The Deacon's Bench

Homily for World Priest Day

2009-10-24T12:46:00.001-04:00

You can find it over here.

It's a re-post of my talk from 2008.

Homily for October 18, 2009: 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time

2009-10-17T10:14:00.001-04:00

For World Mission Sunday.

You can find it over here at Beliefnet.

Homily for October 11, 2009: 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time

2009-10-10T12:11:00.001-04:00

It's right here.

Looking for "The Deacon's Bench"?

2009-10-09T20:17:00.001-04:00

Hey! I've moved! Hop on over to this link.

Homily for October 4, 2009: 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time

2009-10-03T09:34:00.001-04:00

Looking for it?

It's right here.

I've headed cross-town

2009-10-01T19:35:00.003-04:00

Those who are looking for "The Deacon's Bench" can now find it at Beliefnet, the large (and growing) spiritual website.

Change your bookmarks!

My new URL: http://blog.beliefnet.com/deaconsbench/

Come by and visit!

Yes, you can subscribe!

2009-09-29T11:41:00.001-04:00

We're moving right along ...

Head over to my new address, and there's a button on the upper right corner for an RSS feed, so you can easily keep up with The Bench.

The unoffocial anthem of the American Catholic parish

2009-09-28T23:35:00.003-04:00

Forget "Praise to the Lord" or even "Gather Us In." You know the song I'm talking about.

Crank up the volume and join in.

"He was just a simple priest"

2009-09-27T19:33:00.002-04:00

Can you believe it's been 30 years since Pope John Paul celebrated mass in that cornfield in Iowa? (How's that for a "Field of Dreams"?)

People who were there are still talking about it. Read more here.

Checking up on some pioneers: Indy's first deacons, one year later

2009-09-26T22:19:00.002-04:00

Last year, Indianapolis ordained its very first class of deacons. And you can find out how they're doing right here.

Metropolitan Jonah and his amazing technicolor vestments

2009-09-26T15:32:00.001-04:00

Amazing, indeed. Check out more here.

Eureka! New deacons in California!

2009-09-26T13:49:00.000-04:00

The story, and pictures, here.

Lord, be close to your servants who move into this home...

2009-09-26T12:12:00.001-04:00

I did a house blessing this morning, and it seemed like an opportune time to offer a blessing for my own new home, too.

Take a look.

Here we go ...

2009-09-25T15:22:00.003-04:00

This weekend, I will start blogging at my new address.

You'll find me at this link.

The URL:

http://blog.beliefnet.com/deaconsbench/

I expect Beliefnet will forward people automatically, but it might be a good idea to change your bookmarks.

So...come by and visit! I'll look forward to seeing you there. Meantime, happy trails. And Happy Friday.

Journeys with the Messiah: the "Currents" edition

2009-09-25T09:35:00.003-04:00

If you still haven't seen those stunning pictures of Jesus taken by fashion photographer Michael Belk, here's a preview, from the interview with him that we did on "Currents" earlier this week.

A thoroughbred faith

2009-09-25T09:20:00.003-04:00

We periodically hear about athletes and their faith -- but here's a sport that rarely gets mentioned: horse racing.

The Tidings in Los Angeles has a look at champion jockey Martin Pedroza, who talks about how prayer has sustained him:

The jockey says prayer has been the one constant in his life. After graduating from the famed Panama Jockey School with alums the likes of Laffit Pincay, Manuel Ycaza and Alex Solis, he still did not have a winner in four months. When he went to his mother, Luz, and said he wanted to return to high school, she said to pray to his recently deceased father, Aureleo, and also to God.

"The next day I won a race," he recalled, grinning. "It was a miracle: 99-to-1. The name of the horse was Laclave. If he was 6-to-5, I wouldn't have thought it was a miracle. But 99-to-1!"

In 1982, he came to the United States with the encouragement of his older brother, Marcelino, who had established himself as a jockey here. Veteran riders Eddie Delahoussey and Bill Shoemaker helped calm the younger hothead Pedroza down and got him to stop pressing when he went into a temporary slump. And the following year, the 17-year-old was the leading apprentice at the Oak Tree meet at Santa Anita and also at Los Alamitos.

But he really gained notice on the local racing circuit in 1989, when he won the Santa Anita Handicap (the "Big Cap") aboard 50-to-1 shot Martial Law. And at age 40, he won his first major title at Hollywood Park's 2005 fall meet by riding 31 winners.

"I pray all the time, just like my mama told me," he said. "All the time I pray in the jock's room. I pray before I get on the horse. I pray at home. I pray in church. All the time."

One thing he prayed for this year were the relatives of two horse owners he rode for - James and Charles Ortega. They were members of the extended Covina family who were allegedly shot and killed by a recently divorced husband dressed in a Santa outfit at a Christmas Eve party. A week after the horrific tragedy sent shock waves through the San Gabriel Valley, Pedroza rode their horse for the last time under the Ortegas' name.

"I really got chills going into the [starting] gate," Pedroza recalled. "It almost felt like an angel was on my back, you know, riding with me. And when we won, I was all emotional, just very, very happy. Nothing was going to make it better for that family, I knew that, but at least it was a moment of relief and happiness for them.

"And the horse's name was 'Return of the King,'" he said, shaking his head in disbelief even after eight months. "So just everything was going together. It was wonderful."

Visit The Tidings to read the rest.

Quote of the day. Maybe of the week.

2009-09-25T07:26:00.006-04:00

"You know, the church is the one who dreams, the church is the one who constantly has the vision, the church is the one that’s constantly saying ‘Yes!’ to everything that life and love and sexuality and marriage and belief and freedom and human dignity—everything that that stands for, the church is giving one big resounding ‘Yes!’ The church founded the universities, the church was the patron of the arts, the scientists were all committed Catholics. And that’s what we have to recapture: the kind of exhilarating, freeing aspect. I mean, it wasn’t Ronald Reagan who brought down the Berlin Wall. It was Karol Wojtyła. I didn’t make that up: Mikhail Gorbachev said that...I guess one of the things that frustrates me pastorally is that there’s this caricature of the church—of being this oppressive, patriarchal, medieval, out-of-touch naysayer—where the opposite is true.”

-- Archbishop Timothy Dolan, in this profile in New York Magazine.

H/T to The A.

PHOTO: by Mary Ellen Mark

How to spread the gospel: "Claim it, aim it, proclaim it"

2009-09-25T07:12:00.006-04:00

That's the stirring advice of a leading catechist in Washington, who took his message to the Sunshine State last week:

At the 14th annual diocesan Faith Formation Day Sept. 19, keynote speaker Msgr. Ray East addressed about 900 catechists on the theme of “Catechesis and the Proclamation of the Word.”

“Claim it, aim it and proclaim it,” is the three-step process Msgr. East advocated to catechists from around the Diocese of Orlando gathered at Bishop Moore Catholic High School here. He encouraged them to claim the stories of salvation revealed in Scripture and when they proclaim God’s saving word, to aim the saving message especially to those who are in most need. “Evangelization and catechesis are wedded together,” he said.

Msgr. East is pastor of St. Teresa of Avila Parish in the southeastern quadrant of Washington, D.C., and vicar for evangelization of the Archdiocese of Washington. He also serves as the executive director of the Office of Black Catholics there.
Carolyn Ziarno, center, director of religious education and Tamara Yntema, right, of Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Melbourne sing the opening song at Faith Formation Day Sept. 19. The song, entitled “Proclaim the Word” was especially composed for the Orlando Diocese by John Burland, an internationally acclaimed musician from Australia.

Carolyn Ziarno, center, director of religious education and Tamara Yntema, right, of Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Melbourne sing the opening song at Faith Formation Day Sept. 19. The song, entitled “Proclaim the Word” was especially composed for the Orlando Diocese by John Burland, an internationally acclaimed musician from Australia.

He made a special request of attendees: Come back next year with five young adults – a crucial and underrepresented demographic for faith formation in the Catholic Church nationwide. “Let’s get some intergenerational faith formation. There’s a hole in our whole community catechesis,” he said.

After the keynote speech, Msgr. East explained there is much to be learned from Jewish, Muslim and Protestant traditions regarding evangelization and faith formation. “We should focus on our common faith in Abraham and Sarah,” he said. “Not only are we all serving the same God, but the goal is the same.”

Prior to Msgr. East’s address, Dr. Nicholas Wolsonovich, secretary of faith formation and superintendent of Catholic schools for the Diocese of Orlando, noted that only 40 percent of the baptized children in the Diocese of Orlando receive some kind of faith formation through Catholic schools or religious education at their parish. “Pray about reaching out to those kids who have not been touched by faith formation here in Orlando,” Wolsonovich said.

Event organizer Sister of Divine Providence Linda Gaupin, senior director of religious education for the diocese, welcomed the opportunity to have Msgr. East and 28 other workshop speakers make presentations to catechists at all levels. “Faith formation really pertains to any ministry that works with handing on the faith,” she said. “The workshops we have help (the participants) to get firsthand information in their particular area to prepare them better for their ministry.”

There's more at the Florida Catholic link.

PHOTO: Msgr. Ray East delivers the keynote address to approximately 900 people at the 14th annual diocesan Faith Formation Day, Sept. 19, in Orlando. Photo by Valeta Orlando / Florida Catholic.

For Kennedy's seat, a Cardinal connection

2009-09-25T06:12:00.004-04:00

It turns out the man taking over Ted Kennedy's Senate seat is himself part of a Massachusetts Catholic dynasty, according to Michael Paulson of the Boston Globe:

A dispatch from the Boston-is-a-really-small-town department: Paul G. Kirk Jr., who was named today as the interim US Senator from Massachusetts, is the grand-nephew of Cardinal William H. O'Connell, one of the most powerful figures in local church history, who served as archbishop of Boston from 1907 until his death in 1944. Kirk, 71, is one of five children of Josephine O'Connell, whose father, Edward J. O'Connell, was an older brother of Cardinal O'Connell.

The connection ties Kirk to one of the odder stories now unfolding in town, as the Archdiocese of Boston seeks to disinter the cardinal's remains and remove them from land that the church sold to Boston College to raise money to pay off victims of clergy sexual abuse. The saga of the cardinal's tomb, which has been playing out for five years now, last week moved to Suffolk Probate and Family Court, where Cardinal Sean P. O'Malley, joined by the trustees of Boston College, are suing 30 of O'Connell's living relatives, including Kirk, for the right to relocate the remains.

I last spoke with Kirk about his famous great-uncle about a year and a half ago. Kirk was born in 1938, and the cardinal died in 1944, so they didn't spend a lot of time together, and the memories have faded, but Kirk told me he remembered, as a little boy, visiting Cardinal O'Connell at his grand residence in Brighton (also now the property of BC), and that his most distinct memory was of reciting the pledge of allegiance for his great-uncle. At the time of our interview last year, Kirk was opposed to relocating the cardinal's remains, saying, "I think I speak for the majority of the cardinal's next of kin in saying that we would like him to remain at his chosen resting place.''

An "Everyday" deacon?

2009-09-24T21:18:00.003-04:00

A fella by the name of David Dawson dropped me a note with a link a short time ago. He's the creator of a podcast and website called "The Everyday Catholic." His latest installment is all about the diaconate.

Give a listen.

From Knight to Saint?

2009-09-24T16:03:00.003-04:00

The founder of the Knights of Columbus may be inching closer to sainthood:

The cause for sainthood of Father Michael McGivney, founder of the Knights of Columbus, took another step forward this week, with the submission of a supplemental report on a potential miracle attributed to the priest’s intercession.

The Knights of Columbus announced today that officials from a supplemental tribunal of the Archdiocese of Hartford –of which Fr. McGivney was a parish priest- formally sent a new report to the Vatican’s Congregation for the Causes of Saints. The information gathered by the tribunal included testimonies from witnesses to the supposed miracle as well as the statements of several medical doctors about the circumstances surrounding the reported miracle.

The small ceremony in which the new report was signed and presented to Archbishop Henry Mansell was attended by Supreme Knight Carl Anderson, other Supreme Officers, three relatives of Father McGivney and a number of archdiocesan officials.

The submission of the new report “marks an important step forward. The Vatican’s Congregation for the Causes of Saints will now have valuable additional testimony that clarifies and adds significantly to the original submission,” Supreme Knight Carl Anderson said.

There's more at the link.

Playing Father

2009-09-24T07:35:00.004-04:00

Up in Boston, a man who once studied for the priesthood is now playing a priest onstage -- and the Boston Globe's Michael Paulson turns a spotlight on this intriguing melodrama:

The weary priest, seated on a deep couch with a drink at hand, pauses for several minutes before responding to the question about how it felt to embrace a life of celibacy. When he answers, he begins with an anecdote, about the period of time just before he took his vows.

“One day, the fact of celibacy just - hit me in the face,’’ says Father Patrick Murphy, one of the central characters in a new play, “The Savannah Disputation,’’ which opens today at the Boston Center for the Arts.

“For the first time, I seemed to really - understand,’’ the priest says, “and I felt extremely free, like I had sidestepped a trap.’’

The character offers the comment as a straightforward confession of a long-buried emotion. But for the actor, Timothy Crowe, the line is rich with irony.

Crowe, 64, faced that same moment of understanding decades ago as a young seminarian in Missouri. But for Crowe, unlike for Father Murphy, sidestepping the trap meant not entering the priesthood.

“It was a very difficult decision,’’ Crowe said in an interview last week. “But I felt incomplete.’’

The character of Father Murphy is one of four deeply religious and chronically single people who populate “The Savannah Disputation,’’ a 100-minute comedy about two Roman Catholic sisters in their 60s who respond to a cheerfully anti-Catholic evangelical missionary who keeps knocking on their door by luring her into a debate over theology with their beloved parish priest.

Crowe’s character is a reluctant disputant, a position the actor relates to. “It makes me think of how unimportant all this bickering is,’’ he said.

In the play, that bickering, about the afterlife, the papacy, and the priesthood, is often quite raw. Much of the humor comes in the form of tart insults from Mary, the younger sister. At one point, she says of evangelical missionaries, “If you’re nice to them, they just keep coming back. They’re like cats.’’ The missionary’s pitch for Protestantism is so over-the-top that it, too, plays for laughs: “I didn’t know it, but every morning I was inviting this pagan, Satanic stuff into my house by doing yoga,’’ she says.

The Catholic environment of “The Savannah Disputation’’ is quite familiar to Crowe, who was an altar boy at St. Gabriel’s Parish in St. Louis, and who attended parochial school and Catholic high school before entering a St. Louis seminary as a high school sophomore. It was another era in the church, when Mass was in Latin and Cardinal Glennon College had 400 young men studying for the priesthood.

“This was the old days, when we studied Aquinas in Latin, had a monastic schedule and a very strict academic program,’’ Crowe said. “There were no newspapers, no radio, and no TV. There was silence during meals - we would be read to - and every night there was the ‘magnum silencium’ [the great silence] until after breakfast.’’

Crowe lasted six years before deciding the seminary wasn’t for him. “It came down to two words: authority and women,’’ Crowe said. “I had difficulty accepting rules that I thought were inane, and I felt very uncomfortable and incomplete being surrounded by all men all the time.’’

There's more, including Crowe's intriguing notion that the "church and the theater play in the same ballpark -- meaning, destiny, relationships." Check it out.

Society of Jesus Christ the Priest: divine or divisive?

2009-09-23T23:17:00.006-04:00

A leading bishop in Wisconsin is voicing his support for a tradition-minded group of priests who are now running a cluster of parishes -- and sparking some controversy:

At a recent Mass at St. Aloysius Catholic Church, the Rev. John Blewett urged parishioners to emulate their savior and stand firm on matters of church doctrine.

"Jesus does not back down," he said.

The same could be said for Blewett and his fellow members of the Society of Jesus Christ the Priest, a religious group based in Spain. Beginning in 2006, Bishop Robert Morlino invited priests from the society to serve in the Madison Catholic Diocese, and in the ensuing years, they have thrilled some and dismayed others with their staunch Catholicism and tough-love approach.

Five of them now lead a five-parish cluster in the Sauk City area, with three more priests from the society expected this fall. They have brought considerable change in the way the parishes approach worship services.

The priests no longer let girls be altar servers, and they have dispensed with the common Catholic practice of using trained lay people to assist with Communion. They have greatly increased opportunities for confession - some complain they nose around too much - and added many Masses celebrated only in Latin, which some parishioners find divine and others alienating.

Supporters say the priests have brought richness to the faith and much-needed discipline to followers who too often water down church teachings.

"They tell us what we need to hear, not what we want to hear," said Kay Ringelstetter, a St. Aloysius member who calls the changes beautiful. "We see their love for Jesus Christ and the joy in everything they do, and we desire it."

Others are upset over what they consider a hard-line approach that leaves little room for shades of difference.

"You get the impression they only want to be a shepherd for the people who agree with them," said Troy Jacobson, who left St. Barnabas Parish in Mazomanie last year over his disappointment with the priests. "It's almost like they've restricted access to God."

Critics contend that scores of parishioners have left, but others disagree and say new members have filled any voids. The Rev. Jared Hood, a society priest and the administrator of the five-parish cluster, said membership numbers were not available.

Morlino said any time parishes change priests, some upheaval is inevitable. He said the priests follow a different course from many in the diocese, but that diversity is good and everything the priests do falls within the accepted practices of the church.

"They are not in any sense renegades," he said.

You can read more at the link.

PHOTO: First Communion at St. Norbert’s in Roxbury, WI. The priests (and deacon!) are from the Society of Jesus Christ the Priest.

And now, England gets ready for a really Big Ben

2009-09-23T22:49:00.005-04:00

As in Benedict the Pope, who is reportedly headed to England next year:

Pope Benedict XVI is to visit Britain in 2010, the BBC has learned.

