troubadour - Franciscan University of Steubenville

The
TROUBADOUR
VOLUME LXII — No. 19
The student newspaper serving Franciscan University of Steubenville
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Liturgy committee prepares for highest Holy Days of the Church
By LISA KOTZ
Staff Writer
“You have never experienced being a Catholic ... until
you celebrate Holy Week at
Franciscan University,” said
the co-head of the art and environment
department
of
Franciscan University’s liturgy
committee.
Anne Rybak, a junior, said
much of her involvement with
Holy Week will be in preparing
the stage and altar in Finnegan
Fieldhouse for the various
liturgies during the Triduum
with her co-head Sarah Liptak,
as well as creating the banners
seen around Christ the King
Chapel.
Rybak stressed that the
beauty of the liturgies on campus has very little to do with
Franciscan University itself
and more to do with the fact
that the campus is filled with
young Catholics who are committed to their faith.
Some of those young committed Catholics compose the
student-run liturgy committee.
Gina D’Urso, a theology
graduate student and Student
Head of Liturgy, said she
began to cry while she revised
the order of worship for the
Holy Thursday liturgy.
“I thought to myself, ‘I get
to do this,’” said D’Urso. “And
it is such a privilege.”
D’Urso leads the liturgy
committee in planning for
Holy Week.
“We begin preparation for
the Easter Vigil during
Christmas break,” said D’Urso.
“Holy Week is the central
aspect of the year for the liturgy committee, the campus and
the whole Church. We gather
as a unified family.”
A countdown of days to the
vigil is ever-present in minds
of the committee members. At
the weekly meetings, departmental checklists are addressed
and each member gains a clear
idea of what needs to be
accomplished that week.
D’Urso stressed that the primary goal of the liturgy committee is to do what the Church
does.
“We want to preserve what
has been handed down,” said
D’Urso. “We look to Rome.”
One such instance is a
change in the Easter Vigil that
occurred last year and will
occur again this year. It is
typical that the lights of the
Church remain off during the
seven vigil readings and do not
come on until the Gloria. With
further study, the liturgy committee found that it is more in
keeping with Rome to turn the
lights on before the readings.
The theological symbolism
behind the change is rich.
“(It) means that you’re sitting in the light listening to the
seven readings,” said D’Urso.
“We’re not in the dark anymore like in the Old Testament
with a veil over our eyes. Now
we have the light of Christ and
the fullness and completion of
revelation. That’s why the
lights are on.”
John Molloy, a senior and
Student Head of Music, is busy
preparing music ministers for
the Holy Week liturgies. Not
only does practice the music
for the liturgies, but Molloy
also finds great satisfaction in
educating the musicians about
the liturgy.
“I try to give them a better
understanding of the Triduum
itself,” he said, “by explaining
the cues during practice and
explaining the significance of
each one.”
Ryan Kress, a sophomore
and
Student
Head
of
Sacramental Ministries, says
that his role for Holy Week is
senior correspondent for the
“National Catholic Reporter,”
addressed the future of Roman
Catholicism in the coming century through what he called
“mega-trends” in Catholicism
today.
Allen said the dominant
current, at the policy-setting
level of the Church, is the
effort to reawaken a strong and
vibrant sense of traditional
Catholic identity.
“In Catholic education there
is not a Catholic college or university on the face of the planet that in the last 20 years has
not gone through agonized
internal debates about how we
know we’re Catholic ... andhow we project that sense of
Catholicity to the outside
world,” Allen said.
The most important current
in the life of the Church today,
Allen said, is evangelical
Catholicism, which is defined
by three characteristics: a
strong emphasis on the traditional markers of Catholic
identity, the bold proclamation
of these markers and a personal embrace of them.
In this way, evangelical
Catholicism is a reaction to the
secularism that exists in the
Church today. Allen said this is
why Pope Benedict recently reauthorized the traditional Latin
Mass and began the re-translation of liturgical texts.
Allen said Catholics have to
see these isolated events as little pieces in a much bigger picture. He said we have to focus
on the things that unite us as
Catholics rather than those that
drive us apart.
“It is going to require passion ... of talented and committed Catholics all over the
place,” he said, “beginning, I
would suggest, with those talented and committed Catholics
gathered in this room here
tonight.”
One of the mega-trends
Allen said he saw in the world
today is the emergence of a
world Catholicism, as opposed
to a simply European and
North American-dominated
Catholicism.
Allen said that by 2040,
Catholics in the global
“South,” in areas like Africa,
Asia and Latin America would
Photo by ELIZABETH ELA
Students, including Student Head of Liturgy Gina D’Urso, prepare candles
for the procession after the Holy Thursday liturgy. Liturgy committee has
been preparing for Holy Week since the end of last semester.
with the RCIA candidates and
catechumens. He will be
preparing the order of worship
at the Easter Vigil.
“It’s just an amazing time to
see the campus and the community come together as one,
especially with the RCIA pro-
gram,” said Kress. “(We) welcome (the candidates and catechumens) into not just the campus community but to the
Catholic community – they are
family now.”
It is important to those on
the liturgy committee to be
ministers behind the scenes.
“We’re not in it for ourselves at all,” said Molloy. “It’s
a service of love. In a way it’s
a vocation. We do it out of love
for our Lord.”
make up an estimated 75 percent of the world’s total number of Catholics.
He said the main problem
for the Church in the global
South is what he called the
“freight train of runaway
explosive growth,” not of
decline. He spoke of a seminary in southeastern Nigeria
with about 1,200 students,
more than a quarter of the total
seminary population in the
United States, which cannot
accommodate all of the young
men coming to discern the
priesthood.
Allen said the change in
demography will have a big
impact on faith communities
around the world.
European fertility rates are
below replacement level, making for more elderly, while
areas in the global South find
the number of young people
and population in general
growing.
Allen said, “These are boom
times for religion in America if
those of us in the Catholic
world have the imagination to
construct elderly-friendly communities.”
Allen said the relationship
between Christianity and Islam
is also going to be a major
driver of global history, since
together the two groups represent 56 percent of the human
family.
Also important is the issue
of religious freedom, or reciprocity.
The difference between the
two papacies, Allen said, is that
John Paul II built the bridges
between
Islam
and
Christianity, and for Benedict
XVI it is now time to walk
across them and engage the
differences.
He said meetings are
planned between Muslim religious leaders and Pope
Benedict XVI for about
November of this year.
“I think what is emerging in
the Catholic world,” Allen
said, “is a new mode of religious engagement that doesn’t
just know how to enter into
dialogue; it doesn’t just know
how to turn the other cheek,
but also is more willing to
defend the Church’s interests
when those interests are at
stake.”
Another challenge to the
Church in the 21st century,
Allen said, is world poverty
and death from diseases related
to poverty. He said that even
with free market global capitalism, 1.2 billion people still survive on less than a dollar a day
and there are too many disparities between the very rich and
the very poor.
Allen also said the bio-tech
revolution, which is producing
a kind of scientific “brave new
world,” is creating moral challenges.
He said this new capacity to
manipulate human life is pos-
ing the questions, “What does
it mean to be a human being?”
and “Where do we fix the borders of human dignity and life
in this world?”
Allen mentioned embryonic
mice that are used for studies
of human brain disorders after
they are injected with human
brain cells, and asked what
their moral status could be on
the basis of Roman Catholic
ethics.
These are the kind of questions, he said, that are going to
occupy an increasing share in
the Church’s time and energy
in the 21st century.
John Allen is the author of
five books on the Catholic
Church, including “All the
Pope's Men: The Inside Story
of How the Vatican Really
Thinks,” “Pope Benedict XVI:
A Biography of Joseph
Ratzinger” and “Opus Dei: An
Objective Look Behind the
Myths and Reality of the Most
Controversial Force in the
Catholic Church.”
Journalist, author speaks on challenges faced by the global Church
By KATIE HARRIS
Staff Writer
Catholicism in the 21st century requires the courage to be
globally Catholic, said a
prominent Catholic journalist
March 12 at the J.C. Williams
Center.
John Allen, author, senior
Vatican analyst for CNN and
A student missionary on the Ecuador medical
mission trip jokes with local kids.
For more stories on the missions,
see pages 4 and 5
Also inside the Troub:
California home-schooling: page 3
Keubler addresses science,
atheism and God: page 3
Entertainment reviews: page 6
Agape celebrates
25-year Anniversary: page 7
Intramural Basketball
championships write-ups: page 8
Inside
The Troubadour
1235 University Blvd.
Franciscan University
Steubenville, OH 43952
740-284-5014
Opinion.................Page 2
News.....................Page 3
Missions............Page 4-5
Entertainment.......Page 6
Features................Page 7
Sports....................Page 8
C
Y
DID YOU KNOW ...
... Orville Wright numbered the
eggs that his chickens produced
so he could eat them in the order
they were laid?
Photo by: ERICA CORNAVACA
CNN Vatican Corresspondent, John Allen
addresses global trends in Catholicism
“Do not abandon yourselves to
despair. We are the Easter people,
and Hallelujah is our song.”
