The Catholic - Diocese of Altoona

Transcription

The Catholic
Register
Official Publication Of
The Diocese of Altoona - Johnstown
Volume LXXXVII, No. 9 Published Bi - Weekly
(USPS 094 - 280)
www.dioceseaj.org September 10, 2012
Catholic Schools Mark Continued Growth,
New Initiatives As Academic Year Commences
Photo And Text
By Bruce A. Tomaselli
Twenty - Four schools in
the Altoona - Johnstown Diocese welcomed back over 4,000
students for the 2012 - 2013
school year. The new academic
year began officially on August
27.
Sister of Charity Donna
Marie Leiden, director of education; and Sister of Saint Agnes
Mark Plescher, director of elementary education, are excited
about the new school year.
“We’ve had very productive meetings with the new principals and teachers,” said Sister
Donna Marie.
There are 38 new teachers
in the Diocese this year. “The
influx of new teachers can be
attributed to recent trends in
education,” said Sister Mark.
“Some of our teachers retired,
others moved from the state for
economic reasons, and a few
took other teaching positions.”
There are four Catholic
High Schools and 20 parochial
schools in the eight - counties
that comprise the Diocese.
A significant change this
year is the Peacemaker Building
Program, previously administered as the No Bullying Program. “The idea is to put a more
positive spin on the program,”
NEWEST SCHOOL: The dedication of the Diocese’s newest Catholic school, and the first new Catholic high school in the Diocese for over 50 years, was marked last Fall when students gathered with
Bishop Mark L. Bartchak to celebrate the opening of Saint Joseph’s Catholic Academy in Boalsburg.
explained Sister Donna Marie.
“We think it has a positive connotation on relationships among
the students.
“We were visiting a school
in the Northern part of the Diocese and they had cut out copies of each students’ footsteps
and placed them throughout the
school,” Sister Mark commented. “It was to remind them that
we should all walk in the foot-
steps of Jesus. I think it is a neat
approach to the program.”
The Peacemaker Program
will address the physical, emotional, and social implications of
bullying.
The Education Department
and the Altoona - Johnstown Diocese has adopted the following
principles:
“We, at the Diocese of Altoona - Johnstown;
...are kind in our words
and actions;
...support and encourage
each other;
...stick up for one another;
...include everyone.”
There is a national movement to align core curriculums
for all schools on a national
level. This summer, Sister Mark
along with 10 teachers and principals, participated in a three
- day workshop to discuss the
alignment of core curriculum.
“The idea is for all schools
in the country to adopt similar
standardization of curriculum
so we all achieve the same level
of learning,” said Sister Donna
Marie. “For example, we will
all have the same methods for
teaching multiplication and
learning how to divide.” Sister
Mark said the process will continue throughout the school year.
The teachers and principals
in all of the diocesan schools
will gather for the annual official opening Mass on Friday,
September 28 at Bishop Guilfoyle Catholic High School in
Altoona. Bishop Mark L. Bartchak will be the main celebrant.
Mass will be followed by an in
- service day.
Saint Joseph’s Catholic
Academy in Boalsburg continues to grow. There are 30 new
students this year and the school
is adding a junior class. A senior
class will debut in the 2013 2014 school year.
Two important milestones
will be reached this year. Bishop
McCort Catholic High School,
Johnstown and Bishop Guilfoyle Catholic High School will
each celebrate their 90th anniversaries.
(Continued On Page 2.)
Page 2
The Catholic Register, September 10, 2012
Kristofco Named
Guilfoyle High President
Thomas J. Kristofco has
been named President of Bishop
Guilfoyle Catholic High School
(BG), Altoona, effective Monday, October 1.
Kristofco will bring in excess of 30 years of progressive
business experience and leadership to the school. He will be
responsible for the institution’s
financial viability and long-term
sustainability, as well as educational excellence.
Directly
reporting
to
Kristofco are the Principal,
Director of Development and
Alumni Relations, Director of
Marketing and Enrollment, Director of Information Technology and the Business Office
Manager. Kristofco will report
directly to the BG Board of
Trustees.
“We are extremely delight-
THOMAS J. KRISTOFCO
ed that Tom has enthusiastically
agreed to lead and position BG
at the forefront of our communi-
ty,” said Bob Montler, BG Trustee and Chair of the President
Search Committee. “The business experience and expertise
that he brings to BG is critical to
being able to provide an exceptional educational experience.
Tom was the standout candidate
from the numerous applicants
from all over the Mid-Atlantic
region.”
“I believe in the tradition of
excellence that BG has provided
to students from Blair County
and the surrounding areas for
90 years,” said Kristofco. “The
benefit of a BG education is
evidenced by the success and
contributions made around the
globe by our 10,000+ alumni.
“I am passionate about the
school’s success. It is our vision
that BG be a perpetual resource
for generations of students to
come and for our community.
BG has had a key influence on
my life, and the lives of many
successful people. A BG education has started many alumni on
their way toward playing at the
highest level within their chosen
professions. I want to make sure
that current and future students
have that same opportunity. I am
ecstatic about this chance to give
back.”
Kristofco has a proven track
record of starting and growing
successful businesses. In 1991,
he founded Blair Technology
Group (BTG) and was CEO until October 2005 when BTG
was sold to Paradigm Solutions
International. For the past five
years, he has been a management consultant with Business
Continuity Concepts, LLC, a
company he also founded.
A Summa Cum Laude accounting graduate of Saint Francis University, Kristofco brings
strong financial and analytical
skills, substantial strategic planning experience, and extensive
marketing and business development experience to the position.
In 2005, he was named
Small Business Person of the
Year by the Blair County Chamber of Commerce for his work
with BTG. In 2007, he was inducted into the BG Ring of Honor recognizing his exceptional
service to the school.
He is a member of the
Pennsylvania Institute of CPAs,
the American Institute of CPAs
and the Blair County Chamber of Commerce. In addition
to serving on the BG Board of
Trustees for five years, he is the
immediate past president of the
Board of Trustees for the Independent Catholic Foundation of
the Altoona-Johnstown Diocese.
He will continue his role on the
BG Board of Trustees, but as a
non-voting, ex-officio member.
He and his wife Janet are
both 1978 graduates of BG.
Their daughters Lauren and Allison are 2007 and 2010 BG
graduates, respectively. They
are members of Saint Michael
the Archangel parish in Hollidaysburg.
The mission of BG is to prepare young men and women for
rewarding and productive lives
in our global society; young men
and women of vision and passion who are securely grounded
in Christian spirituality, academic proficiency, and personal
accountability.
Schools Gearing Up For
New Academic Year
SISTER DONNA MARIE
LEIDEN S.C.
SISTER MARK PLESCHER
C.S.A.
(Continued From Page 1.)
Pat Ronan, who retired, at Saint
Rose.
David Trexler was named
athletic director of the Altoona
Parochial League.
Three new parochial school
principals have begun the new
academic year. They are:
- - Kathy Mauer at All Saints
Catholic School, Cresson;
- - Jamie DiDomenico at
Saint Matthew School, Tyrone;
and
- - Melissa McMullen at
Saint Rose of Lima School, Altoona.
This is DiDomenico’s second stint as principal at Saint
Matthew. McMullen replaced
Sister of Charity Donna
Marie Leiden, director of education; and
Sister of Saint Agnes
Mark Plescher, director
of elementary education, are excited about
the new school year.
In The Alleghenies
LADIES’ RETREAT: The Sisters of Saint Ann hosted a Ladies’ Retreat August 10 - 12 at Mount Saint
Ann, Ebensburg. Pictured are (left to right) First row: Victoria Valeria, Bernie Mitrus, Rose Steward,
Rosiland Raptosh, Agnes Schultz, Cecilia Farabaugh, Matilda Link, Janet Smith, Teresa Mohler, Clemence Fogel, Sister of Mercy Giuseppe DaBella, Bernadette Walters, Lynn Mikula. Second row: Grace
Golden, Linda Himes, Beatrice Hoover, Elaine Link, Mary Elias, Barbara Holtz, Diana Sharbaugh,
Mary Anderson, Helen Hamberger, Mary Frances Tomlinson, Thelma Daus, Margaret Bopp, Mary Ann
Keagy. Third row: Marian Bearer, Coralie Steyduhar, Renata Himes, Mary Catherine Hoover, Roseann
Bennett, Jeanne Phillips, Joan Spampinato, Julia Spallone and Beverly Buterbaugh.
Prayer
Novena To Saint Therese
Loretto: The Discalced
Carmelite Nuns will conduct
their annual Solemn Novena
honoring Saint Therese, the
Little Flower, which will be
preached in their chapel from
Sunday, September 23, to Monday, October 1.
Conducting this year’s Novena will be a Discalced Carmelite Friar from the California
Province, who will offer insights
about Saint Therese’s spirituality and love of God and neighbor.
The nine days of the Novena, the
nuns state, will be of great profit
for anyone’s spiritual life.
During the Solemn Novena,
recitation of the Novena prayers
will take place in conjunction
with two daily liturgies: Benediction of the Most Blessed Sacrament at 4:00 p.m., and Mass at
7:00 p.m.
On October 1, the Feast
of Saint Therese, roses will be
CAMBRIA SERRA CLUB: Five new members (top photo, left
to right) Mary Danyluk, Margaret Zidek, Jacqueline Buckingham,
Dolores Curcio and Rita Clark, have been inducted into the Serra
Club of Cambria County. The inductions took place during Charter
Night at Saint Clare of Assisi Church in Johnstown. At the same
time (bottom photo), Father Angelo Patti, pastor of Saint Andrew
Parish, Johnstown, was inducted as club chaplain by President Bernie Smith.
blessed and distributed at both
services.
Those desiring to share in
the graces and blessings of the
Novena may address their petitions to Mother Prioress, P.O.
Box 57, Loretto PA 15940.
Page 3
Saint Leonard’s Director
Celebrates
Golden Jubilee
Sister Cynthia Meyer has
celebrated her golden jubilee as
a member of the Congregation
of the Sisters of the Holy Family
of Nazareth (CSFN). She and
other jubilarians were honored
Sunday, September 2, at a celebration in Pittsburgh.
Sister Cynthia attributes
her religious vocation to “the
strange and awesome work of
the Holy Spirit.” She joined
the CSFNs “never having seen
our Sisters before the day I was
dropped off by my parents to be
an aspirant! It was the charism
that sustained me.” She began
her religious life September 8,
1962.