It will be the first papal visit to Britain since 1982, when Pope John Paul II's six-day tour drew huge crowds.

The news of Pope Benedict's visit comes after Gordon Brown extended a formal invitation to the Pope during a private audience in February.

A spokesman for the prime minister said he was "delighted" and "it would be a moving and momentous occasion for the whole country".

Details of his visit have yet to emerge but the trip is set to be the first official state visit by a pontiff - John Paul II's visit in May 1982 was on a pastoral basis and did not follow an official invitation by the UK government.

Masses were held in cities including Cardiff, London, Liverpool, Manchester and Edinburgh and he also met the Queen and Archbishop of Canterbury.

A spokesman for Prime Minister Gordon Brown said: "The PM is obviously delighted at the prospect of a visit from Pope Benedict XVI to Britain.

"It would be a moving and momentous occasion for the whole country and he would undoubtedly receive the warmest of welcomes."

Conservative leader David Cameron said he was "delighted" to hear of the possible visit.

He said: "Such a visit - the first in over a quarter of a century - would be greatly welcomed not only by Roman Catholics but by the country as a whole."

I feel like George Jefferson

2009-09-23T17:30:00.005-04:00

I'm movin' on up.

In the next several days, you'll find "The Deacon's Bench" at a new address, with a new look. The good people at Beliefnet have invited me over there, to take up the Catholic corner of real estate that used to be occupied by Amy Welborn and David Gibson, two FOBs (Friends of the Bench) who kindly suggested to the landlords that I would be a good tenant and not make much of a mess. (Thankfully, no one thought to ask my wife for a reference.)

I'll pass along more information soon, along with the new address. I'm told the Beliefnetters will redirect readers automatically to the new site; once there you'll find all my archives and the usual stuff. The blog will be the same, the content will be the same, and I hope the tone and spirit of The Bench will remain the same, too.

Stay tuned.

Meantime, the new header for the blog is below. (Yeah, I know. But what could we do? George Clooney was unavailable.)

"We're stronger than you think..."

2009-09-23T16:56:00.004-04:00

Can a group of kids spark a revolution?

Hey, you never know. Take a look at the video below that is beginning to make the rounds. It's possible they just might make virtue go viral.

You can find more information at this site.

Remembering Francesco Forgione -- a.k.a., Padre Pio

2009-09-23T11:24:00.005-04:00

On this feast of St. Pio I decided to revisit a homily I delivered earlier this year, when my parish dedicated a special chapel in his name.

A snip:

One of my favorite stories about him happened during the early 1960s

Italy was in crisis. The Red Brigade was sparking violence in Rome, and it was considered dangerous to travel around the country. For protection, people began carrying pictures of Padre Pio.

During this time, Padre Pio had to leave his village to visit Rome, and one of the other friars asked him, “Aren’t you worried about the Red Brigade?”

“No,” he said. “I have a picture of Padre Pio.”

For a fuller picture of the man now known as St. Pio, I did a little Googling.

He was born Francesco Forgione in the small town of Pietrelcina, Italy in 1887. His parents were peasant farmers who tended sheep. Early on, Francesco knew that he wanted to give his life to God, and be a priest. He joined the Capuchins when he was only 15 and took the name of Pio, after Pope Pius V, the patron saint of Pietrelcina.

Like many friars, he was ordered to serve in the army during World War I. Near the war’s end, he returned to his monastery in Pietrelcina. And in the fall of 1918, shortly after celebrating mass, while praying in the church, he had a vision of a man standing before him dripping blood from his hands, feet and side. To his horror, Padre Pio discovered blood flowing from the same parts of his own body. It wasn’t long before news spread around the world that this anonymous friar from Italy had the stigmata -- the wounds of Christ. His life would never be the same.

He was often controversial – for a time, Rome suspended his faculties as a priest, and investigated allegations that he’d misused funds, seduced women and faked his wounds. None of it, of course, was true.

But through it all, Padre Pio persevered. Quietly. Humbly. Prayerfully. After a lifetime of poor health and great pain, he died in 1968. He was proclaimed a saint in 2002. Stories of his miracles and wonders abound. His mysticism. His gift for prophecy. But his greatest work on this earth was profoundly humble.

It came not only from how he lived, but how he listened.

Because his most familiar home… was the confessional.

There's more on the saint and the sacrament here.

How do you pray?

2009-09-23T06:58:00.005-04:00

The New York Times magazine last weekend offered a long look at how people of various faiths and orthodoxies pray. It was written by a self-professed agnostic, so his point of view is clearly skeptical. But much of the article makes for interesting reading, particularly when it comes to non-Catholic practices. Among other things, I was bemused to read the remarks of a young rabbi who said (in words that might prompt some tradition-minded Catholics to nod in agreement): "Praying in English is like kissing through a veil."

And there is this:

Once it was all simple. Catholics prayed in Latin for salvation in words and ceremonies dictated by the One True Church in Rome. Protestants prayed in fancy English for the expiation of sin and a place in a decorous heaven. Jews prayed in Hebrew to the One God who had inexplicably chosen us for a private destiny and saddled us with commandments.

And then, in the time it took to go from Frank Sinatra to the Beatles, these ancient taboos and walls began to crash. Prayer changed, too. For Catholics, the key event was the Second Vatican Council. “Vatican II was a course correction when it came to Catholic prayer,” says Bradford Hinze, a Fordham University professor of theology who is old enough to have personally experienced the change. “Emphasis shifted to the centrality of the Bible for Catholic prayer.”

Part of this populist shift involved better exposing laypeople to a centuries-old method of Biblical exegesis and meditation called lectio divina, or divine reading. Practitioners set time aside for a daily Bible reading in four stages: reading the text carefully (lectio), contemplating its meaning (meditatio), entering into a dialogue with God about it (oratio) and reaching a wordless contemplation of God (contemplatio).

“Priests and women religious have always been taught to do this,” Hinze explains. “But Vatican II called for ‘full and active participation’ by all Catholics. Part of that was praying in the vernacular. Another part was introducing lectio divina to laypeople.” After Vatican II the practice became widespread among the laity.

Catholic prayer has not only become more accessible to the laity, it seems; it has also become more private and personal. Janet Ruffing, a member of the Sisters of Mercy, is the director of Fordham’s program on spirituality and spiritual direction. “In America, among Roman Catholics, roughly 80 percent of those doing pastoral ministry in Catholic parishes are women,” she says. “Women religious have been very active in promoting deeper contemplative, mystical prayer. Until Vatican II, that was reserved for the very few. Now it is becoming the ordinary expectation for people with a regular prayer life.”

Ruffing says that the Eucharist remains the defining source of Catholic spirituality, but that you can have authentic spiritual experiences not mediated by ritual. “Most people don’t live in churches. And these days, most laypeople tend to do more contemplative prayer and less confession. The sacrament of penance has radically diminished since Vatican II.” In today’s American Catholic Church, in Rabbi Gellman’s terms, Oops! is being replaced by Wow! There is a renewed popularity to the mystical component of prayer, and it is found especially in the retreat movement.

Ruffing explained to me that retreats, particularly for laypeople, are like marathons; you have to train for them. Beginners usually start with a weekend. Eight-day retreats are the next step, and for those with sufficient spiritual stamina, there is a full month of exercises. One technique used on some of these retreats comes from the Contemplative Outreach movement. Retreatants are given a single word, “like a mantra,” Ruffing says, and urged to return to it when their minds wander from prayer and contemplation. Some Catholics (and many Episcopalians) use the John Main method, named after a Benedictine monk. This is essentially Hindu chanting, which Main, who introduced the method, learned in Kuala Lumpur in the 1950s from a swami who gave him what Main called a “Christian mantra.”

“There has been a watershed recovery of mystical theology in our lifetime,” Hinze says. “The church is experiencing globalization. Buddhism and other Eastern practices are increasingly influential, and we are at an early stage in our understanding of them. The fear among some is that Christians will develop an enthusiasm for Eastern traditions without discovering their own mystical sources. Still, this is the way a significant portion of American Roman Catholicism is moving. The old us-versus-them doesn’t work anymore.”

There is more -- much more -- so visit the link for the rest.

Previous occupant: God

2009-09-23T06:42:00.003-04:00

How would you feel if you saw your parish church listed in the real estate ads?

Some parishioners in Cleveland weren't exactly pleased:

The members of St. Stanislaus parish will hold their final Mass this Sunday at 8:30 a.m. But even before the doors are closed for good, parishioners were shocked to see the real estate listing for their church already posted online.

Price tag for the big church, rectory, school and convent: $525,000.

Carmella Wakelee has been a church member since she was a child.

"I am furious that our family and our friends put so much of our money and our lives into that church for years," said Wakelee, "and we get nothing back. The diocese keeps everything."

Wakelee added, "I am going to miss hearing those church bells ringing at 6 p.m. in this neighborhood. When you hear the bells ringing, you hear God ringing in your heart. Soon it's going to be gone."

Patricia Schulte-Singleton, leader of the group called the Endangered Catholics Coalition, has been getting plenty of angry feedback from members of St. Stanislaus.

"I share their outrage," said Schulte-Singleton. "I would feel that I am not even out of there and you are selling my home and I'm not even gone yet."

"I just wish the Bishop would slow down and listen to the people on this issue," added Schulte-Singleton.

If you scroll down the real estate listings on the Grubb and Ellis website, you'll find several Catholic churches on the sales block.

Sacred Heart in Elyria is listed at $199,000 for the church and rectory.

Holy Cross Church has a price tag of $299,000. However, the Cleveland Catholic Diocese promises they won't sell to just anyone.

Diocese spokesman Bob Tayek said, "They have to be very careful, want to be very careful, and are being very careful about who would be the potential buyer."

Added Tayek, "The sooner you can move real estate property, the better it is for everyone. Because then, it will not more likely fall into disrepair or suffer vandalism. That's why we're up and going with these sales, in hopes that we can find those potential good buyers for the locations."

In Elyria, a local church group called the House of Healing has approached the diocese about purchasing Holy Cross Church. James Knight and his wife, Keymasha, feel their congregation could fully utilize the bigger space.

Keymasha Knight stood outside the boarded up big brick church building and said, "We want this place to bring life back into this community and serve this neighborhood."

Pastor James Knight added, "We're negotiating with the diocese. We're hoping they can give us a really good price that we can afford."

Keymasha said, "We don't have the cash yet. We are in the process of fund-raising right now. But we believe God has called us to do good with this property."

Life=Risk

2009-09-22T22:59:00.003-04:00

This is pretty terrific. And boy, how many of us need to hear this message now?

H/T The Anchoress.

Quote of the day

2009-09-22T07:54:00.003-04:00

"In this post-journalistic world, the model for all national debate becomes the trial, where adversaries face off, representing opposing points of view. We accept the harshness of this process because the consequences in a courtroom are so stark; trials are about assigning guilt or responsibility for harm. There is very little wiggle room in such a confrontation, very little room for compromise--only innocence or degrees of guilt or responsibility. But isn't this model unduly harsh for political debate? Isn't there, in fact, middle ground in most public disputes? Isn't the art of politics finding that middle ground, weighing the public good against factional priorities? Without journalism, the public good is viewed only through a partisan lens, and politics becomes blood sport.

Television loves this, because it is dramatic. Confrontation is all. And given the fragmentation of news on the Internet and on cable television, Americans increasingly choose to listen only to their own side of the argument, to bloggers and commentators who reinforce their convictions and paint the world only in acceptable, comfortable colors. Bloggers like Richmond and Sexton, and TV hosts like Hannity, preach only to the choir. Consumers of such "news" become all the more entrenched in their prejudices, and ever more hostile to those who disagree. The other side is no longer the honorable opposition, maybe partly right; but rather always wrong, stupid, criminal, even downright evil."

-- Mark Bowden, "The Story Behind the Story,"which strikes me as being spot-on.
H/T Rod Dreher.

"Get out your feathers, your patent leathers, your beads and buckles and bows..."

2009-09-22T06:50:00.002-04:00

The song from "Hello, Dolly" advises the citizens of Yonkers to put on their Sunday clothes.

Does anyone still do that?

Over at Googling God, Mike Hayes asks an interesting question: what do you wear to mass?

A snip:

I think we should dress at least somewhat appropriate for mass. The larger question is that who becomes the arbiter for this? A golf shirt and a nice pair of pants is appropriate for men in my opinion,,,a button down shirt is even nicer. But some would say that anything less than a shirt and tie is awful. Women can wear a nice skirt or dress but certainly a nice pair of pants is fine as well. I would say we should think "business casual" while others favor a more formal style. I do sometimes wear jeans, but I don't wear torn jeans or filthy clothes and even that would be inappropriate for some.

I may also say that it's not our job to be the fashion police....

Beach attire is usually not appropriate for mass but I would also say that if given the choice of rushing back from the beach to make mass or missing it altogether because of what you're wearing, I'll permit the tank top and flip flops. Otherwise we kind of miss the point.

What do you think? Has the idea of "Sunday best" gone out of fashion? From what I see in the pews, I'm starting to think so (though I am still charmed by the number of ladies I see at Easter wearing hats, though nothing else covers their heads the rest of the year.)

Meantime, while you mull on that, some musical inspiration, below.

The "Nones" Story: the growing number of people with no religion

2009-09-22T06:31:00.006-04:00

Trend-watchers might want to take note of this report, from USA TODAY:

Americans who don't identify with any religion are now 15% of the USA, but trends in a new study shows they could one day surpass the nation's largest denominations — including Catholics, now 24% of the nation.

"American Nones: Profile of the No Religion Population," to be released today by Trinity College, finds this faith-free group already includes nearly 19% of U.S. men and 12% of women. Of these, 35% say they were Catholic at age 12.

"Will a day come when the Nones are on top? We can't predict for sure," says lead researcher Barry Kosmin.

But if Nones, now 22% of all adults ages 18 to 29, continue to gain among young adults, to draw more people "switching out" from denominations and to replace more religious older people, researchers forecast one in five Americans will be Nones in 20 years.

"Trends clearly favor this," Kosmin says. But he also notes, "There could be a Great Awakening (massive Protestant revival) or immigration may bring in more Catholic believers."

Kosmin and Ariela Keysar of Trinity College, Hartford, Conn., directed three editions of the American Religious Identification Survey over 18 years. The 2008 ARIS, based on a sampling of 54,000 U.S. adults, also burrowed in for a closer look at 1,106 Nones, who answered extra questions about their beliefs and behaviors and views on God.

The report finds:
•Not all Nones are alike. Half (51%) still believe in God or a higher power.

•Nones also are the only major U. S. faith group that's majority male. Even when girls grow up with unbelieving parents, they're more likely to find a faith as adults than their brothers.

"Women are also less skeptical than men and less drawn to irreligious and anti-religious views. They are more likely to reject a secular upbringing," Kosmin says.

"There is a lot of 'churning' going on but Nones gain much more from switching (people leaving religion) than from natural growth (children emulating unbelieving parents)," he says.

•The percentage of atheist Nones — who say there's no such thing as God — hasn't budged in years.
"It's not as though dozens of people at the Methodist Church read (atheist Richard) Dawkins and suddenly decided God doesn't exist," says Kosmin.

"There are so many misconceptions about who the Nones are. They're not New Age searchers or spiritual or even hardened atheists," says Kosmin.

"They're a stew of agnostics, deists and rationalists. They sound more like Thomas Jefferson and Tom Payne. Their very interesting enlightenment approach is like the Founding Fathers' kind: Skeptical about organized religion and clerics while still holding to an idea of God."

Continue at the link for the rest.

"Deacons must always remember that their sacrament of marriage always will be first..."

2009-09-21T18:46:00.005-04:00

Some of you may remember the back-and-forth we had here with the wife of a deacon in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. Some readers (including Your Humble Blogger) took issue with the archdiocese's use of the designation "Deacon Couple."

The wife who had written to be originally offered to answer my questions about this. Here are my questions and her answers...

+ Why does the archdiocese insist on calling the newly ordained deacons "deacon couples." I note in all the stories in The Tidings about the ordinations, the deacons are never introduced individually. I can't understand that. Help me out here.
Our regional Bishop stated "Deacons must always remember that their sacrament of marriage is and always will be first and foremost before the diaconate. By calling you the Deacon couple we honor this sacrament"

+ In formation, do the wives have to take tests and write papers, too?
Wives are required to attend only the first year of formation and various retreats. However all wives are asked to attend the full five years if possible. All the women in our class chose to attend every class throughout the five years of formation. By choosing to attend all classes, we did read all the material, write the papers and take tests. We participated in the practicums and assisted our husbands. We participated in the final oral exam alongside our husbands. It was an incredible experience that I highly recommend to any wife. As a matter of fact I am going to go back and talk to the first year formation wives and encourage their participation during the entire formation.

+ What are the archdiocese's expectations of the wives after ordination?
There is no expectation whatsoever.

+ Do they have to undergo continuing formation with their husbands? No.

+ Do the wives get any spiritual direction?
Yes, alongside our husbands during the full five years of formation.

+ What if a deacon isn't married?
Our class did not have a single Deacon ordained. However we did have a single man for the first two years (he dropped out due to personal reasons) and he was honored as well in his status as a single man choosing celibacy in the diaconate. Past Tidings articles for ordinations with both married and single men did discuss the single Deacon and the Deacon Couple.

One of the things discussed in class was that by asking the wives to attend and participate, we would grow spiritually together —at the same rate and in the same direction. We would have an understanding of what our husbands are going through, learning and will be doing after ordination. One example would be a BBQ we had a month after ordination. We were an hour away from greeting over 100 guests. My husband got a call from our parish stating that a woman was dying at a local hospital and they could not get hold of any of the Priests. The family wanted a Priest or Deacon to come and say prayers with the family (the woman had already been annointed). Had I not been with my husband for five years and really understood what was happening, I would have been livid to have him leave me with the BBQ by myself. But with formation, I understood that he needed to minister to this woman and her family—to be available. I participated in no way with his ministry that day, but I understood, and found great joy in what he was doing.

