C A T H O L I C
DIOCESE OF COLUMBUS
A journal of Catholic life in Ohio
FEBRUARY 24, 2008
THIRD WEEK OF LENT
VOLUME: 57.19
WWW.CTONLINE.ORG
Joy in the Cloisters
Inside
this
issue:
Page 5
Page 10 & 11
1000 Women
turn out for
Diocesan Women’s
Conference
Poor Clares
talk about
life apart
from the world
Catholic Times
February 24, 2008
February 24, 2008
Catholic Times
3
The Editor’s Notebook
Freedom from multi-tasking
By David Garick, Editor
If you ever wondered what job satisfaction looks like, just turn back to page
1 of this week’s Catholic Times. Take
a look at those faces. That’s more than
job satisfaction. That’s a joy of life that
goes all the way to the soul.
This issue of Catholic Times takes a
look inside the cloister at St. Joseph
Monastery in Portsmouth to see what
we can learn from a group of Poor
Claire Sisters. There is a lot to learn. It
seems to go totally against conventional
wisdom that these devout women are
living a life filled with joy while abandoning the very things that so many of
us pursue in vain hope of finding happiness. But find it they do in their intense
personal relationship with Our Lord.
The contemplative life is certainly
not for everyone. It takes a very special person with a special calling to live
that kind of life. I will not be exchanging my reporter’s notebook for a habit
anytime soon.
The contemplative life requires one
to focus all of their attention on one
thing -- Our Lord. I’m a multi-tasker. I
can’t help it. As much as I say I want
to concentrate on one thing at a time, it
doesn’t happen. As I write this I am
having breakfast -- coffee and a muffin
-- at my computer terminal. I have classical music playing in the background.
Silence just does not work for me.
Actually I’d prefer some Eric Clapton,
B.B. King or John Lee Hooker, but then
I’d never be able to concentrate.
Periodically a note pops up on my
screen to let me know that I have a new
email. I read it and zip off a quick
answer before getting back to this page.
Then the phone rings. It’s someone
returning a call.
I need to ask
them a few
questions for a story in next week’s
paper. Meanwhile, a personnel issue
has come up and I have checks to sign
for our printing company, the post
office and other bills. And so it goes,
not just at work but in the car, at home,
everywhere. And I imagine that there
are a lot of you who live the same way.
It’s at the heart of our modern culture.
But here’s the point. We do not have
to chuck it all and move to a monastery
to get a piece of what these sisters are
experiencing. They have found joy by
spending time alone with our Lord.
Time speaking to him and listening to
him. Time simply in awe of the incredible love he has shown to each of them
individually. They do that all day, every
day. We can share some of that joy by
doing the same thing in small doses.
I may not be able to totally shed my
multi-tasking ways. But I can find a little time to go to Mass and focus on the
great love that Christ shows in sharing
his very body and blood with me. I can
take a few moments and visit the
Blessed Sacrament to feel his love and
know that I am in his physical presence.
I can allow for one more interruption in
my busy schedule and take a call from
God. It’s a simple matter of turning off
the computer, the cell phone, the mp3
player and letting God know what’s on
my mind and listening for that small
still voice that so easily gets lost in the
hubbub of daily activity. Then I feel the
weight lift from my shoulders and the
smile emerges and I can look at the
photo of these sisters and say, “Yeah, I
know how you feel.”
Front Page Photo
From left to right:
Sister Mary
Immaculate, Sister
Marie Ste. Claire,
Sister Marie
Therese, Sister
Imelda Marie, and
Mother Dolores
Marie
CT photo by Jack Kustron
Smoke pours from the roof at Mohun Hall at the Sisters of St. Mary of
the Springs. There were no injuries
CT photo by Miriam Oyster
Fire on Roof of Mohun Extinguished
No one was injured when a fire broke
out at approximately 5:00 pm Friday,
February 15 on the roof of Mohun
Health Care Center on the grounds of
the Dominican Sisters, St. Mary of the
Springs. The fire was located in a construction area on the roof of the facility.
The fire was extinguished.
Firefighters and police responded
immediately and the Mohun residents
and staff calmly followed all evacuation procedures.
Sisters, Congregational staff and
some Ohio Dominican University
(ODU) students and staff also assisted
with the evacuation of the residents. A
crisis plan was in place and was followed as practiced.
Mohun Health Care Center is a 72bed, skilled health care facility operated by the Dominican, Sisters St. Mary
of the Springs and is located on their
Congregational grounds.
The center is open to vowed women
and men religious and the ordained.
There are 60 residents. The Sisters
ask others to join them in thanking
God that there were no injuries.
Counseling Assistance Fund: Deadline for Filing Claims Approaching
The Counseling Assistance Fund, established by Ohio’s Catholic Bishops in 2006,
supports counseling or similar mental health services for adults who were sexually abused as minors by clergy or other representatives of the Catholic
Church in Ohio. This fund operates through a process independent of the
Church. A person may file a claim regardless of how long ago the act of abuse
occurred. However, all claims must be filed by May 15, 2008. Further information regarding the Counseling Assistance Fund, including instructions and forms
for making a claim, is available online at: www.counselingassistancefund.org.
C AT H O L I C
TIMES
Copyright© 2008. All rights reserved.
Catholic Times is the official newspaper of the Catholic
Diocese of Columbus, Ohio.
It is published weekly 48 times per year with exception of
two weeks following Christmas and two weeks in July.
Subscription rate: $25 per year.
ISSN 0745-6050 Periodical Postage Page in Columbus, OH
Bishop Frederick F. Campbell, D.D., PhD. – President & Publisher
David Garick – Editor ([email protected])
Laura Troiano – Assistant Editor ([email protected])
Tim Puet – Reporter ([email protected])
Alexandra Keves – Graphic Design Manager ([email protected])
Deacon Steve DeMers – Business Manager ([email protected])
Phil Connard – Advertising Sales Account Executive
([email protected])
Jodie Sfreddo – Bookkeeper/Circulation Coordinator ([email protected])
Mailing Address: 197 E., Gay St., Columbus, Oh 43215
Editorial Staff Telephone (614) 224-5195 FAX (614) 241-2518
Business Staff Telephone (614) 224-6530 FAX (614)241-2518
Stained glass windows of St. Peter’s Catholic Church in Chillicothe CT photo by Ken Snow
2
Special grant to preserve windows at Chillicothe St. Peter
Catholic Holy Family
Society has announced
that St. Peter’s Catholic
Church in Chillicothe
has been selected as a
winner of the Society’s
Church Grant Program.
The entry was submitted
by Society member
Virginia M. Ray, a member of St. Peter’s Parish.
The parish will use the
grant toward the repair
of the fifteen stained
glass windows in the
church. Four times a
year the Society recognizes two parishes, nominated by a member of
the Society, with a grant
for any special church
project. James Rial, the
Society’s President said,
“We are very happy to
help our members’
parishes achieve their
individual project goals.”
St. Peter’s pastor,
Father William Hahn,
said the award was a real
blessing to the parish.
“Our beautiful windows
add greatly to the
church. We knew that
the windows needed to
have some work done.
This grant will cover virtually the entire cost of
the project.”
Catholic Holy Family
Society was founded in
1915 as an Illinois frater-
nal benefit organization
providing life insurance
to Catholics and their
families. The Society
currently transacts business in eighteen states
with offices located in
Joliet and Belleville,
Illinois. Through service to its members and
programs designed to
aid the entire Catholic
community, the Society
has created an organization in which its
members join together
for their mutual protection and benefit.
Information on the society and its grant program is available at
www.chfsociety.org .
Catholic Times
February 24, 2008
The
Columbus
Catholic
Women’s
Conference was held
on Saturday, Feb. 16,
at
Columbus
St.
Andrew Church.
Nearly 1,000 women
attended this first
annual
Columbus
Catholic
Women’s
Conference.
The conference featured Mass, lunch and
a keynote presentation
by Johnette Benkovic.
Karen Rinehart, a
newspaper, magazine,
By: Rick Jeric
Toast
How often did you recognize Jesus in one another last
week? I found myself embarrassed when I saw Jesus in
my wife, my children, my co-workers and strangers, and
realized how often I treat them so ordinary, and take
them for granted. It takes real effort to consider the fact
that Jesus dwells in each and every one of us. Just think
about the love and instant respect that should demand from us.
In the readings for the third Sunday of Lent, there are so many things to
consider: thirst, grumbling, rock, hope, water, spouses, divorce and
Samaritans, not to mention a long discourse by Jesus describing his role as
Messiah. We know how important water is, and how symbolic it is in these
readings. Water satisfies, sustains and cleanses. Water terrifies and even
kills in hurricanes, floods and tsunamis. Water makes up a good portion
of our own bodies, and is a part of our favorite foods and beverages. Jesus
as Messiah satisfies, sustains and cleanses. If Jesus would become angry
with my sinfulness, even for a second, the result would be terrifying. Jesus
is in our bodies, souls and every part of the good earth. The good steward
uses time to sustain life and cleanse sin from our lives. The good steward
uses talent to comfort the poor and needy who are terrified to face each
new day. The good steward uses treasure to purchase, support, and consume food and beverage that is used as a gift, and not in excess.
These readings remind us of how much we are like our own children. We
know that we have to let our children do things for themselves, at various
points in their lives. We can not, and should not do everything for them.
God is the same way with us. In order for us to grow and understand more
fully the mystery of God’s love for us, we are free to choose, fail, succeed
and mature. God could have simply provided water for the people at
Meribah. Instead, He made Moses do something to get it. God could have
watched the human race struggle in sin forever. Instead, while we were
still sinners, Christ died for us. Jesus could have gotten His own water at
the well. Instead, He made the Samaritan woman get it for Him. We can
freely choose to ignore and disregard all that is good and sacred in life.
Instead, we freely choose to sustain and uphold life in all that is good.
Our practical challenge this week is a simple prayer. As we continue to ponder and anticipate the Paschal Mystery, let us offer a prayer of thanksgiving.