Since 2007, she has served
as executive director of Saint
Leonard’s Personal Care Home
in Hollidaysburg. From 200207, she was the provincial superior of the CSFNs’ former Saint
Joseph Province, Pittsburgh.
She also served as provincial
superior from 1986-92.
In
her capacity as provincial, she
served on the governing board
of the former Mercy Hospital in
Altoona. For a brief time in in
2001, Sister Cynthia served in
the CSFNs’ General Administration in Rome. Most recently,
she served as a delegate to the
CSFNs’ Provincial Chapter in
the United States.
From 1992 – 2001, Sister
Cynthia helped organize and
administer Nazareth Housing
Services in Pittsburgh, which
continues to assist families and
seniors in obtaining or preserving home ownership. It is a social justice ministry with deep,
personal roots for this jubilarian.
The death of an uncle in Panama
at the end of World War II and
SISTER CYNTHIA
MEYER C.S.F.N.
his modest life insurance policy
paved the way to home ownership for Sister Cynthia’s parents
and an aunt and uncle, “and
thus, a generation of poor, hardworking folks had their start at
a stable life. I wanted to give
others that same unexpected and
urgently needed help, and was
graced with the opportunity to
do so,” she says.
“I entered religious life just
as the Second Vatican Council
was changing our church, our
theology, our expectations, and
our world view forever. I lived
the ‘old way’ just long enough
to appreciate the wrenching yet
energizing transformations that
renewal demanded of all of us,”
Sister Cynthia notes.
“These 50 years have been
an adventure of immense proportions as the world (in the
world and in religious life)
...The constant shifting of the
ground beneath us — intellectually, emotionally, theologically
— have been a gift that is still
being unwrapped.”
New Address For Register
Effective immediately, The Catholic Register is no longer receiving mail at P.O. Box 413, Hollidaysburg PA
16648.
Our new address is 925 South Logan Boulevard, Hollidaysburg PA 16648.
Page 4
THE CATHOLIC
REGISTER
SERVING THE DIOCESE OF
ALTOONA - JOHNSTOWN
Published Bi - weekly at
925 South Logan Boulevard
Hollidaysburg PA 16648
Subscriptions: $8.00 Parish Based
$18.00 Individual
Periodical Class Postage Paid At
Altoona PA and other mailing offices.
Postmaster send change of address to:
(USPS 094 - 280)
Member Publication Of
The Catholic Press Association
Publisher:
Most Reverend Bishop
Mark L. Bartchak
Editor:
Rev. Msgr. Timothy P. Stein
Manager:
Bruce A. Tomaselli
Secretary:
Frances M. Logrando
Phone (814) 695 - 7563
FAX (814) 695 - 7517
Point Of View
A young woman friend of
mine with intellectual impairments looked forward eagerly
to her Confirmation. After the
Bishop confirmed her, she immediately asked, “Okay, what’s
my job?”
Good question. What is
our job as Christians? Being
strengthened by the Holy Spirit
and fully initiated into this Body
of Christ, surely we must have a
special role.
At this point many readers
will be thinking, “Hey, my life is
already so full I couldn’t do one
more thing! I go to church when
I can, I donate to a few worthy
causes, but I’m busy working
to earn a living, maintaining my
house and car, parenting, taking
care of my elderly mom, nurturing my marriage.”
Would you be surprised to
learn that our Church actually
sees those everyday parts of our
life as the main place we live out
our faith? That is our “job” as
Christians. As our faith deepens, it becomes an integral part
of who we are and we take it
wherever we are..
“Followers of the Lord
Jesus live their discipleship
as spouses and parents, single
adults and youth, employers and
employees, consumers and investors, citizens and neighbors.
We renew the warning of the
Second Vatican Council that the
The
Bureau Drawer
By Susan Stith
What’s My Job?
‘split between the faith which
many profess and their daily
lives deserves to be counted
among the more serious errors
of our age.’ By our Baptism and
Confirmation every member of
our community is called to live
his or her faith in the world.”
(“Everyday Christianity: To
Hunger and Thirst for Justice”
U.S. Bishops)
We lay people are in the
world - - in the home, the workplace, the larger community.
That’s exactly where God wants
“Followers of the Lord Jesus live their discipleship as spouses and
parents, single adults and youth, employers and employees, consumers and investors, citizens and neighbors. We renew the warning of the Second Vatican Council that the ‘split between the faith
which many profess and their daily lives deserves to be counted
among the more serious errors of our age.’ By our Baptism and
Confirmation every member of our community is called to live his
or her faith in the world.” (“Everyday Christianity: To Hunger and
Thirst for Justice” U.S. Bishops)
us to be! We’re out there to be
leaven. That is our path to holiness. That is where we serve
God by making the world a
better place. A better place for
whom? For God’s other people. We work for the “common
good,” and thus for God.
If we’re only out to get what
we can for ourselves, then we’re
missing our calling as Christians. It’s this huge split between
our faith and our lives that
makes prayer and church attendance unappealing, superficial.
For those who have a growing faith, though, there is no
limit to their desire to know God
ever deeper, and to take God
into every corner of their lives.
They experience weekly Mass
as a gathering of the disciples of
Jesus, to celebrate together and
encourage one another, to hear
God’s Word, to be strengthened
by Jesus’ Body and Blood SO
that they can take the Spirit of
Jesus out into the world.
If my friend’s “What’s
my job?” question intrigues
you, come explore this further
at the September 22 Catholic
Life Conference. The theme is
“Discipleship: Faith in Action.”
Come meet others for whom
faith and everyday life are intimately connected!
Another
Perspective
By Monsignor Timothy P. Stein
A Quiet Land
After the deaths of my parents, I bought a small home, of
my own. I didn’t like being a 50 – something orphan; I liked
being a 50 – something homeless orphan even less. Having
a home of my own, a place I can go to for an overnight, or a
day off, is the smartest move I ever made.
The second – smartest move I ever made was my decision not to have a computer in my new home, and to not have
a hookup for the internet installed. My time in my home away
from the rectory is quiet time, a time for “cyber – silence.” It’s
a refreshing sensation!
Nor do I have a land – line for a telephone at my home. I
have a cell phone; and let me make it clear - - it’s just a cell
phone, not a Smartphone. No bells and whistles and for me.
I can make calls and receive calls on it. If my fingers and
thumbs weren’t so big I suppose I could use it for texting, but
that’s neither here, nor there. My cell phone - - simple as it is
- - helps me preserve my cyber – silence, my time alone with
only my own thoughts for company.
That same thinking is behind the decision I’ve made to
leave computer, camera and phone at home this week, as I
go on pilgrimage to Rome, Assisi, Florence and Lourdes. And
I was very glad to see that my line of thought is endorsed by
the priest who heads a Vatican – related pilgrimage agency
(see story on page 11). Father Caesar Atuire asks pilgrims
to enter fully into their pilgrimage experience by simply being
present to the moment - - to the holy places and the holy people they will encounter along the way, instead of having those
encounters mediated through the lens of a camera or by being
instantly reported through social media. I heartily agree!
I’ve been to Rome, Assisi and Florence several times.
I’ve taken all the pictures I could care to take, and have written
many words about each city. I’ve never been to Lourdes, and
my anticipation for seeing and experiencing that holy place
is high. I simply want to open my eyes, open my ears, and
open my heart to what is going on around me and inside me,
and with the companions I’ll be traveling with. I want to really
become part of these places. I don’t want to observe them. I
want to feel them. I want to live them. I want to be connected
to each place I’ll be visiting, instead of just observing what is
going on, and recording it or reporting it for someone else to
see and read. I’ll share with others what I’ve experienced, but
only when I’ve come home and have had a chance to think
about it, reflect on it, and pray about it.
One of my favorite songs (from a dead as a dodo musical
about the Tsar’s daughter, Anastasia) speaks very well of what
I’m seeking: “There is a quiet land, that lies within the heart;
a place that’s near as near, yet a world apart. When in life’s
raging storms, confusion takes command, then traveler seek
the way, to that quiet land.
“Don’t search the earth’s four corners, or past the distant
poles. Explore the wondrous country of your soul!”
With a generous dose of cyber – silence, and by leaving
the gadgets far, far away, that’s what I’m hoping to achieve
both at home, and abroad. I hope you’ll take the same trip,
too!
Famed Priest, Father Groeschel, Apologizes
After Rebuke For Comments On Sexual Abuse
By Catholic News Service
NEW YORK (CNS) -- Father Benedict Groeschel, a Franciscan Friar of the Renewal who
has long been a popular speaker
and television personality, apologized Aug. 30 for interview
comments he made that were
published online two days earlier, saying that “in a lot of cases”
the victim of child sexual abuse
is “the seducer.”
Father Groeschel also had
said priests who have committed
abuse just one time should not
go to jail.
In the interview, Father
Groeschel referred to Jerry Sandusky, the former Penn State assistant football coach who was
convicted in June on 45 charges
relating to the sexual abuse of 10
different boys, as a “poor guy.”
“I apologize for my comments. I did not intend to blame
the victim,” said Father Groeschel, 78, in an Aug. 30 statement. “A priest -- or anyone else
-- who abuses a minor is always
wrong and is always responsible. My mind and my way of expressing myself are not as clear
as they used to be.”
Joseph Zwilling, a spokesman for the Archdiocese of New
York, said in an Aug. 30 statement before Father Groeschel’s
apology that the priest’s comments were “simply wrong.”
Zwilling added, “Although
he is not a priest of the Archdiocese of New York, what Father Groeschel said cannot be
allowed to stand unchallenged.
The sexual abuse of a minor is
a crime, and whoever commits
that crime deserves to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the
law.”
He also took exception to
Father Groeschel’s characterization of sexual abuse victims as
seducers.
“The harm that was done by
these remarks was compounded
by the assertion that the victim of abuse is responsible for
the abuse, or somehow caused
the abuse to occur. This is not
only terribly wrong. It is also
extremely painful for victims,”
Zwilling said.
“The Archdiocese of New
York completely disassociates
itself from these comments,” he
added. “They do not reflect our
beliefs or our practice.”
