OND Feb. A Vol. 71, No. 3

VOL. 71, NO. 3

WWW.CROOKSTON.ORG

FEBRUARY 8, 2017

Upcoming Middle School Youth Rally chance to deepen faith, friendships The Ignite Middle School Youth Rally will be held at St. Bernard’s, Thief River falls.

See your parish youth minster, director of religious education or pastor to register.

This year’s event will be coordinated by Partnership for Youth, the same organization that runs the annual regional Steubenville Conferences in St. Paul, Rochester and Kenosha, Wis. TURN TO PAGE 3 FOR MORE DETAILS.

Top: Kory LaCroix addresses middle school students during an Ignite event held at St. Peter’s, North St. Paul, on Nov. 18, 2016. LaCroix, a youth minister at Holy Name of Jesus in Medina, Minn., will lead praise and worship during the March 19 Ignite Middle School Youth Rally at St. Bernard’s, Thief River Falls.

Right: Middle school students pray during Eucharistic adoration, a key component of every Ignite event.

Far right: Three middle school students pose for a picture during an Ignite event.

(Photos credit: Storyline Photography)

INSIDE VOL. 71. NO. 3:

Pg. 6 - Catholics at the Capitol Pg. 7 - Word to Life Scripture Commentary Pg. 8 - Bishop Hoeppner Visits Cathedral School

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February 8, 2017

A

COMMENTARY

OUR NORTHLAND DIOCESE

Voice from the Valley

BY BISHOP MICHAEL J. HOEPPNER

WITNESS TO THE FAITH: THE FAMILY This past weekend, I had the delight of baptizing a newborn baby boy during the Sunday Mass at St. Andrew’s Parish, Hawley. What a joy!

His dad, Ryan, mom, Elizabeth, brother and sister, as well as the rest of his extended family, were all packed together in the first pew. The church was packed too, as members of God’s family filled all the remaining pews and the chairs in the back. “Parents, what name do you give your child?” “Vincent David.” “What do you ask of God’s Church for Vincent David?” “Faith.” The parents ask for faith. The Church gives faith. The parents accept the task of safeguarding that faith, helping it grow so that it may become testimony for all others.

On the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, Pope Francis baptized babies at St. Peter’s. He told the parents: “Faith is believing what is the Truth: God the Father who sent his Son and the Spirit that enlivens us … faith is entrusting oneself to God, and this you must teach them with your example, with your life … faith illumines the

heart; it shows things in a different light.”

The Pope said: “I would like to tell you only this: safeguard the faith; make it grow, so it may be testimony for others.”

And when first one tiny voice began to cry, and then the others joined in, the Holy Father commented (with a smile I’m sure): “The concert has begun!”

That’s the cry of life; a concert of life; voices raised to sing the Lord’s goodness.

Congratulations Ryan and Elizabeth on the new birth by water and the Holy Spirit, of your son, Vincent David.

Thanks to you and to all parents who share with God in creating new human beings and who bring those newborn infants to rebirth in the saving waters of Baptism. In doing so, and in accepting the wonderful task of helping the faith to grow in your children, you give your testimony; you are living witnesses to the faith.

WITNESS TO THE FAITH: THE STATE Minnesota’s legislative session began Jan. 3, and ends in May. Lawmakers will address a number of important issues, making decisions that will affect the lives of us who make

Thursday, March 9, 2017 in St. Paul, MN Visit www.catholicsatthecapitol.org or call 651-227-8777 to register or learn more.

If you are interested in attending Catholics at the Capitol with the Diocese of Crookston, contact AJ Garcia, Director of the Office of New Evangelization and Justice at 218-281-4533, ext. 439 by Feb. 15.

Minnesota our home.

These are possible issues that lawmakers might bring forth: expanding educational choice, legalizing physician-assisted suicide, regulating commercial surrogacy, increasing the Minnesota Family Investment Program’s cash grants and raising awareness about pornography as a public health issue.

If legislation is passed on these issues, will it be for what is truly good? To help our legislators see that good is done and evil avoided, we are invited, as citizens, to be involved. We are also asked as Catholics to be witnesses to the faith in the public arena of our state Capitol.

Recognizing the need for this witness to the faith at the Capi-

tol and wanting to help Minnesota Catholics make that witness, the bishops of Minnesota have designated March 9, as a day for “Catholics at the Capitol.” Catholics from all across Minnesota are invited to gather in St. Paul for a morning program – to be informed about the key issues we face and to be inspired by guest speakers.

Then, in the afternoon, groups will go to the Capitol and engage in the political process by meeting with their own representatives and senators.

The staff of the Minnesota

Catholic Conference (MCC) is working to put the day together and make all the arrangements.

Certainly we have been inviting advocacy for years but this initiative is new.

“What has changed is that not only do we need a distinctly Catholic faith voice at the Capitol, but we [also] need to equip Catholics to engage the political process” as Jason Adkins, Executive Director of the MCC, puts it. I invite you to be part of this important day. Bishop James Conley from the Diocese of Lincoln and Gloria Purvis Scott, commentator for the Eternal Word Television Network, will speak in the morning and we will also receive input from experts on effective advocacy before departing in the afternoon to visit with legislators.

I hope you will join us!

For more information contact AJ Garcia (agarcia@crookston. org or 218-281-4533) or visit www.catholicsatthecapitol.org.

Registration for diocesan travel closes on Feb. 15.

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Turn to Page 11 to read the USCCB’s response to the immigration order recently imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump’s executive action.

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VICTIM ASSISTANCE STATEMENT

If you or someone you know has been sexually abused, your first call should be to law enforcement.

If you have been abused by a Catholic priest or another person in Church ministry, the Diocese of Crookston Victim’s Assistance Coordinator is also available to offer you help and healing.

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OUR NORTHLAND DIOCESE

LOCAL

February 8, 2017

3

Middle School Youth Rally testing new waters Partnership for Youth organizing event, changes to benefit youth, host parish

By Katrina Genereux Staff Writer, OND

The 2017 Ignite Middle School Youth Rally will be March 19, from 1 – 6 p.m. at St. Bernard’s, Thief River Falls.

This year, it is being run by Partnership for Youth, the same organization that coordinates the annual regional Steubenville Conferences in St. Paul, Rochester and Kenosha, Wis. Anthony Lavorata, Director of the Office of Youth Ministry and Catechesis, has been working closely with Sarah Prudhom, the Operations and Event Coordinator at Partnership for Youth.

“Partnership for Youth was originally founded out of a desire to bring a Catholic youth conference to the Midwest, specifically the Steubenville Youth Conferences,” Prudhom said.

The company hosted its first Steubenville Conference in 2002 and has continued to grow, adding a conference in Rochester and most recently in Kenosha, Wis. “The Steubenville Conferences are kind of the bulk of what we do, but we have expanded our ministry to partner with parishes and dioceses to bring them smaller events,” Prudhom said.

These events for middle school students are called Ignite, and for high school students, they are called Intermission.

“It’s an opportunity for us to offer event planning services to parishes that might not otherwise know how to go about organizing something like this,” she said.

Partnership for Youth has a network of local and national speakers and musicians that they bring in to provide keynote presentations and worship music. They also strive to include as many elements of the sacraments as possible during their events.

This will be Partnership for Youth’s first time holding an Ignite event outside of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis.

“We’re really excited to be coming up to the Diocese of Crookston. We’ve really made a conscious effort over the last year to branch out and work in the dioceses that are bringing students to our Steubenville Conferences and to let them

Father Robert Schreiner blesses attendees of the Middle School Youth Rally held at Ada-Borup High School on April 18, 2015. Middle school students who attend the 2017 Ignite Middle School Youth Rally will also have the opportunity to adore the Blessed Sacrament. (Photo credit: Katrina Genereux/OND)

know that we don’t want to only serve them during the summertime,” Prudhom said.

In her experience, middle school students do not have as many opportunities to attend retreats and conferences as high school students. Partnership for Youth’s Ignite event is one way to give middle school students a chance to hear from a dynamic Catholic speaker and to spend time worshipping together and deepening their faith.

Lavorata said, “Some of the feedback this office has received from previous events is that the costs are getting a little high and having a long day can sometimes be a bit too much.” He hopes this year’s event will address some of those concerns.

The event will be approximately five hours, which is shorter than past rallies.

“It’s shorter, but it’s fuller; it’s a little more concise. Instead of being an all-day event, it’s a five-hour event. It still contains Mass with the bishop; it still contains adoration, opportunities for Confession, and it has a keynote speaker,” he said. Lavorata hopes holding the youth rally on a Sunday will increase attendance.

He also said having Partnership for Youth facilitate the event will make it easier for the host parish. It will also be held at the parish, eliminating many logistical challenges of holding Mass and adoration off site.

Lavorata said an addition to

2017 IGNITE MIDDLE SCHOOL YOUTH RALLY SCHEDULE 12:30 p.m.

Check-in Begins, Snacks Provided

1:00 p.m.

Doors Open

1:15 - 2:45 p.m.

Opening Session and Keynote by Chris Kostelc

2:45-3:45 p.m.

Adoration and Reconciliation

3:45-4:25 p.m.

Small Group Time and Mass Preparation

4:30 p.m.

Closing Mass with Bishop Michael J. Hoeppner

6:00 p.m.

Dinner

this year’s rally will be breaking into small groups near the end of the event. Since parishes are required to bring one adult chaperone for every seven students, the framework for the groups will be in place. Each group will receive discussion prompts to guide their time together.

He hopes having time to talk about their experience will help students continue growing in their home parishes.

“Large events and large groups are great, but if you don’t have it backed up on a personal level, then it’s just a

fun day,” Lavorata said. “Small groups can encourage conversation, they can encourage group dynamics, and they can encourage learning how to socialize your faith. Hopefully that’s what we’ll see come from it.”

Lavorata views this as a transitional year for the Middle School Youth Rally. He is looking forward to receiving feedback from the host parish, students and priests about working with Partnership for Youth.

