May 18, 2007 - Issue #10
Local News | Opinion/Editorials | Letters to the Editor
Local News
Legendary nun brought justice and love to Kodiak
Retiring principal leaves lasting legacy
After 37 years, it will take a little adjustment to walk into St. Mary’s School in Kodiak and not see the tireless little nun with the fiery spirit.
Grey Nun of the Sacred Heart Diane Bardol has served at St. Mary Parish in Kodiak since 1970. For most of those years she’s been the legendary principal of St. Mary’s School.
"It feels like I’m leaving home for the second time," said Sister Bardol, who first left home for the convent after growing up as "a snow kid" in Buffalo, New York.
"But I wanted to go while I still could do something else. I wanted to go while I’m still on fire – and I am."
"On fire" is how many people would describe the diminutive educator, whose tiny frame and gentle manner are the deceptive shell for a strong and passionate personality.
"Everything about her is unique," said Kodiak resident Judy Pletnikoff, who has sent her four children to St. Mary’s School for a total of 18 years.
"She’s a dynamo on social justice issues," Pletnikoff added. Not only has she influenced the school, "but she’s given a sense of responsibility to the community of Kodiak — things like how you use your purchasing power at certain stores, which clothes are made at sweat shops."
Educating her students on the bigger world outside their island community has always been a goal of Sister Bardol’s, who thought nothing of taking on the Catholic Education Association when they prominently displayed the logo of a sponsor Sister Bardol knew purchased clothing made in sweatshops.
"She’s absolutely the most trustworthy person in the world. She’s the person everybody confides in. She has tremendous people skills and conflict resolution skills," said Pletnikoff.
Sister Bardol doesn’t quite remember when she first made the connection between her commitment to Christ and her understanding of how important peace and justice issues are to his ministry.
"I just don’t remember when I was bit by the bug," she laughs. "But I probably wasn’t aware of it before 1970."
It was that year that the East Coast girl, who had taught in Queens and at an academy in Philadelphia, landed on the island of Kodiak to discover no pavement and virtually no television.
Although times were better, she said, when the island received little television reception, Sister Bardol concedes that paved roads have been helpful.
"Our ground is mostly volcanic ash, and the leaves look silver when they’re covered with it. We used to dust three times a day when the roads were all dirt," she said.
Sister Bardol was undaunted by any challenges in Kodiak — this was a woman who was used to teaching a class of 61 second graders back in New York, and marshalling 120 First Communicants through their training.
"Kids were different then," she said, but then suggests perhaps it’s the parents who have changed. She can remember the one discipline problem she had with the communicants, and the mother who marched that little "problem" right back to school.
Her new home of Kodiak had long been a mecca for minorities looking for employment in the seafood industry.
"When I first came, the Filipinos were the ‘new people’ in town. Now, they’ve climbed up the socio-economic ladder, and the Hispanic people are here, as well as Asians and other Pacific Islanders. In our church, the minorities are the majority — I love it," she said.
The school has a large minority population also, and that is where Sister Bardol made her biggest impact.
She came to teach in 1970 and became principal in 1972.
"When my two kids come home from college, they always go straight to the convent to see her," said Pletnikoff, who took parenting classes from the school principal.
"She helped me raise my family. She made a huge difference in the lives of kids and that will pass on to other generations."
Sister Bardol has already found two exciting prospects for channeling that "fire" she speaks of. From October through December of this year, she is one of 44 people from around the world selected to participate in the European Center for Peace Studies located in Austria.
"And the icing on the cake is that another of our sisters also applied and was accepted," she said.
Then early next year, if all goes according to plan, she will begin developing and directing courses for a justice and peace program as part of a Master’s program in educational leadership at a Catholic university on the East Coast.
Teaching peace and justice as Christ would teach it, Sister Bardol said, "is a unique factor for Catholic schools. We can do it and we should be able to do it well."
School officials are currently searching for Sister Bardol’s replacement.Several candidates have been interviewed so far but no final decisions were made as of press time.
Dominican priests bid farewell
Dominican Priests Garry Cappleman and Paul Scanlon of Holy Family Cathedral are moving on to other work, after lending their many gifts to a diverse group of Alaskans.
Father Cappleman goes to the University of Washington where he will administer to Catholic college students. Scanlon was elected superior of the Dominican priory in San Francisco, a post he begins June 2. Among other duties, Father Scanlon will oversee new priests entering the order.
Although there’s always sadness in farewells, each priest expressed optimism about this next stage of his vocation.
Father Scanlon will miss parishioners
"I deeply love the parishioners and the Hispanic community I’ve been serving," Scanlon said. He split his time between Holy Family Cathedral and Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in Anchorage for the past six years, with trips once a month to Kodiak.
The Hispanic community he served hail from the tip of South America all the way to Mexico. "They are different from each other, as much so as those of English-speaking countries. I tell them they have enriched this country with their faith and strong families," Father Scanlon said.
St. Dominic’s Catholic Church in San Francisco is a large Gothic cathedral. The parish also is diverse, yet as superior, Father Scanlon’s work will focus more on those entering religious life.
Father Cappleman came to Alaska in June 2003, the same month he was ordained. The former social worker picked Alaska for his first stop after previously working in Anchorage with troubled families as a social worker. "It was a dream come true to come back," he said.
In moving, he leaves behind his first parish, the one that taught him how to be a priest.
Father Cappleman didn’t enter religious life until age 44 and said he was struck by similarities between the priesthood and his former career as a social worker.
"As a social worker I was administering to needs. Many times people kept asking me if I was a priest. Even as a social worker, I had someone want me to do a funeral," he said. "I realized I could also do this as a priest."
In fact, at age 20 Father Cappleman had started down the road to becoming a priest but felt God call him away from that path for a time.
Instead, he finished college and launched a career.
"I felt led in prayer to grow up and face myself or I wouldn’t be the priest I wanted to be. I spent the next 25 years doing just that," he said.
As a social worker he assisted with the terminally ill, abused children and families.
Once becoming a priest, Father Cappleman applied his past experiences to ministering to homeless people who attend Holy Family Cathedral.
Three Dominican priests serve at Holy Family currently: Father Scanlon, Father Cappleman and Father Donald Bramble. Replacing the two out-going priests are two young priests who Father Scanlon helped to train four years ago while working as provincial. John Thomas Mellein and Vincent Kelber will be ordained June 2 and then begin serving at Holy Family Cathedral.