God our Father, you provide us with all that is good, and all that we
need for sustenance, even water. Thank you. Jesus, our Savior, you provide us with the only food we need for eternal life. Thank you. Holy
Spirit, you provide us with your gifts that keep us focused upon our
most sacred responsibilities. Thank you.
Next time you have a drink of water, pause and offer a “toast” in thanksgiving to God. We take it for granted, so thank God that we have it so
readily. At Mass this weekend, pay close attention when the water is
added to the wine at the Offertory. Those drops represent us – the people of God – as we mingle with Christ’s divinity. As the Celebrant raises
the cup in a prayerful “toast” to God, let us thank Him for humbling
Himself to share in our humanity.
Jeric is director of development and planning for the Columbus Diocese.
February 24, 2008
Catholic Times
5
Columbus Catholic Women’s Conference attended by 1,000
PRACTICAL
STEWARDSHIP
online humor columnist
and author, also gave a
presentation.
Benkovic is founder
and president of “Living
His Life Abundantly
International,” Inc., a
Catholic evangelization
apostolate with outreaches in television,
radio, print and internet
communications.
She is also the
founder of “Women of
Grace,” a Catholic
apostolate for Christian women that fea-
tures a number of outreaches including conferences, curricula and
study groups.
After years of being
a
non-practicing
Catholic,
Benkovic
experienced a conversion back to her
Catholic
faith
in
1981and discerned a
call to share the
Gospel
message
through the media.
She has been a presence in Catholic radio
since 1987 and in
Catholic
television
since 1988.
She is executive producer of The Abundant
Life, seen internationally on EWTN, a television program that
discusses contemporary issues from a
Catholic perspective.
She is also host of
“Moments of Truth
Live,” which is a one
hour call-in radio talk
show that airs live
three times a week.
She is heard nation-
DESALES FILLS ‘EMPTY BOWLS’ FOR FOOD BANK —
Columbus St. Francis DeSales High School recently raised $2,193
from its annual “Empty Bowls” event, which raises awareness of
hunger in the Central Ohio area. All proceeds from the event went
to the Mid-Ohio Food Bank. A donation check was given to Cathy
Barr, a representative from the non-profit organization, at the
school’s Winter Sports Assembly. (Above): Stallion cheerleaders
Morgan Allen and Aubri Ceneviva with Cathy Barr (center).
Johnette Benkovic gave the keynote address.
CT photo courtesy of DeSales High School
‘‘They were
wonderful’.’
We hear kind words consistently.We’re
proud that people feel comfortable
enough with us to openly tell us how
much they appreciate what we did for
them. In fact, it’s this appreciation that
drives us to offer the very best in
comfort, compassion and service.
©adfinity
4
Central: 403 E. Broad St. • 221-6665
East: 4019 E. Livingston Ave. • 235-8000
St. Andrew Church was filled with about 1,000 women for the conference.
CT photos by Ken Snow
ally on AM/FM stations and internationally via short wave radio.
In addition, Benkovic is the author of
several books, including Full of Grace:
Women
and
the
Abundant Life, GraceFilled Moments, Living
the Abundant Life:
Stories of People Who
Know God Personally,
Experience Grace in
Abundance: Strategies
For Your Spiritual Life
and The New Age
Counterfeit.
Benkovic has been
married to her husband, Anthony, since
1973, and is the mother
of three children.
6
Catholic Times
A quick note from:
OFFICE OF LITURGY
The Cathedral Church
The cathedral church is the site of the bishop’s chair, or
cathedra, and is properly the bishop’s home church. It is
regarded as the center of liturgical life of the diocese and is
to be “the express image of Christ’s visible Church, praying,
singing, and worshipping on earth… the image of Christ’s
Mystical Body”. The cathedral church reflects the reverence
and dignity owed to the bishop as “Christ’s vicar and representative” through its physical presence and through participation of the diocesan faithful in exemplary liturgy and
music.
The history of the cathedra can be traced to Christ’s teachings, in which he declared that scribes and Pharisees had
taken their seat on the chair of
Moses (Mt 23:2), affirmed by the
Catholic feast of the Chair of St.
Peter. Cathedral churches have
traditionally been built in urban
centers with the intention of
hosting dense, socially vibrant
populations. As our urban landscape becomes increasingly
complex, the cathedral mission
to unify and serve all peoples of
the diocese persists, presenting
the best Christ has to offer. The
cathedral is the quintessential
realization of the Church body, God’s faithful, rich in diversity while completely unified and engaged.
The cathedral church shines as a beacon of Christ, providing community outreach, concerts and other arts events,
and a space in which to encounter God individually and collectively. Other than housing the cathedra, no specific architectural criteria exist, although most cathedral churches
strive to honor the longstanding tradition of representing
the space of God’s holy city in heaven, the new Jerusalem. As
Jesus frequently retreated to the desert to meet his Father,
the cathedral church functions as an urban haven where the
faithful come to meet God through his manifestation in
visual and musical arts and through his true presence in the
Blessed Sacrament, particularly in the celebration of Mass.
The unity of God’s people is perhaps best exemplified in
the cathedral Chrism Mass, at which the bishop consecrates
the oil of holy chrism, the oil of the sick, and the oil of catechumens in anticipation of the sacred Easter Triduum. At
the Chrism Mass, every parish across the diocese is represented by priests and parishioners as a sign of the unity of
the presbyterium. With the sacred Triduum solemnities, the
Chrism Mass calls for special inclusion of other ordinary and
lay ministers, including deacons, the master of ceremonies,
and the choir, all who help express Christ’s presence. The
eloquence and beauty of such important liturgical events
bring worshippers closer to God and unifies believers. These
events serve to recognize two millennia of Christian
devotion through the divine traditions that comprise
and define Roman Catholicism.
February 24, 2008
Q:
Fridays again days of abstinence?
A new priest in
our area tells us
that all Fridays are again
days of abstinence.
Another priest says it is
a sin if we do not perform some act of
penance on Fridays.
I know the rules
about fast and abstinence during Lent, and
we should do some
penance on all Fridays,
but I’ve never heard the
obligation ex-pressed in
terms of sin. Is there a
change? (Pennsylvania)
A:
No, there is no
change. I have a
suspicion someone misunderstood the priest,
and he was referring to
abstinence
on
all
Fridays of Lent.
In his apostolic constitution
titled
Paenitemini (Feb. 17,
1966), changing the
Church regulation about
abstinence from meat on
Friday, Pope Paul VI
was not replacing one
kind of sin with another.
The pope said he was
pointing out “the implications and importance
of the Lord’s command
to repent,” since all
members of the Church
“are in continuous need
of
conversion
and
&
QUESTION
ANSWER
by: FATHER DIETZEN
reform.” The fact that a
spirit of penitence is primarily an interior religious experience, he
writes, does not lessen
the need for exterior
practice of this virtue.
Because this need is
so essential in Christian
life, it “prompts the
Church, always attentive to the signs of the
times, and according to
the character of each
age, to seek beyond fast
and abstinence new
expressions more suitable for the realization
of the precise goal of
penitence.”
In other words, practices of penance effective for spiritual renewal
at one period of time
may not be the best for
another period.
Thus the Church
today invites everyone
to accompany their
inner conversion, for
example, at times during
Lent with “voluntary
exercise of external acts
of penitence.”
Note the word “voluntary.” One can understand what Pope Paul is
getting at in this frantic
and stressful age when
he says the attitude or
virtue of penitence
should be exercised first
of all in persevering
faithfulness to the duties
of one’s state in life.
Not many would dispute that devoted, loving
steadfastness in fulfilling our daily responsibilities automatically
brings with it numerous
opportunities for selfdenial and patience.
The pope mentions
specifically the difficulties arising from one’s
work, from one’s human
relationships, from the
stress of insecurity that
pervades modern life and
the anxieties of each
day’s struggles as additional sources of mortification and self-restraint.
If anyone lovingly
and generously tries to
observe these habitual
practices of penance the
pope offers, it is hardly
conceivable that he or
she could go through a
whole day without some
sort of prayer, self-control and expressions of
love that are prescribed
by our Lord as well as
by traditional Christian
spirituality.
Pope Paul, in other
words, had no intention
to belittle or diminish
the importance of
penance. He was asking
something even more
demanding; go back to
the command of Christ,
“If anyone wishes to
come after me, he must
deny himself and take
up his cross daily and
follow me” (Lk 9:23),
and ask yourself what,
if anything, that means
to you.
Nine months after
the publication of
Paenitemini, the American bishops made its
provisions specific for
the United States, abrogating the law of Friday
abstinence from meat
except during Lent.
Without making it a
“law,” in the spirit of
the pope’s message
they
recommended
Friday abstinence as a
praiseworthy, voluntary
(not mandatory) act of
self-denial.
February 24, 2008
Catholic Times
7
Annual Respect Life Conference is March 1
“The Fellowship of
Life” will be spotlighted
by Father Frank Pavone,
National Director of
Priests for Life, when he
addresses the Columbus
Diocese’s 2008 Respect
Life Conference on
Saturday, March 1.
The conference will
take place 8:30 a.m.-3
p.m., at Powell St. Joan
of Arc Church, 10700
Liberty Road South.
Father Pavone is an
internationally-known
speaker and advocate for
the dignity of life.
Father Pavone grew
up in Port Chester, N.Y.
After he traveled with
classmates to Washing-
ton, D.C., for an prolife rally in 1976, he
discovered his calling.
He graduated high
school, joined the seminary and was ordained
at age 29. He worked at
St. Charles Church on
Staten Island for five
years, until Cardinal
John
O’Connor
appointed him the first
full-time director of
Priests for Life in 1993.
Priests for Life was
started in 1991 to help
priests around the
world
spread
the
Gospel of Life.
Its mission is to
encourage all clergy to
give special emphasis to
the life issues and to help
God’s people take a more
vocal and active role in
the pro-life movement,
with emphasis on the
issues of abortion and
euthanasia.
Priests
for
Life
embraces the consistent
ethic of life as it is
explained in the Bishop’s
Pastoral Plan for ProLife
Activities:
A
Reaffirmation (1985).
