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Catholic san Francisco Northern California’s Weekly Catholic Newspaper

‘God forgave me. Why can’t I forgive myself ?’ graduates break the cycle, the reverse of the parole system’s record. “They just do everything possible Women ex-offenders, all too often spiritually broken, come to the recovery home to give these women an opportunity to called Catherine’s Center to put themselves succeed,” Salinger said. “It’s a sign that back together, one piece at a time. The it can be done. There’s nothing for men work is as hard as it sounds and is not for that’s equal to it.” Many women find their way to everyone, but those who take the chance and make it through the course are apt to Catherine’s Center as a last chance, usually invited by the St. Vincent de Paul say the experience saves their lives. Upstairs on a commercial street in Society’s Marty Schurr, the Archdiocese South San Francisco, the Catherine’s of San Francisco’s chaplain for the San Center residence houses six women, all Mateo County jails. “We try to build relationships,” Schurr of them recently paroled after serving jail time in San Mateo County. Four other said. “That’s what it’s all about at the end of the day. We’ve gotten to know each women live in a separate building. The center is a ministry of the St. other as brother and sister. We can have Vincent de Paul Society of San Mateo an honest conversation.” County in collaboration with the Sisters of Invitees meet the center’s staff under Mercy, who developed the long-term recov- Sister Marguerite. Those who appear to have ery curriculum in 2003 after recognizing the a good chance of success and who have what need for the Church to do more for women it takes to support the community are welex-offenders who have exhausted every comed. They start with Christ’s forgiveness other resource. and with the unconThe program ditional love of the combines drug and other women in alcohol recovery, the house. Beyond prayer, meditathat, there are no tion, retreats, conpromises. science formation In interviews and job skills. with Catholic “The criteSan Francisco, rion is that they Catherine’s are determined Center residents to change their described the lives,” said Mercy work of rebuildSister Marguerite ing their lives Buchanan. in almost literal “There’s terms. Typically Laverne Williams: a whole lot of each broken piece shame, a whole lot represents a rela“You have to get sick and tired of fear,” she said. tionship. Each of the life you’re living.” “A huge amount woman’s relationof courage is what ship with herself they’re exhibiting even by coming here.” is the most vital piece. Once women Most women ex-offenders are in re-establish their self-esteem, they go triple jeopardy when they leave custody. through the emotionally trying, monthsTypically they lack job skills, have expe- long work of putting back together relarienced abuse and have no family to go tionships with family members and others back to. Many have been separated from they harmed in lives outside the law. After their minor children and have lost – or much spiritual discipline they craft “grief must avoid – old friends. letters” to release the power the past holds Three out of four ex-offenders, men over them and the ones they hurt. and women, are likely to go back to prison Jackie Casalou, 48, is making amends if nothing happens to change the cycle. with her 25-year-old daughter – “because “Parole doesn’t work with people at we’ve been through so much.” That all,” said George Salinger, a deacon at St. understates the torment the family expeMatthias Parish in Redwood City and long rienced with Casalou’s two years in jail active in prison outreach. “It’s very obvi- for embezzlement and her son’s suicide ous the prison system is a total failure.” just before her release in 2005. Catherine’s Center, in contrast, shows “I came to Catherine’s Center really the benefit of counseling to rebuild every broken, a broken individual,” she said. “I ‘GOD FORGAVE ME’, page 24 phase of a person’s life. Three out of four

(PHOTOS BY RICK DELVECCHIO/CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO)

By Rick DelVecchio

Archbishop Celestino Migliore, the Vatican’s apostolic nuncio to the United Nations, in San Francisco Dec. 22.

Vatican’s U.N. representative: trust the poor, insist on morality in finance By Rick DelVecchio Put the reeling global economy on a moral footing and give more financial trust to the less well off and their faith-based allies, the Vatican’s U.N. representative says. “Finance is not a game,” Archbishop Celestino Migliore told Catholic San Francisco in a Dec. 22 interview. “Among some big and wealthy financial agencies, they just play finances as a game. Really finance works as long as it’s put in the service of the common good and especially the great slice of our society which is composed of poor people or people who are not rich.” Rich nations must not respond to today’s crisis by retrenching to protectionism but must play an ever-stronger role in global development, Archbishop Migliore said. Recounting his address to the U.S.-sponsored meeting on international development in Doha, Qatar, earlier in December, he said stronger nations must continue their aid commit-

ments to support some 40 countries too weak to manage on their own. The archbishop, who serves as apostolic nuncio and permanent observer of the Holy See to the United Nations, echoed Pope Benedict XVI’s prepared message for the World Day of Peace, marked Jan. 1. The Holy Father said the role of finance in supporting long-term investment and therefore development appears “extremely fragile.” He said the crisis demonstrates “how financial activity can at times be completely turned on itself, lacking any long-term consideration of the common good.” Archbishop Migliore, who was in the San Francisco area to give the concluding lecture at an Advent lecture series St. Rita Parish in Fairfax, said the Vatican’s prescription for a sustainable and just global economy also includes such measures as small-scale business and farm loans to the poor. One lesson of the economic crisis, he VATICAN U.N. REP, page 6

INSIDE THIS WEEK’S EDITION Letters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Vocations . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-14 ‘Engaged Church’ . . . . . . . . 17 Scripture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Father John Hardin named Franciscan leader ~ Page 7 ~ January 9, 2009

Cloistered nun marks 75th jubilee ~ Page 12 ~

Datebook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Oakland’s Bishop Vigneron named Detroit archbishop Classified ads . . . . . . . . 22-23 ~ Page 15 ~ www.catholic-sf.org

SEVENTY-FIVE CENTS

VOLUME 11

•

No. 1

Catholic San Francisco

January 9, 2009

On The Where You Live By Tom Burke

Alice Puccetti Happy 100th birthday to Rose Palazzolo of St. Pius Parish in Redwood City. Family came from as far as Bronx, New York to honor the new centenarian. Rose has not been slowed by age and continues to enjoy arts and crafts at the local senior center, card games with “the girls” and St. Pius Senior Club meetings. Thanks to Marylyn Maher for fillin’ us in…. Also joining the hundred-years ranks is Alice Puccetti, a 56-year parishioner of Church of the Visitacion and still a member of the parish Over 55 Club. Thanks to Alice’s daughter, Barbara Puccetti, for the good news…. On her way to the 100-club is Norma Vigo who was 97 years old in October. Norma is a regular reader at the 9:30 a.m. Mass at St. Anthony Parish in North Fair Oaks, San Mateo County. Thanks for lettin’ us know to Barbara Edwards who asks if Norma might be “the oldest person actively exercising the ministry of lector in the Archdiocese?”…. St. Timothy Parish in San Mateo says “Happy Birthday” to Ray Ortiz who just celebrated his 90th year Norma Vigo at the Senior Halloween lunch. It’s also fond farewells at St. Tim’s to Betty Fort who is moving to Washington State after 57 years with the parish. “Betty will be missed for her wonderful, joyful personality, being the first secretary of St. Timothy School, children’s choir director, choir member, jokester, and all-in-all `a wonderful person,’’ a recent bulletin said… Star of the Sea schools, San

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Heading up the recent Christmas boutique of the St. Mary Medical Center Auxiliary were, front from left, Cecilia Bermudez, Josephine Almodovar, Connie Spinali, and Mary Perata with, back from left, Arlene Fife, Pauline McArdle, Anita Ferroggiaro, Anne Hohener, Doris Gibson, and Ellenann Hughes. The November event benefited cancer services at the hospital.

Francisco celebrate 100 years in 2009. A Winter Ball, 5K Fun to us all. Special guest, of course, was Cardinal William J. Run, and school rededication are among the events planned Levada now of the Vatican but remembered well for his years as to commemorate the milestone. I Archbishop of San Francisco and now hope they also restage “The Lower recuperating from back surgery at the Gym” the musical remembrance Archbishop’s residence. Plaques are of Star of the Sea Academy awarded to people of long service in written by several of its alumthe Archdiocese, a carol or two is sung nae. Visit www.staroftheseasf.com but most of all we have an opportunity or e-mail alumni@staroftheseasf.com to talk beyond memos and e-mails with our partners in service here at … St. Cecilia Parish in San Francisco the Pastoral Center. It’s always a nice sends “Congratulations” to Rosaly recharging of the batteries for days and Victor Cipparrone on their ahead. Speaking of days ahead, St. recent 60th wedding anniversary Patrick’s Seminary hosts its annual and to Josephine and Ted Quartaroli, Discernment Weekend Jan. 16 – 18 who are also wed six decades…. St. Gloria Gillogley –Acosta, founder of on the Menlo Park campus. Men Rita Parish in Fairfax says job well done and “thank you” to Bill Cuneo, San Mateo Pro-Life, was honored by the interested in priesthood are invited. group in October at St. Mark Parish in See Datebook. Happy New Year!!! Dominic Berardi, David Balderas, Belmont. Bill May of Catholics for the This is an empty space without you! Alberto Pavanello, Joe Waikiki Send items and pictures via e-mail to and Darrain Waters for their efforts Common Good was guest speaker. From burket@sfarchdiocese.org. Mailed in upgrading facilities at the parish left: Vicki McNamara, Jessica Munn, school… The year here at head- chair, San Mateo ProLife; Gloria and Bill. items should be sent to “Street,” One Peter Yorke Way, SF 94109. Pix quarters ended with a wonderful holiday reception at the home of Archbishop George Niederauer should be hard copy or electronic jpeg at 300 dpi. Don’t forget Dec. 19. Both current and former chancery staff attended and to include a follow-up phone number. Call me at (415) 614-5634 the chance to kibitz over good food and chat is a very nice gift and I’ll walk you through it.

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Catholic San Francisco

‘Abortion Hurts Women’ billboard promotes pro-life event A billboard advertising the Walk for Life West Coast’s signature slogan “Abortion Hurts Women” is now displayed in San Francisco near the approach to one of the most traveled bridges in the United States. Placed on Dec. 31, the 20-by-60-foot billboard is easily visible to the more than 100,000 cars driving the freeway daily on the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge approach. The billboard was scheduled to remain in place for a month, a Walk for Life spokesperson told Catholic San Francisco. Its cost was funded by an anonymous source and additional billboards at other sites are “a possibility,” she said. “So far there has been a little negative feedback on a couple of blogs, but overall there is excitement because this is a chance to help women,” said Eva Muntean, co-chair for Walk for Life West Coast. The sign includes a phone number for a post-abortion help line. The help line is staffed by women who have themselves experienced abortion, explained Muntean. The billboard is located at Fourth and Bryant Streets in San Francisco. The Bay

A billboard promoting the Jan. 24 Walk for Life West Coast went up Dec. 31 in San Francisco at Fourth and Bryant Streets.

Bridge carries approximately 270,000 cars daily, according to state Department of Transportation statistics. “San Francisco is a beautiful city but there is a lot of sadness beneath the surface,” Muntean said. “Until recently we had more abortions than live births, and a high per-

centage of our population has experienced abortion. We need to reach those women and men who are hurting, and this seemed like the most effective method.” Walk for Life West Coast was founded in 2005 and drew 8,000 people the first year. The event drew 25,000 people last year from

across the country and other nations. The 2009 pilgrimage will be Saturday, Jan. 24, beginning at 11 a.m. at the Justin Herman Plaza lawn and ending two and a half miles later at the Embarcadero’s Marina Green. The Walk for Life website is www.walkforlifewc.com.

Walk for Life keynote speakers’ backgrounds vary widely A well-known Baptist preacher, a pro-life educator, a pro-life feminist and a Bay Area performer will be keynote speakers at the 5th Annual Walk for Life West Coast in San Francisco Jan. 24. To begin at 11 a.m. at Justin Herman Plaza at San Francisco’s Embarcadero, the pro-life pilgrimage is expected to draw in excess of the estimated 25,000 who last year walked the 2.5 miles to the Marina Green at the Embarcadero, organizers said. Scheduled to address participants at the end of the walk are: ● Rev. Clenard Howard Childress, Jr., founder of the pro-life website Blackgenocide.org and a member of the National Pro-Life Religious Council of

Diana Nagy

Kerri Caviezel

Washington, D.C.; ● Kerri Caviezel, an educator and pregnancy counselor who has addressed Catholic World Youth Day in Cologne, Germany, the Atlanta Eucharistic Congress

● Karen Shablin, a health care policy expert and former state Medicaid agency head who is known as a one-time “cardcarrying member of NARAL” who moved to a pro-life feminist position following her experience choosing an abortion; and ● Diana Nagy, a professional singer whose debut CD, “The Journey of Life,” features her mother’s poems turned into Rev. Clenard Howard lyrics. Nagy has also written a song called “The Gift Of Life” which she Karen Shablin Childress, Jr. wrote for her son after placing him for adoption when she was a teen. and many pro-life conferences;

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Catholic San Francisco

NEWS

January 9, 2009

in brief

Church workers killed in 2008 VATICAN CITY (CNS) – At least 20 Church workers were killed in 2008, demonstrating that Catholic men and women continue placing their lives at risk to proclaim the Gospel and serve the poor, said the Vatican’s Fides news agency. Publishing its annual list of missionaries killed during the year, the agency of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples said all Catholics have an obligation to remember those who sacrificed their lives, to thank God for their witness and to resolve to be more courageous in demonstrating their own faith.

Vatican celebrates Galileo jubilee VATICAN CITY (CNS) – As more than 130 countries celebrate the International Year of Astronomy, the Vatican also turned its gaze toward the heavens. The year, which began Jan. 1, was established by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei’s first use of the telescope. The Vatican also is celebrating the star-studded jubilee year, as the Vatican Museums, the Vatican Observatory and other Vatican offices participate in several initiatives. In late December, Pope Benedict XVI rang in the year of astronomy early by sending greetings to those participating in the yearlong celebration. The pope repeatedly has praised Galileo, calling him a man of faith who “saw nature as a book written by God.”

Congo mining contracts reviewed KINSHASA, Congo (CNS) – A Congolese Jesuit said he is optimistic that 60 government contracts with international mining companies will be renegotiated in favor of the government, raising more revenue for one of the poorest countries in Africa. “Mining companies have already accepted to renegotiate the contracts in 57 out of the 60 that were revised,” said Jesuit Father Ferdinand Muhigirwa, director of the Center for Studies for Social Action. In 2007 the government appointed a commission to review mining contracts signed between the state and international mining companies from 1996 to 2006, a politically unstable period before President Joseph Kabila was elected in 2006. A U.N. panel found in 2000 that many mining companies paid bribes to government officials and local strongmen to obtain lucrative mining concessions. The panel linked mining activity and the armed conflict that has persisted in regions of the country.

Cardinal exhorts Chinese bishops HONG KONG (CNS) – Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun of

Hong Kong called on Catholic bishops in mainland China to courageously fulfill responsibilities to the Church. “Don’t be afraid. Bear the responsibilities that history has placed upon you. In this critical moment, your choice could revive the Church or it could let her languish for a long time,” he told the mainland bishops. “You are held accountable to history and you must be prepared to stand firm without blemish before God’s judgment.” The Asian church news agency UCA News reported the cardinal made the call in an article, “Inspiration from St. Stephen’s Martyrdom,” in the Jan. 4 issue of Kung Kao Po, the Hong Kong Diocese’s weekly. Cardinal Zen announced Dec. 24 that Pope Benedict XVI had agreed to let him retire in the first half of 2009, and that after retirement he would focus on Chinese Church affairs.

that require abortion providers to inform women of potential risks to their health and about alternatives to abortion somewhat support

strongly support

72%

that require giving parents the chance to be involved in their minor daughter’s abortion decision

59% that protect doctors and nurses from being forced to perform or refer for abortions against their will

58%

NEW YORK (CNS) – Father Richard Neuhaus, founder and editor in chief of the journal First Things, has been hospitalized with “a serious cancer,” the publication announced Dec. 31. A message sent to e-mail contacts and posted on the magazine’s website said Father Neuhaus is in a New York hospital after being diagnosed with cancer in late November. “The long-term prognosis for this particular cancer is not good, but it is not hopeless, either, and there is a possibility that it will respond to the recommended outpatient chemotherapy treatment,” said the message. But over Christmas, Father Neuhaus became dangerously ill with a systemic infection and was hospitalized, the note added. There had been some signs of improvement in the last few days, the message said, “and there is a reasonable expectation that he will recover from this present illness – sufficiently, we hope, that he will be able to begin the chemotherapy for the cancer.”

book, “Jesus Symbol of God.” While discussions with his Jesuit superiors and between the Jesuits and the doctrinal congregation continued, Father Haight has been teaching at Union Theological Seminary, a nondenominational graduate school in New York.

Guantanamo closure pushed

Med students form pro-life groups

WASHINGTON (CNS) – Closure of the military prison at the U.S. Army base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, will be getting renewed attention during a 100-day campaign designed to hold President-elect Barack Obama to his campaign pledge to close the compound. On Jan. 11, the seventh anniversary of its opening, organizers of the 100 Days Campaign will begin a series of events including public witness, street theater, processions, lectures, prayer and fasting to call attention to the promise to close the controversial prison. A Department of Defense spokesman said 250 detainees remain behind bars there.

