Revelation Reflection

The Face Of Christ

2012-02-15T18:09:00.001-08:00

Is this face of Christ? Is this what Jesus actually looked like?

New York Times bestseller "Heaven Is For Real" features the near death experience of a boy named Colton Burpo. A ruptured appendix was misdiagnosed as the flu and the boy nearly died.

During his time on the operating table, Colton said he got to see heaven and meet Jesus. The story he tells is remarkable. He told his parents about his experience months after fully recuperating much to their astonishment.

In heaven he met his great grandfather and his miscarried baby sister.

Here is Colton Burpo's story:

But what is equally amazing is the above picture. It's painted by Coeur D'Alene art prodigy Akiane Kramarik who experienced similar visits to heaven beginning when she was four.

When Colton was shown Akiane's picture of Jesus, he said, "That's him! That's Jesus!"

Here is Akiane's story:

I know for many of us having a picture of Jesus in our head can help us to pray better. I pray this picture can help you to build a more meaningful relationship with our Lord and Savior. Peace...

Obama Administration Slaps The Hornets Nest

2012-01-21T10:27:00.000-08:00

Your humble scribe is typically not one to share his personal political views publicly. As someone in formation to become clergy in the Catholic Church, I find the practice inappropriate and limiting to effective ministry. I come from a 32-year career in journalism. Objectivity is central to effective practice in this field, too.

But I must confess to being intrigued by the response President Obama is getting to this past week's Health and Human Services announcement to reaffirm its decision to force every employer and health care plan to offer birth control, sterilization, abortion-inducing drugs, etc. This would include Catholic organizations, meaning these organizations would have to "violate their consciences" to comply with this federal mandate.

Cardinal Roger Mahony said, "This is a sad moment in the life of our country where religious freedom and freedom of conscience led to the formation of this new Nation under God.”

Pope Benedict XVI said in his recent meeting with U.S. Bishops religious liberty in America is in jeopardy.

Even Catholics on the left seem to agree on this point.

First, if you are unfamiliar with the issue or just want a better understanding of the Catholic response, I invite you to watch New York Archbishop and Cardinal-designate Timothy Dolan's remarks on Friday's decision for perspective. It beautifully summarizes in under two minutes the official Catholic Church reaction to the news.

Cardinal-designate Timothy Dolan on HHS Conscience Regulation from Rocco Palmo on Vimeo.

Second, a self-avowed "liberal Catholic" and past supporter of President Obama weighs in. This is where it gets interesting.

Michael Sean Winter's "Distincly Catholic" commentary in the National Catholic Reporter offers an opinion that may not only unify Catholics, but people of all faiths in understanding what's at stake.

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(reprinted from National Catholic Reporter)
J'ACCUSE! Why Obama is wrong on the HHS conscience regulations
by Michael Sean Winters
Jan. 21, 2012
Distinctly Catholic

President Barack Obama lost my vote yesterday when he declined to expand the exceedingly narrow conscience exemptions proposed by the Department of Health and Human Services. The issue of conscience protections is so foundational, I do not see how I ever could, in good conscience, vote for this man again.

I do not come at this issue as a Catholic special pleader, who wants only to protect my own, although it was a little bracing to realize that the president’s decision yesterday essentially told us, as Catholics, that there is no room in this great country of ours for the institutions our Church has built over the years to be Catholic in ways that are important to us. Nor, frankly, do I come at the issue as an anti-contraception zealot: I understand that many people, and good Catholics too, reach different conclusions on the matter although I must say that Humanae Vitae in its entirety reads better, and more presciently, every year.

No, I come at this issue as a liberal and a Democrat and as someone who, until yesterday, generally supported the President, as someone who saw in his vision of America a greater concern for each other, a less mean-spirited culture, someone who could, and did, remind the nation that we are our brothers’ keeper, that liberalism has a long vocation in this country of promoting freedom and protecting the interests of the average person against the combined power of the rich, and that we should learn how to disagree without being disagreeable. I defended the University of Notre Dame for honoring this man, and my heart was warmed when President Obama said at Notre Dame: “we must find a way to reconcile our ever-shrinking world with its ever-growing diversity -- diversity of thought, diversity of culture, and diversity of belief. In short, we must find a way to live together as one human family.”

To borrow from Emile Zola: J’Accuse!

I accuse you, Mr. President, of dishonoring your own vision by this shameful decision.

I accuse you, Mr. President, of failing to live out the respect for diversity that you so properly and beautifully proclaimed as a cardinal virtue at Notre Dame. Or, are we to believe that diversity is only to be lauded when it advances the interests of those with whom we agree? That’s not diversity. That’s misuse of a noble principle for ignoble ends.

I accuse you, Mr. President, of betraying philosophic liberalism, which began, lest we forget, as a defense of the rights of conscience. As Catholics, we need to be honest and admit that, three hundred years ago, the defense of conscience was not high on the agenda of Holy Mother Church. But, we Catholics learned to embrace the idea that the coercion of conscience is a violation of human dignity. This is a lesson, Mr. President, that you and too many of your fellow liberals have apparently unlearned.

I accuse you, Mr. President, who argued that your experience as a constitutional scholar commended you for the high office you hold, of ignoring the Constitution. Perhaps you were busy last week, but the Supreme Court, on a 9-0 vote, said that the First Amendment still means something and that it trumps even desirable governmental objectives when the two come into conflict. Did you miss the concurring opinion, joined by your own most recent appointment to the court, Justice Kagan, which stated:

“Throughout our Nation's history, religious bodies have been the preeminent example of private associations that have ‘act[ed] as critical buffers between the individual and the power of the State.’ Roberts v. United States Jaycees, 468 U.S. 609, 619 (1984). In a case like the one now before us—where the goal of the civil law in question, the elimination of discrimination against persons with disabilities, is so worthy—it is easy to forget that the autonomy of religious groups, both here in the United States and abroad, has often served as a shield against oppressive civil laws. To safeguard this crucial autonomy, we have long recognized that the Religion Clauses protect a private sphere within which religious bodies are free to govern themselves in accordance with their own beliefs. The Constitution guarantees religious bodies ‘independence from secular control or manipulation—in short, power to decide for themselves, free from state interference, matters of church government as well as those of faith and doctrine.’ Kedroff v. Saint Nicholas Cathedral of Russian Orthodox Church in North America, 344 U.S. 94, 116 (1952).”

Pray, do tell, Mr. President, what part of that paragraph did you consider when making this decision? Or, do you like having your Justice Department having its hat handed to it at the Supreme Court?

I accuse you, Mr. President, as leader of the Democratic Party, the primary vehicle for historic political liberalism in this country, of risking all the many achievements of political liberalism, from environmental protection to Social Security to Medicare and Medicaid, by committing a politically stupid act. Do you really think your friends at Planned Parenthood and NARAL were going to support the candidacy of Mr. Romney or Mr. Gingrich? How does this decision affect the prospects of Democrats winning back the House in districts like Pennsylvania’s Third or Ohio’s First or Virginia’s Fifth districts? How do your chances look today among Catholic swing voters in Scranton and the suburbs of Cincinnati and along the I-4 corridor in Florida? I suppose that there are campaign contributions to consider, but really, sacrificing one’s conscience, or the conscience rights of others, was not worth Wales, was it worth a few extra dollars in your campaign coffers?

I accuse you, Mr. President, of failing to know your history. In 1978, the IRS proposed a rule change affecting the tax exempt status of private Christian schools. The rule would change the way school verified their desegregation policies, putting the burden of proof on the school, not the IRS. By 1978, many of those schools were already desegregated, even though they had first been founded as a means to avoid desegregation of the public schools. But evangelical Christians did not look kindly on the government’s interference in schools they had built themselves and, even though the IRS rescinded the rule change, the original decision was the straw the broke the camel’s back for those who wished to separate themselves from mainstream culture. They formed the Moral Majority, entered that mainstream culture, and helped the Republican Party win the next three presidential elections. You, Mr. President, have struck that same nerve. Catholics built their colleges and universities and hospitals. They did so out of religious conviction and, as often as not, because mainstream institutions did not welcome Catholics. It is one thing to support a policy with which the Catholic Church disagrees but it is quite another to start telling Catholics how to run their own institutions.

I accuse you, Mr. President, of treating shamefully those Catholics who went out on a limb to support you. Do tell, Mr. President, how many bullets have the people at Planned Parenthood taken for you? Sr. Carol Keehan, Father Larry Snyder, Father John Jenkins, these people have scars to show for their willingness to work with you, to support you on your tough political fights. Is this the way you treat people who went to the mat for you?

Zola, of course, wrote his famous essay in response to the Dreyfuss affair. Then, the source of injustice was anti-Semitic bigotry. Today, while I cannot believe that the President himself is an anti-Catholic bigot, he has caved to those who are. In politics, as in life, we are often known by the company we keep. Hmmmm. Sr. Carol Keehan, a woman who has dedicated her life and her ministry to help the ill and the aged or the fundraisers and the lobbyists at NARAL? Is that really a tough call? I have not joined the chorus of those who believe that this administration is “at war” with the Catholic Church. Yet, I must confess, when I first learned the new yesterday, an image came into my head, of Glenn Close and John Malkovich in “Dangerous Liaisons” when Ms. Close looks at Mr. Malkovich and says, “War!” That said, while not wishing to detract one iota from the gravity of this decision, the bishops are well advised not to read more into this than is there. It is a shameful decision to be sure, but it is not the end of the world and war is a thing to be avoided whenever and however possible.

Some Catholics have sought to defend the President, to hope that there might be some silver lining in the decision, to argue that because many Catholics use contraception, or because some states already mandate this kind of coverage, this decision is really no big deal. The fact that there is much to defend in the President’s record does not mean that anyone need defend everything in that record, especially something as indefensible as this decision. And, it is a mistake of analysis to see this as a decision about contraception. The issue here is conscience.

Some commentators, including those in the comment section on my post yesterday, have charged that people like me, Catholics who have been generally supportive of the President, were duped, that we should confess our sins of political apostasy, and go rushing into the arms of a waiting GOP. I respectfully decline the indictment and, even more, the remedy. Nothing that happened yesterday made the contemporary GOP less mean-spirited, or more inclined to support the rights of our immigrant brothers and sisters, or less bellicose in their approach to foreign affairs, or more concerned about the how the government can and should alleviate poverty. It is also worth noting that the night before the decision, Mr. Gingrich said that he would halt the U.S. Justice Department’s suit against the State of Alabama regarding that state’s new anti-immigration law, a law that raises exactly the same kind of issues of religious liberty and the rights of conscience as are raised by the HHS decision. Religious liberty cuts both ways. Nor, is religious liberty the only issue. Voters should still consider how candidates for the presidency are likely to address a host of issues. As for myself, I could not, in good conscience, vote for any of the current Republicans seeking the presidency.

But, yesterday, as soon as I learned of this decision, I knew instantly that I also could not, in good conscience, ever vote for Mr. Obama again. I once had great faith in Mr. Obama’s judgment and leadership. I do not retract a single word I have written supporting him on issues like health care reform, or bringing the troops home from Iraq, or taking aggressive steps to halt the recession and turn the economy around. I will continue to advocate for those policies. But, I can never convince myself that a person capable of making such a dreadful decision is worthy of my respect or my vote.

As Abundant As Grains Of Sand

2012-01-18T13:51:00.000-08:00

God's promise to Abraham: "I will bless you and make your descendants as countless as the stars of the sky and the sands of the seashore." Gen 22:17

I've always been intrigued by the overwhelming abundance of God's love for Abraham's faithfulness. The idea is God will produce a miracle of millions of faithful descendants. But do we understand the diversity offered in God's message?

Would we all be like-minded? Or unique in the ways we honor the one, living God.

We Christians have Jesus Christ to help us better understand our humanity and divine potential. Christ loved each and every one of us, flaws and all. Christ loved our diversity. Christ marveled at God's creation and reveled in its beauty.

Abraham faithfulness brought forth not only our Christian faith, but also Judaism and Islam. Can't we all revel in the beauty of God's abundant love for us? His abundant love for all our diversity?

I know my heart doesn't always celebrate the differences of our humanity. Sometimes my prejudices get the better of me when I am threatened by someone who doesn’t think of God just like I do. But when I look at the world through the eyes of Christ or the eyes of God, I get it. The beauty is abundant; beauty is diverse.

Ever wonder what a grain of sand truly looks like? Scientists now have the ability to give us an up close and personal view. Enjoy! And relish in the diversity of its abundant beauty.

A Gift From God In Normandy, France

2012-01-05T08:14:00.000-08:00

It's so funny how God works in our lives. Usually in a moment of our weakness, God reveals Himself to us and provides a beautiful life's lesson.

I had another one of those God experiences recently on a trip to Europe with my family.

On the day we traveled to Normandy, we drove a rental car from the beautiful French community of Bayeaux. Needless to say, driving in a foreign country where English is not the official language provides challenges for most Americans. When you are an impatient driver like me, the frustration gets magnified a hundredfold.

My son Connor was the navigator for the trip due to his linear thinking with maps, etc. Unfortunately he took the brunt of my frustration as we tried in vain to find the Normandy American Cemetery. I was feeling lousy for losing my cool (again) while driving in Europe.

On a dark, windy and rainy day, we finally found our destination. At first, I drove to Omaha beach to see where the U.S. troops landed. We spent a quiet moment walking the beach where so many young men the ages of my two sons died on June 6, 1944.

On the hillside above the beach were some German bunkers. Sean and Connor enjoyed crawling around the inner cracks and crevices of these dens of death and destruction.

I walked alone up the hillside and noticed that the cemetery was just a little further up the path.

Saving Private Ryan is one of my favorite movies. Like most people, I cry every time James Francis Ryan walks through the cemetery as an old man filled with all those memories. As I prepared for what I was about to experience, I prayed a decade of the rosary for all those young lives cut short on that fateful and important day in our history. I also prayed my family would forgive my momentary road rage.

I was alone as the rows and rows of crosses appeared after rounding a corner. The emotions swelled. Just then, a guy walked up and asked, "Are you an American?" I said, "Yes," and he introduced himself as "Andy" and started showing me around the cemetery.

He told me not all of the graves were for servicemen. Three women are buried at the cemetery, mostly servicewomen nurses and Red Cross workers. He even showed me the grave of an African American woman who served as one of the first openly gay people in the military.

He asked what I did. I told him I was in formation to become a deacon in the Catholic Church. He showed me the graves of one of four chaplains who died on the beach that day. Andy said chaplains had one of the most dangerous jobs in the Normandy invasion due to their low numbers and high death rate.

I asked Andy what he did at the Cemetery. He nonchalantly said, "I'm the Director."

Just then my family showed up. I introduced everyone to Dwight "Andy" Anderson, Director of the Normandy American Cemetery.

Then he showed us the graves of the brothers who inspired the movie Saving Private Ryan, Preston and Robert Niland. He told us the movie embellished some of the details, but basically got much of the story right. Two brothers were killed during the invasion, one on Omaha beach, the other on Utah beach. A third brother Edward was a prisoner of war in a Japanese camp in the Pacific at the time of the Normandy invasion. The fourth brother Frederick "Fritz" Niland eventually returned home. He's the one the movie was about.

He then asked our family if we would join several other Americans on site to take down the American Flag for the night. We said, "We'd be honored."

Mary offered to video the experience on my iPhone. Oldest son Sean took photographs. Connor and I joined the ranks as the lowering of colors service began. As the flag touched our fingers and we began to fold it, the skies opened up in a torrential downpour. It was almost as if heaven was sending down tears on this solemn moment.

The quiet whisper of God in the experience: When you're lost, when you're angry or frustrated, trust in God alone to get you through it. My exasperation with driving, getting lost, backtracking, double-backtracking, etc., was all part of God's plan to make sure our family got to experience what we experienced at Normandy. Had we not gotten lost, we would have never received a beautiful gift from God.

Women Deacons?

2011-12-06T09:32:00.000-08:00

I first read about Theologian Phyllis Zagano's book Women Deacons: Past, Present, Future several months ago on Deacon Greg Kandra's blog Deacon's Bench.

As we are currently experiencing in our parishes, change can be difficult in our Catholic faith community. A new Roman missal has become a somewhat polarizing transition.

This would be a major change, and one the Church would embrace only if she feels it's driven by the Holy Spirit.

The book is now out (click on the above title for a link to Amazon). Dr. Zagano is not the only author. Noted Deacon Dr. Bill Ditewig and Santa Clara Theologian Gary Macy are co-authors. Here is an interview with Zagano.

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Reprinted from U.S. Catholic:

The issue of women priests may be a settled matter, but that doesn’t mean a woman can’t serve the church as a deacon.

Celebrating the opening of the archives of her work on women in the diaconate at Loyola University Chicago’s Gannon Center for Women and Leadership, scholar Phyllis Zagano minced no words about the topic that has been her life’s project: “Women as deacons is not a concept for the future. Women as deacons is a concept for the present, for today.”

With women’s ordination being a sensitive topic in Catholic circles, Zagano carefully lays out her argument for restoring what for many centuries was an official role of women in the ancient church, rejecting a “slippery slope” argument that claims women deacons would mean eventual women priests. “We have this misunderstanding that the diaconate is only a step on the way to priesthood,” she says. “The diaconate is a separate vocation, and one doesn’t imply the other.”

Despite her advocacy Zagano doesn’t think every bishop needs to ordain women as deacons tomorrow, noting that some dioceses still don’t ordain men to the permanent diaconate. “One bishop may feel he needs women deacons; another bishop may feel he doesn’t,” she says. “But if the archbishop of Chicago thought he needed women as deacons, why would he not be allowed to have them?”

If anything, Zagano says, women deacons are worth a try. “As I said to [New York] Cardinal John O’Connor 20 years ago, ‘I’ll give you my life as an experiment. Just see what happens.’ ”

What obstacles are there in current church teaching or law that would prevent the ordination of a woman as a deacon?

The principal obstacle is that women have not been ordained as deacons in the Western church for at least 800 years. In current canon law women cannot be ordained as anything. It’s as simple as that.

There is a collision between the tradition of the church and the law of the church on this question. What is admitted by all sides—both those for and against it—is that it’s an open question.

I’m confident in saying that because the most recent discussion coming from the Vatican about this topic is a 72-page study document by the International Theological Commission, which had one conclusion: It’s up to the magisterium, the teaching authority of the church, to decide.

In New York in the late 1980s I was at a meeting with then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger and discussed the issue with him briefly. He said, “It’s under study.”

To my mind the study has just gone on too long. So I think the biggest obstacle is inertia, and perhaps a misunderstanding of the diaconate and how women in the diaconate could further the objective need for greater evangelization.

Some say that if women can’t be ordained priests, they can’t be ordained deacons. What’s the connection between those two?

What used to be called the “progression of orders”—deacon, priest, and bishop—developed late in the history of the church, and it isn’t helpful today. It’s better to understand the deacon as one of the arms of the bishop; the other arm is the priest. They are separate orders in the church.

One doesn’t imply the other. When you ordain a man a permanent deacon today, there’s no expectation that he would become a priest. A deacon is not a priest. The diaconate is a separate vocation, one that was lived by men and women in the ancient church, and is lived today by men.

But isn’t there a fear that if you ordained a woman as a deacon, you could ordain her a priest, too?

I wrote a book called Holy Saturday: An Argument for the Restoration of the Female Diaconate (Crossroad) at the request of my old boss, Cardinal John O’Connor of New York. I brought my outline to him, and I think I had six points.

He said, “Phyllis, if you’ve proved a woman can be ordained a deacon, you’ve proved she can be ordained a priest.” I said, “Eminence, I’m not allowed to talk about women priests. Why are you bringing that up?” He said, “Oh, that’s very good. Make that point three.”

The cardinal was very clear in that discussion that the slippery slope was a fear of Rome. I simply say ordaining women as priests is just not the teaching of our church. But that doesn’t mean a woman isn’t ordainable.

To say that a woman is not ordainable and cannot serve in persona Christi—as a deacon, in the person of Christ the servant—is to argue against the incarnation. The important thing is not that Christ became male. It’s that Christ became human. If we say that a woman cannot live in persona Christi, I think we’re making a terribly negative comment about the female gender.

That is the so-called iconic argument against women in the priesthood: You have to be male to represent Jesus. That argument is no longer used. The argument church teaching uses today is the argument from authority, which is that Christ called forth only men as apostles.

That is what Pope John Paul II said in 1994, that the church does not have the authority to ordain a woman as a priest, because Christ did not choose women for membership among the Twelve.

And that doesn’t apply to women deacons?

The argument from authority doesn’t hold for women deacons because in Acts the first seven who are generally understood as the first deacons were called forth by the apostles, not by Christ. They were put forward by the people of the church and received a laying on of hands from the apostles. Further, the only person in all of scripture who has the job title “deacon” is Phoebe, a woman.

The argument from authority against ordaining women as priests is actually an argument for ordaining women as deacons. I don’t think you can accept one and not the other.

How do bishops respond when you suggest ordaining women as deacons?

When I ask them to ordain me, they always say they want to keep their jobs. That’s a change in the response. It used to be, “That can’t happen.”

I think it’s more important to look through the eyes of the bishop as he looks at the needs of the diocese and how they are being fulfilled by whatever cadre of ordained or other ministers he calls forth. That, to me, is the bottom line on the need for women to be ordained: the needs of the church.

We have in the United States 35,000 lay ecclesial ministers, of whom something like 80 or 85 percent are women. We have in the United States about 16,500 permanent deacons, most of whom are married men.

But of the women who minister in the church, none has the particular relationship between herself and her ministry and the bishop. So she’s not exactly an arm of the bishop. She’s literally at arm’s length from the bishop as a lay ecclesial minister.

Many dioceses have wonderful programs of certifying lay ecclesial ministers. But with the diaconate, there’s a specific progression of formation—the spiritual, the human, the intellectual, and the pastoral—that is under the control of the bishop. So if a woman is then trained by the bishop in his program and is formed spiritually, humanly, intellectually, and pastorally, then in ordaining her the bishop is certifying, in a way, that he trusts her.

What are some more specific needs that a female deacon might meet?

A bishop may find that he needs women to provide for the charity of the church. A need of the church—and an ancient task of the woman deacon—was to be the intermediary between the women of the church and the bishop. She would bring the needs of the women to the bishop. Alternatively, she would bring the teachings of the bishop to women.

When a Syrian bishop was writing in the fourth century about needing women deacons, he used an interesting verb to explain why. He said it was unseemly for women to uncover, divulge, or disclose themselves before men.

You can take that to mean it’s unseemly for women to undress at baptism before men, and women deacons did assist in the baptism of women. But it could also mean that it’s unseemly for women to expose themselves personally to men in certain situations.

I think of women as spiritual directors and counselors, as well as in hospital and prison ministry. In those situations a woman deacon would bring the pastoral concern of the bishop directly to the women in need.

In addition, there are many women who are judges on marriage tribunals. If a layperson is a judge on a marriage tribunal, for example, that layperson can have a vote. But a layperson who writes an individual judgment in a church proceeding cannot sign it. She has to run down the hall and get a cleric to sign it. The same applies to diocesan chancellors. But if those women were deacons, they would be clerics, able to act on their own.

Can’t any layperson do most of this ministry?

A layperson can lead a communion service in a nursing home. But there is a distinction, and the reason we have ordination is because the bishop is ordering the individual to stand in on his behalf.

I don’t think it’s a difference in the actual ministry. There’s a difference in the minister. And to my mind a great deal of it is in formation and training.

Think of rural areas. If you’re going to send somebody out in rural North Dakota, that person is going to go out with only the training he or she received. If the bishop were deciding whom to send, I think he’d rather send somebody he has trained and ordained, because he can remove that person’s faculties, too.

It’s also sacramental. In the parish you have people who are being prepared for marriage. It’s usually the priest who is going to preside at the wedding, but many times the marriage intake is done by a lay ecclesial minister who cannot be the church’s official witness at the wedding. But a deacon is an ordinary minister of the sacrament of marriage, and a female deacon could preside at the wedding.

How would a woman deacon change the Catholic experience of Sunday Mass?

An ordained person is a public minister of the church. When I go to my parish, there’s a huge rotation of lay ecclesial ministers and volunteers, altar servers, acolytes, lectors, ministers of the Eucharist. There’s no direct symbolism to that.

A deacon is vested in the dalmatic and is a stable personality in the parish. And so there’s the symbolic understanding or a symbolic representation of a woman up there on the altar as a recognized, trained, ordained minister. I think that there’s a real difference.

The deacon is also charged to live a life of prayer and, as a cleric, is required to celebrate morning and evening prayer, to make an annual retreat, to have a spiritual director, to have a confessor. There’s a whole different way that the personality is formed, and that’s the spiritual formation. It’s not just a function. It’s an identity rooted in prayer.

I think there can be a qualitative distinction in the personality who is a public figure in the parish, is publicly available, has given her life to the people of God, and is approachable. I can’t see myself approaching any of the lectors or lay ecclesial ministers I have with a question about God or the church.

But why not just continue to expand lay ministry?
I think we might be confusing status with office. There are people who have the office or the job of pastoral associate who are laypeople. Those laypeople work for the pastor. Typically they are trained and formed as lay ecclesial ministers. They cannot function ceremonially at the altar except as lectors and acolytes and leaders of music.

To my mind, it would be another step if the pastoral associate who’s been running the soup kitchen all week long can wear the vestments of a deacon, proclaim the gospel, and preach about helping the poor. It connects the dots.

How might the ordination of a woman as a deacon happen?

All a bishop has to do is ask for derogation from the law, as recommended in a 1995 document of the Canon Law Society of America, which parsed how it could happen. You need derogation from the law to install a woman as an acolyte, derogation from the law to install a woman as a lector, and derogation from the law to ordain a woman as a deacon.

I think that bishops could ask for a regional permission in the United States or even a sub-regional permission—for certain dioceses or archdioceses—to train women and then ordain them as deacons.

I think we could experiment. We could see how it works. If it works in your region, maybe other regions will adopt it. If it doesn’t work in your region, maybe other regions won’t adopt it.

Are there any more official developments on this issue?

There’s a lot of discussion in the Orthodox churches in the United States and stretching to Constantinople. His All Holiness Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople has said he thinks that the Orthodox churches could return to this ancient tradition of ordaining women as deacons.

The Armenian Apostolic Church and the Orthodox Church of Greece can ordain women as deacons. And the Holy See recognizes the validity of the sacraments and orders of those churches.

In the United States there are discussions in dioceses where several women are in touch with their bishops and formation directors discussing this matter, asking to be considered as candidates even though they can’t be officially considered. Some of them are mirroring the deacon formation programs by attending Catholic master of divinity programs. And two in particular I can think of are in touch with their bishops and the deacon formation people, and have spiritual directors from the deacon formation list, and they are going forward.

These are professional women between the ages of 35 and 50 with children, supportive husbands, some of them working in Catholic ministries or locations, and some of them volunteering in their churches, being put forth by their parishes in one case.

Would ordaining women as deacons make a statement about the equality of women?

I think the world outside the church is asking, “What exactly is your problem?”