Father Pavone has
spoken worldwide on
behalf of the unborn,
including in India at the
request
of
Mother
Theresa of Calcutta.
His work includes
service
for
the
Catholic Social Services
names new staff members
Catholic Social Services (CSS) announces
that Mimi Sommer,
L.I.S.W., has joined the
agency as a clinical
coordinator for Counseling Services and that
Carolina Silva has been
named coordinator of
Hispanic
Services,
overseeing the Job
Readiness program and
the Our Lady of
Guadalupe Center food
pantry in Columbus.
Sommer received her
master’s degree in social
work from The Ohio
State University and her
bachelor’s degree in
social psychology from
Park
College
in
Missouri.
She is a licensed,
independent
social
worker with 25 years
experience in community mental health and
more than 10 years in
child welfare.
As the former executive director for Concord
Counseling Services in
Westerville, she also
held the position of
executive director for
Eastwind Depression
Services, a not-for-profit
that specialized in the
comprehensive treatment of depression and
has specialized training
in critical incident stress
management, as well as
F.B.I. Academy training
in the treatment of safety service families.
Catholic Social Services’ counseling program is accredited by the
Ohio Department of
Mental Health.
As a native of Chile,
Silva received her bachelor’s degree and professional title in psychology from the University
of Concepción.
She came to the United
States in 2000 and earned
her master’s degree in
public administration at
Wright State University
in Dayton, Ohio.
Silva most recently
served for five years as
the assistant director of
Program Management
and Evaluation at the
East End Community
Services Corporation,
also in Dayton.
She is a member of the
League of United Latin
American Citizens, having served on its executive board in Dayton, and
was also a member of the
Ethnic and Cultural
Diversity Caucus at the
University of Dayton.
Since 2000, CSS’s Job
Readiness program has
helped companies by providing employees from
the Hispanic community.
Each Job Readiness graduate has provided CSS
with documentation that
certifies his/her authorization to work in the U.S.
as well as has received 60
hours of interactive classroom training.
Established in 1945,
CSS provides social
services for those in
need, regardless of belief
or background. For more
information about CSS
and its services, call
614-221-5891.
Pontifical Council for
the Family, EWTN and
Catholic radio.
This conference is
being co-sponsored by
the diocesan Office for
Social Concerns and
Worthington
St.
Michael Church.
Mass will be celebrated at 8:30 a.m.
The registration fee is
$15, and a continental
breakfast and lunch are
included.
For more information
or to register, call Keith
Berube, Office for
Social
Concerns at
614-241-2540.
Registration deadline
is Monday, Feb. 25.
Father Frank Pavone
CNS photo
8
Catholic Times
February 24, 2008
SHEEN, continued from Page 15
HIBERNIANS GIVE TO SOUP KITCHEN —
The Ancient Order of Hibernians (AOH) Patrick
Pearse Division 1 recently donated $1,000 to the
Columbus Holy Family Soup Kitchen and Food
Pantry. The AOH is a Catholic Irish-American
Fraternal Organiz-ation. Jim Wade (right), division president, and Al Cassady (left), charities
and missions committee chairman, present
Frances Carr (center), director of the Holy
Family Soup Kitchen, with the donation check.
Hartline: Archbishop
Sheen’s final years were
not lived without suffering were they?
Father Apostoli: You are
right; they certainly were not
lived in comfort. Some
claimed
that
when
Archbishop Sheen was
young he was somewhat
vain. Later in life the archbishop admitted that vanity
was his main fault. But he
also said that if he had to do
it again he would have done
some things differently.
However, at the end of his
life he certainly was not vain
or living in ease. His health
suffered greatly especially in
the last year of his life when
he underwent three major
operations. But most of his
trials at the end were related
to others. During the last 1015 years of his life some
began to say that Archbishop
Sheen was passé, that his
ideas were no longer relevant. Well I don’t know how
anyone can say that the truth
is passé. What I believe he
really faced was resistance
from some who wanted to
change the authentic teachings of the Church. The Lord
also brought individuals to
him who told of experiences
which he probably wished
he didn’t have to know. For
example the one time ardent
Communist Bella Dodd was
a convert of Archbishop
Sheen. She told him that
while she was a Communist
Joseph Stalin told her and
other Communists that the
Catholic Church was the
greatest enemy of Communism. He wanted to
undermine the Church by
recruiting men into the
priesthood who had no
vocations and who would
cause havoc by confusion
and bad example. Bella
Dodd told the Archbishop
that she had personally
recruited into the priesthood
between 800 and 1200 men
who had no vocations.
Knowledge such as this was
not easy for Archbishop
Sheen. Yet it caused him to
pray even harder. There is
also the story of a man (actually a leper) who was greatly
deformed and who hid from
the public as much as possible. Archbishop Sheen
noticed him on the streets of
New York City. In addition
to paying for plastic surgery
to help the man physically,
Archbishop Sheen had
lunch with him twice a
week to get to know the man
better and see how he was
coming along. These are the
types of stories that people
need to know about
Archbishop Sheen.
Hartline: I find it
revealing that many young
people, who weren’t even
born in the 1950s and
1960s, are watching
Bishop Sheen on EWTN
and buying his books.
Father Apostoli: Isn’t
it interesting that the
young people are embracing Archbishop Sheen and
Mother Angelica who
appeal to the roots and
core of our faith.
Hartline: Do you see
any connection between
the work of Archbishop
Sheen in the 1950s and the
work of Mother Angelica
in the 1980s and 1990s?
Father Apostoli: Archbishop Sheen pioneered the
role of mass communications for Catholic audiences.
It not only helped Catholics
but those of other faiths to
better understand Catholicism. Mother Angelica knew
the power that television and
radio were having on our
culture and felt she had to
help the Church even
though she never thought of
herself as someone who was
gifted in front of the camera.
However, her naturalness
appealed to audiences just
like Archbishop Sheen did.
Two different approaches,
the same goal. God always
raises up men and women at
the right time to accomplish
His purposes. The question
is: will we listen to His call?
Thankfully, Archbishop
Sheen and Mother Angelica
both responded to God’s
call for all those who would
become disciples through
the media.
Hartline is author of The Tide Is
Turning Toward Catholicism,
founder of the Catholic report.org
blog and a former, teacher, coach,
principal and administrator for the
February 24, 2008
Catholic Times
Lent is about preparing for Easter
By Nancy Grilli
Like the majority of us
who grew up attending
Catholic schools, I was
taught that we must “give
up” something for Lent.
Do without. Make a
sacrifice. Deny a pleasure.
Nothing wrong with
that.
In our pleasure-seeking
society, I am sure it would
do me some good to do
without.
As I was thinking about
what I could give up this
year for Lent, the big
three came to mind: food,
sugar and alcohol.
And then, an incident
from my past popped into
mind.
When my daughter was
in the eighth grade preparing for her Confirmation,
the students were to list
what service projects they
would undertake to show
that they were serious
about becoming adults in
the Church.
Serious Christians take
on service as part of their
pledge toward spiritual
adulthood.
But my daughter did not
want to volunteer to
babysit (she hated it), to
clean the church (too
much cleaning required at
home), to visit the nursing
homes (turned up her
nose), to sort the clothes
for the rummage sale (no
way!) or any of the other
available projects.
After she nixed all my
suggestions for wonderful
volunteer opportunities, I
relinquished the service
sheet to her.
About a week later, I
questioned my daughter
on what she had decided
upon, and she assured me
she and her teacher had
filled out the sheet and
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bit, but the teacher stuck
to her guns.
Wilting in the face of
authority, I let it pass.
Obviously my daughter,
Ms. Whatever-her-Name,
and Backward Johnny
were all happy.
And with four other
children at home, it was
one less thing vying for
my attention.
Now, my daughter may
have skated by on her
service project, but I am
the one who learned the
lesson.
God asks different
things of each of us.
Some may be asked for
hours of prayer each day;
some may need to perform
corporal works of mercy.
Some may be asked to
clean a sick friend’s home
or to prepare and deliver
a meal.
Some may need to lie
in bed and be an obedient
patient; some may need to
hold their tongue.
I believe in a patient
God that continues to
push me toward spiritual
adulthood, and I think He
allowed me to remember
the little service project
story to remind me of
just that.
He gave me specific
gifts that allow me to
bring his love to the world
in my own unique way.
During this time of
preparation for Easter, I
realized I would be wise
to give my creative self a
little elbow room.
Lent is not all about
food.
It is about preparing for
the Easter that will soon
be upon me and the Easter
reunion that awaits me in
eternity.
Nancy Grilli is a parishioner at
Groveport St. Mary Church.
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she was working on it.
When I finally had the
individual Confirmation
parent meeting with her
teacher, who I might add
was a very young woman,
I was basically appalled at
the “service” on which the
two of them had agreed.
It seems the teach had
sat my daughter near a boy
who was very backward
socially, and as her project
she was to chat it up with
him and take him under
her wing, so to speak.
Were they kidding me?
This is a service project?
Ms. Teacher Whateverher-Name assured me it
was a wonderful project.
“The boy is so much more
social
now,”
she
explained.
“He is more confident
in a group. Your daughter
is doing a wonderful job!”
I sat there with my
mouth open. I protested a
diocese.
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I wish I had a
recording device to
have captured forever the 10-minute
conversation I just
overheard.
It was between 3
year old Elizabeth
and my own 90 year
old “toddler,” Dad.
Elizabeth was here
while her parents
attended the funeral
service for her own
Great Grandpa.
As God often plans
things, my Dad, who
has Altzheimers and
lives with us part of
the time, was here at
the right time help
fill a “grandpa void”
for the little one.
As I had emails to
check and a little
work to do on the
computer, I settled
Elizabeth, our dog
Dappy, and Grandpa
in front of the Disney
channel for some
wholesome
TV
watching.
With one ear on the
happy little group, I
went about my work,
just around the corner.
I heard Grandpa
ask Elizabeth, “What
are you doing today?”
In her most grown
up voice she replied,
“I see Sassy and
Dappy” (Sassy is an
outdoor cat.)
Grandpa, who can
barely hear said, “Do
you have brothers
and sisters?”
