The Catholic Telegraph April 2024

MAGAZINE

193rd year | issue 4

bringing faith into the home

april 2024 | faith & science | 1

“I find purpose in guiding and assisting individuals on their journey to enroll in Medicare.” – Josh Kabel

We serve as experts, but mostly as people.

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Josh Kabel, pictured with his family, is a Benefit Advisor at RetireMed and a parishioner at St. Charles Borromeo in Kettering.

866.625 .4609 | retiremed.com/tct

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EDITOR’S NOTE

An Ultrasound: Faith & Science Encapsulated My husband, Mark, and I sat in the dark room at the doctor’s office, excitedly waiting for the ultrasound technician to show us a glimpse of our first unborn child. The tech grabbed the wand, reached for the bottle of gel, asked me to roll up my shirt, and secured it with paper towels to keep the gel from spreading and making a mess. We watched the screen in front of us with anticipation.

When the wand touched my belly, I first saw all kinds of things flit across the black and white screen, outlines of organs and fluids, as science and ultrasound technology enabled us to peer through flesh and bone into what lay beneath. And there, tucked within my uterus, was a 12 week post-conception, tiny person. We watched in awe as the baby, who we later learned was a girl, danced on the screen. Her arms swished as her legs kicked her body in circles. The ultrasound tech laughed with us about how active the baby was.

at night to gaze up at the stars and listen to the ocean, because that’s where I could feel the power of God around me.

As humans, it’s natural to take what we can’t see with the naked eye for granted—faith and science have that in common. We take for granted that we exist, often not questioning our souls’ origin. We take for granted that our hands move, or our brains process information, without pausing to think about the nervous system’s intricacies.

It was a defining moment for my husband and me, or perhaps I should say the defining moment. Science and faith were perfectly encapsulated within my body in the form of a perfect, little human being. It’s the moment that firmly dragged my husband back to his faith and secured my desire to become Catholic.

For this issue of The Catholic Telegraph, we reached out to the Catholic community, locally and abroad, to learn and share how faith and science collide. The stories of everything from agriculture and farming to space study at the Vatican Observatory made this issue one of the most interesting and exciting we’ve produced. I hope you enjoy it as much as we have and that it inspires you to observe how faith and science support one another in your own life.

The intersection of faith and science happens in these small moments all the time. Even as a middle schooler on a family vacation, I would sneak out to the porch

cteditorial@catholicaoc.org

THE CATHOLIC TELEGRAPH 193rd Year No. 4 • APRIL 2024 513-263-6635 • thecatholictelegraph.com

PUBLISHER Archbishop Dennis M. Schnurr

EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Jessica Rinaudo

MEDIA SALES Deacon Graham Galloway

GRAPHIC DESIGN Emma Cassani

PHOTOGRAPHY Margaret Swensen

NEW MEDIA EDITOR Greg Hartman

DIGITAL ENGAGEMENT Trenton Scroggins

SOCIAL MEDIA Taylor Motley

100 East Eighth St., Cincinnati, OH 45202 ctadvertising@catholicaoc.org The Catholic Telegraph (xUSPS 094-520) ISSN. 10736689 is published monthly by the Archdiocese of Cincinnati 100 E 8th St., Cincinnati, OH 45202. Periodicals postage paid at Cincinnati and at additional mailing office. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: The Catholic Telegraph, 100 E. 8th St., Cincinnati, OH 45202

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april contents

Moonlit Musings page 22

faith & science

columns

12 SOMEWHERE IT HIDES A WELL

7 QUESTION OF FAITH

SISTER MARY ANN FLANNERY, SC

Treating illness

Sister Victoria Anyanwu brings solar panels & clean water to Nigeria

10 CATHOLIC AT HOME

16 WORKING IN FAITH KARY ELLEN BERGER

Two Cincinnati doctors specialize in NaPro Technology

FATHER DAVID ENDRES

KATIE SCIBA

Sharing our vulnerabilities with God 11 DID YOU KNOW?

BY GAIL FINKE ILLUSTRATED BY EMMA CASSANI

20 CREATION & SUSTAINABLE FARMING

Creation & Sustainable Farming page 20

news 8 ASL PRIEST

BY EILEEN CONNELLY, OSU

Meet Father Charles 25 BOOK REVIEW JOSEPH PEARCE

Pondering the Permanent Things: Reflections on Faith, Art, & Culture 40 OUT & ABOUT IN THE ARCHDIOCESE

ON THE COVER PHOTO BY EMMA CASSANI

Dr. Paul Day and Dr. Jason Mattingly specialize in NaPro Technology at Mercy Health.

4 | THE CATHOLIC TE LEG RAPH

Holy Redeemer, New Bremen

JOHN STEGEMAN

14 A CLOSER LOOK

Hydroponic & aquaponic technology in the classroom

DR. KENNETH CRAYCRAFT

22 MOONLIT MUSINGS

The use and abuse of science and technology

FATHER PAUL MUELLER, SJ

34 UNCOVERING THE PAST

How a Jesuit Priest bridged faith & science at the Vatican Observatory

Making sense of the U.S. Census

26 COMPETING FOR THE FUTURE AT ALTER HIGH SCHOOL

DR. ANDREW SODERGREN

REBEKAH DAVIDSON

RUTHY TRUSLER

36 THEOLOGY OF THE BODY The call to purity: An echo of the beginning

28 MAKING SPACE FOR FAITH & SCIENCE

38 KIDS’ CORNER

LISA FLETCHER

ILLUSTRATED BY EMMA CASSANI

at Roger Bacon High School

St. Dominic

32 WHERE FAITH & SCIENCE MEET IN THE CLASSROOM

42 THE FINAL WORD

KARY ELLEN BERGER

Lessons from Notre Dame

BY JESSICA RINAUDO

DR. CHRIS BAGLOW

Faith on the frontiers: ET, AI and the image of God at Notre Dame

POPE FRANCIS’ PRAYER INTENTION FOR APRIL For the Role of Women

We pray that the dignity and immense value of women be recognized in every culture, and for the end of discrimination that they experience in different parts of the world.

Archbishop Dennis M. Schnurr blesses the new Mercy Health Kings Mills Hospital.

Seek the Lord ARCHBISHOP DENNIS M. SCHNURR

Jesus was not afraid to be controversial. Declaring sins forgiven, speaking of His relationship with God the Father, and teaching the necessity to love our enemies all created a stir in Jesus’ day. Various aspects of His teachings remain controversial to this day. For example, Jesus said, “If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (Jn. 8:3132). In quick succession He uses the word truth three times, emphasizing the importance of that reality. Yet Pilate would later question Jesus, asking, “What is truth?” (Jn. 18:38).

Through all our scientific and intellectual pursuits, we are ultimately seeking to know the truth about ourselves and to find answers to the most fundamental questions: Who am I? What is the purpose of my life? What is good and what is evil? Is there something more than this life? These questions, though, cannot be answered by science alone; we must rely also on the Revelation we have received from God. It is our faith which opens up the fullness of the mystery of creation and helps us to understand how we are to interact with each other and the world in which we live.

Even today many people assert that objective truth does not exist outside of subjective experience. We firmly believe, however, that is not the case. In the introduction to his encyclical Fides et Ratio (FR), Pope St. John Paul II said, “God has placed in the human heart a desire to know the truth.” All of us, then, knowingly or unknowingly, are on a quest to learn more about the world around us and our place in that world. For His part, God has constantly been at work to reveal to us the truth underlying all of creation, namely who He is and who we are in relationship to Him.

Faith and science thus are not in competition with each other. Rather they inform each other, each contributing to the fullness of knowledge which we seek to possess. Pope St. John Paul II spoke about this relationship clearly: “The world and all that happens within it, including history and the fate of peoples, are realities to be observed, analyzed, and assessed with all the resources of reason, but without faith ever being foreign to the process. Faith intervenes not to abolish reason’s autonomy nor to reduce its scope for action, but solely to bring the human being to understand that in these events it is the God of Israel who acts. Thus the world and the events of history cannot be understood in depth without professing faith in the God who is at work in them” (FR, 16).

Christ, the incarnate Word of God, speaks the truth not only through His words, but also through His actions and the Holy Spirit, which He sent after His Passion and Resurrection. Reflecting on this reality, the Fathers of the Second Vatican Council stated, “Christ… by the revelation of the mystery of the Father and His love, fully reveals man to man himself and makes his supreme calling clear. It is not surprising, then, that in Him all the aforementioned truths find their root and attain their crown” (Gaudium et Spes, 22).

As we live in this world and study and explore all its various facets, we must never lose sight of the fact that God has created everything to reveal His love for us and to guide us along the path which leads to fully sharing in that love forever in heaven.

S E E K T H E L O R D / APRI L 2024 | 5

Busca al Senor ARZOBISPO DENNIS M. SCHNURR

Jesús no tuvo miedo de ser controversial. Declarar los pecados perdonados, hablar de Su relación con Dios Padre y enseñar la necesidad de amar a nuestros enemigos provocaron bastante agitación en el tiempo de Jesús. Varios aspectos de Sus enseñanzas siguen siendo controvertidos hasta el día de hoy. Por ejemplo, Jesús dijo: “Si ustedes permanecen fieles a mi palabra, serán verdaderamente mis discípulos: conocerán la verdad y la verdad los hará libres” (Jn. 8:31-32). En rápida sucesión utiliza la palabra verdad tres veces, enfatizando la importancia de esa realidad. Sin embargo, Pilato más tarde interrogaría a Jesús: “¿Qué es la verdad?” (Jn. 18:38).

Incluso hoy en día mucha gente afirma que la verdad objetiva no existe fuera de la experiencia subjetiva. Sin embargo, nosotros creemos firmemente que ese no es el caso. En la introducción a su encíclica Fides et Ratio (FR), el Papa San Juan Pablo II afirmó: “Dios ha puesto en el corazón del hombre el deseo de conocer la verdad”. Por lo tanto, todos nosotros, consciente o inconscientemente, estamos en una búsqueda de aprender más sobre el mundo que nos rodea y nuestro lugar en ese mundo. Por Su parte, Dios ha estado trabajando constantemente para revelarnos la verdad que subyace a toda la creación, es decir, quién es Él y quiénes somos nosotros en relación con Él.

