Dominican Sisters plant roots in Central Texas
Transcripción
Dominican Sisters plant roots in Central Texas
OCTOBER 2013 T H E V O L U M E 3 1, N U M B E R 9 O F F I C I A L P U B L I C A T I O N O F T H E D I O C E S E O F A U S T I N Dominican Sisters plant roots in Central Texas BY ENEDELIA J. OBREGÓN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT With the foundresses of the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist in attendance, Bishop Joe Vásquez blessed their new temporary mission convent just outside Georgetown on Sept. 21. The convent will house four to six of the sisters currently working in Central Texas. The celebration also served to thank those who have made donations for the convent and priory, now in the planning stages, that will eventually house 120 sisters. The Georgetown location is the Àrst outside Ann Arbor, Mich., where the motherhouse is located. The order is led by Mother Assumpta Long, the Prioress General; Sister Joseph Andrew Bogdanowicz, Sister Mary Samuel Handwerker and Sister John Dominic Rasmussen. Bishop Wm. Michael Mulvey of Corpus Christi, who was vicar general for the Diocese of Austin when the sisters arrived in 2009 and was instrumental in helping them come to Texas, also attended the blessing. Sister Elizabeth Ann O’Reilly, who heads the Sisters’ Mission Advancement OfÀce in the Diocese of Austin, said the blessing of the convent is “a sign of spiritual Periodical Postage Paid at Austin, Texas BISHOP JOE VÁSQUEZ and Bishop Wm. Michael Mulvey of Corpus Christi stand with the foundresses of the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist in front of an artist’s rendering of the new priory that will be built in Georgetown. (Photo by Enedelia J. Obregón) STUDYING ABROAD INTERVIEW Respect for life from conception to natural death. Page 18 ney we had no clue,” she said. “We knew God had a plan.” Right away, she said, they found themselves “on the fast track.” “We needed a place not only to feed, clothe and educate but also to form them,” she said. “We had wonderful people step up to the plate and we haven’t had a creditor knock on our door.” Mother Assumpta also joked the large crowd might get to see a “Áying nun” since the winds kept blowing the sisters’ veils and the bishops’ zucchettos. The sisters –– whose apostolate is education –– work in 15 schools in seven states. Their spirituality and traditional habits have attracted many young women and the motherhouse is bursting at the seams at a time when other orders are dwindling. The Michigan location is landlocked; therefore, expansion had to take place elsewhere. “We didn’t know where the Lord wanted us,” she said. “We had an opportunity to go to California.” Then Texas beckoned. Sisters have been working in ofÀces at the Pastoral Center to develop a plan for the community’s expansion into See OP on Page 3 AID TO SYRIA Agencies work together to help displaced Syrians. Page 17 Young adult from Round Rock studies at Emmanuel school in Rome. Page 6 BISHOP’S Austin Diocese 6225 Hwy. 290 East Austin, Texas 78723 vitality and vibrancy in this diocese.” After the blessing, Sister Elizabeth Ann said that whenever God opens a door, “He deÀnitely lets you know.” “In Texas it happened so fast it seemed he was shoving us through,” she said. While they have missions in six other states, Texas will have the second priory for the education and formation of new sisters. The sisters arrived in Central Texas in August 2009 at the invitation of Archbishop Gregory M. Aymond, who was then bishop of the Diocese of Austin. In 2011 –– with the help of benefactors –– the sisters purchased 60.4 acres near the San Gabriel River on which the convent and priory will sit. Bishop Vásquez blessed the sisters saying, “May they listen to you in faith and prayer; may they seek only you ... and may they Ànd you in all they do. May they be witnesses to the Gospel and speak of God to everyone.” Mother Assumpta said that when they were asked by Cardinal John O’Connor of New York to start a new order in 1997 they relied only on faith. Three months after that he sent them to Michigan. “When we began our jour- ESPAÑOL La Parroquia de St. Albert celebra su diversidad. Página 29 2 THE MISSION OF THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT As the of¿cial newspaper for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Austin, the CATHOLIC SPIRIT is dedicated to providing information, education and formation for the Catholic community of Central Texas. This mission calls for the newspaper: • to provide readers with an understanding of our Catholic faith and traditions; • to be a primary source of information on Catholic issues relevant to the community; • to be a unifying element for faith communities, both rural and urban, throughout Central Texas; • to show respect for and appreciation of all cultural groups and traditions; • to emphasize topics af¿rming the Catholic community and life, while acknowledging the humanity of the community and examining, with courage, topics that challenge and encourage growth in the faith; • to carry a commitment to social justice that will support the renewal of the church in Central Texas. HOW TO SUBMIT INFORMATION Deadline for submission of articles or information for the CATHOLIC SPIRIT is the 10th of the month for publication in the following month’s edition. Deadline for the November issue is Oct. 10. You can submit material in any of the following ways: • E-mail to [email protected]. • Mail to CATHOLIC SPIRIT, 6225 Hwy. 290 E., Austin, TX 78723. For additional information, call (512) 949-2443 or e-mail us at [email protected]. CATHOLIC SPIRIT has unrestricted editing rights. HOW TO SUBMIT A LETTER TO THE EDITOR Readers are encouraged to express their opinions on articles published in CATHOLIC SPIRIT. Letters to the editor provide a forum of discussion for the local Catholic community. The views expressed in the letters do not necessarily represent those of the editor or the publisher of CATHOLIC SPIRIT. Letters to the editor should be limited to 250 words. Name and full address of the writer must be provided, though name will be withheld from publication on request. We reserve the right to edit or withhold all letters. Please e-mail to [email protected] or mail to Editor, Catholic Spirit, 6225 Hwy. 290 E., Austin, TX 78723. HOW TO SUBSCRIBE Subscription rates are $12 for one year. To subscribe, send check payable to Catholic Spirit to CATHOLIC SPIRIT, 6225 Hwy. 290 E., Austin, TX 78723. Members of a parish in the Austin Diocese may receive the newspaper for a reduced rate. Contact your parish staff for more information. ADDRESS CHANGES OR DUPLICATE MAILINGS Send all address changes to CATHOLIC SPIRIT, 6225 Hwy. 290 E., Austin, TX 78723. Please include your parish’s name and city. If receiving duplicate copies of the CATHOLIC SPIRIT, call (512) 949-2443 or e-mail [email protected]. STAFF Publisher: Most Rev. Joe S. Vásquez, Bishop of Austin Editor: Shelley Metcalf; (512) 949-2400, [email protected] Assistant Editor: Christian R. González; (512) 949-2400, [email protected] Advertising: Shelley Metcalf; (512) 949-2400, [email protected] Spanish translation: Gina Dominguez Columnists: Barbara Budde, Mary Lou Gibson and Rev. Tadeusz Pacholczyk, Ph.D. Correspondents: Burnie Cook, Amy Moraczewski, Peggy Moraczewski, Enedelia Obregón, Michele Chan Santos and Mary P. Walker VOICES C ATHOLIC S PIRIT Being grateful stewards, believers BY DANIEL CONWAY GUEST COLUMNIST The Year of Faith proclaimed by Pope Benedict XVI a year ago will conclude the end of this church year on the feast of Christ the King Nov. 24. All year long we have been thinking about the mystery that is Christian faith. Faith is a gift. It is a beacon of light that shines in our darkness. We all experience the pain, suffering and confusion that are caused by darkness in our lives. Sin and death are the primary expressions of darkness that no human person –– except the Blessed Virgin Mary, by the grace of God –– can escape. We cannot overcome the world’s darkness by our own efforts, but our faith tells us that we can open our minds and hearts to the light of Christ and, so, “journey through time” illumined by his brightness. The church teaches that faith comes as the result of a personal encounter with Jesus Christ. How well do we know him? How deeply do we love him? How effectively do we serve him by responding to the most profound needs of our sisters and brothers in faith? The light of Christ shines through our darkness. It illumines the shadows of our life and touches us in what Pope Francis describes in his encyclical, “Lumen Fidei” (“The Light of Faith”), as “the core of our being.” When we see with faith, we recognize the meaning of life –– and of our individual lives. Through faith, our minds and hearts are opened to the truth. We are not orphans. We are the sons and daughters of God, the brothers and sisters of Jesus Christ, who are called to see and to believe with great joy! As people of faith, we are called to thank God for this great gift. But giving thanks, expressing our gratitude in thought and word, is only an initial aspect of being a grateful believer. We are called not only to say thanks to God, but to do thanks as well. This expression of gratitude to God in action is called stewardship. In their pastoral letter “Stewardship: A Disciple’s Response,” the American bishops teach that authentic Christian stewardship is a disciple’s response in faith to all the gifts we have been given by a loving and generous God. When somebody gives us a gift or does us a favor, we spontaneously say “thank you.” That’s the expected response our parents taught us to make at a very early age. But just saying thanks isn’t really enough. Yes, we are expected to acknowledge in words the gift or beneÀt we have received, but we are expected to acknowledge it in action, too. This acknowledgment in action is not supposed to be a “payback” in which we calculate the value of what we have received and give exactly that much back to the giver. Rather, it’s intended to be a more intense expression of grateful acknowledgment, a more emphatic way of showing that we are aware of what we have received and that we want to express our sincere appreciation by giving something in return. Gratitude in action is more demanding than just expressing thanks with words. It’s more substantive. It costs more. It’s more complicated. But it is also more expressive, and the more we have been given, the more we are expected to give in return. Unless there is a willingness to give in return, the gratitude we express with words can easily become a mere formality. Stewardship is the term used to express our “sacriÀcial giving” in return to the Lord who has given everything to us. Stewardship is not just giving our “time, talent and treasure.” It’s not simply a technique for asking people to contribute more to the church in order to pay the light bills and keep parish and school ministries going. Stewardship is the practice of putting our faith in action –– or as one theologian has said, “Stewardship is what we do after we say we believe.” The practice of stewardship should not be a once in a while thing, any more than gratitude to God is a once in a while thing. Gratitude, and the expression of it in word and action, is supposed to be habitual in our lives. Stewardship and gratitude are part of what we are about in our day-to-day lives, every day. They are constituent elements of our Christian spirituality of faith in action. Let’s thank God for all his gifts. Let’s be grateful stewards whose words and actions show that we are responsible, generous and willing to give back to the Lord with increase. Let’s be grateful believers who do thanks as well as say it. DANIEL CONWAY is an editorial writer for The Criterion, the weekly newspaper of the Archdiocese of Indianapolis. Father Azcona died Sept. 5 in Mexico Father José Luís Azcona, died on Sept. 5 at Irving, Richardthe age of 65 in Guadalajara, Mexico. He was son, Luling, Mcborn on April 19, 1948, in Tepic, Nayarit, Mexico. Gregor, Moody He was ordained a priest on Sept. 27, 1985, as a and China Spring. Catholic Spirit subscribes to Catholic News Service member of the St. Albert Province of the Discalced His most recent (CNS) and is a member of the Catholic Press Association. Carmelites in Mexico. He joined the Diocese of assignment was Copyright 2013 by the Austin Diocese. All rights reAustin in 2007. as pastor of St. served. Reproduction of any editorial content, photograph, Father Azcona studied philosophy at the Eugene Parish in art or design is prohibited without written permission of the Jesuit College in Mexico City and the Urbaniana McGregor and publisher CATHOLIC SPIRIT (ISSN 0896-2715) is published 11 University in Rome, Italy. He earned a degree Our Lady of San times annually (monthly except one issue in July/August) in theology at the Collegio Teologico InterJuan Mission in by the Austin Diocese. Bishop Joe S. Vásquez, publisher, nazionale in Rome, and a degree in human deMoody. 6225 Hwy. 290 E., Austin, TX 78723. Periodicals Postage velopment at the Jesuit College in Guadalajara, Services and Paid at Austin, Texas. burial were held POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Catholic Spirit, Mexico. In Mexico he served in Valle de Bravo, Puebla, at the Catholic 6225 Hwy. 290 E., Austin, Texas 78723. Mexico City, Santo Desierto de Tenanzingo, Church of Nuestra Señora de Altamira, in Zapoand Guadalajara. In Texas he served in Dallas, pan, Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. October 2013 3 CENTRAL TEXAS Brazos Valley Planned Parenthood is closed BY MARY P. WALKER SENIOR CORRESPONDENT Saturday, Sept. 7 was a sweltering day in the Brazos Valley, but the weather could not keep hundreds from celebrating the closing of the Planned Parenthood abortion facility in Bryan. In a tent across the street, the mood was happy and prayerful, occasionally punctuated by tears of joy. “We are standing across the street from where abortion began in the Brazos Valley. But, more importantly, we are standing across the street from where abortion ended in the Brazos Valley!” said Jim Olson, master of ceremonies and board member of the Brazos Valley Coalition for Life. In July, Planned Parenthood announced that the Bryan clinic was closing, citing legislative cuts in funding. The program for the event included speakers who told the story of the power of God working through peaceful, prayerful persistence, under the sponsorship of the Coalition. This grassroots movement has international inÁuence, and serves as a blueprint for other communities to end abortion in their midst. The movement also formed a new generation of pro-life leaders, who took their experience from what Planned Parenthood termed “the most anti-choice place in the nation” to other communities. In 1998, Planned Parenthood’s announcement that it would build an abortion facility in Bryan alarmed a group of Christian pro-life supporters. Forming the ecumenical Coalition for Life, they were determined to stop abortions and remove the abortion provider from the community. Speaking to the attendees, Lauren Gulde, the Coalition’s founder, expressed appreciation for the training she received from other pro-life individuals and organizations. Through their mentorship, they learned how to counsel women on the sidewalk, before they entered the facility for an abortion. Even after Planned Parenthood constructed a barrier fence and then added netting on the fence to prevent pro-life brochures from being passed to the women, the coalition continued their efforts. In 2001, David Bereit became the second executive director of the Coalition. His friend, David Arabie, talked to him about how his dying father insisted on praying with his son to end abortion. Arabie’s experiences during that time convinced him that standing outside the facility and praying continuously would end abortion there. By then, Bereit admitted that he was discouraged. Together, he and some other coalition members desperately prayed for wisdom and help. They believed that God’s answer was for them to pray continuously outside the facility for 40 days and 40 nights. The local pro-life advocates wanted to launch an abortion awareness activity in the fall of 2004. They recognized that Planned Parenthood’s business increased with the returning college students. Under the leadership of Bereit, they took Arabie’s kernel of an idea, reÀned it, and marketed it to the community through education and door-to-door outreach. The 40 Days for Life campaign was born. Churches and parishes promoted 40 days of fasting, and peacefully standing and praying, around the clock, outside the facility. Participants stood and prayed in spite of heat, insects and rain. Members of the Knights of Columbus, particularly the Aggie Knights, took on the “Knight Shift.” During those 40 days, abortions dropped and the local prolife community was energized. Afterwards, the campaign was held twice a year, in the fall and during Lent. The coalition also sponsored “Stand and Pray” throughout the year when the facility scheduled abortions. Many also prayed outside at other times. Drivers passing by often saw one, two or many standing and praying on the sidewalk. Word of the campaign’s success spread, and hundreds of cities implemented their own 40 Days campaigns. Bereit and Shawn Carney, who along with his wife, Marilisa, were instrumental in organizing the first 40 Days campaign, now head the national 40 Days for Life organization. This organization advises prolife advocates in the U.S. and other countries on how to implement the same peaceful, prayerful strategy within their communities. To date, at least 40 abortion facilities have closed after 40 Days campaigns. The Planned Parenthood facility in Bryan was the 38th, and the local pro-life community could Ànally celebrate in their own backyard. One of the more powerful events in this story was the conversion of the director of the Bryan facility, Abby Johnson. Over the years, those praying on the sidewalk often saw and interacted with Johnson. They also prayed for her. After assisting in an abortion in 2009, Johnson had a change of heart. Not knowing where else to go, she went to the coalition’s ofÀce, right down the street. There she found acceptance, support, friendship and a path to God’s forgiveness. She subsequently became Catholic, and founded And Then There Were None, an organization that provides Ànancial, emotional, spiritual and legal support to those wishing to leave the abortion industry. As speakers recounted the events leading up to the closing, a sense of awe permeated the gathering. The idea that God used their simple grassroots efforts to create a movement that has saved thousands of lives, impacted pro-life advocacy strategies across the nation and internationally, and formed the next generation of pro-life leaders evoked gratitude and wonder. Now that the coalition has reached the goal for which it had been founded, they are exploring ways to apply what was learned in the Brazos Valley to other pro-life endeavors. “While our mission has always been a local one, we’ve come to realize that America is now watching what is happening in Aggieland,” said Bobby Reynoso, the current executive director of the coalition. Those gathered also acknowledged the somber reality that although the facility is closed, the community bears the scars of the evil perpetrated there. Father David Konderla reminded the crowd that the 6,400 babies killed in the Bryan facility have mothers and fathers. Years may pass before they acknowledge their loss, and the pro-life community must be ready to offer help and healing. To commemorate the loss of these 6,400 children, the coalition organized a 24-hour prayer vigil in front of the closed facility on Sept. 24. Dominicans build temporary convent in Georgetown OP Continued from Page 1 Central Texas, including fundraising for the new priory. Others have been teaching at Santa Cruz Catholic School in Buda; and Holy Family Catholic School and St. Dominic Savio High School in Northwest Austin. “People have been magnanimous,” Mother Assumpta said, noting that Texas will be the model for future expansion plans. Sister Joseph Andrew said that while the monetary gifts from the faithful are vital, it’s not the only thing the sisters need. “We also want your daughters,” she said, suggesting young women attend discernment retreats. “Open yourselves to God’s will,” she said. “It’s the most exciting possibility you can dream of.” Planting the seed is important for young women. According to the National Religious Vocation Conference, women religious first start thinking of a vocation around age 14. Women religious are also more likely to have attended Catholic school as youngsters. While 94 percent of current sisters are Caucasian, the changing demographic is reÁected in the new women in formation. About 21 percent are Hispanic/Latina, 14 percent are Asian/PaciÀc Islander, and 6 percent are African, black or African-American. Sister Maria, one of the sisters who has been working in Central Texas, said before entering the convent she was Chief Financial Officer for three car dealerships in New York. “I led a very materialistic life,” she said. She was “living A MEMBER OF THE DOMINICAN SISTERS OF MARY, Mother of the Eucharist walks out of the newly built convent in Georgetown. Future plans include the construction of a priory that will house 120 sisters. (Photo by Enedelia J. Obregón) the good life, but not the best one.” “When you possess Christ and do his will you truly Ànd joy, not just happiness,” she said. “I was looking for stuff to make me happy but it was temporal.” Robert Marcarelli, director of Mission Advancement for the order, marveled at how quickly the faithful have embraced the sisters and their vision. So far the sisters have received $13 million in dona- tions toward their $30 million goal. For more information on the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist, visit www.sistersofmary. org/expansion/tx-expansion. html. C ATHOLIC S PIRIT CENTRAL TEXAS 4 Local Catholic student wins big on Jeopardy! BY MICHELE CHAN SANTOS CORRESPONDENT Jonathan Shoemaker, 12, a seventh grader at Holy Family Catholic School in North Austin, took a big risk when he decided to stake $2,000 on a Bible question on the popular TV show Jeopardy!. Host Alex Trebek said, “When this strong man was born, God said, ‘No razor shall come upon his head.’” Jonathan correctly answered, “Who was Samson?” In answering the Daily Double question on the Kids’ Week episode, Jonathan increased his winnings to $4,000. “My strategy was, if the category was Math or Religion, I’m betting everything,” he said. He held on through Double Jeopardy and Final Jeopardy, winning the match and $15,000. He put most of the money in his college fund, though he did purchase a laptop. During Kids’ Week the contestants appeared on one episode each. Unlike when adults compete, the winners did not go on to the next day’s show. The best part of being on Jeopardy! was “meeting all the other kids and seeing what the studio was like,” Jonathan said. “From the outside it’s just a gray box, but inside you can see the set, it looked cool.” Host Trebek, who is 73 years old, was “really nice,” he said, adding, “It’s amazing he’s still going.” Jonathan is a bright, polite teenager with many interests. He plays soccer, basketball, tennis and baseball, and participates in math tournaments through a program called Extreme Math. Jonathan’s father, David, is his Extreme Math coach. David has a Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and is the CEO of Alereon, a wireless chip company. Jonathan’s mother, Judy, is a graduate of Wellesley College in Massachusetts. Jonathan has two sisters – Emily, a freshman at St. Dominic Savio Catholic High School, and Jessica, a fourth grader at Holy Family Catholic School. Jonathan credits his Bible knowledge to Sister Jude Andrew, his religion teacher at Holy Family last year, and to Sister Maria Fatima, his current religion teacher. Both religious sisters are from the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist. “Jonathan is a wonderful student. I’m impressed with his humility,” Sister Fatima said. Sister Jude Andrew was very excited when Jonathan’s episode went on the air, she said. The episode aired on July 29, although it was taped last February. Just earning a spot on Jeopardy! Kids’ Week was quite a feat. Thousands of children took a 30-question timed test online, which was offered on only one day. Of those students, 250 were chosen for the next round, and had to travel to New Orleans, Cincinnati, New York or Los Angeles. In New Orleans, Jonathan took another 30-question test, did an interview and participated in a mock Jeopardy! game. Finally, 15 students were picked to be on the show. Jeopardy! paid for the students’ airfare and hotel; the participants also received a free day at Universal Studios. After the Kids’ Week competitions aired, there was controversy over a different episode where Thomas Hurley, an 8thgrader from Connecticut, misspelled Emancipation Proclamation (he spelled it “emancipta- The John Paul II Life Center’s Benefit Dinner JONATHAN SHOEMAKER, a seventh grader at Holy Family Catholic School, with Alex Trebek on the set of Jeopardy!. (Photo courtesy Judy Shoemaker) tion”). The answer was deemed incorrect by the show’s judges, and he told the media he felt cheated. Trebek was publicly criticized for appearing insensitive. Asked about the controversy, Jonathan said it was made clear to all the young contestants that misspellings would only be counted correct if the number of syllables and phonetic pronunciation agreed with the correct answer. Because the extra “t” made Hurley’s misspelling a different-sounding word, Jonathan said he thought the judges made the right decision. Hurley eventually lost to the top competitor at Kids’ Week, Skyler Hornbeck, who won a record-setting $66,000, which was the third-highest one-day total in the history of the show. Jonathan’s parents were longtime believers in the value of a Catholic education, even before their son won a spot on the TV quiz show. “The religious education and environment at Holy Family is a huge plus,” Judy said. “The size of the school allows us to really participate in everything with our kids.” Asked if he’s planning on making a return appearance on Jeopardy!, Jonathan shook his head no. “They told us we couldn’t be on the show again unless 30 years had passed or Alex Trebek retires,” Jonathan said. A Memorial as Remarkable as Your Life. Embrace a Better Choice! Now Available Garden of Serenity Plan for your future... And Theirs Planning your final arrangements is a responsible decision, and is one of the most caring gifts you can give your loved ones. The Dignity Memorial® professional provider network is here to guide you...every step of the way. You’re invited to tour our newest garden, Garden of Serenity. 