Issue 3 - November 20, 2013

The TORCH

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Go set the world aflame!

Volume I, Issue 3

Wednesday, November 20th, 2013

Suspicious Fires Damage Theology Department, Gasson Hall CHRIS CANNIFF and NATALIE YUHAS On Saturday, November 9, at approximately 9:45pm, Boston College police received reports of small fires in Gasson and Stokes halls. Two of the fires had been set in the north wing of Stokes Hall, and another fire was set in Gasson 100 (the Irish Room) in Gasson Hall. The fourth floor of Stokes North, where the most serious damage was reported, is home to the theology department.

The school’s emergency alert system notified students of the fires at 2:10am on Sunday morning via text message and email alerts. Students were told to be wary of suspicious activity and to leave their building immediately if a fire alarm were to sound.

Julia Sauve, A&S ’14, was in Gasson that Saturday evening to do some reading when she happened upon the first of the fires. “I walked in and smelt smoke. I didn’t immediately think much of it, and walked upstairs to get a classroom. Upstairs, it still smelt a lot like smoke, and I opened the door to the balcony that looks down on the large room on the first floor across from the chapel and saw about two chairs on fire in

the middle of the room, burning slowly. At this time, I left the building and immediately called BCPD emergency line.”

There was no damage reported in Gasson Hall, as the fire was quickly extinguished. However, firms specializing in fire damage repair, in particular, Pro-Care Disaster Restoration Services, worked around the clock last week restoring areas damaged by fire, smoke, or water on all four floors of Stokes North.

Stokes Hall is the newest building on campus and was completed 11 months ago at a cost of $78 million after two years of construction.

Professors and doctoral students who occupy the fourth floor of that building had limited access to their offices and cubicles last week, and classes held on that floor were temporarily relocated to unused space in Carney Hall.

Professor Catherine Cornille, chair of the theology department, informed The Torch that fourteen professors’ offices and five graduate students’ cubicles were directly impacted by these events. When asked whether she believed that the theology department was being specifically

targeted, she said, “We do not have any reason to believe this.”

Professors John McDargh, Pheme Perkins, and Margaret Schatkin all have offices on the fourth floor of Stokes North.

According to Professor McDargh, “the faculty who occupy the fourth floor got our first detailed report of the extent of the damage from our colleague Fr. Ken Himes, OFM who was stopping by his office on Sunday morning after Mass and arrived before any of the damage had been addressed.”

None of McDargh’s belongings were damaged, but he indicated that the lower portion of one of the walls in his office had to be cut into to check for damages before being re-plastered and repainted. Furthermore, he lauded the efforts of all involved in the clean-up process.

Professor Perkins’ office was a bit more disrupted by the event. Last Monday morning, she had only fifteen minutes to grab from her office those things that she would need for the week.

Having now returned, she has found that some of her books – those which happen to be most Continued on Page 2

Most Rev. Joseph E. Kurtz Becomes President of USCCB JAY CHIN The Archbishop of Louisville, Kentucky, Joseph E. Kurtz, has been chosen to succeed Timothy Cardinal Dolan as President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. The election was held at their General Assembly, which ran from November 11-14 in Baltimore. He ran against nine other nominees for the position and won 53% of the vote (125 votes). The second largest amount of votes were for Daniel Cardinal DiNardo of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Huston, Texas, with 10% (25 votes). DiNardo was soon after elected Vice President in the third round of voting, garnering 63% of the votes (147 votes) against Philadelphia’s Archbishop Charles Chaput’s 37% (87 votes).

Also among the 10 candidates for the presidency were Los Angeles’ Archbishop José H. Gómez, a prominent Hispanic prelate, Baltimore’s Archbishop William E. Lori, who is known for being part of the Ad Hoc Committee on Sexual Abuse at the height of the sexual abuse scandal, and Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron of Detroit, who has served in the Vatican Secretariat of State.

The USCCB also elected six new leaders for their committees. Rev. Bernard A. Hebda, Coadjutor Archbishop of Newark, New Jersey, will head the Committee on Canonical Affairs and Church

Photo of Archbishop Kurtz

Governance. Bishop Mitchell T. Rozanski beat auxiliary bishop of Boston Arthur L. Kennedy for leadership of the Committee on Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs. Leonard P. Blair of Hartford, Conneticut, will lead the Committee on Evangelization and Catechesis. Bishop Oscar Cantú of Las Cruces, New Mexico, will head the Committee on International Justice and Peace. And Juneau, Alaska Bishop Edward J. Burns was elected head of the Committee on Child and Youth Protection. All nine positions are three-year terms.

Archbishop Kurtz’s election marks a return to the tradition of the Vice President of the conference being elected President, a tradition that was broken for the first time three years ago when then Archbishop Timothy Dolan was elected President, beating out then Vice President Gerald Frederick Kicanas of Tucson, Arizona. Archbishop Kurtz has been a priest for 41 years and served as Bishop of Knoxville for eight years before being appointed to the See of Louisville in 2007.

“The challenge for us is welcoming people and most especially serving people who are voiceless and vulnerable, spans right across the board from our work in immigration, our work in serving people who are poor, pre-born as well as the very Continued on Page 6

Inside This Edition

CAMPUS NEWS

WORLD NEWS

SENIOR STAFF

Appalachia Volunteers

Medjugorje

Better Together

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Campus News

The TORCH // Volume I, Issue 3

CAMPUS NEWS

BC Professor and Former President of Ireland: Collegiality and Church Leadership MARGARET ANTONIO

On November 7, 2013, Mary McAleese, former president of Ireland and a canon lawyer, engaged in a discussion with Boston College Theology professor, Dr. Richard Gaillardetz, sponsored by the School of Theology and Ministry’s C21 series. McAleese expressed her views on how the Catholic Church is striving to adapt to the changing times while retaining its identity.

Mary McAleese’s experience of growing up in the intensely sectarian Belfast in Northern Ireland propelled her interest in justice and equality, and thus encouraged her to pursue a career in law. As a cradle Catholic in a heavily anti-Catholic environment, she was a first hand witness of religious intolerance. “[Catholics] were discriminated against,” she told the audience at the Cadigan Alumni Center. The social and political structure “conspired to keep Catholics in a form of second class citizenship. I watched as they set fire to Catholic homes…. so I asked myself the question many young people asked, ‘so, what are we going to do?’”

Today, one of the focal points of McAleese’s work is “Collegiality in Church Leadership.” Collegiality refers to the role of the Pope and the role of the college of cardinals in the governance of the Catholic Church. As McAleese pointed out, the Church has over 2 billion faithful throughout the world, making it necessary to keep it organized and constitutionally coherent. The dialogue between Dr. Gaillardetz and the former president highlighted areas of improvement as well as signs of hope in the Church’s leadership today.

The lack of due process in the Church was the first issue raised by the speakers. As of today, “there is no known process,” according to McAleese.

The Catholic Church, which takes great interest in the value of human life and human justice, McAleese said, should be “humanly interested in the due process,” as a human right. The incoherence in the Church’s judicial role is particularly evident in the sex scandals. McAleese suggested that had there been better guidelines as to the due process for both the accused, and especially, the victims, the scandals could have been handled in a more orderly and open manner.

Nevertheless, Dr. Gaillardetz and McAleese stressed that there is great hope for improvement under the leadership of Pope Francis. “The Pope has a massive amount of goodwill behind him,” she said. Coupled with the support of the people and “grace and the Holy Spirit at work in him,” Pope Francis has made great strides in acknowledging mistakes and

seeking to rectify them. The speakers agreed that one of the hallmarks of this papacy is the change in the temper of discussions.

Dr. Gaillardetz, however, added that this change in “temper” began with Pope John XXIII, who, at the opening of the Second Vatican Council said, “nowadays, the Church prefers to make use of the medicine of mercy rather than that of severity... demonstrating the validity of her teaching rather than by condemnations.”

“From the conflict with Northern Ireland,” McAleese said, we learned that “if you change the tone...then maybe you will open space to keep the negotiations moving.”

A notable “tonal change” is Pope Francis’ approach to homosexuality.

“The homophobia among pastors… worries me as a mother... if I were to take a child of mine who is sexually conflicted to a pastor, I would want someone to say, ‘It’s gonna be alright. We’re gonna walk you through this.”

McAleese noted that “without changing a word of doctrine, [Pope Francis] has changed the temper of the discussion.

Furthermore, the former president believes that in light of Vatican II, the collegial leadership of the Catholic Church needs to include the laity and strengthen the relationship between the bishops and their diocese.

McAleese suggested that the Pope needs the advice of individuals who specialize in areas, such as in the “Bishop’s Synod on the Family,” rather than only the College of Cardinals. Secondly allowing bishops to have more permanency within their diocese (as opposed to the transfer of bishops amongst diocese) will help them have a better sense of belonging and an obligation to serving the people, “not just reporting to the upwards hierarchy.”

In the spirit of Vatican II, Mary McAleese emphasized that the Church is not a mausoleum, but a garden. “Pope Francis has shown to be a good gardener,” she said. Dr. Gaillardetz expressed that today there is a notion that papal teaching exists only in formal decrees. However, Pope Francis is modeling a new kind of leadership, one in which papal teaching can also be modeled by his guidance of discussion, or maybe simply by “taking unscripted questions from journalists on a plane.” Overall, the change in the collegial leadership of the Church points to the need to delve into greater understanding through serene and respectful dialogue, seeing each person as an individual. As Mary McAleese said, “we’re moving [the dialogue] back to a loving God, a God who created these wonderful human beings, a God who loves them.”

Suspicious Fires Damage Theology Department, Gasson Hall continued from FRONT PAGE

relevant to her area of specialty and, therefore, those to which she needs more frequent access – are currently at a remote site for cleaning. Two doctoral students who work closely with Perkins lost some of their books, but important materials pertaining to their thesis work were not damaged.

Professor Schatkin was quite fortunate that her office was not impacted by the fire in any way; she was able to have access to it throughout the entire clean-up process and was even able to hold appointments with her students, who had to be escorted by police officers from the stairway through the damaged areas to her office,

which is at the opposite end of the floor.

The investigation into this arson is ongoing, and security measures will be reevaluated. Jack Dunn, director of the Office of News and Public Affairs, explained that, “A major design principle of Stokes Hall is to allow the free flow of students and to encourage student-faculty interaction. The building is open evenings, including weekend nights, to allow students to study and to meet in groups for class projects. Discussions among department chairs and administrators regarding building security will take place in the comings days.”