Cristo, el Verbo de Dios encarnado, comunica la verdad no sólo a través de Sus palabras, sino también a través de Sus acciones y del Espíritu Santo, que envió después de Su Pasión y Resurrección. Reflexionando sobre esta realidad, los Padres del Concilio Vaticano II afirmaron: “Cristo… en la misma revelación del misterio del Padre y de su amor, manifiesta plenamente el hombre al propio hombre y le descubre la sublimidad de su vocación. Nada extraño, pues, que todas las verdades hasta aquí expuestas encuentren en Cristo su 6 | THE C ATHOLIC TE LEG RAPH

fuente y su corona” (Gaudium et Spes, 22).

A través de todas nuestras actividades científicas e intelectuales, en última instancia buscamos conocer la verdad sobre nosotros mismos y encontrar respuestas a las preguntas más fundamentales: ¿Quién soy? ¿Cuál es el propósito de mi vida? ¿Qué es bueno y qué es malo? ¿Hay algo más que esta vida?

Sin embargo, estas preguntas no pueden ser respondidas únicamente por la ciencia; debemos confiar también en la Revelación que hemos recibido de Dios. Es nuestra fe la que abre la plenitud del misterio de la creación y nos ayuda a comprender cómo debemos interactuar unos con otros y con el mundo en el que vivimos.

Por tanto, la fe y la ciencia no compiten entre sí. Más bien se informan uno al otro, cada uno contribuyendo a la plenitud del conocimiento que buscamos poseer. El Papa San Juan Pablo II habló claramente de esta relación: “El mundo y todo lo que sucede en él, como también la historia y las diversas vicisitudes del pueblo, son realidades que se han de ver, analizar y juzgar con los medios propios de la razón, pero sin que la fe sea extraña en este proceso. Ésta no interviene para menospreciar la autonomía de la razón o para limitar su espacio de acción, sino sólo para hacer comprender al hombre que el Dios de Israel se hace visible y actúa en estos acontecimientos. Así mismo, conocer a fondo el mundo y los acontecimientos de la historia no es posible sin confesar al mismo tiempo la fe en Dios que actúa en ellos” (FR, 16).

Mientras vivimos en este mundo y estudiamos y exploramos todas sus diversas facetas, nunca debemos perder de vista el hecho de que Dios ha creado todo para revelar Su amor por nosotros y guiarnos por el camino que nos lleva a compartir plenamente ese amor para siempre en el cielo.

QU E ST IO N O F F A IT H

Treating Illness When a person is diagnosed with a serious disease, do they have an obligation to treat it?

According to the Catholic understanding of the human person, each person is obligated to use ordinary means to preserve their health, including medications, surgery and other procedures to address serious illness. This does not mean, however, that a person is obliged to submit to medical interventions that do not provide a reasonable hope of benefit.

LIFE IS A GIFT

Treating illness rests on the foundation that every life is a gift. Each person is unique and unrepeatable, made in the image and likeness of God. As the Catechism teaches, “Life and physical health are precious gifts entrusted to us by God” (CCC 2288). The dignity of the person is intrinsic and does not diminish with age or illness.

This often includes the use of medications to reduce pain and the continuation of nutrition and hydration insofar as they benefit the person (at the end of life, for instance, the patient may not be able to assimilate nutrition).

But even if an illness is deemed progressive or incurable, it does not indicate that all treatment should necessarily end—only those judged as disproportionate or burdensome.

Furthermore, a terminal illness diagnosis does not permit the person to end his or her life or omit care that is proportionate and ordinary.

INDIVIDUAL CIRCUMSTANCES

The Church recognizes that the decision to pursue treatment depends on specific circumstances, healthcare professionals’ guidance and the individual’s decision. Therefore, the choice to pursue, continue or discontinue a particular treatment is a personal one.

Catholics are encouraged to care for their health and seek appropriate medical intervention as a means of stewardship for God’s gift. This includes making informed decisions regarding health care, such as understanding the benefits, risks and potential outcomes of treatment options and consulting with professionals.

As part of their decision-making, individuals may name a healthcare power of attorney or sign an advance directive.

A decision not to treat in a particular manner, even if this means life could be shortened, is not equivalent to seeking to end one’s life.

PROPORTIONATE VS. DISPROPORTIONATE

PATHWAY TO ETERNAL LIFE

Not all medical interventions are proportionally beneficial to life. Depending on the disease and its prognosis, treatment may not be morally necessary or may be discontinued, even if it shortens one’s life. Following the criteria of medical proportionality, the individual should weigh the treatment’s potential benefit against its burden. Proportionate interventions that are likely to benefit should be pursued, while high-risk, painful or costly treatments may be judged as disproportionate and, therefore, optional.

Humans are not meant to live forever, and life does not need to be extended at all costs. For believers, the end of life is the pathway to eternal life. Serious illness can be an opportunity to draw close to Christ, who suffered for us.

Faced with sickness, suffering and death, we are reminded of the promise of an eternity with God. As we pray in the Creed, “I look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Amen.”

TERMINAL ILLNESS

In cases where the disease is terminal and treatment is unlikely to be effective or would cause undue suffering, the focus should be on providing comfort and palliative care.

FATHER DAVID ENDRES is professor of Church history and historical theology at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary & School of Theology.

Q U E S T IO N O F F A IT H / APRI L 2024 | 7

BY EILEEN CONNELLY, OSU

Father Charles Munachiso Onumaegbu, the new chaplain serving the deaf community across the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, is eager to offer them hope, support their faith and provide the sacraments.

Father Onumaegbu’s vocation to the priesthood and interest in working with the deaf population originated in his native Nigeria, where he hails from the Imo State, in the country’s southeast. His parents, both elementary school teachers, inspired him, the youngest of 11 children, but he admits that “life was not easy for my family. We were very poor, and I was able to go to school, but it was a 30-minute walk to church and school every day.”

He left elementary school at just 10-years-old to attend the local high school seminary, primarily for its excellent educational opportunity. “That was the most important thing to me at the time,” he said. “I wasn’t really thinking about being a priest then, but I was open to the Lord’s call.”

Priest

8 | THE CATHOLIC TELE GRAPH

After high school graduation, with his older brother already a deacon, Father Onumaegbu pursued studies in environmental engineering at Federal University of Technology Owerri. Amid his studies, he became fascinated by a television program featuring a professor who taught sign language. “That really touched my heart,” he recalled.

“I really wanted to learn to use my hands to help others.”

While visiting his brother, who had since been ordained to the priesthood, Father Onumaegbu met two Italian sisters, Sisters Maurav and Claudia, of the Daughters of Providence for the Deaf. When the nuns told the young man that he looked like a seminarian, he first objected

Fr. Charles that a family couldn’t have more than one priest. They quickly informed him of a family they knew in which three sons were called to be priests and three daughters entered religious life. Knowing of his interest in deaf ministry, Sisters Maurav and Claudia encouraged Father Onumaegbu to apply to the Congregation of the Little Mission for the Deaf in Rome.

the needs of people from across the spectrum of disability: mental health, the deaf community, the blind community, people with developmental and intellectual disabilities, people with Autism and people with physical disabilities. Much of the office’s early focus was on the deaf community due to the shortage of priests trained to celebrate the sacraments in ASL.

“I thought, ‘Whatever the Lord wants me to do, I can do it,’ so I applied,” he said, and was enthusiastically accepted into the community. Father Onumaegbu was first sent to the Philippines to study philosophy while learning ASL (American Sign Language) and Tagalog. He was then sent to Rome for additional theological studies and to learn Italian and Italian Sign Language (LIS).

Ordained to the priesthood in 2016, he was soon elected Bursar General of his congregation. He went on to minister at St. Francis of Assisi and St. Catherine parishes in Rome, with a special apostolate to the deaf: celebrating Mass and the sacrament of reconciliation and offering spiritual direction and seminars. He also traveled to the Congo to supervise construction of a formation house and deaf school.

Excited about this opportunity, Father Onumaegbu reached out, “hoping my email would reach the right person.”

He soon received an invitation from Archbishop Dennis M. Schnurr to visit Cincinnati and was incardinated as a priest in the archdiocese. Since returning to Cincinnati in January to begin his new ministry, Father Onumaegbu has been celebrating Sunday Mass and offering catechesis and reconciliation for the deaf community in Cincinnati at St. Rita. During the week, he observes in St. Rita’s classrooms to learn more about the school and its teaching methods, and on Saturdays, he can be found celebrating the sacraments at St. Christopher Parish in Vandalia for the Dayton area deaf community.

“

Whatever the Lord wants me to do, I can do it.

God’s path for Father Onumaegbu changed in 2021, when a letter from the Vatican informed him that his congregation had become too small and would join with the Rogationists of the Heart of Jesus, an order that did not specifically serve the deaf. So, he began searching online for new ministry opportunities that would use his English and ASL skills, seeking dioceses in need of priests to minister to the deaf community. His search led him to the Archdiocese of Cincinnati and St. Rita School for the Deaf.

The archdiocese established the Office for Persons with Disabilities several years ago with the goal of meeting

“I have so many programs, so many ideas, in my mind, but it’s important not to rush things, to find out exactly what the deaf community needs and wants,” he said.

“After 16 years of living with the deaf in their world and learning from them, I see how isolated they feel from their families, society and the Church,” Father Onumaegbu explained. “I have seen the joy they experience at a Mass celebrated in their own language. That is so important to them—the sense of community, experiencing God’s love for them. As a hearing person, it brings me joy to have their confidence in me. I hope that I can be their voice.”

N E W S / APRI L 2024 | 9

CATHO LIC A T H O ME

Sharing Our Vulnerabilities With God We had the windows open, letting a delightful breeze flow through our new house. I was surrounded by boxes in the living room as my kids ran around the yard with new friends.

