Priest ordained for diocese - Catholic Diocese of Brownsville

Transcripción

Volume 5, Issue 2
Serving More Than A Million Catholics in the Diocese of Brownsville
From Planned
Parenthood to
pro-life activist
Priest
ordained
for diocese
Eyes opened to truth
about organization;
former director gains
courage to leave
The Valley Catholic
Bishop Daniel E. Flores ordained Deacon Arturo Cardenas
Avalos to the priesthood for the
Diocese of Brownsville on July 16
at the Parroquia de San Miguel
Arcangel in
Manzanilla
de La Paz,
Jalisco, Mexico.
Father
Cardenas,
34, was born
in Tuxpan,
Jalisco, MexCARDEnAS
ico and is the
son of Arturo Cardenas Sanchez
and Maria Mercedes Avalos. He
has a sister (Araceli) and a brother
(Jose Miguel). His parents and siblings reside in Modesto, Calif.
His first calling to the priesthood came when he was sevenyears-old.
“I was just a child when I got
the call,” Father Cardenas said.
“This is something I have wanted
all of my life.”
He remembers the day being
a priest first crossed his mind. He
ran into his pastor, Father Nazario
Vasquez, on the street. The priest,
who was on his way to distribute Holy Communion to the sick,
stopped to chat with him for a few
minutes.
“He invited me to Mass that
evening and I went,” Father Cardenas said. “After the Mass, Father
Nazario invited me to be an altar
server. When I was 14, he invited
me to become a priest. My vocation was influenced greatly by him.
He was a good example of service
to the poor and a good example of
a faithful priest.”
Father Cardenas also has two
» Please see Father Cardenas, p.2
By ROSE YBARRA
The Valley Catholic
CNS photo from Crosiers
The Assumption is depicted in this stained-glass window at Notre-Dame du Sacre-Coeur in Quebec. The holy day of obligation, celebrated Aug. 15, commemorates the taking into heaven of Mary — soul and body — at the end of her life on earth.
Diocesan newspaper garners national awards
The Valley Catholic
The Valley Catholic, the official newspaper of the Diocese of
Brownsville, was honored with
four awards at the Catholic Press
Association’s annual conference
on June 21 in Denver. Submissions
were considered among Catholic
publications from across the U.S.
and Canada.
The Valley Catholic received
an honorable mention for General Excellence among diocesan
newspapers with a circulation of
17,001 to 40,000. “Joy and vitality seem part of the editorial mix
in The Valley Catholic,” the judges
BLessiNG
“VERBUM MITTITUR
SPIRANS AMOREM”
(“The WORD is sent
breathing love.”)
AUGUST 2013
noted. “Impressive in design, editing, and story selection, this paper
can teach others how to create joy
and energy.”
Rose Ybarra earned second
place in the category of Best News
Writing Originating with the Paper - National Event for an article,
“Studying in the Shadows” which
cLose To HoMe
featured two undocumented college students from Peñitas.
“Casting light into dark areas
and sharing the simple, but dangerous lives of undocumented
workers is accomplished with fine
writing and reporting,” the judges
stated about the article.
» Please see Awards, p.15
THose WHo seRVe
MERCEDES — “In the Spring
of 2008, I officially became an employee for the nation’s largest abortion provider and I didn’t even
know it,” said Ramona Treviño,
keynote speaker of the inaugural
Life Matters Pro-Life Conference.
Treviño, who is from the Dallas
area, shared her testimony of how
she went from working as a clinic
manager for Planned Parenthood
to being a pro-life activist.
T h e
event, which
drew hundreds of prolifers from
across
the
Rio Grande
Valley, was
held on June
29 at the Our
TREVIÑO
Lady of Mercy Parish Hall in Mercedes.
Treviño was baptized Catholic
but neither she nor her sister, “were
catechized as children.” She became
pregnant at 16 and eventually married her daughter’s father in a civil
ceremony. She endured eight years
of emotional and physical abuse in
that marriage before seeking a divorce.
Some years later, she went
through the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) and was
received into the Catholic Church.
In 2006, she entered a sacramental
marriage with her now-husband,
Eugene. Together, they have four
children.
In 2008, an old friend – and fellow Catholic – told Treviño about
a job opening. Planned Parenthood
was seeking a manager for its clinic
in Sherman, Texas. Her friend sold
her on the job by telling her that
she would, “be helping women
and helping the uninsured and the
poor.”
“But every time I talked to her,
» Please see Pro-Life, p.15
eN esPAñoL
Artículos sobre la
canonización del beato Juan
Pablo II y del beato Juan XXIII,
la primera encíclica del papa
Francisco, “Lumen ﬁdei”, y
una activista pro-vida
Shrimp boats and shrimpers
blessed before leaving port
Page 3
La Lomita “The Little Hill”
Mission
Page 8
Deacon Luis Fernando
Amador
Page 9
Paginas 11-13
2
diocese
Pueblo Santo
en presencia
del Dios Vivo
S
eñor Jesucristo, que dijiste
a tus apóstoles: “La paz
les dejo, mi paz les doy”;
no tengas en cuenta nuestros
pecados, sino la fe de tu Iglesia, y
conforme a tu palabra, concédele
la paz y la unidad. Tú que vives y
reinas por los siglos de los siglos.
Amen.
Estas líneas sencillas son bien
conocidas. El sacerdote las aclama
en voz alta en cada Misa después
de que rezamos el Padre Nuestro.
Se trata de la oración litúrgica que
sirve como preparación para la
Iglesia antes de comulgar.
Como sacerdote, siempre
me ha impactado mucho esta
oración, y las palabras frecuentemente me provocan a una pausa
meditativa. La oración contiene
una profundidad asombrosa, y
merece una atención particular. A
eso me dedico. Me parece imposible desarrollar todo el significado de esta oración en un solo
ensayo. Al contrario, mi intención
es dedicar por lo menos dos o
tres relatos publicados como una
serie pequeña para desenvolver
(para decirlo así) el sentido de
esta oración. Me parece oportuno
durante este Año de la Fe.
En primer lugar, la oración se
expresa en forma del plural: No
tengas en cuenta nuestros pecados, sino la fe de tu Iglesia. No
es tanto la oración de cada uno
pidiendo perdón antes de tomar
dentro de sí la verdadera santidad
de Dios en la Sagrada Comunión.
Más bien es la oración de toda
la comunidad dirigiéndose con
realismo al Dios vivo.
Por ser oración de toda la
Iglesia, y no tanto oración de
cada uno como individuo, se
pronuncia por el sacerdote, el
cual en nombre de todos se dirige
directamente al Señor Jesucristo
presente sobre el altar. En este
momento el sacerdote reza como
padre de la familia de fe, en nombre de todos. Ordinariamente la
oración de la Santa Misa se dirige
a Dios Padre. Pero esta oración se
The Valley Catholic - AUGUST 2013
A Holy People in the Presence of the Living God
L
ord Jesus Christ, who said to your
Apostles: “Peace I leave you, my peace
I give you”; look not on our sins, but
on the faith of your Church, and graciously
grant her peace and unity in accordance with
your will. You who live and reign forever and
ever.”
These simple lines are well known. The
priest acclaims them aloud during each Mass
after we pray the Lord’s Prayer. This is the
liturgical prayer that serves as a preparation
for the Church before receiving Holy Communion.
As a priest, this prayer has always affected me, and the words frequently provoke me
to a meditative pause. The prayer contains an
astonishing depth, and deserves particular
attention. It appears to me impossible to
explain all of its meaning in one column. I
intend to devote at least two or three texts,
published as a short series, to unfold (so to
speak) the meaning of this prayer. I think
this is appropriate during this Year of Faith.
In the first place, the prayer is expressed
in plural: Look not on our sins, but on the
faith of your Church. It is not so much the
prayer of each one present seeking forgiveness before taking into ourselves the very
Holiness of God through the Holy Communion. Rather, it is the prayer of the whole
community addressing itself with realism to
the living God.
Because it is the prayer of the whole
Church, and not so much the prayer of each
of us individually, it is announced by the
priest, who in everybody’s name speaks directly to our Lord Jesus Christ present upon
destaca porque se dirige al Señor
Jesucristo, el mediador, el único
Hijo de Dios, el Dios Verdadero
de Dios Verdadero que ha bajado
del cielo para salvarnos y guiarnos hacia las mansiones de su
Padre.
La oración confiesa quienes
somos, y a quien nos dirigimos.
Es la oración de toda la Iglesia acercándose a su Redentor,
Jesucristo, causa de nuestra vida
renovada. “Han sido rescatados
de su conducta vana” dice San Pedro en su primera carta, “no con
bienes corruptibles,… sino con la
sangre preciosa de Cristo, como
cordero sin defecto ni mancha (1
Pedro 1: 18-19).” Precisamente
atentos a este misterio de haber
MOST REVEREND
DANIEL E. FLORES
BISHOP OF BROWNSVILLE
the altar. At this time the priest prays as a
father of the family in faith, in the name of
all. Usually, the prayers of the Holy Mass are
directed to God the Father. But this prayer
stands out because it’s directed to the Lord
Jesus Christ, the mediator, the only Son of
God, true God from True God who came
down from Heaven to save us and guide us
towards the dwelling-places of the Father.
The prayer confesses who we are, and to
whom we direct ourselves. It is the prayer of
all the Church approaching her Redeemer,
Jesus Christ, cause of our renewed life. “You
were ransomed from your futile conduct”
says Saint Peter in his first letter, “not with
perishable things,… but with the precious
blood of Christ as of a spotless unblemished
lamb (1 Peter 1: 18-19).” Precisely aware of
the mystery of being rescued, we confess that
the lamb who was slain to rescue us is made
present to us as an undeserved gift. Without
Him, the Church has no life, much less the
right to approach the Living God.
In this moment of the Holy Mass, the
sacrifice is present, and we confess that we
do not approach Him because we deserve
sido rescatados, confesamos que
el cordero degollado para rescatarnos se presenta como regalo
inmerecido. Sin Él, la Iglesia no
tiene vida, mucho menos el derecho de acercarse al Dios Vivo.
En este momento de la Santa
Misa, el sacrificio está presente,
y confesamos que no nos acercamos a Él porque merecemos la
gracia de haber sido rescatados y
constituidos Pueblo de Dios, sino
que nos acercamos porque tenemos fe en la plenitud del amor
con que esta obra redentora se ha
dirigido hacia nosotros. Y porque
tenemos esta fe de la Iglesia, con
confianza nos acercamos a Él,
como su proprio pueblo. A Él
pertenecemos. En esto creemos.
Publisher
Brenda Nettles Riojas
Editor
Rose Ybarra
Assistant Editor
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en este amor tan generosamente
entregado a nuestro favor. Por eso
la Iglesia le pide al Señor que se
fije en la fe de la Iglesia.
¿Quiénes somos? Pues,
Pueblo de Dios constituido por
gracia del Señor. ¿Quién es Él? El
único redentor que nos establece en la comunión de su vida
divina. Cierto, somos pecadores,
pero la obra de Cristo, en la cual
tenemos fe, vence el pecado. Por
eso decimos: no tengas en cuenta
nuestros pecados, sino la fe de
tu Iglesia. En la próxima, con la
ayuda de Dios, trataré de explicar
un poco más lo que significa en
este contexto la frase La fe de la
Iglesia.
Amen.
Bishop Flores’ Schedule - August 2013
August 4
3 p.m.
Basilica
Mass for Promotion of Religious Vocations
August 15
7 p.m.
Harlingen
Mass at Our Lady of the Assumption Church
August 17
5 p.m.
Rio Grande City
Mass at Benedictine Monastery
Subscription rate
$15 per year • $17 outside of Texas
$25 out of U.S.
Es la fe de la Iglesia en la fuerza
del sacrificio que nos constituye
como su pueblo.
La vida que nos da vida está
presente en el altar. Dependemos
totalmente de la obra misericordiosa de Jesucristo, actualmente
presente en cada Misa, para
poder respirar el aire del reino de
Dios: Ustedes “los que un tiempo
no eran pueblo, ahora son pueblo
de Dios; los que antes no habían
alcanzado misericordia, ahora
han alcanzado misericordia (1 Pedro 2:10). No merecemos la obra
de Jesucristo, pero la obra misma
de Jesucristo nos establece en el
ámbito de su amor. La caridad
animando su sacrificio nos establece como su pueblo. Tenemos fe
http://bishopflores.blogspot.com
700 N. Virgen de San Juan Blvd., San Juan, TX 78589-3042
Telephone: 956/781-5323 • Fax: 956/784-5082
Bishop Daniel E. Flores
the grace of being rescued and constituted
the People of God, but rather we draw near
because we have faith in the plenitude of that
love with which this work of redemption has
been directed towards us. And because we
have this faith of the Church, we approach
Him with confidence as his own people. We
belong to him. In this we believe. It is the
faith of the Church in the power of the Lord’s
sacrifice that makes us his people.
The life that gives us life is present
on the altar. We depend entirely on Jesus
Christ’s merciful work, actually present in
every Mass, to be able to breathe the air of
the kingdom of God: “Once you were “no
people” but now you are God’s people; you
“have not received mercy” but now you have
received mercy (1 Peter 2:10).” We do not
deserve the work of Christ, but it is the work
itself of Christ makes us part of his realm of
his love. The charity animating his sacrifice
makes us His people. We have faith in this
love, so generously given on our behalf. This
is why the Church asks the Lord to look
upon the faith of the Church.
Who are we? Well, the People of God
constituted by the grace of the Lord. Who is
He? The only redeemer who makes us part
of the communion of his divine life. Yes, we
are sinners, yet the work of Christ, in which
we have faith, overcomes this. That is why we
say: look not on our sins, but on the faith of
your Church. Next time, with God’s help, I
will try to explain a little bit more what the
phrase The faith of the Church means in this
context.
Amen.
Father Cardenas,
continued from pg. 1
uncles who are priests. He says they
too were influences on his vocation, along with his paternal grandmother, who passed her strong
faith and devotion to the Church
along to her children and grandchildren.
While he was in formation for
August 21
8:15 a.m.
Edinburg
Mass at St. Joseph Church
August 25
10 a.m.
Harlingen
Mass at St. Anthony Church
August 25
5 p.m.
Brownsville
Mass for Conferencia Manda El Fuego, Brown Auditorium
the priesthood in Colima, Mexico,
Bishop Raymundo J. Peña came for
a visit and asked the seminarians to
consider serving in the Diocese of
Brownsville.
Father Cardenas, who had never visited the Rio Grande Valley, accepted Bishop Peña’s invitation.
“I was the only one who volunteered,” he said. “The Diocese of
Brownsville is a great community.
Having a mix of two cultures is a
tremendous gift. Because there are
so many Hispanics in the Valley, I
feel at home. I don’t miss anything
from my home because everybody
in the Valley speaks Spanish and
the culture is very similar.”
Father Cardenas said he looks
forward to serving the faithful of
the Valley.
“I look to sanctify the people
but also to be able to attend to the
needs of the people, to touch the
hearts of the people in order to
bring them to Jesus Christ,” he said.