Jesuit asked not to teach ROME (CNS) – The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has asked U.S. Jesuit Father Roger Haight not to teach Christology at any university – Catholic or not, said the Romebased spokesman of the Jesuits. “He can continue to teach, but not systematic theology connected with Christology,” said Father Giuseppe Bellucci, spokesman for the Jesuits. “The prohibition against teaching is not a condemnation and is not definitive. A committee of Jesuits, in fact, is studying the position of Father Roger, who is willing to collaborate to clarify his positions,” Father Bellucci told Catholic News Service Jan. 5. In 2005 the doctrinal congregation published a notification that Father Haight could no longer teach as a Catholic theologian because of “serious doctrinal errors” in his 1999

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NASHVILLE, Tenn. (CNS) – Catholic students at Vanderbilt University Medical School in Nashville have formed new student organizations to promote intertwining their values and their future careers. Both organizations – the Society of Sts. Cosmas and Damian, a group for Catholic medical students, and Leaders in the Fight for Every Patient, or LIFE, a nondenominational prolife group founded by a Catholic student – asked Dr. Wes Ely to serve as their faculty adviser. Ely, a Catholic and parishioner at the Cathedral of the Incarnation, had prayed for the past 10 years to find a way to bridge a relationship between God and medicine at Vanderbilt, he said. “During the past year, this was accomplished through the medical students, who contacted me about forming these two organizations,” he said. “I am so proud of these students for taking this on. They put their faith first regardless of traditional medical opinion.”

Grant to help AIDS victims POMPANO BEACH, Fla. (CNS) – Cross International, a Catholic relief agency based in Pompano Beach, was awarded a $4.8 million grant from the U.S. government for a new program to prevent the spread of AIDS in Haiti and provide care to orphans and children. “This is the biggest single grant in the history of Cross, a real landmark in the seven years since we began serving the poor,” said Jim Cavnar, president of Cross International.

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January 9, 2009

Catholic San Francisco

Pope calls for Gaza peace talks, deplores violence in Congo VATICAN CITY (CNS) – As fighting continued in the Gaza Strip, Pope Benedict XVI urged Israelis and Palestinians to end the violent, armed clashes and start peace talks. “Hatred and the rejection of dialogue bring nothing but war,” he said after reciting the Angelus Jan. 6 with pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square. “Today I would like to encourage the initiatives and efforts of all those who, having a heart of peace, are trying to help Israelis and Palestinians agree to sit down together and talk,” he said. He prayed God would help sustain the dedicated efforts of these “courageous builders of peace.” As Israel continued its ground and air assault on Gaza, Pope Benedict XVI has made repeated appeals for an end to the violence. “The dramatic news arriving from Gaza demonstrates how the refusal of dialogue can lead to situations of untold suffering for populations that are once again the victims of hatred and war,” the pope said at his noon blessing at the Vatican Jan. 4. His Jan. 4 comments came as Israel sent troops and tanks into Gaza while continuing air and artillery shelling against targets in the Palestinian territory. Palestinian medical officials said more than 500 Palestinians, including at least 100 women and children, had been killed in the offensive. Four Israeli civilians and one soldier were reported killed in the first 10 days of fighting. The pope said he supported the initiative

(CNS PHOTO/IS MAIL ZAYDAH, REUTERS)

By Carol Glatz

A Palestinian man stands near bodies outside a United Nations school in Jebaliya in the northern Gaza Strip Jan. 6. Israeli tank shells killed at least 30 Palestinians at the school where civilians had taken shelter, medical officials said.

of the heads of Christian churches in the Holy Land, who requested prayers for peace and justice in Gaza. He asked Catholics to pray for the victims and the wounded, and for those suffering in other ways in the conflict. “War and hatred are not the solution to problems, which is confirmed by recent history,” the pope said. He urged Israeli and Palestinian authorities to take immediate

action to “put an end to the present tragic situation.” Israel began its offensive Dec. 27 in an attempt to stop Hamas rocket attacks into southern Israel. Hamas is the Palestinian paramilitary organization that runs the Gaza Strip. On Jan. 6 the pope also appealed for an end to the “inhumane brutality” unfolding in eastern Congo where some 20 children were

abducted over the Christmas period by armed bandits who launched attacks against villages, leaving many people dead or injured. Caritas Congo reported Dec. 29 that the children were abducted as child soldiers for the Lord’s Resistance Army – a Ugandan rebel group. Caritas Congo is the local affiliate of the international Catholic umbrella group Caritas Internationalis. Caritas said violence in the region flared in late December leaving hundreds of people dead. It said 50 bodies were found in the courtyard of a Catholic church in Doruma on Christmas morning. The pope urged those responsible for such “inhumane brutality to give the (kidnapped) children back to their families” so that the future of these young people may be safe and fruitful. The pope made the appeals on the feast of the Epiphany, which is a national holiday in Italy and is largely dedicated to children. He said he was praying for the world’s children, especially those experiencing a troubled childhood. The violence against children worldwide “appears even more appalling considering that 2009 marks the 20th anniversary of the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child,” he said. He called on world leaders to renew their promises to defend, safeguard and foster the development of the world’s children. Pope Benedict noted that the Epiphany was dedicated to the Holy Childhood Association, a children-supported missionary organization that works in more than 100 countries.

Gaza conflict draws worldwide appeals for end of violence The escalated violence in Gaza between Israel and Hamas has drawn myriad reaction and appeals for an end to the conflict from around the world. Among them: Condemns aggression “The people of Gaza have been living within a large prison,” said the director of the Archdiocese of San Francisco’s Office of Public Policy and Social Concerns on Jan. 5. Recently returned from a Middle East fact-finding trip sponsored by Catholic Relief Services, George Wesolek added, “Israelis cut off food and medical supplies as a part of their blockade. Hamas rockets on Israeli villages is not justified nor is the disproportionate Israeli response which is taking so many civilian lives. Peace will only be achieved by negotiations, not more bloodshed.” U.S. action urged WASHINGTON (CNS) – In an appeal to U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Bishop Howard J. Hubbard of Albany, N.Y., asked that the United States “take immediate action to help end the escalation of violence between Hamas and Israel.” “More than words are needed,” said Bishop Hubbard, chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on International Justice and Peace, in a Dec. 30 letter to Rice. “We ask you to urge the president to send a high-level personal representative to the region immediately to help negotiate a cease-fire and make provision for humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza.” The Israeli government Dec.

31 rejected the idea of a 48-hour cease-fire. Caritas asks cease fire VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Honduran Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga, president of Caritas Internationalis, called for an immediate cease-fire in the Gaza Strip to allow the wounded and their physicians to reach the region’s hospitals. “Caritas calls for action from the United States, the European Union and the international community to press for an immediate cease-fire to enable the sick and wounded to be treated,” said the cardinal, the archbishop of Tegucigalpa, in a statement Jan. 5. “War cannot be justified either by Israel or by Hamas,” the Palestinian militant group that controls the Gaza Strip, the cardinal said. Caritas Internationalis, the umbrella organization for 162 national Catholic charities, also called for the immediate opening of two more crossings into the Gaza Strip so that medical and other aid can reach the region’s people. The Caritas statement quoted Claudette Habesch, secretary-general of Caritas Jerusalem, as saying: “Our staff in Gaza are witnessing a collapse of medical services. People are dying in their homes because they can’t get treatment.” Cardinal Rodriguez noted that scores of innocent civilians, including children, have been killed and thousands have been injured since Israel began its offensive in late December.

Call to all Alumni Star of the Sea Elementary School Star of the Sea Academy As we prepare to celebrate Star’s 100th anniversary, we would like to hear from former Star students, parents, teachers, friends and associates. If you have stories, photographs or mementos to share, we would LOVE to hear from you.

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Sisters of Charity to remain JERUSALEM (CNS) – Despite the bombings and Israeli ground-force incursion into the Gaza Strip, the six Missionaries of Charity working in Gaza City say they plan to remain. The six Sisters – from India, Malta, the Philippines, Rwanda and Slovakia – continue to bathe, feed and care for 10 incapacitated elderly women and 10 severely mentally and physically disabled children as well as they can, Sister Thertsen Devasia told Catholic News Service in a Jan. 5 phone interview. “We are OK. The bombings are not so near,” she said. Their home is located in the center of the city just behind Holy Family Catholic Church. “We go to Mass every day at the Latin church. Father sends his car for us and brings us back.” Some of the children have been terrified by the noise of the bombings, she added. A 1-year-old who recently began living with them screams whenever she hears the loud noises, the nun said. “By the grace of God we are safe and we will stay here. If something happens to our people we will be with them,” said Sister Thertsen.

Catholic Relief Services, the U.S. bishops’ international aid and development agency with offices in Jerusalem, has been in continual contact with the nuns, said Sister Thertsen. Religious leaders plead JERUSALEM (CNS) – Religious leaders in Jerusalem urged Palestinians and Israelis to “return to their senses” and end the violence that has engulfed the Gaza Strip and southern Israel. They denounced the hostilities in Gaza and “all forms of violence and killings from all parties” and had called for Jan. 4 to be marked as a day of justice and peace in “the land of peace.” “We follow with deep concern, regret and shock the war currently raging in the Gaza Strip and the subsequent destruction, murder and bloodshed, especially at a time when we celebrate Christmas, the birth of the King of love and peace,” they said in a Dec. 30 statement. The heads of 13 churches in Jerusalem, including Latin Patriarch Fouad Twal of Jerusalem and Franciscan Father Pierbattista Pizzaballa, head of the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land, signed the statement.

Catholic San Francisco

January 9, 2009

Vatican U.N. rep . . . said, is that the poor turn out to be among the best debtors because they repay their debts. Other measures to put more economic trust in the hands of the less well-off include taxation by resource-rich developing nations on their economic output and greater trust and cooperation between governments and non-governmental organizations, especially faith-based groups, he said. Taxation would provide the means for developing nations to fund their own growth instead of relying on outside aid, the archbishop said. Greater trust in the groups who work closest with those in need would result in better services at a better price because it would cut down on the “terrible bureaucratization” that can eat up a significant part of donors’ money, he said. The Vatican’s role in international development is humanitarian rather than political and is centered on people working in the field, he said. These faith-based workers not only cost less, the archbishop added, but “they live with the population and I would say in many cases they perform miracles.” The Vatican diplomat also called for greater cooperation between well-funded aid groups and the Church despite ideological differences over such issues as homosexuality and condom use. He said the leader of one aid group working on the HIV/AIDS crisis, noticing his clerical collar, expressed frustration over working with the Church. The aid chief said, “With you guys it’s impossible, we’ll never agree. You’re obsessed with gays and condoms. We’ll never solve the problem.’” The archbishop recalled his reply: “Why

(PHOTO BY RICK DELVECCHIO/CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO)

■ Continued from cover

Archbishop Celestino Migliore

don’t we join forces and try to respect each other and respect our programs because they do work and they do deliver. So you just respect them and we will never send you to hell.”

statement calling for the decriminalization of homosexuality. Press criticism of the Church’s opposition to the proposal was misguided, he said.

‘So on decriminalization (of homosexuality) the Church never had the slightest problem. We are against violence – all forms of violence and unjust discrimination against homosexuals.’ In the interview, the diplomat also clarified the Vatican’s role in December’s debate in the U.N. General Assembly on a proposed

“From the very beginning we said we would be most happy to have a declaration much stronger and much clearer on decrimi-

nalization because there are still too many countries that really commit many forms of violence against homosexuals just because they are homosexuals,” he said. “So on decriminalization the Church never had the slightest problem. We are against violence – all forms of violence and unjust discrimination against homosexuals.” But only three of the 13 points in the European-drafted statement on gay rights concerned decriminalization, the archbishop said. “The text goes much beyond that,” he said. “It speaks of two categories – sexual orientation and gender identity – that are not unequivocally defined in international law, are not recognized yet in international law. So if we use those two categories, we dilute the issue of decriminalization and we go against other rights, because this will infringe on the right of marriage, because this will put on an equal footing same-sex unions and marriage. “Once you have to proclaim rights to implement them this will be at the whim of the legislature or judicial system,” he said. “It will create a great uncertainty and will cause problems for those who are not ready to reinterpret the notion of family and marriage.” Archbishop Migliore said these concerns resulted in a three-way split in the 192-nation General Assembly when the proposal was put up for a vote Dec. 19. Sixty-six backed the European proposal, 58 supported a counter-resolution and 68, including the United States, formed a “silent majority” favoring a clearer, more strongly worded statement for the decriminalization of homosexuality. Press criticism of the Vatican’s role in the debate was a “great injustice,” Archbishop Migliore said. “The Holy See is for decriminalization but it is not for an expansion of rights that would create new problems,” he said.

Pope says financial crisis calls for new economic model By Cindy Wooden VATICAN CITY (CNS) – The current financial crisis should be seen as a challenge to find new economic models that promote honesty, development and concern for the environment, Pope Benedict XVI said. “We need to try to establish a ‘virtuous circle’” of living

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be impossible to listen to one another, meet together simply and fighting poverty, the pope said and give a concrete response to the widespread Jan. 1 as he celebrated Mass for the feast aspiration to live in peace, security and dignity,” the of Mary Mother of God and World Peace pope said. Day. Pope Benedict prayed for peace throughout the During the Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica Middle East, accepted the offertory gifts from a group and reciting the Angelus afterward with of children from Lebanon and listened as a prayer was people gathered in St. Peter’s Square, read in Arabic asking God to inspire people to combat Pope Benedict focused on the 2009 World poverty as a contribution to peacemaking. Peace Day theme, “Fighting Poverty to In his homily, the pope said he imagines Mary Build Peace.” often asked herself: “Why did Jesus want to be born of He also called for an end to the “masa simple and humble young woman like me? And why sive violence” in the Gaza Strip and offered did he want to come into the world in a stall and have special prayers for “the small, but fervent Pope Benedict XVI those Bethlehem shepherds as his first visitors?” parish in Gaza.” After Jesus’ death, he said, Mary understood that “God “We place at the feet of Mary our concerns for the present and our fears for the future, but also our well-founded hope that became poor for us, to enrich us with his poverty full of love, with the wise and farsighted contributions of everyone it will not to exhort us to stop the insatiable greed that gives rise to fighting and division, to invite us to moderate our mania to possess and, in that way, to make us open to sharing and welcoming one another.”

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Catholic San Francisco

January 9, 2009

St. Anthony executive director elected Franciscan provincial Franciscan Father John Hardin has been elected provincial minister of the Franciscan Friars of the Province of Santa Barbara. Father Hardin will lead the Franciscan Friars in five Western states for the next six years, while continuing as president of the board of trustees of St. Anthony Foundation. “The Friars prayerfully considered the issues facing a modern religious community and chose Father. Hardin as their next leader,” noted the outgoing provincial minister, Franciscan Father Melvin Jurisich. “It is a tribute to Father John’s leadership at St. Anthony’s that he was considered and selected. His leadership will now impact a broader range of people and ministries,” Father Jurisich said in a press release about the Feb. 6 election. Head of the St. Anthony Foundation for the past seven years, Father Hardin spearheaded the construction of its Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design-certified service center, the first of its kind in San Francisco, in order to increase St. Anthony’s service capacity for the poor and homeless. St. Anthony’s Deputy Director Linda Pasquinucci will continue to lead the day-to-day operations of the organization. In his new role as minister provincial, Father Hardin will guide the community of 210 friars in the Santa Barbara Province. JAN. 30FEB. 1

QUADRATOS RETREAT Inner Landscape Of Grace Dr. Alexander Shaia, Ph.D.

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Catholic San Francisco

January 9, 2009

Catholic san Francisco Northern California’s Weekly Catholic Newspaper

Life interrupted At 6:15 in the morning, a young woman muffled against the cold and carrying a small child in a pink parka entered the coffee and tea emporium and quickly eyed an older woman who had been waiting for some minutes. The young mother crossed the room in a few steps and gently placed the barely awake toddler into the arms of the older woman. This was the workday transfer point: the young woman had risen early, fed and dressed the child, and then brought her to the caregiver before heading off to work. This contemporary parental scene interrupted my early morning consideration of possible editorial topics for the current issue of Catholic San Francisco. Certainly, there is no lack of important events – involving issues of peace, justice and human dignity – that seem to call out for editorial comment. Hopes for a just peace have been shattered by renewed conflict in Gaza; acts of terrorism around the world kill and maim innocent people; faltering financial and economic conditions worldwide threaten to reverse progress and increase poverty and suffering; the nation is in the traumatic throes of the worst recession in 70 years; and the San Francisco Bay Area faces a continued loss of jobs, which places pressure and hardship on individuals and families. Because the problems facing us as a nation are so large and complex, the inspiring love and devotion of one single individual – the young mother caring for her child and taking on the added burden of a job outside the home – draws our attention. It is similar to the recollection by the poet Robert Hayden of his father in the poem “Those Winter Sundays.” He recalls: “Sundays too my father got up early/and put his clothes on in the blueblack cold,/then with cracked hands that ached/from labor in the weekday weather made/banked fires blaze.” Hayden ends his poem with a question: “What did I know, what did I know/of love’s austere and lonely offices?” As Catholic Christians – hearing the Holy Scripture on Epiphany and on the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord this Sunday – we do have an understanding of God’s love for us. Through the words of the prophet Isaiah, we pray, “God indeed is my savior;/I am confident and unafraid./My strength and my courage is the Lord,/and he has been my savior./With joy you will draw water/at the fountain of salvation.” Earlier this week at a Mass on the Feast of the Epiphany at St. Peter’s Basilica, Pope Benedict XVI said God’s promises and grace give his people the courage and direction to weather the great social and economic crises afflicting humanity. He said humanity today must face global economic and social crises and “hatred and destructive violence that do not stop spilling blood across many regions of the earth.” He cited other dangers including egoism and human pretension, which can dangerously distort “the divine plan concerning life and human dignity, the family and the harmony of creation.” Noting that it sometimes appears that people of faith have not been successful in their efforts to bring God’s healing power to the world, and that hostile forces often seem to be overwhelming, Pope Benedict said Christians will not give up hope. “It is the great hope based upon God’s promises that gives us courage and directs our action in good times and bad,” he said quoting his encyclical, Spe Salvi [on Christian hope]. The Church recognizes its own humanity, with its limitations and misfortunes, yet no one can take away Christ’s light and glory because they do not come from a human church, but from God, he said. Pope Benedict is offering us the teaching that, in these times of great trial and peril, our personal focus should remain on God our Father and Jesus Christ our Savior, through the grace of the Holy Spirit. We know by our faith that we are beloved disciples, and we are pilgrims on a journey of faith. On this journey, the Eucharist is the food of life, and it is in the moments of our greatest need that we can turn to God with confidence. These times of trial also are an opportunity for us to truly live the commandments of Christ, carried down to us by our Catholic teaching – to love God and love one another. Today, in our personal devotion and compassionate caring for others, we are being called to holiness of life through ongoing conversion, deepening wisdom and maturing prayer to follow more closely the way of Jesus Christ and the teaching of the Catholic Church. MEH

