Religious observers find conflict surfaces early at climate conference
Catholic san Francisco Northern California’s Weekly Catholic Newspaper
(CNS PHOTO/PAUL HARING)
By Dennis Sadowski
Pope Benedict XVI waves from the popemobile as he arrives for a ceremony in honor of Mary near the Spanish Steps in Rome Dec. 8, feast of the Immaculate Conception. See story on page 8.
WASHINGTON (CNS) – The underlying tension between the world’s largest producers of greenhouse gases and small countries quickly surfaced on the first day of the U.N. conference on climate change in Copenhagen, Denmark. In smaller gatherings after Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen opened the conference with the remark that “a deal is within our reach,” the Alliance of Small Island States said it would accept nothing less than a legally binding pact to limit greenhouse gases. A much less demanding but politically appealing agreement would do little to protect its countries from rising sea levels, said the alliance, a coalition of 42 small island nations, low-lying coastal countries and territories. Two officials from the U.S.-based Maryknoll Office of Global Concerns said the position taken by the alliance serves as a call to the world to ensure that developed countries take definitive steps to significantly reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. “The real debate is over a political versus a legally binding document,” Maryknoll Sister Ann Braudis, who co-chairs the U.N. NGO Committee on Sustainable Development, told Catholic News Service in an e-mail. She said the United States, during an afternoon news conference, promised to seek meaningful reductions in greenhouse gas emissions while working to make the expected political agreement a legally binding one. The same day, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced it had determined greenhouse CONFLICT AT CLIMATE CONFERENCE, page 3
Parish-based job support network forming in San Mateo County At least eight parishes in San Mateo County are creating job support networks to give spiritual and technical support to the several thousand members of those communities who organizers say are out of work and generally suffering alone. The goal is for each parish in the Archdiocese of San Francisco’s central San Mateo County deanery to build a cadre of lay volunteers who will be trained to help guide jobless parishioners back to work. The volunteers will be skilled in resume writing, interviewing and networking. The project will be formally announced throughout the deanery in January. The parishes of St. Gregory, Our Lady of Angels, St. Luke, St. Matthew, St. Catherine of Siena, St. Bartholomew, Immaculate Heart of Mary and Our Lady of the Pillar already are in the process of forming groups, and the other parishes in the deanery have expressed interest. Based on a statewide unemployment rate of more than 12 percent, the number of jobless people in each parish ranges from 300 to 500, said St. Bartholomew parishioner Bill Tauskey, an organizer of the project.
Most are struggling alone and are reluctant to seek help. But Tauskey believes many would step forward if they knew that employed Catholics in the community were on hand with swift, credible, professional counseling. “All the parishioners have to reach out to those people who are going around like they have a scarlet letter on them, but they’re not alone,” Tauskey said. Tauskey said that the goal is to have coaches in each parish who can provide local and immediate support to all job seekers regardless of economic level. The coaches will work in teams with other volunteers who will provide such services as practice interviewing. St. Gregory pastor Msgr. Robert McElroy said he has asked 30 members of his parish to be part of the program. “And not a single person has said no,” he said. “People want to help because they know two things: One is they know there are a lot of people they care deeply about who are in the same boat. Secondly, they know that tomorrow they may be in the same boat.” Msgr. McElroy said the program will be open to all parishes in the deanery. Each parish that is involved will set up an e-mail
(PHOTO BY RICK DELVECCHIO/CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO)
By Rick DelVecchio
Bill Tauskey, left, addresses the Wednesday night networking meeting of the St. Bartholomew Parish job support group. account for inquiries and assign a person to monitor messages daily. People seeking help will be referred to volunteers trained to support them with tangible skills. Msgr. McElroy said that although those who suffered financial losses earlier this year are recovering somewhat, the job situation continues to be difficult.
“We’re finding that in this recession, as opposed to earlier ones, lots of people who had their own businesses lost them,” he said. “That’s been a terrific hit, which is distinctive in this recession in my experience, because of the credit crunch. “Second,” he said, “we’re finding with JOB SUPPORT NETWORK, page 9
INSIDE THIS WEEK’S EDITION On the Street . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 News in brief. . . . . . . . . . . 4-5 Advent Season of Sharing . . . 9 Archbishop’s Journal. . . . . . 12 Scripture & reflection. . . . . 14
National Catholic Youth Conference ~ Pages 6-7 ~ December 11, 2009
Voices of peace: Iraqi refugees ~ Page 10 ~
Movie review ‘Up in the Air’ ~ Page 16 ~
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Catholic San Francisco
December 11, 2009
On The Where You Live By Tom Burke
Computer teacher, Victor Flaviani, former principal, Noreen Murphy, pastor, Father Arnold Zamora, and principal, Judy Cosmos at blessing of Holy Name Elementary School’s new Noreen Murphy Technology Center.
San Francisco’s Holy Family Day Home, founded by the Sisters of the Holy Family in 1900 and the City’s oldest early educational childcare center, honored major donors Oct. 22 at its Mission District campus. Among those recognized were Joanne and Pete Murphy of St. Brendan Parish; Mildred Samaha, a lifelong member of St. James Parish; Day Home board member, Philip Marineau, and philanthropist, Diane B. Wilsey. On hand were Holy Family Sisters Gladys Guenther, Ann Maureen Murphy, Michaela O’Connor and Marianne Smith who has served at Holy Family Day Home for 18 years. A donor wall in the shape of a children’s puzzle was unveiled at the event. More than 15,000 children have attended the school in its
Bobby Arenas and Lea Aguilar serve up goodies at St. James school ‘mini-mall.’ Proceeds funded purchase of a ‘smart board.’
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now 109 years. To learn more about Holy Family day Home, visit www.holyfamilydayhome.org.... A salute of the most San Francisco’s Holy Family Day Home held an ambitious type to 5th graders at San Francisco’s St. James appreciation reception for major donors Oct. 22. Elementary School who wanted a Smart Board, also From left: Marie Hurabiell, board president; board known as an interactive whiteboard, and raised the money member, Phil Marineau; executive director, Donna to get one. “It was a first-ever event by one class and the Cahill; and Christine Reed whose granddaughter, smart board is the first for the school,” said St. James prinKayne, attends the school. cipal, Dominican Sister Mary Susanna Vasquez, in a note to this column. “We are very proud.” It was a long way to raising the $1,200 that included sales of cookies, Halloween treats and gear, toys, CDs and candy that took place in the Brady, who was married to Bernard and lived in San classroom converted into a `mini-mall,’ Sister Mary Susanna Francisco,” said Owen of the – gotta’ say it – Brady bunch. said, adding special kudos to teacher. Naomi Ibula. It was The then-future priest wrote the letters while a seminarian the generous hand of pastor, Father Jerry Foley that took at the Capuchin Friars Indiana seminary, Owen said, adding, the fundraiser over the top with a $300 donation…. Holy “Please pray for his conversion.”… This is an empty space Name Elementary School dedicated its new technology without you. Send items via e-mail to burket@sfarchdiocenter to former principal, Noreen Murphy, in ceremonies cese.org and by ground to “Street,” One Peter Yorke Way, at the facility Nov. 4. “I was really pleased to name the San Francisco 94109. Electronic photos should be jpegs new TC after wonderful, beloved, Noreen,” said principal, at 300 dpi. No zip files, please. Hard copy photos are also Judy Cosmos. “It was a really great night.” Noreen, who welcome sent to the Peter Yorke Way address. I can be retired in 2006, served at the helm of the Sunset District reached at (415) 614-5634. school 21 years….. Crop Walk-ers stressed their feet at Lake Merced for the benefit of Communities Responding to Overcome Poverty in October. Schools and parishes taking part included Archbishop Riordan, Stuart Hall, St. Thomas More, St. Ignatius, and Mercy, San Francisco. Thanks to John Albach of Archbishop Riordan for the good news. John said 25 percent of the money raised goes to San Francisco’s Interfaith Winter Shelter Program…. Thanks to the Brady Family of St. Thomas the Apostle Parish for sharing information about their great-uncle, Capuchin Father Solanus Casey, now on Flanked by Archbishop Riordan High School’s John Albach, left, and Stuart his way to sainthood and featured Hall High School’s, Raymond O’Connor, are Crop Walk participants, standing recently in a vocations section of from left, Ivan Balarin, Jim McGarry, faculty, Mercy High School, San Francisco; Catholic San Francisco, (Oct. 9, Owen Dayton, Chris Kees, Alejandro Sanchez, Ben Lloyd, and Remington Cox 2009) “Father Solanus wrote to with, kneeling from left, Harry Conrad, Keefe Tankeh, and Felix Suddereth. my grandmother, Grace Casey
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Conflict at climate conference . . . gases are endangering people’s lives and must be regulated. The announcement was timed to send a message to the U.N. conference that the White House was ready to act on global warming even without congressional action. Sister Ann’s Washington-based colleague, Kathy McNeely, told CNS in a telephone interview that the broad network of faith-based nongovernmental organizations on hand in Copenhagen, including Caritas Internationalis and the Catholic International Cooperation for Development and Solidarity, are taking the opportunity to press the need for a legally binding climate agreement because the future of the world’s poorest nations is at stake. “Our message is a moral message,” McNeely said. “The United States has very smart people negotiating for them as do some of the other countries of the North, and they should be able to figure out how to best protect the most vulnerable countries.” More than 100 world leaders were expected at the twoweek summit, driving hope that a significant deal could be reached to replace the existing U.N. Kyoto Protocol that limits carbon-based emissions. The protocol runs through 2012. U.S. President Barack Obama was planning to join the conference on its final day, Dec. 18. Nearly three dozen representatives of Catholic aid and development organizations were in Copenhagen to deliver a common message: action must be taken immediately to ease the impact of global climate change on poor and vulnerable people because they already are being adversely affected by drought, flooding and rising sea levels brought on in part by the high levels of greenhouse gas emissions from more developed countries. Before the world gathering, religious leaders offered their prayers and called for responsible actions on behalf of the earth. Pope Benedict XVI, speaking at his noon blessing at the Vatican Dec. 6, said protection of the environment requires more sober lifestyles and a rediscovery of the “moral dimension” of development. He also said he hoped the Copenhagen conference would identify policies that “respect creation and promote a cooperative development founded on the
(CNS PHOTO/BOB STRONG, REUTERS)
n Continued cover
dignity of the human person and oriented toward the common good.” “The protection of creation demands the adoption of lifestyles that are sober and responsible, especially toward the poor and future generations,” the pope said. At an ecumenical prayer service in London, Archbishop Vincent Nichols of Westminster said the needs of the world’s poorest and most disadvantaged people must be at the center of the worldwide debate on climate change. The archbishop urged people to consider their own lifestyles when thinking about climate change and called upon people to simplify their lives rather than be dominated by the demands of a consumer society. Afterward Archbishop Nichols joined other religious leaders, including Anglican Archbishop Rowan Williams of Canterbury, in a march around central London to call attention to climate-change concerns. Bishop Paul Bui Van Doc of My Tho, Vietnam, urged Catholics in his southern diocese to focus on preserving the natural world. In an Advent letter, he asked people to keep waterways clear of pollution and to conserve energy and water as they go about their daily lives. Bishop Doc, head of the Vietnamese bishops’ doctrinal commission, warned Catholics against damaging the environment for personal gain, reported UCA News, the Asian church news agency. He cited deforestation, the release of toxic waste by local factories and the government-run hydroelectric plants built on rivers in central provinces as causes for concern.
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A large globe featuring an interactive display sits outside the U.N. climate change conference in Copenhagen, Denmark, Dec. 8. More than 100 world leaders were expected at the two-week conference.
Holy Days of Obligation The following solemnities will be observed as Holy days of Obligation in the Archdiocese of San Francisco in 2010. Aug. 15: The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, (Sunday) Dec. 8: The Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Wednesday) Dec. 25: The Nativity of the Lord – Christmas (Saturday) Archbishop George H. Niederauer has determined that, in accord with the practice of neighboring dioceses, the obligation to attend Mass on Jan. 1, 2010, the Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God is dispensed. The Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord is observed on Sunday, May 16, 2010 for our Metropolitan Province as approved by the nation’s bishops and confirmed by the Congregation of Bishops Nov. 1, 2010, the Solemnity of All Saints, falls on a Monday and is not a Holy Day of Obligation. The precept to attend Mass is dispensed when this solemnity falls on a Saturday or a Monday.
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A little goes a long way here. $35 provides a bag of groceries for a family struggling to make ends meet $50 provides 30 homeless men and women with a hot meal $75 pays for an abused woman and child to stay the night in a safe shelter $250 pays for a car repair to keep a bread-winner working $500 helps a struggling family to pay rent and stay in housing for the holidays This holiday season please remember those who struggle without the simple things many of us take for granted. Help us help others. God bless and keep you.
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December 11, 2009
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Recession helping couples to value marriage more WASHINGTON – The economic recession may have a “silver lining� in terms of its effect on U.S. marriages, according to a leading marriage expert. “Judging by divorce trends, many couples appear to be developing a new appreciation for the economic and social support that marriage can provide in tough times,� said W. Bradford Wilcox, director of the National Marriage Project at the University of Virginia, in a report on “Marriage in America: The State of Our Unions 2009.� Wilcox, who also edited the report released Dec. 7, said millions of Americans have adopted what he called “a homegrown bailout strategy� and “are relying on their own marriages and families to weather this economic storm.� As evidence, Wilcox cited a decline in the divorce rates since the economic downturn began in December 2007 from 17.5 per 1,000 married women to 16.9 per 1,000 married women in 2008. He said marriages also have been strengthened by a decision by many couples to shed credit card debt, with Americans decreasing their collective revolving debt by $90 billion in the past year, according to the Federal Reserve Board.
Anti-human trafficking guided by Vatican II WASHINGTON – A bit of the Second Vatican Council is influencing at least one segment of the Washington gov-
ernment scene these days. Ambassador Luis CdeBaca, an Iowa-born Catholic of Mexican descent who runs the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons at the State Department, readily acknowledges that the council’s call to Catholics to engage the world guided his decision to become a civil rights lawyer and eventually to prosecute some of the country’s largest human trafficking cases. That call is especially meaningful, he told Catholic News Service, now that he heads the country’s top office that works to disrupt the criminal networks that promote modern-day slavery and human abuse. CdeBaca, 42, called himself “a Vatican II baby.� “It was very interesting to me,� he said, “especially coming out of law school as a young civil rights lawyer, to really start digging deeper and to realize that Vatican II, if you looked at ‘Gaudium et Spes’ (the council’s Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World) and ... (understand) the real concrete church in the world type of things, wow.�
U.S. soldiers shield themselves from dust as a Chinook CH-47F transport helicopter takes off in Salerno, Afghanistan. During a speech to Army cadets at the U.S. Military Academy Dec. 1 at West Point, N.Y., President Obama said he is sending 30,000 more U.S. troops to Afghanistan by next summer to speed the battle against the Taliban and plans to start bringing some home in early 2011.
