Catholic san Francisco Northern California’s Weekly Catholic Newspaper
Packed crowd for St. Patrick’s Day Mass By Jack Smith eavy rain dampened turnout at the 154th Annual Saint Patrick’s Day Parade in San Francisco March 12, but it was standing room only at the 9 a.m. pre-parade Mass at St. Patrick Church on Mission Street. The Mass and parade were sponsored by the United Irish Societies of San Francisco (UISSF). Leaders in the Irish community, from both near and far, organized and took parts in the liturgy. Patrick O’Keeffe, Minister of State for the Environment representing the Republic of Ireland, read the second reading, and Úna Fannon, Vice-Consul General of Ireland assisted at the offertory. San Francisco Police Officers served as ushers, and children from St. Philip, St. Cecelia and St. Stephen parishes served as acolytes. Father Gerard O’Rourke, emeritus director of ecumenical and interfaith affairs for the archdiocese was celebrant and homilist. Father Brendan McBride, National Consultant for the Irish Apostolate and chaplain to the Irish community in San Francisco concelebrated, as did St. Gabriel pastor and UISSF chaplain Father John Ryan and St. Patrick’s pastor, Monsignor Fred Bitanga. The service, like the congregation, was both Irish and American. The national anthems of both countries were sung. The flags of the United States, Republic of Ireland, and County flags of Ireland were hung, and songs and prayer were offered in English and Gaelic. But Patrick is not just for the Irish, a fact demonstrated by the celebration of the feast of this co-patron of the Archdiocese of San Francisco in what is now a largely Filipino parish. The apostle to Ireland has become an apostle to every corner of the world through the faith of countless Irish priests, sisters and laity for nearly 1600 years, Father O’Rourke explained in his homily. The people celebrating St. Patrick in San Francisco join “huge numbers of people all across the world in thousands of cathedrals, churches, seminaries and mission chapels named after Saint Patrick,” he said. Fr. O’Rourke recounted his astonishment when the Irish native arrived in this country in 1950 to find that “every 20 miles from Chicago to the West Coast . . .
H
(PHOTO BY JACK SMITH)
The students of Saint Timothy School in San Mateo and Saint Veronica School in South San Francisco joined to perform in a combined band along Market Street for the 154th Annual Saint Patrick’s Day Parade.
Rite of Election Homily ‘You have not chosen me, I have chosen you’ By Archbishop George H. Niederauer The following homily was given by Archbishop George H. Niederauer on the First Sunday of Lent, Mar. 5, at the Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Assumption. Lent is a season of forty days during which Catholics prepare to celebrate Easter, the great feast of our salvation in Jesus Christ the Lord. The Church has two purposes in the season of Lent: the first purpose is to prepare the catechumens, the adults who will be baptized, confirmed, and receive First Eucharist at the Easter Vigil Mass, and to prepare the candidates as well, that is, those who have been baptized but now will be fully initiated in Confirmation and First Eucharist at the Vigil; the second
purpose is to prepare all the baptized to be renewed in their faith, hope and love by means of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. On this first Sunday of Lent each year all the catechumens and candi-
dates from around the Archdiocese gather here in the Cathedral for this Rite of Election. Now we Americans use the word “election” to refer to voting for civil office, but there will be no exit polls or projected winners here today. The word “election” as we use it in “Rite of Election” is a literal translation of the Latin word for “chosen.” We find our clue to what the Church means by “the elect” in the beautiful gospel passage that was just proclaimed. Even though this is only the first Sunday in Lent, in the gospel reading we look ahead to the very end of Lent, to Holy Thursday, in the story of the Last Supper as told by St. John in his Gospel. Jesus said so many beautiful and important things at the Last Supper, but RITE OF ELECTION, page 6
ST. PATRICK’S MASS, page 7
INSIDE THIS WEEK’S EDITION Jewish-Catholic cooperation. 3 News-in-brief. . . . . . . . . . 4-5 Novato to Rome . . . . . . . . . 8
‘Jesus Decoded’
Katrina update . . . . . . . . . 11 Editorial and letters . . . . . . 12
~ Page 9 ~ Third Sunday of Lent ~ March 19 ~ March 17, 2006
‘The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada’ ~ Page 18 ~
SIXTY CENTS
Scripture and reflection . . . 14 Classified ads . . . . . . . . . . 17
www.catholic-sf.org VOLUME 8
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No. 10
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Catholic San Francisco
March 17, 2006
On The Where You Live by Tom Burke
A slide rule salute to Brendan Gee, left, Michael O’Reilly, Jeffery Tung, Shane O’Neil of St. Finn Barr Elementary School and all winners at the recent Science Fair at the Randall Museum. Clarence Donahoe is school Science teacher. Principal is Tom Dooher.
Christine DeMartini
Yosemite’s famed Half Dome was not a problem for more than 180 climbers who took on the mount in the annual Hike for a Cure in November. Christine DeMartini, a senior at Notre Dame High School in Belmont was honored with a commendation from State Assemblyman Gene Mullin for her part in the good work. “The thoughtfulness and generosity of your actions is exemplary,” he said. The dough raised helps fund research into a rare blood disease that afflicts Anton McPeek–Bechtold brother of Notre Dame junior, Annika McPeek-Bechtold. The kids’ mom, Colleen, founded the event five years ago. Congrats here, too, to seniors Kate Berrini and Danielle Maglione who have been awarded college scholarships. Kate will play soccer at UC Irvine and Danielle will be part of the softball team at Mount St. Mary’s College in Emmitsburg, Maryland. Almost 70 people participated in a student-organized blood drive at Notre Dame in February. Kudos and thanks to organizers Courtney Brook, Corey Ilnicki,
LIVING TRUSTS WILLS ●
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Jackie Lock, Megan MacDonald and Kaitlin Neary…. Holy Carolyn have been married 15 years. His first wife, June, died Angels Elementary School says “Good work” to 6th graders in 1989. Fred has served in ministries including bringing Marielle Vierneza and Russell Virtucio, and 7th graders Communion to the homebound and ill. “We would like friends Christine Paed, and Mark to join us,” Fred said…. Music, Mallanao who were all winMusic, Music, could be the ners in a recent Drug and theme for Rachel Taylor, a Alcohol Awareness Poster junior at San Domenico High Contest sponsored by the School, and winner of the Knights of Columbus…. $10,000 Jack Kent Cooke Happy Birthday to Fred Young Artist Award. The 16 Rouse who will 90 years old year-old violinist will be feaMarch 23rd. A native of Iowa, tured on an April 23rd broadFred has been in San Francisco cast of From the Top, heard since 1941 spending most of here at 9 a.m. on KDFC – 102.2 that time behind the wheel of a FM. Rachel participates in San cab. “I’ve driven probably Domenico’s Virtuoso Program, 250,000 fares,” he told me, notwhich offers pre-professional ing his more famous passengers training for young women who including Bing Crosby and aspire to careers in music perKatherine Hepburn as well as formance…. Remember this “Mickey Rooney and one of is an empty space without his wives.” Fred and his family ya’!! The email address for Longtime Mission Dolores parishioners – 5 children, 20 grandchildren, Street is burket@sfarchdioKate and Bob Huerta were in Reno to congratulate cese.org. Mailed items should 20 great grandchildren and 2 and pray with Most Reverend Randolph Calvo be sent to “Street,” One Peter great great grandchildren – will newly appointed Bishop of the Nevada diocese. Yorke Way, SF 94109. Pix gather with friends on the mile“A great time was had by all,” Bob said. should be hard copy or elecstone day for Mass at St. Dominic Church, where Fred has been a parishioner for 60 tronic jpeg at 300 dpi. Don’t forget to include a follow-up years, and a reception in the parish hall. Fred and his wife, phone number. You can reach me at (415) 614-5634.
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Catholic San Francisco
March 17, 2006
Jewish and Catholic communities celebrate cooperation By Jack Smith San Francisco’s Jewish and Catholic communities celebrated five decades of cooperation in Tikkun Olam (repair of the world) March 12 at Temple Emanu-El. The program featured Archdiocese of San Francisco archivist Dr. Jeffrey Burns on the unique history of Catholic and Jewish cooperation in San Francisco and reminiscences by Monsignor Eugene Boyle and Rita Semel on cooperative projects between the local communities in recent decades. Semel is Executive Directors Emeriti of the Jewish Community Relations Council and a board member of Catholic Charities CYO. Semel recalled her work with John Delury, first director of the Catholic Interracial Council and the Peace and Justice Commission for the Archdiocese, with whom she cooperated on many issues representing the Jewish community. “Whenever it was time for a protest . . . I’d get a call from John Delury saying ‘You bring the lawyers, I’ll bring the nuns.’” Monsignor Eugene Boyle said of his many years of work for social justice in cooperation with the Jewish community, “I became more deeply a Catholic Christian by my involvement with the Jewish people. . . It made me aware of where Jesus came from. . . For this I thank the Jewish community of San Francisco. The occasion was also an opportunity for the Jewish community to welcome Archbishop George H. Niederauer to San Francisco and to recognize the 40th Anniversary of the promulgation of Nostra Aetate. Rabbi Stephen Pearce of Temple Emanu-El said “it was with sadness and joy that we bid farewell to Archbishop Levada,” and he welcomed Archbishop Niederauer saying, “You honor us with your presence.” Archbishop Niederauer explained that the Latin name of the declaration by Pope Paul VI, which changed the course of Catholic relations with communities of other faiths, translates as “In our time”. The Archbishop said, “We need to ask the question ‘What about our time?’” Archbishop Niederauer said that Pope Benedict XVI has already indicated that he’ll continue the commitment of Pope John Paul II to fostering a better Jewish-Catholic relationship and cooperation. He also publicly committed himself to that goal. “We live in a world of terrorism and religious funda-
Israeli Consul General David Akov and Archbishop Niederauer exchange gifts. At left is Rabbi Stephen Pearce and Archdiocesan Public Policy Director George Wesolek is at right.
St. Vincent de Paul young adult faith sharing community attended the Temple Emanu-El event in lieu of their Sunday meeting. From left to right: Misha Simmonds, Peggy O’Neill, Archbishop Niederauer, Mary Jansen, Sally Huchingson.
mentalism,” an affliction, which he said affects all religions. “We must affirm and show that we recognize the image of God in all,” he said, “and we need to do this together . . . in the midst of a common journey.” The Honorable David Akov, Consul General of Israel, also spoke on the legacy of Nostra Aetate and the particular witness of Pope John Paul II. The images of Pope John Paul II in Jerusalem at the Wailing Wall and the Holocaust Memorial “conveyed to the world the transformation of Catholic attitudes to the Jewish people over the last 40 years.” Yakov and Archbishop Niederauer also exchanged gifts on behalf of their respective communities. Yakov presented
Archbishop Niederauer with a commemorative medal detailing scenes from Jerusalem set in a box constructed of olive trees from Israel. Archbishop Niederauer presented the Consul General a beautifully framed photograph of Pope John Paul II at the Wailing Wall along with the text of the Holy Father’s prayer. Music for the event was provided by Shir Emanu-El Children’s Choir, the Mercy High School Chorus and Music Club and Temple Emanu-El’s cantor, Roslyn Barak. Rabbi Harry Manhoff, President of the Board of Rabbis of Northern California and Archbishop Niederauer gave final blessing.
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Catholic San Francisco
NEWS
March 17, 2006
in brief
WASHINGTON (CNS) — Responding to a recent statement by Catholic Democrats in the House of Representatives affirming “the primacy of conscience” in their voting decisions, three key leaders of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops said conscience “must be consistent with fundamental moral principles,” including the church’s opposition to abortion. “As members of the church, all Catholics are obliged to shape our consciences in accord with the moral teaching of the church,” said a “Statement on Responsibilities of Catholics in Public Life,” which called abortion “a grave violation of the most fundamental human right — the right to life.” The March 10 statement was signed by Cardinal William H. Keeler of Baltimore, chairman of the USCCB Committee on Pro-Life Activities; Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick of Washington, chairman of the Task Force on Catholic Bishops and Catholic Politicians; and Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio of Brooklyn, N.Y., chairman of the Committee on Domestic Policy. In their Feb. 28 statement, 55 of the 73 Catholic Democrats in the House acknowledged Catholic teaching on “the value of human life and the undesirability of abortion” and pledged to support alternatives to abortion, such as adoption, improved access to children’s health care and child care, and “policies that encourage paternal and maternal responsibility.” They said they “seek the church’s guidance” on those issues but also believe “in the primacy of conscience.” Most of the politicians who signed that statement strongly support keeping abortion legal.
