February 6, 2004

Catholic san Francisco

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy

(PHOTOS BY JACK SMITH)

Northern California’s Weekly Catholic Newspaper

From left, USF Law School Dean Jeffrey Brand, USF President Fr. Stephen Privett, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy and USF Board of Trustees Chairman Dr. Charles Geschke.

Supreme Court Justice dedicates USF law center

By Jack Smith United States Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy gave a keynote address and participated in ceremonies Jan. 29 for the dedication of the Koret Law Center at the University of San Francisco. The dedication celebrates the completion of more than $35 million of improvements to the law school, including the renovation and modernization of the main law school building, Kendrick Hall, and the construction of the Dorraine Zief Library.

The center is named for the late San Francisco businessman Joseph Koret whose foundation made a lead gift toward the construction, along with law school alumnus Arthur Zief and the Hugh and Hazel Darling Foundation.

In addition to offering a dedication address at St. Ignatius church and helping cut the ribbon at the new law center, Justice Kennedy spent nearly two days at USF with students and faculty.

The 1987 Reagan appointee to the nation’s highest court began his legal career as an associate in 1961 at a San Francisco law firm, before solo practice in Sacramento and service on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco. He also has a passion for teaching, having served as an adjunct faculty member at McGeorge School of Law for more than 20 years.

During his two day tour at USF, Justice Kennedy taught a Constitutional Law class for 100 students, offered and hour

and a half question and answer session for the entire law school student body, met for lunch with law school faculty and attended a reception with academics of the university at large.

Speakers at the dedication ceremony included USF Board of Trustees Chair, Dr. Charles Geschke; Law School Dean Jeffrey Brand; Susan Koret and Thaddeus Taube of the Koret Foundation; and Martin D. “Pete” Murphy, chairman of the Kendrick fundraising campaign. Mr. Murphy, an alumnus of the law school and partner at the firm of Tobin and Tobin is the son of law school alumnus, Martin Murphy, and father of law school alumnus Martin Murphy. California Jesuit Provincial Fr. Thomas Smolich USF DEDICATION, page 20 gave the invocation.

Cardinal speaks on globalization at Stanford

By Jennifer Puccio (CNS PHOTO BY EDGAR ROMERO)

Honduran Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga shown on a visit to El Salvador.

“Injustice and inequality” are being produced as byproducts of unifying markets, said Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga of Honduras during his lecture to an assembly of 500 people Jan. 26 at Stanford University in Palo Alto.

Although globalization offers both “dangers and opportunities,” some societies enjoying technological progress are “manufacturing and reproducing exclusion”, he added.

Rodriguez called for a “solidarity in globalization” as a sustainable model to humanize globalization, a model which calls on each individual and community to promote the universal destination of goods, prevent the envi-

ronment’s contamination and curtail business corruption.

The cardinal added that this also is the Christian moral response. “The economic crisis raises one basic question to the moral conscience: the way we face it will depend on whether or not our society will have much more solidarity in the coming years or become more selfish,” he said.

A “savage capitalism” is returning, Rodriguez claimed, one that reflects eighteenth and nineteenth century conditions, dismantling historical achievements of welfare states and widening the gap between rich and poor. “The world is becoming globalized to the rhythm and in the way the major economic powers want,” he said. STANFORD, page 20

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February 6, 2004

FIFTY CENTS

VOLUME 6

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No. 5

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Catholic San Francisco

February 6, 2004

On The Where You Live

by Tom Burke St. Benedict Parish for the Deaf says happy anniversary to its “dear friends” Evelyn and Arnell San Diego who are celebrating 25 years of wedded life. “May God bless you with 25 more,” a recent bulletin said…. Happy 80th birthday December 15th to Eugene Gannon, longtime parishioner of St. Pius, Redwood City and alum of San Francisco’s St. James High School. “He is the best dad in the world,” said Eugene’s daughter Terry Ball, who with husband, Robert, also prays at St. Pius. They will be married 30 years June 1st….All hats off for longtime Holy Name parishioner and Eugene Gannon Monitor staffer, Helen Martin, who died January 6th and whose funeral Mass was prayed at the Sunset District church January 9th. “Helen was one of the smartest women I’ve ever met,” said her sister, Marcelline Simini, remembering how Helen “always looked back on her Monitor days with joy.” Marcelline and her husband, Joe, both of whom are former members of the faculty at USF - will be married 36 years on October 4th….Never too late for legacy and that’s what 18 freshmen at Junipero Serra High School are experiencing as they follow in the footsteps of their dads who once were also students at the San Mateo school.

Bringing the number of “alumni sons” to 64 are Ryan Fox, Thomas Murphy, Jason Dunn, Andrew Diggins, Sean Hart, David Bertoldi, Gregory Dalli, Eric Angell, Cody Rauenbuehler, Robert Belvini, Robert Broderick, Patrick Clifford, Scott Mantegani, Dominic San Filippo, Patrick Wandro, Stephen Sweeney, Michael Borg, Connor English. More than a dozen elementary schools took part in Serra’s annual Trivia Contest with St. Pius, Our Lady of Angels, St. Raymond, St. Matthew, and St. Catherine of Siena coming out on top. The trivia is always a kick and this year includes the original cost of a Burger King Whopper – 37 cents - as well as the fact that Dunkin’ Donuts started as snack shacks for Boston factory workers in the late 40s and today serves sinkers and other goodies to people from all walks at 5,000 locations arounjd the world. Hats off to Serra admissions director, Randy Vogel, who coordinates the wor-

Catholic san Francisco Northern California’s Weekly Catholic Newspaper

Official newspaper of the Archdiocese of San Francisco

Most Reverend William J. Levada, publisher Maurice E. Healy, associate publisher & editor Editorial Staff: Jack Smith, assistant editor; Evelyn Zappia, feature editor; Tom Burke, “On the Street” and Datebook; Patrick Joyce, contributing editor/senior writer; Sharon Abercrombie and Jayme George, reporters Advertising: Joseph Pena, director; Mary Podesta, account representative Production: Karessa McCartney, manager Business Office: Marta Rebagliati, assistant business manager; Virginia Marshall, advertising and promotion services; Judy Morris, circulation and subscriber services Advisory Board: Jeffrey Burns, Ph.D., Noemi Castillo, James Clifford, Fr. Thomas Daly, Joan Frawley Desmond, James Kelly, Deacon William Mitchell, Kevin Starr, Ph.D., Sr. Christine Wilcox, OP.

Honored with the St. Madeleine Sophie Award at ceremonies in November were from left, Robert Glockner, Janet Whitchurch, and Sacred Heart Sisters Helen Costello and Ann McGowan. The awards are named for the founder of the Religious of the Sacred Heart whose Schools of the Sacred Heart in San Francisco and Atherton have served students of the Archdiocese for more than a century. Sisters Costello and McGowan are former faculty members at the schools.

Mrs. Whitchurch teaches there currently. Mr. Glockner has shown his “outstanding service” as a schools trustee.

thy competition….Congrats to Nanette Miller, longtime parishioner of Most Holy Redeemer, who was honored with an In-Kindness Award for her more than 12 years of volunteer service with the parish’s Aids Support Group. An alumna of the much missed and still revered Presentation High School, Nanette has held roles including board president.

Thanks to Presentation Sister Ruth Patrick for the good news. Now retired Sister Ruth is a former member of the faculty at Presentation and St. Agnes schools as well as a former

chaplain at St. Mary’s and St. Luke’s hospitals. For the last 20 years, she has been “helpin’ out” at Most Holy Redeemer and today also assists as a spiritual director at Mercy Center and parish programs….Remember, this is an empty space without ya’!!! Send items and a follow up phone number to On the Street Where You Live, One Peter Yorke Way, SF 94109. Fax (415) 614-5641; e-mail tburke@catholic-sf.org.

Do not send attachments except photos and those in jpeg, please. You can reach Tom Burke at (415) 614-5634….

Serrans of the Golden Gate marked the club’s 30th anniversary November 16th with Mass and brunch at St. Brendan Church. From left are original members, Paul Crudo, also the group’s first prez; Martin Kilgariff, Tom Mullaney and John Gray.

The club’s newest members are Pat Pilara and Ed Dollard. Don’t miss Golden Gate’s annual Crab Bash February 28th.

(See Datebook)

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Catholic San Francisco editorial offices are located at One Peter Yorke Way, San Francisco, CA 94109. Tel: (415) 614-5640 Circulation: 1-800-563-0008 or (415) 614-5638 Advertising: (415) 614-5642 News fax: (415) 614-5633; Advertising fax: (415) 614-5641 Adv. E-mail: jpena@catholic-sf.org Catholic San Francisco (ISSN 15255298) is published weekly except the Fridays after Thanksgiving, Easter, Christmas and the first Friday in January, twice a month during summer by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco, 1500 Mission Rd., P.O. Box 1577, Colma, CA 94014. Annual subscription rates are $10 within the Archdiocese of San Francisco and $22.50 elsewhere in the United States. Periodical postage paid at South San Francisco, California.

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Catholic San Francisco

February 6, 2004

3

By Judith Sudilovsky Catholic News Service JERUSALEM — On a midwinter morning, Yousef Nasser sat on his sofa, smoking a cigarette next to his wife, Dina; their three children sat nearby.

The Nassers, who are Catholic, are breaking Israeli law: Yousef, 50, is in his home in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Beit Hanina illegally.

As a Palestinian born in Jerusalem, Dina Nasser, 42, has an Israeli identity card that gives her Israeli residency rights in Jerusalem.

But after 20 years of marriage and three children, Yousef Nasser, 50, who was born in the West Bank village of Bir Zeit and moved to San Francisco as a child before returning at age 27, has not been given an Israeli residency permit.

The Nassers, who spent the early years of their marriage in England completing university studies, have filed five applications for family reunification with the Israeli Ministry of Interior, but all have been denied.

Before the outbreak of the Palestinian uprising in September 2000, the lack of a residency permit was an inconvenience but manageable. Yousef Nasser, an assistant professor of economics at Bir Zeit University, was given temporary visitor permits on a regular basis, and the family was able to live a normal life.

For the last several years the family has lived in a twilight zone of uncertainty: Yousef Nasser never knows whether he will be able to reach his home and often unwillingly spends weeks at a time in Bir Zeit, away from his family. While before it took him 20 minutes to return home from work, now it can take him four hours just to cross the Israeli military checkpoints — if he is allowed to pass through.

“There is no consistency in life,” he said.

When he returns to Jerusalem, fear of being caught by

Israeli police limits him to staying in his home and the home of some relatives next door.

“I can’t follow up on the daily lives of my children,” he said. “Psychologically and emotionally, I can’t deal with the uncertainty anymore.”

Dina Nasser, a nurse consultant with a health organization, said her husband is gone so often that when he is home it sometimes seems like he is a guest. Since he cannot go outside, he cannot help with errands or drop off the children for school, but he does cook for the family, she said.

Family members try to do indoor activities such as watch movies so they can be together, she said.

Yousef Nasser said he was unable to be home for the 16th birthday of his eldest son, Omar.

“I need my father to stay with me,” said daughter Haya, 13. “It’s not nice living with him here for a few days and then (he is) gone. We need him for everything, and he is not here. Every time he is on the road, we are all nervous.”

Getting the three children registered with Israeli identity numbers was also a struggle, said Dina Nasser. At one point several years ago, the clerk at the Ministry of Interior confiscated Dina Nasser’s identity card and told her that her youngest son, Fares, now 8 years old, legally did not exist. The Palestinian National Authority also refused to register Fares on Yousef Nasser’s card, saying it was a “political matter.”

“Finally I got the kids registered, I got my ID card back in October 2000, and then I applied again for Yousef. I came out feeling glorious; they said everything was in order and the process was moving ahead,” she said.

Finally, the couple hired an Israeli lawyer and waited as the legal letters and replies began to churn their way through the system. All along they were told that things were moving along.

But in March 2002, following a bombing perpetrated by a Palestinian who had been given permission to be in Israel under a family reunification application, then-Minister of

(CNS PHOTO BY DEBBIE HILL)

Israeli Catholic family fights legal battle so dad can live with them

Yousef Nasser, pictured with his wife, Dina, at their home in Jerusalem.

Interior Eli Yishai froze the handling of all family reunification applications for Palestinians. Two months later, the government decided to maintain the freeze.

On July 31 the Knesset, or Israeli parliament, enacted the Nationality and Entry into Israel Law, a temporary order valid for one year. The law prohibits Israeli residents from living in Israel with spouses who are from the Palestinian territories. The law also makes it impossible to register children born in Palestinian territories to parents who are Palestinian residents of East Jerusalem.

A number of petitions challenging the new law have been filed with the High Court of Justice by B’Tselem, the Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories.

Dioceses file petitions asking abuse cases be assigned to one court Lawyers for the Archdiocese of San Francisco and five other northern California dioceses filed papers with the State Judicial Council Jan. 26 asking that all lawsuits involving instances of sexual abuse be assigned to the same courtroom in Northern California.

Lawyers described the request as an effort to streamline legal proceedings facing the dioceses and to ensure that consistent standards are applied to each case.

Petitions filed by the dioceses of Monterey, Oakland, San Jose, Santa Rosa, Stockton and the Archdiocese of San Francisco propose that pending cases be assigned to the Superior Court in Santa Clara County. Attorneys for the dioceses said they requested Santa Clara County because of its central location and ability to handle complex cases.

Paul Gaspari, attorney with Tobin & Tobin in San Francisco, said the procedural motion was called for by the number of

cases that have been filed here in Northern California.

If the request is granted, an estimated 150 cases from the six dioceses would be assigned to one court – the Santa Clara County Superior Court in San Jose. The cases would not be consolidated, but simply administered by the same court.

Gaspari, representing the Archdiocese of San Francisco, said, “The desire of the Archdiocese is that the process be centrally administered to achieve consistent rulings and resolve all cases as fairly as possible. Asking one court and one judge to take jurisdiction will minimize confusion and make the judicial process more straightforward for both sides.”

The Archdiocese of San Francisco, in a report published in Catholic San Francisco last month, said it has 66 lawsuits pending which involve claims of child sexual abuse by priests. These pending lawsuits involve 23 priests — 11 of whom are deceased.

All of the lawsuits were filed in 2003, the year of the so-

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called “Burton Law,” which allowed for one year the filing of civil lawsuits that would have been barred due to applicable statute of limitations. The law was targeted at employers for alleged negligence in their supervision of employees.

James Sweeney, general counsel for the California Bishops, in an interview prior to the law becoming effective, told Catholic San Francisco “the older a claim is, the more difficult it is to make an analysis of its merit.” Lawyers agree that in very old cases, ascertaining the truth is difficult with fading memories when the alleged perpetrator and the bishop in office at the time of the allegation are both dead.

The law, SB 1779, was sponsored by State Senator John Burton. It was passed by the legislature and signed into law by then Governor Gray Davis in July 2002.

Stockton attorney Larry Drivon, a trial lawyer specializing in claims against the Catholic Church, helped craft the legislation.

In the past, Senator Burton’s office has maintained that the law was not specifically aimed at the Catholic Church, but Burton himself told the Los Angeles Times in 2002 that the bill was aimed at “deep pocket” defendants like the Catholic Church.