D.C. votes for same-sex marriage; archdiocese continues dialogue WASHINGTON – The Washington Archdiocese vowed continued dialogue with the District of Columbia’s City Council to seek “a balance of interests in the legislation� after the council Dec. 1 gave preliminary approval to a bill to legalize same-sex marriage. In an 11-2 vote the council passed the Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Equality Amendment Act of 2009. A required second vote was to take place in the weeks ahead, then the bill was to be sent on to Washington Mayor Adrian Fenty, who has said he will sign it. District laws also are subject to congressional review under the Home Rule Charter. “As the legislation moves forward, the Archdiocese of Washington will continue its dialogue with the council,� Susan Gibbs, NEWS IN BRIEF, page 5
Bishops urge Senate to change abortion provisions in health care bill By Nancy Frazier O’Brien WASHINGTON (CNS) – As a vote neared on a bipartisan abortion amendment to the Senate’s version of health care reform legislation, three leading U.S. bishops said the proposed revision “simply corrects ... grave departures from current federal policy.� In a Dec. 7 letter to senators, the chairmen of three committees of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops threw their support behind an amendment to be offered that day by Sens. Ben Nelson, D-Neb.; Orrin Hatch, R-Utah; Robert Casey, D-Pa.; and five others. The amendment would “keep in place the long-
standing and widely supported federal policy against government funding of health coverage that includes elective abortions,� the bishops said, and is similar to one approved by the House in November before passage of its Affordable Health Care For America Act. “Like that amendment, it does not change the current situation in our country: Abortion is legal and available, but no federal dollars can be used to pay for elective abortions or plans that include elective abortions,� the bishops said. “This amendment does not restrict abortion, or prevent people from buying insurance covering abortion with their own funds,� they added. “It simply ensures that where
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federal funds are involved, people are not required to pay for other people’s abortions.� Along with their letter, the USCCB leaders sent each senator copies of two fact sheets – one on abortion and conscience problems in the Senate health reform bill and the other detailing what the Senate amendment would do. The letter was signed by Bishop William F. Murphy of Rockville Centre, N.Y., chairman of the USCCB Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development; Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo of Galveston-Houston, chairman of the Committee on Pro-Life Activities; and Bishop John C. Wester of Salt Lake City, who heads the Committee on Migration.
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News in brief . . . n Continued from page 4
(CNS PHOTO/REINHARD KRAUSE, REUTERS)
spokeswoman for the archdiocese, said in a Dec. 1 statement. As written, the current legislation would require faith-based social service providers to compromise their religious teachings and beliefs on gay marriage in order to be eligible to partner with the district government in providing social services to Washington residents. The Washington Archdiocese is morally opposed to the bill because it redefines marriage. The church’s opposition is based on the Catholic Church’s teaching that marriage is a permanent union between one man and one woman.
After Philippine massacre, bishops OK martial law
Catholic San Francisco
5
house to bring 105 of the most important, or curious, documents to the public. The coffee-table book, “The Vatican Secret Archives,” was published by VdH Books in Dutch, English, French and Italian. Cardinal Raffaele Farina, the Vatican archivist, wrote in the introduction that he knows popular books and movies love to imply there are deep dark secrets intentionally hidden from public view. But, as Bishop Sergio Pagano, prefect of the archives, explained, the “secret” in the archives’ title comes from the Latin “secretum,” meaning “personal” or “private.” In fact, Pope Leo XIII ordered the archives opened to researchers in 1881, and currently 60 to 80 scholars work there each day, poring over the parchments, ledgers, letters and texts. The new book lets readers see some of the things the academics have seen, including handwritten letters to Pope Pius IX from Abraham Lincoln and from Jefferson Davis. Both letters were written in 1863 while the U.S. Civil War raged on.
COTABATO CITY, Philippines – Bishops in the Women and men hold candles during a vigil to mark the southern Philippines said they would tolerate martial 25th anniversary of the Bhopal gas disaster in Bhopal, India. law for a short time, providing it is not abused, followIn December 1984, the Union Carbide Corp. pesticide plant ing the massacre of 57 people in Maguindanao province. developed a deadly gas leak resulting in 3,000 deaths. Archbishop Orlando Quevedo of Cotabato told the Asian church news agency UCA News that the complex situVATICAN CITY – The divisions and dissent that ation in the province called for extraordinary measures. with Cardinal Sean Brady of Armagh, Northern Ireland, presimarked Brazil’s Catholic community in the 1980s because He expressed hope that military rule would be short and would dent of the Irish bishops’ conference, and Archbishop Diarmuid of differences over liberation theology continue to sap some facilitate justice for victims. President Gloria Macapagal- Martin of Dublin would take place Dec. 11. The spokesman said of the church’s energy, Pope Benedict XVI said. “I beg Arroyo declared martial law Dec. 4 and allowed government the meeting would include the nuncio to Ireland, Archbishop troops to arrest people without court warrants in some areas Giuseppe Leanza, and the heads of several Vatican offices those who still feel in some way attracted by, involved in of Maguindanao. She said it was necessary because “lawless dealing with sex abuse and related issues. The Congregation or deeply touched by certain deceptive principles of liberaelements” had “taken up arms and committed public uprising” for the Doctrine of the Faith, led by U.S. Cardinal William J. tion theology” to study again the documents issued by the against the government and the president. In a Dec. 6 statement, Levada, has a special section that deals with priests accused of Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in the 1980s, the Archbishop Quevedo said human rights must be respected under sexual abuse. The promoter of justice in the Congregation for pope told a group of Brazilian bishops Dec. 5. As prefect of martial law. “We know that even the suspects in the massacre the Doctrine of the Faith, Msgr. Charles Scicluna, handles the the doctrinal congregation at the time, the future pope issued have human rights,” he said. “Therefore, even as justice for the cases brought against allegedly abusive priests. Officials of the two documents praising liberation theology’s concern for victims is to be pursued, it should not be by doing injustice to the congregations for Bishops and for Clergy also were expected the poor and for justice, but condemning a tendency to mix accused.” He told UCA News that the longer martial law remains, to participate. Father Lombardi said the pope wanted to discuss Marxist social analysis and concepts such as “class struggle” “the more chance human rights violations will occur.” and have Vatican officials evaluate the findings of the so-called with religious commitments to end poverty and injustice. Liberation theology originated in Latin American in the Murphy Report, which was released Nov. 26. 1960s and 1970s and started with the concrete situation of the poor and their understanding of the Scriptures as they related to the struggle for freedom from sin and from unjust social structures. Addressing the bishops making their “ad VATICAN CITY – Pope Benedict XVI has asked the president of the Irish bishops’ conference and the archbishop of VATICAN CITY – With millions of documents filling almost limina” visits to Rome, Pope Benedict told the Brazilian Dublin to come to the Vatican to discuss “the painful situation of 53 miles of shelf space, the Vatican Secret Archives obviously bishops that those who call themselves Catholics must the church in Ireland” following a report detailing the church’s still hold some secrets. Despite the aura of mystery surround- always take guidance from tradition, the Scriptures and the failures in addressing clerical sexual abuse. Jesuit Father ing the archives, the Vatican actually encourages academics to teaching authority of the church together. – Catholic News Service Federico Lombardi, Vatican spokesman, said the pope’s meeting research its holdings and has worked with a Belgian publishing
Pope says Brazilian church still divided over liberation theology
Pope calls Irish church leaders to New book features documents Vatican to discuss abuse report from Vatican secret archives
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Catholic San Francisco
December 11, 2009
San Carlos Parish teens attend national youth conference
(CNS PHOTO/SUSAN MCSPADDEN, THE LEAVEN)
what to really expect, and so when we Members of the St. Charles Parish’s finally got to the Conference Center in “Charlie's Angels” high school youth group Kansas City (half asleep, since we had were among 21,000 young people, youth gotten up at 4 a.m.), I was just blown ministry leaders and chaperones who attendaway. I’d been to small “religion/ ed the National Catholic Youth Conference spiritual” camps before, but those were Nov 19-21 in Kansas City, Mo. Also like ants compared to the immensity attending were 250 priests and 38 bishops. of NCYC. I didn’t even grasp the The participating teens donated more than hugeness of what I was part of until the $126,000, an increase of 44 percent from closing Mass on Saturday night. Ever the conference two years ago. The funds go seen 20,000-plus people clap at the to the National Federation of Catholic Youth same time in a cross formation before? Ministry to support scholarships for the 2011 It’s amazing. But out of the three days convention. that I was there, my favorite experience The St. Charles Parish contingent was watching two completely random included Youth Minister Tami Palladino; girls from some youth group run up to Chaperone Joseph Logsdon, Anne Marie one of our guys, Evan, give him giant Palladino, 15, a sophomore at Carlmont hugs, and yell “Jesus loves you!” and High School in Belmont; Irena Haghighi, then run off. That was like the perfect 16, a junior at Sequoia High School in embodiment of what NCYC was about: Redwood City; Janine Penafort, 15, a sophoUnity under Christ. more at Summit High School in Redwood City; Andrew Cook, 15, a sophomore at Andrew Cook: Bellarmine College Preparatory School in For me, NCYC was an eye-opening San Jose; Evan Cotter, 16, a junior at St. Bishop Jaime Soto of Sacramento addresses teens assembled for the experience. It was surprising, but in a Ignatius College Preparatory School in San 2009 National Catholic Youth Conference in Kansas City, Mo., Nov. 21. good way, to see that there were over Francisco; and Ryan Saitta, 15, a sophomore Nearly 21,000 teens, 3,000 adult chaperones and local volunteers 20,000 people who shared the same at Bellarmine. from across the U.S. attended the Nov. 19-21 event. faith as me. And not just adults – kids At the request of Catholic San Francisco, my age who I could actually talk to members of “Charlie’s Angels” high school youth group wrote personal reflections on their experi- end to end, and there were still more people not there yet about stuff. I felt that the trip was way too short. You ences at the National Catholic Youth Conference. as well as on the street parallel to us. I think that really couldn't fully appreciate NCYC in a mere three days. The just hit it home that we were all there for the same thing most memorable, (well two things really) was walking and we all shared a common ground. It was just amazing. around what was called the “reignforest”, which was Irena Haghighi: The main highlight of NCYC for me was when we had Another memory for me was when I met a group of people where all the booths were, and seeing all the people who a Eucharistic procession from the Sprint Center where the from Maryland. We talked, and before I left the leader of were sharing the faith in camps, books, music, lectures, main Mass was held to the Convention Center, where the their group asked if they could pray over me. I cautiously etc. The other was, as we walked from the Sprint Center to activities and group discussions were. And as we were said, “Yes,” because I have never had that done before, the Convention Center, looking both back and ahead, you could see a mass of people that seemed to go on forever, walking in the streets there were just groups of people but it was very sweet and unexpected. and we weren't even in the front. everywhere singing, and beside us was a group praying the rosary out loud. It was amazing to see so many people Ryan Saitta: NCYC was like nothing I could have ever imagined. Janine Penafort: in this one small area doing the same thing, and everyone just looked genuinely into it. I looked around and I saw The few days before we left, I was wondering what it NCYC was such an amazing experience. It was so exactly how HUGE our group was. We filled the street would be like. Never having gone before, I had no idea great to meet people our age from all over the country who were as kooky and devoted to the Church as we are. My favorite part of the trip would have to be when we were standing in the Sprint Center singing, dancing and clapping with Steve Angrisano. The experience of being in an arena with 20,000 other Catholics made me feel the true power and love of Jesus. I think all STAY YOUTH CONFERENCE, page 7
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Youth conference. . . n Continued from page 6
Catholic teens should attend NCYC because it's such an unbelievable event to be a part of. Our God is definitely an awesome God. Anne Marie Palladino: NCYC was very fun. I went two years ago so I knew what it would be like. It was a great experience then, but I felt this time was better because we had a bigger group. We had three girls and three boys plus our chaperones, which I felt was a good number. I loved NCYC because everyone is so friendly and you can be crazy and go up and talk to random strangers at NCYC and say, “Hey where are you from?” or hold up “free hug” signs and get a million hugs from people you don’t even know but are friends with immediately. It’s great to see how many kids have the same faith as you and the same beliefs. I felt this trip really brought me closer to God because I heard so many stories and great talks and I see ways God has influenced so many peoples’ lives. I love the gatherings with thousands of people, that’s always fun. The Mass at the end was great. Hearing so many people sing the songs blew my mind. I think the music throughout the trip was great as well. It touched me and my friends as well, and we were singing the songs the whole time coming home. The last evening prayer time with just our group was another highlight for me. We were all very close by that time and there were no interruptions. I felt really close to God at that moment.
Attending the National Catholic Youth Conference in Kansas City were members of the St. Charles Parish “Charlie’s Angels youth group. Front row: St. Charles Youth Minister Tami Palladino; Anne Marie Palladino, Irena Haghighi, Janine Penafort, Back row: Joseph (J.T.) Logsdon, Andrew Cook, Evan Cotter, and Ryan Saitta.
Joseph (J.T.) Logsdon, young-adult chaperone: None of us are strong enough to live like Jesus alone. When I think back on NCYC, I can gain strength not only from the group I went with, but also the 20,000 other people who were there, even though I may have met less than 1 percent of them. I know they were praying with me. When I need strength again, I can still pray with them even though we are all thousands of miles apart.
morning there was Benediction in Sprint Center followed by one of the most unique experiences of all, when all those thousands of teens processed in prayer and song
Tami Palladino, Youth Minister Our group’s evening prayer sessions revealed that there were many “breakthrough” moments for our teens when they really felt the presence of God and the “call” to live in closer relationship with Jesus. Our whole group went to Reconciliation and afterward to the prayer chapel with Eucharistic Adoration. It was a highlight for all, even though initially there was some hesitation. On Saturday
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Catholic San Francisco
December 11, 2009
obituary
Father Joseph Healy, archdiocesan priest A funeral Mass will be celebrated Dec. 12 at Most Holy Redeemer Church for Father Joseph Healy who died Dec. 4 from respiratory failure at St. Mary’s Medical Center in San Francisco. Father Healy, ordained June 8, 1998, was 65 years of age. Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Father Healy was one of 12 children that included the set of triplets of which he was a part and two sets of twins. His father, James Healy, a steelworker – Pittsburgh has forever been ‘iron city’ – died when Father Healy was three. At the time of his dad’s death, Father Healy’s mom, Rosemarie Conway Healy, was expecting the couple’s twelfth child. The family moved to the home of his maternal grandparents, where they were cared for while his mother was employed as an office manager. At the age of 14, the future Father Healy entered St. Meinrad’s Seminary in Indiana, where he remained for his high school years, and early years of college. Drafted at the age of 21 into the Army he served as a chaplain’s assistant, before being sent to the Central Highlands of South Vietnam as an infantryman. He was discharged with commendations after two years, and moved to San Francisco in 1968. After acquiring his stock broker license, he worked in the financial district for 13 years. Father Healy then earned his Certificate for Alcohol and Drug Counseling, turning his attention to the many in need in San Francisco. By the early 1990s, he was supervisor and program director for several non-profit residential drug and alcohol rehabilitation centers serving substance abusers and the mentally ill. He completed his B.A. in Humanities at the University of San Francisco and at New College of California, and in 1993 was accepted into St. Patrick’s Seminary, one year before his mother’s death. Father Zachary Shore, retired pastor of Most Holy Redeemer Parish, remembered the late priest, from Alma Via residence where he now resides. “Joe was a parishioner when he entered the seminary,� Father
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Shore told Catholic San Francisco. “When he was ordained, he insisted on saying his first Mass here even though we were using the basement as a church during the formal church’s remodeling.� “I always found him to be a very prayerful person who reached out to many in the Castro District and assisted in AIDS programs and helped those affected by Father Joseph Healy drug and alcohol abuse. He really gave of himself to everyone he served.� Father James MacDonald, pastor of St. Pius Parish in Redwood City was pastor of Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in Belmont during Father Healy’s time as a parochial vicar there from 1998 – 2001. “Joe Healy was a truly compassionate and caring priest,� Father MacDonald told Catholic San Francisco, “and helped many troubled people with their problems.� Father MacDonald recalled how Father Healy organized a grief support group at IHM for people having a hard time facing the holidays. “In his short time as a priest, he helped many people grow in faith, hope and love,� Father MacDonald said. Father Healy also served as parochial vicar at St. Robert Church (2004 – 2007), and Most Holy Redeemer Church (2007-2009). Father Healy will be interred at Holy Cross Cemetery in Colma. Remembrances may be made to the Priests’ Retirement Fund of the Archdiocese of San Francisco, One Peter Yorke Way, San Francisco 94109.