I took a break from unpacking to watch my daughter, Jane, building fairy houses out of twigs and leaves in the front yard with her new best friend. It was a sweet scene to take in, with them giggling and working together. I kept my observation distant, to not intrude on the friendship blooming outside my living room window. Before the move, Jane had only her four brothers for “neighborhood” friends, so to see her playing with another little girl was a refreshing delight. They built, ran around and laughed easily. Jane glanced up at the house and waved to me beaming.

When she came in after a couple of hours, I eagerly asked, “Tell me about playing outside!” Jane is a sweet girl and very pragmatic, so she kindly, yet practically, replied, “You saw me though.”

“Yeah, but what were you and your friend doing?” I asked.

“Building and playing. You saw,” she said, almost confused.

“I did. Will you tell me about it though?” I pressed.

Quite simply, Jane didn’t understand the point of telling me what happened when I clearly saw it with my own two eyes.

I finally conveyed that I was interested in her experience of it all. What was fun about it? What did she enjoy about her new friend? I love my daughter and wanted the joy of her sharing with me.

Chuckling over the experience, it occurred to me that it’s analogous to our connection with the Lord. Like me watching my daughter play, God sees our reality and experiences unfolding, except He is omniscient so His knowledge infinitely surpasses our own. Scripture says that He formed us, that He 1 0 | THE CATHOLIC TE LEGRAPH

knows the hairs on our heads, when we sit and when we stand.

Not only is He wholly aware of the logistical goings-on in our lives and all exterior aspects, but also of our inmost stirrings.

Blessed Julian of Norwich, an anchoress and mystic from the 1300s, said that “God is nearer to us than our own souls.” No one knows us more intimately than He does, yet still, He asks us to entrust ourselves to him; to pray, sharing our experiences and the depths of our hearts with him.

Why? Because that’s what a relationship is. Knowing the details of a person’s feelings and thoughts cannot equate to being entrusted with that same information. We experience connection every day with people, and we know without articulating it that it takes sharing. It takes vulnerability. And Jesus already made the first move. From an overwhelming, never-ending love for us, Jesus made Himself completely vulnerable as a newborn, a beloved Brother who shares His Father and His Mother, a constant friend and Savior and a humble Host available for us to receive—all the while demonstrating His faithfulness. He is trustworthy and a safe place.

There is no better relationship to have than the one God never ceases to offer. No one else fulfills or brings more joy. The response for us is prayer. I’ve said it so many times here, and it will always bear repeating: my favorite wisdom about prayer comes from St. Thérèse, who said, “Prayer is a launching out of the heart toward God.” In all its reality and rawness, your heart is precisely what the Lord wants, exactly in the state it’s in. Do you have questions? Is your heart weary or confused? Are you in pain? Are you excited and happy about something? Did you make a new friend after being alone or maybe delight in a lovely spring day? Behold, He stands at the door and knocks. Tell Him about it.

KATIE SCIBA is a national speaker and Catholic Press Awardwinning columnist. Katie has been married for 15 years and is blessed with six children.

Holy Redeemer, New Bremen The precursor to Holy Redeemer Church in New Bremen was a Catholic mission that operated for 20 years. The current parish was founded more than 50 years after the mission closed.

DID YOU KNOW? The Holy Redeemer The Holy Redeemer or Christ the Redeemer is among the many names for Jesus.

Throughout art history, this image has been most commonly depicted as Christ with outstretched arms—a notable example being the iconic statue in Rio de Janeiro.

This gesture signifies openness and welcome, which is often associated with the concept of redemption. Christ sacrificed Himself for us. He desires to embrace each of us with open arms, offering grace, despite our imperfections and sinfulness.

1883 Land for a new settlement purchased by the Bremen Company of Cincinnati, for a Protestant town to be settled by German immigrants.

1837 The village of New Bremen incorporated.

1845 The 249-mile Miami and Erie Canal completed (begun in 1825). New Bremen became a bustling stop and pork packing center.

1849 Forty percent of the town’s residents died of cholera.

Though nearby Amsterdam was deserted and never rebuilt, New Bremen recovered.

1872 Most Precious Blood Catholic mission founded.

Its brick church, built largely with contributions

by Protestants, was visited monthly by a Precious Blood priest until its closing in the 1890s.

1948 Church of the Holy Redeemer parish established.

1969 Current church, designed by Schreiber, Little and Associates of Springfield, built in a sprawling, internationalist style that featured variegated brown brick inside and out; art glass; a “floating ceiling” that reveals the sky above an art glass clerestory; angled walls and ceilings; and tall, narrow stained glass windows.

1976 Parish center built; connector added in 1991.

2018-2021 John and Jean Homan donated dark wood sanctuary furniture, relocating the tabernacle for all Masses in the main church. Renovations also included modern sound and lighting, revealing the original wooden ceiling, and adding a Gothic-inspired reredos behind the altar.

2022 The Northwest Eight Family of parishes (now the Christ Our Light Family) established. The formerly independent parish became part of an eight-parish family operated by the Missionaries of the Precious Blood Fathers.

Quick Facts 1 copper cross in a hallway was constructed by John Stueve, a charter member of the parish, to top the 1948 church.

3 relics in the modern, table-style, brick and stone altar are from martyr St. Emeritus and confessors St. Charles Borromeo and St. John Vianney.

5 cast aluminum motifs (1960s-style versions of traditional Catholic symbols)

by Cincinnati sculptor Frank Francois are used throughout the church. | 11

Sister Victoria Anyanwu Brings Solar Panels & Clean Water to Nigeria

BY SISTER MARY ANN FLANNERY, SC

Author Angie Kim shares that she was inspired by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s famous book, The Little Prince, when she was a child in Seoul, Korea. Her attention riveted on these lines: “One sits down on a desert sand dune, sees nothing, hears nothing. Yet through the silence something throbs and gleams. What makes the desert beautiful is that somewhere it hides a well.”

No one knows this better than Sister Victoria Anyanwu.

In 2006, Sister Anyanwu, SC, a Sister of Charity of Cincinnati and a nurse, began visiting her native Nigeria periodically to provide medical service. She started with medical assessments of people in her village, Umunagbor Ihitte, and eventually secured six physicians to complete 685 villager evaluations. All who were evaluated suffered from diseases directly attributable to contaminated water that they drank and used for bathing, washing clothes and doing household chores. And people in surrounding villages also exhibited the same illnesses because of contaminated water.

1 2 | THE CATHOLIC TELE GRAPH

Sister Anyanwu shudders when she describes this water, “It was all scum, no oxygen. It was brown, muddy water. Nothing could live in this water from ponds scattered throughout the villages.”

Year after year, Sister Anyanwu saw illnesses increase and asked herself, “Why treat the results of contaminated water without addressing the cause?”

She eventually determined that wells were the best solution as they would bring clean water to the surface. “I knew the water was there; we had to bring it up through wells,” she said.

But this required generators, so she enlisted Sister Louise Lears to help estimate the cost of generators that could pump the water from far beneath the desert-dry ground. At first, this seemed like a dream.

“Each of 10 villages was to get a generator, but the cost of fuel

tripled, due to a new government and its policies,” said Sister Anyanwu. She remained undeterred.

and then cover the costs of tanks, wiring for power, control panels, storm protectors, chemical treatments and labor.

Today, the wells run with clean water 24/7.

Going to the wells is easier for villagers than walking long distances to fetid pools.

Sister Anyanwu feels a deep personal pride for her own village.

“I love to bargain,” said Sister Anyanwu, with a wide smile. “I thought I should get solar panels and not rely on fuel-driven generators. Nobody was using solar in the villages, [so they] could learn more from this, too.”

“My mission is to give glory to God,” Sister Anyanwu said. She believes that the water project will keep people healthier, and that is surely a way of praising God. She recounts how her mother taught her to give what she could to make life better for others. “My mother had a difficult pregnancy when she carried me. She almost died when I was born, so when I lived and she lived, she dedicated me to God,” she said.

When she approached a company about purchasing and installing solar panels, they agreed to help because they supported her mission for clean water. Each of the five villages’ solar panel setup cost $3,600, which Sister Anyanwu paid using funds from selling the generators and from donors. Next, she had to drill the wells.

After careful research, Sister Anyanwu and her advisers determined that one well could service two villages, thus five wells provided for 10 villages, for a total of $60,520.

They learned that they had to drill down 600 feet and install a tubular casing to prevent the well hole from collapsing,

Sister Anyanwu has found a way to help her poor village and other villages, all because she realized that under the barren ground “something throbs and gleams and makes the desert beautiful [because] somewhere it hides a well.”

SAVE THE DATE! JULY 6, 2024

In preparation for the NATIONAL EUCHARISTIC CONGRESS the Archdiocese of Cincinnati will have a Eucharistic Celebration!

10 AM: MASS WITH ARCHBISHOP SCHNURR Cathedral Basilica of St. Peter in Chains

FOLLOWING MASS: EUCHARISTIC PROCESSION from the Cathedral Basilica to Fountain Square

11:30 AM - 2PM: “JESUS IS HERE” CELEBRATION Fountain Square in Downtown Cincinnati More information coming soon!

F A IT H & S CIE N CE / A PRI L 2024 | 13

A CLO SE R LO O K

The Use and Abuse of Science and Technology In 1992, British novelist P.D. James departed from her usual genre of detective fiction to write a dystopian novel about the growing prevalence of what Pope St. John II later called “the culture of death.” This culture, wrote John Paul in the 1995 encyclical, Evangelium Vitae, is “fostered by powerful … economic and political currents which encourage an idea of society excessively concerned with efficiency” at the expense of the human person.

James’ novel, The Children of Men, begins with a January 1, 2021, diary entry by Oxford University professor Theo Faron. He observes that 25-yearold Joseph Ricardo, the youngest-known person in the world, died that day in a bar fight in Buenos Aires. For unknown reasons, Faron explains, during the past quarter century, human beings had ceased to reproduce. And now, the last to have been born is dead.

Not surprisingly, Faron explains that the world is despondent.

But the reason for its anguish is not that humanity faces impending distinction, as one might assume. Rather, he notes, “We are outraged and demoralized … by our failure to discover the cause.” For all human history, he observes, we have been beset by diseases and devastated by calamities.