The interview had been
posted Aug. 28 on the website
of the National Catholic Register, which is owned by Eternal Word Television Network;
Father Groeschel has appeared
frequently on EWTN over the
years. Although the Q-and-A
interview was removed from
the website, other sites had copied the comments and reposted
them.
National Catholic Register editor-in-chief Jeanette R.
De Melo issued an apology Aug.
30.
“Child sexual abuse is
never excusable. The editors of
the National Catholic Register
apologize for publishing without
clarification or challenge Father
Benedict Groeschel’s comments
that seem to suggest that the
child is somehow responsible
for abuse. Nothing could be further from the truth,” she said.
De Melo added, “Our publication of that comment was
an editorial mistake, for which
we sincerely apologize. Given
Father Benedict’s stellar history
over many years, we released
his interview without our usual
screening and oversight.”
The Franciscan Friars of the
Renewal, which Father Groeschel helped found 25 years ago,
also apologized.
“Father Benedict made
comments that were inappropriate and untrue,” the order said
in an Aug. 30 statement. “These
comments were completely out
of character. He never intended
to excuse abuse or implicate the
victims.”
The order cited Father
Groeschel’s worsening health:
“In recent months his health,
memory and cognitive ability
have been failing. He has been
in and out of the hospital. Due to
CNS Photo/Nancy Phelan Wiechec
FATHER BENEDICT GROESCHEL
his declining health and inability to care for himself, Father
Benedict had moved to a location where he could rest and be
relieved of his responsibilities.
Although these factors do not
excuse his comments, they help
us understand how such a com-
Page 5
passionate man could have said
something so wrong, so insensitive and so out of character.”
In the interview, Father
Groeschel talked about his work
with priests involved in sexual
abuse. He said, “Suppose you
have a man having a nervous
breakdown, and a youngster
comes after him. A lot of the
cases, the youngster, 14, 15, 16
-- is the seducer.”
Asked why this would be
the case, Father Groeschel spoke
of “a kid looking for a father and
didn’t have his own” before he
brought up Sandusky. “Here’s
this poor guy -- Sandusky -- it
went on for years. Interesting.
Why didn’t anyone say anything? Apparently, a number of
kids knew about it and didn’t
break the ice. ... It was a moral
failure, scandalous; but they
didn’t think of it in terms of legal things.”
Sentencing guidelines could
give Sandusky a prison term of
60 to 448 years.
Father Groeschel then talked of priests accused of child
sexual abuse. “At this point,
(when) any priest, any clergyman, any social worker, any
teacher, any responsible person in society would become
involved in a single sexual act
-- not necessarily intercourse -they’re done. And I’m inclined
to think, on their first offense,
they should not go to jail because their intention was not
committing a crime.”
“I apologize for my comments. I did
not intend to blame the victim,” said
Father Benedict Groeschel, 78, in an
August 30 statement. “A priest - - or
anyone else - - who abuses a minor
is always wrong and is always responsible.”
Page 6
Expanded Scholarships A Victory For School Choice
By Bruce A. Tomaselli
School Choice Proponents
have gained a victory.
Pennsylvania has expanded
its tax - credit program with
additional tax - credit funded
scholarships supported by local
businesses.
The Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit (O.S.T.C.) Pro-
gram will provide scholarships
to eligible students to attend
a participating public or non public school of their choice.
“The ability of the Diocese’s Second Century Scholarship Fund to award O.S.T.C.
Scholarships
is
dependent
upon local businesses earning
O.S.T.C. tax credits,” said Chris
Ringkamp, diocesan director of
development. “These O.S.T.C.
credits are still available to eligible businesses, but only on a
Thank You!
The following businesses earned PA Educational Improvement
Tax Credits in July and August. The Second Century Scholarship
Fund awards tuition assistance to eligible students in Catholic
Schools throughout the Altoona-Johnstown Diocese.
Please join us in expressing our gratitude to these businesses for
their support of Catholic Education.
Elementary School & High School Scholarships
Bedford Regional Urology, Bedford
Cardan Laboratories, Northern Cambria
Cresson Community Bank, Cresson
Cresson Steel Company, Cresson
Everything Natural Under the Sun, Altoona
L. S. Fiore, Altoona
Fiore Brothers Leasing, Altoona
Investment Savings Bank, Altoona
Kish Bank, Reedsville
H. F. Lenz, Johnstown
Ludwig Electric, Nicktown
Modern Art & Plate Glass, Johnstown
Pirates Cove Pub & Grill, Patton
Robindale Energy Services, Armagh
RES Coal, Armagh
Restek, Bellefonte
Stager Enterprises, Portage
Wessel & Company, Johnstown
White Oak Veterinary Clinic, Somerset
X-Cel Physical Therapy, Northern Cambria
Employers & Business Owners
C and subchapter S Corporations, Partnerships and other passthrough entities can earn up to 100% business tax credits for
supporting students in local Catholic schools. Please visit our web
site today for details and official applications:
www.SecondCenturyFund.org
first - come basis. We need everyone’s help in spreading the
word among area businesses.”
Eligible participants range
from
large
manufacturers,
banks, auto dealerships, medical practitioners, restaurants,
insurance agencies, pharmaciesvirtually any business not established as a sole proprietorship,
Ringkamp added.
He said one particularly attractive feature allows partnerships to claim tax credits against
all classes of taxes earned by
the owners. With a tax credit of
90%, the owners end up paying
very little out of packet for making a significant impact.
“Opportunity Scholarship
Tax Credits are beneficial to all
business owners who believe in
the value of giving families a
voice in how they choose to educate their children,” reminded
Ringkamp.
“Interested businesses or
their accountants can review official guidelines at www.newpa.
com/ostc where they can also
proceed to an online application. They are also welcome to
call me at (814) 695 - 5577 for
information about the Second
Century Fund.”
Businesses also have the
opportunity to provide scholarships for eligible student through
the Educational Improvement
Tax Credit program.
Opportunity Scholarships
are funded by businesses making contributions to scholarship organizations in exchange
for tax credit. The amount of
scholarships cannot exceed the
amount of business contributions made to scholarship organizations. Even if a student is
eligible for a scholarship, that
scholarship is contingent upon
funds being available.
The O.S.T.C. Program will
allow businesses to contribute
to an opportunity scholarship
organization to provide funding
to eligible students who reside
within the attendance boundaries of a low-achieving school.
A “low - achieving school”
is defined as a public elementary
or secondary school in Pennsylvania ranking in the bottom
15 percent of their designation
as an elementary or secondary
school based on combined math
and reading scores on the most
recent PSSA results available on
the Pennsylvania Department of
Education’s web site. There are
four such schools in the territory
of the eight county Diocese of
Altoona - Johnstown.
Tony DeGol, communication secretary for the Diocese,
realizes there are many public
schools that provide a quality
education. “But,” he said, “there
are hundreds of schools in Pennsylvania that are considered to
be ‘low - achieving’ based on
combined math and reading
scores from 2010-2011 PSSA
testing.”
He said it’s kind of shocking to see the long list of schools
that are not making the grade.
The reality is that parents with
children enrolled in those
schools cannot afford to send
their children to non - public
schools.
“Thanks to this new Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit
program, those parents now
have a choice. That’s what this
is all about-making sure children have the best educational
opportunities.”
Beginning this school year,
2012 - 2013, students residing
within the boundaries of a low
- achieving school as of the first
day of classes will be eligible to
apply for an Opportunity Scholarship, including a student attending kindergarten.
Eligible students may include those residing within the
boundaries of a low - achieving
school who:
- - Currently attend a low achieving school; or
- - Are currently enrolled in
a non - public school; or
- - Were previously home
schooled; or
- - Were previously attending a charter or cyber charter
school.
Household income requirements must meet the following
criteria:
- - Through June 30, 2013:
$60,00, plus $12, 000 for each
dependent member of the household;
- - After June 30, 2013:
$75,000 plus $12,000 for each
dependent member of the household;
- - For students with a disability, additional adjustments
for the allowance will be made
pursuant to the law.
The maximum amount of an
Opportunity Scholarship awarded to an eligible students is:
- - $8,500 for a student
without a disability;
- - $15,500 for a student
with a disability.
There are opponents to the
program that feel it will hurt
public schools, but it’s not about
schools, it’s about students, DeGol reminded.
“We have to do what is right
for them and their future,” he
said. “Furthermore, many other
states around the country have
had school choice opportunities
available for years, and to my
knowledge, no public school has
ever had to close its doors because of those programs.”
He added that critics feel
that the solution is for the government to throw more money
at the failing schools. “I do not
agree. The state already spends a
huge amount of taxpayer money
for education, and it clearly is
not working in many cases.”
“School Choice will actually save taxpayers’ money because in most cases, tuition at
non - public schools is considerably less than what the state
spends to educate a child in the
public school system. Everyone
wins with School Choice.”
DeGol noted that the faith centered environment of Catholic Schools is wonderful, and
the children receive a first class
education. “Roughly 92% of our
students go onto higher education, but more importantly, our
schools are molding Christian,
well - rounded individuals who
are prepared to compete in the
workforce and serve their communities.
“I’m so excited about
our Catholic schools, and I’m
thrilled that more students may
have the chance to experience
them because of the Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit program.”
Page 7
A Prince In The Service
Of The Great King
The Servant Of God
Demetrius Augustine Gallitzin
1770 - 1840
Gallitzin’s Mother Close Friend
Of Prussian Princess
The Servant of God Demetrius Augustine Gallitzin shares
a common ancestor - - the Grand
Duke Gediminas of Lithuania - with all of the royal families of
Europe. But with none of the
reigning houses of Europe does
he share closer ties than with the
Royal House of Orange - - the
royal family of the Netherlands.
Gallitzin was born in the
Hague when his father was Russian Ambassador to the Netherlands. The Netherlands was not
yet recognized as a Kingdom,
but a Republic with an heredi-
tary head of state, known as the
Stadtholder (Steward). At the
time of the senior Prince Gallitzin’s appointment to the Netherlands, William V of Orange
was the Stadtholder, the last to
hold that title.
The Russian Prince and
the Dutch Stadtholder had an
important bond in common:
each of them was married to
a Prussian - born wife. Gallitzin’s wife, the former Adelheid Amalia von Schmettau was
three years older than William’s
wife, Princess Wilhelmina of
Prayer For
Father Gallitzin’s Intercession
Gracious and loving God, in your providence you sent your
faithful servant, Father Demetrius A. Gallitzin, to sow the
seeds of faith among the people of the Allegheny Mountains.