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Catholic San Francisco

NEWS

February 6, 2004

in brief

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Despite a chronic liver disease he has lived with since 1981, Bishop William K. Weigand of Sacramento has regularly put in six-day weeks during his 10 years as head of the northern California diocese. The 66-year-old bishop had no special celebration to mark his 10th anniversary Jan. 27, only a prayer service and reception with diocesan staff prior to that date. Earlier in January, he told his brothers, as well as clergy and staff of the diocese, that the liver ailment he has lived with for 23 years — primary sclerosing cholangitis — has slowly progressed.

His doctors have discussed with him the possibility of a liver transplant in the future. “From a faith perspective, it’s always seemed to be God’s will that this disease has progressed so slowly with me,” said Bishop Weigand in an interview with the Catholic Herald, Sacramento diocesan newspaper. For the past five-and-a-half years, he has been receiving treatment every six to 10 weeks at the medical center at the University of California-San Francisco for an uncommon progressive disease — abnormal formation of fibrous tissue that blocks the passages that drain bile in the liver and out of the liver through the bile ducts to the intestine.

Clergy sexual abuse settlement reported in Oakland Diocese OAKLAND, Calif. — The Oakland Diocese has agreed to pay $3 million to a woman sexually assaulted as a child by her pastor, Msgr. George Francis. The settlement with Jennifer Chapin, 31, was reached Jan. 23. It was believed to be the largest single settlement of an abuse case by a California diocese since the clergy abuse crisis broke out two years ago.

Diocesan officials said that insurance will likely cover more than two-thirds of the settlement. Chapin said Msgr. Francis, who died in 1998, repeatedly abused her when she was a child at St. Bede Parish in Hayward. She said the abuse, which included rape and ritualistic attacks with religious objects, began when she was 6 years old and continued for four years.

Boston Archdiocese launches ‘defense of marriage’ sessions MARLBOROUGH, Mass. — Beginning an effort they hope will mobilize Catholics to contact their legislators in defense of traditional marriage, Catholic lay people and clergy fanned out throughout the Archdiocese of Boston Jan. 26 for the first in a series of presentations on the issue of samesex marriage. The Catholic Defense of Marriage Information Meetings, designed to educate Catholics on the issue of samesex marriage, were scheduled to be held in three or four different parishes most weeknights through Feb. 4. At each meeting, three volunteers — a priest and two lay people — address the various aspects of the Goodridge vs. Department of Public Health decision that legalized same-sex marriage in Massachusetts. Prominent Boston Catholics involved in the effort include Harvard law professor Mary Ann Glendon, theologian Father Romanus Cessario, Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences member Kevin Ryan and Father John Farren, rector of St. John’s Seminary. Each parish in the archdiocese has been asked to send a least two representatives to the infor-

(CNS PHOTO FROM CATHOLIC PRESS PHOTO)

Sacramento’s Bishop Weigand tells of progressive liver disease

Pope John Paul II waves to the faithful during his weekly general audience at the Vatican Jan. 28.

Speaking about the Lord as a vigilant presence, the pontiff spoke in a strong voice and posed for photographs with visitors after the audience.

mation meeting in their vicariate. The representatives will then transmit what they have learned to their own parishes at Masses the following weekend.

Cardinal examines ways church can recover its moral voice CHICAGO — Although the Catholic Church has always provided a moral voice for the modern world on such issues as abortion and war, the voice has lost its force and perhaps become more of a whisper than the shout it once was, said Chicago Cardinal Francis E. George. While the message remains the same, “the moral force of the church’s voice is quite weakened now,” the cardinal said Jan. 25 at the Cardinal Bernardin Early Childhood Center in Chicago. The cardinal said the church’s voice has lost some footing as society has come to value human personal freedom over objective moral authority. Also, since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, society is skeptical of those who are religious, afraid they could lean toward the fanaticism demonstrated by the terrorists, who claimed to be acting in the name of God, he said. The clergy sex abuse crisis exploded into this milieu of skepticism about religion, Cardinal George said, causing people to further question the church’s right to claim any moral authority.

St. Louis Archbishop installed ST. LOUIS — Archbishop Raymond L. Burke assumed leadership of the church in St. Louis Jan. 26 before an appreciative gathering of some 2,000 people at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis. At the installation Mass, the cathedral was alive in prayer, preaching, song and applause. The Mass included a readings in Vietnamese and Spanish. In his homily Archbishop Burke delivered a message of strong support for families, Catholic education, the priesthood and consecrated life, the Eucharist, respect for life and Pope John Paul II. The homily was interrupted 10 times with applause, twice when Archbishop Burke discussed the need to protect human life from the moment of conception to the moment of natural death.

schools, and as interns they put the skills and values taught in their classrooms to use on the job. The campuses around the country are modeled after Jesuit-run Cristo Rey High School in Chicago, established in 1996 to serve the predominantly Mexican Pilsen/Little Village neighborhood, the city’s least educated population. The school’s success has led to Catholic congregations and dioceses opening other Cristo Rey-like campuses in Los Angeles and Denver; Portland, Ore.; and Austin, Texas. According to Jeff Thielman, executive director of the Cassin Educational Initiative Foundation, based in Menlo Park, Calif., six more schools are scheduled to open this fall in Cleveland; New York City; Cambridge and Lawrence, Mass; Waukegan, Ill.; and Tucson, Ariz. An $18.9 million grant received last year from the Cassin foundation and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will be used to develop additional Cristo Rey-like schools.

International Community urged to examine failures on genocide NEW YORK — Archbishop Celestino Migliore, Vatican nuncio to the United Nations, called Jan. 27 for the international community to examine why it has failed to prevent the new acts of genocide that have occurred in recent years. Speaking in Sweden to the fourth Stockholm International Forum, he said that genocide remains “a constant menace,” and the world is too interconnected to “plead ignorance” of “what is happening on the other side of the global village.” The nuncio, whose statement was released by the Vatican’s U.N. mission in New York, said the international community had legal instruments that could be used to “nip genocides in the bud.” He said, “What we need most now is a greater and more courageous will to implement them.” The archbishop said, “Among all forms of largescale violence, genocide sets itself apart by the evil motivation behind it, namely, its specific intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a nation, a race, an ethnic or religious group, a defenseless or vulnerable group of human beings, simply for being such.”

Vatican official defends view of Internships help inner-city youth different roles for men, women attend Catholic high schools VATICAN CITY — The Catholic Church’s insistence that SAN DIEGO — Internship programs enable some 1,100 inner-city youths in five states to attend Catholic high

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On feast of Presentation, Pope cites role of religious VATICAN CITY — The nearly one million members of Catholic religious orders have a vital role to play in modern evangelization, whether they be working among the poor or praying in monasteries, Pope John Paul II said.

The pope praised the work of religious men and women at a Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica Feb. 2 marking the feast of the Presentation of the Lord and the eighth annual World Day for Consecrated Life. “In the intimacy of the monastic cloister or working next to the poor and marginalized, among youths or inside ecclesial structures, in the various apostolic activities or in mission lands, God wants you faithful to his love and completely dedicated to the good of others,” the pope said in a sermon.

“Christ calls you to conform yourselves to him, the one who for love became obedient, poor and chaste. Continue to dedicate yourselves with passion to announcing and promoting his kingdom. This is your mission, necessary today as in the past,” he said.

Internet fuels ‘sex tourism,’ official warns VATICAN CITY — The Internet is expanding tourist choices around the world, but it also is favoring the growth of the “sex tourism” market, a Vatican representative warned. Msgr. Piero Monni said purveyors of pedophilia and prostitution in foreign countries often are able to hide behind the anonymity of the Internet. He said the ability to conduct this kind of exploitation should not be considered part of the freedom of electronic communication. Msgr. Monni made his remarks Jan. 29 at the First World Conference on Tourism Communications in Madrid, sponsored by the World Tourism Organization. A copy of his remarks was released at the Vatican. He said

the online tourism market has grown enormously in recent years, offering valuable information to prospective tourists and widening the possibilities of travel. But he said it was important to recognize that the “disgraceful pedophile market” and sexual tourism have been promoted online.

Religious freedom key to nation’s life, pope says VATICAN CITY — Pope John Paul II said freedom of religion and respect for its traditions are key to the life and culture of a nation. In a Jan. 30 address to Taiwan’s new ambassador to the Holy See, Chou-Seng Tou, the pope said, “the good of society entails that the right to religious freedom be enshrined in law and be given effective protection.” The pope praised Taiwan, also known as the Republic of China and formerly known as Formosa, for its respect of various religions and the right of religious practice. “Religions are a component in the life and culture of a nation and bring a great sense of well-being to a community by offering a certain level of social order, tranquility, harmony and assistance to the weak and outcast,” the pope said. “Religions make a great contribution to the genuine progress of society and promote, in a very significant way, the culture of peace on both the national and international levels,” the pope said.

Banning religious symbols called ‘unenforceable’ MARSEILLE, France — A French cardinal said a proposed law banning religious symbols from state schools “appears to be unenforceable.” Cardinal Bernard Panafieu of Marseille said the state would be “better to act through persuasion than by compulsion” if it wanted to control the use of religious symbols in its schools. A draft of the proposed law was scheduled to be presented to parliament Feb. 3; it would ban the wearing of Muslim veils, Christian crosses and Jewish skullcaps from state schools beginning in September. In a statement to French newspapers, Cardinal Panafieu said France’s 1905 church-state separation law led to the closure of religious orders and severing of ties with the Vatican, but later helped safeguard religious freedom and human rights. He said the status quo recently had been questioned by Muslim immigrants unaccustomed to a “lay, pluralist society.” The cardinal said he believed it would be wrong to use laws to prevent immigrants from “asserting their identity.”

further close the gap between them if they are to influence the values guiding humanity. In an interview with Catholic News Service Jan. 20, Hamid al-Rifaie, co-president of the Islamic-Catholic Liaison Committee, said, “The world is in need of religious values and it is our duty, Muslims and Catholics, to present common values to guide the march of civilization.” Al-Rifaie, who is also president of the Saudi-based International Islamic Forum for Dialogue, was one of the founding members of the Islamic-Catholic Liaison Committee, which in 1995 began to work toward greater understanding between the two faiths and contribute toward peace and justice. Al-Rifaie shares the liaison committee presidency this year with Archbishop Michael Fitzgerald, president of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue.

Israelis, Palestinians said locked in ‘deadly turmoil’ JERUSALEM — Noting two days of violence that have rocked the region, the Jerusalem director of the Middle East Council of Churches said Palestinians and Israelis were locked into a game of “deadly turmoil.” A day after eight Palestinians — including three civilians — were killed in Gaza and seven injured, a suicide bomb tore through a packed Jerusalem bus during rush hour traffic, a few yards from Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s official residence. Sharon was not at the residence at the time. At least 10 Israelis were killed and some 40 wounded in the Jan. 29 blast. “As far as the churches are concerned, we condemn the bombing, but of course we can’t condemn on one hand and ... not look for the root causes and at the continuing deterioration of the political situation,” said Ramze Zananiri, Middle East Council of Churches’ Jerusalem director. The Catholic Church is a member of the council.

Mexican bishops criticize Bush immigration plan MEXICO CITY — Mexican bishops have criticized U.S. President George W. Bush’s proposal to overhaul immigration laws as an unrealistic and unfair approach to migration

A wounded Kurdish girl, a survivor of a suicide bombing attack, sits outside a hospital in the northern Iraqi city of Irbil Feb. 2. Two bombers strapped with explosives attacked the offices of Kurdish parties aligned with U.S. occupation forces in Iraq. At least 56 people died and more than 200 were wounded in the bombings.

reform. “We see it as a partial solution, a Band-Aid,” Mexico City Auxiliary Bishop Guillermo Ortiz Mondragon, spokesman for the Mexican bishops’ conference, said Jan. 27. “We feel (Bush’s) proposal needs to be expanded.” Bishop Ortiz said nations have the right to regulate border security “for the good of society,” but added “that shouldn’t go against people’s dignity.” Bush’s proposal, unveiled Jan. 8, would create a temporary worker program for illegal immigrants currently in the United States and for workers abroad who are offered jobs by U.S. employers. Migrants in the United States would be given three-year renewable visas, though Bush asked Congress to decide how many times working papers could be renewed. The president made clear his plan offered no sure path toward citizenship, arguing such a measure would amount to rewarding lawbreakers.

– Catholic News Service

Catholic-Muslim ties urged VATICAN CITY — The head of an Islamic delegation to an interfaith Vatican committee said Catholics and Muslims must

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said the new president of the Pontifical Council for the Laity. Polish Archbishop Stanislaw Rylko, named president of the council in October, hosted a Jan. 30-31 study seminar on “Men and Women: Diversity and Reciprocal Complementarity.” The council for the laity invited about 50 men and women, mainly from Europe, to the Vatican to discuss changing cultural notions of male and female identity and roles and to look at ways to promote church teaching on the subject. Archbishop Rylko, opening the seminar, said, “The culture of our time is questioning what it means to be human” and is doing so in a way “that goes so far as to contort the understanding of sexual identity and relations between the sexes.” Pretending that there are no differences between men and women or that those differences are totally imposed by society “has repercussions for the future of humankind,” he said.

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Catholic San Francisco

February 6, 2004

New curator at historic Mission Dolores is first of Indian heritage Mission San Francisco de Asis, fondly called Mission Dolores, made history on Jan. 24 when the responsibilities of curator passed from Franciscan Brother Guire Cleary to Andrew Galvan, the first descendant of Indian heritage to hold the position at any of the 21 California missions.

Bishop John C. Wester and Father William Justice, pastor of Mission Dolores Basilica, presided at the ceremony called “La Paz Y Bien Day in San Francisco.” The sixth of California’s missions was overflowing with well wishers and history enthusiasts.

“It’s a dream come true,” Galvan told Catholic San Francisco, whose deep mission roots reach as far back as 1801 when his ancestor, Liberato (Christian name) was baptized in the mission at age 14. “He was the 2,322nd baptism,” said Galvan.

“I’m proud to be a Catholic Indian,” said Galvan. “Yes, it’s fine to call me an ‘Indian.’ That’s what grandma said we were. Who am I to dispute her? In fact, I didn’t know I was a Native American until I was 13 years old,” he said.

Galvan presumes his ancestor was probably one of thousands of Indians

who was put to work at the Mission and chose to become a Christian. He views Christianity as “a gift” that has remained strong in his family for hundreds of years.

Before becoming a historian, consultant and partner of a local archeology firm, Galvan studied to become a priest at St. Patrick’s Seminary in Menlo Park.

“I’m the perfect example of ‘many are called but few are chosen,’” he joked.

He left “the call” to his brother, Father Michael Galvan, parochial vicar of Oakland’s Church of the Assumption, who attended the ceremony.

Galvan considers one of his toughest roles as curator will be “trying to bring the Indian presence back to the Mission.”

He sensitively interprets the tragic history of Indian deaths and the destruction of Indian culture as a strong story of “survival,” a continuing story for the Native people who remarkably sustain the constant changes of history. “It could be hard, and it could be fun,” he said.