ROME (CNS) – The statues, paintings and mosaics of Mary found not only in the churches of Rome, but also in its public squares and on street-corner shrines should help the city’s visitors and residents treat each other with more respect, Pope Benedict XVI said. Marking the feast of the Immaculate Conception Dec. 8, Pope Benedict rode in the popemobile from the Vatican to the heart of Rome’s tourist and shopping district to pay homage to Mary at a statue erected near the Spanish Steps. “The mother of God teaches us to open ourselves to the action of God, to see others as he sees them – starting from the heart. And to look upon them with mercy, with love, with infinite tenderness, especially those who are most alone, despised and exploited,� the pope said. Rome, like any big city, is filled with people who are invisible until some scandal lands them on the front page of the newspaper or the television news where they are “exploited to the very end, as long as the news and images attract attention,� the pope said. But within each person, the pope said, there lies a strong desire “to be accepted as a person and considered a sacred reality because every human story is a sacred story and requires the utmost respect.� Pope Benedict said that with so many stories of evil and scandal filling the news, it’s easy for people to think those things only happen to others. But the little good or little evil that everyone does has an influence on others and contributes to the overall tenor of society, he said. Pope Benedict spoke of a dangerous “pollution of the spirit� that “makes our faces less smiling, darker, and stops us from greeting each other and looking each other in the eyes,� Pope Benedict said. The pope said that on the day dedicated to remembering how Mary was preserved from sin, he wanted to honor the many citizens “who have understood that it is useless to condemn, complain and recriminate, but better to respond to evil with good.�
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Catholic San Francisco
December 11, 2009
9
‘Advent Season of Caring’ Catholic Charities CYO Assisted Housing and Health Programs bring independence and encourage the cycle of giving Special Report Mary Hall grew up in Hillsborough with many opportunities for a successful future. She moved to Nevada where she held a steady and rewarding job. Like many others, Mary fell on hard times. Mary struggled with substance abuse issues which led to crime, forging checks and – ultimately – incarceration. A year after getting out of prison, her aunt passed away and Mary realized that she needed help. She admitted herself into a sober house where she began receiving counseling and support. After two years of being in various treatment programs, Mary knew she needed something more than a program that focused exclusively on chemical dependence issues and began to look for a chance to start working again. She was able to secure
Job support network . . . n Continued cover
college students coming out now, there’s no jobs for them.” At Our Lady of Angels, 20 parishioners have stepped up to help with such skills as resume writing and helping job seekers explain their accomplishments in under a minute in order to make the strongest impression in an interview. “If the people will respond, I think it’s going to be a tremendous success,” said Kathy Jones, director of religious education at the parish. Parish groups already active in the project have formal training in job search and placement skills available to them through intensive four-day clinics and weekly follow-up meetings for management-level workers, plus separate training for office workers. These services are offered at no cost through a gift from IG
a spot in Catholic Charities CYO’s Assisted Housing and Health Second Start Program. Through the Second Start Program, Mary has worked with the case management team to begin a new life of independence and self-determination. Mary has begun to have a life of stability. She has been sober for two years, living more independently and stabilizing her health. With the help of her case managers, Mary has been able to find job leads which developed into positions as a dog groomer and a dog daycare worker. A year into the program, Mary needed to have surgery on both her hands and had to stop working. Her case managers continued to show their compassion for her progress. “My case workers not only give me housing and job support, they genuinely care for me,” notes Mary. “Because of Catholic
Charities CYO I have been able to obtain and maintain a steady life.” Mary visits with her case manager, Ginger Ruth, every two to three months to report on progress and her next goals. Mary has been so inspired and motivated by Ginger and the rest of the CCCYO team that she wants to continue the cycle of giving. “It was through one of my conversations with Ginger that I realized that what I really want to do is work with other women and families who are on a road to recovery,” said Mary. “Before my struggle with substance abuse, I had an externship working with children in the Mission district. The most important thing I learned is that what they want – what we all need – is someone to be there. It wasn’t until now that I realized how important this really is.”
With the support of her case managers, Mary is hoping to go back to school to obtain her master’s degree. Mary’s story is one that truly shows that with support and compassion, cycles of poverty can be broken. In 2008 – 2009, over 2,062 adults were served through CCCYO’s residential and housing support programs. Mary’s story is the second in a series from Catholic Charities CYO’s Advent Season of Caring campaign. This holiday giving campaign shares intimate stories of the clients we serve and the ways in which their lives have been changed for the better, because of our work and the generosity of our loyal supporters. For ways you can help, visit www.cccyo.org/seasonofcaring or call Marti Sullivan at (415) 972-1291.
Partners, a management consulting firm. Husband and wife Andrew and Gloria Wahl are managing directors of the firm and members of the San Mateo County Catholic community. The training will be offered to all parishes that set up support networks. In addition, a deanery-wide electronic jobs board is planned. “The problem we’re facing is just getting to the people who are unemployed,” Andrew Wahl said. “When you’re unemployed you feel like you’re the only person who’s unemployed and you feel you’re doing something wrong, so everybody stays quiet.” In addition to the 3,000 to 5,000 people estimated to be unemployed in the deanery, there are uncounted others elsewhere in the Bay Area. “It’s an incredibly large problem that we haven’t addressed,” Wahl said. “As Catholics, we’re supposed to help our fellow parishioners. As one of the priests said to us, a parish is like
a family and if one person is hurting, the whole family hurts.” The organizers believe that not only the technical help but also the relationships available in a faith community can make the difference for job seekers. They are making connections with the Episcopal and Mormon churches as well. “People of faith want to hire people of faith,” Wahl said. “A particular faith almost is not as important as a belief in faith. We just want to provide an infrastructure where people can help.” Technical help backed up by fellow mem-
bers of her faith community has already paid off for Our Lady of Angels parishioner Geena Elliot. After a two-month search, she just took a job with a software consulting firm and was able to negotiate excellent terms. “The most important thing to me is I was not alone,” she said. “Before, I was doing this alone. I didn’t know who to talk to. I didn’t know there were so many people like me in my area.” For more information, contact Bill Tauskey at (650) 340-9254 or bill.tauskey@igpartnersinc.com.
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Catholic San Francisco
December 11, 2009
Jordanian pastor to global Church: Help Iraqi Christian refugees in their heartbreaking plight By Rick DelVecchio
In November, Father Jaar took his message to a wider group of Church leaders at the Vatican’s 6th World Congress on the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Refugees. In Jordan alone, an Iraqi refugee population of 450,000 includes more than 50,000 Christians. Father Jaar has extended pastoral care to some 1,600 Iraqi Christian families through his St. Mary of Nazareth Parish in West Amman, which is part of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem. Father Jaar, a Bethlehem-born Palestinian, is urging Catholic leaders in the region to include the refugees in their communities until the political situation improves in Iraq and the displaced people feel it is safe to go home. Father Khalil, who is director of the non-profit organization Messengers of Peace, urged the regional bishops to recruit bishops around the world to the cause. He sees it as a pastoral initiative that would strengthen the Church in the region, which has experienced a steady drop in numbers as people migrate to escape political instability. “They (the bishops) are sad because there is a big leaving of Christians going out, but in this case we have not people going out, we have Christians going in,” he said. “So what are you doing for them, what are you offering to assist them in the economic situation, in the psychological situation? We don’t need words, we don’t need feelings. We need something concrete.” In a September report based in part on interviews with refugees, London-based Minority Rights Group International noted Father Khalil’s work at his parish: “A number of those interviewed said that if it were not for Father Khalil’s initiatives, they and their children would rarely leave the house.” The majority of the refugees are educated people who were part of the Iraqi middle-class but find themselves living in the shadows in the poor parts of cities in nations poorer than their own. The United Nations estimates that a third of the exiles in Jordan have a university degree. Lacking the legal status to better their situations, they live much like the urban homeless in the United States – but with the added fear that they could be deported. Jeff Wright, emergency response specialist for Eurasia for the Seattle-based aid group World Vision, which has been providing food aid to the refugees in Father Khalil’s parish, confirmed the pastor’s assessment of the refugees’ plight. Some refugees enjoy relative stability in the better neighborhoods of West Amman, but typically families double up in crowded apartments in poorer neighborhoods and experience downward mobility as their savings run out, he said. “It’s amazing how in limbo they are,” Wright said. “It’s hard to comprehend.” Not uncommon is the plight of a family that Wright found living under a tarp in the northern Jordanian city of Zarqa. The father was a dentist in Iraq, the mother a teacher. They kept their cash in a sock and were eating restaurant bread scraps. The loss of economic status and dignity has been psychologically devastating for many, Father Jaar said. He added that the international community is limited in what it can do to help because the Iraqi refugees, unlike typical refugee populations, are not organized into camps under international supervision.
Father Khalil Jaar celebrates an Arabic language Mass at St. Mary of Nazareth Parish in Amman. The parish community includes many of the 1,600 Iraqi Christian refugee families that have been receiving pastoral care through the efforts of Father Jaar, volunteers and aid groups.
(CNS PHOTO/PAUL JEFFERY)
We don’t need words, we don’t need feelings. We need something concrete. – Father Khalil Jaar
(PHOTO BY RICK DELVECCHIO/CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO)
AMMAN, JORDAN – A Catholic pastor is rallying Church leaders in the Holy Land and around the world to come to the aid of Iraqi Christian refugees facing extended exile and faint hopes of finding a secure future in their own country or any other. The refugees are running out of savings, have almost no chance of working in the asylum countries sheltering them in the Mideast, and need immediate humanitarian aid on a large scale, Father Khalil Jaar told Catholic San Francisco. “Our Christian church is so quick to commemorate the martyrs of yesterday, and she has nothing to say or do to the martyrs of today?” Father Jaar asked in a report to a Holy Land bishops’ conference in October. “Our Christian brothers, the Iraqis, strike at our door, seeking our attention, our support, our solidarity.”
Fearful of returning home and being victimized by the sectarian violence that drove them away in the first place, and unable to resettle in large numbers in third countries, the Iraqi refugees in Jordan, Syria and Lebanon have to make do in asylum nations that for political and economic reasons are unable to integrate them as permanent residents. The three countries’ long and difficult experience with displaced Palestinians has made them wary of any new refugee population that might become permanent. Although the three nations have been generous in offering the Iraqis refuge, they “have made it virtually impossible for the vast majority of refugees to enter the formal labor market and to become self-reliant,” the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees said in a July report. Adding to the complexity, Christian refugees’ minority status can be an added source of hardship, Father Jaar said. Another source of friction is the contrast between the high economic level many refugees enjoyed at home and the status quo in the asylum countries. “It would be like Americans going to Mexico, wanting to host us because we’re homeless,” World Vision’s Wright said. “You can imagine a bit of the tension there.” Yet another factor is the conspicuous wealth of some Iraqi exiles. Jordan’s Prince El Hassan bin Talal referred to this in comments to Christian journalists Sept. 29 at the royal palace in Amman. He contrasted his encounters with Iraqi street children sleeping in cardboard boxes in old Amman and rich Iraqis building towers in upscale West Amman. “The rich Iraqis who built those monuments to foolishness, towering buildings, have basically laundered their money,” he said. “As I said to one of them the other day, ‘You laundered your money but you didn’t launder your reputation.’ And either he was too ashamed to be irritated, or he didn’t understand my comment. But the fact is that war creates the nouveau riche, the parvenu, and war creates a situation of continuing insecurity.”
Children enjoy an outdoor break from class at Morningstar School in Aleppo, Syria, in 2008. The elementary program, attended by Iraqi refugee children as well as Syrian children, is sponsored by the Chaldean Catholic Church. Bishop Antoine Audo of Aleppo has spoken vociferously on behalf of Iraqi refugees, and his church provides educational and other services to some 60,000 Iraqis living in the area.
Still another concern is that resettlement to a third country may not better the lives of the few refugees who are offered the chance. Father Jaar said he hears from many Iraqis who resettle in the West but long to come home to the Mideast. “If they go to America and Europe, they will find themselves in a new world – different language, different culture,” he said. “It is easier for us, and easier for the international community, to help them here in Jordan.” Wright said the refugees suffer from the lack of a unified vision of their future. The asylum nations hope the refugees will be able to repatriate, but there seems to be little hope of that happening soon. Jordan has taken positive steps in the past 18 months to improve the situation for Iraqis, Wright said. Iraqis are not being deported, and Iraqi children are able to attend school. Refugee advocates are hopeful that Jordan will be open to letting Iraqi professionals work on a limited basis. “There’s a little pinprick of light,” Wright said. This is the third installment in “Jordan: Voices of Peace,” a series in Catholic San Francisco. The first installment, reflections by two Arab Catholic leaders on the role of Christians in the majority Muslim nation, appeared in the Oct. 16 issue. The second, reflections by Jordan’s Jordan’s Prince El Hassan bin Talal on the political situation in the Mideast, appeared Nov. 6.