Father Scanlon’s 48-year history as a priest gives him valuable insight. He is the author of "Finding the Elusive God," a book written for the "people in the pews," he said. During a sabbatical in Dutch Harbor, he wrote the book as a practical guide to prayer.
"It’s about how to find a God who often plays hide and seek. People ask ‘where is God now? I have this problem and that problem.’ I tell of my experiences with parishioners encountering these questions in their lives."
Father Scanlon was raised in southern California. He set out to be a missionary priest, which drew him to the Dominicans. Immediately after being ordained, he was sent to the southern-most tip of Mexico, then was sent north.
"In northern Mexico, we had the border issues. We had families who were missing fathers," Father Scanlon said. In Alaska, the opposite problem: fathers missing their families."Father Paul (Scanlon) is a remarkable man of great depth," Father Bramble said. "It’s been interesting to see how many people have read his book, and how that becomes a form of preaching in a very different way."
It is an insight his order has chosen him to now pass along to other priests.
Father Cappleman, who leaves the end of June, will be able to counsel and influence young people at the Newman Center founded at the University of Washington by the Dominicans in 1906. This trains students to pursue their faith and become leaders.
Both out-going priests will be missed, Father Bramble said. He has known Father Scanlon since 1970 when he entered the order.
With Father Cappleman, Father Bramble served also as a "social worker" priest and has known him 11 years.
The incoming priests bring their own gifts, he said. Mellein has served in Anchorage as a student, helping with the Native ministry and Kelber studied in the Philippines.
Though Father Bramble said he will miss his longtime friends, the Dominican order is small, with about 150 priests in the U.S. They remain close-knit even in distance."The joke is that if they sneeze in Mexicalli, we catch a cold in Anchorage," Bramble said.
Alaska Catholics to host climate conference
On Saturday, June 2, 2007, Catholics from around Alaska will convene at the Dimond Center Hotel in Anchorage for a day-long conversation about the role of the Catholic community in addressing moral questions raised by climate change.
The hearing is supported by Alaska Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Catholic Coalition on Climate Change, based in Washington, D.C.
Catholic leaders and experts from fields of science, business, energy, education, theology, government, agriculture, health care, human services, and the media are expected to convene for the event.
The keynote speaker is John Carr, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ secretary for social development and world peace.
Carr has a 25-year involvement in Catholic social ministry, having been executive director of the White House Conference on Family and a regular speaker and writer on the social mission and message of the Catholic Church.
Carr has represented USCCB at the Vatican and in visits to the Middle East, Northern Ireland, Southern Africa, Russia, Central America and Vietnam.
According to Carr, Christian values such as "the virtue of prudence, the pursuit of the common good and the protection of the poor" are important contributions to the climate-change debate, and should be at the heart of policies aimed at addressing global warming.
While consensus among politicians and scientists remain allusive, Carr maintains that the church can still band together divergent groups under its universal umbrella of Christian values. This can be accomplished because the Catholic Church embodies centuries of tradition of calling for "sacrifice, restraint, moderation," promoting the common good and the option for the poor.
After each talk, participants discuss the presentations to explore ways to move forward that reflect Catholic teaching and a concern for those least able to adapt to or mitigate potential negative consequences of climate change.
Delegations from each of Alaska’s three dioceses will be in Anchorage to listen, learn and plan follow-up activities in their area in the coming year.
The hearing is one of several being held in states around the country.For more information, please contact the Archdiocese of Anchorage at (907) 242-0730.
Anchorage church marks second straight year of perpetual adoration
Parishioners at S.E.A.S pray 24/7
In the land of the midnight sun there is a light that perpetually shines, even in the darkest winter night.
The traditional Catholic hymn, "The Exultet," says Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament is "the morning star that never sets…who came back from the dead, and sheds his peaceful light on all mankind."
Anchorage Catholics sit before this spiritual light every hour of the year in the Perpetual Adoration Chapel at Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church.
The monstrance is the vessel designed to display the Eucharist as people pray night and day in the Anchorage church.
Katie Reed is head coordinator for the Apostolate for Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration at the church. Recently, she explained that the monstrance is made in the shape of the sun to "highlight Christ as the Sun of Justice and the Son of God."
Perpetual Adoration, as practiced currently, was officially established with the Forty Hours devotion in 1594. Adoration, however, is as old as the Church herself.
"The first and perfect adorer is the Blessed Virgin Mary," Reed explained. "She is the Mother of the Eucharist."
Perpetual Adoration was established at Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton on May 29, 2005 — the Feast of Corpus Christi — with the support of Father Craig Loecker, then pastor of the church. The current pastor, Father Tom Lilly, has sustained it. "In hundreds of different ways God is reaching out, strengthening our people, our families," said Father Lilly. "How profoundly God is working in their lives."
In Pope John Paul II’s encyclical "Ecclesia De Eucharistia" he writes that "the gaze of the church is constantly turned to her Lord present in the Sacrament of the Altar, in which she discovers the full manifestation of his boundless love.""If every Catholic Church in Anchorage offered perpetual adoration we would truly have communion among all the faithful in all of the parishes," said Catherine Neumayr, a Catholic school teacher and regular adorer at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton. "That is what Catholic community is really about. It is through our devotion to Our Lord in the Eucharist that we are made one. People think that if you make a perpetual adoration chapel in your church that it will be difficult to find adorers but the exact opposite is true. Build it and they will come."
Neumayr said she regularly attends holy hour at 1 a.m. on Friday nights.
"Last time I went, there were seven people in the chapel praying," she said. "Unexpected visitors are always welcome."
Reed said it’s never been difficult to find people to come to adoration.
"Jesus knows who he wants to see and he would love to see everyone," she said. "A visit with Our Lord in the chapel accommodates both those with a lot of time and those with less time to spend."
According to Reed, the church currently has 309 scheduled adorers, 39 scheduled substitutes, and "a very large unknown number of un-registered adorers."
Theresa Ellis is one of those unscheduled adorers at the church.
"I just drop in sometimes," she said. "We are called to know, love and serve God and how do you get to know someone without spending time with them? The more you know someone the more you will love them and be willing to serve them. Just like when you surround yourself with good people so you can become like them."
The Catholic Church is full of saints who practiced eucharistic adoration.
