March 8, 2018

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Deacon:

Pioneer black priest’s story relevant now

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Fr. O’Rourke: Honored for peacemaking in No. Ireland

mariana and carlos: An

unexpected path into the church through NFP

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CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO Newspaper of the Archdiocese of San Francisco

Serving San Francisco, Marin & San Mateo Counties

www.catholic-sf.org

March 8, 2018

$1.00  |  VOL. 20 NO. 5

Cardinal invites parishes to strengthen marriage, family life Mark Zimmermann Catholic News Service

WASHINGTON – Cardinal Donald W. Wuerl has called on all parishes and individual Catholics in the Washington archdiocese to help expand and strengthen the Catholic Church’s marriage and family outreach, guided by Pope Francis’ apostolic exhortation “Amoris Laetitia” (“The Joy of Love.”) He was joined at a special Mass March 4 at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle by families from throughout the archdiocese for the release of his broad and detailed pastoral plan for implementing “Amoris Laetitia” at the parish level. After Mass, the cardinal personally greeted the families in attendance – they represented the archdiocese’s 139 parishes in Washington and surrounding Maryland – and handed them copies of the plan, titled “Sharing in the Joy of Love in Marriage and Family.” Cardinal Wuerl in his homily invited local Catholics to join in that work. He said hoped the gesture of handing the plan to the families after Mass “will be a see cardinal, page 8

(Photo by Dennis Callahan/Catholic San Francisco)

Rite of Election

Parish representatives process into St. Mary’s Cathedral on Feb. 18 holding the Book of the Elect from their respective communities, during the annual Rite of Election and Call to Continuing Conversion. The rite, a tradition on the First Sunday of Lent, marks a key step forward for candidates and catechumens preparing to enter the church at the Easter Vigil. Story and more photos on Page 6.

New website promotes Catholic arts to set faithful ‘on fire’ Lidia Wasowicz Catholic San Francisco

Expanding a recent San Francisco archdiocesan initiative to encourage reverent music and enrich liturgical life, a new website celebrates Catholic culture as a means to share and spread the faith. The online venture of the Benedict XVI Institute for Sacred Music and Divine Worship, founded in 2014 and based at St. Patrick’s Seminary & University in Menlo Park, offers information and inspiration in its wide-ranging content. From stage to screen, canvas to cinema, from ballet to biography, photography to poetry, creative enterprises of every genre find the spotlight at http:// benedictinstitute.org. Bemoaning the decline in “that noble, great and transcendent sense of art that the church has always given us,” Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone notes in a video welcoming site visitors: “Beauty is important because it’s one of the ways in which we

can be in touch with the divine and draw others to be in touch with the divine.” The Benedict XVI Institute, he says, aims to ensure that “every liturgy, every Mass is a real encounter with the Lord and sets people on fire for their faith,” as envisioned by the Holy Father whose name graces the organization. The website, designed with the assistance of the Emmy Award-winning Catholic-oriented production firm Spirit Juice Studios and launched Jan. 23, carries those goals beyond church walls. “Our mission is to open the door of beauty to God

by providing practical resources for more beautiful liturgies and by energizing a Catholic culture of the arts,” said Maggie Gallagher, the newly appointed executive director of the institute. A centerpiece of the electronic enterprise, the magazine Catholic Arts Today, provides a platform for Catholic artists and their sacred and secular work, featured in videos, articles, reviews, film clips, poetry readings and photographic displays. Each entry testifies to the force of faith. “Art is something that has come from God,” multimedia music composer Sean Beeson attests in the initial issue. “We have a responsibility to nurture … grow … and share it with other people.” He cites his wife’s advice that kept him going through turbulent and triumphant times: “If you’re going to worry, then don’t pray, but if you pray, then don’t worry.” In another video, Broadway actress Madison see b16 institute, page 7

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Index On the Street . . . . . . . . 4 National . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Faith . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . 23


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