January 26, 2007 - Issue #2
Local News | Opinion/Editorials | Letters to the Editor
Local News
Alaska bishops set 2007 legislative goals
Editor’s note:
Chip Wagner, a Catholic who attends the Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Juneau, was hired in 2002 to be the lobbyist for the Alaska Conference of Catholic Bishops. Each year, before the Alaska Legislature begins a new session, Wagner meets with Alaska’s bishops to determine their public policy priorities for the coming year. He then takes these priorities to the members of the state legislature and other public policy officials to highlight the bishops’ goals in the public square. In several recent e-mail correspondences with the Catholic Anchor, Wagner highlighted the bishops’ goals for 2007. The following comments are edited for length and clarity.
What legislative goals did the bishops adopt during their fall meeting?
The ACCB met twice, once in October in Anchorage and once in December via teleconference. The board of directors, composed of the bishops of Alaska, approved the following topics as major issues: community revenue sharing, Medicaid, minimum wage, and statute of limitations. The board also approved bills that are expected to be introduced to allow Alaskans to use all or part of their Permanent Fund Dividend checks for charitable contributions via a check-off program, provide for a foster care scholarship program, and create a safe surrender of babies process. Given that there is a new governor and legislature, the ACCB’s legislative program remains fluid as issues arise.
Thus issues that affect the life or dignity of the human person or the poor and vulnerable could get added as they come up in the legislative process. Gambling and homelessness are two examples that come to mind.
Could you elaborate on the specific concerns that the bishops have regarding these issues?
Wagner:
Safe haven for babies:
Alaska has no safe haven law and House Bill 29 would create one so a parent could drop off a newborn baby at a hospital without liability. The goal is to encourage this rather than have a baby thrown in a dumpster.
As the session progresses, I add to the list of items using Catholic social teaching as a guide under the authority given to me by the bishops. If it is a big issue or controversial, I communicate with the bishops via e-mail or even conference call on the position we take.
Foster care scholarship program:
We were asked to support this bill. The bill enables people to contribute to a scholarship fund for foster care children who are leaving foster care and who want to attend postsecondary education. The sponsor Sen. Johnny Ellis, D-Anchorage, and I signed an Anchorage Daily News opinion piece last year on this bill. We expect it to be reintroduced soon.
Community revenue sharing:
All the bishops are concerned about families and communities in rural Alaska that lack much of what we take for granted in urban areas. There is the lack of a cash economy in some parts of the state, and many smaller communities have had to cute services or even close them down due to lack of funds.
Statute of limitations:
We are monitoring things to see if any bill is introduced to roll back the statute of limitations on sex abuse cases.
Medicaid:
Medicaid is the largest and fastest growing entitlement program in the state budget and exceeds a billion dollars a year. A study last year determined that Medicaid in the future would be larger than the entire current state budget unless changes are made. The legislature is very concerned. Our concern is that changes to the program, legislatively or administratively, do not result in cuts in service or increased eligibility criteria for those served.
Minimum wage:
The legislature last addressed an increase in the minimum wage five years ago and the current minimum wage has not kept pace with inflation or increases the state provides to other sectors such as public employees.
PFD checks:
Anything that will make it easier for a person to contribute to charitable causes such as this bill is something that we can support.
For more information on the Alaska Catholic Conference and for updates on national and local legislative items, visit www.archdioceseofanchorage.org/alaska/conference/ActionAlert.htm.
Da Vinci Code to be decoded at APU
"The Da Vinci Code" by author Dan Brown enjoyed hundreds of weeks on the New York Times bestseller list by weaving a vast array of information into a story that challenged a number of traditional religious ideas, said Dr. Regina Boisclair, Ph.D.
"One critic wrote that the one good thing he could say about the Da Vinci Code phenomena was that it did encourage folks to clarify lots of information," Boisclair noted in a recent e-mail to the Anchor.
Beginning in February, Boisclair, who holds the Cardinal Newman Chair of Catholic Theology at Alaska Pacific University, will teach a class entitled "The Da Vinci Code decoded." One aim of the course is to explore how facts are used in works of fiction.
The course will explore how information, presented as fact in Brown’s novel, is actually distorted to varying degrees.
