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Volume 3, Issue 7
Serving over 900,000 Catholics In The Diocese of Brownsville
January 2012
Prayerful Protest
Construction
St. Eugene de Mazenod
Parish in Brownsville begins
building new church
3
After the fire
St. Theresa of the Infant
Jesus Parish in Edcouch
breaks ground
4
The Valley Catholic
Spirit Awards
Honorees recognized
for support of Catholic
education
5
Hundreds to gather
in solidarity with
pro-lifers
across the nation
By ROSE YBARRA
The Valley Catholic
Those Who Serve
Father James Erving, an
Oblate of Mary Immaculate,
at OurLady Star of the Sea 8
En Español
Artículo sobre exorcismos y
una protesta por el respeto
a la vida
SAN JUAN — On Jan. 22, 1973,
the Supreme Court handed down
Roe v. Wade, legalizing abortion in
the United States. Since then, more
than 52 million babies have been
killed by abortion in this country.
Bishop Daniel E. Flores and
“VERBUM MITTITUR
SPIRANS AMOREM”
(“The WORD is sent
breathing love.”)
prayer and Adoration of the Blessed
Sacrament on the front steps of
basilica and concluding with a
Mass celebrated by Bishop Flores
at 3:30 p.m. Exhibitors will also set
up booths to provide information,
literature and resources on pro-life
activities in the diocese and beyond.
“Our goal is to have a great
representation from all the parishes
to come and give thanks to God
for life,” said Sister Nancy Boushey
of the Benedictine Sisters of the
Good Shepherd in Rio Grande
City and director of the Respect
Life Apostolate for the diocese.
“And to receive graces to counteract
» Please see Anniversary, p.14
First priest ordination of 2012
Deacon Partida talks
about his call to
the priesthood
The Valley Catholic
12
the Respect Life Apostolate of
the Diocese of Brownsville invite
the faithful to gather at 1 p.m. on
Sunday, Jan. 22, in prayerful protest
at the Basilica of Our Lady of San
Juan del Valle-National Shrine. The
event marks the 39th anniversary
of the dark day that abortion was
legalized in the U.S. Attendees are
asked to wear red to honor the
babies’ blood shed when they were
killed by abortion.
Families,
youth
groups
and other church groups are
encouraged to attend this event,
which will be led by Bishop Flores.
The day’s events will begin with
music, followed by a Rosary and
procession around the basilica,
Bishop Daniel E. Flores will
ordain Cesar Uriel Partida to
the priesthood at 10:30 a.m. on
Saturday, Jan. 28 at St. Anthony
Church, 209 S. 10th St. in Harlingen.
A native of Ayotlán, Jalisco,
Deacon Partida will be the parochial vicar of St. Anthony Church
after his ordination. He is the son
of Javier Ramiro Partida and Maria del Refugio Escoto. Partida,
32, recently completed his studies at Assumption Seminary in
San Antonio.
The Valley Catholic spoke
with Deacon Partida about his
impending ordination.
The Valley Catholic: Tell us
about your call to the priesthood.
Deacon Partida: When I was
17 years old, a friend invited me
to visit the seminary. I liked it,
but I wasn’t completely sure that
it was my calling. I entered the
seminary first to know the life of
a seminarian. While I was there, I
felt called by God and continued
the journey to the priesthood.
I was also influenced by the example of my uncle, who was a
priest for many years before he
died. My maternal grandparents,
especially my grandfather, Ramon Escoto García, were also a
factor. He loved to read books
about our faith, about the lives of
the saints. I remember, as a child,
seeing him read those books and
meditating and praying; that really impacted my life. By his example, I was encouraged to know
God better and to serve the Lord.
TVC: When did you move to
In this file photo hundreds gathered for a
pro-life procession at the Basilica of Our
Lady of San Juan del Valle-National Shrine
in January 2011.
2012 RESPECT LIFE PROCESION
Sunday, Jan. 22 at the Basilica
of Our Lady of San Juan del
Valle-National Shrine
Schedule of Events
1 p.m. — Music, praise and
worship at the mosaic
1:30 p.m. — Rosary procession
2 p.m. — Benediction at the
front steps of the basilica
3:30 p.m. — Mass celebrated
by Bishop Daniel E. Flores in
the basilica
Letter to
Immigrants
Hispanic Catholic
Bishops express
solidarity, prayers
By BRENDA NETTLES RIOJAS
The Valley Catholic
the Rio Grande Valley? What did
you like about this area?
Deacon Partida: I moved
to the Valley in August 2007 by
invitation of one of my friends,
who is a priest of the Diocese of
Brownsville (Father Juan Pablo
Davalos). I really like the biculturality of the Valley, the way the
Hispanic bishops in the United States expressed their solidarity with immigrants living in the
United States and committed
themselves to continue working for
a just reform of the immigration
system.
In a letter published on the
feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe,
the bishops urged immigrants not
to despair. “Keep faith in Jesus the
migrant who continues to walk beside you.”
» Please see Ordination, p.15
» Please see Letter, p.14
PARTIDA
2
The Valley Catholic - January 2012
DIOCESE
Carta de
los obispos
hispanos/
latinos a los
inmigrantes
Muy estimadas hermanas y
hermanos inmigrantes,
¡Que la paz y la gracia de
Nuestro Señor Jesucristo estén con
todos ustedes!
Los obispos hispanos/latinos de
Estados Unidos abajo firmantes
les hacemos saber a quienes se
encuentran en nuestro país sin
papeles que no están solos ni olvidados. Reconocemos que todo
ser humano, documentado o no,
es imagen de Dios y por lo tanto
tiene un valor y dignidad infinitos. Les abrimos nuestros brazos
y nuestro corazón y los recibimos
como miembros de nuestra familia
católica. Como pastores, les dirigimos estas palabras desde lo más
profundo de nuestro corazón.
De una manera muy especial
queremos agradecerles los valores
cristianos que nos demuestran con
su vida – el sacrificio por el bien
de sus familias, la determinación y
perseverancia, el gozo de vivir, su
profunda fe y su fidelidad a pesar
de la inseguridad y tantas dificultades. Ustedes contribuyen mucho
al bienestar de nuestra nación en
el ámbito económico, cultural y
espiritual.
La crisis económica ha impactado a toda la comunidad estadounidense. Lamentablemente,
algunos aprovechan este ambiente
de incertidumbre para despreciar
al migrante y aun culparlo por esta
crisis. Sembrar el odio no nos lleva
a remediar la crisis. Hallamos el
remedio en la solidaridad entre
todos los trabajadores y colaboradores—inmigrantes y ciudadanos—que conviven en los Estados
Unidos.
En sus rostros sufrientes vemos
el rostro verdadero de Jesucristo.
Sabemos muy bien el gran sacrificio que hacen por el bien de sus familias. Muchos de ustedes hacen
los trabajos más difíciles, con
sueldos miserables y sin seguro de
salud o prestaciones salariales o
sociales. A pesar de sus contribuciones al bienestar de nuestro país,
en lugar de ofrecerles gratitud, se
les trata como criminales porque
han violado la ley de inmigración
actual.
Estamos también muy conscientes del dolor de las familias
Letter of the Hispanic/Latino
Bishops to Immigrants
Dear Immigrant sister and brother immigrants,
May the peace and grace of Our Lord Jesus
Christ be with all of you!
We the undersigned Hispanic/Latino Bishops of the United States wish to let those of
you who lack proper authorization to live and
work in our country know that you are not
alone or forgotten. We recognize that every
human being, authorized or not, is an image
of God and therefore possesses infinite value
and dignity. We open our arms and hearts to
you, and we receive you as members of our
Catholic family. As pastors, we direct these
words to you from the depths of our heart.
In a very special way we want to thank you
for the Christian values you manifest to us
with your lives—your sacrifice for the well-being of your families, your determination and
perseverance, your joy of life, your profound
faith and fidelity despite your insecurity and
many difficulties. You contribute much to the
welfare of our nation in the economic, cultural
and spiritual arenas.
The economic crisis has had an impact on
the entire U.S. community. Regretfully, some
in reaction to this environment of uncertainty
show disdain for immigrants and even blame
them for the crisis. We will not find a solution to our problems by sowing hatred. We
will find the solution by sowing a sense of
solidarity among all workers and co-workers
—immigrants and citizens—who live together
in the United States.
In your suffering faces we see the true face
of Jesus Christ. We are well aware of the great
sacrifice you make for your families’ wellbeing. Many of you perform the most difficult
jobs and receive miserable salaries and no
health insurance nor other salary or social
benefits. Despite your contributions to the
well-being of our country, instead of receiving
que han sufrido la deportación
de alguno de sus miembros; de la
frustración de los jóvenes que han
crecido en este país y cuyos sueños
son truncados por su estatus migratorio; de la ansiedad de aquellos
cuya petición de residencia permanente está por aprobarse; y de la
angustia de quienes viven cada día
bajo la amenaza de ser deportados.
Todas estas situaciones claman
a Dios por una solución digna y
humana.
Reconocemos que en ocasi6n
las acciones tomadas con respecto
a los inmigrantes les ha llevado
a sentirse ignorados y abandonados, incluyendo cuando no
se han escuchado voces que se
levanten ante las falsedades que
se promueven dentro de nuestra
sociedad. Por medio de la Conferencia de Obispos Católicos
de Estados Unidos (USCCB)
700 N. Virgen de San Juan Blvd., San Juan, TX 78589-3042
Telephone: (956) 781-5323 • Fax: (956) 784-5082
MOST REVEREND
DANIEL E. FLORES
BISHOP OF BROWNSVILLE
our thanks, you are often treated as criminals
because you have violated current immigration laws.
We are also very aware of the pain suffered by those families who have experienced
the deportation of one of their members. We
are conscious of the frustration of youth and
young adults who have grown up in this country and whose dreams are shattered because
they lack legal immigration status. We also
know of the anxiety of those whose application process for permanent residency is close
to completion and of the anguish of those
who live daily under the threat of deportation.
This entire situation cries out to God for a
worthy and humane solution.
We sincerely ask your pardon when you feel
that we sometimes have ignored or abandoned you, or have failed to raise our voice
against the falsehoods which our society puts
forth. Through the United States Conference
of Catholic Bishops we have testified before
the U.S. Congress for change in our immigration laws and for legislation that respects
family unity and provides an orderly and
reasonable process for unauthorized persons
to attain citizenship. The new law should include a program for worker visas that respects
the immigrants’ human rights, provides for
their basic needs and ensures that they enter
hemos abogado ante el Congreso
estadounidense por un cambio a
la ley de inmigraci6n que respete
la unidad de la familia, e incluya
pasos ordenados y razonables para
que personas sin documentos
puedan obtener la ciudadanía. La
nueva ley deberá incluir un programa de visas para trabajadores
que respete los derechos humanos
de los inmigrantes, les provea las
necesidades básicas para vivir y facilite su ingreso a nuestro país para
trabajar en un ambiente seguro y
ordenado. Así mismo, continuamos abogando por la justicia
econ6mica global que facilite el
empleo de nuestros hermanos y
hermanas en su tierra de origen y
les provea lo suficiente para vivir
con dignidad.
El pueblo inmigrante es una
fuerza revitalizadora para el país.
La falta de una reforma migratoria
justa, humana y eficaz debilita
el bien común de toda la unión
americana.
Nos duele y nos apena que
muchos de nuestros hermanos
y hermanas católicos no hayan
apoyado nuestras peticiones por
un cambio a la ley de inmigración
que proteja sus derechos, mientras
ustedes contribuyen con su trabajo
our country and work in a safe and orderly
manner. We will also continue to advocate
on behalf of global economic justice, so that
our brothers and sisters can find employment
opportunities in their countries of origin that
offer a living wage and thus live with dignity.
Immigrants are a revitalizing force for our
country. The lack of a just, humane and effective reform of immigration laws negatively
affects the common good of the entire United
States.
It pains and saddens us that many of
our Catholic brothers and sisters have not
supported our petitions for changes in the
immigration law that will protect your basic
rights while you contribute your hard work
to our country. We promise to keep working
to bring about this change. We know how
difficult the journey is to reach the border and
enter the United States. That is why we are
committed to do all that we can to bring about
a change in the immigration law, so that you
can enter and remain here legally and not feel
compelled to undertake a dangerous journey
to support and provide for your families. As
pastors concerned for your welfare, we are
obliged to tell you that it is not advisable to
undertake the journey here until just and humane changes occur in our immigration laws.
Nevertheless, we are not going to wait until
the law changes to welcome you who are
already here into our churches, for as St. Paul
tells us, “You are no longer aliens or foreign
visitors; you are fellow-citizens with the holy
people of God and part of God’s household”
(Eph 2:19).
As members of the Body of Christ which
is the Church, we offer you spiritual nourishment. Feel welcome to Holy Mass, the Eucharist, which nourishes us with the word and
a nuestro país. Les prometemos
que seguiremos trabajando para
obtener este cambio. Conocemos
lo difícil que es el camino para
llegar y entrar a Estados Unidos.
Por eso estamos comprometidos
a hacer lo que podamos para
lograr un cambio de ley que les
permita entrar y vivir en este país
legalmente, y no se vean ustedes obligados a emprender un
camino peligroso para proveer a
sus familias. Como pastores que
se preocupan por el bienestar de
todos ustedes, les debemos decir
que no es aconsejable emprender
su camino hacia acá hasta que se
logre un cambio justo y humano
en las leyes de inmigración.
Sin embargo, no vamos a esperar hasta que cambie la ley para
darles la bienvenida en nuestras
iglesias a los que ya están aquí, ya
que San Pablo nos dice, “Ustedes
ya no son extranjeros ni huéspedes, sino conciudadanos de los
que forman el pueblo de Dios; son
familia de Dios” (Ef. 2:19).
Como miembros del Cuerpo de
Cristo que es la Iglesia, les ofrecemos alimento espiritual. Siéntanse bienvenidos a la Santa Misa,
la Eucaristía que nos alimenta
con la palabra y con el cuerpo y
» Please see Immigrants, p.14
la sangre de Jesús. Les ofrecemos
programas de catequesis para sus
hijos, y programas de formación
que nuestros esfuerzos diocesanos
nos permiten poner a su alcance.
Los ciudadanos y residentes permanentes de este país no podemos
olvidar que casi todos, nosotros
o nuestros antepasados, hemos
venido de otras tierras, y juntos
con inmigrantes de varias naciones
y culturas hemos formado una
nueva nación. Ahora debemos
abrirles el corazón y los brazos a
los recién llegados, como nos lo
pide Jesús cuando nos dice, “Tuve
hambre y ustedes me alimentaron;
tuve sed y ustedes me dieron de
beber; pasé como forastero y ustedes me recibieron en su casa” (Mt
25:35). Estas palabras del Señor
Jesús se pueden aplicar al migrante
entre nosotros. Tuvieron hambre
en su tierra de origen, tuvieron
sed al pasar por el desierto, y se
encuentran entre nosotros como
forasteros (ver Daniel G. Groody,
CSC, “Crossing the Line,” The
Way, Vol. 43, No.2, abril 2004,
p.58-69). Su presencia nos invita
a ser más valientes en la denuncia
de las injusticias que sufren. A
» Por favor lea Inmigrantes, pág.13
Bishop Daniel E. Flores
Publisher
The Valley Catholic email:
[email protected]
Brenda Nettles Riojas
Editor
The Valley Catholic, a publication
Rose Ybarra
of the Diocese of Brownsville,
is published monthly.
Assistant Editor
ZBG Studio/Graphic Design
Terry De Leon
Circulation
Subscription rate:
$15 per year • $17 outside of Texas
$25 outside of U.S.
Bishop Flores’ Schedule — January 2011
Jan. 2 -6
San Antonio
Texas Bishops’ Meeting
Jan. 8-13
San Antonio
Speaker — Assumption Seminary Retreat
Jan. 14
9 a.m.
San Juan
Mass San Juan Diego Institute — Issuing of Certificates
Jan. 15
2 p.m.
Brownsville
Mass Movimiento Familiar Cristiano
Jan. 18
9:30 a.m.
San Juan
Presbyteral Council
Jan. 21
5:30 p.m.
Basilica
Annual Diocesan Deacons Retreat
Jan. 22
2:30 p.m.
Basilica
Roe vs. Wade Eucharistic Procession, Benediction and Mass
Jan. 27
6 p.m.
McAllen
Spirit Awards Banquet
Jan. 28
8 a.m.