Pope John Paul II
C
B
Y
B
2
Thursday, March 20, 2008
The Troubadour
The
Troubadour
Elizabeth Ela, Editor in Chief
Kristi Moore, Asst. Editor in Chief
Patrick Hidding, General Manager
Courtney Pastor, Photo Editor
Megan Dial, Layout Editor
Clare Brockway, Copy Editor
Jana Grace, Layout Editor
Greg Hurst, Sports Editor
Rachael Wright & Jessica Harris, Advertising Managers
Laura Hanley, Distribution
Wayne Lewis, Supervisor
The Troubadour does not reflect the views of the University
administration, but it does try to conform to Catholic values
and stay within the vision and mission statement of the
University.
Unsigned editorials represent the opinion of the majority
of the editorial board. Letters will not be published unless their
authorship can be verified by phone. Commentaries, opinion
articles, letters and editorial columns represent the views of
their authors. All submissions are subject to editing for length
and content at the discretion of the Troubadour staff.
The deadline for letters to the editor, opinion articles and
announcements each week is Saturday by 5 p.m. They can be
mailed, e-mailed or hand delivered to The Troubadour office.
Box 1074, 1235 University Blvd.
Steubenville, OH 43952
(740) 284-5014
[email protected]
Man on the Street
W
hat do you think of the
Triduum celebrations on
campus?
“I’ve never been,
but I’m going next
year...maybe.”
Cecilia Lipnicki
Junior
“What did Pee-wee
Herman think of
his red bicycle?”
Chris Pocta
Sophomore
“I think we do the
best we can to make it
the most memorable
celebration on
campus, especially the
Baptisms ... it’s
beautiful.”
Fr. Dave Morrier
“There are a lot of
flowers!”
Theresa Fusco
Junior
Photos by STEFAN HLABSE
OPINION
Letters to the Editor:
As parents of Franciscan
University students, we would
like to thank Terry Schilling for
his letter to the editor explaining his concern as a student
about the public affiliation of a
professor
with
Hillary
Clinton’s campaign. We are
grateful that he and other students there are willing to pay
the price for pro-life progress.
We also want to thank Dr.
Patrick Lee for his excellent
It is with much regret that I
feel that I need to respond to
Dr. Lee concerning his confused statements about me and
others. First of all, I believe his
statements only support my
previous letter.
Dr. Lee’s first mistake is to
imply that Obama and Clinton
want to solve poverty and
health care by killing poor people. This is just an unbelievable
position and is shocking to me
that there are academics who
explanation of the pro-life
position.
Many of us parents are
assisting our students with
tuition. We are trying to be
good stewards by using our
money to “build a culture of
life.” Because the right to life
of the pre-born child is the
foundation of that culture, we
would like to make the
assumption that all of the staff
at Franciscan shares that misbelieve this. This position
could not be further from the
truth. This is not the position of
Obama or Clinton but is a very
biased statement.
Dr. Lee’s second misrepresentation of Obama and
Clinton is that they endorse
abortion. They do not. They
would prefer that people not
get abortions. However, I do
wish their positions on abortion were stronger.
Dr. Lee’s third mistake is
sion. We believe that those
who work for and represent the
university have an obligation
to the students and their parents to uphold that mission.
Abortion, euthanasia, embryonic stem cell research,
cloning and same sex unions
violate both the moral and natural law. Both Pope John Paul
II and Pope Benedict have
pointed out that these issues
are weightier than others when
voting.
We respectfully request that
all who work for and represent
the University uphold their
responsibility to those whom
they serve, both students and
parents. Thank you.
Karen and Les Berning
Mary and Harold Schmiesing
Rebecca and David Dial
Kelly and Mike Staudt
that I was judging an entire
group of Republicans; I was
not, but if I implied this, not
knowingly, then I apologize.
He further states that I am confused on the matter. While he is
entitled to his opinion, I do not
believe he is a mental health
expert.
In conclusion, Dr. Lee presents a nice philosophical argument about his position and
mine. But I believe he makes
wrong assumptions about the
individuals involved and thereby makes his argument flawed.
I believe the Church is clear on
my position, and I do not
believe I am in violation of the
U.S. bishops and the Pope on
this matter. If I am, I will
accept the consequences.
tons of students going to the
clinic and getting involved in
the ministry,” said Halm.
“Unfortunately this is not
always the case."
Katie Renfer, a sidewalk
counselor, said, "We especially
need men, since the neighborhood where the clinics are
located is not the safest. I know
God will continue to provide
us with hearts that are called to
love through this ministry."
The young woman who
drove me to Pittsburgh that
morning helped me see how
we always need to be reminded
about working for the right to
life. She told me about Cato the
Elder, a Roman statesman who
famously ended his speeches
with the words, “Carthage
must be destroyed.” No matter
what Cato’s topic of debate, he
always reminded Romans of
their enemies. That is the kind
of persistence we need.
You’re one to talk, you may
say. Yeah, I know. I admit that
I only went to the Pittsburgh
abortion clinic once this
semester. I’m not dedicated,
I’m not committed and I’m not
even a member of Students for
Life.
But I can testify that praying at the abortion clinic can be
a powerful and even lifechanging experience. It’s
painful to see young women
my own age walk in there,
oftentimes pushing away the
love we want so much to offer.
It is also a challenge to our
hope and our faith that God can
bring good out of evil, which is
so beautiful. I especially want
to encourage newcomers and
those who have hung back
from this ministry in the past to
offer one morning of your
week to interceding with
Students for Life.
And you have plenty of
opportunities to do that. There
are two shifts of intercessors
and counselors who drive to
the Allegheny Reproductive
Health Center on Saturdays,
one after the 6 a.m. Mass and
one after the 10 a.m. Mass on
campus.
Students for Life also goes
to Allegheny on Tuesdays and
Thursdays, leaving from the
circle at 5:45 a.m. and returning in time for 11 a.m. classes.
On Fridays they go to Planned
Parenthood and are back in
time for 10 a.m. classes.
And if God calls you to
serve as a sidewalk counselor,
don’t be afraid to open up and
answer the call. Halm said that
14 new counselors were
trained last month, two of
whom came from another
school.
“Our core team for
(Students for Life) this year is
stronger than ever,” said Halm.
“These students are so
involved in multiple aspects of
our ministry ... They are such a
gift! Our students here are so
pro-life and supportive. I can't
say enough about students at
Franciscan!”
I don’t know what my
prayers were worth that day.
And I doubt that any of those
women “turned around”
because they saw me praying.
But I know I was supposed to
be there, if only to come back
to my desk to write this for
you.
We can never know how
much our sacrifices affect the
lives of others. You may be
only one person, but your presence may make up the difference between five and six.
I’m not saying it’s easy to
wake up early and stand in the
cold. I know it’s hard. I wanted
to sleep in myself that
Saturday. I’m sure the dedicated few who go every week find
it even more difficult. But I
challenge you to make the sacrifice, even if only once, as a
witness of love for the unborn
and even more, for their mothers.
Sincerely,
Dr. Thomas Graham
Director of Social Work
and Sociology
This is your rally, FUS
By KATIE HARRIS
Staff Writer
I begrudgingly lift my head
from the pillow as my alarm
sounds off at 5:40 a.m.
Saturday morning. I shut it off,
and I’m immediately tempted
to forget my plan and lay back
down.
Who cares? I had good
intentions, right?
It’s not my fight, anyway.
Sure, I used to go, back in
those freshman days when no
commitment seemed like too
much. But I’ve moved on. I’ve
chosen other worthy causes.
Good thing I didn’t think
too hard that morning, or I
might have changed my mind
and stayed under the covers. I
might have missed the chance
to stand up for the unborn.
I bundle myself up and venture out into the darkness,
watching tree branches sparkle
as I pass. Maybe that's why
such a small number of people
come to Mass — the cold.
Even fewer stay to get a ride
to the Pittsburgh abortion clinic. In fact, there are only five
others, and only women.
One student calls her dad,
who lives near the city, to meet
us there. Without men, we can't
go. By the grace of God, he
answers the phone and comes
to pray with us.
At the clinic, it was so bitterly cold I thought my feet
would fall off. It felt like forever before the sun rose above
the buildings and shone on our
faces, across the street from the
clinic on Allegheny.
We were filled with warmth
by the sun and filled with hope
by the group of seminarians
who arrived later. A passer-by
interrupted our rosary to ask
what we were doing and
smiled when we told her.
We weren’t sure whether to
claim it as a turn-around, but a
young woman and her mother
parked next to the curb near us
Campus
Calendar
Thurs., March 20
No classes
Spring begins
Holy Thursday
Liturgy, 7:30 p.m.,
FFH
Night Prayer and
Reposition of the
Blessed Sacrament,
11 p.m., CHAPEL
Fri., March 21
and stayed inside their van a
few minutes before driving
away. God did provide, even
for the small group.
There were good excuses
for students who missed that
Saturday, like mission immersion day and a special mass for
new Eucharistic ministers.
However, the ministry only got
a few more volunteers the following week.
I understand that you can’t
all go, but you have to realize
that no matter where you’re at,
it is your fight.
Don’t listen to former president Bill Clinton, who told prolifers at Steubenville High
School last month, “This is not
your rally.”
There is a time to be silent,
but there is also a time to
speak, sometimes without
words, of the dignity of each
human life and the love and
forgiveness Christ shows even
after abortions.
