The Catholic Telegraph - August 2023

MAGAZINE

192nd year | issue 8

bringing faith into the home

august 2023 | back to school | 1

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EDI TOR’S N OTE

Finding the Extraordinary School follows its own comfortable rhythm. It begins with the new school year in August— packed full of excitement for buying new school supplies and backpacks, followed by the rush of meeting new teachers and learning which friends will be in a student’s class. But as the students, parents and teachers settle into the steady cadence of studying, tests and projects, that shiny new excitement begins to fade.

In its place are the more mundane, daily tasks: fighting to make good grades, navigating friendships and conflicts, completing science fair projects and writing book reports.

Even with that ordinariness, students, teachers and parents alike manage to fill the day-to-day with moments of joy.

Sometimes that’s through team sports and birthday parties, and other times it’s as simple as finally understanding a math concept. And, of course, the entire school year is marked by looking forward to vacations and breaks—Thanksgiving, Christmas, Spring and Easter.

Does this cycle sound familiar?

As I considered the whole of the school year, my mind immediately jumped to another familiar, cyclical rhythm Catholics live: the Liturgical calendar. Much like the school calendar, our Liturgical calendar begins in Advent, a time often marked by excitement, hope and anticipation for Christ’s birth. As Christmas comes and goes, we slide into Ordinary Time—a time that, in Ohio at least, is usually marked by less exciting, short, cold, gray days. The thrill of Christmas has come and gone, and before us lies a seemingly unremarkable time (until Ash Wednesday, anyway).

Just as we can fill the ordinary school days with extraordinary moments and activities, so too we can embrace Ordinary Time’s opportunity to elevate our faith and dig deeper into lesser known things. From the Presentation of the Lord to rejoicing in saints’ feast days, we can use that time to focus on a specific aspect of our faith and nurture its growth.

Keep this in mind as we start this new school year. Yes, soon the excitement of all the new things will fade and likely be replaced by the mundane, but in each of these moments is an opportunity to grow and deepen our knowledge. Maybe it’s about long division, or perhaps it’s a better understanding of a lesser-known saint. Regardless, it’s a chance to transform the time we take for granted into something more.

As you read through this issue of The Catholic Telegraph, I hope the stories of students elevating their faith lives by transforming their communities helps inspire you to do more with the time you have.

cteditorial@catholicaoc.org

THE CATHOLIC TELEGRAPH 192nd Year No. 8 • August 2023 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

DIGITIAL 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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august contents Tanzania Inspires Teaching page 28

back to school

columns

14 REWRITING THEIR FUTURES

FATHER DAVID ENDRES

EILEEN CONNELLY, OSU

CISE schools paved the road to success for a family of five children 18 MISSION WORK AT HOME

Mission Work at Home page 18

news 12 THE CATHOLIC TELEGRAPH WON 12 CATHOLIC MEDIA AWARDS 34 DID YOU KNOW?

BY GAIL FINKE & ILLUSTRATED BY EMMA CASSANI

St. Wendelin in St. Henry 40 OUT & ABOUT IN THE ARCHDIOCESE

ON THE COVER PHOTO BY: MARGARET SWENSEN

Mercy McAuley High School students Payton Coop and Madi Zech volunteer at St. Vincent de Paul.

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7 QUESTION OF FAITH Anointing of the sick and last rites 8 SEIZE THE MOMENT NICHOLAS HARDESTY

Imagine something new

JOHN STEGEMAN

10 A CLOSER LOOK

Mercy McAuley students gain greater understanding of the poor in their hometown

DR. KENNETH CRAYCRAFT

Back to school should be a time of joy, not fear

24 GLOBAL, CREATIVE, IMMERSIVE LEARNING

22 CATHOLIC AT HOME

KARY ELLEN BERGER

For 10 days in June, SUA students engaged with residents throughout Costa Rica 28 TANZANIA INSPIRES TEACHING

KATIE SCIBA

We’re aiming for heaven 32 BOOK REVIEW MATT SWAIM

The Chronicles of Transformation: A Spiritual Journey

PATRICIA MCGEEVER

36 THEOLOGY OF THE BODY

A DePaul Crist Rey teacher is changing the lives of students on two continents

DR. ANDREW SODERGREN

Porn addiction: enslaved to a lie

42 THE FINAL WORD

38 KIDS’ CORNER

KATHY C. KANE

Stepping into a new school year

ILLUSTRATED BY EMMA CASSANI

St. Catherine of Alexandria

POPE FRANCIS’ PRAYER INTENTION FOR AUGUST For World Youth Day

We pray the World Youth Day in Lisbon will help young people to live and witness the Gospel in their own lives.

Seek the Lord ARCHBISHOP DENNIS M. SCHNURR

We have all heard the phrase, “It takes a village to raise a child”—and for good reason. Over the millennia, members of a given community have assisted each other in the formation and development of their youth to ensure that each learns the skills necessary to contribute to the common good. As we prepare to usher in another academic year, it is fitting for us to reflect on education as the Church understands it.

or her final end as well as to the common good of societies” (canon 795). Whether parents choose to send their children to a school—Catholic, public or private—or to homeschool, they rely on the assistance of others to help mold their sons and daughters into disciples of Jesus Christ equipped to live out the Gospel in whatever field of work they eventually pursue.

A good source for such reflections is the set of principles laid out in the Code of Canon Law. Some might think Church law is mere legalism; in fact, it is “juridic theology”—applying the foundational realities of our faith to all aspects of Church life and, in the process, delineating the rights and obligations of Church members with respect to our various roles and states of life. The third main section of the Code is devoted to the teaching function of the Church, and we find there, among other things, the basic premise that education, while being primarily the responsibility of parents, is a collaborative work.

The Church’s pastors are chief among those who assist parents in this responsibility. In their parishes, pastors are to arrange all that is necessary for the education and formation of young people (cf. canon 794). In many cases, with the assistance of a principal, they oversee the operations of a school. Pastors typically also provide additional parish-based opportunities for faith instruction.

The opening words to this section state, “Parents and those who take their place are bound by the obligation and possess the right of educating their offspring” (canon 793).

With these words the Church beautifully recognizes the role parents are entrusted to fulfill in raising their children.

This flows directly from one of the ends of marriage: the procreation and education of children. Parents participate in the Creator’s work of bringing life into this world, and they also share in His work of bringing that life to its perfection in eternity. Parents are free to choose the means of educating their children and are equally free to select the institutions which can assist them in fulfilling this responsibility.

Education is a collaborative work because it aims for “complete formation of the human person that looks to his

Teachers and catechists exercise an incredible ministry for the benefit of young people. These individuals, aware of the commission they accept to form their students into faithful Christian disciples, are called to be “outstanding in correct doctrine, the witness of a Christian life, and teaching skill” (canon 804).

Thus, parents are not alone in raising and educating their children; the entire Christian community has a part to play in this process. Pastors, principals and teachers directly assist parents in fulfilling their responsibility to educate their children. The rest of the Christian faithful are called to fortify the work of schools, teachers and parents through prayer and financial support of the institutions the Church has established to carry out this task (cf. canon 800).

Therefore, let us begin this academic year more deeply aware of the call we each have to empower the teaching function of the Church and so spread the Gospel from generation to generation.

