Karol Wojtyla, as a young factory worker in Poland.
"I come from your midst. I come from the quarries of Zakrzowek, from the Solvay furnaces in Borek Falecki, and then from Nowa Huta. Through all these surroundings, through my own experience of work, I boldly say that I learned the gospel anew." -- Pope John Paul II, homily in Nowa Huta, Poland, July 1979.
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"The truth that by means of work man participates in the activity of God himself, his Creator, was given particular prominence by Jesus Christ-the Jesus at whom many of his first listeners in Nazareth "were astonished, saying, 'Where did this man get all this? What is the wisdom given to him?.. Is not this the carpenter?'." For Jesus not only proclaimed but first and foremost fulfilled by his deeds the "gospel", the word of eternal Wisdom, that had been entrusted to him. Therefore this was also "the gospel of work", because he who proclaimed it was himself a man of work, a craftsman like Joseph of Nazareth. And if we do not find in his words a special command to work-but rather on one occasion a prohibition against too much anxiety about work and life- at the same time the eloquence of the life of Christ is unequivocal: he belongs to the "working world", he has appreciation and respect for human work. It can indeed be said that he looks with love upon human work and the different forms that it takes, seeing in each one of these forms a particular facet of man's likeness with God." -- "On Human Labor", 1981.
At 19 years of age, to the world, Emily Morse has her whole life ahead of her. She has time to travel, time to date and time to just “do whatever.” But, that’s not what she wants.
She wants to be a nun.
Not only does she want to be a nun, but she believes God is calling her to be one. Yet, this lively and energetic girl has encountered skeptics.
“A lot of times I’ll get, ‘Wow, you’re just finishing your freshman year of college. Don’t you want to see a little more of the world? Aren’t you afraid of giving up marriage?’” Morse said.
Her answer is simply “no.”
“If God is calling me to do something then I want to do that one thing,” said Morse, a parishioner at St. John the Baptist in Bancroft. “To grow in holiness, that’s what I want to do. So, why put that off by trying to entertain myself with a life God didn’t call me to? He called me first to be a sister.”
Morse will be entering the Sisters of St. Francis of the Martyr of St. George on Sept. 8, the feast of the Nativity of Mary. She will be entering at their motherhouse in Alton, Ill. Throughout the United States, 122 sisters belong to the community, whose two main charisms are nursing and teaching, both which Morse said she loves.
“I was drawn to the order by their life of prayer and service, their very good balance between the both of them, and just their joyous spirituality there,” she said.
Morse, who would have been going into her sophomore year at Iowa State, will only be allowed to bring with her necessities for life, such as a coat and hat, and a few meaningful religious items.
Her first year of life at the convent will be her postulancy, where she will be mainly working with the community at a daycare, hospital or at the convent. During this time, Morse will wear a jumper instead of a habit and veil.
“It’s a year of discernment and immersing yourself in the life of these specific sisters of that Franciscan lifestyle,” she said.
At the end of her postulancy, Morse will receive the habit, white veil and religious name. The next two years will be her novitiate, after which she will make first vows and enter her juniorate, which lasts another four to six years. At this point Morse will be sent to school for either teaching or nursing, though she hopes nursing. From the time she enters, it will take about eight years before she is a fully professed sister.
The religious life has always been very attractive to her, Morse said, but it was in high school that she began to take that attraction more seriously. She began to visit different communities, like the Missionaries of Charity, to get a feel for religious life. Morse said that was when she began to think she could live that life, and that God wanted her to live it.
“It was through prayer that I discovered that call initially, but through visiting the sisters and seeing how joyous they were and finding I could be myself there, . . .that was the moment that I knew this is it,” she said.
As a religious sister, Morse is giving herself to Christ as his bride, as a sign of the full communion she’ll have with him in heaven, she said.
“It’s saying, ‘God, I’m willing to give that sacrifice of a human marriage to you, in gratitude for the union that we will have in heaven, to draw the eyes of my friends and people that I meet throughout the world to that greater union that will be in heaven,’” Morse added.
This summer, Morse was a Totus Tuus teacher in the diocese. She said her experience in the program helped solidify her call to religious life by giving her a taste of community life, as well as having a structured prayer life that included the Liturgy of the Hours.
“It helped me have more confidence that I could live in a community,” she said, “and it helped me to be brutally honest with my brothers and sisters, which were my teammates throughout the summer.”
Visit the link for more. And keep this great kid in your prayers.
Periodically, people ask me what my Sunday is like. It varies week to week, but most of the time it has this common theme: it's not a day of rest.
This weekend was a little different, because it was a long holiday weekend, which meant masses were less crowded and one of our priests was on vacation. I also ended up preaching at three of the five masses, which is highly unusual.
But it went something like this:
SATURDAY
4:45 - Arrived for 5 pm vigil mass. Looked over the gospel and the Prayers of the Faithful, to see what strange and hard-to-pronounce names might be listed among the deceased. Checked with the music director about singing the trope for the Penitential Rite ("Lord have mercy..."). Dragged my chair out of the sacristy, to place next to the Presider's in the sanctuary. Since I have two dalmatics to use in Ordinary Time, I picked out the one in the shade of green that most closely matched the priest's. Celebrant was Fr. Jan, from the Czech Republic. I wasn't scheduled to preach, but earlier in the week I offered my services to him for his two masses, the 5 Saturday and 8:30 Sunday. He was happy to accept. At 5, none of the scheduled altar servers had shown up, so I also ended up being the altar boy, too. I assisted Fr. Jan and preached. After mass, as I'm leaving, I bumped into my pastor who asked me if I'd like to do my homily again for him at the 10. "Sure," I said. "I'll be here anyway for the 8:30. It'll be a double-header."
SUNDAY
8:15 - Arrived for the 8:30 mass. I assisted and preached for Fr. Jan, and then the did the same at the 10 for my pastor. After finishing the 10, I went into the rectory for a cup of coffee and found Msgr. Dempsey, one of our priests, and Msgr. O'Toole, a visitor from Florida (and, so help me, a dead ringer for Barry Fitzgerald) dividing up the Sunday Times at the kitchen table. "Good mornings" all around. We were soon joined by Fr. Jan, who couldn't get over the fact that the communion meditation music was a Bach sonata heard in the movie "Meet Joe Black." This led to a discussion of the thespian abilities of Anthony Hopkins and Brad Pitt. Msgr. O'Toole was celebrating the 11:30, so after some trenchant analysis about tennis and the U.S Open (about which I know nothing) and New York weather, we headed into the sacristy.
The scheduled lector didn't show up. I scanned the half-empty church for a substitute. No luck. Once again, I tossed on my dalmatic and headed out to assist Msgr. O'Toole. After that, I hung out in the sacristy during the final mass, which began at 1 pm. My wife always attends the 1 on Sundays, so I caught up with her after mass and we walked home together. Once home, I checked the blog for comments or e-mails, then dragged myself into the bedroom for a long nap.
And that was my Sunday.
I'm glad that I'm off on Monday.
Most of my Sundays actually start later. I usually have breakfast with my wife, then leave home around 10:15, to walk the eight blocks to church. I arrive at the parish in time to help with communion at the 10. Then I stay until 2. (N.B. Since priests and deacons are the ordinary ministers of communion, my pastor insists that we all help with communion at the weekend masses. We typically have four communion stations, with three priests and me. The EMHCs primarily serve as ministers of the cup.) We all rotate the baptism assignments, too, so every third month I have baptisms or baptism instruction at 2:30 on Sunday. And once in a while, I'm also enlisted to do a Sunday wake. The day can get to be very long.
The Archdiocese of St. Louis has a high-profile priest (who is also the son of a deacon) who is planning to do a little field work in the months ahead.
Former vocations director Father Michael T. Butler may be answering the call of the military, but while serving he plans to do a little calling of his own, too.
After about 14 years with the archdiocesan Office of Vocations — 11 of those years as director — the St. Louis native was released from duty this June by Archbishop Raymond L. Burke to serve with the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA.
Father Butler will join the U.S. Air Force at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio Sept. 25 as deputy wing chaplain.
The military, he says, is ripe for vocations. His new assignment "will be a good opportunity for me to challenge our young people in the military to think about serving as priests and religious."
Father Butler said jokingly, "You can take the priest out of the vocation office, but you can’t take the vocation director out of the priest."
In his new position, he will assist his commander in the training of chaplains and chaplain assistants.
"I’m going to be mentoring chaplains to make sure they’re doing their job," he said.
The post of military chaplain is not an unfamiliar one for him. In 1990, only one year after being ordained by Archbishop John L. May, Father Butler was permitted to serve as chaplain for the 131st Fighter Wing of the Missouri Air National Guard. The unit is based at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport.
Since then the 46-year-old has been on active duty about two months out of every year. The first time he was sent overseas was 10 days after the attack on the World Trade Center Sept. 11, 2001. He now has seven trips abroad under his belt as chaplain with the National Guard. Several of his assignments have taken him to the Middle East. He also has comforted U.S. soldiers at a military hospital in Landstuhl, Germany, where the seriously wounded from Afghanistan and Iraq are taken.
Father Butler in an interview last week said that each time he has been deployed, he has made it a point to talk to young people about a vocation.
"And it’s amazing how many of them really do think about it," he said. For example, one young man he spoke with attended the archbishop’s retreat at Kenrick-Glennon Seminary last year, while another has just entered the seminary. "So I do know there are guys who have really thought about it, and I’ve encouraged them. I know there are vocations out there, too, even in the military."
Among his accomplishments with the Office of Vocations, Father Butler was instrumental in starting the annual archbishop’s retreat and the various vocation camps at the seminary. But what he is most proud of is his work in helping young men and women discern what God has called them to do.
Said the priest, "I hope that’s the legacy more than anything, that I’ve hopefully made a difference in their lives." He expects his work to continue to grow and prosper under the capable leadership of new directer Father Edward M. Rice.
On loan to the Military Archdiocese initially for three years, Father Butler said his assignment could be extended. He hopes to return to St. Louis to serve again as a priest, but doesn’t know when.
"A lot depends on the future archbishop and the military and myself," he said.
He leaves behind his parents, Deacon James Russell (Russ) and Betty Butler, a sister, two brothers, and lots of nieces and nephews. They are all supportive of his efforts, he said, because they understand his calling as a priest and know the military needs him desperately.
Multiple sources say John McCain's running mate was baptized Catholic, but after that it gets murky.
One blogger put it this way:
Like most Pentecostal denominations, going all the way back to the Azusa Revival a century ago, the Assemblies of God ordains women as pastors. Palin, born a Catholic, left a denomination that denied pastoral authority to women in order to join one that embraced women as leaders — while still holding to traditional social views on issues like “life” and sexuality. Unlike among the Southern Baptists or conservative Calvinists, it’s not unusual in Pentecostal circles to find women who are both church leaders and mothers of young children. Palin belongs, it seems, to that tradition.
John McCain's vice presidential pick Sarah Palin has a Pentecostal background, but reporters seem to be struggling to define her faith.
A profile in the Wall Street Journal says she's Lutheran.
The Washington Post writes, "Her evangelical Christian faith -- she believes in creationism and is adamantly opposed to abortion -- may help [McCain] court skeptical social conservatives."
Hm. I'm not sure those two beliefs necessarily link to an "evangelical Christian faith."
Instead of assigning a label to her faith, Eric Gorski of the Associated Press reports that a business administrator in Pentecostal Assemblies of God told him that her home church is The Church on the Rock, an independent congregation. A spokeswoman for the McCain-Palin campaign told Gorski that Palin attends different churches and does not consider herself Pentecostal.
Tennessean religion reporter Bob Smietana writes that Palin grew up among evangelicals, and attended the Wasilla Assembly of God as a teenager and young adult. Smietana writes that while in Juneau, Alaska's capital, she sometimes attends Juneau Christian Center, an Assemblies of God congregation.
Boston College professor Alan Wolfe writes at The New Republic that Palin is an evangelical, shaped by the region in which she lives.
"... she is not a Southern evangelical, and therein lies a tale."
Southern Baptists, he writes, became preoccupied with sin, while those in the west were more libertarian where sins could become forgiven.
He writes, "Sarah Palin named two of her children after witches, once took drugs, and refused to sign a bill forbidding domestic benefits for gay couples. Any one of these--especially the first--would raise suspicion in the eyes of a traditional Southern Baptist."
With Richard Land's high praise, however, I'm not seeing that suspicion quite yet.
"Palin, the gun-toting mom, has a libertarian streak in politics and a libertarian streak in religion," Wolfe writes. " ... [W]hile Palin may be quickly endorsed by men speaking in Southern accents, she is neither a Billy Graham nor a Jimmy Carter. American evangelicalism, like John McCain, has many mansions. Sarah Palin inhabits only one of them."
UPDATE: I see that John Allen has done some ruminating on Palin's religious background, and gives particular attention to a phrase from her first appearance that struck a chord with me, the idea of a "Servant's Heart":
Those who watched Palin’s announcement speech yesterday in Dayton, Ohio, might have noticed a throaty roar from the crowd when she said, “We are expected to govern with integrity and goodwill and clear convictions and a servant’s heart.”
That reaction wasn’t simply about approval of good government; the phrase “servant’s heart” is a popular bit of Evangelical terminology, used as a short-hand for Christian humility. A quick web search reveals thousands of churches, ministries, and bands that use some variation of “servant’s heart” in the title; there’s even a residential cleaning service in Calgary called “Servant’s Heart.”
The term is so common, in fact, that Christian comedian Tim Hawkins has poked fun at it. “I hate it when somebody tells me I’ve got a servant’s heart,” Hawkins says. “It means they want me to start stacking chairs.”
When Palin pledged to govern with a “servant’s heart,” Christians, especially those with an Evangelical background, had no trouble recognizing one of their own, even without the convenience of a denominational label on Palin’s résumé. (It’s akin to a public figure making reference to a “near occasion of sin” or a “state of grace”; even without an official bio, Catholics would recognize a fellow member of the tribe.)
Palin’s nomination, therefore, does not simply mark a breakthrough for women, or for western states. She also puts a face on the fastest-growing and most dynamic segment of global Christianity these days – even if it’s proving difficult for journalists and political handicappers to get their minds around.
A couple weeks ago, we encountered him climbing out of a boat during a storm, trying to walk on water. He floundered, and Jesus had to rescue him.
Then, last week, he ended up with a job he never sought. Jesus gave him the keys to the kingdom and called him his rock. Peter has just gotten used to that idea when, those words still ringing in his ears, he hears the guy who just called him “a rock” yelling at him, and calling him Satan.
Peter just can’t catch a break.
The apostle must have wondered at this moment, his cheeks burning with embarrassment, “What in God’s name does he WANT from me?”
It’s a good question. And it’s one a lot of us ask. As we heard a few moments ago, St. Paul had some advice for the Romans: “Do not conform yourselves to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect.”
Which leads us to ask, with Peter: “What DOES he WANT from me?”
What IS the will of God?
When he was here in April, Pope Benedict asked a gathering of priests to pray for a special intention of the pope. One of the priests asked him what that intention was. And His Holiness replied: “Pray that I never get in the way of Jesus.”
I think that’s a very good thing to pray for a pope. And I think it’s also a good thing to pray for ourselves. Pray that others see Jesus in us, and through us, and that we never block what he is trying to do.
I think it is one way we can strive to discern the will of God.
A common question people like to pose is “What Would Jesus Do?” But maybe a better question is: “What Would Jesus Do…With Me?”
How can I not get in the way of his work?
What would he have me do? What is “good, and pleasing, and perfect”?
In finding the answers, we find God’s will. And in His will is our ultimate purpose, our ultimate joy – even when it seems otherwise.
In 1995, at the height of the war in Yugoslavia, a nun by the name of Sister Lucy Vertrusc was attacked and brutally raped, repeatedly, by several Serb soldiers who broke into her convent. She ended up pregnant. After many weeks, she wrote a letter to her Mother Superior. It was published in an Italian newspaper and has been widely circulated on the Internet.
Sister Lucy described the physical and spiritual agony she felt – the darkness that surrounded her. All she’d ever wanted was to be a cloistered nun, living her life quietly serving God and praying to her “Divine Spouse.” After her rape, in her darkest moments, she despaired of even continuing to live. But she remembered the words of a poet, Alexej Mislovic: “You must not die/because you have been chosen/ to be a part of the day.”
Sister Lucy chose not to embrace the darkness, but “to be part of the day.” She wrote: “I will fulfill my religious vocation in another way. I will go with my child. I do not know where, but God, who broke all of a sudden my greatest joy, will indicate the path I must tread in order to do His will.” She told her Mother Superior she wanted nothing from her order, which had given her so much already.
And she concluded with these extraordinary words: “Someone has to begin to break the chain of hatred that has always destroyed our countries. And so, I will teach my child only one thing: love. This child, born of violence, will be a witness along with me that the only greatness that gives honor to a human being is forgiveness.”
I don’t know whatever became of Sister Lucy and her child. Her order has never revealed that part of the story. But that letter lives on as a powerful testament. I don’t know what sort of holiness inspires someone to surrender her life like that. I’m a long way from it myself. St. Peter was a long way from it.
But I take heart from this: we are all trying to get there. We are works in progress, forever being formed, shaped, stretched, pounded like clay. Forever wondering “What in God’s name does He WANT from me?”
The gospel tells us one answer: to take up our crosses, and follow him. Peter did that. And God knows, Sister Lucy did that – in ways most of us can’t begin to fathom.
The best we can do, in a world as uncertain as this, is exactly what Paul told the Romans: seek to be transformed.
Pray for wisdom, to know what would please God.
Pray for courage, to do as Peter did, and get out of the boat.
Pray for trust, to let God guide us where he wants.
Pray, as Pope Benedict does, to not to get in the way of Jesus.
On my desk at home I keep a prayer composed by Fr. Mychal Judge, the first official casualty of 9/11. Several years ago, I worked on a documentary that showed Fr. Judge, in his last moments, inside the lobby of the World Trade Center, wearing his collar and his fireman’s helmet, his lips moving in silent prayer. (See below.)
I wonder if he was whispering these words – a prayer for faith, for trust, for courage. It gives me great comfort at times when I have my own doubts. When the road seems too long, and the cross too heavy.
This is Mychal Judge’s prayer.
“Lord, take me where you want me to go. Let me meet whom you want me to meet. Tell me say what you want me to say. And keep me out of your way.”
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Click on the image below to see Fr. Mychal Judge, from the documentary "9/11."
Like what you see here? Well, wander over to the 2008 Blogger's Choice Awards and put in your two cents (or two clicks) and let them know. Your Humble Blogger is nominated in the category of Best Religion Blog.
If I win -- fat chance -- I promise to thank you in my acceptance speech.
One of the most familiar faces in my corner of New York is Msgr. James Lisante, former head of The Christophers. He pops up a lot on television, offering analysis and commentary, and he has a popular interview program on satellite radio. (Full disclosure: I was a guest on his show last year, blabbering on about the diaconate.) Among other things, Lisante has been a true trailblazer in using the media to spread The Word. (He even has his own self-titled website.)
He recently got into some hot water when he effectively endorsed John McCain while offering the invocation at a Republican dinner. He later apologized. But now there's more trouble close to home, in his new parish. And Newsday decided this was a good opportunity to profile this charismatic -- and controversial -- priest:
One of James Lisante's tasks when he was in the minor seminary in the 1970s was to get a public figure to come speak each year. The one he remembers best was Frank Capra, the film director whose works included the Christmas classic "It's A Wonderful Life."
As Msgr. Lisante tells the story, the two became friends, vacationing together in California. Capra, who died in 1991 at age 94, gave him advice that stuck.
"He would say to me, 'It's good to be a priest but ... if St. Paul lived now there's no doubt that rather than float around the Mediterranean in a ship, he'd be using the popular media'" to spread God's word, Lisante said.
Lisante took the advice to heart. He has built a small empire as a conservative commentator who appears regularly on national TV, writes books and delivers lectures on the topic he pursues most passionately - the right to life.
For all his talents, Lisante, 55, recently has been stung by barbs directed at him from some parishioners at his church, Our Lady of Lourdes in Massapequa Park.
Parishioners were upset at the actions of the Rev. Matthew Blockley, who was brought to the parish by longtime friend Lisante. Among other things, parishioners accused Blockley of having a popular statue removed. Earlier this month, Blockley, who did not have permission to be in the diocese, was expelled by Bishop William Murphy and sent home to the Northern Mariana Islands in the South Pacific. The controversy follows another in May when Lisante publicly endorsed Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) for president.
Propelled by bloggers associated with the parish, the Blockley affair has been the buzz of the diocese for weeks. Among the issues: Were priest-vetting policies followed that were devised in the aftermath of the 2002 sex abuse scandal to protect children?
"It's gotten the attention of our membership," said Phil Megna of Voice of the Faithful, a group of laypeople demanding more accountability from the church hierarchy.
Sean Dolan, spokesman for the Diocese of Rockville Centre, called the expulsion "highly unusual."
Lisante is a regular Fox News commentator and has provided analysis for Ted Koppel's "Nightline." Along with Msgr. Tom Hartman, he is the most visible priest the Diocese of Rockville Centre has produced on the national stage. He counts as friends highly ranked figures such as the late Cardinal John O'Connor of New York and Cardinal Roger Mahoney of Los Angeles.
But at our Lady of Lourdes, Lisante has been a lightning rod for parishioners upset with changes made by him and Blockley, who was not authorized to be here, according to Diocese of Rockville Centre officials, and had been absent without leave from his home diocese for years. Some in the parish were irked by the removal from the altar of a statue of Our Lady of Fatima brought to the church by a parishioner a quarter of a century ago.
Lisante said he should have obtained official permission for Blockley to work at St. Thomas the Apostle every summer since 2000 (Lisante's former church).
The Blockley issue marked a misstep for Lisante, who earns praise from more than a few of the faithful in the pews.
"Monsignor Lisante is a phenomenal priest," said Patrick Walsh as he walked out of a recent Sunday Mass at Our Lady of Lourdes. "We know people he has helped in many ways."
Still, Lisante is not universally admired. Some see him as a "celebrity priest" who doesn't always pay enough attention to his parish.
Tom St. Pierre, a former priest in the diocese who attended seminary with Lisante and was a producer of his first cable TV show, "Let's Talk" on Telecare, recalled that Lisante often took part in plays in the minor seminary.
"He was a very good actor and still is," St. Pierre said. He added that Lisante "is not liked too much by much of the clergy here."
Lisante said he takes the criticism in stride, and jokes that any priest who doesn't get at least three complaints a day "isn't doing his job."
