THE
Texas Catholic © 2016 The Texas Catholic
January 22, 2016
The official newspaper of the Diocese of Dallas
By The Letter: Bee Focused
Vol. 65, No. 11
Grant benefits victims
Foundation aids those affected by tornadoes The Texas Catholic
JENNA TETER/The Texas Catholic
Natalie Druffner of All Saints Catholic School spells a word for the judges during the annual Diocesan Spelling Bee, held Jan. 14 at St. Mark the Evangelist Catholic Church Community Center in Plano. For a preview of Dallas Catholic Schools activites for 2016 Catholic Schools Week, see Pages 7-26.
2016 March for Life
Cristo Rey Dallas
The Catholic Foundation on Jan. 8 provided a $200,000 grant to the Diocese of Dallas to help those affected by at least nine tornadoes and severe weather that occurred in North Texas on Dec. 26. The storms resulted in 11 deaths, and damages are expected to total more than $1 billion. Trustees of The Catholic Foundation gathered following the disaster to approve the emergency grant. Bishop Kevin J. Farrell said he is extremely grateful for the quick response to help those affected by the storms. “I thank The Catholic Foundation for responding to the tremendous need that exists in light of this disaster. After visiting with some of the See FOUNDATION, Page 3
Bishop’s Award for Service
RON HEFLIN/Special Contributor
JENNA TETER/The Texas Catholic
KEVIN BARTRAM/Special Contributor
Anyela Walter, from Graham, Texas, participates in the rally outside the Earle Cabell Federal Building after the 2016 North Texas March for Life in Dallas on Jan. 16. For more coverage of the March for Life, see Page 6.
Kenndrick Mendieta and his classmates at Cristo Rey Dallas College Prep are among the inaugural freshman class for the newest Catholic high school in the Diocese of Dallas. For more coverage of Cristo Rey Dallas, see Pages 24-25.
John Blanks, a parishioner at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Richardson, will be among those honored by Bishop Kevin J. Farrell with a Bishop’s Award for Service to the Church on Jan. 30. For more coverage of the Bishop’s Award for Service, see Page 28.
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VOCATIONS
The Texas Catholic
January 22, 2016
REFLECTION
Bishop Kevin J. Farrell Publisher Editor David Sedeño Managing Editor Michael Gresham Managing Editor Revista Católica Constanza Morales Business Manager Antonio Ramirez Jr. Staff Writer Cathy Harasta Staff Writer Seth Gonzales Photographer Jenna Teter Accounting Manager Leigh Harbour The oldest Catholic newspaper in Texas ©2016 The Texas Catholic THE TEXAS CATHOLIC (USPS 616620) ISSN: 0899-6296 is published biweekly, except for the months of June, July, August and December when it is published monthly by The Texas Catholic Publishing Co., 3725 Blackburn, P.O. Box 190347, Dallas, TX 75219. Subscription rates are $20 for one year, $35 for two years, $55 for three years. Periodical postage paid at Dallas, TX. Extra copies are $4.00 each; if mailed, add $1.00 per piece for handling and postage. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Texas Catholic, P.O. Box 190347, Dallas, TX 75219. TELEPHONE: 214-528-8792 FAX: 214-528-3411 WEB: www.texascatholic.com The Diocese of Dallas is comprised of 69 parishes and 5 quasi parishes in Dallas, Collin, Rockwall, Kaufman, Ellis, Navarro, Grayson, Hunt and Fannin counties. Estimated Catholic population:1,236,944.
Texas Catholic Publishing Co. Board of Directors Most Rev. Kevin J. Farrell Bishop of the Diocese of Dallas Publisher of The Texas Catholic Bishop J. Douglas Deshotel Vicar General Mary Edlund Chancellor Bill Keffler Chief Operating Officer Annette G. Taylor Communications Director David Sedeño Editor of The Texas Catholic
Journey to priesthood began with family my best shot. I thought maybe she would end the relationship and then that would be a sign that I should enter; neither happened.
By Bishop-elect Greg Kelly Special to The Texas Catholic
In my experience of being called to the priesthood two things are foundational. The first is the example of my parents, John and Marilean Kelly. For them faith was a given. It involved active participation in the Mass every Sunday, even on vacations when we got up at 4 a.m. to go to a 5:45 a.m. Mass before driving 750 miles. It was marked by an active devotion to Mary and a great trust in her intercession; by service to the parish and parochial school, by participation in the Catholic Family Movement. Faith was a central part of my parents’ lives, and they insisted that it be for their five children. The consistent message was that it was our duty to participate actively in the faith, that everything we had was a gift and whatever gift we had we had better use to serve God and others. They practiced what they preached. The other foundational experience is the example of Father George Julian. The Oblates of Mary Immaculate were our parish priests and he was pastor of my home parish during most of my grade-school years. His kindness and attentiveness to each person, the reverence with which he said Mass was something that affected me and awakened in me the desire to be like him. I received my First Communion from Father Julian in second grade and the Eucharist was a great source of fascination to me; I marveled at how Christ could be present there.
Seminary, priestly life
Texas Catholic Archive Photo
Bishop-elect Greg Kelly speaks during his Solemn Vespers and Conferral of Papal Honor, celebrated by Bishop Kevin J. Farrell in May 2013 at Holy Trinity Seminary in Irving. Bishop-elect Kelly’s Episcopal Ordination will be held at 2 p.m. Feb. 11 at the Cathedral Shrine of the Virgin of Guadalupe.
Discernment
I didn’t think much about the priesthood when I was in high school. When I did, I was uneasy with it since it was so different from what my classmates thought about. I attended Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colo. my freshman and sophomore years. During that time, I dated a high school classmate and spent a lot of time and energy and prayer trying to construct a future for myself as a teacher or a counselor or a coach, something — anything! — that would include her. At the same time, I felt drawn to the priesthood but put it on the back burner. Sophomore year I began to think more seriously about the priesthood again. I heard about Holy Trinity Seminary in Irving and received an application
from them. I wrestled with this decision. I talked to her about it, which was a difficult thing to do. I remember sitting in a church in the spring of my sophomore year. I had been agonizing about this decision. I had the seminary application; the sense of being called to the priesthood was growing stronger as was my resistance to it. Things were going well in the relationship. I felt stuck. I wanted there to be a way of resolving this without it costing me anything. I was vacillating back and forth. Sitting in the church that day around midday I remember saying, “OK, I’ll go.” It was like saying to God, “all right, have it your way.” I completed the application, but a part of me hoped I would not be accepted. I could then go on with my life, having given it
OBITUARY | FATHER JOHN J. (JACK) HEANEY, S.J. Father John J. (Jack) Heaney, S.J., was called to eternal life on Jan. 8 at the St. Alphonsus Rodríguez Pavilion in Grand Coteau, LA. He was 92 years old, a Jesuit for 75 years and a priest for 63 years. Born in Corry, Pa., on April 15, 1923, Father Heaney entered the Society of Jesus on Aug. 14, 1940 at St. Charles College in Grand Coteau, La. Following first vows, he studied humanities in Grand Coteau and philosophy and chemistry at Spring Hill College in Mobile, AL, earning his Bachelor of Science in 1947. He was ordained to the priesthood on Nov. 21, 1952 in Kurseong. He made Tertianship (a period of Jesuit religious formation with profound focus on spiritual renewal and prayer) in Kodaikanal, India (1953-54), and pronounced his final vows on Aug. 15, 1957 at St. Joseph College, Trincomalee, Sri Lanka. Father Heaney spent the next 15
years in Sri Lanka. When he returned to the United States Father Heaney worked for two years at Corpus Christ Heaney Minor Seminary in Corpus Christi then moved to Dallas. From then on the great majority of his ministry would be in Dallas and the surrounding area—more than 33 years spanning four decades. During those years he was teacher and the rector at Jesuit College Preparatory (1972-80), pastor and superior at St. Rita’s Parish (1980-88, 1999-2010), retreat director and superior at Montserrat Retreat House in Lake Dallas (1990-92, 1995-97). About twenty of those years were at St. Rita’s in various capacities. In 2003, when the New Orleans Province decided to turn St. Rita’s parish over to the Diocese of Dallas,
Father Heaney, to ease the transition, remained on with the new pastor, Msgr. Mark Seitz—now the Bishop of El Paso. Father Heaney was preceded in death by his parents, James Joseph Heaney and Barbara Norton Heaney; his brother, James Norton Heaney; and his sisters Mrs. Walter Burger (Mary), Mrs. Eugene Paul (Dorothy) and Sr. Marie Amadea, SC (née Elinor). He is survived by a number of nieces and nephews, including Fr. John F. Paul, S.J., also a member of the USA Central and Southern Province of the Society of Jesus. A funeral Mass was held Jan. 16 at St. Charles College Chapel in Grand Coteau, La. Interment was in Jesuit Cemetery at St. Charles College. A Memorial Mass for Father Heaney will be held at St. Rita Church, 12521 Inwood Road, Dallas 75244, at 2 p.m. Jan. 30.
I entered Holy Trinity Seminary at the beginning of my junior year. I felt at home there right away despite myself. I had arrived at a place where I was meant to be. The order of the day at the seminary, the schedule of prayer, the community life appealed to me. The classes at the University of Dallas were challenging and engaging. I felt that I had made the right decision even though I did not like all the consequences of that decision, especially leaving the relationship with my girlfriend and being away from my family. I never regretted the decision, even in times of struggle. Through my time in the seminary and in the years of serving as a priest, the sense of being called to the priesthood has grown. I am so grateful for that and for the opportunity to celebrate the Eucharist and proclaim the gospel and to be with people at such important moments of their lives: baptisms, weddings and funerals. I have been inspired by their courage and generosity in following Christ and passing his life on to others. I don’t think that I would have found such joy and so many opportunities to grow in faith myself in following any other path. Bishop-elect Greg Kelly is the Vicar for Clergy for the Diocese of Dallas. This column is reprinted from the March 19, 2010 edition of The Texas Catholic.
OBITUARY | FATHER MARVIN C. KITTEN, S.J. Father Marvin C. Kitten, SJ died Jan. 12 at Opelousas General Hospital in Opelousas, La. He was 84 years old, a Jesuit for 62 years and a priest for 50 years. A funeral Mass will be celebrated Jan. 23 at St. Charles College Chapel, Grand Coteau, La. Burial will be in the Jesuit Kitten Cemetery at St. Charles College. Born in Slaton, Texas, on March 13, 1931, Father Kitten pronounced his final vows on Feb. 2, 1971 at Dallas Jesuit College Preparatory. Father Kitten served for 12 years at Jesuit College Preparatory in Dallas (1967-79) first as a teacher of theology, then as counselor.
VATICAN / DIOCESE
The Texas Catholic
January 22, 2016
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ECUMENICAL
Remembrance, peace highlighted as pope visits synagogue By Catholic News Service ROME—While the Catholic Church affirms that salvation comes through Jesus, it also recognizes that God is faithful and has not revoked his covenant with the Jewish people, Pope Francis said. Interrupted repeatedly with applause at Rome’s main synagogue Jan. 17, the pope said the church “recognizes the irrevocability of the Old Covenant and the constant and faithful love of God for Israel.” The statement, which he already had made in his 2013 exhortation, “The Joy of the Gospel,” was repeated in a recent document by the Pontifical Commission for Religious Relations with the Jews. The document reaffirmed Pope Benedict XVI’s teaching that the church “neither conducts nor supports” any institutional missionary initiative directed toward Jews. While frigid winter temperatures finally arrived in Rome, Pope Francis received the warmest of welcomes at the synagogue. The visit featured an exchange of standing ovations. Members of the Jewish community greeted the pope on their feet applauding and bid him farewell the same way; he stood and applauded with the congregation
when honor was paid to the handful of survivors of the Nazi Holocaust who were present for the event. “Their sufferings, anguish and tears must never be forgotten,” the pope said. “And the past must be a lesson to us for the present and the future. The Shoah teaches us that maximum vigilance is always needed in order to intervene quickly in defense of human dignity and peace.” Pope Francis was the third pope to visit the Rome synagogue and Rabbi Riccardo Di Segni, the chief rabbi of Rome, said that in Jewish tradition “an act repeated three times becomes ‘chazaqa,’ a fixed tradition.” The pope, the rabbi, the president of the Rome Jewish community and the president of the Union of Italian Jewish Communities all recalled the visits of St. John Paul II in 1986 and of Pope Benedict XVI in 2010. And they all spoke of the “new era” in Catholic-Jewish relations that began with the Second Vatican Council and its declaration “Nostra Aetate” on relations with non-Christian religions. But continued violence in the Middle East and the specter of terrorism also were on the hearts and minds of all the speakers. “Conflicts, wars, violence and
JENNA TETER/The Texas Catholic
Matt Kramer, president and CEO of The Catholic Foundation, left, and Vicky P. Lattner, Board Chair of The Catholic Foundation, present a grant check to Bishop Kevin J. Farrell Jan. 8 at the Diocese of Dallas Pastoral Center.
Foundation gives diocese $200,000 for disaster relief (Continued from Page 1) families in the devastated areas, l saw first-hand how extensive the damage is and how great the need,” Bishop Farrell said. “This emergency grant will provide crucial assistance to those who are struggling to recover and rebuild.” Matt Kramer, president and CEO of The Catholic Foundation, said he believes it is indeed the role of a community foundation to step in when devastating events hit the communities it serves. “Our prayers are with those
who suffered tremendous losses,” Kramer said. “We are confident that the Diocese of Dallas will utilize these funds to provide help where it’s needed most.” All parishes in the Diocese of Dallas took up a second collection at all Masses on Jan. 2-3 for disaster relief. The Catholic Foundation’s grant, as well as money collected during these Masses, will be distributed to Catholic Charities of Dallas and The Society of St. Vincent de Paul Diocesan Council of Dallas to reach those people in need.