“Working with them opens up a whole new light of seeing a very active, young life in the Church on a little bit of a larger

scale,” he said.

“They’ve created this custom event for us, and if it goes really well, then we’ll be able to use this custom event for all our future events as well. We’ll just change the location,” Lavorata said. He also said there is room to work with Partnership for Youth to make adjustments to the event in the future if needed.

The Ignite Middle School Youth Rally will begin at 1 p.m. and end with dinner at 6 p.m. It will include Sunday Mass with Bishop Michael J. Hoeppner, a keynote presentation, praise and worship and time for Eucharistic Adoration and the opportunity to go to Confession.

The keynote presenter, Chris Kostelc, will speak about Eucharistic Adoration and Confession and why they are important.

“A lot of these youth in middle school might not have been exposed to this depth of the sacraments whether through the real presence in the Eucharist or with Reconciliation,” Lavorata said. “They are growing into the next generation of Catholics. If they are able to see the sacraments put forth in that way – especially the coolest, the biggest sacrament, the Eucharist – hopefully it will bring a little more appreciation for what that has to offer, and continue growing as they age.”

Kostelc is the Coordinator of Adult Faith Formation at Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Community in Medina, Minn. He has degrees in Theology and pastoral ministry and has been involved in ministry for more than 15 years.

Kory LaCroix, the Youth Minster for Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Community, will lead praise and worship throughout the event. He has been involved with other events organized by Partnership for Youth.

Middle school students who wish to attend the youth rally should contact their parish youth minister, director of religious education or pastor to register for the event.

For more information about Partnership for Youth, visit www.partnershipforyouth.org.

Contact Lavorata with any questions about the youth rally at alavorata@crookston.org or 218-281-4533, ext. 435.

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February 8, 2017

COMMENTARY

OUR NORTHLAND DIOCESE

Witnessing to youth through Sacred Liturgy As the new Director of the Office of Youth Ministry and Catechesis, I hope to share with you the ongoing history of young men and women as a driving force of the Catholic Faith. Often in youth ministry, we hear many iterations of the question: “How can we encourage youth to participate in the Liturgy?” Certainly, this question is not unfounded.

How often do we sit at Mass while those around us are silent? The only voices we may hear are coming from the choir.

Not only in the hymns, but the prayers may be mumbled as well; or “The Great Amen” spoken as little more than a hiccough.

That same question asked about our youth applies doubly so to the examples provided: Parents, teachers, and adults all lead by example during the Sacred Liturgy. So, how do we increase participation in the Mass? The answers have varied over the past decade: modernizing music, writing pointed homilies, rearranging seating, etc. However, the best answer to bring the masses to the Lit-

YOUNG SAINTS IN OUR MIDST

By Anthony Lavorata

Director of the Office of Youth Ministry and Catechesis

urgy is certainly the examples we see in Scripture, particularly in the Acts of the Apostles and the early Church.

The Apostles began as only twelve commoners, leading a small group of the first Christians in an unforgiving environment, ruled by a far-reaching political regime, during a historically tumultuous time of great unrest. The similarities here are astounding, however they had the responsibility and challenge of living a life for Christ that would eventually shape the world. For centuries, the Sacred Liturgy was celebrated underground and behind closed doors as the blood of the mar-

tyrs ran through the streets above. Still, they gathered in the celebration, listening to the Word of God, and receiving Him – Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity – in the Eucharist.

Why? On Aug. 19, 2000, Pope St. John Paul II said, “He is the beauty to which you are so attracted; it is he who provokes you with that thirst for fullness that will not let you settle for compromise; it is He who urges you to shed the masks of a false life; it is He who reads in your hearts your most genuine choices, the choices that others try to stifle.

It is Jesus who stirs in you the desire to do something great

with your lives.”

In a time when sharing your Faith meant risking your life, the witness of the first Christians inspired greatness in even the smallest actions. As we see from young people like St. Therésé of Lisieux, Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati and St. José Sánchez del Rio, even the simplest actions can be a great witness of reverence for what we receive at Mass. Today, we number close to a billion and celebrate Mass very similarly to those first Christians. Despite millennia of changes, why do we still gather together to celebrate in this way? Better yet, why do you still go to Mass?

Just as if we asked those first Christians, the answer you give, whether in words or by example is the same for any number of generations that will follow. We have to live as witnesses to the faith, and much of that witness takes place in how together we approach Jesus Christ in the liturgy. In his Apostolic Exhortation, “Evangelii Gaudium”, Pope Francis says similarly: “The Church evangelizes and is evangelized with the beauty

of the liturgy, which is also the celebration of evangelization and source of a renewed impulse to give themselves.”

The Sacred Liturgy offers us a moment to be a witness to our youth by showing them a vision into what they will enter at the sacraments of Baptism, First Communion, and Confirmation. In the grand outlook of the Church, the only thing between each generation of Catholics is a few short years of evangelization and catechesis. What better opportunity for you to be a part of this spiritual encouragement than within the highest celebration of our Lord! So, next time you’re at a Mass: sing with all your heart, listen intently to the readings and homily, discuss your faith with the youth you may encounter and be a living example of what it means to be a part of such a legacy. Remember that you are among a cloud of witnesses, some of which are the future saints of the Catholic Church.

The lessons I learned from Brock and his incredible, empty eyes I am always surprised when, at the end of the day, I reflect upon the events of the day and wonder how do I, a farm boy from New York Mills, merit doing what I do, being who I am, seeing what I see and hearing what I hear?

As I considered the possibility of priesthood many years ago (my first thoughts of it came in 5th grade), I was often paralyzed by the realization as a priest I would spend much of my time in the presence of people who are suffering. What do I say?

During the summer of 1984 (I was ordained in 1986), I, like all priests, was part of a program called “Clinical Pastoral Experience” (CPE) at what is today Sanford Hospital in Fargo, N.D. CPE hurls participants into difficult pastoral situations which are a daily part of hospital life. Each participant in the program spends a great deal of time reflecting upon, writing about and sharing with the group his or her experiences.

As I said above, I was scared stiff.

Growing up with many nephews and nieces, I volunteered to serve as chaplain of the pediatrics floor thinking it would

LIFE FIRST

By Father Don Braukmann

Parochial Vicar - St. Philip’s Parish, Bemidji and St. Charles Parish, Pennington

be the easiest assignment. Pediatrics is all about newborn, healthy babies and their ecstatic parents, right? Ha! I remember as if it were yesterday how I stood outside the door of the first patient I was to see.

I was a nervous wreck, mistakenly thinking I could get through this without putting my foot in my mouth.

Well, I entered the room and there was a mom sitting in the corner holding her 2 month old son named Brock. I saw the many tubes protruding from most of Brock’s body so I knew he was a very sick boy.

He looked like he had come out of a science fiction movie from the 1950s.

I said hello and then hovered over Brock trying to think of something profound and hopeful I could say to his mom. As I looked at Brock, his eyes were bright and shining, he was wide awake. There were no tubes or bandages around his eyes so I presumed his eyes were fair game on which to compliment him. I said, “Oh, what beautiful eyes Brock has!” His Mom, without skipping a beat curtly replied, “Yes, if only he could see out of them!”

My heart sank, I blushed deep red, inserted my foot into my mouth and choked out an apology with every fiber of my being. His mom was merciful, and quickly rescued me from myself and filled me in on all

that was “wrong” with Brock.

You name all the things that could go wrong for a little boy and it was going wrong for him.

By the grace of God, the room became a magnet and I was sure to cross the threshold of that hospital doorway every day Brock and his mom were there.

Brock survived and, near the end of the summer, went home ... still blind but loved beyond all others by his courageous single mom.

My mind often wanders back to that hospital room in Fargo and I remember what I learned from a little boy, a son I will never have, who simply gave what he had and it was enough for all who met him. He said not a word as his mission on earth at that point was not to speak but to be spoken to. Each day I knew Brock he was told by his mom, his grandparents, his doctors, the entire nursing staff and a farm boy from New York Mills that he was loved and was the most important person on earth in that moment.

So now, when called to the emergency room, responding to a call from Hospice or sitting with someone who just received the worst possible medi-

cal news, I just show up, hand out Kleenex, bend a knee and pray at the foot of the cross with those who are nailed to it.

Priesthood is amazing, yet the lessons learned from the most vulnerable among us are for all of us, whether you wear a Roman collar or sweat pants and a t-shirt.

Just “being there” makes all the difference. I had no new or profound words that would make the situation better ... none of us do ... but I could stand, humbly, with those wishing I did have an answer and just be there in my silence with Jesus Christ the Divine Physician.

Mother Teresa said the greatest poverty in the world is loneliness and “people just want to be somebody to somebody.”

Each of us, by our uncomplicated presence in each other’s lives can help the suffering and afraid know they are somebody to somebody.

The suffering may not all see with their eyes, hear with their ears, speak with their mouths or embrace with their arms, but for the sake of God don’t miss the loveliness and vigor of their sacred hearts!

OUR NORTHLAND DIOCESE

COMMENTARY

February 8, 2017

5

Some families kiss, some families hug, but all are called to love Pope Francis gives you some is an intimate act where we Perhaps you have met this PRAYING guidance. In a bit, I will share become united with Jesus in type of family or perhaps this WITH THE with you what he wrote, howev- a most holy way. When a huseven describes your family. er you may read the quote and band and wife marry, the two Some families are what I call FAMILY wonder “what does he mean are to become one flesh and “kissers.” They kiss each other all of the time. The husband and wife, when they leave each other they kiss goodbye and when they see each other again they kiss hello. If one is staying at the parish after Sunday Mass while the other is taking the children home, they kiss each other in the middle of the Church entryway. The children in these families are treated the same. A kiss hello and a kiss goodbye, a kiss after bedtime prayers and a kiss when they come home with a star on their paper. The kissing is always appropriate and in these families, kissing is the way they communicate to each other the intimate love in their family, a type of love that is unique and not replicated in any other of their relationships.