USF back-stabbed In regard to the Dec. 19 article, “Irish leader’s visit…,” I believe that in fairness to your readers, not to mention fairness to the president of Ireland and the University of San Francisco, you need to provide information as to why you give credibility to the Cardinal Newman Society. The visit of the president and the granting of an honorary degree should have been seen as a memorable event in the history of our Archdiocese and the local Irish community. It should not have been an opportunity for a self-anointed “Catholic college watchdog group” to back-stab President McAleese and the University. At the same time, it would be helpful if we knew more about the primary author of the article, Chaz Muth; for example, academic and journalistic background. He is not listed as a member of your journalistic staff. There is a great similarity between this article and “anti-modernistic” tactics of fringe but powerful elements of the Church in the early 1900s. It took an earlier Pope Benedict to stop the name-calling. Father Vincent D. Ring San Bruno

Intellectual honesty

Nuclear reality It seems that Bishop Thomas Gumbleton (Catholic San Francisco, Dec. 12) has resurfaced once again to argue for nuclear disarmament, at least on the part of the United States and any other segment of the West which might listen to him. He doesn’t mention what moral suasion he plans for the nuclear rogue states or organizations and all those which back worldwide terrorism in order to get them to do likewise. Had we listened to the bishop and followed his guidance in the past, not only would

Catholic San Francisco welcomes letters from its readers. Please send your letters to: Catholic San Francisco One Peter Yorke Way San Francisco, CA 94109 Fax: (415) 614-5641 E-mail: morrisyoungd@sfarchdiocese.org

God understands

L E T T E R S

Peter Mandell (letter, Dec. 12) charges Cardinal Francis George and columnist George Weigel with “intellectual dishonesty” and “abuse of language” in their commentaries about abortion. Mr. Mandell calls for an “honest debate,” but he seeks to diminish the pro-life position of both men because the policies of a pro-life president like George Bush have killed thousands in Iraq, etc. When will pro choice anti war Catholics like Mr. Mandell end their sophistry about human life and the war in Iraq? Catholic Democrats Nancy Pelosi, Joe Biden, John Kerry and others like them saw the same intelligence reports as President Bush. That is why they authorized him to lead a coalition of 45 nations to liberate Iraq from a murderous dictator who threatened world peace. Here’s what they said: (Source; Congressional Record) ● Nancy Pelosi October 2002: “Yes, he has chemical weapons and biological weapons. He is trying to get nuclear weapons. He will use weapons of mass destruction again, as he has 10 times since 1983.” ● Joseph Biden, October 2002. “This guy is an extreme danger to the world, and is seeking weapons of mass destruction, including nuclear capability.” ● John F. Kerry 2002: “I will vote to give the president authority to use force because weapons of mass destruction are a threat to our security.” These Catholic Democrats (who now oppose the war) gave a pro life Republican president the authority to liberate Iraq and he did; 25 million men, women and children now live a better life. Yes, let’s have some intellectual honesty. Mike DeNunzio San Francisco

Letters welcome

Poland, Hungary and the other satellite states of Eastern Europe have remained under the Soviet thumb, but in probability all of Western Europe would have succumbed to the clear predominance of the Soviets in manpower and conventional weapons. (The Berlin Wall would have come down, not because East Germany withered on the vine while the Soviets ran out of money to impose their order, but because West Germany would have been absorbed by the Communist East.) He asserts that we should abandon those weapons which preserved us because a nuclear conflict might have happened. That’s like saying we should remove the brakes from our cars because we almost hit someone when we stepped on them belatedly. Malcolm Post San Francisco I read your Dec. 12 article on Bishop Thomas Gumbleton and particularly liked his comments on homosexuality. A very dear friend recently came out as gay. I feel that this person was created this way and that God understands her needs and wants. I am afraid the Church is still a long way from that thought. I also appreciated the bishop’s take on the challenge of peace. Thank you so much for this article. Marian Sweeney San Bruno

Weigel, write on

It seems every week I read one or two letters in Catholic San Francisco attacking George Weigel for his views. I support Mr. Weigel and look forward to his article every week. I find him one of the best and would be terribly disappointed if he were dropped from Catholic San Francisco. The recent attack by Peter Mandell was totally unconvincing. He disputes the assertion that Obama is radically pro-abortion. Obama supports Roe vs. Wade; voted against the partial birth abortion ban; did not vote in favor of protecting babies born alive from failed abortions; and is in favor of the Freedom of Choice Act. What more evidence does he need? And then he brings up George Bush and the war, which has nothing to do with Obama and abortion. Everyone wishes the war was over, and we grieve each death. It would be nice if a little empathy was shown for the 47 million lives lost since 1973 with Roe vs. Wade. I believe Mr. Weigel strikes a nerve with his writings and these attacks are in response to that. Keep up the good work, Mr. Weigel. There are many of us in San Francisco who support you 100 percent. Thomas J. Perlite San Francisco

Critics lack focus I am confused by letters critical of George Weigel’s columns. His work is informative, factual; the topics are developed in clear, rational prose; and each piece reaches a logical conclusion. The critics do not explain concisely what they find objectionable. Perhaps one of them could bring his or her difficulty into sharper focus and give us a precise explanation of the complaint. Thor Thorwaldsen San Francisco

Appreciate it, but… While I appreciate Archbishop Niederauer’s open letter regarding Proposition 8, I’m still deeply disaffected by his actions. They are even more difficult to accept because I have admired and defended him since his arrival here. If it is true, as the Archbishop asserts and I believe, that “all people are God’s children and are unconditionally loved by God,” then why does the Church treat some of us differently? No one chooses to be born male or female, heterosexual or homosexual, for example. Why did the Church work to eliminate the civil marriage rights of same-sex couples as ruled by the California Supreme Court? The Archbishop writes that “the traditional understanding and definition of marriage [was] in need LETTERS, page 18

January 9, 2009

Catholic San Francisco

The Catholic Difference

Huxley’s dystopia is upon us Before tackling Dignitas Personae (The Dignity of a Person), the recent instruction from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith on contemporary bioethical questions, I’d suggest rereading the first chapter of Aldous Huxley’s “Brave New World.” Huxley was no great shakes as a stylist, but his depiction of the Central London Hatchery and Conditioning Centre is a strikingly prescient, blood-chilling glance into a future in which manufacture and manipulation have replaced begetting and nurture at the beginnings of human life. It’s remarkable enough that Huxley imagined all this a generation before the unraveling of the DNA double-helix launched the genetic revolution; what’s even more striking is that Huxley’s dystopia is, in fact, upon us. Be scared. Be very scared. For the question is no longer whether we are on a slippery slope, careening downward toward a world of machine-tooled and stunted humanity – a world in which love is displaced by technique and longing by social planning. We’re on the slope, all right, and the question is whether the brakes can be applied soon enough. Dignitas Personae is a courageous effort to alert us to the present danger, to remind us of the dignity that is inherent in every human life from the moment of conception until the moment of natural death, and to suggest how that dignity is threatened by the false use of our new genetic knowledge, even in good causes. Thanks to the prejudices of the mass media and the communications incapacities of the Church, Catholic teaching on sexual love and human reproduction is often taken to be a string of pro-

hibitions, in which aloof and nay-saying celibate clergy presume to instruct lay men and women on their moral responsibilities. The truth of that matter, however, is that every “no” in the Church’s understanding of the moral life is premised on a “yes.” In the first millennium of Christian moral theology, morality was primarily understood as a means to happiness, and the Beatitudes were the magna carta of the Christian moral life. Christians didn’t do certain things, not because they were arbitrarily forbidden, but because they didn’t make for our happiness. The Church has begun to recover that positive, Beatitudecentered understanding of the moral life, thanks to the work of great moral theologians like the recently deceased Dominican Father Servais Pinckaers and the magisterium of Pope John Paul II. Because of this work, the Church of the 21st century can appeal to all men and women of good will on the basis of questions that are truly universal in scope: “What makes for human happiness?” “What makes for genuine human flourishing?” Explicitly or implicitly, alone or with others, everyone asks those questions. Beginning there, we can have a real conversation about what is good and what is evil, what is noble and what is base, what is life-affirming and what is life-denying. In his great encyclical on Christian mission, Redemptoris Missio, John Paul II wrote, “The Church proposes; she imposes nothing.” In a cultural climate like our own – in which the question “Will it work?” usually trumps the question “Is it right?” – the Catholic proposals contained in Dignitas Personae

are inevitably countercultural. It is countercultural to affirm medical technologies and procedures that assist infertile couples in conceiving through natural means, while proposing that IVF (in vitro fertilization) poses George Weigel grave moral problems. It is countercultural to embrace and celebrate the possibilities for healing contained in the new genetics, while proposing that embryo-destructive stem-cell research is a grave moral evil. It is countercultural to bring the tools of moral reason to bear on heart-rending issues which most of our fellow-citizens believe can be resolved emotively and technologically, on the basis of compassion wedded to technique. So, yes, Dignitas Personae is countercultural. But it is countercultural precisely in order to lift up, defend, and promote the dignity of the human person, which is at risk when human life becomes commodified. Knowledge must be complemented by wisdom – moral wisdom – if humanity is to avoid Huxley’s dystopia. George Weigel is Distinguished Senior Fellow of the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington, D.C.

Potpourri

Precious, Sweetheart and Squawky Some call them arrogant, quarrelsome and mean. Others refer to them as the aristocrats of bird land. I say they are intelligent, affectionate and fun. One spring morning, the three of them were chirping uneasily in my garden, cute balls of blue fluff teetering on the clothesline. I guessed them to be new orphans whose parents had met some dreadful fate. When I offered them pieces of hard-boiled egg, they greedily opened their little beaks for a hand-fed breakfast. The curve of their scrawny necks and round heads sporting what looked like mangled buzz cuts, tugged at my heart. It was love at first sight, and it was mutual. When we became better acquainted, I named the jays Precious, Sweetheart and Squawky – the latter being a born bellyacher whose constant complaints and obvious discontent were beyond repair. While the other two, especially Precious, were adventurous and affectionate, Squawky was crabby and cantankerous, glaring at me with beady little eyes set rather close together for a bird. Eventually the other two also took on identifiable characteristics that made it easy to tell them apart. Sweetheart-the-Silly was mischievous. When I stretched out on a chaise lounge with my morning coffee, she liked to startle me by flying full speed into my newspaper, or to perch on my head for a pull at my hair.

Quieter and more loving, Precious often gazed at me in a fixed, rather disconcerting way that communicated a rare and indescribable connect between a person and a creature, a bond almost palpable in its intensity. If she had been able to wag her tail feathers, I’m sure she would have. In a few weeks the birds were pubescent: gawky looking with their feathers askew. It was the awkward, pimply stage without the pimples, and like pre-teens they often squabbled among themselves. They cavorted on the makeshift play perch I had fashioned, ringing the tiny bell and flutter flying to peck at the raw bacon pinned to the clothesline. Each afternoon, after a splash in the birdbath, the trio napped in an abandoned nest visible from an upstairs window. They learned to come when I whistled and often followed me on short walks. By then my “blues” were sleek and beautiful and responsive to the cacophony of sounds made by the strutting of visiting jays. It was mating time. Squawky and Sweetheart left first;one morning Precious was gone as well. Had I erred in hand feeding them baloney “worms” and peanuts, in taming them to land on my knee? Would they survive without me? Eventually, I stopped worrying and gave them to our Lord, taking comfort in his reminder: “Look at the birds in the sky. They do not sow or reap or gather into

barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them.” Nearly a year later there was a commotion outside my office window. Two jays were scolding. After one flew off, the other landed on my window ledge, gazing Jane L. Sears at me intently. Precious! She hopped around on my desk, eating peanuts, making her little clicking sound of contentment, gently biting my finger. Because our reunion lasted less than a day, I realized Precious had only returned to tell me she remembered me before she flew away. This time for good. God gifts us in so many ways, and he gifts his feathered friends as well, for I believe I was as dear to Precious as she was to me. And in the album of memories engraved on my heart, that sweet and lovely bird will dwell forever. Jane L. Sears is a freelance writer and member of Our Lady of Angels Parish, Burlingame.

Spirituality for Life

The God revealed at Christmas Christmas is God’s answer to human longing, God’s response to the centuries of prayers that lay hidden in our groaning, our sighs, our frustrations and our religious efforts, each of them a plea for a divine intervention, all of them asking God to come and rid the world of injustice and our hearts of heartache. But God’s answer didn’t exactly meet our expectations even as it surpassed them. What was born with Jesus’ birth and what still lies seemingly helpless in mangers all around the world wasn’t exactly what the world expected. What the world expected was a superstar, someone with the talent, sharpness and raw muscle-power to out-gun everything that’s bad on the planet, someone charismatic enough to make everyone who opposes him slink away in defeat. God’s answer to that: A baby lying helpless in the straw! Why? Because you can’t argue with a baby! Babies don’t try to compete, don’t stand up to you, don’t try to best you in an argument, and don’t try to impress you with their answers. Indeed, they can’t speak at all. You, on your part, have to coax everything out of them, be it a smile or a word, and that effort, which demands great patience, usually draws out what’s best in you. Moreover, you can’t push at a baby too hard, it will begin to cry and the session is over. And that is the Savior who was born in Bethlehem, and that is, too, how God is still basically in the world. Like a baby, God does not outgun anyone, out-muscle anyone, threaten anyone, or overpower anyone. The power of God revealed in Christmas is the

power of a baby, nothing more, nothing less: innocence, gentleness, helplessness, a vulnerability that can soften hearts, have us hush our voices, teach us patience, and call forth what’s best in us. The power of Christmas is like the power of a baby, it underwhelms in such a way so as to eventually overwhelm. There is a greater power than muscle, speed, charism, unstoppable force. If you pitted a baby against a heavy-weight boxer who ultimately would be the stronger? The boxer could kill the baby, but, no doubt, would not, precisely because something inside the baby’s powerlessness would overwhelm him. Such is the way of God, the message of Christmas. We have always been slow to understand this. We want our messiahs to possess more immediate power. And we are in good company. Even John the Baptist expected the messiah to come with that kind of power. His concern was justice, repentance, asceticism. He warned people of an approaching time of reckoning and expected the longed-for messiah to come as a violent fire, a winnowing fan that would separate the bad from the good and burn up the former with a righteousness straight from God. When he heard reports of Jesus gently inviting sinners in rather than casting them off, John was scandalized. That kind of messiah didn’t fit his expectations. That’s why Jesus, in sending a response to him, invites John not to be scandalized in him. John hadn’t wanted a gentle, vulnerable, peace-preaching messiah. He wanted bad people punished, not converted. But, to his credit, once he saw how Jesus’ power

worked, he understood, accepted, stepped back in self-effacement, and pointed people in Jesus’ direction with the words: “He must increase and I must decrease. I’m not even worthy to untie his scandal strap!” Father Like John the Baptist, Ron Rolheiser our impatience for truth and justice makes us want and expect a messiah who comes in earthly terms, all talent and muscle. We want the kind of messiah we see at the end of every Hollywood thriller, Mother Teresa turned into Sylvester Stallone or Bruce Willis, beating up the bad guys with a violence they can only envy. But that’s not the Christmas story, nor the power revealed in it. An infant lying in the straw in Bethlehem didn’t outgun anyone. He just lay there, waiting for anyone, good or bad, to come to him, see his helplessness, feel a tug at his or her heart strings, and then gently try to coax a smile or a word out of him. That’s still how God meets us. Oblate Father Ron Rolheiser can be contacted through his website: www.ronrolheiser.com.

Catholic San Francisco

January 9, 2009

CCCYO family eviction prevention work honored A collaborative program to stave off evictions and homelessness developed by Catholic Charities CYO of the Archdiocese of San Francisco has received national recognition. Thomas J. Moran, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Mutual of America Life Insurance Company, announced that Family Eviction Prevention Collaborative (FEPCO) has been named the 2008 Mutual of America Community Partnership National Award winner. An acknowledgment celebration and reception has been scheduled Jan. 29 in San Francisco. FEPCO, created and spearheaded by Catholic Charities CYO’s Homelessness Prevention Programs staff, “received this award for working to prevent homelessness by providing rental assistance to families to stave off eviction, and helping those in shelters or substandard housing find permanent homes,” according to press release on the honor. FEPCO partners include Homeless Prenatal Program, Hamilton Family Center, and Compass Community Services. Together with CCCYO, the agencies share a stream of rental assistance funding from the City of San Francisco and use a standardized application process that facilitates client access to funds from all four agencies. “This single, streamlined intake process means fewer bureaucratic hurdles for those in need and faster action on the part of the agencies,” the press release stated. “This partnership is changing the way we do business by ensuring that families most in need have access to every resource,” said Jose Cartagena, program manager for CCCYO’s homelessness prevention program. Since CCCYO formalized the FEPCO partnership a year ago, the coordinated effort has been able to provide early intervention

Pictured in New York City after presentation of the Mutual of America Life Insurance 2008 Community Partnership National Award are, from left: Cecilia Herbert, Catholic Charities CYO board president; Theodore Herman, vice chairman of the Mutual of America Foundation; Karen Erickson, director, CCCYO Homeless Prevention Programs; Jose Cartagena, CCCYO Homeless Prevention Programs Manager; Brian Cahill, CCCYO Executive Director and Chris Gorman of Chris Gorman & Associates.

and mediation with landlords that helped nearly 10,000 San Francisco families. Twenty-two additional agencies with access to funds share their intake information with FEPCO, expanding the safety net further, CCCYO spokesperson Julie Harris said, noting that in San Francisco 70 families on average are on the waiting list for emergency shelter on any given day, with the number sometimes reaching 100. “When you lose your home, you’re in free fall,” said Brian Cahill, CCCYO executive director who was among agency officials to accept the Mutual of America award in New York City.