Until now, “[we] have always been able to explain why” through technological advancement and achievement. “Western science has been our god…. [I]t has preserved, comforted, healed, warmed, fed and entertained us.” While we may have been unfaithful Their indictment, rather, from time to time, we lived with the is against a cultural hubris knowledge that science, “this deity, our that presumes to control creature and our slave, would provide for us.” But now, he mourns, “I share nature without any care the universal disillusionment of those for the transcendent and whose god has died.” So, rather than be unique goodness of the horrified by the demise of humanity, “we are humiliated at the very heart of our human person. faith in ourselves” to find the solution.

Anticipating their own extinction, nations and institutions all over the world prepare for the human race’s imminent demise. “We are storing our books and manuscripts, the great paintings, the musical scores and instruments, the artifacts,” Faron notes. “The world’s greatest libraries will, in forty years’ time at most, be darkened and sealed.” Instead of children, people dress their pets in human clothes, push them in baby carriages and contrive elaborate baptism ceremonies for them. A world that didn’t want children is learning the despair of not having them.

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Put another way, “science” as god was actually a proxy for “man” as god. We smugly thought, James asserts through Faron, that with science as our tool we are invincible and immortal; we are our own gods. We might be challenged by disease, pestilence and calamity, but we would always prevail. Every setback would be superseded by new advances. Why? Because as gods, we had gained control over nature. Even more, we vanquished nature. It would henceforth do our bidding, serve our whims and feed our hubris. And “science” would be our tool. Or so we thought.

P.D. James’ indictment of modern science’s hubris calls to mind C.S. Lewis’ famous essay “The Abolition of Man,” published some 50 years before The Children of Men. While James gives us a fictional account of the folly of thinking we can control nature through what we call science, Lewis provides a philosophical and theological explanation of what we really mean when we say we have conquered nature. “‘Man’s conquest of Nature’ is an expression often used to describe the progress of applied science,” Lewis wrote in 1943. But the phrase is a hubristic myth. “What we call Man’s power is, in reality, a power possessed by some men which they may, or may not, allow other men to profit by.”

As an example, Lewis refers to artificial contraception, which resonates with James’ novel and St. John Paul II’s encyclical. Contraceptives are not so much man controlling nature through science as they are present men asserting control over future men, using science as their weapon. “[A]ll possible future generations are the patients or subjects of a power wielded by those who already live,” Lewis explains. Simply, by “contraception ... they are denied existence; by contraception used as a means of selective breeding they are … made to be what

one generation … may choose to prefer.”

This contraceptive mentality, St. John Paul II explains, is “a war of the powerful against the weak.” A “life which would require greater acceptance, love and care is considered useless, or held to be an intolerable burden, and is therefore rejected.” Or, as Lewis puts it, “Man’s power over Nature turns out to be a power exercised by some men over other men with Nature as its instrument.”

Neither James nor John Paul rejects the good uses to which science can be put. Their indictment, rather, is against a cultural hubris that presumes to control nature without any care for the transcendent and unique goodness of the human person. Science ordered toward the good may be beneficial to humankind. Science as a tool disconnected from any sense of the good becomes a weapon by which the strong control the weak. Thus, we all become its victims.

DR. KENNETH CRAYCRAFT is a Professor of Theology at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary and the author of Citizens Yet Strangers: Living Authentically Catholic in a Divided America (OSV 2024).

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A CL O S E R L O O K / A P RI L 2024 | 15

Dr. Paul Day (left) and Dr. Jason Mattingly (right) from Mercy Hospital. They are both Catholic physicians trained in NaPro technology.

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Working in Faith:

Two Cincinnati Doctors Specialize in NaPro Technology

BY KARY ELLEN BERGER

When there is a problem, the natural response is to find or create a solution. This holds true for doctors, including Dr. Paul Day and Dr. Jason Mattingly. Both specialize in natural methods for family planning and addressing fertility issues at Mercy Health.

Dr. Day’s interest arose in this field after shadowing Dr. Mattingly. “That clinical experience inspired me to learn more about women’s health and how to best approach this in light of the Church’s wisdom and knowledge of the human person,” said Dr. Day. For Dr. Mattingly, his wife was the inspiration. When she began learning the Creighton Model for natural family planning (NFP), he accompanied her and also learned how to apply NFP principles to assist women in managing pregnancies and diagnosing reproductive and gynecologic issues. In 2000, he became a Creighton Medical Consultant.

In their practice, both doctors specialize in Natural Procreative Technology, more commonly known as NaProTechnology.

“The term NaProTechnology was coined by Dr Thomas Hilgers, who, CONTINUED ON PAGE 18 F A IT H & S CIE N CE / A PRI L 2024 | 17

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 17

with the help of his own wife, an RN, and several other amazing RN’s, created the Creighton Model FertilityCare system and founded the Saint Paul VI Institute in Omaha, NE,” said Dr. Mattingly. “He meant [the term] to mean that we would seek to diagnose and treat reproductive problems in a way that respects the dignity of the patient, does not supplant or circumvent the natural fertility process, keeps with the ethical directives of the Church as put forth in Donum Vitae and Humana Vitae and achieves results that rival or exceed that of the ‘usual care’ a woman might otherwise receive from her doctor. For my part, I truly believe that the principles of NaProTechnology are exactly the same as what we seek to do in medicine generally: find the problem, fix the problem, help restore healthy function to the patient.”

“The underlying value system of NaProTechnology is based on core principles from Pope Paul VI’s encyclical Humanae Vitae and [Pope Saint] John Paul II’s Theology of the Body that work cooperatively with our God-given physiology to restore and maintain health,” added Dr. Day. Dr. Day also shared how NaProTechnology is helping more than couples. This approach to women’s health extends to unmarried young women, such as those experiencing cycle irregularities, to pinpoint potential causes. It also aids couples with Fertility Awareness

“

Based Methods (FABMs); with hopes of restoring regular cycles to bolster their trust in divine guidance for their marital journey.

Both doctors feel their faith has been strengthened by working in this field.

“Walking with women and couples who have struggled with infertility, pregnancy loss and other health challenges has truly been a blessing to me,” said Dr. Day. “Recognizing the courage, fortitude and submission to God’s will that this can require [of people] while [they go] through medical workup and treatment as a patient continues to inspire me.”

“When Dr. Day and I work with women and couples who have reproductive problems, I think we try to apply this science and achieve three goals,” said Dr. Mattingly. “To identify the causes and find treatments consistent with everything mentioned above, to help them feel heard and understood, knowing that fertility problems can be incredibly painful physically, emotionally and spiritually—hitting at the essence of how women see themselves—as mothers and ‘fruitbearers’ for their family. Also to extend the healing ministry of Christ and his Church to patients, to feel God’s love and realize His promise of fruitfulness— even as it comes to us in ways we might not have expected or even imagined previously.”

Walking with women and couples who have struggled with infertility, pregnancy loss and other health challenges has truly been a blessing to me.

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Hydroponic & Aquaponic Technology in the Classroom STORY BY JOH N ST E G EM A N | PHOTO S BY DA N N Y S C HN EI B L E

Carroll High School science teacher Todd Tayloe learned several years ago that one in seven jobs in the state of Ohio dealt with agriculture, and those jobs were going unfilled. In an effort to help students see alternative career options, he turned to hydroponics and aquaponics.

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Hydroponics is the process of growing plants in a nutrientrich water solution, as opposed to soil. Aquaponics is a form of agriculture that combines raising fish in tanks with soilless plant culture.

“I started the first year to try to bring agriculture into Carroll, because most of the kids, if they think of science jobs outside of school, they think engineering or medical,” Tayloe said. “They don’t really think about the agricultural route.”

Tayloe’s Scholarship Biology students grew corn in buckets of dirt with varying success. From there, he brought his agricultural ideas to his ecology class, enhancing his original grow system with a grow tent and more lights. Finally, he included hydroponics.

“I was trying to come up with ways to teach them about sustainable farming that we could do in the classroom,” Tayloe said. “I thought, let’s think more sustainably, let’s talk about hydroponics. You know, it’s something that you can do pretty much anywhere as long as you have water and the means.”

To supply the means, Tayloe earned grants and asked companies to donate materials.

The move to aquaponics also fit in nicely with teaching zoology. Now Tayloe’s classroom has a system with one 155-gallon fish tank and multiple 35-gallon tanks for plants. The fish waste fertilizes the plants, and the plants help clean the fish tanks. He has about 25 tilapia nearing their goal weight of two pounds and healthy crops of basil, cilantro and lettuce.

Carroll High School science teacher Todd Tayloe

The herbs and vegetables produced in his class go to the Carroll cafeteria, and he will teach his students how to prepare the fish for a classroom fish fry at the end of the semester.

Tayloe has taught at Carroll for seven years, after starting his teaching career in public schools. He was motivated to not just teach students another use for science, but show them how it ties in with Catholic social teaching.

“Obviously, there’s stewardship of creation, sustainability, sustainable farming. We are going to have to come up with new ways of farming when we hit the next big population mark of 10 billion within our kids’ lifetimes, if not our lifetimes. There’s got to be places for people to live. So, you know, agricultural land is going to get subsided. Either we’re going to take away from the forest or we’re going have to come up with better ways to do it. This is my way of showing kids [that there is] a different way to farm, and this is also a way that they could go into a business of farming without having to have a huge plot of land.”

Tayloe also incorporates prayer into his classes and encourages expressions of faith.

Carroll High School student Ava Kim.

“It’s not something that I got to do at the public schools,” he said. “Our job as teachers is to show students what’s out there… I don’t think the kids at Carroll think about where their food comes from and how that could become a career later on. To be able to also bring in how, as God’s children, we need to break bread together and feed the world, literally feed the world and figuratively feed the world—I think it’s a good place to try to do that.”

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by Father Paul Mueller, SJ PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE VATICAN OBSERVATORY

How a Jesuit Priest Bridged Faith & Science at the Vatican Observatory

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During the 12 years I lived and worked with the Pope’s astronomers at the Vatican Observatory, located 15 miles outside of Rome at Castel Gandolfo, I had the privilege of welcoming many visitors. People loved seeing the four beautiful and historic telescopes housed under retractable domes atop the Papal Palace and in the nearby Pontifical Villas.