In 1995 I was a guest of the Archdiocese of New York on what is called a shooters’ platform for photographers in Central Park at the papal Mass. That made me the closest woman to the pope. All around was a sea of priests waiting to give out communion. I thought: This is ridiculous. What does this look like?

When you see a papal Mass on television, it supports, to my mind, a mentality that argues women shouldn’t be seen or heard. In some countries that is true—the very countries where the gospel is most necessary, where the new evangelization could help raise women to a greater dignity. It is in those countries, when they see this picture of only men, that their concept of women is reinforced. I think it’s a negative image, and it’s one that has to change.

Do you think the current pope is at all open to the possibility of women deacons?

In March 2006, when Pope Benedict XVI was speaking to the priests of the diocese of Rome, a priest asked him about women in governance and ministry. The pope said it was proper to ask if the church could offer “more positions of responsibility” to women. And I believe he indicated he thought it would be a good thing to have more women in governance and ministry.

Governance and ministry, technically, can only be performed by the ordained. To me, he was clearly speaking about the possibility of women deacons.

The principal issue this question circles on is simply: Is a woman made in the image and likeness of God? Well, I’m here to tell you, this is what Jesus looks like. They need to understand that and they need to represent that on the altar.

Until a woman deacon is standing at the altar with the pope, proclaiming the gospel, it’s not going to be heard. It’s not so much that we need new evangelization; we need new evangelizers. The message is lost because of the messengers.

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http://www.amazon.com/Women-Deacons-Past-Present-Future/dp/0809147432/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpt_1/184-4456046-5155203

Christians & Equality

2011-08-22T08:57:00.001-07:00

Agendas. In our world today just about everybody has one. It was probably no different in St. Paul’s day when he wrote his Letter to the Galatians or in the day when Colossians, Ephesians, or First Letter of Timothy were written. We are human. We have agendas that may not always be aligned with our Creator’s agenda.

What was Jesus Christ’s agenda? As Christians we must always ask ourselves this question and follow it up with: Are we faithful to Jesus’ agenda?

“For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free person, there is not male and female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” Galatians 3:27-28

In Paul’s Letter to the Galatians he proposes what some bible scholars believe is ”likely a formula used at baptism that expresses racial, social-economic, and sexual equality in Christ.” This quote is from a footnote found on the USCCB New America Bible website.

The cultural context of Paul’s letter may have had more to do with Judaizers hell-bent on making practicing Jews out of early “Gentile” Christians in the far away hinterland of Galatia. But Christ’s agenda seems to shine forth from Paul’s words: Equality is imperative in the Kingdom.

A similar “old clothes vs. new clothes” theme on the issue of equality is found in Colossians 3:11: “Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all and in all.” It is intriguingly suspicious that “male and female” is edited out of Colossians.

The cultural context in Colossae for families and husband/wife relationships as found in Colossians 3:18-4:6 was deeply influenced by Roman paterfamilias. Some scholars suggest the “household code” may have been an add-on to Colossians since it seems out of touch with other parts of the Letter. While the “Christian Household” text clearly is “seeking ordered unity within the household as a ‘mini-church’” it does so by promoting mutuality in relationships to offset the inequality existent in society then, and now… or at least until as recently as 30 to 40 years ago in our Western culture. The inequality is still quite present in cultures outside of North America and Europe.

Some recent scholarship suggests Colossians may be a wink and a nod to the overriding social norm of Roman paterfamilias or as theologian Harry O. Maier’s scholarly article “A Sly Civility” suggests some of the texts in Colossians are subtle, but outright subversion of the “household code.” Some suggest the overriding message might be the “call for love (Col. 3:19), justice and equality (Col. 4:1).”

St. Paul seems very direct in his criticism of society’s impact on the Christian community. He strikes me as someone not prone to compromise. This “sly civility” appears to suggest someone other than Paul as the author, but someone who is desperately trying to maintain the integrity of Paul’s words on the topic of equality while bridging a cultural gap. It’s quite artful when you think of it. A similar artfulness can be found in Ephesians 5:21-23 as an expansion of Colossians 3:18-19.

I imagine a Christian community besieged by suspicious neighbors, civil authorities, etc. A little conformity probably seemed prudent in order to not have Christianity wiped out in its infancy and toddler phases. Whether or not it was prudent can be left up to scholars to debate.

Where the Pauline thinking on Christian equality takes a radical turn is in First Letter of Timothy. Author and theologian Elsa Tamez puts up a powerful argument for what struggles may have created this radical shift in thinking on Christian equality. She suggests wealthy women were in a power struggle with the male leaders of the Christian community in Ephesus.

I wrote in the margins of the following passage in her book “Struggles For Power In Early Christianity,” “Where is Jesus here?:”

Talmez wrote, “Instead of resolving in a non-authoritarian manner, (the author of Timothy) turns to the patriarchal ideology of those times – not only to call attention to the rich women causing the problem (in the community), but to subjugate all the women, because patriarchal ideology is directed at all women, regardless of social class.”

Instead of using the teachings of Christ as his weapon of love, the author of Timothy uses a societal norm of behavior as a blunt weapon to “Let a woman learn in silence with full submission. I permit no woman to teach or have authority over a man; she is to keep silent.” 1st Timothy 2:11-12

Indeed, where is Christ in First Timothy?

This does not mean Christians should reject First Timothy, but we should acknowledge that scholarship clearly shows the authorship not to be Pauline since it is contrary to genuine Pauline teaching found in Galatians. It would be most prudent to use these texts as a “cautionary tale” warning for how Christian faith can be perverted by men with anti-women agendas and the impact culture can have on the radical ideas proposed by Jesus Christ.

I recently watched the movie “Clan Of The Cave Bear.” In one scene, a newly installed Neanderthal leader wishes to have a female become his possession. This woman had learned to proficiently use a hunting weapon better than any of the men in the Clan. The new leader first strips her of her child born out of the brutal rape by the same man and immediately banishes from the Clan the woman’s adopted father, her powerbase due to his Shaman like role in the Clan. It’s a very moving scene and one that ultimately upsets the social order of the Clan because the leader overuses his power to his own detriment and exposes his cruel nature to the entire Clan.

As I read the First Letter of Timothy, I see the same misogynistic cruelty at play subverting the love, justice and equality of Christ promulgated by Paul and used subtly by a more competent disciple in Colossians and Ephesians. Sadly, this perverted justice has reverberated through our Christian faith for nearly two thousand years. I pray the social equality of women in our post modern age will be the sign of our times Christians need to reinterpret the First Letter of Timothy and put it once and for all in its proper perspective.

A good friend who grew up Latin Amerrica shared her cultural experience of her father being the head of the family during her upbringing. She is quite passionate about the appropriateness of this patriarchal power structure in her family. This cultural dynamic is quite prevalent in conservative Christian households in the U.S., too.

I grew up with a single mother who was the sole breadwinner after my father’s death. My wife grew up with a mother who ran the chemistry lab at a major hospital and was an equal in all ways to her husband. In our cultural upbringing, we both had models of equality in our lives that became embedded in our relationship. The strength of our 25-year marriage is founded on the equality we both strive to maintain in our relationship. As a deacon candidate sharing Christ’s message on equality, perhaps humble “leadership by example” will prove to be the most powerful sign of Christ’s agenda on the issue of equality in our Church community.

Paul’s Galatians 3:27-28 seems to be an original and not watered down version of Christ’s teachings on Christian equality. As a deacon candidate, I am called to be a servant of Christ and share His peace, justice, love and equality with all I come into contact.

Paul’s original words from Galatians about “cloth(ing) ourselves in Christ” and the equality it promotes will be the words that guide my diaconal candidate ministry as I help others to see clearly Christ message. But I pray I do so without an agenda other than the agenda of Christ.

Harry Potter's Last Battle - Catholic Review

2011-07-12T13:41:00.000-07:00

Vatican newspaper runs positive review of final Harry Potter film...

The unsettling and violent finale of the film saga of J.K. Rowling's novels

The finale is epic, with a battle worthy of this saga of unequalled planetary success. The decisive meeting between the forces of good and evil is truly the final one, played out in an atmosphere that is almost too dark. The games of magic played by the baby wizards are a thing of the past. The little students of Hogwarts have grown up and the sorcery they learnt now serves to fight against the evil of the dark master and to save the world from his plans. They are fighting a real war. And risking their lives.

So goes the eighth and last movie chapter of J.K. Rowling’s saga, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: the second part, which looks to be another blockbuster in a long series of blockbusters throughout the years, and which has seen the participation of some of the best English actors. Fans of the saga already know everything: for them, the challenge is to compare how faithful the film is to the book. So far, they haven’t complained and we believe they will not have reason to with this film either. But a film has its own rules and even if it is faithful to the book, it may not be fascinating, as happened with the first part of the Deathly Hallows – which did not live up to previous films, possibly because it was decided to divide it into two parts. Director David Yates, who also directed the three previous Potter films, seems to have taken the criticism on board and does not repeat the same errors this time. Beginning with the length of the film, which is the shortest of all eight. Shortening the film has done it great favors, along with calibrated special effects and tight editing.

The atmosphere of the last few episodes which had become increasingly dark and ominous, reaches its pinnacle in this last film with Hogwarts reduced to smoldering rubble. Something which may not please everyone and may create unease for the smallest spectators, as happened in the previous installment. Death, which before was a rare occurrence, here is a protagonist. This violence may not be welcomed or suitable for everyone.

As for the content, evil is never presented as fascinating or attractive in the saga, but the values of friendship and of sacrifice are highlighted. In a unique and long story of formation, through painful passages of dealing with death and loss, the hero and his companions mature from the lightheartedness of infancy to the complex reality of adulthood.

July 12, 2011

All The Vatican News Thats Fit To Print Or Go Online

2011-06-28T09:49:00.001-07:00

(Click on the title link to be directed to the Vatican's news website)

http://www.news.va/en

Or follow on Twitter: twitter.com/news_va_en

With the press of a button, Pope Benedict XVI today launched a new Vatican news web portal, offering exclusive, multimedia of all the communications websites of the Holy See.

The news portal is found at www.news.va and includes the best of Vatican Radio. It also features the latest news from the Vatican newspaper, l’Osservatore Romano, the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, VIS (the Vatican’s Information Service) and the Misna missionary news agency.

The website is available in English and Italian and uses some of the latest digital technology to offer audio and video streaming, plus high quality images and a twitter feed providing instant news headlines to smart phones, other mobile devices and all Twitter followers online.

The new portal was launched officially with a press of a button on the computer of Pope Benedict XVI.

Pope John Paul II Beatification Homily

2011-05-10T11:41:00.000-07:00

With Pope John Paul II's Beatification pushed off the front page by the Osama Bin Laden story, perhaps you missed seeing Pope Benedict XVI's homily for the event on May 1, 2011, Divine Mercy Sunday. Here is the speech in its entirety, both in text and video form:

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Part One

Part Two

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Six years ago we gathered in this Square to celebrate the funeral of Pope John Paul II. Our grief at his loss was deep, but even greater was our sense of an immense grace which embraced Rome and the whole world: a grace which was in some way the fruit of my beloved predecessor's entire life, and especially of his witness in suffering. Even then we perceived the fragrance of his sanctity, and in any number of ways God's People showed their veneration for him. For this reason, with all due respect for the Church's canonical norms, I wanted his cause of beatification to move forward with reasonable haste. And now the longed-for day has come; it came quickly because this is what was pleasing to the Lord: John Paul II is blessed!

I would like to offer a cordial greeting to all of you who on this happy occasion have come in such great numbers to Rome from all over the world - cardinals, patriarchs of the Eastern Catholic Churches, brother bishops and priests, official delegations, ambassadors and civil authorities, consecrated men and women and lay faithful, and I extend that greeting to all those who join us by radio and television.

Today is the Second Sunday of Easter, which Blessed John Paul II entitled Divine Mercy Sunday. The date was chosen for today's celebration because, in God's providence, my predecessor died on the vigil of this feast. Today is also the first day of May, Mary's month, and the liturgical memorial of Saint Joseph the Worker. All these elements serve to enrich our prayer, they help us in our pilgrimage through time and space; but in heaven a very different celebration is taking place among the angels and saints! Even so, God is but one, and one too is Christ the Lord, who like a bridge joins earth to heaven. At this moment we feel closer than ever, sharing as it were in the liturgy of heaven.

"Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe" (Jn 20:29). In today's Gospel Jesus proclaims this beatitude: the beatitude of faith. For us, it is particularly striking because we are gathered to celebrate a beatification, but even more so because today the one proclaimed blessed is a Pope, a Successor of Peter, one who was called to confirm his brethren in the faith. John Paul II is blessed because of his faith, a strong, generous and apostolic faith. We think at once of another beatitude: "Blessed are you, Simon, son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven" (Mt 16:17). What did our heavenly Father reveal to Simon? That Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. Because of this faith, Simon becomes Peter, the rock on which Jesus can build his Church. The eternal beatitude of John Paul II, which today the Church rejoices to proclaim, is wholly contained in these sayings of Jesus: "Blessed are you, Simon" and "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe!" It is the beatitude of faith, which John Paul II also received as a gift from God the Father for the building up of Christ's Church.

Our thoughts turn to yet another beatitude, one which appears in the Gospel before all others. It is the beatitude of the Virgin Mary, the Mother of the Redeemer. Mary, who had just conceived Jesus, was told by Saint Elizabeth: "Blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord" (Lk 1:45). The beatitude of faith has its model in Mary, and all of us rejoice that the beatification of John Paul II takes place on this first day of the month of Mary, beneath the maternal gaze of the one who by her faith sustained the faith of the Apostles and constantly sustains the faith of their successors, especially those called to occupy the Chair of Peter. Mary does not appear in the accounts of Christ's resurrection, yet hers is, as it were, a continual, hidden presence: she is the Mother to whom Jesus entrusted each of his disciples and the entire community. In particular we can see how Saint John and Saint Luke record the powerful, maternal presence of Mary in the passages preceding those read in today's Gospel and first reading. In the account of Jesus' death, Mary appears at the foot of the Cross (Jn 19:25), and at the beginning of the Acts of the Apostles she is seen in the midst of the disciples gathered in prayer in the Upper Room (Acts 1:14).

Today's second reading also speaks to us of faith. St. Peter himself, filled with spiritual enthusiasm, points out to the newly-baptized the reason for their hope and their joy. I like to think how in this passage, at the beginning of his First Letter, Peter does not use language of exhortation; instead, he states a fact. He writes: "you rejoice", and he adds: "you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy, for you are receiving the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls" (1 Pt 1:6, 8-9). All these verbs are in the indicative, because a new reality has come about in Christ's resurrection, a reality to which faith opens the door. "This is the Lord's doing", says the Psalm (Ps 118:23), and "it is marvelous in our eyes", the eyes of faith.

Dear brothers and sisters, today our eyes behold, in the full spiritual light of the risen Christ, the beloved and revered figure of John Paul II. Today his name is added to the host of those whom he proclaimed saints and blesseds during the almost twenty-seven years of his pontificate, thereby forcefully emphasizing the universal vocation to the heights of the Christian life, to holiness, taught by the conciliar Constitution on the Church, Lumen Gentium. All of us, as members of the people of God - bishops, priests, deacons, laity, men and women religious - are making our pilgrim way to the heavenly homeland where the Virgin Mary has preceded us, associated as she was in a unique and perfect way to the mystery of Christ and the Church. Karol Wojtyla took part in the Second Vatican Council, first as an auxiliary Bishop and then as Archbishop of Krakow. He was fully aware that the Council's decision to devote the last chapter of its Constitution on the Church to Mary meant that the Mother of the Redeemer is held up as an image and model of holiness for every Christian and for the entire Church. This was the theological vision which Blessed John Paul II discovered as a young man and subsequently maintained and deepened throughout his life. A vision which is expressed in the scriptural image of the crucified Christ with Mary, his Mother, at his side. This icon from the Gospel of John (19:25-27) was taken up in the episcopal and later the papal coat-of-arms of Karol Wojtyla: a golden cross with the letter "M" on the lower right and the motto "Totus tuus", drawn from the well-known words of Saint Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort in which Karol Wojtyla found a guiding light for his life: "Totus tuus ego sum et omnia mea tua sunt. Accipio te in mea omnia. Praebe mihi cor tuum, Maria - I belong entirely to you, and all that I have is yours. I take you for my all. O Mary, give me your heart" (Treatise on True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin, 266).

In his Testament, the new Blessed wrote: "When, on 16 October 1978, the Conclave of Cardinals chose John Paul II, the Primate of Poland, Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski, said to me: 'The task of the new Pope will be to lead the Church into the Third Millennium'". And the Pope added: "I would like once again to express my gratitude to the Holy Spirit for the great gift of the Second Vatican Council, to which, together with the whole Church - and especially with the whole episcopate - I feel indebted. I am convinced that it will long be granted to the new generations to draw from the treasures that this Council of the twentieth century has lavished upon us. As a Bishop who took part in the Council from the first to the last day, I desire to entrust this great patrimony to all who are and will be called in the future to put it into practice. For my part, I thank the Eternal Shepherd, who has enabled me to serve this very great cause in the course of all the years of my Pontificate". And what is this "cause"? It is the same one that John Paul II presented during his first solemn Mass in Saint Peter's Square in the unforgettable words: "Do not be afraid! Open, open wide the doors to Christ!" What the newly-elected Pope asked of everyone, he was himself the first to do: society, culture, political and economic systems he opened up to Christ, turning back with the strength of a titan - a strength which came to him from God - a tide which appeared irreversible. By his witness of faith, love and apostolic courage, accompanied by great human charisma, this exemplary son of Poland helped believers throughout the world not to be afraid to be called Christian, to belong to the Church, to speak of the Gospel. In a word: he helped us not to fear the truth, because truth is the guarantee of liberty. To put it even more succinctly: he gave us the strength to believe in Christ, because Christ is Redemptor hominis, the Redeemer of man. This was the theme of his first encyclical, and the thread which runs though all the others.

When Karol Wojtyla ascended to the throne of Peter, he brought with him a deep understanding of the difference between Marxism and Christianity, based on their respective visions of man. This was his message: man is the way of the Church, and Christ is the way of man. With this message, which is the great legacy of the Second Vatican Council and of its "helmsman", the Servant of God Pope Paul VI, John Paul II led the People of God across the threshold of the Third Millennium, which thanks to Christ he was able to call "the threshold of hope". Throughout the long journey of preparation for the great Jubilee he directed Christianity once again to the future, the future of God, which transcends history while nonetheless directly affecting it. He rightly reclaimed for Christianity that impulse of hope which had in some sense faltered before Marxism and the ideology of progress. He restored to Christianity its true face as a religion of hope, to be lived in history in an "Advent" spirit, in a personal and communitarian existence directed to Christ, the fullness of humanity and the fulfillment of all our longings for justice and peace.

Finally, on a more personal note, I would like to thank God for the gift of having worked for many years with Blessed Pope John Paul II. I had known him earlier and had esteemed him, but for twenty-three years, beginning in 1982 after he called me to Rome to be Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, I was at his side and came to revere him all the more. My own service was sustained by his spiritual depth and by the richness of his insights. His example of prayer continually impressed and edified me: he remained deeply united to God even amid the many demands of his ministry. Then too, there was his witness in suffering: the Lord gradually stripped him of everything, yet he remained ever a "rock", as Christ desired. His profound humility, grounded in close union with Christ, enabled him to continue to lead the Church and to give to the world a message which became all the more eloquent as his physical strength declined. In this way he lived out in an extraordinary way the vocation of every priest and bishop to become completely one with Jesus, whom he daily receives and offers in the Eucharist.

Blessed are you, beloved Pope John Paul II, because you believed! Continue, we implore you, to sustain from heaven the faith of God's people. How many time you blessed us from this very square. Holy Father, bless us again from that window. Amen.

A Mother's Day Gift From A Grateful Son

2011-05-08T16:01:00.000-07:00

Upon becoming a deacon candidate, my mother confided in me her dream to be married in the Catholic Church by her son, a deacon. Should that blessed day come with God's good graces, I created a homily for her.

It actually started as our homily assignment for this month's deacon formation weekend. We were asked to create a wedding homily. I could think of no better way to do it. Happy Mother's Day, mom.

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Gospel Reading: John 2:1-11 (Wedding At Cana)

Miracles happen in all of our lives. Sometimes we have eyes to see. Faith helps open our eyes to see even better the miracles happening all around us.

The union we witness today is proof of God’s abundance of miracles. Christ is turning water into wine with this perfect union, this miracle of new life together in Christ.

When we prepare sacraments of bread and wine in a few moments I want you the pay close attention to when the gifts are being prepared at the altar.

There is a moment when a drop of water is placed into the wine cup. This drop of water signifies our humanity being placed into the divinity of Christ, signified by the wine in the chalice. It’s a blessed moment worthy of reflection.

The priest’s words are: “By the mystery of this water and wine may we come to share in the divinity of Christ, who humbled Himself to share in our humanity.”

Local Catholic author Dr. Tom Curran wrote about this in his book “The Mass: Four Encounters With Jesus That Will Change Your Life.”

He says, “the wine is the divinity of Christ, and we are the water. It is as if our spiritual self-offering (our “pouring out”) at Mass represented by tasteless, colorless water is immersed in the robust flavorful wine of Christ’s self-offering on the Cross. What happens to the water when it’s poured into the wine? It is totally dissolved into the wine and ‘becomes wine.’ That’s what will happen at Mass: our self-offering is going to be immersed into Christ’s.”

How appropriate that Christ’s first public miracle is turning water into wine. But not without a little reluctance to His Mother’s request. His “hour has not yet come.”

By turning water into wine, Christ demonstrates for us how He can turn our ordinary humanity into the divine.

And that’s what’s happening at this beautiful wedding of this woman and this man. Their self-offering is going to be immersed into Christ’s self-offering. In it will become a divine unity of woman and man for all eternity. Now, that’s a miracle, my dear friends. Watch. And we all get to witness this miracle.

Each and every one of us has placed in our hearts a desire for the divine. Sometime during our lives we awaken. Perhaps our awakening comes in the form of a desire to understand something bigger than ourselves. Sometimes we are so overwhelmed with life that we need to hand it over to a higher power and ask for help. Sometimes we witness a beautiful sunrise over Mt. Rainier on a clear day and feel the presence of the divine. Sometimes just experiencing the wonder of the love we feel for another can make it happen. We awaken.

God leaves a calling card on all our hearts. He plants a divine drop of wine into each of our souls. This drop is the reverse of the drop of water going into the wine. It’s a drop of the divine wine going into the human waters of our souls.

The miracle is when Christ goes into action and turns our own water into wine.

Scientifically speaking, the average human being is comprised of nearly two thirds water. Babies and young children are made up of nearly three quarters water. That’s a lot of water in our human jug.

But just as Christ turned water into wine at the Wedding at Cana, Christ can perform a miracle in each of us. He can turn our water into wine. He can turn our humanity into divinity. He can perform a miracle in our lives.

The wedding at Cana miracle was witnessed by His mother. A mother’s love for a child is as close to perfect love as we see in our lifetimes. I am reminded of the power of that love every time I see the most moving scene in the movie “The Passion Of The Christ.”

When Jesus is carrying His cross to Calvary He trips and falls on the narrow streets of Jerusalem. His mother is struggling with what’s happening to her son. She is overwhelmed with grief. She cannot bear it anymore. In that moment, as she sees her son stumble, Mary is reminded of a time when Jesus as a little boy fell down and hurt Himself and remembers running to Him to pick Him up and hold Him. In that beautiful moment, Mary has the strength to overcome her grief and anguish and rush to her son. As she approaches, Mary says, “I’m here… I’m here…” the same words she said to her son when He fell as a little boy.

In His pain and His suffering, Jesus tenderly touches her face, looks her in the eyes and says the words that should awaken each of our souls, “See Mother, I make all things new.”

His hour is finally upon us.

His perfect sacrifice calls to mind the perfect sacrifice we are all asked to make to one another; the perfect sacrifice we witness today in the joining this woman and this man.

So, today, my dear mother, you give yourself to Joaquin as a sacrifice of love. Joaquin, you give yourself to Suzanne as a sacrifice of love. Your humanity and divinity are about to come into a perfect union. It’s a perfect sacrifice signifying the sacrifice of Christ on the cross.

And Christ is present here. He’s blessing this marriage and turning the water of your humanity into divine wine here at this wedding. We may not be in Cana. We are in Seattle. But we are witnessing a living miracle. What an honor it is for this son to bear witness to this divine moment.

Looking Into God's Eyes

2011-05-06T11:25:00.000-07:00

I am always humbled and in awe to see God's creation in abundance.

Remember how amazed you were when you first saw pictures from the Hubble Telescope. Seeing an up-close and personal view of our universe like that is almost like looking into God's eyes.

Here is a picture of our ENTIRE universe from Planet Earth's perspective. It is not the creation of Hubble, but a Seattle photographer.

Pretty cool, huh?

Now here's a story behind the creation of this incredible photograph:
(from komonews.com - Click on above title "Looking Into God's Eyes" to see the video story)

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SEATTLE -- It's been the dream of a Seattle-area man to put the entire universe into one photo.

"And show them what's really hidden out there that we can't see, especially in Seattle," said Nick Risinger. "Maybe on a good night, we see 20 or 30 stars. At full size, you see 20 or 30 million."

Risinger spent a year toting his huge camera with six lenses across the world.

"All throughout the Southwest U.S. and twice to South Africa, so there was 60,000 miles total," Risinger said.

The lenses sit on a special robotic mount.

"The Earth spins, the stars don't stay, so you have to track with them," Risinger said.

To capture billions of stars, it takes some pretty impressive numbers. The photo isn't just one click -- it's made up of 37 ,000 photos and has a resolution of 5000 megapixels.

To get the rich colors, his shutters had to stay open for seven minutes.

"As anybody has shot with their point-and-shoot would know, stars are almost impossible to capture," he said. "It was a lot of, you know, sitting out in the cold out under the stars waiting."

After that, it took months to piece together the thousands of pictures into the largest true-color sky survey. He hopes his breathtaking image will get more young people looking up.

"If I was a kid and I saw this, I would go 'Wow, it's really inspirational,' " Risinger said.

You can see the photo and even interact and zoom in on particular stars at his website, www.skysurvey.org.

A Boy, An Injury, A Recovery, A Miracle?

2011-04-26T14:47:00.001-07:00

From National Public Radio at NPR.org
(Click on title link to hear the NPR story)

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An Accident On The Court

Jake Finkbonner sits on a couch flanked by his mother, Elsa, and father, Donny. Jake, who just turned 11, is a little shy. He doesn't quite look you in the eye, and you wonder if it's because of the scars on his face.

He describes the terrible day that changed everything: Feb. 18, 2006.

"It was the last game of the season, and it was the last minute of the game," his mother begins.

"I was driving for a lay-in," Jake says, picking up the thread, "and then I got pushed from behind the back, and I hit my lip on the base of the basketball hoop."

"The game ended, and I told him to get some ice cream, you know, 'Get something on that lip,' " Donny recalls. "And I was thinking to myself: 'It's his first big fat lip.' "

But overnight, Jake developed a raging fever. His entire face swelled, and a day later, he was in the hospital.

