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	<title>Catholic Anchor Online</title>
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	<description>Newspaper of the Archdioscese of Anchorage</description>
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		<title>Cathedral book group to discuss apocalyptic literature</title>
		<link>http://www.catholicanchor.org/wordpress/archives/7167</link>
		<comments>http://www.catholicanchor.org/wordpress/archives/7167#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 15 May 2012 19:51:28 +0000</pubDate>
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				<category><![CDATA[Alaska News]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Upcoming Events]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.catholicanchor.org/wordpress/?p=7167</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[CatholicAnchor.org On Wednesday, May 23 at 7 p.m., all are invited to join Holy Family Cathedral’s Theology and Literature book group for discussions on Catholic literature. Led by Dominican Father Augustine Hilander and Dominican Brother Justin Gable, the group will discuss Robert Hugh Benson’s “The Lord of the World,” named by the late Archbishop Fulton [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><em> </em></p>
<div id="attachment_7168" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 240px"><em><a href="http://www.catholicanchor.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Book-Club-pick.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-7168" title="Book-Club-pick" src="http://www.catholicanchor.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Book-Club-pick.jpg" alt="" width="230" height="308" /></a></em><p class="wp-caption-text">&quot;The Lord of the World&quot; by Robert Hugh Benson</p></div>
<p><em><a href="http://www.CatholicAnchor.org  ">CatholicAnchor.org</a></em></p>
<p>On Wednesday, May 23 at 7 p.m., all are invited to join Holy Family Cathedral’s Theology and Literature book group for discussions on Catholic literature. Led by Dominican Father Augustine Hilander and Dominican Brother Justin Gable, the group will discuss Robert Hugh Benson’s “The Lord of the World,” named by the late Archbishop Fulton Sheen as one of the three most important pieces of apocalyptic literature from the last 100 years.</p>
<p>Participants may purchase a copy of the book for a discounted price at St. Paul’s Corner Cathedral Bookstore and Gift Shop in the Holy Family Center. The bookstore is open Fridays, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturdays, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and Sundays, from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.</p>
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		<title>Heaven, hell, death and judgment</title>
		<link>http://www.catholicanchor.org/wordpress/archives/7202</link>
		<comments>http://www.catholicanchor.org/wordpress/archives/7202#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 15 May 2012 18:43:58 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>editor-admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Alaska News]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Evangelization]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Upcoming Events]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Young Catholics]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.catholicanchor.org/wordpress/?p=7202</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[CatholicAnchor.org On Tuesday, May 22, at 7:30 p.m., Theology &#38; Brew hosts a talk on the last four things: heaven, hell, death and judgment. Augustinian Father Francis J. Caponi, associate professor of theology and religious studies at Villanova University, will address questions such as, “If we are in a state of mortal sin when we [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><em> </em></p>
<div id="attachment_7203" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 118px"><em><a href="http://www.catholicanchor.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Father-Caponi.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-7203 " title="Father-Caponi" src="http://www.catholicanchor.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Father-Caponi.jpg" alt="" width="108" height="150" /></a></em><p class="wp-caption-text">Father Caponi</p></div>
<p><em><a href="http://www.catholicanchor.org">CatholicAnchor.org</a></em></p>
<p>On Tuesday, May 22, at 7:30 p.m., Theology &amp; Brew hosts a talk on the last four things: heaven, hell, death and judgment.</p>
<p>Augustinian Father Francis J. Caponi, associate professor of theology and religious studies at Villanova University, will address questions such as, “If we are in a state of mortal sin when we die, are we going to hell? What about others outside of our religion?”, “What does the Church say about the end of the world? What do we know about heaven and hell? How do we know?”, “What saints have had visions of the end of the world? Of hell? Of heaven? How did they describe them?”, “What do we believe happens in purgatory?”, “What do you say to someone who doesn&#8217;t believe in heaven or hell?”, and “Why don&#8217;t Catholics believe in the rapture?” And Father Caponi will explain why Catholic Christians have reason for “great hope” after death.<span id="more-7202"></span></p>
<p>Father Caponi holds a doctorate from Harvard. He entered the Augustinian Friars in 1983 and was ordained to the priesthood in 1989. He has published essays in The Thomist, International Journal of Systematic Theology and Horizons.</p>
<p>The talk takes place in the banquet room of Don Jose’s Mexican Restaurant at 2052 E. Northern Lights, near Lake Otis Parkway. Doors open at 7 p.m., and the talk begins at7:30 p.m.</p>
<p>Theology &amp; Brew is an outreach of the Anchorage Archdiocese, aimed at providing an opportunity for young adults to explore, discuss and learn more about issues and topics concerning the Catholic faith.</p>