They also enjoyed looking at the Observatory’s large meteorite collection, as well as its astronomical library and historic astronomical instruments display. But, at some point during a visit someone always asked, “Why on earth does the Pope have an astronomical observatory?

Aren’t science and religion opposed? Aren’t they in conflict?” To which I replied: “The reason why the Pope has an astronomical observatory is that it would cost too much for him to have a particle accelerator!”

Science and faith are not opposed to each other; they’re on the same team, they’re both seeking the truth!

Science was part of my faith life and is part of my vocation story. I grew up as a “cradle Catholic” on the West Side of Cincinnati and attended St. Jude grade school and St. Xavier High School. But while a college student at a nonCatholic university, I reacted against my Catholic upbringing. It seemed to me that religion and the Church were full of hypocrisy, and I wanted nothing to do with them.

The strange thing is that I was led back to faith, in part, through my study of science.

I majored in physics and loved it. Amazed by the deep connections between mathematics and nature, I was bowled over by the power and beauty of the physical theories of Newton, Maxwell, Einstein, Schrodinger and others. In the back of my mind, however, there were nagging questions: Why does mathematics, which is a human creation, match up so well with physical reality?

Why are scientific theories so beautiful? Could it have been otherwise? Does it have to be that way?

In my senior year at college, I became torn between pursuing a PhD in physics or entering the Jesuits. The Jesuits won, and I thought I was done with physics. But during my long years of Jesuit training, science was the best way for me to work my way into studying philosophy and theology. Physics often helped me understand and care about the questions being raised by philosophy and theology. Later on, as a newly ordained priest, the Jesuits sent me to earn a PhD at the University of Chicago in the interdisciplinary field of history and philosophy of science.

The bottom-line is that science and religion were always tangled together for me; each raising questions for the other to address, each making the other more interesting.

I never had a sense that science and religion are in conflict. Sure, some religious people claim, on the basis of the Bible, that a particular scientific theory should be true or false. And sure, some scientists declare, on the basis of science, that God does or does not exist or that a particular human action is morally right or wrong. But these aren’t cases of true conflict between science and faith—these are cases of people making mistakes, of people “not getting it.”

St. Augustine of Hippo observed 1600 years ago that results from science should be taken into account when interpreting the Bible. In 1870, Ecumenical Council Vatican I declared that no real conflict can ever exist between faith and science. In 1893, Pope Leo XIII declared that if faith and science seem to be at odds, and we can’t resolve the conflict, we shouldn’t panic, but instead suspend judgment for the time CONTINUED ON PAGE 24

Father Paul Mueller, SJ →

| 23

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 23

being. After all, the God who inspired sacred Scripture is the same God who created the natural world, and God doesn’t contradict God. In 1988, Pope St. John Paul II wrote, “Science can purify religion from error and superstition; religion can purify science from idolatry and false absolutes.

Each can draw the other into a wider world, a world in which both can flourish.”

During my time at the Vatican Observatory, I was fascinated by the differences between its two modern locations. The Observatory’s headquarters are at Castel Gandolfo, with four beautiful historic telescopes and close proximity to Vatican colleagues. The Observatory’s modern telescope is located outside of Tucson AZ, atop Mt. Graham, as part of an official affiliation relationship with the department of astronomy at the University of Arizona. At Castel Gandolfo, the Jesuit astronomers live in a 400 year old building, and at times, they meet with the Pope and other Vatican officials. At Tucson, the Jesuit astronomers live in an adobe house in a residential neighborhood, working side-by-side with professional astronomical colleagues in a thoroughly secular environment. At Castel Gandolfo, cardinals and bishops ask for help in understanding what science means for the Church. In Tucson, scientists and students ask for help in understanding what religion might mean for science.

Since 2022, I have lived and worked in central Rome and am now the religious superior of the Jesuit community of the Pontifical Biblical Institute, which was founded by Pope Pius X in 1909. I also teach part-time at the Pontifical Gregorian University. What makes me laugh is this: The curriculum and research of the Pontifical Biblical Institute are organized around a particular kind of scientific approach to studying the Holy Scriptures. So, after 12 years at the Vatican Observatory living with Jesuit “science nerds,” now I’m living with Jesuit “Bible nerds”! This somehow reassures me that God has a sense of humor—which in turn reassures me that God is really there!

Planetary nebula NGC 7293, the Helix / VATT image

by Brucker, Consolmagno, Romanishin & Tegler

Horsehead nebula / VATT image by Brucker, Consolmagno, Romanishin & Tegler

The Vatican Advanced Technology Telescope (VATT) in Arizona.

The bottom-line is that science and religion were always tangled together for me; each raising questions for the other to address.

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BOOK REVIEW

Pondering the Permanent Things Reflections on Faith, Art, and Culture

By Thomas Howard REVIEWED BY JOSEPH PEARCE

There is an important difference between the Great Books and the Great Conversation. The former are those seminal tomes of western civilization that shaped the world in which we live. Their authors are rightly celebrated as giants on whose shoulders civilization stands. They enable us to see beyond the limited horizons of our own age to the permanent things that have shaped every age. The giants include Homer, Plato, Aristotle, Virgil, Augustine, Aquinas, Dante and Shakespeare.

The Great Conversation, on the other hand, is the catalytic exchange of ideas that the great books inspire. Those who know the great books and understand them are filled with the wisdom they convey; those who can communicate this wisdom to others are the great conversationalists.

which are collected in this priceless volume recently published

by Ignatius Press. As the subtitle indicates, it contains Howard’s reflections on faith, art and culture, all perceived in the light of the permanent things; those things which are not subject to change, because they simply are.

Thomas Howard (1935-2020), author of the posthumously published collection of essays Pondering the Permanent Things: Reflections on Faith, Art, and Culture, was one of his generation’s great conversationalists. When an evangelical, he was widely read and highly respected as the author of Christian apologetics’ modern classics, such as Christ the Tiger and Chance or the Dance?, which prompted many to see him as C.S. Lewis’ heir. His book Evangelical is Not Enough, published in 1984, prophesied his reception into the Catholic Church the following year. Thereafter, he was a formidable and indomitable defender of the faith. This in itself would be enough. But much more can be said about the brilliance of this erudite man of letters who united eloquence and elegance to a truly unique degree: The eloquence of his reasoning is matched by the elegance of his expression, making him one of the most readable—and enjoyably readable—of writers.

In his foreword to this truly splendid volume, Peter Kreeft, another great conversationalist of our time, wrote, “Howard loved and embodied great charm and grace and gentlemanliness, but he also embodied something of another order: great faith, hope, and charity.” A friend of Howard, Kreeft speaks from firsthand experience. I was also blessed to know Howard and testify that Kreeft has encapsulated the spirit and genius of our mutual and greatly missed friend.

Those not blessed to know Thomas Howard in the flesh will find the spirit of the man enfleshed in the pages of this book.

Nowhere is this more evident than in his essays, the best of

Some essays’ titles speak for themselves: “Art as Incarnation,” “Manners and Holiness,” “On Evil in Art,” “Sacramental Imagination” and “The Uses of Myth.” And some speak of other great conversationalists with whom Howard is in colloquy: Homer, the Desert Fathers, Dante, Shakespeare, William Cowper, Mozart, Newman, T. S. Eliot, C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, Billy Graham and Russel Kirk.

Joseph Pearce is Visiting Professor of Literature at Ave Maria University and Visiting Chair of Catholic Studies at Thomas More College of Liberal Arts (Merrimack, NH). His many books include, Literature: What Every Catholic Should Know.

Thomas Howard, Pondering the Permanent Things: Reflections on Faith, Art, and Culture (Ignatius Press, 2023). $19.95; 336 pages.

B O O K R E V IE W / A PRI L 2024 | 25

competing for the

future at alter high school

BY R EB EK A H DAV I DS O N

“Humans are not above nature, but are a part of it.” A science teacher at Alter High School, Jennifer Butler reminds her students of this regularly— especially those in her environmental science classes.

Butler’s classes and Michelle Denney’s earth science classes make up the school’s recycling program, which Butler initiated by entering a county contest.

“Paper, plastic, cardboard and aluminum were weighed at a facility in Dayton, so I had to load [into my truck] the six large barrels [I] found free at the Montgomery County Recycling Center …

26 |

and drive [them] to the Dayton location every two weeks,” said Butler.

Students contributed to Butler’s efforts by bagging up plastic and aluminum materials during class.

At the county contest close, Butler had the most donations, earning the first place prize of $2,000.

“That got me hooked,” said Butler. “The barrels, which were just the thick brown paper barrels, were repainted by my next year’s class and we did it again.

Third place, $1,000. Not bad. Repeat for a third year: first place again. In three years, the school was awarded $5,000!”

others’ wasteful actions. Both teachers know that what they’re teaching in the classroom resonates with students outside school walls.

Butler said she used the winnings to “I believe that God created the Earth buy recycling bins for each classroom, and nature within it for us to enjoy, and the school purchased new, durable and [He] entrusted us to take care of barrels. She also it,” said Denney. secured a paper “We as humans recycling bin for have not done the school, so no such a good job one has to make of this, so now I I believe the right the drive to the believe the right thing to do is to teach county recycling thing to do is center any more. to teach future future generations to be generations to be Students in Butler environmentally environmentally conscious and Denney’s conscious and and respect God’s creation. classes are now respect God’s responsible for creation. Caring maintaining the for Earth is part of school’s recycling program. caring for other people (and people groups), because we all are part of the “[The students] must walk around the Earth and live off the resources.” school and collect all of the recycling bins from the classrooms,” said “I hope the students think about Denney. About once every two weeks, taking care of something from which students empty the bins into the they may not see the immediate recycling containers, which Rumpke benefit; I want them to care about empties weekly. something other than themselves, to be empathetic,” said Butler. “I want Butler added that she takes her them to see that something needs to students once or twice a semester be done and do it. I don’t want them to pick up trash outside, enabling to expect someone else to do what students to grasp the true severity of they see should be done.”

