Father Avilés to represent Oratorians worldwide

Transcription

Volume 4, Issue 4
Serving over 900,000 Catholics In The Diocese of Brownsville
October 2012
Bishop Flores:
Catechists Agents of
the New
Evangelization
Halloween
Faithful reminded to choose
costumes carefully
3
By SUE GROVES
The Valley Catholic
La Cuevita
Small shrine to St. Jude
Thaddeus in Pharr
7
“
Catholics Vote
People of faith are called to
vote conscientiously
Credo, Domine,
Adauge Nobis
Fidem”
I believe, Lord,
increase our faith.
Those Who Serve
11
En Español
Artículos sobre el Año de
Fe, “La Cuevita” y una guía
electoral para el votante
católico
Catholic News Agency/EWTN
VATICAN CITY — The
upcoming 2012-2013 “Year of
Faith” seeks to awaken humanity at
a critical moment, Pope Benedict
XVI said.
“In vast areas of the earth the
faith risks being extinguished, like
a flame without fuel,” the Pope
said.
“We are facing a profound
crisis of faith, a loss of a religious
sense which represents one of the
greatest challenges for the Church
10
Sister Rose Carmel Garay, a
native of Elsa
Catholics called
to rediscover the
Church, their faith
today.”
Pope Benedict hopes the Year
of Faith, which will run from
Oct. 11, 2012 to Nov. 24, 2013,
will contribute “to restoring God’s
presence in this world, and to
giving man access to the faith,
enabling him to entrust himself
to the God who, in Jesus Christ,
loved us to the end.”
“The renewal of faith,” the Pope
announced, “must, then, be a
priority for the entire Church in
our time.”
The Pope spoke about the quest
to reunite all Christians, as he
acknowledged that ecumenical
efforts had not always served to
strengthen believers’ faith.
Along with the “many good
» Please see Faith, p.19
“VERBUM MITTITUR
SPIRANS AMOREM”
(“The WORD is sent
breathing love.”)
» Please see Evangelization, p.4
Father Avilés to represent Oratorians worldwide
Local priest elected
Procurator General
for six-year term
By ROSE YBARRA
The Valley Catholic
13-17
MCALLEN — “Day after day,
what you do changes lives,” Bishop
Daniel E. Flores said in his remarks
to more than 1,800 catechists at the
Annual Catechetical Convocation
on Sept. 15 in McAllen.
Catechists from throughout the
diocese gathered to celebrate their
pledge to proclaim the Good News
to the Catholic faithful of all ages.
Bishop Flores acknowledged the
preparation and commission of
this important ministry, and the
day-to-day work of the catechists
and teachers as “a sign of [our]
faith that allows us to build up our
commitment”.
“The Love of God, is not an
abstract concept,” the Bishop
emphasized. “It’s very concrete. The
Love of God showed Himself in the
Flesh and Blood of Jesus. As John
says ‘We have seen with our own
eyes’,” he stated.
Bishop Flores also took the
opportunity to galvanize the
catechists ahead of the Year of Faith,
which begins in October.
Pope Benedict XVI declared
that a “Year of Faith” will begin
on October 11 and conclude on
November 24, 2013. October 11,
2012, the first day of the Year of
Faith, is the 50th anniversary of the
ROME — Father Mario Avilés
was elected procurator general of
the Confederation of the Oratory
of St. Philip Neri on Sept. 10 at the
General Chapter, which was held in
Rome from Sept. 5-14.
Father Avilés, who serves as the
pastor of Sacred Heart Church in
Hidalgo and Director of the Pharr
Oratory of St. Philip Neri School
System, will lead 85 Oratories and
more than 550 Oratory priests and
brothers around the world for a sixyear term.
The Confederation of the Oratory was founded in Rome by St.
Philip Neri in the 16th century. It is
Courtesy photo
Oratory Father Mario Avilés met Pope Benedict XVI Sept. 12 at the Holy Father’s weekly
general audience at the Vatican. Father Avilés, pastor of Sacred Heart Church in Hidalgo,
was elected procurator general of the Confederation of the Oratory of St. Philip Neri.
a society of apostolic life of Catholic priests and brothers who live
together in a community known as
an Oratory.
“I am really grateful for the trust
that the (Oratory) Fathers have
placed in me,” said Father Avilés in
a telephone interview from Rome.
“I’m very grateful to them and to
the Lord for allowing me to be in
this position to lead the Oratory
into the future.”
Father Avilés was introduced
to Pope Benedict XVI as the new
procurator general of the Confederation of the Oratory at the Holy
Father’s weekly general audience at
the Vatican on Sept. 12.
“We talked briefly because it
was during the general audience
but I was able to talk face to face
with him,” Father Avilés said. “One
of the most important things that
he told me is, ‘now that you are
procurator general, charged with
leading the Congregations of the
Oratory, remember that you must
be faithful to the charism of St.
Philip Neri.’ So, one of my focuses
will be promoting the spirituality of
the saints, venerables and blesseds
of the Oratory.”
As procurator general, Father
Avilés will travel extensively, but he
will continue to belong to the Pharr
» Please see Father Avilés , p.17
DIOCESE
2
Renovados
en el regalo
de la fe
E
l Santo Padre ha pedido
un Año de la Fe empezando este octubre 11
y continuando hasta
noviembre 24 del 2013. Recientemente compartí lo que pensaba
sobre el Año de la Fe con más de
1,800 catequistas que asistieron a
la Convocatoria Catecúmena el 15
de septiembre.
El trabajo de nuestros catequistas, como maestros de la fe
con adultos, jóvenes y niños es de
vital importancia para la Iglesia
y para el mundo. Lo que ellos
hacen cambia vidas. A través del
curso del año tendremos distintas
actividades, presentadores y Misas
en la diócesis, todas enfocadas en
los diferentes aspectos del Año de
la Fe, pero lo que realmente hará
fructífero el año será el trabajo diario con el que nuestra fe se renueva
y se profundiza.
Durante este Año de la Fe,
mi esperanza y oración es que se
nos conceda la gracia de contemplar más atentamente el rostro
de Cristo. De esta forma seremos
renovados en el regalo de fe que
Él nos da. Exhorto a todos los
catequistas, líderes de parroquia y
religiosos, diáconos y sacerdotes
a buscar esta renovación de fe al
enfocarse en los aspectos esenciales de nuestra fe en Jesucristo: la
Encarnación, la Crucifixión y la
Resurrección de Hijo de Dios.
Primero, el mundo necesita
saber que el amor de Dios es concreto. No es solamente una idea.
No es sólo un concepto abstracto.
El amor de Dios bajó del cielo. Se
mostró en carne y sangre.
El mundo tiene una idea vaga
y general del amor, pero nosotros
hemos visto, como nos dice San
Juan en su primera carta, “hemos
visto con nuestros propios ojos,
hemos tocado con nuestras
propias manos, la Palabra de
vida.” Entonces, ¿en qué creemos?
Lo decimos cada domingo en el
Credo, “Por medio del Espíritu
Santo se encarno de María la
Virgen y se hizo hombre.” La fe
nos guía a apreciar que el amor de
Dios en Cristo es muy concreto, es
muy real. Celebramos esto a través
The Valley Catholic - October 2012
T
he Holy Father has asked for a Year of
Faith beginning this October 11 and
continuing through November 24,
2013. Recently I shared some of my thoughts
about the Year of Faith with more than 1,800
catechists who attended the Catechetical Convocation on Sept. 15.
The work of our catechists, as teachers
of the faith with adults, young adults and
children is vitally important for the Church
and for the world. What they do changes
lives. Over the course of the year we will host
different activities, speakers and Masses in the
diocese, all focused on different aspects of the
Year of Faith, but what will really make the
year effective will be the day-to-day work by
which our faith, as a people is renewed.
During this Year of Faith, my hope and
prayer is that we will be given the grace to
gaze more intently upon the face of Christ. In
this way we will be renewed in the gift of faith
which He gives to us. I urge all catechists, parish leaders and religious, deacons and priests
to seek this renewal of faith by focusing upon
the essential aspects of our faith in Christ
Jesus: the Incarnation, the Crucifixion and the
Resurrection of the Son of God.
First, the world needs to know that the
love of God is concrete. It’s not just an idea. It’s
not just an abstract concept. El amor de Dios
bajo del cielo. The love of God came down
from heaven. He showed himself in flesh and
blood.
The world has a vague, general idea of
love, but we have seen, as St. John tells us in
his first letter, “we have seen with our own eyes,
we have touched with our own hands, the Word
of life.” So what do we believe? We say it every
Sunday in the Creed, “by the Holy Spirit he
was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became
man.” Faith leads us to appreciate that the love
of God in Christ is very concrete, it is very
real. We celebrate this throughout the year,
but especially at the Feast of the Annunciation, during Advent and at Christmas time.
What is more beautiful than letting people know the Good News that God himself
came down to be with us? This is exactly what
del año, pero en especial en la
fiesta de Anunciación, durante el
Advenimiento y la Navidad.
¿Qué es más hermoso que
dejarle saber a la gente las buenas
nuevas de que Dios mismo bajo
para estar con nosotros? Esto
es exactamente lo que nosotros
creemos y lo que enseñamos. Por
medio de esta fe nos mantenemos
firmes en la esperanza, porque
Dios mismo se ha acercado a
nosotros. “Si Dios es por nosotros,”
700 N. Virgen de San Juan Blvd., San Juan, TX 78589-3042
Telephone: 956/781-5323 • Fax: 956/784-5082
Bishop Daniel E. Flores
Publisher
Brenda Nettles Riojas
Editor
Rose Ybarra
Assistant Editor
The Valley Catholic email:
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Renewed in the gift of faith
a publication of the
Diocese of Brownsville,
is published monthly
MOST REVEREND
DANIEL E. FLORES
BISHOP OF BROWNSVILLE
we believe and what we teach. Because of this
faith we never lose hope, because God himself
has drawn so very near to us. “If God is for
us,” as St. Paul says, “who can be against us?”
Secondly, during this Year of Faith, I
would like for us to keep in mind that we
believe that Jesus Christ, who is God himself
come down from heaven, has himself taken
the cross, and has suffered death. Again, we
profess this saving faith every Sunday when
we pray the Creed, we celebrate it every Mass,
and we solemnly recall this mystery of love
every time we enter into Lent and Holy Week.
We must refocus the eyes of the Church
on the beauty of the cross as the highest sign
of love. The love of God has shown itself
faithful even to the extreme moment of the
Cross. We must share the beauty of this gift
in whatever ways we can, with young people,
with older people, with all people. By faith in
the Cross, we are renewed in the hope that
love has strength to bear all things. The love of
God in Christ Jesus overcomes all obstacles;
Love met all human sin on the Cross, all
lies, all cowardice and calumny, and the sin
gave way. Sin and death lost their force when
Christ accepted to love us from the Cross. We
contemplate the Cross and we are moved to
love in return.
Thirdly, we believe in the Resurrection of
Jesus Christ from the dead. Sin and death can
crucify the flesh of the Word Incarnate, but
they cannot hold him in the tomb. He is risen.
We believe this with all our heart, mind and
soul. Why is it so important to share this? Let
us be frank: We live in a world where it is possible sometimes seriously to doubt that in the
como dice San Pablo, “¿Quién
contra nosotros?”
Segundo, durante este Año de
la Fe, me gustaría que mantuviéramos en mente que creemos que
Jesucristo, quien es Dios mismo
que bajo del cielo, fue llevado a
la cruz y ha sufrido la muerte.
Una vez más, profesamos esta fe
salvadora cada domingo cuando
rezamos el credo, lo celebramos
end truth, goodness, life and love win over the
powers that oppose them. We click on to the
Internet, or turn on the television, and see all
sorts bad news. Violence, lies, and unbridled
greed at every turn. We, and our neighbors,
often can get discouraged, and perhaps even
despair over the power of goodness.
This is why deepening our faith and sharing the faith is so vital today. We, our neighbors, and the whole world need to be renewed
in the hope that it matters to be good, and
that it matters to persevere in love, despite all
obstacles. In Christ Jesus, we know that love
wins. Only if we believe in the Resurrection of
Jesus from the dead is it possible for us to have
the strength and courage we need to live this
life with confidence in the power of goodness,
truth and love to triumph over sin and death.
The world needs to hear what we hold in
faith, so that courage might be renewed to live
in hope. Without hope, we give up and give in
to what afflicts us. And what most afflicts us in
the world today is a loss of confidence in the
goodness of life.
Our young people need to know that it’s
ok to hope in something better. That it doesn’t
have to be all about lies, power, control and
money. There are more important things in
life. If we do not promote and advance the
cult of the living God and venerate the triumph of his love over sin and death, the only
final alternative left for the world is the cult to
death—el culto de la muerte. Sadly, we know
this to be true.
What our catechists do is so very important because without the knowledge of the
faith that they share, hope fails, and love turns
cold. Their work revitalizes our sense of having been loved by God in Christ Jesus. This
makes it possible for us to love him and one
another in return. And upon this depends our
life and the life of the world.
Next month, I will share with you a
few thoughts about how we can be renewed
during the year of Faith in our celebration of
these mysteries of God’s love.
durante la celebración de cada
Misa, y solemnemente recordamos
este misterio de amor cada vez que
entramos como Iglesia en los misterios de la Cuaresma y Semana
Santa.
Debemos reenfocar los ojos de
la Iglesia en la belleza de la cruz
como el mayor símbolo de amor.
El amor de Dios se ha mostrado
fiel aun en el momento extremo
de la Cruz. Debemos compartir la
belleza de este regalo de todas las
formas posibles, con la gente joven, con la gente mayor, con todas
las personas. Con la fe en la Cruz,
somos renovados en la confianza
de que el amor tiene la fuerza de
aguantar todas las cosas. El amor
de Dios en Jesucristo sobrepasa
» Por favor lea Regalo de la Fe, pág. 13
Bishop Flores’ Schedule October
Oct. 1
2 p.m.
Brownsville
Administrative Council Meeting
Oct. 1
7 p.m.
McAllen
Theology on Tap
Oct. 3
9:30 a.m.
San Juan
Presbyteral Council
Oct. 3
6 p.m.
Alamo Convent
Misa - San Francisco de Assisi
Oct. 4
10 a.m.
San Juan
Religious Council Meeting
Oct. 4
6 p.m.
San Juan
Pastoral Council Meeting
Oct. 6
9 a.m.
San Juan
Amor Conference
Oct. 8
9:30 a.m.
KMBH, Harlingen
Diocese Insight
Oct. 8
2 p.m.
Brownsville
Oct. 10
5:30 p.m.
San Juan
Beginning of Year Gathering with Religious
Oct. 11
7 p.m.
SJMS Auditorium
Pharr Deanery – Deanery/Parish Listening Sessions
Oct. 13
5:30 p.m.
TBD
25th Anniversary of Arise Ministry
Oct. 15
2 p.m.
Brownsville
Oct. 17
6:30 p.m.
San Juan
Finance Council
Oct 18
8:30 a.m.
St. Luke
School Mass
Oct 18
7 p.m.
Houston
Speaker for Steele Lectures
Oct. 21
5 p.m.
Harlingen
Pro-Life Dinner
Oct. 22-23 All Day
Columbus, Ohio
Josephinum Board of Trustees Board Meeting
Oct. 24
6 p.m.
McAllen
KMBH Meeting
Oct. 25
6:30 p.m.
McAllen
White Mass
Oct. 27
9:30 a.m.
Basilica
Mass for SJDMI Basic Formation Classes
Oct. 27
5:30 p.m.
Basilica
Mass for Silver Rose Program
Oct. 29-30 All Day
Chicago
Catholic Extension’s Mission Committee
Oct. 30
6 p.m.
McAllen
Easter Seals Humanitarian Award Banquet
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DIOCESE
October 2012 - The Valley Catholic
3
Border bishops
continue work
to raise
consciousness
on immigration
The Valley Catholic
The Valley Catholic
Bishop Emeritus Raymundo J. Peña celebrates the first Mass of the 2012-13 academic year Sept. 9 at the Newman Center in Edinburg.
Bishop Peña goes back to school
By ROSE YBARRA
The Valley Catholic
E
DINBURG — He was
the sitting bishop of the
Diocese of Brownsville
for most of their lives
and conferred the Sacrament of
Confirmation on most of them.
They saw him at their parishes for
special events; they saw him on
television and in the newspaper
as they grew up.
For the last year and a half,
Bishop Emeritus Raymundo J.
Peña, who led the Diocese of
Brownsville from August 1995 to
February 2009, has served as the
chaplain of the Newman Center
at the University of Texas – Pan
American (UTPA) in Edinburg.
“I was eight-years-old when
Bishop Peña was installed as the
Bishop of Brownsville, so growing
up, he was my bishop,” said Joe
Garcia, campus minister at the
UTPA Newman Center. “He is the
bishop that I have known most of
my life so to be able to have him
here with us is a true blessing.”
Garcia said some students are
nervous meeting Bishop Peña for
the first time.
“It’s just because, at the parish
level, they are used to the idea, ‘the
bishop is coming, take out the fine
china,’” Garcia said. “The bishop is
a big deal. Some of the students are
starstruck that they can just knock
on the door and say, ‘Bishop, help
me,’ or ‘Bishop, what do you think
about this?’ But once they get past
that initial intimidation, they are
comfortable with him.”
Bishop Peña said he never
imagined that he would be
a Newman Center chaplain,
but is enjoying the experience
immensely.
He celebrates Mass for the
students every Tuesday at noon
at the ecumenical chapel on the
UTPA campus and at 7 p.m. on
Sundays at the Newman Center,
located at 1615 W. Kuhn St. in
Edinburg.
In addition to celebrating
Masses and administering the
sacraments, Bishop Peña is also
available to the students to offer
guidance and spiritual direction
or even just to chat.
He also collaborates with the
staff to carry out the works of the
Newman Center.
“It is exciting to be back in
touch with the people because
very often as the bishop —
although, you do have direct
contact with people — you don’t
have personal contact with many
of them because of the vastness of
the diocese,” Bishop Peña said. “I
welcome this opportunity because
it keeps me in touch with the
faithful and particularly with the
young people as they are formed
for their future life. I consider it
very important because it is at
this level that they become who
they will be.
“As they leave high school and
start making their own decisions
and get away from home, it’s
important for them to be in touch
with the Church so that they can
continue a life of faith.”
