DEACONS:
Archbishop ordains two transitional deacons
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DEFENDER OF LIFE:
HEALING MISSION:
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Pro-life warrior leaves lasting legacy
Hispanic Catholic Charismatic Renewal
CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO Newspaper of the Archdiocese of San Francisco
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MAY 6, 2021
$1.00 | VOL. 23 NO. 8
Pope: Be witnesses to Christ
Archbishop releases Pastoral Letter Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone is pictured at the monthly pro-life Mass at St. Mary’s Cathedral May 1 announcing the release of his first pastoral letter, “Before I Formed You in the Womb I Knew You.” The letter focuses on the dignity of the unborn, the reception of Holy Communion, and the responsibilities of Catholics in public life. See special 4-page section inside for an Executive Summary and Q&A from the Archbishop. Below, Pastoral Letter booklet cover
CAROL GLATZ CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE
VATICAN CITY – People can’t be good Christians if they do not choose to remain in Jesus, Pope Francis said. “We cannot be good Christians if we do not remain in Jesus. With him, though, we can do everything,” the pope said before reciting the “Regina Coeli” prayer May 2 with visitors in St. Peter’s Square. “Attached to Christ, we receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and in this way we can do good to our neighbor, we can do good to society, to the church,” he said. The pope reflected on the day’s Gospel reading (Jn 15:1-8) in which Jesus tells his disciples, “I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing.” Jesus presents himself as the true vine to which his disciples can remain united when they abide in him and vice versa.
Before I Formed You in the Womb I Knew You
A Pastoral Letter on the Human Dignity of the Unborn, Holy Communion, and Catholics in Public Life
By the Most Reverend Salvatore Joseph Cordileone Archbishop of San Francisco MAY 1, 2021 MEMORIAL OF SAINT JOSEPH THE WORKER
SEE POPE, PAGE 12
(PHOTO BY DENNIS CALLAHAN/CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO)
Cathedral celebrates 50th anniversary jubilee Mary’s assumption. Anthony Belluschi, son of one of the principal cathedral architects, Pietro Belluschi, will speak in August about his father’s architecture and legacy. An October lecture will have a St. Mary’s Cathedral, the mother church of the Vatican specialist discuss art preservation, and in Archdiocese of San Francisco, celebrated its 50th November a presentation in Spanish will discuss the anniversary May 5 with a vespers service led by spirituality of Our Lady of Guadalupe and the muArchbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone. ralist who made the cathedral’s Guadalupe mosaic. To celebrate the jubilee year of the cathedral, “The lectures are really exciting, and it all ties known formally as the Cathedral of St. Mary of the in with the genesis and the journey of the mother Assumption, the archdiocese will offer a lecture church of the Archdiocese of San Francisco,” Deaseries during the year and hold an art exhibit in con Sandoval said. October. October will be a special month in the cathedral “What we decided to do as we put this thing tojubilee year because of a weeklong exhibit of hisgether was to sing the praises of the last 50 years,” torical art and items connected to the archdiocese Deacon Christoph Sandoval, chair of the jubilee A personal way to honor your loved one’s patriotism to our country. Oct. 1-5. Young Catholic artists will also exhibit organizing committee, said. youJesuit have received a flag honoring your loved one's On May If31, Father Dorian Llywelyn willmilitary service and would like to donate it thethe cemetery to be flown as part of an “Avenue of Flags" Day, PAGE 3 lecturetoon historical background and belief inon Memorial Day, 4th of July and Veterans' SEE CATHEDRAL, NICHOLAS WOLFRAM SMITH CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO
“Avenue of Flags”
(PHOTO BY DENNIS CALLAHAN/CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO)
Drone shot of St. Mary’s Cathedral during an outdoor Mass Oct. 23, 2020.
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A Tradition of Faith Throughout Our Lives.
INDEX National . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Faith . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 SF Católico . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
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CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | MAY 6, 2021
NEED TO KNOW ARCHBISHOP ISSUES DECREE ON BAPTISM: Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone issued new instructions March 19 regarding baptism in the Archdiocese of San Francisco. The document was issued after a June 2020 decision by the Vatican that baptisms using an unapproved formula were invalid. The archbishop decreed that priests should be morally certain that those entering the church or receiving new sacraments havebeen validly baptized. The instructions offer a guide to discerning the validity of a baptism, how to proceed in the absence of a valid baptism and the validity of baptisms in other denominations. To read the decree, visit sfarch.org/chancellors-office. OUTREACH ON PASTORAL LETTER: All are invited for an afternoon conversation with Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone, May 7, 2021, 1-2:30 p.m. The talks begin outreach from the archbishop on his pastoral letter released May 1, 2021 on the dignity of the unborn, reception of Communion, and Catholics in public life. Hosting the event is Patricia Sandoval, an internationally known chastity speaker. Read the pastoral letter at InTheWomb.org. Register for the event at https://zoom.us/webinar/register/ WN_p526RCi0RzqJcf5xIGe2lQ. LIVE FROM ST. MARY’S CATHEDRAL: Enjoy the longest continuously running organ concert series in San Francisco, and other instrumental and vocal recitals as well, Sundays at 4 p.m. Currently not open to the public, the recitals are livestreamed at www.youtube.com/channel/UCy-mr3hbtmS85aebzGvGX5g. May 9: Quantum Quartet (Piano Quartet), with Jeanette Wilkin Tietze, piano; Wendy Loder, violin; Meg Eldridge, viola; and Joel Cohen, cello; May 16: St. Brigid School Honor Choir (Cathedral Choir School), spring concert; May 23: Folias Duo, featuring Carmen Maret, flute, and Andrew Bergeron, guitar; May 30: Duane Soubirous, organ; June 6: Ensemble 1828 (piano trio); June 13: Raymond Hawkins, organ; June 20: Hyunju Hwang, organ; June 27: Etienne Walhain (Belgium), organ.
ARCHBISHOP CORDILEONE’S SCHEDULE MAY 6: Confirmations, Our Lady of Mercy, Daly City, 4:30 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. MAY 8: Ordination Mass of Br. Victor, OFM Cap, Shrine of St. Francis of Assisi, 10:00 a.m. MAY 14: Diaconate Acolyte Installation Ceremony, St. Mary’s Cathedral, 6:00 p.m. MAY 15: Confirmations, St. Mary’s Cathedral, 10:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. MAY 16: Mass for 500 years of Christianity in the Philippines, St. Elizabeth, San Francisco, 11:30 a.m.
(PHOTOS BY DENNIS CALLAHAN/CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO)
Holy Hour for Vocations
More than 120 people gathered for World Day of Prayer for Vocations April 25 at St. Peter Church and Church of the Epiphany in San Francisco, St. Pius Church in Redwood City and St. Raphael Church in San Rafael. Pictured left at St. Peter Church is first-year seminarian Jeff Yano; far right is St. Peter Deacon Juan Antillon.
Archbishop ordains two transitional deacons NICHOLAS WOLFRAM SMITH CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO
San Francisco Archdiocese seminarians Deacon Jerald Geronimo and Deacon Gerardo Vazquez are one step closer to priesthood after their ordination to the transitional diaconate April 17, 2021, when Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone conferred Holy Orders upon the two in a small Mass at St. Patrick’s Seminary & University. Deacon Geronimo has been assigned to Church of the Epiphany, San Francisco for diaconal ministry and Deacon Vazquez has been assigned to St. Veronica Parish, South San Francisco. Growing up in “a solid Filipino family” in Daly City, priests were an important influence in Deacon Jerald Geronimo’s life and an example he wanted to follow. As a small child at his grandparents’ daycare, he would play at saying Mass and gather the other kids around him. “As I began to mature and grow older, that desire to become a priest never really went away,” he said. Deacon Geronimo credited eucharistic adoration, frequent prayer and devotion to Mary with helping him hear God’s call to enter the seminary and discern a vocation to priesthood. While it has been at times challenging, he said “what’s important in this process of seminary formation is to remember the final destination: you’re in seminary to do the will of the Lord and trust in the Lord.” Deacon Geronimo said he feels very blessed to be ordained and begin his ministry, since “the deacon is a custodian of hope and is called to bring that hope to others.” At the age of 5, Deacon Gerardo Vazquez told his parents that he wanted to be a priest.
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(PHOTO BY DERECK DELGADO/ST. PATRICK’S SEMINARY & UNIVERSITY)
Deacon Gerardo Vazquez, Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone and Deacon Jerald Geronimo after the diaconate ordination Mass April 17, 2021 at St. Patrick’s Seminary & University.
“Well, no one really takes a 5-year-old seriously,” he said laughing. Discerning his vocation took time, as he focused on math and science in high school. After studying aerospace engineering in college, he started working for Lockheed Martin. While his career progressed, he struggled at the time with his relationship with God. Hearing a talk at Our Lady of Peace, Santa Clara was the first step in becoming more deeply involved in his faith. He began spending more time in adoration and went to daily Mass and prayed frequently. As he spent more time dedicating himself to God, “I just realized there’s nothing else I want in life other than this,” he said. Now as a deacon, he feels “absolutely blessed” to be able to dedicate his prayers for the whole church and begin ministry as a deacon.
CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone Publisher Jan Potts Interim Director of Communications EDITORIAL Christina Gray, associate editor Tom Burke, senior writer Nicholas Wolfram Smith, reporter
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CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | MAY 6, 2021
CATHEDRAL: Celebrates 50th anniversary jubilee FROM PAGE 1
their work at the cathedral and hold a lecture on the future of Catholic art. At that year’s Rosary Rally Oct. 2, a new statue of St. Mary of the Assumption will be unveiled and used in a procession. Standing brightly against its San Francisco backdrop, the cathedral has been for 50 years a visual reminder of the presence of the Catholic Church in the city. Msgr. John Talesfore, rector of the cathedral between 2003-2015 and now pastor of St. Matthew Parish, San Mateo said St. Mary’s, with its “bold, unmistakable” profile, is “there to be the center of the proclamation of the Gospel in a modern context.” The cathedral is the center of the archdiocese’s liturgical celebrations and has welcomed important figures over the years, including Bishop Fulton J. Sheen, St. Teresa of Calcutta and St. John Paul II and has witnessed the funerals of a cardinal, mayor, bishops and countless others. Archbishop Joseph T. McGucken was faced with building a new cathedral less than six months after he was installed in the Archdiocese of San Francisco in 1962, when the former cathedral at the corner of Van Ness Avenue and O’Farrell Street burned down. While initial plans for the cathedral envisioned a design more typical of church architecture in the area, Msgr. Talesfore said Archbishop McGucken was persuaded to take a different tack and “do what the church has done throughout the ages, which is to build
(ARCHIVES OF THE ARCHDIOCESE OF SAN FRANCISCO/MONITOR NEWSPAPER PHOTOGRAPH MORGUE)
Cathedral architect Pietro Belluschi, San Francisco Archbishop Joseph T. McGucken and cathedral rector Msgr. Thomas J. Bowe presented a model of the cathedral at a news conference Jan. 24, 1964. the best it can with the art and technology at hand.” Pietro Belluschi, dean of MIT’s architectural school, and Italian architect Pier-Luigi Nervi led the cathedral design team, while local architect Paul Ryan was responsible for many of its details. Cathedral construction broke ground in 1965 and on May 5, 1971, the new cathedral was formally blessed. At its start, the cathedral attracted controversy over its $9 million price
tag and design. It has since been appreciated by architects and tourists, but has also attracted derision locally. Msgr. Talesfore said while growing up, his family often drove by the construction site, and his mother remarked it would be better as a skating rink. At the time, he recalled, “I never really appreciated it.” As a priest, and especially while serving as cathedral rector and pastor for a dozen years, he came to see it not
only as an “architectural and engineering marvel,” but as a touchstone of Catholic life in the archdiocese. “I was awestruck by the noble simplicity of the cathedral and the awesome integrity of it, as a unified art form, at the service of the church and its worship,” he said. Vatican II in “Sacrosanctum concilium” explained that a cathedral has a special status in the life of the local church. The document said “the preeminent manifestation of the church consists in the full active participation of all God’s holy people in liturgical celebrations” presided over by the local bishop. St. Mary’s Cathedral is “is not just another parish,” Msgr. Talesfore said, but is at the heart of the church’s life in the Archdiocese of San Francisco. For Deacon Sandoval, the cathedral’s Marian dedication and emphasis on Marian devotion, its interfaith work, and its status as a center of community life and celebrations make it outstanding in the archdiocese. Many people also find it “a place of sanctuary (when) facing trials,” he said. Finally, the cathedral, as the seat of the archbishop, links the archdiocese to the global church and to the pope. Msgr. Talesfore invited people “to appreciate what we have here and I challenge them to recognize that we’re all responsible for our cathedral as well as our parish church.” He encouraged Catholics to make a pilgrimage to the cathedral, praying at each shrine, starting with the one to Our Lady of Guadalupe and ending at the tabernacle.
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CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | MAY 6, 2021
Raymond Dennehy: Pro-life warrior dies at 86 LIDIA WASOWICZ CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO
Raymond Dennehy spent his life fighting for life. On April 19, 2021, his courageous life ended at the age of 86. For 50 years, the philosophy professor, debater, writer and crusader rushed in where even many faithful Catholics fear to tread: Raymond the front lines of the Dennehy war against what has come to be called “the culture of death.”
His unrelenting battle against abortion, euthanasia and assisted suicide placed him at odds with prominent and powerful opponents: Planned Parenthood, the Hemlock Society, the American Civil Liberties Union, the National Organization for Women. Often alone, he stood his ground, armed with a thick skin, an unshakable belief in church teaching and a wicked wit true to his Irish heritage. Unflappable, he refused to surrender, helping clear the field for advancing pro-life forces. “With his absolute belief in and crystal-clear vision of faith and
doctrine, he witnessed, he preached, he taught, he went anywhere anytime to debate anyone on any of the life issues, influencing many young people to carry on the fight,” said John Hamlon, who met Dennehy at the University of San Francisco many decades ago. Dennehy was a Professor of Philosophy at the University of San Francisco for 41 years and held the distinguished title of Professor Emeritus. He frequently received invitations to debate abortion and speak to young people. The University of California, Berkeley, offered him a stage for 50 consecutive semesters.
In retirement and until his death last month, Dennehy spent his days penning books dedicated to his parents, his wife of 30 years, his four children and his 12 grandchildren. “I think at times we don’t even see the plan God has for us, and for me, it’s been to fight for life,” a mission he said he would carry out “until I reach room temperature.” This is an edited version of a story that appeared in Catholic San Francisco in 2019. For the full story, which was recognized with a first place award from the Catholic Press Association in 2020, visit catholic-sf.org/news/warrior-for-life.
Mercy Sisters celebrate jubilees Eight Sisters of Mercy who entered the Burlingame community are celebrating jubilees in 2021. The jubilarians have served in nursing, teaching, counseling, health, housing, prison and campus ministries. The Burlingame community is part of the Sisters of Mercy West-Midwest and will become the Institute of the Sisters of Mercy in summer 2021.
75 years
Sister Mary Anita Iddings, RSM: Sister Mary Anita holds a degree in nursing from the University of San Francisco and has served in positions in administration and nursing education. She established the first licensed vocational school in a penal institution in the U.S. at San Quentin Prison. Sister Mary Anita lives in retirement at Marian Life Care Center in Burlingame. She feels her current calling is the gift of old age.
70 years
Sister Carol Baetz, RSM: Sister Carol was a high school teacher for 23 years and an ESL teacher for 19 years at Mercy High School, San Francisco, and Bishop Conaty High School in Los Angeles. Other ministries included patient advocate at Mercy Hospital San Diego, four years on the Burlingame Community leadership team, director of a Mercy-sponsored House of Prayer in Chatsworth, California. Sister Marguerite Buchanan, RSM:
Community Heath, and Vice President of Corporate Responsibility.
Sister Mary Anita Iddings
Sister Carol Baetz
Sister Susan Vickers
Sister Marguerite Buchanan
Sister Mary Ann Hills
Sister Marguerite spent 30 years in teaching and was principal of both Mercy High School Burlingame and Mercy High San Francisco. After working in prisons and jails with both men and women, she founded St. Vincent de Paul’s Catherine’s Center, a home and program for women leaving prison. She continues as spiritual advisor and president of the SVdP Catherine’s Center board.
60 years
Sister Patsy Harney, RSM: Sister Patsy’s 60th year as a Sister of Mercy coincides with her 30th year at Mercy Housing. Her ministry at Mercy Hous-
Sister Rosanne McGrath
Sister Mary Ann Hills, RSM: Sister Mary Ann knew she wanted to be a Sister of Mercy in first grade. She began her Mercy ministry as a teacher, then served in leadership for the Mercy Community as a General Councilor. She worked with Catholic Charities, and then as a counselor for Marian Care Center and as a Mercy vocation director. She has been a pastoral counselor at O’Connor Woods in Stockton since 1998.
Sister Patsy Harney
Sister Sheron Dolan
ing draws upon earlier experiences in education, counseling and as liaison to the Sisters of Mercy Peru Mission. She is currently Resident Services Coordinator for Mercy Housing in San Francisco. Sister Susan Vickers, RSM: Sister Susan began her ministry in the Mercy Community as an elementary school teacher and principal both in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and the Archdiocese of San Francisco. She was director of Community Health at Catholic Healthcare West, and director of advocacy. With Dignity Health she was Vice President Director of
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Sister Rosanne McGrath, RSM: Sister Rosanne has been an elementary school teacher, a religious education coordinator, a holistic health practitioner and a massage therapist. She taught ESL at Vista Adult school in Vista, California and is Director of Hospitality and Foundation Representative at Scripps Mercy Hospital in San Diego.
25 years
Sister Sheron Dolan, RSM: Sister Sharon has been director of campus ministry at University of San Francisco and in Mercy Community leadership in Burlingame. She found her most exciting ministry opportunity in creating and administering the Art for Healing Program at Mercy Hospital in Bakersfield. She now serves as a volunteer driver for the American Cancer Society getting patients to and from their chemo treatments.
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CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | MAY 6, 2021
Healing in the Mission after more than a year LORENA ROJAS SAN FRANCISCO CATÓLICO
The pandemic put a stop to a “Days of Evangelization” weekend planned by the the Hispanic Catholic Charismatic Renewal of San Francisco’s Mission parishes for April 2020. More than one year later on April 1617, the event took place for the parishioners of St. Peter, St. Anthony and St. Charles parishes. The event began Friday night with a Mass of Healing and Deliverance at St. Peter. Saturday included both a eucharistic retreat at St. Anthony and a Mass of adoration at St. Peter. Serving as homilist and celebrant of the Mass of healing and deliverance was Father José Ramírez, (known internationally as Father Joselito), a longtime priest in Nicaragua who was transferred last year to Querétaro, México. Father Ramírez is a priest with the order of Capuchin Tertiary Religious of Our Lady of Sorrows, or Amigonian Friars. “This priest has a special gift, he dedicates so much time in prayer,” said Alejandro Galo, president of the Hispanic charismatic renewal. Galo told San Francisco Catolico that
(PHOTO BY LORENA ROJAS/SAN FRANCISCO CATÓLICO)
Father José Ramírez raises the Blessed Sacrament during a Mass of Healing and Freedom at St. Peter Church on April 16. he witnessed “many signs of deliverance” from the wounds left by COVID-19 during the Mass. Parishioners still fear congregating in large groups, he said, despite COVID-19 safety protocols. Father Ramírez prayed for the ability
OBITUARY SISTER MARGARET ANN CHINCHOLLE, CSJ
Sister Margaret Ann Chincholle died April 21, 2021. A Sister of St. Joseph of Orange for 75 years, she celebrated her 92nd birthday April 8, 2021. Sister Margaret Ann was born and raised in San Francisco attending St. Joan of Arc and Notre Dame des Victoires schools in San Francisco both tended by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Orange. Sister Margaret “Education was her passion,” her Ann Chincholle congregation said in a statement. “Even when she ‘retired’ in 2007, Sister Margaret Ann volunteered as a tutor at Our Lady of Pillar School in Santa Ana and as a mentor with the CSJ Education Network until 2021.” A funeral Mass abiding all COVID-19 protocols was celebrated May 1, 2021. Remembrances may be made in Sister Margaret Ann’s name to the Sisters of St. Joseph of Orange, Mission Advancement Office, 440 S. Batavia St., Orange CA 92868.
Serving the Archdiocese of San Francisco.
of the faithful to discern between the spirit of good and the spirit of evil, and to know that good always triumphs. To have this certainty, one needs to obey God above people, he said. If people trust in God, they will feel encouraged to return to religious services
while respecting the COVID-19 security measures. Father Ramírez acknowledged the reluctance of some to return to church and his belief that those who continue to distance themselves from the church may have “become comfortable with virtual services.” “In-person Masses are essential,” he said. He was gratified to see so many parishioners at the Mass at St. Peter. In his homily he insisted that it is necessary to experience the Eucharist in person, “with all one’s soul.” At the eucharistic retreat, Father Moisés Agudo, pastor of the three Mission parishes, asked the faithful present to trust in the risen Jesus and offered them a blessing. The event was livestreamed. Maritza Rosales knew Father Ramírez from her native country, Nicaragua. She came to ask God for an end to the pandemic, and to keep her faith strong. The charismatics in the Mission “really needed to have an encounter like this, this is what we needed,” she said. “I felt the presence of God during the healing Mass,” said Rosales. “I felt happy to have been there, and to see many other people so happy.”