Galvan wants to bring back “the passion” for the Missions he believes has dwindled somewhat through the years.

He wants to involve teachers, students, parishioners, the community, and just about anyone who will listen to him.

(PHOTOS BY EVELYN ZAPPIA)

By Evelyn Zappia

Andrew Galvan at Mission Dolores.

In order to accomplish bringing back “the passion” he plans to observe the day-to-day operations of the 228 year old Mission before suggesting any changes.

Yet he is no stranger to the Mission. He has been a volunteer docent and interpreter of Indian history for the Dolores Street landmark since 1992.

He also intends to “bring the history of Mission Dolores alive” by exposing “a forgotten treasure, an overlooked treasure” that is hidden behind the reredos (altar) in the Mission.

“There is original Indian artwork back there,” he said, referring to a mural that few have seen. Galvan wants to rediscover it, document it, and celebrate the artwork of the Indians. “That would be fantastic,” he said.

Bishop John C. Wester, Pastor Fr. William Justice and Fr. Michael Galvan.

heaven can’t wait

The 48-year-old lives directly across the street from the East Bay’s Mission San Jose, and admits he has dreamed of what he would do if he was curator of any California mission.

“My fantasy has come true,” he said.

“It’s like Brother Guire said, ‘the Mission is under new management and the Indians are taking over.’”

Mission San Francisco de Asis was founded June 26, 1776 by Father Francisco Palóu, at the direction of Blessed Junipero Serra. In honor of the historic accomplishments and many contributions of Mission Dolores and its people, Mayor Gavin Newsom proclaimed January 24 as La Paz Y Bien Day in San Francisco.

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February 6, 2004

7

Long-standing adolescent residential treatment center closes

By Sharon Abercrombie Beset by a growing deficit and declining referrals, Mount St. Joseph-St. Elizabeth closed one of its programs on Feb. 2 – the Adolescent Residential Treatment Center.

The facility, which includes the former Benita House and the St. Elizabeth adolescent parenting program, has been finding other placements for the 20 residents and their children since Dec. 1, said Jeff Schindler, director of development. Simpatico School, an on-site junior and senior high school for the residents, will also be closing next week.

Schindler stressed that the agency’s other programs will continue to operate.

The young women in the residential treatment center have either returned to their parental homes, to relatives, or have been referred by their county social workers or probation officers to other local treatment or residential facilities. Those closest to 18, the legal age, are eligible to transition into adult residential assisted living.

Mount St. Joseph-St. Elizabeth has been struggling with financial problems for the past three years, Daughter of Charity Sister Eileen Kenny explained in a December appeal letter to supporters.

“This year alone we are projecting a loss of $864,000 with a staggering $386,000 workers

compensation insurance premium,” she said.

“Workers compensation costs have gone through the roof and we are not the only agency dealing with this,” added Jeff Schindler.

The decision to discontinue one of its programs was not a sudden one. Schindler said the board of directors has grappled with that possibility for years, but first tried to avoid the closing by doing some moderate belt tightening. Two adolescent programs were merged into one. The agency got Medi-CAL certification and funding for six teenagers from San Francisco County, and began the process for Medi-CAL certifications and funding with adjacent counties. It also moved to a peer-culture program model to better serve the Home’s changing population, secured early Head Start funding for the Mother-Child Nursery, and found new foundation support.

However, the over-all faltering economy finally pushed the Home to face facts: the State of California, which sets board and care rates, has frozen them for the past four years. They’ve remained at $5,600 a month per client, while Home expenses have climbed, due to staff salary increases and cost of living escalation.

Mount St. Joseph-St Elizabeth’s Board had to take into account another major reality: Residential treatment care is less popular with placement workers because of the expense, said Schindler.

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Sister Eileen gathered the girls together last December to tell them, they told her how grateful they were to have been here, and sad they were to have to leave. Many of these girls had been living here for two years. For some of them, it was their only home.”

Schindler expressed his gratitude at the outpouring of concern and generosity, from the public. The agency’s annual Christmas appeal brought in $30,000, twice the usual amount.

Mount St. Joseph-St. Elizabeth have been familiar names in the history of San Francisco.

The Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul opened Mount St. Joseph Orphanage in 1852 as a response to the cholera epidemic.

The Daughters also founded St. Elizabeth’s Home in 1922 to care for unwed mothers. In the middle 1970’s, in response to the growing numbers of teens suffering from difficult family lives, the two institutions merged.

For further information about Mount St. Joseph-St. Elizabeth Home and how to help, call (415) 567-8370.

Each year the Home budgets for 90 percent occupancy, but for the past few years, it has remained at 60 percent. “We have a license to serve 27 teens and their babies, but we’ve stayed at about 20.”

The declining enrollment has affected the staff, as well. Mount St. Joseph-St. Elizabeth’s has had to let 60 part time and occasional relief staff go. The agency is attempting to assist them to locate positions in other facilities.

Schindler enumerated the other programs, which will continue to operate at the Home.

They are Epiphany Center for Families in Recovery, a day treatment program for women with or without children, a day program for babies suffering from prenatal exposure to drugs, and its two residential homes for adult women and their children.

The Board will spend 2004 researching grant monies to provide nonresidential services to teens, he said.

As the closing date approached, a great heaviness lingered at the Home. “When

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Catholic San Francisco

February 6, 2004

By Jayme George It was standing room only in Harrington’s Bar & Grill in San Francisco on the night of Jan. 26. Beer was flowing and the lively chatter of young adults was punctuated with laughs delivered by a guy on stage with a microphone. But the guy with the microphone was not a comedian, and it wasn’t just a Monday night at a San Francisco bar.

This was the kick-off for the third annual “Theology on Tap,” an event sponsored by the Young Adult Ministries of the Episcopal Diocese of California and the Office of Young Adult Ministry at the C a t h o l i c Archdiocese of San Francisco.

The guest speaker was the Right Rev. William Swing, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of California and founder of the United Religions Initiative.

Theology on Tap is a four-part weekly series that brings young adults together in a friendly setting to talk about faith, God, and spiritual searches. Each of the four evenings are organized and hosted in turn by groups of young adult volunteers from local Catholic and Episcopalian communities.

“It’s a unique feeling to talk about God and your faith in a bar with other young people,” said Shawn Strohman, a Catholic volunteer from St. Dominic parish in San Francisco “Society tells us that it’s not cool to talk openly about religion in this kind of social setting, but we can achieve an open dialogue between the two faiths.”

While religious meetings in a bar may seem unorthodox, Dominican Sister Christine Wilcox of the Archdiocesan Office of Young Adult Ministry explains,

“We are going to the young people, not just waiting for them to come to us.”

Throughout the evening, young adults were given the opportunity to make new friends and share ideas, but the highlight of the affair was the entertaining talk given by Bishop William Swing. Bishop Swing’s talk touched on amusing autobiographical anecdotes and tales of his escapades with the likes of President Bush, Sr., the Dalai Lama, and Pope John Paul II, all the while winning over the crowd with his affable personality. It was during the question and answer portion that Bishop Swing spoke passionately about his work with United Religions Initiative and his faith in young people.

“Young people can relate to each other in ways that religious leaders cannot,” said Bishop Swing. “We are going to have peace among religions someday, but it’s not going to come from the top. It’s going to be a grassroots movement because that is where the big changes happen.”

While young adults potentially are a catalyst for dramatic change, the youth of today are in a precarious place, according to Bishop Swing. “When I was growing up, there was no such thing as a ‘young adult.’ The world was waiting for you to get a job and be a grown up,” said Swing.

“Now, there is a whole group of young people who are in uncharted waters.

Finding a job and determining who you are may be difficult things to do. There are a lot of people who got to an age where religion seemed childish and flawed so they are just out there floating without a basis for faith. I am here to tell young adults that we left the porch light on. They can always come back.”

About 100 young adults were in atten-

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Young adults gather for faith and fun at Theology on Tap.

dance, making it the largest turnout since the program’s conception three years ago.

Theology on Tap will continue with two more gatherings at Harrington’s Bar & Grill, on February 9 and 16 at 7 p.m.

Melanie Piendak, from the Archdiocesan Office of Public Policy and Social Concerns, and Ethan Flad, editor of an

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Mary Jansen and Bob Carlton, director of Young Adult Ministry for the Episcopal Diocese will share stories of re-discovering faith on Feb. 16. For more information visit the Archdiocesan website for young adults at www.sfyam.org or call 415-614-5596.

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Catholic San Francisco

9

Annual Appeal helps ministries, demonstrates how “we are Catholic”

By Jack Smith The Archdiocese of San Francisco, through its pastoral center and central administrative office, spends about $10 million each year on ministries, programs and services which benefit the parishes and people of the Archdiocese in the counties of San Mateo, Marin and San Francisco. About half of this amount is derived from the Archbishop’s Annual Appeal.

Deacon John Norris, Director of Development for the Archdiocese, said, “It’s a great way to spend your life.” Deacon Norris told Catholic San Francisco, “I’ve never had a job I like as much as I like this one.”

One reason for that, Norris said, is that the Annual Appeal “is one of the ways we demonstrate that we are Catholic.” Unlike other communities of faith which don’t share the corporate unity of the Catholic community, Catholics are able to bind together “in a worldwide network of parishioners doing good work.”

As stewards of God’s creation and the gifts bestowed on us, we’re called to “give back to the community,” Norris said. “We find ways to do that as individuals, but it’s a lot easier when we come together as groups.”

Believers joined in a parish can do more than any individual can do, he said. “Then as parishes, we come together as a diocese to do ministry with an even greater scope. That’s part of what makes us Catholic. We’re interdependent rather than independent.”

The Annual Appeal is not just a fundraising goal, it is a process, developed by the Priests’ Council of the Archdiocese to assess a fair amount from each parish for its contribution to the ministries Catholics do together. It is also a campaign, facilitated by Deacon Norris and the Development Office of the archdiocese to assist parishes in meeting their goals.

The amount of the entire appeal is based on a percentage of the aggregate ordinary income of all parishes in the diocese. Last year, parish income decreased 2.7 percent and both the central office budget and the appeal goal have been lowered in kind, Norris said.

The individual goal of a pariish is based on a percentage of its ordinary income. That goal is then adjust-

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ed up or down based on an established formula developed by the Priests’ Council. Factors considered include whether or not a parish supports a school, a parish’s investment income or debt service, and the economic demography of the parish. The Archbishop’s Stewardship Council then meets to review and adjust the generated goals.

The Council which includes pastors from every deanery “works very hard to make it fair,” Norris said.

The Council is able to bring its knowledge of unique situations in individual parishes to bear on the goals, and say “This is still too much,” Norris said.

Archbishop Levada also reviews the goals and may make changes. After this process, pastors are informed of their goal and have an opportunity to appeal to the Stewardship Council. Each year a number of goals are reduced through the appeal process. “It’s very, very compassionate,” Norris said, “We work very hard to spread out the appeal in a way that parishes can make it.”

Funds from the appeal are spent exclusively on the Ministries, Programs and Services listed and advertised in the appeal’s promotional literature, Norris said. An example of a ministry, Norris said, is the Prison Ministry Office, run by Ray McKeon. “McKeon gathers, supervises and monitors volunteers who visit prisons in all three counties of the archdiocese,” Norris said. Other ministries include Young Adult ministry, Ethnic ministry, and the advocacy work of the Office of Public Policy and Social Concerns.

The Marriage and Family Life office runs programs “which every parish can benefit from,” Norris said, including marriage preparation and marriage enrichment programs. Other programs include religious education training programs and the School of Pastoral Leadership. “All the parishes benefit from programs to the extent they themselves use them,” Norris said, “but the people also benefit from the programs they attend or ministries they rely upon often without reference to their parish.”

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The appeal also helps to support the work of the Office of Communications which publishes Catholic San Francisco and produces Catholic Radio Hour, the T.V. Mass, Mosaic and For Heaven’s Sake television shows, and Spanish language programming.

Deacon Norris said that all monies collected through the appeal are spent only on these services. In 2002, the Priests’ Council passed a resolution mandating that no money from the appeal be spent on “any activity” associated with clergy sexual abuse cases.

That restriction applies to settlements, as well as support of accused priests and liability insurance. “By doing that, from our standpoint, money from the appeal is legally restricted to the services it was collected for,” Norris said. In addition, he said, the appeal is collected on a year to year basis and spent immediately for ongoing services.

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10

Catholic San Francisco

February 6, 2004

Carmelites in Marin County help to build up the Church in Russia

By Patrick Joyce

T

(PHOTO BY CATHY JOYCE)

(PHOTO BY CATHY JOYCE)

hey live in far different worlds - the Polish missionary working out of a noisy apartment building in downtown Moscow and the Carmelite Sisters tucked away in a convent in suburban Marin County - but they share a faith and a dream: the building up of the Catholic Church in Russia.

The dream is slowly coming true and in the process reaffirming that “the Lord works in mysterious ways.” The missionary’s apartment in Moscow once housed Carmelites from Marin, then became the home of St. Olga’s, a parish without a church building of its own. Now St. Olga’s pastor, Divine Word Father George Jagodzinski, is converting a discotheque with an unsavory past into the third Catholic church in Moscow.

The story of the Mother of God Monastery in San Rafael and its mission to Moscow begins in 1948 when a statue of Our Lady of Fatima was brought to the Carmel by the Sea in Monterey. One of the Fatima messages called on Catholics to pray for the conversion of Russia, and during the statue’s visit, “Our foundress, Mother Miriam, felt very called to start a Carmel that would pray specifically for Russia, for the freedom of religion, that the people would be able to worship in freedom and possibly that some day we would take our way of life there,” said Sister Anna Marie of the Mother of God Monastery.

It was nearly a decade before Mother Miriam began speaking to the other sisters about her experience. The sisters at Carmel by the Sea then began concentrating on the long range vision of a Carmel in Russia and a nearer-term plan to begin a “Russian Foundation” in the United States. Two Jesuits from the Russian Center in San Francisco trained the sisters in the Byzantine rite, and the Carmelites hired a Russian language teacher.

Finally, the sisters found a site for their new monastery. In 1965, Carmelites from Monterey established the Mother of God Monastery in San Rafael as their “Russian Foundation.” Mother Dolores, one of the first 18 sisters, recalls the site of their new home as “a sea of mud, at the end of everything.” Now it is surrounded by houses.

“In the novitiate we all learned some Russian,” Sister Anna Marie said. “We read Russian literature. We sang the Byzantine rite for approximately 20 years. Then in 1988 we decided to make a foundation in Finland where we would at least be closer to Russia.”

In 1992, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Sister Therese and Sister Mary Magdalena brought Carmelite spirituality to Russia, establishing a Carmel in a seventh floor apartment in downtown Moscow. Sister Pauline Mary joined them two years later. It was not an ideal spot for a cloistered convent, but the sisters looked on it as a starting place.

“They followed our way of life - the hours of prayer, saying the Office. and they had Mass every day - but the noise in the apartment building was so bad they often had to leave the Carmel to take a walk in the park,” Sister Anna Marie said. “They tried to get property on the outskirts of Moscow more conducive to our life of prayer, but they ran into many difficulties, and we were so reduced in numbers we decided to sell the apartment in 1996.”