"The major question to be explored is what and how is it appropriate to alter facts in fiction," Boisclair said. The course will also look at how fictional premises can form or foster prejudices.
Other topics to be covered include discussion of non-canonical gospels, the fascination with mystery novels, and a look into the history of beliefs pertaining to Mary Magdalene.
As the class reads through Brown’s text, students will identify and explore whether information presented as fact is in fact accurate, while identifying and assessing the credibility of various sources, Boisclair said.
On Monday evenings, after Boisclair or a guest speaker discusses a major issue in the chapters assigned over the past week, students will present the results of their own research.
Classes will include discussions on Opus Dei, the Catholic Curia (the church’s central administrative offices), canonical and non-canonical texts, Gnostic Christianity, ecumenical councils and Christian doctrines.
The class will be offered as a regular APU course that is also open to Newman observers starting Monday, Feb. 12, from 7-9:30 p.m. in Grant Hall 231 at Alaska Pacific University.
A Newman observer is an adult interested in following a course offered at APU by Boisclair. Observers attend class and are encouraged to do the readings but are not expected to write papers or complete other graded assignments like students or official auditors.
APU students, who register for the course for 4 credits, will meet both on Mondays and Wednesdays. Observers will attend 11 Monday classes over 12 weeks. The observer fee is $100.
For more information people may contact Boisclair at (907) 564-8274.
New process aims to provide healing in marriage nullity
Editors Note: Father Thomas Brundage serves as judicial vicar, or head judge, for the Archdiocese of Anchorage. Much of his work includes examining marriages to determine whether they are valid. This article is the last of three in which Father Brundage will explain the role of the tribunal and his function as judicial vicar.
As noted in the last edition of the Catholic Anchor, the tribunal for the Archdiocese of Anchorage is the judicial branch of the Archdiocese. While such tribunals are equipped to handle any number of ecclesiastical legal matters, the fact is that most tribunals mainly process requests for the nullity of marriages.
The beginning of 2007 witnessed some substantial changes on how marriage nullity cases are processed in the Archdiocese of Anchorage. Changes in demographics and technology have made these changes possible. A generation ago, it was considerably more difficult to communicate with offices in Anchorage if you lived outside the Anchorage bowl. Also, travel to Anchorage is much easier today than it was decades ago.
For the past several decades, much of the evidence gathered in marriage nullity cases has occurred on the level of the parish. "Advocates" in parishes assisted parishioners in seeking to nullify their marriages by interviewing petitioners, assisting them in gathering necessary documents and contacting witnesses. Over the years, these advocates have done tremendous pastoral work in helping people clarify if their broken marriages should be considered valid or null according to Catholic Church teaching. However, with the changes in technology and demographics noted above, such a system is no longer necessary.
In August 2006, the staffs of the tribunals for the Alaskan Catholic Church (the Archdiocese of Anchorage and the Dioceses of Fairbanks and Juneau) met in Anchorage for a week to align our marriage nullity processes. The products of those meetings are the new forms and process related to determining whether a given marriage is null. While the three tribunals will continue operating independently of each other, the realigned format should ensure a smoother and consistent process for marriage nullity in Alaska.
The major change relates to the gathering of evidence. The archdiocese is hiring a part-time "auditor" (an interviewer) who will work out of the tribunal office in Anchorage. The auditor’s role includes gathering evidence in nullity cases by interviewing parties in a broken marriage, contacting witnesses and assisting with other administrative tasks.
It should be acknowledged that even today it might be a considerable burden for some to travel to Anchorage, especially from the Bush. Alternate arrangements will be made should a party to a case not be able to travel to Anchorage.
The parish personnel’s role will now be to assist petitioners in filling-out the petition form and making sure the form and necessary documents are sent to the tribunal in Anchorage. The other main task is to provide spiritual support for those going through the nullity process.
Those who wish to have their marriages examined for possible nullity can also obtain a petition form directly from the tribunal by calling (907) 297-7724. Petitioners can also download the petition form from the archdiocesan web page by going to http://www.archdioceseofanchorage.org/ and clicking "about us" and then "marriage tribunal." Because of the sensitivity of the information contained in nullity petitions, people cannot fill-out the form on-line. The form must be filled-out and either mailed to, or dropped off, at the tribunal office in Anchorage.