Campus News

The TORCH // Volume I, Issue 3

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BC Students Raise Money for Typhoon Haiyan Victims CHRIS CANNIFF Several student leaders at Boston College have begun an initiative to raise $10,000 to aid the victims of Typhoon Haiyan, which devastated the Philippines November 7-8, leaving approximately 4,000 individuals dead and injuring roughly 18,000 others. UGBC Executive Vice President Matt Alonsozana, A&S ’14, immediately discussed the idea of fundraising with Gerome Paradela, president of the Philippine Society of Boston College and A&S ’14.

“We were really thinking, ‘Is there any possible way that we can support them, that we can take care of the victims, help rebuild?’ And so, a group of us – many of us are Filipino, and other student leaders – met and said, ‘Can we combine resources? All of us want to do something different, but let’s try to come together and make this a community-wide initiative,’” said Alonsozana.

From there, thanks to the help of James Gallo, A&S ’14, the Residence Hall Association also got involved with UGBC and PSBC in regard to the planning. These three organizations have developed an approach to aiding the relief efforts that begins by addressing short-term needs

in this semester, and next semester they will redirect their efforts toward providing aid for the longterm recovery process.

Alonsozana said, “People are really struggling to get food, to get water. Relief organizations need money. It’s our short-term goal to raise $10,000 by the end of this semester. We’ve been working with the Volunteer and Service Learning Center and Dan Ponsetto to get a point drive system in which they are allowing us to raise $7,000 by that method, and we want to get $3,000 by our other associated events this semester.”

Events that were already scheduled to take place on campus have now been reshaped around this issue. Following a prayer service led by the Asian Christian Fellowship last Thursday, last Saturday’s International Club Prom was the first event which donated a portion of its proceeds to the initiative. This evening, bcharity: water will be hosting social justice activist Cubby Graham in Gasson 100 from 6-8pm, and there will be donation stations set up for those who wish to contribute toward typhoon relief. A benefit concert and a dance showcase will

be hosted in The Rat on Thursday and Friday evening respectively, and on Saturday evening at 6:30pm, a regional Filipino cultural showcase will be taking place in Gasson 100.

The weekend will conclude with a Filipino Mass at 11am on Sunday morning in the STM Chapel on the Brighton Campus. Moreover, Campus Ministry has been taking up collections for this effort as well at each of its Sunday liturgies.

Alonsozana has been delighted by the confluence of events that were already planned for this time that were able to contribute: “I really think that it was somewhat a gift from Providence, in a way, that our community can respond so comprehensively because all these events are happening.”

All of the money raised will be donated to Catholic Relief Services, the official international humanitarian agency of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Looking ahead to the long-term relief efforts, Alonsozana said, “I think that, in the second semester as the needs of the affected communities develop, we might want to partner with other Filipino organizations to which we have per-

sonal connections. This includes the Catholic organization Gawad Kalinga, which is sponsored by the Filipine council of bishops; Feed the Hungry; and Hands-on Manila, all of whom are really more focused on rebuilding efforts rather than immediate emergency concerns.”

For Alonsozana, this is also a personal endeavor, as he has relatives living in one of the most severely damaged regions of the country.

“I have family in the area all across the middle part of the country, which is called the Visayas, which is where the typhoon went through. Luckily, they’re doing okay. I really just can’t underscore enough that, since the Philippines is not a rich country, they really need all the help they can get.

“I think if BC really wants to serve, donating money and praying is step one, but really making sure we can keep this in our hearts and minds at least for the next year, I think, would be a great service to those people there.”

Theology Department’s Donald Dietrich Passes Away at 72 MARK HERTENSTEIN Donald J. Dietrich, Professor Emeritus of Theology and former department chairman, passed away on Saturday, November 16 at his home in Belmont, MA at the age of 72. A specialist in the German Catholic response to the Holocaust, Dietrich was the author of numerous books and articles. His funeral Mass will be celebrated today at 10:30am at St. Joseph’s Church in Belmont. Requiescat in pace.

A Eulogy for My Mentor It is not often that I become emotional. Most who know me, know that. But this past Saturday was one of those times.

That afternoon, immediately after the joy of a last football game of my senior year, while most of BC celebrated bowl eligibility, I learned that my professor and thesis advisor, and (most of all) my mentor, had passed away that morning.

It is not that common at this stage of our careers to have professors who shape our intellect, spiritual life, and life in general. But my mentor did that.

While we were originally brought together for academic purposes, I soon began to learn from his views and perspectives and his wealth

of knowledge that will always be fundamental for my understanding of the world.

His great concern was that Christian theology should have its doctrine correct, but more importantly, those doctrines have consequences for the world, and Christians should practice those human consequences with love and devotion, with an eye toward a better world that is possible.

The fundamental way of seeing the world that I learned from my mentor was that there are many problems in this world, great problems, some of which are the result of bad Christian theology.

But Christianity practiced correctly can overcome those obstacles, however so slowly, however so slightly, to improve the world completely, not just metaphysically, spiritually, economically, politically, etc. His fundamental view was that Christianity proclaimed and practiced brought people together and improved the whole nature of the world we live in.

We also discussed life in general throughout our time together. We discussed my activities and experiences, issues that I was having, and all the things that are minor blips in life. Yet having an ear and an experienced man to listen and respond is something that is irreplaceable, and

he could often give direction and advice that no one else can give. I unfortunately do not recall as much of those discussions. They were mundane.

And that is the power of them – that they were so mundane, so simple, so down-to-earth. The power of the mundane in spite of all the powers of this world is tremendous when it is passed on and exerted anew. I hope that I can do half of what he has done, if and when the time comes for me to pass it on as well.

One of the last things he did for me was to write and send a recommendation for a graduate program, about two weeks ago now. The last thing we spoke about by email, the day before he died, was about our meeting that was supposed to happen this week. He had several appointments due to his health that would not enable him to come to campus, but we would still speak by phone at the appointed time on Tuesday.

Such simple and powerful commitment is something that is hard to come by these days.

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Campus News

The TORCH // Volume I, Issue 3

Appalachia Volunteers Are Still Enrolling for Spring Break HANNAH LUKE

Got spring break plans? I didn’t my freshman year. On a whim, I decided to sign up for Appalachia Volunteers.

No application, and only one hour-long meeting a week?

Great! I wasn’t quite sure what I was signing up for, but I did know that after my first spring break spent with a small group of BC students serving a community in Barren Springs, Virginia, I was hooked. Making that impulse decision to give my spring break to Appalachia Volunteers shifted the trajectory of my path here at BC, changing it for the better.

Appalachia Volunteers is one of the largest service organizations at Boston College, boasting more than 350 members who commit to spending their spring break serving poverty-stricken communities in the Appalachian region of the United States.

At each weekly meeting throughout the year, students hear from a speaker who elaborates on his or her experience with service, and what newcomers might experience on their trips. These speakers serve to prepare both newcomers and returners alike for spring break. In addition to attending weekly meetings, members sell raffle tickets and participate in a letter campaign, which raises most of the money needed to make

the trips happen.

The weekly meetings culminate when it’s finally spring break, and small groups of about 10-15, including two student trip leaders, head off to become immersed in the communities they will serve.

Appalachia Volunteers runs two types of trips—community and Habitat for Humanity. Participants on a Habitat trip help build houses, most of the time working alongside both expert volunteers (carpenters, construction experts, etc.) and those who will live in the house when it is complete.

On the other hand, students on community trips are sent to serve in various ways.

It could be raking leaves on an elderly couple’s front lawn, maybe painting a busy family’s kitchen, working in a local elementary school for a week, or even chopping and carrying wood. The common thread running through both of these weeks in Appalachia, though, is interaction with the communities—it is truly an immersion experience.

A major component of Appalachia Volunteers is reflection at the end of every day.

Each night, the small groups gather their thoughts and talk about whatever events their days have held. These reflections serve as a way not only to think more deeply about what these communities are

going through and why, but also to think about what’s important in one’s own life, at BC and beyond.

I’ve been on two Appalachia trips, both community, and I’m preparing to lead my first trip this coming spring break. The program has given me so much—wonderful memories, lasting friendships, and inspiring conversation, but it’s the unexpected moments that truly made me fall in love with Appa.

Whether it’s unprecedented wisdom from someone in the community or words of pure love from a child, these moments that can only come from direct involvement with a community are what make Appa so special. Learning to stand in solidarity alongside people with whom I thought I had nothing in common has taught me in a way lectures or research papers never will. I have already learned so much about service as well as about myself through Appalachia Volunteers, and I can’t wait for what my future with the program holds.

There’s still time to join Appa—no application required! Freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors are all welcome. Stop by McElroy 111 during office hours, 12-3 Monday through Thursday to get more information!

Campus Ministry Liturgies Heal and Inspire

ASHLEY BROWN

Escaping the summer heat and entering through the oversized wooden doors of St. Ignatius Church, incoming freshmen and their loved ones experience the afternoon sunlight passing through stained glass windows, scattering a myriad of colors upon their faces as they gather for Mass. This scene is repeated seven times over the course of the summer and marks the beginning of each orientation session and thus the beginning of a student’s Boston College experience. By opening each student orientation with a liturgy, the importance of BC’s identity as a Jesuit, Catholic university is established for the new members of this community.

Fr. Tony Penna, the director of Campus Ministry at BC, summarizes the message of beginning freshman orientation with the celebration of Mass: “We’re not only a community that wants to transform the world through our intellect, we’re not only a community

that wants to transform the world through service, we’re a community that thinks coming together to pray and to listen to the Word of God is absolutely, fundamentally important to how we are going to transform the world intellectually and through our service and compassion.” Therefore, the celebration of Mass at the beginning of orientation is not meant to serve as merely a welcome into the Jesuit, Catholic identity of the university, but to welcome students into the further development of their faith.

Boston College Campus Ministry organizes several Masses both on weekdays and weekends in order to provide for the development of one’s faith. The number of Masses available for students and the number of different celebrants provides a unique opportunity for BC students to have access to many different interpretations of the Word of God. As Fr. Penna states, “The more Mass we provide is a good thing, and I think its good for this reason:

lots of people come to Mass for different reasons. Some people come because they’re broken and they want to hear something comforting or they want to be with a God who they believe can kind of stitch them together or glue them together because they feel like they are being shattered or broken by life. Other people come because they really want to hear the Word of God for inspiration.”