Colette Lafia’s The Divine Heart Draws Us Close LIZ DOSSA MERCY SISTERS COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR
Colette Lafia’s newly published “The Divine Heart: Seven Ways to Live in God’s Love” is an intimate, personal book. Using the pains and delights of her own life, in this, her third book, she guides readers to explore their own spiritual depths. Lafia wrote the book before the pandemic, but as she says in the introduction, “The Divine Heart” shows us a way to healing during this tragic time. She offers the book as “a guidebook to find your way around this landscape that is filled with loss and hope.” The book is one to read slowly and savor chapter by chapter. Lafia’s tone is gentle and loving, a tone shaped by her life experiences. We trust her wisdom because she reveals how her spirituality grew out of the pain in her life. Her faith was real to her even as a child. She remembers moments when she sensed God’s nearness, a palpable sense of the holy. On the beach running when she was 7, she saw a seagull soaring above her. “Suddenly I was overcome with a sense of vastness – as though I was that seagull flying freely in the infinitely blue sky.” Other simple moments are remembered as gifts, tokens of presence, incarnation in the everyday. She presents them as a spiritual director, prompting us to see the presence of God around us, if we are only quiet enough to notice. Lafia knows that routine is important to carry out intention. The book is divided into seven chapters: Receptivity, Delight, Expansiveness, Acceptance, Vulnerability, Mystery and Gratitude. She invites the
reader to explore each theme through reflections and suggestions for journal writings and prayers. It’s a good, practical format and the book can be used with chapters as a series of daily retreats. Her focus is deeply feminine, following the paths of Mechthild of Magdeburg, Catherine of Siena and St. Thérèse of Lisieux, a journey into the Christian contemplative tradition. She began through Sacred Journey program at Mercy Center in Burlingame, developed in Mercy’s spiritual direction program, and continued at the Center for Contemplation and Action in New Mexico. The Center’s intention is to resurrect the mystical Christian lineage. One of her most effective chapters is on mystery which points us to ways of solitude, but the goal is to reach out into life, not to isolate ourselves behind our locked doors. She quotes Benedictine monk David Steindl-Rast: “God’s inexhaustible poetry comes to me in five languages: seeing, hearing, smelling, touching and tasting.” The world is present to her in that inexhaustible poetry, and she shares it with us through her book. Colette Lafia is a spiritual director, retreat leader, and author who draws from the contemplative Christian tradition. She is a graduate of the Spiritual Directors’ Institute at Mercy Center in Burlingame, and recently completed the “Living School” program in the Christian contemplative and mystical traditions at the Center For Action and Contemplation. “The Divine Heart” is her third book, following Comfort & Joy: Simple Ways to Care for Ourselves and Others, and Seeking Surrender: How My Friendship with a Trappist Monk Taught Me to Trust and Embrace Life.
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CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | MAY 6, 2021
Wisconsin opens investigation of sexual abuse in the state’s five dioceses CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE
MADISON, Wis. – The Wisconsin Department of Justice is opening a statewide investigation of abuse by clergy and faith leaders within the state’s five dioceses. “We’re conducting this review to promote greater accountability and to promote healing for victims” as well as improving the response to abuse and preventing future abuse cases, Attorney General said Attorney General Josh Kaul Josh Kaul during an April 27 news conference outside the Wisconsin State Capitol. Leaders of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee and the dioceses of Green Bay, La Crosse, Madison and Superior, and the Norbertines at St. Norbert Abbey acknowledged in statements released as Kaul was meeting with reporters that they joined the attorney general during a teleconference April 26 to discuss the planned investigation. Each diocese also said the review will look at historical cases rather than reports of new allegations of sexual abuse. The statements from the dioceses and the religious order said requests for documents from the Wisconsin
Department of Justice will undergo legal review before a decision is made on how to respond. “Although we will take a look at the specific details of the attorney general’s request when it is received, we have concerns about the negative impacts this could have on abuse survivors because the publicity has the potential to re-victimize individuals,” Jerry Topczewski, chief of staff to Milwaukee Archbishop Jerome E. Listecki, said in a statement. Topczewski said the archdiocese does not “understand the legal basis for the inquiry.” “We also question why only the Catholic Church is being singled out for this type of review when sexual abuse is a societal issue,” his statement said. With the announcement, Wisconsin becomes the 23rd state to investigate reports of abuse within Catholic entities. Kaul said the inquiry will include working with the district attorneys in the home county of each diocese. In preparing for the investigation, Kaul said his office has looked at how other states have conducted their reviews of Catholic clergy sexual abuse. “We’ve looked to ensure this review is victim-centric,” he explained. “And we’ve made sure that we have the resources in place to conduct this review effectively.” Investigators will be seeking documents from dioceses and religious orders, Kaul said. He also asked
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“anyone with knowledge of abuse and institutional response to contact us.” The Department of Justice has established a toll-free line, 877-222-2620, and an online reporting system at supportsurvivors.widoj.gov/ to accept reports. Kaul invited abuse survivors, family members and supporters to make reports whether they have done so in the past or have not done so yet. “We strongly encourage anyone who knows anything to report. No detail is too small,” Kaul said. “If you have reported before, we would like you to contact us. If you haven’t reported before, we would like to you to contact us.” Four of the Wisconsin dioceses, the Society of Jesus and the Norbertines’ St. Norbert Abbey in De Pere, Wisconsin, have published lists of clergy with credible abuse allegations against them. The Superior Diocese has said it is continuing to compile its list and plans to release it by the end of the year. Each diocese stressed that it has taken sexual abuse seriously and has complied with the “Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People” since its adoption by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in 2002. In their statements, the dioceses also emphasized the changes that have occured in reporting and investigating abuse allegations.
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CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | MAY 6, 2021
Christian advocates praise Biden for recognizing Armenian genocide CATHOLIC NEWS AGENCY
Christian advocates praised President Joe Biden for officially recognizing the Armenian genocide in April. “Each year on this day, we remember the lives of all those who died in the Ottoman-era Armenian genocide and recommit ourselves to preventing such an atrocity from ever again occurring,” Biden stated on Saturday, April 24, Armenian Remembrance Day. Biden’s historic statement marked the first official recognition of the genocide by a U.S. president, and the first time since Reagan that a sitting president referred to the genocide by name. Turkey, which has long denied that a genocide took place, criticized the statement. A spokesman for Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan on April 25 ˘ called the statement “simply outrageous,” Reuters reported. Advocates for religious freedom praised Biden’s statement, however. Toufic Baaklini, president of the group In Defense of Christians (IDC), stated in response that “IDC sends its deepest thanks and congratulations to President Biden on becoming the first president in U.S. history to recognize the Armenian Christian Genocide.” “While we hope that this brings some solace and consolation to Armenians around the world who have fought for this day, we also hope that it will por-
(CNS PHOTO/KEVIN LAMARQUE, REUTERS)
President Joe Biden officially recognized the Armenian Genocide on Saturday, April 24, Armenian Remembrance Day. It was the first official recognition of the genocide by a U.S. president. tend greater reflection and a renewed commitment to speak up and stand against the perpetration of crimes against humanity everywhere,” stated Tony Perkins, vice-chair of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), the same day. April 24 marked the 106th anniversary of the beginning of the Armenian genocide, when Ottoman authorities began arresting Armenian intellectuals and leaders in Constantinople. The empire commenced a
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campaign of mass displacement, family separation, death marches, starvation, and other abuses inflicted upon the empire’s mostly-Christian Armenian population. An estimated 1.5 million Armenians perished in the genocide. The empire targeted other minorities as well, including Greek, Syriac, and Chaldean Christians. On Saturday, advocates insisted that the atrocities inflicted on these populations be remembered. “IDC also remembers the additional 1.9 million Greeks, Assyrians, Chaldeans, Syriacs, Arameans, and Maronites who were also killed for their Christian faith, and further calls on the administration to recognize the devastating effect this genocide had against the region’s greater Christian community,” the group stated. “The White House commendably joins the U.S. Congress in recognizing as genocide the horrific killings of countless Armenians – as well as Greeks, Assyrians, Chaldeans, Syriacs, Arameans, Maronites, and other religious and ethnic minorities – in the final years of the Ottoman Empire,” said Gayle Manchin, chair of USCIRF. While U.S. officials have at times called the slaughter of Armenians “genocide,” they have largely refrained from official recognitions of the genocide due to the U.S. relationship with Turkey, a NATO member. The U.S. did submit a written statement on the Armenian genocide to the International Court of Justice in 1951, and President Ronald Reagan mentioned it in a 1981 statement in remembrance of the Holocaust. Joint congressional resolutions in 1975 and in 1984 used the term “genocide.” In 2019, the U.S. House passed a resolution recognizing the genocide; efforts to pass a resolution in the Senate were stymied, reportedly at the request of the White House which did not want the resolution to encourage Turkey to accept a missile system from Russia. The Senate did eventually pass a genocide resolution before the end of the year. USCIRF called Biden’s statement “a significant and long overdue step to acknowledge the reality of the nature of those atrocities.” Remembrance of the genocide must spur efforts to fight present-day genocides, said USCIRF Vice Chair Anurima Bhargava. “This includes refocusing efforts on a genocide determination for the atrocities committed against the Rohingya people and working to hold the Chinese government accountable for the genocide and crimes against humanity that it continues to perpetrate against Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims in Xinjiang,” Bhargava stated. Earlier in April, the U.S. bishops’ conference and leaders of the U.S. Armenian Catholic Church issued statements in advance of Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day. Armenian church leaders asked Biden to recognize the genocide by name.
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InTheWomb.org |
CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | MAY 6, 2021
PASTORAL LETTER PL1
Archbishop Releases Pastoral Letter At the Archdiocese of San Francisco’s monthly pro-life Mass at St. Mary’s Cathedral May 1, Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone announced the first pastoral letter of his episcopacy, titled “Before I Formed You in the Womb I Knew You.” The letter focuses on the dignity of the unborn, the reception of Holy Communion, and the responsibilities of Catholics in public life. Archbishop Cordileone said he wrote the letter because he felt the need
to “make a clear statement of the moral gravity of abortion and the basic principles that should guide Catholics, both private citizens and those who have a role in public life.” The full letter is available to read or download at InTheWomb.org, along with explanatory resources and an opportunity to subscribe to receive notice of upcoming related events.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Before I Formed You in the Womb I Knew You
A Pastoral Letter on the Human Dignity of the Unborn, Holy Communion and Catholics in Public Life “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I dedicated you, a prophet to the nations I appointed you” (Jer 1:5). A young Jeremiah heard the Lord speak these words to him over 2500 years ago. In these times in which we are living, the scourge of abortion ignores the reality that humans are made in the image of God, known and beloved by God. This pastoral letter addresses all Catholics, but especially Catholics in public life, calling for deep reflection on the evil of abortion and on the meaning of receiving Holy Communion, the Bread of Life.
ARCHBISHOP OF SAN FRANCISCO MOST REVEREND SALVATORE JOSEPH CORDILEONE
There are four pivotal points to this letter:
1
The gravity of the evil of abortion: Science teaches that human life begins at conception. The ending of life through abortion deeply wounds the woman and destroys the foundation of a just society; it is a “pre-eminent priority” because it violates the right to life, the foundation of all other rights. As Catholics we must be a voice for the voiceless and the powerless; there is no one more defenseless than a child in the womb.