May you listen to his intercession for us in our day, even as
we ask that we be allowed to invoke him publicly as our patron
with you.
Pour out your merciful love upon us and hear our prayer. We
humbly beseech you to grant us the favor of (name your intention).
Finally, we ask for the courage to serve you faithfully and to
give you praise. May we do it in the strength of your Spirit, in
witness to Jesus, as did Demetrius when he preached your
Word and baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son
and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
+ + +
Kindly send information about favors granted to:
The Cause for the Servant of God
Demetrius Augustine Gallitzin
Diocese Of Altoona - Johnstown
Hollidaysburg PA 16648
Prussia. The young princesses,
little more than girls when they
met, became friends, as did their
sons, Demetrius, son of Amalia,
and William, son of Wilhelmina.
So strong were the ties of friendship between the mothers and
the sons, that the Prince - Priest
Gallitzin, when living as a missionary in the Allegheny Mountains, would appeal to Dutch
William, by then the King of the
Netherlands, for financial aid for
his mission.
Wilhelmina of Prussia, Princess of Orange, was born August
7, 1751 in Berlin, the daughter
of Prince Augustus William of
Prussia and Princess Luise of
Brunswick - Wolfenbuttel. She
was the niece of the Prussian
King Frederick the Great; her eldest brother succeeded the King
as Frederick William II.
She married William V of
Orange on October 4, 1767, and
a year later received her uncle,
the Prussian King, on a state visit to the Netherlands at the Palace of Het Loo. Wilhelmina was
known as proud and politically
ambitious woman. She dominated her husband, and exerted
great influence on the politics of
the Dutch state.
Two of her four sons died in
infancy. Her second son, William, the playmate of Demetrius
Augustine Gallitzin, was the
first King of the Netherlands;
another son, Georg Frederick,
died unmarried at the age of 25.
Her only daughter, Frederika
Luise Wilhelmina, married Karl,
Prince of Brunswick, and left no
descendants.
It was through her second
son, King William I, that Wil-
WILHELMINA OF PRUSSIA, PRINCESS OF ORANGE
helmina of Prussia became the
ancestress of the present Dutch
royal family. William I was in
turn succeeded by his son, William II, and grandson, William
III.
When William III died in
1890, he was succeeded by his
only surviving child, a daughter,
named Wilhelmina for her long
- dead Prussian Great - great grandmother. Queen Wilhelmina, the first female sovereign of
the Netherlands would reign until her abdication in 1948. She
was succeeded by her daughter,
Juliana, who in turn abdicated in
1980 in favor of her daughter,
Beatrix, the current Queen of the
Netherlands.
Wilhelmina of Prussia,
Princess of Orange, friend of
Princess Amalia Gallitzin, died
June 9, 1820, at her palace of
Het Loo, still a popular home of
the Dutch royal family, today.
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Page 8
Word of Life
The Pope
Teaches
By Pope Benedict XVI
Laypeople Share
Responsibility For Church
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- As Catholics prepare to celebrate
the 50th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council, all church
members need to make a renewed effort to ensure laypeople
are aware of their responsibility for the church and are allowed
to exercise it, Pope Benedict XVI said.
“Co-responsibility requires a change of mentality, particularly regarding the role in the church of the laity, who should
not be considered ‘collaborators’ of the clergy, but people
who truly are co-responsible for the being and action of the
church,” the pope wrote in a message to the assembly of the
International Forum of Catholic Action.
The Aug. 22-26 assembly in Iasi, Romania, brought together representatives of Catholic Action groups from around
the world. The international forum promotes lay involvement
in parish and community life, particularly through studying and
acting on the principles of Catholic social teaching.
Pope Benedict’s message, released by the Vatican Aug.
23, said the church needs a “mature and committed laity, able
to make its specific contribution to the mission of the church”
in a way that respects the different roles and ministries of its
members.
The Vatican II dogmatic constitution on the church, “Lumen Gentium,” described the style of relationships within the
church as “familial,” the pope said. Viewing the church as a
family emphasizes shared responsibility, mutual support and
joint action while, at the same time, recognizing the special
role of guidance belonging to the church’s pastors, he said.
The pope asked Catholic Action members to work with
and for the church through their “prayer, study, active participation in ecclesial life, (and) with an attentive and positive
gaze upon the world in a continuous search for the signs of
the times.”
He asked the members to help with the new evangelization, proclaiming salvation in Christ “with language and methods understandable in our age.”
In addition, he encouraged them to continue studying and
applying Catholic social teaching, particularly with the aim of
bringing about a “globalization of solidarity and charity,” which
will further the church’s mission of bringing hope to the world.
ONE MORE TIME: The Our Lady, Gate Of Heaven Praesidium of the Legion Of Mary, Saint Aloysius Parish, Cresson, gathered in August 1978 to make plans for a Rosary Rally to be held in Loretto in
October. Father Paul Robine, pastor (left) was spiritual director of the group.
My teenage daughter was
sitting on the floor in front of
me, probing her future. More
precisely, she was pondering
what to choose as a college major field of study.
It’s a big question for any
soon-to-be high school graduate, even though lots of people
change their college major at
some point.
“Maybe I should be a high
school counselor?” she wondered. “Or social work?” She
ran the gamut of liberal arts majors before suddenly exclaiming,
“I just want to help people.”
Bingo: a comment to warm
a Catholic mother’s heart. I
awarded our parenting a tiny
merit badge. I hope my kids will
see the Gospel as their lives’ imperative, so I filed the remark
under my mental “maybe I’m
doing something right” file.
It’s easy, of course, for any
of us to say we want to help
others. But life throws a lot of
distractions into the mix, as I’m
sure my daughter has already. So
I was inspired last night to read
about the conversion experience
of another young person.
Writing in the newsletter of
Nebraskans Against the Death
Penalty last summer, outgoing statewide coordinator Jill
Francke told about a moment
in a cafe in Kenya when, as a
20-year-old, she “vowed that
I would dedicate myself to improving the lives of others.”
What prompted such an altruistic decision in such a young
person?
For The Journey
By Effie Caldarola
On The Road To A
Conversion Toward Justice
A Midwesterner from
a middle-class background,
Francke had grown up with the
American perspective that if she
worked hard enough, and wanted something bad enough, she
could achieve anything.
Her travels through Africa
opened her eyes to the fact that
many people, just as smart and
competent and driven as she,
would be held back from achieving their true potential. Justice
became her cause and her source
of conversion.
A few years later, Francke
still seems to be traveling that
narrow road, the one that seeks
justice.
The circles I frequent are
full of people such as Francke,
although I admit many in my
circles aren’t that young. I count
as friends many religious sisters
who are passionately involved
in helping others, and many of
my best friends are advocates
for social justice.
So, it never fails to amaze
me when I encounter people
whose primary concern for their
children is that they make a lot
of money in life. They’ll always
say they want their children to
be “happy,” but their idea of
happiness always relies on a
tremendous amount of material
success and worldly recognition.
Of course I want my children to be able to be independent, support themselves and
find a certain level of security.
But we can do that, most of
us, and still be faithful to Gospel values, unless we’re among
those called to the most radical
kind of poverty.
Matthew 16:26 puts our
choice in stark relief: “What
profit would there be for one to
gain the whole world and forfeit
his life? Or what can one give in
exchange for his life?”
Not everyone will be converted like Paul on the road to
Damascus or Francke sitting in
a cafe in Kenya. For many of us,
the Gospel impels us to change,
little by little, to want more of
Christ and less of “stuff.”
The Rev. Martin Luther
King Jr. once said, “The arc of
the moral universe is long, but it
bends towards justice.”
St. Ignatius of Loyola also
told his followers: “Go forth and
set the world on fire.” May all of
us move toward justice.
Question Corner
By Father Kenneth Doyle
Did Jesus Have Siblings?
Q. At a Bible study group in
our apartment complex, it was
shared with those attending that
Jesus had five siblings. What
Bible passage does that come
from and, if it’s true, why do we
call Our Lady “Virgin Mary”?
-(Some in the group said that
nMary was a virgin at the time
of Jesus’ birth but had five additional children with her spouse
Joseph.) (Albany, N.Y.)
A. The perpetual virginity
of Mary -- before, during and
after the birth of Christ -- has
been consistently taught by the
church from the early Christian
era. We reflect that belief at Mass
when we say, in the Confiteor,
“blessed Mary ever-virgin.”
What, then, are we to make
of such passages as Mark 6:3,
where Christ’s neighbors in
Nazareth ask, “Is he not the carpenter, the son of Mary and the
brother of James and Joses and
Judas and Simon? And are not
his sisters here with us?”
Traditionally, Catholic biblical scholars have pointed to the
fact that the Greek word “adelphos” used in this Marcan passage could mean not just “blood
brother” but also such relations
as step-brother, nephew or cousin. But there are still other interpretations consistent with the
perpetual virginity of Mary.
The second-century protoevangelium of James, for example, described these “adelphi” as
children of Joseph by a previous
marriage. Likewise, Orthodox
churches today speculate that
Joseph was a widower who had
other children before he married
Mary, and some Catholic commentators agree.
(They point to the fact that
Joseph is often portrayed in art
as an older man and that Joseph
had clearly died before the public ministry of Christ, or else his
role in that ministry would have
been treated in the Gospel accounts.)
That Jesus had no “blood
brothers” gains support from
the fact that Jesus, on the cross,
entrusted his mother to the beloved apostle John; Jewish law
Nicholas of Tolentino
1245-1305
September 10
Crosiers
Born in Italy and named for St. Nicholas of Bari, the saint to whom his
childless parents had prayed, Nicholas made his Augustinian vows
while still a teen. An early job was distributing food to the poor at the
friary gate. At his ordination in 1269, he already was reputed to be a
healer and miracle-worker. About 1274, after several assignments, he
was sent to Tolentino, where he spent the rest of his life. A successful
street preacher, he often spent entire days hearing confessions.
Nicholas truly befriended the poor and sick. During his sainthood
process, the Vatican accepted about 30 miracles attributed to his
intercession. He is the patron of poor souls and mariners.
Saints
Page 9
dictated that the responsibility
of caring for a widowed mother
would have passed to the next
oldest son, had one existed.