<p>For more information, visit <a title="blocked::http://www.theologyandbrew.com/" href="http://www.theologyandbrew.com/">theologyandbrew.com</a>.</p>
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		<title>Dominican to look at the role of Christ in a busy world</title>
		<link>http://www.catholicanchor.org/wordpress/archives/7163</link>
		<comments>http://www.catholicanchor.org/wordpress/archives/7163#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 14 May 2012 19:39:59 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>editor-admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Alaska News]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Upcoming Events]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[CatholicAnchor.org On Monday, May 21, at 7 p.m., all are invited to the next Dominican Forum lecture at the Holy Family Center on the campus of Holy Family Cathedral. The title of the talk is “Where does Jesus fit in?” Dominican Father Joseph Sergott is the previous pastor of the downtown cathedral and now pastor [...]]]></description>
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<div id="attachment_7164" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 110px"><em><a href="http://www.catholicanchor.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Fr.-sergott.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-7164" title="Fr.-sergott" src="http://www.catholicanchor.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Fr.-sergott.jpg" alt="" width="100" height="125" /></a></em><p class="wp-caption-text">Father Sergott, OP</p></div>
<p><em><a href="http://www.CatholicAnchor.org">CatholicAnchor.org</a></em></p>
<p>On Monday, May 21, at 7 p.m., all are invited to the next Dominican Forum lecture at the Holy Family Center on the campus of Holy Family Cathedral. The title of the talk is “Where does Jesus fit in?” Dominican Father Joseph Sergott is the previous pastor of the downtown cathedral and now pastor of St. Thomas More Newman Center in Eugene, Oregon — a Catholic campus ministry at the University of Oregon.</p>
<p>His upcoming talk in Anchorage will address how Jesus can be “lost” amid the shuffle of work, play, personal fulfillment and vacation. He will outline practical steps to “really and practically devote our lives to Jesus” and ensure Jesus isn’t “just one more thing” in a busy life.</p>
<p>The Dominican Forum offers lectures, workshops and seminars that engage the critical issues of the Church and society in the light of faith and scholarship.</p>
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		<title>Pope encourages new Swiss Guards to be saintly soldiers</title>
		<link>http://www.catholicanchor.org/wordpress/archives/7213</link>
		<comments>http://www.catholicanchor.org/wordpress/archives/7213#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 14 May 2012 18:51:59 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>editor-admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Church History]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[World/Nation News]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Young Catholics]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.catholicanchor.org/wordpress/?p=7213</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[VATICAN CITY (CNA/EWTN News) — Pope Benedict XVI encouraged the new class of recruits for the Swiss Guard to draw close to Christ as they embark on their roles as the pontiff’s guardians. “To give love to others it is necessary to draw upon the furnace of divine charity, thanks to prolonged periods of prayer, [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div id="attachment_7214" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 230px"><a href="http://www.catholicanchor.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Swiss-Guard-pic.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-7214 " title="Swiss-Guard-pic" src="http://www.catholicanchor.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Swiss-Guard-pic.jpg" alt="" width="220" height="287" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">A Swiss Guard recruit takes his oath during the swearing-in ceremony for 26 new recruits in Paul VI hall at the Vatican May 6. — CNS photo</p></div>
<p>VATICAN CITY (<a href="http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/">CNA/EWTN News</a>) — Pope Benedict XVI encouraged the new class of recruits for the Swiss Guard to draw close to Christ as they embark on their roles as the pontiff’s guardians.</p>
<p>“To give love to others it is necessary to draw upon the furnace of divine charity, thanks to prolonged periods of prayer, constant listening to the Word of God, and a whole life centered on the mystery of the Eucharist,” he said May 7.</p>
<p>“The secret of the effectiveness of your work here in the Vatican, as well as in all your projects is, therefore, the constant reference to Christ.”</p>
<p>Pope Benedict addressed the Corp of the Swiss Guard a day after they welcomed 26 new recruits. The newcomers’ family and friends were also present for Monday’s papal audience in the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace as well as representatives of the Swiss civil authorities.<span id="more-7213"></span></p>
<p>In his remarks, the pope told them to take advantage of their time spent in Rome in order “to develop your friendship with Christ, to increase your love for his church and to advance towards the goal of each true Christian life: sanctity.”</p>
<p>The Pontifical Swiss Guard dates back to 1506, and new members can serve between 2 and 25 years defending the Vatican.</p>
<p>Recruits must be single male Swiss citizens, between the age of 19 and 30, who are practicing Catholics with a “good ethical moral background.” They must also have a professional degree or high school diploma and have attended a military college in Switzerland.</p>