Weslaco
2nd Annual Divine Mercy Conference
DIOCESE
January 2012 - The Valley Catholic
Under construction
Ground broken
for St. Eugene de
Mazenod Church
in Brownsville
The Valley Catholic
Above, two boys play on a large mound
of dirt before Bishop Daniel E. Flores and
church pastor, Oblate Father Timothy
Paulsen broke ground on the new St. Eugene de Mazenod Church in Brownsville
on Nov. 23. Left, shown is a rendering of
the new church, which is scheduled to be
completed in about a year.
in the world named for St. Eugene
de Mazenod, the French founder
of the Missionary Oblates of Mary
Immaculate. He was canonized by
Pope John Paul II on Dec. 3, 1995.
Prior to the establishment of
St. Eugene de Mazenod as a parish,
the small chapel where the faith
community gathered was known
as Our Lady of Peace.
Oblate Father Harry Schuckenbrock, who served as the first
full-time pastor of the parish, also
attended the ground-breaking
event. Many parishioners greeted
him warmly with big hugs and updates on their lives.
“We waited a long time for this
day,” Father Schuckenbrock said.
“This is a great celebration of all
the hard work that has gone on
here for way more than 15 years.
These are hard-working, honest
people who put in a hard day’s
work for their families and then
give what is left to the parish in
both time and money.”
Father Paulsen said $848,000
was raised for the new church: one
dollar at a time, one fundraiser at
a time.
“This is a working-class parish,” he said. “We don’t have a lot of
big donors. It is a lot of people tirelessly cooking chicken, tamales,
menudo, having raffles. The people are very united. It is the most
united parish I have ever been in,
and it is the dream of a having a
real church with a bell and everything that really motivates the people in this neighborhood, which is
a growing neighborhood.”
Bishop Flores talks about exorcisms
By ROSSY LIMA PADILLA
The Valley Catholic
McALLEN — In the fight of
good versus evil, Bishop Daniel E.
Flores said each person has what
they need to live under the protection of God.
Bishop Flores shared his
thoughts during a talk on exorcism on Nov. 21 before more than
100 young adults at “Roosevelt’s
at 7”, a local pub in McAllen. The
talk was part of a Theology on
Tap speaker series organized by
the Brownsville Diocese’s Campus
and Young Adult Ministry.
The series covers a variety
of topics and features different
speakers throughout the year. For
the topic of exorcism, Roosevelt’s
filled with anticipation with a
standing-room-only crowd before
the bishop’s arrival.
Flores said, “The world has a
fascination with this question of
the devil, even though the world
World Day for
Consecrated Life
Religious priests,
sisters, brothers
recognized for
serving in diocese
By ROSE YBARRA
The Valley Catholic
By ROSE YBARRA
The Valley Catholic
BROWNSVILLE — On a
crisp, Autumn evening, St. Eugene
de Mazenod Church in Brownsville broke ground on a new sanctuary.
church pastor Father Timothy
Paulsen of the Missionary Oblates
of Mary Immaculate led the Nov.
23 ground-breaking ceremony
and joined the community for a
spirited celebration under a large,
white tent. Parishioners donated
their time and talents to prepare
meals and dessert for the hundreds in attendance.
“Today, we gather together to
begin the construction of a new
temple,” Bishop Flores said. “The
Church is always under construction. Christ Jesus builds his
Church through the faithful, like
you. We build new parts and grow
in love. We are called to invite one
and all to join us around the altar.”
The new, Spanish colonialstyle church will seat about 500
and is expected to be completed by
late 2012 or early 2013. The plans
were designed by architect Eduardo Vela of Hidalgo.
“We have a beautiful church,
but it was never meant to be the
church building; it was always
meant to be the parish hall,” said
Father Paulsen, who is in his seventh year as pastor of St. Eugene de
Mazenod Church. “From the outside, our church kind of looks like
a bodega, a warehouse. So sometimes people joke that our church
looks like a bodega. Once the new
church is built, they won’t be able
to say that any longer. We are looking forward to having a real house
of God.”
St. Eugene de Mazenod was established as a parish more than 15
years ago, on May 21, 1996. Father
Paulsen said it was the first parish
3
we live in is increasingly less and
less conscious, at least in a public
way, of the mystery of God, His
grace and His mercy.”
The emblematic figure of the
Cross stood behind the bishop as
he began by explaining how the
world is interested in the existence
of evil, in the movies and propaganda for example. Bishop Flores
engaged the crowd by speaking directly about common perceptions:
one is the apparent explanation of
possessions as psychological problems.
He described the difference
between oppression and possession, and said the second is extremely rare. There is a delicate
process that examines the veracity
of the two; nevertheless, oppression is something not so rare in
our society. “Oppression happens
when a person opens up or invites
the presence of the evil one. Sometimes people think it is a game,
and then they suffer very seriously,” Bishop Flores said.
“If you are living under the
CNS photo/Nancy Wiechec
Exorcism is a rarely used rite in the Catholic Church. Under Canon Law only those
priests who receive permission from his
bishop can perform an exorcism. A priest
performing the rite wears a purple stole.
A Crucifix and holy water are among the
religious items used in the rite.
grace of God, you really don’t need
to worry about that. It is when
you start wandering into the other
territory where you are fairly defenseless,” Bishop Flores said. “You
have what you need to live under
the protection of God.”
Bishop Flores responded to
many anonymous questions the
audience wrote on pieces of paper.
One of these questions was about
the battleground for the fight of
good versus evil. “The fight of
good versus evil happens in the
human will,” he said.
Concerning Theology on Tap,
Miguel Santos, director of Campus and Young Adult Ministry for
the Diocese of Brownsville, commented, “We are grateful to see the
response for this new young adult
outreach in our diocese; we look
to expand it to Harlingen, Weslaco
and Rio Grande City in 2012.
The dates and locations for
future Theology on Tap sessions
can be found on the Campus and
Young Adult Ministry website,
www.cyam.net
An audio file of the talk is
available online at www.cdob.org
SAN JUAN — Bishop Daniel
E. Flores will celebrate a Mass in
honor of World Day for Consecrated Life at 3:30 p.m. Sunday,
Feb. 5, at the Basilica of Our Lady
of San Juan del Valle-National
Shrine.
All religious priests, sisters
and brothers are invited to attend.
The Mass will be open to the public so that the faithful may honor
and pray for the religious serving
in the diocese.
In 1997, John Paul II called
for those in religious life — those
serving in Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic
Life — to be recognized throughout the Church. He declared Feb.
2, the Feast of the Presentation of
the Lord, to be observed as World
Day for Consecrated Life. In the
United States when Feb. 2 is not
on a Sunday, it is celebrated the
Sunday after the feast.
“All the religious institutes and
communities play a very important role in the life of the Church,
as well as diocesan priests and
laity,” said Father Mario Avilés
of the Congregation of the Oratory of St. Philip Neri, who serves
as the director of schools of the
Pharr Oratory and pastor of Sacred Heart Church in Hidalgo. “It
is great knowing that we have a
specific day to not only recognize
the many men and women who
have dedicated their lives to a specific vocation but also to pray for
them.”
Brother Hoss Alvarez of the
Missionary Servants of the Cross
said that he enjoys gathering with
other religious in the diocese, especially in the basilica, a place of
pilgrimage.
“It allows people to see the
many different colors, shapes and
faces of religious life,” said Brother
Alvarez, who serves as director of
formation at San Martin de Porres
Church in Weslaco. “You see us all
together, but you also see how diverse we are, and yet we all serve
the same basic purpose, which is
the needs of the Church. We have
different charisms but we all serve
the same Church, the same God
in different capacities, according
to what God has called us to do.”
All Institutes of Consecrated
Life and Societies of Apostolic Life
are called to bring the Good News
to the Church and our world, but
the Holy Spirit has led each one to
grow in its own unique way. Each
has a different mission, spirituality and charism. There are more
than 200 in religious life serving
our diocese.
Sister Phylis Peters of the
Daughters of Charity said the
Mass is an opportunity to give
thanks to the Lord and his graces.
“None of us could do it alone,”
said Sister Peters, who established
Proyecto Juan Diego, a community center that provides educational, religious, social and health
services in Cameron Park. “It’s
only because the Lord has called
us and has given us permission
that we accomplish what he puts
before us.”
4
DIOCESE
Lydia Pesina
Director, Family
Life Office
New Year:
New plans
D
uring the Twelve Days
of Christmas, from
Christmas Day to the
Feast of the Three
Kings, we have an opportunity to
reflect on the Christmas Season
and remember that Jesus, whose
birth we have just celebrated came
to “make all things new.” In The
Book of Revelation 21:5-6, John
tells us that he “saw” the one who
sat on the throne say “Behold,
I make all things new.” Then he
said, “Write these words down,
for they are trustworthy and true.”
He said to me, ‘They are accomplished. I[am] the Alpha and the
Omega, the beginning and the
end.’”
Perhaps the idea of starting
anew is what prompts many
people to make New Year’s
resolutions. One survey lists the
following as the top ten New
Year’s Resolutions: (1) drink less
alcohol, (2) get a better education,
(3) get a better job, (4) get fit/lose
weight, (5) manage debt, (6) manage stress, (7) reduce, reuse and
recycle, (8) save money, (9) take a
trip, (10) volunteer to help others.
Often people say that they
make New Year’s resolutions, but
as soon as they break them, that’s
the end of it until the following
year; while others state that they
don’t make New Year’s resolutions
precisely for the aforementioned
reason. Perhaps it is semantics,
but personally, I prefer to write a
“plan” for the coming year in my
journal on New Year’s Eve or New
Year’s Day or early in January
rather than write resolutions.
Over the years, I have found
that journaling (often daily,
sometimes sporadically) helps me
reflect on what I am doing with
my life and discern which areas
of my life need improvement or
redirecting or perhaps to help me
see what the Lord might be calling me to at this juncture of my
life journey. I have kept a diary or
journal since junior high school. I
still have the diary with the entry
when I met my husband, Mauri,
on May 28, 1969. I have a verywell chronicled life.
For many years now, I have
a ritual of reading my journal
entries for that calendar year
sometime in late December and
then “naming” my year according
to the themes of the events of that
year. I have had “The Year of Job”,
“The Year of Isaiah,” “The Year of
the Farmer”, “The Year of Providence,” etc. After I name the past
year, then I decide on my plan for
the coming year.
For me a Plan for the Year
gives me an opportunity to list
things that I believe might help
me grow, develop, change, enrich
or add to my personal or family
life. For example, I might include
in my plan to make sure to visit
extended family members, especially the elderly more regularly.
» Please see New Year, p.15
»Making Sense
Out of Bioethics
After the fire
St. Theresa Parish
begins building
new church
Tadeusz
Pacholczyk
Priest of the
Diocese of Fall
River
The Valley Catholic
EDCOUCH — More than
two years after a fire destroyed
their church home, Bishop Daniel E. Flores and church pastor
Father Ernesto Magallón broke
ground on the new St. Theresa of
the Infant Jesus Church on Dec.
11 after the noon Mass.
“The community has worked
so hard for years to make this
dream a reality,” Father Magallón
said. “We are very happy. We look
forward to spending Christmas
2012 in our new church home.”
Fashioned in eclectic, Spanish style, the new church will
feature a combination of cantera
stone and stucco. Rodolfo Molina
of Milnet Architectural Services
in McAllen designed the sanctuary, which will seat about 400.
Construction of the new church
is expected to take about nine
months.
Renovations were being made
in the original church when the
fire broke out on Oct. 18, 2009.
Masses are currently celebrated
in the parish hall, which the parishioners have transformed into
a beautiful place of worship with
flowers and decorations.
The new church will be paid
for with insurance benefits and
with money raised through fundraisers.
“It was a very painful time
for our community, but we responded well to the tragedy,”
Father Magallón said. “Through
our faith, we made it through
that dark time and we are stronger today.”
The 2009 fire was the second time the parish community
endured a blaze. The original
church, which was built in 1948,
was destroyed by a fire in 1954.
Another church was blessed and
dedicated in 1956.
Unconditional
parental love
O
The Valley Catholic
Father Ernesto Magallón, pastor of St. Theresa of the Infant Jesus Parish in Edcouch,
left, and Bishop Daniel E. Flores dig their shovels into the dirt to break ground on a
new sanctuary. Their last house of worship was destroyed in a fire in Oct. 2009.
A rendering of the new sanctuary, which will feature a combination of stucco and
cantera.
Valley Interfaith organizes
Convocation on Immigration Reform
Religious leaders
to address border
violence, rights
of immigrants
By TERRI BROWN
Special to The Valley Catholic
Immigration, border violence and rights of immigrants
are among the topics Bishop
Daniel E. Flores and other denominational leader will address
from to 6-9 p.m. on Thursday,
Jan. 19 during the Second Annual Interfaith Clergy Convocation
on Immigration Reform.
The convocation organized
by Valley Interfaith will be
held at First United Methodist Church, 4200 N. McColl, in
McAllen.
Other denominational leaders participating in the convocation include Reverend James
Dorff, Bishop of the San Antonio
Episcopal Area United Methodist Church and Reverend Dr. Ray
Tiemann, Bishop of the Southwestern Texas Synod, ELCA.
This meeting is a follow-up
to a meeting in October 2010
at Our Lady of Perpetual Help,
where over 450 clergy and laity spent the day understanding
the immigration situation in
the United States and learned
what the bishops thought were
the most-important principles
that need to be addressed as the
country deliberates on repairing
a broken immigration system.
At this meeting the bishop’s unveiled their eight-point “Interfaith Statement on Comprehensive Immigration Reform and
shed light on how our Gospel
values call us to welcome the
stranger.”
The January event will continue the work started in October 2010 and will give attendees
an opportunity to spend time
learning about how the immigration system is failing in the
United States, how the border
violence is affecting the Rio
Grande Valley, and what is happening with human trafficking
and immigrant detention, along
with the Importance of immigrants to our economy, education and our future generations
and immigrants rights.
This three-hour event will
set the tone for conversations
across South Texas during 2012
and guide local people of faith in
their thinking and reflection on
the issue of immigration.
The event particants will attend two different workshops
with the bishops to address what
they see are the struggles faced
by immigrants and community
alike.
Registration forms to attend may be sent via mail, fax,
or email to Father Juan Nicolau,
chair, Immigration Action Team
for Valley Interfaith, at 1508 E.
Hwy 83 Suite C, Weslaco, Texas
78596, fax (956) 968-3955, or
[email protected].
nce I met a woman
who had worked
for years in fashion
and modeling.
Unsurprisingly, she was strikingly
attractive. She was accompanied
by her teenage daughter, who, by
contrast, was rather unremarkable
to look at, maybe even a plainJane. After spending time with
them, I began to sense that the
mother, whose life had largely
revolved around her appearance,
seemed to look down on her
daughter, perhaps unconsciously,
because of her average appearance.
Her daughter seemed aware of
this lack of maternal acceptance,
and seemed troubled and
uncomfortable as she tried to
compensate and please her mom
in other ways.
The girl’s situation was a strong
reminder to me of how important
it is for every child to experience
unconditional acceptance from
their parents if they are to grow
and mature in a healthy way.
Unconditional love profoundly
and beautifully molds us as human
beings.
A growing number of parents
in our society, however, no longer
seem to hold to this key notion of
unconditionally accepting their
own children. If parents are told by
doctors that their children might
be born with physical or mental
disabilities, many parents today
will reject them and even yield to
the temptation to end their lives
through direct abortion.
I was recently discussing the
Special Olympics with the father
of a boy who has Down syndrome,
and he remarked that when he
takes his son to the local chapter,
there seem to be reduced numbers
of new children participating each
year. He wondered if this could be
due to the expanded targeting of
Down syndrome children through
prenatal testing and abortion.
Most unborn children diagnosed
with Down syndrome, in fact,
are never allowed to be born.
Data from the United Kingdom
indicate that between 1989 and
2006 approximately 92% of women
chose to terminate a pregnancy
with a prenatal diagnosis of Down
syndrome, while in the U.S.,
several published studies suggest
the figure may be somewhere
between 87% and 98%. A great
many Down syndrome children,
indeed, never see the light of day.
In the face of these harsh
data, the importance of explicitly
repudiating the eugenic mindset
that has taken hold in our society
cannot be overstated. No child is
» Please see Parental love, p.15
DIOCESE
January 2012- The Valley Catholic
»Sunday
Readings
The Word of God in the Life
and Mission of the Church
JANUARY 1
(The Octave Day of the Nativity of
the Lord Solemnity of Mary, the Holy
Mother of God )
Reading I
NM 6:22-27
Responsorial Psalm
PS 67:2-3, 5, 6, 8.
