December 28 - The Catholic Commentator

Transcription

Commentator
T H E
December 28, 2011 Vol. 49, No. 23
C A T H O L I C
S E R V I N G T H E D I O C E S E O F B A T O N R O U G E S I N C E 1 9 6 2 thecatholiccommentator.org
In 2011, Diocese focuses on 50th anniversary, new translation
By Laura Deavers
Editor
The two most significant
events in the Diocese of Baton
Rouge during 2011 occurred
in November. The first Sunday
of November, the diocese celebrated its 50th anniversary
during a Mass of Thanksgiving
at the Baton Rouge River Center Arena; and the last Sunday
of that month, which was the
first Sunday of Advent, the new
translation of the Roman Missal began to be used.
Many priests and laypeople
spent months planning for
these two Sundays.
Attending the Anniversary
Mass were more than 4,000
people, including Bishop Robert W. Muench and 10 bishops
from this region, members
of all of the churches in this
diocese, students from every
Catholic school in the diocese,
diocesan employees, seminarians, representatives of every
Bishop Robert W. Muench was the primary celebrant for the Mass of Thanksgiving marking the 50th
anniversary of the Diocese of Baton Rouge. With him at the altar are 10 bishops from the region and
priests of this diocese. Photo by Laura Deavers | The Catholic Commentator
religious order currently ministering in this diocese and of
every Catholic organization.
The Mass was a true celebration of the life of the Catholic
Church in the Diocese of Baton
Rouge over the past 50 years.
Archbishop Alfred C. Hughes,
retired archbishop of New Or-
leans and the fourth bishop of
the Diocese of Baton Rouge,
gave the homily. In his remarks the archbishop reflected
on some of the aspects of this
diocese, which make it unique.
Throughout 2011 several
events took place to note the diocese’s jubilee year. On March
19, the feast day of St. Joseph,
the diocese’s patron saint,
churches were encouraged to
have St. Joseph Altars to give
thanks for the many blessings
this diocese has received. July
22, a time capsule was buried
on the grounds of the Catholic
Life Center to mark the date 50
years before when Pope John
XXIII signed the Papal Bull
declaring the establishment of
the Diocese of Baton Rouge.
In preparing for the implementation of the new translation of the Roman Missal
on Nov. 27, workshops were
held throughout the diocese
for priests, deacons, church
SEE 2011 PAGE 16
Roman Missal voted top news story of 2011; Pope Benedict top newsmaker
By Nancy Frazier O’Brien
Catholic News Service
WASHINGTON — The introduction
of the English translation of the Roman Missal topped the religious news
stories of 2011, and Pope Benedict XVI
was again the top newsmaker, according to the annual poll conducted by
Catholic News Service.
The continued effect of the global economic downturn was second
among the 30 news stories on the ballot, the democracy movement in the
Middle East, dubbed the Arab spring,
took third place.
Among the 24 newsmakers on the
ballot, Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan
of New York, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, was second, and U.S. President Barack Obama
was third.
The poll was the 50th annual survey
conducted by CNS. This year’s ballots
were distributed Dec. 2 and the deadline for returns was Dec. 8.
When the editors’ poll was first
conducted in 1962, the overwhelming
choice for top story was the opening of
the Second Vatican Council. Last year,
editors chose the recovery and rebuilding effort that followed the devastating
January earthquake in Haiti as the top
religious story of the year and Pope
Benedict as the top newsmaker.
Editors were asked to vote for the
top 10 news stories from a list of 30,
and the top five newsmakers from a list
of 24. Votes were weighted by the rankings editors gave — 10 points for a firstplace vote, nine points for second, etc.,
and five points for top newsmaker, four
for second, etc.
With 29 editors and CNS staff members submitting ballots, the maximum
points a story could have received was
290. The most a newsmaker could receive on the five-point scale was 145.
Rounding out the top five for religious news stories were the Irish
church’s sex abuse scandal and the issue of religious freedom.
Pope Benedict, who has been the top
religious newsmaker in the CNS poll
every year since 2006, took first place
this year for his travels to Croatia, Benin, Germany and Spain; his declaration of the upcoming Year of Faith; and
his meetings with U.S. bishops, which
were to continue into 2012.
Among newsmakers, Blessed John
Paul II, who was beatified in May, and
Fordham University theologian Sister
Elizabeth Johnson, whose 2007 book
“Quest for the Living God” was declared “seriously inadequate as a presentation of the Catholic understanding of God” by the bishops’ Committee
on Doctrine, were fourth and fifth, respectively.
Here are the choices for top 10 stories and top five newsmakers of 2011.
STORIES
1. Roman Missal
2. Economy
3. Arab spring
4. Health care
5. Irish church sex abuse scandal
6. Religious freedom
7. World Youth Day
8 (tie). Sex abuse
8 (tie). Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan
10. Natural disasters
Two first-place votes also went to the
anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
NEWSMAKERS
1. Pope Benedict XVI
2. Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan
3. President Barack Obama
4. Blessed John Paul II
5. Sister Elizabeth Johnson
Also receiving two first-place votes
was Sister Carol Keehan, president and
CEO of the Catholic Health Association.
2
The Catholic Commentator
| IN THIS ISSUE
December 28, 2011
| DID YOU KNOW
PRISONERS AT A ROME PRISON ask
Pope Benedict XVI to ensure they do not
lose their dignity. The pope assured the inmates that God loves them with an infinite
love. PAGE 4
can presidential candidates campaign for
their party’s nomination, they have said
they are in favor of strong enforcement of
laws written to determine a person’s immigration status. PAGE 9
OLOL COLLEGE holds commencement for
fall semester. With 325 degrees awarded,
this is the largest graduating class in the
college’s history. PAGE 15
BY ATTENDING THE BISHOP’S RESPECT
LIFE RALLY children of one family have
learned what it means to be pro-life. They
have come to understand the distinction
between being anti-abortion and supporting all forms of human life. PAGE 5
The Mass
Schedules 2012
is included in this
issue. Daily and
Lenten Mass
schedules are listed
for churches of the
Diocese of Baton
Rouge.
| index
NATURAL DISASTERS THROUGHOUT
THE WORLD IN 2011 have destroyed
many churches and hurt the lives of the
members. Through the generosity of
many, the buildings and lives have been
restored. PAGE 8
IMMIGRATION WAS A CONTENTIOUS
ISSUE IN 2011 and one of the top news
stories for this year. As the major Republi-
The Diocese of
Baton Rouge
Mass Schedu
les
2012
INDEXED BY CITIES
AND TOWNS, WEEK
ENDS, SPECIAL MASSE
S
Classified Ads
14
Coming Events
14
Entertainment
10
Family Life
5
INTERNATIONAL/NATIONAL NEWS
4
Viewpoint
Youth
Coming in January
Commentator
t h e
C a t h o l i C
s e r v i n g t h e d i o c e s e o f b at o n r o u g e s i n c e 19 6 2
January 11: Vocations
January 25:
Catholic Schools Week
12
7
Mystery surrounds Magi visit
On the feast of the Epiphany, many
church congregations will be singing “We
Three Kings of Orient Are” to commemorate the visit of the Magi to the baby Jesus.
However, the three kings who traveled far to pay homage to Jesus probably
weren’t kings, may not have numbered
three and perhaps didn’t arrive for more
than a year after Jesus’ birth.
The visit of the Magi is only mentioned
in one of the four Gospels – that of St.
Matthew, who gives few details of their
visit, nor how many they numbered.
“When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of
Judea, in the days of King Herod, behold,
Magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem,
saying, Where is the newborn king of the
Jews? We saw his star at its rising and
have come to do him homage” (Matthew
2:1-2).
The tradition of thinking there were
three Magi probably comes from the
number of gifts presented to the child
Jesus. Matthew said, “They opened their
treasures and offered him gifts of gold,
frankincense and myrrh” (Matthew 2:1112).
Although there is no clear evidence that
the gifts held any special meaning, many
have attached symbolism to them: gold
would have been considered the gift for
a king; frankincense, the gift for a priest;
while myrrh, a burial ointment, a gift for
one who would die.
In the Orient, tradition holds that 12
Magi visited the Christ Child. Early Christian art depicting the Magi’s visit provides
various scenarios. A painting in the cemetery of Sts. Peter and Marcellinus shows
two; a painting in the Lateran Museum
shows three; artwork in the cemetery
of Domitilla has four; and a vase in the
Kircher Museums shows eight. Nevertheless, some traditions have even given the
See MaGi page 3
| Pray for those who pray for us
Please pray for the priests, deacons and religious women and men in the Baton Rouge Diocese.
Jan. 1
Jan. 2
Jan. 3
Jan. 4
Jan. 5
Jan. 6
Jan. 7
Rev. Gerald H. Burns
Dcn. Guy E. Decker
Sr. Mary Romuald Cormier SSF
Rev. John J. Callahan SJ
Dcn. Benjamin J. Dunbar Jr.
Sr. Judith Couturie CSJ
Rev. Peter J. Callery SJ
Dcn. W. Brent Duplessis
Br. Eldon Crifasi SC
Rev. Joseph M. Camilleri
Dcn. Jeff R. Easley
Sr. Reneé Daigle MSC
Rev. John Carville
Dcn. Albert R. Ellis Jr.
Br. Ramon Daunis SC
Rev. Lowell Case SSJ
Dcn. John Allen Ellis
Sr. Micha DeHart MHS
Rev. Edward Chiffriller SSJ
Dcn. H. John Ferguson III
Sr. Therese Dinh ICM
Jan. 8
Jan. 9
Jan. 10
Jan. 11
Jan. 12
Jan. 13
Jan. 14
Rev. Thomas F. Clark SJ
Dcn. Robert E. Furlow Jr.
Sr. Diane Dornan MHS
Rev. Michael J. Collins
† Dcn. Wallace L. Gainey Jr.
Br. Alan Drain SC
Rev. Paul D. Counce
Dcn. Natale Garofalo
Sr. Dehra Elliot CSJ
Rev. Randy M. Cuevas
Dcn. Edward J. Gauthreaux
Sr. June Engelbrecht OP
Rev. Gregory J. Daigle
Dcn. Steven C. Gonzales
Sr. Rosalina Tesoro Evangelista DM
Rev. Thomas Danso
Dcn. Richard H. Grant
Sr. Victoria Tirao Fajardo DM
Rev. Jamin S. David
Dcn. Esnard F. Gremillion
Sr. Dianne Fanguy CSJ
Commentator
t h e
C a t h o l i c
Month
Deadline for articles, pictures and
advertising is January 18.
225-387-0893
You can also contact us at
[email protected] / [email protected].
Bishop Robert W. Muench Publisher
Wanda L. Koch Advertising Manager
Father Than Vu Associate Publisher
Penny G. Saia Advertising Sales
Laura Deavers Exec. Ed./Gen. Mgr.
Lisa Disney Secretary/Circulation
Debbie Shelley Assistant Editor
Barbara Chenevert Staff Writer
Donna Perreault Copy Editor
The Catholic Commentator (ISSN 07460511; USPS 093-680)
Published bi-weekly (every other week) by the Catholic Diocese of Baton Rouge,1800 South Acadian Thruway, Baton Rouge, LA 70808; 225-387-0983 or 225-387-0561. Periodical Postage Paid at Baton Rouge, LA.
Copy must reach the above address by Wednesday for use in the next week’s paper. Subscription rate:
$12.00 per year. POSTMASTER, send address changes to The Catholic Commentator, P.O. Box 14746, Baton
Rouge, LA 70898-4746. Website: thecatholiccommentator.org.
December 28, 2011
3
New missal translation introduced in 2011
also an evangelization tool
By Nancy Frazier O’Brien
WASHINGTON — Cardinal
Donald W. Wuerl doesn’t have a
problem with the fact that there
will be some missteps and some
wrong words spoken during
the first weeks of using the new
English translation of the Roman Missal at Mass.
“We are going to have to live
with the fact that not every celebration is going to be perfect,”
the archbishop of Washington
said during a Dec. 6 teleconference. “But that can be inviting
to some people who are afraid
they are going to do the wrong
thing. They might say, ‘That’s
the same struggle I’m having.’ ”
Cardinal Wuerl, who cowrote “The Mass: The Glory,
the Mystery, the Tradition” with
Mike Aquilina, joined in a panel
discussion about the impact of
the new translation, which went
into use in the United States on
the first Sunday of Advent, Nov.
27.
As 2011 drew to a close,
American Catholics were greeting the new missal translation
with a mostly positive response
and finding some unexpected
spiritual benefits in the need
to pay closer attention to the
words spoken at Mass – at least
for a while.
Father Dan Barron, an Oblate of the Virgin Mary who is
director of spiritual formation
at John Paul the Great Catholic University in San Diego and
editor of Magnifikid!, a weekly
worship aid for children, said
he has been “amazed to see that
18-, 19-year-old students are
talking about the liturgy.”
“What brilliant youth minister could have been able to
get young people talking about
the missal?” he asked. “I give
thanks to God for this great moment that I can be a part of.”
Father Barron said children,
who are “the least resistant to
change,” will pick up the new
wording quickly.
But introduction of the new
translation throughout the
English-speaking world can
serve as an “occasion to teach
them the traditions that are
so much larger than them and
their parish” and that they are
“united with parishes around
the world, from the rising of the
sun to its setting.”
Edward Sri, provost and professor of theology and Scripture
at the Augustine Institute in
Denver and author of “A Biblical Walk Through the Mass,”
compared the process of implementing the new missal to the
preparations some of his students make for the annual trip
to Rome that he leads.
They might have read about
and seen pictures of the Vatican
before taking the trip, he said,
“but there is nothing like walking into St. Peter’s Basilica for
the first time” and experiencing
it in person.
“That’s the experience that
