catholic east texas
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catholic east texas
CATHOLIC EAST TEXAS Vol. 27 No. 5 Diocese of Tyler March 14, 2014 East Texans ask: ‘What’s this money going to be used for?’ TYLER – Bishop Joseph E. Strickland, whose sense of humor and understanding of the people of East Texas endear him to the hearts of his flock, can joke even about a serious matter. Speaking at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception to kick off the Bishop’s Appeal drive March 2, he told the congregation, “I have good news and bad news.” He paused a moment, then leaned forward with his characteristic grin and added, “You don’t have to listen to my recorded message about the Bishop’s Appeal. Instead, you get me live and in person.” He reminded those present of the beginning of the appeal immediately after the Diocese of Tyler was erected in 1987, when then-Father Joe was a young priest. “Bishop Charles E. Herzig, who was ordained and installed as the Lent services, events planned in diocese first bishop of Tyler Feb. 24, 1987, saw the need for an annual appeal to help fund the diocese,” Bishop Strickland said. He grinned again, pointing to his greying hair, and said, “I’m definitely old enough now to see the wisdom of this action.” Referring to the day’s readings, the bishop added, “You have lived out what Paul spoke of in his letter to the Corinthians. In the past 27 years as a local church, you have been stewards of the mysteries of God. That is what this community has been called to be.” But he noted that East Texans are a practical breed and said, “I know the question in your minds is, ‘What’s this money going to be used for?’ “Through these 27 years, the Bishop’s Appeal has been used to educate and form 40 priests in the Catholic faith,” Bishop Strickland said, “and we have 10 in formation now.” He said the appeal helps the clergy throughout their ministry, noting, “Beyond their formation, the Bishop’s Appeal assists those who serve in the diocese now and helps provide for the 13 retired priests who have served so long and so well.” Many of those retired priests, he said, still help out where they can. For instance, the bishop said, “Msgr. John Flynn has been a priest for over 60 years and he still continues to serve.” Msgr. Flynn assists the diocesan tribunal and serves as a supply priest when a parish pastor is called away or is ill. Continued on page 3 Couples told: You are sign of what love of Christ is all about TYLER – Looking out at a gathering of young – and younger – married couples Immacgathered at the Cathedral of the Immac TYLER – Bishop Joseph E. Strickland has ulate Conception in Tyler, Bishop Jo Jorecorded a series of Lenten reflection videos seph E. Strickland cried, “What a to help Catholics in the Diocese of Tyler treasure you are to the people of deepen their prayer life in the penitential God! season. “We are gathered to celeTitled The Psalms of Lent, each brate your marriages,” he said; video features Bishop Strickland re“what a joy it is to come to toflecting on the Psalm reading for that gether to celebrate your living Sunday’s liturgy. They release each out of this sign of Christ. You Tuesday in English and Spanish and are a sign of what the love of are about 5-7 minutes long. Jesus Christ is all about.” The videos can be viewed via Scores of couples from the diocesan website, dioceseoftythroughout the diocese were ler.org, or at the Diocese of Tyler present at the inaugural marchannel on YouTube. riage anniversary celebration The Cathedral of the ImmacuFeb. 8 sponsored by the dilate Conception prays Stations of ocesan Family Life Office. the Cross Fridays, 6 p.m., in the Special invitees were couples Chapel of Sts. Peter and Paul and celebrating increments of five 7 p.m. (Spanish), in the cathedral. years of marriage – 5, 10, 15 A communal penance service will and so on – and couples mark markbe celebrated April 8 at 6 p.m. in the ing any anniversary from 50 chapel. and up during the year year. Other parishes throughout the dioBishop Strickland remindcese also are offering a number of Lented those present of the signifi signifien programs to prepare the faithful for the cance of marriage as the first sign of solemn liturgies of Holy Week and Easter, Christ’s public ministry. “There was celebrated this year April 17-20. a wedding at Cana in Galilee,” he said, Carthage, St. William of Vercelli. Stareferring to the day’s Gospel; “there was tions of the Cross are prayed Fridays at 6:30 p.m. a wedding at Immaculate Conception in KC fish fries are Fridays, 5-6:30 p.m., in the Tyler. There was a wedding in Australia, parish activity center. A St Patrick’s Day benDeacon Alex … in New Orleans, … in New York.” efit dinner and concert for “String Power” will and Johnye Kobar He waved his hand across the rows be March 15 at 6 p.m. A Lenten retreat will be of intent participants, light from the held March 31-April 2, at 6 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. overhead spots flickering off the gold trim of his white (Spanish) A Lenten penitential service will be April 1 at 6 p.m. Centerville, St. Leo the Great. Mary, Mother of the New Evangelization parish mission will be March 29, 9:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Guest speaker will be Christopher Williston, a former Baptist minister who converted to Catholicism. Clarksville, St. Joseph. Confessions are heard every By SUSAN DE MATTEO TYLER – Catholic Charities East Texas is launching Friday at 5:30 p.m., followed by Mass at 6 p.m., Stations of the Cross at 6:30 p.m. and a holy hour at 7 p.m. On Sun- a new parish nursing ministry, funded by a grant from the CHRISTUS St. Michael Foundation and the Arkansas Indays, Stations are prayed at 10 a.m. and noon (Spanish). Crockett, St. Francis of the Tejas. Father Peter Mc- tegrated Care Health Network. Faith Community Health Ministries is a three-year piGrath leads morning prayer in the church Monday-Friday at 8:30 a.m. Adoration, Stations, reconciliation and eve- lot program involving several Texarkana congregations, ning prayer are celebrated every Friday, beginning at 6 including Sacred Heart Church. CHRISTUS St. Michael p.m. Lenten fish fries are Fridays, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. and 4-8 and AICHN have provided $169,000 to Catholic Charities to train a nursing coordinator and eight licensed, registered p.m. in the parish hall. Frankston, St. Charles Borromeo. The church will nurses as a pastoral team offering faith-based community hold its 17th annual fish fry March 16, 11 a.m.-2 p.m., in nursing. “The team will do basic health screenings, such as for the church hall. Donations will be accepted to benefit the diabetes, heart disease and mental health issues, as well church debt reduction fund. Continued on page 2 as educational presentations and health fairs,” said Nell vestments, and said, “this is the Gospel that many of you heard at your own wedding.” The blessing of the sacrament of marriage, he said, is epitomized by Deacon Alex and Johnye Kobar of Sacred Heart Church in Palestine, celebrating 68 years of marriage this year. But he added, “Those who have been married the fewest number of years, yours is a blessing also. Every one of you living the commitment of marriage is a blessing. You are a sacrament of Christ. Christ is alive and present in us, not a distant Lord.” Again he referred to the readings, from Tobit, Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, the Gospel story of Cana, and said, “I would call these the classics. In these readings we have the message of the Lord about what marriage is, the ancient message that is new today.” Bishop Strickland shook his head in sorrow, adding, “Your message is that your intimacy in marriage is sacred and noble, and how drastically the world has forgotten that. You are a counter-message to all the trash that is out there. Thank you for being a living image of the nobility of your union that the Book of Tobit reminds us of.” The bishop told the couples that at the end of his homily he would present certificates to those present who celebrate 50 or more years of marriage during 2014. He raised both hands in amazement, saying, “20 couples married over 50 years!” He shook his head again and pointed at the couples in the front pews of the cathedral and said, “All of those years have been a sign and a sacrament to the world that more desperately needs it every day.” He said that the church is not a building nor a hierarchy, but the people who are the body of Christ, and noted, “You are a domestic church. It is about the love of God, a real and committed love. The love of God, that is what Corinthians speaks to us about: love never fails.” Continued on page 5 CCET starting parish nursing ministry Lawrence, Catholic Charities director. “They will be advocates for health care, as well as bridges between members of congregations and health providers. The goal is to help empower individuals to be more involved and proactive in their health care and to provide support for them in dealing with any health issues.” The ministry will focus as much on the spiritual as on as the physical, Lawrence said. “More and more studies are showing that faith and spirituality are integral components of health and healing,” she said. “Traditionally, doctors and other health professionals have addressed the physical side but have left the spiritual side alone. With this program, our team members will concentrate on both to present a holistic model of care. Continued on page 8 2 CATHOLIC EAST TEXAS March 14, 2014 DIOCESE Reflections As I mentioned last month I hope to continue reflecting on the precepts of the church in the coming months. You may remember that this reflection is rooted in my overall discussion of what the Lord asks of us as we seek to follow him faithfully. The reality that the Lord does clearly ask something of us is reinforced by the passage from the Gospel according to St. Matthew which was proclaimed on the seventh Sunday of Ordinary time, Feb. 23. That passage concludes with the Lord saying that we are “to be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect.” Any rational person would exclaim that this is truly impossible. How can any of us hope to be perfect? But we immediately turn to another passage in the Gospel where the Lord says “with God all things are possible.” Reminded that all things are possible with God, we can turn to the first of the precepts of the church, to assist at Mass on all Sundays and holy days of obliga- tion. Certainly this precept is at the heart of what it means to be a practicing and faithful Catholic. We live in an age when very often people will bristle at the idea of obligation. We tend to resent the idea that we are obligated to do anything and we can often have the idea that this encroaches on our freedom. Many of our non-Catholic brothers and sisters (and our Catholic brethren also) may challenge the church’s right to lay down this precept as an obligation but the church sees it as merely a development of the commandment to keep holy the Lord’s Day. In a real sense the Lord has already established this as a law for his people because as Catholics we know that the Mass is our greatest act of prayer and worship. The commandments obligate us to keep holy the Lord’s Day and the way we do this as Catholics is to join with the Body of Christ at Mass. It is clear that merely following the letter of this precept is completely inadequate because attending Mass on Sunday should not be seen as legalistically fulfilling an obligation but I often think of Holy Mother Church as a wise Mother making it clear what is good for her children. Thus in the context of this discussion the Lord asks us to join him for his sacrifice of love every Sunday. Expressed in this way I believe this precept begins to move us to a deeper understanding of what this law of the church is really about. Pope Francis constantly and beautifully reminds us that from our baptism we are called to an ever deeper and more intimate relationship with the Lord Jesus. The intimate and beautiful encounter with the Lord that every Sunday Mass is meant to be becomes a touchstone of that ever-deepening relationship. This moves us to the point of recognizing that the obligation to attend Mass on Sundays and holy days is rooted in being a healthy Christian. Even as Sunday Mass attendance falls far short of the ideal, attendance on holy days has fallen to a rather dismal level in the church’s life. I would hope that pondering the loving invitation of the Lord to encounter Him in an intimate way every Sunday will help us to be strengthened in fulfilling this basic obligation and move us Personal website: to reflect on the meaning of holy days in our Catholic psybishopstrickland.com che. The Lord asks us to join him and be strengthened in his Tweet at: eternal sacrifice of love every Sunday. Let us pray that we Bishop J. Strickland @bishopoftyler might always joyfully accept the Lord’s invitation. Lent From page 1 Gilmer, St. Francis of Assisi. Bilingual Stations are prayed every Friday at 7 p.m., followed by fellowship and a meal. Gladewater, St. Theresa of the Infant Jesus. Stations of the Cross are prayed each Friday at 6:30 p.m., followed by a soup supper. Gun Barrel City, St. Jude. Stations of the Cross are prayed Friday mornings following 8 a.m. Mass and at 7 p.m. (Spanish). A communal penance service will be March 19 at 6:30 p.m., with both Englishand Spanish-speaking priests available. Henderson, St. Jude. Children’s Stations of the Cross are prayed every Wednesday at 7:45 p.m. La Via Crucis is prayed every Thursday at 7:30 p.m. Stations of the Cross are prayed every Friday Marriage From page 1 Striding across the white marble tiles in front of the row upon row of married couples, the bishop said, “However many years you have lived your marriage, that is what these words mean: love never fails. It didn’t fail my parents, it didn’t fail you, it doesn’t fail anyone baptized into the love of Christ.” Pointing to the ambo from which Deacon Jerry Besze had read the Gospel, Bishop Strickland said, “finally, there is that Gospel message. ‘There was a wedding at Cana in Galilee.’ Think of all the preparation that went into that, the invitations that were sent out. That is a beautiful image. Your marriage is not a private thing; others are invited. You are an image for all of God’s people.” Again the bishop returned to a key concern, repeating, “The world desperately needs the image of commitment that you offer. I’m sure that many times, that has been your strength: ‘I said that I do, and I will.’” The bishop paused a moment, turning slowly as he swept his gaze across the gathering. “Our best message about marriage to us as a Catholic community,” he said, “is you. You are living it out in our midst.” o at 6:30 p.m. KC fish fries are Fridays, 5:308 p.m. Father Jay Lucas leads Lenten reflections Thursdays at 6 p.m. Holly Lake Ranch, Holy Spirit. Vespers are prayed every Friday at 5:30 p.m., followed by Stations of the Cross and a soup supper. A KC fish fry will be March 14 and March 28, 5:30-7:30 p.m., in the parish hall. Jacksonville, Our Lady of Sorrows. Wednesdays of Lent will feature Mass at 6 p.m. followed by Stations, a soup supper and Lenten reflection. On Wednesdays, Stations will follow 12:15 p.m. Mass. Fish fries are Fridays, 5:30-8 p.m. A holy hour will be prayed Sundays at 4 p.m., followed by dinner at 5 p.m. A Lenten retreat will be offered March 15-18 at 7 p.m., with English and Spanish presentations. Theme is The Sacraments. A parish penance service will be April 11 at 7 p.m. Kilgore, Christ the King. A parish penance service will be March 21 at 6 p.m. Lindale, Holy Family. Stations of the Cross are prayed Fridays at 5 p.m. Knights of Columbus fish fries will be March 14 and April 4 and 11. A parish penance service will be April 10 at 7 p.m. Eucharistic adoration is on Fridays, following the 8 p.m. Mass and lasting until 9 p.m. Longview, St. Mary. Mass is celebrated on Fridays at 5:30 p.m., followed by fish fries at 6 p.m. and Stations of the Cross at 7 p.m. Reconciliation services will be March Calendar March 15 – Bridges out of Poverty, 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m., cathedral, Tyler. March 16 – Rite of presentation of candidates and elect, 3:30 p.m., cathedral, Tyler. March 19 – Ask the Bishop with Bishop Strickland, 11 a.m.