How to help Cash donations through aid agencies are the most effective way to help Iraqi refugees, Father Khalil Jaar and World Vision’s Jeff Wright said. One approach is for donors to sponsor families, Father Jaar said. For more information contact Father Jaar at carlos@ orange.jo, or visit the Jordan page of the Catholic aid federation Caritas Internationalis at www.caritas.org/ worldmap/mona/jordan.html
December 11, 2009
Haiti Journal: On the migration trail
Catholic San Francisco
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Crossing against danger, a teen earns her dignity
By Rick DelVecchio
of HIV and AIDS, also found that more than a third of children had had sex by the age of 10. Antoinette is luckier than many. She has a healthy family life. Her parents are at home and both work, although they have had setbacks. Her father is a farm worker and her mother once had a business but has been reduced to selling fresh corn out of the house. Guerline’s father abandoned the family when she was young and she hasn’t heard from him since. She has three more years to finish school because she had to stop so many times: Her mother needed her to work. Of the pair, Antoinette is the more rambunctious character. Antoinette said some of her other friends disagree with her style and get irritated with her: They play by the rules and cross the river at 8. Antoinette seems determined to take extra measures to win. She is the junior partner in a business arrangement with her cousin, who owns the merchandise. She gets a percentage of what she sells, which usually amounts to $3 a day. She is eager to her have own business and boldly asked a group of U.S. visitors if they could set her up. Antoinette can’t work full-time as long as she’s in school, but her pitch started a serious discussion about what resources might be available to support a determined young Haitian woman’s startup business. One possibility for Antoinette is to join other merchants in a micro-lending pool, although her business doesn’t generate enough profit for her to accumulate enough savings to join. “It’s the Haitian culture – they just love to sell,” Sister Zuluaga said. “If she were able to get some merchandise of her own, she could really take off running.” (PHOTOS BY RICK DELVECCHIO/CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO)
DAJABÓN, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC – Antoinette Valbrun has been crossing the river since she was 8 and has the scars to show for it. The 16-year-old Haitian from the border town of Ounaminthe attends school and, like many teenagers, has a part-time job, too. But in her case, she has to go to work before she goes to school. And the trip to work, crossing a tense international border, can be a rough one. Antoinette works here in this northern frontier market town. She would work closer to home, but there aren't any jobs for her on the Haiti side. So, she has been crossing the Massacre River on Mondays and Fridays at 4 a.m. to sell toiletries out of a shoulder bag to earn a little extra money for herself and her family. As a Haitian citizen she is free to cross on market days, Mondays and Fridays, during the hours when the gates are open for a bi-national bazaar. Antoinette doesn't have papers to cross the border on any other day, nor at any time on market days before the gates open at 8 on the Dominican side. Yet she feels that literally wading into trouble on a regular basis is her only chance to get ahead. If she delayed until 8, she wouldn't have enough time in the market before she had to cross back to go to school in the afternoon. What's more, she would lose customers who show up at 7, and she is too ambitious a young woman to let all that business get away. Such are the workaday tradeoffs of Haitians trying to make a life on the Dominican frontier. On their side of the river is home but no opportunity, as an organized economy does not exist and civil institutions offer little for the poor. On the other side is a lively retail trade and a chance to earn meager but regular cash for life's necessities, but also the constant risk of anti-Haitian backlash. For Antoinette, getting hurt while crossing is only the first danger she faces when going to work, and not the worst. In an interview in October, she showed scars on her forearm from what looked like scrapes. She said she was injured one morning when border guards pushed her in the river as she approached the fence on the Dominican side. But she quickly described a harsher encounter: A woman in the market crashed a rock against her head, sending her to the hospital. People attack her to get her merchandise, she said. Or they attack her because of who she is: a Haitian abroad. “This is nothing,”' Antoinette said. “Every day. It's normal.” Haitians in general are vulnerable in a frontier environment charged with national and racial tensions, but women are particularly at risk. And teenage girls are perhaps the most threatened of all, because of the constant threat of sexual victimization. Girls in the Dajabon market face the threat of sexual violence “every day,” said Sister Nidia Victoria Zuluaga of the St. John the Evangelist, or Juanistas, community in Ouanaminthe. Although she has been bruised on the outside, Antoinette has made it to age 16 without deeper wounds. She seems emotionally well-adjusted, if not thriving, as she displays a teenager's healthy pride and love of friendship. Her best friend is Guerline Bobrun, a woman of 20 who also works in the market. At the end of an interview with a reporter, the friends were in great humor as they slapped highfives and congratulated themselves on having preserved their health, integrity and independence.
Best friends Antoinette Valbrun, 16, right, and Guerline Bobrun, 20, attend school in their hometown of Ounaminthe, Haiti, and sell merchandise in the bi-national market in Dajabón, Dominican Republic, to earn extra money for their families. As Haitians abroad, they confront national and racial tensions. As Haitian women, they face the constant threat of sexual abuse. Antoinette and Guerline are beneficiaries of a project that provides children and adolescents on the Haiti-Dominican frontier with vocational, character and health education. The project is run by the St. John the Evangelist Sisters and funded by Catholic Relief Services and the United Nations Children’s Fund.
The young women owe their freedom in part to their association with the Juanistas, who minister to people in need on the northern frontier. Eight years ago, Sister Zuluaga saw the vulnerability of Haitian market girls and started a program of vocational, health and character education that focuses on AIDS and HIV prevention. Supported by the United Nations Children’s Fund and Catholic Relief Services, the project, Children and Adolescents Working for a Shared Future, has served 4,150 children and adolescents on both sides of the border. Antoinette and Guerline were members of Sister Zuluaga’s first group, and they are the only two members to have avoided getting pregnant. Sister Zuluaga said that after this first group of youth, the Juanistas learned how important it is to enroll these kids in school and assist their families so that so much pressure to earn money is not placed on the young women. She also counseled the youth on a very personal level to improve their self-esteem. “One objective of our work has been for the girls to not get pregnant,” Sister Zuluaga said. “But it is a reality that these girls are in very dire situations, that they are extremely vulnerable.” A groundbreaking study of children's sexual behavior on the border revealed just how vulnerable. Nearly half of the children and adolescents interviewed in Ouanaminthe reported having had coital sex. The study, which was conducted for Sister Zuluaga’s project to evaluate the risk
Catholic San Francisco Assistant Editor Rick DelVecchio recently spent eight days in Haiti and the Dominican Republic to report on migrants and refugees, whose vulnerability as they cross national borders in search of a better life is a growing humanitarian concern for the Church and for civil authorities worldwide. The trip was organized by Catholic Relief Services. The itinerary highlighted CRS-backed efforts to aid migrants – efforts involving personal courage and risk by people in the Church and their beneficiaries. This is the third installment in a five-part series. Part 1, “Once someone exists, they always try to find a better way,” appeared in the Nov. 20 issue. Part 2, “Haitian migrants face violence, abuse,” appeared in the Dec. 4 issue. Both are accessible from CSF’s website at www.catholic-sf.org.
Immigrants can make important contributions to society, pope says By Carol Glatz VATICAN CITY (CNS) – People should not look upon immigrants as problems, but as fellow brothers and sisters who can be valuable contributors to society, Pope Benedict XVI said. The migration of peoples represents a chance “to highlight the unity of the human family and the value of welcoming, hospitality and love for one’s neighbor,” he told participants of the Sixth World Congress on the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Refugees, held Nov.9-12, at the Vatican. Pope Benedict underlined the dramatic difficulties many migrants face in their efforts to survive or improve living conditions for themselves and their families. “The economic crisis, with the enormous growth in unemployment, diminishes the possibilities of employment and increases the number of those who aren’t able to find even unsteady work,” he said.
The economic divide between industrialized and poor countries continues to grow, he said, and many people have no choice but to leave their homeland in search of a living – even if it means accepting inhuman working conditions and experiencing great difficulties fitting in someplace new with different language, culture and rules. Many immigrants today are fleeing “humanly unacceptable” living conditions, but they are not finding “the reception they hoped for elsewhere,” said the pope. Globalization means that working for the common good must extend beyond national borders, he said. True development comes through solidarity, addressing the unequal distribution of the world’s resources, “dialogue between cultures and respect for legitimate differences,” he said. The pope said today’s phenomenon of world migration can offer that needed opportunity to meet new cultures, foster understanding between peoples, build peace and
promote development that benefits all nations. Christians must be open to listening to the word of God who calls people to imitate Christ in caring for others and to “never be tempted to despise and reject people who are different,” he said. Conforming one’s life to Christ’s means seeing every man and woman as a brother or sister, children of the one God, he said. This sense of brotherhood leads to being caring and hospitable toward others, especially those in need, he said. “Every Christian community that is faithful to Jesus’ teachings cannot but feel respect and concern for all people ... especially for those who find themselves in difficulty,” he said. “This is why the church invites all Christians to open their hearts to migrants and their families knowing that they are not just a ‘problem,’ but are a ‘resource’” that can contribute to true development and the good of all people, he said.
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Catholic San Francisco
December 11, 2009
Archbishop’s Journal
Incarnation continues throughout time Archbishop George H. Niederauer delivered the following homily Dec. 6 at San Francisco’s St. Benedict Parish for the Deaf at St. Francis Xavier Church. Archbishop Niederauer’s text was simultaneously delivered in Sign Language. Advent is a beautiful season, full of joy and anticipation. But it can be a bit confusing: are we commemorating a birth of 2000 years ago? Are we pretending to prepare for something that we know has really happened already? Is Christmas just “Happy Birthday, Jesus,” only 2000 years later? Not at all. In Advent and Christmas time, the Catholic Church calls us to celebrate Incarnation: God becoming human in Jesus Christ, becoming human with us and for us. It’s true that God’s divine, eternal Son was born in Bethlehem once for all. But it is just as true that the Incarnation, like the mystery of the Cross, continues throughout all time, generation after generation. God is still becoming human by sharing his life with us. St. Augustine said that God became human so that human beings could become God, that is, daughters and sons of God, sharing in his divine life through Jesus Christ. In the gospel reading from Luke we are told about John the Baptizer, the cousin of Jesus, who prepared the Lord’s way by proclaiming, in so many words, “The king is coming! Mend not your roads but your lives!” Luke makes sure we know exactly when this all happened; he tells us who was emperor, who was governor, who was high priest. But what was happening in Christ was happening for all times: “all humanity shall see the salvation of God,” all peoples of all places and times. John the Baptizer announced a baptism of repentance, leading to forgiveness of sins, if people would only change their hearts and their lives, or better, let God change those hearts and lives. And that’s the challenge to us. Christ wants to bring forgiveness and new life to all. But we hang back: we don’t want to give up our sins, and we don’t want to forgive the sins of others against us. We favor spiritual potholes, rough ways, high mountains. Jesus Christ was
good news for people who would let him change their minds and hearts, change their habits and patterns of behavior. But Jesus would not force that change on them. They had to choose freely to let him into their lives. That’s why our second reading is so important. It is from the opening words of St. Paul’s letter to his converts in Philippi. It is far and away St. Paul’s happiest letter. True, he is writing from prison, but he is not focusing on his own problems. Instead, Paul is concentrating on the Philippians. Every report he has heard has told him of the success of his preaching among them. They have taken the good news of Jesus Christ seriously. They have let their faith in Jesus change the way they behave toward one another; they have dropped many of their old bad habits of self-indulgence and selfcenteredness; they have made strong efforts to share their new faith with others in their families and neighborhoods. Paul is a proud father of the faith life of his converts. He tells them he is proud of them and all the progress they have made. But he also tells them that their growth in the life of Christ never ends, that it has a long way to go. We can listen in and apply these truths to ourselves. We are not to keep the faith to ourselves, but to share it. We are not to settle into a safe, comfortable routine but always to look for new ways to live as Jesus calls us to live. Hear what Paul is saying to us: “I am sure of this much – that he who has begun the good work in you will carry it through to completion, right up to the day of Christ Jesus. My prayer is that your love may more and more abound.” That is, the winding ways must be made straight – we are to choose forgiveness and reconciliation, and reject gossiping, pigeon-holing and writing off others we don’t like. “So that with a clear conscience and blameless conduct you may learn to value the things that really matter.” Mountains must be leveled – don’t seek popularity, approval, power, success, your own way, winning at any price, just because others seek them. “It is my wish that you may be found rich in the harvest of justice which Jesus
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Activism blurs facts
Although I now live in Sonoma, I still subscribe to Catholic San Francisco and find it a good source of information on our Catholic faith and I share it with members of my parish at St. Francis Solano. I particularly enjoy Tom Burke’s column, “On the Street.” Thank you. Maureen Mignacco-Dutil Sonoma
Anthropomorphic global warming “Church activists” and other “believers” such as Father Kenneth Weare, featured in Catholic San Francisco’s Dec. 4 issue, should remind us of the grave error made by similar “believers” in the past when Galileo Galilei and others were persecuted for challenging with facts and science Churchmen’s “beliefs” about the natural world. Some Church activists have apparently embraced the global warming/ green agenda to place it in service of their concept of international social justice. To achieve the activists’ dream of social justice, the inconvenient truths of contrary facts and authoritative research papers authored by “non believers” may be ignored, suppressed, vilified and treated as heresy. At USF, where Father Weare is an adjunct professor of social ethics, he is also a staunch defender of Speaker Nancy Pelosi for what Father Weare finds to be her adherence to Catholic social teaching (USF Magazine, Fall 2007, Letters). As the green agenda has a strong politically driven hostility to true scientific method, those same political beliefs drive a view of social justice that places Father Weare among the admirers and supporters of Speaker Pelosi. A lack of discipline in the past led the Church to disaster for which a price in reputation is still being paid. Contaminating our faith in the “good news” with politically driven “faith” and “beliefs” about the natural world will lead to the same result today. Edmond Francis McGill Novato
An excellent presentation Congratulations to Father Kenneth Weare for his excellent theological and scientific lecture on the topic of climate change at an environmental conference in Europe, as reported in your Dec. 4 issue. It is always inspiring to see leaders of our Church interact intellectually on the world scene for the common good of all, especially concerning ecology. Your cover story was a good lead into Father Weare’s presentation. Keep up your fine work. Dolores Stoll Fairfax
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Christ has ripened for you.” Potholes need filling in – let’s examine our physical and verbal treatment of others, our ridicule, contempt, anger, getting even, impatience and belittling – where seldom is heard an Archbishop encouraging word. George H. This season of Advent is a happy Neiderauer reminder that Jesus is always seeking to be born and to grow stronger in our lives. The giving of gifts at Christmas is a good thing. However, as Catholic Christians, it is Jesus Christ who is the gift who keeps on giving – giving himself to us, if we let him, and giving himself to others through us, if we let him. As we dash through the malls this month, let’s also take time to shop through our memories, our feelings, and our attitudes toward life and people. Let’s look in there and ask Jesus to pick out a change or two that would make a perfect gift of life to Christ, and even to someone else or ourselves. In the gospel this morning St. Luke began his story about John the Baptizer this way: “In the fifteenth year of the rule of Tiberius Caesar, when Pontius Pilate was procurator of Judea, Herod tetrarch of Galilee…during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God was spoken to John son of Zechariah in the desert.” Why shouldn’t you and I say something like the following about this season of Advent 2009: “In the fourth year of the pontificate of Pope Benedict XVI, when Barack Obama was President of the United States, Arnold Schwarzenegger Governor of California, Gavin Newsom Mayor of San Francisco, the word of God in Jesus Christ is spoken again to you and me.”