<p>“Your work is part of a tradition of unquestioned fidelity to the pope, which became heroic sacrifice during the ‘Sack of Rome’ in 1527 when, on 6 May, your predecessors lost their lives,” Pope Benedict XVI told the new guards.</p>
<p>On that occasion, 147 Swiss Guards were killed defending Pope Clement VII from the mutinous troops of the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V.</p>
<p>On May 6, new members took their oath as each man clasped the flag of the Swiss Guard, raised a three finger salute in honor of the Holy Trinity and promised to defend Pope Benedict and his successors “sacrificing if necessary also my life.”</p>
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		<title>Controversy continues as Girl Scouts celebrate 100 years</title>
		<link>http://www.catholicanchor.org/wordpress/archives/7206</link>
		<comments>http://www.catholicanchor.org/wordpress/archives/7206#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 12 May 2012 04:48:07 +0000</pubDate>
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				<category><![CDATA[Parenting]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Pro-life issues]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sexuality]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[World/Nation News]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Young Catholics]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[CNA/EWTN News WASHINGTON D.C. — Celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, Girl Scouts of the USA is continuing to fall under scrutiny for its alleged connections to groups that promote abortion, contraception and homosexuality. Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades of Fort Wayne-South Bend, chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth, [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://www.catholicanchor.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/girl_scouts.jpg"><img class="alignright size-full wp-image-7207" title="girl_scouts" src="http://www.catholicanchor.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/girl_scouts.jpg" alt="" width="217" height="117" /></a><a href="http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/">CNA/EWTN News</a></p>
<p>WASHINGTON D.C. — Celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, Girl Scouts of the USA is continuing to fall under scrutiny for its alleged connections to groups that promote abortion, contraception and homosexuality.</p>
<p>Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades of Fort Wayne-South Bend, chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth, said that the bishops are looking into concerns about the Girl Scouts organization.</p>
<p>In March, Bishop Rhoades penned a letter to his fellow bishops explaining that the committee recently met and discussed  “a variety of the concerns” that have been voiced about Girl Scouts of the USA over several years, including “possible problematic relationships with other organizations” and “problematic programmatic materials and resources.”<span id="more-7206"></span></p>
<p>In recent years, the Girl Scouts have met with increased allegations of acting against traditional values.</p>
<p>In 2010, two teenage girls who had spent eight years in Girl Scouts left the organization and created Speak Now: Girl Scouts, a website dedicated to raising awareness about the problems they discovered within the organization.</p>
<p>The two young teens – Tess and Sydney – said that it had become “increasingly apparent” that the Girl Scouts organization had values that were incompatible with their own.</p>
<p>“Leaving Girl Scouts was not a casual, easy, or convenient decision,” they said. However, in the end, they decided that they needed to “stand for our beliefs, for the dignity of life, the sanctity of marriage, modesty, purity.”</p>
<p>Concerns over ties to Planned Parenthood also led 10-year-old Grace Swanke to leave her Girl Scout troop and start selling her own cookies, which she calls “Cookies for Life.” She donates the proceeds from her sales to pro-life groups.</p>
<p>Two years ago, concerns were raised over reports that a sexually explicit Planned Parenthood brochure had been distributed at an international Girl Scouts meeting.</p>
<p>In January 2012, a Colorado troop attracted criticism for allowing a 7-year-old transgender child to join, despite the fact that he was not a girl.</p>
<p>Objections have also been voiced to the Girl Scouts’ relationships with the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts, an organization that promotes abortion, contraception and homosexuality around the globe.</p>
<p>Representatives of the Girl Scouts denied having knowledge of the Planned Parenthood brochures at the conference and have said that the organization does not take a stand on abortion or birth control.</p>
<p>However, controversy over the organization continues and has drawn the attention of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.</p>
<p>Voicing gratitude for the work that Catholic Girl Scout troops have done to serve girls and the wider community for many years, Bishop Rhoades also recognized in his recent letter that some important questions remain unanswered on both the local and national levels.</p>
<p>He reiterated his intent “to keep the bishops apprised of the Committee’s ongoing consideration of this matter.”</p>
<p>Bishop Rhoades said that the committee hopes to offer resources for “local level use” by bishops, priests, youth ministers and educational leaders.</p>
<p>These resources “may include considerations related to the identity of Catholic troops and considerations that may be helpful for parents,” he explained.</p>
<p>Furthermore, he said, the committee has recommended having staff from the bishops’ conference work with the National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry to identify and address and remaining questions or concerns that remain at the local level.</p>