Some of our wives in the formation have expressed interest in continuing their education. One is currently in formation to be a Spiritual Director. A program has recently been established for the men and the women to get credit for the five years of formation by offering us the ability to take a few more classes and we will get a Bachelors Degree in Theology. I personally am interested in this, as well as one other wife. At least half of our women saw our husbands ordained and now do not participate in any way, nor are they expected to. Some of us have grown in faith so much that we want to give back to the community and be involved more.

I think that explains it pretty well.

Any thoughts?

How do you make a marriage last 70 years?

2009-09-21T18:33:00.003-04:00

Meet one couple with some answers:

It was at a barn dance near the small community of Munjor, Kansas in the middle of the Great Depression when Marcellus Ruder asked 17-year-old Marcella Rohr to dance with him. Little did either realize that moment would change the course of their lives forever. In October, they will be married 70 years and will celebrate with their four children, seven grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren, as well as many family and friends.

However, on Saturday they started the festivities early at the second of two Jubilee Celebrations of Marriage in the diocese. The Mass at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church was celebrated by Bishop Paul Coakley, with Father Kevin Weber and Father Joshua Werth concelebrating and Deacon Tom Koerner assisting.

Two weeks early, the bishop celebrated a similar Mass at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church in Salina.

On Saturday, Bishop Coakley acknowledged in his homily that each couple has learned a lot in this “journey of love.”

“It is likely that all of you held a secret in your hearts the day you married — the secret that your marriage would be different, that all times would be for good, for better and for richer. In order for love to be deepened, it is precisely in these difficult times that we need to recommit ourselves to one another. It is in these times that we discover the real meaning of love. Love is a decision, not a feeling,” he said.

From the start of their marriage in 1939, the Ruders can tell you story after story about difficult times — and good times as well.

Because of the economic times, the couple began their marriage living with Marcellus’ parents. There also was another married sibling living at home, as well as seven younger Ruder children.

Marcella’s mother died when she was 11, and her father depended on her and her sister to care for the younger ones. After Marcella married, she went to town two days a week to help care for her siblings and her father’s household.

Marcellus and Marcella later moved to Hays and Plainville, then to Wyoming, Texas and back to Hays — wherever Marcellus’ job with an oil company took him.

“We lived in Wyoming for nine months, and that was one hellacious winter,” Marcellus said. “I asked for a transfer, and that’s when we moved to Texas.”

Through all the moves and the raising of their children, the Ruders continued to give of themselves. If it was a new school that needed to be built, Marcellus came home from work, skipped supper and helped to build the school until late into the night. If he could help to do anything for the church or its school, he did. In addition, each summer he took vacation to return home to help with the harvest on the family farm.

Marcella worked as a nurse’s aide in the hospital and in the community and church whenever she could.

“Wherever we moved, my mother introduced herself and made friends,” Ann Ruder, the couple’s daughter, said.

Practicing their Catholic faith and handing it down to their children was an important element in their married life.

“Every time there was a church service of any kind, the Ruder family was there,” Ann Ruder said. “We prayed the Rosary every night, often kneeling on a hard, wooden floor.”

You'll find more at the CNA link.

Bono and the pope: an encore?

2009-09-21T11:42:00.003-04:00

The celebrated rocker knows his way around the Vatican, and he's no stranger to papal audiences (see the photo above.)

And a report indicates may meet with John Paul's successor later this year:

Bono has been invited to meet with Pope Benedict XVI, along with more than 500 other artists and performers. This group will include members of the theater, art, literature and music communities and they will meet with the Pope at the Sistine Chapel on November 21.

The meeting is part of a concerted effort by the Roman Catholic Church to reestablish the relationship between the Church and art.

Archbishop Gianfranco Ravasi, president of the Pontifical Council for Culture, said in a news conference at the Vatican that the meeting is intended to build on the "special historical relationship between faith and art."

According to the bostonpilot.com, along with the U2 frontman, other artists planning on attending include Italian film score composer Ennio Morricone, avant-garde theater director Bob Wilson, and architect Daniel Libeskind.

God bless us, everyone: Disney's new take on Dickens

2009-09-21T07:50:00.002-04:00

Those of us who loved Robert Zemeckis' "The Polar Express" can now look forward to another shiny present under our Christmas tree, with his take on "A Christmas Carol," featuring Jim Carrey as Scrooge. A first look, below.

A Jewish Catholic Shinto Greek wedding?

2009-09-21T06:45:00.005-04:00

Weddings come in all shapes and sizes, but I don't think any could be quite as unusual as this one, melding three different faiths.

From the Los Angeles Times:

We are on the Greek island of Spetses. It's 30 hours before the wedding of Minos Matsas, a Greek-born, L.A.-based composer, and the Mexican-Japanese filmmaker Amira Lopez, who also lives in L.A. When Minos and Amira made their big decision, there was the eternal problem: In what religion should the ceremony be performed?

The groom: a Sephardic Jew. The bride: a Shinto on her mother's side and a Catholic on her father's. Minos wanted to please his traditional Jewish parents, and Amira felt that her parents and their traditions should be respected, too. What to do?

The couple decided to have a three-religion ceremony, because, said Minos, Religion should unite people, not separate them. And after all, aren't all religions one?

Organizing a wedding on a Greek island is already complicated. But trying to find a rabbi, a Catholic priest and a Shinto priest who are willing to travel overseas to perform a spiritual ceremony together is next to impossible. After phone calls, emails, letters, invitations and pleas, we found a liberal rabbi on the East Coast and an open-minded Catholic priest in California. And yes, they would travel! Finding the Shinto priest was more difficult, as their religion worships nature, and traveling is generally not part of the practice. But then...a miracle! The Shinto priest who founded the only temple in Europe was willing and would bring all the sacred elements needed for the union -- a mobile temple, if you will.

There's more -- and pictures -- at the link.

See how these Christians love one another

2009-09-20T17:51:00.002-04:00

Just watch this, and see what this here Christianity thing is all about.

Camp Barnabas from Steve V on Vimeo.

Divine wine: deacon who runs a winery plans to add a chapel

2009-09-20T16:59:00.007-04:00

An enterprising deacon from Arkansas already runs a winery and a bed-and-breakfast. Now he's building a place to pray.

From the Texarkana Gazette:

Those who subscribe to the claim that the ring of a bell heralds an angel’s receipt of his wings can anticipate flocks of the heavenly hosts will be taking to the skies around the Cowie Wine Cellars in the near future.

Robert Cowie, founder and operator of the Logan County vineyards, winery, wine museum and bed and breakfast, had planned to build a modest family chapel for some time.

As a Roman Catholic deacon, he concluded it would be nice to have a space dedicated for his daily reciting of his offices as well as a refuge for prayer and meditation and a forum for an occasional sermon. He also intends it as a burial site for him and his wife.

Cowie said nearing 70, he is at a point where he has the opportunity to enjoy life. He and his wife, Bette Kay, have seven grown children, all successful in their lives. The chapel is a way of thanking and honoring God, who he says is “getting shortchanged” in modern life.

“I’m a religious guy,” Cowie confesses, explaining that his mother was widowed during his childhood and the family “grew up in a priests’ house” where his mother worked as a housekeeper.

Cowie is active in his role as a deacon.

He serves as church administrator at St. Anthony Catholic Church in Ratcliff and often participates in liturgical services as Subiaco Abbey.

Brother Ephrem O’Bryan at Subiaco says Cowie is a “loyal alumnus” of Subiaco Academy, where he was “a significant football player.”

He said as a member of the class of 1959 Cowie maintains close ties with many of those former classmates.

Cowie said when he founded the winery on the site of the old St. Anne School at Carbon City, he felt the location needed a chapel to replace the one that had been in the school. He erected a small structure at that time that was more symbolic than functional.

In 2008, he decided to build something more substantial.

The cedar shingle and stone structure, dedicated to St. Anne, is simple but dignified.

Cowie has ordered pews to seat 40, a five-by-seven-foot stained glass window and plans to incorporate into the structure items he has gathered that hold personal meaning or symbolism. Beams in the structure are from the oak trees that stood at nearby Subiaco Abbey. He has a remnant of a Mayan temple and a stone from the tomb of St. Thomas More.

And he's got a lot of bells, too. Read on to find out more.

Interested in domestic wine and maybe a weekend visit to Arkansas? Check out Deacon Cowie's website -- for Cowie Wine Cellars -- for more details.

The American Church's tug-of-war

2009-09-20T09:07:00.002-04:00

From Cincinnati, which has seen a little controversy lately, comes this story about some widening cracks within the "one holy Catholic and apostolic" Church

Catholics stand together during Sunday Mass to recite the "Profession of Faith," a creed that defines precisely what it is that makes them Catholic.

"We believe in God ... We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ ... We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church."

The prayer covers a lot of ground, from God's creation of the Earth to Christ's birth and crucifixion to the promise of life in heaven. Most churchgoing Catholics memorized the words as children and consider the creed a statement that unites them in a common belief.

And yet, when they walk out of church at the end of Mass, they still find plenty about their faith to argue about.

The arguments have been passionate in recent weeks as Cincinnati's Catholics debated Archbishop Daniel Pilarczyk's decision to punish Sister Louise Akers for publicly supporting the ordination of women priests.

Pilarczyk told Akers she could not teach in archdiocesan schools until she renounced her stance on the issue. A week after she refused, a parish priest in Westwood dismissed a volunteer religion teacher, Carol Egner, for writing a letter to The Enquirer supporting Akers and her position on women priests.

The decision to punish the teachers not only rekindled debate over the ordination of women, but also highlighted a long-running tug-of-war between traditionalists and progressives over the future of the Catholic Church.

"What's happening with Akers is not an isolated case," said John Allen, an author and columnist who covers the Vatican for the National Catholic Reporter, an independent weekly newspaper. "It's a small piece of a much bigger picture."

The struggle within the church has intensified in the past few years as conservative Catholics, energized by the appointment of Pope Benedict XVI, pushed for stricter adherence to church teaching. They have praised a Vatican investigation of women's religious orders, welcomed a return to traditions such as the granting of indulgences and cheered Pope Benedict's declaration that Catholics must "not seek to adapt the faith to the fashions of the age."

They also supported Pilarczyk's decision to get tough with Akers over the ordination of women, which some consider a vestige of a liberal theology that took hold in the 1960s and 1970s after the Second Vatican Council.

The council, also known as Vatican II, launched reforms that some theologians now say were misinterpreted as an invitation to change the central teachings of the faith to better mesh with the changing secular world.

"Vatican II wasn't intended to set off a liturgical civil war, but that's what we got," said Rich Leonardi, a Cincinnatian who writes the conservative Catholic blog Ten Reasons. "There was a tendency to think the church should just go with the flow, to move with the world rather than to move the world.

"That ship has sailed. There's no intensity around that movement any more."

Catholics who favor reform dispute Leonardi's take on their views, saying they remain active and committed to changing their church from within. They acknowledge, however, that they face more challenges today than they did just a few decades ago.

"I do think there seems to be a trend among bishops around the country to get much more hard-line about women's issues," said Christine Schenk, director of FutureChurch, which favors a "discussion" about women's ordination but has not endorsed the idea.

"It's a mystery to me, but talking about women's equality in the church is threatening at some level."

Conservatives have gained momentum in the past decade among the laity, in seminaries and in the church hierarchy. They have taken to blogs, TV and radio and have become more active in church affairs and in secular politics.

That was evident earlier this year when bishops and thousands of lay Catholics publicly opposed President Barack Obama's speech at the University of Notre Dame on grounds that his pro-choice stance conflicted with Catholic teachings.

"What we're living through right now is a kind of reaction against what was seen as an excessively liberal period," Allen said.

There's much more, so read the rest at the link.

A monastery is born: Vietnamese monks establish "heavenly heart" in Texas

2009-09-20T08:16:00.005-04:00

Further proof that the Church is alive and thriving in the South: word that a new Benedictine monastery is being established in the Lone Star State.

From the Dallas Morning News:

Here in cow country about 70 miles southeast of Dallas, amid scattered pecan trees and sloping fields of milkweed, six monks have come to live and pray.

They came from a monastery in New Mexico and, before that, from Vietnam.

"It's Buddhist, isn't it?" said 65-year-old Charlie Jock, who lives several miles away, making him one of the new monastery's closest neighbors. He'd heard of it, but hadn't gone by to check it out.

"I didn't figure it was gonna be any of my business to be nosy, so I just steered clear," he said.

Actually, these are Benedictine monks – that is, Catholic, not Buddhist. During their opening ceremony Saturday morning, they even received a goodwill letter from officials in Rome.

"On the happy inaugural occasion of the new monastic presence ... in the noble land of Texas," the letter began.

The monks will live a life inspired by the rule of St. Benedict, a sixth-century text that provides directives for daily living, such as communal prayer, meditative reading and manual labor. They'll wake before sunrise each morning for the first of six or seven prayer sessions each day, totaling four hours.

"Some may ask, 'What's the spirituality of the sixth century got to do with today's modern world?' " said Bishop Kevin Farrell of the Diocese of Dallas, speaking to several hundred Catholics gathered under a big white tent – most of them Vietnamese-Americans from the Dallas area.

He told them the monks' long days of praying and honoring God help those who do not have as much time. And the monks, with their sparing lifestyle, can serve as role models, he said.

"The rule of St. Benedict is also often spoken of as the virtue of moderation in our world, a world that enjoys excesses in every shape and form," the bishop said.

The new monastery is called Thien Tam, which is Vietnamese for "heavenly heart." It's an offshoot of a monastery in New Mexico called Christ in the Desert, which is funding the endeavor.

The monks have moved into a home on 300 acres, which they bought for $1 million and used to house an ostrich ranch.

Their goal is to grow – maybe 20 to 40 monks eventually – and become self-sufficient. They'll start by creating a retreat, which area Catholics could pay to attend.

There's more at the link.

You can also visit the Thien Tam website -- which, for now, is mostly in Vietnamese.

The creed to come: satire or prophecy?

2009-09-19T22:52:00.002-04:00

I stumbled upon this the other day. It comes from the old BBC series "Not the Nine O'Clock News." It's hilarious -- but probably not as funny today as it was nearly 30 years ago, when it first aired. Incredibly, it now looks eerily prophetic.

Take a look at their take on the Apostles' Creed (Anglican edition).

Blog love

2009-09-19T14:26:00.009-04:00

Can you feel the love?

Below, Your Humble Blogger, yesterday, with a blogger pal, Fran Rossi Szpylczyn. She trekked into Brooklyn (with her buddy Sue) to watch a taping of my show and chow down at nearby Rhythm & Booze. You can read Fran's version of this historic afternoon right here. She's also penned a fine piece on social networking and the Church for her diocesan newspaper. Check it out.

After that, the blogapalooza continued, as she departed Brooklyn and caught up with Mike Hayes and Paul Snatchko. In his day job, Paul works at Magnificat (not too shabby, eh?)

How one family paid off $100,000 in debt in five years -- and still tithed

2009-09-19T13:51:00.002-04:00

You think it can't be done?

Check out how this family did it:

Five years ago, the Hildebrandt family of New Richmond, Wis., was juggling more than $100,000 in credit card and personal debt. Through frugality, determination and hard work, they are now -- other than a mortgage -- debt-free.

At the time, Russell and Kandy Hildebrandts' credit card balances totaled about $89,000, and they owed $17,000 to a family member. While they were current on all the payments, the card companies had begun raising their interest rates, adding hundreds to their minimum monthly payments. Kandy acknowledges that they presented a higher credit risk, given how their balances had ballooned. Even so, with the bump in the required payments, covering the monthly payments was a struggle. "We had to change," Kandy says.

Change they did. For their debt-fighting prowess, the Hildebrandts were on Tuesday night named the winners of the Professional Achievement and Counseling Excellence (PACE) 2009 Graduate Client of the Year Award. This national award, given by the National Foundation for Credit Counseling, recognizes the hard work and commitment they demonstrated in repaying their debts, and their willingness to become effective managers of their money and change their lifestyle. (Disclosure: CreditCards.com Senior Reporter Connie Prater served as a judge in the awards.)

Not that the Hildebrandts' lifestyle was lavish. The couple, along with their twin daughters, Heidi and Holly, lived in a rented 1,000 square foot townhome. Vacations consisted of visits to extended family members in the Midwest. Russell was a chemist with a Twin Cities-based environmental testing laboratory; Kandy was a stay-at-home mom and home-schooled their daughters.

While the Hildebrandts weren't living extravagantly, they also weren't frugal, Kandy notes. They purchased most items, such as clothes for the girls, new. In addition, they had medical expenses related to Russell's diabetes and several miscarriages that Kandy suffered. At the same time, they remained committed to tithing, or giving 10 percent of their income to their church. The accumulation of day-to-day expenses left the family going a bit more into debt each year.

Several family friends recommended that they file for bankruptcy. That was out of the question, Russell says. "We were committed to paying off our debts." They also resolved to continue to tithe and home-school their daughters.

To get started, Kandy met with Linda Humburg, a manager with FamilyMeans Consumer Credit Counseling Service (CCCS) in Stillwater, Minn. Linda reviewed their finances, and developed a five-year debt management plan. While the schedule was daunting, the Hildebrandts signed on. "If we didn't make it, we knew that we would go out trying," Russell says.

Several steps were key to making the plan work. Kandy and Russell eliminated discretionary spending. Kandy began buying generic food and frequenting thrift stores for clothing purchases. They stopped exchanging Christmas and birthday gifts with each other and their relatives.

