4 - The Courier, April 2013
LIFE
Pope Francis: Defender of Marriage & Family
The Office of Life Peter Martin, STL Director pmartin@dow. org
When the bishops of our region met with Pope Emeritus Benedict a year ago I remember reading his address to them and thinking “my goodness, he must read the Star Tribune! He knows exactly what we are struggling with here in Minnesota regarding the attempt to redefine the sacred institution of Marriage.” Now a year later, the Holy Spirit has chosen for us another good and wise Shepherd who also knows exactly what we are going through (both as a State and as a Nation whose Supreme Court has begun to take up the issue of same-sex “marriage”). Pope Francis knows very well what this struggle entails by virtue of the fact that he experienced it first-hand. In 2010 Argentina passed legislation to redefine marriage as a genderless institution despite strong opposition led by Archbishop Bergoglio (now Pope Francis). Why is the Church so “hung up” on the marriage issue? Let me close with our Holy Father’s own words: “At stake is the identity and survival of the family: father and mother and children. At stake are the lives of many children who will be discriminated against in advance, and deprived of their human development given by a father and a mother and willed by God. At stake is the total rejection of God’s law engraved in our hearts.” “Let us not be naïve: this is not simply a political struggle, but it is an attempt to destroy God’s plan. It is not just a bill (a mere instrument) but a ‘move’ of the father of lies who seeks to confuse and Pope Francs stops to kiss a baby during the procession of his Inauguration Mass. deceive the children of God.” Please pray for our Pope, our Nation and for marriage, the bedrock of our society.
The Dignity of the Human Person and POLST
The Bishops of Minnesota have recently written “Stewards of the Gift of Life,” a pastoral statement that has great significance for those nearing the end of life. This document cautions the faithful of a new form that many hospitals, long-term care facilities and healthcare systems are using: Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining treatment (POLST). POLST is preferred in healthcare facilities because it streamlines the difficult and often time-consuming process of making end of life decisions. It does this by way of a form that defines the desired actions to be taken (or not) at the end of life. The bishops wish to advise, however, that the decision-making process cannot be completed when the circumstances are unknown. A particu…the moral lar medidecision making cal intervention process cannot could be be determined unethical ahead of time or morally due to the simple obligatory dependfact that the ing on the future cannot be c i r c u m stances. known! In other words, the moral decision making process cannot be determined ahead of time due to the simple fact that the future cannot be known! So, what alternative does someone have if they are presented with a POLST form? Another form exists called a Catholic Advanced Directive with durable power of attorney. This allows a person to make their desires known (to the extent that this is
possible without knowing the future) and to select a trusted individual to speak on their behalf if they are unable to do so. The Minnesota Catholic Conference has prepared a Minnesota Catholic Health Care Directive that meets our state’s legal requirements and reflects our Catholic teaching. Additionally, they have a Health Care Directive Guide that answers basic questions about law, Church teaching, and completing a health care directive. View more: http://www.mncc.org/resources/mncatholic-healthcare-directive-2/
Obituaries
Sr. M. Helene Schmitz Jan. 24, 1920 — Feb. 22, 2013.
S i s t e r M. Helene S c h m i t z , SSND, 93 died February 22, 2013, at Good Counsel, Mankato. Her funeral Mass was held February 27 at Good Counsel. Sister Helene (Florence Schmitz) was born in 1920 near Raymond, IA, to Leo and Martha (Tegeler) Schmitz. She entered the School Sisters of Notre Dame in 1936 and professed first vows in 1940. In her SSND ministry she served
first as an upper grade teacher in several Catholic schools in Minnesota and South Dakota, then as teacher of Religious Education in various catechetical programs, including Fitzgerald Catechetical School, LaCrescent (1965-70); St. Ann, Janesville (1973-76) and St. John Catechetical School, Minnesota Lake (1976-85). She also worked as a parish pastoral minster, especially to the elderly at SS. Peter & Paul, Mankato (198590). She is survived by her sister, Sister Dolores Schmitz, SSND, Mankato, and was preceded in death by her parents, nine brothers and two sisters.