Pope confirms visit to Philadelphia in September

Transcripción

DECEMBER 2014
T H E
V O L U M E 3 2, N U M B E R 11
O F F I C I A L
P U B L I C A T I O N
O F
T H E
D I O C E S E
O F
A U S T I N
Pope conÀrms visit to Philadelphia in September
BY FRANCIS X. ROCCA
CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE
Pope Francis said he would
attend the World Meeting of
Families in Philadelphia in
September, making it the Àrst
conÀrmed stop on what is
expected to be a more extensive
papal visit to North America.
The pope made the announcement Nov. 17 in a
speech opening an interreligious
conference on traditional marriage.
“I would like to conÀrm
that, God willing, in September
2015 I will go to Philadelphia
for the eighth World Meeting of
Families,” the pope said.
The announcement had
been widely expected, since
Pope Benedict XVI had said
before his retirement that he
hoped to attend the Philadelphia
Periodical
Postage Paid
at Austin, Texas
POPE FRANCIS has con¿rmed that he will visit Philadelphia in September for the World Meeting of Families.
(CNS photo by Paul Haring)
Austin Diocese
6225 Hwy. 290 East
Austin, Texas 78723
BISHOP’S
INTERVIEW
Praying for and
thanking religious
men and women.
Page 16
event. Popes typically fulÀll their
predecessors’ publicly known
travel plans, as Pope Francis did
in July 2013 when he attended
World Youth Day in Rio de
Janeiro.
Philadelphia Archbishop
Charles J. Chaput, who was in
Rome for the families meeting,
told Catholic News Service the
announcement was “a surprise
in the sense that it was announced so early; you know
usually they don’t make these
announcements –– four months
out is the typical and here we
are 10 months away, and the
Holy Father said he is coming to
Philadelphia.”
“The Holy Father has said
that he’s going to be coming
to Philadelphia for quite a few
months,” he told Catholic News
Service. “He’s been telling me
that personally, but for him to
announce it ofÀcially that he is
coming so early is really quite an
unusual thing, so it’s going to
re-energize our efforts. There’s
lot of enthusiasm already, but I
think 90 percent of the enthusiasm’s based on the fact that the
Holy Father will be with us, and
now that he’s said that I expect
that there will be even a double
amount of enthusiasm ... and
I’m very happy about that.”
Catholicphilly.com reported
the archbishop noted that Pope
Francis has focused “on the
many challenges that families
face today globally. His charisma, presence and voice will
electrify the gathering.
“As I’ve said many times
before, I believe that the presence of the Holy Father will
bring all of us –– Catholic and
non-Catholic alike –– together
in tremendously powerful,
unifying and healing ways. We
look forward to Pope Francis’
arrival in Philadelphia next
September, and we will welcome him joyfully with open
arms and prayerful hearts.”
In August, Pope Francis told
reporters accompanying him
on the plane back from South
Korea that he “would like” to
go to Philadelphia. The pope
also noted that President Barack
Obama and the U.S. Congress
had invited him to Washington,
D.C., and that the secretary-general of the United Nations had
invited him to New York.
“Maybe the three cities
together, no?” Pope Francis
said, adding that he could also
visit the shrine of Our Lady
of Guadalupe in Mexico on
the same trip –– “but it is not
certain.”
Although few details of
the papal visit have been made
public, organizers for the
families’ congress expect Pope
Francis to arrive Sept. 25 for
an afternoon public visit with
civic ofÀcials.
That would begin his Àrst
trip as pope to the U.S. and the
second papal visit to Philadelphia in a generation; St. Pope
John Paul II visited the city in
1979. The visit will mark the
fourth time a sitting pontiff has
visited the U.S.
During his visit, Pope
Francis is expected to attend
the Festival of Families Sept.
26, a cultural celebration for
hundreds of thousands of
people along Philadelphia’s
main cultural boulevard, the
Benjamin Franklin Parkway.
Donna Farrell, executive
director for the 2015 World
Meeting of Families and its
chief planner, said although
Philadelphia has hosted St.
Pope John Paul’s visit, the
city has “not had anything
like this unique Festival of
Families. It’s really going to
be something special.”
Registration for the
congress opened in midNovember. The meeting will
be a weeklong series of talks,
discussions and activities.
Beginning in December,
in celebration of the Feast of
the Holy Family, the Diocese
of Austin will launch a website, www.austindiocese.org/
wmof2015, to help Catholics
stay apprised of all that is happening with the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia
and family events here in the
Diocese of Austin.
BLESSED
CHURCH
BUILDING
BRIDGES
Syro-Malabar parish
Ànds a permanent home
in Manor.
Page 4
Pope Francis is
focused on
ecumenism.
Page 14
ESPAÑOL
St. Austin recuerda
la ‘Noche de los
Vidrios Rotos’.
Página 24
2
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VOICES
C ATHOLIC S PIRIT
Training body, soul during Advent
BY SHELLEY METCALF
CATHOLIC SPIRIT STAFF
As I write this, I am in the Ànal weeks of
training for my Àrst marathon. I’ve learned a lot
about myself during the last several months.
I started training on a whim in mid-summer.
It was hot and humid, and it was hard, but thankfully, I was running with a good friend. On the
Àrst 10-miler, I could not fathom how I would run
more. But I followed my training plan, and I did 13
the next week. Our mileage increased and the sweat
continued to pour. The Àrst time the temperature
dropped to 60 degrees, we thanked God over and
over for the cooler weather.
Then I ran my Àrst 20-miler, and I cried from
pain and frustration. My friend was injured, so I ran
it alone, and my legs hurt, my stomach grumbled,
my lungs ached. Thankfully, the training plan
backed off a little, and the next few long runs were
not so far. However, I was nervous, really, really
nervous, and I started praying hard!
The temperatures cooled off more and the long
runs were less difÀcult (never easy though). The
weekend of Nov. 8, I did a 22-miler, the longest
run in my training schedule. I began the run early
in the morning, and as the sun came up, all those
weeks of training Ànally came together. On that
crisp Saturday morning, I realized I was ready. My
legs were strong and ready for the distance, and my
mind was prepared and ready to push through the
discomfort. But I was still worried about the 26.2,
and I was still praying hard.
Then last Sunday, we were early to Mass and I
found myself reading through the Sunday Scriptures for Advent, and these words from Gaudete
Sunday literally jumped from the page.
“May the God of peace make you perfectly
holy and may you entirely, spirit, soul, and body,
be preserved blameless for the coming of our
Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will also accomplish it,” says 1Thessalonians 5:16-24.
Those words calmed my worries instantly, and
I realized God had been with me at all times in the
months of training. When I was hurting, tired and
freaking out, God was with me. He knew that the
best way for me to prepare for running this distance
was to faithfully follow my training plan. So he
was with me on the dark, early mornings, he was
with me on the streets and sidewalks throughout
Cedar Park, he is with me now as I reÁect on those
months of training, and he will carry me over that
Ànish line on Dec. 7.
This Advent, my prayer is that over these
next four weeks I can prepare my spirit and soul
for Christ as faithfully and as diligently as I have
prepared my legs and my mind for 26.2 miles. I
know God will be with me every step of the way,
for he is far more faithful than I will ever be.
SHELLEY METCALF and her
family are parishioners of
St. Margaret Mary Parish
in Cedar Park. She has
been editor of the Catholic
Spirit since 2007.
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STAFF
Publisher: Most Rev. Joe S. Vásquez, Bishop of Austin
Editor: Shelley Metcalf; (512) 949-2400,
[email protected]
Assistant Editor: Christian R. González; (512) 949-2400,
[email protected]
Advertising: Shelley Metcalf;
(512) 949-2400, [email protected]
Spanish translation: Gina Dominguez
Columnists: Barbara Budde, Norman Farmer, Mary Lou
Gibson and Rev. Tadeusz Pacholczyk, Ph.D.
Correspondents: Burnie Cook, Amy Moraczewski, Peggy
Moraczewski, Enedelia Obregón, Michele Chan Santos
and Mary P. Walker
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A season of waiting and learning
BY RHINA GUIDOS
GUEST COLUMNIST
Though it’s hard to peg down, some believe
the Catholic Church began observing Advent in
the fourth century. Since then, Advent has become
increasing popular as some faithful observe with
Advent wreaths or calendars, counting down to the
moment of joy, of the birth, the new life, not just of
our savior but essentially, of our faith.
Observing Advent, for those who really take
the time, can teach us to slow down, to reÁect during what is, for many, the busiest and most stressful
time of the year. It can help us in our life-long
advent, that waiting period until we are with God,
the light.
I can’t help but think of the lyrics from George
Harrison’s “My Sweet Lord,” when the former
Beatle sings about really wanting to see the Lord,
but it seems to be taking “so long.”
I remember having that feeling when I was a
child, when we stopped by the empty bed of straw
in the Nativity scene of our parish. Each time we
passed it and he wasn’t there, I remember that “I
really want to see you” feeling.
Psalms 27:14 tell us to “Wait for the Lord, take
courage; be stouthearted, wait for the Lord.”
When we’re children, it seems as if that waiting
period will take forever. It can seem endless, too, to
a mother or a father waiting for a child who lives far
away, and who visits only during Christmas.
There’s something really beautiful about the
wait, about the anticipation, and we shouldn’t let
it go to waste. Perhaps we’re waiting, neither for
presents, nor for the “magic” some of us Ànd in the
Christmas season, but for a moment of darkness or
loneliness to pass, one that only the Lord can lift us
out of. Maybe we’re waiting for the advent of the
day when we’re able to defeat an addiction, with
help from God, or when we’re able to get a better
job, holding on solely to God during our moments
of tribulation. We know the day will come when
the pain will be over, if we wait with the Lord for
the storm to pass.
“They that hope in the Lord will renew their
strength, they will soar on eagles’ wings; they will
run and not grow weary, walk and not grow faint,”
says Isaiah 40:31.
Advent can teach us to wait for the light, in
whatever form it comes.
Guidos is an editor at Catholic News Service.
December 2014
3
CENTRAL TEXAS
Bishop Mulvey helps celebrate Catholic schools
BY MICHELE CHAN SANTOS
SENIOR CORRESPONDENT
The Celebrating Catholic
Schools Dinner and Awards
Presentation honors the
unsung heroes of Catholic
education in the Diocese of
Austin. It also raises tuition
assistance funds for each of
the 22 Catholic schools in the
diocese.
The seventh annual event
will be held Jan. 24 at the Hyatt Town Lake in downtown
Austin. The Khaki and Plaid
reception begins at 6 p.m.
with dinner and awards presentation beginning at 7 p.m.
At the conclusion of dinner,
the “After School Party” begins with live music provided
by The Bravados.
Since 2009, more than
2,750 people have attended
Celebrating Catholic Schools.
Thanks to the generosity of
sponsors and attendees, the
event has returned $343,000
to schools in support of
tuition assistance, expecting
the lives of more than 8,000
students.
To date the event has
honored 155 individuals for
their service and support of
our schools, said Jean Bondy,
the associate director of Catholic school development and
marketing at Catholic Schools
of the Diocese of Austin.
“Every school selects an
honoree from within their
school community. It could
be a parent, faculty or staff
member, a benefactor or
anyone who has given their
time, talent and treasure to
help support our schools,”
Bondy said.
This year’s keynote
speaker is Bishop Wm. Michael Mulvey of the Diocese
of Corpus Christi. Bishop
Mulvey has deep roots at
the Diocese of Austin, as
he formerly served as the
chancellor and vicar general.
In addition, he has close ties
with Catholic education here,
as he served as chaplain at
Reicher Catholic High School
in Waco from 1984 to 1986,
and helped found St. Helen
Catholic School in Georgetown.
Suzanne Leggett, admissions and development director at St. Theresa’s Catholic
School in Austin, is one of
the honorees at this year’s
dinner.
Leggett began her asso-
ciation with St. Theresa as a
parent in 1999 and all three
of her children attended the
school: Emily Frances is now
a senior at Texas A&M University, majoring in English
and earning her teaching
certiÀcate; Ryan is a junior,
also at A&M, majoring in
communication and business;
Annie Rose is a sophomore
at Westwood High School in
Round Rock.
At Àrst, Leggett worked
as a classroom aide, and then
in the school ofÀce. Ten
years ago she was offered
the position as admissions
and development director,
which matched well with her
background in marketing and
public relations.
Leggett said “it’s very
humbling and just a huge
honor” to be chosen as one
of this year’s award winners.
St. Theresa Catholic
School is a place she treasures
with all her heart.
“We have families that
truly value Catholic education
and who will do whatever it
takes to get the school where
it needs to be. That allows us
to get and keep great teachers.
It’s so beautiful to see families
who roll up their sleeves and
JOE WOLF
JODY SUPAK
245-519-1492
[email protected]
Killeen, Harker
Heights, Copperas
Cove, Granger
979-968-5332
[email protected]
LaGrange, Giddings,
Somerville, Texas
A&M
EDDIE MAZUREK
DOUG SUPAK
512-301-1218
edwin.mazurek@
kofc.org
Austin, Smithville,
Blanco, Bastrop,
Wimberley
help out wherever they can,”
Leggett said.
“There’s such a pride
when we go. I feel this every
time. Like when I go to
diocesan events and see many
movers and shakers in our
community that are Catholic,”
Leggett said. “It’s wonderful
to feel that in the room. We
are vocal and energetic showing our support and we genuinely enjoy coming together.”
She encourages people to
attend the Celebrating Catholic Schools event.
Table sponsorships
and individual tickets
are available for the Celebrating Catholic Schools
event at www.csdatx.org/
celebrating-catholic-schools.
For more information about
Catholic Schools, visit
www.csda tx.org or contact
Jean Bondy at
jean-bondy@austindiocese.
org or (512) 949-2439.
Deacon John Peca
died Nov. 9
Deacon John Peca died
Nov. 9 at the age of 70. He
was the Àrst deacon ordained
for the Austin Diocese in
1979. He served the parishes
of St. Paul in Austin, St. Cath-
DEACON
John
Peca
erine of Siena in Austin and
St. Anthony in Kyle.
Deacon Peca was born in
New York and served in the
U.S. Air Force. He was married to his wife, Yolanda, for
42 years, and they have two
daughters and three grandsons.
The Mass of Christian
Burial was celebrated Nov. 14
at St. Anthony Parish in Kyle
and Deacon Peca was laid to
rest with full military honors
at Fort Sam Houston in San
Antonio.
979-968-5332
douglas.supak@
kofc.org
Bryan-College Station,
Brenham, Caldwell
TED PATAKI
DWAIN DUNGEN
512-983-6303
theodore.pataki@
kofc.org
Cedar Park, Taylor,
West Austin
979-732-1557
dwain.dungen@
kofc.org
Fayetteville, Columbus
LOUIS BARRON
CLINT HAJOVSKY
512-750-7491
louis.barron@
kofc.org
Pflugerville, Hutto,
Elgin
254-295-0430
clinton.hajovsky@
kofc.org
Temple, Rockdale,
Hearne, Mexia
DOUG DEGROOT
WILLIAM JENSEN
512-294-2406
douglas.degroot@
kofc.org
Georgetown, Marble
Falls, Burnet
512-282-2656
william.jensen@
kofc.org
Dripping Springs,
South Austin
PAUL LALLY
CHARLES GUENAT
512-541-7695
paul.lally@
kofc.org
Round Rock, North
Austin
254-939-1981
charles.guenat@
kofc.org
Temple, Belton
TOM SUPAK AGENCY
SERVING THE AUSTIN DIOCESE
Tom Supak, General Agent
979-968-9800
[email protected]
Call Tom to learn about career opportunities.
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4
CENTRAL TEXAS
C ATHOLIC S PIRIT
New home is blessed for Syro-Malabar parish
said. “Because the facilities were
here, we went with it.”
For parishioners it is a
welcome gift as they prepare for
Parishioners at St. AlAdvent and Christmas.
phonsa Syro-Malabar Catholic
“I’m excited that there is a
Church now have a home.
venue for our community to
Their church in Manor was
gather,” said Hilda Olekangal,
consecrated Nov. 8 by Bishop
a newcomer to Austin who has
Mar Jacob Angadiath and Aux- young children. “It’s really nice
iliary Bishop Mar Joy Alappatt
to have our own place.”
of the St. Thomas Syro-Malabar
Joseph Padickaparambil,
Diocese of Chicago. St. Alrecently moved from Chicago
phonsa began as a mission of
with his family and has two
that diocese.
children.
The celebration brought
“It’s also about culture,” he
Syro-Malabar priests from Dalsaid. “Our children can grow up
las, San Antonio and the Rio
knowing our culture.”
Grande Valley. Representing the
Thomas said it’s a very
Diocese of Austin were Father
different experience attending
Harry Dean, vicar for priests;
Mass and hearing prayers in the
Deacon Ron Walker, diocesan
language he heard growing up
chancellor; and Msgr. Donald
and within the Indian culture.
J. Sawyer, pastor of Our Lady’s
“For the children born here,
Maronite Catholic Church.
it’s different,” he said. “There is
The Àrst Syro-Malabar Mass a Mass in English for children
was celebrated on Dec. 29, 2001, once a month.”
by Father Paul Pudussery in the
After 11 a.m. Mass, most
home of Joseph Varghese and
people stay to share lunch and
his wife, Lizamma. Through the socialize.
years the faithful have gathered
“It’s a real social gathering,”
at various churches.
he said. “Our children can make
“We started with 15 faminew friends.”
lies,” said George Thomas, who
Father Dominic Peruwith his wife Maya was one of
nilam was installed as pastor at
those originals. The families had the consecration. He said St.
met through a couple of Indian Alphonsa has about 80 families,
associations and thus the idea of about 50 of them active. There
starting a Syro-Malabar church
are 75 children in religious
was born.
education classes, but he expects
Thomas, former church
more as the Indian community
board president and leader for
continues to grow.
the consecration program, said
Father Perunilam said the
they started celebrating Mass
Syro-Malabar Catholic Church
once a month in 2002 at Dolois the second largest of the 22
res Parish, where Pudussery was Eastern Rite Churches that are
serving. After 10 years there,
in communion with the Roman
they gathered at Our Lady’s
Catholic Church and recognize
Maronite Catholic Church until the pope as their spiritual leader.
this May, when they started
There are 4.2 million Syro-Malmeeting at St. Elizabeth Parish
abar faithful worldwide, mostly
in PÁugerville. In August, they
in India.
purchased the Manor site from
“We believe St. Thomas
Mercy of God Prayer Center.
came to South India in 52 A.D.
“Most families live in North and was martyred in 72 A.D.,”
Austin, but this place already
Father Perunilam said. “He was
had a church building,” Thomas martyred and buried in India.”
BY ENEDELIA J. OBREGÓN
YOUNG CHILDREN welcome
Bishop Mar Jacob
Jacob Angadiath
and Auxiliary
Bishop Mar Joy
Alapatt, both from
the St. Thomas
Syro-Malabar
Catholic Diocese
of Chicago, to the
consecration of St.
Alphonsa SyroMalabar Catholic
Church. (Photo
by Enedelia J.
Obregón)
BISHOP MAR JACOB ANGADIATH cuts the ribbon at the door of St. Alphonsa SyroMalabar Catholic Church in Manor. The parish, which has about 80 families, purchased
their permanent location from Mercy of God Prayer Center. (Photo by Enedelia J. Obregón)
This makes the Syro-Malabar Church older than many
Latin Rite churches. St. Thomas
is believed to have founded
seven Christian communities
in what is now Kerala on the
Southeast coast of India. Therefore, early Christians in India
were known as St. Thomas
Christians. They were also
called Nazranis, meaning those
who follow the path of Jesus of
Nazareth.
From the fourth century
until the end of the 16th century, St. Thomas Christians were
governed by bishops appointed
and sent by the Patriarch of the
East Syrian Church. With the
arrival of the Roman Catholic
Portuguese in the 16th century,
East Syrian bishops stopped
coming to India and the Latin
Church exercised full authority
for almost three centuries. The
Thomas Christians later got
divided into several groups, and
the group that remained faithful
to Rome became known as the
Syro-Malabar Church. SyroMalabar literally means Syrian
Christians of the Malabar Coast
(which is now the Indian State
of Kerala).
Father Perunilam said the
Syro-Malabar Church closely
follows the Latin Rite liturgical calendar. The same colorful
vestments, however, are worn
year-round.
While the Roman Church
has seven seasons, the SyroMalabar Church has nine:
Annunciation, which centers
around the Nativity; Epiphany,
public life; Great Feast, the
Paschal Mysteries; Resurrection, the Resurrection; Apostles,
Pentecost; summer, growth of
Church; Elijah-Cross, TransÀguration; Moses, GloriÀcation
of Cross; and Dedication of the
Church, Parousia.
Because Parousia falls
in November, St. Alphonsa
Church was not consecrated
until Nov. 8 even though the
feast day for the patron saint is
July 28.
Mass is said in Malayalam,
an Indian dialect, although it is
also offered it English. It lasts
about an hour and 15 minutes
and there is much singing.
Just as in the Latin Rite, men
and women in consecrated life
do not marry.
Father Perunilam said that
St. Alphonsa is the 34th SyroMalabar parish in the U.S. There
are 36 missions, all which fall
under the jurisdiction of the
Chicago diocese, which oversees the U.S. and Canada. The
diocese is also relatively new,
having just been established in
2001.
Parishioners chose St.
Alphonsa as their patron
saint because she was the Àrst
native-born Indian saint. She
was born Anna Muttathupadathu on Aug. 19, 1910, to a
wealthy family of Syro-Malabar
Christians. Her mother died
soon after giving birth to her
prematurely and she was raised
by a maternal aunt.
Annakutty –– meaning little
Anna –– as she was affectionately called, wanted to enter
convent at an early age, but her
aunt insisted in Ànding a suitable husband. To make herself
unattractive, Annakutty sought
to burn her feet, but instead fell
in the Àre and severely burned
her legs. Her aunt gave in and
allowed her to enter the convent of the Congregation of the
Franciscan Clarists on Aug. 2,
1928.
She took the name Alphonsa of the Immaculate Conception upon making her Ànal vows
on May 19, 1930. She suffered
from several illnesses throughout her short life. She died on
July 28, 1946. She is the patron
saint against illnesses. She was
canonized on Oct. 12, 2008 by
Pope Benedict XVI.
St. Alphonsa SyroMalabar Catholic Church is
located at 8701 Burleson Rd. in
Manor. For more information,
visit www.st-alphonsa.org or
call (512) 272-4005.
December 2014
5
CENTRAL TEXAS
Texas bishops offer guidance on end-of-life issues
BY PEGGY MORACZEWSKI
CORRESPONDENT
The Texas Catholic Conference (TCC) recently hosted
an event on end-of-life issues
at St. Edward’s University in
Austin. Panels comprised of
distinguished religious and professional individuals educated
attendees regarding end-of-life
care policies, principles and
pastoral care.