Parish Diary
Q. Why are so many priests
these days wearing beards? Is
it required? Even the priests
on EWTN sport them. There
is nothing like a clean-shaven
man, especially a priest. I’ve
been a Catholic all my life
and now, at the age of 82, this
beard bit bothers me; it looks as
though they are hiding something. When I walk into Mass
and see a bearded priest, I feel
like I’m in a synagogue. Thank
you for any update you can give
me on this. (Baltimore, Md.)
A. Among the Jews in Old
Testament times, a beard was
cherished as a sign of virility.
This carried over to the time of
Christ, and the apostles in most
ancient monuments are represented as bearded.
Quite likely, although it
cannot be shown conclusively,
Jesus wore a beard. (If so, this
calls into question the letterwriter’s observation that bearded priests today “are trying to
hide something.”)
Among Romans, on the
other hand, it was customary
for men to be clean-shaven. As
Christianity spread through the
West, Western customs were
assimilated and, throughout the
Middle Ages, church law from
time to time dictated that Latinrite clergy should refrain for
wearing beards. (Eastern-rite
clergy, on the other hand, have
commonly worn beards down to
our day.)
At the present time, there is
no universal rule in canon law
regarding the wearing of beards,
although individual bishops are
free to establish guidelines for
their dioceses. I believe that
most Catholics measure priests
by what they say and do rather
than on the presence or absence
of facial hair.
Things A Priest Never Buys
Questions may be
sent to Father Kenneth Doyle at [email protected] and
40 Hopewell St., Albany,
N.Y. 12208.
By Father Peter J. Daly
Once you are ordained a Catholic priest in the U.S., there
are some things that you will never have to buy. They are not
enough of a benefit to bring people into the seminary, but they
are a side benefit nevertheless.
Most obvious, priests never have to buy a necktie. That
is a distinct advantage over other men. When I was practicing
law, I had dozens of neckties. I hated wearing them, especially
on hot summer days in Washington, D.C. I never liked having
to figure out which tie to wear. Red tie or blue tie?
The Roman collar is no more comfortable than a necktie.
Since it is made of plastic, it’s like wearing a dog collar around
your neck. But you at least you never have to worry about
which collar to wear. And unlike ties, Roman collars never
wind up in your soup at formal dinners.
Still in the clothing department, priests will never have to
buy a white dress shirt or a blue suit or brown shoes. We imitate Albert Einstein, who wore the same thing every day. He
always wore khaki pants and a blue shirt, except when he had
to wear a tux. I always wear black. It is easier.
I don’t have to buy various colors of socks either. I buy
only black or white socks. I have no need for anything else.
Since I notice that young men are now wearing black socks at
the gym, too, maybe I only really need black socks.
Priests never have to buy a tuxedo. All of my suits are
black. A Roman collar is considered formal wear. So even
though I go to a lot of weddings and other formal events, I
never rent a tux. I also never buy an umbrella. People are
always leaving umbrellas in church. I haven’t bought an umbrella in 25 years. Whenever it rains, I go to the church “lostand-found” and pick one from the assortment.
Of course, you have to be content with those funny folding “lady” umbrellas that they fold up and put in their purses.
They hardly cover your head, but they are better than nothing.
Sometimes people leave a big golf umbrella in church. God
bless them. I have a collection of great golf umbrellas. Only
thing is, I don’t play golf.
Priests never have to buy their own rosary, Bible or a holy
picture. People will give them to you by the boxcar. I probably
have 20 rosaries. I give them away all the time. People often
do not know what to buy the priest, so they buy a rosary or a
crucifix or a Bible. I have a fair number of holy pictures, crucifixes and religious wall hangings.
There are some big things that I don’t have to buy, which
really cost other people a lot of money. First and foremost are
utilities. I pay for my own cable, but the parish pays for all my
electricity, water, sewer, gas, and phone bills. That is huge. I
think of that every day when I get up in the morning and turn
on the coffee maker.
I get some other things free, like use of the parish copier machine, the Internet, and a free liturgical calendar every
year. Those are small things, but very nice. Of course, the
price of all this stuff is your life.
The pay in the priesthood isn’t much, but they say the
retirement plan is out of this world.
Page 10
In Philippines, United States, Catholics
Prepare To Celebrate Canonization Of Teenager Saint
By Simone Orendain
Catholic News Service
MANILA, Philippines (CNS)
-- Catholics in the Philippines
and the U.S. are preparing to
celebrate the Oct. 21 canonization of Blessed Pedro Calungsod, a teen catechist killed in
Guam in the 17th century.
Witness accounts in the records
of Jesuit missionaries show
Blessed Pedro died trying to
protect his mentor, Jesuit Father
Diego Jose Luis San Vitores, a
missionary who was also killed
in the attack. Two Chamorro
chiefs pursued the missionaries
when they learned Father San
Vitores had baptized a chief’s
daughter without his consent.
Blessed Pedro, a native of Cebu
province in the Philippines,
“was the first to be attacked in
the assault,” explained Msgr.
Ildebrando Leyson of the Cebu
Archdiocese. “And they marveled how he was so skillful in
evading the darts of the spears
... until finally he was hit in the
chest. He fell and the other assassin split his skull.”
Blessed Pedro’s martyrdom
The Shrine Of Saint Peregrine
At The Church Of
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1127 McKinley Avenue,
Johnstown PA 15905 - 4323
Saint Peregrine is the
Patron Saint of
Cancer Sufferers.
He is a powerful intercessor
with God for all those
who are seeking good health.
Saint Peregrine (1260 - 1345)
was a Servite Friar canonized
in 1726. His feast is May 1.
Father Barry Baroni and the faith community at Visitation of
the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish invite you to send your prayer
intentions to the new Shrine of Saint Peregrine at their parish church. The suggested donation for a candle to burn at
the Shrine is $3.00; a novena booklet may be obtained for
$1.00. All intentions will be remembered at every Mass celebrated at the parish for a period of 30 days.
Please remember my intentions at the Shrine:
Name:
Address:
Intention:
CNS Photo/Courtesy Archdiocese Of Cebu
CANONIZATION LOGO: A logo promoting the canonization of
Blessed Pedro Calungsod shows his likeness and symbols associated with his martyrdom -- the cross, palm frond, and outlines of
the islands of Guam and Cebu, Philippines. The young missionary
catechist from Cebu was ki lled the day before Palm Sunday in 1672
in Guam. According to witnesses, he tried to protect his mentor, Jesuit Father Diego Jose Luis San Vitores, who was also killed in the
attack.
has captured the imagination of
some admirers, but it was his intercession that made the Vatican
take notice.
Msgr. Leyson, rector of the
Shrine of Blessed Pedro Calungsod, spent about 15 years looking into Blessed Pedro’s history.
He was part of a team of clergy
that had to verify miraculous
works attributed to the martyr, who was beatified in 2000.
Msgr. Leyson said there were
many claims of sick people being healed because they asked
for Blessed Pedro’s intercession.
In 2003, an unnamed patient
recovered from a type of deep
coma that is rarely survived.
When such patients do survive,
they normally remain in a vegetative state.
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One afternoon a doctor in Cebu,
who worried he might lose his
patient, implored Blessed Pedro to intercede, and four hours
later the patient started showing
vital signs, according to Msgr.
Leyson. Over several weeks, the
patient -- who had never heard
of Blessed Pedro -- was up and
about. Scientists could not explain the situation, and the Vatican’s team of expert doctors and
clergy studied the phenomenon
for six years before deeming it a
miracle in 2011.
Msgr. Leyson said the archdiocese is careful not to focus on
the identity of the person who
was healed, to respect their privacy and to help keep a spiritual
perspective.
“We would want that the attention should be focused on God,
who did the miracle,” he said.
“And to Pedro Calungsod whose
intercession it was that occasioned the miracle ... otherwise
we would be worshipping something else!”
In Seattle, Deacon Fred Cordova of Immaculate Conception
Church took note of Blessed
Pedro when he learned about
the miracle. The 81-year old
Filipino-American was born to
Filipino parents and was raised
in the United States.
Deacon Cordova is a retired historian, and he helped found the
Blessed Pedro Calungsod Guild
in 2005. He said he thinks of
Blessed Pedro as a friend, and
the guild founders thought that,
in the spirit of friendship, his
impending sainthood would be
a good way to bring FilipinoAmerican Catholics together
and help them feel at home in
their adopted culture.
“They may go into a parish
and not feel ownership ... like
they’re there just as guests,”
Deacon Cordova told Catholic
News Service by phone. “We try
and make them feel very much
a part, to participate in everything of parish life besides just
the sacraments, besides just the
liturgy.”
Deacon Cordova said the guild
has received generous donations
toward planned celebrations and
events around Blessed Pedro’s
canonization.
Another group is preparing
for Blessed Pedro’s ascension
to sainthood through the +Big
Movement in Manila. One of the
movement’s founders, Clarke
Nebrao, is a lay missionary who
wanted to commemorate the
Cebu Archdiocese’s “Year of
Missions” by looking to Blessed
Pedro as an example.
“We thought of ‘plus big’ because he didn’t do anything big
(before he was martyred),” said
Nebrao. “But everything he did
became so significant that we
know that in our life today, if we
do small acts of kindness, small
acts of goodness (for) others
through the mission, eventually
the Lord will magnify that life
that you have given and the life
that you have lived for him.”
CNS Photo/Corinne Simon, Catholic Press Photo
GROTTO AT LOURDES: People pray at the Massabielle grotto in Lourdes, France, where Mary appeared to Saint Bernadette Soubirous in 1858. This is a 1999 file photo.
Priest Says Real Pilgrimage
Takes Time, Reflection
By Cindy Wooden
VATICAN CITY (CNS)
-- Father Caesar Atuire is not
naive enough to ask his pilgrims
to leave their smartphones at
home.
However, the CEO of a Vatican-related pilgrimage agency
does ask his pilgrims to at least
look at the holy sites -- perhaps
even say a prayer -- before clicking and capturing the moment in
a photo, text message, Tweet or
Facebook post.
Father Atuire, a Ghanaianborn priest of the Diocese of
Rome, personally leads at least
three of the pilgrimages he oversees each year for Opera Romana Pellegrinaggi, which organizes spiritual travel from Rome for
40,000-50,000 people each year
and assists about 700,000 pilgrims visiting the Eternal City
annually.