Perhaps you are reading this and feeling a bit uneasy or squeamish or even relieved that you are not in such a family! You are probably not in a family of kissers. Some parents may remember that, when their

By Dr. Mark Krejci

Director of the Office of Marriage, Family and Life

children were very young – not into elementary school – their family did more kissing but now that the children are older the parents do not kiss their children. And of course some may be thinking: “We are not a family of ‘kissers’ because we are ‘huggers’.” These families have a similar style but hugs replace kisses.

Whether you are a family of kissers or a family of huggers or find some other way to indicate your closeness, I hope that all families feel a closer bond to each other than any other group or individuals.

Sadly, we know that this is not true for all families. There may be times when you do not

feel especially close to each other in your family. There may be times when you feel hurt, betrayed or ignored by members of your family. Yet, in the end, we all need to work to deepen our union with each other in our families. Husbands and wives should feel closer to each other than to anyone else in their lives. Children should feel closer to their parents than to their friends or other adults in their lives (this is true even for teens!). If you find that your family is not there, does not have this intimacy with each other, then work to bring the family together. Parents, you have to lead the effort but children you have to cooperate.

by this?” Read it, and then I will highlight some of the key points.

Pope Francis writes, “The word of God tells us that the family is entrusted to a man, a woman and their children, so that they may become a communion of persons in the image of the union of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Begetting and raising children, for its part, mirrors God’s creative work.”

If you read this quote and know what it means, you can jump down to the next paragraph. For those who need translation, let me highlight a couple of key phrases. He writes that the husband, wife and children are to become a “communion of persons,” a term I have used in previous columns quoting from St. John Paul II. Think of what we do when we “go to Communion” at Mass. During Communion, we bring the Body and Blood of Jesus into our bodies. This

form a communion of persons, a union meant to reflect God’s love. With the arrival of children, the communion of husband and wife is expanded to become a communion – a most holy intimacy – of husband, wife and children. Pope Francis goes on to say that the communion of our family is meant to reflect the “image of the union of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.” You have heard that God is love and so God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are love. So the husband, wife and children are to share the love of the Holy Trinity with each other. It is this love shared by the husband and wife which brings forth children and thus parents “mirror God’s creative work.”

So what are we to do with this teaching from Pope Francis which says that the most intimate relationships in your life should be your family? You have to work on it. The Holy Father gives us an idea about how to go about this work of creating in our families a communion of persons. He writes, “The family is called to join in daily prayer, to read the word of God and to share in Eucharistic communion, and thus to grow in love and become ever more fully a temple in which the Spirit dwells.”

6

February 8, 2017

COMMENTARY

OUR NORTHLAND DIOCESE

Authentic activism must be founded on Christ The first tumultuous weeks of Donald Trump’s presidency have seen marches, rallies and demonstrations across the country, held in opposition to, or in support, of at least some part of the president’s agenda.

Millions have taken part, and the trend shows no sign of stopping. To put it mildly, activism is in the air.

While some of these demonstrations have drawn attention to commendable causes, too many have been characterized by vulgarity, hysteria, and discord. The leaders of the Women’s March on Washington, in particular, seemed more concerned with insulting and offending political opponents than they were with fostering any sort of meaningful conversation, as Madonna and the rest reacted to a perceived authoritarian president with their own brand of power politics.

Authentic activism should inspire peace and conversation.

The fact that so much of what currently passes for “activism” breeds the opposite is an indication that something is awry.

The disconcerting elements of these demonstrations are symptoms of a deeper spiritual sickness plaguing our democracy.

ACTIVISTIC HERESY In his masterful spiritual work, The Soul of the Apostolate, Trappist abbot Dom Jean Chautard warns us against what he calls the “activistic heresy.”

It is a tendency, even among Catholics, to falsely believe that social and political ills must be fought exclusively with worldly weapons. In doing so, we can mistake the important work of social activism as an ultimate end, and sacrifice even our interior life for the sake of social and political gains.

By putting the active cart before the spiritual horse, the activistic heresy cuts off our access to the only thing that can sanctify our works and

FAITH

Protect Life and Human Dignity

IN THE PUBLIC ARENA

Thursday, March 9, 2017 in St. Paul, MN Visit www.catholicsatthecapitol.org or call 651-227-8777 to register or learn more.

By Jonathan Liedl

Communications Manager Minnesota Catholic Conference

make our actions truly fruitful: a living relationship with Jesus Christ. We come to love “action for action’s sake,” Dom Chautard says. Even the sacraments and prayer can be subverted as tools to serve a temporal agenda.

Or worse, we might even come to disdain the interior life as a hindrance to action. We see this tendency from secularists who, after a tragedy, ridicule the religious community’s call for prayer as worthless. Or from those who, having only political and not eschatological horizons, embrace unjust or divisive means to achieve their ends, ends which themselves might be noble.

FOUNDATION IN CHRIST Political activism is important, but it can only be authentic if it is rooted in Christ. Our interior life cannot merely be an aid to our active life, but must be its very foundation.

Through prayer, penance, and reception of the sacraments, we invite Christ to enter into our lives, inform our decisions, and guide our actions. As St. Paul says in his letter to the Galatians, “I live, no longer I, but Christ lives in me.”

This approach to activism was at the heart of the annual March for Life in Washington, which took place for the 44th time this January. The march did not begin with a rally or a star-studded concert. Instead, it began with a Vigil Mass, in

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which those who received the Eucharist literally became channels of God’s love and grace. Is it any wonder that, instead of grotesque hats and cussing celebrities, the March for Life was marked by joy, peace, and love?

Perhaps this approach might not shame the Supreme Court into immediately overturning Roe v. Wade. But it will succeed in changing the hearts and minds and souls of those who encounter it, which is far more valuable in the long run.

AN OPPORTUNITY FOR AUTHENTIC ACTIVISM On Thursday, March 9, Minnesota Catholics will have an opportunity to engage in this

7:00 AM 7:30 AM 8:00 AM 9:00 AM 11:30 AM 12:20 PM 1:00 PM 3:45 PM

Doors Open (Continental breakfast provided) Morning Prayer Holy Mass Morning Program (keynote speakers, issue briefings, advocacy training) Lunch Buses to the Capitol Afternoon Program (Legislative visits, bishops meet and greet, rosaries in the rotunda, Capitol tours) Closing Ceremony and Send-Off

Registration is required. Students and youth 22-and-under are free.

Early bird pricing ends on February 15. $20 early registration, or $25 regular registration includes continental breakfast and boxed lunch.

kind of authentic activism at Catholics at the Capitol. We will gather in St. Paul to learn about some of the key issues facing our state, tie them all together within a consistent ethic of life, and then head to the State Capitol to share our message with legislators.

And we’ll begin our day of advocacy and activism with 7:30 a.m. Morning Prayer and

8 a.m. Mass at the RiverCentre in St. Paul. Not to merely check a box or in an attempt to channel God’s grace toward our own agenda, but because we know that without Christ, all the activism in the world will fail to accomplish the one thing it needs to: the glorification of God and the advancement of His will.

OUR NORTHLAND DIOCESE

COMMENTARY

WORD to LIFE February 12

SIXTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

Sirach 15:15-20; Psalm 119:1-2, 4-5, 17-18, 33-34; Gospel: Matthew 5:17-37

1 Corinthians 2:6-10

By Sharon K. Perkins Catholic News Service Most people would agree that living an ethical life boils down to our personal choices between “good” and “evil.”

Others might use different criteria, such as useful or not useful, pleasurable or not pleasurable, etc. Whatever our standards, we value the freedom to identify our own paths as one of the most treasured aspects of being human, and we resist someone else’s telling us what to do.

Today’s readings are full of references to making wise choices, but as St. Paul states, the wisdom informing those choices is “not a wisdom of this age.”

The wisdom spoken to “those who are mature” takes the form of “statutes,” “decrees,” “commandments” and “law” – the very things that make postmodern society nervous.

Fearing a loss of freedom, some renounce organized religion and submission to God’s commandments. But the Bible leads us to a great paradox. God, the author of human freedom, doesn’t command us to act unjustly and “to none does he give license to sin.” St. Augustine put it another way, writing that God is the master “whom to serve is perfect freedom.”

In today’s Gospel, Jesus not only affirms the “law and the prophets” but interprets them more rigorously, teaching that “whoever obeys and teaches these commandments will be called greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”

In our day-to-day living we constantly make choices, between the freeway or the backroads, a salad or a burger, or

February 8, 2017

7

FOR FAITH-SHARING GROUPS

February 19

SEVENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME Leviticus 19:1-2, 17-18; Psalm 103:1-4, 8, 10, 12-13; 1 Corinthians 3:16-23 Gospel: Matthew 5:38-48 By Jean Denton Catholic News Service

whether to wear the blue tie or the red one.

Very seldom do we actually choose between “good” and “evil,” but faced with what we perceive to be two “goods,” we usually pick what we think is better; or confronted with two undesirable outcomes, we go for the one that’s “not so bad.” And we think that our exercise of choice comprises the extent of human freedom.

Today’s readings are God’s invitation to take his gift of freedom to the next level, to not merely settle for the lesser of two evils or the more expedient of two good outcomes. God wants us to be truly free in the deepest sense of the word, to be formed according to his lifegiving divine wisdom and to act accordingly. His commandments are the means that make this possible.

Questions: How do you use God’s gifts of free will and his commandments to make daily decisions?

"BEFORE MAN ARE LIFE AND DEATH, GOOD AND EVIL, WHICHEVER HE CHOOSES SHALL BE GIVEN HIM." – SIRACH 15:17

A grieving mother, speaking to the press after her son was charged with a deadly act of terrorism, is incredulous.

“I don’t know where this came from. We have a loving home. Our family always has been respectful and caring,” she says.

“Why would he do this? That’s not who we are!”

We hear that phrase often lately. For instance, congressional leaders condemning torture as a means of getting information from enemies note, “That’s not who we are!” An official of a city that had been making progress in race relations laments a hate crime, “That’s not who we are!”