"I walked in the room, and my heart sank when I saw his face," Donny says. "And he said, 'Hi Daddy!' But he couldn't see me because his eyes were swollen shut."

Dr. Richard Hopper, chief of plastic surgery at Seattle Children's Hospital, says Jake's infection had a life of its own.

At the trauma unit at Seattle Children's Hospital, Craig Rubens, a pediatric infectious disease specialist, instantly suspected a flesh-eating bacterium called strep A. It was consuming Jake's face with terrifying speed.

"It's like lighting one end of a parchment paper," he says, "and you just watch it spread from that corner very fast, and you're stamping it on one side, and it's flaming up on another."

Dr. Richard Hopper, chief of plastic surgery at Seattle Children's, had never seen a case so dire.

"It's almost as if you could watch it moving in front of your eyes," he says. "The redness and the swelling — we would mark it and within the hour it would have spread another half-inch."

Praying For A Miracle

In his office, Hopper turns his computer and displays gruesome photos charting the bacteria's steady march from Jake's lip to his cheeks to his scalp to his forehead. Each day surgeons removed more of his skin to get ahead of the infection.

"The infection was like it had a life of its own," he says.

The doctors told Jake's parents several times that their son would probably die. Elsa Finkbonner called a Catholic priest, who gave the boy his last rites.

"Donny and I went off to the chapel and just surrendered Jake back to God," she recalls. "We just said, 'God, he is yours. Thy will be done, and if it is your will to take him home, then so be it.' "

They also prayed desperately for a miracle, and soon others — many others — were doing the same.

"Things were looking so grim for Jake that we needed all the prayers we could get," recalls their priest, the Rev. Tim Sauer. And because Jake is half Lummi Indian, Sauer urged parishioners at St. Joseph's Catholic Church to appeal to a woman who lived 350 years ago.

"I encouraged people to ask for the intercession of Blessed Kateri," he says.

Kateri Tekakwitha was a Mohawk who converted to Catholicism. Her face was scarred by smallpox. Legend has it, when she died, her scars vanished. She was beatified in 1980, the step before sainthood. Sauer says Kateri was the perfect intercessor for Jake.

"No. 1, we're talking about two young people," Sauer says. "No. 2, we're talking about two people who come from Native American ancestry. And No. 3, we're talking about a person who herself suffered from a disease that disfigured her face."

Annette Bagley, the mother of Jake's best friend, recalls how the church and Jake's school began praying to Kateri. She says the prayers went viral.

"The kindergarten class that Jake was in started hearing back from relatives: 'Tell them we're praying for him in Denver! Tell them we're praying for them in London! Tell them we're praying for them in Israel!' " she says, laughing. "I mean, just all over the world, so we got a big map and we had the kindergartners put pins on the map everywhere in the world where someone was praying for Jake."

Jake Recovers

As Jake hovered between life and death in the hospital, a representative of the Society of Blessed Kateri visited him. She gave his mother a pendant with Kateri's image on it. Elsa Finkbonner placed it on her son's pillow.

"That was the last day that his disease progressed," Elsa says. "And the next morning when they had taken him in for surgery, that was when they told us the news that it had finally stopped."

Surgeon Richard Hopper says after two weeks and a dozen surgeries, the team of doctors had little hope they could get ahead of the bacteria. And when they realized they did, he says, it was breathtaking.

"All of a sudden, to have this infection stop is almost like a geyser coming out of the earth with this great roar — and all of a sudden it just stops. And there's silence. And everybody's just a little bit stunned by it being over," he says.

Jake went home after two months. Now, five years later, doctors are rebuilding his face, little by little. Rubens at Seattle Children's Hospital says it's one of the most amazing recoveries he has seen. Elsa Finkbonner goes further.

"There's no question in my mind that it was in fact a miracle," she says.

But does the Roman Catholic Church believe it is? To qualify as an authentic miracle, the Vatican has to determine that Jake's recovery was unexplainable and that it occurred because people prayed to Kateri to intercede with God on Jake's behalf.

The Rev. Paul Pluth, who is coordinating an investigation into Jake's recovery, says that would suggest Kateri has special access to God.

"That means we have received assurances that this person now stands in heaven before the throne of God," he says. And historically, "one of the evidences of that has been miracles of healing."

These days, the bar is pretty high, says the Rev. Peter Gumpel, a Jesuit priest in Rome who has investigated more than 100 potential miracles for the Vatican.

"The Catholic Church has many hundreds — even thousands — of saints," he says, "and the idea is not to get more."

Under Pope John Paul II, it was relatively easy to attain sainthood. In 1983, the late pope made the process quicker, easier — the number of miracles required dropped from two to one — and less adversarial because he eliminated the office of the "Devil's Advocate" at the Vatican. Thus John Paul produced more saints than all the popes in the previous 500 years.

The process is more rigorous under Pope Benedict. Gumpel says that the Vatican does not want to approve miracles lightly, thus misleading people or looking foolish if the "miracle" turns out to have a logical explanation. The church dismisses about 95 percent of the miracle petitions it receives, he says, adding that there are a number of hoops to jump through, from interrogating witnesses to examining medical records to calling on medical specialists and theologians before finally — often years later — presenting the evidence to the pope.

"It has to be rigorous," he says, "because we do not want to submit to the pope a statement unless we are absolutely, morally certain that this case merits to be approved by him a miracle by God."

Now investigators in Seattle are putting Jake Finkbonner's extraordinary recovery on trial. For more than three years, a team of priests has collected documents and interviewed witnesses. There are a lawyer, a priest with medical training and a skeptic who goes by the title of "promoter of justice," the role once called the devil's advocate.

That skeptic is Eusebio Elizondo, the auxiliary bishop in the Archdiocese of Seattle. He tried to find holes in the case.

"In old times it used to be called the devil's advocate," says Elizondo. "I'm trying to really push every single witness [and asking], 'Really, are you sure? Are you positive that there's no other way to explain this, a logical explanation or a scientific explanation or it was a pure coincidence?' "

'I Can't Explain Why'

The panel interviewed each doctor for more than an hour, asking details about Jake's condition, his recovery after each surgery, fatality rates. They asked nothing about miracles. Rubens says they were the consummate professionals.

"They took a very hard look at whether this really was something beyond what they described as the wonders of modern medicine," Rubens says.

The doctor says he didn't get the feeling at all that they were stacking the deck. But Joe Nickell, a paranormal investigator, says there is "no evidence that a miracle took place."

Nickell, who writes for Skeptical Inquirer, a magazine put out by the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry, says the whole investigation is a joke. Jake received the best medical care, and therefore it's hardly surprising that he recovered.

Nickell says when the Catholic Church confirms miracles, it's using what is called an argument from ignorance.

"They're starting with a mystery, and they're saying, 'We don't know why this person's illness went away.' And then they say, 'Therefore, we do know! It's a miracle!'"

Still, Jake's doctors believe the family's faith was crucial.

"What Jake survived was truly remarkable," Rubens says, "and I can't explain why he would survive over someone else."

Whether or not Jake's recovery was due to the intercession of Kateri Tekakwitha will be a matter for the pope to decide, perhaps years from now.

As for Elsa Finkbonner, she thinks Kateri does deserve to have Catholicism's highest honor.

"It would be disappointing if she didn't get to be a saint," she says. But in the end, that's not really the salient issue. Her son is. "I'm just happy to celebrate Jake's 11th birthday."

The Prodigal Son's Mother

2011-02-27T09:14:00.000-08:00

One of the professors in deacon formation asked us to give voice to the mother in the Prodigal Son story in Luke's Gospel. Jesus uses this story to hold a mirror up to the Pharisees and scribes of his era.

Many have written that the father in the story is representative of God. Others say Jesus. For the purpose of this story, I purposely chose to have the mother be representative of Jesus Christ as a way of helping the Pharisees and scribes of our time better hear the Gospel message and see their image reflected in the actions of the older brother.

This conversation is best read as a postscript to the story between Luke 15:32 and Luke 16:1.
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Then Jesus looked directly to the Pharisees and scribes and said; “Now the mother was watching all these things. Her heart ached when her youngest left home with his inheritance. She told him, ‘Son, you will always be welcome back in this home. My love for you is great and I wish blessings upon your journey. Peace be with you.’

Her older son overheard the conversation and chastised his mother for telling his younger brother he can return whenever he wishes. ‘Father would never welcome him back in this house again.’ But the mother said, ‘loyal son of mine, I love your devotion. But harden not your heart toward your brother. For he is lost and needs to find his way home again. Forgive him. Love him. And pray he returns someday.” But he stormed away in anger.

The father heard what the mother said to the older son and approached her. They gave a knowing look to one another and both heaved a heavy sigh. For how long would it be until the younger son returned? Would he ever come home or would they never hear from him again? The pain of not knowing was almost unbearable, but life goes on.

After years and years of worry, the mother had tears in her eyes as she saw her husband run off to greet the figure growing on the distant horizon. For her heart knew her youngest child had returned home for good. The family was restored. Her heart sang.

She was the first to tend with loving care to her son’s painful blisters on his feet and give him water from the small jug she carried hurriedly out to him. ‘Blessed be the Lord, for He has returned our son home to us,’ she cried as she served him. ‘Forgive me, mother,’ he said to her in a quiet whisper. ‘You are forgiven, my son.’

Later as she was preparing the fatted calf for supper, her older son came to her in the kitchen to grumble about his conversation with his father. ‘Is this house mad? Father is acting like a man possessed. Mother, it is not fair that my brother be treated like royalty after squandering all father gave him on a life of debauchery. I will not stand for this!’

His mother said in reply, ‘my love for you is no different than my love for your brother. He has asked for our forgiveness. Remember son; this is the home of your mother and father. It is not your home yet. But I do love your passion. You should tell your brother how you feel, but do so with love and compassion and don’t be self-righteous. I pray you will find it in your heart to forgive him, too. For he loves you very much and it is your example of being a faithful son he will follow from now on. So, be a good and loving example as your father and I have set for you both.’ But the older brother stormed away in anger.

Once again, his mother had offered wisdom that he would wrestle with for days before finally talking to his brother and reconciling their relationship.”

A Eulogy To My Sister And Friend

2011-02-20T08:19:00.000-08:00

My wife Mary and brother-in-law Danny asked me to do the eulogy at my sister-in-law Beth Gillespie's funeral on Friday. I was honored by their request. Beth died of liver failure last Tuesday at Spokane Hospice House. She was only 41. Beth was a larger-than-life personality who touched the lives of so many people. The eulogy was written on the night of her death, February 14, 2011. I pray it did her life justice.

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(Delivered at the funeral Mass on February 18, 2011)

She was born Elizabeth Ann Gillespie on Thanksgiving Day 1969. As most people were stuffing themselves with turkey and watching football, Beth entered this world… and immediately spoiled not only Thanksgiving Day for her older sister Mary, but also Mary Kay’s own 7-year-old birthday three days later.

That’s always been the family joke.

The truth is Beth was the best birthday gift Mary Kay ever had. She told Beth that hundreds of times, maybe thousands of times, over the years.

Beth Gillespie was no ordinary child. She was incredibly precocious. For those who only knew her in recent years this probably comes as no surprise.

Beth was unafraid of anyone or anything. Her uncle Willard, a prominent Spokane judge, used to scare the dickens out of the Gillespie children. But not Beth. She’d walk up to scary Uncle Willard, jump on his knee and just start talking. She melted his heart and turned this strong man into a big ol’ softie.

What a gift she was to everyone she met.

Most of all, what a gift she was to her brother Danny. You might not know this, but Danny and Beth had a bit of a rough beginning. As children, Beth knew just how to push Danny’s buttons. And push them she did. She was downright unrelenting. The two of them fought so much as kids it amazes many people how they grew to be each other’s best friends as adults. They learned how to make each other laugh. What a gift Beth gave Danny when she moved back to Spokane eight years ago.

Big sis Mary Kay continued to cherish the gift of Beth. She and Mary Kay talked on the phone nightly comparing their days and and in recent years their careers as public relations directors at Library Systems on opposite sides of the state. They always had funny stories to share from the wacky world of librarians. They also loved to talk to each other non-stop on Oscar night; making fun of the bad dresses, awkward on-stage moments and the like. Beth and Mary Kay loved sharing interesting stories from their day. Beth was the gift that kept on giving for Mary Kay.

And for our two boys (Beth’s only nephews Sean and Connor), she was a second mother, a role she took very seriously except when she was bending the rules on junk food and wildly inappropriate movies. Aunt Beth, or Aunt Beff as she was known for many years by the boys, will live on in their memories for a lifetime. What a gift she was to those two boys, now young men.

Her mother Marjorie meant the world to Beth. When Beth’s father got sick in 2002, she moved home to help mom tend to Jack in the final year of his life. The two of them were opposites in so many ways. But they completed each other. What a gift Beth provided her mom and dad from the day she was born. What a gift her mom gave to Beth in return in carrying for her these past five months. Beth was so grateful for her mother’s strength and compassion. Beth was her mom and dad’s little “Love Bird.”

She was cherished by her many relatives, Aunts Geraldine and Nancy, and cousins Janet, Jimmy, Susie and Robin. And she cherished you.

As Beth grew up, she was joined by more great friends than you could count on a hundred hands. I’ll name just a few: Amy Johnson Harter (Beth's other big sis), Tiffany Jensen (Beth’s look-a-like best friend from grade school), Louise DeFelice (Beth’s connected-at-the-hip, best friend from high school who has been there by her side through life’s ups and downs), Greta Gillesie (Beth’s college roommate and blessed soul-mate in adult life) and Andrea Sparks (Beth’s favorite librarian who was a true friend in deed to a friend in need in these final months). The list is long. I wish I could name all of Beth’s friends. All of you here today.

I’m sure you all would agree. What a beautiful, funny, talented gift we all had in our relationships with Beth Gillespie. She always knew what to say and picked the right moment to say it. She had the gift.

But Beth saved the biggest gift of all for last week. After agonizing over experiencing God’s call home, Beth opened up her eyes wide last week and talked about her life. She shared her hopes, her fears and the thing she would miss most: watching her two nephews grow up.

She wanted us to know that she agonized the day before when she had her moment in the Garden at Gethsemane and sweated blood over her decision to “let go.” The hardest decision she’s ever had to make in her life was to leave all of you behind.

But she said, it was her time. And she had to go. Danny joined us toward the end of her conversation and got to witness this gift, this miracle of clear consciousness. No brain fogged over by a failing liver. No confusion about what was happening. She knew exactly what was about to happen and wanted to share with everyone a message of her love, her gratitude, her thanks for all that you meant to her.

After her time in agony, a peace had come over her. Her passion was beginning, but she was headed to the new Jerusalem, her heavenly home. What an honor to be in the room when she shared her gift of love for all of you.

I am so grateful to call Beth Gillespie my sister.

On behalf of Danny, Marjorie, Mary Kay, Sean and Connor, thank you for being here today. Thank you for sharing in the life of our beloved Beth Gillespie.

Thank you, Lord, for blessing us with the gift of Beth Gillespie.

And thank you, Beth! Thank you for everything! We know this is not goodbye, only “see ya later.”

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http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/spokesman/obituary.aspx??n=elizabeth-ann-gillespie&pid=148679712

HOMILY FOR SIXTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

2011-02-14T16:33:00.000-08:00

I can still remember the day God spoke with a loud, clear voice and opened my heart to understand why I was here in this space and time and what was expected of me.

When I tell you the story, you may laugh. I know the idea is amusing, but after you hear it, you may better understand my love for the musical group U2. Perhaps you’ve seen my personalized license plate: LOVE U2. And wondered, “What’s up with that?”

In 1999, when I was desperately searching for meaning in my life, true meaning, I found God. I found God in a simple lyric to the song “Walk On” by U2. Up until that point, my life had been all about success, making a mark in the world, climbing the corporate ladder, running a business… and so on.

But the opening line to the song knocked my stony heart for a loop and has become the true North on my moral compass. The lyrics reads:

“Love. It’s not the easy thing. The ONLY baggage that you can bring. It’s all that you can’t leave behind.”

In other words, when we leave this earthly plain, the love we share with others is all that matters. It’s the ONLY thing we can take with us to Heaven. Not our successes. Not our awards or accomplishments. Nothing but love. Love is all that matters.

Love is the true North on all our moral compasses.

Love is the supreme law, the ultimate wisdom for humankind. Love is the guiding principle for how to live a good and meaningful life. Love is the key that unlocks the door to all human happiness. Love rings true in our souls. Love brings about the Kingdom. Love changed the world.

The wisdom of love is what Jesus and Paul are talking about in today’s readings.

Love is easy. And love is hard.

I felt the tug of true love when I asked my wife to share our lives together 25-years ago. I understood pure love when I held each of my newborn sons for the first time and felt an overwhelming desire to do anything, everything for this child’s well-being. The unconditional love we experience for our own children, our grandchildren and our spouse definitely brings us the closest to understanding the love God feels for each and every one of us… and the love Christ has for us and why he died on the cross for our sins. His love opened a door to eternal life.

In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus is addressing his Jewish brothers and sisters who believed salvation came through adhering to 613 laws of the Torah. But Jesus wanted them to see the driving principles behind the Law. Jesus cautioned that following a surface level understanding of the Law was not enough. You have to drill deeper to intentions. Not just surface level behavior. We need to drill into the very core of our own heart. Only there… in the pure, truthful reaches of our human heart… can we get understand what it means to love, what it mean to do the right thing. The wisdom of love dictates that we do the right thing in all we do.

Love is the true North on all our moral compasses.

For Jesus said in Matthews Gospel, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish, but to fulfill.”

Love is that fulfillment. When we fill ourselves with Christ’s love we learn to love ourselves. When we fill ourselves with Christ’s love, we learn to love others as we love ourselves. When we fill ourselves with Christ’s love, we learn to love our God with all our hearts.

Paul’s message to the Corinthians was in part directed at some Christians in Corinth who believed they possessed a “wisdom” that made them “mature” or “perfect.” These Christians believed this gave them the right to look down on others as “children.”

Paul teaches true wisdom comes from God… through Christ… alone. No man or woman can be truly wise by his or her own estimation. We need to rely on God’s loving mercy as we fumble our way in the dark and find the love that fulfills our every yearning.

As Paul quotes Isaiah: “What eye has not seen, and ear has not heard, and what has not entered the human heart, what God has prepared for those who love him.”

If we truly love our fellow brothers and sisters as we are taught, we will NEVER allow ourselves to feel superior to anyone. Christ’s love allows us to find humility. Christ’s love inspires us to look beyond self to others. Christ’s love inspires us to share that love with all we come in contact with. Even our enemies. That’s when love can be hard.

In the first reading from the Book of Sirach, we understand that God gives us all the free will to choose to keep the commandment of love or not.

Author Ben Sira writes, “Before man are life and death, good and evil, whichever he chooses shall be given to him.”

A little over a year ago, a good friend reached out to seek prayer for a family struck by an awful tragedy. Their daughter had been in a nearly fatal car accident. The 17-year-old was in a coma and doctors were afraid she might not make it.

We all lifted up little Mary Drake in prayer. I kept up with the family though an extraordinary online family support website called “CaringBridge.” Every day, Mary’s mother would update us on the latest news. Early on, the news was not good. But after several months, the news got better. Eventually, Mary woke up. This was just the beginning of the journey back from a major brain injury.

The most remarkable thing about the Drake family is the love they’ve shown for one another throughout the entire ordeal. Mary’s mom, dad and brothers each write updates on Mary’s progress and ask us all to pray a special prayer of healing for Mary (see link below). Their love for Mary is remarkable. The website has had over 400-thousand visits. That’s a lot of healing prayers from family, friends and total strangers. And all because we were inspired by the love of Mary’s family to join in the prayer chain. Christ’s love in action.

It may be years before she leads a normal life, if ever. But Mary’s family and Mary are surrounded by love, share this love with each other and this love keeps them from falling into the depths of despair. Christ’s love in action.

Jesus wants us to NOT get too caught up in a litany of laws or pile of rules and regulations. Jesus wants us to keep it simple. Jesus is calling us to understand the greatest commandment … the law of love of God and love each other… and act accordingly.

As it is written in today’s modern poetry, “Love. It’s not the easy thing. The only baggage you can bring. It’s all that you can’t leave behind.”
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http://www.ctklr.com/church/spiritual-growth/prayer-opportunities/prayer-of-healing-for-mary-drake/

Thy Kingdom Come... thanks to the Salvation Army

2011-01-04T15:20:00.000-08:00

From the Seattle Times
By Maureen O'Hagan
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Alicia Daniel could be your sister. She could be the nice woman next door. She's bubbly and warm, a nurse's aide who wants to become a physical therapist. To look at her, she's not that different from you and me.

Which makes it all the more disconcerting when you learn that last year, she found herself homeless.

Drugs didn't get her there. It wasn't alcohol, either. Mostly, it was bad luck — that and the vagaries of starting life in a new city, thousands of miles from friends and family, and believing in something that, it turns out, was too good to be true.

But as Daniel, 31, is the first to tell you, it was also her.

The Salvation Army, one of 13 charities supported by The Seattle Times Fund for the Needy campaign, helped her get back on her feet.

"I got help on issues I've had all my life," the West Seattle woman said. She says over and over how grateful she is.

Her connection to The Salvation Army began with a car. It was a Jetta, she doesn't know the year. But in July 2009, it was the only place she could call home.

"That's the last thing I would think would happen to me," she said. "I always worked. I always had a place."

She had arrived in Washington less than a year earlier, hopeful and eager. Back in Florida, where she grew up, a marketing company had offered her a job heading up a new office here. The company also owned an apartment it offered to rent to her.

What an opportunity, Daniel thought! Friends were skeptical.

"I believed in the company," Daniel said. She also saw a chance to get far away from an abusive boyfriend.

Daniel remembers his threats, beatings and promises to do better. She remembers believing him — only to get more of the same.

It's a typical story of abuse, but Daniel didn't understand that at the time. He had convinced her the problem, in fact, was her.

She felt worthless, and it showed.

The marketing job turned into a bust. It became a black hole, sucking up her time, her hope and her savings. She said she wound up working six or seven days a week for small commissions.

"They sold me a big dream," Daniel said.

The day she quit, she lost her job and her housing. She had met a new boyfriend in Seattle, but he was struggling financially, too. They piled their stuff into his Jetta and felt trapped.

Daniel had entered a new world — the world of the hidden homeless. Parked in out-of-the-way corners, she saw people who made her start the engine and drive away. But she also met people who wanted to help, sharing food or advice or just listening. They were old or young, working or unemployed, strong or sick. She saw people who seemed like her.

"For the most part, homeless people do make a really sweet community," she said. "You just stick together. You don't judge each other."

But she knew she couldn't do it for long. The summer heat meant they had to keep the windows down. She would lie awake in fear. She was consumed by shame.

"Your head isn't even clear," she recalled. "You can't think where to go. You're just in despair."

She asked herself: "How could I get so low?"

Calling shelters every day, she learned there aren't enough beds to meet the need. Eventually, The Salvation Army women's shelter had an opening.

In addition to shelters, The Salvation Army in Western Washington provides counseling, training, substance-abuse rehabilitation, food and rent assistance and other services to people in need.

The shelter didn't just put a roof over her head. The staff there put her through some hard work. That meant digging down to figure out how she got into this mess in the first place, she said. Counselors talked to her about domestic violence and patterns of behavior. They noted how often she put herself down, how she didn't think she could succeed.

Salvation Army counselors helped her make goals and figure out the steps to reach them. One by one, she checked them off.

"I can't say enough good things about her," said Kasey Schoenfeldt, Daniel's case manager. "She's a really sweet person, and she's really compassionate."

Daniel got a job on her own, as a part-time home-health-care aide. Her main goal was moving into her own apartment, but on her salary, it was going to take a while to come up with a security deposit, plus first and last month's rent.

Then she learned about a Salvation Army program that would pay part of her security deposit. The agency also contributes toward the rent, decreasing the subsidy as the client becomes more self-sufficient. Last March, Daniel moved out of the shelter and into an apartment.

Recently, she was able to cut that financial tie with The Salvation Army.

In the 18 months since she moved into the Jetta, she's become a certified nursing assistant and taken specialty classes in the field. She hopes to get a hospital job, where the hours are steadier and the pay higher. In the meantime, she's thrilled.

"I love my work!" she exclaimed. "I get to help people. I get to tell them they can do it.

"I actually feel I'm making a difference."

She still checks in monthly with her case manager at The Salvation Army, and they're still keeping her to her goals.

"Let them know how good they've been to me and how much they've helped," she said.

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About the program: The Salvation Army serves nearly 400,000 people annually in Western Washington. It provides a variety of services, including rent assistance, a food pantry, clothing, day-care services, summer camps, services for the aging, shelters for battered women and children, family and career counseling, vocational training, and substance-abuse rehabilitation.
Current donation needs: Cash donations can be put to the best use at the agency, but donations to the food pantry are also appreciated.

For more information: www.salvationarmynw.org

Source: The Salvation Army
What donations buyat Salvation Army

• $20 buys full turkey dinners for 10 needy people.
• $50 covers two nights of emergency shelter for a homeless person.

• $100 helps a family in crisis avoid eviction while a case manager helps them reach stability.

Source: The Salvation Army

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-24T09:50:00.000-08:00

As we celebrate of the birth of our Lord and Saviour, let us always remember the poorest of the poor were the first to to hear the Good News of Jesus' birth. Let us not get caught up with the affluence and chaos of the holidays, but find the peace that stilled the hearts of poor shepherds who understood they were going to see the greatest gift ever given to humanity.

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Now there were shepherds in that region living in the fields and keeping the night watch over their flock. The angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were struck with great fear. The angel said to them,

"Do not be afraid; for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Messiah and Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger."

And suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel, praising God and saying:

"Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests."

When the angels went away from them to heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go, then, to Bethlehem to see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us."

So they went in haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the infant lying in the manger.

When they saw this, they made known the message that had been told them about this child. All who heard it were amazed by what had been told them by the shepherds. And Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart.

Lk 2:9-19

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From our family to yours,

We wish you a peaceful, blessed and joyous Christmas season!

The Real Story Behind "It's A Wonderful Life"

2010-12-18T11:18:00.001-08:00

Every Christmas Eve our family watches the Jimmy Stewart movie "It's A Wonderful Life." And every Christmas Eve I embarrass my two teenage sons by crying when people gather in George Bailey's home to bail him out of trouble. It's a beautiful scene about the lives we touch when we live our own life the right way: compassionate about the plight of others, giving and not taking advantage of our brothers and sisters, loving one another, etc.

But "It's A Wonderful Life" was not a commercial success when released in 1946. In fact, many critics hated it. Still, the movie stirs something in the hearts of us all.

Below is an excerpt from the story of "It's A Wonderful Life" as told by Jimmy Stewart himself. You will clearly see the hand of God present in all aspects of the telling of this story. It's an amazing read.

Merry Christmas! I pray you're living a "wonderful life."

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By Jimmy Stewart

"'Now, listen,' Frank (Capra) began hesitantly. He seemed a little embarrassed about what he was going to say. 'The story starts in heaven, and it's sort of the Lord telling somebody to go down to earth because there's a fellow who is in trouble, and this heavenly being goes to a small town, and...'