The final canon of the Code of Canon Law (Canon 1752) states in part that "…the salvation of souls, which must always be the supreme law in the church, is to be kept before one’s eyes." In attempting to centralize the process of marriage nullity in the Archdiocese of Anchorage, it is our hope and prayer that healing may come for the many people who face the tragedy of marital divorce.
Kodiak Habitat for Humanity home ‘a blessing from God’
Hard-working Filipino family in new home
When Eloisa and Reynaldo Kionisala and their family move into their new home Jan. 31, they can thank Habitat for Humanity, their parish family at St. Mary Parish in Kodiak, and their own work ethic for what Eloisa Kionisala calls "a blessing from God."
A Filipino immigrant family, on an Alaska island town full of newcomers, the Kionisalas are the third family to partner with Habitat for Humanity for a home of their own in Kodiak but the first ever immigrant family.
With a lengthy paperwork and application process, this is no small achievement. Given the large number of migrant workers in Kodiak, however, and their relative poverty, the time was ripe for an immigrant family to receive a home.
"I can’t express my feelings," said Eloisa. "We are very happy."
The Kodiak wife and mother supports her family by working in a local cannery for about $22,000 a year. Her husband is disabled due to a childhood bout with polio, but stays busy at home with Nicholas, 10, and Sophia, 8. Eloisa’s daughter, Chrissie, 22, also lives with the family.
All of which means their current one-bedroom apartment is a very tight squeeze.
Habitat for Humanity is a non-profit, ecumenical Christian organization dedicated to helping provide low-income families with "decent and affordable" home ownership. They achieve this with help from the community – for example, the city of Kodiak donated the land for the Kionisalas’ home.
Area businesses chipped in as well. Fist National Bank in Kodiak, for example, has held the paperwork for every Habitat Home in town at no interest. The bank has also done paperwork for free, including translating some documents into another language.
Much of the labor and materials that go into Habitat homes are donated but every family is required to put "sweat equity" into their own home.
In this case, the Koinisalas are acquiring a pre-existing home that another Habitat family walked away from. Since there was no work to be done on the house, the family fulfilled the required 500 hours of "sweat equity" by working in volunteer situations, including the thrift shop run by St. Mary Parish.
Sister Barbara Harrington, a Grey Nun of the Sacred Heart and St. Mary parish administrator, has watched the Koinisalas as they’ve worked toward attaining a home.
"I’ve been observing how earnestly and diligently they’ve been filling the requirements for service," she said. "They’ve continued to do volunteer work beyond the hours required. They really do have good hearts."
Sister Harrington said members of the parish assisted the family along the way by helping them with complicated paperwork.
Reynaldo Kionisala moved to Kodiak in 1989. He has many relatives in Kodiak, and in 1996, he married Eloisa back in the Philippines. She joined him in Kodiak in 2000.
A Habitat for Humanity house is never a "free" home. The Koinisalas will be required to repay a $75,000, principle only, interest-free loan to Habitat.
But without Habitat, home ownership would have been impossible. The 1,100 square foot house, with three bedrooms and one bath, has a market value in Kodiak of $160,000.
The Koinisalas will be making a monthly payment that will be less – and far more affordable on their income — than what they doled out for their one-bedroom apartment.
Father Fred Bugarin, currently pastor at St. Anthony in Anchorage, was the pastor in Kodiak from 1996-2003. He, along with leaders in the parish, pushed to bring Habitat for Humanity to the city.
"It was the first project we took on," recalls the priest. "St. Mary’s was instrumental in starting Habitat."
The priest said housing in Kodiak, with its large immigrant population, is a priority.
"I’ve seen 13 people taking turns sleeping in bunk beds in a two-bedroom apartment."
Father Bugarin’s years in Kodiak saw the parish delve into social justice initiatives. Aided by Dominican Sister Peggy Griffin, no longer in Kodiak, the parish led the push for a community health clinic to serve the uninsured and underinsured.
"The overarching concern was what to do for the immigrants," said Father Bugarin, who is himself a native of the Philippines.