Still, the Carmelites in Marin hope some day to return to Russia. In the meantime their name and memory remain still fresh in Moscow.

Even after the Carmelites left Russia, Catholics in Moscow continued to call the apartment “The Carmel” as it was transformed into a home for St. Olga’s Parish. Now after years without a church building of its own, the parish is in the process of opening a church in a former discotheque. Father George visited the Carmelites in San Rafael in December and talked about the project.

The Divine Word missionary arrived in Russia in 1995, following 15 years in the Philippines.

During his first year in Moscow, he got to know the Carmelites as he celebrated Mass at the Carmel. “It was a chance to keep my English alive,” he said with a smile, “and it was a pleasure to pray with the sisters.”

Like the Carmelites, Father George found the apartment a mixed blessing. In some ways, it is a desirable spot in the center of the city and close to public transportation. “Unfortunately, it was not the best place for a Carmel nor for chapel,” he said. “A chapel on the seventh floor in a private apartment discouraged many. For Russians, to pray in a private apartment is not the same as to pray in the church.”

The Divine Word missionaries removed a wall and expanded the chapel in the Carmel. “It helped for a while but with about 300 people it was hard to accommodate them all even in the larger chapel,” Father George said. “As the parish expanded, the Carmel became too small.

Despite those problems, the parish grew. Divine Word Father Jakub Blaszczyszyn came to Moscow in

Father George Jagodzinski

St. Olga's Church, Moscow.

Father Jakub Blaszczyszyn

Mother Dolores

11

(PHOTO BY CATHY JOYCE)

Catholic San Francisco

(PHOTO BY CATHY JOYCE)

(PHOTO BY CATHY JOYCE)

February 6, 2004

The Carmelite Monastery of the Mother of God in San Rafael.

1996 and joined Father George at St. Olga’s. “When Father Kuba was at St. Olga, many young people were coming. He worked well with them, especially introducing them into Taize spirituality and prayer life. He also introduced systematic Bible study in the groups,” Father George said.

“In Moscow there are more than 12 million people, and we know there are around 60,000 Catholics.

There are only two Catholic churches. In these two buildings there are Masses every hour from early morning to late evening,” said Father Kuba, who accompanied Father George to San Rafael.

St. Louis, known as the French church, and the Church of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary, “the Polish church,” serve seven parishes -not parishes in the American sense but communities linked by language or some common interests.

“I was first in the Immaculate Conception Parish and afterward I was assigned to St. Peter and Paul Parish, where I was in charge of a bunch of kids,” Father Kuba said. “We were homeless, a parish without a church. We had to ask the parish priest of St. Louis Church for permission to have our Masses. Every time we would like to have something in the church we had to ask permission.

“Sometimes when there was no place for us in the church, we had our meetings on the street. We had youth group meetings, baptismal and confirmation preparation in front of the church because the church was so busy. It was the same story on Christmas.” “Midnight Masses,” he said with a smile, “started at 6 in the evening - 6, 7, 8, 9 until 12 o’clock in the night - and there was no place for us.”

With a laugh, he said, “After the Carmelite sisters left Moscow, I was happy because we could use their place. After the evening Masses we could take our young people and, as is the tradition in Russia, we could have some prayers. Afterward, we would have ‘tea time.’ This is really important for Russians. For them to talk about certain things during a formal meeting is really difficult. They want to have a special kind of atmosphere to talk about religious things.

“It could be tea time without tea - we were just together. The important thing was they knew we were ready to give them this opportunity to talk. We didn’t know at which moment they wanted to ask us something. Russians have difficulty talking about religious problems. They knew we were there for them.”

“Every evening there was something in that apartment, bible courses, liturgy preparation, preparation for baptism, for confirmation. The second year of my priesthood, I remember that place, Carmel and all the things around it, as the first love of my priesthood. It was a very fruitful time. We got a few vocations for our society and three nuns. One of them is dedicated to the contemplative style, really close to the vocation of the Carmelites.”

After three years, Father Kuba was sent to Rome to study dogmatic theology at the Gregorian University. He earned a licentiate and returned to Russia three years ago. He was assigned to the major

Legacy of Communist rule

By Patrick Joyce Conflicts between the Vatican and the Russian Orthodox hierarchy often make news but Catholic missionaries in Russia find that their greatest challenge is a highly secularized society, the legacy of seven decades of communist rule.

“Communism left such damage - like a responsorial psalm I repeat it over and over and the family has suffered the greatest damage,” Father George Jagodzinski said.

“Under communism, the role of the father was diminished to practically nothing,” Father George said. “They took the obligations of fathers from their shoulders, and they sent women to work, saying the government would take care of the children. The communists wanted to substitute the government for the family, bringing up the children, educating them. The government took care of the kids, even during the holidays sending them to camps to indoctrinate them.”

As a result, he said, “The family has simply been destroyed.” Now, multiple divorces are common, “fathers do not feel obliged to take of their children,” and women average 16 abortions during their child bearing years.

“Russia is a sick society,” Father George said, “and the only way to cure the sick society is through evangelization.”

Even though Russia is historically an Orthodox nation, 90 percent are agnostic or atheist, said Father George. “Last Easter, 1.2 percent of the population of Moscow attended Easter services in Orthodox churches - a drop in the ocean.”

Father George said he does not try to compete with the Russian Orthodox Church.

“I never try to proselytize, as they accuse us of doing. We came first of all to help our Catholic people. Secondly, if somebody wants to come of his or her own free will, we

Sister Anna Marie

seminary in St. Petersburg as professor of dogmatic theology and prefect of Divine World seminarians because “he has the talent and predisposition to guide the young people,” Father George said.

“I am in charge of building and fund raising which is boring but necessary for the pastoral work,” he said, smiling. “Father Kuba is in charge of formation and of souls. That is the more exciting part. He had good ideas about how to bring youth to the Church, how to retain them, to foster their growth in faith.”

After Father Kuba’s departure for Rome, Father George continued to work as pastor of St. Olga’s and also as Divine Word superior in Russia, Belarussia and Ukraine. “I did not have as much time to devote for pastoral work. But the formed groups remain in the fold, the parish has continued to grow and the young people remained, with about half of the congregation under 25 now.”

As the parish grew, the need for a church building increased, but after the failure of the first attempt, Father George said, “I was discouraged.” Then, the Salesians told him of a bankrupt discotheque and, he said, “All of a sudden a new impulse came, so we bought this building.”

“The ‘Star’ discothèque started as a culture palace built in the monumental soviet style, with high steps and columns at the entrance,” he said. “With the decline of the soviet era, it too began to go downhill. Until only recently, the atmosphere in the place was very different than it is now, with dance music blaring, clouds of cigarette smoke filling the air, and who-knowswhat-all besides. The police always had their work cut out for them there.”

The building includes “a large hall that can be used for divine services that accommodates 200 to 250 people with additional rooms that can easily be adapted for use in charitable and communal life, and for catechesis for both children and adults.” St. Olga’s now celebrates Mass at the dance hall on Sundays and Wednesdays, but the building is filled with reminders of its previous life - revolving lights, a bar, tables, and flashy artwork on the walls. It must be renovated to make it truly a church, Father George said.

“For thirteen years St. Olga Catholic Parish had wandered from one apartment to another, changing addresses, breaking up and regrouping someplace else, and up to this time they continued to live deprived of a permanent place of their own,” he said.

Now they have a home in a former dance hall where, despite its questionable past, Father George finds a biblical foreshadowing of his parish: “The faithful worship the Lord in joyful song, playing instruments, and even dancing, as King David did in the Bible.”

Divine Word missionaries are trying to raise funds for renovations to St. Olga’s Church and payment of the mortgage. Contributions, with a note saying “for St. Olga Parish, Moscow,” can be sent to the Mission Center, Divine Word Missionaries, P.O. Box 6099 Techny, Illinois 60083-6099. have no right to send them home. The priests and the sisters who are working in Russia - there are not enough of us even to work in our communities, much less go and fight for others outside the Catholic Church.”

“On my level, as a pastor, the relations with the Orthodox have been good,” Father George said. “There are no conflicts, no tensions. There is a nice cooperation. In our congregation, half are Catholic, half Orthodox. The Orthodox do not belong to the parish formally - they simply pray with us. They also attend Holy Mass but do not receive the Eucharist.”

Father Jakub Blaszczyszyn also has friendly relations with the Orthodox in St. Petersburg where he teaches at the major seminary. “We have one professor who is an Orthodox priest.

A lot of other professors are Orthodox people and we are glad they are with us,” he said.

“They are helping us, teaching psychology, philosophy, Eastern theology and other subjects.”

“In the past Russian Orthodox seminarians from the Academy of Russian Theology in St. Petersburg could visit us, and we could go with our seminarians to their academy of spirituality. They were really open.”

That friendly atmosphere faded a bit when the Orthodox metropolitan of St. Petersburg died several years ago. “His successor is not as open, so we cannot go to the Orthodox seminary,” Father Kuba said, “and they can’t come to Catholic seminary. Still we have Orthodox professors, and we still can go to several Orthodox parishes and churches for the liturgy.”

Both priests are reluctant to talk about the high level Orthodox-Vatican tensions, but two years ago Father George faced the possibility of getting caught up in the conflict.

“Bishop Jerzy Mazur, one of the Catholic bishops in Siberia, was denied entry to Russia,” he said. “I was supposed to renew my visa one week later. I was afraid I would be the next one, being in charge of the rather large unit of the Divine Word missionaries. I was convinced that I would be the next one to be sent home.”

The fear did not materialize. “Fortunately, I got the visa,” he said. “I arrived in Moscow and when I came for Mass everybody was so glad, including the Orthodox. They said that all of them were praying that I could enter the country. That was very touching because you feel you are not only needed but they care about you.”

12

Catholic San Francisco

February 6, 2004

Catholic san Francisco Northern California’s Weekly Catholic Newspaper

Giving support to priests

By Father Eugene Hemrick “How can laypersons help priests?”

“Keep your faith,” would be my first recommendation. Studies on the priesthood repeatedly report one of the greatest sources of strength for priests is the laity’s deep faith.

It may come from a dying layperson who is at peace with God; a family that has been hit very hard but does not despair; an elderly person who is selfless; or a penitent whose virtuous life is inspiring.

No two things inspire priests more than celebrating Mass and seeing Christ lived in the daily lives of laity they serve.

The next thing that comes to my mind is Mother Teresa’s admonition: “Do not wait for leaders, do it alone and person to person.”

As a young priest, I experienced the work of the Catholic Family Movement, the Catholic Youth Organization, the Catholic Worker Movement and the Knights of Columbus. This is just to name a few Catholic organizations in which the laity took the lead and did a magnificent job in drawing people closer to Christ and the church.

Today’s church is confronted with a new breed of challenges that are calling for a new class of dedicated lay leaders. In the marketplace, in the worlds of medicine and biological experimentation, it is they who must take the lead in dealing with the ethics and morality of their work. It is they who ultimately must enforce moral standards in ecology, government, the workplace and the new globalization we are experiencing.

The church more than ever today needs lay thinkers, doers and movers such as Jacques Maritain, Cesar Chavez, Maisie Ward and Dorothy Day, whose leadership qualities were stellar. Often they worked side by side with bishops and priests. Sometimes they nudged them, and other times they hounded them. But as any priest who understands history knows, such people gave life to the priesthood by giving concrete meaning to the church in action.

Another way the laity can help priests is to always be professional. This translates into avoiding pettiness, jumping to conclusions, letting resentments rule, losing respect, lowering the standing of our language and failing to strive for excellence.

Priests, like laypersons, are human and don’t always act in a fully adult manner. When this happens, the relationship between priests and laity can become childish. The more that laity maintain professionalism and adhere to the principles of civility, the better they help priests.

Most important, I hope the laity never cease praying for priests. Prayer turns us toward God and brings the best out of us. When lay people enter into this state of mind and heart, they will find ways never before imagined to help priests.

Building parish success What makes a parish successful? The key to success generally is thought to be a pastor who is hard-working, has vision and is profoundly spiritual and who works together with talented, caring, spiritual pastoral ministers and devoted parishioners.

This is a good way to define success, but not the only way. Success also consists in pastors, pastoral ministers and parishioners truly understanding each other.

This goes beyond knowing each other’s names, family backgrounds, annual incomes, professions, attitudes and beliefs. For a parish to be really successful, everyone should know the crosses that each parishioner carries.

When we look deeply into the life of married couples, we learn that many of them forever are fighting the battle of compatibility. Many husbands and wives readily admit that they have more differences than points of accord. One party may be more educated, while the other feels inferior. Or it may be that little addictions like constantly buying things, drinking, smoking or eating have become big problems. Living together daily has its blessings but also its crosses, which at times crucify a marriage.

Parents love their children, but it’s not uncommon that parents experience times of viewing children as problems. Perhaps the children get into trouble. More often than not they are rebellious. A great cross for parents is a child who has become addicted to drugs or falls in with the wrong company. It is a truly heavy cross when a child gets sick. But how are parents supposed to feel when a child seems to be destroying his or her life?

When we view parishioners through the eyes of medical problems, the variety is endless. Many more people than we would imagine suffer from depression or must contend with panic attacks and dark moments when life’s meaning escapes them.

Most parishioners would be surprised to learn how many people in the pews next to them are fighting death-threatening diseases. Almost all parishioners have some health problem that concerns them.

The elderly are prone to sickness and carry the added cross of having many of their dearest friends, people who helped to define their lives, die. Although everyone has experienced loneliness, the elderly often feel it acutely.

Some people hearing all this might object, saying: “I have my own crosses to carry. It’s not my business to worry about others.” But if a parish is to be successful, parishioners must become like sociologists, studying and attempting to understand the crosses that others carry.

Not only is this part and parcel of being a parishioner. It also exemplifies Christ’s selfless love at its deepest level and gives a parish the depth needed to be successful.

Father Eugene Hemrick writes a column for Catholic News Service

Saint Flannery I was elated to read in Mitch Finley’s book review of Flannery O’Connor: Spiritual Writings a suggestion that Ms. O’Connor be considered for canonization. I have been of this opinion for years. A devout Catholic in the diaspora of rural Georgia, she bore her considerable physical suffering with patience and humor and, like Tolkien, manifested her profound faith through her ingenious fictional characters. Her published Letters also bear testimony to her good Catholic sense and deep spirituality. The Church in America can use the example of an unmarried, handicapped artist from the Deep South.

Archdiocese of Atlanta, take heed!

Father Gerald A. Buckley, O.P. St. Dominic Priory, Los Angeles

Too mean I was saddened to read the derogatory letter from Mr. Huvane condemning Mrs. Cheney for her $10,000 gift toward the restoration of the California Missions. A hateful politically motivated letter of this sort is better suited to the San Francisco Chronicle than to Catholic San Francisco.

From what I have read and followed in the news, Mrs. Cheney appears to be a very nice person. She has dedicated much of her time to children’s education and well-being. To suggest that she was trying to curry favor for “right wing causes and war mongering” is downright silly and laughable.