Frank swallowed and took a deep breath. 'Well, what it boils down to is, this fellow who thinks he's a failure in life jumps off a bridge. The Lord sends down an angel named Clarence, who hasn't earned his wings yet, and Clarence jumps into the water to save the guy. But the angel can't swim, so the guy has to save him, and then...'

Frank stopped and wiped his brow. 'This doesn't tell very well, does it?'

I jumped up. 'Frank, if you want to do a picture about a guy who jumps off a bridge and an angel named Clarence who hasn't won his wings yet coming down to save him, well, I'm your man!'"

To see the entire story by Jimmy Stewart, click on the blog post TITLE above.

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Permission sought and granted for this posting

The Voice Of An Angel

2010-12-15T15:26:00.000-08:00

Having a hard time finding that Christmas spirit? This will help you find it.

Rhema Marvanne is a rising star in the Gospel music world. Click on "The Voice Of Angel" title (above) to see her amazing personal story. It is so beautiful to see a human soul transcend tragedy. And to see God's love and grace shine through our lives.

THIRD WEEK OF ADVENT – HOMILY

2010-12-12T22:00:00.000-08:00

It started out as a beautiful late spring morning. Our second child had been born a few weeks earlier and we were headed to Portland’s Saturday market as a new family to enjoy a sunny day together.

As we rounded a corner on a back-road a few miles from our house a car appeared out of nowhere flipping out of control straight at us.

I had no time to react. Everything was moving in slow motion. At that moment, I had this strangely peaceful thought: Mary and I would be killed. But the kids in the back seat would survive the crash and be in good hands being raised by my in-laws.

I glanced at Mary and she at me in what may have been our last earthly look into each other’s eyes. I remember thinking, “I love you.”

Then, as the car was feet away from rolling up into the front window of our minivan it veered wildly and flipped into a ditch, turning upside down. All this happened in about three seconds. We slammed on the brakes and stopped our car. I jumped out with my cell phone and ran to the other car. A young man in his early 20s was inside the crumpled wreckage, but other than a few cuts and bruises, he was OK. Dazed and confused, he told me he had nodded off just for a moment as he was driving home from the overnight shift and awoke to his car flipping out of control. I called 911. When the paramedics arrived, they tended to the young man’s wounds.

Thankfully we all had angels on our shoulders that day and were saved. We rejoiced as we resumed our trip into Portland.

Perhaps you have your own personal story of a moment in your life where you were spared certain death and given new life.

In today’s Gospel, John The Baptist wanted to know if Jesus was the “one who is to come” to save all humanity from the finality of death and offer us new life, a new salvation. Jesus allows the truth of his ministry to speak for itself, giving John the answer he needed to hear prior to his own certain death.

Jesus quoted from our first reading today by the Prophet Isaiah, “Then will the eyes of the blind be opened, the ears of the deaf be cleared, then will the lame leap like a stag, then the tongue of the mute will sing.”

John The Baptist knew the time of the Messiah was fulfilled. Jesus’ cousin John provides a positive role model for us all today. John got it. He knew the messiah was coming to save humanity from the clutches of the devil.

But do we clearly hear John’s message to the world today? John The Baptist spoke out for the poor and the needy of the world, reminding us that this is our path to salvation. This is how we will be saved from the finality of death… by showing mercy, love and compassion. We need to shake our prideful, self-righteous ways through baptism to new life, then role up our sleeves and help the poor among us. The rich did not like the message. John was true to his convictions even to the point of imprisonment and death.

“Behold, I am sending my messenger ahead of you; he will prepare your way before you.”

John cleared the path for the good news to be heard – he plowed the roads, so to speak, so Jesus could arrive in his full glory.

How can we emulate John’s model in our own world today?

My brothers and sisters, our parish experienced a moment recently when we were called to love and serve a poor, homeless man. And we responded beautifully.

Perhaps you heard about the man who rolled his wheelchair into our Saturday Evening Mass just as Father was beginning his homily a few months ago. His name was Michael and he was in deep, deep pain. As he approached the altar, he cried out for all in the pews to hear, “I’m dying. I need help.”

Father interrupted his homily and bent down to quietly talk to Michael. Several parishioners jumped up to help. As they approached Father and Michael, they heard Father say, “I’ll come talk to you after Mass.” As Michael wheeled his way to the vestibule, Father continued his homily without missing a beat.

Michael stayed through the entire Mass.

“And the poor have the good news proclaimed to them.”

Eventually, Michael told me his story. He was a Vietnam War veteran who lost his foot in the war. He’d been living on the streets for years. Michael was at the end of his rope. He had been beaten and robbed a few days earlier. He lost everything he had in a backpack. His face bore a black eye and cuts from the scuffle. He was crying. He was desperate. He needed someone to treat him as a human being.

When it came time for the sign of peace, a number of parishioners came up to Michael to shake his hand. During communion, Father came out to give Michael a special blessing. When Mass was over, Father came out as promised and talked to Michael for a long while. Several people came over to offer Michael money, a new winter coat and a motel stay for a couple of nights so he could heal his body. Michael even got a backpack with warm winter gloves, a stocking cap, food and food gift cards. Michael was so thankful shedding tears of joy and humbled by the gestures of compassion.

This was the message John The Baptist prepared the world for. Christ is coming. For our salvation, we must show God we love Him by loving our neighbor as ourselves. Today’s Gospel encourages us to extend dignity to every living person we encounter. It’s what Christ did as the sign of new salvation being opened up to the world. This is what it means for us to be followers of Christ.

There is much sadness and misery all around us. If we are blind to it, we cannot see it. If we are deaf to it, we cannot hear it.

John The Baptist was probably no better dressed than our homeless friend Michael. His disheveled looks are a reminder that we need to look beyond the outward appearance of the person to see the truth of Christ’s love being heralded for all of humanity.

Michael was our messenger.

“And blessed is the one who takes no offense at me.”

For our own salvation, we answered Christ’s call. We did not complain, we did not judge, as we were warned in today’s second reading from the Letter of James.

It was a beautiful moment in which the Kingdom of Heaven broke open here on earth for all to see.

On this Gaudete Sunday, let us REJOICE for the coming of our Lord and Messiah Jesus Christ is almost upon us. Rejoice and be glad!

OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST THE KING - Homily

2010-11-29T12:58:00.000-08:00

My dear friends:

Leadership is a tricky business. We’ve all experienced someone put in charge who abuses power and takes advantage of his or her special position.

It takes an extraordinary person to lead people well.

‘You shall shepherd my people Israel.’ God’s words to David were a divine promise, but also a call to be a merciful, loving servant to the people of God.

As we have seen time and time again throughout history, absolute power corrupts absolutely. But God’s WILL can be accomplished even through weak, sinful human beings.

God did not give up on the House of David for God knew from the roots of Jesse’s tree his most perfect being would spring forth onto the human stage and change the world.

In Christ, we see both the Good Shepherd and the supreme leader of the universe. In Christ, we have an icon, an image of the invisible God, God’s own presence in human form. In Christ, we understand true kingship through his actions of love, healing and forgiveness and his humility.

As St. Paul put it so beautifully, “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.” This portion of St. Paul’s Letter to the Colossians is considered “one of the most important theological statements about the person of Christ in the New Testament.”

But Christ knew what the apostles could not understand until they could see His ministry in hindsight.

In order to inherit His kingship, Christ knew He had to be killed on the cross and raised up to new life. Through His death and resurrection, Christ would open a new door to our eternal salvation.

If we believe in Christ, follow His example in life, and ask for forgiveness for our sins, through the mercy of Christ, we can walk through the door. As some have written, “The gates of paradise have been reopened by the obedience and faith,” of Christ our King.

Funny that the first to truly understand was a remorseful criminal hanging on the cross next to Christ. Through the taunts of his fellow criminal, the “good” criminal asks Jesus, by name… by name… “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” In Luke’s Gospel, the “good” criminal recognizes his own need for conversion and puts all his trust in Jesus.

Don’t we all get that? I think that’s what brings us back here every week.

When we fully dedicate our lives to Christ amazing things can happen.

The most magnificent example in our lifetime is the ministry of Mother Teresa of Calcutta.

As a teacher in India for 20 years, she could never shake the poverty she experienced everyday. Surely, something could be done for these poor souls? On a train to a spiritual retreat, Mother Teresa had an encounter with Christ that changed her life forever.

She started the Missionaries of Charity with the sole intent: to save soul’s through mercy and compassionate service. Be the very model of Christ in the slums of one of the poorest cities on the planet.

Her servant leadership was legendary and through the good works of her many followers, the Missionaries of Charity spread around the globe to help the poorest of the poor.

But, all the while, Mother Teresa quietly struggled with her faith. She felt abandoned by the very Christ who guided her decision to start the Missionaries of Charity. She took this abandonment as the Cross she was destined to bear and trudged forward with her work. In her words, “The darkness is so dark - - - and I am alone. The loneliness of the heart is unbearable. Where is my faith? If there be a God, please forgive me. Trust that all will end in Heaven with Jesus.”

Like the “good” criminal, Mother Teresa put all of her trust in Jesus Christ always. And miracles happened.

That’s leadership, my brothers and sisters. That’s what God intended to show us when he sent Jesus Christ into our earthly experience, to show us the way and lead us home by His example.

But leadership comes in all different forms.

I can think of no better example of leading others to Christ than the suffering of a hospice patient named Michael. Michael has a disease that robs the body of the ability to fully control movement or speech. It’s his cross to bear and he does so with dignity and grace and with great joy. It is his joy in the face of such a struggle that shows people the way to Christ.

Michael is Catholic and prays often by himself and with his family. His favorite thing to do with people he encounters is to share a joyous hug. His hugs leave a lasting impression on all who receive them. But they also enliven Michael because it’s his only way of communicating love now. I felt especially honored after visiting with Michael recently because I was graced with not one, but four hugs on that day. We shared Eucharist and prayer. Easy to see how Michael helps us all see Christ more clearly.

Michael is in the hospice because his earthly life is coming to an end, but Michael has put his trust in Jesus to lead him to new life. Where his spirit will be unrestricted by disease. Where he will dance again.

Yes, leadership is a tricky business. And guess what, my brothers and sisters? We are all called to lead others to Christ in our own special way. We are all leaders. We're not asked to be Mother Teresa or Michael. Just ourselves and lead by our own example. So one day we all can stand in the presence of the Lord in paradise and be embraced by Christ Our King himself and be told “Welcome Home.”

My First Homily

2010-10-21T20:51:00.000-07:00

Delivered after the reading at Saturday evening's Vespers during last weekend's deacon formation weekend...
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My Brothers & Sisters:

When I was a boy, I was afraid of my own shadow. Bullies seemed to gravitate to me like moths to a flame. One bully in particular stalked me for several years when I was in my early teens. His name was Damien (name changed to protect the innocent and the guilty). Damien was an oversized kid who loved to taunt anyone who he considered wimpy. I was just that kid. I had red hair. As many of you’ve seen from pictures of that era, I looked like a girl.

One day, I was fishing at a local lake when I heard Damien was coming to beat me up. My dad heard the threat at a brother’s baseball game and came to my rescue. He placed a can of mace in my hands and told me to spray it in Damien’s eyes when he started to pound on me. I was scared to death.

Then came Damien. There was screaming. There was punching. Then out came the mace and with all of the fury, hate and rage in my heart, I let him have it. It was an ugly seen. One I’m not proud of now.

Damien and I encountered each other numerous times after that. The hate in my heart never faded.

Fast-forward 35 years. I’m on Facebook and I see Damien make a thoughtful comment on a friend’s Facebook page. Fear swelled up inside my heart. Then came the hate and the rage. I was 13 again and there was my nemesis glaring back at me in the light of a computer screen.

"O Lord, Do not turn my heart to things that are wrong, to evil deeds with men who are sinners" (Ps 141:4). My trust is in you and your example.

I’ve always felt that sin is like a broken record stuck in a groove it cannot get out of. There are moments in our lives, or things in our past that chain us down and won’t let us go. There are feelings, unresolved issues; the old selfish you that still haunts the you striving to be humble and selfless. Only by the grace of God are we able to get unstuck from this often times sinful behavior: anger, hate, fear, lust, greed, pride… the list goes on.

We believers in Christ know there is a Judgment Day, a day when we will be called to account for all of our sins.

But that day is not today. We hope.

We believers also know how to interpret the delay of this judgment. It’s called forbearance, and it is the gift of time to repent and be saved.

We all sin. We all need to repent. We all can be graced with forgiveness.

"I pour out my troubles before him; I tell him all my distress while my sprit faints within me" (Psalm 142:3).

Forgiveness is a beautiful thing. Forgiveness is a gift we not only give others, but we give to ourselves.

After seeing Damien’s Facebook post, I took a bold leap of faith. I ignored old feelings and wrote him a message requesting his friendship and forgiveness for the terrible things we did to each other oh so many years ago. He responded almost immediately, admitted it was time to let go of the past and be friends.

A giant weight lifted off my shoulders. I had been bearing this hatred, this grudge for over a quarter of a century. And just like that, it vanished.

God works in beautiful and mysterious ways… "How inscrutable are his judgments and how unsearchable his ways!" (Romans 11:33).

As many of you know, I love the musical group U2. There’s a song that I’m reminded of called “Stuck In A Moment That You Can’t Get Out Of.”

It opens with a line that can be taken as a motto for life to all followers of Christ, “I am not afraid of anything in this world. There’s nothing you can throw at me that I haven’t already heard. I’m just trying to find a decent melody. A song that I can sing. My own company.”

Judgment Day will come. For those unprepared for the day due to human hubris, Judgment Day will INDEED be Judgment Day. But rejoice. The gift of time allows for us to ask God for his loving and healing grace to wash away all of our sins. Then every knee will bend in the presence of our Lord and Savior.

On that day, Judgment Day will become a day of rejoicing as we sing songs of praise and celebrate as a community of believers with the Lamb who saved us from the pit of destruction. And proclaim, “Jesus Christ is Lord!” (Phillipians 2:11)

A Deacon Named Phoebe

2010-09-26T08:27:00.000-07:00

Reprinted from Deacon Greg Kandra's blog Deacon's Bench...
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She pops up in one of Paul's epistles, and now an Anglican priest has blogged about her.

While debate continues about female deacons (or deaconesses), here's some interesting context:

As is often the case with these first century saints, we do not know much about them, outside of their names being mentioned in Paul's epistles or their names appearing ion the martyrologies of that time. Phoebe is mentioned in the letter to the Romans, and different translations list her as either a deacon, a deaconess, a minister, or a helper, from Cenchreae, a city near Corinth, in Greece. The actual Greek text uses the word diakonon; there is no distinction between masculine or feminine forms in that word. Some have tried to say that a woman deacon was not a member of an actual holy order, unlike a male deacon, but I don't agree, because Paul's list of qualifications for deacons in 1 Timothy chapter 3 mentions both men and women: Deacons likewise must be serious, not double-tongued, not indulging in much wine, not greedy for money; they must hold fast to the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. And let them first be tested; then, if they prove themselves blameless, let them serve as deacons. Women, likewise, must be serious, not slanderers, but temperate, faithful in all things. Let deacons be married only once, and let them manage their children and their households well; for those who serve well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves and great boldness in the faith that is in Christ Jesus. I read that as applying to both male and female deacons, but I know that the Roman Catholic church still thinks that the term deacon in this context means co-worker in the missionary enterprise. Phoebe is also described as a helper of Paul and many others, and it is quite possible that she was a Patroness of the house-church in Cenchreae; she may have owned the house in which the Christians of Cenchreae met, and that she took legal responsibility for the activities there. Some scholars believe that Paul's mention of her in the epistle to the Christians in Rome was a letter of recommendation to the Christians in Ephesus; perhaps Phoebe was moving from Cenchreae to Ephesus.

The office of Deaconess was mentioned by St. Paul in the letters to the Romans and to Timothy, but we also have evidence of the office in a letter from Pliny, a Roman governor who was writing to the Emperor Trajan for advice on dealing with Christians. He mentions two women ministers among the Christians in Bithynia. The office of Deaconess is also mentioned in the Apostolic Constitutions of Hippolytus, and the office developed greatly during the third and fourth centuries, although it is quite different from the office Phoebe held. The Council of Chalcedon, held in the year 451, legislated that women could become deaconesses at the age of 40. A deaconess was to devote herself to the care of sick and poor women; she was present at the interviews of women with bishops, priests, or male deacons (so that the clergy wouldn't be alone with strange women) and kept order in the women's part of the church. Her most important function was the assistance at the baptism of women. For the first five centuries of the Church, people were baptized naked, and so, for the sake of propriety, male deacons couldn't baptize women. When adult baptism became rare and was eventually replaced by infant baptism, he office of deaconess declined in importance. The office was actually abolished by the Council of Epaon in the year 517, but in the Nestorian Christian communities in Syria, and later in India and China, deaconesses administered Holy Communion to women and read the scriptures in public.
You can check out more at the link, though it's worth noting that his approach is from an Anglican point of view. But the history he expounds is compelling.

It's worth remembering that, while the Church has closed the door on ordaining women as priests, that door remains ajar on the possibility of women deacons.

Read more:http://padremickey.blogspot.com/2010/09/feast-of-phoebe-deaconess-at-cenchreae.html?spref=fb

Media: "Pope sheds ’Vatican Rottweiler’ image on Britain trip"

2010-09-20T12:57:00.000-07:00

Reprinted from the Vancouver Sun - September 19, 2010

LONDON, (AFP) - British media Monday hailed Pope Benedict XVI for shedding his distant and authoritarian image on his historic state visit, but cautioned the Catholic Church still faced challenges in the nation.

The pontiff succeeded in presenting himself as a lovable, elderly figure — a far cry from the "Rottweiler" image, they said.

"What the visit accomplished above all was to unify Catholics and humanise a pope who has so often been perceived as cold, aloof and authoritarian," wrote Catherine Pepinster, editor of The Tablet newspaper, a British Catholic weekly.

"The fabled Vatican ’Rottweiler’ turned out to be a shy, warm and frail 83-year-old who perked up every time his security detail allowed him to greet people, especially youngsters and his own generation."

Before the first ever state papal visit to Britain, Benedict had been viewed as a "remote Teutonic hardliner," said the Times daily.

But he appeared in a different light entirely on the trip and remarks aimed at easing tensions between Anglicans and Catholics, such as on shared traditions and culture, played a great part in this transformation, it said.

"Ratzinger the rottweiler transformed into Benny the bunny," enthused the paper, using the name of Benedict before he became pope, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger.

"We all want to cuddle up to him and get him to bless our babies."

His four-day tour of mainly Anglican Britain, which took in Edinburgh, Glasgow, London and Birmingham, defied fears that it would be overshadowed by enormous protests or gaffes and the press in general regarded it as a success.

"This was a much more successful visit than the Roman Catholic hierarchy had dared to hope," said the Daily Mail newspaper.

"The crowds were larger than had been forecast, if not as big as they were when the charismatic Pope John Paul II came to this country 28 years ago."

The Sun added: "The pontiff’s visit proved much more substantial than anticipated."

Despite the widespread praise for the trip — and astonishment that the pope had pulled off a visit here so smoothly — some looked at the Catholic Church’s long-term relationship with Britain and saw problems ahead.

Pepinster fretted that the institution was not making conciliatory moves towards Catholics on the liberal wing of the Church.

"Gay Catholics and women will still be asking: ’How does the Vatican and Pope Benedict see us and our role, not in society, but in the Church?’," she wrote.

The Guardian daily said that Benedict had not managed to bring believers and atheists any closer together in a country that was increasingly secular.

"The rapprochement required today is not so much between Protestant and Catholic as between the religious and the rest, and Benedict leaves without denting that divide," it said.

For most in Britain, the visit merely amounted to "an anachronistic curiosity."

"To connect his spiritual kingdom with the United Kingdom, the pope would have had to engage with modern realities, and the country would have had to listen," it said.

The Independent was more positive, suggesting that the visit may have at least brought Catholicism to the attention of a country that is for the large part uninterested in religion.

"He may have left Britain just a little more broad-minded than he found it," said the paper.

Archbishop-Elect Peter Sartain Speaks

2010-09-16T12:13:00.000-07:00

September 16, 2010

The following is the text of Bishop Sartain’s statement during a press conference held at the Archdiocesan Pastoral Center in Seattle this morning.

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Last Tuesday, September 7, 2010, I received a telephone call from Archbishop Pietro Sambi, Apostolic Nuncio to the United States, who informed me that our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, had appointed me Archbishop of Seattle. As I wrote to Pope Benedict in my letter of acceptance, I am honored and humbled by the appointment, and I give myself to God and to the good people of western Washington with all my heart.

I am a native Tennessean, as were both my parents. I was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Memphis in 1978 and served that diocese until 2000, when I was appointed Bishop of Little Rock, Arkansas. In 2006, I was appointed Bishop of Joliet, Illinois, and have served there since that time. The dioceses of Memphis and Little Rock, considered “home mission” dioceses because of their small Catholic populations, are very different from the Diocese of Joliet, which is located in northern Illinois and encompasses a good portion of suburban Chicago in a part of our country with a substantial Catholic population. The Archdiocese of Seattle is different still, and I am excited at the prospect of getting to know all of you and enjoying the extraordinary natural beauty of this place. The last time I was in western Washington was to go salmon fishing with a group of friends about 18 years ago – and no doubt those same friends will be eager to visit me often. Since the Diocese of Little Rock encompasses the entire state of Arkansas, traveling vast distances in ministry is very familiar to me, and I will consider it a joy to travel this beautiful state.

This archdiocese will be new to me, and I will have much to learn. By God’s design, however, the Gospel I am sent to proclaim and the sacraments I am sent to celebrate are the same in Tennessee, Arkansas, Illinois, and Washington. That is because Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever – and in every place. And all of you are beloved to God – and therefore beloved to me. Ten years ago I took as my episcopal motto the phrase “Of You My Heart Has Spoken,” from Psalm 27, verse 8. For many years that verse has been a constant refrain in my prayer, because it has been a simple way to express my longing for God. But it has taken on added meaning in my priestly and episcopal ministry, because my heart also speaks to me constantly of the people I am sent to love and serve in the name of Jesus. And so I can say to all of you: Of you my heart has spoken.

I love being pastor, and I look forward to my ministry as shepherd of the Church in the Archdiocese of Seattle. I especially welcome the opportunity to get to know the priests, deacons, religious women and men, and the dedicated laity of the archdiocese, because I know you will teach me about the countless accomplishments of the Church and the opportunities now before us. This archdiocese traces its roots back to 1850, and I have much to learn about its history, its faith, its growth, and its heroes and heroines.

I have already mentioned my gratitude to the Holy Father for appointing me Archbishop of Seattle. Today I would also like to express my deep thanks to Archbishop Alexander Brunett, who has extended a warm hand in welcome. Archbishop Brunett, today I want to particularly say to you that as you grieve the death of your brother, Bill, less than a week ago, all of us are with you, your sister-in-law Joan, and your entire family in loving support. May God fill you all with his peace, which surpasses all understanding. I consider it a privilege to follow in your footsteps and build on the marvelous growth you have overseen in the past 13 years. We will be both brothers and friends.

In the near future we will determine the date for my installation as Archbishop of Seattle. I know from fond experience that many people will be involved in planning that liturgy and other activities surrounding my installation, and I would like to thank you in advance. Likewise, I would like to thank the members of the media who joined us this morning. Since September 7, I have prayed daily for the people of the Archdiocese of Seattle, and I ask that you remember me in your prayers as well.

Bishop J. Peter Sartain
Archbishop-Elect of Seattle

BREAKING NEWS: Western Washington Catholics Have A New Spiritual Leader

2010-09-16T06:30:00.000-07:00

Catholic News Service is reporting Archbishop Alex J. Brunett of Seattle officially retires; Bishop J. Peter Sartain of Joliet, Ill., named as his successor.

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Bishop Sartain was born on June 6, 1952 in Memphis, Tennessee.

On July 15, 1978 he was ordained to the priesthood for the Diocese of Memphis.
He was appointed as Bishop of the Diocese of Little Rock on January 4, 2000 and was ordained on March 6, 2000.

Bishop Sartain attended St. Meinrad College in Indiana, studied at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas in Rome, and earned a licentiate of sacred theology from the Pontifical Athenaeum San Anselmo in Rome in 1979.

In addition to his pastoral experience as a parochial vicar and as a pastor, Bishop Sartain also has considerable administrative experience, having served as Director of Vocations, Chancellor, Moderator of the Curia, Vicar for Clergy, and Vicar General. He has also been a chaplain, academic dean for the permanent diaconate formation program, and a member of the Advisory Council for the Institute for Priestly Formation.

He currently is a member of the Administrative Committee of the
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

"Welcome Home!"

2010-09-13T16:15:00.000-07:00

I had a dream job. No doubt about it. But after eight years, the dream job was spiraling into a nightmare.

In September of 2008, as the economy went on a roller coaster ride, my position managing two Seattle radio stations became even more demanding. I was asked to take on the role of another manager whose position had just been eliminated. The situation would be remedied in 2010.

The new corporate reality was unveiled the exact same week we began our deacon formation journey in earnest with the beginning of intellectual formation weekends at Palisades Retreat Center.

How could I keep up with the increasing demands of a job I loved and demands of the deacon formation program? The deacon couple who interviewed us for the program six months earlier asked the exact same question about my job prior to the role change.

Somehow the grace of God intervened and I held it together for the year.

But help would not arrive in 2010. A continuing challenged economy brought no relief. The job began to take a toll on my physical, emotional and spiritual well–being. A storm raged in my soul. Why had my dream job become such a place of desolation? I prayed for guidance.

Guidance came threefold (in true Trinitarian fashion): 1) a question asked by one of our deacon formation educators 2) terrific guidance from a gifted spiritual director 3) a pastoral internship at the L’Arche Community on Capitol Hill.

The rhetorical question asked in the classroom during a deacon formation weekend was about Jesus calming the storm on the Sea of Galilee, “Do you think the calming of the storm was an actual physical event (or did Jesus just still the worry in the hearts of the disciples)?” As I prayed for a solution to the turmoil in my heart, the comment washed over me like a flood and a personal storm was silenced. Peace was restored.

Six weeks later, as I was about to meet with my spiritual director, I learned of the senseless slayings of four police officers in Parkland, Washington. As I called our radio station’s newsroom to hear about our coverage plans, it hit me. My heart was no longer in my job. My time at the radio station was over. A change had come over me and this was not where I was supposed to be. I shared this with my spiritual director exactly one week before I became a deacon candidate.

Two days later, on a day that started with a 3 a.m. wake up call that the cop killer had been shot and killed, I dreaded my weekly visit to the L’Arche Community that evening. I was physically and emotionally exhausted from a busy couple of days of intense news coverage.

L’Arche is a beautiful community built around “core members” with mental disabilities. It is the embodiment of the Kingdom of God here on earth. The internship had been a Godsend on many levels. For months it had been my shelter from the storm, but on that day the most extraordinary thing happened.

As I rushed to L’Arche after a 14-hour workday and sat down for dinner, “core member” Nancy turned to me and said, “Welcome home!” I felt the most overwhelming sense of peace and serenity as I battled back tears. I was finally “home.” L’Arche taught me so much about what a life-giving experience from God feels like.