Even with the drastic cutbacks, the Hildebrandts couldn't cover the $2,000 they were sending to CCCS each month to be distributed to their creditors. At that time, the sum amounted to about half of Russell's take-home pay. So Russell took on a second job cleaning a local grocery store several nights a week from midnight to 4:30 a.m. He would arrive home from his day job, eat dinner, catch a few hours of sleep and head to work. After his shift, he would go back home, sleep a few more hours and then get up for his day job.

Read the rest at the link.

Why this post? Just because.

2009-09-19T13:36:00.001-04:00

Okay. It has nothing to do with faith or deacons. But this is just too funny to let pass. Enjoy.

U.S. Condemned For Pre-Emptive Use Of Hillary Clinton Against Pakistan

Homily for September 20, 2009: 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time

2009-09-19T12:28:00.002-04:00

Back in the mid-1960s, a Catholic by the name of John T. Elson was the religion editor at Time magazine. You may never have heard of him. But during Easter week of 1966, he made history, and made headlines. Elson wrote a long and theologically complex article that was published in the magazine. It was considered meaningful enough that the editors put it on the cover. And they gave it special treatment: it was the first cover of the magazine ever printed without a picture, without any artwork. It had just three simple words:

“Is God dead?”

What followed was seismic. Elson’s article was challenged from pulpits around the world. People debated it and argued over it on talk shows, at cocktail parties, in newspapers. Time received over three thousand letters to the editor and it became, up to that time, the best-selling issue of the magazine. To this day, it remains a cultural touchstone – defining what was happening in the late ‘60s in a powerful and, perhaps, prophetic way.

The uproar died down, and Elson faded into obscurity. This week, I read that he died a couple of weeks ago, quietly, at the age of 78. When he asked about God’s death, millions noticed. When he died, hardly anyone did.

But the question he asked has been repeated countless times, in many ways. The recent anniversary of 9/11 was a reminder of how many people asked, after that awful day, “Where was God?”

Is God dead?

I think it’s normal, very human question to ask ourselves from time to time. We can’t help but wonder -- in between Iraq and the economic collapse and Darfur and Iran and everything else -- whether God is there. Is He paying attention?

No doubt the apostles probably thought Jesus was out of earshot, and not paying attention, when they started wondering who would be greatest in the Kingdom.

This, just after Christ has foretold his own suffering, death and resurrection.

But he turns the tables on them, in a way they probably never expected: through the presence of a child.

He turns ambition upside down. Where is greatness? Where is God? Look closely. He is in that child. He is in everything we might consider small or insignificant. Christ is telling his followers: don’t look up to find the glory of God. Look down. Look at the child at your hip. The old man in the hospital bed. The woman in the wheelchair. Lower your eyes to see the man on the sidewalk with a cardboard cup. The baby in the womb.

Receive these in my name, Jesus says, and you receive me. And you then receive The One who sent me.

Here, he says, wrapping his arms around a child. Here is God. Receive Him. He lives. Here.

In our modern language, Christ sees a “teachable moment,” and he teaches.

A best-selling book years ago said that “All I really need to know I learned in kindergarten.”

In this instance, you might say: all I really need to know I learned from someone in kindergarten.

And learning is an important theme this Sunday. This is “Catechetical Sunday,” when we honor and pray for all those who seek to teach the faith – in our schools, in religious education, in various pastoral programs. But the truth is: we are all catechists -- every parent, every neighbor, every brother or sister. Every Catholic who is living out his or her faith is, in that living, teaching it. You don’t need a classroom or a blackboard. To paraphrase St. Francis of Assisi, you don’t even need words.

But there are some things we all do need: like wisdom and courage, patience and commitment. We need ears and hearts that are open to others. We need a spirit of sacrifice, to give our time and to share our faith.

And we all need to know our faith better than we do. We need to love it as deeply as we live it. We need imagination, to find new ways to tell ageless stories – the New Evangelization.

We need to be steeped in prayer, saturated in it, so that we can find within our souls a deep-seated, honest answer to the question that could come to us at any moment:

“Is God dead?”

And we will be able to answer, without hesitation: “He lives. And let me tell you why.”

Or as someone once said, in what may be the best response: “The question isn’t ‘Is God dead?’ The question is really, ‘Are we alive?’”

Searching those questions, and explaining the answers -- that is what it means to be a catechist. It is more than what we know. It is how we live. It is what we believe to be true – so true that we cannot help but pass it on to others. It is offering ourselves – all the talents we have, the knowledge we carry, the time we can spare – to spread this urgent news:

God lives.

That is Christ’s message. And that is ours, to share with the world.

If you have any lingering doubts about the importance of all of us being teachers of the faith, consider this: throughout the gospels, Jesus’ followers never call him by his given name. In fact, not until the end of his earthly life, when he is on the cross, does someone – the thief on the cross next to him – utter the name “Jesus.” Let us never forget that, in these earliest accounts of his life, Christ’s disciples call him something else -- a title of great respect, and great love: teacher.

Teacher.

That says it all.

What he was.

And what we must aspire to be.

A father's love is never foul

2009-09-19T09:48:00.004-04:00

If you haven't seen it yet, here's the latest viral video that has captured the world's heart -- it even landed the guy and his daughter on the TODAY show.

A Saturday morning day-brightener. Enjoy.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

“If you want to change your life, you’re the only one that can do it”

2009-09-19T07:16:00.003-04:00

Here's something I've never heard about: a program run by Catholic Charities designed to help prostitutes get off the street.

From CNS:

When Aimee was 13 years old, her mother kicked her out of the house.

Not knowing what to do, she started sleeping with older men “just so that I’d have a roof over my head,” she said. After a few years, she had three children and an addiction to methamphetamine.

“I asked my mom to take my kids. I told her I’d be back in a month,” said Aimee, who asked that her last name be withheld to protect her family. “I never came back. Not for eight years.”

What followed were years of prostitution in Las Vegas and Hollywood, stints in jail and in and out of addiction, violence and abuse from a series of pimps. Eventually she had a “trick” buy her a bus ticket to Arizona, and in August 2008 she found herself at her grandparents’ house in Phoenix.

“They knew the life I was living and they didn’t approve of it,” Aimee said of her Catholic grandparents. “They’re very religious. I’d let them down so many times.”

But when she walked into her grandparents’ house, she said, her life changed.

“I was in my grandparents’ house in flip-flops and dirty feet and a miniskirt and my little duffle bag,” she said. “But they didn’t judge me.”

Her grandmother told her, “If you want to change your life, you’re the only one that can do it.”

While she was at a 12-step class, she found out about DIGNITY, Catholic Charities’ prostitution diversion and rehabilitation program. She entered the program on Sept. 15, 2008.

DIGNITY, or Developing Individual Growth and New Independence Through Yourself, is a Catholic Charities program that helps women make the difficult decision to leave “the life” of prostitution.

“I thought, ‘This is all I know. This is all I’m going to be good at,’“ Aimee said. “Somebody always told me what I wanted to hear and I always did what I needed to do to please them. Pimps feed off of that.”

DIGNITY staff members, most of whom are former prostitutes, know how hard it is to leave the life. A lot of time is spent in outreach.

Two staff members go out several times a week to spread word to women on the streets.

“Since most of our staff are survivors, they can identify who those women are,” said Rachel, the residential program supervisor, who also asked that her last name be withheld.

Women often come from situations where they weren’t allowed to make choices. They were told they weren’t good enough and that they couldn’t make it on their own. The average woman who enters prostitution, like Aimee, is 13 years old.

Check out the rest of the story.

PHOTO: Alanna Reichert, case manager with DIGNITY, stands with Aimee, a woman who stopped being a prostitute with the help of Catholic Charities. Photo by J.D. Long-Garcia.

May the force of Jesus be with you

2009-09-19T07:06:00.003-04:00

Another reminder, from the Georgia Bulletin, that priests aren't that different from the rest of us. They can be geeks, too:

Among people costumed as Star Wars storm troopers, bare-chested Spartan warriors and Superman, there stood Father Bryan Small in his black and white Roman collar.

“What character are you supposed to be?” he was asked.

The laugh was on Father Small, 35, who for four years has served as the chaplain at the Catholic Center at Emory University and Agnes Scott College. He was not in costume, but in his typical priestly clerics.

With “real geek pride,” Father Small participated in two panels at the annual Dragon-Con convention that draws some 50,000 people to Atlanta for the Labor Day weekend. It is a four-day blowout for lovers of sci-fi/fantasy stories and movies to gather.

“It’s a chance to meet extraordinarily intelligent people, some of whom are people of faith and many who are not. The latter often feel shunned by organized religion and I think it’s important to bring the discussion to a less polarizing place,” he wrote by e-mail.

Father Small, who was ordained in 2002, has been a longtime enthusiast of the genre. Let’s just say that with the supernatural TV drama “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” Father Small has seen all seven seasons.

Pop culture shouldn’t be ignored, he believes. The church needs to be engaged to uncover the worthwhile nuggets because it is the environment that many Catholics live in, he wrote.

“The pop culture is a snapshot of what the thoughts, hopes and fears of a particular society are at any given moment. How can we preach the Gospel or ever hope to evangelize in a vacuum?” he wrote.

In 2008, he was asked to sit on a panel between “believers”—that would be people who believe in UFOs, paranormal activity, telekinesis—and “scientifically-minded skeptics.”

Having a priest on the panel adds “paprika in the mix,” he joked.

Father Small was asked to explain the biblical event of the Exodus when there is no archaeological record of what is described as hundreds of thousands of people wandering in the desert for 40 years.

His response was the Exodus likely wasn’t a one-time event, but something that occurred over the course of centuries.

It was “a bit more sublime than Charlton Heston would have us believe,” he said.

This past Labor Day weekend, Father Small sat on a panel with four others exploring the religious and spiritual themes of the popular science fiction shows, “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Supernatural.” It drew an audience of about 50 people.

The shows have obvious religious overtones with story lines of characters undergoing a loss of hope and then finding a purpose in life, he said. There are themes of sacrifice, death and resurrection, he said.

Check out more at the link.

Be afraid. Be very afraid.

2009-09-19T00:15:00.008-04:00

Okay. After all the confusion over these pictures, here's the real deal, from my senior yearbook. (Note: I didn't need to wear glasses until college.)

Gregory James Kandra
Pallotti High School
Laurel, Maryland
Class of 1977
Deacon Greg Kandra
Forest Hills, New York
2009

"I'll need you..."

2009-09-18T22:38:00.004-04:00

A priest sent this my way: a compelling, poignant video that I think has even deeper resonance this weekend, when we mark Catechetical Sunday. To my way of thinking, we are all catechists, and evangelists -- and this video shows why.

It comes from a group called Igniter Media.

Take a look.

Why the only books I favor burning are yearbooks

2009-09-18T21:43:00.008-04:00

The sad part is: I really did look like this.

The horror, the horror.

Snaps, courtesy Yearbook Yourself, with an embarrassed h/t to Fr. Austin.

UPDATE: Um, some readers seem to think these are really pictures of me. Sorry to disappoint you, but no. Visit the Yearbook Yourself website and you, too, can create fabulous pictures like these. (But, I gotta say, looking over some of my real pictures from the '70s...they aren't too far off the mark. Gulp.)

Freshman year - 1974

Senior year - 1977

Religion editor who asked "Is God Dead?" dies

2009-09-18T20:34:00.004-04:00

His question about God's death startled and shocked the world, and set off a firestorm of controversy. But when John T. Elson died, few people noticed.

The New York Times didn't run this remembrance until 10 days after his passing. But I think it may be worth noting -- as one person says -- that Elson was "catholic with a capital C and a small c."

His story:

All journalists want to write a story that makes a big splash. John T. Elson, the religion editor at Time magazine, was no exception. But in 1966 he got more than he bargained for.

For more than a year, Mr. Elson had labored over an article examining radical new approaches to thinking about God that were gaining currency in seminaries and universities and spilling over to the public at large.

When finally completed, it became the cover story for the issue of April 8, as Easter and Passover approached. The cover itself was eye-catching, the first one in Time’s 43-year history to appear without a photograph or an illustration. Giant blood-red letters against a black background spelled out the question “Is God Dead?”

The issue caused an uproar, equaled only by John Lennon’s offhand remark, published in a magazine for teenagers a few months later, that the Beatles were more popular than Jesus. The “Is God Dead?” issue gave Time its biggest newsstand sales in more than 20 years and elicited 3,500 letters to the editor, the most in its history to that point. It remains a signpost of the 1960s, testimony to the wrenching social changes transforming the United States.

The quiet, studious Mr. Elson, who died on Sept. 7 at the age of 78, was an unlikely bomb-thrower, and his article, for those who ventured past the cover, reflected his scholarly bent. Meekly titled on the inside as “Toward a Hidden God,” it began: “Is God dead? It is a question that tantalizes both believers, who perhaps secretly fear that he is, and atheists, who possibly suspect that the answer is no.”

For the next six pages, readers were guided through thickets of theological controversy and a shifting religious landscape. Profound changes taking place in the relationship of believers to their faith were often expressed through the words of people, both eminent and ordinary, grappling with the same fundamental problems. Simone de Beauvoir, Claude Lévi-Strauss, Billy Graham and William Sloane Coffin were quoted. So were a Tel Aviv streetwalker, a Dutch charwoman and a Hollywood screenwriter.

More than 30 Time foreign correspondents were also involved in the project, conducting some 300 interviews to measure contemporary thinking about God around the world.

“Secularization, science, urbanization — all have made it comparatively easy for the modern man to ask where God is and hard for the man of faith to give a convincing answer, even to himself,” Mr. Elson wrote.

John Truscott Elson was born on April 29, 1931, in Vancouver, British Columbia. His father, Robert T. Elson, was a newspaper reporter in Canada who later became a high-ranking editor at Time and Life and helped write two volumes of the three-volume “Time, Inc.,” the company’s official history. He died in 1987.

John Elson was educated at St. Anselm’s Priory School in Washington. He received a bachelor’s degree from Notre Dame in 1953 and a master’s degree in English from Columbia in 1954.

That year, he married Rosemary Knorr. She said her husband died at home in Manhattan after being in poor health for the last two years. Mr. Elson is also survived by two children, Hilary Elson Alter of Lake Zurich, Ill., and Amanda Elson of Wyomissing, Pa.; two sisters, Elizabeth Elson of Manhattan and Brigid Elson of Toronto; a brother, R. Anthony Elson of Chevy Chase, Md.; and a grandchild.

After serving with the Air Force in Japan, Mr. Elson worked for the Canadian Press news agency before being recruited by Time and assigned to its Detroit bureau. As an editor, he started out on the lowest rung, in the milestones and miscellany departments, and rose to assistant managing editor. Along the way, he edited every section in the magazine except business. He retired in 1987 but continued to write for the magazine until 1993.

It was as religion editor that Mr. Elson made his most lasting mark. He wrote numerous cover stories on religious issues — “Is God Dead?” was the 10th — and committed the magazine to serious coverage of ideas and arguments normally encountered in more specialized journals.

“He was catholic with a capital C and a small c in his interests, deeply and widely read,” Jim Kelly, former managing editor of Time, said in an interview last week. “His ability to absorb an enormous amount of information and turn it into a readable story was remarkable.”

Unquestionably, Mr. Elson touched a nerve. Clergymen took up the challenge thrown down by the “Is God Dead?” cover line in Sunday sermons. Church publications and newspaper editorials chimed in. The line, which many read hastily as “God is dead,” provoked an outcry.

“Your ugly cover is a blasphemous outrage and, appearing as it does, during Passover and Easter week, an affront to every believing Jew and Christian,” one reader wrote. Others wrote in to explain their faith in fervent terms. Atheists gloated or scoffed.

Some managed to express their feelings in a single word. Norine McGuire of Chicago, responding to Time’s bombshell of a question, wrote: “Sir: No.” Immediately below her letter, Time ran a letter from Richard L. Storatz of Notre Dame, Ind.: “Sir: Yes.”

Meet the man behind "Journeys with the Messiah"

2009-09-18T20:21:00.003-04:00

Photographer Michael Belk, of the Journeys Project, was interviewed the other day on CNN. (TiVo alert: he'll be appearing on my show, "Currents", Monday night.)

Take a look.

Three things a pastor can never say

2009-09-18T10:37:00.003-04:00

Well here's a little conversation-starter for you, via New Advent.

This comes from a blog run by Dominican Fr. Philip Neri Powell:

Here they are:

1). What Father says, "Please, be mindful of your children during Mass. We have a cry room." What parents hear: "Your kids are disruptive brats and you cannot control them. They have no place at Mass, so why do you insist on ruining our prayer with these public displays of your failed parenting? Go somewhere else!"

2). What Father says, "Mass is a solemn celebration for the Church. Please keep this in mind when you are choosing your Sunday morning attire." What is heard: "Do not come to Church if you can't afford decent clothes. And by 'decent clothes' we mean expensive clothes, preferably designer labels with good shoes. Also, nobody wants to see you poured into jeans three sizes too small, or watch you slouch around in what you think of as your 'comfortable outfit.' We are an exclusive club here, so dress like you belong! Or go somewhere else!"

3). What Father says, "Just a reminder. . .Mass begins with the opening hymn and closes with the closing hymn. Please join us at the beginning of Mass and stay with us until the end." What is heard: "I'm sick and tired of you people coming in late and leaving early. What? You can't manage to roll outta bed before noon? You can't wait to get back to your ballgame and pot roast? Geez, people! Jesus died for your sins and all you can think about is getting out of the parking lot before traffic gets heavy. Get here on time. Stay to the end. . .or, go somewhere else!"

Speaking of crying...how about cell phones? I know one priest who stopped the Eucharistic Prayer, and remained silent for several long moments, until a ringing cell phone stopped.