Catholic News Service
Pope Francis gestures as he visits the main synagogue in Rome Jan. 17. At right is Rabbi Riccardo Di Segni, the chief rabbi of Rome.
injustice open profound wounds in humanity and call us to reinforce our commitment to peace and justice,” the pope said. “The violence of man against man is in contradiction with every religion worthy of the name and, particularly, with the three monotheistic religions” of Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
Human life is a sacred gift of God, Pope Francis said. “God is the God of life and always wants to promote and defend it; and we, created in his image and likeness, are obliged to do the same.” Catholics and Jews must pray intensely that God would help bring peace, reconciliation, forgiveness
and life to the Holy Land, the Middle East and all places where conflict and terrorism are sowing death and destruction. Interreligious dialogue, he said, must be based on a recognition that all people are children of the same God, who calls them to praise him and to work together for the good of all. However, he said, the relationship between Christians and Jews is unique because of Christianity’s Jewish roots. “Therefore, Christians and Jews must see themselves as brothers and sisters united by the same God and by a rich, common spiritual heritage.” In his speech, Rabbi Di Segni said the Rome Jewish community was welcoming the pope “to reaffirm that religious differences, which should be maintained and respected, must not however be a justification for hatred and violence.” “The Near East, Europe and many other parts of the world are besieged by wars and terrorism,” the rabbi said. After decades in which Nazism, communism and other totalitarian ideologies led to such suffering, now “violence has come back and it is fed and justified by fanatic visions inspired by religion.”
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DIOCESE
The Texas Catholic
January 24, 2016 Third Sunday in Ordinary Time Reading 1 Neh 8:2-4a, 5-6, 8-10 Ezra the priest brought the law before the assembly, which consisted of men, women, and those children old enough to understand. Standing at one end of the open place that was before the Water Gate, he read out of the book from daybreak till midday, in the presence of the men, the women, and those children old enough to understand; and all the people listened attentively to the book of the law. Ezra the scribe stood on a wooden platform that had been made for the occasion. He opened the scroll so that all the people might see it — for he was standing higher up than any of the people —; and, as he opened it, all the people rose. Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God, and all the people, their hands raised high, answered, “Amen, amen!” Then they bowed down and prostrated themselves before the LORD, their faces to the ground. Ezra read plainly from the book of the law of God, interpreting it so that all could understand what was read. Then Nehemiah, that is, His Excellency, and Ezra the priest-scribe and the Levites who were instructing the people said to all the people: “Today is holy to the LORD your God. Do not be sad, and do not weep”— for all the people were weeping as they heard the words of the law. He said further: “Go, eat rich foods and drink sweet drinks, and allot portions to those who had nothing prepared; for today is holy to our LORD. Do not be saddened this day, for rejoicing in the LORD must be your strength!” Reading 2 1 Cor 12:12-30 Brothers and sisters: As a body is one though it has many parts, and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body, so also Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free persons, and we were all given to drink of one Spirit. Now the body is not a single part, but many. If a foot should say, “Because I am not a hand I do not belong to the body,” it does not for this reason belong any less to the body. Or if an ear should say, “Because I am not an eye I do not belong to the body,” it does not for this reason belong any less to the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? But as it is, God placed the parts, each one of them, in the body as he intended. If they were all one part, where would the body be? But as it is, there are many parts, yet one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, “I do not need you,” nor again the head to
January 22, 2016
MASS READINGS the whole land: against Judah’s kings and princes, against its priests and people. They will fight against you but not prevail over you, for I am with you to deliver you, says the LORD.
Catholic News Service
the feet, “I do not need you.” Indeed, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are all the more necessary, and those parts of the body that we consider less honorable we surround with greater honor, and our less presentable parts are treated with greater propriety, whereas our more presentable parts do not need this. But God has so constructed the body as to give greater honor to a part that is without it, so that there may be no division in the body, but that the parts may have the same concern for one another. If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it; if one part is honored, all the parts share its joy. Now you are Christ’s body, and individually parts of it. Some people God has designated in the church to be, first, apostles; second, prophets; third, teachers; then, mighty deeds; then gifts of healing, assistance, administration, and varieties of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work mighty deeds? Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret?
power of the Spirit, and news of him spread throughout the whole region. He taught in their synagogues and was praised by all. He came to Nazareth, where he had grown up, and went according to his custom into the synagogue on the sabbath day. He stood up to read and was handed a scroll of the prophet Isaiah. He unrolled the scroll and found the passage where it was written: The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord. Rolling up the scroll, he handed it back to the attendant and sat down, and the eyes of all in the synagogue looked intently at him. He said to them, “Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.”
Gospel Lk 1:1-4; 4:14-21 Since many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the events that have been fulfilled among us, just as those who were eyewitnesses from the beginning and ministers of the word have handed them down to us, I too have decided, after investigating everything accurately anew, to write it down in an orderly sequence for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may realize the certainty of the teachings you have received. Jesus returned to Galilee in the
Reading 1 Jer 1:4-5, 17-19 The word of the LORD came to me, saying: Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I dedicated you, a prophet to the nations I appointed you. But do you gird your loins; stand up and tell them all that I command you. Be not crushed on their account, as though I would leave you crushed before them; for it is I this day who have made you a fortified city, a pillar of iron, a wall of brass, against
Reading 2 1 Cor 12:31—13:13 Brothers and sisters: Strive eagerly for the greatest spiritual gifts. But I shall show you a still more excellent way. If I speak in human and angelic tongues, but do not have love, I am a resounding gong or a clashing cymbal. And if I have the gift of prophecy, and comprehend all mysteries and all knowledge; if I have all faith so as to move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give away everything I own, and if I hand my body over so that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing. Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, it is not pompous, It is not inflated, it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. If there are prophecies, they will be brought to nothing; if tongues, they will cease; if knowledge, it will be brought to nothing. For we know partially and we prophesy partially, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. When I was a child, I used to talk as a child, think as a child, reason as a child; when I became a man, I put
aside childish things. At present we see indistinctly, as in a mirror, but then face to face. At present I know partially; then I shall know fully, as I am fully known. So faith, hope, love remain, these three; but the greatest of these is love. Gospel Lk 4:21-30 Jesus began speaking in the synagogue, saying: “Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.” And all spoke highly of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth. They also asked, “Isn’t this the son of Joseph?” He said to them, “Surely you will quote me this proverb, ‘Physician, cure yourself,’ and say, ‘Do here in your native place the things that we heard were done in Capernaum.’” And he said, “Amen, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own native place. Indeed, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah when the sky was closed for three and a half years and a severe famine spread over the entire land. It was to none of these that Elijah was sent, but only to a widow in Zarephath in the land of Sidon. Again, there were many lepers in Israel during the time of Elisha the prophet; yet not one of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.” When the people in the synagogue heard this, they were all filled with fury. They rose up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town had been built, to hurl him down headlong. But Jesus passed through the midst of them and went away.
January 31, 2016 Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Catholic News Service
DIOCESE
The Texas Catholic
Consecrated women are active in diocese By Steve Landregan Special to The Texas Catholic
When Notre Dame Sister Mary Brian Bole was working on They Came to Serve, her history of the women religious who have contributed so much to the Diocese of Dallas, a request was made to include consecrated women in the story. It was decided not to include them because they are a distinct ecclesiastical entity from women religious, but they are an important group of women ministering in the diocese and need to be recognized. Virginity has long held a place of special esteem in the church. There are references to the Order of Virgins in early writings. By the fourth century, two groups emerged: those consecrated by the bishop and those who made private commitments to a life of virginity and the evangelical counsels. Consecration of Virgins for women of the world fell into disuse about the sixth century, and was not restored until 1970. Within the diocese, there are two distinct groups of consecrated women: Consecrated Virgins, who are consecrated to God by a bishop of the diocese and live in the world while mystically betrothed to Christ, and Consecrated Women, who are associated with ecclesial communities, specifically Regnum Christi and the Work of Mary (Focolare
Movement). The latter groups live in community. Both Consecrated Virgins and Consecrated Women commit themselves to the evangelical virtues of poverty, chastity and obedience. Of the three Consecrated Virgins in the diocese, two teach at Catholic schools, and the third is completing her studies. The 15 Consecrated Women in Regnum Christi Community work in various jobs in the Diocesan Pastoral Center, The Highlands School, retreat work, spiritual direction, young adult ministry and community vocations. Of the six consecrated women in the Focolare community, three are elementary teachers in Catholic schools, one is a hospital social worker, one works in the Diocesan Pastoral Center and one works on the Focolare administrative staff. In speaking of the vocations of Consecrated Virgins and Women, Tammy Grady, a member of the Regnum Christi community who is the diocese’s associate vocations director, said “the most important thing to highlight about our vocations is that it is not so much what we do but rather who we are. We are the Brides of Christ who live the evangelical councils of chastity, poverty and obedience. We live in the world, but not with the Spirit of the World, striving to be an eschatological sign to all those we meet, pointing them
to the eternal call that awaits us all in our heavenly home …” Grady’s vocation grew out of her participation in World Youth Day in Denver in 1993, when St. Pope John Paul II’s words to “open wide the doors of your heart to Christ,” touched her heart and changed her life. After two years as a volunteer missionary, she entered Regnum Christi and last September celebrated her 20th anniversary in the Consecrated Life. Therese Lee, a member of the Focolare Movement, wrote of her vocation as a consecrated woman, “I wanted to be a revolutionary of the gospel to fulfill the prayer of Jesus that all may be one, with my life. That was 40 years ago and for the past 30 years I have been living in Focolare communities, in many parts of the world, with the aim of fulfilling Jesus’ prayer of unity, among us and with each person we encountered during the day. I can only say that the joy of living this adventure has surpassed all expectations.” In his apostolic letter on the occasion of the Year of Apostolic Life, Pope Francis stated: “Consecrated life is a gift to the Church, it is born of the Church, it grows in the Church, and is entirely directed to the Church … it is not an isolated or marginal reality, but deeply a part of her…. It belongs absolutely to the life and holiness of the Church.”
January 22, 2016
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Diocesan Time Capsule 50 Years Ago Two announcements affecting the Diocese of Dallas appeared in the Jan. 15 issue of The Texas Catholic: Msgr. Thomas A. Tschoepe, V.G. was named second Bishop of San Angelo by Pope Paul VI, succeeding Bishop Thomas Drury, now Bishop of Corpus Christi. The second announcement was that of Steve Landregan as editor of The Texas Catholic effective March 1. He succeeds Msgr. James I. Tucek. 25 Years Ago After 114 years in Sherman, the Sisters of St. Mary Namur announced that they will be withdrawing from St. Mary School. The last four sisters of St. Mary will leave the school they founded in 1877 at the end of the current school year. Deacon James Adlof, a graduate of the school, described the feelings of many parishioners when he said, “It’s going to leave a big hole in our community.” 10 Years Ago Msgr. John F. Meyers, who served 14 years as president of the National Catholic Education Association in Washington, D.C., will retire as pastor of St. Monica Parish at the end of January 2006. A native of Altoona, Pa., Msgr. Meyers was ordained in 1956 at Pontifical College Josephinum In Worthington, Ohio.
Excerpts taken from The Texas Catholic and compiled by Steve Landregan, diocesan historian and former editor of The Texas Catholic. Landregan can be reached by email at slandregan@ cathdal.org.
The Texas Catholic www.TexasCatholic.com • www.TexasCatholicYouth.com
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DIOCESE
The Texas Catholic
January 22, 2016
Promoting a ‘culture of life’ By David Sedeño The Texas Catholic
With some praying the rosary and others huddling together, walking and holding hands to keep warm, about 2,000 people gathered Jan. 16 in downtown Dallas for a march and rally commemorating the Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion. Earlier in the day, Bishop Kevin J. Farrell concelebrated a Mass at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center, thanking those for their attendance and telling them that they were at the front line of the battle to help overturn hearts and minds of people to the culture of life. After Mass, he went outside the convention center as hundreds of people began to gather under drizzly skies and brisk winds. The bishop thanked numerous participants and posed for photographs with several of them, including some of the Matachines dancers. Those dancers performed traditional indigenous beats and dances and helped the bishop lead the march from the convention center to a parking lot across the street from the Earle Cabell Federal Building. A federal courtroom inside the building was where the federal lawsuit seeking the right of women to have abortions was first heard. The U.S. Supreme Court legalized abortion on Jan. 22, 1973 and more than 58 million lives have been aborted since that time. Speaking to the crowd in English and Spanish with the federal building as the backdrop, Bishop Farrell was one of several speakers from various religious denominations and organizations who addressed the crowds. Bishop Farrell said that each person should make a resolution this year in the battle to overturn the Supreme Court decision. “For 43 years, we have gathered to give witness to what we really believe in and that is the sanctity
RON HEFLIN/Special Contributor
People gather at a rally outside the Earle Cabell Federal Building after the 2016 North Texas March for Life on Jan. 16. The pro-life march began at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center and ended with a rally at the courthouse.
of human life from conception to natural death and it is so important that the years seem to roll on and our hopes are dashed on many occasions that we never, never, never give up hope,” he said. “This is where Roe v. Wade began. We cannot walk away and not commit ourselves to at least changing the minds and the hearts of two to three individuals in the coming years,” he said. “We have to do this; we have to change one person at a time, so let us all
commit ourselves to multiplying our numbers to committing ourselves to change and convince one other person, at least, from being a pro-culture of death to pro-culture of life.” Among those in the crowd were students from the various Catholic high schools and elementary schools and families with children bundled up from head to toe. George Joseph, a parishioner at St. Luke Catholic Church in Irving, brought his wife and two children
with him along with other relatives to the Mass and rally. “We respect and we need to save lives and we support anything that has to do with saving lives,” he said. “It’s not too cold.” Cruz Ramón Villalobos and his wife, Olga Almazán, parishioners at St. Augustine Catholic Church in Pleasant Grove, brought their five children to the Mass and march. “This is very important and that’s why we’re here and hopefully we can always defend those children
whose lives are priceless,” he said. “The important thing is that our children are getting information about the importance of life that we never received and that is a great advantage for them.” One of their children, Christine Villalobos, 13, agreed. “I think this is really important there are many kids out here because I think, ‘What if I had been aborted?’ I love my life. I love being here. So I think it’s great that other kids are here, too.”
RON HEFLIN/Special Contributor
RON HEFLIN/Special Contributor
RON HEFLIN/Special Contributor
A young boy and girl walk with a rose to the altar during a procession before the Roe V. Wade Memorial Mass at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas on Jan. 16
Bishop Kevin J. Farrell speaks at a rally outside the Earle Cabell Federal Building after the 2016 North Texas March for Life on Jan. 16.