F A IT H & S CIE N CE / A PRI L 2024 | 27

Making Space for

Faith & Science AT ROGER BACON HIGH SCHOOL

BY LISA FLE TCHE R

Preparing to celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2027, Roger Bacon Catholic High School looks toward the future. With more than 520 students, the Cincinnati coed high school is preparing for the next century through its We are the Good Soil Capital Campaign, which includes a new atrium with a chapel and administration offices, as well as a dedicated STEM classroom.

“As we prepare for the next century, it is important that our efforts underscore and reinforce who we are—a Franciscan, Catholic high school,” said Steven Schad, president of Roger Bacon. “As we lay the foundation for the next 100 years, being Catholic has never been more important.”

Alumni can also use the chapel for celebrations of the sacraments, reunions and monthly Masses. “This chapel will be a community asset for past, present and future [alumni],” Schad said.

The school’s Fine Arts Center (FAC) has been serving spiritual-related space needs, including all-school Masses. Due to seating capacity, school Masses will still be in the FAC; however, a dedicated chapel will provide the space for spiritual life activities without competing for time in a heavily-used center.

The project’s name of “Good Soil” was taken from the Parable of the Sower in the Gospel of Matthew.

The new chapel, to be completed in August of 2026, will support the daily efforts of Roger Bacon’s Spiritual Life Program, according to Schad.

“In addition to enhancing the sacramental life of the community, the chapel will be the spiritual center of the school,” he said.

It will hold 160-180 students, and will capture Roger Bacon’s history through important artifacts and a reliquary holding relics from over 70 saints, including Gospel writers, apostles, Franciscans and martyrs, Schad explained. Adorned with stained-glass windows honoring the school’s Franciscan heritage, the chapel will be a holy place for the school community to encounter the Catholic faith.

2 8 | THE CATHOLIC TE LEGRAPH

To learn more about Roger Bacon’s “We are the Good Soil” Capital Campaign, including a video with descriptive renderings of the new atrium, use the QR code.

“Statistics tell us that when high school students graduate, the majority will fall away from their faith,” Schad said. “These young men and women are the ‘seed.’ As young adults, many will seek out their faith again once their circle of responsibility grows with work, marriage and children. This is where their experiences at Roger Bacon become so important. The lessons learned here— the values and morals taught and demonstrated—these are vital pieces of the ‘good soil’ that is Roger Bacon.”

Senior Vice President

“We do not know when the seed will be planted, but we strive to provide the good soil to give the seed every opportunity to flourish and bloom when the opportunity occurs,” he continued.

A chapel, according to Schad, will be a vital element of this good soil. “We pray that if and when our alums find themselves searching for their faith in the future, their experiences at Roger Bacon will help lead them back to a vibrant faith-filled life,” he said.

A Work of Saint Meinrad Archabbey

Roger Bacon junior Joshua Becker said he is excited about the new chapel’s completion. “A dedicated chapel will be extremely beneficial to Roger Bacon, as it will provide a space for reflecting, growing in faith and spending time in the presence of God,” Barker said.

And the new atrium’s construction brings the added benefit of more classroom space, in part, to grow their STEM program.

According to Schad, a large and versatile classroom will be built to support tech-heavy instruction.

While the new STEM room will accommodate traditional lecture-style teaching, it will incorporate several design considerations specifically for a STEM class, including: • Oversized classroom that provides space for collaborative learning • Lightweight mobile furniture (i.e., wheeled) to permit flexible student configurations

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• Technology that includes interactive whiteboards, monitors and displays; 3-D printers; tablets and computers; and virtual reality devices Schad believes that investing in STEM is vital for the students.

“An education in STEM promotes and develops critical thinking, increases scientific and mathematical literacy [and] capability, inspires learning, fosters creativity and sets the foundation for the next generation of problem solvers.”

The atrium’s construction is scheduled to begin in March of 2025, and the STEM classroom’s completion is expected for the 2026-2027 school year.

F A IT H & S CIE N CE / A PRI L 2024 | 29

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John Hough and Sean Leugers John F. Martin Photography

LESSONS FROM NOTRE DAME

Where Faith & Science Meet in the Classroom 32 |

Moeller teachers travel to South Bend for summer course at Notre Dame’s McGrath Institute on Faith and Science

BY KARY ELLEN BERGER

Many young people have left the Catholic Church or, at the very least, find themselves questioning their beliefs over perceived contradictions between the faith and science. At Moeller High School, a science and religion teacher joined forces to address this perceived problem.

Sean Leugers, a science teacher at Moeller, was working at a Catholic school in Columbus about 12 years ago when a student stumped him. The student said he and his friends were discussing Adam and Eve and arguing over whether the story was metaphorical or literal.

Which was it?

“I didn’t have a very good answer,” Leugers said. “It bothered me, because here I am at a Catholic school, I should know better. It bothered me so deeply. I had been thinking about [taking] a theology program, and the next day I signed up.”

This led to his ongoing passion for understanding the intersection of faith and science.

Moeller religion teacher, John Hough, shared a similar interest. And so, two years ago, the two traveled to South Bend, IN, for a week-long course at Notre Dame’s McGrath Institute on Church Life, through its Science and Religion Initiative program, to dig deeper.

Eve with what we know from the fossil and molecular evidence,” Leugers said. “Then, in religion class, when we got to the proofs of God, John [talks] about evolution and science. The idea is that we [have] religion teachers talking science, and science teachers talking about the Catholic faith and religion.”

Sometimes the discussions really get students thinking, but other times they’re shy about bringing it up.

“I wish [they asked] more,” Leugers said. “I do get questions occasionally. … We can have a pause and talk this out, because, for any guy who asks it, there’s probably 10 or more who are thinking about it but not asking.”

When I’m aiming at truth, whether in my chemistry class or studying literature or history, this is all aiming me toward “capital T” Truth and toward God.

“We really need to get every student who walks in and out of Moeller to understand religion and science…

You study the natural world, you study the supernatural world, and you have to mediate them somehow… Every guy who walks into this building will know religion and science are compatible.”

Leugers said one way they’ve tried to teach the compatibility of faith and science is to have a physics teacher share his or her Catholic witness. Leuger’s classroom is also adorned with Catholic scientists’ images and a Shroud of Turin image. The issue of Adam and Eve still comes up, but now both science and religion teachers are prepared for the conversation.

“We talk [in biology] about how we reconcile Adam and

Hough and Leugers took what they learned at Notre Dame back to their own classrooms, and they hope more Moeller teachers join in. Hough said Moeller has long supported Catholic identity in all subjects, but he and Leugers are asking teachers to really consider what a science class, math class art class, etc., should look like in a Catholic school.

“Almost everyone is for having the conversation,” Hough said. “Faith and science have slowly become a bigger conversation across all of our departments. … How does every teacher communicate that in every class? [We want students to think,] ‘When I’m aiming at truth, whether in my chemistry class or studying literature or history, this is all aiming me toward “capital T” Truth and toward God.’” Leugers and Hough returned to Notre Dame last summer for another course and brought a member of school leadership along. They’re hoping their efforts inspire a grassroots campaign in the school.

“It’s a really special thing about working at a Catholic school to be able to have that unified vision across the sciences of who the human person is, what the world is, who God is, and what we’re here for,” Hough said. “To have that and be able to approach that, to embrace that universal Catholic part of our mission, is a pretty neat thing to do.”

F A IT H & S CIE N CE / A PRI L 2024 | 33

UNCOVERING THE PAST

Making Sense of the U.S. Census “In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be enrolled. This was the first enrollment, when Quirin’ius was governor of Syria. And all went to be enrolled, each to his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be enrolled with Mary his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to be delivered. And she gave birth to her first-born son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.” -Luke 2:1-7 (Revised Standard Version).

In the U.S., the Bureau of the Census’ mission is to measure and disseminate information about the nation’s dynamic economy, society and institutions while fostering economic growth, advancing scientific understanding and facilitating information decisions. The population enumeration results help allocate Congressional seats, electoral votes and government funding.

DECENNIAL CENSUS RECORDS

The U.S. government has taken a census every 10 years since 1790. Records for nearly all survived, except for those from the 1890 census, which were lost in a fire. The most recent one available to the public is the 1950 census, because the decennial census records are kept confidential for 72 years to protect respondents’ privacy. Therefore, the 1960 census will be available in the year 2032.

Since 1880, censuses have helped family historians construct their family tree by providing genealogy-rich information, like names, relationships, approximate birth years, marital status and birthplaces of an individual and his or her parents. Some also list ancestors’ immigration and naturalization dates.

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Censuses prior to 1880 aren’t quite so detailed, requiring additional records to reconstruct your family tree. The Archdiocese of Cincinnati archives may help ascertain additional information, such as the names and dates listed on baptismal and marriage records. (More information on this will be provided in an upcoming issue.)

CENSUS MISTAKES

Because celebrating birthdays did not become widespread in the U.S. until the 1880s, it is not surprising that parents did not remember their child(ren)’s correct ages, although a birthdate might be written in the family Bible or on a sacramental record. However, the most common mistake is misspelled names. Only approximately 60% of the U.S. population in 1790 could read or write, so the enumerator recorded names based on what he heard—this debunks the myth that surnames were changed during immigration.

It is important to note that the term “inmates” was used to identify children residing in boys or girls homes or in orphanages, such as St. Aloysius Orphan Asylum.

The Bureau of the Census continues to count inmates (today, incarcerated people) at their prison’s location rather than at their home address, and only those who lived and slept in the correctional facilities for most of the last year are counted in the “prison population.”

Census Records are found without a subscription at the National Archives (www.archives.gov/research/census), Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com/) and Family Search (www.familysearch.org/en/). Although a subscription may be needed to view the complete censuses, each Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library location provides free access to their research databases and online resources with your library card. When searching censuses, be sure to

annotate your Family Group Sheets and Source Summaries, as mentioned in the February edition of The Catholic Telegraph magazine article “Let the Scavenger Hunt Begin!”