St. Therese of Liseux, Doctor of the Church once said, "Do you realize Jesus is there in the tabernacle expressly for you-you alone? He burns with the desire to come into your heart…"
Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Church welcomes people to spend time before the Blessed Sacrament in the Pope John Paul Chapel any time day or night. For more information on how to start perpetual eucharistic adoration in a local parish, contact Katie Reed at 348-7300.
Annual Appeal aids bush pilot priests who fly to minister their flocks
Taking sacraments to remote areas costly
What would happen, Father LeRoy Clementich wonders, if the folks at a parish like St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in South Anchorage arrived for Mass one Sunday to find that they were having a liturgy of the Word with Communion service instead?
They would feel shocked and deprived, no doubt.
And yet, said the Holy Cross priest who serves as director of rural pastoral support, that deprivation is reality much of the time for many Catholics in the Archdiocese of Anchorage’s rural parishes and missions.
To bring the celebration of the Mass and the presence of a priest to all Catholics throughout the archdiocese, at least some of the time, is a big and very costly undertaking, and it’s why part of Archbishop Roger Schwietz’ annual appeal is directed to rural ministry.
When do Catholics in the remote villages around Dillingham and King Salmon see a Catholic priest?
"Whenever I go there," laughs Father Scott Garrett. "If I don’t make contact with them, they probably don’t see a priest."
Father Garrett, who has served the area for two years, has learned to fly and is finishing instrument training that will make him more available to the most remote of his flock.
There are several villages within an hour and a half radius — by air — from Dillingham where Father Garrett is stationed at Holy Rosary Parish. Father Garrett tries to reach the handful of Catholics in each at some point in the year.
"There’s one place I haven’t been yet, with one family. I see the family occasionally in King Salmon, but they are further down the chain and my skill level (at flying) isn’t there yet."
Father Garrett said the cost of maintaining his plane, plus the cost of heating fuel for his church – about $1,000 to $1,500 a month in the winter – makes the subsidy he receives from the archdiocese a necessity.
Priests who work "on the circuit" can sometimes drive to the parishes they serve, like those on the Kenai Peninsula. But many parishes can only be reached by air, like St. Christopher by the Sea in Unalaska, where a round trip ticket for a priest from Anchorage costs in the neighborhood of $800.
The Archdiocese of Anchorage covers 138,985 square miles and encompasses an area larger than the six states in New England and New York combined. Of the 29 parishes in the archdiocese, 21 are located outside Anchorage, most are in rural areas.
Although 29% of the annual appeal was used for rural ministry last year, the archdiocese has help from other sources as well. Catholic Church Extension Society, a national organization serving America’s home missions, has been generous with the archdiocese, and the U.S. Bishops’ Committee on Home Missions has also contributed several thousand dollars yearly.
"That money (the appeal and other contributions) has made it possible for people to have a priest at times," Father Clementich said. "It’s very hard to follow people out as far as they go in this state."
Teens sleep on the streets
One night in cardboard boxes drives home catechesis
On a sunny April evening when most 13-year-old boys would probably rather ride bicycles or play baseball, Tommy Morgan stood outside Holy Family Cathedral in downtown Anchorage, sizing up a cardboard refrigerator box.
"I’m connecting these boxes together so more than one person can fit in this box," he explained.
Morgan was one of a group of Holy Family seventh and eighth graders who spent the night in downtown Anchorage, camped outside the cathedral in a "solidarity sleepout" to raise awareness of homelessness.
The evening was the culminating event of a year-long Catholic catechesis program that was centered around justice for the disadvantaged.
"Our whole year has been focused on social teachings, particularly poverty and homelessness," Tommy’s dad, catechist Mike Morgan, said. "The kids started the year thinking that people were homeless because it was their fault — they were drunks, drug addicts, (and it was) their choice they didn’t get a job."
Over the course of the school year, students learned about the realities of homelessness through guided activities, discussions and guest speakers from agencies such as Covenant House. The more the students learned, the more their perceptions of the homeless changed. That led to a bigger question: How could they help?
That was where the kids’ plan to sleep outside was hatched. The plan was to set up a "homeless encampment" outside the cathedral so students could experience a night on the streets.
On the last Saturday afternoon in April, students began trickling in for the campout, hauling over cardboard boxes from the church parking lot and using box cutters and sidewalk chalk to personalize their shelters.
"Hopefully by tomorrow morning they’ll have a different view," Morgan said. "Right now they think it’s all fun."
By eight o’clock the next morning, the students were a little more subdued. Temperatures dropped to 28 degrees overnight, and no one got more than a few hours’ sleep.
"(It was) cold," Tommy Morgan said. "I didn’t know, actually, it got that cold. It was freezing." Spending the night shivering in his sleeping bag helped him see what it might really be like to be homeless, he added.
On the other hand, Tommy’s classmate Yegor Christman didn’t have much to say about the cold.
"The night was – it was really wonderful and peaceful," Christman said, although he added that the neighborhood was pretty noisy at night, and completely different from sleeping at home.
"It’s like I moved, and my mom didn’t," Christman said. "You don’t have that much … to do, just mainly sleep."
The makeshift encampment’s outdoor fireplace attracted a number of visitors from Anchorage’s actual homeless population, and the adult chaperones welcomed them to the fireside.
"We sat down and we talked with them," Mike Morgan said. "They really appreciated having the fire." When the kids woke up in the morning, some of their homeless visitors teased them about their sleepout.
"They said, ‘now you know how we feel,’" Mike Morgan said.
Patrick Crittenden, 13, took advantage of the opportunity to talk to one of the homeless men gathered outside the cathedral in the morning, and was impressed by the man’s answer to one of his questions.
"I asked him if he could have one thing (what it would be)," Crittenden said. "(He said) it would be the Father in heaven in his heart."
Crittenden added that, even as he tried to experience what it might be like to be homeless, he was aware that he had advantages that real homeless people don’t.
"If I was to be homeless, I would be lucky if I had a refrigerator box," Crittenden said. "They don’t have the luxuries that we had. They’re lucky if they even have a backpack and clothes on their back. They are in jeopardy of possibly getting robbed, beat up, mugged."
Crittenden, who is considering someday entering the priesthood, said the sleepout confirmed what he’d learned in Sunday school this year about life on the street."People don’t do that for fun," he said, glancing around the cathedral’s basement, where his classmates stood in line with a group of homeless men, as they waited for the Knights of Columbus to serve a pancake breakfast. "It’s not fun. It’s basically the devil’s place on earth."