many lay Catholics will be
having in the next weeks and
months” related to the new missal translation, Sri said. “They
have heard about it, but now
they are saying it, hearing it.
It’s a wonderful opportunity
to bring people deeper into the
mystery of the Mass.”
Liturgical musician Matt
Maher said the introduction
of the new translation marks a
moment when “the innovation
of the culture meets the slow,
deliberate movement of the
magi: Visit did not
occur within 12 days
SERVICE DOG OF THE YEAR – Father Pat Mascarella’s guide dog,
Pace, was named Service Animal of the Year by the Governor’s
Office of Disability Affairs on Dec. 13. The golden retriever goes
everywhere with Father Mascarella, even attending Mass. With
Father Mascarella and Pace, second from the right, at the awards
ceremony held at the Old State Capitol are, from left, Donna
Breaux, chair of the Governor’s Advisory Council on Disability
Affairs; Beverly LeBeau, a friend of Father Mascarella who nominated Pace for the award; and Brandon Burris, executive director of the Governor’s Office of Disability Affairs. Photo by Barbara
Chenevert | The Catholic Commentator
From page 2
Magi the names of Casper, Melchior and Balthasar.
According to several Catholic
sources, the Magi were probably
a sacred caste or social order
from Persia. They were skilled
in astrology and interpreting
dreams. “Magi” derives from the
Greek word “magoi” and comes
from the Latin word meaning
“sage.”
If the Magi were from Persia, it
would likely have taken them at
least a year to travel by camel the
1,000 to 12,000 miles to Jerusalem and weeks, if not months, of
preparation for the trip.
Although most church authorities agree the appearance of
the Magi before the Christ child
did not occur 12 days after the
Nativity, the feast of the Epiphany is still celebrated as the time
when God was manifest or made
known to the world through Jesus.
In 2011 workshops were held throughout the Diocese of Baton Rouge
to help everyone prepare for the new translation of the Roman Missal. In April David Kauffman taught music ministers the “Mass of Renewal” which he and William Gokelman composed to incorporate the
new words that came into use on Nov. 27, the first Sunday of Advent.
The clergy met several times so they could become familiar with the
new translation while church parishes conducted workshops for their
parishioners to learn the new responses. Photo by Laura Deavers | The Catholic
Commenator
church.” Although the media
and the blogosphere might want
to report immediate results,
Maher said he was more excited
about “the re-evangelization of
the faithful” that might occur
generations down the road.
“We live in a very, very tumultuous time of change” in today’s society, he added. “But the
church always has the wisdom
to reaffirm what is true and
beautiful and important.”
As a musician who works
with Christians of other denominations, Maher said he
also found an “unintended consequence” of the new missal
translation has been “a rise in
interest in re-embracing liturgical spirituality.”
“As we are re-educating and
re-evangelizing, there is a tremendous opportunity to be
building bridges,” he said.
During a question-and-answer period, Cardinal Wuerl
acknowledged that in the first
days of using the new translation, he would sometimes find
himself “drifting back” to the
words of the former translation
“if I didn’t keep concentrating.”
“Isn’t that the way for all
of us?” he asked. “I have to be
aware that I can’t take my eyes
off the page. It made me much
more conscious of the words
and much more aware that I say
those words in a way that was
inviting the congregation into
the mystery” of the Mass.
Father Barron said he found
himself celebrating the Mass
“in a way that I have not done
since I was a deacon.”
While acknowledging that
the first weeks of the new translation’s use might be “messy,”
he said Catholics should be experiencing the fact that “God
has come to be with us in our
mess. That’s part of the life of
the Mass.”
exterior shutters
Custom Made New Orleans Style Exterior Shutters,
View Carre Commission Approved.
Visit our
showroom at
6032 Crestmount Dr.
Baton Rouge, LA
4
NATIONAL | INTERNATIONAL
December 28, 2011
Pope tells prisoners God loves them, Christians pray for them
By Cindy Wooden
ROME — Pope Benedict XVI
told inmates at a Rome prison
that people say nasty things
about him, too, but it’s important
to remember that there are other
people ready to offer their love
and support.
During a visit Dec. 18 to
Rome’s Rebibbia prison, the pope
gave a short speech and then responded to questions from six of
the inmates gathered in the prison’s Church of Our Father.
Federico, an inmate from the
prison infirmary, which includes
men who are HIV positive, told
the pope that people say “ferocious things” about the inmates.
“We have fallen and hurt people,”
he told the pope. “We have lost
our freedom, but we ask you to
help ensure we don’t lose our dignity.”
The pope told the inmates that
in his “family,” the papal household, there are four consecrated
laywomen from the Memores Domini branch of Communion and
Liberation. They have friends in
the prisons, the pope said, so the
sufferings, needs and concerns
of inmates are a frequent topic
of prayer and conversation in the
papal apartments.
As for those who are not so
understanding, the pope said,
“We must put up with people who
speak about us in a ferocious way.
They speak ferociously about the
pope, too, and yet we keep going
forward.”
In his prepared talk to the
inmates, who were dressed in
street clothes, with most wearing
sweatshirts, some with hoods,
Pope Benedict said, “I’ve come
simply to tell you that God loves
you with an infinite love.”
Citing the Gospel of Matthew,
Pope Benedict said that “Wherever there is a hungry person, a
foreigner, a sick person or a prisoner, there is Christ himself who
is awaiting our visit and our help.”
While human justice and divine justice obviously are different, he said, those who mete out
justice on earth have an obligation to ensure that prison terms
respect an inmate’s human dignity, promote restitution to the victims and society at large, and prepare the inmate to leave prison as
a responsible member of society.
Pope Benedict said he knows
overcrowded prisons make it
even more difficult to maintain
the dignity of the prisoners, and
governments must do more to
alleviate the situation so that it
does not become a “double sentence” for the inmates.
An inmate named Rocco asked
the pope if he thought Italy’s politicians would see the pope’s visit
as a call to work harder to ensure
dignified conditions for the 1,700
inmates.
The pope responded that
while his visit was a private initiative, he hoped it would call attention to the rights and needs of
prisoners.
A prisoner named Alberto,
who said he is “a new man” and
Print Advertisers:
Now is your opportunity to plan
an advertisement on our website.
In January, current contracts expire
making placements available.
You can place an ad on our
website for as little as $20 month.
Call your advertising sales rep
now to reserve your space.
225-387-0983.
Your ad
HERE!
Inmates leave the chapel at Rebibbia prison in Rome following an audience with Pope Benedict XVI Dec. 18.
The pope called for governments to do more to alleviate overcrowded prisons so the situation does not
become a "double sentence" for inmates. Photo by Paul Haring | CNS
the father of a 2-month-old baby
girl, asked the pope whether it was
right that he was still in prison.
“Congratulations! I’m happy
that you are a father, that you
consider yourself a new man and
have a splendid daughter; this is
a gift from God,” the pope said.
While the details of Alberto’s case
made it impossible for the pope
to judge whether or not he should
still be in prison, he said he hoped
he could return home soon, hold
his daughter and build a strong
family.
Gianni, another inmate, asked
the pope why he had to go to confession for pardon instead of just
getting on his knees and asking
God for forgiveness.
“Naturally, if you get on your
knees and, with real love for God,
pray that God forgive you, he
will,” the pope said.
But sin doesn’t disturb only
the relationship between an individual and God, he said; it harms
the community of the church and
wider society. The sacrament of
reconciliation “is the great gift by
which, through confession, I can
free myself from this and can receive real forgiveness, including
in the sense of a full readmission
into the community of the living
church,” he said.
Nwaihim Ndubuisi, an inmate
from Africa, told the pope that he
had watched his November visit
to Benin, where the people are
full of faith but quite poor. “Does
God only listen to the rich and
powerful?” he asked the pope.
“No,” said the pope. In fact,
seeing the faith and joy of the
people of Benin made him think
that “in rich countries joy often
is absent. We are all so worried
about so many problems,” he
said. “With the mass of things we
have, we seem to be further from
ourselves and from the experience that God exists and is close
to me.”
Father George Lundy dies in New Orleans
Father George Francis Lundy SJ died Dec. 20 at
Tulane University Hospital in New Orleans. From
2004 until 2011 he was parochial vicar at Immaculate Conception Church and campus minister at
Southern University, both in Baton Rouge.
Father Lundy was born in Chicago in 1947 and entered the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits) in 1966, at the
Jesuit Novitiate in Grand Coteau, La. He studied for
the priesthood at Loyola University New Orleans,
where he earned a BA in sociology, and at the Jesuit
School of Theology in Chicago. He was ordained a
priest at St. Ignatius Church in Chicago in 1978.
As a member of the Jesuits of the New Orleans
Province staff from 1973 to 1975, his ministry included work on affirmative action for high schools.
Father Lundy served at Loyola University New Orleans from 1980 to 1986 as the director of the Institute of Human Relations and from 1986 to 1992
as university provost. Afterward he returned to Chicago on a Ford Fellowship to earn his PhD in education from the University of Chicago.
In 1995, he became vice president of the University of Detroit Mercy in Detroit. Then in 2000, he
was named president of
Wheeling Jesuit University in Wheeling, W.V. After
serving in Baton Rouge for
seven years, he returned
to Loyola New Orleans
and the Twomey Center
where he worked as director of the Moratorium
Campaign, which focused
on gaining support from Father George Lundy SJ
the medical community to ban capital punishment.
He was author and co-author of a number of publications on the subjects of education, race relations,
the labor movement, homelessness and the death
penalty.
A funeral Mass will be celebrated at Ignatius
Chapel at Loyola University New Orleans at 12:30
p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2012. Interment will be
at St. Charles College in Grand Coteau. A memorial
Mass will be celebrated at Immaculate Conception
Church in Baton Rouge on Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012,
at 10:30 a.m.
December 28, 2011
FAMILY LIFE
5
Families to express core beliefs about life at Bishop’s Respect Life Rally
By Debbie Shelley
Assistant Editor
Families have an opportunity
to be involved in the Catholic
Church’s mission of assuring that
all life is protected and valued at
the Bishop’s Respect Life Rally
on Sunday, Jan. 8, at the Catholic Life Center, 1800 S. Acadian
Thrwy., Baton Rouge.
The family of Shelly and Kenneth Romero, members of St.
Thomas More Church in Baton
Rouge, said the spirit of camraderie at the rally has fostered unity
within their own family.
“It’s affirming – it lifts us up
as a family. Saying the rosary at
the end is a great thing,” Shelly
Romero said.
The Romero’s oldest children –
Mary Kathryn, 20, a sophomore
at Springhill College in Mobile,
Ala., and Jordan, 17, a junior at
Catholic High School – began
attending the rally as young children, participating in the children’s activities and then later, as
they grew older, helping with the
babysitting and working with the
children. Mary Kathryn, a 2010
graduate of St. Joseph’s Academy,
was the second-place contest
W
hen will parents
become parents
again and not simply
providers of food, shelter and
transportation?
If children are to gain the
power of creativity, to feel the
joy of love and to hope for a
future worthy of their efforts,
they have to learn to strive and
earn what they want. Too many
of them have grown up feeling
entitled to whatever they desire.
This breeds a false sense of selfesteem.
There is nothing more exciting than watching children
blossom and grow to ever greater
heights because of the encouragement of parents who urged
them to work for their betterment.
I agree with Bernard A. Poulin, who has written a fascinating book that deals with the art
of raising a creative child. With
permission, here are some of his
observations, found in “Beyond
Encouragement – Creativity”:
1) “True love knows that children and adults may be theoretically equal ‘as human beings,’
but actually treating the children
winner in the Oratory Contest
in her senior year. The topic of
her speech focused on a woman’s
“chance” rather than “choice.”
”I have learned so much over
the years from the Bishop’s prolife rally,” stated Mary Kathryn
Romero. “As a young middleschooler, I got a solid foundation
of what it meant to be truly prolife in every dimension. It was also
very powerful to see how many
people and other families were
committed to pro-life issues.”
She added, “I have enjoyed the
many different speeches over the
years, but one of my favorites was
in 2008 by Father Tad Pacholczyk