Thoughts?

E.T., phone Rome

2009-09-17T21:24:00.004-04:00

A Vatican official has some interesting thoughts on aliens -- not the undocumented kind, but the outer space kind:

Father Jose Gabriel Funes, director of the Vatican Observatory, said this week there is no opposition between belief in the existence of aliens and at the same time belief in God. This position, he reminded, was held by Father Angelo Secchi, the 18th century Jesuit astronomer and director of the Observatory of the Roman College—today the Pontifical Gregorian University.

In an interview with L’Osservatore Romano, Father Funes explained that Father Secchi was the first scientist to classify the “stars according to their spectrum” and that the existence of aliens “could not be excluded a priori.”

Father Funes said establishing contact with aliens is “very difficult” because of the “almost insurmountable obstacle of distances in the universe,” even with today’s technology.

He went on to note that the neither Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith or academic officials at other institutions has made any statements on the issue, adding that “as a scientist I am always willing to update my ideas in response to the latest research. For example, regarding the issue of space and time in the universe, I believe it is finite, while others believe it is infinite.”

“There are interesting theories about this,” he continued, “such as the so-called ‘multiverse,’ but they continue to be merely speculative: the problem is in how to prove them.”

Father Funes said astronomy is an element that can contribute to dialogue between peoples, as it can help to understand that “all the people of the earth are under the same sky and gaze upon the same heavens.”

“It is obvious that today you cannot do research without collaboration. One country on its own cannot build a huge telescope: it is necessary to work with other people, and with other religions and cultures as well. Thus astronomy can be at the service of dialogue,” the Argentinean priest said.

He went on to stress that an astronomer must always have “his feet planted firmly on the ground and that “scientific research demands a culture of effort and work. In this way it can be useful for young people as well.”

Father Funes said it is widely believed today that “in order to be a scientist one must necessarily be atheist. This is not true,” he corrected.

“The Pope said it well during the Mass of the Epiphany when he pointed out that ‘many scientists—following in Galileo's footsteps renounce neither reason nor faith; instead they develop both in their reciprocal fruitfulness.’”

Speechless

2009-09-17T20:47:00.003-04:00

That more or less describes how I felt when I encountered the quote below on the excellent blog, Why I Am Catholic. It comes from Joseph Ratzinger.

These words should be scrawled in every breviary carried by every seminary student. They should be taped on the bathroom mirror of every priest to read before his morning shave. Every deacon and deacon candidate should carry these words in his wallet, or his notebook, and read them and pray over them when it seems the road is just too long, or too rocky, or too steep.

These are words to live by:

We all stand in a great arena of history and are dependent on each other. A man ought not, therefore, just to figure out what he would like, but to ask what he can do and how he can help. Then he will see that fulfillment does not lie in comfort, ease, and following one's inclinations, but precisely in allowing demands to be made upon you, in taking the harder path. Everything else turns out somehow boring, anyway. Only the man who "risks the fire," who recognizes a calling within himself, a vocation, an ideal he must satisfy, who takes on real responsibility, will find fulfillment. As we have said, it is not in taking, not on the path of comfort, that we become rich, but only in giving.

Further proof: Susan Boyle's got talent...and faith

2009-09-17T14:18:00.004-04:00

When was the last time you saw someone on a top-rated TV show praying before the Blessed Mother?

Check out the clip below, from the finale of "America's Got Talent."

Catholic Charities reports "alarming" rise in poverty in 2008

2009-09-17T07:32:00.002-04:00

In news that shouldn't be all that surprising, given the state of the economy, Catholic Charities is reporting a big jump in the number of people applying for help:

Catholic Charities USA and its member agencies have released its 2008 Annual Survey, reporting an “alarming” rate of increase in poverty in the United States.

The number of clients served in 2008 by Catholic Charities USA (CCUSA) increased by 10.2 percent, from about 8 million to 8.5 million, the charity reports. This substantially reversed the reduction in poverty trends reported in previous Annual Surveys from the organization.

"The 2008 increase moved at an alarming rate, and it doesn't even include the first nine months of this year," said Rev. Larry Snyder, President and CEO of Catholic Charities USA. "Our agencies are being confronted head on by more need and less resources -- an unacceptable scenario.”

He said that observations indicate that the 2009 numbers of people in poverty “will only grow.”

CCUSA agencies reported providing employment services to 67,597 persons, an increase of about 35 percent from the 50,080 clients reported in 2007. A CCUSA press release called this the “most troubling” sign and attributed the change to the impact of the declining economy on unemployment.

The agency reported significant growth in individuals receiving public assistance and family incomes below the poverty line. Its financial literacy programs enrolled 58,589 clients, an increase of 47,000. A reported 33 agencies helped 53,858 clients access the Earned Income Tax Credit.

Over 330,000 clients received disaster services through CCUSA. Though it is a 21 percent decrease from 2007, it marks a 60 percent increase over 2004-2005 levels.

CCUSA has pledged to help reduce poverty by 50 percent by 2020, but says that the current trends are “deplorable” and an obstacle to that goal.

"More people are turning to us in our local agencies and operations than ever before and while our resources are strained beyond compare, we nevertheless are there for them," Fr. Snyder added. "We give special thanks and gratitude to the generosity of our donors who even in these most difficult times find a way to contribute. We most humbly ask for your continued support, which is needed more than ever."

A saint for our times?

2009-09-17T06:34:00.003-04:00

It seems that way. Devotion to St. Joseph is evidently picking up among homeowners (or home sellers). And the New York Times has more:

Lord knows it’s rough out there in the housing market. Still, you had to feel bad for Patty Bonadies, digging with a spoon in the rocky soil in front of the new three-story colonial for sale at 7 Old Roaring Brook Road in search of the tiny statue of St. Joseph she had buried in hopes of helping the house sell.

“I should have brought a bigger spoon,” she said. She wanted to move the statue, which she had planted near the front door in May, to a perhaps more propitious spot. Her late mother-in-law’s house in Dobbs Ferry, N.Y., is for sale, and she plans to plant a statue there, too. “You have to believe,” she said. “In this market, you’re looking for any help you can get.”

Mrs. Bonadies, a real estate agent for three years, is Roman Catholic, but St. Joseph, who is said to look after homes, families and carpenters, among many other things, isn’t just for Catholics anymore. With the housing market still dismal, the Catholic tradition of planting a statue of him as a way to help a house sell is going like gangbusters online, in stores selling religious goods and elsewhere — even if home sales are not.

“In the past, we’ve seen some upticks in sales of the kits whenever there’s a sign that the housing market is on the skids,” said Nicholas Cole, director of marketing for the Catholic Company, based in Charlotte, N.C., which sells religious items online and through catalogs. “But the sales of the product have been really strong for the last two years. We saw a really big spike last year, and they’re still really selling. I don’t want to say ‘desperate’ is the right word, but I think it’s selling to people across the board, not just Catholics.”

He added that the statue had helped him sell a house and a condominium in the past few years.

It’s not completely clear when the tradition began, and devotees disagree over how best to participate. Head down? By the “for sale” sign? In a flowerpot? But it has been adopted by many real estate agents, who suggest that sellers, particularly in this market, give the statue a chance.

A religious-goods store in the area has four green-and-white St. Joseph kits — a 3 ½-inch plastic statue, a card with the words to a prayer to St. Joseph, and an instructional pamphlet — on its front counter. The front of the kit shows the statue and a house with a “sold” sign. The back explains: “Can’t sell home? Ask St. Joseph. He’s helping 1,000s.” It adds, “Faith can move mountains and homes!!!”

You can find more at the link.

For what it's worth: I know someone who tried this. Didn't work. After about two years, her house is still on the market.

Knockin' on heaven's door: a summer of celebrity deaths

2009-09-16T22:33:00.005-04:00

Hot on the heels of learning of the death of Mary Travers, someone posted a comment, noting that Henry Gibson had also died today.

Does it seem like a lot of well-known people are shuffling off this mortal coil?

The New York Times takes a look:

One after the other, they were dying: Michael Jackson, Farrah Fawcett and Ed McMahon, all in the same week earlier this summer. Next were Walter Cronkite, John Hughes and, in late August, at a pitch point of public grief, Senator Edward M. Kennedy. Then on Monday, Patrick Swayze died after a widely publicized struggle with pancreatic cancer, only to be followed by Mary Travers of Peter, Paul and Mary Wednesday night.

It has been, by all appearances, the endless funereal season, with a news media swarm on the departed and a parade of nostalgic tributes, as bloggers and Twitterers went on “celebrity death watch.” Even before Senator Kennedy succumbed to brain cancer Aug. 25, columnists wrote pleading laments like one in The Washington Post that said, “God, please stop taking away our celebrities.”

After Don Hewitt, the creator of “60 Minutes,” and Robert Novak, the conservative columnist and commentator, died within a day of each other in mid-August, the columnists and bloggers quipped that newsmen like Dan Rather — or anyone with pop culture celebrity status — should find a bunker.

But in fact, no more celebrities had died than in past summers, according to Lou Ferrara, a managing editor in charge of entertainment and lifestyle coverage for The Associated Press.

The perception of numerous celebrity deaths was not supported by the number of obituaries the news agency wrote, he said, because it was not a matter of how many died, but who.

Consider that along with the death of Mr. Jackson, there were two other profound, if less sensational, losses in the music world: Les Paul, the inventor of the electric guitar, who is credited with transforming 20th-century pop music; and Ellie Greenwich, less known by her own name than by songs she wrote with Phil Spector and Jeff Barry — some of the biggest hits of the 1960s, including “Leader of the Pack,” “Da Doo Ron Ron” and “Be My Baby.”

This summer could come to be known as the summer when baby boomers began to turn to the obituary pages first, to face not merely their own mortality or ponder their legacies, but to witness the passing of legends who defined them as a tribe, bequeathing through music, culture, news and politics a kind of generational badge that has begun to fray.

Read on for more.

Mary Travers, 1936-2009

2009-09-16T21:59:00.004-04:00

Somewhere in a battered cardboard box in the back of my closet there is a 45 rpm recording of this classic (and controversial) song that I played over and over and over on a record player in my corner room on Morgal Street when I was, I guess, about five. It seems so long ago. (Dragons live forever, but not so, little boys.) Rest in peace, Mary Travers. And thank you.

Quote of the day

2009-09-16T19:40:00.002-04:00

"So, what are some of the basics of health care reform?

Health care reform especially needs to protect those at the beginning of life and at its end -- the most vulnerable and the voiceless. It is essential that reform include long-standing and widely supported federal restrictions on abortion funding and mandates and uphold existing conscience protections for health care providers. Abandoning current federal policies on abortion funding and conscience protection, thereby forcing people to pay for or participate in abortion would be morally reprehensible and a repudiation of the understanding of individual freedom and the rights of conscience that goes back to the American Revolution.

Universal coverage should be universal, including everyone. Health care reform cannot leave people out because of pre-existing conditions, chronic illnesses, their place of work or because they cannot afford insurance. Reform should not leave people out because of where they come from or when they arrived here."

-- Washington Archbishop Donald Wuerl, writing in Politics Daily.

Boom!

2009-09-16T10:55:00.003-04:00

Here's a nifty new website devoted to vocations called -- joyfully -- Vocation Boom!

And one of their videos is below. Check it out, along with others at the site. H/T Happy Catholic.

Sebelius on her bishop: "It was one of the most painful things I have ever experienced in my life"

2009-09-16T10:41:00.006-04:00

The Washington Post the other day posted a lengthy interview with Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of Health and Human Services, and Catholic. A pertinent excerpt:

MS. ROMANO: You are also a pro-choice Catholic, and I was reading some stories out of your home state recently where one of the bishops took an action. Can you tell us a little bit about that?

SECRETARY SEBELIUS: Well, the Archbishop in the Kansas City area did not approve of my conduct as a public official and asked that I not present myself for communion.

MS. ROMANO: What did you think about that?

SECRETARY SEBELIUS: Well, it was one of the most painful things I have ever experienced in my life, and I am a firm believer in the separation of church and state, and I feel that my actions as a parishioner are different than my actions as a public official and that the people who elected me in Kansas had a right to expect me to uphold their rights and their beliefs even if they did not have the same religious beliefs that I had. And that's what I did: I took an oath of office and I have taken an oath of office in this job and will uphold the law.

MS. ROMANO: Do you continue to take communion?

SECRETARY SEBELIUS: I really would prefer not to discuss with you. That's really a personal--thank you.

There's more, and video, at the link.

Feeling crabby

2009-09-16T07:54:00.011-04:00

I've had a hankering for a big fat crab cake for a while, and suddenly this recipe popped up in the New York Times.

Get thee behind me, Satan.

Of course, when you're in Maryland and temptation strikes, there's only one place to go. When we were in Florida this summer, we saw Phillips crab cakes in the frozen food section at a Publix grocery store. We tried 'em. Shrug. It was okay. But it just wasn't the same.

But then, nothing ever is.

There's just no place like home.

What hath Dan Brown wrought?

2009-09-16T05:33:00.005-04:00

A writer and professor of theology from the University of Scranton, Eric Plumer, is looking at the Dan Brown phenomenon, and thinks there is a reason the best-selling author strikes a chord with Catholic readers:

Women cannot be official leaders or teachers in the Catholic Church -- roles reserved for ordained men. Not only are women barred from being ordained as priests or bishops, but the question of their ordination is not even to be discussed, as Pope John Paul II stated in 1994. And in case there were any lingering doubts, Cardinal Ratzinger (the future Pope Benedict XVI) added that this teaching is infallible.

To say that huge numbers of American Catholics were stunned would be an understatement.

It is precisely this reaction that Dan Brown has been able to exploit. Most Catholics had been taught that Mary Magdalene was a prostitute and were shocked to learn in "The Da Vinci Code" that the Bible says no such thing. They began to wonder whether there was some truth to the novel's claim that calling her a prostitute was part of the Church's systematic effort to discredit her and women in general.

What the reaction to "The Da Vinci Code" (and "Angels and Demons") reflects is one of the burning issues of the American culture wars: Where is moral authority to be found?

The Vatican claims that its teachings come from Christ through the apostles and bishops. Yet Catholics have been quick to note that among those teachings is the sacredness of individual conscience, in which God also speaks and which must therefore be obeyed.

John Paul II warned, however, that even if your conscience tells you something is permissible (the use of contraceptives, for example), your conscience may be wrong and you may be doing what is objectively evil.

A huge percentage of American Catholics find themselves in disagreement with the Church's condemnation of contraception as objectively evil--as wrong always and everywhere.
They complain that they find no such teaching in the Bible and that it contradicts their own lived experience of marriage.

The gradual erosion of the Church's moral authority turned into a landslide in 2002 when the American media were full of reports on sexual abuse by clergy and the bishops who had covered it up.

At the same time societal changes are proceeding at a dizzying speed. For example, the completion of the Human Genome Project has inaugurated a " biorenaissance." These things have all led Catholics to seek a spirituality more in tune with the times.

And here again Dan Brown has tapped into a feeling that there must be more to Jesus' message than what has been presented to them, especially if Jesus was, as the Church itself proclaims, the most vibrant and charismatic individual who ever lived.

Dan Brown was able to use all of this ferment to his advantage.

There's more, but you get the drift.

Well, I'd take issue with some things here, beginning with the notion that women "can't be official leaders or teachers" in the Church; women have been members of the Roman Curia for decades (and with executive powers, at that), and a case could be made that the most influential lay Catholic leader in the world is a woman: Rita Rizzo, better known as Mother Angelica.

But read it for yourself and see what you think.

Inside America's last high school seminary: "A place where God is powerfully working"

2009-09-15T22:02:00.005-04:00

Speaking of vocations...

A producer for "Currents" recently visited the last high school prep seminary in America: Cathedral Prep, in the Diocese of Brooklyn.

For a brief glimpse inside, take a look.

Psst...want to hear a secret about vocations?

2009-09-15T10:07:00.002-04:00

You're looking at it.

It's the web, stupid.

John Allen has an intriguing interview up with Holy Cross Br. Paul Bednarczyk, executive director of the National Religious Vocations Conference. He finds glimmers of hope on the vocation horizon, and he explains one important tool that really works:

You’ve got to be present on the Internet, including making use of online promotional materials, keeping your Web site up to date, and so on. Given the diminishing numbers in religious life, young people are more likely to meet a congregation when they Google “vocations” than physically. Having a successful Web presence helps, including social networking, Facebook and Twitter. Some communities post video clips, or invite people to e-mail members of the community. At [the National Religious Vocations Conference], we launched a vocation-network.org site in response to sites like eHarmony.com, in this case connecting candidates with communities. You can fill out an online profile, which includes things like your geographic region, desired community size, whether or not they wear a habit, etc., and at the end a list of maybe 20 communities pops up where you can begin your discernment. We used to rely on mail-in coupons, which would generate maybe 1,000 responses a year. Over three years, this Web effort is averaging about 7,000 responses a year, which obviously confirms the importance of being on the Internet. A high percentage of these Web contacts say they expect to be in an initial formation somewhere within a year.

You don’t want to be too slick, of course. What’s most important is that there has to be consistency between what you say about yourself on the Web site and how your community actually lives. If a candidate comes in and senses an inconsistency with the lived reality, they’ll move on.

The thing to remember is that these are only tools to bring someone into contact with a real person. Relationships are ultimately what make the difference. Any program or event that brings a potential candidate into relationship with members of a community is very helpful, such as “Come and See” weekends, retreats and so on.

Check out the rest. It's fascinating. And encouraging.

Fordham honors Couric

2009-09-15T09:46:00.006-04:00

From the Jesuit University's press release:

CBS Evening News anchor Katie Couric will be honored at the Fordham University Club’s Annual Dinner, to be held on Thursday, Sept. 17, in Washington, D.C.