Youth Conference expects a crowd
Popular acts back for 2007
There’s nothing to do around here!
It’s a familiar phrase parents hear come summer time. What about an Alaskan pilgrimage that brings hundreds of people from around the state to Anchorage for a chance to have fun, meet new people in a vibrant and authentically Catholic environment?
That is the goal of the Alaskan Catholic Youth Conference, as organizers put the finishing touches on this year’s event, set to take place June 4-7 at Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Church. More than 300 youth from around the state are expected to participate in this year’s retreat.
"I’ve been (to ACYC) the last three years and I can’t wait for it this year," 16-year-old Chris Waetjen told the Anchor. "Everyone I’ve talked to says they’re interested in going."
ACYC is a chance for young Alaskans to have a pilgrimage experience, converging in Anchorage for four days of a retreat-like atmosphere that combines liturgy, spiritual workshops, service projects and social activities. It started out as an option for the years opposite of when World Youth Day was held, but it proved to be such a success that Archbishop Roger Schwietz asked that it be held every year.
This year’s theme is, "Who do you say that I am (Mt. 16:15)?" It’s a theme built around a letter written by the Pope Benedict XVI last year on the feast of Saint Peter the Apostle. In it, the Holy Father urges people to grow in their faith by becoming familiar with Christ through the Bible, using it "as a compass for pointing out which road to follow."
Among this year’s guest speakers are a number of religious priests, brothers and sisters. One youth favorite, Brother John Mary Ignatius from the Brothers of Saint John, is making the return all the way back from Belgium. Christy Cunningham, an eleventh grader at Dimond High School remembers Brother John well.
"He was very approachable," Cunningham said. "I remember a talk he did on dating, and he wasn’t afraid to approach the issues or (shy away) from the truth."
Other speakers and guests this year include Bob Bartlett and sisters from the Dominican Sisters of Nashville, Tennessee, a vibrant order that’s growing faster than the order can house them.
One of the popular events at ACYC is the music concert. Returning to perform at this year’s event is Jesse Manibusan, a popular Catholic musician. This fun-loving storyteller is making a return trip to ACYC along with up-and-coming musician Sarah Bauer, who was also at last year’s event. Both are well known Catholic musicians with a talent for putting the gospel message to music in a way that captures the attention of youth. Eighth grader Mara Biegal says she’s looking forward most to the concert, especially listening to Bauer.
"‘Mary’s got my Back’ was my favorite song," Biegal said, referring to one of Bauer’s most popular hits about the Blessed Virgin. "I’d encourage anyone to go because it makes you interested in what you believe (plus) you can meet a lot of new people!"
And for those youth who are still a bit skeptical about spending some of their hard-earned summer vacation time, Bob McMorrow, youth minister at Saint Benedict’s, has some words of wisdom.
"The fish will be here all summer, work will be here all summer," McMorrow said. "But ACYC is here for just about four days and it is definitely a potential highlight for the summer."
Registration for the ACYC is $85 dollars. For more information, and registration packets, go on-line at the Archdiocesan website at: http://www.archdioceseofanchorage.org/living/formation/youth-acyc.html.
News & Notes
St. Thomas More Society founded
The Anchorage Archdiocese finally has it’s own St. Thomas More Society. A group of lawyers gathered on the first Thursday in May for the society’s first Anchorage meeting. The group is open to any person of faith who has a law degree, either civil law or canon law. They meet every first Thursday of the month (except July), 7:30-9 a.m., at the Pastoral Center 225 Cordova St., in Anchorage. Meetings begin with a Mass at 7:30 am in the chapel and a continental breakfast follows with discussions from 8 to 9 a.m. on matters connecting the practice of law and the practice of faith. The next meeting is Thursday, June 7, at 7:30 am and will be hosted by Anchorage Archbishop Roger Schwietz. For more information, contact Fr. Thomas Brundage at (907-297-7728) or email Fr.Tom.Brundage@caa-ak.org.
Fr. Garrett earns flight credentials
Father Scott Garrett flies to remote churches, missions and individual homes along the upper Aleutian Islands to bring sacraments to Catholics in the most outlying areas of the Anchorage Archdiocese. This month, he passed the written test for instrument rating from the Federal Aviation Administration.
He expects to complete the in-flight test within a few weeks.
In an email to the Anchor, Father Garrett said the new training gives him skills to land if caught in bad weather.
"The weather changes so rapidly in Bristol Bay that it is common to get caught in the clouds," he said. "The instrument rating will allow me to fly in the clouds and get safely to the ground by using the instruments in the cockpit and the navigational systems at the air strips…"
Father Garrett flies a Piper Warrior II, low wing, single engine, 160 horse power, aircraft.
Anchor wins press awards
The Catholic Anchor continued what has become an annual spring tradition by taking home two more awards from the Alaska Press Club, a statewide organization of Alaska journalists. This year, Anchor editor Joel Davidson won third place in the "Best Columnist" category, while competing against the largest newspapers in the state.
Contest judge Nicole Brodeur, a Seattle Times columnist, commented on Davidson’s award.
"Warm voice, excellent structure," she wrote. "The column invites all readers to what could be a ‘Catholics only’ space. Everyone can get something from the subjects that Davidson tackles in an engaging, to-a-person style."
The Anchor also received an award for work done by Gianna Ridgeway, who took second place for "Best page layout and design" in the small newspaper category.
Ridgeway won for her layout of an Anchor story on the construction of the new St. Andrew Church.
"The designer took advantage of informative, graphically simple and appealing photographs to build a page that in its simplicity echoes the subject matter," wrote the judges.
Finkler to assist Pastoral Plan
Jerry Finkler was recently hired by the Anchorage Archdiocese to join a new ministry support team that aims to support parishes, schools and other church agencies in their ongoing efforts to implement the 2007-12 Pastoral Plan.
Most recently, Finkler worked as pastoral associate at St. Andrew Church in Eagle River. Before that, he served as diocesan director of religious education for the Fairbanks Diocese.
Finkler told the Anchor he looks forward to building relationships and serving the needs of pastoral leaders as they develop life-long faith formation programs, youth and young adult ministries and ministry formation programs that relate to the goals of the Pastoral Plan.