Up until now I didn’t realize that holding “right wing causes” was so terrible. The next time I go to confession I’ll discuss it with my confessor. By the way, I’m sure that the California Mission Restoration group would be most happy to receive some additional matching “paltry” gifts of $10,000.

D. Cassinelli Daly City

Fear of worms

Catholic San Francisco welcomes letters from its readers. Please:

➣ Include your name, address and daytime phone number. ➣ Sign your letter. ➣ Limit submissions to 250 words. ➣ Note that the newspaper reserves the right to edit for clarity and length.

Send your letters to: Catholic San Francisco One Peter Yorke Way San Francisco, CA 94109 Fax: (415) 614-5641 E-mail: mhealy@catholic-sf.org

Prior moral code In his letter blasting the Archbishop of La Crosse for denying Communion to pro-abortion Catholic legislators, Jerome F. Downs, accuses him of failing to distinguish between his spiritual authority and non-existent temporal powers.

Downs reminds Archbishop Burke that a politician takes an oath to uphold the Constitution and its Roe vs. Wade law of the land.

Jerome Downs believes a Catholic politician’s allegiance to the Church must take second place to allegiance to the Constitution when in fact the trashing of moral codes corrupts the governance of a politician to the common good of both society and the Church. And isn’t that why politicians run for office and why we elect them?

Downs also errs on his notion that the Constitution has established some kind of right to abortion to be rigidly obeyed when in fact Catholic legislators have the power and moral obligation to limit and restrict the carnage of legal abortion. In no way does this serious obligation dilute a Catholic politician’s loyalty to the Constitution anymore than it suggests blind obedience to the Church.

It also comes as no surprise that the writer resorts to the hackneyed bromide that the legislator’s vote should be dictated by his own “conscience.”

We are talking about abortion here - the brutal killing of the living unborn child.

To promote or vote for such merciless violence can only mean that the conscience has become cut off from the moral code which is its very foundation. Unless conscience is measured by the moral truth God himself has written on our hearts, it becomes a rationale limited to personal opinions that can be culpably erroneous. As Pope John Paul reminds us in Veritatis Splendor, “there exists a prior moral obligation, and a grave one at that, to see, the truth and adhere to it once it is known.” To do otherwise is to eventually fail to even distinguish between good and evil, right and wrong.

Lastly, Mr. Downs accuses the Archbishop of sewing “evil seeds” by trying to lead, guide and instruct the Catholic politicians among his flock, when in truth what the Archbishop has sewn are seeds of respect for life that will burst into the bright blossoms of hope on the dark horizon of killing the unborn. We pray that more of our Shepherds will follow suit by reprimanding pro-abortion politicians, and those who support them, for compromising their moral and religious principles to worship at the politically correct shrine of Zeitgeist instead of at the holy altar of God. Jane L.Sears Burlingame

L E T T E R S

Jerome F. Downs (Letters, Jan. 30) fears that the Church’s teachings might have an influence on our legislators, specifically with regards to abortion.

Does he welcome Planned Parenthood’s un-criticized influence?

We have a representative government and need to know the values of our legislators. If someone advertises him/herself as a Catholic, we should reasonably expect that the candidate will have and live with certain core values, lest he/she be like the “noisy gong” of this week’s readings. Certainly we do not wish to be misled by false advertising.

Receipt of the Eucharist is intended for those who are in full communion with the Catholic Church. Any who have chosen a public life and who use the public forum to promote values contrary to the core values of the Church are not in full communion. Denial of the Eucharist should be expected in such cases.

Rather than wilting at the possibility of opening “a can of political worms”, we should applaud Archbishop Burke for drawing a clear line.

Our church leaders have an obligation to preserve the integrity of the Church’s teachings. This is not always popular, and is becoming less so. If they, and we, will not

Letters welcome

stand up for our beliefs now, when will we?

Joe Christian Pacifica

Marriage not right David Hanzel’s letter (Jan. 23), while inviting sympathy for the pain which gay couples surely face, seems to miss an important point. Marriage has never been a “right.”

Marriage, if only considered as a civil contract, was instituted to further society by recognizing the family unit and children as a reality and with certain rights and obligations. Even in this light, it used to be accepted that only heterosexual couples headed families because biologically there is not an alternative product, absent modern laboratory intervention.

But surely Mr. Hanzel, writing to a Catholic newspaper, couldn’t ignore the fact that marriage isn’t just a device “created by straight men to secure their property rights,” but a sacrament, involving heterosexual couples.

The sacrament of marriage isn’t a human right like safety, clothing, shelter and food. It’s a privilege and a calling.

If the state has a compelling interest to recognize gay couples in a civil contract, fair enough. But marriage means something more and the gay marriage advocates know it, wishing to establish equivalence within it for themselves. I hope the current distinction survives for future generations.

John Hermann San Mateo

February 6, 2004

Catholic San Francisco

13

Guest Commentary

Killing the killer Kevin Cooper was convicted and sentenced to death for a particularly heinous crime – the brutal hacking to death of almost an entire family. Once one knows the facts of the case, the visceral response is immediate….and vengeful. The proponents of the death penalty see this case as evidence that for justice to be served this man must die to balance what he did some twenty years ago.

This is the response of the majority in California, some 65 percent of us. Catholics vote with the majority.

Recent developments in Catholic Social Teaching, especially the writings of Pope John Paul II, however, are asking Catholics and all people to take another look at the death penalty.

The argument has very little to do with the legalities of the case or whether or not innocent people may be executed by some mistake or even malfeasance. Or whether the death penalty is unfairly meted out to people of lower economic class and people of color. Even though these are important elements of the debate, they are not the core reason that Catholics would oppose the death penalty.

The core rationale for Catholics to oppose the death penalty is the same as that used to oppose abortion – the dignity and sacredness (in the image of God) of every

human person. This dignity is not dependent on who they are or their quality of life, whether they are smart or stupid, strong and resourceful or weak and lazy, brilliant and productive or homeless, disabled and living on public monies, or, what they do even if it is evil and despicable.

In The Gospel of Life, John Paul II takes us through a theological and scriptural journey exploring this great truth.

Thou Shalt Not Kill means that persons, unborn babies, the old and the ill, the developmentally disabled, “enemies in wartime,” can never willfully have their lives taken way from them.

There is one exception. Only if there is a condition of “self defense” can violence be used and killing may be a secondary consequence. Church teaching allows the individual to defend himself, the State to defend itself in cases of war where there is an unjust aggressor, and the State to defend itself from a violent and predatory human being who would be a danger to the community if left alive.

The change in the teaching is precisely here regarding capital punishment. While affirming that the state has a right to defend itself using capital punishment, the Catechism of the Catholic Church also states, “If…non-lethal means are sufficient to defend and protect people’s safety from the

aggressor…these are…more in conformity with the dignity of the human person.” And because the State now has means of doing this, “the cases in which the execution of the offender is an absolute necessity George Wesolek are very rare, if not practically non-existent.”

(2306) Violent criminals in California, if not executed, are given “life without the possibility of parole.” This sentence means exactly that. This person will never see the light of freedoma just and thorough sentence that protects the community.

This new development in the teaching of the Church challenges us to be consistent with our application of our firm belief in the sanctity and dignity of every human life.

I believe it was Pope John XXIII who made the phrase, “reading the signs of the times” popular. I doubt that he was actually referring to highway bulletin boards. Good Pope John was very much aware of how God is speaking to us through the ordinary events in everyday life. As we go through life we are given many signs and we sometimes, never even notice them or we take them at “face value” and never go beyond the obvious.

The “good news” is all around us but we must be alert and reflective in order to recognize it. Every day we are presented with signs and images of God’s love and activity in our world.

However, if we never take the time to reflect on them, for us, they are practically meaningless. In our world of rushing around from place to place we are given surprisingly many opportunities for reflection. We all know how we “hurry up and wait” sitting in stalled traffic on the freeway, standing in line at the supermarket, waiting for the bus or Bart. I believe these times are all opportunities for us to reflect and get in touch with our Gracious God, to ponder God’s goodness, and to find the true meaning of our lives. We can choose to turn these moments of boredom and annoyance into opportunities for spiritual growth, a growth that refreshes and nourishes us. Or, we can experience them as times that try our patience and encourage us to be disgruntled and annoyed with the next unsuspecting person we meet.

I encourage you to take the time to be reflective, to try to see beyond the obvious, and to turn those wasted boring moments into moments of spiritual treasure seeking.

If you do this I guarantee that life will become much Sister more interesting and you will begin to come to a Antonio Heaphy greater awareness of how close God really is and how present God is to us in our weary world. The more we are in touch with God’s presence in our lives the more we will be able to share the gift of our Faith with those around us.

By the way, have you noticed that the February Lotto Billboard says, “Be mine!” Could this be another “message from on high” coming to us to us again through the California Lotto?

George Wesolek is director of the Archdiocese of San Francisco’s Office of Public Policy and Social Concerns.

Evangelization

Signs of our times As you travel around our area have you ever paid attention to what the freeway advertisement signs are saying to you? We all know that these huge billboards represent some company or other trying to get our attention and our money as they succinctly tell us the value of their wares. But perhaps there are some subliminal messages hidden in the text! At least I like to think so as I read them in an effort to ease the boredom of my daily commute to and from San Francisco.

Take for example the California Lotto billboard. In December the slogan was “Finally a gift I can use”. How clever, especially for the Christmas season! As I passed it every day, I began to think beyond the mere words. Of course “the gift I can use” is the gift of God’s love, in the Person of Jesus, given to me in super abundance and everlastingly. How much better and more than winning the Lotto! That daily reminder helped me to be more aware of how blessed I am and how important it is to share this precious gift with my co-workers. As the days stretched into weeks I thought of other gifts such as the gifts of faith, family and friends. I was reminded of my need to have a grateful heart and thanked God for these precious gifts. This in turn helped me to be more appreciative of the people around me and to make a greater effort to be grateful to them and to share God’s love with them.

Presentation Sister Antonio Heaphy is director of the Office of Evangelization for the Archdiocese of San Francisco.

Spirituality

Finding truth beyond labels Several years ago, while giving a workshop in England, I was approached during a health break by a couple of participants who asked me: “What are you? We’ve been trying to figure out whether you’re liberal or conservative.” My response: “What difference should that make? Why don’t we just weigh the value of what’s said as to truth or falsity, depth or faddishness, without having to consider whether it’s being driven by a liberal or a conservative agenda?

Labels aren’t important. What’s important is truth, depth, God’s consolation and challenge, things helpful to build up the community. No ideology has a monopoly on these.”

That needs to be said out loud more often. It’s generally unhelpful to label others. As soon as we define others in terms of their ideology, ecclesiology, politics or agenda, we insert an extra, unneeded, hermeneutical filter between them and us and become more selective in our acceptance of truth.

Granted, we are always somewhat selective in any case. Everyone operates out of a certain software (commonly called a “bias”). The discipline of epistemology has forever put an end to any naiveté about this. Nobody is completely objective and the route toward objectivity is best pursued when everyone precisely tries to name his or her biases rather than assuming that he or she hasn’t got any.

That’s also true when we label ourselves. As soon as we label ourselves as liberal, conservative, or even middle of the road, we become selective in our listening.

Sadly, in both society in general and inside of theological and ecclesial circles, we are obsessed with labeling.

And we do it equally on both sides of the ideological spectrum: “She’s a liberal! He’s a conservative! She’s a femi-

nist! He’s Opus Dei! She’s Call to Action!”

The most helpful response might be: So what! None of these labels determines the truth and none of them, in se, distorts it. God’s house has many rooms, just as truth lies in many places, and God’s consolation and challenge is always somewhat colored by the biases of those who bring the good news: liberals, conservatives, feminists, Protestants, Roman Catholics, Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims, Opus Dei members, Charismatics.

The challenge is precisely to be open to the truth beyond labels, beyond our circle of ideological intimates, and beyond what’s prescribed for us as politically correct by either the left or the right. Part of this openness, too, is having the courage to ask ourselves: In what am I ultimately interested? The truth, or what fits my ecclesiology? The truth, or what’s politically correct? The truth, or my being right, even if being right means being bitter and at odds with many sincere people? It’s not easy to ask these questions because, once we ask them, we have to admit that a lot of truth lies outside our own circles.

Recently there was a survey done on the reading habits of both Roman Catholic and Protestant clergy. Each was asked: “Other than the Bible, what authors do you read to help you in your ministry?” Here are the top five picks: Roman Catholics: (1) Henri Nouwen; (2) John Paul II; (3) Raymond Brown; (4) William J. Bausch; (5) Walter Burghardt. Mainline Protestants: (1) Henri Nouwen; (2) William Willimon; (3) Frederick Buechner; (4) Max Lucado; (5) Eugene Peterson.

What’s interesting is that everyone on both lists defies simple classification in terms of liberal or conservative.

Some will probably object and immediately label John Paul

II as a conservative. But that can be done only if we haven’t read his social encyclicals or his apologies for the historical sins of institutional Christendom. The same is true of those who would simplistically Father label Raymond Brown a Ron Rolheiser liberal. That’s more easily done if you’ve never met or read Raymond Brown.

Recently I was at a dinner party and the conversation turned to psychological and ecclesial labels: “What’s your Myers-Briggs personality type?” “Where do you place yourself on the ecclesial, ideological scale?” There was an eager and animated sharing in this. One person, however, a young mother and nurse, remained silent throughout.

Finally someone prevailed upon her: “Where do you land in all of this?” Her answer: “I have an unlisted number!”

There’s wisdom in her answer. We need to let go of labels and try to let the truth speak independently of them.

We need, too, to have the courage to face up to where our own ideologies are blinding us to truth, and dividing us from others of sincere will. The truth can set us free, no matter which pulpit it comes from.

Oblate Father Ron Rolheiser is a theologian, teacher and award-winning author.

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Catholic San Francisco

February 6, 2004

Ministry of Deacons Working together to bring positive change to their community

By Patrick Joyce The diaconate spreads throughout Nate Bacon’s life: his full-time work with the poor in the Mission District, his service at St. Peter’s Parish and, above all, his life with his wife Jenny, “a full-time mom” and full partner in his ministry.

“My amazing wife Jenny is from Guatemala and is passionate about all the same things that God has put in my heart.” Deacon Bacon says. They met when both were working at the homeless shelter at St. Peter’s where he had been working “That’s how we met - on the steps of St. Peter’s,” he says.

“Since 1992 my main hands-on ministry, in full partnership with my wife, has been with young Latinos involved in gangs and at juvenile hall - and through Comunidad San Dimas, the community of St. Dismas,” he says. “ It’s a ministry of reaching out to young people who are caught up in gangs and drugs, meeting them in institutions like Juvenile Hall as well as in the streets of the community.”

Comunidad San Dimas is a collaborative ministry of St. Peter’s and Innerchange, an ecumenical order whose members, live and work with the poor. Deacon Bacon is a member of the group. The Bacons and their two children, Gabriela, 10 and Nate Jr., two and a half, live in one of Innerchange’s two houses in the Mission.