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The program included a ribbon cutting ceremony, blessing of the building by Bishop Joe Vásquez, and an open house. “This is a great sign of hope. I think people are going to feel comfortable coming here and seeking the help of the church,” Bishop Vásquez said. While CCCTX has sponsored a satellite ofÀce in Bryan since 2008, the previous location offered many challenges. That ofÀce operated out of a remodeled home, a building that was not designed for public access. It was too small, had maintenance problems, limited parking and was located far from many of the clients. These drawbacks, combined with the need to expand services, required the CCCTX ofÀce in Bryan to move. “In order to meet the growing needs in our area, we had to grow as well. Our new facilities will allow us to do a better job of providing our current services and will allow us to bring new services to the area,” said Vancy Mayes, Brazos Valley Social Services Coordinator. Located at 1410 Cavitt Ave., near downtown Bryan, the building offers nearly 5,000 square feet of ofÀce, meeting, classroom, lobby and storage space. Purchased by the Diocese of Austin, the building was remodeled speciÀcally to meet the needs of CCCTX, under the oversight of Deacon Ted Baker, who has extensive experience in managing such projects. In addition to disaster relief, CCCTX has three areas of focus: Family Assistance and Referral, the Good Samaritan Gabriel Project Life Center, and Immigration Legal Services (ILS). All three programs are expanding and will beneÀt from the move. The additional space and design of the interior allows caseworkers to see and help more individuals and families in a welcoming and private setting. Through the larger classroom and expanded parking, Good Samaritan is able to accommodate more students in their parenting classes. The area is also experiencing a greater need for affordable legal assistance for low-income immigrants dealing with immigration issues. The new building allows ILS to increase the local availability of legal help, eliminating the need for some clients to travel to Austin for services. Christina Reyes-Paiz, interim THE NEW OFFICE for the Brazos Valley location of Catholic Charities of Central Texas opened on Sept. 6. It is located at 1410 Cavitt Ave., near downtown Bryan. (Photo by Mary P. Walker) director of CCCTX, views the expansion of services in the Brazos Valley as a model that can be replicated in other communities within the diocese. “We know it can be done. It’s being done here,” ReyesPaiz said. Bishop Vásquez praised the good work of CCCTX in the Brazos Valley, and reminded those present that Catholic Charities is much more than a social service agency. During the blessing service, the bishop cited Pope Francis, who teaches that helping the poor is a holy endeavor. The poor are not just the recipients of our care; we are also spiritually enriched when we act in charity. He explained that when people come to Catholic Charities for help, we see the face of Christ is in their faces, and they in turn reÁect the face of Christ back to us. “Catholic Charities is making a difference in the lives of people. Catholic Charities is always about helping those who need assistance, recognizing the dignity of each person made in the image and likeness of God,” Bishop Vásquez said. Bishop Vásquez thanked the local CCCTX staff and those who worked hard to make the move a reality. In addition, Mayes praised the cooperation and collaboration that CCCTX enjoys with other local non-profit organizations, such as the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. This collaboration makes all those who seek to serve the poor and vulnerable more effective in their outreach, she said. The Bryan/College Station community also welcomed the expansion of CCCTX. Bryan mayor, Jason Bienski, attended the blessing and expressed appreciation for the caring, local presence of Catholic Charities. Before the blessing, the Bryan/College Station Chamber of Commerce celebrated the new home of CCCTX with a ribbon cutting ceremony. Chamber of Commerce ambassador, Andrew Robison, said, “The prosperity of a community depends on businesses and non-proÀts working together to serve the public. We are blessed to have the vibrant outreach of Catholic Charities.” Workshop helps Tribunal advocates prepare cases BY THOMAS HOWARD GUEST CORRESPONDENT In August, people from Austin, Dallas and as far away as Oregon gathered at Cedarbrake Catholic Retreat Center in Belton for the annual Advocates Training Workshop. The diocesan OfÀce of Canonical and Tribunal Services sponsors the workshop, which is designed to help those who help people who are seeking an annulment. The workshop began eight years ago when the Judicial Vicar, Father Christopher Ferrer, invited advocates from around the Diocese of Austin to come and learn how to be better advocates. He thought it was very important to teach advocates how to prepare their cases for presentation to the Tribunal. “By doing so, the Tribunal is better able to process nullity cases in a timely fashion and, more importantly, arrive at the correct decision in each case,” Father Ferrer said. This year, three experts in canon law made presentations: Father Roger Keeler, doctor of canon Law and Judicial Vicar of the Court of Second Instance in San Antonio; Father Matthew Iwuji, doctor of universal and canon law and judge of the Tribunal of Austin; and Father Jozef Musiol, SDS, doctor of canon law and Adjutant Judicial Vicar of the Diocese of Austin. Each presenter focused on a different aspect of canon law to describe various reasons why a declaration of nullity (annulment) might be granted. The premise of a declaration of nullity is that the marriage never occurred in the Àrst place (ab initio) due to a lack of canonical form, an impediment or a lack of valid consent. Father Keeler began by reminding attendees that the church has clearly deÀned marriage as a “covenant, by which a man and a woman establish between themselves a partnership of the whole of life and which is ordered by its nature to the good of the spouses and the procreation and education of offspring (Canon 1055).” Then he spoke of lack of consent caused by various incapacities on the part of one of the parties. Father Musiol talked about two different aspects of a defective consent. The church insists that consent to marriage be unconditionally and freely given. Placing conditions on a person’s consent to marry is incompatible with the self-giving of the spouses to establish a partnership for the whole of life. Further, freedom in choosing a partner for life is a basic human right recognized by the church. Without this freedom to choose a spouse, a fundamental element of this communion of life and love is lacking. Therefore, if force or grave fear is used to induce consent, the validity of the consent is called into question. Father Iwuji covered one impediment to a licit marriage, impotence. In distinguishing impotence from sterility, he defined this impediment as an inability to complete the conjugal act, a necessary part of a marriage covenant, which is directed to the good of the spouses and procreation of children. He then discussed another of the defects in consent, that of an individual mistaken about the person whom they are marrying. This error can be a result of either an error in judgment or may be caused by fraud or deceit. By way of clariÀcation, he said that such an error must be about whom the person is or a very important quality in that person. He added that the error must be intentional. During the workshop, there were breakout sessions in which participants discussed real cases that have come before Tribunals in the past. Groups of attendees discussed cases, suggested possible grounds for nullity and formulated an argument to support those grounds. The breakout sessions helped participants put into practice what they had learned from the various presentations. The attendees also received a binder of extensive reference materials to use in their ministry when they return home. The workshop concluded with Mass celebrated by Bishop Joe Vásquez. In his homily, the bishop thanked the participants for work in their various Tribunals around the state and the country. He reminded everyone that they are dealing with people whose lives are broken and who want and need help. He encouraged each attendee to continue to do their work remembering that they are involved in a healing ministry directed at bringing people back to full communion with the church. 6 C ATHOLIC S PIRIT CENTRAL TEXAS Young adult journeys ‘outside his comfort zone’ BY PEGGY MORACZEWSKI CORRESPONDENT As a child growing up in the Austin area with a love of track and Àeld, Robert Prybyla never envisioned that one day he would be enjoying morning runs around Vatican City. But a willingness to venture outside his comfort zone has led to rewards beyond the imagination of this young man. The second of four children born to Marianne and Robert Prybyla Sr., Robert credits his parents with serving as his primary role models of the Catholic faith. Robert attended Catholic grade schools, but it was during his years at Round Rock High School that he had what he called a “sacramental awakening.” “Reconciliation became very important to me and I started going to daily Mass at St. William Catholic Church, primarily because I had a job nearby, but it was at St. William’s that I began falling in love with the Eucharist,” he said. Heading north to Baylor University, Prybyla became actively involved at St. Peter Catholic Center while pursuing a degree in Mechanical Engineering. Robert’s time at St. Peter ignited a spark that lingered in his heart long past his graduation two summers ago. “St. Peter’s became a primary place of community for me. During these years I felt called to evangelize, but didn’t know exactly how, or where to begin. It didn’t seem to come naturally to me,” he said. Returning to Austin following graduation, Robert worked as a substitute teacher at St. Theresa’s Catholic School. Although he enjoyed teaching middle school, a desire to learn more about his faith and share it with others left him feeling a bit unsettled, until a friend from St. William Parish suggested he research Emmanuel School of Mission (ESM) – Rome (www. esm-rome.com). This is where life took a sharp turn and, “moved me way out of my comfort zone. I had never heard of ESM-Rome, but in October 2012, I departed for Italy wondering what I had gotten myself into,” said Prybyla, unaware he was embarking on a life-changing adventure in his journey of faith. Emmanuel School Mission has four locations, three in Europe and one in the Philippines. The nine month ESM program has four pillars: Academics, Spiritual Formation, Mission and Community Life. With a smile acknowledging his partiality, Robert added, “Rome is the best location.” Academics are comprised of classes in theology, the sacraments, Scripture, philosophy, and Italian, augmented by studies in Theology of the Body, drama, patristics and apologetics. Since the school is rooted in the spirituality of the Emmanuel Community, spiritual formation each day included morning praise (singing, giving thanks, consecrating the day to Jesus through Mary), adoration and Mass. Daily Masses were celebrated in the ESM chapel or at Centro San Lorenzo, which was founded in 1983 by Pope John Paul II for the youth of the world. The relationship of ESM-Rome to Centro San Lorenzo was enhanced when the PontiÀcal Council for the Laity gave ESM-Rome responsibility for operating the Centro. This connection likely opened another door for Pry- byla that he never envisioned. Shortly after arriving in Rome, he was asked to stand for the youth of North America at the opening Mass for the Year of Faith. He joined a handful of Catholic youth from across the globe to receive a personal “Message to Young People” from Pope Benedict XVI. Robert shared his ESM experience with 17 classmates, who hailed from 12 countries and spoke 21 languages. One student relocated to the Netherlands with her family after being forced to leave their home country of Rwanda during the genocide. Sharing in the lives of the remarkable people he encountered, both inside and outside of the school, made the mission trips exceptionally rewarding. The ESM students travelled to the town of Diest, Belgium for their initial one week mission during Advent, helping a local pastor who sought to reverse the trend of his evershrinking congregation. The students evangelized by singing Christmas carols in the street and engaging people in conversations of faith as they stopped to enjoy the music. Students also went door-to-door inviting residents to church. This experience began to Àll the longing in Prybyla’s heart to share his Catholic faith. However, during the second mission trip, when ESM students were allowed to teach in the Lithuanian Public Schools, he was especially moved. ESM students shared their message of faith in a classroom, created and performed a skit for the students, and socialized with the children during the lunch period. They spent the second week in Vilnius, Lithuania, in the city center park, next to the ROBERT PRYBYLA, a parishioner of St. William Parish in Round Rock, studied at the Emmanuel School Mission in Rome earlier this year, which meant he was there when Pope Francis was elected. (Photo courtesy Robert Prybyla) Cathedral, visiting with people on the street. This was a major turning point for Prybyla in his evangelization because, “I was way out of my comfort zone!” The ESM’s third and Ànal mission of the year was at a parish in Rome, but he admitted his heart was in the city of St. Faustina’s mission, Vilnius, Lithuania, the “City of Divine Mercy.” Now back home in Austin, Prybyla continues to share the Holy Spirit with all those he encounters. He is a young man on Àre with love for God, stirred by an amazing year of faith and feels extremely blessed to have had this experience. Participating in ESM-Rome left him “Àlled with a love for the Regina Caeli, the Angelus, adoration and daily Mass,” Prybyla said. He also treasured the opportunity to be present at numerous historical events in the life of the Catholic Church, including Pope Benedict XVI’s resignation and last public Mass on Ash Wednesday, as well as standing in St. Peter’s Square when the white smoke announced “Habemus Papam (We have a Pope!),” and joining the ecstatic crowd to welcome Pope Francis. He also attended Pope Francis’ Àrst Angelus. On a less monumental note, but still important, Prybyla added, “As a group, the ESM students voted ‘Frigidarium,’ near Piazza Navona in Rome, our favorite place for gelato!” In five years, Prybyla sees himself teaching math and theology at a Catholic School, “preferably middle school,” he said. Wherever he lands, his experience in Rome has certainly taught him how to go outside his comfort zone to do his best for God. St. Albert the Great in Austin celebrates its diversity BY ENEDELIA J. OBREGÓN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT St. Albert the Great Parish in Austin will celebrate its cultural diversity at a multicultural Mass on Nov. 3 at 2 p.m. The celebration will include prayers and Scripture in different languages as well as liturgical dancing and hymns from different countries. After the Mass, festivities will continue with a feast of foods from the different ethnic groups. Angela Baker, parish cocoordinator for social ministries, said the multicultural celebration began seven years ago under then-pastor Father Isidore Ndagizimana. “This is the most culturally diverse parish,” Baker said. “Last year we had 52 nations represented, and it’s been as high as 57.” On a 6-foot-by-8-foot map of the world, parishioners last year placed straight pins on their countries of origin. Pins were placed in countries all over Asia, Europe and Latin America. Hispanics are currently the largest ethnic group in the parish, which now has a 2 p.m. Sunday Mass in Spanish. The parish also has many congregants from the U.S. The Texas map had so many pins that it got worn out, Baker said, and they’ll be getting a new one. “We celebrate who we are,” Baker said. “We represent the universal church.” Their pastoral leadership also is diverse –– Father Matt Iwuji, the pastor is from Nigeria; and associate pastor Redemptorist Father Vincent Nguyen is from Vietnam. “It’s a marvelous opportunity for people to get to know people from different cultures,” Baker said. “It gives us a better understanding of who we are. The Catholic Church is world-wide. We come from every corner of the world.” Baker said she doesn’t know if the diversity at the parish arose from the diversity in the neighborhood or vice versa. “On the block where I live I can go around the world just talking to my neighbors,” she said. “Around the corner is a woman who grew up in Palestine. Two doors down are people from Vietnam.” At the Mass last year, 13 languages were heard. This year, parishioners will hear dialects from India, Africa and the Philippines. A choir will sing in German. There is also a Mexican choir and a dragon dance will be performed by Vietnamese members. Baker, a Colorado native, said it was the cultural diversity as well as the fact that the parish is a member of Austin Interfaith that attracted her and her late husband to St. Albert 16 years ago. “It was not as diverse at the beginning,” she said. “It now is beginning to represent what Austin looks like.” When she arrived, the parish had between 500 and 600 families. It now has about 2,300 families. Parishioners will wear name tags with information on their place of birth and the neighborhood where they live to develop a sense of community. For more information about the Mass and St. Albert Parish, visit www.saintalbert.org or call (512) 837-7825 October 2013 7 CENTRAL TEXAS Middle School Youth Rally is Oct. 19 For those preparing for marriage Couples planning to marry should contact their priest or deacon at least six months prior to their wedding date in order to begin the marriage preparation process. Engaged couples are encouraged to inquire at their parish about pre-marriage retreats and classes. Couples planning to attend the diocesan pre-marriage retreat, “Together in God’s Love,” are encouraged to register as soon as possible. The program will be offered in a series of classes Nov. 5, 12, 19 and 26 from 7 to 9:30 p.m. at the diocesan Pastoral Center in Austin. The program will be offered in retreat format Oct. 25-27 at Cedarbrake Catholic Retreat Center in Belton. Engaged couples must provide proof they have taken either the FOCCUS or PREPARE assessment before attending the “Together in God’s Love” retreat. Couples must register by contacting the diocesan OfÀce of Catholic Family Counseling and Family Life at (512) 949-2495. For registration forms, visit www.austindiocese.org and click on “Marriage Preparation” under “Quick Links.” Upcoming retreats at Cedarbrake “The Gospel of John,” a day of reÁection, will be held Oct. 14 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Cedarbrake Catholic Retreat Center in Belton. The fourth Gospel is written in great poetic language often telling two levels of stories at the same time. This day will be an opportunity to enter more deeply into the Woman at the Well story and the Eucharistic Discourse in Chapter Six. The cost is $35, which includes lunch. “The Art and Heart of the Spiritual Life,” a weekend retreat, will be presented Nov. 1-3 at Cedarbrake in Belton. Franciscan Father Albert Haase will present this retreat based upon his best selling book and DVD, “Catching Fire, Becoming Flame: A Guide for Spiritual Transformation.” The weekend will focus on some of the important elements and attitudes of a vibrant spiritual life: prayer, surrender and trust, confronting temptations, and experiencing God’s presence in our everyday life and routine. The cost is $185 for a private room and $150 per person for a shared room. All meals included. “The Devil You Don’t Know,” a day of reÁection, will be held Nov. 14 from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at Cedarbrake in Belton. Father Angelo Bertini will lead participants in reÁecting on how, whether consciously or not, we face the devil on a daily basis. The cost is $35, which includes lunch. For more information or to register for any of these retreats, contact Cedarbrake at (254) 780-2436 or [email protected]. Middle school teens are invited to participate in the 2013 middle school youth rally Oct. 19 at St. Anthony Marie de Claret Parish in Kyle. This year’s theme is “Hope Unbroken,” based on the Romans 5:5: “... and hope does not disappoint because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.” Several hundred young Catholics from across the Austin Diocese will gather for prayer, featured keynote Mike Patin, praise and worship, break-out sessions, games and fellowship. Talk to your youth minister if you are interested in attending, or contact Jennifer Kodysz at (512) 949-2467 or jennifer-kodysz@ austindiocese.org for more information. Conference for men in Austin The National Black Catholic Men’s Conference will be held Oct. 24-27 at the Wyndham South Hotel in Austin. The overall purpose of the conference is to provide a forum for black men to speak to the critical issues and challenges facing the black male community, in particular the Catholic community. Secondly, the conference is calling and challenging young men to discern the call to priesthood, brotherhood and the diaconate. Workshops will be held at the hotel. An evening worship and praise service will be held Oct. 26 at 5 p.m. at Holy Cross Parish in Austin. There will be singing performances by the award winning and highly acclaimed men’s group “Men On Fire.” The registration fee is $150 or $75 for active duty military and students. To register, contact Johnnie Dorsey at the diocesan OfÀce of Black Catholics at (512) 949-2449 or [email protected]. Criminal Justice conference in San Antonio The Archdiocese of San Antonio will host the sixth annual Statewide Criminal Justice Ministry Conference Oct. 25 and 26 at the Oblate School of Theology in San Antonio. This conference, entitled “Responsibility, Rehabilitation and Restoration: A Catholic Perspective on Crime and Criminal Justice,” is sponsored by the Texas Catholic Correctional Ministers. All those interested in the ministry of criminal justice are invited to attend. Applications for scholarships are available. For more information, contact the OfÀce of Criminal Justice of the Diocese of Austin at (512) 949-2486 or e-mail yvonne-saldana@ austindiocese.org. COURAGE OF AUSTIN REGISTER TODAY! Homosexuality and Hope 3RD ANNUAL Call Fr. Becker: (512) 863-3041 Ho me Ann u y [email protected] [email protected] www.couragerc.net Monday, October 28th, 2013 ion Maternit ic at n (must dial area code from Austin) Abortion in your past? includes golf, fajita dinner, and player’s bag 1-877-WeCare2 1 - 8 7 7 - 9 3 2-2 7 3 2 [email protected] www.austindiocese.org/projectrachel Entry Fee: $100 /player CHARITY GOLF CHARITY GOLF TOURNAMENT TOURNAMENT Registration begins at 11:00am Shotgun start at 1:30pm Four Person Scramble Format Registration, Sponsorships, and Information: (512) 864-7755 or www.thematernityhome.org Pastoral support for victims of sexual abuse The Diocese of Austin is committed to providing con¿dential and compassionate care to victims of sexual abuse, particularly if the abuse was committed by clergy or a church representative. If you have experienced abuse by someone representing the Catholic Church, please contact the diocesan coordinator of pastoral care at (512) 949-2400. Apoyo pastoral a las víctimas de abuso sexual La Diócesis de Austin se compromete a proporcionar ayuda con¿dencial y compasiva a las víctimas de abuso sexual, especialmente si el abuso fue cometido por el clero o un representante de la iglesia. Si usted ha sufrido abusos por parte de alguien que representa la Iglesia Católica, por favor comuníquese con el coordinador diocesano del cuidado pastoral al (512) 949-2400. How to report an incident of concern The Diocese of Austin is committed to preventing harm from happening to any of our children or vulnerable adults. If you are aware of sexual or physical abuse and/or neglect of a child or vulnerable adult, state law requires you to report that information to local law enforcement or the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services at (800) 252-5400 or www.dfps.state.tx.us. Additionally, if the suspected abuse is by clergy or an employee or volunteer of any diocesan parish, school or agency, a Notice of Concern should be submitted to the diocesan Ethics and Integrity in Ministry Of¿ce at (512) 949-2400. The l Notice of Concern can be found at www.austindiocese.org (click on the link HOW TO REPORT ABUSE). Reports may be made anonymously. Cómo reportar un caso de abuso La Diócesis de Austin está comprometida a la prevención del daño que se cause a cualquier niño o adulto vulnerable. Si usted está enterado del abuso sexual o físico y/o abandono de un niño o adulto vulnerable, la ley estatal requiere que se reporte esa información a la policía local o el Departamento de Servicios Familiares y de Protección del Estado de Texas al (800) 252-5400 o al sitio: www.dfps.state.tx.us y además, si la sospecha de abuso es por parte del clero, empleado o voluntario de cualquier parroquia, escuela u organización de la diócesis, se debe enviar un Reporte de Abuso y debe ser presentado a la O¿cina de Ética e Integridad en el Ministerio de la diócesis al (512) 949-2400. El Reporte de Abuso se encuentra en nuestra página de Internet diocesana: www.austindiocese.org ( Haga click en la liga COMO REPORTAR UN CASO DE ABUSO). Estos reportes pueden ser hechos de manera anónima. 8 CENTRAL TEXAS C ATHOLIC S PIRIT Concerns raised about required ID for voting BY ENEDELIA J. OBREGÓN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT The Diocese of Austin is asking for parishes to help get the word out on the new Texas photo ID requirements for voting. Barbara Budde, director of the diocesan OfÀce of Social Concerns, met with leaders of the parish social ministries to share information and make sure that all voters have the required identiÀcation. “We are concerned that while the ID is free, the ability of people who don’t have a driver’s license to take time off from work, take a bus and wait at the Department of Public Safety could be burdensome to some voters,” Budde said. October 7 is the deadline to register to vote and people wanting to vote in the Nov. 5 election must have a photo ID to vote. Johnnie Dorsey, is the director of the diocesan OfÀce of Black Catholics and a parishioner at Holy Cross Parish in Austin, is concerned that some people may have difÀculty obtaining photo IDs. “While the ID is free, they may not have the resources to get the ID,” he said. “People such as students and the elderly are on a tight budget or may not have transportation.” Dorsey said his parish is considering ways to help the poor and elderly get the required documentation, including paying for documents. A certiÀed copy of a Texas birth certiÀcate costs at least $22. The ministries are also being asked to document any cases of people who voted in the past that were unable to vote under the new voter ID laws and are having their vote suppressed. There are seven forms of photo ID that are acceptable for voting: Texas Department of Public Safety Driver’s License, Texas personal ID card issued by DPS, a concealed handgun license issued by DPS, a U.S. military photo ID, a U.S. citizenship certiÀcate with photo, and a U.S. passport. With the exception of the citizenship certiÀcate, all must be current or expired within 60 days. Voting rights groups are also concerned that poor people in rural counties may not have convenient access to a DPS ofÀce to get their free IDs. Several groups have noted that 70 out of the 254 Texas counties do not have a DPS ofÀce. In the Diocese of Austin, which encompasses 25 Central Texas counties, a quick check found no DPS offices in San Saba, Blanco, Robertson, Falls and Caldwell counties. In addition, the ofÀces in several counties were only open one or two days a week. All of the acceptable forms of IDs cost money, except for the DPS ID, Budde noted. And getting the documents to get a free ID can also cost money. “There are some elderly who have no birth certiÀcate because of the nature of their birth,” she said. Many were born at home in rural areas and their births were not documented. Some elderly women never learned to drive so they have no driver’s license. Because ethnic minorities such as African Americans and Hispanics have a history of voter suppression, anything that sets up a barrier to voting is of concern, Dorsey said. “Voting is precious to us,” Dorsey said. “Those of us who lived in the 60s remember voter suppression. Then we got the (1965) Voting Rights Act. Now we’re beginning to see a reversal of voting rights legislation. There are certain elements who want to ensure certain people don’t get to vote.” Dorsey said many Texas legislators have cited fraud as the reason for the ID laws. The Dallas Morning News –– citing Àgures from the Texas Secretary of State General Election Results in 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010 and 212 - noted that of the 66 cases of fraud pursued by the Texas Attorney General’s OfÀce since 2004, only four might have been prevented by voter ID laws. That means only 0.0000001 percent of the votes might have been affected by a photo ID requirement. Putting barriers before people who traditionally have been disenfranchised is a concern, she said. “The bishops want to preserve the integrity of voting,” she said. “But there has not been sufÀcient evidence of voter fraud to warrant the kind of ID law that was passed.” For information on the new Texas photo voter ID requirements, visit www.votetexas.gov/register-to-vote/ need-id/. For access to a Texas Department of Public Driver’s License Office, go to www. txdps.state.tx.us/administration/driver_licensing_control/ rolodex/search.asp. Propagation of Faith collection helps share the faith the living Word of God. phasized the obligation of all witness to it before those we The Society for the Propa- Christians to share the faith meet and those who share the gation of the Faith, a Pon- with others and do so with re- path of life with us.” tiÀcal Mission Society, is the spect. He also pointed to the Pope Francis said he In a world that often Holy Father’s chief missionary stifling damage done to the knows some people today seems dark and full of suffer- arm, providing resources for church by the failure to evan- hesitate sharing the faith being and violence, Christians more than 1,150 mission dio- gelize