Archbishop's Column
Catholic schooling requires dedication, sacrifice
There are a number of happenings in our archdiocese these days that turn our thoughts to a vital ministry of the church — Catholic education.
This fall, the first ever Catholic school in the Mat-Su area (Our Lady of the Valley School) will open in the Mat-Su area. The dream for this school is not new, but the arrival of the Adrian Dominicans, and specifically Sister Ann Fallon less than 18 months ago, directed the process of establishing the school.
As a consultant to me for Catholic education, she guided the energies of parishioners in the Valley to the point where we blessed the facility for the new school a couple of weeks ago.
Catholic education also comes to mind because we just celebrated the life and ministry of Sister Diane Bardol, a member of the Grey Nun community that has served Catholics in Kodiak and in Alaska generously for generations. In Kodiak, we celebrated Sr. Diane’s 37 years of service to the community as principal of St. Mary School and in other capacities.
Sr. Diane is leaving Alaska to work in other ministries within her congregation. On the occasion of her retirement as principal, I quoted the mission statement chosen for Our Lady of the Valley School: "to teach as Jesus did." That phrase contains a wealth of information as well as challenges for all.
It speaks of: fidelity to God’s law, as Jesus so vividly proclaimed it; excellence in education, both in content and in process, as is so evident in the examples of Jesus’ teaching in the gospels; community creation, as Jesus formed a community of disciples around himself.
How desperately our world needs people who sense a common good and have mutual respect for each other in order that we might learn to live in peace.
The mission statement also speaks of human dignity, where people, young and old respect each person as a God-given gift of immense value, no matter what they do. Combined with a sense of awesome value for human life, our youth can help change our world into the beginnings of God’s Kingdom.
Parents and parish communities are also challenged to realize that sacrifice is part of the life we received in following Christ.
Catholic schools are possible only with the sacrifice of parents and parish communities. Read the Acts of the Apostles (as we have done during this Easter Season) and recognize the ways in which the early followers of Jesus recognized the value of the cross and how it touched their lives. They saw it as a genuine privilege to share in the cross of Jesus Christ.
So too, our Catholic schools require a sacrifice on the part of all — no exceptions. Other optional (our ubiquitous Alaska toys) and obligatory (extended family support, etc.) demands for our resources are not an excuse for not dedicating at least some of our resources to the needs of the Catholic school.
God has led us to an exciting time in the history of our archdiocese. We are on the verge of creating a highly professional and effective Catholic school system. May God help each of us accept our part in making this adventure successful.
The writer is the archbishop of the Anchorage Archdiocese.
Columns
Just like young David, all our might really comes from God
One of my favorite stories in the Old Testament is the one where David, the ruddy youth, defeats the towering Philistine giant, Goliath. We all love underdog stories, but this one reveals a totally unconventional approach to life at the time.
The Bible tells us that David was at home in Bethlehem tending his father’s flock while his older brothers were out fighting the Philistines with King Saul.
One day David’s father, Jesse, sends him to the frontlines with a care package for the brothers and their commander.
When David arrives he hears the rumors of this defiant giant, Goliath, challenging the army of Israel, and utters one of the greatest lines in the Bible, "Who is this uncircumcised Philistine anyway, that he disgraces the battalions of the living God?"
Perhaps only the young could say and mean a thing like that. David’s brothers were nonplussed and chastised him for rubber-necking at the battlefield. David did not explain to his brothers that he was confounded and scandalized by his people’s refusal to believe the promises of their Lord. Instead, he told King Saul that he would defeat this scoundrel, wilderness style. That is, with a rock and a sling.
David’s experiences in the wilderness had imbued him with a clear understanding of his relationship with the Lord, specifically with regards to who he was and who the Lord is. As a shepherd, he had fought the lion and the bear and had learned where his abilities ended and the Lord’s began. Every Alaskan who has been near a bear in its natural setting can vouch for the power these beasts display. David had no misconceptions about his own abilities against the raw power of a creature that kills every day. In that holy moment of self recognition the Lord delivered him every time. So, to David, this giant standing before him mocking the army of the Lord would have to deal with God Himself. All David had to do was stand firm. In some ways, David’s scenario with Goliath reminds me of the sacrament of reconciliation; an honest moment of self appraisal followed swiftly by the Lord’s action.
By contrast, the Jewish army on the front line had forgotten that they were the same frail beings that had been rescued by the Lord countless times over the centuries. They stood against the army of the Philistines and believed things about numbers, size, and weaponry. They had also forgotten who their Lord was and how, for example, in the days of the judges he had told Gideon to reduce his army from 20,000 down to 300 in order to show his power. The Israelites were relying on the strength of their arm and they were rightly afraid.
In the end David defeats Goliath and we all cheer, but as with many great acts of the Old Testament, the action is a pre-figuring of Christ.
Like David, the Lord too comes to us from Bethlehem to our battlefield, reminding us who he is and who we are and what can occur when we acknowledge the difference.
The writer teaches church history at St. Andrew Church in Eagle River.
Catholic Church is ‘here comes everybody’
The word in ecclesiastical circles is that John Allen, that sprightly young journalist who writes "The Word From Rome" column for the National Catholic Reporter, is completing a book on the future of the Church in America. I look forward to what John Allen writes because he admits that he has the ear of many "insiders" at the Vatican. Be that as it may, John is also an American, and he seems also to have a canny sense of the American Church.
One of the things he is saying is that the American Church is rapidly changing; I believe he called it "browning." What was once almost exclusively an American Anglo European Church is now rapidly becoming a cultural Church of color. Because of many different social and demographic reasons, folks from Mexico, Central and South America as well as the people of the Pacific Islands are making their way to this country and, of course, to our churches. All to the good, I say, because they have so much to bring us, their culture, their customs, their stories and particularly their happiness in being here. So, I am eagerly awaiting John Allen’s book to see what the future holds for the Church in America.
What is so special about this movement of peoples along with their faith? Nothing, actually. It’s a perfectly normal phenomenon. It James Joyce who wrote in his novel "Finnegan’s Wake" that, "Catholic means here comes everybody."