It’s the environment I just read the article in Catholic San Francisco (CSF, Dec. 4) about Dr. Ken Weare’s speech in Belgium on the environment. Dr. Weare has grasped and effectively communicated the moral imperative to change our behaviors and save the planet. Thank you for the story. It demonstrates the Church’s awareness and deep concern regarding this issue. The environment is probably the most critical issue of our time. We are all responsible for protecting the earth, respecting the creation that God has given to us, and maintaining a healthy environment for future generations. Sister Patricia Krommer C.S.J. Los Angeles
Misleading and wrong
Weare and others now believe that being green and following the mantra of Global warming are part of the Gospel. Well, most of us want pollution corrected and those of us who believe the science is tainted have kids too and want a clean world. But we aren’t lemmings either. The climate movement is not just a movement but a business. It does not exist in a vacuum and the science is proving less than honest (see East Anglia and the released emails). Before we destroy the U.S. economy further, maybe we need to find out why many of the original proponents of Global warming are running for the hills – and not because of the paranoia over rising tides. Sean J. Walsh Novato
L E T T E R S
The Catholic San Francisco front page story Dec. 4, “Church activists; Leaders must consider climate change effects on poor,” is inherently misleading and wrong. Notice that it is now called “climate change.” Not too long ago, Al Gore and his ilk changed the nomenclature when it was proved that the world has not warmed. Now with the new catchphrase, anything will qualify for world environmental problems. The fact is that there are hundreds of thousands of U.S. citizens suffering from high prices at Safeway, etc. because of actions by environmentalists. The coming hyperinflation will come soon and “finish off” senior citizens already facing proposed cutting of medicine and hospital benefits. Thanks environmentalists. Gerald Studier San Rafael
Climate change not Gospel I see the Church has jumped on the bandwagon and joined the new religion of “Climate Change.” Apparently, Father
A different perspective
Sister Sheral Marshall’s column (“Guest Commentary,” CSF, Dec. 4) and at least one letter writer in the same issue attack Israel, and U.S. aid to that country on the basis of morality. Neither mentions the unending rain of rocket attacks on Israel originating in Gaza, the West Bank, and other nearby locations; neither mentions the never-disowned intent of local Arabs and allied Islamists that Israel must be destroyed, root and branch; neither mentions the many “suicide bombings” – better called murder bombings – which make daily life in Israel seem so precarious. Marshall even suggests that it is the Israelis who use civilians as shields, when it is widely known that the Palestinians deliberately locate their military establishments in the heart of the civilian population. The state of Israel has been under siege since it came into being, yet it remains the only democracy and the only reliable U.S. ally in that part of the world. Malcolm Post San Francisco
December 11, 2009
Catholic San Francisco
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Parish Diary
Oh Christmas! “Oh Christmas!” That is what my 89-year-old mother says sometimes when she is overwhelmed. It probably is an old-fashioned “circumlocution” (literally “speaking around”). It’s a way of letting off steam without taking the Lord’s name in vain. But it expresses the way a lot of people feel about Christmas: overwhelmed. It doesn’t have to be this way, of course. We have done this to ourselves. Many Christians down through the ages didn’t even celebrate Christmas. The Puritan settlers forbade the celebration of Christmas. It was seen as a Papist holy day, filled with useless frivolity. They saw no point in enjoying themselves. It was 19th-century England, by way of people like Charles Dickens, that gave Christmas its modern form. But the 19th-century Christmas was far simpler than ours. For one thing, it was only 12 days, not two months. Remember that Bob Cratchit in Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” only asked for Christmas Day off the day before. And Scrooge did not think he should give it to him. Most of the stuff we identify as part of the Christmas celebration is very recent and not very Christian. The only essential to celebrate is the Incarnation. We want to celebrate our faith that God entered into our
time and our space and our human condition. He cares about us. By coming among us, he says we are valuable to him. That really is something to celebrate. We are not “lost in the cosmos,” as Walker Percy said in his book by the same title. We are remembered and wanted by no less a person than God himself, who took on our flesh. The only essential of Christmas is to celebrate that. For Catholics the most important part of the Christmas celebration should be the liturgies of the season. If we plan our Christmas around anything, it should be the liturgy. Oddly, I find that more and more the liturgy is an afterthought in the planning of the season. Mass gets sandwiched in around the shopping and wrapping and entertaining. A symptom of this sandwiched-in phenomenon is the fact that the Christmas Eve Masses are crowded but the Christmas morning Masses are empty in many churches. People just don’t go to church much on Christmas Day. They get Mass “out of the way” on Christmas Eve so they can be free to celebrate Christmas. Odd. Besides the liturgy, I think the most important thing about Christmas is remembering others. This is especially important for children and people who would be otherwise forgotten. Like most parishes, we have Christmas baskets and dinners for the poor. We have a giving tree to remember the children and disabled in our community who won’t get a gift.
This year we are helping a young widow with five children. Her husband died of cancer at age 30. We also are remembering relatives and parishioners who are overseas in the military by sending Father Peter gift packages to their units in Afghanistan and Iraq. J. Daly We also bought 130 sets of sweat suits to give to injured soldiers when they get off the plane from the wars; this is to keep them warm while they wait to be transferred onward. We’re also remembering some people who are in prison. Just because people are gone should not mean they are forgotten. What about the rest of the stuff? It doesn’t really matter. If it stresses you out, forget it. Christian feast days are not meant to be a burden. They are supposed to be a joy. When we exclaim “Oh Christmas!” it is not exasperation but exultation: Oh Christmas!! Father Peter J. Daly is a pastor in Maryland and writes a column for Catholic News Service.
Of Grace and Sippy Cups
Do You Hear What I Hear? – Praying the Carols “Favorite Christmas Songs” is the book on my mother’s piano. Its paperback cover shows a 1960s-era drawing of Victorian carolers singing by lamplight. There are a few elongated circles scribbled on the cover, courtesy of my cousin Tim who, thirty years ago, spent several happy minutes alone with a pen and my mother’s sheet music. The pages are fragile with age, and are splitting from the binding. But within those covers are sturdy, beautiful memories of family Christmases, of singing carols around the piano with relatives and friends. Lovely line illustrations decorate each song. “O Come Little Children” shows a boy and girl on rocking horses, near a sign pointing the way to Bethlehem (“They won’t get very far on those horses,” my sister and I used to quip). “Go, Tell it On the Mountain” features a man standing on a jagged cliff, stretching to touch to a faraway star. I know those images and lyrics by heart. Honestly, I adore that book. Every year that I can remember, it has heralded the season of Christ’s birth, filling my mind with song. Even today, I’m a Christmas music junkie. I delay my indulgence until after Thanksgiving (I believe in giving that
beautiful holiday its due). But when Black Friday comes, I’m never at the malls. I’m at home, happily sorting through CDs of Andy Williams, Bing Crosby, and the Harry Simeone Chorale. Though I love “Rudolph” and “Marshmallow World,” I have a particular affinity for the religious songs that we sang around the piano. They ground me during a season that feels far too frenetic. Though I try not to be caught in the spin cycle of holiday stress, I always am. Trips to the mall and post office, December weekend traffic – the immediate needs of the season can creep like frost over the windshield of my vision, obscuring my view of the Incarnation. But listening to a religious carol – “Silent Night,” John Rutter’s “The Angels’ Carol,” or my father’s favorite, “Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming “— can melt those distractions away. Those songs always help my harried holiday self settle on the beautiful mystery at the heart of the season. My favorite way to pray during December is to curl up on the couch and listen to those songs, staring at the fireplace or a lit candle, letting that wavering light and those waves of music seep into my bones and saturate me with the beauty
of Christ’s coming. The songs restore and renew me … always. And now that my son is three, I’m realizing that the carols are not just for me. As I wonder how to help Matthew find Jesus among all of the tinsel and gifts, I’m Ginny learning anew the power Kubitz Moyer of music. In the car, at home, my son hears what I hear. Just as these carols sank into my bones years ago, so they are sinking into his: one little child learning about the birth of another little child, the sweetest story ever set to music. Ginny Kubitz Moyer is the author of “Mary and Me: Catholic Women Reflect on the Mother of God.”Contact Moyer at www.blog.maryandme.org.
Our Advent Journey
Holy vs. ‘Ho, Ho, Ho! The holidays are upon us. The kids are giddy with excitement and Christmas plans have been set. Of course, the kids need to finish their semester, and then there is the meal to plan, the last minute reservations to book and the airport shuttle to arrange, which is to say nothing of the scant few “shopping days before Christmas” – oh my. So this is Christmas... We remind our children that we are celebrating Jesus’ birthday. We hear about his coming in the Advent readings. But outside that hour on Sunday and mom and dad’s gentle reminders, the world is screaming “Ho, Ho, Ho” and “buy, buy, buy.’ The commercials, games, magazines, and pure envy of it all are enough to make a child’s head spin. And not just the children; imagine the smiles if we can buy the kids or our spouse that perfect gift. Not to be a curmudgeon, but the ‘cultural holiday’ of Christmas is gargantuan, grown to the point that it threatens to devour not only the spiritual sense of the holiday, but anyone who stands in its way. Christmas, and the four weeks or so of shopping days leading up to it (formerly called Advent) presents, without a doubt, one of the single biggest challenges to Christian families. It is not that these challenges are absent the remainder of the year, but the unique emphasis of the “holiday season” pressures parents and families into a complicity that undervalues the gift we are celebrating in Christmas itself. Looking at each of our own homes, let’s ask a few tough questions:
In the weeks before Christmas, who is mentioned more, Jesus or Santa? Who is the center of our Christmas celebration – the kids or Christ? How does your family answer the question, what did you get for Christmas? (does anyone say Christ?) How do we plan to say “thank you” having received such a gift? The list could go on (I haven’t even begun to scratch the Nintendo DSi versus Sony PSPgo debate), but even in my own home, being honest here, these questions aren’t as easily answered as I might like. So here is the issue: we have a responsibility to ourselves and our families to ensure we celebrate Jesus Christ’s birth in a dignified and holy way. But on the other hand, we don’t want to ruin the fun of Christmas for our kids. We don’t have to. We need to fight for “our holiday” – but there is nothing that says we cannot have fun doing it. So let’s begin by making a plan and starting early. Step 1: Recapture Advent. Indeed there are only so many shopping days to Christmas, but there are only four Sundays in Advent. Show your kids the Advent wreath while at Mass – and then work together to put one on the dinner table. Step 2: Shopping Lists. Yes, the kids want to make a shopping list for themselves, and they should. Grandparents should also try to spoil their grandchildren (the 11th commandment). But grandparents and parents alike should help their kids think of those in need. Let the kids take a tag from the giving tree in your parish or put money in the Salvation Army can at the mall – whatever
you do, take time to explain why you are doing it. Step 3: The Birthday Party. We need to make sure our kids understand the gift of Christmas isn’t found under the tree. After all, through Jesus’ birth God Deacon Rafe proclaims his love for you, me and all our children, so Brown loudly, so purely, that it cannot be ignored. This is a talk we need to have with our kids. Keep it short and sweet, but the truth of the matter is that in Jesus we have received the perfect gift. Step 4: Say Thank You. This is the toughest step; after all, the goal isn’t to simply have a lovely holiday; rather, it is to move our whole family closer to God. Jesus is a gift, and there is only one response to such a blessing – to say thank you. It is something we do at mass each Sunday, but it is also done in the way we live our lives. Find a way for your family to get involved in your parish and community. With focus and attention, we can ensure this Christmas season is truly a spirit-filled season. Our families will have a great holiday, and when they return to school (and we to work) they will be taking more with them than new clothes and fancy electronics, they’ll have Jesus. Deacon Rafe Brown lives in San Mateo with his wife and three children. He serves at St. Matthew Parish.
Catholic San Francisco
A READING FROM THE BOOK OF ZEPHANIAH ZEP 3:14-18A Shout for joy, O daughter Zion! Sing joyfully, O Israel! Be glad and exult with all your heart, O daughter Jerusalem! The Lord has removed the judgment against you, he has turned away your enemies; the King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst, you have no further misfortune to fear. On that day, it shall be said to Jerusalem: Fear not, O Zion, be not discouraged! The Lord, your God, is in your midst, a mighty savior; he will rejoice over you with gladness, and renew you in his love, he will sing joyfully because of you, as one sings at festivals. RESPONSORIAL PSALM IS 12:2-3, 4, 5-6 R. Cry out with joy and gladness: for among you is the great and Holy One of Israel. God indeed is my savior; I am confident and unafraid. My strength and my courage is the Lord, and he has been my savior. With joy you will draw water at the fountain of salvation. R. Cry out with joy and gladness: for among you is the great and Holy One of Israel. Give thanks to the Lord, acclaim his name; among the nations make known his deeds, proclaim how exalted is his name. R. Cry out with joy and gladness: for among you is the great and Holy One of Israel.
December 11, 2009
Third Sunday in Advent Zephaniah 3:14-18a; Isaiah 12:2-3, Philippians 4:4-7; Luke 3:10-18 Sing praise to the Lord for his glorious achievement; let this be known throughout all the earth. Shout with exultation, O city of Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel! R. Cry out with joy and gladness: for among you is the great and Holy One of Israel.
A READING FROM THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE LK 3:10-18A The crowds asked John the Baptist, “What should we do?” He said to them in reply, “Whoever has two cloaks should share with the person who has none. And whoever has food should do likewise.”