and the sacriÀces made cause they somehow think it can offer hope by sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ, Pope Francis wrote in a message for “It is necessary to proclaim courageously and in every situation World Mission Sunday 2013. “It is necessary to pro- the Gospel of Christ, a message of hope, reconciliation (and) claim courageously and in ev- communion, a proclamation of God’s closeness, his mercy, ery situation the Gospel of Christ, a message of hope, salvation and a proclamation that the power of God’s love reconciliation (and) commu- is able to overcome the darkness of evil and guide us on nion, a proclamation of God’s the path of goodness.” closeness, his mercy, salvation –– Pope Francis and a proclamation that the power of God’s love is able to overcome the darkness of evil and guide us on the path ceses. Krueger urged Catho- by many Christians arou nd will limit other people’s freeof goodness,” the pope wrote. lics to be “part of the action” the world currently facing op- dom, when in reality faith emWorld Mission Sunday will and be part of the ongoing pression or even persecution powers people and frees them be celebrated Oct. 20 at the mission of Jesus in helping because of their faith. from despair and from chasVatican and in most dioceses. “making disciples of all na“Everyone should be able ing pleasure or material posIn the Austin Diocese, tions” by supporting mission- to experience the joy of be- sessions that cannot last and, the Propagation of the Faith aries with prayer and Ànancial ing loved by God, the joy of therefore, cannot make them collection will be taken up support by giving generously salvation,” he said. “It is a gift happy forever. on World Mission Sunday. to the Society of the Propaga- that one cannot keep to oneA true Christian does not Christina Krueger, the dioc- tion of the Faith. self, but it is to be shared.” try to impose the Christian esan coordinator of Missions, The message of the pope’s “If we want to keep it only faith on anyone, but proclaims said this essential observance Àrst Mission Sunday since his to ourselves, we will become the good news through word is an experience in learn- election is filled with phras- isolated, sterile and sick Chris- and deed with respect, the ing for Catholics of all ages. es and ideas that have been tians,” the pope wrote. pope wrote. “The church’s Priests, religious and lay mis- featured prominently in the Each Christian has a re- missionary spirit is not about sion groups supported by this speeches and homilies Pope sponsibility to share the gift of proselytizing, but the testicollection make it possible Francis has given during the faith with others, he said, and mony of a life that illuminates for the neediest and the re- Àrst four months of his pon- the strength of one’s faith “can the path, which brings hope jected in society to encounter tificate, including at World be measured by the ability to and love.” Christ’s mercy, love and com- Youth Day in Rio de Janeiro. communicate it to others, to In his message, the pope passion, the sacraments and Pope Francis’ message em- spread and live it in charity, to offered thanks to and prayers BY CINDY WOODEN CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE for the many Christians in different parts of the world who “experience difÀculty in openly professing their faith and in enjoying the legal right to practice it in a worthy manner.” They are “courageous witnesses” of the Gospel, he said. Pope Francis’ message also was Àlled with praise and thanksgiving for priests, religious and laypeople who have left their homelands to spread the Gospel. He asked those, especially from traditionally Catholic countries, to make sure that in their letters and visits home, they tell others of their experience so that they can help people at home “rediscover the enthusiasm and joy of sharing the faith.” He thanked the churches in traditionally mission territory, such as Africa, for their willingness to send priests and religious to other countries, including in Europe and North America. “Sending missionaries is never a loss, but a gain,” he said. Pope Francis urged all Catholics to take responsibility for the church’s missionary activity, including by giving Ànancial support to the PontiÀcal Mission Societies and to the Propagation of the Faith on Oct. 19-30. October 2013 9 IN OUR WORLD Pope: abortion is product of ‘throwaway culture’ BY FRANCIS X. ROCCA CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE In his strongest public words to date on the subject of abortion, Pope Francis afÀrmed the sacredness of unborn human life and linked its defense to the pursuit of social justice. “In all its phases and at every age, human life is always sacred and always of quality. And not as a matter of faith, but of reason and science!” the pope said Sept. 20 to a gathering of Catholic gynecologists. Pope Francis characterized abortion as a product of a “widespread mentality of proÀt, the ‘throwaway culture,’ which has today enslaved the hearts and minds of so many.” That mentality, he said, “calls for the elimination of human beings, above all if they are physically or socially weaker. Our response to that mentality is a decisive and unhesitating ‘yes’ to life.” The pope grouped together unborn children, the aged and the poor as among the most vulnerable people whom Christians are called especially to love. “In the fragile human being each one of us is invited to recognize the face of the Lord, who in his human Áesh experienced the indifference and solitude to which we often condemn the poorest, whether in developing countries or in wealthy societies,” he said. “Every unborn child, though unjustly condemned to be aborted, has the face of the Lord, who even before his birth, and then as soon as he was born, experienced the rejection of the world,” he said. “And every old person, even if inÀrm and at the end of his days, carries with him the face of Christ. They must not be thrown away!” Quoting “Caritas in Veritate” the social encyclical by Pope Benedict XVI, Pope Francis connected the protection of unborn life with the promotion of social justice. “Openness to life is at the center of true development,” he said. “If personal and social sensitivity in welcoming a new life is lost, other forms of welcome useful to social life will dry up. Welcoming life tempers moral energies and makes people capable of helping each other.” Pope Francis told the physicians that they faced a “paradoxical situation” in their professional lives, because even as medical science discovers new cures for disease, the “health care professions are sometimes induced not to respect life itself.” The pope characterized this paradox as part of a more widespread “cultural disorientation” in which rising individualism parallels a growing disrespect for life. “Even as persons are accorded new rights, at times only presumed rights, life as the primary value and primordial right of every man is not always protected,” he said. The pope told the gynecologists that they had a responsibility to make known the “transcendent dimension, the imprint of God’s creative work, in human life from the first instant of conception. And this is a commitment of new evangelization that often requires going against the tide, paying a personal price. The Lord counts on you, too, to spread the Gospel of life.” Pope speaks about his priorities in interview BY FRANCIS X. ROCCA CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE In a lengthy and wide-ranging interview with one of his Jesuit confreres, Pope Francis spoke with characteristic frankness about the perils of overemphasizing Catholic teaching on sexual and medical ethics; the reasons for his deliberate and consultative governing style; and his highest priority for the church today. The pope’s remarks appeared in an interview with Jesuit Father Antonio Spadaro, editor of the Italian journal La Civilta Cattolica. The interview, conducted in August, was the basis for a 12,000-word article published Sept. 19 in the U.S. magazine America, and simultaneously in other Jesuit publications in other languages. According to the editor of America, Jesuit Father Matt Malone, Pope Francis personally reviewed the article and approved its publication. “We cannot insist only on issues related to abortion, gay marriage and the use of contraceptive methods,” the pope said in the interview, noting that he had been “reprimanded” for failing to speak often about those topics. “It is not necessary to talk about these issues all the time. “The dogmatic and moral teachings of the church are not all equivalent,” the pope added. “The church’s pastoral ministry cannot be obsessed with the transmission of a disjointed multitude of doctrines to be imposed insistently. “Proclamation in a missionary style focuses on the essentials, on the necessary things,” he said. “We have to find a new balance; otherwise even the moral ediÀce of the church is likely to fall like a house of cards, losing the freshness and fragrance of the Gospel. “The proposal of the Gospel must be more simple, profound, radiant. It is from this proposi- POPE FRANCIS embraces a young woman during an encounter with youth in Cagliari, Sardinia, Sept. 22. (CNS photo by Paul Haring) tion that the moral consequences then Áow.” The pope reaffirmed one of his major themes: the need for mercy rather than judgment when approaching sin. “The thing the church needs most today is the ability to heal wounds and to warm the hearts of the faithful. It needs nearness, proximity,” he said. “The church sometimes has locked itself up in small things, in small-minded rules. The most important thing is the Àrst proclamation: Jesus Christ has saved you,” the pope said. “The confessional is not a torture chamber,” he said, “but the place in which the Lord’s mercy motivates us to do better. “Those who today always look for disciplinarian solutions, those who long for an exaggerated doctrinal ‘security,’ those who stubbornly try to recover a past that no longer exists –– they have a static and inwarddirected view of things,” Pope Francis said. “In this way, faith becomes an ideology among other ideologies.” Pope Francis also spoke extensively about his approach to church governance. “Many think that changes and reforms can take place in a short time,” the pope said. “I believe that we always need time to lay the foundations for real, effective change. And this is the time of discernment. “Sometimes discernment instead urges us to do precisely what you had at Àrst thought you would do later. And that is what happened to me in recent months,” he added, though without specifying the action in question. The pope described the evolution of his governing style, starting with his appointment at age 36 as superior of the Argentine province of the Jesuits. “My authoritarian and quick manner of making decisions led me to have serious problems and to be accused of being ultraconservative,” Pope Francis said, adding, “I have never been a right-winger. It was my authoritarian way of making decisions that created problems.” Later, as archbishop of Buenos Aires, he adopted another approach, meeting often with his auxiliary bishops. “I believe that consultation is very important,” the pope said, noting his establishment as pope of the so-called Group of Eight advisory panel of cardinals. “I want to see that this is a real, not ceremonial consultation.” With respect to the Vatican bureaucracy, whose reform he has made a clear priority of his six-month old pontiÀcate, Pope Francis pointed to the need to devolve more authority to local churches. Some Vatican ofÀces “run the risk of becoming institutions of censorship,” he said. “It is amazing to see the denunciations for lack of orthodoxy that come to Rome. I think the cases should be investigated by the local bishops’ conferences, which can get valuable assistance from Rome. These cases, in fact, are much better dealt with locally. The Roman congregations are mediators; they are not middlemen or managers.” In matters of belief rather than governance, Pope Francis said that the pope and bishops share authority with the laity. “The church is the people of God on the journey through history,” he said. “Thinking with the church, therefore, is my way of being a part of this people. And all the faithful, considered as a whole, are infallible in matters of belief.” The pope quickly added that “we must be very careful not to think that this ‘infallibilitas’ of all the faithful I am talking about in the light of Vatican II is a form of populism. No; it is the experience of ‘holy mother the hierarchical church,’ as St. Ignatius called it, the church as the people of God, pastors and people together.” Among the other topics the pope addressed in the interview was the challenge of finding a more visible role for women in a church with an all-male priesthood. “I am wary of a solution that can be reduced to a kind of ‘female machismo,’ because a woman has a different makeup than a man,” he said. “The church cannot be herself without the woman and her role. The woman is essential for the church. Mary, a woman, is more important than the bishops. I say this because we must not confuse the function with the dignity.” Pope Francis, whose simple way of celebrating Mass has attracted criticism from traditionalist Catholics, also took up the controversial subject of liturgy. Pope Benedict XVI’s 2007 decision to lift most restrictions on celebrating the Tridentine Mass was “was prudent and motivated by the desire to help people who have this sensitivity,” Pope Francis said. “What is worrying, though, is the risk of the ideologization of the (old Mass), it’s exploitation.” The pope also said that the liturgical reform that followed in the wake of the 1962-65 Second Vatican Council is “absolutely irreversible.” 10 IN OUR WORLD C ATHOLIC S PIRIT Cardinal offers consolation after DC shootings the healing of those who are priests concelebrated the midday that there were one or two ad- the Mass and hearing the cardirecovering from this violent liturgy, which was attended by ditional gunmen involved in the nal’s call for all faithful to pray attack but also for a greater about 250 people. attack, but later police ofÀcials “makes me feel a little better, like we are all in this together.” One day after the tragic For Arnetta Pena, the Mass shooting at the Washington “The church, over and over again ... calls us to love one was an appropriate place “to beg Navy Yard, Cardinal Donald to stop this violence. It’s another ... Love alone can conquer violence. Love alone God W. Wuerl celebrated a Mass for like the whole world has become consolation and healing in which can bring consolation and healing. Love alone supersedes one big war zone.” he prayed for the victims of the and is victorious, even over death.” Tom Malarkey, who served rampage and asked God to “heal as a lector at the Mass, said the –– Cardinal Donald W. Wuerl the wounds in our society so that liturgy “is a start to the healing we can prevent tragedies such as process.” we have just witnessed.” “I felt a togetherness here healing, a healing that touches The Mass was offered, Car- said that Alexis apparently acted “We commend to the hands what is wounded and broken in dinal Wuerl said, because “we alone. with all the people,” he said. of our merciful and loving God, our world.” know our prayer will be joined In his homily at the Cathe- “We all thought about the peowho alone can judge human The Washington cardinal to the great prayer that Jesus of- dral of St. Matthew, Cardinal ple who were killed and the hearts, the souls of all who died was the main celebrant of the fers with us and for us.” Wuerl called on the faithful to people who lost their loved yesterday,” Cardinal Wuerl said Mass at the Cathedral of St. On Sept. 16, just as the recognize that “something is ones.” Sept. 17. “We pray for not only Matthew the Apostle. Several workday began, a gunman went wrong, that sin still persists in Massgoer Richard Pacheco said it was appropriate that the on a shooting rampage at the our world. “ Washington Navy Yard, kill“Our prayer for healing is cardinal celebrated a Mass for ing 12 and injuring at least 14 offered as well for whatever it Consolation and Healing in the others. The FBI later identiÀed is that fostered such a culture wake of the Washington Navy the shooter as Aaron Alexis, a of violence, a culture of death,” Yard shootings. “We pray for their souls. We’re Catholics, 34-year-old former naval petty he said. ofÀcer who was a military con“Somehow we need, once that’s the Àrst thing we do. The tract worker. Alexis was killed again, in our country, in our Àrst thought is for the souls of after a shootout with law en- land, in our nation, to foster that the departed.” A former State Department forcement ofÀcers. healing that comes only when “Death came suddenly and we recognize there is a right and worker, he said the shootings in an unexpected manner to a wrong, that we are not free to were like deaths in the family for a city with so many governthose at work at the Navy Yard. kill,” Cardinal Wuerl said. It is a reminder to all of us that He said that the faithful ment workers. Pacheco said it we know not the day nor the should act as peacemakers and is important for Catholics, as hour of death’s visitation,” Car- create “a civilization of love.” people of faith and as members dinal Wuerl said in his homily. He said that “we are capable of the community, to pray for “Jesus calls us always to walk as a people, as a nation, as in- consolation of surviving family in a way that we can go to meet dividuals, to build a civilization members and friends, and to pray for healing for the comhim when that moment comes.” of love.” All of the shooting victims “The church, over and over munity. Pacheco said Cardinal were civilian employees at the again ... calls us to love one Navy Yard or military contrac- another,” he told the Catho- Wuerl’s message about the imtors working there. No active lic Standard, newspaper of the portance of allowing God’s love military personnel were killed, Washington Archdiocese. “Love to transform one’s heart, and but at least one D.C. Metropoli- alone can conquer violence. then to help build a civilization tan Police ofÀcer and a Navy Love alone can bring consola- of love and a better world, “is Yard security guard were among tion and healing. Love alone what every Mass is about, and the injured. supersedes and is victorious, what the prayer of the church is about. We’re here to love each The Navy Yard is home to even over death.” the Naval Sea Systems ComAfter the Mass, Ronald other.” He said the tragedy at the mand, which includes the head- Moore said he had to attend beCARDINAL DONALD W. WUERL of Washington celquarters of Navy command cause “who would have thought Navy Yard –– apparently by a ebrates a Mass for consolation and healing at St. Matstaff. The facility oversees the that all this time, while I’m pray- mentally ill man with a history thew’s Cathedral Sept. 17, a day after a deadly shooting engineering, construction and ing for the suffering people of of violence –– is a reminder to spree at the Navy Yard in Washington. Authorities said maintenance of the Navy’s Syria, I would also have to pray people to reÁect on “what have 13 people were killed, including the gunman, and at least ships, submarines and combat for the suffering people in my we done in our lives to love each eight were injured at the facility, which is the Naval Sea other, and take care of people systems. own backyard.” Systems Command headquarters. (CNS photo by Bob Early reports had suggested He added that attending who have problems?” BY RICHARD SZCZEPANOWSKI CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE Roller) St. Mary Parish in Brenham invites you to join us as we celebrate our 23rd Annual POLISH HERITAGE FESTIVAL Sunday, Oct. 27 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Serving traditional home-made Polish foods –– Sausage (Kielbasa), Rosol Z Kury, Czarnina -- from 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Adult plates: $8; children: $5 Music provided by Daniel and the Country Boys Activities: live auction, cake booth, country store, games for all ages. For information, call St. Mary·s Catholic Church at (979) 836-4441. Trips to Scotland, France, Ireland, Shrines of Europe and much more... ranging from $3,599—$4,699 for 2014. Prices are ALL-INCLUSIVE w/airfare from anywhere in the continental USA Italy/Switzerland: Apr. 5-17, Apr. 12-24, Apr. 19-May 1, Apr. 26-May 8, May 3-15 ... Italy Regular: Apr. 5-13, Apr. 12-20, Apr. 19-27, Apr. 26-May 4, May 3-11 ... Holy Land: Mar. 10-20, Mar. 31-Apr. 10, Apr. 7-17, Apr. 14-24, Apr. 21-May 1 ... Holy Land/Italy: Mar. 31-Apr. 13, Apr. 7-20, Apr. 14-27, Apr. 21-May 4 ... Poland: Apr. 5-16, Apr. 12-23, Apr. 19-30, Apr. 26-May 7, May 3-14, May 10-21 ... Italy/Lourdes/Fatima: Apr. 5-17, Apr. 12-24, Apr. 19-May 1, Apr. 26-May 8 ... 713-393-7161 | 855-842-8001 www.proximotravel.com Carmela A. Dupuis - Executive Director email: [email protected] October 2013 11 IN OUR WORLD Dominican Sisters top Billboard charts BY MARK PATTISON CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE It’s not exactly the Beatles vs. the Rolling Stones, but just as those two bands shook up the pop charts nearly a half-century ago, two convents’ CDs are vying for a spot atop the Billboard classical music charts. The defending champion, for 13 weeks straight, is “Angels and Saints at Ephesus,” performed by the Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles, a cloistered convent in Missouri. Their streak marks the Àrst time since 2006 that a CD has stayed at the top of Billboard magazine’s classical traditional music chart. So far, it has kept its competition at arms’ length, including a new CD by Andrea Bocelli and soundtracks based on the TV miniseries “Downton Abbey” and the Àction best-seller “Fifty Shades of Grey.” But now comes the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist, based in Ann Arbor, Mich., whose Àrst CD, “Mater Eucharistae,” was released Aug. 13. This isn’t the Dominican convent’s Àrst brush with the mass media. Members of the order made it to the Ànals in the latest season of “American Bible Challenge.” “We heard it was No. 8 on the classical charts, and that was just in pre-sales,” said Sister Joseph Andrew, vicaress general of the order, in an Aug. 12 telephone interview with Catholic News Service from the order’s motherhouse. Both CDs are using the same public relations Àrm to tout the releases. Both CDs are on the same label: De Montfort, a classical imprint of Decca, itself part of the gigantic Universal Music Group which is home to such labels as A&M, Motown, Island, Geffen, Interscope, Def Jam, Capitol, Virgin, Blue Note, MCA, Mercury, Verve, Polydor, EMI and London. Monica Fitzgibbons, De Montfort co-founder, couldn’t be more pleased. In an Aug. 7 statement about the Benedictines’ CD, she said, “To have this accomplishment come from a group of monastic sisters is simply miraculous. The collection of music is soothing hearts and enabling contemplative moments. Simply a joy and honor to behold!” Fitzgibbons also doubles as talent scout. The Dominicans conduct public vespers on Sunday afternoons wherever their sisters are stationed, explained Sister Joseph Andrew. “Monica and (husband) Kevin Fitzgib- bons went to our vespers in Phoenix one time. They heard our prayers and they became very interested in pursuing the possibility of making this (CD). We prayed over this and we decided that we would do it.” Recording the 15 tracks took just three days in March at the motherhouse. “And on the second day, the middle day, the Holy Spirit ordained that Pope Francis would be elected,” Sister Joseph Andrew recalled. “We were singing the Te Deum and recording the Te Deum when someone said, ‘White smoke!’, and we went off running. It was an interesting three days.” With their numbers growing –– 110 sisters currently, 20 women entering the convent at the end of August –– the Dominicans are raising funds to build a priory near Austin (see Page 1), to house more than 100 women. MEDICAL SERVICES DIRECTORY CD royalties will go toward the building campaign, Sister Joseph Andrew said. Will “Mater Eucharistae” knock off “Angels and Saints at Ephesus”? Could it reach the heights of “Chant,” the 1994 CD by the Benedictine Monks of Santo Domingo do Silos, which peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard pop chart, selling 3 million copies in the U.S. and another 3 million worldwide, with royalties putting a big dent in construction costs? “That would be a miracle come true, for sure,” Sister Joseph Andrew said. “Who knows? But no matter what, our primary goal in doing this is bringing people closer to God.” And as for some competition with the Missouri Benedictines, “It’s really not competition,” Sister Joseph Andrew said. “It’s just trying to get Christ into homes.” WEIGHT LOSS Ideal Weight Loss Medical Clinics This will be your LAST Diet No drugs 100% natural Medically monitored Lose ONLY fat Preserve lean muscle Anthony Hicks, MD, MPH 4100 Duval Rd., Bldg IV, Ste 202, Austin (512) 577-6181 12912 Hill Country Blvd, Bldg F, Ste 238, Austin (512) 470-9470 To advertise in the Catholic Spirit Medical Services Directory, call (512) 949-2443, or e-mail [email protected]. www.LastDietATX.com OBSTETRICS & GYNECOLOGY OPTOMETRY ORTHODONTICS The Vitae Clinic Oak Hill Eye Care Braces for Children and Adults Jeremy Kalamarides, D.O. The Jefferson Building 1600 W. 38th St, Ste 115 Austin, TX 78731 512-458-6060 The Vitae Clinic, Inc., provides wellness, prenatal, delivery and postnatal care for women, expectant mothers and babies in accord with the teachings of the Catholic Church in conformity with the Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Healthcare services. Examination & Treatment of Eye Disease Lasik Surgery Contact Lenses & Optical David W. Tybor, O.D. Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (512) 288-0444 6000 W. William Cannon Bldg A, Suite 100, Austin www.oakhilleyecare.com Michael Dillingham, D.D.S. 2 convenient locations in Austin Call (512) 836-7924 or (512) 447-5194 to schedule a complimentary consultation FAMILY PRACTICE EAR, NOSE AND THROAT FAMILY & INTERNAL MEDICINE Joseph M. C. 