February 2000

Page 1


Our Journey In FAITH

Weare people who belong Rev. Fr. Charles E Irvin Editor in Chltf

n FAITH we are following along in the way, in the truth, and in the life of jesus of Nazareth. In our first issue we began with His birth. Now, by following His lifes journey, we enter into the world of relationships with others. Belonging and not belonging are perhaps the two greatest issues we face as creatures made in the¡image and likeness of God. For God Himself is ~Persons in Belonging." The Holy Trinity becomes the persons they are in their belonging each to the other. The God we know in jesus is a community. God is family, interdependence, persons in commitment, persons who find themselves in self-donating love for the others in the Trinity of their being. That reality is impressed into those elements that cause us to be who we are. Our deepest urges originate in those elements. Other great world religions see God differently than we do. We see God injesus of Nazareth who became, as a result of His self-donating love for us, the Anointed One, the Christ of Risen Glory. Furthermore, we see God as jesus revealed Him- as "Abba," "Papa". In other words, we fmd God in familial intimacy. That is precisely where we first learned to find our very own innerselves- in familial intimacy. It takes a family to individuate a person. It is in a family that we journey into the exploration and development of our self-identity. It is there that we first come to discover ourselves, our character, our uniqueness, and our individuality. Paradoxically, we are individuated in belonging. After all, to "discover" means that we must strip away our own preconceptions. our own ¡individual perceptions, and see things as others see them. Many try to find themselves only in themselves. Many attempt to be self-defined, self-actuated, self-contained, etc. All such attempts end in emotional, psychological and spiritual dysfunctional failure. Why? Because all of these modem day "virtues" end up in barren selfcenteredness. WISdom teaches us the truth that we are made to belong. We are not made to be simply by our own selves, sufficient unto ourselves. Self-sufficiency is a delusion. We are completed and "filleo to the full~ only in belonging. Even the interconnectedness of all material things is yet another epiphany of the truth that God exists in interconnectedness. Therefore, aU that springs from His creative love bears the stamp of His own being. As St. Paul reminds us, faith gives us that vision. It "proves the existence of the realities that at present are unseen" (Hebrews 11: 1). Human relationships can, therefore, be sacramental - icons - those external realities that bring.. us into the presence of God. And this is what our magazine, a magazine simply called FAITH, is all about.


co e ts

Features

The New Face of Race the millennium watch Ronald Landfair

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Cover Story Kate didn't get what she wanted. She got something better. William J. Koshelnyk

12

Your Guide To Relationships Photo essay Kathy Funk Fr. Larry Delaney Dr. Cathleen McGreal

16 17 17 19

Cultur e

Popcom Ideas for you and someone you Jove. See what pops up. Evelyn Barella

20

Contributors

In The Know Witlt Fr. joe Fr. Joseph Krupp

6

From Tltc Bishop Bishop cart Mengellng

10

Tlte Last Word ... Bishop Kenneth Povlsh Departments community local news the wortd

27

22

24 26


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Send your letters to:

'"' -

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Editor

FAITH Magazine 3 00 W. Otlawa Lansing. Ml 48933

Most Reverend Carl F. Mengeling

orvlaa·mall frclrvln@rc.nel

PUIUSHEJI

Rev. Fr. Charles Irvin EDnOR IN CHI_,

Patrick M. O'Brien MANAGING EDitOR eREATIYa Dlii£CTOR

Evelyn Barella Rev Fr. lawrence Delaney William Koshelnyk Rev. Fr. joseph Kru}?p Ronald Landfair

Dr. Cathleen McGreal Most Rev. Kenneth]. PoViSh COtmlllunNG WRITEJII

Peter Glendinning Ghristine jones james huning Dean Peterson cotmlllunNG PHOI'OCIRAPHEJIS

james Luning

Your magazine is a work of art. FAITH arrived in our home How wonderful to see classic today! I read straight through layouts, up-close~and·personal it! I'm impressed! You've done a photos, and wonderful writing. great job! It~ exciting to read about people and places we're Congl'lltulatlons, Kathy Bamllt familiar with ... it makes it feel like family, home ... where we Congratulations! You did it belong. by gosh, you really did do it! Cong111tutatlons, We received our copy of FAITH Ann~ Saturday and found it to be To equate massage with "a outstanding! A tenific job. It~ beautiful and excellent in every touch of heaven" and call an respect. You have set a new expensive shower "sphitually standard for Catholic print uplifting" scents to be irreverent, media for the whole nation. to say the least. (FAITH We're proud of you, keep up the Mag~ine, Spiritual Fitness, Premiere Issue) good work. Regards,

Marten Badll

FAITH Mag~ine is a wonderful idea! It is exciling to know that our OlUrch is using more updated and effective methods of providing guidance to the faithful and others. AU!thony Howell

I love the mag~ine, FAITH. Ot~) one of the best things from the diocese in a while. I am also new to the Internet and love the online www.FAITHmag.com availability, especially the question and answer part. It's like F1: Mikulshi - only online! Thanllaaglln, Vern Thelen

G-sa a Joanne ttr.dal

COVER PHOroaRAPHY

Wayne Case Mary Delano David Fenech Patricia Gan:ia George Jaksa Rev. Fr. J. Thomas Munley Diane Nowak Margaret Perrone james Rhadlgan Michael Rizik Ricardo Rodriguez Rev. F.r.james Swiat AIMSORY IOARD

New Popemobile Two Swiss Guards look at the Landa Guibileo car which was presented to Pope john Paul II as a special jubilee gift from Italian car maker Fiat. The roof is designed to allow the Pope to enter standing up.

Mollie Lauffer

WU a GRAPHeCS SUPPORT

Rev Fr Karl Pung

wu llltMIS1In'

Parish Systems, Dexter WEll SITE DUIGN, MANAGEMENT

CPI Graphics, Lansing PRINliNG

1.The com1c stnp comes to an end this month. Maybe it has meant so much to us becaUS£ of its deeper meamng.

Questloo to think about: Do we treat God the way Char:lie Brown and lucy treat Snoopy? By Pr. Charlie Irvin


Classic Love Lines

).:~M~~M~~~~~~:~-t~~-~~~~ All you need is love. The Beatles s.ng ..mo lHio

Love me tender, love me sweet, never let me go. Elvis Presley ~<>•• M• Tondor

She likes me for me ... Blessld Union of Souls""'~

Heaven - I'm in Heaven And my heart beats so that 1 can hardly speak; And I seem to find the happiness that I seek When we' re out dancing cheek-to-cheek. Irving Berlin a..o~~-eo-a-k

A

Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, is not pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude,

does not seek ilS own interit is not quick·tempered, tt does not brood over injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. ll bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

St. Paul1 Corlnlhlana 13:H

So faith, hope, love remain, the three; but the greatest of these is love. St. Paul

1 C.rlnlhlona 13:13


•

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eknow Fr. joe I heard a great story recenUy about a man making pancakes for his two boys. When he finished the first pancake. the two Immediately began flghUng for control of that one pancake. Seeing an opportunity for leamlng, he stated (rather solemnly, I might add), "Boys, If Jesus were here he would say 'you take the first pancake! " Stepping back. the father

looked at his two boys who were deep in thoughl Suddenly, the older boy grabbed the pancake, threw It on his The great question: plate and said to his younger So what? sibling, "You get to be Jesus While I was attending the flrsl" Now, THAT Is applying seminary, our prof ran theology to everyday lifel Joking aside, applying theology through a review of some theology on the Trinity and to everyday life Is what we asked a very important are called to do.

question: "So what?" We paused for a moment. "This is theology! What does he mean, 'So what?"' Every time someone teaches you something about the Church or what She believes, ask the big question - "So what?" Then see where it takes you. By doing this, we might find theology and faith moving from the category of .Alii "Spiritual Trivia" to "Ufe Changing in Your Face \ lJ. Truth.~ It's that good, folks- ~ I promise. Sometimes people come to me and say they feel bad because they are questioning their faith. I always try to encourage people that the Church is Fr. Joe precisely FOR ponderin those who have great qu questions. We like the Trinit) don't go to a and what's foa doctor because lunch?