S E E K T H E L O R D / A U GUST 2023 | 5

Busca al Senor ARZOBISPO DENNIS M. SCHNURR

Todos hemos escuchado la frase: “Hace falta una aldea para criar a un niño”, y con razón. A lo largo de los milenios, los miembros de una determinada comunidad se han ayudado mutuamente en la formación y el desarrollo de sus jóvenes para asegurarse de que cada uno aprenda las habilidades necesarias para contribuir al bien común. Ahora que nos preparamos para iniciar otro año académico, es oportuno que reflexionemos sobre la educación tal como la entiende la Iglesia.

objetivo “la formación integral de la persona humana, en orden a su fin último y, simultáneamente, al bien común de la sociedad” (canon 795). Tanto si los padres eligen enviar a sus hijos a una escuela—católica, pública o privada—como si los educan en casa, cuentan con la ayuda de otros para ayudar a moldear a sus hijos e hijas y convertirlos en discípulos de Jesucristo, habilitados para vivir el Evangelio en cualquier ámbito de trabajo al que se dediquen.

Una buena fuente para tales reflexiones es el conjunto de principios establecidos en el Código de Derecho Canónico.

Algunos podrían pensar que el Derecho de la Iglesia es puro legalismo; en verdad, es “teología jurídica”: la aplicación de las realidades fundamentales de nuestra fe a todos los aspectos de la vida de la Iglesia y, en el proceso, la delineación de los derechos y obligaciones de los miembros de la Iglesia con respecto a nuestros diversos papeles y estados de vida. La tercera sección principal del Código está dedicada a la función docente de la Iglesia, y en ella encontramos, entre otras cosas, la básica premisa de que la educación, aunque sea la responsabilidad primordial de los padres, es también una labor de colaboración.

Los pastores de la Iglesia son los primeros que ayudan a los padres en esta responsabilidad. En sus parroquias, los párrocos deben organizar todo lo necesario para la educación y la formación de los jóvenes (cf. canon 794). En muchos casos, con la ayuda de un director, supervisan el funcionamiento de una escuela. Los párrocos suelen ofrecer también otras oportunidades de instrucción en la fe en la parroquia.

Las palabras iniciales de esta sección afirman: “Los padres y quienes hacen sus veces tienen la obligación y el derecho de educar a la prole” (canon 793). Con estas palabras, la Iglesia reconoce bellamente el papel que se confía a los padres en la educación de sus hijos. Esto se deriva directamente de uno de los fines del matrimonio: la procreación y la educación de los hijos. Los padres participan en la obra del Creador de traer la vida a este mundo, y también comparten su obra de llevar esa vida a su perfección en la eternidad. Los padres son libres de elegir los medios para educar a sus hijos y son igualmente libres de seleccionar las instituciones que pueden ayudarles a cumplir con esta responsabilidad.

La educación es una obra de colaboración porque tiene como 6 | THE C ATHOLIC TE LEG RAPH

Los maestros y los catequistas ejercen un ministerio increíble a beneficio de los jóvenes. Estas personas, conscientes del encargo que aceptan para formar a sus alumnos como fieles discípulos cristianos, están llamadas a que se “destaquen por su recta doctrina, por el testimonio de su vida cristiana y por su aptitud pedagógica” (canon 804).

Así pues, los padres no están solos en la crianza y educación de sus hijos; toda la comunidad cristiana tiene un papel que desempeñar en este proceso. Los párrocos, los directores y los maestros ayudan directamente a los padres a cumplir con su responsabilidad de educar a sus hijos. El resto de los fieles cristianos están llamados a fortalecer el trabajo de las escuelas, de los profesores y de los padres mediante la oración y el apoyo económico a las instituciones que la Iglesia ha establecido para llevar a cabo esta tarea (cf. canon 800). Por tanto, comencemos este año académico más profundamente conscientes de la llamada que tenemos cada uno de nosotros a capacitar la función docente de la Iglesia y a difundir así el Evangelio de generación en generación.

QUE ST IO N O F F A IT H

Anointing of the Sick and Last Rites A friend of mine recently received “last rites.” Is there a difference between the anointing of the sick and last rites?

The terms “anointing of the sick” and “last rites” are often used synonymously; however, they are not the same. Last rites, as the name suggests, is a final preparation for death that can include anointing of the sick. Anointing of the sick can be provided apart from last rites to anyone approaching a major surgery or dangerously ill, and to the elderly even if no dangerous illness exists.

The Church’s tradition of anointing and last rites both stem from the Gospel of Mark, where the apostles “anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them” (6:13), and the Letter of St. James, where he writes, “Are there people sick among you? Let them send for the priests of the Church, and let the priests pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord” (5:14).

ANOINTING OF THE SICK

The anointing of the sick is a sacrament of healing intended to bring spiritual and physical strength during illness. It can be repeated, especially if someone’s health worsens.

The sacrament is performed by a priest, who uses oil (blessed each year by the bishop during Holy Week) to anoint the person’s forehead and hands. He prays, “Through this holy anointing, may the Lord in his love and mercy help you with the grace of the Holy Spirit. May the Lord who frees you from sin save you and raise you up.”

The sacrament was previously known as “extreme unction”— conveying the serious health situations of those who received it, but it is not intended only for those near death. Often, those who receive anointing recover their health.

LAST RITES

Last rites are administered only to the seriously ill or dying.

The rites include offering the Eucharist as viaticum (literally, food for the journey) to the sick person. It is administered as a “last Communion” before death. The sacrament of confession, if the ill person is able to confess their sins, is also encouraged. These sacraments help the Christian complete their earthly pilgrimage (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1525).

Depending on the circumstance, the priest may offer prayers for the dying. Last rites often conclude with the apostolic pardon—a prayer beseeching God to welcome the person to life eternal: “Through the holy mysteries of our redemption, may Almighty God release you from all punishments in this life and in the life to come. May He open to you the gates of paradise and welcome you to everlasting joy.”

CALLING THE PRIEST

In cases of extreme or sudden illness, a priest should be called to administer the sacraments. Contact your local parish, or if in a hospital or hospice, ask a staff member to call a priest.

For an after-hours emergency, parishes have a number to call to reach a priest.

If someone dies before receiving the Last Rites, prayers for the dead may be said. The Church commends the person to God’s mercy and prays that they may experience light, happiness and peace.

The Church’s tradition of last rites and the sacrament of anointing of the sick testify to Christ’s desire to be with us in every circumstance. The sacraments that may be received by the sick remind us of God’s goodness, boundless mercy, and His promise to shepherd us from this life to the next.

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 / A U GUST 2023 | 7

SE IZ E T H E MO ME NT

Imagine Something New I’m not a big fan of the unknown. There’s too much, well, unknown about it. I need plans. I have questions. I like to know what I’m getting myself into. I like to be prepared.

One way I relieve my anxiety around the unknown is by first imagining myself “doing the thing.” For a difficult conversation I’ve never had before, I play it out in my mind first, considering ways to explain myself and responses to possible objections.

When a thing is so new I can’t imagine it, I research it to inform my imagination. For example, when someone proposes a restaurant I’ve never visited, I look up the menu to know what kind of food to expect and use Street View on Google Maps to see the building (making it easier to find). I also investigate the parking situation because parallel street parking is something else I need to prepare for!

Having researched the thing and imagined what it will be like, I feel more confident when it’s time to do the thing.

A MISSION IMAGINATION

Because every pope since at least Pope Paul VI focused on a new evangelization and being “on mission” to make disciples who share the Good News and radiate Christ, the Church has prioritized intentional accompaniment and the Gospel’s proclamation.

But how can we live our faith with the expected courage and joy if we cannot imagine what that life—of a missionary disciple—actually looks like?