More and more, he said,
helping travelers become pilgrims means overcoming a
fixation with images that completely overshadows experienc-
ing the reality of setting off on
a journey, meeting new people,
exploring different cultures and
entering into prayer.
People at audiences and
Masses with Pope Benedict XVI
see the pope through their camera lens, cellphones and iPads.
The same thing happens at
Christian holy sites around the
world, he said.
“What I insist with our pilgrims is live the experience and,
if the experience is so powerful,
then try to immortalize it with
an image, but don’t start off with
the image,” he said.
A second, similar modern
obstacle to an authentic pilgrim
experience is Facebook or other
social networks and the general
ease of communicating with
others anywhere in the world.
Father Atuire talks about
“being present, but absent.” He
said, “I can be here with you,
but all that I’m doing is geared
toward telling people elsewhere
what I’m doing right now. That’s
a kind of absenteeism that’s becoming very pronounced even
in our pilgrimages.”
The third big risk is speed,
he said.
“It takes 90 minutes to fly
from Rome to Lourdes,” and as
soon as the plane lands, he said,
people are calling home, “asking
the kids to take the laundry out
of the machine. And I say, ‘Wait
a minute, you still aren’t here.’”
People’s minds, hearts and
souls need time to move from
thoughts of work, home or
school, Father Atuire said, so his
agency offers catechesis on the
planes. In addition, each morning guides conduct a brief meeting to remind people of where
they are and what they’re about
to do.
All people need a break
from the daily grind now and
then, he said. They need to get in
touch again with their families,
with nature, with themselves
and with God.
If a person isn’t traveling
for work, they usually either are
“running away from something
or searching for something,” the
priest said.
The key difference between
leisure travel and a pilgrimage
is the search for a spiritual encounter, he said, and throughout
history certain shrines and sites
have become known as places
with “a density of God’s presence,” he said.
For the priest, who travels
often, the three places that top
his list for “spiritual density” are
the chapel of Christ’s tomb in
Jerusalem’s Church of the Holy
Sepulcher; the grotto where
Mary appeared to Saint Bernadette
in Lourdes,
(Continued
From France;
Page 10.)and
the Sea of Galilee in the silence
of the
morning
or late20
eveOnearly
Sunday,
December
at
ning.
7:00 p.m., the two choirs, along
think Youth
you can
do
with“Ithedon’t
Cathedral
Choir,
anything
but
pray”
in
those
placwill present the annual Advent of
es,
he said.Concert at the Cathedral,
Christmas
“Religious
experience
has
accompanied
by orchestra,
and feaaturing
corporal
Father
Part I ofdimension,”
Handel’s “Messiah.”
Atuire
“When
are
Thesaid.
choirs
will bepeople
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in
searchofof
a deepWill,
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Nicholas
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somehow
dral music director,
James
needs
to be
involved,”
so setting
Dengler,
organist
and choirmaster
off
fromLuke’s.
home and going on a
at Saint
pilgrimage
quite
natural,
A free -iswill
offering
willnot
be
only
for Christians,
but also for
accepted
at both events.
members of most other major
religions.
Annual Concert
“Christian pilgrimage Saint
is all
Hollidaysburg:
about
beginning
Michaelencounters,”
the Archangel Parish
will
with
encountering
other
seekpresent
its third annual
Advent/
ers
and believers,
butSunday,
also being
Christmas
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Deencouraged
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cember 20 atby
7:00
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program
will
feature
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to
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Children’s
Choir directed
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Unfortunately
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Harteis,
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said,
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Julie Hanlon,
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focus
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Following
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refreshof the
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will be
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thethe
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aments
journey:
“The
roadin is
pilHall.
grimage
and it prepares you for
the encounter.”
Page 11
While a pilgrimage is a purposeful break from one’s normal
routine, it’s not a break from
rules and good manners, he said.
“A pilgrimage is putting
order into your life, going back
to put real order in your life -order in terms of your relationships with other persons, order
in terms
of your relationship
String
Ensemble
withFriedens:
God,” he The
said.Igou
“SinFamily
is disorder,
and
a
pilgrimage
is an
String Ensemble has scheduled
a
opportunity
to
recover
that
harseries of Christmas Concerts,
mony that
lostHim,”
through
“Come,
Lethas
Usbeen
Adore
at
everyday
life.
That’s
why
it’s -a
churches in the Altoona
deeply religious
experience.”
Johnstown
Diocese.
Although
often
The concert scheduleimmersed
includes:
in the nitty-gritty
ofSaint
charterDecember
14, 7:00 p.m.,
Aning planes
buses, Decembooking
drew
Church,and
Johnstown;
hotels
and p.m.,
writing
homilies
for
ber
15, 6:00
Most
Holy TrinhisChurch,
pilgrims,
Father
does
ity
South
Fork;Atuire
December
have6:30
a dream
and Matthew
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19,
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Saint
includes Tyrone;
a detailed
itinerary.20,
He
Church,
December
just needs
to find the time,
the
2:00
p.m., Resurrection
Church,
resources and
the pilgrims.
Johnstown;
December
27, 3:00
day, of
hethe
said,
he’d Saclove
p.m., One
Cathedral
Blessed
to takeAltoona;
a groupandto January
the Marrament,
3,
ian shrine
at Kibeho,
Rwanda,
2010,
3:00 p.m.,
Queen of
Peace
where young
Church,
Patton.people reported apparitions of Mary in the 1980s;
the local bishop has recognized
the apparitions as authentic.
“It’s a region of Africa that
Parishes
is struggling to find peace, stability and growth” following the
Charitable Outreach
genocide of the 1990s, Father
Coupon: On Sunday, NovemAtuire said. He would like to
ber 22, members of Saint Joseph
bring a group of pilgrims with
Parish delivered 100 decorated shoe
him, “look into Our Lady’s mesboxes to Operation Christmas
sage and see what signs of hope
Child. With the combined efforts
we can find there.”
of the Altar and Rosary Society, the
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Page 12
Midwest Drought Expected To
Impact Altar Bread Prices
By Brian J. Lowney
GREENVILLE,
R.I.
(CNS) -- Manufacturers of altar
bread are preparing to face rising costs of wheat flour as grain
prices fluctuate in the wake of a
severe drought that continues to
plague the Midwest and Western
Canada. But they expect to pass
along only a minimal price increase to their customers.
In Clyde, Mo., Benedictine
Sister Rita Claire Dohn, manager of the altar bread ministry
of the Benedictine Sisters of
Perpetual Adoration, has witnessed a 25 percent increase in
the price of wheat flour since the
convent last received a delivery
two months ago.
“That’s pretty steep when
there isn’t a large profit margin,”
Sister Dohn emphasized, adding
that the convent is the largest religious producer of altar breads
in the world. The sisters offer
their altar breads wholesale to
many smaller convents that resell the life-giving breads to support their community.
“You have to be competitive,” she continued, noting that
the sisters are being cautious and
have yet to increase the prices of
their goods.
She added that the sisters
will “hold off as long as possible,” on passing on to their customers any price increases. In
addition to making altar bread,
the 52-member community is
supported by the sale of liturgical vestments and gourmet popcorn.
Sister Dohn said the Clyde
monastery produces about 125
million altar breads per year,
from whole wheat or white
bread. A package containing 500
hosts costs $5.
A farmer in Kansas produces the whole-wheat flour they
use, and the white flour comes
from a commercial miller in
Missouri. Because of contractu-
al obligations, the sisters would
not release specific information
regarding wheat prices or their
suppliers.
Sister Dohn said the prolonged drought has already
taken a toll on the monastery
grounds, where new landscaping has withered and died.
“The trees are totally burned,”
she said. “It looks like fall; the
leaves are falling off the trees.”
She added that many of the
monastery’s lay employees are
also farmers, and many have
had corn and soybean crops destroyed by the drought.
According to the National
Weather Service Climate Prediction Center, based in Maryland, drought has affected more
than 60 percent of the contiguous 48 states as of mid-August,
although significant expansion
stopped during the last two
weeks.
About one-quarter of the
country has experienced extreme to exceptional drought,
primarily in a large area extending from the central Rockies
eastward through the Mississippi and Ohio River valleys. Many
parts of the Midwest received 8
to 12 inches less precipitation
There is no telling how
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CNS Photo/Laura Kilgus, Rhode Island Catholic
PACKAGING ALTAR BREADS: Tim Whitecross, an employee
at Cavanagh Company, packages boxes of altar bread wafers August
22 on the production line at the plant in Greenville, R.I. Manufacturers of altar bread are preparing to face rising costs of wheat flour as
grain prices fluctuate in the wake of a severe drought that continues
to plague the Midwest and Western Canada.
than normal from April 1-Aug.
14, with a few areas reporting
deficits exceeding one foot of
rainfall.
Locally, at the Cavanagh
Company in Greenville, one of
the world’s leading manufacturers of altar breads, the Midwest
drought has yet to make its impact felt.
General Manager Andy Cavanagh said the company hasn’t
yet witnessed an increase in the
price it pays for its wheat flour,
although it has been notified
by its supplier to expect higher
prices in the near future as the
price of wheat continues to rise.
“We have not felt the effects
of this yet,” Cavanagh said, adding that the price of wheat flour
doubled in 2008 when a wheat
shortage developed as a result
of Midwestern farmers shifting
their focus to corn, which at the
time was more lucrative.
“It’s tough to foresee what
the future prices will bring,” Cavanagh added, noting that the
company currently pays about
$29 for 100 pounds of wheat
flour.
The fourth-generation altar
bread manufacturer said that
while his company is utilizing
its current inventory of wheat
flour, he does expect a slight
increase in the cost of the next
shipment in a few weeks.
“I’m assuming it won’t be
much of a price difference,” he
continued. “We pass it on as
gently as possible.”
Cavanagh added that the
company would increase prices
by 2 percent on Oct. 1, which
he attributed to rising employee
medical insurance and energy
costs, and other operational factors, but not to the increase in
the price of wheat flour.
The company currently produces hosts in whole wheat and
white varieties and larger celebration breads in whole wheat.
Cavanagh said the company
operates 24 hours a day, and uses
100 pounds of wheat flour every
20 minutes, for a total of 1.9
million pounds a year. The altar
breads are distributed to church
goods stores and other retailers,
such as convents, throughout the
United States, Canada, Australia, England, Africa and the Caribbean.