-6 p.m., St. Mary Chapel, Stephen F. Austin University, Nacogdoches. March 27 – Priests’ study day, 10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m., chancery, Tyler. March 29 – How Many Ways Can I Say “I Love You”?, Worldwide Marriage Encounter, 8:30 a.m.-1 p.m., cathedral, Tyler. March 30 – Deacons’ convocation, Sacred Heart Church, Nacogdoches (contact Deacon Jerry Besze at 903-534-1077, ext. 166). April 14 – Milam Joseph Golf Tournament, Willow Brook Country Club, Tyler. April 15 – Chrism Mass, 7 p.m., cathedral, Tyler. April 17 – Holy Thursday, 7 p.m., cathedral, Tyler. April 18 – Good Friday service, 3 p.m., cathedral, Tyler. April 19 – Easter Vigil, sundown, cathedral, Tyler. Some items have additional information in Que Pasa or in separate articles in today’s Catholic East Texas. Ethics and Integrity for Church Personnel Diocese of Tyler 23, 3:30-5:30 p.m., and April 3, 6:308:30 p.m. Weekly reconciliation times are Wednesdays, 5-6:15 p.m., and Sundays, 4-5:15 p.m. Dr. Kevin McQuaid will give a presentation on the Shroud of Turin in the parish center April 13 at 1:30 p.m. Living Stations will be prayed April 17, 10 a.m., Continued on page 5 USPS 001726 Published monthly by the Catholic Diocese of Tyler, 1015 ESE Loop 323, Tyler, Texas 75701-9663. Telephone 903-534-1077; FAX 903-5341370; e-mail editorcet3@excite .com. To avoid being discarded as spam, include church name or city in subject line. Periodical postage paid at Tyler, Texas, and additional mailing office. Subscription is $15 per year. News and advertising deadline final Friday of month. Advance material should be sent as soon as you have it. Post-event information and photos should be sent as soon as possible, and must be received within two weeks of the event to be considered for publication. Submit email photos as jpg attachments. People in photos should be identified. Include SASE for return of photos. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: 1015 ESE Loop 323 Tyler, TX 75701-9663 www.dioceseoftyler.org/tribunal Publisher Bishop Joseph E. Strickland Report concerns or questions to Promoter of Justice Confidential: 903-266-2159 • FAX: 903-939-1037 [email protected] Report abuse of minors to: State of Texas, 800-252-5400 Editor Jim D’Avignon Reporter Susan De Matteo Bishop’s Appeal 2014 City Parish/Mission Northwest Deanery Donors Clarksville St. Joseph Cooper St. Clare Emory St. John the Evangelist Grand Saline St. Celestine Mineola St. Peter the Apostle Mt. Vernon Sacred Heart Paris Our Lady of Victory Sulphur Springs St. James Winnsboro St. Ann Target Pledged CHURCH Feb. 14, 2014 CATHOLIC EAST TEXAS 3 Target % 0 4,000.00 0.00 0.00 0 2,000.00 0.00 0.00 0 8,000.00 0.00 0.00 0 3,000.00 0.00 0.00 0 18,000.00 580.00 3.22 0 8,000.00 180.00 2.25 0 63,000.00 7,100.00 11.27 0 25,000.00 675.00 2.70 010,000.00400.00 4.00 Southeast Deanery Center St. Therese Chireno Our Lady of Lourdes Diboll Our Lady of Guadalupe Hemphill St. Pius I Lufkin St. Andrew Lufkin St. Patrick Moral Immaculate Conception Nacogdoches Our Lady of Guadalupe Nacogdoches Sacred Heart Nacogdoches St. Mary Student Center San Augustine St. Augustne Timpson Epiphany 010,000.000.00 0.00 0 4,000.00 0.00 0.00 0 22,000.00 0.00 0.00 0 9,000.00 0.00 0.00 035,000.001,300.00 3.71 040,000.001,875.00 4.69 0 9,000.00 960.00 10.67 0 10,000.00 5,737.80 57.38 060,000.000.00 0.00 0 1,000.00 0.00 0.00 0 5,000.00 1,000.00 20.00 05,000.00 0.00 0.00 West Central Deanery Alto Ven. Antonio Margil Athens St. Edwards Canton St. Therese Chandler St. Boniface Flint St. Mary Magdalene Gun Barrel City St. Jude Jacksonville Our Lady of Sorrows Lindale Holy Family Malakoff Mary Queen of Heaven New Summerfield Our Lady of Guadalupe Rusk Sacred Heart Tyler Catholic Student Center Tyler St. Joseph the Worker Tyler St. Peter Claver Tyler Sts. Peter and Paul Tyler Cathedral Tyler Our Lady of Guadalupe Whitehouse Prince of Peace Wills Point St. Luke 0 1,200.00 0.00 0.00 0 23,000.00 700.00 3.04 030,000.000.00 0.00 0 7,000.00 0.00 0.00 0 100,000.00 17,510.00 17.51 0 39,000.00 1,100.00 2.82 0 35,000.00 3,425.00 9.79 053,000,005,100.00 9.62 0 38,000.00 105.00 0.27 0 4,000.00 0.00 0.00 0 7,000.00 0.00 0.00 0 500.00 0.00 0.00 0 4,000.00 1,720.00 43.00 0 33,000.00 0.00 0.00 0 900.00 0.00 0.00 0 231,000.00 60,065.93 26.00 0 18,000.00 110.00 0.61 0 18,000.00 500.00 2.78 0 9,000.00 380.00 4.22 Bishop Strickland: ‘You’re being double-teamed tonight’ Appeal From page 1 “Catholic Charities receives 5 percent of the appeal funds,” the bishop continued. “This enables it to work with immigration issues and with the new parish nurse program now being developed in the Texarkana area. “Evangelization efforts are supported by the Bishop’s Appeal,” he continued, “and efforts to form and welcome new Catholics are supported by the Bishop’s Appeal. We also are called to evangelize and share our faith and we need to do more of that.” East Central Deanery The bishop paused a moment and then said, “Ministry to our youth also needs Carthage St. William of Vercelli 0 21,000.00 800.00 3.81 more effort.” The appeal now includes Gilmer St. Francis of Assisi 0 7,000.00 430.00 6.14 funding for such efforts. Hallsville Our Lady of Grace 0 9,000.00 120.00 1.33 Bishop Strickland said the appeal helps Henderson St. Jude 017,000.00225.00 1.32 fund many more areas of diocesan effort, Holly Lake Holy Spirit 0 20,000.00 5,750.00 28.75 and spread his arms to enclose the entire Jefferson Immaculate Conception013,000.001,130.00 8.69 congregation. “I thank you for your supKilgore Christ the King 0 27,000.00 200.00 0.74 port, for reaching beyond this parish to the Marshall St. Joseph 0 57,000.00 1,428.00 2.51 wider diocese,” he said. Longview St. Mary 0 105,000.00 7,700.00 7.33 “The Gospel reminds us, ‘Seek first the Longview St. Matthew 0 62,000.00 1,405.00 2.27 Kingdom,’” he said. “The fulfillment we Overton Our Lady Queen of Angels 0 4,000.00 550.00 13.75 long for is ultimately found through seekLongview St. Anthony 018,000.002,470.00 13.72 ing first the Kingdom of God. We encourTatum San Pedro the Fisherman 0 7,000.00 0.00 0.00 age you to continue the wonderful mission Union Grove St. Theresa of the Infant Jesus 0 8,000.00 1,500.00 18.75 of being stewards of God here in the dioWaskom St. Lawrence of Brindisi 0 5,000.00 0.00 0.00 cese.” At a preliminary Appeal meeting in the Southwest Deanery Cathedral Center Feb. 18, Bishop Strickland was joined by his vicar general, BishBuffalo St. Kateri Tekakwitha 0 11,000.00 700.00 6.36 op Edmond Carmody, who is in charge of Centerville St. Leo the Great 0 6,000.00 0.00 0.00 the appeal this year. Crockett St. Francis of the Tejas 0 15,000.00 625.00 4.17 Noting the sleet that rattled on the paveFairfield St Bernard of Clairvaux 0 6,000.00 784.00 13.07 ment outside, Bishop Carmody praised the Frankston St. Charles Borromeo 0 14,000.00 1,349.00 9.64 group of donors and told them, “It took a Hilltop Lakes St. Thomas More 0 5,000.00 200.00 4.00 lot of courage for you to leave your warm Madisonvillle St. Elizabeth Ann Seton 0 15,000.00 400.00 2.67 homes and brave the weather to come there Palestine Sacred Heart 040,000.005,295.00 13.24 and be asked for money.” Teague St. Mary 0 4,000.00 120.00 3.00 He quoted the late Mahatma Gandhi Trinity Most Holy Trinity 016,000.002,445.00 15.28 who, Bishop Carmody told the gathering, once said, “I would become a Christian if I Northeast Deanery could find people living Christianity.” Bishop Carmody said the observation Atlanta St. Catherine of Siena 0 12,000.00 220.00 1.83 was a profound one and said, “I hope the Daingerfield Our Lady of Fatima 0 10,000.00 0.00 0.00 appeal will help people to know Christ and Mt. Pleasant St. Michael 0 34,000.00 1,280.00 3.76 to follow Christ.” New Boston St. Mary of the Cenacle 0 15,000.00 0.00 0.00 That’s why the Appeal is so crucial, he Pittsburg Holy Cross 0 7,000.00 100.00 1.43 added. “We need the sacraments,” he said. Texarkana Sacred Heart 0 60,000.00 7,300.00 12.17 “We need priests; we need our young peo Totals 1,651,700.00 163,309.00 9.89 ple to be formed. That’s what we hope to do. That’s what Bishop Strickland wants – for people to know Christ.” He said that not everyone can give a great deal, but noted, “Everybody can give something so other people can come to Christ.” Bishop Strickland, who gave the main – if informal – address of the evening, reminisced about his childhood in Atlanta when he played football with neighborhood children and laughed, “You’re being double-teamed tonight. You’re being asked for money by two bishops.” When the laughter died down, he took a serious turn, saying, “Our Catholic faith is our greatest treasure. The Bishop’s Appeal gives us the resources to have those formation classes. We ordained 22 deacons in December and January, and 40 priests have been ordained for this diocese since its foundation 27 years ago.” He said the Appeal helped make that possible, reminding those present that “our Catholic faith is the way to Christ.” Bishop Strickland paused, then said, “This whole area really has been transformed in those 27 years. When the Diocese of Tyler was formed, the cathedral was the only Catholic church in Smith County.” He said the diocese has other sources of revenue, primarily an assessment on the parishes, but said, “The Bishop’s Appeal brings in about half of all the revenues for the diocese.” He reminded the gathering of several specific areas the appeal benefits, as he did two weeks later in his homily at the cathedral, and said, “We have a treasure here that needs your support. To be able to evangelize that one person who is looking for God is what the Appeal is all about. We need the resources to continue the work of the church.” Bishop Strickland shook his head in understanding, and said, “It’s not easy to let go of your hard-earned dollars, but when we are generous and share with others as an act of faith, it all works out somehow.” o For more information on the Bishop’s Appeal, Follow Christ in the Church and with the Church, go to dioceseoftyler.org and click on the far-right menu item, 2014 Appeal, which links to the BA website. 4 CATHOLIC EAST TEXAS Mardh 14, 2014 C O M M E N TARY How’s your time machine? The middle part is crucial to our understanding By JIM D’AVIGNON Once upon a time … … they lived happily ever after, as I suspected all along. A-a-a-men! Generally, this rendition of their favorite books drew an indignant “Daddy! Do it right.” It never ceased to amaze me, when I was somewhat younger than I am, that each of my daughters apparently had entire books memorized. I could never get by with skipping anything, let alone the entire story. As a result, I know far more about the literature of Dr. Seuss or Richard Scarry or the Berenstain Bears than I do about, for instance, James Joyce or Joseph Conrad. It’s probably one of the reasons I’m addicted to alliteration and can – usually – understand auctioneers’ chants. And leaving out the middle of a story is one of the things we sometimes do without even thinking about it. My sweet bride is able to skip from an opening statement to an apparently irrelevant conclusion that only makes sense after I puzzle it out for a few days. I thought about this last week after Debbie Scholl brought something to my attention. Debbie is the secretary at St. William of Vercelli Church in Carthage, and is featured with her husband Philip on the back page of today’s Catholic East Texas. I arrived early and while we waited for Philip, Debbie gave me a copy of a note that the church groundskeeper had discovered taped to one of the crosses in the Cemetery of the Innocents that the parish, like many others in the diocese, had erected in front of the church to symbolize the young lives lost to abortion. The note opens with a verse from Jeremiah 31:15, as translated in the New American Bible: In Ramah is heard the sound of moaning, of bitter weeping! Rachel mourns her children, she refuses to be consoled because her children are no more. This bold-type section is followed by a text in a computer font similar to Lucida Handwriting: I pray for you, who would have been my niece of nephew. When my sister told me that she had chosen to abort you, I was inconsolable. She told me that she would have had to drop out of college if she had chosen to let you live. She told me that she would not have ben able to take care of you, so she chose to abort you. I cried so hard, and told her that if she had only told me that Patrick and I could have adopted you, as adding one more child to our family was something we could easily do. She ended up dropping out of college anyway, and never completed the degree. She has never had another child, so the only child she had she chose to abort in 1985. I never forget you. You would have been exactly the age of your cousin Jennifer, because even as your mother told me that she had you aborted, I was about a month along in the pregnancy of your cousin. I never had a niece or nephew to love, and my children have never had a cousin to love. Your loss is never forgotten, and I pray for you every night. I must confess that my first thought on reading this was cynical. Someone has crafted this, I thought; this is not a real cri de coeur, I thought; this is just made-up. Then I did think. Regardless of its origin, whether it is simply and purely one woman’s cry as it purports to be or is a compendium of stories, it is real. Just as those rows of white crosses in front of St. William Church along Loop 149 do not actually have tiny children buried beneath the sod at their feet, those children too are real. The stories are real and we do ourselves and our children a great disservice if we look only at the beginning and one putative ending. The missing middle part is crucial to our understanding of the great loss to our lives and our moral stature as a nation. Like Rachel, we should be inconsolable. In our vast and multi-faceted church are many issues and I should tell you that if the pro-life issues are your primary concern, you should stop reading here. When I opened this document on my screen, I glanced out my office windows at the Bradford pears in full bloom and thought to write about my garden and the new life burgeoning there. That’s when Debbie grabbed me by the ear and said, “Read this.” But I have a tiny bit of space left and I’m just going to jump into another subject, no segue about it. I planted four little trees last week, three dwarf cherries and a bay laurel (laurus nobilis), with which I plan to flavor a great deal of marinara sauce in coming years (the bay, not the cherries). This, by a reasonable progression, made me think of Eddie, an usher at the 8 a.m. Mass at the cathedral and a St. Vincent de Paul volunteer. Having planted three fruit trees, I naturally wandered over to the huge fig tree in our back yard to check on its status. Eddie, you see, loves figs and always looks forward to our fig season. Bear with me, now. This is going to make sense in a moment. The St. Vincent group at the cathedral had a potluck dinner two weeks ago, but Eddie didn’t go. He told us the day before he always felt guilty because when everyone else brought homemade food, all he brought was a couple of jugs of tea. Well, Eddie, we had lots of casseroles and tamales and empenadas, but we ran out of tea. Regardless of your talent or gift, each contribution is important and appreciated. This applies to figs and tea, and it applies even more to the Bishop’s Appeal that launched at the beginning of this month. Put a bit in for Eddie and, of course, the bishop. o Question Corner: By FATHER KENNETH DOYLE Catholic News Service Q. What is a Catholic’s obligation regarding the movie ratings issued by the Catholic News Service? Are they binding? For example, is it a sin to see films rated “O – Morally Offensive”? Not that any good Catholic would want to see most of these films, but on occasion there is an “O” film where the rating seems unwarranted. Or what if a parent allows a teen to see a movie rated “A-III – For Adults”? (Columbus, Ohio) A. The ratings are meant as guidelines. They do not bind in conscience. At the same time, they offer a valuable resource, particularly for parents in choosing what is appropriate for their children. The ratings and reviews evaluate a film from a spiritual, moral and artistic point of view against the background of the church’s teachings and of Judeo-Christian values. So, I don’t believe that a faithful