Nate Bacon’s journey toward the diaconate began in the mid-1980s with “an experience with scripture that turned my life upside down,” he says. “The scripture is Isaiah 58, about ‘God’s chosen fast.’ I was feeling distant from God, and I cried out to God and said, ‘You’ve got to change this.’ I was looking for something that would renew my sense of spiritual vigor. One of the few times in my life I felt a voice that was crystal clear to me - not audible - it said, ‘Fast for three days and I’ll change this.’”

He went on a water only fast “and at the end of three days, I felt that absolutely nothing had changed,” he laughs as remembers. “So I was mad at God. I was hungry that was the only thing that changed.”

“But in the wee hours of the morning, I woke up wide awake and was moved to pray, even though I was on rocky ground with God at that point, and felt moved to look at scripture. I remembered that I was getting together with a group to talk about dramatizing this passage in the afternoon.

So I read Isaiah 58, and chills started running up and down my spine.

“The opening lines speak of God’s people who say, ‘Why have we fasted, and you haven’t noticed. Why have we humbled ourselves, and you haven’t seen it.’ The passage goes on to speak of the kind of fasting God desires: to break the chains of injustice, the yoke of oppression, to invite the humblest poor into your home. All these things that were outside of my experience. I felt clearly that God said, ‘Guess what? All that’s changing.’”

That experience came when he was studying for the ministry in the Presbyterian church. “I look back to that moment as a second and deeper call, after my initial call to the seminary. It was the call that brought me to encounter Jesus among the poor and marginalized.”

That call brought him to the Mission District in 1987 to work with the poor. “It was supposedly for one year, and I’ve been here ever since,” he says, smiling. “My encounters with the people of the neighborhood during that first year continued to transform my life. I started meeting refugees from Central America, from the wars at that time, and hearing their stories which began to make real to me the injustices and oppression that Isaiah 58 talked about.”

At the end of that first year, he became involved with Innerchange. He went to Guatemala to study Spanish and returned to San Francisco to begin working at St. Anne’s Hall, a homeless shelter at St. Peter’s.

“My first experience with St. Peter’s was sleeping on the floor next to a group of 20 men escaping the harsh realities of war and poverty in Central America,” he says.

“It raised questions for me that I never had to ask before, about our government’s involvement in those wars in terms of people’s lives being destroyed. It awakened in me more fully the spirit of Isaiah 58 - God’s heart for justice, God’s heart for the poor.

And I was hooked.”

After a year at the shelter, he joined the staff of Innerchange to work with refugees and immigrants, a ministry he still pursues, now as California regional director. The former Presbyterian seminarian was soon immersed in a Catholic culture. That experience, “some strong direction in prayer” and reading Catholic writers “as diverse as the early Church fathers, the desert fathers, and liberation theology, began leading me towards the Catholic Church,” Deacon Bacon says.

The late Father Jack Isaacs, then pastor of St. Peter’s, “introduced me to Vatican II and Catholic social teaching and in a very humble, very spiritual way, he was present for me on the journey that God was leading me on to the Catholic Church. All of a sudden I found that my best theologizing about the poor paled in comparison to the riches of the wellspring of Catholic tradition, even dating back to the first centuries of the church.”

He became a Catholic in 1992 at the Easter Vigil and three months later he married Jenny. They now work together in the ministry to gang members.

“When we started we were a little frightened and very ignorant, and yet pretty quickly, once you get beyond the surface, some of the angry surface, once you gain which is no easy task - the trust of these young people, and they know that you are really there because you love them, all of a sudden you see all of talents, sense of humor, the potential, the future they could have, that they have lost hope for.”

The ministry means “walking with them in their distress and the huge struggles they face and even burying young homeboys we have known and loved. In some mysterious way it brings us a glimpse beneath that surface to see Jesus alive in them.”

Part of his ministry is to take volunteers to visit inmates a Juvenile Hall each week.

Afterward, Deacon Bacon asks the volunteers: “How did we encounter Jesus?”

Everybody says that in some way during their visit they found that “Jesus is present” in Juvenile Hall.

His hopeful outlook is sometimes met by skepticism, Deacon Bacon says. “One time I was in court and speaking up on behalf of a young man who was really trying to turn around his life, and I heard somebody yelling. It was the D.A. yelling at me. He was so personally offended that anyone would believe that this young man could become anything but a drug dealer and a nothing, that he decided to spew that out on me at the end of court.”

Deacon Bacon’s experience is quite different: “If the community can come around young people who are wounded in so many deep ways, come around in a spirit of love, patience and perseverance, great transformations can take place.”

Their crimes are visible, he says, their virtues hidden. But he has worked with gang members who are “straight A students, incredible artists, undiscovered rap stars, poets, comedians and more. One young man named Angel was an amazing example of a life changed by God. He wanted to be a missionary with Innerchange. He was reaching out to his own homeboys from the gang, when at 25th and Potrero, enemy gang bangers drove by and ended his life with a single bullet that pierced his heart.”

“It was the most painful moment for

Jenny and Nate Bacon

Jenny and me in this ministry,” Deacon Bacon said, but good has come out of that seemingly senseless death. “It proved to be the wakeup call for a dozen of his friends, including our foster son, to gain hope to turn their lives around,” Deacon Bacon says. “Angel’s mother has even transformed her suffering in a beautifully redemptive way by reaching out to family members of kids involved in gangs and drugs.”

“One of the young people whose lives were transformed primarily through Angel’s influence, along with the love of Comunidad San Dimas,” is now working with the young adult group at St. Peter’s and coaching baseball, Deacon Bacon says.

Ironically, even though there are baseball diamonds in the neighborhood, at Cesar Chavez and Potrero, the team has not been able to use them. The diamonds have been reserved by teams from outside the area.

The former gang member spoke about the problem at a forum before mayoral candidates. “This is the kind of transformation and empowerment that Jenny and I are passionate about. We believe it is at the core of the diaconate call, and at the heart of the gospel,” Deacon Bacon says.

His immersion in his ministry on the streets of the Mission may seem distant from his role as a liturgical minister. They are not, Deacon Bacon says.

“The liturgical role ideally reflects what’s happening on the street and in community,” he says. “A deacon has a serving role during the Eucharist and that reflects the fact that deacons are serving in the community and particularly serving the needy and the marginalized. The deacon traditionally has the role of reading the prayers of the faithful and the reason for that is that because the deacon is supposed to be out there in the community and know what’s going on and to be able to be the person who can reflect it.

“Even the proclamation of the Gospel is meant to reflect that passage in Luke where Jesus begins his public ministry: ‘The spir-

it of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to preach the good news to the poor.’ The proclamation of the Gospel is tied up to the good news coming to the poor.”

That is what the Bacons are doing in the Mission and it is having an impact. We have seen so many young people turn their lives around, that we have a vision of hope,” Deacon Bacon says. “Hope is really the scarcest commodity among these young people. It’s our call as church to offer that hope, to offer it in an incarnated way - in a way that can be touched, tasted, felt, believed up close and personal. Becoming friends and inviting these young people into our lives, becoming part of their lives and their families.”

The Bacons have done this themselves, taking a teenager from the streets into their home. “This young man, Agustin, had been abandoned when he was seven years old, and got caught up in the gang life style,” Deacon Bacon says. “Through a strange turn of events, he ended up living in our home, when our daughter was only four years old. He lived with us for two years.

“Recently, I had the joy of being able as a deacon to officiate at my foster son’s wedding,” he says. “His life has been so amazingly transformed, materially and spiritually. At 23 he and his wife have their own house in San Pablo. He has the car he dreamed of having.

“Since going on a Cursillo, his faith life continues to grow, together with his wife.

Every Friday they come to the San Dimas meetings and they’re a real inspiration to a lot of kids who are caught up in the struggle with the gang life style.”

“The wedding was a crowning moment for us,” Deacon Bacon says. “It is a beautiful example of pulling together the different aspects of the diaconate - to be able to have a liturgical role, to celebrate in that way in this joyful event connected to the ministry of service in the streets. It sums up my sense of what the diaconate is all about.”

February 6, 2004

Catholic San Francisco

15

“It enabled me . . . to look beyond myself”

By Patrick Joyce “I love God and want to serve him and that means serving others.”

Tony Paulino is describing the vision that guided him in his careers in business, charity work and the Philippine foreign service, a vision that eventually prompted him to pursue the diaconate.

At first he was attracted to the ministry simply as a way to improve his skills at helping others. Once in the formation program, he saw the diaconate was more complex and challenging.

“I thought I had bitten off more than I could chew so many theological things to learn. I have always thought people have their own fields of expertise - scientists, accountants, whatever. You don’t question them.”

The same was true of his Catholic faith: he left the theology to experts. “But since theology was part of the formation I tried to learn as much as I could. It was a very fruitful time. It enabled me to discern things I took for granted before, to look beyond myself.”

“Piety was not my cup of tea,” he says. “ I wasn’t prayerful. I see something needs to be done and I do it.

I would not wake early for a half hour of prayer. The program showed me the value of spending time in prayer early in the day. It gives my life an added dimension of prayer.”

Deacon Paulino, now serves at Good Shepherd Parish in Pacifica, but he spent most of his diaconate at Holy Angels Parish in Colma, near his home in South San Francisco. As a new deacon, he was greeted warmly by Father John Cloherty, then pastor at Holy Angels.

“Father Cloherty would go out of his way to support deacons, to help us develop and flourish. He’d say, ‘Sometimes you make a mistake. You’ll learn - never mind.’ He draws you out and makes you strive for excellence.”

Because of Holy Angels’ location in the city of cemeteries, he officiated at many funeral vigils and interments. He also assisted at Mass, performed baptisms, led the Novena to Our Lady of Perpetual Help, did marriage preparation and counseling. “I also coordinated the stewardship effort and managed to help increase collections by about $2,000 a week. I helped start a ministry for the sick and homebound, trained ministers for that program, visited the sick in hospitals and conducted Communion services in rest homes.”

He started working part-time at the parish but wound up spending “a little over eight hours a day depending on the needs of the people” while also “playing grandfather, taking the kids to school and picking them up.”

“It is a great joy to visit parishioners, to pop in on them at their homes. I call on the cell phone first, then drop in - to get to know them and to let them know the Church is open to them. I would make a point to be in the office three times a week from 4 to 9 in the evening so they can just can pop in.”

In dealing with people, “There are times when I do most of the talking, other times when I am with them just to listen. There is a time to speak and a time to keep quiet. I pitch a little about their faith but mostly it’s just being there, asking things like, ‘How’s your granddad’s boat?’ People need someone to crystallize things for them. Then they find the answers for themselves. I like to be a catalyst.”

“Lay people mostly think of you as a religious, a priest. Most don’t at first know anything about deacons.

Then they see you can do things that lay people can’t do - baptisms, home blessings. They know you are one of them but not one of them.”

“Vatican II made us think of the priest as another human being. Little by little, they see the priest as one of them, but some lay people still think that the priest is so

Rosie and Tony Paulino

holy he is out of reach. Initially they see the deacon as one of their own. They can approach a deacon more easily than a priest, seek your advice more readily than a priest. There is more opportunity to interact with lay people than priests.”

His wife Rosie helps ease the way for him. She was involved in the deacon formation program, and she has been active in the church with him and on her own: Cursillo, Christian Family Movement, the Legion of Mary, Marriage Encounter, Basic Christian Communities, lector, eucharistic minister.

“She is the diplomat. I am the doer. She knows how to make people open up. I’m the black and white one. She is a great help to me. I tell her, ‘People see me and they go the other way. They see you and they seek you out.’ They tell her their problems. Then we talk and she goes back to them.”

He has a masters degree in finance from the Asian Institute of Management, “the premier business school in Asia.” For three decades he was associated with a group that ran banks, factories and businesses and real estate holdings in the Philippines. He focused his attention on a foundation that helped the poor in a variety of ways, establishing libraries in the barrio, teaching small farmers ways to increase profits dramatically, providing scholarships.

His group opposed the dictatorship of President Ferdinand Marcos. When Marcos was deposed, “My boss became secretary of foreign affairs. He told me, ‘We need people we can trust in sensitive posts.’ So I agreed and asked to go to San Francisco. I wanted to help my fellow countrymen, helping the sick, giving then a listening ear and companionship. I came in 1986 and served two terms. After the second term, I would have to go home and be posted somewhere else.”

Instead, he retired, stayed here and became involved in volunteer work. “Helping other people - that is what gives me joy, what gives me a sense of fulfillment.

That’s why I became a deacon.”

Before he became a deacon, he said, “I was a facilitator. Now I see myself as more and more a helper to the priest than a facilitator. That is not how I envisioned it.

I did not enter the diaconate to be a priest or do liturgical services. I wanted to be a deacon to be a facilitator, to help make others realize dreams, to go farther than they could go on their own.

“I’d be more content seeing others obtain what was unobtainable than to lead in prayer but you need to have someone to do the novena, to expose the Blessed Sacrament. In a perfect world, I would like to do both service and liturgy.”

Readers’ generosity helps send students to environmental camp

By Sharon Abercrombie Catholic San Francisco readers have helped make it possible for 31 fifth graders from Dr. Charles Drew Elementary School in Hunter’s Point to receive an early Valentine’s present – a trip to Caritas Creek. After a story in the paper last fall concerning the lack of money needed to send youngsters to the environmental camp, Caritas Creek director Paul Raia received $2,100 in contributions from local Catholic readership.

So on Feb. 9, kids from Drew will be happily scrambling aboard busses and heading for the Catholic Charities/CYO environmental camp near Occidental for a five day experience in wilderness education, community building, and earth spirituality.

The outing was dangerously close to not happening, Raia had said in the article, because funding had dried up. Sierra Club foundation grants plus Title One monies

targeting inner city kids at risk had previously made it possible for Dr., Charles Drew, Malcolm X and George Washington Carver students to attend Caritas for the past 18 years, but economic hard times have taken a toll on these organizations. Raia had tentatively penciled the kids in on his schedule, but didn’t hold out much hope for actually getting them there.

As one last ditch effort, Raia approached Catholic San Francisco to see if a story would spark some reader generosity.

It did. Just enough to make the crucial difference between the kids’ going and not going. The school needed almost $10,000 to get the kids to camp, Meanwhile, Carter Graham, fifth grade teacher at Drew School had successfully applied for a couple more grants. And to help the school save even more money, Caritas Creek had furnished some of its CYO busses free of charge for a fourth grade outing.

The combined efforts have made it possible for Drew students to attend the camp, said Raia who expressed his thanks to Catholic San Francisco readers.

Carter Graham is grateful, too, as well as elated.

Although this will be her first trip to the CYO camp, she has seen the positive effects of Caritas Creek on Charles Drew students. Last year, as a fourth grade teacher, she recalls kids returning from the camp more settled, grounded, and peaceful. “They were kinder to one another,” she said.

Ms. Graham praised Caritas Creek staff for the good work they are doing with children in the Bay Area.

“This organization has been just phenomenal,” she said.

Caritas Creek, a 28-year old outdoor education program founded by Paula Pardini, serves 3,300 elementary school youngsters from parochial schools on both sides of the Bay between September and May. A total of 800 volunteers from 50 high schools around the area serve as cabin counselors.