He emphasized that because the company produces
altar breads in volume, the cost
to retailers should not be significantly higher.
Page 13
Iowa Wineries Expect Good Grapes For Altar Wines
By Dan Russo
DURANGO, Iowa (CNS)
-- As summer winds down, vineyards across Iowa are now harvesting this year’s “fruit of the
vine.” Despite the worst drought
in recent memory, growers foresee a good crop, mostly because
grape vines can thrive without
much moisture.
The chance that some of
these locally grown grapes will
provide the altar wine used
during Masses in the Dubuque
Archdiocese is better than ever.
Stone Cliff Winery, located
in Durango, is one of the first
wine producers in the state. It
currently supplies about seven
churches with altar wine. Driving down neat leafy rows in a
small motorized cart, co-owner
Nan Smith, who started Stone
Cliff with her husband Bob
about 15 years ago, recently
inspected the sugar content of
hanging grapes with a tiny handheld device.
“(Altar wine) is something we got into later on,” said
Smith. “The priest (at St. Joseph
in Rickardsville) came to us and
said, ‘We feel like we should
support you.’”
The couple now sells a version of their altar wine to the
public under a label called “Purple Cow.”
The number of wine producers in Iowa has grown from
less than 10 a decade ago to
about 90 today, according to the
Iowa Wine Growers Association. Not just any wine will do
for the Eucharist, however. The
Catholic Church has specific
requirements for sacramental
wine.
“(Altar wine) must be at
least 6 percent alcohol and not
more than 18 percent,” explained
Deacon Gerald Jorgensen of
the Church of the Resurrection
in Dubuque. “It must be made
from grapes. It must be naturally
fermented with no additives.”
Because many wines have
added sugar or other ingredients, they don’t qualify for use,
according to Deacon Jorgensen.
Church law bases altar wine requirements on the natural fermentation process and on the
fact that Christ used wine made
from grapes at the Last Supper.
Along with the bread used at
Mass, altar wine is very important because of “transubstantiation,” which takes place at the
consecration.
“(Catholics) believe that the
bread and wine become the body
and blood of Christ,” said Deacon Jorgensen. “They maintain
the same physical characteristics, but they have been changed
essentially.”
For many centuries, wine
was not offered to worshipers
at Mass because of a lack of resources and/or existing customs.
That began to change after the
Second Vatican Council. The
church teaches that a person can
receive the bread or wine and
still have fully participated in
the Eucharist.
Before vineyards existed in
Iowa, churches had to purchase
mostly California wines through
religious supply or liquor stores.
Because most churches must
buy much larger quantities than
an individual, state law allows
clergy of any religious denomination to buy or serve sacramental wine without a license.
As Iowa winemaking began to boom in the 2000s, many
Catholics wanted to support local agriculture for moral reasons. Jim Carroll, a lay Catholic
now living in Dubuque, took it
upon himself to research where
in Iowa altar wine is produced.
“Supporting local farms fits
with the Catholic social justice
movement,” said Carroll. “Buying locally supports the local
economy.”
CNS Photo/Dan Russo, The Witness
INSPECTS GRAPES: Nan Smith, co-owner of Stone Cliff Winery
in Durango, Iowa, inspects this year’s crop of grapes at the vineyard August 9. Despite the worst drought in recent memory, Smith
foresees a good crop, mostly because grape vines can thrive without
much moisture. The company is one of a growing number in Iowa
that makes altar wine for Catholic parishes.
Carroll got the idea for
compiling a list of Iowa altar
winemakers in 2008 after major
floods got him thinking about
how parishes would get suitable
altar wines in an emergency.
Many local family-owned
wine producers have unique
relationships with parishes. In
Ackley, for example, Eagle City
Winery, based in Iowa Falls, donates all the altar wine used by
St. Mary’s Parish because its
owners, Ken and Carolyn Groninga, are members.
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“(Eagle City) is the third
winery to open in Iowa,” said
Ken Groninga. “I opened 12
years ago. I was retired and
looking for something to do.”
In return for the donations,
parish volunteers help out the
retired couple.
“In the fall, our youth come
out and pick the grapes,” said
Jolene Harms, St. Mary’s director of religious education.
Even many larger vineyards
and wineries have strong ties
to the community around them.
Dave Cushman, the general
manager of Park Farm Winery
in Bankston, says his family
started a vineyard in 2001 and
began producing wine in 2005.
He began making altar wine because of a connection to St. Columbkille’s Parish in Dubuque.
“My parents are members of St. Columbkille’s,” said
Cushman. “I always like to think
of wine as more than just an alcoholic beverage.”
Park Farm Winery now also
provides altar wine for other
parishes in Dubuque, including
Holy Ghost, Holy Trinity and
Sacred Heart churches, as well
as the Church of the Nativity.
The explosion of new winemakers in Iowa has slowed down
since peaking in 2006. Although
grapes are a relatively recent
addition, many area farmers,
including the owners of Prairie
Moon Winery near Ames, which
also produces altar wine, believe
the Iowa wine industry has created roots in the state that are as
strong as the vines they plant.
“In Iowa, we can grow anything,” said Matt Nissen of Prairie Moon Winery. “The drought
doesn’t affect the grapes. Their
roots go down 10 feet.”
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Page 14
Now Showing
‘Sparkle’ As Subtle
As A Runaway
Freight Train
By Kurt Jensen
NEW
YORK
(CNS)
-- “Sparkle” (TriStar) is a
soundtrack album packaged as a
motion picture. But since this is
evidently a point of pride for the
filmmakers, take it as an observation, not a criticism.
This remake of the 1976
melodrama about a girl trio,
set in 1968 Detroit, manages to
be both as predictably familiar
as your grandmother’s living
room and as subtle as a runaway
freight train. More overwrought
and stale dialogue you’ve seldom heard. But the charisma
of the performers and the consistently expressed desire of all
the principal characters to lead
moral lives hold the enterprise
together.
Director Salim Akil together with his wife, screenwriter
Mara Brock Akil, creates a grittily authentic, pulsating period
club scene. There are skinny ties
on the men, bouffant hairdos on
the women; everyone smokes
cigarettes wherever and whenever they choose. And we’re
shown the precise moment in
which wearing an Afro became
a political statement.
The three Anderson sisters
are Sparkle (Jordin Sparks), a
talented songwriter too shy to
Sunday Mass
Broadcast Live from
the Cathedral of
the Blessed Sacrament, Altoona
10:00 a.m. WFBG Radio, 1290 AM
Sunday Mass Telecast
Live from Saint John Gualbert Cathedral
Downtown Johnstown
11 a.m. - Noon WWCP - TV FOX Channel 8
Proclaim!
10:30 a.m. (Early Edition 5:30 a.m.)
A half - hour of local Church news and features
sing leads; aggressively sexual
Sister (Carmen Ejogo), who
yearns for a show business career as a way to get out of her
dead-end job at a department
store; and Dolores (Tika Sumpter), who also sees performing as
a means to an end. In her case,
the goal is to earn enough money to pay for medical school.
Their mother, Emma (the
late Whitney Houston in her final role), had attempted a music
career when younger. Embittered by her failure, she tries to
keep her daughters toeing the
line with a church-centered life.
They have to conduct their club
adventures on the sly.
Everyone takes different
paths to their respective dreams,
and for a brief time, it even appears that Emma might have
succeeded in keeping all of them
off the stage.
Sister ditches the struggling Levi (Omari Hardwick) to
marry the abusive Satin (Mike
Epps), a comedian who has built
a career telling racist jokes to
white audiences. He beats Sister
and gets her hooked on cocaine.
Dolores finds scholarships for
med school, while Sparkle continues to receive gentle encouragement from boyfriend Stix
(Derek Luke).
But decision-making processes and “big” conversations
do not appear. Situations simply change, either for better or
worse, and the audience has to
fill in the rest. Shunted to the
side is a clergyman, the Rev.
Bryce (Michael Beach), who
ought to have advice to give, but
doesn’t.
Sparkle’s strongest argument to her mother is, “Why did
the Lord give me this gift if he
didn’t want me to use it?”
The film builds to the timehonored conclusion of all showbusiness tales, demonstrating
that it’s possible to maintain
moral standards and reach one’s
potential -- and with stunning
high notes, too.
Houston’s hauntingly emotional rendition of the gospel
classic “His Eye Is on the Sparrow,” performed in church, is
about as nice an epitaph for the
singer as anyone could wish.
The film contains marital
violence culminating in a homicide, cocaine use, sexual ban-
CNS Photo/Sony
SPARKLE: Jordin Sparks stars in a scene from the movie “Sparkle.” The Catholic News Service classification is A-III -- adults. The
Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG-13 -- parents
strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children
under 13. (CNS photo/Sony
ter, several racial epithets and a
fleeting scatological reference.
The Catholic News Service classification is A-III -- adults. The
Motion Picture Association of
America rating is PG-13 -- parents strongly cautioned. Some
material may be inappropriate
for children under 13.
Coming Up On ‘Proclaim!’
Upcoming guests on “Keeping The Faith,” Bishop Mark
L. Bartchak’s segment of “Proclaim!” will include:
September 16 - - Bishop Mark interviews three current or former Bishop Carroll Catholic High School students who were recently recognized for their academic
and artistic achievements and community service.
September 23 - - As part of the Diocesan Marriage
Building Initiative, Conventual Franciscan Father Anthony Francis Spilka, pastor of Saint Francis of Assisi
and Saint Michael Parishes in Johnstown, discusses
the Sacramental status of divorced individuals.
May
They Rest
In Peace
Sister Pearl Yohe
C.S.J.
Sister Pearl Yohe, 78, (formerly Sister Mary Gilbert) died
Friday, August 24, in Villa St.
Joseph, Baden, in the 58st year
of her religious life as a Sister of
Saint Joseph of Baden.
The daughter of the late
Ralph and Jane (Lemme) Yohe,
Sister Pearl entered the congregation from Holy Rosary Parish
in Pittsburgh.
Sister Pearl ministered as a
teacher for thirteen years in the
Altoona - Johnstown, Greensburg and Pittsburgh Dioceses.
In 1971 she began her ministry
in health care and served as a
nurse’s aide and hospice home
health aide at Saint Joseph Hospital and Jefferson Center of
the South Hills Health System
(SHHS), where she was the
“heart of hospice”.
