November 23 - North Texas Catholic

Transcription

North Texas Catholic
Bringing the Good News to the Diocese of Fort Worth
Vol. 23 No. 18
November 23, 2007
Pope to visit New York,
Washington in April,
papal nuncio confirms
VETERANS DAY CEREMONY — Students of Our Lady of Victory School in South Fort Worth are shown intently observing
a U.S. Navy Honor Guard during the posting of the Colors for a special Veterans Day ceremony Nov. 9. The program,
sponsored by the OLV Student Council, was an opportunity for students, teachers, school administration and staff, and
invited guests to honor all U.S. veterans. A number of relatives of the students were recognized for their military service to
the country during the outdoor assembly, which included the playing of “Taps” by Brian Standridge, Nolan Catholic High
School band director. (Photo by Joan Kurkowski-Gillen)
By Carol Zimmermann
WASHINGTON (CNS) —
Pope Benedict XVI will visit
Washington and New York April
15-20.
Archbishop Pietro Sambi,
apostolic nuncio to the United
States, confirmed the dates of
the papal trip and announced the
pope’s itinerary in remarks Nov.
12 at the beginning of the annual
fall meeting of the U.S. bishops
in Baltimore.
“Peter, the rock on which
Jesus founded this church, will
be among us in the person of his
successor, Benedict the XVI,”
Archbishop Sambi told the
bishops.
The official title of the upcoming papal trip is “Apostolic Visit
to the United States of America
and to the Seat of the United
Nations.”
According to the archbishop,
the pope will arrive in Washing-
ton April 15 and will receive an
official welcome at the White
House April 16. That afternoon,
coincidentally his 81st birthday,
he will address the U.S. bishops.
The following day he will celebrate Mass at the new Washington Nationals baseball stadium
in Washington. Later that day
he will meet with directors of
Catholic universities and colleges
and diocesan educational leaders
at The Catholic University of
America in Washington and then
he is to attend an interreligious
meeting at the Pope John Paul II
Cultural Center.
On April 18, the pope will be in
New York to address the United
Nations in the morning and attend an ecumenical meeting in
the afternoon. The following day,
the third anniversary of his election as pope, he will concelebrate
SEE POPE TO VISIT…, P. 9
In a Nov. 16 press release,
Bishop Kevin Vann announced
that Ralph McCloud, director of
Community and Pastoral Services for the Diocese of Fort Worth,
has been named director of the
Catholic Campaign for Human
Development (CCHD).
CCHD is the U.S. Conference
of Catholic Bishop’s anti-poverty
and social justice program which
funds community organizing and
economic development projects
that address root causes of poverty in the United States.
(Photo by Donna Ryckaert)
Ralph McCloud will head U.S. bishops’
Catholic Campaign for Human Development Bush to nominate Glendon
McCloud
will lead and
coordinate
CCHD’s grantmaking and
the promotion
and integration of CCHD’s
domestic antiRalph McCloud
poverty work
throughout the United States.
“The appointment of Ralph
McCloud as the director of the
U.S. Conference of Catholic
Bishops’ Catholic Campaign
for Human Development is an
honor for the Diocese of Fort
Worth and recognition of his
talents and abilities,” Bishop
Vann said. Noting that McCloud
has served the Diocese of Fort
Worth for 14 years, Bishop Vann
said, “He will be an enormous
asset at the USCCB and will
ably lead efforts to address
poverty and social injustice in
our country.”
A Nolan Catholic High School
graduate, McCloud has coordiSEE RALPH MCCLOUD…, P. 6
as ambassador to Vatican
President George W. Bush will
nominate Mary Ann Glendon, a
U.S. law professor and president
of the Pontifical Academy of
Social Sciences, as the new U.S.
ambassador to the Vatican.
The White House made the
announcement late Nov. 5. The
nomination is official when Bush
sends it to the Senate Foreign
Relations Committee, which will
hold a hearing before sending the
nomination to the full Senate for
confirmation. As of Nov. 7, no
hearing had been scheduled.
Glendon, a Catholic, said in a
Nov. 6 statement that she hoped
that her “background in international legal studies, together
with my familiarity with Catholic
social thought, will aid me in
continuing the fruitful dialogue
that presently exists between the
United States and the Holy See”
SEE GLENDON’S…, P. 21
Chicago Cardinal Francis George elected
president of U.S. bishops’ conference
BALTIMORE (CNS) — Cardinal Francis E. George, who has
been the archbishop of Chicago
for the past decade, was elected
president of the U.S. Conference
of Catholic Bishops Nov. 13.
He is the first cardinal to be
elected president of the conference since 1971 when Philadelphia Cardinal John J. Krol held
the position.
Cardinal George, USCCB
vice president for the past three
years, received 188 votes, or 85
percent of the votes, on the first
ballot during the second day of
the bishops’ fall general meeting
in Baltimore.
A Chicago native, 70-year-old
Cardinal George assumes the role
of president a year after the bishops voted to sharply reduce the
number of USCCB committees
and downsize the national staff
by eliminating about 70 jobs.
Before the bishops’ elections,
opposition to the cardinal’s being
a presidential candidate came
from the Voice of the Faithful, a
group pushing for change in the
church, and Survivors Network
of those Abused by Priests,
known as SNAP. They cited his
failure to immediately remove a
Chicago priest from his parish in
2005 despite abuse allegations.
Voice of the Faithful organized
a letter campaign against him and
some SNAP representatives demonstrated outside the hotel where
the bishops were meeting.
The cardinal has publicly
apologized several times for
how he dealt with the case of
SEE CARDINAL GEORGE…, P. 14
NEW USCCB PRESIDENT — Chicago Cardinal Francis E. George of Chicago
accepts applause from Bishop William S. Skylstad of Spokane, Washington, and
other bishops after being elected president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic
Bishops Nov. 13 in Baltimore. (CNS photo/Nancy Wiechec)
Page 2
NORTH TEXAS CATHOLIC, November 23, 2007
Diocesan
Bishop Vann asks us a pointed question, ‘After all,
in the bigger picture of life, why are we here?’
Dear Friends in the
Diocese of Fort Worth,
W
hen
T
he months of Octo-
I was
ber and November ...,
stud-
give us many opportu-
ying canon law
nities to reflect on the
at the Angelicum in Rome,
Bishop Kevin W. Vann
salvation of souls.
to the last canon in the Code
A
for the Latin Church (No.
bigger picture of life,
1752) which ends with the
why are we here?
frequent reference was made
fter all, in the
words, “and the salvation
of souls, which must always
be the supreme law in the
Church, is to be kept before
one’s eyes.”
This canon contains a reference
from sacred Scripture. I invite you to
reflect on 1 Peter 1:6-9:
“In this you rejoice, although
now for a little while you may
have to suffer through various
trials, so that the genuineness
of your faith, more precious
than gold that is perishable even
though tested by fire, may prove
to be for praise, glory, and honor
at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”
“Although you have not seen him
you love him; even though you do
not see him now yet believe in him,
you rejoice with an indescribable
and glorious joy, as you attain the
goal of [your]) faith, the salvation
of your souls.” (NAB)
The whole concept and truth of the
salvation of souls is something that
seems to have been lost sight of in our
contemporary society. In recent years,
it sometimes seems, even within the
Church, as we are occupied daily with
important concerns about ministry and
the life of the Church, and the community where God’s providence has
placed us, that we have lost sight of
this important truth.
The months of October and November, and the last Sundays of Ordinary Time, Christ the King, and the
first days of Advent in the Church’s
liturgical calendar, give us many
opportunities to reflect on the salvation of souls. After all, in the bigger
picture of life, why are we here?
November opens with All Saints
Day and All Souls Day. These two
days, and the entire month of November, are dedicated to the “last
things” and praying for the faithful departed. This leads us, then, to
the teaching of the Communion of
Saints, and the importance of our
belief in purgatory, for example.
However, the Church’s liturgical
calendars, and some of the saints’
feast days in the month, also remind
us that the living of our Faith, and
the belief in the salvation of souls,
must also find itself in showing the
love of Christ to others. This is not
just a good idea, but an obligation.
The lives of St. Margaret of Scotland
(Nov. 16), and St. Elizabeth of Hungary (Nov. 17) teach us that clearly.
The month ends with the solemnity of Christ the King (which this
year is Nov. 25), powerfully teaching
us that in the end we will be called to
give an account of our lives to Christ
as to how we responded to the “least
of his brethren.” This solemnity of
Christ the King is also a powerful
reminder of the power of God in human history.
Finally, in this country, the month
New stem-cell studies offer ethical breakthrough
Scientists and ethicists alike hailed
as a breakthrough two studies
showing that human skin cells
can be reprogrammed to work as
effectively as embryonic stem cells,
thus negating the need to destroy
embryos in the name of science.
Separate studies from teams
led by Shinya Yamanaka of Kyoto
University in Japan and Junying
Yu and James Thomson of the
University of Wisconsin-Madison
were published online Nov. 20
by the journals Cell and Science,
respectively.
“The methods outlined in these
papers fully conform to what we
have hoped to see for some time,”
said a statement from the National
Catholic Bioethics Center in
Philadelphia.
“Such strategies should
continue to be pursued and
strongly promoted, as they should
help to steer the entire field of stemcell research in a more explicitly
ethical direction by circumventing
the moral quagmire associated
with destroying human embryos,”
it added.
By adding four genes to the
skin cells, the scientists were able
to create stem cells that genetically
match the donor and have the
ability to become any of the 220
types of cells in the human body.
“The induced cells do all the
things embryonic stem cells do,”
Thomson, who isolated the first
embryonic stem cells in 1998,
said in a university news release.
“It’s going to completely change
the field.”
The White House also praised
the breakthrough Nov. 20,
saying that President George W.
Bush’s June 2007 executive order
expanding stem-cell research
using “ethically responsible
techniques” was “intended to
accelerate precisely the kind of
research being reported today.”
“We will continue to encourage
scientists to expand the frontiers
of stem-cell research and continue
to advance the understanding of
human biology in an ethically
responsible way,” said press
secretary Dana Perino.
Ian Wilmut, the Scottish scientist
who created Dolly the cloned sheep
in 1996, told the London Telegraph
that he had decided in light of
the new findings to abandon his
efforts to clone human embryos
and would instead concentrate
on research involving the new
reprogramming techniques.
The National Catholic Bioethics
Center said Wilmut’s change of
heart“flowedlargelyfrompractical
considerations” but that the
scientist also had acknowledged
that the new approach was “easier
to accept socially.”
“Persistence in seeking creative
scientificbreakthroughsandactively
pursuing alternative approaches
can help resolve serious ethical
problems and allow us to maintain
the ethical integrity of science while
achieving important scientific and
medical ends,” the statement said.
of November ends with the celebration of Thanksgiving. Although this
day certainly has a national character
and origin, its roots are very much
also founded in our sacred Scriptures,
and thus is a day of faith, where
we give thanks to God for all of the
blessings of the year. It is important
to give thanks each and every day,
but especially this day — to thank
the Lord for each and every moment
of life. As the Catechism of the Catholic
Church tells us,
“Thanksgiving characterizes
the prayer of the Church which,
in celebrating the Eucharist,
reveals and becomes more fully
what she is. Indeed, in the work of
salvation, Christ sets creation free
from sin and death to consecrate
it anew and make it return to the
Father, for his glory. The thanksgiving of the members of the
Body participates in that of their
Head.” (2637)
As we celebrate this day, please
know of my personal and heartfelt
thanks for your witness of Faith, and
for all that you do for so many in our
Diocese, in our parishes and institutions, and beyond, in the name of
Christ. May the Lord bless you and
your loved ones with safe travels and
time with your family and friends.
“Give thanks to the LORD, who
is good, whose love endures forever.”
(Psalm 118:1, NAB)
God bless you always.
North
Texas
Catholic
Publisher:
Bishop Kevin W. Vann
Editor: Jeff Hensley
Associate Editor: Mary Martin
Secretary: Judy Russeau
Editorial Office: 800 West Loop 820 South, Fort Worth, Texas 76108, (817)
560-3300; FAX (817) 244-8839.
Circulation Office: Rita Garber, 800 West Loop 820 South, Fort Worth, Texas
76108, (817) 560-3300.
NORTH TEXAS CATHOLIC (USPS 751-370) (ISSN 0899-7020) is published
semi-monthly, except for the months of June, July, and August when it is published monthly, by the Most Rev. Kevin W. Vann, Bishop of the Diocese of Fort
Worth, 800 West Loop 820 South. Subscription rates are $24 for one year, $46
for two years, $68 for three years. Periodical postage paid at Fort Worth, Texas.
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to North Texas Catholic, 800 West Loop
820 South, Fort Worth, Texas 76108.
Deadline for information for the North Texas Catholic is noon of Wednesday of
the week before the paper is published. The NTC is published two times a month
on Friday, except for the months of June, July, and August when it is published
one time each month.
The appearance of advertising in these pages does not imply endorsement of
businesses, services, or products. Readers must exercise prudence in responding to advertising in all media.
Page 3
Diocesan / State
Responding
to God’s Call
Father Kyle Walterscheid, director
of the Office of Vocations, is
shown walking out of Sacred
Heart Parish in Muenster
following his ordination to the
priesthood in May 2002.
Even then, he appeared
to be inviting people
to ask if they were
being called to a
vocation.
Vocation awareness —
Texas Catholic roots: the biggest
Thanksgiving of all
By Father Kyle Walterscheid
SSND GENERAL COUNCIL — At the 22nd School Sisters of Notre Dame General
Chapter, held in São Leopoldo, Brazil, Sept. 23 to Oct. 24, a new leadership team
was elected to guide the international congregation into the future. The newly
elected members are (l. to r.) Sister Katherine DuVal; Sister M. Dominca Michalke;
Sister Mary Maher, general superior; Sister Carol Jean Dust; Sister Marcela
Rockenbach; Sister Maureen McGoey; and Sister M. Irenea Ksiazak.
At general chapter, SSNDs
elect international leadership
team, set future direction
The congregation of the School
Sisters of Notre Dame recently
announced that Sister Mary
Maher, provincial of the Atlantic-Midwest Province, has been
elected as general superior of
the international congregation.
The announcement follows the
22nd SSND General Chapter, at
which delegates from throughout
the world gathered in São Leopoldo, Brazil, from Sept. 23 to Oct.
24 to participate in leadership
elections and to determine the
congregational direction of the
religious order.
Sr. Mary Maher will guide the
congregation with the assistance
of six newly elected general councilors: Sister M. Irenea Ksiazak,
Poland; Sister Carol Jean Dust, St.
Louis, Missouri; Sister Katherine
DuVal, Mankato, Minnesota;
Sister Maureen McGoey, Canada;
Sister M. Dominca Michalke,
Germany; and Sister Marcela
Rockenbach, Brazil. The newlyelected members of the SSND
General Council will begin their
five-year terms at a Jan. 20 installation ceremony in Rome.
Another outcome of the chapter is the congregation’s newly
developed directional statement,
“Call to Solidarity.” The statement focuses on three elements
essential to the life and mission
of the School Sisters of Notre
Dame: a deeper living of their
internationality for the sake of the
mission, a recommitment to their
call to education that transforms,
and a readiness to celebrate and
live Eucharist as the center of their
lives. Sr. Mary and the general
councilors will assist the 3,700
SSND members worldwide in
bringing to life this new “Call to
Solidarity.”
“The unifying mission of the
School Sisters of Notre Dame and
our ministry of transformative
education place us at the heart of
the world’s longing to live as one
interconnected community,” Sr.
Mary said. “We look forward to
collaborating with all peoples who
share this vision for the future.”
Dallas Province Sisters Addie
Lorraine Walker, provincial leader, Dallas; Dolorette Farias of Van
Horn, Texas; and Barbara Kraus
of New Iberia, Louisiana, were
among the 82 SSND delegates
attending the general chapter.
The School Sisters of Notre
Dame are marking the beginning
of the 175th year of the founding
of their congregation, which will
culminate in celebrations planned
around the anniversary date of
Oct. 24, 2008.
TRIDENTINE MASS
A
s we share
the joys of
our own
rich Thanksgiving
traditions, we might
want to open up our
Texas history books,
looking particularly
at pages on religious
roots and influences.
I did, and what a
number of great and
wonderful surprises I
found.
Before we begin the long
holiday season, I suggest that
we take a long bow and thank
our Lord for the many religious
men and women who valiantly
came to the western frontier
of Texas to bring Christ to a
spiritually hungry people, our
forefathers.
Many of the rough and tough
stories you hear about the wild
West appear to be true, according to two history books on Texas Catholic roots: The Calvary of
Christ on the Rio Grande, written
by Father Bernard Doyon, OMI,
and Through Fire and Flood
— The Catholic Church in Frontier
Texas, 1836-1900, written by
James Talmadge Moore. What
I found in reading these books is
simply amazing and humbling
at the same time.
After Texans fought and
won their independence from
Mexico in 1836 to become the
Republic of Texas, Europeans,
as well as people from the United
States, came to Texas by the tens
of thousands. Most immigrants
flowed in from the Houston and
Galveston ports. Among them
were Europeans from Germany,
Poland, France, Czechoslovakia,
and Ireland.
Hardships and language barriers forced most immigrants to
quickly bond together with others of their own ethnicity for support. But how were their children
going to receive an education;
where were the hospitals to help
the sick; and who was going to
insure the preservation of their
faith? Where were the brothers,
sisters, and priests?
In South Texas, where Hispanic Catholics had been settled
for more than 200 years, they at
least had the sporadic presence of
Spanish priests from Mexico. But
I was taught that the immigrant
Catholics brought their own
priests with them. Am I wrong?
The facts tell another story.
In 1837 Sam Houston, as
Texas’ second president, worked
quickly to have the Republic
of Texas legitimized by official
diplomatic recognition from the
United States and Europe. He
sought this recognition in order
to convince Mexico that Texas
was determined to remain independent.
At the time, Houston became
very open to Catholic politicians
who indicated that the Catholic
Church could help his cause if he
were to ask the Vatican to give
Texas its own diocese, separate
from Mexico.
Taking notice of the petitions
for a new diocese and recognizing the large influx of European
Catholics into the area, Rome
requested that the bishop of New
Orleans, Bishop Antoine Blanc,
investigate fully the Catholic
situation in Texas. Bishop Blanc
sent to Texas the best priest he
knew, one known for his desire
for the frontier, his outstanding
ability in public speaking, and
a person who had caused many
lapsed Catholics to return to
their faith. Father John Timon,
an American-born French Vincentian priest from the Diocese
of St. Louis, was chosen.
In January 1839, Fr. Timon
met with Sam Houston and
also won the respect of many
politicians in the Texas capital
with his great abilities as an
orator. His presence gave much
strength to the Catholics he met
in Texas as he learned of their
spiritual needs.
Upon his return to New
Orleans and the submission of
his report, the Vatican quickly
began the steps to make Texas
its own diocese. In 1840, another
great French Vincentian priest,
Father Jean Marie Odin, whom
Fr. Timon had recommended,
was given the task of establishing Texas as a new diocese.
It was the tireless spirit of
Fr. Odin (later made bishop
over Texas) and others like him
whose lives were consumed by
their passion for Texas souls,
who helped build Texas’ Catholic foundation. Fr. Odin visited
all the Catholics he could by
horseback through sleet and
snow, mud and rain, disease
and death, bandits and Indian
raids, to bring Texans the Word
of God.
In my next column, I will
provide more insight as to how
more religious arrived in Texas.
As we give God thanks for our
Catholic roots, let us pray for
more vocations like those of
Bishop Odin and Fr. Timon.
Father Kyle Walterscheid is the
director of Vocations for the
Diocese of Fort Worth. He can be
reached by e-mail to kwalterscheid
@fwdioc.org.
Latin Indult Mass
: p.m. Sundays
St. Mary of the Assumption Church
 W. Magnolia, Fort Worth
High Mass Second and Fourth sundays
Low Mass First and Third Sundays
Have you visited the Diocese of
Fort Worth Web site? Learn about
exciting opportunities and events,
and search for Mass times, daily
readings, event photos, and more!
www.fwdioc.org
Page 4
White Mass
announced for
health care
professionals
The Medical Association of Catholic Students from the University of
North Texas Health Science Center
will host the third annual White Mass
Nov. 28. The White Mass, traditionally held for all physicians, nurses,
health care workers, and pastoral
care ministers and students, will be
celebrated at 7 p.m. at St. George
Church, 3508 Maurice Avenue in
Northeast Fort Worth.
“Traditionally, health care workers wore white attire. In the church,
white symbolizes hope and comfort
to the ill and hospitalized,” note
event organizers. Participants in
the liturgy are invited to wear their
white coats.
For more information, call Ewa
Oberdorfer at (817) 946-3092.
‘Las Posadas’ to
be offered at St.
Vincent’s Dec. 7
The Advent ritual known as “Las
Posadas” will be held at St. Vincent
de Paul Church, 5819 W. Pleasant
Ridge Road, Arlington, Dec. 7 beginning at 7 p.m. The story of Mary and
Joseph’s search for lodging in Bethlehem is traditionally re-enacted for
nine consecutive nights in the festive
ritual of “las posadas.” “Posadas”
means “inn” or “lodging” in the
Spanish language.
St. Ignatius Loyola originally suggested the concept of a Christmas
novena, or special prayers to be said
on nine consecutive days. In 1580,
St. John of the Cross made a religious
pageant out the proceedings, and
the concept was later introduced to
the Indians in Mexico by Spanish
missionaries.
All are invited to participate in
St. Vincent’s celebration, which will
begin in the sanctuary and will conclude in the Johnson Activity Center.
According to event organizers, the
end of the procession “will signal
the beginning of the fiesta where
we will once again come together to
celebrate, with great anticipation, the
birth of our Lord Jesus the Christ.”
Tickets for the tamale dinner to be
held following the procession may
be purchased after each Mass Nov.
24 and 25 or in the parish office
through Dec. 5. Tickets may also be
purchased at the door at a cost of $5
for adults and $3 for children; ages
six and under are admitted free of
charge. For more information, call
(817) 478-4206.
Calix support
group meets
monthly at
Holy Family
Calix, a monthly support meeting for Catholics who are alcoholic
and others who are struggling with
addiction and seeking recovery, is
offered the first Saturday of each
month at Holy Family Church,
6150 Pershing Avenue in West Fort
Worth. The next meeting will be
held Dec. 1, beginning at 10 a.m.
in the chapel.