Two days after going through the Rite of Candidacy at St. James Cathedral, I received an email from the General Manager of an all news radio station in Canada asking about my availability to consult his radio station.

I was running a successful consulting business when my company was hired to design the radio programming format for what became my current job in November of 2002.

In January of this year, I officially stepped down as manager of the stations to focus on my consulting business… and my ministry. The radio stations remain clients. I’ve been blessed with an abundance of work in the U.S. and Canada. I’ve also been blessed with more time for studies and ministry work. And I no longer have to use important family time for this.

God has a purpose for all of our lives and leaves us signs along the way. We just need to open our hearts to hear the “quiet whisper” that will lead us home.

Seattle's Newest Catholic Church

2010-08-26T12:18:00.001-07:00

Our deacon formation group toured this facility two years ago before the renovation began. I love the concept: create a faith gathering place to bring Christ into the lives of the rich and the poor, young and the old, right in the heart of downtown Seattle. That neighborhood already experiences some tension between the homeless and the wealthier condo dwellers. Maybe they can find common ground or, as St. Paul encouraged the Romans, unity in sharing communion together. I'll be there this weekend for one of the inaugural Masses. Please join me.

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Reprinted from www.crosscut.com

The Seattle Archdiocese bucks a national trend toward closing inner-city parishes, dedicating the new Christ Our Hope parish in a city-landmark building.

By Stephen H. Dunphy

The Downtown Seattle Association estimates there are now more than 55,000 people living downtown. In 2008, the Kress IGA Supermarket opened on Third Avenue, adding another piece of needed community infrastructure.

Now downtown is about to get another institution that often helps form a neighborhood or community: a new church. The Archdiocese of Seattle this weekend (Aug. 28-29) will dedicate its first new building-based parish (as opposed to parishes for ethnic or other groups) in 42 years, when Christ Our Hope Parish officially opens in the Josephinum on Second Avenue.

The former high-ceilinged chapel in the building has been remodeled while preserving many of the architectural elements that make the building itself a special place. At the dedication the first pastor, the Rev. Paul Magnano, will be installed by Archbishop Alexander Brunett.

“We’re ready except for a few details here and there,” said Deacon Larry McDonald, one of three deacons assigned to the new parish. “We’re all pretty excited. I know the Archbishop is excited — this has been one of his dreams for years.”

Brunett issued a statement saying, “For some time now it has become clear to me that downtown Seattle needs a Catholic Church to serve the diverse needs of many Catholics in this vibrant and growing neighborhood. Responding to that need, I have created a new parish in downtown Seattle, with a new pastor and pastoral team. The parish will be called Christ Our Hope, the theme that Pope Benedict chose for his pilgrimage to the United States in 2008.”

Magnano, the new pastor, said he hopes “that everyone can come together in this church — the rich and the poor, the old and the young, all the diversity of downtown Seattle, sharing the same place, around the family table, so to speak.”

On Oct. 28, 2009, on the Feast of Saints Simon and Jude, Christ Our Hope was officially established as a personal parish, a parish that has no geographic boundaries. The new parish may draw downtown workers for daytime services when they are unable to travel to their own parishes during the workday.

The new parish is another signal that downtown Seattle is becoming a true community, changing dramatically from a typical downtown that empties out at 5 p.m. as workers leave to commute to homes elsewhere. With 55,000 people, there is a critical mass of residents now that has changed downtown.

The new parish runs against the grain in some ways and with it in others. Throughout the country, the Catholic Church is closing many parishes and schools in the inner city. So it is unusual for a new parish to be created. The parish also fits in with existing downtown churches such as Plymouth Congregational and the First United Methodist Church, which moved in January to its new site at 180 Denny Way.

First Church, as it now calls itself, also believes that “direct service to the homeless is a cornerstone of spiritual life.” Magnano, a Seattle native with deep family ties to the community, sees the new parish serving the many different populations downtown from high-rise condo dwellers to the homeless.

Magnano was pastor at St. Therese Parish in the Madrona neighborhood. Under his leadership, St. Therese in the summer of 2001 became the first Catholic parish in the area to host a tent city on parish grounds. Speaking of his new parish, he described the church as "downtown's living room."

The building itself is a Seattle landmark. It started as a hotel in 1908 to accommodate the rush of people expected for the Alaska–Yukon–Pacific Exposition the following year. The New Washington Hotel hosted such celebrities as President Howard Taft, Babe Ruth and Elvis Presley. The building was purchased in 1963 by the Archdiocese of Seattle, and the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace were asked to help with the management of the facility.

The building was renamed the Josephinum after the Sisters’ patron saint, St. Joseph. The building continues now to serve about 220 very low-income residents as part of the Archdiocesan Catholic Housing Services.

The new parish shares the building with those residents and the offices of SHARE/WHEEL, the self-help group that sponsors the region’s tent cities. SHARE (Seattle Housing and Resource Effort) is co-ed while WHEEL (Women's Housing, Equality and Enhancement League) is women-only.

The two are partner organizations of homeless and formerly homeless men and women, and all of their efforts are self-managed by the homeless members themselves. With the arrival of the new parish, the organizations have moved to new offices in the basement of the building — with a separate entrance in the alley between Second and Third avenues off Stewart Street.

Early this week, the offices were still in transition with a clutter of moving boxes. The group tries to keep a low profile in the media — its tent cities draw enough attention — so it has not said anything about its new neighbor.

Joe Martin, a social worker and well-known activist (he is a co-founder of the Pike Market Clinic), said the new parish is a welcome addition to downtown. Martin said SHARE/WHEEL has a policy of keeping a low profile, so he was not surprised that they did not want to comment on the new parish.

“The parish is reaching out and recognizing the many kinds of people who comprise the downtown community,” Martin said. “I think it might even attract some people who are not Catholic but looking for some kind of spiritual home.”

McDonald said the only relationship between the SHARE/WHEEL organization and the parish is that they are both tenants of Catholic Housing Services. “We both have the same mission, serving the poor,” he said, adding that the parish has a strong group of volunteers. Although there is nothing specific to point to as yet, he said the surrounding neighborhood seems positive about the new parish.

“I am sensing a lot of excitement,” he said. “People seem interested in our mission to serve residents of this building, people on the street, tourists, downtown workers.”

Magnano, asked if his role as pastor of a downtown parish would thrust him into downtown politics, said, “The church has to be where the people are and involved in their issues and concerns, hopes and dreams. We have to be courageous in bringing our faith to bear on every aspect of our daily lives, including the public order.”

The Mass of Dedication of the church will be celebrated at 5 p.m. Saturday (Aug. 28). The Mass of Installation for Father Magnano as Pastor will be at 9:30 a.m. Sunday (Aug. 29).

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Steve Dunphy is Vice President for Communications and Strategy at the Cascade Land Conservancy. He also was a business editor and columnist for a number of years at The Seattle Times.

A Friend In Need

2010-08-23T12:00:00.000-07:00

Brian Camp is a friend of mine. We first met when he coached our oldest son's t-ball team 15 years ago. Brian was a healthy, former star high school baseball and basketball player who had a love of teaching young people to art of the game. Shortly after that experience, Brian was diagnosed with debilitating Parkinson's disease. We stayed in touch over the years. And in 2004, Brian and I co-managed a Little League baseball team together. He really was the manager. I just helped organize and did what I could to assist with teaching the game. Brian never let his disease get in the way. I respect him greatly and pray for him every day. Please do the same. There's a fundraiser for Brian being held next month. Click on the above title to donate online if you feel called to do so.

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REPRINTED FROM THE HERALD
By Kristi O'Harran, Herald Columnist

Team Lexi set the bar very, very high.

An upcoming golf tournament for a medical-needs campaign called Camp Brian may not produce the same monetary windfall, but its heart is in the same place.

Brian Camp, 52, was on Team Lexi. Now he needs help because he has Parkinson's disease. A fundraising group that calls itself Camp Brian aims to raise money to help the single father and his three school-aged children.

Really, what goes around comes around in this case.

Let's take a look back at Team Lexi to understand how these friends operate.

Lexi Frost, a junior at Lake Stevens High School, and her family live on Lake Stevens. She was diagnosed with leukemia when she was 22 months old.

There were two years of treatment and remission, then in December 1997, the cancer came back.

Friends formed Team Lexi. They took turns on 24-hour shifts to help with child care, trips to the pharmacy and organizing meal deliveries.

The team included movers and shakers in these parts: Folks who gave and didn't expect to see their well-known names splashed in the newspaper.

To help pay for Lexi's medical expenses, they sold candy bars at ferry docks and Team Lexi T-shirts. They raised an amazing $165,000.

That wasn't the big miracle.

Lexi's brother, Brennan, donated the bone marrow that saved his sister's life.

The family, including Michelle Frost, nurse manager with the Pediatric Advanced Care Team at Seattle Children's Hospital; Whitney Frost, an orthopedic physician at the Everett Clinic; and their oldest son, Riley, never forgot how many people helped them.

Michelle Frost said money collected was used for part of the transplant that wasn't covered, including $50,000 they paid up front and for medicine (a huge monthly expense) and months of lodging for the family while Lexi was in the hospital.

Frost said it was humbling to be on the receiving end of donations. She said Brian Camp, a lifelong friend, was active with Team Lexi.

He was diagnosed with Parkinson's about the same time as Lexi's transplant. Camp is confronting the full force of the debilitating disease and its downward spiral.

"When Brian was reeling from the effects of his Parkinson's disease, unable to work and facing brain surgery, a similar group -- made up of the same high school friends and Brian's lifetime friends and family -- joined forces to raise money," Frost said. "From my point of view, in America, this is one of the ways we extend our support, our hands and our prayers. We give money, which means, 'We are with you.'"

Words of encouragement are helpful, Frost said, but words don't keep the lights on.

Camp was born in Seattle to a family with seven children. His father took a truck driving job in Everett and they moved to the Eastmont area.

He graduated in 1976 from Cascade High School and in 1982 from Central Washington University.

Camp worked for many years for Boys & Girls Clubs and ran a pub for eight years in south Everett.

"I was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 1997 by several neurologists at the Everett Clinic," he wrote via e-mail. "I had deep brain stimulation several times. It is a very long story."

To help with expenses, a fundraiser golf tournament is planned for 9 a.m. Sept. 17 at Legion Memorial Golf Course, 144 W. Marine View Drive in Everett. Sign in at 8 a.m. The cost is $125 per player.

Also, a Camp Brian "funraiser" is planned for 7 p.m. at Floral Hall at Forest Park, 802 Mukilteo Blvd., Everett. The suggested donation is $30.

For more information on both events, go online to www.camp brian.org.

One member of Camp Brian is only 5 feet tall.

"She is so tiny, even after growth hormones," Lexi's mother said. "However, a very small price to pay for what is now called our 'normal' life."

Lexi is a big supporter of Camp Brian.

"I love Brian, he is like family to me," Lexi said. "It's an amazing thing to have so many people pulling for you."

Kristi O'Harran: 425-339-3451; oharran@heraldnet.com .

For Camp Brian

A fundraiser golf tournament to benefit Brian Camp, who has Parkinson's disease, is planned for 9 a.m. Sept. 17 at Legion Memorial Golf Course, 144 W. Marine View Drive in Everett. Sign in at 8 a.m. The cost is $125 per player.

A "funraiser" is planned for 7 p.m. Sept. 17 at Floral Hall at Forest Park, 802 Mukilteo Blvd., Everett. The suggested donation is $30.

For more information, go online to www.campbrian.org.

God sure knows how to paint the sky -- Photo of Northern Lights taken by NASA Astronaut Doug Wheelock from inside the International Space Station on Aug. 13, 2010.

2010-08-21T23:10:00.000-07:00

"CONGREGATIONS GONE WILD"

2010-08-16T16:25:00.000-07:00

I read an interesting New York Times OP/ED recently. Clergy are becoming disillusioned as a result of congregations wanting short, entertaining sermons that leave parishioners feeling great about themselves. As a deacon candidate, the prospects of the author's premise are somewhat daunting. I'm hoping Catholic churchgoers are different.

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CONGREGATIONS GONE WILD
By G. JEFFREY MacDONALD

The American clergy is suffering from burnout, several new studies show. And part of the problem, as researchers have observed, is that pastors work too much. Many of them need vacations, it’s true. But there’s a more fundamental problem that no amount of rest and relaxation can help solve: congregational pressure to forsake one’s highest calling.

The pastoral vocation is to help people grow spiritually, resist their lowest impulses and adopt higher, more compassionate ways. But churchgoers increasingly want pastors to soothe and entertain them. It’s apparent in the theater-style seating and giant projection screens in churches and in mission trips that involve more sightseeing than listening to the local people.

As a result, pastors are constantly forced to choose, as they work through congregants’ daily wish lists in their e-mail and voice mail, between paths of personal integrity and those that portend greater job security. As religion becomes a consumer experience, the clergy become more unhappy and unhealthy.

The trend toward consumer-driven religion has been gaining momentum for half a century. Consider that in 1955 only 15 percent of Americans said they no longer adhered to the faith of their childhood, according to a Gallup poll. By 2008, 44 percent had switched their religious affiliation at least once, or dropped it altogether, the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life found. Americans now sample, dabble and move on when a religious leader fails to satisfy for any reason.

In this transformation, clergy have seen their job descriptions rewritten. They’re no longer expected to offer moral counsel in pastoral care sessions or to deliver sermons that make the comfortable uneasy. Church leaders who continue such ministerial traditions pay dearly. A few years ago, thousands of parishioners quit Woodland Hills Church in St. Paul, Minn., and Community Church of Joy in Glendale, Ariz., when their respective preachers refused to bless the congregations’ preferred political agendas and consumerist lifestyles.

I have faced similar pressures myself. In the early 2000s, the advisory committee of my small congregation in Massachusetts told me to keep my sermons to 10 minutes, tell funny stories and leave people feeling great about themselves. The unspoken message in such instructions is clear: give us the comforting, amusing fare we want or we’ll get our spiritual leadership from someone else.

Congregations that make such demands seem not to realize that most clergy don’t sign up to be soothsayers or entertainers. Pastors believe they’re called to shape lives for the better, and that involves helping people learn to do what’s right in life, even when what’s right is also difficult. When they’re being true to their calling, pastors urge Christians to do the hard work of reconciliation with one another before receiving communion. They lead people to share in the suffering of others, including people they would rather ignore, by experiencing tough circumstances — say, in a shelter, a prison or a nursing home — and seeking relief together with those in need. At their courageous best, clergy lead where people aren’t asking to go, because that’s how the range of issues that concern them expands, and how a holy community gets formed.

Ministry is a profession in which the greatest rewards include meaningfulness and integrity. When those fade under pressure from churchgoers who don’t want to be challenged or edified, pastors become candidates for stress and depression.

Clergy need parishioners who understand that the church exists, as it always has, to save souls by elevating people’s values and desires. They need churchgoers to ask for personal challenges, in areas like daily devotions and outreach ministries.

When such an ethic takes root, as it has in generations past, then pastors will cease to feel like the spiritual equivalents of concierges. They’ll again know joy in ministering among people who share their sense of purpose. They might even be on fire again for their calling, rather than on a path to premature burnout.

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G. Jeffrey MacDonald, a minister in the United Church of Christ, is the author of “Thieves in the Temple: The Christian Church and the Selling of the American Soul.”

New Catholic Come Home TV commercials

2010-08-05T11:28:00.000-07:00

(Click on above headline to see the TV spot)

Hot off the presses... and taken from the www.catholicscomehome.com website today:
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(August 4, 2010) Roswell, GA—Catholics Come Home will premier their new TV commercial “Home” as part of the upcoming Advent 2010 television initiative. The commercial, which invites all people “to experience the peace that only comes from God,” gives viewers hope especially during these tough times. The commercial premieres just as Pope Benedict XVI offers his August mission prayer intention, “That the Church may be a ‘home’ for all people.”

“Home” will air beginning in December in select markets across the United States in English, Spanish and closed captioned for the hearing impaired.

Also debuting is a new commercial for CatolicosRegresen.org, the Spanish language website of CatholicsComeHome.org. This testimonial commercial features Eduardo Verástegui, actor, producer, and star of the movie Bella. Eduardo shares his personal testimony of his journey back to his Catholic roots after years outside the Church pursuing fame and material success. “There is nothing greater than to wake up every day and to use your talents that God gave you to serve Him and to serve others,” Eduardo stated during the Hollywood shoot. These commercials will premier on Spanish language television in December, in a number of markets across the U.S..

Tom Peterson, President and Founder of Catholics Come Home, met with Eduardo in Los Angeles to produce the commercials and website videos for both CatholicsComeHome.org and the outreach ministry EncouragePriests.org. Spirit Juice Studios of Chicago, following the Peterson/Verástegui story, produced a behind the scenes video of the two commercial shoots.

Catholics Come Home (CCH) is a not for profit, independent charity designed to invite inactive Catholics and others searching for a faith home to the Catholic Church, through television commercials and interactive websites. In response to twelve initial CCH campaigns and viral exposure of the website, the CatholicsComeHome.org website has been visited by over 1 million individuals from all fifty states and over one hundred countries, who were moved by the welcoming messages and website. Overall, the CCH TV messages have reached nearly 20 million television viewers across the United States, just since 2008.

To date, CCH campaigns have aired in twelve dioceses from Providence to Sacramento, Chicago to Seattle, helping to increase Mass attendance an average of nearly 11%, and welcoming a total of 200,000 inactive Catholics and converts home since inception.

Now, Catholics Come Home is inviting other families back to the Catholic faith across the country in 13 additional dioceses, including Boston, Worcester, Portland Maine, Atlanta, Charlotte, and many other dioceses and archdioceses.

By 2012, CatholicsComeHome.org hopes to begin airing on national US television networks and national cable systems, then internationally in the future.

The inspiring television and website advertisements are viewable at www.CatholicsComeHome.org.

“These messages are created and sponsored by lay Catholic families who have experienced a renewal of faith and who want to bring purpose and hope to other families across the country. The results are nothing short of miraculous,” said Founder, Tom Peterson.

Is It Death With Dignity?

2010-07-10T09:15:00.000-07:00

Euthanasia. When I was a child, I would hear this word, but never clearly understood its meaning. When my young brain eventually wrapped itself around the idea of “mercy killing,” I still thought euthanasia meant killing youths in Asia.

Deacon Pat set me straight as I approached my teen years. It started with his passion for a movie called “Soylent Green.” He thought it was “one of the most thought-provoking movies of our time” and encouraged a 12 year old to see it. Deacon Pat was a transitional deacon moving toward full ordination as a priest. He was young, hip and very cool for clergy. And when Deacon Pat endorsed a movie, I had to see it.

“Soylent Green” opened my eyes to the true meaning of euthanasia. The movie is about an overpopulated, dystopian future. The year is 2022. Society is filled with violence, food shortages and is undergoing a moral turning point. Death Centers are commonplace. Anyone who chooses can simply sign some simple paperwork and end their life in a painless, sterile way.

Food being in short supply, there is much starvation and food riots. The newest food to hit the marketplace is called “Soylent Green.” In the end, the shocking source of “Soylent Green” is revealed. In the classic line uttered by actor Charlton Heston during the final scene of the movie, we learn that, “Soylent Green is people!“

The reason Deacon Pat found the movie so intriguing was his belief that this could really happen someday. Death Centers, food shortages, organized cannibalism.

But the part that stuck with me most was the eerie idea of Death Centers. To me, a society that allowed the easy transition to the afterworld gave me the chills. Even more than the idea of a food source made from humans (which I considered preposterous), the idea of assisted suicide Death Centers seemed all too real a future to my heart. Perhaps this was God sounding the warning alarm in my soul.

I have experience with real suicide. My father took his life when I was 14, two years after I saw “Soylent Green.” I never connected the two until a good friend told me of his support of I-1000 in the summer of 2008. He was approaching his 80s and smoked cigarettes for nearly 50 years before quitting. In his 70s, he developed COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) or emphysema. By the time he shared his support of I-1000 with me, his disease had become chronic. He was dying a slow, painful death. His support of I-1000, the so-called “Death With Dignity” initiative, made perfect sense to me. In many ways, he was the father I lost when I was 14. My heart ached for his plight.

But inside, I felt this is all wrong. Assisted suicide is still suicide. We don’t get to choose when we enter this world. God decides. We should give God the same courtesy in how we exit this world.

The danger of assisted suicide now being legal is that our softening moral stance will eventually turn into Death Centers in the future. The alarm that sounded after seeing “Soylent Green” was ringing again and my heart told me I could never support such an initiative despite the desperate pleas of a good friend who was facing a painful end of life.

I understand the desire for a painless death. Who wants to suffer at the end of our long journey? The blessing of our time is the miracle of palliative care and the ability to manage pain as we slowly fade from this reality and into the next.

The Christian model of death and suffering was that of Pope John Paul II. Parkinson’s disease robbed him of his ability to function only in the final few months of his life. His painful decline was on display for all to see for more than a half decade before his death. His suffering was symbolic of Christ’s passion. Why is this idea of sharing the burden of the cross so difficult for many to embrace? Perhaps I’m the clueless one since I am not dying from an incurable disease.

The Vatican’s Declaration on Euthanasia (1980) states, “Life is a gift from God, and on the other hand, death is unavoidable.” Death should be accepted “with full responsibility and dignity. It is true that death marks the end of our earthly existence, but at the same time it opens the door to our immortal life.”

The dying person needs compassionate medical care, the love of family and friends and our support as their life’s journey comes to an end. As I think of and pray for my friend, I realize this is his life. These are his choices. My opinions matter not unless asked. Even then, I have to be careful in sharing my views in a non-judgmental manner. But as for my life, I hope to have the courage of my convictions when the end is near. I pray my strong feelings won’t give way in a moment of weakness to thoughts of an easy end.

End of life issues are among the most challenging for members of our faith struggling to keep God in the equation. To quote Catholic Morality expert Richard M. Gula, S.S., from his book “Reason Informed By Faith,” “Religious beliefs … too easily become dispensable baggage in the moral life, since moral choices can be defended on grounds other than religious ones.”

When wrestling with the practical moral question, “What ought I do?,” we need to use all of the tools at our disposal to reach a sound moral decision concerning our own life or the life of a loved one. These are complex, personal decisions requiring all of the facts, all of our minds and all of our hearts to do the right thing. Such matters are between families, doctors and God.

Our Catholic moral tradition gives guidance for people making such decisions. It is usually the patient, himself or herself, or designated family if the patient is incapacitated making an important choice about life-sustaining measures. The Vatican’s Declaration on Euthanasia defined “proportionate” versus “disproportionate” or “ordinary” versus “extraordinary” to denote obligatory versus optional means of life-support. A major difference does exist between these important decisions and a person’s decision to legally use a massive overdose to immediately end life.

Now that the assisted suicide measure I-1000 is the law of the land, I’m afraid the powerfully disturbing vision of Death Centers in “Soylent Green” will eventually become reality. Maybe not in ten years, or 20 or even 50 years, but the day will come when human life is reduced to such a clinical approach to the rhetoric “death with dignity.” The morally slippery slope will send society crashing down to a world where true human dignity vanishes. Death will become an easy out of our choosing. Lose your job and go bankrupt, cash in the chips and call it a good life. Have a loved one die, join them in Heaven. In our advertiser-driven culture, can’t you just hear the insipid commercials?

What a horrible world it will become.

Culture

2010-06-20T17:58:00.000-07:00

This year's synthesis question for deacon formation tackled a central theme in our intellectual formation: Culture.

"What is culture? How does culture influence how we see ourselves, understand our past, name our God, interpret texts and understand our world? In each area give one concrete example from the courses."

Here's my attempt to answer this important question.
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I love the Bill Murray movie “Lost In Translation.” It is a story partly about a famous American actor who goes to Japan to film a TV commercial. The high comedy comes from his attempts to understand a culture he is clueless to. In one scene, he seems to be blissfully lost in an alternate universe as he appears on a Japanese TV show that is almost insulting to his and an American audiences’ senses. He is told it is the most popular TV show in Japan. The Japanese get it. Americans do not. Ultimately, he realizes that he just has to surrender to the uniqueness of the culture in order to understand it.

In many ways, we do much the same thing as effective pastoral ministers. Surrender to the culture in order to understand it.

Christian Anthropology teaches us we are embodied, physical beings who are shaped by time and space. As “interdependent, relational and economic beings,” we are “embodied in a particular culture.” Seattle University Professor Father Michael Raschko said, “Culture is a way of being in the world. It is a way of seeing and understanding. Culture gives us our basic sense of reality.”

I have been spending a lot of time working with a client in Vancouver, B.C this year. The experience has deeply impacted the way I see culture. The drive from my house to the Canadian radio station is a little over 100 miles in distance. But we are worlds apart in so many ways. The way we speak is slightly different. The way we experience the world is totally different. As I assimilate into their culture, I am constantly reminded of the differences between U.S. and Canadian perspectives and walk with a deep sensitivity so as to not insult their culture by some careless word, thought or action.

As we interpret Sacred scriptures, it is imperative we employ the same cultural sensitivity. If we do not, we fail to convey, “what God, for the sake of our salvation, wished to tell us,” as described in Dei Verbum. Sometimes this failure can have disastrous consequences.

Seattle University Professor Wes Howard Brook and other scholars argue Martin Luther made a mistake in not taking culture into account in a misinterpretation of Galatians and Romans. His failure to understand the cultural context in which Paul was communicating to each community in Rome and Galatia led to a fateful misinterpretation that has haunted Christianity ever since. The misinterpretation gave birth to bad theology causing many Christians to believe for centuries that Jews, like Catholics, thought they could “work their way to God.” This anti-Judaism and anti-Catholicism led to a belief that “Catholics were similar to the Jews and they were all going to hell.” Sadly, this ideology of “God rejecting the Jews” culminated in the holocaust in Nazi Germany, a culture gone mad. The social sin of racism reared its ugly head under Hitler partly due to a flawed biblical interpretation. Luther failed to convey, “what God, for the sake of our salvation, wished to tell us” in Paul’s Letters in order to justify his own personal issues with the Catholic Church.

As Seattle University Professor Leticia Guardiola-Saenz taught us, “the Bible is indeed divine and a connection to God, but also there is certainly a connection with a particular culture. So, the Bible comes from a culture.” She added, “The bible shapes culture, but it’s also shaped by culture.”

How we as the Catholic Church understand ourselves is shaped greatly by the culture of the Roman Empire of the 4th Century. Pacific Lutheran University Professor Dr. Brenda Ihssen’s class deeply influenced our understanding of our Church’s past. In fact, I would call it one of the greatest revelations about the Catholic Church encountered during formation: the Romanization of Christianity leading to the Roman Catholic Church. To realize the cultural assimilation that occurred in Christianity at the time of Constantine should be a little discomforting to us all. In his book “The Story Of Christianity,” Justo L. Gonzalez said, “After Constantine’s conversion Christian worship began to be influenced by imperial protocol. Incense, which was used as a sign of respect for the emperor, began appearing in Christian churches. Officiating ministers, who until then had worn everyday clothes, began dressing in more luxurious garments.” Gonzalez asked the important questions we should all ask, “What would happen when those who called themselves servants of a carpenter, and whose great heroes were fisherfolk, slaves, and criminals condemned to death by the state suddenly saw themselves surrounded by imperial pomp and power? Would they remain firm in their faith?”

