their baptismal call to holiness and service in the Church. And, I’m sure there are many challenges ahead that the Lord has in store that I don’t know about.”

Q. What are your thoughts on further involvement in Latino ministry?

A. “It’s very important for the whole archdiocese to understand how important our Latino brothers and sisters are. In this past year, I’ve gotten to almost all of our Spanish-speaking ministries and parishes in the archdiocese and I’ve been able to see what a valuable contribution our Latino people make to our archdiocese.

Right now in the United States, more than 50 percent of schoolaged children are Latino. This means that we need to continue to reach out to our Latino brothers and sisters and invite them to full and active participation in the Church. All of us need to understand that we are one family and that they have a valuable contribution to make. I hope that we can continue to train leaders for our Latino community, continue to invite the young people in our Latino community to pursue vocations to priesthood and consecrated life. I also hope that we can get more Latino young people in our Catholic schools. I hope that we can raise up leaders in the Latino community to help us evangelize our brothers and sisters in the local Church.”

December 11, 2014 • The Catholic Spirit

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Holy hallways: This basement’s loaded with crosses

By Dave Hrbacek The Catholic Spirit After more than two decades in his modest home in Lakeville, Will Schafer of All Saints parish decided it was time to do something about the basement.

It was unfinished, as of 2012, and he told his wife, Barbara, that he wanted to bring it up to date.

One morning about two years ago, shortly after waking up, he walked into the kitchen and picked up a greeting card that was sitting on the table.

He happened to think of a cross, and sketched it on the back of the card.

That’s it, he thought to himself.

He would finish the basement using the cross as the dominant decor theme.

He got his brother-in-law, Arnie Schommer from St. Cloud, involved and together they made and placed 191 crosses on the ceiling, and several dozen more on the walls.

Today, Will beams with pride when he shows off the spiritual symbols to those who pay him a visit. And, the sheer number of them got him to wondering out loud on a recent afternoon.

“Do you know how to get that in the Guinness Book of World Records — most crosses in a chapel?” he wondered as he offered a look at the creation of what he now calls the “Chapel of 200 Crosses and Hail Marys.”

More than likely, the number of crosses in a chapel are not a recognized category in the hallowed book.

That’s OK, as Schafer had a much higher purpose in mind when he put the simple black crosses up with the help of Schommer and another brother-inlaw, Mark Schulte. He wanted a place where people would be reminded of the symbol that is at the heart of the Christian faith.

He also wanted to create an atmosphere conducive to prayerful reflection on the cross of Christ.

“I just spend some quiet time down here,” he said. “I pray the rosary, then I pray the Stations of

Surrounded by more than 200 crosses on the walls and ceiling, Will Schafer sits in the basement of his Lakeville home, which he has labeled the “Chapel of 200 Crosses and Hail Marys.” Dave Hrbacek/The Catholic Spirit the Cross.”

All 14 stations are depicted on the walls, along with pictures of three popes — Francis, Benedict XVI and John Paul II. Also in the basement are a pair of 4-foot statues of Mary and Joseph (holding Jesus), which were made in Peru.

And, if the sight of crosses everywhere doesn’t turn people’s thoughts to Jesus, there’s the numerous writings on the wall to help. Here are a few examples: “Lift high the cross.”

“Keep your eyes on the cross.”

“Take your cross and follow.”

Jesus died on a cross for you

and me.”

Schafer is especially proud of a short piece he wrote that adorns one of the basement walls. It reads: “There is always music amongst the trees and in the garden, but our hearts must be very quiet to hear it in a chapel of 200 crosses.”

Schafer realizes that his decision to place more than 200 crosses in his basement counters the practice of placing just one cross in a room as a focal point for prayer. But, he went with high numbers for a reason.

“It just [signifies] that there are lots of crosses in the world — and I have borne a few,” said Schafer, a

retired accountant and Vietnam War veteran who has Multiple Sclerosis. “I have been in a wheelchair since 1980. I came down with M.S. in 1974. . . . I am reminded of the cross every day when I get up.”

One last cross remains to be installed. It’s one that will be affixed to a large rosary that he is working on.

“As soon as we get this rosary up, that will be it — no more space to do anything else,” he said, noting that the entire project has one simple goal for him. “It will help me get to where I’m going — heaven.”

To our readers To allow The Catholic Spirit staff members time with their loved ones during the holidays, the newspaper will not publish a Jan. 2, 2015, edition as planned. The first edition of 2015 will be Jan. 15.

December 11, 2014 • The Catholic Spirit

7 Decision might not extend to possible changes to federal requirement

By Susan Klemond For The Catholic Spirit Following Oklahoma craft retailer Hobby Lobby’s Supreme Court victory last summer, nearly all of the business owners who brought legal challenges against the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ mandate have received permanent exemptions from having to provide and pay for abortifacients, sterilization, birth control, and related counseling in Deacon their employee health plans.

Gregory But they HALL haven’t received a guarantee against future mandate amendments requiring them to violate their conscience.

In November, Deacon Gregory Hall, owner of a St. Joseph, Minn., mining supply company, became the latest to receive exemption from the requirement to include contraceptives in an employee health plan. The requirements for for-profit business owners and non-profits fall under the mandate that HHS introduced in 2011 as part of the Affordable Care Act. Erick Kaardal of the Minneapolisbased firm Mohrman, Kaardal and Erickson, P.A., represented Hall and six other Minnesota company owners opposing the Obama administration’s contraceptive mandate. He said people should be proud of Christian business owners and what they accomplished in the cases.

“I think with the leadership of Stuart Lind, Tom Janas (plaintiffs in the first Minnesota case brought in 2012) and Deacon Hall, we — Minnesota — became the state with the most for-profit [business]

Little Sisters of the Poor seeks permanent protection from HHS Mandate See page 10

cases,” he said.

Deacon Hall, president and chief executive officer of American Manufacturing Co., received a permanent injunction from the mandate, as have at least five other challengers in the state. Lind and Janas’ case is still being decided in the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals.

A permanent deacon in the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston who lives in Houston, Deacon Hall said he is glad he can continue offering health insurance to his 40 employees without violating the teachings of the Catholic Church.

He originally filed suit against the Obama administration in 2013 and then received a preliminary injunction in U.S. District Court.

His health insurance provider agreed to amend his policy to

exclude the contraceptive coverage.

Deacon Hall’s company manufactures pumps and equipment used in drilling and mining. In 2010, it assisted in the rescue of 33 miners trapped in a Chilean mine collapse.

In June, the Supreme Court in the Hobby Lobby Stores case decided that “closely held” companies may assert rights to oppose the mandate under a federal law protecting religious freedom.

While the Hobby Lobby decision has made it possible for business owners like Deacon Hall, as well as leaders of non-profits, to gain exemptions from the mandate on a case by case basis, the victory was narrow.

Last month, a U.S. District Court

in Oklahoma interpreted that the Hobby Lobby Supreme Court decision doesn’t prohibit the government from adding new applications of the mandate that are contrary to Church teaching. If that happens, businesses and nonprofits opposing such applications will have to start a new legal fight, Kaardal said.

Nationwide, owners and leaders representing 54 for-profit businesses and 49 non-profits have filed lawsuits against the mandate, according to the Washington, D.C.-based Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, a non-profit public interest legal and educational institute protecting religious freedom. The Little Sisters of the Poor’s case is a class-action suit involving 400 non-profit ministries, which likely could reach the Supreme Court, said Emily Hardman, Becket Fund communications director.

Deacon Hall said opposing the mandate was difficult, but the Chilean mine rescue taught him that all “We need to things are possible with preach the God. He encouraged Gospel with other Catholic business owners words and to follow their conscience in deeds. If we challenging it.

“We need to indeed believe preach the Gospel with those provisions words and deeds,” he said. of the ACA “If we indeed believe those violate our faith, provisions of I think it calls us the ACA violate our faith, I to action.” think it calls us to action. I Deacon Gregory Hall, would just hope president and chief and pray that executive officer of they would . . .

American Manufacturing file so they can Co. in St. Joseph, Minn. get the same injunction, so they can continue to take care of their employees without violating their conscience.”

Local

State business owners receive an out from HHS Mandate

Maplewood priest acquitted of sexual misconduct charges Archdiocese’s Ministerial Standards Board to review Father Mark Huberty’s case The Catholic Spirit A Ramsey County jury on Dec. 8 acquitted Father Mark Huberty of criminal sexual conduct charges against an adult female parishioner.

The woman made the allegations last year when Father Huberty was pastor of Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Maplewood.