“The stress on kids leads to failing grades and behavioral problems that can affect them the rest of their lives; the stress on parents can lead to violence. You can prevent all the pain, dysfunction and damage that comes from homelessness with a relatively small amount of money,” Cahill said. For the honor, CCCYO was award $25,000 “which we’ll use toward the collaboration,” Harris said. Now in its 13th year, the Mutual of America Community Partnership Award has recognized 130 partnerships in the United States.

The Marin County Board of Supervisors approved temporary funding for an emergency shelter Dec. 17, a week after 250 delegates from the Marin Organizing Committeeheld a candlelight procession to say that the homeless are at risk this winter without a place to sleep. The emergency shelter at the San Rafael armory can accommodate up to 150 people. The county funding expires Feb. 15, and the MOC is negotiating with a private property owner for a permanent shelter. “The emergency shelter is just a first step, because the armory is not a permanent solution,” said Julia Kiely, a member of the MOC through Congregation Kol Shofar in Tiburon. The MOC is made up of 15 religious and non-profit organizations. The Dec. 10 event began with a candlelight street procession from St. Vincent’s Dining Room to the steps of St. Raphael Church, where MOC leaders and supporters detailed a plan they have been developing over the last year. Father Paul Rossi, pastor of St. Raphael Parish, said the county’s 10-year plan to end homelessness, written in 2006, includes as a top priority the creation of such a shelter. The MOC has worked with dozens of non-profit agencies to develop a plan for the shelter and now is time to make it a reality, he said.

sushi

(PHOTOS BY MINDY PINES)

Homeless shelter approved in Marin

Among candlelight vigil participants who gathered at St. Vincent de Paul Dining Room in San Rafael on Dec. 10 were (left photo) Dominican Sisters of San Rafael Bernadette Wombacher and Marion Irvine (with leaflet). An unidentified young woman holds a candle during the vigil walk to St. Raphael Parish, right photo.

Marriage for Life sets spring schedule Marriage for Life, a Catholic marriage preparation program, invites engaged couples to enroll in its upcoming program to satisfy marriage preparation requirements in the Archdiocese of San Francisco and the dioceses of Oakland, San Jose and Santa Rosa. Marriage for Life focuses on viewing marriage as a lifelong commitment, a journey of love and renewal, a

relationship that includes Christ and the Church. The two-day program will be offered three times at St. Mary’s Cathedral in San Francisco: Jan. 31 and Feb. 7, March 7 and 14, and May 2 and 9. All dates are Saturdays and attendance at both days is required. The cost is $210 per couple. For more information, contact Joe or Connie D’Aura at (415) 664-8108 or daura@ccwear.com.

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January 9, 2009

Catholic San Francisco

Vocations director: live ‘in harmony with God’s will’ By Michael Vick

(PHOTO BY MICHAEL VICK/CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO)

In a Nov. 24 talk at St. Vincent de Paul Parish in San Francisco, the Archdiocese of San Francisco’s director of vocations, Father Tom Daly, told the gathered young adult ministry group of the importance of discernment in determining and following through with God’s calling. “You start with the premise that God wants what’s best for us,” Father Daly said. “But too often we make decisions in our personal life that are most appealing, most practical. Decision is a purely rational exercise. Discernment is something God moves me to go for.” The priest said moving from decision to discernment requires wisdom and humility. “We know what we want, but is it what we need?” Father Daly asked. “Wants can lead to pleasure. Needs lead to happiness and joy. There is effort required of you. If you’re living a life of grace, those efforts will be in harmony with God’s will.” Father Daly said that like other sees around the country, the Archdiocese of San Francisco has experienced a decline in vocations, but said the Archdiocese is doing well relative to other (arch)dioceses of its size and demographics. The priest said with deaths and retirements, the Archdiocese would generally need four new priests annually, and six would be more ideal. The current average is three. He said the focus, however, has been on quality. “One good candidate draws three good men,” Father Daly said. “One crazy candidate chases five away.” Appealing to those in the crowd not necessarily considering a religious vocation, Father Daly said there is a continuing

Father Tom Daly, director of vocations for the Archdiocese of San Francisco, addresses young adults at St. Vincent de Paul Parish, San Francisco.

and paramount need for good lay people to assist priests in the parishes. “Make yourself available to listen to the Lord, and know that he’s created a

North American College in Rome welcomes large class ROME (CNS) – The Pontifical North American College welcomed its largest incoming class in 40 years last August when 61 seminarians arrived. While classes at the pontifical universities in Rome did not begin until mid-October, the new students at the seminary sponsored by the U.S. bishops arrived early for orientation, intensive Italian classes and a retreat. But first, they sang for the pope. Given a place of honor in the courtyard of the papal villa at Castel Gandolfo Aug. 31, they serenaded the pope in Latin after joining in the noontime recitation of the Angelus. Msgr. Robert Gruss, vice rector for student life, said that when the new men are joined by the second-, third- and fourth-year students by mid-September,

the college will have a booming community of 208 seminarians. Among those students is Deacon Joseph Previtali of the Archdiocese of San Francisco who was ordained a transitional deacon Oct. 9 in Rome. David Schunk of the Archdiocese is also a North American College student who is currently taking part in a pastoral year of service at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish in Redwood City. His ordination to priesthood is scheduled for June 2010. On the Janiculum Hill overlooking the Vatican, the college opened in 1954 with room for more than 200 students, but recently some rooms had been put to different uses. “Those rooms have been reclaimed,” Msgr. Gruss said.

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specific mission for you,” Father Daly said. “Silence creates a space for God to speak.” St. Vincent de Paul parishioner Cassie

Kim, a member of the steering committee for the parish young adult group, said she was happy to see the crowd of more than 60 people at the talk. “I feel in this time of economic hardship in this country, to relate everyday activities and issues with the concept of discernment was definitely inspirational,” Kim said. Fellow parishioner and steering committee member John Crea agreed. “Father Daly gave the young adults much to think about and to discern in our lives,” Crea said. “He gave us some practical insight as to how we can do that. He also inspired us to listen to the voice of God in moments of silence and to let holiness into our daily lives.” Daniela Picazo, parishioner at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel in Mill Valley and a member of the St. Vincent de Paul young adult group, said it is important for young people to consider the issue of discernment, whether or not it leads to a religious vocation. “It helps to live in grace, in communion, reconciliation, prayer and service,” Picazo said. “We need discernment in our daily life. I’m open for whatever the Lord wants for me. All my life is in his hands.”

Discernment weekend set for seminary St. Patrick’s Seminary and University in Menlo Park will host its annual “Discernment Weekend” Jan. 16-18. The free weekend event is open to men interested in the priesthood. Jesuit Father Michael Barber will head the event. Participants will have the opportunity to meet with current seminarians and learn about daily life in the seminary. For more information, contact Mary Verducci at (650) 325-5621, ext. 211 or at mary.verducci@stpatrickseminary.org.

Catholic San Francisco

January 9, 2009

(PHOTOS BY JOSE AGUIRRE/EL HERALDO)

Cloistered nun’s service celebrated The 75th jubilee of service by Sister Maria de San Pedro y de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe with the Nuns of the Perpetual Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament was celebrated during a Jan. 4 liturgy at the Monastery of Perpetual Adoration in San Francisco where Sister Maria San Pedro arrived from Mexico at the age of 24. She will turn 100 in September. San Francisco Auxiliary Bishop William Justice presided at the Mass for the community during which Sister Maria renewed her consecrational commitment. Pictured placing a floral headpiece on Sister Maria, symbolic of her commitment as a bride of Christ, are Mother Superior Rosalba Vargas (left) and Sister Mary of the Eucharist. The only remembereed instance of Sister Maria being outside the cloistered community in the past 75 years was for the death of her father many years ago, Mother Superior Rosalba said.

Local parishioners begin preparations for overseas work Diane Prell and Earl Fong recently began a three-anda-half year commitment with the Lay Mission-Helpers Association which includes a four-month training program in Los Angeles that starts this month and a threeyear service assignment overseas. The Notre Dame des Victoires parishioners recently took part in a 500-mile walking pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela in Spain where pilgrims have traveled for more than a thousand years to the shrine of St. James in the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. Prell, a New Jersey native and former Catholic Charities CYO staffer, is 56. Fong, who grew up in Marysville near Sacramento, is 58 and a self-employed computer consultant. The married couple was drawn to the Mission-Helpers organization by its nickname, “God’s Peace Corps,” a title given the endeavor by Msgr. Anthony Brouwers, a former director of the Propagation of the Faith in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, who founded the group in 1955. “Amazingly graced with our love for each other, good health, supportive families, and a desire to serve and grow in faith, we feel called to share our gifts with those in need,” the two said via e-mail to Catholic San Francisco. “For us, to serve is to give thanks.” The Lay Mission-Helpers Association has sent more than 700 men and women to serve in 36 countries in Africa, Latin America, Asia and the Pacific. Prell and Fong and other members of their formation class will find out where they will be assigned at the end of February. They will be commissioned in May when they will receive their mission rings, engraved with the words “For We Are God’s Helpers.” Program Director Janice England noted that this class will begin their three-year assignment in June. For more information, call (213) 368-1873; write 3435 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1035, Los Angeles, CA 90010; or visit the LMH website: www.LayMissionHelpers.org.

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January 9, 2009

Catholic San Francisco

Dream to be missionary led U.S. woman to join Chinese order By Maureen Pratt LOS ANGELES (CNS) – The nun walked deliberately up to the ambo at St. Martin of Tours Church in Los Angeles and adjusted her spectacles. Holding a neat sheaf of pages, she began her mission appeal. Sister Mary Paul Watts spoke on behalf of her order, the Sisters of Our Lady of China, and the work the Sisters do in remote rural medical clinics and the education they provide at a junior college the order runs. But the story of Sister Mary Paul is about more than her journey from parish to parish to talk about her order’s need for funds. It’s about how she came to be the only American member of a Chinese religious order. In 1957, Gloria Watts, a recent Marquette University nursing graduate, boarded a Chinese freighter and embarked on a lifelong journey that took her from landlocked Illinois to the

island of Taiwan. Watts spoke no Chinese, but she had treasured a dream since childhood. “I grew up Methodist,” she said. “A Chinese doctor spoke to our church one Sunday, and I said, ‘I want to be a missionary in China.’” In college, Watts became a Catholic. Then she met two members of the Sisters of Our Lady of China. They invited her to be a lay missionary after she graduated. The order was founded in 1940 in mainland China by Cardinal Thomas Tien Ken-sin of what was then Peking, now Beijing. During the 1940s and ‘50s many of the order’s members fled the communist persecution, eventually settling in Taiwan. Her trip by freighter took 18 days, she said. “There were 12 passengers, but only two of us were Westerners. The captain read the Encyclopedia Britannica to pass the time. I only learned two things in Chinese: a song, ‘The Girl From Ali Shan,’ and ‘Hen mai li’ (‘It’s beauti-

ful’). When I arrived at our mud and bamboo motherhouse, I kept saying, ‘Hen mai li.’” Working alongside the Sisters in their rural clinic in central Taiwan, it wasn’t long before she decided to join the order, taking the name Sister Mary Paul. “I took the name Paul because of St. Paul,” she said, “and also because of Mother Paul Ketter, my high school Latin teacher who got me started thinking of becoming Catholic.” Although she was – and still is – the only American to join the community, Sister Mary Paul said she was completely accepted by the others, all Chinese sisters. “They’d deny themselves sometimes to give me things. For example, they couldn’t afford to buy eggs, but they’d buy one for me,” she said. “I kept refusing it, but I got sick and so I had to eat it. “The only real problem was the language barrier” which was overcome.

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Catholic San Francisco

January 9, 2009

Annual Serra Club event held Bishop William Justice, second from left, presided at the annual San Francisco Serra Club Christmas Mass Dec. 17 at St. Brendan Parish in San Francisco. Concelebrants included, from left, Father Thomas Daly, director of vocations for the Archdiocese of San Francisco; Deacon Jim Shea, St. Matthew Parish in San Mateo; Msgr. Edward McTaggart, chaplain, San Francisco Serra Club; and Father Tom Parenti, St. Brendan pastor. Participants included, in photo at right: District Governor Anthony Schunk, second from left in front; San Francisco President, Marty Kilgariff, back left, with his wife Carole, front left; San Mateo President Tom O’Donnell, back right with his wife, Inge, back center; and Marin President Tom Egan with his wife, Madeline.

Interested in the permanent diaconate? ‘You are here!’ You have probably had this experience. You are in an unfamiliar place and need directions. Then you find that map, the one that shows a spot marked “You are here,” and you orient yourself to your surroundings and figure out the way to get to your destination. On the map to get to the Permanent Diaconate, the “You are here” spot marks you at this very moment of your life, and the goal of ordination to the diaconate is five years down the road, each year clearly mapped out and explained. But just as there is simple truth in the saying “The journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step,” so there is also the need to take a look at yourself and see if you are prepared for the trek before you even begin. Thirty years or older, single or married, the beginning usually starts with the desire to be of greater service within the Church. Lector, eucharistic minister, baptism, confirmation, and Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults instructor – all of these you perhaps have done, yet you wish to serve more. You talk with your pastor, or he collars you and broaches the subject. Then again, perhaps a fellow parishioner makes a remark, or you come across an article in a magazine. However it happens, the seed has been planted. If you are single, there is only yourself to consider. If you are married, then you and your wife must talk and reflect and pray, because without her loving support, the road

(PHOTO BY DAN MORRIS-YOUNG/ CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO)

By Deacon Ed Cunningham

Ernie and Bernie von Emster attend a lecture by Deacon Ray Knoll on the Church emerging from Vatican II. Von Emster is a member of the permanent deacon class scheduled to be ordained in 2012. The couple are members of St. Charles Parish, San Carlos.

to the diaconate is closed. To put all of this in another way, any man who wishes to pursue the road to the diaconate must be at least 30 years old, not a recent convert, and an involved member of his parish. If married, he must have the consent of his wife. If he is not married, then he must commit to remaining celibate. Whether married or not, he must have the recommendation of his pastor. Once you have the recommendation of your pastor, you can now apply! Three let-

In living your life, have only one desire, to be and become the person God wills...

What is God’s desire for you?

ters of recommendation, educational records, certificates of baptism, confirmation, and, if applicable, matrimony, along with a detailed autobiography which presents a chronological history of your life, your faith experience, your married and family life, your parish involvement, and your reasons for wishing to be a deacon make up the greater part of the application. And, if you are married, your wife will need to complete part of the application as well. Once the application has been reviewed, you will be scheduled for a personal interview. If you are married, both you and your wife will be interviewed. Once you have been accepted into the program, you will be required to take a battery of psychological tests.

SISTERS OF MERCY

Then the five-year program begins – the first year being called the aspirancy year and the following four designated Formation 1, 2, 3 and 4, all of them, in one way or another, aimed at developing the candidate in the four areas spelled out in the “National Directory for the Formation, Ministry, and Life of Permanent Deacons in the United States,” a publication of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. There is the human dimension with the goal of helping a candidate develop “his human personality in such a way that it becomes a bridge and not an obstacle for others in their meeting with Jesus Christ.” There is the spiritual dimension, which aims to have the candidate put on the mind of Christ; “…the individual is encouraged to grow in his personal relationship with Christ and in his commitment to the Church and its mission in the world.” The intellectual dimension hopes to “communicate a deeper knowledge of the faith and Church tradition than the candidate has already attained.” Finally, the fourth dimension, the pastoral, focuses upon the candidate’s being able to discern his gifts for ministry. Classes, weekend seminars, a yearly retreat, supervised work both within and outside of the parish – these make up the five-year journey that leads to ordination and to the permanent deacon’s commitment to his threefold ministry of word, liturgy and charity. For more information on the archdiocesan permanent diaconate program, call (415) 614-5531. Deacon Ed Cunningham is director of the archdiocesan Diaconate Formation Program and serves at St. Anselm Parish in Ross.

Interested in Giving a Year of Service to the Church in the United States & Guyana as a Lay Volunteer?