Calix meetings focus on enhancing spiritual growth through
sharing Eucharist, discussion, and
fellowship.
For more information,
call Deacon Joe Milligan at (817)
737-6768 ext. 105.
Rosary novena,
Mass to be offered in honor
of Our Lady of
Guadalupe
A rosary novena will be prayed to
Our Lady of Guadalupe, patroness of
the Americas, Dec. 3 through Dec.
11 at St. Catherine of Siena Church,
1705 E. Peters Colony Road in Carrollton. The rosary will begin at 7
p.m. each evening.
A bilingual Mass will be celebrated
in honor of the feast of Our Lady
of Guadalupe at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 12, in the church. The
parish Knights of Columbus and
matachines will participate in the
celebration, commemorating Our
Lady of Guadalupe’s apparitions to
St. Juan Diego in Mexico in the year
1531. A reception with tamales, hot
chocolate, and pan dulce will follow
the Mass in Assisi Hall.
All are invited to participate in the
novena and in the Dec. 12 liturgy.
For more information, call the parish
office at (972) 492-3237.
New meeting
site is
announced
for Centering
Prayer group at
St. John’s
The St. John Centering Prayer
group has recently announced that
it will now meet in the Formation
Center, located at 4101 Frawley Drive
in North Richland Hills, on the far
east side of St. John the Apostle
Church’s property. The hall is also
located to the east of St. John the
Apostle School.
Centering Prayer group meetings
are held at 9 a.m. on the second and
fourth Saturday of each month. The
group meets in the first room on the
left after entering the hall.
For more information, contact
Tom Uhler at (817) 874-2894 or by
e-mail to [email protected];
or Kathleen Kelley at (817) 2816218 or by e-mail to kkelley_2@
charter. net.
Sr. Carolyn
Osiek to lead
Scripture study
Sister Carolyn Osiek, RSCJ, a
professor of New Testament at Brite
Divinity School at Texas Christian
University in Fort Worth, will lead
four sessions on the Scriptures
known as the “Infancy Narratives”
at St. Andrew Church, located at 3717
Stadium Drive in Fort Worth. The
sessions, part of an ongoing series
of New Testament studies held on
Monday evenings at St. Andrew’s,
will be held Nov. 26 and Dec. 3, 10,
and 17 from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in
the parish hall.
According to promotional materials, participants in the sessions will
have the opportunity to “take a fresh
look at these familiar narratives
and situate them in their original
contexts in order to have a new appreciation of what the Gospel writers
really wanted to tell us.”
Childcare is available by reservation 48 hours in advance by
calling (817) 924-6581. For more
information or to register for the
Monday evening sessions, call (817)
927-5383.
People
Events
&
of Importance for the
Church of Fort Worth
Faith and Fiction group to discuss film ‘Joyeux Noel’ Dec. 13
“Faith and Fiction: Conversations
on Spirituality and Imagination,” a
venue for discussing novels and films
with themes that shed light on the
journey of faith, will meet Thursday,
Dec. 13, at the Catholic Renewal
Center, 4503 Bridge Street in Fort
Worth. The topic of discussion will
be the film “Joyeux Noel,” directed
by Christian Carion.
The film is to be shown at 5 p.m.
with a potluck supper to be served
during the movie. The discussion
session will begin at 7 p.m. and
conclude at 8:30 p.m.
Future dates and topics include the
following: Jan. 17, The Book Thief, by
Markus Zusak; Feb. 21, 84 Charing
Cross Road, by Helene Hanff; and
March 27, Wuthering Heights, by
Emily Bronte.
To ensure good conversation,
space will be limited. For more information, call the Catholic Renewal
Center at (817) 429-2920 or e-mail
to [email protected].
Carmelite
Auxiliary to
hold Advent
Quiet Day of Reflection Dec. 4
ALL SAINTS DAY MASS — Bishop Kevin Vann addresses the students at Our Lady of Victory School in South Fort
Worth during the All Saints Day Mass, Nov. 1. (Photo by Joan Kurkowski-Gillen)
FOCUS to hold
2008 student
leadership
conference in
Grapevine
The Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS) will hold the
2008 National Student Conference
Jan. 2-6 at the Gaylord Texan Resort
and Convention Center, located at
1501 Gaylord Trail in Grapevine.
Convention speakers include
Father Benedict Groeschel, CFR;
sports star Mike Sweeney; author
Jeff Cavins; and Eduardo Verastigui, star of the film “Bella.” The
Christian rock group Third Day will
also perform.
Founded in 1998, FOCUS is a national student outreach organization
serving both secular and Catholic
college campuses. According to
the organization’s leaders, FOCUS
“brings the teachings of Christ and
the faith and moral traditions of the
Catholic Church to college students
and gives them the tools to help share
those teachings with their friends
and family.”
The FOCUS conference is open
to all young adults, campus ministers, priests, and members of
religious orders. For a complete
list of speakers and registration
information, visit online at www.
focusconference.org.
Advanced Centering Prayer
Retreat to be
held Dec. 6-9
The annual Advanced Centering
Prayer Retreat, sponsored by Contemplative Outreach of Fort Worth,
will be held at Camp Copass, located
at 8200 E. McKinney Street in Denton.
The retreat will begin with registration at 4 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 6, and
will conclude Sunday, Dec. 9.
Silence is required at the retreat
beginning Thursday evening. The
schedule will include extended
Centering Prayer sessions, and
film, audio, and brief presentations
designed to deepen the contemplative experience.
The cost for the retreat, which
includes meals, is $160 for a semiprivate room or $250 for a private
room. The limit is 25 participants.
For more information about the
retreat or to register, visit online
at www.cpfortworth.org or contact
Kathleen Kelley at kkelley_2@
charter.net or at (817) 281-6218.
Tom Uhler may also be contacted
for more information at tomuhler@
yahoo.com or at (817) 874-2894.
To learn more about Contemplative Outreach, visit online at www.
centeringprayer.com. To learn
more about Camp Copass and for
directions to the camp, visit www.
campcopass.com.
North Texas Catholic
deadlines for submission
The North Texas Catholic is published twice monthly, except during
the months of June, July, and August when it is published monthly.
The deadline to submit information is noon on the Wednesday of
the week before the paper is published.
Items for the Dec. 7 issue must be received by noon on Wednesday,
Nov. 28. Items for the Dec. 21 issue must be received by noon on
Wednesday, Dec. 12.
Rachel’s Vineyard retreat,
Dec. 7-9, to
offer post-abortion healing
A Rachel’s Vineyard retreat, designed to offer healing for women
and men struggling with the psychological and spiritual pain of
abortion, will be held Dec. 7-9 in
Fort Worth.
Rachel’s Vineyard retreats offer a
safe, non-judgmental, and supportive
environment to those struggling with
abortion’s aftermath. The retreat
team, which includes a priest and
a licensed counselor, provides the
confidential support needed to help
participants work through feelings of
anger, shame, guilt, and grief, so that
they may be open to experiencing the
healing love and mercy of God.
Mothers, fathers, grandparents,
and former participants in the
abortion industry — anyone who
has been hurt by abortion — are
welcome to attend.
For more information or to register for a retreat, call the confidential
help line at (817) 923-4757 or e-mail
Courage group
meets twice
monthly
Courage D/FW, a spiritual support
group for Catholics striving to live
chaste lives according to Catholic
Church’s teachings on homosexuality, meets the second and fourth
Friday evenings of each month.
For more information, e-mail to
[email protected] or call
(972) 938-5433.
The Carmelite Auxiliary will hold
its annual Advent Quiet Day of
Reflection Tuesday, Dec. 4, at the
Carmelite Monastery, 5801 Carmel
Drive in Arlington, from 10 a.m. to
2 p.m. Father John Hennessy, pastor
of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish
in Keller, will lead the day, which
will include time for quiet prayer,
meditation, and the sacrament of
reconciliation.
A pantry shower for the benefit
of the Carmelite nuns will also be
included in the day’s activities.
Participants are asked to bring a
sack lunch and items for the nuns’
pantry; paper goods are greatly
needed, according to information
from the auxiliary.
Cathy Lancaster at (817) 7148231.
Cardinal Newman Institute
to offer course
on Catechism
of the Catholic
Church
“A Walk Through the Catechism
of the Catholic Church,” a 10-week
course offered by the Cardinal Newman Institute, will begin Saturday,
Jan. 5, and will be held in the Holy
Family Life Center at St. Maria
Goretti Church, 1200 S. Davis Drive
in Arlington. Sessions will be held
from 9 a.m. to noon.
According to course organizers,
the sessions will provide participants
with the opportunity to “re-visit or
become acquainted with this great
gift the church gave us some 13
years ago. Its appeal is not only to
the mind, but also the heart, as one
discovers the beauty and reasonableness of our faith that is so richly
presented.”
Sessions may be audited or may
also be taken for credit toward
certification in the institute’s theological studies program. College
credit is also available through
the College of St. Thomas More
in Fort Worth. Catholic school
teachers and religious education
directors/coordinators are offered
half-tuition scholarships to defray
course tuition of $200.
Participants may register at the
Jan. 5 class. For more information
about required materials or to
pre-register, call (817) 277-4859
or e-mail to [email protected].
Page 5
People and Events
Singles Council
scheduled to
attend ‘Bethlehem Revisited’
KNIGHTS SOCCER CHALLENGE — Several youth turned out Oct. 13 for the
Knights of Columbus Youth Soccer Challenge at the Chinn Chapel soccer fields
in Flower Mound. The event was co-sponsored by Lewisville Knights of Columbus Council 9884 and Greater Lewisville Area Soccer Association. Youngsters
are shown demonstrating their skill with the penalty kick. The winners at the
local challenge also took home district honors. Girls advancing to regional
competition included Victoria Ambriz, 10; Allie Yerkes, 11; Hannah Holloran,
12; Celeste Camacho, 13; and the boys division winners included Noah Brown,
11; Brandon Austin, 12; Alex Hollingshad, 13; and José Jimenez, 14.
Ministry with
gay, lesbian
Catholics to
meet Jan. 24
Our Lady of
Grace High
School to host
banquet
The next monthly meeting of
the Fort Worth Diocesan Ministry
with Lesbian and Gay Catholics,
Other Sexual Minorities, and Their
Families will be held Thursday, Jan.
24, at 7 p.m. at the Catholic Renewal
Center, 4503 Bridge Street in East
Fort Worth.
Father Warren Murphy, TOR,
coordinator of the ministry, encourages those interested to “come join
us for prayer and sharing.”
Fr. Murphy at (817) 927-5383 or
Deacon Richard Griego at (817)
421-1387.
All are invited to attend a recognition banquet celebrating the
new campus location of Our Lady
of Grace High School, a college
preparatory school now in its sixth
year of operation. Supporters of the
school, which is located at 13517
Alta Vista Road in Roanoke, will host
the banquet Dec. 1 at 6 p.m. at the
Marriott Solana Hotel, located at 5
Village Circle in Westlake. Bishop
Kevin Vann will be in attendance.
Tickets are $65 per person. Table
sponsorships are available. For
reservations or more information,
call (817) 933-6516 or visit online
at www.olghs.org.
CORRECTION
In the Oct. 26 issue of the
North Texas Catholic, a story
about Fulbright Scholar Tommy
Heyne incorrectly identified
the university at which he had
received his undergraduate de-
gree. Heyne is a graduate of the
University of Dallas in Irving.
The NTC staff regrets this error.
For more information about the
University of Dallas, visit online
at www.udallas.edu.
FLAG FOOTBALL FOR CHARITY — Young adults from throughout the
Diocese of Fort Worth gathered Nov. 2 at St. Michael Parish in Bedford for the
second annual Flag Football for Charity. In addition to the chance for fellowship and friendly competition, the co-ed event also provided an opportunity to
raise $1,600 for diocesan Mission Outreach. The winning parish team hailed
from the parishes of Immaculate Conception and St. Mark in Denton. For more
information on young adult events in the diocese, visit the diocesan Web site
at www.fwdioc.org and click on Faith Formation, then Young Adult Ministry.
(Photo by Ana Vidal)
All single adult Catholics of
the diocese and their friends are
invited to join members of the
Diocesan Singles Council in attending
“Bethlehem Revisited,” a holiday
event in nearby Waxahachie, on
Saturday, Dec. 1. The group will
gather at St. Vincent de Paul Church,
5819 W. Pleasant Ridge Road in
Arlington, at 4:45 p.m. and will
leave for the trip to Waxahachie by
5:15 p.m. The group will return at
approximately 9 p.m.
“Bethlehem Revisited” is an
opportunity to visit a re-created
“Bethlehem,” depicting the city at
the time of Jesus’ birth. “Walking,
as did Mary and Joseph, amidst the
bustle and looking for a room, you
meet shopkeepers, craftsmen, food
vendors, and clergy along with
the sheep, camels, and donkeys,”
notes promotional materials about
the event.
More information about the event,
including directions, photographs,
and hours of operation may be found
by accessing the Web site at www.
waxahachiechamber.com, then
clicking the link for “Bethlehem
Revisited.”
For more information or to coordinate travel plans with the Singles
Council group, call Elizabeth at
(817) 294-5989.
Adoption orientation to be
offered Dec. 12
in Dallas
The Maternity and Adoption Services of Catholic Charities of Dallas
is seeking Christian families to adopt
children, ages newborn through 18.
These children are currently in the
custody of the Department of Family
and Protective Services. To learn
more about this opportunity, an
informational session will be offered
Wednesday, Dec. 12, at 7 p.m. in the
first floor conference room at the
Catholic Charities offices, located
at 3725 Blackburn in Dallas.
For more information, call Linda
Christianson at (214) 526-2772
ext. 112.
St. Augustine
Men’s Purity
Group meets
weekly
The St. Augustine Men’s Purity
Group, a support group for men
who struggle with sources of sexual
impurity such as those found on
the Internet, meets regularly at St.
Elizabeth Ann Seton School, 2016
Willis Lane in Keller, in Room 213,
and at the Padre Pio House, 1301
Paxton in Arlington. Those men
interested in attending one of the
upcoming sessions are asked to
consult the group’s Web site, www.
sampg.com, for specific meeting
dates and times.
For more information, e-mail to
Mark at seasmenspurity@yahoo.
com or call the St. Elizabeth Ann
Seton Parish office at (817) 4313857.
HONORING VETERANS — The youth of St. Paul Parish in River Oaks hosted the parish’s annual Veterans Dinner Nov.
7, in anticipation of the observance of Veterans Day, Nov. 11. In a tradition that started three years ago, the young people
prepare the meal and decorate, then welcome the veterans and their spouses as they arrive and serve them dinner. During
conversations that follow, the young people and veterans learn from one another as they share their personal stories.
“It’s been beautiful seeing relationships grow in our church community,” writes parish staff member Jane Sandoval.
Subiaco Academy to hold Discovery Sunday
Dec. 9
St. Andrew
Parish to host
Christmas
Bazaar Dec. 2
St. Maria Goretti Parish to
host New Year’s
Eve party
Subiaco Academy, a Catholic college preparatory boarding and day
school for young men in grades 8-12,
will host an Open House Discovery
Sunday for parents and prospective
students, Dec. 9 between 8 a.m.
and 4 p.m.
Those visiting will have the opportunity to meet members of the
administration and faculty, and
take a guided tour of the campus.
Interested students may also take the
preliminary placement exam.
Established in 1887 by the
Benedictine priests and brothers of
Subiaco Abbey, the academy, located
in Northwest Arkansas near Fort
Smith, offers a challenging program
in academics, the arts, athletics, and
various activities. The academy was
recently opened to 8th grade students
and will admit a limited number for
the 2008-2009 school year.
Anyone interested in learning
more about Subiaco Academy is
invited to participate in the Open
House Discovery Sunday activities
at no cost. For additional information, contact the Subiaco Admission
Office at (800) 364-7824, or e-mail
St. Andrew Parish, 3717 Stadium
Drive in Fort Worth, will host its
annual Christmas Bazaar Sunday,
Dec. 2, after all the morning Masses.
In conjunction with the bazaar,
the Knights of Columbus will serve
breakfast, and a visit from Santa is
expected.
Crafts, decorative accessories,
gifts, Christmas items, and many
other items will be available for
purchase. All are encouraged to attend and do some early Christmas
shopping.
For more information, call Dawn
Hall at the parish office at (817)
927-5383.
St. Maria Goretti Parish, 1200 S.
Davis Drive in Arlington, will host
its annual New Year’s Eve party
Monday, Dec. 31, in the parish’s
Family Life Center. The doors will
open at 6:45 pm., and a buffet dinner
will be served at 7:30 p.m.
Among the evening’s activities will
be dancing, drawings by a caricature
artist, door prizes, and a midnight
toast. Beverages will be provided;
attendees are also welcome to bring
their own.
The cost is $20 per adult (no
children, please). Reserved tables are
available. Tickets will be available
until Dec. 22; no tickets will be sold
at the door.
For more information or to purchase tickets, call Michelle at (817)
795-3459 or e-mail to smg.parties@
sbcglobal.net. To order by mail, send
check to: M. Licater, 1861 Brown
Blvd., Ste. 740, Arlington 76006.
Catholic
Divorce Ministry to sponsor
New Year’s Eve
Dance
The Catholic Divorce Ministry,
formerly known as the North
American Conference of Separated
and Divorced Catholics, will be sponsoring a New Year’s Eve Dance, to be
held Monday, Dec. 31, at St. Joseph
Church, 1927 S.W. Green Oaks Blvd.
in Arlington. The dance will take
place from 8:30 p.m. to 1 a.m.
DJ music will be provided by
Charlie V. Productions.
A donation of $15 per person is
requested. For more information,
call Greg Mills at (817) 456-6750 or
Vince Chairez at (817) 896-5726.
St. Rita’s to
host ‘Christmas
by Candlelight’
program Dec. 5
In an effort to remind people
what Christmas is truly about, St.
Rita Parish will host “Christmas by
Candlelight,” an evening of fellowship, music, readings, stories, and
prayer. The doors to the St. Rita
Parish Center, 5550 East Lancaster
in Fort Worth, will open at 6:30 p.m.
to allow time for visiting and the
viewing of table decorations. The
program will be held from 7:30 p.m.
to 8:30 p.m.
Guests will have the opportunity
to sample desserts, coffee, and tea
presented in a beautiful Christmas
atmosphere, according to organizers. Participants are welcome to
participate in a sing-a-long, and
there will be a special appearance
by Bishop Kevin Vann.
Donations will be accepted and
will benefit St. Rita’s Outreach
Ministry and St. Vincent de Paul
Society in memory of parishioner
John Holler. For more information
or to make a reservation, contact Lisa
Millis at (817) 563-6719 or by e-mail
Lay Carmelites
invite others
to join twice
monthly
gatherings
“Would you like to deepen your
relationship with Jesus and Mary?”
ask the Third Order of the Blessed
Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel (Lay
Carmelites). The Lay Carmelites
invite those in search of this deeper
relationship to join them on the
second and fourth Sundays of the
month for a time of prayer and
fellowship.
Those interested are asked to
gather at 1:45 p.m. in the rectory
chapel of St. Mary of the Assumption
Church, 509 W. Magnolia Avenue
in Fort Worth. Formation will take
place from 2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
in the school building. For more
information, call Phyllis Poth at
(817) 457-1746.
Page 6
Diocesan
Ministry Formation Day to be
held Jan. 5 in Fort Worth
Katie Meili, a junior at Nolan
Catholic High School in
Fort Worth, is shown above
competing in a TAPPS state
swimming competition. At
left, Meili, who was recently
named to the Scholastic All
America Team for swimming,
displays her numerous
swimming medals.
Nolan Catholic junior named
to All-American swim team
Colleyville resident Katie
Meili, a junior at Nolan Catholic
High School in Fort Worth, was
recently named by USA Swimming Inc. to the 2006-2007 Men’s
and Women’s Scholastic All
America Team. Meili, who swims
for the North Texas Nadadores
(NTN), was among a handful of
swimmers selected locally.
To be eligible for this honor,
swimmers must have competed
at a national or semi-national
event and maintained a 3.5 GPA.
Meili competed at Summer Sectionals and qualified this year for
Junior Nationals, and she carried
a 3.85 academic GPA during the
selection period.
Meili is the current Division
1-6A TAPPS state champion
in the 50 freestyle and the 100
breaststroke. While at the Division 1 state meet last year, she
broke a 9-year-old TAPPS record
in the 50 freestyle event with a
time of 24:23.
She is also a member of the
National Honor Society, the
Society of High School Scholars,
the Student Honor Council, a
Nolan Catholic Ambassador, and
a member of the Nolan Athletic
Leadership Board.
Ralph McCloud is named
new CCHD director
FROM PAGE 1
nated the diocesan Peace and
Justice Ministries and directed
CCHD in the diocese since 1993.
He has headed the diocese’s
African American Ministries
since 1990. He also serves as a
board member of the Roundtable, the National Association
of Diocesan Social Ministry
Directors.
Active in the civic community,
McCloud was elected to four twoyear terms to the Fort Worth City
Council, in 1997, 1999, 2001, and
2003. He served as Fort Worth’s
mayor pro-tem from 1999 to 2005.
He currently chairs the Mayor’s
Commission on Homelessness in
Fort Worth.
In other civic activities, he
was president of the Fort Worth
Local Housing Development
Council and served four terms
on the National League of Cities’
Human Development Steering
Committee.
McCloud attended Paul Quinn
College in Dallas and was cofounder of the African-American
Summit for Peace, Justice, and
Equality. He is a past president of
the National Association of Black
Catholic Administrators.
M s g r. D a v i d M a l l o y,
USCCB general secretary, noted
McCloud’s reputation as a “respected and experienced social
ministry leader with strong ties
to CCHD.”
“Ralph’s profound commitment to the Catholic Church
enables him to communicate
the biblical, theological, and
spiritual dimensions of Catholic
social ministry and the principles
that guide CCHD’s mission of
empowering people trapped
in the cycle of poverty,” Msgr.
Malloy said.
McCloud will join the Washington, D.C.-based U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ CCHD
in January.
“Encountering the Living
Christ” is the theme of the diocesan Ministry Formation Day, to
be held Jan. 5 at Nolan Catholic
High School, 4501 Bridge Street
in East Fort Worth. The event is
an opportunity for enrichment,
fellowship, and development of
practical skills for ministry.
