Diocese of Juneau
Serving the Church of Southeast Alaska
www.dioceseofjuneau.org • Volume 38 Number 16
October 26, 2007 • Published bi-weekly
Bishops’ document to offer new
guidance on Catholics’ political role
By Nancy Frazier O’Brien
Catholic News Service
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Rejecting
a political climate based on “powerful
interests, partisan attacks, sound bites
and media hype,” the U.S. bishops
call Catholics to “a different kind of
political engagement” in a document
to be voted on during their fall general
meeting Nov. 12-15 in Baltimore.
That engagement must be “shaped
by the moral convictions of wellformed consciences and focused on
the dignity of every human being, the
pursuit of the common good and the
protection of the weak and vulnerable,” they said.
The 37-page “Forming Consciences
for Faithful Citizenship: A Call to Political Responsibility From the Catholic Bishops of the United States” was
developed by seven committees of the
U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops
and must be approved by two-thirds
of the USCCB membership.
The bishops also are to vote on a
Pilgrimage Walk
shortened version of the text, designed
for use as a parish bulletin insert.
In the longer document, the bishops
admit that “Catholics may feel politically disenfranchised, sensing that no
party and too few candidates fully
share the church’s comprehensive
commitment to the dignity of the human person.”
“As Catholics, we should be guided
more by our moral convictions than
Please see GUIDANCE page 16
JUNEAU‑—
Fr. Tony
Dummer, OMI
celebrates
his final
Mass at St.
Paul’s Church
before leaving
to begin a
new ministry
in Kenai.
See story
page 8 - 9.
Catholic leaders say veto won’t
end efforts to insure poor children
By Nancy Frazier O’Brien
Catholic News Service
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Catholic
leaders who had urged an expansion
of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program expressed disappointment at the House’s Oct. 18 vote that
fell short of overriding President
George W. Bush’s veto but said efforts to reach a compromise must
not stop now.
JUNEAU—On Sunday, Oct. 7, Chip
Wagoner, one of approximately thirty
Marian Pilgrimage walkers, reflects on
the Sorrowful mysteries and prays the
Rosary for peace.
Farewell,
Fr. Tony
The House vote was 273-156, 13
fewer than the two-thirds majority
needed to override. The Senate had
already passed the legislation by a
veto-proof majority.
Father Larry Snyder, president
of Catholic Charities USA, decried
the fact that “there were not enough
House members willing to stand up
for children and vote to override this
ill-conceived veto of a bill that would
have helped so many children without
health insurance.”
The veto and the 156 House members who supported it “put the health
of many of our nation’s children at
risk,” he said in a statement.
The legislation would have expanded funding for the program known as
SCHIP by $35 billion over five years.
Please see SCHIP page 7
INSIDE
“Win-Win” Dynamic
By Bishop Michael Warfel
PAGE 3
“Climate Change, Catholic Social
Teaching Focus of Meeting”
By Barbara Kelley, OP
PAGE 5
“Seminary Screening Early Step
for Healthy Priesthood”
By Emilie Lemmons
PAGE 11
PAGE 2
October 26, 2007
Pro-Life Activities - USCCB
Letters to the Editor
The month of October was dedicated to Domestic
Violence Awareness and I want to state that there is
help everywhere for women and children who are in
dangerous situations. Shelters have sprung up all over the
contiguous United States and Alaska. There are listings
in every telephone book. It is just a question of making
the decision to get into a safe house. The shelters will
network women and their children from one state to
another, change names and social security numbers and
provide therapy to enlighten the minds of those who are
being sexually, physically and emotionally abused. It is
really just a matter of setting priorities. Many women do
not want to leave their homes and /or places of business
and therefore procrastinate. Unfortunately, as in the case
of Nicole Brown Simpson, this can be disastrous. She
and her children were scheduled to go into a shelter and
she decided to postpone the procedure for a week. What
happened made worldwide news.
At one point in time in American history, there was
an “underground railroad” (1825-1835) established by
abolitionists to help Negroes escape from slavery. It was
a very humane movement which worked to get men,
women and children out of situations in the Deep South
where they were being brutalized by slaveowners. The
current domestic shelter network in America is comparable, and no one need be traumatized any longer by the
overt domination of a husband, father, friend or lover.
Just pick up the phone. The listing in the Yellow Pages
of Southeast Alaska telephone books is under CRISIS
INTERVENTION SERVICE.
Bishops’ Spokeswoman Criticizes
New Guttmacher Study Calling
For Global Promotion Of Abortion
WASHINGTON—Deirdre A. McQuade,
an official of the United States Conference of
Catholic Bishops (USCCB), criticized a study
by researchers from the Guttmacher Institute
and the World Health Organization published
in the October 13, 2007 issue of The Lancet,
calling for the global legalization and promotion of abortion, “Induced Abortion: Estimated
Rates and Trends Worldwide.”
“Some say the new Guttmacher study
shows that legalizing abortions makes them
‘safe;’ but the study’s methodology is flawed.
The authors start out by simply defining ‘safe’
abortions as ‘those that meet legal requirements’
in countries with permissive laws,” said Ms.
McQuade. “But by this unusual definition, legal
abortions are ‘safe’ even if they kill women as
well as their unborn children. The authors then
say that illegal abortions are ‘harmful’ -- even
when women experience no medical complica-
Liz Kinkaid
Haines
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NEWS
THE INSIDE PASSAGE
Letters to the
Editor
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tions -- because women have to violate the law.
This is a closed semantic circle into which no
fact about real-life women can intrude.”
“An accompanying Lancet editorial
says the worldwide abortion situation has been
worsened by the United States’ Mexico City
policy. But the study says that total worldwide
abortions substantially decreased from 1995
(when the policy was not in effect) to 2003 (after
it was reinstated),” Ms. McQuade continued.
“Lost in the authors’ ideological fog is
the fact that abortion always kills; legal or illegal, it sometimes also kills women, especially
when they are poor and have a terrible health
care system. Promoting more abortions will
not change this. Rather than pitting women
and their children against each other, we need
to stand in solidarity with both and focus on
improving the quality of global health care,”
Ms. McQuade said.
Faith In
Action
Diocesan Appeal 2007
Make a commitment to the
future of the Church in the
Diocese of Juneau.
Please respond
GENEROUSLY
to our annual Faith In Action
appeal in your parish or
mission!
THE INSIDE PASSAGE
From the Bishop
PAGE 3
October 26, 2007
“Win-Win” Dynamic
“The more we strive to embody a “win-win” attitude toward these areas of relationship,
the greater will true peace be present, not only in our hearts, but in our world.”
—Bishop Michael Warfel
Most Reverend
Michael W. Warfel
Diocese of Juneau
O
ver the past decade or
so, millions of people
have attended the seminar fashioned by Steven
Covey entitled “7 Habits of Highly Effective People.” The seminar proposes
seven elements that will lead people to
be most effective in both their personal
lives and communal relationships. I attended one of these several years back
and found it very helpful. Though all
are important, I found one of the habits
to be particularly important for any
group of people trying to accomplish
something. The habit – the fourth habit
- is “win-win.” When people strive for
and actually achieve a “win-win” solution to a problem, everyone obviously
is a winner. Potential resentments are
quashed, desires to get even are suppressed, feelings of impotency are
averted and the low esteem that so often
comes from defeat is conquered.