Reading II GAL 4:4-7
Gospel
LK 2:16-21
JANUARY 8
(The Epiphany of the Lord “This is my
beloved Son, with whom I am well
pleased.)
Reading I IS 60:1-6
Responsorial Psalm
PS 72:1-2, 7-8, 10-11, 12-13
Reading II EPH 3:2-3A, 5-6
Gospel
MT 2:1-12
JANUARY 15
(Second Sunday In Ordinary Time)
Reading I
1 SM 3:3B-10, 19
Responsorial Psalm
PS 40:2, 4, 7-8, 8-9, 10
Reading II
1 COR 6:13C-15A, 17-20
Gospel
The 2008 final collapse: The untold story
H
ow did the financial
meltdown of 2008
happen? The conventional narrative has it
that it all started with subprime
lending, which allowed people to
acquire homes they could never
afford. Bankers were willing to
lend money because the loans were
collateralized.
A subprime loan is a loan
to a person with a credit score
below 650. Normally, bankers are
extremely reluctant to lend to such
persons because the record shows
they often default on the loans.
The way banks customarily handle
this problem is to charge higher
interest rates on subprime loans,
calculating that the extra revenue
would offset losses caused by loan
defaults.
In the years leading up to 2008,
banks became willing to make
foolish loans because of what
are called credit default swaps.
Roughly put, this is the way they
work. Bank A goes to bank B
and says, “If you will provide me
insurance on the loan I want to
make to Mr. Smith so he can buy
home, I will pay you X dollars
every month for that insurance
(just like individuals buy insurance
and pay monthly premiums). But
what happens if Mr. Smith then
defaults on the loan from bank
A, and bank A goes to bank B to
claim its insurance money, only to
find out that bank B cannot honor
its insurance commitment to bank
A, because it, too, has made a lot of
foolish loans which have defaulted,
and now bank B has no money.
JN 1:35-42
JANUARY 22
JON 3:1-5, 10
Responsorial Psalm
PS 25:4-5, 6-7, 8-9
Reading II 1 COR 7:29-31
Gospel
MK 1:14-20
JANUARY 29
(Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time)
Reading I
DT 18:15-20
Responsorial Psalm
PS 95:1-2, 6-7, 7-9
Reading II 1 COR 7:32-35
Gospel
MK 1:21-28
The word of the Lord abides for ever.
This word is the Gospel which was
preached to you” (1 Pet 1:25; cf. Is
40:8).
With this assertion from the First
Letter of Saint Peter, which takes up
the words of the Prophet Isaiah, we
find ourselves before the mystery of
God, who has made himself known
through the gift of his word.
This word, which abides for ever,
entered into time. God spoke his
eternal Word humanly; his Word
“became flesh” (Jn 1:14).
This is the good news. This is the
proclamation which has come down
the centuries to us today.
Disciples in Mission: Six Weeks
With the Bible
Msgr. Robert
Maher
Vicar General
for the Diocese
of Brownsville
Bank A, which thought it had security when it made foolish loans
because it had bought insurance,
now finds itself bankrupt.
That, in a nutshell, is what led
to the 2008 financial collapse, but
the crisis needs to be understood
in a broader historical context.
Home-ownership had been
actively promoted by U.S. presidents since the time of FDR, as
part of the American Dream that
everyone should have a share in.
Loans were made readily available through the VA or FHA. In
1945, the home ownership rate
was 45 percent of the population.
By the time of Nixon’s presidency
(1969-1974), it had risen to 69
percent. By the time of Clinton’s
presidency (1993-2001), however,
the percentage of home ownership
had dropped back down.
Why did this happen? As
reported by Jack Cashill in “What’s
the Matter with California,” in
1991 the Federal Reserve undertook a study of the rates of
approval for FHA loans. It found
that 77% of white families received
loan approvals, while only 61% of
blacks did. So the government and
media blamed the loss of home
ownership on racism and intensified their efforts to promote home
ownership. Pressure was applied
on banks to lend generously, especially to minorities, regardless of
their economic status.
Because of the credit default
swap practice, banks were willing
to do this because they thought
they couldn’t lose, but everyone
was doing it and no one seemed to
realize what the eventual result of
these irresponsible lending practices would be.
Banks and Investment Houses
began to fall. After the collapse of
Lehman Brothers, Secretary of the
Treasury Henry Paulson convened
the CEOs of the most prominent
investment banks on Wall Street in
a private meeting to try to discern
how the subprime mortgage practices had gotten so out of hand and
how they had brought the financial
system to its knees. The answers
were predictably the kind that
financiers would be expected to
give: lack of transparency, lack of
needed financial oversight mechanisms, lack of regulatory guidance,
the lack of proper standards for
risk management, etc.. Although
apparently no one said it, it must
have been understood that greed
was a root cause of the irresponsible lending practices that led to the
subprime mortgage meltdown.
That’s the conventional story
and it is fundamentally true. But
there’s an untold story that needs
to be told, and which puts the
2008 financial collapse in better
perspective.
What the economists had
been paying no attention to was
» Please see Collapse, p.14
Highlights in Ministry
(Third Sunday in Ordinary Time)
Reading I
5
T
he San Juan Diego
Ministry Institute strives
to help the People of
God in the Diocese of
Brownsville recognize that they
are unique, gifted members of
Christ’s body called through baptism to grow in faith and love, to
be a community which supports
one another on their journeys of
faith, and to carry on the mission
of Christ to the world.
The Diocesan Institute provides opportunities for human,
spiritual, intellectual and pastoral
formation as outlined in “CoWorkers in theVineyard of the
Lord: A Resource for Guiding
the Development of Lay Ecclesial
Ministry,” by the United States
Conference of Catholic Bishops;
for the development of skills
necessary for lay ministry; and for
ongoing support of the minister.
The goal of the institute is
to provide the baptized with the
leadership skills they need to
minister to and with others, and it
seeks to be a resource for parishes
and other church institutions in
preparing such ministerial leaders.
The Diocesan Institute works
in collaboration with the Office of
Catholic Schools to provide Religion Certification; the Office of
Catechesis to provide CRE, DRE
and Catechist Certification; the
Office of Youth Ministry to provide Youth Ministry Certification:
the Office of Worship to provide
Certification for Liturgical Ministers; the Office of Health Care
Ministry to provide Certification
for Hospital Volunteer Chaplains
and the Office of Jail Ministry.
What is lay ecclesial ministry?
Deacon
Luis Zuniga
Director, Office for
Pastoral Planning
& San Juan Diego
Ministry Institute.
The term lay ecclesial ministry
reflects certain key realities. Lay
ecclesial ministry is “lay” because
it is service done by lay persons.
The sacramental basis is the Sacraments of Initiation, not the Sacrament of Ordination. It is “ecclesial”
because it has a place within the
community of the Church, whose
communion and mission it serves,
and because it is submitted to the
discernment, authorization and
supervision of the hierarchy. It is
a “ministry” because it is the work
by which Christians participate in
the threefold ministry of Christ,
who is priest, prophet and king,
and continue his mission and
ministry in the world.
Because it is the responsibility
of the bishop to identify the roles
that most clearly exemplify lay
ecclesial ministry, application of
the term may vary from diocese
to diocese (“Co-Workers in the
Vineyard of the Lord,” 10-11, 13,
USCCB, 1995.)
The Diocese of Brownsville is
preparing to offer a two to three
year Lay Ecclesial Ministry program that prepares lay men and
women for specific roles of service
and leadership in and for the
Church. Those who are accepted
to the program from every parish
in the diocese will receive academ-
ic training in theology, as well as a
formation that integrates human
(personal), spiritual, intellectual
and pastoral dimensions.
Human formation will develop
the minister’s human qualities
and character, fostering a healthy
and well-balanced personality
for personal growth and ministerial service. Spiritual formation
arouses an understanding that the
call and response to God is not of
one’s own making but the result of
God working through one.
Through practices of prayer,
contemplation, and theological reflection, one’s attitudes and
values are molded daily to reflect
ongoing conversion to a life of
holiness in the Way of the Lord.
Intellectual formation will provide
education to assist the participant’s
knowledge of the Catholic Church
in accord with the documents of
the Second Vatican Council and
succeeding ecclesial documents,
rooted in the Sacred Scripture
reflecting the revelation and
inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
Pastoral formation will cultivate
the knowledge, attitudes and skills
for effective ministry and pastoral
administration in various settings
in the Church and community.
The Diocesan Institute of Lay
Ministry calls the laity to a deeper
living out of their Christian vocation in the world and prepares
them for more faithful and effective lay leadership in the Church
through a process of prayer, reflection, education and formation
to better prepare and strengthen
them in their faith, understanding
and skills as lay ecclesial ministers
for the Church.
Catholic News Service
The statue of St. Agnes is at the United
Nations in New York. It was found face
down in the ruins of Urakami Tenshudo,
a Catholi cathedral that was destroyed
when a U.S. atomic bomb was dropped
on Nagasaki, Japan on Aug. 9, 1945.
»Feast Day
— January 21
Spotlight on
St. Agnes
On January 21, the universal church commemorates the
feast of St. Agnes, a young Roman girl who chose martyrdom
over giving up her virginity in
marriage.
St. Agnes took a vow that
she would never blemish her
purity. She often said, “Jesus
Christ is my only spouse.” However, she was also very beautiful,
and many young men were interested in her. She would have
none of them, as her happiness
was elsewhere.
Trouble arose when Procop,
the son of the Roman governor.
fell in love with her. He tried to
win her as his wife by giving her
extravagant gifts and making
many promises. However, Agnes loved God above all things,
and no earthly gift could sway
her. She told Procop, “I am already promised to the Lord of
the Universe. He is more splendid than the sun and the stars,
and He has said He will never
leave me!”
Procop then became very
angry and denounced Agnes
as a Christian. She was dragged
before the governor, who tried
to persuade her to change her
mind. She was unwavering. He
then had her bound with chains,
but to no avail. Not wanting to
kill her while she was a virgin,
he had her dragged through the
streets to a brothel. However, it
is said that any man who tried
to rape her was struck blind.
It was decided that she was
to be burned alive. But when
she was tied to the stake, the
flames would not ignite the
wood. In a final attempt, the officer in charge of the execution
pulled out his sword and killed
her.
St. Agnes was only 12 or 13
years old when she died and is
held to be the patron saint of
chastity. She is represented by a
white lamb, representing purity.
Prayer to St. Agnes
All-powerful and ever-living
God, You choose the weak in
this world to confound the
powerful. As we celebrate the
anniversary of the martyrdom
of St. Agnes, may we, like her,
remain constant in faith.
Amen.
6
DIOCESE
Discovering
God’s plan
for becoming
a woman
The Valley Catholic
Mothers and their daughters,
ages 10-12, are invited to spend a
few hours exploring the beauty and
timelessness of God’s plan for growing up and becoming a woman.
The Family Life Office of the
diocese is hosting its annual Mother-Daughter Program on Sunday,
Jan. 29 from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m. at the
Bishop Adolph Marx Auditorium
in San Juan, located on the southwest corner of Expressway 83 and
Nebraska Ave. on the grounds of
the Basilica of Our Lady of San Juan
del Valle-National Shrine.
The program is designed to help
the girls appreciate their femininity
and become comfortable with their
changing bodies and personalities.
They will also learn about God’s
plan for women through the gift
of fertility and sexuality and the
beauty of chastity in a supportive
environment.
“They may get some education
on the physiology at school, but
they don’t have the opportunity
there that we have in the Church
to really put it in the context of this
is how God created us as females
from the beginning of time,” said
Lydia Pesina, director of the Family
Life Office.
Aside from talking about the
sacredness and dignity of human
life, the afternoon will include a
presentation on the physical and
emotional changes that occur in a
girl’s body as it prepares for motherhood.
The presenters will also highlight that each girl is unique and
that every girl changes and develops at different times and in different ways.
“It has been a wonderful opportunity to experience something
that, in my estimation, is needed
at every era,” Pesina said. “When
we evaluate programs we ask ourselves, ‘how relevant is it?’ and the
relevance of the Mother-Daughter
Program is pretty consistent. It reminds us as parents – as moms in
particular – that we have such a
special responsibility to walk with
our children at that very pivotal
time when they are experiencing so
many changes physically, so many
changes emotionally, so many
changes psychologically.”
The program will be presented
in English, but a Spanish translator
will be available for mothers who
need one.
The cost of the program is $10
per family and reservations are required. The deadline for registration is Jan. 23. For more information, call the Family Life Office at
(956) 784-5012.
Extreme Makeover, Recharge
Family event, Youth
Retreat to show
how to include God
in everyday life
The Valley Catholic
Mike Patin, a nationallyknown presenter from Lafayette,
La., will serve as the headliner and
master of ceremonies of a family
event called “Extreme Makeover:
Family Faith Edition” on Friday,
Feb. 3, and the Ninth Annual
Knights of Columbus Youth Retreat on Saturday, Feb. 4, at Our
Lady of Sorrows Church in McAllen.
Patin has been involved in
youth and family ministry since
1984 and worked in the youth
ministry office of the Archdiocese
of New Orleans for 13 years. As
a presenter, Patin has spoken in
more than 100 dioceses throughout the U.S. and Canada.
The Valley Catholic: For those
of us who haven’t seen you in action, what can we expect from you
at the family event and retreat?
Patin: My approach is humor
and stories. The objective mainly
is to help parents see that faith
connected to their teenagers’ lives
and their families’ lives is not only
possible but practical. I will also
try to give them practical sugges-
The Valley Catholic
Young adults, in this file photo, join in prayer at the 2011 Knights of Columbus Youth
Retreat. This year’s retreat is scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 4 at Our Lady of Sorrows
Church in McAllen.
MARK YOUR CALENDAR IN FEBRUARY
EXTREME MAKEOVER:
Family Faith Edition
WHEN: Friday, Feb. 3 at 6 p.m.
WHERE: Our Lady of Sorrows
Church, 1108 W. Hackberry,
McAllen
WHO CAN GO: Everyone
Fee: $5 per person
Info: (956) 212-4625
WHEN: Saturday, Feb. 4 from
8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
WHERE: Msgr. Ralph Hall
(Our Lady of Sorrows Church
and School)
WHO CAN GO: high school
students
FEE: $25 until December 31,
2011 and $35 after deadline
9TH ANNUAL YOUTH
RETREAT AND CONCERT
Info: (956) 648-7879 or
[email protected]
tions on how we can include God
in everyday life, not just Sunday
Mass. My main thing is to really
weird as they think they are because they are not sure what to do
with God. They know he is part
of their family’s lives and that he’s
supposed to be, but how does God
fit when there is texting and Faceboooking and friends and choices,
good choices and bad choices?
How does God fit? My job is to try
to help them see that God is more
approachable than we’ve made
him.
TVC: What will be your main
message during the family event
and retreat?
Patin: This is going to sound
so trite and I don’t want it to: both
the message of the Incarnation
and the message of the Resurrection, God with Us. God is not hiding in his heaven. God wants to be
a part of teenagers who fight with
their parents. God wants to be a
part of teenagers who are trying
to fit in. God wants to be a part of
teenagers that are struggling with
the notion of sexual activity and
their future. So God With Us and
the other piece Christ is Risen.
Jesus isn’t locked away in a tomb
or just in our churches. He still
roams the face of the Earth, and
we may not see him with the naked eye, but he is real and present
and wants to be a part of your life,
not just what happens at Mass in
church.
engage young people and make
them laugh, make them think,
help them see that they are not as
View full story »Commitment
ONLINE www.cdob.org
Youth Ministry launches prayer campaign
Planning, training
on the agenda
for new year
By ANGEL BARRERA
The Valley Catholic
With the New Year come
many new beginnings! Youth
Ministry is no exception. We
are excited to share with you the
many opportunities that exist for
your parish to become a more
vibrant and youth-friendly faith
community.
We realize many parishes
have the beginnings of a comprehensive youth ministry and need
some direction or assistance to
become fully realized.
After having met with many
parish leaders and pastors, we
have identified three common
needs: 1) assistance with pastoral planning for youth ministry,
2) consistent and relevant youth
ministry training and 3) prayer
for our youth.
The Office of Youth Ministry
will offer the following services
and others to help address these
needs.
VITAL 3.0
VITAL 3.0 is a two-year, strategic process for cultivating an
impacting, disciple-making parish and youth ministry.
VITAL 3.0 goes beyond second-generational comprehensive
youth ministry to third-generational youth ministry by building an intergenerational, parish
culture that grows teen disciples.
It will consist of eight skill
- and application-based training sessions for the entire parish
youth ministry team. The training session will be led by Frank
Mercadante from Cultivation
Ministries.