(CNS PHOTO/KAREN CALLAWAY)
Conscience must concur with church’s moral teaching, politicians told
Demonstrators pack Federal Plaza in Chicago after marching from the city's West Side to rally against pending immigration legislation March 10. A House-passed immigration bill calls for tougher border protection and stiffens penalties for undocumented immigrants and those who help them. Police estimates put the number of marchers up to 100,000 people.
der along the entire route. Among them was Dominican Father Brendan Curran, who came with three busloads from St. Pius V Parish in suburban Pilsen. “The legislation in Washington has demanded our attention,” Father Curran said. “It was a red flag. ... This is a time of danger.” Even so, he said, the many efforts to support humane immigration reform have made people “cautiously hopeful.” “Humane” reform, as defined by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, would unify rather than divide families, create a workable system for people to cross the border for jobs and forge a path to legal permanent residency, said Elena Segura of the Chicago archdiocesan Office for Peace and Justice.
we have two dioceses now,” said Bishop Edward J. Slattery of Tulsa. “I’m the bishop of the Hispanics and the bishop of the Anglos, and we should start thinking about possibilities of bringing them together.” He and other meeting participants agreed that there are many barriers to better relations between the two communities and any efforts to bring them together will take time. Father Steve Austin, pastor of Church of the Resurrection, said the problems facing the diocese are in parishes, too. “People are afraid of any changes,” added Father David Medina, Hispanic Apostolate director.
TULSA, Okla. (CNS) — A meeting of the Tulsa diocesan Hispanic Apostolate on a proposal to establish consistent standards for parents and godparents preparing for the sacrament of baptism evolved into a wideranging discussion of the state of relations between the Hispanic and Anglo Catholic communities. “One thing that bothers me, and I don’t know how to solve it is that
plaintiffs to be paid from parish property before the issue of parish ownership has been resolved in the courts. Judge Elizabeth Perris, who is hearing the Archdiocese of Portland bankruptcy case, also opened the door in her Feb. 28 ruling for capping the estimated amount the archdiocese will need to pay all claims. “This is one of the most encouraging rulings we have received,” said Thomas Stilley, lead
Judge: No parish funds for abuse March, rally for immigrants draws until courts resolve issue Bishop urges Anglos, Hispanics to claims tens of thousands in Chicago PORTLAND, Ore. (CNS) — A U.S. bankruptcy judge CHICAGO (CNS) — Judging by the turnout at a improve relations with one another in Portland has indicated she will not permit sex abuse March 10 immigration rights march and rally, the Chicago-area priests who have committed themselves to work for just immigration reform this spring have plenty of company. A crowd estimated at 100,000 people filled the streets from Union Park, the march’s official starting point, to Federal Plaza, about two-and-a-half miles away. Marchers were still leaving the park when the leaders arrived at the plaza, and people were shoulder-to-shoul-
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Catholic san Francisco Northern California’s Weekly Catholic Newspaper
Official newspaper of the Archdiocese of San Francisco
Most Reverend John C. Wester, publisher Maurice E. Healy, associate publisher & executive editor Editorial Staff: Jack Smith, editor; Evelyn Zappia, feature editor; Tom Burke, “On the Street” and Datebook
Advertising: Joseph Pena, director; Mary Podesta, account representative Sandy Dahl, advertising and promotion services Production: Karessa McCartney, manager Business Office: Marta Rebagliati, assistant business manager; Judy Morris, circulation and subscriber services Advisory Board: Jeffrey Burns, Ph.D., James Clifford, Fr. Thomas Daly, Joan Frawley Desmond, James Kelly, Deacon William Mitchell, Kevin Starr, Ph.D.
Catholic San Francisco editorial offices are located at One Peter Yorke Way, San Francisco, CA 94109. Tel: (415) 614-5640;Circulation: 1-800-563-0008 or (415) 614-5638; News fax: (415) 614-5633; Advertising: (415) 614-5642; Advertising fax: (415) 614-5641; Advertising E-mail: penaj@sfarchdiocese.org Catholic San Francisco (ISSN 15255298) is published weekly (four times per month) September through May, except in the week following Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day, and twice a month in June, July and August by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco, 1500 Mission Rd., P.O. Box 1577, Colma, CA 94014. Periodical postage paid at South San Francisco, CA. Annual subscription price: $27 within California, $36 outside the state. Postmaster: Send address changes to Catholic San Francisco, 1500 Mission Rd., P.O. Box 1577, Colma, CA 94014 If there is an error in the mailing label affixed to this newspaper, call 1-800-563-0008. It is helpful to refer to the current mailing label.
March 17, 2006 bankruptcy attorney for the archdiocese. The committee for those claiming sex abuse had proposed a plan that would have trials proceed, with judgments paid as the trials are concluded on a case-by-case basis, tapping into parish and school property when needed. Perris, acknowledging that many unresolved issues remain regarding the parish and school property, was skeptical of the ability of the Tort Claimants’ Committee, a group representing abuse victims, to implement such a plan.
Aid agencies says 3.5 million Kenyans face starvation LONDON (CNS) — Catholic aid agencies in Britain and the United States say as many as 3.5 million Kenyans face a severe food emergency because of several seasons of drought. The Catholic Agency for Overseas Development, an agency of the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, said millions of Kenyans could starve to death unless emergency food supplies are delivered soon. Dominic Stolarow, a CAFOD humanitarian officer who has been visiting the worst-affected areas in the northeastern part of the country, said Kenya is also facing its most severe drought since 1971. “Cattle die first in times of drought as
(CNS PHOTO/MOHANNED FAISAL, REUTERS)
they can only go for up to three days without water,� he said in a March 7 statement. “In some villages I went into I saw carcasses just piled up,� he said. “ There is very little people can do once they have lost their livestock.� The famine and drought have been caused by consecutive poor rainy seasons.
Vatican says wealthy nations should reconsider farm subsidies VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Justice requires that wealthy nations reconsider the level of subsidies they offer their own farmers and the barriers that countries place on the import of agricultural products from developing nations,
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Tom Fox, left, a U.S. Christian peace activist, poses with a fellow Iraqi peace activist in Fallujah, Iraq, in this May 2005 file photo. The body of the kidnapped U.S. peace activist, who was taken hostage in Iraq in 2005, was found bound and shot in Baghdad March 9. Fox was a member of Christian Peacemaker Teams, a group that has restated its commitment to nonviolence despite Fox's death.
Market forces to set pace of New Orleans’ recovery, says expert NEW ORLEANS (CNS) — The pace and extent of New Orleans’ recovery from Hurricane Katrina will be decided in large measure by market forces, but it is too soon to know if the city’s infrastructure will ever again support a pre-Katrina population of 485,000, a planning expert told officials of Catholic Charities USA during their visit to the Archdiocese of New Orleans March 4. “(Louisiana’s) major city is indeed in a crisis,� said Greg Rigamer, a New Orleans planner whose statistical models have been used to craft broad outlines for how billions of dollars in federal funds eventually may be allocated to flooded-out homeowners. “I think the recovery is beginning, but the city is at risk,� he said. “The need for affordable housing is tremendous. Unless we come up with an intelligent solution to this, we will lose 40 to 50 percent of our population.� Rigamer spoke to nearly three dozen members of the Catholic Charities USA board of trustees who visited the Gulf region for an update on recovery efforts since the Aug. 29, 2005, storm.
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Catholic San Francisco
March 17, 2006
Catholic Charities in Boston Archdiocese to end adoption services By Jerry Filteau WASHINGTON (CNS) — Catholic Charities of the Boston Archdiocese announced March 10 that it will stop providing adoption services rather than continue to comply with a state law requiring no discrimination against gay and lesbian couples who seek to adopt. The same day Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney called it “a mistake for our laws to put the rights of adults over the needs of children” and said he would seek legislation allowing religious agencies to perform adoptions without violating their religious tenets. Prompted by a similar issue arising at Catholic Charities of San Francisco, a top Vatican official has said Catholic agencies should not be involved in adoptions by same-sex couples. “We have encountered a dilemma we cannot resolve,” said Father J. Bryan Hehir, Boston Catholic Charities president, and Jeffrey Kaneb, chairman of the board of trustees, in a joint statement March 10. They said the agency “cannot reconcile the teaching of the church, which guides our work, and the statutes and regulations of the commonwealth,” under which archdiocesan adoptive services had placed 13 children with same-sex couples over the past 20 years. A 2003 Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith document says it would be “gravely immoral” to let same-sex couples adopt children. “Allowing children to be adopted by persons living in such unions would actually mean doing violence to these children, in the sense that their condition of dependency would be used to place them in an environment that is not conducive to their full development,” said the document. Massachusetts laws and regulations, however, require adoption agencies contracting with the state not to discriminate against same-sex couples who seek to adopt children. A similar issue has arisen in Catholic Charities of the San Francisco Archdiocese which, in collaboration with government agencies, has placed five children with samesex couples in recent years. Cardinal-designate William J. Levada, who headed the San Francisco Archdiocese during those years but is now
Rite of Election . . . ■ Continued from cover let’s focus on one sentence from our reading: Jesus said to his first followers, and through them, he said to all of you, “You have not chosen me, I have chosen you.” Wait a minute, though! Doesn’t that go against the grain in our modern world? Don’t we like to make all our own choices? Don’t we like to believe that we are in charge, in control, of our lives? Don’t we choose where to work, where to live, what person to marry, which friends to keep, what car to drive? Don’t we choose which church to belong to? Which god to worship? But still Jesus Christ says to us, “You have not chosen me, I have chosen you.” What’s more, St. Paul says much the same thing in our first reading, from his Letter to the Ephesians. Paul says that God chose the people of Israel first to be specially his own people, and then, in His Son Jesus Christ, God chose all peoples to be loved, adopted as daughters and sons, to be forgiven their sins and to inherit eternal life through the sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross and through his resurrection at Easter. God chose us, Paul says, “from before the world began,” to be his people in his Church, to praise him now, here, and forever in heaven. The Church is to be a universal, or Catholic Church, because it is to include all peoples. We can see that here today in this Cathedral: many people, from many different cultures,
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head of the Vatican’s doctrinal congregation, said March 9 that since the 2003 Vatican document, “it has been, and remains, my position that Catholic agencies should not place children for adoption in homosexual households.” After The Boston Globe reported that Boston archdiocesan Catholic Charities had arranged the adoption of 13 children by same-sex couples over the past 20 years, the Massachusetts Catholic Conference formed a committee to review the issue. In a statement Feb. 28 the state’s bishops urged the government to give Catholic adoption agencies an exemption to the requirement of equal treatment for same-sex couples seeking to adopt. Catholic agencies in the state have provided adoptive services for more than a century “out of the religious and moral conviction that we should act in support of children in need and parents who seek to respond to those needs,” the bishops said. “Because of the church’s teaching, Catholic agencies may not provide adoptions to same-sex couples,” they said. Seven of the 42 members of the Boston Catholic Charities board resigned in protest over the bishops’ decision to seek a licensing exemption, saying the move “undermines our moral priority of helping vulnerable children find loving homes.” By its vote March 10, the board agreed to end its adoption services in light of the conflict between the law and Catholic teaching, so that it can focus its energies on its other programs to assist the poor and vulnerable. According to data provided by the Catholic Charities agency: — It received about $1 million in reimbursements for its adoption-related work in 2005; its total 2005 revenue was about $37 million. — In 2005 it found adoptive homes for 41 children, provided post-adoption training and support services to 883 families and conducted 730 information searches for adoptees. Last year, Catholic Charities said, it served more than 200,000 children, teens, families and seniors in need. It provided programs ranging from serving basic human needs to behavioral health, child care, after-school programs, adult day health, counseling, and refugee and immigration services.