AUGUST 2013 -
The Valley Catholic
Blessing of the fleet, shrimpers
Blessing of the Fleet prayer
God of boundless love, at the beginning of creation, your Spirit
hovered over the deep, you called forth every creature, and the seas
teemed with life. Through your Son, Jesus Christ, you have given
us the rich harvest of the salvation. Bless these boats, their equipment and their crew. Through the protection and intercession of
Our Lady Star of the Sea, watch over these boats and all on board,
to ward off any threat of danger, and to guide their course through
calm waters. May Christ, who calmed the storm and filled the nets
of his disciples, bring all to the harbor of light and peace. Grant this
through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
The Valley Catholic
The Valley Catholic
Father Patrick K. Seitz, pastor of Our Lady Star of the Sea Church in Port Isabel, blesses
several shrimp boats in the Southport Marina, carrying on the centuries-old tradition of
the Blessing of the Fleet and Shrimpers, which features prayers for a safe and bountiful
season.
Lady Star of the Sea Church in Port
Isabel. After the Mass, Father Seitz,
pastor of the church, boarded a
boat and blessed each shrimp boat
in the Southpoint Marina.
“It’s extremely important for
us here (in Port Isabel) because
for many families, it has been their
livelihood for many, many generations,” Father Seitz said. “People
have lost their lives doing this so we
just want them to know that God is
with them.”
The centuries-old custom of the
Blessing of the Fleet began in the
Mediterranean Sea and has spread
globally. It remains a predominantly Catholic tradition, but over
the years, the practice has been adopted by other faiths.
In Port Isabel, the celebrations
began in the late 1980s, when a
parishioner reserved a Mass for
the intentions of a good season
for shrimpers. It has since evolved
into a larger community event and
includes a special liturgy and the
blessing of the shrimp boats.
Cantemos al Señor
Hundreds attend
national Hispanic
Pastoral Musicians
Conference
The Valley Catholic
McALLEN — More than 300
music ministers from around the
United States gathered on June 2022 for the Hispanic Pastoral Musicians Conference (HPMC), held
at Our Lady of Sorrows Parish in
McAllen.
The event, which is presented
every other year, is the only national conference of its kind designed
specifically for the needs of Hispanic musicians and for those serving as music ministers in Spanishlanguage or bilingual communities.
The conference featured presentations by the nation’s leading
composers and clinicians and provided valuable liturgical formation for choirs, priests, deacons,
music planners, directors, singers,
instrumentalists, mariachis, youth
The Valley Catholic
Bishop Daniel E. Flores, far left, leads the opening prayer on June 20 for the three-day
Hispanic Pastoral Musicians Conference, held at Our Lady of Sorrows Parish in McAllen.
bands, wedding/funeral planners,
and anyone interested in Hispanic
music ministry.
Presenters included the Most
Rev. Gustavo Rodriguez Vega,
Bishop of Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas; Grammy-nominated performer Pedro Rubalcava and Peter Kolar, a nationally-known musician,
composer and arranger.
Rubalcava of Damascus, Ore.,
is a clinician and performer with
expertise in various musical styles.
He has been directing liturgical
3
CAMPUS MINISTRY
Para
servirles
The Valley Catholic
Port Isabel priest
continues annual
sea port tradition
PORT ISABEL —“My husband
(Federico) fell overboard while he
was shrimping and was lost at sea
for eight hours in 1992,” said Rosa
Gonzalez, director of religious education at Our Lady Star of the Sea
Parish in Port Isabel. “It was God’s
miracle that he was saved, that they
found him. …Being a shrimper is a
very dangerous job.”
The annual tradition of the
Blessing of the Fleet and Shrimpers sends prayers for a safe and
bountiful season. Father Patrick
K. Seitz, celebrated a special Mass
for the shrimpers on July 9 at Our
diocese
music groups for more than 30
years. Rubalcava is the director of
Hispanic ministries for Oregon
Catholic Press (OCP).
Kolar, who resides in El Paso, is
the senior editor of Hispanic Music
and Publications for World Library
Publications. He is the founding
editor of the bilingual missal Celebremos/Let Us Celebrate and
the editor of its companion music
resource, the Himnario/Hymnal,
which is used in parishes throughout the country.
“I think the conference made
us take a hard look at ourselves,”
said Diamantina Herrera, a music
minister from St. John the Baptist
Church in San Juan, who attended
the conference with 29 fellow parishioners. “It reminded us that
as music ministers, we are here to
serve. We are not here to be star
musicians. We are here to bring
out the love of Jesus through our
music and to make the liturgy alive
in Christ. We are here to guide the
faithful’s participation in the liturgy.”
The conference was sponsored
by the Southwest Liturgical Conference (SWLC), a liturgical organization comprising the 27 Roman
Catholic Dioceses of Region X of
the Federation of Diocesan Liturgical Commissions (FDLC) in the
states of Arizona, Colorado, New
Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah,
and Wyoming. Founded in 1962,
the SWLC reflects the rich Catholic
heritage of the Southwest present in
richly diverse multicultural, urban,
and rural communities.
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Back to school... young adults
join Campus Ministry!
Campus Ministry is the presence of our Catholic faith in colleges and universities. “On a college campus, there are few places
that uphold positive values,” said
Joe Garcia, campus minister at
the Newman Center for the University of Texas-Pan American
in Edinburg. “Campus Ministry
programs provide a welcoming
space where students can deepen
their relationship with Christ
and grow in their spiritual life
through prayer, fellowship, and
service opportunities.”
In our diocese, Campus
Ministry is a component of the
Office of Campus and Young
Adult Ministry. Six institutions
of higher learning in the Rio
Grande Valley offer Catholic
ministry programs: South Texas
College (STC) in Rio Grande
City and McAllen, Texas State
Technical College (TSTC) in
Harlingen, and the University of
Texas – Pan American (UTPA)
in Edinburg. The University of
Texas at Brownsville (UTB) and
Texas Southmost College (TSC)
have a joint program.
All Campus Ministry programs are established through
Catholic student organizations
on campus; however, they are
supported by the diocese. The
diocese employs staff to coordinate campus ministry activities and has priests assigned as
chaplains for liturgical and
sacramental services at the Newman Centers. Bishop Daniel E.
Flores, recognizing the importance of Campus Ministry in the
life of the Church, has appointed
some of his top priests to serve
as chaplains. The UTB and TSC
Newman Center, for instance,
has the chancellor of our diocese,
Father Jorge Gomez, serving
as chaplain. Additionally, the
UTPA Newman Center is the
only Campus Ministry in the
country to have a bishop working directly with the students.
After his retirement, Bishop
Emeritus Raymundo J. Peña
agreed to serve as the chaplain .
Campus Ministry programs
provide an array of spiritual,
liturgical, educational, and social
opportunities, promoting the
ideal of educating the individual
as a whole.
“We believe the university
years are key formative years that
will have a lasting effect upon
the students’ character, thus, the
ministry involves most aspects
of their lives: from their prayer
life to service projects to basic
life skills, such as studying habits,
cooking lessons and personal
finance,” said Miguel Santos,
director of Campus and Youth
Adult Ministry for the diocese,
Most college Campus Ministry centers are named after
Blessed John Henry Cardinal
Newman, who helped define the
role of the Church within higher
education. Blessed Newman pioneered the concept of Catholic
student associations and wrote
extensively on the connection
between faith and reason. For
more on our Newman Centers
or to connect with Campus
» Please see CYAM, p.7
4
diocese
»Making Sense
Out of Bioethics
Father
Tadeusz
Pacholczyk
Priest of the
Diocese of Fall
River
Is it wrong
for me now
to buy health
insurance?
M
any 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 five
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
The Valley Catholic -AUGUST 2013
between allowable toleration and
tacit approval.
In evaluating the specifics 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 healthcare 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 difficult question, and
they may find it best to discontinue providing health insurance
to their employees (even though
they may have to pay associated
fines). The NCBC discusses this
option, and some of the morally
relevant factors surrounding such
a decision, in its analysis available at: http://www.ncbcenter.org/
document.doc?id=450&erid=0
The HHS Mandate represents
bureaucratically-coerced personal
and institutional involvement in
the commission of a 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 wellbeing of themselves, their families,
or their employees by purchasing
health insurance.
—
Rev. Tadeusz Pacholczyk, Ph.D.
earned his doctorate in neuroscience
from Yale and did post-doctoral
work at Harvard. He is a priest of
the diocese of Fall River, MA, and
serves as the Director of Education
at The National Catholic Bioethics
Center in Philadelphia. See www.
ncbcenter.org
Father Armand Mathew
Oct. 21, 1922-June 22, 2013
Community
remembers Oblate
priest’s ministry,
voting advocacy
The Valley Catholic
BROWNSVILLE — Father
Armand Mathew of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate
died on June 22 in Brownsville.
He was 90.
“He was ready for heaven but
we weren’t ready to let him go,”
said Father Roy Snipes, a fellow
Oblate priest who serves as pastor
of Our Lady of Guadalupe Church
in Mission. “He was the patriarch
of the Oblates here in the Valley.”
In an interview with The Valley Catholic (April 2011), Father
Mathew said it was an honor to be
a member of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate and that
he thoroughly enjoyed spending
time with his fellow Oblates here
in the Valley, whether it was to
share a meal or celebrate Mass together.
“To know that our Oblate
brothers have built up the church
in many parts of the world, it gives
me great joy, it’s what keeps me
going,” said Father Mathew, who
was ordained to the priesthood on
Feb. 24, 1949. “And there is nothing in my mind more rich than
the tradition of the Oblates right
here in the Rio Grande Valley.”
Father Mathew co-founded
Center for Civic Engagement at
the University of Texas at Brownsville in 2001 and was one of the
founders of the Kids Voting
Brownsville initiative, which educates children and young adults
on the importance of voting.
In an interview with The Valley Catholic (October 2010), Fa-
The Valley Catholic
Father Armand Mathew, a Missionary Oblate of Mary Immaculate, served in the Rio
Grande Valley for more than 36 years.
ther Mathew said many didn’t
understand how his work encouraging citizens to vote tied in to his
priestly ministry.
“It may seem like a secular
activity but the poor will never
be lifted out of poverty until their
voices are heard at the polls,” he
said.
A brief exchange with a legislator in Austin ignited Father
Mathew’s passion for improving
voter turnout in Brownsville.
“He said he was not concerned about the wants or needs
of the people of Brownsville because people from the Valley don’t
vote anyway,” Father Mathew said.
Father Mathew was born in
Wolcott, Ind. on Oct. 21. 1922 and
grew up in Chicago, but he considered Brownsville home, said
good friend, Father Gerald “Jerry”
Frank, pastor of St. John the Baptist Parish in San Juan.
Father Mathew and Father
Frank, who met in the 1970s, regularly played golf together, often
using the “best ball” format to play
a match against two other friends.
The outings usually ended with a
burger and fries at Spanky’s Burgers in Brownsville.
“We had a similar social justice perspective or outlook you
could say and so there was a lot
of compatibility in terms of values and basic principles,” Father
Frank said. “He was a man of
admirable qualities. He was very
pastoral, very good with people.
“He was very transparent and
open — probably too transparent
and open for some people’s taste
— but that’s part of what endeared
him to people.”
In his more than 36 years of
service in the Rio Grande Valley,
Father Mathew was also the pastor of the Immaculate Conception
Cathedral from 1978-1983 and
was in residence there from 2001
until his death.
A Mass of Christian burial
was celebrated on June 26 at the
Immaculate Conception Cathedral Auditorium in Brownsville.
A second Mass was celebrated on
June 29 at the Oblate School of
Theology Chapel in San Antonio,
followed by interment at the Oblate cemetery.
»Guest Column
Santa Muerte: Sinister and Infernal
T
he cult “Santa Muerte”
has been called by Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi,
President of the Pontifical
Council for Culture, sinister and
infernal. This diabolical “Santa
Muerte” cult has been burgeoning on both sides of the U.S.Mexico border.
The Santa Muerte cult is in
no way santa (holy) but rather
is, as Cardinal Ravasi has said,
a celebration of devastation and
of hell. It is a terrible blasphemy
against God and is a false religiosity promoted by organized
crime and drug traffickers.
These groups celebrate death. It
is in no way a true religion that
celebrates life and justice and the
dignity and sacredness of each
person. La Santa Muerte has
been called the “la religiosidad
de narcos”—drug traffickers
who falsify religion.
The Santa Muerte is a skeletal
figure of a cloaked woman with
a scythe, or blade, in her bony
hand. This cult is worshipped by
drug dealers in Mexico and by
the terrified people who live in
drug-torn neighborhoods, and
sadly in Texas, especially along
the border. The devotion to the
Santa Muerte, a female figure,
goes directly against the true
Most. Rev.
Michael D.
Pfeifer, OMI
Bishop of San
Angelo
teaching of our Catholic Church
and puts one in connection
with the enemy of Christ, Satan.
From a Christian perspective,
we have every assurance based
on the Word of God that Christ
has already defeated his last
enemy —death — through His
resurrection and has given us
the Holy Spirit to guide us on
the right path as we live each
day with Christ preparing us for
a holy death that will open the
gates of heaven for us.
The Santa Muerte engages in
Satanism and many of its followers, Santa Muertistas, have
committed heinous crimes in
the name of the skeletal folk so
called saint. Human sacrifice,
narco-assassinations and other
lurid crimes have been committed in Mexico and to some
degree in the U.S. by devotees
who believe that Saint Death
sanctions and blesses these
nefarious needs.
Cardinal Ravasi points out
that the Santa Muerte is not a
religion just because it is dressed
up like a religion. The cardinal stresses the importance to
impress upon young people that
these criminal groups have no
religion, and that their activities
run counter to human, social
and cultural values.
To counteract this satanic
cult it is important to be faithful
to Christ, our Good Shepherd,
who has conquered sin, death
and Satan himself, and to live by
the guidance of the Holy Spirit
and call on the protection of
Our Lady of Guadalupe. And
remember, that the true santas
and santos in our Catholic faith
are women and men who down
through the ages have witnessed
by holy lives to the Risen Savior,
have rejected Satan and have
been faithful followers of Jesus
even to the point of giving their
lives in martyrdom. These are
the true Santos and Santas that
we want to follow.
—
The Most Rev. Michael D. Pfeifer
of the Missionary Oblates of
Mary Immaculate is the Bishop
of San Angelo and a native of
Alamo
AUGUST 2013-
»Sunday
Readings
The Word of God in the Life
and Mission of the Church
aUGUST 4
(Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary
Time)
Reading I
ECC 1:2; 2:21-23
Responsorial Psalm
PS 90:3-4, 5-6, 12-13, 14, 17
Reading II
COL 3:1-5, 9-11
Gospel LK 12:13-21
aUGUST 11
(Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary
Time)
Reading I WIS 18:6-9
Responsorial Psalm
PS 33:1, 12, 18-19, 20-22
Reading II HEB 11:1-2, 8-19
OR HEB 11:1-2, 8-12
Gospel LK 12:32-48 OR LK
12:35-40
AUGUST 18
(Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time)
Reading I
JER 38:4-6, 8-10
Responsorial Psalm
PS 40:2, 3, 4, 18
Reading II HEB 12:1-4
Gospel LK 12:49-53
AUGUST 25
(Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary
Time)
Reading I
IS 66:18-21
Responsorial Psalm PS 117:1, 2
Reading II HEB 12:5-7, 11-13
Gospel FAITH
The Valley Catholic
LK 13:22-30
The word of the lord abides for ever.
