Bishops Focus on Religious Liberty, Election Document, Upcoming

Transcription

Catholic Witness
The
The Newspaper of the Diocese of Harrisburg
June 20, 2014
Vol 48 No. 12
A Sacred
Display
This artistic rendering of the
Eleventh Station, “Jesus is nailed to
the Cross,” is part of a unique and
preserved collection of the Stations
of the Cross housed at the State Museum of Pennsylvania.
The paintings, each measuring sixfeet high, are the artwork of noted
Italian artist Lorenzo Scattaglia,
commissioned to produce the pieces
for the original St. Joseph Church in
Hanover. When the church was razed
in 1963, the paintings of the Stations
of the Cross were donated to the
State Museum for preservation.
In observance of the 150th anniversary of St. Joseph Parish, the museum recently hosted a private showing
of the paintings for members of the
parish community. (See page 16 for
further coverage.)
The image of Christ’s sacrifice on
the cross turns our minds to the upcoming Solemnity of the Most Holy
Body and Blood of Christ – the Feast
of Corpus Christi – on June 22. The
feast is frequently observed in parishes through Eucharistic devotions,
adoration of the Blessed Sacrament,
and Eucharistic processions.
In commemorating this solemnity,
St. John Paul II said a decade ago,
“the Church does not only celebrate
the Eucharist but solemnly bears it
in procession, publicly proclaiming
that the Sacrifice of Christ is for the
salvation of the whole world.”
The Eleventh Station, painted by
Italian artist Lorenzo Scattaglia in
Hanover in the late 1800s, was
among the collection of his Stations
of the Cross shown during a special
viewing at the Pennsylvania State
Museum June 14 for members of St.
Joseph Parish in Hanover.
CHRIS HEISEY, THE CATHOLIC WITNESS
Bishops Focus on Religious Liberty,
Election Document, Upcoming Synod
By Carol Zimmermann
Catholic News Service
The U.S. Bishops are calling on the faithful to observe the annual Fortnight for Freedom to raise awareness for domestic and international religious freedom
concerns. See page 3 for an Op-Ed on religious liberty
by Bishop Ronald W. Gainer, and information on resources and materials for participating in this annual
observation.
During their June 11-13 spring general assembly
in New Orleans, the nation’s Catholic bishops voted to extend their Ad Hoc Committee on Religious
Liberty and to approve work on a limited revision
of their quadrennial document aimed at guiding
Catholics in election decisions.
They also were urged to promote and support
Catholic families by paying close attention to the
upcoming synod on the family at the Vatican and
to promote the World Meeting of Families next
year in Philadelphia.
The bishops heard about the progress made and
the work that still needs to be done on efforts to
protect children from sexual abuse. They received
a report about their aid to typhoon victims in the
Philippines and were advised about the work being
done to make sure religious educational materials
conform to the Catechism of the Catholic Church.
The public sessions of the meetings took place
June 11 and the morning of June 12 before the
bishops went into executive session.
“It is always a great joy for us to be together,”
Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, apostolic nuncio
to the United States, told the bishops at the start of
their meeting. There is “unity and strength from
the Holy Spirit when you gather as one Church,”
he added.
The nuncio emphasized the need to be in solidarity not only with each other but also with Catholic
leaders and the faith community in the Iraqi city of
Mosul, where Christians were among the hundreds
of thousands of people who began fleeing June 9
after Islamist forces took over much of the city.
“We join with them in solidarity and hope that
the international community will not remain insensitive” to the attacks, he said.
Prior to the vote on a three-year extension of the
More BISHOPS FOCUS, page 12
2 - The Catholic Witness • June 20, 2014
Job Openings ~ Diocese of Harrisburg
The Diocese of Harrisburg has openings for the positions listed below. Closing date to apply for any of these positions is July 11, 2014. Send a cover letter
and résumé to: [email protected], or to Human Resources Director,
Diocese of Harrisburg, 4800 Union Deposit Road, Harrisburg PA 17111.
Full-Time Human
Resources Assistant
Full-Time HCAS
Payroll Technician
Harrisburg Catholic Administrative Services
(HCAS) is seeking an individual with experience
in the administration of employee benefits and
other HR programs. The successful candidate
must be able to demonstrate: a general knowledge of various employment laws and practices; ability to identify and resolve problems in a
timely manner; ability to gather and analyze information skillfully; ability to exhibit a high level
of confidentiality; excellent computer skills, including Word and Excel in a Microsoft windows
environment; skills in database management and
record keeping; excellent interpersonal skills; excellent organizational skills; high levels of verbal
and written communication skills. The successful candidate must be able to use independent
initiative and judgment and must exhibit professionalism on a consistent basis. Education and/
or experience: A Bachelors degree in a Human
Resources related field. One or two years related
work experience preferred. Competitive salary
and benefits.
Harrisburg Catholic Administrative Services
(HCAS) is seeking a confident self-starter with
general payroll processing experience. You must
be organized, professional and motivated, capable of working well alone or as a member of a
team. You need to be able to take direction and
follow through on duties and responsibilities with
minimal supervision. Excellent customer service
skills are required, as you will be working with
entities throughout the diocese to obtain complete and accurate employment records and time
sheets to process pay on a bi-weekly basis for
approximately 3,300 employees. You must have
a proven ability to work with financial figures.
Accuracy, attention to detail, Microsoft Office,
and confidentially are essential skills as this role
is data entry. Required education/experience:
High school diploma or general education degree
(GED); one/two years related payroll experience.
Competitive salary and benefits.
Full-Time HCAS
Administrative Assistant
Behind every great team is an Administrative
Assistant who helps makes business happen. We
are looking for a team member to work with the
Management Team of Harrisburg Catholic Administrative Services (HCAS). Our new team
member will possess excellent skills in the areas
of communication, organization and technology. They should also have sound judgment and
understand the importance of teamwork. Time
Management skills will be crucial, as you will
be working across several departments within
HCAS. The successful candidate will exhibit
professionalism on a consistent basis and be able
to maintain strict confidentiality in all matters.
Some knowledge of diocesan and parish organizational structure would be helpful, but not
essential. Proficiency in all Microsoft 2010 applications is essential. Competitive salary and
benefits.
Full-Time
Help Desk Technician
The Diocese of Harrisburg’s IT Department is
accepting applications for a Help Desk Technician. This position will be the primary user contact for computer support and Help Desk issues.
Candidate will be expected to perform a variety
of computer/network problem analysis and monitoring tasks for the Office of Information Technology; act upon issues or consult with appropriate technical staff; log, coordinate and track
requests; escalate issues when necessary; install
and test PCs; fix performance issues; diagnose
hardware-related problems; troubleshoot, maintain or repair peripherals; and work with storage
devices and software programs that are attached
or installed on diocesan computers. Ideal candidate will have associates degree in Computer
Information Systems; proficient technical skills
in supporting Windows desktop/server operating
systems and MS Office applications. The candidate should have highly-developed problem solving skills, demonstrate excellent verbal communication and interpersonal skills, and the ability
to function in a team environment.
Pilgrimage to the National Shrine
Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes
Mount St. Mary’s, Emmitsburg
Initiated by Father Walter Sempko in 1987, the
27th Annual Pilgrimage for World Peace will take
place on Thursday, Aug. 7, at the National Shrine
Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes.
The Day’s Schedule
10:00 Welcome (St. Mary’s Chapel on the Hill)
10:15–11:30 Sacrament of Reconciliation
11:30 Holy Rosary (Grotto - weather permitting)
12:00 Holy Mass (Grotto - weather permitting)
Celebrant and Homilist:
Bishop Ronald W. Gainer
Concelebrants:
Priests from the Diocese of Harrisburg
1:15 Lunch on your own (must bring your lunch)
2:15–2:45 Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary and
Prayer of Consecration (Grotto – weather permitting)
3:00–4:00 Holy Hour with the Chaplet of Divine
Mercy (St. Mary’s Chapel on the Hill), with Bishop
Gainer as homilist
All are welcome this day to join with Bishop
Gainer to pray for peace through the conversion
of hearts, and to receive God’s blessings through
Mary, Mother of God, and Mother of the Church.
You do not need to register. There is no transportation provided; pilgrims are encouraged to
car pool, and parishes are invited to rent a bus, if
feasible. Pilgrims must bring their own lunch and
drinks. Lunch is not available otherwise.
For questions, contact Deacon Tom Lang at
[email protected], or 717-599-1973.
Part-Time Catholic
Patient Care Coordinator
20 Hours a Week, Monday-Friday
Based at Penn State Hershey Medical Center
The Diocese of Harrisburg is looking for a confident individual with superior organizational and
administrative skills. This position is responsible
for coordinating and at times providing pastoral
care to patients at the Hershey Medical Center.
The successful candidate must possess high levels of verbal and interpersonal skills and must
be able to use independent initiative and judgment. The candidate must be a Catholic in good
standing with the ability to articulate a pastoral
theology that is both identifiably Catholic and
functional. You must be able to evidence a basic
understanding of medical/ethical issues, ecclesiology and liturgical practices of the Catholic
Church and Diocese. You must be able to exhibit
professionalism on a consistent basis as an ability to maintain good public relations is essential.
Required educational/work experience: A
Bachelor’s degree in a field that easily applies to
a healthcare setting or its equivalent. Formation
in clinical pastoral education is recommended.
Candidates should have experience in providing
pastoral care in a hospital setting or equivalent.
Full-Time
Administrative Assistant
The Secretariat for Education
The Diocese of Harrisburg is seeking a confident individual with superior organizational
and administrative skills to work as part of an
administrative team in the Department of Education. You must possess high levels of verbal,
interpersonal and written communication skills
with the ability to use some independent initiative and judgment. An ability to maintain good
public relations is essential. An ability to work
with financial figures with a basic knowledge of
accounting is desirable. Knowledge of diocesan
and parish/school structure helpful. Proficiency
in all MS Office applications is essential. Must
be a Catholic in good standing. Competitive salary and benefits.
Dr. Scott Hahn
Coming to New Oxford
Dr. Scott Hahn, Professor of Theology and
Scripture at Franciscan University of Steubenville, will host a conference New Oxford High
School in the auditorium on Aug. 30 from 10
a.m.-4 p.m. The event is sponsored by Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish in New Oxford.
Dr. Hahn is the author or editor of more than 40
books, the most recent of which include “Many
are Called,” “Hope for Hard Times,” and “The
Catholic Bible Dictionary.” In 2005, he was appointed as the Pope Benedict XVI Chair of Biblical Theology and Liturgical Proclamation at St.
Vincent Seminary in Latrobe, Pa.
Cost of the conference is $15 per person, and
includes lunch. Dr. Hahn’s books will be available for purchase throughout the day. Register in
advance by contacting Pete Socks at pete.socks@
gmail.com or 717-634-4961 and leave a message.
June 20, 2014 • The Catholic Witness - 3
Op-Ed:
Religious Liberty
By Bishop Ronald W. Gainer
Special to The Witness
Catholics across the United States are once again encouraged to raise awareness for domestic
and international religious freedom concerns during the third annual Fortnight for Freedom, June
21-July 4. The two-week celebration will focus on the theme, “Freedom to Serve,” emphasizing
the link between religious liberty and service to the poor and vulnerable.
“During the Fortnight, our liturgical calendar celebrates great martyrs who remained faithful in the face of persecution by political power—St. John Fisher and St. Thomas More,
John the Baptist, Peter and Paul and the first martyrs of the Church of Rome,” said Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore, chairman of the Ad Hoc Committee for Religious Liberty of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). “This is a time when Catholics
can unite themselves in prayer to the men and women throughout history who spread the Gospel and lived out Jesus’ call to serve the ‘least of these’ in even the direst of circumstances.”
How can you get involved in the Fortnight for Freedom? The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has a wealth of materials available online to help parishes and individuals participate
in the Fortnight, including prayers, guides for special prayer services, information on religious
liberty, and a study guide on Dignitatis Humanae, the Second Vatican Council’s Declaration on
Religious Freedom. There are also links to action alerts and ways to write to Congress to oppose
the HHS mandate and support conscience protection.
For resources, prayers and information on the Fortnight for Freedom and religious liberty, visit:
• The Diocese of Harrisburg’s Web site: www.hbgdiocese.org.
• The Pennsylvania Catholic Conference’s Web site: www.pacatholic.org
• The Fortnight for Freedom Web site: www.fortnight4freedom.org
• The USCCB Web site on religious liberty: www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/religious-liberty/
Clergy Appointments
The Most Reverend Ronald W. Gainer, Bishop
of Harrisburg, has made the following appointments.
Hospital Chaplain to the Catholic patients at Lancaster General Hospital, Lancaster, with residence
at Saint Anthony of Padua Parish, Lancaster.
Effective June 23, 2014
The Reverend Monsignor Thomas H. Smith
from Pastor, Saint Joseph Parish, Lancaster, to
Pastor Emeritus.
The Reverend Allan F. Wolfe to Pastor, Saint
Joseph Parish, Lancaster. Father Wolfe continues as pastor of San Juan Bautista Parish, Lancaster.
The Reverend Daniel K. Richards to Campus
Minister, Gettysburg College, Gettysburg, in addition to his responsibilities as Parochial Vicar,
Saint Francis Xavier Parish, Gettysburg.
At the presentation of the Reverend Augustine
Idra, AJ, Regional Superior of the Apostles of Jesus, the Reverend Deogratias Rwegasira, AJ, to
Effective June 24, 2014
At the presentation of the Reverend Eric Flood,
FSSP, North American District Superior of the
Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter, the Reverend
Michael Flick, FSSP, Assistant Chaplain, Mater
Dei Community, Harrisburg.
Effective July 1, 2014
At the presentation of the Reverend Eric Flood,
FSSP, North American District Superior of the
Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter, the Reverend
Joseph DeGuzman, FSSP, Chaplain, Mater Dei
Community, Harrisburg. Father Carlos Casavantes, FSSP, has been reassigned by his community.
Correction
In the coverage of graduation exercises at Lebanon Catholic School that appeared in the June 6
edition of The Catholic Witness, the name of co-valedictorian Corinne McCarthy was misspelled.
We apologize for the error, and wish all the best to Corinne and this year’s graduates.
Bishop Gainer’s
Public Calendar
• June 22 – Blessing of new Crucifix and installation of Father Joshua Brommer as pastor, St. John the
Baptist Church, New Freedom, 11 a.m.
• June 23 – Celebrant and Homilist, St. Thomas More Society Feast Day Mass,
St. Patrick Cathedral, noon.
• June 24 – Quo Vadis Days, Mount Saint Mary’s Seminary, Emmitsburg, Md.