He has been on leave from active ministry since September 2013, when the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis first learned of the allegations. The archdiocese cooperated with civil authorities in the investigation and prosecution of this case.

Father Huberty’s attorney, Paul Engh, released a statement after the weeklong trial.

“This was a misunderstanding between two adults. This should never have been charged,” the statement read.

After the verdict, Father Huberty

released a statement: “I am relieved. I never understood why the prosecution pursued this so aggressively.

“A lot of unnecessary harm was caused to a lot of people, including to the people of my parish and the complainant herself.

“Now it’s time to heal. It’s been a difficult year away. I’m looking forward to returning to active ministry as a priest.”

When asked about the ministerial future of Father Huberty, Auxiliary Bishop Andrew Cozzens said, “We did not go

forward with our own internal review to preserve the integrity of the police investigation and the fairness of court proceedings. Rev. Huberty will remain on leave until the archdiocesan Ministerial Standards Board can complete an internal review of this matter.”

The nine-member Ministerial Standards Board is made up of lay people and priests with expertise in family therapy, chemical dependency, mental health, medicine, law and employment issues.

December 11, 2014 • The Catholic Spirit

Local

8 Humanity needs deeper understanding of ‘masculine genius’ Talk shares how men’s, women’s gifts can shed light on life

By Susan Klemond For The Catholic Spirit God shows us in the book of Genesis that though he made men and women equal, they possess different gifts so they can work together.

Male-female complementarity was the focus of Deborah Savage’s talk,

“The Masculine Genius,” Dec. 3 at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul.

Men’s gifts, or the “masculine genius,” get less attention but are especially needed today — their capacity to know and use earthly goods to benefit humanity,

December 11, 2014 • The Catholic Spirit

according to Savage, theology and philosophy professor at the St. Paul Seminary School of Divinity.

“Properly understood, the particular genius of man has proven throughout history to be an essential gift in sustaining families and creating social order. Indeed, it has been the key to the very building up of civilizations,” Savage said.

Savage spoke at the event “Is there a Masculine Genius?” sponsored by the Siena Symposium for Women, Family and Culture; and Catholic Studies leadership interns. Siena Symposium is an interdisciplinary faculty group dedicated to rebuilding families and culture through scholarship and insights of the Catholic faith.

About 150 people — mostly students — attended the event.

David Deavel, associate editor of “Logos: A Journal of Catholic Thought and Culture” and Catholic Studies adjunct professor, as well as St. Thomas student Magdalene Lococo offered responses to Savage’s talk.

Drawing on St. John Paul II’s writings, the creation story and other sources, Savage spoke about men’s and women’s unique gifts and how they support each other and benefit humanity.

Scientists now find that almost from birth females and males

exhibit respective personality traits, something Scripture also reveals. In Genesis, Adam is formed from the earth, and according to St. John Paul II, seems more naturally oriented toward things, which God charged him to care for. In this, man has an ability to understand things, which is his charism, Savage explained.

Genesis tells that Eve, on the other hand, was made from Adam’s rib and is more naturally oriented toward persons, Savage said. According to St. John Paul II, women have a capacity to conceive and nurture life, whether physically or spiritually.

She emphasized that neither man nor woman can be reduced to a function or role, and both have the capacity for receptivity and action. But our complementarity gives us our mission to create human families and human history, Savage said.

The feminist movement has affected that mission, confusing males about their identity and role, she said. Boys especially are experiencing many problems in society today.

“The situation requires that we recognize that humanity urgently needs a deeper understanding of the genius of men,” Savage said.

We don’t always identify clear-

cut roles for men and women when we consider questions of masculine or feminine genius, but we can discover something about where and how they can thrive and serve humanity wherever they are, Deavel said.

“Genius of any sort will find its perfection in myriad ways, but to say that there is a masculine or feminine genius and then identify it is to help men and women discover the ways they can develop themselves — and then through prayer and discipline be as Scripture says, like gold refined,” he said.

St. Thomas freshman Tristan Jakobson said the idea of masculine and feminine genius was new to him, but he found it a way to explain aspects of life.

Lococo, a St. Thomas junior and Catholic Edge leadership intern, said she was glad to hear the topic discussed. Responding to Savage’s talk, Lococo said: “Men, we want you to know that we recognize your strength, and as women, we need your strength.”

“It is actually a supernatural reality that, if we are to realize it fully, requires both man and woman to enter into the life of grace and be sustained by it if we are to arrive at the level that represents a more perfected state,” Savage said.

9

By Sarah McCarthy Catholic News Service Sister Lisa Maurer is a Benedictine nun who lives at the St. Scholastica Monastery, which shares a campus of the College of St. Scholastica in Duluth. She works as director of mission for the Benedictine Health Center based there. She prays, studies and ministers at local parishes.

She also happens to coach a men’s football team.

“I was never involved in coaching football . . . until this year,” Sister Lisa said in an interview with Catholic News Service. “I was around football only because my dad was a football coach, obviously my brothers played and, you know, football is a staple in America. So I’m a lover of football but never played or coached it until this year.”

Sister Lisa joined the monastery at St. Scholastica seven years ago, one year before the school established a football program.

When the team began practicing in 2008 at a field right behind her residence, she said she would often go outside and watch.

“The football practice field . . . is literally in the backyard of the

Benedictine Sister Lisa Maurer, who coaches kickers and punters for The College of St. Scholastica Saints football team in Duluth, is pictured during a game in late September. CNS/Derek Montgomery, courtesy St. Scholastica Athletics monastery, so that was my connection,” she said. “I would just wander out to the football field if I had a free afternoon, if they were practicing, maybe walk around our grounds and say my rosary and kind of just watch the [team].”

The Saints’ head coach, Kurt Ramler, who joined the team in March 2014, approached Sister Lisa and asked her if she would be interested in a coaching position.

Though she was hesitant to take

on a responsibility that might hinder her vocational duties, Sister Lisa said she believed the commitment would allow her to establish “that special relationship with the student-athletes” that she had experienced in her previous years of coaching girls’ volleyball, basketball and softball.

“Entering religious life, you have to think about all the things you give up, and you have to go through that discernment, and leaving coaching was one of the

things that I had to take along with the discerning, recognizing that that . . . would not be my top priority anymore,” she said.

“When I . . . entered the monastery and the football team started practicing right in my backyard, it was an easy way for me to still feel connected to sports.”

Now, as the designated coach of the team’s kickers and punters and with a 10-1 record in her pocket, Sister Lisa said she focuses more on just teaching players how to excel on the field.

“It’s really about the mission and values of our Benedictine college, what it means to be upstanding young men, to grow into who and how God is calling them to be [and] to recognize that we’ve all been gifted and blessed,” she said. “They have an awesome opportunity to get a great Catholic college education . . . plus they’re getting to play football, and along with that comes responsibilities of character and being . . . a good role model,” she said.

U.S. & World

For Benedictine, football coaching about passing on mission, values

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December 11, 2014 • The Catholic Spirit

U.S. & World

10 Nuclear summit stirs new religious expectations from Vatican, activists

Truth must prevail in abuse case against former nuncio, pope says

By Carol Glatz Catholic News Service Pope Francis expressed his hope that truth will prevail and justice be served in the Vatican investigation and trial of Jozef Wesolowski, a former archbishop and papal nuncio, who has been accused of sexually abusing young boys.

According to the attorney general of the Dominican Republic, where Wesolowski served as nuncio and was alleged to have committed the abuse, the pope said it was important “that the truth always prevail.”

The pope told him it was important the juridical bodies in the Dominican Republic and the Vatican both are able to “act in full freedom and within the framework of (juridical) norms,” Francisco Dominguez Brito, the attorney general, said in a written statement.

Brito met Dec. 2 with Vatican City’s promoter of justice, Gian Piero Milano, and with Archbishop Angelo Becciu, a top official in the Vatican Secretariat of State, about how the Vatican was proceeding with its investigation and what the nature of its criminal procedure and juridical authority is, Brito said in his statement.

Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, Vatican spokesman, spoke to Brito after his meetings and told reporters that the attorney general came away “fully satisfied” with the meetings and how things were being handled. Brito was in Europe to make contact with officials at the Vatican and in Wesolowski’s native Poland.

Citing the “gravity of the accusations” of sexually abusing boys in the Dominican Republic, the Vatican placed Wesolowski under house arrest in late September. “In light of the medical condition of the accused, supported by medical documentation,” he was not housed in a Vatican jail cell.

In his Dec. 2 statement, Father Lombardi said the Vatican’s criminal investigation of Wesolowski is continuing, but the time limit for house arrest had expired.