Ellanie Berba, left, and Jasmin Penny, both parishioners at St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Church in McKinney, sing at a pro-life rally outside the Earle Cabell Federal Building.
Celebrating Catholic Schools Week 2016 January 31 - Feb. 5
A SUPPLEMENT TO THE TEXAS CATHOLIC • JANUARY 22, 2016
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The Texas Catholic
CATHOLIC SCHOOLS WEEK
January 22, 22, 2016 January 2016
FROM THE BISHOP
Building communities of faith, knowledge and service By Bishop Kevin J. Farrell Publisher of The Texas Catholic
“Education cannot be neutral. It is either positive or negative; either it enriches or it impoverishes; either it enables a person to grow or it lessens, even corrupts him.”
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— Pope Francis
s we observe Catholic Schools Week from Jan. 31 through Feb. 6, reflection on the theme chosen for 2016 seems appropriate, “Catholic Schools: Communities of Faith, Knowledge and Service.” Faith, the first of the trilogy in that theme, reflects the words of the Holy Father at the top of this blog, namely that “education cannot be neutral.” The important difference in Catholic schools is that they are Catholic, the curriculum is infused with the values of the Gospel. Our new Superintendent of Catholic Schools, Matthew Vereecke, put it well in an interview last week. “We should have two outcomes for every student that we form: college and heaven. These two goals completely encapsulate the mission of Catholic schools: first, an unmatched rigor in academics that propels students to outstanding outcomes, and second an unwavering commitment to a student’s spiritual, social, moral and ethical growth.”
MICHAEL GRESHAM/The Texas Catholic
With the help of Principal Chris Sanders (left), Bishop Kevin J. Farrell answers questions from St. Pius X Catholic School students during a visit to the campus in September 2015.
Vereecke’s observations lead us to the second element of the theme, knowledge. It is not only the acquisition of knowledge, but also the development of critical thinking skills that enable students to understand it and apply it in their lives. Pope Francis wrote in his Apostolic
Exhortation, Evangelii Gaudium, “We are living in an information-driven society which bombards us indiscriminately with data—all treated as being of equal importance—and which leads to remarkable superficiality in the area of moral discernment. In response, we need to
provide an education which teaches critical thinking and encourages the development of mature moral values.” (EG §64) In his remarks, Vereecke pointed out that, “Catholic schools must be about so much more than simply passing a certain test at a certain time. We must be entirely committed to the idea that we will form students in such a way that all will be able to sustain family, career, faith and the church.” Thirdly, service, Catholic education must develop a sense of the common good, a recognition of our interdependence and a realization that our faith and our discipleship call us to imitate Jesus who came to serve, not be served. (Mark 10:45). Finally, Catholic education must be accessible. The Diocese of Dallas recognizes the sacrifices made by parents to send their children to Catholic schools and strives to provide financial assistance through a variety of scholarships and other programs, not the least of which are the funds raised by the Bishop Farrell Annual Invitational Golf Tournament. I salute the administrators and teachers whose commitment to Catholic education makes our schools “Communities of Faith, Knowledge and Service.” Bishop Kevin J. Farrell is the seventh bishop of Dallas. Read his blog at bishopkevinfarrell.org/blog.
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The Texas Catholic
CATHOLIC SCHOOLS WEEK
January 22, 2016
9
FROM THE SUPERINTENDENT
Catholic schools: Making the world a better place By Matthew Vereecke Special to The Texas Catholic
E
ducation was always a priority for my family. Even from a young age, my siblings and I were encouraged to be curious: many a broken appliance would find its way to our family’s garage so that we could build what we perceived to be working rocketships or time machines. We not only learned to build, but to repurpose and reimagine these everyday objects to evoke a new sense of wonder and accomplishment. It was not merely a sense of curiosity that eventually emerged from that garage. These adventures taught us that there was a difference between education and Catholic education, just as there was a huge difference between a broken vacuum cleaner and a jet engine. One thing just was; the other was imbued with a sense of wisdom and wonder that allowed it to be something more. Put simply, education teaches us what it means to leave the world better than we found it and what it takes to get to Heaven. Catholic education puts that knowledge into action, and gives us the tools to live as saints. I am blessed to be here in Dallas because the diocese as a whole, and in particular Bishop Farrell, understands this
JENNA TETER/The Texas Catholic
New Superintendent of Catholic Schools Matthew Vereecke visits the Diocesan Spelling Bee Jan. 14 at St. Mark the Evangelist Catholic Church Community Center in Plano.
important distinction. The mandate of the Catholic Schools Office is as simple as it is challenging: that every student in Dallas Catholic schools, regardless of means or background, will be able to reach college and Heaven. Through Bishop Farrell’s leadership,
the diocese has taken several steps to ensure that these statements will not be platitudes but instead will be living goals that will be able to be achieved through strategy and hard work. Although I am employed by the diocese, being the superintendent is not a
job to me. When my wife Elizabeth and I chose to move to Dallas, it was about taking the next step in our life and our life’s work of Catholic education. We are both products of Catholic Education, and both of us have found our lives irrevocably changed for the better by the lessons that we have learned and the amazing people with whom we have come into contact as a result of our experiences in Catholic schools. I know that I am not alone in this debt. The teachers, aides, support staff, principals, presidents and all the other myriad people who work within and for our Catholic schools feel the same. This is a mission and a vocation for all of us, and it is a great privilege for all of us to serve this system. As I introduce myself, I also want to take a moment and thank everyone who supports Catholic schools as parents, friends, benefactors or through prayer. You sustain us and allow us the great honor of serving students and educating the next generation of Catholics. The most beautiful aspect is that the sacrifices you make today will help inspire the dreamers of tomorrow, and ensure that the lessons being learned in garages right now lead students to be saints in the future. Matthew Vereecke is superintendent of Catholic schools for the Diocese of Dallas.
10 The Texas Catholic
CATHOLIC SCHOOLS WEEK
January 22, 22, 2016 January 2016
UNIVERSITY OF DALLAS
University opens new College of Business By David Sedeño The Texas Catholic
IRVING—More than 400 people gathered Jan. 15 on the University of Dallas campus for the dedication and opening of SB Hall, the high-tech brick and glass building of the Satish & Yasmin Gupta College of Business at the University of Dallas. The high-tech, 45,000-squarefoot facility is what the university calls the centerpiece of the re-dedicated business school, which offers bachelor’s degrees and Master of Business Administration, Master of Science and Doctor of Business Administration degrees. The Guptas, alums of UD, gave $12 million to build SB Hall, a three-level state-of-the-art building that university officials said was built on time and below budget at $16 million. The building includes not only classrooms and common areas, but a business center, a financial markets lab, a catering kitchen, a board room and a production studio for class recordings. Flat panel displays and wireless connectivity can be found throughout the building. It also boasts the
ability to reconfigure space to meet the demands in the future. University President Thomas W. Keefe presided over a program that included reflections from city officials and various university officials and faculty, including those who remember the Guptas from their UD days many years ago. Keefe talked about the success of the business school programs and that 17,000 alumni hold leadership positions worldwide. He also touted that the business school was among the few worldwide accredited by AACSB International. “Today, we are looking to the bright future that lies ahead, thanks to the leadership and the generosity of Satish and Yasmin Gupta,” he said. “Everywhere you look you will find space that fosters collaboration. The building standing before us today is yet another example of our efforts to create a campus exterior that reflects the quality of education that is taking place within its walls.” In 1981 as a business graduate student, Satish Gupta established SB International Inc., a global business dedicated to the oil and gas industry.
JENNA TETER/The Texas Catholic
Philosophy professor Robert Wood, from left, University of Dallas President Thomas Keefe, former professor Blair Stephenson, Satish and Yasmin Gupta, City of Irving City Manager Chris Hillman, Abbot Peter Verhalen, O. Cist., Board of Trustees Chairman Joseph Murphy and School of Business Interim Dean Brett Landry are on hand to help dedicate the new Satish and Yasmin Gupta School of Business Hall on Jan. 15.
At the ceremony, the Guptas reminisced about their days at UD and how as students from India, they were welcomed by students and faculty. “We hope that SB Hall and
the College of Business will be a beacon of light for many years to come, standing tall to educate young men and women from all countries and all economic backgrounds,” Yasmin Gupta said.
“Just as the school empowered us we want to empower students to make a difference in their communities and in the world out there.” Satish Gupta talked about the education he received at UD and how it inspired the couple to form their company. He said that along with that education, he also had faith, passion and confidence to succeed. He told the students that his business has taken him to all parts of the world and that in the world of business there is a fine line and they must be sure not to cross it. “One thing I have learned working with all these countries—learning from them—is that there is plenty in this world for everyone’s basic needs, but not enough for greed,” he said. “I am hoping the College of Business and SB Hall will make a special effort to each and every student (to teach them) where that line gets crossed. We are seeing repeatedly that the line of competition gets crossed to greed. I am hoping each and every professor and student will make a note of that and that this line never gets crossed.”
The Texas Catholic
CATHOLIC SCHOOLS WEEK
JOHN PAUL II HIGH SCHOOL
Inspiring higher learning By Seth Gonzales The Texas Catholic
As she begins her final semester as a senior at John Paul II High School in Plano, Anne Sullivan is hoping to leave a lasting impression with students more than 25 miles away. Inside Stevens Park Elementary School in Oak Cliff on a Tuesday morning, Sullivan was helping Principal Cameron Ramirez sort through the latest batch of 60 college T-shirts and sweatshirts Sullivan had donated that are JENNA TETER/The Texas Catholic destined for the hands of the school’s elemenThe 2016-17 school year will feature John Paul II High School senior Anne Sullivan, center, tary students. Sullivan has been donating them with her mother, Sharon Sullivan, right, delivers the grand opening of our Pre-K 4 proto help facilitate a program Ramirez is spearT-shirts to Stevens Park Elementary School Principal heading to convince her students thatgram collegein our newly building. Cameron Ramirezcompleted at the Oak Cliff campus on Jan. 19. is not only realistic, but attainable and fun. Sullivan’s mother Sharon first learned of the program through a Facebook advertiseAPPLICATION ment. She passed it on to Anne, thinking it DEADLINE ALLschools, the “A lot of timesFOR in suburban might catch her interest. adults talk about how much fun college is and To date, Sullivan has donated over 260 PROSPECTIVE NEW STUDENTS: shirts, which serve as a visual and constant the team sports,” Ramirez said. “In inner-city JAN. 30talk about that with these do not reminder to elementary school students that schools, they kids. I thought, ‘That is such a travesty.’ ” what was considered a pipe dream, is now With Sullivan’s help, Ramirez has been slowly becoming a distinct possibility. APPLY ON-LINE to get her program off the ground to very “I’ve always had the idea that I would go able feedback from her students. She said to college after high school,” said Sullivan, a positive www.strita.net two-sport athlete who plans on attending the she’s even noticing more students talking Questions? Call 972-239-3203 about college in their hallway conversations. University of Arkansas. “But it never really For Sullivan, it was a chance to make occurred to me that a lot of kids don’t have that mindset that that’s what they’re going to a mark and immerse herself in a cause she believed in. do after high school.” “I hope that this will show them that there’s Ramirez said the program had its genesisST. in RITA CATHOLIC SCHOOL something more,” Sullivan “All this the perception her students had about college, 12525 Inwood Rd., Dallas, TXsaid. 75244 work is for something way bigger than you.” namely, that it was much too difficult.
January 22, 2016
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12 The Texas Catholic
CATHOLIC SCHOOLS WEEK
January 22, 22, 2016 January 2016
BISHOP LYNCH HIGH SCHOOL
Alum’s faith fuels journey from MMA to missionary work By Cathy Harasta The Texas Catholic
Justin Wren, a 2005 graduate of Bishop Lynch High School, fought his way to fame as a mixed martial artist, making a name for himself as an Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight. He now devotes his passion and compassion to giving some of the world’s most persecuted people a fighting chance. Speaking to a near-capacity crowd at Bishop Lynch’s McGonigle Theatre during the Leyden Lecture Series on Jan. 13, Wren, 28, shared the twists of his journey from competitive sports, through depression and drug abuse, to a pivotal calling from God that led to a rainforest in the heart of Africa. His soft but penetrating voice and video presentation captivated the students, who learned that Wren suffered as the target of extreme bullying during his school days near Crowley, Texas, before he spent his junior and senior years at Bishop Lynch. “I tell my parents that sending me to Bishop Lynch was one of the best, if not the best, decisions they ever made for me,” said Wren, who lives in Arlington with his wife, Emily. “I loved my time at Bishop Lynch.
RON HEFLIN/Special Contributor
Mixed Martial Arts cage fighter, missionary and Bishop Lynch High School alumnus Justin Wren speaks to the students at the school on Jan. 13 as part of the Leyden Lecture Series.
“Bishop Lynch saved my life, changed my life.” Wren, an All-American and national wrestling champion at Bishop Lynch, said that he found a welcome mat at the school, and not just in the wrestling room. But he said that he had begun dealing with depression at 13—the age at which he set his heart on an MMA career.
He started fighting professionally at 19, after training at the U.S. Olympic Education Center at Northern Michigan University, suffering a broken elbow during a match, and attending Iowa State for a year. Wren, who is 6-3 and 248 pounds, said that the pain medication he received for the injury helped to dull his depression. “At 23, I was a depressed, drunk
drug addict,” he told the assembly. “I was a hurt dude who hurt people.” The message of several Christian missionaries resonated with Wren, who said that faith helped him combat his addictions. “I was 11 months sober and 11 months into being a Christian, and I looked at those pastors and missionaries as real Christians,” said Wren, who left MMA for more than four years before resuming pro sports last August. “I looked up to them the way that maybe the fans of fighting had looked at me.” Kenny Monday, the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games freestyle wrestling champion at 163 pounds and one of Wren’s coaches at Bishop Lynch, said that his pupil was a great team member whose missionary endeavors have made all who knew him proud. “He was always a gentle giant until he got on that mat,” said Monday, the wrestling coach at Team Takedown in Arlington, where Wren now trains. “He didn’t use his size to intimidate people. He’s got a great heart, and I always saw that. “He had those difficulties and addictions in his life. They were why he became the man he’s become.” A vision during a Colorado prayer meeting led to Wren’s first trip to the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 2011, he said.