According to St. Mary’s website, the majority of parishioners are Filipino, with a large Hispanic contingent along with other minorities. The majority of the parish is at or below the poverty level.
Others religious sisters, working as community activists with the priest and still serving in Kodiak, are Grey Nuns Sister Diane Bardol, school principal, Sister Carol Bartol, and Sister Harrington. Franciscan Sister Angelina Dutra teaches at the parish school.
The parish’s Marion Center, an immigrant services center, offers classes, provides a commercial kitchen for women wishing to sell their products, and a computer room. ALMA, the association of Latin Women in Alaska, is based at the Marion Center.
The parish partners with Catholic Social Services Refugee Assistance and Immigration Services in addressing immigrant issues. And Marion Center and the parish have supported a growing Filipino women’s group.
Today, Father Nelson Marilag, also a native of the Philippines, is pastor at St. Mary.
He said he is happy for Eloisa and Reynaldo, whom he describes as "very hard working people."
News & Notes
Archbishop appoints new editor for Catholic Anchor
Anchorage Archbishop Roger Schwietz recently appointed Joel Davidson as editor of the Catholic Anchor. The Editorial/Selection Board ran a nationwide search for the position from October through December with several candidates interviewing both locally and over-the-phone. The board made a strong recommendation to appoint Davidson as the new editor.
As a recent convert to the Catholic faith, (Davidson went through the RCIA program in Wasilla in 2004 ) the Editorial board was impressed by his breath and depth of knowledge regarding Catholic beliefs. In a recent notice sent archdiocese staff, the Archbishop noted that during Davidson's time as interim editor, his thoughtfulness, and most importantly, story sense were very impressive. As the publisher of the Anchor, the Archbishop expressed a desire to work closely with Davidson in spreading words of information, inspiration and formation for the people of the Archdiocese of Anchorage and beyond. The Anchor is an extension of the archbishop’s teaching authority. Davidson will have an important role in assisting the archbishop in his responsibility of communicating the Gospel in the archdiocese, not only to Catholics, but also to others who may read the paper.
Sisters of Providence welcome new leader
The Sisters of Providence named Karen Lauby, of Spokane, as the new provincial secretary for the Leadership Team of Mother Joseph Province.
"In the selection process, we recognized Karen’s excellent qualifications for the position of provincial secretary, an understanding and love for our Sisters of Providence mission, and a ‘fit’ with our present team," said Sr. Margaret Botch, SP, Provincial/Leadership Team Coordinator.
Alaine Qualls had held the post of provincial secretary since January 2005. She retired, however, on Jan. 12.
The incoming Lauby has been employed by Providence Health & Services (formerly Providence Services) since 1997, most recently as conference coordinator. Prior to that, she held several positions as secretary and administrative assistant.
Sisters of Providence are Catholic women who respond to the needs of the poor and vulnerable through education, parish ministry, health care, community service and support, housing, prison ministry, pastoral care, spiritual direction and retreats, and foreign missions. Mother Joseph Province encompasses Alaska, Oregon, California, Idaho, Montana, Washington and El Salvador.
Attorneys to study same sex ruling
The Catholic Attorneys Group will meet at noon, Jan. 31, at the Snow Goose Restaurant on 3rd Ave. to discuss state benefits for same-sex partners as ordered by the Alaska Supreme Court. Presenters are Fr. Thomas Brundage, judicial vicar; Kevin Clarkson, attorney for the State of Alaska in ACLU et al v. State; Jim Gorski, attorney for the Alaska Catholic Conference on the amicus brief and former Lt. Gov. Loren Leman. Guests are welcome.
Lunch will be ordered from the menu and paid separately.
World Marriage Day Mass
A World Marriage Day Mass will be celebrated at St. Elizabeth Ann Seaton Parish on Friday, Feb. 2, at 6 p.m. World Marriage Day honors husband and wife as head of the family, the basic unit of society. It salutes the beauty of their faithfulness, sacrifice and joy in daily-married life.
The Mass will be celebrated with Anchorage Archbishop Roger Schwietz, along with Anchorage-area con-celebrating priests and deacons.
St. Elizabeth is located in Anchorage at 2901 E. Huffman Rd.