There's more at the Newsday link.
Msgr. Lisante's parish has its own website at this link. In the bulletin at the site he offers more thoughts on the situation surrounding Fr. Blockley.
And you can check out what is bothering some of the disgruntled people in his parish by visiting their site.
In my own diocese of Brooklyn, the local paper has just profiled one of my brother deacons, who has a unique ministry using his abundant talents as an artist. Frequent visitors to The Bench may know him as the creative wizard behind The Deacon's Studio. He's Bernard Deschler, a.k.a. "Boinie". And his journey to the diaconate, like so many, has been extraordinary.
Bernie Deschler is a Breezy Point treasure. At the vibrant age of 84, he is an architect, deacon and an impassioned artist with a vital mission. He states, “For me, my work is all about the power of evangelization.”
A convert to Catholicism, Deschler was born into a Jewish family in Paris, France, in 1923. In a recent interview with The Tablet, Deschler shared, “At the age of almost three, I began drawing with instruction from my mother’s cousin, the artist George Klein. I was recovering from a mastoid operation at the time and Klein brought me pencils and paper.” For Deschler, this was the beginning of a lifelong journey in which his hands would become remarkably instrumental in the evolution of shaping his architectural and artistic gifts.
In 1937, Deacon Bernie arrived in the United States. At that time he started a studio for painting in Flushing and began studying English at Brooklyn Technical High School. In 1938, he was employed as a draftsman for Cole Electric. He stated, “I also worked as a draftsman for the firm of Sparkman and Stephen. They were naval architects in New York City. I never ceased with my artistic pursuit of painting.”
Deschler stated, “I enlisted in the United States Air Force in 1941 until the time of the surrender of Japan.” About six years later, he came back home and began to work in construction at George Fuller Construction Company. He stated, “I continued to paint throughout this time and then pursued my studies in architecture at Columbia University."
A few years later found the artist working as a junior architect for one of his professors (Goodman) in the design of synagogues. At the same time, Deschler was taking classes in the daytime at Fordham University to continue his English reading, writing and speaking skills.
He says, “It was at Fordham that I met a Jesuit by the name of Father John Hooper. He was highly instrumental in my thinking further about the Catholic faith. In retrospect, it was actually my interactions with the various chaplains in the service that initially sparked my interest in the first place.” Deschler further shared, “I furthermore became interested in and explored the history of art and architecture. I was captivated with the construction of the Vatican and Saint Peter’s Basilica. This certainly piqued my interest in Catholicism, as well.”
Deschler worked as an assistant project manager for the firm of Shreve, Lamb and Harmon, and then as project architect and designer for Rogers and Butler Architects, where he later became a partner in the firm. Deacon Deschler stated, “I designed the renovation for the office space for the Morgan Guarantee Bank of New York.”
One of the highlights of Deschler’s career was when he traveled to Nigeria for the Holy Ghost Fathers. It was there that he designed a tropical hospital. He stated, “This was the project that found myself in the design of housing and schools as well. It was certainly this period of my life that acted as a catalyst for my present vocation as a deacon. In Nigeria, I found myself ministering to the poor and the sick.” There is no question that Deacon Bernie speaks most eloquently of the anguish of the poor and the needy. In fact, one of his sculptured works is that of an individual hunched over in what seems to be a rather saddened and lost state. The work is titled, “The Unwanted.” Deschler’s ardent desire to serve others was realized when he was ordained to the permanent diaconate in 1988.
Visit the Tablet link to find out more of what happened after that. And drop by The Deacon's Studio, too, for a look at his work. This kid is good. Really good.
The gentleman pictured below has a special ministry to race car drivers in Michigan. (Perhaps he also enjoys a good game of checkers? Gotta love that stole.)
Before the big race on Sunday, Aug. 31, some of the drivers, pit crews and their families in town for the Detroit Grand Prix will gather for Mass on the upper floor of the Belle Isle Casino.
Celebrating the 11 a.m. Eucharist will be Fr. Phil De Rea, MSC, of IRL (Indy Racing League) Ministry, once dubbed the “racetrack reverend” by the Chicago Tribune.
“It’s for the racing community, but it’s open to the public,” Fr. De Rea says.
In his 37 years of ministering to the racing community, the 66-year-old Missionaries of the Sacred Heart priest has come to be a friend and spiritual adviser to many of those involved in motor sports.
“I’ve been doing this since 1971, when my long-time friend Mario Andretti got me to go with him to look at the new Pocono International Raceway (in Pennsylvania),” Fr. De Rea says.
Both Fr. De Rea and Andretti grew up in Nazareth, Pa.
Fr. De Rea’s ministry to the racing community was given a more formal shape with the founding of IRL Ministry in 1996. Besides going to the racing events to celebrate Mass, IRL also offers year-round Bible study programs.
And Fr. De Rea has become involved in other aspects of the lives of those in the racing community. “I’ve gained a lot of friends over the years I’ve been doing this. I’ve baptized a lot of their kids and presided at their marriages,” he says.
Gil De Ferran and Emerson Fittipaldi are among the well-known drivers at whose weddings Fr. De Rea has officiated. And this aspect of his ministry has sometimes taken him across the Atlantic Ocean, as when he conducted the 2001 wedding of driver Dario Franchetti to actress Ashley Judd in Scotland or this year’s wedding of Scott and Emma Dixon in England.
Check out the link for the rest, including some terrific pictures.
Now that the McCain candidacy has become the McCain-Palin ticket, more attention is being focused on the compelling personal story of Sarah Palin. Most inspiring of all: her devotion to her Down Syndrome son, born just this past April.
Gov. Sarah Palin was back at work today, holding a meeting on the natural gas pipeline three days after giving birth to her fifth child.
Palin and her husband, Todd, showed the baby, Trig Paxson Van Palin, to a few reporters and talked about the sooner-than-expected delivery.
Trig arrived about a month early and has Down syndrome, the governor confirmed. Testing during early pregnancy revealed the condition. Palin said she was sad at first but they now feel blessed that God chose them.
The couple has lots of family support, she said.
Palin was in Texas at a Republican Governors Association energy conference last week when early signs of labor began. She said she called her doctor early Thursday morning after some amniotic fluid began to leak. She talked over what was happening with her doctor, and they consulted about what to do.
She gave the keynote luncheon address, then she and Todd caught an Alaska Airlines flight back to Alaska. She said was never in full-blown labor on the plane but was having a contraction or two every hour.
"By my fifth child, I know what labor feels like," Palin said. That wasn't labor, she said.
The governor said she won't take a maternity leave but will bring Trig with her to work. Her spokesperson later clarified, at Palin's request, that the governor will take time off for medical appointments, physical therapy and whatever Trig needs.
Looking to do a little web surfing over the long holiday weekend?
I recently got word of two websites that may be worth your while -- both Catholic, both related to the media.
The first, Catholic Media House, collects inspirational and informative videos for you to watch online. It's attractively designed, easy to navigate, and seems to have a real treasure trove of interesting material. As they put it on their "about" page:
We strive to provide you with Catholic Christian resources faithful to the Holy Father and the magisterium of the Church. With these resources bishops, pastors, priests, catechists, youth directors, and teachers/instructors of all varieties are now able use media in a positive way to re-evangelize the baptized, disciple and mobilize them for evangelization and to be a blessing."
The second site worth your attention is dubbed Headline Bistro. It collects and updates Catholic headlines and news throughout the day (not unlike a resource I often visit, Media Bistro, which focuses on newspapers, magazines, television and online stuff.)
Alaska's governor is reportedly John McCain's pick to be his running mate.
What do we know about her?
Wikipedia has the scoop. In a nutshell: She's 44 and was elected governor two years ago. When she was a teenager, she was a runner-up for Miss Alaska and won the title of Miss Congeniality. Her husband is an Eskimo who works for BP when not fishing. They have five children. The oldest is serving in the Army. The youngest, born just this year, has Down Syndrome. The governor returned to the office three days after giving birth. She refused to let the results of prenatal genetic testing change her decision to have the baby. "I'm looking at him right now, and I see perfection," Palin said. "Yeah, he has an extra chromosome. I keep thinking, in our world, what is normal and what is perfect?"
She's passionately pro-life. She hunts, eats mooseburgers, and likes to fish. Her big issues: the environment and cleaning up the government.
She also admits that she smoked pot.
When it comes to foreign policy, the website OnTheIssues.org says "No issue stance yet recorded."
UPDATE: Looking for more? Time magazine fills in some blanks.
This is a remarkable piece of news, from the City of Angels, and a wonderful reminder that the Church is continuing to thrive and grow.
It comes from Cardinal Roger Mahony himself, in the pages of his archdiocescan newspaper, The Tidings:
With the Baptism of 100,604 persons in 2007, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles --- the largest Archdiocese in the country --- reached an historic milestone in the history of the Church in the United States: More than 100,000 people were baptized in one year.
The 2008 edition of The Official Catholic Directory notes the 100,604 people baptized in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles in 2007 included 95,408 infant Baptisms, 3,511 minor age Baptisms, and 1,685 adult Baptisms. The number of Catholics reported for our Archdiocese is 4,176,296.
To help place this number of Baptisms in perspective, the same Official Catholic Directory reports that the second and third largest Archdioceses in the country had these totals last year:
---The Archdiocese of New York: a total Catholic population of 2,554,454, and 27,011 Baptisms.
---The Archdiocese of Chicago: a total Catholic population of 2,341,000, and 38,533 Baptisms.
An additional perspective: 100,604 Baptisms exceed the total Catholic population of some 50 Arch/Dioceses across the country. This number also exceeds the total Catholic population of every one of the Eastern Rite Catholic Dioceses in our country. Put another way, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles in a sense baptized "a new Diocese of Catholics into the Church last year."
What are the implications for all of us in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles? Several points come to mind:
---The continuing growth of our immigrant communities: More Catholic immigrants are coming to Southern California, and our Catholic immigrant families tend to have larger families.
---For so many of our Catholic families the Sacrament of Baptism and membership in the Church are deeply valued, and they want to pass on their Catholic Faith tradition to the next generation.
---Our parishes are increasingly diverse with Masses in several languages as the norm, not the exception; and most work diligently to promote unity among various peoples.
---Our parishes are increasingly dynamic and active, with the main focus upon the Sunday celebration of the Eucharist; the spiritual fruitfulness of Sunday Mass continues to invite our Catholics into the full Sacramental life of the Church.
---Very soon, Catholics will comprise 50 percent of the total population in our three Counties: Santa Barbara, Ventura and Los Angeles. And in a few years, Catholics will be a significant majority of the population.
---Our great challenge is to not only baptize so many new members, but to make certain that they are properly evangelized and catechized so that their Catholic Faith underpins their daily lives.
Wonderful news, no matter how you slice it.
Image: "Baptism of the Lord Tapestry" by John Nava, Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, Los Angeles.
Trolling around the 'net, doing my usual morning reconaissance for Catholic news nuggets, I found this review of Barack Obama's speech last night, from a Catholic priest:
The Obama speech was tedious, verbose, unoriginal. I thought I was at Confirmation listening to the bishop's sermon: destitute of any original thought whatsoever.
Well, I wouldn't go that far. It was too long. And there wasn't a lot of uplift or inspiration there -- less stained glass, more steel. (Interestingly, Fred Barnes, on FOX, was sputtering to the point of speechlessness with praise last night.) But I think the candidate made his points and, in every sense, preached to the choir. The test will be whether he reached those outside the walls of this particular church.
Deacons come from all walks of life, but here's a new deacon with a particularly unusual resume, from Canada:
For almost 40 years, Jean-Paul Tremblay investigated crime, first as a supervisor with the Sûreté du Québec in Low, Hull and Montreal, and then under contract at the former federal solicitor general's department until he retired in 2004.
During that time, Mr. Tremblay, 66, believed his police career and his work with the Roman Catholic Church involved helping people. He worked in his parish, counselling couples on weekends, visiting the sick and elderly, and preparing children for receiving the sacraments.
Last weekend, Mr. Tremblay was ordained as Gatineau's first permanent deacon in almost three decades. To some people, this volunteer job, which includes some of the work of a priest, might seem like a complete change, but Mr. Tremblay doesn't see it that way.
"A police officer is often on the road giving out tickets and preventing people from going too fast, but that is only part of the job. The police help people when they are in trouble.
"Police work is not that different from what I will be doing. When someone breaks into your house, you call the police and trust them to help you. It is not that different with deacons, because we are there to help, too."
Mr. Tremblay spoke to his parish priest about doing more work for the church after he retired and was advised to contact Archbishop Roger Ebacher.
Permanent deacons are married or single men who perform some of the same functions as priests: they can help administer the eucharist, baptize, marry people and conduct funerals without saying mass. Deacons do not hear confessions or become priests.
Mr. Tremblay will head a parish team that will visit people who are sick, elderly or living alone. He will work in the Notre-Dame de l'Eau Vive parish, on the north side of Gatineau's Hull sector.
René Laprise, a spokesman for the Archdiocese of Gatineau, said Mr. Tremblay is the first permanent deacon the church has ordained in the city in 28 years.
Two permanent deacons were ordained in Gatineau in 1980, but the last one died in 2003. There have been no active permanent deacons in the archdiocese since the mid-1980s.
The permanent-deacon program has been on hold in Gatineau since then because archbishops Adolphe Proulx and Ebacher felt that priests and parishioners were able to do the work of the church without any assistance.
But after a period of consultation with diocese officials during the past year, Archbishop Ebacher decided to restore the program in Gatineau.
The video above has been making the rounds all day. It shows Catholic priests and pro-life demonstrators being arrested outside the Pepsi Center in Denver.
Denver police arrested 13 anti-abortion protesters after they sat down in the street near an entrance to the Pepsi Center grounds early this afternoon.
Randall Terry, national director of Operation Rescue in Washington, DC., led about 30 protesters in prayer at the corner of 14th and Market Streets in lower downtown, then explained to them how the police would react once they sat down in the street. Getting arrested was entirely voluntary, he said, but warned them they would definitely be arrested once police tell them three times to clear the intersection. A group of about 15 heavily armed Aurora police officers watched from across the street.
The protesting group marched across Cherry Creek to Auraria Parkway, which was barricaded as an entrance into the Pepsi Center grounds. As police denied them entrance, about a dozen people sat down on the pavement and began to pray.
"A vote for Obama and Biden is a vote to sustain legalized child killing," Terry shouted. "The police are enforcing the laws of obstructing traffic yet they won't enforce the laws against the killing of children."
Walking around the disturbance were a number of delegates and politicians, including Rep.Mark Udall, D-Eldorado Springs; and Jared Polis, who just won the primary for Udall's seat; shaking hands with well wishers but not commenting about the arrests.
As Terry spoke, a Denver police lieutenant warned the group three times to get off the street or face arrest. After the third warning, officers brought in a large prisoner bus and began handcuffing those still sitting in the street. Terry was arrested, along with the Rev. Norman Weslin, an elderly Catholic priest who founded the Lambs of Christ.
Those arrested were processed at the scene, then loaded on the bus.
Roman Catholic priest Fr. Jeremy Paulin, who is assigned to the Holy Ghost parish in downtown Denver, watched from the sidewalk while holding up an anti-abortion sign.
"I chose to come and pray as a witness to the sanctity of life," he said. "But I choose not to be arrested because of other responsibilities I have in my parish."
Fr. Tom Carzon, also of Holy Ghost Church, said he also was concerned about duties at the parish, adding jokingly, "I don't have coverage for the weekend."
On a more serious note, Fr. Carzon said, "This isn't a political protest. This is a human issue, a civil rights issue."
The protesters were charged with obstruction of a public street and disobeying a lawful order, both misdemeanors.
A police spokeswoman emphasized to the media that all of those arrested were first asked if they chose to be arrested and individually they all responded yes.
UPDATE: A reader wonders why I'm so surprised that "these damn fools" (his words, not mine) were arrested because, after all, they were breaking the law. I'm not surprised at all and, imho, they got what they deserved. I posted the video and the story to let people put the incident in context and draw their own conclusions.
My conclusion: The cops treated them fairly and decently. But the protesters were gathering where they weren't allowed to, in the middle of a public street, near a major national event involving a candidate for president. In an age when you can't carry liquids onto an airplane, and when nuns are being frisked at airline terminal checkpoints, it's not unreasonable for cops to crack down on anyone who intentionally and deliberately sets out to break the law. Especially when, 48 hours earlier, they'd broken up an assassination plot against the candidate.
While the casual observer -- or even the casual Catholic -- might think we are one-issue voters,it's instructive to remember now and then that we aren't. Joe Biden's speech last night was a bracing reminder of that.
My own father grew up in Biden's corner of Pennsylvania, on a dirt road of rowhouses inhabited by Slovak coalminers whose weeky travels took them from the rowhouses to the mines to the church, with periodic stops at the local tavern. I recognized the world he described.
Biden understands something that the pollsters do not: the way to win labor is by emphasizing his Catholicism, and the way to win Catholics is to articulate his beliefs about labor. "My parents taught us to live our faith, and to treasure our families. We learned the dignity of work, and we were told that anyone can make it if they just try hard enough," Biden told the assembled crowd last night, linking faith to family and both of them to the dignity of work. He elaborated this later in the speech, saying, "That's how you come to believe, to the very core of your being, that work is more than a paycheck. It's dignity. It's respect. It's about whether or not you can look your children in the eye and say: We're going to be all right."
At first glance, these words are mere commonplaces, rhetorical flourishes designed to appeal to working-class voters. But, when Biden speaks about "the very core of your being," you know he is not relying on a pollster for what he is saying. Whatever else did or did not take from his Catholic high school education, the Church’s belief in the dignity of work, a central premise of papal social teaching since Pope Leo XIII’s Rerum Novarum in 1891 -- that took. And, when read a second and a third time, Biden’s words appear defiantly counter-cultural.
In America’s spread eagle capitalist system, work is not more than a paycheck. The system treats us like cogs in a wheel. We are reduced to being homo economicus, our value, our sense of worth tied up precisely with the size of our paycheck. Our children are not taught to struggle and save. They are taught to escape via the glamorous lives portrayed in People magazine or the faux dramas of the inaptly named "reality tv." Respect comes not from work but from success, success in the sight of the world, success that allows you to go to fancy restaurants and wear fancy clothes.
In Joe Biden’s world, success comes from, as he put it, when "you can look your children in the eye and say: We’re going to be all right." In Biden’s world, faith, family and work are intimately linked: These are the touchstones of our identity, not our designer clothes or our flat screen tv’s. In Joe Biden’s world, unemployment robs a man or woman of the ability to provide for their family, it keeps a person from participating in God’s on-going work of creation. In short, unemployment is a sin and an economic system that puts corporate profits before full unemployment is not only unjust but unholy. Biden has touched a chord deeper than what most politicians mean when they talk about "values." He is touching the Imago Dei here, getting past mere questions of right and wrong and addressing what it is to be human and humane.
A study of the effects of public policy on abortion rates during the past two decades shows that providing social and economic supports for women and family contributes to a significant reduction in abortions, according to Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good.
The group, founded in 2005 and dedicated to “promoting awareness of the Catholic social tradition” said the findings should provide common ground for both Republicans and Democrats interested in reducing the rate of abortion in the United States.
The study was released Aug. 27 in Denver during a town hall meeting sponsored by Democrats for Life of America.
According to the study, a recent survey of women who obtained abortions showed that nearly 75 percent “cited economic hardship as a reason for obtaining an abortion; three-fourths also cited having a child as interfering with work or school, or child care responsibilities as a reason.”
Little was known, however, about “how economic policies aimed at supporting low-income mothers and working families affect the abortion rate,” according to the study.
The study, conducted by Joseph Wright, a political science professor at Penn State University and a visiting fellow at the University of Notre Dame, and Michael Bailey, a professor of American government at Georgetown University, found that assistance to families and access to employment correlated to significantly lower rates of abortion.
Alexia Kelley, executive director of Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good, said in a news release that the data could provide direction for Republican and Democratic policy makers. “Too often our abortion debate has been used to score political points by both sides, rather than to identify what kinds of public policies will actually prevent and reduce abortions in America. This data shows that policy-makers on both sides of the aisle have a moral imperative to enact legislation that provides economic and social supports for vulnerable women and families in order to reduce abortions,” she said.
“Being pro-life is not just a slogan,” she said. “It requires concrete programs and public policies that help women and families with robust economic and social supports. Both political parties can agree to unite behind comprehensive strategies that reduce abortions.”
In studying public policy in all states from 1982 to 2000, the authors found that programs not normally associated with reducing abortions had a noted effect on the rate of abortion from one state to another.
For instance, the Welfare Reform Act of 1996 allowed states to impose a cap on the number of children eligible to receive economic assistance in low-income families. The study found that removing the cap did not increase fertility rates. Instead, according to the study, removing the cap “would decrease abortions by about 15 percent or 150,000 nationwide.”
There's more at the NCR link. And you can find the complete study as a pdf file right here.
I've searched in vain for any trace of Sister Catherine Pinkerton's closing benediction last night at the Democratic National Convention, but no one seems to have it. Even the DNC website, which has all the speeches archived, hasn't posted it. (When I realized CNN wasn't going to carry it, I caught the last several seconds of the prayer, while frantically switching channels to C-SPAN.)
If anybody comes across it, drop me a line! Thanks!
"Everybody needs a place to rest Everybody wants to have a home Dont make no difference what nobody says Aint nobody like to be alone.
Everybody's got a hungry heart..."
That was how Bruce Springsteen expressed something St. Augustine had understood 1600 years earlier: "Our hearts are restless until they rest in thee."
Today is the great saint's feast day (Gus, not Bruce), and to mark the morning, The Anchoress has posted Morning Prayer, complete with her beautiful chanting. She sounds much prettier than Springsteen.
Further proof: her theological arguments defending abortion are now the subject of a long critical piece by the Associated Press:
Politics can be treacherous. But House Speaker Nancy Pelosi walked on even riskier ground in a recent TV interview when she attempted a theological defense of her support for abortion rights.
Roman Catholic bishops consider her arguments on St. Augustine and free will so far out of line with church teaching that they have issued a steady stream of statements to correct her.
The latest came Wednesday from Pittsburgh Bishop David Zubik, who said Pelosi, D-Calif., "stepped out of her political role and completely misrepresented the teaching of the Catholic Church in regard to abortion."
It has been a harsh week of rebuke for the Democratic congresswoman, a Catholic school graduate who repeatedly has expressed pride in and love for her religious heritage.