GENERATIONAL CASE STUDY OF THE 1870, 1880 AND 1900 CENSUS 1870

In this 1870 Census, Theodore Kleinberg is 43 years old and from Prussia, as are his parents. His occupation is sand hauling, and his real estate value is $10,000. Column 10 indicates he has voting rights. His wife, Elizabeth, 42, is from Oldenburg, as are her parents. She can read and write.

We do not know her maiden name. They have six children, each born in Ohio.

1880

In this 1880 Census, Theodore Kleineberg’s occupation is with the Teamsters. The enumerator has spelled the name with an extra “e.” More research is needed to know which is the correct spelling. We still do not know Elizabeth’s maiden name. She is apparently going by her middle name “Diena.” Three of the six children remain living at home.

1900

This 1900 Census is like winning the lottery! Elizabeth Kleineberg (with the extra “e”) is still going by Dena (without the “i”) and is the mother-in-law to Robert Cunningham.

He is indicated as the head of household. His occupation is teamster. His parents are from Ireland. Dena’s sister, Clara, lives with them; their parents are from Germany. Robert and Dena had six children; only three remain living. Robert’s two nieces, Adelia and Mary Bischof, also reside with him.

Delving deeper into all this information, the mother-inlaw’s maiden name is Hinschlage. Anton Bischof married her daughter Elizabeth Kleinberg, who passed. Hence the nieces reside with their uncle Robert Cunningham and grandmother Dena Kleineberg. * There are NO 1890 census records.

Marriage records from the Archdiocese of Cincinnati Archives helped solve the family ties!

NEXT UP:

Understanding the ancestral name game, including tools for exploring alternate surname spellings.

RUTHY TRUSLER is a communication consultant with a passion for genealogy. For over 20 years, she has helped families document their ancestry and write their family legacies.

U N CO V E R IN G T H E PA S T / A PRI L 2024 | 35

POPE ST. JOHN PAUL II’S THEOLOGY OF THE BODY

The Call to Purity: An Echo of the Beginning Note: This article is part of an ongoing series on Pope St. John Paul II’s “Theology of the Body” (TOB).

In recent months, we have reflected on Christ’s words in Matthew 5:27-28 in which He condemned interior acts of lust, equating them with adultery committed in the heart. Pope St. John Paul II taught that this sin can even be committed within marriage if spouses look at each other as a mere “object for the possible satisfaction of his own sexual ‘urge’” (TOB 43:3).

This teaching in no way reflects a condemnation of the body or of human sexuality but rather holds them up as “a value not sufficiently appreciated” (TOB 45:3).

Nonetheless, it is possible to read in Christ’s teachings a stern accusation of the human heart. He tells us that what comes from outside does not make us unclean, but it is what comes from the heart: “For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, fornication, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, envy, slander, pride, foolishness” (Mk. 7:21-22). Christ accurately diagnoses the state of the human heart weighed down by sin. Thus, His moral teachings do in a sense accuse the heart by pointing out our evil tendencies. However, they do so only to call us to conversion and a way of life more befitting our dignity.

According to the pope, Jesus calls us to overcome concupiscence and to experience “a real and deep victory over the evil” of adultery in the heart and all our lustful tendencies through repentance and inner transformation (TOB 45:4). In regard to Christ’s teaching on adultery in particular, “One fulfills the commandment by ‘purity of heart’” (TOB 43:5). Pope St. John Paul II taught us that Our Lord’s “call to master concupiscence of the flesh springs precisely from an affirmation of the personal dignity of the body and of sex and only serves such dignity” (TOB 45:5). Indeed, purity of heart consists in an ever-deeper appreciation for the spousal meaning of the body.

The more our hearts are purified, the more we behold the dignity of the human person revealed by the body and maintain 3 6 | THE CATHOLIC TELE G RAPH

an awareness of the sacredness of our sexual power to become one flesh in marriage: “Man must feel himself called to rediscover, or even better, to realize, the spousal meaning of the body and to express in this way the interior freedom of the gift, that is, the freedom of that spiritual state and power that derive from mastery over concupiscence of the flesh” (TOB 46:4).

This call or appeal of Christ is not imposed from the “outside” but corresponds to our inmost nature and longings. Pope St. John Paul II taught that we carry within us an “inheritance” of the original beginning in which our first parents experienced their sexuality with purity and holiness. Christ’s words testify to “the original power (and thus also the grace) of the mystery of creation.” Through the redemption Christ won for us, this original power and mystery of creation become the “the power (that is, the grace) of the mystery of redemption” (TOB 46:5). In other words, Christ came to redeem us, and by allowing His grace to penetrate and transform our hearts, we can live our sexuality with dignity and sanctity as God originally intended.

Allowing Christ’s words to work in us, we can hear in our hearts an “echo” of the “beginning” (TOB 46:5). We find in the depths of our hearts not only the stirrings of concupiscence but also a deeply felt “need to preserve the dignity” of sexual relations and a “need to impregnate them with everything that is noble and beautiful,” “a need to confer on them the supreme value, which is love” (TOB 46:5). This “inheritance” of the “beginning” is deeper than our disordered desires, and if we surrender fully to Jesus’ teaching and His grace, He can “re-activate that deepest inheritance and give it real power in human life.” Thus, our own hearts testify that we are not only accused by Christ’s words but also “called with energy… to this supreme value, which is love” (TOB 46:6).

DR. ANDREW SODERGREN, MTS, PSY.D. is a Catholic psychologist and director of psychological services for Ruah Woods. He speaks on the integration of psychology and the Catholic faith. He and his wife, Ellie, have five children.

Easter Masses IN THE ARCHDIOCESE OF CINCINNATI

St. Gabriel the Archangel Family of Parishes Vigil: All Masses at 9 p.m.

• Our Lady of the Rosary: 22 Notre Dame Ave., Dayton • St. Christopher: 435 E. National Rd., Vandalia • St. Peter (in Spanish): 6161 Chambersburg Rd., Huber Heights Sunday: • Holy Cross: 1922 Leo St., Dayton 6:30 a.m.

• St. Peter: 6161 Chambersburg Rd., Huber Heights 8:30 a.m., 11 a.m.

4:30 p.m. (Spanish) • Our Lady of the Rosary: 22 Notre Dame Ave., Dayton 9 a.m.

• St. Christopher: 435 E. National Rd., Vandalia 9 a.m., 11 a.m.

• St. John the Baptist: 753 S. Hyatt St., Tipp City 10:30 a.m.

St. Columban 894 Oakland Rd, Loveland Vigil: •8:30 p.m.

Sunday: •8 a.m., 9:45 a.m. & 11:30 a.m.

Family of the Most Holy Eucharist Vigil: • St. Martin of Tours: 3720 St. Martins Pl., Cincinnati 9 p.m.

Sunday: • Our Lady of Lourdes: 3426 Lumardo Ave., Cincinnati 8 a.m. & 10 a.m.

• St. Aloysius Gonzaga: 4366 Bridgetown Rd., Cincinnati 8 a.m. & 10 a.m.

• St. Martin of Tours: 3720 St. Martins Pl., Cincinnati 9 a.m.

• St. Catharine of Siena: 2848 Fischer Pl., Cincinnati 9 a.m. & 11 a.m.

• St. Antoninus: 1500 Linneman Rd., Cincinnati 10 a.m. & 12 p.m.

Community of the Good Shepherd 8815 East Kemper Rd.. Cincinnati Vigil: • 8:45 p.m.

(Regular 4 p.m. Saturday Mass will not take place).

Sunday: • Church: 8 a.m., 10 a.m. & 11:30 a.m.

• Community Room: 10 a.m. & 11:30 a.m.

Family of the Blessed Trinity Vigil: •Corpus Christi: 2014 Springdale Rd., Cincinnati 8:45 p.m.

Sunday: • St. John the Baptist, Dry Ridge: 5361 Dry Ridge Rd., Cincinnati 8:30 a.m. & 11 a.m.

• St. John Neumann: 12191 Mill Rd., Cincinnati 8:45 a.m.

• Corpus Christi: 2014 Springdale Rd., Cincinnati 10:45 a.m.

Holy Family Latin Mass 140 S. Findlay St., Dayton daytonlatinmass.org Holy Thursday 7 p.m.

Good Friday 3 p.m.

Easter Vigil 10:30 p.m.

Easter Sunday • 8 a.m. (low) • 10:30 a.m. (high)

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1.

He was born Domingo de Guzmán in Spain in 1170.

2. Feast day: August 8 3. Legend has it that Dominic’s mother had a prophetic dream before his birth. In the dream, a dog leapt from her womb carrying a blazing torch, seemingly igniting the world. This inspired her to name him Dominic, derived from the Latin “Domini canis,” meaning “the Lord’s dog.”

4. A dog bearing a torch later became the symbol of the Dominican religious order.

5. At Dominic’s baptism, the priest saw a star-shaped light on the baby’s forehead.

For this reason St. Dominic is the patron saint of astronomers.

6. We wouldn’t have the rosary as it is today without St. Dominic! The Virgin Mary appeared to Dominic, offering a wreath of roses representing the rosary. She instructed him on which mysteries to preach, aligning with the Psalms. Our Lady asked Dominic to pray the rosary daily and spread its devotion, which led to the conversion of many people.

7.

In 1216, Dominic traveled to Rome to ask the Pope to officially approve his religious group, the Order of Preachers, also known as the Dominicans. During this visit, he crossed paths with St. Francis of Assisi who was also seeking the Pope’s approval for his order, the Franciscans.

8. Dominic died in 1221, and was canonized by Pope Gregory IX in 1234.

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How to pray: the Rosary Mon

Tues

Wed

Joyful

Sorrowful

Glorious

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Glorious

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Apostle’s Creed

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3. 3 Hail Mary’s (for faith, hope + love)

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4. Glory Be 5. Announce the Mystery Our Father 6. 10 Hail Mary’s 7.

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Glory Be Fatima Prayer (Oh my Jesus...)