Catholic should take them lightly. After you have read a review, I would recommend deciding whether to attend based on what you know of yourself, avoiding what might be troublesome morally. By BILL DODDS Catholic News Service I was sitting around a table with other widowers and widows when a phrase from my early parenting days popped into my head. During these support groups, it’s not unusual to talk about the guilt a person feels. It comes out in questions such as: Why did I do that as her caregiver? Why didn’t I do this? Why did I say this to him the last time I saw him on the day he died suddenly and unexpectedly? Why didn’t I say that? Why didn’t I tell him just one more time how much …? The phrase that came to mind was: “The time machine is broken.” That’s what my late wife Monica and I used to say to our kids when they were going on and on about something that had happened. A sibling did this to him. A classmate did that to her. There was a missed recess or extra homework assignment because one student broke a class rule. It went on and on. Whatever it was, it was an outrage. I hope Monica and I were patient when we pointed out that there’s no going back to change or fix things. Needless to say, none of our three ever answered, “Oh, thank you so much for pointing that out. I feel all better now.” Humans want to change things, to fix them. We want to climb into a machine and get a doover, and not just for big things, but for little things that at the time seem like big things. Why did I pick that paint color for the kitchen? Why did I buy my new computer last week when this week a much better one is on sale? Why didn’t I stay in school and get that degree? Why did I switch jobs? Why did I move here? Why did I wait so long to retire? But, of course, in life, some things can be changed. You can repaint the kitchen, get an even better computer or finish that degree online. Some things, while not “fixed,” can be adjusted. We may even start to see the pluses of a new job or location. Truth be told, some of life’s harshest, unchanging realities can lead us to good changes, too. That also comes up during a grief support group. Some say, “I’m working at taking better care of my own health.” Others say, “I hug my kids and grandkids all the time now and tell them I love them and I don’t care if they feel a little embarrassed by that.” The wisest will say, “I still think about what I wish I could have done differently, but I’m starting to remember more of what the two of us did right. What we had. It was so good. And I’m starting to realize that’s why, for now, I feel so bad. This grief is awful. That love was worth it.” What is a Catholic’s obligation regarding movie ratings? Films are classified as “O” or “morally offensive” when they “feature excessive violence, gratuitous sexuality or are laden, for no artistically valid reason, with non-stop vulgarity,” according to the ratings page of Catholic News Service. Films that directly contradict church teaching on such matters as suicide, adultery, euthanasia, abortion or violent revenge also get this rating. Such a rating is not given lightly, so I would agree with you that rarely would seeing a film rated “O” be justified. As for whether to allow your teenager to see a film rated as acceptable only for adults, if it were my child I would want to first see the film to make a safe and informed judgment as to how he or she might receive it and react. o Q. When are priests going to tell parents to leave the children’s toys at home? I see tractors and cars roaming across pews, little soldiers conducting wars and even monster figures. We are just a couple of ticks away from every child’s being there with iPads and movies. We used to believe that children could learn self-control by sitting quietly at Mass and not needing to be entertained. (La Crosse, Wis.) A. Topics like this are always chancy, because people have a range of opinions, often strongly held. But I’ll run the risk and give you my take. It depends a lot on age. By the time a kid is 4, I would hope that he or she were starting to pay some attention in church, or at least sitting quietly. But when the child is 2, let’s say, I have no problem with bringing toys – depending on the toys. My least favorite are trucks and Super Balls. We have a sloped church, and more than once I’ve been “attacked” at the altar by a rumbling 18-wheeler toy truck or a high-bouncing spheroid. Though not a toy, Cheerios are on my “non-preferred” list. Coloring books would be fine, except that they involve crayons, which leave reminders of their presence. Bringing stuffed animals is fine, and books with the thick pages are acceptable (although even they can become noisemakers should the toddler decide to throw them). Having said all that, I’m just delighted to see little children in church, and I admire and applaud parents with the patience to bring them. o March 14, 2014 CATHOLIC EAST TEXAS 5 DIOCESE Nursing From page 1 “Sometimes,” she said, “it’s not enough just to have someone come by and check your blood pressure, organize your medications or make sure you’re eating. Sometimes, what we really need is someone to pray with us, someone to read Scriptures with us, someone to bring us the love and compassion of Christ. Some home health programs draw a very clear line between health care and faith. We say there is no line, and that the two are inclusive, rather than exclusive.” Churches involved in the pilot program will form health ministry committees comprised of health care professionals and interested volunteers, Lawrence said. “We are hoping to encourage a communal sense of responsibility for each other,” she said. “For so many people, illness is isolating. It’s lonely. And it can be frightening. Navigating this country’s health care system is intimidating, especially if you feel you have to do it alone. “This program seeks to break down that isolation,” Lawrence said. “With parish teams, we can train people to do home health visits, either just to check up on people or to assist them with medication, provide transportation to doctors visits, or to help make homes more accessible to people with special physical needs.” The program, she said, was born of demonstrated need. “We have really excellent hospitals in that part of the state,” Lawrence said. “CHRISTUS St. Michael is just top of the line, and they offer a wide range of programs to serve all kinds of people facing all kinds of issues. But many of those programs and services are underutilized, whether because people don’t know about them or because they just can’t get to them. “So the hospitals have been looking at different ways of better serving their populations, and CHRISTUS and AICN came up with this grant for this program.” The hospitals’ interest, she said, is simple. “Hospitals today are putting more and more resources into preventive care,” she said. “They are looking to keep people out of hospitals if they can, and to shorten patient stays if they can’t. They’re looking for better health outcomes. And what they’ve found through the examples of other programs like this around the country is that this works. Getting people involved in their own health works. Getting a community involved in its members’ health works. Emphasizing the spiritual aspect for people of faith works. Providing follow-up care after a hospitalization works. And all of these things together help lessen the strain hospitals are feeling these days.” Parish nurses will receive 48 hours of training. The training sessions will be held every weekend in March at Texarkana College in Texarkana. The grant covers tuition. “The nurses will not be there to ‘practice medicine,’” Lawrence said. “But they will be a resource. We’re hoping this program catches on and that we can expand it to other parishes in other parts of the diocese.” For information about the program, call Catholic Charities East Texas at 903-258-9492. Catholic Charities East Texas is partially funded through the annual Bishop’s Appeal, which dedicates 5 percent of its revenues to the ministry. o Lent Pencil perfection – Canton artist Michael Anthony Lawrence presents his recently completed graphite pencil portrait of Bishop Joseph E. Strickland, fourth bishop of the Diocese of Tyler, to the bishop. Lawrence has also sketched Tyler’s first three bishops, Bishops Charles E. Herzig, Edmond Carmody and Álvaro Corrada, SJ, as well as former Tyler priest and now Bishop Eduardo Nevares of Phoenix, Bishop William M. Mulvey of Corpus Christi and Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston. Photo courtesy of Deacon Rick Lawrence Father Edgardo “Bing” Arellano addresses Two Hearts Conference Susan De Matteo/CET Enthronement of Hearts encouraged for Catholics TYLER – Enthroning the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary in homes allows families to grow stronger spiritually and make reparations for the “culture of death” afflicting modern society, Father Edgardo “Bing” Arellano told participants at a Feb. 15-16 Alliance of Two Hearts conference in Tyler. “Father Bing,” as he is known, is spiritual director of the Alliance of Two Hearts, an international apostolate centered on devotion to the Sacred Heart and Immaculate Heart. He led the conference in Tyler. “Conversion of the family” is one of the surest ways to combat the culture of death, he said in his homily at the closing Mass. As families consecrate themselves to the two hearts and strengthen their faith, “they can make reparation” for the sins of the world in what he called “the urgent battle against the Enemy seeking to destroy the church and the world.” Father Bing encouraged participants to “enthrone” pictures of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary in their homes and consecrate their families to the two hearts. Families who enthrone the Two Hearts also pledge themselves to frequent Mass attendance and confession, prayer and holy hours. “Parents, make reparations for your children,” he said. “Children, make reparations for the holiness of your homes. God has pledged his protection,” Father Bing said. “If you enthrone the Two Hearts and consecrate yourselves to them, no harm can come to you.” o From page 2 behind the gym. Longview, St. Matthew. Mass is celebrated on Fridays at 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. Stations are prayed Fridays at 6:30 p.m., followed by KC fish fries, 7-9 p.m., in the parish hall. Lufkin, St. Andrew. Stations of the Cross are prayed every Friday at 5:30 p.m. and 6 p.m. (Spanish) Lufkin, St Patrick. Come Lord Jesus Lenten mission is every Thursday at 6:30 p.m. in the parish office. Stations are prayed Fridays at 2:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. Madisonville, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton. Stations of the Cross are prayed Fridays, in English following the 5:30 p.m. Mass and at 7 p.m. in Spanish. Malakoff, Mary Queen of Heaven. Stations of the Cross are prayed Fridays at 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. in Spanish. Marshall, St. Joseph. KC fish fries are Fridays at 6:30 p.m., with a pancake supper April 11. A couples’ retreat, Season of Change, Season of Hope, will be March 14, 5:30-9 p.m., and March 15, 8 a.m.-2 p.m. A Spanish healing Mass will be celebrated March 28 at 6:30 p.m. Youth will conduct Stations of the Cross April 11 at 5:30 p.m. Nacogdoches, St. Mary Catholic Campus Ministry, Stephen F. Austin State University. Knights of Columbus fish fries are Fridays, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Stations of the Cross are prayed Fridays, 4:30 p.m., in the chapel. An “Iron Men” men’s retreat will be March 28-29 at the campus center. A “beloved” women’s retreat will be March 28029 at the center. Both retreats are free. Overton, Our Lady Queen of Angels. Fish fries will be March 7 and April 4, 4-7 p.m. Paris, Our Lady of Victory. Stations of the Cross are prayed Fridays at 6:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. (Spanish), followed by a soup meal or fish fry. Sulphur Springs, St. James the Apostle. Stations of the Cross are prayed Fridays at 8 a.m., followed by Mass, and 7 p.m. (Spanish), followed by Mass. Fish fries are Fridays at 6 p.m. Texarkana, Sacred Heart. KCs will have fish fries most Fridays. Stations of the Cross are prayed Fridays at 7 p.m. A parish mission featuring author Kim Brown will be March 20 at 6:30 p.m. Tyler, St. Joseph the Worker. Holy Face of Jesus devotions are held Tuesdays at 7 p.m. Confessions will be heard Fridays, 5:45-6:10 p.m., followed by Stations at 6:20 p.m. and Mass at 7 p.m. There will be no devotions the week of March 16, as Father Scott Allen will be away. Whitehouse, Prince of Peace. Parish retreat will be March 9-13, beginning at 6 p.m., featuring soup suppers and reflections in English and Spanish. A reconciliation service will be celebrated on March 13 with several priests available for confession. o Louise Diegel Daugherty HOLLY LAKE – Bishop Joseph E. Strickland celebrated Mass of Christian Burial for Louise Diegel Daugherty Feb. 11 in Holy Spirit Church at Holly Lake Ranch. Daugherty, 88, died Feb. 8. She was the mother of Msgr. Ron Diegel, pastor of Holy Spirit. Surviving are children, Msgr. Diegel, Dianne Laudt, Melinda Hlavenka, Tony Diegel Jr., Chris Diegel and Jennifer Arthur; a brother, Lou Gillespie; 12 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. Memorials may be made to the Holy Spirit Building Fund, 1612 S. FM 2869, Holly Lake Ranch, TX 75765. o 6 CATHOLIC EAST TEXAS March 14, 2014 WORLD Sheen sainthood cause takes big step Mother of possoble miracle child – With evidence of her son’s alleged miraculous healing boxed and sealed in front of a portrait of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, Bonnie Engstrom gives a reading at a 2011 Mass at St. Mary’s Cathedral in Peoria, Ill. Bishop Daniel R. Jenky of Peoria, president of the Archbishop Fulton Sheen Foundation, said early March 6 he received word that the seven-member board of medical experts who advise the Vatican Congregation for Saints’ Causes has unanimously approved a miracle attributed to the intercession of Archbishop Sheen. CNS photo/Tom Dermody, The Catholic Post PEORIA, Ill. (CNS) – A seven-member team of medical experts convoked by the Vatican reported there is no natural explanation for the survival of a child delivered stillborn and whose heart did not start beating until 61 minutes after his birth. The survival of the child, James Fulton Engstrom, now 3 years old and developing normally, was credited by his parents to a miracle attributable to the intercession of Archbishop Fulton Sheen, a Peoria diocesan priest who gained fame for his 1950s television show “Life Is Worth Living” and his 16 years at the helm of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith. The medical experts’ report was announced March 6 in Peoria by the Archbishop Fulton Sheen Foundation, which is headed by Bishop Daniel R. Jenky of Peoria. “Today is a significant step in the cause for the beatification and canonization of our beloved Fulton Sheen,” Bishop Jenky said in a statement. “There are many more steps ahead and more prayers are needed. But today is a good reason to rejoice.” James’ mother, Bonnie Engstrom, described what happened when she addressed a 2012 gathering of the Midwest region of the Catholic Press Association in Peoria. When Engstrom was pregnant with James, a feeling came over her that “God wants this baby to exist,” she said. “Maybe he’s going to be the pope. We didn’t know, but we were shooting high.” During delivery, what caused James to be stillborn was that his umbilical cord had knotted itself, cutting off his blood flow and oxygen supply. The more he progressed through the birth canal, the tighter the knot became. “He was born stillborn,” Engstrom said, remembering how “his arms flopped by his side” when she reached for him to hold him. Others at the home birth did CPR and chest compres- sions for 20 minutes waiting for an ambulance to arrive. Engstrom said she had no pre-composed prayer asking for help from Archbishop Sheen. “I just kept repeating his name over and over in my head: Fulton Sheen, Fulton Sheen, Fulton Sheen,” she recounted. “I didn’t know what else to do.” At the hospital, James was described as “PEA,” for “pulseless electrical activity.” Medics tried two injections of epinephrine. Neither worked. A nurse held one of James’ feet in an effort to give him some measure of comfort, and Engstrom said she remarked later, “It was so cold, it was so cold. It was like in the saying ‘cold and dead.’” Engstrom remembered that a doctor in the emergency room said, “We’ll try for five more minutes, then call it,” meaning recording the time of death. “If he had known about the previous 40 minutes” of efforts to revive him before arriving at the hospital, she said, “he would have just called it.” She added, “They were just about to call it when his heart started beating – 148 beats per minute, which is healthy for a newborn. And it never faltered.” The case will next be reviewed by a board of theologians. With their approval, the case could move on to the cardinals and bishops who advise the pope on these matters. Finally, the miracle would be presented to Pope Francis, who would then officially affirm that God performed a miracle through the intercession of Archbishop Sheen. There is no timeline as to when these next steps might take place. If the Engstrom case is authenticated as a miracle, Archbishop Sheen would be beatified, elevating his from “venerable” to “blessed.” A beatification ceremony could conceivably take place in Peoria, according to the foundation, which promotes his sainthood cause. In general, a second miracle would need to be authenticated for canonization. o Appeal not measurable yet in church attendance Gene Therapies Advisory Committee of the Food and Drug Administration Feb. 25-26. o WASHINGTON (CNS) – Pope Francis’ popularity began immediately after his March 13, 2013, election when he walked onto the balcony and humbly greeted the crowd in St. Peter’s Square. His appeal has been on a fast track ever since, causing many to speculate a possible “Francis effect” of increased numbers of Catholics going to church. Although there has been anecdotal evidence of a resurgence of interest in the church since the pope’s election, it may still be too early to see if this interest translates to new or returning members to the fold. A Pew Research Center report released March 6 reiterates what most people likely realize: Pope Francis is immensely popular among U.S. Catholics – so much so that eight in 10 have a favorable view of him. But according to the poll’s results, the pope’s popularity has not brought more people to Mass or the sacraments. The polling – conducted Feb. 14-23 among 1,821 adults nationwide that included 351 Catholics – found no change in the number of Americans – 22 percent – who identify themselves as Catholic now and those who did prior to the election of Pope Francis. The data also found no change in self-reported rates of weekly Mass attendance among Catholics, which the report said remains at 40 percent. o Fast for Families spotlights immigration reform Hunger, not religion, cause of conflict, says professor WASHINGTON (CNS) – Hunger, not religion, is the root cause of conflict in sub-Saharan Africa, said professor Charles Steinmetz of Duquesne University in Pittsburgh. “A hungry man is an angry man. If there is no job and you cannot feed your family or kids, it leads to extremism,” said Steinmetz, a visiting assistant professor of history at the Catholic university. Using Nigeria as an example, he said the Islamic extremist group “Boko Haram sees the government as unable to assist the people.” In recent weeks, Boko Haram killed approximately 250 Nigerians in attacks that targeted Christians and moderate Muslims. Among those killed were 59 children. The group has been fighting to impose Shariah, or Islamic law, throughout the country. Historically, the southern region of Nigeria has been predominately Christian, while the northern region is predominately Muslim. Though it appears that the violence comes from religious differences, in many ways “it is almost coincidental that these issues break across religious lines,” Steinmetz told Catholic News Service in a phone interview. An underlying cause of conflict in Nigeria is the legacy of colonialism, which left an indelible mark on the economic policies of sub-Saharan Africa, he said. o Research into three-parent babies considered WASHINGTON (CNS) – Fertilization techniques that would create babies from the DNA of three or four people to prevent the transmission of inheritable genetic diseases are being questioned by ethicists and others who say the procedures fail basic ethical and moral standards. Chief among the concerns is that the techniques, which involve replacing a mother’s mitochondria with that of an egg donor, would pass on genetic alterations with unknown implications for future generations. The techniques are controversial because they involve altering an embryo’s DNA, leading to questions about whether the government should approve the creation of, in effect, genetically modified humans. In addition, the techniques rely upon in vitro fertilization, which the Catholic Church has long opposed as immoral. In IVF, a woman’s eggs are removed, united with sperm in a laboratory, and then implanted in the womb of the mother or a surrogate. The two forms of the technology to overcome mitochondrial disease – maternal spindle transfer and pronuclear transfer – were discussed during a hearing called by the Cellular, Tissue and WASHINGTON (CNS) – The traditional Lenten practice of fasting is being paired this year with the latest round of an ongoing campaign called Fast for Families, intended to bring attention to the campaign for immigration reform. On Ash Wednesday, March 5, more than two dozen presidents of Catholic colleges and universities pledged to fast for 24 hours in support of the effort. Their effort is one piece of the latest iteration of Fast for Families, which also includes weekly commitments to fasting, local ongoing fasts and cross-country stops at in-state congressional offices by national leaders of the campaign that last fall was based in a tent on the National Mall. In a letter announcing their fast, the college presidents said their 24-hour act of solidarity and prayer “for those who still suffer because of cruel and impractical immigration policies” was a symbolic way of opening the season of Lent by remembering “Christ’s journey of suffering in the desert wilderness” by praying for immigrants who hunger and thirst for justice. The presidents said they “draw encouragement from students on our campuses who work tirelessly to turn this vision into a reality. Brave dreamers are inspiring their peers to join them in the struggle for justice and dignity. Catholic students are praying and mobilizing and calling on Congress to act.” o Dates for 2015 display of Shroud of Turin announced VATICAN CITY (CNS) – The Archdiocese of Turin, custodian of the Shroud of Turin, has announced that the shroud, venerated by many as the burial cloth of Christ, will be on public display April 19-June 24, 2015. The archdiocese said the 67-day display will be the longest period of time that the 14-foot-by-4-foot linen cloth has ever been available for public viewing; providing a window of more than two months not only will allow more faithful to see it, but also will make it easier for Pope Francis to schedule the visit he has said he wants to make. At the same time, the Turin announcement said, the public display will coincide with several events in Turin for young Catholics arriving to mark the 200th anniversary in 2015 of the birth of St. John Bosco, the founder of the Salesians. In early March, the archdiocese also announced that it had chosen a theme for the 2015 display: “The greatest love.” Archbishop Cesare Nosiglia of Turin said, “The greatest love is God’s for men and women,” a love reflected in Jesus, “the son of God made man, who accepted death on the cross for the salvation of all, in every time and every situation.” o Copts differ on whether Christians persecuted CAIRO (CNS) – Egypt’s minority Christians have various opinions regarding claims that they are being persecuted in their predominantly Muslim country. In separate interviews with Catholic News Service, Copts – the name for Egypt’s indigenous Christians – agreed that that their nation was facing major difficulties, including turmoil and violence, which had touched their personal lives in some way. Most of 12 interviewees, from a variety of professional and educational backgrounds, expressed similar concerns that Coptic immigration to the West was endangering the community’s historic presence in the North African country, where Christians make up about 10 percent of an estimated 85 million people and constitute the Middle East’s largest Christian minority. But they offered different views over whether they thought they were being targeted for their faith and, if so, over whether the situation was worse now than it has been in the past. o V I S I Ó N H I S PANA March 14, 2013 CATHOLIC EAST TEXAS 7 V I S I Ó N H I S PANA Reflexiones... Excmo. Señor Obispo Joseph E. Strickland Como lo mencioné, el mes pasado, espero seguir reflexionando sobre los Precep tos de la Iglesia durante los meses siguientes . Recordarán que esta reflexión está enraizada en mi contemplación general sobre lo que Dios nos pide al seguirlo fielmente. La realidad, de lo que el Señor claramente pide de nosotros, se afianza en el pasaje del Evangelio según San Mateo, el cual fue proclamado el séptimo domingo del Tiempo Ordinario, 23 de febrero. El pasaje concluye con el Señor diciendo que debemos ser “perfectos como nuestro Padre del cielo es perfecto.” Cualquier persona, racional, diría que esto es ciertamente imposible, ¿cómo podemos esperar ser perfectos? Pero inmediatamente vemos otro pasaje en el Evangelio donde el Señor dice “con Dios todas las cosas son posibles.” Recordando que todas las cosas son posibles para Dios podemos regresar al primero de los Preceptos de la Iglesia, asistir a Misa todos los domingos y fiestas de guardar. Ciertamente este precepto está en el corazón de lo que significa ser católico practicante fiel. Vivimos en una era donde muy a menudo la gente es indiferente ante la idea de “obligación”. Solemos resentir la idea de que estamos obligados a hacer algo y a menudo pensamos que esto invade nuestra libertad. Muchos de nuestros hermanos y hermanas no católicos (y también nuestros hermanos católicos) desafían los derechos de la Iglesia y ponen este precepto como una mera “obligación”, pero la Iglesia lo ve, simplemente, como un desarrollo del mandamiento para santificar el Día del Señor. En un sentido real el Señor estableció este como una ley para Su pueblo porque como católicos, sabemos que la Misa es el acto más grande de oración y alabanza. Los mandamientos nos obligan guardar el Día del Señor y la manera en que lo hacemos, como católicos, es uniéndonos al Cuerpo de Cristo en la Misa. Está claro que es completamente inadecuado seguir este mandato simplemente, a la letra, porque el asistir a Misa los domingos no debería ser visto como un cumplimiento legalista de una obligación. Muchas veces pienso, en la Santa Madre Iglesia, como Madre sabia que claramente pone de manifiesto lo que es bueno para sus hijos. Así, en el contexto de esta reflexión, el Señor nos pide que cada domingo nos unamos a Él, a Su sacrificio de amor. Expresado de esta manera, creo que, este precepto nos mueve a una más profunda comprensión sobre lo que esta ley de la Iglesia trata realmente. El Papa Francisco constantemente y hermosamente nos recuerda que, desde nuestro bautismo, estamos llamados a una relación profunda e íntima con el Señor Jesús. Este encuentro hermoso e íntimo con el Señor, cada domingo en la Misa, pretende convertirse en un re-toque para esa relación que cada vez es más profunda. Esto nos lleva al punto de reconocer que el precepto de asistir a Misa los domingos y días festivos esta enraizado en el intento de ser un cristiano saludable. Aún cuando la asistencia a la misa dominical está muy lejos de lo ideal, la asistencia en los días festivos se ha reducido a un nivel deprimente en la vida de la Iglesia. Espero que al meditar la invitación amorosa del Señor para encontrarse con Él, de una manera intima cada domingo, nos ayude a fortalecernos en el cumplimiento de esta obligación básica y movernos a reflexionar sobre el significado de los días festivos en nuestra psique Católica. El Señor nos pide que nos unamos a Él y nos fortalezcamos en Su sacrificio de amor eterno cada domingo, oremos para que aceptemos siempre la invitación del Señor con alegría . Página Personal de la Red Social - Bishopstrickland.com Tweet at: Bishop J. Strickland @ Bishopoftyler El papa les aconseja a parejas comprometidas que no olviden que no es solamente el 'Sí' Por Carol Glatz CIUDAD DEL VATICANO (CNS) El pasado 14 de febrero el sol brillaba, después de una semana de fuertes lluvias, e iluminó a las 30,000 personas que se habían reunido en la Plaza de San Pedro en audiencia pública en este día, día dedicado a las parejas que habían terminado los cursos de preparación para el matrimonio, con planes para casarse dentro de la iglesia este año. El papa les dijo en su saludo a cientos de parejas comprometidas el día de la fiesta de San Valentín que no tuvieran miedo de construir una relación permanente y amorosa, dentro de una cultura en donde casi todo es pasajero y de úsese y tírese. El Papa Francisco les aconsejo a las parejas comprometidas que no olviden que después del 'Sí' sigue el '¿Podría yo…?’ ‘¡Gracias!’ ‘Lo siento mucho.’ El secreto para una unión amorosa y duradera, dijo, incluye el trato mutuo con respeto, amabilidad y gratitud; y nunca permitir que las luchas diarias y las riñas estorben el hacer las paces y decir "Lo siento mucho". "La familia perfecta no existe ni tampoco el marido o la esposa perfecta, sin mencionar a la perfecta señora suegra", dijo en medio de sonrisas y aplausos. "Es que todos somos pecadores", dijo; pero "si aprendemos a decir lo siento y pedimos perdón, el matrimonio perdurará". La idea de "Decir 'el Sí' para siempre" se originó en el Pontificio Consejo para la familia; y su presidente es el arzobispo italiano Vincenzo Paglia, obispo que fue de Terni, sede que había venido desde San Valentín, obispo mártir de Terni del siglo III. El arzobispo le dijo al papa que las jóvenes parejas presentes en la plaza eran evidencia del gran número de personas que quieren "ir contracorriente", cultivando un amor que dure por siempre y recibir la bendición de Dios. Las parejas comprometidas que habían ido a la audiencia recibieron un cojincillo con la heráldica del papa Francisco y su firma. El cojincillo tenía dos listones de satín para asegurar los anillos que se intercambiarían en la ceremonia del matrimonio. Tres de las parejas compartieron con el papa sus propias ideas y preocupaciones de cómo vivir dentro de un matrimonio cristiano y le pidieron consejo. El papa se sinceró diciendo que le habían dado las preguntas por adelantado y que había escrito las respuestas, pero eso no lo detuvo para amplificar sus explicaciones, proporcionando más ejemplos y poniendo énfasis en ciertos puntos. "La vida en común es un arte, una jornada paciente, bella y maravillosa"; pero eso no quiere decir que "termine cuando se gane el corazón de la otra persona y viceversa", dijo. Más bien, ¡"es exactamente entonces cuando empieza"! “Para tener una familia saludable”, dijo, “se requiere totalmente el uso frecuente de tres expresiones: '¿Podría yo…? ¡Gracias! Lo siento mucho’". Las personas deben de ser más atentas a la forma como se tratan mutuamente, dijo. Deben cambiarse "las pesadas botas de montaña" para caminar con mayor delicadeza en la vida de otra persona. El amor no es rudo ni agresivo, dijo, sino que es cortés y amable; y en un mundo, que "con frecuencia es violento y agresivo, necesitamos mucha mayor cortesía". Las parejas necesitan la fortaleza de reconocer cuando hayan hecho algo mal y pidan perdón. La reacción "instintiva" de echarle la culpa a otra persona "es la causa de muchos desastres", empezando con Adán, que comió el fruto prohibido. Cuando Dios le preguntó si lo había hecho, dijo el papa, Adán se quitó la culpa inmediatamente, diciendo "'¡Oh, no, ella, que está allí fue quien me la dio!' Y así, acusó a la otra persona para evitar decir 'Lo siento mucho', 'Perdón'". Obviamente, las parejas cometerán errores y discutirán, pero "nunca, nunca, nunca dejen que termine el día sin hacer las paces", dijo el papa. Y no se necesita decir un discurso elocuente, dijo, pero las cosas se tienen que aclarar, pues si no, los malos sentimientos de adentro "se vuelven fríos y duros y es mucho más difícil hacer las paces" con el transcurso del tiempo. Muchas personas no pueden imaginarse sentir amor y estar casadas dentro de un matrimonio que dure para siempre, o tienen miedo de ello, porque creen que el amor es solamente un sentimiento o estado emocional y físico, dijo; no obstante, "el amor es algo que nos relaciona y que crece". Intenciones de oración del Santo Padre confiadas al apostolado de la oración para el año 2014 MARZO Universal: Derechos de la mujer Para que todas las culturas respeten los derechos y la dignidad de la mujer. Por la evangelización: Vocaciones Para que numerosos jóvenes acojan la invitación del Señor a consagrar sus vidas al anuncio del Evangelio. 