Wren said that he envisioned himself in an unfamiliar forest infused with beautiful music and echoes of the word “forgotten.” He said that he confided in Christian missionary Caleb Bislow, whose experiences allowed him to identify the people in Wren’s vision as the Mbuti Pygmies of the Ituri Rainforest in the Congo. Wren lived with the Pygmies, where he experienced the challenges of their life, particularly the need for clean water. He said that their struggles and their hope converted him from a fighter who fought for himself to one who fights for others. His “Fight for the Forgotten” initiative provides his Pygmy family with water wells, agricultural expertise and access to land. Wren’s ministry has become an official initiative of Water4, an Oklahomabased non-profit that is devoted to allaying the global water crisis. Wren, who has returned to MMA to help call attention to the forgotten people, said that he plans to spend time in the Congo with his Pygmy family two or three times each year. “People are worth fighting for,” he said. “My first 23 or 24 years, I spent so much time in the church instead of going out and being the church.”
CATHOLIC SCHOOLS WEEK
The Texas Catholic
January 22, 2016
13
Associate superintendent named At the conclusion of the 20152016 school year, a familiar face will be returning to Dallas Catholic schools in a new role. Matthew Vereecke, superintendent of Dallas Catholic Schools, announced that Veronica Alonzo has been named as associate superintendent. Alonzo, who for the past three years has served as the principal of Holy Trinity Catholic High School in Temple, served at three schools in the Diocese of Dallas over the prior 15 years. “I am very excited that Veronica will be joining our team in the Catholic Schools Office, and I look forward to her future contributions to the Catholic schools of the Diocese of Dallas,” Vereecke said. Alonzo began her career in the
JENNA TETER/The Texas Catholic
Dual language teacher Candice Baker visits with students in her classroom at Santa Clara of Assisi Catholic Academy.
UA principal completes doctorate
Expanding their horizons Santa Clara of Assisi Catholic Academy has embarked on a dual language curriculum for some of its grades. Look for the story and photos in the Feb. 5 edition of The Texas Catholic, with accompanying video coverage on TexasCatholic. com and in the March edition of our Spanishlanguage magazine Revista Católica, available in parishes throughout the Diocese of Dallas.
Diocese of Dallas as a University of Notre Dame Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE) teacher at St. Cecilia CathoAlonzo lic School. She also served as an assistant principal and teacher at St. Mary of Carmel Catholic school and as a teacher, department chair and assistant principal at Bishop Dunne Catholic School. Alonzo earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Ind.; a master’s degree in teaching from the University of Portland in Portland, Ore.; and her doctorate in educational leadership from the University of Phoenix in Dallas.
Ursuline Academy Principal Andrea Shurley had an extra reason to celebrate over the recent holiday break. She completed her Doctorate of Education in Catholic School Leadership from the University of San Francisco. Shurley said her doctorate will help her be a better Head of School. “This experience really elevated to me the importance of keeping the words of St. Ursula, our core values, and the school’s mission at
JENNA TETER/The Texas Catholic
Students in the dual language program at Santa Clara of Assisi Catholic Academy go through their morning routine.
the forefront for all decisions we make,” Shurley said. Shurley is in her second school year as Ursuline’s princiShurley pal, but she came to Dallas with 11 years of teaching and administrative experience with the Schools of the Sacred Heart in San Francisco, Calif., including serving as Head of School at Convent of the Sacred Heart High School.
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14 The Texas Catholic
CATHOLIC SCHOOLS WEEK
January 22, 22, 2016 January 2016
HOLY FAMILY OF NAZARETH CATHOLIC SCHOOL
Irving school marks 50 years of Catholic education By Jacqueline Burkepile Special to The Texas Catholic
In 1998, St. John Paul II said, “The mission of the Catholic school is the integral formation of students, so that they may be true to their condition as Christ’s disciples and as such work effectively for the evangelization of culture and for the common good of society.” Holy Family of Nazareth Catholic School in Irving will celebrate 50 years of this mission during the spring of 2016. The school community celebration will begin with an anniversary Mass at Holy Family of Nazareth Catholic Church on Jan. 24. Bishop Kevin J. Farrell will preside, with a reception to follow. Principal Janet Muelschen said the Mass and reception will serve as a “happy birthday party for the school.” “The anniversary of this school is a time to celebrate the first 50 years, all the accomplishments of the school and the wonderful education that has been provided here,” Muelschen said. “It is also a time to look forward and determine how we can best build the school as a parish school, serving the families in our parish with all the richness that comes from the cultural diversity that we enjoy.”
JENNA TETER/The Texas Catholic
Father Albert Becher and Principal Janet Muelschen will celebrate 50 years of providing a Catholic education to those in the Irving community with a special Mass on Jan. 24 at Holy Family of Nazareth Catholic School.
Holy Family of Nazareth Catholic School began in 1965 with one building and eight classrooms, with the Holy Family of Nazareth Sisters in
Grand Prairie as its first teachers. In 1990, the school added one building, along with several portable buildings. Then in 1992, the United
States Department of Education named it a Nationally Recognized Blue Ribbon School. The anniversary celebration will
continue during Catholic Schools Week, which is Jan. 31 – Feb. 6. The school is working on several projects, including a photo montage of students and classes over the past 50 years, which will be on display for the remainder of the school year. Holy Family of Nazareth will also honor a “Distinguished Graduate,” and invite graduates to participate in Catholic Schools’ Week Career Day. Holy Family of Nazareth Catholic School will then honor all its graduates during a special Mass and reception on April 2. Finally, the school will host a Jubilee Gala on April 30 at the Hackberry Creek Country Club in Irving. Shari Ruiz, a 2001 Holy Family of Nazareth graduate, now teaches at the school and enjoys working alongside some of the teachers who inspired her to become a teacher. Ruiz said she’s seen changes and growth in the school throughout the years, so she is very excited to celebrate this special occasion. “This anniversary is great for me because I’ve seen the school change throughout the years…The community reaches out to different ethnic groups and cultures,” said Ruiz. “I think it will be wonderful to see everyone coming together and celebrating the Mass.”
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ApplicAtion DeADline January 31, 2016
The Texas Catholic
CATHOLIC SCHOOLS WEEK
January 22, 2016
15
TEACHING IN TODAY’S WORLD In Dallas Catholic Schools, the community of faith is blessed with many gifts. Two of the most vital are the commitment to Catholic education/catechesis in all its forms and a tradition of Catholic social teaching. In today’s ever-changing world, there is a need to bring these two gifts together in a strengthened commitment to sharing social teaching at every level of Catholic education and faith formation. We asked two local, award-winning Catholic school educators how and what they teach students about mercy and tolerance, and how to act in the context of today’s world of violence, terrorist acts, political polarization and controversy that abounds in their social media world?
B
eing blessed with the opportunity to teach a World Religions/Synthesis and a Service course to seniors, mercy and tolerance are almost a natural by-product of both curriculums and coursework. In addition to the more obvious curricular elements in such courses, there are a couple of elements, both theoretical and practical in nature, that I focus on and consistently come back to in order to reinforce their importance and nurture their development in the student’s day-to-day life. To begin with, the materials with which I supplement the courses are texts and readings whose primary message and core are all about mercy, tolerance, compassion, etc. and usually from a more spiritual perspective. Thomas Merton’s “New Seeds of Contemplation,” Thich Nhat Hanhs’ “Living Buddha, Living Christ,” Father Gregory Boyle’s “Tattoos on the Heart,” and a few essays of J. Krishnamurti are a few of the sources used most often. These authors write in such a manner as to help the reader recognize, develop, and nurture their message within them. They are not “textbooks” or dogmatic descriptions of the ideas but rather personal, inner developments of the truths of our faith. In addition, the students are usually assigned reflective response essays in which they are asked to not only share their thoughts about the reading but to apply the ideas to their own experiences and relationships. The second element I practice in class is meditation. Using Father Anthony DeMello’s “Awareness” and “Sadhana: A Way to God”
books as my guides, I attempt to introduce and assist the students in quieting their mind. A difficult task at times, but I find that doing this as a normal experience of each class is something the students grow to appreciate very much. Upon graduation, whenever the students return to Dunne, very few ask me about the dogmatic ideas covered in class but more than half will inevitably ask me if I still read Awareness and do the “meditation-thing”…it seems for many students, it is through this growing in awareness of one’s thoughts, one’s expectations of others, and one’s conditioning that they are empowered to search and look deeper for the truth that lies within. As they begin to liberate themselves from their programming and conditioning, they look within themselves, and in turn, give others the freedom to look in their own way; in so doing, the experience of mercy, understanding, compassion, and tolerance naturally follow. Such is the way of “the birth of Christ” within their own being. Through these two elements, I attempt to nurture and encourage the students to come to a deeper realization of “the divine image” in which they (and all) have been created and to apply such realizations to their own experiences and relationships. And such an image is the image of such experiences as mercy, compassion, tolerance, forgiveness, etc., in other words: love. Jim Martin is the director of campus ministry at Bishop Dunne Catholic School in Oak Cliff.
P
ope Francis has said that “the Holy Year of Mercy is dedicated to living out in our daily lives the mercy which God constantly extends to us.” One of the challenges Catholic schools face today is teaching children how to live out this message in the midst of all that they are being exposed to via social media. Students of all ages have come to depend on social media as their primary method of following global and local news, and connecting with their peers. It is a new and very rapid form of communication that allows information to reach our children almost instantaneously, and impact them in ways that we have never seen before. Catholic schools are helping students understand how to do deeds of mercy in word, prayer, and action in their daily lives, as they witness a world where mercy and tolerance often seem absent. It is more important than ever that we teach our students to be aware of the way in which they use the Word in this new world. They are exposed to the lack of mercy between politicians, countries, and even religious sects in the news daily. In addition, they witness their peers hurting each other with words through social media. As Catholic educators, we must teach them to use the word to spread God’s mercy. A positive “post” is shared just as widely and quickly as all of the negative ones; they can use their various online channels to express love, empathy, tolerance and kindness, regarding both global issues and issues in their own communities.
In this secular world, those of us in Catholic schools also have an incredible opportunity to teach the children how to do deeds of mercy in prayer. We are blessed to be able to incorporate weekly Masses, rosaries and religion classes into our curriculum. This allows us to use scripture and church teachings to reinforce daily that, despite what is going on around us, we must embrace mercy and tolerance, beginning in our own school community. When they are bombarded with confusing and distressing news, we teach the children to turn to prayer and we pray with them. We teach them to pray for all of God’s children, as all are deserving of his love and mercy. As Catholic educators, there are countless opportunities to teach about deeds of mercy through action. We find teachable moments when conflicts arise between children, and they must show mercy to one another. We take action when we take our students on retreats and involve them in service projects such as feeding the hungry and reaching out to the elderly. We point out that deeds of mercy are even conducted via social media; Pope Francis shares our Catholic faith with the world using Twitter. We need to follow his lead and teach the children how to spread mercy in the context of today’s ever-changing world. Philip Riley, recipient of the 2015 NCEA Distinguished Principal award, is the principal of St. Monica Catholic School.
16 The Texas Catholic
CATHOLIC SC
Catholic Schools We All Saints
Fri., Feb. 5: Celebrating Our Students. Early dismissal. Surprise dress-up day.
Sun., Jan. 31: 9:15 a.m. Catholic Schools Mass at Meadow Creek campus. Grandparents Day at Osage Campus at 10:30 a.m. Mon., Feb. 1: Community Appreciation Day. Students and staff wear “Spirit Wear.” Tues., Feb. 2: Student Appreciation Day. Students wear pajamas. Wed., Feb. 3: Celebrating The Nation. Students wear patriotic clothes. Letters and videos sent to elected officials and veterans. Open house, 8:30-10:30 a.m. Thurs., Feb. 4: Celebrating Vocations. Letters and small gifts presented to seminarians. “Crazy Tie Day.” Fri., Feb. 5: Celebrating Volunteers, Staff and Parents. 8 a.m. Mass with Bishop Kevin J. Farrell. Breakfast treats for faculty and staff. Teachers receive “Secret Saints” letters. Volunteers receive surprise gifts.
Christ the King
Bishop Dunne Sun., Jan. 31: Students wear Bishop Dunne uniform to their home parish. Mon., Feb. 1: Students bring blankets for donation. Charity basketball game featuring Bishop Dunne faculty vs. Santa Clara faculty. Donations of $2 or canned food benefit North Texas Food Bank Tues., Feb. 2: Student dress down day. Parent Appreciation Day with donuts and coffee in morning carpool line. Wed., Feb. 3: National Signing Day assembly. Thurs., Feb. 4: InterFaith Service. Father Edwin Leonard meets with students to discuss vocations. Fri., Feb. 5: Students vs. faculty Family Feud. Faculty dress down day.
Bishop Lynch Mon., Feb. 1: Celebrating Our Community. All School Mass. “Change the World” collection to donate to local cause. Tues., Feb. 2: Celebrating Our Parents and Volunteers. Student representatives greet families with breakfast during morning dropoff. “Keeping Your Kids Catholic” program at 7 p.m. Wed., Feb. 3: Celebrating Our Catholic Identity. All-school assembly with guest speaker Chris Stefanick. Red, white and blue ribons distributed to students, faculty and staff. Thurs., Feb. 4: Celebrating Our Teachers and Staff. Teacher breakfast. Gifts of thanks for teachers and staff from students.
Sun., Jan. 31: CKS Student Council will present letters at Mass in school uniform. Students write thank you letters to the parishioners for the Sunday Bulletin. Mon., Feb. 1: Celebrating CKS Faculty and Staff. Faculty/staff appreciation breakfast. Classroom door/hall decorating. Tues., Feb. 2: Celebrating Future Families. Prospective family open house, 9:30-11:15 a.m. DK-4 parents join CKS students for a special lunch together. First-grade geography presentations. Science Fair for fourth-grade in the Christ the King Community Center. Wed., Feb. 3: Celebrating CKS Families. Third-grade talent show, 9 a.m. Fifth-eighth grade parents join CKS students for a special lunch. Students present parents with Thank You letters. Science fair for fifth-eighth grades in the Christ the King Community Center. Thurs., Feb. 4: Celebrating CKS Students. Spirit Day. Homework holiday for students. Fri., Feb. 5: Celebrating Msgr. Zimmerman, Deacons Tim and Jake. All School Mass, 8 a.m. CKS Pep Rally, 10 a.m. Students vs. faculty basketball game, 10:30 a.m. Early dismissal.