The TCC is the public
policy voice of the Catholic
bishops of Texas. This particular forum addressed the
Texas Advance Directive Act
(TADA) passed in 1999 and
communicated how a bill, such
as Senate Bill 303 (SB303),
would enhance the original
TADA. SB303 passed the
Texas Senate in 2013, but did
not make it to the House Áoor
prior to the end of the legislative session. A new bill, with
a new number, will be introduced during the 2015 session.
Bishop Mark Seitz of the
Diocese of El Paso provided
some background, explaining that, although the (1999
TADA) law is not perfect,
bishops and pro-life groups
supported the law, regarding it
as incremental legislation.
“The structure of the law
provides basic protection
and seeks to respect human
dignity,” he said. A conÁict
with Catholic teaching occurs
because, according to Texas
law, artiÀcial nutrition and
mas from 2004.
Individual panelists focused
on speciÀc components of the
overall topic. Bishop Michael
Olson of the Diocese of Fort
Worth, and Jennifer Carr Allmon, associate director of the
TCC, shared current points of
to clarify issues surrounding an
ethics committee review.
As co-chair of the Seton
Medical Center Ethics Committee, cardiologist Dr. David Zientek, provided insight into how
stressful end-of-life issues are
for everyone involved, includ-
about relationship. Remembering who we are dealing with,
that beautiful child of God
needs to be held sacred, even
to death. It involves walking
with the family and individual
through the process of the
disease until the moment, by
God’s choice, life ceases.”
“Pastoral care is about relationship. Remembering who we
Deacon Charlie Stump,
are dealing with, that beautiful child of God needs to be held director of pastoral services for
the Diocese of Dallas, shared
sacred, even to death. It involves walking with the family his extensive personal experiand individual through the process of the disease until the ences and grasp of pastoral
care of the dying. He generousmoment, by God’s choice, life ceases.”
ly offered to share his presenta–– Bishop Joseph Strickland of the Diocese of Tyler tion on advance directives with
any parish interested in starting
hydration can be withdrawn.
the law that are challenging and ing the dying patient, family and a Pastoral Care Ministry.
Saint John Paul II provided essential objective criteria that
Father Louis Brussati, assofriends, physicians and medical
clarity about life-sustaining
would improve the law.
staff. Cases brought to the ethics ciate professor at St. Edward’s
treatments: A man, even if
Referencing SB303 as an
committee are rare and the vast University and member of
seriously ill or disabled in the
example of recommended
majority of decisions are done at the Seton Ethics Committee,
exercise of his highest funcchanges to TADA, Bishop
reminded attendees that the
the patient’s bedside.
tions, is and always will be a
Olson stated that, “while far
Keynote speaker, Dr. John letting-go-of-life is very difman, and he will never become from a perfect proposal, (it) is
ferent for many people. Early
M. Haas, president of the
a “vegetable” or an “animal”.
a vast improvement over the
on in his pastoral training at
National Catholic Bioethics
The sick person in a vegcurrent law and without it we
Barnes Hospital in St. Louis,
Center (NCBC), emphasized
etative state, awaiting recovwill never move forward in
Mo., he recalled terror in the
the intrinsic dignity of the huery or a natural end, still has
protecting the basic rights of
eyes of a dying man who
man person.
the right to basic health care
the chronically ill and disabled.
“We don’t eliminate suffer- believed in absolutely noth(nutrition, hydration, cleanliIt is an important measure
ing. His compassionate advice
ing by eliminating the person
ness, warmth, etc.), according
against the euthanasia and asincluded, “It’s OK to let go;
who is suffering,” he said.
to the International Congress
sisted suicide movement. It is
God is there.”
He pointed out that as
on “Life-Sustaining Treatments fundamentally in consort with
Resources for patients,
Catholics, we become one with
and Vegetative State: ScientiÀc Catholic moral teaching.”
Christ and unite our pain with families and surrogates, are
Advances and Ethical DilemBeyond the issue of
available through NCBC at
his suffering on Calvary. In
nutrition and
www.ncbcenter.org. Resources
the case of a person nearing
hydration, All- the end of life, palliative care is include a “Catholic Guide to
mon said it is
appropriate and encouraged in End-of-Life Decisions,” a help
very problem- the Catechism of the Catholic
line with free consultation seratic that the
vices and a Catholic Durable
Church.
law is silent on
Power-of-Attorney form.
Pastoral care for end-ofdo not resusFor more details on
life issues brought the discuscitate (DNR)
Catholic teachings on Advance
sion full-circle. Bishop Joseph
orders and the Strickland of the Diocese of
Directives, go to www.txcatholaw also needs Tyler, said, “Pastoral care is
lic-advance-directives.org.
DCYC 2015
January 16-18
Waco Convention Center
Check with your parish Youth
Minister to see how you can sign
up for our best DCYC yet!
Paul J Kim
Doug Tooke
Ben Walther
HOST & KEYNOTE
KEYNOTE
FEATURED BAND
C ATHOLIC S PIRIT
CENTRAL TEXAS
6
Filipino traditions come to Austin
“Simbang Gabi” Masses will be celebrated in the Austin area Dec. 15-23.
Simbang Gabi is a Filipino tradition that marks the celebration and welcome of
Christ’s birth. Bishop Joe Vásquez will celebrate the Àrst Mass on Dec. 15 at 7
p.m. at St. Louis Parish in Austin. The subsequent Masses will be held Dec. 16 at
8 p.m. at St. Albert the Great Parish in Austin, Dec. 17 at 7 p.m. at Seton Williamson Medical Center Chapel in Round Rock, Dec. 18 at 7 p.m. at St. Paul Parish in
Austin, Dec. 19 at 7 p.m. at St. Catherine of Siena Parish in Austin, Dec. 20 at 7
p.m. at St. Catherine of Siena Parish in Austin, Dec. 21 at 6 p.m. at St. Albert the
Great Parish in Austin, Dec. 22 at 7 p.m. at St. Louis Parish in Austin and Dec. 23
at 8 p.m. at St. Albert the Great Parish in Austin.
Give the gift of Marriage Encounter
TEC retreat for ages 17-24 is Jan. 2-4
TEC (Together Encounter Christ) is an intergenerational movement focused on the Paschal Mystery of Jesus Christ. TEC of Central Texas will be
held Jan. 2-4 at Eagle’s Wings Retreat Center in Burnet. Weekends are Àlled
with witness talks, group discussions, personal reÁections/prayer, recreations
and live music. The TEC audience is young adults ages 17 (or a second semester junior) to 24 years of age. Adults above the age of 24 who would like to
serve on a TEC retreat are invited to do so, Àrst as an adult observing cadidate,
then as part of the team. For more information, visit tecofctx.wordpress.com
or call (512) 949-2464.
Pro-Life Mass moves to new location
Married couples who need the perfect gift for one another this Christmas are
invited to give the gift of time and love by attending a Worldwide Marriage Encounter Weekend. Upcoming weekends are Feb. 20-22 and May 15-17 at Cedarbrake Retreat Center in Belton. The weekend begins Friday at 7:30 p.m. and ends
Sunday around 4 p.m. For more information or to apply to attend, visit the website www.austinme.org or contact Steve and Linda Jaramillo at (512) 677-WWME
(9963) or [email protected].
Texas Catholic Pro-Life Day is Jan. 24 in Austin. The day will begin at 7 a.m.
with a prayer vigil for life at Planned Parenthood (201 E. Ben White Blvd. in
Austin). A rosary for life will be prayed at 9:15 a.m. at St. Vincent de Paul Parish
in Austin. Bishop Joe Vásquez will celebrate the diocesan Pro-Life Mass at 10 a.m.
at St. Vincent de Paul Parish. The March for Life will begin at 1 p.m. at 1600 N.
Congress, and participants will proceed to the Texas Rally for Life on the south
steps of the State Capitol. For more information, contact the diocesan Pro-Life
OfÀce at (512) 949-2486.
Cedarbrake retreats for 2015
Diocesan youth conference is Jan. 16-18
“Love Among the Ruins –– The Book of Hosea” will be presented Jan. 17 at
Cedarbrake Catholic Retreat Center in Belton. Father Angelo Bertini will discuss
God’s unconditional love based on the book of Hosea. The cost is $35, which
includes lunch. There are many retreats coming to Cedarbrake in 2015. For more
information or to register, visit www.austindiocese.org/cedarbrake or contact
Cedarbrake at [email protected] or call (254) 780-2436.
The Diocesan Catholic Youth Conference (DCYC) will be held at the Waco
Convention Center Jan. 16-18. At DCYC, participants will experience keynote
speakers Paul Kim and Doug Tooke, sacraments, music, prayer, workshops,
entertainment and more, all woven together under this year’s theme of “Behold.”
Registration is open and participants may register or Ànd out more information
through their parish youth minister.
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To advertise in the Catholic Spirit Medical Services Directory, call (512) 949-2443,
or e-mail [email protected].
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OBSTETRICS & GYNECOLOGY
OPTOMETRY
ORTHODONTICS
The Vitae Clinic
Oak Hill
Eye Care
Braces for Children and Adults
Jeremy Kalamarides, D.O.
The Jefferson Building
1600 W. 38th St, Ste 115
Austin, TX 78731
512-458-6060
The Vitae Clinic, Inc., provides wellness, prenatal, delivery and
postnatal care for women, expectant mothers and babies in accord
with the teachings of the Catholic Church in conformity with the
Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Healthcare services.
Examination & Treatment
of Eye Disease
Lasik Surgery
Contact Lenses & Optical
David W. Tybor, O.D.
Monday through Friday
8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
(512) 288-0444
6000 W. William Cannon
Bldg A, Suite 100, Austin
www.oakhilleyecare.com
Michael Dillingham, D.D.S.
2 convenient locations in Austin
Call (512) 836-7924 or (512) 447-5194 to
schedule a complimentary consultation
FAMILY PRACTICE
EAR, NOSE AND THROAT
FAMILY & INTERNAL MEDICINE
Joseph M. C. Leary, M.D.
William Stavinoha, M.D.
Diplomate, American Board of Otolaryngology
Pediatric and Adult
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6811 Austin Center Blvd., Ste. 300
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(512) 338-5088
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(512) 834-9999
11673 Jollyville Rd. ,Ste. 205
Austin,TX 78759
THYROID & ENDOCRINOLOGY
December 2014
7
CENTRAL TEXAS
St. Austin remembers ‘Night of Broken Glass’
another exhibit in light of the
religious conÁict and violence
around the world.
“It’s all very real in our
St. Austin Parish in Austin world and in our community,”
has chosen to remember
he said. “We need to take the
Kristallnacht, one of those
opportunity to understand
anniversaries that many would and educate ourselves about
rather forget.
the need to be respectful,
For three days in Novemunderstanding and tolerant of
ber, the Austin parish preothers.”
sented a multi-media exhibit to
Father Kullmann said it’s
commemorate the events that
important for Christians not
took place throughout Germa- to isolate themselves and to
ny on Nov. 9-10, 1938. That
learn about other cultures and
night thousands of Jewish busi- faiths because Jesus told his
nesses were destroyed, more
disciples to “go out to all the
than 200 synagogues were
nations and proclaim the Good
burned and dozens of people
News.”
were killed. The violence set
He said Pope Francis is
the stage for the Holocaust,
also asking us to share the
which killed 6 million out of
Good News.
the 9 million Jews who lived in
“We are supposed to share
the 21 countries occupied by
that with others,” he said. “But
Germany during World War II. the Àrst thing we have to do is
The seminal event was
respect others.”
referred to as Kristallnacht
The exhibit began outdoors
–– or the night of broken glass with a pile of burned books
–– because shards of glass
in one area near the entrance
were everywhere following the to Newman Hall. Dozens of
Àres and destruction. Police
ceramic stars of David creand ÀreÀghters were on hand
ated by art students in Diane
to protect only Christian esHardin’s class at St. Austin
tablishments. Jews were made
Catholic School Àlled the parto clean up and then Àned 1
ish fountain. Each star had an
billion German marks for the
inscription of a person who
mess.
might be forced to wear that
star today: homeless, handicapped, homosexual, Latino,
Lynn Hayden is the
Asian and even Jesus.
volunteer curator who Àrst
Another pile contained
developed the exhibit in 2000
battered suitcases and coats for
and again in 2001 with the help adults and children, each with
of the nearby Hillel Foundaa yellow star of David sewn on
tion for Jewish Campus Life.
–– seemingly thrown down by
This year, the exhibit contained owners who never returned for
items and information from
them.
the nearby Nueces Mosque.
Hayden spent months gathPaulist Father Charles
ering materials and furniture
Kullmann, pastor of St. Austin, borrowed from St. Vincent de
thought it was time to hold
Paul Thrift Store, including
THE
KRISTALLNACHT exhibit
at St. Austin
Parish addressed the
night of Nov.
9-10, 1938,
when Jewish
businesses
were destroyed
and set on
¿re. (Photo by
Enedelia J.
Obregón)
BY ENEDELIA J. OBREGÓN
The exhibit
everyday items such as dishes
that were broken and scattered
about the indoor Room of Destruction, which was surrounded by yellow caution tape.
She burned old books in her
Àreplace to replicate what the
Germans did in Jewish homes.
Gigantic laminated yellow Stars
of David adorned the walls of
one room with the word “Jew”
in different languages of the
German-occupied countries.
One frame is special. It
contains remnants of a blueand-white striped uniform with
the sewn-in Star of David and
the number 15774. The corresponding number would have
been tattooed on the forearm
of its wearer. The clothing is
owned by Gregg Philipson of
the Texas Commission on the
Holocaust.
A short video with black
and white images of the
destruction of Kristallnacht
was accompanied by dissonant
music meant to resemble the
chaos and shattering of glass.
A timeline of the Holo-
STUDENTS FROM ST. AUSTIN CATHOLIC SCHOOL IN AUSTIN study the Kristallnacht exhibit at St. Austin Parish. The exhibit included a lot of information on the Holocaust and the Jewish religion. (Photo by Enedelia J. Obregón)
caust occupied one wall and
included an English copy of
the Kristallnacht edict.
History
A poster explained that
the Jews, Christians and
Muslims had once lived in
relative peace in the kingdoms
Deacon John de la Garza
from St. Paul the Apostle Par- that eventually became uniÀed
Spain. Medicine, science, the
ish in Horseshoe Bay was one
arts and commerce Áourished
of the early visitors.
from 711 to about 1031, co“It’s incumbent on us to
be uncomfortable when we see inciding with the Middle Ages
in Western Europe. That
this,” he said.
Many Christians, he noted, ended for good with the military conquest of the Muslims
did nothing to stop the vioby Spain and the expulsion of
lence against Jews. He quoted
Holocaust survivor and author Jews in 1492 by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella.
Elie Wiesel: “What hurts the
The exhibit included music
victim most is not the cruand religious items reÁecting
elty of the oppressor but the
the inÁuences of the three
silence of the bystander.”
Deacon de la Garza said we faiths.
What Àlled Hayden with
have to learn to live in such a
way that we are not bystanders. hope is “Besa,” a book by
Norman H. Gerhman about
“We (Catholics) can be
very insular. But Jesus was not Albanian Muslims who saved
an insular person. And neither thousands of Jews during
World War II. Besa, which
is Pope Francis,” he said.
Too often, we get comfort- means “to keep the promise,” is an ethical code deeply
able in our traditions, Deacon
rooted in Albanian culture
de la Garza said. Anything or
anyone who seems different is and incorporated in their
Muslim faith that demands
deemed a threat, heightening
responsibility for the lives of
our fears.
“That fear leads us into in- others in their time of need.
humane thoughts and actions,” Not doing so brings great
shame and dishonor not only
he said.
Some of the students from to an individual but to the
family as well.
St. Austin Catholic School
“We didn’t know about
were docents and viewed the
it because of Communism,”
exhibit before the rest of the
Hayden said, referring to the
students did. Among them
Communist take-over of the
were several seventh graders.
country after the war. “They
“It’s sad that people were
see their house as God’s house,
killed just because of their
and you take in the stranger as
faith,” said Joshua Esparza.
if they were family.”
Elissa Atkinson found the
According to Yad Vashem,
Room of Destruction to be the
Albania was the only European
scariest.
“It’s an example of a house country with a Muslim majority
and lost members of only one
destroyed,” she said. “That
would be really scary if it were Jewish family to the Holocaust.
Albanians provided Jews with
my house. It was horrible that
nobody did anything to help.” fake identity papers and Jews
Hayden Covert said he had lived openly with the Muslim
population. By the end of the
not known how widespread
war, Albania had more Jews
the Holocaust was until he
saw the stars of David from so than it did at the beginning of
the war.
many countries.
The experience
8
CENTRAL TEXAS
C ATHOLIC S PIRIT
St. Edward’s celebrates newly renovated chapel
used during the celebration of
the Eucharist.
Bishop Vásquez said that
the most important part of the
St. Edward’s University
evening’s liturgy was the dediin Austin unveiled a major
cation of the altar because it
renovation of Our Lady
serves as a “visible sign of the
Queen of Peace Chapel on
invisible God.” He emphasized
Oct. 21. Bishop Joe Vásquez
that the altar represents Christ
celebrated the Mass of Dedica- and is the focal point of every
tion, blessed the new walls of
Catholic Church and chapel.
the sanctuary and consecrated
“Because of the altar,
a new altar. The chapel has
the memorial of the Lord is
been the spiritual home of the celebrated and from it, Christ’s
campus for countless students, body and blood is given to
faculty and staff who have
the people. The altar is both
attended Mass, weddings and
a place of sacriÀce and a table
funerals on the hilltop for the
of the paschal banquet. It is a
last 65 years.
table of sacriÀce [because] on
Bishop Vásquez delivered
it, the sacriÀce of Jesus and his
Mass to a Àlled chapel, while
oblation on the cross is peroverÁowing worshippers
petuated and made present,”
watched a live broadcast in the he said. “This place is truly
nearby Jones Auditorium.
worthy to be called ‘House of
“A Catholic university cha- God.’”
pel is the heart of the campus.
The renovation resolved
Students and faculty gather
the chapel’s previous structural
and pray in order to nourish
challenges and improved its
the mission of the church.
ability to serve the needs of
Here, people should come with the campus community. Prior
their worries, fears, hopes and
to the renovation, the building
dreams, conÀdent that Christ
was stretched to capacity, often
will be present. It is primarily
leaving students to stand durthrough the sacraments, celing Mass, especially at Sunday
ebrated here, that Christ – the
evening services. The sanctuary
way, the truth, and the life – is was relocated to the north side
encountered,” the bishop said
of the chapel to make better
during his homily.
use of the space, increasing the
The Mass included the bless- number of seats from around
ing and sprinkling of water, the
225 to 275. The original oak
Litany of Saints, anointing of
Áoors were restored and ample
the altar and walls with sacred
natural light streams through
chrism, and incensing and
the chapel’s many windows.
lighting of the altar and chapel.
Other changes included the
A relic of St. André Bessette, a
installation of new liturgical
Holy Cross brother canonized
furnishings made from natural
in 2010, was deposited in the
materials. Along with receivaltar during the rite of dedicaing a new altar, the chapel also
tion. A chalice belonging to the
has a new tabernacle, cruciÀx,
founder of St. Edward’s Univer- baptismal font, ambry and
sity, Father Edward Sorin, was
lectern. Each was crafted by loBY HANNAH M. HEPFER
CORRESPONDENT
OUR LADY QUEEN OF PEACE CHAPEL sits on the campus of St. Edward’s University
in Austin. Bishop Joe Vásquez blessed the newly renovated chapel on Oct. 21. (Photo
by Hannah M. Hepfer)
cal artisans with the lumber of
campus trees that were damaged in a storm and removed
during the renovation project.
Wood from Sorin Oak, the
campus’s beloved tree, was
used to make small crosses
that were placed on each of the
chapel’s four walls.
Originally built in 1897,
the chapel was an auditorium,
theater, woodworking and
blacksmith shop, bowling alley,
barracks, and a shooting range
before becoming Our Lady
of Victory Chapel in 1947 and
given its current name in 1973.
Holy Cross Father Peter
Walsh, director of Campus
Ministry at St. Edward’s, said he
appreciated that simplicity was
a priority in the design of the
chapel, so that the sacredness of
the building was honored.
“The simple beauty of the
space will be inspiring to students,” he said.
The chapel has already been
received well by students. Taylor
Lawson, a sophomore, said she
is looking forward to having “a
solid space to come to express
my faith.”
In addition to the chapel
renovation, Mang House, which
held campus ministry staff and
volunteers, was demolished and
the Brother Stephen Walsh,
CSC ’62 Campus Ministry
Building was constructed.
Brother Walsh was the university’s youngest president and
initiated New College, the adult
undergraduate program, and
the College Assistance Migrant
Program (CAMP), to assist the
needs of children of migrant
workers. The building will be
a gathering hub for hospitality,
prayer, learning and service. An
all-faiths meditation garden, a
contemplative space for reÁection, connects the new building
and the chapel.
Father Walsh is excited
about the impact that the renovation will have on the campus.
“I hope the chapel will be
a visual call to prayer. As students are rushing by, they’ll see
a welcoming space, a space to
pray and decompress from the
stresses of college life,” he said.
CCCTX receives award for pregnancy services
rate is the highest among the
network’s providers,” said
Sara Ramirez, CCCTX execuCatholic Charities of
tive director.
Central Texas (CCCTX) was
“The funding we receive
recently honored by the Texas through TPCN is instrumenPregnancy Care Network
tal in our ability to support
(TPCN) for having the highwomen and men as they naviest client retention rate among gate crisis pregnancies and
non-maternity home TPCN
work to give their children a
providers. TPCN presented
healthy start at life,” she said.
its 2014 Journey for Life
TPCN, a program of
Award to CCCTX at its rethe Texas Health and Hucent conference. A provider’s man Services Commission,
retention rate is determined
administers the state-funded
by the number of times a cliTexas Alternatives to Aborent returns for services during tion Services Program, a
a pregnancy or the Àrst year
network of pregnancy support
of a child’s life.
centers, maternity residences
“We are so pleased to
and social services agencies.
learn that our client retention Catholic Charities provides
BY CATHOLIC SPIRIT STAFF
TPCN-funded services to
eligible clients at its Gabriel
Project Life Center locations
in Austin and Bryan.
Services include oneon-one consultations and
an “earn-while-you-learn”
program in which parents and
parents-to-be can earn points
toward needed baby items as
they attend classes on topics
such as child safety and nutrition, prenatal and postpartum
health, and breastfeeding.
Allison Cavazos, CCCTX
director of social services,
attributes the program’s retention rate to its strong education program and one-on-one
support.