Their point is that our family, our country, our community is not one that lives by the power of subjugation and violence. It’s not in our makeup. As a people, we renounce such conduct.

This weekend’s Scriptures, in both the Old Testament and Matthew’s Gospel, exhort God’s people to take no revenge on those who hurt them and, in fact, to love their enemies.

According to Leviticus, God tells Moses to instruct his people thusly, “Though you may have to reprove your fellow citizen, do not incur sin because of him.

Take no revenge and cherish no grudge.”

Why? God explains simply, “Be holy, for I, the Lord, your God, am holy.”

In other words, don’t be a vengeful people, because that’s not who we are!

Jesus encourages his disciples in the same way, if I may paraphrase: You have heard it said, an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth, but I say to you offer

no resistance to the one who is evil -- because that’s not who we are!

This is one of the most difficult teachings to follow. It’s human nature to strike back when someone harms or threatens us. More than once have I convinced myself that even if two wrongs don’t make a right at least it’ll make me feel better.

But it doesn’t. It just incurs more sin.

These Scriptures emphasize that being the people of God is not about seeking reward for our actions. It’s more fundamental than that: It’s about our actions growing out of who we are.

Call it integrity; call it honor. God calls it being holy.

Questions: Presently, who do I see as my enemies and what are the greatest challenges to loving them?

What must I do to overcome those obstacles?

"I SAY TO YOU, LOVE YOUR ENEMIES AND PRAY FOR THOSE WHO PERSECUTE YOU." – MATTHEW 5:44

8

February 8, 2017

LOCAL

Youth from St. Bernard’s attend Catholic Charismatic Renewal retreat in Louisiana

Six youth and four adults from St. Bernard’s, Thief River Falls, recently attended a youth retreat in Metairie, La. The retreat was sponsored by the Catholic Charismatic Renewal of New Orleans Organization. It was a three day event entitled “BREATHE”, and was based on a verse from chapter 37 of Ezekiel. The weekend included worship with energetic spiritual music, motivational guest speakers, adoration, food and fellowship. The weekend ended with Mass celebrating the Epiphany. (Submitted photo)

Monthly hour of prayer held at Bemidji Planned Parenthood On Jan. 21, a dozen people gathered to pray outside the Planned Parenthood of Bemidji.

A group meets at this location for an hour of prayer every third Saturday from 10-11 a.m.

All are welcome to join them.

(Submitted photo)

Bishop Hoeppner visits Cathedral School, Crookston On Jan. 25, Bishop Michael J. Hoeppner celebrated Mass with Cathedral School and visited students.

“Like” OND on Facebook! Check out www.facebook.com/ournorthlanddiocese for additional school visit photos.

OUR NORTHLAND DIOCESE

Holy Rosary School receives new freezer

Mike Connell, Principal of Holy Rosary School, and several students pose for a photo with the school’s new freezer. The freezer was purchased with proceeds from a cookie walk hosted

by Holy Rosary Catholic Daughters Court #1916 and Holy Rosary Parish in December. (Submitted photo)

St. Philip’s will host 3-night parish mission St. Philip’s, Bemidji, is holding a Parish Mission with the renowned speakers from “Casting Nets”. The mission will take place Feb. 26 – 28.

On Sunday, Feb. 26, the presentation starts at 4 p.m. It will begin at 6 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 27, and Tuesday, Feb. 28.

The mission will be held in the parish Social Hall.

Participants are invited to come to any or all of the sessions. It is absolutely free! In addition to the evening presentations, there will be three specialized conversations. The first, designed for our youth,

will be at noon on Feb. 26. A conversation with our Senior Citizens will be at 10 a.m. on Feb. 27. A college conversation will take place at Bemidji State University at noon on Feb. 28.

The Parish Mission will conclude Feb. 28, with a final talk and a Mardi Gras Party celebrating Fat Tuesday Night!

For more information, please contact Blake at 218441-4907 or email at bquick@ stphilipsbemidji.org.

Learn more about Casting Nets at www.castingnetsministries.com

OUR NORTHLAND DIOCESE

NATIONAL

February 8, 2017

9

Jubilant crowd gathers in Washington for annual March for Life

By Carol Zimmermann Catholic News Service WASHINGTON – Tens of thousands of pro-lifers filled the grounds near the Washington Monument and marched up Constitution Avenue to the U.S. Supreme Court Jan. 27 as both a protest of legalized abortion and a celebration of successful pro-life efforts across the country.

In years past, the March for Life – which takes place on or near Jan. 22 to mark the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1973 decisions in Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton that legalized abortion virtually on demand – has been almost a battle cry for the uphill and constant fight faced by those in the pro-life movement hoping for more abortion restrictions and ultimately an end to abortion.

This year’s March for Life, under mostly sunny skies and 40-degree temperatures, was decidedly more upbeat, in part be- Students from the University of Mary in Bismarck, N.D., chant pro-life cheers Jan. 27 outside of St. Patrick's Catholic Church in Washington cause one of the first speakers as they prepare to participate in the 2017 March for Life in Washington. (Photo credit: CNS/Chaz Muth) was Vice President Mike Pence: the first time a vice president at- crowd size at events in Washington, it was hard to measure tended the rally.

Pence, who has marched at the number of people that day the event before as a participant or for the total who have come and addressed it as a congress- out for the annual march over man, repeatedly told the crowd the past four decades. “The only – huddled together in winter number we care about is the 58 coats and hats in front of the million” lost to abortion since it stage -- that “life is winning” and was legalized, she said.

As in years past, the crowd assured them the Trump adminwas primarily young, with a lot istration was behind them. of high school and college-age Kellyanne Conway, special groups.

It was something the adviser to Trump, and the first speakers took note of, saying on the speakers’ list to address this generation would not only the group – holding aloft plackeep the pro-life movement goards but none of the usual giant ing but bring about changes. banners, which were banned for Mary Ann Vann, a retiree who Pro-life advocates make their way toward the U.S. Supreme Court Jan. 27 during the annual March For security reasons – similarly got made the trip from Trussville, Life in Washington. (Photo credit: CNS/Leslie E. Kossoff) plenty of cheers when she said: Alabama, for her sixth march, “This is a new day, a new dawn Many of the march signs were said the most exciting thing for came with a busload of eighth- crowd enthusiastically applaudfor life.” pre-made placards with messaged Pence’s mention of Trump’s graders, also is involved with her each time she has taken part The scheduled presence of es such as “I am pro abundant support, only a few of his presipro-life work with the Knights is seeing the young people. the vice president, only anlife” or “Defund Planned Pardential campaign’s red “Make of Columbus at his parish.

Vann, a parishioner at Holy nounced the day before, reenthood” and “I am the pro-life America Great” hats were visIn Washington on his second Infant of Prague Parish in quired the rally perimeter to be generation.” ible. march, he said the experience Trussville, said she hoped the fenced in and the crowd to enThe city of Washington, fresh Some noted that the march ter through long lines that had energy at the march could be was “empowering.” from the inauguration crowd had a distinctly different tone Standing alongside Constichanneled into everyday supformed at security checks. Parand the women’s march held than the Women’s March on tution Avenue waiting for the port for the pro-life movement, ticipants seemed unfazed by the the next day, seemed prepared Washington six days before. march to begin, he said the something she is involved with required wait, taking it in stride for this march.

Two sisters who stood on the crowd, which was already filling on a regular basis with sidewalk with the day. Some pulled out On the Metro, when two oldtheir pre-packed lunches and counseling, volunteering at cri- the street to each side and be- sidelines with some of the few er women asked a young womhandmade signs at the march, hind him as far as the eye could sis pregnancy centers and helpstarted eating, others prayed the an for directions and pointed described themselves as femisee, reinforced his feeling that ing young mothers with basic rosary. These marchers are used to the group with signs that nists and said they found the “this is not just a day but a lifeneeds.

She also said she is disto plenty of hardships from they wanted to join, the woman pro-life march more positive long mission.” heartened by hearing those who weather conditions alone at the looked up from her phone and and less angry.

“You’re part of a pilgrimage. say pro-lifers are only concerned annual march. asked if there was a protest to“This is a message of love,” You take that experience home Jeanne Mancini, president of about babies because she and day. said Bridget Donofrio, from and you live it,” he added. her fellow volunteers not only March for Life, noted that the “It’s the March for Life,” one Most in the crowd wore Washington, holding aloft a group has been marching in all bring pregnant women to their woman said. A few seconds latposter-board sign with words matching hats to keep together doctor’s appointments but also types of bad weather over the er she added: “It’s not a protest; written with a black marker: and chaperones were frequently help pay their medical costs. years. She also pointed out that it’s more of a celebration.”

“Respect all women born and counting hats to be sure they Jim Klarsch, a member of St. amid recent discussion about Clement Parish in St. Louis, who were all together. Although the unborn.”

10

February 8, 2017

NATIONAL

OUR NORTHLAND DIOCESE

Spiritual, not monetary, success defines America, Trump says

By Mark Pattison Catholic News Service WASHINGTON – “Spiritual success” is a more accurate measure for the United States than wealth, according to likely billionaire President Donald Trump in remarks Feb. 2 at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington.

“America is a nation of believers,” Trump said. “In towns across the land, we see what we so easily forget: The quality of our lives is not defined by our material success but by our spiritual success. I speak that as someone who has had great material success and who knows many people who have had great material success. ...

Some of them are very miserable, miserable people.”

Compared to people who have money but no happiness, the people who have no money but happiness “are the successful people, let me tell you,”

U.S. President Donald Trump prays during the National Prayer Breakfast Feb. 2 in Washington.

(Photo credit: CNS/Carlos Barria, Reuters)

Trump said at the 65th annual breakfast, attended by 3,000 politicians, religious leaders and dignitaries, including King Abdullah of Jordan.

Trump spoke about having gone to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware the previous day for the return of the remains of William “Ryan” Owens, a Navy SEAL killed in a firefight with al-Qaida in Yemen. “Greater love has no man than that a man

lay down his life for his friends,” the president said. “We will never forget the men and women who wear the uniform, believe me.”