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we feel great, and we don't go to Church because we have all the answers. We come to God because we realize we need something more. We come to God

~路路路

Protestant denominations believe this as well) is that you have three distinct persons who are somehow one yet give of their total selves to the other two. They hold nothing back in their love for one another and give until they should be empty. But they are never empty. What Is the most THAT is central to our Important thing we faith because that is what our believe as Catholics? lives are to be as welL We give all of our love, our life, our strength and, indeed, our The Catechism of the Catholic Church calls the very being to our Trinitarian Trinity the "Central Mystery God and His people who of Our Faith." That little fill us with love. Its something we can't comprehend statement says a lot. First, it is central to what because its so vast. Its also we believe because of how the called a "mystery" because Trinity exists.What we believe we can never understand as Catholics (and most precisely how it happens.

because we are sinners who need the unconditional love of jesus so badly. If God can take something as horrible as crucifixion and death and make it beautiful, think of what He can do with our questions and sinfulness.

Now, its imponam to note that when the Church says "mystery," it doesn't mean the same thing as a television mystery. It means, in the words of one of my teachers, "constantly revealing." We could literally spend our lives taking this apart and learning something new each day. Enjoy another day in Gods presence! Send In Your Questions to:

"'n the Know with Fr. Joe" FAITH Magazine 300 W. OHawa Lansing, M I 48933 or E路Mail JoelnBiack@prlest.com or go to our Web site

www.FAITHmag.com


has its roots in the historic racist notation of the "one drop theory,~ that "one drop" of Black blood ~ polluted~ the pure White gene pool. In the book, Tile Color Complex:

The Politics of Sllin Color African Americans,

Among

By Ronald Landflllr, Blade Catholic MlnlstJy, Diocese of Lansing

he experience of having darker skin in America leads many people to narrowly define me as Black. But is that all that I am? What happens when I don't look like what society defines as Black? Society tends to define race in a very narrow context based on the level of melanin in their skin color in terms of Blacks and Whites. How, then, do we see those who don't look like our popular idea of what someone of a particular race is supposed to look like? Historically, the Inference of a particular ethnic background has

Its roots In the genealogy of the parents. Why are my sons

considered Black, even though their mother is of Irish descent? Looking at my own great-grandfather, Andrew Brown, presents the same question but from a different angle. More often than not, people are shocked to find out his role in my lineage. I, too, was shocked and struggled for many years with his ethnicity, before coming to accept my own racial history, via a Recovery from Racism Workshop. Clearly, an entirely new definition has been supplied that

fAITH Mag<11l nc

8

Ftbruary 2000

www.FAITHmag.com

the authors, Kathy Russell, Midge Wilson, and Ronald Hall note the following: "In the upper South, including Virginia and Maryland, legislators decided that any person with even a drop of Black blood would have the same legal status as a pure African. This early statute became the basis of today:S 'one drop rule' of racial identiti' which has its origin in racis'J concern about the contamination of the White gene pool; no matter how White looking (see Bishop and Fr. Healy, sidebar) ... someone of mixed ancestry is or how little Blackness is in a person's genetic makeup, that person is considered Black. Even when part of an individuals genetic lineage is Native American, he or she is usually considered Black~ Let us return to the question of "Who Is Black?" For most of America, this Is a question of perception, basad largely on appearances, of skin color, hair texture, and fullness of features thicker lips and broader noses. Yet, what happens when

individuals no longer physically look like the ethnic group to which they are purponed to be a part of? What ultimately determines being Black, or for that matter White or Hispanic in America? How is it that in some cases, this designation of race is made in terms of skin color or place of origin? It is interesting to point out that Tiger Woods, the noted golfer, is consistently referred to as Black, his Filipino ancestry all but ignored. But is he truly Black and does such language matter? Is this description based on genealogy or appearance, which begets the question of what happens when a person with African-American ancestry no longer looks African-American? If a person who happens to be White considers this as a non-issue, then ask any person of


~he

mil enniu

color about their experience. It is not to say that non·Whites are obsessed about color, only that we are made aware of it daily. What lmpllcaUons does the Issue of elhnlcity, skin color and race carry for the Church Into this new millennium? In the ever-changing landscape of our parishes, particularly those in urban areas, what does this mean to the critical issue of evangelization? How do we address the growing estrangement relationship that communities of

color, particularly young people, have with the Church? What implications does this carry for Catholic education in our cities across the country? If we truly are a Pilgrim Church - a people on the journey- then what really is our mission? Only time will tell -by our own efforts, prayers and faith. For Information on Recovery from Racism Workshops, contact Ronald Landfair at (517) 342· 2496 or e-mail rlandf@dioceseonansing.org

The face of Cluist for a new millennium? Set page 26 for more.

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Born to slave parents in 1854 in Missouri, a slave state, and then later migrated to Ulinois, a free state. In 1886, Fr. Tolton was ordained as a priest in Rome because not American seminary would tept him as a student. Me ·eventually became pastor of St. Monica ChUICh of Chicago, now lmown as St. Elizabeth Church.

U..._. . . _ when he was

AnwkanRomln c:.tholll Bishop

In the~ ...._ For25 years he presided over the 1i>iocese of Maine and New Hampshire. Under Bishop Healys leadership, 68 mission stations, 18 parochial schools and 50 church buildings were consoucted. llhe Church recognized Bishop Healys work by malting him Assistant to the Papal Throne, a rank just below that of cardinal

Bishop ltlealys brother, became the fll'St African· American to receive a Ph.D. In 1873, rr.

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named the 29th president of Georgetown University. One of the tnt Anwtc:an women df anr .... or rank

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through her own efforts , ' In 1905, Walke11 developed a conditioning

treatment for straightening hair. Prior to her death in 1919, Walker was a self.made millionaire one of the most successful business

executives in the early half of the 20th century.

....

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... 0111111~ Chnh on Oct. 1 at the Vatican. While other African women have been declared saints, Blessed josephine is the first to be canonized. Born in Olgossa. Sudan, in 1869, she was kidnaped. sold as a slave, and taken to Italy to serve as a nursemaid for a student enrolled in a boarding school operated by the Daughters of Charity (Canossian Sisters). Ten years later, in 1893, she decided to enrer the Canossian Novitiate. She was beatified on May 17, 1992, in Rome. By Ronald L.cuulfair Gild Karhy .Funlr


e need to love and be loved Imagine being asked what you/think of this Bible verse "God said, 'It is not good fq r pjan to be alone.'" Typical respqnses nclude: ~No question about that. Its a ¡given' I've experienced,~ and , "l sensed it as a youngster, but now understpnd more than eve~ 1 need to love and be loved." This Bible truth does more than confinn what we already know. It is at the core of our entire history of salvation as recorded in the Bible and lived in the Church. It is the truth about us and it is a problem that God solves in a way that corresponds to our needs and capability. Our likeness to God in knowing and loving enables human persons to live in relationships with each other. In Christ, all of this Is Incorporated In a divine relationship

that transcends our capability but fulfills our deepest need. For the believer, the human becomes the stuff of eternity. We share In God's relational life.