Catherine Loeffler, executive director of Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Worcester, Mass., said the Boston agency’s decision would not affect her agency’s practices. If a same-sex couple comes to the Worcester agency seeking to adopt, it will continue to ask the state, which refers the couples, to use another agency for that case, she said. San Francisco archdiocesan spokesman Maurice Healy said March 10 that after inquiries from The Globe about Catholic Charities practices in his archdiocese, he asked Cardinal-designate Levada if he wanted to add any clarification. In his e-mail reply the former San Francisco archbishop said that during his time in San Francisco, he had been informed of placements with same-sex couples “for three children or teenagers who were judged difficult to place. These placements involved prudential judgments about the needs of the children.” He added, however, that such placements should be barred in light of the 2003 Vatican document. “The reasons given in the document, as well as the potential scandal for the faithful should an archdiocesan agency act contrary to the clear teaching of the church’s magisterium, require that a Catholic bishop follow this clear guidance from the Holy See in his oversight of Catholic diocesan agencies,” he said. Brian F. Cahill, executive director of San Francisco’s Catholic Charities, told Catholic News Service that about $450,000 of his agency’s $37 million annual budget goes to adoptive services. Of 136 total adoptions since 2000, the agency made five adoptions to same-sex couples. He said it was too early to say how the Boston decision or Cardinal-designate Levada’s note would affect the San Francisco agency’s future approach to adoptive services. He said he expected soon to brief Archbishop George H. Niederauer, who was just installed in midFebruary, on the issue. “We have always been operating, one, guided by the teachings of the church and, two, guided by the best interests of some very, very vulnerable children,” he said.
speaking many different languages, come together to share their one faith in Jesus Christ in his Church. Paul says that God gives us the wisdom in the Holy Spirit to understand the mystery of this wonderful plan of salvation in Christ. That’s an interesting word, “mystery.” Like “election,” it needs some explaining. It doesn’t mean a crime mystery, like CSI or Law and Order. Father Dominic Maruca, a Jesuit priest, makes a good distinction between a problem and a mystery: a problem is something you have, like a flat tire or a sore tooth; a mystery is something that has you. You can’t get a handle on a mystery, because it is too big for you to take in. Father Maruca gives this example: suppose a doctor, a pathologist, goes to his lab each day and looks at slides of human tissue, and makes decisions all day long - this one is malignant, that one is benign. He is dealing with sickness as a problem. Then suppose that one day he closes up the lab, drives home, parks in his garage and goes into his house. He meets his wife and she tells him that she has been diagnosed with cancer. In that moment, says Father Maruca, he moves from dealing with sickness as a problem into experiencing sickness as a mystery, larger than himself, beyond his control. That’s a negative, scary example of mystery, but the plan of salvation in Jesus Christ is good news for us, the best news there is. You are here today, as a catechumen or a can-
didate, because our loving God took the initiative and called you by name, and you responded in faith. The initiative is God’s, but the necessary response is yours. In the rest of our gospel passage Jesus tells you the response he wants you to make to his love, for the rest of your lives. Jesus tells us disciples: “Love one another as I have loved you.” We need each other, and we need the Church, in order to be Christians. There are lots of things we can do alone, for ourselves, but not the most important ones: we can’t forgive our own sins, we can’t save our own souls, and we can’t give ourselves eternal life. However, God, in Christ Jesus, by the action of the Holy Spirit, can and does do all that for us together as his followers in his Church. Jesus calls you his friends, and he gives you the Holy Spirit as the “down payment”, St. Paul says, of all the rest that is to follow. All your lives long Jesus will call you his friends, bring you to the Mass, the Sacraments, the Scriptures, the teachings of the Church, the Commandments that give life, and the opportunities to serve your sisters and brothers in Christ, to love others as Christ has loved you. You have been loved and chosen; you are the “elect” of Jesus Christ, your Savior and Lord.
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■ Continued from cover there was a church in honor of St. Mary or St. Patrick showing the great love of those pioneer Irish in the 19th century for the Blessed Virgin Mary and Saint Patrick.” The influence of St. Patrick is not only confined to the English speaking countries which absorbed Irish immigration, but all over the world because of Irish missionaries. Saint Patrick is even the National Patron Saint of Nigeria, a testimony to the “big-hearted missionaries . . . who shared their faith with the Nigerians in a spirit of love and equality,” Father O’Rourke said. The spirit of Saint Patrick can even be discerned in “the loving pastoral style of Pope Benedict XVI whose Bavarian antecedents were evangelized by wonderfully magnanimous Irish missionaries in the 7th and 8th centuries,” he said. Father O’Rourke then reflected on the appeal of St. Patrick and why his “powerful spiritual legacy . . . echoes in our souls today.” He said Patrick’s faith as a teenage boy was “very lax . . . He was probably a real headache for his father who he tells us was a deacon.” When he was 16, Patrick was made a slave in Ireland and “wrenched from his comfortable life in the Roman Province of Britain.” Father O’Rourke said “his captivity as a slave quite miraculously transformed him into a person of deep prayer and faith.” Patrick’s faith “was centered on the Blessed Trinity with a huge sense of his relationship with Jesus,” Father O’Rourke said. He was also a “dreamer and a visionary, a trait that always appealed to us Irish” he said. A dream is what led Patrick to return to Ireland as a missionary after his escape from slavery. “He came back and he gave us a big, inclusive, open faith that has empowered us and nourished us as a people even through centuries of outrageous oppression,” he added. St. Patrick was also “a passionately loyal man” to his Irish converts, publicly condemning the practice of slavery. “No wonder we Irish have loved and cherished his spirit of freedom, equality and justice,” he said. Father O’Rourke ended by offering a blessing for the City and the world and in particular for “reconciliation and healing” in Northern Ireland, “a section of Ireland especially close to the heart of St. Patrick.” He also invoked a blessing on the organizers of the Mass and parade. While the rain diminished the normal crowd turnout for a St. Patrick’s Day parade, participants came prepared and put on a lively show anyway. The troupes of Irish dancing girls performed in their festive outfits beneath rain slickers and children were still happy to come up and pet the enormous Irish Wolfhounds despite being rain soaked. Civic officials, police and fire departments, school bands, Irish societies, and labor unions paraded with the same joy as usual.
From left, Monsignor Fred Bitanga, Fr. Brendan McBride and Fr. Gerard O’Rourke celebrate Mass, assisted by cantors, Mary McKeever and Celine Kennelly.
(PHOTOS BY JACK SMITH)
St. Patrick’s Mass . . .
Irish dancers performed wearing rain slickers over their costumes.
San Francisco Police Mounted Unit lead the parade. San Francisco Police Officers served as ushers at the Mass.
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March 17, 2006
Parishioners of Our Lady of Loretto to witness Consistory in Rome By Evelyn Zappia Among the many representatives of the Archdiocese of San Francisco who are planning to attend the March 24 Consistory of Cardinals is an excited group of 27 parishioners from Our Lady of Loretto Church in Novato. They will be traveling to the “Eternal City� to see former Archbishop William J. Levada be created a cardinal in St. Peter’s Basilica. Father William McCain, Our Lady of Loretto pastor, began signing up parishioners to travel to Rome just three months after the Archbishop was appointed Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, May 13, 2005. He was certain that the Archbishop could be elevated to Cardinal at any time. He insisted to those wanting to make the journey that all necessary paperwork be ready, especially passports, and that they must be willing to leave for Vatican City with little notice. “It was supposed to be in September, then that didn’t happen,� said Father McCain. “Then we heard it was going to be October, and that never materialized.� Finally, all the preplanning paid off when Pope Benedict XVI announced Feb. 22 that he would be creating 15
new cardinals and Archbishop Levada would be among them. Father McCain praises “the master of organization,� Father Steven Lopes, who assisted him in putting together an exciting itinerary for his parishioners. “We are included in all the Vatican events,� said Father McCain. Father Lopes is Archbishop Levada’s secretary. The eight-day journey begins March 20 and it includes five nights in Rome and two nights in Assisi, some 90 miles from Rome where the travelers plan to visit the Tomb of St. Francis, and the well-known Basilica in the hills of Umbria. In addition, the parishioners plan to visit the city and shrine of their Novato parish, “The Holy House� of Loreto, Italy. The list of official events begins with an evening Penitential Service March 23 at Rome’s Basilica of St. Mary Major. Next is the Consistory of Cardinals, March 24, where the parishioners will witness the installation of the 15 Cardinals. Considered the highlight of the ceremony is when prelates kneel before the Pope to receive their small square, red silk hat that symbolizes the status of Prince of the Church. Following the Consistory, the group will attend a reception and luncheon at
the Pontifical North American College. Later that evening they will go to the Vatican and pay an “Official Courtesy Visit� to the new Cardinal. March 25, the parishioners will attend the “Mass of Rings,� a Solemn Mass presided by the Pope in St. Peter’s Basilica. During the Mass, the Pope will give each new cardinal a ring symbolic of his office. That evening the parishioners will attend a special celebration banquet. On March 26, all will attend a Sunday Mass at which Cardinal Levada will take possession of his Titular
Church. The tie between cardinals and the Bishop of Rome is symbolically reaffirmed by each cardinal’s titular governance of a parish church in Rome. The name of the church Cardinal Levada will take possession of will be revealed by Pope Benedict at the Consistory. A Papal audience on March 27 will be the last Vatican event for the Marin County parishioners. “This is an opportunity that will not come around twice,� said Deacon Bill Mitchell who will be traveling with his wife, Barbara. Both are anxious to be part of Church history.
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Catholic San Francisco
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‘Jesus Decoded’ site launched to counter claims in ‘Da Vinci Code’ By Catholic News Service WASHINGTON — A new Web site sponsored by the U.S. bishops’ Catholic Communication Campaign has been established to provide accurate information about the life of Jesus, the origins of Christianity and Catholic teaching to counter claims made in the best-selling novel “The Da Vinci Code” by Dan Brown. The Web site, www.jesusdecoded.com, was launched March 9. A film version of the book is slated for nationwide release May 19. The site contains information that refutes claims made in the book about the nature of Jesus; his relationship with Mary Magdalene; the first four ecumenical councils of the early church and how they shaped today’s teaching about Jesus; contemporaneous accounts of Jesus’ life that were not selected for the New Testament; the role of women in the church throughout history; and the “Last Supper” paintings by Leonardo da Vinci and other artists of his era. Also found on the site is a column by John Thavis, Rome Bureau chief for Catholic News Service, on the level of Vatican reaction to the book and forthcoming movie. There is also an essay from the U.S. bishops’ Office for Film & Broadcasting on the marketing hype behind
the movie; and a commentary, “What’s Wrong With ‘The Da Vinci Code’?”, written by Father John Wauck, a U.S. priest of Opus Dei, the personal prelature which figures prominently in the novel. The site also has production information on the CCC’s “Jesus Decoded” TV special, including information on air dates and times in cities around the United States. The program, shot on location in Israel, Turkey and Italy, includes interviews with international scholars versed in art, history and Scripture who “help separate Catholic truth from popular fiction.” It has been offered to NBC affiliates, but each affiliate’s management makes the decision whether to air it. “Many of my students and myself included enjoy a good, fast-paced novel, and enjoyed ‘The Da Vinci Code’ on that level, as a tall tale of adventure,” said Alan Schreck, chairman of the theology department at the Franciscan University of
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March 17, 2006
Deus Caritas Est ~ God is Love “Deus Caritas Est” (God is Love) is the first encyclical by Pope Benedict XVI. Catholic San Francisco is the full text over several weeks. This is the final segment.
ing models of social charity for all people of good will. The saints are the true bearers of light within history, for they are men and women of faith, hope and love.
37. It is time to reaffirm the importance of prayer in the face of the activism and the growing secularism of many Christians engaged in charitable work. Clearly, the Christian who prays does not claim to be able to change God’s plans or correct what he has foreseen. Rather, he seeks an encounter with the Father of Jesus Christ, asking God to be present with the consolation of the Spirit to him and his work. A personal relationship with God and an abandonment to his will can prevent man from being demeaned and save him from falling prey to the teaching of fanaticism and terrorism. An authentically religious attitude prevents man from presuming to judge God, accusing him of allowing poverty and failing to have compassion for his creatures. When people claim to build a case against God in defense of man, on whom can they depend when human activity proves powerless?
41. Outstanding among the saints is Mary, Mother of the Lord and mirror of all holiness. In the Gospel of Luke we find her engaged in a service of charity to her cousin Elizabeth, with whom she remained for “about three months” (1:56) so as to assist her in the final phase of her pregnancy. “Magnificat anima mea Dominum”, she says on the occasion of that visit, “My soul magnifies the Lord” (Lk 1:46). In these words she expresses her whole programme of life: not setting herself at the centre, but leaving space for God, who is encountered both in prayer and in service of neighbour — only then does goodness enter the world. Mary’s greatness consists in the fact that she wants to magnify God, not herself. She is lowly: her only desire is to be the handmaid of the Lord (cf. Lk 1:38, 48). She knows that she will only contribute to the salvation of the world if, rather than carrying out her own projects, she places herself completely at the disposal of God’s initiatives. Mary is a woman of hope: only because she believes in God’s promises and awaits the salvation of Israel, can the angel visit her and call her to the decisive service of these promises. Mary is a woman of faith: “Blessed are you who believed”, Elizabeth says to her (cf. Lk 1:45). The Magnificat — a portrait, so to speak, of her soul — is entirely woven from threads of Holy Scripture, threads drawn from the Word of God. Here we see how completely at home Mary is with the Word of God, with ease she moves in and out of it. She speaks and thinks with the Word of God; the Word of God becomes her word, and her word issues from the Word of God. Here we see how her thoughts are attuned to the thoughts of God, how her will is one with the will of God. Since Mary is completely imbued with the Word of God, she is able to become the Mother of the Word Incarnate. Finally, Mary is a woman who loves. How could it be otherwise? As a believer who in faith thinks with God’s thoughts and wills with God’s will, she cannot fail to be a woman who loves. We sense this in her quiet gestures, as recounted by the infancy narratives in the Gospel. We see it in the delicacy with which she recognizes the need of the spouses at Cana and makes it known to Jesus. We see it in the humility with which she recedes into the background during Jesus’ public life, knowing that the Son must establish a new family and that the Mother’s hour will come only with the Cross, which will be Jesus’ true hour (cf. Jn 2:4; 13:1). When the disciples flee, Mary will remain beneath the Cross (cf. Jn 19:25-27); later, at the hour of Pentecost, it will be they who gather around her as they wait for the Holy Spirit (cf. Acts 1:14).
