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Stanford students build greenhouse for monastery
Gift of Holy Land oil to be used in annual blessing
20 Catholic schools join in Riordan choral festival
CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO Newspaper of the Archdiocese of San Francisco
www.catholic-sf.org
SERVING SAN FRANCISCO, MARIN & SAN MATEO COUNTIES
APRIL 4, 2019
$1.00 | VOL. 21 NO. 7
Confessors on confession Four priests on the ‘life-changing’ beauty of reconciliation CHRISTINA GRAY CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO
Every Tuesday evening since Ash Wednesday, confessional lights have been blinking in parishes all around the Archdiocese of San Francisco as part of “The Light is On for You” campaign. The Lenten campaign, originated in the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C., and the Diocese of Arlington, Virginia, a decade ago and adopted by other dioceses since, is designed to encourage the faithful to go to confession. By offering the sacrament of reconciliation at a universal time frame in all parishes – mostly 6-8 p.m. – and a website with a step-by-step guide including prayers and preparatory tools for the examination of one’s conscience, the idea is to make confession more accessible and approachable for more people. Catholic San Francisco talked to four parish priests about the fruits of the sacrament of reconciliation and penance. While each shared a unique perspective, all agreed that the sacrament can be spiritually transformative and encourage more Catholics to make it a part of their lives.
‘It is like God opening up the shades of my soul and letting the light in more clearly.’
CINDY WOODEN CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE
High School, credits the sacrament for a “turnaround” in how he used to see things and “how I used to live and act” as a young college student.
ABOARD THE PAPAL FLIGHT TO ROME – To fight clerical sexual abuse, the Catholic Church must have clear laws and procedures, but it also must engage in “spiritual combat,” because it is obvious the devil is at work, Pope Francis said. After the Vatican summit on abuse in February, the pope said, he read a newspaper article that said he had “washed his hands and blamed the devil” for the abuse crisis. Speaking to reporters March 31 on his way back to Rome from Morocco, the pope said stopping abuse requires a multi-pronged approach, including prayer and penance. Pope Francis said that is why he asked the U.S. bishops not to vote in November on a new code of conduct
SEE CONFESSORS, PAGE 22
SEE POPE, PAGE 10
FATHER CAMERON FALLER,
Parochial vicar, Church of the Epiphany, San Francisco
FATHER CAMERON FALLER, Parochial vicar, Church of the Epiphany, San Francisco
Father Cameron Faller, whose first assignment as a young priest in 2015 was as chaplain at Archbishop Riordan
‘Spiritual combat’ must be part of abuse fight, pope says
Seminary professor: Clergy governance in church serves lay vocation NICHOLAS WOLFRAM SMITH CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO
While the abuse crisis has shaken trust in the church, Dominican Father Pius Pietrzyk, an assistant professor of pastoral studies and chair of the Pastoral Studies Department at St. Patrick’s Seminary & University, told Catholic San Francisco that the church’s governance structure is fundamentally sound. “Canon law reserves governance in the church to clergy, while permitting laity to cooperate in that governance,” said Father Pietrzyk, who is also a canon and civil lawyer. Governance in the church involves “the authority to issue binding decisions on a community,” whether in a
‘The idea that lay people come properly into their own by doing essentially what are clerical things,’ whether in governance, worship or teaching ‘is certainly not the vision of the (Second Vatican) council.’ DOMINICAN FATHER PIUS PIETRZYK, Pastoral Studies Department chair, St. Patrick’s Seminary & University
ture of collaboration between clergy and laity” to address the twin crises of clergy abuse and leadership failure. For Father Pietrzyk, whatever form the exercise of governance takes in the church, it depends on the authority of the bishops, who are the successors of the Apostles. The authority exercised by clergy is in the name of and for the entire church, he said, while lay people exercise it for a personal good. The distinct functions of laity and clergy also affect governance in the church. The Second Vatican Council’s vision of the laity, he said, is to “act as a leaven for the world, to bring the kingdom of God to the world. The primary function of clerics is within the church
mer chancellor for the Archdiocese of legislative, executive or judicial form, St. Paul and Minneapolis, said changFather Pietrzyk said. ing canon law to allow lay people Father Pietrzyk shared his views at “authentic and honest participation” a time when governance is a growing could encourage renewal in a woundtopic of discussion in the U.S. church. personal way to honor your loved one’s patriotism to our country. ed church. Nationally, the Leadership In a Feb. 25 talk to law students atA UC If you have received honoring yourhas lovedcalled one's military it Roundtable for “aservice new and cul-would like to donate Berkeley, Jennifer Haselberger, a for- a flag SEE SEMINARY PROFESSOR, PAGE 8
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INDEX On the Street . . . . . . . . 4 National . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Faith . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . 26