Couric, the recipient of six Emmy Awards and the first female to anchor a weeknight network news broadcast, will receive the D.C.-based alumni club’s Brien McMahon Award for Public Service, given to a person whose work and service reflects the ideals of Fordham University.

The award is named after the late Connecticut senator and 1924 Fordham graduate who facilitated the creation of the Atomic Energy Commission. It is being given in recognition of Couric’s service and dedication to the cause of early detection and treatment of colon cancer.

Following the death of her husband, Jay Monahan, in 1998 from the disease, Couric launched the National Colorectal Cancer Research Alliance to fund new medical research in the disease and to promote early detection. If discovered early, colorectal cancer is one of the most treatable of cancers, with a survival rate of 93 percent.

“We believe that Ms. Couric’s service and dedication to the cause of early detection and treatment of cancer is exemplary of the spirit of service demonstrated by Fordham’s late senator, Brian McMahon,” said Mike Mele (FCRH ’74), secretary of the Fordham University Club of Washington D.C.

Mele added that the celebrity anchor’s early career experience in Washington, D.C., made her a prime candidate for the award. Couric began her broadcast journalism career as a desk assistant at ABC News in Washington in 1979. She subsequently worked for CNN and for WRC-TV in the D.C. area before becoming a national correspondent for NBC. She is a native of Arlington, Va.

Couric has earned wide recognition both in her distinguished professional career and for her public service initiatives.

If they're curious about these sorts of things, the good people at Fordham might want to check out Ms. Couric's views on abortion rights. They might also want to ask her why she has a large photograph of this famous feminist framed and hanging in her office at CBS.

What does it take to be a deacon?

2009-09-15T09:09:00.003-04:00

"Deacons must be dignified, not deceitful,
not addicted to drink, not greedy for sordid gain,
holding fast to the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience.
Moreover, they should be tested first;
then, if there is nothing against them,
let them serve as deacons.
Women, similarly, should be dignified, not slanderers,
but temperate and faithful in everything.
Deacons may be married only once
and must manage their children and their households well.
Thus those who serve well as deacons gain good standing
and much confidence in their faith in Christ Jesus."

-- from the first reading for today, 1 Timothy, 3: 1-13

The weeping woman

2009-09-15T08:42:00.003-04:00

A priest friend dropped a line to let me know an interesting detail about this feast, Our Lady of Sorrows. It was on this feast (actually September 19, in 1846 when it was a movable feast) that the Blessed Mother appeared at La Salette in France.

Fittingly, for the day on which she appeared, she was weeping.

You can read more about the apparition here. Some details:

She appeared in La Salette to two small children who were looking after the cattle. They were Melanie Calvat and Maximin Giraud aged 15 and 11 years who had only known each other for two days. The two children climb the slopes of the Mont sous-les-Baisses, each urging four cows up the mountain. Melanie tells us: “I had seen from a hill that ours cows were lying down placidly chewing the cud. I went down and Maximin started to climb upwards. Suddenly I saw a beautiful light, much brighter than the sun and felt full of tremendous loving wonder and respect. In that light I saw a very beautiful woman with her head resting in her hands. The lady stood up and said; come nearer children, do not be afraid “I am here to tell you great news.”

The children were amazed to see that The Lady looked very sad and had tears streaming down her cheeks. She folded her arms over her breast. At first she spoke to the children in French but quickly started to speak to them in their own local dialect.

You can read on to see what she had to say.

"Do whatever you want, but don't marry a Catholic..."

2009-09-15T08:20:00.007-04:00

Those were words of advice from Tony Blair's grandmother -- words he obviously ignored. And the rest is history.

He discusses that and more about his conversion with L'Osservatore Romano.

Highlights, from the Guardian, in London:

Tony Blair has revealed that after ignoring a stern warning from his great-grandmother about marrying a Catholic, he now finds his new-found faith has become the driving force in his life as he seeks to clear up the world's religious conflicts.

Speaking to L'Osservatore Romano, the Vatican's daily newspaper, Blair said today he considers Pope Benedict's belief that God is central to politics, society, economics and culture "brilliant".

Weeks after a packed Catholic conference in Italy gave Blair an ovation for his words about the universality of Catholicism, the pope's newspaper was equally effusive, calling the convert "a gentleman, educated, smiley, courteous in a way few know how to be".

Letting slip the Vatican's possible ambition for Blair, the paper also described him as "a probable future president of the European Union".

With a double page spread at his disposal, Blair served up a mix of anecdotes about his conversion and strong indications of how faith is at the heart of every step he takes.

Starting with his childhood, he recalled how "in one of her rare moments of lucidity, during an illness, my great-grandmother – who was in many ways fantastic – told me, 'Do whatever you want but don't marry a Catholic.' Which is exactly what I did."

Despite ambitions to be a rock star or a footballer when he arrived at university, Blair said he was soon taken by his future wife, Cherie Booth, who was already an active Catholic on campus. During his recent speech, Blair said she had been the driving force behind his conversion shortly after leaving office two years ago. Today he added that conversion was "a path I have followed for 25 years," helped, he added, by a crucial private mass held by Pope John Paul II in 2003.

"It was an episode which really struck me," he said.

That mass was the much-discussed (and in some corners, highly controversial) event at which the non-Catholic, pro-abortion Prime Minister of Great Britain reportedly received communion from the pontiff.

You can find more at the link.

In Catholic Brazil: Evangelicals on the rise

2009-09-14T21:46:00.005-04:00

Just days after posting this item about Brazil's most popular priest, I found this little nugget, which shows just what the Church is up against down there.

Want to know what's luring a new generation of Brazilians away from the Church? Evangelical churches offering, among other things, fight nights and tattoo parlors.

From the New York Times:

The atmosphere was electric at Reborn in Christ Church on “Extreme Fight” night. Churchgoers dressed in jeans and sneakers, many with ball caps turned backward, lined a makeshift boxing ring to cheer on bare-chested jujitsu fighters.

They screamed when a fan favorite, Fábio Buca, outlasted his opponent after several minutes. They went wild when Pastor Dogão Meira, 26, took his man down, pinning him with an armlock just 10 seconds into the fight.

With the crowd still buzzing, Pastor Mazola Maffei, dressed in army pants and a T-shirt, grabbed a microphone. Pastor Maffei, who is also Pastor Meira’s fight trainer, then held the crowd rapt with a sermon about the connection between sports and spirituality.

“You need to practice the sport of spirituality more,” he urged. “You need to fight for your life, for your dreams and ideals.”

Reborn in Christ is among a growing number of evangelical churches in Brazil that are finding ways to connect with younger people to swell their ranks. From fight nights to reggae music to video games and on-site tattoo parlors, the churches have helped make evangelicalism the fastest-growing spiritual movement in Brazil.

Evangelical Christian churches are luring Brazilians away from Roman Catholicism, the dominant religion in Brazil. In 1950, 94 percent of Brazilians said they were Catholic, but that number fell steadily to 74 percent by 2000. Meanwhile, the percentage of those who described themselves as evangelicals grew by five times in that period, reaching 15 percent in 2000. A new government census is due out next year.

Despite Brazil’s deep connection to Catholicism, more and more Brazilians want to experiment and choose their own religion, said Silvia Fernandes, a professor at the Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro, who wrote a book about Brazil’s evangelical movement.

She said more Brazilians were attracted to evangelical churches, or Pentecostalism, for the “flexibility of the religious expression.” They see churches like Reborn as places where they can express themselves more freely, and “not only look for solutions to personal problems, but also find a place to meet and socialize.”

Pastor Meira said that for young people seeking salvation, evangelism could fill a void. “Here they enter the church, sometimes to see a fight competition, they receive the word of Jesus Christ, and they begin a transformation. They will get off drugs, start to respect their parents and start to cure the illnesses of the soul, like anxiety, depression, drugs and alcohol, prostitution,” he said.

Read on for more at the link.

Snazzy!

2009-09-14T20:12:00.007-04:00

We're in the middle of rolling out a new ad campaign for "Currents," the daily Catholic news magazine show that I produce. Above is one of the "bus tails" that's popping up around the city, featuring our on-air team of Lino Rulli, Matt McClure, Francesca Maxime and Nathalia Ortiz. (You will also see them, on our set, at the bottom of this post.)

Well,the hard-working IT department at The NET has been tinkering with the website, too. And, lo and behold, today they unveiled the results: something bright, user-friendly, fun to surf and, I think, just downright snazzy.

See for yourself.

It easy to find some of the archived stories and features, along with the show blog, "Writing the Wave" .

And, a reminder: you can always watch the show -- and all The NET shows -- online at this page (M-F @ 7:30 ET, with an encore @ 11:30).

But wait: there's more!

You can view archived episodes on our YouTube page.

And we just started our very own Facebook fan page, too.

Stay tuned! It really is the "news show that goes against the tide."

The Triumph of the Cross

2009-09-14T09:47:00.004-04:00

"Christ of St. John of the Cross" by Salvador Dali (1951)

"The cross is something wonderfully great and honorable. It is great because through the cross the many noble acts of Christ found heir consummation -- very many indeed, for both his miracles and his sufferings were fully rewarded with victory. The cross is honorable because it is both the sign of God's suffering and the trophy of his victory. it stands for his suffering because on it he freely suffered unto death. But it is also his trophy because it was the means by which the devil was wounded and death conquered; the barred gates of hell were smashed, and the cross became the one common salvation of the whole world."

-- From a discourse by St. Andrew of Crete, bishop, in today's Office of Readings.

Susan Boyle's first single: "Wild Horses"

2009-09-13T18:59:00.003-04:00

Well, here it is.

The first cut from Susan Boyle's debut album, "I Dreamed A Dream." It's a cover of the Rolling Stones' 1971 ballad "Wild Horses." The good people at Wikipedia inform us that it's been recorded previously by Elvis Costello, The Cranberries, Neil Young, Guns 'n Roses and Alicia Keys. And now, of course, Susan Boyle.

Will it be a smash? Give a listen and decide for yourself. (Personally, Your Humble Blogger thinks it's fantastic.)

Interested in a comparison? Here's the Rolling Stones version, from a few years back:

Santorum?

2009-09-13T18:24:00.003-04:00

The former senator is evidently thinking about running for President:

Speaking to a room full of prominent US Catholic leaders Friday night, Senator Rick Santorum was challenged to run for the Republican Presidential nomination. Responding to a room already thick with applause, Santorum revealed that he was indeed "thinking about it" but asked for prayers and detailed his thinking on the matter.

His remarks came after his address to the closing dinner of the 12th annual Catholic Leadership Conference - an invite-only gathering of Catholic leaders from academia, law, media, medicine, and politics, as well as leaders of movements within the Church such as pro-life, pro-family and evangelization. Posing the challenge was long-time legal, political, and media activist Keith Fournier.

Santorum is not only a Catholic in name but a faithful one who is noted for his strong pro-life activism and work to bring decency back to America. He revealed that he has seven children, with one in college. The reason why the sixth is not college-bound is the fact that his 16-month-old 'Bella' was born with Trisomy 18, a genetic disorder which is fatal before birth in 90 per cent of cases.

Santorum referred to Bella as "our angel" marveling at how she changed his life, and that of his family for the better. Speaking of children like Bella, he said, "They teach you things you can't even imagine."

Here Santorum turned to abortion describing his reason for fighting against it politically saying, "I think of we treat these people in society and how we destroy them. 86% of Down syndrome children are aborted - killed. And Down syndrome is 5 times better than what Bella has."

Considering how his children may themselves be the targets of nasty politics, as has happened in the recent past, gives Santorum pause. "That weighs on me," he said. "When you stand up for the things I do and say the things I say, they brutalize you and they won't stop at you."

Those are the things, he explained that "as a father I've got to think about."

"On the other side," he added, "as a father, I've got to think about whether they are going to have a country to live in … Are they going to be able to practice their faith in a way that's consistent with what the Church teaches."

The last consideration in favor of his run was on the practical level. He said: "Six months ago I would not have spent ten seconds on your question, but it's not six months ago. I see that, I hate to be calculating, but I see that 2012 is not just throwing somebody out to be eaten, but it's a real opportunity for success."

There's more the link.

Got a match? "Catholic Match" turns 10

2009-09-13T18:09:00.004-04:00

Light the candles: the Catholic online dating service Catholic Match is marking its 10-year anniversary.

Rhode Island Catholic takes a look at the impact of this internet phenomenon:

Brian Barcaro, co-founder of Catholic Match.com, could be considered partly responsible for the nuptials of thousands who met their spouses through the dating Web site, recently marking its 10-year anniversary.

Barcaro has played an unconventional role in uniting Catholic brides and grooms from across the United States. In one specific case, a thankful couple in their gratitude to Barcaro and fellow Web site founder Jason LaFosse, gave each wedding guest a computer mouse pad with a Catholic Match logo as a wedding favor.

According to Barcaro, nearly half a million singles have used the Web site over the past decade, making it clear that many singles have been actively seeking out spouses who share their same faith.

“There is no question, looking at outside statistics, that the religious dating sites are finding more growth,” Barcaro said. “People are reevaluating what makes up a marriage. They really want someone to share their faith with.”

Catholic Match was successful in putting Kathleen Roche, 29, of Cumberland, in contact with other Catholics who are serious about their faith. Roche has been a member of Catholic Match since May and had the desire to meet someone who had the same religious background and beliefs.

“Relationships are already difficult enough without adding religious differences,” said?Roche. “I want to raise children in the Catholic faith and didn't want that to be an issue with my future husband.”

Roche explained that she has had an extremely positive experience with Catholic Match.

“I've actually met someone through the site and we've been dating for about a month now,” she said.

What sets Catholic Match apart from secular dating Web sites, says Barcaro, is its strong sense of community. He explained that providing a community for their members has always been a priority for Catholic Match.

“If we can build a community of singles, the relationships will build themselves,” Barcaro said.

Bryn Evans, 27 of Providence joined Catholic Match to meet that special someone and explained how wonderful it has been to catch glimpses into the lives of other singles searching for their future spouses.

“I've come to realize how many others are out there who share the same faith as I do,” said Evans. “I take it for granted that ‘I am the Catholic Church’ when I step out in public so it is enlightening to see so many warm, Catholic faces.”

Catholic Match also asks members whether or not they accept seven specific teachings of the Catholic Church, including: abstaining from pre-marital sex, use of contraception, sanctity of life, papal infallibility, Immaculate Conception, Eucharist and holy orders.

“Unlike a secular Web site, people are coming to Catholic Match for a uniquely Catholic experience,” Barcaro explained.?“There are a lot of things that you want to know about someone which may not be appropriate for a first or second conversation. The questions allow people to meet others where they are at. We have also found that people who honestly answer those questions may be one of the first times they reflect on where they stand with certain church teachings, and it gets them in conversation with others.”

There's much more at the RIC link.

The sex abuse crisis strikes Italy

2009-09-13T16:21:00.004-04:00

The AP has been doing a little digging into clerical sex abuse in one of the world's most staunchly Catholic countries, and came up with some numbers:

For decades, a culture of silence has surrounded priest abuse in Italy, where surveys show the church is considered one of the country's most respected institutions. Now, in the Vatican's backyard, a movement to air and root out abusive priests is slowly and fitfully taking hold.

A yearlong Associated Press tally has documented 73 cases with allegations of sexual abuse by priests against minors over the past decade in Italy, with more than 235 victims. The tally was compiled from local media reports, linked to by Web sites of victims groups and blogs. Almost all the cases have come out in the seven years since the scandal about Roman Catholic priest abuse broke in the United States.

The numbers in Italy are still a mere trickle compared to the hundreds of cases in the court systems of the United States and Ireland. And according to the AP tally, the Italian church has so far had to pay only a few hundred thousand euros (dollars) in civil damages to the victims, compared to $2.6 billion in abuse-related costs for the American diocese or euro1.1 billion ($1.5 billion) due to victims in Ireland.

However, the numbers still stand out in a country where reports of clerical sex abuse were virtually unknown a decade ago. They point to an increasing willingness among the Italian public and - slowly - within the Vatican itself to look squarely at a tragedy where the reported cases may only just be the tip of the iceberg. The Italian church will not release the numbers of cases reported or of court settlements.

The implications of priest abuse loom large in Italy: with its 50,850 priests in a nation of 60 million, Italy counts more priests than all of South America or Africa. In the United States - where the Vatican counts 44,700 priests in a nation of 300 million - more than 4,000 Catholic clergy have been accused of molesting minors since 1950.

You can read more at the link.

Overheard in the rectory: baby talk

2009-09-13T15:54:00.004-04:00

Young mother to the deacon:

"My mother told me you can't bring a baby to Mass until it's been baptized. Is that true??"

"Take up your cross..."

2009-09-13T08:56:00.007-04:00

The photos below are from the stunning Journeys Project, which I mentioned yesterday. You can click on the image for a larger view.

But visit the link and see the whole gallery. You'll find yourself moved, uplifted, startled and challenged.

Forgive us our debts: when you can't afford a religious vocation

2009-09-13T08:35:00.004-04:00

One of the often-unreported stumbling blocks to a religious vocation isn't spiritual.

It's financial.

And this Sunday's Los Angeles Times looks at this problem, and those who are trying to help:

Alicia Torres must raise $94,000 in order to take a vow of poverty.

Drawn to the Roman Catholic sisterhood while she was a student at Loyola University here, Torres faces the same barrier as many others considering such a religious life: college debt. Today, Torres and a group of friends will run Chicago's Half Marathon -- 13.1 miles along the lakefront -- in hopes of receiving enough pledges to pay off $94,000 in student loans.

"You can't live a vow of poverty with a bunch of debt," said Torres, a 2007 graduate. "If God wants you to do something, he clears the way."