It’s difficult to do what we can’t imagine. I can’t even go to a new restaurant without trepidation, let alone proclaim the Gospel, initiate faith conversations, pray spontaneously in public, defend my faith or do the many other things that missionary disciples do. How am I going to step into the great unknown that is the mystery of God and deepen my relationship with Him when this, too, stands to be so radically new?

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I thus propose that we tackle the bold Christian life like we tackle any new thing: by informing our imagination.

RENEWING YOUR MIND

As with any period of research and preparation, it helps to proceed systematically. Let’s start with fundamental questions.

First, what are the Christian things you wish you could do better? Maybe pray more regularly or increase your biblical literacy. Whatever it is, write it down, make a list. Then, take each item and consider, “What can I do to be more confident in this?” Perhaps there’s a book, YouTube or TikTok creator, podcast or Facebook Group that could help. Set a deadline for getting that help, then start learning.

Is there someone you admire for their Christian knowledge or way of life? Try to spend more time with them. Watch, listen and learn from them. Ask if they’re willing to mentor you. It’s a game changer when you have people in your life who live the way you want to live!

This research and preparation will inform your imagination so you will be able to “see” yourself living as a missionary disciple.

EMBRACING THE NEWNESS

Of course, at some point you have to move beyond imagining and start being and doing your best for Jesus. Practice makes perfect, and God makes perfect too. Evangelization and discipleship are the work of the Spirit, and He’s always with you.

As you study, watch, listen, go and do, you will cultivate an imagination for the newness God has in store for you—and you will be able to seize that newness with confidence.

NICHOLAS HARDESTY is the associate director of Adult Evangelization and RCIA for the Center for the New Evangelization. | nhardesty@catholicaoc.org

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A CLO SE R LO O K

Back to School Should be a Time of Joy, Not Fear August begins the annual ritual of children dragging their parents to the shopping mall for new clothes, backpacks and sneakers, in preparation for their return to classrooms, playgrounds and athletics fields. The nervous anticipation of going “back to school” is as common to the American experience of growing up as apple pie and baseball. Perhaps the only school day more highly anticipated than the first is the last. These rites of passage are generally happy occasions, ordering students toward eventual graduation while protecting them in the envelope of close-knit friendships and dedicated educators. Our school days form lasting impressions and persistent memories.

The singer’s concerns in “Save the World” are well-founded.

According to data compiled by NBC News, during the last 10 years in the U.S., 110 children, teachers and administrators were killed in school shootings and an additional 160 injured.

In only one of those 10 years, 2020, were there no shooting fatalities. This year, nine people were killed and eight injured in four separate school shootings before school adjourned in the Spring. These data omit shootings and other gun incidents (at schools) that were prevented or did not result in injuries or death, including 249 incidents of shootings or attempted shootings in 2021, the highest on record. The next highest number of incidents, 199, occurred in 2019. The highest annual number of fatalities, During the last 10 51, occurred in 2018, including 17 at years in the U.S., 110 Marjory Stoneham Douglas school in children, teachers and Florida.

Unfortunately, the idyllic experience of going back to school has been significantly compromised in recent years, such that those impressions and memories are administrators were killed not necessarily fond ones. In musician The shooters are almost always students or in school shootings and an Jason Isbell’s recent song, “Save The former students, and the most common World,” the first-person narrator sings age is 17, then 16 and 15. The National additional 160 injured. about learning of a school shooting after Institute of Justice (NIJ)—a U.S. traveling: “I left my wallet in the hotel room/They barely let Department of Justice research agency—suggests “Five Facts me on the plane,” he sings. “I didn’t get a chance to check the About Mass Shootings in K-12 Schools,” two of which stand news/Somebody shot up a classroom again.” He goes on to out for special consideration. First, prior to the shootings, say that, while it is appropriate to mourn the loss, that does most or all shooters were known to have experienced severe not solve the problem. “We can find a time to fall apart/Say mental illness, manifested in histories of antisocial behavior the name of all the dead/I’m still dreaming in my heart of or even psychoses. More than 90% of them were found to be hearts/But something’s changing in my head.” He wants to suicidal before or during the shooting. This does not excuse feel that “things like that” can’t happen to him or the ones he the shooters, of course. In most cases, people with mental loves. But he must acknowledge that he is no less likely than illness understand that they are committing crimes and are anyone else to be affected by such a tragedy. rightly held accountable for them. But it does point out that 1 0 | THE CATHOLIC TELE GRAPH

parents and educators must be better equipped to see signs of mental illness and better educated about how to respond.

Mental illness should be treated with the same seriousness and diligence as physical illnesses. This is not an easy task, of course. It is easier to recognize a broken arm than major depressive disorder. But we must be as willing to refer people who struggle with mental illness to healthcare professionals as we are with physiological maladies.

NIJ suggests that a second important factor is the ease by which school shooters obtained the guns used in their crimes. In its study, 80% of school shooters stole guns from family members who failed to adequately secure them, indicating the obvious problem of carelessness by gun owners. But we cannot ignore the broader issue of guns’ proliferation in American society, especially semi-automatic and automatic rifles and powerful handguns. I am not suggesting confiscating anyone’s guns. Nor am I denying gun ownership’s legitimacy for the purposes of hunting and self-defense. But we are impeded in the U.S. by the Second Amendment from having a robust conversation about the scope of that legitimacy, especially as recently interpreted by the United States Supreme Court. And States are inhibited from enacting reasonable restrictions on gun manufacture, distribution and ownership that could strike a balance

between the legal right to own guns and the protection of society. Rethinking the Second Amendment might be the place to start in curbing access to guns whose design has nothing to do with hunting or self-defense—precisely the kinds most used in school shootings.

In Isbell’s song, “Save the World,” the concluding verses express the anguish many parents feel when sending their children to school. “The kid’s looking for the candy aisle/ School’s starting in a week/Lady says, ‘You have a lovely child’/I’m too terrified to speak.” And he desperately wonders about options to protect his child. “Can we keep her here at home instead?/Can we teach her how to fight?/Something’s changing inside my head/Something’s drowning out the light.” This should not be a decision that any American parent should be forced to make because of guns’ availability, proliferation and access by people who should not possess them. But we must be willing to rethink entrenched positions on these issues to shed light on possible solutions.

DR. KENNETH CRAYCRAFT is an attorney and the James J. Gardner Family Chair of Moral Theology at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary & School of Theology.

A CL O S E R L O O K / A U G UST 2023 | 11

The Catholic Telegraph

Won

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CATHOLIC MEDIA AWARDS The Catholic Telegraph team (both staff and freelance contributors) brought home 12 awards Friday, June 9, 2023, at the Catholic Media Association banquet in Baltimore, MD. With more than 3,500 entries, the competition is always stiff, but very few dioceses and Catholic publications were honored to this degree. Recognition spanned print, digital and video—all to help spread the Good News of our Catholic faith.