Ministry Formation Day, to be
offered in English and Spanish,
will begin at 8 a.m. with registration and the viewing of exhibits.
Bishop Kevin Vann will welcome
the participants at 8:45 a.m., and a
brief prayer service will follow.
The English-language keynote
address, to be offered at 9:30 a.m.,
will be presented by Mike Patin,
a Catholic motivational speaker
from Lafayette, Louisiana. According to information from his
Web site, mikepatin.com, “Patin
uses energy, humor, and stories
to affirm the goodness of God’s
presence among us while inviting
others (and himself) to take the
‘next step’ in our journey with
God.” A frequent presenter at
diocesan youth events, Patin has
traveled to more than 80 dioceses,
giving programs to youth, adult,
and intergenerational audiences
in diocesan, regional, national,
and international settings. Patin,
who holds a master’s degree
from Loyola University in New
Orleans, received the National
Catholic Youth Ministry Award
in 2006.
The Spanish-language keynote, which will begin at 10:45
a.m., will be presented by Father
Nathan Stone, SJ, from Montserrat Jesuit Retreat House. A native
Texan, Fr. Stone has spent time
as a teaching volunteer in Chile.
Inspired by the Ignatian model,
he became a Jesuit in 1992, and
was ordained to the priesthood in
2000 as a member of the Jesuits’
Chilean province. Fr. Stone is
a published writer, having had
articles appear in both electronic
and print media, including the
Ignatian journal, The Way.
During the English keynote
address, a breakout session
with Spanish-language workshops will be held, and while
the Spanish keynote is offered,
English-language workshops
will take place. There also will be
two more rounds of workshops
offered in the afternoon, the first
beginning at 12:45 p.m. and the
second at 1:55 p.m. Three rounds
of breakout sessions in Vietnamese will also be offered. Sessions
will be offered on a variety of
topics, including “The Mystery
of Mystagogia: How to keep
new Catholics coming and get
them involved in parish life,”
“The Bishops’ Vision for Youth
Ministry in the U.S.: An Overview of ‘Renewing the Vision,’”
“Encountering the Living Christ
in the Gospel of Matthew,” “The
Stewardship Journey of Parish
Leadership,” and “Multicultural
Appreciation.”
Ministry Formation Day will
conclude at 3 p.m.
All involved in parish or school
ministry are welcome to attend.
The cost, which includes lunch,
is $20 per person prior to Dec.
22; after that date, the cost is $25.
Scholarships are available. For
more information, call The Catholic Center at (817) 560-3300 or visit
online at www.fwdioc.org.
Continuing education grants available to
those in active ministry within diocese
Deadline to submit grant applications is Jan. 17
Persons who have been actively involved in ministry within
the Diocese of Fort Worth for
two years or longer and who are
planning study programs that
are in service of that ministry are
invited to apply to the diocese for
educational grant assistance.
Made available through the
generosity of the people of the
diocese, a sum of $20,000 is allotted for distribution again this
year. Applications must be submitted to Lucas Pollice, director
of the Department of Catechesis
for the Diocese of Fort Worth,
and must be postmarked no later
than Jan. 17.
Applicants will be asked to
specify their intended course
of study, its place and cost, and
any other financial aid that they
expect to obtain. A pastor’s or supervisor’s signature is required,
as is information that will help
establish financial need.
The applications will be
processed through the diocesan
Department of Catechesis by
the Committee on Continuing
Education Grant Disbursement.
Determinations of aid will be
made by late February. At that
time, successful applicants will
receive a grant agreement indicating subsequent steps of the
process. That agreement must be
returned by April 1, and checks
will be sent out between May 1
and May 15.
To receive an application,
contact The Catholic Center by
calling (817) 560-3300 ext. 260,
Forms may also be downloaded
from the diocesan Web site at
www.fwdioc.org by clicking on
Ministry Preparation link, and
then choosing Continuing Education Grants.
Page 7
Diocesan / National
Our Lady Queen of Peace Parish breaks ground for new church
Approximately 400 parishioners of Our Lady Queen of
Peace Church in Wichita Falls
gathered Sept. 5 to celebrate the
groundbreaking of the Catholic
community’s new church. Bishop
Kevin Vann joined the faithful for
the ceremony, where the ground
was blessed, then broken to kick
off the long-awaited building
project.
Members of Our Lady Queen
of Peace Parish have been worshipping in a converted gymnasium since the parish’s inception
in 1956, according to information
provided by the parish. The community began its building plans
in earnest with the celebration of
its 50th anniversary last year.
Left:
Dignitaries toss
spades full of
dirt as the Our
Lady Queen of
Peace Church
building
project
officially gets
under way.
(Photo by
Mary Ann
Sokora)
Above: Present for the groundbreaking ceremony of Our Lady Queen of Peace Church
were (l. to r.) Father John Swistovich, pastor; Dan Shine, building committee chair; Kevin
Darnell, president of M & F Litteken Co., the general contractor; and Bishop Kevin Vann.
(Photo by Sandy Lebow)
Catholic youths at national conference in Ohio keep their faith alive
By Tim Puet
COLUMBUS, Ohio (CNS)
— During the National Catholic
Youth Conference in Columbus
Nov. 8-10, about 20,000 youths
had the chance to sing, pray,
ask questions about their faith,
meet new people, and even play
dodge ball.
Bishop Matthew H. Clark
of Rochester, New York, told
participants during the closing
ceremony that he hoped the
experience was a “profoundly
confirming time for you and an
expression of the deep love of the
church for you.
“And I hope that when you
return, you share your experience and tell how your being
together in these wonderful days
in Columbus has spoken to your
heart. The folks back home are
very anxious to hear what you
have learned and shared about
Christ,” he added.
Bishop Clark served as celebrant for the closing ceremony
in place of Columbus Bishop
Frederick F. Campbell who was
recovering from foot surgery.
The Washington-based National Federation for Catholic Youth
Ministry was the conference’s
sponsor, and the Columbus Diocese was the conference host.
The Rochester bishop also addressed the sadness that overshadowed the conference because of
the death of conference participant
Veronica Gantt, 16, of Las Vegas,
who was killed by a hit-and-run
driver in Columbus Nov. 8.
“There has been cause for tears
among us through the weekend,”
Bishop Clark said.
“I have also seen you laugh,
be inspired to dance, break into
Singer and songwriter Steve Angrisano performs Nov. 8 at the National Catholic Youth Conference in Columbus, Ohio. The
musician from Highlands Ranch, Colorado, emceed the three-day event that drew 20,000 young people from across the
country. (CNS photo/Jack Kustron, CATHOLIC TIMES)
marvelous song, and extend
kindness, care, and consideration
not just to one another, but to
the arena staff and the people of
Columbus. You have been able
to wrap your arms around that
which is painful and that which
is beautiful,” he told them.
During question-and-answer
sessions with the young people,
Bishop Clark was joined by seven
other bishops who were asked
about temptation, heaven, vocations, celibacy, contraception,
the Latin-language Mass, and
the war in Iraq, among other
topics.
Participants also had the
chance to discuss bullying, dating, sharing the faith with fam-
ily and friends, Catholic Social
Teaching, deepening one’s faith,
stress management, and tragedy
in a variety of panel discussions
and workshops.
The workshop on bullying
dealt with how to respond to a
bully without becoming one and
how body language may cause
some people to become targets
for bullying.
“Kids who have a strong
relationship with God seem
less likely to get bullied,” said
workshop presenter Terry Clark
of the St. Thomas Center in Des
Moines, Iowa. “They are self-assured, walking with God. If you
want to feel less bullied, look
up, smile, act like you’re happy
to be alive. Act like you’re a son
of God.”
“We have a God that understands bullying,” Clark said,
pointing out that Jesus was “bullied on the way to Calvary like no
one else before or since.”
“He responded with love.
That’s the ultimate answer to bullying — love for yourself and love
for each other,” she added.
During the conference there
were also daily liturgies, opportunities to pray in an adoration
chapel, and opportunities to
receive the sacrament of reconciliation. Another highlight was
a theme park which featured
displays from many Catholic
organizations and included a
series of webcasts with youths
from India, El Salvador, and the
Philippines.
Mark Butler, director of the Columbus diocesan Office of Youth
and Young Adult Ministry, said
the ultimate effect of the conference is likely to be seen in parish
youth ministry programs.
“Many parishes don’t yet have
a youth ministry, and I anticipate
many young people will be going
back to those parishes wanting to
be more active. In the long run,
this is going to be a great way to
further the cause of youth ministry,” he said.
Valerie Johnson, a 15-yearold from St. Paul Church in St.
Petersburg, Florida, called the
conference “a life-changing
experience” primarily because
she met so many people from all
over the country who “share the
same faith.”
“It’s not just praying and
singing all day, like I thought it
would be,” said Adele Literski,
15, of St. John Fisher Church in
the Cincinnati suburb of Newtown. “There’s so much more,”
she said, noting that the event
also provided the chance for
participants to play dodge ball
and do sumo wrestling.
“And the people have been
incredible,” she told The Catholic
Times, newspaper of the Columbus Diocese. “There’s just so
many of them, and we have so
much in common.”
Tom Gaier, an adult leader
with Adele’s group said he was
“awed by the energy of 20,000
Catholic youths in one place,”
and it gave him “a real sense of
joy and hope for our church in
the 21st century.”
Page 8
Diocesan
St. Thomas Aquinas Church to receive Texas Historical Marker
T
he Texas Historical Commission (THC)
has recognized St. Thomas Aquinas
Church in Pilot Point as a significant part of
Texas history by awarding it an official Texas
Historical Marker. The designation honors the
church as an important educational part of
local history.
A dedication ceremony to
commemorate the event will be
held Sunday, Nov. 25, at 3 p.m.
at St. Thomas Aquinas Church
at 925 Charcut Street in Pilot
Point. A reception in the parish
center will follow the dedication
ceremony, which is free and open
to the public.
Focusing on the preservation of the state’s history, the
Texas Historical Marker helps
to bring attention to community
treasures and the importance
of their preservation. Bill Hilz,
a member of the church, has
been instrumental in obtaining
the THC subject marker, which
recognizes the church’s 116 years
of Catholic service in Pilot Point.
Hilz, along with Carol Coffey,
Vera Dusman, and B.J. Hensler,
will be recognized by the Denton
County Historical Commission
(DCHC) with Certificates of
Commendation for efforts that
led to the placement of the THC
marker.
St. Thomas Aquinas Church
was established in 1891. Prior to
that time, German families who
were living in the area would
travel to Sherman or Gainesville
to attend a church with a resident
priest. It would take two days
by wagon or horseback to travel
40 miles.
Early Catholic families in the
Pilot Point vicinity were John
R. Burger, William Ryan, Clem
Riney, Joseph Riney, John Riney,
Patrick Robinson, and the Swartz
and Heath families. Additional
German Catholic families were
attracted to Pilot Point through
advertisements placed throughout the United States by the Flusche Brothers and Sullivan firm. In
Jan. 17, 1891, the Pilot Post Mirror
printed the following news:
“J.M. Sullivan has formed
partnership with the Flusche
brothers. The name of the firm
is Flusche Brothers and Sullivan
with offices in Gainesville and
Pilot Point. The object of the
company is to relocate immigrants in and around Pilot Point
and Gainesville. Pilot Point has
depth and fertility of soil, health,
fruit lands, [a] canning factory
already established, and a high
grade of society.”
Later, in a March 28, 1891 issue, the Pilot Post Mirror wrote:
“…Flusche and Sullivan … established the start of the new German
colony by the sale of the 1,270-acre
farm of J.W. Erwin, three miles
southeast of town to Mr. Herman
Boerner of New Braunfels, Texas.
Other sales are expected soon.”
One of Flusche’s advertisement
pamphlets, written in German, is
in the University of North Texas’
Willis Library rare book room.
In this undated file photo, the first church for St. Thomas Aquinas Parish, which was built in 1892, appears at left, while
the second church building, built in 1904, appears on the right. St. Thomas Aquinas Church, recognized for its historical
significance in the state, will have its own Texas Historical Marker, to be dedicated Nov. 25.
With an increasing number of
German settlers in the Pilot Point
area, Bishop Thomas J. Brennan
of the Diocese of Dallas sent his
chancellor, Father John F. Coffey,
to Pilot Point in 1891 to investigate the spiritual needs of the
Catholics living there. The first
Catholic Mass was celebrated
Nov. 4, 1891, in a public hall for
the 63 members of the Catholic
community and for a large number of visitors and local people.
During Fr. Coffey’s visits,
plans to build a church were
finalized at the home of Emil
Flusche. One of the businessmen attending the meeting, A.H.
Gee, cashier of Pilot Point National Bank, offered four acres
northeast of town and contributed $500 toward the building
of the new church.
The first church was a twostory structure, 28 feet wide by
60 feet long and 24 feet high. It
was built at a total cost of $1,682.
On March 7, 1892, the feast of St.
Thomas, the building was consecrated as St. Thomas Aquinas
Church.
On Easter Monday of 1893,
the church opened a parochial
school with an enrollment of
50 children and a teaching staff
of two nuns from the Sisters of
Divine Providence order, whose
motherhouse was located in San
Antonio. In January 1893, three
and one-half acres north of the
church were secured for a cemetery by then-pastor Father Hugo
Bardenhewer.
By 1904, the congregation had
outgrown the first church, and a
new church was built. The church
continued to prosper until the
Great Depression, when it fell
into debt.
Father Paul Charcut, who was
assigned as pastor to the parish
in 1936, was actively involved
in both church and civic affairs
in Pilot Point. Under his leadership the parish once again began
to grow, and the original church
was replaced with a new and
larger church. At the time of the
dedication in September 1950,
more than 200 families attended
St. Thomas Parish.
Fr. Charcut founded the
Catholic Youth Organization and
arranged for its involvement in
the Catholic State League. He
was one of the organizers of the
Pilot Point Community Council,
chairman of the Advancement
Committee of Pilot Point Boy
Scouts of America, and an active
member of the Pilot Point Booster
Club. He also was appointed state
chaplain of the Texas Knights of
Columbus. In recognition of the
priest’s many civic contributions,
Pilot Point named Charcut Street
in his honor.
Today the church’s membership is more than 1,400. The
church complex sits on 7.75 acres.
The school has been renovated,
and a parish center and new rectory have been built.
St. Thomas continues to serve
the community of Pilot Point. It
is one of the largest contributors
to the Pilot Point area Shepherd’s
Store House, which distributes
food and clothing and offers
financial assistance to people in
need. The parish offers a Spanish-language Mass each Sunday
to Spanish-speaking families from
Pilot Point, Tioga, Gunter, Collinsville, Aubrey, and Little Elm.
St. Thomas Aquinas was the
first Catholic Parish in Denton
County. It’s establishment contributed to the growth of the
Catholic Church in North Central
Texas. In 1969, the Diocese of
Dallas-Fort Worth was divided
into two dioceses, and St. Thomas
Aquinas became a parish on the
eastern border of the newly created Fort Worth Diocese.
Portions of this text were provided
by the Denton County Historical
Commission.
Above: The new historical marker stands outside the St. Thomas Aquinas
Church in Pilot Point. The marker will be formally dedicated Nov. 25.
Above: The three Flusche brothers — (l. to r.) August, Emil, and Anton — played
a large role in the founding of Pilot Point and several other German communities
within the Diocese of Fort Worth. (Undated file photo)
For more information on the Texas
Historical Marker program, contact
Beth Stribling, DCHC marker chairman, at (940) 241-2523 or Roselyn
Shelton, DCHC administrative
manager, at (940) 249-2860.
Page 9
International
Pope to visit United States in April
FROM PAGE 1
Mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral
in the morning and meet with
youths and seminarians in the
afternoon.
While in New York the pope
will visit ground zero on the
morning of April 20. Ground
zero is the site where the twin
towers of the World Trade Center
stood before they were brought
down by terrorist attacks Sept.
11, 2001.
Archbishop Sambi said the
pope’s visit to ground zero will be
in “solidarity with those who have
died and their families and all who
wish for an end of violence and the
implementation of peace.”
In the afternoon, he will celebrate Mass at Yankee Stadium,
which will be the final event of
his U.S. trip.
Pope John Paul II, who visited
the United States seven times
during his pontificate, traveled
to Washington and New York in
1979 and revisited New York in
1995. During both visits to New
York, he addressed the General
Assembly of the United Nations.
Pope Paul VI likewise addressed
the United Nations in 1965.
Archbishop Sambi likened
Pope Benedict’s visit to the
United States next year to “a sign
that the spirit of the Lord is with
its church”; he also said he hoped
the visit would provide a “new
spring” and “new Pentecost”
for the Catholic Church in this
country.
He praised the U.S. bishops for
“upholding the faith” and said
the church in the United States
showed “an impressive unity”
among the faithful and church
leaders.
The archbishop also noted the
visit would mark a celebration of
the beginning of the U.S. church
and should demonstrate how
the church in this country will
continue to grow by “making all
things new in Christ.”
The bishops gave Archbishop
Sambi a standing ovation.
“This is a blessed moment
for our nation,” said Bishop
William S. Skylstad of Spokane,
Washington, president of the U.S.
Conference of Catholic Bishops.
“Pope Benedict is not just the
leader of Catholics, he is also a
man of inspiration for all those
who work for peace.”
Cardinal Edward M. Egan of
New York said New York Catholics were looking forward to the
papal visit. When they initially
PAID ADVERTISEMENT
heard news of a possible visit,
he said, there was “both rejoicing
and thanksgiving,” he said.
The cardinal also noted that
the pope would receive a “warm
and prayerful welcome.”
Likewise, Washington Archbishop Donald W. Wuerl spoke
of “faith-filled joy and enormous
enthusiasm” of Catholics in the
Washington Archdiocese for the
pope’s visit.
“Personally, and in the name
of all of the clergy, religious,
and faithful of the archdiocese,
I express our warmest welcome
while renewing our sentiments
of love and loyalty to our Holy
Father,” he said.
During a Nov. 12 press conference at the bishops’ meeting, Archbishop Wuerl said he
thought the pope’s decision to
visit Washington and New York
represented a pastoral visit to the
entire country.
He also acknowledged that
after inviting the pope to Washington he “prayed very hard” that
the pope would accept.
The archbishop called the
upcoming visit “an enormous
privilege” for the church of
Washington, and he said that
the archdiocese would work to
POPE GREETS — Pope Benedict XVI touches a photo as he talks to relatives
of the victims of a 2003 bomb attack against Italian forces in Iraq at the end of
his weekly general audience in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican Nov. 14. The
Vatican recently confirmed that the pope will make a trip to the United States in
April. (CNS photo/L’OSSERVATORE ROMANO via Reuters)
make the visit “a moment of true
spiritual renewal and a vibrant
manifestation of God’s kingdom
at work among us.”
Vincentian Father David
O’Connell, president of Catholic University, said he looked
forward to the papal visit with
“tremendous anticipation and
enthusiasm.”
“It will be an honor beyond
measure,” he said, for the university to welcome the pope.
Pope John Paul visited Catholic University Oct. 7, 1979, to
deliver an address on Catholic
higher education. Plans call for
Pope Benedict to address broader
themes of Catholic education to
an invitation-only audience.
Officials confirm papal visit to
Marian shrine in Lourdes
VATICAN CITY (CNS) —
Officials confirmed Pope Benedict XVI will visit the Shrine of
Our Lady of Lourdes in France
to mark the 150th anniversary of
the Marian apparitions there, but
said the exact time period of the
papal visit was not yet known.
Bishop Jacques Perrier of
Tarbes and Lourdes, who is in
charge of the preparations for
the jubilee celebrations, said
the papal journey was “a sure
thing.”
The bishop and others spoke
to journalists during a Nov. 13
Vatican press conference, unveiling details of the yearlong jubilee
celebrations.
Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, head of the Vatican press
office, said the papal trip “most
probably” would have Lourdes
as its sole destination and for
now would not include stops in
other cities.
Bishop Perrier said he is often
asked if the pope will arrive at
Lourdes for one of the “significant
moments” for the church, such as
Feb. 11, the day the apparitions
began and also the feast of Our
Lady of Lourdes, or Aug. 15, the
feast of the Assumption. Bishop
Perrier said whatever date the
pope decides for his visit would
be a significant moment for
them.
Page 10
Viewpoints
The Eucharist: Source and Summit
of the Christian Life
By Lucas Pollice
“I am the living bread
The Eucharist is the
sacrament of love,
which reveals to us
that came down from
heaven; whoever eats of
this bread will live forever;
and the bread that I will
give is my flesh for the life
of the world.” (John 6:51)
This “life” which Christ speaks
about is the Christian spiritual life. This
spiritual life, in the words of Jesus, has
both its source and ultimate fulfillment
in the “bread” that is truly his flesh, the
Eucharist. The true presence of Christ in
the Eucharist is given so that the world
might have life, and those who partake
of the bread of life will live forever in
glory. Thus, the Eucharist sheds new
light and meaning upon every aspect
of the Christian life, and as the Second
Vatican Council affirms, “is the summit
toward which the activity of the Church
is directed; at the same time it is the font
from which all her power flows.”
The Sacrament of Love
First, the life of love of God and
neighbor that is at the foundation of
Christian life finds its source in the Eucharist. It is the Eucharist that reminds
man of the great love of the Father
who “so loved the world that he gave
his only Son” (John 3:16), and it is also
in the Eucharist that one comes not
only to receive the love of the Father
through Christ, but also comes to share
in that love. The Eucharist is a font of
love; it calls the believer to love and by
receiving the divine love of Christ, the
believer is then strengthened and renewed in charity. Pope John Paul speaks
of the Eucharist as the sacramental font
of charity:
Together with this unfathomable and
free gift, which is charity revealed in
its fullest degree in the saving sacrifice of the Son of God, the sacrifice of
which the Eucharist is the indelible
sign, there also springs up within
us a lively response of love. We not
only know love; we ourselves begin to
love. We enter, so to speak, upon the
path of love and along this path make
progress. Thanks to the Eucharist, the
love that springs up within us from
the Eucharist develops in us, becomes
deeper and grows stronger.
(Apostolic Letter THE LORD’S SUPPER, 5)
the love of the
Father in the
sacrifice of his
only Son.