That, in fact, might be a good definition of the Catholic Church, a church that welcomes everybody. In fact that church has been welcoming everybody since the day Jesus preached to five thousand on a Palestinian hillside. It’s been going on since Peter and the early disciples tried to figure out, not without some controversy, how to welcome non-Jewish people into the early Christian community. We have obviously gotten over that problem. But other problems persist: How does a predominantly Anglo culture adapt itself in such a way that it can inculturate (welcome) such folks and become a richer church in the process? It has not always been a simple process. American Catholic history can speak of cities with four different "ethnic" churches on four different corners of the same block. Today pastors and liturgists puzzle over the question of how we can celebrate the same Roman liturgy when people of, say, five different language groups are sitting together in the pews. No small problem.
Nonetheless on the day we celebrate the feast of Pentecost, the feast of many tongues, many cultures, it is a question we need to address, not as a problem but as an opportunity which will enrich our Church.
Variety, in whatever form it takes, always brings with it a certain pluriform richness, an opportunity to deepen and broaden our sense of what it truly means to be Christian and Catholic.
We also need to be constantly battling that stale old notion that says "Hey, we were here first, we built this church. It belongs to us, don’t mess it up." As in so many other areas of our life, we are often threatened by change, by the loss of what we hold sacred or by what we imagine belongs personally to us. So, perhaps this is not purely a religious question.
No matter how long it takes, we may need to continue getting used to change, to the fact that some other folks whom we do not even know have a longing to be with us in this church. To them I say: "Come as you are; bring your faith, your language, your culture, your cooking your laughter, your dancing. There’s room for everybody."
The writer is archdiocesan director of Pastoral Education. He also serves as canonical pastor and coordinator of parishes without resident pastors.
Liturgy of the Hours – an untold treasure of prayer
Editor’s note: This column is part one in a series that explores one man’s journey in praying the Liturgy of the Hours.
Christ commanded us to "Pray without ceasing" and as a cradle Catholic, I was familiar with a Jesuit mantra that sought to live that command — that every moment, every activity, every thought should be for the glory of God. However, my daily life limited my understanding of this concept to quaint, empty words.
Thanks to God’s grace and the efforts of my guardian angel, at the age of 25, my daily life began to undergo a change that would lead me to understand that Christ’s words could be lived with his grace, in a manner as St. Ignatius taught, through the assistance of the Liturgy of the Hours.
Two events in particular served as catalysts in my change. The first, occurred in the mid-1990s. While brushing my teeth, a realization stung me; I spent more time each day caring for my teeth than I did caring for my spiritual health! Aware that we are creatures of habit who long for consistency and routines, I decided to begin praying when I woke and before going to bed. This simple schedule set in motion a gradual growth in the discipline of prayer that would build the perseverance necessary for the Liturgy of the Hours. However, it is likely I would have never turned to the Liturgy of the Hours had the second event not occurred.
Despite being Catholic my entire life, I neither understood nor appreciated my faith. In 1995, my parish asked my wife and me to assist leading a new teen religious education program. As the poster child for introverts and as one uncertain about his own faith, the reality of standing in front of 70 teens and instructing them on matters of the faith terrified me. As my mind raced through excuses, my wife answered with a simple "yes" that committed us and forced me to come to grips with my faith. This crisis generated an equally intense study of the faith that resulted in an ever-deepening love for the Church. Through my studies, I found within the Church enough rational and experiential certitude to trust her completely in all matters of faith and morals. This, in turn, gave me the desire to turn faith into practice and provided me with the resources to learn how to do it effectively.
In my attempts to live the faith that I now loved, I quickly discovered the necessity of a deep prayer life. Turning to the Church and her all stars - the saints - I listened and gained wisdom on prayer. Beginning with the Catechism of the Catholic Church, I learned that the Mass is the Source and Summit of Christian life (CCC para 1324) and that a prayer called the Liturgy of the Hours extends the Mass by enabling the Mass to permeate the time of each day. Furthermore, I read how this same prayer, the Liturgy of the Hours, "is intended to become the prayer of the whole People of God" (CCC para 1175). Upon further study, I discovered that St. Francis of Assisi was such a fan of the Liturgy of the Hours that he compiled what is possibly the Church’s first version of the great prayer for the laity. I could think of no better prayer to perform, or more appropriately, enter, than one that unites and is performed by the entire Church and an extension of the Mass. In regards to adding more prayer to my day, I followed Blessed Mother Teresa, who said, "If you want to pray better, you must pray more". The choice became clear to me, just as it was for the Church who mandates in canon law that all ordained clergy daily pray the Liturgy of the Hours. Now the question became, what are the Liturgy of the Hours and how does one pray them?
The writer is a parishioner at St. Michael Church in Palmer, Alaska, where he teaches a bible timeline class. Part two in this series will appear in the next edition of the Catholic Anchor.
Celebrating Mass: Personal preparation is key to entering the mystery
Editor’s note: This is part one in a series that guides readers through the meaning and significance of the Catholic Mass. The articles are written by Father Leo Walsh, pastor of St. Andrew Church in Eagle River.
I often say that "Mass is my life!" It’s true, but experiencing the power of the Mass is no accident. It takes time, preparation and a good understanding of what the Mass is and what leads to fruitful worship. My hope is that this series of articles will help you to enter more deeply into the Sacred Mysteries that we celebrate each weekend. This week we concentrate on how to get ready for Mass.
So when does Mass begin? When the music starts? When the celebrant walks through the door? Nope! One could say that the celebration for one Sunday begins to take shape as soon as we leave Mass the week before. The joys, the triumphs, the challenges, even the tragedies of everyday life — these are the things we will bring with us to Mass on Sunday and offer to God.
Daily prayer as an individual and as a household is a major element in preparing for Mass. I tell my people that if you cannot find ten minutes a day for private prayer with our Lord, then your life is out of control and you need to make adjustments. I know a mother of six who prays in the shower. It’s the only private time she gets sometimes. Family or household prayer is also important. Take time to pray together — to thank God for blessings received and for wisdom and grace in the challenges. The church exists first at home. If prayer occurs at home, then there is no end to the grace that can flow from the Mass. Without prayer, however, the Sunday celebration will feel lacking.
Finally, as the weekend draws near, get ready in earnest. Review the Sunday readings, and pray with them for awhile. These are available at: http://www.usccb.org/nab/index.shtml. Next, decide who or what your intention for this Mass will be. Who needs the spiritual sacrifices you will offer? A friend? A relative? A stranger? Third, show up hungry in body and spirit by observing the Communion fast. If your health allows you should not eat at least one hour before receiving Communion. Fourth, whether you give conventionally or electronically, deliberately prepare your gift or envelope beforehand. Finally, don’t forget that attending Mass is the most important thing you will do this week. So dress appropriately. Arrive early enough to prepare yourself, remove your coat and kneel or sit quietly for a few moments and look around for anyone who might need your prayers.It is time. All is prepared. The guests are arriving. The celebration is about to begin.