SECOND PLACE

1. Best Diocesan Video Fundraising Appeal: The Catholic Telegraph, “Catholic Ministries Appeal” — Margaret Swensen 2. Best Sports Reporting: The Catholic Telegraph, “Faith on the Field” — Eileen Connelly, OSU

THIRD PLACE

1. Best Interview – Video: The Catholic Telegraph, “Becoming Bishop” — Margaret Swensen 2. Best Interview: The Catholic Telegraph, “Shaped by Love: Chaplain Service at Children’s Hospital Strengthened Father Mike Paraniuk’s Faith” — Eileen Connelly, OSU 3. Best Reporting of the Celebration of a Sacrament: The Catholic Telegraph, “Adaptive Sacrament Preparation” — Patricia McGeever HONORABLE MENTION

1. Magazine of the Year – Diocesan Magazines: The Catholic Telegraph 2. Videographer / Video Producer of the Year: Margaret Swensen, The Catholic Telegraph 3. Best Freestanding Presentation of Online Video – Feature: The Catholic Telegraph, “Priest Ordination 2022” — Margaret Swensen 4. Best Freestanding Presentation of Online Video – Social Justice Issues: The Catholic Telegraph, “Beyond the Page: Adaptive Sacramental Preparation” — Margaret Swensen 5. Best Layout – Diocesan Magazine: The Catholic Telegraph, “The Bee’s Knees” — Emma Cassani, Margaret Swensen 6. Best Guest Column / Commentary: The Catholic Telegraph, “The Final Word: Extra Love & Joy” — Ann Poirier 7. Best Regular Column – General Commentary: The Catholic Telegraph, “A Closer Look” — Dr. Kenneth Craycraft

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Drawing on

TRADITION Building the FUTURE CatholicBestChoice.org

B O O K R E V IE W / J ULY 2023 | 13

Aissa and SUA classmate Gabby.

rewriting their

futures CISE schools paved the road to success for a family of five children

BY EILEEN CONNELLY, OSU

Combine a mother’s love, faith and commitment to her children’s future with generous donors who support the Catholic Inner-City Schools Education’s (CISE) mission, which helps rewrite urban children’s lives by providing access to a strong Catholic education. The result instilled in Ebony Webb’s five children the confidence that they can become the best they can be, academically and spiritually.

“I was a teenage mom, age 15, when I had my daughter, Destiny,” she explained. “I was so young and scared, but knew I wanted something better for her. As she got close to school age, I knew Catholic education would help her and help me.”

“My faith has always been my foundation,” said Ebony, who was raised Baptist. “Generations of our family attended the same church, and my mother, Carla, raised me to have a powerful belief in God. He has always come first. I wanted my kids to have that, too. My mom couldn’t afford to send me to Catholic school, so when I learned about CISE from the secretary at St. Francis de Sales, it gave me hope.”

Ebony’s five children are all former or current students of St. Francis de Sales elementary school, but CISE also assists through high school at designated schools.

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Now 27, her daughter Destiny graduated from Purcell Marian High School, currently works as a chef and has two children of her own, including a young daughter following in her mother’s footsteps at St. Francis de Sales.

“The staff there is amazing. They have become like family over the years,” Ebony said. And they respected her children as individuals, instilled enduring values and helped set them up for success. Her son, Benjamin Ferguson, showed signs of having attention deficit hyperactivity disorder when he was in third grade. “The school recommended having him tested,” she said. “I was reluctant, not wanting to have that stigma, but went ahead. It gave me so much trust in the teachers, and he wouldn’t have gotten that help anywhere else.”

Benjamin graduated from St. Xavier High School in 2019 and received an athletic scholarship to Fordham University, where he played football. Recently graduated with a bachelor’s degree in business/marketing, he is now pursuing a master’s degree.

Ebony’s daughters, Aissatou “Aissa” and Jariatou “JaJa” Bah, were next to attend St. Francis de Sales. Aissa graduated with honors from Saint Ursula Academy in May and is bound for Tuskegee University on a full academic scholarship. JaJa is entering her junior year at Saint Ursula.

Ebony is especially thankful for the way the St. Francis de Sales community rallied around her family when JaJa was born with spina bifida. “That was a very hard time for our family,” Ebony recalled. “We thought she would never walk. The people at St. Francis de Sales made meals for us and JaJa was on the prayer list at church. When it was time for school, they really worked with us on what JaJa was able to do and not do. Their prayers and support helped heal JaJa. She’s 16 now and runs and walks.”

Both young women firmly believe that their Catholic education laid the foundation for academic success and for their desire to be of service to others. Aissa was inspired by a St. Francis de Sales’ teacher whose motto was: “What can I do? How can I help?”

“That really stuck with me,” she said. “It just really ingrained in me that if you see someone struggling,

Aissa Ferguson

[Catholic education] fosters in a person a call to serve and a willingness to give back. you should assist them. It helped me become the person I am.

I think that’s what Catholic education does for a person. It fosters in a person a call to serve and a willingness to give back.

My mother taught us that, too.”

That spirit of service is evident in Aissa’s variety of activities at Saint Ursula, where she received the 2023 Mother Gertrude Creamer Award for her initiative and Christian service. This included serving as a leader in the Bulldog Buddies tutoring program, as co-president of Hands Across Campus (HAC) and as a member of Sisters in Cultural Unity.

“I’m just so grateful for the support I’ve received and opportunities I’ve had,” JaJa said. “My education has also helped develop my faith, my relationship with God, how I CONTINUED ON PAGE 16 B A CK T O S CH O O L / A U G UST 2023 | 15

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 15

pray, how I think about things, what I choose to read, how I deal with life and treat other people. I always think, ‘What would Jesus do?’”

Diagnosed with diabetes in 2021, JaJa acknowledges that health concerns sometimes presented a challenge, but her faith has seen her through. She hasn’t let such struggles slow her down—JaJa serves as a Bulldog Buddies ambassador, member of Saint Ursula’s Brave Ones Program and copresident of HAC. Both Aissa and JaJa have also been involved in their community as teen staff members with the Cincinnati Recreation Commission and with the Youth Antiracist Leadership Academy Program, which helps young people better understand themselves and the world around them by exploring who they are and how they lead.

Their younger sister, Housanatou, is following in her siblings’ path. She will graduate from St. Francis de Sales in 2026, completing the family tradition of a CISE education.

Ebony emphasized that she has always strived to teach her children to believe in God and in themselves—that they are inwardly and outwardly beautiful, strong and capable of

doing hard things.

“I hope CISE donors know how grateful I am for the impact they have made in my children’s lives,” she said. “They made an investment in my children’s future, and I want them to know that my children will carry that investment forward and make a difference in the lives of other people and make the world a better place, each in their own unique way.”

Aissa and JaJa also expressed their thanks to CISE. “I don’t think ‘Thank you’ even covers the blessing CISE has been to us,” Aissa said. “I don’t know if donors know the impact their generosity has had.”

“Ebony represents a group of parents that CISE is proud to partner with as we travel the journey of educating students together,” said Dr. Cate O’Brien, Director of School Programs for CISE. “Our parents want a rigorous, disciplined and faith-based environment for their children.

Catholic education is a choice and best chosen by parents like Ebony, who supported her children and their teachers, and the spiritual and academic growth of her children both inside and outside the classroom.”

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mission

home WORK AT

BY JOHN STEGEMAN

18 |

L to R: Ava Engelbrink, Carly West, Elizabeth Ernst, Lydia Sanders, Payton Coop, Madi Zech and Annabelle Keith

Twelve Mercy McAuley students will return to school this fall having a greater understanding of lifestyles for the poor in their own hometown.

Led by Director of Ministry Dave Nissen through the St. Vincent de Paul’s Ozanam Center, the girls made a three-day mission to the West End and Price Hill, which have both their fair share of poverty and many non-profit organizations seeking to alleviate poverty’s effects.

For years, volunteer-minded, incoming senior Elizabeth Ernst saved money from altar serving at funerals to pay for her eventual high school service trip. Initially thinking she’d travel far away, she ultimately chose a local option.

“I have always wanted to go and just do service,” Ernst said. “I have a lot of service hours, not just for college reasons, but just to go and do service.”