Pete Hernandez, a firstyear seminarian at Holy Trinity
Seminary at the University
of Dallas, said he was greatly
influenced by Bishop Peña’s
witness to what it is to be a priest
of Jesus Christ.
Hernandez was a student
at UTPA before entering the
seminary and got to know Bishop
Peña well at the Newman Center.
“He always makes time for
the students and is approachable,”
Hernandez said. “Being around
Bishop, his wisdom, really
inspired me to fall into the
» Please see Bishop Peña, p.17
Mocking religious figures disrespectful
By ROSE YBARRA
The Valley Catholic
Every October, many look forward to Halloween — the trick-ortreating, the parties and especially
the costumes.
Every Halloween, however,
many also mock religious figures
with their costume choices. Costumes for badly behaved nuns,
rabbis, Muslims, priests, Catholic
schoolgirls, Sikhs and Buddhist
monks make their way onto store
shelves every year.
Some might view these costumes as harmless fun but Halloween costumes, like television
programming and other media,
form minds, said Father Gregory
T. Labus, pastor of St. Joseph Parish in Edinburg.
“When it comes to television
and other media, people will say, ‘I
don’t believe any of that stuff,’ but
if you’re watching that stuff regu-
larly, it’s forming you. It is, little
by little, making an impression on
you and forming your thoughts.
“I would say it’s a similar kind
of case with costumes, especially
with very young minds. Pregnant
nuns or whatever, it’s disrespectful
and it’s forming an impression that
is not good. … Personally, I would
say that Christian families should
avoid that sort of thing.”
“It’s a sign of disregard, of
disrespect for people of faith,”
said Sister Nancy Boushey of the
Benedictine Monastery of the
Good Shepherd in Rio Grande
City, whose community wears a
habit. “It takes an authentic call
from God and makes a mockery
of it, no matter what the faith is,
whether it’s Jewish or Catholic or
any other faith.”
Mocking religious figures
whether at Halloween or any other
time of year is nothing new said
Ken A. Grant, a lecturer in History
and Religious Studies at the University of Texas – Pan American in
Edinburg.
“It was often the case during
certain medieval festivals – especially the Feast of Fools – where
the lower ranks of society had the
opportunity to impersonate the
higher clergy (bishops, priests,
abbot, archbishop, etc.) for a day,”
Grant said. “They would engage
in mock rituals, pronunciations,
songs, games and all of the rest
to poke fun at the established order. It was a bit of a safety valve
for society, allowing subversive
pressures to be blown off in a controlled environment.”
Whatever the reasons for
wearing said costumes, Sister
Boushey said it is, “hurtful.”
“It saddens me because it is sacred clothing for me and for others
who wear it – the priests and sisters,” she said. “The clothing is sacred to us and to use it for laughs,
it’s very saddening to my heart. To
me, it’s a sign of disrespect of God’s
call to us.”
Some churches and Catholic
schools, however, do encourage
children to dress up as their favorite saint for Halloween or a day
later, on All Saints Day. This may
entail respectfully dressing up as a
priest or religious sister but, “usually there is some catechesis that
goes with it,” Father Labus pointed
out.
“They learn about the saint,”
he said. “They learn what the saint
did and why they are a saint. I
think that would be good formation for children, help them to
know about good role models in
their lives. You look at Superman
and Spiderman but we have greater heroes, we have greater super
heroes — the saints . And they are
the ones we look to. They give us
hope because it’s possible to live
the Christian life. They’ve done it.”
SAN JUAN – Bishops from along
the Texas-Mexico Border met Sept.
7-9 in San Juan to continue their
work centered on the pastoral realities that affect the dioceses in Texas
and northern Mexico including immigration and migration issues.
Bishop Daniel E. Flores said the
issue of “the movement of peoples,
the life of the immigrant,” remains
a constant concern for the bishops
who meet twice a year.
The meeting allows each of them
to provide updates on what situations are affecting the lives of families on both sides of the border. Part
of the conversations “seek to get at
the deeper roots of a phenomena of
migration in our region.”
Speaking to reporters during a
press briefing, Flores said the bishops are aware of the changing dynamic of immigration. “Sometimes
people feel forced to move without
necessarily wanting to because of
the situation they find at home,
whether they be economic reasons
or questions of security.
“We try to raise consciousness
about human dignity and about
how these situations should be addressed, always keeping in mind,
first of all, the dignity of the persons who are affected and the motives for which they are seeking to
move,” Bishop Flores said.
“We are very conscious of how
many families on both sides of the
border are suffering, and raise the
conscience of not just the general
public but of the respective governments, of how to proceed morally
and ethically in treating and trying
to find a resolution to this issue.”
Bishop of San Angelo Michael D.
Pfeifer, an Oblate of Mary Immaculate, noted, “Immigration laws of
this country are broken in many
ways, and need great reform.”
“It is sad,” he said, “that as we
approach the presidential election
the candidates do not speak much
to this issue. They need to address
this more clearly and in a more profound way.”
“We need to challenge our leaders to look at this,” he added.
Bishop Raul Vela of the Diocese
of Saltillo, stressed the need to work
together as bishops along the border. “We are not going to fix this in
isolation,” he said.
During their meeting, Jose Carmona Flores, director of the Instituto Tamaulipeco para los Migrantes in Nuevo Laredo, talked to the
bishops about current immigration
and migration realities along the
border. He shared new initiatives
to assist immigrants who have returned to Tamaulipas.
Among the bishops who participated are: Most Rev. Daniel E.
Flores, Bishop of Brownsville, Most
Rev. Raymundo J. Peña, Bishop
Emeritus of Brownsville; Most Rev.
Jaime A. Tamayo, D.D., Bishop
of Laredo; Most Rev. Michael D.
Pfeifer, OMI, Bishop of San Angelo;
Most Rev. Gustavo Garcia-Siller,
MSpS, Archbishop of San Antonio; Most Rev. Oscar Cantu, Auxiliary Bishop of San Antonio; Mons.
Gustavo Rodríguez Vega, Bishop
of Nuevo Laredo; Mons. Alonso G.
Garza Treviño, Bishop of Piedras
Negras; Ruy Rendón Leal, Bishop
of Matamoros and Raúl Vela, Bishop of Saltillo.
4
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about dialysis
P
atients and families
sometimes struggle with the
question of whether dialysis
is “worth it.” A young woman
wrote recently on a website addressing
dialysis patients’ concerns, “My father
has been on dialysis for three years,
and he’s 62 years old. A few days ago he
said he wanted to stop going because
he was ‘sick of it’. We talked to him and
told him that it would hurt us if he did
that, but now I’m thinking that maybe
I shouldn’t have talked him out of it
-- this isn’t about me and my feelings.
This is about what he has to deal with.”
When would discontinuing
dialysis be a reasonable and
morally acceptable choice? Could
discontinuing dialysis ever be
tantamount to suicide?
While every person is obligated to
use ordinary (or proportionate) means
to preserve his or her life, no person
is required to submit to a health care
procedure that he or she has judged,
with a free and informed conscience,
to provide little hope of benefit or to
impose significant risks and burdens.
Weighing benefits and burdens is
at the heart of the question of starting,
continuing or stopping dialysis.
As the US Conference of Catholic
Bishops has noted: “We have a duty to
preserve our life and to use it for the
glory of God, but the duty to preserve
life is not absolute, for we may reject
life-prolonging procedures that are
insufficiently beneficial or excessively
burdensome. Suicide and euthanasia
are never morally acceptable options.”
The benefits of the commonlyused procedure known as
hemodialysis (filtration of the blood)
are well known: as kidney function
declines, dialysis performs part
of the work that healthy kidneys
normally do, filtering toxins from
the body. Dialysis can serve as a
bridge to a kidney transplant, which
can offer the patient a new lease on
life. Discontinuing dialysis during
complete kidney failure usually means
that the patient will die in a matter of
days or weeks.
The burdens of dialysis vary from
patient to patient. The procedure can
be time-consuming, requiring visits to
a dialysis center three times a week for
three to four hours at a stretch, with
additional time for transportation.
One can also feel washed out the next
day.
Other burdens may include sharp
drops in blood pressure during or after
the procedure. Fainting, vomiting,
nausea, muscle cramps, temporary
loss of vision, irritability, and fatigue
can occur. Some patients manifest
abnormal heart rhythms from
electrolyte imbalances, while others
may experience allergic reactions or
bleeding problems from the chemicals
or blood-thinning medicines used
during the dialysis.
» Please see Dialysis, p.19
Staying active at all ages
»Family Life
Senior Olympics
set for Oct. 19
Lydia Pesina
Director, Family
Life Office
The Valley Catholic
SAN JUAN — Research
shows that exercise enhances
health, keeps the mind sharper
and the mood happier in every
age group, but especially among
seniors.
However, according to statistics from the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, 61 percent of women and 50 percent of
men, ages 65 and older, lead sedentary lives.
“It’s very important for everyone to stay active but especially
for the geriatric population,” said
Karla Perez, physical therapy assistant/rehab director at San Juan
Nursing Home. “Those who stay
active have better outcomes after
an injury or hospitalization. The
prognosis for recovery is that
much better.”
The goal of the Senior Olympics, which is marking its 25th anniversary in 2012, is to promote
and encourage physical activity
among adults ages 50 and up.
San Juan Nursing Home, a
Catholic facility that operates under the guidance of the Diocese of
Planning a
Family
The Valley Catholic
San Juan Nursing Home, which operates under the guidance of the Diocese of
Brownsville, is hosting the Senior Olympics on Oct. 19. All adult daycare centers and
nursing homes are invited to participate. Call (956) 787-1771 for more information.
Brownsville, is hosting the Senior
Olympics for the fourth consecutive year on Friday, Oct. 19. All
nursing homes and adult day care
centers in the Rio Grande Valley
are invited to participate. Events
include the wheelchair races, a
dancing contest, distance throws,
race walking and more.
Last year, more than 250
people from area nursing homes
and adult day care centers joined
the 100-plus residents of San Juan
Nursing Home for the third annual games.
Sponsors are still needed to
help make the event a success.
Donations will cover the cost of
T-shirts, food, trophies and medals for the Senior Olympians. All
sponsors who donate $300 or
more will also be listed on the
event T-shirt, be mentioned in
the monthly newsletter, which is
mailed to more than 100 families
and receive a special dedication
on the nursing home’s website.
All donations are tax deductible.
To register your facility for
the Senior Olympics or to sponsor the event, please call (956)
787-1771.
The Valley Catholic
Bishop Daniel E. Flores celebrated a special Mass for members of lay ecclesial movements and apostolates on Sept. 22 at the
Basilica of Our Lady of San Juan del Valle-National Shrine. Members of these movements and apostolates are among the most
active in their parishes and communities. They are also important to the evangelization efforts of the diocese, Bishop Flores said.
Evangelization,
continued from pg. 1
opening of the Second Vatican
Council.
Bishop Flores encourages the
faithful to use the Year of Faith to
focus on what we believe.
“Through the Incarnation,
we celebrate the love God has
shown us. God loved us first, and
our love is our response to His
love,” the Bishop said. “He came
down from heaven to be with us.”
The bishop illustrated that
the Good News that changes
our lives is the Body of the Lord
Jesus Christ on the cross as the
highest sign of God’s love, and
stressed how we believe that love
triumphs over death through the
resurrection when our Lord rose
again on the third day.
“God rose to show us all the
triumph of love over sin and
death,” the Bishop stressed. “All
who believe in the resurrection
- young people especially - need
to know that there’s something
to believe in. We live in a world
where goodness wins. Love
wins,” he emphasized.
Bishop Flores stressed the
importance of how all Catholics
should be a part of the parish
community.
“Never apologize, and always
encourage,” he stated. “Take part
in Sunday Mass, for “church”
is when we are all together and
participating at the foot of the
cross, worshipping where Christ
offers Himself.”
During the Year of Faith, the
Bishop invites all Catholics to “be
patient instead of scolding”, and
said that perhaps the greatest
challenge of the Church in
present-day America is to find
how to be hospitable again,
how we can act as “real people”,
(instead of an office answering
machine), and respond to needs
of the local community by
our welcoming attitude in our
response as we invite people to
share in the joy of the Sunday
Eucharist.
The Bishop also advocated
that Catholics find a “gentle
way” to remind people about
the importance of Reconciliation
- the importance of Christ’s
forgiveness.
“As a sign of good conscience,
we must ask the Lord frequently
for forgiveness,” he said.
In closing, Bishop Flores
inspired all the religious educators
and convocation participants
to use the Year of Faith to reemphasize the importance of
what [they] do.
I
t is truly a wonder to remember and consider that God’s
love is so great that he created
human beings in such a way
that His love through the conjugal
love of a man and a woman can
create a whole, new human being
thus giving us the potential to be
co-creators with Him. God could
have created us in any manner He
chose; perhaps as oranges emerging from an orange tree. However,
He chose the physical union of a
man and a woman to bring forth
new human life.
When my husband Mauri
and I were preparing to marry 38
years ago, many friends and family
members offered advice about
when was a good time to start a
family. Some said that it was best
to wait a couple of years while
others thought it was best to start a
family as soon as possible. The pastor of our parish, Fr. O’Malley told
us he wanted us to take instructions to learn the Billings Method
of Natural Family Planning. We
told him that we appreciated the
offer but that we wanted to have a
baby right away and would learn
the Billings Method in a year; after
our first child.
In our particular situation
that never happened. We are now
proud and happy adoptive parents
but at 20 and 22 years of age, we
had not considered infertility as
a possibility in our lives. During the time that we did not have
children, we were asked “Who of
you cannot have children” and my
wonderful husbands’ response was
: “WE can’t have children.” Our
fertility or our infertility belongs
to both husband and wife and I
believe that learning a Natural
Family Planning Method can be
a wonderful gift a couple can give
one another.
In the Marriage Preparation
Ministry we offer in the Diocese
of Brownsville, both through the
Marriage Preparation Retreats and
through the parish-based Sponsor
Couple programs, we encourage all engaged couples to learn a
Natural Family Planning Method
before they marry; they have
everything to gain and nothing
to lose in doing so. As a soon to
be married couple they can learn
about their unique and particular
fertility together.
*The Natural Family Planning
methods of today are not to be
confused with the Rhythm Method developed in the 1930’s which
was based on the theory that the
time of next ovulation could be
determined by calculating previous menstrual cycles. This method
often proved inaccurate because of
the unique nature of each woman’s
menstrual cycle: some women
have very irregular cycles and
almost all women have a cycle of
unusual length once in a while. As
a gentlemen once told me about
their experience with the Rhythm
Method: “We tried the Rhythm
Method and got a Rhythm Band!
“(8 children).
» Please see Family, p.12
DIOCESE
»Sunday
Readings
The Word of God in the Life
and Mission of the Church
OCTOBER 7
( Twenty-seventh Sunday in
Ordinary Time)
Reading I GN 2:18-24
Responsorial Psalm
PS 128:1-2, 3, 4-5, 6
Reading II HEB 2:9-11
Gospel
MK 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23
OCTOBER 14
(Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary
Time)
Reading I WIS 7:7-11
Responsorial Psalm
PS 90:12-13, 14-15, 16-17
Gospel
MK 10:17-30
OCTOBER 21
(Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary
Time)
Reading I
IS 53:10-11
Responsorial Psalm
PS 33:4-5, 18-19, 20, 22
Reading II
Gospel
HEB 4:14-16
MK 10:35-45
OCTOBER 28
(Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time)
Reading I
JER 31:7-9
Responsorial Psalm
PS 126:1-2, 2-3, 4-5, 6
Gospel
MK 10:46-52
THE WORD OF GOD IN THE LIFE
AND MISSION OF THE CHURCH
The Word of God par excellence is
Jesus Christ, God and Man. The Son
is the Eternal Word, ever-present in
God, because he himself is God: “In
the beginning was the Word, and the
Word was with God, and the Word
was God” (Jn 1:1). The Word reveals
the Mystery of the Triune God.
Eternally spoken by God the Father
through the love of the Holy Spirit,
the Word carries on a dialogue
which expresses communion and
leads a person into the depths of
the divine life of the Most Blessed
Trinity. In Jesus Christ, the Eternal
Word, God chose us before the
creation of the world, destining us to
be his adoptive children (cf. Eph 1:
4,5). While the Spirit hovered over
the waters and darkness covered
the abyss (cf. Gen 1:2), God the
Father created heaven and earth
through his Word, through which
everything came to be (cf. Jn 1:3).
Consequently, traces of the Word can
be found in the created world: “The
heavens are telling the glory of God;
and the firmament proclaims his
handiwork” (Ps 18:2). The human
person, made to the image and
likeness of God (cf. Gen 1:26-27) is
the masterpiece of creation, capable
of entering into dialogue with the
Creator, perceiving in creation the
seal of its Author, the Creator-Word,
and, through the Spirit, living in
communion with the one who is (cf.
Ex 3:14), the Living and True God
(cf. Jer 10:10).
5
Building a Culture of Life
O
nce again men,
women and children
of the Valley committed themselves to
prayer, fasting and peaceful vigil
in witness to the Culture of Life
as part of a grass roots movement
known as 40 Days for Life.
This movement has gained
great momentum over the last
six years. This year, people from
more than 300 locations are
joining together from Sept. 26 to
Nov. 4 in prayerful witness to the
Culture of Life. Here in the Valley we are gathering once again
for our vigils at two locations:
Reproductive Services in Harlingen and Whole Women’s Health
in McAllen.
The beauty of this movement is that it is so simple. It
only takes our presence at these
locations to make a difference.
Of course while we are there we
pray, but there are no set prayers,
no dialogue requirements and no
sign that must be carried. Our
presence is the witness; our prayer
is from our hearts.
This simplicity confounds the
Culture of Death. This simplicity touches the hearts of mothers
who are alone and afraid, who
are lied to and manipulated and
feel they have no choice but to
abort their child. Peaceful witness
Father Jim
Erving
Director of the
Respect Life
Apostolate of
the Diocese of
Brownsville
and prayer from the heart bring
about conversion not only for the
women approaching one of these
clinics but also for those who
work at these places.
Being present at these locations gives a powerful witness to
mothers approaching and workers
inside. What is this witness? Our
presence and prayer from the
heart tells them that they matter. It tells them that what they
do matters. It tells them that they
are not hidden and they are not
alone.
Our prayer in truth and in
love allows the light of God’s love
to penetrate the darkness of their
lives bringing them hope. We
know that sin and sickness of
whatever stripe leads exclusively
to alienation and isolation.