I think a “win-win” dynamic is, in
reality, the model set forward by the
New Testament for inter-personal
relationships. I believe inter-personal
relationships based on the Gospel is
what the New Testament expects that
any community of the faithful ought to
be striving to embody. To be in a “winwin” relationship is to be in peace.
Too often people think of peace as the
absence of violence or mere tranquility.
There is certainly much to be said for the
absence of violence and tranquility, but
a deeper concept of peace envisions a
set of inter-personal relationships. This
understanding of peace is modeled on
life within the Holy Trinity, a perfect inter-relationship of three divine persons
in complete unity. In God, there can be
nothing other than perfect right relationships. We, as human beings, are created
in God’s image and likeness. As such,
we are our truest selves when we are
in right relationship with God, within
ourselves, with others and the creation
that surrounds us. In other words, we
are in a “win-win” situation.
I might add here that there is nothing easy about this. It involves hard
work and effort and much conversion.
And not everyone with whom we must
interact nor every context that we find
ourselves in will appear to be “winnable” for all concerned. Striving to
do so, however, is what I believe is
most effective in living life as well as
in reflecting the Gospel.
As noted earlier, there are basically
four sets of relationships with which
we ought to be concerned. Though
each is different in its own way, we
ought to have a personal relationship
with God in Christ, a sense of who we
are within ourselves, healthy and holy
interaction with other people, and an
appreciation of the sacredness of all of
God’s creation. The more we strive to
embody a “win-win” attitude toward
these areas of relationship, the greater
will true peace be present, not only in
our hearts, but in our world.
How we attain healthy relationships
is through justice. Pope Paul VI is
often quoted as saying, “If you want
peace, work for justice.” Using the
“win-win” image we might just as
easily say, “If you want to reflect the
image and likeness of God as you were
created to reflect, then strive to be in
right relationship with yourself and
with all around you.” To understand
this as well as actually live it involves
commitment, sacrifice and prayer, as
well as enough faith and hope to see
ourselves and our world as God sees
us and our world.
As for our relationship with God, we
must recognize that God is God and we
are but created beings who are totally
dependent upon God for life, especially
eternal life. But that, after all, is why
God made us, i.e., for eternal life.
When we live as God’s beloved and
recognize that we are not “gods” but
sons and daughters created for a great
communion of saints, it makes a difference in how we live in this world. And
we certainly have more peace.
As for the relationship with ourselves,
a healthy self esteem and sense of identity is important for a sense of peace. It is
when we believe in our hearts what God
tells us about ourselves and our destiny
that we attain most peace. God tells us
we are beloved sons and daughters.
Given the sins of the past and present
that many people commit as well as the
environment within which many people
struggle, this message is sometimes
hard to break through. Nonetheless,
when we actually believe in our hearts
what God tells us about ourselves, we
are happier and more at peace.
As for the relationship with other
people, God’s desire is for communion
among us all. The expectation set forth
by the New Testament is an effort that
would bring all people into a communion of saints. Christ died on a cross
and rose from the dead for more than
just a few. As the Scripture says, he died
“once and for all.” If this is a desire of
God’s, it must also be a desire of God’s
people. The more that people truly are
in communion with one another, the
more that peace truly will be part of our
world. Of course, this is where matters
of justice are particularly important. If
someone is deprived of what they need
for a dignified life while others have
far more than is fair, it is difficult for
communion to happen.
Finally, respect and care for creation
calls for a kind of relationship, too. If
we do injustice to our environment, our
environment will not sustain us. The
earth was provided to humankind that
we might flourish. Our role as human
beings is to have dominion over the
earth as good stewards and care takers,
not as destroyers. Care for the earth calls
for a “win-win” equation where there
is sustainable development. Otherwise,
it ultimately becomes a “lose-lose”
proposition.
If all of us thought more in terms
of “win-win” in our relationships, the
Church, i.e., God’s people, as well as
society, would be much further along
the way toward understanding life
in the communion of saints, as well
as experiencing the peace of God’s
kingdom.
Bishop’s Schedule
[email protected]
Saturday, Oct. 27: Retreat for
Diocesan Review Board for
the Protection of Children and
Young People with Ms. Teresa
Kettlekamp
Sunday, Oct. 28: Masses at
Cathedral of the Nativity
Thursday, Nov. 1: 7:00 PM Mass
at Cathedral for All Saints
Friday, Nov. 2: Noon Mass at the
Shrine of St. Therese for All Souls
of the Faithful Departed
Sunday, Nov. 4: 11:00 AM Mass
at Cathedral; 4:00 PM Mass in
Spanish at St. Paul’s
Tuesday/Wednesday, Nov. 6/7:
Bio-ethics Seminar with all
priests at St. Gregory’s Parish in
Sitka. Dr. Dan O’Brian, presenter
Saturday, Nov. 10-11: USCCB
Committee meetings in Baltimore
PAGE 4
October 26, 2007
Catholic by Grace
The Communion of Saints
By Denise
Bossert
In February 2005
I attended a funeral Mass with my
husband. John’s
cousin had just lost
his young wife to
cancer. Lori left behind a grieving husband
and three small children (ages seven, five,
and nine months).This wasn’t the way it
was supposed to go. Lori and Tommy
had both attended Catholic grade schools
in the Archdiocese of St. Louis. They
met at a football game between St. Philippine Duchesne High
School (hers) and Chaminade College Preparatory
School (his). From that
moment on, Tommy was
determined to win the
cheerleader’s heart. He
would have to wait six
more years for that first
date, but eventually the
two started dating, married
and began a family.
They were the pictureperfect couple. They were
supposed to raise half-a-dozen children,
make it to their fiftieth wedding anniversary, and live to see their great-grandchildren.
They were supposed to set the standard for
the rest of us by living out what it means
to be a strong Catholic family. Tragedy
wasn’t supposed to strike here. But when
Lori was pregnant with their third child,
she was diagnosed with cancer.
Lori’s funeral Mass was the first Catholic
funeral I had attended since beginning my
journey into the Church. With the loss of
my own father just a year earlier, grief was
still like a familiar piece of clothing that
fit all too well. Enough time had passed
that I was able to step out of the garment
of grief long enough to reflect and process
my thoughts. But the loss was recent
enough that I still hungered for a deeper
understanding of Catholic teaching on
the communion of saints and prayers for
the dead. I still had days in which I wondered how
any of us could truly go on after a loved
one passes away. As Protestants, we held
to the belief that we were cut off (until we
die) from the one we loved. Sure, we have
Jesus to get us through, and we consoled
ourselves with the thought that one day we
would all be together again. But that had to
be enough to see us through the dark night
of grief. It seemed to me that something was
lacking in Protestant theology, and it was
obvious that whatever that “something”
was, every person who goes through grief
should have access to it.