• June 26 – Invocation at Miter Cup Golf Tournament Dinner, Bent Creek Country Club, Lititz, 6 p.m.
• June 27 – Installation of Father James Lease as Pastor, Sacred Heart of Jesus, Conewago, 7 p.m.
• June 28 – Presbyteral Ordination of Rev. Mr. Kyle Sahd, St. Patrick Cathedral, Harrisburg, 10 a.m.;
Celebrate Mass and Bless Altar, Immaculate Conception BVM Church, York, 5:30 p.m.
• June 29 – Installation of Father Michael Rothan as Pastor, Assumption BVM, Lebanon, 10:30 a.m.;
Installation of Father Michael Rothan as Pastor, St. Benedict the Abbot, Lebanon, noon.
The Lancaster County countryside tells a remarkable
story of religious liberty. The landscape is still dotted with
evidence of the brave men and women who risked everything to escape religious persecution. Conrad Beissel’s
Cloister in Ephrata; the still thriving Amish community;
historic churches home to today’s congregations of Quakers, Mennonites, the United Church of Christ, Methodists,
and Presbyterians; a Jewish synagogue; St. Mary’s Catholic parish that was established by courageous Jesuit priests
in 1741, and the newer Islamic center and Buddhist temple, are all landmarks of religious liberty.
These believers fled their homelands seeking the freedom to practice their faith publically and privately without
government interference. We celebrate the struggles of our
determined forefathers who fought to enshrine religious
liberty into our Bill of Rights. We hold them up as heroes
and heroines.
In a free and diverse society, we respect the freedom to
live out our convictions. Yet today, alarmingly, men and
women who stand up for their right to practice their faith
in public are derided as intolerant, bigoted and oppressive.
Increasingly, government policies are being implemented
that penalize people with religious convictions by forcing
them to comply with something that violates their moral
conscience or, if they refuse to do so, face stiff fines.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
(HHS), under authority provided in the Affordable Care
Act, is mandating coverage of sterilization, contraception and abortion-causing drugs in all employer health
insurance plans. Religious ministries of service – such as
charities, schools, health care facilities and institutions of
higher education – are given, at best, second-class status
under the law in the form of a still-murky "accommodation." Many religious entities, including Catholic dioceses, are challenging this mandate in federal courts across
the country.
Similarly, companies owned by families who hold
strong religious convictions have also filed suit. Very soon
a decision from the U.S. Supreme Court is expected in the
case filed by Lancaster County’s Hahn family, owners of
Conestoga Wood, and the Green family from Oklahoma,
owners of Hobby Lobby.
Every American, including family business owners,
should be free to live and work according to their beliefs
without fear of punishment by the government. Americans
should not be forced to give up their freedom when they
open a family business, and the Church does not disregard its teachings when providing charitable services to
the community. For the Church, faith, worship and good
works constitute an inseparable unity of actions.
For the Hahns and the Greens, and indeed for the Catholic Church as well, that means not being forced to participate in distributing potentially life-terminating drugs and
devices that violate our religious beliefs. This is not about
religious people trying to impose what they believe on others. It is about the government trying to force its beliefs on
religious people.
The government has exempted very large businesses
from the mandate for commercial and political reasons but
severely fines family businesses that seek an exemption
for religious reasons. It is unconstitutional and contrary to
duly enacted laws for the government to favor secular reasons over religious reasons when providing exemptions.
In fact, the government penalizes those employers who
oppose the mandate more than those who offer no health
care at all. In effect, the government is telling employees
that they are better off with no employer health plan at all
than with a plan that does not cover contraceptives, sterilization, and abortion inducing drugs.
Businesses should not have to abandon their values and
religious convictions when they enter the marketplace. In
reality, many secular companies operate on a compass of
other moral views – caring for the environment, promoting fair trade or preventing animal cruelty, for example.
There is no reason why Conestoga Wood and Hobby Lobby should be prevented from expressing a moral view or
be forced to adopt the federal government’s moral views.
Our ancestors, generations ago, came to America to escape this kind of persecution and government intrusion.
Today we must pray and act responsibly so that our system
of government will uphold the freedoms earned by the sacrifices of so many.
Summer Camp for Catholic
Boy Scouts and Scouters
July 19-25, 2015 • Camp Tuckahoe, Dillsburg
The Diocesan Catholic Committee on Scouting is going
to summer camp, and invites Boy Scouts and Scouters to
come along!
Plan now to join in what promises to be an exciting and
faith-affirming week. Space is expected to fill quickly for
this first-ever DCCS event. An early registration waitinglist opened June 1, 2014, and reservations will be confirmed starting in August.
This week will include all of the traditional Scouting
events and advancement opportunities and is open to Scouts
of all faiths. Details about the Catholic activities to be offered, and the registration process, are now available on the DCCS website, available under the
Youth tab of the diocesan website, www.hbgdiocese.org. Or, contact Patrick
McCormack at [email protected] for more information.
Camp Kirchenwald ~ August 10-15
The Diocese of Harrisburg will sponsor its annual summer camp for adults
with mental disabilities Aug.10-15 at
Camp Kirchenwald, near Hershey. The
camp is designed for adults, ages 18
and older, with mild to moderate mental retardation and no significant behavioral problems. Camperships are
available. For further information,
contact the Diocesan Family Ministries Office at 717-657-4804, or e-mail
[email protected].
Share your light by volunteering.
Volunteers are needed to staff Camp
Kirchenwald. We are looking for fulltime and part-time staff. No experience
is necessary, but those with experience
in fishing, camping, hiking, and arts
and crafts are especially welcome. We
are also in need of nurses. Attendance
at training is required for all new volunteers. If interested, contact the Diocesan Family Ministries Office at
717-657-4804, or e-mail vlaskowski@
hbgdiocese.org. Sign Up to Receive
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The
The Newspaper of the Diocese of Harrisburg
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The Catholic Witness
OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF THE DIOCESE OF HARRISBURG
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Most Rev. Ronald W. Gainer: Publisher
Website: www.hbgdiocese.org
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New Expressions in
Evangelization, Part II
By Sister Geralyn Schmidt, SCC
As I have gotten older, and hopefully a tad wiser, I have come to appreciate
those ah-ha moments in my life and how they can forever change personal
perspective. One such revelation came to me when I was in the fifth grade.
Having dyslexia made reading a mystery that, as a fifth grader, I had yet to
solve. As I was sitting under the cool shade of a cherry tree
trying to read aloud to my friend, the difficulty of my reading the written word was painfully apparent. You see, I was trying to read
Thoughts
from a book that my teacher gave to
from a Catholic
me to use over the summer. Each stoEvangelist
ry had specific vocabulary that would
get harder and harder as you advanced
Sister Geralyn
through the book. I knew it was goSchmidt, SCC
ing to be a LONG summer, since this
was the first story and I was already
desperately struggling. Throughout the story, there were the
same three words that I just couldn’t read. The words “though, through, and
thorough” were absolutely unintelligible to me! I still have problems reading
them. No matter how hard I tried, I would fail over and over again. Finally,
my friend said, “Don’t look at the words. Look at their shape!” Suddenly,
all the sweat and the tears and the confusion I experienced over the English
language gelled into an incredible victory! By the end of the story, I could
actually read because each word now took on a shape. This made sense to me!
Because this made sense to ME, reading was no longer a secret!
For years, my alternatively-wired brain did not understand the way the “experts” presented these little black squiggly lines. I could not grasp that these
lines represented sounds, and those sounds, words. This experience left me
totally frustrated over the written language. Because of my learning “difference,” I experienced a world that was relative to me and different to others.
With this understanding, you might understand why this story always reminds me of the notion of relativism. This philosophy Brandon Vogt, in Catholicism: The New Evangelization (Word on Fire, 2013), describes as the
third barrier to the faith. By definition, it holds that there is no such thing as
truth or morality. The individual creates the compass of his/her own choosing
for what is right or what is wrong. Pope Francis, as quoted by the National
Catholic Reporter, says it this way, “There cannot be true peace if everyone
is his own criterion, if everyone can always claim exclusively his own rights,
without at the same time caring for the good of others, of everyone, on the
basis of the nature that unites every human being on this earth.” (Found at
http://ncronline.org/blogs/ncr-today/francis-vows-press-benedicts-fight-vsdictatorship-relativism)
In a sense, relativism eclipses the reality of God as the standard for Truth.
Accordingly, all expressions of truth, joy, beauty, and even community are
found within the individual. So, God’s law is not binding; his beauty is subjective; and, true joy is fleeting and can be found in material possessions.
This line of thinking creates duplicity, since something can and cannot be at
the same time. Relativism creates a world that everything is OK because you
believe it’s OK. In a sense, it replaces God as the Supreme Being with a notion as “self as Supreme.”
I recently heard a politician give a speech over the benefits of having both
a mom and a dad involved in the upbringing of a child. In the midst of his
talk, he realized that he was excluding “other kinds of family” in his presentation which, according to the present political scene, was detrimental. So, he
switched gears and began rambling. Obviously his message was lost in his
futile attempt to placate everybody’s personal idea of family.
In a blog post by Benjamin Mann, “Two Big Myths about Relativism” (found
at http://catholicexchange.com/two-big-myths-relativism) we read, “Relativism must be addressed as a human and social phenomenon, not merely as bad
philosophy. Relationships must be built; discussion must be fostered; new
ways of seeing the world must be taught. The vision of truth as one, universal, and knowable, must be conveyed in these powerful indirect ways.” This
is where the New Evangelism comes into play! New words and new ways of
expression must be shared in order to express the human’s innate yearning
for God, to express what is beautiful, joyful and truthful. In his homily from
Palm Sunday, March 2013, Pope Francis declared, “Our joy is not from possessions, but having encountered a Person, Jesus, who is among us.”
Personally, I see much of the New Evangelism as mud wrestling. Both are
messy, both are hard to hold onto, both take lots of work! At least for me, it
can be as painful as learning to read! After all, the New Evangelizer truly
helps people to know and follow Jesus as a disciple, who in turn draws others to Him as well! Others can “read” Him not only in your actions and your
words, but most importantly how you love.
(Sister of Christian Charity, Geralyn Schmidt, is the Wide Area Network
Coordinator at the Diocese of Harrisburg and a member of the IT Department. An educator for 28 years, she is responsible for Professional Development Programs for every age learner. Through her presentations, she challenges her audiences to be the individual God has called them to be.)
Father and Son
Bike Across Country
for Autism Awareness
By Emily M. Albert
The first thing I learned upon walking
into the home of Matthew Zajac was what
day of the week I was born: Wednesday.
Matthew first asked for the year I was
born, the date and then the month. And in
just one brief second, he told me I was born
on a Wednesday. I did not know that, but
assured him I would tell my mother when I
spoke to her again.
Matthew has Autism, which affects the
brain’s development of social and communication skills, and this is just one way he
communicates with the people around him.
As Matthew’s father, Ray Zajac, explained
“That’s his way of saying hello.”
When Matthew was between the ages of
2 and 3 years old, his parents were told he
was autistic. “One of the things I remember
the doctor looking at me and saying was,
‘He will never ride a bike,’” Mr. Zajac said.
He explained that the doctor knew he himself was a cyclist. Mr. Zajac accepted this,
and never pushed Matthew to do anything
he wasn’t interested in or didn't want to do.
Like most first bikes, Matthew’s was a
yard sale find. It never had training wheels,
and Mr. Zajac never had to hold the back of
it steady. At the age of 11, Matthew told his
dad, “Get video camera. Bike!” So Mr. and
Mrs. Zajac grabbed the video camera and
watched as Matthew took off on the bicycle
for the very first time!
Twenty-three years later, Mr. Zajac and
Matthew set off for a cross-country bicycle
adventure to support a worthy cause, Eos
Therapeutic Riding Center.
The Zajac family lives in Berwick, where
they attend St. Joseph Parish. Mr. Zajac is a
parish advocate for people with disabilities.
His son has benefitted from Eos Riding
Center in Bloomsburg, and as a volunteer
he has seen the positive effects of therapy
riding. They wanted to help defer some of
the cost of the center, and so he and Matthew decided they would ride across the
country not only for Autism awareness, but
also as a way to raise money to help Eos.
To prepare for the trip, Mr. Zajac rode
an exercise bike during the winter, and upgraded Matthew’s bike to a much lighter
model. The first time Matthew rode it, Mr.
Zajac asked how he liked it, and Matthew
responded it was like a sports car. They
took it out on a trail on a warmer day in
January, and Matthew took off on it. Mr.
Zajac is a member of the Susquehanna Warrior Trail, and helps maintain it. When he
and the other members are working there,
he lets Matthew ride on his own. Matthew
Matthew and Raymond Zajac in
Ocean Beach, Calif., for the start of
the second leg of their cross-country
ride this year, as shown on the map.
COURTESY OF THE ZAJAC FAMILY
calls it “Matthew’s Trail.” As Mr. Zajac explained, “Riding a bike gives Matthew independence. There are only two things that
Matthew claims to own as his: his bike and
the trail.”
Their cross-country journey began
March 4 when they left their home in Berwick and drove by car to Post, Texas. They
arrived March 7 and jumped on their bikes.
Headed to Crescent Beach, Fla., they began their first leg of riding cross country.
They decided to break the trip up in two
sections because Matthew gets anxious if
he is away from home for more than two
weeks. They rode from March 7-23, covering 1,402 miles.
When they crossed into Louisiana, they
biked approximately 1,000 flat miles along
the Gulf Coast, and the weather was cold.
Since this was during spring break, they
avoided Panama City and went inland
across Florida to Gainesville, where they
rode along a 4-6 lane freeway. They thought
they might have to load the bikes for safety,
but the traffic was slow that day, and they
continued until they made it to Crescent
Beach. The first half of the trek was down,
and both Matthew and Mr. Zajac were feeling good and in shape. They came home for
a week to rest and take care of just normal
everyday responsibilities, but they were
soon back in the van and on the road again,
this time headed to San Diego.
It is important to not leave Mary Zajac
out of this equation. She is an exceptionally patient woman. Her role was to stay
close to her son and husband by driving
the van. She would drive up the road about
COURTESY OF THE ZAJAC FAMILY
Father and son entering Mississippi on their bike ride for Autism awareness.
four or five miles and wait for them to pass,
and then allows some time for them to get
ahead. Or, she would stay a few miles behind, making sure not to pass them, which
worked better more often than not after a
45-minute back track on a highway to connect with them. She spent a lot of time in
the van just waiting. “I did a lot of reading,” she said with a smile.