“The foundation of our
program is building relationships with women and men
as they experience pregnancy and grow as parents,”
Cavazos said. “Our clients
repeatedly tell us that while
the ‘earn-while-you-learn’
program is their initial draw
to Catholic Charities, they
keep coming back for the
knowledge and support we
provide.”
CCCTX pregnancy and
parenting support services
are available to parents from
conception until their child’s
Àrst birthday.
For more information,
visit www.ccctx.org or call
(512) 651-6100.
Celebrate life with CCCTX
Catholic Charities of Central Texas will hold the fourth annual Celebrate Life Dinner, bene¿ting its services in the Brazos
Valley, from 6:30–8 p.m. Feb. 5 at St. Thomas Aquinas Parish
in College Station. A reception preceding the dinner will begin at
5:30 p.m. For more information about sponsorship opportunities
or attending the event, visit www.ccctx.org/celebratelife2015,
or contact CCCTX Associate Director of Development Annie
Chavez at [email protected] or (512) 651-6118.
December 2014
9
IN OUR WORLD
Bishop’s approve liturgical items, elect ofÀcials
BY CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE
Though there were no
actions on the U.S. bishops’
agenda in Baltimore dealing
with immigration, poverty and
other public policy issues, the
president of their conference
said Nov. 11 that he hopes to
meet with President Barack
Obama and House and Senate
leaders soon on several topics.
In a brief comment during
the annual fall general assembly of the U.S. Conference of
Catholic Bishops, Archbishop
Joseph E. Kurtz of Louisville,
Ky., said he had heard from
many of his brother bishops
about those issues and hopes
conferring with the politicians
will supplement the work that
committees and USCCB staff
are doing.
He told Catholic News
Service that he intends to
pursue a meeting with the
president and congressional
leaders as soon as December.
In other action at the Nov.
10-13 meeting, the bishops:
• Approved several
English-language liturgical
items, including a revised
translation of the ritual book
used whenever a new church
is built or when a new altar is
made; the Àrst ofÀcial English
translation of the ritual book
“Exorcisms and Related Sup-
plications;” and a supplement
to the Liturgy of the Hours
that is an English translation
of the prayers used for the
feast days of saints who have
been added to the general
calendar since 1984.
• Voted to proceed with
a revision of a section of the
Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care
Services dealing with partnerships.
• Approved a 2015
budget of just under $189.5
million. They also voted on
a 3 percent increase in the
diocesan assessment for 2016,
but the vote fell short of the
required two-thirds majority
of the 197 bishops required to
approve it. Eligible members
absent from the Baltimore
meeting will be canvassed to
determine the Ànal vote.
Bishop Michael F. Burbidge of Raleigh, N.C., chairman of the Committee on
Clergy, Consecrated Life and
Vocations, gave a presentation
on the newly revised “Guidelines for Receiving Pastoral Ministers in the United
States.”
As the number of priests
and pastoral ministers from
other countries increases in
the U.S., he said the resource
–– now in its third edition ––
provides information for dioceses, eparchies and religious
communities to prepare international ministers for their
service and help the communities that receive them.
The bishops also heard a
report on the work of various committees –– pro-life,
domestic justice, international justice, evangelization and
religious liberty –– which together are trying to pinpoint
what Catholics in the pew are
thinking and why they accept
or disregard church teaching.
The compilation of vast
data is being assembled for
bishops to read and also
will be relayed in series of
workshops. One of the major
Àndings from the study ––
that Catholics want to Ànd
out more about their faith
–– has prompted plans for a
2017 convocation in Orlando, Fla., the week of July 4.
In considering the bishops’ ethical directives for
Catholic health care, the discussion focused on whether
to revise Part 6, “Forming New Partnerships with
Health Care Organizations.”
It will take into account
principles suggested by the
Vatican Congregation for the
Doctrine of the Faith. Once
completed, the revision will
be presented to the bishops
for Ànal approval.
In elections, Archbishop
Gregory M. Aymond of New
Orleans won the secretaryelect spot. The committee
chairmen-elect are: Cardinal
Timothy M. Dolan of New
York, pro-life activities;
Auxiliary Bishop Christopher
J. Coyne of Indianapolis,
communications; Archbishop
Gustavo Garcia-Siller of San
Antonio, cultural diversity;
Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron of Detroit, doctrine;
Archbishop Thomas J. Rodi
of Mobile, Ala., national collections. Each will assume
their ofÀces next November
for a three-year term.
The meeting included
reports on the recently concluded extraordinary Synod
of Bishops on the family;
Catholic education and an
outreach to Hispanic students
in underserved communities; the progress of planning
for the 2015 World Meeting
of Families in Philadelphia;
the status of the 2013-16
USCCB strategic plan, “The
New Evangelization: Faith,
Worship, Witness”; the 2015
Fortnight of Freedom; and
the defense of marriage.
Several bishops who participated in the synod talked
about their experience there,
and also discussed it in one
of three news conferences
during the meeting’s public
sessions. (See story below)
Bishop Oscar Cantu of
Las Cruces, N.M., reported
on a 12-day prayer pilgrimage for peace in the Holy
Land in September. Eighteen
bishops visited sacred sites
of Christianity, Judaism and
Islam, and met with people
who helped them understand
the struggles of the people of
each faith.
“We know peace is possible,” Bishop Cantu said,
“because God is our hope.”
But “after another Gaza war,
hope is now in short supply.
What is needed now is the
transformation of human
hearts, so that one side’s
hearts is less deaf to the concerns of the other.”
Archbishop William E.
Lori of Baltimore, chairman
of the Ad Hoc Committee
for Religious Liberty, said
the committee –– extended
for another three years
–– planned to focus more
on teaching and expanding
networks with Catholic lay
groups and interfaith and
ecumenical partners. He said
threats to religious liberty
remain a great concern.
The Archdiocese of Philadelphia formally opened its
arms to the world as Archbishop Charles J. Chaput announced that registration has
ofÀcially begun for the World
Meeting of Families next year
there.
Cardinal Dolan discusses the ‘Tale of two synods’
BY MARK PATTISON
October’s extraordinary
Synod of Bishops on the family was just one event, but “a
tale of two synods” emerged
from it, according to the president of the U.S. Conference of
Catholic Bishops.
Speaking to reporters Nov.
10 after the morning session
of the USCCB’s annual fall
general assembly in Baltimore,
Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz
of Louisville, Ky., acknowledged the differences in the
synod experienced by the bishops participating in it and news
accounts disseminated outside
the synod.
Those differences were
highlighted by Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York in
remarks delivered during the
assembly’s morning session.
“There must have been
two synods,” he said, and the
participating U.S. bishops
“happened to be at the wrong
one.”
From what he said he
had heard and read about the
synod, one synod was “confrontational and divisive,” “hijacked by left-wing dissenters
intent on eluding doctrine,”
the only time the pope spoke
was in “reciting the Angelus
–– twice.”
At this synod, “we listened
to married couples who found
God’s love in one another
Ànal “relatio,” or report, of the
synod met with majority approval –– and all but three of
the paragraphs with approval
by at least two-thirds of those
voting.
It was at this synod, Cardinal Dolan said, that “life-giving
marriage” was the focus of “meeting the most urgent
vocation crisis of the times.”
with proceedings “smothered
by new Ottavianis, dug in to
resist the fresh breeze” of
change, Cardinal Dolan said,
referring to Italian Cardinal
Alfredo Ottaviani known for
his opposition to the changes
being brought about in the
church during the Second
Vatican Council.
“Too bad we missed that
one,” Cardinal Dolan added.
“The one we were at was
hardly as spicy (and) juicy.”
The synod Cardinal Dolan
said he attended “was a synod
of consensus. This synod was
led by a pope with a radical
charism for attentive listening,”
he said of Pope Francis, adding
and their kids,” Cardinal
Dolan said. “At this synod,
we listened to bishops form
Africa who said the (church’s)
teaching on marriage, so widely
dismissed in the First World,
was enhancing their culture. ...
We saw brother bishops asking how we can expedite and
simplify marriage (annulment)
cases.”
It was at this synod, Cardinal Dolan said, that “life-giving
marriage” was the focus of
“meeting the most urgent vocation crisis of the times.”
Archbishop Kurtz, in addressing his fellow bishops,
noted that each one of the 62
paragraphs that constituted the
Cardinal Donald W. Wuerl
of Washington, at a news conference following the morning
session, said Pope Francis had
asked that the “votation” be
published along with the text
to indicate the degree of accord shared at the synod.
Archbishop Kurtz said
there were 12 documents in
all to be considered at the
synod before the Ànal “relatio”
was discussed: the Àrst two
“relatios” –– one offered at
the synod’s beginning and a
second draft issued mid-synod
–– plus separate documents
produced by each of 10 small
working groups.
“The work of the second
‘relatio’ was the work of the
small groups,” Archbishop
Kurtz told reporters.
Cardinal Wuerl added that
press covering the synod and
those bishops participating in it
“have different perspectives.”
“So many people tend to
reÁect now in terms of sound
bites,” he said. “In the church,
we’re learning to speak a little
more crisply, but our teaching is not reducible to sound
bites.”
He noted it took some
time for the Ànal “relatio”
to be translated into English
from the ofÀcial Italian. But
he urged the bishops to wait
for the translation, noting that
the Ànal “relatio” serves as
the “lineamenta,” or outline,
for next year’s world Synod of
Bishops.
Archbishop Kurtz said the
Vatican was holding a meeting
later in November to construct
a system of reÁection for
bishops’ conferences to use in
seeking input from dioceses to
be used in preparation for next
year’s synod.
10
C ATHOLIC S PIRIT
IN OUR WORLD
Agenda for family meeting doesn’t shy away from issues
BY MATTHEW GAMBINO
A glance at the topics to be
presented at next year’s World
Meeting of Families in Philadelphia, including premarital
sex, homosexuality, infertility
and celibacy, might give the
impression that it’s all about
sexuality and the Catholic
Church’s teaching on it.
But Mary Beth Yount, a
theology professor at Neumann University and director
of content and programming
for the World Meeting of
Families, believes it is much
more than that.
“It’s not all about sex,”
she said. “We’re pulling in the
larger context, not just human
sexuality and not just family
relationships. This is for all
people in all walks of life: married, dating, single by choice,
celibate.”
Organizers of the Sept.
22-25, 2015, meeting that
is expected to draw some
12,000 individuals and families
from around the world have
posted the preliminary congress agenda on the website
www.worldmeeting2015.org,
displaying the daily schedule
of ofÀcial congress events held
at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. Now that Pope
Francis has said he will attend
the meeting, the planning has
become even more intense.
The congress will examine
“how best to be in human relationship with God and each
other,” Yount said. “What are
the ways we can live fruitful
lives?”
Sexuality, she said, “doesn’t
just mean people having sex.
That is a fundamental expression that includes married
people, but it also means
engaging the world in other
ways. It’s a self-giving love:
married people, people single
by choice, and celibacy.”
The congress doesn’t shy
away from topics such as
divorce, interfaith marriage,
dealing with disabilities and
addictions in families, and the
emotional pain caused by damaged relationships.
In developing content for
the World Meeting of Families,
Yount believes it is as important to acknowledge “the pain
and brokenness of life” as to
emphasize the positive message of Catholic teaching.
“We’re focusing on the
positive, from the beginning,”
she told CatholicPhilly.com,
the Philadelphia Archdiocese’s
news website. “Church teachings aren’t oppressive dictates.
The focus is on the faith,
(exploring) what is our ultimate
relationship with God and its
richness, and how do we live it
out? How can we support each
other to live the lives we want
to live, in our family, our parish and our wider church?”
SpeciÀc biographies
of presenters and session
descriptions were still being
worked out. But already the
lineup presents an impressive
array of speakers, many of
whom are well-known advocates for the topics they will
address over the four days of
the congress.
The Àrst keynote address of the congress will be
“Living as the Image of God:
Created for Joy and Love,”
delivered Sept. 22 by Father
Robert Barron. The rector of
the Chicago Archdiocese’s
Mundelein Seminary and host
of the landmark DVD series
“Catholicism,” Father Barron
is one of the most popular
Catholic speakers in America
today.
The next day will begin a
pattern to be repeated in each
of the following days –– two
keynote sessions per day
followed by a choice of 13
to 14 breakout sessions, each
accommodating between 700
and 1,000 people. Yount estimated that 75 percent of the
breakout sessions will offer
practical skills related to the
keynote’s topic.
Each hour-long keynote
talk, translated for participants into at least four other
languages, takes as its theme a
portion of the World Meeting of Families’ preparatory
catechesis, “Love is Our Mission: The Family Fully Alive.”
The document was edited by Philadelphia resident
Christopher Roberts and
approved by the PontiÀcal
Council for the Family at the
Vatican. It presents Catholic
teaching on the family and its
vital role in society.
Boston Cardinal Sean P.
O’Malley will deliver the keynote talk the morning of Sept.
23. His theme of “The Light of
the Family in a Dark World”
will draw from the catechism’s
teaching of the family as a
“school of love, justice, compassion, forgiveness, mutual respect, patience and humility in
the midst of a world darkened
by selÀshness and conÁict.”
At the same time in the
convention center, Los Angeles Archbishop Jose H. Gomez
will speak on poverty and immigration issues in “Give Me
Your Tired, Your Poor ...” and
French author and theologian
Yves Semen will speak on his
specialty of the theology of the
body and its intersection with
politics and economics in “Can
Society Exist Without the
Family?”
Meanwhile, a talk on the
concerns of the family in the
inner city will be delivered by
the Rev. Terrence D. GrifÀth,
pastor of First African Baptist
Church of Philadelphia and
president of the Black Clergy
of Philadelphia and Vicinity.
He is among the 24 percent
of speakers at the congress
who are not from the Catholic
tradition –– including Protestant Christian, Mormon,
Jewish and Muslim –– but who
nonetheless offer experience
and expertise to the congress’
content, even if many speakers
are not household names.
One of the keynotes Sept.
24 –– and many of the breakouts –– will deal with the topic
of sexuality, with such issues as
the “hook-up” culture of premarital sex; a study of Blessed
Pope Paul VI’s encyclical
“Humane Vitae” (“On Human
Life”); infertility; and homosexuality.
The World Meeting of
Families wraps up Sept. 25.
African Cardinal Robert Sarah
of Guinea, president of the
PontiÀcal Council Cor Unum,
will speak on “The Joy of the
Gospel of Life.”
Visit www.austindiocese.org
and click on “Employment” for
job postings. All postings
have a link to the application
for employment, which can be
mailed or submitted
electronically.
A RETREAT WITH
Rev. Ron Rolheiser, OMI
Living with Less Fear In Our Lives:
Trusting in a Wise, Prodigal, and Fully Empathic God
This retreat will examine the origins and the complexities of religious
fear and, after giving fear its proper due, will examine some biblical
principles which invite us to live with less fear.
February 22-26, 2015 Oblate Renewal Center
5700 Blanco Rd., San Antonio, TX 78216
Families are welcome to bring an ornament for
our Jesse Tree in memory of a loved one at our
Rosary & Caroling
on December 13 at 9:30am
Christmas Refreshments to Follow 330 Berry Lane • Georgetown, Texas 78626 • (512) 863-8411 • OLOTR.com
Registration fee: $590 ( includes all meals)
Early Bird Rate*$550 by Dec. 5, 2014*
Lodging also available: single $60 per night or
double $38 per night per person
To register, call Brenda at 210-341-1366, ext. 212 or
visit www.ost.edu
December 2014
11
IN OUR WORLD
Challenges identiÀed in feeding the world’s hungry
BY MARK PATTISON
With projections putting the
planet’s population at 9 billion
by 2050, the question of how to
feed them is taking on evergreater importance.
But at the “Faith, Food &
the Environment” symposium
Nov. 5-7 in St. Paul, Minn., held
at the University of St. Thomas
and sponsored by more than a
dozen Catholic and agricultural
organizations, some speakers
suggested the question may
need to be asked differently.
“It’s the wrong question,”
said Fred Kirschenmann, a distinguished fellow at the Leopold
Center of Iowa State University,
giving people “a moral justiÀcation to continue doing more of
what they’ve been doing.”
Kirschenmann said enough
food is being grown today to
feed 10 billion people, yet 1
billion people remain chronically hungry. “It’s a problem of
poverty, it’s a problem of entitlement, it’s a problem of inequality,” he said. “It’s also a problem
of waste.”
Estimates put the amount of
waste at 40 percent of all food
grown. “If you’re throwing away
40 percent of what is produced,
is it optimal to produce 20
percent more?” asked Jesuit
Father Michael Czerny, chief of
staff to Ghanaian Cardinal Peter
Turkson, head of the PontiÀcal
Institute for Peace and Justice,
one of the symposium’s sponsors.
The waste rate doesn’t come
from people sliding uneaten
food from their plates into a
wastebasket or garbage disposal.
The major of that wasted food,
he said, is left rotting in farmers’ Àelds because they know
the buyers of their crops do not
want any blemished merchandise.
Kirschenmann said a French
supermarket chain addressed the
problem by stocking blemished
produce and selling it at 30
percent off the prices asked for
their unblemished counterparts.
The tactic was so successful,
he added, “you know what the
problem is now? Supply.”
Calvin DeWitt, a professor
at the University of Wisconsin’s
Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies, took a different
perspective. He said the problem is not how much food is
grown, but who grows the food.
Most people living in developing countries, he argued,
are subsistence farmers, They
often grow enough to feed
their family and to sell some at
a nearby market. Their way of
life, and existence, is threatened
by such variables as bad weather
and war, turning a hardscrabble
life into one that could result in
uprooting themselves from their
land and seek refuge in big cities,
if not other countries.
Hauling freighters full of
wheat and other staples across
oceans is not going to solve the
problem DeWitt said, it will require a concerted effort to reach
those farmers and their plots in
advances made in farming.
Those advances may include
genetically modiÀed organisms.
Some nations have refused to
allow them, and some consumers in developed countries reject
them. But some GMO crops
may beneÀt the farmer with
more, and more healthful crops.
How to apply faith principles
for GMO use? “It’s an interesting question -- which is my
way of saying I don’t know,”
said Christopher Thompson,
academic dean of the St. Paul
Seminary School of Divinity at
the University of St. Thomas.
“You have to be careful about
wild experiments.”
But the planet’s ability to
feed itself may
be at stake,
according to
Kirschenmann.
Early humans,
he said, were not
food producers but “food
collectors,”
hunting, killing
and eating prey
for their subsistence.
In the past
10,000 or so
years, humans
have engaged
in a process of
what Kirschenmann called
“slash and
burn” farming.
This process
YEMENIS receive food at a distribution center in Sana’a,
Yemen, Feb. 13. Speakers at a “faith and farm” symposium in St. Paul, Minn., discussed the ever-growing
importance of how to feed the planet’s people, especially
in light of projections that the world’s population will reach
9 billion by 2050. (CNS photo/Yahya Arhab, EPA)
accelerated in the last century or
so through using water, petrochemicals and minerals to make
the land more productive.
While it has resulted in
increased yields, the planet
runs the risk of exhausting its
resources. The Ogallala aquifer
under Nebraska, said the Rev.
Clifford Canku, a Presbyterian
minister, member of the Dakota
Indians, and a retired professor of Dakota studies at North
Dakota State University. The
aquifer’s water reserves were
built up over millions of years.
But at the pace the water is now
being used up, it will run dry in
about 50 years, he predicted.
Thinning topsoil runs the
same risk. However, National
Farmers Union president Roger
Johnson, said the planting of
“cover crops” after the harvest
of a cash crop can restore the
soil’s health, cutting pesticide
use by 70 percent, and increasing rainfall retention. The soil
under cash crops has been degraded to the point where it can
absorb about only a half-inch of
rainfall, he said. But after a few
cycles of planting cover crops,
the same soil can retain eight
inches of rain.
That doesn’t take into account the old agrarian practice
of letting land lay fallow through
crop rotation practices to keep
it strong. Kirschenmann said
that, even when farmers ignore
these practices, “nature abhors
the density of any species. ... If
one method fails, she will try
another.”
Another, and less comfortable way of looking at the
question is by asking how
many people the planet can
sustain. Kirschenmann said,
“We have to look at what the
carrying capacity of the human
species is,” he said. “I haven’t
heard anyone say, ‘Oh, 9 billion or 10 billion people is all
right,” adding he knows that
ethicists and theologians have
not wanted to deal with this
issue.
Kirschenmann himself
said he did not know what a
sustainable number might be,
tossing about the numbers
5 billion and 3 billion. But
neither he nor anyone else at
the symposium suggested how
the planet might get down to a
lower number.
12
IN OUR WORLD
C ATHOLIC S PIRIT
Mexican bishops call violence a ‘national crisis’
BY DAVID AGREN
The Mexican bishops’ conference issued an impassioned
plea for peace and an end to
the bloodshed in a country
consumed with the crisis of
43 teacher trainees allegedly
captured by crooked cops,
killed by organized crime and
burned.
“With sadness we recognize that the situation of the
country has worsened” ––
since 2010, when the bishops
published a pastoral letter on
violence –– “unleashing a true
national crisis,” the bishops
said Nov. 12 during their semiannual planning sessions in
suburban Mexico City. “Many
people live subjected to fear,
Ànding themselves helpless
against the threats of criminal
groups and, in some cases, the
regrettable corruption of the
authorities.
The same day, at the end
of his general audience at the
Vatican, Pope Francis said
he wanted to express to the
Mexicans present in St. Peter’s
Square, “but also to those in
your homeland, my spiritual
closeness at this painful time.”
While the students are legally
missing, “we know they were
killed,” the pope said. Their
disappearance and deaths
“make visible the dramatic reality that exists behind the sale
and trafÀcking of drugs.”
Ordinary Mexicans have
taken to the streets, condemning the crimes committed
against the students and the
apparent collusion between
criminals and the political
class in parts of the country.
The bishops lent their support
to peaceful demonstrations,
which often have been led
by students, and called for a
day of prayer Dec. 12, when
millions of Mexicans celebrate
the feast day of Our Lady of
Guadalupe.
“In our vision of faith,
these acts make it evident that
we have distanced ourselves
from God,” the bishops said.
“We join the generalized
clamor for a Mexico in which
the truth and justice provoke a
deep transformation of the institutional, judicial and political
order that assures that acts like
these never repeat themselves,”
the bishops said.
“In the midst of this crisis,
we see with hope the awakening of civil society, which as
never before in recent years
has protested against corruption, impunity and the
complicity of some authorities. We believe it is necessary
to proceed from protests to
proposals.”
The protests and outrage
are among the strongest in
recent years and reÁect anger
with the ongoing insecurity
in the country. Many have
adopted the slogan, “I’ve had
enough,” echoing off-the-cuff
comment of Mexico’s Attorney
General Jesus Murillo Karam
after a Nov. 7 news conference
that has been interpreted by
many as insensitive.
