July 13, 2012

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CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO Newspaper of the Archdiocese of San Francisco

SERVING SAN FRANCISCO, MARIN & SAN MATEO COUNTIES

www.catholic-sf.org

$1.00 | VOL. 14 NO. 21

JULY 13, 2012

Archdiocese restores Office of Marriage and Family Life GEORGE RAINE CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO

HELP FOR FAMILIES WITH PRESCHOOL KIDS

Bishop McElroy is particularly interested in providing a service for couples before their kids are school age. “We do not have a niche for that in parish life in general,” he said. He added that the Office of Marriage and Family Life is one that Archbishop George Niederauer “felt was needed and wanted to restore.” The director will report to Deacon John Norris, director of the Department of Pastoral Ministry, who said restoration of the office “is a positive move forward to do more in ministry.” One hurdle to church marriages, said Bishop McElroy and Deacon Norris, is unique to a multicultural archdiocese like San Francisco: It is “quinceanera,” the expensive celebration of a Latina’s 15th birthday, a passage from childhood SEE MARRIAGE, PAGE 5

(VICTOR WONG PHOTOGRAPHY)

Archbishop ordains 12 deacons Newly ordained deacons and ministers of the Archdiocese of San Francisco are pictured June 24 at St. Mary’s Cathedral after their ordination at a Mass celebrated by Archbishop George Niederauer. Front, Deacon Richard Younkin, Deacon Jose Penate, Deacon Ernest von Emster, Deacon Juan Antillon, Deacon Ven Garcia. Middle, archdiocesan diaconate formation director Deacon Richard Foley, Deacon Robert Leathers, Deacon Mario Zuniga, Deacon Joseph Ramos, Deacon Dana Perrigan, Deacon Jerry Quinn, Deacon Ed Cunningham. Back, Deacon Nestor Fernandez, Bishop Robert W. McElroy, Bishop Ignatius Wang, Archbishop George Niederauer, Bishop William J. Justice, Deacon Thomas Kelly.

Pope names German theologian to head Vatican doctrinal office CAROL GLATZ CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

VATICAN CITY – Pope Benedict XVI has named Archbishop Gerhard L. Muller of Regensburg, Germany, the new prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. The 64-year-old expert in dogmatic theology and ecumenism, who has co-authored a work on liberation theology, replaced U.S. Cardinal William J. Levada, who retired at 76. As head of the doctrinal congregation, the archbishop also assumes the roles of president of the Pontifical Commission “Ecclesia Dei,” the

Pontifical Biblical Commission and the International Theological Commission. The appointment automatically elevates the former bishop of Regensburg, Germany, to the rank of archbishop, according to a Vatican statement July 2. The archbishop’s academic research focuses on “ecumenism, modern age theology, the Christian understanding of revelation, theological hermeneutics and ecclesiology – the priesthood and the diaconate,” according to the website of the Diocese of Regensburg. SEE DOCTRINAL, PAGE 5

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The Office of Marriage and Family Life, closed by the Archdiocese of San Francisco in a cost-cutting move in 2005, has been restored in the fiscal year budget that began July 1, the need for it growing exponentially. A director of the office, who must have experience in marriage preparation and other family life programs and be bilingual in English and Spanish, will be hired, along with an assistant, hopefully by the end of September. The director’s assignment will be to support marriage and family life matters in the parishes, said Auxiliary Bishop Robert W. McElroy. During the past 15 years, the number of sacramental marriages in the archdiocese, and across the nation, has fallen almost by 60 percent, an interim task force on marriage assembled by the archdiocese found. Forces behind the trend include the growing secularization of society, while people in their 20s and 30s are statistically least engaged in the life of the church, Bishop McElroy said. Launching an office amid those challenges, as well as managing other ministries, including support for separated and divorced people, aid to the grieving and providing support for people after they’re married, is a tall order, Bishop McElroy said. “The work of this office will be a lot of start-up work and work with volunteers, and it won’t get done all at once,” he said.

INDEX On the Street . . . . . . . . .4 World . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 Opinion. . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Faith. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Calendar. . . . . . . . . . . .24 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . 27


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July 13, 2012 by Catholic San Francisco - Issuu