For the second leg of the trip, the Zajac
family left home on April 1 and arrived in
San Diego April 5. That afternoon, they
started riding from Ocean Beach, Calif.,
headed to Post, Texas, the same town in
EMILY M. ALBERT, THE CATHOLIC WITNESS
The Zajac family: Matthew, center, with his parents Mary and Raymond. Matthew,
who was diagnosed with Autism when he was three years old, is holding a plaque
commemorating his ride to the Mississippi River in 2009.
which they started their first leg.
Mr. Zajac spent an extensive amount of
time planning their route. He looked for
shoulders or bike trails, and also read advice from other cyclist who rode a similar
route.
Sometimes to avoid bad weather, or
just for the sake of interest, they stopped
to sightsee. One particular day in Arizona,
with the temperature at 95 degrees by noon,
they decided to stop at the Arizona Sonora
Desert Museum and Sagura National Park.
They rarely missed Mass. Mr. Zajac noted that on a Holy Day, it was nearing 5:30
p.m., and they thought they might not find
a Catholic church in time for Mass. But as
they crested a hill, they found a Catholic
church. With people walking in for a 5:30
Mass, the Zajac family was right on time.
They also had an interesting experience
at a church in Deming N.M. It was a small
congregation, and the priest started Mass
by welcoming the Zajac family. After Mass
a couple came up to them. They were originally from Bloomsburg! And then another
couple approached them. They were from
Hetlerville, a town near Berwick, and were
also familiar with Eos Riding Center.
As they left Deming, the family hit a lot
of dust storms and were headed to one of
their steepest hills, where they biked 800
feet in three miles. Still in Arizona and getting close to the end of their journey, Matthew fell. He got up and told his father,
“Speedometer broke.” He seemed fine,
other than scratched up knees that Mary
fixed and bandaged. But as they continued
to ride, Mr. Zajac noticed Matthew wasn’t
shifting with his right hand and was holding
it behind his back. They stopped riding and
found a hotel in Roswell. The next morning, Matthew’s arm was swollen, and they
took him to a medical center where they
found that he had broken his arm. They
were just 200 miles from finishing! Even
their hotel attendant was upset. When the
Zajacs returned to the hotel and said they’d
need to book an extra night, the attendant
asked, “Can’t they fix his arm? You’re so
close!”
Mr. Zajac continued the trip alone, and
finished at Post, Texas. But decided to add
an extra 14 miles just in case avid bicyclists
asked in the future about the areas where
they had to load the bikes to avoid dangerous traffic.
Mr. Zajac rode 2,491 miles across the
country, and Matthew finished at 2,258.
Twenty-three years earlier, he was told he
would never ride a bike.
The trek is an impressive accomplishment for anyone, but for Matthew, this is
overcoming odds!
(You can read posts from their completed
journey by following Raymond Zajac on
Facebook. The family continues to raise
funds for the Eos Therapeutic Riding Center. For information, visit www.eostrc.com.)
The Union of Two Hearts
To the Sacred Heart of Jesus through the Immaculate Heart of Mary
By James Gontis
In this month of June, the Church helps
focus our gaze on the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
The Feast of the Sacred Heart this year
falls on June 27, followed immediately
by the Memorial of the Immaculate
Heart on June 28. The reason the Church
has designed her calendar in this way is
because of the intimate union between
our Savior and His mother, Mary, who is
also our mother.
Jesus’ Heart, which, as Jesus told the
17th century French nun, St. Margaret
Mary Alacoque, “has so loved men,” is
the symbol and object par excellence of
the love of God incarnate.
As many saints and popes have pointed out, from St. John Eudes to St. Maximilian Kolbe to Blessed Theresa of Calcutta to St. John Paul II, the most direct
route to the Heart of Christ is through the
hands and Heart of Mary.
The One Savior
Jesus Christ is the one Savior of the
human race. “For there is one mediator
between God and men, the man, Christ
Jesus…” (1 Timothy 2:5). Anybody in
the world who makes it to Heaven gets
to God the Father only through, with,
and in Christ Jesus (and by extension,
through His Mystical Body, the Catholic
Church) …even those who do not realize
this truth in this life will most assuredly
realize it in the next.
“O Happy Fault that Won
for Us Such a Redeemer”
God created Adam and Eve in deep
communion with Himself, each other,
and all creation. Through an act of radical
disobedience, they committed the original sin, which had drastic consequences
for the human race. These included a
fracturing of our relationships with God,
with one another, and with creation.
There was a certain infinite aspect to the
fall, inasmuch as it was an offense against
the infinite, omnipotent, all-loving God.
But there is also a finite quality to it, in
that it was committed by limited human
beings. So the great chasm caused by the
original sin could only be bridged by the
infinite God, against whom the offense
occurred, but also by man, by whom the
offense was committed. Hence, the Incarnation, in which God becomes man in
the Person of Jesus Christ. Jesus, the sole
Redeemer, is the God-man.
But God, in His infinite mercy, set
into motion His plan for our redemption.
He did so gradually and progressively
through a series of covenants, the establishment of His chosen people, and the
preparations of the prophets.
Mary’s Role
At the appointed time, God the Son,
The Eternal Word of the Father, became
man and dwelt among us. But He became man without ceasing to be God.
The Church Fathers were fond of saying,
“What He was, He remained. What He
was not, He became.” The Second Person of the Holy Trinity became incarnate in the womb of a teenage girl from
Nazareth, named Mary. He did so by the
power of the Holy Spirit. But God did
not do this marvelous work without first
obtaining Mary’s consent. At the Annunciation (Luke 1: 26-38), Mary gives
her complete “Fiat” to God through her
words to the Archangel Gabriel, “Let it
be done to me according to your word”
(Luke 1). She makes this declaration
after asking, “How can this be (that she
will become pregnant), since I do not
know man?” Gabriel responds that this
pregnancy will occur through the power
of God, the overshadowing of the Holy
Spirit. He tells her that her cousin Elizabeth, well beyond normal child-bearing
years, was now in her sixth month of
Stained-glass image of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the Sacred Heart of
Jesus, St. Mary Church, Philothea, Ohio.
pregnancy, “For nothing is impossible
with God” (Luke 1).
Mary, in becoming Mother of God, beginning at the Annunciation, also acts as
the model disciple. She follows Jesus unreservedly, despite the fact that she had
to know that this great event was also going to bring great hardship. St. Augustine
tells us that, as great as her motherhood
is, she is greater still in her discipleship.
Mary is the mother of the Savior, while
also needing to be saved by her son. We
are redeemed by Jesus’ death and resurrection. These graces from the Paschal
Mystery are ordinarily first applied at the
moment of sacramental Baptism, long after the historical fact of His death and resurrection. Mary, too, was saved by Jesus
death’ and resurrection, but these graces
were applied to her about 50 years ahead
of the historical fact of His death on the
Cross, from the first moment of her conception in the womb of her mother, St.
Ann. As Blessed Pius IX wrote when defining the dogma of the Immaculate Conception:
“The most Blessed Virgin Mary was,
from the first moment of her conception,
by a singular grace and privilege of almighty God and by virtue of the merits
of Jesus Christ, Savior of the human race,
preserved immune from all stain of original sin.” - Pope Pius IX, Ineffabilis Deus
Analogously, there are two ways of
saving someone from quicksand. One
way is to pull someone out of the quicksand after they are already in it – that’s
us. The other is to keep the person from
going into the quicksand in the first place
– that’s Mary. As a result of the Immaculate Conception, which was God’s work,
God the Son is able to take to Himself
human nature from one whose own human nature is untainted by sin. This sinless human nature of Mary is why the
great poet, William Wordsworth, himself a Protestant, would refer to Mary as
“our tainted nature’s solitary boast.” The
great 18th century saint, Louis de Montfort, in his classic work, “True Devotion
to Mary,” writes that, compared to Jesus,
Mary is not even an “atom.” She is after all a creature, and like other creatures
who are made in God’s image, she needed redemption. But de Montfort hastens
to add that Mary far surpasses in grace all
of God’s other creatures, even the angels.
The Union of the Sacred
Heart of Jesus and the
Immaculate Heart of Mary
Mary remained united to her Son at
all times. It is completely from her that
God the Son took human nature. She
conceived Him and He grew inside her.
Thus, Mary was, in a sense, the first tabernacle. His Sacred Heart first beat below her Immaculate Heart, and the first
heartbeat that He heard as a baby was
the heartbeat of His mother.
He had chosen, from all eternity, this
woman to be His mother. She did not
become the Mother of God by some
happy accident, but by the will of God
and through Mary’s consent. She gave
birth to Jesus and, along with St. Joseph,
raised the God-man. She taught Him
to walk, she taught the Eternal Word
of the Father made flesh to speak, she
taught the One who made heaven and
earth how to fasten His sandal straps,
she taught Him His prayers, and along
with His foster-father, St. Joseph, she
took the only-begotten Son of God the
Father on their yearly pilgrimage to the
Temple, His Father’s House. She accompanied Him in His ministry and He
even performed His first miracle at her
behest, turning water into wine at Cana,
so as to save the newly married couple
from humiliation. And her words to the
headwaiter are also for each of us. “Do
whatever He tells you.” She is a model
for all disciples, never leading us simply
to herself, but always to Jesus.
And her heart, which many years before the Prophet Simeon had said “will be
pierced by a sword so that the thoughts
of many hearts may be revealed” (Luke
2:35), was most poignantly joined to His
at the Cross. Here, Jesus gave her to the
Apostle John as his spiritual Mother…
and ours, “Behold your mother” (John
19: 27).
After the Resurrection and Ascension, Mary prays with her spiritual sons
and daughters, beseeching God for the
coming of the Holy Spirit, Whose coming had been foretold by her Son and
Who manifests Himself at Pentecost,
vivifying and animating the Church.
We should frequently ask Jesus through
Mary that the Holy Spirit give us His
graces, gifts, and charisms to be made
manifest in our lives.
Web Resources:
http://www.ourcatholicprayers.com/promises-of-the-sacred-heart-of-jesus.html
http://www.rosary-center.org/firstsat.htm
http://www.ewtn.com/Devotionals/prayers/morning2.htm
http://www.usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/sacraments-and-sacramentals/
penance/sacrament-reconciliation-married-persons-examination-of-conscience.cfm
Some pratical tips
Here are a few practical tips for practicing authentic devotion to the Sacred
Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart
of Mary:
• First and foremost, we need to regularly attend Mass and receive the Sacrament of Penance.
• Pray the Rosary – Mary is our spiritual mother and the perfect mother – go
to her with everything. In the Rosary, it
is as though she takes our prayers, which
might be like drooping dandelions, and
wraps them up in a beautiful bouquet,
presenting them as so many beautiful
roses to her Son.
• Have a picture of the Sacred Heart
of Jesus in a prominent place in your
home. One of the 12 promises that Jesus gave to St. Margaret Mary for those
having devotion to His Sacred Heart is,
“I will bless the homes in which the image of My Sacred Heart shall be exposed
and honored.” (See link below to the 12
Promises of the Sacred Heart).
• Make the nine First Fridays devotion.
Jesus said to St. Margaret Mary, “The allpowerful love of My Heart will grant to
all those who shall receive Communion
on the First Fridays of nine consecutive
months the grace of final repentance;
they shall not die under my displeasure,
nor without receiving their sacraments;
My Heart shall be their assured refuge
at the last hour.” We have done this with
our entire family after each of our children has received his or her First Communion, as well as the Five First Saturdays (see below).
• Make the Five First Saturdays called
for by Our Blessed Mother at Fatima
(1917)
(See link below to Five First Saturdays
Devotion).
• Resolve to believe and follow every single teaching of the holy, Catholic
Church. When we fail in living them out,
go to Confession; that is why Jesus instituted the Sacrament, cf. John 20: 19-23.
• Pray the Morning Offering (link below). In the 20th century, a Jesuit priest
named Father Walter Ciszek, SJ, from
Shenandoah, Pa., was taken prisoner by
the Soviets. After his release following
five years of solitary confinement and
15 years of hard labor in a Siberian work
camp, he wrote in his book “He Leadeth
Me” that what got him through all those
years of trial were two things:
1) The celebration of daily Mass,
which he was able to do clandestinely
2) The Morning Offering, which Father Ciszek prayed daily, and by which
one consecrates his/her entire day to
Jesus through Mary, beginning with the
words, “O Jesus, through the Immaculate
Heart of Mary…” (See link to Morning
Offering below).
• We need to be striving to live out
our primary vocation in a holy way. The
“Universal Call to Holiness” was a clarion call of the Second Vatican Council (cf.
“Dogmatic Constitution on the Church,”
Chapter 5). It was also a major theme in
St. Francis de Sales’ classic work, “Introduction to the Devout Life.” Read the
Gospels. Try to follow the teachings of
Jesus and imitate the virtues of Mary
as our model disciple. If you fail, as we
fallen sons and daughters of Adam inevitably do, get up, dust yourself off, go
to Confession….again and again as necessary, and start anew. As Sir Winston
Churchill famously said in a school address: “Never, never, never give up!
All to you, Jesus, our Lord, Savior,
Brother, and King! All through you,
Mary, our Mother!
(James Gontis is the Director of the
Diocesan Office of Religious Education.)
Student Art Illustrates
Beauty of the Faith
By Jen Reed
In an address to patrons of the arts
last October, Pope Francis expressed
that “In every age, the Church has
called upon the arts to give expression
to the beauty of her faith and to proclaim the Gospel message of the grandeur of God’s creation, the dignity of
human beings made in his image and
likeness, and the power of Christ’s
death and resurrection to bring redemption and rebirth to a world touched by
the tragedy of sin and death.”
He gave that message to the Patrons
of the Arts in the Vatican Museums,
but his words are applicable wherever
Catholic art, in its varied forms, is conceived, created and displayed.
The expression and beauty of the
faith in art was illustrated by diocesan
Catholic school students this spring via
a Catholic art exhibit hosted by the Diocesan Department of Religious Education.
Paintings, sculptures, sketches, even
plastered and welded pieces were
showcased in the display flanking the
main lobby of the Cardinal Keeler Center.
Not only did the show highlight the
faith; it also cast a spotlight on the
God-given artistic gifts of Catholic
school students.
The Religious Education Department
hosted the show as part of a Catholic art
contest, awarding top-three prizes in a
senior division for students in grades
10-12, and in a junior division for those
in grades 7-9. Entries from Catholic
high schools and their respective feeder
schools were judged at the high school
level and then on a regional level for
submission to the diocesan-wide show.
Lancaster Catholic High School
sponsored the cash prizes for both
grade-level categories: $250 for first,
$150 for second, $100 for third, and
$50 for ten pieces that were awarded
an honorable mention.
This marks the second consecutive
year for the Catholic schools’ art contest. A slideshow of photos from the
exhibit will be posted online at www.
hbgdiocese.org in the near future.