38. Certainly Job could complain before God about the presence of incomprehensible and apparently unjustified suffering in the world. In his pain he cried out: “Oh, that I knew where I might find him, that I might come even to his seat! ... I would learn what he would answer me, and understand what he would say to me. Would he contend with me in the greatness of his power? ... Therefore I am terrified at his presence; when I consider, I am in dread of him. God has made my heart faint; the Almighty has terrified me” (23:3, 5-6, 1516). Often we cannot understand why God refrains from intervening. Yet he does not prevent us from crying out, like Jesus on the Cross: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Mt 27:46). We should continue asking this question in prayerful dialogue before his face: “Lord, holy and true, how long will it be?” (Rev 6:10). It is Saint Augustine who gives us faith’s answer to our sufferings: “Si comprehendis, non est Deus” — “if you understand him, he is not God.” [35] Our protest is not meant to challenge God, or to suggest that error, weakness or indifference can be found in him. For the believer, it is impossible to imagine that God is powerless or that “perhaps he is asleep” (cf. 1 Kg 18:27). Instead, our crying out is, as it was for Jesus on the Cross, the deepest and most radical way of affirming our faith in his sovereign power. Even in their bewilderment and failure to understand the world around them, Christians continue to believe in the “goodness and loving kindness of God” (Tit 3:4). Immersed like everyone else in the dramatic complexity of historical events, they remain unshakably certain that God is our Father and loves us, even when his silence remains incomprehensible.
42. The lives of the saints are not limited to their earthly biographies but also include their being and working in God after death. In the saints one thing becomes clear: those who draw near to God do not withdraw from 39. Faith, hope and charity go together. men, but rather become truly close to them. Hope is practiced through the virtue of In no one do we see this more clearly than in patience, which continues to do good even in Mary. The words addressed by the crucified the face of apparent failure, and through the Lord to his disciple — to John and through virtue of humility, which accepts God’s myshim to all disciples of Jesus: “Behold, your tery and trusts him even at times of darkness. mother!” (Jn 19:27) — are fulfilled anew in Faith tells us that God has given his Son for every generation. Mary has truly become the our sakes and gives us the victorious certainMother of all believers. Men and women of ty that it is really true: God is love! It thus every time and place have recourse to her The Visitation – Hungarian painter, 1506. transforms our impatience and our doubts motherly kindness and her virginal purity into the sure hope that God holds the world and grace, in all their needs and aspirations, in his hands and that, as the dramatic their joys and sorrows, their moments of imagery of the end of the Book of Revelation loneliness and their common endeavours. points out, in spite of all darkness he ultimately triumphs in glory. Faith, which sees They constantly experience the gift of her goodness and the unfailing love which she the love of God revealed in the pierced heart of Jesus on the Cross, gives rise to love. pours out from the depths of her heart. The testimonials of gratitude, offered to her Love is the light — and in the end, the only light — that can always illuminate a from every continent and culture, are a recognition of that pure love which is not selfworld grown dim and give us the courage needed to keep living and working. Love is seeking but simply benevolent. At the same time, the devotion of the faithful shows possible, and we are able to practice it because we are created in the image of God. an infallible intuition of how such love is possible: it becomes so as a result of the To experience love and in this way to cause the light of God to enter into the world most intimate union with God, through which the soul is totally pervaded by him — — this is the invitation I would like to extend with the present Encyclical. a condition which enables those who have drunk from the fountain of God’s love to become in their turn a fountain from which “flow rivers of living water” (Jn 7:38). CONCLUSION Mary, Virgin and Mother, shows us what love is and whence it draws its origin and 40. Finally, let us consider the saints, who exercised charity in an exemplary way. its constantly renewed power. To her we entrust the Church and her mission in the Our thoughts turn especially to Martin of Tours († 397), the soldier who became a service of love: Holy Mary, Mother of God, monk and a bishop: he is almost like an icon, illustrating the irreplaceable value of the you have given the world its true light, individual testimony to charity. At the gates of Amiens, Martin gave half of his cloak Jesus, your Son – the Son of God. to a poor man: Jesus himself, that night, appeared to him in a dream wearing that You abandoned yourself completely cloak, confirming the permanent validity of the Gospel saying: “I was naked and you to God’s call clothed me ... as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me” and thus became a wellspring (Mt 25:36, 40).[36] Yet in the history of the Church, how many other testimonies to of the goodness which flows forth from him. charity could be quoted! In particular, the entire monastic movement, from its origins Show us Jesus. Lead us to him. with Saint Anthony the Abbot († 356), expresses an immense service of charity Teach us to know and love him, towards neighbour. In his encounter “face to face” with the God who is Love, the so that we too can become monk senses the impelling need to transform his whole life into service of neighbour, capable of true love in addition to service of God. This explains the great emphasis on hospitality, refuge and be fountains of living water and care of the infirm in the vicinity of the monasteries. It also explains the immense in the midst of a thirsting world. initiatives of human welfare and Christian formation, aimed above all at the very poor, who became the object of care firstly for the monastic and mendicant orders, and later Given in Rome, at Saint Peter’s, on 25 December, the Solemnity of the Nativity of for the various male and female religious institutes all through the history of the Church. The figures of saints such as Francis of Assisi, Ignatius of Loyola, John of the Lord, in the year 2005, the first of my Pontificate. God, Camillus of Lellis, Vincent de Paul, Louise de Marillac, Giuseppe B. Cottolengo, BENEDICTUS PP. XVI John Bosco, Luigi Orione, Teresa of Calcutta to name but a few — stand out as last-
Catholic San Francisco
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Katrina Update ‘Faith, hope and charity go together’ Magnet of hope: Dominicans anchor French Quarter revival (CNS PHOTO/THERESA LAURENCE, TENNESSEE REGISTER)
Dominican Sister Mary Rose Bingham, principal of Cathedral Academy in New Orleans, talks with one of her students, Taylor Lucien, 8, about her Hurricane Katrina experience. By Theresa Laurence NEW ORLEANS (CNS) — Nestled in the heart of the famously rowdy French Quarter of New Orleans is an oasis of learning and discipline, run by Dominican nuns from a congregation based in Nashville, Tenn., and catering to some of the city’s most at-risk children. Cathedral Academy is a spiritual presence in an area struggling to be reborn in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. The sisters, in their unmistakable black-and-white habits, “don’t have to say a word to proclaim God,” said Sister Mary Rose Bingham, principal of Cathedral Academy, the parish school of St. Louis Cathedral. Several years ago New Orleans Archbishop Alfred C. Hughes recruited the Dominican Sisters to run the elementary school, not only for their teaching skills but particularly for the prayerful witness they give to people, said Sister Mary Rose. “Maybe every city needs it,” she said, and maybe none as much as the fragile city of New Orleans. While certain neighborhoods, such as the French Quarter, are tentatively coming back to life, others remain in shambles. Homeowners are confused about when or if they will be able to rebuild; many of the city’s residents are growing frustrated with feeling like transients in their hometown. The Dominicans are working hard to provide these displaced and disheartened families of New Orleans with some stability in their lives. Following the storm Cathedral Academy was the first school, public or private, to reopen in Orleans Parish, a civil entity, and it welcomed anyone. “If they were a child and they were breathing, they could come to school,” said Sister Mary Rose, who was principal of Overbrook School in Nashville, 1998-2003. “The parents were so desperate and so relieved,” she said in an interview with a visiting reporter from the Tennessee Register, newspaper of the Nashville Diocese. “It’s hard to overestimate the importance of that school coming back so quickly and so well” after the hurricane, said Father William Maestri, superintendent of schools for the Archdiocese of New Orleans. “It served as a magnet of hope for the city.” Families won’t return to a city without the assurance that their children can be enrolled in school, so “infrastructure begins to develop when schools reopen,” Father Maestri said. Since Katrina, Cathedral Academy has nearly doubled in size, from 125 to 250 students, and nearly all pay drastically reduced tuition. Most of the students who started school last August have resettled elsewhere. Students now enrolled at Cathedral Academy have come from all over the city, and about one-quarter of them are from public schools.
Catholic health care groups to run medical clinic outside New Orleans Hurricane Relief
By Carol Zimmermann
Catholic Charities USA has helped more than CHALMETTE, La. (CNS) — Six 300,000 victims of hurricanes Katrina and Rita. months after Hurricane Katrina, St. Bernard’s Parish, a civil entity just Relief Money east of New Orleans, looked as if the Raised by hurricane just occurred. Catholic Charities Recipients of Aid There was no longer standing water, but the businesses, homes and 45% 31% shopping centers in the small towns 55% spent children 66% not yet and neighborhoods were completely in adults spent shambles. Houses, moved by the 20 3% seniors feet of water that submerged the area after storm surges toppled the levees, $154 million sat at odd angles in the streets. What were once yards contained piles of Examples of Relief Provided debris or uprooted trees. + 40 million pounds of food distributed + 166,170 people received direct financial While 10 percent, or 7,000 resiassistance dents, have returned to an area with + 42,580 people received case management assistance almost no electricity or running + 3,000 people received medical or water, services for these residents prescription assistance were still extremely limited, existing primarily in temporary disaster relief centers dotting the main roads. On a Saturday afternoon in early March, the parking lot of the WalMart Supercenter in Chalmette was as packed as it may have been in its pre-Katrina days, but no one was there to shop. Instead, they were there to get free lunches from a charity-run food tent, consult officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency or insurance workers in trailers on-site, or receive health care at a triple-wide trailer run by three local doctors with financing and staffing assistance from the U.S. Public Health Service. However, the federal contract for the clinic, which has been seeing about 150 patients a day, is about to run out, which would leave the area without a health care facility since Hurricane Katrina destroyed all of them, including its only hospital, Chalmette Medical Center. Thirty-five doctors offices that had been in the area are now closed. Two Catholic health care systems — Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System based in Baton Rouge and Ascension Health in St. Louis — have stepped in and are planning to run the clinic in the near future. FEMA is setting up a 22,000square-foot metal building on the parking lot to handle more patients and emergency care. FEMA will not provide funds to run the facility because the parish did not qualify for long-term assistance since it did not have public health care before Katrina. The new clinic site, still under construction, was one of several visited by nearly three dozen members of the Catholic Charities USA board of trustees who toured the Gulf region this month for an update of post-Katrina recovery efforts. “There is a huge need, and we’re trying to meet that need,” said Michael Pisciotta, clinical administrator for the Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady, who will be the operating manager for the Chalmette clinic. ©2006 CNS
Source: Catholic Charities USA
New Orleans pastor urges returning parishioners to reclaim their city Today, as its members slowly make their way back, they find themselves not only surrounded by the trail of destruction left by Katrina and the broken levees but under the shadow of an announcement that seven parishes in New Orleans will be closing in mid-March. NEW ORLEANS (CNS) — Each Sunday, more and more parishioners return to St. St. Peter Claver Church, which sustained $2 million in damages and is currently the site Peter Claver Parish in New Orleans for Masses celebrated in the school cafeteria while of ongoing construction, is scheduled to reopen on the flood-damaged church is being repaired. On the first Sunday in Lent, the cafeteria was overFather Michael Jacques Easter. A neighboring African-American church, St. will remain open only as a place of worflowing with churchgoers who started filling the seats gives the homily during Augustine, ship and the parish will merge with St. Peter Claver. an hour before Mass. Parishioners also sat on chairs on Sunday Mass at St. Peter Father Jacques will remain the pastor. the stage, or stood in the back and in doorways. Prior A few parishioners from another parish that is closto Mass, the atmosphere in the hall was akin to a famClaver Parish in New ily reunion as people greeted those they hadn’t seen in Orleans. Mass is celebrated ing, St. Philip the Apostle in New Orleans, attended the Mass at St. Peter Claver. months. in the school hall while “We’re about healing these days,” said Father Jacques, “It’s crowded, but it’s good to have people in the the hurricane-damaged head of the archdiocesan Council of Deans, which coorchurch,” said Edmundite Father Michael Jacques, pastor of St. Peter Claver. church is being repaired. dinated the plan to reconfigure the parishes. “We were about evacuating. Now we’re about rebuilding so we can In his homily, he said, “Folks every Sunday are have a better city.” coming back. They lost everything, but they want to The pastor, who has been at St. Peter Claver for be at Mass.” more than 20 years, encouraged parishioners to remain When he asked members of the congregation where steadfast in their reliance on God and persistent in their they had been or were still staying, responses included efforts to rebuild the city, doing everything from getting Texas, Ohio, Colorado, Georgia and other cities and their own homes back together to appealing to city offitowns in Louisiana. cials for community needs such as housing, electricity, phone service, education, low-income Pre-Katrina, St. Peter Claver, with its 2,500 families, was known as the largest food programs and crime prevention measures. African-American church in Louisiana. It has a reputation for being a vibrant parish The congregation resounded with applause when Father Jacques told them, “We’re community. Five years ago, a study by the University of North Carolina at Wilmington about rebuilding our city and our neighborhood and nobody can tell us we can’t rebuild.” named it one of 17 exceptional parishes in the United States. (CNS PHOTO/NANCY WIECHEC)
By Carol Zimmermann
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Catholic San Francisco
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Catholic san Francisco Northern California’s Weekly Catholic Newspaper
Making the Right Repairs to the Immigration System By Rev. Larry Snyder Our nation’s immigration system is broken, separating families with bureaucratic backlogs, keeping 11 million undocumented workers in the shadows and causing undue hardship to those who are seeking to build a new life in America. How our nation’s leaders fix this broken immigration system will say a great deal about who we are and what we value as a nation. To make the comprehensive repairs that are really needed to this broken system, Congress needs a better set of plans, a different set of tools and stronger political will. America should have an immigration policy that promotes the dignity of individuals and supports families as the most important unit of society. Catholic Charities USA’s position on immigration reform is based on more than 100 years of experience in aiding and employing immigrants. Each year, Catholic Charities agencies help more than half a million immigrants and refugees with legal services, language instruction, job training and placement, and social services. Our agencies are witness to the incredible capacity for hard work and strong family life of newcomers who are looking to succeed in their adopted country. At the same time, Catholic Charities staff and volunteers each day observe the unjust and counterproductive effects of U.S. immigration policies which separate families and undermine workplace fairness. Catholic social teaching instructs us to recognize the natural rights of every human being, including the right to migrate. And our experience reminds us of our nation’s history as a welcoming home for people in search of a better life. As the U.S. Senate moves forward on immigration reform legislation, I strongly encourage senators to seek comprehensive reform that protects U.S. security, puts undocumented laborers and their families on the path to lawful permanent residence and citizenship, and creates greater legal avenues for necessary workers to enter this country. Our nation’s laws must give undocumented immigrants currently living in the U.S. the opportunity to earn the right to remain - provided they pass security and criminal background checks. In addition, we agree with business groups who want greater legal means by which needed workers can be admitted, both temporarily and permanently, to fill available jobs. At the same time, our government should assure that worker visa programs adequately protect the wages and working conditions of U.S. and immigrant workers. It’s shameful when our government policies keep families apart when we should be seeking to keep families intact. Currently, one million applications are pending for family members to become lawful permanent residents, and the average processing time is more than a year. Families are the cornerstone of a strong society, and more visas should be made available to ensure family unity. Make no mistake, we agree that immigration reform should include improved security to protect our nation from terrorists and criminals who are seeking entry to the United States. We believe that effective enforcement requires smart inspections and screening processes, fair proceedings, efficient processing, as well as strategies for cracking down on smugglers. These broad reforms will better integrate and promote the success of newcomers to our nation while also improving the economic prospects, health, labor protections, and stability of all U.S. residents. Human dignity represents the precondition and ultimate end of a just society. The opportunity to reform our nation’s immigration system is also an opportunity to advance the cause of human dignity. We must not waste it. Father Larry Snyder is the President of Catholic Charities USA, one of the nation’s largest private networks of social service organizations, with 1,789 local agencies and institutions providing assistance to more than seven million people a year.