This word is the Gospel which was
preached to you” (1 Pet 1:25; cf. Is
40:8).
With this assertion from the First
Letter of Saint Peter, which takes up
the words of the Prophet Isaiah, we
find ourselves before the mystery of
God, who has made himself known
through the gift of his word.
This word, which abides for ever,
entered into time. God spoke his
eternal Word humanly; his Word
“became flesh” (Jn 1:14).
This is the good news. This is the
proclamation which has come down
the centuries to us today.
Disciples in Mission: Six Weeks
with the Bible
On the web
www.cdob.org
To share a story or
photo
email:
[email protected]
B
New lay ministry formation
program launched
ishop Daniel E. Flores
announced to priests the
launch of the Lay Ecclesial
Ministry Formation Program to
begin in the fall (September) 2013.
In his letter to the presbyterate
he wrote, “During the eight ‘parish
deanery listening sessions’ that we
had throughout the diocese in the
last six months, within which over
2,500 parishioners participated, the
Catholic faithful shared with me
their passion for the faith and their
love for the Church. As I listened
to their concerns and hopes for the
future of our diocese, among the
key pastoral priorities identified
was the need for the formation of
our laity.”
He said that after consulting
with the Diocesan Pastoral Council
(members include both laity and
clergy) and the Presbyteral Council
(members are only clergy) he is
happy that the formation program
will begin soon.
Bishop Flores invites pastors to
recommend members of the laity
in their parishes whom they think
are able to assume greater responsibility in order for them to foster
their own formation in Christian
living to better serve the people of
God through parish ministry.
The first two years of the threeyear formation process to prepare
Lay Ecclesial Ministers will focus
on the basic elements of the faith
and life of the Church. The third
year will focus on specialized areas
of ministry such as evangelization,
catechesis, liturgy, RCIA Coordinators, Youth Ministry, Young Adult
Ministry, Hospital or Jail Ministry,
Stewardship, Communications,
Family Life Ministry, Adult Faith
Formation, Pastoral and Finance
Council Members, Tribunal,
Sacramental Preparation, RCIA
Deacon
Luis Zuniga
Director, Office for
Pastoral Planning
& San Juan Diego
Ministry Institute.
Coordinators, Office Managers and
Parish Pastoral Life Coordinators.
The following are excerpts
from the bishop’s letter to the
presbyterate:
“The Second Vatican Council
Fathers’ call “The Apostolate of
the laity a sharing in the salvific
mission of the Church.” Through
their Baptism and Confirmation all
are appointed by the Lord himself
to participate in this mission (see
Lumen Gentium, 33). All Catholics
are called to a greater participation in the mission of the Church.
All the more reason that we make
every effort to provide adequate
formation of the laity so that they
are better prepared to offer their
gifts in the service of the Church.”
“The Lay Ministry Formation
Program is designed to prepare
individuals for roles of service
in their parishes and help them
enhance and expand their pastoral
skills and knowledge of the faith.
‘The fundamental objective of
the formation of the lay faithful is
an ever-clearer discovery of one’s
vocation and the ever-greater willingness to live so as to fulfill one’s
mission.’ (Christifideles Laici, 58).”
“The Lay Ministry formation
program provides a framework
that includes as its main components the human, spiritual,
intellectual and pastoral dimensions of formation as outlined in
Co-Workers in the Vineyard of the
Lord (A Resource for Guiding the
Development of Lay Ecclesial Ministry). This document is published
by the United States Conference
of Catholic Bishops of the United
States and will serve as the foundational guide for the formation
program.”
“The ordained ministry of the
priest, of course, is essential and irreplaceable. Lay ecclesial ministers
do not replace priests or diminish
them in any way, but rather assist
them in building up the Body of
Christ by serving the people of the
parish, in collaboration with deacons, religious and lay employees
and volunteers. Indeed, our clergy
and religious cannot and should
not carry out all the work of the
Church alone.”
After completing the formation
program, participants will receive a
Certificate of Completion acknowledging their formation and
will serve at the direction of their
pastors in parish life as qualified
lay ecclesial ministers. The formation program will be offered in
four different locations throughout
the diocese and will be available
in both English and Spanish.
The formation program is being
funded thanks to the generosity of
a grant from the Kenedy Memorial
Foundation and the diocese.
These are exciting times for our
diocese as the Diaconate Formation Program is also underway and
will begin in the fall as well under
the direction of Father Francisco
Solis. These are wonderful opportunities for our lay leaders
who today serve the Church in
many capacities and who will now
receive deeper and richer theological and pastoral formation to better
serve the Catholic faithful in the
diocese.
»Family Life
E
5
Taking time to talk
ach and every one of us has
24 hours a day; no one “gets”
more or less hours. What we
do with those “24” is entirely up
to us. God has gifted us with our
life and he provides the sunrise
and the sunset daily; perhaps to
remind us that He is in control of
the universe and all of life; but He
grants us “free will.” Ecclesiastes
3:1-7 tells us that “There is an appointed time for everything, and
a time for every affair under the
heavens. … a time to be silent, and
a time to speak.”
What a wonderful reminder
to us to take time to “speak,” to
take time to talk to our family
members, preferably without the
distractions of TV, cell phones, and
other electronics. Many people use
the term, or hear it from others, “I
am so busy, I don’t have time.”
T: Take Time to Talk
Taking time to talk and listen
to our loved ones is one of our
most sacred times in a family. And
I do emphasize “listening” because
some of us are good at talking
but may not always listen as well.
Proverbs 18:13 tell us, “Whoever
answers before listening, theirs is
folly and shame.” Communication
is a skill that needs to be developed
and clear communication is sometimes easier said than done.
Many years ago, when our
daughter Liana was small, my
Lydia Pesina
Director, Family
Life Office
husband Mauri asked me “What
do you want for Christmas?” and
I told him “oh , nothing, whatever
we can get for our daughter is gift
enough for me.” When Dec. 24
rolled around, we went to Midnight Mass and after Mass we were
opening Christmas gifts as was our
custom. I asked Mauri, “Where’s
my gift?” and he told me, “I asked
you what you wanted and your
said ‘nothing’ to which I responded, “Well, I didn’t mean nothing,
nothing!”
Mauri asked me a very direct
question, what do you want, and I
gave him a direct answer, ‘Nothing!’ Over the years, one of the
best ways he and I have found to
take time to talk is to walk and
talk. Often we drive to UTPA after
dinner and dishes and walk and
talk. It is a good physical exercise
and great bonding. And most days
during my lunch hour I take my
lunch to my mom’s home; it gives
me a chance to take time with her
and talk about family.
A: Appreciate and Give Thanks
Recently, a young married
couple shared with us that every
night she recounts to him all the
things he has done for the family
that day that she appreciates. What
a wonderful ritual to keep. In his
letter to the Ephesian 4:29-32, St.
Paul tells us “No foul language
should come out of your mouths,
but only such as is good for needed
edification, that it may impart
grace to those who hear. And do
not grieve the Holy Spirit of God,
with which you were sealed for the
day of redemption. All bitterness,
fury, anger, shouting, and reviling
must be removed from you, along
with all malice. [And] be kind
to one another, compassionate,
forgiving one another as God has
forgiven you in Christ.”
L: Laugh and Pray Together
Laughter is great nourishment for the soul and good for
your health. A recent health study
showed that laughter relaxes the
whole body, boosts your immune
system, triggers the release of
endorphins ( feel good chemicals which also can relieve pain)
and protects the heart because it
improves the function of blood
vessels. And praying with family
members also nourishes our soul
and bonds us. At the Pesina house» Please see Talk, p.15
CNS photo by Michael Alexander
St. Clare of Assisi, who lived in the 13th
century, is depicted in a stained-glass
window inside the Church of San
Damiano in Assisi, Italy. She founded
a religious order of women called the
Poor Clares and is closely associated
with St. Francis of Assisi.
»Feast Day
- August 11
Spotlight on
St. Clare of
Assisi
Catholic News Agency/EWTN
“Go forth without fear,
Christian soul, for you have a
good guide for your journey. Go
forth without fear, for He that
created you has sanctified you,
has always protected you, and
loves you as a mother.” - Saint
Clare, on her deathbed in 1253
Saint Clare was born in 1193
in Assisi to a noble family. Before her birth, her mother received a sign that her daughter
would be a bright light of God
in the world. As a child she was
already very strongly drawn
to the things of God, praying
fervently, devoutly visiting the
Blessed Sacrament, and manifesting a tender love towards the
poor.
When she was 18, she
heard St. Francis preaching in
the town square during Lent
and she knew at once that God
wanted her to consecrate herself
to Him. The next evening, Clare
left her house at night, ran to
meet St. Francis and his companions at the church they were
staying in, and shared her desire
to follow him in his way of life.
He received her, gave her his tunic, cut off her golden locks, and
sent her to a Benedictine convent, because she could not stay
with the brothers. Her younger
sister Agnes soon joined her
and the two had to resist much
pressure from their family to return home.
When Clare was 22, St.
Francis placed her in a small
house beside the convent and
made her superior, a post she
should serve for the next 42
years of her life until her death.
The ‘Poor Clares’ as they
came to be known, lived an unusually austere life for women
of the time, walking barefoot
around the town begging for
alms, wearing sackcloth, and
living without any possessions,
completely dependent for their
food on what was given to them.
Clare’s reputation for holiness was such that the Pope
himself came to her deathbed
in 1253 to give her absolution,
and wanted to canonize her immediately on her death, but was
advised by his cardinals to wait.
She was canonized in 1255,
two years after her death.
6
DIOCESE
World Youth Day in El Valle
Photos by Eric Sanchez/
The Valley Catholic
More than 70 young people from
around the Rio Grande Valley attended the Diocesan Catholic
Youth Conference on July 1921 in San Juan. The conference
served as a local World Youth Day
celebration, following the theme,
“Go and Make Disciples of All
Nations.”
Songwriter, musician, author,
worship leader, husband and
father of nine, Chris Padgett of
Steubenville, Ohio served as the
keynote speaker. Father James
Erving of the Missionary Oblates
of Mary Immaculate and pastor
of Our Lady of Refuge Parish in
Roma led the group in Adoration
and also provided two reflections.
World Youth Day was celebrated
from July 23-28 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, marking Pope Francis’
first international trip as pope.
Volunteers in Brazil
Courtesy Photo
Jesus Zambrana, center, a seminarian from the Diocese of Brownsville and parishioner from St. Joseph the
Worker in McAllen, and Louie Salinas, left, youth minister from Our Lady of Mercy in Mercedes, were among the
60,000 volunteers who assisted with World Youth Day events July 23-28 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
200 children will be participating in the filming.
Register between July 29 - August 14, 2013.
AUGUST 2013
- The Valley Catholic
diocese
7
»Hope in Action: A Spotlight on Youth
Palmview teen
volunteers her time
with parish community
The Valley Catholic
The Valley Catholic
Staff members from San Martin de Porres School in Weslaco joined hundreds of
other catechists at the annual Catechetical Convocation at the McAllen Convention
Center in 2012. This year’s convocation is set for Saturday, Sept. 28.
Open the Door of Faith
The Valley Catholic
McALLEN — The annual Catechetical Convocation is set for
Saturday, Sept. 28 at the McAllen
Convention Center.
All catechists serving in the
Diocese of Brownsville are invited
to be a part of this special afternoon
of prayer and fellowship. The event
begins at 1 p.m.
Bishop Daniel E. Flores will celebrate a Saturday Vigil Mass at 4:30
p.m., which will fulfill the Sunday
Mass obligation. During the Mass,
the catechists will be called forth to
be commissioned for their ministry.
After the Mass, catechists who
have completed 10, 20, 25, and 30
and 40 years of faith formation
ministry, will also be awarded special pins by the bishop.
Luis Espinoza, facilitator of the
Office of Catechesis, says this year’s
convocation will be different from
years past. There will be no break-
CATECHETICAL CONVOCATION
Date: Saturday, Sept. 28
Time: 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Place: McAllen Convention Center, 700
Convention Center Blvd., McAllen
Cost: $15 per person before August 31
(includes Convocation tote bag); $20
late registration on site
Info: (956) 781-5323
out sessions and the event will only
be for an afternoon instead of all
day.
“It is more of a time for us to sit
down and have a conversation with
the bishop,” Espinoza said. “Part of
it is getting to know who the bishop
is and knowing what he expects of
us as catechists and directors of religious education.”
Each year, the universal Church
devotes a day – Catechetical Sunday – to reflect on the role that catechists play in handing on the faith
and being a witness to the Gospel.
This year’s theme is, “Open the
Door of Faith.”
Sometimes in life there are
young people who we encounter
who inspire and allow you to see
that God has a special purpose
for us all. Crystal Macias is one of
those persons. A native of Palmview, she has attended Our Lady
of St. John of the Fields Church in
Mission since early childhood.
Macias is a Class of 2013 graduate and plans to attend college this
fall. After her graduation in May
her parish participation actually
increased.
Her parish involvement has included singing in the choir, helping
with canned food drives, helping
with Christmas Children’s Masses,
and serving as a Peer Minister and
speaker. At Confirmation retreats
she has led and inspired teens to
seek a closer walk with Christ. Most
recently Macias helped in Youth
Ministry serving as a summer softball captain and prayer leader, helping lead Summer Bible Camp and
participating in C.Y.R.P. (Catholic
Youth Renovation Project).
Her testimony and example
have inspired not only students
but parents, youth ministers and
adults. Her parish community as a
whole has benefited from her leadership. She honors God and her
community in her simple yet loving service to others.
Name: Crystal Macias
School/Grade:
Palmview
High School- Graduate: Class of
2013-Texas State University- San
Marcos, incoming freshman
What I do at (local Catholic parish): Church choir, parish
softball team captain, retreat team
member
Talents/Gifts: Dancing, singing, listening, public speaking :D
Best Movie Ever: Letters to
God is one of the best movies ever
along with step up 3!
Most Listened to Song on My
iPod?: How he loves / my songs
Courtesy Photo
Cyrstal Macias, who graduated in May, continues sharing her talents at St. John of
the Fields Church in Mission.
know what you did in the dark
TV Show I Never Miss: GLEE
& reruns of Friends
Book I’d Read Again (and
Again): Harry Potter and the
Deathly Hallows; read it 4 times
cover to cover
Future Plans: Becoming a surgeon. Not completely sure what
kind, hopefully fixing cleft palates
or giving free medical attention to
whoever can’t afford it and needs it,
and maybe opening my own dance
studio where I get to choreograph
for others. Mostly, I can’t wait to see
what the Lord has planned for me,
because I’m sure it’s nothing like
I’m expecting.