In addition to Mass and regular prayer times, the girls assisted St. Vincent de Paul at their warehouse and food pantry, the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Cincinnati in Price Hill and Santa Maria Community Services.

Nissen said Mercy McAuley doesn’t mandate a specific number of service hours from students, but service is expected.

“It’s not a requirement of the school, it’s a requirement of our faith,” he said. “It’s not just service. There’s also an educational element. They talk about the idea of poverty and how people experiencing homelessness find themselves in that situation and look at possible ways of alleviating that. We look at the root causes too, not just giving people food and moving on.”

Nissen said he also loves the idea of long-distance mission trips—next year he’s taking a group to Mexico City—but he enjoyed being able to show students the need in their own community.

“I really like that we show them you don’t have to leave town. You don’t have to go to Hazard, Kentucky to serve.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 20 B A CK T O S CH O O L / A U G UST 2023 | 19

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 19

You can do it in your own neighborhood.”

His favorite part of the trip was watching students interact with clients of St. Vincent de Paul’s food pantry. Along with stocking and organizing, the girls helped clients shop, interacting with them one-on-one.

“They were working with them and talking to them.

Some of the girls were using the Spanish skills they learned in school, which I thought was really cool,” Nissan said. He also mentioned their interaction with an older man who was a long-term volunteer at the warehouse. “He volunteers every Monday. That’s the kind of person I want our student body exposed to.”

Ernst said she will remember a great deal from the trip, but noted the experience was illuminating on the issue of poverty.

“I didn’t really understand the situations as to why a lot of [people] are there. I’ve obviously seen people experiencing homelessness … but it opens your eyes when you see … they’re trying their best to get their

feet on the ground or get enough money for a meal.

There shouldn’t be this huge stigma around these people because you never know what kind of life they’ve had.”

What really stuck with Ernst was the joy of the children and volunteers at the Boys and Girls Club despite the difficulties some of the youth face at home.

“I really liked interacting with all these people,” Ernst said. “It really opened my eyes to new things. They’re just so positive at the Boys and Girls Club.”

The experience won’t be a one-off for the Mercy McAuley students. Ernst and her classmates so enjoyed serving at the Boys and Girls Club that she is working with organizers to create more service opportunities.

“She saw a need and thought, ‘Some of my classmates might really enjoy this,’” Nissen said. “That’s kind of the point. If you go out of town, they can’t follow up, but this is somewhere they know and they can plug themselves in again.”

There shouldn’t be this huge stigma around these people because you never know what kind of life they’ve had.

2 0 | THE CATHOLIC TELE GRAPH

Save the date!

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www.mndhs.org B A CK T O S CH O O L / A U G UST 2023 | 21

CATHO LIC A T H O ME

We’re Aiming for Heaven While at a friend’s house just a few days ago, we were chatting about supporting our kids’ spiritual lives when she called over her nine-year-old son. “Trent, what’s your goal in life?”

“To be with Jesus in Heaven,” Trent replied, timid at having an audience. Conversing further with him revealed this little boy wasn’t robotically regurgitating words taught by his parents.

He understood what it meant as well as a nine-year-old could.

My friend and her husband will keep pointing Trent in this direction as long as he’s under their roof, and he won’t be likely to forget it as an adult.

“Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is older, he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6 speaks to the reality we all experience: What we witness and learn in our childhood stays with us regardless of environment or circumstance.

Our little ones are with us just a short while before leaving the protection, guidance and wisdom of the proverbial nest.

What’s that poignant sentiment? The days are long, but the years are short. There is so much that I want for all my children: experiences, joys, success and even failures to help them grow.

On a superficial level, I want to make sure my kids fly the coop with sufficient knowledge to function. They need to know how to buy groceries, wash towels in hot water and tear off a piece of Saran wrap. They need a certain level of street smarts so they can navigate life.

More deeply, however, we want things for our kids that can come only by God’s grace. I hope my kids are happy. I hope they pursue holiness and joy in their vocations. I hope they help others willingly and gratefully, acting as the face of Christ to family, friends and strangers.

Fulfilling the deeper goals is what I want to spend my parenthood cultivating. Of course, my kids will emerge from our home with ability and knowledge, but what I want them to know more certainly than anything else is that they are precious and priceless to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and our returning 2 2 | THE CATHOLIC TE LEG RAPH

God’s love yields in us abiding peace. Indeed, mutual love with God is what we’re made to have for eternity.

For parents, the means of supporting this love are innumerable.

I offer some solid ways to take care of our children spiritually: 1. Pray for them daily: I’ve learned that praying for my children draws my attention to their hearts and simultaneously reminds me that God is Lord in their lives, not me.

2. Take them to Mass: Even if their faith wavers, as it can; even if they’re bored during the Liturgy. Recall that being in the physical presence of God is a tremendous grace on its own. Your faithful attendance to Mass will speak volumes to attentive children.

3. Listen openly and lovingly: It is a nearly universal inclination to regard God according to the experiences we had with our parents. Children who are lovingly received by their parents will understand that the Father offers the same openness.

In the homeschooling community, we throw out the phrase, “We’re aiming for Heaven over Harvard” when we struggle with teaching our kids. Academic and career achievements are wonderful, but the end-all, be-all is Eternal Life with God; a point every Catholic parent needs to hear on repeat.

We can bring our children to Jesus, rightfully confident that He will receive them and go to work in their lives, because, like us, He also wants good things for them. St. Jerome beautifully articulated this exact point when he said, “It is our part…to make a beginning, His to bring it to completion; ours to offer what we can, His to finish what we cannot.”

KATIE SCIBA is a national speaker and Catholic Press Awardwinning columnist. Katie has been married for 14 years and is blessed with six children.

Make a child’s dream come true Last year, over 700 children received a new bed through St. Vincent de Paul thanks to people like you.

You can move a child sleeping on the floor into a bed this school year.

Visit SVDPcincinnati.org/beds to donate or use the remit envelope in this magazine.

MEET the MOUNT SCAN THE QR CODE TO VISIT Go to www.msj.edu/visit to select the visit format that meets your needs.

Visit www.msj.edu/non-discrimination for the full non-discrimination policy and contact information.

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CA T H O L IC A T H O M E / A U G UST 2023 | 23

Students enjoy a meal in the home of a La Carpio community leader.

Learning GLOBAL | CREATIVE | IMMERSIVE

BY KARY ELLEN BERGER

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary’s definition of “immerse” is: “to plunge into something that surrounds or covers.” Students at St. Ursula Academy (SUA) see immersing themselves into local, regional and international communities as building on the holistic educational experience each student receives at the school.

“As a school community, we have a global creative learning environment because we feel that learning about the whole world, as we are educating girls as a whole 2 4 | THE CATHOLIC TE LEGRAPH

person, helps empower them to build a better world when they graduate,” said Jill Cahill, Vice President of Communications at SUA. For 10 days in June, SUA students engaged with residents throughout Costa Rica. This was the first time rising seniors Lauren Spencer and Isabelle Walker traveled abroad for an immersion trip, but was the ninth visit to Central America by teacher and group leader, Mark Simcoe.

Seeing how they live made me realize how much I take for granted in my life.

“I see a lot of value for the students attending,” said Simcoe. “I also can share things I know as well, bring a lot back to my classroom and apply to my curriculum.”

The group visited several locations throughout Costa Rica, including the Church of San Francisco, and traveled to La Carpio, an impoverished area near San José that is home to the largest Nicaraguan immigrant community in Costa Rica.