The Bible is a record of God corning to us, in search of us, revealing His love and drawing us from our loneliness into the fullness of knowing and loving with our loving Father and our brothers and sisters. Why man is alone becomes clear in the first activity of newly created man - the naming of the am mats. Unfortunately, many Bible readers view this episode as cutiow and skip it. For them. the creation of woman resolves man\:. solitude. This 'naming' reveals a profound truth about man, male and female . In this primal act of man surfaces deep


potentialities that will become means for our relationships with God as well as with human persons. To 'name' in the Bible is profoundly more than labeling. It means 'knowing a thing in its nature.' Man is a seU-conscious being, capable of knowing. The naming reveals that man is different from and superior to animals - man is still alone among these living creatures Man still stands alone before God but with self-knowledge and knowledge of living beings - but as a being in NEED. Only after this do we have the creation of woman. Beholding her, the man (now for the first time the Hebrew word for male) says, "This one, at last, is bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh." This month FAITH explores the human need to love and be loved in freely entered, accepted and reciprocal relationships. It is a human need open to the unlimited, a need that almost defines the human person. This is true because God created man in God's image and likeness persons living in infinite interdependency. How Is man like God? It Is precisely In knowing and ~)VIng.

That Is the connection between God and us and ~tween other human persons and us. That is where we find our ultimate meaning; that is where our ultimate need

is dynamically satisfied in a way beyond our hearts' profound expectations. Yes, God has placed in man an urge toward the divine by which man can respond to God revealing Himself. Jesus is God's response to the NEED that comes from man's solitude. jesus is the answer to "Who am I? Who am I to become?" He simultaneously reveals the mystery of God and the mystery of man. jesus is God with a face. His relationship with the Father as one of us and his relationship with Most Reverend C.rf F. Mengellng all humanity is the Bishop of Lansing way, the truth and life. He responds to Mosaic ollhe Wedding at Cane lrum SL Thomas Aquinas Parish, East Lansing our need. Through Photo by Pater Glendinning, East Lansing Him we become sons and daughters of God in God's family - the Church. The dynamic urge and restlessness placed in us by our Creator propels us forward by divine grace to life in Christ with our Father and Christ's members in the Church. The entire mission of Jesus continuing in his Church is a divine, human response to: "It is not good for man to be alone." Yes, God not only speaks to man, but also speaks for man. The search began in the hean of God and enters the hean of man in the incarnation of jesus who is the heart of the Church. A pre-Christian Roman writer knew of man's solitude and need when he wrote about the birth of a baby: "The child becomes human when it sees the mother smile." That's only the beginning of a marvelous divine human drama.

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I_ Ftbi'U!!ry 2000 11

FAITH Magazine



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BrOken heart? A fund-raising proposal wnter liwng in Hillsdale, Kate had been married to her college-professor husband for 16 years. He was Kate's universe- he meant everything to her. Then, in july of 1995, he shattered her world by announcing that thetr mamage was over. It came without warning and without explanation after he returned from a bicycle trip. She was stunned. "I thought a lot about our marriage, and tried to figure out what! had happened," Kate says now. "Even though he told me that I had 'no right or reason to know.' The divorce was a complete surpnse. I loved him, and to this day. I still don't know What went wrong." •

~

Iitlm.al)' 2000

13

PAlTHMagazine


Kate's husband was Catholic, having come to the Church about yourself," her therapist had observed, "you wind up talking about your husband: Kate was struck by that from a family with Episcopalian roots but minimal church involvement. It was a background he had shared with Kate, insight, and she realized it was true. whose own family life was not based in faith. "I lived She was also struck by something Fr. Tom had said which across the street from a Presbyterian church when I was began to echo In her mind: "Anyone who loves, knows God little," she recalls. "I attended Sunday school a couple of times, and didn't like it. I remember hearing something "This was a completely new idea to me," she recalls, comabout being 'washed in the blood of the Lamb,' which I ing as she was from a lifelong perspective of complete found a particularly repulsive idea." agnosticism. It had an unexpected appeal. "I found it But desperate and overwhelmed by the sudden reversal strangely reassuring; she says. of a life with which she had believed she was content, That feeling was magnified when, in the midst of the Kate went to see Fr. Thomas Butler, pastor of Hillsdale's darkest night of her suffering over the divorce, she sensed St. Anthony Church, her husband's parish. She admitted God speaking to her. "I will always love you," she heard right off that she was not a believer, but implored Fr. Tom Him say. for his help in bridging the chasm which had opened so Kate found herself in the grip of some odd compulsion, a abruptly between her and her spouse. need she couldn't articulate but which she identified as loveThe priest was sympathetic, but his reply was not a new kind of love, different from what she had experienced encouraging. Her husband had already been to see him, Fr. with her husband. At the invitation of a friend, she began Tom told Kate. And he seemed unshakably committed to his attending Mass, on Sundays and also through the week. She decision to leave. Whatever Fr. Tom might do, there seemed even signed up for the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults little hope of a reconciliation. (RCIA). The feeling grew that she was meant to be there. f 1 Kate was now totally alone. The following months found her Along the way there was a series of ~evelop~ents J d rf th h d rt 0 f tl d tf-d bt. that seemed to encourage her exploration of fa1th and wan e ng roug a ese emp ness an se ou helped push her in this unexpected direction. First, a She begged friends for their insights. She sought psychiatric Catholic friend gave her a book of daily prayers. Kate help, trying to sort out all the conflicting and tormented accepted the gift with appreciation, but - since praying was feelings. In her worst moments, Kate felt herself becoming new to her - with a degree of uncertainty as well. She suicidal, having lost everything that mattered to her. His noticed that one of the pages was dog-eared, and when she opened to that page, found it contained a passage from rejection was extreme. He could no longer stand to be in a room with her or to ride in the same car. Matthew: "Ask, and it will be given you. Search, and you Then one day, he called to report will find. Knock, and the door will that he'd had a vision in which be opened for you." God said that he and Kate were Next, Kate was surprised by tl! meant to be together. Kate was deep sense of healing she felt overjoyed. But her delight was going through the RCIA proces soon crushed, when less than a culminating in her 1997 Baptism, month later, he changed his mind a "'life giving, warm bath," as she and filed for divorce. Again, Kate was deserted. describes it. "I had an experience "He was having some problems," in the Church of being treated in a Kate says gently. "He still seemed way I had never been treated to think that his problems were before," she says. "I remember caused by our marriage." especially that the Rite of Kate had always thought of Acceptance was deeply meaningful herself as someone who found the to me." Then an interesting opportUnity greatest satisfaction in encouraging others - a tendency which, with presented itself. Kate attended thef the help of her own therapist, she annual meeting of the National now began to identify as a lack of Conference of Separated and self-confidence and self-esteem. Divorced Catholics held at the University of Notre IDame, as well "You lmow, every time you talk 4

..

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Kate is not alone. Here are some numbers: Merrfages Performed Annually In the U.S.A. Divorces Annually In the U. S. A.

2,384,000 1 ,163,000

CilhoiiCMint8ges Per y.., (AVW~~ge U.s.A.) 300,000 "mnu~lf!er V..r. ~ve,-.ge UJS.A.) 17,5QQ. While Catholics divorce at almost the same r.ue as society in gener.:tl, less than 12% of those divorced get an ;tnnulment

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1<aU was surprised to ftnd that Jier own

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axpcnena wWl annulmant sumdl to validate her decfsfort ·to btGome a Cadlolic:. ..All dlrough this onkal, I always felt chat nobody IWly cumd about my mamag1," sl11t says. "My husbdna cmainly dfdnt Ana tM court didn't eitltm: )nh th• C hu" It e11 d."