In the two years that have passed since
Lori’s death, Tom has picked up his cross
and kept on going. He is raising their three
children, has published two inspirational
children’s books and has started a publishing company. He draws great strength from
his eternal connection to Lori. “There is not
a day that goes by that I don’t think about
Lori and talk to her out loud,” he says.
When a loved one dies, the chasm
that separates us seems so great – and
yet we know it really can’t be much of a
distance. Someone we have known intimately, someone we have loved deeply
has crossed the divide and
passed into eternity, and that
overwhelming truth brings
heaven very close. The truth
of the communion of saints is
written in our hearts.
It is precisely in that moment – in that valley of the
shadow of death – that we
cling tightly to the words of
the Creed. I believe in the com—Denise Bossert
munion of saints. I believe in
the resurrection of the body.
I believe in life everlasting.
For Catholics, there is the communion Thank God, I believe!
of saints. For Catholics, there is unending
And until the day we lay our own cross
love and intercession. For Catholics, there down, we keep on going, and if we listen
is a mysterious moment every time they very carefully, we can hear the cheering
go to Mass. In that moment the veil lifts, from the other side.
heaven touches down, and through the
Tommy and Lori continue to be that
Most Blessed Sacrament, we are joined strong Catholic family. That’s the irony of
with Our Eucharistic Lord and with the it all. Tragedy did not have the final word.
faithful who have gone before us. We The cheerleader is still cheering, only the
reach across the Great Divide and hold team she is rooting for is a team of four.
hands once again. In that moment, we
You can find Tom’s book Father Like a
can almost hear the prayers of that Great Tree and his new release The Three Pigs,
Cloud of Witnesses (as it says in Hebrews Business School, and Wolfe Hash Stew
chapter 12). And we know that they are under the pen name Matthew S. Field at
praying for us.
www.MattingLeahPublishing.com. He is a
We are not on our own in this valley member of St. Stephen the Martyr Catholic
of tears.
Church in Warwick, New York
Those who have known us and loved us
Denise Bossert
most dearly are even now alive-in-Christ
4575
Hopewell Road
and praying that we will have every grace
Wentzville, MO 63385
we need in order to run the course marked
out for us.
“I believe in the communion of
saints. I believe in the resurrection
of the body. I believe in life
everlasting. Thank God, I believe!”
THE INSIDE PASSAGE
SAINTS
Saints are those who were geniuses in their grasp of the two
Great Commandments of Jesus:
to love God with everything they
are and have, and from this
great passion to love and serve
their fellow human beings to the
nth degree.
In the hands of a Saint, all the
routine, humdrum stuff of the
daily grind, becomes a holy and
fragrant offering in a continuous spirit of thanksgiving for
the grace to be.
Saints respond with equal inner
peace to positive and negative
events in their lives.
It is a peace that baffles most
of the rest of the world, and it
comes, as St. Francis de Sales
wrote in a letter to a friend,
“when we resign ourselves
to live humbly and quietly in a
state of war.”
Saints become so bonded to
Christ by constant prayer, fasting, and almsgiving so suffused
by Christ’s teachings and life,
that they become, somewhat
paradoxically more uniquely and
absolutely themselves.
Being so intimately connected
to that energy, that radioactive goodness, grace, released
into the world through the
life, death, resurrection,
ascension,and descent of the
Holy Spirit, they themselves
become new Christs and living
transmitters of His sacred energy in as many ways as people
are designed.
When we make contact with
them by means of prayer, by
studying their lives, and by
carefully reviewing and learning
by heart their words and works,
we can tap into their virtues,
form friendships with them, and
seek their assistance in times
of need.
Author Unknown
THE INSIDE PASSAGE
PAGE 5
October 26, 2007
Climate Change, Catholic Social Teaching
Are Focus Of Full-Time Ministers Meeting
By Barbara
Kelley, O.P.
T
he predictions are
serious and
sobering: temKelley
perature increase
of 2 to 11 degrees
Fahrenheit and sea
levels rising by 7 to 23 inches by the
year 2100; a change in storm patterns; droughts and floods throughout
the world; migration of diseases into
new areas; and devastating impacts
on human and animal lives. These are
the effects that scientists are predicting will be the result of global warming and climate change.
But what does climate change have
to do with our Catholic faith? Are we,
as Catholic followers of Christ, called
to do anything about the situation? And
if so, how can parish leaders help their
parishioners to work through the issue
and respond in the light of their faith?
These questions were the focus of the
Fall Full-Time Ministers Meeting as
priests, deacons, religious Sisters and
lay ministers of the Diocese of Juneau
gathered at Holy Name in Ketchikan
October 9-10. After Morning Prayer
in church on the opening day, participants gathered in the Parish Hall.
Bishop Michael Warfel welcomed
them, emphasizing the seriousness of
global warming and the need for Church
leaders to take a role in slowing down
its progress to lessen the consequences
to the world.
“This is not an exact science,”
said guest speaker Joan Rosenhauer,
Special Projects Coordinator for the
United States Conference of Catholic
Bishops (USCCB) Department of Social Development and World Peace.
Many predictions and projections are
involved in summing up the effects of
global warming, she said, adding that
there is “pretty significant agreement”
among scientists that global warming
and climate change are a major concern
for the world.
But before plunging into this issue,
Ms. Rosenhauer spent the first day
grounding the pastoral ministers in the
Church’s social mission and in the need
to help their parishioners understand
this aspect of their faith.
“Our social mission is rooted in what
Jesus taught,” Ms. Rosenhauer said.
She cited such Gospel passages as
Luke 4:18, in which Jesus proclaimed
his mission “to bring glad tidings to
the poor, to proclaim liberty to captives…and release to prisoners.” In
his teaching on the Last Judgment in
Matthew 25, Jesus makes it clear that
those who serve people in need will
be saved, because in doing so, they
have served Jesus himself. “Our goal
is to seize those opportunities” to serve
Jesus by serving people who are poor
and vulnerable – by, for example, bringing in food for food pantries or serving
in soup kitchens or visiting people in
hospitals or in prison.
Social justice is also a central theme
of the Old Testament. Leviticus, for
example, calls on farmers to leave
enough grain for the poor to glean, and
prophets continually chastise the rich
and powerful who take advantage of
the poor and vulnerable.
The Catholic Church also draws
her social mission from a vast store
of documents known collectively as
Catholic Social Teaching. The USCCB
has summarized these teachings into
seven basic themes (see sidebar), drawn
from this 100-year tradition of papal encyclicals, bishops’ pastoral letters, and
documents from ecumenical councils
such as Vatican I and Vatican II.
Ms. Rosenhauer spent much time
focusing on Faithful Citizenship, a pastoral letter by the U.S. Catholic Bishops.