Mercy Volunteers Corps, a lay volunteer program sponsored by the Sisters of Mercy provides opportunities for men and women over the age of 21 to give a year of service to those in need. The emphasis of the program is service, community, and prayer. Volunteer possibilities include teaching or nursing, working in homeless shelters, clinics and social service agencies in urban and rural settings throughout the United States & Guyana. Room, board, and medical insurance and a small stipend are provided. Loan deferments are available. TALK WITH A SISTER OF ST. JOSEPH OF ORANGE 480 S. Batavia Street, Orange, CA 92868 vocationcsj@csjorange.org (714) 633-8121 ext. 7108

www.csjorange.org

For more information contact www.mercyvolunteers.org or Janet Gray at the Mercy Volunteer Corps Office (215) 641-5535

Catholic San Francisco

January 9, 2009

WASHINGTON (CNS) – Pope Benedict XVI accepted the resignations of Cardinal Adam J. Maida of Detroit and Bishop John J. McRaith of Owensboro, Ky., Jan. 5 and named Bishop Allen H. Vigneron of Oakland, Calif., as archbishop of Detroit. In addition, Father Cirilo B. Flores, pastor of St. Norbert Parish in Orange, Calif., was appointed an auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Orange. No successor to Bishop McRaith was immediately named. The resignations and appointments were announced in Washington by Archbishop Pietro Sambi, apostolic nuncio to the United States. The appointment of Archbishop Vigneron, 60, allows a native son of the Detroit Archdiocese to return home. His return to southeast Michigan comes at a time of severe economic recession in the heavily industrialized region. Cardinal Maida addressed concerns about the economy twice in recent months, urging Catholics to support each other, especially those in need, and to seek solace in God during the current crisis. He also was quick to praise the $17.4 billion loan package to American automobile manufacturers passed by Congress in December. During a Jan. 5 press conference in Detroit Archbishop Vigneron recognized the pastoral and social challenges both the Church and the wider community are facing as the economy struggles. “To that challenge, as I begin my service as archbishop, I want to bring all the riches of grace which the Holy Spirit has bestowed on the Church,” he said. In an interview with The Michigan Catholic, the archdiocesan newspaper, Archbishop Vigneron said he was surprised by his appointment because no native of the archdiocese had ever been appointed to lead the Detroit church. He said he looked forward to “being able to, day by day, be of service to people who I know very, very well. And returning to being involved in the lives of people who mean a lot to me.”

(CNS PHOTO/ LARRY A. PEPLIN, MICHIGAN CATHOLIC)

Oakland bishop selected for Detroit; new Orange auxiliary appointed

Archbishop Allen Vigneron greets the media, priests, Church employees and students Jan. 5 in Detroit after being named by Pope Benedict XVI to lead the Archdiocese of Detroit. A native of the Detroit Archdiocese, he returns there after serving for six years as bishop of Oakland.

“I want to express my respect and love for the Church in Oakland,” Bishop Vigneron is quoted as saying in a press release from the diocese. “Even though I experience great peace in accepting the call to Detroit because I know it is God’s will, this peace comes with great sadness at parting,” Bishop Vigneron said. “My years of pastoral service in the Diocese of Oakland, while not without significant challenges, have been filled with blessings I will never forget.” Bishop Vigneron will continue to administer the Oakland Diocese until his installation in Detroit on Jan. 28. At that time priests in the diocesan College of Consultors will meet to elect an administrator of the diocese until a new bishop

is named. Archbishop Vigneron has led the Oakland Diocese since 2003. A native of Mount Clemens, Mich., he originally was named an auxiliary bishop of Detroit in 1996. He was ordained in 1975 and was rector and president of the archdiocese’s Sacred Heart Major Seminary until his appointment to Oakland six years ago. The archbishop also worked in the Vatican Secretariat of State from 1991 to 1994. He was named a monsignor by Pope John Paul II in 1994. Under his tenure the Oakland Diocese built the $190 million Cathedral of Christ the Light, which was dedicated Sept. 25. The opening marked the first time the diocese had a cathedral since the 1989 Loma

Prieta earthquake irreparably damaged St. Francis de Sales Cathedral. The Oakland Diocese was created in 1962 and is comprised of 84 parishes within Alameda and Contra Costa counties. The first ordinary of Oakland was Bishop Floyd Begin who served from 1962 until his death in 1977. He was succeeded by Bishop John Cummins who retired in 2003 and was succeeded by Bishop Vigneron. Cardinal Maida, 78, has been archbishop of Detroit and its 1.4 million Catholics since 1990. He was elevated to cardinal in 1994. He submitted his resignation to Pope John Paul II in March 2005, according to the archdiocese. But Pope Benedict invited him to continue in his position until his resignation was accepted. Bishop-designate Flores, 60, was ordained in 1991. The Corona, Calif., native said his appointment came as a shock, especially because he had just been installed as pastor of St. Norbert Parish in Orange in December. “With the help of God and the intercession of his Blessed Mother, I will try to do my best to take on these new responsibilities,” he said during a Jan. 5 press conference at diocesan offices where he was introduced by Bishop Tod D. Brown of Orange. Bishop-designate Flores will be ordained by Bishop Brown March 19 at St. Columban Parish in Garden Grove, Calif. He is the second priest from the diocese to be appointed a bishop. He will assume the responsibilities of Bishop Jaime Soto, who was appointed coadjutor bishop of Sacramento in October 2007. A graduate of Stanford Law School in California, the bishop-designate worked as a lawyer in private practice for 10 years before entering St. John’s Seminary in Camarillo, Calif., in 1986 to study for the priesthood. The Orange Diocese was created in 1976 and has more than 1.2 million Catholics.

Filing calls state attorney general’s pleading ‘profoundly wrong’ By Rick DelVecchio California Attorney General Jerry Brown’s bid to overturn Proposition 8 is “profoundly wrong” and would place sweeping powers to reverse voters’ will in the hands of the judiciary, pro-Prop 8 lawyers said in papers filed with the state Supreme Court this week. The filing by lawyers Kenneth Starr and Andrew Pugno countered Brown’s argument, made in a 110-page pleading to the high court Dec. 19, that the court must overturn the Nov. 4 election in order to uphold equal access to marriage as a core government principle. Even through Brown approved the wording of Prop 8 as a constitutional

amendment before it was put on the ballot, he now maintains that voters’ choice toppled a pillar of government and was therefore an improper revision of the state Constitution rather than an amendment. This argument is “utterly without foundation” and harks to a 19th century vision of “judicial triumphal” – the upending of voters’ will by powerful jurists, Starr and Pugno counter. The two lawyers also question Brown’s analysis of the civil rights issues raised by the passage by Prop 8, which overturned the Supreme Court’s May 2008 ruling that all couples in California have the right to marry. Prop 8 restored the definition of marriage approved by California voters with Proposition 22 in 2000.

“What is at stake here is emphatically not a bundle of substantive legal rights being stripped away from a class of individuals,” they write. “Far from it. Proposition 8 leaves fully intact what this Court recognized as virtually all the legal rights and benefits presently enjoyed by opposite-sex couples. “The purpose of this narrow, targeted measure is solely to restore to California law, after a brief hiatus, the ancient and nearly ubiquitous definition of marriage.” Also this week, in a separate filing on behalf of 15 local governments and seven married couples challenging the validity of Prop 8, San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera asked the

Supreme Court to overturn the initiative. “I have great faith in the California Supreme Court to recognize the far-reaching danger Prop 8 poses to all constitutional rights, and strike it down – just as an earlier high court did in the 1960s when an electoral majority voted to allow housing discrimination against African Americans and other minorities.” The Supreme Court announced in November that it would take written arguments for and against the constitutionality of Prop 8 and would schedule oral argument in March. The issues include the status of thousands of marriage certificates issued to same-sex couples by counties from May through Election Day.

By Rick DelVecchio Most Holy Redeemer Church in San Francisco and the administrative offices of the Archdiocese of San Francisco were vandalized with graffiti critical of the Church’s support of Proposition 8, the California voter initiative that overturned last May’s state Supreme Court ruling declaring that all couples have the right to marry regardless of sexual orientation. Mayor Gavin Newsom, although a prominent opponent of Prop 8, condemned the weekend attack on Most Holy Redeemer as “cowardly and criminal.” The San Francisco Police Department assigned the case to its hate crimes unit for investigation. A Most Holy Redeemer worker arrived at 6:15 a.m. Jan. 4 to find a wall near the 100 Diamond St. entrance to the church defaced with a four-line message spray-painted in black: “Prop H8/Niederauer/Ratzinger/ Where is the love?” Swastikas were scrawled

on either side of the message. San Francisco Police Department spokesman Lt. Neville Gittens said the crime was committed between 10 p.m. Saturday and 6:15 a.m. Sunday. “If anybody has any information we would appreciate a call,” he said. The department’s hate crimes unit can be reached at (415) 553-1133. The anonymous tip line is (415) 575-4444. In a statement Jan. 5, Mayor Newsom strongly condemned the vandalism. “It was a cowardly and criminal act,” he said. “San Francisco is a city that embraces people of all faiths. To intimidate a community and threaten a place of worship is contrary to everything the City of St. Francis represents.” On Monday morning, workers at the archdiocesan chancery building found Prop 8-related graffiti on walkways, walls and windows at the building’s main entrance at One Peter Yorke Way.

(PHOTO BY RICK DELVECCHIO/CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO)

Church and archdiocesan Pastoral Center hit by graffiti attacks

On Nov. 21, Star of the Sea Church in San Francisco received a suspicious package that contained batteries and a purple liquid in a plastic bag. No message was included and there was no direct connection to Prop 8, which at the time had sparked a backlash

Remnants of graffiti on a wall at Most Holy Redeemer Parish show a swastika symbol and reference to Proposition 8.

against religious organizations that supported the initiative. Chancery officials said Jan. 6 that guidelines suggested by the police for reporting and addressing such crimes were being forwarded to pastors and parish administrators.

Catholic San Francisco

January 9, 2009

Guest commentary New Vatican document on bioethical questions is ‘great yes’ On Feb. 22, 1987, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) published “Instruction on Respect for Human Life in Its Origin and on the Dignity of Procreation” (Donum Vitae). This instruction addressed certain “biomedical techniques which make it possible to intervene in the initial phase of the life of a human being and in the very processes of procreation.” Its aim was to assess these procedures in terms of their “conformity with the principles of Catholic morality.” Donum Vitae rests on two moral principles: • “The human being is to be respected and treated as a person from the moment of conception; and therefore from that same moment his rights as a person must be recognized, among which in the first place is the inviolable right of every innocent human being to life.” (no. 4) • “The origin of human life has its authentic context in marriage and in the family, where it is generated through an act which expresses the reciprocal love between a man and a woman. Procreation which is truly responsible vis-à-vis the child to be born must be the fruit of marriage.” (no. 6) In the last 20 years, medical science has made considerable advances. In his letter introducing “Instruction on Certain Bioethical Questions” (Dignitatis Personae), Cardinal William Levada, prefect of the CDF, notes that “this technological progress has provided new possibilities in the area of treatment, but has also given rise to problems which were not explicitly treated” in Donum Vitae. This new instruction, formulated with the assistance of the Pontifical Academy for Life, was approved by Pope Benedict XVI and released on Dec. 12. It is the Church’s updated assessment of new bioethical advances. It raises the “urgent need to mobilize consciences in favor of life.” Since the instruction seeks to assist in the formation of conscience on bioethical concerns, it is to be received by Catholics “with the religious assent of their spirit.” (no. 37) “Instruction on Certain Bioethical Questions” is divided into three parts. The first part recalls certain anthropological, theological and ethical elements relating to human life and procreation. The second part addresses specific issues regarding procreation. And the third part examines some new therapeutic possibilities involving the manipulation of human embryos and the human genetic patrimony. Several core principles drive the instruction’s conclusions: • From the beginning of its existence, the human embryo has the dignity of a human person. This point is a singular advance over previous Church teaching. Now the embryo is referred to as a “person” with full human rights. • Human life must be respected under every circumstance. • Procreation must take place in marriage and be the result

(CNS PHOTO BY SANDY HUFFAKER)

By Father Gerald D. Coleman, SS

Embryologist Ric Ross removes frozen embryos from a storage tank at the Smotrich IVF Clinic in La Jolla, Calif. Dignitas Personae rejects procreation that separates it “from the conjugal act in marriage.”

of natural sexual intercourse. The instruction is strongly critical toward the widespread practice of in vitro fertilization and especially its typical destruction of unused embryos, which is named a “blithe acceptance” of an “enormous number of abortions.” The instruction teaches that techniques that respect the foundational principles are morally permissible. Others are not. Specific and controversial issues are carefully assessed; for example: the deliberate destruction of embryos, freezing embryos, freezing oocytes (eggs), the reduction of embryos, preimplantation diagnosis, new methods such as the morning after pill and RU-486, gene therapy, human cloning, the therapeutic use of stem cells, and attempts at hybridization (mixing animal and human genetic elements). When addressing the question of infertility, the document encourages and supports adoption.

The instruction emphasizes a “great ‘yes’ to human life” (no. 1) by affirming all science and medicine that is ethically pursued. This “yes” extends to fertility treatments that “overcome or correct pathologies and succeed in reestablishing the normal functioning of human procreation,” to the therapeutic use of non-embryonic stem cells, and to the intrinsic worth, value and equality of every human being from conception to natural death. “Instruction on Certain Bioethical Questions” should be welcomed by Catholics and others concerned about human life as it advances the Church’s bioethical assessment of current issues important to society. While some of the concerns dealt with will seem remote to many readers, (for example, human germ line therapy and altered nuclear transfer), other issues are of immediate pastoral and ethical import; for example: the use of the morning after pill or RU-486, or the possibility of adopting frozen embryos. The instruction is very helpful in revisiting the Church’s authentic teaching about marriage, the family and procreation. A proper understanding of these seminal issues is of paramount importance in today’s culture and in a proper formation of one’s conscience. While the instruction offers a useful and pastorally relevant moral evaluation of the most current bioethical issues facing contemporary society, it also offers a challenge to those who find no moral difficulty in dissociating procreation from the personal context of the conjugal act. The statement “the desire for a child cannot justify the ‘production’ of offspring” (no. 16) offers a strong objection to those who employ in vitro fertilization techniques to resolve infertility problems. Conscientious readers will be unsettled by the recognition that “the thousands of abandoned [frozen] embryos represent a situation of injustice which in fact cannot be resolved.” (no. 19) Some will conclude that the instruction is merely a “no” to modern scientific techniques and advances. However, the instruction wisely replies, “Behind every ‘no’ in the difficult task of discerning between good and evil, there shines a great ‘yes’ to the recognition of the dignity and inalienable value of every single and unique human being called into existence.” (no. 37)

Sulpician Father Gerald Coleman is vice president for ethics for the Daughters of Charity Health System.

Catholic couple reflects on decision to adopt frozen embryos WASHINGTON (CNS) – As committed Catholics, Timothy and Dawn Smith respect Vatican pronouncements, but recent official Church statements about frozen embryo have caused concern for the Fitzwilliam, N.H., parents of three children who came into the world through this process. In the document Dignitas Personae (“The Dignity of a Person”) – released at the Vatican Dec. 12 – Church leaders did not condemn frozen embryo adoption, but said the practice raises serious ethical concerns. Vatican officials insist no fully moral solution exists for dealing with frozen embryos, not even the idea of adopting or “rescuing” abandoned embryos to bring them to full development and birth. “If the Church did come out and say you can’t adopt frozen embryos, we wouldn’t openly challenge Church teachings,” said Timothy Smith, 44, whose wife Dawn, 40, has given birth to three children who were adopted as frozen embryos and believes their road to parenthood was moral. “But, the door is still open a crack here. Until that is shut, we would like to say we think this is a very good thing to do.” When the Smiths married in 1991 they knew they wanted three or four children, but learned in 1997 they were infertile. They have chosen not to publicly discuss the details of their infertility. As they researched their options, the couple – who were living in Delaware at the time – discovered that people who go through in vitro procedures sometimes donate their excess frozen embryos to others incapable of conceiving children through marital sexual intercourse, and decided this was the course they wanted. Though they subscribe to Church teachings that artificial methods of procreation, such as in vitro fertilization, are immoral, the Smiths believe they protected the lives of their three children by adopting them as frozen embryos and providing Dawn’s womb as a nurturing place for them to grow. The couple welcomed daughter Erin Oct. 5, 2004, and sons Conrad and Dominic Dec. 29, 2007, Smith told Catholic News Service Dec. 30.

(CNS PHOTO/COURTESY OF TIM SMITH)

By Chaz Muth

Erin Smith and her twin brothers, Conrad, left, and Dominic, pose for a family picture taken last July. The children were born from frozen embryos adopted by Catholic couple Dawn and Tim Smith of Fitzwilliam, N.H.

They understand the Church’s position on procreation, but were still surprised at the contents of the bioethics document released by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. “I would have thought that, after some reflection on the matter, they would have leaned a little more” in favor of the

practice, Smith said. “It doesn’t read like they talked to people – especially Catholics – who had gone through this and weighed the moral issues involved.” The only completely moral way of acting is to stop creating and freezing embryos, which have the dignity of human beings, the document said. Speaking at the Dec. 12 Vatican press conference to explain the document, Bishop Elio Sgreccia – former president of the Pontifical Academy for Life, who helped prepare the Vatican’s new bioethics document – told reporters: “The basic advice, explicitly stated in the document, is that embryos must not be frozen. It is one of those actions that has no remedy. Once it is done, correcting it implies committing another error.” Archbishop Rino Fisichella, current president of the academy, told reporters “the discussion is still open” and the Vatican has not completely ruled out the possibility of embryo adoption, although it is leaning toward a negative judgment because embryo adoption involves the future parents in an immoral process. But according to that reasoning, Smith said, “How is the traditionally adoptive couple not also participating in an immoral act? In many cases they’re assisting the unwed mother who had sex outside marriage.” “I believe the Church not only condones adoption; it helps carry them out,” he added. “Should not the Church not only accept, but actively support, the rescue of frozen embryos?” The document specifically cited ethical norms that make “artificial heterologous procreation illicit as well as any form of surrogate motherhood.” Heterologous procreation refers to procedures in which both the egg and the sperm come from donors. Smith called the surrogate reference a poor example. “In surrogate motherhood the woman who gives birth doesn’t keep the child,” he said. “Further, surrogate motherhood involves deliberate creation of new embryos. The issue with frozen embryos is that they are already in existence. They are fully human beings, a complete set of chromosomes – DNA unique to themselves. Not to mention they have a soul.”