He further stresses the benefit of this variety: “Over twenty different priests preside throughout the month on our campus, and each of these priests hears the gospel differently. They kind of preach differently and come out of the word differently. So I think, as the director of Campus Ministry, I just marvel at the opportunity our students have to avail themselves of so much richness of interpretation of the Word of God.” The diversity of faith communities within the BC community thus provides the perfect opportunity for students to grow in their

faith through finding a community in which they can feel at home.

However, despite the number of Masses offered, attendance at Mass within the BC community parallels the low Mass attendance within the greater Boston community and within the United States.

Fr. Penna hopes that this pattern can be broken within the university by encouraging individuals to attend different Masses in order to find a community that inspires them to return. He also believes that the most integral component of increasing or maintaining strong attendance at Mass is through friends inviting their friends to attend. “One of the rewarding things [is] when a friend says to another friend ‘I think this would be good for you come with me.’ It’s a beautiful thing when it happens.” The power of praying with friends and sharing the experience of faith is an important component of one’s experience at Boston College − a Jesuit, Catholic University.

World News

WORLD NEWS

The TORCH // Volume I, Issue 3

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The Vatican Releases Statement on Gatherings Related To Medjugorje Ethan Mack Earlier this month, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) released a statement on conferences and gatherings related to the alleged Medjugorje phenomenon. At the behest of the CDF, the Apostolic Nuncio to the United States, Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, sent out a letter to every diocese in the United States, which stated that “clerics and the faithful are not permitted to participate in meetings, conferences, or public celebrations during which the credibility of such ‘apparitions’ would be taken for granted.”

The Medjugorje apparitions are a series of alleged Marian apparitions that have continued until this day in the Bosnian town of Medjugorje. They supposedly began on June 24, 1981 when six young people claimed to have had a vision of the Virgin Mary. Medjugorje quickly became a place like Lourdes and Fatima where thousands of pilgrims visit each year. This prompted an official investigation by the Yugoslavian bishops conference, which declared in 1991 that “on the base of studies made so far, it cannot be affirmed that these matters concern supernatural apparitions or revelations.” Nevertheless, this statement has not stemmed the flow of pilgrims to Medjugorje, which remains a popular pilgrimage spot to this day.

The alleged apparitions at Medjugorje have been a source of division among Catholics. Many remain very skeptical. One reason for this is that there are several doctrinal issues associated with what the Gospa (Croatian for “Lady”) has said in the past.

For example, she stated at one point that individuals should not pray for themselves, which goes against long held Catholic teaching and tradition. Many are also uncomfortable with how some people involved with the apparitions have supposedly profited substantially from them. Nevertheless, many Catholics believe very strongly in the apparitions. Some priests and religious have even claimed that their vocation came out of a pilgrimage to Medjugorje.

The recent letter from the CDF was written in response to planned presentations by Ivan Dragicevic, one of the original Medjugorje youth, at parishes across the U.S. These presentations were advertised to include Dragicevic actually experiencing visions during the presentations.

The letter is not, as some have claimed, an official statement about the validity of the Medjugorje apparitions, which is still under investigation. Ultimately, the final decision will be made by the Holy Father. The CDF is only reminding all the U.S. bishops that until the Holy See’s investigation is complete, the faithful are bound to the decision made by the Yugoslavian bishops back in 1991.

As a response to the letter, all the planned events with Dragicevic in the U.S. have been canceled.

Letter sent by the Archbishop Vigano to the US bishops

SUNDAY READINGS November 24, 2013 Reading 1: 2 SM 5:1-3 Responsorial Psalm: PS 122:1-2, 3-4, 4-5 Reading 2: COL 1:12-20 Gospel: LK 23:35-43 December 1, 2013 Reading 1: IS 2:1-5 Responsorial Psalm: PS 122: 1-2, 3-4, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9 Reading 2: ROM 13:11-14 Gospel: MT 24:37-44 December 8, 2013 Reading 1: IS 11:1-10 Responsorial Psalm: PS 72:1-2, 7-8, 12-13, 17 Reading 2: ROM 15:4-9 Gospel: MT 3:1-12

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World News

The TORCH // Volume I, Issue 3

Pope Francis Brings Attention to the Global Issue of Human Trafficking MARGO BORDERS Pope Francis held a Vatican workshop on November 2-3 called “Trafficking in Human Beings: Modern Slavery.” According to EWTN, the workshop was jointly hosted by the Pontifical Council for the Sciences and the World Federation of the Catholic Medical Association. Experts gathered to discuss the issue and “examine human trafficking and modern slavery in order to establish the real state of this phenomenon and an agenda to combat this heinous crime,” according to the conference organizers.

Human trafficking is the trade of humans for the purpose of forced labor, sexual slaver, or other lucrative purposes. The United Nations estimates that 20.9 million people globally were victims of forced labor from 2002-2011. This was the first time the Vatican academies had dedicated a session to the specific issue of human trafficking, and they are planning on having another meeting on the same issue in the next year.

According to EWTN, “upon the close of the weekend, conference organizers issued a ‘joint statement based on the suggestions presented by the participants,’ which included proposals for media, religious institutions, civil organizations and business sectors to work together in order to combat human trafficking.”

Human trafficking is an issue also present in our local community. Sister Marilyn McGoldrick, of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Boston, and Sister Peggy Cummins, of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, are both in involved in the Anti-Human Trafficking Coalition in Boston.

McGoldrick and Cummins’ communi-

ties both have a ministry in human trafficking, and generally focus on reaching out to those in the most neglected places. Four different religious communities are represented in the AntiTrafficking Coalition, including the Sisters of St. Joseph of Boston, the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, the Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia, and the Holy Union Sisters. The representatives come together on a monthly basis to fight human trafficking.

The primary focus of the coalition is to educate the community on the issue of human trafficking. They go to schools, parishes, and various places to raise awareness about the issue and what can be done to stop it.

For six years, the coalition has been hosting an annual symposium on human trafficking, and it brings in different speakers to talk about the issue on a global, national, and local level.

There is not much awareness about the prevalence of human trafficking, so it is crucial to educate the community about it.

“Education leads to awareness, which then leads to action,” said McGoldrick.

A new initiative of the coalition this year is the SOAP Project, or Save Our Adolescents from Prostitution. According to their website, “SOAP is an Outreach that aims to distribute thousands of bars of soap with the National Human Trafficking Hotline number and key identifying questions free to local motels.” The coalition recently became involved with this outreach, and is hoping to launch it this spring.

The coalition is also involved with a safe house

initiative, called the Josephine Bakhita House, where victims of human trafficking can go to live in a safe place. Members of the coalition work with the government on issues of human trafficking, and were advocates of the recently passed, strong anti-trafficking laws in Massachusetts.

McGoldrick and Cummins both expressed hopefulness in Pope Francis’ recent focus on the issue of human trafficking. They are glad that he is emphasizing the issue and is trying to do something about it.

“The pope witnesses to the dignity of every human person,” said McGoldrick.

Human trafficking takes away that dignity and looks at humans as objects to make money off. Pope Francis brings visibility to this issue.

Because of his actions, it is clear that he is sincere about his concerns. The coalition and the worldwide Church are working towards the same goal – the prevention and eradication of human trafficking.

The coalition holds an annual silent prayer vigil in January on the Sunday closest to the National Human Trafficking Awareness Day. The goal of the group of women religious is to try to keep people aware by sending out information about human trafficking and holding events such as the vigil or symposium in the area.

“We, as a coalition, are involved in educating about human trafficking with the hopes of eradicating this modern day slavery,” said McGoldrick.

Vatican Embassy in Damascus Hit by Mortar Shell ELINOR MITCHELL Early this month, a mortar shell hit the Vatican embassy in Damascus, damaging the building’s roof, but injuring none. The shell, which was allegedly fired by Syrian rebels, hit the embassy around 6:30 a.m., long before employees began regular work. According to Fr. Federico Lombardi, “given the hour, there were only material damages, not to people.”

No one was hurt, but for Christians in Syria, as well as the people who work at the embassy, the attack had a very real impact.

According to NBC news, it is still unclear whether or not the embassy was targeted. Its position in the Syrian capital—in the wealthy Maliki neighborhood— may put it especially at risk, and according to the Jerusalem Post, this is just one of at least eight attacks at the same site. Since July,

it’s estimated that the embassy has been hit eight to ten times, suggesting that the rebels may be singling out Syrian Christians.

Syria’s rebel regime, the group attempting to oust President Bashar Assad, regularly targets areas like the one around the embassy. Thanks to its proximity to several other embassies, as well as the homes of many military and government officials, the Maliki neighborhood is an ideal target.

The embassy’s locale may be to blame for its vulnerability, but Christians continue to be left in the fallout of Syria’s now 31-month long civil war. Though they are not labeled as a “target” per se, Syrian Christians have certainly been one of the many causalities of the conflict.

This month’s attack on the Vatican’s embassy is not an isolated incident.

Only a few weeks prior to the shelling at Damascus, the rebel regime seized Sadad, a small city northeast of Damascus. Sadad is a mostly Orthodox town, and according to reports, Islamist rebels took the town on October 21. Rebels manipulated Sadad’s citizens, and used them as puppets to assert an advantage over Assad. According to the Catholic News Agency, rebels forced Christians and their families to act as “human shields” to stop Assad’s army from taking back the town. By the time the standoff ended, 45 Syrians were dead.

Churches in Sadad were left in ruin, and Christian Syrians everywhere were left asking, “why?”

The event, though shocking, is just one of many similar stories, including this month’s attack on the Vatican’s embassy.

Most Rev. Joseph E. Kurtz Becomes President of USCCB continued from FRONT PAGE elderly,” he said. As vice president, Archbishop Kurtz led campaigns against gay marriage and in defense of the unborn; and as pastor in Catasauqua and Bethlehem, Pennsylvania he worked with people of all walks of life. His willingness to assist the faithful was exemplified in 2005 in a particular way when as Bishop of Knoxville he approved the request for a regular Sunday celebration of the Tridentine Mass from the Knoxville Latin Mass Community. He has

carefully interpreted Pope Francis’ actions, and has said that the pope “is delighted that he has people’s attention. He wants to do it in a way that’s not chiding, that’s not preachy, but is creatively seeking ways to introduce Christ to this age.

Our faith is not a series of ethical propositions but an encounter with the person.”

World News

The TORCH // Volume I, Issue 3

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Catholic and Orthodox Theologians Jointly Ask for an End to Christian Repression in the Middle East GJERGJI EVANGJELI The North American OrthodoxCatholic Theological Consultation Conference, a group of theologians assigned by the Canonical Orthodox Bishops of North and Central America on the Orthodox side and The Canadian and United States Conference of Catholic Bishops on the Catholic side, released a statement on October 26 condemning the sectarian violence against Christians in the Middle East and calling for continued support from the leaders of both Churches and the leaders of countries in North America and beyond to end the oppression of Christians in Egypt, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Palestine.