2
Cooperation in moral evil: Who bears culpability when an abortion takes place? It is never solely the mother’s act. Those who kill or assist in killing the child are directly involved in performing a seriously evil act. Someone who pressures or encourages the mother to have an abortion, who pays for it or provides financial assistance to organizations that provide abortions, or who supports candidates who advance pro-abortion legislation also cooperate by varying degrees in a grave moral evil.
3
The meaning of choosing to receive the Holy Eucharist: The Church has taught consistently for 2000 years that those who receive the Eucharist are publicly professing their Catholic faith and are seriously striving to live by the moral teachings of the Church. Those who reject the teaching of the Church on the sanctity of human life and those who do not seek to live in accordance with that teaching place themselves in contradiction to the communion of the Church, and so should not receive the sacrament of that communion, the Holy Eucharist. We all fall short in various ways, but there is a great difference between struggling to live according to the teachings of the Church and rejecting those teachings.
4
The responsibilities of Catholics in public life: From the three points above it follows that Catholics prominent in public life have a special responsibility to bear witness to the fullness of Church teaching. In addition to their own spiritual good there is also the danger of scandal: that is, by their false witness, other Catholics may come to doubt the Church’s teaching on abortion, the Holy Eucharist, or both. This is becoming increasingly challenging in our time. We are all called to conversion, not only those Catholics who are prominent in public life. Let us understand what is at stake here and work together in building a culture of life. To those who need to hear this message clearly: Turn away from evil and return home to the fullness of your Catholic faith. We await you with open arms to welcome you back with joy.
PL2
CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | MAY 6, 2021
Q
PASTORAL LETTER
| InTheWomb.org
CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | MAY 6, 2021
PL3
Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone at the altar during the Confirmation Mass Nov. 21, 2020 at St. Mary’s Cathedral
A
Before I Formed You in the Womb I Knew You Excerpts from Archbishop Cordileone’s Questions & Answers related to the Pastoral Letter on the Human Dignity of the Unborn, Holy Communion, and Catholics in Public Life
Q A
Why this Pastoral Letter, and why now?
Abortion and the issues surrounding it have been with us for very many years, and will continue to be with us. I have long felt the need to make a clear statement of the moral gravity of abortion and the basic principles that should guide Catholics, both private citizens and those who have a role in public life. I have been working on this Pastoral Letter for a long time, but did not want to publish it during the election year, precisely to avoid further confusion among those who would misperceive this as “politicizing” the issue. Regardless of which political party is in power at a given moment, we all need to review some basic truths and moral principles.
Q A
In the wake of the recent election advocates of abortion have advanced their cause. Is this Letter directed to any individuals in particular?
I have taken great care to limit my Letter to stating general truths and moral principles. My hope is that this Letter will be helpful to all people in public life, especially Catholics, in understanding how best to advance justice for all.
Q A
Abortion is a complex and controverted issue, both here and around the world. What help can this short Pastoral Letter provide?
The issue of abortion in and of itself is simple: it is the ending of an innocent human life. Certainly, in any particular case the circumstances surrounding it are often indeed many and complex.
The Catholic Church has been dealing with the human condition for 2,000 years, and so has great wisdom in helping people discern God’s will for them in concrete situations. But the fundamental truth that abortion involves the taking of an innocent human life must never be lost sight of. Any options being considered must never for a moment lose sight of that reality.
Q A
But isn’t the question of whether this is a human life itself a matter of debate?
It is not a matter of debate; it is the subject of much obfuscation. Pro-abortion proponents speak of “the product of conception,” or “a potential human being.” I don’t know precisely what they mean, so I do not know if they have entered the world of ethics, metaphysics, or psychology. But they have left the world of science. A living, growing, developing organism with the DNA, cellular makeup, and bodily structure of a human being is a human being. Misleading slogans also muddy the issue: “A woman’s right to choose …” never completes the sentence. If the rest of the sentence is “… to take the life of an innocent human being,” the answer must be, “No, she does not.”
Q A
Your description of the moral evil of abortion is clear and direct. Why the rather complex presentation of the degrees of cooperation in moral evil?
From twenty centuries of spiritual guidance the Catholic Church has developed a very nuanced understanding of human culpability in wrongdoing. A moral principle itself can be
(PHOTO BY DENNIS CALLAHAN/CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO)
simple (e.g., killing an innocent human being is gravely wrong), but the degree of personal guilt is affected by many factors, above all the knowledge that something is wrong and the free decision to do the wrong. These factors do not change the objective reality, but they do mitigate subjective blame. This is why spiritual guidance and confession play such an important role in our moral tradition. The basic distinction between formal and material cooperation touches on the importance of the will: if I know something to be wrong and still freely choose to do it, I both intend and commit a moral evil. This is formal cooperation. Material cooperation, on the other hand, can be altered by the seriousness of the act and the proximity of what I do in connection with that act. If I believe abortion to be wrong but help perform abortions, this is immediate material cooperation. Very clearly: formal cooperation and immediate material cooperation in an evil act can never be condoned. But, given the interconnectedness of the world in which we live, it is very difficult to avoid at least some very remote cooperation in moral evils (for example, purchasing goods from businesses that employ underpaid workers laboring in inhumane conditions). This nuanced approach can be helpful to Catholics in public life in determining where and how to stand up in defense of human moral values.
Read the full Q&A and Pastoral Letter at InTheWomb.org
Q A
How does this understanding of cooperation in moral evil apply to the question of the reception of the Holy Eucharist?
The starting point, of course, is that none of us is ever truly worthy to receive the Eucharist, which is the very Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ. Christ has given us this precious Sacrament precisely so that we can make progress on the path to holiness and grow ever more deeply in our union with Him. However, receiving the Eucharist is a public act by which the recipient affirms that he or she believes what the Church teaches in matters of faith and morals, and is regulating his or her life accordingly. In the case of a public figure who is Catholic and actively promotes abortion, there is a fundamental disconnect: to affirm Catholic faith and at the same time to actively oppose one of the Church’s most fundamental moral teachings (the sanctity of human life) is a contradiction. This is not a matter of one’s subjective spiritual state, but
of persistent, obdurate, and public rejection of Catholic teaching.
Q A
What is the bishop’s authority in this matter?
The Eucharist and the bishop are intimately united, because from the time of the New Testament to our own day the communion of the Church has found its fullest expression in the community of believers sharing in the Eucharist with its bishop, who is the successor of the apostles. Already at the beginning of the second century St. Ignatius of Antioch wrote to the Church at Smyrna: “Nobody must do anything that has to do with the Church without the bishop’s approval. You should regard that Eucharist as valid which is celebrated either by the bishop or by someone he authorizes. Where the bishop is present, there let the congregation gather, just as where Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic Church.” If a bishop has members of his flock who are erring and causing others to wander from the truth, he has a moral obligation to call them to account. This should be done privately at first, and with great patience. However, if every other medicine fails, it may be necessary for them to refrain from receiving the Holy Eucharist until they repent. See full Q&A at InTheWomb.org.
PL4 PASTORAL LETTER
| InTheWomb.org
CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | MAY 6, 2021
A Response to Archbishop Cordileone’s Pastoral Letter on the Human Dignity of the Unborn, Holy Communion and Catholics in Public Life I am very grateful to our Archbishop for addressing this serious matter in a forthright and sensitive way. Abortion continues to be an extremely emotional and divisive issue here and throughout the world, and it is necessary for us as Catholics to defend the sacredness of human life at every stage of its development. Our people work diligently to help those in need, provide housing, shelter, and education, and protection to immigrants, victims of violence and oppression. All of these other concerns stand or fall on the basic dignity of every human being, made in the image and likeness of God. It is also very helpful to have the nuanced moral teaching of the Church regarding cooperation in evil presented. We live in an increasingly complex, interrelated society, and the Archbishop’s articulation of how our basic moral principles should be applied in a variety of situations provides much-needed guidance to my fellow Catholics. The members of our Archdiocese, whose generous service to the nation is deserving of our gratitude, need this kind of guidance as much as the rest of us. I hope they will heed carefully what their Shepherd is saying. All of us who approach the altar to receive the Blessed Sacrament only do so after first saying, “Lord, I am not worthy ... say but the word and my soul shall be healed.” We are all pilgrims and struggling to be good disciples. As a pastor, I rejoice to see how the Eucharist brings healing into the lives of my parishioners. At the same time, it is essential to acknowledge that there is a fundamental contradiction in professing communion with the Church, the Body of Christ, while rejecting an important moral truth that the Church has taught for two thousand years. I pray that this letter be for all of us an occasion for conversion of heart and for renewed and meaningful reception of our Blessed Lord in the Eucharist.
Reverend Raymund M. Reyes Pastor | Good Shepherd | Sunday, April 25, 2021 The full Pastoral Letter is available to read or download at InTheWomb.org.
THE TEACHING OF THE CHURCH Then:
Now:
“You shall not murder a child by abortion nor kill that which is born” (Didache, ch. 2).
“Among the vulnerable for whom the Church wishes to care with particular love and concern are unborn children, the most defenseless and innocent among us…. This defense of unborn life is closely linked to the defense of each and every other human right. It involves the conviction that a human being is always sacred and inviolable, in any situation and at every stage of development. Human beings are ends in themselves and never a means of resolving other problems. Once this conviction disappears, so do solid and lasting foundations for the defense of human rights, which would always be subject to the passing whims of the powers that be.” Pope Francis, Evangelii Gaudium, n. 213
“You shall not kill the child by obtaining an abortion. Nor, again, shall you destroy him after he is born” (Epistle of Barnabas, ch. 19). Dated between AD 70 and 130, these two documents are considered by many scholars to be among the oldest surviving extrabiblical Christian texts.