Shouldn’t be surprised
Hard cases
Raya Hanlon, OP is right on target when she describes the platform espoused by the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (Letters – Mar. 10). Kudos for her precision. She clearly sets forth the goals and objectives which LCWR has energetically pursued since its establishment in 1971. But is Hanlon really “taken aback” by Archbishop Rode’s judgment (CSF – Feb. 24) that in the decades following Vatican II some religious have lost their way in illusory reform? Does the appraisal of the Cardinal elect really surprise her? It is my impression that over the past thirty-five years LCWR has consistently advocated an agenda at odds with the cautions and counsels of “Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life.” Who could ever forget Sister Teresa Kane, then president of LCWR, lecturing John Paul II over national television in 1979. Hanlon’s feigned affront to Rode’s letter is right out of the LCWR playbook. What readers of Catholic San Francisco need to know is that there is a second current of Women Religious in the U.S. who did not join LCWR back in 1971. These communities found no contradiction in listening to Rome and at the same time updating their particular religious charism. This association is the Conference of Major Superiors of Women Religious. Those interested in knowing how these communities have evolved should visit their webpage at www.cmswr.org Rev. James Garcia St. Anthony Parish North Fair Oaks
Regarding the Catholic San Francisco article on Catholic Charities of Boston (CSF – Mar. 10) facilitation of adoptions by same sex couples and the Chronicle report that the same issue has surfaced in our Archdiocese, please consider the following scenario: There is a little girl growing up in an under-funded, under-staffed state orphanage in a third world country. Plan “A” is that she remain in the orphanage. Plan “B” is that two gay men will adopt her and bring her to San Francisco. They’ll love her and provide for her spiritual, psychological and material needs as best they can. They’ll educate her, perhaps in our fine Catholic schools and may even provide her with one of God’s greatest gifts, loving grandparents. There is no Plan “C”. In this very plausible situation, it’s hard for me to imagine that Our Lord, his Mother and the Holy Spirit wouldn’t vote for Plan “B.” Greg Smith San Francisco
L E T T E R S
Letters welcome Catholic San Francisco welcomes letters from its readers. Please:
➣ Include your name, address and daytime phone number. ➣ Sign your letter. ➣ Limit submissions to 250 words. ➣ Note that the newspaper reserves the right to edit for clarity and length. Send your letters to: Catholic San Francisco One Peter Yorke Way San Francisco, CA 94109 Fax: (415) 614-5641 E-mail: healym@sfarchdiocese.org
A form of idolatry
Fred D’Alessio is correct (Letters March 3) that the diagnosis of Persistent Vegetative State is a clinical diagnosis, which was correctly established in the case of Terri Schiavo by competent neurologists who followed the guidelines of the American Academy of Neurology. The flat electroencephalogram and the profound cerebral atrophy on CT scan confirmed the diagnosis and the post-mortem exam demonstrating loss of cerebral cortex proved the irreversibility of that state. Ms. Schiavo had lost both relationality and cognition. The central moral question then is “Are we required to provide food and water indefinitely by any means necessary in a futile attempt to restore function?” In a statement the National Catholic Bioethics Center acknowledged that in a particular case the provision of food and water may be extraordinary and disproportionate and therefore morally optional. Further, Pope John Paul II in the 1980 Declaration on Euthanasia stated clearly that patients have a right to refuse a treatment “already in use but which carries a risk or is burdensome. Such a refusal is not the equivalent of suicide.” The apparent contradiction between this declaration and the Pope’s address to some physicians in March 2004 needs to be resolved by dialog among theologians and bioethicists. Two things are clear, however. The provision of a feeding gastrostomy is a medical act. The necessity to sustain physical life by any means available regardless of circumstances is not Catholic teaching. It is vitalism bordering on idolatry. Robert M. Rowden M.D. San Rafael
Joseph first century feast – March 19 Joseph, the Jewish carpenter called by God to complete the Holy Family, became the patron of the universal church in 1870. In the Gospels, he is named in the genealogies (Mt 1:16; Lk 3:23); as “a righteous man” who planned to divorce Crosiers Mary quietly until an angel intervened (Mt 1:18-25); as the family protector on the flight to Egypt (Mt 2:13-15, 19-23); as Mary’s betrothed, “of the house of David” (Lk 1:27); in the infancy narrative (Lk 2:1-19); as a parent fearing for a lost child (Lk 2:41-52); and in descriptions of Jesus as his son (Jn 1:45; 6:42). Saints for Today
© 2006 2005 CNS
March 17, 2006
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Guest Commentary
When the Supreme Court ‘respects precedent’ In the last weeks of February the state legislature of South Dakota passed a law, signed by the governor in early March, effectively banning almost all abortions in the state (the exception being to save the life of the mother). Both sides of the issue are preparing for the expected court battle that many pro-life advocates hope will eventually go before the Supreme Court of the United States in a direct challenge to the Roe vs. Wade decision of 1973. As the press covers this impending conflict focus is inevitably turned to the two new members of the Supreme Court, Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito, speculating on how they would affect the decision should the court agree to hear the case. During the Senate Judiciary Committee hearings for both Roberts and Alito, the politicians who are concerned with the future of a woman’s right to abortion repeatedly asked the potential justices if they, as members of the Supreme Court, would “respect established precedent” (or words to that effect) when cases come before them that might test decisions already made by the court. In short, would they respect Roe vs. Wade as established law? Without getting into the obvious error that the judiciary does not pass laws (that is for the legislative branch of government – thank you high school civics!) such a question raises interesting historical issues, which are no less relevant today as we now see a future challenge begin to unfold. What has been the Supreme Court’s record in “respecting precedent” when important issues of justice have come before them? What would our country be like today if the Supreme Court had “respected precedent” across the board whenever they were presented a challenge to past laws and
decisions? Looking at a few of the courts most historical decisions might yield some interesting answers. On March 6, 1857 the Supreme Court handed down its decision in the case of Scott vs. Sanford, also known as the Dred Scott Decision. In this decision the Supreme Court overturned a “settled law of the land”, the Missouri Compromise of 1815, which limited the spread of slavery in the territories. It also “established precedent” for our nation, declaring that even free Negros did not have any rights that white Americans were bound to respect. Dred Scott did not even have the right to sue for his freedom in federal court because “a man whose ancestors were imported into this country, and sold as slaves” did not enjoy the same privileges reserved for citizens under the Constitution. This precedent was later overturned by the United States Congress and effectively laid to rest by the 13th, 14th and 15th Amendments to the Constitution. In this case the people of the nation through their representatives declared the Supreme Court to be wrong, and its decision defunct. In another landmark decision that defined American society for over fifty-five years the Supreme Court handed down another “established precedent” on May 18, 1896. In Plessy vs. Ferguson the Supreme Court declared that having separate facilities for blacks and whites was not a violation of the Constitution. As a result, the social doctrine of “Separate but Equal” became the policy that maintained segregation in the United States well into the twentieth century. This precedent was later challenged and overturned on May 17, 1954 when Brown vs. Board of Education effectively overturned the “Separate but Equal” doctrine the day before the fifty-
eighth anniversary of Plessy vs. Ferguson. Given these important cases from our history, how would our country be today had the Supreme Court respected “established precedent”, as the two most Fr. William recent nominees to the Nicholas court were pressed to guarantee during the hearings of the Judiciary Committee? Had the Dred Scott Decision respected the precedent set by the Missouri Compromise the Civil War may not have been averted, but slavery would not have spread as rapidly to the territories. In addition, affirming the rights of at least freed slaves would have planted an important social seed. Instead, all blacks were denied Constitutional protections and our nation was pushed more rapidly towards a war with itself. Had the Dred Scott Decision itself been respected as “established precedent” the deplorable denial of the rights of Black Americans would have been perpetuated. Had the decision of Brown vs. Board of Education respected the precedent set by Plessy vs. Ferguson, we would perhaps still be living in a segregated society; and the downward spiral of inequality would have been further perpetuated by the court’s affirmation of the “Separate but Equal” policy. Instead the long and often tumultuous jourNICHOLAS, page 16
Culture of Life
Father McGivney and the death penalty A new book has been getting enormous coverage in ads and reviews, and rightly so. It is called “Parish Priest, Father Michael McGivney and American Catholicism” (Morrow). The book is the story of the young Connecticut priest who founded the Knights of Columbus and whose canonization cause has now been introduced. Moved by seeing the pain of severe poverty and the deaths of too many overworked fathers who died too young, Father McGivney struggled to develop practical ways to ensure financial assistance to families should a breadwinner die. The Knights of Columbus was formed in 1882 to help such families. The Knights now report an international membership of l.7 million men. I long have been intrigued by the amazing story of this priest, who died Aug. 14, 1890, at age 38. The reason for this lies partly in the fact that I live in Connecticut, not too far from the parishes where Father McGivney served. Now that I have read Father McGivney’s story, I will pray ever harder for his canonization because I truly believe in his sainthood. There was a surprise in the book that underscored that for me. In an era in America when the death penalty was in full force, Father McGivney tried to save a young man from being executed.
The killing by the young man was a headliner. An unemployed 21-year old named James “Chip” Smith, drinking and carousing one late December night, showing off by shooting a pistol near a saloon, was apprehended by a policeman named Dan Hayes. When the officer, also holding a gun, tried to get Smith’s gun away from him, one of the guns went off, hitting the officer, who died a few hours later. At trial in 1881, Smith was convicted of murder in the first degree and sentenced to be executed. Father McGivney, a regular visitor to the jail in New Haven who offered spiritual support to the prisoners, began to visit and counsel Smith often. There were appeals on the grounds that this was not a “premeditated” shooting, but since it was a policeman who had lost his life, judges threw these appeals out. On the Sunday before the execution, Father McGivney, “broken with emotion,” as a reporter put it, celebrated a Mass for Smith. The priest told his people, “I trust that all of you will offer up fervent prayer to the throne of grace that God will strengthen and prepare us to perform that awful duty which we shall be called upon to perform before this time next Sunday. “To me this duty comes with almost a crushing weight. If
I could consistently with my duty be far away from here next Friday, I should escape perhaps the most trying ordeal of my life, but this sad duty is placed my way by providence and must be fulfilled. If we receive your prayers, Antoinnette Mr. Smith and I shall be Bosco sustained by the supreme power in the hour of our great trial.” Our Catholic bishops have put out a very strong statement calling for the end of the death penalty, asking “the Catholic community to bring about an end to the use of the death penalty in our land.” I find myself praying to Father McGivney in heaven to help us all in this so important respect-life action. Antoinette Bosco writes a column for Catholic News Service. Bosco is a career journalist and author from Brookfield Center, Conn.