Meaningful Quote: “Life isn’t
about waiting for the storm to pass;
it’s about learning to dance in the
rain.” - Vivian Greene
It reminds me that I can’t sit
back and watch as my life passes by
or to give up when it’s stopped by
an obstacle, I’ve got to learn to go
with it and only pray for the courage to overcome the next rough
patch that comes my way.
Who has made an influence
in their lives or who they admire
and why?
The biggest impact in my life
has been undoubtedly made by
my parents. They molded me and
taught me to be who and how I am
today, and I love them for it. I must
also give credit to two of my teachers, Mr. Rolando Rodriguez and
Mrs. Anna Longoria. They showed
me what hard work and dedication
meant and that life isn’t easy, but
you just gotta dance through it and
pray it eventually gets better.
Last, but definitely not least, Father Francisco Castillo Mendez and
J.D. Larios who taught me about
true faith. It has been through their
examples that I’ve learned about
the power of prayer and the importance that God is in my life. I am
at my strongest when I’m serving
the Lord, and they’ve shown me
that. These people, among others,
have been the foundation of my life
and are the best thing that could
have happened to me. I’m blessed
to have such amazing people surrounding me and supporting me.
—
If you would like to nominate a student to be featured in “Hope in Action: A Spotlight on Youth,” please
email Angel Barrera, director of
Youth Ministry, at abarrera@cdob.
org.
CYAM,
Ministry, contact Miguel
Santos, director of Campus
Ministry at msantos@
cdob.org, or please visit:
Preplanning your funeral
or cemetery arrangements
gives you and your loved
ones peace of mind.
University of Texas – Pan
American
www.utpacatholics.org
University of Texas –
Brownsville and Texas
Southmost College
www.utbcatholics.org
Texas State Technical
College
www.tstccatholics.org
Don’t wait.
Call now, and make
your plan today.
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8
diocese
»Pilgrimage close to home
La Lomita “The Little Hill” Mission
Historical landmark
built by Oblate priests
offers space to pray
near the river
By BRENDA NETTLES RIOJAS
The Valley Catholic
MISSION — People come
for the shade of the mesquite and
huisache trees to the little hill in
Mission, some come to pray in the
chapel, some come during lunch
or in the afternoons for picnics in
the nearby park. More than 160
years ago, priests who traveled on
horseback stopped here for the
shade and rest.
The Missionary Oblates of
Mary Immaculate used La Lomita
as a way station between their missions in Brownsville and Roma.
Here they rested before continuing
on their journey.
While not my first visit, I drove
to the “little hill” mission on a
Wednesday in mid-July. I needed
a few hours away from the office.
While the weather peaked at 97
that day, the quiet nourished me,
helped me refocus before returning to what waited. Neither cloudy
skies nor the humidity disrupted
the peace, the time for prayer and
reflection.
This historical chapel, located
about half a mile from the Rio
Grande River, reminds me that we
are not the first or the last to need
rest before continuing on our way.
We are not machines that must always be connected and available,
even if the technology makes it
possible. The chapel, as does others, provides a space where we can
stop and listen, seek God’s guidance.
The chapel at La Lomita is the
only remaining structure on the
“little hill.” Originally La Lomita
served as a small settlement that
included a rectory, a stable and a
supply store. The land, comprised
of two Spanish land grants, was
willed to the Oblates of Mary Immaculate by René Guyard in 1861.
The Oblate priests purchased a
third porcion in 1984 to expand
their agricultural activities.
By 1899, the missionary priests
established a residential headquar-
The Valley Catholic photos
The Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate built the first chapel in 1865. The mission served as rest stop for priests traveling by
horseback to celebrate the Sacraments at remote ranches along. The city of Mission was named after La Lomita. The small church,
which was remodeled in 2008, is a Texas Historic Landmark and is also listed on the National Register of Historic places. A statue of
the Virgin Mary stands watch near the chapel.
ters at the ranch center to oversee
the 65 ranches they served in Hidalgo County. That year they rebuilt the chapel and relocated the
structure to the present site.
When the post office moved
in 1908 from La Lomita to the
center of a new development four
miles north of the mission, activity declined in the area as the city
of Mission began to develop. The
city took its name from La Lomita
Mission.
The Oblate priests built their
novitiate on the Lomita hill nearby
in 1912 and restored the chapel
which had been unused. They dedicated the shrine to Our Lady of
Guadalupe. It was restored again
in 1939 after it suffered damages
by a hurricane in 1933.
The chapel was recorded as a
Texas Historic landmark in 1964
and placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.
Father Roy Snipes, an Oblate
of Mary Immaculate priest and
pastor of Our Lady of Guadalupe
Church in Mission, remembers his
first visit to La Lomita 45 years ago
in 1968 when his vocation to the
priesthood “was just a flickering
thought,” he said.
“I was fascinated. I was a young
teacher in San Isidro. At that time
it (the chapel) looked almost abandoned,” he said. “I was moved by
the thoughts and prayers of all the
people and priests who had come
here.”
Twelve years later, Father
Snipes made his final vows as a
priest in La Lomita Chapel in
1980. He now continues to celebrate Masses there occasionally
for special occasions as the church
is served and administered by his
parish. He also leads a Palm Sunday procession each year which
ends at the chapel.
Father Snipes visits the chapel
often with Father James Pfieifer,
who at 86 is one of the oldest living
Oblate priests in the Rio Grande
Valley. “We pack the dogs and
drive down there as often as we
can,” he said.
“The chapel means more now
than ever,” Father Snipes said. “It
serves as a reminder to stay simple,
to stay down the earth. It reminds
me to be careful with the temptation to become pompous, showy
or arrogant.”
He said the humble beginnings
of the church should prompt us to
remember our “call to follow the
carpenter, the son from Nazareth,”
and his humble ways.
The Diocese of Brownsville
purchased the property from the
Oblates of Mary Immaculate in
1999. The property is now leased
for free by the City of Mission.
The primary purpose of the lease
is the preservation and care of the
chapel, bakery, well, and approximately one acre of land on which
these are situated as a religious
shrine and historical monument.
The historic landmark was
renovated in 2008 and rededicated
on June 29, 2008. It is open to the
public from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily.
At a time when some communities make plans to knock down
the old to make room for the new,
it is comforting to know that the
doors to La Lomita remain open,
that just a short drive away you can
leave the traffic and the day’s noise
behind for a few minutes of prayer
in the shade.
HOW TO GET THERE
Directions: From the intersection
of Spur 115 and FM 1016, go west
on FM 1016 to FM 494. Go south
(eventually veering west) on FM 494
to the entrance to Anzalduas Dam
and County Park (about 3 miles from
the intersection of FM 1016 and FM
494). The chapel is located across
the levy.
AUGUST 2013
diocese
Those Who Serve:
9
Deacon Luis Fernando Amador
He came to serve from Puerto Rico
Deacon incorporates
love for family with
love for the Church
By ROSE YBARRA
The Valley Catholic
B
ROWNSVILLE — My
love for my children
and my grandchildren
brought me here,” said
Deacon Luis Fernando Amador,
who is spending a year serving
Good Shepherd Parish in Brownsville.
Deacon Amador and his wife,
Melba, who are from San Juan,
Puerto Rico, came to Brownsville
to spend time with their daughter,
Heydi, and their only granddaughter, 18-month-old Ana Isabel.
The decision to come to
Brownsville was contingent on receiving permission from his archbishop in Puerto Rico and Bishop
Daniel E. Flores in our diocese.
Both ordinaries gave their blessing.
For Deacon Amador, 68, it was
important that he integrate his service to the Church with his love for
his family.
“People have asked me, why
not just take a year off?” said Deacon Amador, who was ordained to
the permanent diaconate on Oct.
23, 1999 for the Archdiocese of San
Juan de Puerto Rico. “Being a deacon is not something you can just
take a break from, you’re a deacon
24 hours a day, seven days a week.
It’s a lifetime commitment, it’s a
constant mission.”
Heydi Amador, who works as
an advertising account executive at
Telemundo, said it is, “a real blessing,” to have her parents here in
the Rio Grande Valley and that her
baby daughter has quickly bonded
with them.
“Every single day she is looking
for ‘Abu,’ that’s what she calls my
dad,” Heydi Amador said. “They
are a very important part of her
life.”
When he was a boy, Deacon
Amador never thought he would
be a father someday, much less a
grandfather.
At age 14, he felt called to the
priesthood. He spoke with his
archbishop and received his blessing to begin formation.
“I told my parents and they
were upset,” Deacon Amador said.
“They didn’t think I was serious
about it. They said if I still wanted
to be a priest in a year, they would
let me go to the seminary.”
In 1960, at age 15, he began attending a minor seminary run by
the Jesuits.
Deacon Amador remained on
the path towards the priesthood
until his second year of college. He
was diagnosed with ulcers and decided to leave the seminary.
“For me, it was a shock because
I felt the calling that God wanted
me as a priest. It couldn’t be, but
our Father makes several calls during one’s lifetime and he called me
to be a husband, father and now a
grandfather,” he said.
The Valley Catholic
Deacon Luis Fernando Amador from Puerto Rico is assisting for a year at Good Shepherd Parish in Brownsville.
“I had a great education, great
formation,” he said. “My years in
the seminary were great, happy
years that have served me well. It is
a stage in my life that I will never
forget.
He later fell in love with his
wife, Melba, who he has been married to for 45 years. They have four
children and three grandchildren.
“We grew up in the same neighborhood,” Deacon Amador said.
“She would go to Mass and see me
as an altar boy but I didn’t notice
her because I wasn’t thinking about
girls at that time. I was focused on
becoming a priest.
“She says she and her friends
used to throw balls of candlewax at
me,” he said with a laugh.
Deacon Amador said he went
through a spiritual crisis as a young
adult, a time during which he experienced a lack of faith. It was his
wife, he said, who, “led me back.”
After some time, with his faith
firmly in place, he began hearing
God’s voice, telling him, “Serve
me.”
“I had an internal battle with
God,” he said. “I keep thinking,
‘I tried that, I tried being a priest
and it wasn’t meant to be, so why
are you calling me? If you really
do want me to serve you, give me
a sign.’”
Shortly thereafter, he said, several people on the street asked him
Catholic Youth Restoration Project
if he was a deacon.
“It would happens at the oddest times and in the oddest places,”
he said. “In one instance, I was at
a bookstore and a lady I had never
met came up to me and asked if I
was a deacon.”
At his son’s Confirmation, the
auxiliary bishop who celebrated
the Mass was an old friend from
the seminary.
“He asked me, ‘why aren’t you
a deacon?’” Deacon Amador recalled. “I took that as the final sign
that God really was calling me to
serve.”
“He is supporting us with marriage and baptismal preparation in
addition to other responsibilities,”
said Father Aglayde Rafael Vega,
pastor of Good Shepherd Parish in
Brownsville. “We are thankful for
his presence here. His ministry is
appreciated.”
Deacon Amador said what he
enjoys the most about his ministry
is catechizing.
“In Puerto Rico, generally
speaking, Catholics have not received good formation,” he said.
“They are baptized, they are Catholic by tradition but they don’t have a
profound knowledge of their faith.
My goal is to teach them so that
their faith will grow, for them to
have a living faith with conviction.”
—
If you would like to recommend a
priest, deacon, or religious sister
or brother to be featured in “Those
Who Serve,” please email editor@
cdob.org.
»Birthday & Anniversary Wishes
The list of birthdays and ordination anniversaries is provided so that
parishioners may remember the priests, deacons and religious in their prayers
and send them a note or a card.
August
» Birthdays
Courtesy photos
Bishop Daniel E. Flores visited
the work sites for the Catholic
Youth Restoration Project,
coordinated by the Office of
Youth Ministry in partnership
with St. Paul Catholic Church
in Mission. Adult mentors
and youths spent a week in
the Pueblo de Palmas colonia
in Peñitas, from June 23-29,
working in 100 degree-plus
weather to make home improvements.
2 Rev. Alfonso Guevara 13 Rev. George Kerketta
19 Rev. Patrick Seitz
21 Rev. Miguel Angel Ortega
26 Rev. Craig Carolan
28 Rev. A. Rafael Vega
28 Bishop Daniel E. Flores
6 Sister Armida Rangel, MJ
11 Sister Monica Garza, OP
14 Sister Jeannine T Spain, OSB
17 Sister Ma. Elena Maldonado,
RSM
10
13
18
21
26
26
28
29
Deacon Jesse E. Aguayo
Deacon R. Mitch Chavez
Deacon Raymond Thomas Jr.
Deacon Gerardo Aguilar
Deacon Silvestre J. Garcia
Deacon Carlos Treviño
Deacon Heriberto Treviño
Deacon Reynaldo Q. Merino
» Anniversaries
1 Rev. Raymond Nwachukwu
24 Rev. Jose J. Ortiz, CO
26 Rev. Msgr. Heberto Diaz
28 Rev. Msgr. Luis Javier Garcia
15 Deacon Genaro Ibarra
September
» Birthdays
3 Rev. Msgr. Juan Nicolau
4 Rev. Raymond Nwachukwu
10 Rev. Jose E. Losoya, CO
13 Rev. Richard L. Lifrak, ss.cc.
16 Rev. Mario Aviles, CO
19 Rev. Thomas Luczak, OFM
22 Rev. George Gonzalez
23 Rev. Jose Rene Angel
26 Rev. Martin De La Cruz
30 Rev. Juan R. Gutierrez
19
20
29
29
30
Deacon Ramiro Davila Jr.
Deacon Agapito Cantu
Deacon Roberto Ledesma
Deacon John F. Schwarz
Deacon Graciano Rodriguez
6 Sister Colette Kraus, SSND
11 Sister Teresita Rodriguez, IWBS
16 Sister Leticia Benavides, MJ
21 Sister Nancy Boushey, OSB
21 Sister Mary Florence Ehileme
27 Sister Mmachimerem
Onyemelikwe, DDL
» Anniversaries
1 Rev. Ignacio Luna
6 Rev. Pasquale Lanese, OMI
8 Rev. Jaime Cabañas
8 Rev. Richard Philion, OMI
9 Rev. Vicente Azcoiti
19 Rev. Esteban Hernandez
21 Deacon Larry Hildebrand
10
diocese
Waiting for two new saints
Pope clears
the way for the
canonizations of
John Paul II,
John XXIII
By Cindy Wooden
Catholic News Service
VATICAN CITY —
Pope Francis signed a decree clearing the way for
the canonization of Blessed
John Paul II and has decided also to ask the world’s
cardinals to vote on the
canonization of Blessed
John XXIII, even in the absence of a miracle.
After Pope Francis met
July 5 with Cardinal Angelo Amato, prefect of the
Congregation for Saints’
Causes, the Vatican published a list of decrees the
pope approved related to
Blessed John Paul’s canonization and 11 other sainthood causes.
Publishing the decrees,
the Vatican also said, “The
supreme pontiff approved
the favorable votes of the
ordinary session of the cardinal- and bishop-fathers
regarding the canonization
of Blessed John XXIII (Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli)
and has decided to convoke
a consistory that will also
involve the canonization of
Blessed John Paul II.”