They also visited Casa Hogar La Esperanza (House of Hope)—a group supporting those living with HIV/AIDS and drug addiction.

“When we were in La Carpio, we saw their water conditions—their sewer system is insufficient and there is a landfill basically in their backyard,” said Spencer. “Seeing how they live made me realize how much I take for granted in my life. The things that they worry about every day are things I never thought about until I witnessed it firsthand.”

“The House of Hope was really neat because it was easy to jump into a conversation with everyone there,” said Walker. “They were so friendly. I worked on my Spanish with them and they loved that I was even trying. They were open about their stories and answered all the questions that we had.”

For the first time, the SUA group also traveled to the town of Boruca, home to indigenous Boruca people who keep their culture alive through their art and traditions.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 26

In the town of Boruca, home to the indigenous people of the same name, students make traditional tamales using leaves to wrap them before cooking.

B A CK T O S CH O O L / A U G UST 2023 | 25

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 25

“It was a rural, quiet and serene community— they have a calmer pace of life there,” said Simcoe.

Reflecting on this immersion, students said they feel more equipped to serve others, at home and afar. “This trip made me realize how fortunate our lives are here in America— the government we have for allowing us to have free speech and other opportunities they might not have,” said Walker.

“We learned about all these issues going on and while we can’t do everything, we can help a little bit … that is really important,” added Spencer. “I hope others can see that too.

By doing the smallest things, [we] can help people in other countries who are a little less fortunate than we are. It’s important to get involved and help out the best we can.”

Students took part in a reflection led by their Costa Rican leader and guide, Yana Alfaro.

A leader in girls' Catholic high school education since 1910

make an impact In the world. we will show you how. saint ursula academy is committed to educating young women of faith, integrity, and courage.

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teaching

TA NZANIA INSPIR ES

BY PATRICIA M C GEEV ER

An Ohio teacher is changing the lives of students on two continents. A math teacher at DePaul Cristo Rey High School (DPCR) in Cincinnati, Julie Rentz also runs a sponsorship program for students more than 8,000 miles away—in the east African nation of Tanzania. Her interest there began several years ago when her family befriended Father Peter Siamoo, a priest from Tanzania who was living in Portland, OR. “He would travel home in the summer and he would invite people to go home with him,” said Rentz.

She went with him in 2013—a trip that changed both her life and the lives of hundreds of children.

Beginning her professional career as an electronic engineer, she stayed home to raise her children, then looked to re-enter the workforce. After a conversation with Father Siamoo and Father William Ruwaichi in Tanzania, she switched to teaching.

“They were talking about how they have a shortage of science and math teachers and those scores are the lowest on their national exams,” she said.

“They suggested I become a teacher because of my engineering background.”

Obtaining her Masters in teaching from the University of Portland, Rentz began her new career—first in Oregon, then in Ohio where she moved with her family. This coming school year will be her fourth teaching at DePaul Cristo Rey. And she’s visited Tanzania every year since 2019. During her first visit, the priests asked her to start a sponsorship program to help children receive higher education, similar to an existing program that supported seminarians studying for the priesthood.

“They needed someone in the U.S. to run that program and work with the Director of Schools in Moshi. Because I was now a teacher and had hopes to continue to visit, I took on that role.”

In this unpaid role, Rentz seeks sponsors in the U.S. whose support enables children to attend a secondary school, community college or university. She visits Tanzania each summer to check on the students in the sponsorship program. Kilimanjaro Mission of

“STUDENTS IN CINCINNATI LEARN WHAT LIFE IS LIKE FOR THEIR PEERS IN MOSHI. FOR THE PAST TWO YEARS, RENTZ HAS MODERATED A TANZANIA CLUB AT DEPAUL CRISTO REY, WHERE MEMBERS LEARN ABOUT THE COUNTRY’S LANGUAGE, FOOD AND CUSTOMS.”

2 8 | THE CATHOLIC TELE GRAPH

From top, clockwise: Julie at Kibosho Nursing College in Tanzania; LaNasha holding a photo of her pen pal; Students in DPCR’s Tanzania Club making pilau, a favorite dish of their pen pals; Julie after reaching the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro last summer–the highest mountain in Africa and tallest freestanding mountain in the world; Deanna and Amaya making pilau in Tanzania Club.

Hope and Outreach (KMHO.org) supports Catholic Schools in Moshi and oversees the program.

“The students are chosen by the diocese, not by me.” said Rentz. “I make sure that their grades are improving or doing well. Some of those kids [were] out of school for a few years before we were able to get them in.”

Sponsorships start at $900 and can be as high as $2,500, depending on the education level. Currently, 50 students are on a waiting list for a sponsor, 25 have one and some sponsored students graduated.

“They value their education a lot,” she said. “They know it’s their chance to improve their families.”

Students in Cincinnati learn what life is like for their peers in Moshi. For the past two years, Rentz has moderated a Tanzania Club at DePaul Cristo Rey, where members learn about the country’s language, food and customs.

They even have Tanzanian pen pals.

“We had, at the end of this last year, 32 kids who are regularly writing back and forth. Their letters are adorable,” she said.

The school is planning a trip to Africa for DPCR students in the next year or two. Rentz says she loves her job at DPCR and her students come first, but she will also continue traveling to Tanzania, on her own dime, to help children there obtain the education they desire.

B A CK T O S CH O O L / A U G UST 2023 | 29

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7/2/23 10:35 AM

An open letter to our community, As a new academic year begins, Ursuline Academy is embarking on an exciting new chapter.

Following a period of reflection, we are refocusing on our mission and core values and bringing these to life in our teaching and on our campus every day. We also are welcoming new leaders to our community who will help shape the future of Ursuline.

Ursuline Academy remains an independent all-girls Catholic school with a mission to prepare the young woman for college and beyond by nurturing her soul, intellect, heart and imagination.

Ursuline’s academic excellence remains unparalleled, and we are committed to the Merici Model of Education, a uniquely student-centered approach to learning that creates a culture where students are empowered to learn through their choices.

Our new leaders, Principal Kristen Rojas ’85, and Interim President Dr. Patricia Boehm ’94, are poised to carry forward our strong legacy that is rooted in Catholic faith and bound by sisterhood.

We warmly invite you to visit us this fall. Experience our approach firsthand, meet our new principal and current students to discover the possibilities that await within our vibrant school community. Find out more about Ursuline and register for our admission events at ursulineacademy.org.

Backed by our tremendous Ursuline alumnae and tradition of academic excellence, as always, Ursuline will continue to nurture the soul, intellect, heart and imagination of young women throughout the Greater Cincinnati area.

Sincerely,

Colleen M. Devanney ’01 Chair, Board of Trustees

B A CK T O S CH O O L / A U G UST 2023 | 31

BOOK REVIEW

The Chronicles of Transformation A Spiritual Journey EDITED BY LEONARD J. DELORENZO REVIEWED BY MATT SWAIM

If the myth of Narnia has suffered from anything since The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe published in 1950, it’s that adult Christian readers who love Narnia tend to draw out the analogies, lessons and “morals” of its stories. But as Father Michael Ward warns early in the recent collection of interpretive essays, The Chronicles of Transformation: A Spiritual Journey, “We must not exchange the poetry of [Narnia] for a pot of message.”

Heeding this caution, editor Leonard DeLorenzo and his contributors assembled an alternative to common scholarship and commentary about the Narnia series, and even about C.S. Lewis himself. This is not simply one more book by a Lewis fan explaining why he likes the author, nor is it pure literary criticism. Rather, the essays seek to re-enter the mystery of Narnia, using poetry and the sketches styled like Pauline Baynes’ original illustrations for the series.