Pope Benedict XVI elevates the Eucharist during Mass at St. Felicity Church in Rome March 25. (CNS photo/Daniele Colarieti, Catholic Press Photo)
Thus, the Eucharist is not only the
fullest revelation of love, but it is the
source of charity which is at the heart
and foundation of the spiritual life. The
Eucharist, as the “sacrament of love,” is
therefore, the source and center of the
Christian life.
conversion and penance that John Paul
states that “the Eucharist and Penance
thus become in a sense two closely connected dimensions of authentic life in
accordance with the spirit of the Gospel,
of a truly Christian life” (The Redeemer
of Man, 20).
The Sacrament of Conversion
The Sacrament of Hope
The ultimate goal of the Eucharist is
to bring forth through love the perfect
union of God and man; to introduce
him into the very life of the Trinity. In
order to bring about this union conversion and purification are required.
Conversion is necessary in order to fully
participate in the eucharistic life. The
Eucharist is ordered to transform the
human person into the image of God
through union with Christ. Thus, by
offering themselves to God with Christ
in the celebration of the Eucharist, the
faithful are offering their very hearts as
a sacrifice of purification and conversion, so that they may be transformed
into the very heart of Christ Himself.
Therefore, through the intimate union
of the Eucharist and penance, the followers of Christ are both purified and
consecrated to God. John Paul states:
The Eucharist also is the summit or
goal of the Christian life, in that through
the Eucharist the followers of Christ
experience in a real way the eternal
glory which awaits them in heaven.
The Church already in a mysterious
way enters into heavenly glory through
the Eucharist and realizes the ultimate
goal of the Church’s mission and the
spiritual life. The Eucharist then also
becomes the “sacrament of hope” in
which the Church receives a glimpse of
heavenly glory through the sacrifice and
Resurrection of Christ. The Eucharist is
a pledge of glory; not of something that
is still to come, but of the glory that is
already beginning through union and
transformation in Christ. John Paul
eloquently states:
In this sacrament of bread and wine, of
food and drink, everything that is human
reality undergoes a singular transformation and elevation. Eucharistic worship
is not so much worship of the inaccessible
transcendence as worship of the divine
condescension, and it is also the merciful and redeeming transformation of the
world in the human heart.
(Apostolic Letter THE LORD’S SUPPER, 7)
Thus, the Eucharist both calls man
to conversion and is at the same time
the most effective means for attaining
conversion. A truly “eucharistic spirituality” is so intimately connected with
Those who feed on Christ in the
Eucharist need not wait until the
hereafter to receive eternal life: they
already possess it on earth, as the
first-fruits of a future fullness which
will embrace man in his totality. For
in the Eucharist we also receive the
pledge of our bodily resurrection at
the end of the world: “Whoever eats
my flesh and drinks my blood has
eternal life, and I will raise him on
the last day” (John 6:54). This pledge
of the future resurrection comes from
the fact that the flesh of the Son of
Man, given as food, is his body in its
glorious state after the resurrection.
(ECCLESIA EUCHARISTIA; CHURCH OF
THE EUCHARIST, 16)
The Sacrament
of Communion and Mission
Finally, this communion of hope
and love in the Eucharist, with Christ
and each other, is also the source and
foundation of communion and mission
in the Christian life. Christ entrusts to
those he loves the very mission he received from his Father, and communion
with Christ in the Eucharist is the source
of our mission as witnesses and instruments of Christ. Hence, it is through the
Eucharist that the faithful are brought
into union with Christ, and so it is also
through the Eucharist that the Church
receives her mission to “go forth to love
and serve the Lord.” John Paul connects
the intimate relationship between communion and mission to the parable of
the vine and the branches. He states:
We return to the biblical image of the
vine and the branches, which immediately lends itself to a consideration of
fruitfulness and life. Engrafted to the
vine and brought to life, the branches
are expected to bear fruit: “He who
abides in me and I in him, he it is
that bears much fruit” (John 15:5).
Bearing fruit is an essential demand
of life in Christ and life in the Church.
The person who does not bear fruit
does not remain in communion: “Each
branch of mine that bears no fruit, he
[my Father] takes away” (John 15:2).
(ON THE ROLE AND MISSION OF THE
LAY MEMBERS OF CHRIST’S FAITHFUL
PEOPLE, 34)
The Eucharist, therefore, penetrates
and gives new meaning to every aspect
of the Christian life. It is the sacrament
of love, which reveals to us the love of
the Father in the sacrifice of his only
Son. United with Christ, and entrusted
with his very mission, the faithful,
through the sacrament of the Eucharist,
are incorporated into the very life of the
Holy Trinity, a life of communion and
love. The Holy Eucharist, the Bread of
Angels, the real presence of our Lord
and Savior Jesus Christ, is the very
source and summit of the Christian life
in which we truly come to taste and see
the goodness of the Lord.
Lucas Pollice is director of
Catechesis and Adult Faith
Formation and RCIA for the
diocese. Lucas holds a degree in
theology from the Franciscan
University of Steubenville
and has a master’s degree in
theological studies from the Institute for
Pastoral Theology of Ave Maria University.
He is an adjunct professor of theology with
the Cardinal Newman Institute in Fort
Worth. Lucas and his wife, Mary, have four
children, Cecilia, Nicholas, Timothy, and
Christian.
Page 11
Views
Putting kids off course
perhaps it’s a lead compass
By Mary Morrell
M
any years
ago, while
teaching
pre-school in a local Catholic school,
I asked my small
charges to draw me a
picture of God.
I gave them no introduction
to God, no adult explanation
of who God was or hints about
how to draw their pictures.
Some were from worshipping
families, but others were not.
As they set about creating their masterpieces, they
worked in almost complete
silence, totally engaged in the
process. One budding artist with a profound love of
purple had filled up his page
with rainbow trees and purple
animals, candy cane clouds
and butterflies too numerous to
count — purple, of course. Sunbursts and flowers and smiling
children danced on the page.
“Where is God?” I asked.
“Here,” he said, picking up
his whole picture and holding it close enough to my nose
to smell the crayon. For him
God was all things beautiful,
all things good, all things that
made him happy.
His little friend sitting next
to him, all of four years old,
had created something different. She had drawn herself in
the center of the page with a
pink heart on her chest. Inside
the heart was a pair of lips.
“How beautiful!” I exclaimed.
“Does your heart talk?”
“No,” she laughed, “That is
God. He talks to my heart.”
The hair on my arms stood
up, and I filled with tears at the
privileged glimpse I was given
into a child’s intimate relationship with the transcendent.
These children are not the
exception, but the rule. Anyone
who has read the works of Maria Montessori or Sofia Cavalletti would be well-acquainted
with the idea that children are
graced with a metaphysical
intuition and that their relationship with God is a mystery that
must be respected.
Yet, in this day and age,
So just what is the
intended lesson of
THE GOLDEN COMPASS
and HIS DARK MATERIALS
trilogy?
“...My books are about
killing God.”
in this culture, the religious
dimension of the child not only
garners little respect, it is obviously under siege.
Take for example, “The
Golden Compass,” the newest
fantasy epic due out in theaters
in early December. The movie
is based on the first book of a
trilogy, His Dark Materials, written by Philip Pullman, a British
author and avowed atheist. To
date his trilogy has outsold the
Harry Potter series and has won
both the prestigious Carnegie
Medal for children’s literature
and the Guardian Award.
Pullman’s own words from
his Carnegie Medal acceptance
speech explain his desire to use
stories to teach: “All stories
teach, whether the storyteller
intends them to or not. They
teach the world we create. They
teach the morality we live by.
They teach it much more effectively than moral precepts and
instructions.”
So just what is the intended
lesson of The Golden Compass
and His Dark Materials trilogy?
Pullman, himself, says it
in a 2003 interview with the
Sydney Morning Herald: “I’m
a great fan of J.K. Rowling,
but the people — mainly from
America’s Bible Belt — who
complain that Harry Potter promotes satanism or witchcraft
obviously haven’t got enough
in their lives. Meanwhile, I’ve
been flying under the radar,
saying things that are far more
subversive than anything poor
old Harry has said. My books
are about killing God.”
Killing God? Obviously this
storyteller has a very intentional lesson, one which evidences a profound disrespect
for the interior life of children;
a storyteller who, again in his
acceptance speech, highlights
what he really thinks of the
young people who will read
his books and bring him untold
profits in the box office: “Now
I don’t mean children are supernaturally wise little angels
gifted with the power of seeing
the truth that the dull eyes
of adults miss. They’re not.
They’re ignorant little savages,
most of them.”
Another story told. Wise
parents won’t miss the lesson,
but hopefully, they will skip the
movie.
Two thousand years ago,
Jesus told stories as well, but always with the intention of leading us into a loving relationship
with God, being especially
attentive to the children.
For those who do otherwise, his lesson was clear: “It
will be better for you to have
a millstone tied around your
neck and to be thrown into the
depths of the sea than to lead
any of these little ones astray”
(Luke 17:1-2).
Mary Regina Morrell is the associate director of Religious Education
for the Diocese of Metuchen, New
Jersey. She and her husband are
the parents of six sons and live in
Colonia, New Jersey.
Sometimes it’s not about grammar, but
it’s always about connections and
Who
you’re connected to
By Kathy Cribari Hamer
I
n grammar class, when they
taught about articles, I was
not absent. I remember Sister
Vincentia tapping the board with a
long, tapered pointer (she was an
after-hours billiards shark) as she
emphatically taught the topic.
“Class,” she said, “who can tell me about articles,
prepositions, and conjunctions?” Sister projected her
voice authoritatively — Boris Karloff meets Angela Lansbury meets Phyllis Diller.
I can see her rolling up her habit’s sleeves, turning
the starched white cotton to the outside, and chalking
her pointer as she enunciated every word, malevolently.
(Maybe the malevolence was in my imagination. It was,
after all, the third grade.)
Anyway, I was present in the classroom when Sister
said, “Children, there is ONE definite article. ‘The,’ is
used before specific nouns, while two indefinite articles,
‘A’ and ‘An,’ mark nouns that are members of a group.”
Easy. Defined.
This was the magic simplicity of long ago, when there
was no such thing as a text message, unless it came
through the Baltimore Catechism, which was the size of a
comic book.
I liked it like that.
These years later I realize the rules are not always the
same, and I don’t like it one bit. In Canada, for example,
you visit patients “in hospital,” not “in the hospital.” In
the Bible, dinner is consumed “at table,” instead of “at
the table,” like the nuns once said it should be.
Now, I don’t know who taught grammar or coached
speech in Jesus’ lifetime, or even in Canada, where I
lived for long enough to be “in hospital” when my first
baby was born. But I know that here and now, where
English is frequently a second language, it is tricky for
teachers to explain unpredictable uses and non-uses of
articles.
Apparently a lot depends on “count nouns” or “noncount nouns.”
Count nouns (dog) refer to individual units or instances that can be counted, and noncount nouns (loyalty)
refer to abstract levels of meaning.
“Gift” and “love,” for example, are noncount nouns,
and, ironically, those are the only ones that do count.
I have a friend who refers to people or events as
“gift,” in the abstract sense. “Thank God for my granddaughter,” my friend might say. “She is gift.”
I’ve always gotten the reference, in the meaning sense,
just not in the grammatically-correct — Sr. Vincentia tapping-the-chalk-board — sense.
SEE HAMER, P. 22
Page 12
Marking its 10th anniversary, the
diocesan Mission Council celebrates
extraordinary growth in mission activity
throughout the Diocese of Fort Worth.
Page 13
Left: Seth Morgan, a parishioner
at Immaculate Conception Church
in Denton, interacts with a young
girl residing at an AIDS orphanage
in Cambodia. Morgan says that
the poverty he witnessed on a
mission trip to Guatemala five years
ago, changed his life. He is now a
partner of a non-profit organization
that regularly coordinates mission
trips to places such as Cambodia,
Guatemala, and Africa.
By Joan Kurkowski-Gillen
Correspondent
Left: Seth Morgan (seated) shows
young children from Guatemala
how to blow bubbles, as Chris
Guidry and Alejandro Flores look
on. The men were part of a 2004
mission trip to Patzun, Guatemala,
arranged by Imaculate Conception
Parish in Denton. (Photo by Penny
Foster)
Above: At a reception marking the 10th
anniversary of the diocesan Mission Council, Hilda
Flores, diocesan Mission Outreach coordinator,
cuts a slice of cake for Jim Crites of St. Elizabeth
Ann Seton Parish in Keller. The reception and
preceding prayer service took place Oct. 21 at St.
Vincent de Paul Parish in Arlington. (Photo by
Joan Kurkowski-Gillen)
hy would a 65-year-old man give up
the comforts of retirement, so he can
repair electrical wiring in a foreign
country where there is no air conditioning, hot
water, or familiar foods? The answer lies in the
people he meets.
“It’s an experience you don’t forget,” says Elroy Leger, describing the
families who live in the rural villages
surrounding Juticalpa, Honduras.
“The people are kind, generous, and
happy. They don’t know they’re
poor.”
A member of the Mission Council at St. Vincent de Paul Church in
Arlington, Leger is a veteran of two
mission trips to the Central American country. He joined the team of
volunteers three or four years ago at
the urging of a friend and says the
time spent in Honduras taught him
new lessons about faith, family, and
what’s important in life.
Leger shared his stories and impressions with other mission enthusiasts during an Oct. 21 prayer service
and reception held at St. Vincent’s to
celebrate the 10th anniversary of the
diocesan Mission Council. Started
Above: Michael Tenny of Denton embraces an
orphan boy on a mission trip to Mozambique, Africa. by the late Fort Worth Bishop Joseph
Delaney, the council coordinates and
initiates activities between the diocese and Catholic communities in the
Above: At the Mission Council reception, James Rice of St. Vincent de Paul Parish in Arlington
gestures toward a display detailing missionary efforts in Bolivia. (Photo by Joan Kurkowski-Gillen)
Congo, Vietnam, Bolivia, Guatemala,
Honduras, and Mexico.
“This reception is a way to celebrate the mission work going on in
the diocese and give it the exposure it
deserves,” says council director Hilda
Flores. “Some people know the Mission Council exists. Others don’t.”
Parishioners are most familiar with
the ongoing partnership between the
Diocese of Juticalpa in Olancho, Honduras, and the Diocese of Fort Worth
which was established in 1998 after
Hurricane Mitch. The deadly storm
destroyed 70 percent of the farmland
in Honduras and left thousands
homeless. The diocese’s compassionate response was part of a larger
state-wide effort coordinated through
the Texas Catholic Conference and
Catholic Relief Services, known as the
Texas Initiative. Since then, church
groups from the Fort Worth Diocese
have traveled to the Central American country to repair buildings, offer
medical care, and help start trade
schools. In 2004, the diocese contributed more than $200,000 toward a
water treatment plant which provided 14 communities in Olancho with
running water for the first time.
But the compassion and philanthropy of North Texas Catholics
reaches far beyond Honduras, Flores
says pointedly.
“When I first came to the diocese
four years ago, even I didn’t know
about all the mission work going on,”
she continues. “Then I began hearing from people who were going to
Haiti; Mexico; Patzun, Guatemala;
and other places. And many of these
parishes have done this mission work
longer than 10 years.”
Right: A small girl stands
outside the central market in
Santa Cruz, Bolivia, in this
photo from a 2004 mission trip
taken by Amy and Steve Zeder.
(Photo by Steve Zeder)
Above: Ross Martinez (center), accompanied by
his wife, Martha (second from left), shares his
enthusiasm for mission work with (others, l. to r.)
Shirley Kenworthy, and Elroy and Jeannette Leger
at the recent Mission Council anniversary reception.
(Photo by Joan Kurkowski-Gillen)
Flores now includes their stories in
her diocesan mission newsletter, but
each mission trip narrative seems to
arrive at the same conclusion.
“All I have to do is change the
name of the country,” she explains.
“Everybody comes back and says, ‘I
got so much more out of it than what
I was giving.’ The faith these people
witness gives me chills.”
The deep faith of worshippers who
fill the modest, countryside chapels in
Honduras definitely impressed Elroy
Leger.
“What’s amazing to me is that even
the littlest kids participate in Mass,”
Leger explains. “They sing and know
their prayers. It’s so inspiring.”
The average villager walks two
miles to attend Sunday Mass in a
building that’s often crowded and
hot. One Sunday, Leger and fellow mission worker Ross Martinez
watched from a distance as one family made the weekly journey. As the
group grew closer, it became apparent
that a wedding party was approaching the church.
“By the time the bride arrived, her
shoes and the bottom of her white
dress were green,” says Martinez,
remembering the entourage’s trek
through the field.
The wedding ceremony, which
included the customary bridal attendants and white veil, was traditional
but simple. Leger took photos of the
newlyweds, which he placed in an
album and sent to Honduras.
“After the ceremony was over,
there was no car waiting for them,”
Martinez recalls. “The couple just
walked back home.”
Both Leger and Martinez plan to
continue their work well into their
golden years.
“It’s certainly enhanced my life,”
Leger says.
“And it makes you appreciate
what you have,” Martinez interjects.
“Our kids have televisions, computers, all these material things, and
the children there have nothing, yet
they’re so happy.”
The joy comes from spending time
with playmates and family.
“They know what’s important. We
can learn a lot from them,” Martinez
adds.
Keeping families united and economically solvent is part of the emphasis in Cabezas, Bolivia, where Fort
Worth diocesan priest Father Robert
Thames has worked with native
people for many of his 43 years as a
priest. Several times a year, parishioners from North Texas travel to the remote outpost to visit the Our Lady of
Carmen faith community where two
ongoing programs assist Fr. Thames’
congregation.
A $25 monthly donation to Educate the Children gives families in the
Diocese of Fort Worth the opportunity to sponsor a Bolivian youngster’s
education. Diocesan Mission Council
members Amy Zeder and her husband, Steve, coordinate the project,
which provides books, supplies, and
tuition money for struggling students.
Many of the school’s children live in
dormitories because their homes are
too distant to travel back and forth
daily. Started in 2004, Fr. Thames’
school continues to enroll more 6th
through 12th graders each semester
and will celebrate its third class of
graduates this year.
“Right now we have 350 sponsorships, but our goal is 500,” Amy
Zeder explains.
Along with assisting Bolivian
children with their education, the St.
Elizabeth Ann Seton parishioner is
involved in a second program that
works to improve the standard of living in Cabezas. Villagers are often so
poor, they leave rural homes for the
city hoping to find work. When no job
materializes, women will beg on the
street with their children.
“Their lives usually get worse,”
Zeder points out. “Fr. Thames’ goal
is make families self-sufficient where
they live, so they don’t have to leave
their communities for the city.”
To generate income, the pastor encourages women to use their knitting,
sewing, and crocheting skills to make
gift items. Members of the Mission
Council then bring the handcrafted
articles to Texas, where they are sold
at different craft shows and bazaars
in the diocese. The Bolivian women,
who set the price for each shawl,
doily, or purse they make, receive the
profits.
“Selling their products provides
families with additional income that
allows them to leave their children in
school,” Zeder says, detailing the rippling effects of the artisan program.
“We receive letters from children who
alternate [their] time in school with
their siblings because of money. For
that reason, it’s not unusual to see a
20-year-old in high school.”
Zeder says the relationship being
forged between Fort Worth and Cabezas is more about building friendships and mutual understanding than
assistance.
“Fr. Thames believes — and I agree
with him — that these people have
something to share and teach us, if
we’re willing to learn.” explains the
longtime mission volunteer.
Seth Morgan, a member of Immaculate Conception Church in Denton,
says the poverty he saw during a
medical mission to Guatemala five
years ago was a learning experience
that changed his life.
“I know nothing about medicine.
They just needed people to do extra
work,” says Morgan, describing his
introduction to mission travel. “After
you go on one of these trips and
see how the rest of the world lives,
you come back with a different at-
titude and perspective.”
The Mission Council member
recalls an incident that occurred
while sharing a meal with a
Guatemalan family. Dinner was a
slice of bread with a thin layer of
refried beans. When his companion
didn’t finish his beverage, one of the
host’s children grabbed it off the table
and quickly gulped it down.
“It was obvious that he needed
something to eat,” Morgan says,
noting how precious every morsel of
food was in that home. “The family
had so little, yet gave us the best meal
they could. It opened my eyes. I never
realized that people lived like that.”
The shock of seeing hungry children and of families using mud huts
for shelter compelled the Wachovia
Securities recruiter to take time off
from his job twice a year to help the
poor in places such as Cambodia;
Mozambique, Africa; and Guatemala.
His school-age children share in his
mission experiences by preparing
trinket-filled packages, which their father distributes to village youngsters.
“I take pictures, and that introduces them to the value of mission
work,” says Morgan, who hopes to
bring his 13-year-old daughter, Madison, on his next journey.
In addition to serving as a role
model for his own youngsters, the
cradle Catholic wants to encourage
others to become mission partners.
His new non-profit company, Orant
Charities, tries to link isolated missionaries with willing volunteers
by organizing church-based mission trips. The fledging venture has
already booked five youth mission
trips for next year. Morgan hopes his
young clients will realize that adventure and fulfillment can be found in
unexpected places.
“Why vacation to get a T-shirt,
when you can travel to change the
fabric of mankind?” he asks.
Above: A bell tower stands tall above the parish of St. Rose
of Lima, located in the Upper Station of Cabezas, Bolivia.
Right: Father Bob Thames
poses for a picture in
2005 with a member of
the first graduating class
from Our Lady of Carmen
School in Cabezas,
Bolivia. Fr. Thames, who
has spent most of his
43 years as a diocesan
priest doing mission work,
was instrumental in the
building of the school.
Left: Alex
Vourtsanis, of
St. Vincent de
Paul Parish in
Arlington, shared
the gift of music
with the people
of Juticalpa,
Honduras, during
a summer youth
mission trip.
Right: Jimmy
Ruth and
Christina
Pertzborn,
of Good
Shepherd
Parish in
Colleyville,
visit with
trade school
students in
Campamento,
Honduras,
on a recent
mission trip.
Page 14
National
Cardinaldesignate
Daniel N.
DiNardo of the
Archdiocese
of GalvestonHouston talks
with a fellow
bishop before
the opening
session of the
U.S. bishops’
fall meeting
in Baltimore
Nov. 12. Pope
Benedict XVI
will elevate
the Texas
archbishop
to a cardinal
at a Nov. 24
consistory at
the Vatican.