<p>The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops declined to comment on the matter with the Girl Scouts because it is ongoing.</p>
<p>However, the controversy has led some families to pull their daughters out of Girl Scouts and turn instead to other organizations that offer some of the same activities for young girls, but with a Christian approach.</p>
<p>American Heritage Girls, a Judeo-Christian focused girls organization, was founded in 1995 in Ohio by a group of parents seeking “a wholesome program for their daughters” to contrast the secular options available.</p>
<p>The organization has grown to more than 19,000 members in 45 states.</p>
<p>Recent years have also brought significant growth for the Little Flowers Girls&#8217; Club, a Catholic program for girls aimed at promoting virtue by exploring saints, Scripture and the Catechism.</p>
<p>Started in 1993 by a Catholic mom of 11, Little Flowers now has some 50 registered groups throughout the U.S. and Canada, although registration is optional, as the groups are run at the local level.</p>
<p>The group says that it “strives to bring the Catholic faith alive and inspire the girls to become authentic Catholic women.”</p>
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		<title>Anchorage homeless shelters see increase in use</title>
		<link>http://www.catholicanchor.org/wordpress/archives/7193</link>
		<comments>http://www.catholicanchor.org/wordpress/archives/7193#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 11 May 2012 17:03:31 +0000</pubDate>
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				<category><![CDATA[Alaska News]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Social Justice/Charity]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.catholicanchor.org/wordpress/?p=7193</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[www.ktva.com ALASKA &#8211; The warmer temperatures aren’t keeping people from using emergency housing. Catholic Social Services Executive Director Susan Bomalaski said the Brother Francis shelter saw a 38 percent increase during the month of April, which means an additional 90 people are looking for a place to sleep every night. Read the full story here.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><em><a href="http://www.ktva.com/home/outbound-xml-feeds/Homeless-Shelters-See-an-Increase-in-Use-150716945.html">www.ktva.com</a></em></p>
<p>ALASKA &#8211; The warmer temperatures aren’t keeping people from using emergency housing.</p>
<p>Catholic Social Services Executive Director Susan Bomalaski said the Brother Francis shelter saw a 38 percent increase during the month of April, which means an additional 90 people are looking for a place to sleep every night.</p>
<p>Read the full story <em><strong><a href="http://www.ktva.com/home/outbound-xml-feeds/Homeless-Shelters-See-an-Increase-in-Use-150716945.html">here</a></strong></em>.</p>
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		<title>Plans afoot to provide more service opportunities in Anchorage Archdiocese</title>
		<link>http://www.catholicanchor.org/wordpress/archives/7104</link>
		<comments>http://www.catholicanchor.org/wordpress/archives/7104#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 11 May 2012 06:36:46 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>editor-admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Anchor Columnists]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Social Justice/Charity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Susan Bomalaski/CSS]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.catholicanchor.org/wordpress/?p=7104</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[By SUSAN BOMALASKI CatholicAnchor.org Once a year, Catholic Social Services (CSS) hosts the quarterly meeting of the pastoral staff from across the Anchorage Archdiocese. It is a wonderful opportunity to thank them for supporting our mission and to provide updates on new initiatives. At the March gathering, we held a discussion about parish-based social service [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong>By SUSAN BOMALASKI</strong></p>
<p><em><a href="http://www.CatholicAnchor.org">CatholicAnchor.org</a></em></p>
<p>Once a year, Catholic Social Services (CSS) hosts the quarterly meeting of the pastoral staff from across the Anchorage Archdiocese. It is a wonderful opportunity to thank them for supporting our mission and to provide updates on new initiatives.<span id="more-7104"></span></p>
<p>At the March gathering, we held a discussion about parish-based social service outreaches. Parishioners from three parishes led the discussion. Their goal is to widen the scope of church-based social service opportunities that match parishioners’ interests and schedules. The idea is to expand, prioritize and organize existing parish social service opportunities. For example, if a church runs a food closet and a parishioner is unavailable during the hours of operation to help, they could have other volunteering options available.</p>
<p>Tom Miller from Our Lady of Guadalupe Church shared his vision for organizing parish efforts by providing a central contact for parishioners, community non-profit organizations like CSS and those in need. Parishioners sometimes struggle to find church-based social service volunteer opportunities to live the gospel message and to guide their children’s faith formation.</p>
<p>Tom and his wife, Cathy, raised five children in four different Anchorage parishes.</p>
<p>Tom explained, “As we try to live our Christian faith we have found opportunities to participate through organized parish activities. In every parish we find ministries relating to liturgy, religious education and faith formation and art and environment. When we look for parish-led opportunities for social service, the options are distinctly fewer.”</p>