Spirituality
Betraying Jesus as Peter did Anthropologists tell us that men and women have different congenital flaws. For men, it would seem that the flaw that’s more particularly encoded in our DNA is betrayal. We have a history of running away when things get tough, of not keeping promises, and of selling out in the face of temptation. It’s not that women are immune from this, but as even the gospels highlight, men have a history here. In Mark’s gospel, for instance, all the men betray Jesus, without a single exception. Indeed, in his gospel, the final words that Peter, the head of the church, speaks are words of betrayal: “I do not know the man!” Here’s how the gospels describe that betrayal: “Then Peter said, ‘I swear that I am telling the truth! May God punish me if I am not! I do not know the man.’... At once, while he was still speaking, a rooster crowed. Jesus turned around and looked straight at Peter, and Peter remembered what the Lord had said to him, ‘Before the rooster crows tonight, you will deny me three times.’ And Peter went out and wept bitterly.” What’s in this image? A number things: First, Peter’s initial brash, overconfidence. Just prior to this betrayal, he had sworn that he would never betray Jesus, even if everyone else did.
Second, he made this promise in utter sincerity, with deep love in his heart, fully intending on keeping his word. Third, he broke his promise quickly in the face of adversity. Fourth, perhaps most important, he wept at his sin when Jesus looked at him with love. What’s to be learned from this? First, that sincerity and good will aren’t enough to keep us from sinning. Sin isn’t always the product of malice or hypocrisy. More often, we sin out of simple weakness. Moreover, because we sin out of weakness, we have a tendency to rationalize: “It wasn’t so bad! There was nothing I could have done!” But sin is still sin, betrayal is still betrayal, and the damage we do is still real, even when we act out of weakness. Peter didn’t want to betray Jesus, he just wasn’t strong enough not to. And that’s generally too our problem when we don’t hold out against temptation, whether it be to bitterness, sex, gossip, slander, jealousy, hatred, or anything else we sell out to or run away from in order to get through an ordeal, a loneliness, an insecurity, a fear, a season, or a night. Even when we give in out of weakness we’re still betraying, still (in essence) saying: “I do not know the man!” But while sincerity doesn’t necessarily save us
from sin, it does help us hear the rooster crow. As long as we remain sincere, we will soon enough admit our sin and we will know too that God still looks on us with love, even in betrayal. Father A very important Ron Rolheiser part of this picture of Peter betraying Jesus is the look that Peter sees on Jesus’ face when he catches his eye in the crowd. The text tells us that “Jesus turned around and looked straight at Peter.” Whenever the gospels tell us that Jesus “looked at” someone, generally that means that he looked at the person with love and understanding, with a look that blesses. What Peter saw on Jesus’ face (in Jesus’ ultimate moment of humiliation and Peter’s ultimate moment of betrayal) was not, as we would expect, a look of disappointment and reproach (“How could you!”) but someROLHEISER, page 16
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THIRD SUNDAY OF LENT Exodus 20:1-17 or 20:1-3, 7-8, 12-17; Psalm 19:8, 9, 10, 11; Corinthians 1:22-25; John 2:13-25 A READING FROM THE BOOK OF EXODUS (EX 20:1-17 OR 20:1-3, 7-8, 12-17) In those days, God delivered all these commandments: “I, the Lord, am your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, that place of slavery. You shall not have other gods besides me. You shall not carve idols for yourselves in the shape of anything in the sky above or on the earth below or in the waters beneath the earth; you shall not bow down before them or worship them. For I, the Lord, your God, am a jealous God, inflicting punishment for their fathers’ wickedness on the children of those who hate me, down to the third and fourth generation; but bestowing mercy down to the thousandth generation on the children of those who love me and keep my commandments. “You shall not take the name of the Lord, your God, in vain. For the Lord will not leave unpunished the one who takes his name in vain. “Remember to keep holy the sabbath day. Six days you may labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord, your God. No work may be done then either by you, or your son or daughter, or your male or female slave, or your beast, or by the alien who lives with you. In six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them; but on the seventh day he rested. That is why the Lord has blessed the sabbath day and made it holy. “Honor your father and your mother, that you may have a long life in the land which the Lord, your God, is giving you. You shall not kill. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male or female slave, nor his ox or ass, nor anything else that belongs to him.” RESPONSORIAL PSALM (PS 19:8, 9, 10, 11) R. Lord, you have the words of everlasting life. The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul; The decree of the Lord is trustworthy, giving wisdom to the simple. R. Lord, you have the words of everlasting life. The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the command of the Lord is clear, enlightening the eye. R. Lord, you have the words of everlasting life.
Christ Driving the Money Changers from the Temple – El Greco, 1571-76. This is one of several treatments of the theme by Domenikos Theotokopoulos (El Greco). According to the Minneapolis Institute of Art, where the painting is displayed, the purification of the temple was a favorite theme in Counter-Reformation art symbolizing “purification of the Church through internal reforms.”
The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever; the ordinances of the Lord are true, all of them just. R. Lord, you have the words of everlasting life. They are more precious than gold, than a heap of purest gold; sweeter also than syrup or honey from the comb. R. Lord, you have the words of everlasting life. A READING FROM THE FIRST LETTER OF SAINT PAUL TO THE CORINTHIANS (1 COR 1:22-25) Brothers and sisters: Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those who are called, Jews and Greeks alike, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength. A READING FROM THE HOLY GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN (JN 2:13-25) Since the Passover of the Jews was near, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. He found in the temple area those who sold oxen, sheep, and doves, as well as the money changers seated there. He made a whip out of cords and drove them all out of the temple area, with the sheep and oxen, and spilled the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables, and to those who sold doves he said, “Take these out of here, and stop making my Father’s house a marketplace.” His disciples recalled the words of Scripture, Zeal for your house will consume me. At this the Jews answered and said to him, “What sign can you show us for doing this?” Jesus answered and said to them, “Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up.” The Jews said, “This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and you will raise it up in three days?” But he was speaking about the temple of his body. Therefore, when he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they came to believe the Scripture and the word Jesus had spoken. While he was in Jerusalem for the feast of Passover, many began to believe in his name when they saw the signs he was doing. But Jesus would not trust himself to them because he knew them all, and did not need anyone to testify about human nature. He himself understood it well.
Scripture FATHER CHARLES SHELBY, C.M.
Getting rid of the old leaven Picture the temple, the vendors, the confusion. The market area would be to the right with easy access to town. There would be special licenses and fees for selling there, and revenue to the temple management. It was all so comfortable. Then along came Jesus. And he was right, of course. Comfortable or not, those things did not really belong there. So, he drove them out. In a manner of speaking, he cleaned the place up. And this is actually a very Jewish thing to do. SPRING-CLEANING It was near the time of Passover. That’s what season we’re in now, the beginning of spring. And it’s time for spring cleaning. This is not just an American custom. In the patriarchal Jewish society, it was a major project. Passover is the feast of unleavened bread. To be sure that the bread is absolutely unleavened, the tradition is that the housewife must assure there is no leaven in the house. Or at least it’s the excuse. So, everything must be cleaned and dusted and washed to absolute perfection. Then just before the Passover meal, the father of the house does an inspection to verify that there is not leaven anywhere. Now part of the ritual is that the wife leaves a bit of leaven in a corner somewhere so that the husband can have a useful function and remove that last bit of leaven. It’s interesting that the Jewish tradition also sees leaven as a symbol of sin. The way it penetrates and changes a whole mass of dough is like the way sin penetrates and changes a human heart. So, removing leaven from the house is a sign that sin has been removed from the house. And that’s the Jewish version of springcleaning. Jesus saw the commercialism of the temple as a sinful leaven corrupting the worship there, and he did something about it. He drove the merchants out. It was a sort of announcement of his mission. He was to drive the sinful leaven out of the world. He would do it by his death and resurrection. “Destroy this temple, and I will rebuild it in three days,” he said. His body was the temple, and the reconstruction is the Church. In that way, you can see Christ’s mission as a major spring-cleaning. LENT IS SPRING-CLEANING TIME Now that you’re in the spirit of spring-
cleaning, remember that we’re in Lent. Lent is the season for spiritual springcleaning. How about it? Have you gone to confession yet? The first reading today gave us the Ten Commandments as you find them in the Scriptures. They are a good starting point for spiritual spring-cleaning. From each of the commandments, you can hang other areas for examination. It doesn’t work to say, “I haven’t killed anybody,” so I am OK for that commandment. The commandment is just a reminder to look for anger and for destructive actions or words or thoughts. The commandments mention only adultery, but there are a lot of other ways we do not show the respect for sex as God intended it. You get the idea. Do a thorough spring-cleaning. Get everything dusted and washed clean. Each year we go through Lent, and the assignment is the same - our spiritual spring-cleaning. Besides the obvious reason that we might have done something wrong over the past year, there is another reason to go over everything again. Each year we grow a little wiser, a little more understanding of the meaning of our lives and of the values we hold. And there’s always the chance that we have found a new way to rationalize or fool ourselves. So, we need every year to check on ourselves again. That wisdom and understanding of values, by the way, is what Saint Paul is talking about in the second reading. As we pray and grow in holiness, we start to realize that human wisdom is not enough. We need some of God’s wisdom. And his wisdom is a special grace that goes beyond what is human. God’s wisdom centers on the Cross of Christ. It is foolishness to some, but it is God’s wisdom. We’re at a turning point in Lent. In the Mass readings of Lent, we are shifting from penitence to redemption. As we go to confession, our focus shifts toward what leads up to the passion, death, and resurrection. At this transition time, I invite you to prepare for and make a great confession. It’s part of what God wants of us. It’s spring-cleaning time. Make the most of it. Vincentian Father Charles Shelby is President of the Association of the Miraculous Medal.
March 17, 2006
Catholic San Francisco
15
Guest Commentary
The quiet revolution and Catholic priests In its February 27 issue, America magazine published two articles about the “legion of lay women and men [who] serve in roles that in the past were exclusively filled by the huge numbers of priests and religious.” Once on the periphery of parish service, laypeople are now at its very center. This is the “quiet revolution” that is occurring. This reality is identified in the November 2005 document of the U.S. Catholic Bishops’ Conference, Co-Workers in the Vineyard of the Lord. Laypeople feel a “call” by God to minister in parishes and to work along with priests. Lay parish ministry is not competing with ordination or religious life. Rather, laypeople working in ministries understand their roles as representing another mode of the Spirit’s outreach to the church. Currently, 30,632 lay parish ministers are employed for 20 hours or more, and another 18,847 are enrolled in certification programs in ministry. The majority of these laypeople are white, female, around age 50, with children. The percentage of males working in parish ministries is steadily increasing, e.g., as youth ministers, RCIA directors, music ministers, liturgists. Twenty-seven percent of these laypeople are unpaid. About two-thirds of U.S. Catholic parishes employ parish ministers. This is a significant figure in light of the fact that about 6 percent of parishes have no resident priest, while 22 percent are combined with one or more other parishes to use the services of a shared priest. What is emerging is thousands of committed, deeply-satisfied, and competent laypeople who are working alongside an ever smaller number of priests. This lay “revolution” is not a totally new phenomenon. For more than half of its existence as a church in the United States, e.g., the church had an insufficient number of priests. John Carroll, the first bishop in the U.S., wrote to Rome in 1789 saying that there were about 25 thousand Catholics in the new nation, but only 24 priests, of whom several were nearly 70 years old. As the immigrant church grew, it built seminaries to prepare native-born priests. Large numbers of women entered religious orders, in many places outnumbering the priests by 4 to 1. The laity enthusiastically supported priests and religious sisters. This lay fervor blossomed in the early 20th century in a visible and active role for the laity evidenced in such movements as The Catholic Workers (1933), the Association of Catholic Trade Unionists (1937), the Catholic Rural Movement (1923), the Catholic Youth Association (1930), the Christian Family Movement (1949), and The Legion of Decency (1936). Laypeople saw themselves as co-workers with the clergy. All were part of the “Mystical Body of Christ.”