PhD (director of education at the
National Catholic Bioethics Center in Philadelphia). It was very
interesting to me to see pro-life
from that view, because it taught
me that being pro-life is not simply just the issue of abortion, but
is being pro-life in every sense of
the word and our faith.”
Jordan Romero said, “I first
started going to the rally as a kid
and remember saying the rosary
outside walking in a circle. The
speakers I have been able to hear
have been motivational and inspirational, encouraging every-
one there to continue supporting
pro-life issues.”
The younger Romero children
are of an age now that allows
them to help with the babysitting
and children’s activities or hear
the speakers.
“When I was little, I would go
with the other children to learn
from the older girls, and now I
help with the little children while
the adults are listening to the
speaker,” said AnneMarie Romero, 13, a student at St. Thomas
More School. “I think it is an important topic for the little kids,
and I enjoy helping them understand why all of these people are
here at the Bishop’s Respect Life
Rally.”
She added, “When I see all of
the crosses while we are praying
the rosary outside with everyone,
I always think of the babies that
have died. That always gives me
a mental image about how serious
this really is. I feel blessed that my
mom chose life for me and now I
can proclaim the word of God.”
Joseph Romero 11, also a student at STM School said, “My
memory of the rally since I have
been a little boy is the ‘walking
rosary.’ I feel blessed that I wasn’t
St. Joseph’s Academy 2010 graduate Mary Kathryn Romero, second
from left, won second place in the Respect Life Oratory Contest her senior year. She presented her speech during the 2010 Bishop’s Respect
Life Rally. With her at the rally are, from left, her sister, AnneMarie Romero, former St. Joseph’s theology instructor Ryan Hallford and Emily Lopez. Romero’s family regularly participates in the annual Bishop’s Respect Life Rally. Photo provided by Shelly Romero
aborted, and I feel like I should
do more to stop abortion.”
Shelly Romero said that the rallies are important to her family because they express her family’s belief in the sanctity of life. “It goes to
the core of our being as a family.”
The Romeros try to do things
throughout the year that affirm
their pro-life beliefs. Mary Kathryn attended the Annual March
for Life Rally in Washington,
D.C., with other students from
St. Joseph’s Academy during her
senior year. Shelly Romero, who
with her husband Kenneth promote Natural Family Planning
for the Diocese of Baton Rouge,
went with her daughter’s group
as a chaperone.
Shelly Romero stated that she
is encouraged by the fact that her
children have become youth and
young adults who are passionately committed to supporting life,
which demonstrates they understand what they have been taught
at the rallies.
Raising a creative child
Spirituality
For Today
Father John Catoir
as equals is a lie. Children are
dependent on their parents and
mentors for guidance and reassurance until they are capable
of being on their own. Schools
and homes are not democratic
institutions, and the sooner children and parents realize this, the
saner family life will become.”
2) “By providing a positive
environment – an atmosphere
conducive not only to continued
growth but most especially to
adventurous discoveries – parents become true encouragers.
Encouragement is what challenges a child to go beyond his or
her own expectations.”
3) “Today the idea of selfesteem is ‘in.’ To that I can only
say: Hogwash! Self-esteem, as a
contemporary mantra, has more
to do with marketing than it has
to do with human well-being.”
Even though, as a priest, I
cannot tell parents how to raise
a child, because I have never had
that privilege, I can tell them to
listen to wise advisers such as
Bernard Poulin. He has worked
for years with troubled youths,
and together with his wife has
raised two beautiful daughters. As an expert on child psychology,
he advises us not to be too quick
to listen to the pocketbook gurus,
who over the past century have
taught parents a series of bad
habits:
“Buying our children everything they want teaches them
that they are entitled to whatever they demand. As a result,
they often fail to value what
they have.”
“Filling their every waking
hour with activities teaches
children to remain dependent,
incapable of managing and
organizing their own time. Give
them space to do things for
themselves.”
But, also remember: “Challenging a child is not the same
as pushing a child so hard that
‘we’ are upset when they don’t
achieve the level we expect of
them. You challenge them to
strive, and accept the results
calmly. If they do not do well,
be patient, but encourage them
to keep trying.”
“What caring parents have in
common is the determination to
encourage their children to go
forward and onward. As long as
their goal is to help their children, parents can consider it a
job well done. Parents can never
be perfect, but they can learn to
give what their children need
and want most; namely, a love
based on the truth.”
FATHER CATOIR is chaplain of an
emergency assistance program
and writes on spirituality for
Catholic News Service.
Resthaven
Mausoleum
Spaces (for 2)
E x c l u s i v e
just $ 3,995*
*
Regular $ 6,100.These specially
priced crypts are located at levels 7 &
8 in our lovely lawn mausoleums.
Payment plans are available. Limited
time offer.
www.ResthavenBatonRouge.com
2x2.5” Rest.maus.obits.blk’11 6-16-11
11817 Jefferson Hwy at Airline
225-753-1440
6
Bishop Robert W. Muench’s
Sacrament of Confirmation 2012 Winter Schedule
Friday, Jan. 13, Immaculate Conception Church,
Denham Springs, 7:00 p.m.
Wednesday, Jan. 18, St. Theresa of Avila Church,
Gonzales, 6:30 p.m.
Wednesday, Feb. 1, Most Blessed Sacrament Church, Baton Rouge, 7:00 p.m.
Thursday, Feb. 2, Our Lady of Mercy Church,
Baton Rouge, 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 4, St. Ann Church, Morganza, 4:30 p.m.
Wednesday, Feb. 8, St. Stephen/St. Joseph Churches,
Maurepas, 7:00 p.m.
Thursday, Feb. 9, Immaculate Conception Church,
Lakeland, 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 11, St. Augustine Church, New Roads,
4:00 p.m.
Sunday, Feb. 12, St. Phillip/St. James Churches,
St. James, 8:00 a.m.
Monday, Feb. 13, St. Mary of False River Church,
New Roads, 7:00 p.m.
Tuesday, Feb. 14, Our Lady of Peace Church, Vacherie,
7:00 p.m.
Thursday, Feb. 16, St. Francis/St. Joseph/Immaculate
Heart of Mary Churches, Livonia, 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 18, Ascension of Our Lord/St. Francis
Churches, Donaldsonville, 4:00 p.m.
Sacrament of Reconciliation Schedule for Baton
Rouge High Schools Spring Semester 2011-2012
Feb. 1-2, St. Michael the Archangel: Bishop Robert
W. Muench, School Chaplain Rev. Gerard Martin
and other priests
Feb. 9-10, Redemptorist: Bishop Robert W. Muench,
School Chaplain Rev. Derrick Weingartner SJ
and other priests
Feb. 13-14, St. Joseph’s Academy: Bishop Robert W.
Muench, School Chaplain Rev. Jack Nutter and
other priests
Feb. 16-17, Catholic High: Bishop Robert W, Muench,
School Chaplain Brother Ray Hebert SC and other
priests
Chaplains for the high schools outside of Baton
Rouge oversee reconciliation services.
Bishop Robert W. Muench’s High School & Elementary
School Schedule Spring Semester 2011-2012
Friday, Jan. 6, St. Michael High School, Baton Rouge
Friday, Jan. 20, Our Lady of Mercy Elementary
School, Baton Rouge
Monday, Feb. 6, Sacred Heart Elementary School,
Baton Rouge
Tax-Deferred Annuities • IRA • Rollovers
Tired of Watching
Your Retirement
Funds Vanish in
the Stock Market?
3.75
%
APY
Includes Current Yield +
1% Bonus
Don’t kiss your hard-earned retirement dollars goodbye. Instead, roll
them over to Catholic Life Insurance and watch them grow! Because our
fixed annuities are not tied to the ups and downs of the stock market,
we guarantee that you’ll have more in our IRA or Annuity tomorrow than
you have today.
Call now: Frank Lamulle
504-458-0957
*Interest rates are subject to change & vary by plan. Rate guaranteed for 1st year. Minimum guarantee is 2.00%
Q
Wearing the rosary as jewelry
I am an eighth-grade
teacher in a public
school. I am devoted to
the rosary and pray it daily. I
have several Hispanic students
who wear the rosary around
their neck. I tell them that the
rosary is meant to be prayed,
not to be worn as jewelry. When
I ask them about the prayers
involved in the rosary, they have
no idea what I’m talking about.
So I ask them to take it off.
Am I wrong? (Georgia)
A
December 28. 2011
Canon No. 1171 is the
church’s guideline that
relates most directly
here. This provision of the
church’s Code of Canon Law
states: “Sacred objects, which
are designated for divine worship by dedication or blessing,
are to be treated reverently and
are not to be employed for profane or inappropriate use even
if they are owned by private
persons.”
One might argue that the
rosaries in question were probably never blessed, and, in truth,
the canon was meant to apply
more to objects for liturgical
worship, such as chalices, than
to rosaries. But I would contend
that a rosary is a sacred object,
whether blessed or not, and
should not be used simply for
ornamentation.
That having been said, I
would caution against concluding that the students have no religious motive, particularly since
there is a long standing custom
among Latinos of wearing rosaries to show their faith in Jesus
and in his mother, Mary. That
the students don’t seem to know
the prayers that go with each
bead doesn’t necessarily prove
that they do not have a religious
purpose in wearing their rosaries.
What you might want to do,
rather than making the students
remove the rosaries, is to teach
them.
Why not say to them, “I’m
Question Corner
Father Kenneth Doyle
glad to see that you and I share
the same faith in Jesus and
love for Mary.” (Of course, in a
public school setting, you have
the added hurdle of having to do
this on your own time and not
in a classroom setting.)
A number of court cases have
dealt with the issue of students
wearing rosary beads. In recent
months, a 12-year-old Nebraska
girl was directed by public
school authorities to remove the
rosary around her neck because,
they said, it could be construed
as an identifying symbol for
gangs. The American Civil
Liberties Union entered the
fray in support of the girl’s First
Amendment right to express her
religious belief.
Q
A friend told me recently
that the privilege of receiving holy Communion
in the form of wine expired in
the year 2005, and that, according to the General Instruction
of the Roman Missal, we are
violating church law by taking
Communion from the cup. Is
this true? (Columbus, Ohio)
A
Your friend is misinformed. In fact,
the 2011 version of
the General Instruction of the
Roman Missal encourages the
practice of taking Communion
under both forms and calls it
Shane T. Bennett, CPA, CVA
A Professional Accounting Corporation
• Income Taxes
• Monthly Bookkeeping
• Non-Profit Taxation
3752 North Blvd., Baton Rouge, LA 70806
Ph. 225-343-4715, FAX 225-343-4726
[email protected]
“a fuller form as a sign” (No.
281), since it more clearly recalls
the eucharistic banquet and
reminds the recipient that the
new covenant was ratified by the
blood of Christ.
The 2011 version, if anything,
expands the opportunities for
reception from the cup by giving
to the diocesan bishop (No. 283)
“the faculty to permit Communion under both kinds whenever
it may seem appropriate to the
priest to whom a community
has been entrusted as its own
shepherd.”
This same guideline cautions that the faithful should be
well-instructed about the nature
and meaning of the Eucharist,
in which Christ is fully present
whether one receives under one
species or two, and that there
should be no danger of “profanation of the sacrament” and
no difficulty because of a large
number of participants.
In a letter sent Oct. 26, 2011,
to all bishops in the nation, New
Orleans Archbishop Gregory Aymond, chair of the U.S. bishops’
Committee on Liturgy, noted:
“If the diocesan bishop discerns these minimum requirements are met, he may allow
holy Communion under both
kinds at any celebration of the
Eucharist in his diocese” – on a
“weekday, Sunday or holy day.”
With regard to your friend’s
contention, what did in fact expire in 2005 was an earlier Vatican indult that had permitted
extraordinary ministers of the
Eucharist to purify the sacred
vessels following Communion.
But the practice of receiving
Communion under both species
remains not only allowed, but
recommended.
FATHER DOYLE is a priest of the
Diocese of Albany, N.Y., and
has served as the Rome bureau
chief for Catholic News Service
and as director of media relations for the U.S. Conference of
Catholic Bishops. He also has
been the editor of the Albany diocesan newspaper, The Evangelist. Readers may submit questions to him at askfatherdoyle@
gmail.com and at 40 Hopewell
St., Albany, N.Y. 12208.
For subscriptions problems,
go to our website
thecatholiccommmentator.org
and select contact us.
December 28. 2011
YOUTH
7
ZOOMOBILE VISIT – First-graders from Holy Ghost School get a
feel for animal classification during a recent visit by the Audubon
ZOOmobile to the school. Looking at the zoo display are, from left,
Mason Cater, Matthew Cody, Lana Mercante, Claire Hidalgo and
Sophie Brignac. Photo provided by Holy Ghost School
State Farm®
Providing Insurance and Financial Services
Home Office, Bloomington, Illinois 61710
FOREST FOR THE PEOPLE – The Lower Delta Soil and Water Conservation District held a poster contest, “Forest for People.” Ascension Catholic Elementary sixth-grade student Abigail