<p>Tom believes — and I agree — that establishing a social service standing committee in each parish (similar to music and liturgy committees) responds to the Gospel call to serve those in need. It also strengthens community and camaraderie among parishioners, provides education on the church’s social justice responsibility, enhances faith formation programs and fosters leadership roles for parishioners.</p>
<p>Kay Gajewski, a Holy Family Cathedral parishioner, spoke eloquently about Anchorage Archbishop Emeritus Francis Hurley’s appeal to the parishioners at Holy Family Cathedral in the early 1980s to establish Brother Francis Shelter. Kay said she responded to that call to help humanity because she is Catholic and deeply believes in living according to the Gospel.</p>
<p>Pat Kennish, a St. Elizabeth Ann Seton parishioner, shared a moving quotation from Pope John Paul II: “By our mutual love and, in particular, by our concern for those in need we will be recognized as true followers of Christ. This will be the criterion by which the authenticity of our eucharistic celebrations is judged.”</p>
<p>Heidi Hurliman of Holy Family Cathedral spoke about challenges in recruiting volunteers for the Caring Clinic at Brother Francis Shelter. But she also knows the importance of asking people to help. That was how she began and she now serves as the volunteer manager at the clinic. In 2008 Adrian Dominican Sister Jackie Stoll asked her to help after they got to know each other at church. People are more likely to volunteer if someone asks them to volunteer. The recent presentations led to a frank discussion about challenges and benefits to establishing a social service committee at each church along with a coordinating council for the archdiocese. It was inspiring to see the effect four presenters had on the pastors and parish staff and to hear the many thoughtful suggestions. One pastor brought up the need to mentor parishioners so that when long-term volunteers move on the ministry remains active in the church.</p>
<p>I applaud Tom, Kay, Pat and Heidi for sharing their faith stories and Anchorage Archbishop Roger Schwietz and the parish staff for their openness to candidly discuss this important topic.</p>
<p>As Tom explained, this effort should happen both at the parish level, where the commitment and resources reside, and the archdiocesan level, where broader planning, coordination and evaluation can take place.</p>
<p>To learn more please contact me at sbomalaski@cssalaska.org or  Tom Miller at tom.miller.ak@gmail.com.</p>
<p><strong><em>The writer is executive director of Catholic Social Services in Alaska. For more information about CSS, call 276-5590 or visit cssalaska.org.</em></strong></p>
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		<title>Cardinal Dolan: Obama&#8217;s &#8216;gay marriage&#8217; support undermines society</title>
		<link>http://www.catholicanchor.org/wordpress/archives/7187</link>
		<comments>http://www.catholicanchor.org/wordpress/archives/7187#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 11 May 2012 04:05:40 +0000</pubDate>
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				<category><![CDATA[Civic life]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Family]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Gender]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marriage]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Parenting]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Religious freedom]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sexuality]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Social Justice/Charity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[World/Nation News]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[CNA/EWTN News Washington D.C. — Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan is charging President Barack Obama with undermining the “very cornerstone of society” by supporting “gay marriage.” Cardinal Dolan, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, described the president’s endorsement as “deeply saddening.” The bishops “cannot be silent in the face of words or actions that would [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div id="attachment_7188" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 170px"><a href="http://www.catholicanchor.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Dolan-pic1.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-7188 " title="Dolan-pic" src="http://www.catholicanchor.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Dolan-pic1.jpg" alt="" width="160" height="162" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Cardinal Dolan</p></div>
<p><a href="http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/">CNA/EWTN News</a></p>
<p>Washington D.C. — Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan is charging President Barack Obama with undermining the “very cornerstone of society” by supporting “gay marriage.”</p>
<p>Cardinal Dolan, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, described the president’s endorsement as “deeply saddening.”</p>
<p>The bishops “cannot be silent in the face of words or actions that would undermine the institution of marriage, the very cornerstone of our society,” he said in a May 9 statement. “The people of this country, especially our children, deserve better.”<span id="more-7187"></span></p>
<p>Cardinal Dolan said that the announcement was “not surprising” based on the Obama administration’s previous actions, which “erode or ignore the unique meaning of marriage.”</p>
<p>He called for prayer and efforts to “promote and protect marriage” in order to “serve the true good of all persons.”</p>
<p>In an unprecedented move, Obama announced his support for “same-sex marriage” in a May 9 interview with ABC News&#8217; Robin Roberts.</p>
<p>“I’ve just concluded that for me personally it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same-sex couples should be able to get married,” he said.</p>
<p>The announcement came just days after U.S. Vice President Joe Biden told NBC&#8217;s David Gregory that he is “absolutely comfortable” with the idea of homosexual couples marrying.</p>