Normally, after a pope
John XXIII
signs a decree recognizing the miracle needed for
a canonization, the pope
consults with cardinals
around the world and calls
a consistory — a gathering
attended by any cardinal
who wants and is able to attend -- where those present
voice their support for the
pope’s decision to proclaim
a new saint.
A date for a canonization ceremony is announced formally only during or immediately after the
consistory.
The cardinals and archbishops who are members
of the saints’ congregation
met at the Vatican July 2
John PAUL II
and voted in favor of the
pope recognizing as a miracle the healing of Floribeth
Mora Diaz, a Costa Rican
who was suffering from a
brain aneurysm and recovered after prayers through
the intercession of Blessed
John Paul.
The congregation members, according to news
reports, also looked at the
cause of Blessed John and
voted to ask Pope Francis
to canonize him without
requiring a miracle. According to church rules —
established by the pope and
subject to changes by him
— a miracle is needed after
beatification to make a can-
didate eligible for canonization.
Jesuit Father Paolo Molinari, the longtime head of
the College of Postulators -or promoters of sainthood
causes -- has explained that
in the sainthood process,
miracles are “the confirmation by God of a judgment
made by human beings”
that the candidate really is
in heaven.
But, Father Molinari
also has said that for decades theologians have explored the possibility that
such a confirmation could
come by means other than
someone experiencing a
physical healing. For instance, Blessed John Paul
beatified Victoire Rasoamanarivo in Madagascar
in 1989 after accepting as a
miracle the case of a windswept brush fire stopping at
the edge of a village whose
inhabitants invoked her intercession.
Announcing the decision about Blessed John’s
cause, Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, Vatican
spokesman, said the discussions about the need
for miracles and what can
be defined as an acceptable
miracle continue. However,
he said, the movement in
the late pope’s cause does
not indicate a general
change in church policy.
The members of the
Congregation for Saints’
Causes “have expressed
their hope, and the Holy
Father has accepted it,” Father Lombardi said. If Pope
Francis “had any doubts,
we wouldn’t be here” announcing the consistory to
approve Blessed John’s canonization.
“As we all know very
well, John XXIII is a person
beloved in the church. We
are in the 50th anniversary
year of the opening of the
Second Vatican Council,
which he convoked. And
I think none of us has any
doubts about John XXIII’s
virtues,” the spokesman
said. “So, the Holy Father is
looking toward his canonization.”
Father Lombardi also
noted that no date for a
canonization ceremony was
announced, but it is likely
that the two popes will be
canonized together, possibly “by the end of the year.”
The other decrees approved by Pope Francis July
5 recognized:
— The miracle needed
for beatification of Spanish
Bishop Alvaro del Portillo,
who in 1975 succeeded St.
Jose Maria Escriva as head
of Opus Dei. Bishop del
Portillo died in 1994.
— The miracle needed
for the beatification of
Maria Josefa Alhama Valera, also known as Mother
Esperanza, the Spanish
founder of the Handmaids
of Merciful Love and the
Sons of Merciful Love. She
died in Italy in 1983.
— The martyrdom of
four groups of priests and
nuns killed during the
Spanish Civil War in 19361939.
— The heroic virtues of
three founders of religious
orders; an Italian priest;
and an Italian layman.
Pope
celebrates
faith as
the light of
human life
By Francis X. Rocca
VATICAN — Pope Francis’ first encyclical, “Lumen
Fidei” (“The Light of Faith”),
is a celebration of Christian
faith as the guiding light of a
“successful and fruitful life,”
inspiring social action as well
as devotion to God, and illuminating “every aspect of
human existence,” including
philosophy and the natural
sciences.
The document, released
July 5, completes a papal trilogy on the three “theological virtues,” following Pope
Benedict XVI’s encyclicals
“Deus Caritas Est” (2005)
on charity and “Spe Salvi”
(2007) on hope. Publication
of the encyclical was one of
the most awaited events of
the Year of Faith which began in October 2012.
Pope Benedict “had almost completed a first draft
of an encyclical on faith”
before his retirement in February 2013, Pope Francis
writes, adding that “I have
taken up his fine work and
added a few contributions of
my own.”
Commentators will likely
differ in attributing specific
passages, but the document
clearly recalls the writings
of Pope Benedict in its extensive treatment of the
dialogue between faith and
reason and its many citations
of St. Augustine, not to mention references to Friedrich
Nietzsche and Fyodor Dostoyevsky.
On other hand, warnings
of the dangers of idolatry,
Gnosticism and Pharisaism,
a closing prayer to Mary as
the “perfect icon of faith,”
and an entire section on the
relevance of faith to earthly justice and peace echo
themes that Pope Francis has
already made signatures of
his young pontificate.
New El Paso bishop sees a diocese
‘deeply committed to Catholic faith’
By Andy Sparke
EL PASO, Texas — Bishop Mark J. Seitz promised
to lead his flock into a new
century characterized by
the new evangelization as he
was installed as bishop of the
nearly 100-year-old Diocese
of El Paso.
In a homily presented in
both English and Spanish,
Bishop Seitz addressed more
than 4,000 people who attended the installation Mass
in the grand hall of the El
Paso Convention and Performing Arts Center July 9.
He promised to listen for
the voice of the Lord in the
words of the priests, the deacons, the laity “and the voices
of the poor, for I am sure he
will speak through them.”
“I will have confidence
in the voice of Holy Father
Francis and the magisterium
of the church,” he said.
Msgr.
Jean-Francois
Lantheaume, charge d’affaires
at the apostolic nunciature in
Washington, read the message from Pope Francis relieving Bishop Seitz of his
duties as auxiliary bishop of
Dallas and appointing him
the sixth bishop of the El
Paso Diocese. His appointment was announced May 6.
San Antonio Archbishop
Gustavo Garcia-Siller conducted the installation rite,
which was attended by Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick, the retired archbishop
of Washington, and 22 archbishops and bishops from
Texas, New Mexico, Arizona,
Oklahoma, California, Louisiana, Wyoming, Illinois and
Nebraska.
In his homily, Bishop
Seitz recounted his visits to
parts of the El Paso Diocese
in the time since his appointment was announced and
said, “I can see the diocese
is deeply committed to the
Catholic faith.”
Noting that the city of El
Paso derives its name from El
Paso del Norte, “the pass of
the north” traveled by early
Spanish explorers and missionaries, he said it has long
been a beacon for “refugees
and immigrants, people so
dear to the Lord.”
Next March, the Diocese
of El Paso will mark the 100th
anniversary of its founding
by Pope Pius X.
AUGUST 2013-
The Valley Catholic
noticias en español
11
Doble canonización
El papa despeja
camino a
canonizaciones
de Juan Pablo II y
Juan XXIII
Por Cindy Wooden
CNS courtesy of USCCB
La Conferencia de Obispos de los Estados Unidos publica la primera encíclica en
Inglés. La edición puede ser ordenada en www.usccbpublishing.org
En primera encíclica el papa celebra
la fe como la luz de vida humana
Por Francisco X. Rocca
CIUDAD DEL VATICANO
— La primera encíclica del papa
Francisco, “Lumen fidei” (“La
luz de la fe”), es una celebración
de la fe cristiana como la luz que
guía una “vida exitosa y fructífera”, inspiradora de la acción
social y la devoción a Dios e iluminando “todo aspecto de la existencia humana”, incluyendo la
filosofía y las ciencias naturales.
El documento, publicado el
5 de julio, completa una trilogía
papal sobre las tres “virtudes
teologales”, siguiendo las encíclicas del papa Benedicto XVI
“Deus Caritas Est” (2005) sobre
la caridad y “Spe Salvi” (2007)
sobre la esperanza. La publicación de la encíclica era uno de
los eventos más esperados del
Año de la Fe que comenzó en
octubre del 2012.
El papa Benedicto “casi
había terminado el primer bor-
rador de una encíclica sobre la
fe” antes de su retiro en febrero
del 2013, escribe el papa Francisco, añadiendo: “He tomado
su buen trabajo y le he añadido
unas cuantas contribuciones
mías”.
Los comentaristas probablemente diferirán al atribuir pasajes específicos, pero el documento claramente recuerda los
escritos del papa Benedicto en
su extenso trato del diálogo entre la fe y la razón y sus muchas
citas de San Agustín, ni se diga
de las referencias a Friedrich Nietzsche y Fyodor Dostoyevsky.
Por otro lado, advertencias
de los peligros de la idolatría, el
gnosticismo y el farisaísmo, una
oración de cierre a María como
el “perfecto icono de la fe” y una
sección completa sobre la relevancia de la fe en la justicia y la
paz terrenales hacen eco de los
temas que el papa Francisco ya
usado como marcas de su joven
pontificado.
Protecting God’s People
As God’s people, we are
called to celebrate, promote, and
when necessary to defend the
life and dignity of every person.
We must treat everyone with
respect, and do what we can to
protect others from harm.
Suspected misconduct with
minors by lay church personnel
should be reported to the pastor
of the parish, the principal of the
school, or the head of the Catholic institution involved.
Suspected misconduct with
minors by a priest, deacon, or
religious should be reported
directly to the Bishop or Vicar General (P. O. Box 2279,
Brownsville, TX 78522-2279;
956-542-2501).
A form for a Confidential
Notice of Concern, may be used,
and obtained on request from
the local pastor, school principal, institution head, or Diocese,
or it may be downloaded from
the Brownsville Diocese website
(www.cdob.org)
Please be aware that it is a
state law that anyone who suspects abuse or neglect of a minor must report it to local law
enforcement officials or to the
Texas Department of Family
and Protective Services at 1-800252-5400.
Our faith assures us that we
will not be overcome by evil but
will overcome evil with good (cf.
Rm 12:21).
CIUDAD DEL VATICANO
— El papa Francisco firmó un decreto despejando el camino para la
canonización del beato Juan Pablo
II y también ha decidido pedirles a
los cardenales del mundo que voten sobre la canonización del beato
Juan XXIII, aun en ausencia de un
milagro.
Después que el papa Francisco
se reuniera el 5 de julio con el cardenal Ángelo Amato, prefecto de la
Congregación Para las Causas de los
Santos, el Vaticano publicó una lista
de decretos que el papa aprobó relacionados con la canonización del
beato Juan Pablo II y otras 11 causas
de santidad.
Al publicar los decretos, el Vaticano también dijo: “El sumo pontífice aprobó el voto favorable de
la sesión ordinaria de cardenales y
obispos-padres respecto a la canonización del beato Juan XXIII (Ángelo Giuseppe Roncalli) y ha decidido
convocar un consistorio que también involucrará la canonización del
beato Juan Pablo II”.
Normalmente, después que un
papa firma un decreto reconociendo
el milagro necesario para la canonización, el papa consulta a los cardenales de todo el mundo y llama a un
consistorio -- reunión a la que asiste
cualquier cardenal que quiera y pueda -- donde los presentes expresan
su apoyo a la decisión del papa de
proclamar un nuevo santo.
Una fecha para la ceremonia de
canonización es anunciada formalmente solamente durante o inmediatamente después del consistorio.
Los cardenales y arzobispos
miembros de la congregación de los
CNS courtesy of USCCB
Floribeth Mora Díaz, la mujer costaricense a quien inexplicadamente se le ha atribuido
una cura inexplicable, abraza a su esposo, Edwin Arce, mientras da testimonio de su
curación a medios de comunicación.
santos se reunieron en el Vaticano el
2 de julio y votaron a favor de que
el papa reconociera como milagro la curación de Floribeth Mora
Díaz, costarricense que sufría de un
aneurisma cerebral y se recuperó
después de oraciones mediante la
intercesión del beato Juan Pablo II.
Los miembros de la congregación, según informes noticiosos, también evaluaron la causa
del beato Juan y votaron a favor de
pedirle al papa Francisco canonizarlo sin requerir un milagro. Según las
normas eclesiásticas, establecidas
por el papa y sujetas a cambios por
él, un milagro es necesario después
de la beatificación para hacer un
candidato elegible para la canonización.
El padre jesuita Paolo Molinari, durante mucho tiempo director del Colegio de Postuladores, o
promotores de causas de santidad,
ha explicado que en el proceso de
canonización los milagros son “la
confirmación de Dios de un juicio
hecho por seres humanos” de que el
candidato verdaderamente está en el
cielo.
Pero padre Molinari también ha
dicho que durante décadas los teólogos han explorado la posibilidad de
que dicha confirmación podría venir por medios distintos a alguien
experimentando una curación físi-
ca. Por ejemplo, el beato Juan Pablo
II beatificó a Victoire Rasoamanarivo en Madagascar en 1989 después
de aceptar como milagro el caso de
un incendio forestal esparcido por el
viento que se detuvo al borde de una
villa cuyos habitantes invocaron la
intercesión de ella.
Al anunciar la decisión sobre la
causa del beato Juan, el padre jesuita Federico Lombardi, portavoz del
Vaticano, dijo que las discusiones
continúan acerca de la necesidad
de milagros y qué puede definirse
como un milagro aceptable. Sin
embargo, él dijo, la movida en la
causa del fenecido papa no indica
un cambio general en la política
eclesiástica.?”Como todos muy bien
sabemos, Juan XXIII es una persona
querida en la iglesia. Estamos en el
año del 50 aniversario de la apertura del Segundo Concilio Vaticano,
que él convocó. Y creo que ninguno
de nosotros tiene duda alguna de
las virtudes de Juan XXIII “, dijo
el portavoz. “Por lo tanto, el Santo
Padre está mirando hacia su canonización”.
Padre Lombardi también señaló
que no se había anunciado fecha
para la ceremonia de canonización,
pero que es probable que los dos
papas sean canonizados juntos, posiblemente “para fines de año”.
El papa dice que regresa a América Latina
testimonio de amor cristiano
Por Cindy Wooden
y Francis X. Rocca
RIO DE JANEIRO — El papa
Francisco regresó a su nativa América Latina el 22 de julio pidiendo
corazones abiertos, aun después que
las irreprimibles multitudes dejaran
en claro que él los tenía.
El primer viaje internacional del
papa de 76 años de edad implicó
un vuelo de 12 horas desde Roma
llevándolo de regreso al continente
de donde salió hace más de cuatro
meses para asistir al cónclave que lo
eligió papa.
Después de los breves saludos
en el aeropuerto internacional de
Río, entonces un viaje a menudo
caótico de 45 minutos entrando a la
ciudad y un circuito más ordenado
de 25 minutos por el centro de la
ciudad en un papamóvil abierto, el
papa voló en un helicóptero militar
hasta el palacio Guanabara, oficina
del gobernador del estado de Río de
Janeiro. Allí se reunió con la presidenta de Brasil, Dilma Rousseff, y
otros líderes.
En sus comentarios allí, pronunciados en una mezcla de portugués y
español, el papa tomó prestada una
frase de los Hechos de los Apóstoles:
“No tengo plata ni oro, pero traigo
conmigo lo más preciado que se me
ha dado: ¡Jesucristo!”.