FAITH 9
CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | MAY 6, 2021
SUNDAY READINGS
Sixth Sunday of Easter ACTS 10:25-26, 34-35, 44-48 When Peter entered, Cornelius met him and, falling at his feet, paid him homage. Peter, however, raised him up, saying, “Get up. I myself am also a human being.” Then Peter proceeded to speak and said, “In truth, I see that God shows no partiality. Rather, in every nation whoever fears him and acts uprightly is acceptable to him.” While Peter was still speaking these things, the Holy Spirit fell upon all who were listening to the word. The circumcised believers who had accompanied Peter were astounded that the gift of the Holy Spirit should have been poured out on the Gentiles also, for they could hear them speaking in tongues and glorifying God. Then Peter responded, “Can anyone withhold the water for baptizing these people, who have received the Holy Spirit even as we have?” He ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. PSALM 98:1, 2-3, 3-4 The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power. Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done won-
drous deeds; His right hand has won victory for him, his holy arm. The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power. The Lord has made his salvation known: in the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice. He has remembered his kindness and his faithfulness toward the house of Israel. The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power. All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation by our God. Sing joyfully to the Lord, all you lands; break into song; sing praise. The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power. 1 JOHN 4:7-10 Beloved, let us love one another, because love is of God; everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God. Whoever is without love does not know God, for God is love. In this way the love of God was revealed to us: God sent his only Son into the world
The qualities of love
Y
ears ago, former bishop of Sacramento, Francis Quinn, preached a retreat at Vallombrosa Center in Menlo Park to the clergy of the San Francisco archdiocese. His gentleness, kindness, and saintliness spoke volumes to the retreatants. We were touched by his humility and non-judgmental approach to life. His love for the Native Americans and the poor were legendary. During one of the retreat talks, he pulled out a little book from his pocket titled: “The Way to Love: The Last Meditations of Anthony de Mello.” The good bishop recommended that the priests keep a copy of that book and read and reread it for its profound FATHER CHARLES insights. PUTHOTA I had read the book and have since reread it many times over. Sometimes, I even listen to an audio version of its short chapters from YouTube as I fall asleep. A major insight in this Scripture-inspired little book is about the four qualities of love. Citing the examples of the tree, the rose, and the candle, de Mello speaks of indiscriminateness, gratuitousness, unselfconsciousness, and freedom, as manifestations of love. The tree, the rose, and the candle give of themselves–-their shade, fragrance, and light–-to everyone indiscriminately without making distinctions, without expecting anything in return, without even being self-conscious, leaving the beneficiary totally free, in a non-coercive state of being. Come to think of it, the Scriptures speak of God’s love along these lines. Jesus reveals–-and demonstrates in his words and deeds–-about God allowing the rain and sunshine to fall on the good and the bad; about God loving us first without expecting anything in return; about God loving us because it is God’s essence (his business!) to love; and about God loving us with total respect for our freewill. No doubt, de Mello was only borrowing from what the Scriptures have always revealed about God’s love and our love for one another. The word of God this last Sunday before Ascension speaks intimately of love. Jesus is inseparably united with us like the vine and the branches. His life-giving sap flows into our veins. If we allow his life to enter us, we shall bear fruit. If not, we shall wither away for lack of sustenance. The fruit that we cannot but bear if we are connected with Jesus is love. All our kindnesses, compassion, and service to others is only an expression of that love that we are able to bear as fruit of
SCRIPTURE REFLECTION
“Keep working on love.” Shall we do just that, keep working on love, as the followers of Christ, to help make God’s abundant blessings accessible to all people, all over the world, especially “those who are poor or in any way afflicted”? our being united with Jesus. Jesus is eager for us to remain in him as he remains in us. The First Letter of John from which we read the second reading oozes with love, dripping with sweetness and fragrance. There is an ancient legend that apostle John, in his old age at Ephesus, would be carried into the assembly, and all that he always said was: “Little children, love one another.” In this reading, John makes the astounding declaration that God is love. If God is love, he cannot help himself loving us. He cannot help himself being merciful and forgiving. As a result, we need to set aside forever all our doubts and anxieties about God’s love and mercy. John also makes the logical and theological connection that because God is love and love is of God, we are to love one another. “The disciple whom Jesus loved” learned this truth by his closeness to the master, by resting his face on his chest. The first reading from the Acts of the Apostles sheds light on a vital aspect of love. Love necessarily impels us to journey beyond our comfort zones, outside of our secure circles of family, friends and community. Because “God shows no partiality,” the Spirit of Christ blows our love out there, into the larger world, to those who are outside of our little circles. Peter’s mission to Cornelius’ gentile household leading to the “Pentecost of the Gentiles” is one such example. It is a paradigm for our world of today. In economics, politics, government, law, business, culture, media, technology, and in society at large, we are called to seek common ground with people of various backgrounds and persuasions so we could serve the common good. In Richard Bach’s “Jonathan Livingston Seagull,” the old Chinese teacher imparts his parting advice in just four words. “Keep working on love.” Shall we do just that, keep working on love, as the followers of Christ, to help make God’s abundant blessings accessible to all people, all over the world, especially “those who are poor or in any way afflicted”? FATHER CHARLES PUTHOTA is pastor of St. Elizabeth Parish in San Francisco
so that we might have life through him. In this is love: not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as expiation for our sins. JOHN 15:9-17 Jesus said to his disciples: “As the Father loves me, so I also love you. Remain in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and your joy might be complete. This is my commandment: love one another as I love you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. I no longer call you slaves, because a slave does not know what his master is doing. I have called you friends, because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father. It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you. This I command you: love one another.”
LITURGICAL CALENDAR, DAILY MASS READINGS MONDAY, MAY 10: Monday of the Sixth Week of Easter. Optional Memorial of St. Damien de Veuster, priest. Optional Memorial of St. John of Avila. ACTS 16:11-15. PS 149:1b-2, 3-4, 5-6a and 9b. JN 15:26b, 27a. JN 15:26—16:4a. TUESDAY, MAY 11: Tuesday of the Sixth Week of Easter. ACTS 16:22-34. PS 138:1-2ab, 2cde-3, 7c-8. SEE JN 16:7, 13. JN 16:5-11. WEDNESDAY, MAY 12: Wednesday of the Sixth Week of Easter. Optional Memorial of Sts. Nereus and Achilleus, martyrs. Optional Memorial of St. Pancras, martyr. ACTS 17:15, 22—18:1. PS 148:1-2, 11-12, 13, 14. JN 14:16. JN 16:12-15. THURSDAY, MAY 13: Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord. Thursday of the Sixth Week of Easter. Optional Memorial of Our Lady of Fatima. ACTS 1:1-11. PS 47:2-3, 6-7, 8-9. EPH 1:17-23 OR EPH 4:1-13 OR 4:1-7, 11-13. MT 28:19a, 20b. MK 16:15-20. FRIDAY, MAY 14: Feast of St. Matthias, apostle and martyr. ACTS 1:15-17, 20-26. PS 113:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8. SEE JN 15:16. JN 15:9-17. SATURDAY, MAY 15: Saturday of the Sixth Week of Easter. Optional Memorial of St. Isidore. ACTS 18:2328. PS 47:2-3, 8-9, 10. JN 16:28. JN 16:23b-28. SUNDAY, MAY 16: Seventh Sunday of Easter. Solemnity of the Ascension. ACTS 1:15-17, 20a, 20c-26. PS 103:1-2, 11-12, 19-20. 1 JN 4:11-16. CF. JN 14:18. JN 17:11b-19. MONDAY, MAY 17: Monday of the Seventh Week of Easter. ACTS 19:1-8. PS 68:2-3ab, 4-5acd, 6-7ab. COL 3:1. JN 16:29-33. TUESDAY, MAY 18: Tuesday of the Seventh Week of Easter. Optional Memorial of St. John I, pope and martyr. ACTS 20:17-27. PS 68:10-11, 20-21. JN 14:16. JN 17:1-11a. WEDNESDAY, MAY 19: Wednesday of the Seventh Week of Easter. ACTS 20:28-38. PS 68:29-30, 3335a, 35bc-36ab. SEE JN 17:17b, 17a. JN 17:11b-19. THURSDAY, MAY 20: Thursday of the Seventh Week of Easter. Optional Memorial of St. Bernardine of Siena, priest. ACTS 22:30; 23:6-11. PS 16:1-2a and 5, 7-8, 9-10, 11. JN 17:21. JN 17:20-26. FRIDAY, MAY 21: Friday of the Seventh Week of Easter. Optional Memorial of St. Christopher Magallanes, priest and martyr, and his companions, martyrs. ACTS 25:13b-21. PS 103:1-2, 11-12, 1920ab. JN 14:26. JN 21:15-19. SATURDAY, MAY 22: Saturday of the Seventh Week of Easter. Optional Memorial of Saint Rita of Cascia, religious. ACTS 28:16-20, 30-31. PS 11:4, 5 and 7. JN 16:7, 13. JN 21:20-25.
10 OPINION
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CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | MAY 6, 2021
The origin of our conflicts and differences
hy do sincere people so often find themselves at odds with each other? The issue here is not about when sincerity meets insincerity or plain old sin. No. The question is why sincere, God-fearing people can find themselves radically at odds with each other. There’s an interesting passage in Nikos Kazantzakis’ autobiography that intimates far more than it reveals at first glance. Commenting on Greek mythology and the many conflicts there among the gods and goddesses, Kazantzakis writes this: FATHER RON “The heroes in ancient Greek ROLHEISER tragedies were no more or less than Dionysus’s scattered limbs, clashing among themselves. They clashed because they were fragments. Each represented only one part of the deity; they were not an intact god. Dionysus, the intact god, stood invisible in the center of the tragedy and governed the story’s birth, development, and catharsis. For the initiated spectator, the god’s scattered limbs, though battling against one another, had already been secretly united and reconciled within him. They had composed the god’s intact body and formed a harmony.” In Greek mythology, the supreme god, Dionysus, was intact, containing all the scattered pieces of divinity that took particular incarnations in various gods, goddesses, and human persons. Inside Dionysus, the intact god, there was harmony, everything fitted together, but everywhere else various pieces of divinity wrestled and sparred with each other, forever in tension and in power struggles. That image is a fertile metaphor shedding light on many things. Among other things, it can help us understand what’s at the root of many of the conflicts between sincere people and why we have a lot of religious differences. What is the root cause when people are at odds with each other and there is no insincerity or sin involved, when both parties are honest and God-fearing? Today we speak of ideological differences, historical differences, political differences, and personal history as to why sincere people often see the world differently and are at odds with each other. We have a language for that. However, I’m not sure our current language (for all its sophistication) captures the heart of this as clearly as does that particular metaphor inside Greek mythology. In the end, aren’t we all grabbing our own piece of god and making it the be all and end all, without accepting that those we are fighting also have a piece of god, and we have divinity fighting divinity?
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Boiled down to its root, isn’t that what lies at the base of the tension between “conservative” and “liberal,” between soul and spirit, between head and heart, between young and old, between body and soul, and between the other binaries that divide us? Haven’t each of us grabbed an authentic piece of divinity and (because we don’t have a vision of the intact God) let our piece of divinity become the prism through which everything else must be seen? We are not an “initiated spectator” who, as Kazantzakis puts it, has enough of a vision of the intact God to see how all the pieces ultimately fit in harmony. So we continue in our disharmony. Much too can be gleaned from this image in terms of how we view other religions. Writing around the year 200 AD, one of our renowned church fathers, Clement of Alexandria, wrote a book he entitled (in Greek), “Stromata,” a word which literally means “being strewn about.” His concept (carefully nuanced through his Christian lens) was that God, while revealed normatively in Jesus Christ, is also “strewn” (in pieces) in other religions and in nature itself. In essence, what he is saying is that there are pieces of God lying around everywhere, though Clement doesn’t elaborate on how these discrete pieces of divinity often fight with each other. More recently, Raimondo Panikkar (died 2010), one of the major Christian commentators on world religions, again picked up this concept of God as “strewn” and applied it to world religions. For him, what Christianity sees as contained in the Trinity is experienced in pieces in by people in other faiths. For example, certain faiths, like Buddhism, make central the experience of contingency, awe, dependence, and self-effacement in the face of what they believe to be “God.” For Panikkar, these are religions of “God the Father.” Some other faiths, particularly Christianity but also Judaism and Islam, strongly emphasize “God, the Father,” but their scriptures and other beliefs have an incarnational principle, a “Christ.” Certain other religions such as Taoism and Hinduism focus much more on the experience of spirit, the “Holy Spirit.” Since we each emphasize one particular aspect of God, it is no surprise that, despite sincerity on all sides, we often don’t get along. And so we, sincere, God-fearing people, are often at odds with each other; but it’s helpful to know (and acknowledge) that an “intact” God stands invisible in the center of our conflicts and watches us fight with “his scattered limbs”, knowing that in the end all these strewn pieces will be united again in harmony.