After a separate investigation by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Wesolowski was dismissed from the clerical state in June, depriving him of all rights and duties associated with being a priest except the obligation of celibacy.

He had been nuncio to the Dominican Republic until August 2013, when Pope Francis ordered him to return to the Vatican and the investigations began.

Wesolowski is likely to face a criminal trial at the Vatican.

December 11, 2014 • The Catholic Spirit

By Chaz Muth Catholic News Service

In this January 2014 file photo, Sister Michael Mugan visits with a resident in the hallway of the St. Louis Residence of the Little Sisters of the Poor, which serves about 100 people. CNS/Lisa Johnston, St. Louis Review

Court hears arguments in Little Sisters of the Poor appeal, two others

By Roxanne King Catholic News Service The Little Sisters of the Poor aren’t seeking special privileges — they just want the same exemption from the federal contraceptive mandate offered to others, the order’s mother provincial said Dec. 8.

Sister Loraine Marie Maguire spoke publicly for the first time after the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver heard oral arguments in an appeal filed by the Little Sisters and in two related cases, Southern Nazarene University in Bethany, Okla., and Reaching Souls International, an Oklahoma nonprofit.

Colorado and Oklahoma are two of the six states under the court’s jurisdiction.

“The government exempts huge corporations, small businesses and other religious ministries from what they are imposing on us; we are simply asking to carry out our mission to serve the elderly poor as we have always done for 175 years,” said Sister Maguire, surrounded by four other sisters, all clad in black habits and gray veils, outside the courthouse.

The Little Sisters of the Poor, a Denver-based religious order that cares for the elderly poor in several facilities around the U.S., has been steadfast in its refusal to provide contraceptive coverage to its employees as required by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under the Affordable Care Act. The religious order first filed suit against the HHS mandate in September 2013 in U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado and lost.

The order appealed to the 10th Circuit. Last December, the U.S. Supreme Court granted the Little Sisters a temporary

injunction on enforcement of the mandate, and now the order seeks to make that protection permanent.

Refusal to comply with the mandate may force the Little Sisters to pay millions of dollars in fines to the federal government. The fine is set at $1,000 a day per enrollee in an employer’s health plan.

“Now the government demands we choose between our care for the elderly poor and our faith,” Sister Maguire said.

“We cannot do that, and we shouldn’t have to. It is a choice that violates our nation’s historic commitment to ensure that people from diverse faiths can freely follow God’s calling in their lives. But the government forces us to either violate our conscience or take millions of dollars that we raise by begging for the care of the elderly poor and instead pay fines to the IRS.” Mark Rienzi, senior counsel of the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty and lead attorney for the Little Sisters, delivered the oral arguments on behalf of the order. Adam Jed, an attorney with the U.S. Department of Justice, delivered the oral arguments on behalf of HHS, headed by Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell.

“The United States is the most powerful government in the history of the world,” said Rienzi, who spoke after Sister Maguire. “The idea that they can’t deliver contraceptives to people without involving the Little Sisters of the Poor in their health plan is . . . ridiculous.

A Catholic News Service request for comment from HHS was not immediately returned.

Rienzi told CNS he expects the circuit court to issue a decision in two to six months.

While Vatican officials are busy working with other religious groups in formulating a collective message on nuclear disarmament, no-nukes activists are looking for ways to influence the actions of their faith leaders.

Vatican officials traveled to Vienna for the third international conference to examine the humanitarian consequences of nuclear weapons Dec. 8-9 and delivered a message from Pope Francis calling for nations with nuclear arsenals to find a way to rid themselves, and the world, of these kinds of arms.

The message was not a departure from Vatican policy on nuclear weapons, but it did stress that “nuclear deterrence cannot be the basis for peaceful coexistence,” a change in tone.

The Vatican’s policy has been — even during the Cold War — that the possession of nuclear weapons is immoral, but it made allowances for nations that developed their arsenals as a prevention of war, and if stockpiling those weapons was used as a step toward disarmament.

While the pope’s statement does not close that loophole, it does publicly show a change in tone on the issue, and a Vatican official, who asked not to be named, said Church leaders are in active talks with other religious groups to develop a unified voice on this topic.

A galvanized group of younger no-nukes activists, who met for their own conference in Vienna Dec. 6-7 at the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons Civil Society Forum, said they were encouraged by Pope Francis’ message and hoped he would issue an even stronger statement in the future.

Throughout the two-day conference, representatives of more than 150 countries heard scientific experts detail what would be the gruesome and devastating outcomes of nuclear strikes between two nations such as the U.S. and Russia.

In his Dec. 8 statement read at the Vienna conference, Pope Francis said: “The youth of today and tomorrow deserve far more.

They deserve a peaceful world order based on the unity of the human family, grounded on respect, cooperation, solidarity and compassion. Now is the time to counter the logic of fear with the ethic of responsibility, and so foster a climate of trust and sincere dialogue.”

11 ANCHORAGE, Alaska

VATICAN CITY

Vatican to release findings of study of U.S. women religious

Police continued to investigate vandalism that occurred Dec. 2 at Holy Family Cathedral in downtown Anchorage. According to Dominican Father Mark Francis Manzano, parochial vicar and a member of his order’s Western province, he and the other Dominican priests on the parish staff discovered overturned pews, toppled furniture and debris in the sanctuary. The Catholic Anchor, Anchorage’s archdiocesan newspaper, reported that Advent candles and the ambo also were thrown to the floor, and a microphone connected to the sound system was ripped out.

Father Manzano said that while the damage was considerable, “it could have been much worse. By the grace of God, the tabernacle, the relics and the ambry were all secured and left untouched,” he said in a posting on his Facebook page. According to the Anchor, the cathedral was the first church built in Anchorage. It will celebrate its centennial year in 2015.

The final report of a five-year, Vatican-ordered study of communities of women religious in the United States will be released by the Vatican Dec. 16.

The top two officials of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life and three leaders of women’s congregations were to take part in the presentation, according to Basilian Father Thomas Rosica, head of Canada’s Salt and Light Catholic Media Foundation and assistant to the Vatican spokesman. Although it was too early for the Vatican press office to announce the event, Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, Vatican spokesman, told Catholic News Service that a news conference was “foreseen” on that date. The final report of the findings of the apostolic visitation also was expected to be made available online, Father Rosica said.

According to the priest, who has assisted the Vatican press office during major events including the

HONG KONG

Hong Kong cardinal surrenders to police to help end street protests Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun, retired bishop of Hong Kong, joined the civil disobedience movement organizers who surrendered to police Dec. 3, with a hope to end the present occupation campaign

that has lasted more than two months. Cardinal Zen remained at the police station for an hour. As he left, he asked people to pray for democracy in the city. The Occupy Central movement, a civil disobedience campaign to block roads in the central business district, was initiated by Benny Tai Yiu-ting, an associate professor of law at the University of Hong Kong, and the Rev Chu Yiu-ming, a Baptist pastor, in an effort to force the Hong Kong and Chinese governments to allow true democracy in the city. The protesters feel government authorities have handpicked candidates for the 2017 election of Hong Kong’s chief executive.

Cardinal Zen had said on his blog in late November that struggling for democracy may be a long road, but a “miracle may take place, like David hurls a stone to hit down Goliath. And no one would expect that the Berlin Wall fell down all of a sudden 25 years ago.” The cardinal, 82, is a supporter to the Occupy Central movement. Last June, he launched a walking campaign, walking 52 miles over seven days in different areas of Hong Kong, to ask more people to join an unofficial referendum on democratic reforms.

U.S. & World

Police investigating vandalism at cathedral in downtown Anchorage

recent extraordinary Synod of Bishops, the officials expected to take part in the Vatican news conference were: Cardinal Joao Braz de Aviz, prefect of the congregation for religious; Archbishop Jose Rodriguez Carballo, congregation secretary; Mother Mary Clare Millea, superior general of the Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the apostolic visitor appointed by the Vatican; Mother Agnes Mary Donovan, superior general of the Sisters of Life and chairperson of the Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious; and Sister Sharon Holland, vice president of the Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and president of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious.

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Advent

12

Give the gift of love

By Father Michael Van Sloun For The Catholic Spirit As we shift into Christmas preparation mode, we start to think about what gifts we’ll give our family and friends. But where did the practice of giving gifts at Christmastime come from? What are the spiritual foundations to this long-standing Christmas tradition?

There are three explanations regarding the spiritual origins of gift-giving. The first and most important is Christ himself. God gave us his only begotten son, Emmanuel, God with us. Jesus is the gift of Christmas! As the father has given to us, so we should give to others.