Freedom is not “a gift of government” but “a gift of God,” Trump added. “It was the great Thomas Jefferson who said that the God who gave us life gave us liberty.” But the nation’s 45th president questioned whether “the liberties of the nation will be secure if we remove the conviction that these liberties are the gift of God.” “That is why I will get rid of and totally destroy the Johnson Amendment, and allow our religious representatives to speak freely without fear and without retribution,” Trump said. The amendment, attached by thenSen. Lyndon Johnson to a 1954 bill, bans federally recognized nonprofits from making political endorsements. “Freedom of religion is a sacred right, but it is a right under threat all round

us,” said the president.

In his speech, Trump alluded to the executive memorandum he issued Jan. 27 that bans refugees hailing from seven majority-Muslim countries -- Syria, Iraq, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Yemen and Somalia -- for 90 days. His action suspends the entire U.S. refugee resettlement program for 120 days.

“Our nation has the most generous immigration system in the world. But there are those who would exploit that generosity,” he said.

“We want people to come into our nation but we want people to love us and to love our values, not to hate us and hate our values. We will be a safe country, we will be a free country, where people can practice their beliefs without fear of hostility and without fear of violence.”

Trump’s remarks at the National Prayer Breakfast lasted one minute longer than his 18-minute presidential inaugu-

ral speech.

“Five words that never fail to touch my heart,” Trump said at the breakfast, are “I am praying for you.” “I hear it so often” ‘I am praying for you, Mr. President.’”

He lauded the keynote address given by the Rev. Barry Black, a Seventh-day Adventist who is chaplain of the Senate.

The speech was so good, he told Rev. Black, “I’m going to appoint you for another year, the hell with it.” Chaplains are appointed by their respective house of Congress.

Trump also talked about how he “had to leave” his job hosting “The Celebrity Apprentice” after he announced his presidential bid. “They hired a big, big movie star, Arnold Schwarzenegger to take my place, and we know how that turned out: The ratings went right down the tubes, it was a disaster. Pray for Arnold, if we can, for those ratings.”

Catholic Community Foundation (CCF) Endowments and Memorials General Endowment

St. Joseph, Beaulieu.........................................5,168.24

Our Lady of the Pines, Nevis............................5,615.50

Reverend Eugene Connelly..............................5,086.87

Bishop Balke...................................................15,000.00

St. Philip, Bemidji............................................90,063.39

St. Michael, Northome.......................................1,200.50

Mrs. Gladys Burlingame....................................1,000.00

Bishop Corbett.................................................20,000.00

St. Joseph, Benwood...........................................626.00

Most Holy Redeemer, Ogema...........................4,933.10

St. John Vianney...............................................3,000.00

Bishop Glenn...................................................10,000.00

St. Frances, Big Elbow Lake.............................1,189.77

St. Francis Xavier, Oklee...................................5,440.56

Bernard & Frances Crummy..............................2,500.00

Bishop Peschges.............................................20,000.00

St. Ann, Blackduck............................................1,873.75

St. Joseph, Oslo...............................................6,308.00

Henry and Ida Ricard......................................25,000.00

Bishop Povish..................................................10,000.00

St. Joseph, Brooks............................................7,340.00

St. Peter, Park Rapids.....................................14,889.53

Mr. & Mrs. R.W. Maves.....................................3,400.00

Dorothy Howard................................................5,045.62

Assumption, Callaway.......................................4,949.25

St. Charles, Pennington.........................................57.50

Total................................................................205,489.21

Edward P. Herold.............................................25,000.00

Cathedral, Crookston......................................55,750.85

St. Theodore, Ponsford.....................................1,288.50

Newman Ministry

Frank A. & Mabel Mallinger.............................78,920.01

Holy Rosary, Detroit Lakes..............................67,943.50

St. Joseph, Red Lake Falls.............................29,292.92

John Newman.................................................29,132.92

George E. Nemzek........................................250,000.00

St. Elizabeth, Dilworth.......................................1,552.50

St. Mary’s Mission, Red Lake...........................5,024.25

Total..................................................................29,132.92

Gertrude Niehoff............................................ 27,533.04

Sacred Heart, East Grand Forks.....................71,209.00

Sacred Heart, Roseau.......................................6,816.37

Youth Ministry

John Kowalski...................................................6,217.69

St. Mary, Euclid.................................................6,431.25

St. Cecilia, Sabin...............................................7,140.00

St. John Bosco................................................11,308.00

Margaret Widman..............................................5,000.00

St. Philip, Falun....................................................434.25

St. Stephen, Stephen........................................5,372.92

Total..................................................................11,308.00

Msgr. John D. Stearns.....................................23,696.15

St. Joseph, Fertile.............................................4,507.50

Holy Trinity, Tabor..............................................6,218.85

Special Designation

Reverend Jeremiah Sullivan...........................18,380.92

St. Francis, Fisher.............................................2,591.25

St. Bernard, Thief River Falls..........................73,066.88

Joe and Olga Merkens....................................28,458.02

Reverend John Merth........................................5,854.33

Assumption, Florian..........................................9,188.19

St. William, Twin Valley......................................5,271.25

Sacred Heart, Frazee, Cath............................40,449.76

Reverend John O’Toole Memorial...................27,523.38

St. Mary, Fosston............................................10,417.50

St. Mary, Two Inlets...........................................3,952.75

KC Frazee Catholic Edu.................................24,500.00

Reverend Louis McMahan..............................10,000.00

Sacred Heart, Frazee......................................23,861.50

Sts. Peter & Paul, Warren...............................14,278.83

John J. Arouni Catholic Education................356,000.00

Thomas & Patricia Hilger............................... 59,510.04

St. Peter, Gentilly...............................................2,166.25

St. Mary, Warroad..............................................4,956.57

Total................................................................449,407.78

Veronica ‘Roni’ Stainbrook..............................10,025.00

St. John, Georgetown........................................4,602.50

St. Ann, Waubun...............................................5,831.55

St. Joseph, Moorhead

Total................................................................627,706.18

St. Ann, Goodridge............................................1,212.50

St. Benedict, White Earth..................................1,697.00

School Operations Endow.............................138,363.02

Catholic Education

Blessed Sacrament, Greenbush.......................6,159.25

St. Joseph, Williams.............................................900.00

Sr. Mary Ann Welsch Endow.........................126,969.00

God’s Green Acre.............................................1,326.77

St. Clement, Grygla...........................................3,526.25

Sacred Heart, Wilton.........................................4,703.77

Parish Operations Endowment.......................54,532.00

Hartmann & Reimann Families.........................4,000.00

St. Patrick, Hallock............................................2,066.25

Total................................................................870,037.98

School Scholarship Endowment.....................63,055.00

Julia B. Musil...................................................38,018.32

Holy Family, Halstad..........................................4,893.75

Priests’ Retirement

Setter School Scholarship.............................374,895.84

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton................................650,500.00

St. Andrew, Hawley..........................................16,013.75

Rev. Ed Nistler Endowment..................................505.00

J. & K. Altobell School Scholarship.................21,215.00

Total................................................................693,845.09

St. Edward, Karlstad.............................................295.00

Leo Osowski Endowment................................10,000.00

RE & Youth Ministry.........................................14,075.33

Faith For Tomorrow-Catholic Education

St. Patrick, Kelliher............................................2,908.75

Joe and Jenny Prosby.......................................5,000.00

M A Ellis Building Fund.................................100,000.00

Capital Campaign Proceeds......................2,278,478.94

St. Francis Xavier, Lake Park...........................3,286.75

Frank Reid Endowment...................................49,372.86

SSG Andrew P. Nelson Scholarship...............14,385.00

Elvern Vanyo...................................................20,969.22

Holy Rosary, Lancaster..........................................77.50

Bishop Schenk.................................................11,250.00

Sr. D. Charest Parish Nurse............................30,683.00

Total.............................................................2,303,264.12

St. Mary of the Lk, Lake Eunice Tns.................9,981.25

John Stoltman Endowment...............................5,000.00

Alice Bartels Teacher Salaries.......................115,400.00

Parish Catholic Education

St. Theodore, Laporte.......................................1,600.00

Total..................................................................81,127.86

Msgr. Michael Foltz School Schol...................13,110.00

St. Joseph, Ada.................................................6,075.82

St. Michael, Mahnomen...................................11,670.00

Continued Education of Priests

Msgr. Michael Foltz Child & Youth FF.............13,605.00

St. John the Baptist, Alma....................................399.34

St. Lawrence, Mentor......................................33,778.38

St. Stephen’s...................................................20,000.00

Total.............................................................1,080,288.19

St. Rose of Lima, Argyle....................................6,784.58

St. Joseph, Middle River...................................1,422.50

The Orville J. Woeste......................................11,605.00

St. Mary, Badger...............................................1,887.00

St. Francis, Moorhead.....................................35,006.35

Dorothy Howard Estate...................................14,184.16

St. Joseph, Bagley...........................................11,299.50

St. Joseph, Moorhead.....................................92,333.82

Andrew & Frances Ignaszewski Mm.................5,000.00

Assumption, Barnesville....................................5,252.50

St. Anne, Naytahwaush.....................................2,069.70

Eva Charest Memorial...................................110,713.18

Sacred Heart, Baudette...................................21,558.70

St. John, Nebish................................................2,355.25

Leon & Irene Pribula.........................................4,000.00

This endowment listing will be printed again on May 3, 2017.

Want to know more about endowments and memorials within the Catholic Community Foundation? Do you have questions about the endowments published above?

Contact Joe Noel, CCF Director, at 218-281-4533, ext. 453 (office) or 218-280-6858 (mobile). Joe may also be reached at: jnoel@crookston.org.