Senior Division place winners with their art. From left are Rebekka Bamert, Lancaster Catholic High School, “The Apostles Rose Window,” first place; Maura Vrabel, Trinity High School in Camp Hill, “A Flowering of New Life,” third place; and
Sam Guaragno, Delone Catholic High School in McSherrystown, “The Crucified
Christ,” second place.
JEN REED, THE CATHOLIC WITNESS
Close-up of “The Apostles Rose Window,” first-place Senior Division piece by
Rebekka Bamert of Lancaster Catholic High School.
“The annual Diocesan Catholic
Schools Art Show provides a venue
whereby the students in Grades 7-12
are able to showcase the artistic talents that God has given them,” said
James Gontis, Director of the Diocesan Department of Religious Education. “These students give artistic
expression to the various truths that
make up the truth, beauty and goodness which is Catholicism. By analogy,
I would say this art show is somewhat
akin to beautiful, but different, flowers
being brought together to make up a
beautiful garden. “Our Catholic schools have a bunch
of talented children and young people,
and the teachers in these schools help
to nurture and bring forth their talents
in beautiful and colorful ways,” he
said. “We are thankful to all those who
participated in or supported this contest in any way: students, teachers and
administrators alike.”
Junior Division place winners, from left, are: MaKayla Burton, Holy Name of Jesus School in Harrisburg, “Melody of the Catholic Church,” third place; and Molly
Devine, Annunciation BVM School in McSherrystown, “Madonna and Child,” first
place. Not pictured is the second-place winner, Reece Lopatka of St. Joseph
School in Danville, “He Carried that Cross for Us.”
Catholic Schools’ Art Show Winners
Senior Division - 1st place
Rebekka Bamert
Lancaster Catholic High School
‘The Apostles Rose Window’
Honorable Mentions
Joseph Herr, Lancaster Catholic High School,
“Fishers of Men”
Sophia Wnek, Lancaster Catholic High School,
“A Woman Healed”
Senior Division - 2 place
Sam Guaragno
Delone Catholic High School
‘The Crucified Christ’
nd
Jillian Legenstein, Lancaster Catholic High School,
“SONflower”
Julianne Petrillo, Lancaster Catholic High School,
“The Trinity”
Senior Division - 3 place
Maura Vrabel
Trinity High School
‘A Flowering of New Life’
rd
Aparajita Rao, St. Joan of Arc School in Hershey,
“John 16:32”
Joanna Bowmann, Delone Catholic High School
in McSherrystown, “A Single Tear”
Junior Division - 1st place
Molly Devine
Annunciation BVM
‘Madonna and Child’
Lizzie Gardjulis, Trinity High School
in Camp Hill, “Stained Glass Egg”
Adam Fillman, Bishop McDevitt High School
in Harrisburg, “Longing”
Junior Division - 2nd place
Reece Lopatka
St. Joseph School, Danville
‘He Carried That Cross for Us’
Junior Division - 3rd place
MaKayla Burton
Holy Name of Jesus School
‘Melody of the Catholic Church’
Agatha Chmielewski, Holy Name of Jesus School
in Harrisburg, “Youth Turn to our Pope”
Close-up of “A Flowering of New Life,” a pysanky egg, thirdplace Senior Division piece by Maura Vrabel of Trinity High
School in Camp Hill.
Patrice Sakalosky, Bishop McDevitt High School
in Harrisburg, “Celtic Cross”
Ashlyn Auriemma, St. Joseph School in
Mechanicsburg, “Looking Through the Catholic Faith”
At Trinity, Students Soar ‘to the Highest Good’
By Jen Reed
T
rinity High School takes seriously its
motto: Ad Summum Bonum – “To the
Highest Good.”
So seriously that the motto is embedded into
the school’s mission statement – “To develop
habits of mind, body and spirit, rooted in the
Catholic tradition, so as to attain the highest
good.”
And so seriously that its students are called
to exemplify the motto in all of their endeavors.
“If we can produce young people who are
value-laden and who want to improve the human condition, that sense of goodness they
bring to the world will lead to other things like
happiness and success,” said Dr. David Bouton, who has served as Trinity’s principal since
2009.
“The nature of what we’re about is fundamental to making us unique, and it’s all based
on the mission that the Catholic Church calls
us to,” he said.
Dr. Bouton, Trinity’s outgoing principal, is
one of 11 principals and countless dedicated
chaplains, educators and community supporters who have helped form Trinity High School
into the rigorous academic, faith-based and
Blue Ribbon institution that it is today.
The high school, located on the edge of
Camp Hill and Shiremanstown in Cumberland
County, celebrated its 50th anniversary in a
special way this school year, commemorating
the past while focusing on new efforts for the
future.
When it opened its doors to 427 freshmen
and sophomores in September of 1963, Trinity
was a co-institutional high school, with male
and female students attending separately but
sharing all facilities and activities.
In its first years, it was administered by
the Brothers of the Christian Schools, whose
mission focuses on the ministry of education.
Students were taught by the Sisters of Mercy,
the Sisters Servants of the Immaculate Heart
of Mary, the Sisters of Charity and the Sisters
Adorers of the Most Precious Blood.
Today, a predominantly lay faculty and administration guide the students in academics
and faith, and the co-institutional pattern separating the boys from the girls no longer exists.
While those aspects have changed, much
has remained the same, and rightly so.
“There are certain things that are immutable
to change – the values and mission of Trinity,”
said Dr. Bouton, who will be succeeded by incoming principal Joseph Gressock on July 1.
“We aim to stay grounded in the past while
focusing on the realities of the world today and
Elizabeth Vinarski and Megan Kelly avail themselves of the numerous offerings
in Trinity’s music department, which has its home in the former spiritual center on
the school’s campus.
what the future will demand of our graduates,”
Dr. Bouton said. “The dynamics of learning,
the classroom settings, student-centered teaching methods, new technology and preparing
our students for jobs that haven’t even been
created yet are all part of who we are too.”
Trinity is rooted in a firm foundation of
Catholic tradition so that students can attain
the highest good.
The school is centered on Christ –
literally – with a chapel situated
in the middle. Students pause
and pray several times each
day, and gather for Mass
monthly, and attend prayer
services throughout the
year, such as Marian devotions, Advent services and
Stations of the Cross.
The liturgies are part of
the school’s campus ministry, which also offers retreats
for each grade level, capped off
with the senior-year Kairos experience.
The Kairos (“God’s Time”) retreat gives
seniors a three-day experience to learn more
about themselves, their classmates and God’s
love, all while being away from the busyness
of daily life. It gives them a new understanding of God in their lives.
“At Trinity, the faith becomes part of who
you are,” said Brett Becker, outgoing Student
Council President and one of 140 students who
graduated from Trinity last month. “Through
the environment here – from religion classes
to liturgies and retreats – Trinity teaches you
how to defend the faith and live it in the real
world.”
The opportunity for a faith-based education
is what drew Chris Giordano to Trinity after
attending public school through eighth grade.
“I was looking for a place that challenged
me not only in academics, but in the faith,”
said Chris, a member of the class of
2014. “In my four years here,
I’ve learned a lot about my
faith and about myself. My
time here helped me understand the basis of the
values I’ve grown up
with.”
“The Catholic faith
is instilled in every single part of this school,”
he said. “We pray before
class, before games. We
have Mass as an entire school
community. There is time for Eucharistic Adoration in the chapel. It’s awesome
to fully live the faith here.”
Christian service is a hallmark of the faithbased education at Trinity. Students are required to complete at least 20 hours of service
each school year, with many exceeding those
required numbers.
“The service component sets us up for helping others throughout the rest of our lives,”
said Megan Kelly, who graduated this year.
Service projects are wide-ranging, from
Caroline Hills, Josh Bartholomew and Natalie Weaver prepare to join in the entrance procession during Trinity’s 50th anniversary Mass which kicked off yearlong celebrations in September.
volunteering at a music camp for elementary
students and tutoring classmates, to facilitating collection drives for soldiers serving overseas or for families in need of food at Christmas. Several years ago, recent graduates Jack
Altmeyer, Brett Becker and Chris Giordano
served as charter members of the school’s
Squire Circle, which now includes more than
40 students. The Squires are the youth organization of the Knights of Columbus, aimed
at teaching leadership as young men plan and
lead meetings and service projects.
“There is a place, an opportunity for every
single student here,” Jack said. “We’re a community, a family that cares about each other.”
In soaring to the highest good, there is no
room for students to fly low or slip under the
radar at Trinity.
“What’s really special about the school is
that you’re not just a face in the class. You’re
a person, a friend, a leader,” said Brett Becker.
“No matter who you are, you’re going to be
seen, you’re going to be noticed, and you’re
going to be heard.
With an array of sports, clubs, organizations
and service opportunities, it’s impossible to
not be connected, students say.
“Because of the size of our school, you have
the ability to be in so many groups,” said Megan Kelly. “You find students who participate
in a strange mix of activities, and they do it
successfully.”
While teachers stress the importance of
time management, they are also accessible
and willing to work with students to help them
meet commitments.
One
such
example
is
Caroline
(Oszustowicz) Jarrett, a faculty member who
heads the music department, drama department and the National Honor Society.
A 2004 graduate of Trinity who just completed her fourth year teaching there, Mrs.
Jarrett has worked to invigorate the school’s
music department.
She began the revitalization with the school
musical, working to make it a school-wide endeavor.
“I wanted to get students who wouldn’t
normally be involved in the musical, so we
brought in big shows with many different parts
to appeal to more students,” she said.
This year’s production of “The Wizard of
Oz” involved a number of student athletes, as
well as elementary school students from the
feeder schools to portray the Munchkins.
“If you want people to participate, you have
to make things accessible,” Mrs. Jarrett said.
“I had rehearsals with several students a day
so that I could work with their schedules. We
make the most of what we have with our time.”
The robust music department includes
marching band, hand bells, concert choir, Mass
choir, string ensemble, an a capella group, and
a traditional Caribbean steel drum group.
At Trinity, as with Catholic school education, the arts are a vital part of educating the
whole student.
“Music is such an important part of our
faith,” said Luke Zabroske, a member of the
class of 2014. He has participated in the musical, the marching band, choir, hand bells and
soccer. He plans to study social sciences in
college, while keeping himself involved in the
arts.
“Because of the opportunities we’ve had at
Trinity, we’ve been educated as a whole person, and can see the whole person we’ll be
in the future,” Luke said. “We can envision
ourselves doing not just one job, but different
things with radically different angles.”
Elizabeth Vinarski, who will be a senior in
the fall, welcomes that diversity too. She has
been involved in nearly every musical offering
at Trinity, and is also a solid diver for Trinity
in the pool.
“In college, I want to be involved in engineering and musical theater,” she said. “I
know that whatever I end up doing in life,
whether it’s a job in science or engineering,
I will always be involved in the theater. Trinity has fostered that. Here, anybody can be
involved.”
Mrs. Jarrett says her goal with the music
program is to connect it to as many students
as possible.
“Music is such an important part of who
we are as Catholics, especially in our liturgy and worship,” she said. “My dad once
told me that whatever skill God blesses
you with, that is how you take care of
people. Teaching music allows me to take
care of my students. If I can get into the
hearts of students who wouldn’t otherwise
be impacted by music and open them up to
world, that can help unlock who they are.”
“The likelihood of them being professional musicians is slim, but I’m not trying to teach professional musicians. I’m
teaching people who love music and want
to use it in their lives or in ministry to others, as choir members, musicians. I want
them to use their musical skills to enrich
their lives and the lives of others,” she
added.
Brian Jackson, currently an attorney and
a member of the management committee
with McNees, Wallace & Nurick, LLC,
in Harrisburg, graduated from Trinity in
1985, and sees the significant role that the
school played in his formation.
“The most important impact Trinity has
had on its graduates these 50 years is that it
takes kids at the most self-absorbed point
in their lives and molds them,” he said.
“The examples and leadership of coaches,
teachers and administrators collectively
cause you to look outside of yourself and
really begin to develop as a servant-leader.
You are molded to serve your community,
your church, the less fortunate, the places where you work, and to be a leader in
doing so. As important as the academics
are in getting students to the next stages
in life, preparing students for being good
citizens and having a moral compass for
every aspect of life is the most important
contributing factor.”
Mr. Jackson is a member of the school’s
Board of Directors and Capital Campaign.
He is also the parent of a daughter who
will be a senior at Trinity next year, and
two daughters who will attend in the near
future.
He tells parents who are considering
Trinity for their children that they will
have opportunities to be involved in the
life of the school.
“To the extent that you have some interest or skill, you will have a chance to be
part of the fabric and part of the family as
a volunteer,” he said.
“In terms of what you can expect for
your child: a personalized education that
will challenge them. If they have special
academic needs, they will be met,” he continued. “Yes, you can get that academic
excellence at other places, but the combination of academic rigor and the tradition
of creating young adults who are looking
outside of themselves is something that
you can’t miss at Trinity. This school will
offer them a moral compass and the Catholic values that they will need for the rest
of their lives. That is what gives me the
This Place
Rocks…
“because I can find an
activity that a teacher is
involved in. The faculty is
rock solid. Every faculty
member finds a way to give
time to the students
outside of the classroom,
and I have been so
impressed with that.”
~ Luke Zabroske, ’14
2014 graduates Brett Becker, Megan Kelly, Chris Giordano and Jack Altmeyer,
in the school chapel at Trinity, where the school motto, “To the Highest Good,” is
lived every day.
greatest comfort in sending my own children there.”
In conjunction with its 50th anniversary,
Trinity launched the “Faith in Our Future”
capital campaign to provide resources for
needed renovations and improvements.
The goal is to raise $13 million in three
separate phases over nine years. So far, the
school has replaced student lockers, and
this summer will install a new electrical
control system, a new security system and
resurfaced tennis courts.
Above and beyond the physical renovations that will lend to the students’ educational experience, the capital campaign
will include a $1 million endowment for
tuition assistance.
“We want families to know that a Trinity education is affordable,” said Janet
Quigley, Development Director. “Through
the Educational Improvement Tax Credit
Program alone, we have $317,000 available for next year. We also have named
scholarships and families who are ‘tuition
angels.’”
“If the question in people’s minds is,
‘Will I be able to afford tuition?’ the answer is, ‘Yes,’” Mrs. Quigley said. “We
will work with you, and money is available.”
Looking to Trinity’s future even as he
moves on from the school, Dr. Bouton
says the school’s fundamentals will remain to ensure the success of its students
through the next 50 years.
“Fundamentally, what Trinity offers is
a life-changing, transformational, holistic
learning experience: spiritually, academically, socially, physically,” he said. “No
matter what financial background they
come from, what neighborhood they come
from, what their ethnic group may be, if a
student comes here and is open to trying
new things, to working hard, and to meeting new people, they will be completely
transformed individuals by the time they
graduate.”