Landry placed first in the district in the contest. Presenting Landry with a prize and certificate
on Dec. 1 are Mandy York, left, district conservationist with the USDA, and Margaret Simms,
secretary for the Lower Delta Soil and Water Conservation. Photo provided by Ascension Catholic School
Joe Skibinski, Agent
1953 Perkins Rd
Baton Rouge, LA 70808
Bus: 225-387-0201 Toll Free: 888-281-0201
[email protected]
P045151 4/04
St. Michael High School football players
participate in U.S. Army Red Stick Bowl
St. Michael High School senior
football players Sonny Adams,
Chase Krause and Logan Patty
played on the Black Knights team
in the U.S. Army Red Stick Bowl
Dec. 17 at Zachary High School.
The game pitted the best senior
high school football players from
48 area high schools against each
another.
St. Michael head coach Eric
Held was the head coach of the
Black Knights team, and was
assisted by St. Michael coaches
Paul Varnado and David Neubauer.
The Black Knights defeated the
Rough Riders, 31-16.
Adams, a wide receiver, was
selected to the All-Metro team by
the The Advocate sports staff.
Krause, an offensive lineman,
was chosen for the 2011 All-Academic Composite football team.
http://www.bumbabella.com
Custom Made, Hand Smocked
Dresses, Gowns & Bonnets:
Christening,
Flower Girl, Christmas,
First Communion, Easter
(225) 284-1098
2415 Dogwood Ave.
Baton Rouge, LA 70808-2123
Anthony’s
Italian Deli
Baton Rouge’s only
TRUE ITALIAN DELI
Since 1978
ORDER NOW
JUNIOR BETA CLUB FORMED – Students who are members of the newly formed Beta Club at Holy
Family School received their membership certificates Dec. 1. The members are Brant Becker, Alaina
Becnel, Skylar Benoit, Chloé Bergeron, Hope Black, Sam Bourgoyne, Lynn Brown, Anthony Bueche,
Dillon Cain, Reed Callegan, Kaitlyn Cashiola, Connor Chustz, Kelsie Courville, Baylee Daigle, Collin
Devillier, Ryan Devillier, Emily DuBoulay, Raphael Eaglin, Silver Effler, Lance Evans, Ryan Guerin,
Abby Hemba, Anne Marie Herring, Malina Hollier, Hannah Honore, Marilyn Kauffman, Kaelyn Kimball, Jené Langlois, Joshua LeJeune, Rachel Lessard, Julie Louque, Connor Manola, Elizabeth Marchand, Kelly Marks, Olivia McKnight, Anna Padgett, Emily Riviere, Dina Roberts, Caleb Romig, Caroline
Safford, Candice Scalise, Trenton Shows, Eric Simpson, Madison Toups and Jennifer Windham. Photo
provided by Holy Family School
for your BCS
Championship Game party!
DELICIOUS SANDWICH TRAYS
Mix ‘n’ Match – Muffolettas, Roast Beef
with Provolone, Turkey with Swiss, Ham
& Cheese. Deli cheeses, meats, Italian
sausage & groceries for your party recipes!
Phone orders welcome!
Luck
Good s! 10248 Florida Blvd. (BON AMI shopping center)
Tiger
(225) 272-6817 • Mon. - Sat. 9:30 am - 6 pm
8
December 28. 2011
Natural disasters prompt outpouring of charity amid devastation
By Carol Zimmerman
WASHINGTON — Natural disasters
around the world and all across the United
States this year prompted prayers, charitable giving and outreach amid unthinkable
destruction.
The devastation across the globe included an earthquake and tsunami in Japan,
flooding in Australia and a drought in Africa.
The United States also was particularly
hard-hit with a string of natural disasters:
unprecedented summer heat and drought
in the Southwest, deadly tornadoes, a massive blizzard in the Northeast, major river
floods in the Midwest, an earthquake on
the East Coast followed by a hurricane that
caused massive flooding.
There also were a record number of
wildfires in the Southwest and strong
windstorms in Southern California to end
the year.
In January, a flood in Queensland,
Australia, killed 13 people and devastated
much of Australia’s coal, beef and agricultural industries. The Queensland chapter
of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul set up
a flood relief committee in response to the
plight of more than 200,000 people affect-
ed in at least two dozen towns.
In early March, a tsunami and magnitude 9 earthquake struck Japan, devastating parts of its coast and leaving
nearly 20,000 people dead and hundreds
of thousands homeless. It also triggered a
meltdown at a nuclear power plant, releasing radiation and forcing tens of thousands
of Japanese to evacuate their homes.
Maryknoll Father Jim Mylet, who lives
in Japan, noted that in the midst of the
devastation, Catholics and others there
were buoyed by the support they had received. “The prayers and support from
around the world,” he said, “are a great
source of strength and reinforce the image
of us all sharing a common humanity under God our Father.”
Initially, church relief activities coordinated by Caritas Japan largely focused on
cleanup and delivery of aid to survivors in
the disaster zone. Months later, volunteers
were still helping those who took temporary shelter in local schools, gymnasiums
and town halls.
Meanwhile in Africa, the ongoing
drought and famine afflicting Somalia and
other East African nations this year was
“a humanitarian crisis that cries out for
help to Christians throughout the world,”
said the president of the U.S. Conference
C ON T I NU IN G T HE
St.Thomas More Catholic School is excited to
offer you the opportunity to purchase a
personalized engraved brick.
This Brick Campaign provides donors with a tangible way to leave a permanent
message and become a part of the St. Thomas More Catholic School
community. Your engraved brick will be displayed on the steps of the school
Bell Tower. Your personalized brick symbolizes your pride and commitment to
St. Thomas More Catholic School.
0
$20
ST. THOMAS MORE
CATHOLIC SCHOOL
BRICK CAMPAIGN
PAVE THE WAY TO EXCELLENCE
For more information visit, www.stmexcellence.org or call 225-275-2820
of Catholic Bishops, New York Archbishop
Timothy M. Dolan, and the chairman of
the board of Catholic Relief Services, Bishop Gerald F. Kicanas of Tucson, Ariz.
CRS, the U.S. bishops’ overseas relief
and development agency, estimated in
October that more than 12 million people
were in urgent need of aid in Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia. The drought caused
failed crops, deaths of livestock and critical shortages of food and water.
CRS expanded its food distribution
program in the region, working with local
partners to provide livelihood support, water and sanitation.
Through its appeal campaign, Caritas
Internationalis had raised about $41.7
million by early October and expected to
raise another $40 million to provide emergency food aid, clean water, sanitation, and
drought-resistant seeds, and to develop
water conservation systems.
In the United States this spring, over the
course of several weeks, tornadoes caused
death and destruction in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Iowa, Kentucky, Mississippi,
Missouri, North Carolina, North Dakota,
Oklahoma, Tennessee, Virginia and Wisconsin.
Tornadoes leveled parts of Joplin, Mo.,
and Tuscaloosa, Ala.
The tornado that ripped through Joplin
May 22 claimed at least 125 lives and flattened every building in its path, including
St. Mary’s Catholic Church. Parishioners
retrieved the Blessed Sacrament from
the church’s shattered tabernacle. Only
the large steel cross at what had been the
church’s entrance remained, towering over
the wreckage.
Father Justin Monaghan, St. Mary’s
pastor, said he was overwhelmed by the
outpouring of support after the tornado.
“My faith has been strengthened by the
amazing response of people in our parish and in the community. And to see the
cross still standing reminds us what our
mission is all about.”
The storms that tore through Alabama
killed more than 350 people.
“Quite tragically, the severity of this
spring tornado and storm season has
taken lives and created destruction in unheard of proportions,” said Father Larry
Snyder, president of Catholic Charities
USA, April 28. Catholic Charities USA
and Catholic Charities agencies provided
immediate relief to disaster survivors.
An unusual Aug. 23 magnitude 5.8
earthquake on the East Coast shook the
region. Historic churches in Washington,
D.C., Maryland and Virginia were among
buildings with the most serious damage from the quake, which was felt as far
away as Detroit, north of Toronto and into
Florida.
The archdioceses of Washington and
Baltimore each reported damage to several churches. But in the Diocese of Richmond, Va., where the quake was centered
near the town of Mineral, the town’s St.
A wooden altar, a cross, some metal beams
and pieces of a few cinder-block walls of St.
Mary's Catholic Church in Joplin, Mo., are
all that are left standing May 25. The
church, rectory, school and parish hall
were destroyed by a massive category EF5
tornado May 22. CNS Photo by Dave Crenshaw | Eastern Oklahoma Catholic
Jude Church had the only reported damage in the diocese, and it was relatively
minor.
Just days later, Hurricane Irene swept up
the Atlantic Coast causing dramatic floods,
wind damage and other disruptions.
More than 40 people in various states
were reported to have been killed by floodwaters, falling trees, car accidents and
powerful waves. Parts of New Jersey, New
York, Connecticut, Massachusetts and
Vermont experienced extreme flooding.
Immediately after the storm, Catholic
Charities USA said its agencies up and
down the East Coast were assessing damage and assisting people with food, shelter and other needs. An Aug. 30 statement
said the year’s natural disasters were
straining financial resources at agencies
around the country.
In the Southwest, wildfires burned for
296 straight days, particularly in droughtstricken Texas. After a surge of blazes in
early September, more than 1,000 homes
in the state were destroyed, and four
deaths were attributed to the fires.
Ascension Church in Bastrop, Texas,
served as a shelter and as a nerve center
for relief efforts related to the wildfires.
“We’re not turning anybody away,” said
Steve Venzon, one of four parishioners
who oversaw relief efforts. The town of
Bastrop and Bastrop County were in the
heart of the fire zone in the 25-county
Austin Diocese.
Christian Gonzalez, diocesan communications director, said the wildfires were
a combination of drought, heat and the
winds of Hurricane Lee.
December 28. 2011
9
Immigration action in 2011 came in the states and courts
By Patricia Zapor
WASHINGTON — With a politically
divided Congress putting immigration on
the don’t-even-bother list of stagnant legislation, action on the subject in 2011 fell
to state legislatures and federal courts
– where challenges focused on whether
states have the right to act on immigration.
Between court cases and election-year
rhetoric, however, 2012 promises to give
the issue a much higher profile.
The Supreme Court agreed Dec. 12 to
consider the constitutionality of Arizona’s
S.B. 1070 – a package of restrictions on
immigrants and requirements for law enforcement officers to determine people’s
immigration status – which was to have
taken effect in summer of 2010.
Injunctions have blocked some of the
most-criticized parts of the law, including mandatory requirements for police
to check on immigration status without
cause and criminalizing various forms of
assistance to undocumented immigrants.
That includes the response to a lawsuit
filed by the Department of Justice challenging the state’s right to step into immigration law, normally the purview of the
federal government. The 9th U.S. Circuit
Court of Appeals in April upheld the federal District Court’s prohibition on parts
of the law from taking effect. That set up
the state’s appeal to the Supreme Court.
That case will likely be heard by the
court in April, with a ruling expected by
the time the court adjourns for the summer.
The major Republican candidates for
president have largely staked out positions in favor of strong enforcement and
calling any possibility of a path to legalization for the undocumented immigrants
already in the country “amnesty.”
Although former Massachusetts Gov.
Mitt Romney previously has supported
broader immigration proposals, he recently has taken a firm line against possible legalization and opposes in-state
tuition for young adults brought here illegally as children – a component of the perennial legislation known as the DREAM
Act.
His fellow Republican, former House
Speaker Newt Gingrich, said in one candidates’ debate: “I don’t see how the party
that says it’s the party of the family is going to adopt an immigration policy which
destroys families that have been here a
quarter-century. And I’m prepared to
take the heat for saying, let’s be humane
in enforcing the law without giving them
citizenship but by finding a way to create
legality.”
Meanwhile, the legal battle faced
in Arizona hasn’t stopped other states
from passing their own laws, but their
most dramatic provisions also have been
blocked by courts. Nevertheless, their effects have been felt broadly.
In Alabama, for example, farmers
complained that they lost millions of dollars’ worth of produce that rotted in the
fields after many farmworkers moved out
of state, including some who are in the
United States legally but feared being profiled.
The arrests of a German MercedesBenz executive and a Japanese Honda
employee, both in the U.S. legally – and
whose companies have auto plants in Alabama – underscored the problems with a
law that mandates arrests in a wide range
of situations. Charges against both men
were dropped but not before the arrests
were publicized worldwide.
Repercussions included high rates of
absenteeism in Alabama schools, even
among U.S. citizen children, as parents
sought to keep a lower profile or pulled
out their kids and moved to another state.
A provision that said municipal utility
companies could require proof of legal
residency led to some people being unable