OUR NORTHLAND DIOCESE

NATIONAL

February 8, 2017

11

Trump’s action banning refugees brings outcry from U.S. church leaders

By Catholic News Service WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump’s executive memorandum intended to restrict the entry of terrorists coming to the United States brought an outcry from Catholic leaders across the U.S. Church leaders used phrases such as “devastating,” “chaotic” and “cruel” to describe the Jan. 27 action that left already-approved refugees and immigrants stranded at U.S. airports and led the Department of Homeland Security to rule that green card holders – lawful permanent U.S. residents – be allowed into the country.

The leadership of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops late Jan. 30 praised fellow prelates for “their witness” in speaking out against Trump’s actions and “in defense of God’s people,” and called on “all the Catholic faithful to join us as we unite our voices with all who speak in defense of human dignity.

“The bond between Christians and Muslims is founded on the unbreakable strength of charity and justice,” said Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo of Galveston-Houston, USCCB president, and Archbishop Jose H. Gomez of Los Angeles, USCCB vice president, in a joint statement.

“The church will not waiver in her defense of our sisters and brothers of all faiths who suffer at the hands of merciless persecutors,” they said.

“The refugees fleeing from ISIS (Islamic State) and other extremists are sacrificing all they have in the name of peace and freedom,” they said. “Often, they could be spared if only they surrendered to the violent vision of their tormentors.

They stand firm in their faith.”

Like all families, refugees “are seeking safety and security for their children,” they said. The U.S. “should welcome them as allies in a common fight against evil” and also “must screen vigilantly for infiltrators who would do us harm.” But the country “must always be equally vigilant in our welcome of friends,” the prelates said.

“Our desire is not to enter the political arena, but rather to proclaim Christ alive in the world today. In the very moment a family abandons their home under threat of death, Jesus is present,” Cardinal DiNardo and Archbishop Gomez said.

In Chicago, Cardinal Blase J.

A young girl dances with an American flag at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport in Dallas Jan. 29 as women pray during a protest against a travel ban imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump’s executive action. (Photo credit: CNS/Laura Beckman, Reuters)

Cupich said in a Jan. 29 statement that the past weekend “proved to be a dark moment in U.S. history.”

“The executive order to turn away refugees and to close our nation to those, particularly Muslims, fleeing violence, oppression and persecution is contrary to both Catholic and American values,” he said.

“Have we not repeated the disastrous decisions of those in the past who turned away other people fleeing violence, leaving certain ethnicities and religions marginalized and excluded? We Catholics know that history well, for, like others, we have been on the other side of such decisions.

“Their design and implementation have been rushed, chaotic, cruel and oblivious to the realities that will produce enduring security for the United States,” Cardinal Cupich said.

“They have left people holding valid visas and other proper documents detained in our airports, sent back to the places some were fleeing or not allowed to board planes headed here. Only at the 11th hour did a federal judge intervene to suspend this unjust action.”

“The Protection of the Nation From Foreign Terrorist Entry Into the United States,” which suspends the entire U.S. refugee resettlement program for 120 days, bans entry from all citizens of seven majorityMuslim countries -- Syria, Iraq,

Iran, Sudan, Libya, Yemen and Somalia -- for 90 days. It also establishes religious criteria for refugees, proposing to give priority to religious minorities over others who may have equally compelling refugee claims.

“We are told this is not the ‘Muslim ban’ that had been proposed during the presidential campaign, but these actions focus on Muslim-majority countries,” said Cardinal Cupich.

“Ironically, this ban does not include the home country of 15 of the 19 Sept. 11 hijackers. Yet, people from Iraq, even those who assisted our military in a destructive war, are excluded.”

The cardinal quoted Pope Francis’ remarks to Congress in 2015: “If we want security, let us give security; if we want life, let us give life; if we want opportunities, let us provide opportunities.”

He said Pope Francis “followed with a warning that should haunt us as we come to terms with the events of the weekend: ‘The yardstick we use for others will be the yardstick which time will use for us.’”

Bishop Robert W. McElroy of San Diego said the executive action was “the introduction into law of campaign sloganeering rooted in xenophobia and religious prejudice. Its devastating consequences are already apparent for those suffering most in our world, for our standing among nations, and for the imperative of rebuilding unity

within our country rather than tearing us further apart.”

“This week the Statue of Liberty lowered its torch in a presidential action which repudiates our national heritage and ignores the reality that Our Lord and the Holy Family were themselves Middle Eastern refugees fleeing government oppression.

We cannot and will not stand silent,” he said in a statement Jan. 29.

Shortly after Trump signed the document at the Pentagon’s Hall of Heroes, Bishop Joe S. Vasquez of Austin, Texas, chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on Migration, said the bishops “strongly disagree” with the action to halt refugee resettlement.

“We believe that now more than ever, welcoming newcomers and refugees is an act of love and hope,” Bishop Vasquez said.

The USCCB runs the largest refugee resettlement program in the United States, and Bishop Vasquez said the church would continue to engage the administration, as it had with administrations for 40 years.

“We will work vigorously to ensure that refugees are humanely welcomed in collaboration with Catholic Charities without sacrificing our security or our core values as Americans, and to ensure that families may be reunified with their loved ones,” he said.

He also reiterated the bish-

ops’ commitment to protect the most vulnerable, regardless of religion. All “are children of God and are entitled to be treated with human dignity. We believe that by helping to resettle the most vulnerable, we are living out our Christian faith as Jesus has challenged us to do.”

Cardinal Donald W. Wuerl of Washington called attention to the USCCB statement and the executive action and noted that “the legal situation is still fluid and news reports are sometimes confusing.”

“The political debate, which is complex and emotionally highly charged, will continue, but we must do our best to remain focused on the pastoral and very real work we undertake every day for the vulnerable and most in need ... for the strangers at our doors,” he said.

Around the country, people gathered at airports to express solidarity with immigrants and green card holders denied admission, including an Iraqi who had helped the 101st Airborne during the Iraqi war. More than 550 people gathered at Lafayette Park across from the White House Jan. 29 to celebrate Mass in solidarity with refugees.

In a letter to the president and members of Congress, more than 2,000 religious leaders representing the Interfaith Immigration Coalition objected to the action.

In a separate statement, Jesuit Refugee Services-USA said the provisions of the executive action “violate Catholic social teaching that calls us to welcome the stranger and treat others with the compassion and solidarity that we would wish for ourselves.”

Sean Callahan, president and CEO of Catholic Relief Services, said: “Welcoming those in need is part of America’s DNA. “Denying entry to people desperate enough to leave their homes, cross oceans in tiny boats, and abandon all their worldly possessions just to find safety will not make our nation safer. The United States is already using a thorough vetting process for refugees -- especially for those from Syria and surrounding countries. CRS welcomes measures that will make our country safer, but they shouldn’t jeopardize the safety of those fleeing violence; should not add appreciable delay nor entail unjust discrimination, “ he said.

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Christian unity requires learning from each other, pope says

By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service VATICAN CITY – Divided Christians need to recognize the gifts God has given to other communities and learn from them “without waiting for the others to learn first,” Pope Francis said.

Leading an ecumenical evening prayer service Jan. 25 for the close of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, Pope Francis said Christians must overcome the “temptations of selfabsorption that prevent us from perceiving how the Holy Spirit is at work outside our familiar surroundings,” including in the lives of other Christian communities.

The Vatican’s Sistine Chapel Choir and the Anglican Westminster Abbey Choir sang at the service at Rome’s Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls.

Pope Francis walked to the tomb of St. Paul, under the basilica’s main altar, and prayed there with Orthodox Metropolitan Gennadios of Italy, the representative of the Ecumenical

Pope Francis stands with Orthodox Metropolitan Gennadios of Italy and Malta and Anglican Archbishop David Moxon, the archbishop of Canterbury’s representative to the Vatican, during an ecumenical evening prayer service to conclude the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity at the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls in Rome Jan. 25. (Photo credit: CNS/Paul Haring)

Patriarchate of Constantinople, and with Anglican Archbishop David Moxon, the representative of the archbishop of Canterbury.

At the end of the service, the two took turns with Pope Fran-

cis in reading segments of the solemn blessing and in blessing the congregation with the sign of the cross.

In his homily, Pope Francis said St. Paul, who was persecuting the Christians, went from

being a person who trusted “his own ability to observe the law strictly” to conversion and “cleaving with his whole being to the gracious and unmerited love of God: to Jesus Christ, crucified and risen.”

In the year marking the fifth centenary of the Protestant Reformation, Pope Francis said Christians must acknowledge the past but not allow themselves to be fixated on it and on the injuries suffered at the hands of the other.

Praying for Christian unity, the pope said, is sharing in Jesus’ own prayer for the unity of his disciples.

Echoing a call he made during major ecumenical meetings in 2016 with Lutheran and with Anglican leaders, Pope Francis prayed that Christians would “take advantage of every occasion that providence offers us to pray together, to proclaim together and together to love and serve, especially those who are the most poor and neglected in our midst.”

Speaking at the end of the service, Cardinal Kurt Koch, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, said, “We must commit ourselves to promoting reconciliation among Christians, and we must let ourselves be compelled by the love of Christ.

Moral radar: Papal media messages can cut through ‘post-truth’ fog

By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service VATICAN CITY – With “posttruth” being crowned “Word of the Year” by Oxford Dictionaries, Pope Francis’ urgent call to communicate trust and hope could not have come at a better time.

Helping people see the world with “realism and trust” must be encouraged as well as fostering encounter, not exclusion, through constructive dialogue, the pope said in his World Communications Day message this year.

A post-truth culture in which objective facts and objective, divinely inspired moral principles no longer have any place or pull in people’s lives is not to be taken lightly, said Bishop Paul Tighe, adjunct secretary of the Pontifical Council for Culture.

“One of the real risks at the moment is that if we become totally skeptical about all the (sources) of information, it will lead to a breakdown of the kind of trust that is necessary for society and indeed our own human lives to flourish,” he told Catholic News Service Jan. 24, the day the pope’s message was released to the public.