Father The second tradition goes back VAN SLOUN to the three Magi, or Wise Men, who came from the east bearing gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh (Matthew 2:1-12).

As the Magi gave so generously to the child Jesus, so we should give generously to others.

The third tradition revolves around St. Nicholas (280345 AD). Nicholas came from a wealthy family and received a large inheritance. When he was consecrated bishop of Myra, Turkey, he gave his money as alms to the poor. When a famine broke out, he obtained grain to give to the hungry. When he was put in prison, he gave faith, hope and encouragement to the other inmates. When an evil father refused to let his daughters get married for lack of a dowry, Nicholas gave the father the necessary amount so his daughters could move out and start a new life. St. Nicholas was eager to share, especially with the poor and needy, and so should we.

This Christmas, in addition to our regular gift-giving, we ought to consider giving gifts that cannot be bought, wrapped or placed under the tree.

God is love, so the best gifts are acts of love: a warm smile, a kind word, a telephone call, a Christmas card.

The Magi gave to a child. It is a great gift to pay special attention to children. Spend time listening to them, read to them, play games or bake cookies.

Give to those who are less fortunate. To give alms, contribute to the local food shelf; prepare, serve or deliver meals; or visit someone who is homebound or in a hospital or nursing home.

Father Van Sloun is pastor of St. Bartholomew in Wayzata.

By Bob Zyskowski The Catholic Spirit

Advent Week 3 The following Advent wreath prayer is intended to help busy households make Advent a prayerful time during the rush of Christmas preparations. The language is fairly simple, intended to be used for personal prayer and reflection or by groups of adults or adults with children. Options are noted to allow for participation by a variety of members of a household.

Leader: With the start of this third week of the season of Advent, we are halfway to Christmas.

So, as we prepare our hearts for the birth of Christ and for the second coming of the Lord, we light three candles, including a special one of a different color.

• Light the first two candles on the Advent wreath again, and the third one — one that is a lighter color, usually pink or white. (Choose a different person for this task each week.)

• Read aloud Isaiah 61:1-2a, 10-11; 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24; John 1:6-8, 19-28. (A different person might read each passage.)

Leader: Lighting the lighter-colored candle this week is a sign that what was

Preparing for Christmas one papal homily at a time

By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service As Advent got under way, Pope Francis included in his morning Mass homilies specific graces Catholics should pray for as they prepare for Christmas.

In the chapel of his residence Dec. 2, Pope Francis ended his homily by telling the small congregation, “Let us ask the Lord during this Advent time to draw us closer, closer to his mystery and do so on the path that he wants us to take: the path of humility, the path of meekness, the path of poverty, the path of recognizing we are sinners.”

Preaching two days later, he said, “Let us ask the Lord to help us be based

December 11, 2014 • The Catholic Spirit

firmly on the rock that he is; our hope is in him. We are all sinners, we are weak. But if we put our hope in him, we can move forward.”

With highlights from his morning Mass homilies available online and on Vatican Radio, millions of people use Pope Francis’ homilies as a guide through the Church’s liturgical year.

The first Sunday of Advent marked the beginning of a new year of Mass readings, a full calendar of seasons and feast days.

While every celebration of Mass is a commemoration of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, the Church’s liturgical calendar is designed to help

Catholics focus on specific events as they progress through the year and through time.

But, as Pope Francis explained in February, “The liturgy is God’s time and space, and we must put ourselves there in God’s time, in God’s space, without looking at our watches. The liturgy is precisely entering into the mystery of God; bringing ourselves to the mystery and being present in the mystery.”

Pope Francis wants people to realize how strongly the Scripture readings for Advent Masses emphasize God’s love, tenderness and forgiveness.

“The Lord, the great God, is not afraid of tenderness. He is tenderness,

dark is getting brighter, and joy is on its way. We can hardly wait to rejoice and sing at Christmas. We know that the wonder of the season tends to push all our sadness and sorrow away, so we start to feel that special feeling already.

The prophet Isaiah, in this third week of Advent, recalls for us what that joy is like.

Feeling God in our lives lifts our spirits.

And what is it that will make even the poor happy and the hurting healed? Praise for God and justice for others. St. Paul reminds us to pray, to be holy and to not let anything quench our joyous spirit.

Closing prayer: (Leader may read all, or others in the household may each read a segment.)

Father in heaven, help us hear again the voice of John the Baptist crying out in the desert. Help us make straight the pathways of our own lives so that those paths lead to eternal life with you.

God above, do good and avoid evil is so easy to say, yet so hard to put into practice.

Be with us in each and every moment of each and every day so that we remain blameless and worthy of your coming.

Help us, Lord, not to dampen the joy of others. Remind us this week to rejoice always and to pray without ceasing.

Holy Spirit, guide us so that our lives may be testimony of the wonders and the love of God, so that others might believe through us.

‘Pope Francis: A Guide to God’s Time’ The article at left includes material excerpted from the book.

By Cindy Wooden, photographs by Paul Haring; published by CNS, USC CB Publishing and the Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 2014; paperback.

Available at www.amazon.com.

he is born a baby, he makes himself small,” the pope insisted during a Mass one Advent day last year.

13

By Carol Zimmermann Catholic News Service A current exhibition depicting images of Mary by Renaissance and Baroque artists does not stop at the walls of Washington’s National Museum of Women in the Arts.

The Catholic University of America has developed a number of programs to go along with the exhibition “Picturing Mary: Woman, Mother, Idea,” which is on display from Dec. 5 to April 12.

“Students and faculty from across our campus — theologians, art historians, actors and playwrights, musicologists, historians and scholars of literature — are all excited to explore the enduring relevance of Mary’s inspiration, while at the same time seeking to enhance understanding of the historic works in this show,” said Nora Heimann, chair of Catholic University’s art department and associate professor of art history.

Heimann said she was invited to a meeting years ago to “imagine what we could do to collaborate” with the museum on the unique exhibit.

“To be invited to do this is really thrilling,” she told Catholic News Service, adding that many of the university’s departments came up with ideas to go along with the special exhibit of more than 60 works of art from well-known Renaissance and Baroque artists, including Botticelli, Michelangelo, Durer, Titian, Rembrandt and Caravaggio.

The museum and Catholic University will co-host a graduate student conference in March 2015 featuring Miri Rubin as the keynote speaker. Rubin, author of “Mother of God: A History of the Virgin Mary,” is a professor of medieval and early modern history and head of the School of History, Queen Mary University of London.

Other Catholic Universitysponsored events offered next spring will include: • A series of lectures by the School of Theology and

“I love the idea that people attending CUA’s programs can come to the museum and see firsthand how Mary’s powerful presence in liturgy, literature, music and theater is echoed in the visual arts.”

Faith & Culture

University programs accompany art exhibition of Mary

Kathryn Wat, chief curator at the National Museum of Women in the Arts.

Religious Studies on the exhibit’s themes.

• Presentations by the drama department on several short pieces about Mary from the late-medieval Corpus Christi plays.

• Courses, research projects and a campus round-table discussion on Mary’s influence.

• Readings of Marian poems presented by faculty and students in the modern and medieval language of their origin.

“I love the idea that people attending CUA’s programs can come to the museum and see firsthand how Mary’s powerful presence in liturgy, literature, music and theater is echoed in the visual arts,” said Kathryn Wat, chief curator at the National Museum of Women in the Arts.

She said the drama of a Corpus Christi play featuring Mary and the beauty of an image of Mary “painted with lapis lazuli and gold both speak to her inspirational power.”

Wat also pointed out that since the exhibition specifically centers on how Mary was depicted in Western Europe from the 14th

A woman reads a press packet during a Dec. 3 preview tour of the “Picturing Mary: Woman, Mother, Idea” exhibit at the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington. The exhibit runs Dec. 5 through April 12, 2015. CNS/Bob Roller through 17th centuries, people will gain additional perspectives on her through Catholic University’s programs.

These programs also will help the exhibition “make the case for Mary’s profound cultural impact,” she added.

Imagination, research make ‘Gutenberg’s Apprentice’ a compelling read

By Bob Zyskowski The Catholic Spirit Printing history and Church history mesh to make for compelling reading in the terrific first novel of Alix Christie, “Gutenberg’s Apprentice.”

Protagonist Peter Schoeffer is the apprentice of the title, and there’s no fiction there: Schoeffer was Johannes Gutenberg’s apprentice in the 1450s as the German’s workshop developed movable type and used it to print 180 copies of the Bible.