Cardinals and archbishops in Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, New York and Denver are among those who have criticized her remarks. Archbishop George Niederauer, in Pelosi's hometown of San Francisco, will take up the issue in the Sept. 5 edition of the archdiocesan newspaper, his spokesman said.
Sunday, on NBC's "Meet the Press" program, Pelosi said "doctors of the church" have not been able to define when life begins.
She also cited the role of individual conscience. "God has given us, each of us, a free will and a responsibility to answer for our actions," she said.
Brendan Daly, a spokesman for Pelosi, said in a statement defending her remarks that she "fully appreciates the sanctity of family" and based her views on conception on the "views of Saint Augustine, who said, 'The law does not provide that the act (abortion) pertains to homicide, for there cannot yet be said to be a live soul in a body that lacks sensation.'"
But whether or not parishioners choose to accept it, the theology on the procedure is clear. From its earliest days, Christianity has considered abortion evil.
"This teaching has remained unchanged and remains unchangeable," according to the Catechism of the Catholic Church. "Direct abortion, that is to say, abortion willed either as an end or a means, is gravely contrary to the moral law."
The Rev. Douglas Milewski, a Seton Hall University theologian who specializes in Augustine, said Pelosi seems to be confusing church teaching on abortion with the theological debate over when a fetus receives a soul.
"Saint Augustine wondered about the stages of human development before birth, how this related to the question of ensoulment and what it meant for life in the Kingdom of God," Milewski said.
Questions about ensoulment related to determining penalties under church law for early and later abortions, not deciding whether the procedure is permissible, according to the U.S. Bishops' Committee on Pro-Life Activities.
Augustine was "quite clear on the immorality of abortion as evil violence, destructive of the very fabric of human bonds and society," Milewski said.
Regarding individual decision-making, the church teaches that Catholics are obliged to use their conscience in considering moral issues. However, that doesn't mean parishioners can pick and choose what to believe and still be in line with the church.
Lisa Sowle Cahill, a theologian at Boston College, said conscience must be formed by Catholic teaching and philosophical insights. "It's not just a personal opinion that you came up with randomly," she said.
There's more at the link.
You also should check out this exceptionally good column from the Oregonian by editor David Reinhard, in which he notes:
Pelosi showcased the Peter Principle in action. It says that people rise to the level of their incompetence. Her answer showed that the principle has nothing to do with Saint Peter.
The mother of St. Augustine. We celebrate her feast today.
The beautiful image above comes from St. Monica's Church, in the Diocese of Trenton, from a study of the saint done by John Nava, who crafted the stunning tapestries of the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles.
From the Liturgy of the Hours: God of mercy, comfort of those in sorrow, the tears of Saint Monica moved you to convert her son Saint Augustine to the faith of Christ. By their prayers, help us to turn from our sins and to find your loving forgiveness. Grand this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
The image above, by Araceli Dans, is the first depiction of the Virgin Mary by an award winning artist in what would be considered Filipino attire. Baro at saya is what the blouse and skirt are called. Tapis is the term for the sash over the Blessed Mother's shoulder. The lacework, calado.
The genesis of the painting was when Dans visited the Luminous Cross of Grace shrine in Agdangan, Quezon with her niece last September. In the Araceli Dans' native language the piece is titled “Ina ng Liwanag at Pagmamahal.” Dans has said that she feels her life's work has been a preparation for the creation of this work.
As for the Filipino attire, “I wanted an image of the Blessed Mother that the suffering Filipinos can connect and identify with,” Dans said.
I don't know about you, but I've seen that face countless times on the streets of Queens, on subway platforms, at corner markets. I suspect she is someone a lot of Filipinos recognize. Perhaps they've even seen her in the kitchen, making dinner, feeding the baby, waiting for her husband to come home from working a double shift.
You can see the wisdom in her eyes. And grace. Yes: this is a woman truly full of grace.
Opposition to abortion was mentioned from the podium at the Democratic Convention Tuesday night -- if only fleetingly. It came when Pennsylvania's Bob Casey delivered his speech.
If you blinked you might have missed it. Here's the highlight:
The economy was the topic of Sen. Bob Casey’s, D-Pa., Tuesday night address to the Democratic National Convention.
But the two sentences he uttered on abortion are likely to get the most attention.
“Barack Obama and I have an honest disagreement on the issue of abortion,” said Casey. “But the fact that I’m speaking here tonight is testament to Barack’s ability to show respect for the views of people who may disagree with him.”
Casey is the son of the late Pennsylvania Gov. Robert Casey.
The elder Casey, a Democrat who also held strong anti-abortion views, was denied a speaking role at the party's 1992 convention -- a perceived snub that has long been a flashpoint in the party's wrangling over how to handle the abortion rights debate on the national stage.
Casey invoked that “dark night” while campaigning for the U.S. Senate two years ago.
Speaking at The Catholic University of America on Sept. 14, 2006, Casey said the 1992 Democratic National Convention "insulted the most courageous pro-life Democrat in the land, who asked that those who believed in the right to life be accorded the right to speak."
In his 2006 speech, the younger Casey also took conservatives to task for being too narrow in their pro-life views.
"If we are going to be pro-life,” said Casey, “we cannot say we are against abortion ... and then let our children suffer in broken schools.
“We can't claim to be pro-life," he added, "at the same time we are cutting support for Medicaid, Head Start or the Women, Infants and Children's Program."
UPDATE: Over at America, Michael Sean Winters helps put the Casey appearance in context:
Sen. Casey was aware of the historical import of the moment and he began his speech with these words: "I am honored to stand before you tonight as Gov. Casey’s son…"
In 1992, the Senator’s father was the Governor of Pennsylvania, the fifth largest state in the Union. He was a lifelong pro-life Democrat, one of the few who did not flip their position after Roe v. Wade. (Curiously, one of the other pro-life Democrats who did not abandon her defense of pre-natal life was Connecticut Governor Ella Grasso, the first woman elected governor of a state in her own right.) Gov. Casey wanted to address the convention on the issue of abortion. He was barred from the podium.
Some of the 1992 campaign officials have tried to re-write the history of that first class snub. Last night on CNN, former Clinton aide Paul Begala denied that abortion was the reason Gov. Casey was barred from speaking. He noted that Casey had not endorsed the ticket and "wanted to speak about abortion for thirty minutes" and "no one" wanted that. Well, Mr. Begala, many of us pro-life Democrats did want that. (Would twenty minutes have been okay?) We certainly did not want to see the most noted spokesman of our cause denied even the right to speak. Nor did we want to belong to a party that applied such a litmus test. The governor of a state you need to win can talk about whatever he or she wants when they address a national convention.
For many pro-life Democrats, the appearance of Gov. Casey’s son at the podium last night was the important unity speech. The pro-choice litmus test had been set aside. No one deleted Sen. Casey’s reference to abortion in his speech, nor his acknowledgement of an "honest disagreement" with this year’s nominee, Barack Obama, on that issue.
It's worth noting, however, that Casey fis is not exactly a paragon of the pro-life cause. A reader wrote to remind me that he's gotten a significant approval rating from NARAL.
This back-and-forth is starting to look like the U.S. Open.
After being strongly criticized for her remarks on television Sunday, the Speaker of the House has now fired off a response.
I'm not sure it's cleared the net:
“The Speaker is the mother of five children and seven grandchildren and fully appreciates the sanctity of family. She was raised in a devout Catholic family who often disagreed with her pro-choice views.
“After she was elected to Congress, and the choice issue became more public as she would have to vote on it, she studied the matter more closely. Her views on when life begins were informed by the views of Saint Augustine, who said: ‘…the law does not provide that the act [abortion] pertains to homicide, for there cannot yet be said to be a live soul in a body that lacks sensation…’ (Saint Augustine, On Exodus 21.22)
“While Catholic teaching is clear that life begins at conception, many Catholics do not ascribe to that view. The Speaker agrees with the Church that we should reduce the number of abortions. She believes that can be done by making family planning more available, as well as by increasing the number of comprehensive age-appropriate sex education and caring adoption programs.
“The Speaker has a long, proud record of working with the Catholic Church on many issues, including alleviating poverty and promoting social justice and peace.”
This is not, to put it diplomatically, an act of contrition. And it seems to indicate Congresswoman Pelosi does not believe that life begins at conception.
UPDATE: There's some very interesting reaction to the Pelosi statement at this link. And a group of Catholic Republicans is now taking her to task and demanding a correction. Yeah, good luck with that.
The Democrats may have their sister, but the Republicans can now lay claim to a Jesuit.
From James Martin at America comes this tidbit, from the Republican National Committee:
Father Edward A. Reese, S.J., president of Brophy Prep in Phoenix, will give the opening invocation at the Republican National Convention in Minneapolis-St. Paul on September 3. Two sons of Cindy and John McCain went to Brophy Prep, and Mrs. McCain is a member of Brophy's board of regents. Son Jimmy joined the Marines and served in Iraq while Jack went to the Naval Academy.
"The McCains have been generous supporters of Brophy," said Father Reese. "I am also pleased by his support of vouchers for Catholic schools like Brophy."
When asked if he was endorsing McCain for president, Father Reese responded, "Catholic priests should pray for anyone and everyone, but I don't think we should endorse or campaign for political candidates."
Father Edward Reese is the brother of Thomas J. Reese, former editor of America and senior fellow at the Woodstock Theological Center at Georgetown University. Both are Jesuit priests.
In this game of political praying poker, I suspect a Jesuit trumps a Josephite.
An Italian priest who had planned an online "pageant" for nuns has suspended the project, saying he was misinterpreted and had no intention of putting sisters on a beauty catwalk.
"My superiors were not happy. The local bishop was not happy, but they did not understand me either," Father Antonio Rungi told Reuters by telephone from his convent in southern Italy Tuesday.
"It was not at all my intention to put nuns on the catwalk," said Rungi, a priest of the Passionists religious order, speaking from his convent in the town of Mondragone.
Rungi's idea appeared in newspapers around the world after he wrote of a contest for nuns on his blog, called by some "Sister Italy 2008."
"It was interpreted as more of a physical thing. Now, no-one is saying that nuns can't be beautiful, but I was thinking about something more complete," he said.
He said his concept for the contest, in which nuns would vote for themselves on his blog, would include attributes such as their spirituality, social awareness, charity and other qualities.
Rungi wrote in his blog that his intention was to show "the interior beauty" of a nun and the work she does for the Church and for society, mostly in education and health care.
"We have to draw more attention to the world of nuns, who are often not sufficiently appreciated by society," he wrote, adding that he had hoped his initiative would help boost sagging vocations to religious life.
At a funeral service I recently attended, a minister burned incense near the casket of the deceased. When the pleasant odor reached my nostrils, I inhaled deeply—and then began wondering if I should have. Sure enough, research published this week suggests that breathing in smoke from incense may be harmful. I doubt my exposure during the two-hour service shortened my life span, but it gave me something to think about.
After all, many religions around the world use incense in rituals, and the substance often gets burned in crowded, indoor spaces with limited ventilation. Two years ago, a study (subscription required) found that a Catholic church in Germany contained high concentrations of airborne soot particles during and for several hours after services that involved the burning of incense.
At the time, sources told me that burning incense might put parishioners, especially those with asthma or heart disease, at risk. That's because particulate matter in the air has been linked to heart problems and respiratory conditions.
The latest study on this subject, published Monday, links long-term incense exposure to an increased risk of cancer of the upper respiratory tract. The study involved Singapore Chinese, some of whom may have much greater exposure to incense than most Americans. So the findings may not apply to everyone. In addition, the airborne particles produced by incense used in Singapore may be different from what's used in, say, a Catholic church.
Searching the web, I also found this item from a couple years ago, from Ireland:
Dr. Jim McDaid, an Irish family doctor and Minister of State, has raised a stink about candles. He warned that burning incense in churches could be harmful to altar boys and girls who help Roman Catholic priests celebrate mass.
McDaid says, "Here you have quite a thick billowing type of smoke. Sometimes you see children with this instrument, which is down normally around their ankles, and the smoke keeps coming up." He adds, "Sometimes I cringe when I see them literally inhaling this, because there is an aroma to it and all I was trying to do was make people aware."
A scholar in Rome has taken it upon himself to clarify what he thinks goes into the making of a good homily.
Father Dario Viganò, director of "Cinema" and president of Ente dello Spettacolo, an Italian foundation dedicated to the cinema, as well as president of the Redemptor Hominis Pontifical Institute at the Pontifical Lateran University, spoke with L'Osservatore Romano about the recipe for a good homily.
Despite its complexity, Father Viganò pointed out two important aspects to ensure that a homily achieves its communicative objective: the consistency of the preacher's life and the brevity and concreteness of the message.
Quoting a phrase of St. Bernardine of Siena, patron of advertisers, the priest emphasized that the key lies in the clarity of the homily. "The preacher must speak very, very clearly, so that the listener will leave satisfied and illumined, and not dazzled."
In regard to consistency, the author recalled a phrase from philosopher Soren Kierkegaard, who said that "the difference between a pastor and an actor is precisely the existential moment: The pastor must be poor when he preaches about poverty; he must be slandered when he exhorts to endurance in slander. While the actor has the task of deceiving by eliminating the existential moment, the preacher in fact has the duty, in the most profound sense, to preach with his own life."
In regard to brevity, the priest explained that it is a question of avoiding both "non-existent homilies" as well as "endless homilies."
"St. Francis," Father Viganò recalled "exhorted his friars to use pondered and chaste words in their preaching, for the usefulness and edification of the people, proclaiming to the faithful the vices and virtues, the punishment and glory, with a brief speech, because on earth the Lord spoke brief words."
David Harris never considered his conversion to Catholicism six years ago to be a rejection of the Baptist faith that nourished him from childhood in Eastern Kentucky.
But as a married man, Harris did think the switch meant he would leave one thing behind -- his status as an ordained minister.
He was wrong.
Early next month, he'll make history as the first married, former Baptist minister to become a Roman Catholic priest in the United States.
He'll also be only the second married man from any former denomination to become a priest in the Archdiocese of Louisville.
Harris, 53, is scheduled to be ordained Sept. 6 at the Cathedral of the Assumption.
He is the only priest being ordained in the archdiocese this year.
His ordination is allowed under a seldom-used exception to the church's requirement that priests be celibate. Exception to the rule
The exception, which requires case-by-case permission from the Vatican, allows ordination of married converts who had been ordained Protestant ministers.
While about 100 former ministers from Episcopal and other American Protestant denominations have taken that path, Harris is the first former Baptist known to do so, according to researchers and others familiar with the process.
"All I could do is say, 'Church, would you consider this?' " said Harris, now a deacon at St Aloysius Church in Pewee Valley, where he will become associate pastor upon his ordination. "If the church had said no, I would have gone on and enjoyed my faith and done something else."
Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz, who supported Harris' application to the Vatican, said he's looking forward to the ordination.
"I think the world of him," he said.
Elayne Roose, a spiritual director who has advised Harris, said "we'll all benefit" from his ordination.
She said he blends spirituality with practical experience.
"He understands what it's like to be married, to have children, to have that life, besides being a very spiritual person," she said. The spiritual journey
Harris, who knew few Catholics in his native Middlesboro, traces his spiritual journey to his upbringing by "good Christian parents."
"I loved the mountains and nature, (which conveyed) a sense of closeness to God," said Harris, whose church office is decorated with pictures of sunflowers -- and a real one from his garden -- alongside icons and liturgical books.
He said he was baptized by immersion around age 10 at his church, beneath a painting of John the Baptist and Jesus at the Jordan River.
Harris later earned an engineering degree from the University of Kentucky, where he met his wife, Pam.
They now have two adult sons.
Harris worked as a design engineer in Lexington, but he said that as he volunteered in his local Baptist church, he felt a call to the ministry.
He earned a master's of divinity from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville in 1987 while pastor of a church in eastern Jefferson County.
Harris said when his second son was born, he "really had to think about spending more time with the family." He returned to engineering in 1992, going to work for the Louisville Regional Airport Authority.
That was when a friend gave him a thrift-store copy of a spiritual classic by the Catholic mystic St. John of the Cross, "Dark Night of the Soul."
Harris said he was captivated by its vision of a deep contemplative prayer life and began reading more of Catholic spirituality, including works by 20th-century Kentucky author-monk Thomas Merton.
He went on retreats at the Abbey of Gethsemani in Nelson County, where Merton had lived.
Harris then began attending the Church of the Epiphany in eastern Jefferson County and was confirmed as a Catholic in 2002.
"I love the Baptist faith," he said. "I was not moving away from it or toward something. It's just all part of my journey."
Visit the link for the rest, and more pictures. And let's keep this remarkable man in our prayers. H/T to Crossing 84th Street.
UPDATE: The USCCB tonight released a statement on the Pelosi mess:
In the course of a “Meet the Press” interview on abortion and other public issues on August 24, 2008, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi misrepresented the history and nature of the authentic teaching of the Catholic Church against abortion.
In fact, the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches, “Since the first century the Church has affirmed the moral evil of every procured abortion. This teaching has not changed and remains unchangeable. Direct abortion, that is to say, abortion willed either as an end or a means, is gravely contrary to the moral law.” (No. 2271)
In the Middle Ages, uninformed and inadequate theories about embryology led some theologians to speculate that specifically human life capable of receiving an immortal soul may not exist until a few weeks into pregnancy. While in canon law these theories led to a distinction in penalties between very early and later abortions, the Church’s moral teaching never justified or permitted abortion at any stage of development.
These mistaken biological theories became obsolete over 150 years ago when scientists discovered that a new human individual comes into being from the union of sperm and egg at fertilization. In keeping with this modern understanding, the Church teaches that from the time of conception (fertilization), each member of the human species must be given the full respect due to a human person, beginning with respect for the fundamental right to life.
UPDATE II: The Archbishop of Washington has now thrown in his two cents. How long until the Speaker apologizes? Or admits that she was wrong?
UPDATE III: Better late than never...the Cardinal Archbishop of New York has released his own statement on L'affair Pelosi.
The Democrats open their national convention in Denver tonight. This is a good opportunity to look back at another Democratic convention, where a Catholic archbishop appeared before the delegates, and prayed.
Thanks to Curt Jester, I was able to dig up the following, from Cardinal Roger Mahony's invocation at the opening of the Democratic National Convention in 2000.
Then, as now, a pro-abortion candidate was about to receive his party's nomination.
I welcome you to the "City of Angels" with all its vibrant religious, ethnic, and racial diversity. I come to this great convening out of respect for our nation's democratic traditions. I come as a pastor, not a politician; an advocate of values, not candidates.
Prayer must be about moral values, not partisan politics. It should express faith, not ideology. So as we begin our prayer this evening let us be mindful that we are always in the presence of God:
[Pause]
Let us Pray:
God of life and love,
God of compassion and mercy,
God of reconciliation and forgiveness,
God of justice and peace.
As you gathered your people into the land that was promised to them, you called them to heed your voice and follow your commandments. These commandments are at once simple and profound: To love God above all else and to love our neighbor as ourselves. We have been called to "choose life" and to "serve the least of these."
Tonight we are gathered here profoundly aware of our need for God's wisdom and grace to embody these commandments in our laws and policies so that "justice will flow like a mighty river and uprightness like a never-failing stream" (Amos 5.24). Strengthen our will to build a nation that measures progress by how the weak and vulnerable are faring.
In the span of just three weeks, our nation's major political parties will have gathered at their conventions to select their candidates for the upcoming presidential campaign. We pray tonight that your Spirit will inspire all candidates, regardless of party, to embody in their words, actions, and policies values that protect all human life, establish peace, promote justice, and uphold the common good. For it is in you, O God, that we trust.
In You, O God, we trust…that you will keep us ever committed to protect the life and well-being of all people but especially unborn children, the sick and the elderly, those on skid row and those on death row.
In You, O God, we trust…that you will instill in us the resolve to not rest until every family has enough food to eat, the clothing to keep them warm, adequate shelter to protect them from the elements, and a decent education for their children.
In You, O God, we trust…that you will give us the resolve to create those conditions in society where working people earn wages that can sustain themselves and their family members in dignity, and that they have access to adequate healthcare, childcare, and education.
In You, O God, we trust…that you will plant deep in our hearts the truth that our neighbor is anyone near or far who needs our assistance and support regardless of whether they suffer from AIDS or debt in Africa, religious persecution in China or Sudan, or from hunger and poverty in developing countries.
In You, O God, we trust…that we will recognize that dignity and worth of each person comes from you and is not determined by race or ethnicity, by age or gender, by economic or immigration status, by faith or creed.
Tonight, O God, we pray for "a new kind of politics, focused more on moral principles than on the latest polls, more on the needs of the poor and vulnerable than the contributions of the rich and powerful, more on the pursuit of the common good than the demands of special interests."
We pray, O God,
That you will give us the courage, the wisdom, and the insight,
To build a nation founded on "life, liberty and the pursuit of justice" for all God's children.
Over the last few days, the absence of Archbishop Charles Chaput from the Democratic Convention roster has gotten a lot of attention, but has a Catholic bishop ever been invited to speak or pray at a Democratic convention? Was Cardinal Egan invited when the gathering was held in New York in 2004? Or Cardinal Mahony, when it was in Los Angeles in 2000?
For that matter...when was the last time a member of the Catholic hierarchy appeared at a convention for either political party?
Over at MSNBC, they have the only comprehensive account I've read so far about how Joe Biden spent the morning after his selection to be Barack Obama's running mate.
He went to mass:
One day after debuting as Barack Obama's vice presidential pick, Joe Biden plans to spend a quiet day at home, with his only public appearance likely being this morning's trip to his nearby parish for Sunday mass.
Monsignor Joseph Rebman said he was pleased to see a member of his flock on the ticket, but said that Biden “can't guarantee the Catholic vote” for the Democrats.
“They don't vote as a block anymore,” he said, speaking to NBC News at St. Joseph of the Brandywine church, where Biden attended mass. “And as you know, the senator has some positions that don't go along with the Catholic Church.”
Rebman said he understood Biden to be personally opposed to abortion, but that he “doesn't want to impose” his views on others and often has voted with abortion rights supporters. He added that some of the other parish priests and the bishop of the diocese have spoken with him about his pro-choice votes, but that they have never refused him Communion, as some other dioceses have done.
“The bishop's conference has left it to the individual bishops to decide how they want to handle it,” he said.
At the small church, Biden and his family sat in the second-to-last pew, with Secret Service agents behind him. Rebman joked that all of the media outside of the church was for a guest speaker for the service, Joseph Sundaram, who was visiting as part of a missionary cooperative from his diocese in South India.