It is important that each parish identify their youth ministry
team to participate in this process. The first session is intended
only for the youth ministry coordinator and will take place on
Saturday, March 24, 2012. The
following sessions are intended
for the entire parish youth ministry teams.
YM Certification
Another training opportunity
is the new youth ministry certification program that has been developed with the San Juan Diego
Ministry Institute.
This program consists of three
levels of certification: 1) youth
ministry catechists/animators,
2) youth ministry leaders and 3)
youth ministry coordinators.
The level 1 youth ministry
course will begin to be offered
January 2012. The 12-session
course will be offered in San Juan
on Mondays and Brownsville
on Thursdays. For more information, call the San Juan Diego
Ministry Institute at (956) 7845011.
Prayer Campaign
As the Office of Youth Ministry endeavors in new projects, it
is becoming even more important to root our efforts in prayer.
For this reason, we are inviting
everyone to join us in prayer
for the youth of the Diocese of
Brownsville. We have committed
ourselves to the patronage of St.
John Bosco, the patron saint of
youth.
To aid parishes in the prayer
campaign, parishes will receive
100 prayer cards intended for
distribution to youth ministers.
Also, a guide to praying a novena
to St. John Bosco is available online at our website.
The novena begins on Monday, Jan. 23, and concludes on the
feast day of St. John Bosco, Tuesday, Jan. 31.
Bishop Flores has insisted that
if we are not rooted in Christ, our
efforts will be like those of any
civic or service youth organization. Our youth are depending
on the entire parish community and diocesan community to
share the dynamic Gospel message. The work of youth ministry is never the work of only one
person. We invite everyone to
join us in prayer for our young
people.
For more information about
any of these services, call the Office of Youth Ministry at (956)
781-5323 or email abarrera@
cdob.org. Visit online for the
most current information: www.
cdobym.org.
Art contest
For more information about
the Catholic Church in the Rio
Grande Valley visit the Diocese of
Brownsville webpage.
www.cdob.org
Courtesy photo
Saint Anthony School 3rd grader Holly Hernandez participated in the Valley Environmental Summit Art Contest.
Students had to draw a picture on how our community
can help promote a clean environment. Hernandez
ranked second place and received an award from Senator
Eddie Lucio and an iPod Nano.
DIOCESE
7
Spirit Awards
Marti Shaefer
Melissa Delgado
Dr. Stella Filizola
Guadalupe Regional
Middle School
St. Mary’s Catholic School
St. Joseph Academy
Martha Kaase
Leann Schelstrate
Maria Prieto
Sister Teresita Rodriguez
St. Anthony School
Our Lady of Guadalupe School
St. Luke Catholic School
Sister of the Incarnate Word and Blessed Sacrament
Diocesan honoree
a lifelong educator
By ROSE YBARRA
The Valley Catholic
Marty & JP Lipscomb
St. Joseph Catholic School
Horacio Ramirez
San Martin De Porres School
Eugenia Alcocer
Incarnate Word Academy
Bob & Christina Dyer
Juan Diego Academy
Brenda Gabert Guerrero
Immaculate Conception School
Jode & Ryan Vaughan
Oratory Schools of St. Philip Neri
“My vocation story is simple,”
said Sister Teresita Rodriguez of the
Congregation of the Sisters of the
Incarnate Word and Blessed Sacrament. “I had always, always wanted
to be a religious sister for as long as
I can remember.”
When she was in middle school
in her native San Benito, Sister Rodriguez was ready to give her life
to Christ’s service. She wanted to
join the Sacred Heart Sisters, who
taught in her school. In 7th grade,
however, she was diagnosed with
rheumatic fever, which caused
heart damage. The Sacred Heart
Sisters asked her not to enter the
convent until she had fully recovered.
Determined to become a religious sister, she went in search of
another community to join and was
ultimately introduced to the Sisters
of the Incarnate Word and Blessed
Sacrament by her pastor. She entered the community in September
1952 and made her first profession
of vows in June 1954.
“God called me and put the
desire in my heart, and I just kept
pushing,” Sister Rodriguez said.
“But he had to lead me where he
wanted me, not where I wanted to
go. This is where I was meant to be,
and I’ve been quite happy.”
Sister Rodriguez, 75, has served
as a teacher and/or administrator at
schools in Alice, Beeville, Brownsville, Corpus Christi, Goliad, Laredo and Port Isabel and most recently taught religion to 7th and
8th graders at Guadalupe Regional
Middle School in Brownsville.
Sister Rodriguez is the 2012
diocesan honoree for the annual
Spirit Awards Banquet, which honors excellence in Catholic educa-
tion while raising funds for the diocese’s tuition assistance program.
The event is set for Friday, Jan. 27,
at Our Lady of Sorrows School in
McAllen.
The Spirit Awards are part of
the annual observance of Catholic
Schools Week, which begins on Jan.
29 and ends on Feb. 5. The 2012 national theme is Faith, Academics,
Service.
“I feel humbled because why
give me an award for something
that I love to do? For something
that has given me life?” Sister Rodriguez said. “I feel grateful that the
diocese wants to say thank you.”
Sister Irma Gonzalez of the Incarnate Word and Blessed Sacrament said that Sister Rodriguez is
a loving teacher and administrator.
“She’s like a magnet,” Sister
Irma said. “I have never seen kids
flock to a person like they flock to
her.”
Sister Gonzalez also noted that
Sister Rodriguez has been involved
in many community organizations,
such as Pax Christi and Valley Interfaith. She is also a member of the
diocesan school board.
“In and out of school, she’s very
active, and that helps her keep in
touch with what’s important for
schools and schoolchildren,” Sister
Gonzalez said.
Number four in a family of
eight children, Sister Rodriguez
also felt called to be an educator at
an early age.
“I used to tutor kids in my
neighborhood who had difficulty,” she said. “I enjoy helping kids
learn.”
Six of the eight Rodriguez children ultimately became educators.
Their mother also taught early
childhood classes after raising her
» Please see Honoree, p.7
8
DIOCESE
Thank You
The Most Reverend Daniel E. Flores, Bishop of the Diocese of Brownsville,
and the staff of the Development Office—Rosie, Lulu and Jesse—wish to thank the generous
donors and volunteers who made the 2011 Bishop’s Annual Dinner a memorable event. The presence of so many people, the festive atmosphere and the lively music complimented the purpose
of this special gathering: support of the Bishop’s charities benefitting the youth of our diocese.
May the Lord reward everyone who contributed of their time, talent
and treasure with His blessings of peace, joy and love.
Thank you to our generous sponsors:
Silver Angel Sponsors
Basilica Our Lady of San Juan del Valle—National Shrine, San Juan
Saint Anthony Parish & School, Harlingen
Kenedy Memorial Foundation, Corpus Christi
Bronze Angel Sponsors
Immaculate Conception Cathedral, Brownsville
Oratory Schools of St. Philip Neri School System, Pharr
Saint Mary, Mother of the Church Parish & School, Brownsville
Our Lady of Sorrows Parish & School, McAllen
Sisters of the Incarnate Word and Blessed Sacrament, Corpus Christi
Long and Chilton, LLP, Honorary Sponsors of the Bishop’s Table
Cameron County
Holy Family Church, Brownsville
Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, Brownville
Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, Raymondville
Our Heavenly Father Church, Olmito
Our Lady Star of the Sea Church, Port Isabel
St. Eugene of Mazenod Church
St. Francis Xavier Church, La Feria
St. Joseph Academy School, Brownsville
St. Joseph Church, Brownsville
St. Luke Church, Brownsville
San Pedro Church, Brownsville
St. Theresa Church, San Benito
Hidalgo County
Our Lady of Mercy Church, Mercedes
Our Lady St. John of the Fields Church, Mission
St. Joan of Arc Church, Weslaco
St. Joseph’s Church, Edinburg
St. Joseph the Worker Church, Edinburg
San Martin de Porres Church, Weslaco
San Martin de Porres Church, Alton
San Cristobal Magallanes Church, Mission
St. Pius X Church, Weslaco
Starr County
Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, Rio Grande City
Our lady Queen of Angels Church, La Joya
Sacred Heart of Jesus Church, Escobares
San Isidro Church, San Isidro
El Rosario Homes, Mission
Fountain of Mercy Ministries Inc., Weslaco
Green Law Firm, Brownsville
KMBH Television & Radio, Harlingen
La Merced Homes, Mercedes
Law Office of David Garza, Brownsville
Merril Lynch, Brownsville
Rancho SR, Jorge Alaniz
ROFA Architect Firm, McAllen
San Juan Nursing Home, San Juan
Serra Club of Harlingen
Serra Club of McAllen
Willette & Guerra Law Firm, McAllen
Diocesan Departments
Catholic Schools Office
The Valley Catholic
Businesses & Organizations
Adult & Internal Medicine Specialists, Weslaco
Bouganvilia’s Construction, Brownsville
Catholic Daughters of America-Holy Spirit
Church, McAllen
Catholic Mutual, Omaha Neb
Friends of the Church
Aurora de la Garza
and Red Mass Committee Members
Edmundo Ramirez
Francisco & Blanca Zabarte
Hilario & Alma Alvarado
Judge Elia Lopez, Brownsville
Leticia Saenz
Luis & Rosie Cavazos
Mr. Jesus Bustos and son Aaron
Pablo & Patricia Mayers
Honorable Supporters in Attendance
Our Priests and Religious
Very special thanks to our Master of Ceremonies for the evening,
Letty Garza
For everything is from you, and we only give what we have received from you.
1 Chronicles 29: 14-16
DIOCESE
Those Who Serve:
»Birthday
Wishes
Father James Erving
Doing God’s will through service
New pastor at
Our Lady Star
of the Sea
Catholic Church
By MARTHA McCLAIN
O
ur Lady Star of the Sea
Catholic Church has a
new pastor in Father
James Erving, 40, from
the order of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate.
He fills the vacancy created with
the retirement of Father Gerry Barrett, OMI, who is now living at the
Oblate Madonna Residence Retirement Community at 57722 Blanco
Rd., San Antonio, TX 78216.
An imposing burly figure with
his full beard, shaved head and fulllength black robe with a large silver
crucifix, with a representation of
Jesus’ body, tucked into his waistband, Father Erving said he can
usually be found in blue jeans and
cowboy boots around the church
offices when not performing official functions, his Oblate attire
when he is, or in traditional robes
while leading Masses.
The Missionary Oblates of
Mary Immaculate are an international order of Roman Catho-
lic Priests and
Brothers founded
in France by St.
Eugene De Mazenod. The Oblates
are dedicated to
bringing the good
news to the poor
in nearly 70 countries worldwide.
Ordained at
the age of 29, Father Erving is a
native of New
York, where he
attended mostly
East-coast Catholic elementary and
secondary schools
,including Calvert
Hall College High
School for men
and Saint Anselm
College in New
Hampshire.
He continued
his education in
Wisconsin
and
Texas, has studied
in Rome, and has
traveled to several
Courtesy Photo
continents.
Father James Erving, a Missionary Oblate of Mary
He most re- Immaculate, focuses on instilling the basics of the Catholic
cently served as a faith at Our Lady Star of the Sea Catholic Church in Port
priest in El Paso Isabel.
and participated
in World Youth
Port Isabel.
Day in Spain prior to this arrival in
His interests include a wide
Divine Mercy Cenacle
Holy Spirit Parish, McAllen, TX
“No soul that has
approached Me has ever
gone away unconsoled.”
-Jesus to St. Faustina Kowalska
(Diary of St. Faustina #1777)
1905 - 1938
January
» Birthdays
1
2
11
25
30
Rev. A. Oliver Angel
Rev. Honecimo Figueroa
Rev. Msgr. Gustavo Barrera
Rev. Ignacio Luna
Rev. Gregory Labus
» Anniversaries
8
13
13
13
17
19
19
28
Rev. Albert Trevino
Rev. Rodolfo Franco
Rev. Genaro Henriquez
Rev. Joel Grissom
Rev. Msgr. Juan Nicolau
Rev. Francisco Acosta
Rev. Thomas Pincelli
Rev. Richard MacDonald
February
» Birthdays
2
3
16
19
Rev. Mishael Koday
Rev. Thomas Pincelli
Rev. James Pfeifer
Bishop Emeritus
Raymundo J. Pena
26 Rev. Juan Victor Heredia
26 Rev. Thomas G. Kulleck
» Anniversaries
2
8
15
23
Rev. Juan Victor Heredia
Rev. Gnanaraj Michael
Rev. Patrick Seitz
Rev. Gerard Barrett
January
» Birthdays
1 Deacon Paulo Escobar
2 Deacon John P. Kinch
23 Deacon Reynaldo I. Flores
23 Deacon Rodolfo Sepulveda, Jr.
February
» Birthdays
8 Deacon Amado Pena, Jr.
11 Deacon Gilberto Perez
13 Deacon Hugo De La Cruz
15 Deacon George M. Terrazos
17 Deacon Hector Perez
22 Deacon Alvino Olvera
ONLINE
Special Presentation
The Divine Mercy Message by
Joan & Dave Maroney
Co-directors & founders of Mother of
Mercy Messengers (MOMM) from the
National Shrine of Divine Mercy
For videos and photos some of the milestones in the life of
the Church in the Rio Grande Valley and to listen to Bishop
Daniel E. Flores’ homilies and presentations, visit the Diocese
of Brownsville website at www.cdob.org.
» Feast of Our Lady of
Guadalupe & Parish events
Slide show of parish celebrations
Divine Mercy Cenacle
Hosted by
variety of sports, and he acknowledges he is a Green Bay Packer fan.
He works to maintain his colderclimate roots with weekly ice hockey exercise in McAllen.
Among the greater challenges
faced in today’s society and the
church, Father Erving said, is the
need to reach youth, many of
whom struggle with human formation and the dignity of becoming
honorable men and women.
“Saint Eugene said that we first
have to be humans, then Christians
and then Saints,” he said of his belief in the progression involved in
Catholic development. However,
he noted, many of today’s youth
throughout the country do not
have the basic elements needed to
steer them through that development.
Fortunate to have been raised
by two committed Catholic parents,
Father Erving recalls that his father
set standards that shaped his later
development. “He wouldn’t permit
me join sports that overlapped”…
because practice or contests would
likely result in an incomplete commitment to one or the other.
On one occasion, he said, he
broke a finger that caused him to
cut short a game. However, since
the game was on a Sunday, and after the break had been tended to by
a physician, time did allow them
to attend Mass, another obligation
that was taken seriously.
Those basic elements are
among what Father Erving hopes
to help further instill in families in
the Laguna Madre area.
Forthright and direct, Father
Erving said his younger days were
not always the most honorable. “I
was bad,” he said of many of his
high school and college years.
It was during his teens and
early 20s that he thought he might
become a priest, but instead continued behaving as a “goofball” and
then decided instead on the traditional path of having a wife and a
lot of kids. But that neither materialized.
He was not compelled to join
the priesthood until he was 25, at
which time his life changed and he
made the initial commitment that
led to receiving the sacrament of
Holy Orders and his ministry.
Largely influencing his life although he did not realize it at the
The list of birthdays and
ordination anniversaries is
provided so that parishioners
may remember the priests and
deacons in their prayers and send
them a note or a card.
» Please see Father Erving, p.14
• The Message • Eucharistic Adoration •
• Confessions • Prayer Intentions •
• Veneration • Laying of Hands •
Unite with us in
prayer
Divine Mercy
Novena
Dec 28th - Jan 5
9
Holy Spirit Catholic Parish
6:00 p.m. Rosca & refreshments - Parish Hall
Healing Service 7:00 p.m.
&
N. 23rd St. & Martin Ave
McAllen TX 956.631.5295
Divine Mercy Youth Program
» Theology of Tap—Exorcism
Audio file of Bishop Daniel E. Flores’
talk with young adults at “Roosevelt’s
at 7” in McAllen.
For grades 1st - 8th - Parish Hall
Church doors open at 6:00 p.m.
7:00 p.m. During healing service
Divine Mercy devotional materials will be available
Contacts: Jose Agapito Gamez C: 956.451.3965
Jaime Sanchez C: 956.776.3309
Brought to you by the Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception at the National Shrine of Divine Mercy, Stockbridge, MA
www.cdob.org
10
IN THE NEWS
“I am the Bread of Life”
The Valley Catholic
Alamo native, Father Agustino
Torres of the Franciscan Friars of
the Renewal in New York, returned
to the Rio Grande Valley to lead
a Youth 2000 Retreat from Nov.