“It was the straw that
broke the camel’s back,” said
Jesuit Father Conrado Zepeda,
who celebrated Mass Nov. 4 at
the Jesuit-run Iberoamerican
University for students and
four family members of the
missing. “It has to do with
the young, students, the poor,
people unable to defend themselves being attacked in this
way. This is why civil society
has revolted.”
Authorities arrested Jose
Luis Abarca, mayor of Iguala,
and his wife, Maria de los Angeles Pineda, Nov. 4 in Mexico
City, alleging they ordered the
attack on the students. The
couple claimed the students
were coming to protest a
community event planned by
Pineda. Classmates said the
students went to Iguala, 120
miles south of Mexico City, to
collect funds for a future trip
to the capital, but had their
borrowed buses shot at by police –– who detained 43 of the
teacher trainees and handed
them over to members of the
Guerreros Unidos gang. Murillo spelled out the details Nov.
7, saying three gang members
confessed to burning the bodies in a garbage dump. Six bags
of ashes and bones have been
discovered at the site.
Families of the missing
students refuse to believe the
government and said they only
will accept evidence presented
by Argentine forensic experts
working on the case.
Father Victor Manuel
Aguilar, spokesman for the
Diocese of ChilpancingoChilapa, where the students’
school is located, said the
mistrust comes from an unhappy history of human rights
abuses in Guerrero state,
which is south of Mexico
City and full of impoverished,
indigenous communities
that have been exploited and
pushed to the society’s margins for centuries.
“Justice is often delayed ...
if it arrives at all,” he said.
The case has caused
outrage and a political crisis
for President Enrique Pena
Nieto, who had stopped
speaking on security matters
in an attempt to improve the
image of Mexico as an investment destination. “There has
never been a rebuke like now,”
Father Aguilar said. Pena Nieto
–– who has not visited Iguala
or the students’ school since
the tragedy, but departed for
an overseas trip Nov. 8 ––
appears to have been caught
Áat-footed.
He has proposed an allparty pact to curb crime and
corruption.
While not unlike the consensus he achieved to approve
11 structural reforms in areas
such as education, energy and
taxation, it has found tepid
support.
Catholic leaders have called
for a change in Mexico, even
though they are seen in some
cities as part of the establishment –– rubbing shoulders
with prominent politicians and
businessmen and staying silent
on issues such as insecurity and
corruption.
“The reality of our present-day Mexico did not surge
from one year ago or Àve
years ago,” Bishop Francisco
Moreno Barron of Tlaxcala
told the Reforma newspaper.
“It has been gestating for a
long time through corruption
and impunity and I believe
that it’s time to put a stop to
it.”
Protests have continued,
especially in Guerrero, where
students and their supporters have burned government
buildings, blocked highways
and marched through the tourist zone of Acapulco.
Father Aguilar sees the protests continuing as long as the
students’ whereabouts remains
uncertain.
“We all want the student to
appear alive. But if they don’t
appear, I think that this discontent could become radicalized,”
Father Aguilar said. “There are
people willing to do whatever
it takes to make their demands
known.”
December 2014
13
IN OUR WORLD
Love is the force behind initiating change, pope says
BY CINDY WOODEN
The Catholic Church calls
for the creation of job opportunities and the recognition
of the dignity of the poor, not
simply for more handouts or
expanded government welfare
programs, Pope Francis said.
Acknowledging the dignity
of every person, he said, requires
a lot more than charity; it means
devoting energy and imagination
to creating jobs and opportunities for them to use their talents
to feed their families.
Pope Francis made his remarks in a video message played
Nov. 20 at the Italian church’s
Festival of Catholic Social teaching, a gathering in Verona that
included economists, business
leaders and others interested in
promoting social justice.
As the global economic
crisis continues, he said, there is
a “great temptation to stop and
lick one’s wounds, seeing them as
an excuse not to hear the cry of
the poor and see the suffering of
those who have lost the dignity
of bringing bread home because
they have lost their jobs.”
Christians are called to
look beyond their own needs,
broaden their horizons and trust
that by working with others,
including with governments,
they can “unleash goodness and
enjoy its fruits.”
“Today it is said that many
things cannot be done because
there is no money,” he said. Yet,
“the money for weapons can
be found, the money to make
war, money for unscrupulous
Ànancial transactions.”
At the same time, he said,
there seems to be no money “to
create jobs, to invest in learning,
in people’s talents, to plan new
welfare programs or to safeguard the environment.”
“The real problem isn’t
money, but people,” he said.
“We cannot ask money to do
what only people can do or
create. Money alone will not
create development; to promote
development we need people
who have the courage to take
the initiative.”
“Taking the initiative means
overcoming excessive aid,” he
said, “better on a different future
and a different way of resolving
problems.”
Pope Francis spoke about
the father of a young man with
Down syndrome who joined
with other parents and people
with Down syndrome to form
a cooperative, and then found
a for-proÀt company willing to
sell what the cooperative made.
The dad, he said, needed the
support offered by the state and
by private organizations, but he
was not content until he found a
way to help his son make a living.
If the father had not taken
the initiative, the pope said, he
would have been stuck asking
the state for everything.
When Christians look for
ways to create new jobs, new
ways of organizing a labor force
and new ideas for employee
participation schemes, Pope
Francis said, they should put an
important Gospel value into the
mix: love.
“Love is a real force for
change,” he said. It is what
makes people refuse to stop at
the ordinary and predictable,
giving more of themselves than
they thought possible.”
Pope encourages all to open their hearts to Christ
Lord brings, because we cannot
control it.
“We are afraid of conversion, because to convert means
Conversion to Christ is a
to let the Lord lead us,” he
process that lasts a lifetime, but
said at the Mass in the Domus
the process stalls in the face of
Sanctae Marthae, where he
fear or self-satisfaction, Pope
lives.
Francis said.
The day’s Gospel reading
“We feel safe with what we
from the Gospel of St. Luke
can control,” the pope said Nov. describes Jesus weeping over
20 at his early morning Mass.
Jerusalem, which “did not rec“We all have fear, not of happi- ognize the one who would bring
ness –– no –– but of the joy the it peace,” the pope said, accord-
BY CINDY WOODEN
ing to Vatican Radio. The Lord
wept for the “closed heart” of
the holy city, symbol of God’s
chosen people.
“They didn’t have time to
open the door. They were too
busy, too self-satisÀed,” the
pope said. Jerusalem in the Gospel was “afraid of being saved
along the road by the surprises
of the Lord. It was afraid of the
Lord, the groom, the beloved.
And so Jesus wept.”
“Jerusalem was tranquil and
content. The temple functioned.
The priests offered sacriÀces;
people came on pilgrimage; the
doctors of the law had everything well ordered, everything!
All of the commandments were
clear,” he said. “And with all of
this, Jerusalem had closed its
doors.”
Still today, he said, Jesus
continues knocking at the door
of people’s hearts and “the
doors of his church.”
“I ask myself: Today we
Christians who know the faith
and the catechism, who go to
Mass every Sunday –– are we
Christians, we pastors content
with ourselves?” he asked.
Do we think “we have everything just right and we don’t
need any more visits from the
Lord?”
If Christians, including
priests, do not open the doors
of their hearts to the Lord each
day, he said, “the Lord weeps,
still today.”
Upcoming Events
March 7: RCIA Retreat
with Tracy Rodenborn
JAN. 17, LOVE AMONG THE RUINS—THE BOOK OF HOSEA
Join us as Fr. Angelo Bertini takes an in depth look at the Prophet Hosea. Hosea’s marital
problems parallels God’s relationship with Israel. The theme of Hosea’s preaching is divine love
that is misunderstood by the people on whom it is lavished. What is our relationship with God
like and how do we understand unconditional love? Cost: $35 (incl. lunch)
FEB. 6-8, FIRESIDE REFLECTION—I BEGIN NOW!
I Begin Now! Three simple words to remind us to live in the present time in the “presence of
God.” Life can teach us many lessons if we take time to ponder and be aware. We will look at
events in our lives (challenges, obstacles and victories) and see what God is teaching us from the
past to carry over into the present moment where He dwells and invites us to be one with Him.
Brian Egan, Beverly Collin and Fr. Angelo Bertini will present this weekend. Cost: $195/person
(private); $160/person (shared), $85/person (commuter)
FEB. 18, ASH WEDNESDAY
“Seek first his
g p over yyou.”
kingship
Matthew
M
atthew 66:33
:33
5602 STATE HWY. 317N, TEMPLE, TX 76502
P.O. BOX 58 BELTON, TX 76513 (mailing address)
The real sign of Lent is not the ashes but the cross. Jesus says, “If anyone wants to become my
followers, let them deny themselves, take up their cross and follow me.” (Mk 8:35) Begin this
Lenten journey by coming to Cedarbrake and reflecting on the challenges Jesus lays before us.
We will begin with Mass and the distribution of ashes. Brian Egan, Beverly Collin and Fr. Angelo
Bertini will present this retreat. Cost: $35 (incl. lunch)
TO REGISTER FOR AN EVENT: (254) 780-2436, [email protected] or
www.austindiocese.org/cedarbrake, click on “upcoming retreats”
Visit us online!
WEBSITE: austindiocese.org/cedarbrake
FACEBOOK: facebook.com/cedarbrake
14
IN OUR WORLD
C ATHOLIC S PIRIT
Pope’s ecumenism helps build bridges
“I said to the pope, ‘Do you
realize what you’re doing?’ The
pope replied, ‘I think so.’”
“Building bridges is the
Four of the daily homilies
work of ecumenism, of evanof Pope Francis over the 19
gelization,” said Father Rosica.
months of his pontiÀcate in
“It’s the work of going out to
particular help explain the direc- the whole world to proclaim
tion he has taken in ecumenism the good news of our salvation
and interreligious efforts, said a
in Jesus Christ. Building walls is
priest who has served as a Vati- what fearful, insecure people do
can spokesman during events
to protect what they have and
including the recent extraordikeep others out.
nary Synod of Bishops.
“Pope Francis wants to
Basilian Father Thomas
build bridges that everyone can
Rosica, a U.S. priest who also is cross,” he said, especially the
CEO of Salt and Light Televipoor, those who have been marsion, Canada’s national Cathoginalized and social outcasts.
lic network, said in a Nov. 9
“In ‘Evangelii Gaudium’
workshop for bishops before
Pope Francis invites -- and
their annual fall general assemchallenges -- all of us to move
bly that Pope Francis’ daily Mass beyond our ‘comfort zones,’”
homilies and his 2013 apostolic
Father Rosica said. “He wants
exhortation, “Evangelii Gaudius to be warm, welcoming and
um” (“The Joy of the Gospel”), forgiving. He wants us to eat
give context to his approach.
with tax collectors and sinIn Argentina, then-Cardinal ners; he wants us to forgive
Jorge Bergoglio had a rabbi
the woman caught in adultery
among his close friends and
(while admonishing her to sin
friendships with evangelicals and no more); he wants us to welPentecostals, who have particicome and respect foreigners
pated in events at the Vatican
(even our enemies), and, above
since he became pope.
all, not to judge others.”
As pope, he has also
There’s nothing new in any
reached out to other Chrisof that, said the priest. “It is only
tians, Jews and Orthodox in
the Gospel message. It’s been
ways that have captivated many our mission, our mandate and
non-Catholics, who pore over
our story for over 2,000 years.”
the details of Francis’ writings
The four homilies Father
and relish activities such as his Rosica cited date from one
Holy Thursday visit to an Ital- a month after his election as
ian prison to wash the feet of
pope to as recently as Nov. 4.
inmates of diverse faiths, said
In the Àrst, he discussed
Father Rosica.
the “courageous attitude of
He said he mentioned to
St. Paul in Areopagus, when,
Pope Francis recently that peoin speaking to the Athenian
ple the world over are reading
crowd, the Apostle to the Gen“Evangelii Gaudium,” as Father tiles sought to build bridges
Rosica has discovered from the to proclaim the Gospel.” The
many invitations he receives to
pope said an attitude such as
speak on the topic.
Paul’s that seeks dialogue is
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“closer to the heart” of the
listener and why Paul was a
builder of bridges, not of walls.
Last October, Father Rosica
said, Pope Francis warned
Christians against behaving
as though “the key is in their
pocket and the door is closed.”
He talked about Christians who
have the key to the church in
their hand but “take it away
without opening the door.”
People who may wish to enter
Ànd themselves on the street in
front of a closed church, with
excuses and justiÀcations given
for why they cannot enter, the
pope said.
“Worse still,” said Father
Rosica, citing the pope, they
keep the door closed, don’t
allow anyone to enter and in
doing so, keep
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The situation arises when
“the faith passes, so to speak
through a distiller and becomes
ideology. And ideology does not
beckon people.”
“When a Christian becomes
a disciple of the ideology, he has
lost the faith, he is no longer a
disciple of Jesus, he is a disciple
of this attitude of thought.”
Father Rosica said the pope
went on to say that when faith
becomes ideology, it chases
away people and distances the
church from the people.
Father Rosica also quoted
from an October homily this
year, in which the pope spoke
about unity in diversity. He used
the image of a church made
of living stones, as opposed to
weak bricks.
“Humility, gentleness,
magnanimity: These are weak
things, because the humble
person appears good for nothing; gentleness, meekness appear
useless; generosity, being open
to all, having a big heart,” Father
Rosica quoted. “And then he
says more: Bearing with one
another through love. Bearing
with one another through love,
having what at heart? Preserving
unity. The weaker we are with
these virtues of humility, generosity, gentleness, meekness, the
stronger we become as stones in
this temple.”
The fourth key homily, according to Father Rosica, was
the pope’s Nov. 4 teaching on
the parable of the man who gave
a banquet to which he invited
many, but some declined.
As Pope Francis noted, Father Rosica said, “In the end the
invited guests prefer their own
interests rather than sharing dinner together: They do not know
what it means to celebrate.”
He said that form of self-interest makes it difÀcult to listen
to the voice of God, “when you
believe that that the whole world
revolves around you: there is no
horizon, because you become
your own horizon. And there is
more behind all of this, something far deeper: fear of gratuity.
We are afraid of God’s gratuity.
He is so great that we fear him.”
December 2014
IN OUR WORLD
15
Resources available for Year of Consecrated Life
BY CAROL ZIMMERMANN
In an effort to help lay
Catholics gain a deeper understanding of religious life,
priests, brothers and women
religious intend to open their
convents, monasteries, abbeys
and religious houses to the
public one day next February.
“If you’ve ever wondered
what a brother or religious
sister does all day, you will Ànd
out,” said Dominican Sister
Marie Bernadette Thompson
in announcing the open house
scheduled for Feb. 8, 2015.
The open house is just one
of the events for the upcoming Year of Consecrated Life,
which began the weekend of
Nov. 29-30. It will end Feb. 2,
2016, the World Day of Consecrated life.
The special year dedicated
to consecrated life was announced by Pope Francis and
is similar to previous themed
years announced by popes
such as Year of the Priest
(2009-2010) or Year of St.
Paul. (2008-2009).
The year also marks the
50th anniversary of “Perfectae
Caritatis,” a decree on religious
life, and “Lumen Gentium,”
the Second Vatican Council’s
Dogmatic Constitution on the
Church. The purpose of the
yearlong celebration, according
to a Vatican statement, is to
“make a grateful remembrance
of the recent past” while embracing “the future with hope.”
Bishop Joe Vásquez discusses the Year of Consecrated
Life in the Bishop’s Interview
on Page 16. He encourages lay
people to participate fully in
the year.
“We want to be grateful as
a church, and we need to learn
how to thank (religious) for
their many years of dedicated
service in our church,” Bishop
Vásquez said.
He said hundreds of men
and women religious have
worked in different ways in our
Catholic schools, in our parishes, in our hospitals and in
service to the poor throughout
Central Texas.
Bishop Michael F. Burbidge of Raleigh, N.C., chairman of the U.S. Conference of
Catholic Bishops’ Committee
on Clergy, Consecrated Life
and Vocations, announced
the Year of Consecrated Life
events at an Oct. 1 news conference at the USCCB headquarters in Washington.
He said the scheduled
events will provide an opportunity, especially for young
people, to see how men and
women religious live. He also
urged heads of religious orders
to let his committee know of
activities they are planning so
they can be publicized.
Sister Thompson, council
coordinator of the Council of
Major Superiors of Women
Religious, said the purpose
of the open house gatherings
will be to provide people with
an encounter with men and
women religious and also an
encounter with Christ.
Sister Marcia Allen, a
member of the Sisters of St.
Joseph of Concordia, Kan.,
and president-elect of Leadership Conference of Women
Religious, said another initiative for the upcoming year is
called “Days with Religious,”
during which laypeople will
have opportunities to join men
and women religious in works
of service throughout the summer of 2015.
She said these opportunities, to be announced locally,
will not only give laypeople the
chance to “work with us side
by side” but will also enable
them to become aware of the
charisms of different orders.
Sister Allen said she hoped
the experience would be a
“coming together for the sake
of the church’s presence” in
the modern world.
The third major initiative
for the year is a day of prayer
scheduled Sept. 13, 2015.
“We will join hands and
hearts with you that day,”
said Father James GreenÀeld,
president of the Conference of
Major Superiors of Men, who
noted that throughout that day
people will be invited to join
religious men and women for
vespers, rosary or holy hours.
The priest, who is a
member of the Oblates of St.
Francis de Sales of the Wilmington, Delaware-Philadelphia
province, said he hoped the
year would not only encour-
age new vocations but also
would allow people to “see our
commitment with fresh eyes
and open their hearts to support us with a renewed energy
that stirs us all to embrace our
pope’s ongoing call for the
new evangelization.”
Although the year’s events
are intended to give laypeople
a deeper understanding of
consecrated life, the men and
women religious also said they
will most likely beneÀt.
Sister Thompson said she
hopes women religious experience a renewed joy in their vocation and Sister Allen stressed
that by simply explaining their
order’s charisms to others
should give the sisters a deeper
understanding and appreciation
of their ministries.
“Whenever you think
you are giving something you
always end up receiving more,”
she said.
Prayer intentions, prayer
cards, a video on consecrated life and other resources
are available at www.usccb.
org/beliefs-and-teachings/vocations/consecrated-life/yearof-consecrated-life/index.cfm.
Franciscans, Dominicans take center stage in exhibit
about it and other resources.
Kennedy’s original idea was
to focus on the art of the Franciscans. As she delved deeper
into the subject, she was
A Nashville museum’s
groundbreaking exhibit of Ital- unable to Ànd much research
concerning the art of the Doian art created between 1250
minicans and the Franciscans
and 1550 explores the signiÀduring this period.
cant role of the Dominicans
She said both orders creand Franciscans in the revival
of the arts that began in Italy in ated art -- frescoes, illuminated
manuscripts, panel paintings,
the 13th century.
“Sanctity Pictured: The Art prints and sculptures -- as a vehicle for communicating their
of the Dominican and Franrespective theologies to the
ciscan Orders in Renaissance
general public. But there were
Italy” opened Oct. 31 at the
Frist Center for the Visual Arts signiÀcant differences too.
“And when you have
and will be on display until Jan.
something to compare and
25.
It is the Àrst major presen- contrast then you can see
better what is unique about
tation of Italian Renaissance
art in Nashville since 1934, and each one,” Kennedy told the
Tennessee Register, newsparepresents a dream come true
per of the Nashville Diocese.
for Trinita Kennedy, the center’s curator and a Renaissance “Adding the Dominicans to
the exhibit also allowed me to
art historian.
increase the number of poten“This exhibition was work
tial loans for the exhibit.”
that I had mentioned doing
As it turned out, 28 Ameriwhen I was interviewing for
can museums and libraries,
the job seven years ago,” said
including the Art Institute
Kennedy, a parishioner at St.
of Chicago, the J. Paul Getty
Philip Parish in Franklin. “So
Museum, the Metropolitan
this one has been a long time
Museum of Art, the National
in the making.”
Gallery of Art and the PierVisitors to the Frist Center’s website, http://fristcenter. pont Morgan Library lent work
org, can listen online to an au- to the exhibition. And, for the
dio tour of the exhibit and will Àrst time in its history, the Frist
Center is borrowing works
Ànd a Spanish-language video
BY NED ANDREW SOLOMON
from the Vatican Library and
Vatican Museums.
“It’s a very big deal for
us to be borrowing from the
Vatican, and we’re thrilled that
they said yes,” Kennedy said.
“This is a very rare opportunity
to see some works of art from
the Vatican that have never
traveled to the United States
before.
“Even if somebody hopped
on a plane today and went to
the Vatican, they’d have a very
difÀcult time gaining entry to
the library. You have to prove
that you’re a scholar and that
you have serious research to
do, and that you’re qualiÀed to
be there.”
Displayed throughout Àve
galleries, “Sanctity Pictured”
encompasses more than 60
items, including paintings,
manuscript illuminations,
bronze medals and printed
books. Among the highlights
are the Vatican Museums’ “St.
Francis With Four Post-Mortem Miracles”; the J. Paul Getty Museum’s Abbey Bible and
a painting of “St. Catherine of
Siena Receiving the Stigmata”;
and the Allen Memorial Art
Museum’s “Madonna and
Child With St. Francis.”
To enhance the impact of
the illuminated choir books,
the Frist Center invited two
Nashville choirs, the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia
and the male a capella group
Schola Pacis, which got
its start at Christ the King
Church, to record 13th-century chants for the exhibition’s
audio guide. The Dominican
sisters were recorded in the
chapel at their motherhouse
in Nashville; Schola Pacis,
at Music Row’s Ocean Way
Recording Studios.
“We loved making a musical connection with the art,
especially with Nashville being
Music City,” said Kennedy.
“Quite a few of the manuscripts in the exhibition are
choir books, or pages from
choir books. There are even
some really wonderful representations of Dominicans and
Franciscans singing.”
“Sanctity Pictured” is accompanied by a 244-page fully
illustrated, hardback catalog,
which consists of essays and
in-depth entries for each of
the featured works. Contributors include Kennedy; Donal
Cooper of the University of
Cambridge; Holly Flora of
Tulane University; Amy Neff
of the University of Tennessee,
Knoxville; and Janet Robson,
an independent scholar.
The Frist Center is offering
a variety of activities associ-
ated with the exhibit, including
an all-day symposium Jan. 10
featuring several of the experts
whose writings appear in the
catalog; weekend children’s
programs, featuring an original
story about St. Francis and the
animals; and a showing of the
1950 Àlm “The Flowers of
St. Francis” Àlm by Roberto
Rosellini, which starred actual
Franciscan friars.
The Frist is reaching out
to Catholic churches in the
Àve states closest to Tennessee
to make people aware of the
exhibit and related events.
But Kennedy hoped Catholics and non-Catholics alike
would Ànd a reason to see the
once-in-a-lifetime exhibition.