The document calls on Catholics to
participate in the political process,
striving to shape public policy to
reflect Gospel values such as respect
for life, the “fundamental option”
in favor of the poor and vulnerable,
and strong marriages and families as
the bedrock of our society. Faithful
Citizenship is revised and reissued every four years, to coincide
with the presidential election. The
bishops will discuss the next edition of Faithful Citizenship during
their annual November meeting in
Washington, D.C.
All Christians are called to the
social mission of Jesus – not just
those who are involved in the parish Social Concerns Committee,
Ms. Rosenhauer said. She pointed
to ways that pastors and Social
Concerns Committees can make
parishioners aware of this call. For
Please see CLIMATE page 6
“Our social mission
is rooted in what
Jesus taught”
Joan Rosenhauer
Special Projects Coordinator
USCCB Department of Social
Development and World Peace
Catholic Social Teaching
The United States Conference of
Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has drawn
seven major themes from the Church’s
100-plus years of Catholic Social Teaching. This rich tradition includes papal
encyclicals, pastoral letters by bishops’
conferences and documents from ecumenical councils such as Vatican II that
address social justice and peace issues.
Following are the key themes, as
outlined by the USCCB, of Catholic Social
Teaching:
• Life and Dignity of the Human Person:
Human life is sacred and the dignity of
the human person is the foundation
of Catholic Social Teaching. Human
beings were made in God’s image and
likeness and are thus precious – more
valuable than things.
• Call to Family, Community and Participation: God made human beings
as social creatures. How we organize
in society affects our dignity. As the
most basic and central social institutions, marriage and family life must be
protected and nurtured.
• Rights and Responsibilities: All human
beings have the right to the essentials
for living a decent human life, including adequate food, shelter, clothing,
education, employment and health
care. Human beings also have responsibilities to one another, families, and
society at large.
• Option for the Poor and Vulnerable:
The needs of the poor and vulnerable
must come first.
• The Dignity of Work and the Rights
of Workers: Because work is a way of
participating in God’s creation, it must
be valued and protected by society.
The rights of workers must also be
respected and protected.
• Solidarity: We are all children of God
and thus all part of the same family –
no matter what nation we come from
or what our race or religion might be.
We must therefore work for peace and
justice so that all of our brothers and
sisters can live decently.
• Care for God’s Creation: God placed
the Earth in the care of human beings,
and we must serve as good stewards
of God’s creation. Caring for the environment is a fundamental part of our
faith.
A card containing a fuller explanation of each theme is available
through USCCB Publishing, www.
usccbpublishing.org.
PAGE 6
October 26, 2007
News Briefs
Catholic News Service
Vatican says world must use diplomacy to
stop nuclear proliferation
UNITED NATIONS (CNS) -- The international community
must use diplomacy, not armed intervention, to stop the proliferation of nuclear weapons, said the Vatican’s representative to the
United Nations. “Belligerence by anyone would only worsen a
delicate situation and could inadvertently lead to conflagration
with immense additional suffering on a humanity already overburdened with the ravages of war,” said Archbishop Celestino
Migliore. The archbishop spoke Oct. 16 at a U.N. meeting on
disarmament and international security. His remarks were made
one day before U.S. President George W. Bush said he does not
believe the claims of Iran’s government that it is developing
nuclear technology to produce electricity. “I believe they want
to have the capacity, the knowledge, in order to make a nuclear
weapon,” Bush said at an Oct. 17 White House press conference. “And I know it’s in the world’s interest to prevent them
from doing so,” he said.
Top U.S. church officials meet pope, discuss
planned visit
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Top officials of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops met privately with Pope Benedict
XVI Oct. 18 for a wide-ranging discussion about the church in
the United States, including the pope’s planned visit to the U.S.
in the spring. Bishop William S. Skylstad of Spokane, Wash.,
conference president, said the discussion about the trip was “just
in general.” Beyond the announced papal stop in New York,
Bishop Skylstad said he could not provide specifics about the
trip because “the details have not been nailed down yet.” He did
say, however, that he expected the trip to be brief, in keeping
with Pope Benedict’s practice. Bishop Skylstad told Catholic
News Service he was joined at the meeting by Chicago Cardinal
Francis E. George, conference vice president, and Msgr. David
J. Malloy, general secretary of the conference. The conference
officers usually meet twice a year with the heads of Vatican offices to discuss issues of common concern, and they meet the
pope during their October trip.
CLIMATE: Continued from page 5
example, in the Liturgy, pastors can preach
on social justice issues when they relate
them to the readings for that Sunday. General
intercessions, hymns, and commissioning
rites and blessings can all reflect on our
social mission.
The key is to get all Catholics involved in
whatever way they can, in direct service or
in social justice issues that draw them. We
can’t all do everything, she explained, but
we should all do something. For example,
some Catholics might choose to be active
in the pro-life movement, working to end
abortions, while others might focus on direct service to the poor. Some might have
time to volunteer at soup kitchens, and others might only have time to send emails to
their congressmen, urging them to vote for
bills that benefit the poor. Whatever social
action Catholics participate in, however,
should be connected to the Church’s social
teachings. Much of Rosenhauer’s presentation focused on ways in which parish and
diocesan leaders can help parishioners make
that connection.
After dinner together on the first evening,
a small group of full-time ministers gathered to watch Al Gore’s documentary, An
Inconvenient Truth, in preparation for the
next day’s discussion on global warming.
Coincidentally, a few days after the meeting,
Al Gore and the Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change (IPCC) won the Nobel Peace
Price for their efforts at educating the public
on the effects of global warming.
On the second day of the Full-Time Ministers Meeting, Ms. Rosenhauer explored the
Church’s foundation for becoming involved
Girl’s comment saved ‘I Am the Bread of
Life’ song from trash bin
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- An unsolicited comment from a high
school girl kept one of the most popular hymns of the Second
Vatican Council era, “I Am the Bread of Life,” from meeting an
untimely fate. Mercy Sister Suzanne Toolan, who composed the
song, said she had been asked to write a song for an event in the
Archdiocese of San Francisco -- possibly a eucharistic event,
she recalled --and was writing on deadline. At the Catholic girls’
high school in California where she was teaching in 1966, Sister
Suzanne used an unoccupied room next to the school infirmary
to finish what became “I Am the Bread of Life.” “I worked on it,
and I tore it up. I thought, ‘This will not do,’” she told Catholic
Please see page 14
THE INSIDE PASSAGE
in the issue of global warming. She began
with the Scriptural basis for care for the Earth:
Genesis 1:27-31, in which God charged human beings with care for creation. The virtue
of prudence also comes into play, she said.
Prudence dictates that, if there’s anything
we could do to alleviate the effects of global
warming, we should take those steps.
Ms. Rosenhauer outlined several steps that
parishioners can take in the issue of global
warming. For example, parishioners can
advocate for legislation that would help in
this matter. She spoke of a bill that will be
going through Congress, sponsored by Senators Joseph Lieberman (D-Connecticut) and
John Warner (R-Virginia) that would put a
cap on the amount of greenhouse gases that
industries can emit. The bill will probably
go through numerous changes and negotiations before it finally comes up for a vote,
she said, but it would be a good idea for
Catholics to keep up on it and to encourage
their Senators and Representatives to vote
for such a bill.