Marriage Statistics as a workshop on divorce ministry held in Fowlerville by the Diocesan Council for Separated and Divorced Catholics. The people running the Fowlerville session assumed Kate was representing St. Anthony, and she found herself recruited for a spot on the council. Suddenly. she seemed to be on some kind of fast track from non-belief to active Church ministry. and her head was spinning. "1 lived my entire life, until I was 44 years old, with no personal experience of God," Kate says. "I had never even read the Bible. Now it was like a physical force was pushing me down this path." That force apparently had little patience with Kates image of herself as the supportive, behind-the-scenes person. More and more, she was finding herself thrust into a public role no one for whom to play the compliant wife, no one to hide behind to avoid revealing what Kate Asselin was really all about. late last year, Kate was a featured speaker at two sessions of the Celebration of Gods Mercy, a series of special reconciliation services held by the diocese. In October she ~ke at Ann Arbor's St. Francis of Assisi Church, and in ~cember at Lumen Christi High School in jackson. The two audiences - people who had experienced a wide variety of personal tragedies, from collapsed marriages to the deaths of children - recognized all too well the pain she described. It is a pain that has helped her to find God - and in the process, helped her to find herself. She relates the experience to a saying by St. Bernard of Clairvaux: "By His first work, He gave me to myself; and by the next, He gave Himself to me. And when He gave Himself, He gave me back myself that I had lost." Kate has had several opportunities to share her experience with others suffering through divorce, both one-on-one and in group settings. She has started a divorce ministry at St. Anthony and Is convinced this Is how God Is bringing good out of her pain...God and the Church saved me," she says. ..Now I just want to go where I'm led!'

~

l 2

Talk with a priest about. the matter.all priests have taken some Canon law courses and lmow what is available and wbat is not.

Prepare to write the story of your relationship with your fol'Il\er spouse.

3

l.ocate your baptismal recort (and your fortnel' spouses}, your marriage certificate and your divorce clecree. Rhotocopias will be accepted.

4

Stan thinkmg of the "Dames and addresses of people who knew you and your former spouse. 1'bese folks will be contacted by the Clnud1 to respond to a series of basic questions.

5

Ramembel' that the -process doesn't asstgn blame, determine guilt or point: JUdgmental fingers at anyone. It's designed to answer JUSt one question: ·was the former mamage a Sacramental union, 01' wasn't it?. 1t may have been a marl'i.age, But was it a Sacrament? ntAT •i s the question. No11 is the legitimacy of the children brought into question. l'be process Is concamed only about the former relationship, NOl' the legitimacy status of the children.

or more information on Divorce Ministry call your local parish or Sandra Millar, Family Ministry

00 NOt BE IDAUNil!BD OR DlSCOURAGmD. 'l'bere are a lot of rumors about annulmems that aren't' true. !1\e process is not "too czompbcated" or "monumenl31: NOt' dOes it cost a lot of money. Plave faith. Mave courage. Mmly have found the process to be thmpeuDC. For monr information on annulmmts, contact your parish priest or log onto our Web slte

(517) 342-247J

or www.dioc~ng.org

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Jdlrvary2000

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Kathy Funk on assignment: Her • arriage Continued

Relation s hips

stories as to why they were attending the retreat - none of the things I was worried about when I walked through the doors mattered. My relationship with Doug was the only thing that mattered now - even the story for the magazine took a back seat to what was unfolding. When I initially told Doug about the retreat, his first question was: "How are two priests that have never been married going to teach me anything?" Well, Fr. J. Munley, Chairman of the Depanment of Formation for the Lansing Diocese, who facilitated the retreat along with Fr. Larry Delaney, Director of St. Francis Retreat Center, quickly put an end to any doubts as to their ability to relate to married couples. "Your voaUon and my vocation Is ttl• love of God end ttl• love of other peopl•," Ft. J. uld. "Evarydey you chooH to be married. EvwydQ I chooH to be • priest.

"1''ltn .,. days when I wak• up that I don't want to be • prl•t. 1Wo things kHp 1M In - my commHm•nt end the fact that my commHment we• mecle out of love."

That was the second lesson I learned. Even on those days when I don't particularly like being married, I made a commitment out of love - through the good times and the bad. Fr. Larry provided the third and most imponant lesson through his five steps to love: 1. Accept yourself - nobody c:.n be for you whet you heve 2. 3. 4. 5.

to be for yourself. Accept others - we 81.,. made In God's tmege end - .

l'nlst. Show your love. lnUmecy. Or, u Fr. &.-ry put tt. "Into me you .....,

At the conclusion of his presentation, Fr. Larry gave us a little project. We were to take a walk and discuss the aspects of the list that we were good at as well as what we needed to improve upon. Well, the list was full of reasons why 1 fell in love with Doug - he is very good at all those steps. Me, I'm a different story. The running joke in the family now, after the retreat, is that I'm loveless - I'm not very good at any of the five steps. However, since that painful realization, I've been working very hard on each one. And Doug is helping me with my biggest hurdle - accepting myself for who 1 am. The retreat left me with a sense of renewal in terms of my relationship with Doug. We are discussing things that we learned and are growing together as a couple. Instead of looking at what is going on wright here, right now," we are focusing on each other. Uke the song says: Grow old along with me, the best ts yet to be ... And thats what I'm looking forward to - spending the rest of my life with Doug, its only going to get better! Oh, and going on retreat again next year- the tree can wait.

My Husband's

Tu .by Kathys husband, Doug Funk I laughed, I cried, then I agreed with my wifes request to attend the married couples' retreat. Needless to say, being a non-Catholic, I did not picture myself as one to attend a Catholic retreat. 1 was wrong to have doubts. St. Francis Retreat Center was an ideal setting to begin the process of self~awareness.

My two main concerns were that I would be bored and that I would be forced to be Involved In something that

would ultimately lead me Into embarrassing myself.

I was wrong.The combination of Fr. Larry and Fr. ] . was an enjoyable way to present the thought provoking topics of discussion or, more appropriately, for contemplation, Fr. j.s presentation on the 10 ways to express love {See www.FAITHmag.com) and Fr. Larry's five steps to love became the impetus for discussions between Kathy and I on how we express our love for each other and for God. 1hls "stepping aside" for the weekend helped focus on the litUe things that all too often we fall to express to each other due to our hec:tk: lifestyles. I left the retreat as a better, more

loving husband -just ask Kathy! I have gone from, ·Who? Me? A retreat?" to "When can we go again?" And I would recommend the experience to all!

li>oug and I both met couples who touched our hearts. Deacon Rogelio and Este1a Alfaro of Cristo Rey Parish were attending their 29th retreat together- an annual tradition they began in 1971. "After our first retreat together we feH spiritually fulfilled," utd Rogello. "We needed time away for ourselves from everyday living and societal pressures."

The Alfaros were kind enough to share what they feel has~

been most important throughout their 40 years of rnarriage.' l£1 "We pray together," Rogelio reflected. "We forgive each other and trust one another."


t." But the use of the word hnow to describe the physical

t of love offers insight into the change from romantic sion to a mature love. Love Involves knowledge of the one, willingness to commit, and the challenge to •ccetlll the light and the shadow of another.