“We are successful because of the way
we develop the students who come here,
in academics, spirituality, arts, service,
athletics,” Dr. Bouton said. “What sells
this place is the kids who go here.”
“because of the size of
Trinity, I can get involved
in many activities. The
teachers make things work
with your schedule so that
you can do as much as you
want.”
~ Elizabeth Vinarski, ’15
“because of the class sizes.
Classes aren’t too big, not
too small. You come to
know the teachers
personally, and go to them
for help and guidance.”
~ Jack Altmeyer, ’14
“because it rocks your
norm. Trinity takes you
out of your comfort zone
and places you in an
atmosphere where you can
grow into a mature young
adult. It rocks you out
of childhood and into
adulthood.”
~ Brett Becker, ’14
“because we’re a big
family. We’re really
supportive of each other,
in good times and in bad
times. We are welcoming
of incoming students and
students from different
schools. We spend a lot of
time making people
comfortable.”
~ Megan Kelly, ’14
COURTESY OF ANNIE SMITH GREGOIRE
Six members of Trinity’s class of 2014 are entering military service. From left are Matthew Gregoire, Navy ROTC, University
of Pittsburgh; Dominick Antonelli, Naval Academy Preparatory School; Connor Bailey, United States Naval Academy; Jon
Behnke, United States Coast Guard Academy; Christopher Giordano, Navy ROTC, Ohio State University; and Anne Maffey,
Army ROTC, Dickinson College.
“because the school
encourages us to get
involved. We can do
whatever activities
interest us, and then take
that interest and make it
something that we focus
on. There are no limits.”
~ Chris Giordano, ’14
Bishop Gainer Honors Veterans
on D-Day Anniversary
By Chris Heisey
June 6 marked the 70th Anniversary of the Normandy Invasion – code named Operation Overlord – that saw Allied forces storm the beaches on the coast of France
to unlock the grip Nazi Germany had had on Europe during World War II. On this
year’s anniversary, Bishop Ronald Gainer, who, while leading a spiritual pilgrimage in Europe several years ago, visited Normandy, attended a luncheon ceremony
honoring veterans at the National Civil War Museum in Harrisburg.
The ceremony was organized by Pennsylvania State Representative Sue Helm and
featured a number of patriotic musical renditions and a keynote talk by Brigadier
General Anthony Carrelli of the Pennsylvania Air National Guard. Bishop Gainer
delivered the Invocation and Benediction for the more than 150 attendees.
More than 160,000 troops landed on four separate rugged bluff-lined beaches during the June 6, 1944, assault. By August, more than two million Allied soldiers had
landed and pushed German forces across France into Belgium. More than 200,000
Allied soldiers were casualties during the summer’s long fight, with nearly 40,000
killed in the fierce fighting along the beaches and amongst storied hedgerows and
small villages that dot France’s rural coastline.
Pope: Half-Hearted Catholics
aren’t Really Catholics at All
By Cindy Wooden
Those who insist others pray and believe exactly like they do, those who have
alternatives to every Church teaching and
benefactors who use the Church as a cover
for business connections may call themselves Catholics, but they have one foot
out the door, Pope Francis said.
“Many people say they belong to the
Church,” but in reality have “only one
foot inside,” the pope said June 5 at the
morning Mass in the chapel of his residence.
“For these people, the Church is not
home,” but is a place they use as a rental
property, he said, according to Vatican Radio.
Pope Francis reflected on the day’s
Gospel reading, John 17:20-26, and Jesus’
prayer that there would be unity, not divisions and conflict, among his disciples.
There are three groups of people who call
themselves Catholic, but are not really,
the pope said. Apologizing for making up
words, he labeled the three groups: “uniformists,” “alternativists” and “businessists.”
The first group, he said, believe that everyone in the Church should be just like
them. “They are rigid! They do not have
that freedom the Holy Spirit gives,” and
they confuse what Jesus preached with
their “own doctrine of uniformity.”
“Jesus never wanted the Church to be
so rigid,” Pope Francis said. Such people
“call themselves Catholics, but their rigid
attitude distances them from the Church.”
The second group, those with alternative teachings and doctrines, “has a partial
belonging to the church. These, too, have
one foot outside the Church,” he said.
“They rent the Church,” not recognizing
that its teaching is based on the preaching
of Jesus and the apostolic tradition.
Members of the third group “call themselves Christians but don’t enter into the
heart of the Church,” they use the Church
“for personal profit,” the pope said. “We
have all seen them in parish or diocesan
communities and religious congregations;
they are some of the benefactors of the
Church.”
“They strut around proud of being
benefactors, but in the end, under the table, make their deals,” he said.
Pope Francis said the Church is made
up of people with a variety of differences
and gifts, and if one wants to belong to it,
he or she must be motivated by love and
enter with “your whole heart.”
Being open to the Spirit, who fosters
harmony in diversity, he said, brings “docility,” which is “the virtue that saves us”
from entering the Church half-heartedly.
Pope Encourages Priests, Bishops
to Keep Love for Jesus Alive
By Cindy Wooden
Celebrating an early morning Mass with a
congregation made up of priests and bishops,
Pope Francis said they regularly need to ask
themselves if they love Jesus as much as when
they first encountered him, and whether ministry, not administration, is still their priority.
“This is the question I ask myself, my brother bishops and priests: ‘How is your love today?’ This is what Jesus asks” in the Gospel of
John (21:15-19), the pope said June 6 at Mass
in the chapel of his residence.
“Am I in love like I was the first day? Or
have work and worries led me to concentrate on other things and forget love a bit?”
the pope asked, according to a summary in
L’Osservatore Romano, the Vatican newspaper.
In the Gospel of John, Jesus asks Peter the
question three times, the pope said, and although Peter is hurt that Jesus seems to doubt
his sincerity, Jesus uses the repetition “to take
him back to that first afternoon” when Peter
and his brother first met Jesus and recognized
him as Messiah.
Pope Francis said that since he began inviting Rome parishes to send small groups of
people to his morning Mass, many of those
chosen have been couples celebrating 50 or
60 years of marriage. Chatting with them after
Mass, he said, he always asks how they did it.
They all admit to having fights, but one couple
– both the husband and wife – told the pope,
“We’re in love like we were the first day.”
Anyone who has made a lifelong commitment motivated by love should “never forget
their first love. Never,” the pope said.
A priest, he said, must have a daily conversation with Jesus and, before all other obligations, must be the pastor he was ordained to
be.
After Jesus asked Peter if he loved him, and
Peter responded that he did, Jesus told him,
“Feed my sheep.” Therefore, before being “an
intellectual of philosophy or theology or patristics,” he said, a priest must be a pastor.
A priest can nourish his flock by teaching
philosophy or theology or the fathers of the
early Church, he said, as long as nourishing
others is the point “because the Lord has called
us for this. And the hands of the bishop were
placed on our heads to be pastors.”
In addition to asking themselves regularly
about their relationship with Jesus, priests and
bishops also must examine their consciences
about the focus of their ministry, he said. “Am
I a pastor or an employee in this NGO called
the Church?”
Pope Francis ended his homily with a prayer
that priests and bishops always would remember that Jesus is their first love, that they were
ordained for service and that their only
concern should be to follow the Lord.
‘Because You’ve Never Died Before’
Holy Spirit Hospital Offers Caregivers, Chaplains
New Perspective on Ministry to Terminally Ill
By Jen Reed
Pastoral caregivers and hospital chaplains at a recent professional workshop at Holy Spirit Hospital in Camp Hill
were told that there is one thing they cannot do in their
ministry to the terminally ill:
They cannot empathize with them.
Dr. Kathleen Rusnak, a longtime Hospice chaplain and
Lutheran pastor, told those gathered at the workshop that
they are simply unable to empathize with people who are
dying.
“They know that we have no idea what is going on in
their hearts, in their minds, and in their souls,” she said.
For this reason, Dr. Rusnak offered her lecture, “Because
You’ve Never Died Before: Spiritual Issues at the End of
Life.”
The professional enrichment day was hosted by Holy
Spirit Hospital’s Pastoral Care Department, which routinely offers workshops for those who serve in spiritual care
ministries.
In her presentation, “Because You’ve Never Died Before,” Dr. Kathleen Rusnak, a longtime Hospice chaplain, talks about spiritual issues that people face at
the end of their life.
“When people find out that they have a terminal illness,
they begin to reflect on their life, and try to rectify mistakes or broken relationships,” said Adorers of the Blood
of Christ Sister Margaret Washington, Director of Pastoral
Care at Holy Spirit Hospital. “Dr. Rusnak’s presentation
will help enable caregivers to assist patients in that process. If we can better understand what’s happening in their
hearts and minds, we can better assist them in their search
for peace through the dying process.”
The lecture, held June 6 in the hospital auditorium, was
aimed at the clergy, religious and laity who minister as
caregivers and chaplains in hospitals, retirement communities, Hospices and parishes.
But Dr. Rusnak’s message can also strike a chord for anyone caring for someone who is terminally ill.
Dr. Rusnak, now a speaker and author on spiritual issues
at the end of life, began working in Hospice ministry in
1987. She has ministered to patients who clung to life because of unresolved spiritual issues, to people who were
ready to die, to those indignant about their terminal diagnosis, and to family members begging loved ones not to die,
or seeking resolution in relationships.
Stories from those personal experiences weave through
Dr. Rusnak’s presentations, “because each one of them
offers a lesson,” she told The Catholic Witness. “You’ve
never finished interpreting those lessons and finding things
that are helpful for pastoral care.”
“Pastoral care goes beyond praying with a patient, and
giving them Communion,” she said. “There should be
conversation with the person. Be human with them, be authentic. We have to pay attention to what people are saying
about how they feel, and approach them with humility and
the desire to listen.”
In her lecture, Dr. Rusnak spoke of the spiritual issues
that people face at the end of their lives – regardless of their
religious beliefs – and addressed the “brick wall” that people often speak of when they receive a terminal diagnosis.
When someone hits the “brick wall,” they move from the
world of the living into the world of the dying, she said, and
they begin to think about the existential: “I have a threemonth prognosis. This is June. I have until September. I’m
going to die in 2014. Three months. Twelve weeks. Eleven
Mondays, 12 maybe.”
People who are dying also ask spiritual questions, Dr.
Rusnak said: “Did I love? Did I have meaning? Will I be
remembered? Is there a God? Is there a Heaven? Was I
greedy? Did I pay attention to people?”
The brick wall puts them in a different place spiritually,
and separates their world from ours, she said.
“For them, there is no future. As caregivers, we have no
idea what it’s like to not have a future,” Dr. Rusnak remarked. “You visit them, and you’re waiting for 5:00 to
come when your work day is over, but they’re not looking
for the day to end. They know what’s on your mind because
they used to be like you, and sometimes that is why we
get their anger. Respond to that anger by opening them up,
by saying, ‘I have no idea what you must be feeling. But
maybe you can tell me something about it.’”
Having conversations with people who are dying gives
new perspectives and new ways of finding helpful approaches and lessons for pastoral care, Dr. Rusnak pointed
out.
“When you walk into their room and their eyes are
closed, you might think they are sleeping, but they’re not.
They’re busy. They’re thinking about spiritual questions,
assessing their lives, saying goodbye to their futures, grieving and wondering how to say goodbye,” she said.
“Maybe we don’t know what to say to them, but all we
have to do is this to have a very powerful intervention: Simply go to their bed or chair, and if they want to talk, ask
them, ‘What are you thinking about?’ And if they start to
talk, pull up a chair and listen,” she said.
For more information on the services provided by Holy
Spirit’s pastoral care department for patients and families,
call 717-763-2118 or visit www.hsh.org/patients-and-visitors/pastoral-services.
Father Paul C. B. Schenck Director of the Diocesan
Respect Life Office, looks on during the workshop offered by Holy Spirit Hospital’s Pastoral Care Department.
Christianity is Hands-On Action,
Pope Says in Reflection on Beatitudes
By Carol Glatz
Being a good Christian demands concrete action and
deeds, Pope Francis said.
And, he said, the “how-to” manual is found in the Beatitudes and the Last Judgment, which spells out the consequences awaiting those who fail to help others in need.
Jesus offers a guide to life that is “so simple, but very
difficult,” the pope said June 9 during his early morning
Mass in the Domus Sanctae Marthae, where he lives.
It’s difficult because Christianity is “a hands-on religion;
it isn’t for thinking about, it’s for putting into practice, to
do it,” he said in his homily, according to a report by Vatican Radio.
The pope focused his homily on the day’s Gospel reading from St. Matthew in which Jesus teaches the Beatitudes, which begin, “Blessed are the poor in spirit.”
The Beatitudes are the “program” and “the identity card”
for every Christian, outlining a step-by-step guide to being
“a good Christian,” he said.
Jesus’ teaching goes “very much against the tide” of a
worldly culture, he said, in which monetary wealth, superficial joy and personal satisfaction are the measures of happiness and success.
But “blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven,” he said, and “blessed are they who mourn,
for they will be comforted.”
People who face reality and life’s big and small difficulties will mourn in their hearts, but they will also find
consolation in Jesus, the pope said.
Most of the world, on the other hand, “doesn’t want to
cry, it prefers to ignore painful situations and cover them
up” or just turn the other way and pretend they’re not there,
he said.
Jesus also says, “Blessed are the meek in this world that,
from the beginning, is a world of war, a world where people everywhere fight, where there is hatred everywhere,”
the pope said.
Jesus, however, wants people to be meek, even if everyone “will think that I’m a dolt.”
The world has become all about “business” and dealmaking while “so many people suffer” from so many injustices.
Even though “it’s very easy to slip into corrupt cabals”
and fall into the “daily politics of ‘do ut des,’” the giveand-take of exchanging favors, blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, who fight for justice, the
pope said.
Jesus never said, “Blessed are those who wreak revenge,” but rather, blessed are the merciful, for they will
be shown mercy.
Those who forgive, understand the mistakes others have
made, the pope said, underlining how “we are all part of an
army of people who have been forgiven. We have all been
forgiven.”
He said blessed are the clean of heart, those who have “a
simple heart” and a heart that “knows to love with purity,”
for they will see God.
Today, it’s all too common to be “makers of war or at
least makers of misunderstanding,” the pope said. Instead,
blessed are the peacemakers.
Gossip and backstabbing are another form of warmongering, he said.
“These people who gossip do not make peace, they are
enemies of peace. They are not blessed.”
Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, he said, as theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Pope Francis said the Beatitudes are “the program of life
that Jesus offers us.”