“Everybody loves Francis,
and he’s deÀnitely one of the
superstars of our show!” she
said. “He has this universal appeal with being the patron saint
of animals, and of the environment. ... Right across from
the Frist Center is a church
that hosts the blessing of the
animals every year, and it’s not
even a Catholic church.”
“We do hope that Francis
brings people in, but we’ve
also tried really hard to bring in
beautiful examples of Renaissance art,” continued Kennedy.
“So hopefully on that level
people can appreciate it.”
GOOD NEWS
16
C ATHOLIC S PIRIT
Celebrating the gifts of religious men, women
BISHOP JOE S.
VÁSQUEZ is the ¿fth
bishop of the Austin
Diocese. He shepherds more than
530,000 Catholics in 25 Central
Texas counties.
Editor: Pope Francis has declared a Year of Consecrated Life,
which began on Nov. 30 and will
run through February 2016. Why
has the Holy Father decided to put
such emphasis on consecrated life?
Bishop Vásquez: Pope Francis
knows Àrst-hand the importance of
what it means to be a consecrated
religious. He is a Jesuit; therefore, he
values the wonderful charisms that the
Jesuits and all of the religious communities bring to our church and to our
world. Our Holy Father wants us to
focus on religious and the beauty and
gifts they offer the church.
Last year, when Pope Francis met
with the leaders of religious congregations around the world, he said. “The
church must be attractive. Wake up the
world! It is possible to live differently
in this world … It is a question of leaving everything to follow the Lord …
Religious follow the Lord in a special
way, in a prophetic way. It is this witness that I expect of you. Religious
should be men and women who are
able to wake the world up.”
Pope Francis wants religious men
and women to wake up the world to
the reality of the Kingdom of God,
which Jesus came to establish and we
desire as we pray in the Our Father,
“thy kingdom come, thy will be done.”
The Kingdom of God is described in
the preface of the Solemnity of Christ
the King as “an eternal and universal
kingdom, a kingdom of truth and life, a
kingdom of holiness and grace, a kingdom of justice, love and peace.” Our
religious men and women take vows
of poverty, chastity and obedience and
point us to the reality of the Kingdom
of God.
Editor: With that in mind tell us
what is meant by the term “consecrated life”?
Bishop Vásquez: Consecrated life
is a vocation in which a person gives
of himself/herselft completely and
totally to God and in service of the
church. Each religious community has
a particular charism or ministry. For
instance the Daughters of Charity have
been working in hospital ministry in
Central Texas for more than 100 years
as a way to care for the poor. The
Dominican Sisters of Mary Mother of
the Eucharist have a charism dedicated
to educating the young. Each religious
community is doing something for the
good of the church. From the contemplative orders who are praying for us
and for the church at all times to the
missionary orders who are bringing
Christ to the distant parts of the world,
they are all founded in love and service
to the church and they point us to a
deep reality of God.
Editor: Many have said that
consecrated life is a thing of the
past and that religious life is not as
attractive as it once was. What is
your response to those critics?
Bishop Vásquez: I would say that
those people need to learn to appreciate religious life. Granted, there may
not be as many religious vocations as
there once was and certain religious
communities have declined; however,
there are many religious communities
that are thriving.
Consecrated life is not a thing of the
past because consecrated life is essential
to who we are as a church. Think of the
history of the Catholic Church, of the Jesuits who went all over the world, of the
Franciscans who came to the Americas
to bring the Gospel, and the Dominicans who traveled to many parts of the
world to educate and preach the Gospel.
Yes, we may have some lows and some
moments where there will be certain
communities that will Áourish and others will not. That is how the Spirit moves
and how the Spirit continues to work
through the church. We are blessed to
have such dedicated men and women
religious in our world.
Editor: How has the Austin
Diocese been blessed by such men
and women?
Bishop Vásquez: Our diocese has
a long history of religious that were
present even before the diocese was
founded. As I said before, the Daughters of Charity have served Central
Texas for more than 100 years. We
have also had the Holy Cross Priests,
Sisters and Brothers who have worked
here for many years. They founded St.
Edward’s University, our only Catholic
university in the Diocese of Austin.
They also founded many parishes and
schools throughout our diocese.
We have been blessed with the
service of many Dominican sisters
over the years; they have served on
the diocesan staff, worked in evangelization ministries and taught in our
Catholic schools. Presently, we have
several parishes that are served by
priestly orders, such as the Paulists,
the Conventual and the Third Order
Franciscans, the Schoenstatts and the
Missionary Society of St. Paul.
We have orders of religious who
have been in our diocese from its
beginning and we have new orders
who have just joined us. Nevertheless, I consider them a blessing to the
life of the diocese. Hundreds of men
and women religious have worked in
different ways in our Catholic schools,
in our parishes, in our hospitals and in
service to the poor throughout Central
Texas. My expectation and my hope
is that men and women religious will
continue to be part of the history of
this great diocese for years to come.
Editor: How can families and
parishes give more attention to
those who serve in consecrated life?
Bishop Vásquez: One simple way
for families to become more familiar
and knowledgeable of religious communities is to read about the lives of
saints, such as St. Francis, St. Dominic,
St. Louise de Marillac, and St. Vincent
DePaul. Parents can also help their
children understand what the saints
are about, and help children appreciate their gifts that they brought to the
church.
Another thing we can do is to get
to know religious men and women in
our diocese. You can see them in our
parishes. Visit with them, pray with
them, celebrate Mass with them, or
invite them to dinner. There are great
opportunities for us to be able to get
to know religious.
People sometimes feel as though
they would interfere in the lives of
religious. However, the truth is that
religious want to share their lives with
us. I think religious men and women
would love it if we asked them how
they discovered the calling to religious life. There should be nothing
complicated about forming a relationship or a friendship with religious
men and women. I encourage everyone to initiate a conversation with a
religious in this Year of Consecrated
Life.
Editor: What is your prayer for
all those men and women who
faithfully serve the church?
Bishop Vásquez: First of all, like
the Holy Father has said we are grateful to consecrated men and women.
We want to be grateful as a church,
and we need to learn how to thank
them for their many years of dedicated
service in our church. Where would
our church be if not for these men and
women who have given up so much
out of love for Christ? My prayer is
that consecrated life will experience
a renewal and Áourish. May all men
and women religious continue to be a
witness to the Kingdom of God and
help us place our hope in God and his
Kingdom.
Numbers of religious currently serving in
the Austin Diocese
Congregations of Women
Number of Religious
AVI
Apostles of the Interior Life .................................................................3
CDP
Congregation of Divine Providence ....................................................3
CSC
Sisters of the Holy Cross ....................................................................6
DC
Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent De Paul .......................................9
DDL
Daughters of Divine Love Congregation .............................................2
ESEH
Eudist Servants of the Eleventh Hour .................................................2
FHM
Franciscan Sisters Daughters of Mercy ..............................................8
FMA
Salesian Sisters of St. John Bosco .....................................................4
IHM
Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary ............................1
MCDP
Missionary Catechists of Divine Providence .......................................3
ME
Missionary Ecumenical .......................................................................2
MSC
Marianites of Holy Cross .....................................................................1
MSDP
Missionary Servants of Divine Providence..........................................1
OP
Dominican Sisters of Houston.............................................................3
OP
Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist .........................13
OP
Dominican Sisters of Sinsinawa..........................................................2
OP
Hermanas Dominicas “Siervas del Senor” ..........................................2
OSF
Franciscan Sisters of Our Lady of Perpeutal Help ..............................3
OSF
Sisters of St. Francis, Congregation of Our Lady of Lourdes .............6
PCI
Pax Christi Institute .............................................................................4
SFCC
Sisters for Christian Community .........................................................2
SJB
Sisters of St. John Bosco ....................................................................1
SJS
Sisters of Jesus the Saviour ...............................................................1
SMIC
Missionary Sisters of the Immaculate Conception ..............................2
SNDdeN
Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur - Ohio Province ..............................1
SSND
School Sisters of Notre Dame.............................................................1
SSS
Sisters of Sacred Sciences .................................................................4
Brothers
CSC
Congregation of Holy Cross .............................................................42
Priests
CSC
Congregation of Holy Cross ................................................................7
CMI
Carmelites of Mary Immaculate ..........................................................1
CSP
Paulist Father ......................................................................................7
ICM
Incarnatio Consecratio Missio .............................................................1
IMS
Indian Missionary Society-Ranchi Region ..........................................2
ISP
Secular Institute of Schoenstatt Fathers .............................................5
MF
Missionaries of Faith ...........................................................................3
MSC
Missionaries of the Sacred Heart ........................................................2
MSP
Missionaries of St. Paul ......................................................................3
OFM Conv. Conventual Franciscan Friars .............................................................3
OMI
Oblates of Mary Immaculate ...............................................................2
OP
Order of Preachers-Dominicans .........................................................2
OSB
Missionary Benedictines .....................................................................3
SDS
Society of the Divine Savior ................................................................2
SRC
Servants of the Risen Christ Monastic Community.............................1
SS
Society of San Sulpice ........................................................................1
TOR
Third Order Regular of Saint Francis ..................................................2
Total Religious ....................................................................................................179
GOOD NEWS
December 2014
17
Faithful citizenship is more than voting
BY BARBARA BUDDE
COLUMNIST
For all who voted –– thank you.
For those who did not vote, you can
practice faithful citizenship still. Everyone, please know that our work is just
beginning! Our responsibility to act
as faithful citizens does not begin or
end at the ballot box. Now we have to
do the long, hard work of sharing our
vision and values with those who were
elected.
We have a Catholic as governor of
the state and that is very good news;
however, our new governor will need a
great deal of support to bring the values we share as Catholics to our state
government. The platforms and membership of both political parties have
areas of agreement and disagreement
with Catholic teaching. Our role is to
continue to make our voices heard to
all levels of government –– speaking
out for the poor and vulnerable; for
the unborn and those on death row;
for the immigrant and every person
who is marginalized for any reason to
create the change envisioned by the
Gospel.
Our country and our state face
some difÀcult and challenging times.
We do not yet have a society that
respects human life and dignity from
conception to death or that supports
persons and families throughout their
lives. Though the economy is recovering, it seems to be beneÀtting a
few while many continue to struggle.
We know that the Gospel calls us
to work for the common good over
our individual desires and to care
• Get to know the key staff members of all elected ofÀcials and let them
know that you will be communicating
with them. Staff members are crucial
in brieÀng legislators and being able
to communicate with staff is often the
best way to get your message to the
ears of our elected ofÀcials.
Plan to participate in the Catholic Advocacy day
at the State Capitol on March 24. There are ways
you can participate without even leaving home.
especially for the poor and vulnerable
among us. Political parties are tallying
wins and losses for “their” side and
proclaiming mandates for their priorities. However, we are called to ignore
sides and to work for the values that
Áow from God’s vision: protecting
human life, promoting family life,
pursuing social justice and practicing
global solidarity.
Here are some things we can begin
to do right now:
• Send a note or e-mail to the
winning candidates and congratulate
them. Explain to them that as a faithful
citizen, you hope to communicate your
vision and values to them frequently
and that you wish to begin a dialogue
on the issues facing our state and our
nation.
• Sign up with Catholic groups to
receive issue brieÀngs. Some of the the
major groups that work on state and
national issues are listed here.
• For information on Texas
legislative matters; sign up for the
Texas Catholic Voice run by the Texas
Catholic Conference at www.txcatholic.org/texas-catholic-network.
• For information on International issues, sign up for action alerts
from Catholic Relief Services and the
International OfÀce of USCCB at
www.confrontglobalpoverty.org/getinvoled/action-center/.
• For information on domestic policies regarding health, human services,
poverty, housing and others, sign up
for Catholic Charities USA, Washington weekly and action alerts at http://
catholiccharitiesusa.org/our-solutions/
campaign-to-reduce-poverty/.
• For information on pro-life issues, sign up for the National Committee for a Human Life Amendment at
www.nchla.org.
• For information from the
USCCB department of Justice Peace
and Human Development, visit their
webpage at http://www.usccb.org/
about/justice-peace-and-human-development/.
Plan to participate in the Catholic Advocacy day at the State Capitol
on March 24. There are ways you
can participate without even leaving
home. Find out how by contacting
Barbara Budde at barbara-budde@
austindiocese.org or by calling at (512)
949-2471.
Thanks to all who voted, we now
ask everyone to follow up with advocacy. There is much left to do and together we can accomplish a great deal.
We know we have God’s grace with
us, please add your time and energy!
BARBARA BUDDE
is the diocesan
director of social
concerns. She
can be reached at
(512) 949-2471 or
barbara-budde@
austindiocese.org.
Your participation in the 2014-2015 Catholic
Services Appeal helps keep the Catholic Church
in Central Texas a welcoming place for those in
material and spiritual need through:
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1/0%!ŏĒŏ$.%05ŏđŏ/0+.(ŏ%*%/0.%!/
Please be generous!
Make your contribution today at
www.austindiocese.org/csa or
call (512) 949-2450.
Su participación en el () +ŏ,.ŏ(+/ŏ!.2%%+/ŏ
Católicos de 2014-2015 ayuda a la Iglesia del Centro
de Texas a recibir a quienes tienen necesidades
materiales y espirituales, por medio de:
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Llámenos al (512) 949-2458.
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Joy Which is Shared
Go into the whole world and proclaim the
gospel to every creature. –Mk 16:15
Gozo compartido
Vayan por todo el mundo y prediquen el Evangelio a toda creatura. –Mc 16,15
6225 Highway 290 East, Austin, TX 78723
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CSA Commitment Weekend November 8-9, 2014 | Fin de Semana de Compromiso Noviembre 8-9, 2014
GOOD NEWS
18
C ATHOLIC S PIRIT
BERNARDINO BETTO (1454-1513), better known as Pintoricchio, painted the Nativity of Our Lord according to a vision St. Birgitta of Sweden received
from the Blessed Mother. The painting is in the Church of St. Mary Major in Spello, Italy. (All photos on Pages 18-19 are copyright 2000 Elio e Stefano Ciol
Casarsa della Delizia (Pordenone))
The Nativity of Christ according to St. Birgitta
BY NORMAN FARMER
COLUMNIST
In Jerusalem on Christmas Night
while (then) Lady Birgitta of Sweden (1303-1373) was at prayer in the
Church of the Nativity, the Holy
Mother of God came to her in a vision
to reveal “the whole manner of her
childbearing and how she gave birth
to her glorious Son.” Her purpose,
Mary added, was to afÀrm the truth,
“that however much human beings,
following their human perception, try
to assert that my Son was born in the
common manner, it is nevertheless
more true and beyond any doubt, that
he was born ... just as you now have
seen.”
In 1503, Trolio Baglioni, the Prior
of the Church of St. Mary Major in
Spello, Italy, commissioned Bernardino
Betto (1454-1513), better known as
Pintoricchio, to paint the Nativity of
Our Lord according to St. Birgitta’s
revelation in a new chapel dedicated to
his family. And today, when the very
thought of Christmas evokes widespread secularist hostility and indifference alike, St. Birgitta’s vision and
Pintoriccio’s representation of it inspire
a renewed understanding of the Lord’s
Nativity as the single most consequential prayer-event that the world has
ever known.
“When I was at the manger of
the Lord in Bethlehem,” St. Birgitta
writes, “I saw a Virgin, pregnant and
most very beautiful, clothed in a
white mantle and a Ànely woven tunic
through which from without I could
clearly discern her virginal Áesh. Her
womb was full and much swollen, for
she was now ready to give birth. With
her there was a very digniÀed old man;
and with them they had both an ox
and an ass ...
“And so the Virgin then took the
shoes from her feet, put off her white
mantle that covered her, removed
the veil from her head, and laid these
things beside her, remaining in only
her tunic, with her most beautiful hair
–– as if of gold –– spread out upon her
shoulder blades ...
“When all these things had thus
been prepared, then the Virgin knelt
with great reverence, putting herself at
prayer; and she kept her back toward
the manger and her face lifted to
heaven toward the east. And so with
raised hands and with her eyes intent
on heaven, she was as if suspended in
an ecstasy of contemplation, inebriated
with divine sweetness. And while she
was thus in prayer, I saw the one lying
in her womb then move; and then and
there, in a moment and the twinkling
of an eye, she gave birth to a Son ....
“And so sudden and momentary
was that manner of giving birth that
I was unable to notice or discern in
what member she was giving birth. But
yet, at once, I saw that glorious infant
lying on the earth, naked and glowing
in the greatest of neatness. His Áesh
was most clean of all Àlth and uncleanness. I saw also the afterbirth lying
wrapped very neatly beside him. And
then I heard the wonderfully sweet and
most dulcet songs of the angels. And
the Virgin’s womb, which before the
birth have been very swollen, at once
retracted; and her body looked wonderfully beautiful and delicate ...”
“When therefore the virgin felt
that she had now given birth, at once,
having bowed her head and joined her
hands, with great dignity and reverence
she adored the boy and said to him:
‘Welcome, my God, my Lord, and my
December 2014
Image 1
Son’. Then ...she arose, holding the
boy in her arms, [while] she and Joseph
put him in the manger, and on bended
knee they continued to adore him with
gladness and immense joy.”
The painting welcomes us to the
dawn of a day unlike any other since
that Àrst day when God said, “Let
there be light” (Gen 1:3). Now His
“only Son” (Jn 3:16) has brought a new
light into the world “the light of the
human race ... that shines in the darkness (Jn 1:1-5) through an event that
speaks visibly with boundless grace
unclouded by human perceptions.
Above the distant horizon and framed
by a soaring cypress tree on the plain
and sinister crags in the mountains
where armed men prowl, “the angel of
the Lord” races across the dawn sky
to proclaim the good news to shepherds “keeping the night watch over
Image 2
GOOD NEWS
their Áocks” (Lk
2:8-9).
The vast
landscape that
unfolds before
us is inspired by
the traditional
Psalm for the
Mass on Christmas Night: “Let
the heavens be
glad and the
earth rejoice;
let the sea and
what Àlls it
resound; let the
plains be joyful
and all that is in
them. Then let
all the trees of
the forest rejoice
before the Lord
who comes, who
comes to govern
the earth, to
govern the world
with justice and
the peoples with
faithfulness” (Ps
96:11-13). So quickly does he come
that St. Birgitta cannot discern the
manner or member of his delivery. He
simply is there, naked and alone upon
the cold hard ground and miraculously
clean despite the evidence nearby of an
actual human birth. The passage from
the Book of Wisdom in the Christmas
liturgy offers this way to ponder the
mystery: “For when peaceful stillness
compassed everything and the night in
its swift course was half spent, Your
all-powerful word from heaven’s royal
throne bounded, a Àerce warrior, into
the doomed land, bearing the sharp
sword of your inexorable decree” (Wis
18:14-16).
A step or two apart, his Holy
Mother kneels in the continuation of
her prayer, “suspended in an ecstasy of
contemplation” and “inebriated with
divine sweetness.” Already, it seems,
“the Son of Man truly has nowhere
to rest his head”
(Lk 9:58). And yet,
lifting his eyes and
raising his hands
to his Father in
Heaven, he acknowledges the
reason for his coming: “I came down
from heaven not to
do my own will but
the will of the one
who sent me” (Jn
6:38). By thus situating the Nativity in
front of a dilapidated temple, now
a lowly hay-barn,
the artist invites
us to contemplate
the purpose of the
Messiah’s coming,
which is to replace
the worn-out
religion of templeworship (Mk
11:1-13:37) with the
New Temple, “the
temple of his body” (Jn 1:14; 2:21-22),
and to bring God’s saving grace to all
men, Jews and Gentiles alike.
A resplendent angel –– God’s
messenger and (in appearance) Mary’s
twin –– kneels between the child and
his Mother (see Image 1 at left). The
likeness is so deliberate and precise
that once seen it cannot be forgotten
or ignored. Malichi’s prophecy in the
liturgy of Dec. 23 is our key to this
startling image of twinship: “Lo, I am
sending my messenger to prepare the
way before me. And suddenly there
will come to the temple the Lord
who you seek, and the messenger of
the covenant whom you desire. Yes,
he is coming, says the Lord of Hosts”
(Mal 3:1; Lk 1:17). Since Mary is the
temple into which “the Word” comes
(Jn 1:14), the messenger who prepares
the way for the Word-becoming-Áesh
is represented by the artist as an angel
in the appearance of Mary.
A second angel-messenger now
directs our contemplative thoughts
to the relation between the Nativity
and the Eucharist, “the mystery of
faith,” by holding up a gossamerthin cloth emblazoned with a golden
cross and crown of thorns. Spread
upon the earth beneath the newborn
child much as an altarcloth covers
the table beneath the Eucharist, this
cloth turns our thoughts the grain of
wheat in Jesus’ parable that “falls to
the ground and dies” so that it may
produce “much fruit” (Jn 12:24). In
this incomparable mix of reciprocating images we are led to ponder the
mystery that this child, “naked and
glowing in the greatest of neatness”
and lying on the bare ground is the
once and forever embodiment of
“the mystery of faith.” “I am the
bread of life,” Jesus told the crowd
(Jn 6:35). “Whoever comes to me will
never hunger, and whoever believes
in me will never thirst.” That is the
central truth of the Nativity. And it
is the startling point
made by the most
inconspicuous detail
in the entire painting: the bundle in the
right foreground of
the painting.
At Àrst glance,
it seems that the
painter Àlled some
left-over space with
a modest still-life: a
bundle of clothing
with a rustic wine jug
leaning against it and
all but hidden among
the folds a loaf of
unbroken bread (see
Image 2 at left). A
second glance shows
this to be the veil and
mantle that Mary laid
aside before giving
birth. And within
their folds, “wrapped
very neatly,” are the
conclusive proof that
Mary so wanted St.
Birgitta to see: that
though her son was
19
not born in the common manner, he
was nonetheless a natural child of the
Áesh. At Emmaus and ever thereafter,
he would make himself known “in the
breaking of the bread” (Lk24:35), the
bread that truly is the body that once
lay upon the earth after he “bounded”
into the world of men at his birth. This
is the mystery of faith: the living proof
that the Lord’s Nativity was, is, and
remains the single most consequential
prayer-event that the world has ever
known.
Finally, there is the startling Àgure
of the fourth shepherd –– obviously
a stranger and who, by his archaic
clothing seems to have just arrived
from a distant world and a time longpast (see Image 3 below). His gift for
the Lamb of God is nothing less than
the “ram caught by its horns in the
thicket” (Gn 22:1-19) that his father
Abraham sacriÀced in lieu of his own
son –– a Ànal mystery to contemplate
among the images of a painting we
will now be unlikely to forget.
Today, when Christmas so widely
met with doubt, scorn, and hostility,
Pintoricchio’s depiction of the Nativity according to the Holy Mother’s
revelation of that event to St. Birgitta
inspires us to pray to Our Father,
that through the intercessions of St.