<p>Previously, Obama had stopped short of endorsing “gay marriage,” saying instead that he opposes discrimination against gay individuals but that his views on the question of marriage were “evolving.”</p>
<p>However, his actions as president have won the praise of gay advocacy groups.</p>
<p>His administration announced in Feb. 2011 that it would not uphold the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, which defines marriage as the union of one man and one woman for federal purposes.</p>
<p>He also signed a law repealing the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, allowing homosexuals to serve openly in the military.</p>
<p>Obama’s latest statement places him in firm disagreement with presumptive GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney, who has signed a pledge to uphold marriage as the union of one man and one woman.</p>
<p>Romney was quick to voice his opposition to Obama’s stance.</p>
<p>&#8220;I have the same view on marriage that I had when I was governor and that I’ve expressed many times,” he said at a May 9 campaign event in Oklahoma. “I believe marriage is a relationship between a man and a woman.”</p>
<p>He explained that states can “make decisions with regards to domestic partnership benefits, such as hospital visitation rights,” but “marriage itself is a relationship between a man and a woman.”</p>
<p>Acknowledging that the issue is “a very tender and sensitive” one about which “other people have differing views,” Romney reiterated his own conviction, which he has held “since running for office.”</p>
<p>Several political commentators have suggested that Obama’s support for “gay marriage” does not reflect the views of the American people and could have a significant political impact in the  November 6, 2012 election.</p>
<p>“Marriage was created long before any government came into existence,” said Catholic Advocate president Matt Smith.</p>
<p>He warned that if Obama’s advocacy for same-sex “marriage” succeeds, “Catholic institutions could be forced once again to violate our beliefs.”</p>
<p>“Many faithful Catholics were fooled by clever political rhetoric in 2008,” added Smith. “This year, the anti-Catholic record of the Obama administration should inform their vote.”</p>
<p>So far, 30 states have passed constitutional amendments banning “gay marriage,” including North Carolina, where voters approved such a measure by an overwhelming margin on May 8.</p>
<p>Tony Perkins, president of the D.C.-based Family Research Council, pointed to the recent North Carolina vote as evidence that “redefining marriage remains outside the mainstream of American politics, especially in the critical battleground states and among minority voters.”</p>
<p>He observed that the North Carolina amendment received over 60 percent of the vote in majority-black counties.</p>
<p>A Pew Research Center survey in April 2012 found that only 39 percent of African Americans are in favor of “gay marriage.”</p>
<p>Perkins noted that 10 of 16 key battleground states have passed amendments to protect marriage. He said that Obama’s announcement “ensures that marriage will again be a major issue in the presidential election.”</p>
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		<title>A life worth dying for</title>
		<link>http://www.catholicanchor.org/wordpress/archives/7154</link>
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		<pubDate>Thu, 10 May 2012 20:39:51 +0000</pubDate>
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				<category><![CDATA[Church History]]></category>
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		<description><![CDATA[By FR. MICHAEL SHIELDS CatholicAnchor.org What is the most important thing in your life? Would you die for it? Jesus asked  his disciples this many times. Where I live people of faith answered these questions with their lives many years ago. I have lived 18 years in the Gulag, the former prison camps of Stalin [...]]]></description>
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<div id="attachment_7155" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 190px"><strong><a href="http://www.catholicanchor.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Shields-pic-2012.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-7155" title="Shields-pic-2012" src="http://www.catholicanchor.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Shields-pic-2012.jpg" alt="" width="180" height="184" /></a></strong><p class="wp-caption-text">Fr. Michael Shields</p></div>
<p><strong>By FR. MICHAEL SHIELDS</strong></p>
<p><em><a href="http://www.CatholicAnchor.org">CatholicAnchor.org </a></em></p>
<p>What is the most important thing in your life? Would you die for it? Jesus asked  his disciples this many times.</p>
<p>Where I live people of faith answered these questions with their lives many years ago. I have lived 18 years in the Gulag, the former prison camps of Stalin located in Far East Siberia, Russia, in a town called Magadan. The people came from the Baltic countries: Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Germany and the Ukraine. They were arrested and sentenced from 10 to 25 years of hard labor. This was, for many, a death sentence, but these prisoners were willing to suffer and die for their faith.<span id="more-7154"></span></p>
<p>In Anne Applebaum’s Pulitzer Prize work called “Gulag,” she writes this about Magadan and the area called Kolyma: “In the same way that Auschwitz has become, in popular memory, the camp which symbolizes all other Nazi camps, so too has the word “Kolyma” (a river basin in Magadan Oblast) come to signify the greatest hardships of the Gulag.” You might say I live in the former Auschwitz of Russia.</p>