He said, “If we want something more, Jesus also gives
us other instructions” in the “Judgment of the Nations” in
later chapters of St. Matthew’s Gospel.
People should remember the “protocol by which we will
be judged” – by what everyone has done or didn’t do for
the hungry, the thirsty, the naked, the ill and the imprisoned, he said.
He asked that people find the time to read the Beatitudes
and the final judgment “once, twice, three times.”
By following these two teachings, “you can live a holy
Christian life,” the pope said.
Bishops Focus
Continued from 1
Ad Hoc Committee on Religious Liberty, Baltimore Archbishop William E. Lori, its chairman, compared the body’s work to the “humble beginnings of the pro-life movement.”
The ad hoc committee was formed in 2011
and the “need for its sustained work is at least
as great as when it started,” he told the bishops.
Several bishops said they appreciated the
materials the committee provided them and
their dioceses and felt the work was important.
Another item the bishops unanimously approved was a limited revision of the 2007
statement “Forming Consciences for Faithful
Citizenship” and the draft of a new introductory note for it. The revision and draft will be
presented for a vote by the U.S. bishops at
their annual fall assembly in November.
The document has been issued before every
presidential election for almost four decades.
A note in the current introduction, revised
in 2011, clarifies that the document is “does
not offer a voters’ guide, scorecard of issues
or direction on how to vote,” but instead “applies Catholic moral principles to a range of
important issues and warns against misguided
appeals to ‘conscience’ to ignore fundamental
moral claims, to reduce Catholic moral concerns to one or two matters, or to justify choices simply to advance partisan, ideological or
personal interests.”
The bishops also voted to permit the Committee on Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations to seek a renewed recognitio, or approval, from the Vatican for the National Directory
for the Formation, Ministry and Life of Permanent Deacons in the United States. Vatican
approval to the text would be for another fiveyear term.
The bishops, by applause, showed their support of a letter to be from Archbishop Joseph
E. Kurtz of Louisville, Kentucky, president of
the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, to
Pope Francis, inviting him to attend the World
Meeting of Families next September in Philadelphia.
Read at the meeting by Archbishop Kurtz,
the letter said the pope’s presence would “add
significance” to the gathering and “deepen the
bonds of affection” many Catholics feel for
the Holy Father.
Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, president of
the Pontifical Council for the Family, said the
CNS/BOB ROLLER
Bishop Ronald W. Gainer of Harrisburg and Father Robert H. Nieberding, who
is diocesan administrator of the Diocese of Lexington, Ky., listen June 12 during
the annual spring meeting of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in New
Orleans.
Philadelphia gathering was a key factor in promoting family life, which he said is currently
in crisis.
“The family today is living out a paradox,”
he told the bishops. “On the one hand, great
value is given to the bonds of family, everywhere in the world” but he also noted that today’s families are weakened and often “lose
their way.”
Philadelphia Archbishop Charles J. Chaput told the U.S. bishops the 2015 gathering
“comes at a time when the Church in the United States urgently needs an opportunity for joy
and renewal. It’s also a time of great confusion
about the nature of marriage and the family.”
“Our goal is to exclude no one from the excitement of this meeting. Our goal is to offer
the beauty of Catholic teaching about marriage
and the family with confidence and a spirit of
invitation to every person of good will,” he
said. “That’s the heart of our theme: ‘Love is
our mission; the family fully alive.’”
Archbishop Kurtz spoke about the upcoming extraordinary synod on the family at the
Vatican, noting that it will take its cue from
responses given in surveys of Catholic families worldwide. He said while the responses
remain confidential, one trend they indicate is
Catholics’ eagerness to respond to questions
about family life; many have expressed a de-
sire to hear more clear explanation of church
teaching about marriage and families.
He also said many parents indicated that
they are “at a loss” for how to transmit the
faith to their children and they also face challenges from today’s economy, busy schedules
and from living in a culture that they’ve described as being “hostile” to their faith.
The synod will bring together presidents
of bishops’ conferences, the heads of Eastern
Catholic churches and the heads of Vatican
offices to discuss “pastoral challenges to the
family in the context of evangelization.”
In his presentation June 11, San Francisco
Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone, chairman
of the USCCB’s Subcommittee for the Promotion and Defense of Marriage, noted that the
redefinition of marriage is not only occurring
at the state level but federally.
He urged the bishops to move forward recalling the words of Pope Francis: “Challenges exist to be overcome! Let us be realists, but
without losing our joy, our boldness and our
hope-filled commitment.”
A report by the bishops’ national advisory
council called the bishops effort to defend
marriage “an urgent priority.”
The report emphasized an agreement with
issues on the bishops’ agenda for the spring
meeting and also urged the bishops to devel-
op materials to help dioceses address “how it
cares for those in pain” and alienated from the
Church.
The group asked the bishops to continue
to review the federal government’s Common
Core State Standards initiative and to consider
more diocesan programs to help men to get
more involved in the Church.
A report by the National Review Board,
which monitors dioceses’ performance in dealing with sexually abusive priests and creating
a safe environment for children, said progress
has been made but much work still needs to
be done.
In a report on the work of the Subcommittee on the Catechism, Archbishop Leonard P.
Blair of Hartford, Connecticut, and chairman
of the Committee on Evangelization and Catechesis, noted how the bishops’ subcommittee
reviews 25,000 pages of religious education
materials a year to determine if they conform
with the catechism.
He said that just as the bishops developed
high school catechetical materials they should
now focus similar efforts on a curriculum format for primary grades.
The bishops were also told how the $21 million in aid relief from U.S. Catholics to Catholic Relief Service helped with immediate and
long-term aid and reconstruction of churches
in the Philippines after last year’s Typhoon
Haiyan.
At the opening Mass June 11 at St. Louis
Cathedral, Archbishop Kurtz urged his fellow bishops to encourage Catholics, society
at large and each other. He also thanked New
Orleans Archbishop Gregory M. Aymond for
the “truly warm New Orleans welcome.”
On June 12, the bishops heard from Helen
Alvare, law professor at George Mason University Law School in Arlington, Virginia,
who spoke about the link between new evangelization and poverty; and Brad Wilcox, associate professor of sociology and director of
the National Marriage Project at the University of Virginia, spoke about marriage and the
economy.
Alvare urged bishops to continually bring
Jesus to those they minister to and to act as he
did, making time for people and having personal interaction with them.
Wilcox, citing numerous studies, spoke of
the erosion of marriage in society and its negative impact on children. He urged the bishops
to articulate with Catholics the benefits of an
“intact marriage” but also to “stand in solidarity with couples in crisis.”
Phoenix Police Arrest Suspect in Violent Attack on Two Catholic Priests
By Joyce Coronel
Police in Phoenix have arrested a suspect in the violent assault on a downtown
church that took the life of one priest and
left a second priest critically injured.
According to an AP story, a man identified as Gary Michael Moran, 54, was being held on suspicion of first-degree murder, burglary and armed robbery, among
others charges, police said June 16.
The attack the night of June 11 left Father Kenneth Walker, 28, dead and Father
Joseph Terra, 56, critically injured. Father
Walker died of a gunshot wound at the
hospital. AP said Father Terra was taken
out of intensive care June 14 and is expected to make a full recovery.
At press time on Tuesday, police were
planning to hold a news conference to release more details on the suspect. Earlier
that morning, a funeral Mass was celebrated for Father Walker at St. Catherine of
Siena Church in downtown Phoenix.
The attack stunned and saddened the
Phoenix Diocese, parishioners and the
community at large.
“We ask that people offer prayers for
both priests, the religious community,
their families and the parish,” the diocese
said in a statement June 12.
The priests, members of the Priestly
Fraternity of St. Peter, served at Mater Misericordiae (Mother of Mercy) Mission,
where they were attacked during a nighttime burglary.
Father Walker was pronounced dead
at the hospital. A police spokesman described Father Terra’s injuries as severe
and said that it appeared he was beaten by
intruders.
At a news conference at the Phoenix Police Department the morning of June 12,
Police Chief Daniel Garcia asked the community for assistance in solving the crime.
He remained tight-lipped about the attack
and would not comment as to whether the
murder took place in the church itself or
the rectory.
Father Terra made the 911 call, Phoenix
police say, shortly after 9:30 p.m. June 11.
“We have an extensive investigation underway as of last night,” Garcia said. “The
Phoenix Police Department will exhaust
its resources to bring to justice the individuals who have committed this crime.”
Father Fred Adamson, the diocese’s vicar general and moderator of the curia, also
spoke at the news conference. Phoenix
Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted was in New
Orleans for the U.S. bishops’ spring general assembly June 11-13.
The vicar general said Father Terra administered last rites to Father Walker in
spite of his own suffering.
“They [the two priests] have been there
four year years and felt it was a safe place
CNS/NANCY WIECHEC
Police tape and vehicles are seen outside Mater Misericordiae (Mother of Mercy)
Mission in Phoenix the morning after a priest was killed and another critically injured during an attack at the mission the night of June 11.
to live,” Father Adamson said when asked
whether there were security problems with
the church being close to the state Capitol
grounds.
Father Terra is “a pretty strong man –
he’s not afraid of anybody – and if anyone
came in there and asked him, he would
give them the shirt off his back. That’s
the type of priest he is – a real servant of
God,” Father Adamson said.
Both priests were known for their
stalwart efforts on behalf of the unborn. Bishop Olmsted, in comments he made
in New Orleans, said the two priests often participated in prayer vigils at abortion
clinics.
“Every time that I went to pray during the ‘40 Days for Life’ at the abortion
places, [Father Walker] was there with Father Terra,” he said, calling them “faithful
priests, joyfully serving their people.”
Father Walker, a priest since 2012, was
parochial vicar at Mater Misericordiae.
Father Terra, a priest since 1989, was the
pastor. Both were ordained for the Priestly
Fraternity of St. Peter. The order is dedicated to celebrating the Mass in the extraordinary form, commonly known as the
Tridentine rite.
“They loved their people. It couldn’t
be something they provoked,” Bishop
Olmsted said of the attack. “There has to
be some other reason this violence happened.”
Despite the tragedy, the bishop offered
words of hope. “We need to keep in mind
that we’re people of hope, because death
is not the last word, ever.”
Festivals & Picnics in the Diocese
St. Mary’s Cultural Festival will be held at Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish in York June 20 from 5-9 p.m. and June 21 from
10 a.m.-9 p.m. Delicious food from many countries,
music, dancing, raffles, games for children. For information, call 717-845-7629.
The 2014 Lancaster Catholic High School Carnival continues through June 21 from 6-11 p.m., featuring a wide array of rides, food and entertainment. All
proceeds from the carnival benefit Lancaster Catholic
High School Athletic programs. Admission is $3 for
adults. Children 6 and under are free. There are more
than 35 rides and 25 vendors with free nightly entertainment and bands, fun and educational demonstrations. As part of this year’s event, each of the school’s
sports teams were challenged to create and operate
fun, low cost games. For further information, contact
Teresa Roda 717-314-9943.
St. Joan of Arc Parish in Hershey will host its
festival June 19-21 from 5-10 p.m. Food stands, including a pig roast nightly, silent auction, games,
raffles, bingo, jewelry, plants, dunk tank and kids’
inflatables. Dinners each night, take-outs starting at
3:30 p.m., and seated dining from 4-7 p.m. Chicken
cacciatore on Thursday, Italian and Polish platters
Friday and Saturday. Entertainment features “Colebrook Road” on Thursday, “Crossing Abbey Road”
on Friday, and “Wave Quartet” on Saturday. Visit
www.stjoanhershey.org.
Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish in Mount
Carmel will hold its festival June 20 from 6-11 p.m.,
featuring entertainment by “The Shoreliners,” and
June 21 from 5-10:30 p.m. featuring DJ Mike Wonsik. Ethnic foods, refreshments, specialty baskets and
games. Rain date is Sunday June 22, in the parish
hall, with a food sale.
Mary, Gate of Heaven Parish in Myerstown will
hold its annual Summer Fest June 26-28. The festival
will be open until 10 p.m. Thursday, and until 11 p.m.
Friday and Saturday. Book sale and basket raffles
open daily at 10 a.m. Food court and midway games
begin daily at 5 p.m. There will be a food court, bingo
nightly, as well as a kidde area, petting zoo and inflatables. Entertainment each evening at 7 p.m., featuring “The Hit List” on Thursday, “DJ A.J.” on Friday,
and “Pentagon” on Saturday.
Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish in Cornwall will
hold its annual festival July 10-12. The fun begins
Thursday, 5-11 p.m., and continues on Friday and
Saturday, 4-11 p.m. Thursday will offer a spaghetti
dinner from 4-7 p.m. and entertainment by the “Luv
Gods.” Friday features a fish fry dinner from 4-7 p.m.,
and Saturday features a chicken pot pie dinner from
4-7 p.m. Entertainment on Friday by “Hit List,” and
on Saturday by “Not Quite Einstein.” Enjoy bingo, a
special children’s area, pony rides and much more.
The 41st annual Summer Festival sponsored by
the Sisters of Sts. Cyril and Methodius in Danville
will be held July 12. Activities will begin at 10:30
a.m. The festival will feature a large flea market, a
silent auction, home-made baked goods, handcrafted
items, a book store, and religious and Slovak articles.
There will be a variety of ethnic foods such as holubky and halusky, as well as hot dogs, hamburgers,
sausage, ice cream and much more. There will be a
variety of games for children and adults plus special
attractions like raffles, bingo and a cake-walk. Bus
parking is available. The festival will take place rain
or shine, and will close with a Mass at 5 p.m. For
more information, call Sister Barbara Sable at 570275-3581, ext. 302.
Prince of Peace Parish in Steelton will host its
annual picnic July 12 from noon-8 p.m. at Cibort
Park in Bressler. The picnic will feature a full menu
of picnic fare including lamb, pork, sarma, sausage,
potato salad, baked beans, cabbage and noodles, desserts and more, a bar, games, raffles, 50/50 and kids’
games. Entertainment by DJ Bruce Man and The
Polka Quads. There is no admission fee to the picnic.
For information, contact the parish office at 717-9851330.
Immaculate Conception BVM Church in Berwick will hold its parish picnic at the picnic grove
at 1730 Fowler Avenue July 13 from 11 a.m.-6 p.m.
The parish will sponsor a Cruise-In featuring antique
hot-rod and custom cars, Music by the “Shoreliners,”
games of chance, and all kinds of ethnic food. Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish in Conewago will
hold its old-fashioned picnic in the Basilica’s Picnic Woods July 19 from 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Homemade
chicken corn soup made outside in kettles over a fire,
live entertainment from “River’s Bend Band,” family-style fried chicken dinner begins at 3 p.m. Kids’
games, raffles, bingo, 13-jars, hot dogs, hamburgers,
french fries, homemade baked goods table, and more.