18-20 at B. Garza Middle School in
Weslaco. Teens and young adults
spent the weekend rediscovering
how the Eucharist is God’s way to
be close to us.
Emergency shelter for immigrants,
asylum seekers hosts fundraiser
The Valley Catholic
Hands & Hearts, a brunch and
auction fundraiser to benefit La
Posada Providencia in San Benito,
is scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 28.
from 9:30 a.m. to noon at the Cultural Arts Center of Texas State
Technical College, 1902 North
Loop 499 in Harlingen. Tickets are
$35 per person. To purchase tickets, contact La Posada Providencia
at (956) 399-3826 or cdplaposada@
sbcglobal.net. They may also be
purchased online by following the
instructions at www.LPPShelter.
org/events.php.
La Posada Providencia is an
emergency shelter for indigent
immigrants, asylum seekers and
asylees recently processed by U.S.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement. La Posada Providencia
provides clients with safe, clean
shelter, local transportation, English and life skills classes and many
other services.
The clients are referred to the
shelter by U.S. Immigration and
Customs Enforcement, attorneys
and churches. They are all in the legal process of applying for asylum
or some other form of legal residency in this country.
La Posada Providencia was
founded in 1989 and is sponsored
by the Sisters of the Divine Providence. The shelter has served more
than 5,500 people from more than
70 countries.
At a glance: one week at La Posada Providencia
By SISTER ZITA TELKAMP
Special to the Valley Catholic
Sister Zita Telkamp of the Sisters of the Divine
Providence, program director of La Posada Providencia, writes a weekly account of the happenings
at the shelter. She wrote the following account on
the week of Dec. 5
.
“For I was a stranger and you welcomed me.”
— Mt: 25:35
This past week we have welcomed several
strangers to La Posada. In addition to the 14
clients who are in residence, 17 women and
children, with only the clothes on their backs,
were brought to us by Immigration (INS). They
needed showers, clean clothes and overnight
stays until they received travel money from
relatives.
Monday: At 7 p.m., Immigration called
requesting to bring two mothers, one with
her 6-year-old daughter and another with her
12-year-old son, to La Posada. They had been
detained in a holding cell at Immigration since
Nov. 30 and had neither a shower nor a change
of clothes. We welcomed them, and as they
showered, we found clean clothes and warm
coats for them. Afterwards, we served the
families cookies and milk. By 10 p.m., security
officers took them back to the Immigration
holding cell in Brownsville, Texas.
Wednesday: Two young pregnant women,
one from El Salvador and the other from
Ecuador, arrived in an Immigration van in the
afternoon. Besides showers and clean clothes,
they also needed accommodations for one or
two nights and transportation to the bus station
after they obtained travel money from relatives
via Western Union.
Thursday: At 6:15 a.m., Immigration called
asking whether we had room for Cai Lin, a
young lady from China, who needed a place to
stay for a few days before she joined relatives in
New York. Cai arrived before lunch and left the
following day.
That same afternoon, a mother and her
3-month-old baby from El Salvador were
brought to us by Immigration. No sooner than
they arrived, Immigration called again requesting to bring two more mothers and their three
children from Honduras. Like the others before,
they had been detained in a holding cell and
were in need of showers and clean clothes.
Saturday: Around noon, Immigration
brought us three young women who were being
released from detention on their 18th birthdays.
They also needed to stay overnight, make contact with relatives, receive money and be taken
to the bus station or airport.
We are grateful to all of you who support
La Posada and enable us to welcome strangers.
In welcoming them, we welcome Christ during
this Advent season. Thank you for this wonderful gift!
Pope’s trip to
Cuba holds layers
of spiritual,
political hopes
By PATRICIA ZAPOR
WASHINGTON—Pope Benedict XVI’s trip to Cuba in the spring
will have multiple layers of meaning for the church and for Cuban
society, said a U.S. archbishop who
pays close attention to Cuba.
The pope will go there as a
symbol of peace and hope, as a pilgrim participating in “a springtime
of faith,” and as part of the Church’s
efforts at creating the climate for
a “soft landing” for the country
to come out from under 50 years
of communist rule, said Miami
Archbishop Thomas G. Wenski in
a Dec. 14 interview with Catholic
News Service.
Archbishop Wenski said the
pope’s visit to Cuba for the 400th
anniversary of Our Lady of Charity
of El Cobre -- the country’s patroness -- is primarily as a messenger of
peace and hope.
Over the past year, events
around Cuba that are part of the
anniversary celebration have reflected a resurgence of faith, said
Archbishop Wenski. Huge crowds
have turned out at every procession, Mass and prayer service for
“La Mambisa,” a touring replica of
“La Caridad,” as Our Lady of Charity is known to Cubans.
“Even the Cuban bishops have
been surprised by the fervor with
which the people have received the
statue of Our Lady of Charity in
their villages and towns,” the archbishop said. “It really represents a
new springtime of faith in Cuba.”
In the early days of the revolution, the Church suffered greatly,
the archbishop said. Schools were
dismantled; clergy were sent into
exile. Open religious practice often
led to discrimination in the workplace and for benefits such as housing.
In the 1980s, Cuban Church
leaders began aiming to be “a more
evangelical presence,” said Archbishop Wenski. That led to the
conditions for Pope John Paul II
to visit in 1998, which itself has led
to more openings for the Church’s
pastoral work.
“In recent years the relationship between the church and the
government has improved,” he
said. “It’s not all that people think it
should be, but it’s better than what
it used to be.”
Honoree,
continued from pg. 7
own children.
“Education is in our blood,” Sister Rodriguez said.
For the first time in decades,
Sister Rodriguez did not report for
duty at a school this past autumn.
“Right before school started this
year, they discovered the tumors,”
Sister Rodriguez said, who is undergoing treatment at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center Houston.
Sister Rodriguez has found a
silver lining in her cancer diagnosis.
“Although I’d rather be teaching, I guess that’s not what God
wants,” she said. “I have more time
now to pray and spend before the
Blessed Sacrament. I have more
time to visit the elderly, more time
to read. I love to read.”
NOTICIAS EN ESPAÑOL 11
Año Nuevo:
Planes nuevos
D
The Valley Catholic
El Obispo Daniel E. Flores y el pastor de la Iglesia San Eugenio de Mazenod en Brownsville el Padre Timothy Paulsen de los Misionarios
Oblatos de María Inmaculada, dirigieron una ceremonia el 23 de noviembre para poner la primera piedra para un nuevo santuario.
Bajo construcción
Primera pieda
para San Eugenio
de Mazenod, iglesia
de Brownsville
The Valley Catholic
BROWNSVILLE — En una fresca noche de otoño, la Iglesia San
Eugenio de Mazenod en Brownsville puso la primera piedra para
un nuevo santuario.
El Obispo Daniel E. Flores y el
pastor de la Iglesia el Padre Timothy Paulsen de los Misionarios
Oblatos de María Inmaculada, dirigieron la ceremonia el 23 de nov.
para poner la primera piedra y reunieron a la comunidad para una
celebración espiritual bajo una
gran carpa blanca. Los feligreses
donaron su tiempo y talento para
preparar comida y postre para los
cientos que asistieron.
“Hoy, nos reunimos para comenzar la construcción de un
nuevo templo,” dijo el Sr. Obispo
Flores. “La Iglesia siempre está
bajo construcción. Jesucristo construye su Iglesia a través de los
fieles, como ustedes. Construimos
nuevas partes y crecemos en amor.
Somos llamados a invitar a todos a
reunirnos alrededor del altar.”
La nueva Iglesia al estilo colonial tendrá cupo para 500 y se espera que esté terminada a finales
del 2012 o principios de 2013. Los
planos fueron diseñados por el arquitecto Eduardo Vela de Hidalgo.
“Tenemos una iglesia hermosa
pero nunca se planeo para ser el
edificio de la iglesia, si no el salón
de la parroquia,” dijo el Padre
Paulsen, quien está en su séptimo
año como pastor de la Iglesia San
Eugenio de Mazenod. “Por fuera,
nuestra iglesia se ve un poco como
una bodega. Así que algunas veces
las personas bromean sobre que
nuestra iglesia parece bodega. Una
vez que la nueva iglesia se construya, no podrán seguir diciendo
esas cosas. Nos entusiasma el tener
una verdadera casa de Dios.”
San Eugenio de Mazenod fue
establecida como parroquia hace
urante los doce días
de Navidad, desde
el día de Navidad
hasta la fiesta de
los Reyes Magos, tenemos la
oportunidad de reflexionar en
la época Navideña y recordar a
Jesús cuyo nacimiento acabamos
de celebrar y ha venido a “hacer
todas las nuevas”. In el libro de
Apocalipsis 21:5-6, Juan nos dice
que el “vio” al que estaba sentado
al trono decir “Ahora todo lo
hago nuevo.” luego dijo “Escribe,
que estas palabras son ciertas y
verdaderas.” Y añadió, Ya está
hecho. Yo soy el Alfa y el Omega,
el Principio y el Fin.”
Tal vez la idea de empezar de
nuevo es lo que nos lleva a muchas personas a hacer propósitos
de año nuevo. Una encuesta
enlista a los top diez propósitos
de año nuevo: (1) beber menos alcohol, (2) obtener mejor
educación, (3)tener un mejor trabajo, (4)ponerse en forma/hacer
ejercicio, (5)salir de deudas, (6)
desestresarse, (7)Reducir, reusar
y reciclar, (8)ahorrar dinero, (9)
viajar, (10) hacer servicio comunitario.
Comúnmente la gente
dice que hacen propósitos de
año nuevo pero en cuanto los
rompen, no lo vuelven a intentar
hasta el próximo año; mientras otros dicen que no hacen
propósitos precisamente por esa
razón. Tal vez sea la semántica,
pero personalmente, prefiero escribir un “plan” para el próximo
año en mi diario el día antes de
año nuevo o en año nuevo o
a principios de enero antes de
escribir propósitos.
A través de los años, encontré que escribir en diarios
(diariamente, a veces esporádicamente) me ayuda a reflexionar
lo que estoy haciendo con mi
vida y discernir qué áreas de
mi vida necesitan de mejora o
redirección o incluso ayudarme
a ver lo que el Señor me pueda
estar llamando en esta etapa de
mi vida. He tenido un diario
desde que estaba en la prepara-
Lydia Pesina
Directora, Oficina
de Vida Familiar
toria. Aun tengo el diario con lo
que escribí cuando conocí a mi
esposo Mauri el 28 de mayo de
1969. Tengo una vida muy bien
organizada cronológicamente.
Por muchos años he tenido
el ritual de leer lo escrito en
mis diarios ese año a finales de
diciembre, y entonces nombrar
ese año de acuerdo con los temas
de los eventos. He tenido “Año
del trabajo”, “Año de Isaías”, “Año
del agricultor”, “Año de la Providencia”, etc. Después de nombrar
el año que pasó, entonces decido
mi plan para el año por venir.
Otro acercamiento puede ser
el escribir un “Plan espiritual”
para el año. Hace un año, Fray.
Efiri Matthias Selembori (Asistente del rector de la Basílica) y
yo elaboramos un formulario de
“Plan espiritual” el cual la Oficina
de Vida Familiar ha usado con
parejas comprometidas y casadas
en el retiro de preparación
matrimonial y programas de
enriquecimiento matrimonial. La
pareja escribe lo que quiere hacer
diariamente, a la semana y/o en
el año. Ellos enlistan artículos de
los siguientes ejemplos u otros:
rezar como pareja, ir a confesión, ir a Misa, dar alimento al
prójimo, rezar antes de comer,
rezar el rosario, darle a otro una
bendición, pasar unos minutos
leyendo la Biblia, pasar un día
en oración, estudiar la Biblia con
una guía (ej. El mundo a nuestro
alrededor), rezar ante el Sagrado
Sacramento. (Si desea una copia
del Plan Espiritual envíe un
correo a [email protected])
Que el Señor nos continúe
guiando con Su Espíritu Santo
para que cada día nos haga
nuevos en nuestro trayecto para
construir Su Reino aquí y ahora.
No solo peticiones
La comunidad de la Iglesia Eugene de Mazenod en Brownsville celebró el inicio de la
construcción de un nuevo templo. La nueva Iglesia tendrá cupo para 500 personas y se
espera que esté terminada a finales del 2012 o principios de 2013.
más de 15 años, el 21 de mayo de
1996. El Padre Paulsen dijo que
fue la primer iglesia en el mundo
en llamarse San Eugenio de Mazenod, el fundador Francés de
los Misionarios Oblatos de María
Inmaculada. Él fue canonizado
por el Beato Juan Pablo II el 3 de
diciembre de 1995.
Antes del establecimiento de
SSan Eugenio de Mazenod como
parroquia, la pequeña capilla
donde la comunidad de fe se reunía fue conocida como Nuestra
Señora de la Paz.
El Padre Oblato Harry Schuckenbrock, quien sirvió como el
primer pastor de tiempo completo
en la parroquia, también asistió al
evento de iniciación. Muchos feligreses lo saludaron cálidamente
con grandes abrazos y reseñas de
sus vidas.
“Esperamos mucho tiempo para
este día,” dijo el Padre Schuckenbrock. “Esta es una gran cel-
ebración de todo el trabajo pesado
que ha estado pasando aquí por
mucho más de 15 años. Estas son
personas trabajadoras y honestas
que pasan un pesado día de trabajo por sus familias y le dan los que
les queda a la parroquia en ambos
tiempo y dinero.”
El Padre Paulsen dijo que
$848,000 fueron recaudados para
la iglesia, un dólar a la vez, un
evento para recaudar fondos a la
vez.
“Esta es una parroquia de clase
trabajadora.” el dijo. “No tenemos
muchos grandes donadores. Son
muchas personas incansablemente cocinando pollo, tamales,
menudo, haciendo rifas. La gente
está muy unida. Es la parroquia
más unida en la que he estado y
es el sueño de tener una verdadera
iglesia con una campana y todo lo
que realmente motiva a la gente en
este vecindario, el cual está creciendo.”
Oración tiene que
incluir alabanza,
agradecimiento,
dice el papa
Por Catholic News Service
CIUDAD DEL VATICANO
-- La oración no debe centrarse
en satisfacer las esperanzas ni los
deseos de uno, sino que debe incluir alabanza, agradecimiento
y confianza en el plan de Dios,
el cual podría no ser igual que el
propio de uno, dijo el papa Benedicto XVI.
De la manera que Jesús oraba
a su Padre “nos enseña que en
nuestras oraciones tenemos siempre que confiar en la voluntad del
Padre y esforzarnos para ver todas
las cosas a la luz de su plan misterioso”, él dijo durante su audiencia
general semanal el 14 de diciembre.
En su catequesis para casi
6,000 personas en la sala de audiencias del Vaticano, el Papa Benedicto continuó una serie de charlas acerca de la oración cristiana.
Todos deben procurar comprender que cuando se le pide algo
a Dios en oración “no debemos
esperar el cumplimiento inmediato de lo que pedimos, de nuestra
voluntad, sino en vez confiar en la
voluntad del Padre”, dijo el papa.
Solicitudes, alabanza y agradecimientos tienen que ser incluidos en la oración “aunque nos
parezca que Dios no está satisfaciendo nuestras verdaderas expectativas”, él dijo.
La oración es un diálogo con
Dios que implica “abandonarse
uno al amor de Dios”, él dijo.
Lo más importante a descubrir, dijo el papa, es que el que
contesta las oraciones de la humanidad es más importante que
las propias oraciones contestadas.
Jesús demostró que antes que
la gracia sea recibida uno tiene
que “adherirse al dador” de esa
gracia, eso es, alinearse y cumplir
con Dios, dijo el papa.
12
NOTICIAS EN ESPAÑOL
Obispo Flores En memoria de los bebés asesinados por el aborto
habla sobre Obispo Flores
protesta
exorcismos encabezará
por el respeto a la vida
Por ROSSY LIMA PADILLA
The Valley Catholic
McALLEN — En la pelea entre
el bien y el mal, el Obispo Daniel
E. Flores dijo que cada persona
tiene lo que necesita para vivir
bajo la protección de Dios.
El Obispo Flores compartió
sus pensamientos durante una
charla sobre el exorcismo el 21
de noviembre frente a mas de 100
adultos jóvenes en el restaurant
bar “Roosevelt’s at 7” en McAllen.
La charla fue parte de una serie de
pláticas organizadas por el Ministerio de Escuelas y Adultos Jóvenes
de la Diócesis de Brownsville.