Prayer service to mark Roe v. Wade
The Sixth Annual Knights of Columbus Interdenominational Prayer Service for the anniversary of Roe v. Wade will be held Saturday, Jan. 27, at the Anchorage Memorial Park Cemetery, 535 East 9th Ave. The service begins at 2 p.m. For more information, contact Jim or Ann Curro, at 907-349-3772.
Archbishop's Column
By accepting her vocation, Mary inspires others to theirs
February 2 marks the feast of the Presentation of the Lord in the Church’s liturgical calendar. This is also considered to be a feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This feast gives us an opportunity to reflect upon the vocation of Mary as Mother of God.
There is a beautiful reflection on the vocation of Mary in a book given to me recently for Christmas by a friend. The book is entitled "Mary in Her Own Words", written by Father Gary Caster, a priest of the diocese of Peoria.
In his reflection, Father Caster comments that because Mary freely chose to embrace the Father’s invitation for her life, his plan for salvation could be fulfilled. God chose to be vulnerable to Mary’s freedom, inviting her to be the mother of his Son.
In saying yes to the Archangel Gabriel, Mary embraces her vocation. But as Father Caster says, Mary’s vocation is the expansion of her being, not its limitation. She chooses to love and to serve God according to the way that God invites her. In doing this, she can rightfully say that God has done great things for her.
The story of Mary’s vocation invites us to consider our own vocation in life. The vocation of each one of us, after all, is merely God’s way of asking us to live out our human fulfillment in the light of God’s particular plan for our life.
As with Mary, God approaches each one of us in the quiet of our hearts, making himself vulnerable to our freedom. Each one of us chooses personally whether or not to listen to the voice of God’s call in our heart. After hearing the voice of God, we also have the opportunity to say yes or no to that call. Whatever our answer, God’s love remains with us.
At the same time, however, the greatest fulfillment in our human longings will take place within the call that each of us receives according to God’s plan for us. This is why it is so important for parents to encourage their children to look carefully at what God may be calling them to in life. Parents who wish the greatest happiness and joy for their children encourage them to not fear what God may have in mind for them.
This feast of the Presentation of the Lord also gives us an opportunity to reflect upon those called to consecrated life. On the Sunday closest to Feb. 2, we pray for an abundance of vocations to consecrated life and the church.
Here in Alaska, we have reason to be truly grateful for the men and women in consecrated life who have been part of the history of the faith in this great Northland. Religious brothers served in various capacities, assisting missionaries. They also served in diocesan ministry.
We are particularly grateful for the many women religious who courageously stepped in where there was need for health care and education. The stories of these great women of the church are an inspiration to all of us. I once again want to thank the many women religious who continue to serve in our archdiocese and its parishes. Their dedication and generosity is an inspiration to me and to many others.
I ask you to continue to pray for them and pray that the Lord may give many more vocations to their communities. I ask families to pray together daily for vocations to consecrated life. Please encourage your sons and daughters to courageously consider whether the Lord is calling them to this vocation.After all, it is in saying yes to the Lord, to whatever life he is calling them to, that they will find their peace. As Father Caster says, "Christianity is not simply living without sin; it is an active and engaged love of God that must express itself as an active, attentive and engaged love of others."
Local Columns
Alaska’s Catholic schools worth celebrating
On Sunday, Jan. 28, 7,589 Catholic Schools across our nation will begin the celebration of Catholic Schools Week 2007, the annual tribute to thousands of educators, students, parents, volunteers and others who make a vital contribution to the quality of life in countless American communities.
This year’s theme, "Catholic Schools: The Good News in Education," is a particularly fitting message as we highlight the Christ-centered foundation and academic excellence offered to over two million children and young people in our 50 states.
The mission of Catholic schools is a unique one because it strives to build community by opening their doors to all who wish to come to a safe, loving environment where relationships between teachers and students develop a great sense of being valued.
Our Catholic schools take great pride in bringing people of all faiths and races together with a special focus on the formation of the whole person so they will be fully committed and prepared to make this world a better place for everyone.
Those engaged in the ministry of Catholic schools are well aware of the honest concerns of Catholic parents for whom tuition for three or more children might be a burden beyond their means. It is true that the spiraling cost of living in our country has a definite impact on tuition rates and the struggle to build a balanced budget each year.