Bring your lawn chair for a day of good food, good,
entertainment and good people! For more information, call the parish office at 717-637-2721.
St. Ann Byzantine Catholic Parish in Harrisburg will hold its annual Slavic Fest July 20 from
noon-9 p.m. (Please note correct date is July 20, updated from a previous error in The Witness.) Homemade Eastern European foods, eat in or take out.
Polka bands, church tours, world class iconography,
chanting & singing demonstrations, an Eastern European market, games, bingo, 50 theme baskets and
cash raffles. Free admission and parking. Call 717652-1415 or visit www.stannbyz.org. Holy Angels Parish in Kulpmont will hold its Parish Picnic on Aug. 1 from 5 p.m.-midnight, and Aug.
2 from 4 p.m.-midnight. Homemade food, bake sale,
yard sale, auction baskets, children’s games. Friday’s
entertainment by “Joe Stanky and his Cadets” from
7-11 p.m. Saturday’s entertainment by “The Shoreliners” from 7-11 p.m. Fireworks display Saturday at
10 p.m. $3,000 in cash prizes.
Our Lady of Mercy Parish in Roaring Creek will
hold its annual picnic on the church grounds Aug. 1
and 2 from 6-11 p.m. Friday features music by “Parrotbeach,” and Saturday features music by “The 60s
Boys.” Great food and dancing nightly. No coolers
allowed on property.
St. Patrick Parish in Trevorton will hold its 17th
annual Parish Festival on Aug. 8 and 9 on the grounds
located in the rear of the church. Free entertainment
nightly, delicious ethnic foods, games, prizes, raffles
and basket booth.
Christ the King Church in Benton will have a
stand at the Bloomsburg Fair Sept. 20-28. Christ the
King is a Mission Church of St. Columba Parish in
Bloomsburg. Look for our stand, across the corner
from the education building in the fairway. Our menu
features the best homemade pierogies, haluski and
bean soup.
Christ the King Church in Benton will hold its
annual picnic at Knoebels Amusement Resort on
Aug. 17. Meet at Pavilion P-5 beginning at noon.
Christ the King will supply the hot dogs, hamburgers
and drinks. Attendees are asked to bring salads and
desserts. For information, call Christ the King Mission at 570-925-6969.
Lancaster Catholic High School Art
Teacher Designs Logo for ‘Nuns’ Beach’
Richard Ressel has been
teaching art at Lancaster Catholic High School for 37 years.
For 12 of those years, he has
been designing the t-shirts for
the “Nuns’ Beach Surf Invitational” in Stone Harbor, N.J.
Sister James Dolores and the
Sister Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary have a retreat house known as Villa Maria by the Sea on a stretch of
beach in Stone Harbor. When
the retreat house found itself
in need of repairs, the Sisters
decided to create a surf invitational.
Mr. Ressel is an awardwinning artist and long time
teacher at Lancaster Catholic,
and donates his time and gift
to design the t-shirts for the
Sisters each year.
“This is such a huge fundraiser for the Sisters, and allows them to maintain the
retreat house where they can
recharge during the summer
months,” he said.
What started off as a surf
competition has also turned
into a very popular item. The
Lancaster Catholic art
teacher Richard Ressel
reveals the logo for this
year’s “Nuns’ Beach” shirt.
COURTESY OF LANCASTER
CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL
local surf shops sell the shirts
while giving every cent back
to the Sisters, and there is a
great sense of community
support. Mr. Ressel feels especially close to this group of
Sisters, as his aunt was part
of their order until her death
nearly ten years ago.
“I am honored to donate, and
so happy to do it,” he said.
Sister James Dolores says
she could never express
enough gratitude for what Mr.
Ressel does for the congregation. “Our shirts are the main
attraction, even more than the
actual surfing, and without
him, the shirts would not be
what they are,” she said.
She also spoke Mr. Ressel’s
extreme generosity, how he
is never satisfied, and that the
designs get better and better
each year. Sister James Dolores says that Mr. Ressel always
puts something special into the
shirt design. This year, he included a plane flying a banner
with the year that Stone Harbor
was founded, since this year is
the centennial celebration.
More than the selling of the
shirts, the surf competition
has always opened the door
to a tremendous evangelization project. As soon as people
see the door opened for business, people flock not only to
buy the shirts, but to talk with
the Sisters. They want to talk
with them about their lives,
and ask them for prayers. The
people who come to buy the tshirts are sharing in the work
of evangelization, and helping
the Sisters to continue their
mission.
For information on the retreat house, the surf invitational, or ordering a shirt, contact
the Sisters at srjamesd@snip.
net or 609-368-5290.
(Press release submitted by
Shawn Gable, Lancaster Catholic High School.)
The names of the following deceased persons have been submitted by their parishes:
BLUE RIDGE SUMMIT – St. Rita: Larry
Kreit.
CAMP HILL – Good Shepherd: Joseph
Gall, John J. Hoyer.
CHAMBERSBURG – Corpus Christi:
Samuel Fuller, Sr.
COAL TOWNSHIP – Our Lady of Hope:
Frank A. Delorso, Dr. Courtney A. Jones,
VMD, Marquerite Ann Seger.
COLUMBIA – Holy Trinity: Ronald
Pyfer, Sr.
GETTYSBURG – St. Francis Xavier:
Hazel M. Ramos.
HANOVER – St. Joseph: Edward P. Holland, Barbara Kerns, Mary C. Miller, William
Mummert, Jane R. Myers, Dollie Neiderer,
Bernadine Smith.
HERSHEY – St. Joan of Arc: Joseph Curtin, Joseph English, Sr., Elsie
Marcucci, Freda Memmi,
KULPMONT – Holy Angels: Michael J.
Kruleski, Jr., Nancy Markovich.
LANCASTER – Assumption BVM: Rose
Elizabeth Work, Nicholas Verastegui; St.
Anne: Arlene Guinan, Rose Manno.
MCSHERRYSTOWN – Annunciation
BVM: Constance Overbaugh Keffer, Kelly
Myers.
MECHANICSBURG – St. Joseph: Frank
A. Gallucci, Genevieve A. Snyder.
MIDDLETOWN – Seven Sorrows BVM:
Joseph Joseph.
MOUNT CARMEL – Divine
Redeemer: Albert Lotis.
NEW CUMBERLAND – St. Theresa:
Jeanne Hessler, Marie Andrews-Ladd, Ann
Mays, Thomas Ross.
ROARING CREEK – Our Lady of
Mercy: Louis Adamski, Jeanette
Boguslaw.
SELINSGROVE – St. Pius X: Americ
Guerrini.
SHAMOKIN – Mother Cabrini:
Catherine Gross.
SUNBURY – St. Monica: Florence M.
Krankoski, Laura L. Rupinski.
WAYNESBORO – St. Andrew:
Dorothy “Jean” O’Brien.
YORK – St. Patrick: Gesua Mingora.
Please pray for the following clergy who died in June during the past
25 years:
Deacon Henry Bucher, 1990
Msgr. Matthias Siedlecki, 1990
Father Augustine Zan, 1999
Father Joseph Kelly, 2000
Father Robert Burns, Jr., 2001
Father Thomas J. Gralinski, 2005
Father William Geiger, CSSR, 2007
Father T. Ronald Haney, 2012
Father Andre J. Meluskey, 2013.
Council of Catholic Women in Lewisburg,
Mifflinburg Award Scholarship
The Council of Catholic Women of Sacred Heart Parish in Lewisburg and Saint George
Mission Church in Mifflinburg annually presents a scholarship to a graduating high school
senior girl who has demonstrated service to Church, school and community. The CCW was
delighted to present this year’s scholarship at the annual CCW breakfast to Lewisburg High
School senior Madison Scarr. Madison has demonstrated service to the Church through
her role as an altar server. Additionally, she has served her community throughout her high
school years by volunteering at the local food bank, at blood drives and at the local hospital.
She has participated in 5K walks for the purpose of raising money for fresh water wells in
Africa. At Lewisburg High School, Madison was captain of the field hockey team and squad
leader for the school’s marching band. She achieved distinguished honor roll status in a rigorous course of study. Madison will attend Shippensburg University to major in Accounting
and minor in Spanish and will play collegiate field hockey.
Pictured in photo are Marianne Piorkowski, Scholarship Committee, Madison Scarr, and
Marge Schmader, CCW President.
National Shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton
to Host Patriotic Event
The distinctive down-home sounds of banjos, fiddles, tambourines and mandolins, which entertained soldiers on the battlefield camps, will fill the air July 6 at 4 p.m. at
the National Shrine of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton in Emmitsburg, Md., as two Civil War era
bands perform a free picnic concert on the grounds.
The concert will feature the Hancock String Band and the Susquehanna Travelers Band,
both acclaimed for playing authentic Civil War era music.
The Susquehanna Travelers Band focuses on the music of the Civil War era and Irish music. The musicians are Civil War reenactors and members of the 87th Pennsylvania Volunteer
Infantry. The band got its start playing traditional tunes around the campfire at the Civil War
reenactments and decided to officially form the Susquehanna Travelers.
The Hancock Civil War String Band performs 11 different instruments along with melodic four part vocal harmonies, which bring to life the poetic lyrics of the most musical
war ever. The band often performs “Listen to the Mockingbird,” a song sung by 81,000
Union and Confederate soldiers the night before the battle of Stones River in Tennessee,
and the song “Lorena,” which Confederate generals banned since it was causing the men
to be homesick.
Guests are invited to bring lawn chairs, blankets, and picnic food to enjoy.
“Civil War history is rich at the Shrine,” said Rob Judge, executive director of Seton
Heritage Ministries. “The war came to Emmitsburg in late June 1863, with the armies of
the Potomac and Northern Virginia succeeding each other in St. Joseph’s Valley.” Approximately 40 years after Mother Seton’s death in 1821, her home was the site of the Union
encampment in 1863.
The event will also offer free access to the Charity Afire exhibit, which tells the compelling stories of the Sisters and Daughters of Charity who served the soldiers as nurses during
the Civil War. The exhibit features life-like mannequins depicting a battlefield and hospital
scene, a detailed map showing where the Sisters served, large-photo panels, and artifacts.
Contact 301-447-6606, or visit www.setonheritage.org for more information.
Interactive Civil War Cemetery Walk
to be held at National Shrine in Emmitsburg
Theology of the Body and its relationship
to the question of how we live to be truly
happy is featured in this week’s Catholic
Perspective. This topic is particularly timely
as the Theology of the Body (TOB) Congress will be held July 9-11 in Philadelphia.
Contributor Rose Atkinson sat down with
TOB Institute Executive Director Damon
Owens to talk about what Theology of the
Body is, what it says and what it means.
In our “Ask the Bishop” segment, Bishop Ronald Gainer takes up the question of
“anti-Catholic feelings.” The question was
posed by a Catholic school student who
asked the Bishop to compare what he has
seen regarding negative attitudes toward the
Catholic Church.
Our June educational update will continue with the discussion on the 12 Promises
of Jesus about devotion to his Sacred Heart.
Jim Gontis, Director of Religious Education
for the Diocese of Harrisburg, will share
more about this popular devotion in the
“Coffee and Catholicism” segment.
A Pro-Life Update will be offered by the
Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation.
Catholic Perspective is produced in cooperation with the Office of Communications
of the Diocese and AM 720 WHFY. It can
be heard Mondays at noon and Sundays at
3 p.m. on AM 720 WHYF and on Sunday
mornings on WLAN-AM 1390, Lancaster
at 7:30 a.m.; WHVR-AM 1280, Hanover, at
8 a.m.; WKOK-AM 1070, Sunbury, at 6:30
a.m.; WIEZ-AM 670, Lewistown, at 8 a.m.;
WWSM-AM 1510, Lebanon, at 7 a.m.; and
WWEC-FM 88.3, Elizabethtown, at 9:30
a.m. It is also available on line at www.OldiesRadio1620.com at 6:30 a.m. and at www.
WISL1480.com on Sunday at 11 a.m. It can
also be heard on line at www.hbgdiocese.
org.
Bob Evans restaurants are again raising
funds for Holy Family Radio through the
sale of their baked goods at area outlets.
Please find out more on the sale and how
your purchase can benefit the independent
ministry by visiting the Holy Family website
at www.720whyf.com.
On June 27 and June 28, from 7-10 p.m., The National Shrine of Saint
Elizabeth Ann Seton in Emmitsburg, Md., in partnership with Mount Saint Mary’s, will
hold “Back from the Dead: Soldiers & Angels Cemetery Walk” in St. Joseph’s Cemetery.
Guests will encounter Civil War soldiers and Sisters who nursed the soldiers in this interactive event.
As attendees walk through St. Joseph’s Cemetery where many Sisters and Daughters of
Charity who served as nurses during the Civil War are buried, they will encounter Sister
Matilda Coskery, who served the soldiers at Gettysburg. Guests will also encounter two
children who were tended to by the Sisters during the war; Sister Anthony O’Connell, a
Sister of Charity; soldiers, and a priest.
Father Brian Nolan, University Chaplain Director at Mount Saint Mary’s University, created “Back from the Dead,” an evangelization drama, in 2002 after working with college
students at McDaniel College who had questions and misconceptions about the supernatural
world and life after death. Through prayer, reflection and research, the idea of a Cemetery
Walk to teach the faith in a creative way, took form. The Cemetery Walk has spread to college campuses and youth ministries in Maryland and around the country including in North
Carolina, Illinois, Massachusetts, and Washington.
“Back from the Dead: Soldiers & Angels” focuses on the Sisters and soldiers during the
Civil War. The original “Back from the Dead” event, which the Shrine holds each October,
tells the stories of saints and martyrs as they explain the three great virtues of faith, hope
and charity.
Due to the nature of this event, it is recommended for children ages 14 and older. Groups
are welcome. A $5 donation per ticket is suggested. Guests should call to reserve tickets,
and the tickets will be given out at the event. The first tour through the cemetery will begin
at 7 p.m. and the event will run until 10 p.m. Contact 301-447-6606 or visit www.setonheritage.org for more information.
Compiled by Jen Reed
Spiritual Offerings
Mass with prayers for healing will be celebrated
July 1 at 7:30 p.m. at St. Theresa Church in Cumberland
by Father Dwight Schlaline. The Mass is sponsored
by the Pilgrims of Praise and Life in the Spirit prayer
groups. For more information, call Mary Ann at 717-5647709 or Loretta at 717-737-7551.