Esta serie cubre una variedad
de temas y presenta a diferentes
ponentes a través del año. Para el
tema del exorcismo, Rossevelts estaba lleno con anticipación en un
cuarto con personas de pie esperando la llegada del obispo.
Flores dijo, “El mundo tiene
una fascinación con la cuestión
del mal, aunque el mundo en el
cual vivimos esta cada vez menos
consiente, por lo menos a manera
pública, del misterio de Dios, Su
gracia y Su misericordia.
La emblemática figura de la
Cruz permaneció detrás del obispo
mientras comenzaba a explicar el
interés del mundo en la existencia
del demonio, en las películas y propaganda por ejemplo. El Obispo
Flores involucró a la multitud al
hablar directamente acerca de las
percepciones comunes; una es la
aparente explicación de las posesiones como problemas sicológicos. Él describió la diferencia entre
opresión y posesión, y dijo que la
segunda es extremadamente rara.
Hay un proceso delicado que examina la veracidad de estas dos; de
todas formas, la opresión es algo
no tan raro en nuestra sociedad.
“La opresión ocurre cuando una
persona le abre o invita la presencia del mal. Algunas veces la gente
piensa que es un juego, y entonces
sufren seriamente.” dijo el Obispo
Flores.
“Si estás viviendo bajo la gracia de Dios, no tienes necesidad de
preocuparte por esto. Es cuando
empiezas a divagar en el otro terreno que te encuentras sin defensas,”
dijo el Obispo Flores. “Tienes todo
lo que necesitas para vivir bajo la
protección de Dios.”
El Obispo Flores respondió a
muchas preguntas anónimas que
la audiencia escribía en pedazos
de papel. Una de estas preguntas
fue sobre el terreno de lucha entre
el bien y el mal, “La lucha del bien
y el mal ocurre en la voluntad humana.” el dijo.
Con respecto a Teología a la
Carta, Miguel Santos, director del
Ministerio de Escuelas y Adultos
Jóvenes en la Diócesis de Brownsville, comentó, “Estamos agradecidos al ver la respuesta a esta
nueva extensión hacia los jóvenes
en nuestra diócesis; planeamos expandirnos a Harlingen, Weslaco y
Río Grande en el 2012.”
Las fechas y lugares para las
próximas sesiones de Teología a
la Carta se pueden encontrar en la
página del Ministerio de Escuelas
y Adultos Jóvenes www.cyam.net
Archivo de audio disponible
en línea en www.cdob.org
Por ROSE YBARRA
The Valley Catholic
SAN JUAN— El 22 de enero
de 1973 la Suprema Corte aprobó
la enmienda Roe v. Wade legalizando el aborto en los Estados
Unidos. Desde entonces, más de
52 millones de bebés han sido
asesinados por el aborto en este
país.
El Obispo Daniel E. Flores y
el Apostolado Respeta la Vida de
la Diócesis de Brownsville invitan a los fieles a reunirse a la 1
p.m. el domingo 22 de enero en
protesta y oración en la Basílica
de Nuestra Señora de San Juan
del Valle. El evento marca el aniversario número 39 del oscuro día
en el que el aborto fue legalizado
en E.E.U.U. Se les pide a los que
atiendan que usen rojo en honor a
la sangre derramada por los bebés
asesinados por el aborto.
Familias, grupos de jóvenes
y otros grupos de la iglesia son
animados a participar en este
evento, el cual será guiado por el
Obispo Flores. Los eventos del
día iniciaran con música, seguiSI DESEA ASISTIR
PROCESIÓN RESPETA
LA VIDA 2012
Domingo, enero 22 en la Basílica Nuestra Señora de San
Juan del Valle
Horario de eventos
1 p.m.- Música, adoración y
alabanza en el mosaico
1:30 p.m.- Procesión del Rosario
2 p.m.- Bendición en la parte
frontal de la basílica
3:30 p.m. Misa celebrada por
el Obispo Daniel E. Flores en
la basílica
dos por el Rosario y procesión
alrededor de la basílica, oración
y Adoración del Sagrado Sacra-
The Valley Catholic
En este foto de los archivos, los fieles rezaran ante el Santísimo Sacramento en los terrenos de la Basílica de Nuestra Señora de San
Juan del Valle en San Juan, con el Obispo Daniel E. Flores, el 16 de enero 2011, para rezar por la finalización del aborto. Una procesión
eucarística, un rosario viviente, y una Misa para “Valorar la Vida” se celebraran el 22 de enero para declarar el apoyo por todas las
vidas, incluyendo a los niños que aún no nacen y sus madres.
mento en el pasillo frontal de la
basílica y terminara con una Misa
celebrada por el Obispo Flores
a las 3:30 p.m. Los expositores
también pondrán cabinas para dar
información, literatura y recursos
sobre actividades pro-vida en la
diócesis y mas allá.
“Nuestra meta es tener una
gran representación por parte
de las parroquias al venir a dar
gracias a Dios por la vida,” dijo
la Hermana Nancy Boushey de
las Hermanas Benedictas del
Buen Pastor en la ciudad de Río
Grande y directora del Apostolado Respeta la Vida de la Diócesis. “Y recibir bendiciones para
contrarrestar la cultura de muerte
y reparar en contra de los pecados
en contra de la vida, y escuchar
el mensaje de nuestro pastor, el
obispo.”
Aquellos que asistan al evento
estarán formados en solidaridad
con miembros pro-vida a través
de la nación porque habrá cientos de eventos pro-vida a través
de la nación ese día. Derecho a
la Vida Nacional, la organización
pro-vida más antigua de la nación
selecciono, “Bebés no nacidos
sienten dolor,” como su tema en
las actividades pro-vida en enero
del 2012.
Los organizadores esperan
que el evento también haga consciencia sobre el aborto y lo detenga, recordándole a católicos
y no católicos que el aborto está
mal.
Aunque la Iglesia Católica
siempre ha condenado el aborto y
la gran mayoría de los residentes
del Valle del Río Grande se identifican como católicos, muchos
abortos están teniendo lugar aquí.
Las estadísticas más recientes
disponibles por el departamento
de Servicios de Salud del estado
de Texas muestra que 2, 904 bebés fueron abortados en el Valle
en el 2008.
El Centro de Embarazo de
McAllen sirve primordialmente
a mujeres enfrentando embarazos no planeados, incluyendo
muchas mujeres que son aconsejadas e invitadas al centro de embarazo mientras caminan hacia
una clínica de aborto.
“Todas las situaciones son
diferentes, pero la mayoría de
las muchachas y mujeres que
vemos y escuchamos, solamente
enfrentan la ignorancia y la falta
de conocimiento,” dijo Yolanda
Chapa, directora ejecutiva del
Centro de Embarazos de McAllen. “La mentalidad es, ‘se trata
de mi,’ sin pensar en la criatura
dentro de ellas.”
Después del fuego
Parroquia Santa
Teresa empieza
reconstrucción
Por ROSE YBARRA
The Valley Catholic
The Valley Catholic
El Obispo Daniel E. Flores y el pastor de la iglesia el Padre Ernesto Mgallón pusieron la
primera roca en la nueva Iglesia Santa Teresita de Jesús el 11 de diciembre después de
Misa del medio día.
EDCOUCH — Hace más de
dos años después de que un incendio destruyera su iglesia, el Obispo
Daniel E. Flores y el pastor de la
iglesia el Padre Ernesto Magallón pusieron la primera roca en
la nueva Iglesia Santa Teresita de
Jesús el 11 de diciembre después
de Misa del medio día.
“La comunidad ha trabajado
muy duro estos años para hacer
este sueño realidad,” dijo el Padre
Magallón. “Estamos muy contentos. Estamos ansiosos de pasar la
Navidad del 2012 in nuestra nueva iglesia.”
Diseñada eclécticamente, al
estilo español, la nueva iglesia
contará con una combinación de
cantera y estuco. Rodolfo Molina de Servicios de Arquitectura
Milnet en McAllen diseñaron el
santuario, con cupo para 400. La
construcción de la nueva iglesia
durará nueve meses.
Se estaban haciendo renovaciones a la nueva iglesia cuando
ocurrió el incendio el 18 de octubre del 2009. Las Misas se celebran actualmente en el salón de la
parroquia, el cual se ha convertido
en un hermoso lugar de alabanza
con flores y adornos por los parroquianos.
La nueva iglesia será pagada
por los beneficios de seguro y con
dinero recaudado a través de diferentes eventos.
“Fue un tiempo muy doloroso
para nuestra comunidad pero respondimos bien a la tragedia,”
dijo el Padre Magallón. “A través
de nuestra fe, hemos sobrepasado
ese tiempo difícil y ahora somos
más fuertes.”
El incendio del 2009 fue la segunda vez que la comunidad de la
parroquia soportó un incendio. La
iglesia original, la cual fue construida en 1948, fue destruida por
el fuego en 1954. Otra iglesia fue
bendecida y dedicada en 1956.
NOTICIAS EN ESPAÑOL 13
Primera ordenación del 2012
Diácono Partida
habla acerca de su
llamado al sacerdocio
The Valley Catholic
El Obispo Daniel E. Flores ordenará a Cesar Uriel Partida al sacerdocio a las 10:30 a.m. el sábado 28
de enero en la iglesia St. Anthony,
209 S. 10th St. en Harlingen.
Oriundo de Ayotlán, Jalisco, el
diacono Partida será el vicario parroquial de la iglesia St. Anthony
después de su ordenación. El es
el hijo de Javier Ramiro Partida y
María del Refugio Escoto. Partida,
32, recientemente terminó sus estudios en el Seminario Asunción en
San Antonio.
The Valley Catholic habló con el
diacono Partida acerca de su inminente ordenación.
The Valley Catholic: Díganos
sobre su llamado al sacerdocio.
Diacono Partida: Cuando
tenía 17 años, un amigo me invitó a
visitar el seminario. Me gustó pero
no estaba completamente seguro de
que fuera mi llamado. Entré al seminario, primero para conocer la vida
de un seminarista. Mientras estuve
ahí, me sentí llamado por Dios y
continué el camino hacia el sacerdocio. También estuve influenciado
por el ejemplo de mi tío, quien fue
sacerdote por muchos años antes de
morir. Mis abuelos maternos, espe-
Inmigrantes,
continúa de la pág. 2
imitación de Jesús y de los grandes
profetas, debemos denunciar las
fuerzas que los oprimen, y anunciar la buena nueva del Reino con
nuestras obras de caridad. Oremos
y luchemos para que estos hermanos y hermanas nuestras tengan las
mismas oportunidades de las cuales
nosotros nos hemos beneficiado.
Vemos en ustedes migrantes
a Jesús peregrino. La Palabra de
Dios migró del cielo a la tierra para
hacerse hombre y salvar a la humanidad. Jesús emigró con María
y José a Egipto, como refugiado.
Emigró de Galilea a Jerusalén para
el sacrificio de la Cruz, y finalmente
emigró de la muerte a la resurrección y ascendió al cielo. Hoy día,
sigue caminando y acompañando a
todos los migrantes que peregrinan
por el mundo en búsqueda de alimento, trabajo, dignidad, seguridad
y oportunidades para el bien de sus
familias.
Ustedes nos revelan la realidad
suprema de la vida: todos somos
migrantes. Su migración es un
fuerte y claro mensaje de que todos
somos migrantes hacia la vida
eterna. Jesús nos acompaña a todos
los cristianos en nuestro peregrinar
hacia la casa del Padre, el reino de
Dios en el cielo (Ver Tertio Millennio Adveniente No. 50).
Les rogamos que no se desesperen. Mantengan su fe en Jesús
migrante que sigue caminando con
ustedes, y en la Santísima Virgen
de Guadalupe que constantemente
nos repite las palabras dichas a san
Juan Diego, “¿No estoy yo aquí que
soy tu Madre?” Ella nunca nos
abandona, ni nos abandona san
José quien nos protege como lo
hizo con la Sagrada Familia durante
su emigración a Egipto.
Como pastores queremos seguir
abogando por todos los inmigrantes. Con san Pablo les repetimos:
cialmente mi abuelo, Ramón Escoto García, también fueron un factor.
El amaba leer libros sobre nuestra
fe, sobre la vida de los santos. Recuerdo, de niño, verlo leer esos libros,
meditar y rezar, eso realmente impacto mi vida. En su ejemplo, yo fui
alentado a conocer mejor a Dios y a
servir al Señor.
TVC: ¿Cuándo se mudo al Valle del Río Grande? ¿Qué le gustó de
esta área?
Diacono Partida: Me mude
al Valle en agosto del 2007 por invitación de uno de mis amigos,
quien es sacerdote de la Diócesis
de Brownsville (Padre Juan Pablo
Dávalos). Me gustó mucho la biculturalidad del Valle, la manera en la
que las culturas Mexicana y Americana se mesclan aquí. También me
gustó el aprender un nuevo idioma
— Inglés.
TVC: ¿Cuál es su santo favorito?
Diacono Partida: Tengo dos
santos favoritos, Sta. Teresa de Ávila y San Pablo. Los dos se rindieron
ante Dios, ellos proclamaron su Palabra con pasión. Aunque tuvieron
luchas y pruebas, siguieron deseando estar cerca de Dios. También
admiro que fueron buenos predicadores y escritores.
TVC: Usted creció como a 70
millas de San Juan de los Lagos.
¿Cómo impactó eso su fe?
Diacono Partida: Fui inspirado por los peregrinos que viajaban ahí. Me conmovió mucho el
amor de la gente y la devoción al
“No se dejen vencer por el mal;
antes bien, venzan el mal con la
fuerza del bien” (Rom. 12:21).
Que Dios todopoderoso, Padre,
Hijo y Espíritu Santo los acompañe
y los bendiga siempre.
Sinceramente en Cristo Salvador,
Los Obispos Hispanos/
Latinos de Estados Unidos
Adviento 2011
Most Rev Jose H. Gomez,
Archbishop of Los Angeles
Most Rev. Gustavo Garcia-Siller
M.Sp.S,
Archbishop of San Antonio
Most Rev. Gerald R. Barnes,
Bishop of San Bernardino
Most Rev. Alvaro Corrada del Rio,
SJ - Apostolic Administrator of
Tyler Bishop of Mayaguez PR
Most Rev. Felipe de Jesus Estevez –
Bishop of St. Augustine
Most Rev. Fernando Isern, D.D.
Bishop of Pueblo
Most Rev. Richard J. Garcia –
Bishop of Monterey
Por PATRICIA ZAPOR
PARTIDA
Señora y nuestra Santa Madre. Para
algunos, es un viaje largo para llegar. Ellos batallan con la lluvia, con
el sol, con pies cansados, algunos
van sin comer bien para poder llegar. A ellos no les importa la lucha
o el sufrimiento. Todo lo que les
importa es su fe... Cuando estaba
haciendo la aplicación para convertirme en seminarista en la Diócesis
de Brownsville, no sabía que aquí
había una basílica dedicada a nuestra Señora de San Juan. Cuando me
enteré sentí que ella me estaba llamando a estar aquí con ella. No fue
coincidencia.
TVC: ¿Qué tipo de sacerdote
espera ser?
Diacono Partida: Uno que de
verdad simpatice con las personas.
También quiero crecer en fe con
ellos, trabajar con ellos. Quiero
ayudarlos a vivir una amistad con
Dios.
Most Rev. Oscar Cantu S.T.D.,
Auxiliary Bishop of San Antonio
Most Rev. Arthur Tafoya,
Bishop Emeritus of Pueblo
Most Rev. Arturo Cepeda,
Auxiliary Bishop of Detroit
Bishop Daniel E. Flores,
Bishop of Brownsville
Most Rev. Manuel A. Cruz,
Auxiliary Bishop of Newark
Most Rev. Rutilio del Riego,
Auxiliary Bishop of San Bernandino
Most Rev. Cirilo B. Flores,
uxiliary Bishop of Orange
Most Rev. Eusebio Elizondo, M. Sp. S,
Auxiliary Bishop of Seattle
Most Rev. Josu Iriondo,
Auxiliary Bishop of New York
Most Rev. Francisco González, S.F.,
Auxiliary Bishop of Washington,
D.C
Most Rev. Alberto Rojas,
Auxiliary Bishop of Chicago
Most Rev. Richardo Ramirez, C.S.B.,
Bishop of Las Cruces
Most Rev. Eduardo A. Nevares,
Auxiliary Bishop of Phoenix
Most Rev. Armando X. Ochoa,
Apostolic Administrator of El Paso
Most Rev. Luis Rafael Zarama,
Auxiliary Bishop of Atlanta
Most Rev. Jaime Soto,
Bishop of Sacramento
Most Rev. Alexander Salazar,
Auxiliary Bishop of Los Angeles
Most Rev. Plácido Rodriguez, C.M.F.,
Bishop of Lubbock
Most Rev. Gabino Zavala,
Auxiliary Bishop of Los Angeles
Most Rev. Joe S. Vasquez,
Bishop of Austin
Most Rev. David Arias, O.A.R,
Auxiliary Bishop Emeritus of
Newark
Most Rev. James A. Tamayo,
Bishop of Laredo
Most Rev. Carlos A. Sevilla, SJ
Bishop Emeritus of Yakima
Most Rev. Raymundo J. Peña –
Bishop Emeritus of Brownsville
Viaje del papa a Cuba tiene capas de
esperanzas espirituales, políticas
Most Rev. Octavio Cisneros, D.D.,
Auxiliary Bishop of Brooklyn
Most Rev. Edgar M. de Cunha,
S.D.V. – Auxiliary Bishop of Newark
WASHINGTON — El viaje a
Cuba del papa Benedicto XVI durante la primavera tendrá múltiples capas de significado para la
iglesia y para la sociedad cubana,
dijo un arzobispo estadounidense
que mantiene estrecha atención
en Cuba.