You don’t have to be a sidewalk counselor to intercede at
the abortion clinic, and you
may not even be called to go to
the clinic. But give whatever
you have to give to build the
culture of life. Everyone has a
talent they can give to the prolife movement, and it matters,
even if it seems insignificant to
you.
Am I being repetitive? Do
you hear about this too much?
I don’t think we do. We shouldn’t ever be desensitized to the
hatred and death that exists in
this world. And if we as a campus, in our little “bubble,” have
gotten to the point of assuming
plenty of students go to the
clinic, then we need to see the
truth.
Rhapsody Halm, president
of Students for Life, said there
used to be a much larger group
that came on Saturdays, ranging from 50 to 100 people.
"The biggest issue is that
because we are so pro-life, students assume that there are
No classes
Living Stations,
9:30 a.m. CHAPEL
Way of the Cross
with Bishop Daniel
Conlin, 11:30AM,
CHAPEL
Good Friday
Liturgy, 3 p.m.,
FFH
Sat., March 22
Easter Vigil Mass,
8:45 p.m., FFH
Resurrection Party,
Midnight, J.C.
Sun., March 23
Easter Sunday
Mass, 11 a.m.,
CHAPEL
Mon., March 24
No day classes
Tues., March 25
Summer and Fall
2008 registrationb
begins
Day classes resume
Latin Mass, 4:45
p.m., CHAPEL
Praise and Worship,
9 p.m., CHAPEL
Wed., March 26
Communion &
Liberation Meeting,
11 a.m., CD/Rm.
305
Growth in Spirit
Seminar, 7 p.m.,
GAL
Republicans/Democ
rats Social Security
Debate, 9 p.m.,
PGL
NEWS
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Kuebler speaks on science, atheism and God
Dan Kuebler, Ph.D., associate professor in the biology
department at Franciscan
University, gave a talk entitled
“The Scientific Case Against
God: the ‘New’ Atheists” on
March 13 in the Gentile
Gallery.
Although it appeared at first
that there would be a small
audience, by the time the talk
began at 8:45 p.m. the Gallery
was almost full. There were
students and teachers, as well
as a few religious, who attended the talk to listen to Kuebler,
who holds a doctorate in
molecular biology from UC
Berkeley, explain the ways
noted atheists try to discredit
belief in God by using science.
Kyle Lancour, a junior
majoring in business and theology, attended because of
coworkers and friends who
hold many of these beliefs
about science and God.
“I wanted to see how the
Church stands and how scientists can explain this,” said
Lancour.
Nicole Jenks, a junior theology and English major, also
came to learn because her
father reads many of the books
by atheistic scientists, and she
wanted to be able to respond to
him.
Professor John Bergsma
introduced Kuebler and his
talk, which was sponsored by
the theology department, mentioning the popularity of books
written
by
“self-styled
Darwinist atheists.”
“We had the idea (in the
department) to allow scientists
here to speak about why they
can be scientists and how this
is not in conflict with belief in
God,” Bergsma said.
Kuebler mentioned three
specific books at the beginning
of his talk, whose arguments
against God and religion based
on science he addressed most
directly: “The God Delusion”
by
Richard
Dawkins,
“Breaking the Spell” by Daniel
Dennett and “God: The Failed
Hypothesis” by Victor J.
Stenger.
These arguments are not
really new, Kuebler said, “just
louder and more vocal, sort of
like Yankees fans.”
Many atheistic scientists
use three main arguments,
Kuebler said. The first is that
evolution demonstrates that the
universe has no design and no
creator. The second is that science can explain the creation
of the universe without the
need to invoke a creator, and
the last argument is that the
origin of religion and religious
beliefs can be explained by science as a purely natural phenomenon.
Because science is a way of
looking at the natural world
and studying it through observation, science does not have
the ability to demonstrate that
God does not exist, said
Kuebler. These new atheists
By REBECCAKUBISCH
and
KRISTI MOORE
A California appeals court
questioned the future of homeschooling two weeks ago by
ruling that children must be
taught by credentialed tutors or
sent to a full-time public or private school.
Franciscan University students and faculty – known for
their diversity in educational
background – had various
responses to the case. Nick
Porretta, a freshman from
California whose siblings are
home-schooled, said he thinks
the ruling will cause a lot of
problems, such as making
“mothers that are doing a good
job … take useless online
courses or pretty much … get a
degree for home-schooling
before they can continue doing
their job as home-schooling
mothers.”
The case itself did not originate as an attack on homeschooling, but was an investigation into a suspected child
abuse case by the Los Angeles
County
Department
of
Children and Family Services
against Philip and Mary Long
of Lynwood, who home-school
their eight children.
As a result of the investigation, the Second District Court
of Appeal ruled that California
state law requires children to
be taught by credentialed
tutors. Otherwise, parents must
send their children to full-time
public or private schools.
Michael Smith, president of
the Home School Legal
Defense Association, commented on the situation to the
San Francisco Chronicle saying, “California is now on the
path to being the only state to
deny the vast majority of
home-schooling parents their
fundamental right to teach
their own children at home.”
On the other hand, the
Children’s Law Center of Los
Angeles’s Leslie Heimov told
the San Francisco Chronicle
that the law center’s chief concern was not the quality of the
children’s education, but their
“being in a place daily where
they would be observed by
people who had a duty to
ensure their ongoing safety.”
Drake McCalister, professor of theology at Franciscan
and father of four homeschooled children, agrees that
children need to be protected
but adds that the state should
not be given the full responsibility of a child’s safety.
“The case was about protecting children, which is
good, but the concept is that
the state has more of a duty to
protect children than parents
do,” he said.
The problem now, he said,
is that the commentary was out
of proportion, unnecessarily
angering people.
“I cannot see a vested interest in the state of California to
go after home-schooling as a
whole,” he said.
However, a lot of people
fear this case will serve as a
precedent to restrict homeschooling in the future.
“It's a slippery slope" said
Porretta, “because if they get
enough big names and publicity, it’s not going to blow over,
and you’re going to have all
the home-schoolers crammed
into public schools.”
McCalister, on the other
hand, said that the ruling actually only allows the government to “go after those who are
not home-schooling well.”
He added, “The state will
not be using this case to now
go on a crusade against homeschooling.”
McCalister also said his sister, a home-schooling mother
in California, echoed his opinion on the matter.
Ultimately, “this particular
case will blow over and settle
down, but it will serve to make
a lot of home-schooling families wake up and pay attention,” said McCalister.
By MELANIE CIARRONE
Staff Writer
FUS community weighs in on
California home-school ruling
Orientation team applications for
fall 2008 are being accepted
Applications available in Student Life Office
Deadline April 4
The Troubadour
believe that science is reality,
and that philosophy and theology are sub-disciplines of science. This causes flaws in
their arguments because they
are taking scientific facts and
theories and trying to build
philosophical arguments.
“The notion that science can
explain everything is something that science can’t prove
… science can study a section
of reality, but certain things are
outside the realm of science,”
Kuebler said.
Kuebler then went on to discuss each of the three main
arguments that atheists use and
explain why each of them is
flawed. One cannot say that
evolution demonstrates no
design or creator because of
the large amount of order to be
found in the universe, he said.
Kuebler talked about how
many atheistic scientists
believe that evolution is random, but just because some
events are random does not
prove that God has not planned
these events or cannot use
them.
Also, the notion that evolution is random is not true,
Kuebler said.
“Only certain aspects of
evolution are random,” said
Kuebler. “An underlying stability and order are essential
for evolution to function.”
The truth is “evolution
demonstrates that we occupy a
world pregnant with order and
stability,” he said.
In explaining the second
argument used by atheists, that
the universe can be explained
without a creator, Kuebler
brought up three theories: the
multi-universe theory, the selfordering universe theory and
the grand unifying theory. He
explained each of them to the
audience and the flaws within
them.
Finally, Kuebler went
through the thinking behind the
last argument, that religion can
be explained by science as a
purely natural phenomenon.
Some atheists claim that religious experience is all in a person’s head, bringing up the fact
that they can identify a certain
part of the brain that is at work
when a person is having a religious experience.
Kuebler pointed out that
people can also manipulate the
section of the brain responsible
for sight and cause hallucinations. If a person who is hallucinating thinks he is seeing a
chair, one does not say that all
chairs do not exist and they are
only in this person’s head.
Using this argument, one could
say that everything is just in a
person’s head.
Kuebler also discounted the
argument that religious experiences and beliefs originate
only because there were advantageous or the byproduct of
something else.
“Evolutionary and neurological explanations for belief
do not explain away the object
of our belief,” Kuebler said.
By MEGAN DIAL
Staff Writer
“Salvation is essentially
social,” said pastor Pete
Leithart at the beginning of his
talk, “The Social Effects of the
Sacraments.”
Leithart’s talk took place
Monday night, March 10, in
the Gentile Gallery. It was a
continuation of a talk held at 11
a.m. the same day.
Leithart was introduced by
Scott Hahn, Ph.D. Leithart
received his doctorate from
Cambridge in 1998. He has
written many books and published articles in a number of
magazines, including, interestingly, the Journal of Tropical
Pediatrics. He teaches at New
St. Andrews College and
serves as pastor of Trinity
Reformed Church in Moscow,
Iowa.
Leithart began by stressing
the inherently social nature of
salvation, referring to the relationship between the old
covenant and the new.