The meeting was co-chaired by His Eminence the Metropolitan Methodios of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Boston and by Archbishop Joseph W. Tobin of the Archdiocese of Indianapolis. The meeting also focused on issues pertinent to Catholic-Orthodox relations, such as matters of synodiality, papal

primacy, priestly celibacy, and the role of the laity. It featured a panel discussion by Orthodox and Catholic seminarians of the Greek Orthodox Theological Academy and St. Augustine Seminary, respectively, titled “Steps Towards a Reunited Church: A Sketch of an OrthodoxCatholic Vision for the Future.”

One of the issues treated explicitly in the statement is the ongoing captivity of the two Orthodox Bishops in Syria, Syriac Orthodox Archbishop Yohanna Ibrahim and Greek Orthodox Metropolitan Boulos Yazigi, who were kidnapped by Syrian rebel forces earlier this year while on a humanitarian mission to help two kidnapped priests. The two prelates remain in captivity, with both of their whereabouts and the whereabouts of their kidnappers unknown.

The statement joined with the Clergy-Laity Conference of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Boston declaring that “[we] deplore

the wanton destruction of Christian churches, monasteries, convents, orphanages and hospitals throughout the Middle East....We call upon the leaders of our nation to protest these unspeakable acts of terror and to work unceasingly to bring to an end the heinous genocide of our brethren.” They quoted 1 Corinthians 12:26 in saying that when one member of the Body of Christ suffers, the whole Body suffers and expressed solidarity with those undergoing persecution for the faith.

The past few years have been a very troubling time for Christians in the Middle East and surrounding regions, where Christians have suffered greatly as a result of the Arab Spring and the subsequent insurgencies in Egypt and Syria especially. Earlier this year there were a multitude of attacks against Christians, especially a series of decapitations and attacks on whole Christian villages that were terrorized and ordered to pay the Jizya by

extremist rebel forces. During a raid on the Franciscan monastery of St. Anthony of Padua in northern Syria, Father François Mourad was shot eight times and died at the scene.

In addition to these, the situation of Christian communities in Egypt has only recently and very slowly ameliorated. Earlier this year, there were various attacks on Christian churches that Egyptian Christians, according to Egyptian law, cannot repair or rebuild. The current Egyptian government has promised to do away with that law and to provide funds to help repair or rebuild the damaged churches, but whether that will come to fruition is yet to be seen. In late September, two suicide bombers attacked a church in Pakistan, killing 85 Christians and injuring 100 immediately after the Sunday service had ended. These instances show that Christians in these areas are in dire need for external aid and support and prayers from the faithful around the world.

Decreases in Religious Life Prompt Possible Canon Law Reform SOFIA INFANTE At a conference regarding “vocational perseverance” hosted at the Pontifical University Antonianum in Rome on October 29, heads of religious life said that Pope Francis, who in his short time as head of the Catholic Church, has come to be regarded as a reformer, is open to the possibility of reforming the Code of Canon Law. A recent decrease in religious life has seen a large departure of priests and nuns from religious life, leading many within the Church to wonder if a reform of the Code of Canon Law may help ameliorate the current situation. Archbishop José Rodriguez Carballo, who was recently named secretary of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, said that in the last five years more than 13,000 people left the religious life.

At the conference Carballo stated that he “hope[d] for a change to the Code of Canon Law” in order for novices to be more confident in their vocational paths. An increase in the amount of time spent in novitiate may result in greater confidence of vocations and may decrease the number of persons leaving religious life.

Currently, the Code of Canon Law states that novices must last a minimum of a year to a maximum of two years in the congregation. Cardinal Carballo says that this short period, “does not allow us to have longer

novitiates in order to permit a better discerning.”

During the conference Cardinal Joao Bráz de Aviz, prefect of the Congregation, asserted that Pope Francis’ views echoed Carballos’ thoughts, asserting, “This is what the pope has told us.”

Carballos clarified, “Yes, when I was pointing this out, I was thinking about what the Pope told us.” But the reform Pope Francis may have in mind extends farther than the novitiate life, as it may seek a comprehensive reform of the entirety of the Code of Canon Law. However, because no current serious undertakings to reform canon law have been reported, these declarations are only a “declaration of principles.”

In regards to the actual number of persons that have left religious life, Archbishop Rodriguez noted that from 2008-2012, a total of 11,805 persons left the Congregation for Religious, an annual average of 2,361 persons. During the same time, 1,188 men were dispensed from priestly duties, and 130 men left their diaconal duties. According to Archbishop Rodriquez, “By adding this data with others, in five years, 13,123 people left the religious life…a little more than 3,000 religious brothers and sisters left annually the consecrated life.”

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Faith Features

The TORCH // Volume I, Issue 3

FAITH FEATURES

Pro-Life: The Least Among Us KATE CONROY Although Pope Francis is well known for his quote that Catholics are too obsessed over issues like abortion, he does not say that we should discard the issue and concede to the popular view. Rather, he has said that “Even the weakest and most vulnerable, the sick, the old, the unborn and the poor, are masterpieces of God’s creation, made in his own image, destined to live forever, and deserving of the utmost reverence and respect.”

The pro-life movement is centered on protecting the poorest and most vulnerable members of our society: the unborn, the sick and elderly, and those imprisoned.

Unfortunately, not everyone agrees on who the most vulnerable members of society are.

Particularly when it comes to the unborn, some argue that they may not be members of our society, as we are not sure exactly when human life begins. If the unborn are not human people then there is no issue with abortion. By the same logic, we cannot prove that the unborn are not full human people at any point following conception. Therefore, we can’t be positive whether or not abortion ends a human life. So which risk is more terrible: risking that something less than human be given the chance to become a human person or risking that we are standing by while millions of innocent children are murdered every year?

As Christians, our responsibility to care for the poor and vulnerable is laid forth in scripture: “For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.” Then the righteous will answer Him, “Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?” The King will answer and say to them, “Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me. Then He will also say to those on His left, “Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.” Then they themselves also will answer, “Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in

prison, and did not take care of You?” Then He will answer them, “Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me. These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life” (Matthew 25: 35-46).

This call to protect the poor and vulnerable extends to the unborn, the sick, the elderly, and the imprisoned. Our actions towards these people are our actions towards Christ. The argument that “if you don’t like abortion, don’t get one” cannot be accepted by Christians, as this call is not as simple as “do not cause harm.” It is a call to action! We cannot turn a blind eye and call ourselves innocent- for on Judgment Day we will be held accountable for our lack of action.

However, we should not forget to take into consideration the manner of our actions. The greatest commandment is to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart” and “Love your neighbor as you love yourself ” (Matthew 22: 3739). We are also called to love our enemies. Hate is simply not an option. We must stand up for the poor and vulnerable, but we must do so with love, not just for them, but rather for all.

Devil’s Advocate: The Great Equalizers ANTHONY COSSETTE Death is a word everyone shudders at the thought of, yet isn’t too comfortable speaking about until tragedy strikes. Yet we are reminded of its presence everywhere, especially in the news media: just this past week the typhoon in the Philippines took thousands of lives and wrought a tremendous amount of suffering on the survivors. Despite the laudable efforts of countless organizations providing material and psychological relief for the Filipino populace, is it only when responding to a natural disaster or being moved by personal or societal tragedy that we transform into generous saints within a world of pernicious and persistent income disparity, an ever-widening gap between rich and poor?

In spite of the overly dismal message presented, there is some evidence to suggest that humans are endowed with the innate desire to help, especially in times of great need. A scientific study conducted

by Yiyuan Li and colleagues found that children who lived through the devastating 2008 earthquake in Sichuan, China altered their levels of altruism in response to this event

— that is, 9 year-old children (but not 6 year-old children) were willing donate more items to an anonymous recipient after the earthquake than before, suggesting that the normal developmental trajectory for humans is to be altruistic . However, after a certain period of time, the levels of giving in children, as in adults, fall back to their baseline levels. Normalcy returns for a little while until another round of biosocial pressures requires collective crisis management.

Besides the purely natural causes of death that are bound to happen each year, such as disease and natural disasters (though I would not be surprised if ¬manmade climate change were a factor in increasing the probable occurrence of the latter), most of the problems we experience on this little blue marble of ours can only be attributed to us. I speak of war, crime, poverty, political, and social instability. Any sane and caring human being would wish to overcome these vexing problems plaguing the world, but it seems that barely anyone has ever come up with comprehensive and workable solutions. For instance, consider

the $615.1 billion that the United States Department of Defense could theoretically spend on the military in the next fiscal year . Certainly, the amount of money in question is unfathomable, but our government (with the compliance of the other so-called “developed” nations), has continually allocated nearly a quarter of its operating annual budget to the upkeep of soldiers, weapons, and paraphernalia that serve no purpose other than to kill human beings. If only that money could be strictly devoted to something useful — feeding, clothing, and sheltering all people, regardless of income, race, gender, creed, nationality, and other artificial and needless divisions we create for ourselves in this society — would make conditions more tolerable for many people.

This need not be dreams of impractical idealists so much as they could be ambitious but worthwhile initiatives to plan and act upon.

Considering these global issues serves as a stark reminder of the fleeting and transitory nature of life itself — and, ultimately, of our own mortality. Questions of money, hierarchy, rank, socioeconomic class,

and all the rest of the superficial boundaries that adversely separate us from one another become irrelevant in the context of human suffering and in the face of impending death. That is why the second is often known as the “Great Equalizer” since we all share same fate and our physical possessions will not accompany us once our dying day looms. Therefore, we should focus on what matters most and unites humanity in this life, echoing what poet William Cullen Bryant wrote in the early 19th century: […] and what if thou withdraw In silence from the living, and no friend Take note of thy departure? All that breathe Will share thy destiny.

I encourage all readers to take the time to read up on the major relief efforts in the Philippines by major humanitarian organizations and contribute even just a small amount to help our neighbors across the big blue pond.

Faith Features

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Liturgy: The Feasts of Hallowmas JAY CHIN The Western Church ends October and begins November with the Hallowmas Triduum, three days in which we remember those who are no longer with us and those either already enjoying the Mystery of God, or well on their way to it.