El papa irá allí como símbolo de paz y esperanza, como
peregrino participando en “una
primavera de fe” y como parte de
los esfuerzos de la iglesia de crear
un ambiente para un “aterrizaje
suave” para que el país salga de
estar bajo gobernación comunista, dijo el arzobispo Thomas G.
Wenski de Miami en entrevista
con Catholic News Service el 4 de
diciembre.
El arzobispo Wenski dijo que
la visita del papa a Cuba para el
400mo aniversario de Nuestra
Señora de la Caridad de El Cobre,
patrona del país, es primordialmente como mensajero de paz y
de esperanza.
Eventos en Cuba que son parte de la celebración del aniversario han reflejado un resurgimiento de fe durante el pasado año,
dijo arzobispo Wenski. Enormes
multitudes han asistido a toda
procesión, a toda Misa y a todo
servicio religioso para “La Mambisa”, réplica que está de gira de
“La Caridad”, como es conocida
por los cubanos.
“Hasta los obispos cubanos
han estado sorprendidos por el
fervor con el cual la gente ha recibido la estatua de Nuestra Señora
de la Caridad en villas y pueblos”,
dijo el arzobispo. “Eso verdaderamente representa una nueva primavera de fe en Cuba”.
Durante los primeros días
de la revolución la iglesia sufrió
mucho, dijo el arzobispo. Las
escuelas fueron desmanteladas;
clérigos fueron enviados al exilio.
La práctica abierta de la religión
a menudo llevó a discriminación
en los lugares de trabajo y en beneficios tales como vivienda.
Durante la década de 1980
los líderes de la iglesia cubana comenzaron a orientarse a ser “una
presencia más evangélica”, dijo el
arzobispo Wenski. Eso llevó a las
condiciones para que el papa Juan
Pablo II visitara en 1998, lo cual
en sí mismo ha llevado a aperturas al trabajo pastoral de la iglesia.
“En años recientes la relación
entre la iglesia y el gobierno ha
mejorado”, él dijo. “No es todo lo
que la gente piensa que debe ser,
pero es mejor que lo que solía ser”.
Él dijo que eso significa que
ha habido “un genuino reblandecimiento de actitudes que
tiene a todos buscando un nuevo
‘modus vivendi’”, o acuerdo entre
aquellos de están en desacuerdo.
Eso no es decir que el gobierno cubano ha cambiado totalmente. El mismo día que el arzobispo Wenski habló con CNS el
Departamento de Estado emitió
una declaración hecha por la
portavoz Victoria Nuland censurando informes noticiosos de
represión por el gobierno cubano,
incluyendo contra las “Damas de
Blanco”. Varias miembros de las
Damas de Blanco, grupo de mujeres que durante años ha realizado marchas silenciosas después
de ir a la iglesia cada domingo
en protesta por sus parientes
encarcelados, fueron arrestadas
después de Misa el 4 de diciembre.
Este dijo que hay informes
que más de 300 activistas de varios grupos han sido detenidos en
semanas recientes, algunos sin
acusaciones ni revisión judicial.
“En un momento cuando los
ciudadanos de todo el mundo
están marcando la Semana de los
Derechos Humanos hacemos un
llamado a un final inmediato al
hostigamiento y la violencia contra ciudadanos cubanos que son
críticos pacíficos del gobierno”,
decía la declaración de Nuland.
El arzobispo Wenski dijo que
Cuba “todavía está muy lejos de
ser un país normal”.
Pero él cree que la participación de cubanos expatriados o
en la diáspora, como él lo llamó,
en la visita papal y en las celebraciones para La Caridad no debía
verse como endoso del régimen
de Castro.
“No pienso que uno tiene que
temer que el gobierno intente manipular eso”, él dijo. “La gente que
viaja allí ahora no lo hace para
endosar el régimen, sino para
visitar miembros de sus familias.
Como comunidad eclesial somos hermanos y hermanas y esa
es la razón para celebrar nuestra
unidad en Nuestra Señora de La
Caridad”.
Desde que la administración
Obama relajó partes del embargo comercial de 50 años para
permitir que estadounidenses
visiten sus parientes cubanos tan
a menudo como deseen, unos
340,000 cubanoamericanos han
viajado a su patria, dijo el arzobispo Wenski.
Hay muchos críticos entre la
comunidad inmigrante, particularmente en Miami, de cualquier
viaje a Cuba. Las aflojadas restricciones fueron el objetivo de los esfuerzos del representante Lincoln
Díaz-Balart, republicano de Florida, para hacerlas retroactivas con
una enmienda adjuntada a la versión de la Cámara de un proyecto
legislativo colectivo de gastos que
estaba siendo finalizada el 16 de
diciembre. La enmienda fue removida en negociaciones para
labrar un proyecto legislativo que
pudiera se aprobado por el Senado.
“Algunos han expresado un
poco de oposición o vacilación a
la idea de ir a Cuba a ver el papa
debido a las divisiones políticas
de mucho tiempo entre la comunidad exiliada y el gobierno cubano”, dijo el arzobispo Wenski.
“Pero esto no tiene nada que ver
con el gobierno. Es para ir a ver
el papa”.
“Los obispos cubanos siempre
han dicho que los cubanos son un
solo pueblo, no importa dónde
estén, así que están animando a la
diáspora cubana a participar” en
la visita del papa y a observar el
aniversario de La Caridad, él dijo.
“Una vez más la Bendita
Madre, Nuestra Señora de La
Caridad, está abriendo el mundo
de Cuba a la esperanza y por lo
tanto al futuro”, dijo el arzobispo.
“Son los obispos, como pastores del pueblo, quienes los están
invitando a celebrar con María
y a encontrar esa unidad en la
caridad que ella puede darnos”, él
dijo.
De hecho, dijo el arzobispo
Wenski, “el gobierno cubano está
ahora mismo entre la espada y la
pared debido a los retos económicos que tiene. Todos saben que
tiene que haber algunos cambios en economía y también en
política”.
14
DIOCESE
Letter,
Bishop Emeritus Raymundo J.
Peña were among the 33 Hispanic
bishops in the United States who
signed the letter, which was published under the letterheads of the
Archdiocese of Los Angeles and
the Archdiocese of San Antonio.
Bishop Flores said the letter “is
first and foremost a pastoral document meant to encourage immigrants from Latin American in the
practice of their faith, even as we
bishops acknowledge the difficulties, the hardships and the sufferings that many immigrant families face here in the United States.
This letter is meant as a word of
encouragement, of hope and of
solidarity.”
Speaking at a news briefing on
Dec. 12 at the Immaculate Conception Cathedral in Brownsville,
Bishop Flores said, “The bishops
commit themselves to continue
working for a just reform of the
immigration system in the United
States, one that respects the integ-
Collapse,
the profound cultural and social
changes that were taking place
in America, chronicled by many
social critics and commentators,
and dating back to the sexual and
radical feminist revolutions of the
1960s. The practice of contraception had led to a socially permissive attitude toward promiscuous,
uncommitted sex, unmoored
from its proper foundation in
marriage. The radical feminist
revolution trashed marriage and
motherhood as goals unworthy
of women and incompatible with
their self-fulfillment through
independence and careerism
After these social forces had
been eroding the stability of
marriage and family for a decade,
the state of California in 1969
legislated no-fault divorce. Prior
to this time, persons wishing
to divorce had to justify their
desire in the courts by producing
evidence of sufficient grounds for
divorce like, say, spousal abuse.
Now, anyone could get a divorce
with no questions asked, just by
wanting one.
Cashill reports that within
a year’ s time there were more
divorces in California then there
had been marriages in 1960.
By 1980, there were so many
thousands of divorces that the
Father Erving,
time, he said, was study during
his high school days at Saint Anselm’s. At the institution, students
participate in the humanities Program, Portraits of Human Greatness, during their freshman and
sophomore years and may elect
further Humanities courses in
their junior and senior years, according to the school’s website.
Through readings, lectures,
seminars, and a varied program
of films, concerts, exhibitions and
stage presentations, the Humanities Program seeks to confront the
student with questions of value,
moral choice, and the real significance of human life.
rity of the family and provides for
the protection of workers and of
laborers, and we continue to urge
our public officials to address in
a serious and a humane way the
conditions of families who wait
with anxiety and with fear for a
path toward legal recognition.”
He added, “We also say that
our Catholic Dioceses and parishes in the United States continue
to welcome all to the life and communion of the Church, particularly the celebration of the Sunday
Mass.”
Sister Norma Pimentel, director of Catholic Charities of the
Rio Grande Valley, said the letter
of the bishops’ is a letter of hope
for those undocumented residents
who live in fear because of their
uncertain status.
She said the Diocese of
Brownsville’s Immigration Department, with offices in Brownsville and San Juan, has been providing immigrants with assistance
for 20 years.
The Immigration Office,
which assists those who need to
legalize their status, guides immigrants through the process and
helps them determine whether
they qualify.
“We want to make sure that
people do not take advantage of
them,” she said, referring to individuals who charge excessive fees
under the pretense of helping immigrants desperate to obtain legal
status in the United States.
John Lopez, a case manager
with Catholic Charities of the Rio
Grande Valley, said, “Sometimes
we can’t give them the answer that
they are looking for, but we are
here to guide them in the right direction.”
“I make sure our clients are
treated with dignity and with respect,” he added.
Lopez, who sees 10-15 clients
a day, said the immigration situation in regard to violence is getting worse month after month.
He hears daily of people who have
escaped the cartels while crossing
the river and of those who have
been kidnapped, beaten, tortured
and ransomed. He said some are
targeted as they are entering into
the United States, with the kidnappers contacting families via the
immigrant’s mobile phone.
state stopped counting them.
Many other states by this time
had followed California’s lead
and had introduced no-fault
divorce, making the national
divorce rate a runaway train.
Minorities, struggling with
poverty, suffered extraordinarily
high divorce rates. For blacks, for
example, it grew to 75 percent
by 1980. Currently, the national
divorce rate is about 50 percent.
Remarrying doesn’t fix the problems. The divorce rate in second
marriages is 60 percent. In third
marriages it’s 73 percent.
The economic consequences
of divorce are staggering. Woman
suffer a 73% drop in their standard of living. Although men
enjoy a rise in their standard of
living, they suffer the same loss of
the many economic advantages of
marriage as women.
Now, there was a need for virtually twice the number of houses
to accommodate all the divorced
men and women no longer sharing living quarters.
As the collapse of the traditional family was taking place,
the cost of housing was steadily
rising. Eventually, in many states
houses were being built which
almost no one could afford. Yet,
people bought them anyway as
an investment, confident that,
because of the constantly rising
value of homes, they could “flip”
them, that is, sell them quickly
and enjoy a profit in the process.
This house of cards, we know,
came tumbling down in 2008.
Housing foreclosures began
taking place on a massive scale
because the housing market had
reached a point where there were
too many expensive houses and
not enough people with enough
money to buy them.
The root cause of this,
however, was not purely economic. Wall Street and the media
remained blind to the underlying social and cultural changes,
which for decades had been at
work eroding the strength of the
traditional family. In other words,
the collapse of the family and the
social instability it led to was the
real cause of the 2008 economic
crash. We might well surmise
that if we had been a nation of
intact families, the 2008 financial
collapse would never have happened.
The lesson should be clear.
If we want to return to a healthy
economy, we must, above all
other things, concern ourselves
with changing our culture to a
culture of life, and restore the
family to its essential place as the
all-important foundation of our
society.
_
For Father Erving, human
greatness for most people can be
found in service. He describes
himself as a ditch-digger doing God’s will. And so he began
his priestly career, working on
his quest for human greatness
through service to our Heavenly
Father.
Not anticipating an assignment to this region of the state,
Father Erving said he is nonetheless comfortable with the bluecollar, hard-working, good people
of the Laguna Madre area. His
goals here are for parishioners to
come to know the dignity of who
they are in Our Father’s eyes.
An articulate public speaker
who is adept at self-effacing humor, Father Erving has also engaged middle school youth in
Wednesday’s Continuing Chris-
tian Education classes, creating
a strong, new approach to imparting religion and morals for
youth in the Port Isabel, Laguna
Heights, Laguna Vista and South
Padre Island area.
A teacher of the basic precepts
of Catholic faith, Father Erving
incorporates those elements into
his homilies, reinforcing what
many Catholics learned in their
early years in the Baltimore Catechism.
Those basics are also included
in a new addition to Our Lady Star
of the Sea’s educational programs
in a twice-monthly catechism
course that imparts the basic
teachings of the Catholic Church.
Participation is open to the public
in the chapel at the Church at 705
S. Longoria Street.
Msgr. Robert Maher is Vicar General of the Diocese of Brownsville
and pastor of St. Joseph parish in
Edinburg.
Immigrants,
the body and blood of Jesus. We
offer you catechetical programs for
your children and religious education programs that our diocesan
resources allow us to put at your
disposal.
We who are citizens and permanent residents of this country
cannot forget that almost all of us,
we or our ancestors, have come
from other lands and together
with immigrants from various
nations and cultures, have formed
a new nation. Now we ought to
open our hearts and arms to the
recently arrived, just as Jesus asks
us to do when he says, “I was
hungry and you gave me to eat;
I was thirsty and you gave me to
drink; I was an alien and you took
me into your house” (Mt 25:35).
These words of the Lord Jesus can
be applied to the new immigrants
among us. They were hungry in
their land of origin; they were
thirsty as they traveled through
the deserts, and they find themselves among us as aliens. (See
Daniel G. Groody, CSC, “Crossing
the Line,” in The Way, Vol. 43,,
No. 2, April 2004, p. 58-69). Their
presence challenges us to be more
courageous in denouncing the
injustices they suffer. In imitation
of Jesus and the great prophets we
ought to denounce the forces that
oppress them and announce the
good news of the Kingdom with
our works of charity. We pray and
struggle to make it possible for
these brothers and sisters of ours
to have the same opportunities
from which we have benefitted.
We see Jesus the pilgrim in
you migrants. The Word of God
migrated from heaven to earth in
order to become man and save
Anniversary,
the culture of death and make
reparation against the many sins
against life and to hear the message
of our shepherd, the bishop.”
Those who attend the event
will be standing in solidarity with
pro-lifers across the nation as
there will be hundreds of pro-life
events held across the country on
that day. National Right to Life, the
nation’s oldest and largest pro-life
organization, selected, “Unborn
Babies Feel Pain” as their theme for
January 2012 pro-life activities.
Organizers hope that the event
will also raise awareness about
abortion and stop it, reminding
Catholics and non-Catholics alike
that abortion is wrong.
Though the Catholic Church
has always condemned abortion
humanity. Jesus emigrated with
Mary and Joseph to Egypt, as a
refugee. He emigrated from Galilee to Jerusalem for the sacrifice of
the cross, and finally he emigrated
from death to life in the resurrection and ascension to heaven.
Today, he continues to journey
and accompany all migrants on
pilgrimage throughout the world
in search of food, work, dignity,
security and opportunities for the
welfare of their families.
You reveal to us the supreme
reality of life: we are all migrants.
Your migration gives a strong
and clear message that we all are
migrants on the way to eternal life.
Jesus accompanies all Christians
on our journey toward the house
of our Father, God’s Kingdom in
heaven. (See Pope John Paul II,
Tertio Millennio Adveniente, No.
50.)
We urge you not to despair.
Keep faith in Jesus the migrant
who continues to walk beside you.