“It's kind of appropriate that the Almighty God placed him here today because Sen. Biden is here,” Rebman said. “As you know he has just received a new appointment -- and how could we not know about that. The senator has received this appointment, as we understand, because of his expertise in foreign affairs.”
After he said that, Biden's eyes widened, and he made the sign of the cross.
“It's nice that he gets a little educating this morning about some of the needs of our church and the community as well in south India,” Rebman continued.
The pastor later joked about the confluence of distinguished “Josephs,” himself, Sundaram, Biden and St. Joseph.
“We won't forget this day for a long time,” he said.
Biden was also noted during the prayers of the faithful, as the congregation prayed “that he may find increased wisdom and strength as he becomes more involved in the presidential campaign as candidate for vice president.”
After exiting the church, Biden shook hands with many of his fellow parishioners, and could be seen apologizing for the disturbance he was causing. Parishioner Becky Hardy said that Biden was a fairly regular presence at services here, and actually serves as an usher often when he attends. But she was surprised to see him there today.
Rebman said Biden also occasionally attends services at St. Patrick's Church in downtown Wilmington, usually because there are Sunday evening masses there, and Biden is often called on to appear on Sunday morning talk shows.
Thirty years ago Aug. 26, a conclave of 111 cardinals elected Italian Cardinal Albino Luciani as Pope John Paul I, the "smiling pope" who served only 34 days before dying of a heart attack.
It was one of the briefest pontificates, but it left a lasting impression. Many inside and outside the Vatican felt that a man of extraordinary humility and goodness had passed their way -- like a meteor that lights up the sky and quickly disappears, as one cardinal put it.
Only five cardinals who voted in that conclave are still alive. Among them is Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger -- now Pope Benedict XVI -- who at the time was one of the youngest cardinal-electors.
Along with the rest of the College of Cardinals, he watched as Pope John Paul immediately introduced a new style of papacy, more simple and less formal than many at the Vatican were used to.
His first speech to the world, delivered from the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica, was personal and direct, like a heart-to-heart talk.
He asked Catholics to "have mercy on the poor new pope who never really expected to rise to this post." He joked about having to pick up the Vatican's thick yearbook, the Annuario Pontificio, to study how the Roman Curia worked.
The new pope made no secret of the fact that he sometimes felt a bit intimidated by the church structure he was supposed to be running. On the other hand, in his public events he made connections with everyday Catholics, adopting a storytelling form of preaching and bringing a parish atmosphere to the Vatican.
He explained the concept of free will with a metaphor about prudent car maintenance. He spoke sympathetically about those who can't bring themselves to believe in God. He once jokingly compared marriage to a gilded bird cage: "Those on the outside are dying to get in, while those on the inside are dying to get out."
In one of his most quoted remarks, he said God "is a father, but even more, a mother" in the way he loves humanity. He backed up his statement by quoting the Old Testament prophet Isaiah: "Could a mother forget her child? But even if that were to happen, God will never forget his people."
Most church commentators have looked back on this abbreviated pontificate as a time of grace and joy. Other analysts, however, have characterized Pope John Paul as out of his depth, and as a man who was overwhelmed by the burdens of his new position.
How does Pope Benedict see it?
"Personally, I am totally convinced that he was a saint, because of his great goodness, simplicity, humanity and courage," then-Cardinal Ratzinger said in an interview with the magazine 30 Giorni in 2003.
Check out the rest at the link. And whisper a prayer or two to his humble servant of the servants of God.
Some who have left comments here may have noticed that their comments have been deleted. I don't like doing that, but I have to draw the line somewhere, and a few observations have crossed that line. I refer you to the statement in my "Welcome" remarks, in the column on the right:
If you choose to leave a comment, the ground rules are simple: no slander, profanity, racism, sexism or name-calling. Violators will be deleted. I reserve the right to moderate comments, if necessary, or even shut them down. The guiding principle should be: WWJB? "What Would Jesus Blog?"
I don't mind debate or disagreement, as long as it's civil and respectful.
It's a big church. In the immortal words of James Joyce, describing the Catholic Church: "Here comes everybody." There are a lot of differing opinions out there. I want to try and make room for them all.
I do my best to keep up with comments but, as you can imagine, I do have other distractions (like, say, my job) that keep me from monitoring The Bench 24/7. I'm also trying to avoid resorting to comment moderation, because that causes other headaches and tends to discourage discussion and slow things down.
Recently, someone left a comment saying: "You have a very cute and attractive progressive Catholic site, but not a great deal of substance. Rather like a pleasant modern suburban Catholic church that just wants folks to like it there with maybe a snide remark thrown out at nasty old conservative troglodytes." I had to laugh. Whether or not this place has any substance, I leave up to the readers. But "progressive" is in the eye of the beholder. I number among my heroes bishops like Chaput and O'Malley; I appreciate people who kneel for communion and receive on the tongue; my favorite hymns include "Panis Angelicus" and "You Are Near", and I also have deep love for "Tantum Ergo" and "I Am The Bread of Life,"; nothing puts me over the moon like a lot of incense and a little Latin; I love folk masses, with the right music; I've attended masses with liturgical dancing that have left me deeply and profoundly moved; nothing raises goosebumps in me more than when I celebrate Benediction and hear the opening chords of "O Salutaris Hostia"; and nothing disappoints me more than touchy-feely meandering and bloodless homilies that say absolutely nothing.
As I said, it's a big church. I love it all and see abundant riches everywhere.
Anyway...
Thank you all for understanding. And, of course, thank you for visiting, reading, sharing, venting and supporting this little enterprise with your thoughts, ideas, presence and prayers.
If you aren't already sitting down, I suggest you pull up a chair for this bit of news:
An Italian priest and theologian said Sunday he is organizing an online beauty pageant for nuns to give them more visibility within the Catholic Church and to fight the stereotype that they are all old and dour.
The "Miss Sister 2008" contest will start in September on a blog run by the Rev. Antonio Rungi and will give nuns from around the world a chance to showcase their work and their image.
"Nuns are a bit excluded, they are a bit marginalized in ecclesiastical life," Rungi told The Associated Press after Italian media carried reports of the idea. "This will be an occasion to make their contribution more visible."
Rungi, a theologian and schoolteacher from the Naples area, said that visitors to his site will have a month to "vote for the nun they consider a model."
Nuns will fill out a profile including information about their life and vocation as well as a photograph. It will be up to them to choose whether to pose with the traditional veil or with their heads uncovered.
"We are not going to parade nuns in bathing suits," Rungi said by telephone from his town of Mondragone. "But being ugly is not a requirement for becoming a nun. External beauty is gift from God, and we mustn't hide it."
An association of Catholic teachers is not pleased. Check the link for their reaction.
As you might expect, there's a lot of attention now being focused on Joe Biden's religion.
You can get a good sampling of ideas below:
David Gibson has his thoughts over at his Pontifications blog. He points out the interesting fact that his pro-choice rating from NARAL is so low, they chose not to endorse him.
Meanwhile, the Reuters political blog says it looks like Biden could help woo the increasingly crucial Catholic swing vote.
Michael Paulson has some thoughts of his own over Articles of Faith, the Boston Globe religion blog.
Get Religion, as always, takes a fairly even-handed look at the subject of Biden and religion, and looks at it through the lens of the media.
An interesting perspective is laid out at Catholic Culture, noting that neither party is covering itself in glory on the issue of Roe v. Wade.
And at America's blog, In All Things, Michael Sean Winters adds this:
Unlike some pro-choice Catholics who have gotten into trouble with their bishops, Biden does not even have a bishop right now. Wilmington’s new bishop, W. Francis Malooly, will be installed September 8th. Malooly, a native of Baltimore, rose in the ranks under the tutelage of two moderate bishops, Archbishop William Borders and Cardinal William Keeler, neither of whom joined their more conservative confreres in the effort to deny communion to pro-choice politicians. Malooly has never run his own show, as he is about to do in Wilmington, but it is doubtful he will provoke a confrontation with Biden given his mentors, both of whom are living and able to offer counsel.
{snip}
It is doubtful Biden was chosen because of his Catholicism. And it is also doubtful that his Catholicism lends his surrogacy greater weight. But, insofar as his Catholicism has endowed him with a belief in the necessity of solidarity, compassion, and human dignity in our politics, Biden embodies a more nuanced, complicated view of how religion and politics can mix within one candidate. And recognizing such complicatedness is a good thing for both Church and State.
That's a start. I'll add more as I come across them ...
UPDATE: The AP has just posted an item which quotes Denver's Archbishop Chaput, who told the AP that Biden should refrain from receiving communion:
Chaput, one of the nation's most outspoken bishops on Catholic political responsibility, said Catholics who disagree with the church on "serious, sanctity of life issues" separate themselves from communion with the church and should not present themselves for the Eucharist.
Biden "has admirable qualities to his public service," Chaput said in his statement. "But his record of support for so-called abortion 'rights,' while mixed at times, is seriously wrong. I certainly presume his good will and integrity — and I presume that his integrity will lead him to refrain from presenting himself for Communion, if he supports a false 'right' to abortion."
Chaput added that he looks forward to speaking with Biden privately.
Other Catholics were even more forceful in their criticism. The Catholic advocacy group Fidelis called the choice of Biden a "slap in the face" to Catholic voters and predicted the Communion question will hover over Biden at each campaign stop.
George Weigel, a Pope John Paul II biographer and senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center, said: "I don't think it's a happy day for Catholics when a man who is literally dead wrong on what the Catholic leadership of the United States has said for over three decades is the most important issue of social justice in our country is named to a national ticket and attempts to present himself as an intellectually serious and coherent Catholic."
Remember the astonishing (and later debunked) story of The Pact? The teenage girls of Gloucester, Massachusetts who pledged together to get pregnant and have babies?
The high school principal who first spoke to the media about that has a new job -- with the Catholic Church:
Four days after retiring as a public school administrator, former Gloucester High School principal Joseph Sullivan was hired as the new principal of St. Joseph's School, a Catholic kindergarten through eighth-grade school in Wakefield.
Sullivan, who lives in Wakefield, was contacted about a job in his home parish last weekend after his abrupt resignation from Gloucester High School went into effect last Friday, the Rev. Ron Barker, pastor of St. Joseph's Parish, said yesterday.
"He has wonderful qualities, qualifications and knowledge and we would be foolish not to use his experience," Barker said. "We are excited because he knows the parents and the kids here."
Sullivan was hired Tuesday on an interim basis "at the moment," Barker said. He said no plans exist at the school to identify a permanent principal. The previous principal of St. Joseph's School, Maria Morris, resigned at the end of the last school year.
Barker declined to say how much Sullivan is earning in his new job.
Calls to Sullivan at St. Joseph's were not returned.
Sullivan resigned from Gloucester High School after comments he made to the media about a group of girls actively looking to have children at the high school drew scrutiny.
He expressed concerns about proposals to provide contraceptives to students at the high school health clinic without parental notification.
The Roman Catholic Church is opposed to the use of birth control.
In his resignation letter to Superintendent Christopher Farmer, Sullivan said he was retiring from "public school administration" because of a lack of support from Farmer and Mayor Carolyn Kirk in the wake of the media frenzy over the spike in teen pregnancy at Gloucester High School.
He said Farmer had excluded him from deliberations about new school policies on teen pregnancy and Kirk slandered him at a news conference.
Sullivan, who was principal at Gloucester High School for 10 years before stepping down, said in a letter accompanying his resignation that he had been eligible for retirement with full pension more than two years ago.
State law prohibits public employees who retire from taking another public job that would, when combined with their pension, allow them to make more than they would have made by not retiring.
The laws do not have any affect on employment by private schools.
St. Joseph's, funded by the Boston Archdiocese, has an annual enrollment of around 210 students served by 14 lay teachers.
Barker, who said he has known Sullivan for several years, said he was not concerned that the controversy surrounding Sullivan in Gloucester as a result of the spike in pregnancies would have any negative impact on St. Joseph's
"We are not concerned; we just want to share in his gifts and talents," Barker said. The pregnancy discussion "has nothing to do with Wakefield."
More than two decades ago, John Connors heard God's voice calling.
"There was a little voice inside that said, 'I have something more for you,'" he said.
Connors, already an active Catholic, found that something when he entered training to become a deacon, or "servant."
The Marysville man, a 69-year-old retired vocational rehabilitation counselor, has served as a permanent deacon at Port Huron Catholic churches for 16 years.
Permanent deacons in the Catholic Church are ordained, male members of clergy. They may be assigned to a parish where they assist in tasks such as leading a communion service, teaching classes or performing weddings, funerals and baptisms without Mass.
Others are paired with special ministries such as those in a hospital or prison.
Ordained, deacons are not authorized to perform three tasks reserved for priests: anointing the sick, absolving sins and performing Mass. Many deacons are married; those who aren't retired often have a full-time job. There is no pay for the position.
The work of deacons is mentioned in the New Testament, but it wasn't until after the Second Vatican Council in the 1960s that church leaders sanctioned the position. Promoting the establishment of deacons was one of many decisions made to "let some light in" the church by asking members of the laity to become more involved, Connors said.
Although the work of deacons has become particularly helpful in light of the national priest shortage, the role wasn't created with that in mind, said Deacon Michael McKale, director of the diaconate for the Archdiocese of Detroit.
"In the (1960s) there were plenty of priests around," he said. "They didn't 'need' deacons back at that time."
Deacons are meant to provide a role model of a religious, married man who, like many, must balance the demands of God, family life and work, McKale said.
Since the early 1970s, the number of deacons has increased each year and now stands at around 15,400 in the United States, according to the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.
There are 150 active deacons in the Archdiocese of Detroit, McKale said. Additionally, there are 23 inactive, and 25 others are at various stages of the application and formation process, including three from the Port Huron area.
Although the Archdiocese doesn't have an active recruiting program such as that for priests, it recently revamped its training methods and has noticed steady interest in the program, McKale said.
Becoming a deacon is not an easy process. It's a four- or five-year commitment that includes nomination by a local priest, an application and acceptance into the program before beginning three years of classes.
Dennis Crimmins, district manager of the Social Security Administration in Fort Gratiot, is one of three local men now in the deacon application or training process through the Archdiocese of Detroit. He said Connors' service to the parish and community encouraged him to apply.
"I've seen (Connors) do such good work," Crimmins said, referring to Connors' care for the poor through organizations such as the Blue Water Food Depot and the St. Vincent de Paul Society. "He's been sort of a role model for me."
Once called, the men -- and if married, their wives -- are asked to attend multiple training sessions. That's because the position is demanding and requires the full support of the family, McKale said.
Connors agreed.
"Your wife has to really be a part of this," he said.
His wife, Carolyn, supported him throughout his training by joining him on many trips to Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit, where Connors earned 50 credit hours as part of his program.
The Rev. Brian Cokonougher of Holy Trinity Parish in Port Huron said he's thankful for the many hours and sacrifices contributed by Connors and other deacons.
"I wish every parish had a permanent deacon," he said.
Once ordained, a deacon always is a deacon, Connors said. Although he's approaching 70 years old, he hasn't thought of leaving his post.
"A job is something you leave. ... This is different. This is like being a grandfather -- you don't want to give it up," Connors said.
Photo: Sister Barbara Phillippart, right, opens her hands as she approaches Deacon John Connors to receive Holy Communion during a service at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Port Huron. By Melissa Wawzysko, Port Huron Times Herald.
If you talk to people who are converts to the faith, many will give different reasons for joining the Catholic Church. Sometimes it’s marriage. Sometimes it’s more mysterious – a kind of subliminal pull they can’t explain. Sometimes, it’s something very simple.
Not long ago, I was talking with a friend of ours who joined the church this past Easter down in Florida. I was her sponsor. Even though she’s about 10 years older than me, I like to call her my “goddaughter.” Anyway, she was explaining one of the things that drew her to the Catholic faith. She put it very simply: “It’s the history,” she said.
The writer and teacher Scott Hahn was a Presbyterian minister, and he’s written about his own journey to the Catholic Church in a similar fashion. His search for the truth of Christianity led him to realize that all the roots of what he practiced were Catholic.
In other words: this is where it all began.
And the moment it all began is right here, in today’s gospel. Follow the bread crumbs of Christianity back through the centuries, past the Presbyterians and the Methodists and the Anglicans and the Lutherans, through all the dense trees of theological debate that grew up over two thousand years, and you will eventually find yourself here, in Caesaria Phillipi, when Jesus says to Peter: you are in charge. And here are the keys.
There’s a lot to dissect in this scene. But one of the things that strikes me is this surprising thought: Jesus is turning over his church to one of us. He hasn’t sought out a temple high priest, or a scholar of the Torah, or a rabbi. He’s picked a fisherman, a man who smells of salt water and brine, and who has a knack for always saying the wrong thing at the wrong time.
He’s selected someone who will deny him. And who will challenge him. And who, when he is needed the most, will run and hide.
But Jesus has also picked a man of astounding conviction. The only one who wasn’t afraid to step out of the boat and even attempt to walk on water. The one eager to build tents during the Transfiguration. A man of action.
In short, Jesus has chosen someone who embodies the strengths and weakness of all of us. Our fervor – as well as our fears. Here is all the Church could be, and all that it would be, summed up in just one man.
Peter is us.
Jesus chose this man, his hands calloused from hauling nets and filthy from handling fish, and into those hands he placed an invaluable treasure, the church. A priceless kind of Faberge egg. Trusting that it would be cared for. Trusting that it wouldn’t break.
One of the other things that is so striking to me about this episode is that it all comes down to one clear, concise question.
“Who do you say that I am?”
Peter answers, and the rest is history – really.
But this morning I’d like you to think of that question in a different context. It is more than a pop quiz posed two thousand years ago to one of the apostles. It’s more than the set up for the creation of the first pope.
Rather, this is a question that haunts every heart. It is the question Christ asks each of us, every day, countless times, in countless ways.
Who do you say that I am?
Who do we say that Jesus is?
Is he just a figure from the Bible? A character in the catechism?
Or is he “the Christ, the son of the living God”?
Is he the one we recognize as our savior, and our hope?
Jesus is the one who opened his arms for us, and gave everything for us – and who left us not only his church, in the hands of Peter, but also his very essence, in bread and wine, to take into our own hands, and into our own hearts.
But still, he wants to know: Who do you say that I am?
He asks us that again and again.
And whether we realize it or not, we are always answering it.
Every choice we make – to love or to hate, to give or withhold – is a response to that question.
Who do we say that Jesus is?
The answer affects what we believe, and how we live.
This morning, consider that. Listen for the question.
Hear the voice that spoke to that fisherman all those centuries ago. Hear Jesus inviting us, challenging us, questioning us. “Who do you say that I am?”
And as we receive the Eucharist and go out into the world, let us strive, as Peter did, to live the answer, with the apostle’s own words echoing in our hearts.
To the surprise of almost no one, Barack Obamaa picked Delaware Senator Joe Biden for his running mate.
Last summer, I linked to a Christian Science Monitor piece about Biden and his faith. (The article is perhaps the definitive glimpse into Biden's Catholic values and upbringing, and bears reading. The original is right here.) The profile quoted a book Biden had written called "Promises to Keep":
"My idea of self, of family, of community, of the wider world comes straight from my religion. It's not so much the Bible, the beatitudes, the Ten Commandments, the sacraments, or the prayers I learned. It's the culture," he writes.
That comfort zone extended to the Biden family. "At the time that I was going to Catholic school and living in my parents' home, there was a perfect fit between the theology of the church and the philosophy of my parents," he told the Monitor.
In the Biden family, children were taught to respect the habit, but not necessarily the person in it. As a boy, Biden took endless ribbing from classmates for a stutter he later overcame. Much of the time, the nuns tried to help. But when a seventh-grade teacher mimicked Bu-bu-bu-bu-bu-Biden's stutter in front of the class, his mother, Jean, demanded a meeting with the principal and the offending nun. "If you ever speak to my son like that again, I'll come back and rip that bonnet off your head," she said. Later, when then-Senator Biden told her he was going to visit the pope, she said: "Don't you kiss his ring."
In junior high school, Biden considered, briefly, entering a seminary in Baltimore to become a priest. His mother had other ideas. "I told him: 'Wait until you start dating girls, then go,' " said Mrs. Biden, in a brief conversation after a speech her son gave at the National Press Club Aug. 1. Biden later confirmed the incident. "I can't believe she told you that," he says. "My mother thought I had to experience life first, and she was right."
Biden was one of the first Catholic politicians of the Vatican II generation. From 1962 to 1965, the Vatican Council II produced documents that opened the door to ecumenical dialogue, freedom of religion and conscience, and greater involvement of the laity in affairs of the church, including saying the mass in English and more emphasis on individual Bible study.
"I was raised at a time when the Catholic Church was fertile with new ideas and open discussion about some of the basic social teaching of the Catholic Church," Biden says. "Questioning was not criticized; it was encouraged."
He recalls a question in a ninth-grade theology class at Archmere. "How many of you questioned the doctrine of transubstantiation?" the teacher asked, referring to the teaching that the bread and wine change into the body and blood of Christ during the Eucharist. No hands were raised. Finally, Biden raised his. "Well, we have one bright man, at least," the teacher said.
The teacher didn't say criticizing the church was good. "He led me to see that if you cannot defend your faith to reason, then you have a problem," Biden says.
Meanwhile, here's how the New York Times reports it this morning:
Senator Barack Obama has chosen Senator Joseph R. Biden Jr. of Delaware to be his running mate, turning to a leading authority on foreign policy and a longtime Washington hand to fill out the Democratic ticket, Mr. Obama announced in text and e-mail messages early Saturday.
Mr. Obama’s selection ended a two-month search that was conducted almost entirely in secret. It reflected a critical strategic choice by Mr. Obama: To go with a running mate who could reassure voters about gaps in his résumé, rather than to pick someone who could deliver a state or reinforce Mr. Obama’s message of change.
Mr. Biden is the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and is familiar with foreign leaders and diplomats around the world. Although he initially voted to authorize the war in Iraq — Mr. Obama opposed it from the start — Mr. Biden became a persistent critic of President George W. Bush’s policies in Iraq.
The brief text message from the Obama campaign came about 3 a.m., less than three hours after word of the decision had begun leaking out. “Barack has chosen Senator Joe Biden to be our VP nominee. Watch the first Obama-Biden rally live at 3pm ET on www.BarackObama.com. Spread the word!”
His e-mail announcement began: “Friend — I have some important news that I want to make official. I’ve chosen Joe Biden to be my running mate.”