Mary and St. Birgitta this Christmas
may be held in universal reverence as
a season of prayer, renewal, epiphany
and peace.
Suggested further readings: St. Birgitta entry in “Catholic Encyclopedia”
at http://www.newadvent.org/cathen
and “Birgitta of Sweden: Life and Selected Works” by Paulist Press (1990).
NORMAN FARMER, PH.D, is Professor
Emeritus of English and Humanities
at the University of Texas. He writes
about the relation of sacred art to
Catholic prayerlife. Norman and his
wife, Cora Jane, are parishioners of
St. Austin Parish in Austin.
Image 3
GOOD NEWS
20
C ATHOLIC S PIRIT
St. Stephen: First deacon, Àrst martyr
BY MARY LOU GIBSON
COLUMNIST
St. Stephen is usually identiÀed as
a “protomartyr” because he was the
Àrst Christian to die for the faith (not
including the Holy Innocents and John
the Baptist). He was a bold preacher
who Malcolm Day describes as having
a modern, radical outlook in “A Treasury of Saints.” These were early times
for Christians, 34 A.D., and Stephen’s
preaching about Jesus as the Savior
that God had sent made him many
enemies among the Jews.
Stephen was a leader of the Hellenists, those Jews who lived outside
Palestine and spoke Greek. As a group,
they urged expansion of the church’s
mission to the Gentiles. Stephen was
one of the seven deacons appointed by
the apostles to look after the distribution of alms to the faithful and to help
in the ministry of preaching. All that
we know of his life is in the Acts of the
Apostles (6-8).
According to Day, it was Stephen
who suffered most when the Jewish
authorities unleashed the Àrst wave
of persecution against the church. He
was accused of preaching blasphemy
against Moses and against God and
was arrested. When he was brought
before the Sanhedrin, editor John Shea
writes in “Lives of the Saints” that he
boldly upbraided the chief priests of
their hard-hearted resistance to the
Holy Ghost and with the murder of
the “Just One.”
David Farmer describes the gist of
Stephen’s defense in the “Oxford Dictionary of Saints.” He wrote that Stephen told his accusers that God does
not depend on the Temple, in so far as
like the Mosaic law, it was a temporary
institution and destined to be fulÀlled
and superseded by Christ. Stephen said
that Christ was the prophet designated
by Moses and the Messiah the Jewish
race had waited for so long.
Then Stephen further attacked
his accusers for resisting the Spirit
and killing Christ. Paul Burns writes
in “Butler’s Lives of the Saints” that
the priests were enraged by Stephen’s
defense and his condemnation of their
whole approach to religion.
They condemned him to be stoned
under the Mosaic law and dragged him
outside the walls of Jerusalem. Editor
Michael Walsh describes the scene in
“Butler’s Lives of the Saints.”
“When Stephen was led outside,
he looked up to the heavens and said:
‘Behold I see the heavens opened and
the Son of Man standing on the right
hand of God.’”
Stephen then cried out in a loud
voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin
against them.”
They stoned him then for blasphemy. Farmer writes that the witnesses placed their clothes at the feet
of Saul (later Paul) who consented to
his death. He was buried in a tomb and
mostly forgotten until the fourth century when St. Gregory of Nyssa composed two homilies to him. Rosemary
Guiley writes in the “Encyclopedia of
Saints” that St. Gregory saw Stephen
as a key Àgure in the struggle against
demonic forms. Further, St. Gregory
preached that Stephen imitated Christ
by being compliant and bearing no
hatred toward his murderers.
Guiley notes that Stephen’s supposed tomb was discovered by Lucian
in 415. From the fourth century, his
feast was kept in the East and West. A
church containing his relics was built
outside the Damascus Gate in Jerusalem in 439. The ruins of this church
were discovered by the Dominicans in
1882 and a new church was erected on
the site.
St. Stephen is the patron of bricklayers, builders, horses and masons.
Why horses? Gerry Bowler explains in
“The World Encyclopedia of Christmas” that his Dec. 26 feast day fell
during a time of horse sacriÀce in
pagan Northern Europe. It was also a
time of rest from agricultural work for
both man and beast. Sean Kelly and
Rosemary Rogers describe a Polish
custom in “Saints Preserve Us!” when
parishioners shower the priest with
oats after Mass for the sake of their
horses.
In England and Ireland, children
remember the saint by hurling rocks
at wrens. Then he is also remembered
in a 19th century Christmas carol by
J. M. Neale that begins “Good King
Wenceslas looked out on the feast
of Stephen when the snow lay round
about deep and crisp and even…”
This carol is often sung on St. Stephen’s feast day which is Boxing Day
in England, a time for seasonal charity.
MARY LOU GIBSON
is a member of St.
Austin Parish in
Austin. She welcomes ideas for
future columns.
Contact her at
[email protected].
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Thanks to St. Jude for Favors Received
Oh, Holy Saint Jude, Apostle and Martyr, great in virtue and rich in
miracles, near kinsman of Jesus Christ, faithful intercessor of all who
invoke thy special patronage in time of need. To thee I have recourse
from the depths of my heart and humbly beg to whom God has given
such great power to come to my assistance. Help me in my present
and urgent petition, in return I promise to make thy name known and
cause thee to be invoked. Saint Jude pray for us and all who invoke they
aid. Amen.
Recite an Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be three times for nine consecutive
days. Publication must be promised. This Novena has never failed.
GOOD NEWS
December 2014
21
Physician-assisted suicide and confronting our fears
BY REV. TADEUSZ PACHOLCZYK, PH.D.
COLUMNIST
The prospect of a very attractive,
recently married young woman with
a terminal illness facing excruciating pain and suffering as she dies is
enough to move anyone. The life and
death of 29 year old Brittany Maynard
recently captured enormous media
attention when she declared she was
moving to Oregon to commit suicide
after having been informed by her
doctors that she had an aggressive
form of brain cancer and likely had
only six months to live. She brought
her life to a close on Nov. 1, a date
she had selected ahead of time, by
taking a lethal dose of barbiturates
prescribed by her doctor.
In the public discussions that
have ensued, some have ventured to
argue that suicide under such desperate circumstances would, in fact,
be justiÀable. A recent online article
from “Time” magazine observed that
few fault those who were trapped
on the top Áoors of the Twin Towers on Sept. 11 when they jumped
to their deaths below as the Áames
surged around them. Similarly, the
article suggests that those who face
the prospect of a difÀcult, painful
death from a terminal disease should
be able to take their own life through
physician-assisted suicide without
fault or blame.
For those jumping out of the Twin
Towers, however, we recognize a
horriÀc situation of desperation, and
even the possibility of a kind of mental
breakdown in those Ànal panic-stricken
moments. Their agonizing choice
to hurl themselves out of the building to their deaths below would be,
objectively speaking, a suicidal act, and
would not represent a morally good
choice, but their moral culpability
would almost certainly be diminished,
if not eliminated, by the harrowing
important consideration in her decision to carry out physician-assisted
suicide.
“I probably would have suffered
in hospice care for weeks or even
months. And my family would have
had to watch that. I did not want this
nightmare scenario for my family,”
she said. Yet even with very noble intentions and a loving concern for our
family, we can unwittingly become
overzealous in our desire to “protect”
them from suffering.
Hospice and palliative care, along with careful
pain management, can lighten our burdens during
the dying process.
circumstances in which they found
themselves, driven by raw terror more
than by anything else. Clearly, grave
psychological disturbances, anguish, or
grave fear of suffering can diminish the
responsibility of the one committing
suicide.
Yet in the face of a terminal medical diagnosis, it is not reasonable to let
our fears dictate our choices; instead it
behooves us to confront and resolve
those fears without yielding to panic
and without allowing unpleasant future
scenarios to loom large in our imagination.
Brittany Maynard not only greatly
feared a difÀcult death for herself,
but also argued that protecting her
family from pain and suffering was an
Brittany’s desire to protect her
family and friends from pain by
committing suicide also led her to
cross over critical moral boundaries such that she deprived her family
and friends of the chance to love her
through her sickness. Suicide in any
form runs contrary to our duty to
love –– to love ourselves and to love
our neighbor –– because it unjustly
breaks important ties of solidarity we
have with family, friends and others
to whom we continue to have obligations. It is always violent to eliminate
suffering by eliminating the sufferer.
We effectively give up on God and
all he has created. We refuse the help
of our neighbor, the love of a family member, or even the beauty of
another sun-drenched day to lighten
our afÁiction.
Even as our lives wind down, we
have a calling to be good stewards of
the gift of life. Hospice and palliative
care, along with careful pain management, can lighten our burdens during
the dying process. The mutual support
of family and friends enables us, and
them, to grow in unexpected ways. By
respecting and working through the
dying process, we can encounter deep
and unanticipated graces. We may recognize the need to ask for and receive
forgiveness from others and from
God. We may become aware of God’s
presence and receive a strengthened
faith. We gain peace in our dying days
and hours by accepting our mortality
and our situation, journeying down the
road that still opens ahead of us, even
as it becomes shorter, living it with the
same tenacity and generosity we did
when the road was yet longer.
FATHER TADEUSZ PACHOLCZYK,
PH.D. earned his doctorate in
neuroscience
from Yale. He is a
priest of the Diocese of Fall River,
Mass., and serves
as the Director of
Education at The
National Catholic
Bioethics Center
in Philadelphia. For more information, visit www.ncbcenter.org.
Collection totals
The Peter’s Pence Special Collection was staken up in parishes June 28-29. Totals are listed below be deanery (errors can be reported to Lynn Johnson at (512) 9492400). For more information about this collection, visit www.usccb.org/catholic-giving/opportunities-for-giving/peters-pence.
Parish
Totals
Austin Central Deanery
Austin, Cristo Rey
$1,413.32
Austin, Sacred Heart
$2,996.00
Austin, Our Lady of Guadalupe
$1,339.57
Austin, St. Austin
$2,710.43
Austin, St. Ignatius
$2,131.49
Austin, St. Julia
$489.91
Austin, St. Mary Cathedral
$3,538.48
Austin, San Jose
$2,851.50
Austin, University Catholic Center
$178.38
Austin Central Deanery Totals
$17,649.08
Austin North Deanery
Austin, Holy Vietnamese Martyrs
$3,407.00
Austin, St. Albert the Great
$2,558.00
Austin, St. Louis
$3,664.00
Austin, St. Theresa
$4,868.00
Austin, St. Thomas More
$5,875.20
Austin, St. Vincent de Paul
$2,690.00
Cedar Park, St. Margaret Mary
$4,416.90
Lago Vista, Our Lady of the Lake
$965.50
Austin North Deanery Totals
$28,444.60
Austin South Deanery
Austin, Our Lady of Sorrows (Dolores)
Austin, St. Andrew Kim
$152.00
Austin, St. Catherine of Siena
$5,909.61
Austin, St. John Neumann
$6,243.21
Austin, St. Paul
$2,646.23
Austin, St. Peter the Apostle
$1,711.00
Austin, San Francisco Javier
$861.00
Lakeway, Emmaus
$1,816.20
Austin South Deanery Totals
$19,339.25
Brenham/La Grange Deanery
Brenham, St. Mary
$1,993.03
Chappell Hill, St. Stanislaus
$412.00
Dime Box, St. Joseph
$302.00
Ellinger/Hostyn Hill, St. Mary
$1,118.00
Parish
Totals
Fayetteville, St. John
$1,373.00
Giddings, St. Margaret
$1,416.57
La Grange, Sacred Heart
$1,448.00
Lexington, Holy Family
$194.00
Old Washington on the Brazos, St. Mary $104.00
Pin Oak, St. Mary
$226.00
Rockdale, St. Joseph
$350.54
Somerville, St. Ann
$373.75
Brenham/La Grange Deanery Totals $9,310.89
Bastrop/Lockhart Deanery
Bastrop, Ascension
$2,805.59
Elgin, Sacred Heart
$1,188.57
Lockhart, St. Mary of the Visitation
$2,114.90
Luling, St. John
$390.15
Martindale, Immaculate Heart
$395.00
Rockne, Sacred Heart
$875.03
Smithville, St. Paul
$917.00
String Prairie, Assumption
$1,032.00
Uhland, St.Michael
$284.10
Bastrop/Lockhart Deanery Totals
$10,002.34
Bryan/College Station Deanery
Bremond, St. Mary
$700.00
Bryan, St. Anthony
$922.32
Bryan, St. Joseph
$1,215.00
Bryan, Santa Teresa
$340.00
Caldwell, St. Mary
$1,157.80
College Station, St. Mary
$3,554.92
College Station, St. Thomas Aquinas $4,107.65
Franklin, St. Francis of Assisi
$957.00
Frenstat, Holy Rosary
$474.00
Hearne, St. Mary
$574.56
Bryan/College Station Deanery Totals $14,003.25
Georgetown/Round Rock Deanery
Andice, Santa Rosa
$2,376.08
Corn Hill, Holy Trinity
$1,230.00
Georgetown, St. Helen
$5,639.10
Parish
Totals
Granger, Sts. Cyril and Methodius
$1,017.15
Hutto, St. Patrick
$534.00
Manor, St. Joseph
$409.42
PÀugerville, St. Elizabeth
$2,812.02
Round Rock, St. John Vianney
$2,385.60
Round Rock, St. William
$12,032.00
Taylor, Our Lady of Guadalupe
$628.00
Taylor, St. Mary of the Assumption
$1,721.28
Georgetown/Round Rock Totals
$30,784.65
Killeen/Temple Deanery
Belton, Christ the King
$2,490.00
Burlington, St. Michael
$201.37
Cameron, St. Monica
$418.00
Copperas Cove, Holy Family
$4,347.00
Harker Heights, St. Paul Chong Hasang$3,913.31
Killeen, St. Joseph
$2,679.34
Marak, Sts. Cyril and Methodius
$188.00
Rogers, St. Matthew
$241.00
Rosebud, St. Ann
$208.45
Temple, Our Lady of Guadalupe
$1,086.00
Temple, St. Luke
$1,885.00
Temple, St. Mary
$2,425.91
Westphalia, Visitation
$539.00
Killeen/Temple Deanery Totals
$20,622.38
Lampasas/Marble Falls Deanery
Bertram, Holy Cross
$115.75
Burnet, Our Mother of Sorrows
$743.35
Goldthwaite, St. Peter
$187.00
Horseshoe Bay, St. Paul the Apostle $1,898.00
Kingsland, St. Charles Borromeo
$498.37
Lampasas, St. Mary
$434.64
Llano, Holy Trinity
$478.28
Lometa, Good Shepherd
$131.00
Marble Falls, St. John
$1,135.28
Mason, St. Joseph
$452.68
Parish
Totals
Sunrise Beach, Our Lady of the Lake
$205.00
Lampasas/Marble Falls Totals
$6,279.35
San Marcos Deanery
Blanco, St. Ferdinand
$754.00
Buda, Santa Cruz
$3,097.14
Dripping Springs, St. Martin de Porres $1,656.59
Johnson City, Good Shepherd
$261.00
Kyle, St. Anthony Marie de Claret
$2,148.64
San Marcos, Our Lady of Wisdom
$490.00
San Marcos, St. John
$3,286.01
Wimberley, St. Mary
$1,647.60
San Marcos Deanery Totals
$13,340.98
Waco Deanery
China Spring, St. Phillip
Elk, St. Joseph
$126.00
Gatesville, Our Lady of Lourdes
$1,080.68
Hamilton, St. Thomas
$199.00
Lott, Sacred Heart
$250.00
McGregor, St. Eugene
$567.90
Marlin, St. Joseph
$250.00
Mexia, St. Mary
$492.51
Tours, St. Martin
$430.75
Waco, St. Francis on the Brazos
$459.80
Waco (Hewitt), St. Jerome
$2,573.00
Waco, St. John the Baptist
$199.00
Waco (Bellmead), St. Joseph
$784.32
Waco, St. Louis
$3,633.51
Waco, St. Mary of the Assumption
$1,342.89
Waco, St. Peter Catholic Center
$422.14
West, Church of the Assumption
$822.00
Waco Deanery Totals
$13,633.50
Miscellaneous
Grand Totals
$15.00
$183,425.27
BULLETIN BOARD
Retreats & missions.......
Your
22
C ATHOLIC S PIRIT
For
Information
Please send entries for this section to [email protected].
Catholic Charities of Central
Texas is caring for children, strengthening families and welcoming the
stranger through its many programs.
Learn more about the mission of
Catholic Charities of Central Texas and
Ànd out how to get involved during a
free semimonthly CC101 lunch-andlearn sessions. For upcoming dates and
more information, visit www.ccctx.
org/cc101, or contact CCCTX Associate Director of Development Annie
Chavez at [email protected] or
(512) 651-6118.
Diocesan ofÀces and Catholic
Charities of Central Texas will be
closed Dec. 8 for the Solemnity of the
Immaculate Conception.
Catholic Scripture Study of Austin meets on Wednesdays from 9:30 to
11:30 a.m. at St. Louis Parish in Austin.
The weekly Bible studies consists of
prayer, small group discussion and
guest lecturers. This year the course is
studying the book of Hebrews. The
class follows the Austin Independent
School District calendar for holidays,
including Christmas break. Register
online at www.cssaustin.org. For more
information, contact Rosemary Howard at (512) 345-3687.
Catholic Scripture Study of Ce-
dar Park meets on Wednesdays from
6:30 to 8 p.m. and Thursdays from
9:30 to 11 a.m. at St. Margaret Mary
Parish in Cedar Park. The weekly Bible
study consists for prayer, small group
discussion and guest lecturers. This
year the course is studying the book
of Hebrews. The schedule follows the
Leander Independent School District
calendar for holidays. For more information, contact Bob Gorski at (512)
636-2927 or [email protected].
Diocesan ofÀces and Catholic
Charities of Central Texas will be
closed Dec. 24-25 and Jan. 1.
Hispanic young adults are invited to Mass (in Spanish) on the last
Friday of each month at 9 p.m. at Our
Lady of Guadalupe Parish in Austin.
Participants will pray the rosary beginning at 8:30 p.m. For more information contact Darlyn Montenegro at
(512) 369-9813 or Alberto Montes at
(512) 317-9439.
Total Consecration to Jesus
through Mary will begin Feb. 20;
prayers are done privately using the
consecration preparation book. Visit
www.TexasToJesusThroughMary.org
by Jan. 31 to receive a free Montfort
preparation prayer book by mail and
for more information.
An Advent Dinner with Msgr.
Louis Pavlicek will be held Dec. 9 at
6 p.m. at Cedarbrake Catholic Retreat
Center in Belton. Join Msgr. Pavlicek
for dinner and a presentation on Advent. The cost is $25 per person. To
register, call (254) 780-2436 or e-mail
[email protected].
An Advent Family Retreat will
be held Dec. 13-14 at Eagle’s Wings
Retreat Center in Burnet. Families,
grandparents and single adults are
invited to step away from the Christmas preparations and reÁect on the
meaning of Advent. Activities include
reÁections, prayer, music, activities for
all ages and a trip to Main Street Bethlehem in Burnet. To register visit www.
ewrc.org or call (512) 715-0017.
“Living Advent through the
Eyes of Mary,” an Advent mission of
preaching and reÁection, will be held
Dec. 9-11 at Emmaus Parish in Lakeway. Schoenstatt Father Patricio Rodriguez will be the presenter and will lead
participants in reÁection on the great
mystery of the nativity of Christ. Child
care is available with advance reservation, visit www.emmauslakeway.com/
events/adventmission for details.
The different faces of the Virgin
Mary, an analysis on the appearances
and the different invocations of Mary of
Nazareth, will be presented Dec. 9 - 10
from 7:30 to 9 p.m. at St. Helen Parish
in Georgetown. Spanish presentation
will be in the Church and the English
presentation will be in Frizell Hall.
Holy Cross Parish in Austin will
host an Advent Revival Dec. 14-16.
Deacon Alex Jones will present “Mary,
Star of the Evangelization” at 6 p.m.
on Sunday, and 6:30 p.m. on Monday
and Tuesday. Food and fellowship will
be offered in Weber Hall following
each presentation. For more information, contact the parish at (512)
472-3741.
“Love Among the Ruins,” a day
of reÁection, will be held Jan. 17 at
Cedarbrake Catholic Retreat Center in
Belton. Father Angelo Bertini will lead
an indepth look at the book of Hosea.
To register, call (254) 780-2436 or email [email protected].
The Art of Balance: Doing
God’s work intended only for you
will be held Jan. 27 from 9:30 a.m.
to 2:30 p.m. at Eagle’s Wings Retreat
Center in Burnet. Participants will
explore how setting limits can lead to
new found freedom to follow God’s
will. For registration visit www.ewrc.
org or call (512) 715-0017.
Married couples who need the perfect gift for one another this Christmas
are invited to give the gift of time and
love by attending a Worldwide Marriage Encounter Weekend. Upcoming
weekends are Feb. 20-22 and May 15-17
at Cedarbrake Retreat Center in Belton.
The weekend begins Friday at 7:30 p.m.
and ends Sunday around 4 p.m. For
more information or to apply to attend,
visit the website www.austinme.org or
contact Steve and Linda Jaramillo at
(512) 677-WWME (9963) or [email protected].
Parish and community events................................
Everyone is invited to celebrate
the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe
Dec. 6 at St. William Parish in Round
Rock. Bishop Joe Vásquez will lead a
procession and the Eucharistic Celebration. Buses will depart from St.
William to the procession starting
point at 7:30 a.m. Bishop Vásquez will
celebrate the Mass at 10:30 a.m., and a
small reception will follow. For more
information, contact Edgar Ramirez
at (512) 949-2468 or edgar-ramirez@
austindiocese.org.
Eagle’s Wings Retreat Center
will host its Àrst Fun Run/Walk Dec.
6 beginning at 8:30 a.m. at the retreat
center near Burnet. To register or for
sponsorship information, visit www.
unbearablefunrun.weebly.com.
Dolores Parish in Austin will
host its annual Christmas Arts and
Crafts Bazaar Dec. 6-7 from 8 a.m. to
4 p.m. in the Parish Hall. More than
50 vendors selling home-made decorations, wreaths, blankets, shawls, jewelry, baked goods and more. Tamale
plates will be sold on Saturday from 11
a.m. to noon. Santa Claus will visit on
Sunday at 1:30 p.m.
St. Mary Catholic Center in College Station will host the 17th annual
Work of Human Hands Sale Dec. 6-7
from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. each day. Highquality, fairly traded crafts and food
produced by small-scale artisans and
growers from around the world will be
featured. Add meaning to Christmas
shopping by providing for a better future to the producers and their families
when purchasing items at the Work of
Human Hands Sale. For more information, visit www.aggiecatholic.org.
Everyone is invited to join the
Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother
of the Eucharist for the blessing of
the Texas Priory Prayer Garden Dec. 6
from 1 to 3 p.m. at the priory location
in Georgetown. Families and children
are welcome. For more information,
to register, and for directions to the
site, visit www.sistersofmary.org or call
Sister Elizabeth Ann at (512) 863-4824.