Response, “Merdif
is wif mommy.”
Grandpa reassuringly said , “your
mommy
will
be
back.”
In
a
slightly
mournful, yet very
firm voice, the reply
“I know dat.”
Then, evidently,
the little one discovered on the table
beside her, a dish of
tiny candy bars.
I heard a wrapper
open. Grandpa said
“what you got there?”
and a full mouth
reply “umm, candy.”
“Bring me on,”
Grandpa said.
“Ok.”
His
tired
old
crooked fingers do
not work well any
longer
and
after
struggling he said to
Elizabeth, “can you
open this for me?”
“Sure“, she said,
and as she did, I heard
her begin chewing as
she plopped the candy
in her own mouth.
Grandpa said, “you
ate my candy.”
Elizabeth
said,
“Uh huh, but I can
get you some and you
can be my friend.” (I
think that was a 3
year old‘s apology.)
Now, we all know
that friends stick
together , so I peaked
around the corner
and there she sat,
where
she
had
climbed up close
beside him on the
couch, Grandpa was
trying again to open
candy and Elizabeth
was getting ready to
“read” a book to her
new friend.
The marvels of
Disney’s electronic
entertainment were
being
completely
ignored.
The wonder of a tiny
girl sitting beside a
very old grandpa, sharing a book, that she
couldn’t read and he
couldn’t see, was the
simple perpetuation of
the work of God —
two helpless children
— interacting with no
other purpose than
pure, innocent love.
Blessings on all the
little children and big
ones as well.
Gloria Bulter is a
parishioner at Plain City
St. Joseph Church.
10
February 24, 2008/Catholic Times 11
Catholic Times/February 24, 2008
All photos by Jack Kustron
St. Joseph Monestery
Nuns in Portsmouth Monastery
Live Joyfully in Prayer
Sr. Marie Therese at prayer before the Blessed Sacrament
BY TIM PUET
Reporter, Catholic Times
Sr. Marie St. Claire, right, Sr. Imelda Marie, middle, Sr. Marie Therese, far left
Any notion that cloistered nuns
who constantly pray before the
Blessed Sacrament and spend much
of their lives in silence must live a
solemn, somewhat grim existence
quickly disappears on a visit to St.
Joseph Monastery in Portsmouth.
Five of the six Poor Clares of
Perpetual Adoration who live there
gathered for an interview last week
with the Catholic Times — the sixth,
Sister Mary Vincentia, PCPA, was
excused because of age. Throughout
the hourlong session, smiles and
laughter were abundant as they
talked about what made then decide
to spend their lives adoring Jesus in
the Blessed Sacrament and praying
for the world beyond the monastery.
Mother Dolores Marie, PCPA,
abbess, said the monastery has been
revitalized by the presence of three
young women who have become
part of the community since 2003.
The newest member, Sister Mary
Immaculate, PCPA, is in the second
year of a two-year novitiate in which
she is preparing for her first vows of
poverty, chastity, and obedience.
Sister Marie Ste. Claire, PCPA,
and Sister Marie Therese, PCPA,
both joined the order at about the
same time and took their first vows
a little more than a year ago. The
vows will be renewed each year
until 2011, when both take solemn
vows of poverty, chastity and obedience for life.
Mother Dolores Marie, a member
of the community since 1991, and
the monastery’s mother vicar, Sister
Imelda Marie, PCPA, a member
since 1994, both came to Ohio in
2002 from the Poor Clares’ Our
Lady of the Angels Monastery in
Irondale, Ala., which was founded
by Mother Angelica, best known as
the founder of the Eternal Word
Television Network.
All five nuns said the decision to
enter the cloister wasn’t as difficult
as it might appear to be because they
felt an overwhelming desire to live
the contemplative life.
“I found my Protestant friends
understood my choice better and
admired it more than my Catholic
friends did,” said Sister Marie
Therese, an Alabama native. “It
shocked so many people that a ‘normal girl’ who was very much into
acting and the theater in high school
would become a nun, but this was
something I’d been drawn to for
years, partly because my dad
worked for EWTN.”
“I was looking for love and realized the world couldn’t offer everything I was looking for,” Sister
Imelda Marie said. “I had plenty of
friends in Louisiana where I grew up,
and I know I could have gotten married and been happy in that life, but it
just wasn’t what I was called to do.
“In this hidden life, you don’t
always see or know whether your
prayers have been answered, but as
you trust more and more in God’s
Sr. Marie Therese, left, and Mother Dolores Marie
love, you find yourself realizing that
he will meet your needs, and that’s a
liberating thing.”
“I grew up Catholic in a part of
Florida where there weren’t many
religious or priests from which I
could take an example,” said Sister
Mary Immaculate. “I said the
Rosary daily and prayed to find
what I was meant to do. When I was
16, I began to realize the Lord wanted something more for me, and I
wanted to give more for God. He
has done so much for me and was
calling me to serve him with an
undivided heart.”
Sister Marie Ste. Claire described
herself as “a southern California girl
who mostly likes Ohio but misses
the beach.”
“The Lord kept inspiring me with
this desire to give him everything,
even though I kept fighting it,” she
said. “Eventually, I came to realize
God had given me his whole self in
the Blessed Sacrament and I wanted to return that gift by giving
myself to him. ...
“I went to college in New
Hampshire with the idea of going
to med school, but instead, that’s
where I made the decision that led
me here. After my first visit to St.
Joseph’s, I knew Jesus was here. A
friend at college used to say I’d
marry the first guy who asked me,
and he was right, but not in the
way he expected.”
Mother Dolores Marie came to
the Poor Clares from a career in
Cloister has Lost its Sense of Isolation
By TIM PUET
Reporter, Catholic Times
It’s hard to live the life of a contemplative nun when you’re dodging foul balls, trying to tune out rock
music, surrounded by neighbors
regularly waving at you, and hearing
traffic go by all day long.
That’s the dilemma facing the
Poor Clares of Perpetual Adoration
every day at their monastery in
Portsmouth. Its location in a residential area just off busy U.S. Route
23 makes it hard to concentrate on
their mission of adoring the
Eucharist and praying for the
needs of the diocese and the world.
Their job demands a sense of being
apart, but they’re surrounded by
the world on all sides.
That’s why they’re looking for a
new monastery site which would
allow them a better opportunity to
fulfill the role they have chosen.
The Poor Clares came to
Portsmouth in 1956 at the invitation
of the late Bishop Michael Ready
and lived for 30 years in what had
been a hilltop mansion donated by
the Reinhardt family of Portsmouth
to the Diocese of Columbus.
“As the nuns got older, it became
harder to live in that building
because it had many levels and lots
of stairs. It also was hard to get to
during the wintertime because of
its hilltop location,” said Mother
Dolores Marie, PCPA, abbess of
the monastery.
The diocese owned other land on
the hill and had built Notre Dame
High School on part of the land. In
the 1980s, a new monastery was
built just down the hill from the
school, and the nuns moved there
from the mansion.
Their new home was built as a
one-story structure to make it easier
for the elderly sisters to get around.
From the outside, it looks like a
ranch-style home similar to other
houses in the neighborhood.
Mother Dolores Marie said it
blends in almost too well.
“The high school baseball field is
just above the hill from us, so when
there are games or practices, we’ve
always got foul balls coming
down,” she said.
“We used to have people coming
here all the time to get the balls until
we worked out an agreement to
throw everything back that landed
here. So we’re always keeping an
eye out for baseballs or softballs.
“You can tell when there’s a game
on, not just because of the crowd
noise and the foul balls, but because
people usually bring rock music
with them and it can get pretty loud.
In addition, even though we do have
fencing to protect our privacy somewhat, this is a residential neighborhood and we’re surrounded by
homes up and down the hill.
“The neighbors are friendly and
wave at us and we wave back. We
know they’re just trying to be nice
and we appreciate that, but it does
affect our work. Then there are
times when you see people just
See MONASTERY, Page 13 Sr. Imelda Marie, left, and Sr. Marie St. Claire in the kitchen
retail merchandising and said the
last thing she would have anticipated while growing up was
becoming a nun.
“I never was involved with religion
until I went to work at EWTN as a
set designer’s assistant,” she said.
“When I saw the nuns there in their
habits, I was terrified. I tried my best
to avoid being introduced to Mother
Angelica, but it happened.
“I was caught up in a lot of worldly things, but in time I found myself
See NUNS, Page 12
12
Catholic Times
February 24, 2008
NUNS continued from Page 11
increasingly drawn to
spending time with the
Blessed Sacrament. I’d go
there sometimes not to
pray, but just to be in the
presence of Jesus. At first
I didn’t think I had a vocation, but in time I realized
God was calling me.”
When Mother Dolores
Marie was transferred to
Portsmouth, there was
concern
that
the
monastery would have to
close because of the
declining health of the
four elderly nuns who
lived there, but the addition of the younger sisters
eliminated that threat.
Sister Mary Vincentia is
the last older nun at the
monastery. Two others are
at the Mohun Health Care
Center in Columbus and
one has died.
A woman from Ireland
is scheduled to enter the
monastery March 31 to
begin her postulancy, a
year of discernment
which will lead to the
novitiate if she and the
community agree she is
suited for a nun’s life.
The Poor Clares’ life is
limited to the monastery,
except for necessary
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errands such as visits to
the doctor. But they’re
hardly isolated from the
world. For instance, they
were quickly made aware
of the shooting and stabbing of a teacher at
Portsmouth Notre Dame
Elementary School on
Feb. 7 through several
phone calls.
The convent also has a
Web site, www.stjosephmonastery.com, can send
and receive e-mail, and
receives Portsmouth’s
daily newspaper and the
Catholic Times. Mother
Dolores Marie monitors
the various means of communication and informs
the other nuns of significant events.
The nuns can write
home and receive letters
once a month. At
Christmas time, they may
send and receive letters to
and from anyone.
Family
visits
are
allowed twice a year for
two days each, but take
place with nuns and their
families on opposite sides
of a wooden latticework
grill. The nuns’ adoration
chapel is open to the public daily from 5:45 to 7
a.m. and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.,
When the nuns are at
prayer during those times,
they remain behind a
wooden screen.