The fictional story comes from Christie’s imagination, but there’s hearty research behind the tale, particularly when it comes to the details of printing and the hurdles that elements of the Church put in Gutenberg’s way. Interdicts on dioceses and conflicts between archbishops and religious communities are fact and a dark part of Church history.

Gutenberg gets credit for combining the various elements needed for mass production of printed matter. He pulled together dozens of ideas and technological advances systematically, including the creation of metal type, ink and the press itself. But in the novelist’s hands, the much-lauded inventor, talented as he is, is schizophrenic. One moment he’s praising his apprentice for his marvelous gifts and telling the tradesmen in his workshop that he couldn’t have printed his Bible without them, and the next he’s taking all the credit, declaring that he did it all alone and needed no one’s help.

Through Schoeffer, who in real life went on to become one of the first publishers of note in Europe,

Christie presents a spiritual element to the process that brought about not just the first printed Bible, but an invention that was key to the Renaissance and often named as the greatest invention of all time.

Christie’s Schoeffer sees his part in the drama as one divinely led, that God has placed him in his time and his place to use the gifts he’s been given to be a part of this amazing feat that will change life on earth.

“You always did think that you had some private pact with God,” a life-long acquaintance charges Gutenberg’s apprentice.

Author Christie answers for her story’s hero: Of course. How could he not. . . . How could he have understood his own life otherwise?

December 11, 2014 • The Catholic Spirit

Focus on Faith • Scripture Readings

14

Sunday, Dec. 14 Third Sunday of Advent • Isaiah 61:1-2a, 10-11 • 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24 • John 1:6-8, 19-28

SUNDAY SCRIPTURES Deacon Adam Laski

A spirit of rejoicing, a spirit of gratitude Throughout the Advent season, we have been following Christ’s command, which we heard on the first Sunday of Advent, “Watch

“The prophet is identifying one of the deepest desires of the human heart: the need for healing and salvation. And Christ has already won this victory, but calls us deeper.”

Deacon Adam Laski

therefore; you do not know when the lord of the house is coming . . .”

(Mark 13:35).

It is sometimes difficult to remember why we’re keeping watch.

In the midst of our often busy season of Advent, the Church

December 11, 2014 • The Catholic Spirit

reminds us why we keep vigil.

Each year we celebrate Gaudete Sunday. Gaudete means “to rejoice.”

In this season of waiting we’re reminded to rejoice.

In the second reading, we are given the simple command by Christ through his servant St. Paul, “Rejoice always.” These words are part of St. Paul’s final advice to the Thessalonian church in his first letter.

He leaves them with a simple theme, which forms the context for the third Sunday of Advent. Although we’re making the watchful approach to adore the Christ child in the manger at Christmas, we are reminded again that what we’re waiting for has already come.

So why have a season of waiting?

If we are rejoicing now, why have Advent at all?

The prophet Isaiah tells us, through a prophecy fulfilled by Jesus: “The spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has

anointed me; he has sent me to bring glad tidings to the poor, to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and release to the prisoners, to announce a year of favor from the Lord . . .”

The prophet Isaiah was speaking to the nation of Israel. The Israelites were looking forward to the coming of a great warrior, an anointed one, a messiah who would save them.

The prophet is identifying one of the deepest desires of the human heart: the need for healing and salvation. And Christ has already won this victory, but calls us deeper.

John the Baptist lived the mystery of Advent in a way; he already possessed Jesus in his call to repentance and conversion of heart, while at the same time preparing for Christ’s coming. This is the contemplative look of the Advent season, waiting for our Savior while at the same time rejoicing today because he has already come. It is in light of these glad tidings that we rejoice!

How can we live out this spirit of rejoicing? It seems most fitting to have a spirit of gratitude. Even when the tensions of this season in our culture can tempt us to gripe, have a short temper or be dissatisfied, we must live in gratitude for the gift of Christ already coming among us.

Deacon Laski is in formation for the priesthood at the St. Paul Seminary for the Diocese of Superior, Wis. His teaching parish is St. Anne in Somerset, Wis. His home parish is Holy Trinity in Haugen, Wis.

DAILY Scriptures Sunday, Dec. 14 Third Sunday of Advent Isaiah 61:1-2a, 10-11 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24 John 1:6-8, 19-28 Monday, Dec. 15 Numbers 24:2-7, 15-17a Matthew 21: 23-27 Tuesday, Dec. 16 Zephaniah 3:1-2, 9-13 Matthew 21: 28-32 Wednesday, Dec. 17 Genesis 49:2, 8-10 Matthew 1:1-17 Thursday, Dec. 18 Jeremiah 23:5-8 Matthew 1:18-25 Friday, Dec. 19 Judges 13:2-7, 24-25a Luke 1:5-25 Saturday, Dec. 20 Isaiah 7:10-14 Luke 1:26-38 Sunday, Dec. 21 Fourth Sunday of Advent 2 Samuel 7:1-5, 8b-12, 14a, 16 Romans 16:25-27 Luke 1:26-38

15 Father Kenneth Doyle

What privileges do deacons have? Do beliefs matter?

Q. Often, I have been at a Mass where the deacon reads the Gospel. But then, sometimes, the deacon goes on to give the homily while the priest watches.

Is this a new function in the Church today?

A. Although the permanent diaconate was restored by Pope Paul VI in 1967, the question above would seem to indicate that even today there is still some confusion about a deacon’s role.

Deacons can baptize, witness marriages, perform funeral and burial services (outside of Mass), distribute holy Communion and preach a homily. They cannot celebrate Mass, hear confessions or administer the sacrament of the anointing of the sick.

They are obligated each day to pray the Liturgy of the Hours.

Deacons were first appointed in the earliest days of the Church with the special ministry of serving the poor.

There are two kinds of deacons:

transitional deacons, who are seminarians in the final stage of their training for the priesthood, and permanent deacons.

Permanent deacons, ordained after several years of theological preparation, may be single or married. They often have secular jobs but also assist parish communities at liturgies and in service ministries such as visiting the sick or counseling families.

When joining the priest at Mass, a deacon normally introduces the penitential rite, reads the Gospel and the prayers of intercession (petitions), helps in distributing Communion and proclaims the dismissal rite.

When a deacon baptizes or preaches, there is no requirement that a priest be unavailable. The Church’s Code of Canon Law, in No. 861, for example, says simply that “the ordinary minister of baptism is a bishop, a presbyter or deacon.” Sometimes when a deacon baptizes or accepts wedding vows, it is because he has

a particular relationship with those receiving the sacrament but that is not necessary. Often in parishes that have a deacon, the deacon preaches the homily on a regular rotation. Parishioners have often commented that a deacon, especially if he has a family, can share a different perspective.

Pastorally, when a deacon is scheduled to do a baptism, wedding or funeral service, it is best for the priest to advise the family in advance since many still expect that a priest will officiate.

Q. Please help me to know how to answer people who say, “It doesn’t matter what religion or beliefs you have, since we’re all going to the same place anyway.”

A. The quote you offer strikes me as a species of what the Second Vatican Council called “false irenicism.” That is a fancy expression to describe the habit of playing down doctrinal differences for the sake of keeping the peace.

(It comes from the Greek word “eirene,” meaning “peace.”) The council’s “Decree on Ecumenism,” in No. 11, said: “Nothing is so foreign to the spirit of ecumenism as a false irenicism, in which the purity of Catholic doctrine suffers loss and its genuine and certain meaning is clouded.”

Simply put, what people believe matters. If I believe that God revealed himself by coming to

earth in the person of Jesus, then I consider myself obligated to examine seriously what Jesus had to say and to align myself with whatever religious institution carries that teaching forward most faithfully. This certainly does not mean that someone must be a Catholic, or even a Christian, to be saved.

In fact, the Catechism of the Catholic Church explicitly rejects that restrictive notion in No. 847, referencing Vatican II’s “Constitution on the Church,” where it says: “Those who, through no fault of their own, do not know the Gospel of Christ or His Church, but who nevertheless seek God with a sincere heart and, moved by grace, try in their actions to do his will as they know it through the dictates of their conscience — those too may achieve eternal salvation.”

But I believe that Catholics get “extra help” along the way to heaven — especially through the sacraments, but also through the guidance of Church teaching, since the truth of its fundamental doctrines is guaranteed by Christ.

I, for one, am supremely grateful to be a Catholic and, to me, it makes a very big difference indeed.