We are alienated from others
and even from ourselves as well as
the world around us when we are
alone in our temptations and sins.
Often in this state we feel that
God is far from us or is not listen-
ing to us. Feeling abandoned we
figure we must work things out
alone.
The workers and the mothers
approaching these clinics are both
experiencing this. Even if they
deny this, the truth of the heart
and soul cannot be denied. Our
witness during 40 Days for Life
penetrates the darkness of isolation and alienation whether the
men and women at these clinics
want to admit it or not.
We stand in love not in judgment. None of us knows what
brought these workers to the
conclusion that they must do this
job. None of us know the story
of these girls and these women
approaching the clinic to abort.
What we do know is that each is
loved by God.
We represent God’s Love for
the children in the wombs of
these mothers, for these mothers
and all the workers at the clinic.
Our love is simple as is our
witness and our prayer from the
heart. Many hearts and lives will
be changed in the Valley these 40
Days. Please consider allowing
yours to be one.
_
Father Jim Erving, a priest of the Missionary
Oblates of Mary Immaculate, is pastor of Our
Lady of Refuge Parish in Roma and director of
the Respect Life Apostolate for the Diocese of
Brownsville.
Revisiting the Second Vatican Council
T
he Holy Father Pope
Benedict XVI called for
a “Year of Faith” (which
begins October 2012
and ends November 2013) to help
Catholics turn to Jesus Christ,
encounter him in the sacraments
and to rediscover the Catholic
Faith.
Pope Benedict outlined his intention more fully in “Porta Fidei”
(The Door of Faith) his apostolic
letter explaining the purpose for
this special year. The “door of
faith” is opened at one’s baptism,
but during this year Catholics
are called to open it again, walk
through it and rediscover and renew their relationship with Christ
and his Church.
Pope Benedict XVI chose Oct.
11, 2012 as the opening date for
the Year of Faith because on this
day two important anniversaries
occur - the 50th anniversary
of the opening of The Second
Vatican Council and the 20th anniversary of the promulgation and
publication of the Catechism of
the Catholic Church. During the
month of October a three-week
gathering of the World Synod of
Bishops (the 13th Ordinary General Assembly) will be held in the
Vatican from Oct. 7-28 in Rome.
It will bring bishops from all over
the world to discuss “The New
Evangelization for the transmission of the Christian faith.”
During the Year of Faith,
Catholics are asked to study
and reflect on the documents
Deacon
Luis Zuniga
Director, Office for
Pastoral Planning
& San Juan Diego
Ministry Institute.
of Vatican II and the Catechism
of the Catholic Church in order
to deepen their knowledge of
the faith. Many Catholics today
may remember the Second
Vatican Council as bringing many
changes to the Catholic Church
most especially liturgical reform;
Mass is now in the vernacular, the
priest now faces the people, and
the architecture is perhaps more
modern. For others the “pray, pay
and obey” days were over; and the
laity more involved in the life of
the church.
The Second Vatican Council,
or Vatican II, is referred to as an
ecclesial, theological, and ecumenical gathering convened in
the autumns from 1962 through
1965. The Council closed Dec. 8
after approving 16 major documents (four constitutions, nine
decrees and three declarations)
that were promulgated by the
pope. The documents of the
council can be found at the Vatican website: www.vatican.va.
Pope John XXIII convoked
the Council on Oct. 11, 1962, and
with bishops from all over the
world sought to define the nature,
scope, and mission of the Church.
Some 2,540 bishops and prelates
and other clerical members attended the council and an average
of 2,300 members were present
for most major votes.
Pope John XXIII believed
that the Church should look at
the “signs of the times” in order
to meet the needs of the times.
He used the Italian word “aggiornamento” meaning “a bringing
up to date” and is known to have
said in his opening speech of the
council “I want to throw open the
windows of the Church so that we
can see out and the people can see
in.” He had in mind a “pastoral
council” in order to make the
Christian message more understandable to a changing world.
He believed that the church had
to find new and better ways to
convey the message of the faith.
Recently in a video message
sent to the national meeting
organized by the French bishops
in Lourdes to celebrate 50 years
of the opening of Vatican II, Pope
Benedict XVI said, “The Second
Vatican Council has been and
remains a true sign of God for
our time “and if we interpret”
within the tradition of the Church
and under the guidance of the
Magisterium true and secure “will
become” more and more powerful for the future of the Church. “
As we reflect on the documents of the Second Vatican
Council during this Year of Faith,
we might recall the wise words of
Blessed John XXXIII: “In essential
things, unity; in doubtful things,
liberty; in all things, charity.”
The Year of Faith Logo
The logo is composed of a square, bordered field on which a boat,
symbolizing the Church, is represented as sailing on a graphically minimal
representation of waves. The main mast of the boat is a cross from which
sails are displayed in the form of dynamic signs which compose the trigram
of Christ (IHS). The background to the sails is a sun which, associated with
the trigram, refers also to the Eucharist.
The Valley Catholic
A painting on wood of St. Jude Thaddeus
on display at St. Jude Thaddeus Catholic
Church in Pharr.
»Feast Day
- October 28
Spotlight on
St. Jude
Thaddeus
Catholic News Agency/EWTN
St. Jude, known as Thaddaeus,
was a brother of St. James the Lesser, and a relative of Jesus. Ancient
writers tell us that he preached
the Gospel in Judea, Samaria, Idumaea, Syria, Mesopotamia, and
Lybia. According to Eusebius, he
returned to Jerusalem in the year
62 and assisted at the election of
his brother, St. Simeon, as Bishop
of Jerusalem.
He is an author of an epistle
(letter) to the Churches of the East,
in particular the Jewish converts,
directed against the heresies of the
Simonians, Nicolaites, and Gnostics. This Apostle is said to have
suffered martyrdom in Armenia,
which was then subject to Persia.
The final conversion of the Armenian nation to Christianity did not
take place until the third century
A.D.
St. Jude was the one who asked
Jesus at the Last Supper why He
would not manifest Himself to the
whole world after His resurrection.
Little else is known of his life, but
legend claims that he visited Beirut
and Edessa.
He was beaten to death with a
club, then beheaded post-mortem
in 1st century Persia. His relics
reside at Saint Peter’s in Rome, at
Rheims, and at Toulouse, France.
Saint Jude Thaddeus is not the
same person as Judas Iscariot, who
betrayed Our Lord and despaired
because of his great sin and lack of
trust in God’s mercy.
St. Jude Thaddeus is invoked
in desperate situations because his
New Testament letter stresses that
the faithful should persevere in
the environment of harsh, difficult
circumstances, just as their forefathers had done before them.
Therefore, he is the patron of
desperate situations, forgotten
causes, hospital workers, hospitals, impossible causes, lost causes,
and the diocese of Saint Petersburg, Florida. He is represented
as bearded man holding an oar, a
boat, boat hook, a club, an axe or
a book. Nearly every image of him
depicts him wearing a medallion
with a profile of Jesus. He usually
has a small flame above his head
and he often carries a pen.
6
DIOCESE
Mustang Reunion
The Valley Catholic
From left, Father Thomas W. Sepulveda, CSB of Immaculate Conception School in Rio Grande City; Father Gregory T. Labus of St.
Joseph School in Edinburg; Lisette Allen, superintendent of schools; Msgr. Gustavo Barrera of Our Lady of Sorrows School in McAllen; Father Mario Castro of San Martin de Porres School in Weslaco; Father Fernando Gonzalez of St. Luke School in Brownsville and
Father Marco Reynoso of Immaculate Conception School in Rio Grande City. Not pictured Msgr. Heberto Diaz, Jr. of St. Mary School
in Brownsville.
School pastors begin new tradition
The Valley Catholic
SAN JUAN — The school pastors of the Catholic Schools in the
Diocese of Brownsville and superintendent of schools Lisette Allen
gathered Sept. 12 at the Bishop
Marx Auditorium in San Juan for
what is hoped will become an annual meeting.
The focus of the meeting was
to gather as a school community
of pastors and discuss issues pertaining to Catholic schools such
as school accreditation, finances,
policy, local school councils and
marketing and recruitment, Allen
said.
“The school is our largest
evangelization effort because we
don’t have any other activity in the
parish that has that many souls
in the parish for that much time,
talking about Jesus Christ,” said
Msgr. Gustavo Barrera, pastor of
Our Lady of Sorrows Church and
School in McAllen. “So that is a
tremendous opportunity and also
responsibility at the same time.”
As a new school pastor, Father
Gregory T. Labus of St. Joseph
Church and School in Edinburg
welcomed the information and
exchange of ideas. He is particularly interested in finding solutions for some of the challenges
that are facing Catholic education.
“Tuition, for example, is a
struggle for some parents,” said
Father Labus, who arrived at St.
Joseph Church and School in May.
“I know my parents struggled to
send us (he and his four siblings)
to Catholic school but they sacrificed so we could deepen our faith
in Jesus Christ. We want to make
sure that Catholic schools will
continue to be healthy and attainable for all students.”
The school pastors suggested
that the school principals be included in future meetings, Allen
said. The principals and school
pastors are expected to meet at
the beginning of the 2013-14 academic year.
Photo courtesy of Greg Selber/The Edinburg Review
Five standout volleyball players from Robert Vela High School in Edinburg
and five from Edinburg North High School are graduates of St. Joseph School
in Edinburg. The former teammates lined up against each other during a
match on Sept. 15 at Edinburg North High School. After the game, the girls
reunited for a photo with their former coach, Deacon Silvestre “Sly” Garcia,
who has served at St. Joseph School for 18 years. “It’s so nice to see all these
girls doing well,” Deacon Garcia said in an interview with Greg Selber of The
Edinburg Review. “I had so many of them in the fourth and fifth grade, when
they were just starting out. My job was always to teach them how to play and
make sure that they had fun playing the game.” Pictured, top row, from left
Allison Brandt, Erica Garza, Korey Lipscomb, Aly Muñoz, Delanie Thomson,
Sophia Salinas, Jackie Garcia and Mary Perez. Bottom row, Coach Silvestre
Garcia, Allie Villarreal, Jessica Garza and Autumn Ruiz.
Juan Diego Academy
raising funds for gymnasium
The Valley Catholic
MISSION — Juan Diego Academy is continuing fundraising
efforts towards the next phase of
construction — a multi-purpose
building and gymnasium.
The proceeds from, “A Night
Under the Stars,” the school’s second annual gala, are earmarked
for the construction of the new
building and infrastructure.
The gala is set for 6 p.m. on
Saturday, Nov. 3 at Juan Diego
Academy, located at 5208 South
FM 494 in Mission. Bishop Daniel E. Flores is scheduled to attend
and offer the opening prayer.
Sponsorships, silent auction
items and good attendance are
needed to help make the event a
success.
Juan Diego Academy, which
has a girls volleyball team and
boys basketball team, currently
rents the community center from
the City of Granjeno for practices
and games. The facility is about
a mile down the street from the
school. The community center
is unairconditioned as the teams
practice.
“The community center is
nearby and it’s been convenient
to take the students there by bus
but we need our own building, not
only for games, but also for physical education classes and assemblies,” said Sister Marcella Ewers
of the Daughters of Charity, president of the school.
Construction of the multipurpose building and gymnasium
is expected to cost about $2 million. For more information on
Juan Diego Academy or the gala,
call (956) 583-2752 or visit www.
juandiegoacademy.org
The Valley Catholic
Janay Rocha (No. 10) of Juan Diego Academy at a game against South Texas
Christian Academy Sept. 19 at the City of Granjeno community center. Juan
Diego Academy is hosting its second annual “Night Under the Stars” gala on
Nov. 3 to benefit the construction of a new gymnasium on campus.
DIOCESE
»Pilgrimages Close to Home
1
2
7
3
Thousands find “La Cuevita”
Devotees honor
St. Jude Thaddeus
in his “Little Cave”
By BRENDA NETTLES RIOJAS
The Valley Catholic
P
HARR — Inside a small
cave in Pharr, candles
flicker night and day before a statue of St. Jude
Thaddeus, the patron saint for
hopeless cases.
Each day people come. They
come all day said Sister Estela
Cantu, a secular sister of the Oratory of St. Philip Neri, and pastoral
administrator of St. Jude Thaddeus
Church in Pharr.
They come to pray before the
saint and ask for his intercession.
They come to give him thanks.
Ignacio and Alejandra Hernandez of Edinburg, originally from
Mexico City, come every eight
days, “To thank him for all his favors, and for all the ways he helps
us,” said Alejandra Hernandez,
adding “porque es muy milagroso.”
Ignacio Hernandez wears a
green and white habit and holds his
miracle, his three-year-old son, in
his arm and he walks on his knees
approaching the shrine dedicated
to St. Jude.
“The doctors said I could not
have another child,” his wife shares
as she holds her baby daughter in
her arms. The Hernandez have
three children now. They named
their second child, the three-yearold, Tadeo after the saint. Their oldest son is now 13.
Sister Cantu said, “It’s beautiful
to see the way people come in. …
He just has so many followers who
are very grateful for what he has
done for them. St. Jude intercedes
for them.”
»Pilgrimages
further away
Bruised, humbled
walking on the
Way of St. James
By BRENDA NETTLES RIOJAS
The Valley Catholic
SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA, Spain – Nearly in tears I
finished my first 14.5 miles on the
Camino de Santiago, the St. James
Way, from Sarria to Portomarin.
We had five more days ahead of us,
55.5 miles more and who knows
The Valley Catholic photos
La Cuevita de San Judas Tadeo, a man-made cave created as a shrine to the saint of lost cases, draws visitors daily. The shrine is
located behind St. Jude Catholic Church in Pharr.
Above: 1. A statue of St. Jude Thaddeus is surrounded by candles and prayers inside “La Cuevita.” 2. People who come from near
and far leave notes and candles in thanks and in supplication. 3. Ignacio Hernandez of Pharr walks on his knees with his threeyear-old in his arms to approach the small shrine dedicated to St. Jude.
“They keep coming back to
thank him every time with flowers,
with candles,” she added.
She noted that even though
the parish does not publicize “la
cuevita” as it has been called over
the years, people find it. “He has a
lot of followers. We’re here in a little
corner, but people find us.”
Buses filled with pilgrims come
on the weekend as well; some arrive
from Houston and San Antonio after their visit to the Basilica of Our
Lady of San Juan del Valle-National
Shrine in San Juan.
While the shrine is popular
HOW TO GET THERE
Address: 505 S. Ironwood, Pharr
Directions: From Expressway 83 take
I Road Exit and head south past Business 83 (I Road becomes S. Veterans
Blvd.) Turn right on E. Kelly Ave and
left on S. Ironwood St.
year round, the saints feast day on
Oct.28 draws even larger numbers of faithful who want to honor
the saint. Sister Cantu said people
come all day and bring mariachis
and matachines, and many come
dressed as St. Jude.
Also, leading up to the feast day,
the parish promotes a solemn novena. This year the novena begins
Oct.20 and every intention and petition received will be placed under
the altar during the Masses on Oct.
28.
A pathway from the parish
church leads to the “Cuevita de San
Judas Tadeo,” a man-made cave
constructed around 1952 to house
a statue of St. Jude Thaddeus, one
of the twelve apostles.
The small concrete shrine,
which measures 33 feet by 25 feet,
was built to accommodate the high
volume of faithful and the candles
they left before the statue inside
the church. The parish community
at the time was afraid the church
might catch fire because of all the
candles.
Oratorian Father Leo Francis
Daniel said a chapel with a cross
was built adjacent to “la cuevita” to
remind people that Christ comes
first and that St. Jude is an intercessor.
Who knows how many people
have come and have kneeled at
the entrance of the cave praying
before the saint who gives them
hope? Some clues as to the requests
and petitions are left behind on
two side bulletin boards and wire
grids where the faithful pin milagro charms and notes, thank yous
and supplications – their hopes
and needs left before the saint.
They leave photos of sonograms,
newborns, soldiers, quinceañeras,
homes, and wrecked cars.
One woman left a note asking
for prayers for her surgery scheduled this past July. Another left a
photo of her home asking St. Jude
for his help. “No quiero perder
mi casa,” (“I don’t want to lose my
home”) it reads.
Norma Ramos of Harlingen
visited on a Saturday afternoon at
the sun’s peak hour. She has been
visiting the “cuevita” for 20 years.
She came with her daughter and
grandchildren. Her daughter, Gloria, credits her mother for passing
on the devotion to St. Jude.
“You pray and your prayers get
answered,” Gloria Ramos said.
St. Jude Thaddeus Church,
which is under the care of the Oratorian priests, was established in
1950. Each Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.
they display a relic of St. Jude and
celebrate a Novena Mass and Benediction. The Sunday Mass schedule
includes a traditional Latin Mass at
8 a.m.
Lessons from the Camino
how many more uphill climbs,
downhill stone tracks and steep descents.
Each year thousands walk toward Santiago de Compostela,
where the apostle St. James is believed to be buried. There are different starting points; the most
ancient begins in France. Air miles
and some vacation days facilitated
a shorter walk of six days on the
Camino starting in Sarria in late
August.
Sarria in Galicia is the traditional start location for pilgrims
who want to walk the last 100 kilometers of the Camino and earn the
Compostela. We walked for nearly
nine hours the first day. I carried
my backpack, which weighed at
least 35 pounds, the entire day. An
advocate for packing light, I had
not followed my own advice.
The weight of the backpack
slowed my pace, and my hips,
shoulders and back paid the price.
I ended the day with a blister, a
sprained ankle and an Achilles tendon, not to mention the sore arms
and calf muscles. While I felt spiritually prepared for a pilgrimage, I
had neglected the physical aspect.
Kilometer after kilometer I became
painfully aware of the need to be
FOR MORE
To read complete story visit www.
cdob.org or poetisaperegrina.
blogspot.com to view photos.
a good steward of our health and
body.
I lost count of how many people
passed me on the trail. As someone
who takes pride in staying fit and
undertakes physical challenges, I
felt added pain when four grandmothers left me and my bruised
ego behind on the trail. One woman I met from Dublin, Ireland is 72.
While the first day of the hike
confirmed that I was in the worst
shape of my life, I was humbled by
the generous and caring spirit of the
pilgrims, strangers on the Camino,
who slowed their own pace out of
concern to ask if I needed help.
I found consolation as well in
the peace of the countryside, the
hamlets and streams we passed
where black berries grow wild
along the trail lined at times by
apple trees, pear trees and fig trees.