8 CATHOLIC EAST TEXAS March 14, 2014 V I S I Ó N H I S PANA V I S I Ó N H I S PANA “La Familia como Iglesia domestica, Iglesia Universal” Por el P. Carlos Rangel TYLER, TX—El Santo Padre Francisco, nos ha expresado su deseo firmísimo de invitar a todos los fieles de buena voluntad para que este año 2014, oremos mucho por la familia. Precisamente el Sínodo de obispos en unión con el Santo Padre, que se llevara a cabo el mes de octubre, 2014 en Roma, tratara de analizar la realidad de la familia en el mundo actual, viéndola desde la perspectiva de la Familia de Nazareth y los valores humano-espirituales que ofrece. Son muchos y muy graves los desafíos que las familias de hoy están padeciendo, y la Iglesia nos unimos en oración y espíritu de caridad para hacer examen serio sobre posibles auxilios. Desde la erección de nuestra Diócesis de Tyler, hace 26 años, bajo el apoyo espiritual y pastoral de nuestros pastores diocesanos, y ahora con Msgr. Joseph E. Strickland, nuestro 4o Obispo, nos alegramos de anunciar sobre el gran éxito, que nuestros encuentros y conferencias Marianas han obtenido. Gracias al equipo coordinador, encabezado por el Rev. Raymundo Garcia y Rev. Mary-John Bowlin, entre otros fieles laicos, religiosas, sacerdotes y diáconos que fiel y generosamente han alegremente colaborado. Se han esforzado, desinteresadamente, en planear, desarrollar y ejecutar tales talleres, en diversos puntos de nuestra diócesis del Este de Texas. Después de haberse llevado a cabo por varios años en la Centro Madre Teresa, en Bullard, Texas, el pasado octubre 2013 lo celebramos en la Escuela Católica Regional T.K. Gorman, en Tyler, Texas, nuestra sede episcopal. Cabe señalar que el evento fue indudablemente una bendición grande para nuestra diócesis, pues la muy florida y rica participación de fieles, de mas de 35 parroquias y misiones lo demostró. Esto es, por supuesto, motivo de jubilo y gozo espiritual, puesto que es un gesto palpable del grande amor y honor con que se le da ese merecido homenaje a la Estrella de la Nueva Evangelización, Maria, Madre de Dios, la Teotokos, quien nos ofrece siempre el mejor regalo, que es su propio Hijo, Jesucristo, único Dios vivo y verdadero, encarnando en ella, para participarnos de su divinidad y luego humanidad redimida. DESDE YA, dicho equipo coordinador, les pide a todos los amantes devotos y fieles de buena voluntad, que APUNTEN la fecha, 11 DE OCTUBRE, 2014, para nuestra PROXIMA “CONFERENCIA MARIANA”, la cual también se llevara a cabo, Dios mediante, en la ESCUELA CATOLICA REGIONAL, T.K. GORMAN, en Tyler, Texas, casi vecina de la Cancillería, en el Loop 323 y de la Capilla de Stos. Pedro y Pablo. Jóvenes peruanos apoyan próxima Marcha por la Vida 2014 LIMA, PERU- Levantando sus voces por los que no tienen voz y con la convicción de que la vida es sagrada desde la concepción hasta la muerte natural, más de 500 jóvenes de Lima (Perú) se han registrado hasta el momento como voluntarios para ser parte de la Marcha por la Vida 2014, que el año pasado reunió a más de 100 mil personas. Los jóvenes entre 16 y 30 años que pertenecen a distintas organizaciones de la ciudad, participaron el pasado sábado 22 de marzo en el primer encuentro de voluntarios convocado por los organizadores en la Universidad Femenina del Sagrado Corazón, donde se comprometieron a participar arduamente por la Marcha por la Vida Lima 2014 cuyo reto este año es alcanzar los 200 mil participantes. Durante el encuentro los voluntarios recibieron por parte de los organizadores las camisetas oficiales del voluntario, así como un kit de información útil para su misión. Parte de sus tareas, serán repartir volantes, vender camisetas de la Marcha, recolectarán donaciones por medio de alcancías y difundirán las actividades previas, durante y después de la marcha por las redes sociales. La Marcha por la Vida se llevará a cabo el próximo 22 de marzo y recorrerá una de las avenidas más céntricas de la ciudad. Según Oscar Escalante, miembro del comité organizador, este es el “evento más popular del país y que triplica en número, con la participación de más de 100 mil personas, a todas las manifestaciones que en un año se presentan en el Perú como huelgas y paros”. En esta manifestación de amor y de alegría por la vida, participan personas de todos los credos, instituciones, ideologías, de buena voluntad, etc, que defienden los valores de la vida y la familia. Por el momento, nos unimos en oración con el Santo Padre, Papa Francisco y nuestro Sr. Obispo, Joseph, rezando muy seria, alegre y devotamente, el santo Rosario de cada 12 de mes o diario, voluntad amorosa de nuestra Madre celestial, por el bien de la humanidad, y sobre todo de cada familia, en particular. Esas fechas por supuesto, nos recuerdan el gran Milagro Guadalupano, de Maria Virgen a San Juan Diego en el vecino país de México, y de la gran fe que nuestra Iglesia Católica ha puesto en quien fuera la predilecta hija de Sion, la esposa purísima y castísima de San Jose, la siempre Virgen Maria, madre del verdadero Dios, por quien se vive. Dios nuestro Padre celestial, nos siga bendiciendo abundantemente este proyecto Mariano Diocesano, ya que para El, es todo lo que realizamos en espíritu de fe, esperanza y caridad alrededor de nuestra Diócesis de Tyler, en honor y homenaje a quien nos regalo como nuestra Madrecita. Sírvase llamar para cualquier pregunta, duda o inquietud con el P. Raymundo Garcia (936) 634-6833 Coordinador del Movimiento Mariano Diocesano, Diócesis de Tyler. Integrantes del Equipo Parroquial para la Iniciación Cristiana de la parroquia de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe. Esta fotografía fue tomada durante el día de formación, ofrecido por la oficina diocesana de Formación en la Fe, para los equipos parroquiales de la Iniciación Cristiana el pasado 22 de Febrero del 2014 en la Parroquia de St. Peter Claver, Tyler. V I S I Ó N H I S PANA March 14, 2014 CATHOLIC EAST TEXAS 9 V I S I Ó N H I S PANA ¡Cine, Cámara, Acción ! Reseñas de Algunas Películas del Momento ¿De que tratan? ¿Vale la pena verlas? Por Catholic News Service NUEVA YORK (CNS) – Lo siguiente son breves resúmenes de las películas del momento. Dichas películas han sido reseñadas recientemente por Catholic News Service. "About Last Night" (Screen Gems) Esta versión vulgar de las costumbres contemporáneas de citas combina comedia áspera con drama hueco según rastrea las fortunas románticas de dos mejores amigos y compañeros de trabajo (Kevin Hart y Michael Ealy) que son flechados, respectivamente, por la lujuria (con Regina Hall) y por el amor (con Joy Bryant). La naturaleza revoltosa impulsada por la pasión de la primera relación contrasta con el carácter más moderado de la otra. No obstante, ambas comienzan con un encuentro casual, mientras que el lazo supuestamente más respetable culmina en lo que pasa, en este contexto, como un importante compromiso mutuo: la importante decisión de cohabitar. La actualización libre del director Steve Pink de la película de Edward Zwick de 1986, basada como su predecesora en la obra teatral de David Mamet de 1974 "Sexual Perversity in Chicago", carece de toda apariencia de madurez moral. Opinión degradada de la sexualidad humana, fuerte contenido adulto incluyendo actividad sexual no marital gráfica con desnudez parcial y cohabitación; uso de drogas, implacable humor sucio, unos cuantos casos de obscenidad, lenguaje áspero y crudo predominante. La clasificación de Catholic News Service es O -- moralmente ofensiva. La clasificación de la Asociación Cinematográfica de América es R -- restringida. Menores de 17 años de edad requieren acompañamiento de padre o guardián adulto. advertidos fuertemente. Parte del material podría ser inapropiado para niños menores de 13 años de edad. "Robocop" (Columbia) Hombre y máquina se fusionan, por cuarta vez, en esta adición a la franquicia de ciencia ficción dirigida por José Padilha. Su rehecho sirve algo del caos sin sentido y la violencia innecesaria de la original de 1987, pero incluye algunos mensajes oportunos sobre la avaricia, la corrupción y los peligros de jugar a ser Dios. En el 2028 un policía de Detroit (Joel Kinnaman) se convierte en peón en el intento de un malvado conglomerado de convencer al pueblo estadounidense de que el futuro del control del crimen yace en su fabricación de un nuevo híbrido humano-mecánico. El principal oficial ejecutivo de la empresa (Michael Keaton) y el científico principal de este (Gary Oldman)) pronto se enteran de que su creación tiene mente propia y una agenda que no necesariamente es de su agrado. Intensa violencia de acción incluyendo juego de armas, algo de lenguaje obsceno y áspero. La clasificación de Catholic News Service es A-III -- adultos. La clasificación de la Asociación Cinematográfica de América es PG-13 -- padres "Vampire Academy" (Weinstein) Pálida aventura de fantasía en la cual una benigna vampira adolescente (Lucy Fry) y su tutora en entrenamiento mitad humana (Zoey Deutch), quien a la vez hace el doble de su mejor amiga, batallan contra una raza de maléficos chupasangres, así como contra amenazas internas desde dentro de los confines supuestamente seguros de la escuela del título (presidida por Olga Kurylenko y Gabriel Byrne). Ellos también encuentran tiempo para el amor mientras la drenavenas le entrega su corazón a un chico malo marginado social (Dominic Sherwood) y el aprendiz guardaespaldas se enamora de la mucho mayor entrenadora de artes marciales (Danila Kozlovsky). Una de las características de los no muertos buenos en la adaptación del director Mark Waters de una serie de libros de la novelista Richelle Mead es que asisten a una versión de la iglesia. Pero el hundir colmillos como una metáfora del sexo nunca está lejos de la superficie, más problemáticamente cuando el personaje de Deutch permite que el de Fry se alimente de ella. Eso y otros ingredientes hacen que esta receta poco atractiva, que depende demasiado de la mitología autorreferencial, una porción inapropiada para los adolescentes que son su objetivo. Mucho combate cuerpo a cuerpo y violencia de acción con sangre mínima, actividad sexual sismográfica no marital, numerosas referencias sexuales, lenguaje craso considerable. La clasificación de Catholic News Service es A-III -- adultos. La clasificación de la Asociación Cinematográfica de América es PG-13 -- padres advertidos fuertemente. Parte del material podría ser inapropiado para niños menores de 13 años de edad. La Parroquia de San Francisco de Tejas tiene una invitación para las Quinceañeras St. Francis of Tejas Church has an invitation for Quinceañeras “Ofreciendo una Sesión de Formación para Quinceañeras” “Offering a session of formation for Quinceañeras “ Fecha/Date:18 de Mayo 2014/May 18, 2014 Hora/Time: 3pm - 8pm Almuerzo/Lunch: 2-3pm Lugar/Location: St. Francis of the Tejas Church 609 N. 4th Street Crockett, TX 75835 (936)544-5338 Por favor regístrese antes del 01 de mayo de 2014. Please register before May 01, 2014. Ética e Integridad para el Personal de la Iglesia Diócesis de Tyler www.dioceseoftyler.org/tribunal La Renovación Carismática Católica Si tiene alguna pregunta o duda Favor de llamar al Invita a TODOS los lideres y servidores de los diferentes grupos de oración Promotor de Justicia de nuestra diócesis a un “Retiro para Servidores” Confidencial: (903) 266-2159 El cual se llevará acabo el día sábado 22 de marzo de 8am a 6pm en el Knights of Columbus Hall ubicado en el 3509 SSW Loop 323 en Tyler, Texas. (El salón está al cruzar el Restaurante “Sweet Sue’s”) Registrarse antes del 17 de marzo a: [email protected] o al (903) 830-8755 *No habrá cuidado de niños* FAX (903) 939-1037 [email protected] Para reportar abuso de menores llame a: Estado de Texas (800) 252-5400 10 CATHOLIC EAST TEXAS March 14, 2014 V I S I Ó N H I S PANA V I S I Ó N H I S PANA FELICIDADES Padre Hank Lanik & Padre John J. Gómez! Misión cuaresmal de Nuestra parroquia P.P. Redentorista Fecha: Domingo, 15 de marzo al Miércoles, 18 de marzo 7:00 Domingo: Bautismo y Confirmación Martes: Matrimonio y el Orden Sacerdotal Martes: Reconciliación y Unción de los Enfermos Miércoles: Eucaristía Cada noche se darán los mismos temas en la iglesia y el salón parroquial en Inglés y Español Tyler, TX. El lunes, 10 de febrero nuestro Obispo Joseph Strickland anuncio oficialmente la asignación del Padre Hank Lanik como 4° rector de la Catedral de la Inmaculada Concepción en la Diócesis de Tyler. El Padre Lanik actualmente es párroco de la parroquia de St. Anthony en Longview, TX. El Padre Lanik asumirá el cargo, como rector, de la Catedral el día primero de abril del presente año. A su vez el pasado 14 de febrero el Padre John Jairo Gómez, actual párroco de la parroquia de Holy Cross en Pittsburg, TX. Fue asignado, por el Obispo Joseph Strickland como Vicario Judicial para esta diócesis. El padre Gómez hizo su juramento durante el Retiro Anual para los Sacerdotes de la diócesis, el cual se llevó a cabo durante la ultima semana del mes de febrero. Esta es una oportunidad para los católicos, ya sea la preparación para estos sacramentos o la renovación de su entendimiento del poder de los sacramentos Nuestra Señora de los Dolores Iglesia Católica Dirección: 102 1023 Corinth Road Jacksonville 903-586-4538 o 903-258-3911 www.oloschurch.com El Matrimonio: El Amor y la Vida en el Plan Divino Por Hna: Angélica Orozco, EFMS El Comité de Laicado, Matrimonio, Vida Familiar y Juventud y la Conferencia de Obispos Católicos de Estados Unidos publicaron un documento en el año 2010, en el cual, además de defender lo que es el matrimonio, especifican ciertos desafíos que los matrimonios enfrentan día con día. Los desafíos enumerados en este documento son los siguientes: (1) Los anticonceptivos. A este respecto el documento dice que el uso de estos “cierran la posibilidad de la procreación y separan los significados unitivo y procreador del matrimonio”. Dice además que el uso de los anticonceptivos “suscitan muchas otras consecuencias negativas, tanto personales como sociales. (2) Las uniones del mismo sexo. A esto, los obispos declaran que “Puesto que el matrimonio y las uniones del mismo sexo son realidades diferentes, no es discriminación injusta oponerse al reconocimiento legal de las uniones del mismo sexo. Estas uniones plantean una amenaza multifacética al bien de las personas y de la sociedad. (3) El divorcio. En cuanto a esto, los Obispos animan a la pareja a vivir plenamente su unión matrimonial diciendo: “El Matrimonio esta destinado a ser una unión y alianza para toda la vida, que el divorcio pretende romper. Las parejas en problemas así como las personas divorciadas son alentadas a confiar en la ayuda de Dios y acudir a los recursos de la Iglesia en busca de apoyo y sanación”. (4) La cohabitación. A este último punto, dicen: “Muchas parejas viven juntas en una relación sexual sin el matrimonio. Esto siempre esta mal y es objetivamente inmoral, porque el completo don de uno mismo solo puede realizarse dentro del compromiso publico y permanente del matrimonio. La cohabitación puede tener efectos negativos sobre las parejas mismas, así como sobre los hijos que sean parte de la relación. El documento termina con una invitación de los Obispos a que los matrimonios crezcan en el conocimiento y desarrollo de las virtudes teologales, la fe, la esperanza y el amor. “El amor, dice el documento, está en el corazón de la vocación del matrimonio. Llama a los conyugues a imitar a Jesús con su disposición a sacrificarse en las situaciones cotidianas el uno para el otro y por sus hijos. Las parejas deben también crecer en las virtudes morales de la prudencia, la justicia y la templanza”. Como familia de Dios, todos los católicos estamos llamados a apoyarnos los unos a los otros. Las familias sufren de muchas maneras, violencia, injusticia, infidelidades, drogas, alcohol, amistades malsanas, etc. Ser solidarios los unos con los ostros en un llamado fuerte a vivir de acuerdo al evangelio y vivir según el evangelio es una necesidad que todo bautizado tiene. Apoyándonos los unos a los otros lograremos un mundo mejor porque tendremos familias mejores. La promesa al Obispo del 2014, “Bishop’s Annual Appeal”, "Seguir a Cristo en la Iglesia y con la Iglesia" tiene, para este año, una meta de $1.6 millones. El luchar juntos para lograr esta meta nos proporciona una gran oportunidad para unirnos como católicos del noreste de Texas y así apoyar los programas y servicios que la Diócesis de Tyler ofrece. Estos servicios son: (1) Apoyo al clero -Asistencia para sacerdotes jubilados-pensionados, Seguro Medico para el Clero jubilado-pensionado. (2) Apoyo a seminaristas, las vocaciones y la juventud, Formación de seminaristas, Educación de Seminaristas y programa de discernimiento, Oficina de Vocaciones, Ministerios de la juventud. (3) Evangelización y Formación en la Fe, Formación en la Fe, Evangelización y Pastoral Parroquial, Vida Familiar, Ministerio Hispano. (4) Servicios Sociales y Servicios Especiales -(atención a los necesitados), Servicio de ética e integridad, Servicios del Tribunal, Catholic East Texas—periódico diocesano, Caridades Católicas, Campus Ministry—Ministerio Universitario. DIOCESE March 14, 2014 CATHOLIC EAST TEXAS 11 Pope Francis creates 19 cardinals as retired pope watches By CINDY WOODEN VATICAN CITY (CNS) – On a feast day commemorating the authority Jesus gave to St. Peter and his successors – the popes – Pope Francis created 19 new cardinals in the presence of retired Pope Benedict XVI. To the great surprise of most people present, the retired pope entered St. Peter’s Basilica about 15 minutes before the new cardinals and Pope Francis. Wearing a long white coat and using a cane, he took a seat in the front row next to Lebanese Cardinal Bechara Rai, patriarch of the Maronite Catholic Church. Pope Benedict’s presence at the consistory Feb. 22, the feast of the Chair of Peter, marked the first time he had joined Pope Francis for a public prayer service in the basil- ica. Pope Benedict resigned Feb. 28, 2013, becoming the first pope in almost 600 years to do so. Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick, retired archbishop of Washington, said all the already existing cardinals went over to greet Pope Benedict. “The ushers kept saying, ‘Please, your eminences, take your seats, the Holy Father is coming,’ and we thought, ‘But, but .…’” Before beginning the service, Pope Francis walked over to Pope Benedict, who removed his zucchetto to greet Pope Francis. The scene was repeated at the end of the consistory. The new cardinals, including Cardinal Gerald Lacroix of Quebec and Vincent Nichols of Westminster, England, publicly recited the Creed and swore obedience to the pope Cardinals-designate watch pope – Cardinals-designate watch as Pope Francis venerates St. Peter’s tomb in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican Feb. 22 as he arrives to lead a consistory at which he created 19 new cardinals. Retired Pope Benedict XVI attended the ceremony, making his first appearance with Pope Francis at a public liturgy. CNS photo/Paul Haring After a year, pope still full of surprises VATICAN CITY (CNS) – When Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran walked onto the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, telling the crowds in Latin: “I announce to you a great joy. We have a pope!” not many people recognized the name of then-Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Now, just one year since his March 13, 2013, election, there are still many things most people do not know about the 265th successor of Peter. Here is a list of things people should know about Pope Francis. He: 1. Has a way with birds: Pope Francis expertly handled a white dove and a green parrot during different general audiences in St. Peter’s Square. According to the pope’s sister, Maria Elena Bergoglio, the future pope had a parrot when he was in the seminary. And because he loved to play jokes, she said, “I wouldn’t put it past him that he taught the little beast a swear word or two instead of how to pray.” 2. Has colorful work experience on his resume: In addition to having worked sweeping floors in a factory and running tests in a chemical laboratory as a teenager, the pope also used to work as a bouncer. Later, when he was no longer kicking troublemakers out of clubs, he taught high school literature and psychology, which, he said, helped him discover the secret to bringing people back ... to church. 3. Was a Jesuit Oskar Schindler: When then-Father Bergoglio was head of the Jesuit province in Argentina, he ran a clandestine network that sheltered or shuttled to safety people whose lives were in danger during the nation’s murderous military-backed dictatorship. According to witnesses, the future pope never let on to anyone what he was doing, and those who were helping him find rides or temporary housing for “guests” never realized they had been part of his secret strategy until years later. 4. Is a homebody with missionary zeal: Even though he has traveled extensively, the future pope considers himself “a homebody” who easily gets homesick. However, he wanted to join the Society of Jesus because of its image as being “on the frontlines” for the church and its work in mission lands. He wanted to serve as a missionary in Japan, but he said his superiors wouldn’t let him because they were concerned about his past health problems. 5. Has an achy back: When the pope was 21, the upper half of his right lung was removed after cysts caused a severe lung infection. While that episode never caused him further health problems, he said his current complaint is sciatica. The worst thing to happen in his first month as pope was “an attack of sciatica,” he said. “I was sitting in an armchair to do interviews and it hurt. Sciatica is very painful, very painful! I don’t wish it on anyone!” 6. Was the strongest contender behind then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger in the 2005 conclave. If the Argentine had been elected pontiff then, he would have chosen the name John after Blessed John XXIII and taken his inspiration from “the Good Pope,” according to Italian Cardinal Francesco Marchisano. However, during the 2013 conclave, Brazilian Cardinal Claudio Hummes told the newly elected pope, “Don’t forget the poor,” and that, the pope said, is when it struck him to take the name of St. Francis of Assisi, “the man of poverty, the man of peace, the man who loves and protects creation.” 7. Starts his day at 4:30 a.m. “I pray the breviary every morning. I like to pray with the psalms. Then, later, I celebrate Mass. I pray the rosary,” he has said. His workday includes reading letters, cards, documents and reports as well as meeting cardinals, bishops, priests and laypeople. He eats lunch between noon and 1 p.m., then rests for about 30 minutes before returning to work. But his favorite part of the day is eucharistic adoration in the evening. o and his successors before receiving from Pope Francis a red hat, a ring and the assignment of a “titular church” in Rome, becoming part of the clergy of the pope’s diocese. After they received their red hats, each of the new cardinals walked over to Pope Benedict and greeted him. Cardinal Lacroix, accompanied by his mother and father at an afternoon reception, said Pope Benedict’s presence “surprised me so much that I broke down in tears.” When he went to greet the retired pope, he said he told him, “Holy Father, you are the one who called me to be a bishop.” Only 18 of the archbishops Pope Francis had chosen to be among the first cardinals created during his pontificate were present. The oldest of the new cardinals – and now the oldest cardinal in the world – Cardinal Loris Capovilla, 98, was not present at the ceremony although he became a cardinal the moment Pope Francis pronounced his name. A papal delegate will deliver his red hat to his home in northern Italy. In his homily Pope Francis did not mention the standard point that the cardinals’ new red vestments are symbols of the call to serve Christ and his church to the point of shedding their blood if necessary. Rather, he focused on their being called to follow Christ more closely, to build up the unity of the church and to proclaim the Gospel more courageously. The Bible, he said, is filled with stories of Jesus walking with his disciples and teaching them as they traveled. “This is important,” the pope said. “Jesus did not come to teach a philosophy, an ideology, but rather a ‘way,’ a journey to be undertaken with him, and we learn the way as we go, by walking.” After listening to a reading of Mark 10:32-45, Pope Francis also spoke about the very human, worldly temptation of “rivalry, jealousy (and) factions” the first disciples faced. The reading is a warning to the cardinals and to all Christians to put aside concerns of power and favoritism and “to become ever more of one heart and soul” gathered around the Lord, he said. Pope Francis told the new cardinals, who come from 15 different countries – including very poor nations like Haiti and Ivory Coast – that the church “needs you, your cooperation and, even more, your communion, communion with me and among yourselves.” “The church needs your courage,” he said, “to proclaim the Gospel at all times” and “to bear witness to the truth.” The pope also told the cardinals that the church needs their “compassion, especially at this time of pain and suffering for so many countries throughout the world,” and for so many Christians who face discrimination and persecution. “We must struggle against all discrimination,” he said. “The church needs us also to be peacemakers, building peace by our actions, hopes and prayers,” he said. The consistory brought to 218 the total number of cardinals in the world; 122 cardinals are under the age of 80 and eligible to vote in a conclave. The 18 cardinals who received their red hats from the pope were Cardinals: • Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, Italian, 59. • Lorenzo Baldisseri, general secretary of the Synod of Bishops, Italian, 73. • Gerhard Muller, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, German, 66. • Beniamino Stella, prefect of the Congregation for Clergy, Italian, 72. • Vincent Nichols, archbishop of Westminster, England, 68. • Leopoldo Brenes Solorzano of Managua, Nicaragua, 64. • Gerald Lacroix of Quebec, 56. • Jean-Pierre Kutwa of Abidjan, Ivory Coast, 68. • Orani Tempesta of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 63. • Gualtiero Bassetti of Perguia-Citta della Pieve, Italy, 71. • Mario Poli of Buenos Aires, Argentina, 66. • Andrew Yeom Soo-jung of Seoul, South Korea, 70. • Ricardo Ezzati Andrello of Santiago, Chile, 72. • Philippe Ouedraogo of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, 69. • Orlando Quevedo of Cotabato, Philippines, 74. • Chibly Langlois of Les Cayes, Haiti, 55. • Fernando Sebastian Aguilar, retired archbishop of Pamplona, Spain, 84. • Kelvin Felix, retired archbishop of Castries, St. Lucia, Antilles, 81. o 12 CATHOLIC EAST TEXAS March 14, 2014 PAR I S H Que Pasa A Lenten marriage retreat, Season of Change, Season of Hope, will begin with 8 a.m. Mass March 15 in St. Joseph Church in Marshall and conclude at 2 p.m., sponsored by the diocesan Family Life Office. For more information, contact the office at 903-534-1077, ext. 165. The Society of St. Vincent de Paul, Immaculate Conception Conference, will sponsor a one-day workshop for those working with individuals and families living in poverty. Bridges out of Poverty will be held 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. March 15 in the Cathedral Center in Tyler for persons interested in helping end poverty one person, one family, one neighborhood, one community at a time through systemic change. The workshop will combine videos, discussion groups and a question and answer session to provide a better understanding of different economic classes and suggest possible remedies to both symptoms of poverty and its underlying causes. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. and a light lunch is included in the free workshop. For more information, contact Kelly Jackman at 903-5701800 or email her at [email protected]. The Society of St. Vincent de Paul, Immaculate Conception Conference, will hold an Ozanam Orientation beginning with a 9 a.m. Mass April 5 at St. Mary Church in Longview. A light lunch will be included in the free seminar. For more information, contact Lynn Fisher at 902597-2208 or email her at [email protected]. A Celebration of Confirmation and Beyond retreat will be held April 4-6 at Twin Oaks Ranch in Lindale. For more information call 903-963-9146 or visit http://tylerevangelization.com. The diocesan Family Life Office has scheduled an additional English-language Marriage Preparation Day from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. April 26 in the Margil Center at Sacred Heart Church in Nacogdoches. Previously scheduled Marriage Preparation Days are May 17, Aug. 9 and Nov. 8. All of these sessions are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., in English at the diocesan chancery in Tyler and in Spanish at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in Tyler. For more information, contact the diocesan Family Life Office at 903-534-1077, ext. 165, or visit dioceseoftyler.org. West Central Deanery meetings will be held April 1 at St. Teresa Church in Canton and June 3 at St. Peter Claver Church in Tyler. Each meeting begins with dinner at 7 p.m., followed by presentations. A pilgrimage to Italy for the canonization of Popes John XXIII and John Paul II will be held April 21-30. Participants will visit Rome and Vatican City as well as Venice Padua, Assisi, Florence, Naples and the Isle of Capri. Cost is $2,895. For more information, contact Father Bernard Boteju at 903-520-8062 or email fatherbernard@ aol.com. Memorial chalice – Father Denzil Vithanage, pastor of St. Joseph Church in Marshall, holds a memorial chalice presented by the Knights of Columbus in memory of Father Denzil’s father, Andrew Vithanage. The presentation was made at a memorial Mass celebrated by Bishop Joseph E. Strickland at St. Joseph Catholic School in Marshall Feb. 10. Each week a family from the parish takes the chalice to their home to pray for vocations. Showing the chalice after Mass are, from left, Grand Knight Lloyd Curry, Deacon Juan Gonzalez, Bishop Strickland, Father Vithanage, Faithful Navigator Charles Reeves and Third District Master Bill Elliott. Photo courtesy of St. Joseph Church Athens St. Edward Church. The parish garage sale will be held March 15. Carthage St. William of Vercelli Church. The Knights of Columbus will hold fish fries in the parish activity center 5-6:30 p.m. each Friday during Lent (except Good Friday). Cost is $7 adults, $4 for children 12 and younger. At 6:30 p.m., the Knights will lead the Stations of the Cross in the church. Two special events are planned in coming days. Women of the parish are invited to an All that Glitters evening social a6 6:30 p.m. March 10. Participants are asked to bring appetizers to share and to wear their brightest bling. An Irish Fest will be held at 6 pm. March 15 to benefit Project String Power. Tickets are $10 at the door or available from Pat Templin. The event will feature great food and music. The parish will hold a Lenten retreat at 6 p.m. March 31-April 2. Sessions will be held in English at 6 p.m. and in Spanish at 7:30 p.m. Flint St. Mary Magdalene Church. Community meals served during Lent on March 14, 28 and April 4 and 11 will feature music, prizes and different menus. A men’s ACTS retreat will be held March 20-23. Cost is $160. For more information, call Albert Chabarria at 903-216-7778, Kyle Garner at 903-721-2912 or Pablo Lara, 903-721-8450. Frankston St. Charles Borromeo Church. The parish will hold its 17th annual fish fry 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. March 16 in the church hall on U.S. 155 just north of Frankston. Donations will be accepted for the church debt reduction fund. Jacksonville Essay winners – Steve Carden, grand