JP II’s call to youth: Become saints of the New Millennium
"My dear young friends." This heartfelt statement — full of love — is how the late Pope John Paul II greeted young people of the world.
Among the many accomplishments of this great man, one that always stands out is how he reached out to youth. When he spoke, young men and women crowded in to learn, be inspired, and to be led towards paths of holiness.
More than a man of words, Pope John Paul II was also a man of action who showed us how to live what he taught. The challenge from the beginning of his ministry as pope was "be not afraid." Then time and again he showed us how to have courage.
After nearly dying when an assassin shot him during a papal audience, the pope did not shy away from being with the people. Returning to the crowds must have been difficult, yet, instead of hiding behind the walls of the Vatican, he again said to God with courage "not my will but yours be done."
In his speech to World Youth Day pilgrims in Denver, he said "This is no time to be ashamed of the Gospel. It is the time to preach it from the rooftops."
He then showed us how to preach by criss-crossing the world delivering over 20,000 public addresses during the course of his 26-year pontificate.
There are many in the church who claim John Paul II will someday be a saint and a doctor of the church, and perhaps, as he has already been called by some bishops, he will be known as "John Paul the Great". If this is true, then it would be a tragedy to forget his challenge to live the Gospel, train to be holy and become saints of the New Millennium.
All of us in the Anchorage Archdiocese would benefit greatly by continuing to sit at the feet of this inspired pope to soak in his wisdom and immerse ourselves in his teachings.
When I was invited to write this youth column, I spent a lot of time pondering what to say. Then I realized that the most useful thing I can do is to delve into the many works that Pope John Paul II has left our young people. I have often found that anything I want to say to young people was said much better by Pope John Paul II. I am no expert, so this column will be a journey we take together. I hope to not only unwrap the wisdom that this great pope left for young people, but to also begin to live it and be inspired to respond to the greatest call that he left behind — to become the saints of the New Millennium.
The writer is a member of the Anchorage Archdiocese Youth Evangelization Team.
Annual Appeal gallops out of the gate
With the recent running of the 133rd Kentucky Derby, it’s hard to resist horse-racing analogies to describe the great start of this year’s "One Bread, One Body Annual Appeal". This year’s archdiocesan-wide effort to help fund ministries that serve children, youth and adults across the state appears to be a front-runner (a horse whose running style is to get on or near the lead at the start of a race and stay there as long as possible).
More than $151,000 was pledged as of April 8 to support archdiocesan ministries, a significant increase over the $50,729 pledged at that point in the appeal last year. Participation by parishioners to date also is all-out (a horse who is trying to the best of his ability): 3.9 percent of the 9,527 registered Alaska Catholic families already have made a commitment to the appeal, compared with 1.4 percent at the same time in 2006.
The overall goals for this year’s Annual Appeal are to raise $675,000 to support archdiocesan ministries and increase the parishioner participation rate from last-year’s 17 percent to 25 percent. A number of parishes set additional dollar goals totaling $160,527 to help fund parish-based programs and projects.It’s still early in the race and not too late for you to join the field. Please use one of the personalized pledge cards included in the letters you received from Anchorage Archbishop Roger Schwietz and your pastor, or a pledge card provided during Masses at your parish to make this year’s One Bread, One Body Annual Appeal a winner.
Editorials
Catholics offer different approach to global warming
In a couple weeks, Alaskans have the opportunity to join the universal Catholic Church in exploring how human beings should address the issue of climate change and global warming. Many of the recent national and international discussions on global warming have failed affirm that Creation is for humankind and humans are for God.
As Catholics, we must avoid the error of placing Creation higher than humans. But we must also not reduce Creation to mere putty for man to manipulate however he sees fit.
Cardinal Renato Marino, president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, recently argued that the human person has "arguable superiority" over creation and cannot be placed on the same level as other created beings.
He issued these words at a Vatican climate change conference earlier this month, where he also argued that it would be a mistake to consider the human presence as disturbing the natural ecological state of earth.
Human beings have a moral responsibility to care for the earth because it is our gift from God. This fundamental truth is often skewed, however, when we talk of saving the earth without acknowledging that it is for humans. Catholics have an obligation to the earth because we have an obligation to God and our fellow man. This means we must develop the earth by paying attention to the welfare of coming generations, cultural and geographical history and the wellbeing of the poor.
Cardinal Martino warned of modern forms of environmentalism that lose sight of man and seek expand abortion and sterilization as viable ways to save the earth.
This ideology flips the earth on its head and leaves open the possibility that it is better for some people to die in order to save the earth.
This is not stewardship but idolatry. The upcoming climate change conference in Anchorage (June 2) is a chance for Catholics to strongly affirm both man’s place in creation and his moral duty to care for it.
Plan B is too risky for human life
A letter appears in this issue of the Anchor that raises some difficult questions.
Margaret Volz’s letter, "Plan B should be an option in some cases," argues that women who are victimized by rape or incest should have access to emergency contraception such as Plan B. Volz cites a 2001 document by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops called Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Services, Fourth Edition.
In this document, the bishops teach the following:
"A female who has been raped should be able to defend herself against a potential conception from the sexual assault. If after appropriate testing, there is no evidence that conception has occurred already, she may be treated with medications that would prevent ovulation, sperm capacitation or fertilization."
The bishops then add this important qualification to their statement: "It is not permissible, however, to initiate or to recommend treatments that have as their purpose or direct effect the removal, destruction, or interference with the implantation of a fertilized ovum."
Pope John Paul II, in his 1987 encyclical, Motherhood of the Redeemer, condemns "the long and degrading history…of violence against women in the area of sexuality." The late pontiff went on to say that we must condemn and combat sexual violence.
Rape and incest are the most violent attacks against a woman’s life and Catholics certainly have a moral duty to respond to these grave assaults to human dignity.
Plan B is a drug that can prevent pregnancy if taken within 72 hours of sexual intercourse. Unfortunately, Plan B can also cause early abortions. Medical evidence which is accepted by the largest association of Catholic doctors in the United States (The Catholic Medical Association) demonstrates that pregnancy tests cannot accurately detect a pregnancy at fertilization but only after a fertilized egg implants in the womb.