The Triduum begins on October 31st, the Eve of All Hallows, famously contracted to Halloween. Contrary to popular belief, the fact that the Triduum begins on this day has nothing to do with any pagan celebrations that coincided with it. It is simply the day before All Hallows Day, November 1st. The early Church used to commemorate the Virgin Mary and all martyrs on May 13th, which was the day Pope Boniface IV consecrated the Church of St. Mary and the Martyrs, formerly known as the Pantheon, around the year 610. About 120 years later, Pope Gregory III consecrated a chapel in St. Peter’s Basilica to all the saints on November 1st and so he moved the feast to that time. Then, about 100 years later, Pope Gregory IV extended the feast to the entire Western Church. The Eastern Church usually celebrates this feast on the first Sunday after Pentecost, hence the name Sunday of All Saints.

The Mass of the Feast of All Hallows makes use of two readings that present two perspectives on the saints. The first lesson comes from the Book of Revelation, where the angels come forth and take the elect towards the throne of God and to the Lamb, and they prostrate themselves to exclaim blessings and thanksgivings. (In the Novus Ordo, the exact readings are Rv 7:2-4, 9-14; in the Vetus Ordo, Rv 7: 2-12) The Gospel lesson, however, is that of the beatitudes of St. Matthew’s Sermon on the Mount. The blessed are those who are spiritually poor, those who seek justice, and those who are reviled. The first lesson teaches us how the saints are now in heaven, joyous with God, while the Gospel lesson teaches us who the saints were on Earth, suffering and actively seeking God. The Feast of All Souls comes to the Church about 200 years later when the Bishop of Cluny assigned the Benedictines of Cluny to pray for the souls in Purgatory on the day after the Feast of All Hallows. The special intention of this day spread throughout the Church until it became a universal feast. The Eastern Church has many days in which it remembers the faithfully departed, especially during several Saturdays during the Great Lent.

The Novus Ordo Missae conveys a sense of continuity between the Feast of All Saints and that of All Souls through the continued use of white vestments. It keeps the participants’ focus towards Heaven. The first Lesson of the Novus Ordo comes from the Book of Wisdom, chapter 3, still refers to the saints, the justified that are in the hand of God, free from all suffering, partaking in God’s majesty and love. The Psalm is Psalm 23. The images of reposing, of being anointed with oil and walking into darkness evoke the end of this life and the beginning of that to come in good hope of beholding heaven’s light, for one shall fear no evil.

The traditional black vestments of the Vetus Ordo Missae are much more evocative of the grief we feel when our beloved depart and of the sufferings of Purgatory. The first Lesson of the Vetus Ordo comes from 1 Corinthians 15, where Paul tells us of the transformation one goes through in order to rise again, and the pain of sin being conquered through Jesus Christ. The gradual is the famous Dies Irae (“Day of Wrath”) where some are sentenced to acrid flames, while others are guided to God’s right hand. Judgment is upon us all and the possibility of being with God is as real as the possibility of eternity without God: Hell.

Yet the two Ordines come together in the Gospel lesson, in John 6, where the meaning of life is given to us: Christ himself, for all that see the Son and believe in Him, will have life everlasting and will rise. And so

we continue to pray for those in Purgatory, who endure purifying flames in order to enter heaven, because we believe that they died with faith in Jesus Christ.

Hallowmas celebrates humanity’s relationship with God. God granted each of us the freedom to choose to believe in Him or not, to be sinners or not. And no matter what we choose, we will justly be judged and be granted what we wanted for all eternity, be that God and the Lamb, or to never have anything to do with them.

The Jesus Prayer: A Way to Ecumenism GJERGJI EVANGJELI Ever since the Second Vatican Council, the prospect of reunification between the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches has seemed closer than ever.

The Joint International Commission for Theological Dialogue Between the Orthodox Church and The Roman Catholic Church has been fast at work since 1980 trying to solve issues which divide the two churches. Though the work of these and other bodies discussing is very important, I would not be saying anything new if I were to say that prayer is an integral part of reunification. Regardless of how many conferences and documents may be issued, the Body of Christ cannot be healed of this scar with intellectual statements, but in an organic manner, through the unceasing prayer of both the Catholic and Orthodox faithful.

Though the recitation of prayers and Psalms is an integral part of the religious life of both churches, the Jesus prayer and other forms of contemplative prayer, such as the Rosary, are designed to fill a unique need in the religious life of the believer. St. Gregory of Nyssa tells us that God’s request to Moses to take off his shoes is symbolic of requesting all of us to give up purely materialistic pursuits.

Shoes, made of the skin of dead animals, represent the death of worldly pursuits.

The Jesus Prayer, in this sense, is a spiritual means of taking off our spiritual shoes.

The invocation of the Holy name, the prayer itself, “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner,” serves a twofold purpose. On the one hand, it is a penitential prayer. On the other hand, it serves as something for the brain to keep busy with, while the mind is free to be completely still. Soren Kierkegaard, the celebrated Danish philosopher, ascribes silence as the chief cure to our wounded culture. The Jesus prayer seeks to make the one who prays silent both in the external sense and the internal sense.

Complete silence, inner stillness, is the highest form of prayer because it brings the one praying to the face of God. Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI explains that the root of the word ‘adoration’ is ad ora, or face-to-face. Peacefully looking at the

face of God is the deepest form of contemplation.

How does all this relate to Ecumenism? There are two relations. First, in bringing us closer to God, the Jesus Prayer brings us closer to each other, as St. Dorotheos of Gaza instructs us. If Christian reconciliation is to be organic, this is a most important component.

Second, as Metropolitan Kallistos. Ware, an Oxford professor and a noted Eastern Orthodox theologian, has noted, the Jesus prayer can easily be used as a prayer for the community by substituting “me” with “us.” Even without such change, the Jesus prayer is innately a prayer for the community because being better as a person uplifts the whole community.

St. Paul was clearly conscious of this idea when he was writing 1 Corinthians, because we, as cells of the Body of Christ, of necessity lift the whole Body with every good act and lower the whole Body with every evil act. In fact, the penitential aspect of the prayer is very important because it offers redemption not only for our own sins, but for the sins of the whole Church. Father Zosima’s teachings in The Brothers Karamazov are emblematic of this very mystical but very true principle. The monastics of the Eastern tradition are not only charged with the redemption of their soul, but also that of the whole world’s. In emanating their struggle to redeem the whole world, we can bring the whole Church together.

St. Seraphim of Sarov tells us, “acquire inner peace and thousands around you will find their salvation.” Ecumenism, and anything else, can only come as a result of sanctification for ourselves and for those around us, and the Jesus prayer offers a very important and time-tested road toward inner peace. In a world so riddled by constant noise and distraction, and plagued by the pitfalls of instant gratification, this powerful dose of contemplative silence can go a long way in bringing us closer to God and, in so doing, helping us see each other face-toface more clearly.

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The TORCH // Volume I, Issue 3

Faculty Columns

Faculty Columns

BC Undergrads as “Moralistic Therapeutic Deists”?

MARK MASSA, S.J. Mark Massa, S.J., is Dean of Boston College’s School of Theology and Ministry, as well as professor of church history. The research area of his last 3 books has been the American Catholic experience since World War II. He taught at Fordham University for 20 years (where he started the Curran Center for American Catholic Studies) before coming to BC in 2010.

In 2005, Christian Smith, a sociologist of religion at the University of Notre Dame, published a timely – and for those of us teaching theology to undergraduates in Jesuit institutions -- extremely provocative study of the religious beliefs of young adults in the United States. Smith’s book, entitled Soul Searching: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of American Teenagers, was based on hundreds of one-on-one interviews conducted by the University of North Carolina between 2001 and 2005 in its “National Study of Youth and Religion.”

In undertaking this mammoth task, Smith had wanted to explore a number of assumptions about the religious beliefs and practices of high school and college students in the United States. He had wanted to see if American young adults really were alienated from the institutional religion of their parents and grandparents (as much of the literature argued); he also wanted to explore whether high school and college age students were actually opting for “alternative” styles of spirituality and spiritual practice (yoga, Zen Buddhism, transcendental meditation, etc.) in order to construct more authentic, postmodern styles of religious practice. In this, Smith was reacting to much social scientific literature of the past few decades, implying that increasing numbers of young people in the U.S. were constructing “personal, bricolage spiritualities, eclectically mixing and matching spiritual practices from diverse faiths” in order to replace membership in churches or synagogues.

What Smith found (after hundreds of interviews of young people across the country from a variety of religious faiths) was that these assumptions were largely wrong; there was no evidence that Americans between 14 and 21 were flocking from traditional religious groups (Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, or Muslim) to alternative religious visions. Nor was there any demographic evidence of an upsurge in the membership of groups like the Vedanta Societies, Buddhist retreat groups, or Sufi mysticism. Smith noted that while this seemed like good news for campus ministry programs like that at Notre Dame, there had emerged in his interviews evidence of another trend – a trend that was actually more disturbing than a mass exodus of young people from traditional churches.

Smith documented was that while most American teenagers continued to practice the religious faith of their parents – going to church on Christmas Eve and Easter and for weddings and funerals, or to synagogue on the High Holy Days – many of those same young people actually subscribed to a very different kind of faith in navigating their everyday lives and relationships.

This faith did not lead to any formal severing of ties with the faith they were baptized or raised in, but actually represented the dominant religious vision that shaped the faith lives of the young people to whom he talked.

Thus, while most of the young people Smith talked to freely identified themselves as Catholics, Baptists or Jews, only a fraction of them actually elucidated the theological beliefs of their self-identified religious group when asked “what beliefs motivate you in your everyday life?” and “what values do you use in making ethical or moral decisions?” The answers he received to these questions bore very little relation to the grand theological and moral systems of Christianity, Judaism or Islam. Smith in fact argued that the answers to these questions (about the day-today faith and practice of his respondents) constituted an alternative religion – not replacing the denominational labels that these young people continued to use in identifying themselves, but displacing the established beliefs and practices in such a way as to constitute what was, in fact, a completely separate religion. Smith called this faith “Moralistic Therapeutic Deism,” which had a simple 5-part creed: 1) A God exists who created and orders the world, and watches over human life on earth.

2) God wants people to be nice, good and fair to each other, as taught in the Bible and by most world religions.

3) The central goal of life is to be happy and to feel good about oneself.

4) God does not need to be particularly involved in one’s life except when God is needed to resolve a problem. (Smith termed this fourth part of the creed as belief in “God as Divine Butler” or “Cosmic Therapist”) 5) Good people go to heaven when they die. (thus the common comment made that “we know he’s in a better place” at funerals).