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Suite 102 Austin,TX 78729-6802 THYROID & ENDOCRINOLOGY 12 C ATHOLIC S PIRIT IN OUR WORLD Digital domain needs loving dialogue, pope says BY CAROL GLATZ CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE Helping the church get the Gospel message out to the digital world depends more on a loving passion for reaching out to others than being tech savvy or a verbal warrior, Pope Francis told Catholic communicators. “I believe that the goal is to understand how to enter into dialogue with the men and women of today in order to appreciate their desires, their doubts and their hopes,” he said in his talk Sept. 21. Despite the temptation that exists today, dialogue and bringing people to Christ have nothing to do with hounding others into submission in a kind of “theological brainwashing,” he said. The pope’s comments, which included a number of offthe-cuff remarks, came during a special audience with participants of the PontiÀcal Council for Social Communications’ plenary assembly meeting Sept. 19-21 at the Vatican. The discussions focused on the church and digital communication. In a world of rapidly changing methods of communication, “the issues are not principally technological,” the pope said. He said it is important “to know how to dialogue and, with discernment, to use modern technologies and social networks in such a way as to reveal a presence that listens, converses and encourages.” Some people “sometimes feel let down by a Christianity that to them appears sterile and in difÀculty as it tries to communicate the depth of meaning that comes with the gift of faith,” the pope said. He emphasized that meeting Christ requires a personal encounter that cannot be forced or engineered. “We have a great temptation in the church today” to engage in “spiritual harassment, the manipulation of conscience, a theological brainwashing,” which, in the end, he said, only leads people to an encounter with Christ in name only and not with the living person of the Lord. Meeting Christ involves the living Christ and the individual experiencing the encounter, “not what’s wanted by the ‘spiritual engineer,’ who wants to manipulate people,” the pope said. “Are we up to the task of bringing Christ into this area and of bringing others to meet Christ,” he asked. People are searching for the “precious treasure” of the Gospel, which brings light and hope to a world that often lacks meaning, direction and purpose, he said. Communicators need to portray “the face of a church, which is ‘home’ to all,” and convey the beauty of faith and joy of meeting Christ. “The church must warm the hearts of men and women. Do our presence and plans measure up to this requirement?” he said, “or do we remain mired in technicalities?” “Thorough and adequate formation” is key, he said, because religious and lay Catholic communicators need to be able to venture into the darkness of indifference without losing their way; “to listen to (people’s) dreams without being seduced; to share their disappointments without becoming despondent; to sympathize with those whose lives are falling apart without Annual Homecoming FESTIVAL losing our own strength and identity,” he said. In fact, “we ourselves are means of communication,” he said and “the real problem does not concern the acquisition of the latest technologies, even if these make a valid presence possible.” No matter how outdated or inadequate the tools, God loves people so much that he “wants to reveal himself through the means at our disposal, however poor they are, because it is he who is at work, he who transforms and saves us,” he said. The pope ended his talk by asking for people’s prayers “because I have this mission, too,” of communicating Christ to the world. Toronto Cardinal Thomas Collins told Catholic News Service that “in many ways we’re made to be analog Christians in a digital world.” The digital world is in many ways very abstract, and it can be isolating and disorienting,” he said. While it has many beneÀts, people cannot forget that human Sunday, October 20 s me Ga es z i s Pr ent Barbecue 11:30 a.m. - 3 p.m. hm s e r f e Polish Sausage, Beef & Trimmings - $8 R hes wic Barbecue chicken & beef by the pound, Sand St. Mary’s in Bremond to go at the pit. Bingo from 4 to 8 p.m. Are you looking for a JOB? Are you interested in working for the Diocese of Austin, Catholic Charities of Central Texas or a local parish or Catholic school? If so, visit www. austindiocese.org and click on “Employment.” Job postings have a link to the application for employment, which can be mailed or submitted electronically. beings are meant “to be in relationship, personal relationship” with others. Analog, he said, comes from “’analogy,’ which means connectedness, relationship, and we always have to maintain that.” Christians need to keep real human connections and personal presence alive “in the midst of a world which, if left to itself and its own dynamics, will dry us out, make us abstract and disconnect us from one another.” Basilian Father Thomas Rosica, CEO of Salt and Light Television and adviser to the social communications’ council, said the pope “is the best example of what the new evangelization is all about.” The priest said the pope’s success in making the media pay attention does not stem from studying communication theories. “He didn’t hire an ad company or a public relations Àrm, he is communicating with his person, the credibility of his person, the gestures, the desire to be with people,” Father Rosica said. The pope “has put a lot of us to shame because we can spin our theories, but as long as we continue to do that without establishing human relationships, all of our efforts are in vain,” he said. “What he’s doing is he’s touching the hearts of people, and the world has stopped and the world is listening,” said the priest. Greg Erlandson, president and publisher of Our Sunday Visitor Publishing Division, said Catholic communicators can learn some lessons from Pope Francis. “We have to live the faith in a very authentic way and a very physical way. We can’t just write encyclicals about it, we just can’t issue documents about it,” he said. However, this personal approach is not new to Christianity, “it’s really the witness of the Gospel, the Acts of the Apostles, so maybe we have to keep rediscovering this,” he said. POPE FRANCIS waves to the crowd as he arrives for a meeting on Sept. 22. (CNS photo by Paul Haring) 107th Annual Westphalia Picnic and Homecoming Church of the Visitation Sunday, Oct. 13 Sausage & Chicken Meal $8 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Praha Brothers perform from noon to 3 p.m. Auction begins at 3:30 p.m. Dance to “Gordon Collier Band” from 7 to 11 p.m. Bingo, Teddy Bear Stand, Ring Stand, Fish Pond and other fun games. Westphalia Sausage for sale by the pound! Shuttle Service Available Come Join Us! To advertise, call (512) 949-2443. October 2013 13 IN OUR WORLD No Other School Teaches Them To SHINE Like This. Open Houses and Information Sessions Cathedral School of St. Mary 910 San Jacinto, Austin 512.476.1480 smcschoolaustin.org Visits welcome anytime; contact school office to make an appointment. St. Helen Catholic School 2700 E. University Ave., Georgetown 512.868.0744 shcslions.org Coffee with the Principal: Nov. 12, Dec. 3, 8:30 a.m. St. Mary’s Catholic School 1019 S. 7th, Temple 254.778.8141 stmarys-temple.org Visits welcome anytime; contact school office to make an appointment. Holy Family Catholic School 9400 Neenah Ave., Austin 512.246.4455 holyfamilycs.org Info Sessions: Oct. 11, Nov. 18, Dec. 6, 8:30-10 a.m., RSVP required via website St. Ignatius Martyr Catholic School 120 W. Oltorf, Austin 512.442.8547 st-ignatius.org Visits welcome anytime; contact school office to make an appointment. St. Mary’s Catholic School 507 W. Spruce, West 254.826.5991 stmaryswest.com Visits welcome anytime; contact school office to make an appointment. Holy Trinity Catholic High School 6608 West Adams Ave., Temple 254.771.0787 holytrinitychs.org Open House: Nov. 3, 1-3 p.m. St. Joseph Catholic School 600 S. Coulter, Bryan 979.822.6641 stjosephbcs.org Visits welcome anytime; contact school office to make an appointment. St. Michael’s Catholic Academy 3000 Barton Creek Blvd., Austin 512.328.2323 smca.com Open House: Oct. 19, 10 a.m. - Noon Reicher Catholic High School 2102 N. 23rd, Waco 254.752.8349 reicher.org Open House: Oct. 22, 5:30-7:30 p.m. Sacred Heart Catholic School 545 E. Pearl, LaGrange 979.968.3223 sacredheartschoollg.com Visits welcome anytime; contact school office to make an appointment. St. Austin Catholic School 1911 San Antonio, Austin 512.477.3751 staustinschool.org Open House: Nov. 24, 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. St. Dominic Savio Catholic High School 9300 Neenah Ave., Austin 512.388.8846 saviochs.org Prospective Parent Nights: Oct. 16, Nov. 20, Dec. 11, 6:30 p.m., RSVP required St. Gabriel’s Catholic School 2500 Wimberly Ln., Austin 512.327.7755 sgs-austin.org Open House: Nov. 12, 8:30-10:30 a.m., RSVP appreciated St. Joseph Catholic School 2901 E. Rancier, Killeen 254.634.7272 stjosephschoolkilleen.org Visits welcome anytime; contact school office to make an appointment. St. Louis Catholic School 2114 St. Joseph Blvd., Austin 512.454.0384 st-louis-school.org Visits welcome anytime; contact school office to make an appointment. St. Louis Catholic School 2208 N. 23rd, Waco 254.754.2041 stlouiswaco.org Visits welcome anytime; contact school office to make an appointment. St. Mary’s Catholic School 520 Washburn St., Taylor 512.352.2313 stmarystaylor.org Visits welcome anytime; contact school office to make an appointment. St.Theresa’s Catholic School 4311 Small Drive, Austin 512.451.7105 st-theresa.org Visitation Day: Oct. 16, call for appointment San Juan Diego Catholic High School 800 Herndon Ln., Austin 512.804.1935 sjdchs.org Open House: Oct. 6, 3:30-5:30 p.m. Santa Cruz Catholic School 1100 Main St., Buda 512.312.2137 sccstx.org Visits welcome anytime; contact school office to make an appointment. SS. Cyril & Methodius Catholic School 105 N. Guadalupe St., Granger 512.859.2927 sscm-edu.org Visits welcome anytime; contact school office to make an appointment. 14 IN OUR WORLD C ATHOLIC S PIRIT Census report shows poverty, incomes unchanged BY MARK PATTISON CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE The number of Americans living in poverty last year stayed stuck at 46.5 million people, as did the national poverty rate of 15 percent, according to Census Bureau statistics taken from its 2012 Current Population Survey. While the percentage of people without health insurance declined from 15.7 percent in 2011 to 15.4 percent in 2012, because of population growth the number of uninsured stayed virtually the same at 48 million. After accounting for inflation, the nation’s median household income of $51,000 was not statistically different from year-before Àgures. In the past half-century, the poverty rate had climbed to the 15 percent mark just three times: in 1982 and 1993 as well as the past three years starting in 2010. During a Sept. 17 teleconference at which the numbers were released, David Johnson, chief of the Census Bureau’s Social, Economic, and Housing Statistics Division, said household incomes have neither approached the 2007 prerecession peak nor the all-time high achieved in 1999. But since 2007, the lowestearning 20 percent of the U.S. population “fell much further” than the highest-earning 20 percent, Johnson said –– more than 3 percent for the poorest families, and just 0.5 percent for the richest. “What we’ve found is that there’s a great isolation of the poor in the sense that in the neighborhoods they’re not mixed in, and often the only people that they’re knowing and the other people that they’re going to school with are also poor,” said Clark Massey, president of A Simple House, which works with poor families often living in government-run housing projects or government-subsidized housing in Kansas City, Mo., and Washington. In a Sept. 16 telephone interview from Kansas City with Catholic News Service, Massey said poor Americans are “not seeing examples of people working 9-to-5 jobs. They’re not seeing marriages that are working.” On the other half of the equation, “the greatest problem I see is that the wealthier upper or middle class, they’re distant from the poor. They’re in suburban neighborhoods,” he added. “There’s a great lack of information between the two, that they don’t know a lot about each other.” Massey said, “There’s a huge segment of the population that’s homeless. We don’t think of them as homeless. They’re sleeping on couches.” He explained: “The government prioritizes moms with kids. Men tend to be homeless ... and the moms are in the projects with their kids.” The men going from dwelling to dwelling to sleep on the couch is a phenomenon Massey called “couch surÀng.” He said he sees families that have been poor for generations. “In the biggest cities, it’s almost impossible to get out of poverty,” he added. “If we got one of our young men into a $15-an-hour job, that JOE WOLF JODY SUPAK 245-519-1492 [email protected] Killeen, Harker Heights, Copperas Cove, Granger 979-968-5332 [email protected] LaGrange, Giddings, Somerville, Texas A&M EDDIE MAZUREK DOUG SUPAK 512-301-1218 edwin.mazurek@ kofc.org Austin, Smithville, Blanco, Bastrop, Wimberley 979-968-5332 douglas.supak@ kofc.org Bryan-College Station, Brenham, Caldwell TED PATAKI DWAIN DUNGEN 512-983-6303 theodore.pataki@ kofc.org Cedar Park, Taylor, West Austin 979-732-1557 dwain.dungen@ kofc.org Fayetteville, Columbus LOUIS BARRON CLINT HAJOVSKY 512-750-7491 louis.barron@ kofc.org Pflugerville, Hutto, Elgin 254-295-0430 clinton.hajovsky@ kofc.org Temple, Rockdale, Hearne, Mexia PETE PEREZ RICKY ADAMS 512-743-2315 [email protected] Central Austin 254-644-2802 ricky.adams@ kofc.org Waco, West PHILIP REYNA CHARLES GUENAT 210-789-9683 philip.reyna@ kofc.org Round Rock, North Austin 254-939-1981 charles.guenat@ kofc.org Temple, Belton DOUG DEGROOT WILLIAM JENSEN 512-294-2406 douglas.degroot@ kofc.org Georgetown, Marble Falls, Burnet 512-282-2656 william.jensen@ kofc.org Dripping Springs, South Austin would be a windfall for him. But in Washington, you can’t rent an apartment or take care of your kid on $15 an hour. In Kansas City, (with) a $10-an-hour job you can rent an apartment. There’s more mobility.” Poverty rates remain highest with African-Americans and Hispanics, at 27.2 percent and 25.6 percent, respectively. Only 9.7 percent of whites live in poverty, and 11.7 percent of Asian-Americans. The Census Bureau developed a statistic called the Supplemental Poverty Measure, which factors in the effect of income transfers in poverty rates. An example of an “income transfer” is the earned income tax credit, a federal income tax credit for low- to moderate-income working individuals and families. Under this measure, the U.S. poverty rate would be 16.1 percent –– with higher rates among seniors and working-age Americans, but lower among minors. The biggest change in the Supplemental Poverty Measure is the effect of Social Se- curity, which cuts the poverty rate by 8.3 percentage points. Refundable tax credits alleviate poverty by 2.9 percentage points; Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program beneÀts, by 1.1 points; and Supplemental Security Income, by 1.1 points. Out-of-pocket medical costs raise the poverty rate by 3.4 percentage points, and work expenses raise it 1.7 points. Massey told CNS that the poor his agency serves keep looking for ways to get by Ànancially from one month to the next. “This is the way people have been living for years and years. Food stamps every month. Salvation Army every month. We call it the hustle. They hustle to make it,” he said. “As far as I can tell, it’s intergenerational. A very common conversation for us to have is the Salvation Army may help you with a bill every six months or so. When they come to see us, they’ll update us on all the other orgs that have been helping them.” Join Our Winning Team. Do you have what it takes to be a success helping Catholic families plan for their future? • Professional level income potential. • Create your own schedule. Learn more about our team, which is rated A++ by AM Best. Call 979-968-9800. Life Insurance • Disability • Retirement Products • Long-Term Care There is no more highly rated life insurer in North America TOM SUPAK AGENCY SERVING THE AUSTIN DIOCESE Tom Supak, General Agent 979-968-9800 [email protected] Call Tom to learn about career opportunities. October 2013 15 IN OUR WORLD USCCB continues legal, moral analysis of HHS mandate The bishops’ “efforts are contraceptive services come Committee was unanimous in its proceeding apace, and, as you from outside the objecting or- resolve to continue its struggle know, include a careful legal and ganization’s premiums. with the HHS mandate and he In a Sept. 17 letter to U.S. moral analysis of the Ànal rule,” For self-insuring institutions, likewise voiced concern regarding bishops, New York Cardinal Cardinal Dolan wrote. He said a third-party administrator would the Catholic Health Association’s Timothy M. Dolan said the further discussion will take place provide or arrange the services, “hurried acceptance of the acU.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops continues to study the legal and moral implications of “We are united in our resolve to continue to defend our right the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ contracep- to live by our faith, and our duty to serve the poor, heal the tive mandate in the Affordable sick, keep our apostolates strong and faithful, and insure Care Act. our people.” The USCCB also continues –– Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan to “develop avenues of response that would both preserve our strong unity and protect our consciences,” he said. at the bishops’ fall general meet- paid for through reductions in commodation” which he called The letter from Cardinal ing Nov. 11-14 in Baltimore. federally facilitated-exchange user “untimely and unhelpful.” Dolan, president of the USCCB, “We are united in our re- fees associated with their health “We highly value CHA’s was a follow-up from the bish- solve to continue to defend our insurance provider. great expertise in their ministry ops’ Sept. 10-11 Administrative right to live by our faith, and The mandate does not in- of healing,” Cardinal Dolan said, Committee meeting where they our duty to serve the poor, heal clude a conscience clause for “but as they have been the Àrst discussed the HHS mandate, the sick, keep our apostolates employers who object to such to say, they do not represent the among other topics. strong and faithful, and insure coverage on moral grounds. magisterium of the church.” The HHS contraceptive our people,” he wrote. The contraceptive mandate He said the Ànal rule issued mandate, part of the AffordIn the Ànal HHS rule on the was initially slated to go into ef- June 28 has “the same three basic able Care Act, will require most mandate, an accommodation of fect Aug. 1, but the HHS Ànal problems” found in the original employers, including religious religious ministries that do not rule issued this summer moved rule issued in February: a narrow employers, to provide coverage fit the exemption, contracep- the date of implementation to deÀnition of “religious employer” of contraceptives, sterilization tive coverage for those accom- Jan. 1. Starting Oct. 1, people that “reduces religious freedom and some abortion-inducing modated religious organizations can begin selecting and apply to the freedom of worship by drugs free of charge, even if the with health insurance plans is to for health insurance coverage dividing our community between employer is morally opposed be provided separately through choices. houses of worship and ministries to such services. It includes an health insurance companies or In his letter to the bishops, of service”; second-class treatexemption for some religious third-party administrators who Cardinal Dolan emphasized ment of such ministries through employers that Àt its criteria. must ensure that payments for that the USCCB Administrative a “so-called ‘accommodation’”; BY CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE Tax-Deferred Annuities Do Your Long-Term & Retirement Savings Plans Stack Up? 'ĞƌƌŝW͘DĂƌƟŶĞnj ƵƐƟŶͬĂƐƚƌŽƉͬ dĂLJůŽƌͬ^ŵŝƚŚǀŝůůĞ ϱϭϮͲϯϬϯͲϱϵϯϲ Monica Mikeska dĞŵƉůĞ ϮϱϰͲϳϲϬͲϯϲϱϯ z and a “failure to offer any relief to for-proÀt businesses run by so many of our faithful in the pews.” He stressed that the Catholic Church has long been a leader in providing affordable health care. “The bishops on a national level have been at it for almost 100 years, and our heroic women and men religious have done so even longer.” But now, he pointed out, “instead of spending our time, energy, and treasure on increasing access to health care, as we have done for many decades, we’re now forced to spend those resources on determining how to respond to recently enacted government regulations that restrict and burden our religious freedom.” Cardinal Dolan said that “while much remains uncertain,” the USCCB is continuing its efforts in Congress and in the courts particularly since the mandate “lessens the ability of our ministries to give fullthroated witness to our faith, a central mission of all Catholic apostolates.” “As I’ve said before, this is a Àght that we didn’t ask for, and would rather not be in, but it’s certainly one that we won’t run from,” the cardinal wrote. IRAs z Rollovers 3.15 %* APY *Includes Current Yield + ϭ͘ϬϬй&ŝƌƐƚzĞĂƌĚĚŝƟŽŶĂů/ŶƚĞƌĞƐƚ WĂƚƐLJ͘tŝůĞLJ >ůĂŶŽͬ<ŝŶŐƐůĂŶĚͬ ƵƐƟŶͬ,ŝůůŽƵŶƚƌLJ ϯϮϱͲϯϴϴͲϰϲϵϴ >LJŶĚŽŶDŝĚĚůĞƚŽŶ tĞƐƚͬdŽƵƌƐͬtĂĐŽ ϮϱϰͲϴϮϮͲϭϵϯϯ ĂƐĞ,ŽůůƵď ƵƐƟŶͬtĞŝŵĂƌ ϵϳϵͲϳϮϱͲϭϭϭϭ Securing Families’ Lives Since 1901 *Interest rates are subject to change. Minimum guaranteed rate is 1.50% . ,ŽŵĞKĸĐĞ͗^ĂŶŶƚŽŶŝŽ͕dĞdžĂƐ͘η^hϵ͘ϭϯ To advertise, e-mail [email protected] or call (512) 949-2443. 16 IN OUR WORLD C ATHOLIC S PIRIT Behind pope’s summer residence is milk, honey BY CAROL GLATZ CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE Not a sound bounced off the smooth white walls and vaulted brick ceiling as a Vatican gardener hunched over a large, empty glass jar. Two other men peered over his shoulder, waiting for the Ànished product to ooze slowly from the stainless steel spout. As the thick, dark amber Áow rippled into the container, Vincenzo Scaccioni, the head of agricultural operations at the pontiÀcal villa of Castel Gandolfo, said: “This is a historic moment.” It was historic because it was the year’s Àrst honey harvest for the new pope by the little known, but very busy, papal bees. And it was lucky because there had been a drastic dip in this year’s honey production. “Maybe we’ll get three or four kilo (seven to eight pounds), not even,” said the Vatican beekeeper Marco Tullio Cicero, as he peeked into the stainless steel centrifuge that spun the honey from its golden honeycomb. “As long as there’s a jar for him,” the pope, it will be enough, said Scaccioni. “It’s a limited edition,” he said with a smile. Scaccioni oversees 26 employees who work on the villa’s 74 acres of gardens and 62 acres of farmland. Pope Pius XI expanded the papal farm in 1930, Scaccioni said, in part to “express the universality and the fullness of the church and countryside,” and to make use of the fertile pastures, which had been abandoned after the loss of the Papal States in 1870, to provide fresh fare for the papal menu. The villa’s workers raise freerange chickens, rabbits, ducks, pheasants and other fowl for meat, calves for veal, cows to provide milk and milk products like mozzarella, cheese and yogurt, and hens for eggs. They also harvest fruit and olive orchards and vineyards, cut hayÀelds, tend vegetable patches and grow Áowers and plants that often are used to decorate the papal apartments and meeting rooms at the Vatican. The aromatic herbs and Áowering plants also provide an abundance of nectar for the bees, which work from dawn to dusk collecting the sweet water to turn into wildflower honey for the cold winter months. What the pope and his closest aides do not use is sold to Vatican employees and retirees at the Vatican discount supermarket. Scaccioni, who has a degree in agricultural science, was promoted in November from his role as botanist at the gardens inside Vatican City State, to heading the pontifical gardens and farm at Castel Gandolfo. He said the papal farm is ready for an overhaul, and the Àrst thing on his list is the bees, with an eye to expanding their presence and boosting their output. The papal farm has always had bees, he said, but in recent years, they had been somewhat neglected. Also, extreme weather patterns over the past few years haven’t helped, as intense heat and unseasonal rains have cut their honey production in half. More trouble in the mix was extensive swarming this spring. A swarm occurs when half of the hive’s occupants Áy off to Ànd a new, roomier home, resulting in smaller families with half the workforce and double the work. Starting from scratch, the bees spend the entire summer building new wax comb and storing reserves instead of just cranking out honey for the leader of the universal church. While swarming hurt honey production this year, it also meant the bee yard doubled from eight hives to 16, positioning the papal bee business for future growth, Scaccioni said. He said, “In about two or three years, we want to start being able to offer pollen, propolis and royal jelly,” all honeybee prod- ucts that are considered to have nutritional, cosmetic or curative effects. Helping the bees by increasing the number of hives and planting more nectar-producing plants is part of Scaccioni’s larger vision for better supporting the papal farm. PAPAL BEEKEEPER Marco Tullio Cicero opens one of the apiary’s 16 hives located at the papal villa at Castel Gandolfo, outside Rome, Sept. 12. (CNS photo by Carol Glatz) Upcoming Event Nov. 14: The Devil You Don’t Know! OCT. 14, THE GOSPEL OF JOHN The fourth gospel is written in great poetic language by John often telling two levels of stories at the same time. This day will be an opportunity to enter more deeply into the Woman at the Well story and the Eucharist Discourse in Chapter Six. Brian Egan, Cedarbrake Director, will present. Cost: $35 (incl. lunch) NOV. 1-3, THE ART & HEART OF THE SPIRITUAL LIFE WITH FR. ALBERT HAASE, OFM Based upon his best selling book and DVD, Catching Fire, Becoming Flame: A Guide for Spiritual Transformation, this weekend retreat focuses upon some of the important elements and attitudes of a vibrant spiritual life: prayer, surrender and trust, confronting temptations, and experiencing God’s presence in our everyday, ordinary life and routine. The retreat draws from our rich spiritual tradition and expresses its wisdom in Fr. Albert’s inimitable preaching and teaching style. Cost: $155 (all rooms are shared); all meals incl. NOV. 14, THE DEVIL YOU DON’T KNOW! On a daily basis, whether we are conscious of it or not, we face a formidable adversary who rarely claims a dramatic role in our lives but who, nevertheless, intrudes regularly in ways that are harmful or even destructive. Fr. Angelo Bertini, will present this day. Cost: $35 (incl. lunch) DEC. 6-8, SILENT RETREAT “Seek first his kingship g p over yyou.” Matthew M atthew 66:33 :33 5602 N. HWY. 317, BELTON, TX 76513 P.O. BOX 58, BELTON, TX 76513 (mailing address) It has been said that the best time to pray is when we can’t pray, due to time constraints, obligations, or distractions. It would seem that the best time to go on retreat might be, for most people, the busiest time of the year. Cedarbrake is offering a silent retreat during Advent in hopes that you might step out of the hustle and bustle of your Christmas preparations and enter into silence to prepare for the birth of Our Lord. Mass, Spiritual Direction, and group centering prayer will be available on this weekend. Cost: $150/person (all rooms are private); all meals incl. TO REGISTER FOR AN EVENT: (254) 780-2436, [email protected] or www.austindiocese.org/cedarbrake, click on “upcoming retreats” Visit us online! WEBSITE: austindiocese.org/cedarbrake FACEBOOK: facebook.com/cedarbrake October 2013 17 IN OUR WORLD Agencies stretch to meet needs of displaced Syrians BY PATRICIA ZAPOR CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE Governments and nongovernmental agencies are struggling to keep up with the needs and pressures created by the displacement of nearly a third of Syria’s population because of the country’s civil war. Assistance to the refugees and displaced people is coming from around the world, although resources are thinly stretched. Representatives of several Catholic agencies that are involved at various levels told Catholic News Service that their programs include helping make sure children can go to school and get help dealing with psychological trauma, as well as providing the basics for survival, such as food, water, housing and medicines. Resettlement agencies, including Migration and Refugee Services of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, meanwhile, are preparing for the possible need for new permanent homes in other countries for thousands –– or maybe hundreds of thousands –– of Syrians who may decide they can’t go home. Witnesses from the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development told a House hearing Sept. 19 that almost one-third of Syria’s 22 million people have been displaced by the civil war, including an estimated 2 million who have Áed the country –– typically referred to as refugees –– and about 5 million who have been forced from their homes but remain in Syria –– generally called “internally displaced.” That makes the Syrian displaced population the largest in the world, and it has grown at a dramatic pace, said Anne C. Richard, assistant secretary of state in the Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration. She said the number of refugees from Syria climbed from 230,000 a year ago to more than 2 million now. Most have poured across Syria’s borders to Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey and Iraq, which are struggling to provide basic services such as food, water and housing to transient populations that in some towns exceed the number of permanent residents, she said. For perspective, Richard said, “more people have fled their homes in Syria than fled the genocide and its aftermath in Rwanda or the ethnic cleansing in Bosnia.” She quoted U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres as saying earlier in September that “Syria has become the great tragedy of this century –– a disgraceful humanitarian calamity with suffering and displacement unparalleled in recent history.” Nancy E. Lindborg, assistant administrator for the Bureau for Democracy, Conflict and Humanitarian Assistance at USAID, told the hearing of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa that the number of people inside Syria who need some kind of humanitarian help is around 6.8 million, or about the equivalent of the combined populations of Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, and Connecticut. Caroline Brennan, senior emergency communications ofÀcer at Catholic Relief Services, recently returned from visiting CRS-afÀliated programs in Jordan and Lebanon that are assisting with displaced Syrians. The Syrians she encountered mostly Áed their