“Christianity is more of a
transfiguration than a new creation,” Leithart said, emphasizing this connection.
However, Liethart sees
many “semi-Marcionite” tendencies among theologians to
create a sharp distinction
between the Old and New
Testaments, saying that the Old
focuses on bodily things—such
as its many rules about ritual
cleanliness – while the New
focuses on things of the spirit.
In this view, Christianity
becomes an individualistic religion, one in which spiritual
communion with God is more
important than temporal communion with others.
However, Leithart emphasized that this is false. He tied
this concept of the social
nature of salvation into a discussion of the sacraments, citing Hugh of St. Victor, a
medieval theologian, who had
a “medicinal idea of the sacraments.” This idea describes
grace to be like a medicine
contained in the jars of the
sacraments. In this view, the
sacraments were merely containers of grace and not of critical importance, since “vases
don’t cure the sick.” This view
also includes the idea that
“Adam was corrupted by an
attachment to visible things.”
However, Leithart affirmed
the importance of visible symbols.
“With the fading away of
signs it seems to me that you
have the fading away of any
kind of social character,”
Leithart said.
It is this social character that
makes the sacrament visible
and tangible to the person’s
community, such as in baptism
when the person’s salvation is
made clearly visible through
the use of water.
The social concept of sacraments ties into the debate over
whether infants should be baptized, Leithart said. Those who
advocate baptizing only adults
say that “baptism is not a cause
of salvation but an auxiliary
rite.”
However, Leithart said that
those who hold this view
ignore the correlation between
baptism and circumcision. In
the Old Testament, circumcision was not merely a way of
indicating that a person was a
descendent of Abraham, but
was also a sign of a person’s
salvation.
This
Old
Testament
covenant
with
Abraham
embraced all a person’s life,
“from cradle to grave.” In the
same way, the sacraments
embrace the whole of a person’s life.
Next, Liethart discussed the
Eucharist and the idea of sacrifice.
“Sacrifice gives us a particular insight into the nature of
God,” Leithart said.
He then related sacrifice to
the concept of symbols discussed earlier.
“God does not require the
external sacrifice, but what the
external sacrifice signifies,” he
said. “Any act can be sacrificial so long as it is directed
toward union with God.”
Speaking of Jesus’ sacrifice
on the cross, Leithart said,
“Jesus is seeking union with
His Father, reunion with His
Father, through his sacrifice on
the cross.”
This closely relates to the
sacrifice of the Eucharist.
“The Eucharist is sacrificial
in the sense that in the
Eucharist the Church is offered
up,” said Leithart.
There are three ways in
which we can speak of the
Body of Christ, Leithart said.
First, there is the Eucharist.
The Eucharist points to the
physical body of Christ offered
on the cross. The physical body
of Christ points to the corporate body, which is often called
the Mystical Body of Christ.
“The new creation must
take a social form,” Leithart
said. “There can be no church
without sacraments.”
At the end of his talk,
Leithart revisited baptism and
its role in the new covenant.
“When we are baptized into
the name of Jesus, we become
His,” Leithart said.
Through Baptism, Jews and
Gentiles alike become members of the corporate body of
Christ.
“In the Church … Jews sit
down with Gentiles,” Leithart
said. “Jews and Gentiles are
formed by Christ into a single
body.”
Leithart concluded that
“sacraments display the mission of the Church to be the
new humanity.”
and if so, why don’t they let us
know?”
Bartlett began her answer:
“Girls, whether they know it
or not, subconsciously want to
be pursued,” she said. “The
reason they don’t tell you guys
things is because we want you
to surprise us.”
Bartlett said that if she were
to simply tell a man, “‘All
right, pick me up at 7:15, have
13 roses and a box of chocolates,’ how boring is that? ... If
you pick me up at 7:14, and
bring 14 roses, it’s a surprise,
and that way we’re being pursued.”
Much of the later discussion
was about the relationships
between males and females,
including the oft-debated subject of wives being submissive
to their husbands.
Ringiewicz opened that discussion by quoting Ephesians
5:25.
“‘Husbands, love your
wives, just as Christ loved the
Church, and handed himself
read
over
for
her,’”
Ringiewicz, who commented,
“If a husband loves his wife ...
as much as Christ loved us and
died for us, then anything that
that husband does should be
for the benefit of himself as
well as his wife …
She concluded, “It’s where
Christ isn’t at the center of the
relationship and Christ isn’t the
goal that it’s going to be wrong
to be submissive.”
Maloney added, “I think
any girl who is really trying to
be herself as God is calling her
to be will acknowledge and
admire (a) guy when he has
that kind of (Christ-centered)
strength, because we need
that.”
The evening concluded with
the panelists thanking all of the
men present for their courtesy
and respect of women, and
with Brittany Brown explaining Chastity Outreach’s mission and its activities.
Protestant pastor discusses
social effects of Sacraments
Franciscan women attempt to explain the female mind at recent panel
By ANDY HAUGE
Staff Writer
Last Thursday night, March
13, in St. Francis Hall, a panel
of seven women fielded men’s
questions regarding what,
indeed, is on women’s minds.
The event was sponsored by
Chastity Outreach, a campus
organization dedicated to promoting the message of chastity
on and off campus.
The
panelists
were
Franciscan University students
Rachel Ringiewicz, Nina
Koziuk, Alice Sniffen, Heather
Bartlett, Dani Merry, Molly
Lillis and Aisling Maloney.
Dave Benthall hosted the event
and was aided by Brittany
Brown, the co-president of
Chastity Outreach.
One of the first questions
was the ever-puzzling, “Why
do women fall for jerks?”
Merry said, “I think part of
the reason that girls fall for
men like that is that they perceive (arrogance) as confidence, and we want a guy
who’s strong and self-assured
... A lot of times (this attraction) stems from our own insecurities.”
In the end, Merry said, “We
fall for jerks because we’re
fallen too, and we’re not perfect.”
In a similar vein came a
question regarding the reasons
why women remain in abusive
relationships, and Ringiewicz
provided an explanation. She
said that often, in these relationships, the woman doesn’t
understand that she has a say in
the relationship, because the
man seems more experienced
and stronger than the woman.
Ringiewicz said that one motivation for women to stay in
relationships is that “they have
someone by their side, no matter how that person treats
them.”
In a somewhat more lighthearted vein came the universal question, “Do girls have
any idea what they really want,
3
4
MISSIONS
Thursday, March 20, 2008
The Troubadour
Spring Break mission trips 2008
“This week has been
incredible. I wish it would
never end. We feel like we’re a
family.”
These exclamations were
natural reactions from the
members of the downtown
Steubenville mission team.
But when our team first met in
the dark, cold Saturday morning, we had no idea what an
adventure we were in for or
what blessings would be
revealed along the way.
The team started with five
members, with only one male
(a Dave Coen of honorable
mention), but on the Saturday
of Spring Break seven girls
and nine guys gathered at the
circle to head downtown.
With 16 members and
Sister Carrie Anne as our
Steubenville, Ohio
adviser, God allowed us to
impact and serve the people of
Steubenville. By His grace we
were able to touch the lives of
homeless people in the soup
kitchens, mentally ill people in
the EPI centers, the aged in the
nursing home and the
teenagers in the Dirty
Vagabond youth hangout.
With 17 pairs of hands the
biggest task became a smooth
day’s work, as we painted an
entire floor of the Urban
Mission Warehouse, cleaned
out a three-story deserted
building that had once been
part of Franciscan, organized
the mission supplies in
Samaritan House and emptied
the Projects of almost all the
litter. Furthermore, through
our constant time together, late
nights and sharing one house
residence as a team, we have
been blessed to discover more
deeply God’s love in ourselves
and in one another. Hardly any
of us knew each other at the
beginning of break and yet
from day one we developed
instantaneous friendships and
became like a real family with
a naturalness we can’t understand.
It was one of those weeks
that one wishes to hold on to
forever and to somehow share
the beauty and joy of it with
the rest of the world. If only
words were more adequate and
God’s love more describable!
--Hannah Starre
Turtle Mountain, North Dakota
Anyone who thinks that
they know better than God has
another thing coming to them;
I know I did. I was privileged
to attend the mission to Turtle
Mountain Indian Reservation
in cold North Dakota. As I
waited for our ride to the airport, I regret to say that I
noticed I started to become
envious of my friends who
were going to each other’s
houses over break. I began to
think about the carefree times
they would have together
while I was up in North
Dakota, slowly freezing into a
human popsicle, but God gave
me a loving slap in the face
and reminded me, “You’re
doing this for Me.”
Praise the Lord for His loving graces that helped the team
to get up and serve throughout
the week. Our mission
stretched not only me, but the
rest of the team as well in
many ways. Our painting skills
were called into service a lot
throughout the week, and we
participated in door-to-door
ministry where we stepped out
of our comfort zones into the
homes of broken people of the
community. We ate meals of
Ramen noodles and canned
fish, gave chastity talks to the
youth, visited those in jail and
fell in love with the people on
“the Res.” Along with all of
these blessed challenges, God
helped us to grow from a
group of people traveling
together on a mission into a
family.
It was very hard for us to
Chicago, Illinois
Emmaus Ministries works
with men involved in prostitution. It is a ministry center
located in Uptown Chicago, an
area known for its population
of homeless and mentally ill
people. Men come to the center for a home-cooked meal,
shower and family environment.