knight of Knights of Columbus Council #11093, St. Mary Church in Longview, presents awards Jan. 31 to local winners of an essay contest sponsored by the council. Sophie Kubicek and William DelZotto are eighth-graders at St. Mary Catholic School in Longview. DelZotto’s essay will go on to be judged on the diocesan and state levels. The theme of the essays was The Importance of Religious Freedom. Photo courtesy of St. Mary Catholic School Our Lady of Sorrows Church. The parish is calling for volunteers to work in its fourth annual community garden project. The church provides the land and water and volunteers plant, water, weed and harvest vegetables for local needy. For more information, call the church at 903258-3911. Lindale Holy Family Church. The parish will have a penance service at 7 p.m. April 10 at the church. Longview St. Mary Church. A liturgy workshop for those interested in serving as altar servers, choir members, lectors, ushers or extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion will be held 9:30 a.m. to noon March 22 in the parish center. Lenten fish fries will be served by the Knights of Columbus Council #11093 after the 5:30 p.m. Mass each Friday during Lent (except Good Friday). Cost is $8 adults, $4 for children ages 3-10, free for children under 3. St. Mary Catholic School. Applications are available in the church offices for two $1,000 scholarships to be awarded to a member of St. Mary Church, St. Matthew Church or St. Anthony Church in Longview or Our Lady of Grace in Hallsville. Deadline is April 21. For more information, call Lisa Williams at 903-663-2925. St. Matthew Church. Right to Life of East Texas will Continued on page 13 March 14, 2014 CATHOLIC EAST TEXAS PAR I S H On retreat – Thirty women from six dioceses gathered for a retreat Feb. 28-March 2. The retreat, Come Away, My Beloved, a first for the Diocese of Tyler, offered a weekend of teaching, 13 ministry, fellowship and fun as participants learned how to hear and recognize God’s voice. Photo courtesy of KerygmaTexas.com Que Pasa From page 12 hold its annual garage sale at the John Paul II Family Life Center a block southeast of the church on March 21-22. The Longview Catholic School Endowment Fund will sponsor the 21st annual Msgr. Szapka Memorial Golf Classic May 10 at the Wood Hollow Golf Club in Longview, with tee times 9 a.m. to noon. Entry fee is $110 per person, which includes green fee, cart, raffle tickets and a $10 donation to the endowment fund). For more information, contact Robert Walker at 903-736-5757, email him at [email protected] or call the Wood Hollow Golf Club, 903-663-4653. Marshall St. Joseph Church. A Lenten marriage retreat, Season of Change, Season of Hope, will begin with Mass at 8 a.m. March 15 and conclude at 2 p.m., sponsored by the diocesan Family Life Office. For more information, contact the office at 903-534-1077, ext. 165. Sulphur Springs St. James the Apostle Church. Lenten fish fries will be held at 6 p.m. Fridays in Lent through April 11. Cost is $10 adults all you can eat, $7 for a four-piece plate and $6 for children under 10. The meals are provided by the Knights of Columbus Council #8975. A Mexican breakfast will be served after the 9 a.m. Mass March 9. Donations are welcome. Stations of the Cross in English will be held after the 8 a.m. Mass each Friday and in Spanish after the 7 p.m. Mass. Texarkana Sacred Heart Church. Sacred Heart parishioners are invited to join members of St. Edward Church on the Arkansas side of > > > Texarkana for a parish retreat at the Benedictine Monastery at Subiaco, Ark., June 20-22. Tyler Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. The second annual White Mass recognizing those in the medical community will be celebrated at 5:30 p.m. March 8 in the cathedral. Father Nolan Lowry will be the homilist. A reception will follow in the Cathedral Center. Contact ekosnik@ mac.com for more details. The next Covenant of Love Date Night will begin at 6:30 p.m. March 15 in the Cathedral Center, sponsored by Marriage and Family Ministry. The ministry will also sponsor a St. Patrick’s Day party for families 3-4:30 p.m. March 16 in the Cathedral Center, featuring crafts, snacks and a movie. Email [email protected] for more information. The Knights of Columbus will hold fish fries March 21 and April 4 at the KC Hall on WSW Loop 323. A healing Mass will be celebrated March 20 in the Chapel of Sts. Peter and Paul on the campus of Bishop T.K. Gorman Regional Catholic Schools in Tyler. Father Basil Aguzie of the Missionary Society of St. Paul, pastor of Holy Cross Church in Austin, will be the celebrant. Adoration and confession will begin at 5 p.m. followed by praise and worship and Mass. For more information, call 903-3433567. A farewell reception to Father Anthony McLaughlin, cathedral rector, will follow the 5:30 p.m. Mass March 22. The Italian-American community will celebrate the Feast of St. Joseph with a potluck 4-6 p.m. March 23 at the KC Hall on WSW Loope 323 in Tyler. Please RSVP by March 19 to Terri Page at 903-597-6867 or Jim Gaspirini, 903-530-5986. Worldwide Marriage Encounter will sponsor a marriage enrichment event beginning with an 8:30 a.m. Mass March 29 at the cathedral. The featured topic, How Many Ways Can I Say ‘I Love You’? will be followed by lunch. For more information, email [email protected]. The 22nd annual Milam Joseph Golf Tournament will be held April 14 at Wil- low Brook Country Club to benefit the Tyler Catholic School Foundation. For more he 1 2 3 54 Fast plane 55 Little bit rossord 4 11 5 12 15 18 22 23 24 6 8 14 16 17 20 25 28 30 7 13 19 27 56 France and Germany river 9 10 21 26 29 31 35 37 information, call 903-521-0934 or email [email protected]. 32 33 34 48 49 50 36 38 39 41 42 44 45 51 52 54 55 40 43 46 47 53 56 © 2014 www.tri-c-a-publications.com Based on these Scripture Readings: 1 Cor 4: 1-5; Mt 6: 24-34 and Gn 2: 7-9, 3:1-7; Rm 5: 12-19; Mt 4: 1-11 and Gn 12: 1-4a; 2 Tim 1: 8b-10; Mt 17: 1-9 1 Cliff 5 Fortify 8 Saloon 11 Priest title (Spanish) 13 Legume 14 Vane direction 15 Pounce 16 Beige 17 Day of the wk. 18 Sodden 20 11 were piping 22 Can’t serve two 26 Retired persons group 27 Mormon state 28 Sagas 30 Ruby 31 Spore plants probably in 41A also 32 If you eat, you will _ _ _ 35 Great Eastern saint 36 “Called to a ___ life” 37 Raised from the ____ 39 Small, graceful antelopes 41 Eden 43 Congressional vote 44 Bullfight cheer 45 Klutz 47 Stewards are worthy of 51 Christmas month 52 Employ 53 Afloat (2 wds.) 1 Hertz 2 Uncooked 3 Hoopla 4 Expansion 5 Liable 6 Do not sow or ____ 7 Madmen 8 He and James and John 9 Jacob’s name meant 10 Honey makers 12 Fencing sword 19 Eden had many 21 Old-fashioned Dads 22 Stein 23 Adam & Eve did to fruit 24 Surface to air missile 25 Hyssop branch 29 Mosaic 31 Fading away (2 wds.) 32 Pain unit 33 Peaked 34 A symbol for the Father 35 Evil 36 God knows motives of ___ 37 Dells 38 Construct 40 Sixth Greek letter 41 Adam & Eve wanted to be like ___ 42 Space administration 46 Good shepherd make sure sheep are 48 America 49 Galilee water 50 Sticky black substance 14 CATHOLIC EAST TEXAS March 14, 2014 DIOCESE Teachers throughout diocese receive formation endorsements TYLER – Educators involved in religious formation classes throughout the Diocese of Tyler took a variety of classes during the past year. Endorsements earned include: Basic – Rita Bosold, St. Ann, Winnsboro; Helen Braun, Michael Strain, St. Mary, Longview; Lydia Chabarria, St. Therese, Canton; Enereida Dixon, Ana Pareides, Our Lady of Sorrows, Jacksonville; Maria Escobedo, Mary Sue Jagers, St. Joseph, Marshall; Jackie Fabos, Blanca Garcia, St. Peter Claver, Tyler; Ben Fletcher, Marina Martinez, Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Tyler; Also, Sara Flynn, Sacred Heart, Palestine; Dianne M. Hester, St. Peter the Apostle, Mineola; Glenda Moore, St. Lawrence of Brindisi, Waskom; Enrique Nuñez, Noralba Nuñez, Our Lady of Guadalupe, New Summerfield; Jodi Phillips, SFAS, Nacogdoches; Sister Kopnstancja, St. Mary Magdalene, Flint. Beginning – Mary Stefanie Brunner, Angelica Cordero, St. Patrick, Lufkin; Ana Decious, St. Michael, Mt. Pleasant; Catherine Eleuze, Jennifer Grabeel, Ryan Las- seigne, Shallon Lasseigne, St. Mary, Longview; Mike Lakey, Silvia Stroman, Tonya Wenzel, Immaculate Conception, Jefferson; Edna Landaverde, St. Francis of Assisi, Gilmer; Jessica Landers, Sacred Heart, Palestine; Janie Landin, Our Lady of Sorrows, Jacksonville; Also, Ruby Lynch, Juana Ramirez, St. Peter the Apostle, Mineola; Glenda Moore, St. Lawrence of Brendisi, Waskom; Enrique Nuñez, Pat Oviedo, Sonia Rubio, Evelia Suarez, Inocenia Suarez, Our Lady of Guadalupe, New Summerfield; Jodi Phillips, SFA, Nacogdoches; Sister Konstancja Sledziewska, St. Mary Magdalene, Flint; Sue Teets, Cyknthia Trahan, St. Francis of the Tejas, Crockett; Claudia Tovar, St. Patrick, Lufkin; Also, Simona Vallejo, St. Andrew, Lufkin; Diana Velez, Our Lady of Sorrows, Jacksonville; Margo Williams, St. Pius I, Hemphill; Meriah Wright, Sacred Heart, Nacogdoches. Intermediate – Daisy Black, Our Lady of Fatima, Daingerfield; Ben Fischer, Mariela Gonzalez, Maria “Lily” Mendez, Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Tyler; Vincenta Maldonado, Lazaro Maldonado, Leticia Philbert, Our Lady of Guadalupe, Tyler; Sue Owens, Yvette Stabbs, Our Lady of Sorrows, Jacksonville; Jodi Phillips, SFA, Nacogdoches; Charlene Silva, St. Therese, Canton. Advanced – Jodi Phillips, SFA, Nacogdoches; Bob Poinsett, Frances Poinsett, Janie Sepulveda, Sacred Heart, Palestine; Beverly Wilson, St. Mary, Longview. Advanced renewal – Loiette Dixon, Sacred Heart, Palestine; Bernita Hull, St. Bernard, Fairfield; Diana Peña, St. Mary of the Cenacle, New Boston; Carl Turner, Diane Turner, St. Joseph, Marshall; Elizabeth Wieze, St. Peter the Apostle, Mineola. Professional religious educator – Sandra Lara, St. Jude, Henderson. PRE renewal – Kay Hish, Prince of Peace, Whitehouse; Deacon Trevor Wells, St. Mary, Longview. Christian initiation – Mariela Gonzalez, Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Tyler; Deacon Trevor Wells, St. Mary, Longview. Prison – Brandon Pennington, Tennessee Colony. o Letters to the Editor Diocesan giving supports Catholic communications To the Editor: A recent check from the Diocese of Tyler for $9,172.01 will be posted to the 2013 Collection for the Catholic Communication Campaign. I am grateful for the generous gifts of the parishioners in your diocese. Sincerely, Bevin C. Kennedy, Assistant director, promotions Office of National Collections Church in Latin America aided by East Texas giving St. Jude member attains Eagle rank HENDERSON – Tytus Lee Griego, 18, a son of Lee and Nicol Griego, has been awarded the Eagle Scout rank. A member of Troop 316 chartered at First United Methodist Church in Henderson, Griego attends Henderson High School and plans to pursue a career in law enforcement. He is a member of St. Jude Church in Henderson. On his way to the Eagle, Griego served as assistant and later senior patrol leader. He is a Brotherhood member of the Scout honor camping fraternity Order of the Arrow, and earned 28 merit badges, surpassing the 21 required for Eagle. For his Eagle Scout project, he organized and directed cleaning, repair and painting of the gazebo at Lake Forest Park in Henderson. Fewer than 5 percent of all Boy Scouts attain the Eagle rank. o To the Editor: On behalf of the Subcommittee for the Church in Latin America, I would like to express my gratitude to the Diocese of Tyler for its generous contribution of $24,607.55 for the 2013 Collection for the Church in Latin America. The subcommittee awarded 393 pastoral grants in 2013 totaling $5,548,716 for such projects as formation of seminarians and religious, youth ministry projects and support of pastoral activities. On behalf of the subcommittee and those who benefit from the collection, I offer my humble thanks. Bishop Eusebio L. Elizondo, MSpS Auxiliary bishop of Seattle, Chairman, USCCB Subcommittee on the Church in Latin America Catholic Relief Services collection soon To the Editor: On behalf of Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, I extend my gratitude for the contribution of $26,919.12 from the 2013 Father Poandl sentenced in federal sex case CINCINNATI – Glenmary Father Robert “Bob” Poandl was sentenced Feb. 12 to seven and a half years in prison after his September conviction on federal child sex charges. He was found guilty in U.S. District Court in Cincinnati of transporting a 10-year-old boy to Spencer, W. Va., in 1991 and sexually assaulting him. His attorney had asked for a lesser charge, noting that Father Poandl has been diagnosed with late-stage kidney cancer. Father Poandl served in the Diocese of Tyler from 1993-1999 in the Mount Vernon, Daingerfield and Pittsburg area and was involved with Marriage Encounter and Retrouvaille. Diocesan officials say no one in East Texas has come forward claiming abuse by the priest since his indictment in 2010. Public notices encouraging victims to come forward are placed in Catholic East Texas and parish bulletins. A message also is posted on the diocesan website at dioceseoftyler.org on the Ethics and Integrity page. After the priest’s conviction last year, Father Gavin Vaverek, diocesan promoter of justice, said no one in the Tyler Diocese had come forward with any allegations of impropriety, but that a number of people “made statements of support of his ministry during his time here.” As promoter of justice, Father Vaverek coordinates the diocesan response to allegations of impropriety or abuse by church personnel. “I would again remind everyone that anyone with a suspicion of illegal behavior should contact the civil authorities,” he said last year. “Anyone with any suspicion of abusive or improper behavior by church personnel should contact my office. All communications are confidential.” Father Vaverek emphasized that the State of Texas mandates that any suspicion of abuse of a minor or vulnerable adult must be reported to the state. To report suspicions to Father Vaverek, call 903-2662159 or email [email protected]. To report suspicions to the State of Texas, call 800252-5400. o Catholic Relief Services collection in the Diocese of Tyler. This collection supports six Catholic agencies whose programs help families suffering from war, famine, extreme poverty and natural disasters. They also aid the victims of human trafficking, unaccompanied minors and immigrants trying to reunite with their family members. Our next collection is scheduled in most dioceses March 29-30. The millions of people who benefit from this collection continue to rely on our prayers and financial support for basic daily needs. We offer our heartfelt gratitude to the priests and parishioners of the Diocese of Tyler for their commitment and generosity to the Catholic Relief Services collection. They demonstrate genuine love and compassion for all who are helped the collection. Gratefully yours in Christ. Archbishop Dennis M. Schnurr Archbishop of Cincinnati Chairman, Committee on National Collections Tyler gifts assist typhoon victims To the Editor: We have received a check for $39,539.35 for the Typhoon Haiyan Recovery Collection. I am grateful to the parishioners in your diocese. (In addition to the amount sent to the Office of National Collections, diocesan funds totaling $16,945.43 were remitted directly to Father Gus Tharappel, MSFS, for support of Fransalians seminarians who are from the area hit by the typhoon.) Sincerely, Bevin C. Kennedy, Assistant director, promotions Office of National Collections Tyler enables CUA to give students aid To the Editor: On behalf of the students, faculty, staff and Board of Trustees of The Catholic University of America, I thank the parishioners of the Diocese of Tyler for their continued support of the national collection for CUA. The Diocese of Tyler’s generous contribution of $19,661 assists students who attend the university. Along with other funds and awards, the university is able to award financial aid to 80% of our undergraduate students. Gratefully yours, John Garvey President Donations aid Holy Father’s ministry To the Editor: On behalf of the Holy Father, I thank the Diocese of Tyler for its offering of $23,707.27 as Peter’s Pence for the year 2013. His Holiness very much appreciates this donation and the sacrifices which it entailed. The gift not only assists him in his