During a discussion session, Ms. Rosenhauer and the full-time ministers also spoke
of small ways that concerned Catholics
can help to reduce global warming. These
include such basic steps as turning off lights
and other appliances when they’re not being
used, purchasing cars that are more fuel-efficient, and walking or riding a bike whenever
possible. Participants suggested such ideas
as “fasting” once a week from using energy
– having a day free of lights, television, and
so on. If everyone starts doing small acts to
save on energy and reduce carbon emission,
these steps will eventually have a tremendous
Environmental
Justice
I
t is manifestly unjust that a privileged few should continue to accumulate excess goods, squandering available resources, while masses
of people are living in conditions of misery at the very lowest level of
subsistence. (Pope John Paul II, 1990 World Day of Peace Message, no.
8, on www.vatican.va)
THE INSIDE PASSAGE
SCHIP: continued from page 1
Bush said the bill would have been a step toward socialized
medicine and could have led many families to drop their private
health insurance in favor of coverage by SCHIP.
But Sister Carol Keehan, a Daughter of Charity who is president and CEO of the Catholic Health Association, said it was
tragic that the debate over the legislation “has been clouded by
so many false assertions and misconceptions.”
“While we welcome the intentions of President Bush and congressional opponents of the bill to continue working for SCHIP
reauthorization, we should begin those discussions by being clear
and forthright about what the current legislation does and does
not do,” she said in a statement. “Continuing to obfuscate the
issue is not the way to reach an agreement, much less the way to
achieve the president’s stated goal of ensuring health coverage
for low-income children.”
Sister Carol said the vetoed legislation, which had been the
result of a bipartisan compromise, represented “the best opportunity to ensure that millions of children remain covered under
SCHIP and extend coverage to millions more who are eligible
but not enrolled.”
Although more than 6 million children currently are enrolled in
SCHIP, another 6.5 million children in families making less than
200 percent of the federal poverty level are eligible for SCHIP
or Medicaid but are not enrolled. Funding for the program is
due to expire Nov. 16.
Alexia Kelley, executive director of Catholics in Alliance for
the Common Good, said in a statement that it was “truly sad that
this great nation cannot ensure basic health care coverage to its
weakest and most vulnerable citizens.”
“Ensuring that sick children receive adequate health care is a
profound moral issue and essential to the common good,” she
added. “Congress and the president must end their partisan bickering and quickly pass legislation that reauthorizes SCHIP and
gives health care coverage to uninsured low-income children.”
Father Snyder of Catholic Charities USA also called on Congress and the White House “to work together to find agreement
on a bill that provides this critically needed coverage to more
poor children.”
Americans for Middle East
Understanding
Americans for Middle East Understanding (AMEU) publishes a very informative newsletter called THE LINK. It deals
mostly with the Palestinian question, and
reports information not found in the popular
news media. If interested in the little known
background about this problem, ask for a
sample issue of THE LINK. You may wish to
subscribe after seeing it.
Contact: [email protected]
October 26, 2007
PAGE 7
Texas prelate says his elevation
recognizes church’s growth in region
U.S. CARDINAL-DESIGNATE
DINARDO ONE OF 23 NEW
CARDINALS
Cardinal-designate Daniel N. DiNardo
of Galveston-Houston gestures during a
press conference in Houston Oct. 17. He
was one of 23 new cardinals named by
Pope Benedict XVI Oct. 17.
HOUSTON (CNS) -- Cardinal-designate
Daniel N. DiNardo of Galveston-Houston
called Pope Benedict XVI’s decision to
name him a cardinal “very humbling and
surprising,” but also said it illustrates
the Vatican’s recognition of the church’s
growth “in the Southern part of the United
States.” The cardinal-designate, the first
from a Texas diocese, made the comments
at an Oct. 17 news conference in Houston.
Pope Benedict named 23 new cardinals,
including the Texas archbishop and U.S.
Archbishop John P. Foley, grand master
of the Knights of the Holy Sepulcher. The
announcement came at the end of the pope’s
weekly general audience Oct. 17. He said he
would formally install the cardinals during
a special consistory at the Vatican Nov. 24.
“I am deeply grateful to the Holy Father
for his kindness in appointing me and for
his trust in allowing me to be placed in the
College of Cardinals,” Cardinal-designate
DiNardo said in his opening statement at the
midday news conference at the downtown
chancery.
PAGE 8
October 26, 2007
THE INSIDE PASSAGE
Till We Meet Again!
By Sandy Nolan
Administrative Assistant, St. Paul’s
I
n the summer of 1998, Juneau became the
home of Fr. Tony Dummer, a Missionary
Oblate of Mary Immaculate. His job besides
being the new pastor at St. Paul’s, the largest parish in the
Diocese of Juneau, was to take on the job of building a new
church. Not an easy job but one to which he was accustomed,
having rebuilt a church in the San Francisco area following the
earthquake. To build this new church in Juneau was a daunting
job, but one that was accomplished in 2001….the church we
enjoy today…..a place where we have been able to form many
memories. Every aspect of this new church was built through
his dedication, prayer and his reliance on the people he cared
about.
In his nine years as pastor he has been a part of our personal
lives and our sacramental lives. He built a foundation of a lasting and vital parish. He was raised a farmer and loved nature;
he was a school principal and loved kids (young and old); and
he was a builder of more than buildings.
On Sunday, October 14th following the 10:30 AM Mass parishioners and friends from other Churches gathered to let Fr. Tony
know how much of an impact he had made in their lives. People
shared good food and fellowship for one more time with him
and regaled him with songs that did not say goodbye but “till
we meet again.”
The parishioners of St. Paul’s wish Fr. Tony many blessings
for his health, for lots of snow, and for the success of his new
building project…the building of an Oblate Community and the
missionary work they will provide.
Concelebrating with Fr. Tony is Bill Antone, OMI. He is stationed in the
Oblate Tijuana mission and has worked in that area for many years. He
is the OMI Councilor for the Pacific Area.
Fr. Tony
always had
time for the
children
and loved
giving them
his special
attention.
THE INSIDE PASSAGE
Parishioners
and friends from
other Churches
gathered to let
Fr. Tony know
how much of an
impact he had
made in their
lives.
PAGE 9
October 26, 2007
A Final Blessing and Sending Forth
Parishioners gather around to lay
hands on Fr. Tony as a final blessing is sung by the entire congregation. Fr. Tony is instrumental in
establishing a new OMI community
on the Kenai Peninsula outside of
Anchorage.
New mailing address:
Fr. Tony Dummer, OMI
222 W. Redoubt Ave.
Soldotna, AK 99669
Cheers and applauding ring out as Fr. Tony enters
the parish hall following his final Mass at St. Paul’s
celebrated just moments before.
The hall was filled to capacity with well-wishers
enjoying the abundant food, song and fellowship
with Fr. Tony and each other.