We spent a week at
Emmaus Ministries, with different tasks each day. One of
the tasks was cooking for the
men and eating and spending
quality time with them.
Another task was doing promo
work for their annual fundraiser, a bike-a-thon, which
included finding donors, hanging up fliers and getting to
know different parts of
Chicago. Other work included
administrative tasks and cleaning.
During the week the team
and a few of the men had an
outing to an African-American
museum. A few of the men
gave us a tour of Southside,
where some of them grew up,
and we ate authentic soul food
in that area as well. This was a
great opportunity for the men
to teach us and for us to
immerse ourselves in some of
the environments in which the
men grew up.
Something the mission has
done before is what Emmaus
calls an “Immersion Night.”
They send us in pairs to
Boystown, the homosexual
community in Chicago, so we
can familiarize ourselves with
the area, visiting gay bars and
various shops. Last year this
experience was very humbling
for me, as I realized the stereotypes I had and as I had to soften my heart to the humanity
and beauty of men and women
I earlier judged. This year my
ministry partner and I got to
meet a male prostitute, whom
we were later able to pray
part from the relationships that
were rapidly formed with the
people in Turtle Mountain.
God is so good and faithful,
for as much as I doubted this
mission, He blessed it all the
more. He knows exactly what
we need and provides it to
those open to receiving it. I’ll
conclude in the words of one
team member, Odin Maciolek:
“I came out here to serve,
and I was served; I came out
here to show the light of
Christ, and You radiated it to
me; I came out here to love,
and I was loved.”
--Marian Schneider
Our team of 23 missionaries set out to Gallup, N.M., to
serve the Navajo community.
Four members of the team
enjoyed working with students
at Gallup Catholic Elementary
School. The team taught the
children about the Catholic
faith through fun songs and
entertaining Bible stories.
Other missionaries served
in the high school, teaching
religion for Franciscan alumni
Lowell Jensen. Missionary
Rachel Moon said, “I don’t
think that any one of us was
prepared for what was going to
unfold during the week. We
walked into the school on
Monday morning, and we
were greeted with this statement, ‘Man, the only time
white people show up at this
school is when those missionary people come.’ To be honest, it was a moment where I
wished I wasn’t of the Anglo
color. But we were here to do
God’s work and nothing less.”
with. Later in the week we
went on a prayer walk to
Boystown, praying over the
bars, shops and different buildings devoted to the culture of
death.
My favorite part of the trip
was leading a retreat with four
of the men, with one of them
taking a vow of celibacy by the
end of the retreat. Later that
day we had praise and worship
with the men and prayed over
them individually. By the end
of the week, it was as if the
men had ministered more to us
than we had to them.
This mission trip is more
than evangelizing. It is an
opportunity to get to know
yourself, to get to know a
beautiful city with a rich culture, and to meet men who will
most likely be the first in line
to the Kingdom.
--Marie Lussier
Gallup, New Mexico
However, as the week went
on miracles happened, such as
the junior girls pouring out
their souls for two hours.
God’s love was shown to us
through those kids, and our
team realized that suffering is
truly for the greater glory of
the Body of Christ.
The team at St. Michael’s
Association
for
Special
Education experienced the tenderness of God’s love through
the presence of a child. This
group worked at a Navajo special education school made up
of about 45 children and
young adults suffering from
disabilities such as mental
retardation, severe autism and
cerebral palsy.
The majority of their time
was spent playing with the
children and assisting teachers.
The innocent love and pure joy
present in every child they
encountered truly made this
mission a life-changing experience.
Finally, team Hodge Podge
served at a different site every
day doing small works of charity. This included helping with
a church fundraiser, cleaning a
Missionaries of Charity homeless shelter and building a
fence for a teacher at the high
school. Despite personal struggles with finding meaning in
our small works of charity,
team Hodge Podge was very
joyful in their service.
Throughout the week our
team grew into a small family
of brothers and sisters, each
bringing forth their own gifts
and talents. The quiet of the
desert allowed our mission
team to see the Lord’s presence in the simplest of ways.
Thank you for all your prayers.
--Kasey Hupp and
Sean Menegatt
MISSION TRIPS
Ecuador
A team of 24 students traveled to the South American
country of Ecuador over
spring break on a mission to
bring medical care to rural
communities surrounding the
town of Misahuallí in the
Amazon. The students, along
with a team of doctors, nurses,
medical students and priests
from various parts of the
United States and Ecuador,
hiked to these rural communities, which have not seen doctors or priests in months, and
for some, even years. The missionaries set up free clinics
gave talks on health and
hygiene, as well as catechetical talks to the people waiting
to see the doctors, and offered
the people the opportunity to
receive the sacraments and
come to Mass.
Once in Ecuador, the mission team broke into three
groups, each traveling to different
communities.
Missionaries had the opportunity to preach to the people on
various topics, including the
importance of Confession, the
Eucharist, the Rosary, etc.
They also were able to bring
priests to the communities to
offer baptism and confession,
which the people rarely have
the opportunity to receive
because of the scarcity of
priests. In the clinics, the people were examined and treated
for a variety of ailments, the
most common of which
included chronic illnesses
such as intestinal parasites.
The students gave educational
talks to the people that
focused on the importance of
Thursday, March 20, 2008
The Troubadour
basic hygiene in order to prevent the return of chronic illnesses and to improve the
overall health of the communities. In some cases, the
work done in the clinic was
literally life-saving, particularly when giving antibiotics
to children suffering from
severe pneumonia and other
conditions.
The mission overall was
very successful. For many of
the students, the mission was
life-changing, especially in
witnessing the tremendous
love and generosity of the
Ecuadorian people they
encountered and whom they
will never forget.
-Bill Tullius
Each year we take a group
of missionaries and priests to
satisfy the spiritual hunger of
the poorest of the poor in
northern Honduras. We go into
rural mountain villages that
have Mass only once a year,
we serve at orphanages, we
stay in the city and work at
schools. Wherever we hear
Christ saying, “I thirst,” we
run to meet Him there. Here is
the story of one missionary’s
answer to that call:
“As a pre-theologate member, I felt a very strong call
from the Holy Spirit to embark
on the mission to Honduras.
Responding to the call, I had
no idea what to expect, but I
knew for sure that this mission
was God’s will for me. After
giving Our Lord my ‘yes,’ I
Mexico
“Hear me and understand
well, least of my sons, that
nothing should frighten or
grieve you. Let not your heart
be disturbed. Do not fear sickness or anguish. Am I not
here, who am your Mother?
Are you not under my protection? Am I not your life and
health? Are you not happily
within my fold? What else do
you need?”
— Our Lady of Guadalupe
to St. Juan Diego
With these words, Our
Lady drew us to her children,
our brothers and sisters, in
Mexico. Under the warmth of
her star-spangled mantle, we
went forth to build, paint,
clean, visit the sick, play with
the children, pray with the
faithful, bring Jesus in the
Eucharist and receive Jesus
from every smile and welcoming kiss of our Mexican family.
We were humbled by the
generosity of those in the
humblest of living conditions;
we were awestruck by the
faith of those starving for
faith-community; the gratitude
of the simple Mexican people
brought us to our knees in
thankfulness; Mexican Time
taught us to graciously accept
the rest God desires for His
servants and the giggle of
every brown-eyed child
reminded us that “God’s
laughing, too!”
The simplicity, tranquil
pace, and Christocentricity of
the Mexican mission trip are
testimonies to the fact that a
“good mission” does not have
to be a “hard mission.” A good
5
found myself in the midst of
extreme poverty upon the
mountain tops of Honduras.
Their homes, built of clay, dirt
and sticks, were filled with all
sorts of insects. Comfort, I am
sure, is a word that does not
exist within their language.
“Yet amidst such poverty,
the light of our Lord and
Savior Jesus Christ still shone
from the very depths of each
and every set of eyes I made
contact with. His voice was
made clear: ‘What you do unto
the least of your brethren, you
do unto Me.’
“Within every set of eyes I
saw our crucified Lord begging to be consoled – ‘I am
hungry! I thirst! My body
aches! Wash my feet! Clean
my wounds! Give me rest!
Honduras
Clothe me! Give me your
love!’ Shining forth from these
children was the fire of our
Lord’s Most Sacred Heart.
Although I did not have much
to eat or drink, nor a soft place
to sleep, nor a clean pair of
clothes, I had everything
amidst nothingness … (I had)
our crucified Lord. My only
comfort became Jesus and His
grace. I was detached, and the
only thing that mattered was
Christ, within each and every
child I met. After this mission,
I am happy to say that my call
to the priesthood has been
affirmed and the door to missionary life is now open.”
-Angie Bower &
Anthony Fischer
mission is one in which everything revolves around Jesus
Christ and not the work of our
hands (though it is good
work). A good mission is one
in which the team is so unified
in prayer that the love of the
One who sent them is bursting
forth from their very selves.
A good mission is one in
which you visit the country
where Jesus’ Mom decided to
stay so that you can help her
with her mission: “I will
exhibit and will give all my
love, my compassion, my help
and my protection to the people … Here I will hear their
weeping, their sorrow, and
will remedy and alleviate all
their multiple miseries, necessities and afflictions.”