Or I love you wHh all my EARS? It has been said that, "Ustening is as different from earing as noise is from music.~ In the book, How to Speak, ow to Listen, listening is compared to a ball game: "Catching is as much an activity as throwing and requires much skill." I've noticed as my children have played baseball and softball that there is a lot more interest in pitching than there is in catching! But catching is a critical element of the game. To really listen to another person,

I love you

with all my

heart.

Ok, but how about:

I love you with all my

B

RAIN?

Many times we concentrate on the feelmgs of love without also balancing the thoughtful consideration of the commitment to love. When we "fall" in love, we feel a physical response in our body: our hearts accelerate, our hands get wet and clammy, and we feel a rush of adrenaline. The lyrics of a "golden oldie" float from the stereo speaker: "I only have eyes for you ... " Does the couple that swayed to this slow dance in the 1960s feel the same absorption in one another after 35 years of marriage? Its not likely! So is the love gone? No! The pounding heart of burning excitement is transformed into a steady heartbeat of warmth, acceptance and intimacy. In their analysis of Pope john Paul 115 Familiaris Consortia (The Role of Christian Marriage in the Modern World), Fr. Richard Hogan and Fr. john LeVoir say: "Unlike some sensual or sentimental feelings, marriage vows are

to catch what Is being saki. we must be attentive and actively attuned to the speaker. Websters Dictionary has a definition of communication

that it describes as obsolete: communication is wpartid pation in the Sacrament of the Lords Supper." A special type of communication occurs when we gather together at Mass. Communication takes on a sacred quality. One of my favorite Psalm responses is, "If today you hear Gods voice, harden not your hearts." Think of the implications - we are in a relationship with the source of all life. Gods words of love whisper into the center of our open hearts. It is an invitation to stand before the One who loved us from the first moments of our life.

Or I love you with all my Tl ME?

always under the control of the ones making them ...

In the liturgical season of our Church year we are in the middle of "Ordinary Time." Most of the time spent with those we cherish is ordinary time. How can we give ourselves to our loved ones In ordinary Wlf'/S? When the telephone rings, we jump to respond -even when we know that it could easily be a salesperson on the other end! A way of giving time could be to turn off the ringer on the phone before asking how the day at school went. Giving a child your undivided attention is a gift that will promote a relationship of harmony and care. Ordinary days are filled with the tasks of living: laundry, meal preparation, family commitments to sports, schools and church, shoveling snow, finishing homework, getting the oil changed - the list could go on and on. All these activities may seem overwhelming and we wonder, "Where is the time to spend on what is really importantlove?" The ordinary moments are filled with love because they are filled with the life of God.

Marriage, if it is to be a communion of persons, must originate in the will . . Sensuality and sentiment wiU then accompany the marital communion instead of determining

Dr. Cathleen McGrtal is a Professor of Psychology at Hope Gollege, a ctrtifted Spiritual Dlrtctor and a parishioner at St. john Student-Parish, East Lansing.

ELAnONSHIP RESOURCES ... www.FAITHmeg.cam for more t. francis Relrat Center, DeWitt (517) 889-8321

Weber hb'Mt Center, Mrt.n Em11111us Ministries, Howell

......l;ihauon

(517) 226-4000 (517) 54&4440 Call loa! ,.,.....

F•mlly Ministry Home/tto.pbl Vlslbitlon M•rrfllge Encounter (for solid m~~rriqes) ~(for ........... In

Youth lllnl*y

troubl->

(517) 342-2471 C:.llloalpMsh (877) 743-3815 (517) 869-8321 (51.7) Ma-MU·


POPCORN SNACK MIX

-------~-------------------------·---------------peanuts. In a saucepan, melt 14 c.

popped popcorn, lightly salted

1 c. 1 c.

Krtspy M&M~·

peanuts 1 lb. melted chocolate OR butterscotch OR white chocolate candy melts 3 r. peanut butter Measure popcorn into a large bowl, making sure no unpopped kernels are used. Add the Krispy M&Ms• and

the candy melts over low to medium heat and blend in peanut butter. Pour melted candy and peanut butter mixture over popcorn mixture. Spread on wax paper and let

cool. Note; Candy melts can be purchased at any cake and candy supply store lf using while chocolate, om!t the: peanut butter for a wh!te look.

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c POPCORN CAKE 10 c. 4c. 1c. 1c.

Popcorn

popped popcorn, lightly salted Rice Krispies• cereal M&M~·

salted peanuts vegetable oil 1/2 c. butter 1 I 0-oz. pllg. lafl!e marshmallows

1 c.

and the movies.

What combo is better than that? How about you Measure popcorn into nd the ones you love. This a large bowl, sure llentine's Day, dump the making no and keep the popcom. unpopped kernels are ipending time with the ones used. Add you love, you'll discover you Rice Krispies", M&:Ms• and have beHer stories than peanuts; mix and set aside. In a large the movies - your saucepan, combine own. vegetable oil, butter and marshmallows. Cook over low to medium heat until mixture is smooth and bubbly. Pour marshmallow mixture over popcorn mixture and blend well. Spray an angel food cake pan or a hean-shaped ring mold pan with nonstick cooking spray. Pack popcorn mixture into pan firmly using the back of a spoon. Unmold immediately. Let stand until cool and cut .cake into slices to serve.

re

LOVE BIRDS

Needless to say, popcorn is as popular at the bird feeder as it is at the movies or ball game. Creating a bird feeder can be a wintertime activity that will engage your children and also keep your feathered friends content. Bird watching can also be both an educational and relaxing activity to do with your kids or sweethean. The poet Claucer once wrote: For this was on St. ValentineS Day, When every Jowl cometh to choose his mate.

WREATH BIRD FEEDER

What you will need: 1/2 c. peanut butter 2 c. uncooked cornmeal OR rolled oats Popped popcorn Fresh cranberries Toast Wild birdseed 18-inclt grapevine wreath Pine cones 26-gauge wire Needle and thread to string popcorn and cranberries Ribbon

cornmeal or rolled oats. Spoon mixture on pine cones and roll in seeds. Carefully attach peanut butter covered pine cones to grapevine wreath using thin wire. Wrap a string of popcorn and cranberries around wreath or attach using wire. Using hean-shaped cookie cutters, cut hearts out of toast and cover with peanut butter and birdseed or popcorn. Attach to wreath. Add a colorful ribbon and hang from a tree or on a fence. Stand back and watch the birds flock to your feeding station.

Stir l/2 cup peanut butter into 2 cups uncooked

Evelyn Barclla and Teresa O'Btien, Swartz Creek Photography by Christine jones, Ann Arbor

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community Year

of jubilee

Sacrament of the Eucltarist PARISH DAYS OF EUCHARimC ADORATION IN FEBRUARY Feb 2 St. Mary Pinckney Feb 8 St. John the Evangelist Fen ron Feb 11 St. Mary Flint Feb 22 St. Peter Blissfield

presentation wm indude such topics as the role of the presider, leading prayer in verbal and non•verbal waya and the principals of ritual. For information, call (517) 342-2480.

Liturgy Conference The Office of Worship for the Diocese of Lansing will present the fifth annual liturgy and music: conference, The Language of the LI!Uigy, Saturday, Feb. 12, at Sr.