Smith was at great pains to point out that not a single young person to whom he talked had identified him or herself as a “moralistic therapeutic deist,” and indeed some were quite upset if he implied that they were not, in fact, real practitioners of the faith they identified as their own.

Nonetheless, Smith pointed out that this parallel faith that many of the young people outlined was the more insidious precisely because it was so comfortable and widely-accepted. It seemed to make very few moral demands on his interviewees, and was especially dangerous exactly because it seemed so “politically correct”: who, he observed, would be offended by preaching niceness, or the message that we should feel good about ourselves? The very ease of holding such a faith was, in Smith’s estimation, part of its problem: can genuine religious faith actually demand so little of its adherents? And can genuine religious faith be so vague?

Smith answered “no” to these last two questions: the theological fly in the ointment was pre-

cisely that this faith -- so centered on niceness, on self-worth, and on being inoffensive to those who believe other than we do --was actually idolatrous: Our needs, security and desires were the center of this religion, not God. God was brought in when we needed the Divine Butler or the Cosmic Therapist, but was otherwise extraneous to living our day-to-day lives. Smith pointed out that the worst theological sin in the great traditions of Christianity, Judaism and Islam was not heterodoxy, but idolatry: the worship and honoring of anything other than the Holy One. And Smith argued that the faith of Moralistic, Therapeutic Deism (MTD) -- centered on being “nice” (moralism), on feeling good about ourselves (the cult of the therapeutic), and calling on God when we needed security or comfort (deism) – was actually centered on the needs and feelings of its practitioners, not on God. And to that extent, it bore little if any relation to the teachings of Christianity, Judaism, or Islam.

The bad news – at least for those of us teaching in Catholic institutions – did not end there: Smith found that Catholic young people were most likely to be the practitioners of MTD: indeed, Smith used the phrase “incredibly inarticulate” to describe the responses of Catholic young people to his questions. To Smith, this was especially disconcerting, as the Catholic Church sponsors more educational institutions than any other religious group for passing on the faith of the community to young people. Yet Smith found that young Catholics were the least likely to know about the faith and practices of their community, and the least able to articulate – even in a rudimentary way – the rationale for Catholic faith and practice, or their devotion to it.

Personally, I must confess to have some questions about both Smith’s methodology in pursuing his project, and also about his reading of the data gathered. With that being said, I also must confess that the MTD that he lays out in his book is quite common among undergraduates taking the theology courses I have taught. Many of the undergrads I have taught have been smart, theologically literate, and very passionate about their Catholic faith. Others come closer to the practioners of MTD that Smith describes. Being now the dean of a graduate school of theology and ministry at Boston College, I seldom have the opportunity to teach undergrads (a classroom experience I have always loved and valued).

But listening to many faculty who do have that opportunity, I wonder if the faith of Moralistic Therapeutic Deism is common among the very smart undergrads who get into BC, and what that means for the future of the Catholic Church in North America. I don’t know the answers to those questions, but I think it would be a very interesting – and probably very lively – conversation.

Faculty Columns

The TORCH // Volume I, Issue 3

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Just Rewards JOHN MICHALCZYK Professor John Michalczyk teaches in the Fine Arts Department and is the Director of the Film Studies Program. Over the last two decades, he has produced numerous documentary films, dealing with historical events such as World War II and the Holocaust, as well as situations of conflict resolution. His most recent documentary, Who Takes Away the Sins: Witnesses to Clergy Abuse, was co-produced with his wife Susan and premiered this past spring at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. He joined the Boston College faculty in 1974.

Several years ago I received the Arts Alumni Award for my work in the arts. In my very brief remarks I suggested, “Scratch the surface and you will find in me an EDUCATOR. Over almost four decades at BC [next year will be 40], I have tried to educate through my teaching, writing, lecturing widely, and filming social justice documentaries.” Two highlights of this academic career stand out. First is working closely with my wife Susan, Assistant Director of the A&S Honors Program, on my documentaries where she makes me look better than I am. With her razor-sharp intelligence Susan can get to the heart of the matter and make our publication or documentary film achieve a higher quality, as she did with our recent collaboration on Who Takes Away the Sins: Witnesses to Clergy Abuse. Secondly, the students in the Jacques Salmanowitz Program, which supports students in their social justice film work through grants, inspire me, as they serve as the next generation who will leave their social imprint upon our planet.

The Jacques Salmanowitz Program began in 2001 with generous support from the Swiss firm Société Générale de Surveillance in Geneva, Switzerland, thanks to the vision of Madame Elisabeth Salina Amorini and Mr. Sy Rotter of Documentaries International. Since that time, students have travelled widely from the mining

fields of Chile to the conflict-ridden area of Palestine, and from the poverty-stricken regions of Nicaragua to the Siberian Gulag. Each year students produce striking documentaries on moral courage, human rights, and social justice. What has been most rewarding for me has been the passion for social justice within each of the students who rise to the challenges of international travel and filming, whether it be in the back country of Peru or the under-developed villages of Sierra Leone. Having faced those challenges globally with my mentor Fr. Raymond Helmick, SJ, a conflict resolution specialist in the Theology Department, I am aware of the many stumbling blocks that the students must overcome in order to produce an honest documentary.

What has also been most gratifying is to see the students who have produced films for the Salmanowitz Program continue on in the pursuit of socially conscious films following graduation.

David LaMattina (’03) was the pioneer in the program, traveling to South Africa to film a narrative about a haven for children living with their mothers suffering from AIDS. To view his film, Nkosi’s Legacy, premiere at the Brattle Theater in Cambridge with almost 200 people in attendance confirmed me in my optimism about what the program can do. Subsequently, the film helped David enter a graduate program in film and then

to work at Blue Sky Productions. Most recently he completed a film about children in New York connected with others in Sierra Leone as penpals in Brownstones to Red Dirt.

A second student, Helen Ryan (‘05), filmed a documentary about the deaf children of Nicaragua as part of the program, went on to intern with a former student Michael Rossi at WGBH television, which led her into a career of documentary filmmaking. Since then she has been seriously involved in PBS productions such as God in America and documentaries dealing with Helen Keller and Henry Ford.

Students approach me with a seminal idea, coming from the Faith, Peace and Justice Program, Film Studies, or International Studies among other programs and disciplines, and I help refine them, using my diverse experiences from our global film production. With the financial support from the grant and assistance from the Film Studies faculty, the students involved have been able to have a profound consciousness-raising experience in their travels, for example, to a barrio in Peru or a devastated region of Palestine.

My reward over the years has been witnessing what a student with a passion for social justice equipped with a camera can bring in awareness to others.

SENIOR STAFF COLUMNS

Own It

NATALIE YUHAS

What I find most beautiful in people are the little, everyday mannerisms they don’t even know they are doing. I love the way a person interacts with the people and things in his or her environment. Anyone can look into a mirror, pose, and smile, but that is not a good way to gauge how you actually look. How often are you posing completely still, smiling in your everyday life? You aren’t. There is no way a mirror can show you just how beautiful you look when you laugh at something someone you really care about said. It can’t show you the way you look when you’re reading your favorite book in your comfiest clothes, or the way you light up and come alive when you’re doing something you are completely passionate about. There’s just no possible way that you can see the little things that make people fall in love with you in that harsh fluorescent lighting. Why do you think people love candid pictures so much? It’s Murphy’s Law that any cute, quirky, or funny candid photo taken can and will be put on Instagram (and get a ton of favorites in the process). People love them so much because it’s a picture that

catches you in one of these beautiful, unplanned moments where you are interacting with your environment.

The mirror can’t gauge beauty, and neither can the scale or society. Last week, The Women’s Resource Center put on Love Your Body Week on campus with programming to inspire students to reflect on what it means to respect yourself and have a healthy body image. It’s so easy to get into the pattern of focusing on the negative things we see with our bodies. I hate that I can’t wear a baseball hat because my ears are too big and they stick out. I hate the way I unintentionally bounce on my toes when I walk and everyone notices. I hate the way my skinny jeans feel after I had two pumpkin waffles from The Rat (not that that has actually ever happened…).

Finding flaws is too easy in today’s society that expects nothing less than pencil thin perfection.

What we need to remember, however, is that “God created humankind in his image” (Genesis 1:27). God loves us so much that He decided to make us like Him, which makes us uniquely special and beautiful. We are a reflection of His

undying love, mercy, and beauty, and to disrespect our bodies and see ourselves as anything less than beautiful is a disgrace and insult to Him. God doesn’t make garbage. “Your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you…therefore glorify God with your body” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).

Because you are a beautiful reflection of God’s love, it is important to take care of the one body you have been given. Balanced eating habits, exercise, and other healthy habits glorify the beautiful masterpiece God has made through you.

You are more than the scale, the mirror, and the expectations. You are your nervous habits, your bellowing laugh, your big ears, and the freckles on your nose. Own it. You are uniquely you, and you are beautiful.

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The TORCH // Volume I, Issue 3

Senior Staff Columns

Viaggio a Roma: The Gift of Being Alone KATIE RICH Two and a half years ago, I stood in the Minneapolis airport security line, chomping on my lip as if the ensuing teeth marks would keep my welling tears from spilling down my cheeks. I was downright terrified to fly by myself to Boston for freshmen orientation, despite the fact that I had a friendly face on the other end waiting to greet me. How is it, then, that this past weekend I sauntered onto an airplane and flew to Budapest, completely alone? Your guess is as good as mine.

I was called crazy by friends, family, and acquaintances alike, if not to my face, then certainly behind my back. In the hours before my flight, I seriously second guessed my decision, but the money had been paid, so I knew I was going.

It only took about an hour of breathing the Hungarian air for me to realize how unfounded my fears were. As a fully functioning twenty year old, I knew I was capable of reading a map and finding my way around. I strolled down the classy Andrassy Street, wandered through the city park, peeked in at the steamy thermal baths, only to determine they were not for me, and skipped across the Danube, humming Strauss’s waltz under my breath. In my head, I compiled a short list of things I was learning.

1) When you are alone, you can actually do what you want, and the results can be wonder-

ful. This is not meant in a self-loving way, but rather a self-refueling way. As college students, our lives are intertwined so closely with those of our friends and roommates, that sometimes we forget they are separate entities. In order to operate at our full potential, I learned that it is necessary to take a step back once in a while and re-fuel. Take half an hour to sit on the edge of a pond and watch ducks swim around in front of you, even if you have better things to do or more talkative companions to spend time with. I did, and I don’t regret a minute of it.