Focus on Faith • Seeking Answers

SEEKING ANSWERS

Father Doyle writes for Catholic News Service. A priest of the Diocese of Albany, N.Y., he previously served as director of media relations for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

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December 11, 2014 • The Catholic Spirit

This Catholic Life • Commentary

16 LIGHT ONE CANDLE Tony Rossi

Mary’s quiet faithfulness, Joseph’s quiet devotion Author and theologian Edward Sri knows we’re all familiar with the Christmas story. But he also thinks we can be so familiar with it that we miss a lot of its important points.

That’s why he wrote a book of daily reflections called “The Advent of Christ: Scripture Reflections to Prepare for Christmas.”

For instance, consider the phrase, “Hail Mary, full of grace,” which we find in Luke’s gospel when Gabriel greets Mary. Most of us have likely prayed those words thousands of times to the point that we don’t give much thought to their meaning. But Sri points out there is something unique about them.

During an interview, he explained, “The word in Greek for ‘full of grace’ describes an action that began in the past and continues to have its effects in the present. It describes the life of God, the work of

redemption, and forgiveness of sins.

The angel is pointing out that Mary already has the life of grace in her, before Gabriel ever came to her.”

Alongside Mary, of course, is her devoted husband, St. Joseph, who followed God’s request that he raise Jesus as his own child. Sri rightly sees him as indispensable, and reflects on his role in the Advent season in a chapter he named “Silent Knight, Holy Knight.”

Sri explained why he sees St. Joseph in these chivalric terms: “He’s the man who protects the Holy Family, who makes many sacrifices, bringing them to Egypt and bringing them back. But he’s in the background. In all of the New Testament, he never says a single word. Yet we revere him. As a father, I turn to Joseph many times every day and ask his intercession that I may be a good husband, a good

MAKING SENSE OF BIOETHICS Father Tad Pacholczyk

Circumstances of donor and recipient crucial in discerning ethical appropriateness A recent news report described the unusual story of a baby’s birth from his grandmother’s womb. A 29-year old woman from Sweden, born without a uterus, received a transplanted womb from her mother, the same womb that had brought her into the world a generation earlier. The woman then became pregnant through in vitro fertilization (IVF) and delivered a healthy baby boy.

The research had been dogged by controversy and questions: Could a transplanted womb from a postmenopausal woman be “triggered” back into action once it had been introduced into the body of a younger woman? Could a transplanted uterus effectively provide nourishment to a growing baby during all the gestational stages of a pregnancy? Would such a costly and risky surgery involving two people, mother and daughter, donor and recipient, be justifiable?

Are such transplants ultimately ethical?

December 11, 2014 • The Catholic Spirit

The specific circumstances involved are critical to determining whether this novel type of transplant is ethical.

Various medical anomalies can cause a woman to be missing a uterus. A congenital disease called Rokitansky syndrome can cause the uterus to develop anomalously, or not form at all. Uterine cancer or other serious gynecological issues may necessitate that a woman undergo a hysterectomy, resulting in permanent infertility.

The womb is a unique organ with a highly specific function, and the transplantation of a healthy womb into a woman who lacks one due to a birth defect or disease is loosely parallel, some would say, to a situation where a patient’s kidney fails, and another person donates a healthy replacement organ.

Yet others would say that the womb is not a vital organ like a kidney, and while the transplantation of a womb is directed toward improving a

father. So I love thinking about Joseph, quietly doing the will of the Lord even when it would mean much difficulty and sacrifice on his part.”

St. Joseph’s knightly characteristics, however, don’t mean Mary was a damsel in distress. In fact, she displayed large doses of both meekness and strength. Consider that her first inclination when she hears her cousin Elizabeth is pregnant is to go be with her.

Sri pointed out, “That wasn’t a little weekend trek. That was probably a four-day trip down south. She goes to serve, she wants to help Elizabeth.”

Life doesn’t get any easier from there, with Mary giving birth in a manger, hearing Simeon’s stark words about a sword piercing her soul, and contemplating the idea that her son will be hated and killed. Sri said, “All along the way, Mary remains quietly faithful. She had unique graces, but she’s still human, so this would all be very hard.”

Mary’s approach to all this

hardship is the key to her surviving it. As it’s written in Luke 2:19, “Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart.”

patient’s quality of life, it clearly does not constitute life-saving surgery like a kidney transplant.

Therefore, womb transplants require strong ethical justifications.

As we reflect on the ethics surrounding new medical treatments and technologies, it can help us to recall the general principle, enshrined in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, that the morality of a human act depends on three factors: the object, the end, and the circumstances involved. An act is morally good only if all three of these factors are morally good. If any one of them is bad, we recognize that the overall act itself becomes morally bad.

In the case of carrying out a womb transplant, the object of the act would be good, namely, to restore a woman’s bodily wholeness by transplanting a healthy womb in situations where she lacks one. The end for which the womb transplant would be carried out would also be good, namely, to achieve a pregnancy.

But particular circumstances can easily render the womb transplant immoral. If the transplant were done for the purposes of pursuing a pregnancy through IVF, this circumstance would render the entire act of the womb transplant morally bad and disordered, given that IVF is invariably immoral as a means to engender new human life.

All reported instances thus far of womb transplants followed by successful pregnancies have arisen because of the use of IVF.

A similar problem with the circumstances of the transplant could arise if the womb that was used for transplant had been donated by a healthy woman still in her reproductive years who harbored a contraceptive intention and no longer desired to have more children of her own with her husband. In such a situation, her uterine donation would cause her to become sterile, and would represent a seriously flawed moral circumstance that would likewise render the action of receiving the transplanted womb unethical on the part of the other woman.

Sri concluded, “Basically, she’s turning inward and prayerfully reflecting, ‘Lord, what are You trying to teach me? How am I supposed to respond?’ That’s a great model for us because when we have chaos going on around us and things don’t work out the way we want, we often panic or get discouraged or complain. But we want to be like Mary and keep it in our heart, prayerfully turning to the Lord. . . . She trusts that God’s hand is in this. She may not fully understand what’s happening, but she surrenders to the mystery — and that’s what we need to do.”

Rossi is director of communications for The Christophers — founded by Father James Keller, M.M. — whose mission is to encourage people of all ages, and from all walks of life, to use their God-given talents to make a positive difference in the world.

When might a womb transplant be morally acceptable? If a uterus were transplanted from either a deceased or a freely-consenting, post-menopausal woman to another woman whose ovaries, fallopian tubes and other reproductive tissues were then able to function so she could conceive a child within the marital embrace, rather than through IVF (and assuming minimal medical risks to both donor and recipient), the womb transplant could represent an ethical means of resolving her uterine-factor infertility. In conclusion, the specific circumstances of both the donor and recipient are crucial in discerning the ethical appropriateness of this unusual procedure.

Father Pacholczyk is a priest of the diocese of Fall River, Mass., and serves as the director of education at The National Catholic Bioethics Center in Philadelphia, www.ncbcenter.org.

17

By Father Ian Bozant Archdiocese of New Orleans

one, the most strictly individual one, that exclusively concerns the person committing it. With greater or lesser violence, with greater or lesser harm, every sin has repercussions on the entire ecclesial body and the whole human family” (RP, no. 16). Thus, each and every sin in some way affects the whole Body of Christ.

In a modern American mindset, a great deal of emphasis has been placed on privacy. As such, the idea of confessing one’s sins to another person can seem odd or even unnecessary. Often, the most common argument against this idea is that Almighty God knows all things and desires all people to approach him in prayer, so it seems sufficient to simply confess one’s sins and beg for forgiveness in private prayer.

While venial sin may, in fact, be forgiven in many ways, the Catholic Church teaches that it is necessary to confess one’s mortal sins to a priest in the sacrament of penance in order to receive forgiveness from God. This teaching is based on our fundamental reality as human beings, on sacred Scripture, and on a knowledge of sin’s personal and communal effects.

Many will point to the following passage from Scripture as a rebuttal of the Catholic Church’s position: “For there is one God. There is also one mediator between God and the human race, Christ Jesus, himself human, who gave himself as ransom for all” (1 Timothy 2:56). Why, then, should one approach an additional mediator — a priest — in order to receive forgiveness?

The answer here is that the priest is not an additional mediator; rather, he is the agent of the one mediator as he stands in the person of Christ in confession. It is our Blessed Lord who forgives sins in and through the person of the priest. Even so, Christ as the sole mediator and as the Son of God has the divine prerogative to choose how he wishes to mediate his plan of salvation and forgiveness to the world. Christ, as the sole mediator, chooses to use others in the accomplishment of his work in the person of the priest.

Recognizing our humanity One might say on a very natural level that one of the reasons our Blessed Lord chose to institute confession this way is because we are human. Often, a very important part of the healing process comes in being able to name our transgression and fault and then express that to others.