(CNS
photo/Nancy
Wiechec)
Humility key for leaders, says Bishop
Skylstad, outgoing USCCB president
By Nancy Frazier O’Brien
BALTIMORE (CNS) — In his
last official address as president
of the U.S. Conference of Catholic
Bishops, Bishop William S. Skylstad of Spokane, Washington,
urged a leadership style that does
not measure success “moment
to moment” but instead follows
the example of Jesus and Blessed
Mother Teresa of Calcutta.
“We cannot shrink from our
calling to be shepherds, to be
leaders,” he said. “As Christ
made it his mission to show us his
Father, to teach us to seek the will
of his Father, we cannot in fidelity
to him renounce or weaken our
proclamation of the truth.”
Bishop Skylstad spoke Nov.
12 at the beginning of the U.S.
bishops’ fall general meeting in
Baltimore. He was to complete a
three-year term as USCCB president at the close of the meeting
Nov. 15.
In his talk, the bishop touched
on various issues the bishops’
conference faced during his
term. However, most of Bishop
Skylstad’s address focused on
leadership, which he called “one
of the great challenges to our
society and culture.”
Leadership is seen in some
circles “not as a service to the
common good, but as a means
to victory and dominance,” he
said.
Calling Jesus of Nazareth “the
true model of leadership,” the
USCCB president said, “For us
as bishops, a deep and Christ-like
vision of leadership must be at
the heart of our service. Christ
has called us, as successors of
the apostles, to be his voice in
our time.”
Similarly, Mother Teresa’s
leadership was “based in a fundamental and visible humility that
challenged, but also attracted our
world,” Bishop Skylstad said. But
as her recently released writings
showed, “her humility ... was a
deep spiritual reality….
“Our leadership must be
rooted in the humility of a life of
prayer, every day and before the
Eucharist,” he said. “Our leadership as shepherds will never be
authentic if our souls are not one
with Christ the shepherd.”
Cardinal George is elected president of U.S. bishops’ conference
FROM PAGE 1
Father Daniel McCormack,
who was arrested in 2006 and
charged with molesting two
boys. Chicago archdiocesan officials have said the priest was
not initially removed because
no formal allegations had been
made against him by the boy or
his family. The cardinal has since
instituted a series of changes in
procedures aimed at preventing
similar situations.
A member of the Oblates
of Mary Immaculate and the
order’s vicar general in Rome
from 1974 to 1986, Cardinal
George is widely traveled, has
doctorates in philosophy and
theology, is fluent in Spanish,
French, and Italian, and knows
some German.
He was made a cardinal in
1998, a year after becoming
Chicago’s archbishop, filling
the vacancy left by the death
of Chicago Cardinal Joseph L.
Bernardin.
In late July 2006, he underwent
surgery for bladder cancer. Doctors removed Cardinal George’s
bladder, prostate gland, and sections of his ureters — the tubes
that carry urine from the kidneys
to the bladder — after a biopsy
showed there was cancer in his
bladder and a blockage indicated
that the disease was moving into
one of the ureters.
After his release from the hospital, he recuperated at home and
kept a limited schedule. By late fall
of that year he resumed a normal
schedule. Pathology tests after his
surgery showed that the cancer
had not spread, and his doctors
called him a “cancer survivor.”
Cardinal George first became
a bishop when he was named
to head the Diocese of Yakima,
Washingon, in 1990. In 1996 he
was named archbishop of the
Portland Archdiocese.
As archbishop of Chicago, he
has issued two pastoral letters:
one on evangelization, “Becoming an Evangelizing People,”
and the other on racism, “Dwell
in My Love.”
Francis Eugene George was
born in Chicago Jan. 16, 1937. He
entered the Oblates in 1957 and
was ordained a priest in 1963.
He spent several years teaching at Jesuit-run Creighton
University in Omaha, Nebraska,
where he also was philosophy
department chairman. After
more than a decade in Rome, he
served as coordinator of the Cambridge Center for the Study of
Faith and Culture in Cambridge,
Massachusetts.
A five-month bout with polio
when he was 13 damaged both
his legs, forcing him to use a brace
on his right leg. He walks with
a pronounced limp. Since 1990,
the cardinal has been episcopal
moderator and a member of the
board of the organization now
known as the National Catholic
Partnership on Disability.
While he was bishop in Yakima, he and the state’s other
bishops took strong stands on a
number of public policy issues,
including health care reform,
immigrant rights, capital punishment, and euthanasia.
As archbishop of Portland he
led a long, eventually successful
constitutional struggle for the
church’s religious rights against
a violation of the seal of confession by civil authorities who had
taped a murder suspect’s sacramental confession to a priest.
The cardinal has served on
several pontifical councils and
numerous USCCB committees,
including liturgy, doctrine, evangelization, migration, missions,
Latin America, Hispanic affairs,
religious life and ministry, use of
the catechism, pro-life activities,
African-American Catholics, and
science and values.
Bishop Kicanas elected vice president of USCCB
BALTIMORE (CNS) — In
addition to choosing Cardinal
Francis E. George of Chicago as
the new president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, the
bishops Nov. 13 elected Bishop
Gerald F. Kicanas of Tucson,
Arizona, as their vice president.
Bishop Kicanas has been the head
of the Diocese of Tucson since
March 2003.
There were three rounds of
voting for vice president. Two
votes included nine candidates,
and the third vote was between
the top two: Bishop Kicanas and
Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan of
Milwaukee. Bishop Kicanas won
with 128 votes; the archbishop
received 106.
Bishop Kicanas was conference secretary; he was elected
to the post in November 2006,
so the bishops had to vote for
a new secretary. On Nov. 14
they elected Bishop George V.
Murry of Youngstown, Ohio.
He received 114 votes. The other
candidate, Archbishop Dolan,
received 112.
On Nov. 13 the bishops also
voted on treasurer-elect and committee chairmen:
— Archbishop Kurtz won as
treasurer-elect with 163 votes.
The other candidate was Bishop
Michael J. Bransfield of Wheeling-Charleston, West Virginia,
who received 71 votes.
— Committee on Cultural Diversity in the Church: Archbishop
José H. Gomez of San Antonio
was elected chairman with 131
votes over Bishop Richard J.
Garcia of Monterey, California,
who received 101.
— Committee on National
Collections: Archbishop John G.
Vlazny of Portland, Oregon, was
elected chairman with 148 votes
over Bishop Ronald P. Herzog
of Alexandria, Louisiana, who
received 85.
— Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life, and Youth:
Archbishop Roger L. Schwietz
of Anchorage, Alaska, elected
chairman with 140 votes over
Bishop Kevin W. Vann of Fort
Worth, who received 93.
— Committee on Clergy, Consecrated Life, and Vocations: Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley of Boston
elected chairman with 154 votes
over Bishop Michael O. Jackels
of Wichita, Kansas, who received
80 and replaced Bishop George L.
Thomas of Helena, Montana, as
a candidate.
The chairmen of the committees on cultural diversity and
national collections will serve for
two years, while the other two
committee chairmen will hold
their posts for three years.
The bishops also chose chairmen-elect:
— Committee on Canonical
Affairs and Church Governance:
Auxiliary Bishop Thomas J. Paprocki of Chicago was elected
with 138 votes over Archbishop
Raymond L. Burke of St. Louis,
who received 95.
— Committee on Catholic
Education: Auxiliary Bishop
Thomas J. Curry of Los Angeles was elected with 136 votes
over Auxiliary Bishop Walter
J. Edyvean of Boston, who received 94.
— Committee on Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs:
Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory
of Atlanta was elected with 157
votes over Bishop Tod D. Brown
of Orange, California, who received 75.
— Committee on Evangelization and Catechesis: Bishop
Richard J. Malone of Portland,
Maine, was elected with 142 votes
over Auxiliary Bishop Richard E.
Pates of St. Paul and Minneapolis,
who received 90.
— Committee on International
Justice and Peace: Bishop Howard J. Hubbard of Albany, New
York, was elected with 119 votes
over Bishop William F. Murphy
of Rockville Centre, New York,
who received 114.
— Committee for the Protection of Children and Young
People: Bishop Blase J. Cupich
of Rapid City, South Dakota,
was elected with 130 votes over
Bishop Stephen E. Blaire of
Stockton, California, who received 101.
Chairmen-elect serve for a
year, giving them time to become
familiar with the responsibilities
and activities of the committees
they will head.
Elected to the board of
the Catholic Legal Immigration Network Inc., known as
CLINIC, were Bishop Thomas
G. Wenski of Orlando, Florida,
and Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio
of Brooklyn, New York. Results
of the election of new bishop
members to the board of Catholic Relief Services were not yet
available.
Page 15
National
U.S. bishops cover a wide variety of topics at annual fall meeting
BALTIMORE (CNS) — The
announcement of dates and locations for Pope Benedict XVI’s
U.S. visit next year highlighted
the U.S. bishops’ Nov. 12-15 fall
general meeting in Baltimore.
The April 15-20 trip will include
visits to New York and Washington and an address at the United
Nations.
On Nov. 13, for the first time
in 36 years, the bishops elected
a cardinal — Francis E. George
of Chicago — as their next
president.
approved Nov. 13 a proposal
by their Committee on Pro-Life
Activities to draft new documents on embryonic stem-cell
research and on reproductive
technologies.
As outlined by Cardinal Justin
Rigali of Philadelphia, chairman
of the pro-life committee, the
stem-cell document would be “a
brief policy statement” explaining why the church opposes research involving the destruction
of human embryos and would
be presented to the bishops for
debate and vote in June.
Cardinal Rigali said there is “no
authoritative USCCB document
on the underlying reasons” for
Catholic opposition to embryonic
stem-cell research, although there
have been many letters by conference leaders and statements from
popes and Vatican officials.
STATEMENT ON IRAQ
The same day, with the approval of the body of bishops,
a new statement on Iraq was
issued in the name of the bishops’ outgoing president, Bishop
William S. Skylstad of Spokane,
Washington. It says that some
U.S. policymakers “seem to fail to
recognize sufficiently the reality
and failures in Iraq and the imperative for new directions.”
The statement bemoans a “political and partisan stalemate in
Washington” that parallels a “dangerous political stalemate” that
blocks reconciliation in Iraq.
“As pastors and teachers, we
are convinced that the current
situation in Iraq remains unacceptable and unsustainable,” it
says and notes that for almost two
years the bishops have called for
bipartisan action. “Our country
needs a new direction to reduce
the war’s deadly toll and to bring
our people together to deal with
the conflict’s moral and human
dimensions.”
during Lent, 199-6, with five
abstentions.
The music document, “Sing to
the Lord: Music in Divine Worship,” had originally been proposed as a document that would
have required Vatican approval
and would have been binding
on bishops in their dioceses. But
Bishop Donald W. Trautman of
Erie, Pennsylvania, outgoing
chairman of the bishops’ Committee on the Liturgy, said the committee decided to recommend the
document only as a guideline for
bishops, not as “normative law.”
‘FAITHFUL CITIZENSHIP’
FOCUS ON YOUTH
On Nov. 14, the last public
day of the four-day meeting, the
bishops approved the document
“Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship: A Call to Political
Responsibility From the Catholic
Bishops of the United States.”
The document rejects politics
based on “powerful interests,
partisan attacks, sound bites, and
media hype” and calls instead
for “a different kind of political
engagement.” That engagement
must be “shaped by the moral
convictions of well-formed consciences and focused on the
dignity of every human being,
the pursuit of the common good,
and the protection of the weak
and vulnerable,” it said.
In “Stewardship and Teenagers: The Challenge of Being a Disciple,” approved in a 198-6 vote
Nov. 14, the bishops spelled out
in simple language what young
people can and should do to share
their “time, talent, and treasure.
They also approved a Spanishlanguage brochure, 202-5; it is
not a translation but was written
originally in Spanish. Both are to
be circulated as brochures.
To love Jesus, according to the
English-language text, “means
loving Jesus as my brother and
my savior, my best friend and
my God. It means living our faith
fully. It means sharing it freely as
disciples of Jesus Christ by living
out the Gospel value of stewardship. It means walking a mile in
the other person’s shoes.”
The bishops Nov. 14 also
unanimously OK’d a curriculum framework for developing
catechetical materials for high
school students, 220-0.
With a 212-3 vote, they also
approved a 21-page set of guidelines on catechetical instruction
on chaste living for students from
kindergarten through 12th grade.
DOCUMENTS ON LITURGY
The bishops also approved
several liturgical agenda items
Nov. 14: a document on liturgical
music, 183-22, with three abstentions; an English-language version of a document on weekday
celebrations of the Liturgy of the
Word, 190-18, and a Spanish-language version, 188-16, with five
abstentions; and revised readings
BISHOPS’ MASS — U.S. bishops gather for Mass after they adjourn on the first day of their annual fall meeting in
Baltimore Nov. 12. The bishops’ conference president, Bishop William S. Skylstad of Spokane, Washington, was the main
celebrant. Bishop Kevin Vann of Fort Worth is pictured at the near center of the second row. (CNS photo/Nancy Wiechec)
This document had been worked
on since 2003 in response to catechetical publishers who had been
seeking guidance on this topic.
Its introduction states that
these guidelines should not only
help publishers, but parents,
catechists, and teachers “in their
respective roles in this crucial and
delicate task.”
STUDY ON SEXUAL ABUSE
On Nov. 12 the bishops were
briefed by the staff of the New
York-based John Jay College of
Criminal Justice on an ongoing
study of the “causes and context”
of clerical sexual abuse.
Researcher Karen Terry told
the bishops that early research
seems to indicate that the patterns
of sexual abuse within the church
are consistent with the experience
of society as a whole, adding there
are “clusters of hypothetical factors being studied” to explain the
incidence of sexual abuse.
PAPAL VISIT
Archbishop Pietro Sambi,
apostolic nuncio to the United
States, announced the details of
the papal visit during his remarks
to the bishops Nov. 12.
According to the archbishop,
the pope will arrive in Washington April 15 and will receive an
official welcome at the White
House April 16, his 81st birthday.
That afternoon, he will address
the U.S. bishops. On April 17 he
will celebrate Mass at the new
Washington Nationals baseball
stadium, meet with directors of
Catholic universities and colleges
and diocesan educational leaders, and attend an interreligious
meeting at the Pope John Paul II
Cultural Center.
On April 18, Pope Benedict will
be in New York for a morning U.N.
address and an afternoon ecumenical meeting. On April 19, the
third anniversary of his election
as pope, he will celebrate Mass
at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in the
morning and meet with youth and
seminarians in the afternoon. On
April 20, the pope will visit ground
zero, where the twin towers of the
World Trade Center stood before
they were brought down in the
Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks. In
the afternoon, he will celebrate
Mass at Yankee Stadium.
NEW LEADERSHIP
Cardinal George won the
presidency on the first ballot with
188 votes, or 85 percent. He is
completing his three-year term
as vice president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. He
succeeds Bishop Skylstad, whose
three-year term ended at the close
of the meeting. Bishop Gerald F.
Kicanas of Tucson, Arizona, was
elected vice president.
Cardinal George, in remarks
at the end of the public portion
of the meeting, thanked Bishop
Skylstad for his leadership and
friendship, and said, “The conference is stronger in its sense of
mission and more purposeful in
our decisions.”
He said he learned as bishop
of Yakima, Washington, just how
difficult it is to shuttle to meetings
in Washington, with early-morning and infrequent flight schedules. He joked that as president he
would propose moving USCCB
headquarters to Chicago to cut
down on travel complications.
But he assured the bishops that
he wasn’t really serious.
STEM-CELL RESEARCH
The bishops overwhelmingly
USCCB ORGANIZATION
Earlier that day, the bishops
took the final steps to formalize
the new USCCB structure and
approved a $147.7 million budget
for 2008 and a 16 percent reduction in the diocesan assessment
to fund the USCCB.
By a 221-7 vote Nov. 13, the
bishops approved legislation
specifying when a bishop must
get the consent of his diocesan
finance council and college of
consultors before making certain
financial transactions or commitments. It now goes to the Vatican
for its approval.
Norms approved by the bishops in 2002 set those thresholds at
$500,000 for dioceses with fewer
than 500,000 Catholics and $1
million for dioceses with 500,000
or more Catholics.
The bishops’ Ad Hoc Committee on Diocesan Audits recommended annual reporting by
every parish as well as exercising
caution about the tradition of
presuming church employees
view their work as ministry and
do not need oversight. Such a
“trusting environment” can be
exploited by a dishonest worker,
the committee’s report said.
In his last official address
as USCCB president Nov. 12,
Bishop Skylstad urged a leadership style that does not measure
success “moment to moment” but
instead follows the example of
Jesus and Blessed Mother Teresa
of Calcutta.
“We cannot shrink from our
calling to be shepherds, to be
leaders,” he said. “As Christ
made it his mission to show us his
Father, to teach us to seek the will
of his Father, we cannot in fidelity
to him renounce or weaken our
proclamation of the truth.”
Contributing to this story were
Nancy Frazier O’Brien and Patricia
Zapor.
Page 16
Scripture Readings
December 2, First Sunday of Advent.
Cycle A. Readings:
1) Isaiah 2:1-5
Psalm 122:1-9
2) Romans 13:11-14
Gospel) Matthew 24:37-44
I
By Jeff Hedglen
n the fall of 1992, I went to Germany to visit
my brother and his family who were stationed
at Ramstein Air Base. While I was there one of
their friends, a beautiful German woman named
Monika, invited us to dinner. That evening she
and I hit it off and ended up spending quite a bit
of time together during the rest of my trip.
I returned to Texas wondering what would
come of that budding romance. So before the
times of the Internet and low-cost long distance
phone calls, we embarked on a trans-continental
relationship. When she came to visit the next
spring, I popped the question, and she said yes.
Over the next year we saw each other only
once, during which time we petitioned the U.S.
government for a fiancé visa. We were told it
would be from three to 12 months before we
would learn if the visa was to be granted.
When Monika got on the plane to go home,
we had no idea when we would see each other
again. But we knew that when that day came,
it would be the happiest of our lives. However, the wait was excruciating.
The Gospel for the first week of
Advent gives some insight into how
to handle such situations. Jesus, like
the Boy Scout motto, calls us to always
be prepared:
“Therefore, stay awake! For you do
not know on which day your Lord will
come.” Here the promise of Jesus’ return
is made, but the when and how has yet to be
revealed.
I wish I could wait for Jesus’ return with the
same intense, focused anticipation as I had waiting for Monika to return to Texas. But in the midst
of the daily grind, it can be hard to keep the Lord’s
second coming at the forefront of our minds.
To help us, the church brings us Advent, a season of preparing to celebrate Jesus’ coming 2,000
years ago and his promised return in glory.
While I waited for Monika’s return, I prepared her way with letters, cards, gifts, and other
creative things. These efforts helped keep the
connection strong until our glorious reunion.
Similarly, Advent, with its various celebrations
and liturgies commemorating Jesus’ initial coming, prepares our hearts for his return.
“Therefore, stay awake! For
you do not know on which
day your Lord will come.”
— Matthew 24:42
QUESTIONS:
What are the things you do to prepare for the celebration of Christmas
each year? What are some things that we can do to stay prepared for the
return of Jesus?
Copyright © 2007, Diocese of Fort Worth
Pope, at audience, encourages Christians to read the Bible
By Cindy Wooden
Catholic News Service
VATICAN CITY — To know
God and to know how to live their
lives, Christians must read the
Bible, Pope Benedict XVI said.
“Drawing close to the biblical
texts, especially the New Testament, is essential for believers because ‘ignorance of the Scriptures
is ignorance of Christ,’” the pope
said, quoting St. Jerome.
At his Nov. 14 weekly general
audience, the pope continued a
talk begun the week before about
the importance of the teaching
of St. Jerome, the fourth-century
doctor of the church.
Reading the Bible teaches
believers the way they are to
live their lives, the pope said,
but the Scriptures must be read
in a spirit of prayer and must be
understood the way the church
understands them.
“For Jerome, a fundamental
criterion for the interpretation
of Scriptures was harmony with
the Magisterium of the church,”
he said.
Pope Benedict said the books
of the Bible “were written by the
people of God, under the inspira-
Pope Benedict XVI arrives to lead his weekly general audience in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican Nov. 14. The pope said
that Christians must read the Bible in order to know God and to know how to live their lives. (CNS photo/Dario Pignatelli,
Reuters)
tion of the Holy Spirit,” so “only
in harmony with the faith of this
people can we understand the
sacred Scripture.”
The pope said St. Jerome also
emphasized the importance of “a
healthy, integrated education” in
religion, morality, and culture for
all Christians, including women,
which was unusual in ancient
times.
St. Jerome, he said, recognized
the “right of women to have a complete human, scholastic, religious,
and professional formation.”
Education, the pope said,
especially regarding one’s “responsibilities before God and
other human beings, is the real
prerequisite for true progress,
peace, reconciliation, and the
exclusion of all violence.”
“The sacred Scriptures offer
us guidance for education and,
therefore, for true humanism,”
the pope said.
Immediately after the audience, Pope Benedict went up to
his private chapel in the Apostolic
Palace to venerate the relics of St.
Therese of Lisieux, the 19th-century Carmelite saint. Pope John
Paul II proclaimed her a doctor
of the church in 1997.
The relics were brought to
Rome by the bishop of Bayeux,
France, to mark the 120th anniversary of St. Therese’s trip to
Rome in 1887 at the age of 15 to
ask Pope Leo XIII for permission
to enter the Carmelite order. Pope
Leo told her the local Carmelite
superior would have to decide
if she could enter despite her
young age. She was admitted to
the convent in 1888.
Pope Benedict told the estimated 13,000 people at his
audience, “St. Therese wanted
to learn the biblical languages
to better read the Scriptures.
Imitating her and the example
of St. Jerome, take time to read
the Bible regularly.”
Page 17
Scripture Readings
December 9, Second Sunday of Advent.
Cycle A. Readings:
1) Isaiah 11:1-10
Psalm 72:1-2, 7-8, 12-13, 17
2) Romans 15:4-9
Gospel) Matthew 3:1-12
M
By Jean Denton
y 25-year-old friend Penny used to tell me
about her weekend social “adventures” with
her friend, Sara. Sara was a bit of a “wild child,”
Penny explained.
The two had very different backgrounds.
Sara came from a broken home with little discipline or parental attention during her adolescent
years. Penny’s family was close-knit and, while
not overbearingly devout, Christian values were
at its core. Penny herself had a strong sense of
personal morality and self-confidence. It was
obvious that Sara admired Penny and subtly tried
to emulate her.