Mary Magdalen Catholic Church,

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FEBRUARY

EVENIS Workshop

The Offices of Worahip,

Seminarians, Priestly Ufe and Ministry and Permanent Deacons for the Lansing Diocese are co-sponsoring Leading the Assembly In Prayer, a workshop day for those who do or will preside - Friday, Feb. 11, at 51. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church, Brighton. The workshop, acheduled from 10 a.m.-4p.m., wil feature Fr. John Allyn Melloh, S.M., a well· known professor, leclllrer, liturgical consuhant and author. Fr. Melloh's

For more on what Is going on

Brighton. from 8;30 a.m.·3:30 p.m. Fr. John Allyn Melloh, S.M., will speak on the language of ritua~ ges1Lire and symbol, and the requisite components of the liturgical act. For registration information, call (517) 342·2480.

Regional Missions The first of eix scheduled diocesan Regional Missions focusing on prayer and dally Chrlsttan 1tfe will be held in Lansing Feb. 14· 17, from 7·8:30 p.m., at the Lansing Center. Lord, T~ach Us to Pray, the theme of the mission, will be facilitated by the preaching team of Fr. Joseph Krupp, Parochial Vtcar of St. Gerard Parish; Fr. Larry Delaney, Director, St. Francis Retreat Center; Fr. J. Munley, Chairman, Department of Formation, Diocese of Lansing~ Adrian Dominican Sister Carol Weber; and retired Bishop Kenneth Povish. Services for youth and young adults will be held on the second and third evenings of the mission headed by Fr. Krupp's team. Bishop Cart Mengefing wiU celebrate Mass on the final evening, Feb. 17. Five addi6onal missions in celebration of Jubilee 2000 will be held through· out the year in the Lanawee, Genesee, Jackson, Uvingston and Washtenaw regions. For more information, call (517) 342·2502. Lunar New Year The V.etnamese community of Sr. Andrew Dung-Lac Parisl1, Lansing, will calebrete the Lunar New Year on Sunday, Feb. 6, with Mass at 11 a.m. Bishop Kenneth Povish will preside. A banquet celebrating the New Year will follow. Traditional Vietnamese foods will be served

including egg rolls and banh chung, a square of sweet rice containing meat. According to Fr. Joseph Tran, Pastor of St. Andrew Dung·Lac, the Vietnamese community within the Diocese of Lansing includes more than 1,000 members.

Retreats The Diocese of Lansing's Young Adult Ministry will host a To Encounter Christ Retreat (TEC) Feb. 19·21 at St. Mary Church, Westphalia. The retreat is offered by a specialty trained team of young adults. Included will be faith-sharing presentations, inspirational liturgies, and peer discussions concerning faith and life. For information, call St. Mary Church at (517) 587-4201 , or Gary Ashby, Director of Young Adult Ministry at (51 7) 342·2495, or via e·mail at gashby@dioceseoflansing.org An All Ministers Retreat will be held Feb. 21·24 at St. Francis RetreDt Center In De Wilt. Sr. Marlene Halpin, OP, Ph.D., Director of the Ministry Formation Program for the Diocese of Kalamazoo, will be the featured presenter. Sr. Marlene is known for her e~tensive work in the fields of psychology and adult education, and she will be focusing on com· passion. For information or to reg· ister, contact the Lay Ministry Department of the Diocese of Lansing at (517) 342·2511 or 342·2512.

Vocation Fair Sr. Mary Student Parish In Ann Arbor will host the second annual Vocation Fair on Sunday, Feb. 20. The event will provide an opportunity for university students to meet, talk and receive information about a vocation within the Catholic Church - either as a priest, sister, brother, deacon or lay minister. For information, calf Sr. Carla Moeggenborg, OP, Director of Vocation Services for the Diocese of Lansing, at (517) 342·2508, or via e·mail at cmoegg@dioceseoflansing.org World Marriage Day will be celebrated on Saturday, Feb. 12, with Mass at 4;30 p.m. at Holy Rosary Catholic Church, fllnl. Retired Bishop Kenneth Povish will preside as well as offer a renewal of marriage vow~! A dinner and dance will follow a11/L/; Brookwood Goff Course and Banquet Center beginning at 6:30 p.m. Featured will be an elegant dinner, dancing, profassional photo sittings and door prizes. There will also be contests including Longest Married Couple and Husband and Wife of the Year. Reservations for the dinner and dance may be made by sending $50 per couple to: World Marriage Day, P.O. Box 84, Montrose, Ml 48457. Names, addresses and phone numbers of the couples attending are requested. For information, cell (800) 479·1428. Jubilee Renewal

Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist, will host a Jubilee Retreat Feb. 26·27 at Spiritus Sanctus Academy located on Joy Road, Ann Arbor. All single women high school age and above are invited to participate. Fr.). Munley, Chairman, Department of Formation, Diocese of Lansing, will assist at the retreat. A guest lecture on Our Lady of Guadalupe will also be featured. For infonnation, call Sr. Joseph Andrew at (734) 994·7437 or via e-mail: sjab@rc.net

In your community, take home a copy of your parish bulletin.

Stjohn Studrnt Parish In fast

Lansing will host a Jubilee Renewal with Dr. Megan McKenna as presenter Monday, Feb. 28, and Tueeday, Feb. 29, beginning at 7 p.m. each evening. McKenna, a prolific author, storyteller, retreat facilitator and Scripture ac:holar, will speak on Dojustice and Practice HoP£. All are welcome to attend. Potluck Sr. Mary Catholic Chun:llln

Morrice will host a pariah potluck on Sunday, Feb. 13, following 11 a.m. Mass.


Places to Pray

Mass Schedule

Spend quiet time with Jesus this winter and keep your soul warm.

..

Lansing Region Bellevue St. Ann Charlotte St. Alary DeWitt St. Jude East Lansing St, John Studcnl Parbh

51. Thomas Aquinas

Eaton Rapids 51 Peter Fowler Most Jloly Trinity Gn1nd Ledge St. Michael

-

Saturday

Sunday

Holy Day

900~m

7 00 pm

6:00 pm

9:006: II 30am

Contact

5 00 pm

8:30 6: 11·00 am

'5 30 pm

9 IS 6: II 30 am

4 30 pm

5 00 pm

700pm 8:00am 9.30am II 00 am B OO am 1030am

4 30pm

BJOam 10·30 am

4 J Opm

B30 am 10 30 am

Laingsburg 51. /slJarc

9:00 am

Rcconcillatlon Sunday 10-ll

p~rish

office

86: lOam

4 30pm

S·OOam 9JO~m

II 30 am Chu1d1

r/ lise Raumalon

5 00 pm

Sr. Anclrcw Dung·lac

7:00pm 7 30am 930am 11·00 am 600pm II 00 am

Saturday 5·5 30 pm Sal 11 :un 01' by a(l!X.

Contact parish office 6 30am 9·oo am

5 30pm Vigil 5 30pm 7·45 am Vigil 7:00pm

Saturday 6 JO pm or by appointment Saturday 3·00·4·00 pm 7:00· 7 30 pm or by appointment Saturd~y·

4-4 30 pm or by appt.