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Catholic San Francisco

Food & Fun Feb. 6: Acclaimed singer/composer B.J. Thomas performs in concert at Archbishop Riordan High School’s Lindland Theater at 7:30 p.m.. Hear your favorites including "Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song and "I Just Can’t Help Believing." Tickets $30, $40, $50. Benefits Holy Angels Elementary School, Colma. Call (650) 755-0220.

Feb. 14: My Funny Valentine Fashion Show benefiting charitable works of the Turriseburnea Club, founded 55 years ago and today helping almost two dozen charities a year, according to member Judith Terracina.

This is the club’s 14th luncheon and takes place at the Presidio Golf Club begiinning at 11 a.m. Call Maureen O’Shea at (415) 922-5169. Tickets $45 per person.

Feb. 21: The voices of the Advanced Chorale of Mercy High School, Burlingame are featured at St. Ignatius Church, San Francisco, with the Cross Border Orchestra of Ireland, an ensemble of 84 Catholic and Protestant musicians from the country’s "troubled border region." Tenor, Emmanuel Lawler, and piper, Patrick Martin, will also perform. Curtain at 7 p.m.Tickets at $20 available by calling (415) 282-2264 or (415) 242-9443.

Feb. 24: Catholic Networking Night at St. Dominic’s Church, 2390 Bush St. at Steiner, SF from 7 – 9 p.m.

"Widen your networking circle at this spirit-filled evening," said Connie D’Aura, a founder of the group.

"Job seekers and those currently employed will pick up career tips from our guest speakers." Admission is free. Those attending are asked to bring a snack to share. Reservations are requested. Contact Connie at daura@ccwear.com or (415) 664-8108. Meetings also on March 30 and May 4.

Feb. 28: Tesori d’Italia, Little Children’s Aid Junior Auxiliary Gala honoring former Juniors president, Carolyn Giannini. Silent and live auctions, dinner and dancing. Proceeds benefit Catholic Charities CYO. Contact Connie D’Aura at daura@ccwear.com or Call (415) 592-9243.

Feb. 28: Crab Bash sponsored by Serra Club of the Golden Gate and benefiting St. Patrick’s Seminary in Menlo Park. Menu of salad, pasta, cracked crab, will be served up in Patron’s Hall of St. Mary’s Cathedral, Gough and Geary St., SF beginning with cocktails at 6:30 p.m. Dancing from 8 p.m.

Tickets at $35 per person are available by calling Margaret Diedrich at (415) 664-2088.

March 6: Spring Festival benefiting Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory School in the new Student Life Center beginning at 6 p.m. and continuing till midnight. "Enjoy an evening of fabulous food, entertainment, auctions and dancing to the music of High Top Posse," said school PR director, Eileen Mize.

Tickets at $150 per couple include entry in "the big drawing." Ticket information is available from Rosie Horan at (415) 775-6626, ext. 681 or www.shcp.edu.

Sundays: Concerts at 4 p. m. at National Shrine of St. Francis of Assisi, Vallejo and Columbus, SF. Call (415) 983-0405 or www.shrinesf.org. Open to the public. Admission free.

Sundays: Concerts at St. Mary Cathedral at 3:30 p.m. Gough and Geary Blvd., SF. Call (415) 5672020 ext. 213. Concerts are open to the public.

Admission free. Feb. 15: Eric Huenneke, organist; Feb. 22: Harry Bernstein Ensemble.

TV/Radio Mon – Fri., KEST 1450 AM, 7 p.m.: Catholic Radio Hour features rosary, music and commentary with Father Tom Daly.

Sunday 6 a.m., WB Channel 20/Cable 13 and KTSF Channel 26/Cable 8: TV Mass with Msgr.

Harry Schlitt presiding.

1st Sun, 5 a.m., CBS Channel 5: Mosaic, featuring conversations on current Catholic issues.

3rd Sun, 6:30 a.m., KRON Channel 4: For Heaven’s Sake, featuring conversations about Catholic spirituality.

Reunions Feb. 27: 20th annual luncheon/reunion for classes of

February 6, 2004 Peggy Abdo at (415) 564-7882 ext. 3; Epiphany, SF in Spanish. Call Kathryn Keenan at (415) 564-7882.

Ministry for parents who have lost a child is available from Our Lady of Angels Parish, Burlingame. Call Ina Potter at (650) 347-6971 or Barbara Arena at (650) 344-3579.

Young Widow/Widower group meets at St. Gregory, San Mateo. Call Barbara Elordi at (415) 564-7882.

Information about children’s and teen groups is available from Barbara Elordi at (415) 564-7882.

Datebook

Returning Catholics

Tesori d’Italia, a Little Children’s Aid Junior Auxiliary Gala honoring former Juniors president, Carolyn Giannini takes place February 28th at the Merchants’ Exchange Building in San Francisco. Carolyn and her husband, David, will be married 40 years June 20th. The St. Vincent de Paul parishioners are the parents of adult sons and St. Ignatius College Preparatory alums, David, Matthew and Tom. From left, Penne Tognetti, Gala co-Chair and parishioner of All Souls, SSF; Carolyn Giannini; Debbie McGrath, Juniors’ prez and parishioner of St. Brendan, SF. Evening includes silent and live auctions, dinner and dancing with proceeds benefiting Catholic Charities CYO. Ticket information available at daura@ccwear.com or (415) 592-9243. ’57 from the City’s Catholic High Schools – St. Ignatius, Sacred Heart, and Archbishop Riordan at Caesar’s Restaurant, 2299 Powell St. at Bay, SF beginning with "libations" at noon. Tickets at $30 per person include meal, tax, tip and contribution to rotating scholarship fund. SI alums should call John Strain at (415) 492-3310 or Don McCann at (415) 924-4358; Sacred Heart, William Curren at (415) 621-6324; Riordan, Mike Farrah at (415) 681-0300 or Al Roensch at (415) 928-7721.

Prayer Opportunities/Lectures March 4: The Sisters of Mercy commemorate their 150th year in the Archdiocese in 2004. Among events celebrating the occasion is a speaker series titled, From Prayer to Action. Sister Marie Chin, national Mercy Sisters’ president, opens the series at 7 p.m. at Mercy Center, Burlingame with Entering the Spiritual Path: Wake Up to the Present Moment. Additional presentations March 18th at 7 p.m. at Notre Dame Plaza, 347 Dolores St., SF, and April 1st at 7 p.m. at Mercy Center.

For more information, call Liz Dossa at (650) 340-7480.

Feb. 14: Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur offer Saturday Morning Prayer 9:30 – 11:30 each 2nd Sat. of the month at their Province Center, 1520 Ralston Ave. across from Ralston Hall on their university campus in Belmont. Today, Love Transforms with Notre Dame Sister Roseanne Murphy and Joanne Kaczor. Additional offerings include the Catholic Scholar Series featuring Feb. 22: Notre Dame Sister Barbara Fiand; March 23: Sulpician Father Richard Gula. Call (650) 593-2045, ext. 350.

Social Justice/Respect Life Feb. 9: Vigil "for concerned people of faith" to "proclaim the sacredness of all human life" in the hours before the scheduled execution of Kevin Cooper.

Readings, preaching and reflections beginning at 8 p.m. at Dominican Sisters’ Center, 1520 Grand Ave., San Rafael. Carpools will leave at 10 p.m. to "keep vigil" at San Quentin. Call (415) 454-6491.

Feb. 21: Potluck Dinner sponsored by Marin County Respect Life Program, at St. Sebastian Church, Bon Air Rd. at Sir Francis Drake Blvd., Greenbrae beginning at 6 p.m. Deacon George Salinger of St. Matthias Parish, Redwood City and chaplain to Death Row inmates at San Quentin for more than a decade will speak on capital punishment "which is carried out right on the border of our Archdiocese," said Vicki Evans, coordinator. Call Vicki at (415) 945-0180 for reservations and additional information.

Single, Divorced, Separated Separated and Divorced support groups meet 3rd Sat. at 6:30 p.m. at St. Mary’s Cathedral, call Pat at (415) 492-3331; and 1st and 3rd Wed. at 7:30 p.m. at St. Stephen Parish Center, SF, call Gail at (650) 591-8452.

Catholic Adult Singles Assoc. of Marin meets for support and activities. Call Bob at (415) 8970639 for information.

Consolation Ministry Groups meet at the following parishes. Please call numbers shown for more information.

St. Catherine of Siena, Burlingame. Call Elaine Yastishock at (650) 344-6884; Our Lady of Angels, Burlingame. Call Louise Nelson at (650) 343-8457 or Barbara Arena at (650) 344-3579. Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, Redwood City. Call (650) 366-3802; Good Shepherd, Pacifica. Call Sister Carol Fleitz at (650) 355-2593; St. Robert, San Bruno. Call (650) 5892800. Immaculate Heart of Mary, Belmont. Call Ann Ponty at (650) 598-0658 or Mary Wagner at (650) 591-3850. St. Isabella, San Rafael. Call Pat Sack at (415) 472-5732. Our Lady of Loretto, Novato. Call Sister Jeanette at (415) 897-2171. St. Gabriel, SF. Call Barbara Elordi at (415) 564-7882.

St. Finn Barr, SF in English and Spanish. Call Carmen Solis at (415) 584-0823; St. Cecilia, SF. Call

Programs for Catholics interested in returning to the Church, have been established at the following parishes: St. Philip the Apostle, 725 Diamond St. at Elizabeth/24th, SF. Call the parish office at (415) 2820141; St. Hilary, Tiburon, Mary Musalo, (415) 435-2775; St. Anselm, Ross, parish office at (415) 453-2342; St. Sebastian, Greenbrae, Jean Mariani at (415) 461-7060; Old St. Mary’s Cathedral, SF, Michael Adams at (415) 695-2707; St. Dominic, SF, Lee Gallery at (415) 2211288; Holy Name of Jesus, SF, Dennis Rivera at (415) 664-8590; St. Bartholomew, San Mateo, Dan Stensen at (650) 344-5665; St. Catherine of Siena, Burlingame, Silvia Chiesa at (650) 685-8336, Elaine Yastishock at (650) 344-6884; Our Lady of Angels, Burlingame, Dorothy Heinrichs or Maria Cianci at (650) 347-7768; St. Dunstan, Millbrae, Dianne Johnston at (650) 697-0952; Our Lady of the Pillar, Half Moon Bay, Meghan at (650) 726-4337; St. Peter, Pacifica, Chris Booker at (650) 7381398; Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, Mill Valley, Rick Dullea or Diane Claire at (415) 388-4190; St. Mary Star of the Sea, Sausalito, Lloyd Dulbecco at (415) 331-7949.

Meetings 3rd Sat: Reconnecting With Yourself, a group for survivors of abuse by Catholic Church clergy or personnel, 3 –5 p.m., Epiphany Parish Center, 605 Italy St., between Athens and Naples, SF. Sponsored by the Archdiocese of San Francisco. Contact facilitator, Richard Krafnick, MFT, (415) 351-2463.

Courage, a Catholic support group for persons with same-sex attraction, meets Thursdays at 7:30 p.m. Call Father Lawrence Goode at (650) 322-2152.

Volunteer Opportunities St. Vincent de Paul Society of San Francisco needs your help at its Vincentian Desk at 470 Ellis, SF, one shift per week from 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. or 12:30 – 3:30 p.m. Mon. – Fri. or on the 1st Sat. of the month. Service includes sorting donations and helping clients more than 60 of whom are assisted each day. Call Sally Rosen at (415) 202-9955.

Most Holy Redeemer AIDS Support Group needs volunteers to provide practical and emotional support to individuals with HIV-AIDS and/or assist with various program events and activities. Many opportunities available. Call (415) 863-1581 or www.mhr-asg.com. Caring for the Caregiver with Carolina Shaper meets Mondays 6 – 7:30 p.m. Call Ms. Shaper at (415) 984-0501.

Help a child succeed in school and in life by serving as a tutor for two hours a week at Sacred Heart Elementary School, 735 Fell St., SF. Sessions take place Mon. – Thurs. from 3:30 – 5:30 p.m. Help welcome in a variety of subjects. Call Mary Potter at (415) 621-8035.

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.

A History of the Archdiocese of San Francisco VO L U M E I 1776 -1884 From Mission to Golden Frontier

VO L U M E 2 1885 -1945 G l o r y, R u i n , and Resurrection

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February 6, 2004

Catholic websites — both near and far

By Jayme George There are tell-tale signs that someone is knowledgeable in the ways of the World Wide Web. Spam is not something they eat and they know what it means to “Google.” But even an internet amateur can navigate easily the rivers of information flowing from Catholic entities large and small, including parishes and organizations of the Archdiocese of San Francisco.

Any organization that wants to communicate with its communities and the world beyond has an invaluable tool in a website. The Archdiocese of San Francisco is no stranger to this concept, as 27 of the 96 parishes and 17 of the organizations in the Archdiocese offer informative websites. As a whole, these websites are cookie cutter examples of web uniformity—each one a lesson in clarity and substance without all the flash that can distract and deter even the most seasoned web surfer.

Each of the parish websites offers most if not all of the following information: Mass schedules, bulletins, contact phone numbers and email addresses, and links to other Catholic organizations. However, two shining examples of internet ingenuity deserve to be highlighted: The National Shrine of St. Francis of Assisi, www.shrinesf.org, provides several 60 second sound bites of Sacred Liturgy in order to gain a better understanding of liturgical music, and St. Cecilia Church in San Francisco, www.stcecilia.com, goes a few steps further and links viewers to a live church broadcast that is available to both PC and Mac users. In addition, both sites are aesthetically pleasing and easy to navigate.

There are still more sites that stand alone in the kind of services they offer. Sts. Peter and Paul Church,

www.stspeterpaul.san-francisco.ca.us/church, boasts a feature called “Ask the Fathers,” in which parishioners can submit questions to their priests to be answered online. St Anthony of Padua Church in Novato, www.saint-anthonys.com, includes discussion forums available to registered users. For those with visual difficulties, St. Raymond Church in Menlo Park, www.straymondmp.org, offers very large print on its site. History buffs and art lovers should visit the sites of Mission Dolores Basilica, www.graphicmode.com/missiondolores, and the Old St. Mary’s Cathedral, www.oldstmarys.org, for stunning photos of architectural history and sacred art.

Websites of various Archdiocesan organizations often have a more professional look to them because they belong to larger affiliations. For example, the Regional Community of the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas, www.sistersofmercy.org, and the Jesuit Volunteer Corps, www.jesuitvolunteers.org, are definitely not the products of a middle-schooler’s computer education class project. The sites are clean and understandable with color schemes and layouts that are easy on the eyes. But perhaps one of the best among these websites is that of a local group, the Dominican Sisters of San Rafael, www.sanrafaelop.org, with a website that is both good looking and innovative with its use of icon buttons. All other parish and organization website information can be found at www.sfarchdiocese.org, the official site of the Archdiocese.