People need “good, reliable,

trustworthy information” if they are going to make “responsible and dependable decisions in areas of politics, economics, health care” and other key concerns, he said.

The presence and primacy of truth and the dangers of relativism were a major hallmark of Pope Benedict XVI’s pontificate. He spoke of its impact on the media in his World Communications’ Day message in 2008 and even in his encyclical “Charity in Truth” in 2009. In his 2008 message, he called for a code of ethics for the communication industry.

It is “absurd to maintain that (mass media) are neutral,” he wrote in 2009, noting media are often under pressure to serve “economic interests intent on dominating the market” and to “impose cultural models that serve ideological and political agendas.”

Pope Benedict drilled down on the dangers foreseen by his predecessors, particularly St. John Paul II and Blessed Paul VI, who established the World Communications Day tradition in 1967.

While early papal messages dedicated to television, video and audio cassettes and cinema may seem antiquated, all

51 messages have the same underlying purpose: to bring attention to the potential dangers and damage caused by swift technological changes in media communications and to best ways the new tools can promote truth, hope, joy and human life and dignity.

Blessed Paul summed up the importance of truth in his communications message in 1972 – just a few months before the Watergate scandal began, leading to discoveries of government abuses of power and the 1974 resignation of then-President Richard M. Nixon.

“The truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth” can be “safely transmitted” when the one providing the information and the one receiving it are both diligent and sincere, Blessed Paul said.

In this early communications’ day message, Blessed Paul, in essence, answers Pope Benedict’s wish for an info-ethics guide by saying: – Giving information is much more than observing and reporting an incident. The reporter describes the context, searches for the causes, examines the surrounding circumstances, and tries to assess the possible effects.

– Reporting work can be compared to scientific research, since it demands observing the facts carefully, checking for accuracy, critically evaluating the sources of the information, and finally, passing on the findings in a way that “nothing essential is overlooked or suppressed.”

– Similar respect for and diligence in seeking the truth is necessary for those receiving information.

– People should pursue the search for truth “actively and responsibly” in order to avoid a “passive and uncritical acceptance of whatever happens to be offered” by the media.

– It would be an affront to one’s own personal dignity if people, especially Christians, ever relinquished their right to contribute to the search for truth, which is “not only of abstract and philosophical truth, but also of the workaday truth of concrete daily happenings.”

– Let people “meet the assault of the mass media” with an awareness of their own human dignity, intelligence, and gift of “an independent personal judgment with the capacity to make its own decisions” and freely choose from the many opinions.

– Religion coverage demands understanding events beyond

“merely human implications,” but also the spiritual context, the “religious truth of particular happenings” and the “whole divine plan to which they must be related.”

– Reporting on religion “requires something beyond mere professional competence. It requires the illumination of faith” in order to offer fuller understanding.

– Fiction and entertainment provide relaxation but “it surely would be an unhealthy thing if the listener, or reader, or viewer, were to allow his critical faculty to be lulled to sleep. The truth remains a vitally important thing even in a recreational context, and he must remain sufficiently alert to recognize any deviation from the truth in what he reads, hears or sees.”

– Artistic freedom and fanciful creations are not expected to “portray concrete reality,” but they must not deny reality.

“Even they have an obligation of fidelity to the truth and to the values inseparable from it.”

– True art helps people search for and stick to the truth, and never exploits – “for quick profits or other unworthy ends – either the ignorance or the human weaknesses of audiences.”

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Never underestimate the courage and wisdom of women, pope says

By Junno Arocho Esteves Catholic News Service VATICAN CITY – The humble counsel of courageous women should never be disregarded but rather embraced as advice full of God’s divine wisdom, Pope Francis said.

Women like the biblical heroine Judith are an example of trusting God amid sufferings and difficulties when it is easy to give up hope and fall into despair, the pope said Jan. 25 during his weekly general audience.

“This is my opinion, but women are more courageous than men,” the pope said to applause.

As the pope arrived for the audience, the sounds of classical music echoed throughout the Paul VI audience hall as a youth orchestra from Bolivia played for the pope.

The Anglican choir of London’s Westminster Abbey and former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger also were present and greeted the pope at the end of the audience.

Schwarzenegger was in Rome to promote a group he founded in 2010 to help local governments develop environmentally friendly economic development projects.

“It was my great honor to meet His Holiness,” Schwarzenegger tweeted after the audience. “I am a huge fan,” he messaged, saying the pope is “a true leader for the church and a steward for all of God’s creatures.”

“His environmental work inspires me and I look forward to working together for a clean energy future,” a second Tweet said.

Pope Francis focused his audience talk on Judith, “a woman of great beauty and wisdom,” who reproached the people of Israel for their lack of trust in God to deliver them from foreign invaders.

“They were at the point of saying, ‘God has sold us,’” the pope said. “How many times have we come to situations that test our limits where we are not even able to trust in the Lord? It is an ugly temptation.”

Facing a situation full of despair, the pope continued, the people gave God five days to intervene. However, even in prayer they doubted that the Lord would help them.

“Five days are given to God to intervene – this is the sin! Five days of waiting but already expecting the end. In reality, no one among the people is capable of hoping,” he said.

Pope Francis said that in the moment of despair, Judith confronts the people’s doubts with

Pope Francis touches a boy’s chin as he greets the disabled during his general audience in Paul VI hall at the Vatican Jan. 25. (Photo credit: CNS/ Paul Haring)

the “courageous language” of faith and hope.

Her courage, he explained, is a reminder for Christians “to knock on the door of God’s heart; he is a father, he can save us. This widow risks (everything), even of making herself look like a fool in front of the others. But she is courageous, she goes forward.”

Christians must “never put conditions on God,” the pope said. Instead, they should allow “hope to conquer our fears.”

“To trust God means entering into his plans without assuming anything” and to believe that “he knows better than us,” the pope said.

The story of Judith exemplifies the importance of the “courageous counsel” of humble women, Pope Francis said. Their words, he added, contain “the wisdom of God” and should never be “dismissed as ignorant.”

“The words of grandmothers – how many times do grandmothers know the right word to say,” the pope said. “They give words of hope because they have the experience of life, they have suffered so much, they trusted in God and the Lord gave them this gift of giving us hopeful advice.”

Jesus sought people, not popularity, pope says

By Junno Arocho Esteves Catholic News Service VATICAN CITY – Jesus did not come into the world seeking popularity, but rather to be close to those in need, Pope Francis said.

The large crowds that would gather around Jesus wherever he went “had their eyes fixed on him and he had his eyes fixed on the people,” the pope said Jan. 31 during Mass in the chapel of Domus Sanctae Mar-

thae.

“This is the peculiarity of Jesus’ gaze: Jesus does not depersonalize the people; he looks at each one” individually, he said.

The pope reflected on the day’s Gospel reading from St. Mark, which recalled the great crowds that would follow Jesus seeking healing.

Jesus, he noted, “is always in the midst of the people. He is not with guards who escort him so that the people will not touch him. No, no! He re-

mained there and the people pressed in.”

Jesus’ gaze focuses on real people and the reality of their lives, “from the greatest to the smallest” things in their hearts, the pope said. “He looks at our great problems, our great joys, and he also looks at our little things because he is close. Jesus isn’t afraid of the big things, but he also considers the small things.

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Loss of hope, memory makes ‘cowardly’ Christians, pope says

By Junno Arocho Esteves Catholic News Service VATICAN CITY – Christians who do not remember the graces they received by God in the past can lose hope, turning into cowards who buckle in difficult times, Pope Francis said.

A Christian who doesn’t remember the past and hope for the future is a person who “walks down the street and – when an unexpected rain falls – is wearing clothes of bad quality that shrink,” the pope said Jan. 27 during his Mass at the Domus Sanctae Marthae.

“Shrunken souls: This is cowardice. This is the sin against memory, courage, patience and hope,” he said.

The pope reflected on the day’s reading from the Letter to the Hebrews (10: 32-39), which called on Christians to “remember the days past when, after you had been enlightened, you endured a great contest of suffering.”

Christian life and even one’s daily spiritual life, the pope said, can’t be understood without “the memory of God’s salvation in my life, the memory of woes in my life.”

“Memory is a grace, a grace to ask for,” he said. “’Lord, may I not forget your steps in my life, may I not forget the good times, even the bad times, the joys and the crosses.’ The Christian is a person of memory.”

Looking to the future “with the hope of an encounter with the Lord” is also necessary for living a Christian life, he said.

The day’s reading, he said, also reminds Christians to live in the present with “courage and patience,” especially in times of suffering and sin.

“We are all sinners,” he said.

“But let us not remain there, stopped, because this does not help us to grow.”

Pope Francis warned that not having memory of the past, hope for the future and patience for the present is the “cowardly” sin of those who “always walk backward, who care for themselves too much, who are afraid of everything.”

“May the Lord help us grow in memory, may he make us grow in hope, may he give us courage and patience every day and may he free us from those things that are cowardly,” the pope prayed.

Pope: A church without martyrs is like a church without Jesus

By Carol Glatz Catholic News Service VATICAN CITY – Martyrs and Christians who endure persecution for their faith are the church’s great glory, strength and hope, and they humble those who have so much yet still complain, Pope Francis said.

The heart of the church is made up of “those who suffered and gave their life like Jesus,” who were “stoned, tortured and killed by the sword” in order to remain faithful to Christ, the pope said Jan. 30 during Mass in the chapel of Domus Sanctae Marthae.

“A church without martyrs, dare I say, is a church without Jesus,” he added.

In his homily, the pope focused on the day’s first reading, from the Letter to the Hebrews (11:32-40), which underlines that faith means trusting in God no matter what happens, even if it brings great personal suffering, hardship and death.

While big church events that draw a lot of people and are a

big success are “beautiful” and powerful, “the greatest strength of the church today is in the small churches, really small, with a few people, persecuted, with their bishop in prison,” he said. “This is our glory and strength today.”

There are more Christian martyrs today than in the first centuries of the church, but “the mass media doesn’t say so because it isn’t newsworthy,” he said.