January 9, 2009

Catholic San Francisco

Pilot project aims at building an ‘engaged Church’ By Deacon John Norris Is your parish engaged? Some Catholic parish communities have experienced a downturn in attendance, deterioration of physical properties, reduced congregational income, and a shortage of ministerial vocations. Protestant assemblies and Jewish synagogues face the same problem. For some, that is felt keenly as they perceive their local church to be unwelcoming, uncommitted, and trying to simply “get along.” For others, though, their congregation exhibits vibrancy, progress, growth and joy. What is the difference? The Gallup organization believes the difference lies in congregational “engagement.” In a typical parish of 2,000 registered families, the parish will often in reality serve perhaps 3,500 families. Many come for baptism, first Communion, weddings and funerals, but do not take part at other times. Of the 2,000 registered families, the parish is fortunate if 600 use the donation envelopes or other means to regularly contribute to the parish. The picture grows grimmer as maybe 150 people do most of the volunteer activities. The Gallup organization, known for scientific methodologies and polling accuracy, is actually a management consulting firm, primarily to Fortune 500 companies. Researchers in Gallup’s Faith-Based Practices division divide congregants into three groups: the engaged, the not-engaged and the actively disengaged. In the example cited earlier, it’s easy to categorize the 1,500 non-attending, unregistered families, but what about the 2,000 registered families? According to Gallup, for Catholics that attend at least infrequently, they tend to break down as follows: 16 percent are engaged, 49 percent are not-engaged, and the remaining 35 percent are actively disengaged. An obvious objective for every parish would be to increase the number of engaged parishioners and decrease the number of actively disengaged. Gallup determined that there are four general characteristics of congregational life that most worshiping communities want to achieve: 1) Life Satisfaction 2) Inviting 3) Serving 4) Giving.

“Growing an Engaged Church” by Albert L. Winseman and “Living Your Strengths” by Winseman, Donald Clifton, Ph.D., and Curt Liesveld are basic texts for participants in a pilot project in the Archdiocese of San Francisco that seeks to forge more active and committed parish communities.

“Life Satisfaction” is how a parish contributes to a member’s overall feeling of fulfillment with one’s life, one’s connection with God, and one’s involvement with both the parish and wider community. “Inviting” means people – both current members and potential new ones – feel welcome and have a sense their ideas and efforts are appreciated. “Serving” includes helping people find a way to use their individual gifts for the benefit of the whole and in that process make their own lives more rewarding. “Giving” is tightly linked to serving and encompasses faith-filled sharing of one’s time, talent and treasure. Gallup has developed a survey to measure the engagement of parishioners, based on 12 causative factors. The survey tells parish leadership how many parishioners fit into each category. A plan can then be developed to improve the level of engagement. Such improvement results in more satisfaction for participants, more ministry

provided to the community, and reduced stress for parish leadership. Last summer the Archdiocese of San Francisco launched a pilot of the Gallup programs to build engagement. Five parishes from the Archdiocese are involved: Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Redwood City, Mater Dolorosa in South San Francisco, St. Dominic in San Francisco, St. Hilary in Tiburon, and St. Anthony of Padua in Novato. St. Anne in Byron in the Diocese of Oakland is also participating. Pastors of these six parishes have experienced two, three-day leadership workshops led by Gallup and have been provided consulting support to assist them in interpreting the results of the engagement survey and in using those results to craft a parish engagement improvement plan. Concurrently, these pastors are employing another Gallup tool that helps discern individuals’ personal strengths and weaknesses and how this knowledge can

enhance one’s awareness of how to work more effectively and joyfully with others, even with persons of vastly different talents. Underlying the efficacy of this approach is that emphasizing strengths – of self and others – will ultimately better enhance and strengthen development of ministry than addressing shortcomings. Gallup has divided personal characteristics into 34 strength groups, and developed a survey that can tell an individual how those 34 fit into his or her life. They teach courses in using that knowledge to help people work together better – more effectively, more efficiently, and more harmoniously – as they go about the work of building engagement. Our pilot program has faced the usual trials: difficulty in scheduling, illness, transfer of a pastor, distance, etc. We are confident, however, that the program is successful and demonstrates that parishioner engagement is key to parish success and that engagement can be improved by conscious effort guided by accurate measurement and well-designed efforts to change. The participating pastors have all expressed remarkable support for the project, underlining that they seen both practical and spiritual benefits for parish life. In the words of one priest who was at first reticent to take part: “I found the seminar practical and hopeful, and a source of renewed energy and motivation for ministry.” Stay tuned. In the future we hope to report on pilot parishes’ engagement strategies, potential use of the program in other parishes, and more nuts and bolts about the “Growing an Engaged Church” effort. Deacon John Norris directs the Archdiocese’s Office of Children and Youth Protection as well as the Office of Pastoral Ministry.

View from Sacramento

California politics: is state governable? Why is it that California seems to be in one long budget crisis? Like the boy who cried wolf, the refrain has grown stale. But in 2009 it will become downright dangerous for millions of Californians. With the credit crisis and the nation in an economic nosedive, many of us are at risk. People are losing their homes. Jobs are becoming scarce. Aid to the disabled, elderly and blind is being reduced. Schools, health care, roads and water policy all need attention. So why do our leaders in Sacramento continue to stare each other down? Because that is what the current political system in California promotes. Like a dull pain in the side, they have grown used to it. And our leaders have no incentive to change. As it is now: • Polarization is leaving California a mere shadow of its former self. • Inadequate budgeting – characterized more by brinksmanship than statesmanship – has made the Golden State a fiscal mess. • Runaway initiatives – introduced when lawmakers fail to deal with important issues or, worse, seek to satisfy the desires of one special interest – create a mishmash of contradictory laws and regulations. At best, we will continue to muddle through. At worst, such as with the current economic morass, we are leading to a painful shutdown of state services. By continuing their inaction, state leaders are making the situation worse. Each side blames the other and is waiting for the other to cave-in. Meanwhile, all Californians – especially the poor and vulnerable – continue to sink. The new class of legislators is following the same script as their predecessors, so don’t expect any change until they are forced to act.

Politics in California starts with Democrats ignoring Republican legislation throughout the year. Each caucus decides its members’ position on almost all bills. Sure, there’s the traditional horse-trading at the Capitol: you vote for my bill, I’ll vote for yours. But that’s not enough to deal with significant issues like health insurance, water policy, social services and a host of other critical state functions that require a bi-partisan consensus, and a two-thirds super-majority vote for the fiscal elements of any plan.

Despite the real possibilities of closing down state projects and issuing IOUs as early as next month, the legislature is playing a game of chicken again. Do not look for any leadership in California to break this reoccurring stalemate. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger tried. He came in with bluster, vowing to change the system. It hasn’t worked. In fact, it is a little worse. Candidates are beginning to line up for their shot at taming the California political beast. Lt. Governor John Garamendi (Dem.) has already declared his candidacy for the 2010 gubernatorial race. Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner (Rep.) – with 70 percent of Republican lawmakers endorsing him – has done everything but.

Expect a blast from the past. Former Governor Jerry Brown is likely to run, and Mayors Gavin Newsom of San Francisco and Antonio Villaraigosa (Los Angeles) are also mentioned frequently. There are a host of others Steve Pehanich from both parties exploring the possibilities. The economy, of course, will continue to dominate California politics, just as it did the presidential election. Unemployment could rise to double digits and home foreclosures will continue. Economists almost universally project a long recession. As with many national trends, this might hit California particularly hard. A federal bailout of California and several other states appears likely, but just like any bailout it is only a temporary solution. It will not deal with the issues that have made the state nearly ungovernable. Despite the real possibilities of closing down state projects and issuing IOUs as early as next month, the legislature is playing a game of chicken again. Both parties have very legitimate concerns and real issues. But the inability and unwillingness to talk with each other is irresponsible. Albert Einstein described of insanity as doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting a different result. California leaders are trying their best to prove him right again in 2009. They need to stop politicking and start governing. Steve Pehanich is the director of advocacy and education for the California Catholic Conference. Visit www.cacatholic.org for more information.

Catholic San Francisco

A READING FROM THE BOOK OF ISAIAH IS 55:1-11 Thus says the Lord: All you who are thirsty, come to the water! You who have no money, come, receive grain and eat; come, without paying and without cost, drink wine and milk! Why spend your money for what is not bread, your wages for what fails to satisfy? Heed me, and you shall eat well, you shall delight in rich fare. Come to me heedfully, listen, that you may have life. I will renew with you the everlasting covenant, the benefits assured to David. As I made him a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander of nations, so shall you summon a nation you knew not, and nations that knew you not shall run to you, because of the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, who has glorified you. Seek the Lord while he may be found, call him while he is near. Let the scoundrel forsake his way, and the wicked man his thoughts; let him turn to the Lord for mercy; to our God, who is generous in forgiving. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord. As high as the heavens are above the earth so high are my ways above your ways and my thoughts above your thoughts. For just as from the heavens the rain and snow come down and do not return there till they have watered the earth, making it fertile and fruitful, giving seed to the one who sows and bread to the one who eats, so shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth; my word shall not return to me void,

In Isaiah’s vision of the coming reign of God, water quenches thirst and floods make the earth fertile and fruitful. The psalmist sings “with joy you will draw water from the fountain of salvation”. John proclaims Jesus Christ has come to us “through water and blood”; and that water, blood and the Holy Spirit testify to the Truth that is God. Then Mark tells of Jesus’ baptism in the Jordan River fulfilling Isaiah’s prophetic vision. The power of water is an enduring biblical message. God creates life from the living waters and fills the sea, the sky and the land. God’s purifying flood wipes evil from off the face of the earth as Noah and a faithful remnant cling to the ark’s timbers. Wells mark the desert journey of Abraham’s flocks; and rain makes possible the wheat fields of Boaz and Ruth, King David’s ancestors. Moses purifies Aaron, the priest, in a ritual bath before anointing him and clothing him in his priestly robes to serve the Lord. And in the fullness of time, John the Baptist, from the priestly families of Abijah and Aaron, appointed by God and “filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother’s womb” becomes “the prophet” “who goes before the Lord in the spirit and power of Elijah” “to make ready for the Lord a people” to receive the Lord when he comes. The Baptist would call Israel through a baptism of repentance “for the kingdom of God is at hand.” At the waters of the Jordan River, John the Baptist would point

January 9, 2009

The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord Isaiah 55:1-11; Psalm 104:1b-2, 3-4, 24-25, 27-28, 29-30; John 5:1-9; Mark 1:7-11 but shall do my will, achieving the end for which I sent it. RESPONSORIAL PSALM PS 104:1B-2, 3-4, 24-25, 27-28, 29-30 R. O bless the Lord, my soul. O Lord, my God, you are great indeed! you are clothed with majesty and glory, robed in light as with a cloak. You have spread out the heavens like a tent-cloth; R. O bless the Lord, my soul. You have constructed your palace upon the waters. You make the clouds your chariot; you travel on the wings of the wind. You make the winds your messengers, and flaming fire your ministers. R. O bless the Lord, my soul. How manifold are your works, O Lord! In wisdom you have wrought them all the earth is full of your creatures; the sea also, great and wide,

in which are schools without number of living things both small and great. R. O bless the Lord, my soul. They look to you to give them food in due time. When you give it to them, they gather it; when you open your hand, they are filled with good things. R. O bless the Lord, my soul. If you take away their breath, they perish and return to the dust. When you send forth your spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the earth. R. O bless the Lord, my soul. A READING FROM THE FIRST LETTER OF JOHN 1 JN 5:1-9 Beloved: Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is begotten by God, and everyone who loves the Father loves also the one begotten by him. In this way we know

Scripture reflection FATHER CLIFFORD MARTIN

Living Body and Blood of Jesus nourish us to Jesus, the Lamb of God, whose blood would take away the sins of the world, a sacrificial offering made upon the altar of a cross, and say, “He will baptize in water and the Holy Spirit.” For John, repentance was not a matter of a bath in water, but the planting of the seed of faith that would bear fruit in loving service of God and neighbor. Jesus would do the planting and also the reaping. John told the crowds that one was coming who would baptize “with the Holy Spirit and with fire.” And the parched and dried up chaff would be thrown upon the purifying fire of God’s love. The time had come. Jesus appeared at the Jordan River to claim his prophetic, priestly

and messianic mission. John the prophet does for Jesus what Moses the prophet did for his brother Aaron. He washed him in a bath before his consecration. And the Father himself anointed Jesus, not with perfumed oil, but with the overflowing unction of the Holy Spirit: “You are my beloved Son with whom I am well pleased.” The beloved disciple writes of this moment, “This is the one who came through water and blood, Jesus Christ, not by water alone, but by water and blood. So, there are three that testify, the Spirit, the water, and the blood, and the three are of one accord.” The messiah priest Jesus is also the sacrificial victim, “Behold the Lamb of God

Letters . . .

Audacious

■ Continued from page 8

The love that dare not breathe its name has become the love that will not shut up! Not only were the proponents of samesex marriage defeated twice in this decade in what must be the gay capital of the world, but this last time they caught us completely offguard, behind in the early polls and having to scramble, dealing with skewed re-wording of the proposition and changing “No” to “Yes” for the same effect, and the media and politicians all in support of “No.” Hopefully, this will be a wake-up call. Had Prop 8 been defeated, how long would it be until the gay zealots and liberal/radical supporters were rattling our doors, demanding church marriage and using their status as a discriminated minority to win out? Ditto for same-sex marriage being taught in schools, along with homosexuality in general. Look what same-sex marriage has done in Massachusetts.

Religions do not discriminate against gay couples. Nature discriminates against gay couples. If babies were not created the way they are, does anyone think marriage would even exist, let alone have earned the respectability it does? When same-sex couples or someone figures out how they can produce children without the aid of an opposite sex person, perhaps then; but this would still be going against nature. Marriage has always been about children: creating, protecting, raising children. It is not about affirming or empowering adult love or committed relationships. Gays’ unending demands for admittance into this noble and ancient institution are nothing short of audacious. C. Creighton San Francisco

of defense and support.” Why? Marriage in the Church – in any religious institution – was never in question. No religious institution was required to perform a marriage service for a same-sex couple. The Church doesn’t even consider civil marriage valid because it is not sacramental. And no one owns the word “marriage.” Maybe the real reason is that the Church considers homosexuality sinful even though it is not a choice but innate, a God-given state of being like heterosexuality. Perhaps the Church should focus its political power not on limiting the civil rights of some of God’s children, but on issues on which individuals and governments have a choice to make. A.M. Bowling San Francisco

Crippling stigma I am deeply concerned about the ignorance expressed by so many people regarding the

that we love the children of God when we love God and obey his commandments. For the love of God is this, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome, for whoever is begotten by God conquers the world. And the victory that conquers the world is our faith. Who indeed is the victor over the world but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? This is the one who came through water and blood, Jesus Christ, not by water alone, but by water and blood. The Spirit is the one who testifies, and the Spirit is truth. So there are three that testify, the Spirit, the water, and the blood, and the three are of one accord. If we accept human testimony, the testimony of God is surely greater. Now the testimony of God is this, that he has testified on behalf of his Son. A READING FROM THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK MK 1:7-11 This is what John the Baptist proclaimed: “One mightier than I is coming after me. I am not worthy to stoop and loosen the thongs of his sandals. I have baptized you with water; he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” It happened in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized in the Jordan by John. On coming up out of the water he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit, like a dove, descending upon him. And a voice came from the heavens, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”

who takes away the sins of the world”. It is Jesus’ own human blood that testifies, “I have come to do your will.” For blood gives life, water gives life, and the Spirit gives eternal life. Through the Living Word of God made flesh, life first came to creation; and it is through the shedding of his blood and the sending forth of his Holy Spirit that eternal life comes to a fallen creation to raise it up and draw it to himself. The apostle John proclaims, “Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is begotten of God.” We are born through water, through blood and through the Holy Spirit, a new creation begotten by God through Christ. We live because we believe, that is, because we act in accord with the will of God. John reminds us, the simple law of this new creation is “love God and obey his commandments.” Isaiah announced this messianic reign, “satisfy your thirst with living water, your hunger with bread and wine, listen that you may have life” and “turn from the way of evil, turn to the Lord of mercy” for God’s Word does not return empty, but will “achieve the end” for which he was sent. Let us this day, thank God for the gift of new life in baptism, for the living Body and Blood of Christ Jesus that nourishes us, and for the gifts of the Spirit that help us to live the commandments of the Lord and bear fruit unto eternal life. Father Clifford Martin is parochial vicar at Star of the Sea Parish, San Francisco. U.S. criminal justice system. So many people claim it is not strict enough and they call for even more laws. I see the situation quite differently. If a young man considered an “adult” by the law is incarcerated for an offense, that imprisonment is supposed to be the punishment for the alleged offense. If the “adult” young man is guilty of certain crimes, he is called a felon. If he serves his sentence, he is released with the stigma of being a felon. If he has a child, he is charged for child support even if he cannot find work. Yet he is expected to get a job. But employers reject him for work because he is a felon. Also, when a felon is released, he is given fines ranging into the thousands of dollars he is required to pay. He is expected to work and punished more for not working because he is stigmatized by society as a felon. Endless punishment after imprisonment! LETTERS, page 19

Catholic San Francisco

January 9, 2009

Letters . . . ■ Continued from page 18 Who says there is no slavery in the U.S.? Can you see why the U.S. has one of the highest per capita prison populations in the world? It definitely does not follow God, who says, “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” If we do not follow God, whom do we follow? Joe Trevors Hercules

Contemplation on Dignitas Personae The Church has never understood; “Test all. Retain what is good.”* Implies what To retain not. Year after year, It becomes clear, The Church rested. Should have re-tested. Examples suggested: We made a fuss With Copernicus, Discovered some flaws With our Usury Laws, Could not really show A place called Limbo. (Is that where Frozen embryos go?) Or, if it’s so, Say we don’t know. We, as Church, need to re-test Doctrine. Retain what is best. Alex M. Saunders. MD San Carlos *St. Paul to the Thessalonians