homes on a moment’s notice, so they need “everything you and I have used so far this morning,” such as beds, toiletries, hair brushes, food, towels and clothing, Brennan said. MOHAMMAD, 11 months old, is carried by his sister across an informal refugee settlement in late July in Qab Elias in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley. Only about one third of Syrian refugees are living in formal camps. (CNS photo by Sam Tarling of Catholic Relief Services) The House hearing witnesses said about 70 percent of the people who Áed Syria are not living in formal refugee camps. Instead they crowd into existing towns, taxing infrastructure such as water, sewer and electrical services. Brennan said she met families where two or three women and their children were crowded into an apartment, “bursting at the seams.” Their husbands were not with them, some having been killed in the war, others having remained behind to protect property. In the region, CRS, the U.S. church’s overseas relief and development agency, partners with Caritas, the international Catholic aid agency. Given the high level of education of many of the refugees, Brennan said it’s been relatively easy for Caritas to Ànd people among the refugees to teach in the schools they set up, and to run the various programs such as counseling. Children are the Àrst target for counseling, said Brennan, telling of kids who, when asked to draw pictures of “springtime,” illustrated the skies over blooming Áowers with drawings of bombs, for instance. Mitzi Schroeder, policy director for Jesuit Refugee Service, told CNS that in addition to the same type of work CRS is supporting among refugees, the Jesuit organization is working within Syria, helping get aid to about 355,000 displaced people. Food distribution, cooking equipment and health supplies are among the materials JRS is helping distribute through local networks. Some of that comes through USAID’s disaster assistance program, she said, and is going “all over the place,” including the major cities. Lindborg told the House committee that relief workers are targeted for attack throughout Syria. She said one medical partner agency alone had 37 medical staffers killed, 21 injured and 13 arrested or who were missing. Just delivering aid can be a long, complex process. Lindborg said a trip between Damascus and Aleppo that used to take three hours by car, now is a threeday slog through the 50 or so checkpoints along the road. Meanwhile, other organizations are preparing for the possibility that perhaps hundreds of thousands of Syrians will decide that they cannot return home anytime soon and need new permanent homes in other countries. Jeff Cox, associate director for processing operations for Migration and Refugee Services, said the U.N. refugee resettlement program is gearing up to help Ànd new homes for Syrians. Cox said U.S. refugee agencies have been advised by the State Department to expect 1,000 to 1,500 Syrian refugees in 2014. Brennan said the people she met recognize the work to be done to rebuild their country and all she talked to said they are willing to go home, to live in tents or whatever it takes to start over again. Cox said “everyone always wants to go home. Resettlement is never anybody’s Àrst choice.” But given conditions in Syria and the dim hopes that the Àghting will be over anytime soon, he said, “I think the UNHCR is gearing up for a large refugee resettlement.” As migration rises worldwide, pope calls for cooperation BY FRANCIS X. ROCCA CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE Pope Francis called for greater international cooperation to improve conditions for the world’s rising numbers of migrants and called on the media to combat prejudices that make immigrants feel unwelcome. The pope’s words came in his annual message for the World Day of Migrants and Refugees, which will be celebrated Jan. 19, 2014. The message was released by the Vatican Sept. 24. “Contemporary movements of migration represent the largest movement of individuals, if not of peoples, in history,” the pope wrote. According to the United Nations, 232 million people, representing 3.2 percent of the world’s population, are currently international migrants, up from 175 million in 2000 and 154 million in 1990. A 2012 study by the Pew Research Center listed Mexico as world’s largest source of emigrants, and the U.S. as the most popular immigration destination. Noting that many migrants experience “rejection, discrimination, trafÀcking and exploitation, suffering and death,” Pope Francis wrote that migration “needs to be approached and managed in a new, equitable and effective manner,” marked by “international cooperation and a spirit of profound solidarity and compassion.” Bilateral relations between countries of origin and destination, as well as international norms on the rights of migrants and host countries, can help national governments “confront socioeconomic imbalances and an unregulated globalization, which are among some of the causes of migration movements in which individuals are more victims than protagonists,” he wrote. Pope Francis also encour- aged countries to “create better economic and social conditions at home, so that emigration will not be the only option left for those who seek peace, justice, security and full respect of their human dignity.” Many citizens of host countries treat immigrations with “suspicion and hostility,” the pope wrote. “There is a fear that society will become less secure, that identity and culture will be lost, that competition for jobs will become stiffer and even that criminal activity will increase.” In response, the pope wrote, the communications media have a special responsibility to “break down stereotypes and to offer correct information in reporting the errors of a few as well as the honesty, rectitude and goodness of the majority.” The pope invoked the Holy Family’s experience of migration during its Áight into Egypt as a source of encouragement. Though forced to Áee to protect the infant Jesus from death at the hands of King Herod, Mary and Joseph “never doubted that God would always be with them,” Pope Francis wrote. “Through their intercession, may that same Àrm certainty dwell in the heart of every migrant and refugee.” GOOD NEWS 18 C ATHOLIC S PIRIT Respecting life from conception to natural death BISHOP JOE S. VÁSQUEZ is the ¿fth bishop of the Austin Diocese. He shepherds more than 530,000 Catholics in 25 Central Texas counties. Editor: Bishop, October is Respect Life Month, which people most commonly associate with the issue of abortion. What does it really mean for a Catholic to respect life and why is it so important? Bishop Vásquez: Catholics appreciate the sanctity of human life. We know that life must be respected, appreciated and protected from conception until natural death. This comprehensive understanding of human life encompasses the serious issue of abortion, but is broader. The moment of conception is when life is most vulnerable, which is why the church speaks so clearly and strong about the protection we must give to the unborn. However, we must also respect and protect children as they develop, adults as they age and elderly as they near their time of death. We must understand that life is a sacred gift from God; therefore, we have to be very watchful and protective of it at every stage. Editor: Last year the U.S. bishops did a Call to Prayer for Life, Marriage and Religious Liberty during the Year of Faith. Why did they pinpoint these three things and how is this call to prayer important to us as a society? Bishop Vásquez: The bishops have been concerned with these issues for a long time. We have been advocating for life since before the Roe v. Wade decision, 40 years ago. The bishops have always been concerned about quality of life issues in the U.S. The bishops have highlighted these three particular aspects because we see them as essential foundation of a sound society. When a society supports, defend and protects life, marriage and religious freedom, the society remains strong and vibrant. We have witnessed the under appreciation of life in the U.S., a lack of respect for the sanctity of marriage, and the imposed limitation on our religious freedoms. There are true battles taking place to redeÀne life, marriage and religious freedom at the state and national levels. Certainly abortion is part of this debate, as is euthanasia and other end of life issues. This summer we saw another attack undermining marriage with the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn DOMA and then Proposition 8 in California. These changes in the understanding of marriage in our country remove God from marriage. Catholics believe marriage is God given, meaning a man and a woman come together to form a family. As the U.S. bishops wrote in our 2009 Pastoral Letter on Marriage, “Marriage is not merely a private institution, however. It is the foundation for the family, where children learn the values and virtues that will make good Christians as well as good citizens. The importance of marriage for children and for the upbringing of the next generation highlights the importance of marriage for all society.” We must continue to pray for married couples and for the sanctity of marriage. Finally, the bishops feel we must pray for religious liberty. The recent HHS mandate involves the government imposing rules on religious organizations thereby forcing us to provide coverage for procedures that violate our religious beliefs. The Àrst amendment of the U.S. Constitution guarantees freedom of religion; this is not only freedom to worship but freedom of religion means we get to deÀne who we are as a religion. The government doesn’t deÀne us, which it is trying to do with recent legislation. Therefore, these three areas continue to be of great importance to the bishops. The Call to Prayer for Life, Marriage and Religious Liberty is very important because we depend upon God to help us persevere through this struggle. All of our efforts, which include our advocacy in the legislative process, must begin with prayer. Editor: Respect for human life is essential to our faith but that doesn’t make it easy to embrace. How can Catholics form their consciences and hearts on what it means to respect life? Bishop Vásquez: The Àrst thing we have to do is inform ourselves about what Scripture and the church teach us about life at all its stages and development. I encourage people to read Scripture and the Catechism of the Catholic Church, where we can Ànd a wealth of information on the church’s teaching on the beauty of human life. If we depend on society to teach us about human life, we will discover a completely different understanding from what the church teaches. I would encourage those who have difÀculty understanding what the church teaches to speak to priests, deacons, religious or lay people. The diocese also has an excellent OfÀce of Pro-Life Activities and Chaste Living that can provide resources for those interested in learning more about the sanctity of human life. The church is countercultural in many ways; therefore, we have to stand up for what we believe and be ready to defend what we believe. Lately, I have witnessed our young people doing this, which gives me great hope. They are not simply following the popular voice and trends; they are learning and understanding what the church teaches. This is refreshing! Another sign of hope for me is the closing of the Planned Parenthood in Bryan/College Station and other such clinics in our state. Hopefully, this is a sign of more respect for life in our state. Editor: Blessed John Paul II called our culture a culture of death. How can parishes and individuals promote the dignity of life in this culture? Bishop Vásquez: We had this terrible tragedy up in Newtown where these innocent children and adults were killed. This very sad tragedy really made me think as a bishop how much our society does not appreciate life. Of course, not everyone would walk into a school and kill innocent people, but this horrible violence is one example of how persons in our society have succumbed to a culture of death. The culture of death is not just a reference to abortion, but it is also about violence to women, abuse of children, and neglect of the elderly. When people are being taken advantage of and when people are hurt by others, the gift of life is impaired and damaged. We must defend the lives of those whose voices go unheard, especially the unborn, the immigrants and the weak, we must speak for those who cannot speak for themselves. We believe life is a precious gift from God; therefore, we must learn how to appreciate it. Blessed John Paul II, who was very sick in the last years of his life, was a great witness of life for us. He showed us the dignity of life even in the midst of pain and suffering. I would encourage our clergy to continue to speak on these issues from the pulpit, in counseling and in the sacrament of confession. We must always speak about these matters with great compassion and understanding. As clergy, we are called to help people understand the dignity of the human person and to offer compassion for those who are sick and for those who are caring for them. As Pope Francis has told us, we must stay close to those who are entrusted to our care. I also encourage people to go out and serve –– go to a hospital or to a nursing home, visit a hospice center or a homeless shelter. All of these places give us an opportunity to be with people and to surround ourselves with those who are sick, hurting or dying. When we do this, we realize the value and the beauty of all human life and our faith is strengthened as we help those in need of compassion and love. Editor: In August the Fort Hood shooter was sentenced to death. How should a Catholic look at his crimes and his sentencing in regard to respect for life? Bishop Vásquez: First of all we have to say that what Major Nidal Hasan did was an evil thing. The fact that so much human life was taken was shocking, and our prayers are with the family members who are left trying to make sense of their lives after losing their loved ones. But does this type of act give us a right to take someone’s life? I think not. Again, I go back to Blessed John Paul II, who advocated strongly against the death penalty. We must remember the persons who commit such heinous crimes never lose their human dignity. Taking the life of a criminal does not compensate for the lives that were lost. Respect for life even means respecting the lives of those who commit violent criminal acts. This is extremely difÀcult. However, we believe that every life is sacred, and it is only God who can give life and take life. Editor: What is your prayer for us during Respect Life Month? Bishop Vásquez: My prayer is that all of us will come to appreciate human life in all of its stages, and that we really appreciate Àrst of all the gift of life that God has given to each of us. In coming to appreciate this gift of life, may we grow in deeper appreciation for the lives of those closest to us: our parents, our siblings, our spouses and our children. May all of us come to appreciate life in all of its states from conception to natural death. THIS RESPECT LIFE POSTER is available to download in English and Spanish at www.usccb. org/about/prolife-activities/ respect-lifeprogram/index. cfm. There are also many other resources available for Respect Life month. (Poster courtesy USCCB) GOOD NEWS October 2013 19 ‘Let your light shine’ through Catholic Services Appeal BY SCOTT WHITAKER GUEST COLUMNIST Each November, parishes across the Diocese of Austin participate in the Catholic Services Appeal (CSA). Through the CSA, Catholics throughout our diocese are able to join together to support many critical diocesan ministries. Each gift to the CSA enables us to provide quality formation for 41 seminarians and 223 priests; educate thousands of students in our 23 Catholic schools; form our deacons, catechists and lay ministers; care for our retired priests; and provide direct assistance to countless families in need through Catholic Charities of Central Texas. Now in its 36th year, the CSA has provided more than $70 million of support to these ministries. In addition, the CSA also allows us to share the gift of our Catholic faith with our communities. This year’s theme, “Let Your Light Shine,” reminds us that we have been called by Christ to share his light and love with the world. “The light of Christ shines, as in a mirror, upon the face of Christians; as it spreads, it comes down to us, so that we too can share in that vi- sion and reÁect that light to others... Faith is truly a good for everyone; it is a common good. Its light does not simply brighten the interior of the Church, nor does it serve solely to build an eternal city in the hereafter; it helps us build our societies in such a way that they can journey towards a future of hope,” writes Pope Francis in “Lumen Fidei.” This year was designated a “Year of Faith” by Pope Benedict XVI. During this year, we have been called to reopen the “door of faith” that was Àrst opened at baptism and rediscover and renew our relationship with Christ and his church. As the Year of Faith draws to a close, this is an opportune time to share our renewed faith with our diocesan community. As Pope Francis reminds us in “Lumen Fidei,” “Faith is passed on, we might say, by contact, from one person to another, just as one candle is lighted from another.” By sharing our blessings with one another, we are also sharing the light of our faith with one another, and spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ. The Catholic Services Appeal provides us with a chance to be involved in diverse ministries, such as the education of seminarians, Catholic schools, Catholic Charities, Hispanic ministry and youth ministry, which affect our entire Catholic community. By sharing our faith and our gifts with one another, we are bring- ing the light of Christ not only to our communities in Central Texas, we are also building a community of faith that will last for generations. This commitment to stewardship allows the diocesan church to provide the necessary resources that one parish could not provide alone. In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus challenges us to let our light shine before others (Mt 5:16). At a time when needs are increasing and resources are limited, our generosity to the CSA not only brings the light of Christ to individuals, families and parishes throughout our diocese, but it also serves as a powerful witness of our own faith and trust in the Lord. Please prayerfully consider supporting the Catholic Services Appeal this November. Commitment weekend in our parishes is Nov. 2-3. For more information about the CSA, visit www.austindiocese.org or call (512) 949-2400. SCOTT WHITAKER is the diocesan director of Stewardship and Development. He can be reached at (512) 949-2444 or scott-whitaker@ austindiocese.org. All are invited to join us for our annual All Souls’ Day Mass Saturday, November 2nd at 10:00 am St. Helen Catholic Church, Georgetown Celebrated by Fr. Brian McMaster, Director of Vocations, Diocese of Austin Con-celebrated by Fr. Robert Becker, Pastor, St. Helen Catholic Church Remembering all our Faithfully Departed, and especially those who are at rest at Our Lady of the Rosary Cemetery. Following Mass at St. Helen Catholic Church, please join us as we proceed to Our Lady’s sacred grounds, where there will be blessings for the families with loved ones interred at Our Lady, along with our annual scattering of wildflower seeds, and refreshments of soul cakes. “Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them” OUR LADY OF THE ROSARY CEMETERY & PRAYER GARDENS 330 Berry Lane Georgetown, Texas 78626 www.olotr.com 512.863.8411 GOOD NEWS 20 C ATHOLIC S PIRIT Faithful citizens vote even in ‘off’ elections BY BARBARA BUDDE COLUMNIST This November there will be an election. For most of us the ballot will consist of Constitutional amendments placed there by the legislature. Cities and counties might have other local initiatives on the ballot, but we won’t be voting for any person holding ofÀce either at the state or federal level. This is what we call an “off” election year. As a result, many will decide not to vote. I hope that is not the case in the Catholic community. Faithful citizenship calls us to participate in the political process and to exercise the right and duty we have to vote. I did a quick search of the last time there was an off-year election with Constitutional initiatives on the ballot and most counties in the state, including in our own diocese, had voter turn outs that were in the single digits. I want to commend Llano County for being the standout in our diocese. In 2011 they had more than 17 percent of eligible voters who actually voted in that offyear election. Honorable mention goes to Fayette and Brazos counties both of which had more than 15 percent of registered voters go to the polls and San Saba County, which had about 14.5 percent of registered voters who actually voted. The great irony is that our country was founded by those who fought and died for the right of self-determination. We did not do it perfectly when the country was founded and we had to make many changes along the way – but voting is the cornerstone of democracy and in many instances we abdicate that precious right to vote. This year the Voter ID law passed by the 2011 legislature is in effect. A voter registration card is no longer sufÀcient to vote. Every person will also need to show a valid picture ID. The list of acceptable IDs from the Secretary of State OfÀce includes: • Texas driver license issued by the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) • Texas Election IdentiÀcation Cer- tiÀcate issued by DPS • Texas personal identiÀcation card issued by DPS • Texas concealed handgun license issued by DPS • U.S. military identiÀcation card containing the person’s photograph • U.S. citizenship certiÀcate containing the person’s photograph • U.S. passport The ID must be “current.” The website says, “With the exception of the U.S. citizenship certiÀcate, the identiÀcation must be current or have expired no more than 60 days before being presented for voter qualiÀcation at the polling place.” There is also a requirement that the name on the ID and on the voter registration list must be “substantially similar.” There are guidelines to help election judges make determinations about what “substantially similar” means. Please be aware that the Texas Election IdentiÀcation CertiÀcate issued by DPS is free. However, any person who needs this identiÀcation because they may lack any of the others on the list must present proof of citizenship such as a certiÀed birth certiÀcate. Those are not free. Any person who is over the age of 65 can apply to vote by mail. Clearly in this instance an ID cannot be required, so all seniors are able to vote by mail, but must apply. There are exemptions for persons with disabilities or persons who lost their ID due to natural disaster. Detailed information on these exemptions as well as “Frequently Asked Questions” are all available from the state at www. votetexas.gov/register-to-vote/need-id/. Far too many of us exempt ourselves from the right and duty to vote. We can change that this year. Voter registration closes Oct. 7. Remember to register, remember your ID and remember to vote! BARBARA BUDDE is the diocesan director of social concerns. She can be reached at (512) 949-2471 or barbara-budde@ austindiocese.org. Diocesan Middle School Youth Rally 10.19.13 Location: St. Anthony Marie de Claret Parish, Kyle prayer community ip fellowsh breakouts Looking for a Sales Management Opportunity? fun!!! Featuring: Mike Patin Contact your parish youth ministry representative or visit: www.austindiocese.org for more information. 7UDLQLQJVXSSRUW 0DUNHWLQJVXSSRUW 5HFUXLWLQJVXSSRUW &RPPLVVLRQERQXV If you are a life insurance professional with 5+ years sales experience & a proven track record of recruiting & training new agents, we want you! Create Your Legacy With Us Call Dawn Fanfelle at 1-800-292-2548 ext 168 or email [email protected] www.cliu.com www.catholicfdn.org For more information about how to include the Catholic church in your will or estate plan, contact Scott Whitaker at (512) 949-2441 or [email protected] October 2013 GOOD NEWS 21 Bl. Contardo: Layman dedicated to faith, academia BY MARY LOU GIBSON COLUMNIST It may be that Blessed Contardo Ferrini is not well known today, but in the mid 19th century he was considered the world’s leading authority on Roman law. From a very young age, he had a tremendous intellectual curiosity and was encouraged in his academic pursuits by his father, Rinaldo Ferrini, a professor of mathematics and science. Contardo was born on April 5, 1859, in Milan, Italy. As a student, he professed his love for the Catholic faith openly and often and that BLESSED CONTARDO FERRINI (Courtesy of AmericanCatholic.org) caused friends to nickname him “St. Aloysius” (after St. Aloysius Gonzaga). He was 17 when he entered the University of Pavia. He especially loved languages and learned Hebrew and Greek so he could read the Bible in its original language. Paul Burns writes in “Butler’s Lives of the Saints” that he also knew Syriac and some Coptic and was at ease with German, English, Dutch, French and Spanish. He also developed a love of poetry and became a keen mountaineer. At age 21, Contardo became a doctor of law at the university. His doctoral thesis, which related penal law to Homeric poetry, brought him a scholarship to the University of Berlin in 1880. There was much prejudice against Catholics in the German capital, but Contardo found an active group of Catholics who were involved in social and charitable work. Through this group, Contardo joined the local branch of the St. Vincent de Paul Society. He returned to Italy in 1883 and was a lecturer at the universities at Messina, Modena and Pavia. Contardo received his Àrst professorship at the young age of 26. During his years as a student and later as a professor, he prayed and thought about whether he had a vocation to the priesthood, or to a religious order, or as a married person. Ultimately, he made a vow of lifelong celibacy and became a member of the Third Order of St. Francis. Burns writes that Contardo did not believe he had a vocation to the priesthood. Throughout his life, he pursued his interest in social work and became a city councilor of Milan in 1895. According to Burns, he deplored the papal ban on Catholics taking part in Italian politics. He advocated for the importance of marriage and the value of Catholic elementary education. As a faculty member at the University of Pavia, he helped found the St. Severinus Boethius Society, an international organization that promoted scholarship for university students. John Delaney writes in the “Dictionary of Saints” that Contardo was regarded by his students and colleagues as one who lived a life of holiness in the midst of academia. He was passionate about the faith he lived. “Our life,” he said, “must reach out toward the InÀnite, and from that source we must draw whatever we can expect of merit and dignity.” (www.americancatholic. org) Editor Marion Habig notes in “The Franciscan Book of Saints” that Contardo showed in his speeches and writings that faith and science are not opposed to each other, but that faith is rather a shield to protect us from error. He was instrumental in beginning the University of the Sacred Heart in Milan, which opened after his death. In 1900, he developed a heart condition and went to his country home in the village of Suna in 1902 to rest. While there, he became ill with typhus and died on Oct. 17, 1902, at the age of 43. He was declared Venerable by Pope Pius XI in 1931 and beatiÀed by Pope Pius XII in 1947. At his beatiÀcation, Pope Pius held Contardo up as a model of a Catholic lay person and an example of how holiness can be achieved in modern times. His body is venerated in a chapel of Milan’s Catholic University. He is the patron of universities and his remembrance day is Oct. 17. MARY LOU GIBSON is a member of St. Austin Parish in Austin. She is a retired state employee. Anointing of the sick is not just for the dying BY DEACON GUADALUPE RODRIGUEZ GUEST COLUMNIST The sacrament of anointing of the sick is the Catholic Church’s best kept secret. To discover this sacrament is to Ànd a treasure of hope, comfort and peace. For many centuries this sacrament was called “extreme unction” until the Second Vatican Council called it “The Anointing of the Sick.” Many may refer to it as “Last Rites” because there was a time when the sacrament was reserved for someone who was near death. Today the sacrament is reserved for those who are “seriously” sick. The Apostolic Constitution of the Second Vatican Council refers to the sacrament as “Sacram Unctionem InÀrmorum,” and states, “The sacrament of Anointing of the Sick is given to those who are seriously ill by anointing them on the forehead and hands with duly blessed oil — saying, only once: ‘Through this holy anointing may the Lord in his love and mercy help you with the grace of the Holy Spirit. May the Lord who frees you from sin save you and raise you up.’” The Catechism of the Catholic Church states “’The Anointing of the Sick’ is not a sacrament for those only who are at the point of death. Hence, as soon as anyone of the faithful begins to be in danger of death from sickness or old age, the Àtting time for him to receive this sacrament has certainly already arrived” (1514). A person with a serious condition may receive the sacrament more than once without regard to his or her age. “If a sick person who received this anointing recovers his health, he can in the case of another grave illness receive this sacrament again. If during the same illness the person’s condition becomes more serious, the sacrament may be repeated. It is Àtting to receive the Anointing of the Sick just prior to a serious operation. The same holds for the elderly whose frailty becomes more pronounced” (CCC 1515). Only a priest can administer the Anointing of the Sick. “The celebration of the sacrament includes the following principal elements: the ‘priests of the Church’ — in silence — lay hands on the sick; they pray over them in the faith of the Church — this is the epiclesis (descent of the Holy Spirit) proper to this sacrament” (1519). Priests may administer the sacrament during Mass, a prayer service, or in the privacy of the parish ofÀce or sacristy, visiting the sick at home, or at the hospital. The church recommends that it be preceded by a good confession and followed by holy Communion (if possible). A parish may hold a “communal celebration” for the Anointing of the Sick (perhaps after a Mass). At these communal celebrations, the priest will usually tell the faithful that this sacrament is for those suffering from physical, emotional or spiritual illness. While the faithful do not have to provide details of their sickness as they come forward to receive the sacrament, the faithful respect that the sacrament is reserved for those with serious illnesses or conditions. The origin of this sacrament is Jesus’ command, “In my name... they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover” (Mk 16:17-18). Further evidence of this sacrament is in the Letter of James, “Is anyone among you sick? He should summon the presbyters of the church, and they should pray over him and anoint [him] with oil in the name of the Lord, and the prayer of faith will save the sick person, and the Lord will raise him up. If he has committed any sins, he will be forgiven” (5:14-15). Early church fathers wrote about this sacrament. St. Augustine (d. 430) said he “was accustomed to visit the sick who desired it in order to lay his hands on them and pray at their bedside.” The Council of Constantinople II in 553 mentions the Anointing of the Sick as a sacrament. However, the church did not ofÀcially declare it as a sacrament until 1551, at the Council of Trent in response to the denial of this sacrament by the Protestants, when it stated, “This sacred anointing of the sick was instituted by Christ our Lord as a true and proper sacrament of the New Testament. It is alluded to indeed by Mark, but is recommended to the faithful and promulgated by James the apostle and brother of the Lord.” As with all seven sacraments, in the Anointing of the Sick, heaven touches earth and we can experience the presence and power of our ever-loving and almighty God. The church encourages all those who are seriously sick to seek the comfort and grace of the anointing of the sick. DEACON GUADALUPE RODRIGUEZ is the Co-Director of Diaconal Formation for the Diocese of Austin. He can be contacted at guadalupe-rodriguez@ austindiocese.org or (512) 949-2410. 