2) It is said that when a man loses one of his senses, the other four are heightened to compensate for the lack. I came to realize that the same is true when you are on your own. Without a companion, I felt completely in-tune with my surroundings to a degree I am not usually.

I heard the fallen leaves crunching under each step I took, felt my nose grow colder with each passing minute, and smelled the crisp fall air mixing with the scents of the city. But, surprisingly enough, what did I see and hear besides the ducks swimming and quacking? People.

I saw them happy, sad, lost, in love, alone, discouraged, content, obedient. I saw them talking, hoping, laughing, dreaming, hugging, crying, screaming, whispering. I saw them in flocks, in pairs, and alone. I saw them skipping, standing,

running, sitting.

I heard their stories, their daily grinds, their touristy excitement.

And yet, it was only after I waved goodbye to four middle-aged women I befriended with horrible New Jersey accents and a Rick Steve’s book, that I remembered C.S. Lewis’ tiny masterpiece, The Weight of Glory. At the end of his sermon, Lewis concludes, “There are no ordinary people.

You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilization—these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub, and exploit—immortal horrors or everlasting splendours.”

Take some time one of these weekends to be alone. You don’t have to go to Budapest to make it happen. As a BC student, the MBTA puts all of Boston at your disposal. So hop on a train – to Kenmore or New York or Budapest – and spend the day refueling and reflecting. Remember that you are not a man walking among men, but an immortal walking among those who are little less than gods. Above all, know that in your alone time you are not truly alone, for God, in His infinite love, is always with you.

Guidepost: Better Together NIKKI ELLIOTT For as in one body we have many parts, and all the parts do not have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ and individually parts of one another.

Romans 12:4-5

I discovered a love for hot yoga this past summer. Most mornings I woke up at 4:30 am to drive—or race, rather—to my favorite classes at a yoga studio downtown before going to the office.

This new schedule was an adjustment, but after a few weeks I did not mind the early mornings, and I looked forward to starting each day on my mat with downward dogs and vinyasas. It was a time that allowed for much needed meditation, self-reflection, goal setting, and prayer; it was my “me” time and often times my “me and God” time.

One particular morning, the instructor set the intention of our practice as “community.”

While I appreciated the idea and her sense of enthusiasm for turning this class of sweaty, halfasleep yogis into friends, I was more intent on how I could take the next hour to focus on my own practice with an intention more along the lines of gratitude, balance, or patience. It was about twenty minutes into class, all of us were attempting our Warrior III pose, sweat pouring out of places we did not even know could sweat, and the instructor—in her efforts to reinforce “community”—asked everyone to reach out and hold hands with their neighbor while holding their

pose. Was she serious?? This same question seemed to be going through everyone else’s mind too as we all made nervous side-glances at one another and hesitantly reached out our hands. I could not help but laugh as I clasped hands with my high school best friend’s dad who just so happened to be on the mat right next to me. I am still not sure if it was the additional support in a difficult yoga pose or the shared laughter among us, but despite the initial hesitation and the brief moment of comic awkwardness, I do not think any of us can deny the experience of “community” in class that day.

In the busyness of our everyday lives, it is easy to become so consumed by our own priorities and worries that we shy away from the camaraderie and support of others. I think back to that yoga class and how resistant I was to embracing the instructor’s intention of “community” to instead focus on my own intention, breath, and practice. Even though there is often a tendency to stand out, to be the first, or to be the best, God challenges us to embrace what makes us one, what makes us a family of brothers and sisters, and to live with a sense of “community” rather than a sense of “me and them.” Fa-

ther Henri Nouwen, a priest and spiritual writer, once wrote, “what counts are not the special and unique accomplishments that we do in life that make us different from others, but the basic human experiences of sadness and joy, pain and healing, which make us part of the same humanity.” We were all created by God, and are all in search of God; if we carry each other in this faith journey, then life’s challenges—and maybe those tough yoga poses—will be much easier to bear.

Dear Lord, help me to always embrace opportunities to be in communion with others. Let me never forget that what unites us in our humanity is the desire to grow deeper in faith on our journey to You. Namaste, Amen.

Senior Staff Columns

The TORCH // Volume I, Issue 3

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Protestant Perspective: What Hath Wittenberg to Do With Rome?

MARK HERTENSTEIN That title may indeed be strange and its answer, no doubt, will strike some as self-evident.

It is strange insofar as a small town in Saxony has absolutely nothing to do with the capital of Italy, the former center of the Roman Empire. It is apparently self-evident to those who spot the theological point here – the historical center of the Reformation is tied to Rome only insofar as it vehemently opposed Rome, being the home of Martin Luther. Luther and Lutheranism have very little to do with Rome on the surface, other than some ecumenical exchanges.

I say it is only apparently self-evident. When I look at the trend of the most recent papacies, I see a slow and quiet movement toward the Reform that Luther sought and about which he so passionately wrote.

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI hails from Germany. He, better than any pope, knows of the impact and legitimate concerns of Martin Luther.

However, he had a somewhat difficult position not all that uncommon on a couple of fronts.

His more conservative disposition lent itself to a high caution of giving Luther too much credit or using Luther too much. His era of Luther scholarship also interpreted Luther in ways that are now beginning to show age and be shown to be incorrect. Thus when Benedict says in Spe Salvi that Catholicism holds that faith is an objective reality in the believer and that Luther denied that it was objective (something that has been shown not to be the case), he has really attacked Luther with Luther’s own theological formula in ipsa fide Christus adest (“in faith itself Christ is present”)!

Beyond this unwitting use of Luther, Benedict focused much of his papacy on the issue of faith

and the personal reception of Christ in faith. I don’t know if Benedict picked this up from the German mind in which he was formed, his own reading of Luther, or something else. But I do know that his shift toward the experience of faith is one that is distinctly Lutheran.

Now we have the very down to earth Pope Francis, the first pope from the New World. His disposition is one of listening and placing himself among the regular believers, the servant of the servants of God. He continues to emphasize the personal faith and relationship with Christ that was so emphasized by Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. But it comes with a new twist. Many were surprised and excited when, on the issue of gay lobbies and gays in general who are earnestly trying to live a Christian life, Pope Francis said, “Who am I to judge?” When asked in the now famous interview for Jesuit magazines “Who is Jorge Mario Bergoglio?”, he replied, “A sinner.”

That says everything, but it is employing a subtle shift in the way in which the priesthood is looked at in a way that is distinctly Lutheran.

Luther most clearly laid out his position of the priesthood of all believers in the Letter to the Christian Nobility of the German Nation. Here Luther declared that since all are sinners redeemed in the same baptism and since it is obvious that ordination confers a spiritual office the same as the secular offices of kings (they are the same in that they are each established through God’s mandate, the difference is what they govern), but not a separate and greater grace, all are priests, all are the same in the eyes of God; the

difference is in office, in what vocation within the scheme of divine mandates one is called to fulfill.

Not unlike this position of Luther, Pope Francis has been keen to emphasize that in God’s eyes he is not different from the lowest of the low. Not unlike Luther, Pope Francis has been keen to emphasize that even the pope is subject in the same way to God as everyone else, that the only thing different is his office, one of spiritual priesthood.

He probably won’t credit Luther and can’t credit Luther, but Luther is his spiritual forbear on this count.

What is really happening in the Church is probably frightening to some who style themselves as “progressive” or “traditional” – Luther is beginning to win. The one who once was considered dangerous because he dared to challenge the power and authority of the papacy may soon, ironically, rule theologically from the Chair of St. Peter. And we should welcome this, on all sides, for the sake of Church unity and for the sake of the truth of Luther’s teaching, a truth long ignored by Protestants and condemned by Catholics, a truth that is finally being recognized

by Protestant and Catholic alike as the truth.

The Rhine flowed into the Tiber at Vatican II. Now it looks like the Elbe is emptying into the Tiber. It is not the “Spirit of Vatican II” that is driving the Church now, but the spirit of Reformation, the spirit of Martin Luther.

Senior Staff Book Recommendations Chris Canniff // A Good Man Is Hard to Find and Other Stories, Flannery O’Connor

Ethan Mack // One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Ken Kesey

Nikki Elliott // Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead, Sheryl Sandberg

Katie Rich // Short Stories, Anton Chekhov

Mark Hertenstein // Ash Wednesday, T.S. Eliot

Natalie Yuhas // Siddhartha, Herman Hesse

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Senior Staff Columns

The TORCH // Volume I, Issue 3

God Is Sneaky: Grace in the Absurd and the Simple CHRIS CANNIFF It was an evening in early September, and it So, where is God, and where is His grace? after Elijah has was my first time writing a newspaper article. I Well, I think that He and it are both there, but fled from Jezewas a freshman who had only been at BC for in a very “sneaky” way. I don’t have the space bel, he awaits the about two weeks. The event I was covering to talk through it all here, so I would encourage coming of the was on a Friday night – of course they gave the you to read O’Connor yourself and draw forth Lord at Horeb.

Friday night assignment to a freshman. Sister your own interpretations. As you do, just keep in God comes not Helen Prejean, CSJ, the author of the acclaimed mind the paradox that the greatest act of God’s in the blustering book Dead Man Walking which was later made love was effected by a horrific and gruesome whirlwind, nor into an Academy Award-winning film of the execution perpetrated one Friday afternoon two in the splitting earthquake, nor in the blazing same title, starring Susan Sarandon and Sean thousand years ago. fire; rather, God comes in the ensuing stillness Penn, was coming to speak about her crusade to Fyodor Dostoyevsky, whose precise religious and silence. end the death penalty. beliefs have been questioned by literary hisWe presume that, if God were to arrive in our She reflected on her early years as a Sister of torians, was, in my opinion, a very profound lives, He would do so as He did to the prophet Saint Joseph and the work she did in the area of Christian based on his writing. The most famous Isaiah with his resounding choirs of the heavenly Catholic education. By happenstance, she fell scene from what is perhaps his most famous nov- host or as He will come at the eschaton with stars into prison ministry, and this changed her life el is entitled The Grand Inquisitor in his lengthy and lampstands, with trumpet blasts and flamforever. But, what many do not realize is that work The Brothers Karamazov. Here, one sees ing infernos. But it is not so, for God is more around 1980 when she first visited the Louisiana “sneakiness” of a different kind; in this instance, sneaky than that. He arrives in our prayer, in our State Penitentiary, Prejean did not think that she, it is not the absurd, but rather the simple, that service work, in our friendships, in our families. a Catholic nun, had any business doing social exudes the grace of God. Where there is love, so also is He. work; she thought she belonged in a classroom.