DeLorenzo first returns to The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, which should be treated as Book One. He shares his first experience of reading this tale to his then five-year old son, Isaac—potentially, a revelatory approach for adult readers. In a world where nearly every child knows Darth Vader is Luke’s father long before they are old enough to watch The Empire Strikes Back, entering Narnia for the first time with Isaac is amusing, revealing and even a little frightening.

With him, we discover the wardrobe and lamppost for the first time. We recoil anew at Edmund’s betrayal, ignorant of his redemption arc. And when Aslan dies on the Stone Table, we feel its weight with a five-year old, who, like the story’s 3 2 | THE CATHOLIC TELE GRAPH

Pevensie children—and the disciples on Good Friday—have no idea that the glorious surprise of resurrection lies on the other side.

Similarly wonderful contributions and perspectives await: Peter Schakel considers Lewis’ expansion from mere allegory to broader myth in The Voyage of the “Dawn Treader” and catalogs Lewis’ humor and satire. Catherine Cavadini takes a fresh look at Digory’s growth in courage in The Magician’s Nephew. And Anthony Pagliarini explores The Last Battle and its message about the relationship between what we experience in this life and what awaits us in the life to come.

While it has academic notations and references for those wanting to dig deeper, The Chronicles of Transformation’s true purpose is to reclaim the Narnia books’ childlike wonder and re-introduce these stories for those of us who need to reenter the wardrobe and learn again wonder for Narnia—and perhaps our own world.

As Madeline Infantine notes in one of her many poems throughout the chapters, “You might find anything in a place like this.”

Matt Swaim is co-host of the Son Rise Morning Show on Sacred Heart Radio and Director of Outreach for The Coming Home Network.

The Chronicles of Transformation: A Spiritual Journey with C.S. Lewis, edited by Leonard J. DeLorenzo; Ignatius Press, 2022; 251 pages; $17.95.

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St. Wendelin in St. Henry

1856 St. Wendelin parish formed from the western part of St. Joseph Church in Victoria. The brick church with decorative corbels was designed

by German immigrant J. Anton Goehr.

What look like stone walls behind the red brick bell tower of St. Wendelin Church in St. Henry are a faux “skin” covering its real brick walls.

1870 Bell tower with spire, gold cross and new entrance added. Existing church is sheathed with a faux stone skin.

1905 Rectory built.

1918 The Lourdes grotto, in the cemetery behind the church, was built by parishioners.

2 Carved Gothic-style, wooden, side altars. All altars were made by the famed F. & H. Schroeder Company in Cincinnati and brought up to St.Henry via the canal.

Johann Anton Goehr Designed at least 28 churches in the region, including his own church, which was the region’s mother church— St. Augustine in Minster (then called “Stallostown”).

A wooden memorial in St. Augustine Cemetery commemorating his work was moved to the local historical society’s museum and replaced by a black granite monument in 2020.

“The organ is the original.

It’s been ‘Band-aided’ over the years–every one of those pipes had a leather pouch and mice loved to chew on them–but it still sounds beautiful. I remember when it was a pump organ and you had to pump the air.”

Parishioner and former organist Karen Post 1 Organ loft supported by two columns 1 Carved Gothic-style, wooden, main altar 3 4 | THE CATHOLIC TELE GRAPH

6 Statues flank the altars: St. Wendelin, St. Peter and St. Paul on the high altar; St. Catherine and St. Therese on the Marian altar; and St. Stephen and St. Anthony on the St. Joseph altar.

St. Wendelin Though his name doesn’t appear on the Roman martyrology, St. Wendelin (“Pilgrim” or “Wanderer” in Old High German) is a favorite saint of German-speaking farmers. Said to be a Scottish prince who ran away to make a pilgrimage to Rome, he never made it back home, settled as a hermit and shepherd, then became a Benedictine abbot in the Trier region (near Luxembourg) during the late 500s. On St. Wendelin’s Day (Oct. 22), pilgrims walk 15 kilometers from Tholey Abbey to the large Wendalinusbasilika church in a town near his grave. He is usually pictured with a shepherd’s crook and a book, and sometimes with sheep, cattle or swine.

8 Major side windows, as well as several smaller windows, depicting scenes from the life of Christ were made in Germany and paid for by parishioners.

Land of the Cross-Tipped Churches Byway One of Ohio’s official Scenic Byways, its rural region was settled by immigrants from around the world, many of them German Catholics who were served by the pioneer Missionaries and Sisters of the Precious Blood. The distinctive churches they built give the Byway its name. For maps and more, see the official state website, landofthecrosstippedchurches.com.

HONORING LIFE ON SACRED GROUND Christ Yesterday, Today & Always From the school of Mary;

“Do whatever he tells you.” John 2:5 Wishing all students, teachers and administrators a wonderful academic year!

Learning, planning and being prepared is a part of life.

Gate of Heaven Cemetery, Archdiocese of Cincinnati is here to help you understand Church teachings, so that planning end of life decisions can be made with peace of mind.

Attend a Complimentary Pre-Planning Seminar JULY 25, AUG. 22, SEPT. 26, OCT. 24, & NOV. 21 11 a.m., 2 p.m. & 6 p.m.

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| 35

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

Porn Addiction: Enslaved to a Lie Note: This article is part of an ongoing series on Pope St. John Paul II’s “Theology of the Body” (TOB).

In my last articles, I explored the scourge of pornography as a prime example of the problem of “shamelessness.” I discussed how porn is omnipresent today, toxic to body and soul, and in this article I will highlight its addictive nature.

For many years, medical and mental health professionals thought of “addiction” as only applicable to consuming chemical substances. However, in recent years, neuroscience has helped our understanding of addiction evolve. We understand more about the mechanisms underlying addiction that involve the brain’s natural reward circuits, memory systems, endorphins (i.e., chemicals in the brain that induce euphoria), impairments to the executive control centers and more. Researchers established that it is possible for an addicted brain state to occur without consuming a chemical agent. Certain behaviors (e.g., eating, gambling, sex) release pleasurable chemicals in the brain such that, if they are repeated and intensified under certain conditions, an addiction can become established.

Internet pornography is designed to capitalize on this potential for behavioral addiction. When a consumer, especially a man, views pornography, the sexual images activate the dopamine pathway in the brain that is involved in anticipation of pleasure, focused attention and learning.

Essentially, the brain becomes fixated on the image and associates it with the anticipation of pleasure. Physiological arousal is heightened, which intensifies learning. If sexual 3 6 | THE CATHOLIC TE LEGRAPH

climax occurs in the viewer, the brain comes to associate the euphoric experience with pornography. The brain releases chemicals that normally promote bonding (e.g., prolactin and oxytocin), but in the case of viewing porn, these may serve to strengthen the false sense of connection with the pornographic fantasy. When this process is repeated, the brain becomes increasingly conditioned to seek and prefer pornography to other sources of enjoyment. In addition, changes occur in the brain’s dopamine reward system such that more and more pornographic stimulation is needed to get the same response previously experienced. Meanwhile, the executive control centers in the frontal lobe actually diminish, reducing self-control and thoughtfulness. The end result is a person who feels miserable most of the time due to the changes in their dopamine system, who is preoccupied by sexual thoughts, who experiences intense craving for porn and sexual behavior to feel better and whose ability to resist is weakened over time.