Their day starts at 5 a.m.
and continues through
“lights out” at 10 p.m.
Additional
adoration
occurs Wednesday and
Saturday nights, with
each nun assigned an hour
on Wednesday and 90
minutes on Saturday.
Mass is at 7 a.m. and the
day proceeds through a
schedule which includes
the Church’s Office of
Readings, the Rosary, the
Chaplet of Divine Mercy,
the Franciscan Crown
devotion to the seven joys
of Mary, the Stations of
the Cross, and set times
for work, study, recreation, and free time.
Lunch at noon is the
main meal, with toast and
peanut butter generally for
breakfast, and a sandwich
or cereal at supper. The
main meal usually consists of a protein, a starch,
two vegetables and fruit.
Meat is eaten on
Tuesdays, Thursdays,
and Sundays, and on
Church feasts and solemnities.
Snacks
and
desserts are limited to
Sundays and solemnities.
The monastery’s main
revenue source is the
packaging of altar bread
which comes from an
outside supplier. That
means a United Parcel
Service truck arrives
nearly every day.
Most of the day is spent
silently; indeed, the word
“Silence” is posted
throughout the monastery.
It’s not an absolute
silence, since the nuns
may speak to each other
about things that are necessary during the day.
Greater
silence
is
observed from after 8
p.m. night prayers until
the next morning.
The silence also is broken occasionally by one
of the monastery’s three
dogs — Jewel, an adult
schnauzer, and Pippin and
Merry,
two
black
Labrador puppies.
Talk is done quietly and
kept to a minimum, but as
Mother Dolores Marie put
it, “If something funny
happens, we laugh. We
don’t expect anyone to be
inhuman or oblivious to
the situations around us.
We are not experts at
silence, but we continual-
ly work at it.”
Any single woman
between 18 and 35 who
has a high school education, is a Catholic in good
standing, and is physically
and
psychologically
healthy is eligible to join
the Poor Clares.
“I would encourage any
young woman to spend
time in prayer before the
Blessed Sacrament to help
discern the direction of
her life,” Mother Dolores
Marie said. “You have to
have a longing for a life of
prayer, specifically a life
of prayer before the
Blessed Sacrament.
“A contemplative life is
not for everyone, but it is
a rich and fulfilling one.
I would encourage anyone who feels such a calling to not be afraid, but to
listen to what God may
be saying.”
February 24, 2008
Catholic Times
MONASTERY, continued from Page 11
seeming to stare at you as
though you were animals
in a petting zoo or relics
from the past.”
There’s also the issue of
traffic. The monastery is
just off a busy residential
street, and it’s easy to hear
the noise of cars and
trucks coming up the hill
from four-lane U.S. Route
23.
“It’s just not a good situation for us here,” Mother
Dolores Marie said. “We
don’t want to be totally
isolated, but we need to be
somewhere with fewer
distractions so we can
concentrate on being
alone with God.
“Being in the far southern end of the diocese,
we’re also far from the
bulk of its population and a
lot of people don’t realize
we’re here. We’d like to
move closer to Columbus
to increase people’s awareness of us, with the hope
that it might attract vocations. Even though we’ve
been in the diocese since
1956, we’ve never had
anyone from the diocese
join our order in that time.”
Bishop
Frederick
Campbell gave the Poor
Clares approval to look at
possible sites for a new
monastery about a year ago.
“We spent a lot of last year
looking at properties around
Columbus and learned we
don’t have the money to
build a new monastery from
scratch,” Mother Dolores
Marie said.
“At this point, we’re
looking for sufficient land
with an existing building
that’s large enough for our
needs. We’ve found one
site near Hebron (in
Licking County) with a
decent-sized building and
decent acreage, but it
would take a lot of time
and money to convert the
building, so we’re continuing to search.”
Any building where the
nuns would relocate would
need to have sufficient area
for sleeping quarters and
room for a chapel, a community room, a refectory,
space for shipment and storage of altar bread, a sewing
room, a library, and offices.
Mother Dolores Marie
said it’s going to be hard
to leave Portsmouth
because the nuns have
developed strong ties to
the community and will
always be grateful for the
help they have received
from area residents.
“It’s sad for the people
here who have been our
longtime supporters, but
we’ve spoken to them and
they understand our problem,” she said.
“We want to stay in the
diocese if we can find the
right place, the right situation, which will be an
indication of God’s will
for us. We have yet to find
that place, but I am sure
the Lord has prepared it
for us somewhere.”
The Poor Clares also have
monasteries in the Ohio
communities of Cleveland
and Canton, as well as in
Arizona, Washington, D.C.,
Poland, and France, where
they were founded in 1854
by Mother Marie de Ste.
Claire Bouillexeau and
Father Bonaventure, a
Capuchin friar.
They take their name
Sisters make the Sign of the Cross before noon meal
from St. Clare of Assisi,
who worked with St.
Francis of Assisi in the
13th century and founded
the original order of Poor
Clares. This order’s particular mission, as indicated in its name, is to pray
constantly before the
Blessed Sacrament in
adoration, in thanksgiving, and in reparation for
the sins of humanity.
Mother Dolores Marie
said the order was thrilled
to learn of the Vatican
Congregation for the
Clergy’s issuance on Dec.
8 of a document titled
“Adoration, Reparation,
Spiritual Motherhood for
Priests.” The document
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year, each of the sisters is
assigned one week to
specifically offer all her
prayers for the intentions
of priests and for vocations to the priesthood.
The sisters also would
like to remind the people
of the diocese that
because their mission is
one of prayer, they are
anxious to receive
prayer requests at any
time. They may be contacted electronically at
[email protected], via phone
or fax at (740) 353-4713,
or through the mail at
2311 Stockham Lane,
Portsmouth 45662-3049.
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called for a movement,
with 24-hour Eucharistic
adoration at its center,
designed to unceasingly
pray on behalf of priests.
“This is very important
to us because we are dedicated to the Blessed
Sacrament,” said Sister
Marie Ste. Claire, PCPA,
another of the six Poor
Clares who live at the
monastery . “We wouldn’t
exist without the Blessed
Sacrament, and the
Blessed Sacrament wouldn’t exist without priests.”
What the Vatican is asking for is something the
monastery has done for
years. Throughout the
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14 Catholic Times
February 24, 2008
Third Sunday of Lent (Cycle A)
Speaking about the living water...
Father
Lawrence L.
Hummer
Exodus 17:3-7
Romans 5:1-2,5-8
John 4:5-42
Though longer or
shorter versions of
today’s Gospel may be
read,
I
encourage
choosing the longer
version. I recommend
the same for next
week’s story of the man
born blind and the following week’s story of
the raising of Lazarus.
The proclaimed word
has a power in itself
and we do it a disservice if, for the sake of
convenience, we abbreviate what was written
as a whole piece.
The story begins with
Jesus sitting by “Jacob’s
well” at “about noon”
(the same hour when he
will ascend the cross)
when the unnamed
Samaritan
woman
comes to “draw water.”
In Johannine literature, simple “water” is
almost always a symbol suggesting baptism.
This becomes evident as Jesus explains
what he means by “living water,” which certainly evokes thoughts
of baptism among the
baptized.
The
unnamed
woman plays a central
role in this scene,
remaining on stage
longer than any other
single character in this
Gospel. The dialogue
begins with a request
Jesus makes of her for a
drink (of water).
It continues with her
asking a simple question about why a Jewish
man would ask a
Samaritan woman for a
drink. Jesus uses her
question to speak about
living water. She continues to ask questions
on one level. Jesus continues to answer on
another level.
Each answer Jesus
gives leads her into a
new area. When she
finally asks for the
water he has to offer, he
invites her to go call her
husband and come back.
When she says she has
no husband he mentions
her five previous ones
and agrees with her that
the one she’s with now
is not her husband. It is
not done with anger or
judgment on his part. It
is a simple statement.
Undaunted,
she
changes the subject, noting he is a prophet and
deepens the dialogue
about the proper place to
worship, in Jerusalem or
on the mountain near
where this dialogue
takes place.
A nice change of
pace, perhaps? But Jesus
uses the remark to speak
on a much deeper level
about worshipping God
in Spirit and in truth.
Yet again the woman
jumps to another topic,
that of the nature of the
coming Messiah who
will tell all. Jesus
claims to be the one: “I
am he.” When she goes
off to her townspeople
to speak of a man who
had told her everything
she’d ever done she
asks
rhetorically
“could he possibly be
the Christ?”
That’s where her
role ends in the story.
We
never
know
whether she returned to
him or if she found an
answer to her question
whether he might be
the Messiah. Her testimony to her townspeople suggests she did.
We also have to
admire how well John
the evangelist put it all
together. The woman is
in many ways the star of
the entire scene. Her
questions and her popular theology drive the
entire dialogue. There is
something quite enjoyable about the woman.
She’s brash, sassy and
proud of what she
knows. She reminds me
of many women I know.
She is unashamed in
the presence of Jesus
but puzzled by what he
says. But each time he
says something she
becomes all the more
intrigued and pushes
the dialogue further.
She is unafraid to report
her conversation with
him to her fellow
Samaritans, although
she simply invites them
to come hear a “man,
who has told me everything I’ve ever done.”
We get the impression that Jesus enjoyed
the banter with her. We
have John to thank for
preserving her story.
And we have her to
thank for being herself.
Father Lawrence L. Hummer, a
Scripture scholar, is pastor of
Chillicothe St. Mary. He can be
reached
at
hummerl@
hotmail.com.
The
Weekday Bible
Readings
MONDAY
2 Kings 5:1-15b
Psalm 42:2-3;43:3-4
Luke 4:24-30
TUESDAY
Daniel 3:25, 34-43
Psalm 25:4-5b,6,7bc,8-9
Matthew 18:21-35
WEDNESDAY
Deuteronomy 4:1,5-9
Psalm 147:12-13,15-16,19-20
Matthew 5:17-19
THURSDAY
Jeremiah 7:23-28
Psalm 95:1-2,6-9
Luke 11:14-23
FRIDAY
Hosea 14:2-10
Psalm 81:6c-11b,14,17
Matthew 9:14-15
February 24, 2008
Catholic Times
Update on Archbishop Sheen’s cause for canonization
I was contacted by those
interested in the cause of
sainthood for Archbishop
Sheen and was put into contact with Father Andrew
Apostoli CFR. The following interview began in
December 2007 and was
completed in January 2008.