Caelorum at St. Joan of Arc Church in Hershey will
be held July 2 at 7 p.m. Father Pius Michael Tukura will
preside. Come and experience the power of praise and
worship music and Eucharistic Adoration. A reception
will be held immediately following the Caelorum. For
more information, call 717-583-0240.
Mass in the Polish language will be celebrated July
20 at 2 p.m. at St. Catherine Labouré Church in Harrisburg. Confessions will be heard in English and Polish
after Mass.
Education,
Enrichment & Support
Holy Spirit Health System in Camp Hill offers a free
support group for pregnant women and new mothers.
Mothers can bring their babies up to 15 months old.
“Mom’s Place” is for women who feel overwhelmed,
sad, worried, or need extra support. “Mom’s Place”
meets every Tuesday from 6-7:30 p.m. at 20 Erford
Road, Suite 11, Lemoyne. “Mom’s Place” is led by a
clinician from Holy Spirit Hospital’s Behavioral Health
department. The group is educational, supportive, and
fun. Light refreshments are provided. “Mom’s Place”
also hosts family night where women can bring partners
or spouses. For more information, call 717-763-2200.
Theology on Tap in Harrisburg hits the roof this
summer. Adults ages 21-39 – single, married, practicing
Catholics and those still searching – are invited to “Summer Socials” up on the roof of Ceolta’s on 2nd Street in
Harrisburg. “The Thatch,” as this open-air rooftop bar is
called, is the perfect location to kick back and socialize
with other young adults from the Harrisburg area. Theology on Tap sessions will be held there at 6:30 p.m. on
June 25, July 24 and Aug. 21. For more information, and
to RSVP, go to the Theology on Tap - Harrisburg group
on Facebook or http://www.stjosephmech.org/adulteducation/theology-on-tap/.
Immaculate Conception BVM Parish in Berwick
concludes its Year of Evangelization program with Father Robert Barron’s DVD series, “Catholicism: The New
Evangelization.” The final session will be held July 17
at 6:30 p.m., with Lesson 6, “Faith in Action.” For more
information, contact the parish at 570-759-8113.
Adults interested in programs for Catholic
youth within Girl Scouts, Camp Fire, or American
Heritage Girls are invited to attend the meeting of the
Diocesan Catholic Committee for Girl Scouts and Camp
Fire from 10 a.m.-noon on July 19 at the Diocesan Center in Harrisburg. For information, call the Office of Youth
and Young Adult Ministry at 717-657-4804.
St. Pius X Parish in Selinsgrove is beginning a
social ministry entitled “WinDowS” for people of all ages
and faiths who are widowed, divorced, or single. The
gatherings will be held the first Monday of every month
for an evening meal at various restaurants and/or church
halls. The first meeting will be Aug. 4 at 6 p.m. at Hoss’s
Restaurant located on Route11/15 in Shamokin Dam.
Other events will be planned at the group’s discretion. If
interested in attending the first gathering, contact Nadine
Lawton at 570-473-3527 or 570-809-0245.
Retreats & Pilgrimages
The Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter will host a summer camp for boys ages 12-16 in Elmhurst, Pa., July
8-18. Daily Mass, catechism class, sports, hiking, day
trips and the Iron Man challenge. Activities led by seminarians and priests of the Fraternity. For information,
visit www.seminarycamps.wordpress.com/.
Tuscarora Catholic Summer Camp will hold its
21st annual week of faith-filled, fun-filled activities for
Catholic boys and girls in grades 4-12 at Rhodes Grove
Camp July 28-31. It is located off Route 11 between
Greencastle and Chambersburg. Campers come from
parishes in the Dioceses of Altoona-Johnstown and
Harrisburg, and the Archdiocese of Baltimore. Tuscarora
XXI’s Catholic, volunteer, staff includes priests, sisters,
a nurse, and lay persons both married and single, to
lead and oversee camp activities. The daily program
includes Mass and religious activities along with swimming, waterslide, high tower ropes, swing, horsemanship, crafts, nature studies and more. Cost is $225 per
camper. For further information and an application,
contact Sister Margie Monahan, CCW, 110 South Third
Street., McConnellsburg, Pa., 17233, or sistermargie@
comcast.net.
The Cursillo de Cursillos will take place Aug. 21-24
at St. Mary of Providence Center in Elverson, Pa. All of
those who have made a Cursillo weekend in the past
are encouraged to attend. The Cursillo de Cursillos will
enable you to delve deeper into the spiritual and technical aspects of the Cursillo movement. It is the first time
the event has been held in the history of the Diocese of
Harrisburg. To register online, visit http://www.schoolofleadersharrisburg.org/cdc-event.php.
Join Father Kenneth Smith on a pilgrimage to the
Holy Land from Nov. 2-12, 2014. The scriptures will
come alive on this journey to the roots of our faith. Tour
includes: daily Mass at holy sites, licensed Christian
guide, accommodation in first class hotels (five nights in
Jerusalem, three nights in Tiberias, on the shore of the
Sea of Galilee), breakfast and dinner daily, land transportation by deluxe motorcoach, roundtrip motorcoach
transportation from Abbottstown and Mechanicsburg to
New York JFK Airport, roundtrip airfare from New York
JFK to Tel Aviv on nonstop flights with Delta Airlines,
and more, for $3,459 per person/double occupancy. A
reservation deposit of $300 is due by July 28.
The 36th annual Corpus Christi Men’s Retreat
will be held Aug. 1-3 at Mount St. Mary’s University in
Emmitsburg, Md. The theme is “Pope Francis and the
New Evangelization.” The retreat, sponsored by Corpus
Christi Parish in Chambersburg, will be led by Msgr.
Stuart Swetland, Vice President for Catholic Identity
and Mission at Mount St. Mary’s. The retreat is open to
men ages 14 and older. Men are encouraged to bring
their sons and grandsons. A $60 deposit is required
toward the total cost of $150. Reservations can be
made through local parish coordinators, or by calling
Paul Little at 717-264-2577.
Events & Fund-Raisers
The Harrisburg Catholic Social Singles (ages
35-65) will meet over the summer for various outings
to include mini golf and plays. For information, contact
Dan Matarrese at [email protected] or 717236-8149.
St. Catherine Labouré Knights of Columbus
Council 12811 in Harrisburg will sponsor an indoor
flea market June 21 in Murray Hall from 8 a.m.-noon.
Tables are $15 each, or two for $25. Contact William
Logan at 717-564-1520 for reservations.
Catholic Charities will celebrate World Refugee
Day with picnic and activities at Lingle Park in Harrisburg June 21 from noon-5 p.m. The event will celebrate
the triumphs of local refugees and the diversity of
the greater Harrisburg community. Event includes an
international cook-off, music from many cultures, races,
games and prizes, a soccer game and cricket demonstration, and a community resources fair. For information, call 717-232-0568.
The 3rd Annual Mitre Cup Golf Tournament to
benefit benevolent care at St. Anne’s Retirement Community in Columbia will be held June 26 at Bent Creek
Country Club, with shotgun start at 1 p.m. Golfers
can play for The Blue Team – Team Harrisburg; or, the
Red Team – Team Lancaster. Another way to support
St. Anne’s Retirement Community is through the “Golf
Balls from Heaven” special event. Donations of $50 per
golf ball or $100 for 3 golf balls will give you a chance
to win the $2,500 prize! The golf ball that falls closest
to the target will be the winner. Need not be present to
win. We are especially excited to announce that Bishop
Ronald Gainer will be joining us. Reserve your spot at
the tournament, purchase “Golf Balls from Heaven”,
and/or join us for our cocktail reception and dinner. For
more information, contact Mary Jo Diffendall, at 717285-6539 or visit our website for more information and
to register online www.StAnnesRetirementCommunity.
com.
Trinity High School’s lacrosse team will host a
boys’ and girls’ youth lacrosse camp July 14-17 from
6:30-8:30 p.m. at the high school. Youth in grades
2-9 are invited to attend. Camp will be led by Trinity’s
lacrosse coaching staff, and current and former players.
Cost is $75. Registration information is available by
contacting [email protected].
The Catholic Harvest Food Pantry in York presents
its 2nd Annual Golf Tournament on July 18 at Honey
Run Golf Course. Shotgun start begins at noon with
scramble format. Cost of $75 per person includes 18
holes, cart, lunch, dinner and prizes. The pantry is an
outreach ministry Immaculate Conception, St. Rose of
Lima, St. Patrick and St. Joseph parishes, as well as local businesses, service organizations, and individuals in
York County. There are typically more than 600 families
each month who use our services. For more information, and to resister, visit the CHFP website at http://
www.catholicharvest.org/ or call 846-8571.
Trinity High School Class of 1969 will hold their
reunion Aug. 2 from 6-10 p.m. at Duke’s Riverside Bar
and Grill, second floor banquet room, Harrisburg. Cost
is $45 per person, to be paid by July 1. For reservations
and additional information, contact Lisa Wolfe at 717761-1116 or [email protected].
St. Joseph the Worker Parish in Bonneauville
will hold its annual Coach and Cash Bingo, featuring
100% authentic Coach bags and cash, Aug. 24 at St.
Vincent DePaul Parish in Hanover. Doors open at 12:45
p.m. and bingo starts at 2 p.m. Donation is $20 for 21
games. Door prizes and raffles, food is available. Call
Sandy Keller at 717-334-3512 or the parish office at
717-334-2510 for tickets.
Parish & Organization News
Shining Light Thrift Shop, a ministry of the Cathedral Parish of St. Patrick in Harrisburg, needs the following: XL and up clothing for men and women; domestics
(sheets, towels, blankets, quilts, pillows, curtains, etc.),
DVDs, VHS tapes, electronics, TVs (no consoles), small
appliances, furniture (no beds), lamps, large bags,
office supplies for the shop. We have a drop-off spot
behind the shop on Susquehanna Street; call us to tell
us you are at the spot to drop-off, 717-234-2436.
St. Margaret Mary Parish in Harrisburg seeks a
full-time Director of Development. The applicant
must display thorough knowledge of the principles and
practices of fund development and school advancement, with the ability to organize, create and implement
advancement efforts through the use of marketing techniques and constituent relations. The applicant must
also have the ability to organize, create and implement
advancement efforts through the use of marketing techniques and constituent relations, the ability to communicate effectively, both verbally (including oral presentations) and in writing. A Bachelor’s degree in Marketing,
Communications, and/or Finance, or an equivalent
combination of education and experience in a comparable field with 3-4 years of experience in a comparable
position is necessary. Experience in Advancement and
Development is preferred. This position requires specific
knowledge of the Catholic Church and its procedures.
Applicant must be a Catholic in good standing with the
Church. All interested applicants should contact M.
J. Sullivan at 717-233-3062 or submit cover letter and
résumé to [email protected].
Lebanon Catholic School is seeking an Administrative Assistant to the Principal to support a wide
range of office and school operations within areas and
limits of authority as delegated by school principal. This
position entails a diverse set of managerial and secretarial duties performed in a professional environment.
Candidate must relate well to a variety of individuals,
including students, parents, staff and the community.
This position requires a high degree of confidentiality
regarding all aspects of the school’s operation. Good
verbal and written communication skills, experience
with Microsoft Office tools. Organizational practices
and professional demeanor required. To apply, submit a
cover letter and résumé, including three references with
contact information, to rkury@lebanoncatholicschool.
org.
Sixth-grade teaching position available at Lebanon Catholic School. Seeking a dynamic teacher who
has a passion for teaching middle school students in a
private Catholic school setting. Ideal candidate has a
positive attitude to learning, develops creative lessons
and has strong classroom management skills. Ability
to utilize technology in the classroom and willingness
to explore innovative methods to teaching. Must have
Bachelor of Arts degree in elementary education and
have required background clearances prior to starting
the position. E-mail letter of interest and résumé to
[email protected].
State Museum Hosts Special Viewing of Stations
of the Cross in Conjunction with Parish’s Anniversary
A special viewing of the Stations of the Cross initially created for the first St. Joseph Church in Hanover was hosted by the State Museum of Pennsylvania in
conjunction with the parish’s 150th anniversary. From left are museum director David Dunn; Msgr. James Lyons, pastor of St. Joseph Parish; Father Stephen Kelly,
parochial vicar of St. Joseph Parish; Deacon Tom Lang of Seven Sorrows Parish in Middletown; Bishop Ronald W. Gainer, and John Jurasic, Communications Chair
of St. Joseph Parish.
By Jen Reed
I
Father Joseph Gotwalt, former
longtime pastor of St. Joseph
Parish in Hanover, and Bishop
Ronald W. Gainer take in
Lorenzo Scattaglia’s painting
of the Twelfth Station, “Jesus
dies on the cross.”
Right: The likeness of artist
Lorenzo Scattaglia is seen
in a soldier’s footwear in his
painting of the Fifth Station,
“Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus
to carry his Cross.” Scattaglia
was known for painting his
likeness into his artwork in lieu
of including his signature.
n 1877, during the construction of the original St. Joseph Church in Hanover, Father
John Emig, S.J., the parish’s first resident pastor,
commissioned Italian artist Lorenzo Scattaglia to
create paintings for the church. Catholics in Hanover had been attending Masses celebrated for
them by Jesuit priests in shops, schoolhouses, private homes and eventually in a former Methodist
Episcopal church for more than 50 years; with the
construction of their own church underway, Father Emig was assuring a place of worship with
Catholic imagery.
For several years in the late 1800s, Scattaglia
worked in Hanover, moving from his home in
Philadelphia to create artwork for the church.
Among the pieces were painted and framed Stations of the Cross, each one measuring six feet
high. For them, he was paid $600.
In 1963, when the 83-year-old St. Joseph Church
was declared unsafe for public use and eventually
razed, Scattaglia’s Stations of the Cross paintings
were saved and stored in the basement of the parish rectory, along with artifacts and stained-glass
windows eventually implemented into the new
church. In 1977, the parish donated the paintings
to the State Museum of Pennsylvania in view of
their deterioration and with the agreement that the
museum would pay for their restoration.
In conjunction with the 150th anniversary celebration of St. Joseph Parish this year, the museum
hosted a special viewing of Scattaglia’s Stations
of the Cross on June 14 for members of the parish
community. Bishop Ronald W. Gainer attended
the unique event, participating in one of several
30-minute viewing sessions that the museum led.
The striking Stations of the Cross paintings
were displayed in a special area reserved specifically for the session. The event was one of several
activities being offered this year through the parish’s 150th Anniversary Committee.
Scattaglia, who also created artwork for churches in Pennsylvania and Maryland, never signed his
original paintings. Instead, he included his likeness in them, strategically painting himself onto a
body part or article of clothing. The restored Stations of the Cross still bear his likeness.

Bishops Focus on Religious Liberty, Election Document, Upcoming

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