Doctrine is clear In his Dec. 19 letter, I. Thomas Quinn displays a fundamental misunderstanding about the role of the Catholic bishops in the public debate about Proposition 8 and gay marriage. When it comes to the teachings of the Church, the bishops are not running a debating society. One of their central roles is promoting a clear understanding of Catholic doctrine and moral teachings to lay Catholics. These doctrines and teachings are based upon the magisterium which is the teaching office of the Church. It is the definitive teaching of the Church that marriage can only be between one man and one woman. The responsibility of Catholic bishops in the case of Proposition 8 is unambiguous; they must oppose it and instruct their congregations to oppose it also. How are individual Catholics to respond to this teaching? In the words of Pope John

Paul II, “...for the faithful Christian, there can be no separation between the faith which is to be believed and put into practice and a commitment to full and responsible participation in professional political and cultural life.” The letter writer would have us believe that because my judgment on Proposition 8 is rooted in the teaching of my Church that I have no right to express it or vote in accordance with it. His secular right and wrong trumps my Christian right and wrong. I couldn’t disagree more. All of this might, and most likely will, be taken out of our hands by the California Supreme Court. They will restate that they had discovered a constitutional “right to marry” and will redefine the word marriage as they choose. Nick Scales San Francisco

New era This is the dawn of a new age in the glorious history of a great nation. The last United States election that created so much enthusiasm was when John F. Kennedy defeated Richard Nixon in 1960. People around the world celebrated Barack Obama’s victory over John McCain for president of the United States, and now look to America with admiration and awe, as many know their own countries are not capable of electing an enslaved minority to the highest office in the land. America now has a president of the world. Obama is an inspiring leader and a great statesman and during the presidential campaign used his skill as an orator to inspire and unite – not to threaten and incite. He has promised that the best ideas and solutions from the wisest minds will be used to solve the problems of America and with the world, and they will be guided by facts and history and not by rigid ideologies and wedge issues. Obama believed in the American dream and has realized his extraordinary journey to the White House. During this election campaign he showed he is a human being who will respect human dignity as much as human life itself. Lenny Barretto Daly City

Self-awareness needed There are several reasons why the Catholic Church has lost many of its followers. While the scarcity of clergy and the sexual scandals may be key issues, they are not the most prominent. A shift in Western thought may be the true culprit. It is difficult for people who are exposed to so much information to limit themselves to one mindset. People are leaning more toward situational ethical thinking. In other words, the Church has remained steadfastly black and white in an increasingly gray world. The Catholic Church does not have a corner on the morality market. The terms spiritual and moral do not have to be synonymous with religious. Many people are beginning to see this, and it has caused a distaste for an outdated and unyielding church. So many ideas are making

TRAVEL GUIDE 2009 HOLY LAND PILGRIMAGES With Franciscan Fr. Mario DiCicco, O.F.M. President and Rector

THE FRANCISCAN SCHOOL Berkeley, CA

THEOLOGY

May 30–June 10 and September 19–30 Both Departures Originate from Chicago O’Hara Airport

************ Follow the Footsteps of St. Paul In Turkey During This Year of St. Paul Cradle of Early Christianity April 17-29, 2009 Departures from San Francisco and Chicago

Write / Call for Free Brochures Fr. Mario DiCicco, O.F.M., 1712 Euclid Avenue, Berkeley, CA 94709-1208 (510) 848-5232 • E-Mail: mdiccio@fst.edu Fr. Mario has a PhD in the New Testament, has lived in the Holy Land with the Franciscans and has 33 years of experience in leading pilgrimages to the Holy Land.

sense to these former believers, while the Church hierarchy is still all or nothing, without thought to the changing times or needs of its people. They have alienated the modern woman. The reasons for this range from birth control to limited interaction within the Church itself. God is supposed to provide solace and meaning. Under the Church God provides a guilt trip and a reason to find others to be less than. Catholic history is ripe with conquest, forced conversion, intolerance, greed and contradiction. Atrocities have been committed in the name of a God who asked only that we

love him and one another as we love ourselves. Every religion has blood spattered somewhere in its history, that is true, but the Church is not without its fair share of crimes committed on those of different faiths. Catholics may not torture or burn at the stake anymore, but they still breed intolerance, which turns to hatred, and leads inevitably to violence and condemnation of one’s fellow man. I can only hope more come to see the danger in blind belief without self-awareness. Daishin Sunseri San Francisco

Tour

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SOUTHERN ITALY

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January 15 – 24, 2009 Departs San Francisco 10-Day Pilgrimage

e c e Gre an

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Fr. Chris Crotty C.P.M., Spiritual Director

Rome

Visit: Rome, Naples, Pompeii, Bari, Mt. St. Angelo, San Giovanni, Lanciano, Cascia, Assisi, Orvieto Rome (Papal audience)

Turk

GREECE • TURKEY CRUISE April 29 – May 10, 2009 Departs San Francisco 12-Day Pilgrimage

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d n a l e r

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Includes outside cabin and shore excursions

Visit: Athens, Istanbul, Mykonos, Patmos, Kusadas, Rhodes, Heraklion, Santorini, Piraeus, Corinth

IRELAND

May 12 – 21, 2009

Athens

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Fr. Martin Gillespie, Spiritual Director Visit: Shannon, Cliffs of Moher, Galway, Croagh, Patrick Kylemore Abbey, Connemara, Bunratty Folk Park, Killarney, Ring of Kerry and more

$2,999of if deposit is paid by 2-1-09 FRANCE – Year Bernadette

September 15 – 24, 2009 Departs San Francisco 10-Day Pilgrimage

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Music

January 9, 2009

Books

Film RADIO stage

‘Last Chance Harvey’: a delicate romantic comedy By John Mulderi NEW YORK (CNS) – The delicate romantic comedy “Last Chance Harvey” (Overture) chronicles the budding relationship between two isolated middle-age characters – one long divorced, the other never married – who meet in a chance encounter at London’s Heathrow Airport. British survey-taker Kate (Emma Thompson) has the unenviable task of quizzing arriving passengers about their journey. Many are exhausted and disposed to be rude, and indeed she gets short shrift when she approaches New York jingle composer Harvey Shine (Dustin Hoffman) who has hopped the pond to attend the wedding of his estranged daughter, Susan (Liane Balaban). Harvey is suffering considerable anxiety over his professional future, since his boss, Marvin (Richard Schiff) – convinced Harvey is losing favor with their clients – has just warned him there are to be “no more chances.” Harvey also is less than enthused at the prospect of seeing his ex, Jean (Kathy Baker), now happily remarried to dapper, gregarious Brian (James Brolin). By the time Kate and Harvey cross paths again in an airport bar, Harvey has embarrassed himself at the rehearsal dinner, missed his return flight and been summarily fired.

Emma Thompson as Kate and Dustin Hoffman as Harvey is a scene from “Last Chance Harvey.

He also has been devastated by the fact Susan chose to have Brian give her away. Kate, meanwhile, has gone on a disappointing blind date and been dogged by repeated cell phone calls from her fretful mother, Maggie (Eileen Atkins), who suspects that her Polish neighbor (Robert Jezek) is

doing something nefarious. As Kate takes solace in a paperback novel and a glass of chardonnay, Harvey uses the opportunity to apologize, and the two are soon exchanging gentle jibes. With nothing to lose and nowhere to go before the next day’s flight, Harvey fol-

lows her into town. Teasing gives way to spontaneous confidences as the two stroll the capital’s streets and quays, and Kate urges Harvey, who has confessed his sense of failure as a father, to take advantage of his altered itinerary by attending Susan’s reception. While somewhat predictable, writerdirector Joel Hopkins’ skillfully wrought valentine to midlife romance draws masterful performances from stars at the top of their game and an impressive supporting cast. As it portrays a mutually generous relationship untainted by irresponsible sexuality, his script also shows the lingering negative consequences of both divorce and abortion. The film contains some sexual references and humor, occasional crude words, the acceptability of divorce and an abortion reference. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification is A-III – adults. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG-13 – parents strongly cautioned. John Mulderig is on the staff of the Office for Film & Broadcasting of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. More reviews are available online at www.usccb.org/movies.

Memorized ‘Gospel of Mark’ at Notre Dame des Victoires Feb. 27 By Tom Burke Michael Reardon, actor, and Patrick Lane, director, have been performing memorized and complete texts of the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John since 1980. Reardon and Lane bring the “Gospel of Mark” to Notre Dame des Victoires Church in San Francisco Feb. 27 at 7:30 p.m. “We have appeared in more than half of the San Francisco parishes, hundreds of parishes throughout California, most of the states, lots of Asia, Europe, Rome and the Vatican,” Reardon told Catholic San Francisco. “We’ve been called the best kept secret in Catholic evangelism.” Reardon and Lane met shortly after graduating college. Reardon’s focus was philosophy and computer sciences and Lane’s psychology, theology and computer

Michael Reardon

sciences. “We met at a charismatic prayer group, worked together in technology, and soon after began the work with Scripture,” Reardon said. “We travel extensively – just finished a three-month tour from Texas to Montana.” The ministry has been the men’s fulltime work for more than two decades. “It has taken me two years each to memorize Matthew, Mark, Luke, John and Revelation,” Reardon said. “ We also do a program on the Advent Narratives, the life of St Paul, retreats, youth retreats, and this year we began a new work on Patrick of Ireland.” “This is our only theater experience,” Reardon said. “We learn by doing. One of the wonderful things for us is that, while both Roman Catholic, we have worked in virtually every denomination from Assembly of God to the Orthodox churches, and have

given the events in settings from living rooms, prisons and parish churches to great cathedrals, theaters and outdoors.” “I love San Francisco and its audiences,” Reardon noted. “The people in the pew always seem to react the same, in that they are moved. The hearing of the text is a whole different experience than reading it – plus, we add drama, music, lighting, some effects, costuming – and of course all verbatim and from memory. I feel that God has begun this work in us and has kept it fresh and prayerful and powerful.” A meet-the-artists reception will follow the Feb. 27 staging. Admission to the twohour event is free, but free-will offerings will be accepted. Call (415) 397-0113 for more information. Visit www.gospels.org for more about the group. The parish is located at 566 Bush St., San Francisco.

‘To the Field of Stars’ records pilgrimage of body and soul “To the Field of Stars: A Pilgrim’s Journey to Santiago de Compostela” by Msgr. Kevin Codd. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing (Grand Rapids, Mich, 2008). 287 pp., $18.

By Dan Morris-Young If you’d like to enjoy the spiritual benefits of a 500-mile walking pilgrimage to the famed site venerated as the resting place of St. James the Greater’s mortal remains, but walking 500 miles is out of the question at the moment, then Msgr. Kevin A. Codd’s recent book is for you. It’s a remarkable, even life-changing, thing to walk 500 miles over 35 days. It’s another thing to keep a daily journal while doing it. And it’s quite an extraordinary thing to do both and then generate a book that is a “page turner.” “To the Field of Stars: A Pilgrim’s Journey to Santiago de Compostela” (Eerdmans Publishing) is just that.

Msgr. Codd, rector-president of the U.S. bishops’ American College of the Catholic University of Louvain in Belgium from 2001 to 2007, takes you along with him for what truly feels like every step of the way. That “way” began with his first novice pilgrim steps on July 8, 2003 in Saint-JeanPied-de-Port, France and ends with veteran pilgrim strides 35 days and 780 kilometers later at Santiago de Compostela at the west end of Spain. It should be noted this reviewer has known Kevin Codd since he was a teen and I was editor of the Inland Register, newspaper of the Spokane Diocese for which Father Codd was ordained in 1979. “Field of Stars” is travelogue, dialogue, theological reflection, spiritual guide, comedic life discernment, Scriptural exegesis, political commentary, Church apologetic and hiker’s gear guide. It is at once fun and profound, earthy and inspirational, petty and pious.

The reader comes to know Pilgrim Codd well – from his sharp irritation with fellow travelers’ snoring and occasional reflections on his family to his appreciation for good blister remedies and his being surprised by his own tears. In the process, the reader can come to know himself or herself better as well. Seated in the parish church in the Spanish village of O Cebreiro toward the end of his journey of the body and soul, the priest reflects on sudden tears: “I finally have a couple of words to locate whence they come. The first is sorrow, sorrow for my faithlessness, my lukewarmness, my lack of enthusiasm for the work of my life, my compromises in living my deepest promises, my disregard for so many. The second is gratitude. As I sit here with my eyes running, I feel the deepest thanksgiving for everything in general and for everything in particular: this heartbeat, this life, this church, these friends, mother and father, brothers and sisters, the road, the earth under my feet, my feet, my aches and weariness, wooden Mary and son, faith, the Eucharist, my imperfect yet graced priesthood, all of it. I am grateful. I am just enormously grateful over it all. Yes, for everything in general and for everything in particular, I am grateful to tears.”

Msgr. Kevin Codd during his 2003 pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, Spain.

Today Msgr. Codd serves as pastor of Sacred Heart Parish in Othello, Wash.

January 9, 2009

St. Mary’s Cathedral Gough and Geary St. in San Francisco – (415) 567-2020. Ample parking is available free of charge in the Cathedral lot for most events. Third Tuesdays through September 2009, 7:15 p.m.: The Year of St. Paul Lecture Series features Professor Stephen C. Córdova of the St. Anthony of Padua Institute, and Conventual Franciscan Father Francisco Nahoe of the Franciscan Spirit and Life Institute. Talks are free of charge. Information and lecture dates are available online at www.stanthonypaduainstitute.org/stpaul.pdf Sundays, 3:30 p.m.: Concerts featuring local and musical artists from around the world. Open to the public. Free will offering helps support Cathedral’s music ministry. Call (415) 567-2020, ext. 231.

Datebook

Taize/Chanted Prayer 1st Friday at 8 p.m.: Mercy Center, 2300 Adeline Dr., Burlingame with Mercy Sister Suzanne Toolan. Call (650) 340-7452; young adults are invited each first Friday of the month to attend a social at 6 p.m. prior to Taize prayer at 8 p.m. The social provides light refreshments and networking with other young adults. Convenient parking is available. For information contact mercyyoungadults@ sbcglobal.net Tuesdays at 6 p.m.: Notre Dame Des Victoires Church, 566 Bush at Stockton, San Francisco with Rob Grant. Call (415) 397-0113. 3rd Friday, 8 p.m. beginning Dec. 19: Dominican Sisters of Mission San Jose, Motherhouse Chapel, 43326 Mission Blvd in Fremont. Contact Maria Shao at (408) 839-2068 or maria49830@aol.com or Dominican Sister Beth Quire at (510) 449-7554 or beth@msjdominicans

Vallombrosa Center The retreat center of the Archdiocese of San Francisco, 250 Oak Grove Ave. in Menlo Park. For details and fees, call (650) 325-5614 or visit www.vallombrosa.org Jan. 24, 9:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.: “The Body as a Healing Temple” focuses on honoring our human body as a wonderful instrument of healing. The retreat will include the use of our senses, movements, yoga, breathing and intuition. Dominican Sister Joan Prohaska, holds a Masters Degree in Education from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. Joan is a Healing Touch Practioner, a certified massage therapist, an Energy Medicine Specialist and has been leading healing prayer retreats and workshops in northern California. January 31, 9:30 a.m. - 4 p.m.: “A Retreat for Caregivers” As advanced medical technologies stretch out life span, more and more family members, especially people in their 40’s, 50’s and 60’s, are finding themselves caring for fragile, elderly relatives. This retreat will allow participants some time to recharge emotionally and spiritually, to reflect, and to receive support. Carol Kaplan, MFT, has given retreats at Vallombrosa Retreat Center on honoring our elders, gardening, ecospirituality and grief. Carol has a private practice in Monterey.

Tridentine Mass The traditional Latin Mass according to texts and rubrics from before Vatican II is celebrated at locations and times below. Sundays at 12:15 p.m.: Holy Rosary Chapel at St. Vincent School for Boys. For more information, call St. Isabella Parish at (415) 479-1560. First Friday: Latin High Mass of the Sacred Heart of Jesus at St. Francis of Assisi Church, 1425 Bay Road at Glen Way, East Palo Alto. Mass is followed by the Litany of the Sacred Heart and Exposition of the Most Blessed Sacrament until midnight. Confessions are heard before Mass. Low Mass in Latin is also offered every Friday evening at 6 p.m. For further information, call (650) 322-2152.

TV/Radio Sunday, 6 a.m., KOFY Channel 20/Cable 13 and KTSF Channel 26/Cable 8: TV Mass with Msgr. Harry Schlitt presiding. Saturday, 4 p.m.: Religious programming in Cantonese over KVTO 1400 AM, co-sponsored by the Chinese Ministry and Chinese Young Adults of the Archdiocese. 1st Sunday, 5 a.m., CBS Channel 5: “Mosaic,” featuring conversations on current Catholic issues. 3rd Sunday, 5:30 a.m., KRON Channel 4: “For Heaven’s Sake,” featuring conversations about Catholic spirituality. KSFB Catholic Radio 1260 AM offers daily Mass, rosary and talk on the faith – visit www. ihradio.org EWTN Catholic Television: Comcast Channel 229; Astound Channel 80; San Bruno Cable Channel 143; DISH Satellite Channel 261; Direct TV Channel 370. For programming details, visit www.ewtn.com.