Archbishop Sheen is either
referred to as bishop or
archbishop. He was Bishop
Sheen for much of his life
but was given a Titular See
in his latter days.
Dave Hartline: Can
you give the readers an
update on the progress of
Archbishop Fulton Sheen’s
cause for sainthood?
Father
Andrew
Apostoli: The diocesan
phase investigating Archbishop Sheen’s cause for
sainthood began in 2002
and that was started by
Bishop Daniel Jenky CSC
of Peoria, the boyhood
home of Archbishop
Sheen. The diocesan phase
of the cause is drawing to a
close. Through our interviews with witnesses who
knew the archbishop, we
are hopeful that we can
present testimonies that
demonstrate that the archbishop lived a life of heroic
Christian virtue, which is
necessary for sainthood.
We also believe we have
two significant healings
that can be attributed to the
intercession of Archbishop
Sheen. One healing took
place in Champaign, Ill.,
and the other in Pittsburgh,
Pa. Both were quite
extraordinary. One involved a woman who nearly died from a major tear in
her pulmonary artery that
occurred during a very delicate operation. Doctors felt
there was no hope for the
woman to survive, but she
did. The other case
involved a newborn infant
who was diagnosed with
three life-threatening conditions one of which was
the worst form of a blood
disease called sepsis. There
seemed to be little hope and
yet the infant miraculously
recovered to the point that
the child shows no signs of
his illnesses. The doctors
have been amazed.
Hartline: Explain to the
readers what it was like to
see Bishop Sheen on television in his heyday. What
was the public’s reaction?
Father Apostoli: A
competing network put him
on TV opposite Milton
Berle. The TV networks had
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DAVID HARTLINE
an obligation to show one
hour of religious programming each week. Since
Berle was so popular (he
was actually called “Mr.
Television,” at the time) no
one expected Bishop
Sheen’s program to do very
well. However, after his first
show he received some
28,000 letters. Within six
months, the number of
Bishop Sheen’s viewers
increased to the point that he
beat Milton Berle in the first
half hour of the time slot. It
was amazing that percentage-wise more Jewish people watched the Bishop than
Catholics or Protestants. I
believe this point helps to
explain how Bishop Sheen
was chiefly responsible for
helping many Protestants
and Jewish people to understand what the Catholic
Church was really about.
On a radio interview program a Protestant man
shared with me that his family always watched Milton
Berle and never Bishop
Sheen. One evening, however, when the TV reception
that showed Berle was so
bad his family looked purely out of curiosity to see
what Bishop Sheen was
like. He told me that from
then on they only watched
Bishop Sheen. Another person told me that whenever
her grandmother, who was
a Protestant, watched
Bishop Sheen’s TV program, she always wore one
of her best dresses. She felt
like she was in church.
Hartline:
Bishop
Sheen had a special devotion to St Therese the Little
Flower. You wrote the forward to a book titled,
Archbishop
Fulton
Sheen’s St Therese: A
Treasured Love Story. It
has just been released.
Could you elaborate on
Blessed Sacrament in a
this?
Father Apostoli: Yes, I small church in China
was happy to write the for- where the Eucharist had
ward to this beautiful new been desecrated by antibook since I knew how Catholic soldiers. The little
much St Therese meant to girl came back several
Archbishop Sheen. I think nights in a row to sneak into
there were many young the church. There she spent
men and women who were about an hour in prayer and
greatly influenced by the reparation for the Eucharist
writings and example of St that had been desecrated.
Therese. You must remem- Each night she licked up a
ber that she died at the age consecrated Host (rememof 24. This type of devotion ber in those days the laity
and dedication for someone did not receive the Blessed
so young had a great impact Sacrament with their
on people, among them hands). One night one of the
Archbishop Sheen. This soldiers saw her entering
book is special because it the church, and as she was
was the fruit of Archbishop receiving the last consecratSheen’s preaching about St. ed Host the guard shot and
Therese in which case you killed her. Before his ordihave a saintly person writ- nation Fulton Sheen said
that if this young girl could
ing about a canonized.
give her life in reparation
Hartline: Tell us about for the Eucharist, he could
why Archbishop Sheen spend at least one hour of
spent an hour in eucharistic each day in prayer before
Adoration every day.
the Blessed Sacrament. We
Father Apostoli: While know he kept to this. For
still in the seminary, Fulton example, once while visitSheen heard about the bold ing missionaries in a
faith of a young Chinese remote village in Africa he
girl who during a time of arrived late at night and his
persecution of the Church first request was to be
in China gave her life for brought to their chapel so
the Eucharist. This young he could spend his hour.
girl made reparation in
honor of Jesus in the See SHEEN, Page 8
Letters To The Editor
SATURDAY
Isaiah 58:9b-14
Psalm 86:1-6
Luke 5:27-32
15
Shamrock Club of Columbus’ decision to host parade made with care
The Shamrock Club of
Columbus has gone through
great effort in making the
decision to host the civic portion of the Central Ohio St.
Patrick’s Day parade and Irish
Family Reunion.
As the grandchild of a past
president, Edward “Red”
Dempsey 1964, I understand
your position; but, as the current president of the Shamrock
Club, I must clarify how we
came to this decision.
The Shamrock Club is no
longer a strictly Irish Catholic
organization, and I don’t write
this with any pride towards
that fact, but the Shamrock
Club has survived for 72 years
because of the support from
the Irish Community, not just
the Irish Catholic Community.
The Shamrock Club has
evolved into an Irish Social
organization with a diverse
membership. We still maintain
many, many Catholic traditions.
We host several Masses at
the Club; we maintain a
Roman Catholic Clergy as
our Club Chaplain and make
charitable
contributions
throughout the year.
As for the bishop’s request
to move all activities outside
of Holy Week, we took great
time and effort to discuss the
options with all local Irish
organizations and researched
what other cities that traditionally host their parades on
March 17 (which is rare).
In our research, we discovered that New York’s Cardinal
Egan will be participating in the
parade and that the Cleveland
Bishop is participating also.
Even in Ireland, the parades
will be held on March 17.
In Boston, a Palm Sunday
parade.
Why should Columbus be
held to a different standard
than these other cities and their
Catholic participants?
I have a deep respect for
my faith. But, the leadership
I’ve seen recently from my
Church has me scratching
my head.
I remain faithful as a
Catholic and I hope that anyone that takes the time to make
a comment on this issue, and
also takes the time to do the
research and make their determination with all the facts.
The Feast of St. Patrick is
absent from the 2008 recognition of St. Patrick, but the commitment
of
the
Irish
Community to this country,
religious or not, stands tall.
Mark Dempsey
Columbus
16 Catholic Times
February 24, 2008
Pray for our Dead
ALLDREDGE, Edward L., 61, February 13
St. Pius X Church, Reynoldsburg
FLORIO, Jane C., 87, February 13
St. Mary Magdalene Church, Columbus
Christopher John Campbell
AMRINE, Robert J., 60, February 12
St. Timothy Church, Columbus
GREENE, Ruby R., 73, February 10
Holy Rosary-St. John Church, Columbus
ANDEREGG, Marjorie L., formerly of
Columbus, February 7
HATHAWAY, Virginia A., 73, February 10
Holy Trinity Church, Zoar
BADGER, Evelyn M., 94, February 14
St. Francis de Sales Church, Newark
HORNING, Helen M., 96, February 12
St. Joseph Church, Dover
BARRY, Josephine Collette, 89, February 15
St. Andrew Church, Columbus
JONES, Sam E., 76, February 7
Christ the King Church, Columbus
BECKER, George C. “Newt,” 96, February 13
St. Mary Church, Groveport
O’BRIEN, Virginia, 94, February 8
St. Thomas Church, Zanesville
Funeral Mass for Christopher John
Campbell. 80, who died Monday,
Feb. 4, was held Saturday, Feb. 10, at
Columbus Immaculate Conception
Church. Burial was in Resurrection
Cemetery, Lewis Center.
He was born in 1927, in Pittston,
Pa., to Earl and Catherine Campbell.
He served in the Army, graduated
from Fordham University in New
York City, where he was captain of
the football team in 1951, and was
employed for 36 years at AccuRay
Corp. in Columbus. He was a member
of Columbus St. Andrew Church for
BOLEMAN, Carolyn M., 91, of Columbus,
February 13
RACLE, Marie M., 99, February 14
St. Michael Church, Worthington
BOLEY, Leo J., February 14
St. Agnes Church, Columbus
SMITH, Katherine M., 85, February 20
St. Edward Church, Granville
BRAY, Edward J., 81, February 10
Immaculate Conception Church, Columbus
WALTER, William, 89, February 11
Our Lady of Peace Church, Columbus
CANLAS, Purita, 95, February 11
Our Lady of Peace Church, Columbus
WEAVER, Marianne, 79, February 16
St. Aloysius Church, Columbus
DAGER-FRYSINGER, Maureen, 70, February 16
Church of the Nativity, Utica
DEANER-(RANCOUR), Eleanore C., 83,
February 14
Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church, Grove City
FAIELLA, Sittemia M., 88, February 18
St. John the Baptist Church, Columbus
WHELAN, Mary, 82, February 16
St. Joseph Church, Plain City
WHITLER, Elizabeth T., 57, February 12
St. Paul Church, Westerville
WOOLEY, Dr. Charles F., 78, February 15
St. Andrew Church, Columbus
CATHOLIC CEMETERIES
Spring Clean-up!
CEMETERY field workers will be removing winter-time
and artificial decorations from graves and mausoleums at all
Catholic cemeteries beginning March 3, 2008.
WE request that families wishing to retain any per-
sonal keepsakes, to please remove them by March 3.