It is equally important to know that there is always a way to meet the individual needs of those who want their children to enjoy the daily development of a strong relationship with God and a faith formation for life. As scripture tells us, "Ask and you shall receive, seek and you shall find, knock and it shall be opened to you." (Matthew 7:7)
What is possibly unknown to many, is the fact that tuition is never set at actual cost per student. This allows Catholic education to be available for more people. A scholarship fund has become a must to assist families who need financial aid and is now a significant line item on every Catholic school budget form.
Parents who choose Catholic schools for their children do recognize the need to make this expense a priority in their financial planning because personal experience has taught them the value of this investment. The blessing of stewardship also teaches us that every Catholic adult is responsible for the education of our children. Gratefully, many make every effort to support this ministry by gracious responses to fundraising events, special collections and generous unsolicited donations. This week, we also celebrate the sacrifices of countless families and friends.
Here in the Archdiocese of Anchorage Lumen Christi High School, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton School and St. Mary’s School on Kodiak Island will provide opportunities for special tributes to all who make their schools possible – parents, pastors, principals, board members, friends and most of all, teachers whose selfless dedication can never be truly measured. On Tuesday, Jan. 30, the two schools in Anchorage will gather at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church for a Eucharistic liturgy with Archbishop Roger Schwietz as celebrant and joined by pastors, Father Tom Lilly and Father Steven Moore. The community of Holy Rosary Academy has received a special invitation to share in this gathering and their student choir will offer a prelude of music previous to the Mass.It is, indeed, a time to celebrate!
‘What is Scouting without God?’
Why is Scout Sunday, Feb. 4, important?
Scout Sunday is a tradition started by the Boy Scouts of America. It serves as an opportunity for Scouts to place into action the first part of the Scout oath: a duty to God. It is also a chance to demonstrate the twelfth point of the Scout law: a Scout is reverent.
The protocol is for Scouts and Scouters (adults) to wear their uniforms to Mass and to get involved in the liturgy in a meaningful way.
As a Scout wears his uniform to Mass, he makes the decision to proclaim something important in his life. He becomes an outward sign, representing the values and traditions of what Scouting stands for and will not compromise.
Loyalty requires conviction (and in some cases a small dose of bravery & encouragement) to visibly stand out at church and in the community.
Some parishes specify a particular Mass to officially recognize Scouts. Others leave it to the Scout to choose. Scouts can serve as greeters, lectors, gift-bearers, take up the collection or usher. This service fits nicely with the Scout motto: "Do a good turn daily".
Other signs of Scout Sunday may include banners and flags, Scouts serving as part of the opening and closing processionals, special handouts distributed by the greeters, and recognition of Scouts who receive religious emblems.
These signs and symbols are part of the celebration. In the Ad Altare Dei religious emblem program, Scouts are challenged to recognize the importance of the signs of faith in their daily life.
The symbolism of the three parts of the Scout sign is contrasted to the three persons of the Holy Trinity. The visible signs and symbols that are commonly used in church and daily life now hold a special meaning.
One of the mementos of Scout Sunday is an attractive commemorative patch. The Archdiocese of Anchorage Catholic Committee on Scouting (ACCOS) has issued this patch for the past eight consecutive years. Talented Scouts designed six of them. It is not an award but a reminder of performing a duty to God on a special day.
So again, why is Scout Sunday important? When asked this question, Troop 367 Green Mt. Boys Sr. Patrol Leader, Zach Shumaker, summarized it concisely at a recent troop meeting: "After all, what is Scouting without God?"This is Scouting’s day to glorify God and remind us all that he is first in a Scout’s life. Help keep the light burning. Invite your parish Scouts and/or encourage your Scout to accept ownership of the tradition of Scout Sunday on Feb 4.
Retrouvaille gives hurting marriages new life
We had done it all, fight, shout, and threaten to leave. We said and had done hateful things — all in front of two wonderful daughters, too young to understand what we were doing and unaware of the consequences we were contemplating. Neither of us wanted to do the unthinkable of splitting up our young family but we were both miserable. In a desperate internet search for a solution we came across Retrouvaille (www.retrouvaille.org).