<p>I ask these questions in our modern world because according to a report given in June 2011 by a European Union commission — the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe — every year 105,000 Christians are killed because of their faith. That means every five minutes a Christian dies for his faith. The figure does not include the victims of civil wars or wars between nations but only people put to death because they are Christians. Martyrdom is a modern response as well as an early Christian’s response to what is most important to me.</p>
<p>I believe persecution of Christians will continue in our time more than we can now imagine. Earlier this year, Christians in the Punjab region of Pakistan were fearful of attacks by Islamic zealots during Holy Week and Easter. Signs and sacred images had been defaced and Christians had received threats, warning them to not attend religious services. “Christians live Holy Week in terror,” reported a local priest, adding that “police have not taken action to protect the religious minority.”</p>
<p>But this has always been the way of the church. Patristic father of the church, Tertullian, said the blood of martyrs is the seed of the church. Simple historical fact shows that Christianity grew rapidly in the first centuries because of the way Christians died. But the more they killed Christians, the more the church grew. Romans watched Christians face death with fortitude, peace, serenity and in many cases even joy. The conclusion had to be this faith must be real.</p>
<p>What are you facing? We most likely will not be fed to the lions but the question still remains: What you are willing to die for or suffer for?</p>
<p>This has always been the question for each follower of Jesus.</p>
<p>Faith in the first centuries grew because of how Christians lived. In first-century Rome, weak or deformed children were often drowned at birth. Unwanted babies, especially girls, were put to death because of their gender. But Christians remembered what Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me.”</p>
<p>The early followers of Jesus took many unwanted children into their homes to keep them from dying, much like Christians today who seek to stop the death of little ones from abortion.</p>
<p>Widows were fined in Roman law for outliving their husbands. If they found no new husband, they would be cast into the street, poor and destitute. Christians remembered how Jesus cared for the poor, the orphans and the widows.</p>
<p>The church grew because of its mercy and sacrifice. Sociologist Rodney Starks said one of the main reasons the church expanded in second and the third centuries was due to the compassion Christians showed to the dying. There were major epidemics that would wipe out a fourth to a third of whole cities. People would throw both the dead and those still dying into the streets. Christians remembered Jesus healed the sick and said the Kingdom belonged to such as these. They in turn would care for these sick and suffering. When they asked why Christians did this, they answered because of Jesus. Who would you live for after being saved from death? What church would you join if you were saved from death by a Christian community?</p>
<p>I am not a very courageous person and by no means am I saying that I have lived in any real depth what I am preaching to you. I am just asking you, what is this time we live in? It may not surprise anyone to say that Christianity in general and the Catholic Church in particular are under attack. What is our response? The only responses that can make a difference will be to offer an alternative to materialism, secularism, relativism and sexual exploitation. We need to admit our weakness, our sin and seek a repentance. We must fully embrace the scandal, the glory and the way of the cross of Jesus Christ. We are to invite others to do the same. Pope Benedict XVI has called for this in the New Evangelization. It starts not in the world but in the heart of every Christian. In short, the world is in need of Jesus. Like first-century Christians, 21st-century Christians also are called to give the world Jesus.</p>
<p>In Magadan some years ago, a  seven-year-old Russian girl, Leeta, raised in an atheistic family, shattered my world. Something new came into my heart — a new simplicity, clarity and passion about my priesthood and the church. She came to the church by herself and later, through her faith, brought her mom and little sister. It is not unusual in Russia to have children come first, then later bring their parents. Let the little children come to me is Jesus’ invitation and it seems in Russia they come.</p>
<p>Leeta came for many Sundays. Sitting in the back of the church she only came forward at Communion to be blessed. This pattern kept up for some months until one Sunday she wouldn’t move from the communion line. I blessed her but she frowned and refused to move. I finally had to ask her to go back to her seat. She came up to me after Mass with the wrath of a seven-year-old — her hand on her hip. She simply blurted out: “Father Michael, why didn’t you give me Jesus? I want Jesus!”</p>
<p>Has there been a moment in your life when something someone says penetrates so deeply that it hurts your heart? At that moment I knew Leeta was speaking for all the lost, the lonely, the abandoned, the misguided, those morally dying and the throngs who are seeking a happiness that seems to evade them. She was speaking for those whose lives didn’t turn out the way they were suppose to. She was crying out for those who wanted more and found so little. She spoke for those who grieved for the family they didn’t have, for the lives that just slipped away like so much water slipping through a cupped hand. She was speaking for the wounded and the dying. She was speaking for every soul that was ever born and every life that was ever lived. She was crying like the Psalmist and Jesus on the cross, “Where are you, God?” I heard the voices of the youth, the elderly, the married, the single, the crowds and the one lost lonely soul saying to me through Leeta, “Why don’t you give me Jesus? I need Jesus.”</p>