Their witness “is the glory of the church and our support and also our humiliation – we who have everything, everything seems easy for us and if we lack something, we complain,” the pope said.

“They are our hope,” he added, saying the blood of martyrs is the seed for future Christians.

He asked that everyone reflect on and pray for the many people who suffer martyrdom for their faith and lack the freedom of worship, and he thanked God for being present and giving them the strength to be faithful.

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Dream, prophesy, don’t focus just on survival, pope tells religious

By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service VATICAN CITY – When religious orders focus on survival rather than on sharing the joy and hope of faith in Jesus, they end up being “professionals of the sacred, but not fathers and mothers,” Pope Francis said.

“The temptation of survival turns what the Lord presents as an opportunity for mission into something dangerous, threatening, potentially disastrous,” the pope told consecrated men and women who joined him Feb. 2 for Mass on the feast of the Presentation of the Lord and the World Day for Consecrated Life.

Speaking as a fellow member of a religious order, Pope Francis urged religious to keep alive the faith, hope and audacity of the men and women who founded the orders to which they belong.

“We are heirs to those who have gone before us and had the courage to dream,” he said during the Mass, which began with the blessing of candles celebrating the presentation of Christ as the light of the world.

The feast day Gospel reading from St. Luke tells the story of

Religious hold candles as Pope Francis celebrates Mass marking the feast of the Presentation of the Lord in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican Feb. 2. The Mass also marked the World Day for Consecrated Life. (Photo credit: CNS/Paul Haring)

Mary and Joseph bringing the newborn Jesus to the temple in fulfillment of the law. The elderly and pious Simeon and Anna are in the temple and rejoice when they see Jesus, recognizing him as the Messiah.

Simeon and Anna, the pope said, testified that “life is worth living in hope because the Lord

keeps his promise.”

The pope said religious have inherited Simeon and Anna’s hymn of hope from their founders and elders, who “had the courage to dream.”

Hope in the Lord and the prophetic announcement of his presence “will protect us from a temptation that can make

our consecrated life barren: the temptation of survival” and of preserving institutions above all else, said the pope, a member of the Jesuit order.

“The mentality of survival makes us reactionaries, fearful, slowly and silently shutting ourselves up in our houses and in our own preconceived notions,”

he said. “It makes us look back to the glory days – days that are past – and rather than rekindling the prophetic creativity born of our founders’ dreams, it looks for shortcuts in order to evade the challenges knocking on our doors today.

“A survival mentality robs our charisms of power, because it leads us to ‘domesticate’ them, to make them ‘user-friendly,’ robbing them of their original creative force,” Pope Francis continued. “It makes us want to protect spaces, buildings and structures, rather than to encourage new initiatives.”

The temptation of survival, he said, “turns us into professionals of the sacred but not fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters of that hope to which we are called to bear prophetic witness.”

Like Mary and Joseph, religious are called to bring Jesus into the midst of his people, the pope said. “Only this will make our lives fruitful and keep our hearts alive.”

All Christians, but especially those consecrated with the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, are called to be the leaven of the Gospel in the world, he said.

Pope: Like expectant moms, live in joyful expectation of embracing God

By Carol Glatz Catholic News Service VATICAN CITY – Christian hope isn’t about believing in something that may or may not come true, like hoping tomorrow’s weather will be pleasant, Pope Francis said.

“Christian hope is the expectation of something that already has been fulfilled and that certainly will be attained for each one of us,” that is, knowing Christ died and is truly risen so that all of humanity may gain salvation and live together with God, the pope said Feb. 1 during his weekly general audience.

Continuing a series of talks on Christian hope, the pope looked at St. Paul’s First Letter to the Thessalonians (5:411) and what it teaches about the Christian belief in life after death.

The early Christian community at Thessaloniki was firm in its belief in Christ’s resurrection, but trusting in one’s own resurrection and the resurrection of loved ones was a bit harder to grasp, the pope said.

Pope Francis gestures as he leads his general audience in Paul VI hall at the Vatican Feb. 1. (Photo credit: CNS/Paul Haring)

Such doubts and uncertainty still exist today as “we all are a little afraid of dying,” he told those gathered in the Paul VI audience hall.

St. Paul, he said, writes words of encouragement, telling Christians to arm themselves against the onslaught of doubt and difficulties by “putting on the breastplate of faith and love and the helmet that is hope for

salvation.”

This kind of hope, the pope said, has nothing to do with wishing for “something nice,” something “that may or may not happen.”

Christian hope isn’t like that, he said. It is belief in “a sure reality” because it is rooted in the real event of Christ’s resurrection and his promise of eternal life with him.

It’s knowing and seeing that “there is a door over there,” he said, pointing to the entryway into the Paul VI audience hall.

“There is a door. I hope to get to the door. What do I have to do? Walk toward the door. I am sure I will make it to the door.

That is what Christian hope is like. Being certain that I am walking” with that destination, he said.

Christian hope is living like an expectant mother, the pope said.

“When a woman realizes she is pregnant, she learns to live each day in expectation of seeing her child’s gaze,” he said.

Everyone needs to learn to live each day with this same joyful anticipation – “to live in expectation of gazing at the Lord, of finding the Lord,” he said.

The pope asked everyone to repeat aloud with him St. Paul’s words (1 Thes 4:17) as a way to find peace and consolation, knowing that one day the faithful will be united with God and their loved ones: “Thus we shall always be with the Lord.”

At the end of his main au-

dience talk, the pope greeted members of the Global Catholic Climate Movement, which seeks to act upon the pope’s encyclical “Laudato Si’” and address climate change.

He thanked them for their dedication to “taking care of our common home during this time of serious social-environmental crisis.”

He encouraged them to continue to expand and strengthen their networks “so that local churches may respond with determination to the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor.”

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Culture alone cannot be blamed for drop in vocations, pope says

By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service VATICAN CITY – While there is a need to evangelize a culture that tells young people money equals success and commitments aren’t forever, stopping the “hemorrhage” of people leaving religious orders also requires changes from the orders themselves, Pope Francis said.

“Alongside much holiness – there is much holiness in consecrated life – there also are situations of counter-witness that make fidelity difficult,” the pope said Jan. 28 during a meeting with members of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life and representatives of religious orders.

The congregation was holding a plenary meeting focused on “fidelity and abandonment,” examining the factors that contribute to a lifelong commitment to religious vows or to leaving consecrated life.

According to the Vatican’s Central Statistics Office, from the end of 2004 to the end of 2014, the number of religiousorder priests in the world declined by more than 2,500 to just under 135,000; the number of religious brothers dropped by 471 to just over 54,500; and the number of women religious fell by almost 85,000 – 11 percent – to about 683,000 religious.

Pope Francis, himself a Jesuit, said that in some cases it becomes clear over time that a person never truly had a vocation to religious life and it is right for that person to follow God’s call elsewhere. But many other factors can influence a decision to leave, he said, including situations within an order or community.

“Such situations are, among others: routine, tiredness, the burden of running institutions, internal divisions, the search for

Pope Francis greets Brazilian Cardinal Joao Braz de Aviz, prefect of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, during a meeting with members of the congregation at the Vatican Jan. 28. The pope said that stopping the “hemorrhage” of people leaving religious orders also requires changes from the orders themselves. (Photo credit: CNS/L’Osservatore Romano, handout)

power – ‘climbers’ – a worldly way of governing the institute, a service of authority that sometimes becomes either authoritarianism or a ‘live and let live’” attitude.

Pope Francis told the group that obviously it is more difficult for young people to make a lifelong commitment to a vocation when they are living in a culture where everything is provisional or temporary, where people are encouraged to pursue their dreams but leave a “door open” in case it does not work out and where “self-realization” is measured by money and power, not by fidelity to the Gospel and Gospel values.

Still, he said, the world of young people is “rich and chal-

lenging – not negative, but complex.”

“We are not lacking young people who are very generous, who act in solidarity and are involved on a religious and social level, young people who seek a real spiritual life, young people who hunger for something different than what the world offers,” he said. “There are marvelous young people and there are many.”

But the young also include “many victims of the logic of worldliness, which can be summarized this way: searching for success at any cost, for easy money and easy pleasure,” Pope Francis said.

The response of the church must be to reach out and “to

infect them with the joy of the Gospel and of belonging to Christ.”

The only way to attract young people to religious life and to help members stay, he said, is to “show the beauty of following Christ and radiate hope and joy.”

“When hope diminishes and there is no joy,” he said, “it’s an ugly thing.”

The community life of religious orders is essential, he said, and it must be nourished with community prayer, celebration of the Mass, reception of the sacrament of reconciliation, sincere dialogue among members, “fraternal correction, mercy toward the brother or sister who sins,” and shared responsibility.

Perseverance in religious life, as with any vocation, requires the encouragement and support of others, the pope said, “because when a brother or sister does not find support within the community, he or she will seek it elsewhere.”

“Many times great infidelities begin with little deviations or distractions,” he said. “In this case, it is important to make St. Paul’s exhortation our own: ‘Awake, o sleeper!’”

If a vocation is a “treasure,” Pope Francis said, then it must be handled with care, cultivated with prayer and strengthened with “a good theological and spiritual formation that defends it from the culture of the ephemeral and allows it to progress solid in the faith.”

Religious orders must make a commitment to training at least some of their members in the art of “accompaniment” and spiritual direction, he said.

“We can never insist enough on this need,” he said. “It is difficult to remain faithful walking alone or walking with the guidance of brothers and sisters who are not capable of attentive and patient listening or who have not had adequate experience in religious life.”

“All of us who are consecrated, whether young or not so young, need help appropriate to the human, spiritual and vocational moment we are living,” he said.

A spiritual director or guide “must not create dependency,” control or treat the other as a child, he said, but must help the person “discover the will of God and seek in everything to do that which is most pleasing to the Lord.”

Discernment, he said, “does not only mean choosing between good and evil, but between good and better, between what is good and what leads to identification with Christ.”

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