Sara began having relational problems with
her boyfriend. She told Penny that he was controlling and didn’t treat her with respect. She
told him that she’d started going to church and
wanted him to go to church, too. He didn’t buy
it, but Sara continued the relationship with him
— and quit going to church.
Penny didn’t counsel Sara to go back to
church. Instead, she suggested Sara not only end
the bad relationship, but also start showing
respect for herself by continuing her college
education, slowing down her drinking and
giving up other negative behaviors that
contributed to a poor self image.
But Sara wasn’t willing to change or
sever the attachment to the boyfriend.
Penny, meanwhile, was on a forward
track and quickly tired of the shallow party
scene and moved on.
Months later she heard from her old
friend. Sara had decided she wanted to be
a teacher and had begun college classes
toward that goal. She also broke up with
the boyfriend, was working out regularly
at the Y and had met some new, interesting
friends.
“She seems so much happier — it was like
talking to a different person,” Penny told me.
“Now she’s ready for God.”
Sara’s experience illustrates the need for a twostep conversion such as John the Baptist offers
in this week’s Gospel of Advent. The first step is
repentance — to turn away from one’s sinfulness.
Then will come the Holy Spirit, bringing a life
imbued with Jesus Christ.
The way of Advent is preparation: First we
must cleanse ourselves of elements that keep God
out of our lives. Once emptied, then we are available for the Lord to fill us with his Spirit.
“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!... Prepare
the way of the Lord.”
— Matthew 3:2-3
QUESTIONS:
What are the sins or attachments that crowd Jesus from your life? What must
you do to eliminate these elements, so your life is open to Christ’s coming in?
Copyright © 2007, Diocese of Fort Worth
As we enter the waiting room of
By Jeff Hedglen
here may be no more
appropriately named
space in modern architecture than the waiting room.
Every time I have an appointment in an office building with
one of these rooms, I have this
strange hope that this time the
2:15 appointment will actually
begin at 2:15. Thus I show up
at 2:00, so I am ready at the
appointed time.
Then, as usual, the digits on
my wrist watch click past the
quarter hour, and the waiting
begins. I was promised a time
to meet with the person in the
office, and I eventually get
that meeting, but not in the
time frame I was expecting.
In a very real way Advent
is like this. It is a season that,
in and of itself, is a waiting
room.
It has been a long time since
Jesus died, rose again, ascended into heaven, and promised
to return. By modern day time
tables it might seem like Jesus
was not telling the truth. After
all, where is he? Is Jesus com-
T
This waiting room doesn’t have
magazines to flip through; instead it
has four weeks of Scripture to help
us pass the time. We hear stories
about the Kingdom of God and
the coming of Jesus. Both of these
promises have begun to be fulfilled,
but the fullness of what these
promises hold is yet to come.
ing back or not?
If you wonder things like
this, you’re not alone. Near
the end of the first century
the Christians were growing
restless with waiting. Jesus
had said he was going to the
Father but would return to
usher in the fulfillment of the
Kingdom. Armed with this
promise, they went to work
spreading the Good News.
They worked tirelessly to
fulfill the great commission of
Jesus: to baptize, teach, and
make disciples of all nations
(Matthew 28:19-20). By the ’90s
there were Christians from
Alexandria to Rome and all
points in between.
They had done their part,
but where was Jesus? Had
he come back, and they had
missed it? Did they misunder-
Advent
stand him? If he was yet to return, when would it happen?
Second Peter addresses
some of these concerns when
he says “The Lord does not
delay his promise, as some regard ‘delay,’ but he is patient
with you, not wishing that
any should perish but that all
should come to repentance” (2
Peter 3:9).
One of my favorite Christian singers, says it this way,
“Dear friends, he is not slow
in keeping his promises, as
some understand slowness
to be, keep a watch out, don’t
lose faith. He said he would
come for you; he’s gonna
come for you, you wait and
see” (“Dear Friend” by Charlie
Peacock).
The busyness of our lives
can make the second coming
of Jesus a seldom anticipated
reality. To help us with this,
the Church offers us the waiting room of Advent. This waiting room doesn’t have magazines to flip through; instead it
has four weeks of Scripture to
help us pass the time. We hear
stories about the Kingdom of
God and the coming of Jesus.
Both of these promises have
begun to be fulfilled, but the
fullness of what these promises hold is yet to come.
Some might find it strange
that the weeks leading up to
Christmas don’t have more
to do with the manger scene
and the star of Bethlehem, but
this is because Advent is not
the Christmas pre-game show.
Christmas celebrates the coming of Jesus 2,000 years ago.
Advent is a time to ponder,
anticipate, prepare, and yes,
wait, for the glorious and
triumphant second coming of
Jesus.
Just like the waiting room,
Advent is a season of the
already and the not yet. We
have arrived but have yet to
fully encounter the reason for
our visit.
Jeff Hedglen, youth minister at St.
Bartholomew Parish in Southwest
Fort Worth, is the principal organizer of Camp Fort Worth each
summer. Readers with questions
can contact Jeff at jeff@stbartsfw.
org.
Page 18
América
El obispo Vann nos pregunta sobre un punto clave, ‘Después
de todo, en el gran esquema de la vida, ¿por qué estamos aquí’?
Queridos Amigos en la
Diócesis de Fort Worth,
C
uando
estudiaba
Derecho
Canónigo
en la Angelicum
Monseñor Kevin W. Vann
en Roma,
se nos hacian frecuentes referencias al último
canon en el código para
la Iglesia Latina (Nº
1752) que termina con las
palabras...”y teniendo en
cuenta la salvación de las
almas, que debe ser siempre la ley suprema en la
Iglesia”.
Este canon contiene una referencia de las Sagradas Escrituras. Los
invito a tomar un momento para
reflexionar en 1 Pedro capitulo 1
versos 6 al 9:
“Por esto estén alegres, aunque
por un tiempo tengan que ser
afligidos con diversas pruebas. Si el
oro debe ser probado pasando por
el fuego, y es sólo cosa pasajera, con
mayor razón su fe, que vale mucho
¿Después de
todo, en el gran
cuadro de la
vida, por qué
estamos aquí?
más. Esta prueba les merecerá alabanza, honor y gloria el día en que
se manifieste Cristo Jesús”.
“Ustedes lo aman sin haberlo
visto; ahora creen en él sin verlo,
y ahora se sienten llenos de una
alegría inefable y celestial al tener
ya ahora eso mismo que pretende
la fe, la salvación de sus almas”.
(Biblia Latinoamericana)
El concepto y la verdad completa
de la salvación de las almas es algo
que parece haber sido perdido de
vista en nuestra sociedad contemporánea. En estos años recientes,
a veces parece, aun dentro de la
Iglesia, al estar ocupados diariamente con preocupaciones importantes sobre ministerio y la vida de
la Iglesia, y la comunidad donde la
providencia de Dios nos ha colocado, que hemos perdido de vista esta
verdad importante.
Los meses de noviembre y
octubre, y los últimos domingos
del Tiempo Ordinario, Cristo Rey y
los primeros días de Adviento en el
calendario litúrgico de la Iglesia, nos
da muchas oportunidades para reflexionar sobre la salvación de almas.
¿Después de todo, en el gran cuadro
de la vida, por qué estamos aquí?
Noviembre comienza con el día
de Todos los Santos y el día de Todas
las Almas. Estos dos días, y el mes
entero de noviembre, se dedican
a los novísimos (las últimas cosas:
muerte, juicio, cielo, infierno y
purgatorio, que algunos catecismos
los llaman las postrimerías) y al orar
por los fieles difuntos. Esto nos lleva,
entonces, a las enseñanzas sobre la
Comunión de los Santos y la importancia del purgatorio.
Sin embargo, los calendarios
litúrgicos de la Iglesia, y algunas
de las Fiestas del Santoral del mes,
también nos recuerdan que la vivencia de nuestra fe, y la creencia en la
salvación de almas, deben también
encontrarse en el demostrar el amor
de Cristo a los demás. Esto no es
solamente una buena idea, sino
una obligación. Las vidas de Santa
Margarita de Escocia (16 de noviembre), y de Santa Isabel de Hungría
(17 de noviembre) nos enseñan esto
claramente.
El mes termina con la Solemnidad
de Cristo Rey (que este año se celebra el 25 de noviembre), enseñándonos con gran fuerza que al final de
la vida tendremos que rendirle cuentas a Cristo sobre el modo en que
hemos tratado a los más pequeños
de nuestros hermanos. Esta solemnidad de Cristo Rey es también un
fuerte recordatorio del poder de Dios
en la historia humana.
El Papa visitará Nueva York, Washington
en abril, confirma nuncio papal
Por Carol Zimmermann
WASHINGTON — El Papa
Benedicto XVI visitará a Washington y Nueva York del 15 al
20 de abril.
El arzobispo Pietro Sambi,
nuncio apostólico ante los Estados Unidos, confirmó las fechas
del viaje papal y anunció el itinerario del Papa en comentarios
hechos el 12 de noviembre, al
principio de la reunión anual de
otoño de los obispos estadounidenses en Baltimore.
Según el arzobispo, el Papa
llegará a Washington el 15 de
abril y recibirá una recepción
oficial de bienvenida en la Casa
Blanca el 16 de abril. Esa tarde,
coincidentemente su 81er cumpleaños, se dirigirá a los obispos
estadounidenses.
Al día siguiente celebrará
la Misa en el nuevo estadio de
béisbol de los Nacionales de
Washington. Más tarde ese día se
reunirá con los directores de universidades y colegios católicos, y
con líderes educativos diocesanos en la Universidad Católica de
América, en Washington, y luego
ha de asistir a una reunión interreligiosa en el Centro Cultural
Papa Juan Pablo II.
El 18 de abril el Papa estará en
Nueva York para dirigirse a las
Naciones Unidas por la mañana
y asistir a una reunión ecuménica
por la tarde. Al día siguiente, en
su tercer aniversario de su elección como papa, concelebrará la
Misa en la catedral St. Patrick
durante la mañana y se reunirá
con jóvenes y seminaristas por
la tarde.
Estando en Nueva York el
Papa visitará al Punto Cero durante la mañana del 20 de abril.
El Punto Cero es el lugar donde
se erguían las torres gemelas del
Centro Mundial de Comercio,
antes que fueran derrumbadas
por los ataques terroristas del 11
de septiembre de 2001.
Por la tarde celebrará la Misa
en el estadio Yankee, que será
el evento final de su viaje a los
Estados Unidos.
Finalmente, en este país, el mes
de noviembre termina con la celebración de Acción de Gracias.
Aunque este día tiene ciertamente
un carácter y origen nacional, sus
raíces también se fundan en nuestras
sagradas Escrituras, y por lo tanto
es un día de profunda fe, donde
damos gracias a Dios por todas las
bendiciones del año. Es importante
dar gracias cada día — pero especialmente en este día — para agradecer
al Señor por cada momento de la
vida. Quisiera citar el Catecismo de
la Iglesia Católica sobre este punto,
específicamente el párrafo 2637:
“La acción de gracias caracteriza
la oración de la Iglesia que, al celebrar la Eucaristía, manifiesta y se
convierte más en lo que ella es. En
efecto, en la obra de salvación, Cristo
libera a la creación del pecado y de
la muerte para consagrarla de nuevo
y devolverla al Padre, para su gloria.
La acción de gracias de los miembros
del Cuerpo participa de la de su
Cabeza.”
Al celebrar este día, favor de
comprender cuanto les agradezco,
personalmente y de todo corazón, su
testimonio de fe, y por todo lo que
ustedes hacen para tantos en nuestra
diócesis, en nuestras parroquias e
instituciones, y más allá de nuestra
diócesis, en el nombre de Cristo. Que
él Señor les bendiga a ustedes y a
sus seres amados con viajes seguros
y buen tiempo con sus familiares y
amigos.
“Den gracias al Señor, pues él
es bueno, pues su bondad perdura
para siempre.” (Salmo 118:1, Biblia
Latinoamericana)
Que Dios los bendiga siempre.
‘Empezando una
vida nueva’ grupo de
apoyo para separados,
divorciados y viudos
Ëmpezando una vida
nuevaës un grupo de
apoyo para personas que
están pasando por el dolor
de una separación, un
divorcio o la muerte de
su cónyuge. El grupo se
reúne una vez por semana
por diez semanas y su
propósito es compartir
destrezas de superación
que hay han aprendido,
encontrar nuevos amigos/
as que lo acompañaran
hacia el futuro, perdonar,
adquirir aceptación y
más... ëmpezando una
vida nueva¨ comenzará el
lunes, 28 de enero, 2008, de
las 7 p.m. a las 9 p.m. en el
nuevo salón parroquial de
la Iglesia Todos los Santos,
214 N.W. 20th St., Fort
Worth.
Si desea inscribirse o
desea más información,
favor de hablar con
Carmen Zacarías al
(682) 472-8517.
Page 19
América
Dios hace posible el auténtico
y pleno crecimiento intelectual
La gracia nos ilumina y
el pecado nos embrutece
Por Pedro A. Moreno, OPL
Director, Instituto Luz de Cristo
S
egún el libro de Proverbios, en el séptimo verso de su
primer capitulo, “El comienzo del saber es el temor de
Yavé, únicamente los tontos desprecian la sabiduría y
la disciplina”. Este verso es rico en contenido y explica
muchísimo del mundo y la sociedad en que vivimos.
A
lgunas personas mal entienden el significado de la
frase “temor de Yavé”. Esto no debe entenderse como
miedo, aprensión o terror. A Dios no se le debe tener miedo
pues es un Dios bueno, Dios es amor. “Temor de Yavé” se
refiere a la actitud del creyente que tanto ama a Dios que
teme ofenderle.
B
ueno es recordar que el verso de Proverbios nos esta
diciendo que el saber, o la sabiduría, comienza con evitar de
ofender a Dios, o sea, la luz de la verdad y la sabiduría comienzan en nuestras vidas cuando nos alejamos del pecado. El
que peca no solo trae oscuridad y muerte a su alma, sino trae
también oscuridad, confusión y ceguera a su mente.
I
nteligencia verdadera, sabiduría y comprensión de las
verdades más profundas se pueden alcanzar en parte cuando se estudia, pero el estudiar por si solo es solo un paso
para dejar de ser tontos, atolondrados y brutos. La verdadera sabiduría es don de Dios que se cultiva y se desarrolla con
estudios y oración. Dios nos da su Verdad y tenemos que ser
responsables en estudiarla, meditarla y vivirla.
D
ios es quien todo lo sabe, todo lo ve y todo lo entiende. Mientras más unidos estamos a Dios, mientras más
abiertos estemos a la presencia de la Santísima Trinidad en
nuestras almas, más acceso tenemos a las enseñanzas del
mejor maestro. Solo nos corresponde ser buenos discípulos.
U
sualmente la sociedad nos motiva a estudiar, terminar algún grado o titulo, para después dedicarnos a una
carrera y contribuir de alguna forma con la sociedad en
que vivimos. Lo que no se escucha suficientemente es el
anunciar con toda claridad que los estudios deben complementarse con vidas santas llenas de Dios.
R
ogarle al Espíritu Santo por si solo tampoco nos llena
de sus dones de sabiduría, inteligencia, consejo, fortaleza,
ciencia, piedad y temor de Dios. Estos dones exigen conversión profunda donde, con la ayuda de los sacramentos,
nos hemos limpiado de todo pecado y nuestras almas están
llenas de Dios Padre, Hijo y Espíritu Santo.
I
nteligencia verdadera, la iluminación de la mente y el
alma con las verdades eternas y los conocimientos básicos
para una vida diaria digna y honrada exige la gracia divina. Un buen proceso y hábito de prudencia y discernimiento, esenciales para las decisiones cotidianas y sobre todo las
decisiones importantes en la vida, exigen oración frecuente
y la gracia habitual. No se deben tomar decisiones importantes alejados de Dios.
A
unque suene gracioso, la verdad es que la gracia nos
ilumina y el pecado nos embrutece.
Pedro Moreno es director diocesano del Instituto
Luz de Cristo. Sus escritos espirituales han recibido
múltiples premios de la Asociación de Periodismo
Católico de los Estados Unidos y Canadá. Vive en el
noroeste de Fort Worth con su esposa Maria Mirta y
sus tres hijas Maria, Patricia y Mirangela. Pedro es
Laico Dominico.
El 5 de enero se realizará el día de la
formación del ministerio, en Fort Worth
“Encontrar al Cristo viviente” será el tema del día de la
formación del ministerio, que se
llevará a cabo el día 5 de enero en
Fort Worth, en las instalaciones
de la escuela secundaria católica
Nolan Catholic High School,
en 4501 Bridge Street, East Fort
Worth. Este evento es una oportunidad para el enriquecimiento,
el compañerismo y el desarrollo
de habilidades prácticas para el
ministerio.
El día de la formación del
ministerio, ofrecido en inglés y
español, dará inicio a las 8 de la
mañana con la matrícula y exposición de artículos. El Obispo
Kevin Vann dará su bienvenida
a los participantes a las 8:45 a.m.,
seguida por un servicio de oraciones cortas.
Mike Patin, un conferenciante
motivacional de Lafayette, Louisiana, presentará el discurso de
orden en inglés, ofrecido a las 9:30
a.m. De acuerdo a información
en su sitio web, mikepatin.com,
«Patin utiliza humor, energía y
cuentos para afirmar la bondad
de la presencia de Dios entre
nosotros, mientras invita a otros
(y a sí mismo) a tomar el “próximo
paso” en nuestro viaje con Dios».
Presentador habitual en eventos
diocesanos para jóvenes, Patin ha
viajado a más de 80 diócesis, presentando programas para la juventud, los adultos, y un público
de generaciones mixtas en todo
tipo de ambiente: diocesano, regional, nacional, e internacional.
Patin, quien tiene una maestría de
la Universidad Loyola, en New
Orleans, recibió el premio del
2006 para el ministerio nacional
de jóvenes católicos.
El discurso de orden en español, que comenzará a las 10:45
a.m., será dado por el padre Nathan Stone, SJ, de la casa jesuíta
de Montserrat. Nativo de Texas,
el padre Stone ha pasado mucho
tiempo como maestro voluntario
en Chile. Inspirado por el modelo
ignaciano, se inició como jesuíta
en 1992 y fue ordenado sacerdote
en el año 2000, como miembro de
la provincia chilena de jesuitas.
El padre Stone es un escritor
publicado — sus artículos han
aparecido en medios electrónicos
e impresos, incluyendo la publicación ignaciana The Way.
Durante el discurso de orden
en inglés se ofrecerán talleres en
español, y durante el discurso de
orden en español habrán talleres en inglés. Igualmente, se
ofrecerán dos sesiones adicionales de talleres en la tarde: la
primera comenzará a las 12:45
p.m. mientras que la segunda
comenzará a la 1:55 p.m. Habrá
sesiones de todo tipo, incluyendo «Tuve hambre y me diste
de comer: concientizarnos de
las necesidades espirituales y
materiales del prójimo», «Estudio
Bíblico Little Rock: fácil de usar y
muy efectivo (en tres partes)»,
«¿Entiendes lo que sucede durante la Misa?», «La importancia
de tener una buena relación con
tu pareja», y «Relaciones sanas
para los jóvenes».
El día de la formación del
ministerio concluirá a las 3 de
la tarde.
Todas las personas involucradas en la vida parroquial
o en el ministerio escolar, sea
como voluntarios o personal
remunerado, están invitadas. El
costo, que incluye almuerzo, es de
$20 por persona antes del 22 de
diciembre; después de esa fecha
sube a $25 por persona; habrá
becas disponibles para quienes lo
necesiten. Para más información,
sírvanse llamar al centro católico
(The Catholic Center) al (817)
560-3300. Igualmente, se puede
visitar al sitio Web de la diócesis:
www.fwdioc.org.
Obispos concluyen reorganización,
aprueban presupuesto de USCCB
de $147.7 millones
Por Nancy Frazier O’Brien
BALTIMORE (CNS) — Los
obispos estadounidenses dieron
los pasos finales para formalizar la
nueva estructura de la Conferencia Estadounidense de Obispos
Católicos (USCCB) el 13 noviembre, y aprobaron un presupuesto
de $147.7 millones para el 2008 y
una reducción de un 16 por ciento
en el gravamen diocesano para
financiar la USCCB.
En una serie de votaciones
realizadas durante el segundo día
de su reunión general de otoño en
Baltimore, los obispos aceptaron
las recomendaciones del comité
sobre prioridades y planes de la
USCCB para los planes interinos
de las oficinas y los comités de
la conferencia, los mandatos de
15 subcomités permanentes y el
establecimiento de un subcomité
permanente sobre liturgia hispánica y un subcomité temporal
sobre África.
También estuvieron de acuerdo, con poca discusión, en
cuanto a nuevos estatutos y un
nuevo manual de comités de la
USCCB redactado por su comité
sobre asuntos canónicos.
El obispo William S. Skylstad,
de Spokane, Washington, quien
había de concluir un término de
tres años como presidente de la
USCCB al cierre de la reunión realizada del 12 al 15 de noviembre,
llamó las acciones de los obispos
“un momento histórico” que “nos
fija en un nuevo curso mientras
nos movemos hacia el futuro”.
En un informe de la reorganización el obispo Gerald F.
Kicanas, de Tucson, Arizona,
director del comité de prioridades
y planes, dijo que la estructura
de la USCCB, que anteriormente
estaba compuesta por 65 comités
permanentes, subcomités, comités ad hoc y equipos de trabajo,
ha sido reducida a 16 comités
programáticos, cuatro comités
gerenciales y un subcomité temporal y 15 permanentes.
Dijo que el personal de la
USCCB había sido reducido
por unas 70 personas, con 310
miembros del personal ahora
“intentando hacer el trabajo de
380”.
El obispo Kicanas dijo que los
grupos de trabajo enfocados en
cada una de las cinco prioridades
establecidas para el trabajo de la
USCCB — matrimonio, formación
de fe, vocaciones, diversidad
cultural y vida y dignidad de la
persona humana — serían establecidos, extraídos de los miembros de los comités existentes.
Los grupos de trabajo estarán
encargados de formar “un plan
de acción para enfocarse en las
prioridades” dijo, añadiendo
que la cooperación entre siete
comités que llevó al documento
“Ciudadanía fiel”, que está ante
los obispos, podría ser un modelo
para tal colaboración.