to get water or electricity service.
Alabama’s Gov. Robert Bentley said
Dec. 9 the law “needs revision,” echoing
state Attorney General Luther Strange,
who said earlier that parts of it should be
scrapped.
The National Conference of State Legislatures reported in early December that
more than 1,600 immigrant-related bills
and resolutions were considered in all 50
states and Puerto Rico in 2011. As of Dec.
7, 42 states and Puerto Rico had passed
197 laws and 109 resolutions.
In addition to Alabama, Utah, Georgia, Indiana and South Carolina adopted
wide-reaching laws, all of which have
been challenged in court. The Justice Department is among those suing to stop
the laws in Alabama, South Carolina and
Utah.
Several were modeled on Arizona’s law,
yet others attempted to ease pressures on
undocumented immigrants. For example,
Utah’s law included provisions for local
enforcement of immigration laws, but
also would seek a federal waiver to create
a state work-permit program for which
people already in the state could apply.
For its part, the Obama administration
continued to voice support for comprehensive reform but began to enact some
changes in how government agencies deal
with undocumented immigrants.
This summer, the director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement told field
officers to prioritize apprehension and
deportation of immigrants with criminal
records or repeat offenses. Homeland Security Director Janet Napolitano followed
up in August with orders for prosecutorial discretion in weeding out low priority
cases and giving those people a chance to
remain in the country.
That policy has been slow to be implemented, according to critics, including
Rep. Luis Gutierrez, D-Ill., who regularly
chides the administration over how it
Cindy Jimenez and Emmanuel Huerta portray Mary and Joseph during a Christmastime
"posada" in front of the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Chicago Dec. 16. Catholic
advocates for immigrants held the traditional re-enactment of Mary and Joseph's
search for shelter as a time to pray for those about to be deported and to advocate for
reforms in the U.S. immigration system. Photo by Karen Callaway, Catholic New World | CNS
handles immigration cases that fall within administrative discretion.
In an October press release, for example, Gutierrez noted that the U.S. was deporting the maximum number of people
the system can handle: 400,000.
“The percentage of criminals among
the deportees has risen during the Obama
administration,” the release said. “But
let’s be clear, we are still deporting a large
number of parents, workers and others
who pose no threat to this country and
who contribute to our economic well-being as a nation.”
Bishop’s Respect
Life Rally
Keynote Speaker: FR. SHENAN BOQUET
Fr. Shenan Boquet is the president of Human
Life International and comes from the
Houma-Thibodaux Diocese where he most
recently served as pastor of St. Gregory
Barbarigo Parish in Houma. He has given
hundreds of talks at conferences and in
parishes on issues ranging from the dignity
of the human person and the nature of
marriage, to social justice and moral theology.
Sunday, January 8, 2012
2:00 - 4:00 p.m.
Catholic Life Center Main Auditorium
1800 S. Acadian Thruway Baton Rouge, LA 70808
Living Rosary
Pro-Life Oratory Contest Winners
Adoption Presentation
Babysitting
Sponsored by the Office of Marriage & Family Life
Christian Formation Secretariat Catholic Diocese of Baton Rouge
Contact Shannon Baldridge 225-242-0323 or [email protected]
10
MOVIE
REVIEWS
USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting
classifications:
A-I – General patronage
A-II – Adults and adolescents
A-III – Adults
A-IV – Adults, with reservations
L – Limited adult audience
O – Morally offensive
War Horse
(Disney)
Epic screen version of Michael Morpurgo’s 1982 novel, previously made into
a successful stage play, about an English
farmer’s son (newcomer Jeremy Irvine)
who trains and cares for a thoroughbred
horse that his father (Peter Mullan) misguidedly buys just to thwart the local
squire (David Thewlis). Despite the animal’s successful adaptation to farm work,
and the lad’s emotional bond with him, at
the start of World War I, the tiller sells him
to an army officer (Tom Hiddleston) bound
for the Western Front, thus initiating a series of adventures and trials that are, by
turns, touching and harrowing. While the
intensity of the drama, the level of violence
and some of the vocabulary used make di-
ENTERTAINMENT
Motion Picture Association of America
ratings:
G – General audiences; all ages admitted
PG – Parental guidance suggested; some
material may not be suitable for children
PG-13 – Parents are strongly cautioned
to give special guidance for attendance
of children under 13; some material may
be inappropriate for young children
R – Restricted; under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian
NC-17 – No one under 17 admitted
rector Steven Spielberg’s vast canvas unsuitable viewing for kids, mature audience
members will encounter a stirring affirmation of human solidarity amid the tragedy
of the trenches – a realization of shared
values brought about, ironically, by the
heroism and endurance of the nonhuman
protagonist. Considerable combat and other violence, including an execution; about
a half-dozen uses of crass language; and a
few vague sexual references. A-III; PG-13
Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked
(Fox)
This weak, slapstick-laden – but not
unwholesome – third entry in the Chipmunks series has the titular rodent rap
stars (voiced by Justin Long, Matthew
Gray Gubler and Jesse McCartney) and
December 28, 2011
their distaff counterparts the Chipettes
(voices of Amy Poehler, Anna Faris and
Christina Applegate) misbehaving on a
cruise ship and winding up on a remote
Caribbean island, where they help another castaway (Jenny Slate) and learn
some lessons in maturity and responsibility. As he blends animation and live action, director Mike Mitchell piles on the
pratfalls – along with references to other
similarly themed media offerings, from
the TV show “Lost” to Tom Hanks’ 2000
big-screen drama “Cast Away.” A-I; G
Young Adult
(Paramount)
Pretentiously droll and condescending
examination of small-town relationships
in which Charlize Theron plays a moderately successful ghostwriter of youngadult fiction. Divorced and unhappy with
the direction of her life in Minneapolis,
she returns to her rural Minnesota home
in hopes of rekindling a romance with her
high school boyfriend (Patrick Wilson),
despite the fact that he is now a husband
and father – and in the teeth of sensible
advice from another former classmate
(Patton Oswalt). Director Jason Reitman
and screenwriter Diablo Cody draw the
caricatures in thick crayon, as the intelligent and caring – if bitter – people around
her never seem to notice that Theron’s
character is constantly either depressed,
drunk or hung over. Two scenes of implied nonmarital sexual activity, fleeting
profanity, pervasive rough and brief crass
language, sexual banter. L; R
Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol
(Paramount)
This dizzying roller-coaster ride of an
espionage thriller propels viewers from
the depths of urban sewers to the top of
the world’s tallest building, and throws in
outer space for good measure. The leader
(Tom Cruise) of a team of agents for the
elite Impossible Missions Force is framed
for a terrorist bombing of the Kremlin.
Driven underground, and pursued by
the Russian police, his associates (most
prominently Paula Patton and Simon
Pegg) join him in the struggle to stop the
actual bomber (Michael Nyqvist) before
he can unleash global nuclear war, an
effort in which they’re eventually joined
by another operative (Jeremy Renner),
whose motives are not entirely clear. In
his live-action debut, established animation director Brad Bird oversees spectacular cinematography (especially in Imax),
with the camera swooping and soaring
with each death-defying stunt. Intense
action violence, including gunplay, some
rough language. A-III; PG-13
Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows
(Warner Bros.)
Sprawling, brawling adventure sequel –
set in 1891 – in which Robert Downey Jr.’s
he-man Holmes and his recently wed sidekick Dr. Watson (Jude Law) battle a conspiracy by evil genius Professor Moriarty
(Jared Harris) to destabilize European pol-
itics and bring on a general war. The iconic
investigators are aided in their struggle by
a Gypsy fortuneteller (Noomi Rapace) and
by Holmes’ bon vivant older brother (Stephen Fry). Director Guy Ritchie’s second
take on the classic detective fiction of Sir
Arthur Conan Doyle downplays old-fashioned sleuthing in favor of a constant flow
of confrontations, escapades and escapes.
Still, adults with a high degree of tolerance
for stylized violence will likely find the proceedings diverting enough. Constant action violence, including a suicide, torture
and some glimpses of gore; partial rear
and implied full nudity; fleeting sexual humor; and a few crass terms. A-III; PG-13
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
(Columbia)
This piercingly violent and sordid crime
thriller, based on the first book in Swedish
writer Stieg Larsson’s “Millennium Trilogy,” follows a journalist (Daniel Craig)
and a talented computer hacker (Rooney
Mara) as they investigate a wealthy clan’s
role in the murder of a female member of
the family 40 years prior. Director David
Fincher’s unflinching adaptation is faithful to the often disturbing source material,
which includes scenes of heinous physical
abuse. Although skillfully – if exhaustingly
– executed, his film portrays a world seemingly devoid of moral coordinates. The
transgressions endured by the title character, and the choices she makes in response,
both undermine her quest for justice and
render the proceedings inappropriate for
all. Excessively graphic violence, including rape, torture and maiming; images of
women sadistically murdered; antireligious undertones; strong sexual content,
including explicit lesbian and non-marital
encounters and frequent nudity; and much
crude and crass language. O; R
The Adventures of Tintin
(Paramount/Columbia)
Visually sumptuous animated adaptation of Belgian cartoonist Herge’s famed
comic books in which the curiously coiffed
young reporter of the title (voiced by Jamie
Bell) finds himself drawn into a centuriesold mystery via the purchase of a model
ship. His efforts to solve the puzzle are
aided by a good-hearted but excessively
tippling sea captain (voice of Andy Serkis) and opposed by a deliciously wicked
Russian villain (voiced by Daniel Craig).
Director Steven Spielberg’s globetrotting
quest spans vibrantly portrayed environments from Tintin’s native Belgium to the
deserts of North Africa. Themes congruent
with Judeo-Christian values, including the
vital role of companionship in overcoming
one’s individual weaknesses and the need
for fortitude in the face of difficulty, are
advanced through sympathetic main characters, a screenplay faithful to its classic
source material and envelope-pushing 3-D
technology. The generally family-friendly
result will not only afford vigilant moms
and dads a chance to relax, but the opportunity to be entertained as well. Occasional stylized violence. A-I; PG
December 28, 2011
ENTERTAINMENT
Standing together for what is right
When We Stand Together
One more depending on a prayer; And we
all look away; People pretending everywhere; It’s just another day; There’s bullets
flying through the air; And they still carry
on; We watch it happen over there; And
then just turn it off
They tell us everything’s alright; And we
just go along; How can we fall asleep at
night; When something’s clearly wrong;
When we could feed a starving world; With
what we throw away; But all we serve are
empty words; That always taste the same
Refrain:
Hey, yeah, yeah, hey, yeah; We must stand
together; Hey, yeah, yeah, hey, yeah;
There’s no getting even; Hey, yeah, yeah,
hey, yeah; Hand in hand forever; Hey, yeah,
yeah, hey, yeah; That’s when we all win;
Hey, yeah, yeah, hey, yeah; That’s, that’s,
that’s when we all win; That’s, that’s, that’s
when we all win
(Repeat refrain.)
G
1
Charlie Martin
Martin is an Indiana pastoral counselor who reviews current music for Catholic News Service.
Your comments are always welcome. Please
write to me at: [email protected] or at
7125 West Country Road 200 South, Rockport, IN
47635.
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
16
17
18
19
20
21
24
28
29
22
25
26
30
41
45
50
42
55
36
43
47
56
48
57
59
13
37
38
39
63
64
44
52
51
12
32
35
46
11
27
34
40
11
23
31
33
(Repeat refrain.)
On The Record
3
15
54
pause to pray. As such, I encourage everyone to engage in moments of prayer each day.
Next, we need to be of service
to others wherever possible in
each month of 2012.
Perhaps what is just as important is to be a person of Christian
courage. We must make our voice
heard to those who have power in
this world.
Throughout history, disciples
have spoken the truth of Jesus
to those in power. At times, they
faced serious consequences, but
they spoke anyway because they
remembered that Jesus stood
with the poor, the marginalized
and even with enemies in first-century Jewish
society.
Like Jesus, they spoke for the necessity of
nonviolence in resolving problems and bringing
about peace.
In addition, we also need to be generous, not
only with our money, but with our gratitude and
encouragement. We must tell those who make
our life better each day that we recognize their
efforts.
God’s dignity fills every person, so we must
use words of encouragement and gratitude