La manera de llegarle al pueblo
brasileño es a través del corazón, él
dijo, “así que déjenme tocar suavemente a esta puerta. Pido permiso
para entrar y pasar esta semana con
ustedes”.
El papa Francisco dijo que había
venido a Brasil, el país con más
católicos en el mundo, para “dar
cuenta de las razones para la esperanza” que viene de la fe en Jesús y
a inspirarles a “ofrecer a todos las
riquezas inagotables de su amor”.
El papa no hizo referencia ni aludió a las protestas masivas que estallaron el mes pasado en ciudades
brasileñas contra una gama de quejas, incluyendo corrupción gubernamental, educación pública y servicios médicos insatisfactorios, alto
costo del transporte público y brutalidad policiaca. Esas manifestaciones, impulsadas en gran medida por
las redes sociales y pobladas en gran
medida por brasileños más jóvenes,
han arrastrado los índices de aprobación de Rousseff a los niveles más
bajos en la historia.
En su discurso, Rousseff señaló
que su gobierno está enfrentando
“nuevos retos, manifestaciones de
parte de gente que protesta contra
algunas decisiones gubernamentales, lo cual es una señal de que ellos
quieren y esperan más”.
Reconociendo los cientos de
miles de jóvenes católicos reunidos
en la ciudad para la Jornada Mundial de la Juventud, el papa dijo que
ellos necesitan espacio, el cual encuentran en Cristo, ya que “no hay
fuerza más poderosa que la emitida
por los corazones de los jóvenes cuando han sido conquistados por la
experiencia de la amistad con él”.
Los padres y otros adultos tienen
la obligación de asegurarse de dar a
los jóvenes el apoyo, las herramientas y el espacio que necesitan para
desarrollar su potencial, él dijo.
Los jóvenes necesitan “una base
sólida sobre la cual edificarán sus
vidas”, dijo el papa Francisco. Ellos
necesitan seguridad, educación y
“valores duraderos que hacen que la
vida valga la pena vivirla”.
El papa Francisco dijo que él y
los miembros de su generación también deben darle a los jóvenes “el legado de un mundo digno de la vida
humana” y aprender “cómo despertar en ellos su máximo potencial
como edificadores de sus propios
destinos, compartiendo la responsabilidad por el futuro de todos”.
12
noticias en español
» La Alegría de Vivir
¿Qué es eso de ser padre?
H
ombre y mujer, marido y
esposa, forman una unidad en el matrimonio que
va a condicionar el porvenir de
los hijos. El hombre adulto que se
prolonga en nuevos seres adquiere
una categoría especial que le sitúa
en el rango de la “paternidad”. Este
hombre que se encuentra un día
boquiabierto porque su vida se
ha prolongado en un nuevo ser,
no será feliz – aunque crea y trate
de demostrarse lo contrario – si
no está en su sitio como padre.
Puede ser que sea un magnífico
director de empresa, un gran
profesional, un médico experto, un
Msgr. Juan
Nicolau
Pastor, La iglesia de
Nuestra
Señora del
Perpetuo Socorro
en McAllen
obrero especializado digno de toda
alabanza…, pero si no es un buen
padre, con todo su prestigio, su
despacho majestuoso, su conserje a
la puerta y su secretaria eficaz, será
un hombre fracasado… Y es que
“eso” no es tarea fácil. Bueno, por
lo menos, no es tarea cómoda…
El padre tiene poca literatura
a su favor. La figura de la madre
ha sido tema de inspiración para
pintores y poetas, y el arte y la
poesía están plagados de alabanzas a la madre. Pero lo grande es
que hasta en el cuerpo científico
de la psicología se ha estudiado
mucho más la silueta de la madre
que la figura del padre. El profesor Bollea, prestigioso psiquiatra
italiano, piensa que este mismo
hecho depende de secretas relaciones con un famoso complejo,
que Freud denominó complejo
de Edipo, según el cual todos los
psicólogos – en su mayoría hasta el
presente del sexo masculino – nos
hemos centrado más en el estudio
de la figura femenina que en la del
varón. Aparte de esa razón, sucede
que el sentimiento de la paternidad ocupa un lugar secundario
respecto a la evidencia biológica
que acompaña a la maternidad. La
madre no necesita reflexionar sobre lo que ocurre en ella mientras
se “va haciendo madre”. Lo siente
en la propia carne. La maternidad
tiene una fuerza que se pierde en
las ramificaciones de la biología
humana. La paternidad, por el
contrario, se experimenta por cierta reflexión ante el hijo que acaba
de nacer. El padre se presenta al
hijo a través de conceptos sociales
y culturales y tiene que “razonar”
para darse cuenta de que es padre.
El padre llega a sentirse padre
por un conocimiento mucho más
frío, más despegado del hijo. Por
eso al padre no le “cuesta” tanto
despegarse del hijo. Los lazos de la
unión padre-hijo se rompen con
menos violencia y con una mejor
aceptación por ambas partes.
De ahí que en la paternidad
casi todo se haga por el juego de
tres sentimientos: el de sorpresa, el
de responsabilidad y, finalmente,
el de ver realizado el instinto de
conservación. La sorpresa del padre es una mezcla de admiración
y pasmo ante esa potencia que por
concesión de Dios le ha permitido
llegar a esa meta. La responsabilidad le hace sentirse más maduro.
Aquel hombre que hasta hace muy
poco sólo sentía la responsabilidad
de sí y de su mujer, siente el nuevo
peso de algo que “es suyo”. Un
tercer sentimiento es el de haber
logrado plasmar en la realidad
el instinto de conservación de la
especie. Este sentimiento es el que
da más seguridad y equilibrio al
varón casado.
» Por favor lea Ser Padre, p.13
AUGUST 2013
noticias en espaÑol 13
»Vida Familiar
Lydia Pesina
Directora, Oficina
de Vida Familiar
Tomando
tiempo
para hablar
C
ada uno de nosotros tiene
24 horas al día; nadie tiene
más horas o menos. Lo que
hacemos con esas “24” depende
de nosotros. Dios nos ha dado
la vida y el provee el amanecer y
el anochecer a diario; quizá para
recordarnos que Él está en control
del universo y toda la vida; pero
Él nos da “libre albedrío.” Eclesiastés 3:1-7 nos dice que “Hay un
momento para todo y un tiempo
para cada cosa bajo el sol: … un
tiempo para callar y un tiempo
para hablar.”
Que maravilloso recordatorio
de tomar tiempo para “hablar,”
tomar tiempo para hablar con
los miembros de nuestra familia,
preferentemente sin distracciones
de la TV, celulares, y otros electrónicos. Muchas personas usan la
frase, o la escuchan de otros, “Estoy tan ocupada, no tengo tiempo.”
T: Toma Tiempo Para Hablar
(TALK)
El tomar tiempo para hablar
y escuchar a los seres queridos
es uno de nuestros momentos
familiares más sagrados. Y enfatizo “escuchar” porque algunos
de nosotros somos buenos para
hablar pero no siempre también
para escuchar. Proverbios 18: 13
nos dice que, “El que responde
antes de escuchar muestra su
necedad y se atrae el oprobio.” La
comunicación es una destreza que
necesita desarrollarse y la comunicación clara muchas veces se dice
fácil.
Muchos años atrás, cuando
nuestra hija Liana era pequeña,
mi esposo Mauri me preguntó
“¿Qué quieres para esta Navidad?” y le dije, “Oh, nada, lo que
podamos darle a nuestra hija es
regalo suficiente para mí.” Cuando
llegó el 24 de diciembre, fuimos a
Misa de Gallo y después de Misa
estábamos abriendo los regalos
como de costumbre. Le pregunté a Mauri, “¿En dónde está mi
regalo?” y me dijo, “Te pregunté
que querías y dijiste que nada” a lo
cual yo respondí, “¡Bueno no quise
decir nada, nada!”
Mauri me hizo una pregunta
muy directa, qué es lo que quieres,
y yo le di una respuesta directa,
`¡Nada!’ A través de los años, una
de las mejores maneras que hemos
encontrado para tomar tiempo
para hablar es caminar y hablar. A
menudo vamos a UTPA después
de la cena y los trastes a caminar y
hablar. Es un buen ejercicio físico
y una gran unión. A menudo
durante mi hora de comida, llevo
mi comida a la casa de mi mamá;
eso me da la oportunidad de pasar
tiempo con ella y hablar sobre la
familia.
A: Aprecia y da las gracias
Recientemente, un matrimonio joven compartió con nosotros
que cada noche ella le platica todas
las cosas que él ha hecho ese día
por la familia y que ella aprecia.
» Por favor lea Hablar, p.14
Ex gerente de “Planned Parenthood”
se convierte en activista pro-vida
The Valley Catholic
Por ROSE YBARRA
The Valley Catholic
MERCEDES — “En la primavera del 2008, me convertí oficialmente en empleada del facilitador
de aborto más grande y ni si quiera lo sabía,” dijo Ramona Treviño,
oradora principal en la inauguración de la Conferencia Pro-Vida
Life Matters.
Treviño, originaria de Dallas,
compartió su testimonio de cómo
pasó de trabajar como gerente en
una clínica de Planned Parenthood a ser activista pro-vida.
El evento, que atrajo a cientos
de defensores de la vida en todo
el Valle del Río Grande, se llevó a
cabo el 29 de junio en el salón de
la parroquia Nuestra Señora de la
Misericordia en Mercedes.
Treviño fue bautizada Católica, pero ni ella ni su hermana “recibieron catecismo de niñas.” Se
embarazó a los 16 y eventualmente
se casó con el padre de su hija en
una ceremonia civil. Soportó ocho
años de abuso emocional y físico
en ese matrimonio antes de buscar
el divorcio.
Algunos años más tarde, pasó
por el Rito de Iniciación Cristiana
para Adultos (RCIA) y fue recibida
en la Iglesia Católica. En el 2006,
inició un matrimonio sacramental
con su ahora esposo, Eugene. Juntos tienen cuatro hijos.
En el 2008, una vieja amiga
–y compañera Católica- le dijo a
Treviño sobre un puesto de trabajo. Planned Parenthood estaba
buscando gerente para su clínica
en Sherman, Texas.
Su amiga le vendió el trabajo
diciéndole que “estaría ayudando
a mujeres y a personas sin seguro
médico y pobres”
“Pero cada vez que hablaba con
ella me decía, ‘no te preocupes, no
hacen abortos aquí,’” dijo Treviño.
“Pensé que eran ginecólogos accesibles, ¿Quién dijo algo sobre los
abortos?”
El trabajo era muy tentador
para Treviño. Era una posición
de medio tiempo que solamente
le requería trabajar tres días, lo
cual significaba pasar más tiempo
con su familia. La paga era buena
además de ser una posición de gerente.
“Pensé, ‘Puedo pasar por alto
esta conversación sobre el aborto
para ser gerente,” dijo ella. “Por
fin seré importante, seré la jefa…
quería ayudar a las mujeres, pero
nunca investigué para quien trabajaría. Estaba demasiado enfocada
en trabajar tres días a la semana y
con el título de gerente.
“No sabía que desde Roe v.
Wade habían habido más de 55
millones de abortos realizados en
este país, no sabía nada. No sabía
que la fundadora de Planned Parenhood era una racista que quería
eliminar, literalmente, a la población afro americana y a los inmigrantes de este país.”
Después de algunas semanas
en el trabajo, Treviño dice que,
“tuve mi primera experiencia de la
Ser Padre,
continúa de la pág. 12
Por todo ello, en la aparente
simplicidad del hecho de la paternidad, se dan cita las razones más
profundas del psiquismo humano.
El varón “encajado” perfectamente
en la realidad del fenómeno estará
Ramona Treviño, oradora
principal en la inauguración de la Conferencia
Pro-Vida Life Matters el
29 de junio en el salón de
la parroquia Nuestra Señora de la Misericordia
en Mercedes., compartió
su testimonio de cómo
pasó de trabajar como
gerente en una clínica
de Planned Parenthood a
ser activista pro-vida.
realidad de Planned Parenthood.
Una estudiante universitaria y
su novio habían venido por una
prueba de embarazo, la cual salió
positiva. Treviño felicitó a la joven
por su embarazo y le ofreció panfletos sobre maternidad y referencias sobre los servicios sociales
antes de revisar el papeleo de la joven. Hasta ese momento, Treviño
no había visto que la joven quería
una referencia para abortar.
“Recolecté la información,
las referencias para aborto,” dijo
Treviño. “Me mentí a mí misma.
Me dije, “tal vez salió de la puerta
y decidió quedarse con el bebé.’
Seguí repitiéndome que personalmente no estaba a favor del aborto,
que personalmente no creía en el
aborto pero que si alguien quería
hacerlo estaba bien. Ahí es en
donde mi pensamiento estaba
equivocado.”
“Seguí dando justificaciones al
referir a las mujeres a abortos.”
Por tres años, Treviño trabajó
en la clínica, viendo a muchachitas desde los 12 años recibiendo
anticonceptivos, viendo a una
muchachita de 13 años con un
caso de herpes tan severo que no
podía sentarse, refiriendo a docenas de mujeres a abortar y muchas
otras situaciones desconcertantes.
En diciembre del 2010, en
el estacionamiento de Walmart,
“Dios empezó a plantar semillas,” dijo ella. “Estaba sentada en
mi carro, buscando dentro de mi
alma, reflexionando y pensando
¿Cómo llegué hasta aquí?” dijo
Treviño. “Y sintonizando una estación en el radio llegué a la 910
AM, que es la estación Católica en
Dallas, y ¿Cuál era la discusión?
Mujeres que han tenido abortos.”
Las mujeres que hablaron al
programa de radio se quejaban de
haber sido tratadas como ganado,
y Treviño se dio cuenta que lo mismo estaba pasando en la oficina
que ella dirigía.
“A nosotros, administradores,
se nos alentaba a empalmar el
horario, a pasarlas y sacarlas,” dijo
ella. “Mis ojos estaban abriéndose
lentamente. Empecé a ver la verdad sobre esta organización.”
A principios del 2011, Treviño,
quien había estado usando anticonceptivos, dejo de hacerlo.Buscó un
doctor pro-vida para tratar su endometriosis y empezó a practicar
planeación familiar natural.
También decidió llevar su
mejor adaptado. Y de la perfecta
adaptación a su “papel” masculino
encontrará la fuente inagotable de
felicidad y gozo.
Termino diciendo desde razones bíblicas, razones psicológicas y razones humanas que el ser
humano necesita un padre y una
madre. ¡No necesita dos padres o
dos madres!
promesa de Cuaresma más allá
que en años anteriores.
“Sabía que tenía que hacer algo
especial para la Cuaresma,” dijo
Treviño. “Usualmente dejaba los
refrescos y la comida rápida, pero
tenía una misión, sabía que Dios
me estaba llamando, sabía que
había algo agitando mi corazón,
y sabía que esa cuaresma iba a ser
importante.” Ella fue a confesión y
rezó el rosario a diario durante la
Cuaresma.
Ese año, la campaña 40 Días
por la Vida, mantuvo una vigilia
afuera de la clínica en la que trabajó por primera vez. El tercer
día de la campaña, Treviño habló
con una mujer que estaba rezando
fuera de la clínica.