DUE to the number of decorations involved, the cemetery
staff can not be responsible for collecting or storing personal
items. Thank you for your cooperation.
St. Joseph
614-491-2751
Mt. Calvary
614-491-2751
Resurrection
614-888-1805
Holy Cross
740-927-4442
Submit
Obituaries
There is no charge for
obituaries. To have an obituary printed, send it to: The
Catholic Times, Obituaries,
197 E. Gay St., Columbus,
OH 43215; or fax to 614241-2518. Obituaries cannot be taken by phone.
They will be edited for
length/clarity/style and
printed as space permits.
nearly 50 years and established the
TEFEE (Tuition Earned for Extra
Effort) Fund at Columbus Bishop
Watterson High School.
He was preceded in death by his
parents and brother, William.
Survivors include his wife of 56 years,
Anne; sons, Deacon Christopher
Campbell Jr. (Anne), who serves at
Immaculate Conception Church;
Martin (Dawn) and Michael (Valerie);
daughters, Karen (Jay) Augenstein,
Lisa (Dan) Best and Julie (Jim)
Grunenwald; brother, Earl; sister,
Kathryn; and, 18 grandchildren.
February 24, 2008
Televised Sunday Mass for the
Third Sunday of Lent
Feb. 24, 2008
From the Diocese of Columbus
The Sunday Mass with the Passionist
Fathers can be seen at:
7 a.m. on WHIZ 18
7:30 a.m. on WWHO 53
11 a.m. on Cable Channel 2 (in Marion)
11 a.m. on Cable Channel 20 (on Adelphia
Cable in Scioto County)
The televised Sunday Mass also can be
seen on Time Warner Cable Chan. 6
(Hardin County), at:
10 a.m. Immaculate Conception Church,
Kenton
On EWTN (Time Warner Chan. 127, Insight
Chan. 382 and on WOW Chan. 378) at:
8 a.m. Our Lady of the Angels Monastery
in Birmingham, Ala. (Encores at noon and
midnight)
Daily Mass
8 a.m. Our Lady of the Angels Monastery
in Birmingham, Ala. (Encores at noon, 7
p.m. and midnight) See EWTN above; and
on I-Lifetv (Chan. 113 in Ada, Logan,
Millersburg, Murray City and Washington
C.H.; Chan. 125 in Marion, Newark,
Newcomerstown and New Philadelphia;
and Chan. 207 in Zanesville; 1270 AM in
Marysville on St. Gabriel Radio, rebroadcast at noon.)
We pray Week III,
Seasonal Proper of the
Liturgy of the Hours
Catholic Times
SPECIAL EVENTS
OUR
LADY OF VICTORY CHURCH
Parish Center-1559 Roxbury Rd., Marble Cliff
FISH FRY DINNERS
FRIDAYS DURING LENT
FEBRUARY 8-MARCH 14 • 4:30-7:00 PM
FRESH OCEAN PERCH • POTATOES or RICE
SALAD or SLAW • BEVERAGES • DESSERT
Adults: $8.50, Children under 12 yrs.: $4.00
Carry-outs Available
Shamrock Club Fish Fry
60 W. Castle Road (Just off South High Street)
LENTEN FRIDAYS • FEBRUARY 8-MARCH 14 • 5:30-8:00 PM
ALL YOU CAN EAT FISH • LIVE ENTERTAINMENT
Prepared and served by the Police & Fire Emerald Society
www.shamrockclub.com
491-4449
St. Michael Church
Lenten Fish Fry, Fridays 5-8 pm
5750 N. High St., Worthington
Cost: Adults: $7.50, Children: $5.50
Macaroni-Cheese Dinner: $5.50
DINE IN, DRIVE THRU & CARRYOUT
Notices for items of Catholic interest must be
received at least 12 days before expected publication
date. We will print them as space permits. Items not
received before this deadline may not be published.
Listings cannot be taken by phone.
Mail to: The Catholic Times, Happenings,
197 East Gay St., Columbus, OH 43215
Fax to: 614-241-2518
E-mail as text to: [email protected]
LENTEN FRIDAYS • FEBRUARY 8-MARCH 14 • 4-8 PM
LARGE OR SMALL DINNERS, BAKED OR FRIED,
PLUS MANY ALA CARTE ITEMS
Carry-Out Available!
30 Years Experience!
St. Andrew Church
Fantastic Fish Dinners
Corner of Reed & McCoy, in the spacious Parish Hall
ALL FRIDAYS DURING LENT • 4:30-7:00 PM
BAKED WHITE FISH, FRIED PERCH AND MUCH MORE
Carryout available!
Immaculate Conception Church
Lenten Fish Fry
In the Marian Hall • 414 E. N. Broadway in Clintonville
FRIDAYS • FEBRUARY 8-MARCH 14 • 5-8 PM
GREAT FRIED FISH • DAIRY QUEEN
BARLEY’S BEER • TASTY DESSERTS
Adults: $8, Children: $3.50
St. Timothy Parish
Spaghetti Dinner
FRIDAYS DURING LENT • FEBRUARY 8-MARCH 14 • 5-7:30 PM
BAKED/FRIED PERCH W/ROLL, DESSERT &
DRINK + TWO SIDE DISHES
Adults: $8, Seniors $7, Children <12: $3.50
Proceeds donated to local charities
Adults: $7.50, Seniors: $6.50, Children: $4
Carryouts Available
4131 Clime Road, Columbus, Ohio
St. Charles Preparatory School
Spaghetti Dinner
SUNDAY, MARCH 2 ~ NOON - 7 PM
Parish Center, 1088 Thomas Lane
St. Paul the Apostle Church
313 North State St., Westerville
Fish Fry FRIDAYS, 2/15, 2/29, 3/7 & 3/14 • 5-7 PM
in the Robert C. Walter Student Commons• 2010 E. Broad Street in Bexley
Sponsoring organization: Knights of Columbus Westerville Council 5776
Raising funds which are distributed to various charities
Contact person: Kevin O’Connor • 614-778-4084
Adults: $6.50, Seniors: $5.50, Children 4-12: $4
Seton Parish
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 24, NOON-7 PM
Carry out orders available
St. Matthew’s Annual Fish Fry
FRIDAYS • FEBRUARY 8, 15, 29 & MARCH 14 • 5:15-7:30 PM
‘Happenings’ submissions
St. Matthias Fish Fry
St. Stephen the Martyr
Fish Fry
795 Havens Corners Road, Gahanna, Ohio
All fund-raising events (festivals, bazaars,
spaghetti dinners, fish fries, bake sales, pizza/sub
sales, candy sales, etc.) will be placed in the
“Fund-Raising Guide.” An entry into the Guide
will be $17.50 for the first six lines, and $2.50 for
each additional line. For more information, call Phil
Connard at 614-224-6530 or 800-511-0584.
Cancer Prayer Support Group Meeting
Corner of Karl & Ferris Rd. • 267-3406
$8/baked, $7/perch, $4/kids
COD, MAC’N CHEESE, FRIES, PIE, COOKIES, PUNCH & COFFEE
Adults: $8.50, Seniors: $7.25, Students w/ID: $5, Children: $4.50
Family pricing of 4=$24, of 5=$27, of 6 or more=$29.50
Carry out available
St. Peter Church
6899 Smoky Row Rd., Columbus
Lenten Meatless Spaghetti Dinner
FRIDAYS, FEBRUARY 15 & MARCH 7 • 5-7 PM
CHOOSE RED SAUCE, CLAM SAUCE OR PESTO PASTA,
SALAD, BREAD, BEVERAGE, ICE CREAM
Adults: $7, Children $5 (age 3-12), free under 3 Family of 4/$25
St. Margaret of Cortona
1600 N. Hague Avenue
Fish Fry Dinners
LENTEN FRIDAYS • FEBRUARY 8-MARCH 14 • 4:30-7:30 PM
FISH, POTATOES, SLAW, ROLLS & BUTTER
Adults: $8, Seniors $7, Children: $3.50
17
600 Hill Rd. North, Pickerington
Knights of Columbus Fish Fry
LENTEN FRIDAYS, 6:00-7:30 PM
BAKED OR FRIED WHITE FISH OR SALMON
Carryouts Available
FEBRUARY
22, FRIDAY
Way of the Cross Concert With Living Water
7 :30 p.m., St. Paul Church, 313 N. State St., Westerville. Way of
the Cross with vocal group Living Water.
614-882-2109
22-24, FRIDAY-SUNDAY
Bishop Ready Spring Musical
7 p.m. Friday, 2 p.m. Saturday, 2 and 7 p.m. Sunday, Bishop
Ready High School, 707 Salisbury Road, Columbus.
School’s spring musical Joseph and the Amazing
614-276-5263
Technicolor Dreamcoat.
24, SUNDAY
St. Christopher Adult Religious Education
10 to 11:15 a.m., parish center, St. Christopher Church, 1420
Grandview Ave., Columbus. “Sinicism, Not Cynicism: The
Eclectic Religion of the Chinese” with R. Blake Michael,
professor of world religions at Ohio Wesleyan University.
614-488-9971
7 p.m., St. Peter Church, 6899 Smoky Row Road,
Columbus. Meeting of “Hope in the Journey,” a prayer
support group for those touched by cancer or any
chronic illness.
614-436-9939
25, MONDAY
Bethesda Post-Abortion Healing Ministry
6:30 p.m. support group meeting, 2744 Dover Road
(Christ the King Church campus), Columbus.
614-718-0277, 614-309-2651, 614-309-0157
Our Lady of Peace Men’s Bible Study
7 p.m., Our Lady of Peace Church, 20 E. Dominion Blvd.,
Columbus. Bible study of Sunday Scripture readings.
614-459-2766
Hearts of Jesus and Mary Bible Study
7:30 to 9 p.m., Marian Hall, St. Michael Church, 5750 N.
High St., Columbus. Hearts of Jesus and Mary Bible
Study/Prayer Group meeting, beginning with Rosary at
7:10 p.m.