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‘Hello World!’ Advice for grads from a curious Catholic
eorge Corrigan never met a person who didn’t fascinate him. The delivery guy. The plumber. The barista. He wanted to know their names and their life stories, which came tumbling out when he flashed his megawatt smile and asked his earnest questions. His love of humanity flowed from his love of God, culminating each day at noon Mass. “Going to Mass every day was a binding element for the many parts of him,” said his daughter, Kelly Corrigan, who called him Greenie. You could count on Greenie to sing his heart out – whether or not he knew the words. He CHRISTINA delighted in serving as an extraorCAPECCHI dinary minister of holy Communion. And the sign of peace set his heart aflutter. “I think that can be a worldview,” Kelly said. That worldview now feels antiquated, dating way back to the pre-COVID days, when hugs and handshakes could be given freely and six feet, readily shattered. Social distancing would have been unfathomable to Greenie, a Villanova, Pennsylvania native who worked as an ad man and a high-school lacrosse coach. Every kid on the team was “a great guy” or “one of the all-time greats,” his son George said in an interview. “[Greenie] would give every person he met his best. If someone wanted to talk with him for an hour, he’d give them one hour. Because people knew that he cared on such a real level and he was always rooting for you – this was the magic he brought to every one of his relationships.” It was evident on Feb. 28, 2015, when more than 700 people showed up at Greenie’s funeral Mass at the Villanova University main chapel. At 84 he had died after a battle with bladder cancer. Now the philosophy that brought Greenie so many friends is encapsulated in a children’s book and ready for the graduate in your life. Kelly, a well-established and best-selling memoir writer, decided to switch gears and pay tribute to her dad in a different format. The result: “Hello World!” a bright picture book published last month by Penguin Random House’s new imprint Flamingo Books. It’s a twist on “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!,” Dr. Seuss’ perennial graduation gift. Greenie’s version is “Oh, the People You’ll Know!” Those connections are what make life meaningful, Kelly said. It’s an approach that is inherently Catholic, honoring the dignity and worth of each person.
OBLATE FATHER RON ROLHEISER is former president of the Oblate School of Theology, San Antonio, Texas where he is now a full-time faculty member in the school’s CHRISTINA CAPECCHI is a freelance writer from Inver Grove Most Requested Funeral Directors in the Archdiocese of San Francisco SpiritualityThe Institute. Heights, Minnesota.
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Job Position: Middle School Science Teacher (Part-Time) School Background
An oasis of spiritual and educational excellence in bustling Belmont, California, Immaculate Heart of Mary (IHM) School is a PK-8, coeducational learning institution. Dedicated and hardworking, IHM teachers work in a small-class-size setting that facilitates positive student/teacher relationships. Inquisitive, energetic, and diverse, IHM pupils pride themselves on having “HEART.” IHM School is committed to teaching Catholic doctrine, to building a vibrant community, to worshiping God, and to fostering service. IHM is seeking a practicing Catholic/Christian to build upon IHM’s faith-based foundation while teaching an innovative, modern Catholic curriculum focused on the STREAM (Science, Technology, Religion, Engineering, Art, and Math) initiative.
Job Description
IHM School is seeking a collaborative educator to serve as a Part-Time Middle School Science Teacher (Grades 6 -8) for the 2021-22 school year. We seek a teacher who is committed to teaching middle school students who are inquisitive and creative while implementing daily lessons that are geared to each individual student’s learning needs. The ideal candidate will have strong classroom management skills, strong technology skills, and a keen aptitude for integrating a faith-based curriculum.
Qualifications
Candidates must possess: • A Bachelor’s degree • A valid California Teaching Credential (or a reciprocal credential from another state) OR In the process of obtaining a CA Teaching Credential • Classroom management skills and experience with differentiated instruction • Previous experience teaching Science classes • Demonstrated communication skills with parents, faculty, and students • Ability to utilize technology in a classroom environment and to integrate technology on a daily basis (i.e. Distance Learning)
Application Instructions
Interested candidates should email a completed archdiocesan application, cover letter, their resume, a copy of their teaching credential (if applicable), and contact information for three references to: Mrs. Andrea Harville, Principal - aharville@ihmschoolbelmont.org STATEMENT OF NON-DISCRIMINATION Immaculate Heart of Mary School adheres to the following policy: “All school staff of Catholic schools of the Archdiocese of San Francisco shall be employed without regard to race, color, sex, ethnic or national origin and will consider for employment, qualified applicants with criminal histories.” (Administrative Handbook #4111.4)
School Background
Job Position: Elementary Teacher
An oasis of spiritual and educational excellence in bustling Belmont, California, Immaculate Heart of Mary (IHM) School is a PK-8, coeducational learning institution. Dedicated and hardworking, IHM teachers work in a small-class-size setting that facilitates positive student/teacher relationships. Inquisitive, energetic, and diverse, IHM pupils pride themselves on having “HEART.” IHM School is committed to teaching Catholic doctrine, to building a vibrant community, to worshiping God, and to fostering service. IHM is seeking a practicing Catholic/Christian to build upon IHM’s faith-based foundation while teaching an innovative, modern Catholic curriculum focused on the STREAM (Science, Technology, Religion, Engineering, Art, and Math) initiative.
Job Description
IHM School is seeking a collaborative educator to serve as a Full-Time Elementary Teacher (Grade Level TBD) for the 2021-22 school year. The ideal candidate will have strong classroom management skills, strong technology skills, and a keen aptitude for integrating a faith-based curriculum.
Qualifications
Candidates must possess: • A Bachelor’s degree • A valid California Teaching Credential (or a reciprocal credential from another state) OR In the process of obtaining a CA Teaching Credential • Classroom management skills and experience with differentiated instruction • Teaching experience with children • Demonstrated communication skills with parents, faculty, and students • Ability to utilize technology in a classroom environment and to integrate technology on a daily basis (i.e., Distance Learning)
Application Instructions
Interested candidates should email a completed archdiocesan application, cover letter, their resume, a copy of their teaching credential (if applicable), and contact information for three references to: Mrs. Andrea Harville, Principal - aharville@ihmschoolbelmont.org STATEMENT OF NON-DISCRIMINATION Immaculate Heart of Mary School adheres to the following policy: “All school staff of Catholic schools of the Archdiocese of San Francisco shall be employed without regard to race, color, sex, ethnic or national origin and will consider for employment, qualified applicants with criminal histories.” (Administrative Handbook #4111.4)
12 WORLD
CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | MAY 6, 2021
Three years after crackdown, Nicaraguan church still sees repression DAVID AGREN CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE
Father Edwin Román celebrated Mass recently for the family of university student Álvaro Gómez, who was killed three years ago in demonstrations against the Nicaraguan government. Police and paramilitaries and some bystanders, meanwhile, gathered outside the St. Michael the Archangel Parish in the city of Masaya – something noted by the priest in his homily. “Imagine, outside are police and paramilitaries, and they outnumber us. What an embarrassment. The only ones here are a family, who are praying for a loved one, a few people invited, some media outlets and a priest,” Father Román said April 21, according to the newspaper La Prensa. “We do not deserve to be under siege, do not deserve this repression, these imprisonments, these deaths. May God hear our prayers and wipe away the tears of those who have lost loved ones.” When the Mass ended, someone outside threw stones at the church, said Father Román. A journalist, Noel Miranda from Artículo 66, was also struck by stone, thrown by a reporter from a pro-government outlet. Father Román later tweeted, “The parish was surrounded by at least 80 people, between police and fanatics.” Nicaragua recently marked three years of crackdowns on protests, which started in April 2018 over proposed reforms to the state social security institute, but became a call for sweeping changes in the Central American country. The attacks on the Catholic Church also continue, ranging from a firebombing in the Managua cathedral to police parking their vehicles outside parishes during Sunday Mass. “They know that if they allow the most minimal amount of disorder, everyone will protest because nobody likes this government,” said Msgr. Carlos Avilés Cantón, Managua archdiocesan vicar general. “So, they’re not going to give even an inch to anyone.” The Catholic Church tried to mediate dialogue between the two sides and early on proposed interim elections as a solution. But the talks broke down, and some of the participants accused the government of bad faith. The church’s willingness to accompany protesters and provide them spiritual attention and a refuge in parishes during police attacks also drew the ire of the ruling Sandinista party. “The dialogue ended because the government said the church was a coup monger and terrorist,” Msgr. Avilés said, referring to an epithet used by Vice President Rosario Murillo, wife of President Daniel Ortega. Three years later, protests are quickly suppressed and people cannot even wave a Nicaraguan flag in public, Msgr. Avilés said. False stories about the
(CNS PHOTO/OSWALDO RIVAS, REUTERS)
A man holds a photo of Álvaro Gómez during a protest in Managua, Nicaragua, May 10, 2018. Gómez was killed during a protest over reforms of pension plans of the Nicaraguan Social Security Institute. The protest was organized by the Mothers of April Movement to demand justice from President Daniel Ortega’s government.
church are spread, too. Elections are upcoming in November, but church officials warn the outcome is a forgone conclusion. “They’re insisting (there must be elections) even if they are fraudulent,” Msgr. Avilés said. “If there are not the conditions – there are political prisoners, there is repression, there haven’t been demonstrations – how are they going to have an elections?” The COVID-19 crisis has hit Nicaragua especially hard, too. People have been encouraged to act as if the virus did not exist. Doctors – who were fired for treating protesters in 2018 – are underequipped to deal with so many COVID-19 patients “and people no longer trust in the health system,” Msgr. Avilés said. The church in Nicaragua has continued speaking out, though one of its most outspoken leaders, Auxiliary Bishop Silvio José Báez, was forced to leave the country for his own security. His Sunday homily – often from St. Agatha Parish in Miami – is spread widely in Nicaragua and often takes issue with the country’s repressive political practices. In his April 18 homily, Bishop Báez prayed for the victims of the protests, the political prisoners and those sent into exile. “Justice is not negotiable and impunity is unacceptable in the eyes of God,” Bishop Báez said. “God is with those who suffer, with the poor, with the excluded, the victims. God is not a part of political, criminal and unjust systems and not with the powerful who oppress their people,” he continued. “Are we on the side of those who crucify or those who are crucified? ... The best expression of our faith in the resurrected Lord is not forgetting the victims and putting ourselves at the service of the crucified.”