22 GOOD NEWS C ATHOLIC S PIRIT How to invite someone to consider priesthood BY FATHER BRIAN MCMASTER VOCATION DIRECTOR This year the new diocesan seminarian poster is themed “Called by God, Invited by You.” The poster features testimonies from our seminarians about how they were invited by someone to consider the priesthood and the effect the invitation had on them. Our seminarians share how they were encouraged by priests, parents, youth ministers, teachers, other seminarians, fellow parishioners and others. The poster reminds us how important and effective a simple invitation can be. To build a “Vocation Culture” in our parishes, schools, youth groups and diocese means each of us take up the role of praying for vocations, actively looking for those we think might have a calling, and verbally inviting them to consider it. There are some helpful points to remember regarding our role in inviting men to consider priesthood. First, it’s everyone’s responsibility to invite. We all play a role in building up the Body of Christ and the church. It is important for us to encourage men to consider priesthood especially now when the culture at large proposes many different values. Secondly, it’s as simple as an invitation. We don’t have to convince someone they’re called. Don’t be afraid of the initial “no.” It’s even OK to expect it. There are numerous stories in Scripture and in the history of the church in which men and women were called by God to do something extraordinary yet they were initially hesitant or resistant. But the invitation stayed with them like a seed that slowly grew and blossomed into a loving response to God’s will. Thirdly, it’s also important that we are not too forceful or nagging when we invite someone. We simply need to make the invitation and then humbly trust that God will cultivate the sense of calling in the man. What does an invitation sound like? All we have to do is tell the man what we see in him. Here are some examples of what to look for and how to say it. I see in you… • A strong relationship with Jesus Christ. You are committed to prayer and devoted to the Eucharist. • Joy and conÀdence. You’re a happy and healthy single man with an attractive personality. • A compassion for others and a desire to serve. You have many of the gifts to become a servant leader. • A love of the church. You’re active in the parish and proud to be Catholic. • Virtue and strength of character. You’re striving for holiness. You trust in God’s mercy and use the sacrament of reconciliation. What’s next? You may want to encourage him to take a pro-active step that will help him respond. Here are some suggestions of how to encourage him to respond. I hope that you would… • Be open. You might be hesitant at Àrst. So too were many of the great saints and Àgures from the Bible who were called to an extraordinary life by God. Be not afraid! Trust that God desires your happiness even more than you do. God is never outdone in generosity. • Pray. It’s all about your relationship with God. Discernment happens within a dedicated prayer life. Listen to his voice especially in Mass, during Eucharistic adoration, while reading Scripture, and while praying the rosary. • Talk to someone. Consider talking to someone whose faith you admire. Speak with a priest or a seminarian. Call the diocesan Vocation Director –– he is there to help. • Learn more. Check out www. austinvocations.com for some ways to learn more about priesthood and discernment. Read some good books such as “To Save a Thousand Souls.” • Attend a discernment event. Jesus said “Come and see.” Go to one of the monthly discernment dinners, attend a discernment retreat, visit a seminary, or attend Project Andrew (in February). May all of us continue to pray for vocations to the priesthood and religious life. FATHER BRIAN MCMASTER is the diocesan Vocation Director. He can be reached at (512) 949-2405 or fr-brian-mcmaster@ austindiocese.org. Is it wrong to buy health insurance now? BY REV. TADEUSZ PACHOLCZYK, PH.D. COLUMNIST Many individuals and business owners are struggling in conscience about whether to purchase health insurance coverage, either for themselves or for their employees, on account of the Health and Human Services (HHS) Mandate. A provision of PPACA (ObamaCare), the mandate requires “preventive health services” to be covered by all health insurance issuers and all group health plans. Those insurance plans must provide coverage (with no co-pay) for the full range of Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved contraceptive methods for women. These include not only surgical sterilizations, but also potential abortion-causing agents such as Plan B (the morning-after pill), intrauterine devices (IUDs) and another form of “emergency contraception” known as Ella. This drug, which the FDA acknowledges may also work against the life of the embryo “by preventing attachment (implantation) to the uterus,” can be taken up to Àve days after sex. The chief moral concern, of course, is that by purchasing such mandated coverage, an individual would be subsidizing pharmaceutical abortions, contraceptives and sterilizations for others, and business owners would similarly be subsidizing these procedures for their employees through their health plans. Employers, in other words, would provide coverage for (and thereby potentially facilitate) various acts of vice on the part of their employees, and all who pay for health insurance coverage would potentially fund and thereby support the vice of their neighbors. This raises the serious moral concern of “cooperation in evil.” In general terms, any cooperation in evil should be avoided, or at least minimized to the extent prudently possible. By purchasing a policy with problematic inclusions, one would likely cooperate “materially” in the commission of various evils by others, but the debate on this matter hinges on whether that material cooperation should be considered “immediate” or “mediate.” Immediate material cooperation — when your assistance is essential to the evil action — is never morally permissible, but mediate material cooperation — when your assistance is incidental or remote from the bad activity itself — may be allowable under temporary extenuating circumstances. It could be allowable as long as the cooperator manifests resolute opposition to the evil and takes reasonable steps to limit and ultimately eliminate that cooperation. This is a key difference between allowable toleration and tacit approval. In evaluating the speciÀcs of the HHS mandate, the National Catholic Bioethics Center (NCBC) has reached the provisional conclusion that paying premiums for a policy that also includes coverage for the above-mentioned procedures, devices and drugs (while opposing the mandate) does not appear to involve an individual in immediate material cooperation in evil, because a number of intervening causes are likely to exist between the paying of the premiums by a subscriber, and the action of another enrollee who chooses to engage in one of the immoral activities. The key difference between acceptable and unacceptable forms of material cooperation involves the “causal distance” between what we do by our act of cooperation, and the act of the other person using the abortifacient substance or the contraceptive that is covered by the health plan into which we have paid. The paying of the premiums does not appear to be causally immediate to the chosen action of direct sterilization, abortion or contraception. To put it another way, payment into a health care plan that includes coverage for immoral procedures would only “make possible,” but would not “bring about” the evil action of the principal agent, and hence would represent mediate material cooperation on the part of the person paying into the plan. Such a payment could be made, albeit under protest. Thus, the position of the NCBC is that individuals purchasing insurance under the HHS mandate could choose to do so licitly as mediate material cooperation assuming a proportionately serious reason, and a lack of suitable alternatives, and an ongoing effort to resist/oppose this unjust mandate through case-appropriate means. A proportionately serious reason is often likely to exist, because of the seriousness of our obligation to care for our health. For business owners, meanwhile, it is a particularly difÀcult question, and they may Ànd it best to discontinue providing health insurance to their employees (even though they may have to pay associated Ànes). The NCBC discusses this option, and some of the morally relevant factors surrounding such a decision, in its analysis available at www.ncbcenter.org/document. doc?id=450&erid=0. The HHS Mandate represents bureaucratically coerced personal and institutional involvement in the commission of intrinsic evils. No person should ever be coerced by the state to be directly complicit in such acts. The HHS Mandate is an affront to every American. It is immoral and offensive. If the government’s current attempt to coerce Americans into violating their most deeply held convictions doesn’t breach their religious freedom, then nothing does. No individual or institution should have to be concerned about violating their conscience when they merely seek to safeguard the well-being of themselves, their families, or their employees by purchasing health insurance. FATHER TADEUSZ PACHOLCZYK, PH.D. earned his doctorate in neuroscience from Yale. He is a priest of the Diocese of Fall River, Mass., and serves as the Director of Education at The National Catholic Bioethics Center in Philadelphia. For more information, visit www.ncbcenter.org. GOOD NEWS October 2013 23 Accreditation is important for Catholic schools BY NED VANDERS, ED.D. SUPERINTENDENT OF CATHOLIC SCHOOLS In accordance with the decision of the Catholic Bishops of the State of Texas, each school recognized by its bishop as a Catholic school, is to be accredited by the Texas Catholic Conference Education Department (TCCED). The Diocese of Austin Strategic Plan for Catholic Schools (2009) has as one of its goals that schools build a culture of continuous improvement to ensure they meet or exceed the rigorous standards established by the TCCED. The acknowledgment of accreditation ensures that each school meets and exceeds quality standards expected by the community. The strategic plan further states that all schools in the Diocese of Austin consider undergoing the accreditation process of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). In May 2013, the Catholic Schools in the Diocese of Austin (CSDA) entered into an integrated partnership with SACS in which SACS would recognize the TCCED accreditation process. Before the partnership, a school seeking SACS accreditation would have to host two visiting teams with two separate visits – one for TCCED and another for SACS – or a combined visit with the two teams together. St. Louis Catholic School in Austin, St. Joseph Catholic School in Bryan, and St. Austin Catholic School in Austin were already SACS accredited schools prior to the partnership. This integrated partnership streamlines the process, as well as the work and resources involved in preparing for an accreditation visit. As a result, the CSDA has been awarded accreditation with the South Association of Colleges and Schools Council on Accreditation and School Improvement (SACS CASI). The action was taken at the AdvancED Accreditation Commission meeting held last June. Dr. Mark Elgart, President/CEO of AdvancED, the parent organization of SACS CASI, stated, “SACS CASI Accreditation is a rigorous process that focuses the entire school on the primary goal of creating lifelong learners. CSDA is to be commended for engaging in this process and demonstrating a commitment to continuous improvement.” This means that the CSDA is recognized nationally as a quality system of schools. Since SACS CASI accreditation is recognized across state lines, this not only eases the transfer process as students move from accredited school to accredited school, but also assures parents/guardians that the school is meeting nationally accepted standards for quality and successful professional practice. Both TCCED and SACS accreditation demonstrate to our school communities our commitment to excellence, our openness to external review and feedback, and our desire to be the best we can be on behalf of the students we serve. The rigorous accreditation process focuses the CSDA on raising student achievement, providing a safe and enriching learning environment, creating lifelong learners, and maintaining efÀcient and effective operations. As SACS accredited schools, CSDA is part of the AdvancED network of over 32,000 schools in more than 71 countries that are committed to continuous quality improvement through accreditation. SACS CASI provides nationally recognized accreditation, the purpose of which is continuous school improvement focused on increasing student performance. Although CSDA is just two months into the 2013-2014 academic year, activities and plans are already underway for the next school year. CSDA is hosting numerous open houses over the next several months, leading up to registration in January and February for the 2014-2015 school year. Please check the www. csdatx.org website calendar for the dates and times of the open houses, as well as the ad on Page 13 in this issue. Catholic schools assist parents in the religious formation and education of their children. Catholic schools integrate Catholic teaching and values into every aspect of the learning process and experience of school so that young people’s journey into adulthood will also be a journey of faith and a growing internalization of these teachings and values. Providing an excellent academic education, Catholic schools help young people reach their God-given potential. It is never too late to begin thinking about enrolling in a Catholic school. In fact, many Catholic schools enroll students throughout the school year. DR. NED VANDERS is diocesan Superintendent of Catholic Schools. He can be reached at (512) 949-2497 or ned-vanders@ austindiocese.org. Collection for Seminarians and Priests The special collection for Seminarians and Priest Education was taken up April 6-7. If your parish Ànds an error, call the diocesan Finance OfÀce at (512) 949-2400. For more information about this collection, visit www.austinvocations.com. Parish Totals Austin Central Deanery Austin, Cristo Rey Austin, Holy Cross $251.00 Austin, Our Lady of Guadalupe $1,544.10 Austin, St. Austin $1,814.89 Austin, St. Ignatius $3,815.80 Austin, St. Julia $500.14 Austin, St. Mary Cathedral $3,085.04 Austin, San Jose $3,481.00 Austin Central Deanery Totals $14,491.97 Austin North Deanery Austin, Holy Vietnamese Martyrs $3,750.00 Austin, Sacred Heart $2,611.00 Austin, St. Albert the Great $3,769.00 Austin, St. Louis $4,109.65 Austin, St. Theresa $6,959.00 Austin, St. Thomas More $7,689.43 Austin, St. Vincent de Paul $4,980.66 Cedar Park, St. Margaret Mary $4,421.15 Lago Vista, Our Lady of the Lake $1,274.11 Austin North Deanery Totals $39,564.00 Austin South Deanery Austin, Dolores $907.00 Austin, St. Andrew Kim $180.00 Austin, St. Catherine of Siena $5,597.45 Austin, St. John Neumann $7,144.82 Austin, St. Paul $2,674.85 Austin, St. Peter the Apostle $1,711.00 Austin, San Francisco Javier $225.00 Lakeway, Emmaus $1,553.00 Austin South Deanery Totals $19,993.12 Brenham/La Grange Deanery Brenham, St. Mary $1,589.00 Chappell Hill, St. Stanislaus $394.00 Dime Box, St. Joseph $361.00 Ellinger/Hostyn Hill, St. Mary $946.00 Parish Totals Fayetteville, St. John $1,060.00 Giddings, St. Margaret $1,109.00 Lexington, Holy Family $186.00 Old Washington on the Brazos, St. Mary $68.78 Pin Oak, St. Mary $477.00 Rockdale, St. Joseph $303.77 Somerville, St. Ann $391.00 Brenham/La Grange Deanery Totals $6,885.55 Bastrop/Lockhart Deanery Bastrop, Ascension $1,984.28 Elgin, Sacred Heart $1,012.31 Lockhart, St. Mary of the Visitation $1,625.66 Luling, St. John $624.15 Martindale, Immaculate Heart $406.68 Rockne, Sacred Heart $1,965.00 Smithville, St. Paul $799.00 String Prairie, Assumption $658.00 Uhland, St. Michael $229.75 Bastrop/Lockhart Deanery Totals $9,304.83 Bryan/College Station Deanery Bremond, St. Mary $800.00 Bryan, St. Anthony $1,606.88 Bryan, St. Joseph $1,246.00 Bryan, Santa Teresa $306.50 Caldwell, St. Mary $1,107.83 College Station, St. Mary $4,369.19 College Station, St. Thomas Aquinas $3,038.72 Franklin, St. Francis of Assisi $50.00 Frenstat, Holy Rosary $557.00 Hearne, St. Mary $530.52 Bryan/College Station Deanery Totals $13,612.64 Georgetown/Round Rock Deanery Andice, Santa Rosa $1,985.00 Corn Hill, Holy Trinity $1,285.00 Georgetown, St. Helen $5,645.84 Granger, Sts. Cyril and Methodius $1,040.50 Parish Totals Hutto, St. Patrick $1,569.35 Manor, St. Joseph $478.09 PÀugerville, St. Elizabeth $2,635.96 Round Rock, St. John Vianney $5,565.44 Round Rock, St. William $12,328.51 Taylor, Our Lady of Guadalupe $493.75 Taylor, St. Mary of the Assumption $1,945.52 Georgetown/Round Rock Deanery $34,972.96 Killeen/Temple Deanery Belton, Christ the King $2,663.00 Burlington, St. Michael $169.00 Cameron, St. Monica $560.00 Copperas Cove, Holy Family $4,615.00 Cyclone, St. Joseph $387.00 Harker Heights, St. Paul Chong Hasang $4,974.00 Killeen, St. Joseph $3,290.33 Marak, Sts. Cyril and Methodius $206.00 Rogers, St. Matthew $351.00 Rosebud, St. Ann $233.75 Salado, St. Stephen $478.00 Temple, Our Lady of Guadalupe $1,007.00 Temple, St. Luke $2,198.00 Temple, St. Mary $2,171.00 Westphalia, Visitation $964.00 Killeen/Temple Deanery Totals $24,267.08 Lampasas/Marble Falls Deanery Bertram, Holy Cross $166.00 Burnet, Our Mother of Sorrows $442.79 Goldthwaite, St. Peter $69.00 Horseshoe Bay, St. Paul the Apostle $1,653.50 Kingsland, St. Charles Borromeo $387.70 Lampasas, St. Mary $623.88 Llano, Holy Trinity $429.32 Lometa, Good Shepherd $123.00 Marble Falls, St. John $663.00 Mason, St. Joseph $289.50 Parish Totals San Saba, St. Mary $285.57 Sunrise Beach, Our Lady of the Lake $165.00 Lampasas/Marble Falls Deanery Totals $5,298.26 San Marcos Deanery Blanco, St. Ferdinand $280.00 Buda, Santa Cruz $3,359.96 Dripping Springs, St. Martin de Porres $1,473.00 Johnson City, Good Shepherd $205.00 Kyle, St. Anthony Marie de Claret $2,628.51 San Marcos, Our Lady of Wisdom $579.00 San Marcos, St. John $3,529.95 Wimberley, St. Mary $1,492.84 San Marcos Deanery Totals $13,548.26 Waco Deanery China Spring, St. Phillip $366.75 Elk, St. Joseph $192.00 Gatesville, Our Lady of Lourdes $527.92 Hamilton, St. Thomas $136.00 Lott, Sacred Heart $230.00 McGregor, St. Eugene $470.25 Marlin, St. Joseph $83.35 Mexia, St. Mary $480.88 Tours, St. Martin $602.00 Waco, Sacred Heart $1,398.00 Waco, St. Francis on the Brazos $550.50 Waco (Hewitt), St. Jerome $2,632.86 Waco, St. John the Baptist $111.75 Waco (Bellmead), St. Joseph $1,136.21 Waco, St. Louis $4,095.12 Waco, St. Mary of the Assumption $1,184.84 Waco, St. Peter Catholic Center $76.60 Waco Deanery Totals $14,275.03 Grand Total $196,213.70 24 BULLETIN BOARD Retreat & ReÁection........ C ATHOLIC S PIRIT For Your Information “Turning Point: The Greg Hall Story” will be presented by the Frontline Faith Project Oct. 5. Deacon Greg Hall is a deacon of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston whose expertise helped rescue 33 Chilean miners. The Frontline Faith Project is an outreach program of Mary’s Touch, which is a radio program that shares stories of devotion, courage, faith and miracles. Frontline Faith provides MP3 players, preloaded with seven hours of inspirational Protestant and/or Catholic content, to members of our armed forces throughout the world. “Turning Point: The Greg Hall Story” will be held Oct. 5 from 9 to 11 a.m. (breakfast will be served) at St. Edward’s University and that evening from 6 to 11 p.m. (includes dinner and a live auction) at Pebble Creek Country Club in College Station. For more information, call (512) 3639147. A celebration of the 75th anniversary of the Divine Mercy apparitions to St. Faustina will be held Oct. 5 from 9:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. at the Mercy of God Prayer Center in Manor. The celebration will include music, a live enactment of the conversations between Jesus and Faustina, veneration of a relic of St. Faustina and prayers for healing. For more information, e-mail vcook@ hotmail.com. Young women are invited to a night of adoration, praise, worship and chocolate Oct. 5 from 7 to 9 p.m. at St. Louis Parish in Austin. This is intended to be a night for women to come toe-to-toe and heart-to-heart with the Lord. For more information, visit www. femgenius.com. On Oct. 6 from 2 to 3:30 p.m. at Life Chain will be formed in Georgetown. Participants will meet at the Crestview Baptist church parking lot at 2300 Williams Dr. in Georgetown where pre-printed pro-life signs will be distributed. Participants will stand or sit and pray as they hold signs up for the trafÀc to read the message of love of children and the message of life. Participants are encouraged to bring a chair, umbrella, friends, hearts of prayer and love of life. For more information, contact Scott and Julie Tefft at (512) 863-0039. Catholic Scripture Study of Austin meets on Wednesdays from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. at St. Louis Parish in Austin. The weekly two-hour Bible study consists of prayer, small group discussion and guest lecturers. This year the course is studying Joshua and James. The class follows the Austin Independent School District calendar for holidays, including Christmas break. Register online at www.cssaustin.org. For more information, contact Rosemary Howard at (512) 345-3687. Catholic Scripture Study of Cedar Park meets on Wednesdays from 6:30 to 8 p.m. and Thursdays from 9:30 to 11 a.m. at St. Margaret Mary Parish in Cedar Park. The weekly Bible study consists of prayer, small group discussion and guest lecturers. This year the course is studying Joshua and James. The schedule follows the Leander Independent School District calendar for holidays. For more information, contact Bob Gorski at (512) 636-2927 or bobgorski7@ gmail.com. Crossroads Cultural Center will feature award-winning Brazilian pianist, Marcelo Cesena, for an evening of music and conversation Oct. 10 at 7:30 p.m. at St. Louis Parish in Austin. Playing everything from Chopin to moving original works, Cesena will share the journey of the unexpected encounters that have changed his life. The event is free and open to the public. Seating is limited. Reserve a seat at beautyatx.eventbrite.com. A Prepare-Enrich Facilitator Training will be offered Oct. 12 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the diocesan Pastoral Center in Austin. This training will prepare participants to give the PREPARE premarital inventory to couples preparing for marriage and to discuss the results in a manner that has been shown to effectively reduce later marital conÁict. The PREPARE has a specially-designed version for Catholic couples and is available in both English and Spanish. This training, given by a certiÀed PREPAREENRICH trainer, will also cover the ENRICH instrument, for couples who are already married. This instrument can be used in marriage mentoring and other marriage enrichment approaches. To register or for more information, contact Sara Lockey at (512) 949-2495 or [email protected]. Pax Christi Austin meets the third Sunday of every month at 7 p.m. at the Father John Payne House at St. Ignatius Martyr Parish in Austin. Everyone is welcome. Pax Christi Austin is a member of Pax Christi International and Pax Christi USA, the Catholic peace and justice movement that works and prays to create a world that reÁects the peace of Christ. For more information, contact Bob Rankin at [email protected]. THRiVE! is sex education that leads to love that will THRiVE, not just survive. An Adult Education Night will be offered Oct. 24 at 5:15 p.m. at St. Louis Parish in Austin. The class will focus on communicating to youth that they can be loved now, as they yearn to be, but in ways consistent with biblical teaching. For more information, contact the Office of Pro-Life Activities and Chaste Living at [email protected] or (512) 949-2486. Diocesan offices will be closed Nov. 1, All Saints Day, which is a holy day of obligation. “The Gospel of John,” a day of reÁection, will be held Oct. 14 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Cedarbrake Catholic Retreat Center in Belton. The fourth Gospel is written in great poetic language often telling two levels of stories at the same time. This day will be an opportunity to enter more deeply into the Woman at the Well story and the Eucharistic Discourse in Chapter Six. Brian Egan will be the presenter. The cost is $35, which includes lunch. For more information, contact Cedarbrake at (254) 780-2436 or [email protected]. An English Cursillo weekend for men will be held Oct. 17-20. For