Page 20
América
Obispos eligen a cardenal George como nuevo presidente
BALTIMORE (CNS) — Los
obispos estadounidenses eligieron al cardenal Francis E. George,
de Chicago, como su presidente
y al obispo Gerald F. Kicanas, de
Tucson, Arizona, como su vicepresidente el 13 de noviembre.
Usando un sistema de votación
electrónico, los obispos votaron
durante el segundo día de su
reunión general de otoño, realizada del 12 al 15 de noviembre
en Baltimore.
El cardenal George ganó en la
primera votación con 188 votos, o
el 85 por ciento. Está concluyendo
su término de tres años como
vicepresidente de la Conferencia Estadounidense de Obispos
Católicos (USCCB). Es el primer
cardenal elegido presidente o
vicepresidente de la conferencia
desde 1971.
Es sucesor del obispo William S. Skylstad, de Spokane,
Washington, cuyo término de
tres años terminaba con el cierre
de la reunión.
Los candidatos a presidente
eran el cardenal George y el
cardenal Justin Rigali, de Philadelphia; los arzobispos Timothy
M. Dolan, de Milwaukee, y
Joseph E. Kurtz, de Louisville,
Kentucky; y los obispos Kicanas,
Gregory M. Aymond de Austin,
William E. Lori de Bridgeport,
Connecticut, Dennis M. Schnurr
El cardenal Francis
E. George de
Chicago sonríe
después de haber
sido elegido
presidente de
la Conferencia
Estadounidense de
Obispos Católicos el
13 de noviembre, en
Baltimore.
(Foto CNS/ Nancy
Wiechec)
de Duluth, Minnesota, Donald W.
Trautman de Erie, Pennsylvania,
y Allen H. Vigneron de Oakland,
California.
Después de elegir un presidente entre los 10 candidatos, los
nueve restantes se convirtieron en
candidatos a vicepresidente.
Hubo tres rondas de votación
para vicepresidente. Dos votaciones incluyeron los nueve candidatos restantes y la tercera votación
fue entre los dos que tenían más
votos: el obispo Kicanas y el arzobispo Dolan. El obispo Kicanas
ganó con 128 votos; el arzobispo
recibió 106.
El cardenal George ha sido
Mientras agua retrocede, víctimas
mexicanas de inundaciones
deben reedificar sus vidas
VILLAHERMOSA, México
— CNS — El agua sucia retrocede
de las calles de la ciudad. Luces
y teléfonos se encienden. Equipos
trotamundos de televisión vuelan
hacia la historia siguiente.
Pero para muchos residentes
del sudeste de México arrasado
por inundaciones, sus problemas
están sólo comenzando. Según se
disipa el choque emocional puro
de haberse escapado del peligro,
ellos despiertan a una nueva realidad ruda.
Las cosechas de maíz, bananas
y frijoles han sido arrancadas en
pedazos, robándole a muchos
sus únicos ingresos. Los cuerpos
decadentes de millares de vacas,
cerdos y gallinas abundan en los
campos. Cientos de miles de hogares están dañados o destruidos.
Los abastos de agua de las villas
están contaminados.
“Ahora es la prueba verdadera.
Esta es una situación que afectará a la gente durante meses o
hasta años”, dijo Eufemio Flores,
coordinador de emergencia para
Caritas México, la afiliada local de
la organización católica matriz,
Caritas Internationalis.
“La operación de evacuación
fue buena. Pero en el pasado
nuestro gobierno ha sido notorio
por olvidar rápidamente los problemas a largo plazo de la gente
en zonas de desastre”, dijo.
Después de una semana de
lluvia torrencial los ríos de todo el
sudeste de México se salieron de
sus cauces, a fines de octubre. El
agua cubrió más del 70 por ciento
del pantanoso estado de Tabasco,
hogar de 2 millones de personas, y la
desparramada ciudad petrolera Villahermosa. También causó estragos
en comunidades montañosas en
el vecino estado de Chiapas, desatando un desliz de terreno el 4 de
noviembre, que borró a un pueblo
completamente del mapa.
Por lo menos 18 personas murieron en las inundaciones y docenas todavía están desaparecidas.
Observadores internacionales
dicen que el total de muertes fue
relativamente bajo porque las
organizaciones gubernamentales
mexicanas y de socorro fueron
rápidas en evacuar a la gente, en
establecer refugios y en llevar por
aire paquetes de agua, alimento y
provisiones médicas.
arzobispo de Chicago desde 1997.
Fue investido cardenal en 1998
y hecho obispo originalmente
cuando fue nombrado a dirigir la
Diócesis de Yakima, Washington,
en 1990. Luego fue director de la
Arquidiócesis de Portland desde
1996 hasta su nombramiento a
Chicago.
El obispo Kicanas, quién fue
elegido secretario de la conferencia por los obispos en noviembre
del 2006, ha sido director de la
Diócesis de Tucson desde marzo
del 2003.
Fue obispo auxiliar de Chicago
desde marzo de 1995 hasta que
se convirtió en obispo coadjutor
de Tucson en enero del 2002. En
marzo del 2003 fue sucesor del
obispo Manuel D. Moreno, quien
se jubiló a la edad de 73 años, citando enfermedad. El obispo Moreno
murió en noviembre del 2006. El
obispo Kicanas es ex-presidente
del comité de comunicaciones de
la USCCB.
Los obispos también votaron
para un tesorero-electo y para los
directores de comités:
— El arzobispo Kurtz ganó
como tesorero-electo con 163
votos. El otro candidato era el
obispo Michael J. Bransfield, de
Wheeling-Charleston, Virginia,
quien recibió 71 votos.
— Comité sobre diversidad
cultural en la Iglesia: El arzobispo
José H. Gómez, de San Antonio,
fue elegido director con 131 votos
sobre el obispo Richard J. García,
de Monterey, California, quien
recibió 101.
— Comité sobre colectas nacionales: El arzobispo John G.
Vlazny, de Portland, Oregon, fue
elegido director con 148 votos
sobre el obispo Ronald P. Herzog,
de Alexandría, Louisiana, quién
recibió 85.
— Comité sobre laicado, matrimonio, vida familiar y jóvenes:
El arzobispo Roger L. Schwietz,
de Anchorage, Alaska, fue electo
director con 140 votos sobre el
obispo Kevin W. Vann, de Fort
Worth, quien recibió 93.
— Comité sobre clero, vida
consagrada y vocaciones: El
cardenal Sean P. O’Malley, de
Boston, fue elegido director con
154 votos sobre el obispo Michael
O. Jackels, de Wichita, Kansas,
quien recibió 80 y reemplazó
al obispo George L. Thomas,
de Helena, Montana, como
candidato.
Los directores de los comités sobre diversidad cultural y
colectas nacionales servirán durante dos años, mientras que los
otros dos directores de comités
ocuparán sus puestos durante
tres años.
Bush nomina a Mary Ann Glendon
como embajadora ante el Vaticano
WASHINGTON (CNS) — El
presidente George W. Bush nominó el 5 de noviembre a Mary Ann
Glendon, profesora de jurisprudencia estadounidense y presidenta de la Pontificia Academia de
las Ciencias Sociales, como nueva
embajadora estadounidense ante
el Vaticano.
La nominación requerirá la
confirmación del senado.
Glendon, quien es católica,
dijo en una declaración del 6
de noviembre que ella tiene la
esperanza que su “trasfondo en
estudios legales internacionales,
junto con mi familiaridad con
el pensamiento social católico,
me ayudará en la continuación
del diálogo fructífero que existe
actualmente entre Estados Unidos
y la Santa Sede” en una variedad
de asuntos.
Ella será sucesora de Francis
Rooney, empresario que ha ocupado el puesto desde octubre
del 2005.
Glendon es profesora de jurisprudencia en la Universidad
de Harvard, en Cambridge, Massachusetts, y ha sido miembro de
la academia de ciencias sociales
desde su fundación en 1994.
El 5 de noviembre, La Casa Blanca
anunció que el Presidente George
W. Bush había nominado a Mary Ann
Glendon, una profesora de leyes y
presidente de la Academia Pontifica
de Ciencias Sociales, como la nueva
embajadora ante el Vaticano. Se ve
aquí en una foto sin fecha. (Foto
CNS/The Pilot)
En marzo del 2004 el Papa Juan
Pablo II la nombró presidenta de
la academia, marcando la primera
vez que una mujer ha sido nombrada presidenta de una de las
principales academias pontificias.
Glendon, de 69 años de edad,
fue la primera mujer nombrada
para dirigir una delegación del
Vaticano a una conferencia importante de la ONU. En 1995 el Papa
Juan Pablo la nombró directora
de la delegación del Vaticano a la
Conferencia de la ONU sobre las
mujeres, realizada en Beijing.
La investigación de Glendon se
ha enfocado en bioética, derechos
humanos, teoría de la ley y ley
constitucional comparativa.
Desde el 2001 también ha servido en el consejo presidencial sobre
bioética, el cual asesora al presidente de los Estados Unidos.
Page 21
National / International
NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL
NEWSBRIEFS
Creating cardinals: Pomp, circumstance, and giving input to the pope
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Benedict XVI presides over his
second consistory in late November, inducting 23 new cardinals
into the church’s most exclusive body. The ceremony to create
the cardinals takes only an hour or so, but the celebratory and
consultative events that surround it last four days. The working
part comes first, when the pope meets Nov. 23 with the College
of Cardinals — including the cardinals-to-be — in a closed-door
assembly. The main topic for the morning session is ecumenism,
while the afternoon is open to “free interventions” on other matters. On Nov. 24 the pope holds the consistory proper, a Liturgy of
the Word, during which he pronounces a formula that officially
creates the new cardinals. In the afternoon, the Vatican hosts receptions for the new cardinals in an “open house” event that attracts
thousands of well-wishers. On Nov. 25, the pope concelebrates a
morning Mass with the new cardinals, presenting each of them with
a gold ring, a sign of their special bond with the church of Rome.
On Nov. 26, the pope holds an audience with the new cardinals,
their relatives, and the pilgrims who have accompanied them.
Natural Family Planning gets
government, insurance recognition
ST. LOUIS (CNS) — The medical coding system used by the government, insurance companies, medical clinics, and health care
providers now includes two codes specifically for Natural Family
Planning. Behind the push for the new codes was the American
Academy of FertilityCare Professionals, a national organization
that promotes the use of the Creighton Model FertilityCare System,
which is used for Natural Family Planning and women’s health
and infertility issues while upholding Catholic teaching. Diane
Daly, director of the Office of Natural Family Planning for the
St. Louis Archdiocese and a member of the academy, headed the
committee that worked several years for the new codes. On Oct.
1, the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical
Modification (ICD-9-CM) published the following codes for Natural
Family Planning: V25.04: Counseling and instruction in Natural
Family Planning to avoid pregnancy, and V26.41: Procreative
counseling and advice using Natural Family Planning.
Vatican official tells U.N. world must
work for Holy Land compromise
UNITED NATIONS (CNS) — Not working to bring an end to the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict through negotiation and compromise
is to perpetuate continued injustice, said the Vatican’s permanent
observer to the United Nations. Archbishop Celestino Migliore
said the Vatican “remains convinced that the two-state solution
has the best chance to settle the crisis.” However, he said, it is
up to Israelis, Palestinians, and neighboring states to “set aside
the pretense of peacemaking and start full negotiations on the
two-state solution.” The archbishop made his remarks Nov. 8 to
a committee of the U.N. General Assembly. He said the Vatican
also believes “a lasting solution must include the status of the
holy city of Jerusalem.” He said, “The numerous incidents of
violence and challenges to free movement posed by the [Israeli]
security wall” along the West Bank have prompted the Vatican
to renew calls for internationally guaranteed provisions that
ensure the freedom of religion and conscience for those who live
in Jerusalem and “permanent, free, and unhindered access to the
holy places by the faithful of all religions and nationalities.”
As Senate begins debate, stage set for
battle over new farm bill
WASHINGTON (CNS) — The harvest is in. The apples have fallen
from the trees. One thing is awaited, though, before farmers can
declare whether 2007 was a good season for them: the passage
of the federal farm bill. It is a reauthorization measure that affects everything from agriculture policy to food safety to crop
subsidies to nutrition programs, which include food stamps. The
biggest issue in the five-year, $285 billion bill is crop subsidies.
Though the subsidies account for only about $40 billion in the bill
— food stamps and nutrition assistance, by comparison, account
for two-thirds of the bill’s budget — it has become the subject
of the latest round of veto saber rattling by President George W.
Bush and veto-override saber rattling by members of Congress.
The Senate began debate on the bill Nov. 5. The House passed
the bill July 27. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, as part
of the Religious Working Group on the Farm Bill, had tried to
rein in and reorient the subsidies, but was unsuccessful. In fact,
the subsidies have grown to include fruit and vegetable crops
that had never been part of previous farm bills.
Glendon’s nomination as U.S. ambassador
to Vatican is praised by Catholic leaders
FROM PAGE 1
on a variety of issues.
Those issues include human
rights, religious freedom, human
trafficking, development, and
“the fight against hunger, disease,
and poverty,” she said.
“If confirmed, I would be
especially pleased to follow in
the footsteps of my fellow Bostonian, Ray Flynn, and all the other
ambassadors who have so ably
contributed to excellent relations
between the United States and the
Holy See,” Glendon said.
She will succeed Francis
Rooney, a Catholic businessman who has held the post
since October 2005. A date for
Rooney’s departure has not been
announced.
Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley of
Boston praised the choice of Glendon, saying that her career has
been “marked with numerous
achievements in law, education,
and international affairs that provide her exemplary credentials
for this post.”
“It is our hope and prayer that
Dr. Glendon’s nomination will
be confirmed expeditiously,” he
added in a statement.
Glendon is a law professor
at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and has
been a member of the social
sciences academy since its
founding in 1994.
In March 2004 Pope John
Paul II named her president of
the academy, marking the first
time a woman has been named
president of one of the major
Mary Ann Glendon will be nominated
by President Bush as the new U.S.
ambassador to the Vatican. The White
House made the announcement late
Nov. 5. She is pictured in an undated
photo. (CNS photo/THE PILOT)
pontifical academies.
The social sciences academy
focuses on issues related to the social sciences, economics, politics,
and law. Although autonomous,
the academy works in consultation with the Pontifical Council
for Justice and Peace.
Glendon, 69, also serves as a
consultant to the U.S. Conference
of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on International Policy and
chaired its task force on Iraq.
She was the first woman
named to head a Vatican delegation to a major U.N. conference; in
1995, Pope John Paul named her
head of the Vatican delegation to
the U.N. Conference on Women
in Beijing.
Glendon’s research has focused on bioethics, human rights,
the theory of law, and comparative constitutional law.
Since 2001, she also has served
on the President’s Council on
Bioethics, which advises the U.S.
president.
In May of this year, Glendon
participated in a panel on “Religion in Contemporary Society” at
U.N. headquarters in New York.
She said the challenge religious and cultural leaders are facing is “motivating their followers
to meet others on the plane of
reason and mutual respect, while
remaining true to themselves and
their own beliefs.”
Glendon is known as a strong
defender of Catholic teaching
while also working to expand
the inclusion of women in the
church.
Last December at a Rome
conference on “Feminism and
the Catholic Church,” she said
church teaching that women and
men are equal, but not identical
is a healthy corrective to the
feminism of the late 20th century,
which she said promoted a “unisex society.”
But she also said the church
“will continue to have difficulty
explaining the exclusion of women from the priesthood” unless it
demonstrates the seriousness of
its belief that women and men are
equal, but not identical, by providing examples of lay women
and men and priests working
together in real partnerships.
World’s rapidly aging population poses new set of
challenges, say Vatican officials
By John Thavis
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The
world’s rapidly aging population
poses a whole new set of challenges, in particular the pastoral
care of elderly sick people, Vatican officials said.
“This is the most important
stage of life, because from here
humanity opens itself to eternal
life,” said Cardinal Javier Lozano
Barragan. “Giving pastoral care
to the sick in this phase means
opening the door for them in the
name of the Lord.”
Cardinal Lozano, president of
the Pontifical Council for Health
Care Workers, spoke at a Vatican
press conference Nov. 14. The
council was sponsoring a Nov.
15-17 conference on pastoral care
of the elderly sick, with international participants from health,
scientific, and religious fields.
The cardinal cited statistics
showing that the world’s population age 65 and over is 390 million
today, but is expected to rise to
800 million by 2025.
When “elderly” is defined
as 60 or over, the global elderly
population today is 650 million
and will reach 2 billion by 2050,
according to the World Health
Organization.
While longer life is generally
a good sign, the increasing numbers of the elderly are susceptible
to disease as well as physical
and mental trials, said Roberto
Bernabei, an aging specialist at
the Catholic University of the
Sacred Heart in Rome.
The loss of friends and a
productive social role are also
important factors, and in many
cases make old age a particularly
fragile period, Bernabei said.
Bishop José Redrado Marchite,
secretary of the health care council, said the main task for the
church is to educate its members
in the appreciation of old age.
He also said society needs to
recognize that those who retire
at age 60 or 65 may still have
many productive years ahead
of them.
Page 22
Diocesan
Already the Webbs are stepping back into their lives of service to others
FROM PAGE 24
Mike Coggins. “Since transferring into the council, he has
made the 80-mile round trip to
attend meetings and functions,
several times a month if necessary. He has served as an officer several times since joining
the council and is a member
of the council’s First Degree
Team…. It is not hard to see
why so many Knights, friends,
family, and parishioners came
to John’s aid during his time of
great need. John and Virginia
… have given generously of
themselves since arriving in
Comanche.”
Hamer…
FROM PAGE 11
Except last year a plumber
came to my house, and he had
a big job to do. The ceiling had
been torn out of my bathroom,
when the previous technician had tried, unsuccessfully,
to repair pipes. The full job,
the former plumber had said,
would cost about $3,500.
Whew. That was shock.
Falling-down-on-floor shock.
Crying-on-hands shock.
A colleague at work referred
another plumber, who he
promised would be “Honest.
Dependable. He will not cheat
you.”
When Bert the plumber
came to my house I was worried, as he spent hour upon
hour on a ladder, working
above his head, hammering,
turning. One technique might
not work, and he would try
another. He’d leave and come
back the next day. The process
went on for months, as Bert
made decisions based on the
success or failure of what he
had previously tried.
But he never gave up.
Each time Bert returned, he
had thought of a compound he
could use or a way to reach the
newest leak — wherever it had
sprung.
And for every two hours he
worked at my house, we spent
30 minutes sitting on the stairway talking about uncountable,
abstract nouns: Spirit. Prayer.
Members of Council #10816,
which draws Knights from
several parishes within the
South Deanery of the diocese,
worked together to add a
wheelchair ramp and accessible front door threshold to the
Webb home. They also built
a 10-foot by 12-foot accessible bathroom, with the help
of contributions from local
businesses, youth ministers
throughout the diocese, and
proceeds from various fundraising events. When completed, the addition to the home
was blessed by Father Philip
McNamara, SAC, pastor of the
Survival. Hope.
Bert had lost his wife years
prior to our acquaintance, but
he wore his wedding ring, always speaking of her as though
she were still in the home
they had shared for decades.
Together the two had walked
through life doing the work he
loved: helping people.
Bert loves to pray, in chain,
for those in his expanding
prayer group, who need him.
He loves to work for the missions, where his skills are.
When Bert finished my
plumbing disaster, he told me
he had prayed about it, and he
wanted nothing from me but
the cost of his supplies. I was
flabbergasted — to use a word
Sr. Vincentia might have used.
I had received a master
plumber’s work, from a man
who was related, clearly, to the
carpenter we love and worship.
“Bert said, ‘I prayed about
this, and it is what Jesus told
me to do.’”
At Sunday Mass recently I
heard a homily from one of our
diocese’s newest priests, Father
James Flynn. He spoke about
what we can do in the big
world, by expanding from the
little world around us. “Go out
of your own 15 acres,” Fr. Flynn
said, gesturing to the space
around their parish, Immaculate Conception, in Denton.
He urged the community to
go out into the world, showing
themselves to be Christian by
their actions. Soon, Fr. Flynn
said, people outside the 15
parishes of Stephenville, Dublin, Comanche, and DeLeon.
“It brought tears to my eyes,
the outpouring of love and
kindness,” says John, simply.
“I couldn’t believe all that
was done for us. You feel like
you can never say ‘thank you’
enough for everything.”
With all they have to be
grateful for, their greatest blessing is that of their children and
grandchildren, say John and
Virginia. They proudly note
that their daughter “Ginny,”
and their son John and their
families live close by. Their son
Tom and his family live in San
acres of their parish, would
ask “Why are they so happy?”
They would get to know the
people were Christian, and
Catholic, by what they did.
Not by what they said.
Back in grammar school
we were specific about where
words went and what they
meant. We memorized rules
(some of us did) and were
tested (some of us successfully) about uses of the English
language.
I loved Sr. Vincentia as I
loved the line of sisters who
followed her in my formation. But it wasn’t the articles,
prepositions, and conjunctions
that prepared me for the world.
It was observing and realizing
the sisters were working every
day for Jesus.
My friend Bert pads his
words with action, then walks
away as though everything he
does each day is prayer.
He is right, because making
a sign of yourself, in action, is a
gift to the Lord.
And like Bert, all of us can
be gift. And love. And thanks.
Kathy Cribari Hamer, a
member of St. Andrew
Parish, has five children, Meredith, John,
Julie, Andrew, and
Abby. Her column is syndicated
in a number of the best Catholic
diocesan newspapers across the
U.S. In May of 2005, her column
received the first place award for
best family life column by the
Catholic Press Association of the
U.S. and Canada.
Virginia Webb (far right) is pictured here with junior high youth from Sacred Heart
Parish at Disciple Now, a diocesan youth retreat held in Fort Worth. The Webbs
regularly travel long distances in order to bring Sacred Heart teens to youth
events in other parts of the diocese.
Antonio. John and Virginia’s
oldest child, Tony, died at age
18, and they lost another son,
Christopher, at birth in 1964.
“Yes, we’ve been through a lot
of ups and downs through the
years,” admits Virginia. “But
we just feel so blessed to have
been given so many wonderful opportunities. And we’ve
been able to do so many things
together, and that’s been the
important thing to us.”
The couple retired to Texas
in 1972 after 22 years of extensive travel brought by the
various assignments of John’s
career in the U.S. Navy. Their
shared commitment to service
keeps them “young at heart,”
according to John. “My mother
taught me to give of myself and
to give to the world, and that’s
a philosophy that Virginia has,
too,” he explains.