Bringing forth these hidden faults and sins into the light of Christ’s mercy has an essential role in the healing that our Blessed Lord wishes to offer. Additionally, one often finds a great deal of comfort in verbalizing these faults to another and hearing the words of forgiveness pronounced by the lips of another person. Almighty God recognizes our humanity and our need for communion with others

Satisfying true contrition

CNS and thus institutes the sacrament of penance to accord with our human nature and needs.

More important, the Scriptures themselves illustrate that our Blessed Lord gave to his Apostles the power to forgive sins: “When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. [Jesus] said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.’

And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.

Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained’” (John 20:2023). Thus, very clearly, one can see the specific charge our Blessed Lord gave his Apostles to forgive the sins of others, but they were unable to do this on their own, which is why he sent the Holy Spirit upon them.

It is remarkable to note here that this is only one of two passages that illustrate Almighty God breathing upon man, with the other being God breathing on man at creation (see Genesis 2:7), illustrating the importance of the sacrament of penance. But this charge to the Apostles to forgive the sins of others is not restricted only to them. Our Blessed Lord intended for this charge to continue throughout the ages and be carried out by the successors to the Apostles (see Matthew 28:9-20) so that Christ’s offer of forgiveness would be available to all people.

Few would deny that the command found in Matthew 28 to baptize all nations would be restricted only to the Apostles, even though they are the ones being spoken to in the passage.

Likewise, this power to forgive or retain sins is a part of the apostolic office and is an instrument of the Church to remit or retain sins committed after baptism. Thus, the priest shares in the mission of Christ’s own redemptive work without replacing him as the one mediator between God and man.

Here, one might ask why the person of the priest is necessary or what our Blessed Lord’s motivation was when he instituted the sacrament of penance.

Effects of our sins In Pope John Paul II’s postsynodal apostolic exhortation “Reconciliatio et Paenitentia,” he elaborates on the notion of sin and its effects. First and foremost, sin has a profound effect upon the sinner: “As a personal act, sin has its first and most important consequences in the sinner himself: that is, in his relationship with God, who is the very foundation of human life; and also in his spirit, weakening his will and clouding his intellect” (Pope John Paul II, Reconciliation and Penance [Reconciliatio et Paenitentia (RP)] [Washington, DC: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, 2003], no. 16).

However, this personal aspect of sin is not its only effect.

Throughout the writings of St. Paul, the truth that each baptized person is a member of the Body of Christ is repeated over and over again (see 1 Corinthians 12:12-31; Colossians 1:18; 2:18-20; Ephesians 1:22-23; 3:19; 4:13, etc.). Members of one Body, the graces and victories won by one member redound to the glory of all the members; however, the converse is also true. When one member of the Body sins, the other members are affected. The most obvious way sin affects others is when that sin is clearly directed toward another: slander, murder, theft, etc.

Pope John Paul II also points out that sin has a social effect in more subtle ways than these, though: “To speak of social sin means in the first place to recognize that, by virtue of human solidarity which is as mysterious and intangible as it is real and concrete, each individual’s sin in some way affects others. . . .

In other words, there is no sin, not even the most intimate and secret

It is precisely this truth that can help one understand the need to confess one’s sins to a priest.

Certainly, the priest stands in the Person of Christ offering the forgiveness of Almighty God to the penitent in accord with our Lord’s command in the Gospel of John discussed earlier. But the priest himself does not lose his humanity or his membership in the Body of Christ when he hears the confession of penitents and pronounces the words of absolution. Thus, the priest is a representative of the Church and functions on behalf of God as well.

In this way, the priest can reconcile the penitent with God himself, who has been offended by the sins confessed, but the priest can also reconcile the penitent with the Church, whose members have, in some mystical way, been affected by those same sins. Recognizing the truth of one’s membership in the Body of Christ, the penitent should desire to make amends in some way for the effect that sin has had on the fellow members of the Body of Christ. Confessing one’s sins to the priest satisfies this demand of true contrition and sets the penitent back in right relationship with God and his holy Church.

This Catholic Life

Why should I confess my sins to a priest?

Often, many object to the notion of confessing one’s sins to another person. People feel uncomfortable and ashamed telling others of the wrongs they have committed, but, in some sense, this is appropriate. Each person guilty of sin should be ashamed, at least in some way, of his or her transgression and feel some sorrow for the sins he or she has committed. This helps to prepare the penitent’s soul for the forgiveness of Almighty God and is in itself a grace leading the soul back to right relationship with our Blessed Lord, which should be a source of great consolation!

There may always be some sense of trepidation and fear when one approaches the confessional, but with great humility, the priest opens the doors of God’s mercy to the contrite penitent, filling the soul with grace and repairing the bond with Almighty God and his Church that was damaged by sin.

Copyright © 2014, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Washington, D.C. All rights reserved.

December 11, 2014 • The Catholic Spirit

18

Calendar

Charles Lazarus — Dec. 14: 7 p.m. at St. Joan of Arc, 4537 Third Ave. S., Minneapolis.

All tickets are $20 and general admission. For more information, call (612) 823-8205 or visit www.saintjoanofarc.org.

Dining out Benefit breakfast — Dec. 14: 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Knights of Columbus Hall, 1910 S. Greeley St., Stillwater. Adult tickets are $8, children 12 and younger are $4. Nonperishable food items will be collected for St. Michael’s food shelf.

Music

Handel’s Messiah dinner and concert — Dec. 19: 6 p.m. at the Basilica of St. Mary, 1600 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis.

Cocktails and dinner follow the concert in the Undercroft. Tickets may be purchased for the dinner or the concert, or both. For more information, contact Stacy Glaus at (612) 317-3520 or sglaus@mary.org.

Weekend Advent Silent Retreat, “The Spiritual Journey: A Process of Transformation” — Dec. 12-14: Christ the King Retreat Center, 621 First Ave. S., Buffalo.

Suggested offering: $170 per person ($30 deposit required per person). For more information, call (763) 682-1394 or visit www.kingshouse.com.

Prayer and liturgy Advent: Lessons and Carols — Dec. 14: 4 p.m. at Guardian Angels, 8260 Fourth St. N., Oakdale.

Katie McMahon’s Celtic Christmas Show — Dec. 12: 7.30 p.m. at the O’Shaughnessy Auditorium on the campus of St. Catherine University, 2004 Randolph Ave., St. Paul. For tickets, call (651) 690-6700, or visit oshag.stkate.edu.

Other events Children’s Christmas party — Dec. 21: 1-3 p.m. at 1114 American Blvd. W., Bloomington. Free. Sponsored by the Knights of Columbus Marian Council #3827.

Handel’s Messiah singalong — Dec. 14: 6:30 p.m. at St. Olaf, 215 S. Eighth St., Minneapolis (free parking in the Energy Ramp at Ninth Street and Third Avenue). Free-will offering.

Solemn Vespers for Advent — Dec. 14: 3 p.m. at the Basilica of St. Mary, 1600 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis.

Advent Taizé Prayer — Dec. 16: 5:30 p.m. in the lower level of the Basilica of St. Mary, Teresa of Calcutta Hall, 1600 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis.

“Merry & Bright” concert featuring intimate duos and high-energy big band swing from a 14-member ensemble starring Minnesota Orchestra trumpeter

Retreats

Catholic Singles Adults Club of the Twin Cities’ annual Christmas holiday dinner/ dance for Catholic singles — Jan. 10: 5:30 p.m. to midnight at the Richfield American Legion, 6501 Portland Ave. S., Richfield. Dinner and dance, $25; dance only, $10. Reservations for dinner must be received

by Dec. 29. Mail check (made payable to: CSAC) to Carl Bergstrom, 382 N. Pierce St., Apt. 7, St. Paul, MN 55104. For more information, call Carl at (651) 603-1412.

17th annual Festival of Lessons & Carols, featuring Fr. Michael Joncas — Dec. 19: 7 p.m. at St. Bartholomew Catholic Faith Community, 630 E. Wayzata Blvd., Wayzata.

For more information, call (952) 473-6601 or visit www.st-barts.org.

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19

Pope calls for more ‘integration’ of divorced Catholics

By Francis X. Rocca Catholic News Service Pope Francis said that the Catholic Church must consider various ways to integrate the divorced and civilly remarried in the life of the Church — not merely allowing them to receive Communion, but letting them serve as eucharistic ministers and godparents — and to make it easier for Catholic families to accept their homosexual members.

The pope also said he would travel to three Latin American countries and several African countries in 2015, and that major reforms of the Vatican bureaucracy, including the possible appointment of a married couple to head a new office, will not be ready before 2016.