PAGE 10
October 26, 2007
THE INSIDE PASSAGE
‘Google-generation’ seminarians minister
with MySpace and more
By Carol Glatz
Catholic News Service
VATICAN CITY (CNS)
—An ocean away from family and friends, some U.S.
seminarians at the Pontifical
North American College in
Rome are bridging the divide
with online communities and
digital means of communication such as Skype, instant messaging, Facebook, MySpace
and more.
But while it may have begun
as simple e-mails and Web log,
or blog, entries meant to keep
loved ones in touch, their notes
from Rome to home have blossomed into a whole new way
these students preparing for
the priesthood can share their
spiritual journey with the rest
of the world.
“It’s a great witness when we
share our stories, our experiences in (the) seminary” that
include “our hopes, our joys,
our fears, our anxieties about”
the journey toward the priesthood, said Johnny Burns, 27,
of Milwaukee.
Burns, Jacob Bertrand of San
Diego and Michael Bruno of
Brooklyn, N.Y., took a break
from their busy schedules as
second-year theology students
to speak with Catholic News
Service about how some
seminarians from today’s socalled “Google generation”
are helping other people find
God and the church through
the Internet.
“There’s a lot of junk on the
Internet and we have to fix it,”
said Bertrand, 23, who seems
the savviest of the group with
a blog, accounts on two social
networking sites on the Web -MySpace and Facebook -- and
plans for broadcasting practice
homilies on YouTube,
a video-sharing Web
site.
“We need to integrate ourselves into
these online communities and in a
sense baptize the way
these things work,”
he said.
“Everyone’s opinion gets expressed
and published, but
nobody’s opinion
necessarily has any
truth to it,” the California native said.
Well-formed Catholics and church leaders have a golden opportunity
to move into the World Wide
Web like any new mission
territory and point people to
the truth and to Christ, the
seminarians said.
Bruno, 22, said one of the
things he loves most about the
networking power of Facebook
is “I put down I am a Mets
fan, that I follow Notre Dame
football” as well as his favorite
books and movies. Other young
people may be drawn to his profile because they have a shared
interest in the New York Mets
baseball team or because they
went to the same high school,
but then they see that he is also
a seminarian studying for the
priesthood in Rome.
Very few people actually
know a seminarian, and meeting one online and discovering
he has many of the same interests as other young people can
wipe away some preconceived
notions about the kind of person who is drawn to a priestly
or religious vocation, the three
men said.
Being a presence in these on-
line communities almost acts as
a sort of accidental advertising
for the Catholic Church.
On the one hand, some
people may be drawn to vent
their frustrations or anger about
the church, but Burns said, “on
the flip side it’s also easier for
a young man or young woman
who’s considering a vocation
to the priestly or religious life
to send a quick question or two
or even enter into a relationship
of counseling with a priest or a
seminarian who can give some
advice on the discernment
process.”
He said his answering questions and engaging people in
reflection in these “electronic
communities” have provided
him with valuable opportunities to experience ministry
work.
“We are ministering to
these people in many ways,
both in sharing our stories, in
helping them along their way
answering their questions, and
providing them another avenue
for their own personal faith
exploration,” the Milwaukee
tionships alive and
vibrant” so that they
continue to sustain
him both as a person and as a future
priest.
“So many people
have the idea that the
life of a priest is a
lonely life, that it is
without relationships.
Well, that couldn’t
be farther from the
truth,” Bruno said.
On the one hand
these young men are
sent away from their
families and friends to
(CNS)
complete their studies
denizen said.
and formation, but in the end,
But while the three men see Bruno said, “we’re also sent
that they are helping people back to them to minister to
learn more about the church them, to be a comfort, to be a
and Christ, they also see it helps guide, to be a priest to them.”
strengthen their own love for
All of them emphasized the
God and priestly calling.
aim of their online presence
Bruno said often he is asked was not to point people to their
by curious online visitors what site or to create a perfect or
led to his decision to become popular Christian community;
a priest.
it is to be a signpost of sorts to
He tells them it wasn’t show people the way back to
something “abnormal like a God and to a real physical comlightning bolt coming down munity that involves human
and throwing you on the floor” interaction, face to face.
or a loud voice calling your
Burns said online communiname. The reasons, he said, ties are “a helpful means of
were rooted in the people who evangelization and can be a
raised, loved and taught him very successful tool for the
throughout life.
church if, at the end of the
“The vocation to be a priest day, it’s bringing people to the
is one that is nourished first in sacraments and especially to
the family, but also in all your the Mass.”
relationships, your friends,
“You cannot experience
teachers and parish priests,” Jesus Christ on the Internet no
he said.
matter what you do,” Bertrand
Bruno said relationships are said; it has to be a “personal
crucial and are “the nourish- experience of Christ,” and
ment of one’s vocation.”
“they won’t get that on the
Now because of Facebook, online community.”
instant messaging and Skype,
he is able “to keep those rela-
THE INSIDE PASSAGE
October 26, 2007
PAGE 11
Seminary Screening Early Step for Healthy Priesthood
By Emilie Lemmons
S
“Not only are seminaries
conducting careful psychological assessments,
including assessments of a
candidate’s psychosexual
maturity and capacity for
chaste celibacy, but they are
also providing an integrated
program of formation in the
area of human sexuality.”
Msgr. Jeremian McCarthy
Director, Accreditation and
Institutional Evaluation
The Association of
Theological Schools
A series of articles was
developed as part of a plan
to mark the 5th anniversary of the implementation
of the Charter for the Protection of Children and
Young People. This is the
seventh of ten which will
appear in The Inside Passage through December.
ince the sexual abuse scandal
unfolded dramatically in
public view five years ago,
Catholic seminaries have refined
their admissions screening with
more emphasis on attracting healthy
candidates and keeping problematic
ones out of the priesthood, according to church officials who work in
seminary formation.
Interviews examining candidates’
sexual and dating histories are more
common and thorough, for example,
and diocesan vocations offices do a
better job of filtering out men who
don’t make the grade before they
even apply to the seminary.
“Not only are seminaries conducting careful psychological assessments, including assessments of a
candidate’s psychosexual maturity
and capacity for chaste celibacy, but
they are also providing an integrated
program of formation in the area of
human sexuality,” said Msgr. Jeremiah McCarthy, director of accreditation and institutional evaluation
for The Association of Theological
Schools, based in Pittsburgh.
The stronger emphasis is reflected
in the newest version of the Program
of Priestly Formation, released by the
U.S. bishops in 2006, Msgr. McCarthy said. The program governs seminary formation in the United States
and incorporates stricter norms for
screening applicants and more detail
on formation in human sexuality.
Officials are quick to point out,
however, that such changes represent
refinements to ongoing improvements, rather than dramatic policy
shifts. In fact, the church has been
working to strengthen seminary
screening and formation for more
than a decade.
“I think the more pivotal point of
departure was with “Pastores Dabo
Vobis” (“I Will Give You Shepherds”),
Pope John Paul II’s 1992 encyclical
letter which stressed the importance
of human development in training
priesthood candidates, said Msgr.