A READING FROM THE LETTER TO THE PHILIPPIANS PHIL 4:4-7 Brothers and sisters: Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it again: rejoice! Your kindness should be known to all. The Lord is near. Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
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o one likes to be told what to do. This is especially so if someone points out that we are doing something wrong, or at least incorrectly; somewhat so if we are shown a way that is better than what we are accustomed to. Because of this, some of the teachings of the Church can often be met with indifference if not outright hostility. We see this phenomenon in the Church’s ongoing efforts toward greater liturgical development, but this is especially the case in regard to the Church’s moral teaching. Even if the people themselves actively seek the Church’s input on a particular issue or moral question, there is at times great apathy, outright hostility and deep resentment toward the answer the Church often gives. This is because people, for the most part, are not seeking guidance, but rather approval; if not from the Church, than from another superficially authoritative body or individual. In our Gospel reading for the Third Sunday of Advent, having the two previous Sundays been reminded of Christ’s imminent return, and having already heard the cry of John the Baptist to “prepare the way of the Lord,” and before we hear the Gospel stories that pertain to the First Coming of Christ in Bethlehem, we hear, again in the context of John’s preaching, examples of how we “prepare the way of the Lord” as he gives very direct answers to questions brought to him by his followers – people from various walks of life – who come to him asking: “What should we do?” The Gospel According to St. Luke is perhaps the most compassionate of the four Gospels, something very appealing to our modern, feel-good approach to faith and religion. Luke is also, however, the most direct; something particularly un-appealing to our post-sixties mindset, which likes to shy away from absolutes, or definitive, black and white concepts. One need look
Scripture reflection FATHER WILLIAM NICHOLAS
Year for Priests: What should we do? no further than Jesus’ “Great Discourse on the Plain” (Lk 6:17-49) to find examples of how unrelentingly direct Jesus can be in his instructions on how we are to act as his followers. Jesus’ parables, some of which are unique to Luke’s Gospel – even some of the most familiar stories – have strong underlying messages that speak directly to the people’s tendency toward social and ethnic bias (Good Samaritan – Lk 10:2537), the celebratory acceptance of the return of those who have strayed (Prodigal Son – Lk 15:11-32), and the fact that our actions and our lifestyles will meet with particular consequences, especially when we delude ourselves and fail to heed God’s message when it is right there in front of us (Rich Man and Lazarus – 16:19-31). Even Luke’s account of the Crucifixion includes a strong and very well known reminder of our unconditional, inexorable obligation to forgive (Lk 23:34a). For the disciples of John the Baptist, Luke is equally straightforward in direct-
Even tax collectors came to be baptized and they said to him, “Teacher, what should we do?” He answered them, “Stop collecting more than what is prescribed.” Soldiers also asked him, “And what is it that we should do?” He told them, “Do not practice extortion, do not falsely accuse anyone, and be satisfied with your wages.” Now the people were filled with expectation, and all were asking in their hearts whether John might be the Christ. John answered them all, saying, “I am baptizing you with water, but one mightier than I is coming. I am not worthy to loosen the thongs of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fan is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.” Exhorting them in many other ways, he preached good news to the people. (CNS PHOTO/GREGORY A. SHEMITZ, LONG ISLAND CATHOLIC)
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ing the people on how best to “prepare the way of the Lord.” His instructions continue to direct us down through the ages – “Share with those who have none”; “do not extort…do not falsely accuse”; in money matters: “don’t collect more than what is prescribed.” All these are challenging teachings, which require everyone to examine their lives to discover where God is directing them to grow, improve, change and convert. In this Year for Priests, John’s mission and example is a poignant reminder for both priests and faithful of what our faith is all about, what the Gospel calls us to as we “prepare the way of the Lord.” Sometimes that standard of the Gospel can be very unnervingly specific as it directs us, as John directed his followers. For all of us who are followers of Christ, both clergy and lay faithful, John’s message continues to resonate as we all ask the question: “What should we do?” Apply and live the Gospel in all aspects of our
An angel is depicted in a mosaic created by artist Hildreth Meiere at Immaculate Conception Seminary in Huntington, N.Y.
lives, be they our private lives, family lives, worship lives, even in our careers and our socio-political associations; so that nothing separates us either from the love of Christ, or the Gospel He has given us to emulate. For parents: Teach your children the faith so that when they are grown they will actually practice it and pass it on to their own children. For teachers: Be consistent in applying our Gospel values in all aspects of your students’ lives. For us priests, John’s direct approach is a reminder that ours is not a mission to tell people what they want to hear, but rather one of truth as we direct the flock under our care; not a mission to make the Gospel message easier and more palatable, nor to add burden upon burden, but one of passing on the message of the Gospel and the direction it gives us all, with all its challenges, chastisements, comforts and consolations; not a mission whose primary goal is to keep people happy by giving them what they want, when they want it, the way they want it, under the timorous facade of being “kind” and “pastoral”, but one to direct, lead, encourage and guide as we all work to “prepare the way of the Lord.” As we prepare to celebrate the coming of Christ in Bethlehem, and await His coming again in glory, let us continue to hear John the Baptist’s direct, unrelenting approach to “what we should do.” Let us recognize the instructions of both the Baptist and his successor, Jesus Christ, in and through God’s Word and Church teaching, as they tell us what to do – correctively, progressively and boldly – in order to live and bear witness to the Gospel, as we “prepare the way of the Lord”. Father William C. Nicholas is Parochial Vicar at Our Lady of Loretto Parish in Novato. Visit his website at www.frwcnicholas.com.
Priests are to be compassionate, not judgmental, papal preacher says VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Priests are not called to judge others, but to bring God’s saving grace, his love and compassion to the world, said the preacher of the papal household. The preacher, Capuchin Father Raniero Cantalamessa, told Pope Benedict XVI and top Vatican officials Dec. 4 that St. John’s Gospel recalls, “’God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.’” Priests, who are continuing Christ’s work on earth, are asked to adopt this outlook toward all people: “Do not judge, but save” them, the papal preacher said.
Offering an Advent meditation during the Year for Priests, Father Cantalamessa dedicated his reflection to the role of priests. Again citing St. John’s Gospel, the preacher said God loved the world so much, he gave his only son “so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but have eternal life.” Priests are called to continue this mission and offer people “sympathy, a sense of solidarity, and compassion,” he said. Jesus, the compassionate high priest, is able to sympathize with human weakness, the papal preacher said. The
priestly servant of Christ should also “’deal patiently with the ignorant and erring, for he himself is beset by weakness and so for this reason must make sin offerings for himself as well as for the people,’” he said, quoting from the St. Paul’s Letter to the Hebrews. Although the Gospel writers showed Jesus could harshly judge and condemn others, he never did so with everyday people who came to hear him speak, Father Cantalamessa said. Jesus was stern with those who were hypocritical or full of themselves, and with “the teachers and leaders of the people,” he said. Jesus was harsh with the powerful, and gentle with the weak, he added.
December 11, 2009
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Catholic San Francisco
For the Journey
The Lord’s Prayer: The source of miracles In this season of miracles when we celebrate the biggest miracle of all, Jesus’ becoming human in the Christmas story, it is appropriate to call to mind the prayer Jesus taught us. It is the parent of all prayers: the Our Father. In her insightful book “The Source of Miracles,� bestselling author Kathleen McGowan gives us seven steps or moments of reflection that allow the Lord’s Prayer to transform our lives and deliver miracles into our days. McGowan writes: “[Jesus] gave us this priceless treasure: a set of simple and unchangeable directions, in the form of a prayer, for discovering the real secret of how to have the life you truly desire; a life filled with love, happiness and yes, even wealth. The prayer shows us that all of these wonderful gifts come about through an increase in faith: faith in God, faith in ourselves and faith in our fellow humans – in that order.� Susan Bogusz, coordinator for evangelization and adult catechesis for the Archdiocese of Baltimore, outlines seven similar petitions included in the Our Father that she says support the basic elements of discipleship and summarize the whole Gospel. In a recent column for The Catholic Review, the arch-
diocesan newspaper, she quotes St. Thomas Aquinas, who wrote: “The Lord’s Prayer not only teaches us to ask for things, but also in what order we should desire them.� For McGowan that means starting with faith. “Faith is the starting point for the Lord’s Prayer and all prayer,� she writes. “Within the first lesson you are asked to contemplate your connection to God, but specifically your role within your Creator’s plan.� The second step is about surrender, giving to God the worries and tribulations of your life. McGowan suggests we begin each morning turning our day over to God, saying, “Thy will, not my will, be done.� McGowan’s third step is service, to make a specific plan of action as to how we can give back. She writes, “Every act of service eliminates an act of oppression.� The fourth step is abundance, which depends on the steps before it, especially service, because generosity breeds generosity. She writes, “God will always provide exactly what you need – and ask for – once you fulfill your spiritual promises and keep your service commitments.� The fifth step is forgiveness. Not only does this mean forgiving those that have harmed us, it also involves
letting go of all the shame we carry with us because we are unable to forgive ourselves. Next we need to pay attention to all the temptations in our lives that keep us from living in full communion Therese J. with God. They often Borchard fall into one category of the seven deadly sins: greed, anger, laziness, lust, overindulgence, ego and envy. And finally, McGowan asserts that each practice or lesson (the six prior steps) must be done with a pure love: for God, for ourselves and for each other. The Lord’s Prayer is ultimately about love, she maintains, and how to love better. Therese J. Borchard writes a column for Catholic News Service. See her daily blog, “Beyond Blue,� at www.beliefnet.com.
Spirituality for Life
Joseph and Christmas There are countless persons, basilicas, churches, shrines, seminaries, convents, and even towns and cities named after St. Joseph. My native country, Canada, has him as its patron. Who exactly is this Joseph? He is that quiet figure prominently named in the Christmas story as the husband of Mary and the stepfather of Jesus, and then basically is never mentioned again. The pious conception of him is that of an older man, a safe protector to Mary, a carpenter by trade, chaste and holy, humble and quiet, the perfect patron for manual laborers and anonymous virtue, humility incarnate. But what do we really know about him? In the Gospel of Matthew the annunciation of Jesus’ conception is given to Joseph rather than to Mary: Before they came together, Mary was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit. Joseph, her husband, being an upright man and unwilling to shame her, had decided to divorce her quietly, when an angel appeared to him in a dream and told him not to be afraid to take Mary as his wife, that the child in her had been conceived through the Holy Spirit. What can we learn from this text? Partly it is symbolic: The Joseph of the Christmas story is clearly reminiscent of the Joseph of the Exodus story, he too has a dream, he too goes to Egypt, and he too saves the family. Likewise King Herod is clearly the counterpart of the Egyptian Pharaoh; both feel threatened and both kill the Hebrew male children only to have God protect the life of the one who is to save the people. But, after that, the Joseph of the Christmas story writes his own history: He is presented to us as an “upright� man, a designation that scholars say implies that he has conformed himself to the Law of God, the supreme Jewish standard of holiness. In every way he is blameless, a paradigm of goodness, which he demonstrates in the Christmas story by refusing to expose Mary to shame, even as he decides to divorce her quietly. What actually happened here? The background, in so far as we can reconstruct it, to the relationship between Joseph and Mary would have been
this: The marriage custom at the time was that a young woman, essentially at the age of puberty, would be given to a man, usually several years her senior, in an arranged marriage by her parents. They would be betrothed, technically married, but would not yet live together or begin sexual relations for several more years. The Jewish law was especially strict as to the couple remaining celibate while in the betrothal period. During this time, the young woman would continue to live with her parents and the young man would go about setting up a house and an occupation so as to be able to support his wife once they began to live together. Joseph and Mary were at this stage of their relationship, legally married but not yet living together, when Mary became pregnant. Joseph, knowing that the child was not his, had a dilemma: If he wasn’t the father, who was? In order to save his own reputation, he could have demanded a public inquiry and, indeed, had Mary been accused of adultery, it might have meant her death. However, he decided to “divorce her quietly,� that is, to avoid a public inquiry which would leave her in an awkward and vulnerable situation. Then, after receiving revelation in a dream, he agrees to take her home as his wife and to name the child as his own. Partly we understand the significance of that, he spares Mary embarrassment, he names the child as his own, and he provides an accepted physical, social, and religious place for the child to be born and raised. But he does something else that is not so evident: He shows how a person can be a pious believer, deeply faithful to everything within his religious tradition, and yet at the same time be open to a mystery beyond both his human and religious understanding. And this was exactly the problem for any Christians, including Matthew himself, at the time the Gospels were written: They were pious Jews who didn’t know how to integrate Christ into their religious framework. What does one do when God breaks into one’s life in new, previously unimaginable ways? How does one deal with an impossible conception? Here’s how Raymond
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Catholic Marriage Preparation/Pre-Cana Workshop The Catholic Church in the World: “Apostles to the World - The Role of the Laity in the Church and the World Today� with Michael Sweeney, O.P. Sister Joan Prohaska, O.P.: “Advent Contemplative Silent Retreat� Christmas Lessons and Carols with the Vallombrosa Choir
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Brown puts it: The hero of Matthew’s infancy story is Joseph, a very sensitive Jewish observer of the Law. ... In Joseph, the evangelist was portraying what he thought a Jew [a true pious believer] should Father be and probably what Ron Rolheiser he himself was. In essence what Joseph teaches us is how to live in loving fidelity to all that we cling to humanly and religiously, even as we are open to a mystery of God that takes us beyond all the categories of our religious practice and imagination. Isn’t that one of the ongoing challenges of Christmas? Oblate Father Ron Rolheiser, theologian, teacher, and award-winning author, is president of the Oblate School of Theology in San Antonio, TX.
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Catholic San Francisco
December 11, 2009
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‘Up in the Air’ – polished and comic drama, but plot lacks spiritual impact gradually turns into something deeper. An invitation to his sister’s wedding, NEW YORK (CNS) – Though a polished meanwhile, also has Ryan reconsidering comic drama, “Up in the Air” (Paramount) the value of family life. also is an abortive conversion story with a Director and co-writer (with Sheldon morally ambivalent conclusion. Turner) Jason Reitman’s screen version As soon as we’re introduced to emotionof Walter Kirn’s novel is initially engagally isolated, yet strangely contented, single ing and adroitly acted throughout. But businessman Ryan Bingham (a predictably the script winks at commitment-free deft George Clooney), we know he’s ripe encounters, while what appear at first to for change. be the life-altering events of the plot turn Ryan spends most of his life in chain out to be mere incidents with, the narrahotels and airports as he travels from city to tive suggests, little spiritual impact. city firing employees on behalf of downsizThe film contains off-screen adultering corporate clients. He also gives seminars ous and nonmarital sexual activity, brief in which he uses a backpack to symbolize rear nudity, much sexual talk including the weighty burden, not only of material lesbianism and masturbation references, possessions, but of family and social cona few uses of profanity and much rough nections as well. and crude language. The USCCB Office But Ryan’s rootless ways are threatened for Film & Broadcasting classification George Clooney stars as in a scene from the movie “Up in the Air.” by his tech-savvy new colleague Natalie is L – limited adult audience, films (Anna Kendrick), who wants their company whose problematic content many adults to save expenses by termianating workers via the Internet, scenes involving the distressed reactions of those being would find troubling. The Motion Picture Association thus grounding Ryan permanently at the Tulsa, Okla., informed that their positions are “no longer available” of America rating is R – restricted. Under 17 requires home office. were filmed using real workers recently laid off in Detroit accompanying parent or adult guardian. As Ryan takes Natalie on the road to demonstrate and St. Louis.) John Mulderig is on the staff of the the futility of her scheme, he also reveals the combinaAnother potential tear in Ryan’s cocoon is achieved USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting. tion of calm ruthlessness and insightful compassion when his relationship with fellow executive wanderer that make him a master of his unusual craft. (Poignant Alex (Vera Farmiga), begun as a casual bedroom romp, See more reviews at www.usccb.org/movies. (CNS PHOTO/PARAMOUNT)
By John Mulderig
Three books offer tips, spiritual help on having a “green” impact “CATHOLICS GOING GREEN: A S M A L L G RO U P G U I D E FOR LEARNING AND LIVING ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE” by Walter E. Grazer. Ave Maria Press (Notre Dame, Ind., 2009). 95 pp., $5.95. “FIFTY WAYS TO HELP SAVE THE EARTH: HOW YOU AND YOUR CHURCH CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE” by Rebecca BarnesDavies. Westminster John Knox Press (Louisville, Ky., 2009). 125 pp., 14.95. “CLAIMING THE EARTH AS C O M M O N G RO U N D : T H E ECOLOGICAL CRISIS THROUGH THE LENS OF FAITH” by Andrea Cohen-Kiener. Skylight Paths (Woodstock, Vt., 2009). 176 pp., $16.99.