We asked one another, "What is that?" After further checking and then experiencing Retrouvaille, it literally saved our marriage and our two daughters from having a life with two single parents.
Retrouvaille is a ministry of couples and a priest who work together to help other hurting couples. What that means is, as a couple; you agree to attend a weekend to work on your marriage together. It is usually held at a local hotel. At the weekend there will be a priest and several presenting couples whom have experienced the same pain you may be having and are willing to share their experience. They will explain how they survived the excruciating pain and came to enjoy their marriage again.
During our weekend we endured emotional highs and lows learned about each other, both good and bad, and were introduced to some tools we could use to better communicate and resolve conflicts in a healthy manner.
No hurting marriage can be "fixed" in two days. So at our weekend we were encouraged to attend six post weekend sessions that further explained the topics that we were introduced to. The posts consisted of six four-hour sessions on consecutive weekends. During the posts, we were introduced to a community of couples that had similar experiences, which really helped us to rebuild our marriage.
If any of this sounds familiar, we invite you to attend our next weekend Feb. 9-11. It will begin Friday night around 7 p.m. You can call (800) 470-2230 to pre-register right up to the start of the program on Friday evening. A donation to help cover the costs will be requested but no one will be denied the opportunity to heal their marriage based on their ability to pay.
‘Beauty will save the earth’
Years ago during my senior year at Notre Dame I had the opportunity to enroll in a Russian literature course. In that class we were assigned to read the heavy novel by Fydor Dostoyevsky, The Idiot. I can only vaguely remember the plot and the long Russian names have long since disappeared from my memory. There is one line, however spoken by Prince Myshkin that has left a deep impression on my soul and which I still recall from time to time: Myshkin says: "Beauty will save the earth."
With the exception of artists, writers and musicians, that phrase may sound incomprehensible to most folk. Many might say that generals and armies, bankers and The World Bank have a better chance at saving the earth. How does beauty raise concern for the environment, for the poor, for racial justice, for the right to life, for gender equality? I do not have a simple answer for those questions except to say that the appreciation of beauty will steer us in a direction where we can ask the deeper questions about what drives the world, what stimulates human life in the best sense. People who appreciate beauty will ordinarily be peaceful, gracious, and reflective. They will be willing to enter into a gentle, intelligent conversation rather than engage in raucous argument simply to make a point.
It has been my experience that many Catholics do not often reflect much on beauty in the liturgy. Enough for many is the satisfaction of having "fulfilled one’s duty" on the Lord’s Day.
I have shocked friends of mine on occasion when I have told them that there is no point in coming to Mass if they cannot expect to experience something beautiful. I do not mean simply the smell of incense, the color of vestments or the sound of organ and singing. I do not dismiss those, of course, but I refer rather to the experience of transcendence, that sense of God’s overwhelming "otherness" that happens at a liturgy well done, well participated and appreciated.
I get that sense, for instance in the first scripture reading for this forthcoming Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time: Isaiah the prophet, who himself must have been something of a mystic, describes an experience of God that he had in the temple. He sees God seated on a high and lofty throne; His garments fill the entire sanctuary. Sweet-smelling incense reaches every corner. Angels chant "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts. Then in the midst of this overwhelming and incomprehensible experience he hears God’s call to speak a word of warning to kings and their minions. "Who will go?" says God. "Send me," says Isaiah.
My understanding of that passage is that the call of God that we perceive as our vocation may often happen precisely in the same way when we have had an experience that we could only describe as transcendent.
A similar experience happened to Peter and his friends when, after the immense catch of fish, Jesus invited them to follow a higher calling.
This leads me to believe that "grace is everywhere" for those who are able to sense its presence even in what might seem to be strange places.
Father Andrew Greeley once made a point regarding beauty in the liturgy in an article he wrote for America Magazine: "Sometimes it is said that if God really wanted us to believe, he would speak to us. To which God might well reply that he shouts to us all the time through the beauty that surrounds us." To that I would add that we can hardly go anywhere without being enticed, and inundated by beauty, even in the Church, its liturgy its sacraments, in the assembly that believes and worships. "Grace is everywhere" and it is beauty that helps us discover it.