more information, contact Robin Spencer at (254) 220-3883 or [email protected]. The next Benediction Experience will be held Oct. 19 from 9 a.m. to noon at St. John Vianney Parish in Round Rock. This experience is aimed at encouraging Eucharistic spirituality and seeks to help participants become more involved with what happens during Mass. The day will include lunch. For more information, contact Father Tom Frank at (512) 444-7587. Sarah’s Hope, a free spiritual support program for couples struggling to conceive or with pregnancy loss, will host a Couples Healing Retreat Oct. 19 at St. Thomas More Parish in Austin. The suggested donation is $70 per couple for the whole day, which includes meals. An Adoption Information Dinner Program will conclude the day (suggested donation of $35 per couple for those who attend just the dinner). Register at http:// shap1019.eventbrite.com. For more information, e-mail [email protected] or call (512) 736-7334. All singles are invited to a retreat entitled “The Art and Heart of the Spiritual Life” Nov. 1-3 at Cedarbrake Catholic Retreat Center in Belton. Franciscan Father Albert Haase will present the retreat based upon his best-selling book and DVD, “Catching Fire, Becoming Flame: A Guide for Spiritual Transformation.” The weekend will focus on the important elements and attitudes of a vibrant spiritual life: prayer, surrender and trust, confronting temptations, and experiencing God’s presence in our everyday, ordinary life and routine. Cedarbrake is offering all singles (not married) who would like to attend the retreat, a discounted rate of $90. For information, and to receive this rate, contact Austin Catholic Singles at [email protected]. St. Albert the Great Parish in Austin will host “A Day of ReÁection: Looking forward to Advent and Christmas” with Father Roger Keeler Nov. 16 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the parish hall. Father Keeler is a lecturer in the Oblate School of Theology in San Antonio. He is also the Chief Judge of the Appellate Court for the Catholic Dioceses of Texas. Tickets are $15 each, and a light lunch is included. For more information, contact Carolyn Hunt at (512) 834-0528 or Pat Guthneck at [email protected]. Couples planning to attend the diocesan pre-marriage retreat, “Together in God’s Love,” are encouraged to register as soon as possible. The program will be offered in retreat format Oct. 25-27 at Cedarbrake Catholic Retreat Center in Belton and in class format beginning Nov. 5 at 7 p.m. at the diocesan Pastoral Center. Engaged couples must provide proof they have taken either the FOCCUS or PREPARE assessment before attending the “Together in God’s Love” retreat. Couples must register by contacting the diocesan OfÀce of Catholic Family Counseling and Family Life at (512) 9492495. For registration forms, visit www. austindiocese.org and click on “Marriage Preparation” under “Quick Links.” NFP classes.................... Web-based classes on the Sympto-Thermal Method of natural family planning will begin Oct. 9 at 8 p.m. Subsequent classes will be held Nov. 13 and Dec. 11. Engaged or married couples are invited to learn more about this method. The cost is $150 per couple. For more information, visit www.ccli.org. Classes on the Sympto-Thermo Method of natural family planning will be held in Spanish beginning Oct. 12 at 6 p.m. at Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish in Temple. Subsequent classes will be held Nov. 16 and Dec. 14. For more information, visit www.ccli.org or contact Betty and Jorge Martínez at (254) 563-3862 or [email protected]. An introductory session on the methods of natural family planning will be held Oct. 21 at 7:30 p.m. at St. Thomas More Parish in Austin. This class satisÀes the Austin Diocese NFP requirement for marriage preparation. To register contact Amanda and Ryan Ransom at ransomsnfp@ gmail.com. Send in your items! CATHOLIC SPIRIT offers this page, “For Your Information,” as a “community bulletin board.” Items of general interest of upcoming parish and diocesan events, including parish social events, will be printed at no charge at the discretion of the editor. The deadline for material is the 10th of the month, with publication occurring the łrst week of the following month. Material may be e-mailed to catholic-spirit@austindiocese. org or faxed to (512) 949-2523. BULLETIN BOARD Conferences & workshops..................................... October 2013 25 The Catholic Charismatic Renewal Austin (CCRA) of the Diocese of Austin will host a Life in the Spirit Seminar Oct. 19 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. at San José Parish Hall in Austin. The speakers include Fathers Robert Becker, Ron Feather and John Kim. The cost for the day is $10. For more information, contact [email protected] or (512) 563-7851. The National Black Catholic Men’s Conference will be held Oct. 24-27 at the Wyndham South Hotel in Austin. The overall purpose of the conference is to provide a forum for black men to speak to the critical issues and challenges facing the black male community, in particular the Catholic community. Secondly, the conference is calling and challenging young men to discern the call to priesthood, brotherhood and the diaconate. Workshops will be held at the hotel. An evening worship and praise service will be held Oct. 26 at 5 p.m. at Holy Cross Parish in Austin. There will be singing performances by the award winning and highly acclaimed men’s group “Men On Fire.” The registration fee is $150 or $75 for active duty military and students. To register, contact Johnnie Dorsey at the diocesan OfÀce of Black Catholics at (512) 949-2449 or johnnie-dorsey@ austindiocese.org. The Archdiocese of San Anto- nio will host the sixth annual Statewide Criminal Justice Ministry Conference Oct. 25 and 26 at the Oblate School of Theology in San Antonio. This conference, entitled “Responsibility, Rehabilitation and Restoration: A Catholic Perspective on Crime and Criminal Justice,” is sponsored by the Texas Catholic Correctional Ministers. All those interested in the ministry of criminal justice are invited to attend. Applications for scholarships are available. For more information, contact the OfÀce of Criminal Justice of the Diocese of Austin at (512) 949-2486 or e-mail yvonne-saldana@ austindiocese.org. An Annulment Writing Workshop will be held Oct. 25 from 7 to 9 p.m. and Oct. 26 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the diocesan Pastoral Center in Austin. This workshop is designed to be a spiritual and emotional healing experience for people who are seeking an annulment. Participants will learn about the annulment process, and receive help in writing their personal history, which is an important and often painful part of the process. The cost is $30 per person, which includes lunch and materials. For more information, contact Pat Thompson at (512) 261-8500 or (512) 970-7063. The University Catholic Center and St. Austin Parish in Austin will host a presentation entitled “Vatican II: An UnÀnished Building and Its Impact Fifty Years Later” by Dr. Richard R. Gaillardetz on Oct. 30 at 7 p.m. Dr. Gaillardetz is the Joseph Professor of Catholic Systematic Theology at Boston College and he has published numerous articles and has authored eight books (one volume was co-authored) and edited two others (one was co-edited). Parking will be available at St. Austin’s parking garage on the corner of San Antonio and MLK. For more information, visit www. utcatholic.org. Golf tournaments............................... The third annual Emmaus Golf Tournament will be held Oct. 5 at Flintrock Falls Golf Course. In addition to supporting Emmaus Parish in Lakeway and its 50-plus growing ministries, this year’s event will support Lake Travis Crisis Ministries, an all-volunteer, ecumenical, Christian outreach mission that provides food, love, prayer, Ànancial assistance and encouragement to those in crisis in the Lake Travis area. Sponsorships are available. Visit www.emmauslakeway.com/golf for details and to register. The eighth annual Golf Tournament beneÀting Mobile Loaves & Fishes at St Margaret Mary Parish in Cedar Park will be held Oct. 14 at Teravista Golf Club in Round Rock. Registration will begin at noon with a shotgun start at 1:30 p.m. The cost is $125 per individual player, which includes 18 holes with a cart and one dinner. There is a $50 discount for couples: husband/wife, father/son, or mother/daughter registration combination playing on the same team. Additional dinner guests are welcome with the purchase of a dinner ticket for $10. To register contact, Brian Van De Walle at (512) 762-2210 or [email protected] or register online at www.mlf.org. Annunciation Maternity Home in Georgetown will host its third annual Charity Golf Tournament Oct. 28 at Berry Creek Country Club. Registration will begin at 11 a.m. Shotgun start at 1:30 p.m. The cost is $100 per player, which includes golf, a fajita dinner and player bag. Sponsorships and volunteer opportunities are available. For more information, visit www.thematernityhome.org or call Alyssia at (512) 864-7755. God is calling. Are you listening? The Congregation of Holy Cross has retreat programs for high school, college, and post graduate men designed to guide you along the way as you seek to hear and answer God’s call. Learn more, retreats.holycrossvocations.org Pray and give generously World Mission Sunday The Society for the Propagation of the Faith a Pontifical Mission Society October 20, 2013 www.IAmAMissionary.org BULLETIN BOARD Festivals and Fun..................................................... 26 C ATHOLIC S PIRIT St. John Parish in Luling will host its annual Fall Festival Oct. 5-6. The weekend begins with Mass at 4 p.m. on Saturday and continues with games, king coronation at 6:30 p.m., cake auction, live music and bingo. Sunday’s events begin at 11 a.m. A turkey dinner will be served from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. for $7 per plate. A live auction will be held from 1 to 3 p.m. and bingo from 4 to 6 p.m. St. William Parish in Round Rock will host its annual Oktoberfest Oct. 5 at 6:30 p.m. in the parish hall. The night will begin with a delicious German dinner featuring authentic German food and conclude with a live auction with items ranging from tickets to sporting events, art, jewelry, and more. Tickets cost $25 each and include dinner. For more information about the dinner and auction, visit www.saintwilliams.org/oktoberfest2013. St. Joseph Parish in Killeen will host its annual Fest-of-All Oct. 6 on the parish grounds. Activities include a silent auction, cake walk, plant booth, a variety of food booths, live music and dancing, and games for all ages. St. Mary Parish in San Saba will hold its Fall Festival Oct. 6 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the parish grounds. An authentic Mexican meal, prepared by parishioners, will be served from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., and will include a main entrée, rice, beans, salad and drink for $8. Activities include food booths, a silent auction, games for all ages, entertainment by local performers and more. St. Mary Parish in Hearne will host its annual Fall Festival Oct. 6 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the parish grounds. A meal of spaghetti and meatballs will be served from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Activities include a variety of food booths, games for all ages and live auction will begin at 1 p.m. St. Matthew in Rogers will host its annual Festival Oct. 6 on the parish grounds. Plates of pulled pork, sausage and all the trimmings will be served from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. for $8 each. Plates will be available for dine-in or to-go. Activities include bake and craft sale, bingo, food booths, children’s games and more. Ascension Parish in Bastrop will host its annual Fall Festival Oct. 6 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the parish grounds. A barbecue dinner will be served in the parish hall and a variety of food booths will be set up outside. Activities include games for all ages, bingo, cake walk, entertainment, a live auction, silent auction and much more. Holy Family Parish in Lexington will host its Fall Festival/Picnic Oct. 6 on the Parish Activity Center grounds. A meal of fried chicken, noodles and all the trimmings will be served beginning at 11 a.m. A country/live auction will begin at 12:30 p.m. Activities include music, food, games for all ages and more. St. Mary Parish in Mexia will host their annual barbecue Oct 6 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. An auction will be held as well as country store, bake shop, and children’s games will continue until 4 p.m. Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish in Austin will host its annual Jamaica Oct. 6 from noon to 10 p.m. on the parish grounds. Activities include food booths, games for all ages, bingo, a silent and a live auction, live music and more. Admission is free until noon, $5 until 6 p.m. and $7 after that (there is a discount for seniors, and children under 12 are free all day). The 107th annual Westphalia Picnic and Homecoming will be held Oct. 13 at Visitation Parish in Westphalia. A sausage and chicken meal will be served from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; plates are $8 each. The Praha Brothers will perform from noon to 3 p.m. An auction will begin at 3:30 p.m. Other activities include a dance from 7 to 11 p.m., bingo and games. The Ladies of Charity of Austin will host their 50th Luncheon and Fashion Show Oct. 16 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at St. Louis Parish’s Wozniak Hall in Austin. Lunch and homemade cookies will be served, and there will be fashions displayed from St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store. Tickets are $15 at the door. Proceeds will beneÀt St Louise House in Austin. For more information, call (512) 459-8247. The fourth annual St. I SMASH, a rock & roll street dance, will be held Oct. 19 at 6:30 p.m. at St. Ignatius Martyr Parish in Austin. There will be food and music by Latin rock superstars, Del Castillo Burse Burse The Diocesan Council of Catholic Women has completed a burse for the Clerical Endowment Fund (CEF) in honor of Father James Chamberlain. The totals for the burse as of July 31, 2013, are listed below by council. Austin Council $1,152.00 Brazos Valley Council $596.00 Central Council $3,334.50 Eastern Council $584.00 Northern Council $1,999.00 Southern Council $3,892.67 Temple Council $319.00 Other $5.00 Previous Balance $3,083.21 Total $14,965.38 The Clerical Endowment Fund provides low-cost loans to parishes. Interest from the loans is used to educate diocesan seminarians. For information, contact either Father Ed Karasek at (254) 826-3705 or Mary Ann Till at (512) 353-4943. The Diocesan Council of Catholic Women has completed a burse for the Clerical Endowment Fund (CEF) in honor of Father Don Moss. The totals for the burse as of Aug. 31, 2013, are listed below by council. Austin Council $443.00 Brazos Valley Council $410.00 Central Council $857.00 Eastern Council $515.00 Northern Council $1,107.00 Southern Council $555.00 Temple Council $371.00 Western Council $83.00 Previous Balance $6,965.27 Total $11,306.27 The Clerical Endowment Fund provides low-cost loans to parishes. Interest from the loans is used to educate diocesan seminarians. For information, contact either Father Ed Karasek at (254) 826-3705 or Mary Ann Till at (512) 353-4943. and special guests the Bravados. Advance tickets are $15; tickets at the door will be $20. No one under the age of 12 will be admitted. All proceeds beneÀt St. Ignatius Martyr Catholic School Annual Fund. For information or to purchase tickets, visit www.stismash.com. Middle school teens are invited to participate in the 2013 middle school youth rally Oct. 19 at St. Anthony Marie de Claret Parish in Kyle. Several hundred young Catholics from across the Austin Diocese will gather for prayer, featured keynote Mike Patin, praise and worship, break-out sessions, games and fellowship. Contact Jennifer Kodysz at (512) 9492467 or jennifer-kodysz@austindiocese. org for more information. St. Mary, Our Lady of the Lake Parish in Lago Vista will host its annual Fall Fest Oct. 19 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the parish grounds. There will be vendor booths, food, music, casserole sales, bake sales, activities for the children, and fun for the whole family. Activities will be followed by a German meal at 5 p.m. For more information, visit www. stmaryourlady.org. St. Helen Parish in Georgetown will host its Fall Festival Oct. 19 and 20 on the parish grounds. Festivities begin with bingo, burgers and sodas on Saturday at 5 p.m. On Sunday, activities begin at 10 a.m. and will include a silent auction, crafts, games for all ages, a petting zoo, car show and more. St. Stephen Parish in Salado will host its annual Fall Fest Oct. 20 beginning at 11 a.m. on the parish grounds. Barbecue will be served from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. A live auction begins at 1 p.m. Activities include a carnival, cake walk, crafts for children, a silent auction and climbing wall. There will also be a washer tournament. St. Mary Parish in Bremond will host its annual Homecoming Festival Oct. 20 on the parish grounds. Sausage, beef and all of the trimmings will be served from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. for $8 a plate. Activities include bingo from 4 to 8 p.m., games for all ages and live music. St. John Vianney Parish in Round Rock will host Vianney Fest Weekend 2013 Oct. 25-27. Friday’s event is golf at Forest Creek Golf Club beginning at 1 p.m. with dinner and a dance to follow at 7 p.m. Saturday will include family night, bingo and a movie. Sunday’s events begin at 11 a.m. with a barbecue dinner, live and silent auctions, bounce houses and a car show. For more information, visit www. sjvroundrock.org. Cathedral School of St. Mary in Austin will host its annual Fall Festival Oct. 27 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on the grounds. There will be food, games, a silent auction and much more. St. Louis Catholic School in Austin will present Fun Fest 2013 Oct. 27 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the school grounds. Potential sponsors and volunteers should contact Lucinda Soto at lsoto@austin. rr.com or (512) 925-8635 or Angela Fuller at [email protected] or (512) 750-3592. St. Margaret Parish in Giddings will host its annual Fall Festival Oct. 27 at the Sons of Hermann Hall in Giddings. The dinner will be served at 11 a.m. and an auction will begin at 12:30 p.m. The Harker Heights Ladies of Charity will host a Holiday Bazaar Nov. 2-3 at St. Paul’s Parish Center in Harker Heights. Saturday’s hours are from 9 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.; Sunday’s hours are from 8 to 11 a.m. There will be a variety of items for sale to include handmade crafts, baked goods, books, jewelry, fabric, Christmas and religious gifts. All proceeds go to help those living in poverty and needing help within the community. For more information, contact Jane Barr at (254) 690-8255. The annual “Taste of India” organized by the India Catholic Association of Central Texas will be held Nov. 2 from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. at the parish hall at St. Thomas More Parish in Austin. The evening will include delicious Indian cuisine, traditional music, song and dance performances, Henna, games and more. Tickets are $25 each and the proceeds will beneÀt orphanages in India and the Mobile Loaves and Fishes in Austin. For information, contact Mario Gonsalves at [email protected]. St. Mary Parish Altar Society in Temple will hold its annual Turkey Dinner and Bazaar Nov. 3 at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Temple. Serving will begin at 11 a.m. The meal will consist of turkey and dressing with all the trimmings, a drink and dessert. To-go plates will also be available. Booths will include plants, crafts and a country store. A live auction will begin at 12:30 p.m. The Knights of Peter Claver Ladies Auxiliary and Junior Daughters will host their annual Mother-Daughter Tea Nov. 3 from 2 to 5 p.m. at Ebenezer Family Life Center at 1014 E. 10th St. in Austin. The theme is “Vessels for God’s Glory: Make me, Mold me.” Tickets are $15. For information, contact Iris Sims at (512) 507-8405. Masses....... Bishop Joe Vásquez will celebrate the 22nd annual Red Mass Oct. 3 at 6 p.m. at St. Mary Cathedral in Austin. The guest speaker will be Kim Daniels, spokeswoman for Cardinal Timothy Dolan, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The Mass marks the beginning of the judicial year and invites all law makers and legal professionals. For more information, contact Margaret Kappel at (512) 949-2444 or [email protected]. The Catholic Charismatic Renewal of Austin (CCRA) will host its monthly Mass Oct. 18 at 7 p.m. at Sts. Cyril and Methodius Parish in Granger. Father Robert Becker will celebrate the Mass. For more information, contact Sabrina Perez at (512) 466-7669 or visit www.ccraustin.org. A Mass commemorating the beginning of Black Catholic History Month will be celebrated Nov. 3 at 10 a.m. at Holy Cross Parish in Austin. For more information, contact Johnnie Dorsey at the diocesan OfÀce of Black Catholics at (512) 949-2449 or [email protected]. October 2013 ESPAÑOL 27 Respetando la vida en todas sus etapas Este verano, vimos otro ataque socavando al matrimonio con la decisión de la Suprema Corte de obispo de la Diócesis derrocar el DOMA y después la de Austin. Es pastor Proposición 8 en California. Estos para casi 500,000 cambios en el entendimiento del católicos en 25 matrimonio en nuestro país remueven condados en el a Dios del matrimonio. Los Católicos Centro de Texas. creemos que el matrimonio es dado por Dios, lo que quiere decir que un Editora: Señor Obispo, Octubre es el Mes de Respeto a la Vida, hombre y una mujer se unen para formar una familia. Tal como los obislo cual la mayoría de la gente pos de Estados Unidos escribie-ron asocia con el aborto. ¿Qué sigen la Carta Pastoral del 2009 sobre el niÀca realmente para un Católico el respetar la vida y por qué es tan matrimonio, “El Matrimonio no es simplemente una institución privada. importante? Es la base para la familia, donde los Obispo Vásquez: Los Católicos aprecian la santidad de la vida huma- niños aprenden los valores y virtudes na. Sabemos que la vida debe ser res- que los harán buenos Cristianos y petada y protegida desde el momento buenos ciudadanos. La importancia del matrimonio para los niños y para de la concepción hasta la muerte la crianza de la siguiente generación, natural. Este total entendimiento de subraya la importancia del matrimonio la vida humana abarca el muy serio para toda la sociedad”. Debemos contema del aborto, pero va más allá. El momento de la concepción es cuando tinuar orando por las parejas casadas y por la santidad del matrimonio. la vida es más vulnerable, razón por Finalmente, nosotros los obispos la cual la iglesia habla tan clara y sentimos que debemos rezar por la fuertemente sobre la protección que libertad religiosa. El reciente mandato debemos dar a los no-natos. De cuHHS involucra al gobierno impoalquier modo, debemos también resniendo reglas sobre organizaciones petar y proteger a los niños mientras religiosas y por lo tanto, forzándonos se desarrollan, a los adultos mientras a proveer cobertura de procedimienenvejecen y a los ancianos mientras se acercan al momento de su muerte. tos que violan nuestras creencias religiosas. La primera enmienda de la Debemos entender que la vida es un Constitución de los Estados Unidos don sagrado de Dios; por lo tanto, tenemos que vigilarlo y protegerlo en nos garantiza la libertad religiosa; esto no solo signiÀca libertad de culto sino cada etapa. que podemos deÀnir quiénes somos Editora: El año pasado los como religión. El gobierno no nos obispos de Estados Unidos hiciedeÀne, que es lo que se está tratando ron un llamado a la oración por la de hacer con la reciente legislación. Vida, el Matrimonio y la Libertad Por lo tanto, éstas tres áreas Religiosa durante el Año de la continúan siendo de gran importanFe. ¿Por qué resaltaron estas tres cia para los obispos. El Llamado a la cosas y cómo es éste llamado a la Oración por la Vida, el Matrimonio y oración importante para nosotros la Libertad Religiosa es muy imporcomo sociedad? tante por que dependemos de Dios Obispo Vásquez: Los obispos hemos estado preocupados por estos para que nos ayude a perseverar a través de esta lucha. Todos nuestros asuntos por mucho tiempo. Hemos estado interviniendo por la vida desde esfuerzos, que incluyen nuestra intervención en el proceso legislativo, antes de la decisión de Roe v. Wade deben empezar con la oración. de hace 40 años. Los obispos hemos Editora: El Respeto por la vida estado preocupados sobre la calidad de los asuntos de la vida en los Esta- humana es esencial a nuestra fe pero no por ello es fácil de adopdos Unidos. Hemos resaltado estos tres aspectos particulares por que los tar. ¿Cómo pueden los Católicos formar sus conciencias y coravemos como la base fundamental zones respecto a lo que signiÀca de una sociedad sólida. Cuando una sociedad apoya, deÀende y protege la respetar la vida? Obispo Vásquez: Lo primero vida, el matrimonio y la libertad relique tenemos que hacer es informargiosa, la sociedad se mantiene fuerte nos sobre lo que la Escritura y la y vibrante. Hemos sido testigos de la subesti- Iglesia nos enseñan sobre la vida en mación de la vida en Estados Unidos; todos sus estados y desarrollo. Invito a la gente a leer la Escritura y el Cauna falta de respeto por la santidad tecismo de la Iglesia Católica, donde del matrimonio, y la limitación impuesta sobre nuestra libertad religiosa. podemos encontrar gran riqueza en información sobre las enseñanzas de Existen verdaderas batallas llevánla iglesia sobre la belleza de la vida dose a cabo para redeÀnir la vida, el humana. Si dependemos de la sociematrimonio y la libertad religiosa a nivel estatal y nacional. Ciertamente el dad para enseñarnos sobre la vida humana, descubriremos un entenaborto es parte de este debate, como lo es la eutanasia y otros asuntos rela- dimiento totalmente diferente de lo que enseña la iglesia. Yo animaría a cionados a la vida. E L O BISPO J OE S. VÁSQUEZ es el quinto todos aquellos que tienen diÀcultad entendiendo lo que la iglesia enseña a hablar con sacerdotes, diáconos, religiosos o laicos. La Diócesis también cuenta con una excelente oÀcina de Actividades Pro-Vida y Castidad que puede proveer recursos a aquellos interesados en aprender más sobre la santidad de la vida humana. La iglesia es contracultural en muchos sentidos; por lo tanto, debemos mantenernos fuertes en los que creemos y estar listos para defender lo que creemos. Últimamente, he presenciado a nuestra gente joven hacer esto, lo que me da gran esperanza. Ellos no están simplemente siguiendo la voz popular y las tendencias; ellos están aprendiendo y entendiendo lo que la iglesia enseña ¡Esto es refrescante! Otro signo de esperanza para mí es el cierre de las instalaciones de Planned Parenthood en Bryan/College Station y otras clínicas similares en nuestro estado. Espero que este sea un signo de más respeto a la vida en nuestro estado. Editora: El Beato Juan Pablo II llamó a nuestra cultura una cultura de la muerte. ¿Cómo pueden las parroquias y los individuos promover la dignidad de la vida en esta cultura? Obispo Vásquez: Tuvimos esta terrible tragedia en Newton con estos niños, niños inocentes y adultos fueron asesinados. Ésta muy triste tragedia realmente me hizo pensar como obispo, cuánto es que nuestra sociedad no aprecia la vida. Claro, no todas las personas entrarían en una escuela y matarían gente inocente, pero esta horrible violencia es un ejemplo de cómo las personas en nuestra sociedad han sucumbido a la cultura de la muerte. La cultura de la muerte no es solo una referencia al aborto, pero también habla sobre la violencia contra la mujer, el abuso de niños, el abandono a los ancianos. Cuando la gente está siendo abusada por otra gente y cuando la gente es lastimada por otros, el don de la vida se obstaculiza y se daña. Debemos defender las vidas de aquellos cuyas voces no se escuchan, especialmente los no-natos, los inmigrantes y los débiles, debemos hablar por aquellos que no pueden hablar por sí mismos. Creemos que la vida es un don precioso de Dios y por lo tanto, debemos aprender a apreciarlo. El Beato Juan Pablo II, quien estuvo muy enfermo durante los últimos años de su vida, dio un gran testimonio de vida para nosotros. Nos enseñó la dignidad de la vida incluso en medio del dolor y el sufrimiento. Yo invitaría a nuestro clero a continuar hablando sobre éstos temas desde el púlpito, al aconsejar y durante el