The site of the Archdiocese of San Francisco is in itself a valuable source of information about Catholic developments both locally and internationally. There are links to virtually every notable Catholic website on the net, as well as information about every

Catholic San Francisco

17

INTER T E C H NN E T & OLOGY

Archdiocesan parish, school, and ministry. At times, a “This section coming soon,” message may appear on screen, but it is only the by-product of continuing construction on the site.

If you are the kind of person who likes news, but hates having smudgy ink fingers, Catholic San Francisco posts stories, photos, and news briefs on the site, www.catholic-sf.org, and includes archives of every issue dating back to May 2002.

Determined not to be left on the shoulder of the information superhighway, Catholics of the Archdiocese of San Francisco have made their mark and are now a part of a growing trend towards internet evangelization. Visit www.catholicexchange.com for more information about Catholic websites.

Begin with this consumer warning, however. Some websites that use the word "Catholic" or even appear to be Catholic, still may have questionable content. A good rule of thumb to know or have trust in the provider of the website.

Recommended websites with Catholic content www.vatican.va

www.ewtn.com

www.usfca.edu

Official website of the Vatican

Eternal Word Television Network

University of San Francisco

www.usccb.org

www.cnvs.org

www.dom.edu

U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops

Catholic Volunteer Service

Dominican University

www.catholicnews.com Catholic News Service

www.sfarchdiocese.org

www.ndnu.edu

Archdiocese of San Francisco

Notre Dame de Namur University

www.cwnews.com

www.catholic-sf.org

www.campion-college.org

Catholic World News

Catholic San Francisco

Campion College- San Francisco

www.catholicexchange.com Catholic Exchange

www.sfvocations.org Office of Vocations

www.ignatius,com Ignatius Press

www.zenit.org

www.sfcatholicschools.org

International News Service

Catholic Schools Department

www.godspy.com Faith at the Edge

www.ucanews.com

www.sforeym.org

Catholic Asian News

Religious Ed. and Youth Ministry

www.nationalcatholicreporter.org/word John Allen's Word from Rome

www.catholicrelief.org

www.sfyam.org

www.ncregister.com

Catholic Relief Services

Young Adult Ministry

National Catholic Register

www.newadvent.org

www.sffamilylife.com

www.oldstmarys.org

Catholic Information

Marriage and Family Life

Old St. Mary's Cathedral

www.ecatholic2000.org

www.sfjustlife.org

www.shrinesf.org

Catholic Resource Directory

Public Policy & Social Concerns

National Shrine of St. Francis of Assisi

www.cua.edu

www.ccasf.org

www.stcecilia.com

Catholic University of America

Catholic Charities - San Francisco

St. Cecilia Church - San Francisco

www.catholic.net

www.cacatholic.org

www.sanrafaelop.org

Catholic News and Information

California Catholic Conference

Dominican Sisters of San Rafael

www.nrlc.org

www.pauline.org

National Right to Life

Daughters of St. Paul

www.jesuitvolunteers.org Jesuit Volunteer Corps

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Catholic San Francisco

February 6, 2004

Why I am a Thomist Philosopher, Father Dowling author lectures at Campion Forum

By Jack Smith University of Notre Dame Philosophy Professor Ralph McInerny addressed nearly 250 people at Campion College of San Francisco, Jan. 25 in a talk titled “Why I am a Thomist.”

Professor McInerny is a popular lecturer and author of more than 100 books of philosophy and fiction, including the Father Dowling Mysteries which were adapted for an ABC television series. He also serves as director of the Jacques Maritain Center at Notre Dame.

McInerny spoke as part of the ongoing “Campion Forum” free public lecture series hosted by the two-year Catholic liberal arts college.

“To call oneself a Thomist is not at all like saying one is a Kantian or a Hegelian . . . or more generically an analytic philosopher or a phenomenologist,” Professor McInerny began, “being a Thomist is something radically different from that.”

Pope Leo XIII launched the resurgence in Thomistic and scholastic thought with his 1879 encyclical, Æterni Patris. However, McInerny said, Pope Leo does not even mention St. Thomas Aquinas until the second half of his encyclical, and then “not as someone unique, but as a representative of a certain way of doing philosophy.”

For Leo, as he surveyed the politics, philosophy and culture of late nineteenth-century Europe, Thomas’ “way” of philosophy was important to revive, over and against the trajectory of philosophy growing from the Enlightenment, which soon led to the carnage of the first half of the twentieth century, McInerny said.

What is the difference between this “bad” philosophy of the modern world and the Western, Christian influenced tradition of which Thomas is a part, McInerny asked. It began with the fundamentally erroneous starting point of the first modern philosopher, Rene Descartes, said McInerny.

Following college studies, Descartes decided to subject the “inventory of his mind” to a skeptical criticism in hope of finding “what he really knew . . . what he would go to the wall for,” McInerny said. Any proposition in his mind, for which he could find doubt,

Descartes discarded. Descartes dismissed any knowledge based on the “testimony of the senses” because the senses can be deceived; we can dream or hallucinate and believe our senses are truthful when they are not.

After a period, Descartes reached “a dark moment,” as he feared there was nothing in his mind about which he could not cast a doubt.

“Then came the great illumination,” McInerny said, after doubting “each and every thing he knew,” Descartes realized there was one thing about which he could not be deceived. “And that is – he is thinking,” McInerny said.

“That is the starting point of modern philosophy,” McInerny said, “and it is crucial, because it means our starting point is our thinking about thinking.” The first problem with this starting point is “how do I know that my thinking relates to anything beyond itself?”

McInerny asked.

“I guarantee you, that if you start that way, you will never get outside of the realm of thinking.” The great project of modern philosophy has been, McInerny quipped, “how can I get out of my mind?” The history of modern philosophy has “been a series of efforts to get from the subject - to an object for that subject to be thinking about,” he noted.

Another problem with this approach is that it is elitist, McInerny said. Unless one has subjected the entire inventory of his mind to Descartes’ skeptical criticism “or taken philosophy 101” he cannot say he knows anything. “It is one of the things which has separated philosophy from the ordinary uses of the mind.”

By contrast, what is characteristic to Thomas and the tradition he represents is that “everybody already knows things for sure,” McInerny said. Thomas’ tradition of philosophy begins with the assumption “there is a common fund of knowledge that anyone can be expected to possess.”

Descartes’ objection to such an assumption is that some of the time our senses deceive us said McInerny.

He added, “That’s true. But most of the time they do not. And if most of the time our senses weren’t trustworthy, we wouldn’t have any notion of what deception is.”

Author, teacher and philosopher Ralph McInerny.

Further, according to Thomas, there are certain “rock bottom judgments of a theoretical kind and a practical kind which are embedded in the actions and thought of any human being,” McInerny said. Part of the job of philosophy is to take this “implicit” knowledge and make it “explicit.”

This approach does not separate philosophy from the experience of normal human beings, but rather relies on a community in which “human beings can be counted on to recognize first principles of a theoretical or practical order.”

In the present, McInerny said, Pope John Paul II has reiterated in his encyclical Fides Et Ratio, the need to assess among the multiplicity of philosophies in the world their basis in these implicitly known and accessible first principles.

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PRINCIPAL

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Principal: Archbishop Riordan High School, located in San Francisco, is an Archdiocesan Catholic School that has been sponsored by the Marianist priests and brothers since 1946. Faculty and staff strive to develop the character of young men and instill Gospel values in an environment of academic excellence that reflects the cultural richness of the San Francisco Bay area. The school seeks to foster the five characteristics of Marianist education: ◆ educate for formation in faith ◆ provide an integral, quality education ◆ educate in family spirit ◆ educate for service, justice and peace ◆ educate for adaptation and change

Marin Catholic High School, is a Roman Catholic, college preparatory school that serves 725 men and women. Founded in 1949 by the Archdiocese of San Francisco, the campus is located in Kentfield, CA, 8 miles north of Golden Gate Bridge.

Consistent with our Gospel values, we are committed to the education and development of the whole person. We provide a spiritual, academic and extra curricular environment dedicated to imparting knowledge, values, and vision. Candidates for principal must be able to assume responsibilities for day to day administration of the school as well as in developing long-term goals and plans for the school. Excellent leadership and communication skills and enthusiasm for maintaining a top academic, religious, and extra-curricular program is a must.

The Principal reports to the President.

Qualifications: ◆ a practicing Catholic in good standing with the Church ◆ a Master’s degree in educational leadership (or related field) ◆ a valid teaching credential ◆ five years of successful teaching/administrative experience at the secondary level

Salary is commensurate with credentials and experience.

Qualifications: ● a practicing Catholic in good standing with the Church ● a Master’s degree in educational leadership (or related field) ● a valid teaching credential ● five years of successful teaching/administrative experience at the secondary level

Salary is commensurate with credentials and experience.

Letter of interest and a résumé should be sent to: Marilyn Lynch, Associated Superintendent/Personnel One Peter Yorke Way, San Francisco, CA 94109 Email: lynchm@sfarchdiocese.org ◆ Fax: (415) 614-5664 Deadline: February 20, 2004

Letter of interest and a résumé should be sent to: Marilyn Lynch, Associate Superintendent/Personnel One Peter Yorke Way, San Francisco, CA 94109 Email: lynchm@sfarchdiocese.org Fax: (415) 614-5664 Deadline: February 20, 2004

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Catholic San Francisco

February 6, 2004

By John Thavis Catholic News Service VATICAN CITY — With foreign policy in the spotlight and moral issues assuming a higher profile, the U.S. political campaign is drawing special Vatican attention this year.

Pope John Paul II, meanwhile, is busy preparing his own “Campaign 2004.” Starting in March, he’ll begin addressing groups of U.S. bishops during a round of “ad limina” visits, which offer him a frequent platform for commentary on a range of topics, including war and peace, abortion and family values.

A presidential campaign, held every four years, and the U.S. “ad limina” visits, made by heads of dioceses every five years, have overlapped only once before under Pope John Paul in 1988.

“I’m not sure whether the coincidence this year is good or bad,” one senior Vatican official said in late January.

On the plus side, the official said, the pope’s words probably will have a bigger echo in the United States, especially when he speaks on the many issues that involve moral teachings and civil legislation, like genetic manipulation, gay marriage and the death penalty.

But the election-year background also may crimp the pope’s style.

“He’ll certainly have to speak more prudently, because he can’t be seen as supporting one candidate over another. A great principle of the Holy See is that the pope cannot enter into the battle of partisan politics,” the official said.

USF dedication . . .

■ Continued from cover Jesuit Father Stephen Privett, USF President, expressed his gratitude to Justice Kennedy and to all those involved in the Koret Law Center project. Fr. Privett spoke of a tradition of justice going back to the prophets of old.

The justice of the prophets is not the image of the blind woman holding the balancing scales,

The confluence of campaign politics and pastoral strategizing comes at a time when religion once again has appeared on the U.S. electoral radar.

For Catholics, attention has focused on Archbishop Raymond L. Burke of St. Louis, who before leaving his Wisconsin diocese of La Crosse told priests there to refuse Communion to local Catholic politicians not in line with church teaching against abortion or euthanasia.

That has led some to ask, for example, whether presidential candidates who identify themselves as Catholic but support legal abortion — such as Democratic Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts and Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Ohio — should be pressed in a similar manner.

Several Vatican officials declined on-therecord comments about Archbishop Burke’s action. Privately, some voiced support and others said it raised unanswered questions about church law and pastoral effectiveness.

But most see the more aggressive approach in the political arena as a welcome sign of the times. In a document issued a year ago, the Vatican said Catholic politicians have a “grave and clear obligation” to oppose any law that violates church teaching on the right to life. Another document in July made a similar point about opposing homosexual marriage.

“I think the Vatican has obviously given a psychological empowerment to certain bishops to take a stand that they would have been more hesitant to take prior to those docuhe said. Rather the justice of the Gospels and Moses is more near the “poor Guatemalan peasant when asked which of her seven children she loved most, took up into her arms a small and severely disabled child and said, ‘This one – because she needs me the most.’”

Fr. Privett said, “God has a special regard for the weakest and the most defenseless among us. That sense of justice vitalizes every aspect of the university, most prominently . . . the school of law.”

‘Preaching Sister’ at St. Paul of the Shipwreck Franciscan Sister Francesca Thompson will give a Black History Month reflection at the 10:30 Gospel/Jazz Mass at St. Paul of the Shipwreck on February 8. Sister Francesca is a longtime professor at Fordham University and has served on the Tony Award Board.

Known as the “Preaching Sister,” the popular lecturer has been a keynote speaker for the NAACP, two National Black Catholic Congresses, and at universities and ecumenical events across the country.

The Inspirational Voices of Shipwreck Choir will minister in song.

All are welcome. St. Paul of the Shipwreck is located at the corner of Jamestown and 3rd Street in San Francisco. For more information call 415-468-3434.

(CNS PHOTO FROM REUTERS)

A church-state coincidence: Pope meets U.S. bishops in election year

U.S. Democratic candidates for president gather for a debate in Greenville, S.C., Jan. 29. They are from left Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts, Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, Rev. Al Sharpton, retired Gen. Wesley Clark, former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Ohio, and Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina.

ments,” said U.S. Father Thomas D. Williams, a member of the Legionaries of Christ in Rome.

U.S. Father Robert A. Gahl, an Opus Dei priest who teaches on morality and ethics in Rome, said he thought the question of same-sex marriage could turn into

the big election-year issue because, even more than abortion, it is a legislative question in the United States.

The challenge, Father Gahl said, will be to make it clear that the pope is promoting moral principles and not a particular political strategy.

Stanford. . .

Dominican Father Patrick LaBelle, Director of Campus Ministry for Stanford’s Catholic Community.

Rodriguez commented on the importance of speaking at the campus: “Social commitment is very important in our modern world.

We have a tendency to disassociate faith from the ordinary life. We have to put our faith to work to lead us to a better humanity in peace.”

“We need to build the church not only as a house of community but a school of community. We need to live in communion and grow in communion. It’s not only a matter of individuality but a community that grows together.”

Mary Coady of Menlo Park said she liked what Rodriguez said about the importance of the human being, that it’s not what we have but who we are. “He was able to tell us, who come from a very privileged country, some of the vital lessons we have to consider.”

As part of events marking the centennial of the Catholic Community at Stanford, Cardinal Rodriguez concelebrated Mass at the Stanford Chapel with local bishops including San Francisco Archbishop William J. Levada, San Francisco Auxiliary Bishops John C. Wester and Ignatius Wang, and Bishop of San Jose Patrick. J. McGrath.

■ Continued from cover As Secretary General and president of the Latin American Episcopal Conference from 1987 until the late 1990s, Rodriguez denounced the region’s foreign debt burden.

“It’s necessary to remove the tombstone over many countries. When you look at the interest paid by these countries, there’s even more injustice. How can we develop? We cannot. Our first exports are American currency, illegal immigrants and drugs.”

His talk was part of the Catholic Community at Stanford’s Centennial Lecture series, marking 100 years of service at the university, which began as the Newman club, formed in the basement of St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Palo Alto. Today, an estimated 30 to 40 percent of Stanford students and faculty identify themselves as Roman Catholics, making Catholicism the most represented religious group at Stanford.

“I am very happy we could have someone from that level of church leadership come to offer a compassionate and intelligent challenge to our academic community,” said

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