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FROM PAGE 1
It is an active, reciprocal relationship, the pope said, because branches “need sap to grow and to bear fruit; but the vine, too, needs the branches, since fruit does not grow on the tree trunk.” “It is a question of a reciprocal abiding so as to bear fruit. We abide in Jesus and Jesus abides in us,” he said. Christians must be united to Christ and remain in him before they observe his commandments and the beatitudes, and before performing works of mercy because “we cannot be good Christians if we do not remain in Jesus,” he said. However, Jesus also needs disciples, “he needs our witness,” Pope Francis said. The task of all Christians as Christ’s disciples “is to continue to proclaim the Gospel in words and in deeds” so that the fruit that is borne may be borne out of love, he said. A fruitful life, the pope said, depends on prayer in which one asks to see, think, feel and act like Jesus in order to love others and “bring to the world fruits of goodness, fruits of charity, fruits of peace.”
AS POLITICAL PROTESTS CONTINUE, MOSCOW ARCHBISHOP PRAYS FOR JUSTICE, MERCY
ROME – While the Russian government’s treatment of jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny is “mainly a political question,” the mass arrests of protesters and the situation in Russia’s jails are a concern for the Catholic Church and all Christians, said the head of Moscow’s Mother of God Archdiocese. Moscow-based Archbishop Paolo Pezzi said, “We ask that justice be given to the innocent; mercy to the guilty; intelligence, courage and wisdom to those who must judge; and, especially, humanity to those who must then enforce the punishment.” Navalny was arrested Jan. 17 on his return from Germany, where he spent five months in the hospital after a near-fatal nerve agent attack. Mass protests of his jailing have taken place since then and an estimated 13,000 protesters have been arrested.
VENEZUELA’S ‘DOCTOR OF THE POOR’ BEATIFIED IN AUSTERE CEREMONY
BOGOTÁ, Colombia – A Venezuelan doctor who treated patients during the Spanish flu pandemic was beatified April 30 in an austere ceremony held in Caracas, the city where he spent much of his life tending to the sick. Blessed José Gregorio Hernández led a pious life marked by science, faith and public service. He was known most of all for being a kind doctor who refused to charge his poorest patients for his services and served people from all walks of life. “In his person you can find a great doctor, a scientist, a professor. And at the same time, humility, the rejection of arrogance and dedication to the poor,” said Archbishop Aldo Giordano, Vatican ambassador to Venezuela, during his homily at the beatification Mass. CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE
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CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | MAY 6, 2021
LITURGY & PRAYER WEDNESDAYS, RECURRING: Online Cancer Prayer Support with Mercy Center: 11 a.m.-noon. An ecumenical Christian group for men and women who have or have survived cancer, and for their support persons. In general we spend little time talking about cancer itself and its treatments. This is a prayer group where we read Scripture, inspirational reflections and focus on healing. Apart from sharing and prayer, we support members with daily prayer and medical appointments. Visit mercy-center.org/event-calendar. SUNDAY, MAY 23: Adult Confirmations-Pentecost Sunday: The archdiocese will be celebrating the sacrament of Confirmation for Adults at St. Mary’s Cathedral at 11 a.m. Adults who have not received the Sacrament of Confirmation but wish to be confirmed in order to complete their Sacraments of Initiation are welcome to participate after completing the required registration form by May 14. Contact Laura Bertone at bertonel@sfarch.org, or Sandra Kearney at kearneys@sfarch.org. THURSDAYS THRU MAY 27: Book of Psalms. Weekly Online Course with Father William Nicholas: These 150 prayers express a variety of sentiment and feeling covering a wide range of spirituality from earthy to mystical, thanksgiving to regret, deep affection to equally deep resentment, joy to the depths of despair. Father Nicholas presents an overview of the prayers 7-8:30 p.m. Visit frbillnicholas.com/zoompresentations.
MUSIC & ART SUNDAY AFTERNOONS: St. Mary’s Cathedral Sunday Afternoon Livestream Concerts: Enjoy the longest continuously running organ concert series in San Francisco, and other instrumental and vocal recitals. May 16, St. Brigid School Honor Choir Spring con-
Contact Deacon Chuck at (415) 3514055, or deaconchuck@stdominics.org, to register.
LEARNING
FRIDAY, MAY 7: Strength for the Journey: Spiritual support meeting via Zoom led by Deacon Christoph Sandoval of St. Mary’s Cathedral for those facing a lifethreatening illness. 1-3 p.m. on the first Friday of the month. Visit sfarch.org/grief.
SATURDAY, MAY 29: Composer Sir James McMillan with Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone: An online lecture followed by discussion of the world-renowned Scottish composer on the topic of “Music and Some Wider Implications: A Catholic Composer’s Perspective.” The noon lecture is free, but registration is required. Visit sfarch.org/music.
cert; May 23, Folias Duo, featuring Carmen Maret, flute, and Andrew Bergeron, guitar; May 30, Duane Soubirous, organ. Visit smcsf.org/event/musical-meditations-3. SUNDAY, MAY 9: Mission Dolores Basilica Second Sunday Basilica Concert presents the works of Bach, Beethoven, Brahms and others: Emil Miland, on cello, and Jerome Lenk, on piano and organ. This popular concert series resumes in person with all social protocols observed, or via Facebook Live. Donation $15. Contact Jerome Lenk at (415) 621-8203, or music@missiondolores.orgmissiondolores.org for more information. Or visit missiondolores.org.
LEARNING TUESDAYS, MAY 4-JUNE 8: Short course on C.S. Lewis with Dr. Peter Kreeft: The School of Pastoral Ministry presents a five-week online course on some of C.S. Lewis’ lesser known works of fiction and non-fiction. This course will explore six of C.S. Lewis’ most powerful and life-changing books: “Surprised by Joy,” “Mere Christianity,” “The Problem of Pain,” “A Grief Observed,” “Till We Have Faces” and “The Great Divorce.” $25 donation; 7-8:30 p.m. Visit sfarch.org/cslewis
or contact Deacon Fred Totah at (415) 614-5504,totahf@sfarch.org. TUESDAY, MAY 18 OR WEDNESDAY, MAY 19: An Introduction to the Tragic History of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the United States. This online session offered by the Dominican Sisters of Mission San Jose outlines the factual history of the AAPI people in the U.S. which includes unjust legislation contributing to oppression and dehumanization. Led by Father Thomas P. Bonacci, executive director of the Interfaith Peace Project. $15. Visit ces-event.myshopify.com. THURSDAY, MAY 27: Unlocking Divine Action-A Wise Habits lecture from the Dominican School of Philosophy & Theology: Father Michael Dodds, OP, will take a look at how our understanding of divine action is inherently tied to our idea of causality. Visit dspt.edu/events.
SUPPORT WEDNESDAY, MAY 5-JUNE 23: St. Dominic Parish Grief Support Group: Come find community in an in-person, 8-week support group from 1-2:30 p.m. at 2390 Bush St. in San Francisco. The group is facilitated by Deacon Chuck McNeil and Sister Maggie Glynn, RN FSP. COVID-19 vaccination required.
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RETREATS FRIDAY-SUNDAY, JUNE 4-6: Emerging from the Pandemic, a quiet three-day retreat to allow people to pray in our beautiful natural setting over the life we have lived in the last year and the life we are moving into as the pandemic concerns recede. Come let God welcome you into a new phase of your life. Led by Jesuit Father Andrew Rodriguez. Visit jrclosaltos.org.
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14 SAN FRANCISCO CATÓLICO
CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | MAY 6, 2021
Antes de formarte en el seno de tu madre, ya te conocía Resumen ejecutivo: Carta pastoral sobre la dignidad humana de los no nacidos, la Sagrada Comunión y los católicos en la vida pública “Antes de formarte en el seno de tu madre, ya te conocía; antes de que tú nacieras, yo te consagré, y te destiné a ser profeta de las naciones” (Jer 1,5). En estos tiempos que vivimos, todos los católicos, pero especialmente los católicos en la vida pública, están llamados a reflexionar profundamente sobre el mal del aborto y sobre el significado de recibir la Sagrada Comunión. Esta reflexión tiene cuatro puntos centrales.
1
La gravedad del mal del aborto: Es la ciencia, no la fe, la que nos enseña que en la concepción comienza una vida humana genéticamente distinta. La invasión violenta SALVATORE J. del acto del aborto pone fin a CORDILEONE una vida humana. El aborto no sólo mata al niño, sino que hiere profundamente a la mujer. El aborto es la “prioridad preeminente” porque el derecho a la vida es el fundamento de todos los demás derechos. Para los católicos, este principio se ve reforzado por la enseñanza bíblica de que todo ser humano está hecho a imagen de Dios. La Iglesia se esfuerza por ser una voz para los sin voz, hablando en nombre de aquellos que literalmente no pueden hablar por sí mismos.
ARZOBISPO DE SAN FRANCISCO
2
El llamado absoluto a no cooperar con el mal moral: El aborto nunca es únicamente el acto de la madre. Otros, en mayor o menor
El padre José Ramírez de visita en la iglesia San Pedro eleva el Santísimo Sacramento durante una misa de sanación y liberación el 16 de abril.
medida, comparten la culpabilidad. La enseñanza católica es clara: los que matan o ayudan a matar al niño (incluso si se oponen personalmente al aborto), los que presionan o alientan a la madre a abortar, los que pagan por el aborto, los que proporcionan asistencia financiera a organizaciones pro-aborto o los que apoyan a candidatos o legislaciones con el fin de hacer del aborto una “opción,” de mayor accesibilidad están cooperando con un mal muy grave. La cooperación formal y la cooperación material inmediata en el mal nunca están moralmente justificadas.
3
El significado de elegir recibir la Sagrada Eucaristía: La Iglesia ha enseñado sistemáticamente durante 2000 años que recibir el Cuerpo y la Sangre de Jesucristo en la Sagrada Comunión es para quienes están libres de pecado grave y declaran su fidelidad a las enseñanzas de Jesucristo y de su Iglesia. Como escribió san Justino Mártir en el siglo II d.C: “Nadie puede compartir la Eucaristía con nosotros a menos que crea que lo que enseñamos es verdad; a menos que sea lavado en las aguas regeneradoras del bautismo para la remisión de sus pecados, y a menos que viva de acuerdo con los principios dados por Cristo”. Los que rechazan la enseñanza de la Iglesia sobre la santidad de la vida humana y aquellos que no buscan vivir de acuerdo con esa enseñanza no deben recibir la Eucaristía. Todos fallamos de varias maneras, pero hay una gran diferencia entre luchar para vivir de acuerdo con las enseñanzas de la Iglesia y rechazar tales enseñanzas. Se trata fundamentalmente de una cuestión de integridad: recibir la Sagrada Eucaristía en la liturgia católica es abrazar públicamente la fe
(FOTOS LORENA ROJAS/SAN FRANCISCO CATÓLICO)
Feligreses de las parroquias de la Misión durante la misa de sanación y liberación en la iglesia San Pedro.
y las enseñanzas morales de la Iglesia Católica, y esforzarse de vivir en consecuencia.