The selection was disclosed as Mr. Obama moves into a critical part of his campaign, preparing for the party’s four-day convention in Denver starting on Monday. Mr. Obama’s aides viewed the introduction of his vice presidential choice — including an afternoon rally Saturday at the old State Capitol in Springfield, Ill., the same place where Mr. Obama announced his candidacy on a freezing winter morning almost two years ago — and a tour of swing states as the beginning of a week-long stretch in which Mr. Obama hopes to dominate the stage and position himself for the fall campaign.
Word of Mr. Obama’s decision leaked out hours before his campaign had been scheduled to inform supporters via text and e-mail message, and hours after informing two other top contenders for the vice presidential nomination — Senator Evan Bayh of Indiana and Gov. Tim Kaine of Virginia — that they had not been chosen.
As the selection process moved to an end, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York, whom Mr. Obama had defeated in his bid for the Democratic presidential nomination, had slipped out of contention — to the degree that Mr. Obama had never seriously considered her.
Mr. Biden is Roman Catholic, giving him appeal to that important voting bloc, though he favors abortion rights. He was born in a working-class family in Scranton, Pa., a swing state where he remains well-known. Mr. Biden is up for re-election to the Senate this year and he would presumably run simultaneously for both seats.
Mr. Biden is known for being both talkative and prone to making the kind of statements that get him in trouble. In 2007, when he was competing for Mr. Obama for the presidential nomination, he declared that Mr. Obama was “not yet ready” for the presidency.
The McCain campaign jumped on that early Saturday, as it responded to the selection, offering a glimpse into the line of criticism that awaits the Democratic ticket.
“There has been no harsher critic of Barack Obama’s lack of experience than Joe Biden. Biden has denounced Barack Obama’s poor foreign policy judgment and has strongly argued in his own words what Americans are quickly realizing — that Barack Obama is not ready to be President,” said Ben Porritt, a spokesman for Mr. McCain.
An 86-year-old nun from Cleveland who works for a Catholic anti-poverty lobbying group has been selected to deliver the closing prayers one night during the Democratic National Convention.
"I think you have a different perspective when you've lived some history," says Catherine Pinkerton, a member of the Cleveland-based religious order Congregation of St. Joseph who once served as principal of the West Side secondary school it founded, St. Joseph Academy.
Pinkerton says that she has never been an activist for either political party but that she admires Barack Obama's "vision of where we stand as a nation and where we stand among nations" and agreed to deliver the benediction at the request of his campaign.
For the past 24 years, Pinkerton has worked for Network, a national Catholic social-justice lobby in Washington, D.C., where she works to establish international trade and investment policies that benefit the United States as well as the developing world.
"We are standing at one of the critical moments of our history," says Pinkerton, who is still drafting the remarks she'll deliver in Denver on Wednesday, Aug. 27.
Obama's campaign invited a diverse group of religious leaders to offer prayers at the convention and asked Pinkerton to be among them because she's "an icon among Catholics who has really been an inspiration to women everywhere," said spokesman Tom Reynolds.
"For decades, she has been a national leader and a champion for working families," Reynolds said. "Catholics across Ohio should be proud to have one of their own taking center stage at this historic event."
The results of a new Pew Research Center poll point to a subtle but discernible shift in how Americans view the intersection of politics and religion.
Take a look:
Some Americans are having a change of heart about mixing religion and politics. A new survey finds a narrow majority of the public saying that churches and other houses of worship should keep out of political matters and not express their views on day-to-day social and political matters. For a decade, majorities of Americans had voiced support for religious institutions speaking out on such issues.
The new national survey by the Pew Research Center reveals that most of the reconsideration of the desirability of religious involvement in politics has occurred among conservatives. Four years ago, just 30% of conservatives believed that churches and other houses of worship should stay out of politics. Today, 50% of conservatives express this view.
As a result, conservatives' views on this issue are much more in line with the views of moderates and liberals than was previously the case. Similarly, the sharp divisions between Republicans and Democrats that previously existed on this issue have disappeared.
There are other signs in the new poll about a potential change in the climate of opinion about mixing religion and politics. First, the survey finds a small but significant increase since 2004 in the percentage of respondents saying that they are uncomfortable when they hear politicians talk about how religious they are -- from 40% to 46%. Again, the increase in negative sentiment about religion and politics is much more apparent among Republicans than among Democrats.
Second, while the Republican Party is most often seen as the party friendly toward religion, the Democratic Party has made gains in this area. Nearly four-in-ten (38%) now say the Democratic Party is generally friendly toward religion, up from just 26% two years ago. Nevertheless, considerably more people (52%) continue to view the GOP as friendly toward religion.
The poll by Pew Research Center for the People & the Press and the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life finds increasing numbers of Americans believing that religiously-defined ideological groups have too much control over the parties themselves. Nearly half (48%) say religious conservatives have too much influence over the Republican Party, up from 43% in August 2007. At the same time, more people say that liberals who are not religious have too much sway over the Democrats than did so last year (43% today vs. 37% then).
Visit the Pew site for all the facts and figures and charts.
Read this item from the Catholic News Agency and -- in the words of that great old hymn -- ponder anew what the Almighty can do:
Lucia Otgongerel was born in Mongolia 30 years ago without hands or legs. She lived in a deep depression until 2002 when she converted to Catholicism and, as she explains, discovered “true joy.” Today she works in the capital city of Mongolia, Ulan Bator, as a teacher for seven children with special needs.
Now Lucia claims, “I could not live without my faith.” She overcomes the challenges of her physical condition though an intense life of prayer: including the daily Rosary, meditations and study of the Bible in the midst of her predominately Buddhist country.
In an interview granted to UCANews, Lucia explains that her daily work with seven disabled boys whose ages range from 15-19. Lucia teachers, despite not having hands: cooking, cleaning, reading and writing at the Faith Center, a small school run by St. Mary’s parish in Ulan Bator which opened last September.
The sixth of eight children, Lucia Otgongerel was born in the Zavhan, a remote province in the Asian country of Mongolia. She had a very difficult childhood that started to improve when she began using her first prosthetic leg. Because of it, she was able to attend cooking classes at a very young age which has greatly increased her cooking skills.
“Even without hands, there is nothing I can’t do. I can open doors with keys, sew, work on the computer, use the cell phone, cut up food, cook – nothing is impossible! I like embroidery and beads. People are surprised when they see my parents’ house, decorated all over with my needlework,” she says.
She recalls that in 2001 she began going to Mass because her sister was the friend of the bishop’s secretary. While she was interested in the celebration, she did not have much faith. She explains that she enjoyed the songs sung in English and the words continued to ring in her ears, though she did not understand the lyrics.
Faith in Christ began the following year and after praying the Rosary intensely, but with great difficulty at home. She realized the importance of prayer and decided to convert to Catholicism.
“Since then, I pray a lot, every day, all the time. I pray a lot and cry. When young people in the church see me like that, they just leave me alone, and when I come out of the church laughing, they know I was praying.”
“It would be hard for me without prayer. I pray every morning before I leave home….Later in the day, I also read the daily readings and meditate. I try to implement the message of each day’s readings. It gives me much power.”
“Prayer is an important part of my life. I am alone a lot, so I pray all the time. I make time to read the Bible. I am also writing a book about the church in Nisekh and about faith.”
“My faith is very important to me. I could not live without my faith.”
If you have a moment, wander over to The Deacon's Studio and have a look-see. Brooklyn deacon and artist Bernard Deschler (a.k.a. "Boinie") periodically posts his art (including some sly cartoons) that offer a different slant on the church, faith, holy days and life in general. The work above appeared under a posting headlined: "This Is The Kingdom." Looks like summer to me. Anyone for the beach?
A lot has been written about "The Dark Knight" -- finding nuances in the tale that shed light on our own troubled times.
But now, for something completely different, comes this intriguing analysis by Margaret Stahl in America:
I saw “The Dark Knight” when it first was released, but it was only later, when I was discussing it with a close friend, that I realized just how theological it is.
Consider the story of Bruce Wayne/Batman. Bruce’s father is building a better world for the people of Gotham, yet it is up to his son, Bruce, to finish his work. Meanwhile, Batman’s good works are looked upon skeptically by the authorities and citizens of Gotham, though there are a few followers—especially children, such as Lieutenant Jim Gordon’s son—who see through the uncertainty and understand Batman for what he truly is. Batman’s debt to the Gospel stories seems indisputable.
One of the questions Nolan struggles with is what it means to be a hero. A hero is obviously someone who fights for good and saves the day—but are not heroes also supposed to be beloved by those he or she serves? Bruce/Batman is certain he is helping the city, but the citizens are not so sure. Is he truly a hero, or simply an uninvited vigilante? Ultimately, Batman “becomes” what Gotham wants him to be—a criminal—by taking the wrap for Harvey Dent’s crimes because it is ultimately best for Gotham. One can’t help but be reminded of Jesus’ capture and trial by Pontius Pilate. When asked if he was the king of the Jews, Jesus’ only reply is, “You say so.” Christ did not protest when his people put him to death in the place of another criminal, because, after all, he was dying to save us from sin and death.
The Joker, meanwhile, bears an uncanny resemblance to what Revelation calls “the Adversary.” Heath Ledger’s sinister portrayal of the Joker makes Nolan’s film much more intriguing than Tim Burton’s "Batman" (1989). From the beginning we see that the Joker is disturbingly smart—in the opening scene his plan to rob a bank unfolds with terrifying efficacy. Next we find out that despite his wacky appearance he can hold his own with the dirtiest of Gotham’s criminals—in a few short scenes he shows the Gotham mob what he is capable of. Yet what perhaps the most unsettling aspect of the Joker is that he is nameless.
Batman and the police have no records on him, and even his own story of how he got his scars—how he became the man he is—changes throughout the film, leaving the viewer without any sense of purpose to the chaos he is creating. Evil is always troubling, but purposeless evil cannot be reckoned with. The Joker is not interested in money, or even, it seems, power. What he is interested in is chaos. He seeks nothing more than to disrupt the flow of life in Gotham, as he tells the convalescing Harvey Dent:
“Do I really look like a guy with a plan? You know what I am? I'm a dog chasing cars. I wouldn't know what to do if I caught it. You know, I just do things. The mob has plans, the cops have plans, Gordon's got plans, you know. They're schemers. Schemers trying to control their little worlds. I am not a schemer. I try to show the schemers how pathetic their attempts to control things really are.”
How many times in Scripture do we encounter the “Evil One” cunningly creating chaos in the lives of others? Just like the Joker, the devil has no discernable form or story, no apparent motive aside from pulling people away from the path toward goodness. The Evil One focuses on people’s weaknesses and exploits them, just as the Joker did with Harvey Dent, appealing to his deep desire for justice to persuade him that the only true form of justice is chaos.
Another person has added her voice to the ongoing debate about women becoming priests -- and it's a rare contribution from a mainstream secular newspaper, the Wall Street Journal. This is from conservative commentator and editor Kathryn Jean Lopez :
A few weeks ago, a group called Roman Catholic Womenpriests staged what it called an ordination, vesting three Boston-area women in white chasubles and red stoles. It told the local papers that the ordinations were valid, despite the Catholic Church's teaching to the contrary; it even asserted episcopal approval from a rogue bishop whose name it won't reveal. But, as a statement from the Archdiocese of Boston put it: "Catholics who attempt to confer a sacred order on a woman, and the women who attempt to receive a sacred order, are by their own actions separating themselves from the Church." In other words: The ordinations were not Catholic.
Don't tell that to Judy Lee, one of the "priests." She insists that the archdiocese's pronouncement will be a dead letter: "We are Roman Catholics. . . . The all-male hierarchy and their legal traditions came along with the spiritual package that we embrace. We do not have to embrace both if they are contradictory." Bridget Meehan, spokeswoman for Roman Catholic Womenpriests, which claims 61 priests in North America, including one bishop, insists: "Nothing or no one can stop the action of God's Spirit moving in the Church. . . . We are not discouraged by excommunication. In fact, in many ways, it is a catalyst for growth." Ms. Meehan, who was ordained in 2006, believes that a "more transparent, community model" can bring nonpracticing Catholics back into the fold.
The Womenpriests come from a dissenting feminist tradition in the Catholic Church -- one in which a leading religious sister has even declared the Eucharist "defective and inadequate" for women. This tradition argues for renewing the church with a model "not geared to a hierarchy but inclusivity," as Ms. Meehan explains it. But those who are faithful to Rome argue that it is precisely the focus on the Eucharist -- and Christ's identity -- that necessitates an all-male priesthood. In 1994, Pope John Paul II declared that "the Church has no authority whatsoever to confer priestly ordination on women."
Mother Assumpta Long, a statuesque, media-savvy Dominican sister in Ann Arbor, Mich., says that the Catholic Church already recognizes the equality of women -- and that the dissenters confuse equality with identical opportunity. "All people are created by God equal in that we each possess an immortal and individual soul. [But] we are each unique in our talents. . . . Women are called upon to be mothers (spiritually and, for many in marriage, physically as well); whereas men are called upon to be fathers (spiritually and, for many in marriage, physically as well)." These sound like roles in a healthy family -- not the artifact of a stifling, misogynistic patriarchy.
The same weekend as the "ordinations," I joined 30 fellow lay Catholics gathered in Birmingham, Ala., for a sold-out retreat at the Casa Maria convent. The retreat is run by a group of Dominican-Franciscan (they follow both saintly models) religious sisters. Now in their 18th year as an order, the Sister Servants of the Eternal Word are as far away as one can imagine from that scene in Boston.
"As an active woman religious working in the field of retreats and catechesis in the Bible Belt South, I have to say that I am far too busy . . . to feel slighted by the fact that the priesthood is not open to women," insists Sister Louise Marie, a member of the order. She suggests that if Catholics and non-Catholics understood what a "powerful role women religious have," they would never "feel sorry for [us]."
You can read more about this thriving order at the link.
The bishop overseeing America's smallest state is making some big news this morning.
This crackled over the wire a short time ago:
Rhode Island's Roman Catholic bishop is calling on U.S. authorities to halt mass immigration raids and says agents who refuse to participate in such raids on moral grounds deserve to be treated as conscientious objectors.
Providence Bishop Thomas Tobin asked for a blanket moratorium on immigration raids in Rhode Island until the nation adopts comprehensive immigration reform. Tobin made the requests in a letter sent Tuesday to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Boston.
The letter was released Thursday to The Associated Press.
Tobin's action comes during a heated debate over illegal immigration in heavily Catholic Rhode Island. Authorities recently raided six courthouses looking for illegal immigrant maintenance workers and Gov. Don Carcieri, himself a Catholic, signed an order requiring state police and prison officials to identify illegal immigrants for possible deportation.
"We believe that raids on the immigrant community are unjust, unnecessary, and counterproductive," the bishop's letter says. It urges individual federal agents to consider the morality of their actions and refuse to participate if their conscience dictates.
In such cases, he said, "we urge the Federal Government to fully respect the well-founded principles of conscientious objection."
ICE spokeswoman Paula Grenier said the agency would not comment on Tobin's requests. She did not know if any ICE agents have asked to be excused from participating in raids on moral grounds.
"As an agency, ICE is responsible for enforcing the immigration and customs laws enacted by Congress," she said. "That's our job. We're fulfilling that mandate."
Roman Catholic and other religious leaders have repeatedly criticized immigration raids that target migrant workers, rather than illegal immigrants who commit crimes.
Tobin's request is unusual because it suggests the raids are forcing immigration agents to choose between their jobs and their religious faith.
Tobin is bishop of the Diocese of Providence, which covers the entire state. Some 60 percent of Rhode Island residents call themselves Roman Catholic, a higher percentage than any other state.
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has called U.S. immigration policies "morally unacceptable," saying they keep families divided and encourage the exploitation of migrants.
Holding onto anger has been likened to taking a sip of poison every day—not enough to kill, but more than enough to debilitate. Certainly some time must pass before the palliative value of forgiveness can be raised. The question is, how much time? There is no single answer. For some, forgiveness is the work of a lifetime; others manage to forgive more quickly, helped by people with the requisite sensitivity and wisdom.
Forgiveness does not mean forgetting, nor does it rule out punishment appropriate to criminal behavior. The Rev. Richard P. McBrien writes: “To be forgiven from a sin does not carry with it pardon for a crime or a guaranteed return to one’s former employment. A murderer who repents and confesses may be restored to the state of grace, but not to freedom.” Each murder case is judged in terms of mitigating factors, and different sentences are imposed.
Should we not also consider mitigating factors in cases of sexual abuse? Is it reasonable to exclude permanently all the guilty from ministry, to treat a one-time offender the same as a serial predator? Certainly some offenders need to be imprisoned or supervised so that they do not harm again. Some expelled priests find themselves pariahs, abandoned and isolated; in this state, a sense of despair may tempt them to seek victims again. Yet others, earnestly repentant, healed through therapy and support systems, pose no further threat and hold a proven record of dedicated priestly service. Ought we to judge any human being by the worst thing he has done, as if it were the only thing he has done? Can any of us endure that scrutiny?
The late Rabbi Abraham Heschel said that while it is important to consider all sides of destructive and broken relationships, it is essential to include God’s perspective as well. God’s own relentless pursuit of each sinner and saint finds expression in the father of the prodigal son, or the lover in Francis Thompson’s poem “The Hound of Heaven”; God longs only for the sinner’s repentance and homecoming.
A rare and unusual way of celebrating the mass is about to begin in the Archdiocese of Newark -- mass for the deaf, celebrated by a priest using American Sign Language. And the person spearheading the effort is a local deacon.
A long history of serving the deaf community throughout the Archdiocese of Newark comes full circle on Sunday, Sept. 7 at Saint John Parish on Mulberry Street with the initiation of a regularly scheduled American Sign Language (ASL) Sunday Mass.
The ASL Mass is historic, according to Deacon Thomas Smith, director of the archdiocesan Pastoral Ministry with the Deaf, because for many decades-under the leadership of Pastor Emeritus Rev. Msgr. John P. Hourihan-Saint John Parish's Catholic Deaf ministry flourished.
The 1 p.m. Mass on Sept. 7 will be celebrated by newly ordained Father Pedro Bismarck Chau, parochial vicar at Our Lady of Mount Virgin Parish in Garfield. Fr. Bismarck, a Nicaraguan native who was ordained at the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart on May 24 (see The Catholic Advocate, May 21), has a deaf sister. He recently completed conversational and liturgical ASL training course at Seton Hall University, South Orange, which was taught by Deacon Smith.
The fact it will be an ASL Mass is significant. There is, Deacon Smith stressed, a major difference for the deaf community between an "interpreted" Mass and ASL Mass. At interpreted masses, which are celebrated throughout the archdiocese at a number of parishes and will continue in conjunction with the ASL Mass at Saint John's, what is being said by the priest is being conveyed to the Deaf in the pews by a third party-the sign language interpreter.
Unfortunately, Deacon Smith explained, "this is not direct participation in the Mass," as deaf people find it difficult to "completely focus on the actions and words of the priest, because they are trying to see and understand the ASL interpreter."
By contrast, a deaf person can participate fully in the Mass by following what the priest is signing in ASL. This represents a direct connection between parishioner and priest-no third-party interpreter. Instead of trying to keep up with the pace of English-the dominant "language" during an interpreted Mass-the prayers and readings of the liturgy at an ASL Mass are presented in a "pace and visual style that are more natural and understandable to the Deaf," he explained. The priest or presiding deacon leads the Mass and deaf Catholics will sign all the readings and petitions, as well as lead all the responses.
In addition to the use of hands to convey words and phrases, Deacon Smith said the nuances of body movement and facial expressions also are essential components of ASL communication. Although the signed Mass will be silent, Deacon Smith pointed out hearing people (family members and ASL students) are "always welcome" since there will be "voicing for the signing impaired."
Deacon Smith is "joyfully anticipating" the ASL Mass at Saint John's, stressing it will be "creating access to Sunday liturgy for a group of alienated Catholics." The program at Saint John represents a desperately needed outreach to serve the spiritual needs of hearing-impaired Catholics. Deacon Smith said only 2 percent of deaf Catholics worldwide attend church services. The primary reasons for this dismal statistic, he explained, is the perception among the Deaf that the Mass is "a hearing event" based solely on spoken words and written text and therefore not for them. In effect, this emotional barrier makes the Deaf feel excluded from worship.
Inspired by his beloved sister, Fr. Bismarck felt compelled to learn ASL, which is now part of his ministry. He remembers vividly and poignantly when he was 12 years old watching TV with his sister at home when she asked him: if God is love why did He make me deaf? He could not think of an answer, Fr. Bismarck recalled. Years later, Fr. Bismarck noticed that his sister's Baptist congregation had a vibrant ministry for the deaf. "I did not see much of that in our Church," he said. Now, with his knowledge of ASL, Fr. Bismarck "wants to bring Christ to the Deaf."
You can read more at the link. It sounds like a beautiful and especially meaningful ministry.
A University of San Diego decision rescinding a prestigious position to a Catholic feminist theologian has thrust it smack in the middle of a national debate over academic freedom versus adherence to church teachings.
Faculty and Roman Catholics are divided over USD's decision to withdraw the appointment of Rosemary Radford Ruether to an endowed chair. At issue is Ruether's position on the board of directors for Catholics for Choice, an abortion rights organization.
Two national women's religious groups have sponsored a petition with more than 2,000 signatures demanding that she be allowed to assume the post.
USD is standing by its decision.
“Her public position and the symbol of this chair are in direct conflict,” said USD spokeswoman Pamela Gray Payton. “This chair is a powerful, visible symbol of Roman Catholic theology, and in Roman Catholic theology abortion is disallowed.”
The flap underscores a long-standing issue for American Catholic colleges: the debate over academic freedom versus fealty to Catholic doctrine. Many notable universities have come under fire for actions that clash with Catholic orthodoxy, including Notre Dame, Georgetown and St. Louis.
Ruether, 71, is concerned about the decision's effect on academic freedom.
“It appears to me that some right-wing group has put pressure on the university,” she said.
The position, the Monsignor John R. Portman Chair in Roman Catholic Theology, involved coming to campus three days a week, teaching a course, giving a public lecture, and mentoring junior faculty during the fall 2009 semester, said Lance Nelson, chairman of the Department of Theology and Religious Studies.
Nelson began negotiating with Ruether early this year after a list of possible candidates including Ruether was recommended in a department vote and approved by the previous dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.
“She's a widely respected scholar in the field,” Nelson said. “She's done seminal work on Christian feminism, social justice, and the relationship between religion and ecology.”
Ruether writes a regular column for National Catholic Reporter, has 13 honorary doctorates and has written more than 40 books. She teaches part time at Claremont Graduate University, about 40 miles east of Los Angeles.