Good Shepherd Sunday, Jan. 31: In Our Parish: Catholic Schools Week celebration begins with 11 a.m. Mass with school children in uniforms serving as altar servers and lectors, and the school choir will sing. Food after all Masses. Mon., Feb. 1: In Our Community: Students will participate in various service projects and doing random acts of kindness throughout the week. Book Fair in the gym after school. Tues., Feb. 2: In Our Nation: New Family Open House at 9 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. Book Fair. Wed., Feb. 3: In Our Students: “Wacky Backwards Dress Day.” Perot Museum visits. Book Fair in the gym after school. Thurs., Feb. 4: In Our Vocations: Students will create spiritual bouquets for those in religious vocations. Parents and Community Friends Tea, 8 a.m. PTO meeting and open house at 6:30 p.m. for all school families. Book Fair during the Open House. Fri., Feb. 5: In Our Faculty & Staff: Mass and Benediction at 8 a.m. Eighth-graders will present the annual “Recycling Fashion Show”
at 10:30 a.m. Grandparents Day.
Holy Family of Nazareth Sun., Jan. 31: 10 a.m. Mass. Open house, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Pancake breakfast served by Boy Scouts after all Masses. Book fair. Mon, Feb. 1: Donuts with Dad, 7:15-7:45 a.m. Book fair. Tues, Feb. 2: Muffins with Mom 7:15 to 7:45 a.m. Book fair. Wed., Feb. 3: Grandparents/Special Guest Lunch. Times vary for classes. Book fair. Thurs., Feb. 4: Career Day. Fri., Feb. 5: Special student Mass.
James L. Collins Sun., Jan. 31: Students at all Masses serving as readers, greeters and giftbearers. Mon., Feb. 1: “How Do Our Virtues Grow at JLCCS” Classes create a flower highlighting virtues that will be displayed in hallways. Movin’ and Groovin’ music throughout the day. Tues., Feb. 2: “At Your Service” Day of service for grades PK-fifth grade. Pre-K and kindergarten stay on campus while others perform community projects. Crazy sock day. Wed., Feb. 3: “VIP Day” Parents and guests invited to All School Mass at 8:15 a.m. followed by breakfast and open house. At 2 p.m., students will participate in a Living Vocational Rosary to honor all men and women who answer the call from God to serve as Priests, Deacons, and Religious. Thurs., Feb. 4: “At Your Service Part II” Sixth through eighth grades do community service. Hat day. Fri., Feb. 5: “Faithful and Fun Friday.” Battle of the Hallway basketball game between seventh and eighth grades. Spirit day. Student appreciation movie day.
John Paul II Mon., Feb. 1: Celebrate faculty and staff. Tues., Feb. 2: Celebrate students. Wed., Feb. 3: Charity drive to collect items for tornado victims. Thurs., Feb. 4: Celebrate parents with cards of thanks. Fri., Feb. 5: Celebrate JPII High School with treats at lunch.
Mary Immaculate Sun., Jan. 31: MIS Alumni Mass at Mary Immaculate Catholic Church, 10:30 a.m.
Mon., Feb. 1: Student Appreciation Day with Bingo, ice cream and afterschool skating party. Tues., Feb. 2: Family Appreciation Day: current family open house Wed., Feb. 3: Parent Appreciation Day. Thurs., Feb. 4: Teacher Appreciation Day luncheon for MIS faculty and staff. Fri., Feb. 5: Grandparents Appreciation Day.
Mount St. Michael Mon., Feb. 1: Parent Appreciation Day. 8 a.m. Service of the Word and Holy Communion followed by a parent blessing. Tues., Feb. 2: Chaplain and Sisters Appreciation Day. 8 a.m. Mass. Discover Mount St. Michael Tour. Wed., Feb. 3: High School and College Day. 8 a.m. Mass. Students wear high school/college t-shirts. Thurs., Feb. 4: Learning Is Fun Day. 8 a.m. Mass. Students wear crazy hats, ties and socks. Fri., Feb. 5: Celebration of God’s Great Gift of MSMCS Day. 8 a.m. Mass. 8:45 a.m. First Friday Exposition and Adoration. 1:30 p.m. “Holy” Spirit Rally. Sun., Feb. 7: Express appreciation to founders and sponsors and the Christian Community of God’s Delight, 4 p.m.
Notre Dame School of Dallas Mon., Feb. 1: Teacher appreciation luncheon, 11:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Mass, 1:15 p.m. Crazy Hat Day. Tues., Feb. 2: Lower school luncheon and program, 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. Western Day. Wed., Feb. 3: Upper school “Pastries with Parents,” 7:30 to 8:25 a.m. Tacky Dress Day. Thurs., Feb. 4: Open house for prospective parents, 9:30 to 11 a.m. and 1 to 2:30 p.m. Fri., Feb. 5: Student appreciation: Hot dog tailgate lunch. Sports competitions. Jersey Day.
Prince of Peace Sat., Jan. 30: Annual Heart and Soul Party for faculty, parents and friends Sun., Jan. 31: Student-led parish Mass, 9:30 a.m. Tues., Feb. 2: Fifth annual diocesan-wide Father Thomas Cloherty Religion Scholar’s Bowl. Wed., Feb. 3: Tony Melendez concert; admissions preview, 9:30 a.m.
Santa Clara of Assisi Catholic Academy Sun., Jan. 31: Present information about school at all Masses at Santa Clara and at Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Duncanville. Mon., Feb. 1: STEM Explorations Day. 7:15 p.m. charity basketball game vs. Bishop Dunne benefitting Catholic Charities and North Texas Food Bank. Tues., Feb. 2: College Day. Wed., Feb. 3: Career Day. Thurs., Feb. 4: Open house, 8:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Math/Science Family Night and open house, 6-7:30 p.m. Fri., Feb. 5: 8 a.m. Mass and faith formation activities. Middle school retreat. Sat., Feb. 6: Open house and homecoming celebrations, 9 a.m. 1 p.m. Brunch, 9 a.m. Boys basketball games, 10 and 11 a.m. Homecoming king and queen ceremony, 12:30 p.m.
St. Bernard of Clairvaux Sun., Jan. 31: Mass at 11 a.m. followed by Open House from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. Mon., Feb. 1: Buddy Bingo. Students participate in bingo games with their prayer buddies. Tues., Feb. 2: Hats Off to Teachers. Students wear favorite hats and write thank you cards for teachers. Wed., Feb. 3: Decades Wednesday. Students dress in apparel from favorite decades. Thurs., Feb. 4: Pastries with Parents/Grandparents, 7:15 a.m. followed by Mass at 8 a.m. School visitation until 10 a.m. Fri., Feb. 5: Crazy About Catholic Education. Students wear “wacky outfits” as part of school scholarship fundraiser. Student/faculty volleyball game, 11: 15 a.m. Early dismissal.
St. Elizabeth of Hungary Sun., Jan. 31: Celebrating Our Parish. Opening liturgy at 10 a.m. Open house, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Mon., Feb. 1: Celebrating Our Community. Dress-down day. K-third Spelling Bee, 8:30 a.m. Fourth-fifth grade recycling lessons by Dallas CCEI. Family appreciation spaghetti dinner, beginning at 6 p.m. Tues., Feb. 2: Celebrating Our Students. Teacher appreciation luncheon, 11 a.m.-1:15 p.m. Sixtheighth grade STEM acvitities in math. First-third grade STEM group activity. Fourth grade “Flashback to the 80s” dance.
CHOOLS WEEK
January 22, 2016
17
eek Events Calendar including artwork exhibit, from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Wed., Feb. 3: Student Appreciation Day: Buck-a-Jean, Buck-aTennie Day. Ice cream sandwiches, sponsored by the Home and School Association, will be served throughout the day. Caught-beinggood drawings hourly. Pep rally honoring all spring athletic and extra-curricular groups in the gym at 2:15 p.m. followed by faculty/ eighth-grade volleyball game. Thurs., Feb. 4: Teacher Appreciation Day: Student-Teacher Switch Day. Teacher Appreciation Luncheon. Teacher caught being good drawings hourly. Fri., Feb. 5: Community and Global Appreciation Day: 8:30 a.m. Mass; International Tasting Faire. Early dismissal at noon. JENNA TETER/The Texas Catholic
Superintendent of Catholic Schools Matthew Vereecke with runner-up Natalie Druffner of All Saints Catholic School and first-place winner Jacob Spak of Cistercian Preparatory School following the Diocesan Spelling Bee on Jan. 14 at St. Mark the Evangelist Catholic School in Plano.
Wed., Feb. 3: Celebrating Our Nation. Science Fair Day. Fifthgrade fundraising dinner, 3-6 p.m. Science Fair Family Night with Perot Museum science centers and science fair awards at 6:15 p.m. Thurs., Feb. 4: Celebrating Our Vocation. Sock hop for Pre-K and Kindergarten students at 2:30 p.m. Fourth grade board game competition. Sixth-eighth grade vocation activities. Sixth-eighth grade STEM activities in math. Fri., Feb. 5: Celebrating Our Faculty, Staff and Volunteers. Mass and Awards ceremonies.
St. Joseph, Richardson Sun., Jan. 31: Parish appreciation. Students wear school uniforms to all weekend Masses. Mon., Feb. 1: Community appreciation. Students donate items to Project Gabriel and make Valentine cards for Meals on Wheels recipients. STREAM (Science, Technology, Religion, Engineering, Art and Math) Night and ice cream social. Tues., Feb. 2: Vocation appreciation. Religious sisters and priests visit with students about vocations. Students create vocational bouquets. Wed., Feb. 3: Student appreciation. Staff recognize students with activities such as breakfast in a bag, spirit day and gym activities. Thurs., Feb. 4: Staff appreciation. National Junior Honor Society honors staff with tokens of appreciation. Staff luncheon by PTO. Eighth-grade students participate in “Student Teacher Day.” Fri., Feb. 5: Family day. Students and their grandparents attend all school Mass. Third-grade presents living history wax museum.
St. Joseph, Waxahachie Sat., Jan. 30: All school Mass, 5 p.m. Mon., Feb. 1: Random Acts of Kindness Day. Parent Appreciation Day with student council handing out doughnuts during drop-off. Rosary at 2 p.m. for community. Tue., Feb. 2: Free dress day. Students make cards for secondgraders going to reconciliation. Wed., Feb. 3: Red, White and Blue Dress Day. History bee at 2 p.m. Thurs., Feb. 4: Mass 8 a.m. followed by student awards. Open house for prospective parents, 9 - 11 a.m. Living museum 9 a.m. - 11.a.m. Father Martin S. Moreno speaks about vocations, 2 p.m. Fri., Feb. 5: Adoration. Annual teacher vs. student competition.
St. Mark the Evangelist Sat., Jan. 30 and Sun., Jan. 31: Parish Day: Students in uniform will represent school at 5:30 p.m. Mass on Jan. 30 and at 9 a.m., 10:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Masses Jan. 31. St. Mark fifth-grade choir will sing at the 9 a.m. Mass. Portrait of the Class of 2015 will be hung in the main hallway after 9 a.m. Mass. Mon., Feb. 1: Pastor Appreciation Day: Father Clifford Smith will visit the students in the preschool at 9 a.m. At 9:15a.m., all students will join Father Smith in the cafetorium for a special recognition. Parents are invited. Students to seek pledges for cure for leukemia and lymphoma. Tues., Feb. 2: Family Appreciation Day: Open visitation from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. Lunch and Open House,
St. Mary of Carmel Sun., Jan. 31: 9 a.m. school Mass. Open house from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Mon., Feb. 1: Celebrating Our Nation. Tuesday, Feb. 2: Celebrating Our Community. Works of Mercy service projects throughout day. Wed., Feb. 3: Celebrating Our Families. 9-10 a.m. Mass with grandparents. 10-10:45 a.m. Grandparent breakfast and classroom visits. 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Family lunch. Thurs., Feb. 4: Prayer partner activities, 1:30-2 p.m. Eighth grade vs. faculty kickball game. Friday. Feb. 5: Celebrating Our Faculty, Staff and Volunteers.
St. Mary Sherman Sun., Jan. 31: Half Price Book Fair after each Mass. Mon., Feb. 1: Superhero Dress Up Day. Sixth-grade student teachers, 9 a.m. Half Price Book Fair. Special prayers led by Principal Phillip Scheibmeir and Mystery Saint of the Day (Each day throughout the week). Tues., Feb. 2: Star Wars Dress Up Day. Father Thomas Cloherty Religion Scholars Team Competition at Prince of Peace. Muffins for Moms in McCullough Center, 7:30-9 a.m. Half Price Book Fair. Wed., Feb. 3: Mass Uniform. Donuts for Dads in McCullough Center, 7:30-9 a.m. Children’s Mass at 9:30 a.m. Scavenger hunt. Half Price Book Fair. Thurs., Feb. 4: College/University Dress Up Day. Quiz Bowl led by first and second grade, 9:30 - 10:30 a.m. School-wide Day of Service. Fri., Feb. 5: Spirit Day With Awesome Accessories Uniform. Minute to Win-it Olympics, eighth grade vs. faculty, 9 a.m. St. Mary Sherman Showcase in McCullough Center, 6:30 p.m.
St. Monica Sun., Jan. 31: National Junior Honor Society students serve doughnuts after morning Masses. Mon., Feb. 1: Parents of students in grades K, second and seventh grades are invited to have lunch with their child. Adoration in chapel. Souper Bowl for Caring. Tue., Feb. 2: Middle school service day: sixth and seventh grade from 8:15 a.m. to noon; eighth grade from 12:15 to 4 p.m. Parents of first and fifth grades are invited to have lunch with their child. Family night dinner from 6-8 p.m. Adoration in chapel. Souper Bowl for Caring. Wed., Feb. 3: Vocations Day: Parents of students in grades third and sixth grades are invited to lunch with their child. CSW vocations panel for K-fourth (1:15-2 p.m.) and fifth through eighth (2:15-3:15 p.m.) Adoration in chapel. Souper Bowl for Caring. Thurs., Feb. 4: Teacher luncheon, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Parents of students in grades fourth and eighth grades are invited to have lunch with their child. Living Rosary, 2:30 p.m. Adoration in chapel. Souper Bowl for Caring. Fri., Feb. 5: Grandparents Day to be celebrated with a breakfast, 7:30 a.m. All-school Mass at 10:15 a.m. Discipleship awards and Service Day slideshow. Early dismissal. Adoration in chapel. Souper Bowl for Caring.