-Jessica Spinharney
Sonlife (Key West, Florida)
Our Lord called me to join
Sonlife three days before our
departure. I left the bitter cold
behind in the steel valley
Saturday morning, as I ventured with the rest of the team
to the Florida Keys and to what
we would find to be a life-altering trip.
We were greeted with a
warm welcome and a fully
stocked fridge Saturday night
when we arrived at our lovely
abode in the Mary Star of the
Sea retreat center. Our days
started with a Holy Hour and
Mass, as we would prepare our
hearts as a team for the days
ahead of us.
We would then spend our
afternoons on the main beach
of the island talking to locals,
spring-breakers and vacationers. Everyone that we talked to
was so different, and so were
their stories and the conversations we shared with them.
Conversations usually started
with random questions or comments and somehow made their
way into the Faith and what we
believed.
In the evenings, we did a
Lenten mission for the Mary
Star of the Sea parish with the
parable of the prodigal son as
our theme. Each evening Fr.
Jonathan St. Andre would share
a reflection on the parable
along with two students. Each
night was building up to the
last night of the mission, and
on that Thursday evening, the
Holy Trinity was overwhelmingly present. We were so
blessed to be able to pray over
the members of the parish, and
everyone who was there was
invited to receive the sacrament of reconciliation.
The remainder of the night
was fully dedicated to what we
dubbed as “nightlife ministry”.
This name came about in a very
simple way. On your average
walk down Duval Street you
will probably pass numerous
bars, drag shows, strip clubs
and people passed out on the
sidewalk. So, as far as spiritual
warfare goes, we were in the
front line and ready to go. We
did this by boldly bringing
Christ to these places and to all
the people who were there.
There is no way I could sum
up this trip in 400 words and do
it any justice. Our trip was
nothing short of crazy. One of
our girls was mugged, Fr.
Jonathan had a knife pulled on
him, we got serious sunburn
and we were placed in some
seriously uncomfortable situations. But through the amazing
grace and mercy of God, lives
were changed and transformed.
-Lauren Petit
6
Thursday, March 20, 2008
ENTERTAINMENT
“Live-concert” experience of U2’s 3-D film worth $14 ticket
The Troubadour
By MARIA MITCHELL
Staff Writer
Belting out one of U2’s hit
songs, raising money for AIDS
victims in Africa or meeting
with a head of state, U2’s lead
singer Bono enjoys making
headlines on a daily basis. This
time Bono is making headlines
with his new movie, “U23D.”
U23D is the Irish rock
band’s latest step into the limelight. This 3-D movie transports the viewer straight into
the band’s Vertigo tour in a
spectacle of special effects in
the first-ever live action 3-D
film. Bono is joined by fellow
band members Larry Mullen
Jr., The Edge and Adam
Clayton.
After paying a well-worth-it
$14 and sliding on the 3-D
glasses, one feels exactly as if
they were in the stadium in
South America amidst the
90,000 fans. The movie starts
with a bang as it opens with the
song “Vertigo.” The 3-D technology leaves you jumping up
and down with fans standing
on the ground. At other times
the viewer is visually allowed
to stand next to bassist Adam
Clayton and look out to a
crowd of 90,000 screaming
fans dying to touch you.
The 3-D technology is so
lifelike it will make you’ll ponder if there will be an outfit
change! There are no behind
the scenes interviews, no backstage sneak peaks, just an hour
and a half of one of the most
legendary rock bands of all
time.
Even a non-fan would
appreciate and love this movie.
The visual effects keep the
viewer on the edge of their seat
the entire movie. Whether
Bono is reaching his hand out
to touch your face, Adam
Clayton’s guitar is about to
whack your head, or words are
flying over you in every color
of the rainbow, you will be
amazed to look around and
realize you are not part of the
band.
Eventually Bono ties a
white scarf across his eyes with
the handwritten message,
“COEXIST” on it. The word, a
promotion for religious tolerance, is written with the
Muslim crescent symbol representing the “C;” the Jewish
Star of David, the “X;” and the
Christian cross, the “T.” The
screen is illuminated with this
symbol as Bono sings, ‘Jesus,
Jew, Mohammad, it’s true.’”
There is no need to worry
about any violence in U23D or
any profanity or scandalous
audience members. The movie
is clean in these aspects
through and through.
In fact, the only negative
aspect of U23D is the fact that
you are restrained to your seat.
Fellow viewers were tapping
their feet, bouncing in their
seats, and trying to maintain
themselves from belting out all
the words right along with
Bono. This movie was just like
being back at the live concert
again, which I attended in the
fall of 2006. It captures every
aspect with vivid overheads of
the band followed by South
Americans
jumping
and
screaming right next to you.
As the spectacle of lights,
colors and jumping fans fades
into the credits, the song
“Yahweh” hums in the background as you zoom in 3-D
magical-ness through a cartoon
city. As the thought-provoking
song ends, a rough sketch of
the Sacred Heart rises above
the city as the screen fades into
blackness. Although this hints
more at the theme of COEXIST than any deep attempt to
portray Catholic images, it was
a great perk that will definitely
make any hardcore Catholic
fan smile just a little bigger as
they exit the theater completely satisfied and fully entertained.
In short, if you missed their
tour, never fear, U23D will
take you there! Whether you
have been following the band
since their debut in the 80’s or
are simply looking for a night’s
worth of awesome special
effects U23D is for you. U23D
is showing at select theatres
across the country. I was lucky
to find a theatre in New Berlin,
Wisconsin, a mere half hour
from my home in Milwaukee,
Wisconsin. Franciscan students
do not fear! Although we may
not be able to catch a breath of
fresh air for miles and miles,
you can catch U2’s latest rage
at Carmike Cinema 6, 100
Mall Drive, Steubenville, OH.
Not in Ohio? Find a theatre
nationwide
at
www.u23dmovie.com!
and Bob Morris. However,
Salpeter’s vocals came off as
too weak, and THS shined
brightest when the two teamed
up and split the role.
So many will be surprised
when they throw on “Goodbye
Blues” and hear five straight
tracks of just Salpeter (save
Morris’ background vocal
track in “The Boys Are Too
Refined”). From the attentiongrabbing mystique of opener
“Intro” to the catchy but slightly repetitive “Medicine Man”,
Salpeter’s vocals are sweeter
and more praise-worthy than
ever. Her maturation and vocal
training is clearly evident – she
sounds far more like a woman
and less like the little girl she
resembled on the debut and
sophomore effort.
Yet when “As You Cry”
chimes in and Morris’ smooth
vocals take lead for the first
time (not until nearly 15 and
and half minutes into the
album), one can’t help but feel
like THS were holding out on
them. The three tracks featuring Morris on lead vocals,
though few, stand out bright.
In “Not Your Concern”, a
lyrical stand-out, Morris sings
of his goodbye to the lady of
his life and her unhealthy
attachment to him, bellowing
“I am not your concern / the
world will still turn / when I’m
not around / but lie on me and
you will fall”. “Hospital Bed
Crawl” is nothing but pianorock goodness, and Morris’
charm is the icing on the cake.
That’s not to say Salpeter’s
tracks completely pale in comparison. In fact, the nine songs
featured on “Goodbye Blues”
with her in lead are some of, if
not her very, best.
“Honey” showcases her
vocal ability best, topped off
with one of the catchiest choruses on the record. “Medicine
Man”, complete with pounding
drums (think Jet’s “Are You
Gonna Be My Girl?”) and
clever lyrics, will surely be a
fan-favorite despite it’s repetitiveness. “Love You Much
showcasing
an
Better”,
acoustic guitar and cheerful “la
la la’s” will end up on many
listeners’ springtime, drivearound-with-the-windows-
down mixtapes.
Instrumentally, THS is
tighter than ever. Salpeter’s
songs, for the most part, feature her usual classical piano
while
the
arrangements,
expected pop guitar riffs and
occasional piano back Morris.
Put bluntly, THS simply creates good music. Nothing
overtly cliché is to be found,
and certain tracks (“The Boys
Are Too Refined” and
“Medicine Man” too name a
few) feature some unexpected
twists.
“Goodbye Blues” goes
wrong in only a few areas. It
would have been nice to hear
more of Morris throughout the
album – his few moments in
the spotlight will certainly
leave the listener craving more.
Also, the album is nothing special lyrically with the exception of the already mentioned
“Medicine Man”, “Not Your
Concern”, and the powerful
“Hurricane”. Lastly, closing
track “Break The Sky” doesn’t
quite do its job in wrapping up
an otherwise solid outing for
THS.
Fans of the band who have
been listening since the debut
will
undoubtedly
love
“Goodbye Blues”. Newcomers
will have to be wary – if you
like other Fueled By Ramen
acts, or bands that step outside
the boundaries of generic powerpop, you won’t find yourself
waving goodbye to these blues
for quite a while.
Music review: “Goodbye Blues” from The Hush Sound has
high points but leaves new listeners wishing for more
By GREG HURST
Staff Writer
The cheerful, border-line
show tunes-style rock of The
Hush Sound (Fueled By
Ramen labelmates of Panic At
The Disco and The Academy
Is…) has avoided much mainstream success despite reasonable sales numbers for THS’
first two releases. With
“Goodbye Blues”, released this
past Tuesday, the Chicago
quartet looks to say goodbye to
a mediocre-sized fan base. But
is it enough?