“John and Virginia are very
dedicated to the parish,” says
their pastor, Fr. McNamara.
“They’re very competent, and
very generous with their time.
They take care of so many
responsibilities in the youth
ministry programs and in the
management of the church.
Even after losing his leg, John is
still going strong.”
Their friends throughout the
diocese have been reassured
to hear that the Webbs are
already easing back into their
very active life of service. Even
though John is now on crutches
or often in a wheelchair, he is
pleased to be back at Knights
of Columbus meetings and
leading prayers at services at
Sacred Heart.
“I couldn’t have done any
of it without Virginia,” asserts John, as he reflects on
the events of the past several
months.
She gives him a loving smile
in return. “It does seem like we
were meant to be together,” she
agrees.
By Jean Denton
Copyright © 2007, Jean Denton
Page 23
Calendar
OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE
A rosary novena will be prayed to Our Lady of
Guadalupe, patroness of the Americas, at 7
p.m. Dec. 3 through Dec. 11 at St. Catherine
of Siena Church, 1705 E. Peters Colony
Road, Carrollton. A bilingual Mass will be
celebrated in honor of the feast of Our Lady
of Guadalupe at 7 p.m. Dec. 12. The Knights
of Columbus and matachines will participate
in this joyful celebration of Our Lady of
Guadalupe’s apparitions to St. Juan Diego in
Mexico in the year 1531, and a reception with
tamales, hot chocolate, and pan dulce will
follow in Assisi Hall. For more information,
call the parish office at (972) 492-3237.
ST. JOHN CENTERING PRAYER
The St. John Centering Prayer group is now
meeting in the Formation Center, located at
4101 Frawley Dr., on the far east side of St.
John the Apostle Church’s property. The hall
is located to the east of St. John School.
Centering Prayer group meetings are held at
9 a.m. on the second and fourth Saturday of
each month. The group meets in the first room
on the left after entering the hall. For more
information about the group, contact Tom
Uhler at (817) 874-2894 or at tomuhler@
yahoo.com or Kathleen Kelley at (817)
281-6218 or at [email protected].
CATHOLIC SCHOOLS BANQUET
All are invited to join Bishop Kevin W. Vann
and Catholic School alumni, parents, friends,
benefactors, and staff in celebrating the
gift of Catholic schools to the community.
This singular annual event in the diocese
celebrates the legacy of Catholic schools
and honors outstanding individuals who are
instrumental in lighting the way for Catholic
schools to continue their mission of faith,
knowledge, and service. The celebration
is scheduled for Jan. 26 at the Fort Worth
Convention Center, 1201 Houston Street,
Fort Worth. Tickets are priced at $75 per
person. The evening will include a social
hour followed by dinner. Dr. Elinor Ford,
2007 recipient of NCEA’s Seton Presidential
Award, will be the guest speaker. Proceeds
from the event will benefit the Bishop’s
Scholars Fund, the diocesan tuition assistance program. For more information and
to secure reservations, contact the Catholic
Schools Office at (817) 560-3300.
CATECHISM COURSE
A 10-week course on the Catechism of the
Catholic Church will be offered by the Cardinal Newman Institute, starting Jan. 5 from
9 a.m. to noon. This course can be audited
or taken for credit toward a certificate in
theological studies. College credit is also
available through the College of St. Thomas
More. Tuition is $200, with Catholic School
teachers, DREs, and CREs being offered onehalf tuition. Classes will be held every other
week at St. Maria Goretti Holy Family Life
Center, 1200 S. Davis Dr., Arlington. For more
information or to pre-register and to obtain
book information, call (817) 277-4859 or
e-mail to [email protected]. Participants
may also register at the first class Jan. 5.
CENTERING PRAYER
The annual Advanced Centering Prayer Retreat, sponsored by Contemplative Outreach
of Fort Worth, will be held this Advent at Camp
Copass in Denton. Dec. 6-9. Retreatants may
start registration at 4 p.m. The cost for the
retreat, which includes meals, is $160 for
a semi-private room or $250 for a private
room. To register, print the registration form
found on the Web site at www.cpfortworth.
org/calevnts/regform1.doc, or contact Kathleen Kelley at (817) 281-6218, by e-mail
to [email protected], or by mail to 400
Durrand Oak Drive, Keller 76248. To find out
more about Contemplative Outreach Ltd.,
visit www.centeringprayer.com.
ST. AUGUSTINE GROUP
The St. Augustine Men’s Purity Group, a
ministry for men who struggle with sexual
impurity issues on the Internet and other
sources, meets regularly in Room 213 at
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton School, located
at 2016 Willis Lane, Keller, and at 1301
Paxton (Padre Pio House) in Arlington. For
additional information, visit the Web site
at www.sampg.com, or e-mail to Mark at
[email protected].
To Report Misconduct
If you or someone you know is a victim
of sexual misconduct by anyone who
serves the church, you may
• Call Judy Locke, victim
assistance coordinator,
(817) 560-2452 ext. 201
or e-mail her at [email protected]
• Or call the Sexual Abuse Hotline
(817) 560-2452 ext. 900
• Or call The Catholic Center at (817)
560-2452 ext. 107 and ask for the vicar
general, Father Michael Olson.
To Report Abuse
Call the Texas Department of Family
Protective Services (Child Protective
Services)
1 (800) 252-5400
WHITE MASS
The Medical Association of Catholic Students from University of North Texas Health
Science Center invites all physicians, nurses,
students, and health care professionals to
the third annual White Mass Nov.28 at 7
p.m. at St. George Church, 3508 Maurice
Ave., Fort Worth. All are invited to wear their
white coats. A White Mass is the customary
description for the liturgy for health care
workers. All medical personnel and health
care workers in the diocese are welcome
and encouraged to attend, as well as priests
and men and women religious in health
care ministry. For information, call Ewa
Oberdorfer at (817) 946-3092.
ADVENT QUIET DAY
The Carmelite Auxiliary will hold its annual
Advent Quiet Day of Reflection Dec.4 at the
Carmelite Monastery, 5801 Mount Carmel
Drive in Arlington from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Father John Hennessey will lead the day
with quiet prayer, meditation, and confessions. A pantry shower to benefit the nuns
will also be a part of the day’s activities.
Attendees are asked to bring a sack lunch
and items for the nun’s pantry. (Paper goods
are greatly needed.) All are welcome. For
additional information, call Cathy Lancaster
at (817) 714-8231.
RACHEL’S VINEYARD
Rachel’s Vineyard of Fort Worth will host
a weekend retreat Dec. 7-9 for healing
following an abortion. This program helps
those who struggle with grief, guilt, and
pain following an abortion to find hope and
healing. The retreats are open to all who
feel the pain of post-abortion trauma. For
more information or registration, call the
confidential help line at (817) 923-4757,
MINISTRY FORMATION DAY
The next Ministry Formation Day will be
held Jan. 5 at Nolan Catholic High School,
4501 Bridge Street in Fort Worth. The day
will feature keynote speakers Mike Patin
and Father Nathan Stone, SJ, as well as
exhibitors and breakout sessions in English,
Spanish, and Vietnamese. Registration will
begin at 8 a.m. The day will close at 3 p.m.
The cost for the day is $20 by Dec. 22 and
$25 after Dec. 22. Scholarships are available. For more information, call Kevin Prevou
at (817) 560-2452 ext. 261. Registration
forms are available on the diocesan Web
site at www.fwdioc.org.
COURAGE SUPPORT GROUP
Courage D/FW, a spiritual support group for
those striving to live chaste lives according
to the Catholic Church’s teachings on
homosexuality, meets every second and
fourth Friday evenings. For information, email to [email protected] or call
(972) 938-5433.
MINISTRY FOR GAYS / LESBIANS
The next meeting of the Fort Worth Diocesan
Ministry With Lesbian and Gay Catholics,
Other Sexual Minorities, and Their Families will be held Jan. 24 at 7 p.m. at the
Catholic Renewal Center, 4503 Bridge St.
in East Fort Worth. Father Warren Murphy,
TOR, coordinator of the ministry, encourages those interested to join for prayer and
sharing. For additional information, contact
Fr. Murphy at (817) 927-5383 or Deacon
Richard Griego at (817) 421-1387.
SCRIPTURE STUDY SERIES
CHRISTMAS BY CANDLELIGHT
OUR LADY OF GRACE
Yes! I’m Catholic Scripture Series — New
Testament Scripture Study, “The Infancy
Narratives” will be presented Monday
evenings, Nov. 26, and Dec. 3, 10, and 17
at St. Andrew Church in the parish hall.
Sister Carolyn Osiek, RSCJ, professor of
New Testament at Brite Divinity School, TCU,
will take a fresh look at the familiar Gospel
stories surrounding the birth of Jesus and
situate them in their original contexts to
gain a new appreciation. St. Andrew Church
is located at 3717 Stadium Dr., Fort Worth.
For more information and to register for the
series, call (817) 927-5358. Childcare is
available by calling (817) 924-6581 at least
48 hours in advance.
All are invited to attend the fourth annual
Christmas by Candlelight, hosted by St. Rita
Parish, Dec. 5. Guests will enjoy desserts,
coffee, and tea in a Christmas atmosphere.
This peaceful evening will include fellowship,
music, readings, stories, prayer, sing-a-long,
and a special appearance by Bishop Kevin
Vann. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. to visit
and view table decorations. The program will
be held from 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. For
more information or to make a reservation,
contact Lisa Millis at (817) 563-6719 or by
e-mail to [email protected]. Donations will be accepted and will benefit St.
Rita’s Outreach Ministry and the St. Vincent
de Paul Society in memory of parishioner
John Holler. St. Rita Parish Center is located
at 5550 East Lancaster in Fort Worth.
All are invited to join Bishop Kevin Vann
in celebration of North Texas’ newest
Catholic High School. Our Lady of Grace
High School has just opened at its new
campus in Northeast Tarrant County and
will host its first recognition banquet Dec.
1 at 6 p.m. at the Marriott Solana Hotel, 5
Village Circle, Westlake. Tickets are $65 per
person. Table sponsorships are available for
$1,500. For more information, and reservations call (817) 933-6516. Information is
also available on the school’s Web site at
www.olghs.org.
LAS POSADAS
Las Posadas will be held Dec. 7 at St.
Vincent de Paul Church, 5819 W. Pleasant
Ridge Road, Arlington. The event will begin
in the sanctuary with readings, songs, and
a procession to the Johnson Activity Center. Tickets for the tamale dinner may be
purchased after each Mass the weekend of
the Nov. 24 and 25, in the office during the
week following, and at the door the night of
the event. Tickets are $5 for adult admission
and $3 for admission for children. Children
age ssix and under are admitted free. For
more information, call (817) 478-4206.
SUBIACO ACADEMY
Subiaco Academy, a Catholic all-boys college preparatory boarding school located
in Northwestern Arkansas, will host an
Open House Discovery Sunday for parents
and prospective students Dec. 9 from 8
a.m. to 4 p.m. Visitors will have an opportunity to tour the campus and meet
members of the administration, faculty,
and student body. Interested students
will also have the opportunity to take a
preliminary placement exam. Founded by
the Benedictines of Subiaco Abbey, the
120-year old academy offers young men
in grades 8-12 a challenging program in
academics, the arts, sports, and various
activities. The Academy was recently opened
to eighth grade students and will admit a
limited number for the 2008-2009 school
year. The academy is located on Arkansas
Highway 22 approximately 45 miles east of
Fort Smith and just south of Clarksville and
Interstate 40. For additional information,
contact the admission office at (800) 3647824, or e-mail to [email protected].
PRE-CANA LOCATION CHANGE
With the closing of the Green Oaks Hotel,
the Pre-Cana sessions will be held at the
Fort Worth South Radisson Hotel, 100 Alta
Mesa East Blvd., Fort Worth, located off
the intersection of I-35 and I-20. The next
English Pre-Cana session will be held Dec.
2. The Radisson will offer special $79 room
rates for those who need overnight accommodations. Effective Jan. 1, the donation
requested for the programs will increase to
$75 per couple. Scholarships are available
for couples in hardship situations. For more
information, contact the diocesan Family
Life Office at (817) 560-3300 ext. 256
or ext. 304.
FOCUS CONFERENCE
FOCUS (The Fellowship of Catholic University
Students) will hold its 2008 Student Leadership Conference Jan 2-6 at the Gaylord
Texas Resort and Convention Center located
at 1501 Gaylord Trail in Grapevine. Speakers
will include Father Benedict Groeschel, CFR.;
Kansas City Royals All-Star Mike Sweeney;
author Jeff Cavins; star of the film “Bella,”
Eduardo Verastegui; and Curtis Martin. The
Christian rock group Third Day is scheduled
to perform. The conference is open to any
student on any campus, campus ministers,
young adults, priests, religious orders, and
those who have a desire to be a part of the
new evangelization. For a complete list of
speakers and registration information, visit
the Web site at www.focusconference.org.
For more information, contact Justin Bell
at (303) 522-0450, or by e-mail to jbell@
focusonline.org.
CHRISTMAS BAZAAR
St. Andrew Parish, 3717 Stadium Drive, Fort
Worth, will host its annual Christmas Bazaar
Dec. 2 following the morning Masses. The
Knights of Columbus will provide breakfast
with Santa. The bazaar will also feature
crafts, decorative accessories, gifts, and
Christmas items allowing for some early
Christmas shopping. For more information,
contact Dawn Hall at the parish office at
(817) 927-5383.
NEW YEAR’S EVE PARTY
All are invited to the annual St. Maria
Goretti New Year’s Eve party Dec. 31 at the
Family Life Center building, 1200 S. Davis
Dr. in Arlington. Doors will open at 6:45
p.m. A buffet dinner will be served at 7:30
p.m. Beverages will be provided; attendees
may also bring their own. The cost is $20
per person and includes full dinner, dancing,
party favors, door prizes, caricature artist
drawings, and a midnight toast. Reserved
tables are available. Tickets will be available
until Dec. 22; there will be no admission at
the door. This is an adults only function. For
more information, tickets, or questions, call
Michelle at (817) 795-3459 or e-mail to smg.
[email protected]. To order by mail,
send a check to: M. Licater, 1861 Brown
Blvd., Ste. 740, Arlington 76006.
NEW YEAR’S EVE PARTY
The Catholic Divorce Ministry is sponsoring a New Year’s Eve dance Dec. 31 at St.
Joseph Church, 1927 S.W. Green Oaks
Blvd., Arlington. The dance will be held from
8:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. with music provided by
DJ Charlie V. Productions. Donation is $15
dollars at the door. For more information,
call Greg Mills (817) 456-6750 or Vince
Chairez (817) 896-5726.
Classified Section
SECRETARY
EDUCATION COORDINATOR
YOUTH MINISTER
The Diocese of Fort Worth is seeking
a part-time administrative assistant to
help primarily in the Catechetical and
Community and Pastoral Services departments at The Catholic Center. Main
duties will include handling incoming
and out-going mail and phone calls,
word processing, database maintenance,
filing, and processing payment orders
and invoices for various ministries. This
position is expected to be 20 to 25 hours
per week. Some allowance for flexible
scheduling may be considered. The
qualified applicant will be a practicing
Catholic with a high school diploma,
will have a minimum of three years
secretarial experience, will have good
organizational skills, and be experienced
with Microsoft Office software, copy
machines, and general office equipment.
English/Spanish bilingual applicants are
preferred. For a full job description and
application, visit the diocesan Web site
at www.fwdioc.org. The Diocese of Fort
Worth offers excellent pay and benefits
to its employees. If interested in this
position, e-mail a résumé to msimeroth@
fwdioc.org or fax to (817) 244-8839, to
the attention of Mark Simeroth, director
of Human Resources. Application due
date is Nov. 30. Qualified applicants will
be contacted for an interview.
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church in Keller is
seeking a full-time coordinator of Elementary
Christian Education. Qualifications include:
a practicing member of the Catholic faith;
computer literacy; ability to plan, organize,
and implement the weekly catechesis of
1,150 plus elementary age children; first
reconciliation/first Communion preparation
and Summer Vacation Bible School. A degree
in theology is preferred. Experience working
in teaching and/or religious education field is
a plus. Application deadline is Dec. 1. Apply
at the parish office, 2016 Willis Lane, Keller.
For more information call (817) 431-3857.
Sacred Heart Church, a parish of approximately 850 families in Muenster,
is seeking a full-time youth minister
to guide a comprehensive program
for junior high and high school youth.
Duties include: supervising youth faith
formation programs and volunteer
personnel; developing and coordinating youth activities and youth liturgies;
directing youth service and outreach
programs; and maintaining the youth
We b s i t e . C o m p e t i t i v e s a l a r y a n d
benefits are being offered. Minimum
qualifications include bachelor’s degree,
one-plus years experience, practicing
Catholic, committed to empowering
volunteers, degree in theology/religion
and/or master’s degree a plus. For
more information, contact Father Ken
Robinson at (940) 759-2511. Send
cover letter with résumé to Youth Minister Search Committee, 714 N. Main,
Muenster 76252, via fax to (940) 7594422, or via e-mail to sacredheart@
ntin.net. The deadline for submission
is Dec. 21.
ADVERTISE IN THE
NORTH TEXAS CATHOLIC
LITURGY COORDINATOR
Good liturgy takes hard work; great liturgy
takes dedicated ministers with a vision for
excellence. A large Vatican II parish with five
weekend Masses is seeking an energetic,
engaging person to coordinate liturgical
celebrations with style and reverence. Responsibilities include training and scheduling ministers; planning weddings, funerals,
and sacramental rituals. This position is
also responsible for all liturgical articles
and vestments. Position is full-time with
weekends. Competitive salary and benefits
are being offered. Send cover letter and
résumé to LC Search, St. Philip the Apostle
Church, 1897 W. Main Street, Lewisville
75067; e-mail to [email protected];
or fax to (972) 219-5429. No phone calls.
Job description is available online at www.
stphilipcc.org/job_board.htm.
HOUSECLEANING
Catholic couple would like to clean
your home and/or office and maintain
your yard. Excellent references. Call
(817) 692-8434.
SERVICES AVAILABLE
Topsoil, sand, gravel, washed materials,
driveways, concrete, backhoe, and tractor services. Custom mowing lots and
acres. Call (817) 732-4083.
Page 24
Good Newsmakers
The story of John and Virginia Webb’s involvement in loving service to their
parish and their faith communities in the South Deanery is one of
S
Gifting the Givers
John and Virginia
Webb at their
50th wedding
anniversary
celebration at
Sacred Heart
Church in February
2006. The couple
was honored at a
surprise reception
planned by their
family members
and fellow
parishioners.
ome call them
“selfless.” Others refer to
them as “saints.”
It’s also clear to all who meet
John and Virginia Webb, longtime
parishioners of Sacred Heart
Church in Comanche, that the
two are still “sweethearts” after
nearly 52 years of marriage.
Theirs is a bond, say family members and friends, that has endured
through the joys and tragedies
of their life together, and has
enabled the couple to serve as
beloved lay leaders within their
rural Catholic community.
“John and Virginia’s devotion to each other is a powerful
witness to the youth of their
own parish community, and to
many, many youth and youth
leaders of our diocese, as well,”
says Kevin Prevou, director of
the diocesan Office of Youth
and Young Adult Ministry and
Campus Ministry. “Their faith
and their generous way of sharing that faith is an inspiration
to all who are fortunate enough
to know them.”
The Webbs, while serving
as leaders and volunteers in
many civic organizations in the
The Webbs’ grandson, Curtis Mosier, is shown here with
Virginia after receiving a high school band award. John and
Virginia are enthusiastic supporters of their grandchildren’s
activities and interests.
Father Philip McNamara, pastor of Stephenville, Dublin, DeLeon, and Comanche parishes, blessed the wheelchair-accessible addition to John and Virginia Webb’s
home at Lake Proctor. KC Council 10816 of Stephenville, of which Webb is a charter member, completed the work. Council members and friends are pictured here
(front row, l to r): Ernie Duran, John and Virgina Webb and José Rodriquez; (middle row, l. to r.): Mike Tovs, Father Phillip McNamara, Deacon Bill Borf, Evelyn Borf,
and Vince Daddio; (back row, l. to r.) Mike Hill, Curtis Mosier, and Tom Bradley.
Stephenville area, have also led
religious education, service,
retreat, and youth leadership
programs at Sacred Heart
since moving to Comanche
in 1988. Called “Grandma,”
John and
Virginia (far
left) are
pictured with
Franciscan
Friars of the
Renewal
retreat leaders
and teens from
Sacred Heart
Parish who
participated in
a youth retreat
at St. Joseph
Church in
Cleburne.
8
When the Mission Council celebrated its 10th anniversary recently,
it offered a chance to reflect on the
breadth of mission efforts of our
local church.
12-13
Virginia remained constantly
at his side as John struggled
to recover from complications,
including a severe infection
and further surgery. He was
eventually able to enter a nursing facility in Stephenville.
At the end of September,
when John was able to return
to their small, simple home
near Lake Proctor, not far
from Sacred Heart Church in
Comanche, the couple learned
just how much they were appreciated by members of their
far-flung Catholic community.
“John, a [member of the
Knights of Columbus] since
1984, is a charter member of
Council #10816 in Stephenville,” wrote fellow Knight
SEE ALREADY, P. 22
MAILING LABEL: Please enclose label with address change or inquiries concerning mail delivery of your paper. Thank you.
Inside... This issue of the NTC
A Texas Historical Marker recognizing the rich Catholic history of St.
Thomas Aquinas Parish in Pilot
point is to be dedicated Nov. 25.
Read about the parish’s
pioneer roots.
and “Grandpa,” by many of
the teens of their parish, the
couple — with great energy
and enthusiasm — routinely
travel long distances in order
to bring young Sacred Heart
parishioners to quarterly Diocesan Youth Council meetings,
to diocesan junior high youth
retreats, to the annual World
Youth Day event at Six Flags,
and to the annual Diocesan
Catholic Youth Conference held
in Arlington each July.
It was shortly after this summer’s youth conference that
John became ill and realized
that after 11 years of battling
vascular degeneration, he was
facing yet another medical crisis. His left leg was amputated
July 27 in a Waco hospital.
Columnist Jeff Hedglen joins the
writers for Word to Life and gives
us two interesting perspectives on
the coming of Advent.
16-17

November 23 - North Texas Catholic

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