The Second Vatican Council (1962-1965) provided a doctrinal and pastoral blueprint for a broad variety of changes. By embracing the notion of “People of God,” the Council ushered in a an array of new ministries such as married men ordained as permanent deacons, lay Eucharistic ministers, and religious education directors. Other lay involvement soon followed. As the Council taught that the laity “should be given every opportunity to participate in the saving work of the church” and be permitted to express informed opinions on issues “pertaining to the good of the church” (The Church in the Modern World, nos. 43, 55-56, 62), it fueled a significant surge in lay activism. It is noteworthy and troubling, however, that while an active Catholic population increases, ordinations to the priesthood have fallen below the replacement rate of those who die, retire, or resign. The average age of active priests in the U.S. now climbs toward 60. How is the priest to be situated in this culture of growing lay involvement? In his 2005 book The Joy of Priesthood, Father Stephen Rossetti claims that renewal today “is not to make a bad priesthood become good; rather, it is to make a strong priesthood better. The challenge of these materialistic, sex-obsessed and secular times demands an enormous amount from the priests of today. For a priest today to remain faithful, enthusiastic, celibate and alive requires a very high level of spiritual depth and psychic maturity. These difficult times demand that priests be more than good” (pgs. 189-190). Rossetti provides a pivotal starting point. The American church has a strong priesthood. It has a good priesthood. To affect ecclesial vitality in this context, it seems absolutely necessary that laypeople minister not simply as co-workers with priests. They must work as collaborators. Laypeople must help good priests to be better. Six considerations are in order: First, a priest is not an isolated individual. He is a “man of the church.” While some priests have been removed from active ministry, their priesthood remains their very identity, thus making this removal not simply the ending of a job. Priesthood is not an occupation. It is a vocation. Laypeople and clerics have a serious responsibility to support priests and encourage priestly vocations. Forgiveness is a scriptural mandate. It does not necessarily imply reconciliation or forgetfulness. But it does forge peace. Second, John Paul II’s 2002 exhortation Pastores Dabo Vobis insists that priestly life rests on four integrated pillars: human, spiritual, intellectual and pastoral. Echoing the traditional truth the “grace builds on nature,” he pointed out that the human dimension is the most crit-
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ical. Weakness in one pillar will inevitably create weaknesses in other areas of a priest’s life. Laypeople have a serious responsibility to help every priest to be a bridge rather than an obstacle to others. Third, we are a Father Gerald D. Coleman, S. S. sacramental church. Vatican II’s Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy teaches that Christus adest (Christ is truly present) when a sacrament is celebrated (no. 7). The priest’s primary role is to foster in others a lively commitment to the sacraments. Every parish activity must point to the sacraments. The Sunday liturgy is a time when the whole parish celebrates Word and Sacrament, with the priest as presider over the community. Fourth, Father Ronald Rolheiser wrote in The Restless Heart that “to be human is to be lonely.” Father Karl Rahner, S.J. wrote that when a person feels lonely, God is trying to spend time with the person. Laypeople and priests together must understand better the meaning of loneliness in one’s life. Too many destructive behaviors can result in an individual’s inability to deal with loneliness in a healthy fashion. Fifth, grieving is an irreplaceable step in making any major commitment. Before marriage, e.g., spouses must grieve what they are leaving behind. Priests must do the same before ordination. Entitlement and righteousness have no place in the priesthood and laypeople and priests must work together to bring about mutual support, challenge, and humility. Sixth, recent scandals in the church have heightened our awareness about narcissistic behaviors and addictions. Some behaviors are always abusive toward others and usually leave a person feeling empty. Laypeople and priests must work together to find supportive and corrective paths that disavow secrecy and lead to honesty. We need to learn the hard task of admitting, as St. Peter did, that “Lord, I am a sinful man.” Honest confession is the first step into the light. Add bio note plus – “…..and is Vicar for Priests in the Archdiocese of San Francisco.”
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March 17, 2006
Rolheiser . . .
Archbishop Niederauer guests on KRON-Channel 4 program March 19
■ Continued from page 13
Archbishop George H. Niederauer, recently installed as the eighth Archbishop of San Francisco, is the guest on the “For Heaven’s Sake” television program March 19 on KRON-Channel 4. The TV program, produced by the Office of Communications, airs at 5:30 a.m. on the third Sunday of each month. Host Maury Healy engages Archbishop Niederauer in a wide-ranging discussion, as the new Archbishop of San Francisco begins his service to the local Church.
Nicholas . . . ■ Continued from page 13 ney toward desegregation received the boost it needed that eventually led to the civil rights movement of the sixties, the great leaders it brought forth and the results it yielded. Today we face another “established precedent” in Roe vs. Wade, a precedent that pro-abortion advocates are so desperate to see respected by our judges that they will conveniently ignore the monumental laws and decisions, both good and bad, in which the Supreme Court and lawmakers of the United States blatantly defied precedent. Dred Scott and Plessy vs. Ferguson were precedents that needed overturning and demonstrate that our courts are not bound by past decisions that either immediately or over time are recognized as being disgracefully unjust. It was in that spirit that Governor Robert Casey of Pennsylvania (1987-1994) said of Roe vs. Wade: “Those who say we must learn to live with it still don’t get it. Ultimately, Roe cannot survive alongside our enduring, unshakable sense of justice. It is no more permanent than any other act of human arrogance. It is no more unchangeable than the laws which sent Dred Scott back to his master.” The
Chicago Tribune on March 7, 1857 reacted to the Dred Scott Decision in words that could easily apply to Roe vs. Wade: “We must confess we are shocked at the violence and servility of the Judicial Revolution caused by the decision of the Supreme Court of the United States. We scarcely know how to express our detestation of its inhuman dicta or fathom the wicked consequences which may flow from it…To say or suppose, that a Free People can respect or will obey a decision so fraught with disastrous consequences to the People and their Liberties, is to dream of impossibilities.” It is in that vein that South Dakota now stands with Brown vs. Board of Education as it directly challenges an “established precedent”. We pray our Supreme Court will not respect the “established precedent” of Roe vs. Wade, but rather will set a new precedent for our nation which affirms the right to life from the moment of conception. We pray this new precedent will deny all people, men and women, the so-called “right” to kill the unborn, and confine Roe vs. Wade to the historical abyss where it will join Plessy vs. Ferguson and the Dred Scott Decision as one of the most shameful errors of our highest court.
thing Peter had likely never seen or experienced before in his whole life, namely, a look the holds you in warmth and understanding even when you sin and betray. No doubt this was a defining moment in Peter’s understanding of Jesus because, at that moment, he experienced something that releases a different kind of tears, unconditional love. The tears we weep when we are loved despite weakness are very different from the ones we weep when we feel judged and humiliated by our weakness. To experience love when we don’t deserve it is the one grace that cleanses us of sin and gives us strength against sin. The image of Peter betraying Jesus teaches us that we are loved sinners, all of us. Our sincerity and goodhearts don’t keep us from sinning. We still betray, break our word, and too easily give in to temptation. But, that’s not the whole story: What’s shown here too is that God doesn’t give us that look of disappointment and disapproval that we’re all too familiar with when we do this. God still looks at us with understanding and continues to hold us solidly in love and blessing. However we struggle with both sides of this, namely, to admit we’re sinners and to recognize that we’re still loved. But appropriating both of these truths is the key to knowing Jesus and knowing ourselves. As John Shea says: The false self will crack when the rooster crows. There many ways to wake up!
Fr. William Nicholas is a parochial vicar at St. Cecilia parish in San Francisco
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10:00 a.m. to 1: 00 p.m. (Campus Parking closed. Please use neighborhood parking) For more
3500 Callan Blvd. South San Francisco, CA First Floor space available
Call Charley Haggarty (650) 344-3044
Please call for info (415) 368-7491
ADVERTISING SALES For The Largest Publisher of Catholic Church Bulletins
We are looking for you.
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26 West Portal Ave., #4 San Francisco (415) 661-7779
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Please return form with check or money order for $25 Payable to: Catholic San Francisco Advertising Dept., Catholic San Francisco 1 Peter Yorke Way, San Francisco, CA 94109
FAMILY DENTISTRY
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information please call (415) 614-5668 www.sfcatholicschools.org
ORGANIZATION: St. Anthony Foundation LOCATION: San Francisco Do you believe that every person is worthy of being treated with dignity and respect? Do you want to work towards a society in which all people have their needs met and are able to flourish? Do you believe that if we join together as a community, we can make this vision a reality? So do we. St. Anthony Foundation is seeking an experienced capital campaign director to join our professional and hard working team. The CCD will work closely with the campaign strategy team to plan, implement, manage and evaluate a comprehensive fundraising effort to build capital campaign support from individuals, foundations, and corporations. The CCD will assist in the development of campaign marketing collaterals and in the implementation of all communications and public relations plans. Minimum Requirements: ●
5 years progressively responsible management experience in Development, Major Gifts or Capital Campaign programs
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Understanding of Catholic Social Teachings
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Understanding of the social and political causes of poverty
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Commitment to the St. Anthony Foundation Statement of Values and desire to work for social service agency serving the poor.
Salary: DOE
Send a cover letter and resume to Jversteeg@brakeleybriscoe.com ST. ANTHONY FOUNDATION IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER (M/F/D/V)
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Catholic San Francisco
March 17, 2006
‘The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada’ Reviewed by Andrew Coffin All my stories,” said Flannery O’Connor, “are about the action of grace on a character who is not very willing to support it, but most people think of these stories as hard, hopeless and brutal.” The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada, the directorial debut of weather-beaten actor Tommy Lee Jones, is in many ways a remarkable extension of O’Connor’s grand Southern gothic tradition. Substituting rural Texas for O’Connor’s South, Mr. Jones and screenwriter Guillermo Arriaga have created a modern-day Western so hard and brutal as to earn comparison to the cold-blooded Westerns of Sam Peckinpah. Yet the story also illustrates the “action of grace” in unlikely characters and unlikely places, bearing more than a superficial ancestral connection to O’Connor’s faith-infused stories. From start to finish Mr. Jones’ film is compelling, but in the extremity of his story he goes beyond what even O’Connor’s gothic would require. The film is rated R for language, violence, and sexuality, and includes scenes of jarring violence and grimly cheerless sexual behavior (as well as some very brief nudity). Burials is broken up into three sections, corresponding to each burial of the title character. It begins by jumping backward and forward in time, revealing key pieces of information as they become organically necessary to the story, not as they occur. The time-shifting is not a random shuffling of events for the sake of sophistication here, but supports key underlying themes. The story gradually becomes more linear in its narrative as the central characters become more focused in purpose. That purpose involves the third and final burial of Melquiades (Julio Cedillo), a ranch hand hired by Jones’ ranch foreman Pete Perkins, whom Jones cryptically described in an interview with NPR as “a Buddhist soul in a Calvinist world.” Melquiades is an illegal immigrant who shows up one day on Pete’s ranch, and the two quickly develop a cowboy-style (but not Brokeback-style) easy rapport that, in quiet moments of honesty, develops into a close friendship. But, as the audience is aware from the beginning of the film, border patrol guard Mike Norton (Barry Pepper) has accidentally shot and killed Melquiades. And, accident or no, Mike is a hard man with very little grace in his life. In a way, Burials begins where O’Connor might leave off. Rather than ending the story with a gunshot to the chest (as in O’Connor’s “A Good Man Is Hard to Find”), Burials uses the Pete Perkins character to force Mike on a road to redemption, both grueling and comically absurd, after the shots are fired. Fulfilling a promise to Melquiades, the increasingly unstable Pete kidnaps Mike, makes him dig up the immigrant’s body—and together they transport the corpse, on horseback, to Melquiades’ Mexican homeland. Burials is full of the humorous, odd, not quite grotesque characters that might populate an O’Connor story, and
a tribute to
louis prima!
big night at the big comedy by
e (excelsior)
the meehan brothers michael capozzola & the balistreri brothers music by
majestic swing
Saturday March 18th 2006 Cocktails 5:30-6:30 Dinner 6:30-8:00 . . . Show 8:30-11:00 Bring your dancing shoes and don’t forget your feet
ITALIAN AMERICAN SOCIAL CLUB 25 Russian Avenue at London Dinner and show: $60 per person / Valet Parking RSVP as soon as possible as this will be a sell out RSVP Bud Coletti 415 585 8059 benefits Restoration of North Beach Jazz Mural and the Salesian’s Girls and Boys Clubs
Tommy Lee Jones stars in and directs The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada.
they’re used, almost against their own will, to uncover surprising shards of virtue amidst rocky, forbidding terrain. The film’s O’Connor connection is not haphazard, with Mr. Jones identifying her, and the book of Ecclesiastes, as primary influences on the story. “You look for the allegorical intentions of what we’re taught in the Bible,” Mr. Jones, who did his thesis at Harvard on O’Connor, told The Boston Globe, “and then find some way to have it revealed or expressed by common experience. You’ll find this happening over and over again in O’Connor, who was a rather classical Catholic thinker who wrote about nothing but backwoods north Georgia rednecks.” In that same interview, Mr. Jones continues: “Ecclesiastes is essential to the movie as well. . . . It has to do with the passage of time. You want to start thinking as an actor that the past, the present, and the future are occurring simultaneously, and God requires an accounting of all three.” Fascinating stuff, to be sure, with ambitions in many ways successfully achieved in the film. But while much of Burial’s aforementioned vulgarity is integral to its characters, the film’s biggest weakness is Mr. Jones’ willingness to push those elements too far. O’Connor herself makes a persuasive case for restraint: “The fact is that if the writer’s attention is on producing . . . a work that is good in itself, he is going to take great pains to control every excess. . . . He cannot indulge in sentimentality, in propagandizing, or in pornography and create a work of art, for all these things
are excesses. They call attention to themselves and distract from the work as a whole.” Mr. Jones’ excesses distract from a film that is otherwise extraordinary for its concern with guilt, judgment, and redemption. Andrew Coffin reviews films for World Magazine. Reprinted with permission.