A Catholic Art Exhibition and
Fundraising Event will be held Dec. 7
and 14 from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. at St. Andrew Kim Parish in Austin. The exhibition will include handmade rosary boxes,
tapestries, crosses, candles and more.
For information, call (512) 326-3225.
The Music Ministry at St. Vincent de Paul Parish in Austin will
present the second annual “Festival
of Lessons and Carols” Dec. 13 at 7
p.m. This is a traditional service of
Scripture, anthems and carols, telling
the story of salvation from the fall of
Adam through the Incarnation according to the Gospel of John. Everyone is
invited to this centering and prayerful
service during the busy holiday season.
“Simbang Gabi” Masses will
be celebrated in the Austin area Dec.
15-23. Simbang Gabi is a Filipino tradition that marks the celebration and
welcome of Christ’s birth. Bishop Joe
Vásquez will celebrate the Àrst Mass
on Dec. 15 at 7 p.m. at St. Louis Parish
in Austin. The subsequent Masses will
be held Dec. 16 at 8 p.m. at St. Albert
the Great Parish in Austin, Dec. 17 at
7 p.m. at Seton Williamson Medical
Center Chapel in Round Rock, Dec. 18
at 7 p.m. at St. Paul Parish in Austin,
Dec. 19 at 7 p.m. at St. Catherine of
Siena Parish in Austin, Dec. 20 at 7
p.m. at St. Catherine of Siena Parish in
Austin, Dec. 21 at 6 p.m. at St. Albert
the Great Parish in Austin, Dec. 22
at 7 p.m. at St. Louis Parish in Austin
and Dec. 23 at 8 p.m. at St. Albert the
Great Parish in Austin.
St. Vincent de Paul Parish in
Austin will celebrate a “Blue Mass” Dec.
24 at 9 p.m. This Mass is not a regular
Christmas Eve Mass, but is intended
particularly for those who are struggling.
Whether grieving the loss of loved ones,
other losses, feeling alone, wounded
or otherwise disconnected from the
usual holiday festivities, Christmas can
be a very difÀcult time, especially when
it comes to attending Mass. For more
information, call (512) 255-1389.
Celebrate the Feast of the Epiphany at the Boar’s Head and Yule Log
Pageant Jan. 10 at 7 p.m. at St. Albert the
Great Parish in Austin. This Medieval
Christmas Celebration features music,
dance, period costumes and a live Nativity scene. Reserved seating and general
admission tickets are available. For more
information, e-mail [email protected], visit www.boarsheadaustin.com
or call (512) 837-4179.
Texas Catholic Pro-Life Day is
Jan. 24 in Austin. The day will begin
at 7 a.m. with a prayer vigil for life
at Planned Parenthood (201 E. Ben
White Blvd. in Austin). A rosary for
life will be prayed at 9:15 a.m. at St.
Vincent de Paul Parish in Austin.
Bishop Joe Vásquez will celebrate the
diocesan Pro-Life Mass at 10 a.m. at
St. Vincent de Paul Parish. The March
for Life will begin at 1 p.m. at 1600 N.
Congress, and participants will proceed to the Texas Rally for Life on the
South Steps of the State Capitol. For
more information, contact the diocesan Pro-Life OfÀce at (512) 949-2486.
The 2015 Celebrating Catholic
Schools Dinner and Awards Presentation will be held Jan. 24 at the Hyatt
Regency Town Lake in Austin. Bishop
Wm. Michael Mulvey of the Diocese
of Corpus Christi will be the guest
speaker. For tickets for the dinner or
for sponsorship information, contact
Jean Bondy at (512) 949-2439 or visit
www.csdatx.org.
December 2014
ESPAÑOL
23
Celebrando a aquellos en vida consagrada durante el próximo
EL OBISPO JOSE S.
VASQUEZ es el quinto
obispo de la Diócesis
de Austin. Es pastor
para casi 500,000
Católicos en 25
condados en el
Centro de Texas.
Editora: El Papa Francisco ha
declarado un Año de la Vida Consagrada, el cual comenzó el 30 de
noviembre y se desarrollará hasta
febrero de 2016 ¿Por qué ha decidido el Santo Padre poner dicho
énfasis en la vida consagrada?
Obispo Vásquez: El Papa
Francisco conoce de primera mano
la importancia de lo que signiÀca ser
un religioso consagrado. Él es jesuita;
por lo tanto, él valora los maravillosos
carismas que los Jesuitas y todas las
comunidades religiosas dan a nuestra
iglesia y al mundo. Nuestro Santo
Padre quiere que nos enfoquemos en
los religiosos y en el regalo que ellos
ofrecen a la iglesia.
El año pasado, cuando el Papa
Francisco se reunió con líderes de
congregaciones religiosas de alrededor del mundo, dijo “La iglesia debe
ser atractiva ¡Despierten al mundo!
Es posible vivir de manera diferente
en este mundo…es una cuestión de
abandonar todo para seguir al Señor…
Los religiosos siguen al Señor de
una manera especial, de una manera
profética. Es testimonio lo que espero
de ustedes. Los Religiosos deben ser
hombres y mujeres capaces de despertar al mundo”.
El Papa Francisco quiere hombres
y mujeres religiosos que despierten
al mundo a la realidad del Reino de
Dios, el cual Jesús vino a establecer
y deseamos, tal como rezamos en el
Padre Nuestro que, “venga tu Reino,
hágase tu voluntad en la tierra como
en el cielo”. El Reino de Dios es descrito en el prefacio de la Solemnidad
de Cristo Rey como “un reino eterno
y universal, un reino de verdad y vida,
un reino de santidad y gracia, un reino
de justicia, amor y paz”. Nuestros
hombres y mujeres religiosos hacen
votos de pobreza, castidad y obediencia y nos guían hacia la realidad del
Reino de Dios.
Editora: Con eso en mente,
díganos ¿qué signiÀca el término
“vida consagrada”?
Obispo Vásquez: La vida consagrada es una vocación en la cual una
persona se da a sí misma completa y
totalmente a Dios y para el servicio
de la iglesia. Cada comunidad religiosa
tiene un particular carisma o ministerio. Por ejemplo, la Hijas de la Caridad
han estado trabajando en el ministerio
de hospital en el Centro de Texas por
más de 100 años como una manera
de cuidar a los pobres. Las Hermanas
Dominicas de María Madre de la Eucaristía tienen un carisma dedicado a la
educación de la juventud. Cada comunidad religiosa está haciendo algo por
el bien de la iglesia. Desde las órdenes
contemplativas que están orando
por nosotros y por la iglesia todo el
tiempo, hasta las órdenes misioneras
que llevan a Cristo a las partes distantes del mundo, todas están basadas en
el amor y el servicio a la iglesia y nos
guían hacia una realidad profunda de
Dios.
Editora: Muchos han dicho que
la vida consagrada es una cosa del
pasado y que la vida religiosa no
es tan atractiva como alguna vez
lo fue ¿Cuál es su respuesta a esas
críticas?
Obispo Vásquez: Diría que esas
personas necesitan aprender a apreciar
la vida religiosa. Acepto que puede que
no haya tantas vocaciones religiosas
como antes había y ciertas comunidades religiosas han disminuido; sin
embargo, hay muchas comunidades
religiosas que son prósperas.
La vida consagrada no es una cosa
del pasado por que la vida consagrada
es esencial para lo que somos como
iglesia. Piensen en la historia de la Iglesia Católica, de los Jesuitas que fueron
a todo el mundo, de los Franciscanos
que vinieron al continente Americano
a traer el Evangelio, y en los Dominicos quienes viajaron a muchas partes
del mundo para educar y evangelizar.
Sí, tendremos momentos malos y algunos en los que habrá comunidades que
Áorecerán y otras que no. Así es como
el Espíritu se mueve y como el Espíritu continúa trabajando a través de
la iglesia. Estamos bendecidos al tener
tantos hombres y mujeres religiosos en
nuestro mundo.
Editora: ¿Cómo ha sido bendecida la Diócesis de Austin por estos
hombres y mujeres?
Obispo Vásquez: Nuestra diócesis tiene una larga historia de religiosos
que estaban presentes aún antes de la
fundación de la Diócesis. Como dije
antes, las Hermanas de la Caridad han
servido al Centro de Texas por más de
100 años. También hemos tenido a los
Sacerdotes de la Santa Cruz, Hermanos y Hermanas que han trabajado
aquí por muchos años. Ellos fundaron
la Universidad St. Edward’s, nuestra
única universidad Católica en la Diócesis de Austin. Ellos también fundaron
muchas parroquias y escuelas a lo
largo de la diócesis.
Hemos sido bendecidos con el
servicio de muchas hermanas Dominicas a través de los años, quienes han
servido en el personal diocesano,
trabajado en ministerios de evangelización y enseñado en nuestras
escuelas Católicas. En la actualidad,
tenemos muchas parroquias que son
servidas por órdenes sacerdotales, tales
como los Paulistas, los Franciscanos
Conventuales y de la Tercera Orden,
Schoenstatts y la Sociedad Misionera
de St. Paul.
Tenemos órdenes de religiosos
para poder conocer religiosos(as).
La gente a veces se siente como
si interÀriera en la vida de los religiosos. Sin embargo, la verdad es que los
religiosos quieren compartir sus vidas
con nosotros. Creo que los hombres
y mujeres religiosos amarían que les
preguntáramos cómo descubrieron el
llamado a la vida religiosa. No debe de
haber nada complicado sobre cómo
formar una amistad con un hombre
o mujer religiosa. Yo invito a todos
a iniciar una conversación con un
religioso(a) durante este Año de la
Vida Consagrada.
Editora: ¿Cuál es su oración por
todos aquellos hombres y mujeres
que Àelmente sirven a la iglesia?
Obispo Vásquez: Antes que
nada, como el Santo Padre ha dicho,
estamos agradecidos con los hombres
y mujeres consagrados. Queremos
estar agradecidos como una iglesia, y
necesitamos aprender cómo agradecerles por los muchos años de dedicado
servicio en nuestra iglesia ¿Dónde
estaría nuestra iglesia si no fuera por
estos hombres y mujeres que han
renunciado a tanto por amor a Cristo?
Mi oración es que la vida consagrada
experimente una renovación y Áorecimiento. Que todos los hombres y
mujeres religiosos continúen siendo
testigos del Reino de Dios y nos
ayuden a poner nuestra esperanza en
Dios y en su Reino.
que han estado en nuestra diócesis
desde el principio y tenemos órdenes
que se acaban de unir a nosotros. Sin
embargo, las considero una bendición
para la vida de la diócesis. Cientos
de hombres y mujeres religiosos han
trabajado en distintas maneras en
nuestras escuelas Católicas, en nuestras
parroquias, en nuestros hospitales y
en el servicio a los pobres a través del
Centro de Texas. Mi esperanza es que
los hombres y mujeres religiosos continúen siendo parte de la historia de
esta gran diócesis por muchos años.
Editora: ¿Cómo pueden las
familias y parroquias poner más
atención a aquellos que sirven en la
vida consagrada?
Obispo Vásquez: Una manera
simple para que las familias conozcan
más sobre las comunidades religiosas
es leer sobre la vida de los santos, tales
como San Francisco, Santo Domingo,
Santa Louisa de Marillac y San Vicente
De Paúl. Los Padres de familia pueden
también ayudar a sus hijos a entender
quiénes son los santos, y ayudar a los
niños a apreciar los dones que han
dado a la iglesia.
Otra cosa que podemos hacer
es conocer a los hombres y mujeres
religiosos de nuestra diócesis. Los
podemos ver en nuestras parroquias,
visitarlos, orar con ellos, celebrar Misa
con ellos o invitarlos a cenar. Existen
grandes oportunidades para nosotros
RELIGIOSAS
Los institutos religiosos cuyas miembros siguen prácticas más tradicionales (Council of Major
Superiors of Women Religious), tales como vestir hábitos completos, tenían un numero
similar de mujeres en formación que las órdenes religiosas cuyas miembros siguen prácticas
más contemporáneas (Leadership Conference of Women Religious).
NÚMERO TOTAL DE
RELIGIOSAS EN EE.UU.
POR AÑO
1966
1950
1980
1990
2000
2010
147,310
181,421
126,517
102,504
HERMANAS EN
EE.UU. POR EDAD
70-79
32
%
60-69
22 %
50-59
6%
40-49
80-89
26 %
90
y mas
11 %
2%
79,814
57,544
2014
49,883
En el 2009, año en que este estudio se
basó, las órdenes que constituyen LCWR
tenían 73 postulantes, 117 novicias y 317
mujeres que habían hecho votos
temporales. Las órdenes que componen
CMSWR ese mismo año tenían 73
postulantes, 158 novicias y 304 mujeres
que habían hecho votos temporales.
La Leadership Conference of Women Religious
calcula que el 80% de las religiosas de Estados
Unidos pertenece a órdenes afiliadas a LCWR.
40 y menor
1%
Fuente: Oficina del Censo de Estados Unidos-Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate
© 2014 CNS Graphics
ESPAÑOL
24
C ATHOLIC S PIRIT
St. Austin recuerda la ‘Noche de los Vidrios Rotos’
POR ENEDELIA J. OBREGÓN
CORRESPONSAL
Kristallnacht es uno de
esos aniversarios que muchos
preferirían olvidar pero que
son importantes de recordar.
La Parroquia de St. Austin ha
preferido recordar.
Por tres días en noviembre, dicha parroquia en Austin
presentó una exhibición multimedia para conmemorar los
eventos que se llevaron a cabo
a través de Alemania los días
9 y 10 de noviembre de 1938.
Esa noche, miles de negocios
fueron destruidos, más de 200
sinagogas fueron quemadas y
docenas de personas perdieron
la vida. La violencia preparó el
escenario para el Holocausto,
el cual mató a seis millones de
los nueve millones de Judíos
que vivían en 21 países ocupados por Alemania durante la
Segunda Guerra Mundial.
El evento original fue
llamado Kristallnacht –o la
noche de los vidrios rotosporque los pedazos de vidrio
estaban en todos lados posteriores al fuego y la destrucción.
La policía y los bomberos
acudieron a ayudar únicamente
establecimientos Cristianos.
Los Judíos fueron obligados
a limpiar y posteriormente multados con un billón de marcos
alemanes por los destrozos.
La exhibición
Lynn Hayden es la curadora voluntaria quien desarrolló
la exhibición por primera vez
en el 2000 y después, de nueva
cuenta, en el 2001 con la ayuda
de la cercana Hillel Foundation
for Jewish Campus Life (La
Fundación Hillel para la Vida
Estudiantil Judía). Este año, la
exhibición contiene artículos e
información proveniente de la
cercana Mezquita de Nueces.
El Padre Paulista Charles R.
Kullmann, pastor de St. Austin,
pensó que era tiempo de presentar otra exhibición en vista
de los conÁictos religiosos y la
violencia alrededor del mundo.
“Es muy real en nuestro
mundo y en nuestra comunidad,” dijo. “Necesitamos tomar
la oportunidad para entender y
educarnos a nosotros mismos sobre la necesidad de ser
respetuosos, comprensivos y
tolerantes hacia los otros”.
El Padre Kullmann dijo
que es importante para los
Cristianos no aislarnos y
aprender sobre otras culturas
y fes por que Jesús dijo a sus
discípulos “vayan a todas las
naciones y proclamen la Buena
Nueva”.
Él dijo que el Papa Fran-
LA EXHIBICIÓN KRISTALLNACHT en la Parroquia de St. Austin se enfocó en la noche del 9-10 de noviembre de 1938
cuando negocios Judíos fueron destruidos e incendiados. (Foto por Enedelia J. Obregón)
cisco está también pidiéndonos
que compartamos la Buena
Nueva.
“Se espera que compartamos con otros,” dijo. “Pero la
primer cosa que tenemos que
hacer es respetar a los demás”.
La exhibición comenzó
al aire libre con una torre de
libros quemados en un área
cerca de la entrada a Newman
Hall. Docenas de estrellas de
David de cerámica creadas por
estudiantes de arte de la clase
de Diane Hardin de la Escuela
St. Austin llenaron la fuente.
Cada estrella tenía una inscripción de una persona que pudo
haber sido forzada a llevar en
su ropa una estrella en la actualidad: personas sin-hogar, con
capacidades diferentes, homosexuales, Latinos, Asiáticos e
incluso Jesús.
Otra torre contenía equipaje maltratado y abrigos para
niños y adultos, cada uno tenía
cosida una Estrella de David
amarilla – como si hubieran
sido tirados ahí por sus dueños
que nunca regresaron por ellos.
Hayden pasó meses
juntando materiales y muebles
prestados por la St. Vincent
de Paul Thrift Store (Tienda
de Ahorro de la Sociedad St.
Vincent de Paul), incluyendo
artículos de uso diario tales
como platos que fueron rotos
y regados cerca del interior
Cuarto de Destrucción, el
cual estaba rodeado por cinta
amarilla de precaución. Ella
quemó libros viejos en su
chimenea para imitar lo que los
Alemanes hicieron en hogares judíos. Estrellas de David
gigantes y plastiÀcadas adorn-
aron las paredes de uno de los
cuartos con la palabra “Judío”
en los diferentes lenguajes de
los países ocupados por los
alemanes.
Un marco es especial. Contiene los restos de un uniforme
con rayas azules y blancas con
la Estrella de David cosida y
el número 15774. El número
correspondiente habría sido
tatuado en el antebrazo de su
portador. La reliquia pertenece
a Gregg Philipson de la Comisión Texana para el Holocausto.
Un video corto con imágenes en blanco y negro de la
destrucción de Kristallnacht
estaba acompañada por música
disonante tratando de imitar
el caos y el ruido de vidrio al
romperse. Una línea de tiempo
del Holocausto ocupó una pared
e incluyó una copia inglesa del
edicto de la Kristallnacht.
La experiencia
El Diácono John de la
Garza Jr. de la Parroquia de St.
Paul the Apostle en la Bahía
de Horseshoe fue uno de los
primeros visitantes.
“Es forzoso sentirnos
incómodos cuando vemos
esto,” dijo. Muchos Cristianos,
agregó, no hicieron nada por
detener la violencia contra los
Judíos. Él citó a la sobreviviente
del Holocausto Elie Wiesel: “Lo
que lastima más a la víctima no
es la crueldad del opresor, sino
el silencio del espectador”.
El Diácono de la Garza
dijo que tenemos que aprender
a vivir de tal manera que no
seamos espectadores.
“Nosotros (los Católicos)
tendemos a aislarnos mucho.
Pero Jesús no era una persona
que se aislaba. Y tampoco lo es
el Papa Francisco,” dijo.
Con mucha frecuencia, nos
sentimos cómodos en nuestras
tradiciones, dijo el Diácono
de la Garza. Cualquier cosa o
cualquiera que parece diferente
es visto como una amenaza,
aumentando nuestros miedos.
“Ese miedo nos lleva a
tener pensamientos y acciones
inhumanas,” dijo.
Algunos de estos estudiantes de la escuela participaron como guías o voluntarios y vieron la exhibición antes
que el resto de los estudiantes.
Entre ellos hubo muchos estudiantes de séptimo grado.
“Es triste que la gente haya
muerto sólo por su fe,” dijo
Joshua Esparza.
Elissa Atkinson pensó que
el Cuarto de Destrucción era el
más aterrador.
“Es un ejemplo de una casa
destruida,” dijo. “Eso sería
muy aterrador si fuera mi casa.
Fue horrible que nadie hizo
nada para ayudar”.
Hayden Covert dijo que no
había sabido qué tan esparcido
había sido el Holocausto hasta
que vio las Estrellas de David
de tantos países.
Historia
Un póster explicó que
los Judíos, Cristianos y Musulmanes habían una vez
vivido en una paz relativa en
los reinos que eventualmente
se convirtieron en la España uniÀcada. La medicina, la
ciencia, las artes y el comercio
Áorecieron desde 711 hasta
alrededor de 1031, coincidi-
endo con la Edad Media en la
Europa Oriental. Esto terminó
para siempre con la conquista
militar de los Musulmanes por
parte de España y la expulsión
de los Judíos en 1492 por el
Rey Fernando y la Reina Isabel.
La exhibición incluyó música y
objetos religiosos reÁejando la
inÁuencia de las tres fes.
Lo que llenó a Hayden de
esperanza es el “Besa,” un libro
por Norman H. German sobre
Musulmanes albaneses que salvaron a miles de Judíos durante
la Segunda Guerra Mundial.
Besa, que signiÀca “mantener
la promesa,” es un código de
ética profundamente enraizado
en la cultura albanesa e incorporado en su fe musulmana
que demanda responsabilidad
por la vida de otros en tiempos
de necesidad. No hacerlo así
trae gran vergüenza y deshonor
no sólo a un individuo pero a
la familia también.
“No sabíamos de ello por
el Comunismo,” dijo Hayden,
reÀriéndose al Comunismo que
se impuso en el país después
de la guerra. “Ellos ven su casa
como la casa de Dios, y aceptan a un extraño en ella como
si fuera de la familia”.
De acuerdo a Yad Vashem,
Albania fue el único país
europeo con una mayoría Musulmana y perdió miembros de
sólo una familia Judía durante
el Holocausto. Los albanos
dieron a los Judíos documentos
de identiÀcación falsos y los
Judíos vivieron abiertamente
con la población Musulmana.
Hacia el Ànal de la guerra,
Albania tenía más Judíos que al
principio de la guerra.
December 2014
ESPAÑOL
Obispos aprueban incisos de liturgia, realizan elecciones
POR CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE
Aunque no hubo actividad
en la agenda de los obispos
estadounidenses en Baltimore sobre la inmigración, la
pobreza ni otros asuntos de
política pública, el presidente
de su conferencia dijo el 11 de
noviembre que tiene la esperanza de reunirse pronto con
el presidente Barack Obama
y los líderes de la Cámara y
el Senado para discutir sobre
varios temas.
En una breve declaración
durante la asamblea general
de otoño de la Conferencia
Estadounidense de Obispos
Católicos (USCCB), el Arzobispo Joseph E. Kurtz de
Louisville, Kentucky, dijo que
había escuchado sobre esos
asuntos de parte de muchos
obispos y que tiene la esperanza de complementar,
consultando con los políticos,
el trabajo que los comités y el
personal de la USCCB están
realizando sobre tales asuntos.
Él dijo a Catholic News
Service que tiene la intención
de procurar una reunión con
el presidente y los líderes del
Congreso tan pronto como
diciembre.