The weather in Galicia, averaging 70 degrees, added a welcome
change from the temperatures we
left back home peaking above 100.
» Please see Lessons, p.20
8
DIOCESE
The Valley Catholic photos / Mobile Journalists, Our Lady of Guadalupe, Raymondville
More than 1,800 catechists gathered for the annual Catechetical Convocation Sept.
15 at the McAllen Convention Center. Bishop Daniel E. Flores celebrated Mass and
commissioned the catechists for their ministry. He also awarded service pins to the
catechists celebrating 10, 20, 25 and 30 years of service.
DIOCESE
9
12 Pro-Life Valley doctors
urge representatives to
protect religious freedom
Special to The Valley Catholic
Courtesy photo
Bishop Daniel E. Flores celebrated a Mass on Sept. 23 to mark the 100th anniversary of Prince of Peace Church.
»Prince of Peace Parish
Celebrates 100 years of Faith
Special to The Valley Catholic
LYFORD — The aroma of fresh
flowers and faith envelops you
as you enter the Prince of Peace
Church. The church recently celebrated its 100th anniversary in
Lyford. Many people from Lyford
and the surrounding cities took
part in the centennial celebrations
that were held at the end of September.
The history of Prince of Peace
Church begins in 1912 with the
foundation of the small, humble
chapel that served as the community’s first place of worship under
the pastoral care of Father Paul E.
Hally of the Missionary Oblates
of Mary Immaculate. During this
time the city of Lyford was occupied with Texas Rangers since the
fear of raiders crossing the U.S.Mexican border was very large.
The town, as well as the community of faith grew exponentially in
the 1930s as an influx of families
seeking relief from the poverty of
the Great Depression migrated to
the South. So great was the growth
in the community that the humble
chapel in Lyford could no longer
accommodate the community.
Therefore, in 1943 a new chapel
dedicated to Our Lady of Gua-
dalupe became the new center of
worship for the community.
From then on until 1963, the
community of Lyford was under
the care of the Oblate priests who
were responsible for Our Lady of
Guadalupe Church in the city of
Raymondville. It was until this
year that the Oblate priests transferred the care of Our Lady of
Guadalupe chapel in Lyford over
to the Salesian priests. A year later, the worshipping communities
of Lyford, Sebastian, and Santa
Monica separated from Our Lady
of Guadalupe Parish in Raymondville. Due to the confusion resulting from having two parishes with
same name, the name of Lyford’s
chapel was changed to Prince of
Peace Church by Bishop Humberto S. Mediros.
The Modern Parish
The newly inaugurated parish
of Prince of Peace, once again became too small to accommodate
the growing number of worshipers. The old chapel was demol» Please see Prince of Peace, p.17
HARLINGEN — Twelve Valley Pro-Life doctors have signed
and sent a letter to the Valley’s
U.S. Senators and Congressman
to support religious freedom
without harassment from the
government.
The Valley doctors are asking for a law to protect the freedom of Catholic colleges, schools,
hospitals, and charities from being forced to subsidize abortioncausing drugs (abortifacients),
sterilization, and artificial contraception, which are against the
religious beliefs and formal teachings of the Catholic Church. The
Obama Administration is trying
to force health insurance companies which insure Catholic institutions to provide coverage for
these practices.
According to the 12 Valley
physicians, the Obama mandate
is bad for women’s health and bad
for the profession of medicine.
“Instead of forcing Catholic
and other religious institutions
to pay for morally-questionable
and controversial procedures, the
Health & Human Services Dept.
should focus on what is truly
preventive medical care – such
as breast exams and pap smears,
which are performed to prevent a
late diagnosis of cancer – or immunizations to prevent pneumonia and influenza,” the physicians
state in their letter to the elected
officials.
“Abortion-causing drugs and
birth control are NOT preventive
medical care. A child is NOT a
disease, nor are fertility and pregnancy,” the physicians add in their
letter.
The physicians say the Obama
mandate should be rescinded immediately.
“A President who is willing
to use the power of the federal
government to violate the rights
of religious freedom, conscientious objection, and free speech
of thousands of religious institutions -- and of many other Americans who object to this mandate
on grounds of conscience -- will
also have no qualms about ordering physicians to participate in
providing artificial contraception,
sterilization, and abortion -- even
if it violates their ethical and professional judgment,” the physicians state.
“In gutting the conscience
protection rule enacted in 2008,
and in refusing to include clear
protections for conscience in
the health care reform law, the
Obama administration has demonstrated its hostility to the conscience rights of health-care professionals,” the physicians add in
their letter. “Attempted coercion
in this area will drive out of medical practice many physicians who
take their ethical obligations and
the Hippocratic Oath seriously. If
this happens, millions of women
will lose access to physicians who
share their beliefs -- and all patients will be more at the mercy of
future government dictates about
what health-care services can be
offered or not.”
The physicians signing the letter include: Dr. Stephen Robinson
of Raymondville; Dr. John Guerra,
Obstetrician-Gynecologist,
of McAllen; Dr. Michael Sander
of Weslaco; Dr. Layra Z. Canales
and Dr. Nicolas Trujillo of McAllen; Dr. Lawrence Gelman of
Edinburg; and Dr. Donald Roa,
Dr. John Ferris, Dr. Juan Maldonado, Dr. Jason Peters, Dr. Robert
Holder, and Dr. Felix Rivera, all of
Harlingen.
The physicians encourage
all physicians, healthcare workers, and other Valley residents
to join them in this effort. For
more information, or to send
letters to Valley representatives,
Valley residents are encouraged
to visit www.nchla.org/ or www.
StopHHS.com/Sign-the-Petition/.
For the full text of the letter
sent to the Valley representatives,
please contact Dr. Stephen Robinson by e-mail at: sarobinsonster@
gmail.com. Valley physicians are
also encouraged to contact Dr.
Robinson to learn more about
this effort and other initiatives of
Valley Physicians for Life.
Visit Us Online
at
www.cdob.org
10
DIOCESE
Catholics Care. Catholics Vote.
We vote because we
PRAYER BEFORE
AN ELECTION
are citizens. But we vote
conscientiously because
we are people of faith.
Our consciences are
formed through studying Scripture and the
teachings of the Church,
examination of the
facts, and prayerful
reflection.
This brief overview
prepared by the U.S
Conference of Catholic
Bishop’s Communications Department is
intended as a starting
point to help us respond
to our choices in the
current political landscape.
Lord God, as the election
approaches,
we seek to better understand
the issues and concerns that
confront our
city/state/country,
and how the Gospel compels
us to respond as faithful
citizens in our community.
We ask for eyes that are free
from blindness
so that we might see each
other as brothers and sisters,
one and equal in dignity,
especially those who are
victims of abuse and violence,
deceit and poverty.
CNS illustration/Mike Crupi, Catholic Courier
A man holding a rosary with the U.S. flag as a backdrop is silhouetted in this photo illustration. The U.S. bishops’ document
“Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship,” seeks to provide a blueprint on how Catholic social teaching should affect
political participation by Catholics.
While there are many moral issues before us,
every issue is not equal.
» Issues that directly affect human lives—
such as abortion and euthanasia—are fundamental and demand serious consideration.
» Our Constitution heralds religious liberty in
the First Amendment, yet increasingly people
of faith are having to fight to retain this basic
right.
» There is a move in the nation to redefine
marriage. The marriage of a man and a woman
is the foundation of the family and an essential
core element of a nourishing society.
» The growing disparity between rich and
poor means most of the world’s resources are
in the hands of a small percentage of its people.
The federal budget is a moral document and
must prioritize the poorest and most vulnerable
among us.
» The millions of undocumented persons
living in the United States deserve our compassion. There is an immigration
problem, and we need a humane solution to it.
» War, terror, and violence have caused thousands of lost lives. We must work for just solutions to conflict in the Holy Land, throughout
the Middle East, and beyond.
As Catholic citizens, we should remember three things:
1. Respect for the dignity
of each person is the core
of Catholic social and moral
teaching. This is our most
basic principle.
2. We focus on the common good,
not our own personal interests. We
ask, how can we make the world a
better place? Not, how can I improve
my own personal situation?
We ask for ears that will hear
the cries of children unborn
and those abandoned,
Men and women oppressed
because of race or creed,
religion or gender.
We ask for minds and hearts
that are open to hearing the
voice of leaders who will bring
us closer to your Kingdom.
We pray for discernment
so that we may choose leaders
who hear your Word,
live your love,
and keep in the ways
of your truth
as they follow in the steps
of Jesus and his Apostles
and guide us to your
Kingdom of justice and peace.
We ask this in the name of
your Son Jesus Christ
and through the power
of the Holy Spirit.
3. We have a responsibility—
a true obligation—to form our
consciences and participate in the
civic life of this nation.
Amen.
Here are some ways to do that:
» Be true to the teachings of the Church. Read
Scripture, the Catechism of the Catholic Church,
teachings from the Holy See, and the statements
of our bishops. Read Forming Consciences for
Faithful Citizenship at faithfulcitizenship.org.
We need to be sure that our reasoning and judgments are well-grounded in our faith.
» Stay well-informed about issues through
judicious and reasoned engagement with the immense world of information in the twentyfirst century. Just as all issues are not equal, all
sources are not equal. For example, an individual’s blog—while potentially very insightful—may not have the same fidelity to factual
truth as our media sources that hold themselves
to professional standards of journalistic ethics,
imperfect though they are.
» Remain in contact with our representatives
in local, state, and federal government. Our
responsibility to form our consciences leads to
an obligation to be active citizens. We communicate regularly with our leaders—not only during
election seasons.
» Engage in reasoned, compassionate, and
loving dialogue with others—Catholics and
non-Catholics alike—about the issues and
choices that we are facing as a nation. Remem-
ber that we are called first to witness the Gospel,
and through that witness, to share our social
teaching, to highlight the moral dimensions of
issues, and to participate in debate on public
policy.
»The dual calling of faith and citizenship lies at
the heart of what it means to be a Catholic
in the United States. We stand on the shoulders
of many Catholics who have gone before us,
who have helped the United States of America
become a better country because of their faith in
a loving God.
Visit FaithfulCitizenship.org
DIOCESE 11
Those Who Serve:
Sister Rose Carmel Garay, MCDP
She knew when she was nine
Elsa native holds
strong devotion
to Our Lady of
San Juan del Valle
By ROSE YBARRA
The Valley Catholic
SAN JUAN — Sister Rose Carmel Garay first met the Missionary Catechists of Divine Providence at her church in Elsa when
she was about nine-years-old and,
“was inspired by them from the
very beginning.”
“They came for Vacation Bible
School,” said Sister Garay. “They
spent all morning with the children and made the experience
very meaningful for all of us. In
the afternoon, they visited with
families. That was my first experience with them and it was a fun
and blessed time.”
By the time she was 13, Sister
Garay was asking her parents if
she could become a religious sister.
“They didn’t think I was serious
because I was so young,” she said.
At age 15, she asked again.
“I said, ‘I’m ready now. I’m old
enough,’” Sister Garay recalled,
but her parents still thought she
was too young to make a lifelong
The Valley Catholic
Sister Rose Carmel Garay
marked 50 years as a
relgious sister in August.
decision.
“I finally left at age 19, only
because they made me wait,” she
said.
Sister Garay celebrated 50 years
with the Missionary Catechists
of Divine Providence on Aug. 6.
She has spent 26 of those years
serving in the Rio Grande Valley.
Many may recognize her from her
parish ministry work in Weslaco,
Elsa, La Feria, Rio Grande City,
Lyford and Edinburg.
She has also served as assistant
director of the diocesan Vocations
Office, superior of the Missionary
Catechists of Divine Providence
and director of formation for her
community, among many other
roles.
Based in San Antonio, the Missionary Catechists of Divine Providence are called to live the Gospel
and minister to all people, especially the poor, according to the
congregation’s web site. The community was founded in 1930 by
Sister Mary Benitia Vermeersch
in response to the large number of
refugees who fled Mexico during
and in the aftermath of the Mexican Revolution.
“Sister Rose Carmel has always
been especially concerned for the
poor, working to ensure they have
the essentials – clothing, housing and food,” said Sister Maria
T. Sanchez of the Missionary Catechists of Divine Providence, who
has known Sister Garay for 28
years. “She is also very committed
to our congregation. She makes
jewelry and does beautiful, creative work. She sells the jewelry
and gives the money to help the
congregation.”
Sister Garay, 73, began a new
chapter in her ministry on July 1,
2011 at the Basilica of Our Lady
of San Juan del Valle-National
Shrine, where she serves as director of pilgrim outreach. She often
ministers to large groups that arrive from out of town by the busload, providing guided tours and
making their stay at the basilica
pleasant and spiritually renewing.
It is a ministry that is dear to
her heart.
“I have had a strong connection
to the Our Lady of San Juan del
Valle since my childhood, since
the image first arrived at the small
church in 1949,” Sister Garay said.
“My dad would bring the whole
family for the Rosary and Benediction. The small church quickly
became much too small for the
people.”
Years later, she drove to the Valley in the late night hours to attend the dedication of the current
basilica in 1980.
“At the time, I was missioning in San Antonio,” Sister Garay
said. “I drove overnight to Elsa
and brought my mother with me
to the blessing in San Juan. We got
here more than two hours early,
thinking we were mighty early but
the church was packed already, no
place to sit. I remember we stood
by the arch near the organ.”
Father Amador Garza, rector
of the Basilica of Our Lady of San
Juan del Valle-National Shrine,
has known Sister Garay since
1979 and considers her, “a great
mentor.”
‘‘We at the basilica feel very fortunate to have her here,” said Father Garza said. “She keeps us all
on our toes. She has an incredible
sense of hospitality for the pilgrims who come here. She has really, really made our pilgrim outreach something that we are very
proud of here. People are coming
back more frequently because of
her kindness and hospitality.”
Sister Garay said it has been a
real blessing to witness the development of the shrine from its
humble beginnings in the small
church, to the second shrine to
the basilica now.
“And now, to see the growth of
it,” she said. “I think it is the people, the migratory stream that we
have of families in the Valley that
has really helped to spread the
devotion throughout the United
States. We have many families
that travel up north to work plus
many residents attend colleges
and universities outside of the
Valley, not to mention the Winter
Texans. Our people are scattered
throughout the United States but
they always come back to see La
Virgencita.”
Praying to end abortion
Special to the Valley Catholic
From September 26 – November
4, our community will be uniting
with many other cities and countries across the world for a peaceful, prayerful, simultaneous prolife outreach – the 40 Days for Life
campaign.
40 Days for Life is a cross-denominational, faith-based effort
made up of three key components:
• Prayer and Fasting: inviting
people of faith throughout our city
to join together for 40 days of fervent prayer and fasting for an end
to abortion
• Peaceful Vigil: standing for life
through a 40-day peaceful, prayerful, public witness outside the local surgical abortion facilities in
Harlingen (Reproductive Services)
and McAllen (Whole Women’s
Health)
Courtesy photo
More than 5,900 babies have been saved thanks to the efforts of the 40 Days for Life
Campaign, which calls for prayer, fasting and public witness.
• Community Outreach: taking
a positive, upbeat pro-life message
to every corner of our city through
media efforts, church presenta-
tions, door-to-door advocacy, and
public visibility
To learn more about this
effort, you can also vis-
it:
www.40daysforlife.com
,
www.40daysforlife.com/Harlingen, or www.40daysforlife.com/
McAllen, or contact us locally at
[email protected].
During this campaign, we ask
that you give a commitment to
pray at least one extra prayer every day for the intentions of this
campaign. The prayer is for the
pregnant mothers and their babies,
the fathers of the babies, and the
people who work at the abortion
facility.
If you sign up online, you can
receive a daily email that contains
the devotion of the day, as well as
up-to-date information about the
current campaign. Please say your
prayer in addition to the devotion
as is given.
For more information, contact
Nancy Sandrock at (956) 532-4658.
»Birthday
Wishes
The list of birthdays and
ordination anniversaries is
provided so that parishioners
may remember the priests,
deacons and religious in their
prayers and send them a note or
a card.
October
» Birthdays
2 Rev. Marco A. Reynoso
4 Rev. Francisco Acosta
10 Rev. Cesar U. Partida
11 Rev. Paul Roman
13 Rev. Joel Grissom
13 Rev. Eddie Villa
14 Rev. Franciscus Asisi Eka
Yuantoro
16 Rev. Edouard Atangana
16 Rev. Msgr. Heberto Diaz
18 Rev. Jean Olivier Sambu
28 Rev. Frank Gomez
31 Rev. Tomas Mateos
5 Deacon Jesus P. Galvan
6 Deacon Bruno Cedillo
6 Deacon Francisco R. Flores
13 Deacon Eduardo Ovalle
15 Deacon Eduardo Reyna
17 Deacon Guillermo G.
Castañeda Jr.
20 Deacon David Espinoza
22 Deacon Oscar Garcia
23 Deacon Alvin H.
Gerbermann
» Anniversaries
17 Rev. Roy Lee Snipes
28 Rev. James Pfeifer – Retired
November
» Birthdays
5 Rev. Mario Castro
9 Rev. Eduardo Gomez
16 Rev. Ruben Delgado
17 Rev. Jose J. Ortiz
20 Rev. Lawerence Klein
22 Rev. Luis Fernando Sanchez
23 Rev. Msgr. Agostinho Pacheco
28 Rev. Esteban Hernandez
7 Deacon Genaro Ibarra
10 Deacon Catarino Villanueva
11 Deacon Israel Sagredo
12 Deacon Juan F. Gonzalez
14 Deacon Inocencio Diaz
15 Deacon Alberto X. Chapa
20 Deacon Jesus Reyes
20 Deacon Benito Saenz
24 Deacon Juan Barbosa
29 Deacon Francisco Garza
13 Sister Luella Walsh, OSB
» Anniversaries
27 Rev. Jose Rene Angel
28 Rev. Samuel Arispe
4 Deacon George M. Terrazas
11 Deacon Jose Luis Mendoza
30 Deacon Reynaldo Q. Merino
IN THE NEWS
Be a part
of the
conversation
ABC to air film
on response New
Orleans women
religious to Katrina
12
Bishop schedules
listening sessions
in each deanery
The Valley Catholic
Bishop Daniel E. Flores wants
to hear directly from parishioners in the Diocese of Brownville
about their hopes and dreams for
the future of the Church in the Rio
Grande Valley.