to affirm others, including the poor, who are
judged and pushed further into the background.
When we consider how governments worldwide are pouring billions of dollars into weapons of death rather than into helping those who
most need assistance, we need to speak clearly
of another view, the perspective of Jesus.
In 2012, we must speak up!
2
14
The right thing to guide us; Is right here
inside us; No one can divide us; When the
Light is leading on; But just like a heartbeat; The drumbeat carries on; And the
drumbeat carries on (carries on)
Sung by Nickelback | Copyright © 2011 by Roadrunner Records
od’s gift of time brings
us to 2012. What kind of
year will it be? And perhaps more importantly, how will
we manifest that the message
and teachings of Jesus make the
difference for who we want to be
in this New Year?
As I considered these questions, I thought of Nickelback’s
latest release, “When We Stand
Together.” The song is off the
Canadian rockers’ recent endof-2011 album “Here and Now.”
The lyrics describe a courageous and necessary way to
enter into the new year, noting
that, even though the world
faces difficult challenges, “we all look away,
people pretending everywhere it’s just another
day” – and this is not the right response.
The song’s character asks: “How can we
fall asleep at night when something’s clearly
wrong?” He is referring to the suffering going
on in God’s family.
As we begin this New Year, his question
needs to become our question, too. And we
would do well to join him when he says that “we
must stand together ... hand in hand forever.”
No matter the problem, if we forego “getting
even,” then we can better recognize the humanity that we all share as God’s people, and “that’s
when we all win.”
The song does not define the “we” in the
character’s statement, but surely such expressions apply to today’s disciples of Jesus. He
is speaking to us when he says that “the right
thing to guide us is right here inside us.” Indeed,
this “right thing” is the witness of those who
have followed Jesus in the past and the commitment that we have made to the Lord’s teaching
today.
So, how should we stand together as disciples
of Jesus in 2012?
Each of us shares a connection to God. We
nurture and affirm that connection when we
49
53
58
60
61
67
68
62
65
66
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
www.wordgamesforcatholics.com
ACROSS
1 Michal, to David
5 Pale reddish purple
10Bail
14 Small songbird
15 “The Fighting ___”
16 Having wings
17 The apostles were put in this
for preaching about Jesus
18 Prayer of St. Francis
19 Travel on
20 Fabric of jeans
22 Unique thing
24 In Deuteronomy 31, the Lord
told Moses to write one
27 Fourth book of the Bible
28Teaching
32 Popular Catholic TV sitcom
actor Newhart
33 WNW’s opposite
34Antelope
36 Princes of India (var.)
40 Gnostic being
42 Made a mistake
44Agile
45 Fix the clock
47 Greek title for Jesus
49 Writer Fleming
50 NT bk.
52 Emery board
54 Becomes visible
58 Magi leader
59 Long distance no-no
61 Give up
65 Spydom name
66 “Regina ___”
69 Jai ___
70 Miss Kett
71 Wrote a bad check
72 Final stop for Paul, in Acts
73 20th letter of the Hebrew
alphabet
74 Murders, biblically speaking
75Bros
DOWN
1 Letters some people sport
on jewelry
2 See 64D
3 Sinn ___
4 Sign up
5Sass
6Wrath
7 “If anyone says, “I love God,”
but hates his brother, he is a
___” (I Jn 4:20)
8 “…___ be expected”
9 An angel
10 The crowd wanted him rather
than Jesus
11 A dove brought this branch
back to Noah
12 Lowest point
13Apparel
21 St. Thomas’ surname
23Cupid
25 River Moses turned to blood
26Knot
28 “Angel of God, my guardian
___…”
29 Hosea, in the Douay
30 Business bigwigs (abbr.)
31 Bankrupt energy giant
35 Catholic French painter,
Edgar ___
37 Recent pope, affectionately
38 Asian inland sea
39 End of a yearly song
41 Book of the Bible
43 “Just ____”
46Side
48 Biblical “kill”
51 Objects of mortar
53 Franciscan brothers
54 Tribe of Israel
55 It may be partial
56Components
57 Gastropod mollusk
60 “___ job!”
62 “…___ lema sabachthani?”
(Mk 15:34)
63 “Behold the ___ of God”
64 A Latin hymn, with 2D
67Pewter
68 Picture cards?
Solution on page 14
12
F
VIEWPOINT
December 28, 2011
Praying so as to see God’s glory inside of humanity
amiliarity breeds contempt. It also blocks the
mystery of Christmas by breeding a view of the life
that cannot see divinity within humanity.
Yet all of us are hopelessly prone to see most everything in an overfamiliar way: namely, in a way that sees
little or nothing of the deep richness and divinity that is
shimmering everywhere under the surface. G. K. Chesterton, reflecting on this, once declared that one of the
deep secrets of life is to learn to look at things familiar
until they look unfamiliar again. Alan Jones calls this a
process of unlearning what’s familiar.
Whatever the wording, the challenge is the same: We
need to learn the secret of seeing the extraordinary inside
of the ordinary, of seeing divinity shimmering inside of
humanity, and of seeing haloes around familiar faces.
Thomas Merton, in perhaps his most-famous text,
shares how he once had a quasi-mystical experience of
this in the most ordinary of circumstances. He had been
living in a Trappist monastery outside of Louisville,
Ky., for nearly 20 years and one day needed to go into
Louisville for a medical appointment. He was standing
at the intersection of Fourth and Walnut streets when
suddenly the ordinary changed into the extraordinary.
Everyone around him began to shimmer with a deep,
divine radiance. They were all walking around, he
wrote, “shining like the sun.” And he adds: “Then it was
as if I suddenly saw the secret beauty of their hearts, the
depths of their hearts where neither sin nor desire nor
self-knowledge can reach, the core of their reality, the
person that each one is in God’s eyes. If only they could
all see themselves as they really are. If only we could
see each other that way all the time. There would be no
more war, no more hatred, no more cruelty, no more
greed. ... I suppose the big problem would be that we
would fall down and worship each other.”
This kind of vision, seeing the world as transfigured
with haloes around
familiar faces, is
ultimately the meaning of Christmas,
the meaning of the
incarnation, and the
mystery of God walking around in human
flesh. Christmas is not
so much a celebration
of Jesus’ birthday as
it is a celebration of
the continued birth of
God into human flesh,
the continuation of the
divine making itself
manifest in the ordinary; God, a helpless
baby in a barn.
But to have this vision we need to pray. Prayer is our
major safeguard against the familiarity that breeds
contempt and is one of the few ways in which we can begin to see with the deeper eyes of the heart. Prayer is a
lifting of our minds and hearts to God, but it is also the
way, sometimes the only way, we can purify and deepen
our vision. Merton’s experience on the corner of Fourth
and Walnut in Louisville was very much predicated on
years and years of prayer.
Christmas is only seen by the pure of heart or in
those moments when we are pure of heart. But when it
is seen it is glorious.
John Shea, in Christmas poem, invites us to keep our
eyes open for the manifestation of the divine within the
human. The invitation within Christmas is to see the sacred within our barns, the body of Christ on and around
our kitchen tables, and haloes around familiar faces:
In Exile
Father Ron Rolheiser
Even at Christmas, when haloes are pre-tested by
focus groups for inclusion in mass-market campaigns,
they are hard to see. ... Seeing haloes is more than a
lucky sighting. It entails the Advent skill of sustaining
attention, the simple act, as (Annie) Dillard found out,
of looking up.
This is how haloes are seen, by looking into largeness, by tucking smallness into the folds of infinity.
I do not know this by contemplating shimmering
trees. Rather there was a woman, busy at a Christmas
table, and I looked up to catch a rim of radiance etching
her face, to notice the curves of light sliding along her
shape. She out-glowed the candles. ... When this happens, I do not get overly excited. I merely allow love to
be renewed, for that is the mission of haloes, the reason
they are given to us.
Nor do I try to freeze the frame. Haloes suffer time,
even as they show us what is beyond time.
But when haloes fade, they do not abruptly vanish,
abandoning us to the sorrow of lesser light.
They recede, as Gabriel departed Mary, leaving us
pregnant.
Familiarity breeds contempt. That’s an archetypal
flaw within human nature. And this, perhaps more than
anything else, prevents us from entering the mystery
of Christmas, from seeing God’s radiance shimmering
under the surface of what’s familiar to us.
Jesus once asked his disciples to join him in prayer,
and, as they prayed, he and everything around him was
transfigured and began to glow with a divine radiance.
He invites each of us into that particular prayer.
Oblate Father Rolheiser, theologian, teacher and awardwinning author, is president of the Oblate School of
Theology in San Antonio, Texas. He can be contacted
through his website ronrolheiser.com.
Long live the weekend warrior
A
re you a weekend warrior?
According to a 2007
American College of Sports
Medicine analysis based on
two national surveys, a “weekend warrior” engages in “long
periods of physical activity
performed on weekends.”
But is this “hurry up and get
fit/thin/healthy” approach beneficial in the long run (pardon
the pun), or can it hurt more
than help? How can adults
avoid the wear and tear caused
by aggressive exercise?
To get some answers, I
turned to one of the hosts of
the Saturday morning radio
show “Weekend Warrior”
(espnradio.com). With former
NCAA and NBA basketball
coach Dave Miller, orthopedic surgeon Robert Klapper
addresses issues pertinent to
many a determined weekend
warrior who has the aches,
pains and sometimes joint
replacements to show for his or
her efforts.
Klapper is also chief of
orthopedic surgery at CedarsSinai Medical Center in Los
Angeles. He maintains a website devoted to helping people
who suffer from hip pain to
avoid surgery (hiphelp.com).
“The show is so exciting for
me,” he told me. “We have hundreds of thousands of listeners.
And the demographics we cannot believe. Eighty-year-olds,
7-year-olds and everyone in
between.”
Weekend warriors engage in
a variety of exercises, including
running, basketball, cycling
and household activities. But
there is a common thread.
“Exercise comes in two
flavors,” Klapper explained.
“Either it is abusive, that is,
the exercise we love – running,
racquetball, tennis, skiing. Or,
it is nurturing, and by that I
mean the pool, the stationary bike or the elliptical. You
can pick one of the kinds of
exercise you love. But you
cannot then go to the gym on
the off days and abuse yourself
more. You must do equal parts:
exercise you love and nurturing
exercise.”
But doesn’t that “abusive
exercise,” because it is usually
very aerobic, stave off weight
gain or foster weight loss?
Not necessarily, and it can
lead to serious joint deterioration.
“I’m seeing people in their
40s getting knee and hip
replacements,” Klapper said. “I
want people to realize you don’t
lose weight by exercise; you
lose by (managing) calories.”
When it comes to “pushing
through the pain,” Klapper
suggests that it not be attempted.
“We are all built differently,”
he said. “But if you have pain,
you have to stop. The concept
of ‘no pain, no gain,’ is damaging, particularly if the pain is
in the joint.”
Despite the amount of time
that the weekend warriors
surveyed spent exercising,
they did not achieve generally
recommended healthy physical activity levels, according to
the American College of Sports
Medicine analysis.
Better time management
throughout the week, however,
can open up shorter periods of
time when adults can exercise
more effectively and safely.
“Three shorter, less-thanan-hour workouts a week are
better, balancing ‘abusive’ and
‘nurturing’ activities,” said
Klapper. “This might seem
pointless, at first, but in a
month’s time, the new workout
regimen might even bring relief
to a warrior’s aching joints.
“And, if, God forbid, you’ve
made your muscles stronger,
but your joint is still too far
gone, you’ll be in better shape
before the surgery, and your
recovery will be easier.”
The American College of
Sports Medicine analysis noted
that, besides sports, weekend
warriors should engage in other activities, such as gardening
Living Well
Maureen Pratt
and yard work.
This is the balance that was
described by Klapper, who is
also an author and a sculptor. Achieving this balance further illustrates that a healthy
dose of nurturing activity also
contributes to strength, joy and
the ability to warrior on!
Maureen Pratt’s website is mau
reenpratt.com.
December 28, 2011
VIEWPOINT
Challenges for the new year
C
atholicism is the single largest religious denomination
in the United States. Approximately one fourth of Americans claim to be Catholic. However, the Pew Forum on Religion &
Public Life reported in 2009 that
one in 10 Americans are former
Catholics. That would make former Catholics the second largest
religious group if they had all left
to form a new denomination. In
2008 the same sociological forum
reported a net loss of 7.5 percent
in the number of Americans who
were born Catholic but who are no
longer Catholic (compared to a net
loss of 3.7 percent for Baptists, the
largest Protestant denomination).
Despite this shocking number of
Catholic defections, the Catholic Church’s share
of the American population has remained stable
(at 24 percent) because of the increase in Hispanic immigrants.
Statistics like these, on the total number