Pope Francis made his remarks in an interview published Dec. 7 in the Argentine newspaper “La Nacion.” The interview, with journalist Elisabetta Pique, was conducted Dec. 4 in the pope’s suite at the Vatican guesthouse, where he lives.

The pope answered several questions about the October 2014 Synod of Bishops on the family, which considered a controversial proposal to allow some divorced and civilly remarried Catholics to

receive Communion even without an annulment of their first, sacramental marriages. By church law, such Catholics may not receive Communion unless they abstain from sexual relations, living as “brother and sister” with their new partners.

Regarding such Catholics, “we posed the question, what do we do with them? What door can be opened for them?” Pope Francis said. “Communion alone is no solution. The solution is integration.”

The pope noted several currently prohibited activities, including teaching Sunday school and distributing Communion, that he said amounted to the de facto excommunication of divorced and civilly remarried Catholics.

“Let us open the doors a bit more. Why can’t they be godfathers and godmothers?” Pope Francis said, dismissing the objection that they would set a poor example for the baptized.

Divorced and civilly remarried godparents offer their godchild the “testimony of a man and a woman saying, ‘My dear, I made a mistake, I was wrong here, but I believe the Lord loves me, I want to follow God, I was not defeated by sin, I want to move on.’ Is anything

more Christian than that?”

Such godparents are more worthy of their role than “political crooks” who happen to be properly wedded, the pope said.

“We must go back and change things a bit, in terms of standards,” he said.

Referring to the synod’s controversial midterm report, which used remarkably favorable language toward people with ways of life contrary to Catholic teaching, including those in samesex unions, Pope Francis said, “nobody mentioned homosexual marriage at the synod, it did not cross our minds.”

“The synod addressed the family and homosexual persons in relation to their families,” the pope said. “We have to find a way to help that father or that mother stand by their [homosexual] son or daughter. That’s what the synod addressed. That’s why someone mentioned positive factors (of same-sex unions) in the first draft.

But that was just a draft.”

Asked about his decision to dismiss U.S. Cardinal Raymond Burke from his post as the head of the Vatican’s highest court, the pope confirmed widely circulated reports that he had decided on the move prior to the synod; hence the

cardinal’s positions at the synod, where he was a leading conservative voice, were not the reason for his reassignment to a largely honorary job with a chivalric religious order.

The pope cited unspecified “legal restructuring” in the Vatican as reason for Cardinal Burke’s reassignment, noting also that the Order of Malta needed a “The synod addressed the “smart family and homosexual American who would know persons in relation to their how to get around.”

families. We have to find a

Pope Francis said his ongoing way to help that father or reform of the Vatican that mother stand by their bureaucracy is a [homosexual] son or “slow process” that will not be daughter. That’s what the ready before 2016. He said it synod addressed.” was possible that a new Pope Francis office, the product of a merger of the current pontifical councils for the Laity, the Family and Justice and Peace, could be headed by a woman or even a married couple.

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December 11, 2014 • The Catholic Spirit

The Last Word

20

Donor says helping pastor an easy decision: ‘He needed a kidney’

By Jack Sheedy Catholic News Service A parishioner walks up to her pastor and says, “I want to give you my kidney.”

Pastor smiles and says, “OK.” Don’t expect a punchline. It’s no joke.

Father Michael Whyte arrived at St. Catherine of Siena parish in West Simsbury, Conn., in 2007 and has been pastor there since 2008. A type 1 diabetic, he began experiencing extreme fatigue and nausea at about that time, signs of kidney failure as a result of diabetes. Doctors gave him three choices: go on dialysis and live five or six more years; do nothing and die within six months; or get a kidney transplant and — if it’s from a live donor —live 20 to 25 years.

Two years ago, he announced at Mass that he was on the waiting list for a kidney.

More than one parishioner offered to be tested to see if they would be qualified donors, but parishioner Margaret Domashinski already knew she would be the one.

“I knew I was a match,” she said during an interview at the parish rectory in November. “I know that’s kind of spooky, but it’s true. I knew.”

Asked what it was about Father Whyte that prompted her to make the offer, Domashinski paused, as if puzzled by the question. “He needed a transplant. He needed a kidney,” she said.

Father Whyte, looking fit as he sat beside his donor 10 weeks after transplant surgery, said, “I think it is very difficult when someone tells you that they’re considering getting tested, or they would like to give you a body part. It is very hard to say” — he struggled for words, then continued — “[a mere] thank-you doesn’t seem to be appropriate.”

When Domashinski made the offer about a year ago, after a daily Mass, Father Whyte was struck by her matter-of-fact attitude. She offered him her kidney “like it was a doughnut,” he said.

Of course, knowing instinctively that you are a match isn’t quite good enough for the medical profession, and Domashinski underwent many levels of testing to ensure that both she and Father Whyte would have good chances of recovery. Their blood types had to match, and they do.

Despite having family members with diabetes,

Father Michael Whyte, pastor of St. Catherine of Siena in West Simsbury, Conn., sits beside parishioner Margaret Domashinski 10 weeks after their Sept. 9 surgery. Domashinski donated a kidney to Father Whyte to save his life. CNS/Jack Sheedy, The Catholic Transcript

December 11, 2014 • The Catholic Spirit

the risk at her age — mid-50s — is minimal that she would develop it.

Her overall health is good.

Other, more subjective factors came into play, too, Father Whyte said. He said doctors asked Domashinski, “How are you going to feel if your other kidney has an issue or if your child needs one?”

He said doctors asked him, “How are you going to feel having a part of another person inside of you?”

On a scale of 1,000 to 5,000, with the lowest number being the best match, Domashinski scored 1,000 — the same as a twin would score, he said.

Her husband, Michael, and the couple’s three daughters — ages 17, 13 and 10 — were 100 percent supportive, she said.

When it seemed all was set, Domashinski announced in the spring of 2014 that she was going to Africa to do mission work at Kampala Children’s Center in Kampala, Uganda. Father Whyte said, “I got a little concerned. I said, ‘Hey, you’re going with my future kidney.’”

But Domashinski took every precaution and returned safely and in good health.

Father Whyte said, “The day before the surgery, I had a couple of people come in and say they hoped everything goes well, and they would get a little emotional. And I said to myself. ‘What, do they think I’m going to die?’”

He said, “The day of our surgeries — as we are obviously operated on at the same time — the parish held

“God gives us miracles.

We just call it medicine.

But there are a lot of miracles out there.”

Father Michael Whyte, pastor of St. Catherine of Siena in West Simsbury, Conn.

a prayer vigil and . . . they said it was a nonstop streaming of people coming in lighting candles and saying prayers.”

Surgery was Sept. 9 at Yale New Haven Hospital. Before undergoing three-port laparoscopic surgery to remove one of her kidneys, Domashinski told her doctor, “If I die during this procedure, make sure you give him my pancreas” as well.

But she and Father Whyte came through their surgeries fine.

Domashinski said that Father Whyte’s surgeon, Dr. Peter Yoo, came to see her in recovery and said, “Oh, your kidney started working before we even finished sewing it up! Oh, your kidney!”

She thought, “Obviously, he’s some kind of kidney groupie.”

Meanwhile, just hours after his surgery, Father Whyte was walking around his hospital room, not even in the slightest pain. (Domashinski actually had more pain than he did.)

They were both released three days later. At Mass a week later, Father Whyte praised the medical team.

Domashinski said, “And I was sitting in front saying, ‘Yeah, that’s mine! You’ll get 30 years out of it!’”

In telling the story, she punched the air with her fist.

Turning to his donor, Father Whyte said, “I don’t know how you feel, but sometimes I’m driving in the car and it hits me: This was major surgery. But at the same token, I was amazed — and I give this credit to God and my doctors — that within six weeks of having this transplant I was back to work and I’m full time.”

Domashinski said the ease of her decision comes from her upbringing. Her parents told her, “You’re not here just to be a piece of furniture.”

Domashinski added, “I’d like to see more people thinking about all of our priests who are in [a] hospital, because not all priests have somebody there to visit them. . . .

We need to take care of these guys.

They’ve given everything up.”

Father Whyte said, “You know, I have to be honest, I’m not the bravest person in the world, but I never felt afraid. . . . I had an entire parish praying for me. What else could happen but good?

“People are already waiting for another Lazarus to be raised from the dead or another 5,000 to be fed,” he added. “Just open your eyes. God gives us miracles. We just call it medicine. But there are a lot of miracles out there.”

He looked at his donor and said, “So this is really a miracle. It’s a gift of life.”