Eusebius of Caesarea was the first Christian theologian and at this time he believed, as Gonzalez noted, “what was taking place was a direct intervention by God, something similar to the events of Exodus.” Eusebius wrote about this moment, saying the architecture, the riches, and the power were a “sign of divine favor.” I suppose such a justification made sense at the time, but a radical transformation of faith by a culture that facilitated the execution of Jesus Christ should make all Catholics feel a little uncomfortable for those who think our faith is about incense, cathedrals and men in fancy garments. I guess that is what formation is all about. Working through our preconceived notions about our faith in light of what we learn.

When I was 13-years-old, I joined a friend who I knew deep down was an amoral person (after all, he set up another friend to have sex with his 12-year-old sister a week earlier) in throwing apples at a power line filled with chirping birds. One of the apples I threw hit a bird killing it instantly. As I saw the bird fall to the ground, I thought I was going to throw up. As I looked at its lifeless body in shock and sadness and endured the taunts of my friend who was laughing the entire time, I started to cry. The experience deeply shaped how I feel about myself as being a good or moral person. Father Raschko noted, “Grace comes out of people’s life stories and cultural circumstances.” As I reflect back on that experience I remember that the incident happened in the Hunts Point area of Bellevue, one of the richest spots on the planet. My friend’s parents were very well to-do, but not a family of faith. The culture of my youth in the late 1960s and early 1970s was shaped by a radical belief that “if it feels good, do it.” Why burden yourself with guilt and concerns of morality. The power of grace for Augustine came from looking back on the story of his life to see clearly God at work in his life through his transformation from a life of sinfulness.

Sadly, we all can get caught up in the madness of our culture. Consider St. Paul. The haunting image of seeing the first deacon Stephen martyred, and Paul’s own complicity in the murder, must have burned a deep imprint on his soul. As his spirit wrestled with the haunting image of such an angelic face being stoned to death, I’m sure a door was opened for an apocalypses from Jesus Christ Himself. As I read Paul’s letters to the Galatians and Romans, I deeply understand his conversion and zeal for his ministry rooted in his own mistakes. As I look back on my own personal life story, I am comforted by Paul’s word about not integrating with our culture, “Do not conform yourselves to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect.” (Rm 12:2) As Wes Howard Brook put is so beautifully, “we are as much strangers in a strange land as were Jesus’ followers.”

“How we talk about God is the key to shaping how we think about our world.” Father Raschko challenged us all to broaden our vocabulary when talking about God. As I think back on all of the images of God throughout my lifetime, I realize that Elizabeth Johnson makes a good point in her book “She Who Is.” She contends God has been named by the patriarchal culture throughout the centuries. “God is spirit and so beyond identification with either male or female sex, yet the daily language of preaching, worship, catechesis and instruction conveys a different message: God is Male.” In the book, The Shack, God is portrayed as a black woman named “Papa.” I think Johnson would be approve of such a thought.

I hear a universal, indisputable truth in Johnson’s contention that “sexism is sinful, that it is contrary to God’s intent, that it is a precise and pervasive breaking of the basic commandment ‘Thou shalt love they neighbor as thyself.’” (Lv 19:18; Mt 22:39) As I read an article about women in the Catholic clergy this week on the Facebook page for St. Michael’s Society, I was angered and saddened by all the men who commented on the article in the comments section saying horrible things about the women advocating such a change. A culture that continues to treat women with vile character assassination is not a culture living up to the dignity Jesus Christ afforded the marginalized he encountered in His ministry or behavior He would tolerate. We still have a long way to go to achieve the Kingdom of God.

Father Raschko taught us “by coming to know about Jesus is how we come to know about God.” One of the most powerful personal revelations about God and Jesus for me came in the lyrics of a song by my favorite music group U2. In the opening line to “Walk On” are the words: “Love. It’s not the easy thing. The only baggage that you can bring. It’s all that you can’t leave behind.” I heard these words the week before Christmas 1999. They changed my life and altered the path I was on. Love has always shaped my personal philosophy of God through Jesus living example, but the revelation “love is all that matters” shattered the constructs of my world. It was no longer about status or wealth or power. Nothing, but love mattered in this world. How cool was it to hear this perspective alive and well in the lyrics of a song in our popular culture?

The culture of the L’Arche community I’m serving in this year’s pastoral placement provides evidence that the Kingdom of God is present here on earth. My participation has renewed my faith in my fellow human beings to do as God commands: to love God and to love each other. The community is built around “core members” with mental disabilities. Every assistant, every volunteer serves “core members” in a culture of dignity that is the embodiment of Catholic Social Teachings. The God of love’s presence is felt the minute you walk in the door. It’s a beautiful example of God’s intention for humanity. The spirit of Jesus Christ is felt every night we pass a candle around the dinner table to say prayers. Wes Howard Brook’s contends, ”The biblical world is the real world. The world of faith is the real world. It’s a world apart from God that is the illusion.” Amen.

Saved At 30,000 Feet

2010-06-09T08:13:00.000-07:00

Maybe you've heard of the Catholics Come Home campaign. It was started by Tom Peterson. Here's a beautiful email from him about another soul who has Come Home.
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I want to share a personal story with you that happened a few weeks ago at 30,000 feet in the air. It inspired our entire CCH team, and I hope it inspires you, too!

I boarded an early morning flight to return home, following a Catholics Come Home presentation in the Midwest the night before.

After take-off and the beverage service, I took a second to thank the two hard-working flight attendants for their exceptional hospitality. A little later, one of the flight attendants stopped to tell me how much she appreciated and needed that kind word of affirmation at this time in her life.

Prior to landing, I felt led to take out one of our CatholicsComeHome.org evangelization cards. On the back of the card, I wrote, “The hope you are seeking can be found only in Jesus and His Church.” I signed my name and held the card in my hand, waiting for an opportunity to hand it to her, if it was meant to be.

As we began our descent into the Atlanta airport, that flight attendant stopped one last time to thank me as she headed to the back of the plane for landing. I took a leap of faith and handed her the CCH evangelization card and note, asking her to read it when she got home.

Thanks to God’s abundant grace, last week our office received a wonderful letter from that flight attendant! In it, she explained that she had suffered loneliness since her divorce a year ago, and she was looking for answers. She went on to say that she desperately needed that Catholics Come Home card and hopeful note on the back, and that she hadn’t stopped crying since she received the little card. Amazingly, she confided that she had been away from the Catholic Church and from God for many years. After receiving the Catholics Come Home card and note, she returned to Mass last week, and had finally found exactly what she had been looking for—God!

I wanted to share this story with you as a reminder that each of us is called to share the Good News of Jesus and His Church to a world in need of hope. As members of the Body of Christ, we are called to work passionately to bring souls home to Jesus and His holy Catholic Church. And, it’s always incredible to witness the fruit that comes from being obedient to the will of God.

Likely, someone out there is waiting for you to invite them home too, whether on a plane, at the store, or at your child’s swim meet. So when the opportunity arises, take the time to answer the Holy Spirit’s call, and help change someone’s life forever!

Your brother in Christ Jesus,

Tom Peterson

‘Providence' leads to kidney transplant

2010-05-27T08:04:00.000-07:00

I love seeing God's handy work in action. What a beautiful, loving example of the Kingdom of God here on earth. Enjoy connecting the dots and seeing the face of God.

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Donation: Events bring women together, resulting in the gift of a kidney
Reprinted from the Tacoma News Tribune
KRIS SHERMAN; STAFF WRITER
Published: 05/27/10 12:05 am

Some would call it a string of fortunate coincidences.

Tammy and Larry Aegerter and Michelle and Mark Braunschweig call it providence.

There was a conversation between airline passengers. A call for help in a church bulletin. A grandmother’s broken hip. An introduction at a party in celebration of menopause.

All led to twin surgical suites at the University of Washington Medical Center, where Michelle Braunschweig gave Tammy Aegerter her left kidney May 5.

Tammy, a 44-year-old Dash Point-area mother of seven, was in extreme need. A rare disease destroyed her kidneys years ago. The organ her brother donated in 1991 had failed. Now she’s recovering well. Michelle, a 39-year-old Auburn mother, says she’s feeling fine, though she’s still moving a bit gingerly.

Two years ago the women didn’t know each other.

Now they are friends.

But their story differs from those you often hear about people who need transplants and strangers who donate life-sustaining organs.

It’s a six-degrees-of-separation tale. One connection led to another, and another, and another.

The Braunschweigs and the Aegerters, both couples deeply religious, believe Michelle’s left kidney was destined for Tammy from the day Michelle was conceived.

The surgeons who implanted the kidney told Larry the organ was a perfect fit, that everything “was right there.”

Before Tammy was out of surgery, her new kidney began cleansing her blood.

“I’ve never heard so many doctors excited about seeing urine,” she said.

God’s hand brought them together, uniting two families in the process, they say.

“We don’t use the word ‘coincidence,’ ” Mark said.

“Providence,” Michelle added.

THE CALENDAR

February 2007: Tammy is listed on UNOS, the United Network for Organ Sharing, as a transplant candidate.

Sept. 7, 2007: Joe Ferong, stepfather of Larry, sits next to Len Bundy on an Alaska Airlines flight from Seattle to Oakland. Bundy, an associate pastor at The Summit church in Enumclaw, would later invite Ferong, a staunch Catholic, to come and worship. Ferong ultimately visits and joins the church.

April 2008: A notice is placed in The Summit’s church bulletin about Tammy Aegerter’s need for a kidney. Michelle Braunschweig sees it and begins thinking about a possible donation.

Nov. 3, 2008: Larry and Tammy Aegerter, in their roles as volunteer firefighters, answer a call at the home of Mark’s parents, Joe and Sherry Braunschweig. Mark’s grandmother, Anna Osthus, who’s in her 80s, had broken her hip. A few days later, Larry and Tammy stop by St. Francis Hospital in Federal Way to see how Osthus is doing. They briefly meet Mark.

Dec. 22, 2008: Larry’s mom, Terri Ferong, throws a celebration of menopause party. Among the guests is Michelle Braunschweig, who is introduced to Tammy. Tammy doesn’t know Michelle is a potential donor; Michelle meets a warm person she thinks she’d like to help.

July 7, 2009: Michelle begins the process of becoming a donor for Tammy.

October 2009: Tammy begins dialysis, her body no longer able to filter her blood. The treatments leave her nauseated, vomiting and exhausted.

Feb. 5, 2010: After months of testing and blood matching, doctors pronounce Michelle a healthy and fit donor for Tammy.

April 2010: Doctors tell Tammy dialysis won’t work much longer. “The kidney was done,” she said.

May 5, 2010: Tammy receives Michelle’s left kidney in a six-hour procedure at University of Washington Medical Center.

THE POWER OF GIVING

The Aegerters and the Braunschweigs discovered along the way they have much in common. Both couples are active in their respective churches – for the Aegerters, it’s Family Life Christian Center in Federal Way; for the Braunschweigs, it’s The Summit, an Evangelical Free church in Enumclaw.

Tammy and Michelle are homeschoolers, teaching core values to their children along with other subjects. Both couples believe in the power of giving, offering comfort and aid.

The Aegerters are volunteers for Pierce County Fire District 13, Browns Point-Dash Point; each has an emergency medical technician certification.

“They are a great, caring, giving family,” Assistant Chief Cliff McCollum said.

Both got their starts in EMT classes McCollum taught. Larry is a firefighter and medical responder; Tammy’s heart aches to learn and perform the more rigorous firefighting duties, but her weakened body holds her back, McCollum said. So she rides out on EMS calls and helps with CPR classes.

Larry has served in the Army, the Air Force and the National Guard, his record totaling about 15 years. He’s currently an active-duty reservist in the 446th Airlift Wing at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, where he teaches survival skills.

He and Tammy met a few years ago while each was a flight attendant at Horizon Airlines. She was a single mother of five. Their family now includes Katie, 23; Alex, 21; Mya, 16; Max, 14; Noah, 13; Hannah, 11; and Haakon, 3.

The Braunschweigs have one daughter, Kacy, 18. Mark owns a commercial window business. The couple is active in church work: he, in men’s ministry and leadership; she, in the youth program.

Though many people told Michelle they couldn’t imagine giving up a vital organ, she knew she was called to the task. “God just kind of laid it on my heart,” she said.

“I couldn’t imagine – knowing that I have what she needs to save her life – and looking into Tammy’s eyes and saying, ‘No, I can’t do that,’” Michelle said.

She worried initially about the effect an organ donation might have on her family’s finances and her health, but both fears were quickly allayed.

She was healthy enough for the rigorous surgery and could live with one kidney, doctors said. Costs were covered by Tammy’s and Larry’s insurance plans and by a donor program.

THE NEED IS GREAT

The message Michelle wants people to take away from this story is that organ donation might be inconvenient, but the rewards are well worth the short-term pain.

“And at a minimum, list organ donor on your driver’s license,” her husband, Mark, said.

Tammy and Michelle both have O-positive blood. Though not all of the chemistry fit perfectly, there were enough crucial components to make a match.

Most people believe your donor must be a close relative, but with advances in immunosuppresants, that’s no longer necessary, said Dr. Leanna Tyshler of the Northwest Kidney Centers.

The need is great, and kidneys are in highest demand.

About 107,000 patients are awaiting organ transplants in the U.S. according to the United Network for Organ Sharing. Nearly 85,000, or about 79 percent, need kidneys. Seattle medical centers – University of Washington, Virginia Mason and Swedish – perform about 240 adult transplants annually, Tyshler said.

A transplant, Mark Braunschweig said, is a wonder to behold.

“I probably cried more on Wednesday (the day of the surgery) than I have in 20 years,” he added.

“Every bit of good news that we received (from the operating rooms) was just an opportunity to rejoice.”

HELP FOR FAMILY IN NEED

Firefighters at Fire District 13 “passed the boot” to collect money for the Aegerters, McCollum said. The Browns Point Diner helped with a spaghetti feed. Though insurance will cover many bills, there are still expenses.

While Tammy was in the hospital, Larry thought he’d surprise her with a bit of remodeling and install a new bathtub. He found a dead rat and four anthills beneath the tub, plus mold and dry rot that ran into the kitchen.

Now an unexpected remodel is under way; doctors banned Tammy and her fragile immune system from the house until two weeks after the work is complete. The family is staying in the home of an aunt who recently died.

Last week, the men of their two churches started remodeling parts of the Aegerters’ 1,200-square-foot house. Their work is just a small part of God’s larger construction project, the families say.

“When you can step back and see all the interweaving, the interconnectedness” that led to Tammy’s transplant, you know a divine hand was building it all, Mark said.

MORE INFORMATION

To help: http://www.tammyskidney.org

To learn more: http://www.nwkidney.org and http://www.unos.org

A Bishop for the Forces

2010-05-26T23:16:00.001-07:00

Republished from Whispers In The Loggia Blog (http://whispersintheloggia.blogspot.com/)

In just the fourth Saturday appointment in as many years for these shores, this morning the Pope named Fr F. Richard Spencer, 58 -- a priest of Baltimore on Army duty since 1988 -- as auxiliary bishop for the 1.5 million-member archdiocese for the Military Services USA.

Having served six years in the Army before entering Baltimore's St Mary's Seminary, the Alabama-born Lieutenant Colonel (right) was ordained in 1988, just shy of his 37th birthday; according to AMS, he initially enlisted to the Franciscans, but transferred to the Premier See on being scouted by the recently-passed Archbishop William Borders, an Army chaplain in World War II.

Since returning to the Forces, Spencer's been stationed as a chaplain in Korea, the Sinai Desert, the Pentagon, Iraq and most recently in Europe as deputy command chaplain for the forces stationed there.

Upon his ordination (date still pending), the bishop-elect will join Archbishop Timothy Broglio and his two auxiliaries in overseeing a particularly sprawling local church, one that encompasses every US military installation at home and abroad, its membership rivaling or exceeding such prominent outposts as Detroit, Philadelphia, Galveston-Houston and Miami. Its roots dating to 1917 -- when it was established as an ordinariate under the supervision of the archbishops of New York -- this year marks the silver jubilee of AMS' spinoff as a freestanding jurisdiction, led by its own archbishop.

The military nod wasn't the US church's only appearance in this morning's dispatches. In a move recognizing a canonist held as one of the nation's "premier" specialists in church law, the pontiff named Dr Edward Peters -- the discipline's lead hand at Detroit's Sacred Heart Major Seminary -- as a referendare of the Apostolic Signatura, a consultant to the church's highest court. (One now, of course, led by its first-ever American prefect.)

A blogger and father of six beyond the classroom, the honor for a layman is unique -- Peters becomes the lone non-cleric among the dozen or so consultors. What's more, the four priests likewise added to the group this morning are all based in Rome or Milan.

Author Rocco Palmo

Meet America's Oldest Deacon

2010-05-24T08:19:00.001-07:00

Republished from Deacon's Path Blog (http://blog.beliefnet.com/deaconsbench/)

If I'm lucky, and God doesn't mind, (and I haven't lost what's left of my marbles) maybe this one day could be me: Lou Weitzel piloted a B-24 bomber over Europe during World War II, helped Ford Motor Co. integrate its production in Canada, and now each Sunday he serves as a deacon for St. Rita's Catholic Church in Clark Lake [Michigan].

At 90, Weitzel is the oldest active deacon serving in the Catholic Church in the United States, an achievement for which he was honored Sunday.

"He is a dedicated leader in whatever area it is," said Tom Weitzel, his son. "With the family or during his time at Ford Motor Co., he always led by example."

Weitzel was born May 18, 1920, in Zionsville, Ind., to Urban and Mary Weitzel in a family that held a deep faith in the Catholic Church. Weitzel was the youngest of four boys. Each boy went on to serve in the church.

However, for Weitzel his journey took a somewhat different path.

After two years studying engineering at both the University of Notre Dame and Purdue University, Weitzel yearned to become a pilot in the U.S. Air Force. The war in Europe was just beginning to break out, and he wanted to serve in the air.

However, early on in his training he was informed that he would not be given the chance to be a pilot. He said his youth kept him out of the "pilot fraternity" at the time. That did not stop him. He just went to another air force, specifically the Royal Canadian Air Force.

Weitzel said the Canadian forces were looking for pilots in the United States who were not serving. He said citizenship did not matter, just the commitment.

Until 1943, he flew patrol missions in England for the Royal Air Force. It was then the U.S. Air Force called on him for help and as Weitzel puts it, "he was purchased by the USAF to fly missions over Europe." He flew 33 combat missions and earned the Distinguished Flying Cross.

After the war, he went on to work for Ford Motor Co. with Production Control. He spent 33 years with Ford and retired in 1980. At that time, he lived in Livonia and spent many hours at St. Aiden's Church.

After his wife's death in 1987, Weitzel began thinking more of church service. After he moved full time to his summer home on Lake Somerset in Columbia Township, he wanted to find a role at St. Rita's. So he went on to train as a deacon and was ordained in 1992 . He has been serving at St. Rita's since.

Church parishioner Michael Bradford said the only description of Weitzel "is that he is an inspiration to all of us."

And all of us deacons, too! Ad multos annos! And a happy, happy birthday, too!

Author Deacon Greg Kandra

A Decade Of Service In Congress

2010-04-28T13:37:00.000-07:00

Intriguing look at a Catholic priest in Congress. So to speak...

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Reprinted from the Washington Post

Daniel Coughlin, House chaplain, marks 10 years of service
By Ben Pershing
Tuesday, April 27, 2010

In the beginning, there was partisanship.

When Daniel Coughlin was chosen to be the first-ever Catholic House chaplain in March 2000, Democrats made clear that he wasn't their pick. A top Democratic spokeswoman called the decision to appoint him -- made unilaterally by then-Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) -- "a graceless, tactless, partisan maneuver."

Ten years later, Coughlin is still in the job, and there is ample evidence that the rancor that accompanied his selection has disappeared: Last week, lawmakers from both parties streamed onto the House floor to honor his decade of service.

"He has seen us through the dark and through the bright," Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said of the chaplain. Rep. F. James Sensenbrenner Jr. (R-Wis.) confessed to being "a better person for having known Father Coughlin and having been counseled by him." Rep. Daniel Lipinski (D-Ill.) called him "an inspiration."

That Coughlin would receive such praise was not foreordained, given how his service to Congress began.

After the previous chaplain, James Ford, decided to retire, a bipartisan committee of lawmakers was formed to vet possible replacements. The committee forwarded three names to Hastert, who then selected one -- Charles Wright, a Presbyterian minister -- as his choice for chaplain.

But Democrats complained that another of the three candidates, a Catholic priest, had more support on the committee. Some Democrats suggested that Hastert's choice might reflect an anti-Catholic bias among Republicans.

Furious at the allegation, Hastert nonetheless urged Wright to withdraw. And then the speaker decided to hand the job to a Catholic priest who hadn't been on anyone's list of candidates: Coughlin.

Having spent most of his first four decades in the clergy near his native Chicago, Coughlin was blissfully ignorant of the ways of Washington.

"I didn't follow politics at all," Coughlin recalled last week.

When Hastert picked Coughlin on the advice of Cardinal Francis George, the archbishop of Chicago, Coughlin was serving as the vicar for priests, meaning he was a counselor to his fellow ministers during their times of trouble.

That job, it turns out, wasn't so different from his current one.

"My transition from working full time with priests to now being here working with politicians was an easy transition," Coughlin said. "Who likes to talk more than ministers or priests, and politicians? So I have the easiest job in the world -- I just listen."

Indeed, listening is Coughlin's most important task, as lawmakers, aides and other members of the congressional flock regularly visit the chaplain in his comfortable, wood-paneled office in the basement of the Capitol.

Although Coughlin is the first Catholic to hold the post after 58 consecutive Protestants, his door is open to all faiths. (According to the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, 55 percent of House members are Protestants, while 30 percent are Catholic and 8 percent are Jewish. The chamber includes nine Mormons and two Muslims.)

Aware of the controversy surrounding his selection, Coughlin says his mantra from the start was "I'm here for everybody."

In addition to spiritual guidance, lawmakers seek out Coughlin to discuss their families, their health and even their career decisions.

Beyond counseling, Coughlin's office helps organize regular Bible study groups, as well as Torah study and a Muslim prayer service.

C-SPAN viewers probably know Coughlin best for his delivery, spelled by the occasional guest chaplain, of a prayer to open each day's House session. Coughlin often tailors his words to the season and the events of the day, whether they're hopeful or somber.

"As so many dead are laid to rest we must memorialize their ordinary innocence, their daily hopes and responsibilities, as well as their love," Coughlin said on Sept. 13, 2001, the House's first day in session after the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

Coughlin's prayers are studiously nonpartisan, though observers may occasionally read more into his words than intended. When he delivered a recent ode to the beginning of spring, Coughlin said some Democrats thought he was referring to health-care reform. "They heard it with a slight twist that I was not really addressing," he said.

Being nonpartisan meant not weighing in even when the Catholic Church became a central player in the health-care debate and the divisive subject of abortion funding. Though his personal views are clear -- "I accept wholeheartedly the teachings of the church" -- Coughlin said he was able to counsel members on all sides of the debate, particularly those who were struggling with how to vote on reform.

Coughlin has also been mostly quiet on another controversial topic -- the clergy abuse scandals that have rocked the Catholic church in the United States and around the world.

As vicar for priests in Chicago, Coughlin sometimes counseled members of the clergy who had been accused of sexual impropriety. He did the same during an earlier stint as director of the Cardinal Stritch Retreat House, a facility near Chicago that has served as a rehabilitation facility for troubled priests.

Coughlin has been away from those jobs long enough that he hasn't felt caught up in the internal debates that now consume his fellow priests. "I'm removed from the church in a lot of ways . . . the day-to-day," Coughlin says.

He returns to Chicago several weeks a year to visit his 95-year-old mother (and to watch his beloved Cubs). Asked how long he hopes to stay in the employ of Congress, Coughlin makes clear he is eager to spend even more time back home.

"Not too much longer, because this year I'm celebrating 75 years of age, 50 years as a priest, 10 years here," Coughlin says. "It's time for someone else."

He Is Risen. Alleluia!

2010-04-04T09:12:00.000-07:00

Easter blessings to you and yours. May you find peace, joy and love in relationship with your Creator. He is risen. Alleluia!

The Passion of Jesus Christ

2010-04-03T10:16:00.000-07:00

On Good Friday evening, I witnessed the Passion Experience performed by the young adults and teens of Immaculate Conception - Our Lady of Perpetual Help parish in Everett, Washington. The performance was co-written by IC-OLPH Youth Minister Casey Ross and parishioner Debora Johnston and directed by Debora Johnston. I present it here for you.

May you and your family experience the blessings of an Easter celebration filled with the love of our risen Lord.

Peace & Blessings...

Dennis

For Catholics, It’s The Best And The Worst Of Times

2010-04-02T12:16:00.000-07:00

By Julie Muhlstein
Herald Columnist
(Everett Washington)

When I first saw a Catholics Come Home commercial, I was already there — “home” in a pew at Everett’s Immaculate Conception Church, my parish for nearly 30 years.

Members of Catholic parishes in the Archdiocese of Seattle, which covers all of Western Washington, got a Sunday morning preview of the TV ads before they began airing about six weeks ago. The commercials have been seen in our region during sports, news, prime time and daytime shows, on network and cable TV throughout the Lenten season leading up to Easter.

Created by Catholics Come Home Inc., a Georgia-based nonprofit organization, the campaign is meant as an invitation. With ads that cover church history, spiritual reflections and testimonials of people who have returned to Catholicism, the aim is to bring inactive Catholics and others into the faith.

“I think the ads are definitely having an effect,” said the Rev. Hans Olson, pastor of St. Mary Magdalen Church in Everett. Olson said Lent and Easter typically bring people to church, “but not in the numbers we’ve seen.”

Through responses in church and talks he’s had, Olson estimates that 25 to 30 people have come to St. Mary Magdalen recently because of the Catholics Come Home messages. He also thinks the ads have influenced faithful regulars. “Probably more than anything, it’s brought an awareness to Catholic people already here, an energy towards their faith,” Olson said.

While Olson said this is “a perfect time for people” to be seeing the ads, this is also a wrenching time for the Roman Catholic Church. The church in Europe, particularly in Ireland and Germany, has been rocked anew by claims of sexual abuse of children by priests, some dating back decades.

The New York Times has also reported extensively on a Wisconsin abuse case involving a priest who worked at a school for the deaf from the 1950s to the 1970s.

At the Vatican Wednesday, the spokesman for Pope Benedict XVI, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, told the Associated Press that the pope sees the abuse scandal “as a test for him and the church.”

As a Catholic who never left the home that is my church, I pray that the highest church leadership will come completely clean, admitting wrong where wrong was done.

Honesty and real contrition could go a long way toward bringing many Catholics home.

Tom Peterson, founder and president of Catholics Come Home Inc., doesn’t disagree.