Edward Burns, executive director
of the U.S. Conference of Catholic
Bishops’ Secretariat for Vocations
and Priestly Formation. “That’s when
the bishops really started to look at
human formation,” he said. He added
that the church has gained a greater
appreciation for aspects such as
psychosexual maturity and a man’s
capacity for celibacy.
Msgr. Stephen Rossetti, a psychologist who heads the St. Luke Institute,
a residential treatment center in
Silver Spring, Md., for priests and
religious with psychological problems, has seen a “modest increase in
the amount of help” seminaries have
requested since the early 2000s. The
facility consults with seminaries on
psychological formation issues and
treats people for a variety of problems,
including sexual abuse.
“The notion that the church has
done nothing until 2002 to deal
with this problem is nonsense,” he
said. “The fact is that the church
has been working over the past 20
years improving its screening and
formation.”
A trend noticed at the seminary
level is that potential priesthood
candidates are examined more thoroughly by diocesan vocations offices
before they apply to the seminary.
“The dioceses that send us candidates are doing a much better job of
screening before they come to see
us,” said Sulpician Father Gerald
Brown, who became rector of St.
Patrick Seminary in Menlo Park,
Calif., in 2004.
It’s an extra level of scrutiny that
wasn’t there a few years ago, he said.
“In the past, a diocese might say,
‘We’re not sure about this guy, but
let’s send him, and the seminary can
screen him out.’ Now, they don’t send
him if they’re not sure about it.”
Those who work with seminaries hope to have a better picture of
psychological testing and assessment
practices by the end of 2008, when
a study by the National Catholic
Educational Association (NCEA)
is complete, according to Marianist
Brother Bernard Stratman, who leads
the NCEA’s Seminary Department.
Brother Stratman, who currently
is seeking funds to implement the
$150,000 study, said researchers from
the Center for Applied Research in
the Apostolate (CARA) at Georgetown University will work with a
variety of advisors to shape the study
and help determine the best testing
strategies.
The study would result in a common set of criteria and greater consistency in psychological assessments
in seminaries throughout the country,
he said.
To be accepted into a seminary,
all men seeking the priesthood must
undergo a series of standard psychological tests, such as the Minnesota
Multiphasic Personality Inventory
and the Rorschach inkblot test. But
those don’t necessarily detect potential molesters, Msgr. Rossetti said.
Please see SCREENING page 12
“The dioceses that send us candidates are doing a much better
job of screening before they come
to see us.”
Rev. Gerald Brown
Rector
St. Patrick Seminary
PAGE 12
THE INSIDE PASSAGE
October 26, 2007
St. Catherine’s in Petersburg
Celebrates Marian Pilgrimage
MEMBERS OF ST. CATHERINE’S PARISH
IN PETERSBURG stand in the Rosary Garden to
pray for peace during the annual diocesan Marian
Pilgrimage on Sunday, Oct. 7, 2007.
Several parishioners were asked following Mass
to recite a decade of the rosary in their native
language: Greg Kowalski and Colleen Schwartz in
English; Erik Holl in German; Carolina Eudave in
Spanish; and Delila Bernaldo in Tagalog.
Pilgrims then processed to Our Lady of Lourdes
Rosary Garden and Grotto, built on the parish
grounds and dedicated on August 15, 2004. This
was followed by “tea and crumpets” in the Parish
Hall with pastor, Fr. Pat Casey, OMI.
MAXINE WORHATCH,
left, stands next to an icon
of Mary at the foot of the
Cross, painted by Deacon
Charles Rohrbacher. Maxine was the coordinator for
this year’s annual Marian
Pilgrimage event.
SCREENING:
Continued from page 11
In his consultations with seminaries, he said, he encourages them to include a “full, in-depth psychosexual
history.” A trained clinician sits down with each candidate and asks him about his sexual and relationship
history. Questions range from queries about the man’s
sexual orientation to his dating life.
“You pretty much leave no stone unturned,” Msgr.
Rossetti said. The clinician looks for a number of typical scenarios that might suggest a man is a higher risk
for being a sexual abuser. Men who are emotionally
regressed and immature raise a red flag. So do men who
have been victims of abuse themselves and seem stuck
in their victimhood. Compulsively sexual individuals,
narcissists and passive or dependent men who don’t
have healthy peer relationships also warrant further
scrutiny, he said.
“There’s no silver bullet. There’s no one kind of
offender,” he said.
Initial research now suggests that homosexuality,
while not a cause, can be associated with higher incidents of abuse, he said — although “most homosexuals
do not molest minors.”
In fact, the new edition of the Program of Priestly
Formation requires seminaries to adhere to the Vatican’s
November 2005 statement that practicing homosexuals
or men with what it called “deep-seated homosexual
tendencies” may not be admitted.
Cultural differences add to the challenges of detecting
a man’s potential for abuse, Father Brown, the seminary
rector, said. Different groups sometimes require different approaches when it comes to screening.
That holds true at St. Patrick, where 70 percent of the
candidates for the priesthood are international students,
he said. For example, in some parts of the world, men
don’t talk about their sexual experiences freely. Such
candidates will need more encouragement to open up
during the initial psychosexual screening process, as
well as during seminary, when each student talks regularly about sexual and celibacy issues with a spiritual
advisor as part of his ongoing formation.
“How do we encourage people … that this is something you’ll have to share about?” Father Brown
said.
In the end, Msgr. Rossetti said, no screening process
is perfect.
“Everyone knows how difficult it is to deal with alcohol issues,” he said. “I would say it’s 10 times more
difficult to deal with child abuse. It’s harder to detect,
harder to confront and harder to screen out.”
On the plus side, seminaries are making improvements, he said. The 2003 study conducted by the John
Jay College of Criminal Justice “shows that the numbers
of priest who perpetrate abuse is dropping markedly
since the late 1980s and early 1990s.”
THE INSIDE PASSAGE
PAGE 13
October 26, 2007
Sunday Scripture Reflections
By Carol Crater, SHF
October 21, 2007: Twenty-ninth
Sunday in Ordinary Time
Exodus 17:8-13; Psalm 121; 2
Timothy 3:14—4:2; Luke 18:1-8
Good question, the one Jesus
asks at the end of today’s Gospel reading: “But when the Son of Man comes,
will he find faith on earth?” True, in one
sense the Son of Man has already come
in the person of Jesus, and he found faith
on earth in surprising places and people
– much as he found lessons about God
in astonishing places: in today’s story
of the unjust judge, for example. The
greatest evidence of faith found by Jesus
was not among the most righteous of
his own people, but among strangers,
foreigners, Gentiles and outcasts. When
the Son of Man comes again, in his
glory, will he then find any faith at all?