4
Las responsabilidades de los católicos en la vida pública: Los católicos destacados en la vida pública tienen una responsabilidad especial de dar testimonio de la plenitud de la enseñanza de la Iglesia. Esos católicos que promueven el mal del aborto deben ser llamados a la conversión. Si no, tanto ellos como sus pastores tendrán que responder ante Dios por la sangre inocente. Además de su propio bien espiritual, también existe el peligro del escándalo: es decir, otros católicos pueden llegar a dudar de la enseñanza de la Iglesia sobre el aborto y la Sagrada Eucaristía, o de ambos. Los católicos en la vida pública que no están dispuestos o no pueden abandonar la promoción del aborto no deben presentarse para recibir la Sagrada Comunión. Hay precedentes históricos, incluso recientes, de que los católicos que desafían la enseñanza de la Iglesia sobre cuestiones tan fundamentales son excluidos de recibir la Sagrada Comunión. Esto es para la salvación eterna del individuo y para reparar el escándalo que se ha causado, y sólo después de que hayan fracasado todos los demás remedios. El mensaje final para estos católicos es: Por favor, regresen a casa a la plenitud de su fe católica. Los esperamos con los brazos abiertos para recibirlos de vuelta. La carta completa está disponible para leer o descargar en InTheWomb.org junto con recursos explicativos y la oportunidad de suscribirse para recibir avisos de los próximos eventos relacionados.
Maritza Rosales, vecina de la Misión en San Francisco asistió a la misa de sanación y liberación para pedir por el fin de la pandemia.
Tras un año de espera llegó sanación a la Misión en San Francisco LORENA ROJAS SAN FRANCISCO CATÓLICO
La Jornada de Evangelización organizada por el grupo Carismático Católico de las parroquias de la Misión en San Francisco había sido planeada para abril de 2020 pero la pandemia la paró. Un año después, el 16 y 17 de abril de 2021 se hizo realidad esa experiencia de fe para los parroquianos de las iglesias San Pedro, San Antonio y San Carlos. La jornada comenzó con una misa de sanación y liberación el viernes 16 en la iglesia San Pedro y el sábado 17 se ofreció un retiro eucarístico en la iglesia San Antonio. El evento terminó con una misa de adoración en la iglesia San Pedro el mismo sábado. El principal predicador y celebrante de la jornada fue el padre José Ramírez, (conocido internacionalmente como padre Joselito) quien sirvió en Nicaragua por más de 20 años hasta abril de 2020 cuando fue trasladado a la ciudad de Querétaro en México donde se encuentra la sede provincial de su congregación. Es un sacerdote de la orden Terciario Capuchino de Nuestra Señora de los Dolores, a los sacerdotes de esta congregación se les conoce como amigonianos, quien fue invitado a dirigir el congreso en las parroquias de la Misión por miembros de la Renovación Carismática Católica de estas iglesias. El carisma del padre Ramírez en la oración de intercesión por la liberación y la sanación de las
personas, fue lo que motivó a los líderes carismáticos de las iglesias de la Misión a invitarlo. El padre Ramírez dijo al San Francisco Católico que el mensaje de su predicación durante esta Jornada de Evangelización es hacer un llamado a la oración para que las personas de fe puedan discernir entre el espíritu del bien y el espíritu del mal y tengan la certeza de que el espíritu del bien siempre vence al mal, aseguró. Para tener esta certeza hay que obedecer a Dios primero que a los hombres. Él dijo que si las personas confían en Dios, se animan a regresar a los servicios religiosos en las iglesias respetando las medidas de seguridad, sobre todo ahora que se permite más fieles en el interior de las iglesias, dijo. “Lo presencial es necesario, debemos vencer el miedo para que la Iglesia recupere la feligresía”, dijo. Se alegró al ver el grupo numeroso de parroquianos en la misa de sanación en San Pedro, sin embargo señaló que algunos ya no quieren volver a las iglesias. Durante la homilía, el padre Ramírez insistió en que es importante y necesario vivir la Eucaristía de forma presencial, con toda el alma. Agregó que muchos fieles se han alejado de las iglesias y se han “acomodado a lo virtual”. Por otra parte, manifestó que ha visto a otros fieles tan necesitados de los sacramentos que durante la Cuaresma de este año en tres días confesó a más de 200 personas.
El segundo día de la Jornada de Evangelización, cuando tuvo lugar el retiro eucarístico en la iglesia San Pedro, el padre Ramírez enfocó su mensaje en la oración como el mejor recurso para mantener saludable la vida espiritual en estos tiempos difíciles, y así poder responder a los signos de los tiempos. La Jornada de Evangelización terminó con una misa de adoración. El presidente de la Renovación Carismática Católica Hispana de la Arquidiócesis de San Francisco, Alejandro Galo dijo que invitaron al padre Ramírez a dirigir esta jornada, para ayudar a las personas que están sufriendo por las secuelas de la pandemia. “Este sacerdote es un ungido, él dedica mucho tiempo a la oración”, dijo Galo. Agregó que por ese don del padre Ramírez fue que en la noche de sanación y liberación del viernes, durante la procesión con el Santísimo se vieron muchas manifestaciones de liberación de personas que están sufriendo angustia por las heridas que les ha dejado el COVID-19 y por otros problemas”, detalló. Agregó que los parroquianos todavía tienen mucho miedo de congregarse en grupos grandes, aunque para este evento garantizaron la seguridad sanitaria a los asistentes, siguieron las medidas de las últimas reglas emitidas por las autoridades de salud sobre el distanciamiento, uso de máscara, desinfección VER SANACIÓN, PÁGINA 15
SAN FRANCISCO CATÓLICO 15
CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | MAY 6, 2021
La catedral celebra jubileo en su 50 aniversario NICHOLAS WOLFRAM SMITH CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO
La Catedral Santa María de la Asunción, la iglesia madre de la Arquidiócesis de San Francisco, celebró su 50 aniversario el 5 de mayo con un servicio de vísperas dirigido por el arzobispo Salvatore J. Cordileone. La arquidiócesis celebrará el aniversario con una serie de conferencias a lo largo del año y una exposición. De pie, brillantemente, con la ciudad de San Francisco como telón de fondo, la catedral ha sido durante 50 años un recordatorio visual de la presencia de la Iglesia Católica en la ciudad. El sacerdote John Talesfore, rector de la catedral desde 2005 a 2015 y ahora párroco de la iglesia San Mateo, en San Mateo dijo que la catedral Santa María, con su contorno “audaz e inconfundible, debería ser el centro de la proclamación del Evangelio en un contexto moderno”. Además de conmemorar las importantes celebraciones de la arquidiócesis, la catedral también ha acogido a importantes figuras a lo largo de los años, como santa Teresa
(PHOTO BY DENNIS CALLAHAN/CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO)
de Calcuta y el papa san Juan Pablo II, y ha sido testigo de los funerales de un cardenal, alcalde, obispos y muchos otros. El arzobispo Joseph T. McGucken hizo frente a la construcción de una nueva catedral, menos de seis meses después de su instalación en la Arquidiócesis de San Francisco en 1962, cuando se quemó
SANACIÓN: Celebró misa tras un año de espera DE PÁGINA 14
de manos, control de temperatura y el número de personas permitido en interiores. Maritza Rosales, una vecina del distrito de la Misión, fue a la misa de sanación y liberación porque había conocido al padre Ramírez allá en su natal Nicaragua y porque conoce acerca del carisma de este sacerdote. Ella quiso aprovechar ese momento para pedir a Dios por el fin de la pandemia, y para que su fe se mantenga firme. Al ver a los fieles que asistieron a la misa de sanación dijo, “En verdad los carismáticos ya necesitaban tener un encuentro como este, es lo que necesitamos. Durante la misa de sanación, se sintió la presencia de Dios, me sentí feliz de estar ahí y ver a tantas personas tan contentas”. Durante el retiro eucarístico del sábado 17, el padre Moisés Agudo, párroco de estas tres iglesias de la Misión, dirigió un mensaje a los fieles motivándolos a confiar en Jesús resucitado y también administró la bendición a sus parroquianos tanto a los presentes como a quienes participaron a través de la trasmisión virtual.
NÚMEROS DE AYUDA PARA VÍCTIMAS DE ABUSO SEXUAL DE PARTE DEL CLERO 0 MIEMBROS DE LA IGLESIA Este número 415-614-5506 es confidencial y Ie atiende Rocio Rodríguez, LMFT, Coordinadora de la oficina arquidiocesana de ayuda a las víctimas de abuso sexual. Si usted prefiere hablar con una persona que no está empleada por la arquidiócesis por favor marque este número: 415-614-5503; es también confidencial y usted será atendido solamente por una persona que ha superado la experiencia traumática del abuso sexual. Reporte el abuso sexual de un obispo o su interferencia en una investigación de abuso sexual a un tercero confidencial: 800-276-1562. www.reportbishopabuse.org
la antigua catedral en la esquina de la avenida Van Ness y la calle O’Farrell. Si bien los planes iniciales para la catedral preveían un diseño más típico de la arquitectura de la iglesia en el área, Mons. Talesfore dijo que el arzobispo McGucken aceptó el reto de tomar un rumbo diferente y “hacer lo que la Iglesia ha hecho a lo largo de los tiempos,
que es construir lo mejor posible con el arte y la tecnología disponible”. Los famosos arquitectos Pietro Belluschi y Pier-Luigi Nervi dirigieron el diseño. La construcción de la catedral comenzó en 1965 y el 5 de mayo de 1971, la nueva catedral fue bendecida formalmente. Al principio, la catedral provocó controversia sobre el precio de $9 millones y sobre el diseño. Desde entonces ha sido apreciada por arquitectos y turistas, pero provocó burla en algunos círculos. “Me asombró la noble sencillez de la catedral y la asombrosa integridad de la misma, como una forma de arte unificada, al servicio de la Iglesia y su culto”, dijo. Monseñor Talesfore invitó a la gente a “apreciar lo que tenemos aquí y desafía a reconocer que todos somos responsables de nuestra acatedral y nuestra Iglesia parroquial”. Animó a los católicos a hacer una peregrinación a la catedral, rezando en cada uno de los santuarios que tiene, comenzando en el santuario de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe y terminando en el tabernáculo.
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CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | MAY 6, 2021
HOLY CROSS CATHOLIC CEMETERY, COLMA While we will not be having a First Saturday Mass in February, we encourage you to remember in prayer all our beloved dead at rest in our Catholic Cemeteries.