St. Patrick Sat., Jan. 30: Celebrating Our Parish. Students serve in ministry roles. Students, families, staff and faculty attend 5 p.m. Mass. Mon., Feb. 1: Celebrating Our Communities. Student prayer service, 8:05 a.m. Community service projects (all week). Tues., Feb. 2: Celebrating Our Faith. Mass. Catholic scholars competition at Prince of Peace. Wed., Feb. 3: Celebrating Our Faculty, Staff and Volunteers. Faculty and staff will host a parent appreciation breakfast, 7:30-9 a.m. Thurs., Feb 4: Celebrating Our Students. Juice and doughnuts for students. Intramural basketball, grades 7-8. Game day for students K-8. Fri. Feb. 5: Celebrating Vocations. Mass with student collecting during offertory to support Society of St. Vincent de Paul. Baketball intramural finals.
St. Paul the Apostle Fri., Jan. 29: Grandparents’ Day. Mass followed by breakfast. Eighth
grade vs. staff volleyball game. Sun., Jan. 31: All School Mass. Students wear uniforms. Mon., Feb. 1: Community leaders luncheon at noon. St. Paul choir performs. Tues., Feb. 2: New family open house, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.; thirdgrade presidential wax museum. Wed., Feb. 3: Take Your Child to Lunch Day or Pizza Lock-in from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thurs., Feb. 4: St. Paul Day of Service Fri., Feb. 5: World Peace Day and St. Paul Community Day. International lunch.
St. Philip & St. Augustine Sun., Jan. 31: Students in uniform serving at 10:30 a.m. Mass. SPSA choir will sing. Mon., Feb. 1: Retreat/Service/ Praise Session. Staff and student sing-a-long at 2:50 p.m. Tues., Feb. 2: Religion Jeopardy: Grades 1-4 and 5-8 compete against each other. Free dress day. Wed., Feb. 3: Career Day. Students dress as “future careers.” College Day. Students wear shirts and sweatshirts with college logos. Parent Appreciation Day. Parents eat with students. Thurs., Feb. 4: Student Appreciation Day. Free dress day. Movies from 1-3 p.m. Fri., Feb. 5: Teacher Appreciation Day.
St. Pius X Sun., Jan. 31: Mass to open Catholic Schools Week, 10 a.m. Mon., Feb. 1: Ministries Day. Tues., Feb. 2: Faculty Day, staff are provided lunch compliments of St. Pius X PTO. Wed., Feb. 3: Students Day. Free dress day. Parents invited to have lunch with students, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Open house, 6:30-8 p.m. Thurs., Feb. 4: Volunteers Day. Reception for volunteers by St. Pius X faculty and staff. Fri., Feb. 5: Mass to honor priests, 8 a.m. Students present priests with cards of thanks.
St. Rita Sun., Jan 31: Day of Faith. Parish open house, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Mon., Feb. 1: Day of Service. Prayer buddies work to create crafts for the birthday project, 9 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Continued on Page 18
18 The Texas Catholic (Continued from Page 17) Tuesday, Feb. 2: Day of Community. St. Rita School welcomes Paige Chenault, founder & CEO of the birthday project, 9-10 a.m. Wed., Feb. 3: Day of Knowledge and Families. Parent visits and lunch with families of 5th-8th graders, 8 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Thurs., Feb. 4: Day of Knowledge and Families. Parent visits and lunch with families of 3rd-4th graders, 8 a.m.-noon. Fri., Feb. 5: Spirit Day. All school Spirit Day Mass, 8 a.m. Parent visits and lunch with families of K-2nd graders, 9-11 a.m. Spartan Spirit Staff/Student volleyball game, 2:15 p.m.
CATHOLIC SCHOOLS WEEK grade level. Pray Rosary for all Catholic schools and vocations. Fri., Feb. 5: You Are That Hero. Free dress day for students. Games and activites. Adoration.
The Highlands School Mon., Feb. 1: Lower school math competition. Tues., Feb. 2: Bishop’s All-School Mass Thurs., Feb. 4: High school Theology Bowl Fri., Feb. 5: Spelling bee finals.
St. Thomas Aquinas
Ursuline Academy
Sun., Jan. 31: Heroes In Our Parish. 9 a.m. Catholic School Week Mass. Open House and art show. Spotlight parish staff and volunteers. Mon., Feb. 1: Heroes In Our Community. Students wear ties. Lower school Mass Feast of Presentation. Collect baby items for White Rose. Tues., Feb. 2: Heroes in the Church. Upper school Mass Presentation of the Lord. Make videos of “You are a hero because...” Wed., Feb. 3: Heroes in the Faculty and Staff. Duty free or free dress day for faculty and staff. Discuss “Top 10 Reasons We Love Catholic Schools.” Thurs., Feb. 4: Heroes of God. Students dress like saints. Scavenger hunt per
Mon., Feb. 1: The Nations. Students will write prayers for those who need them around the world. Tues., Feb. 2: Teacher Appreciation Day. Teachers will be showered with love, affirmation notes, flowers and baked goods. Wed., Feb. 3: Vocations Awareness Day. Students will hear from a missionary, who performs intense, but joyful work. Thurs., Feb. 4: Student Appreciation Day. Food trucks on campus. Eucharistic Adoration from 10 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Fri., Feb. 5: Ursuline Spirit Day. Students wear Ursuline spirit wear. All-school assembly with performances. Eucharistic Adoration from 10 a.m. 3:30 p.m.
January 22, 22, 2016 January 2016
The Texas Catholic
CATHOLIC SCHOOLS WEEK
Catholic schools played key roles in my call to priesthood By Father Timothy Gollob Special to The Texas Catholic
As I meditate on the existence and value of Catholic schools, immediately I am reminded of the forceful and valuable role that they have played in my life. Whatever is personal and unique in me comes from my family and my scholastic training. My first experience of Catholic schools took place in Tyler, at St. Gregory School. The School Sisters of Notre Dame were the teachers who greeted me when I started the eighth grade there in 1946. Sister Mary Bernard and Sister Zeno rode herd on the upper grades with a beautiful example of faith and of energy. Although we were few in number (only five boys in my class), Tom and Leonard and John T. and Jerry have inspired and helped me off and on during the past 68 years. On being ordained a priest and soon after being sent to St. Augustine Parish in Pleasant Grove as my first assignment I discovered the joy of working with a new school and the Sisters of the Holy Ghost. These Irish nuns were strong in the faith and in the discipline needed to form good citizens of this world who would be working to inherit eternity. My eighth grade religion students taught me patience and humility, but the kindergarten kids on the playground at recess won my heart. My next assignment was a lasting influence in my priesthood. Bishop Dunne
Catholic School started in 1962. The Sisters of St. Mary of Namur and the Brothers of the Sacred Heard split the classrooms and the students. I was the chaplain in the middle for both faculties. The joy of sharing faith and knowledge came in abundance from the sisters. From the brothers, I learned how to appreciate the wonders of community life and the fellowship of hunting and fishing (since most were from Mississippi or Louisiana!) Finally, my Catholic education grew some more with the John XXIII Regional School. It was an interesting hybrid of four Oak Cliff schools which had gotten into various sorts of financial trouble. The parents and the Sisters of St. Mary of Namur struggled mightily to inculcate harmony and joy and innovative activities into the minds and lives of the students. Unfortunately, the school would ultimately close its doors in 1999. To this day seasoned men and women come up to me to recollect the time that they produced the play “Jesus Christ, Superstar,� or the times when they won championships in basketball or football; or the lessons of life they learned from the patience of their teachers. I always look forward to hearing from my many friends who walked with me at these Catholic schools. Father Timothy Gollob is the pastor of Holy Cross Catholic Church in Oak Cliff.
January 22, 2016
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Notice of Nondiscrimination Policy for Catholic Schools within the Roman Catholic Diocese of Dallas The Catholic schools of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Dallas admit students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. They do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national and ethnic origin in administration of educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, athletic and other school-administered programs.
Diocesan Parochial Elementary Schools All Saints Catholic School Christ the King Catholic School Good Shepherd Catholic School Holy Family of Nazareth Catholic School Holy Trinity Catholic School Immaculate Conception Catholic School James L. Collins Catholic School Mary Immaculate Catholic School Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic School Prince of Peace Catholic School Santa Clara of Assisi Catholic School St. Bernard of Clairvaux Catholic School St. Cecilia Catholic School St. Elizabeth of Hungary Catholic School
St. Joseph Catholic School, Richardson St. Joseph Catholic School, Waxahachie St. Luke Catholic School St. Mark the Evangelist Catholic School St. Mary Catholic School St. Mary of Carmel Catholic School St. Monica Catholic School St. Patrick Catholic School St. Paul the Apostle Catholic School St. Philip & St. Augustine Catholic Academy St. Pius X Catholic School St. Rita Catholic School St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic School
Diocesan High Schools Bishop Dunne Catholic School Bishop Lynch High School John Paul II High School
Private Catholic Schools Cistercian Preparatory School Cristo Rey Dallas College Preparatory Jesuit College Preparatory School Mount St. Michael Catholic School
Notre Dame of Dallas School The Highlands School Ursuline Academy
20 The Texas Catholic
CATHOLIC SCHOOLS WEEK
January 22, 22, 2016 January 2016
My began here.
I found at UD both a faith community and an intellectual community born of the common study and pursuit of truth.� Theology and English double major Jessica Johnson was looking for an education that would not only prepare her professionally for life after graduation, but personally and spiritually as well. At the University of Dallas, Jessica found a classical liberal arts core, an enthusiastic Catholic identity and a close-knit community that enabled her to grow into the wellrounded leader she has become. College is a journey, an adventure, an odyssey in every sense – one the University of Dallas encourages its students to embrace while it equips them with the skills and knowledge to continue the journey on their own after graduation.
Discover more. Visit udallas.edu/odyssey.
22 The Texas Catholic
CATHOLIC SCHOOLS WEEK
January 22, 22, 2016 January 2016
24 The Texas Catholic
CATHOLIC SCHOOLS WEEK
January 22, 22, 2016 January 2016
CRISTO REY DALLAS COLLEGE PREP
Putting faith to work and fulfilling dreams By Cathy Harasta The Texas Catholic
Early on a November morning, Kenndrick Mendieta bounded from the gym at Cristo Rey Dallas College Prep toward the campus’ athletic fields as clouds lifted on a fresh new day. The dew still dampened the bleacher seats as Mendieta snagged a pass and found a soccer teammate to get the ball rolling. Everything stretched ahead of him and the other 125 freshmen in the school’s inaugural class. Just about anything that Mendieta could imagine had moved from the realm of the fantastic to the truly possible in the first trimester of the new school’s life. “This soccer practice gets me awake and ready for the school day,” he said with a fetching smile that had become familiar to all at the start-up school. “Now it’s on to my literature class and, later, I have a math test. I like math and science. When I grow up, I would really like to be a pediatrician.” From a preemie born to loving, financially struggling parents to, potentially, a pediatrician’s career represented how much had happened to expand Mendieta’s dreams from the time his school opened on Aug. 14. Cristo Rey Dallas, a non-profit and one of 30 schools in the Cristo Rey national network, launched in Pleasant Grove to serve families of limited economic means. With four months in the books, the school had broadened horizons and long-term prospects far beyond the campus soccer field for Mendieta and his classmates. “I want to go to Texas A&M University,” said Mendieta, the only child of Sonia Gutierrez, who works as a maid, and Martin Mendieta, a construction worker. “You work hard at Cristo Rey because you want to go to college.” Mendieta, 14, spends every Tuesday and one Friday each month working at HFF, a commercial real estate financing company in downtown Dallas’ Victory Park. Sonia and Martin, who grew up in Mexico and arrived in Dallas just more than 15 years ago, credit Cristo Rey as a difference-maker that has raised their family’s expectations. Cristo Rey doesn’t stop with school days
Kenndrick Mendieta, middle, participates in Timothy Woodward’s literature class at Cristo Rey DallasCollege Prep in Pleasant Grove. Mendieta and his classmates are among the inaugural freshman class for the newest Catholic high school in the Diocese of Dallas. JENNA TETER The Texas Catholic
JENNA TETER/The Texas Catholic
Kenndrick Mendieta, middle, a member of Cristo Rey Dallas College Prep’s inaugural freshman class, poses with his parents, Sonia Gutierrez and Martin Mendieta, at his home in Pleasant Grove.
jam-packed with challenging course work and constant reinforcement of social skills; its bedrock is its network of corporate work-study partners who provide entry-level professional jobs to student teams. The corporations help pay the Cristo Rey tuition for the student workers in the Southeast Dallas school. “The average of our freshman class is at half of the federal poverty rate, or a family of five living on $35,000 a year,” said Kelby Woodard, Cristo Rey’s president and a former Minnesota state representative who focused on education. “Our students are exposed to a world through the work-study program that they would not have without Cristo Rey, whose students are graduating from four-year colleges at four times the rate of their peers.”
As the students learn to operate sophisticated banks of elevators in downtown Dallas skyscrapers, they get the hang of a white-collar world that generally eluded their parents and neighbors. And as the freshmen learn to meet office deadlines and to mingle with experienced mentor-colleagues, the kids gain confidence and the motivation that fuels college goals, Woodard said. “It’s been an amazing transformation,” said Woodard, whose school’s enrollment is predominantly Hispanic. “This freshman class is setting the culture. Kenndrick will come and shake my hand when he sees me in the hall. He has such a positive attitude. “He’s helping us build a culture.” Mendieta’s parents said that their son’s life now seems a far cry from his premature birth at Parkland Hospital. “The people at Cristo Rey work so hard to make everything work,” Sonia said. “We get the sense that we can trust them. Kenndrick has learned so much at school and at his job.” Sonia, 39, said that she and Martin, 45, worried about their new baby, who was born prematurely and seemed so vulnerable. “I wasn’t sure if he was going to make it,” Sonia said, twisting her hands in her lap as she recalled her fear. “He was born at seven months and weighed four pounds. He was so tiny, and we didn’t have anything. We didn’t have clothes for him. We didn’t even have a car.”