After Ruether was offered the USD appointment, the university's Web site characterized her as a “pioneering figure in Christian feminist theology.”
The problem is that the appointment should have gone to the provost for final approval, Gray Payton said. That did not happen.
USD received various complaints about the appointment, though not from the chair's anonymous donor, Gray Payton said.
LifeSiteNews.com, founded by a Canadian anti-abortion organization, wrote a scathing article after the appointment was made.
“This is a woman who is in favor of abortion, in favor of contraception, homosexuality and women priests,” editor John-Henry Westen said in an interview. “I mean how much more anti-Catholic can you get?”
Nelson said the Department of Theology and Religious Studies was unaware of Ruether's role with Catholics for Choice, but he doesn't know if that knowledge would have changed the faculty's recommendation.
In mid-July, USD Vice President and Provost Julie Sullivan called Ruether to withdraw the offer.
Fifty USD faculty members have signed the petition demanding that USD reverse course. The petition was sponsored by the Women's Ordination Conference, which advocates for female priests, deacons and bishops; and the Women's Alliance for Theology, Ethics and Ritual, a multireligious feminist educational center with Catholic co-founders.
The petition asks for USD either to apologize and honor the offer or allow Ruether to deliver a campus lecture on academic freedom.
“Rosemary Ruether is like the godmother of the feminist theologian movement,” said Linda Pieczynski, spokeswoman and past president of Call to Action, a nonprofit Catholic organization that advocates on church reform issues and is endorsing the petition. “It's just criminal to disinvite her from the University of San Diego.”
Maryknoll Fr. Roy Bourgeois, who concelebrated a Mass at a women’s ordination ceremony earlier this month, has met with leaders of his order religious order, calling the meeting “productive.”
Bourgeois told NCR that he and the Maryknoll leadership had agreed that in the future they would work in conjunction on important issues of justice and faith, including the role of women in the church.
A report based on the day-long meeting Aug. 18 between Bourgeois and the Maryknoll leadership will be sent to the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith for further deliberation, according to Bourgeois.
He said Maryknoll had asked him to refrain from participating in similar ceremonies.
When asked by his superiors whether he would recant for his actions Bourgeois told NCR he said replied: “No way.”
Bourgeois said he could not recant something he held so deeply as a matter of conscience.
According to Maryknoll spokewoman Betsey Guest, after meeting with the Maryknoll leadership Bourgeois and Maryknoll issued a joint statement which reads:
“An investigation has been carried out as to the true facts of the August 9 event in Lexington, Ky. A report of that investigation will be sent to the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith in Rome. In the meantime, Fr. Bourgeois has received a canonical warning.
“Contrary to popular understanding, participants in the ceremony, such as Father Bourgeois, were not automatically excommunicated.
“Going forward, Society leadership and Fr. Bourgeois will be more involved in collective discernment over issues of justice, including the role of women in the church.”
Bourgeois said Aug. 19 that he felt support from members of his Maryknoll community, “but has no idea how Rome will respond.”
He said he realizes there could be further sanctions from the Vatican.
Stay tuned. This ain't over yet.
UPDATE: Catholic News Service has a brief report on the meeting, which evidently lasted four hours. The Maryknoll priest expressed a wish to "move ahead" and put this incident behind him.
The pope has now given his formal approval, and the parents of one of the most beloved saints of modern times are on track for beatification this fall.
Pope Benedict XVI has approved the beatification of Louis and Marie Zelie Guerin Martin, the parents of St. Therese of Lisieux.
The couple will be beatified Oct. 19, World Mission Sunday, during a Mass in the Basilica of St. Therese in Lisieux, France, the Vatican announced Aug. 19.
St. Therese and St. Francis Xavier are the patron saints of the missions.
The Vatican did not say who would preside at the Martins' beatification Mass.
With beatification, the diocese where the candidate lived or the religious order to which the person belonged is authorized to hold public commemorations on the person's feast day. With the declaration of sainthood, public liturgical celebrations are allowed around the world.
The Martins were declared venerable, one of the first steps in the sainthood process, in 1994. But despite the active encouragement of Pope John Paul II to move the cause forward, the miracle needed for their beatification was not approved by the Vatican until early July.
Louis lived 1823-1894 and his wife lived 1831-1877. They had nine children, five of whom joined religious orders.
You can read more about the Martins and their remarkable lives at this website. It's exceedingly rare for the parents of a saint to be declared saints themselves. But this important step indicates that could well happen to the parents of The Little Flower.
Visit her joint and you'll find this terrific post on a veritable vocations explosion. Why don't we hear more about this -- at least, from the Catholic media? Is it because they're more traditional, with habits and such? (Tip: that may be one reason they're flourishing. Just a thought.) Is it because they're not filling the ranks of the diocesan priesthood?
This is news that should be shouted from the rooftops. Check out The Anchoress's post on all this and be amazed, and grateful. The Holy Spirit has been busy.
I’m finishing off the last of a pint of Haagen-Dazs (Bailey’s Irish Cream, if you must know) and as I lick the spoon I heave a deep sigh and think: “Those monks can’t do this.”
“Those monks” are the men who live, pray, work, eat and sleep at the Grand Chartreuse monastery in the French Alps. After much too long a wait, I’ve finally just completed watching the DVD of the remarkable documentary about their life, “Into Great Silence.” The men who have vowed their lives to that silence at Grand Chartreuse live in spare wooden cells, with a wood-burning stove and a desk and a kneeler and not much else. They gather twice a day, at morning and evening, to chant the Divine Office. Otherwise, they remain in their cells, isolated, in complete silence, devoting every ounce of energy and attention to one simple task: prayer.
Ice cream isn’t part of the deal. And it leads me to believe I'd be a terrible monk.
The film is a beautiful, challenging, eye-opening experience. For two and a half hours, you hear almost no talking. There are a few brief snatches of conversation or prayer, in French. The rest is comprised of images of the men going about their lives, and sounds that leap off the screen. The sawing of wood, the slicing of fabric, the chopping of celery, the scrape and shuffle of sandaled feet along ancient slate floors. And bells. Periodically, a monk grabs a great long rope and rings the bell that gathers the men for prayer. The camera dwells on the simple, homely images of the monastic life – a glass of water, a bowl of fruit, a washed dish dripping water – and finds in them a kind of unexpected, almost painterly poetry. The movie also follows the men through mundane routines that run the gamut from planting vegetables to cleaning floors. (And getting haircuts: the men regularly file into a large room where electric razors dangle from long chords, and a bearded old monk patiently and methodically shaves each head.)
Again: I don’t remember seeing ice cream. Anywhere.
The order that was filmed, the Carthusians, is arguably the most severe and austere Catholic monastic order in the world. They really do give up everything. The story goes that the director of the movie, Philip Groning wrote to the Carthusians in 1984 to ask permission to film the monastery for a documentary. Sixteen years later, they wrote back to say, “Okay. We’re ready.”
The result is a truly unique movie-watching adventure. There is a loose structure – following the four seasons of the year – but no narration, no score, no plot. To watch the movie is to experience, for a brief moment, what these men experience over the course of a lifetime. It isn’t about doing; it is about being. And it takes a while to adjust your expectations and settle in to absorb the monk’s solitary and cloistered world.
But the rewards are worth it. These are men literally living the gospel mandate to “give up everything” to follow Christ. Their choice challenges those of us who made a different choice: what can you give up? What can’t you give up? How much noise do you let into your life? And what would happen if you just shut it all off?
It sounds dull and joyless. It isn’t. And when I asked my wife what her favorite part was, she replied: “Playing in the snow!” Near the end of the movie, on a gorgeous winter morning, the monks take a rare excursion into the outer world, hiking to the top of a neighboring alp. And from a distance we see these men in their white winter robes gliding down a long hill on make-shift skis. They laugh. They tumble. They can’t wait to get up to the top and do it again.
It’s delightful -- a reminder that these sober, prayerful men do know how to laugh.
And it proved to me something else: if they don’t get to experience ice cream, at least they get ice.
While no one is saying it's not true, at least one prominent blogger is having trouble finding an accurate and consistent account of John McCain's now-famous "cross in the dirt" story from his days as a P.O.W.
Andrew Sullivan was the first to raise some questions about it. And now Beliefnet has this cogent summary of what we know, and don't:
The story changed from the guard using a sandal to the guard using a stick.
At Saddleback, McCain talked about a single guard being the protagonist. The same guard loosened his ropes and then later sketchd the cross in the dirt. In McCain's 1999 book, these were two different guards at two different prison camps.
McCain's first writings about his time in captivity didn't mention the story at all, so (Sullivan) has asked his readers for evidence of McCain offering that story prior to his 1999 book (when he was gearing up for a presidential run).
Evidently, at one point, McCain told the story and indicated that it had happened to someone else. The story also bears an uncanny resemblance to an incident that happened to Alexander Solzhenitsen, one that was later retold and popularized by Chuck Colsen and Billy Graham.
To put it mildly, there may be a problem here.
UPDATE: While Sullivan could find no record of McCain speaking or writing about this event before 1999, a former P.O.W. who is campaigning for the Arizona Senator now says the following:
"I recall John telling that story when we first got together in 1971, when were talking about every conceivable thing that had ever happened to us when we were in prison. Most of us had been kept apart or in small groups. Then, in 1970, they moved us into the big cell. And when we all got to see each other and talk to each other directly, instead of tapping through walls, we had 24 hours a day, seven days a week to talk to each other, and we shared stories. I vaguely recall that story being told, among other stories."
I’m not sure if anybody noticed, but while the world has been enraptured by the Olympics and Mark Phelps, one of the most talked about and acclaimed dramas on television has Gone Catholic.
It’s “Mad Men,” the compellingly watchable and increasingly fascinating drama on AMC about advertising in the early 1960s. One of the characters is Peggy, a young and ambitious copywriter who worked her way up from secretary last season; Peggy had a brief fling with one of the married ad men, and that left her with a baby, now being raised by Peggy’s mother in Brooklyn.
This season, we’re getting a glimpse at what that life in Brooklyn entails -- including Sunday mass at Church of the Holy Innocents, where a new young priest has arrived. On last night's episode, he was invited to have dinner with Peggy’s family.
One of the things that is so absorbing about “Mad Men” is that it shows the world on the cusp, teetering between the picket fences of the ‘50s, and the picket lines in the ‘60s. It’s 1962, and the first tremors of frustration and discontent are being felt that will lead to the seismic jolts that rocked everything from sexuality to politics to religion. When the young priest is asked to say grace before dinner, he offers a watery “thanks-for-all-we-have-and-everybody-here.” Peggy’s mother glares for a moment. “That’s very nice, Father,” she snaps. “But could you please say grace?” And he does. Later – in what could be the first stirrings of some attraction to Peggy – he drives her to the subway station and asks her thoughts, as a writer, about sermons. “It’s the only part of the mass that’s not in Latin,” Peggy says, “but sometimes it’s hard to tell.” She offers him some advice about making eye contact. He asks her if she’d look over his sermon for Easter, and she agrees. (She praises it later on by saying, “It was very…colloquial.”)
All this plays out against a pitch-perfect background of aqua-colored Princess phones, huge wooden Hi-Fis in the living room, kitchens fully stocked with Tupperware, and offices tinted by the smoky haze of countless cigarettes. Sunday’s show also played out during Holy Week of 1962, with the climax unfolding during a tense and emotionally draining Good Friday that subtly but effectively Changed Everything.
It will be interesting to see where the show goes in its portrayal of Catholicism – so far, it’s gotten almost everything right. (Though I don’t think a priest in 1962 would have dared to drive a single young woman anywhere, alone, late at night.) But this layer of religion adds more credibility and texture and atmosphere to a show that already plays like a perfectly crafted souvenir plucked from a time capsule.
You can’t escape the gnawing feeling that, yep, this is the way we were. And -- for better or for worse -- this is also why we aren't that way anymore.
UPDATE: The ever-observant James Martin over at America, while also admiring the show, noted a few nuances that escaped Your Humble Blogger -- including the fact that the priest in question is a Jesuit who, with a telling gesture at the end of the episode, may have committed a mortal sin.
The tie that binds John and Rebecca Jackson is about 4 feet by 14 feet, woven of herringbone twill linen. It once led to their romance; years later, it still dominates their thoughts and fills their conversations.
It brought Rebecca, an Orthodox Jew, to the Catholic Church; it led John to suspend himself from an 8-foot-tall cross to study how blood might have stained the cloth. Together, the two have committed to memory every crease, scorch mark and unexplained stain in their years-long pursuit of the mystery:
Is the Shroud of Turin -- which allegedly bears the image of a crucifixion victim -- the burial cloth of Jesus?
In 1988, science seemed to put that question to rest.
Radiocarbon dating by three separate laboratories showed that the shroud originated in the Middle Ages, leaving the "shroud crowd" reeling. Shroud skeptics responded, "We told you so." The Catholic Church admitted that it could not be authentic. Many scientists backed away.
But John Jackson, one of the shroud's most prominent researchers, was among those who insisted that the results made no sense. Too much else about the shroud, they said, including characteristics of the cloth and details in the image, suggested that it was much older.
Twenty years later, Jackson, 62, is getting his chance to challenge the radiocarbon dating. Oxford University, which participated in the original radiocarbon testing, has agreed to work with him in reconsidering the age of the shroud.
If the challenge is successful, Jackson hopes to be allowed to reexamine the shroud, which is owned by the Vatican and stored in a protective chamber in the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Turin, Italy.
Jackson, a physicist who teaches at the University of Colorado, hypothesizes that contamination of the cloth by elevated levels of carbon monoxide skewed the 1988 carbon-14 dating by 1,300 years.
"It's the radiocarbon date that to our minds is like a square peg in a round hole. It's not fitting properly, and the question is why," he said.
On that point, Christopher Ramsey, head of the Oxford Radiocarbon Accelerator Unit, seems to agree.
"There is a lot of other evidence that suggests to many that the shroud is older than the radiocarbon dates allow, and so further research is certainly needed," says a statement on his website. "Only by doing this will people be able to arrive at a coherent history of the shroud which takes into account and explains all of the available scientific and historical information."
While the head-scratching and hand-wringing continues over the "Ixnay Yahweh" decision, composer Dan Schutte is talking about what led him to write "You Are Near," and reveals that he's revising it.
There certainly has been a flurry of discussion arising from the recent directive from the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments. And, as is evident on your website, much of it has been centered around my song, “You Are Near.” I suppose I should receive that as a compliment.
I wrote this piece in 1970, as a very young man. I’m afraid there’s no special story behind it. I do remember beginning it while on retreat and working on it for several months before I was satisfied. When I entered the Jesuit novitiate in 1966, the Jerusalem Bible had just been published. It was the long-awaited project of some of the world’s most respected scripture scholars. The translation was modern, in the best sense of that word, and attempted to be true to the poetic character of the Biblical songs, especially the Psalms. I first learned to pray the Psalms from the Jerusalem Bible. And, like you, I turned to the JB translation in considering Biblical texts my compositions.
The JB team of translators decided to use the name “Yahweh” whenever the tetragrammaton YHWH appeared in the original Hebrew text. It was certainly not a frivolous decision on their part. It might be interesting for your bloggers to read what the Editor’s Forward in the JB says about their decision:
It is in the Psalms especially that the use of the divine name Yahweh may seem unacceptable – though indeed the still stranger form Yah is in constant use in the acclamation Hallelu-Yah (Praise Yah!). It is not without hesitation that this accurate form has been used, and no doubt those who may care to use this translation of the Psalms can substitute the traditional “the Lord”. On the other hand, this would be to lose much of the flavor and meaning of the originals.
As our communal, and my own personal, sensitivity grew in the years after the writing of “You Are Near,” we came to understand that speaking the name “Yahweh” out loud was not in keeping with our long Christian tradition, and was, in fact, offensive to Jewish sisters and brothers. So after 1973 I’ve not used the name “Yahweh” in my compositions.
I’m presently working to revise the lyric of “You Are Near.” I suppose that won’t keep people from singing it the way they have for 37 years, but I feel I need to provide an “official” revised text for use at liturgy. Of course, those who make musical decisions for worship could simply choose not to sing it. There are many beautiful, well-crafted settings of Psalm 139. But, as several of your bloggers attest, “You Are Near” is a beloved favorite of many people. I can tell you that over the years I’ve received more messages about “You Are Near” — people telling me how it helped them to pray when they couldn’t, or sustained them through particularly difficult times, or helped them in their grieving – than any other of my songs. I feel privileged and humbled to be a vehicle of music that brings people to God in this way.
Fresh-faced and vivacious, Bernadette Snyder says she grew up in Virginia assuming Catholic girls like her either became nuns or found a man.
At 29, she is still single, and assuredly not a nun.
"I mean, do you see this in a convent?" Snyder said, glancing at her flowered skirt, peasant blouse and jewelry. "It just doesn't happen. I mean, really!"
Instead, Snyder chose a little-known third path with a long tradition in Catholicism: She became a consecrated, perpetual virgin - the first in the 188-year history of the Richmond diocese, which includes Hampton Roads.
Wearing a white sundress and big pink earrings, Snyder knelt in May as Bishop Francis X. DiLorenzo laid hands on hers in the rite of Consecration to a Life of Virginity of Women Living in the World.
He also slipped onto her ring finger a gold band - a symbol of her spousal relationship with Jesus Christ.
"He completes me," Snyder said. "I don't even know if marriage is the proper term; I feel like he's my husband."
To the Catholic Church, Snyder's calling is as much a formal vocation as the priesthood or religious orders of nuns.
Christian celibacy extends to the church's earliest years. In the New Testament, the apostle Paul spoke approvingly of virginity. "The unmarried woman and the virgin are anxious about the affairs of the Lord, so they may be holy in body and spirit," he said. "The married woman is anxious about the affairs of the world, how to please her husband."
The early church regularly consecrated virgins who didn't lead monastic lives, but the rite fell into disuse by the eighth or ninth century. The Vatican restored it in 1970.
In a 1996 treatise, "Consecrated Life," Pope John Paul II wrote that celibacy manifests the virginal life of Jesus Christ and his mother, Mary.
Constant celibacy, he said, reflected "dedication to God with an undivided heart," while virginity was a source of "mysterious spiritual fruitfulness."
The pope called it "a source of joy and hope to witness in our time a new flowering of the ancient Order of Virgins."
The U.S. Association of Consecrated Virgins, which formed in 1996, estimates there are 200 consecrated virgins nationwide. Most of those consecrations have come in the last 10 years, said Judith Stegman, the group's president.
She was among 500 consecrated virgins from 52 countries who met in Vatican City in May to discuss how to promote the order, and how virgins should live out their vocation.
There's more at the link. Congratulations, and blessings, Bernadette!
This week, in the Boston Globe, I read the story of an elderly couple named Sol and Rita Rogers. They’ve been married 61 years. They’ve raised a family and lived a long and happy life together. A few years ago, that began to change. Rita developed Alzheimer’s. And she is slipping deeper and deeper into dementia.
Several weeks ago, she was taken to a health care center, where she now has to live. The first few days, she screamed and talked incoherently. She could barely form words with her mouth. Most tragically, she could no longer recognize her husband. She had no idea who he was. This was agony for him. He would go home from visiting her, trembling with grief, overwhelmed by sadness.
One morning, he went into her room, and saw her lying there and had an idea – an idea, he said, that could only have come from God. Sol climbed into his wife’s tiny twin bed, and put his arms around her. And he just held her. He hugged her. He whispered to her. That’s all. But something happened. As he put it, “I got into bed with her and loved her and it lifted my depression.” And Rita was transformed, too. She responded to his touch. And she began to talk.
He now does it every day. Rita’s doctor says that her “old memory” recalls being in his arms, remembers how he used to hold her, and part of her is able to come back.
Now Sol spends a couple of hours of every day, just holding Rita, telling her he loves her, and she tells him she loves him. Just as they have for 61 years.
I can’t think of a more beautiful example of what married love is all about – for better or for worse, in sickness and in health. The venerable Matt Talbot said that it is constancy that God wants. Persistence. Perseverance. Sol Rogers had that – and more.
And so did the Canaanite woman in today’s gospel.
It comes down to never giving up for someone you love.
Never losing faith.
The Canaanite woman was the mother of a very sick girl, a child tormented by a demon. The girl may have suffered from epilepsy, or schizophrenia. Terrors in the night. Paranoia. Inconsolable fear. We can only imagine what the mother was going through. The helplessness, and the worry.
But this mother had something more powerful. She had faith – faith in someone who was not even a part of her race or religion. Jesus became her last, best hope.
And so the mother went to Jesus and implored his help. Not once. Not twice. But three times. She wouldn’t take no for an answer. Finally, Jesus was so moved by her faith that he couldn’t refuse her. And her daughter was healed.
Hearing this story again, we discover something timeless and true. It is something that St. Paul even mentioned in his famous letter to the Corinthians, the one we hear so often at weddings.
Love never fails. It can spark miracles.
Because love itself is a miracle.
Love that endures across 61 years is a miracle.
Love that pleads for a sick child again and again and again is a miracle.
A miracle of unceasing devotion … and unwavering faith.
Yes: faith. Faith is a subject we’ve been hearing about a lot over the last few weeks in our Sunday readings. Last week, you’ll remember, Peter tried to walk on water, but began to sink when his faith failed him.
We are being taught a valuable lesson in all this. Faith transforms. It can turn water into walkways. And it can drive away demons.
But it requires more than we realize -- more than we often feel able to give.
Faith requires that we keep walking, even when the wind and waves are against us.
Faith demands that we keep pleading, even when God seems to turn away.
Faith asks us to wrap our arms around those we love, even when they don’t remember who we are.
It defies logic, or reason. But that is what is so extraordinary – and so extraordinarily difficult. Faith asks us to believe in the unbelievable…to trust that the impossible will be possible.
Like love, faith asks that we surrender ourselves to something we can never fully understand
And it asks us to persevere.
If we do that, the result may astonish us. We may find ourselves walking where we’ve never walked before. We may see life renewed, and hope restored.
Sol Rogers said he knows that his wife Rita will never fully recover. But he told the Boston Globe, “While she’s with me, I want to enjoy every minute.”
And so he holds her. And she smiles. And the demons are dispelled.
Every day, for as long as he is able, he says he will do this.
Call that love. Call it commitment. But those moments exist because Sol never gave up. He persevered. And he continues to.