of Catholics and on the demographic profile
of American Catholics as well as their beliefs,
practices and attitudes, have been kept over the
last 25 years and reported every five years by an
independent Catholic newspaper, the National
Catholic Reporter. This newspaper sponsors the
survey, but does not conduct it. Rather, it re-
nflation is not a problem
limited to economic matters alone. It can also be
found when news coverage
is out of proportion to the
significance of the event.
Case in point: The decision
by the federal Department of
Health and Human Services
not to allow a morning-after
pill to be sold over the counter
and to require a prescription
for those less than 17 years of
age.
The decision early this
month by HHS Secretary
Kathleen Sebelius reversed an
earlier decision by the Food
and Drug Administration permitting over-the-counter sales.
“HHS overturns FDA decisions,” “Block of morning-after pill
sparks outrage,” “nixes plan to allow minors to purchase abortion pill” and “President supports restriction.”
Such headlines and broadcasts would lead the casual reader
to believe Roe v. Wade had been reversed.
This action hardly qualifies HHS for a pro-life award of the
year.
It received faint praise from the U.S. bishops’ pro-life
spokesperson.
“Luckily things did not go from bad to even worse. We’re
pleased that they did not expand access to this very powerful
drug,” said Deirdre McQuade, assistant director for policy and
communications at the USCCB Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities.
The makers of Plan B One-Step requested the FDA to
remove age restrictions and allow the contraceptive to be sold
over the counter. This followed a 2009 federal court ruling that
the restrictions were arbitrary.
The FDA agreed. Sebelius disagreed and overruled. She
objected not because it is an abortifacient, not that it was unsafe, but because its directions were not easily understood by a
young child.
All that happened is: The drug can still be sold without
prescription to females 17 and up. Those younger who want to
obtain it must do so by prescription. It cannot be placed in the
aisles.
Sebelius did not deal with morality, philosophy or pharmacy.
She found the drug to be “safe and effective with appropriate
use.” However, “the label comprehension and actual use studies
did not contain data for all ages for which this product would be
available for use.”
Translation: Girls 12 or 13 years old might not understand
the directions.
So it stays behind the counter – much like glue, some aerosol
products and spray paint as restricted in some jurisdictions.
The reports of one federal agency reversing another, those
indicating the president supports restriction created an impression that did not exist in reality. Those who support keeping
abortion legal benefited from many headlines for little cost.
It is political pandering by politicians to make them appear
more in sync with our values than is the case.
This once was accomplished by photos at Holy Name breakfasts and playing catch with nuns in full habits. It has become a
lot more sophisticated.
It’s 2012. This won’t be the last time in an election year when
something is made to appear to be what it is not.
FATHER CARVILLE is a retired priest in the Diocese of
Baton Rouge and writes on spiritual matters for
The Catholic Commentator.
Kent, now retired, was editor of archdiocesan newspapers
in Omaha and Seattle. He can be contacted at: considersk@
gmail.com.
Father John Carville
lies on a team of professional sociologists from
various universities and national think tanks.
The fifth study completed in 2011 was done by
William V. D’Antonio at the Institute for Policy
Research & Catholic Studies at Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.; Mary
Gautier, a senior research associate at the Center
for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA)
at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.;
and Michele Dillon, professor of sociology and
chair of the department at the University of New
Hampshire in Durham.
The outcome of such sociological research,
while serving as an alarm bell, can also challenge
us to focus on our mission under God in this
pluralistic nation. Since New Year’s is the time
for resolutions, we Catholics should ask ourselves
what we need to do to fulfill Jesus’ great commission: Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching
them to observe all that I have commanded you.
And behold, I am with you always, until the end
of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20).
1. We owe it to God to be witnesses to our
faith, and we also owe it to our children. As
is true across all denominations, Catholic de-
Things aren’t what
they seem
partures are especially heavy
among the younger generations.
At Christmas and New Year’s
we become acutely aware of the
strength that our faith gives to our
families. It is something that we
want our children and their future
families to also have. Our resolutions might well start with the
family. Parents have to assume
responsibility for the religious formation of their children and take
them to Mass and the sacraments.
2. Teach the content and the
necessity of vowed, sacramental
marriage. Twenty-five years ago
62 percent of Catholics were married. Today only 52 percent are
married, with another 10 percent “living with partner.” Since
statistics on cohabitation outside of marriage
show that this seldom leads to lifetime marriage,
it may also lead to loss of Catholic faith. Throughout the high school years, religion classes in
Catholic schools and parish schools of religion
programs (CCD) must emphasize the importance
of Catholic sacramental marriage. It is not just
a ceremony. It is a religious vow before God and
community. Consciousness of that vow has kept
many a marriage together until it could grow into
a mature and happy relationship.
3. Make the sacrifice where possible to send
your children to Catholic elementary and high
schools. In the 2011 survey, six in 10 non-Hispanic Catholics who attended a Catholic elementary
school (and seven in 10 of those who attended
a Catholic high school) say they would never
leave the church; less than half of those without
Catholic schooling said the same. Responses in
the Hispanic population were close to being the
same.
4. Consider seriously working for the church
as a lay parish minister. According to the survey,
“In 1987, there were about 1,000 parish-identified
Catholics for every priest; in 2011, there are
more than 1,600 per priest – an increase of more
than 60 percent. The number of priests serving
in the United States has declined by a quarter
since 1987 and the number of religious sisters
has declined by almost half.” Interest in Catholicism and practice of faith has not changed too
much despite the tremendous change in mobility,
work schedules and pace of life during the past
25 years. There has been about a 12 percent drop
in weekly Mass attendance, but most of these
Catholics continue to go to weekend Mass at least
once a month. Ninety-three percent are willing
to accept a priest who is shared with one or more
other church parishes. And almost no one wants
their church parish closed. While we all must
pray and work for vocations, working for the
church is a very interesting job. And those laity
generous enough to offer themselves as parish lay
ministers do it so well that the Holy Spirit must
be overshadowing them.
Happy New Year!
Another
Perspective
Catholic sacramental
marriage ... is not just
a ceremony. It is a
religious vow before
God and community.
13
I
Consider This
Stephen Kent
14
COMING EVENTS
December 28, 2011
Diocesan Wedding Anniversary Celebration – Bishop Robert W. Muench will honor couples celebrating their
25th, 50th and 65th or greater wedding anniversary
at a Mass on Sunday, March 4, 3 p.m., at Sacred Heart
of Jesus Church, 2250 Main St., Baton Rouge. To register and for information contact your church parish
office.
interested in developing their prayer life according to
the teachings of the Carmelite saints. Meetings are
held the second Sunday of each month at Our Lady of
Mercy Parish Activity Center in the St. Gabriel Room,
444 Marquette Ave., Baton Rouge, at 1:30 p.m. The
next meeting will be Jan. 8. For information call 225926-6962 or email [email protected].
Spiritual Spa Day – Spiritual Director Patti Clement
will lead a morning of reflection, “A Spiritual Spa
Day,” Saturday, Jan. 14, 9 a.m.–noon, in the St. Joseph’s Academy Dining Hall, 3080 Kleinert Ave.,
Baton Rouge. The program will be sponsored by the
St. Joseph Spirituality Center. The fee will be $35.
There will be three practical presentations to assist in
finding rest in the love of God. The program will end
with an opportunity for participants to share their insights. To register for the program call the St. Joseph
Spirituality Center at 225-383-3349.
Taize Prayer Service – Rosaryville Spirit Life Center,
39003 Rosaryville Rd., Ponchatoula, will hold a Taize
prayer service on Thursday, Jan. 12, 7 p.m., at the Rosaryville chapel. The candlelight service will consist
of silence, Scripture readings, simple chants and an
opportunity to bring cares and thanksgiving to the
cross. For information call 225-294-5039 or visit rosaryvillela.com.
Secular Order of Discalced Carmelites – The Secular Order of Discalced Carmelites welcomes those who are
ligious, government and community leaders will speak
to and pray with the marchers. For information visit
LaLifeMarch.com or call the Diocese of Baton Rouge
Office of Marriage and Family Life at 225-242-0135.
Safety Seminar – Pat Englade, retired police chief of
Baton Rouge and parishioner of St. Alphonsus Church,
will give a presentation, “How to be Safe Using GodGiven Instincts,” Tuesday, Jan. 17, 9:30-11 a.m., in the
St. Francis Room at St. Alphonsus, 14040 Greenwell
Springs Rd., Greenwell Springs. A complimentary luncheon will follow. RSVP to the St. Alphonsus Church
office by Tuesday, Jan. 10, by calling 225-261-4650.
Catholic Schools Showcase – A Catholic Schools Showcase will be held Saturday, Jan. 21, 10 a.m.–5 p.m., at
the Mall of Louisiana, 6401 Bluebonnet Blvd., Baton
Rouge. Students in band, choir and dance in Catholic
schools will participate. A schedule of performances
will be posted on the Catholic Schools Office website, csobr.org. For more information call the Catholic
Schools Office at 225-336-8735.
Louisiana Life March – The Louisiana Life March will
take place Saturday, Jan. 21, 10 a.m.-noon. Participants will gather at Galvez Plaza (North Avenue and
Third Street), near the Old State Capitol, and walk to
the current State Capitol. Once at the Capitol, local re-
PO Box 3316
Baton Rouge LA 70821-3316
For help placing your classified ad,
call 225-387-0983. All classified ads are
prepaid. Credit cards are not accepted.
Announcements
Business services
Business services
For sAle
Help WAnted
While we at The Catholic Commentator do our best to bring reliable advertisers to our readers, we are not
responsible for any claims made by
any advertiser.
Architectural Designer. Plans for additions, renovations, custom homes. Consultation and construction available. Call
Billy at 225-405-3910.
Pennington Lawn and Landscape
225-806-0008
Lawn & bed maintenance. Clean-up neglect. Call for your free estimate.
Greenoaks Park Cemetery. 2 plots in
Garden of Roses. Value $4190, sell $3500.
Call 225-907-5524 days, 225-261-6149
evenings.
Greenoaks Park Crestview Mausoleum
spaces 39-39A, single front $9000 or best
offer. 225-683-8186.
In sales employment advertisements,
the advertiser must name the product
or service to be sold. Ads must state
how wages will be paid (salary, commissions, etc.) if money is mentioned.
The ad must also state if there is an investment required.
Business services
COMFORT OF MY HOME HEALTHCARE
We provide “in home” personal care assistance, hair & doctor appointments, meals,
housekeeping, 4 hrs. min. Licensed & insured.
225- 926-5700
LEBLANC’S TREE & STUMP
REMOVAL, INC.
Prompt service–Free estimates
FULLY INSURED
E. H. “Eddie” LeBlanc
Phone 383-7316
Baton Rouge Care Service. Serving Baton Rouge and surrounding areas since
1960. Registered sitters, nurses, and
nurses aides for the sick and elderly in
the home, nursing homes and hospitals.
Licensed and bonded for private duty
care. 225-924-6098 or 225-667-0480.
www.batonrougesittersregistry.com.
Mr. D’s Tree Service
3 Licensed Arborists
Free Estimates
Fully Insured
Don Decell & Carl Babin, owners
225-292-6756
Anthony's Furniture Specialties. We
restore hurricane damaged furniture.
If it's furniture we do it all! Refinishing,
re-upholstery, pick up and delivery, etc.
2263 Florida Blvd., BR. 225-413-2607.
Donnie’s Furniture Repair & Upholstery. We do refinishing, repairs, caning,
painting of furniture and upholstery.
In business 39 yrs. Pick up and delivery.
10876 Greenwell Springs Rd. 225-2722577.
HOUSEKEEPER
Mature, Dependable
20+ Years Exp. References
Debbie
225-266-7655
HOPE HAVEN MARBLE & GRANITE, LLC
1056 N. Airline Hwy., Gonzales, LA 70737
Tombs – Monuments – Vaults – Vases – Benches
Phone (225) 644-8466
Fax (225) 644-8467
[email protected]
www.hopehaventombsandmonuments.com
Ronnie Rodrigue, Sr., Owner
Dave’s Bicycle Repair and Sales. Free
pickup and delivery, free estimates, expert economical repair on all brands.
225-924-4337 or www.davesbicyclerepair.
com.
BROUSSEAU'S Painting
Interior and exterior painting. Experienced and reliable. Free estimates. Call
225-241-8488 or 225-928-7194.
EXPERIENCED CARPENTER
Additions, remolding, honey-do’s. No
job too big or too small. Licensed, bonded, insured. Jay 225-673-9846, 225-9360533.
Kitchen counter tops. Call for free estimates. John O'Neill 225-938-6141 or