A hopeful family
On a recent Saturday evening, Mendieta and his father praised Sonia’s cooking as she tried to downplay her culinary skills during family time in the tidy living room of their home, which is about a mile from Cristo Rey. They laughed as they urged Sonia to take some credit for her splendid cooking, but she just smiled and waved off their compliments. Sonia and Martin said that they always wanted their son to have a chance for a life with more options than they had.
A Catholic high school headed their wish list, but they never expected that one would open in their neighborhood just as their son was ready for ninth grade. Sonia said that she and her husband and son learned about the launch of Cristo Rey after a Sunday Mass at St. Augustine Catholic Church, where they are parishioners. “The parish always will be a home for me,” said Mendieta, who attended St. Augustine Catholic School before Cristo Rey—which now occupies the St. Augustine school’s buildings and grounds. “It has always been part of my life.” St. Augustine Catholic School combined with St. Philip Catholic School to form a new academy, St. Philip & St. Augustine Catholic Academy, which opened in August. Mendieta said that the remodeling that adapted his former elementary school to the needs of a high school made him feel the sense of starting on a fresh, new path. “We really want Kenndrick to go to college,” said Sonia, whose job requires long hours and draining commutes. “Our parents didn’t have the money to send us to college. Life in Mexico was different. Kenndrick is always saving his money for college. He is learning responsibility and to be a real gentleman. He’s a good, responsible kid. Cristo Rey is a good environment for Kenndrick.” Sonia and Martin met in their native Rioverde, San Luis Potosi, where they married before moving to San Francisco for a year. Mendieta was born not long after they moved into their modest house in Pleasant Grove. Martin said he felt blessed to get a construction job on a relative’s recommendation. Mendieta said that his appreciation for his parents’ long, hard workdays motivates him to do well in school and to help out at home. A living room wall features family portraits that radiate the love of the father, mother and son for each other. Sonia said that Martin leaves for his job in homebuilding and remodeling by 6 a.m. daily and often returns well after 7 p.m. But Martin’s boyish face looked refreshed and pleased as he sat on the sofa with his son. Mendieta and Sonia helped convert some of Martin’s Spanish to English as he described his satisfaction with Cristo Rey. “We think we have made the best decision,” he said. “My wife and I think that in the months that Kenndrick has been in the school, he has improved to the level of those in schools that are really recognized.” Mendieta, who plays soccer at Cristo Rey, wore an El Tri jersey, reflecting the love he and his father share for Mexico’s national soccer team. One of their favorite pastimes is watching soccer on TV together, the father and the son said. Sonia said that Mendieta also accompanies her to a nearby gym when they can grab some time away from work and school. “He lifts weights while I do some running,” she said. “After Mass on Sunday, we like to have a family day at home, getting ready for Monday. We are often tired, but happy. “We think we have a happy family.”
Full school schedule
From his brisk soccer workout on Nov. 13, Mendieta moved into an entirely different mode as his literature class began an earnest discussion of Elie Wiesel’s powerful memoir of the Holocaust, “Night.” Continued on Page 25
CATHOLIC SCHOOLS WEEK
The Texas Catholic
January 22, 2016
25
Journey begins for students at new Catholic school (Continued from Page 24) The students exchanged interpretations of the book’s imagery, character growth and themes in what literature teacher Timothy Woodward called a “Socratic Seminar.” After opening the class with a prayer, the class discussed the concentration camps’ erosion of human dignity. Mendieta contributed remarks about survival in the light of lost privileges and the demoralization of those who had lost their loved ones. The students arrived at an affirmation of faith and hope as a key message in “Night.” Woodward praised the way the class had conducted the conversation, noting that not only the content mattered, but also the attention to speaking clearly and making points concisely. “You want your voice to be heard at the table—when you’re in college and when you’re a professional,” he told the class before shaking hands with each student as the period ended. “Kenndrick has grown a lot in confidence, in speaking in class and in putting forward ideas since school started,” Woodward said. “He works hard, pushes himself and is very friendly. “He’s a model Cristo Rey student.” From literature class, Mendieta moved on to the study of Newton’s Laws in his physics class before his theology lesson on Matthew 2 and Exodus 1. Between classes, he kidded with friends in the hallway, his smile never shrinking in the least. After lunch, Mendieta took a math test, went to a silent reading session, and took a vocabulary quiz in his composition class. The campus had a settled air about it, though not everything happened at once in its watershed year. Not until November did the school raise the money for uniforms for the sports teams, nicknamed The Fire. Woodard said that the students offered input as the first autumn played out. “The kids didn’t object to the homework load or the rigorous academics, but they did complain about the lunches,” Woodard said with a laugh. “We had student representatives taste food from a variety of caterers, and we chose a new one. The students helped us resolve it, and felt like they had a say.” Woodard said that Cristo Rey seeks students who might not excel at some of the established Catholic high schools in the Diocese of Dallas. “We were an opportunity for another set of
JENNA TETER/The Texas Catholic
Kenndrick Mendieta checks paperwork details at his desk during his work study at HFF, a commercial real estate financing company in downtown Dallas’ Victory Park.
kids to get a Catholic prep school education,” he said. “Because of our work-study program, our students see the results of other people’s work, and they see where they can go.”
Real work world
Anyone observing Kenndrick Mendieta on the bus taking him to his first day of work in mid-August would have noticed that he held his sack lunch on his lap with hands so precise that he might have been praying. That would not have been a stretch; his family prays together nightly, among other times. And, on this day, he was going where no one in his family had ever gone. Even for those who long have lived in Dallas and navigated its sunbelt-sparkling-city business districts, something about arriving at Victory Park in downtown early on a Tuesday sparked the thought that it was well-named. Victory Park seemed a place where people win, or at least thrive, in their endeavors. Was that what Mendieta was thinking on that 50-minute bus ride to his job at HFF, a commercial real estate financing company in Victory Park? When he walked into the HFF building, where the revolving door swallowed him as he looked intense and determined, at 8:38 a.m. on Aug.11, the answer was…
No. “What I was thinking was that I was like the most nervous person in the world,” he said. “When I stepped off that bus, I was thinking that it was a nervous and exciting time. I was thinking, ‘Oh, what are they going to think of me? Are they going to like me? I was, Wow, are they going to like me?’ ” They did. Three months later, on a sunny morning,
Mendieta’s supervisor, Stephanie Messock, the Human Resources Coordinator for HFF’s Recruiting division, said that Mendieta inspired everyone in her office. “He gets instruction from everybody,” she said. “We have a wide variety of projects that Kenndrick works on. He’s been crucial in keeping a running tally. He’s efficient and a quick worker. He doesn’t seem really intimidated. I know that when I was Kenndrick’s age, I was super-shy.” The 20-story building gave Mendieta a view from his work cubicle of Dallas freeways going in different directions. Once you have an opportunity of substance, you can see a two-way street and make a choice about which direction you want to take, Woodard said. But Mendieta, in his navy blazer, gray slacks and striped tie, already got that part. It was what his parents said that registered with him as he settled into his life at a new Catholic prep school. “I have to be organized,” he said. “I like being organized. I’ve learned so much from helpful, really nice people. It’s pretty cool and exciting. “It’s a new day.”
Video coverage Find additional video coverage of Kenndrick Mendieta’s journey as a member of Cristo Rey College Prep’s inaugural class at TexasCatholic. com.
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JENNA TETER/The Texas Catholic
Kenndrick Mendieta, right, visits with classmates before the start of his literature class at Cristo Rey Dallas College Prep.
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28 The Texas Catholic
DIOCESE
January 22, 2016
Two bishops seek end Making challenges easier to face to deportation raids
BISHOP’S AWARD FOR SERVICE TO THE CHURCH
By Seth Gonzales The Texas Catholic
For 69-year-old John Blanks, retirement isn’t an opportunity to regain time for himself. It’s a chance to give even more time to others. On Jan. 30, Blanks and 160 others from across the Diocese of Dallas will receive the 2016 Bishop’s Award for Service to the Church, recognizing the sacrifice and selfless work done by so many for the sake of those in need. “It’s an honor, obviously, but it was very surprising,” said Blanks, who for the last two years, has helped manage the diocese’s Mobility Assistive Devices program. “It really came out of nowhere.” When he’s not delivering wheelchairs, canes and walkers to people who need them, Blanks is collecting more that are donated and fixing those that are broken. As new items are donated, Blanks takes an inventory and stores them in one of two large storage units near his home in Garland. The program falls under the auspices of the diocese’s Office of Disability and Deaf Ministries, led by Melissa Waldon. Blanks got involved after the death of his friend and fellow St. Joseph Catholic Church parishioner John Aust, who was managing the program for the diocese at the time. Today, Blanks and Waldon work together to keep the program going, but to hear Waldon tell it, Blanks is single-handedly responsible for keeping the Mobility As-
By Catholic News Service
KEVIN BARTRAM/Special Contributor
Bishop’s Award for Service recipient John Blanks is surrounded by some of the wheelchairs and mobility devices he refurbishes in Garland on Jan. 14. Blanks has two storage units filled with wheelchairs, walkers, crutches and other devices awaiting repair and distribution.
sistive Devices program alive. “We really needed somebody who could, on a volunteer basis, work the ministry full time,” Waldon said. “It exists because we have [John Blanks] filling that role.” Blanks said his desire to help people in need reaches back to his childhood. His grandmother, Mary Blanks, planted the seeds of charity in her grandson long ago as she tended to the homeless who would converge near the railroad tracks only a quarter of a mile from Mary’s home. From that moment, John said, he knew what it meant to give without concern.
“My mother was afraid because you can’t trust them,” John said. “But my grandmother never thought that anyone would hurt her. She just saw someone who needed help. That was just the way she was.” A chance encounter with a man suffering from ALS that later developed into a three-year friendship further motivated Blanks to act towards helping the disabled. “This is something I can do and I enjoy doing,” Blanks said. “People with disabilities face many challenges, and so I think I can do something to maybe make it a little easier for them.”
WASHINGTON — Two U.S. bishops have written to Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson seeking an end to deportation raids that rounded up more than 120 Central American immigrants early in the new year. “We disagree with the underlying rationale behind this action: that sending children and families back to the dangerous environment they fled will serve as a deterrent for other children and families who are considering fleeing Central America,” said the Jan. 8 letter, signed by Auxiliary Bishop Eusebio L. Elizondo of Seattle, chairman of the U.S. bishops’ committee on Migration, and Bishop Kevin W. Vann of Orange, California, chairman of the Catholic Legal Immigration Network. “To send migrant children and families back to their home countries would put many of them in grave danger because they would face threats of violence and for some, even death,” they said. The raids, carried out by Homeland Security agents, took place primarily in Georgia, Texas and North Carolina. “DHS’ action contrasts sharply with the statements articulated by President (Barack) Obama himself in November 2014, namely, that his administration would pursue the deportation of
‘felons, not families; criminals, not children; gang members, not a mom who’s working hard to provide for her kids,’” the bishops said. Bishops Elizondo and Vann noted that nine of the families caught in the raids had received stays on their deportation orders prior to the raids. Citing due process concerns, they said, “We object to the removal of any migrants who were apprehended without first confirming that they received actual meaningful opportunities to present their asylum claims at hearings in immigration court.” The two bishops added, “Our organizations have firsthand knowledge that these actions have generated fear among immigrants and have made their communities more distrustful of law enforcement and vulnerable to misinformation, exploitation and fraud.” They urged the federal government to stop detaining immigrant women and children. “There is simply no humane way to detain children,” they said. The bishops also urged not only a halt to further such raids, but an increase in the number of immigration attorneys and judges who can hear immigrants’ cases, to “support humanitarian efforts in the region that will help to end the violence and stop conditions that force people to flee their homes.”
A WORD TO ENKINDLE
Learning about the man who made St. Paul possible By Father Thomas Esposito Special to The Texas Catholic
On Jan. 25 of each year, the church celebrates perhaps the greatest conversion in her history: that of Saint Paul. His dramatic encounter with the risen Jesus, narrated three times by Luke in Acts of the Apostles (chapters 9, 22, and 26), marks a pivotal turn in the young Church’s life. Paul reveals in several of his letters that he received a special commission from God to announce that salvation, once offered to the Jews alone, has been extended to Gentiles as well. While we rightly praise the providence that produced such a fearless apostle, we should also remember that Paul’s sudden allegiance to the Christian sect he sought to destroy created a problem for understandably suspicious Christians. His newfound vocation as a preacher of Christ was not in-
stantly hailed as heaven-sent by the believers. The great missionary work of Paul would have been unthinkable were it not for one courageous disciple who rarely gets mentioned nowadays. The name of that great man is Barnabas. A native of Cyprus and member of the priestly tribe of Levi, he stays in Jerusalem after the outbreak of the first persecution against the Christians, unleashed by none other than Saul of Tarsus (Acts 8:1-3). After his experience on the road to Damascus, Saul returns to the holy city seeking to align himself with the disciples of Jesus. These followers of the Lord were afraid of him, well aware that the man now preaching that Jesus is the Messiah of Israel had previously tried to annihilate them; they did not believe that he was a legitimate disciple, or that his motives were at all pure (Acts 9:26). In this moment of great ten-
sion for the community, Barnabas calmly steps forward, brings Saul to the chief apostles (including Peter), and defends the genuineness of his conversion (Acts 9:27). Though Acts is silent regarding what prompts Barnabas to place his faith in Paul, he makes the first heroic move that will have immense consequences for the worldwide spread of the Gospel. He accompanies Saul to Antioch, where they together exhort the community to fidelity. Barnabas is described in Acts 11:24 as “a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith.” He is also identified as the foremost “prophet and teacher” in Antioch, the place where believers were called “Christians” for the first time (11:30; 13:1). Barnabas then joins Paul on an initial missionary journey to Cyprus and Asia Minor (13:4-14:28). When Paul heals a crippled man in Lystra, the crowd attempts to worship the two disciples; the pa-
gans acclaim Barnabas as Zeus, the head of the Greek pantheon of gods, and Paul as Hermes, the messenger god (14:8-20)! The two missionaries are instrumental in calling the “council” in Jerusalem, at which they, along with the other apostles, discern through the Holy Spirit that Gentiles should not be required to observe the precepts of the Jewish Law (15:1-32). After this meeting, Barnabas has an unfortunate disagreement with Paul over another disciple, John Mark, who had abandoned their first mission. Paul does not want Mark to join them on their next journey, and Barnabas decides to take Mark, his cousin according to Colossians 4:10, to Cyprus. Paul leaves for Asia Minor and Greece without Barnabas. After this parting with Paul, Barnabas is not mentioned again in Acts. What fascinates me most about Barnabas is that he, an indispensable leader of the early Church,
faded into such obscurity at the expense of Paul, the man whose evangelical career he made possible. Though his fame is totally eclipsed by Paul (not through any fault of Paul’s, I should note), his life is a valuable witness to the fact that we must be content with the role God gives us to play in the drama of salvation. We may be asked to strut in the spotlight for a time, and then labor silently behind the stage curtain, as Barnabas did for the rest of his days. I like to think that he does not mind his relative anonymity; after all, his mission was faithfully carried out, and he has better things to ponder now than fleeting earthly fame.