Editorial
Abortion backers worry about waning support
"The reason I’m here today and the reason I’m doing the work that I’m doing is because I believe in healthy babies, healthy families and healthy women. I think this is what this issue is about and we forget to look at that when we get wrapped up in discussion with the folks outside, with people who don’t think about the health of women."
With those words, Clover Simon, CEO of Planned Parenthood of Alaska, opened the group’s celebration of the 34th anniversary of Roe v. Wade.
Speaking to about 60 people during the Jan. 18th gathering at the Anchorage Museum of History and Art, Simon and other abortion supporters talked about growing "threats" to abortion rights.
Throughout the evening, speakers and presenters addressed the need to win the public’s "imagination" in order to ensure abortion options were not rolled back.
After Simon’s opening remarks, the audience watched a PBS documentary movie, "Frontline: The last abortion clinic," about growing opposition to abortion in Mississippi.
Immediately following the movie, three panelists — an abortion doctor, an ACLU lawyer, and former state representative Ethan Berkowitz — answered audience questions and concerns. People worried about the growing number of pro-life legislative victories across the country, as well as a general public that seems increasingly less supportive of abortion in general.
Some were concerned about crisis pregnancy centers, which attempt to convince women not to have abortions. Others worried that informed consent laws, parental notification laws and partial birth abortion bans all threatened women’s rights.
Twice, Simon referenced the "folks outside" (a gathering of 50 or so pro-life advocates protesting the Planned Parenthood celebration). The pro-life supporters were characterized as part of the problem.
"I wish we would be able to find some kind of common ground where we could have a conversation with the folks that are outside, where we could be working about bettering women’s health instead of fighting about what women should do with their bodies," Simon told the abortion-rights celebrants.
After the movie, Berkowitz cut to the heart of the issue — particularly the growing ranks or abortion backers who turn to the courts to win battles which they are losing in the public arena:
"I would not celebrate courtroom victories as the same as being victorious in the court of public opinion," he said. "I think it is a deficiency on the part of the pro-choice movement as well as a lot of progressive movements is that we’ve relied on the courts for victory instead of going out and winning at the ballot box.
"I saw all those folks from Mississippi talking about all the laws they have passed and each one of those legislators was elected by a constituency that supported them. Part of the reason it happens is because they have framed the debate. Even those of us who are strongly pro-choice, whatever the label might mean, we use terms like partial birth abortion, informed consent, parental consent. Those are good terms. I’m a father. I don’t know how I could be against parental consent — I like that idea. I don’t know how anyone who subscribes to the idea that doctors know what they are doing would have anything against informed consent. And partial birth abortion, that sounds like a dreadful, horrible thing to do. Well, we are not winning the framing war as politicians like to put it. We’re not winning the fight for people’s minds and imaginations."
Berkowitz is right. The abortion debate is certainly about winning minds and imaginations.
Ultimately, it is about accurately framing or describing the kind of world we live in.
Do we live in a world where unborn human life can be brutally torn apart and thrown away simply because some parents don’t think they are prepared to raise a child?
Or do we live in an admittedly broken world — where women become pregnant in difficult situations — but a world, nonetheless where the most vulnerable and dependent human lives still have an unalienable right to live?
The more Americans discuss this issue — the more they wrap their minds and imaginations around what is actually happening — the less justified destroying vulnerable human life seems to be and the more compelling the message gets from the "folks outside."
Letter to the Editor
Christ is truly human, not ‘merely’ human
Here’s a warning flag about Sally Bostwick’s suggestion to publish Fr. Clementich’s columns. Until recently heterodox implications ran through them often, especially that Jesus is a mere man "limited by the same constraints as all other human persons." (Second Sunday of Easter, 2005)
Jesus is not a human person, but the Second Divine Person of the Trinity. He is truly human, not merely human. Furthermore, not even His human nature is subject to the limitations, which are the consequences of original sin. Mary also – though of course she is a human person – is free from the ignorance, concupiscence, etc. we inherit from Adam, because of her Immaculate Conception.
Another thematic error exemplified in the same column is that Jesus is not present "physically, bodily" in the Eucharist. Contrast Mysterium Fidei: "Christ…in His physical reality is bodily present, although not in the same way that bodies are present in a given place."