“Me acerqué a ella y le dije,
‘Hola, soy Ramona. Soy gerente
de la clínica,’” dijo Treviño. “Me
imagino que pensó que la iba a lastimar. No supo que decir. Así que
le dije, ‘Solamente quiero saber si
podría rezar por mí porque quiero
salirme pero no sé cómo.’”
Treviño empezó a interactuar
con los pro-vida y les pidió su asistencia para conseguir otro trabajo.
La Pascua llegó y se fue, y ella aún
no tenía un nuevo trabajo. Empezó a desanimarse y a molestarse.
“Solía preguntarle a Dios,
‘¿Cómo se supone que saldré de
aquí si no me das un trabajo?’”
dijo Treviño, preocupada sobre los
gastos del hogar.
Una vez más, la estación
Católica tuvo un papel importante
en su conversión. Treviño estaba
escuchando un programa de radio en el cual la locutora estaba
entrevistando a una activista provida.
“La locutora dijo, ‘cuando muramos y veamos a nuestro creador,
nos va a mirar y nos va a decir,
tú sabias sobre el aborto - ¿Qué
hiciste?’” recordó. “Como es que
sabias sobre los bebés que eran arrancados parte por parte del vientre de su madre, y ¿qué hiciste al
respecto? ¿Qué hiciste?’
Empecé a sollozar, empecé
a llorar como bebe porque por
primera vez, ya no sentía miedo
del dinero y la renta y los pagos.
Por primera vez, tenía miedo de
muerte por mi alma. Esa imagen
de mí frente a nuestro creador, Él
diciéndome, ‘Ramona, sabias que
éstas muchachas querían abortar, y no hiciste nada.’ Si acaso, las
ayudé, les di el número, les dije,
‘adelante, es tu opción, es entre tú
y Dios,’ y en ese momento me di
cuenta que ya no se trataba de ellas
y Dios, porque el Día del Juicio, se
iba a tratar de mí y Dios.
Desde ese momento, ella sintió una urgencia por abandonar su
trabajo lo más pronto posible.
El primero de mayo del 2011,
que ese año era el Domingo de
la Divina Misericordia y el día
de la Beatificación de Juan Pablo
II, Treviño asistió a Misa con su
familia. Las lecturas bíblicas, la
homilía y finalmente el himno,
“Señor tú has venido a la orilla,”
le dio el empuje final necesario
para dejar Planned Parenthood.
“Lo deje todo en la orilla y seguí a
Jesús,” dijo ella.
Treviño dejo su trabajo la
siguiente semana. Tres meses
después, la clínica que dirigía
cerró. En la actualidad, Treviño es
una oradora pro-vida, ama de casa
y madre.
“Así que cuando me preguntan, ‘Ramona, ¿Cómo te volviste
gerente de Planned Parenthood?’”
dijo ella. “Ahora me doy cuenta,
después de dos largos años de reflexión que la respuesta es que era
débil y no me mantuve cerca de
Dios. Las Escrituras nos dicen que
recemos sin cesar. ¿Por qué crees
que es eso? El pecado esta en todos
lados y el padre de las mentiras
está esperando saltar. Él está esperando aprovecharse de nuestras
debilidades. Yo fui débil.”
14
DIOCESE
»Peregrinaje cerca de casa
Capilla de la Lomita
Iglesia histórica
construida por
los padres Oblatos
Concierto “con los
amigos” el 30 de
agosto conmemora
20 aniversario
By BRENDA NETTLES RIOJAS
The Valley Catholic
MISSION – Las personas vienen por la sombra del mesquite y
el huisache a la lomita en Mission,
algunos vienen a rezar en la capilla,
algunos vienen durante la comida o
en las tardes para un día de campo
en el parque cercano. Hace más de
160 años, sacerdotes que a caballo
se detuvieron a tomar sombra y a
descansar.
Los Misionarios Oblatos de
María Inmaculada utilizaron la Lomita como una estación entre sus
misiones en Brownsville y Roma.
Aquí descansaban antes de continuar su jornada.
Aunque no fue mi primera
visita, manejé hacia la Capilla de la
“lomita” un miércoles de mediados
de julio. Necesitaba algunas horas
lejos de la oficina. Mientras que el
clima alcanzó los 97 grados ese día,
la quietud me nutrió, ayudándome
a reenfocarme antes de regresar a
lo que me esperaba. Ni los cielos
nublados ni la humedad interrumpieron la paz, el tiempo para la
oración y la reflexión.
Esta capilla histórica, localizada
alrededor de media milla del Rio
Grande, me recuerda que no somos ni los primeros ni los últimos
que necesitamos descanso antes de
continuar nuestro camino. No somos maquinas que deben de estar
siempre conectadas y disponibles,
aunque la tecnología lo haga posible. La iglesia, como otras, nos
provee un espacio en dónde detenernos y escuchar, buscar la guía de
Dios.
La pequeña iglesia es la única
estructura restante en la lomita.
Originalmente, la Lomita sirvió
como un pequeño asentamiento
que incluía una rectoría, un establo
y una tienda de provisiones. La tierra, compuesta por dos concesiones
españolas de tierras, fue otorgada a
los Oblatos de María Inmaculada
por René Guyard en 1861. Los padres Oblatos compraron la tercera
porción en 1984 para expandir sus
actividades agricolas.
Para 1899, los padres misionarios establecieron una sede residencial en el centro del rancho para
supervisar los 65 ranchos a los que
servían en el condado de Hidalgo.
Ese año reconstruyeron la capilla y
reubicaron la estructura a su sitio
actual.
Cuando la oficina de correos
se mudó en 1908, de la Lomita
al centro de un nuevo fracciona-
The Valley Catholic
The Valley Catholic
Los Oblatos Misioneros de Maria Inmaculada construyeron la Capilla de La Lomita sur
de Mission en 1899. Fue reconstruida dos veces, y establecida en su sitio presente in
1899.
miento cuatro millas al norte de la
capilla, la actividad disminuyó en
el área mientras Mission empezaba
a desarrollarse. La ciudad lleva ese
nombre por la Misión la Lomita.
Los padres Oblatos construyeron su noviciado cerca de la Lomita
en 1912 y reconstruyeron la capilla
que no había sido usada. Dedicaron
el altar a nuestra Señora de Guadalupe. Fue restaurada de nuevo en
1939, después de haber sufrido daños con el huracán de 1933.
La capilla ha sido grabada
como Monumento Histórico de
Texas en 1964, y situado en el Registro Nacional de Lugares Históricos en 1975.
El Padre Roy Snipes, un padre
Oblato de María Inmaculada y pastor de la Iglesia Nuestra Señora de
Guadalupe en Mission, recuerda su
primer visita a la Lomita hace 45
años en 1968, cuando su vocación
hacia el sacerdocio “era apenas un
pensamiento vacilante,” dijo él.
“Estaba fascinado. Era un joven
maestro en San Isidro. En ese tiempo (la capilla) se veía casi abandonada,” dijo él. “Me conmovieron
los pensamientos y oraciones de
todas las personas y sacerdotes que
habían venido aquí.”
Doce años después, el Padre
Snipes hizo sus votos finales como
padre en la Capilla de la Lomita en
1980. En la actualidad él continúa
celebrando Misa en ocasiones especiales ya que la iglesia es servida
y administrada por su parroquia.
Él también dirige la procesión anual del Domingo de Palmas, la cual
termina en la capilla.
El Padre Snipes visita la capilla a menudo con el Padre James
Pfieifer, quien a los 86 es uno de
los sacerdotes Oblatos de mayor
edad viviendo en el Valle del Río
Grande. “Echamos a los perros y
manejamos hacia allá las veces que
podamos,” dijo él.
“La capilla vale más ahora que
nunca,” dijo el Padre Snipes. “Nos
sirve de recordatorio para mantenernos simples, mantenernos con
los pies en la tierra. Me recuerda el
ser cuidadoso con la tentación de
volverse pomposo, presumido o arrogante.”
Él dijo que los inicios humildes
de la iglesia nos deben de recordad
nuestro “llamado a seguir al carpintero, al hijo de Nazaret,” y sus
modos humildes.
La Diócesis de Brownsville
compró la propiedad de los oblatos
de María Inmaculada en 1999. La
propiedad es arrendada gratuitamente por la Ciudad de Mission.
El propósito principal del arrendamiento es la preservación y cuidado de la capilla, panadería, pozo de
agua y aproximadamente un acre
de tierra en la cual se sitúa este altar
religioso y monumento histórico.
El monumento histórico fue
renovado en el 2008 y re-dedicado
el 29 de junio del 2008. Está abierto
al público de las 8 a.m. a las 8 p.m.
diariamente.
En un tiempo cuando algunas
comunidades hacen planes de derrumbar lo viejo para hacer lugar
a lo nuevo, es reconfortante saber
que las puertas de la Lomita permanecen abiertas, que solamente
a corta distancia puedes dejar atrás
el tráfico y el ruido del día para
tener unos minutos de oración en
la sombra.
Protegiendo al pueblo de Dios, reporte malas conductas
Como el pueblo de Dios, cada
uno de nosotros está llamado a
celebrar, promover, y, si es necesario, defender la vida y la dignidad
de todas personas. Tenemos que
tratar a cada persona con respecto,
y hacer lo posible para asegurar que
nunca se dañe a los demás.
Una sospecha de mala conducta con los menores de edad,
cometida por el personal laico de
la iglesia, deberá reportarse al párroco de la iglesia, al director de la
escuela, o al encargado de la institución católica en cuestión. Una
Vuelta en U son
servidores de Cristo
con su música
sospecha de mala conducta con
los menores de edad cometida por
un sacerdote, diácono, o religioso
deberá reportarse directamente al
Señor Obispo o al Vicario General
al (P.O. Box 2279, Brownsville, TX
78522-2279; 956-542-2501). Una
forma para un Aviso Confidencial
de Inquietud (Confidential Notice
of Concern) puede obtenerse a
través del párroco local, del director de la escuela, del encargado de
la institución, de la Diócesis, o puede bajarse de la página oficial de
Internet de la Diócesis de Browns-
ville (www.cdob.org).
Por favor recuerde que hay una
ley estatal que cualquier persona
que sospeche el abuso o la negligencia hacia un menor de edad
debe reportarlo a las autoridades
oficiales locales o al Departamento
de Servicios Familiares y Protectores de Texas (Texas Department of
Family and Protective Services) al
1-800-252-5400.
Nuestra fe nos asegura que el
mal no nos vencerá, pero que venceremos al mal con el bien (cf. Rm
12:21).
McALLEN – Vuelta En U, un
ministerio de música católica que
dio inicio en el año 1993 en la ciudad de McAllen, celebrara su 20
aniversario el 30 de Agosto a las
7 p.m. en el “Renaissance Conference Center” en Edinburg, 118
Paseo del Prado.
Juan “Juanjo” Trujillo, vocalista y director del grupo, dijo que
“A lo largo de este caminar Vuelta
En U ha tenido la bendición y
la alegría de proclamar y cantar
que Cristo vive a muchos hermanos en Canadá, Estados Unidos,
América Latina y España.”
Durante estos años la banda
ha realizado seis producciones
discográficas y la más reciente que
presentaran el día 30 de Agosto
“En Camino.” “Durante estos 20
años hemos compartido la Buena
Nueva de Cristo a través de nuestra música,” dijo Trujillo.
Actualmente también están
compartiendo algunas reflexiones
sobre la Palabra en un programa
que producen semanalmente,
“Sálvese el que quiera” el cual se
transmite vía internet y retransmitido en algunos canales católicos de TV y radio.”
El grupo inicio como Shalom
y hace tres años dieron la noticia
a través de EWTN en el programa
de Pepe Alonso del cambio de
nombre a Vuelta en U. Turjillo
dijo que el cambio “surge de la
inquietud de comunicar un mensaje más directo de conversión, y
Vuelta en U es sinónimo de conversión. La invitación es a dar una
Vuelta en U y caminar hacia El!”
“Decía San Agustín, que “Es
con nuestras vidas más que con
Hablar,
continúa de la pág. 13
Que hermoso ritual para mantener. En su carta a los Efesios
4:29-32, San Pablo nos dice, “No
profieran palabras inconvenientes; al contrario, que sus palabras
sean siempre buenas, para que
resulten edificantes cuando sea
necesario y hagan bien a aquellos
que las escuchan. No entristezcan al Espíritu Santo que los ha
marcado con un sello para el
día de la redención. Eviten la
amargura, los arrebatos, la ira,
los gritos, los insultos toda clase
de maldad. Por el contrario, sean
mutuamente buenos y compasivos, perdonándose los unos a los
otros como Dios los ha perdonado en Cristo.”
L: Ríanse y recen juntos
La risa es alimento para el
alma y buena para nuestra salud.
Un reciente estudio médico
mostró que la risa relaja todo
el cuerpo, estimula el sistema
inmunológico y provoca la liberación de endorfinas (químicos
para sentirnos bien que también
pueden aliviar el dolor) y protege
nuestro corazón porque mejora
nuestra voz con lo que debemos
cantarle al Señor;” es por eso
que a diario buscamos renovar
nuestro compromiso con el Señor
de caminar fieles al llamado que
nos ha hecho de servirle a través
de la música. Que podamos llevar a Cristo a los demás en cada
canción, para que conociéndole
le sigan y siguiéndole lo amén!
Lo importante no es lo que se ha
hecho, sino lo que aún falta por
hacer!”
Trujillo dijo que con el motivo del 20 aniversario y en agradecimiento a Dios Padre, el grupo
quiere ofrecer un concierto “con
los amigos.”
Vuelta En U ha invitado a
algunos de los muchos hermanos que también cantan para el
Señor y que han tenido la bendición de conocer, a participar
con elles en el concierto el 30 de
Agosto; Jon Carlo (Republica
Dominicana), Azeneth (de Monterrey NL.Mex), Carlos Omar
(Matamoros,Tamps.), Jorge Guevara( ex-vocalista del grupo Elefante), y Juan González (vocalista
de grupo Emmanuel , ciudad de
México). El invitado especial para
este evento es el Sr. Obispo Daniel E. Flores quien compartirá un
mensaje para todos.
Trujillo dijo, “El propósito de
este evento es compartir juntos la
alegría de ser servidores de Cristo,
exhortar a todos a continuar fieles
al llamado que Dios les ha hecho
y pedir la gracia de servir al Señor
con alegría, con mas amor y con
una grande pasión!”
Los boletos para el concierto
son $10 y $15 en taquilla. Los
fondos beneficiaran la construcción de la casa de retiros de Holy
Spirit Parish en McAllen. Los boletos están disponibles en Hermes
Music, Holy Spirit Parish y Gospa
Catholic Bookstore. Para mas
información llamen (956) 6876755. Para conocer más a Vuelta
En U visiten www.facebook.com/
vueltaenuband.
la función de las venas. Y rezar
con los miembros de la familia
también alimenta nuestra alma y
nos une. En la casa Pesina, hemos
tenido por mucho tiempo el ritual de rezar antes de la comida, así
tengamos 3, 4, o 16-20 miembros
de la familia. Mauri y yo rezamos
juntos casi todas las noches ya
que nos da la oportunidad de
recordar a nuestros familiares y
ahijados y las necesidades específicas de nuestros seres queridos.