There are additional features of Internet pornography that make it especially addictive. In the past, one had to go to a physical store, potentially interact with other humans and pay money to obtain porn, but the Internet has made pornography accessible, affordable and potentially anonymous. One researcher referred to this as the “triple A” engine of Internet porn and likened it to crack cocaine in its addictive potential.

Even more, Internet porn constitutes a “supernormal stimulus.” Nobel prize winner Niko Tinbergen coined this term to describe a phenomenon that he and other scientists

St. Aloysius Festival Shandon, Ohio

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discovered in their research on animal behavior. They found that they could manipulate animals’ natural instincts by presenting them with artificial stimuli that were exaggerated versions of familiar objects. For example, after presenting male butterflies with artificial mates having exaggerated colors and shapes similar to, but more intense than, those of real females, the researchers observed that the males preferred to direct their sexual advances toward the artificial butterflies rather than toward real females. The researchers similarly manipulated mother birds’ caregiving behavior by presenting them with artificial stimuli that exaggerated their own young’s features, resulting in the mothers preferring the fake young to their actual chicks.

This type of process is frequently at work in advertising and media today. We are bombarded with exaggerated stimuli designed to trigger our instincts in order to capitalize on our cravings. Pornography is a prime example. By presenting anomalously attractive bodies engaged in extreme sexual activities and situations, pornographers are manipulating our natural instinct toward sexual union to crave the exaggerated, artificial fantasy world of porn.

As we have seen, pornography is destructive to human beings and human society. It presents a counterfeit version of the intimacy for which we are created. While our fallen nature can make us susceptible to such lies, Christ died to redeem us and show us the way to freedom. In future articles, I will explore Pope St. John Paul II’s reflections on purity of heart and our call to true spousal love. With the saintly pope as our guide, let us confidently follow the path that Jesus has prepared for us.

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Hilton & Watts (2011). Pornography addiction: A neuroscience

perspective. Surgical Neurology International, 2:19.

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Struthers, W. M. (2009). Wired for intimacy: How pornography hijacks

the male brain. InterVarsity Press.

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Cooper, A. (1998). Sexuality and the Internet: Surfing into the new

millennium. CyberPsychology & Behavior, 1(2), 187–193.

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Love et al. (2015). Neuroscience of Internet pornography addiction: A

review and update. Behavioral Sciences, 5, 388-433.

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.

T H E O L O G Y O F T H E B O D Y / A U G UST 2023 | 37

Color the Saints!

Patron saint of students, teachers, archivists and libraries!

Feast Day: Nov 25

She was said to be an advisor to St. Joan of Arc! One of the Fourteen Holy Helpers.

Scourged and imprisoned for her beliefs.

As a teenager, she received a vision and converted to Christianity.

At 18, she debated Pagan philosophers, converting many with her arguments.

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The empress and army leader visited her in prison, were converted, then martyred for their newfound faith.

Maximinus, Caesar of Syria and Egypt, ordered her to be broken on a wheel, but when she touched it, the wheel shattered. Shortly after, she was beheaded in Alexandria, Egypt.

Archivists Books Catherine Conversion Debate Egypt Imprisoned Libraries Martyr Maximinus Philosophers Teachers Wheel

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out & about in the Archdiocese

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2) Totus Tuus in Ft. Loramie Children in Fort Loramie celebrated their faith the week of June 26. They gathered at St. Michael Church for Totus Tuus, the Pastoral Region’s Summer youth program.

2 1) Students Walk the Red Carpet DePaul Cristo Rey High School rolled out the red carpet for the premiere of The Comeback, a three-part docuseries created by students. The May 10 premiere was the culmination of months of work as students learned and embraced all facets of filmmaking from storyboarding, shot listing, producing, filming, animating and editing.

Student-filmmakers at the premiere: Serenity, a senior; Aunist, a junior; and Alaisha, a junior.

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4) Middle Schoolers Pray and Play Middle schoolers on Cincinnati’s East Side had the opportunity to celebrate a week of faith and fun at Camp Gaudeo, hosted by the St. Gregory the Great Family of Parishes (which includes Guardian Angels, Immaculate Heart of Mary and St. John Fisher). Students played at Scene 75 and prayed in adoration and at Mass.

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3) Faith and Learning at St. Paul’s St. Paul Church in Englewood had a fun-filled and educational Vacation Bible School. During the week’s events, Father Anthony Fortman, C.PP.S. spent time with the children and explained the Tabernacle.

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27 Encouraging word

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31 Cat command 32 Periodic movement of the sea 33 Number of the Commandment that instructs us to honor our parents 34 Widespread 35 Hie’s partner 36 Number of days Jonah spent in the belly of a large fish 39 School division 40 Yaks 42 Acquire 43 Calling of convert Dame Edith Sitwell 45 Partner of Cosmas 46 Louisiana governor who converted to Catholicism 48 Fishing net 49 Paul made these 50 Tiny particles 51 St. Elizabeth, convert to Catholicism 52 Real pill 53 USA 54 Zhivago’s love 55 Green vegetable 58 Easter flower, in Lille 59 Young dog 60 “The Jungle Book” python

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B E L L R A S P B R I A N E L E M E G A D V E N U E L O A N G I N A M U C K S K I N G B A S S L P S Y A R E S E E M I N G O C A B O T A N I S T T R U T H D C I F R A N K T H E T A G O A D O I N K G E R A H P A S T E U F O J O B R E N D E R E D A T M E S I E S T A S K E N T E T E P A L M P A I D K N O T E M A I L S E R A I U L N A A T M O T R A N S P E E L A S S N

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THE FINAL WORD with Kathy C. Kane

Stepping Into a New School Year

JOY!

With each new school year, possibility abounds as we open our hearts and minds to the mission of Catholic education for the students, families and communities we serve. With joyful hearts, guiding faith and unwavering dedication, our teachers, school leaders and communities embrace our collective mission to Radiate Christ. It is a mission of grace, courage, healing and commitment. Our Catholic faith is woven into all that we do and all that we are in our schools.

WELCOME!

We welcome our new students and their families as they join us in our schools for the first time this year. We are also excited to welcome back students and families returning to our Catholic schools. We are so happy you are part of our school communities!

Thank you for trusting your children to our care. And, we welcome our new and returning teachers, staff members and school leaders. Your positive impact on your students’ lives and your tremendous dedication to your vocation are inspiring!

GRATITUDE!

Thank you! We are grateful to our parents, guardians, families, educators, communities and stakeholders for your support. God calls each of us to step out in faith courageously and lovingly and use all that we have been given to care for and serve others. Our 4 2 | THE CATHOLIC TELE G RAPH

Catholic schools’ vibrancy is blessed by your service and generosity of time, talent, treasure and tradition. Steeped in our traditions of community, faith, service and academic excellence—the possibilities for our Catholic school communities are endless.

PRAYER!

I am thrilled to serve our Catholic school communities as the interim superintendent this year. It is an immense joy and beautiful blessing!

“We are here to witness, bless, console, raise up, and radiate the beauty of Jesus” (Pope Francis, Homily for Holy Mass for World Missions Day, Oct. 20, 2019).

As Catholic school leaders, teachers and communities, we prayerfully embrace this mission and look forward to joyfully welcoming all who enter our schools this upcoming school year and to walking together on our journey of faith.

KATHY C. KANE is the interim Superintendent of Schools for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. She devoted the past 35 years to serving the students, families, teachers and stakeholders in the Catholic schools of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. After serving as a teacher and principal at Our Lady of Victory School, she served the archdiocese as the Director of Licensure and Certification, then Deputy Superintendent of Leadership and Licensure.

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