Since I read that story, I’ve been thinking of Sol and Rita. I think of them late at night, when I hold my wife’s hand before we go to sleep. I think of what it takes to love, truly love, another. It takes constancy, as Matt Talbot put it. Tenacity. Trust. The belief in something, and Someone, greater than ourselves.
Jennifer M. Haselberger, bishop's delegate for canonical affairs of the Diocese of Fargo, N.D., will join the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis as chancellor for canonical affairs on Aug. 18. She succeeds Sister Dominica Brennan, who is leaving the archdiocese after 16 years to assume a new position with the Dominican Sisters of Springfield, Ill.
Haselberger, a College of St. Catherine graduate who holds a Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of London and a licentiate in canon law from Catholic University Leuven in Belgium, has served the Fargo diocese since 2006. Before that, she was chancellor and director of the tribunal for the Diocese of Crookston, Minn.
Archbishop John Nienstedt praised Sister Brennan for her "fidelity to church law and her important service to three different archbishops" and welcomed Haselberger, calling her "studious, thoughtful and extremely well prepared."
But wait! I've buried the lead.
A reader thoughtfully sent this item my way, from four years ago:
Canon Lawyer Jennifer Haselberger recently chose CITI Ministries and Rent A Priest for her doctoral thesis at Leuven University in Belgium. She concluded that "the faithful have the right to approach ‘suspended’ priests for the sacraments." And, "Since an obligation to do this is expressed in the Code of Canon Law, it would seem that in ministering of these people the ‘Rent-A-Priests’ are acting in a canonically valid way." Haselberger also indicated that certain Canons oblige the bishops to "take care of all within the diocese" (i.e., 383.1, 2, 3; 528, 729).
Hmmmm. This could make things interesting in the Twin Cities.
Would any canon lawyers out there like to weigh in??
UPDATE: Curt Jester has posted this reponse from Heselberger, which is well worth reading. Among other things, it says:
In my thesis I was very critical of organizations like the Rent A Priests, who take that principle of law (which is meant to protect the right of the faithful to have access to the sacraments, especially in danger of death situations), and use it in an attempt to justify their ministry. I argued that their stated position that a priest-shortage, or the possibility of a closed parish, makes their return to ministry (outside of the Catholic Church) legitimate (a closed parish equaling an emergency situation), is a willful misinterpretation of the letter and spirit of the law. I went on to say that only some of the sacraments that they offer are valid, as others (like marriage) are only valid when they are offered by someone with the faculties and permission of the local ordinary.
The Rent A Priests have had that quotation on their website for years, and I have never attempted to have it removed largely because the wisdom of many dioceses has been that we only look bad when trying to take them on. It has never been a problem for me, and I am certain that there would be no issue if the people who are so upset would read the thesis rather then the Rent a Priest website. They should consider their source!
Watching this again, it almost looks like ancient history. Were we ever that carefree?
But it's a nice summer spritzer that actually echoes a familiar theme of the gospels: "Be not afraid." (I'm not sure this is quite what Pope John Paul had in mind when he made that theme so central to his papacy...)
It also features one of my favorite clowns: Bill Irwin, in top hat and tails.
The Anchoress's elegant and eloquent literary voice has long been a force in cyberspace -- and now you can hear the real thing.
Late yesterday, as part of her online retreat (ending tonight) she chanted the vespers of the day. A very good recording is right here. If you visit her page, you can also hear her on the radio, from a chat she did with Msgr. James Lisante. Go. Listen. You'll like.
The Secretary of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People, Msgr. Agostino Marchetto, announced plans for a Continental Conference in October, in Bogotá, Colombia, to discuss the pastoral care for roadways; faced with the incessant increase of danger and traffic accidents.
The prelate spoke with the Italian Newspaper L'Osservatore Romano, explaining that "we must be conscious that there is a war on the roadways of the entire world, where everyday, hundreds of people die for many different reasons. Immediate intervention is needed to reduce the number of victims, because it is becoming a real destruction. It will not be easy, but it is a challenge that should be faced with great determination."
At the meeting, the Vatican prelate explained that at the conference, "one day will be devoted to each of the four sub-sectors for which guidance is needed. The first day will be dedicated to road users, truckers, automobile drivers, those who travel by train, and all who work in transportation-related services; the second to women on the streets; the third to children on the streets, and the fourth to the homeless."
In Msgr. Marchetto's opinion, "the most important thing to keep in mind is that the Church is committed to raising awareness and helping people who use the road to gain a sense of responsibility. To decrease traffic accidents, the contribution of the Christian community is necessary. But in addition to the Church; schools, families and institutions must also work to further this cause and work to create respect for applicable laws."
The archbishop continued by denouncing "the scary statistics we hear on the television and read in the daily newspapers that demonstrate a lack of respect for life. That is why we have called this summit in October in Bogotá: to look for a way to confront the problem. It will begin with the Continental Conference and will later focus on the parish and diocesan environments. Another important topic tied to the street is that of children being forced to beg or rummage through garbage."
This is just too good to resist. Hot on the heels of the kerfuffle about using the name YAHWEH in liturgy, I stumbled on this gorgeous rendition of "You Are Near." Watch. Listen. It's lovely. And the sign language interpretation is just pure poetry.
Maryknoll Father Roy Bourgeois will meet Aug. 18 with the three members of his order's General Council to discuss his participation in a recent ceremony sponsored by Roman Catholic Womenpriests.
The Aug. 9 ceremony involved what Roman Catholic Womenpriests considers the ordination of Janice Sevre-Duszynska to the priesthood.
The organization, which is not recognized by the church, has sponsored numerous ceremonies since 2002 involving reported ordinations of women deacons, priests and bishops. These ceremonies have led to the excommunications of all involved because women cannot be ordained Catholic priests.
Father Bourgeois, an internationally known peace and justice advocate, confirmed he will meet with Maryknoll's general superior, Father John Sivalon, and the two other members of the order's council.
The priest told Catholic News Service from his Columbus, Ga., home Aug. 14 that his participation in the ceremony at a Unitarian Universalist church in Lexington, Ky., followed a period of reflection after he received an invitation from Sevre-Duszynska, a longtime friend.
"In conscience I felt I had to be there," he said.
"I see (my participation) connected in a real way in my work for justice in Latin America, speaking out against the war in Iraq and connected to the injustice in my church here at home," added Father Bourgeois, who is best known for his 19-year effort to close a U.S. Army school at Fort Benning, Ga., that trains soldiers from throughout Latin America.
"Who are we as men to say to Janice and these other women that we are called but not you?" asked the priest. "This is a big issue for me. I feel we are tampering with the sacred, that we are in a way overwriting God's call. Who are we to say that our call as men is valid, your call as women is not valid?
"I've come to the realization that women could be ordained in our Catholic Church," he said.
He acknowledged that he has placed his 36-year ministry as a priest in jeopardy by participating in the ceremony. At the same time, he expressed hope that the council will continue to support him once his views are discussed.
"I don't want to leave (the order)," he said. "But I do believe in this issue enough that I cannot be silent."
Father Bourgeois, 69, said that during the event he concelebrated the liturgy and delivered the homily. He also said he laid hands on Sevre-Duszynska, 58, during what traditionally would be the rite of ordination.
Betsey Guest, community outreach coordinator for the Maryknoll order, which has its headquarters in Maryknoll, N.Y., said the members of the order's General Council learned of Father Bourgeois' participation in the ceremony through media reports.
"They were not consulted prior to his participation, nor would they have condoned it," she said.
Reports that Cardinal Edward M. Egan of New York intervened in asking the order to meet with Father Bourgeois were erroneous, she said.
"It was the General Council that has asked him to come back as one of their brother priests to understand from him the facts behind his thinking," Guest said.
One of the most interesting evangelicals these days is Joel Hunter, senior pastor at Northland Church in Florida. He does not consider himself a part of the religious left. He's a registered Republican, strongly anti-abortion, author of "A New Kind of Conservative," and even spent about ten minutes as president-elect of the Christian Coalition.
I was therefore a bit surprised when he mentioned during our chat this week that he's been asked by the Obama campaign to deliver the closing prayer at the Democratic convention. He said yes.
The next surprise was his suggestion that Democrats "could arguably steal the title of the pro life party."
Huh? How is that possible? Obama is just as pro-choice as any other Democratic nominee; critics say he's the most pro-choice candidate ever. Hunter makes a practical argument: providing women with economic help in carrying babies to term can actually reduce the number of abortions more, and more quickly, than focusing on overturning Roe v. Wade. "With eight years of Bush the abortion rates have not declined. Every indication is that with financial support and different forms of supporting pregnant mother and then some post birth help also we could come close to 50% reduction in abortions. That's huge. That's huge."
// snip //
He's pessimistic that the Democratic Party would go far enough to really take advantage of the opportunity, though he does think the new platform took a step in the right direction. He was consulted by the Obama campaign, and believes that on balance "philosophically this is a huge move" because it put the party on record supporting certain abortion reduction measures such as maternal health and adoption support. (For the case against the plank as being a substantial move, click here) But those advocating for a larger push to the center "had to go up against the status quo - very strong and well financed voices," meaning pro-choice feminists.
This is a shame for Obama, he says, because abortion is the number one issue keeping evangelicals from embracing him. They keep hearing he supports "infanticide" and partial birth abortion. If Obama came out forcefully for an abortion reduction agenda - even one that emphasizes support for women rather than legal restrictions -- that "would go a very long way in establishing trust with evangelicals. That would huge."
Democrats have an opportunity with evangelicals in part because these Christians feel they were "used" by Republicans. Interestingly, it wasn't Bush administration policies on abortion that first ruptured the trust between Christians and the Republican Party. It was Iraq. "People are saying wait a minute, what else did we think was going to go right that didn't go right? There's kind of a ripple effect of disillusionment." Anger over Iraq created a political opening on abortion.
Every year when we encounter this gospel reading on this feast, I’m struck that Mary is on a journey. The excerpt from Luke begins and ends with her traveling – embarking, really, on the greatest adventure in human history. Pope Benedict has described this moment, the Visitation, as the “first Eucharistic procession,” with Mary carrying Christ out into the world in her womb.
As I speak this morning, another remarkable procession is underway, in Poland. It is the annual pilgrimage that hundreds of soldiers make every year from Warsaw to Czestochowa. They walk nearly 200 miles on foot, joined by hundreds of pilgrims, to pay homage to the famous Black Madonna, Our Lady of Czestochowa.
The mysterious icon with the dark skin is so old, one tradition holds that it was painted by St. Luke himself – the author of the gospel we just heard. The Black Madonna has been considered a great protector and patron of soldiers for centuries. And once again, men are marching to offer their prayers and petitions.
This year, five Americans soldiers from the Illinois National Guard are part of that march. I was surprised to read that only one of them is Catholic. The others are taking part, they said, to show solidarity with the European soldiers, and to express appreciation for Poland’s support in Iraq and Afghanistan. They also know they are taking part in a unique tradition, one that has been going on for hundreds of years around the feast of the Assumption.
That march, and this gospel reading today, remind us of something we easily forget: we are all pilgrims. One of the documents of the second Vatican council even described us as “the pilgrim people of God.” We are on a journey, guided by faith, sustained by hope, with the gospel as our guide and the Eucharist to give us strength.
And as this gospel reminds us, another pilgrim on that journey -- a trip that transcends time and place -- is Mary.
Her earthly pilgrimage took her to places she never imagined. From Nazareth, to Bethlehem, to Cana, to Calvary. Hers was a life like no other in history. And the feast we celebrate this day marks the conclusion of it. It is our way of honoring and remembering how her journey here came to a close. But that wasn’t really the end. Because it continues, in heaven, where she was assumed, body and soul.
In Luke’s gospel, she announced to the world that her soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord. And her soul continues its song, even now. A song of joy, and wonder, and gratitude. A never-ending hymn of hope.
This day, in this parish, we also begin a kind of pilgrimage, a 30 day journey that ends with our parish feast on September 15th -- Our Lady of Sorrows, Our Lady Queen of Martyrs. These two feasts could be seen as bookends, one today celebrating the completion of Mary’s mission on earth; the other, next month, honoring all that her mission entailed.
So we ask her on this feast to join us on our own mission, our own pilgrimage through life – to uplift us, to encourage us, to walk with us. This most blessed of all women knows our struggles, our sufferings, our limitations. She lived with them herself. Yes, she was holy. But she was also human.
And, like us, she was in a hurry. In a few minutes, we’ll all be rushing out the door, heading to the subway, getting in the car, going on to our jobs or our homes. But before we do that, we pause. And we pray. We pray for Mary’s companionship and support as we ourselves “set out in haste” to all the places we need to be. We turn our hearts to this woman “full of grace,” imploring her to “pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death.”
Today marks the feast of one of the great martyrs of the last century, Maximilian Kolbe. And, fittingly, The Anchoress offers us -- as part of her ongoing online retreat -- some reflections on sacrifice. Giving more than you ever imagined. Surrendering everything.
“Courage, my sons. Don’t you see that we are leaving on a mission? They pay our fare in the bargain. What a piece of good luck! The thing to do now is to pray well in order to win as many souls as possible. Let us, then, tell the Blessed Virgin that we are content, and that she can do with us anything she wishes.”
Visit The Anchoress for more on his life and death -- and to reflect on what it means to really give to the max.
When I looked over the proposed new language about abortion in the Democratic party platform, I shrugged. That's it? Is that the best they could do? The plank still "strongly and unequivocally" endorses Roe v. Wade and the right to a "safe, legal" abortion. The rest, it seems to me, is window dressing.
But others found a lot to like, as various reports have indicated. Some of the swooning can be read here:
The Democratic Party remains staunchly behind a woman’s right to choose an abortion.
But the platform statement on the issue that will be adopted at the party’s presidential nominating convention in Denver later this month has been well received by some pro-life Christians, who applaud its emphasis on abortion reduction.
On a conference call Tuesday with journalists, several leading evangelical and Catholic activists welcomed the stress on abortion reduction as the “common ground” between those who support abortion rights and those who oppose them (camps which describe themselves as pro-choice and pro-life).
A draft of the platform circulating last week — which insiders say has had few changes — said “The Democratic Party strongly and unequivocally supports Roe v. Wade (the 1973 Supreme Court ruling granting women a constitutional right to abortion) and a woman’s right to choose a safe and legal abortion.”
But it also recognized the role of health care, education and “caring adoption programs” in reducing “the need for abortions.”
The language seems to be more of a change of emphasis than a radical change from past positions.
But it does strike a chord with some centrist evangelicals and Catholics who feel the pro-life and Republican Party aim of overturning Roe V. Wade has been futile and has not reduced abortions or offered support to low income women who may choose to terminate their pregnancies for economic reasons.
Joel Hunter, a prominent evangelical mega-pastor from Florida who describes himself as a “completely pro-life” conservative Christian and registered Republican, hailed the shift in emphasis as “courageous and historic.”
Jim Wallis, a leading figure on the religious left, said he saw it as “sorely needed common ground.”
“We could truly make reducing the abortion rate in America a non-partisan issue and a bipartisan cause. It is a common-sense approach,” he said in an earlier statement.
Chris Korzen, executive director of Catholics United, also welcomed the move.
Their positive reaction to the platform’s language points to a broader shift among U.S. evangelical and other Christian movements to a wider “agenda of life” that includes a helping hand to the poor.
Not everyone in the anti-abortion rights camp is happy with the language. For many conservative Christians abortion is the taking of an innocent life, period.
Tom McClusky, the vice-president of government affairs at the Family Research Council, a conservative lobby group with strong evangelical ties, told Reuters that he didn’t really see how the Democratic Party’s take on the question had changed.
Abortion remains one of the most divisive and emotive issues in U.S. politics and it is a divide that has tended to follow partisan fault lines.
You can also read a more detailed discussion of the issues, from some of those who participated in that conference call, at this link. And the editor of Beliefnet, Steve Waldman, isn't terribly impressed.
Frankly, I don't see a lot of moral courage -- or any kind of courage -- in the abortion plank. And I don't see any meaningful change that endorses life, either. But that's me. Obviously, others disagree.
If you have a few minutes -- or more -- visit this site, Days With My Father. It's brilliant, and brave, and brutally honest. It's also unexpectedly beautiful, in every way that you can imagine. It will lift your heart, and then break it.
It's one young man's photographic journal of his father's last days, as he slowly loses his mind, his health, and his reason to live. It's full of small but compelling details -- a toothbrush in a glass, a notebook on a table -- that speak volumes without uttering a word. And the son's accompanying text is spare and haunting.
The result is Ingmar Bergman crossed with Dorothea Lange, with a dash of Job. And it's stunning.
This is life -- glorious, hopeful, hurtful, limited life. Visit and see what you think.
While the world watches in fascination the Olympics in Beijing, Asia News has taken a moment to remind us of the original Chinese champion, who gained fame more recently from the movie "Chariots of Fire." (Okay now: everyone start humming the theme...da dum da dee dum dum...)
Take a look:
Not everyone may know that the first "Chinese" athlete to win an Olympic medal was a Scotsman born in China. He was Eric Liddell, the son of Presbyterian missionaries, born in Tianjin in 1902. After his Olympic victory in 1924 in Paris - which inspired the film "Chariots of Fire" - Liddell (whose Chinese name is Li Airui) returned to China, where he worked as a Presbyterian missionary, until his death in a Japanese prison camp in 1945.
Liddell remained in China until the was five years old, then moved to Scotland, where he studied near Edinburg. He became a great athlete (cricket, rugby, and running), and participated in the Paris Olympics in 1924. But since the 100 meter race - in which he would have made his best time - was scheduled for a Sunday, he declined to participate, because of his strict and solid religious upbringing.
According to some witnesses, it seems that the king of England himself tried to convince him to compete, in the name of "national pride", but he declined because "the commandments of God come before national honor. I will not run on Sunday".
Liddell trained for the 400 meter race, which he won with a record time of 47.6 seconds, receiving the gold medal.
After his victory, he received a degree in science and returned to Tianjin as a teacher, first in the Anglo-Chinese school, and then in a school for the poor.
In 1941, when war was already underway between China and Japan, he sent his wife and daughters to Canada because of the danger, but remained in China himself to teach in Shaochang. In 1943, Shaochang was conquered by the Japanese, and Liddell was interned in a camp in Weifang, where he tried to help the elderly and sick, and taught children.
Eric Liddell died on February 21, 1945. A few months earlier, prime minister Winston Churchill obtained the liberation of some of the prisoners, and the famous athlete should have been one of them, but he gave up his place to a pregnant prisoner.
Looking ahead to this Sunday, and preparing my homily, I have been re-reading the story of Canaanite woman. The episode has many facets, but what strikes me, again and again, is this woman's brave persistence and perseverance. (You'll have to wait until Sunday to see what I'm able to do with that...I'm sort of curious to find out myself!)
Meantime, over at her online retreat, The Anchoress has posted a reflection from Your Humble Blogger on this same subject, pulled from my own life and an essay that I published a couple years ago:
One weekend last month, my wife and I flew down to Maryland, rented a car, drove to a community college and spent an hour in a darkened recital hall while my mother-in-law did something brilliant and brave.
She played the piano.
After decades of raising children, driving carpools, attending soccer games, and making endless meals in a busy kitchen, she looked around at her empty nest, and her cheerfully retired husband, and decided: “I want to do something I’ve always wanted to do. I want to learn how to play the piano.”
That was two years ago. She was sixty-five years old.
Last month, she gave her first recital. She was the oldest on the concert stage that afternoon; most of her fellow musicians were a half a century or so younger than she was. But that didn’t seem to matter. All that mattered was her music, and her determination.
When her time came to play, she adjusted the piano bench, unfolded her sheet music, and sat down, fingers poised over the keys. She took a breath. And she began to play. It was a comforting and familiar tune: Brahms’ Lullaby.
The performance was brief. At one point, she hit a wrong note and stopped. I thought maybe she was embarrassed. But no: she clenched her little fists, and scolded herself, then unfolded her fingers and continued. She attacked the keyboard with renewed purpose, a kind of delicate vengeance. The rest of the piece was perfect.
She stood and bowed. We clapped. My mother-in-law beamed. She had done it.
I never studied music when I was growing up. I know a lot of people who did, and hated it. Some hated the lessons. Others hated the practice. A few faced the concert stage with white-hot terror. The fear of failure was tremendous and, for some, overwhelming. I know my mother-in-law was anxious about her first recital— but I also know that she gave all of us that day a valuable and enduring gift.
For two minutes, with eighty-eight keys and ten fingers, she showed us how life is meant to be lived. We follow the score. We practice. We learn. We make mistakes. We struggle to get it right, and continue on, despite whatever blunders we make, or whatever wrong notes we strike. We face whatever fears we have—failure, embarrassment, awkwardness—and play on. And so it goes, note by note, in search of melody, in search of rhythm, in search of harmony. Sometimes it is beautiful.
Sometimes it isn’t.
But we play on.
You can read more, plus all the other entries for the retreat, over at The Anchoress. Stop by. Read. Pray. Listen. It's time well-spent. (If I do say so myself...)
This comes from the Austin American-Statesman in Texas:
Phaedra Taylor abstained from sex until marriage. But she began researching birth control methods before she was even engaged, and by the time she married David Taylor, she was already charting her fertility.
Taylor, a fresh-faced 28-year-old who would blend in easily with South Austin bohemians, ruled out taking birth control pills after reading a book that claimed the pill could, in some cases, make the uterus uninhabitable after conception occurred. She viewed that as abortion, which she opposes.
"I just wasn't willing to risk it," she said.
Taylor wanted her faith to guide her sexual and reproductive decisions after marriage. Natural family planning felt like the best way to honor God, she said.
The Taylors are one of several couples at Hope Chapel — a nondenominational church where David Taylor, 36, was the arts minister for 12 years — who practice natural family planning. Christian scholars say they may reflect a growing trend among non-Catholic Christians who are increasingly seeking out natural alternatives to artificial contraception.
Natural family planning is frequently dismissed by Protestants as an outmoded Catholic practice that most Catholics don't even follow anymore. But 40 years after Pope Paul VI released Humanae Vitae, the document outlining the church's position on marital sex and procreation, the method and the theology behind it are earning respect among some young Protestants, according to Christian scholars.
The 1968 papal encyclical explains the church's interpretation of the moral and natural laws, which includes a prohibition against artificial contraception but allows couples who want to plan their children to "take advantage of the natural cycles immanent in the reproductive system and engage in marital intercourse ... during those times that are infertile."
This approach, for years known as the rhythm method because it relied on a calendar to track a woman's ovulation based on past cycles, underwent improvements over the years, becoming a more reliable system known as natural family planning.