K: Besarse y reconciliarse/
perdonar
Las personas que amamos
más son las personas que más
podemos lastimar; usualmente
involuntariamente. Uno de los
mejores momentos en la vida
puede ser cuando le decimos
a nuestros hijos (jóvenes o
grandes) “Por favor perdóname”
y seguimos adelante viviendo
nuestra vida familiar en la mejor
manera posible. Salmos 19:15
“Ojalá sean de tu agrado las palabras de mi boca, y lleguen hasta
ti mis pensamientos, Señor, mi
Roca y mi redentor!”
En un mundo donde los
electrónicos pueden “acaparar”
nuestras vidas, quizás podamos
recordar que debemos tomar
tiempo para hablar.
diocese 15
AUGUST 2013
»Media Resource Center
» Calendar of Events
Recommended by SISTER MAUREEN CROSBY, SSD
Coordinator of the Media Resource Center - Diocese of Brownsville
»From the Bookshelf
»Worth Watching
God is the
Bigger Elvis
My Catholic
Family: St.
Edith Stein
Opening the
Door of Faith:
Forming
Catechists
for the New
Evangelization
Holy Heroes:
The Prayers of
the Mass/Best
Loved Catholic
Prayers
Length:112 pages, paperback
Author:Jem Sullivan, Ph.D.
Publication: Our Sunday Visitor (2012)
Length: 48 pages, paperback
Publication:Our Sunday Visitor
(2011)
Tells the story of Dolores Hart,
a rising Hollywood starlet who
appeared in 10 films beginning in
1957, twice-playing Elvis Presley’s
love interest on the big screen and
also acting alongside Montgomery
Clift, Warren Beatty and Anthony
Quinn. She abandoned her
blossoming career to become a
Benedictine nun in 1963.
In this episode, explore the life,
mission, and martyrdom of St.
Edith Stein, a brilliant philosopher
and Carmelite nun. She stopped
believing in God when she was
14, but later was so captivated by
reading the autobiography of Teresa
of Avila that she began a spiritual
journey that led to her Baptism in
1922.
As baptized Catholics, we are
all called to be a part of the New
Evangelization - a renewal and
deepening of our faith from which
flows our deep desire to share
the Gospel, the Good News, in
every way we live, work, and play.
This book also ties into the Year
of Faith and this year’s theme for
Catechectical Sunday.
More than two dozen traditional
Catholic prayers and devotions, with
explanations and background to take
you from your Morning Offering to
evening Examination of Conscience,
with favorite Latin prayers, too.
Imprimatur and approved by the
USCCB.
Pro-Life,
on her pregnancy and offered her
pamphlets on parenting and referrals for social services before
looking down at the woman’s paperwork. Until that moment, Trevino hadn’t noticed that the woman
wanted a referral for an abortion.
“I gathered the information,
the referrals for abortion,” Treviño
said. “I lied to myself. I told myself,
‘maybe she walked out that door
and decided to keep her baby.’ I
kept telling myself that I personally
was not pro-choice, I personally do
not believe in abortion but if you
want to do it, it’s ok. That’s where
my thinking was all messed up.
“I kept making justifications for
referring women out for abortions.”
For three years, Treviño worked
at the clinic, seeing young girls as
young as 12 come in for birth control, seeing a 13-year-old girl with a
case of herpes so bad she couldn’t
even sit down, referring dozens of
women for abortions and many
other disconcerting situations.
In December 2010, in the
Walmart parking lot, “God began
planting seeds,” she said. “I was
sitting there in my car and I was
searching my soul and I was reflecting and thinking, how did I get
here?” Treviño said. “And I turned
the dial on the radio and it landed
on 910 AM, which is the Catholic
radio station in Dallas and what
was the discussion? Women who
had had abortions.”
The women calling into the
radio program were complaining
about being treated like cattle and
Treviño realized the same thing
was going on in the office she was
running.
“We, administrators, were encouraged to pack the schedule, to
bring them in and bring them out,”
she said. “My eyes were slowly beginning to open. I started to see the
truth about this organization.”
In early 2011, Treviño, who had
been using contraceptives, stopped.
She sought out a pro-life doctor to
treat her endometriosis and began
practicing natural family planning.
She also decided to take her
Lenten promises further than she
had in past years. “I knew I had
to do something special for Lent,”
Treviño said. “I usually gave up
sodas and fast food but I was on
a mission, I knew that God was
calling me, I knew that there was
something stirring in my heart,
and I knew that this Lent had to be
something important.”
She went to confession and
took up praying the Rosary every
day during Lent. That year, the 40
Days for Life campaign kept vigil
outside the clinic where Treviño
worked for the first time.
On the third day of the campaign, Treviño spoke with a woman who was praying outside of the
clinic. “I approached her and said,
‘Hi, I’m Ramona. I manage this
clinic,’” Treviño said. “I guess she
thought I was going to hurt her.
She didn’t know what to say. So I
said, ‘I just want to know if you will
pray for me, because I want out and
I don’t know how.’”
Treviño began interacting with
other pro-lifers and asked for their
assistance in finding another job.
Easter came and went and she still
had no leads on a new job.
She began to get discouraged –
and angry. “I used to ask God, ‘How
am I supposed to get out of here if
you don’t give me a job?’” Treviño
said, worried about her household
expenses.
Once again, the Catholic radio
station played a role in her conversion. Treviño was listening to a radio program during which the host
was interviewing a longtime prolife activist.
“The host said, ‘when we die
and we face our maker, he’s going
to look at you and he’s going to say
you knew about abortion - what
did you do?’” she recalled. “How
is it that babies were ripped limb
by limb from their mother’s womb
and you knew, but what did you do
about it? What did you do?’
“I began to weep, I began to
cry like a baby because for the first
time, I was no longer scared about
the money and the mortgage and
the bills. For the first time, I was
scared to death for my soul. That
image of me standing before our
maker and him saying, ‘Ramona,
you knew these young girls were
wanting an abortion and you did
nothing.’ If anything, I helped
them. I gave them the number. I
said, ‘go ahead, it’s your choice,
it’s between you and God,’ and at
that moment, I realized, it was not
about them and God anymore because on Judgment Day, it was going to be about me and God.”
From that moment, she felt an
urgency to quit her job as soon as
possible.
On May 1, 2011, which was Divine Mercy Sunday that year and
the date of Pope John Paul II’s beatification, Treviño attended Mass
with her family. The Bible readings,
the homily and finally, the hymn,
“Lord When You Came to the Seashore,” gave her the final push she
needed to leave Planned Parenthood. “I left it all on the seashore
and followed Jesus,” she said.
Treviño quit her job the following week. Three months later,
the clinic she managed shut down.
Today, Treviño is a pro-life speaker
and a stay-at-home wife and mother.
“So when I am asked the question, ‘Ramona, how did you become a Planned Parenthood manager?’” she said. “I realize now after
a long couple of years of reflecting
and the answer is that I was weak
and I didn’t stay close to God.
Scripture tells us to pray without
ceasing. Why do you think that is?
Sin is everywhere and the father of
lies is waiting to pounce. He’s waiting to prey on our weaknesses. I
was weak.”
Awards,
Slide Show for “Three New Priests
- Ordination Mass, May 2012” a
slide show featuring the ordination
of Father Andres Gutierrez, Father
Luis Roberto Tinajero and Father
Jesus Paredes.
De Leon and Cesar Riojas also
earned third place in the category
of Best Photo Story Originating
with a Newspaper for a photo story
Bishop Emeritus Raymundo J. Peña’s Calendar
August 3
5:30 p.m. Mass St. Paul’s Catholic Church Mission
August 4
9:45 a.m. Mass St. Paul’s Catholic Church Mission
August 10
5:30 p.m. Mass St. Paul’s Catholic Church Mission
August 11
9:45 a.m. Mass St. Paul’s Catholic Church Mission
August 26-31
Bishop on Vacation
On going:
Monday - Saturday 8 a.m. - Mass
Sunday 4 p.m. - Mass
at St. Joseph Chapel of Perpetual
Adoration, 727 Bowie St., Alamo
Every Tuesday UTPA/Edinburg:
noon – Mass
2 p.m. Counseling
5 p.m. Adoration
Every Sunday UTPA-Edinburg:
6 p.m. Confessions
7 p.m. Mass
Holy Hour will be held Weekly every
Thursday at 7 p.m., 727 Bowie St.,
Alamo
1st: Vocations to the Consecrated
Life (active and contemplative) and
for the Sisters and Brothers in our
diocese and the success of their
mission
2nd: Vocations to the Permanent
Diaconate the deacons (permanent
and transitional) of the diocese and
their families
3rd : Vocation to Married Life: for
the welfare and sanctification of all
the families in the diocese and for
building up the Kingdom in our
domestic churches
4th: Vocations to the priesthood
and the priests of the diocese for the
success of their ministry
5th: Vocations to the Pro-Life
Intentions
The team of Terry De Leon,
Cesar Riojas and Brenda Nettles
Riojas garnered an honorable
mention in the category of Best
Freestanding Online/Multi-Media
Presentation of Photo Gallery or
(Serra Club)
8 Advisory Team
(Office of Catechesis)
9-10 Retiro Pre-matrional
Format:DVD
Production: EWTN (2008)
Length: 30 minutes
4 Vocation Mass - Basilica
(Family Life Office)
13 Orientational New Leaders
Format:DVD
Production: HBO (2012)
Length:36 minutes
she said, ‘don’t worry, they don’t do
abortions there,” Treviño said. “I
thought they were affordable gynecologists, who said anything about
abortions?”
The job was enticing for Treviño. It was a part-time position that
only required her to work three
days, meaning she could spend
more time with her family. The pay
was good, plus it was a management position.
“I thought, ‘I can overlook this
abortion talk to be a manager,” she
said. “I would finally be important,
I would be the boss, la jefa. … I
wanted to help women, but I never
investigated who I would be working for. I was too focused on working three days a week and the title
of manager.
“I didn’t know that since Roe v.
Wade there had been over 55 million abortions performed in this
country, I didn’t know anything.
I didn’t know that their (Planned
Parenthood’s) founder Margaret
Sanger was a racist who wanted
to literally eliminate the AfricanAmerican population and the immigrants in this country.”
After just a few weeks on the
job, Treviño said she, “got my first
taste of Planned Parenthood reality.”
A college student and her boyfriend came in for a pregnancy test,
which came out positive. Treviño
congratulated the young woman
August
12-15 Region 10 DD Meeting
15 Feast of the Assumption of Mary Diocesan Offices Closed
20 In Service for Catechetical Leaders (Office of Catechesis)
30 Convocation DEADLINE for Awards and Registration
September
2 Labor Day -
Diocesan Offices Closed
6-8
Catholic Engaged Encounter
8-20 Divine Mercy Spanish
Pilgrimage
(Sacred Heart, Escobares)
12 Advisory Team
14-15 For Better For Ever
15 Catechetical Sunday
28 Catechetical Convocation
28 Convalidation Conference
Please submit your schedule to be published
in The Valley Catholic by the first Friday of
each month by email at [email protected]
or fax: (956) 784-5082.
Talk,
hold, we have long had the
ritual of praying before meals
whether we are 3 or 4 or have
16-20 family members over.
Mauri and I pray together most
nights and it gives us a chance
to recall family members and
godchildren and specific needs
of loved ones.
K: Kiss and Make Up/ Forgive
The people we love most
are the people we are most apt
to hurt; usually unintentionally.
One of the best moments in life
can be when we tell our child
(young or old) “Please forgive
me” and move on to living
our family life in the best way
we can. Psalm 19:16 “Let the
words of my mouth be acceptable, the thoughts of my heart
before you, Lord, my rock and
my redeemer.”
In a world where electronics can “take over” our lives,
perhaps we can remind one
another to take time to talk.
titled,”Defendiendo la Vida,” which
depicted pro-life warriors in the
Rio Grande Valley.
“Another story that rose above
being just a group of pictures,” the
judges said about the photo story.
“A text book story package. It had a
strong beginning, middle and end.
It had emotion and did not have a
lot of wasted effort.”
16
diocese
our catholic Family
Teen promotes life, adoption
Sidewalk counselor
thankful for
mother’s choice
By ROSE YBARRA
The Valley Catholic
The Valley Catholic
“I believe every baby has the right to live,” said high school student Ernesto Duran, 17, who spent his summer vacation volunteering as a
sidewalk counselor outside of the abortion clinic in McAllen.
To subscribe
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For more information call (956) 781-5323
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McALLEN — “My mother
was adopted when she was twoweeks-old,” said Ernesto Duran,
17, who volunteers as a sidewalk
counselor outside of the abortion
clinic in downtown McAllen. “I am
so grateful that my mother’s birth
mother chose life. If it weren’t for
that decision, I wouldn’t be here.”
Duran is up by 7 a.m. every
day from Monday through Friday
so that he can be at the sidewalk
by 8 a.m., praying the Rosary
and encouraging patrons of the
abortion clinic to choose life for
their babies.
It is a labor of love he does
without any prompting from his
parents. He even drives himself to
the sidewalk and stays for at least
two hours.
“I don’t mind waking up early
because I know it can make a
difference,” he said. “It can save a
person’s life.”
Duran, who lives in Monterrey,
Mexico, is in McAllen for the
summer visiting family. He will
return to Mexico to complete his
senior year of high school in the
autumn.
While many of his friends are
attending sports camps, working
summer jobs or “being lazies,” he
has chosen to dedicate his summer
break to the sidewalk ministry.
“I believe that this young man
has felt a call from God to be here
and pray for these babies and
mothers,” said Diamantina Barba,
head counselor at the McAllen
Pregnancy Center, the Catholic,
pro-life facility that organizes
that sidewalk ministry and offers
free services to abortion-minded
mothers. “He is very dedicated to
this ministry. We can count on him
to be here every day.”
Duran, who is the oldest of five
children, said that he loves being in
a “big, united family.”
“It’s a lot of people living in a
single house but we all love each
other and have each other’s back,”
he said.
Duran said his parents have
instilled pro-life values in him and
his siblings.
“We were taught that life begins
at the moment of conception and
that is what I believe,” he said. “I
believe that every baby has the right
to live and make their own choices.
It makes me sad that we will never
know what these aborted babies
could have done in this world.
Maybe they could have made a
difference.”
He also prays that the mothers
will consider the alternative of
adoption for their babies, just like
his mother’s birth mother.
“Someone else wants those
children in their lives,” Duran
said. “There is someone out there
waiting to adopt a baby to love as
their own.”
Duran’s four-year-old brother
also inspires him to come to the
sidewalk. He prays that these
mothers will see that all babies are
a blessing, that they bring joy, love
and life.
“It’s a beautiful thing to have a
baby in the house,” he said.

Priest ordained for diocese - Catholic Diocese of Brownsville

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