A series of eight listening sessions are scheduled between the
fall and spring at each of the deaneries in the diocese. The first one
is scheduled in the Pharr Deanery
from 7 to 9 p.m. on Thursday, Oct
11 at San Juan Middle School.
Deacon Luis Zuniga, director
of the Office for Pastoral Planning
who is coordinating the sessions,
said the information shared by
parishioners will be used to help
develop a pastoral plan or plan of
action.
“The feedback will be most
helpful as we look at the priorities
of the Church in the Rio Grande
Valley, realizing that as a border
diocese we are a unique diocese.”
Established in 1965, “We are a
young diocese,” he said, pointing to
some of the unique aspects, including language and culture, as well as
the economic situation and border
violence.
OTHER SESSIONS IN THE FALL
McAllen-Edinburg Deanery
Thursday, Nov. 8, 6 to 8 p.m.
Our Lady of Sorrows, McAllen
Harlingen Deanery
Monday, Nov. 19, 6 to 8 p.m.,
Queen of Peace, Harlingen
San Benito Deanery
Monday, Dec. 3, 6 to 8 p.m.
Our Lady Queen of the Universe,
San Benito
Family,
NFP methods are progressive.
That is, they are based on progressive, day-to-day observations of
the naturally occurring signs and
symptoms of the fertile and infertile phases of the menstrual cycle.
NFP methods take advantage of
the changes associated with ovulation, treating each cycle as unique.
At youth celebration, pope tells
Christians: Stay and make peace
By FRANCIS X. ROCCA AND
DOREEN ABI RAAD
Catholic News Service
BKERKE, Lebanon — Pope
Benedict XVI urged young Christians in the Middle East not to
flee violence and economic insecurity through emigration, but
to draw strength from their faith
and make peace in their troubled
region.
The pope spoke to some
20,000 young people from several
Middle Eastern countries gathered outside the residence of the
Maronite patriarch in Bkerke in
a celebration that included fireworks, spotlights, singing and
prayer.
The crowd began to form
hours before Pope Benedict arrived in the popemobile a little
after 6 p.m. After passing through
the metal detector and the gates
of Bkerke, visitors were greeted
by Scouts who gave them an olive
branch to wave to welcome the
pope and a knapsack containing
water, snacks, an Arabic Bible and
the new edition of the youth catechism — “YouCat,” a gift from
Pope Benedict.
A giant rosary fashioned from
yellow and blue balloons hovered
over the crowd, its colors blending in with the cloudless sky and
Mediterranean Sea below the hillside.
Pope Benedict asked young
Christians, whose population is
diminishing across the Middle
East, not to abandon their homelands.
“Not even unemployment
and uncertainty should lead you
to taste the bitter sweetness of
emigration, which involves an
uprooting and a separation for
the sake of an uncertain future,”
he said. “You are meant to be protagonists of your country’s future
A woman need not have “regular”
cycles.
NFP education helps couples
to fully understand their combined
fertility, thereby helping them to
either achieve or avoid a pregnancy. The key to the successful use of
NFP is cooperation and communication between husband and wifea shared commitment.
As a method of family planning, NFP 1) requires mutual
responsibility of husband and wife,
 Immunizations
 Name Brand
& Generic Prescriptions
 Durable Medical Equipment
& Supplies
 Free Delivery Service
 Over-the-Counter Medications
 Medicaid, Medicare
& Most Third-Party
Prescription Plans
Catholic News Service
CNS photo/Paul Haring
A man holding a rosary with the U.S. flag as a backdrop is silhouetted in this
photo illustration. The U.S. bishops’ document “Forming Consciences for Faithful
Citizenship,” seeks to provide a blueprint on how Catholic social teaching should
affect political participation by Catholics.
and to take your place in society
and in the church.”
Warning against escapism,
the pope urged his listeners not to
“take refuge in parallel worlds like
those, for example, of the various
narcotics or the bleak world of
pornography.”
Offering encouragement, the
pope invoked the inspiration of
the first Christians, inhabitants
of the Middle East who “lived in
troubled times and their faith was
the source of their courage and
their witness.”
“Courageously resist everything opposed to life: abortion, violence, rejection of and contempt
for others, injustice and war,”
Pope Benedict said. “In this way
you will spread peace all around
you.”
2) requires the couple to communicate, 3) is based on scientific
research, 4) treats each menstrual
cycle as unique and teaches a
couple to observe their signs of
fertility on a day-to-day basis, 5)
has no harmful side effects, 6)
is effective for those wanting to
achieve or avoid pregnancy, 7) can
be used in special circumstancessuch as post-partum, during
breastfeeding, and premenopause,
8) is up to 99% successful in spac-
ing or limiting births, and 9) is
virtually cost free.
NFP is unique among methods of family planning because
it enables the users to work with
the body rather than against it.
Fertility is viewed as a reality to
live, not a problem to be solved.
It is a wonderful gift for engaged
and married couples to learn a
Natural Family Planning Method;
for those interested, it is very, very
important that they do so from a
CINCINNATI— ABC affiliates
will air an hourlong documentary
on the response of women religious in New Orleans to the devastation wrought by 2005’s Hurricane Katrina on select Sundays
between Sept. 23 and Nov. 18.
“We Shall Not Be Moved: The
Catholic Sisters of New Orleans”
was made available to ABC affiliates from the Interfaith Broadcasting Commission as part of
ABC’s four-part “Vision and
Values” series for 2012-13. A listing of broadcasts can be found at
www.interfaithbroadcasting.com.
The film project was coordinated and led by SC Ministry Foundation in Cincinnati, which organized the fundraising effort to
make the documentary. Funders
represent the Assembly of Catholic Foundations and other Catholic foundations and congregations
of women religious.
The documentary “elevates the
program from the level of a “Katrina brick-and-mortar rebuilding chronicle’ to a complex and
fascinating journey with women
religious who faced an uncertain
personal and public future,” said
a statement from Sister Judith
Ann Zielinski, a Sister of St. Francis of Sylvania, Ohio, who wrote
and produced “We Shall Not Be
Moved.”
“Their choices were not uniform, simple or immediate,” said
Sister Judith Ann, who is with
NewGroup Media in South Bend,
Ind. “However, all six congregations, with an average of 175 years
of combined service to New Orleans, reconfirmed their commitment to the city and its people.”
certified Natural Family Planning
Instructor.
For information on Billings
Ovulation Method Certified
instructors in the diocese, contact
the Family Life Office at (956) 7845012. May the Holy Spirit guide
each of us to a better and fuller
understanding of the gift of Life.
(* some info “Used with permission
from the NFP Program, United States
Conference of Catholic Bishops. All rights
reserved.”)
Your Family Pharmacies
San Juan Pharmacy
& Pharr Family Pharmacy
Visit us at
1205 N. Raul Longoria, Suite F
San Juan, Tx. 78589
710 S. Cage Blvd, Suite D
Pharr, Tx. 78577
(956) 782-6337
(956) 782-8494
Fax: (956) 702-0697
Fax: (956) 782-9449
Call in, drop off, or use online services - www.sanjuanrx.com
NOTICIAS EN ESPAÑOL 13
Octubre 2012 - The Valley Catholic
Ocasión para
redescrubir alegría
del encuentro
con Cristo
Año de la Fe
ACI Prensa/EWTN
VATICANO - El Año de la Fe,
proclamado por el Papa Benedicto
XVI, comenzará el 11 de octubre de
2012, en el 50 aniversario de la inauguración del Concilio Vaticano
II y concluirá el 24 de noviembre de
2013, en la Solemnidad de Cristo
Rey del Universo.
Al anunciar el Año de la Fe, el
Papa dijo que este tiempo busca
“dar un renovado impulso a la misión de toda la Iglesia, para conducir
a los hombres lejos del desierto en
el cual muy a menudo se encuentran en sus vidas a la amistad con
Cristo que nos da su vida plenamente”. Benedicto XVI convocó
al Año de la Fe con la Carta apostólica Porta fidei del 11 de octubre
de 2011.
El Presidente del Pontificio
EL AÑO DE LA FE
Para información, oraciones, y
programa de actividades visite
www.annusfidei.va
Consejo para la Nueva Evangelización, Mons. Rino Fisichella dice
que El Año de La Fe es una ocasión
para “volver a descubrir el camino
de la fe” y resaltar “el entusiasmo
renovado del encuentro con Cristo”.
El acto, realizado en la Oficina
de Prensa, contó también con la
participación de Mons. Graham
Bell, subsecretario de este dicaste-
Regalo de la Fe,
Continúa de la pág. 2
todos los obstáculos. El amor se
encontró con todos los pecados
humanos en la Cruz, todas las
mentiras, cobardía y calumnia, y
el pecado fue vencido. El pecado y
la muerte perdieron su fuerza cuando Cristo acepto amarnos desde
la Cruz. Contemplamos la Cruz
y somos movidos por el amor en
CNS file photo/Gregory A. Shemitz
El Año de Fe, que cubre del 11 de octubre del 2012 a noviembre 24 del 2013, le ayuda a
la iglesia a enfocar su atención en “Jesucristo y la belleza de tener fe en él,” de acuerdo
con una declaración de la Congregación para la Doctrina de la Fe. La foto muestra un
crucifijo en la Capilla San Alberto en la casa matriz de las Hermanas Dominicas en
Amityville, NY.
rio.
Durante la presentación, Mons.
Fisichella recordó que el Santo Padre, en su carta apostólica Porta Fi-
dei, habló “de la exigencia de volver
a descubrir el camino de la fe para
resaltar cada vez más la alegría y el
entusiasmo renovado del encuen-
respuesta.
Tercero, creemos en la Resurrección de Jesucristo de la muerte.
El pecado y la muerte pueden
crucificar la carne de la Palabra
Encarnada, pero no pueden
mantenerlo en la tumba. Él ha
resucitado. Creemos esto con
todo nuestro corazón, mente y
alma. ¿Por qué es tan importante
compartir esto? Seamos francos:
vivimos en un mundo en donde
es posible algunas veces dudar
seriamente que al final la verdad,
la bondad, la vida y el amor ganan
sobre los poderes que se oponen.
Entramos al internet, o prendemos la televisión y vemos todo
tipo de malas noticias. Violencia,
muerte y codicia desenfrenada en
cada esquina. Nosotros y nuestros
vecinos, podemos desanimarnos, y
tal vez hasta angustiarnos sobre el
poder de la bondad.
Es por esto que profundizar
nuestra fe y compartir la fe es
tro con Cristo”, razón por la cual
convocó a este año especial cuyo
inicio coincide con el 50 aniversario de la apertura del Concilio Vaticano II y 20 aniversario de la publicación del Catecismo de la Iglesia
Católica.
Asimismo, indicó, este año se
propone “sostener la fe de tantos
creyentes que, en medio de la fatiga
cotidiana, no cesan de confiar, con
convicción y valentía, su existencia
al Señor Jesús. Su testimonio, que
no es noticia (...) es el que permite
a la Iglesia presentarse al mundo de
hoy, como en pasado, con la fuerza
de la fe y con el entusiasmo de los
sencillos”.
El Arzobispo también explicó
que el Año de la Fe se inserta en
un contexto “caracterizado por una
crisis generalizada que atañe también a la fe”.
“La crisis de fe es la expresión
dramática de una crisis antropológica que ha dejado al ser humano abandonado a sí mismo (...) Es
necesario ir más allá de la pobreza
espiritual en que se encuentran
muchos contemporáneos, que ya
no perciben la ausencia de Dios
en su vida, como una carencia que
debe ser colmada. El Año de la Fe
quiere ser un camino que la comunidad cristiana brinda a los que
viven con nostalgia de Dios y con
el deseo de encontrarlo de nuevo”,
afirmó.
En ese sentido, dijo que el programa toca “la vida diaria de cada
creyente y la pastoral ordinaria de
la comunidad cristiana para que se
vuelva a encontrar el espíritu misionero necesario para dar vida a la
nueva evangelización”.
Para ello, anunció que la Congregación para el Culto Divino y
la Disciplina de los Sacramentos
aprobó el formulario de una Misa
especial “Para la Nueva Evangeli-
zación”. “Es un signo para que en
este año (...) se de la primacía a la
oración y especialmente a la Eucaristía, fuente y culmen de la vida
cristiana”, indicó.
Logo del Año de la Fe
Durante el acto, Mons. Fisichel-
tan vital hoy en día. Nosotros,
nuestros vecinos y todo el mundo
necesita ser renovado en la esperanza de que sí es importante ser
bueno, y sí importa el perseverar
en amor, a pesar de los obstáculos.
En Jesucristo, nosotros sabemos
que el amor gana. Sólo si creemos
en la Resurrección de Jesús de la
muerte, nos es posible encontrar la
fuerza y el valor que necesitamos
para vivir esta vida con confianza
en que el poder de la bondad, la
verdad y el amor triunfan sobre el
pecado y la muerte.
El mundo necesita escuchar
lo que nosotros sostenemos con
fe, para que el valor de vivir con
esperanza se pueda renovar. Sin
esperanza, nos damos por vencidos y cedemos a lo que nos aflige.
Y lo que más nos aflige hoy en el
mundo es la falta de confianza en
la bondad de la vida.
Nuestra gente joven necesita
saber que está bien tener esperanza
en algo mejor. Que no tiene que
ser todo mentiras, poder, control y
dinero. Hay cosas más importantes
en la vida. Si no promovemos y
avanzamos el culto de amor hacia
el Dios viviente, y la veneración del
triunfo del amor sobre la muerte,
la única alternativa que se presenta
al mundo es el crecimiento del
culto de la muerte. Tristemente,
sabemos que es verdad lo que digo.
Lo que nuestros catequistas
hacen es muy importante porque
sin el conocimiento de la fe que
ellos comparten, la esperanza falla
y el amor se vuelve frio. Su trabajo
revitaliza nuestro sentimiento de
haber sido amados por Dios en
Jesucristo. Esto hace posible que
nosotros lo amemos a él y los unos
a los otros en cambio. Y en esto
depende nuestra vida y la vida del
mundo.
El próximo mes, compartiré
con ustedes algunos pensamientos sobre cómo podemos ser
renovados durante el Año de la
Fe en nuestra celebración de estos
misterios del amor de Dios.
In
Loving
Memory
of
Adalberto Garza III
From Mom, Dad
and Diego
Para anunciarse en el periódico
de la Diócesis de Brownsville
Llame al (956) 784-5055
la también presentó el logo del Año
de la Fe, que consiste en una barca,
imagen de la Iglesia, cuyo mástil es
una cruz con las velas desplegadas
y el trigrama de Cristo (IHS). El sol,
en el fondo, recuerda la Eucaristía.
También está listo el himno
oficial titulado “Credo, Domine,
adauge nobis fidem”. Además, a
principios de septiembre se publicará el Subsidio pastoral “Vivir el
Año de la Fe”.
Durante el acto, se informó que
una pequeña imagen del Cristo de
la catedral de Cefalú, Sicilia (Italia), en cuyo reverso está escrita la
Profesión de Fe, acompañará a los
fieles y peregrinos a lo largo de este
año especial.
Finalmente, se indicó que los
fieles podrán consultar un sitio web
creado para el Año de la Fe, el mismo que podrá ser revisado desde
todos los dispositivos móviles y en
diversos idiomas. El sitio web es el
siguiente: www.annusfidei.va
14
NOTICIAS EN ESPAÑOL
El reto de formar la conciencia para ser ciudadanos ﬁeles
Lo que sigue es un resumen de
la reflexión de los obispos de Estados Unidos titulada Formando
la conciencia para ser ciudadanos
fieles. Complementa la enseñanza
de los obispos en sus diócesis y
estados.
N
uestra nación afronta unos
retos que requieren decisiones morales urgentes.
Somos una nación en
guerra, con todo el costo humano que
conlleva; un país a menudo dividido
por las razas y etnias; una naciónde
inmigrantes que tiene dificultades
con la inmigración. Somos una
sociedad opulenta donde demasiadas
personas viven en la pobreza; somos
parte de una comunidad global que
está confrontando al terrorismo y se
enfrenta a amenazas urgentes contra el
medio ambiente; tenemos una cultura
cimentada sobre las familias, en la que
algunos ahora cuestionan el valor del
matrimonio y la vida familiar. Nos
sentimos orgullosos de apoyar los
derechos humanos, pero fallamos incluso a la hora de proteger el derecho
fundamental a la vida, especialmente
el de los niños no nacidos.
Nosotros, los obispos, buscamos
ayudar a los católicos a formar su conciencia de acuerdo con la verdad, de
manera que puedan tomar decisionesmorales sólidas cuando respondan a
estos retos. No decimos a los católicos
cómo deben votar. La responsabilidad
de tomar decisiones políticas recae en
cada persona y en su conciencia correctamente formada.
¿Por qué enseña la Iglesia sobre
cuestiones que afectan a la
política pública?
La obligación de la Iglesia de participar en la formación del carácter moral
de la sociedad es un requisito de nuestra fe, parte de la misión encomendada
a nosotros por Jesucristo. La fe nos
ayuda a ver más claramente la verdad
sobre la vida y dignidad humanas, la
cual también comprendemos mediante
la razón humana. Como personas
tanto de fe como seres racionales que
somos, los católicos están llamados a
llevar la verdad a la vida política y a
practicar el mandamiento de Cristo,
quien nos mandó “que se amen los
unos a los otros” (Jn 13:34). Según
el Papa Benedicto XVI: “La caridad
debe animar toda la existencia de los
fieles laicos y, por tanto, su actividad
política, vivida como ‘caridad social’”
(carta encíclica Deus Caritas Est, no.
29).
La Constitución de Estados Unidos protege el derecho de los creyentes
individuales y de las instituciones
religiosas a participar y decir lo que piensen sin interferencias gubernamentales, favoritismos o discriminación.
La ley civil debería reconocer y proteger el derecho y la responsabilidad
de la Iglesia a participar en la sociedad
sin tener que abandonar nuestras
convicciones morales centrales. La
tradición pluralista de nuestra nación
es enriquecida, y no amenazada, cuando los grupos religiosos y las personas
de fe llevan sus convicciones a la vida
pública. La comunidad católica aporta
al diálogo político un marco moral
coherente y una amplia experiencia de
servicio a los necesitados.
¿Quién en la Iglesia debería participar en la vida política?