Father Thomas Esposito, O.Cist., is a theologian and monk at the Cistercian Abbey of Our Lady of Dallas in Irving. His column appears occasionally in The Texas Catholic.
DIOCESE
The Texas Catholic
January 22, 2016
29
SERVICE
Catholic women’s groups gather for reflection, support By David Sedeño The Texas Catholic
They can be found in parishes all across the Diocese of Dallas, cleaning the sanctuaries, laundering and ironing altar linens, and directing ministries that offer support to families. They belong to organizations that operate as the Altar Society, Catholic Daughters of America, Ladies of Charity, Women’s Club, Women’s Guild, and Legion of Mary, to name a few. And for years, the countless women who belong to these groups have come together under the umbrella of the Dallas Diocesan Council of Catholic Women for retreats, workshops, seminars and projects that help their communities. “Their focus and their mandate is to provide spiritual and formation opportunities for women,” said Sister Theresa Khirallah, SSND, Director of Ministries for the Diocese of Dallas. “They are billed as the doers in the parishes in a variety of ways, with their acts of charity, fellowship and support and through the programs, they reach out to empower women who are in domestic abuse situations, make people aware of human trafficking
and are also there as support groups for women who have experienced a death in their family.” Late last year, more than 300 women gathered at St. Paul Catholic Church in Richardson for a day of reflection, an auction to raise funds for the group and a celebration of some of the women recognized by their parishes for their work throughout the year. Stacy Cuzisk, the recent past president of the DDCCW and now its current first vice-president, got involved in the organization several years ago through Our Lady of the Lake Catholic Church in Rockwall. Her mother, Ellen Stelmar, a longtime DDCCW member, inspired her to get involved. “It’s awesome being with these women, as we work together,” said Cuzisk, a registered nurse. “It helps me slow down a bit to pray and reflect. These women are phenomenal; they are so giving and so loving.” Sister Khirallah said that the parish groups are looking for the next generation of Catholic women to get involved. She said they can go either through their parishes or contact the current DDCCW president, Marcy Reese, at 903883-2945.
BEN TORRES/Special Contributor
BEN TORRES/Special Contributor
From left, Women of the Year winners Maria Villarreal of St. Cecilia Catholic Church; Shirley Radowick of St. Patrick Catholic Church in Denison; Mary Jane Heiting of St. Mark the Evangelist Catholic Church in Plano; and Elva Ritter of St. Jude Catholic Church in Allen.
From left, Women of the Year winners Teddie Degelia of Our Lady of the Lake Catholic Church in Rockwall; Lois Morton of St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church; Coralee Adeb of St. Mary Catholic Church in Sherman; and Mary Higgins of St. Paul Catholic Church in Richardson.
BEN TORRES/Special Contributor
BEN TORRES/Special Contributor
From left, Women of the Year winners Kathy Lum of St. William Catholic Church in Greenville; Kathy Koestner of St. Pius X Catholic Church; Rolaye Van Buskirk of All Saints Catholic Church; and Annie McGraw of Our Lady of Angels Catholic Church.
From left, Women of the Year winners Gerry Cerveny of St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in Frisco, Bea Deen of St. Bernard Catholic Church, Terry Wade of St. Patrick Catholic Church and Gayla Streck of Holy Family Catholic Church in Irving.
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at Bishop Dunne
BEN TORRES/Special Contributor
From left, Women of the Year winners Kathryn Johnson of St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church in Richardson, Barbara Burzynski of St. Patrick Catholic Church and Joan Halpin of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church in Plano during the annual assembly of the Dallas Diocesan Council of Catholic Women, on Nov. 14 at St. Paul Catholic Church in Richardson..
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30 The Texas Catholic
VATICAN / DIOCESE DIOCESE
Pope receives invitation to visit Rome’s mosque By Catholic News Service VATICAN CITY — A Muslim delegation formally invited Pope Francis to visit Rome’s mosque, the largest mosque outside the Islamic world. It would mark the first time a pope visited the mosque, which was opened in 1995. Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, Vatican spokesman, confirmed that the pope received the invitation Jan. 20 during an early morning private audience at the Vatican with a five-person Muslim delegation. Father Lombardi told reporters
January 22, 2016
Celebrating a successful campaign
that the invitation “will be taken into consideration. The pope will see if and when he can go.” Imam Izzedin Elzir, president of the Union of Islamic Communities in Italy, told the Catholic television Tg2000 Jan. 19 that the delegation, during its meeting with the pope, was going to “reaffirm and underscore the importance of the dialogue with the Catholic Church that has been taking place for decades.” “Today it is necessary to highlight the importance of this dialogue more than ever before,” Elzir said. Above: Our Faith… Our Future Capital Campaign Executive Committee members, from left, Dan Novakov, Lydia Novakov, Richard Templeton, Mary Templeton, Harry Longwell, Norma Longwell and Bishop Kevin J. Farrell during the Our Faith...Our Future 125th Anniversary Leadership Appreciation Dinner at the DeGolyer House located at the Arboretum in Dallas on Dec. 21. At left: Attendees of the Our Faith...Our Future 125th Anniversary Leadership Appreciation Dinner enjoyed viewing hundreds of Nativity scenes exhibited in the DeGolyer House. RON HEFLIN/Special Contributor
DIOCESE NATION
The Texas Catholic
January 22, 2016
31
IMMIGRATION
Catholic advocates join in outcry over ICE deportations By Catholic News Service WASHINGTON — Catholic advocacy agencies quickly joined the pushback after Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents at the beginning of the year arrested immigrants, all Central American families, who were in the United States illegally. After a series of meetings with Homeland Security officials Jan. 11, Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada, said, “I think you’re going to find a pause in these deportations.” But Jeanne Atkinson, executive director of the Catholic Legal Information Network, known as CLINIC, said she was left with the impression the arrests will continue, although likely not in early morning roundups that advocates said spread terror throughout immigrant communities after women and young children were sent to detention centers. Atkinson said she told Homeland Security, “We would like you, at a
minimum, to change how you’re going about doing this. We were very strong and I would think, effective, actually, in highlighting those issues.” Her organization, which offers legal assistance to immigrants, is based in the Washington suburb of Silver Spring, Maryland. “There’s a lot of fear in the community, and so we’re trying to make sure that people do have a sense of who is most at risk,” Atkinson said in an interview with Catholic News Service. “For example, there’s a memo from 2011. (ICE agents) can’t go into churches, hospitals or schools to pick up people. So we want to make sure that people understand that they can continue going about their lives. Going to ESL (English as a Second Language) classes, going to church, going to the hospital if they need care.” ICE officers arrested 121 immigrants Jan. 2 and 3, focusing on Texas, Georgia and North Carolina. All had crossed the border after
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Guatemala and Honduras already have been deported. Atkinson said lawyers from her group were able to meet in Texas with 13 of the families who were rounded up, “and of them, we’ve gotten stays for 12.” Auxiliary Bishop Eusebio L. Elizondo of Seattle, chairman of the U.S. bishops’ migration committee, and Bishop Kevin W. Vann of Orange, Calif., chairman of CLINIC, issued a joint statement of protest. “We find such targeting of immigrant women and children — most of whom fled violence and persecution — to be inhumane and a grave misuse of limited enforcement resources,” they said. “DHS’s action contrasts sharply with the statements articulated by President (Barack) Obama in November 2014, namely, that his administration would pursue the deportation of ‘felons, not families; criminals, not children; gang members, not a mom who’s working hard to provide for her kids.’”
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32 The Texas Catholic
DIOCESE WORLD
January 22, 2016
MERCY
Don’t be afraid to show concern, pope says By Catholic News Service VATICAN CITY—Don’t be afraid of acting fairly and compassionately toward the poor, Pope Francis said in a written message to global business leaders attending the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. And do not let the sweeping innovations in robotics, science and technology “lead to the destruction of the human person -- to be replaced by a soulless machine -- or to the transformation of our planet into an empty garden for the enjoyment of a chosen few,” he said. The pope’s message was read at the meeting Jan. 20 by Cardinal Peter Turkson, president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace. The annual meeting, held Jan. 20-23, brought together more than 2,500 people representing business, government, academia, media and the arts to discuss current challenges such as global economics and security, climate change, gender parity and the so-called “fourth industrial revolution,” which refers to new technologies blending the physical, digital and biological worlds, resulting in greater interconnectivity of tools and objects that can collect and exchange real-time data. In his written address, the pope said world leaders must “guide and govern” these new processes and “build inclusive societies based on respect for human dignity, tolerance, compassion and mercy.” Today, he wrote, fewer opportunities “for useful and dignified employment, combined with a reduction in social security, are causing a disturbing rise in in-
Catholic News Service
Catholic News Service
Homeless and the needy receive free meals on Christmas Eve in Gdansk, Poland. Pope Francis urged global business leaders attending the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Jan. 20 to act fairly and compassionately toward poor people.
Indian men warm themselves near a fire during a cold winter morning Jan. 19 in New Delhi. Pope Francis urged global business leaders on Jan. 20 to take up anew a conversation on how to build the future of the planet.
equality and poverty in different countries.” “Clearly there is a need to create new models of doing business which, while promoting the development of advanced technologies, are also capable of using them to create dignified work for all, to uphold and consolidate social rights, and to protect the environment. Man must guide technological development without letting himself be dominated by it,” the pope said. He urged leaders, “Do not forget the poor,” and told them they have a duty to help those who are less fortunate to live a dignified life and develop their full potential. “We must never allow the culture of prosperity to deaden us, to make us incapable of feeling compassion” for those who are poor and suffering, and to believe prob-
“I urge you, then, to take up anew your conversation on how to build the future of the planet, ‘our common home,’ and I ask you to make a united effort to pursue a sustainable and integral development.” In the run-up to the Davos meeting, Oxfam Great Britain released its “pre-Davos report” on global economic disparity saying 1 percent of the world’s people own more than the remaining 99 percent of the earth’s inhabitants. Today, 62 individuals “own as much as the poorest half of the world’s population,” which numbers 3.6 billion people, according to the report, which was published Jan. 18. “Although the number of people living in extreme poverty halved between 1990 and 2010, the average annual income of
lems are someone else’s responsibility, he said. Once people realize that “our own actions are a cause of injustice and inequality” and that “we are compelled to heed their cry for help,” the pope said, then “we become more fully human, since responsibility for our brothers and sisters is an essential part of our common humanity.” “Do not be afraid to open your minds and hearts to the poor. In this way, you will give free rein to your economic and technical talents, and discover the happiness of a full life, which consumerism of itself cannot provide.” Business is “a noble vocation, directed to producing wealth and improving our world,” especially “if it sees the creation of jobs as an essential part of its service to the common good,” he said.
the poorest 10 percent has risen by less than $3 a year in the past quarter of a century. That equates to an increase in individuals’ daily income of less than a single cent a year,” the report said. “Had inequality within countries not grown between 1990 and 2010, an extra 200 million people would have escaped poverty,” it added. Solutions include diverting the billions of dollars lost to tax havens to national programs that invest in healthcare, schools and other public services, it said, as well as government mandates for “an acceptable standard of living for those at the bottom as well as for those at the top — including moving minimum wage rates toward a living wage and tackling the pay gap between men and women.”
Pope tells migrants not to be robbed of hope, joy of living By Catholic News Service
Catholic News Service
Migrants walk through a frozen field after crossing the border from Macedonia, near the village of Miratovac, Serbia, Jan. 18. During a Year of Mercy Celebration on Jan. 17, Pope Francis urged migrants and refugees not to allow themselves to be robbed of the hope and the joy of living.
VATICAN CITY — Welcoming thousands of migrants and refugees to the Vatican for a Year of Mercy celebration, Pope Francis urged them to resist everything robbing them of hope and joy. “Each of you is the bearer of a history, culture and precious values and, unfortunately, also often of experiences of poverty, oppression and fear,” the pope said Jan. 17. But gathering in St. Peter’s Square for the Holy Year “is a sign of hope in God. Don’t allow yourselves to be robbed of hope and the joy of living, which spring from the experience of divine mercy, also thanks to the people who welcomed and helped you.”
The pope prayed that passing through the Holy Door and attending a special jubilee Mass “will fill your hearts with peace.” He also thanked the inmates of a maximum security prison in Milan who prepared the hosts consecrated at the Mass. According to the Italian news agency, ANSA, an estimated 7,000 migrants from 30 countries were present. The Mass was celebrated by Cardinal Antonio Maria Veglio, president of the Pontifical Council for Migrants and Travelers, who said in his homily that the cross was “an expressive symbol” of the tragic circumstances facing migrants who risk their lives seeking a better future.
The World Day of Migrants and Refugees, he said, was “a fitting occasion to remember that the church has always contemplated in migrants the image of Christ. Moreover, in the Year of Mercy, we are challenged to rediscover the works of mercy where, among the corporal works, there is the call to welcome the stranger.” The presence of migrants is a visible sign of the universality of the church. “Everyone has something new and beautiful to contribute, but the source and steward is the Spirit,” he said. “No one should feel superior to the other, but all must realize the need to collaborate and contribute to the good of the sole family of God.”