Mercy Center 2300 Adeline Drive Burlinegame, CA 94010 650.340.7474 www.mercy-cetner.org ●
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James Finley on Christian Contemplation March 24 and 25 Russ Hudson on the Enneagram April 4 Holy Week Experience – April 13-16 Liturgies with Sr. Suzanne Toolan; Centering Prayer Retreat; Private retreats and spiritual direction
For complete information: 650.340.7454 or www.mercy-center.org
(Catholics at Work)
The Catholic Professional and Business Club invites you to it’s monthly meeting Wednesday, April 12, 2006 7:00 a.m. to 8:30 a.m.
Saint Mary’s Cathedral San Francisco
Archbishop George H. Niederauer JOIN US FOR BREAKFAST AND MEET OUR NEW SHEPHERD! Archbishop Niederauer holds a Ph.D. in English Literature from the University of Southern California and is the author of “Precious as Silver: Imagining Your Life with God”. In 2004 he received the Gandhi Peace Award from the Gandhi Alliance for Peace. The Archbishop served as Bishop of the Diocese of Salt Lake City for eleven years prior to coming to San Francisco, and has also taught for several years at Mount Saint Mary’s College and at Saint John’s Seminary in Camarillo, California.
To make a reservation, please visit our website at www.cpbc.-sf.org, or call (415) 614-5579.
March 17, 2006
Lenten Opportunities March 29 7 – 8:30 p.m.: The American Catholic as Citizen and Believer, a presentation and dialogue led by Msgr. Robert McElroy, pastor St. Gregory Parish in San Mateo. The evening is part of a Lenten Series at St. Gabriel Church, 40th Ave. at Ulloa in San Francisco. Call Dominican Sister Bernice Garcia at (415) 7316161. Fridays: Star of the Sea Church, 4420 Geary Blvd. & 8th Avenue, announces “Lenten Soup and Scripture Agape” except on Good Friday. A simple meal of meatless soup and bread begins at 6 p.m. in the school auditorium, accompanied by reading of passages from Sacred Scripture. Stations of the Cross follow in the Church concluding with Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. Parking in the lot is free. Children are welcome. Call (415) 751-0450 for more information. Wednesdays: Christian Meditation in Siena Room at St. Dominic Church, 2390 Bush St. at Steiner in San Francisco, 7:30 – 8:30 p.m. The silent rite is based on the teachings of late Benedictine Father John Main who believed the contemplative experience creates community for ordinary people. More information available at www.christianmeditation.us.
Datebook
Taize Prayer Wed. at 6 p.m.: Notre Dame des Victoires Church, 566 Bush St. between Stockton and Grant, San Francisco. Call (415) 397-0113. 3rd Wed. at 7:30 p.m.: Sisters of Notre Dame Province Center, 1520 Ralston Ave, Belmont. Call (650) 593-2045 ext. 277 or visit www.SistersofNotreDameCa.org. 1st Fri. at 8 p.m.: Mercy Center, 2300 Adeline Dr., Burlingame with Mercy Sister Suzanne Toolan. Call (650) 340-7452; Church of the Nativity, 210 Oak Grove Ave., Menlo Park at 7:30 p.m. Call Deacon Dominic Peloso at (650) 3223013. 2nd Fri. at 8 p.m.: Our Lady of the Pillar Church, 400 Church St., Half Moon Bay. Contact the church at 726-4674 or Cheryl at 650-7262249.
St. Mary’s Cathedral The following events are taking place at or are coordinated by the cathedral of the Archdiocese located at Gough and Geary St. in San Francisco. Call (415) 567-2020 for more information about any event listed here. Cathedral Autumn Group: All people 55 and over are cordially invited. Call (415) 567-2020, ext. 218. April 20: International Luncheon in Parish Hall. Reservations Required to (415) 567-2020 ext. 218.
Food & Fun March 19: St. Patrick’s Day Chicken Barbecue and Raffle benefiting Sacred Heart Church in Olema, and St. Mary Magdalene Mission in Bolinas at the Dance Palace Community Center in downtown Point Reyes Station, rain or shine. An almost 50 year tradition, the feast includes barbecued chicken, pasta, salad, rolls, and milk, tea or coffee. Meals are $12 for adults and $7 for children. The famous cake booth will offer desserts for purchase and cash bar will be serving holiday beverages. Music and raffle too! Call (415) 663-1139. March 25: Under the Tuscan Moon, Annual Auction and Dinner Dance benefiting Mercy High School, Burlingame with special guest mc Samantha Mohr of CBS 5 news. Tickets are $60 per person. Call (650) 762-1190. March 25: United for Life’s 34th Annual Celebrate Life Dinner at the Irish Cultural Center, 45th Ave. and Sloat Blvd. in San Francisco. Father Anthony Mastroeni will speak on Restoring the Culture of Life: The Challenge to be Counter-cultural. Sacred Heart Sister Marie Ignatius Clune will be honored with the 2006 Human Life Award. No-host cocktails at 6 p.m., dinner at 7 p.m. Tickets are $40 per person. Call Maureen at (415) 567-2293.
The Vocations Committee of Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in Belmont recently hosted its 5th annual dinner for the seminarians of the Archdiocese of San Francisco. The evening took place at the home of committee members Marie and Jack Murray in Redwood Shores. “Our committee has been working to support the men who have committed their lives to serving as future priests, and this dinner is one way that we can affirm their decision and welcome them into our community,” Marie said. Among those taking part were Juan Alejo, Pat and Jim Shea, Neva Turoff, Paul Zirimenya, Karen Andreano, Tom Reardon, Barbara Reardon, Felix Lim, Wade Bjerke, Jerome Murphy, Father Stephen Howell, Shawn Carey, Michael Konopik,, Father Paul Arnoult, Father John Sakowski, Hansel Tomaneng, Mark Hannafin, Marie Murray, Father Vito Perrone, Al Semenaro, Ngoan Phan. April 7: Catholic Marin Breakfast Club gathers for Mass at 7 a.m. in St. Sebastian Church, Bon Air Rd. and Sir Francis Drake Blvd., Kentfield. Breakfast and presentation follow in parish hall. Today’s speaker is Paul Schwarzbart, Holocaust Survivor and Author Members Breakfast: $7. Visitors Breakfast: $10 . Call 461-0704 between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. or contact Sugaremy@aol.com. April 16: The Chinese American Association of Star of the Sea Church says, “Hop on over” for their annual sale of “homemade goodies” following the 8 a.m. Mass and continuing till about 1:30 p.m. Call (415) 751-0450.
Shrine of St. Francis of Assisi, Vallejo and Columbus, SF. Call (415) 983-0405 or www.shrinesf.org. Open to the public. Admission free.
Shows/Entertainment
Reunions
March 24, 25 at 7:30 p.m.: “One Instance of Burning”, a play by Chris Rogers, explores Joan of Arc’s story of struggle and faith with the story of a contemporary woman. Come to the St. Agnes Spiritual Life Center, 1611 Oak Street, between Ashbury & Masonic in San Francisco. Parking is available next to the facility. Call 415487-8560, x. 238 for more information. March 30, 31 and April 1, 6, 7, 8: Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory presents West Side Story in DePaul Auditorium, 1100 Ellis St. at Gough in San Francisco. Curtain at 7:30 p.m. all performances. Call Sue Elvander at (415) 775-6626, ext. 715 for tickets. 1st and 3rd Tues.: Noontime Concerts – 12:30 p.m. - at Old St. Mary’s Cathedral, 660 California St. at Grant, SF. $5 donation requested. Call (415) 288-3800. Sundays: Concerts at St. Mary’s Cathedral, Gough and Geary St., SF at 3:30 p.m. Call (415) 567-2020 ext. 213. Open to the public. Admission free. Sundays: Concerts at 4 p. m. at National
March 23: St. Peter’s Academy and St. Peter’s Boys School meet at the Irish Cultural Center, 45th Ave. and Sloat Blvd. at noon. Tickets are $25 per person. Contact Bill Cassidy ’49 at (415) 824-8474 or Betty Cirelli ’50 at (415) 648-0450. April 29: Immaculate Conception Academy, class of ’66 at El Rancho Inn in Millbrae. Contact Donna Ricci McMorrow at (650) 589-7276 or Mimi Calcagno Shea at (408) 578-1802. June 10: Presentation High School, class of ’51 at Basque Cultiral Center in South San Francisco at 11:30 a.m. Contact Yvonne Irick at (650) 941-1294 or Audrey Trees at (650) 5920273.
TV/Radio Sunday 6 a.m., WB Channel 20/Cable 13 and KTSF Channel 26/Cable 8: TV Mass with Msgr. Harry Schlitt presiding. 1st Sun, 5 a.m., CBS Channel 5: Mosaic, featuring conversations on current Catholic issues. 3rd Sun, 5:30 a.m., KRON Channel 4: For Heaven’s Sake, featuring conversations about Catholic spirituality.
Prayer/Lectures/Trainings March 27: 20th Annual Evening of Recollection sponsored by SF County Council of Catholic Women at Star of the Sea Church Geary Blvd. at 8th Ave. in San Francisco beginning with Mass at 6 p.m. Dinner follows in school hall. Father William Nicholas of St. Cecilia Parish will facili-
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tate. Cost of $15 per person includes dinner. Call Cathy Mibach at (415) 753-0234. March 29: San Domenico School’s annual Spring Spirituality Evening with Irish poet & author John O’Donohue. Program begins with a dessert reception at 7 p.m. in the Hall of the Arts, 1500 Butterfield Road in San Anselmo. Tickets are $35 in advance. Please call (415) 258-1931 or visit www.sandomenico.org for more information. April 8: Day of Recollection, 9 a.m. – 2 p.m., at St. Cecilia Church, Green Room, 17th Ave. and Vicente in San Francisco. Carol Braga speaks on the last days in the life of Pope John Paul II from records published by the Vatican. Sponsored by SF Guild of the Catholic Medical Association. Donation of $35 per person is appreciated. Call (415) 219-8719. April 17, May 15: The Art of Dying Well, a Bioethics Seminar by the SF Guild of the Catholic Medical Association at Heart of Mary Center, 2580 McAllister St. in San Francisco at 7:30 p.m. Thomas Cavanaugh, Ph.D. and Dr. Stephen McPhee will facilitate the evening. Donation $15. Call (415) 219-8719. Come pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet, Scriptural Rosary, and special intentions before the Blessed Sacrament at the beautiful Monastery of Perpetual Adoration. Saturdays 10:00 to 11:15 am, 771 Ashbury Street at Waller in San Francisco. Some parking available adjacent to the monastery. Contact Steve at (415) 290-5598. Saturdays: Prayer meeting at St. Hilary Church, 761 Hilary Dr. Tiburon, at 9:30 a.m. Father James Tarantino, presiding. Hospitality follows. All are welcome. Call Moriah at (415) 7565505 Saturdays: Bible Study at St. Hilary Church, 761 Hilary Dr. Tiburon, 12:30 - 2:00 p.m. All are welcome. Call Moriah (415) 756-5505.
Single, Divorced, Separated April 28 – 30: WIDOWED, SEPARATED, DIVORCED WEEKEND at Vallombrosa Retreat Center, Menlo Park. The weekend helps those who have suffered a loss move on to the future with renewed hope. For more information, call La Verne (650) 355-3978, Ward (415) 821-3390, or Donna (408) 371-0865, or see the website: www.beginningexperience.org. Separated and Divorced support group meets 1st and 3rd Wed. at 7:30 p.m. at St. Stephen Parish Center, SF, call Gail at (650) 591-8452. Group also meets 1st and 3rd Thurs. at 7:30 p.m. at St. Peter Parish in Pacifica. Call (650) 359-6313 for location. Saturdays: Prayer Group, 9:30 - 11:30 a.m. at St. Hilary Church 761 Hilary Drive, Tiburon, (415) 756-5505. Father James Tarantino, presides. Call (415) 756-5505.
Meetings 2nd Wed.: Men’s Evening of Reflection: Being Catholic in the Modern World at the National Shrine of St. Francis of Assisi, 610 Vallejo St. at Columbus, SF beginning at 7 p.m. Call (415) 983-0405. Courage is a Catholic support group for persons with same-sex attraction. They meet in San Francisco Thursdays at 7:45 PM. Call Father Emmerich Vogt at 415-567-7824 or Father Lawrence Goode at 650-322-2152.
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.
Catholic San Francisco: Sesquicentennial Essays Now just $19.95 including shipping and handling
This extraordinary book, with a preface by Archbishop Emeritus William J. Levada, contains 39 essays on Catholic history in the Bay Area over the past 150 years. The 300-page hard-cover book, with scores of historical photographs, includes essays on Catholic pioneers, immigrants, schools, and women and men religious, as well as topics of labor, civil rights, church-state conflict, local impact of Vatican II, and more!
To receive your copy, send a check for $19.95 to Communications Office One Peter Yorke Way, San Francisco, CA 94109.
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Catholic San Francisco
March 17, 2006