“There are people who betray our trust, and they need to be rooted out. We need to show love to the people they’ve hurt,” said Peterson, 48, a Catholic who lives in Roswell, Ga., near Atlanta. “It’s awful, and we pray for repentance and conversion of people not living a truly authentic Catholic life.” At the same time, Peterson said, “there have been millions of very faithful, heroic priests in the world giving their very hearts and souls to serve the poor and help people.”

Peterson started Catholics Come Home after attending a retreat about 13 years ago. At the time, he said he was “a lukewarm Catholic” who attended Mass but wasn’t fully living his faith.

Originally from Phoenix, Peterson said the first Catholics Come Home campaign was aired in the Diocese of Phoenix in 2008. Churches there reported increases of about 12 percent in attendance in the months after the ads ran. Peterson said most people responding to the ads have said their reasons for drifting away were secular — they got out of the habit of attending Mass — and not due to complaints about the church.

In addition to the Seattle Archdiocese, ads are currently running in Green Bay, Wis., with more campaigns planned in several large cities.

John Shuster is a former priest, a self-described “married priest.” He heads the Northwest chapter of the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests, a national group known as SNAP. Shuster, 58, of Port Orchard, said he is not an abuse victim, but has been in contact with many who are. Ordained in 1973 in the Society of the Divine Word, a Catholic missionary order, he served parishes in east Los Angeles and in Mexico before leaving the Catholic priesthood in 1983. He and his wife, Sally, work together in helping abuse victims.

He, too, prays for openness in the church. “Part of being a good priest is to stand up for what is right,” Shuster said. “Act as Jesus would. Jesus stood up.”

By the way, Shuster likes the Catholics Come Home commercials.

“I think they’re good,” he said. “Spirituality is important. We have a soul, just like a body, that needs to be fed.”

Julie Muhlstein: muhlstein@heraldnet.com.

Let The One Among You Who Is Without Sin Be The First To Throw A Stone - John 8:7

2010-04-01T09:32:00.001-07:00

I saw a beautiful idea in the Letters To The Editor section of tomorrow's edition of The Catholic Herald, Britain's leading Catholic newspaper.

This letter so eloquently sums up my feelings about the abuse scandal. I am sickened by the details and feel helpless to do anything for the reputation of a Church that has done so much good throughout the centuries.

As a card-carrying member of the news media and a passionate Catholic, I am saddened by the way this scandal is being used by some to sell newspapers and boost TV news viewership.

Don't get me wrong, a light needs to shine on this atrocity. But I ask this question of my brothers and sisters in the news media, how much of this coverage is motivated by hatred or disdain of the Catholic Church? Or hatred or disdain for faith itself?

The same percentage of abusers existed in the Catholic Church that exist in Little League, Boy Scouts, etc., and other such entities in our modern world. Less than 5-percent. That means 95-percent of clergy are upstanding shepherds of the faith.

As members of the Catholic Church, we should stand united in seeking repentance for the horrendous sins of members of Church clergy. We should vow as laity and clergy to never let it happen again.

A call is out for an Universal Day Of Repentance. Who will join in the effort?

---

2 April 2010

The Holy Father should not have to face the abuse scandal alone. We should stand beside him.

From Mr Kevin Greenan

SIR - The seemingly endless scandals relating to child abuse within the Church are both devastating and shameful (albeit that the guilty were/are a very small, sick minority of priests and religious). The question of the suppression of the exposure of these evil individuals being either protected or ignored by the hierarchy, to protect the reputation of the Catholic Church, is something that fills me with both bewilderment and anger.

The latest story of 200 deaf children in the United States being abused is utterly repulsive.

Not only have the lives of countless thousands of children been affected, the trust and love of the vast majority of our decent priests and religious is now virtually in tatters as the public hear the word "priest" and think of child abuse. How the Church will recover, none of us can truly say. What is for sure, it will be decades before this shameful period is in our past. Why should the Holy Father stand alone and apologise?

We as a Church people need to have a universal day of repentance, standing beside the Holy Father and asking those hurt and abused to forgive us. Pope Benedict should not bear this burden alone.

Yours faithfully,
Kevin Greenan
London SW1

Vatican Intensifies Defense Of Pope On Sex Abuse Decisions

2010-03-29T10:11:00.000-07:00

This scandal breaks my heart. I pray our Catholic Church takes this moment in its two thousand year old history to repent for all past sins. I pray Pope Benedict XVI creates a system of transparency and zero-tolerance with regard to all future cases of child or teen sexual abuse. The U.S. Church is leading the way in many respects on this issue. Europe and the rest of the world should follow.

Christ would have no tolerance for abusers, "Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea." Matthew 18:6

Our Church should be no different.

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BY JOHN THAVIS - CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE
MONDAY, 29 MARCH 2010

The Vatican and other church officials have amplified their defense of Pope Benedict XVI and his decisions regarding priestly sex abuse, and rejected accusations of a continued cover-up of such crimes.

After a series of reports in the New York Times and other media criticizing the pope for alleged "inaction" on sex abuse cases, Vatican authorities emphasized that it was the pope who, as Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, pushed for harsher measures against abusers and made it easier for the church to defrock them.

On March 27, the Vatican newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano, ran the full texts of two landmark documents that in 2001 placed the sexual abuse of minors by priests among the most grave sins, and established that allegations be handled by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, then headed by Cardinal Ratzinger.

The same day, the newspaper ran a front-page commentary by British Archbishop Vincent Nichols of Westminster that had appeared in the Times of London, expressing shame over priestly sex abuse but strongly defending the pope's efforts to curb it.

"What of the role of Pope Benedict? When he was in charge of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith he led important changes made in church law: the inclusion in canon law of Internet offenses against children, the extension of child abuse offenses to include the sexual abuse of all under 18, the case by case waiving of the statute of limitations and the establishment of a fast-track dismissal from the clerical state for offenders," Archbishop Nichols wrote.

"He is not an idle observer. His actions speak as well as his words," he said.

Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, the Vatican spokesman, said the recent media focus on the sex abuse cases and the way they were dealt with by the hierarchy comes as no surprise.

"The nature of the question is such as to attract the attention of the media, and the way in which the church deals with it is crucial for her moral credibility," he said in a commentary on Vatican Radio.

But Father Lombardi pointed to the "many positive signals" that indicate the church has understood the problem and addressed it. For example, he said, a recent report showed that the number of reported sex abuse cases declined between 33 and 36 percent in U.S. dioceses and religious institutes between 2008 and 2009.

"It must be recognized that the decisive measures currently being implemented are proving effective: the church in the United States is on the right road to renewal," he said.

"This, we feel, is an important piece of news in the context of recent media attacks, which have undoubtedly proved harmful," the spokesman said.

Father Lombardi said impartial observers would recognize that the pope and the doctrinal congregation are continuing to guide bishops and help them "combat and root out the blight of abuse wherever it appears." The pope's strongly worded letter to Irish Catholics earlier this month demonstrated his commitment to "healing, renewal and reparation" in the church, he said.

German Cardinal Walter Kasper, the Vatican's top ecumenical official, said the pope's letter to Irish Catholics was "courageous." It indicated that the church was on an "irreversible" path toward greater transparency and severity in dealing with sex abuse by priests, the cardinal told the newspaper Corriere della Sera March 27.

Pope Benedict has never tried to protect abusers, and the criticism aimed at him is really an attack on the church itself, Cardinal Kasper said.

"He was the first who, even as a cardinal, felt the need for new and stricter rules, which didn't exist before. That some newspapers are now using terrible cases to attack the pope head-on is something that goes beyond every limit of justice and fairness," he said.

Capuchin Father Raniero Cantalamessa, preacher of the papal household, mentioned the sex abuse scandal in his weekly Lenten meditation. In his talk to the pope and Roman Curia officials March 26, Father Cantalamessa said the church and its members are called to purify themselves and, if there is humility, then "the church will end up more resplendent than ever from this war."

"The media's tenacity -- and we have seen it in other cases -- in the long run will bring about the opposite effect that they had hoped for," he added.

Addressing the pope specifically, Father Cantalamessa reminded him that God told Jeremiah that before his detractors he would make him "a solid wall of brass. Though they fight against you, they shall not prevail. For I am with you to deliver and rescue you."

French bishops, assembled at their annual spring meeting, sent a "message of support" to Pope Benedict, saying they were with him "in the difficult period our church is going through."

Italian Archbishop Giuseppe Betori of Florence told Vatican Radio March 26 that the media was manipulating information in order to falsely accuse the pope of inaction on sex abuse. He said he had dealt directly with the doctrinal congregation under Cardinal Ratzinger on abuse allegations, and found that the congregation demonstrated "the maximum attention and the maximum severity."

What Did Jesus Look Like?

2010-03-17T18:51:00.001-07:00

What did Jesus look like? We all have a picture in our mind's eye.

Jim Caviezel is the image for many today due the recent popularity of Mel Gibson's The Passion Of The Christ.

For others, it's the image found in the Shroud of Turin.

Some scholars developed an image using forensic reconstruction techniques on a skull of a Semitic man found from the first century AD. The below image is the controversial image of what Christ may have looked like.

The beauty of new technology is the ability to see all the artistic interpretations of Christ's likeness done in this beautiful YouTube video. In the Lenten season, I pray you find it as inspirational as I do as we all find Jesus in our hearts, minds and souls.

This post was inspired by an intriguing and far more detailed blog post on the subject by Msgr. Charles Pope on the Washington Archdiocese website (http://blog.adw.org/2010/03/what-did-jesus-look-like/). I encourage you to read it.

Lenten Peace & Blessings...

Spiritual Director

2010-02-28T10:00:00.000-08:00

One of the greatest gifts to come from my faith journey in recent years is the gift of a spiritual director.

I'm blessed with the experience of two over the past two years in deacon formation. Sadly, my first spiritual director moved out of state ending a spiritually helpful relationship early on in my path toward the diaconate. Fortunately, the Holy Spirit guided me to the second spiritual director who is a tremendous guide to finding God at work in my life.

This recent PBS story on Spiritual Directors looks into the world of spiritual direction and shows the universality of spiritual journeys. One of the main subjects of the story is a well-known local spiritual director Sister Joyce Cox. Sister Joyce is our educator on spiritual formation and prayer in the deacon formation program and a fitting subject for the story. She regularly hosts retreats on prayer at the Palisades Retreat Center in Federal Way.

We are all on a spiritual journey. It took me many years to understand the quiet whisper that existed in my heart was the voice of God. Having someone to walk with us and help us to more clearly hear the whisper is the role of a spiritual director.

It doesn't matter what your faith, if you find the right spiritual director for you, the whisper can turn into a loud and clear voice.

---

The Palisades
Archdiocesan Retreat &
Faith Formation Center
Archdiocese of Seattle

4700 SW Dash Point Road #100
Federal Way, WA 98023
(800) 330-7622 - Toll Free
palisades@seattlearch.org

Spiritual Formation Director: Sr. Joyce Cox, BVM
joycec@seattlearch.org

Africa - Up Close And Personal

2010-02-24T09:53:00.000-08:00

My heart sings when I see the Kingdom of God being built around the globe. With modern technology, the story can now be told to the world in a way that allows us all to see, feel and hear while it's happening.

Mocha Club is an incredible charity concept doing wonderful things in Africa. Web reporters Daniel Skiffington and Charlie Beck are traveling around Africa with a video camera and computer telling Mocha Club's story. Here is just an example of their efforts.

Beyond the Shame: Webisode 11 from Mocha Club on Vimeo.

So, what is Mocha Club all about?

Who We Are from Mocha Club on Vimeo.

Follow Mocha Club:

http://twitter.com/mochaclubEXP

Skiff and Char's journey is nearing its end. But you can experience what they experienced by watching each webisode.

As someone whose life was changed by a journey to Africa in 1987, I encourage you to experience the real Africa. The need is tremendous. Please give what you can. You can change the world.

Let Us Not Forget Haiti - Please Give Today

2010-02-04T08:30:00.001-08:00

'Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers (and sisters) of mine, you did for me.'.
Matthew 25:40
----------------------------
Catholic News Service
Published: Wednesday, February 03, 2010

(CNS)—Nerlande Majeur is beginning to wonder when the help will arrive.

Among an estimated 2,000 people crowded into a field on the grounds of Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in the Cite Militaire neighborhood, Majeur said no aid—except a few dozen tents the church's pastor was able to get as a donation—has arrived at the ramshackle camp.

"I'm not feeling good about not getting help," she said.

While a clinic staffed by volunteers from Youth With a Mission, an international, interdenominational volunteer organization, provides basic medical care for camp residents, not much else in the way of assistance has made its way to Our Lady of Lourdes, several residents told Catholic News Service.

Since they took up residence in the field hours after the Jan. 12 earthquake, Majeur and numerous neighbors regularly see military helicopters flying overhead and hear the planes flying into and out of the Port-au-Prince airport, a little more than a mile away.

At times, several camp residents said, U.N. trucks and four-wheel drive vehicles carrying logos of various aid agencies pass by. But not one, people said time and again, has turned into the long driveway leading to the church.

Not even the large black spray-painted messages adorning the concrete block walls on both sides of the driveway identifying the grounds as "Temporary Shelter #31" have helped.

"The only thing we've gotten is some food and some tents," said Philistine Felix, who was fortunate enough to get a nylon tent. "Friends are helping too. That's the only help we get.
"We're living by faith," Felix said as he walks away.

Dalida Milon, 28, and her cousin, Manie Michella, 29, both said they feel frustrated about their situation.

"We have nobody thinking about us here," Michella said, shrugging her shoulders.
Then, with a shrug, she added, "Nobody's thinking about us."

Jean Louis Margaret, 34, has tried to make the best of the situation by selling a few food items such as spaghetti, corn curls, juice, vegetable oil and sweet snacks salvaged from the small business she ran from her home in Cite Militaire. The money helps buy food for three of her four children, Nerlande, 14, Daphka, 10 and Donald, 8. A 15-year-old daughter died in the earthquake and was buried in a mass grave.

Margaret recalled that officials of some sort—she did not know from where—arrived at the parish grounds at one point and gathered information from the campers and passed out cards. For what, she did not know. She has not seen them since.

Despite the feeling of being forgotten, many of the residents at Our Lady of Lourdes have bonded together to help one another with food, clothing and assistance in securing their makeshift shelters.

A few residents also said if they were able to get decent shelter, the strong feeling of insecurity they harbor would ease a bit.

In their pleas for help, the residents also urged the world to find a way to begin to rebuild Haiti as soon as possible.

One resident, John Benes Louis Jeune, 30, a teacher at a school he ran until it was destroyed in the quake, called for a sustained response from the world. Without such a commitment, he said he fears that Haiti will die.

It will take a sustained commitment from the world—at least 25 years, he estimated—for his homeland to be rebuilt.

"We must think about many years out, not short term," he said.

"Everybody should be part of it, not just the president, not the prime minister. Everybody should have a say to bring Haiti back to life.

"We do need assistance. If Port-au-Prince is dead, if the head is dead, the body is dead," he said. "Everywhere the country is down with no more hope. If the international community doesn't come to see the situation, Haiti will die."

Think Of Others

2010-01-10T12:55:00.000-08:00

Interesting food for thought this Sunday...
---
Parade Magazine - 1/10/2010
Live Well With What You Have - By Lynn Shnumberger

"When we shift our attention away from ourselves to others, we can actually change our biology. Studies show that people involved in 'giving behaviors' produce chemicals in their bodies that result in greater tranquility, joy and trust --- even a diminishing of chronic aches and pains."

Pope Benedict XVI's Message To The World For The New Year

2010-01-01T04:28:00.001-08:00

What a beautiful message it is if we only will listen:
---
From Catholic News Service
January 1, 2010 › Cindy Wooden

VATICAN CITY — Celebrating the feast of Mary the Mother of God and World Peace Day this morning, Pope Benedict XVI focused on how God revealed his face in the person of Jesus Christ, born of Mary in Bethlehem.

“God, by his nature, is invisible,” he said, yet the Bible frequently uses the metaphor of God’s face. “To show his face is an express of his benevolence, while hiding his face indicates his anger or indignation.”

The pope said that to meditate “on the mystery of God’s face and of the human face” is a way that leads to peace because it involves respect and the recognition of others as persons “no matter the color of their skin, their nationality, their language or their religion. In reality, only if we have God in our hearts will we be able to recognize others as brothers and sisters in humanity, not means toward an end, not rivals or enemies, but others like us,” he said.

Pope Benedict said:

From the time they are small, it is important to educate children to respect others, even when they are different from us. It already is more common to have school classes composed of children of various nations, but even when this does not occur, their faces are a prophecy of the humanity we are called to form: a family of families and peoples. The smaller these children are, the more they elicit from us tenderness and joy for an innocence and brotherhood that is evident: despite their differences, they cry and laugh in the same way, they have the same needs, communicate spontaneously and play together. The faces of children are like a reflection of how God sees the world. So why extinguish their smiles? Why poison their hearts?

Unfortunately, the icon of the Mother of God of Tenderness finds its tragic opposite in the sad images of many children and their mothers at the mercy of wars and violence: refugees, asylum seekers, forced migrants. Faces lined by hunger and disease, faces disfigured by pain and desperation. The faces of these innocent little ones are a silent appeal to our responsibility: before their helpless condition, all the false justifications for war and violence fall away. We simply must convert to projects of peace, lay down weapons of every kind and, all of us together, make a commitment to building a world more worthy of humanity.

The pope’s message for World Peace Day focused on the theme, “If You Want to Cultivate Peace, Protect Creation.” During his homily this morning, he said that people will only respect the environment to the extent that they respect themselves and others. True respect for the environment, he said, requires seeing all of creation as a reflection of God, the creator.

He said:

During the Christmas season, we recite a Psalm that contains, among other things, a stupendous example of how the coming of God transforms creation and provokes a kind of cosmic feast. This hymn begins with a universal invitation to praise: ‘Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth. Sing to the Lord, bless his name.’ Then, at a certain point, this appeal extends to all creation: ‘Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice; let the sea and what fills it resound; let the plains be joyful and all that is in them. Then let all the trees of the forest rejoice.’ The celebration of faith becomes the celebration of humanity and of creation: it is that celebration, which at Christmas, also is expressed through the decorations on the trees, the streets and in our houses. Everything blooms because God has appeared among us.

The altar servers and other ministers at the Mass this morning were from St. Mark’s Seminary, the seminary of the Diocese of Erie, Pa., which celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2009.

Reciting the Angelus after Mass, the pope wished people a Happy New Year, a year during which, “with the help of God, we can make our common home, the world, a better place.”

First of all, he said, everyone must recognize that they can and must make a difference in protecting the environment.

And, he said, “if we must take care of the creatures around us, what care we must have for people — our brothers and sisters! On the first day of the year, I want to appeal to the consciences of those who are part of any kind of armed group. To each and every one I say: Stop, reflect and abandon the path of violence.”

Happy New Year from Lk. Cle Elum! It's snowing about an inch an hour. Possible foot of new by midnight's celebration at the cabin.

2009-12-31T14:03:00.000-08:00

True Meaning Of The Twelve Days of Christmas

2009-12-23T10:26:00.000-08:00

The following email was sent by one of my diaconal candidate brothers. Maybe you've seen and heard this before. If not, enjoy the revelation.

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Merry Christmas!

What in the world do leaping lords, French hens, swimming swans, and especially the partridge in the pear tree have to do with Christmas?

Here is the meaning:

From 1558 until 1829, Roman Catholics in England were not permitted to practice their faith openly. Someone during that era wrote this carol as a catechism song for young Catholics. It has two levels of meaning: the surface meaning plus a hidden meaning known only to members of their church. Each element in the carol has a code word for a religious reality which the children could remember.

The partridge in a pear tree was Jesus Christ.

Two turtle doves were the Old and New Testaments.

Three French hens stood for faith, hope and love.

The four calling birds were the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke & John.

The five golden rings recalled the Torah or Law, the first five books of the Old Testament.

The six geese a-laying stood for the six days of creation.

Seven swans a-swimming represented the sevenfold gifts of the Holy Spirit--Prophesy, Serving, Teaching, Exhortation, Contribution, Leadership, and Mercy.

The eight maids a-milking were the eight beatitudes.

Nine ladies dancing were the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit--Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self Control.

The ten lords a-leaping were the ten commandments.

The eleven pipers piping stood for the eleven faithful disciples.

The twelve drummers drumming symbolized the twelve points of belief in the Apostles' Creed.

So there is your history for today. This knowledge was shared with me and I found it interesting and now I know how that strange song became a Christmas Carol.

Joe Sifferman

How God Works Through All Of Us

2009-12-19T12:10:00.000-08:00

God's hand is in everything we do. All we have to do is open our eyes to see God at work in our lives.

There is a cause near and dear to my heart thanks to the grace of God. It all started in January 2007 as a participant in the annual Homeless Count in downtown Seattle. While walking the streets of downtown Seattle counting the men and women who were sleeping on the streets on a cold Winter's night, I met the director of Noel House in Seattle. Eileen McComb was the leader of the count team I was on. Noel House is affiliated with Catholic Housing Services and provides permanent shelter for women in need of a roof over their heads, a warm bed and a hot meal.

She seemed very suspicious of a member of the media wanting to participate in such an important exercise. She was quite direct in asking me why I was there. I shared with her KOMO Newsradio's mission to be a good community steward. I told her we do that by telling stories of need in the community and letting our listeners do the rest. She was still wary. Can't blame her. Eileen is a longtime veteran of the mission to tend to the needs of the homeless and has probably had her fill of the morbidly curious. As we walked the streets, she told me about Noel House and about the overwhelming need. I listened. At the end of the night, I promised to be in touch.

It took several months before the right opportunity arose to help out. The event was a gala for Noel House and the attendance needed a boost. I promised to tell the story on KOMO Newsradio and assigned one of our most gifted storytellers Corwin Haeck to share the need. He did a beautiful job.

Mary and I attended the event and were surprised by how packed it was. God's work in full display.

Another opportunity came about this time last year. Noel House needed help with a gift card program. KOMO Newsradio did a Saturday morning interview and a good Samaritan listener stepped forward to fill the need. Again, God's will be done.

Word of the biggest need came around Thanksgiving of this year with the revelation that a 10-thousand dollar grant had gone away and Noel House's nightly feed program was in jeopardy for 2010.

I took the news to my counterpart at KOMO 4 News and shared with her an opportunity for the Problem Solvers unit to get involved in making a miracle happen. She enthusiastically agreed. The story aired on Thanksgiving eve.

Noel House has closed the gap on the 10-thousand dollar need by half thanks to viewers and listeners. But they still need more cash donations to keep the program afloat.

A Facebook post by my friend Eileen tugged at my heart a few weeks later. The post was sort of a prayer for the women who would be sleeping in the frigid cold that night. Women Eileen knows personally. I asked her what KOMO Newsradio could do to help. She said the women needed blankets. Lots of blankets. And gloves and hats.

What happened next was nothing short of a miracle. God's handiwork on full display in the secular media.

My KOMO Newsradio colleague Brian Calvert went to work and found what Noel House needed.

If we all pay attention to the quiet whisper of God's voice, miracles are still possible.

Catholic Principles For Health Care Reform

2009-12-18T09:46:00.000-08:00

The U.S. Catholic Bishops have advocated for health-care reform since 1993, writes Archbishop Alex J. Brunett of Seattle. He responds to criticism of the bishops' position on health-care reforms being considered by Congress.

Seattle Times - Guest columnist
By Alex J. Brunett
Special to The Times

THE United States' Catholic Bishops are upholding a centuries-old tradition of caring for the poor and sick with our advocacy for health-care reform. Some of the first hospitals in the United States were established by Catholic religious sisters, and today the Catholic Health Association is the nation's largest group of not-for-profit health-care sponsors, systems and facilities in the United States.

When the uninsured visit an emergency room, there is a good chance it will be in one of the 624 Catholic hospitals in this country, and they will be welcomed and respected regardless of their beliefs or ability to pay. Catholic teaching holds that health care is a basic human right because every person, created in the image and likeness of God, has a right to life and to those things necessary to sustain life, including affordable health care.

Despite the U.S. bishops' consistent advocacy for comprehensive health-care reform since 1993, a recent guest column in this newspaper ["Bishops take low road on health-care reform," Opinion, Dec. 10] suggests that we are willing to "toss off the bridge" the uninsured because of our equally consistent opposition to abortion. The facts do not support this claim.

Let's set the record straight. Our position does not scale back "women's abortion rights" as Sam Sperry's guest commentary suggests. We bishops recognize that any attempt to change current law giving women a legal right to abortion would be dead on arrival in Congress.

As a result, the amendments related to abortion we have supported in the U.S. House and Senate do not alter, add or subtract anything from current federal law. In addition, the amendments specifically state that insurance companies may sell and individuals may purchase coverage for abortions.

The intent of our advocacy on this issue is to promote universal access to health care and to preserve the long-standing federal policy prohibiting federal funding of abortion. Recent public opinion polls and the favorable vote in the U.S. House of Representatives affirm that a majority of Americans overwhelmingly agree with this position.

Our advocacy with regard to federal funding of abortion, however, is a consequence, not the sum total, of our teaching. As teachers, the bishops of the United States have not taken a position on any particular health-care reform bill, but have forcefully articulated our Catholic values and principles.

Those interested in understanding authentic Catholic teaching on the issues of health care and abortion need look no further than the Catechism of the Catholic Church, which states, "From the beginning, the Catholic Church has respected the dignity of all human life from the first moment of conception to natural death."

Where the column is most in error is in its suggestion that the bishops' position represents a narrow religious perspective shared only by a small minority. If that were the case, federal law that has protected citizens from paying for abortions would not have been the law of the land for more than three decades during presidencies and congressional majorities representing both parties.

Catholic Church teaching does not divide humanity into those who are valuable enough to warrant protection and those who are not. Catholic teaching holds that every human being — including unborn humans in the womb — have fundamental human rights, including the right to life.

That is why the views expressed in the recent guest column pose a serious threat to the dignity and rights of the poor and vulnerable members of the human family who need and deserve our respect and protection, which includes access to health care.

The Most Rev. Alex J. Brunett is the Catholic archbishop of Seattle.

Seattle's St. James Cathedral Pastor Speaks Out Against New English Mass Translation

2009-12-15T09:54:00.000-08:00

I pray this issue does not become a battle in our parishes. Fr. Ryan's protest is not over a doctrinal issue, but semantics. Other local pastors may follow suit. Or not. Agreeing to disagree is OK. These dialogues are healthy for our faith if we approach the discussion constructively and with the grace of God in our hearts.

---

By Janet I. Tu
Seattle Times staff reporter

A new translation of the book that guides the prayers and responses of the Roman Catholic Mass is coming to parishes, and the longtime pastor of Seattle's St. James Cathedral isn't happy about it, saying some of the language is awkward and clumsy.

The Very Rev. Michael G. Ryan also is critical of how the revision came down, saying the process violates the spirit of the reforms of the Second Vatican Council which, among other changes, included priests celebrating Mass in English rather than in Latin.

The new English translation of the revised Roman Missal is a more literal translation from the Latin and lacks richness and beauty, Ryan said.