What made THS’s first two
records garner a fair amount of
acclaim from critics was their
two vocalists, Greta Salpeter
FEATURES
Meet the Friars: Br. Ron Hurl, TOR
By MELANIE CIARRONE
Staff Writer
When Brother Ron Hurl,
TOR, was young, he wanted to
be a scientist.
“I realized in my sophomore year in college that my
desire to be a scientist was
really a desire to be a philosopher,” said Hurl. “The reason I
wanted to be a scientist was
because I wanted to know the
truth. I realized that science
couldn’t give me the truth.”
Hurl was born and grew up
in a town north of Pittsburgh.
He attended Sarah Lawrence
College in Yonkers, N.Y.,
where he studied philosophy
and Greek poetry.
In 1998, Hurl went to
University
in
Catholic
Washington, D.C., to study
philosophy. Because he needed
a place to live while attending
graduate school, Hurl contacted the TORs and did maintenance work while he lived with
them.
“The Lord put the desire on
my heart to pray for a vocation,” said Hurl, and in 2003 he
entered the order.
Hurl came to Franciscan
University of Steubenville at
the beginning of this past fall
semester. He is spending an
apostolic year here teaching
several philosophy courses,
including Philosophy of the
Human Person, Logic, Ancient
Philosophy and Question of
Christian Philosophy.
“My life’s mission is to
explain how Jesus is the Truth
… and to start a school of
thought called ‘evangelical
philosophy’ consecrated to
Jesus as the true philosopher,”
said Hurl.
Hurl describes evangelical
philosophy as the way of living
and dying according to the
truth found in Jesus as the
Anointed One – not only is this
knowing the truth, but also living and speaking the truth in
love. Hurl often talks about the
power of “rhema,” a Greek
word for the spoken word of
God.
“As members of His body, I
want people to become the
truth found in Jesus by proclaiming the truth contained in
the word of God as ‘rhema’
over their own lives,” Hurl
said.
Hurl described his call to
the priesthood and religious
life as God granting his heart’s
desire.
“I prayed for my vocation
and the Lord gave it to me,” he
said, adding that he prayed the
Chaplet of Divine Mercy every
day at 3 p.m. for a year before
receiving his answer.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
The Troubadour
Hurl said he looked up to
his grandfather Andy Toth, a
second generation Hungarian
who spoke the language fluently. Hurl recalls the influence of
his grandfather on his life as a
model of justice and holiness.
Hurl’s hobbies include
speaking “rhema”, fermenting
foods (especially sauerkraut)
and lifting weights.
“I like to do food experiments,” said Hurl. “I like to
wait and allow the fermentation to bring the goodness to be
brought out of a food.”
Hurl compared this process
of fermentation to the effects
of the Word of God in the life
of a believer.
When asked about his
favorite scripture or “rhema,”
Hurl’s answer was simple, but
profound.
“Jesus is Lord,” Hurl said.
Agape celebrates 25 years of household life
Photo submitted by BR. RON HURL, TOR
“Beloved, let us love one another,
because love is of God;
everyone who loves is begotten by God
and knows God.”
-1 John 4:7
Photo submitted by JENNIE DEMMERLY
The Agape girls stop work on their latest St. Valentine’s Day dance to take
a picture. The first floor Marian Hall household is one of the oldest on
campus and is known for its charism of living out unconditional love.
By MELANIE CIARRONE
Staff Writer
Where can a Franciscan student find a group of women
committed to the unconditional
love of Christ? Look no further
than the women’s household
Agape to find 25 years of love
in the Spirit.
Agape Household is celebrating its anniversary with
nine members and three
intents, which they call “guppies.” Located in Marian Hall,
many of the members live off
campus, but their sense of
community is very strong.
Agape alumna Keri Doyle said
that the sisterhood was her
favorite part of household life.
Agape’s brother household is
Hearts of Fire.
Jess Kozlowski, a second
year junior, was not looking for
a household when God told her
to join Agape.
“My roommate loved
Agape, and she joined,” said
Kozlowski. “I wasn’t interested, but they invited me on
retreat with them … I loved the
girls; I loved the concept of
Agape. And then one day God
was just like, ‘Jess, you’re
joining Agape.’”
Kozlowski’s roommate was
Jennie Demmerly, who is currently the coordinator of
Agape. Demmerly sees household as “an amazing opportunity to grow closer to Jesus and
Mary through the different
commitments.”
Agape’s
commitments
include Mass at 4:45 p.m. on
Fridays, followed by cenacle
and dinner. On Saturdays, the
members of Agape gather to
pray the Divine Mercy chaplet
at 3:15 p.m., followed by their
Lord’s Day celebration at 3:30
p.m. On the first Sunday of
every month, they attend 8:30
a.m. Mass together.
Cenacle, Kozlowski said,
consists of praying the rosary,
as well as prayers to the Holy
Spirit and consecration to the
Immaculate Heart of Mary.
“It’s committing ourselves
to the service of her heart for
the furtherance of the Church,”
said Kozlowski.
Demmerly explained the
concept of “agape” as unconditional love shown by Jesus’
death on the cross.
“We’re trying to live out the
most unconditional form of
said
Demmerly.
love,”
“Basically we’re all about love.
We depend on Mama Mary and
the Holy Spirit to guide us …
in loving everyone we
encounter.”
Kozlowski said, “Because
the love that’s in our hearts is
the Holy Spirit, we are charismatic. We seek to be guided by
the Holy Spirit. He takes us
deeper into the love of God.”
Members of Agape have a
devotion to the Sacred Heart
and to Our Lady of Fatima, as
well as to the Divine Mercy.
Their commitment to the
Divine Mercy is new, added
this semester because the
“mercy of God is intrinsically
tied to the love of God,”
Kozlowski said.
Full members of Agape are
called “princess warriors.”
“We’re called princesses
because we’re daughters of the
King, and we receive in full the
inheritance of the Spirit that
the Lord had given us,”
Kozlowski explained.
Agape members are called
“warriors of love,” fighting the
powers of the world, the flesh
and the devil through love,
prayer and a commitment to
calling each other to holiness.
Demmerly said that before
she joined, she was inspired by
the way the members of Agape
lived out their covenant.
“(Agape was) the first
Lord’s Day I ever went to,
because my small group leader
was from Agape,” said
Demmerly. “That got me interested, but I pretended like I
wasn’t. I looked at others and
said household wasn’t for me.
The Agape girls always invited
me to commitments, and I said,
‘You know what, this is amaz-
ing.’”
Kozlowski also appreciates
the way Agape’s members live
out their covenant. She sees
household as a place where
“you are challenged to grow in
holiness with sisters who help
you … and challenge you, pray
with you (and) keep you on
track.”
One way Agape’s members
help each other is by calling
each other on to holiness.
Demmerly said that sisters in
Agape may offer to help one
another with specific areas of
struggles in their lives. She
acknowledged that the call to
love unconditionally can be
hard, but as Agape’s mission
statement says, taken from I
John 4:19, “We love one another because He first loved us.”
Agape sponsors two dances
every year, the Black and
White Dance in the fall and the
Valentine’s Dance in the
spring. Member Audrey Poulin
said that the Valentine’s Dance
was one of the first annual
dances held on campus, and
used to be “the dance to go to.”
Agape also has a booth at
the Medieval Festival during
Parents’ Weekend, and the
household puts on different
fundraisers
every
year.
Kozlowski recalled with a
smile how the members sold
hot apple cider on an 80 degree
day this past festival.
Member Maria Robuccio
said she loved the sisterhood
and the spirituality in her
household.
“And the Kroger runs,” she
added.
Poulin said she loved “the
very tight, close, family-like
community. When we say
we’re sisters, we’re really sisters. Also (I like) the history of
Agape. There’s so much tradition.”
Agape “guppie” Rebekah
Quinn described the love she
feels in her household community.
“We’re all so different but
we just seem to get along,”
Quinn said.
7
8
Baron
SPORTS
There are no
boundaries for
sainthood
Sports
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Iron Maidens
win women’s
single A title
By GREG HURST
Sports Editor
After watching three intramural seasons roll by (and participating in two), and after
countless conversations about
the topic, I’ve stumbled upon
what should be an obvious
truth: being a saint is difficult,
but even more so on the playing field.
But that should not, and will
not, be an excuse for some of
the poor sportsmanship we
commit on our very own playing fields here at FUS.
After attending one of the
championship games this past
Friday, one of my friends hit
me with this quotable comment: “People forget they need
to be saints on the court as
well.”
We’ve committed the same
old antics in football, volleyball and basketball: yelling at
the refs, taunting, making
unnecessary faces after what
we deem a “bad call” and
engaging in excessively physical play that serves no true
competitive purpose.
During one championship
game last week, chairs were
being kicked. When my friend
who was in attendance told me
this, my initial thought was,
“Bobby Knight coaches an
intramural team?” Then I realized he was completely serious.
Something’s wrong here.
And I am in no way vindicated from these accusations.
After a few games this past season, I walked back to my dorm
in regret of certain things I said
during the game and just plain
upset over the way I failed to
compose myself throughout the
contest. It irked me – a lot.