Torres is one of hundreds who heeded the call of Pope Benedict XVI when, on his American pilgrimage, he bid his young flock to consider religious life. Though she has encountered romantic possibilities that tested her resolve, she said, she has had abundant moments of clarity that she is on the right path.

"I just know this is what Jesus asked me to do," said Torres, 24, who with two others is founding a new Franciscan community on Chicago's West Side.

Torres fits the mold of many young Catholics longing for traditions that waned after Vatican II and gravitating away from modern religious orders whose members live on their own, devote less time to community prayer or no longer wear habits. Experts say the inability of modern orders to attract new candidates and the lack of commitment among America's secularized youth have led to a sharp decline in religious vocations in the U.S.

But some attribute the downturn to debt.

Five years ago, Cy Laurent of Eagan, Minn., founded the Laboure Society, a nonprofit group dedicated to eliminating the educational debt of Roman Catholic religious candidates. He insists that a lack of capital, not a lack of commitment, has kept hundreds, perhaps thousands, of faithful from answering God's call. Torres is one of about 100 current clients.

Visit the link for more. And let's keep people like Alicia Torres in our prayers.

PHOTO: Alicia Torres planned to run a Chicago half marathon, hoping for pledges to pay off her debt. (Photo by: Heather Charles / Chicago Tribune)

What is a parish?

2009-09-12T14:29:00.011-04:00

Homily for September 13, 2009 - 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Tuesday September 15th marks the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows, which my parish celebrates as the parish feast day for Our Lady Queen of Martyrs. In years past, I've preached on the history of the parish and on Mary. This year, at the pastor's suggestion, I'm taking a different approach.

Last fall, I got a phone call from someone at the Prayer Channel – now, The NET – asking me to take part in a series they were doing about churches in Brooklyn and Queens. They wanted to profile Our Lady Queen of Martyrs. So I met with the producer and cameraman one morning in October and spent most of the day giving them a tour of the church, talking about the altars and the shrines and the stained glass windows. And they filmed all that and went on their way.

If you saw it, the program turned out pretty well – in spite of me. (You can see the results here.)

But it wasn’t until later that I realized that something was missing. I couldn’t really put my finger on it, until last weekend, when I started thinking about what I would talk about today, to mark our parish feast day.

The producer and cameraman filmed the church, yes. But they missed the real story. And that’s the story I want to tell you this morning.

Every year around this time, we mark our parish feast day, and take note of the remarkable history that has unfolded on this block, within these walls, in these pews. This church has been a blessed sanctuary for so many, across decades -- through wars and recessions and crises of all kinds.

But the story of Our Lady Queen of Martyrs can’t really be told in brick and glass and marble.

It more than just an address, or a building. It’s more than geography.

What tells the story of a parish…are its people. Because in the people we discover nothing less than the Body of Christ.

And it’s people who feel called to be here, in this place – to pray, to worship, to encounter the living God.

This is the real story of Our Lady Queen of Martyrs.

It’s the young father out of work, who comes here to light a candle, and spends his last dollar on a rose to leave on Our Lady’s altar.

It’s the couple with a sick newborn, taking turns going to different masses, so that one of them can stay home with the baby.

It’s the widow who stops by in the afternoons to pray the rosary, and the janitor coming to mass every morning before going to work, and the woman who works at the bank running down Queens Boulevard for noon mass on her lunch hour.

That is Our Lady Queen of Martyrs.

It is the gathering of believers every Sunday to proclaim what we believe – and then to live it.

Many do it through some of the two dozen ministries and organizations we have. It is the lector reading God’s word. It’s the minister of Holy Communion, taking the Eucharist to an elderly woman who has a broken hip.

It’s the usher who holds open the door, and the singer who leads us in song.

It is the choir that fills this space with something so transcendent that it could only be called a prayer.

It’s the altar server who comes running in at 8:30 on a Sunday morning, wearing sneakers and shorts, and he throws on a tattered black cassock that’s two sizes too big because being here, on this altar, is absolutely the coolest thing in the world.

And here’s the amazing part: there are 90 others just like him.

That is Our Lady Queen of Martyrs.

But that’s only the beginning.

It’s the guy at the Easter Vigil, who spent his whole life searching, looking for something, and finally found it, here. And so, on a springtime evening he stands before hundreds of people with baptismal water dripping from his face, mingling with his tears, and he just can’t stop grinning. He is now a Catholic. He is a part of us. And we are a part of him.

And that, too, is Our Lady Queen of Martyrs.

It’s the faithful who turn out, week after week, for novenas, celebrations, devotions.

It’s the dozens who come every Thursday to behold Christ, in the monstrance, at Adoration.

It’s the hundreds who come, year after year, to walk the Stations of the Cross on a cold Friday night with Mary, the Mother of Jesus. I don’t know any other parish in the diocese – or in the city of New York, for that matter – that gets that kind of turnout.

Our Lady Queen of Martyrs is the baby being baptized, the little girl receiving her first communion, the teenager being confirmed, the bride getting married. It is the sacramental life of God’s church, being reborn, again and again and again, in every anointing, in every prayer, in every confession, in every sign of the cross.

And, of course: it is our priests, who make possible the ongoing miracle of the mass.

That is our parish. That is our story.

Ultimately, it is a love story. The story of our love for God – and His for us. It is a story of how we live that love in ways large and small.

The reading from St. James today says that faith without works is dead.

Well, faith with works is vibrantly, brilliantly alive. And the works of this parish are a beautiful testament to a living faith. A faith that grows, and spreads, and touches others. There is a reason we have one of the largest RCIA programs in the diocese. There is something about what we do here that calls out to people: come and see. And they do.

It’s not just the building, or the location. It’s the spirit of the place, and the spirit of the people.

And: I should add, it’s also the spirit of the pastor.

As I like to tell people: Monsignor Funaro never met a devotion he didn’t like. But that’s just part of it. In a time when more and more pastors are “Monsignor No,” – no we can’t do that, we don’t have the time, we don’t have the people, we don’t have the resources -- we have “Monsignor Yes.” In his view, even during the toughest of times, the chalice isn’t half-empty. It’s half-full. Or, as we are reminded so often: nothing is impossible with God. His presence here at this altar, every Sunday, at every mass, bears witness to that. You’d be hard-pressed to find another pastor in this diocese who does that with such diligence, and such faith.

And faith is where it all begins. But as James tells us: faith without works is dead. We are a parish of astounding works, and abiding faith. And we are wonderfully alive.

That is the real story of Our Lady Queen of Martyrs. You won’t see it on TV. But look around you. You will see it being lived, every day.

And on this feast, we celebrate that. We thank Our Lady, full of grace, for watching over us. And we ask that God’s grace will continue to sustain us, and enrich us -- that we may continue to be a people of faith, and a people of works.

And so we pray, with joy, and gratitude, and hope:

Our Lady, Queen of Martyrs: Pray for us!

Jesus in 2009?

2009-09-12T10:40:00.004-04:00

These pictures are provocative in all the right ways. (Check out Jesus with the Nazi!).

As the article explains:

A veteran fashion photographer who is used to having his works featured in Vogue, GQ and Elle, will release his most “rewarding” collection – “Journeys with the Messiah” – on Friday, the eighth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.

"I was in New York prepping for a photo shoot a week after 9/11 and saw many people searching for something," recalled Michael Belk, who created the Jesus photo collection out of his Christian faith. "Similar to 9/11, I think many Americans don't know where to turn in the midst of the current worldwide financial crisis.”

Belk says he hopes his “Journeys With the Messiah” collection will help people who are anxious and looking for answers to find peace by knowing there is someone to turn to.

The photos are a retelling of the stories of 1st-century Jesus to a 21st-century audience. Included in the collection are photos of Jesus with Nazis, prostitutes, Ferraris and motorcycles, as well as Wall Street executives and high rollers that creatively address modern-day social problems such as genocide, materialism, addiction, poverty, and hypocrisy.

In the photo entitled “The Second Mile,” Jesus is shown walking and talking alongside a Nazi soldier. The messiah is carrying the soldier’s backpack as well as his gun.

“Jesus’ teachings on this subject (forgiveness) were revolutionary: ‘Love your enemies as yourself. Pray for those who persecute you. Forgive people seventy times seven.’ Jesus reminds us that, just as God forgives us, we are expected to do the same for others,” wrote Belk in the accompanying journal entry for the photo.

Each of Belk’s images is accompanied by a written journal entry of a 21st-century take on a 1st-century story or parable.

In another photo, “Rest for the Weary,” a man in a suit and tie is shown collapsed on the steps of a building. His head rests on Jesus’ lap while his suitcase is opened with papers scattered about.

“I am writing this in March of 2009 while the world is in a serious economic upheaval,” Belk’s journal reads. “Fortunes have been lost, retirement incomes are gone, and the basic necessities have become a struggle for man.”

But then he writes, “In truth, we assign too much importance to issues that, in the end, will be of non consequence. Have you ever heard of a man on his deathbed who asked to see his stock portfolio one more time? Could the time we spend worrying be better spent in quiet, soothing fellowship with the One who created it all and promises more?”

The Christian photographer reminds the reader Jesus said not to worry but to “seek His Kingdom first” and God will take care of our needs. Also, Jesus invited those who are weary and burdened to find rest in Him.

“Maybe we should give it a try,” Belk suggested.

Check 'em out. An extended gallery can be seen at this link.

Talk to God and listen to the casual reply

2009-09-12T10:27:00.006-04:00

How's this for a Rocky Mountain high:

In tribute to the late, great Larry Gelbart, I offer this classic moment from "Oh, God!," wherein store manager John Denver meets the Almighty, played by George Burns.

Mass appeal: "It's like Jolt Cola for the soul"

2009-09-12T08:55:00.004-04:00

The most famous priest in Brazil is Padre Marcelo Rossi -- and John Allen had a chance to experience one of his Masses. It sounds incredible:

In some ways the Mass was like an emotional roller coaster ride, repeatedly building to a fevered crescendo, only to come back down for moments of deep reverence. People were respectful of the key moments, such as the proclamation of the gospel and the eucharistic prayers, but they also seemed to know when it felt right to send up a chant of "Hey, Hey, Hey, Jesus is King!" (which sounds much more lyrical in Portuguese) and when to offer raucous applause.

When it came time for the homily, Rossi first walked over to a glass partition on one side of the stage and leaned against it while he spoke; the effect was to suggest a chat between two friends at a bar, even though his "friend" in that moment was a throng of thousands. Later, he plopped down on the edge of the stage, and told a story illustrating something about charismatic worship. (He was trying to explain why charismatics lift their arms during prayer, and compared it to a small baby raising its arms for its parents. It's a humble gesture, he said, one of childlike simplicity.)

That point made, Rossi introduced a couple of his guests. To my surprise (and, I'm sure, that of virtually everyone else in attendance), I got top billing over a well-known player from one of São Paulo's professional soccer clubs. Also to my surprise, Rossi motioned for me to join him on stage. We linked arms and waved to the crowd to thunderous applause ... I felt for all the world like I had just accepted the vice-presidential nomination at a political convention.

Rossi explained that I was there to learn something about the community around the sanctuary, and he then asked all the women present to raise their hands, followed by all the men. (He was making the point that he gets an astonishingly high number of men by the usual Latin American standards of religious practice.) He next asked for all the babies, and hundreds of infants suddenly shot up into the air, held aloft by beaming parents.

Looking around, it was striking how diverse the crowd seemed -- by age, by gender, and by race, even by socio-economic status. Judging solely by the naked eye, it would be tough to pin down Rossi's target "demographic"; he seems to have a fairly universal appeal.

On impulse, Rossi then thrust the microphone into my hands, asking me to say a few words. In what will likely go down as the shortest speech of my career, I blurted out: Grazie e buona sera. (My theory was that I had a better shot at being understood in Italian than in English, since I don't speak a word of Portuguese. If nothing else, the crowd seemed to appreciate the brevity, sending me off with another hail of applause.)

The Mass proceeded, punctuated by the same alternating cycle of pop-music exuberance and deep reverence. At the end, Rossi and the priest with whom he concelebrated placed a large host into a gleaming monstrance.

All the lights were turned off as people lit small candles, producing a shimmering sea of light. As a haunting ballad played in the background, Rossi slowly came down from the stage and made the rounds of the hall, holding the monstrance aloft. It was the most spiritually evocative moment of the evening, with the vast crowd silently riveted on the monstrance as it followed its course back to the altar.

Bear in mind that this was by no means a special occasion. Mass is celebrated like this four days a week at the sanctuary, with three Masses on Sunday.

Hearing about all this second-hand, I suppose it's possible to look askance, regarding what I'm describing as more Lollapalooza than liturgy. In the moment, however, one can't help but sense a spirit that's incredibly powerful. In the first blush afterwards, my unreflective reaction, voiced to no one in particular, was: "There's a church that's alive!"

At the moment, work is underway on a gorgeous new sanctuary to replace the dilapidated factory, which will be named for Mary the Mother of God. (Word is that the nuncio in Brazil gently suggested to Bishop Fernando Figueiredo of the Santo Amaro diocese, where the site is located, that a sanctuary of the Latin Rite church named for the Byzantine Rosary probably doesn't make much sense). The new sanctuary will have a capacity of 60,000 inside, with room for another 40,000 outside. It's expected to be ready sometime in 2010.

When that happens, Catholics from other parts of the world might want to consider making the trip. Whether you're charismatic or not, whether you speak Portuguese or not, the experience is like Jolt Cola for the soul ... and every now and then, that really hits the spot.

There's much more at the NCR link.

The angels are laughing

2009-09-12T00:20:00.003-04:00

"Contrary to popular belief, it’s not the legs that go first; it’s remembering the word for legs.”

-- The brilliant comedy writer Larry Gelbart,
who gave the world "Tootsie," "Oh, God," and the TV series "M*A*S*H."
He died yesterday at 81.

Shanley challenges his abuse conviction and "repressed memory"

2009-09-11T22:43:00.003-04:00

A priest at the heart of the clergy abuse scandal that rocked the American Church is back in court, challenging a key part of the case that convicted him:

Paul R. Shanley was convicted in 2005 of raping and assaulting a 6-year-old boy while serving as a priest in suburban Boston, in a case that hinged on memories of abuse the accuser said he had repressed and recovered decades later.

Now Mr. Shanley, 78, a defrocked Roman Catholic priest at the center of the clergy abuse crisis here, is challenging his conviction, the accuser’s recollections and the science of repressed memory.

“You have prominent scientists, psychologists and psychiatrists saying this is not generally accepted. So why allow it in a court of law in a criminal proceeding?” Mr. Shanley’s lawyer, Robert F. Shaw Jr., asked the state’s highest court Thursday.

The debate over repressed memory — the idea that some memories, particularly traumatic ones, can be inaccessible for years — has simmered since the 1980s, when some patients in therapy described long-past scenes of sexual abuse. Some of those experiences turned into high-profile legal cases. The scientific controversy boiled over in the 1990s — as experts raised questions about many claims — and then died down.

Recently, scientists have begun to spar again over the theory. New studies suggest, and many scientists argue, that what people call repression may just be ordinary forgetting; memory is not “blocked.” Others say the process is more complex and may involve a desire to forget.

You can find more details about the Shanley case at the link.

Out of the ashes...

2009-09-11T19:58:00.002-04:00

...something good, courtesy Rod Dreher, who remembers poignant acts of kindness in the days following 9/11:

I remember going to a fire station in Brooklyn Heights, not far from where we lived at the time, to pay our respects to the surviving firefighters and the widows of those eight from the station who died. This was a day or two after 9/11. There we saw a young couple from the Heights walk up with a dish of baked ziti to give to the firefighters and the widows. The man's eyes were bandaged. He explained to me that when the first tower collapsed, he was nearby, and the pulverized glass abraded his eyes. He was functionally blind. A perfect stranger took him by the arm and led him, step by step, across the Brooklyn Bridge, through the streets of the Heights, up the stairs to his apartment, and into his bed. And he never got the stranger's name. He said that bringing food to the fire station was his way of paying back that good deed.

That kind of thing happened a lot. Also around that fire station, when they got back their truck that survived the crash, it was filthy and battered. A community of Jehovah's Witnesses that live in the neighborhood came out with buckets and washcloths, and cleaned the truck, making it gleam again. Just thinking about that this morning brings tears to my eyes. Like I said, this kind of thing happened a lot in those days, in that place. I am privileged to have witnessed it.

"On this day..."

2009-09-11T00:05:00.000-04:00

"On this day, we pray that the hearts of those who wish us evil may be converted -- and we hope to have the power and the will to forgive them....

On this day, we remember the survivors, those who still suffer the effects of 9/11 and other terrorist acts...

On this day, we remember the victims -- the thousands who died in the attack on the twin towers and the Pentagon and the attempted attack on another target which finished in a plane crash in a field in Pennsylvania; we remember their victims of terrorism in other nations -- and we remember the as yet unnumbered thousands who have perished in the terrible destruction along the Gulf Coast. May they rest in God's peace!

On this day, we pray for ourselves, that we may have the strength to bear whatever may happen to us, remembering that we are God's, and we pray that we may have the will and strength to help those who cry out to us in their need -- not only for assistance, but for a sense of meaning and purpose.

"Whether we live or die, we are the Lord's."

This may sound like our limitation; it is in reality our strength."

-- Homily by Archbishop John Foley, September 11, 2005.

Preach the gospel always. Use a microphone when necessary.

2009-09-10T23:26:00.003-04:00

From an alert reader.

This is a problem Jesus never had to worry about. Enjoy.