Arts & Entertainment Celtic Voices Children’s Choir is for youngsters in grades 3 – 8. The group specializes in music of Irish heritage. Rehearsals take place in San Francisco’s Sunset District Wednesdays from 3:45 – 4:45 p.m. For more information, contact Mary McKeever at mairemusic@aol.com or (415) 379-4484. Jan. 25, 3 p.m.: Notre Dame de Namur University’s Michael Schmitz, Ph.D., director of piano studies, will perform in concert at the school’s Ralston Hall Mansion Ballroom, 1500

Catholic San Francisco

Sisters of Mission San Jose, Motherhouse Chapel, 43326 Mission Blvd., Fremont. For further information, contact Maria Shao, (408) 839-2068, or maria49830@aol.com or Sister Beth Quire, OP (510) 449-7554 or beth@msjdominicans. Jan. 16 – 18: St. Patrick’s Seminary and University holds its annual Discernment Weekend for men interested in priesthood on the Menlo Park campus. Contact Mary Verducci at (650) 325-5621, ext. 211 or e-mail mary.verducci@stpatricksseminary.org for more information. Feb. 12, noon: Meeting of the Serra Club of San Francisco at Italian American Social Club, 25 Russia Street off Mission Street in San Francisco features talk by Jesuit Brother Douglas Draper, retired Dean of Students at St. Ignatius College Preparatory. Tickets for lunch are $16 per person. Non-members are welcome. Jan. 24 at 9 a.m. the club meets for Mass and meeting at Holy Name of Jesus Church, 39th Ave. at Lawton in San Francisco. Contact Paul Crudo at (415) 566-8224 or e-mail pecrudodds@aol.com

Consolation Ministry

The newly finished façade of St. Dominic Church is part of a $12.5 million upgrade at the treasured San Francisco worship space. To commemorate the completed work, tours of the church will be given Jan. 10, beginning at 10 a.m. with the last of the 30-minute trips starting at noon. Refreshments will be served and restoration exhibits will be on display in the parish hall. St. Dominic’s is located at Steiner and Bush St. with parking available. “So far we have raised $8 million,” said Maria Vickroy-Peralta, director of development at the parish. “With the continued support of our parishioners and benefactors, we hope to complete the restoration within the next three years.” Tours assemble in the main entrance of the church. Ralston Ave., Belmont. The program will feature works by Beethoven, Chopin and Rachmaninoff. A reception will follow. Tickets are $20/$10 seniors and students. For information, call (650) 508-3729. Feb. 27, 7:30 p.m.: “The Gospel of Mark” performed by Michael Reardon and directed by Patrick Lane at Notre Dame des Victoires Church, 566 Bush St. in San Francisco. Reardon and Lane have performed the spellbinding proclamation of Scripture more than 1,000 times around the world. A meet-the-artists reception follows the play. Admission to the two-hour event is free though free-will offerings will be accepted. Call (415) 397-0113 for more information.

Trainings/Lectures/Respect Life First Saturdays: San Mateo Pro-Life prays the rosary at Planned Parenthood, 2211 Palm Ave. in San Mateo at 9 a.m. and invites others to join them at the site. The group is also open to new membership. Meetings are held the second Thursday of the month except August and December at St. Gregory Parish’s Worner Center, 138 28th Ave. in San Mateo at 7:30 p.m. For more information, call Jessica at (650) 572-1468. Jan. 18, 10:30 a.m.: 24th Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Solidarity Mass at St. Paul of the Shipwreck Church, 1122 Jamestown Ave. at 3rd St. in San Francisco. Sister Anita Price Baird of Chicago will give guest reflection. Conventual Franciscan Father Paul Gawloski, Sister Anita Baird, DHM pastor, will preside. Reception follows. Jan. 23, 7:30 p.m.: Annual Interfaith Prayer Service for the Sanctity of Human Life at St. Mary’s Cathedral, Gough and Geary Blvd. in San Francisco. Rev. Aris Metrakos, pastor, Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, San Francisco; and a representative of the Sisters for Life of New York are scheduled to speak. San Francisco Emeritus Archbishop John R. Quinn who instituted the event 22 years ago has also been invited to speak. Reception follows the rite.. Call (415) 664-3590 for more information. Sponsored by the Interfaith Committee for Life. Jan. 24, 11 a.m.: Fifth Annual Walk for Life West Coast begins at San Francisco’s Justin Herman Plaza lawn at the Embarcadero. To organize groups or get further information e-mail info@walkforlifewc. com or call (415) 586-1576.

Food & Fun Jan. 21, noon: Spaghetti and meatball lunch at Immaculate Conception Chapel, Folsom off Cesar Chavez/Army St. in San Francisco. Tickets are $8 per person. The family-style lunch includes salad, bread, pasta and homemade meatballs. Beverages are available for purchase. The meal is served in the church hall, beneath the chapel. Call (415) 824-1762.

First Friday, 7 a.m.: Catholic Marin Breakfast Club meets at St. Sebastian Church, Sir Francis Drake Blvd. and Bon Air Rd. in Greenbrae for Mass with breakfast and talk following. Members breakfast $7/visitors $10. Call (415) 461-0704 weekdays or email sugaremy@aol.com Jan. 17, 6 p.m.: Young Men’s Institute (YMI) Crab Cioppino Dinner at All Souls Church Hall, in South San Francisco. At the stove is chef Richard Guaraldi, of the Italian-American Social Club. Tickets are $40 per person. Send checks made payable to YMI Grand Council, P.O. Box 281047, San Francisco or call (800) 964-9646. Jan. 23, 6:30 p.m.: CYO Athletics Hall of Fame Dinner in the Father O’Reilly Catholic Charities CYO Center at St. Emydius gym, Ashton at DeMontfort St. in San Francisco. Tickets are $75 per person. Call Meghan Livingston at (415) 972-1213 or visit http://athletics.cccyo.org/home/halloffame09.php Jan. 24, 5:30 p.m.: Junipero Serra High School Booster Club Crab Cioppino Dinner and Dance, 451 West 20th Ave. San Mateo featuring live music by The Jack Aces. No host cocktails until 7 p.m. followed by the best cioppino, salad, garlic bread and dessert. Tickets are $40.00 and must be paid by January 20. For information, please call Melanie Ryan, Boosters Club president at (415) 699-7926. Reservation form available at www.serrahs.com Click on “Booster Club” from the “Athletics” or “Parents” homepage No tickets sold at door. Jan. 24, 5 – 9 p.m.: Wine and cheese tasting benefiting Immaculate Conception Academy, 24th and Guerrero St. in San Francisco. Event includes silent auction. Entrance fee of $25 includes commemorative wine glass; 21 years of age and older only. Call (415) 824-2052 or visit www.icacademy.org. Jan. 24, 6 – 11 p.m.: Cioppino Dinner benefiting Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory School, Ellis between Franklin and Gough in San Francisco. Evening includes no-host bar, appetizers, dinner, dessert, and live music and dancing. Tickets are $50 per person. Visit www.shcp.edu for more information or to purchase tickets. Jan. 25, 11 a.m.: “Magic” is theme of annual luncheon, fashion show and silent auction benefiting work of San Francisco County Council of Catholic Women at Olympic Club, Lakeside. Tickets are $55. Contact Diane Heafey at (415) 731-6379. No-host cocktails begin at 11 a.m. followed by lunch at 12:30 p.m. Jan. 26, 7 p.m.: Meeting of San Francisco County Council of Catholic Women at St. Paul Parish hall, 29th St. and Church St. in San Francisco. Margarita Mendoza of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton New Life Center is guest speaker. Refreshments and business meeting follow. Call Cathy Mibach at (415) 753-0234. Jan. 31: St. Elizabeth School, 450 Somerset St. in San Francisco holds its Famous Crab Feed Dinner featuring, raffle prizes, special entertainment, and dancing the night away with DJ Bruce Jolly. Menu includes marinated or non-marinated Dungeness crab or roasted chicken, appetizers, antipasto, pasta, salad, coffee and dessert. All proceeds benefit St. Elizabeth School. Tickets are $40.00 per person. Call (415) 468-3247.

Vocations Third Fridays, 8 p.m.: Refresh your soul with a moment of peace and quiet away from the busyness of life. Listen to beautiful music and join others in prayer and song around the cross at Dominican

Grief support groups meet at the following parishes. San Mateo County: St. Catherine of Sienna, Burlingame; call Debbie Simmons at (650) 5581015. St. Dunstan, Millbrae; call Barbara Cappel at (650) 692-7543. Good Shepherd, Pacifica; call Sister Carol Fleitz at (650) 355-2593. Our Lady of Mercy, Daly City; call Barbara Cantwell at (650) 755-0478. Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, Redwood City; call parish at (650) 366-3802. St. Robert, San Bruno; call Sister Patricia at (650) 589-2800. Marin County: St. Anselm, San Anselmo; call Brenda MacLean at (415) 454-7650. St. Isabella, San Rafael; call Pat Sack at (415) 472-5732. Our Lady of Loretto, Novato; call Sister Jeanette at (415) 897-2171. San Francisco: St. Dominic; call Deacon Chuck McNeil at (415) 567-7824; St. Finn Barr (bilingual); call Carmen Solis at (415) 584-0823. St. Gabriel; call Monica Williams at (415) 350-9464. Young Widow/Widower Group: St. Gregory, San Mateo; call Barbara Elordi at (415) 614-5506. Ministry to Parents: Our Lady of Angels, Burlingame; call Ina Potter at (650) 347-6971 or Barbara Arena at (650) 344-3579. Children’s Grief Group: St. Catherine, Burlingame; call Debbie Simmons at (650) 5581015. Information regarding grief ministry in general: call Barbara Elordi at (415) 614-5506.

Single, Divorced, Separated Information about Bay Area single, divorced and separated programs is available from Jesuit Father Al Grosskopf at grosskopf@ usfca.edu (415) 422-6698. Ongoing support groups for the separated and divorced take place at St. Bartholomew Parish, 300 Columbia Drive at Alameda de las Pulgas, in San Mateo, first and third Tuesdays of the month at 7 p.m. in the Spiritual Center and first and third Wednesdays of the month at St. Stephen parish hall, Eucalyptus and 23rd Ave. in San Francisco next to Stonestown Mall at 7:30 p.m. Call Gail at (650) 591-8452 or Joanne at (650) 347-0701. Catholic Adult Singles Association of Marin meets for support and activities. Call Bob at (415) 897-0639 for information.

Reunions March 7, 1 p.m.: Were you a Scout with Troop 343 in San Francisco or Daly City? Boy Scout Troop 343 at St. Thomas More is celebrating its 50th anniversary and is inviting all former and current Troop members and their families. Join in remembering the history of Troop 343 and catch up with buddies from years past. For more information, e-mail emailtroop343@gmail.com or visit this website to find out more about current troop happenings www.sftroop343.org Sept. 26, 27, 2009: St. Elizabeth School in San Francisco marks its 60th anniversary. Graduates, former students, staff and friends of St. Elizabeth Elementary School please mark their calendars for a weekend celebration and e-mail your contact information to stelizabethalumni@yahoo.com to receive detailed information regarding the weekend’s events. Class of ’59 from San Francisco’s Star of the Sea Academy is planning its 50th reunion. Contact Maria Elena Keizer at (415) 924-9756 or Keizerm@ sutterhealth.org San Francisco’s Holy Name of Jesus Elementary School is ramping up to an allschool reunion in 2011. Alumni, former students, friends should visit www.holyname-sf.org or www. holynamesf.com. Holy Name’s class of ’83 will hold a reunion in December. Classmates should contact Julie at Julie_popovic@yahoo.com or Anne at annecarew@yahoo.com The class of ’72 is also planning an event. Contact Donna at smardypants@comcast.net.

Datebook is a free listing for parishes, schools and non-profit groups. Please include event name, time, date, place, address and an information phone number. Listing must reach Catholic San Francisco at least two weeks before the Friday publication date desired. Mail your notice to: Datebook, Catholic San Francisco, One Peter Yorke Way, S.F. 94109, or fax it to (415) 614-5633, or e-mail burket@sfarchdiocese.org.

Catholic San Francisco

January 9, 2009

Sister known for work with poor

Hindu filmmakers call saint’s message relevant for today

Sister Michael of God, born Meri-Beth reported to have been a close collaborator with the late Franciscan Bird, died Dec. 31 at 74 Father Alfred Boeddeker, years of age. A native of founder of San Francisco’s Milwaukee, the late religious St. Anthony Foundation and entered consecrated life at an icon in ministry to the age 18 in Adrian, Mich. poor and underserved. Her ministry included “She leaves a legacy of teaching assignments in love,” the death notice said. Michigan, Florida and Puerto “She touched and affected Rico before Sister Michael, many lives and will be realizing a desire to work missed.” among the poor, joined the Sister Michael of God A funeral Mass was Sisters of Christ the King, moving to their Hermitage of Christ the King celebrated Jan. 8 at St. Joseph Church in Cotati with interment at Calvary Catholic in Sebastopol in 1976. “Sister had a love for everyone,” said a Cemetery in Sebastopol. Remembrances release announcing her death. “She could maybe sent to Sisters of Christ the King, never do enough for the poor or anyone who c/o St. Joseph Church, 150 St. Joseph Way, had a need of any kind.” Sister Michael is Cotati 94931.

PANAJI, India (CNS) – A recent film on St. Bernadette Soubirous shows how ordinary people can make a difference, said the film’s producer and director, both Hindus from India. V.R. Gopinath, who directed “Our Lady of Lourdes,” said he made the movie because the saint’s modest way of living, dedication to her ideals and faithfulness to her call are “important messages to the present society.” St. Bernadette first saw Mary in 1858 in Lourdes, in southern France. The movie, which premiered Dec. 21 in Panaji, capital of coastal Goa state, was shot in the southern state of Kerala, reported the Asian church news agency UCA News. Ajna Noiseux, a 14-year-old girl of French origin living in Kerala, plays St. Bernadette. “The movie shows that an ordinary person, without money, can make a difference in the

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Notre Dame High School, Belmont, CA seeks a Director of Institutional Advancement to develop, implement, and manage comprehensive development, admissions, communications, and alumnae relations programs. Founded in 1851 by the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, NDB is an independent Catholic college preparatory school for young women with a rigorous academic program and strong athletic and extracurricular programs. The successful candidate will have a B.A. with 10+ years of successful experience in institutional advancement, a passion for Catholic women’s secondary education, demonstrated ability to lead and inspire both staff and volunteers and strong organizational skills. Familiarity with Raiser’s Edge or comparable software is a plus. Salary is commensurate with experience. Position is open until filled. Reply to:

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OFFICE SPACE AVAILABLE Approximately 2,000 to 3,500 square feet of space (additional space available if needed) at One Peter Yorke Way, San Francisco (between Gough & Franklin), is being offered for lease — preferably to a non-profit entity. Space available includes four enclosed offices, open work area with seven cubicles, large work room, and storage rooms on the bottom level of the Archdiocese of San Francisco Chancery/Pastoral Center. We also have mail and copy services available, as well as meeting rooms (based on availability). Space has access to kitchen area and restroom facilities. Parking spaces negotiable. Ready for immediate occupancy with competitive terms. For more information, contact Katie Haley (415) 614-5556; email to haleyk@sfarchdiocese.org.

Catholic San Francisco

January 9, 2009

(PHOTOS BY RICK DELVECCHIO/CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO)

Catherine’s Center: Women embrace Gospel to rebuild their lives

Mercy Sister Marguerite Buchanan: “The criterion is that they are determined to change their lives.”

Catherine’s Center resident Arcelia Paiz: her twin grandsons “are the reason I’m staying sober.”

‘God forgave me’ . . .

Annette Brown described herself as a 30-year drug user with a 20-year prison record. She was in the San Mateo County Jail two years ago when she heard about Catherine’s Center. “They said Catherine’s Center was a spiritual program, and my spirit was not at rest,” she said. She enrolled not because she wanted to but because she felt it was her last chance.

■ Continued from cover didn’t know what was up and what was down. I spent a lot of time denying the fact my son was dead.” She relapsed into criminal behavior and drugs after the first year. “I tried to end my life, but being a Catherine’s Center woman you’re always a Catherine’s Center woman, and they picked me up and brought me back,” she said. Now, she is nearly off parole and looking forward to her accounting license being reinstated. “I’m looking for a life of service,” she said. “Whatever God has in my path.” Arcelia Paiz comes from a family of 15. She grew up with seven older and three younger brothers. She was abused and never felt unconditional love, she said. When her husband died nine years ago she became homeless and fell into trouble with the law. On her release from jail she made a phone call and was accepted into Catherine’s Center. She, too, relapsed, and then picked herself up again. The problem was not too little love but more love than she could handle at the time. “The more loving they were the harder I was on myself,” she said of her housemates. “I’m not used to being loved like that.” In Paiz’ room after dinner one evening, with rock music playing on the radio, a desk lamp lit snapshots of two smiling babies – her twin infant grandsons. “That’s the reason I’m staying sober,” she said. On a desk were photos of her mother and daughter in a frame labeled “Love,” and on the wall were a poem written to her at a retreat and a copy of the Prayer of St. Francis. Laverne Williams is the Catherine’s Center resident liaison. She was raised in a spiritual family in San Mateo but became depressed and went off course after her father died. She spent three years in jail. Catherine’s Center, she said, “is just giving you the chance to change your life if that’s what you want. You have to want it, though. You have to get sick and tired of the life you’re living.”

Fundraiser Jan. 25 in Burlingame Catherine’s Center’s annual fundraiser will be held Jan. 25 at 5:40 p.m. at Kohl Mansion in Burlingame. For more information call (650) 373-0637. Catherine’s Center welcomes volunteer support. Volunteers are needed to drive women to appointments, share expertise in program areas, mentor, help cook, dine with residents, celebrate holidays, join staff and residents on outings and write grants or help with fundraisers. The center relies on donations to cover its operating expenses of $24,000 a month. For more information call (650) 246-1520 or e-mail svdpcatherine@yahoo.com.