En otras acciones durante
la reunión realizada del 10 al
13 de noviembre los obispos:
• Aprobaron varios incisos
litúrgicos en inglés, incluyendo
una traducción revisada del
libro del ritual usado cuando
una nueva iglesia es construida
o cuando se hace un nuevo
altar, así como la primera
traducción oÀcial al inglés del
libro “Exorcisms and Related
Supplications” y un complemento a la Liturgia de las
Horas, que es una traducción
al inglés de las oraciones usadas para las Àestas de santos
que han sido añadidos desde
1984 al calendario general.
• Votaron a favor de proceder con una revisión de una
sección de las Directivas Éticas
y Religiosas para los Servicios
Médicos Católicos lidiando con
asociaciones.
• Aprobaron un presupuesto para el 2015, un poco
menor a los $189.5 millones.
También votaron sobre un
aumento del 3 por ciento en
el gravamen diocesano para
el 2016, pero la votación se
quedó corta de la mayoría de
dos tercios, o 197 obispos,
necesaria para aprobarlo. Se
consultará a los miembros
elegibles ausentes de la reunión
de Baltimore para determinar
la votación Ànal.
El obispo Michael F.
Burbidge de Raleigh, Carolina
del Norte, director del Comité
Sobre el Clero, la Vida Consagrada y las Vocaciones, hizo
una presentación sobre las
recién revisadas directrices para
recibir ministros pastorales en
Estados Unidos.
Él dijo que ya que el
número de sacerdotes y ministros pastorales de otros países
aumenta en Estados Unidos,
el recurso, ahora en su tercera
edición, provee información
para las diócesis, eparquías y
comunidades religiosas para
preparar ministros internacionales para su servicio y
ayudar las comunidades que los
reciben.
Los obispos también
escucharon un informe sobre
el trabajo de los varios comités
–– pro-vida, justicia nacional,
justicia internacional, evangelización y libertad de culto
–– que juntos están intentando
precisar qué están pensando
los Católicos en las bancas y
por qué aceptan o ignoran la
enseñanza eclesiástica.
La compilación de los vastos datos está siendo ensamblada para que los obispos la lean
y también será retransmitida en
algunas series de talleres. Uno
de los principales hallazgos
del estudio, que los Católicos
quieren saber más sobre su
credo, ha provocado planes
para una convocatoria en 2017
en Orlando, Florida, durante la
semana del 4 de Julio.
Al considerar las directrices
éticas de los obispos para los
servicios médicos Católicos,
la discusión se enfocó en si
revisar o no la Parte 6, sobre
“formar nuevas alianzas con
organizaciones de servicios
médicos”. Esto tomará en
cuenta los principios sugeridos
por la Congregación Para la
Doctrina de la Fe, del Vaticano. Una vez completada, la
revisión será presentada a los
obispos para aprobación Ànal.
En cuanto a las elecciones, el arzobispo Gregory M.
Aymond de Nueva Orleans
ganó el puesto de secretario
electo. Los directores electos
del comité son: el cardenal
Timothy M. Dolan de Nueva
York, actividades pro vida; el
obispo auxiliar Christopher
J. Coyne de Indianápolis,
comunicaciones;
el arzobispo
Gustavo GarcíaSiller de San
Antonio, diversidad cultural; el
arzobispo Allen
H. Vigneron de
Detroit, doctrina; el arzobispo
Thomas J. Rodi
de Mobile, Alabama, colectas
nacionales. Cada
uno asumirá su
puesto el próximo noviembre
para un término
de tres años.
La reunión incluyó
informes sobre el recientemente realizado Sínodo
extraordinario de los Obispos
Sobre la Familia, la educación
Católica y la extensión hacia
los estudiantes hispanos en
comunidades mal servidas, el
progreso de la planiÀcación
del Encuentro Mundial de las
Familias del 2015 en FiladelÀa,
el estado del plan estratégico
2013-16 de la USCCB titulado
“The New Evangelization:
Faith, Worship, Witness” (“La
Nueva Evangelización: Fe,
Culto Divino, Testimonio”),
La Quincena para la Libertad de 2015 y la defensa del
matrimonio.
Varios obispos que participaron en el sínodo hablaron
de sus experiencias allí y también las discutieron en una de
las tres conferencias de prensa
durante las sesiones públicas
de la reunión. El cardenal
Dolan dijo en una conferencia
de prensa que consideraba los
reportes sobre el sínodo como
“de confrontación y divisivos”
y en conÁicto con sus impresiones. “En el que estábamos
fue escasamente tan picante
(y) jugoso,” dijo.
25
El obispo Oscar Cantú de
Las Cruces, Nuevo México,
informó sobre una peregrinación de oración por la paz
de 12 días a Tierra Santa en
septiembre. Dieciocho obispos visitaron lugares sagrados
del cristianismo, el judaísmo
y el islamismo y se reunieron
con personas que les ayudaron
a entender las luchas de los
pueblos de cada credo.
“Sabemos que la paz es
posible,” dijo el obispo Cantú,
“porque Dios es nuestra esperanza”. Pero “después de otra
guerra en Gaza la esperanza
escasea. Lo que se necesita
ahora es la transformación de
los corazones humanos, de
modo que los corazones de un
lado sean menos sordos ante
las preocupaciones del otro”.
El arzobispo William E.
Lori de Baltimore, director
del Comité Ad Hoc Para la
Libertad de Culto, dijo que el
comité, extendido por otros
tres años, planiÀca enfocarse
más en enseñar y expandir las
redes con grupos laicos Católicos y socios interreligiosos y
ecuménicos. Él dijo que las
amenazas contra la libertad de
culto siguen siendo una gran
preocupación.
Pastoral support for victims of sexual abuse
The Diocese of Austin is committed to providing con¿dential and compassionate care to victims of sexual abuse, particularly if the abuse was
committed by clergy or a church representative. If you have experienced abuse by someone representing the Catholic Church, please contact
the diocesan coordinator of pastoral care at (512) 949-2400.
Apoyo pastoral a las víctimas de abuso sexual
La Diócesis de Austin se compromete a proporcionar ayuda con¿dencial y compasiva a las víctimas de abuso sexual, especialmente si el
abuso fue cometido por el clero o un representante de la iglesia. Si usted ha sufrido abusos por parte de alguien que representa la Iglesia
Católica, por favor comuníquese con el coordinador diocesano del cuidado pastoral al (512) 949-2400.
How to report an incident of concern
The Diocese of Austin is committed to preventing harm from happening to any of our children or vulnerable adults. If you are aware of sexual
or physical abuse and/or neglect of a child or vulnerable adult, state law requires you to report that information to local law enforcement or
the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services at (800) 252-5400 or www.dfps.state.tx.us. Additionally, if the suspected abuse is by
clergy or an employee or volunteer of any diocesan parish, school or agency, a Notice of Concern should be submitted to the diocesan Ethics
and Integrity in Ministry Of¿ce at (512) 949-2400. The Notice of Concern can be found at www.austindiocese.org (click on the link HOW TO
REPORT ABUSE). Reports may be made anonymously.
Cómo reportar un caso de abuso
La Diócesis de Austin está comprometida con la prevención del daño que se cause a cualquier niño o adulto vulnerable. Si usted está enterado
del abuso sexual o físico y/o abandono de un niño o adulto vulnerable, la ley estatal requiere que se reporte esa información a la policía local
o al Departamento de Servicios Familiares y de Protección del Estado de Texas al (800) 252-5400 o al sitio: www.dfps.state.tx.us y además,
si la sospecha de abuso es por parte del clero, empleado o voluntario de cualquier parroquia, escuela u organización de la diócesis, se debe
enviar un Reporte de Abuso y debe ser presentado a la O¿cina de Ética e Integridad en el Ministerio de la diócesis al (512) 949-2400. El Reporte de Abuso se encuentra en nuestra página de Internet diocesana: www.austindiocese.org ( Haga click en la liga COMO REPORTAR UN
CASO DE ABUSO). Estos reportes pueden ser hechos de manera anónima.
ESPAÑOL
26
C ATHOLIC S PIRIT
Obispos de Texas ofrecen dirección sobre
asuntos del Àn de la vida
POR PEGGY MORACZEWSKI
CORRESPONSAL
La Conferencia Católica
de Texas (TCC por sus siglas
en inglés) ofreció un evento
recientemente sobre asuntos
del Àn de la vida en la Universidad de St. Edward’s en
Austin. Mesas formadas por
religiosos distinguidos e individuos profesionales educaron
a los asistentes sobre políticas
de cuidados del Àn de la vida y
cuidado pastoral.
La TCC es la voz pública
de los obispos Católicos de
Texas. Este particular foro
abordó la Ley de Texas de
Directivas Anticipadas (Texas
Advance Directives Act en
inglés, conocida como TADA)
aprobada en 1999 y comunicaron cómo un proyecto de
ley, tal como el Proyecto de
ley del Senado 303 (conocido
como SB303), fortalecería la
TADA original. SB303 fue
aprobada por el Senado de
Texas en 2013, pero no llegó a
presentarse en la Casa de Representantes antes del Ànal de
la sesión legislativa. Un nuevo
proyecto de ley, con un nuevo
número, será introducido durante la sesión de 2015.
El Obispo Mark Seitz de
la Diócesis del Paso proveyó
de algunos antecedentes,
explicando que, a pesar de
que la (TADA de 1999) ley no
es perfecta, los obispos y los
grupos pro-vida apoyaron la
ley, viéndola como legislación
incremental.
“La estructura de la ley
provee de la protección básica
y busca respetar la dignidad humana,” dijo. Un conÁicto con
la enseñanza Católica ocurre
por que, de acuerdo a la ley de
Texas, la alimentación artiÀcial
y la hidratación pueden ser
suspendidas”.
San Juan Pablo II proveyó
claridad sobre los tratamientos
de sostenimiento de la vida:
un hombre, incluso seriamente
enfermo o incapacitado en
el ejercicio de sus funciones
más altas, es y siempre será un
hombre, y nunca se convertirá
en un “vegetal” o un “animal”.
La persona enferma en un
estados vegetativo, esperando
recuperarse o una muerte natural, todavía tiene el derecho
a cuidados médicos básicos
(nutrición, hidratación, limpieza, calor, etc.), de acuerdo al
Congreso Internacional sobre
“Tratamientos de Sustentación
de la Vida y el Estado Vegetativo: Avances CientíÀcos y
Dilemas Éticos de 2004.
Panelistas individuales se
enfocaron en componentes
especíÀcos del tópico general.
El Obispo Michael Olson de
la Diócesis de Fort Worth, y
Jennifer Carr Allmon, directora
asociada de la TCC, compartió
puntos actuales de la ley que
se encuentran retando criterios
objetivos esenciales que mejorarían la ley.
Usando la SB303 como
un ejemplo de los cambios
recomendados a la TADA, el
Obispo Olson declarado que,
“mientras que está lejos de
ser una propuesta perfecta, (la
propuesta) es una gran mejoría
a la ley actual y sin ella nunca
podremos avanzar en la protección de los derechos básicos
de los enfermos crónicos y los
discapacitados. Es una medida
importante contra el movimiento a favor de la eutanasia y
el suicidio asistido. Está fundamentalmente en consorcio con
la enseñanza moral Católica”.
Más allá del asunto de
la nutrición y la hidratación,
Allmon dijo que es muy problemático que la ley no discute
las órdenes de no resucitación
(DNR por sus siglas en inglés)
y la ley también necesita clariÀcar asuntos relacionados a la
revisión de un comité de ética.
Como co-presidente del
Comité de Ética del Centro
Médico Seton, el cardiólogo
Doctor. David Zientek,
proveyó información sobre qué
tan estresantes son los asuntos
del Àn de la vida para todos los
involucrados, incluyendo para
el paciente moribundo, la familia y los amigos, los doctores
y el personal hospitalario. Los
casos presentados al comité
de ética son raros y la vasta
mayoría de las decisiones son
tomadas al lado de la cama del
paciente.
El orador principal, el Doctor John M. Haas, presidente
del Centro Nacional Católico
de Bioética (NCBC por sus
siglas en inglés), enfatizó la dignidad intrínseca de la persona
humana.
“No eliminamos el sufrimiento al eliminar a la persona que está sufriendo”, dijo.
El señaló que como
Católicos, nos convertimos
en uno sólo con Cristo y
unimos nuestro dolor con su
sufrimiento en el Calvario. En
el caso de una persona cerca
del Àn de la vida, el cuidado
paliativo es el adecuado y el
fomentado por el Catecismo
de la Iglesia Católica.
El cuidado pastoral para los
asuntos del Àn de la vida completó el círculo de la discusión.
El Obispo Joseph Strickland
de la Diócesis de Tyler, dijo,
“el cuidado pastoral se trata de
la relación. De recordar con
quién estamos lidiando, que
esa hermosa criatura de Dios
necesita mantenerse sagrada,
incluso hasta la muerte. Ello
involucra caminar con la
familia y el individuo a través
del proceso de la enfermedad
hasta el momento en el que,
por la decisión de Dios, la vida
cesa”.
El Diácono Charlie Stump,
director de servicios pastorales
de la Diócesis de Dallas, compartió su experiencia extensiva
y su entendimiento del cuidado
de los moribundos. Él generosamente ofreció compartir su
presentación sobre Directivas
Anticipadas con cualquier parroquia interesada en comenzar un Ministerio de Cuidado
Pastoral.
El Padre Louis Brussati,
profesor asociado de la Universidad de St. Edward’s y miembro del Comité de Ética de
Seton, recordó a los asistentes
que el soltar la vida es muy
diferente para mucha gente. De
una época temprana, durante
su entrenamiento pastoral en el
Hospital Barnes en Saint Louis,
Mo; él recordó el terror en los
ojos de un hombre moribundo
quien no tenía creencia alguna.
Su consejo compasivo incluyó
decir, “está bien soltarse; Dios
está ahí”.
Recursos para pacientes,
familias y sustitutos, se encuentran disponibles a través
del NCBC en www.ncbcenter.
org. Los recursos incluyen una
“Guía Católica para las Decisiones del Fin de la Vida,” una
línea de ayuda con servicios de
consultoría gratuitos y un formato de Poder Legal Católico
Durable.
Para mayor y más detallada
información sobre las enseñanzas Católicas sobre Directivas
Anticipadas, vaya a www.txcatholic-advance-directives.org.
La Iglesia ofrece oraciones, mexicanos expresan
indignación por estudiantes desaparecidos
POR DAVID AGREN
El Cardenal Norberto
Rivera Carrera de Ciudad de
México ofreció oraciones durante una Misa el 9 de noviembre por los 43 estudiantes
de Magisterio de México, de
quienes las autoridades dicen
que fueron capturados por
policías corruptos, asesinados
por el crimen organizado y
cuyos cuerpos fueron quemados.
La conferencia episcopal
mexicana, mientras tanto,
emitió una declaración de
solidaridad con las familias,
que se niegan a aceptar las explicaciones de las autoridades
y continúan pidiendo que sus
hijos sean traídos de vuelta
vivos.
“Uniendo nuestra voz
a la vuestra y a la de toda la
sociedad, decimos: ¡Basta ya de
tanta corrupción, impunidad y
violencia!” dijeron los obispos
en una declaración el 7 de
noviembre.
“Pedimos a las autoridades
llevar la investigación hasta sus
últimas consecuencias para que
se conozca con certeza lo que
ha sido de los desaparecidos y
se sancione con todo el peso
de la ley a los autores intelectuales y materiales”, continuó
la declaración.
“Así mismo, exigimos
hacer valer el estado de
derecho para poner Àn a toda
forma de violencia, actividad
ilícita, corrupción, impunidad,
nexos y complicidad de algunas
autoridades con el crimen
organizado”.
Los mexicanos han salido
a las calles condenando los
crímenes y la aparente colusión
entre los criminales y la clase
política en algunas partes del
país.
Las protestas y la indig-
nación están entre las más
fuertes en años recientes y
reÁejan la ira contra la inseguridad continua en el país.
Muchos han adoptado el lema
“Ya me cansé”, haciendo eco
de un comentario improvisado
del procurador general de
México, Jesús Murillo Karam,
después de una conferencia
de prensa del 7 de noviembre,
quien ha sido interpretado por
muchos como insensato.
“Fue la paja que quebró el
espinazo del camello”, dijo el
padre jesuita Conrado Zepeda,
quien celebró Misa el 4 de
noviembre en la Universidad
Iberoamericana, operada por
los jesuitas, para los estudiantes
y cuatro parientes de los desaparecidos.
“Tiene que ver con los
jóvenes, los estudiantes, los
pobres, gente que no puede
defenderse al ser atacada de
esta manera. Es por esto que la
sociedad civil se ha rebelado”.
Las autoridades arrestaron
a José Luis Abarca, alcalde de
Iguala, y a su esposa, María
de los Ángeles Pineda, el
4 de noviembre en Ciudad
de México, alegando que él
ordenó el ataque contra los
estudiantes. La pareja reclamó
que los estudiantes venían a
protestar en un evento comunitario planiÀcado por Pineda.
Compañeros de clases
dijeron que los estudiantes
fueron a Iguala, a 120 millas al
sur de Ciudad de México, para
recaudar fondos para un futuro
viaje a la capital, pero que la
policía había disparado contra
sus autobuses prestados, detenido a 43 de los estudiantes
de Magisterio y los entregó a
los miembros de la pandilla
Guerreros Unidos.
Murillo puntualizó los
detalles el 7 de noviembre
diciendo que tres miembros de
la pandilla confesaron haber
quemado los cuerpos en un
vertedero de basura. Seis bolsas
de cenizas y huesos han sido
descubiertas en el lugar.
Las familias de los estudiantes desaparecidos se niegan
a creerle al gobierno y dijeron que solamente aceptarán
evidencia presentada por los
expertos forenses argentinos
que trabajan en el caso.
El Padre Víctor Manuel
Aguilar, portavoz de la Diócesis de Chilpancingo-Chilapa,
donde está ubicada la escuela
de los estudiantes, dijo que
la desconÀanza viene de una
infeliz historia de abusos de
los derechos humanos en el
estado de Guerrero, que está
al sur de Ciudad de México y
lleno de comunidades pobres indígenas que han sido
explotadas y empujadas hacia
los márgenes de la sociedad
durante siglos.
“La justicia a menudo se
retrasa ... si tan siquiera llega”,
él dijo.
SITINGS
December 2014
27
THE
YOUTH
GROUP
from St. Joseph Parish
in Cyclone
prepared
the cemetery for the
annual Veteran’s Day
celebration.
(Photo courtesy Brenda
Maddux)
CATHOLICS from Fayetteville and
Ellinger prayed the rosary on Oct. 11
at the old ¿rehouse in town square.
(Photo courtesy Madeline Kovar)
CHURCH OF
THE VISITATION
in Westphalia
participated in the
2014 Life Chain in
Lott. (Photo courtesy Bill Reid)
SECOND GRADERS from St. Austin
Catholic School celebrated All Saints
Day with a presentation of saints and
songs during the school Mass. St.
Austin also hosted its sixth annual
St. Austin City Lights Gala on Nov. 1.
(Photos courtesy Keili Smith)
CHILDREN from St. Francis on the Brazos Waco
participated in All Saints
Day celebrations dressed as
their favorite saint. (Photo
courtesy Orlando Salas)
SACRED HEART CATHOLIC SCHOOL in La Grange
celebrated All Saints Day. The
pre-Kindergarteners dressed
as saints and sang “When
the Saints Go Marching In.”
(Photo courtesy Pam Keilers)
PRE-KINDERGARTENERS at St. Louis Catholic School
in Waco recently
made applesauce
during class. (Photo
courtesy Brandy
Kramolis)
THE BOY SCOUT TROOP from St. Ignatius Parish in
Austin opened the parish’s Fall Fest with a Àag ceremony.
(Photo courtesy Irene Rivers)
ST. JOHN VIANNEY PARISH in
Round Rock held its annual Vianney Fest on Oct. 26. (Photos courtesy Rilla Chaka)
PURE FASHION held a “Desserts with Dad” event in October.
The participants are preparing for a fashion show of trendy, yet
tasteful clothing for local stores. (Photo courtesy Mary Johnson)
Send photos by the 10th of the month to [email protected].
28
C ATHOLIC S PIRIT
SITINGS
THE DIOCESE OF
AUSTIN golf team
took second place
in the fourth annual
Annunciation Maternity Home Golf
Tournament on Oct.
28. (Photo courtesy
Alyssia Woods)
THE DRAMA DEPARTMENT at St.
Michael’s Catholic Academy captured
the district championship for the
TAPPS Division II District III One-Act
Play contest on Nov. 8. (Photo courtesy Andrea Campana)
MANY GATHERED for the annual
Longhorn Catholic Tailgate held
Nov. 8 at the University Catholic
Center in Austin.
HENRY FINCH and Jose Rodriguez, seminarians from
the Diocese of Austin, were recently installed as lectors
at the Ponti¿cal College Josephinum in Ohio. Seminarians installed as lectors typically are ¿rst-year theologians
and are commissioned to proclaim the Word of God in the
liturgical assembly and to catechize the faithful. (Photo by
Ryan Jurden)
LONGHORN AWAKENING celebrated 25 years of retreats with
a Mass at the University Catholic
Center and picnic at Zilker Park on
Nov. 9. (Photos courtesy UCC)
THE RELIGIOUS
EDUCATION
students
from St.
Mary Parish
in San Saba
participated
in a Àoating balloon
rosary. The students began the evening by releasing individual
balloons with the names of loved ones who have died. (Photo
courtesy Michael Bohensky)
STUDENTS FROM Santa Cruz
Catholic School in Buda celebrated
All Saints Day and the school broke
ground on their new building. (Photos
courtesy Ted Urban)
THE GUADALUPANAS
attended the Federation
of Guadalupanos Archdiocese of San Antonio
2014 State Convention
on Oct. 25. The theme
was Our Lady of Guadalupe Eucharistic Woman
and Model for Evangelization. (Photo courtesy
Anna G. Hernandez)
CHILDREN from Ascension
Parish in Bastrop dressed
as Mary and St. Joseph to
commemorate All Saints
Day. (Photo courtesy Maria
Barbato)
AN AUSTIN GROUP is working to
raise funds to build a church for Our
Lady of Good Health Parish in the
small village of Manjakuttai in Tamil
Nadu, India.
STEPHANIE NELSON, a
parishioner at St. Catherine of
Siena Parish in Austin, began
the organization after visiting
Father Raj Manickam, former
associate pastor of St. Catherine, in September 2013.
Visit www.partnersolgh.org to learn more about the organization.
(Photos courtesy Melissa Reaves)
BISHOP JOE VÁSQUEZ celebrated
the sacrament of con¿rmation Oct.
12 at St. Margaret Parish in Giddings.
Afterwards, the bishop and Father Jim
Olnhausen broke ground on the parish’s new religious education building.
(Photo courtesy Martha Bettis)
Send photos by the 10th of the month to [email protected].

Pope confirms visit to Philadelphia in September

Transcripción

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