Upon retiring, Sister Pearl
remained at SHHS Hospice
Home Care as a hospice volunteer. She retired to the Motherhouse in 2009 and became a resident of Villa St. Joseph in 2012.
Surviving is a sister, Mary
Jane Anderson of Greenville,
and three brothers: Richard,
Ronald and John of Pittsburgh,
nieces and nephews, grand nieces and grand nephews, and the
Sisters of Saint Joseph of Baden.
The funeral Mass for Sister
Pearl Yohe C.S.J. was celebrated on Monday, August 27 in the
chapel of Saint Joseph Convent,
Baden. Committal was in the
Sisters’ Cemetery on the Motherhouse grounds.
Donations in the name of
Sister Pearl may be sent to the
Sisters of Saint Joseph Memorial Fund, Saint Joseph Convent,
1020 State Street, Baden, PA
15005.
May the souls of
all the faithful departed,
through
the mercy of God,
rest in peace.
Page 15
Cardinal Martini, Biblical Scholar,
Former Archbishop Of Milan, Dies At 85
By Cindy Wooden
VATICAN CITY (CNS)
-- Italian Cardinal Carlo Maria
Martini, a renowned biblical
scholar and former archbishop
of Milan, died Aug. 31 at the age
of 85 after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease.
Pope Benedict XVI met
privately with the cardinal during a visit to Milan in June, and
was informed of his ailing health
Aug. 30, the Vatican press office
said.
The cardinal was a prolific
author whose books were bestsellers in Italy and included everything from scholarly biblical
exegesis to poetry and prayer
guides.
He retired as archbishop of
Milan in 2002, where he was
known as a strong pastor and
administrator, and as a very
careful, thoughtful advocate of
wider discussion and dialogue
on some delicate and controversial church positions.
At various times, he expressed openness to the possibility of allowing married Latin-rite
priests under certain circumstances, ordaining women as
deacons and allowing Communion for some divorced Catholics in subsequent marriages not
approved by the church.
During a special Synod of
Bishops for Europe in 1999, he
made waves when he proposed
a new churchwide council or
assembly to unravel “doctrinal
and disciplinary knots” such as
the shortage of priests, the role
of women, the role of laity and
the discipline of marriage. His
carefully worded remarks reflected his belief that the church
would benefit from a wider exercise of collegiality, or the shared
responsibility of bishops for the
governance of the church. The
idea of a new council was not
taken up formally by the synod.
Following his retirement,
his interests focused on biblical
studies, Catholic-Jewish dia-
logue and praying for peace in
the Middle East.
In a September 2004 message to a symposium on the
Holy Land and interreligious
dialogue, the cardinal wrote
that Christians who visit Jerusalem should suspend judgment
on the political situation there
and simply pray for both sides.
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict
had become so complicated
and painful that even an expert
would have trouble sorting it
out, he said.
In a November 2004 speech
at Rome’s Gregorian University,
he told Catholics they could not
understand their faith unless
they understood the Jewish faith
practiced by Jesus and his disciples.
“It is vital for the church not
only to understand the ancient
covenant (between God and the
Jewish people) which has endured for centuries in order to
launch a fruitful dialogue, but
also to deepen our own understanding of who we are as the
church,” he said.
Even in retirement, the
cardinal kept up with issues
of importance in the life of the
church. He was sought after for
interviews and frequently published opinion pieces in Italian
newspapers.
After Pope Benedict eased
restrictions on the celebration
of the pre-Vatican II liturgy in
2007, Cardinal Martini wrote a
newspaper column explaining
why, even though he loved the
Latin language and could even
preach in Latin, he would not
celebrate the old Mass.
He said he admired Pope
Benedict “benevolence” in allowing Catholics “to praise God
with ancient and new forms” by
permitting wider use of the 1962
CNS Photo/Catholic Press Photo
CARDINAL CARLO MARIA
MARTINI
form of the Mass, but his experience as a bishop had convinced
him of the importance of a common liturgical prayer to express
Catholics’ unity of belief.
The cardinal also said the
reformed liturgy that came out
of the Second Vatican Council
marked “a real step forward” in
nourishing Catholics “with the
word of God, offered in a much
more abundant way than before,” with a much larger selection of Scripture readings.
In a 2008 book-length interview titled “Nighttime Conversations in Jerusalem,” Cardinal Martini said Pope Paul VI’s
1968 encyclical “Humanae Vitae” (“Of Human Life”), which
taught that artificial birth control
was morally wrong, led many
Catholics to distance themselves
from the church and from listening to and being challenged by
the Catholic vision of human
sexuality.
While not specifically addressing the morality of contraception, the cardinal said the
Born in Orbassano, near Turin, Italy,
Feb. 15, 1927, Carlo Maria Martini entered the Society of Jesus in 1944, was
ordained a priest July 13, 1952, and
took his final vows as a Jesuit in 1962.
church needed to take a more
pastoral approach to questions
of sexuality. “The church should
always treat questions of sexuality and the family in such a way
that a leading and decisive role
is up to the responsibility of the
person who loves,” he said.
Born in Orbassano, near
Turin, Italy, Feb. 15, 1927,
Carlo Maria Martini entered the
Society of Jesus in 1944, was
ordained a priest July 13, 1952,
and took his final vows as a Jesuit in 1962.
The cardinal, a biblical
scholar, never held a parish post.
With doctorates in theology and
biblical studies, he was a seminary professor in Chieri, Italy,
1958-1961; professor and later
rector of the Pontifical Biblical
Institute in Rome, 1969-1978;
and rector of the Pontifical Gregorian University from July
1978 until his December 1979
appointment to Milan.
After his retirement in
2002, he moved to Jerusalem
and purchased a burial plot there
but returned to Milan after his
health worsened in 2008. He
died in a Jesuit retirement home
near Milan, surrounded by his
Jesuit confreres and members of
his family.
When he was named archbishop of Milan, Cardinal Martini was the first Jesuit in 35 years
to head an Italian archdiocese.
Pope John Paul II ordained him
an archbishop Jan. 6, 1980, in
St. Peter’s Basilica and named
him a cardinal in 1983.
A well-known speaker and
retreat master, he served as spiritual director of the U.S. bishops’
spring meeting in Collegeville,
Minn., in 1986. In that role, he
conducted a day of recollection
on the first day and presented
a series of reflections during
morning prayers throughout the
meeting.
Cardinal Martini’s death
leaves the College of Cardinals with 206 members, 118 of
whom are under the age of 80
and therefore eligible to vote in
a conclave to elect a new pope.
Page 16
Sacred Duty: Saints Show That Church Is Holy
Despite Human Failings
By Cindy Wooden
PERIODICAL RATE MAIL
VATICAN CITY (CNS)
-- Catholic devotion to the saints
appears to be alive and well, and
Pope Benedict XVI continues to
proclaim new saints at a regular
pace.
The official calendar of
saints’ feast days will grow in
October when the pope canonizes seven men and women, including Mother Marianne Cope
of Molokai and three laypeople:
the Native American Kateri
Tekakwitha, the Filipino Peter Calungsod and the German
Anna Schaffer.
The canonization Mass
Oct. 21 will be one of the first
big events of Pope Benedict’s
Year of Faith, which is designed
to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the opening of the
Second Vatican Council and to
launch a strengthened commitment to the new evangelization.
According to Cardinal Angelo Amato, prefect of the Congregation for Saints’ Causes, the
appeal of the saints and their
concrete examples of holiness
give them “an undeniably positive role to play in this time of
new evangelization,” since they
are living proof that the church
is holy.
In a new book, currently
available only in Italian, Cardinal Amato writes that it’s easy
to understand how people can
BLESSED KATERI
TEKAKWITHA
BLESSED MARIANNE
COPE
BLESSED PEDRO
CALUNGSOD
The saints and martyrs officially recognized by the church are
the “demonstration that the church, even if it is not already
perfect, given the misery of many of its sons and daughters, is
not less holy, but continues to produce the fruits of holiness
and always will.”
question the church’s holiness
when they see the sinful behavior of some of its members. But
the good, loving and charitable
activities of other members are
the best evidence that the church
truly is the holy body of Christ,
he says.
“The holiness of the church
is not the sum of the holiness
of its children, but is a spiritual
gift received from the spirit of
the Risen Christ,” he writes.
“Throughout history, the church
carries the treasure of its holi-
ness in earthen vessels. Being
aware of that, the historic church
can do nothing other than continually convert to the cross of
Christ.”
The saints and martyrs officially recognized by the church
are the “demonstration that the
church, even if it is not already
perfect, given the misery of
many of its sons and daughters,
is not less holy, but continues to
produce the fruits of holiness
and always will.”
Individual Christians and
Christian communities thus have
an obligation to pursue holiness
“to counterbalance the humiliations” Christ’s body suffers because of the sins of its members,
he writes.
For Jesuit Father Paolo
Molinari, who served as an expert at Vatican II and shepherded Blessed Kateri’s sainthood
cause for 55 years, saints are not
mythic heroes but real men and
women who show all Christians
that it’s possible to live holy
lives no matter where they were
The Catholic
Register
Official Publication of the
Diocese of Altoona - Johnstown
born or what their state of life.
It’s not a matter of demonstrating extraordinary courage
in a dangerous situation, but
“living an ordinary life in an
extraordinary way,” a way that
“comes from the spirit of Jesus
poured into our hearts,” Father
Molinari said in an interview
with Catholic News Service.
Another great thing about
the saints, Father Molinari said,
is that they are ready, willing and
able today to help the church’s
members along the path of holiness.
The Second Vatican Council “purified” exaggerated practices related to the veneration of
the saints, for example, where
the faithful would “enter into a
church and go to the statue of St.
Anthony or St. Rita and touch it,
but not even think that the Lord
is present in the tabernacle,” he
said.
But the council still emphasized the fact that those friends
of God are part of the church and
will intervene on behalf of those
still living on earth, he said.
Veneration of the saints, the
Jesuit said, is a sign of “the link
between the pilgrim church (on
earth) and the ones who have
gone to God.”
Blessed Kateri is, like all
the saints, still part of the Catholic family, concerned about the
needs of her kin, Father Molinari said; and so, “being with
God, she will probably whisper
into the ear of God something of
what we say to her.”

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