En la Tradición católica, ser ciudadanos responsables es una virtud y la
participación en la vida política es
una obligación moral. Como católicos deberíamos ser guiados más por
nuestras convicciones morales que por
nuestro apego a un partido político o
grupo con intereses especiales. En el
ambiente socio-político de hoy en día,
los católicos pueden sentirse desamparados políticamente, percibiendo
que ningún partido político y muy
pocos candidatos comparten nuestro
compromiso exhaustivo con la vida y
dignidad humanas. Los laicos católicos
necesitan actuar según los principios
morales de la Iglesia e involucrarse
más: presentándose como candidatos,
CNS illustration/Mike Crupi, Catholic Courier
Un hombre sosteniendo un rosario con la bandera de USA al fondo es la silueta
que muestra esta foto. El documento del Obispo “Formando conciencias para
ciudadanos con fe,” busca proveer un modelo sobre cómo las enseñanzas sociales
Católicas deben afectar la participación política por los Católicos.
trabajando dentro de partidos políticos
y transmitiendo sus preocupaciones
a quienes ocupan funciones públicas.
Incluso quienes no pueden votar
tienen que alzar sus voces respecto
a cuestiones que afectan su vida y el
bien común.
¿Cómo ayuda la Iglesia a los
católicos a tratar las cuestiones
políticas y sociales?
Una conciencia bien formada
La Iglesia provee a sus miembros con
lo necesario para tratar cuestiones
políticas y sociales al ayudarlos a desarrollar una conciencia bien formada.
“La conciencia moral es un juicio
de la razón por el que la persona
humana reconoce la cualidad moral
de un acto concreto… ‘[cada persona]
está obligad[a] a seguir fielmente lo
que sabe que es justo y recto’” (Catecismo de la Iglesia Católica [CIC],
no. 1778). Durante toda nuestra vida,
nosotros, los católicos, tenemos la
obligación de formar nuestra conciencia de acuerdo con la razón humana,
iluminada por la enseñanza de Cristo
que llega a nosotros por medio de la
Iglesia.
La virtud de la prudencia
La Iglesia también anima a los
católicos a desarrollar la virtud de la
prudencia, la cual nos permite “discernir en toda circunstancia nuestro
verdadero bien y a elegir los medios
rectos para realizarlo” (CIC, no. 1806).
La prudencia forma e informa nuestra
capacidad para deliberar sobre las
alternativas disponibles,identificar cual
es la más adecuada en un contexto
específico y actuar. La prudencia debe
estar acompañada de valentía, que
es la que nos llama a actuar. Ya que
los católicos buscamos promover
el bien común, debemos discernir
cuidadosamente qué políticas públicas
son moralmente sólidas. Un buen fin
no justifica un medio inmoral. A veces
los católicos pueden elegir diferentes
maneras de responder a problemas
sociales, pero no podemos alejarnos
de nuestra obligación de proteger la
vida y dignidad humanas, y de ayudar
a construir con medios morales un
mundo más justo y pacífico.
Hacer el bien y evitar el mal
Existen algunas acciones que nunca
debemos realizar, ni como individuos
ni como sociedad, porque estas son
siempre incompatibles con el amor a
Dios y al prójimo. Estos actos intrínsicamente malos siempre deben ser
rechazados y nunca se deben apoyar.
Un ejemplo claro es quitar intencionadamente la vida de un ser humano inocente por medio del aborto. Un sistema
legal que permite que el derecho a la
vida sea violado, fundado en que este
derecho es opcional, es un sistema
fundamentalmente defectuoso.
Asimismo, las amenazas directas a la dignidad de la vida humana,
como lo son la eutanasia, la clonación
humana y la investigación científica
destructiva de embriones humanos,
también son intrínsicamente malas y
deben ser objeto de oposición. Otros
asaltos a la vida y dignidad humanas,
como el genocidio, la tortura, el rac-
ismo y el ataque a los no combatientes
en actos terroristas o de guerra, jamás
pueden ser justificados. La falta de
respeto hacia cualquier vida humana
devalúa el respeto hacia toda vida
humana.
Como católicos no votamos
basándonos en una sola cuestión. La
posición de un candidato respecto a
una sola cuestión no es suficiente para
garantizar el apoyo del votante. Sin
embargo, la posición de un candidato
respecto a una sola cuestión relacionada con un mal intrínseco, como es el
apoyo al aborto legal o la promoción
del racismo, puede llevar legítimamente al votante a descalificar a un
candidato a no recibir su apoyo.
Oponerse a actos intrínsicamente
malos debería también ayudarnos a
reconocer nuestro deber positivo de
contribuir al bien común y de actuar
solidariamente con los necesitados. Es
esencial tanto oponerse al mal como
hacer el bien. Como dijo el Papa Juan
Pablo II: “El hecho de que solamente
los mandamientos negativos obliguen
siempre y en toda circunstancia, no
significa que, en la vida moral, las prohibiciones sean más importantes que
el compromiso de hacer el bien, como
indican los mandamientos positivos”
(carta encíclica Veritatis Splendor, no.
52). El derecho fundamental a la vida
implica y está ligado a otros derechos
humanos, a los bienes fundamentales
que toda persona humana necesita
para vivir y desarrollarse plenamente,
incluidos el alimento, la vivienda, el
cuidado médico, la educación y el
trabajo digno. El uso de la pena de
muerte, el hambre, la falta de cuidado
médico o vivienda, el tráfico humano,
el costo humano y moral de la guerra
y las políticas de inmigración injustas
son algunas de las cuestiones morales
serias que retan a nuestra conciencia y
requieren que actuemos.
Tomar decisiones morales
Las decisiones políticas difíciles requieren del ejercicio de una conciencia
bien formada apoyada por la prudencia. Este ejercicio de la conciencia
comienza siempre con una oposición
inmediata a las políticas que violan la
vida humana o debilitan su protección. “Aquellos que formulan las leyes
tienen una obligación de conciencia de
trabajar para rectificar leyes defectuosas en lo moral, para que no sean
culpables de cooperar en esa maldad y
pecar contra el bien común” (Conferencia de Obispos Católicos de los
Estados Unidos [USCCB], Católicos
en la vida política).
Cuando ya existan leyes moralmente defectuosas, se necesita un
juicio prudente para determinar cómo
hacer lo posible para restaurar la
justicia — incluso si es solo parcial o
gradualmente— sin tener nunca que
abandonar un compromiso moral de
proteger totalmente toda vida humana,
desde la concepción hasta su muerte
natural (véase Papa Juan Pablo II, carta
encíclica Evangelium Vitae, no. 73).
También se necesita de un juicio
prudente para determinar cuál es la
mejor manera de promover el bien
común en áreas como la vivienda, el
cuidado médico y la inmigración. Cuando los líderes de la Iglesia deciden
cómo aplicar la doctrina católica a
políticas específicas, aun no teniendo
la misma autoridad vinculante que los
principios morales universales, esta
no puede ser desechada simplemente
como otra opción política. Estas aplicaciones morales deberían informar la
conciencia y guiar las acciones de los
católicos.
¿Qué dice la Iglesia sobre la doctrina social católica en el ámbito
público? — Temas clave
La ética consistente sobre la vida
debería guiar a todos los católicos en
su participación en la vida política.
Esta ética católica ni trata a todas
las cuestiones como equivalentes
moralmente ni reduce la doctrina
católica a una o dos cuestiones. La
ética consistente sobre la vida ancla
el compromiso católico de defender
la vida humana, desde la concepción
hasta la muerte natural, a la obligación moral fundamental de respetar
la dignidad de cada persona como
hijo o hija de Dios.
Los votantes católicos deberían
usar la doctrina católica para examinar las posiciones de los candidatos
respecto a las cuestiones y deberían
considerar la integridad, la filosofía
y el desempeño de actuar de los
candidatos. Es importante para todos
los ciudadanos que “vayan más allá
de la política partidista, que analicen
las promesas de las campañas con
un ojo crítico y que escojan sus dirigentes políticos según su principio,
no su afiliación política o el interés
propio” (USCCB, Vivir el Evangelio
de la vida, no. 34). Los siguientes
temas de la doctrina social católica
ofrecen un marco moral para tomar
decisiones en la vida pública.
La vida y la dignidad de la persona
La vida humana es sagrada. Los
ataques directos contra los seres humanos inocentes nunca son moralmente
aceptables. En nuestra sociedad, la
vida humana está bajo el ataque directo
del aborto, la eutanasia, la clonación
humana y la destrucción de embriones
humanos para la investigación científica. Estos males intrínsecos deben ser
siempre rechazados. Esta enseñanza
también nos obliga como católicos a
oponernos al genocidio, a la tortura,
a la guerra injusta y al uso de la pena
de muerte, así como a buscar la paz y
ayudar a erradicar la pobreza, el racismo y otras condiciones que devalúen
la vida humana.
El llamado a la familia, a la
comunidad y a la participación
La familia, basada en el matrimonio
entre un hombre y una mujer, es la unidad fundamental de la sociedad. Este
santuario para la creación y la crianza
de hijos no debe ser redefinido, socavado o ignorado. Apoyar a las familias
debería ser una prioridad en las políticas económicas sociales. La manera en
la que nuestra sociedad está organizada
—en las áreas económicas, políticas y
legislativas— afecta el bienestar de los
individuos y de la sociedad. Cada persona y asociación tiene el derecho y el
deber de participar en la formación de
la sociedad promoviendo el bienestar
de los individuos y el bien común.
Los derechos y deberes
Cada ser humano tiene el derecho a
la vida, el derecho fundamental que
hace posible todos los demás derechos.
Cada uno de nosotros tiene el derecho
Visite www.faithfulcitizenship.org para más información.
ORACION PARA
ANTES DE UNAS
ELECCIONES
Señor Dios, a medida que se acercan
las elecciones, buscamos entender
mejor los temas y preocupaciones
que afronta nuestra ciudad/nuestro
estado/nuestro país, y cómo el Evangelio nos apremia a responder a estos
retos como ciudadanos fieles
de nuestra comunidad.
Te pedimos que nuestros ojos no
sufran de ceguera para que así
podamos ver a los demás como hermanos y hermanas nuestros, quienes
gozan de una dignidad que nos une y
nos hace iguales.De manera especial
te pedimos que reconozcamos como
hermanos y hermanas a quienes son
víctimas de abusos y de la violencia,
de los engaños y de la pobreza.
Te pedimos que nuestros oídos
escuchen el llanto de los niños aún no
nacidos y de quienes han sido
abandonados, que escuchemos
el llanto de los hombres y mujeres
que son oprimidos a causa de su
raza o credo, religión o género.
Te pedimos para que nuestra mente
y nuestro corazón estén abiertos a
escuchar la voz de los líderes que nos
acercan cada vez más a tu Reino.
Te pedimos por el don del discernimiento para que elijamos líderes
que escuchan tu Palabra, viven en tu
amor y caminan por la senda de tu
verdad, a medida que siguen el camino
de Jesús y sus Apóstoles y nos guían
hacia tu Reino de paz y justicia.
Te lo pedimos por tu Hijo Jesucristo, a
través del poder del Espíritu Santo,
Amén.
a la libertad de la religión, el cual nos
permite vivir y actuar de acuerdo a la
dignidad que nos ha otorgado Dios,
así como un derecho a tener acceso a
aquellas cosas que requiere la decencia
humana —el alimento y albergue,
la educación y el trabajo, el cuidado
médico y la vivienda. A estos derechos
les corresponden deberes y responsabilidades para con los demás, nuestras
familias y la sociedad en general.
La opción por los pobres e indefensos
Mientras que el bien común abarca a
todos, quiénes tienen la mayor necesidad merecen ser objeto de una preocupación preferencial. Una manera de
evaluar moralmente a nuestra sociedad
es cómo tratamos a los más vulnerables que viven entre nosotros: los no
nacidos, las personas con discapacidad
y los enfermos terminales, los pobres y
los marginados.
La dignidad del trabajo y los
derechos de los trabajadores
La economía debe estar al servicio
de las personas, y no al contrario. La
justicia económica pide un puesto de
trabajo decente con un salario justo,
oportunidades para los trabajadores
inmigrantes de estar en situación legal
y la oportunidad de todas las personas
de trabajar por el bien común por
medio de su trabajo, de la propiedad, la
iniciativa, las inversiones, la participación en sindicatos y otras formas de
actividad económica.
La solidaridad
Somos una sola familia humana, independientemente de nuestras diferencias
nacionales, raciales, étnicas, económicas e ideológicas. Nuestro compromiso
católico a la solidaridad requiere que
busquemos la justicia, eliminemos
el racismo, pongamos fin al tráfico
humano, protejamos los derechos humanos, busquemos la paz y evitemos
el uso de la fuerza excepto cuando este
sea el último recurso.
El cuidado por la creación de Dios
El cuidado del planeta es un deber de
nuestra fe católica. Estamos llamados
a ser administradores cuidadosos de
la creación de Dios y a asegurar un
ambiente seguro y hospitalario para los
seres humanos más vulnerables, hoy y
en el futuro.
NOTICIAS EN ESPAÑOL 15
»Peregrinaje cerca de casa
Miles encuentran su camino a “la Cuevita”
Devotos honran a
San Judas Tadeo
en su pequeña cuevita
Por BRENDA NETTLES RIOJAS
The Valley Catholic
PHARR — Dentro de una
pequeña cueva en Pharr, las velas
parpadean dia y noche ante la estatua de San Judas Tadeo, el patrón
de las causas imposibles.
La gente viene a diario. Vienen
todo el día, dijo la Hermana Estela
Cantú, monja secular de los Oratorios de San Felipe Neri, y administradora parroquial de la Iglesia San
Judas Tadeo en Pharr.
Vienen a orar ante el santo y
a pedirle su intercesión. Vienen a
darle gracias.
Ignacio y Alejandra Hernández
de Edinburg, oriundos de la Ciudad de México, vienen cada ocho
días, “A agradecerle por todos sus
favores, y por todas las maneras
en las que nos ha ayudado,” dijo
Alejandra Hernández, añadiendo
“porque es muy milagroso.”
Ignacio Hernández trae un
ajuar verde y blanco y carga su milagro con su brazo, su hijo de tres
años, y camina de rodillas acercándose al santuario dedicado a San
Judas.
“Los doctores dijeron que no
podía tener otro hijo,” platica su esposa, cargando a su hija bebé en sus
brazos. Los Hernández tienen tres
hijos ahora. Nombraron a su segundo hijo, de tres años, Tadeo por
el santo. El hijo mayor ya tiene 13.
The Valley Catholic
La Cuevita de San Judas Tadeo, una cueva hecha a mano creada como santuario al santo de las causas imposibles, atrae a
visitantes diariamente. El santuario está ubicado atrás de la Iglesia Católica San Judas en Pharr.
Ella señaló que aunque la parroquia no hace propaganda de “la
cuevita” como le han llamado por
muchos años, la gente la encuentra.
“Él tiene muchos seguidores. Estamos en una pequeña esquina, pero
la gente nos encuentra.”
Camiones llenos de peregrinos
vienen los fines de semana también; algunos llegan de Houston y
San Antonio después de su visita
a la Basílica de Nuestra Señora de
San Juan del Valle- Santuario Nacional en San Juan.
Mientras que la parroquia es
popular durante todo el año, el día
de celebración del santo, en octubre
28, atrae a un número aun mayor
de feligreses quienes buscan honrar
COMO LLEGAR
Dirección: 505 S. Ironwood, Pharr
Instrucciones: Del Expressway 83
Tome la salida I Road y de vuelta hacia
el sur Pasando la Business 83 (I Road
se vuelve Veterans Blvd.)
De vuelta a la derecha en E. Kelly Ave y
luego izquierda en S. Ironwood St.
al santo. La hermana Cantú dijo
que las personas vienen durante
todo el día con mariachis y matachines, y muchos vienen vestidos
como San Judas.
También, además del día de
celebración, la parroquia promueve la solemne novena. Este año
la novena empieza en octubre 20 y
cada intención y petición recibida
será puesta bajo el altar durante las
Misas en octubre 28.
Una vereda desde la parroquia
de la iglesia lleva hasta la “Cuevita
de San Judas Tadeo,” lleva hacia
una cueva hecha a mano construida para proteger la estatua de San
Judas Tadeo, uno de los doce apóstoles.
El pequeño santuario de concreto, la cuevita, que mide 33 pies
por 25 pies, fue construida para
acomodar al alto número de feligreses y las velas que dejaban frente
a la estatua dentro de la iglesia. En
ese tiempo, los parroquianos de la
comunidad temían que la iglesia se
incendiara debido a todas las velas.
El padre Oratorio Leo Francis
Daniel dijo que también se construyó una capilla con la cruz de
Cristo al lado de la cuevita para recordarles a las personas que Cristo
está primero y que San Judas es
sólo un intercesor.
Quien sabe cuantas personas
han venido y se han arrodillado
a la entrada de la cueva, rezando
ante el santo que les da esperanza.
Muestras de las solicitudes y peticiones son dejadas atrás, en unos
tableros de anuncios y rejillas de
alambre donde los feligreses ponen
sus colguijes de milagros y notas,
agradecimientos y suplicas— sus
esperanzas y necesidades dejadas
ante el santo. Dejan fotos de ultrasonidos, recién nacidos, soldados,
quinceañeras, casas y carros chocados.
Una mujer dejó una nota pidiendo oraciones para su operación
programada para el julio pasado.
Otra dejó una foto de su casa,
pidiéndole a San Judas su ayuda.
“No quiero perder mi casa,” dice.
Norma Ramos de Harlingen,
visitó en una tarde de sabado a la
hora pico del sol. Ella ha visitado la
“cuevita” por 20 años; vino con su
hija y nietos. Su hija Gloria acredita
a su madre por haber pasado la devoción a San Judas.
“Rezas y tus oraciones son respondidas,” dijo Gloria Ramos.
La Iglesia San Judas Tadeo, la
cual esta bajo el cuidado de los padres Oratorios, fue establecida en
1950. Cada martes a las 7:30 p.m.
exhiben la reliquia de San Judas y
celebran la Misa de Novena y Bendición. El horario de la Misa del
domingo incluye una Misa tradicional en Latín a las 8 a.m.
The Catholic Diocese of Brownsville Invites
All Health Care Professionals
to the
Annual White Mass and Conference
Right of Conscience in Health Care
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2012
Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church
2209 Kendlewood Ave. McAllen, TX
Event Highlights
Keynote Speaker:
Rev. Msgr. Michael Olson
FREE
EVEN
T
Rector at Holy Trinity Seminary in Irving,
Texas, and a consultant to the Texas Catholic
Conference on bio-ethics issues, specifically
related to protecting conscience rights for
physicians.