225-683-6837.
THOMAS LUNDIN, CPA
Accounting and taxes for businesses,
non-profits and individuals; business,
computer, financial, and management
services. 30 years experience; professional, prompt and personal attention.
225-296-0404.
St. Joseph is the Patron Saint of a
Peaceful Death. St. Joseph Hospice is
available to support families as they face
end-of-life decisions. Peace, comfort,
dignity and support can make every day
"a good day." Call 225-368-3100 for more
information.
Solution for December 14 puzzle.
N
I
N
T
H
E
N
E
R
O
A
C
H
E
S
E
P
I
C
O
R
D
O
M
I
E
N
A
C
A
D
R
A
N
I
N
E
T
S
Print Your Ad Here
DATES TO RUN:
Circle Category:
Announcements—Business Services—Cards of Thanks—For Rent—For Sale—Help Wanted
—Positions Wanted—Legal Notices (other
)
Mail to: The Catholic Commentator, P.O. Box 3316, Baton Rouge, LA 70821-3316
Enclosed is $9.50 for the first 15 words + 15¢ for each word thereafter + 25¢ per line for each special effect (all caps, centered
line, bold lettering); for a total of $___________for each issue.
Advertisements will
NAME
not be published
ADDRESS
CITY
without full payment in
PHONE
advance.
R
E
A
M
I
B
S P A
I E R
N A G
C O
C E
A
L
T R O
H E R
O L D
L I
I C
C S
B
O
S
S
Y
S
T
I
L
E
F
O
B
A Y
L E
M T
S
P
L I
H U
M A S
I S
T A N
U
A M
C R E
E A R
R B I
O S C
R
E
S
U
L
T
U
N
I
C
Y
C
L
X E
Y
L T
E R
M A
C
E
D
B
A
N
K
E
C
C
E
S
T
E
R
H
A
N
D
E
M
I
R
S
P
A
E
I
T
A
L
Y
C
E
N
S
E
A
S
S
E
S
W
W
J
D
I
R
A
E
D
E
A
R
O
S
E
E
A
S
H
E
R
P
L
A
T
E
F
E
I
N
E
L I
N
I R
L
P E
I M
S O N G
C T R I N
E
E L A
O N
E R
S E T
L
H E B
P E A R S
A M M I N
R I
C A
T A
K I
S H
S L
L
I
A
R
E
N
R
O
N
A
S
C
A
N
D
E
G
A
S
G
E L
T E
A Y
C
B
H
A
E
R
R A A
U M B
B O B
R A
D
S
O S
I L F
T A R
Y I
I
A
D
R
S
S
O
L
I
V
E
N
A
D
I
R
D
R
E
S
S
J
P
I
I
A
R
A
L
S
Y
N
E
E
L
O
I
L
A
M
B
D
I
E
S
December 28, 2011
15
Our Lady of the Lake College announces Dec. 2011 graduates
More than 300 Our Lady of the Lake
College students were conferred master’s, bachelor’s or associate degrees
during the college’s commencement exercises held on Dec. 16, at 2 p.m. in the
Baton Rouge River Center Ballroom.
Systematic growth over the past decade
and the development of an ever stronger student-centered and communityengaged campus have made it possible
for these students to meet their goals,
and as a class of 325 they comprise the
largest graduating class in the history of
OLOL College.
The commencement address was delivered by Sister Kathleen Cain OSF, Provincial for the Franciscan Missionaries of
Our Lady North American Province. In
1923 the Franciscan Missionaries of Our
Lady founded and have since continued
to nurture the institution that has become Our Lady of the Lake College.
Those receiving academic distinctions at the Dec. 16 commencement are:
Brandy Hounshell, a Bachelor of Science
in Clinical Laboratory Sciences graduate, was recognized with the Board of
Trustees’ Medal, awarded to the bachelor’s degree recipient with the highest
grade point average; Lauren Chauvin
Delaune, a Bachelor of Science in Clinical Laboratory Sciences graduate, received the President’s Medal, awarded
to the bachelor’s degree recipient with
the second-highest grade point average;
and Savanah Creaghan, an Associate
of Science in Nursing graduate, earned
the Dean’s Medal which is awarded to
the associate degree recipient with the
highest grade point average.
School of Arts, Sciences
and Health Professions
Bachelor of Science in Nursing
Monique Babin, Shanna Belton, Emily
Brown, Marla Bruton, Jessica Cantwell,
Casey Carlock, Katie Deshotel, Elizabeth
Duhon, Cansas Garner Verzwyvelt, Rachel Howard, Kristen Jeanminette, Kasey
Jones, Justine Karain, Rachel Kot, Jerrod
LaCaze, Kimberly Pham, Dana Polk, Alyse
Prieur, Alicia Sagely, Abby Schexnayder, Madelyn Schneider, Le’titia Scott,
Jennifer Stapleton, Carlos Williams and
Charlene Yang
Laborde, Cory Lacrouts, Krystle Landry,
Leah Larsen, Kionne Lear, Sarah Lemoine,
Samthia Lenox, Jeremy Little, Ashley Lobell,
Michelle Lowry, Stacy Luce, Samerrial
Malone, Melissa Mang, Thumala Mansour,
Crystal Martin, Yalima Mason, Danielle Masters, Bridget McFerrin, Shannon McNemar,
Jennifer Meng, Ashley Miranda, Keisha
Moore, Stephanie Myers, Lauren Nash, John
Nguyen, Ellen Nickell, Hannah Normand,
Nicole O’Bleness, Megan Oneal, Rosaline
Osu, Charmaine Parent, Jo-Lynn Parker,
Denita Patterson, Elisabeth Peacock, Brian
Pena, Lisa Perron, Stormy Perry, Davina Phillips, Monique Pierre, Erika Plaisance, Richard
Pollack, Bridget Ponzo, Charmaine Preskitt,
Fnu Qurratulain, Shannon Ramirez, Kathryn
Redmond, Kelsey Richard, Tammy Richard,
Britton Ritter, Danielle Rochester, Amber
Rodrigue, Jennifer Rodrigue, Ashley Rogers,
Alice Roque, Fallon Rosenblatt, Kaleta Roy,
Jeniffer Sanchez, David Sawyer, Hemkumar
Sheth, Jessica Sims, Michelle Smith, Michael
Snyder, Misty Soto, Kristen Spence, Jessica
Stewart, Shenicka Stoves, Hannah Swim,
Kate Szczepanski, Laurie Tablan, Justin
Tabugbo, Christy Tate, Ashlee Thevenot,
Kate Thibodeaux, Micah Thibodeaux, Craig
Thomas, Jennifer Thompson, Dustin Tomlinson, Miriam Torres, Erin Toups, Tram Tran,
Catina Tsiotsoua, Kenneth Tuohy, Devon
Turvy, Amanda Twitchell, Desireé Vappie,
Katie Varnado, Tameka Veal, David Vitrano,
Joann Vong, Steven Vosberg, Brooke Vreeland, Rhonda Wagner, Kristin Waguespack,
Teryan Warnock, Elizabeth Waugh, Madeline White, Eryn Wilkes, Emily Wilkinson,
Juileen Williams, Brittany Wilson, Mandy
Wilson, Ashley Woodburn, Joseph Wray
and Jennifer Young
Master of Medical Science
in Physician Associate Studies
Dana Karisny
Bachelor of Arts in Humanities
Meaghan Musso
Bachelor of Science in Biology
Shane LeBlanc, Brittany McKenzie,
Michael Nguyen and Naydean Ruffin
Bachelor of Science in
Clinical Laboratory Science
Carvin Banks, Lauren Chauvin, Rosemary
Codner, Cora Gremillion, Aisha Harris,
Ana Honore, Brandy Hounshell, Tameka
Myles Butler, Annie Ngo, Erin Simpson,
Phuong Anh Truong and Amanda Weller
Forensic Science
Mary Blunschi, Keosha Green and Lance
Lepine
Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences
Andrew Wilson
Health Service Administration
Laura Hunter, Leigh Salvant and Joseph
Weiss
Human Medicine
Alison McGee
Associate of Science in
Arts and Sciences
Mieasha Carter and Zenna Sheikha
School of Nursing
Master of Science in Nurse Anesthesia
Joseph Bertrand, Julia Campassi,
Aislynn Coates, Ashley Decuir, Robby
Duet, Meredith Ellis, Lindsey Flaccomio,
Chelsea Hennessy, Joel Hixon, James
Karr, David Krobert, Stephen Lee, Christiane Patterson, Ronald Perkins, Cassie
Pittman, Richard Rieken, Dane Rodriguez, Teia Rouse, Barbara Rucker, Samantha Seymour, Nicholas Smith, Jacob
Vann, Randall Verzwyvelt, John Vincent,
Joe Walther and Sara White
Associate of Science in Nursing
Elizabeth Abadie, Rachael Abadie, Erin
Acosta, Akosou Adjare-Sefa, Amber
Adkisson, Lauryn Allgood, Kristin Alongi,
Timur Alptunaer, Stacey Atkins,
Stephanie Bain, Tawanda Bankston, Erica
Barber, Adriana Barna, La’Toya Beauchamp,
Michelle Bell, Iesha Bethley, Cassie Bickham,
Summer Blackwell, Elena Bogatova, Brittany
Boudoin, Lynette Boudreaux, Tyra Branch,
Amanda Brassett, Jill Brothen, Robert
Brown, Lisa Brunner, Devin Bujol, Alison
Butler, Karen Byrd, Kristen Calcote, Vincent
Calvanese, Albert Calvin III, Robert Cannon,
Laura Carlos, Ruth Carmon, Brittany Carrere,
Leigh Ann Chafton, Melissa Chamberlain,
Caroline Chaplain, Joanne Chiapetta,
Sanober Choudhary, Virginia Clarke, Getano
Clement, Stephanie Collins, Tia Collins,
Lynzie Cormier, Elia Cortez, Christine Cox,
Kimberley Cox, Ashley Crain, Mitch Crawford, Savanah Creaghan, Mary Davis, Natalie
Davis, Amanda Dennis, Lindsay Domiano,
Jesse Donahue, Marty-Kathryn Doucet,
Matthew Duhon, Davonn Dutton, Nicole
Edson, Eric Egle, Danielle Fabre, Farin Fabre,
Heidi Falgoust, Jessica Farmer, Kayla Farrar,
Natalie Ferrara, Alicia Fitzgerald, Jennifer
Frith, Jenna Gaspar, Jason Geier, Summer
Gilbert, Courtney Gilford, Alicia Giraldo,
Kevin Granger, Ann Green, Melissa Grill,
Cristen Grooms, Rock Grundmann, Shana
Gueho, David Guerro, Bradley Guidry, Mia
Guillory, Virginia Gunn, Nichelle Hall, Leah
Hamilton, Blake Hanegan, Kari Hartley,
Betty Hawkins, Brickley Hemenway, Linda
Henry, John Hill, Monique Hill, Lauren
Hingle, Leigh Hoke, JoAnne Hollingsworth,
Rena Holmes Williams, Cory Hughes,
Nazira Ibrahim, Natalie Johnson, Shereka Johnson Lawrence, Bridgette Jones,
Lashondra Jones, Joachim Joseph, Jeanne
Joyce, Marc Junot, Dominic Kael, Colette
Kanda, Mechelle Kelley, Jennifer Kidwell,
Ashley Kies, Sarah Kilpatrick, Davender
Kimble, Ashley Kleinpeter, Monica Knighton, Kristen Koehl, Jessica Kraus, Kimberly
SINCE 1960
Mission Statement
“St. Thomas More Catholic School is committed to continuing a legacy
of excellence in religious and academic education in a nurturing
environment that fosters self-discipline.”
† Faith Formation
† Academic Excellence
† Nurturing Environment
OPEN HOUSE
for parents of prospective K-8 students
January 19, 2012
5:00 Registration in the Gym
5:30 General Session and Tours
St. Thomas More Catholic School does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex,
color, national or ethnic origin in the administration of the educational policies.
11400 Sherbrook Drive, Baton Rouge, LA 70815
225-275-2820 • www.stmbr.org
16
December 28. 2011
2011: Three priests, three deacons ordained
Father Paul H. Colloton, who has a Doctor of Ministry in practical theology with a concentration in word and
worship from Catholic Theological Union, Chicago, was in Baton Rouge March 2 to provide the priests of the
Baton Rouge Diocese an opportunity to learn the chants of the Third Edition of the Roman Missal. Photo by Laura
Deavers | The Catholic Commentator
Showcase
k
g Wee 4
n
i
t
ra ols ruary
b
e
l
ho b
Cec Sc – Fe
oli 29
th ary
a
C nu
Ja
Catholic Schools
Saturday, January 21 • 10 am – 5 pm
Mall of Louisiana Center Court
Enjoy performances and artwork by our talented students.
The students will also demonstrate their robotics projects.
See our students in action and learn about the benefits
and opportunities that a Catholic education
can provide for your child.
Find all of the details at csobr.org.
FROM PAGE 1
musicians, liturgists and parishioners to learn about the changes. Though many people are still
getting accustomed to saying,
“And with your spirit,” instead
of, “And also with you,” the transition to the new verbiage has
gone smoothly.
Even though much time and
energy went into preparation
for the Anniversary Mass and
the implementation of the new
translation, many other events
took place during 2011 that affected the members of this local
diocese.
Fathers Todd Lloyd and Brent
Maher were ordained priests of
the Diocese of Baton Rouge in
May and soon began their first
assignments at Christ the King
Church and Catholic Student
Center on the LSU campus in
Baton Rouge and at St. George
Church in Baton Rouge, respec-
tively. In March, Bishop Muench
ordained Lamar Partin a priest
for the Redemptorist Order.
Seminarians Al Davidson,
Matthew McCaughey and Peter
Dang were ordained deacons,
bringing them one step closer to
their priestly ordination in 2012.
In January, St. Paul the Apostle Church in Baton Rouge dedicated its new church, while St.
John the Baptist Church in Brusly rededicated its newly renovated church in April.
Catholics joined other pro-life
advocates in several efforts this
year to bring an end to abortion.
In January, hundreds of young
people went to the annual ProLife Rally in Washington, D.C.,
while a local march and rally
were held in downtown Baton
Rouge. The 40 Days for Life was
held in October as everyday people prayed in front of an abortion
clinic.
A Golden Opportunity
in the Tradition of St. Vincent de Paul
We are excited to announce the
launch of a new effort at St.
Vincent de Paul.
This new
project entitled, A Golden
Opportunity, will encourage
people of goodwill to donate
gold, silver and platinum to help
us in our mission of charity. Over
300 years ago, St. Vincent de
Paul himself would ask the
nobility and wealthy to give their
gold, jewelry and precious stones to help him serve the
poor. In this painting, Queen Anne of France gives her
crown and jewels to help St. Vincent de Paul in his work
with the poor.
The idea of donating broken or unwanted jewelry has been
lost through the years, but we want to rekindle that thought
and encourage you to donate items that you no longer
wear. Whether they are broken, dated, or just not your
style anymore, they have real value and can help in our
service to the poor and homeless.
With the struggling economy, the price of gold is at an alltime high. However, if you try to sell your gold, you will
only receive a fraction of its true value. If you donate it to
St. Vincent de Paul, you get a 100% tax deduction on the
value of the gold, silver, platinum or diamonds donated.
We encourage you, your family and friends to help us
launch this project by donating your unwanted jewelry,
gold, silver or platinum. The process begins with a phone
call to St. Vincent de Paul at (225) 383-7837, extension O.
Share Your Blessings with Those in Need by
Taking Advantage of this Golden Opportunity!
Call us today at (225) 383-7837, ext. 0 –
svdpbr.org

December 28 - The Catholic Commentator

Transcription

Similar documents

Catholic Community Center

St_Luke - EMC 2016 - St. Luke Catholic High School

Presenter: Frank Mercadante Executive Director of Cultivation

Catholic Diocese of Kansas City - St. Joseph High School Graduates

Former NFL coach and all-pro wide receiver Danny Abramowicz

MOVIE DAY

Jan 2015 - Magnificat Houses

BeauBox Property: River Palms Two Bedroom Condo

Welcome to JSerra Online Catholic High School!

File - Ms. Kelly`s Kindergarten Class - Home