SCRIPTURE SEARCH Gospel for December 13, 2009 Luke 3:10-18 Following is a word search based on the Gospel reading for the Third Sunday of Advent, Cycle C: the teachings and warnings of John the Baptist. The words can be found in all directions in the puzzle. SHARE BAPTIZED SOLDIERS HEARTS MIGHTIER SANDAL FLOOR
HAS FOOD TEACHER FALSE ANSWERED THAN I HAND CHAFF
DO LIKEWISE MORE EXPECTATION WATER NOT WORTHY THRESHING GOOD NEWS
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Reviewed by Peggy Weber If you want to give someone a “green” Christmas gift this year, three good choices were published recently. Each of these three books offers many, many tips on how individuals or groups can make an impact on their environment and save the earth. Each also includes a spiritual component that lends itself well to prayer or discussion groups. “Catholics Going Green” is a book targeted at groups.
GET HOME BEFORE DARK! 4 p.m. Saturday Vigil Mass in San Francisco!
ST. EMYDIUS CATHOLIC CHURCH 286 Ashton Avenue, San Francisco (one block from Ocean Ave.) Serving the Ingleside community of San Francisco, since 1913, St. Emydius is a multi-cultural, multi-racial, all inclusive faith-sharing community. Daily Mass At 8:30 am 4:00 pm Saturday Vigil Mass 8:30 am Sunday Mass 10:30 am Sunday Mass To reach us from 19th Ave., take Holloway Ave., (near S.F. State, heading East), to Ashton Ave., left on Ashton to De Montfort Ave. To reach us from 280 S. (at City College) exit Ocean Ave. going West, turn left on Ashton to De Montfort Ave., (1/2 block up).
YOU ARE ALWAYS WELCOME TO JOIN US!
One can imagine school classrooms or parish meetings using this book. The author, Walter Grazer, was the director of the environmental justice program for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. His expertise and passion about environmental justice come across clearly and lovingly in this book. He cites both Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI in his preface and adds, in his own words, “I believe that losing respect for God’s creation diminishes not only people and animals but also diminishes our relationship with our Creator.” He offers six chapters that could be used for weekly or monthly meetings. They contain opportunities to read, reflect, discuss, pray and take action. Each chapter contains a wealth of material, so there should be a lengthy session scheduled when using the book, especially to allow ample time for discussion. What makes this book stand out is that it is not just a “how to save the earth” tip book. Rather, it asks readers to really reflect on how one is connected to the earth. “Fifty Ways to Save the Earth” is a “tip’’ book, yet it is incredibly comprehensive. It also offers scriptural inspirations and concrete examples of organizations that do work to make a difference in the environment. And the book offers far more than 50 ways to save the earth. There are 50 general suggestions and under each mini-chapter are numerous other possibilities. The author, Rebecca Barnes-Davies, is a consultant for environmental and social justice ministries and has served as director of Presbyterians Restoring Creation. In “Claiming the Earth as Common Ground,” Andrea Cohen-Kiener writes a passionate and persuasive text on why everyone must do something to save the earth – now. She begins by telling of her own efforts to recycle, which led to an encounter with the American plastics industry. She also stresses the necessity for cooperation among various faith groups in this effort. Her book contains many thoughtful essays by other church leaders about ecology. Peggy Webber contributed this review to Catholic News Service. She writes from Massachusetts.
Listen to ‘The Archbishop’s Hour’ Immaculate Heart Radio--1260 AM “The Archbishop’s Hour” with San Francisco Archbishop George H. Niederauer airs each Friday morning at 9 a.m. – with encore broadcasts Friday evening at 9 p.m., Sunday at 11 a.m., and Monday at 9 p.m.
December 11, 2009
Advent Opportunities The Archbishop’s Hour airing Christmas morning at 9 a.m. on Immaculate Heart Radio 1260 AM will feature a Christmas message from Archbishop George H. Niederauer, and music of the season from the choirs of Notre Dame High School in Belmont, St. Eugene Cathedral in Santa Rosa, St. Joseph Parish in Cotati, and well-known harpist, Anna Maria Mendieta. The show reruns Friday and Monday at 9 p.m. and Sunday at 11 a.m. The National Shrine of St. Francis of Assisi announces the following rites at its Nuova Porziuncola, Vallejo at Columbus in San Francisco. Dec. 12, 7 p.m.: Rosary and Litany honoring Our Lady of Guadalupe; De. 15, 7 p.m.: Vespers; Dec. 22: Benediction and Communion Service. Call (415) 271-0189. Dec. 11, 12, 7:30 p.m.: The Mater Dolorosa Hallelujah Chorale and Cherubim Children’s Ensemble will present the cantata “A Christmas to Remember”, a unique collection of traditional carols, well-known seasonal songs and original material at Mater Dolorosa Church, 307 Willow Avenue, South San Francisco. Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 at the door. All proceeds benefit Mater Dolorosa Church. For tickets and sponsorships, call (650)-583-4131, (650)-952-4333, or email MDConcert09@yahoo.com. Dec. 12, 11 a.m.: Christmas Remembrance Service, Holy Cross Cemetery in Colma at All Saints Mausoleum Chapel. Father John Talesfore, pastor, St. Mary’s Cathedral will lead the prayer service. Come to remember and be comforted as you share time with others who are grieving this Father John Talesfore Holiday Season. Rite includes inspirational music, time for reflection and an opportunity to share in a “Memory Tree” Service. Dec. 13, 2 – 3 p.m.: A Pro-Life March, rain or shine, honoring Our Lady of Guadalupe beginning at St, Gregory Church 28th Ave. at Hacienda in San Mateo and continuing to Planned Parenthood on Palm Ave. about one mile away. Rosary is prayed during the walk and continues at the site. This is an annual event of San Mateo Pro-Life. For additional information, call Jessica at (650) 572-1468. Dec. 13, 7:30 p.m.: The 13th Day, a film about the Fatima experience at St. Augustine Church, 3700 Callan Blvd. in South San Francisco. Tickets are $5 each. Call Sister Nona at (650) 873-2878. Proceeds benefit parish religious education program. Dec. 15, 7 p.m.: Pray Ways – Exploring Prayer Life with Mercy Center’s Catherine Regan and Cathy Collins. Join in rediscovering the Sacred in the time and space of life through the many faces of prayer, the personal prayer journey, and learning to deepen one’s prayer with Scripture. Takes place at Our Lady of Angels Church, 1721 Hillside Dr. off El Camino Real in Burlingame. For more information contact Quentin Olwell at (650)3446946 or olwell@sbcglobal.net. Dec. 15, 7:30 p.m.: Part One of Handel’s Messiah, Nativity and Magnificat by the choir and orchestra of the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament, Christchurch, New Zealand, at St. Mary’s Cathedral, Gough at Geary Blvd. in San Francisco. The choir led song at at the Papal Christmas of inaugurating the Jubilee Year in 2000. Soloists include sopranos, Elizabeth Emeleus and Judy Bellingham, and tenor, Wally Enright. “Admission is free and the group wishes to reach out in friendship to the audience and encourage interest in their country,” said Christophe Tietze, music director and organist at St. Mary’s. Visit www.cathedral.org.nz for more about the group. Dec. 18, 7:30 p.m.: 8th Annual Christmas Concert at St. Charles Church, 880 Tamarack Ave. in San Carlos celebrates the rich heritage of Advent and Christmas music – carols both old and new, some for listening and
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Staff
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and Referrals ● Care
Coordination
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Special Liturgies Simbang Gabi, a novena in anticipation of Christmas, will be prayed at the following churches at dates and times noted. Please call (415) 699-7927 for further information. Dec. 15-23: 5:30 a.m. at Our Lady of the Pillar (650) 726-4674; 5 p.m. at Church of the Epiphany, (415) 3337630; 6:00 p.m. at All Souls (650) 871-8944; 6:30 p.m. at St. Veronica (650) 588-1455; 7 p.m. at Corpus Christi (415) 585-2991 and Mater Dolorosa (650) 583-4131, St. Andrew (650) 756-3223, St. Elizabeth (415) 468-0820, St. Timothy (650) 342-2468; 7:30 p.m. at Holy Angels (650) 755-0478, Our Lady of Mercy (650) 755-2727, and St. Augustine (650) 873-2282 Dec. 16-24: 5:30 a.m. at Holy Name Church (415) 664-8590, and Our Lady of Perpetual Help (650) 7559786; 6 a.m. at St. John the Evangelist (415) 334-4646, St. Patrick, San Francisco (415) 421-3730, and St. Stephen (415) 681-2444; 6:30 a.m. at Visitacion (415) 239-5950. Three day events: 7 p.m. at St. Isabella (415) 4791560 on Dec. 20, 22, 23 and at 5 a.m. at St. Bruno (650) 588-2121 on Dec. 22, 23, and 24.
Food & Fun
Dec. 13, 5 p.m.: Mission Dolores Basilica Choir performs its 18th Annual Candlelight Christmas Concert at the Basilica, 16th St. at Dolores in San Francisco. Conductor Jerome Lenk leads this internationally-renowned group in a performance of Vivaldi’s Magnificat and songs of the season. Tickets are $25 reserved, $18 premium general and $15 general admission, and are available by calling (415) 621-8203 or visiting www.missiondolores.org. some for singing along. The concert features the Adult, Youth and Children’s Choirs. Admission is free. An offering will be taken for the support of the music programs. Call (650) 591-7349 x32 for more information. Dec. 18 6 p.m. – December 19, 6 p.m.: Advent Retreat - Discerning Life Choice – Retreat for young men and women discerning life choice at a significant juncture in their lives at Dominican Sisters of Mission San Jose, 43326 Mission Blvd. in Fremont. Contact (510) 789-7079, blessings@msjdominicans.org or visit our website at www.msjdominicans.org for more information. Dec. 20, 2:30 p.m.: Afternoon Christmas Concert featuring voices of Verbum Dei Music at 3365 19th St. in San Francisco. The event is a fundraiser for Verbum Dei Missionary Fraternity founded in 1963. Call (415) 282-3005 or e-mail verbumdeisf@gmail.com.
Single, Divorced, Separated Information about Bay Area single, divorced and separated programs is available from Jesuit Father Al Grosskopf at grosskopf@usfca.edu (415) 422-6698. Dec. 12, 6:30 p.m.: A potluck Christmas celebration, charity donation and raffle at St. Dominic Church, 2390 Bush St. at Steiner in San Francisco. There is a minimal cost of $5 if you bring food, $10 if you do not. To ensure a balanced meal please call for suggestions. This year we would like to help families who are victims of abuse. We ask you to bring a Store Gift card of any amount - $5 amount is fine - and we will deliver them to C.O.R.A., a San Francisco shelter for such victims. Call Gail (650) 591-8452 or Vonnie McGee (650)8734236 for more information.
Youth Teens interested in attending the Walk for Life West Coast are invited to a pizza party Dec. 18 at 7 p.m. in San Francisco’s Sunset District. Meet with high school coordinator Annie Bowman and other Walk for Life organizers. Eat pizza, play ping pong, shoot hoops, play RockBand, and X-Box. For more information, including the location in a private home, email info@walkforlifewc.com.
Good Health January 21, 6:30 p.m.: Running Without Injury, St. Mary’s Medical Center’s Outpatient Therapies Department will have a physical therapist explaining how the most common running injuries occur and how to train to prevent them. Takes place at Sports Basement in the Presidio, 610 Old Mason Street, San Francisco. (415) 437-0100.
Pauline Books and Media Daughters of St. Paul, 2640 Broadway, Redwood City (650) 369-4230 - Visit www. pauline.org Second Wednesday of the Month, 7 p.m.: Catholic Fiction Book Club. Delve into some of the greatest Catholic novels of our times and times past. Discover the beauty of the written word and the power of literature to nourish faith. Discuss various works of Catholic literature and how their timeless themes relate to our own lives.
Dec 13: Pancake Breakfast sponsored by St. Stephen School Men’s Club in the new Parish Center. Children will have the opportunity to have their photo taken with Santa. Families are asked to bring a new, unwrapped toy to contribute to the SF Firefighters’ Toy Drive . Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children age 13 and under. Contact Dan Casey at (415) 2424114 or casework82@sbcglobal.net. Jan. 16, 6 p.m.: Young Men’s Institute’s Annual Crab Cioppino Dinner at All Souls Church Cafeteria in South San Francisco. Cocktails will begin at 6 p.m. with dinner by Chef Rich Guaraldi to follow. Tickets are $40 per person, checks payable to the YMI. Contact Tom Fourie at (800) 964-9646.
Consolation Ministry Grief support groups meet at the following parishes. San Mateo County: St. Catherine of Sienna, Burlingame; call Debbie Simmons at (650) 558-1015. St. Dunstan, Millbrae; call Barbara Cappel at (650) 692-7543. Good Shepherd, Pacifica; call Sister Carol Fleitz at (650) 355-2593. Our Lady of Mercy, Daly City; call Barbara Cantwell at (650) 755-2727. Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, Redwood City; call parish at (650) 3663802. St. Robert, San Bruno; call Sister Patricia at (650) 589-2800. Marin County: St. Anselm, San Anselmo; call Brenda MacLean at (415) 454-7650. St. Isabella, San Rafael; call Pat Sack at (415) 472-5732. Our Lady of Loretto, Novato; call Sister Jeanette at (415) 897-2171. San Francisco: St. Dominic; call Deacon Chuck McNeil at (415) 567-7824; St. Finn Barr (bilingual); call Carmen Solis at (415) 584-0823. St. Gabriel; call Monica Williams at (415) 350-9464. Young Widow/Widower Group: St. Gregory, San Mateo; call Barbara Elordi at (415) 614-5506.
Datebook is a free listing for parishes, schools and non-profit groups. Please include event name, time, date, place, address and an information phone number. Listing must reach Catholic San Francisco at least two weeks before the Friday publication date desired. Mail your notice to: Datebook, Catholic San Francisco, One Peter Yorke Way, S.F. 94109, or fax it to (415) 614-5633, e-mail burket@sfarchdiocese.org, or visit www.catholic-sf.org, Contact Us.
Our Lady of Mercy Parish 5 Elmwood Drive, Daly City Between South Mayfair and Southgate Avenues, with plenty of free parking!
®®® Mon., Dec. 14: 7:30 p.m. Communal Penance Service (with Individual Confession & Absolution).