I can’t help but feel as
though we treat the prayer circle after the game as if it’s a
confessional – an opportunity
to make up for whatever we did
during the game – and after
prayer, whatever we did that
was out of line during the game
is “cool” now because, hey,
we’re all Christians and we forgive each other.
We’re taunting each other
one night, and praying together
at the FOP the next. We’re
scolding the refs one moment,
and smiling at them in the communion lines on Sunday. I need
not go on.
Ultimately, what I’m hoping
is that with the Frisbee season
just around the corner, we’ll all
renew our focus on conducting
ourselves in a manner worthy
of the label “Christian”. Even
when we’re down by one score
and the guy on the other team is
playing a bit too physical. Even
when the referee – your brother/sister in Christ – blows an
obvious call, much to our dismay.
I heard Jesus plays a mean
game of Frisbee. We just need
to work on completely letting
Him onto the field.
By GREG HURST
Sports Editor
Photo by SEAN
GARRISON
Paul Mooney of EMPagnea takes the shot against Old School and wins the championship for AA.
Men’s AA championship sees close win for EMPangea
The Iron Maidens were the
undersized team in Friday’s
match-up
championship
against Truffle Shuffle, with
the exception of their forward,
Stephanie Krawietz – which
may explain why she scored 20
of the team’s 36 points, en
route to their 36-23 victory.
Krawietz was the game’s
leading scorer, while Diana
Ward played the role of sidekick extremely well, scoring
six points and controlling the
pace of the game at the point
guard position.
Theresa Hansen put up a
tough fight for Truffle Shuffle,
leading the way with eight
points. Elana Lussier fell just
behind her with six points of
her own.
Both teams came out of the
gate playing sloppy basketball.
Iron Maiden Ward started
things off with a bang, draining
a 3-pointer from far beyond the
arc. Krawietz started her dominance soon after, becoming a
huge presence on both the
offensive and defensive side of
the ball.
The Iron Maidens defense
perked up as Truffle Shuffle
continued to miss open opportunities and Krawietz’s performance kept getting better:
by halftime the Iron Maidens
had established a 25-16 lead.
The beginning of the second
half looked awfully similar to
that of the first. A total of one
point was scored until a Ward
three-pointer with 11:12
remaining. Missed opportunities continued to plague Truffle
Shuffle, and the gap had
increased to 34-19 with 6:35 to
go.
Truffle Shuffle chipped in a
few more points before the
contest ended, and the Iron
Maidens were crowned 2008
Single A Women’s Champions
with relative ease.
game. Old School forward
Matt Glassman had built an
early lead in the game, which
held for Old School for nearly
the entire contest. Glassman’s
baskets in the post, coupled
with a barrage of jump shots
by Josh Cordonnier, enabled
Old School to jump out to a
13-4 advantage. It was then
that Erik Hickson swung the
momentum in favor of the
Prods, hitting a series of inside
shots to cut the deficit to 1712.
Old School was quick to
strike back, however, as a
series of steals by Mark Foster
led to quick fast break buckets. In a matter of seconds, all
the ground EMPangea had
gained was lost, and a commanding 26-15 lead had been
established for Old School.
This was partially due to
Erik Hickson acquiring his
third foul, which required him
to sit on the bench as his team
struggled onward.
EMPangea then received a
defense spark from center
Jean-Luke Williams, who
began to contest Matt
Glassman beneath the basket.
EMPangea guard Mike Hadro
took advantage of this by setting up his team for several
scores, and taking a few jump
shots himself, cutting the gap
to 33-27.
Down by six with about ten
minutes left, the EMPangea
comeback began. EMPangea
guards Mike Hadro and Paul
Mooney rallied their team
together, and the tide gradually began to turn in their favor.
They obtained a few steals
from the Old School guards,
which quickly translated into
easy fast break points. JeanLuke Williams and Erik
Hickson keyed the comeback,
and a timely three-point field
goal by Sean Crofford cut the
lead to five points.
The Prods had the momentum now, and they were not
going to relinquish it. Two
more baskets cut the lead to
one, and an ensuing defensive
stop led to the foul on Paul
Mooney. Mooney drained the
free throws, giving the Prods
their first lead of the game.
Old School failed to score
on the ensuing possession and
EMPangea, the survivors of a
close escape with a formidable
Old School team, were
crowned the Men’s AA basketball champions.
The Strangers and the Hot
Shots met in the Women’s AA
Championship game last
Friday. After two halves of
well-played basketball, The
Strangers emerged victorious,
37-22.
The Strangers, led by top
scorers Michelle Kolbe and
Samantha Schanilec, had completed an undefeated season
and won a close contest with
Hoops! I Did It Again! in order
to earn their championship
berth. The Hot Shots were not
strangers to success either, as
they won all of their games
except those played against the
Strangers. Furthermore, they
ousted a talented Rockstars
team during the semifinals in
order to earn their place in the
championship.
As soon as the game began,
the Strangers gained an advantage that they were never going
to release. Michelle Klobe connected on a few early scores,
and the outstanding play of
guard Teresa Krilich and
Bethany Deacutis allowed the
Strangers to keep the Hot Shots
six to ten points away at all
times.
As a result, the Strangers
had a commanding 22-14 lead
as the second half commenced.
Every time the Hot Shots made
a scoring run, the Strangers
were swift to respond.
Samantha Schanilec was the
main contributor on offense
during this stretch, and her
jump shots and fast break
scores allowed the Strangers to
maintain their buffer.
Leading the Hot Shots was
guard Emma Smits, who handled the ball extremely well,
managing to virtually eliminate
turnovers by outmaneuvering
the pesky Strangers guards,
while setting up the majority of
the team’s scores. The Hot
Shots had excellent communication on offense, and they
often found open teammates
for easy baskets underneath.
But the Strangers proved to
be too much for the Hot Shots,
as their offense prowess
enabled them to put points on
the board at a pace that the Hot
Shots just could not match.
Towards the end of the game,
the Strangers’ consistent six to
eight point lead began to
increase, and by the time the
final whistle sounded, they had
extended their lead to fifteen,
obtaining a solid 37-22 victory.
Michelle Klobe scored thirteen
points, and guard Samantha
Schanilec complimented her
total with twelve.
The Strangers had been
unstoppable all season, and the
momentum of their unbeaten
record carried them through
the playoffs with relative ease.
The fluidity of their teamwork
was extremely evident all season, and it was this quality that
propelled them to their championship title.
with 6 points, a handful of
blocks, and some timely
rebounding. J.P. Shoup led all
scorers with 8 points.
Purple Rain’s Niels Pena,
who struggled from the field
but awoke late in the contest,
scored 7, while big man Dan
Onderko scored 5.
In what seemed to be the
trend of the evening, the contest got off to a slow start. It
took nearly 3 minutes for the
game’s first bucket, a free
throw by Purple Rain’s Jake
Arnal. Both teams struggled
with controlling the ball, turning it over consistently.
Tough inside play ensued as
the minutes rolled by, and with
9:18 remaining in the first the
Spartans held an 8-4 lead.
Strong play by Dan Onderko
brought Purple Rain back to an
8-8 tie, and the score remained
there until a 3-pointer by Shane
Crump with 5:27 remaining.
Crump’s defense was too
much for Purple Rain’s big
men, as he registered quite a
few key blocks in the first half.
JP Shoup began to hit midrange jumpers and Purple
Rain’s Stefan Habsle stepped
up and remained tough as the
half ended with a 15-13
Spartan’s lead.
The second half picked up
right where the first half left as
both teams exchanged baskets.
At around the midway point
Purple Rain began to get physical, resulting in multiple free
throws for the Spartans.
Fortunately for them, the
Spartans missed most of their
attempts and found themselves
up just 20-17 when they easily
could have been up by 10.
Crump continued his dominance throughout the latter
portion of the second half,
especially on the defensive
end. Purple Rain soon fell into
the same problem as the
Spartans, missing a handful of
free throws.
Throughout the final minute
of the game, both teams
exchanged free throw attempts,
and Purple Rain found themselves down 2 with under ten
seconds remaining. Spartan JP
Shoup went to the free throw
line, but missed both free
throws.
Pena grabbed the board for
Purple Rain, ran down the
court, and hoisted up one last
shot which went off-target as
the Spartans dashed onto the
court in celebration.
By DYLAN EHLE
Staff Writer
With 9.1 seconds remaining
in the game, Paul Mooney
stepped to the free throw line.
His team had been trailing all
game but managed to pull
within one point of their opponents, 51-50.
The ref handed him the
ball, and he calmly drained the
first shot, tying the game at 51
points. The field house erupted in applause, and the noise
continued as he attempted his
second shot. It was nothing
but net, and nine seconds later,
EMPangea had stolen a 52-51
victory.
Those final nine seconds
were the only time EMPangea
had held the lead in the entire
Strangers cap off perfect season in women’s AA championship
By DYLAN EHLE
Staff Writer
Forecast of Purple Rain doesn’t faze Spartans’ march to victory
By GREG HURST
Sports Editor
In spectacular fashion, the
Spartans pulled off a huge
upset last Friday, beating
Purple Rain (P.O.P) 25-23 and
winning the Men’s Single A
championship.
In a game that showcased
four ejections, Shance Crump
took control of the paint and
led the way for the Spartans