6:30 pm
Mass & Blessing
for ALL Health Care Professionals
by Bishop Daniel E. Flores
7:30 pm
Conference and Dinner
at Our Lady of Perpetual Help
Church Parish Hall
To RSVP or for more information, please call (956) 784-5007
*CEU’s available for staff attendance. Approved by University of St. Thomas, Houston*
DIOCESIS
16
E
The Valley Catholic - Octubre 2012
Planeando una familia
s en verdad una maravilla
recordar y reflexionar que el
amor de Dios es tan grande
que Él hizo a los seres humanos
de tal modo que Su amor a través
del amor conyugal de un hombre
y una mujer puede crear un ser
humano nuevo y completo, y de
ese modo dándonos el potencial
de ser co-creadores con Él. Dios
nos pudo haber creado de la
manera que Él hubiera querido;
quizá como naranjas brotando de
un árbol de naranjas. Sin embargo, El escogió la unión física de
un hombre y una mujer para dar
a luz a una nueva vida humana.
Cuando mi esposo Mauri
y yo nos preparábamos para
casarnos hace 38 años, muchos
amigos y familiares ofrecieron sus
consejos sobre cuándo sería un
buen tiempo para empezar una
familia. Algunos dijeron que lo
mejor era esperar unos cuantos
años mientras otros pensaban
que lo mejor era comenzar una
familia lo más pronto posible. El
pastor de nuestra parroquia, Fr.
O’Malley nos dijo que quería que
aprendiéramos el Método Billings
de Planeación Familiar Natural.
Le dijimos que apreciábamos la
oferta pero que queríamos tener
un bebe enseguida y que aprenderíamos el Método Billings en un
año; después de nuestro primer
hijo.
En nuestra situación particular, esto nunca pasó. Ahora somos
padres adoptivos con mucha
felicidad y orgullo, pero a la edad
de 20 y 22 años no habíamos
considerado la infertilidad como
una posibilidad en nuestras vidas.
Durante el tiempo que no tuvimos
hijos, nos preguntaban “¿Quién de
ustedes no puede tener hijos?” y
mi maravilloso esposo respondía
“NOSOTROS no podemos tener
Lydia Pesina
Directora, Oficina
de Vida Familiar
hijos.” Nuestra fertilidad o nuestra
infertilidad nos pertenece a los
dos, esposo y esposa, y creo que
aprender el Método Natural de
Planeación Familiar puede ser un
maravilloso regalo que una pareja
puede darse.
En el Ministerio de Preparación Matrimonial que ofrecemos
en la Diócesis de Brownsville, a
través de Retiros de Preparación
Matrimonial y a través del programa de Parejas Patrocinadoras
en las parroquias, animamos a las
parejas comprometidas a aprender
el Método Natural de Planeación
Familiar antes de que se casen;
ellos tienen todo que ganar y nada
que perder al hacer esto. Como
parejas a punto de casarse pueden
aprender juntos sobre su fertilidad
única y particular.
*Los métodos de Planeación
Familiar Natural de hoy no deben
de ser confundidos con el Método
del Ritmo, desarrollado en 1930’s
el cual se basaba en la teoría de
que el siguiente ciclo de ovulación
podía ser determinado al calcular
los ciclos menstruales anteriores.
Este método a menudo era incorrecto debido a la naturaleza única
en el ciclo menstrual de cada
mujer: algunas mujeres tienen
ciclos muy irregulares y casi todas
las mujeres tienen ciclos de duración inusual de ves en cuando.
Un caballero me comentó sobre
su experiencia con el Método del
Ritmo: “Tratamos el Método del
Ritmo y obtuvimos ¡una Banda
con Ritmo!” (8 hijos).
Los métodos de la NPF son
progresivos. Eso es, están basados
en observaciones día a día de los
signos y síntomas que ocurren
naturalmente en las fases fértiles e
infértiles del ciclo menstrual. Los
métodos NPF toman ventaja de
los cambios asociados con la ovulación, tratando a cada ciclo como
único. Una mujer no necesita
tener ciclos “regulares.”
La educación NPF ayuda a las
parejas a entender su fertilidad
en combinación, de esa forma
ayudándoles a conseguir o evitar
un embarazo. La llave para un uso
exitoso del NPF es la cooperación
y la comunicación entre esposo y
esposa- un compromiso compartido.
Como método de planeación familiar, NPF 1) requiere
responsabilidad mutua entre
esposo y esposa, 2) requiere que
la pareja se comunique, 3) se basa
en investigación científica, 4)trata
el ciclo menstrual como único y
le enseña a la pareja a observar
los signos de la fertilidad diariamente, 5) no tiene ningún efecto
secundario dañino, 6) es efectivo
para aquellos que quieran lograr o
evitar un embarazo, 7) puede ser
usado en circunstancias especiales- como post-parto, durante la
lactancia, y pre menopausia, 8)
es hasta 99% exitoso para separar
o limitar los nacimientos, y 9) es
prácticamente gratis.
NPF es único entre los métodos de planeación familiar porque
permite a los usuarios a trabajar
con el cuerpo en lugar de contra
el. La fertilidad es vista como una
realidad que vivimos no como un
problema que resolver. Es un re» Por favor vea familia, p.17
La partícula de Dios
H
ace unas semanas todos
los noticieros y los
periódicos no hablaban
de otra cosa que la confirmación
de la existencia de una partícula
subatómica que habían podido reproducir en un acelerador gigante
de partículas en Geneva, Suiza.
Hacía tiempo, unos cincuenta
años, el físico británico Peter Higgs
formulo una teoría, llamada el
modelo estándar, en la cual explicaba que junto con los electrones,
protones y neutrones, las partículas
que conforman los átomos, existía
otra partícula que era capaz de
dar “cohesión” a los átomos, esto
es, permitirles comportarse como
materia, aun cuando era imperceptible la masa que conformaba
dichos cuerpos subatómicos.
A La partícula de Higgs se le
apodo a manera de chiste como la
partícula de Dios, pues en teoría
era capaz de “crear” masa de la
nada, esto es, la teoría explicaba
que si dos átomos chocaban a gran
velocidad, producirían un campo
visible que explicaría el porqué las
partículas subatómicas se comportan como lo hacen, siguiendo las
leyes de la física en donde cuerpos
con cargas contrarias se atraen,
mientras que cuerpos con cargas
iguales se repelen, y como es que se
mantienen unidos los átomos para
formar la materia de la que están
constituidas todas las cosas.
Algunos extremistas islámicos inmediatamente declararon
como blasfemos a los científicos
participantes del experimento por
utilizar el nombre de Dios, y tratar
de verificar la existencia de Dios
a través de la materia física. Sin
embargo, no fue esa la intención de los científicos, y si algo
Msgr. Juan
Nicolau
Pastor, Our Lady
of Perpetual Help
Church in McAllen
se demuestra al corroborarse la
existencia de la partícula de Higgs,
es que la realidad en que vivimos
es mucho más compleja, profunda
y extraña, ajena todavía a nuestro
entendimiento, pues mientras la
gente se ocupa de sus actividades
diarias, como ir al trabajo, comer,
descansar, etc., no se ocupa ni un
momento en pensar como es el
funcionamiento de las microscópicas partículas que componen todas
las cosas aun a nuestros organismos.
Los astrónomos del Vaticano,
como el hermano jesuita, Guy
Consolmagno, se dedican a la ciencia no para descubrir la existencia
de Dios, sino para corroborar su
existencia en el orden que tienen
todas las cosas, pues no cabe duda
que toda materia está constituida
de dichas partículas y que gracias
al desarrollo de experimentos
como el presentado por la organización Europea de investigación
nuclear nos permite corroborar
que la creación de Dios va mas
allá que el pobre entendimiento
humano.
…Y recuerda que Dios te ama
y yo también.
_
Mons. Juan Nicolau, Ph.D. STL es pastor de
la iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Perpetuo Socorro. Es psicoterapeuta familiar y consejero
profesional con licencias.
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DIOCESE 17
Padre Mario Avilés, mexicano, nombrado
procurador general de los oratorianos
Zenith.org
ROMA, jueves 13 septiembre
2012 — Se acaba de celebrar hoy
en Roma el X Congreso General de
la Confederación del Oratorio San
Felipe Neri iniciado el 5 de septiembre. Con más de 120 sacerdotes oratorianos, representantes de 74 casas
de todo el mundo y provenientes
de más de 20 países, se procedió a
la elección de las autoridades de la
Confederación.
Como procurador general, autoridad máxima de la Confederación, fue elegido el padre Mario
Avilés, mexicano y miembro de la
Congregación del Oratorio de San
Felipe Neri de Pharr y párroco de
la Iglesia del Sagrado Corazón de
Jesús en Hidalgo por una amplia
mayoría. Es la primera vez que un
sacerdote del continente americano
es elegido para este cargo. Como
delegado apostólico de la Santa
Sede fue reelegido el padre Felix
Selden (Viena, Austria). Además se
procedió a la elección de los diputados que colaboran con la Confederación representando a las distintas
regiones con que se divide el ámbito
mundial de presencia oratoriana.
Como diputado para Latinoamérica (Costa Rica, Colombia, Chile, Brasil y Argentina) fue
elegido el sacerdote argentino padre Germán Saksonoff, miembro
Cortesia
El Padre Mario Avilés besa el anillo del Papa Benedicto XVI durante la audiencia
general del 12 de septiembre en el Vaticano. El Padre Avilés fue elegido Procurador
General de la Confederación del Oratorio San Felipe Neri.
de la Congregación del Oratorio de
Mercedes-Luján de Buenos Aires,
Argentina.
Vale la pena destacar – indica un
comunicado de la Confederaciónque el anterior procurador general,
padre Edoardo Cerrato, luego de
su tercer mandato consecutivo (6
años cada mandato) fue elegido
por el santo padre como obispo de
Ivrea, al norte de Italia. Y recibió
la ordenación episcopal el sábado
8 de setiembre en la Chiesa Nuova
(tradicional templo oratoriano en el
corazón de Roma). Presidió la ceremonia el cardenal Tarcisio Bertone,
Familia,
continúa de pág. 16
galo maravilloso para parejas comprometida
y casadas el aprender el Método Natural de
Planeación Familiar; para los interesados es
muy, muy importante que aprendan de un
secretario de Estado de la Santa
Sede, el nuncio apostólico en Italia
Adriano Bernardini, y Arrigo Miglio, arzobispo de Cagliari (Italia).
La Procura General de la Confederación del Oratorio es una
entidad canónica jurídica, sita en
Roma, que además de ser el representante de las congregaciones del
oratorio ya erigidas por la Santa
Sede (llamadas “de derecho pontificio”), busca reunir, por medio de
la confederación, a las Congregaciones del Oratorio (llamadas también Casas del Oratorio) de todo el
mundo para la confraternización y
instructor de Planeación Familiar Natural
certificado. Para obtener información sobre
los instructores certificados en el Método
Billing de Ovulación en la diócesis, contacten
la oficina de Family Life al (956) 784-5012.
(*Alguna información “Usada con el permiso del
Programa NFP, Conferencia en Estados Unidos de
Obispos Católicos. Todos los derechos reservados.”)
Prince of Peace,
estudia la aprobación de las futuras.
Siempre preservando la autonomía
que cada Casa posee.
Los oratorianos, como se suele
llamar a los miembros, no tienen
un superior general como es costumbre en ordenes religiosas. El
procurador general de la Confederación representa a las Casas ante la
Santa Sede. Y el prepósito de cada
una de las Casas de derecho pontificio en el mundo es el ordinario de
la misma.
En la actualidad hay 84 Casas
en más de 20 países de Europa,
América y África, con más de 600
miembros. El Congreso General
(que hace las veces de un Capítulo
General) se reúne cada 6 años para
renovar sus autoridades y tratar
temas propios al carisma y a la organización de la Confederación del
Oratorio en el mundo.
El Oratorio surgió en el siglo
XVI con San Felipe Neri (15151575) aún en vida quien aprobó las
primeras constituciones, en Roma.
Son un conjunto de sacerdotes
seculares que viven en comunidad
para la atención de los laicos del
Oratorio. Una familia de sacerdotes
que son erigidos canónicamente
como Sociedad de Vida Apostólica por la Santa Sede, luego de un
período probatorio por parte de la
confederación y por el ordinario de
cada lugar.
Father Avilés,
Oratory and reside there.
Each one of the 85 confederation’s oratories has its own superior but collectively the
houses and their members form the confederation. The procurator general represents
all of the Oratorian houses worldwide and is
charged with presenting confederation matters to the Vatican. He also administers all the
goods and properties of the confederation.
Father Avilés, 43, succeeds Father Edoardo Aldo Cerrato, 62, who held the post for
18 years. In late July, Pope Benedict named
Father Cerrato to be bishop of Ivrea, Italy, and
he will be ordained a bishop and installed in
October.
In 2000, Father Avilés was appointed to a
confederation leadership role, serving as permanent deputy for Latin America. In that capacity he traveled to oratories all over North
and South America on behalf of the confederation.
Oratorian Father Jose Losoya, pastor of
St. Jude Thaddeus Church in Pharr, said that
experience and other qualities made him a
natural choice for procurator general. Father
Avilés was elected on the first ballot.
Father Avilés is most qualified to be the
procurator general, Father Losoya said.
He said “the delegates recognized that going in” to the election. They were well aware
of the work he has already done for the confederation and for his predecessor, Bishop-
Bishop Peña,
vocation of the priesthood.”
Bishop Peña, who was first named a
bishop in 1976, had been away from direct
ministry for more than 30 years when he
arrived at the Newman Center but he says the
mindsets of young adults have not changed
much during that time.
“Young people are young people and they
are in formation,” he said. “I think they are
ished and in November of
1969, the building which we
now know as Prince of Peace
Church was dedicated by
Bishop Medeiros. The building
architectural design is shaped
like a nun’s habit and possesses
a beautiful stained glass cross
on its front. Lyford was named
the parochial church and the
chapels of St. Martin of Tours
and Santa Monica were to become the missions of the central
church in Lyford.
Since the 1970s the parish
has continued to grow steadily,
serving over 500 families with
the help of its various ministries.
The town, as well as the community of faith might be smaller
in comparison to other parishes
but it’s a tightly knit community full of faith. As one of the
Youth Group members says,
“Every Sunday, when I attend
Mass, I see my algebra teacher,
and the football coaches there.
They provide an example for us
in school and outside of school.”
The elders of the community
share similar thoughts, “Our
families have been here for generations as part of the church,
we are not just one small parish,
but united with our brothers
and sisters around the world.
We are the legacy of Christ.”
designate Cerrato.
“He has visited many of the houses all
over the world, so many of the priests and
brothers have worked with him. He is also
fluent in English, Spanish and Italian. I think
the delegates were very confident and felt
very sure that he would be the most capable,”
added Father Losoya.
“What strikes me the most about Father
Mario is that he is so non-assuming,” said Lisette Allen, superintendent of schools for the
Diocese of Brownsville, who has worked with
him for 13 years. “He is an intelligent and
humble man and he is easy to follow because
he is such a spiritual leader. When he speaks,
people listen. He has an authoritative voice,
but in a very kind way.”
The son of Rafael Avilés and Maria Guadalupe Campos, Father Avilés was born in
Mexico City and joined the Oratory there at
his home parish in 1986. He moved to the
Pharr Oratory after graduating from high
school in 1988.
He lived in Rome from 1994 to 1998,
earning bachelor’s degrees in philosophy and
theology. He was ordained to the priesthood
July 21, 1998, at the Basilica of Our Lady of
San Juan del Valle-National Shrine.
Father Avilés “has always been a young
man who takes initiative and most of all he
loves the Church,” said Sister Estela Cantu,
a Sister of the Oratory of St. Philip Neri in
Pharr. “He loves God and he loves the Church
so we are very blessed to have him in the Oratory. He loves the Oratory and the vocation
that God called him into.”
always yearning to find the truth and our
mission is to help them find it; and to help
them resolve their doubts and respond to the
questions that come before them. I just spoke
to a young man who has been questioned by
an atheist friend about his faith and he was
sharing his responses and asking if that was
an adequate response and so forth. So I think
there is always a search for the truth at this
stage of their life. They may have searched
in a different way 30 years ago because we
didn’t have the Internet or cell phones, but
the questions are always the same.”
To Advertise in The Valley Catholic
Call (956) 784-5055
18
DIOCESE
Parish and school kermeses, jamaicas, festivals
Whether it’s called a kermes or a jamaica,
annual festivals are a long-standing tradition at
many parishes, missions and Catholic schools
across the Rio Grande Valley.
For most parishes, however, the festivals
are more than just fun and games, they are also
a main source of income for the entire year.
Oct. 5-7
BROwNSViLLE — Immaculate Conception
Cathedral, 1218 E. Jefferson., Fall festival from
6 - 10:30 p.m. featuring food, fun, music and games.
(956) 546-3178.
Oct. 6
SANTA ROSA — St. Mary Church, 101 San
Antonio., Annual Jamaica from 4 until 10 p.m.
featuring games, food, cake walk, music raffle ticket
3 for $5. For more information, (956) 636-1211.
Oct. 6
LA JOYA — Our Lady Queen of the
Angels Church, 815 S. Leo Dr. Fall Festival
Jamaica from 3 to 6 p.m. featuring live music,
games, delicious food, and a raffle. (956) 585-5223.
Oct. 6-7
RIO HONDO — St. Helen Church, 228
Huisache. Fall Festival from 4 to 10 p.m. each
evening featuring food, games, entertainment, a
raffle chance to win $10,000 Visa gift card– fun for
the whole family. (956) 748-2327.
Oct. 7
HIDALGO — Sacred Heart Church, at
Hidalgo City Pavilion, 100 N. McColl Rd. Fall
Festival Jamaica from 3 to 9:30 p.m. featuring live
music by four different bands, games, delicious food
“antojitos”, traditional bingo with great prizes and a
raffle with a grand prize $10,000 VISA prepaid card
and 19 other prizes. Tickets are 3 for $10.00. (956)
843-2463.
Oct. 7
EDINBURG — Sacred Heart Church is
hosting a kermes at the Edinburg Activity Center,
123 Palm Dr. beginning at 10 a.m. Pre sale BBQ
tickets and raffle tickets are available. Food, fun,
entertainment, games and a silent auction. (956)
383-3253.