For this reason, the medical association has refused to endorse Plan B because of risk that it may unintentionally lead to the destruction of a human life inside the womb.
Catholic teaching consistently affirms that human life begins at the moment of conception.
The motivation to keep a victim from becoming pregnant from a sexual assault is noble and praiseworthy. Sexual assault victims need our spiritual and material support.
Unfortunately, a drug like Plan B, which attempts to prevent a pregnancy but has the known potential to kill unborn human life, is inconsistent with Catholic teaching about the infinite value of human life in its earliest stages.
Satan and hell are talk of the town
In an age when references to hell and Satan are reserved for joke punch lines and cartoon episodes, it was impressive to see more than 200 people pack the Snow Goose Restaurant May 10 for a Theology on Tap presentation by Dr. Peter Kreeft.
Anchorage Archbishop Roger Schwietz joined fellow clergy, teachers, business professionals, college students and people from all walks of life to listen to Kreeft address the reality of Satan and hell in modern life.
Unlike many philosophers and academics who attempt to dilute Satan into a psychological figment of the imagination, Kreeft took the actual reality of the fallen angel seriously. For an hour-and-a-half Kreeft touched on mankind’s free will, original sin, Satan’s relentless effort to destroy Christ’s redemptive work, and the spiritual life that humans must devote themselves to in order to resist temptations that aim to destroy our eternal life with God.
Discussion after the talk was lively and animated – proving once again that Christians are drawn to the sharp edges of truth, where great demands cut to the very core of our spiritual walk.
Catholics will only benefit from this kind of clear-eyed exploration of the spiritual struggle on earth. Kreeft reminded all that the battle Christ wages against sin is not ultimately against flesh and blood but against the principalities and powers of spiritual darkness.
Letters to the Editor
Plan B should be an option in some cases
I am writing to follow up on a segment titled: "Wal-Mart appeases abortion backers," in the May 4th edition of the Anchor, to offer some other considerations in the discussion around distribution of Plan B. My perspective is as a health care provider who has worked for over 10 years in the field of child and adolescent sexual abuse and sexual assault. In regards to their health care and spiritual support, women and adolescents who have been sexually assaulted are specifically addressed in the Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services, Fourth Edition, written by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. "A female who has been raped should be able to defend herself against a potential conception from the sexual assault. If, after appropriate testing, there is no evidence that conception has occurred already, she may be treated with medications that would prevent ovulation, sperm capacitation, or fertilization." Fortunately, Plan B is such a medication and it is not an abortifacient, and, in fact, will not cause an abortion in a woman who is already pregnant.
Unfortunately we live in a state that has consistently been ranked number one in the country per capita for sexual assault of adults and teens. If you double that number you will come closer to the actual number of sexual crimes committed in Anchorage and around the state. There are many reasons for those cases going unreported starting with shame, humiliation and self-blame. What we don’t know is how many of those women who have not reported, then go to public health centers or Wal-Mart or Target seeking medication to prevent a possible pregnancy from a violent, unwanted sexual attack. I would suggest that the 13-and 14-year-olds that I see who have been the gratification of their father-figure’s sexual perversion for many years and are now concerned about being pregnant should also have access to medication to prevent conception from this type of molestation.
Calling these women and adolescents, "Americans clamoring for abortifacients" or seeking, "blue-light spending sprees," does not take into account all of the reasons why a woman would seek emergency contraception. Until we truly deal with the physical, emotional and sexual violence in our homes, I think we are obligated, as the Catholic bishops recommend, to "offer the person psychological and spiritual support as well as accurate medical information."
Legislators shouldn’t have approved research that destroys embryos
I would like to quote from an April 20th article in the Anchor, "Church officials lament senate vote on embryonic stem cell research."
In responding to those who continue to advocate destructive research on human embryos, Richard Doerflinger, deputy director of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Secretariat for Pro-Life Activities said, "This debate continues to devote attention and resources away from the demonstrated therapeutic promise of morally sound research using cord and blood stem cells."
Over a year ago at a Catholic Daughters’ meeting it was pointed out that political people mention stem cell research often but seldom define which kind they are speaking of — blood, cord, or embryonic. Few people seem to know that many diseases are successfully treated with ordinary stem cells that are not derived by destroying embryos. Most people don’t know that embryonic stem cells cause tumors and not even once have they been used for a single successful cure. I thought Stevens and Murkowski would have known about this — EWTN does.
I think church leaders should speak out on embryonic research as well as on doctor-assisted suicide. We all rely on the leaders of the church to keep us on the straight and narrow and love God the way he wants to be loved.
Catholic teens need meaty catechesis
Two generations of Catholics don’t know their faith, eh? This is not news to those workers in the vineyards who have been warning of this impending disaster. Take it from someone who has "been there, done that."
I was able to co-instruct confirmation prep classes for six years at a parish in our diocese. Each week I saw many useless and empty activities pass for catechesis. A friend of mine once called it "crafti-chism". Paper cut-outs, pebbles placed next to rocks, lighting candles, holding hands, building little cathedrals out of newsprint. All this was in the lesson plans. I still have it on my shelf.
When it came my turn to "run with the ball" I would seize upon the least pretense to explain the faith to the students, some of whom were students in my public school classes. I leaned on my knowledge of church history and magisterial teachings. Maybe I’m too optimistic, but I thought the kids warmed to this far better than the crafti-chism.
One of the best examples of this came when Archbishop (Roger) Schwietz submitted a nearly 200-question quiz on the faith. Most kids got no more than ten to fifteen percent correct. Afterwards, we spent the better part of three sessions going to the Catechism of the Catholic Church looking up the answers. The students were excited and warmed to the task. It was real learning.
When I encouraged more of this kind of thing, I was told it would drive the young people away from the church. I countered by saying I had been watching for over 20 years as Catholic youth left in droves to Protestant churches that, even if their theology is wrong, they at least have the certainty of their convictions. They watch Mormons go to religion classes five days a week at early hours. Many Protestants require their children to memorize Bible verses and know answers to questions asked by their friends who "need to be saved".
These things impress open-minded youth who are looking for truth. But instead, I had several Catholic youth express frustration, upon completion of their confirmation course, with questions like "We don’t know what it means to be Catholic. What do we believe in?"