8.20am 700pm Vigil 4 JO pm 915am 1·00 pm

Saturday 3 30· 4·00 pm

8.30am 700pm

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S 30 pm English 9 00 am Spanish 7:00pm 12·00 pm Bilingual 4 00 pm

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Tucmby 7 30 pm Saturday 11 nm-12 pm Saturday 3-4 prn 7 30pm Saturday 3:00·•1'30 pm

6:00pm

Sunday· 9 30-10 30 am or by ~ppointrnent Saturd~y 4·4·30 pm

500pm

51. Gercml

4 JOpm 7 30 pm

51. Mary Callscdral

500pm

Sr. Therese

430pm

8 30 6: 10 30 am

6.30 6: 9·00 am 5.30 pm 630am 820am !2:00pm 700pm 6:30am 8:00am 12 05 pm 515pm Vigil 5 15 pm 8 15 am 6: 1·00 pm

Mason St.Janrts

SOOpm

96:llam

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BOO am

9:00am 7:00pm Vigil 7·00pm

Saturday00·4 45 pm

500 pm

8:30am 6: 12·00 pm Vigil 600pm

Saturday 3:00.3:45 pm or by appl

5:00pm

IOOOam

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Saturday 4 JO pm and after 5:00 pm Vi~ t.bss(as ~)

S OOpm

8:00, 10:00 6: l200am

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Sa1urday· 3·4 pm

ph811a St. Mary

430pm

See bulletin

Williamston St. Mary

4 30pm

BOO am lOOOam 7:00pm 96:1lam

Thursday bc:fo.-., lst Frid:l)\ 2-30 6: 6:30 pm Saturday 3:00 pm Saturday 3·30 ·4 pm or by appointment

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scarves. A roul'ing fire. Hol clwcolalc. All of these are common ways to defeat the cold, dark winter days of February. But how about trying something different this year by surrounding yourself with the warmth and love of jesus through prayer at one of the three perpetual Eucharistic Adoration Chapels within the Diocese of Lansi~g. What better way to warm the soul than spending quiet time with the Body of Christ at: • Holy Redeemer Catholic Church, (above) 1227 E. Bristol Rd., Burton, (810) 743-3050. 606 S. Wisner, jackson, (517) 783-2748. · • Immaculate Heart of Mary,

3815 S. Cedar St., Lansing, (517) 393-3030. Each adoration chapel is opened 24 hours per day, 362 days each year. According to Rita Thiron, Associate Director of the Office of Worship for the Lansmg Diocese, the chapels close during the Triduum which begins with the Mass of the Lords Supper on Holy Thursday and concludes with evening prayer on Easter Sunday.

www.FAITHmeg.c:om

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Fcbncary 2000

23

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Diocese of Lansing

Something for every person Something for every parish

------------------------------------------------Bishop Carl Mengeling is a man with an eye focused on the future. Three-and-a-half years later after becoming bishop, he revealed what prudent fiscal management and good stewardship of resources can lead to - more than $2.5 million in gifts. The multi-million dollar gifts, detailed at a press conference held by the bishop on Dec. 8, will be distributed throughout the diocese in the following manner: Somelldng for Every Catholic

One-year subscription to FAITH Magazine. Something for Every Parish

One-year 25% reduction in the annual diocesan tax. -

Direct Debt Relief for certain

parishes and schools. Schollnhlps and other Gifts

include a permanent scholarship fund which, at the onset, will provide at least one full scholarship to each of the four diocesan Catholic high schools: Father Gabriel Richard in Ann Arbor, Powers Catholic in Flint, lumen Christi in jackson, and Lansing Catholic Central. Michael Diebold, Director of Communications for the Lansing Diocese, said that the diocese is able to distribute the gifts without

directing funds away from the annual Diocesan Services Appeal collection. Also at the press conference, Bishop Mengeling, along with Editor in Chief Fr. Charles Irvin, unveiled the premiere issue of FAITH Magazine. "This is dear to my heart and a dream come true," the bishop said of FAITH. The excitement surrounding the premiere of the magazine continued on into the next day as a party was held in celebration of FAITH, the first official diocesan publication. More than 230 people attended the event held at St. Mary Cathedral Hall. Bill Harris, evening news anchor on Flint's WJRT1V 12 and a parishioner of Holy Family Parish in Grand Blanc, served as master of ceremonies. Cdcbratmg tl1c premiere of FAITH arc \from lcjl); Fr. james Swiat, Pastor of Holy Family Parish, Grand Blanc, and FAITH Advisory Board member; Msgr. Michael Murphy, Moderator of the Curia; Bishop Carl Mengcling, Publisher of FAITH; Fr. Charles Irvin, Editor in Chief; Kathy Funlz, Assistant Edi tor; Patrich O'Brien, Managing Editor/Creative Director; and, Msgr. Richard Grosheh, Vicar General of the Diocese of Lansing and Pastor of St. Pius X Parish, Flint

A Lot To Be Proud Of. Catholic Schools Week

Father's Last Blessing 1

By Rev. Fr. Charles Irvin

Fr. Dan Wunderlich had metastatic cancer. When you have that kind of cancer you make your peace with God while you close your earthly affairs. And so it was that Fr. Dan came back to the folks of St. jude Parish in DeWitt on Oct. 25. The service was poignant ... and powerful. Fr. Dan was at peace, placing himself completely and totally in the hands of God. He took the Book of Blessings and selected the blessing given when one goe away on a pilgrimage, editing the words just a bit to fit this particular departure on the ultimate pilgrimage. The good people of St. jude's were pastored for the I last time wtth a blessing that Facts: Catholic: Schools will remain wah them for of~the Lensing Dloc:ese the rest of their lives. A wonderful young priest, 38 eleriient•ry sdlools Fr. Dan Wunderlich, passed 1 0,211 students over into eternal life Dec. 499 full"time staff members 15, 1999. In addition to being pastor of St. jude in 4 high schools located in DeWitt, he served as jackson, Flint, lansing Adjutant Judicial Vicar of and Ann Arbor the Lansing Tribunal. 2,507 students 180 full-time staff members

The 38 grade schools and four high schools of the Lansing Diocese will be "lighting Christ's Way to a New Century" during Catholic Schools Week jan. 30-Feb. 5- a time when parochial schools celebrate their solid academic foundations as well as their faith identity Sr. Dorita Wotiska, OP, Ph.D., Superintendent of Catholic Schools, believes three unique things are evident in the diocesan schools which lead to a students healthy development 1 the use of Sacraments 2 the Ten Commandments 3 the Holy Spirit. "Thats where character comes from," Sr. Dorita says.

20 schools have waiting list 33 have Internet access 22 offer extended day

programs

For more iliformation about Catholic schools within the Diocese of Lansing, call the Department of Education and Formation at (517) 342-2482.

For more Catholic news, subscribe to The Catholic Times, an authorized news weekly of the Diocese of Lensing (517) 793·76•


oc lnews One Step Closer To Priesthood

Diocese of Lansing

Professionals like these do as

_l~~~~-~ -~-~-~2-~--~f_E~~~i~~-~~~-~ By Kathy Funk

Lay ministers will play a lllflt'~votal role in parishes with ~e advent or the third millennium. This is especially true within the Diocese of Lansing. "The priest provides the sacramental leadership of the parish," says Mary Tardif, Director of Ecclesial Lay Ministry, "while 90 percent of the work within in a parish is done by a lay minister. •Jt needs to be realized that lay ministers are not just substitutes - it is not ministry by default." Lay ministers are definitely not substitutes - they are trained professionals in accordance with Church regulations. The diocesan ministry formation program, through Siena Heights University in Adrian, offers programs in jackson, Ann Arbor, Flint d Lansing. According to Tardif, the Ecclesial Lay Ministry Program is broken up

into different levels: level I certification level II commissioning level Ill the equivalent of a master's degree The formation program also offers tuition assistance. "No one is turned away because of financial need," Tardif adds. Nine lay ministers were publicly commissioned in November by Bishop Carl Mengeling. Those recognized included Susan Cancro, Marianne Danks, Ronald Kenney, Ann laurence, Barbara Papp, Sandra Millar, Douglas Moore, Stephen Rail and Anthony Sperendi. (above) "The commissioning is a public recognition that people are here in ministry," says Tardif. For more infonnation on the EcclesiaiLay Ministry Program, contact Mary Tardif at (517) 342-2512 or via e-mail: mtardi@dioccscojlansing.org

subscribe by e-mail cteditone@aol.com

Following their ordination to the transitional diaconate, these three men are one step closer to their priesthood ordinations set for june lO, 2000. Seminarians Tim Nelson and Mike Petroski were ordained deacons on Saturday, Nov. 20, at St. Mary Cathedral while nm MacDonald was ordained Oct. 7 in Rome where he is currently studying. During the ordination Masses, the men formally committed themselves to celibate lives and the daily recitation of the Divine Office. As deacons, they may now baptize, distribute Holy Communion, preach during the liturgy and witness marriages.