Repeat 5-7 four more times

8. Hail Holy Queen

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Astronomer Dog Dominic Francis Prophecy Rosary

Space

Spain

Star

Torch K ID S ’ CO R N E R / A PRI L 2024 | 39

out & about in the Archdiocese

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2) Mercy Health - Kings Mills Blessing On January 12, Archbishop Dennis M. Schnurr blessed Mercy Health - Kings Mills, the newest of the six Mercy Health Hospitals in Cincinnati.

In addition to the blessing, the hospital held a community open house and ribbon cutting. It is the first hospital to be built in greater Cincinnati in nearly a decade and the first in Mason.

2 1) Science Fair Winners at Lehman Lehman Catholic High School in Sidney held its annual Science Fair on Feb. 7. Thirteen of 40 students received superior ratings, qualifying them to participate in the district competition. Additionally, Ben O’Leary received the Governor’s Thomas Edison Award for Excellence for a project in Information Science & Technology Research.

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4) Msgr. Vaccari Visited Archdiocese On Feb. 12, Msgr. Peter Vaccari, President of Catholic Near East Welfare Association (CNEWA) presented “An Initiative of Healing and Hope,” at Xavier University’s Schiff Conference Center. Pictured: Msgr. Vaccari, Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur Carol Wetli and Jo Anne Depweg, and Tresool SinghConway, Chief Financial Officer of CNEWA.

4 3) SUA Connects with Ursuline Schools Three Saint Ursula Academy (SUA) students and two teachers traveled to New Orleans for an Ursuline Education Network (UEN) Retreat. Students and teachers used this opportunity to connect with several other Ursuline schools while they learned more about St. Angela Merici’s mission and vision. They were asked to pray for guidance on how they can enhance the Ursuline charism at SUA. 4 0 | THE CATHOLIC TELE G RAPH

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in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati

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ACROSS 1 Gospel that has no parables 5 Liquid secreted by the liver 9 Poet 13 Musical instrument 14 Notion 15 Portable papal throne, ___ Gestatoria 16 Soft lambskin leather 17 Dives for apples 18 In front 19 USA 20 Narrow strip of wood 21 Staggers 22 Abode of the dead 24 Hemoglobin deficiency 25 ___ of the Church 27 Mild oath (slang) 31 Dashboard ltrs.

34 Mend 35 St. Katherine’s surname 37 Structure for prayer and the celebration of Mass 39 Certain Sunday 40 Patron saint of librarians 41 Athlete Ty ___ 42 Nominative “her” 43 Pundit’s page 44 The ___ People 46 Served (with “out”) 48 Saintly priest-

explorer 52 It’s on your head 55 Start of some characteristics of God 57 Undesirable plant 58 The Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn are in New South ___ 59 Medieval piper 60 Hybrid 61 Jetson canine 62 “This ___ sudden!”

63 On the double, initially 64 Low in pitch 65 Promontory 66 Immediately following DOWN 1 Fish food?

2 The Audacity of Hope author 3 “Faith is the realization of what is ___ for” (Heb. 11:1) 4 Approached 5 Baby shower gifts 6 Worship of a false god 7 The cedar trees used in building a temple to the Lord came from here 8 The day of the Resurrection 9 Fate of John the Baptist

T.P. White & Sons

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10 Chick’s tail?

11 Monetary unit of Iran 12 Pops 15 Worn by women in India 23 City destroyed in Genesis 26 Concern 28 Wood chopping instruments 29 Home of The Hague (abbr.)

30 Exultation 31 Voodoo amulet 32 Get ready 33 Fabled loser 35 Pats gently 36 Hicks 38 Young children 39 Fruit of the Holy Spirit 41 Woman’s undergarment 44 Catholic Polish composer and pianist 45 Cardinal who wrote “Lead, Kindly Light” 47 ___ facto 49 Employ again 50 Make less tense 51 Proficient 52 Large mop 53 Juanita’s house 54 Mtn. stats 56 Engagement enders?

Funeral Home

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NAEGELE KLEB & IHLENDORF

to Eastern Cincinnati.

3183 Linwood Ave. | Mt. Lookout Square 3183 Linwood Avenue • Mt. Lookout Square

Serving Eastern Hills, Mt. Lookout & Hyde Park rohdefuneral.com • 513.321.0404

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White Oak / Monfort Heights 5527 Cheviot Rd. Blue Ash / Evendale / Sharonville 10211 Plainfield Rd.

513.385.0511

A Catholic

FUNERAL HOME

3900 Montgomery Rd. | 513.631.2240 Serving Norwood, St. Bernard & surrounding communities GERRY KELLY FRITSCH Traditional Irish Bagpiper gfritsch48@zoomtown.com cincinnatipiper.com 513.404.0049

8350 Cornell Road • Cincinnati

(Across from Gate of Heaven Cemetery) A Catholic familyFamily Owned info@weilkahnfuneralhome.com owned funeral Funeral Home – home since 1877 513-469-9345 Since 1877 513.891.8373 Family-owned & operated since 1912

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Subscriptions for the faithful of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati are FREE! To subscribe, visit our website, or call The Catholic Telegraph offices at 513-263-6635.

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J O H N B I L E B A R D O B O E I D E A S E D I A B O B S A H E A D N A P A A M E R S L A T R E E L S H A D E S A N E M I A D O C T O R D A N G D A R N D R E X E L M P H O R A T O R Y G A U D E T E J E R O M E C O B B S H E C H O S E N O P E D D I S H E D S E R R A O M N I W E E D S C A L P W A L E S P I E D M U L E I S S O A S A P A S T R O B A S S N E S S N E X T

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Celebrating 23 Years of Broadcasting the Truth

A PRI L 2024 | 41

THE FINAL WORD with Dr. Chris Baglow

Faith on the Frontiers: ET, AI and the Image of God at Notre Dame SETI (the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) picks up a patterned transmission distinguishable from the random noise of the galaxy. The configuration is repeated. It becomes clear that the emissions are a nested code: an overlay of prime numbers and, under it, a primer to establish a language and a request, seemingly earnest and friendly, to the U.S. government to make contact. Could this be a human trick, a deceitful use of artificial intelligence by scientists working for a foreign government, attempting to embarrass U.S. political leaders? But the U.S. President hits upon a strategy to verify the authenticity of these messages. Questions will be sent in the same code as the radio emissions to discern whether the source is enemy artificial intelligence or embodied rational creatures, persons alien, yet created in the image of God as we are. What questions would you formulate to discover whether or not we are alone in the universe?

This sci-fi scenario was a final exam essay question on my Faith and Science course at Notre Dame. In the course, we spent three weeks on questions related to what science and faith together can tell us about what it means to be human. In the face of technologies that seem to mimic us perfectly, and even surpass us in intelligence, can we know? Here are some of the best “Questions for ET” I received: • “Would you give up everything for your parents? A being who lacks free will is incapable of this kind of love—the love where one is willing to sacrifice one’s own well-being for the good of others. Human beings have spiritual bonds with others that are characterized by love, but AI lacks these characteristics, because it does not possess free will to love and develop relationships.”

• “Tell me about your childhood. It takes a long time to cultivate important features of rational creatures: language and symbolism.

Therefore, if one asks a human—or any rational—being to speak about their childhood, they share vivid memories of their early life: ‘the human animal is the only animal that in principle has an autobiography.’”

“Tell us the story of creation for your world and species. Aliens made 4 2 | THE CATHOLIC TELE G RAPH

in the image of God would likely share a similar creation story.

They would likely relate to this ordered creation and emphasize in it the uniqueness of their own species within that world. A computer would not be quick to recognize the divine presence in the creation of the world. It would likely limit the creation story to biological origins.”

• “How would you go about making a decision that aligns with your values when faced with an ethical dilemma? Inquiring about ethics and moral reasoning allows a rational human to respond with something that reflects their complex interplay of emotions, cultural influences and personal beliefs. Humans often develop a sense of ethics through their experiences, guidance and cultural influences during childhood. AI lacks inherent moral values and ethical principles, as they don’t have a personal moral development process.”

I was deeply impressed with these questions and explanations, precisely because they revolve around issues so closely related to faith. In the words of sociologist Christian Smith, humans are “moral, believing animals”—issues of a Creator, of good and evil; the meaning of the universe’s origins, of life and of our own lives is essential to what makes us human. I recalled Pope St. John Paul II’s maxim, so often repeated in the course, that “Science can purify religion from error and superstition; religion can purify science from idolatry and false absolutes.” What my students’ essays revealed was science and faith forming a “wider world” through forging a relational unity between them.

If our universe is inhabited by other divine image-bearing beings, our own grasp of what and who we are will be foundational to any encounter with them that the future might hold. But more importantly, our continuous encounter with Jesus living within us and in others is enriched when we see more clearly the humanity we share with Him. DR. CHRIS BAGLOW is the Academic Director of the Science & Religion Initiative of the McGrath Institute for Church Life at the University of Notre Dame.

God is Light and in Him, there is no darkness. – 1 John 1:5

UPCOMING EVENTS MAY 27: Annual Memorial Day Field Mass 10:30 a.m. Memorial Day Presentation 11a.m. Mass with Archbishop Schnurr

APRIL 9, MAY 14, JUNE 11: Caring for Your Grieving Soul

This is an open grief support group from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. in Gate of Heaven’s St. Peter Chapel.

RSVP to 513-870-9108

JULY 13 & 14: Honoring Life on Sacred Ground Open House Join us from noon to 4 p.m. each day.

• Archbishop Schnurr will bless the new St. Padre Pio and St. Gertrude Mausoleum • Art Exhibition featuring the breathtaking paintings of Aaron Strait • Tours of the Cemetery • Tours of the Trees with Arborist Barb DeNamur

APRIL 23, JUNE 25, JULY 23: Pre-Planning Seminar Attend a Pre-Planning Seminar at 11 a.m., 2 p.m. or 6 p.m.

RSVP to 513-489-0300 or community@gateofheaven.org

11000 Montgomery Rd. • Cincinnati, OH 45249

513-489-0300 • gateofheaven.org Follow us on YouTube, LinkedIn, and Facebook!

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100 E. 8th St. • Cincinnati, OH 45202

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