Ivan Karamazov, who is an atheist, tells a parWe may not notice it, but he is blessing us Clearly, God had other plans for her. able to his younger brother Alyosha, who is a when we approach him with humility at the One phrase that garnered a great deal of novice in a Russian Orthodox monastery. Ivan altar. He is blessing us when we take off our own laughter from the large audience seated in Conte means to convince his brother of the corrupgloves and hand them to the smelly homeless Forum and that she repeated over and over tion of the world and the ridiculousness of belief man who is sleeping in the cold and whom othagain throughout her talk was “God is sneaky.” in the Christian God. In his parable, Ivan tells ers avoid. He is blessing us when we witness the She wanted to make known that when one least of a ruthlessly rationalistic Cardinal from 16th delight a friend finds in a moment with us where expects it and through unimaginable means, century Spain who persecutes a re-incarnated they feel they can simply be themselves. He is God surprises people. Sometimes God uses the Jesus with fierce contempt for being so foolish blessing us when we observe with sincerity of shock of stark and arresting instances of loss to as to allow human freedom, which in the Cardiheart the duty owed to family. manifest great gain, while other times using the nal’s estimation has brought about much of the Look around and try to see it in ordinary hapsimplicity of ordinary moments and ordinary earth’s destructive problems. Jesus sits there with penings. When you notice a fellow student hold people to reveal and accomplish extraordinary placid serenity until the Cardinal concludes his open a door for another student whose hands things. This short, three-word phrase from my extended and vitriolic diatribe. After a moment are full, God is there. When you notice a fellow first news assignment has stuck with me because of silence, Jesus kisses the Cardinal. The dumbstudent helping a friend on crutches to navigate it affirmed something that I had, at that point, founded Inquisitor releases Jesus but banishes the steps on campus, God is there. When you already begun to notice in my own life and that him. Ivan triumphantly concludes his tale, and notice a friend delighting in telling you about his I came to notice more often and more clearly in his patiently attentive younger brother Alyoschoolwork about which he is passionate, God is the following years. sha kisses him just as Jesus did to the Cardinal, there. When you notice a friend enjoying someLooking first to literature, the “sneakiness” convinced that Jesus is actually the victor of this thing as simple as jumping up and down trying of God and His unexpected (because it is undeparable contrary to his brother’s intentions. to touch the top of her head to the lowest branch served) grace seems almost always to be central Like the stories of O’Connor, Dostoyevsky’s of an overhanging tree, God is there. in the works of Catholic writers. For example, tale opens up many questions. Again, I encourTry to notice such things because in them God Boston College’s Catholic Newspaper || Establishedis2013 anyone who has read the short stories of Flanage you to read it and see for yourself whether trying to reveal to you the power of goodness nery O’Connor, a novelist and Catholic from the you discern in the simple kiss an explosive and the joy that can abide in each individual and south – much like Prejean who hails from Baton power, a feeble naïveté, or a Gordian knot. As unique human heart. Take note of these moRouge, can affirm that one’s first reaction after you do, just keep in mind the paradox that true ments, and they will enliven you with zeal for reading her work is one of confusion; readers are freedom consists in binding oneself unequivoGod’s vision of communion. Such moments as left scratching their heads. cally to the law of love; the good fruits of that these have enlivened me, for they are filled with A dysfunctional family of six is murdered may not be evident now, but they will be in the His message and His grace. by an escaped convict on the side of the road; a age to come.

The beauty of it all lies in the fact that the small, unloved child drowns in a river that had Looking now at our own lives, we can start to power of grace is always dramatic – even in life’s been his only solace and hope; a dishonest sexual see examples of God catching us off guard and simple moments. The drama of grace comes not deviant escapes with his victim’s prosthetic leg doing things that we never expected. Sometimes, from its force, but from its source, who is the while the duped paralytic lies helpless in a hayit is tragic, but more often, I believe it comes to God of Jesus Christ. When such drama breaks loft; an innocent and sincere foreigner is crushed us in our everyday experiences. He is with us al- through amidst such simplicity, one cannot help by machinery, leaving behind his suspicious and ways, just as He promised; however, we tend not but appreciate and be amazed at the beauty of befuddled employer who goes senile. The tragic, to notice, for He speaks to us each day in subtle that moment, those who are in it, and the God the shocking, the bizarre, and the pathetic are all ways. Our biblical heritage also affirms that this who loves us so much as to have bestowed it. on full display. is how God often chooses to act. In I Kings 19,

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Senior Staff Columns

The TORCH // Volume I, Issue 3

The Torch is a Catholic student newspaper produced by members of the Boston College community that reports on Catholic news both on campus and in broader society and that probes the vast riches of the Church’s intellectual tradition. Taking seriously the values to which Boston College is committed as a Catholic university, The Torch desires an active and healthy exchange of ideas.

Moreover, its chief end is to be a tool for the new evangelization, spreading faith in Jesus Christ as a source of conversion and new life.

There are numerous ways for you to get involved: news, photography, web design, layout, editing, etc!

E-mail bctorcheditors@gmail.com for more info.

Editor-in-Chief Christopher Canniff Managing Editor Natalie Yuhas Executive Editor/ Business Manager Stephanie Johnson Senior Staff Columnists Nikki Elliott Mark Hertenstein Ethan Mack Katie Rich Campus News Staff Margaret Antonio Margo Borders Alessandra Luedeking Emily Witsberger

Faith Features Kate Conroy Anthony Cossette World News Staff Jay Chin Gjergji Evangjeli Sofia Infante Elinor Mitchell Website Editor Kevin Gleason Layout Editors Jasmine Rebadavia Nick Wisniewski

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The TORCH // Volume I, Issue 3

The Torch

A Few Words from Pope Francis Dear Brothers and Sisters, Good morning!

In the Creed, through which we make our Profession of Faith every Sunday, we state: “I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins.” It is the only explicit reference to a Sacrament contained in the Creed. Indeed, Baptism is the “door” of faith and of Christian life. The Risen Jesus left the Apostles with this charge: “Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to the whole of creation. He who believes and is baptized will be saved” (Mk 16:15-16). The Church’s mission is to evangelize and remit sins through the Sacrament of Baptism. But let us return to the words of the Creed. The expression can be divided into three points: “I confess”; “one Baptism”; “for the remission of sins”.

1. “I confess”. What does this mean?

It is a solemn term that indicates the great importance of the object, that is, of Baptism. In fact, by pronouncing these words we affirm our true identity as children of God. Baptism is in a certain sense the identity card of the Christian, his birth certificate, and the act of his birth into the Church.

All of you know the day on which you were born and you celebrate it as your birthday, don’t you? We all celebrate our birthday. I ask you a question, that I have already asked several times, but I’ll ask it again: who among you remembers the date of your Baptism?

Raise your hands: they are few (and I am not asking the Bishops so as not to embarrass them...). Let’s do something: today, when you go home, find out what day you were baptized, look for it, because this is your second birthday. The first birthday is the day you came into life and the second birthday is the one on which you came into the Church. Will you do this? This is your homework: find out the day on which you were born to the Church, and give thanks to the Lord, because at Baptism he has opened the door of his Church to us. At the same time, Baptism is tied to our faith in the remission of sins.

The Sacrament of Penance or Confession is, in fact, like a “second baptism” that refers back always to the first to strengthen and renew it. In this sense, the day of our Baptism is the point of departure for this most beautiful journey, a journey towards God that lasts a lifetime, a journey of conversion that is continually sustained by the Sacrament of Penance. Think about this: when we go to confess our weaknesses, our sins, we go to ask the pardon of Jesus, but we also go to renew our Baptism through his forgiveness. And this is beautiful, it is like celebrating the day of Baptism in every Confession. Therefore, Confession is not a matter of sit-

CNS/Paul Haring ting down in a torture chamber, rather it is a celebration. Confession is for the baptized! To keep clean the white garment of our Christian dignity!

2. The second element: “one Baptism”. This expression refers to that of St Paul: “one Lord, one faith, one Baptism” (Eph 4:5). The word “Baptism” literally means “immersion”, and in fact this Sacrament constitutes a true spiritual immersion in the death of Christ, from which one rises with Him like a new creation (cf. Rom 6:4).

It is the washing of regeneration and of illumination. Regeneration because it actuates that birth by water and the Spirit without which no one may enter the Kingdom of Heaven (cf. Jn 3:5).

Illumination because through Baptism the human person becomes filled with the grace of Christ, “the true light that enlightens every man” (Jn 1:9) and dispels the shadows of sin. That is why in the ceremony of Baptism the parents are given a lit candle, to signify this illumination; Baptism illuminates us from within with the light of Jesus.

In virtue of this gift the baptized are called to become themselves “light” — the light of the faith they have received — for their brothers, especially for those who are in darkness and see no glimmer of light on the horizon of their lives.

We can ask ourselves: is Baptism, for me, a fact of the past, relegated to a date, that date which you are going

to go look for today, or is it a living reality, that pertains to my present, to every moment? Do you feel strong, with the strength that Christ gave you by his death and his Resurrection? Or do you feel low, without strength?

Baptism gives strength and it gives light. Do you feel enlightened, with that light that comes from Christ? Are you a man or woman of light?

Or are you a dark person, without the light of Jesus?

We need to take the grace of Baptism, which is a gift, and become a light for all people!

3. Lastly, a brief mention of the third element: “for the remission of sins”. In the Sacrament of Baptism all sins are remitted, original sin and all of our personal sins, as well as the suffering of sin.

With Baptism the door to an effectively new life is opened, one which is not burdened by the weight of a negative past, but rather already feels the beauty and the goodness of the Kingdom of Heaven. It is the powerful intervention of God’s mercy in our lives, to save us.

This saving intervention does not take away our human nature and its weakness — we are all weak and we are all sinners — and it does not take from us our responsibility to ask for forgiveness every time we err! I cannot be baptized many times, but I can go to Confession and by doing so renew the grace of Baptism. It is as though I were being baptized for a second time. The Lord Jesus is very very good and never tires of forgiving us. Even when the door that Baptism opens to us in order to enter the Church is a little closed, due to our weaknesses and our sins. Confession reopens it, precisely because it is a second Baptism that forgives us of everything and illuminates us to go forward with the light of the Lord.

Let us go forward in this way, joyfully, because life should be lived with the joy of Jesus Christ; and this is a grace of the Lord.

- General Audience of Pope Francis, given in St. Peter’s Square on Wednesday, November 13, 2013.