he world Catholic Newspaper Selects Image of Contemporary Jesus

Bishops Approve New Standards for Catholic Higher Education

KANSAS Clll', Mo. (CNS)

WASHINGTON (CNS)

Tire Natio11al Catholic Reporter, a weekly independent Catholic newspaper, has chosen a dark-featured indigenous figure as the winner of its contest seeking an image of Christ for the new millennium. The winning image, ''jesus of the People," was submitted by artist Janet McKenzie from Island Pond, Vt. "I hope people are able to go to the essence of the work," she said, "which is kindness and peace."

The U.S. Catholic bishops overwhelmingly approved new nonns for Catholic higher education Nov. 17. By a vote of 223-31, they adopted one of the most widely debated and most often rewritten documents they have handled s ince their pastoral letters on the economy and on war and peace In the 1980s. Despite the wide suppon for the norms among bishops, they remain controversial in the Catholic academic community. The controversy was summarized by Archbishop Remben G. Weakland of Milwaukee when he said during the debate, Ml believe passing this document now will create a pastoral disaster for the Church in the U.S.A." Clearly most bishops did not share his view. Supponers of the document argued that the nonns are needed and have been sufficiently refined to deal with the most serious objections raised against earlier versions. They predicted that passage of the nonns would help advance the dialogue between bishops and the academic community which has been going on over the past decade. The document itself says such a dialogue must be a continuing part of the implementation.

U.S. bishops gather around the altar for Mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception In Washington Nov. 15. The U.S. bishops were gathering In the nation's capHal for their annual fall meeting Nov. 15-18.

The document requires theologians teaching in Catholic colleges and universities to have a "mandatum," or mandate to teach, from the proper church authority, ordinarily the local bishop. It also calls on those institutions to declare their Catholic identity clearly in their govemmg documents and, to the extent possible, to work toward having Catholics fonn the majority of their trustees and faculty. The new nonns are tilled "'Ex Corde Ecclesiae': An Application to the United States (1999)." The Latin part of the mle, which means "from the heart of the church," comes from the name Pope John Paul II gave to his 1990 apostolic constitution on Catholic colleges and universities. Bishop john J. Letbrecht of Springfield-Cape Girardeau, Mo., who headed the commiuee responsible fo r developing the application nonns, told the bishops that

the committee believed the document before them succeeded in addressing key issues which were a source of criticism in earlier draft He said it spells out the appropriate role of a bishop in Catholic higher education in a context of academic freedom and institutional aUlonomy, key concerns in the U.S. academic community. ~The bishops role is one of relationship, not control," Bishop Leibrecht said. He also said one new change in the document was to introduce language saying that the application ~will become effective one year after the Holy Sees recognition of the document: ~we did this because ume is needed to make sure it Is understood" and properly interpreted and implemented, Bishop Leibrecht added while noting the document includes a provision for review after 10 years. by }my Flittau (CNS)

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eLastWord ... Catholics as Evangelists We are all called to be missionaries MostrRev. Keneth J. Povlsh

Moves Plus IX and John XXIII Closer to Sainthood VATICAN CITY (CN})

Pope john Paul II formally cleared the way for a year 2000 beatification of Pope Pius IX (left) and moved Pope john XXlll (right) a step closer as well. In the case of Pope Pius IX, pontiff from 1846 to 1878, the Vatican recognized the miracle needed for his

Muslim Leader Cites Faith In Jesus' Second Coming MOSCOW (ZENITl

A Muslim leader testified to the importance of the Great jubilee to followers of Islam. Supreme Mufti Shaikh-ullslam Talgat Tajuddin, hairman of the Central luslim Board for Russia, told Patriarch Alexy ll, "Your celebration is our celebration ... for we believe in One Creator and all His messengers."

beatification. Pope Pius is expected to be one of the people beatified Sept. 3 at the Vatican. Recognition of a miracle is still needed in Pope John's case; the decree of such a miracle is expected to be issued in the spring, which would make it possible for Pope john to be beatified along with Pope Pius. by C Wooden (CNS)

Tajuddin went on to explain that "Easter is as great a holiday for us as it is for you." "When we say that we believe in the Second Coming of jesus Christ, we believe that He will unite all people and lead all humanity under the banner of truth to the grace and mercy of the Most High," stated the Mufti.

For more than a decade now, as we approached the end of the second millennium and prepared for the Great jubilee 2000, Pope john Paul has been emphasizing what he calls a "New Evangelization." The term is new, but the idea is not. The idea is an old one, but it hasn't been employed much since the early centuries of the first millennium. What does he mean by a "new" evangelization? The Pope is calling all of us to become evangelists for the flew century and the new millennium. The wold evangelization" is typified by the bringing of the faith to the New World after 1492. It was done by missionaries nuns, monks, priests and bishops you might call ¡professionals. The Catholics of the world supported them with money and prayers for hundreds of years. The Holy Father is telling us that this pattern of action is inadeguate for the present age and the present culture. Missionary work cannot be done by the "professionals" alone. As in the early Ghurch, everyone has to be a missionary. john Paulll reminds us that the call to holiness is universal, as the Second Vatican CouncU taught: we are ALL called to be saints. likewise, as the CouncU taught, by Baptism and Confirmation we ALL share the responsibility for the maintenance and spread of the faith. We are All agents of the New Evangelization. By the very fact that we are Catholic Christians we are evangelists! As we reflect upon relationships in FAITH this month, let:S be sure to consider what adjustments in thinking, what new habits of acting, and what approaches in human relationships are required by our role in the New Evangelization. The ministries of the ordained, the professed and the commissioned among us still need to be promoted. The New Evangelization needs priests, deacons, vowed religious and lay ministers. But people can be evangelists in many other ways, and not necessarily by devoting two years of their lives•to it the way male Mormons do, or by going door-to-door on Saturdays like the jehovah Witnesses. All parents are evangelists, the first teachers of Christian faith and behavior to their children. Those who teach children or teens in religion classes, in parochial schools, or through youth ministry are all evangelists. People who show love, care and concern in the name of the Lord to neighbors, employees, fellow workers or fellow students testify to the God of love. They evangelize especially when others are ill, discouraged or grieving. The elderly. the chronically ill and shut-ins who suffer in union with Christ can be evangelists. It is no coincidence that in the early Church those who suffered and died for their faith were called martyrs, the Greek word for "witnesses." Of all hwnan relationships none is more grace-filled than the spiritual connection between the evangelist (giver of the good news of the ~1) and the hearer (the recipient of its truth and goodness).


All Schools Mass Monday, January 31, 10:00 am at SL Maty Cathedral, with

Bl8hop Cart Mengeling prtleiding. Celebrate Catholic Schools Week as repreaent.ativM from the 42 ec:hools of the Lansing Diocese light Christ's way with a special candle proc:eesion.

faith

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300 W Ottawa Lansing, Ml 48933

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