He said it will lead parishioners long accustomed to saying and responding to prayers a certain way to wonder why the changes were needed and will put priests in a position of having to "sell" the new translation even if they don't like it.

So he has taken some unusually bold steps, writing about his concerns in the Dec. 14 issue of the Jesuit magazine "America," and calling for a waiting period to test market the new translation before it reaches all English-speaking parishes, possibly in the next year or two.

He's also set up a Web site (www.whatifwejustsaidwait.org), encouraging priests, bishops and lay Catholics to sign up in support of his position.

"I know it might smack of insubordination to talk this way," Ryan wrote in his piece in "America." But "what is at stake, it seems to me, is nothing less than the church's credibility."

The new translation, recently approved by U.S. bishops, is still awaiting approval from the Vatican.

While some Catholics see it as a welcome return to more traditional elements, Ryan says he's hearing from Catholics across the spectrum who are simply wondering why the change is needed and how it helps their prayer life.

In South Africa, where it was mistakenly introduced earlier this year, Ryan said, the response was not good. People he's spoken with who are familiar with the changes haven't liked them either.

Ryan said one example is that the phrase "Joseph, her husband," has been changed in the new translation to "Joseph, spouse of the same virgin."

Other new phrases he cited in the "America" article include such examples as "consubstantial with the Father," and "oblation of our service."

Ryan said he feels so strongly about the issue because "we're dealing now with the heart of our church — the central prayer. There's no more important prayer for us than the Mass." In the 1960s, the Second Vatican Council — or Vatican II — initiated changes that were intended to open the church and update its rituals. Along with saying Mass in English or other local languages, Vatican II gave bishops in each region the authority to produce their own translations, subject to Vatican approval.

Ryan believes that spirit of local initiative was violated.

"The initiative came from the Vatican," Ryan said. "They put people in place to do the translations who would meet their expectation."

The Rev. Thomas Reese, former "America" editor and senior fellow with the Woodstock Theological Center at Georgetown University, agrees with Ryan's take.

"I think this is a liturgical train wreck that is going to be happening when they implement this thing," Reese said.

The reaction of people in the pews, he said, is likely to be, "This is not better. In fact, it's worse."

But others say they like what they've seen of the new translation.

Joseph Bottum, editor of the magazine "First Things," which frequently focuses on Catholicism, says the new translation isn't perfect. "But it's a step in the right direction. It's more faithful to the Latin, and thereby more reflective of the long liturgical tradition of the church."

Plus, the new translation will include elements of the old Latin Mass that were left out of the previous English translation, he said.

He expects the reaction to be far more muted than with the sweeping changes of Vatican II, about which "some people were ecstatic," he said, and "some people were furious."

If the Vatican approves the new translation — which is almost certain, given the conservative stance of Pope Benedict XVI — a period of education in the parishes will take place, with some observers saying the new translation probably wouldn't be introduced until 2011.

Sister Mary Ann Walsh, spokeswoman for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, says it's "very unlikely" that Ryan's effort will succeed.

She noted the bishops have been discussing and voting on various sections of the new translations since 2004 and their final vote for approval in November was by a wide margin.

Finding That Christmas Feeling

2009-12-10T22:37:00.001-08:00

I don’t remember how I lost the Christmas feeling. I just know that sometime during my teenage years the annual Christmas feeling disappeared from my heart. Perhaps it happened after my father’s tragic death when I was 14. Or maybe it was an angry teenager shedding all things heartfelt from his childhood. I don’t remember Christmases ever having the same joyful and peaceful atmosphere as I trudged into adulthood. Christmas was nothing more than an obligation to get over and done with.

That is until one Christmas Eve in 1986. It was a foggy, still night. My new wife (the one true Catholic in the family at the time) wanted to go to Midnight Mass. I begrudgingly went along not sensing what was about to happen.

As we drove to the nearby parish, Mary popped in the new cassette of Mannheim Steamroller Christmas music (she has a near obsession with Christmas music). As we rode along the song Silent Night came out of the speakers. I remembered this song being a favorite for my baby sister back when we were little kids.

Every Christmas, we would reenact the manger scene at family gatherings. Erin loved Christmas. She was born with a congenital heart defect and found joy in few things thanks to hundreds of doctor’s visits and heart surgeries endured during her short life. But love Christmas she did. Especially “Mee-Mohs” (chocolate, marshmallow Santa candies) and her beloved toy piano.

One particular year, a few months before she died, Erin unwrapped the toy piano after we regaled the family in the true story of Christmas. I can still hear her playing it in my head.

As I daydreamed while driving, the closing strains of Stille Nacht snuck up and knocked my cold, stony heart for a loop. At the end of the songs, after the rushing of what sounds like some magical wind, the song concludes with a child’s toy piano playing the opening stanza of Silent Night.

As I drove, tears streamed down my face. And I felt it! The Christmas feeling came flooding back to me once again and I have never lost it since.

God works in mysterious ways in our lives. As I listen to the song now, I envision the Holy Spirit in the rushing wind that precedes the child’s toy piano. For this moment to me was a first step back to my Catholic faith after a long prodigal journey. It was a blessed Advent miracle.

A "Candidate" For The Diaconate

2009-12-07T20:56:00.000-08:00

On Sunday, December 6, twenty-four men and I were called by Archbishop Alex J. Brunett to Candidacy for the Diaconate in the Seattle Archdiocese of the Catholic Church. In the Rite of Candidacy, the Church accepts our offering, calls us to a three-year formation program and officially recognizes us as candidates for the diaconate.

We were each called forward by our full baptismal name, answered "Present," walked to the altar, bowed, and took our place in front of the Archbishop. The Rite of Candidacy then was conferred. The experience was awe inspiring and humbling. I was so nervous that when I shook the hand of the spouse of one of my candidate brothers after the Rite I realized my hands were drenched in sweat.

Mary and I were joined by our youngest son Connor (oldest son Sean is a freshman in college and was unable to join us due to finals) and many family and friends. The biggest surprise came as I approached St. James Cathedral. I heard the voice of my mother Suzanne Arango call my name. But how could that be? She lives in Arizona this time of year. But off came her stocking cap and there she was. I was overjoyed by her surprise visit to town. Also there were my brother Dan Kelly and his daughters Katey and Sara, my uncle and aunt Glen and Susan Kelly who drove up from Waldport, Oregon, their son and my cousin Keven Kelly and his four-year-old son Finn. Even my mom's best friend Marie Louise Wahlstrom, who has been close to our family for over 35 years, came.

Also in attendance, was the one-time Bellevue High School teacher who introduced me to the world of radio Bill Poirier and his wife Missy, my favorite WSU broadcasting professor Glenn Johnson who is also the Mayor of Pullman, fellow WSU Murrow College Professional Advisory Board colleague Joyce Szymanski, friends from work Paul Tosch and his wife Stacey, friends from church Randele and David Cross and their five beautiful children, John Olson, Peter and Ruth Wolff, our close friends Gary and Leita Garside, and buddies Peter Shmock and N.Y. Vinnie Richichi. The mother of friend Shannon Drayer delivered a card from her daughter who was at the Winter Meetings for Major League Baseball covering the Mariners, but sent her mom to represent her. Some in attendance are Catholic. Others are not. All are very dear for being a part of this special day. Words cannot express my deep gratitude for their presence.

My candidate brothers and I have been in formation since June 2008. It started with an Inquiry period (during the summer of 2008) and a full year of Aspirancy studies (September 2008 to June 2009). The vetting process is thorough.

Our intellectual formation happens over a weekend once a month and features classes taught by professors from Seattle University, University of Portland and Pacific Lutheran University. We have 300-500 pages of reading each month, numerous papers and other homework.

Our spiritual formation is placed in the hands of our own personal Spiritual Director, Pastoral Supervisor and others. Our pastoral formation happens in our parishes and by serving in ministerial internships. This year I am honored to be placed with the L'Arche Community on Capitol Hill and work weekly with "core members" who deal with mental disabilities and assistants who make up this unique community. It is my sanctuary from the chaos of being a member of the news media in these crazy times and my work managing KOMO Newsradio.

The formation process as a Candidate will last for three more years. With God's good graces, formation will culminate in ordination as a Deacon in the Catholic Church in December of 2012. If you are so inclined, please keep Mary, my family and me in your prayers.

Advent Peace & Blessings...

Holy Orders: Edible Gifts By Mail

2009-12-03T20:53:00.000-08:00

By BILL DALEY - Chicago Tribune

Your gift is in the giving, the old holiday nostrum goes. But you also can get a feel-good gift in the buying, especially if you tap the monasteries, convents and hermitages scattered around the world. Many specialize in making food products, the range of which goes way beyond the usual fruitcake to include spice blends, jams, cheese, truffles and even coffee.

And no matter whether they're Roman Catholic, Orthodox or Protestant, they do it while pursuing what they say is their main mission: prayer.

"Prayer and labor have been in the monastic tradition from the very beginning," said Sister Gail Fitzpatrick, a member of the Cistercian Order of the Strict Observance, known popularly as Trappistines. She is based at Our Lady of the Mississippi Abbey in Dubuque, Iowa.

The nuns there make candy, including their signature Trappistine Creamy Caramels. Fitzpatrick is up every day at 3:45 a.m. By 5, she's at the candy facility tempering chocolate. Then she goes back to the abbey to pray, read and celebrate Mass before returning to tend the chocolate.

"You do have to weave tasks," the nun said with a chuckle. "Chocolate has demands."

Fitzpatrick is proud of the candy. She points to the quality ingredients used but notes the fact that nuns make them is also a selling point with the public.

"I think they can trust us, that what we put into that candy is good," Fitzpatrick said. "The environment in which we make candy is one of love and care. And if they believe in prayer that will mean something because we pray as we work."

Will Keller has been selling products made by nuns and monks for 10 years through his Cleveland mail-order company, Monastery Greetings. Among the religious communities Keller's company represents are the monks of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel in Clark, Wyo. The brothers began roasting, blending and selling coffee beans in 2007 to finance construction of a permanent monastery.

"One of the brothers was something of a coffee expert. He was a barista," said Brother Paul Marie of the Cross, who oversees the coffee business. "His family owned a coffee plantation in Costa Rica."

Now the monks roast and blend 30 different coffees, including decaf. Brother Paul Marie said some customers buy the coffee to support the monastery but others buy it because it tastes good.

"We use good arabica beans. The gourmet coffee drinker appreciates it," he said.

For John Tapert of Duvall, Wash., it was disappointment in a gourmet cedar plank used to grill fish that led him to make fish planks out of alder wood and package them for sale with bottles of his own St. Benedict barbecue sauce and spice rub.

A one-time jewelry maker, Tapert now specializes in religious art. He and his artist wife, Candace, belong to the secular branch of the St. Joseph Carmelite monastery in Shoreline, Wash. They live in their own hermitage in Duvall, Ill., following many of the same rules and traditions as the cloistered nuns, who are part of the Order of Discalced Carmelites. In addition to the alder grilling sets, he makes a range of jams named after various saints.

The 5-acre hermitage provides both the alder wood and the fruits and berries for the jams.

"It's a simple, honest, straightforward way to make a living," he said. "It involves a lot of quiet labor. We're not out in the world doing it for the most part. The end product is something you can be honest about. It has integrity, if you will."

ORDER FROM THE SOURCE

These products are made by or for monasteries, convents, abbeys and hermitages in the United States. All are available by ordering directly from the source. Or you can buy them through Monastery Greetings, a Cleveland mail-order firm (800-472-0425, monasterygreetings.com). Prices for products listed below are from the makers and do not include shipping or other charges:

Trappist Abbey Monastery Fruitcake by the monks of the Abbey of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Lafayette, Ore. $27.50 (three 1-pound fruitcakes). 800-294-0105, trappistabbey.org

Milk Chocolate Butter Nut Munch by Trappistine Quality Candy. Made by nuns at Mount St. Mary's Abbey in Wrentham, Mass. $12 (10-ounce box). 866-549-8929, trappistinecandy.com

Deluxe Caramel Assortment from Trappistine Creamy Caramels. Made by nuns at Our Lady of the Mississippi Abbey in Dubuque, Iowa. $17 (24-ounce box). 866-556-3400, www.trappistine.com

St. Benedict sauce and plank from the Northwest Alder Plank Grilling Kit. Fashioned by John Tapert for the St. Joseph Carmelite Monastery in Shoreline, Wash. $39.95. 425-788-4905, johntapert.com/Tapert-Studios
Cowboy Blend Coffee by Mystic Monk Coffee. Made by the monks of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel, Clark, Wyo. $9.95 (12-ounce bag). 877-751-6377, mysticmonkcoffee.com

Springerle Cookies by Simply Divine, a bakery run by the Sisters of St. Benedict, Ferdinand, Ind. $10.50 (12 cookies). 812-367-2500, www.simplydivinebakery.org

Admission To Candidacy - Diaconate

2009-12-01T07:39:00.000-08:00

Help us celebrate…

DENNIS M. KELLY
Admission to Candidacy for the Diaconate

In this rite those seeking ordination as deacons show publicly their willingness to offer themselves to God and the Church for service as a deacon. The Church accepts their offering, calls them to a three-year formation program and recognizes them as candidates for the diaconate.

Time: Sunday, December 6, 2009 at 2:00 PM

Place: St. James Cathedral
804 9th Avenue, Seattle

Reception following

2009-11-27T10:00:00.000-08:00

Alma Mater (Our Mother)

2009-11-27T09:48:00.000-08:00

Looking for that perfect Christmas gift for your Catholic loved one? Look no more...
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MEDIA AND ENTERTAINMENT THE CATHOLIC NORTHWEST PROGRESS
NOVEMBER 26, 2009

Pope’s ‘debut album’ a surprising pleasure

‘Alma Mater’ mixes chant, classical music and papal prayers

BY KEVIN BIRNBAUM

It’s a strange concept on paper: an album of modern classical music featuring the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the Choir of the Philharmonic Academy of Rome … and Pope Benedict XVI on lead vocals?

Things don’t get any clearer when you find out that the choir and orchestra were recorded in different countries — at St. Peter’s in Rome and Abbey Road in London, respectively; that the pope’s contributions — in Latin, Italian, Portuguese, French and German — come from prayers and speeches broadcast on Vatican Radio; that the composers of the eight tracks include an Italian Catholic, a British agnostic and a Moroccan Muslim; or that the album is being released on a label that also features Rob Zombie and Snoop Dogg.

But somehow it works. “Alma Mater – Music from the Vatican,” set to be released Nov. 30, is as eclectic as its background would suggest, both between tracks and within them. A mix of chanted Marian litany, orchestral music and spoken word, it’s almost certainly unlike anything you’ve heard before. And yet the juxtapositions are not jarring; in their interplay, the disparate elements enhance each other’s beauty.

For instance, track three, “Advocata Nostra,” begins with an upbeat “world music” section that builds in complexity for 80 seconds before suddenly giving way to a series of chanted invocations of the Virgin Mary in Latin; a minute later, it’s back to the music, which subsides just before the three-minute mark as the pope chimes in, praying in German over a cello line; soon the choir returns, followed by the strings; and the final minute of the 5:44 track returns to the opening theme.

It’s surprising, but pleasant, like the whole album.

The compositions are simple yet lovely, the orchestra and choir generally solid (though the singers leave something to be desired when they venture out of chant mode into harmony, which is rare). But the unexpected star of the show is Pope Benedict, whose verbal interjections do not seem out of place, but are always welcome and somehow comforting — his voice radiates warmth and love in any language.

The album would serve equally well as the soundtrack to a period of prayerful meditation or a festive family brunch. It deserves to be a popular Christmas gift for any Catholic or music lover.

Divine Grace

2009-11-22T17:36:00.000-08:00

Grace is God's way of revealing Himself to each and every one us.

"God speaks in the silence of the heart. And we listen."

Grace stirred the soul of Augustine. Grace inspired the intellect of Aquinas. Grace was with Martin Luther King Jr. as he penned "I Have A Dream" and on that balcony in Memphis. Grace allowed Nelson Mandela to forgive. Grace drove the mission of Mother Teresa.

Grace is alive and well and living in all of our lives if we just open our eyes and our hearts.

U2 - Grace

Grace
She takes the blame
She covers the shame
Removes the stain
It could be her name

Grace
It's a name for a girl
It's also a thought that changed the world
And when she walks on the street
You can hear the strings
Grace finds goodness in everything

Grace, she's got the walk
Not on a ramp or on chalk
She's got the time to talk
She travels outside of karma
She travels outside of karma
When she goes to work
You can hear her strings
Grace finds beauty in everything

Grace, she carries a world on her hips
No champagne flute for her lips
No twirls or skips between her fingertips
She carries a pearl in perfect condition

What once was hurt
What once was friction
What left a mark
No longer stings
Because grace makes beauty
Out of ugly things

Grace makes beauty out of ugly things

Music: U2
Lyrics: Bono

Divine Revelation

2009-11-18T21:43:00.000-08:00

The Word of God reveals itself to us in many unusual ways. Listen to the Gospel accounting of the betrayal of the "Son of man" in the lyrics of the U2 song "Until The End Of The World" in the attached YouTube video. The lyrics are below.

Until The End Of The World
Music by U2
Lyrics by Bono

Haven't seen you FOR quite a while
I was down the HOLE just passing time
Last time we met was a low-lit room
We were as close together as a bride and groom
We ate the food, we drank the wine
Everybody having a good time
Except you
You were talking about the end of the world

I took the money
I spiked your drink
You miss too much these days if you stop to think
You lead me on with those innocent eyes
You know I love the element of surprise
In the garden I was playing the tart
I kissed your lips and broke your heart
You
You were acting like it was the end of the world

Love...love...love...love...love...love...
Love...love...love...love...love...love...
Love...love...love...love...

In my dream I was drowning my sorrows
But my sorrows, they learned to swim
Surrounding me, going down on me
Spilling over the brim
Waves of regret, waves of joy
I reached out for the one I tried to destroy
You, you said you'd wait till the end of the world.

A Call To Faith Stewardship

2009-11-08T13:09:00.000-08:00

I was asked by our parish Priest to give this weekend's witness talk as our church (Immaculate Conception - Our Lady Of Perpetual Help Parishes in Everett, Washington) begins its annual stewardship or giving appeal. A witness talk is supposed to be about one's faith journey and why we commit ourselves to our faith and church community. It's supposed to be about how God is calling each of us to give of ourselves.

I share it with you...

----------------------------------------------------------------

Witness Talk

My name is Dennis Kelly. And I am humbled to be invited by Father Hersey to stand before you to talk about our faith. And about how we can best support our faith.

All my life, I have felt God’s blessing. And in thanksgiving do what I can to give back.

I can still remember my first conscious conversation with God as a small child. After being shunned by classmates in an elementary school P.E. class, I felt the warmth of God’s presence as I played by myself on a balance beam.

My childhood ended early as a result of two tragic events. Both tested my faith in God. When I was 7, my three-year-old baby sister Erin died of a congenital heart defect. I was the oldest child in the family and she was the youngest. Her death forced me to question God with, “Why?” When I was 14, my father died suddenly. Again, I asked God, “Why?”

I struggled with faith through most of my teen years and early adult life. In fact, I went on quite a prodigal journey. But I still continued to experience blessings. Only now I foolishly thought it was luck or personal talent that opened doors to incredible life and career experiences.

I met the love of my life Mary in May of 1984. We worked together at KING radio in Seattle. She was an intern. I was a newly hired news anchor and reporter. In 1986, we were married. The day after Christmas 1990, we had our first child, Sean while living in Little Rock, Arkansas. In late May of 1994, our second son Connor entered our lives while we were in Portland, Oregon. As I experienced marriage, childbirths, baptisms, first communions, confirmations, I heard God’s voice.

My professional career in Seattle began at the tender age of 23. At 24, I was anchoring the news daily and served as a reporter for KING radio. At 26, I found myself traveling to South Africa as part of a journalistic delegation invited to observe the start of the dismantling of Apartheid.

Our group met with most of the major players in the country, except one. Nobel Laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu cancelled our scheduled gathering at the last minute after learning of our meeting with South African President P.W. Botha.

But Tutu was far too important a figure to not hear from. So, on Ash Wednesday, 1987, I took a cab to Tutu’s home church in Cape Town to hear his noontime homily and hopefully get an interview afterwards. Tutu graciously accepted the interview opportunity even after I explained my connection to the American journalist delegation.

During the entire interview, I felt God’s presence. I felt God’s love in the man. And as we ended the interview, he surprised me with an embrace and we shared a moment of God’s love. I knew in my heart that God was the reason for my good fortune… all of the good fortune in my life. That moment sparked a conscious transformation in my thinking about God’s presence in my life. It also started a lifelong process of asking God what He wanted in return for the many blessings bestowed on this life.

As I have increased my involvement in the church, I’ve found a deep sense of belonging and interconnectedness with our faith community. As a lector, reading Sacred Scripture and the “Prayers Of The Faithful,” I feel a limitless passion of faith that words cannot describe; I feel the presence of the Holy Spirit.

We each hear the Lord’s voice differently. Some listen closely to the voice of God in Sacred Scripture and find comfort, guidance and a call to action. Others listen to fellow parishioners or friends and through these interactions experience God speaking. Some listen to the voices of intuition in the quiet of prayer. There is no right way or wrong way when it comes to hearing God’s voice. There is just our own way.

I am so aware of God’s presence in the many gifts received throughout my life. But I count even the simple gifts like that breath we all just took… as a gift from God. Life is a gift. And when we live life to the fullest we want to share these gifts, these blessings with others.

As we heard in the Gospel, sometimes a little is a lot. And sometimes a lot is a little (Mark 12:38-44).

I’m here to tell you today’s Gospel reading is alive and well. Several years ago, I was helping at a holiday food drive. As I stood out in the cold, I saw a man about my age approach us. Most people were donating cans of food. This man handed over several crisp hundred-dollar bills. I thanked him for his generous donation. He then told me his story. He said he’d been unemployed for quite some time. But he had faith. And faith told him to give what he could. The man told me he’d always operated from the understanding that what he gives he gets back ten fold in the many blessings in his life.

The Gospel lives!

When we give, when is it enough? We each answer that question differently. Most of us start by counting our blessings and the many gifts we’ve been given by God. That’s a good place to start.

So, I stand before you. With this card in my hand. And I encourage you the pledge your support to our parish. Your annual contribution helps pay for simple things like the light and heating bills for this room here. But your contribution does much, much more. It helps fund scholarships for families in need who want their children to experience a Catholic education. It pays for religious education and the other ministerial materials. It pays for a variety of social justice work. It pays for so many important things.

This is not a bloated budget mind you. It’s a simple humble budget. But it needs your support.

Will you join me? Spend some time thinking about your contribution for the coming year. Pray on it. Talk to your family. Then give what you can. God will let you know when it’s enough.

God Bless. And thank you for listening.

Moment Of Surrender

2009-11-02T21:04:00.000-08:00

U2 concludes each and every show on the current concert tour with the song "Moment Of Surrender" from its latest CD "No Line On The Horizon." Read the lyrics (below) and see its message in light of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

It's pretty clear what Bono is saying here. Personal salvation comes from understanding the selfless sacrifice was an act to restore man's relationship with the living God. When the impact of this act sinks in, we are compelled to drop to our knees and pray. And start to listen to God's voice alive in our lives. Amen!

Moment Of Surrender (lyrics written by Bono)

I tied myself with wire
To let the horses roam free
Playing with the fire
Until the fire played with me

The stone was semi-precious
We were barely conscious
Two souls too smart to be
In the realm of certainty
Even on our wedding day

We set ourselves on fire
Oh God, do not deny her
It’s not if I believe in love
If love believes in me
Oh, believe in me

At the moment of surrender
I folded to my knees
I did not notice the passers-by
And they did not notice me

I’ve been in every black hole
At the altar of the dark star
My body’s now a begging bowl
That’s begging to get back, begging to get back
To my heart
To the rhythm of my soul
To the rhythm of my unconsciousness
To the rhythm that yearns
To be released from control

I was punching in the numbers at the ATM machine
I could see in the reflection
A face staring back at me
At the moment of surrender
Of vision over visibility
I did not notice the passers-by
And they did not notice me

I was speeding on the subway
Through the stations of the cross
Every eye looking every other way
Counting down ’til the pain would stop

At the moment of surrender
Of vision over visibility
I did not notice the passers-by
And they did not notice me

Be Still And Know I AM God

2009-10-25T15:37:00.000-07:00

(Psalm 46:10)

Controversy Over Catholic Majority On US Supreme Court?

2009-10-21T16:44:00.000-07:00

Alito troubled by concerns over court's Catholics
By MARYCLAIRE DALE
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER

PHILADELPHIA -- U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito voiced frustration Tuesday over what he called persistent questions about the court's Roman Catholic majority.

Alito aired the topic in a speech to an Italian-American law group in Philadelphia.

"There has been so much talk lately about the number of Catholics serving on the Supreme Court," Alito said in a speech to the Justinian Society. "This is one of those questions that does not die."

Alito complained about "respectable people who have seriously raised the questions in serious publications about whether these individuals could be trusted to do their jobs."

He said he thought the Constitution settled the question long ago with its guarantee of religious freedom.

Alito, 59, the son of an Italian immigrant, is one of six justices on the nine-member court who were raised Catholic, including new Justice Sonia Sotomayor. A dozen of the 111 jurists in the court's history have been Catholic.

The Roman Catholic Church endorses positions on several high-profile legal issues, including abortion, the death penalty and gay marriage. Some commentators have argued that Catholics in the court's conservative voting bloc - Chief John Roberts and Justices Antonin Scalia, Clarence Thomas and Alito - are likely to oppose abortion or otherwise apply Catholic teachings to their rulings.

In a telephone interview, Notre Dame law professor Richard W. Garnett echoed Alito's comment that the religion of qualified justices will not determine their views of pending cases, even if their experiences might shade it.

"It's not the calling of a Catholic judge to enforce the teachings of the faith. It's the calling of a Catholic judge, as well as he or she can, to interpret and apply the laws of the political community," Garnett said.

However, noting Sotomayor's "wise Latina woman" comment, he added: "No one thinks the moral commitments of a judge are irrelevant. I don't think anybody can completely put aside who they are."

Bill Donahue, president of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, said he believes the focus on the religious makeup of the court is really a ruse.

"I think it comes down to one issue, it's abortion," he said. "The people who are complaining about Alito and Roberts are the same people who would have nine Nancy Pelosis on the Supreme Court who are pro-choice Catholics."

President George W. Bush nominated Alito to the high court four years ago from the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia.

The Gospel According To U2

2009-10-16T18:28:00.000-07:00

My family and friends tease me all the time for calling U2 lead singer Bono a modern day prophet. His lyrics challenge us to live the Beatitudes and proclaims God in our midst. His One Campaign (http://www.one.org) unites people all over the globe to pressure governments to do more for the poorest of the poor especially those devastated by the leprosy of our day, AIDS.

As I see it, Bono is a modern man of God. If you doubt my opinion, watch his speech at the 2006 U.S. National Prayer Breakfast and draw your own conclusion.

Holiness comes in many forms. In our modern age, I believe one of those forms is a rock star singing and speaking with a clear voice about the troubles of our times and calling us to our better angels.