universal pastoral ministry but is also a witness to the people’s communion in faith and love with the Successor of Peter. Pietro Parolin Secretary of State March 14, 2014 PEOPLE CATHOLIC EAST TEXAS 15 Profile From page 16 uary, 1986, followed by Naomi Kristen, in February, 1987. Philip went into the RCIA program, accompanied by Debbie, and on Oct. 13, 1989, became Catholic. “It was a Friday 13th with a full moon,” Philip said. “For what that’s worth.” The whirlwind engagement and maternal disapproval triggered another drive in Philip. He had been working at various jobs ever since dropping out of Bible college, but his life took a sudden turn. “All my life I had been put down,” he said. “My mother told me I was stupid.” Part of this perception came because his eldest brother was especially bright. “He used to bring math books home to read for fun,” Philip said. “Alan was the golden child.” Philip was the youngest, after Alan and Tim. “I needed to prove I was smart,” Philip said. He enrolled in Weber State College in Ogden, Utah, where he studied math and physics. “I wanted to go into the aerospace field,” he said; “but when I graduated in 1991, the cold war had ended, the Berlin Wall was down and there were massive layoffs in my field.” Instead of working in an aerospace he industry, Philip found himself selling computers in retail. “That’s all right,” he said. “Having that degree gave me a lot of personal confidence in many A L IPhad S proved A R Tto my mother L E G ways. P O E T S E W A E R O I was not stupid.” P Again, R A Y the PScholls T A found L O Rlife D L Aabout C E to S change. I N C “My A dad, was E Nwas E living L A down R G OhereS(near S E who Carthage),S contracted A F E RhisA second R E R bout P A ofL Ecancer S T and M Imy D Imom, A N my sister E N O C and H I Fcame A N Sdown to see Debbie “After G Yhim,” P E J E Csaid. T S A C he died, my brother asked E D A M H I NifDwe U wanted I N FDad’s O trailer.” C A N MO O R R The A M mobile S O Lhome E Pwas O R on E property owned by her brother, E G G B E T S P E D near his own house. © 2014 Tri-C-A Publications Back in Utah, Debbie told Philip about the offer and asked if he wanted to go. “I said sure, and gave six months’ notice.” The family moved to DeBerry, about a dozen miles northeast of Carthage near the Louisiana state line. “We loved the area, but it was a real culture shock,” Debbie said. “Philip was overqualified for everything around here, so I went to work as a seamstress.” They did ord B O S C A B E T D I E S O B O E R I D C K A M S F L R A Y I T E A Publications rossord rossord he ord R E V E R S A L T E X T O B N E E T A E R O B A T S E R I E R A I N A Publications C R A G P A D R SWO O W M A S T U T A H G E M B D E A G A R D O L E D E C S S T A E P P T E T E R S E P F E R A S I D G E N O A F U S E T A D R E A P M P U A E S N T U I P E R A A R P I C S N S D I L H O L A Z E L L Y E A T R U S A T S E S A A B E E S E Y E T A R © 2014 Tri-C-A Publications not at first attend St. William of Brindisi Church in Carthage, but turned their eyes north and went to St. Mary of the Pines Church in Shreveport. When the girls started school in August of 1993, however, the orientation swung around 180 degrees and the family focused on Carthage. “I had been teaching faith formation at St. Rose of Lima Church in Layton, Utah,” Debbie said, “and when Father found out about that, he said, ‘We’ve been waiting for you.’” Then-pastor Father Ben Smylie, she said, called for teachers. Later, she added, “The Lord picked me up by the seat of my breeches to go up and be part of the parish council.” She began teaching faith formation in Carthage, and Philip became involved in the religious education program and RCIA in the late ’90s. Other changes rocked the family during this time. Within 10 months of moving to Texas, Philip’s mother died, and a month later, his father followed her. “We went back to Utah for Mom’s funeral, and then a month later, turned around and did it all over again,” he said. In 2004, his Uncle Pete died and he the family went to Pennsylvania for that funeral. “I met my grandparents (on her biological rossord father’s side) and two of my three new sisters then,” Debbie said. “Later I got to meet the rest of the family.” In addition to her work sewing custom clothing and later helping manage the company, Debbie picked up a paper route in 1998, rising at 4:30 every morning to deliver the Marshall Messenger, Longview News-Journal and Shreveport Times, a job she still holds. “When Father Ben left, they needed a secretary,” Debbie said. “It was only part-time, but I felt that was what the lord wanted. That was my mission – to be secretary and teach formation.” Since she was by then working about 40 hours a day, Debbie dropped her management job and concentrated on the paper route(s) and secretarial duties. Philip had been unemployed for about a year before he went to work for WalMart. “I’m a geek. I know electronics,” he said, “so of course they put me in sporting goods and I don’t play sports; then they put me in gardening and I don’t know a pansy from a petunia.” He intended to work there for about six months but ended up staying 10 years. Then Debbie, in a casual conversation with a librarian from Panola College, found the school was looking for an electronics lab technician. Philip got the job, but he still worked at WalMart as well. “I was putting in about 70 hours a week and it threw me into a deep depression,” he said. “We were in a tight financial situation, but I couldn’t keep working 70 hours a week.” At the time of his uncle’s death, Philip and Debbie helped auction off the estate, and received a small windfall from that, which helped. “It was a small inheritance,” Debbie said, “but it enabled us to buy my brother’s property here.” On the down side, however, that meant a personal loss. “We had looked forward to having an extended family together when we moved here,” she said. “Instead, everybody left. They’re all back in Utah while we’re here in Texas.” Tight times continued, and the family lived on rice and beans, macaroni and cheese. “Samaritans helped us, and the secretarial job went up to 40 hours a week,” Debbie said. “But the church is in need, too, so I’ve backed off to about 30 hours here.” Another death helped Debbie and Philip, but at the cost of his brother Alan, who was teaching statistics at the University of Utah. Alan died of a heart attack, and Philip was his beneficiary. “He wanted me to be quit of my job at WalMart,” Philip said. This was an important change for Philip, whose health had begun to deteriorate. Despite all their difficulties, however, both Philip and Debbie continued to work in and for the church. Philip taught RCIA for a couple of years and in the late 1990s helped found a local chapter of the Legion of Mary. He also is a Fourth Degree Knight of Columbus. In addition to her secretarial duties, Debbie spent years teaching faith formation, is a former director of the faith formation program and now serves as an advocate for the diocesan tribunal. Neither Debbie nor Philip seem to find anything unusual about their various involvements. “If the Lord calls, you have to listen,” Debbie said, “especially if he’s using Father’s voice and looking you right in the eye.” o > > > P I P I T A R C M A M Lenten Mission A Redemptorist R O S E K I A U Parish F O D E Sunday, I S M I March O N S 15 O S– Wednesday, March 18 U P O N A F I R7:00 E p.m. A N G E L S S P I C E S L Y E E MO T E R & Confirmation A C T H Sunday: I I I EBaptism V E R Tuesday: Matrimony & Holy Orders A D U L T S I O U ATuesday: S Y L U M Reconciliation C H R I S T & Sacrament of the Sick S T I F F W HWednesday: O A Eucharist H O E F F A U R B A N E L L L U G L E A S E talks will be given R E D Each E N night E D Rthe Y Esame R in the church © 2014 Tri-C-A Publications and parish hall in English and Spanish Childcare available Refreshments nightly This is an opportunity for Catholics, whether preparing for these sacraments or renewing their understanding of the power of the sacraments. rossord Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church he 1023 Corinth Road Jacksonville 903-586-4538 or 903-258-3911 S P A L A W S www.oloschurch.com Y A P O I L I R I S L O C O F C A V I S E E U R O T A R N I S H P A N E L O N E K I N G B E F O G S H E E A R I R A N M H Z R S V P G N U T O Y T O T E M L Deductible EWD D O C • Tax Cars M • ETrucks, T R OSUVs, T O L K& EVans I N A • PFree I AVehicle H OPickup P E R O E of St. Vincent dePaul &D Non- I W Society D • EMost N SRunning A G E O Running Vehicles Accepted Vehicle Donation Program E E G D O D O C A N Proceeds benefit needy throughout Northeast Texas 1-800-322-8284 © 2014 Tri-C-A Publications Give the priceless gift of priesthood Our seminarians today are your priests tomorrow Invest in them for the sake of your future Here is my contribution for the education of our future priests: $5 $50 $10 $100 $25 $500 $40 Other $_____ Name_____________________________________ Address___________________________________ City, State, Zip_____________________________ Make checks payable to Diocese of Tyler Seminary Burse and mail to Bishop Joseph E. Strickland 1015 ESE Loop 323 • Tyler, TX 75701-9663 Your donation is tax-deductible 16 CATHOLIC EAST TEXAS March 14, 2014 Profile The music spoke to me that was the first crack in the shield; I looked for answers By JIM D’AVIGNON CARTHAGE – The roads traveled by Philip and Debbie Scholl stretch across the country, from Virginia to California, Oregon to Texas, and they sampled many belief systems enroute. But in the end, all roads led to Texas, and all faith centered on Jesus Christ and the teachings of the Catholic Church. Debbie, a daughter of Daniel Marion Kozerski and Elise Hall, was born in Fort Smith, Va., and moved with her family to Florida when she was 5 or 6. About a decade later, when Debbie was 16, they moved to the San Fernando Valley in California, where her father’s work in electro-mechanical research led him. “My father was Catholic, but he left the church when he married Mom,” Debbie said. “I was raised – I don’t know – Methodist, Presbyterian, Lutheran.” Debbie finished high school in California and attended Pierce College, but was prone to an ongoing sense of depression. Whatever denominations she had experienced growing up, Debbie was left with a void and a need for something more. “A girlfriend and I left California looking for God,” Debbie said. They also had a sense of impending finality to this world’s social structure. “We wanted to be prepared,” she said. “We went to the backwoods (Clayton, Ga.) to learn how to live off the land.” In Georgia, Debbie met Father Anthony Jablonski, a priest working in American mission areas. He gave the young woman Christian Initiation training for a couple of years and when the priest was transferred to North Carolina, Debbie followed. There, in 1976, Debbie became a Catholic at a small church in West Jefferson, N.C. “Father wanted us to take another year of instruction,” she said. She did, and was confirmed in North Carolina. Her friend became pregnant, and Debbie subsequently moved into a local home that took in wayward girls, where she served as a “big sister.” “Steve and Mary’s child was born in June,” Debbie said, “and in 1978, I moved back to California.” From there she went to Ogden, Utah, where she was nanny and housekeeper for her brother’s wife By the time Debbie was in her late 20s, she felt a need for something more in her life. “About 1980-81, because I was almost 30 I felt I needed socializing. I was single and hungry.” That hunger led her to join a square dance group which was to change her life. But put Debbie on hold for a moment, and look at Philip. He was born in Harrisburg, Pa., where his father was a civilian contractor at Olmstead AFB (closed in 1969). When Philip was four years old, the family moved to Clearfield, Utah, a couple of miles outside Salt Lake City. “When I was there, our home was surrounded by orchards and fields,” he said. “Today, that’s all urban sprawl. You’d never think it was ever anything but city.” In 1965, when Philip was five, his father’s boss invited the family to his independent fundamentalist church. “I didn’t know what that was,” Philip said, “but I remember it was very anti-Catholic. The sermons were full of fire and brimstone and the preacher tried to instill a fear of God, a God who was very wrathful and vengeful. They really did a number on me.” Philip paused a moment, remembering. “I kept thinking there has to be something more than reading the Bible and singing the psalms.” He ran across a musical score, “Calm Is the Night” (by Jack O’Hagan) sung by the monks of Westin Priory. “The music spoke to me of mysteries I didn’t understand,” Philip said. Because he felt others wouldn’t approve, he listened to the music in the closet. “That was the first crack in the shield,” he said. “When I left home, I looked for answers.” His search led him to enroll in a Bible college in Oregon, where he studied an accelerated program in Greek. “I was disappointed,” he said. “They taught a sort of disproportional theology. I saw how they had to twist everything around. They’d tell me, ‘The Bible says this, but really means that.’” Philip was also disappointed in the college library, which, he said, seemed very limited in scope. He went to nearby Mt. Angel Catholic Seminary and got a library card. “That was kind of a haven there for me,” he said. “I started looking up things and found that the theology I had been studying was not really historical. In fact, it was only about 200 years old. The whole package started about the 1830s. I felt a truly historical college had to go back to Christ.” Philip did not return to his college for a second semester, but returned to Utah to work The Lord picked me up by the seat of my breeches to go up and be part of the council Philip and Debbie Scholl Jim D’Avignon/CET of mysteries I didn’t understand – He also took time out for fun. “My Mom and Dad were square dancers, so I joined a Single Swingers dance club,” Philip said. “That’s where I met Debbie, and she was Catholic” Despite his searching, however, “I wasn’t ready to become Catholic, even though I no longer wanted to be what I had been.” “We danced the second dance and I immediately started falling in love,” Debbie said. “The first time we danced was on Sept. 17. In late October I found out he was eight years younger (than me).” Her birthday is Nov. 3 and Philip’s is Nov. 24. The age difference didn’t matter, as it turned out, however. “We never even talked about getting married,” she said. “We just considered ourselves engaged.” Philip chimed in, “Six months to the day after we first danced, on St. Patrick’s Day, we were to be married. My mother disowned me, but that only lasted a couple of weeks. We said we’d move the wedding back to February, but my mother said, ‘Oh, no, we have too much to do to get ready.’ She came around.” By their second date, Philip had begun asking about Debbie’s faith. “I researched it and I wanted something, but the first time you go to Mass, people are doing weird things – standing, kneeling, everybody together. I asked myself, where’s the script?” As a result, Philip said, “I became Lutheran as a compromise. They got me. I was baptized in the Lutheran church.” Even after he married Debbie in 1984, Philip maintained his search. At the time of their marriage, also, Debbie found out she had a natural father living in the East, along with three sisters she had never known about. Philip had been touched by Catholicism and continued to look into the faith. “At the time I was a security guard working 12-hour shifts,” he said. “But I decided it was time to sit down and re-evaluate my core beliefs. I started looking for books about the Catholic Church. Philip ran across a book, Father Smith Instructs Jackson (by John Francis Noll and Albert J. Nevins, published by Our Sunday Visitor in 1975) which made a huge difference in his thinking. “I was shocked,” he said. “The pastor said to read the Bible, but just don’t believe what some people say about it.” Debbie laughed. “He didn’t tell me what he had been doing,” she said. “The first I knew about it was when he stormed upstairs and said, ‘We’re not married.’” “I was surprised and upset,” she said. “I told him, ‘We can’t be not married; we have two children.’” Rachelle Michelle had been born in JanContinued on page 15