Anything goes: Dominick Dunne's big fat Irish Catholic funeral

2009-09-10T21:30:00.004-04:00

The celebrated author Dominick Dunne was buried this afternoon following a funeral mass that makes Ted Kennedy's seem downright conservative:

Chronicler of the rich and powerful Dominick Dunne was eulogized as a great father, gossip and faithful friend at a funeral Mass attended by hundreds from the world of society and celebrity.

The Mass was held Thursday at St. Vincent Ferrer Church in Manhattan, where stars such as Richard Gere, Julianna Margulies, Liev Schreiber and Dana Delany rubbed shoulders with society figures including Diane von Furstenberg.

Father Daniel Morrisey said Dunne spent over nine years planning every detail of the funeral, which began with the singing of his favorite Cole Porter song, "Anything Goes."

The Vanity Fair columnist and author of numerous books, including "Another City, Not My Own," about O.J. Simpson's murder trial, died Aug. 26 after a long battle with bladder cancer. He was 83.

The funeral began with Dunne's casket being accompanied into the church by a number of honorary pallbearers including, composer Stephen Sondheim, current Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter and playwright Mart Crowley.

Sondheim and Dunne performed in plays together when they were both students at Williams College. Crowley wrote the play, "The Boys in the Band," which Dunne produced.

Also at the funeral was Dorothy Moxley, whose daughter, Martha Moxley, was slain in 1975. Dunne's 1993 book, "A Season in Purgatory," helped revive interest in the case and a Kennedy relative, Michael Skakel, was convicted in the killing in 2002.

Morrisey said he first met Dunne at a funeral for Gary Cooper's wife, saying the writer approached him with tears streaming down his face and spoke of having a spiritual awakening.

"He said, 'Father, I get it. I really get it. Now, I want to talk to you about my funeral,'" Morrisey said.

Morrisey said the conversation went on for nine years, with Dunne adding and subtracting ideas and finally settling on a theme centering on resurrection.

The same theme was repeated in speeches by Dunne's sons, Griffin and Alex, who spoke of their father's ability to transcend his grief over the murder of their sister, Dominique, and launch a new career as a writer after her death.

A one-time movie producer, Dunne carved a new career starting in the 1980s as a chronicler of the problems of the wealthy and powerful.

Tragedy struck his life in 1982 when his actress daughter, Dominique Dunne, was slain — and that experience informed his later fiction and journalistic efforts.

Tina Brown, former Vanity Fair editor, who hired Dunne as a columnist, said that in the years he began writing he found his true calling.

"He became a celebrity, but never behaved like one," Brown said. "Do any of us doubt that if he was alive he would be working this funeral today."

Writing for Vanity Fair, Dunne covered such cases as the William Kennedy Smith rape trial in 1991 and the trial of Erik and Lyle Menendez, accused of murdering their millionaire parents, in 1993. Dunne became a familiar face to millions during the heavily televised O.J. Simpson trial in 1994.

Dunne's sister-in-law, author Joan Didion, spoke of his bravery and his devotion to his family, even though she acknowledged that he and his late brother, her husband, novelist and screenwriter John Gregory Dunne, frequently had periods of disagreement.

"I came to see the very clear pleasure he took at seeing a celebrity," Didion said. "He wasn't ashamed when people spoke to him on the street and was never afraid to share the moment."

His colleague and longtime friend, columnist Liz Smith, said she spoke to Dunne regularly.

In his final days, "I'd say, 'How are you?' And he'd say, 'I'm dying, but sit down. I have something to tell,'" Liz Smith recalled.

She said Dunne was indomitable and fought hard to overcome his illness.

"He had the gift of gossip, friendship and intimacy," she said. "Goodbye Dominick. We're all so glad we knew you."

The service ended with his granddaughter, 18-year-old Hannah Dunne, telling how he always sent her flowers for Valentine's Day. She then sang the song, "Funny Valentine."

How the church should communicate

2009-09-10T13:29:00.005-04:00

This is a terrific primer on church communications that every parish, and every diocese (and every papacy) should study, courtesy Archbishop Raymundo Damasceno, from Brazil.

John Allen has the scoop:

1. Overcome the idea that the means of communications are themselves communication. In other words, building TV networks, radio stations, and web sites is all well and good, but if you don’t have something compelling to say, building new and better ways to say it won’t accomplish much.

2. Stop thinking that modern means of communication are “secular.” (Damasceno actually used the term “profane,” but he meant it in the literal sense of being outside the temple.) In other words, TV, the Internet, etc., are not somehow alien to the church. Instead, Damasceno said, quoting the Colombian journalist, they are neutral, and everything depends on how they’re used.

3. Understand that communications and preaching are not the same thing. Preaching is one form of communication, but there also has to be space for providing basic information and responding to questions in a fashion distinct from catechesis or moral exhortation.

4. Understand that every pastoral act is a form of communication. The church is always communicating something about itself to the outside world, even at the level of how people are treated when they have contact with the church.

5. Accept that effective communication happens between equals. Just as Christ emptied himself to become human, Damasceno said, the church must not presume an attitude of superiority when it’s trying to communicate with the world.

6. Realize that communications is not the same thing as PR. Ultimately, Damasceno said, the point is not just to project a better image of the church, but rather to share something of Christian life and to help people see their lives and the world from within a Christian frame of reference.

Addressing an audience largely composed of people who handle communications for dioceses, religious orders, and other Catholic groups, Damasceno said what the church needs is an approach that’s “clear, informative, consistent and ethical.”

“We must not simply speak in the name of the Lord,” Damasceno said. “We must also act like the Lord.”

There's more at the link.

"Animal House"? Hardly.

2009-09-10T11:38:00.003-04:00

I don't imagine you'll find many toga parties at this fraternity -- but you may find something else:

Phi Kappa Theta, a Catholic fraternity that opened a chapter at the University of Nebraska in 2005, is working to become a “beacon of light” to those within the Greek system and, with its focus on the faith, is helping young men to follow their vocational call.

The fraternity, Phi Kappa Theta (PKT), was originally established at the University of Nebraska (UNL) in 1924, but was shut down due to the Great Depression. It was re-founded in 2005 through the efforts of the Nebraska Newman Center chaplain Father Robert Matya who “saw a need for a good fraternity to be a beacon to other fraternities on UNL’s campus,” explained founding member Jake Mach to CNA.

Fr. Matya began his search for a social Greek fraternity “that was founded on Catholic ideas” and ran across Phi Kappa Theta. It was then that he decided to bring a chapter to the Nebraska campus and contacted Mach and two others to spearhead the effort.

The three students began working on recruitment, the by-laws, constitution and incorporating themselves into the Greek system at the university. Though there were a few kinks, Mach noted that the experiences helped them “to grow as a fraternity and as a brotherhood, developing deep friendships based not only on our common experiences but also in our faith background.”

The Nebraska chapter of PKT, called Nebraska Pi, has adopted St. Thomas Aquinas as its patron, since he is the patron saint of students. Its motto is to be a “beacon, not a bunker.” Mach emphasized that the motto helps them to remember that the fraternity was not simply founded “to bring in guys and just improve ourselves. We are there to serve and give a good example to the Greek system as a whole through our philanthropy and ideals.”

The fraternity centers its events and activities around four main areas: intellectual, fraternal, social and spiritual.

Intellectually, said Mach, the fraternity stresses the importance of being a student first with mandatory study hours and requiring its members to hold at least a 2.8 GPA.

On the fraternal side, Mach noted that the fraternity holds an annual retreat called Quo Vadis, Latin for “Where are you going?” During the retreat the brothers spend time together, set goals for the year and “reinforce the reason they are part of the fraternity.” The members also play sports and spend leisure time together to build brotherhood.

You can read more about it at the CNA link.

The numbers don't lie

2009-09-09T17:19:00.003-04:00

While I was scanning this story about the Nashville Dominicans, this graph jumped out at me:

There are 23 postulants this year at the Motherhouse of Nashville's Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia. It's the largest group of new nuns in training in the United States.

The article goes on:

While many religious orders in the United States are declining, the Nashville Dominicans are flourishing. Most of the new sisters are in their 20s and want to be traditional nuns — wearing full habits and living in a convent. They say that life as a nun offers more than the secular world could ever give them.

The new sisters, known as postulants during their first year, are a diverse group. Sister Maria, from Pennsylvania, is 17 and straight out of high school. One, a nurse of Vietnamese descent, came from Sydney, Australia. Another sister is from the Ivory Coast. Others are from Ohio, Michigan and other Midwestern states. One is from Knoxville. Three were engineers before coming to the convent.

They love Pope Benedict XVI and the retired nuns at the convent, as well as Christian rock bands Third Day and Jars of Clay. And they've left everything behind — families, friends, careers, even their iPods, cell phones, laptops and Facebook accounts — all for the sake of Jesus.

"God showed me that everything I longed for in my heart was here," Sister Angela said. "My vocation was a romance with the Creator."

Take a gander at the rest of the article. H/T to Roman Catholic Vocations.

PHOTO: by Shelley Mays / The Tennessean

Sullivan's travels: deacon cured by Newman will visit his oratory and grave

2009-09-09T07:46:00.003-04:00

The deacon whose miraculous cure is leading to the beatification of John Henry Newman is about to make the most meaningful pilgrimage of his life, to Newman's home and grave in England:

Deacon Jack Sullivan of Massachusetts and his wife Carol will be in Birmingham from November 11 to 12. He will tour Newman’s room and library and the Oratory church, built in the early twentieth century to memorialize the nineteenth century theologian and Catholic convert. The deacon will see the desk at which Cardinal Newman wrote his Apologia Pro Vita Sua, a defense of his 1845 conversion to Catholicism.

The deacon will also visit Newman’s grave at Rednal and parts of Birmingham, such as Digbeth, where the cardinal worked in a poor neighborhood that was part of his first Oratorian parish, the Birmingham Oratory reports.

Deacon Sullivan will later visit Oxford, visiting Newman’s two colleges of Trinity and Oriel, and will also visit Littlemore, where Newman was received into the Catholic Church. The Brompton Oratory in London, which was founded by Father Newman, will be on Deacon Sullivan's itinerary too.

Deacon Sullivan will also visit Westminster Cathedral, where he will preach at Mass on the Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica.

In June 2000 he had awoken to excruciating pain. A CT scan revealed that all or most of the vertebrae and discs in his back had turned inward and were squeezing his spinal cord. A neurosurgeon advised him to have immediate surgery to prevent paralysis.

After seeing a show about the cardinal on EWTN, he first prayed to Cardinal Newman for the pain to cease so that he could continue his diaconate training. The pain ceased for a year, but came back with a fury.

Sullivan had surgery in the spring of 2001 during which his surgeon discovered that in addition to his other injuries the protective membrane surrounding his spine had been torn in at least two places.

Sullivan could not walk and suffered agonizing pain, facing the prospect of not being able to return to his diaconate classes. On August 15, 2001, four days after his surgery, he again prayed to Cardinal Newman.

“I felt tremendous heat and a tingling feeling all over that lasted for five or 10 minutes,” Sullivan told EWTN. “After I experienced this, I immediately stood up straight. I was able to walk, not with a walker or cane, but on my own, without any difficulty or pain. I walked all over the hospital, just joyful. I never needed any pain medication after that.”

Deacon Sullivan said the visit to Birmingham Oratory will be “the greatest moment of my life.”

“To visit the place where Newman prayed, lived and worked will be a wonderful experience. I call Cardinal Newman my ‘intercessor and special friend.’ Birmingham was the center of Newman’s whole life,” he said.

You can find more at the link.

There goes the neighborhood

2009-09-09T06:37:00.004-04:00

One of the nicest guys around is departing.

Friend and blogging colleague Mike Hayes -- he, of the Googling God franchise and the Busted Halo online magazine -- dropped this little bombshell this morning:

It is with mixed emotions that I announce that after 9 years I have decided to leave Busted Halo® full-time to focus on more direct ministry with young adults as a Campus Minister at St Joseph's University Parish which also serves as the Newman Center for SUNY Buffalo.

The move comes after much reflection over the past few years on my part, on what my own gifts and talents are and how I can best use them to serve the church. I found that doing retreats, spiritual direction with young adults and preaching were where I found the most life in ministry and while spending a good deal of time working on Busted Halo's® Catechetical section, the podcast and speaking around the country, I've felt like I need to test many of the ideas in my book with a particular community. When St Joseph's approached me, I was intrigued by the idea of working at a Univeristy Parish and with the biggest school in the state and moving to a new place that is not that far away from family and friends and yet, still a new adventure where I can grow as a minister.

There's more at his blog's link.

What can I say? New York's loss is Buffalo's gain. I can't wait to see what this next chapter brings Mike -- and I know that he will continue to transform many lives and hearts (even under three feet of snow, while cheering for the Bills.) The New Evangelization is richer because people like Mike are a part of it. The good news for the rest of us is that he plans to continue his blog, so the Hayes saga (and Haze saga) goes on!

The U.S. Army gets its first Buddhist chaplain

2009-09-09T06:25:00.005-04:00

The Armed Forces are more diverse than ever -- and that includes a diversity of religious beliefs and practices. For evidence, look no further than this item from USA TODAY:

When Thomas Dyer heads to Afghanistan in December, the former Marine and one-time Southern Baptist pastor won't take a rifle with him. He won't take a Bible, either.

Instead, Dyer, a Tennessean National Guardsman from Memphis and the first Buddhist chaplain in the history of the U.S. Army, hopes to bring serenity and calm, honed by months of intensive meditation.

That preparation, he says, will help him bring spiritual care in the midst of a war zone. "We're going to put it to the test," Dyer said.

Dyer's deployment is another step in the U.S. military's attempt to meet the diverse spiritual needs of America's fighting forces. It's no easy task.

For one thing, the military chaplaincy is facing all the complications that have affected American religion over the past 40 years. The decline of mainline Protestants and their aging clergy. The ongoing Catholic priest shortage. The explosion of religious diversity. The emergence of people with no faith. The ease with which people move from one faith to another.

The military is trying to adapt to these changes, while trying to find ministers willing to serve in a war zone, and who can minister to American troops without offending Muslim allies.

Chaplains say they are up to it, saying their "cooperate without compromise" approach allows them to serve soldiers of any faith. But critics wonder if the whole enterprise is doomed to fail.

Military chaplains have cared for the souls of American troops since at least the 1700s. In 1775, the Continental Congress agreed to pay chaplains $20 a month. Gen. George Washington told his commanders to find chaplains of good character and exemplary lives to care for the souls of their troops.

The first chaplains served a mostly Protestant military. Chaplains today serve in a remarkably diverse environment.

The latest report from the Defense Department tracks 101 faiths for active-duty personnel, from 285,763 Roman Catholics to the one member of the Tioga River Christian conference. In between are Baptists, Jews, Buddhists, Bahai's, Mormons and Wiccans. About a half a million active personnel are evangelicals. Almost 281,710 claim no religion.

No military has ever tried to meet such diverse spiritual needs, says Doris Bergen, a history professor at the University of Toronto. In World War II, the British army had thousands of Hindus and Muslims in its ranks, but only Christian and Jewish chaplains.

"To build a military chaplaincy that reflects the incredible religious diversity of Americans, and that supports that diversity in a meaningful way. It's uncharted terrain," Bergen said. "It's completely brand new. You don't really have any models to look to."

That means chaplains like Maj. Darin Olson at Fort Campbell maintain a delicate balance.

In chapel services, he's a Nazarene minister. That means preaching about Jesus. Once services are over, he becomes an advocate for every faith group.

"I am here to guarantee the religious freedom of every soldier," Olson said.

To help meet with the religious needs at Fort Campbell, which straddles the Kentucky-Tennessee border, a new multifaith chapel is under construction, to be used by smaller groups such as Jews and Wiccans. Funding is pending for another $15 million, 1,200-seat chapel also in the works. There are now seven chapels at the base — six at least 50 years old, the other built in 1990.

Staff Sgt. Clayton Wilhelm works as a chaplain assistant at Fort Campbell. A reservist, he spent parts of 2007 and 2008 in Iraq, and is now doing another year of active duty. He and other chaplain assistants set the chapels for worship services and order equipment for a variety of groups on base. Those include Catholics, Lutherans, Jews, Muslim, pagans, Greek Orthodox and other Protestants.

Wilhelm, a Southern Baptist, says he's just doing his job.

"There are some things I don't agree with, but in my position, I am not allowed to not support someone because of my own beliefs," he said.

Chaplains and their assistants also serve as a listening ear for soldiers, as they deal with stress.

Sometimes soldiers' concerns are spiritual; other times they are more mundane.

Those small concerns become heavier to bear when soldiers are in war zones. If they are distracted by worries about their family back home or by religious concerns, then they can't keep focused on their mission, Olson said.

"A soldier's soul in combat is important," he said. "A soldier who is not right with the Lord, or maybe the soldier is having marriage troubles back home, a soldier who feels that they are not able to talk to anyone. If they can talk to a chaplain, they are going to be a better soldier."

Chaplain Steve Blackwell, a Tennessee native who now serves as an Army chaplain recruiter in Los Angeles, said a chaplain's job is not to evangelize.

"The doctrine of the chaplain corps is to nurture the living, care for the wounded and honor the dead," he said.

While they can share their faith with the willing, they are not allowed to push their faith on those who are not interested.

That's important because the military can't always match the denominations of chaplains with those of the troops they serve.

For example, Catholics make up 20% of the Army, but there is a shortage of Catholic chaplains. Only 7% of chaplains are priests.

So Catholic chaplains are constantly being deployed overseas, with little downtime. And servicemen and women don't always have access to a priest when they need one.

"They come face to face with who they are and what they believe," said Lt. Col. Carleton Birch, spokesman for the Army Chief of Chaplains Office. "And sometimes, often, they choose to become very serious about their faith. And if there is not a priest to service them, then a priest won't be there at a critical time in their lives."

There is more at the link.