614-846-3803 or 614-841-1776
26, TUESDAY
Lenten Soup Supper at St. Edward
6 p.m., St. Edward Church, 785 Newark Road, Granville.
Soup supper, followed by talk by Father Rod Damico,
parochial vicar, Westerville St. Paul Church, at 6:30 and
Stations of the Cross at 7.
27, WEDNESDAY
Serra Club Luncheon for Boys
11:45 a.m., Jessing Center, Pontifical College Josephinum,
7625 N. High St., Columbus. Serra Club of North
Columbus life awareness luncheon for boys, with Father
John Boll, OP, chaplain, Ohio Dominican University, followed by a tour of the college at 1 p.m. for those who
can stay.
614-436-8918 or 614-488-3773
Lenten Office, Soup and Teaching at St. Agnes
5:30 p.m., St. Agnes Church, 2364 W. Mound St.,
Columbus. Evening Prayer, followed by soup supper and
discussion on Church history with Father Homer
Blubaugh or parish members.
614-276-5413
Soup Supper at St. Pius X
5:30 to 7 p.m., St. Pius X Church, 1051 Waggoner Road,
Reynoldsburg. Simple Lenten supper of soup, bread and
beverage benefiting Operation Rice Bowl. 614-866-2859
Mass, Simple Supper at St. John the Baptist
6 p.m., St. John the Baptist Church, 720 Hamlet St.,
Columbus. Mass, followed by simple Lenten supper of
soup, bread, salad, and beverage benefiting Operation
Rice Bowl.
Ohio Dominican Presidential Lecture Series
7:30 p.m., Matesich Theater, Ohio Dominican University,
1216 Sunbury Road, Columbus. Presidential lecture series
presents Ray Suarez of the PBS NewsHour. Free, but tickets required.
614-251-4561
28, THURSDAY
Talk on Apocryphal Gospels at St. Anthony
10 a.m., St. Anthony Church, 1300 Urban Drive,
Columbus. Third of four-week series on the apocryphal
gospels with Father M. Edmund Hussey. Subject: “The
Gospel of Judas.”
614-885-4857
Series on Communication Skills for Parents
7 to 9 p.m., Church of the Resurrection, 6300 E. DublinGranville Road, New Albany. Part 2 of “How to Talk So
Kids Will Listen and Listen So Kids Will Talk,” a threepart series on communication skills for parents and caregivers sponsored by the diocesan Marriage and Family
Life Office.
614-241-2560
‘Courage’ Support Group Meeting
7:30 p.m. ACatholic organization providing support for individuals with same-sex attraction. Mary Louise 614-436-8676
Theology and a Pub
7:30 p.m., Columbus Maennerchor, 966 S. High St.,
Columbus. Father Vincent McKiernan, CSP, of the St.
Thomas More Newman Center speaks on “Transplanting
Buckeyes.” For Catholic young adults.. Contact
[email protected] to RSVP.
28-MARCH 1, THURSDAY-SATURDAY
Bishop Hartley Musical
7:30 p.m., Bishop Hartley High School, 1285 Zettler
Road, Columbus. 42nd Street. Tickets are available at
door, $10.
614-237-5421
18
Catholic Times
February 24, 2008
MOVIE REVIEW
“A Raisin in the Sun”
ART
focus on
God in an early
scene prompts a
stunning rebuke
from her mother, an admonition
which
onstage elicited supportive
applause from
the largely
AfricanAmerican
audiences
who packed
the theater
nightly.
ABC to air exciting
remake of classic film “A
Raisin in the Sun.”
By Harry Forbes, Catholic
News Service
Billed as an "ABC World
Premiere Movie Event," this
second television adaptation
of Lorraine Hansberry's classic 1959 play (which became
a treasured 1961 film) truly
deserves
the
"event"
moniker. The year is young,
but "A Raisin in the Sun"
will surely rank with the best
of 2008.
Airing Monday, Feb. 25, 8-11
p.m. EST, this TV film -- adapted from 2004's Broadway
revival -- uses the leads from
that production, all of whom
have deepened their interpretations. (For the record, Danny
Glover and Esther Rolle starred
in the 1989 PBS version.)
Here, Phylicia Rashad is Lena
Younger, the upstanding widowed matriarch of a South Side
Chicago family. She works as a
domestic, and lives in a small
apartment with her son, Walter
Lee (Sean Combs), who is profoundly frustrated by his deadend job as a chauffeur, and feels
that
no one supports him in his
dreams. He is sullen and
uncommunicative with his
hardworking wife, Ruth (Audra
MacDonald) who, we soon discern, is expecting their second
child, unbeknownst to anyone.
His free-spirited college-age
sister, Beneatha (Sanaa Lathan),
completes the household. She
aspires to become a doctor and
finds herself wooed by pragmatic wealthy George (Sean
Patrick Thomas) and fellow student Joseph (David Oyelowo), a
Nigerian who helps her explore
her African roots, which is
scorned by George.
Beneatha's rebellious denial of
Walter Lee
fervently
hopes to
improve
his lot by
investing
in
a
liquor
s t o r e
with the life insurance
check Lena will soon receive
from her late husband's estate.
But once Lena learns what the
money will be used for, she
takes back the check, propelling
Walter Lee on a serious drinking binge.
In her despair at Walter Lee's
remoteness, Ruth contemplates
an abortion. As the film has
been opened up somewhat from
the stage version, we do actually see her going to a woman
who performs clandestine abortions. You'll forgive the spoiler,
but Ruth's ultimate decision is
yet another resolutely pro-life
affirmation, in a cinematic season rife with them (e.g., "Bella,"
February 24, 2008
Catholic Times
EVEN JERUSALEM IS DEALING WITH THE WINTER WEATHER
"Juno" and "Waitress"). This is
in keeping with the myriad outstanding values espoused by
Hansberry, including integrity,
unconditional love, human dignity, ethnic pride and affirmation of faith.
Stage director Kenny Leon's
filmic approach -- he uses tight
close-ups throughout -- takes some
adjustment. But, it must be admitted, the power of the performances comes through all the more.
The three women are especially luminous, and a low-key
Rashad dispenses her worldly
wisdom without ever sounding
sanctimonious.
Considering Combs was the
linchpin of the stage production and co-executive producer
of this TV film (along with
Craig Zadan, Neil Meron and
others), it might be churlish to
observe that his performance is
not quite on a par with his
more seasoned colleagues. But
he's completely professional,
and convincingly conveys
Walter Lee's boyishness,
naivete and frustrations.
Other good performances
include John Stamos as an unctuous community rep who tries
to buy off the Youngers from
their new house in a white
neighborhood, and Bill Nunn
and Ron Cephas Jones as
Walter Lee's prospective business partners.
Hansberry's play is still a
knockout as this production triumphantly demonstrates. Miss
it at your peril.
A Catholic monk holds an umbrella during an uncommon snowfall in Jerusalem Feb. 19
Father Rodric J. DiPietro of
St. Brendan Parish wears
the special stole that was
printed with stamps created by the second graders
in art class. They were
studying African textile
design. The students representing the second grade
with Father Rod from left
to right are Mary Kate
Bunstine, Aidan Mayfield,
Macy Wilson, and Kyle
Naderhoff
Photo courtesy of
St. Brendan School
CNS photo/Eliana Aponte, Reuters
A young woman sheds tears while attending a memorial service at the Newman Center at Northern Illinois University for
the victims of a shooting on the DeKalb, Ill., campus. Former
graduate student Stephen Kazmierczak, 27, walked onto the
stage o f a lecture hall at the university and opened fire on a
packed science class Feb. 14, killing five students and wounding
at least 16 before committing suicide
CNS photo/Kamil Krzaczynski, Reuters
19
sacred heart school
th
marks 100
birthday
By TIM PUET
Reporter, Catholic Times
N
ew
Philadelphia
Sacred Heart School
opened in 1908, and
students marked the building’s
centennial with a celebration
earlier this month.
It included an open house for
the community on Thursday
night, Feb. 7, and a Mass and
performance of a historical
pageant the following day,
which was the 100th school
day of the school’s 100th year.
The celebrant for the Mass
was Msgr. Stephan Moloney,
diocesan vicar general.
“From the sacred heart of
Jesus, every grace flows, and
for 100 years, many of his gifts
have flowed from that heart
through the channel of this
school and the hearts, minds
and souls of its students,” he
said in his homily.
He said the mission of
Catholic schools could be
summed up in St. Paul’s prayer
to the Philippians “that your
love may increase more and
more in knowledge and every
kind of perception, to discern
what is of value, so that you
may be pure and blameless in
the day of Christ.”
“These words of St. Paul
echo what Sacred Heart School
has done for children in the
past 100 years,” he said.
The pageant was presented in
the form of a newscast, with
scenes from each of the past 10
decades blended with music.
Students portrayed historical
figures such as Henry Ford,
Amelia
Earhart,
Queen
Elizabeth II, and Martin Luther
King. as well as singers including the Supremes, Sonny and
Cher, the Jackson Five, the
Angelina Fadorsen and Jimmy Tolloti played newscasters introducing events of the past 100 years
CT photos by Tim Puet
Students danced to a song from Disney’s
“High School Musical” as part of the
100th anniversary pageant at New
Philadelphia Sacred Heart School
Pips, the Backstreet Boys, and
the cast of Disney’s “High
School Musical.”
Adults who attended the
school shared their memories
of former pastors and teachers
with the eighth-graders who
wrote the script for the play.
Those also were part of the
pageant, with the young actors
who played students and nuns
dressing in the styles of the
decades being portrayed.
Guests
included
Msgr.
Moloney and representatives
of the congregation of the
The rising prices of milk, bread, gasoline, and postage through the years were
Sisters of Divine Providence
displayed
from Pittsburgh, which provided teachers
for the school
through much of
A performance by
its history.
“The Jackson Five”
Before and after
the
pageant,
those in attendance viewed displays of historical
artifacts from the
church, school and
community representing
each
decade, including
items such as
school lunch boxes
A 1908 scene with students as Father
and Cabbage Patch
Bonaventure Becker, two businessmen, and
dolls.
Sister Wilhelmina, CDP