sacramento de la confesión. Debemos siempre hablar sobre éstos asuntos con gran compasión y entendimiento. Como clero, estamos llamados a ayudar a la gente a entender la dignidad de la persona humana y ofrecer compasión por aquellos que están enfermos y por aquellos que cuidan de ellos. Como el Papa Francisco nos dijo, debemos permanecer cerca de aquellos que han sido conÀados a nuestro cuidado. También invito a la gente a salir y servir — ir a un hospital o asilo, visitar un centro de cuidados paliativos o un refugio para gente sin hogar. Todos estos lugares nos dan oportunidad de estar con la gente y de rodearnos con aquellos que están enfermos, lastimados o muriendo. Cuando hacemos esto, nos damos cuenta del valor y la belleza de toda vida humana y nuestra fe se fortalece mientras ayudamos a aquellos que necesitan compasión y amor. Editora: En agosto, el tirador de Fort Hood fue sentenciado a muerte. ¿Cómo debería un Católico ver estos crímenes y su sentencia con respecto al respeto a la vida? Obispo Vásquez: Antes que nada debemos decir que lo que el Mayor Nidal Hasan hizo fue un acto de maldad. El hecho de que tanta vida humana haya sido tomada fue impresionante y nuestras oraciones están con los miembros de las familias de las víctimas que están tratando de seguir con sus vidas después de perder a sus seres amados. Pero, ¿este tipo de actos nos dan derecho de disponer de la vida de alguien? Creo que no. De nuevo, regreso al Beato Juan Pablo II, quien intervino fuertemente contra la pena de muerte. Debemos recordar que las personas que cometen dichos crímenes horribles nunca pierden su dignidad humana. Disponer de la vida de un criminal no compensa las vidas que se perdieron. El respetar la vida incluso signiÀca respetar la vida de aquellos que cometen actos violentos y criminales. Esto es extremadamente difícil. De cualquier manera, creemos que cada vida es sagrada y solo Dios puede dar vida y quitarla. Editora: ¿Cuál es su oración por nosotros durante el Mes de Respeto a la Vida? Obispo Vásquez: Mi oración es por que todos nosotros aprendamos a apreciar la vida humana en todas sus etapas, y que realmente apreciemos antes que nada el don de la vida que Dios nos ha dado a cada uno de nosotros. Al aprender a apreciar el don de la vida, crecemos en una mayor apreciación de las vidas de aquellos cercanos a nosotros: nuestros padres, nuestros hermanos, nuestros cónyuges y nuestros hijos. Que todos apreciemos la vida en todas sus etapas desde el momento de la concepción hasta la muerte natural. ESPAÑOL 28 C ATHOLIC S PIRIT Caridades Católicas de Bryan se mueve a una nueva localidad POR MARY P. WALKER CORRESPONSAL El 6 de septiembre, miembros de cinco parroquias en Bryan y College Station se unieron a representantes de la comunidad local y de la Diócesis de Austin para celebrar la apertura de la nueva oÀcina de Caridades Católicas del Centro de Texas (CCCTX por sus siglas en inglés)-del Valle del Brazos. El programa incluyó el corte del listón, la bendición del ediÀcio por parte del Obispo José Vásquez y una Àesta a puerta abierta. “Este es un gran signo de esperanza. Creo que la gente se va a sentir cómoda al venir aquí a buscar la ayuda de la iglesia,” dijo el Obispo Vásquez. Mientras que CCCTX ha patrocinado una oÀcina satelital en Bryan desde 2008, la localidad anterior presentaba muchos retos. Esa oÀcina operaba en una casa remodelada, un ediÀcio que no fue diseñado para el acceso pú- blico. Era demasiado pequeña, tenía problemas de mantenimiento, estacionamiento limitado y estaba ubicada lejos de muchos de los clientes. Estos inconvenientes, combinados con la necesidad de expandir los servicios, requirió que la oÀcina de CCCTX en Bryan cambiara de domicilio. “Para poder satisfacer las crecientes necesidades en nuestra área, también nosotros tuvimos que crecer. Nuestras nuevas instalaciones nos permitirán hacer un mejor trabajo al proveer nuestros servicios actuales y nos permitirá traer nuevos servicios al área,” dijo Vancy Mayes, Coordinadora de Servicios Sociales del Valle del Brazos. Localizado en 1410 Cavitt Ave; cerca del centro de Bryan, el ediÀcio ofrece cerca de 5,000 pies cuadrados de oÀcina, salón de juntas, salón de clases, área de recepción y área de almacenaje. El ediÀcio fue comprado por la Diócesis de Austin y remodelado especíÀcamente para satisfacer las necesidades de CCCTX, bajo LA NUEVA OFICINA de Caridades Católicas del Centro de Texas en su localidad de Brazos Valley (Valle del Brazos) abrió sus puertas el 6 de Septiembre. Se ubica en 1410 Cavitt Ave., cerca del centro de Bryan. (Foto por Mary P. Walker) la supervisión del Diácono Ted Baker, quien tiene una experiencia extensa en la administración de proyectos de este tipo. Además de ayudar con el alivio de desastres, CCCTX tiene tres áreas de enfoque: Asistencia Familiar y servicio de Referencia, el Centro de Vida del Buen Samaritano del Proyecto Gabriel y Servicios Legales de Inmigración (ILS por sus siglas en inglés). Los tres programas se encuentran expandiéndose y se beneficiarán de la nueva localidad. El espacio adicional y el diseño del interior permite a los asistentes sociales atender y ayudar a más individuos y familias en un lugar privado y acogedor. A través de un salón de clase más grande y un área de estacionamiento expandida, el Buen Samaritano puede acomodar a más estudiantes en sus clases de paternidad. El área se encuentra también experimentando una mayor necesidad de asistencia legal accesible para inmigrantes de pocos ingresos que se encuentran lidiando con asuntos migratorios. El nuevo ediÀcio permite a los Servicios Legales de Inmigración incrementar la disponibilidad de ayuda legal local, eliminando la necesidad de algunos clientes de viajar a Austin para recibir servicios. Christina Reyes-Paiz, directora interina de CCCTX, ve la expansión de servicios en el Valle del Brazos como un modelo que puede ser imitado en otras comunidades dentro de la diócesis. “Sabemos que se puede hacer. Se está haciendo aquí,” dijo Reyes-Paiz. El Obispo Vásquez alabó el trabajo de CCCTX en el Valle del Brazos y recordó a los presentes que Caridades Católicas es mucho más que una agencia de servicio social. Durante el servicio de bendición, el obispo citó al Papa Francisco, quien enseña que ayudar a los pobres es una labor santa. Los pobres no son solo los destinatarios de nuestros cuidados; también nos enriquecemos espiritual- mente cuando actuamos en caridad. Explicó que cuando la gente viene a Caridades Católicas para recibir ayuda, vemos el rostro de Cristo en sus rostros, y ellos en retorno reÁejan el rostro de Cristo a nosotros. “Caridades Católicas está haciendo una diferencia en las vidas de personas. Caridades Católicas siempre se trata de ayudar a aquellos que necesitan asistencia, reconociendo la dignidad de cada persona hecha a imagen y semejanza de Dios,” dijo el Obispo Vásquez. El Obispo Vásquez agradeció al personal local de CCCTX y a aquellos quienes trabajaron duro para hacer el cambio de domicilio una realidad. Además, Mayes alabó la cooperación y colaboración que CCCTX disfruta con otras organizaciones locales sin Ànes de lucro, tales como la Sociedad de St. Vicent de Paul. Esta colaboración hace que todos aquellos que buscan servir a los pobres y vulnerables sean más efectivos en su alcance, dijo. La comunidad de Bryan/ College Station también vió con agrado la expansión de CCCTX. El alcalde de Bryan, Jason Bienski, asistió a la bendición y expresó aprecio por la presencia local de Caridades Católicas. Antes de la bendición, la Cámara de Comercio de Bryan/ College Station celebró la nueva casa de CCCTX con una ceremonia de corte de un listón. El embajador de la Cámara de Comercio, Andrew Robison dijo, “La prosperidad de una comunidad depende de los negocios y organizaciones sin Ànes de lucro que trabajan juntos para servir al público. Estamos bendecidos de tener el vibrante alcance de Caridades Católicas”. October 2013 ESPAÑOL 29 La Parroquia de St. Albert celebra su diversidad POR ENEDELIA J. OBREGÓN CORRESPONSAL La Parroquia de St. Albert the Great en Austin celebrará su diversidad cultural en una Misa multi-cultural el 3 de noviembre a las 2 p.m. La celebración incluirá oraciones y la Escritura en diferentes idiomas así como baile litúrgico e himnos de diferentes países. Después de la Misa, las festividades continuarán con un festín de comida de diferentes grupos étnicos. Angela Baker, co-coordinadora parroquial de ministerios sociales, dijo que la celebración multi-cultural comenzó hace siete años en tiempos del entonces pastor Padre Isidore Ndagizimana. “Esta es la parroquia con mayor diversidad cultural,” dijo Baker. “El año pasado tuvimos 52 naciones representadas, y hemos tenido tantas como 57”. En un mapa del mundo de 6 por 8 pies, el año pasado los feligreses pusieron chinchetas sobre sus países de origen. Había chinchetas sobre toda Asia, Europa y Latinoamérica. Los hispanos son actualmente el número étnico más grande en la parroquia, la cual ahora tiene una Misa en español a las 2 p.m. los domingos. La parroquia también tiene muchos feligreses de Estados Unidos. El mapa de Texas tenía tantas chinchetas que se maltrató, dijo Baker, y van a conseguir uno nuevo este año. “Celebramos quiénes somos,” dijo Baker “Representamos a la iglesia universal”. Su liderazgo pastoral también es diverso – Padre Matt Iwuji, JUD, el pastor, es de Nigeria; y el pastor asociado, el Redentorista Padre Vincent Nguyen es de Vietnam. “Es una maravillosa oportunidad para la gente de conocer diferentes culturas,” dijo Baker. “Nos da un mejor entendimiento de quiénes somos. La Iglesia Católica está en todo el mundo. Venimos de todos los rincones del mundo”. Baker dijo no saber si la diversidad de la parroquia proviene de la diversidad en el vecindario o viceversa. “En la cuadra en la que vivo puedo ir alrededor del mundo al solo hablar con mis vecinos,” dijo. “A la vuelta de MARY JANE RODRÍGUEZ Y ANGELA BAKER muestran algunos de los atuendos que serán usados en la Misa multicultural del 3 de noviembre. (Foto por Enedelia J. Obregón) la esquina hay una mujer que creció en Palestina. Dos puertas más abajo hay personas de Vietnam”. En la Misa del año pasado, se escucharon 13 lenguas. Este año, los feligreses escucharán dialectos de India, África y Filipinas. Un coro cantará en alemán. También hay un coro mexicano y una danza del dragón ofrecida por congregantes vietnamitas que actuarán después de Misa. Baker, una nativa de Colorado, dijo que fue la diversidad cultural y el hecho de que la parroquia es miembro de Austin Interfaith lo que los atrajo a ella y a su difunto esposo a St. Albert hace 16 años. “No era tan diversa al principio,” dijo. “Ahora está comenzando a representar cómo se ve Austin”. Cuando ella llegó, la parroquia tenía entre 500 y 600 familias. Ahora tiene cerca de 2,300. Los feligreses usarán gafetes con información sobre su lugar de nacimiento y el vecindario en el que viven para desarrollar un sentido de comunidad. Los ciudadanos Àeles votan aún en elecciones ‘off’ o elecciones de iniciativas y no de personas a cargos públicos POR BÁRBARA BUDDE COLUMNISTA Este noviembre habrá una elección. Para la mayoría de nosotros la boleta consistirá de enmiendas Constitucionales colocadas ahí por los legisladores. Ciudades y condados puede que tengan otras iniciativas locales en la boleta, pero no votaremos por ninguna persona para ningún cargo, ni a nivel estatal ni federal. Esto es lo que llamamos un año de elecciones “off”. Como resultado, muchos decidirán no votar. Espero que este no sea el caso en la comunidad Católica. La ciudadanía Fiel nos invita a participar en el proceso político y a ejercitar el derecho y la obligación que tenemos de votar. Hice una investigación rápida de la última vez que hubo una elección “off” de iniciativas Constitucionales y la mayoría de los condados en el estado, incluidos los de nuestra diócesis, tuvieron un número de votantes de un solo dígito. Quiero reconocer al Condado de Llano por ser el más participativo en nuestra diócesis. En 2011 tuvieron más del 17 por ciento de votantes elegibles que de hecho votaron en esa elección “off”. Merecen una mención honorable los condados de Fayette y Brazos en los cuales más del 15 por ciento de sus votantes registrados asistieron a las urnas y el Condado San Saba en el que 14.5 por ciento de los votantes registrados votaron. La gran ironía es que nuestro país fue fundado por aquellos que pelearon y murieron por el derecho de la auto determinación. No hicimos una labor perfecta cuando el país fue fundado y tuvimos que hacer muchas cambios durante el camino – pero votar es la piedra angular de la democracia y en muchas ocasiones renunciamos a ese precioso derecho de votar. Este año, la ley de la Iden- tiÀcación del Votante (Voter ID law en inglés) aprobada por la legislatura de 2011 entra en efecto. Una tarjeta de registro para votar no es ya suÀciente para votar. Cada persona necesitará mostrar una identiÀcación válida con fotografía. La lista de identiÀcaciones aceptables, de acuerdo a la OÀcina de la Secretaría de Estado, incluyen: • Licencia de manejo de Texas expedida por el Departamento de Seguridad Pública de Texas (DPS por sus siglas en inglés). • CertiÀcado de IdentiÀcación de Elección de Texas expedido por el DPS • Tarjeta de identiÀcación personal de Texas expedida por el DPS • Licencia para portar armas ocultas expedida por el DPS • Tarjeta de identiÀcación militar de Estados Unidos que contenga la fotografía de la persona. • CertiÀcado de ciudada- nía de Estados Unidos que contenga la fotografía de la persona. • Pasaporte americano. La identiÀcación debe estar vigente. El sitio de web dice “A excepción del certiÀcado de ciudadanía de Estados Unidos, la identiÀcación debe estar vigente o haber expirado hace no más de 60 días antes de ser presentada para la caliÀcación del votante en el lugar de la votación”. También existe el requisito de que el nombre en la identiÀcación y en la lista de votantes registrados debe ser “substancialmente similar”. Existen lineamientos para ayudar a los jueces de la elección a determinar sobre lo que “substancialmente” signiÀca. Por favor sepa que el CertiÀcado de IdentiÀcación de Elección de Texas expedido por el DPS es gratis. Sin embargo, cualquier persona que necesite esta identiÀcación por no tener ninguna de las mencionadas anteriormente en la lista, deberá presentar prueba de su ciudadanía, tal como un certiÀcado de nacimiento. Estos documentos últimos no son gratuitos. Cualquier persona que tenga más de 65 años de edad puede aplicar para votar por correo. Claramente, en este caso, una identiÀcación no puede ser requerida, así que todos los adultos mayores pueden votar por correo, pero deben aplicar. Existen excepciones para personas con discapacidades o personas que han perdido su identiÀcación debido a desastres naturales. Información detallada sobre estas excepciones y “preguntas frecuentes” están disponibles por parte del estado en www.votetexas.gov/registerto-vote/need-id/. Demasiados de nosotros nos privamos a nosotros mismos del derecho y la obligación de votar. Podemos cambiar eso este año. El registro para votar cierra el 7 de Octubre. Recuerde registrarse, no olvide su identiÀcación y ¡recuerde votar! ESPAÑOL 30 C ATHOLIC S PIRIT Cómo invitar a alguien a considerar el sacerdocio POR EL PADRE BRIAN MCMASTER DIRECTOR DE LA OFICINA DE VOCACIONES Este año, el nuevo póster del seminario diocesano lleva por tema “Llamado por Dios, Invitado por Usted”. El póster muestra testimonios de nuestros seminaristas sobre cómo fueron invitados por alguien a considerar el sacerdocio y el impacto que la invitación tuvo en ellos. Nuestros seminaristas comparten cómo fueron exhortados por sacerdotes, padres de familia, ministros juveniles, maestros, otros seminaristas, compañeros feligreses y otros. El póster nos recuerda qué tan importante y efectiva puede ser una simple invitación. Construir una “Cultura de Vocación” en nuestras parroquias, escuelas, grupos juveniles y diócesis signiÀca que cada uno de nosotros debe tomar el rol de orar por las vocaciones, buscar activamente a aquellos que pensamos pueden estar siendo llamados y verbal- mente invitarlos a considerar ese llamado. Estos son algunos puntos útiles a recordar en lo concerniente a nuestro papel de invitar a hombres a considerar el sacerdocio. Primero, la responsabilidad de invitar es de todos. Todos jugamos un papel importante en construir el Cuerpo de Cristo y la iglesia. Es importante para nosotros exhortar a hombres a considerar el sacerdocio, especialmente ahora cuando la cultura propone tantos valores diferentes. Segundo, es tan simple como una invitación. No tenemos que convencer a alguien de que está siendo llamado. No tengan miedo del “no” inicial, incluso está bien esperarlo. Existen numerosas historias en la Escritura y en la historia de la iglesia en las cuales hombres y mujeres fueron llamados por Dios a hacer algo extraordinario y estuvieron inicialmente dudosos o se resistieron. Pero la invitación se quedó en ellos como una semilla que lenta- mente creció y Áoreció en una cariñosa respuesta a la voluntad de Dios. Tercero, es también importante que no seamos muy insistentes cuando invitemos a alguien. Necesitamos simplemente hacer la invitación y entonces humildemente conÀar en que Dios va a cultivar el sentido del llamado en el hombre. ¿Cómo suena una invitación? Todo lo que tenemos que hacer es decirle al hombre en cuestión lo que vemos en él. Aquí hay algunos ejemplos de lo que hay que buscar y cómo decirlo. Veo en ti … • Una relación sólida con Jesucristo. Estás comprometido con la oración y eres devoto de la Eucaristía • Alegría y conÀanza. Eres un hombre soltero y sano con una personalidad atractiva. • Compasión por los demás y deseo de servicio. Tienes muchos de los dones para convertirte en un siervo líder. • Amor por la iglesia. Eres activo en la parroquia y estás orgulloso de ser Católico. • Virtud y fuerza de carácter. Aspiras a la santidad. Confías en la misericordia de Dios y te acercas al Sacramento de la Reconciliación. ¿Qué sigue? Puede ser que usted quiera exhortarlo a tomar un paso activo que lo ayudará a responder. Aquí hay algunas sugerencias sobre cómo invitarlo a responder. Espero que tú… • Estés abierto. Puede que tengas dudas al principio. Así se sintieron muchos de los grandes santos y Àguras de la Biblia que fueron llamados por Dios a tener una vida extraordinaria. ¡No temas! Confía en que Dios desea tu felicidad aún más de lo que tu la deseas. Nadie es más generoso que Dios. • Ores. Se trata de tu relación con Dios. El discernimiento sucede dentro de una dedicada vida de oración. Escucha Su voz, especialmente durante la Misa, la Adoración Eucarística, la lectura de la Escritura y el rezo del Rosario. • Hables con alguien. Considera hablar con alguien cuya fe tú admires. Habla con un sacerdote o un seminarista. Llama al Director de Vocaciones – él está aquí para ayudar. • Aprendas más. Visita austinvocations.com para leer sobre algunas maneras de aprender más sobre el sacerdocio y el discernimiento. Lee algunos buenos libros tales como To Save a Thousand Souls. • Asistas a un evento de discernimiento. Jesús dijo “Ven y mira”. Asiste a una de las cenas mensuales de discernimiento, atiende un retiro de discernimiento, visita un seminario o atiende un Proyecto Andrew. Que todos continuemos orando por las vocaciones al sacerdocio y la vida religiosa. El Padre Brian McMaster es el Director de la Oficina Diocesana de Vocaciones. Puede ser localizado en el (512) 949-2405 o en [email protected]. El papa dice que iglesia debe enfrentar miembros descarriados como madre misericordiosa POR FRANCISCO X. ROCCA CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE El papa Francisco dijo que la iglesia debe acercarse a sus miembros con la cara de una madre paciente, misericordiosa y comprensiva que siempre perdona a sus hijos que yerran y nunca cesa de rezar para que ellos retomen el camino de la vida cristiana. El papa hizo sus declaraciones el 18 de septiembre durante su audiencia pública semanal en la Plaza de San Pedro, donde elaboró sobre la charla de la semana anterior sobre el tema de la “iglesia como madre”. “Me gusta mucho esta imagen”, él dijo, “porque pienso que nos dice no solamente cómo es la iglesia, sino también qué tipo de cara la iglesia, esta iglesia nuestra, debe tener, aun más todos los días”. Una madre enseña a sus hijos el camino correcto de la vida “con ternura, con afecto, con amor”, él dijo, porque ella “no lo aprendió de libros, sino que lo aprendió de su propio corazón”. “La universidad de las mamás es el propio corazón”, dijo el papa con uno de los varios usos del término italiano informal “mamá”. El papa Francisco dijo que las enseñanzas morales de la iglesia, en particular los Diez Mandamientos, son similarmente el “fruto de la ternura, del mismo amor de Dios que nos los dio”. “Usted podría decirme: ¡Pero son mandamientos! Son un conjunto de ‘nos’”, él dijo, antes de sugerirle a la audiencia: “Léanlos, tal vez los han olvidado un poco, y luego piensen sobre estos positivamente”. Los Diez Mandamientos, el papa dijo, “nos muestran el camino a tomar para poder crecer en madurez, dándonos puntos de referencia estables para nuestro comportamiento. ... Nos invitan a no a hacer ídolos materiales que entonces nos esclavizan, (sino) a recordar a Dios, a respetar a nuestros padres, a ser honestos, a respetar a los demás”. El papa Francisco asemejó la iglesia a una madre que nunca se da por vencida con sus hijos, aun cuando yerran. “Pienso en las madres que sufren por sus hijos que están en prisión o en situaciones difíciles”, él dijo. “Ellas no se preguntan si (sus hijos) son culpables o no, ellas continúan amándolos y a menudo experimentan humillaciones, pero no temen, no cesan de darse”. Así mismo, dijo el papa, la iglesia procura siempre ayudar y alentar a sus hijos descarriados: “nunca cierra las puertas de la iglesia; no juzga, sino que ofrece el perdón de Dios, le ofrece el amor que invita a regresar al camino hasta a aquellos hijos que han caído en un profundo abismo”. Invocando el ejemplo de santa Mónica, quien nunca cesó de orar por la conversión de su hijo, san Agustín, el papa dijo que las madres nunca se cansan de orar por sus hijos, “especialmente por los más débiles, los más necesitados, aquellos que han seguido formas de vida peligrosas o erróneas”. “La iglesia hace lo mismo”, él dijo. “Ella pone en las manos del Señor, a través de la oración, todas las situaciones de sus hijos”. Los obispos preparan una carta pastoral sobre inmigración de familias POR CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE Los obispos de la zona de la frontera que media entre Texas y México han decidido escribir una carta pastoral conjunta sobre el daño que sufren las familias debido al actual sistema de inmigración, después de una visita conmovedora hecha a niños pequeños de El Paso, Texas, en una zona que se usa como lugar de detención de inmigración. El arzobispo de San Antonio, Gustavo García-Siller, le dijo al Catholic News Service en una entrevista por teléfono, hecha el 12 de septiembre, que después de haber visitado a unos niños en una parroquia de El Paso y de haberse enterado de su respectiva historia, los obispos querían llamar la atención a los efectos que sufren las familias debido al sistema inoperante de inmigración. Y contó el caso de una niña de 6 años a quien conoció allí en el centro de detención y que ha estado en ese lugar desde que sus padres fueron deportados, hace cuatro años. Aparentemente, tanto el padre como la madre de la niña fueron asesinados poco después de haber sido obligados a regresar a México y la niña ha estado bajo la custodia de la agencia de Immigration and Customs Enforcement, o ICE, desde entonces, mientras que los funcionarios del sistema de ambos países se echan la bolita unos a otros para colocar a la pequeña con otro miembro de la familia. Esa niña y otros niños que están bajo la custodia de inmigración, anhelan estar con sus respectivas familias, dijo. “Aquí en este país hay 11 millones de personas que carecen de documentos. ¿Cuántos de los hijos corren el riesgo de perder a su padre o a su madre, o a ambos, debido a que no tienen documentos” y podrían ser deportados?, dijo. La carta pastoral que se dará a conocer el próximo mes llevará el propósito de “presentar una explicación lógica y racional “ de las muchas maneras en las que las familias se ven separadas debido al actual sistema de inmigración, dijo el arzobispo García-Siller. En una declaración del 8 de septiembre, al terminarse la reunión, los obispos dijeron que les preocupa especialmente el peso que soportan las familias divididas debido a los problemas con el sistema de inmigración. “Al presente, los más dañados son los miles de niños y jóvenes que se encuentran privados de sus respectivos padres y de otros familiares”, se decía en el mensaje en donde se anunciaban los preparativos de la carta pastoral. SITINGS October 2013 31 MEMBERS of the St. John’s Blanket Ministry in Marble Falls have sewn two “Quilts of Glory” that will be rafÀed to bene¿t wounded veterans at the VA Hospital in Temple. For more information, contact Karen Wilkens at (512) 789-3955 or Janet Herzog at (830) 598-5654. THE ANNUAL RURAL LIFE MASS was held Aug. 13 at Holy Trinity Parish in Corn Hill. The annual Rural Life Award was given to Msgr. Emilian Foltyn (posthumously) and to Bernice Crabtree, a parishioner of Holy Trinity Parish in Llano. (Photos courtesy Keith Thompson) THE EVANGELIZATION TEAM at San José Parish in Austin celebrated its 12th anniversary this summer. The team offers Kerygmatic Retreats twice a year to help others encounter Jesus. They also have 32 small faith communities that meet weekly for praise, worship and catechesis. And they organize an Evangelizing Outreach Mission once a year in which they take the message of Christ into the community. (Photos courtesy Romie Galica) STUDENTS at St. Gabriel’s Catholic School in Austin signed a banner to celebrate the birthday of Blessed Mother Mary. (Photo courtesy Erika Allen-Walsh) ST. AUSTIN PARISH AND SCHOOL celebrated the 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, on Aug. 28. Participants gathered at the statue of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. on the campus of the University of Texas. (Photos courtesy Keili Smith) ST. JOHN THE EVANGELIST PARISH in San Marcos held its 65th Fiesta Anniversary Sept. 1. This was the ¿rst time a ¿esta queen was crowned in 23 years. Past ¿esta queens were invited to the festivities. (Photos courtesy Anna M. Ramirez) THE BOY SCOUT TROOP of Sacred Heart Parish in Austin was awarded the “Honor Troop Award” by the Boy Scouts of America in Central Texas. The troop was the best of 45 troops that attended the 2013 Summer Camp. (Photo courtesy Sacred Heart Parish) Send photos by the 10th of the month to [email protected]. THE KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS at St. Mary, Our Lady of the Lake Parish in Lago Vista awarded the Shining Armor Pin to James Worrall (left). (Photo courtesy Ron Smith ) 32 SITINGS C ATHOLIC S PIRIT EMMAUS PARISH IN LAKEWAY has begun their fourth session of preparing parishioners for total consecration to Jesus through Mary. The group uses the book, “33 Days to Morning Glory: A DoIt-Yourself Retreat in Preparation for Marian Consecration,” and meets weekly. (Photo courtesy Sharon K. Perkins) ST. JOHN PARISH IN FAYETTEVILLE held a Kolache Bake Sale on Labor Day weekend. Also, to celebrate the Year of Faith, the Fayetteville Chamber Music Festival performed an open concert at St. John Parish. (Photos courtesy Amy Babin) ST. ANTHONY PARISH IN KYLE held its Fiesta Fun Run on Sept. 7. Father Jason Bonifazi, associate pastor, ran the race and placed third in his age group. (Photos courtesy Claudia Enriquez) HOLY ROSARY IN FRENSTAT welcomed their new pastor, Father Bernard Hung, with a potluck lunch and social on Aug. 25. (Photo courtesy Marcella Franzetti) BISHOP JOE VÁSQUEZ blessed the new chapel at St. Louis Catholic School in Waco. The chapel was built under the supervision of Father Justin Nguyen. (Photos courtesy Brandy Kramolis) THE LEGION OF MARY at Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish in Taylor celebrated its second anniversary on Aug. 15. (Photo courtesy Eduardo Gutierrez) BENEDICTINE BROTHER MATTHIAS HAGGE made his solemn profession of vows as a monk of Subiaco Abbey at Mass on Aug. 30. He has taught at Subiaco Academy for several years and prior to that was a parishioner at St. Mary Catholic Center in College Station and employed at Texas A&M University. (Photo courtesy Br. Ephrem O’Bryan, OSB) Send photos by the 10th of the month to [email protected]. THE LADIES OF CHARITY OF BASTROP celebrated 30 years of service on Aug. 10 with Mass celebrated by Bishop Joe Vásquez. In its 30 years, the group has served 444,550 hours and helped nearly 17,000 families. (Photos courtesy Bastrop Ladies of Charity)