<p>“All the people are looking for you” as Saint Andrew said to Jesus in the Gospel. They are not looking for a good moral program for a better life or philosophical concepts about a better God. They are looking for someone who will satisfy the thirst of their hearts — not a proposition, but a person, whose name is Jesus. All other religions will teach the way to salvation through ethics or philosophy but the historical events around Jesus’ life and death and Resurrection are the way to salvation. Other religions say here is how to reach God, here is the way, here is the truth of God and here is how to find his life. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life.” God has reached down and become man. God has broken through. He died on the cross and rose from the dead and dealt with the barriers of sin, death and evil between us and God. He is every man’s salvation!</p>
<p>The invitation, implicit in the New Evangelization, is not to a doctrine but to know, love and serve someone. Cardinal Timothy Dolan’s recent address to the newly ordained cardinals on the New Evangelization, spoke of a man dying of AIDS at the gift of peace hospice, administered by the Missionaries of Charity. The man asked for baptism. When the priest asked for an expression of faith, the dying man whispered, “All I know is that I’m unhappy, and these sisters are very happy, even when I curse them and spit on them. Yesterday I finally asked them why they were so happy. They replied ‘Jesus.’ I want this Jesus so I can finally be happy.” Cardinal Dolan continued: “When you began your ministry as successor of Saint Peter, Holy Father, you invited us to friendship with Jesus, which is the way you defined sanctity. There it is &#8230; love of a person, a relationship at the root of our faith.”</p>
<p>Someone said that you cannot believe and remain silent. A few years ago a friend of mine got really angry with me because one day I met a mutual friend of ours we hadn’t seen in a long time and I didn’t mention anything to him. All he kept repeating was: “Why didn’t you tell me?” In my years of priestly experience I have found a number of persons who, only of late, have come to understand their faith more deeply and they usually say, “I wish someone had told me before. My life would have been much different.” Give me Jesus, they cry!</p>
<p>It’s not right to hold back advice from someone who needs it. It’s not right to withhold something that can make others truly happy. Saint Andrew understood this when, after encountering  Christ, he couldn’t wait to tell his brother Peter. Saint Paul understood this when he said, “Woe to me if I do not proclaim the Gospel.” That is, woe to me, if, after having experienced Christ and his saving message so deeply, I do not share it.</p>
<p>In December 12, 2000, then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, our present beloved Pope Benedict, spoke these words to catechists and religion teachers: “A progressive process of de-Christianization and the loss of essential human values, is worrisome. A large part of today’s humanity does not find the Gospel in the permanent evangelization of the church: That is to say, the convincing response to the question: How to live?” In other words, for some, the church has stopped telling what they need to hear. Therefore, the need for a New Evangelization.</p>
<p>As renowned Canadian missionary and evangelist, Father Emiliano Tardif said: “The evangelizer is not he who merely speaks about Jesus, but he who makes Jesus present and alive to those he is evangelizing.” Evangelizing therefore is not merely a way of speaking, but a form of living. This is how the church grew — both by the witness of death and witnesses of life. These are both acts of sacrificial love. It is not about us, it’s about Christ.</p>
<p><em><strong>Editor’s note: </strong>This column is adapted from a longer address that Father Shields will give in June at the 50th International Eucharistic Congress in Dublin.</em></p>
<p><strong><em>The writer is a Catholic priest at the Church of the Nativity in Magadan, Russia.</em></strong></p>
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		<title>How Our Lady of Guadalupe fosters a deeper love for Christ</title>
		<link>http://www.catholicanchor.org/wordpress/archives/7174</link>
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		<pubDate>Thu, 10 May 2012 19:14:36 +0000</pubDate>
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		<description><![CDATA[CatholicAnchor.org Monsignor Eduardo Chavez Sanchez, postulator of the cause for canonization of Saint Juan Diego, traveled to Anchorage May 4-6 to speak about the impact of the appearance of the Blessed Virgin Mary as Our Lady of Guadalupe. The talk was titled, “The Woman Who Changed the Face of a Hemisphere.” In 1531, the Mother [...]]]></description>
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<p><a href="http://www.catholicanchor.org">CatholicAnchor.org</a><br />
Monsignor Eduardo Chavez Sanchez, postulator of the cause for canonization of Saint Juan Diego, traveled to Anchorage May 4-6 to speak about the impact of the appearance of the Blessed Virgin Mary as Our Lady of Guadalupe. The talk was titled, “The Woman Who Changed the Face of a Hemisphere.”<br />
In 1531, the Mother of God appeared to Saint Juan Diego in Mexico, leaving her image on his cactus-cloth tilma. In the image, the Blessed Mother wears native dress and appears pregnant with her divine, unborn child, Jesus. Under the title of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Mary is considered to have inspired the conversion to Christianity of about nine million indigenous people in a short time after her appearance — and put an end to the human sacrifices conducted in the native religion.<br />
In this video, Msgr. Sanchez speaks to the Catholic Anchor about the role of Our Lady of Guadalupe in deepening a person&#8217;s relationship with Jesus Christ.</p>
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