Have faith in the Virgin Mary of
Guadalupe who constantly repeats
to us the words she spoke to St.
Juan Diego, “Am I, your mother,
not here?” She never abandons us,
nor does St. Joseph who protects
us as he did the Holy Family during their migration to Egypt.
As pastors we want to continue
to do advocacy for all immigrants.
With St. Paul we say to you: “Do
not be mastered by evil; but master
evil with good.” (Rm 12:21).
May Almighty God, Father,
Son and Holy Spirit, accompany
you and bless you always.
Sincerely in Christ our Savior,
The Hispanic/Latino Bishops
of the United States
Advent 2011
(For list of bishops see page 13)
and the vast majority of the Rio
Grande Valley residents identify
themselves as Catholic, many
abortions are still taking place here.
The most recent statistics available
from the Texas Department of
State Health Services show that
2,904 babies were aborted in the
Valley in 2008.
The McAllen Pregnancy Center
primarily serves women facing
unplanned pregnancies, including
many women who are counseled
and invited to the pregnancy
center as they are walking in or out
of a nearby abortion clinic.
“All situations are different,
but (for) the majority of the girls
and women that we see and hear,
it’s just ignorance and lack of
knowledge,” said Yolanda Chapa,
executive director of the McAllen
Pregnancy Center. “The mindset
is, ‘it’s all about me,’ never giving
any thought to the child within
them.”
DIOCESE 15
»Media Resource Center
» Calendar of Events
Recommended by SISTER MAUREEN CROSBY, SSD
Coordinator of the Media Resource Center — Diocese of Brownsville
»From the Bookshelf
»Worth Watching
My Choice
The First
Christmas
Crib: A Story
of St. Francis
of Assisi
Format:VHS
Year of production: Franciscan
Communications (1994)
Length:15 minutes
Format:VHS
Introducted by: Father Flaviano
Amatulli Valente
Year of production: Apóstoles de la
Palabra (2000)
The facts: Randy, a 10-year-old boy,
sees how drugs can affect one’s life.
This video also examines the good
and the bad of peer pressure.
Length:111 minutes
The facts:This video prepares us
for that inevitable moment when
a missionary or evangelist from a
protestant church comes to the door.
Father Amatulli provides strategies
on how to respond to door-to-door
missionaries who have misconceptions
about Catholicism. He also mentions
specific denominations and examples of
what they might say.
Length: 4 hours (3 CDs)
Author: Father Robert Barron
Publisher:St. Anthony Messenger
Press (2009)
The facts:This calls us to look at the
Real Presence of Christ. Many Catholics
take Communion but don’t know why.
This book gives us a deeper, richer
understanding of the gift of the Eucharist.
January
Buzby and
the Grumble
Bees: Beehaving
Eucharist:
Spirituality for
Adults
Length:38 pages, boardbook
Authors:Max Lucado
Publisher: Thomas Nelson (2007)
The facts:This is a fun story about
the importance of good behavior. The
garden bugs secretly agree to help
Buzby show his misbehaving niece and
nephew how unpleasant life would be if
everyone misbehaved the way they do.
Includes a CD-ROM supplement.
1
Mary, Mother of God
3-5DYRT Retreat
6
Epiphany
6
Divine Mercy Healing
Service Holy Spirit McAllen
6-8 Catholic Engaged
Encounter
(Family Life Office)
12 NACYML
14 Sponsor Couple Training
16 Martin Lurther King Day
19 Advisory Team Meeting
(Office of Catechesis)
21 Convalidation Conference
29 Mother/Daughter Retreat
Ordination,
Mexican and American cultures
blend here. I also liked learning a
new language – English.
TVC: Who is your favorite
saint?
Deacon Partida: I have two
favorite saints: St. Teresa of Avila
and St. Paul. They both surren-
dered themselves to God, they
proclaimed his Word with passion.
Even though they had struggles
and trials, they still yearned to get
closer to God. I also admire that
they were good preachers and writers.
TVC: You grew up about 70
miles away from San Juan de los
Lagos. How did that impact your
faith?
Deacon Partida: I was inspired
by the pilgrims who traveled there.
I was truly touched by the people’s
love and devotion to the Lord and
our Blessed Mother. For some, it’s
a long journey to get there. They
struggle through the rain, through
the sun, with tired feet, sometimes
without eating well, to get there.
They don’t care about the struggle
or the suffering. All they care about
is their faith. … When I was working on the application to become
a seminarian in the Diocese of
Brownsville, I did not know that
there was a basilica here dedicated
to Our Lady of San Juan. When I
found that out, I felt that she was
calling me to be here with her. It
wasn’t a coincidence.
TVC: What kind of priest do
you hope to be?
Deacon Partida: One that truly
empathizes with people. I also want
to grow in faith with them, work
with them. I want to help them experience a friendship with God.
February
2
Candlemass –
The Presentation of
the Lord Feast
2
Groundhog Day
4-5 Sponsor Couple Training
7
8-11
New Year,
Another approach might be
to write a “Spiritual Plan” for the
year. About a year ago, Father
Efiri Matthias Selembori (assistant
to the Rector at the Basilica) and
I together composed a “Spiritual
Parental love,
perfect, but every child is precious.
We need to act as a people “set
apart” in our attitude to the
begetting of children who may be
disabled. Historically, Catholics
have always stood apart in this
way.
Practically, this means
Plan” form, which our Family
Life Office has used with engaged
and married couples at Marriage
Preparation Retreats and Marriage Enrichment Programs. The
couple writes what they plan to
do daily, weekly and/or yearly.
They list items from the following examples or others: pray as a
couple, go to confession, attend
Mass, feed the hungry, clothe the
poor, pray before meals, pray the
rosary, give one another a blessing, spend a few minutes reading
from the Gospels, spend a retreat
day in prayer, study the Bible with
a guide (for example, “The Word
Among Us”), pray before the
Blessed Sacrament. (If you would
like a copy of the “Spiritual Plan”
form, email me at lpesina@cdob.
org.)
May the Lord continue to
guide us with His Holy Spirit so
that daily we are made anew as we
journey to build up His Kingdom
here and now.
overturning our culturallyconditioned attitudes towards
“imperfect” children and accepting
every child without preconditions.
We must push back against the
almost ubiquitous pressure that
counsels us to ensure that our
children are born without defects.
Bioethicist Luke Gormally
argues it this way: “In part
these pressures are the natural
temptation to avoid the burdens of
care for the handicapped ... In part,
however, they are the pressures
of cultural attitudes, assimilated
by many Christians, towards the
child.”
He continues: “For many it
has become merely quaint to
think of each child as a unique
gift of God; children are more
like planned acquisitions in our
culture, acquisitions which should
fit into our expectations about
how our lives should go, about
the ease and enjoyments that
should characterize our lifestyle.
A child who might threaten our
ease may, if he or she is viewed
as an acquisition, be thought of
as a replaceable acquisition. And
indeed genetic counselors will
tell parents: you can terminate
this pregnancy and try again for a
‘normal child.’”
A husband and wife are called
to give themselves to each other
completely and unreservedly,
and to accept each other
unconditionally in the marital
embrace. Every child of theirs,
whether entering the world with a
handicap or not, is an expression
and fruit of themselves and their
acceptance of each other. To reject
their own progeny because of a
disability is to reject each other
on some level. To deny life to
their own flesh and blood is also
to reject an infinite gift from the
Giver of gifts, and to arrogate to
themselves a ruthless power over
life. Meanwhile, the unconditional
acceptance of a child as a gift
of God flows from the true and
unconditional acceptance of each
other as husband and wife, even
with all their spousal faults and
defects.
As Gormally concludes, “Truly
unreserved self-giving carries with
it a commitment to unreserved
acceptance of the fruit of that selfgiving. The dignity of the child is
only adequately recognized in the
acceptance and cherishing of him
just as he is.”
We do well continually to
realign our thinking, so we can
come to see how our children,
whether “perfect” or not, are
treasures and never possessions;
they are gifts, and never
acquisitions. They are blessings
to be safeguarded and nurtured
in the embrace of unconditional
parental acceptance.
---
Bishop Emeritus Raymundo J. Peña’s Calendar
Jan. 15
12:45 p.m. St. Pius X Feast of Santo Niño
Jan. 24-25 All day
Protecting God’s Children
Southwest Litugical Conference
On going:
Mass at St. Joseph Chapel of Perpetual Adoration, 727 Bowie St., Alamo
8 a.m. & 4 p.m. Mass at St. Joseph
Chapel of Perpetual Adoration, 727
Bowie St., Alamo
Every Thursday 11:30 am – 6 p.m
Mass at UTPA
Every Sunday 7 pm. Mass at UTPA
Holy Hour will be held Weekly every
Thursday at 7 p.m., 727 Bowie St.,
Alamo
Weslaco
Arizona
1st: Vocations to the Consecrated
Life (active and contemplative) and
for the Sisters and Brothers in our
diocese and the success of their
mission
2nd: Vocations to the Permanent
Diaconate the deacons (permanent
and transitional) of the diocese and
their families
3rd : Vocation to Married Life: for
the welfare and sanctification of all
the families in the diocese and for
building up the Kingdom in our
domestic churches
4th: Vocations to the priesthood
and the priests of the diocese for the
success of their ministry
11
NFCYM
(Youth Ministry)
Protecting God’s Children
11 World Marriage Day
14 Valentine’s Day
18 DYRT Event
(Youth Ministry)
20 Presidents’ Day
22 Ash Wednesday
25-26 Retiro Pre-Matrimonal (S)
Rev. Tadeusz Pacholczyk, Ph.D., earned his
doctorate in neuroscience from Yale and did
post doctoral work at Harvard. He is a priest
of the diocese of Fall River, Mass., and serves
as the Director of Education at The National
Catholic Bioethics Center in Philadelphia See
www.ncbcenter.org
Please submit your schedule to be
published in The Valley Catholic by the
first Friday of each month by email at
[email protected] or fax: (956) 784-5082.
16
DIOCESE
Those Who Serve:
Ballisteros family
Living and growing in God’s grace
By MARTHA McCLAIN
G
enerations ago, large
families were status
symbols that ensured
successful
continuation of the household farm or
general store, control of the future
and financial stability.
With the progression in today’s
world, some say that large families
often represent chaos, calamity
and even borderline insanity.
Feminists claim large families
cause overpopulation by uneducated women living in third world
countries who never encountered
birth control. So, how in today’s
modern world that too-often excludes the Catholic Church, can
couples even conceive the idea of
having large families?
For Faith and Pedro Ballisteros
of South Padre Island their large
family represents their essence,
something they learned through
their growing faith in God. The
couple, now in their early 40s,
has given birth to six intelligent,
healthy and disciplined children…and another is on the way.
To better oversee the academic
and life-lessons for the children,
Faith homeschools the children
who range in ages from 14 years
to 22 months.
But, it was not always so. Faith
was initially skeptical of religion
at best, and Pedro, whom she calls
a cradle Catholic born in Mexico,
initially gave no thought to how
many children to have, or how to
raise them. It was not until they
had children that those questions
surfaced.
Martha McClain/Special to The Valley Catholic
Pedro said that while he grew The Ballisteros of South Padre Island, who attend Our Lady Star of the Sea Catholic Church in Port Isabel, are a healthy example of a
up Catholic and went to Sunday traditional Catholic family with two parents, six children and one on the way. Shown are Pedro Jr., 7; Pedro Sr., 43; Isabella, 3; Faith,
school, his religious background 42, Paloma, 5; Catalina, 22-months; Maximiliano, 14 and Diego, 9.
was shallow and undeveloped.
He grew in faith as his marriage provided. In fact, she says, her
It was during that period that life, and especially in college, she
thrived and more children were father served as a midwife when the couple’s concepts started to had been taught that family is not
added to the family.
her mother delivered her. “I was change.
important, but that feminist leanDevout in their belief in God’s born dirty,” she said explaining
“I think that it (marriage) so ings are. “We are brainwashed.
ultimate plan for them, the cou- that during her entrance into the important now. I am aware that There are voices all around that
ple’s devotion to Catholicism grew world, her father dropped her into the lack of marriage plays a big push you away from settling down
into something that today reflects a small mud pit. The family moved role in destroying the fate of a and having a traditional family. I
complete confidence in God’s to Port Isabel, living in this coastal family. I remember that I didn’t am shocked at how satisfied and
will, and that He will provide and community for several years. “I want kids, and thought that they happy I am to be married and
guide them and their children.
was lonely, living a crazy life. I were a waste of time. My oldest have a big family.
Faith entered college as a pro- thought I would visit my parents son’s birth made me realize differ“The world is upside down on
gressive young woman. A gradu- here. I had a job at Blackbeard’s ently. I didn’t realize how blown this. It sounds so good and free
ate of the University of New Restaurant, and my parents went away I would be with this new not to have family, but it really
Mexico at Albuquerque with a back to New Mexico. I stayed, and life. I sensed in him how much creates holes in your life…when
degree in journalism and Spanish, this is where I met my husband,” he needed a mother and father. I you see families fall apart. AcFaith recalls her formative years Faith recalls. “It was ironic. I did had been living with a big hole in cording to God’s plan, I have a
as the love child of a married hip- not want a husband or a family,” my heart and soul. We didn’t have family, an amazing gift. When you
pie couple in a California com- she said. But, she and Pedro had money, but we made ends meet,” embrace family life it brings joy.
pound where little electricity, toi- their first son and were married Faith said of those days.
This is His plan, for us to love one
let facilities or conveniences were two and one-half years later.
Her discovery included that in other and be strong. It is what He
had planned for us. God gave us
this great, great gift. He showed us
how to do it,” she said.
The couple had their first three
children baptized at the same
time, but still, their journey to a
stronger faith had not yet arrived.
To receive a copy at home each
To subscribe
Faith noted that while she wanted
month mail your payment with
the children baptized, she herself
Name __________________________________
your contact information to:
had not reached that point.
Address _________________________________
700 N. Virgen de San
Juan Blvd.
CONVERSION
City _____________ State ________Zip ________
Her undeniable desire to raise
San Juan, TX 78589-3042
her children with strong character
E-mail address ____________________________
$15 per year /
is what propelled Faith to Catholic conversion. She recalls posting
For more information call (956) 781-5323
$17 outside of Texas
the 10 Commandments. “They
are something solid...like no other code that has stood the test of
time,” she said. With help from
her mother-in-law, she learned
and grew in the faith.
“I was converted to the one true
faith, founded by Christ, overnight” after lengthy study on the
subject, Faith said. “We would
take the kids to church, and then
we noticed how good it felt to be
at Mass, and it opened the shell. I
noticed how shrimpers with tattoos and grandmothers would
act after they received Holy Communion…to see how reverent
and humble proud men would
become. I found myself crying
and I really didn’t understand. So
I decided to go to the source…
the Gospel. I read the Bible verse
about Peter, the first pope, and I
felt like I had been hit in the head
with a hammer. It shocked me.
And, while I still did not fully
understand, I finally began to get
it. This was the real deal. It was
monumental. I started to begin to
understand the beauty and tradition,” she said of her experience.
However, the teachings she was
reading also dealt with conception/birth control. “I realized the
pain and hurt of people who get
into trouble through sex outside
of marriage. It is hard to teach
morality and chastity in this world
where there are so many pitfalls
due to sexuality. It is wrong for the
children when they don’t have two
parents and the love they bring,”
she said. She added that she and
Pedro wanted their children to
have strong character and saw
that Christian families have those
traits which facilitated her turn to
the Catholic Church.
She started attending basic
Catholic education classes taught
by then visiting Monsignor Val
Gross and was baptized shortly
thereafter following an Easter
Vigil Mass by Father Gerry Barrett.
It was at that point that she
and Pedro decided to follow the
church’s teachings against contraception. The Catholic Church
clearly teaches that the use of
artificial contraception in all its
forms, including direct sterilization, is gravely immoral, is intrinsically evil, is contrary to the
law of nature and nature’s God…
Catholics who practice artificial
birth control may not receive
Holy Communion without committing sacrilege.
Pedro’s admiration for his wife
is evident. “Faith doesn’t want to
take credit for all she does. There
are so many kids that it would
drive some people nuts. But, she
gives each one special love and attention…and she is happy to do
it,” he said.
The bond between the entire
family is obvious as the older children help the younger with simple
tasks and play, but it is Mom and
Dad that the children look to for
affection and comfort. “If you
have one, they can give you love,
but if you have more, you have
love all of the time,” Pedro laughs
after 22-month old Catalina ran to
him with an unanticipated kiss.

View - Catholic Diocese of Brownsville

Transcription

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