Italian-American Community Services Agency Providing Services to the Italian Community since 1916
Casa Fugazi 678 Green Street San Francisco 94133
Tel: 415-362-6423 www.italiancommunityservices.org
Tue., Dec. 15, to Wed., Dec. 23: 7:30 p.m. Simbang Gabi Masses (except for Saturday at 5:30), followed by a Reception downstairs in our Church Hall. Thursday, December 24: 4:00 p.m. Christmas Eve Mass with our Children’s Choir. 5:30 p.m. Christmas Eve Mass. 11:30 p.m. Sing-Along Christmas Carols with our Parish Choir. 12:00 a.m. Midnight Mass with our Choir. Friday, December 25: Christmas Day Masses at 7:30 a.m. 9:00 a.m. 10:30 a.m. with our Children’s Choir. 12:00 p.m. with our Choir.
Masses: Sat. 5:00 PM Sun. 7:30 AM • 8:45 AM Spanish • 10:30 AM Gospel Mass
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Catholic San Francisco
December 11, 2009
SERVICE DIRECTORY Tree Care Removal of challenging trees Fully licensed and insured Fine Pruning Certified arborist 24 Hr. emergency service WC 5304 Insurance work Serving Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish for over 25 years
650.355.1277
Plumbing BEST PLUMBING, INC. Your Payless Plumbing
Lic. # 872560
➤ Drain-Sewer Cleaning Service ➤ Water Heaters ➤ Gas Pipes ➤ Toilets ➤ Faucets ➤ Garbage Disposals ➤ Copper Repiping ➤ Sewer Replacement ➤ Video Camera & Line locate PROMPT AND UNPARALLELED SERVICE
Cleaning A NTHONY ’ S GREEN CLEANING
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RELAX, RENEW Trained In: Conscious Body Work,
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Auto Service
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Complete Auto Repair
Call Desiree, CMP
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HABELT’S AUTO SERVICE 3865 Irving St. at 40th Ave. – Since 1964 –
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◆
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John Bianchi Phone: 415.468.1877 Fax: 415.468.1875 100 North Hill Drive, Unit 18 • Brisbane, CA 94005 Lic. No. 390254
Construction Vonnegut Thoreau Construction Quality Remodelers and Builders Serving the San Francisco Bay Area
Lic # 526818 Senior Discount
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painting and remodeling John Holtz Ca. Lic 391053 General Contractor Since 1980
Construction CAHALAN CONST. Foundations, Earthquake Dryrot, Termite, Siding, Stucco
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VTConstruct.com Lic# 903690
KEANE CONSTRUCTION ➮ Exterior / Interior Additions ➮ Baths ➮ Foundations, Stairs, Dry Rot ➮ Architect Available
Call: 415.533.2265
Lic. 407271
Electrical DEWITT ELECTRIC Your #1 Choice! For all your electrical needs!
CHRISTMAS LIGHTS INSTALLED Lic. C-10 (631209) 09
Painting BILL HEFFERON
PAINTING INTERIOR, EXTERIOR
Unhealed wounds can hold you back - even if they are not the “logical” cause of your problems today. You can be the person God intended.
❖ 30 years experience with individuals, couples and groups ❖ Directed, effective and results-oriented ❖ Compassionate and Intuitive ❖ Supports 12-step ❖ Enneagram Personality Transformation ❖ Free Counseling for Iraqi/Afghanistani Vets
When Life Hurts It Helps To Talk • Family • Work • Relationships • Depression • Anxiety • Addictions
Dr. Daniel J. Kugler Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist Over 30 years experience • Reasonable Fees
MARRIAGE AND FAMILY COUNSELING
Specializing In Wood Fences
(415) 242-3355
Marriage and Family Therapist (MFT 1319)
www.counselingforchristians.com
lic. 343633
catholic-sf.org For your local and international Catholic news, Datebook, advertising information and “Place Classified Ad” Form
Deborah Weisinger, PsyD Licensed Clinical Psychologist
2409A Sacramento St., San Francisco, CA 94115 (415) 522-7393 L ICENSE PSY 18123
Specializing in work with those who are grieving & coping with loss.
Healthcare Agency
Member of Better Business Bureau Bonded, Insured – LIC. #819191
NOTICE TO READERS
Licensed contractors are required by law to list their license numbers in advertisments. The law also state that contractors performing work totaling $500 or more must be state-licensed. Advertisments appearing in this newspaper without a license number indicate that the contractor is not licensed. For more info, contact: Contractors State License Board
800-321-2752
Call (650) 757-1946 Cell (415) 517-5977 NOT A LICENSED CONTRACTOR
Roofing
(415) 786-0121 • (415) 586-6748
Hauling ➤ Hauling ➤ Job Site Clean-Up ➤ Demolition ➤ Yard Service ➤ Garbage Runs ➤ Saturday & Sunday
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LAST-MINUTE SERVICE AVAILABLE
Carpet Cleaning Safe Non-Toxic, No Shampoo, Dry in Hours not Days Commercial & Residential Serving SF & San Mateo Co. St. Charles Parishioner
(650) 593-5959
Home Care
QUALITY HOME CARE SERVING THE BAY AREA SINCE 1996 * Attendants * Companions * Hospice * Respite Care Competitive Rates • Screened • Insured • Bonded
Full Payroll Service www.irishhelpathome.com
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Senior Care Homecare for Seniors
Starting at $17/hr
by Accredited Caregiver Specialists Serving the SF Bay Area • Professional, Affordable, Safe • For hourly, overnight, or Live-in • Prescreened, experienced, careeer caregivers
Free in-home assessment www.accreditedcaregivers.com 650-307-3890
SUPPLE SENIOR CARE “The most compassionate care in town” 1655 Old Mission Road #3 Colma, SSF, CA 94080 *Irish owned & operated *Serving from San Francisco to North San Mateo
Clinical Gerentologist
All Jobs Large and Small Call Bill 415.731.8065 • Cell: 415.710.0584
Painting, roof repair, fence (repair/ build) demolition, carpenter, gutter (clean/ repair), kitchen/bathroom remodel, decks, welding, landscaping, gardening, hauling, moving, janitorial.
415-573-5141 or 650-993-8036
Investment
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Handy Man
1537 Franklin Street • San Francisco, CA 94109
MORROW CONTRUCTION
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Fully Insured
Confidential • Compassionate • Practical (415) 921-1619 • Insurance Accepted
David Nellis M.A. M.F.T.
(650) 994-6892
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Inner Child Healing Offers a deep spiritual and psychological approach to counseling:
San Francisco: 415.337.9474 Complimentary phone consultation www.InnerChildHealing.com
Contractor inspection reports and pre-purchase consulting
“Large Enough to Matter, Small Enough to Care”
Do you want to be more fulfilled in love and work – but find things keep getting in the way?
Painting & Remodeling •Interiors •Exteriors •Kitchens •Baths
Complete Janitorial – Window Cleaning
Counseling
Lila Caffery, MA, CCHT
lic# 582766
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Additions. Remodels
Matt Joyce
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Interior-Exterior wallpaper hanging & removal
GARIBALDI MAINTENANCE CO. Quality Service Since 1946
Massage Theraphy
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Maintenance Services
The Irish Rose
Home Healthcare Agency Specializing in home health aides, attendants and companions.
Care Management for the Older Adult Family Consultation –Bereavement Support Kathy Faenzi, MA, Clinical Gerontologist Office: 650.401.6350 Web: www.faenziassociates.com
Serving San Francisco, Marin & the Peninsula.
Contact: 415.447.8463
Striving to Achieve Optimum Health & Wellbeing
Catholic San Francisco
December 11, 2009
Catholic San Francisco
classifieds PUBLISH A NOVENA Pre-payment required Mastercard or Visa accepted
Cost $26
If you wish to publish a Novena in the Catholic San Francisco You may use the form below or call 415-614-5640 Your prayer will be published in our newspaper
Name Adress Phone MC/VISA # Exp. Select One Prayer: ❑ St. Jude Novena to SH ❑ Prayer to St. Jude
❑ Prayer to the Blessed Virgin ❑ Prayer to the Holy Spirit
Please return form with check or money order for $26 Payable to: Catholic San Francisco Advertising Dept., Catholic San Francisco 1 Peter Yorke Way, San Francisco, CA 94109
Prayer to the Blessed Virgin never known to fail. Most beautiful flower of Mt. Carmel Blessed Mother of the Son of God, assistme in my need. Help me and show me you are my mother. Oh Holy Mary, Mother of God, Queen of Heaven and earth. I humbly beseech you from the bottom of my heart to help me in this need. Oh Mary, conceived without sin. Pray for us (3X). Holy Mary, I place this cause in your hands (3X). Say prayers 3 days. C.T.C.
Prayer to the Holy Spirit Holy Spirit, you who make me see everything and who shows me the way to reach my ideal. You who give me the divine gift of forgive and forget the wrong that is done to me. I, in this short dialogue, want to thank you for everything and confirm once more that I never want to be separated from you no matter how great the material desires may be. I want to be with you and my loved ones in your perpetual glory. Amen. You may publish this as soon as your favor is granted. M.A.B.
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FOR ADVERTISING INFORMATION CALL: 415-614-5642 Fax: 415-614-5641 Email: penaj@sfarchdiocese.org
Visit us at
Help Wanted catholic-sf.org For your local & international Catholic news, website listings, information about advertising, “Place Classified Ad” Form, Datebook and much more!
Room for Rent Master bedroom w/ private bath, $650/ month plus utilities. References required. Non-smoking/drinking. PLEASE CALL (415) 341-5427
Room for Rent Room in beautiful, modern, open floor plan Mill Valley home w/views. Common areas are living room, dining room & kitchen. Private room with private bathroom. Washer/dryer, street parking. No smoking, no pets. Rent $975/mo. Shared utilities. Call (415) 324-9193
Piano
Lessons PIANO LESSONS BY
CAROL FERRANDO. Conservatory training, masters degree, all levels of students. CALL (415) 921-8337.
Live-In Companion
Experienced Cook needed, 4 hours a day Monday-Friday. Benefits. Daly City. 650-991-6465
Fr. Tom Daly (415) 614-5683
In-home care in San Francisco, Marin County, peninsula Nursing care for children in San Francisco schools If you are generous, honest, compassionate, respectful, and want to make a difference, send us your resume:
Seeking mature, healthy, sincere, honest, single woman for a live-in companion. Free room and private bath. For more information, please call (415) 921-8337
Approximately 2,000 to 10,000 square feet first floor office space available (additional space available if needed) at One Peter Yorke Way, San Francisco (between Gough & Franklin), is being offered for lease to a non-profit entity. Space available includes enclosed offices, open work area with several cubicles, large work room, and storage rooms on the lower level of the Archdiocese of San Francisco Chancery / Pastoral Center. We also have mail and copy services available, as well as meeting rooms (based on availability). Reception services available. Space has access to kitchen area and restroom facilities. Parking spaces negotiable. Ready for immediate occupancy with competitive terms. Come view the space.
Live in the San Juans:
email haleyk@sfarchdiocese.org.
Please call Archdiocese of San Francisco
RNs, LVNs, CNAs, Caregivers
San Juan Island Home
Katie Haley, (415) 614-5556
Serra for Priestly Vocations
We are looking for full or part time
OFFICE SPACE AVAILABLE
For more information, contact
heaven can’t wait
3 bedroom, 2 bath home on Lopez Island on 2.1 acres with 240-degree views of San Juan Channel and the Olympic Mountains. Master suite features jetted tub, its own deck, and a den. Home also includes stone firepplace, 2-car garage, sleeping loft, main-floor deck and a pleasant walk to the beach. Within walking distance of golf course and tiny island airport. Served by ferry from Anacortes, WA – and a walk-on ferry ride to Victoria BC. $549,500.
Call Heather (agent): (425) 350-5508
Jeannie McCullough Stiles, RN Fax: 415-435-0421 Email: info@sncsllc.com Voice: 415-435-1262
Stocking Stuffers ST. CECILIA’S MOTHER; CLUB RECIPE COLLECTION
The Perfect Stocking Stuffer Need a holiday gift or a hostess present? The St. Cecilia Recipe Collection is the answer! This fabulous cookbook is filled with 250 tried and true family recipes from St. Cecilia families. From delicious and simple everyday favorites to the grand and gourmet, this collection has a recipe for every level of cook. Your new holiday favorite may be just a phone call or email away!
Just $15 each, or 3 for $30, order via email at cookbooksc@earthlink.com or call Sally Maske at 415-753-6950.
Support St. Cecilia’s, and introduce some new numbers to your culinary repertoire!
Chimney Cleaning
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Catholic San Francisco
December 11, 2009
Christmas book ideas
Nativity scene at St. Mary’s Cathedral in San Francisco heralds Christmas. Beginning Dec. 20, visitors can view the three-quarter size, hand-carved Italian wood Nativity. Father John Talesfore, Cathedral rector, said the O’Hara family of McAvoy O’Hara Evergreen Mortuary donated the figures about three years ago. Viewing hours are 6:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday; to 7 p.m. Saturday; and 5 p.m. Sunday. Caroling with the St. Mary’s Cathedral Choir begins at 11:30 p.m. Dec. 24 as a prelude to Midnight Mass. Archbishop George H. Niederauer will be principal celebrant.
WASHINGTON (CNS) – Here is a sampling of new books related to Christmas or that look toward the new year: – “A Classic Christmas: Spiritual Reflections, Timeless Literature and Treasured Verse & Scripture.” HarperOne (San Francisco, 2009). 256 pp., $14.99. – “Home for Christmas” by Andrew M. Greeley. Tor/ Forge (New York, 2009). 191 pp., $14.99. – “The Best Spiritual Writing 2010,” edited by Philip Zaleski. Penguin (New York, 2010). 250 pp., $16. – “The Christmas Glass” by Marci Alborghetti. GuidepostsBooks (New York, 2009). 298 pp., $15.99. – “Sacred Space: The Prayer Book 2010” by the Jesuit Communication Centre, Ireland. Ave Maria Press (Notre Dame, Ind., 2009). 371 pp., $15.95. – “Advent and Christmas Wisdom From St. Thomas Aquinas” by Andrew Carl Wisdom, OP. Liguori Press (Liguori, Mo., 2009). 128 pp., $10.95. – “A Simple Christmas: Twelve Stories That Celebrate the True Holiday Spirit” by Mike Huckabee. Penguin (New York, 2009). 208 pp., $19.95. – “Maria: Pope Benedict XVI on the Mother of God.” Ignatius Press (San Francisco, 2009). 160 pp., $21.95. – “Purity 365: Daily Reflections on True Love” by Jason Evert. Servant Books (Cincinnati, 2009). 148 pp., $12.95.
FOR THE HOLIDAYS FREE CATALOG of Monastery Products
Quality Products
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Trappist Preserves Monastery Fruitcake Chocolate, Fudge & Candy Christmas Cards & Gifts Advent Calendars & Wreaths Incense & Icons Books & Chant CD’s
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Our mission is to provide our clients with the safest cutting edge technology for Skin Rejuvenation and aesthetic improvement Our mission is to provide our clients with the safest cutting edge technology for Skin Rejuvenation and aesthetic improvement
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