The natural family planning movement among Protestants is difficult to quantify, but there appears to be growing interest, said the Rev. Amy Laura Hall, a Methodist minister and associate professor at Duke Divinity School. Because she's one of the few Protestant scholars writing about reproductive issues — her latest book is called "Conceiving Parenthood" — Hall frequently fields questions from Christians about family planning at conferences and by e-mail.
She said they ask questions like whether it's truly Christian to be preoccupied with finances and getting children into the right schools rather than welcoming children as gifts on loan from God — even if they don't fit into the parents' ideal life plan.
Alexis Dobson, an instructor with the Fertility Care Center of Central Texas, said she's noticed more people who say they are Protestants enrolling in classes, joining the standard flock of Catholic couples required to take at least one class to have a church wedding. Dobson has worked with the Taylors and other couples from Hope, helping them not only avoid pregnancy but achieve conception as well.
Usually, she says, women hear about the method from a friend. That's how it happened for Katie Fox, 31, another Hope Chapel member. After learning about the method from an acquaintance, she researched her options.
Before getting married, she took the pill to regulate her menstrual cycle, but she said it had negative side effects. Other forms of birth control such as condoms didn't appeal to her. When she got married, she and her husband used natural family planning.
Failure rates can be as low as 1 percent but can rise to as high as 25 percent when people do not follow the method perfectly, experts say.
Fox was raised Catholic but said her mother didn't agree with the church's stance on contraception. Only after she became an adult and left Catholicism did she begin to appreciate that part of church teaching, she said.
"I feel like it really works in harmony with the way that God designed our bodies to work," she said. "In contrast with the pill, which works by altering and suppressing our natural systems, NFP works by supporting those systems in harmony with their functions. It goes with the flow, so to speak. There is a wisdom and a rightness to that which I really appreciate."
She now is a nondenominational Christian and has a 1-year-old daughter. The method worked, she said, until she and her husband got lazy one month and had sex during Fox's fertile period. But the pregnancy, she said, helped remind them that God was ultimately in charge.
A Catholic mother is making news this week out on Long Island, for refusing to have her son vaccinated. A deacon friend and classmate sent this my way, and it's an eye-opener.
A Bayport mother has asked the Bayport-Blue Point Board of Education to allow her son to enter the sixth grade without being immunized, saying that vaccinations are against her religious beliefs.
Rita Palma has requested a religious exemption from the James Wilson Young Middle School for her son, Jakob, 11, who will enter the sixth grade in September.
"I'm pro-choice," Palma said Tuesday night during a school board meeting, "and my choice is to keep my body and my soul and the bodies and souls of my children clean."
The board did not make a decision Tuesday night.
"Vaccinations represent fear, anxiety and mistrust in God," Palma, a Catholic, said in a letter to school officials. "Mankind states that if we do not vaccinate our child he/she may become sick and die. Mankind also states that an unvaccinated child may cause others to become sick and die. This principle contradicts the peace and balance that I seek in my journey to God. It also contradicts the love I feel for mankind as an instrument of Jesus Christ."
The Vatican Curia has expressed concern about the rubella vaccine's embryonic cell origin, saying Catholics have "a grave responsibility to use alternative vaccines and to make a conscientious objection with regard to those which have moral problems." The Vatican concluded, however, that until an alternative becomes available, it is acceptable to use the existing vaccine.
Palma had applied for a waiver for another son, Lucas, now 8, in 2006 when he was entering the first grade, but was denied. She appealed, but the board's decision was upheld by the state Commissioner of Education. She has since had Lucas and another son, Joseph, now 12, immunized, a decision that she said caused her great pain.
Now, she is requesting the waiver for Jakob for the so-called Tdap booster shots. New state health regulations instituted in 2007 require that 11-year-old children receive a vaccination for diphtheria, tetanus and acellular pertussis, also known as whooping cough.
David Cohen, an attorney for the school district, said the district has granted religious exemptions in the past.
"The practice of the board of education has been to meet with the parents, to ask them questions with regard to their religious beliefs," Cohen said.
To enter public schools in New York, children are required to have had certain vaccinations. The two exemptions from these rules are medical, with a physician's letter, and religious.
State Assemb. Marc Alessi (D-Wading River) has introduced a measure to create a philosophical exception to vaccination requirements. "There are different issues surrounding the mandated vaccines program," Alessi said. "As a state, we have to sort through all those questions and answer them."
The Vatican has decided to crack down on one seemingly inoffensive word that crops up in some popular hymns -- and it could soon change what we hear at mass.
In the not-too-distant future, songs such as "You Are Near," "I Will Bless Yahweh" and "Rise, O Yahweh" will no longer be part of the Catholic worship experience in the United States.
At the very least, the songs will be edited to remove the word "Yahweh" -- a name of God that the Vatican has ruled must not "be used or pronounced" in songs and prayers during Catholic Masses.
Bishop Arthur J. Serratelli of Paterson, N.J., chairman of the U.S. bishops' Committee on Divine Worship, announced the new Vatican "directives on the use of 'the name of God' in the sacred liturgy" in an Aug. 8 letter to his fellow bishops.
He said the directives would not "force any changes to official liturgical texts" or to the bishops' current missal translation project but would likely have "some impact on the use of particular pieces of liturgical music in our country as well as in the composition of variable texts such as the general intercessions for the celebration of the Mass and the other sacraments."
John Limb, publisher of OCP in Portland, Ore., said the most popular hymn in the OCP repertoire that would be affected was Dan Schutte's "You Are Near," which begins, "Yahweh, I know you are near."
He estimated that only "a handful" of other OCP hymns use the word "Yahweh," although a search of the OCP Web site turned up about a dozen examples of songs that included the word.
OCP is a nonprofit publisher of liturgical music and worship resources.
Limb said the company would be contacting composers to "ask them to try to come up with alternate language" for their hymns. But he said hymnals for 2009 had already been printed, so the affected hymns would not include the new wording for at least another year.
Even when the new hymnals are out, "it may take time for people to get used to singing something different," he added in an Aug. 11 telephone interview with Catholic News Service.
At the CNS link, there is more background on why this change is being made. Go figure.
Speaking for myself, "You Are Near" remains one of my favorite modern hymns; I even have it on my iPod. (If you aren't familiar with it, the video below has a beautiful rendition of it.) I was happy to hear it played at my in-laws' recent 50th anniversary mass, and it saddens me to think it might be removed from public worship.
There are things seen, and unseen. Energy is seen and unseen, and all around us. God is all around us, too - seen amongst us in each other, and unseen, too. Our state of being - our mindset, our peace, our anxiety - it all affects our perception. When we are too encumbered, too much in our heads, too busy “doing” to simply “be”…we can miss it.
Here in this mid-day, let us take a moment to focus and to breathe, and to reacquaint ourselves with what we “know” amid all we do not know. For all that we can “do,” we cannot make a flea, or a streak of lightening. When our “doing” fails, we can remember that a great deal is at work, a great deal of energy is running about us, and “doing” even as we remain still and quite, allowing ourselves, for a brief time, to simply be.
"To simply be."
It sounds so easy. But as she reminds us, it may be among the hardest things of all. Visit her blog and check out the rest. You'll be glad you did.
This is a pretty amazing piece of news, especially coming from a secular newspaper in Texas: an entire Episcopalian diocese may be preparing to become Catholic.
A delegation of Episcopal priests from Fort Worth paid a visit to Catholic Bishop Kevin Vann earlier this summer, asking for guidance on how their highly conservative diocese might come into "full communion" with the Catholic Church.
Whether that portends a serious move to turn Fort Worth Episcopalians and their churches into Catholics and Catholic churches is a matter of dispute.
The Rev. William Crary, senior rector of the Fort Worth diocese, confirmed that on June 16 he and three other priests met with Bishop Vann, leader of the Fort Worth Catholic diocese, and presented him a document that is highly critical of the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion.
The document states that the overwhelming majority of Episcopal clergy in the Fort Worth diocese favor pursuing an "active plan" to bring the diocese into full communion with the Catholic Church.
While declining to specify what that might mean, Mr. Crary said it likely would not mean "absorption" by the Catholic Church.
He cast the initiative as following Anglican and Catholic leaders in longstanding efforts to bring the two groups into greater cooperation, with the ultimate goal of honoring Jesus' call in John 17:21 for Christian unity.
"These discussions between the Roman Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion have been going on for 42 years," he said. "We would like to bring these down to the local level."
But other local Episcopalians interpret the meeting and document differently.
"There's a very serious attempt on the part of Episcopal clergy in the Diocese of Forth Worth to petition Rome for some kind of recognition," said the Rev. Courtland Moore, who is retired as rector of St. Alban's Episcopal Church in Arlington.
"They make it clear that they no longer believe there is truth in the Anglican Communion, and the only way they can find truth is reunion with Rome."
Check out the link for more. And let's continue to pray "that all may be one."
We find out in the opening scene that he had tried to purchase what we will later learn was his childhood home. It was the last place he remembered being happy. That was obviously a long time ago. For this man we meet in the beginning of this truly good film has had the life sucked out of him. All that is left is a hollow shell. Unable to purchase the home he wanted he settles instead for a dark and desolate one down the road. He tells the Realtor to offer the sellers what they asked for, even against her protests. When she later comes to visit Henry who was lying both unshaven and drunk in the back yard of the dreary home, she explains that she had it painted and re-stuccoed at no cost to him. Henry chides her, telling her that she should not have done it because “I won’t be here for long”. In addition, he points out that the stucco job was done poorly because there is a water stain on the corner of the back wall. It is that stain which becomes the intriguing symbolic center of this film.
Through the Realtor, the whole neighborhood would soon hear that their new neighbor won’t be there long. They will not leave him alone with kindness and concern. First to enter into the stark, dreary and gritty world of Henry Poole is “Esperanza”, played with brilliance by Adrianna Barrazza. She brings her new neighbor Tamales and attempts to see inside the home. At first the viewer believes it is just nosiness. However, it is much more. She is also the first to discover an Image in that water stain which she asserts is the “face of God”, the face of Christ. Henry of course thinks the claim to be an utter absurdity. Just what it is and how people respond to the image on the wall becomes the recurring symbolic center for this marvelous film about love, hope, and redemption.
Sadly, some of the reviews I have read about this film get stuck on the image on the Wall of the house. I think that in so doing, they reveal both a shallow analysis and a possible animus against anything which even smacks of religion in an increasingly secularized and hostile cultural environment. We have all seen the absurd claims of cheet-ohs for sale on E-Bay allegedly in the shape of a crucifix.Sadly such nonsense has also tended to close our eyes to the wonders of faith in an age which has lost its way. This film is not so much about the image on the wall as it is about the Image of God in each one of the major characters. It is these well developed characters who reveal for the viewers a mirror into our own lives and our own disordered attitudes. They also help to reveal the true miracle presented in this film -that of our capacity to love and to draw one another out of despair and back to life through offering hope. When we move out of our self centeredness, and through faith and hope practice authentic care and concern for our neighbor, we find the Image restored in each one of us.
I can't wait to see it myself. And the soundtrack sounds great, too.
With the shrinking number of priests, more men are being encouraged to keep working...and working...and working. My own pastor is 72. It's not uncommon to find others in their mid-70s. And it's rare to find a priest in my diocese under the age of 60.
And Florida -- where there are a lot of retirees -- doesn't have too many retirees who are priests. They're going strong into their 70s, and beyond. The Sun-Sentinel reports:
By the time they reach 65, most people have been thinking about retirement for years, even decades.
Not the Rev. Frederick Brice. At 80, he is still the pastor of St. Paul the Apostle Church in Lighthouse Point. He said he has not even considered slowing down.
"I am ready and willing to keep going as long as the archbishop will have me," Brice said.
Brice said he knows why the Archdiocese of Miami still needs him: the national priest shortage, which compels church leaders to keep their oldest priests working past what most Americans would consider a reasonable age to retire. At the same time, a burgeoning number of priests are hitting retirement age. And some church observers say the church needs a plan to replace these aging men as the number of Roman Catholics increases. The Catholic population of the United States has grown steadily since 1965, from 45.6 million to 64.1 million this year. There are 1.3 million Catholics in the Archdiocese of Miami and 278,674 in the Diocese of Palm Beach.
Priests are eligible to retire at 65 with their bishops' permission; at 75, they may submit their resignations, although their bishops still may ask them to keep working. Canon law requires bishops to retire at 75.
About a third of the 79 priests in the Diocese of Palm Beach and the 192 in the Archdiocese of Miami are over age 60. By comparison, about 9 percent of the U.S. work force are senior citizens. A level as high as the church's might panic leaders in the business community. But leaders of the Archdiocese of Miami say they believe their aggressive recruitment efforts could stem the retirement tide.
The Rev. Manny Alvarez, the archdiocese's vocations director, said he thinks often of the looming retirements. He said he has redoubled his recruitment efforts in the past few years, with Internet campaigns and posters in parishes, because he knows there are 70 priests in the archdiocese's 120 parishes and ministries who could retire in the near future.
"We have no idea how many of our senior priests will be active in the next five to 10 years," Alvarez said. "One of the most difficult decisions is telling a priest when it's time to retire, because it's not just a job; it's your whole life."
Seven men were ordained permanent deacons July 26 at St. Peter Cathedral in Belleville in a more than two and a half hour event that filled the cathedral not only with beautiful music, but, according to the new deacons, with the Holy Spirit that filled them with gratitude and peace.
“I was so in awe of everything, very nervous, and like my brother deacons, felt the Holy Spirit upon me,” Deacon Arthur Hampton said.
Deacon Dennis Vander Ven said: “I felt a special closeness with the Holy Spirit during the moment of ordination, when, in silence, Bishop (Edward K.) Braxton placed his hands on my head. It is a moment that I will always remember. I live in hope that this closeness will always be with me.”
“During the Rite of Ordination, Bishop Braxton placed his hands on the head of each man,” Deacon Rich Bagby said. As he “imposed his hands on my head, I could feel the Holy Spirit infusing me, flooding me with a warm, loving, soulful embrace. I knew at that moment that all the training, prayer, and preparation had led me to accept willingly this blessed moment.”
Feeling the moment as “most profound,” Deacon Steve Pautler expressed it this way: “One of the most moving parts of the ceremony was the Laying on of Hands. This is really the most solemn moment of the Rite of Ordination. Bishop Braxton ordained each of us by placing his hands on our heads and invoking the Holy Spirit. I can’t imagine a more profound,and especially humbling experience than this.
During the rite, the seven men lay prostrate on the floor of the sanctuary while the Litany of the Saints was sung.
What were they thinking as they listened while laying on the floor?
As he lay on the floor during the Litany, Deacon Linus Klostermann thought of the Holy Spirit “nudging me forward. This journey to the diaconate has been a happy one; the tasks, the time, the struggles have all led to an inner peace, closeness to God. I know that God has called me and now I can better appreciate and understand the words from scripture that says, Lord you have given me a task that is easy, a burden that is light. It was a wonderful experience, laying there as if alone in the presence of God.”
For Deacon Vander Ven: “As I lay prostrate, I allowed myself to be with the entire community of the saints, where I felt a love and an acceptance. … It was a moving experience for me.”
For Deacon Hampton, “I felt all the anxiety and fear float away and this calm came over me. Hearing their names was like each saint speaking to me and blessing me.”
The deacons’ wives, who have accompanied them on this journey to ordination, experienced their own emotions as well.
“As I reflect on the ordination celebration, I am so grateful to God for the encouragement, prayers and support of all our family members, friends and parishioners who continue to share in our ministry and faith journey. We are truly blessed,” Sue Klostermann said.
All of the women who commented said they believed this was where the Holy Spirit was leading all of them.
Deacon Steven Pautler seemed to sum up the mood of the deacons and those attending the ordination: “The grace of God flowed on everyone there, not just those of us becoming deacons,” he said.
You can read more about the new deacons at this link.
Blessings, and congratulations, one and all! Welcome!
Just in time for an important Marian feast -- the Assumption -- a large group of soldiers is on the march, headed toward a famous shrine devoted to Mary.
Amazingly, most of the Americans on this little pilgrimage aren't even Catholic.
Hundreds of soldiers in camouflage set off Tuesday on a 10-day march to Poland's holiest Roman Catholic shrine — among them five Americans hoping to deepen ties with an ally.
Five members of the Illinois National Guard traveled to Poland to make the 180-mile (290-kilometer) trek on foot — alongside Poles, Germans and other Europeans — from Warsaw to Czestochowa, site of the revered Black Madonna icon.
Though the 300-year-old pilgrimage has deep religious and patriotic resonance in mainly Catholic Poland, the main purpose of the U.S. contingent, a tradition that has started in recent years, is to show solidarity with Poland — an ally in Iraq and Afghanistan — and other nations.
It's a chance "to come together and share a little bit, and hopefully develop closer bonds with foreign militaries in a non-combat type setting," said Master Sgt. Roman Waldron, 37, from Springfield, Illinois.
Before embarking on the pilgrimage, the pilgrims attended an early morning Mass at the Field Cathedral of the Polish Army, where a priest blessed them with holy water. They were also told to set a moral example and refrain from drinking or smoking during the march.
The Black Madonna — which legend says was painted by St. Luke — was brought to the Jasna Gora monastery in Czestochowa in 1384.
Many miracles have been attributed to the painting, including a 1655 siege during which 70 monks and 180 supporters held off nearly 4,000 soldiers from the Protestant Swedish army and inspired Poles to rise up and throw out the invaders.
Sgt. 1st Class Evan Young, from Rock Island, Illinois, believes the pilgrimage is going to be even more meaningful than he had first imagined.
"Originally when I was given the opportunity I thought it would be kind of a neat way to see Poland, but then I started doing research on the Black Madonna and the siege and I thought it's part of a much bigger thing," said Young, a 45-year-old who grew up Episcopalian.
"It's pretty neat to be taking part in this, and help improve relations with Poland and other countries that are here," he said.
Only one of the five American soldiers is a Catholic. They will sleep in eight-man tents set up along the route by the Polish army.
The soldiers were trailed by thousands of students and other pilgrims in Warsaw, and will eventually join up with thousands more expected to converge on Czestochowa next week, ahead of the August 15 Catholic holy day marking the Assumption of Mary.
Warsaw Archbishop Kazimierz Nycz walked briefly with the group Tuesday.
"This builds brotherhood among soldiers from different countries," he said.
A deacon friend sent me this startling story, about a priest who took part in a ceremony ordaining a woman -- and even delivered the homily:
Maryknoll Fr. Roy Bourgeois, long associated with the cause of Christian non-violence and attempts to close the international school for military training at Fort Benning, Ga., today staked his conscience to a different cause: the ordination of women in the Catholic church.
Bourgeois was a concelebrant and homilist at the ordination of Janice Sevre-Duszynska, a longtime peace activist and advocate of women’s ordination. The ordination occurred Aug. 9 at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Lexington, Ky.
In an interview Aug. 7, two days before the ordination, Bourgeois told NCR that he had thought long and hard about participating after receiving an invitation to the ceremony. “I consulted a lot of friends, I’ve done a lot of discernment, spoken with a lot of women friends. I felt in conscience -- this matter of conscience keeps coming up and I don’t know what other word to use -- if I didn’t attend her ordination, I would have to stop addressing this issue as I do” in speaking engagements at parishes and other Catholic venues around the country.
Though Bourgeois is best known for leading a movement to oppose the training of foreign troops at what once was known as the School of the Americas, he has also long maintained, as a matter of conscience, that women should be ordained. The SOA watch annually draws tens of thousands to Ft. Benning in November for a weekend of teach-ins and demonstrations. The school’s official name was changed in 2001 to the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation.
When questioned, Bourgeois said he knew there could be “serious implications” if he openly participated in a women’s ordination ceremony. While other priests may have attended other women’s ordination ceremonies incognito, a spokesperson for the Women’s Ordination Conference said Bourgeois was the only active male priest to openly participate in such an event.
“For me it seems very right,” he said in the interview. “I would have a problem sleeping at night in the future if I didn’t put my body where my words are.”
In considering the implications, he said, “I don’t know how I could continue to be silent in the church, this is such a big issue for me.
“Over the years and listening to women friends – if one listens, just shuts up and listens to their stories, their faith journey and, in some cases, their call by God to ordination to the priesthood in the Catholic church – there is a problem for us guys in the church. What are we saying? God is calling us but not you? This is heresy. We’re tampering with the sacred here.”
He also speaks about exclusion of women from ordination as discrimination. “We cannot justify discrimination no matter how hard the bishops may try. In the end, it is wrong. It is a sin. That’s how I see it and that’s why I am going to be there Saturday.”
There are more details at the NCR link, along with his homily.
It will be interesting to see what backlash, if any, he receives.
It just may be the most famous -- or infamous -- parish in Missouri, known far beyond the borders of its own archdiocese. And this week, the local paper takes a look at life at St. Stanislaus Kostka -- and puts a sharp focus on the man hired to lead it:
It was just before midnight on Christmas Eve 2005, and the Rev. Marek Bozek was the focus of 2,000 souls crammed in pews or standing on tiptoe in the aisles, straining to see him.
They came to St. Stanislaus Kostka church to be a part of Bozek's first Mass as pastor. He had arrived in St. Louis from Springfield, Mo., thumbing his nose at the Roman Catholic hierarchy and riding to the rescue of fellow Polish countrymen deprived of the Eucharist for more than a year by their archbishop.
For many St. Stanislaus parishioners whose ancestors had built the church just north of downtown, Bozek became a hero.
But more than two years later, Bozek has reshaped the church into a community that would be unrecognizable to those 19th-century founders.
His vision for a reformed Roman Catholic faith calls for supporting female ordination, allowing priests to get married and accepting gay relationships. Bozek's stands have attracted hundreds of new St. Stanislaus parishioners who share the priest's reform-minded vision.
But they have also divided the church, pitting newer members against traditional parishioners unhappy with how far the priest has gone in condemning the Roman Catholic church.
There have also been questions about the priest's trappings. He has negotiated a 143 percent salary hike, moved into a $157,000 Washington Avenue loft and leased a 2008 BMW for $450 per month.
Some parishioners point to another sign that alarmed them: Bozek, while in Poland last year, bought a silver ring custom-made for a bishop there. When he returned, he showed the ring to his parish at a Sunday Mass and spoke about it from the pulpit.
Because it's a bishop's ring and he is only a priest, Bozek says, he has not worn it. But he won't say he never will — he does not rule out the possibility of becoming the leader of what he calls an "underground Roman Catholic" movement.
The three parish leaders who recruited Bozek say they now regret it.