Oct. 7
LA FERIA — St. Francis Xavier Church, 500
S. Canal St., Fall Jamaica starting with breakfast
at 8 a.m. Country Store at 10 a.m. Bingo at 2 p.m.
along with lots of booths, great food and live music
from 1 to 9 p.m. raffle will be at 8:30 tickets at $5.
(956) 797-2666.
Oct. 13-14
BROwNSViLLE — Holy Family Church,
2308 E. Tyler St. Kermes from 6:30 to 11 p.m., both
nights. Raffle tickets are available at 3 tickets for $5.
More info (956) 546-6975.
Oct. 13-14
PHARR — St. Margaret Mary Church, 122
W. Hawk Annual Jamaica Saturday from 5 - 10:30
p.m. and Sunday from 4 - 10:30 p.m. featuring
food booths, live music and game. Raffle ticket
$10. For more information, (956) 787-8563 or (956)
460-1219.
Church, 8310 Highland Ave, Edinburg. Fall
Festival Saturday from 5 to 10 p.m. and Sunday
from 2 - 10 p.m. featuring food booths, live music
and game. (956) 383-5880.
Oct. 27
McALLEN — Our Lady of Sorrows School,
1100 Gumwood Octoberfest from noon to 9
p.m., family event with lots of food booths, beer
garden, games, rides, silent and live auctions, live
entertainment, cake walk and much more. (956)
686-3651.
Nov. 2
SAN PEDRO — San Pedro Mission, 7602
Old Military Rd. Casino Nights from 7:30 to midnight
featuring Blackjack, Crafts, Roulette, Texas Hold’em
and Silent Auction. Tickets single $25 couple $40
include playing chips, raffle ticket, food, drinks,
music, dancing. Crowning of King and Queen. (956)
542-2596
Oct. 13-14
SAN JUAN — St. John the Baptist Church,
216 W. First St. Annual Jamaica from noon until
10 p.m. featuring live entertainment from Los Badd
Boyz del Valle and more than 30 booths. For more
information, (956) 783-1196.
Nov. 3
SAN PEDRO — San Pedro Mission, 7602
Old Military Rd. All Saints Festival from 5 to 10 p.m.
featuring a variety of foods, games, talent show and
music. $5 raffle tickets for a chance to win a 2013
Harley Davidson 72 and other great prizes drawing
will be at 10 p.m. (956) 542-2596
Oct. 20
SAN JUAN — Basilica of Our Lady of
San Juan del Valle – National Shrine,
400 Virgen de San Juan Blvd. Migrant Welcoming
Festival from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. featuring food
booths, live music and game. (956) 787-0033.
Nov. 3
MiSSiON— Juan Diego Academy, 5208
S. FM 494 in Mission. Activities scheduled include
silent and live auction, dinner and live music.
individual seats are $50, Sponsorship levels are
available For more information call (956) 583-2752.
Oct. 20 - 21
HARLINGEN — Queen
of Peace Church, 1509
New Combes Highway. Fall
Festival Saturday and Sunday
from 5 to 10 p.m. featuring
food booths, live music and
game. (956) 423-6341.
Oct. 20 - 21
SAN CARLOS — St.
Joseph the Worker
LETTE
INSURANCE AGENCY
FREE QUOTES
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Two locations to better serve you
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956-546-7232
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McAllen, TX
956-682-3154
[email protected]
Nov. 3-4
HARLINGEN — St. Anthony Church, 209
S. 10th Street. Fall festival Sat. from 6-11 p.m. and
Sun. from 3-9 p.m. featuring a variety food, cake
walk, music and games (956) 428-6111.
Nov. 4-5
DONNA — St. Joseph Church, 306 S. D.
Salinas Blvd. Sat. 9 a.m. - 7 p.m. Sun. 8 a.m. - 5
p.m. featuring lots of food, games, chalupa bingo,
sale of plants and live music by variety of bands.
Raffle tickets $10 for a chance to win a 2012 Nissan
Versa 1.6s (956) 464-3331
Nov. 9 - 10
HARLINGEN — Our Lady of Assumption
Church, 1313 W. Buchanan St. Fiesta de Colores
from 6 to 10 p.m. 6 - 10 p.m. featuring a variety of
foods, games, talent show and music. (956) 4234670
Nov. 9 - 10
McALLEN — Our Lady of Perpetual Help
Church, 2209 Kendlewood Festival from 4 to 10
p.m. both nights to benefit new Education Center
Raffle tickets available $50 1st prize 2013 Mercedes
Benz C-250(winners payTT&L) (956) 682-4238
Nov. 17
EDINBURG/FAYSVILLE — St. Theresa
Mission Pan de Campo/Fill the Grill Cook-off
from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Cook teams are invited to
participate. Featuring food, games, chalupa bingo,
raffle and auction. (956) 318-5135
Having a festival? Email [email protected]
DIOCESE 19
»Media Resource Center
» Calendar of Events
Recommended by SISTER MAUREEN CROSBY, SSD
Coordinator of the Media Resource Center - Diocese of Brownsville
»From the Bookshelf
»Worth Watching
The War of the
Vendée
Training the
Eucharistic
Minister
Format:VHS
Year of production: The Liturgical
Press (1987)
Length:24 minutes
The facts:This is a great video
for new or prospective Eucharistic
ministers. It explains the responsibilities
of the Eucharistic ministers when
ministering at Mass and to the sick
and homebound. It is also a good
refresher for existing ministers. If you
are considering becoming a Eucharistic
minister, this will allow you to see
and hear what is going on from the
minister’s perspective. The series also
includes videos for lectors, cantors and
altar servers.
Faith,
fruits that have emerged from
ecumenical dialogue,” there are
also “risks of indifference and of
false irenicism” – which give the
appearance of unity, without regard
for truth.
In today’s world, the Pope
observed, there is an “increasingly
widespread” perception “that truth
is not accessible to man, and that,
therefore, we must limit ourselves to
finding rules to improve this world.”
“In this scenario,” he noted, “faith
comes to be replaced by a shallowrooted moralism,” which can cause
the dialogue between Christian
groups to become superficial.
“By contrast, the core of true
ecumenism is faith, in which man
encounters the truth revealed in the
Word of God.”
Pope
Benedict
said
that
controversial issues cannot be
downplayed or ignored in talks
between the Catholic Church
and other Christian churches and
communities.
Matters of faith and morals, he
said, “must be faced courageously,
For a listing of parish kermeses and
festivals see page 18 and visit the diocesan
website for updates.
Format:DVD
Year of production: Navis Pictures
(2011)
Length:87 minutes
Written/directed by: Jim Morlino
The facts: in 1793, after enduring
three-and-a-half years of persecution by
the architects of the French Revolution,
a small band of faithful, Catholic
peasants and nobles from the Vendée
region of France began a six-year
Catholic “counter-revolution”. The cast
is comprised entirely of Catholic youths,
ranging in age from two months to 21.
Spanish and French subtitles.
Guide for
Lectors
Guide for
Extraordinary
Ministers
of Holy
Communion
Length: 70 pages, paperback
Author: Kenneth A. Riley, Paul
Turner
Publisher:Liturgical Training
Publications (2007)
9
latest teachings of the Church, gives
sound advice for dealing with the
practical, everyday challenges of parish
liturgies, and nurtures spiritual growth in
the minister.
The facts: To be an effective lector,
you can’t show up five minutes before
Mass and expect to be ready to proclaim
the Word of God. An effective guide for
training new ministers and veterans,
it gives lectors the tools they need
to prepare well and to proclaim with
understanding. It offers sound advice
for the practical challenges of parish
liturgies, and it nurtures spiritual growth
in the minister.
19 Benedictine Oblate Retreat
(RGC)
20-21 New Life/Remarriage
Retreat (Family Life)
25-28 San Martin de Porres
ACTS Retreat (RGC)
27 Youth Blast
28 National WYD Celebration
November
1
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Usted Escoge el Estilo de Plano
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Construction Experience
Dependiendo en Su Ingreso Mensual
Una Compañia Con 22 Años
de Experienca
Dialysis,
Long term dialysis can cause
bone and joint pain from a deposit of
various proteins known as amyloid
in the hands, wrists, shoulders, and
neck. Cost may represent yet another
burden, depending on the patient’s
personal finances and insurance
situation.
Still other burdens may include
problems with the access point made
for the dialysis — called a fistula —
which usually occurs in the arm. This
is a surgical connection made under
the skin between an artery and a vein,
allowing needles to access bloodflow
for dialysis. As many as 25 percent of
hospital admissions among dialysis
patients are due to problems with
fistula malfunction, thrombosis,
infection, and access. Multiple
surgeries may be required to assure
that a fistula continues to function
during the time it is used.
In sum, then, dialysis can
prolong and save a patient’s life, but
can also impose significant burdens.
Depending on the various side effects
and problems associated with the
procedure, and depending on how
minimal the benefits may be in light
of other medical conditions the
patient may be struggling with, it can
become reasonable, in some cases,
to discontinue dialysis. The burdens
of hemodialysis can sometimes be
lessened by using a different kind of
dialysis known as peritoneal dialysis,
where fluid is instilled in the abdomen
via a permanently positioned catheter
and later drained. Peritoneal dialysis
can be performed by the patient at
home each night.
It’s not possible with the limited
information we have to draw any
moral conclusions about the case of
the father who is “sick of it” and wants
to stop dialysis. We need further
details, such as: What is the reason
for his request? Is he experiencing
serious complications and significant
burdens from dialysis? Does he have
other medical problems besides
kidney failure? Is he suffering from
depression, for which he could be
treated?
We should never choose to bring
about our own or another’s death by
euthanasia, suicide or other means,
but we may properly recognize, on
a case by case, detail-dependent
basis, that at a certain point in our
struggle to stay alive, procedures
like dialysis may become unduly
burdensome treatments that are no
longer obligatory. In these cases, it’s
always wise to consult clergy or other
moral advisors trained in these oftendifficult bioethical issues.
—
Rev. Tadeusz Pacholczyk, Ph.D., a priest
of the Diocese of Fall River, Mass., earned
his doctorate in neuroscience from Yale,
did post-doctoral work at Harvard.
Bishop Emeritus Raymundo J. Peña’s
October 1-3
Assumption Alumni Meeting
San Antonio
October 5 - 7
Bronc Awakening Staff Retreat
Edinburg
October 8-11
Ansh Convention
Kentucky
October 12-14
Bronc Awakening
Edinburg
Every Sunday: 5 p.m. Confessions
at Newman Center
6 p.m. Mass at Newman Center
On going: 8 a.m. Mass Monday - Saturday at St. Joseph Chapel of Perpetual Adoration, 727 Bowie St., Alamo
Every Tuesday: Noon Mass
at UTPA/Chapel
2-4:30 p.m. Counseling for Students
- Newman Center
5 p.m. Adoration
Oct. 2 Newman Center
Oct. 9 UTPA Chapel
Oct. 23 UTPA Chapel
Every Thursday: 7 - 8 p.m.
Holy Hour St Joseph of Perpetual
Adoration 727 Bowie St., Alamo
1st: Vocations to the Consecrated
Life
2nd: Vocations to the Permanent
Diaconate
3rd : Vocation to Married Life
4th: Vocations to the priesthood
5th: Year of Faith in Diocese of
Brownsville
All Saints Day
Diocesan Offices Closed
2
while always maintaining a spirit of
fraternity and mutual respect … In
our dialogues we cannot overlook the
great moral questions about human
life, the family, sexuality, bioethics,
freedom, justice and peace.”
By defending the Church’s
authentic tradition, he observed,
“we defend man and we defend the
creation.”
Pope Benedict called the Year of
Faith to strengthen Catholics who
go to church, reach out to those who
have left but still yearn for God in
their lives, offer a response to those
who are searching for meaning and
help those who think they do not
need God, he said.
The first day of the Year of Faith
marks the 50th anniversary of the
opening of the Second Vatican
Council and the 20th anniversary
of the publication of the Catechism
of the Catholic Church with a year
dedicated to encouraging Catholics
to study, profess and demonstrate
their faith.
The Vatican launched a website
— www.annusfidei.va — containing
information about the Year of Faith
and the calendar of special events
Pope Benedict will celebrate during
the year.
Professional Day
(Office of Catechesis)
12 Catholic Formation &
Leadership Conference
Length:70 pages, paperback
Authors:Paul Turner, Virginia Meagher
Publisher: Liturgical Training
Publications (2007)
The facts: This book conveys the
October
All Souls Day
2-4 Catholic Engaged Encounter
(Family Life Office)
2-4 Divine Will Retreat (RGC)
3
Vital 3.0 – Catholic Youth
Evangelization
4
Daylight Saving Time Ends
6
Professional Day
6
Election Day
8-11
SJTW ACTS Retreat
(Rio Grande City)
10-11 Retrio Pre-Matrimonial
(FLO)
11 Veteran’s Day
12-22 Holy Land Pilgrimage
(Resurrection - Alamo)
15-18 SMdP Acts Retreat
(RGC)
16-18 Region 10
(Youth Ministry)
17 CMD #8 (Youth Ministry)
17 Convalidation Conference
(Family Life Office)
20 Youth 2000
(Youth Ministry)
22-23 Thanksgiving
Holiday
Diocesan Offices Closed
23-25 CFA (RGC)
29- Dec 1 NCCYM 2012:
Living in the Light
Please submit your schedule to be
published in The Valley Catholic by the
first Friday of each month by email at
[email protected] or fax: (956) 784-5082.
Blessing of
the Animals
The Valley Catholic
Several churches in the Diocese of Brownsville will have the
Blessing of the Animals in honor
of St. Francis of Assisi, patron of
animals and the environment on
or around Oct. 4.
The faithful bring their dogs,
cats, fish, birds and other animals
to the church grounds for prayers,
poetry and a special blessing. All
animals are invited but should be
properly restrained.
For a schedule, please visit the
Diocese of Brownsville’s web site
www.cdob.org.
20
DIOCESE
»Veteran Catechist
Our Catholic Family
Teaching the Faith
»Young Catechist
Cindy Gonzalez
David Longoria
Age: 55
Parish: Holy Family Church, Brownsville
Experience: She has served as a director
of religious education and taught religious
education to deaf students for 22 years. She
also interprets Mass for the deaf at the parish and diocesan level.
Age: 19
Parish: St. John the Baptist Church, San
Juan
Experience: He has served as a catechist for
elementary school-age children for three
years.
What inspired you to become a catechist?
There was a need for religious ed for deaf
students. I was not working at the time so
the priest at my parish asked me to do it.
My mother was a catechist for many, many
years. I thought, ‘you know what, I’m going
to follow in my mother’s footsteps. I’m going to try it.’ That was 22 years ago.
What is the greatest challenge you face as
a catechist?
Having a student that is really not interested in being there but the parents make
them go. Every catechist will face this
at one time or another. There are some
students that give you such a hard time, you
think that they will never come around, but
one day, they all do. I think if you continue to encourage the student and engage
Lessons,
Instead of dwelling on my
weaknesses and feeling sorry for
myself, I drew inspiration from
the different people we met along
the way, peregrinos from different
countries, backgrounds, ages and
faiths, each with their own reason
for walking the Camino.
Catherine Masson, a woman
from Paris, walked with me for six
kilometers. Despite the pain in her
own feet, not once did she consider
ending her walk. She maintained
her own pace certain of her goal
and the destination.
The Valley Catholic
Gonzalez, a catechist from Holy Family Church in
Brownsville, also interprets Mass for the deaf.
them – and pray for them – they will come
around.
What have your students taught you?
The students think I know everything, but
of course, I don’t. They’ve taught me that
there is always something to learn. They
challenge me to keep learning about our
faith.
Catherine, who carried a small
backpack, said each year she packs
less and less. She started on the
Camino seven years ago in La Puy,
France, and each year she walks
for two weeks. “You learn on the
Camino how little you need,” she
said.
The Camino provided me time
to reflect about the weight I carried. A lesson learned: Pack light.
Trust that God will provide. Keep
in mind, the heavier our packs, the
more difficult the trail – both literally and metaphorically.
In Portomarin we discovered I
was not the only one who arrived
wanting to ditch a heavy backpack.
What inspired you to become a catechist?
My passion for teaching others to grow in
their faith. I’ve grown greatly in mine and
it just gives you a better connection with
God. Once you start learning about our
faith, you reach a point where you feel the
need to go out and teach others so that they
can go on, learn and do the same. It’s kind
of like a circle. It’s an amazing feeling to see
a child’s face light up because of God’s love.
What is the greatest challenge you face as
a catechist?
People struggle in their daily lives. I face
challenges that threaten to knock me down
but no matter what is happening in your
own life, you have to be a strong Christian
for these children.
Signs pointed us to transport services, and I did not waste a minute in arranging Mochilas David
service to take our backpacks at 3
Euros a pack to the next stopping
point on the route.
That night I did not know if I
would be able to walk the next day.
I did not maintain any illusions of
rescuing my pride on this journey,
but at the same time I didn’t want to
end my pilgrimage on the Camino.
I resolved to put my walk in God’s
hands and hike as much as possible
given my sprained ankle.
By the end of our pilgrimage I
managed to hike five of the six days,
86 km (53.4 miles). It was refresh-
The Valley Catholic
Longoria is a catechist from St. John the Baptist
Church in San Juan.
What have your students taught you?
They’ve taught me to be more open-minded. Young minds are open minds. Their
minds and hearts are filled with just kindness and joy and I want to be just like them
in that respect.
ing to be on the Camino and focus
on the path in front of me, leave
work, deadlines and bills behind
in Texas. The last day we walked
six hours in a constant drizzle and
light rain. We arrived ten minutes
late for the pilgrim’s Mass at St.
James Cathedral.
Someday, should God will it,
I hope to join the thousands who
have walked the entire Camino.
I return from my pilgrimage
humbled and with lessons learned.
I was reminded on the Camino
that the journey won’t always be
easy; we will face challenges along
the way, and sometimes we need
to slow our pace. Without sacrifice
the arrival may not hold as much
meaning.
The Camino enlightened me
on the need let go and not carry
so much on the journey. It also reminded me that we need to maintain balance in our lives, both spiritually and physically.
At the pilgrims’ Mass at St.
James Cathedral, the priest reminded us that the pilgrimage continues.
We each walk at a different pace
on the journey. We don’t always
walk side by side, but we are there
to offer each other help along the
way and wish each other a “Buen
Camino.”

Father Avilés to represent Oratorians worldwide

Transcription

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