Or will we have given up waiting for
God to fix our broken world in our time
and according to our expectations? Are
we in this for the long haul or will God
too fall victim to our quest for instant
gratification? We don’t understand why
God seems to delay in bringing justice,
but perhaps in the delay is an element of
mercy. “When the Son of Man comes,
will he find faith on earth?”
he spoke the prayer silently, or he was
literally praying to himself rather than
to God. If he spoke his prayer to God,
but silently, then God who sees what
is in our hearts heard the silent prayer
and the Pharisee was not justified. But
what if he was praying to himself and
not to God – what if he was not trying
to convince God of his goodness and
righteousness, but was trying to convince himself? I think many of us spend
a great deal of our lives in this exercise,
trying to convince ourselves that we
are good, lovable, even just likable.
The sad thing is that we truly are good,
lovable and likable – but much of what
we do and say to prove our lovability
may work against us and in fact, may
give evidence to the contrary. Perhaps
if our Pharisee had simply sat silently
in the presence of God, his heart open
to God’s love, he would have had a
different outcome!
How do you pray?
November 1, 2007: All Saints
Revelation 7:2-4,9-14; Psalm 24; 1
John 3:1-3; Matthew 5:1-12
November 2, 2007:
Commemoration of All the
What do you think: will he find faith Faithful Departed
on earth?
October 28, 2007: Thirtieth
Sunday in Ordinary Time
Sirach 35:12-14,16-18; Psalm 34; 2
Timothy 4:6-8,16-18; Luke 18:9-14
Two little words in the English
translation of today’s Gospel reading
are both ambiguous and very revealing.
Two people went to pray, a Pharisee and
a tax collector. In the New American
Bible translation, we are told that the
Pharisee “spoke this prayer to himself.”
“To himself” – that little phrase can
have two meanings in English. Either
Wisdom 3:1-9; Psalm 23; Romans
5:5-11 or 6:3-9; John 6:37-40
At a scripture seminar I attended with theologian Fr. John Shea,
he said that “Heaven is a feast for all
who are willing to feast with all.” This
to me is an excellent definition. Look
at the first reading for November 1: the
multitude in white robes singing before
the throne includes people “from every
nation, race, people and tongue.” The
beatitudes in the Gospel give more
detail about who we can expect to
be there. The Gospel for November
2 goes even further: “this is the will
of my Father, that everyone who sees
the Son and believes in him may have
eternal life.” After we labor on earth,
doing all we can to “earn” heaven, in
the end it is God’s choice who will be
there, and we may be surprised to see
who our companions are. If there is a
time of purgation between death and
eternal life, it may be precisely to help
us prepare for those whom we will
meet!
Who would you exclude from Heaven? What if God doesn’t?
November 4, 2007: Thirty-first
Sunday in Ordinary Time
Wisdom 11:22—12:2; Psalm 145; 2
Thessalonians 1:11-22; Luke 19:1-10
Perspective is a tricky concept,
whether in art, science or daily life.
We are being trained to live in fear of
a repeat of the terrorist attacks of 9/11,
and to ignore growing evidence of the
dangers of global warming. Put those
two threats in their proper perspective
and which deserves more of our time,
talent and treasure? We will not all come
up with the same answer – that’s what
makes politics so interesting and so
frustrating. Today’s first reading from
the book of Wisdom is an attempt at perspective: see the world as a small part of
an immense universe, and overcooked
broccoli is a small thing indeed. God’s
mercy on sinners is more understandable when we have a clearer vision of
what eternal damnation means. “You
spare all things, because they are yours,
O Lord and lover of souls, for your
imperishable spirit is in all things!”
November 11, 2007: ThirtySecond Sunday in Ordinary
Time
2 Maccabees 7:1-2,9-14; Psalm 17;
2 Thessalonians 2:16—3:5; Luke
20:27-38
The story of the Maccabee
boys, the seven brothers who were
martyred for their faith after undergoing
excruciating tortures, is a scary story.
Imagine a mother reading about the
deaths of these seven sons – could she
face the possibility of such a thing happening to her own child? Or imagine a
young man reading the story of young
men so tested for their faith – would
he have the courage to endure were
he himself so tested? But scary as the
story may be to parents and children,
it has got to be even more terrifying to
those who hold power – or who think
they do. Fear is a useful management
tool, and is often quite effective when
used against the opposition, or even
against one’s own people whose loyalty
may stray. But these seven young men
– nothing the establishment could do
would shake their faith, their determination, their courage. Power is powerless
against such as these. Jesus’ own death
is another example – no wonder he was
seen as a threat to the political powers, both in his own day and in more
modern times. Nothing is quite as scary
as one who has the courage of his/her
convictions, to the point of death and
even beyond.
Who stands as a model of courage
and faith for you today?
What little problems and threats get
out of perspective in your life? Why?
Carol Crater, SHF, Sisters of the Holy Family,
P.O. Box 3248, Fremont, CA 94539-0324
PAGE 14
THE INSIDE PASSAGE
October 26, 2007
News Briefs
Catholic News Service
Continued from page 6
News Service in an Oct. 16 telephone interview from her
order’s convent in Burlingame, Calif. “And this little girl
came out of the infirmary and said, ‘What was that? That
was beautiful!’ I went right back and Scotch-taped it up.”
The rest, as they say, is history. Sister Suzanne, who was
to celebrate her 80th birthday Oct. 24, is an author now as
well, getting credit as a co-author with Elizabeth Dossa,
communications officer for the Mercy Sisters in Burlingame,
for a book titled “I Am the Bread of Life.”
Deported woman says U.S., Mexico must
work to keep families together
MEXICO CITY (CNS) -- Migrant activist Elvira Arellano, who spent a year in a Chicago Methodist church to try
to avoid deportation, said her personal battle to live in the
United States is lost but the wider struggle for immigrants
is just beginning. Speaking in Mexico, where she now
lives with her 8-year-old son, who is an American citizen,
Arellano said the Mexican and U.S. governments need to
work harder to make immigration laws that do not break
up families. “I’ve been deported and can’t go back to the
United States for 20 years. Legally there is nothing I can
do about that. But I still want to go on fighting so other
people don’t have to go through what I’ve been through,”
Arellano told Catholic News Service Oct. 17 after an event
to support her at the Mexico City offices of the Democratic
Revolution Party. “We have to stop families from being
torn apart. We have to stop people who have worked for
decades in the U.S. being sent back to Mexico and having
no job and no place to live,” she said. Arellano, 32, lived
outside Mexico for almost a decade, and her son, Saul, has
never lived in Mexico.
Polish survivor of Dachau dies day before
he was to be named cardinal
WARSAW, Poland (CNS) -- Retired Polish Bishop Ignacy
Jez of Koszalin-Kolobrzeg, a Nazi-concentration-camp
survivor, died just one day before he would have been
named a cardinal. “It was optimism which enabled Bishop
Jez to survive the hardest times,” said Polish Archbishop
Marian Golebiewski of Wroclaw, a former colleague, in an
interview with Poland’s Catholic Information Agency, KAI,
Oct. 17. “He was a witness to the famous letter sent by Polish bishops to German counterparts in 1965, as well as to
the election of Cardinal Karol Wojtyla as pope and the rule
of Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski. His departure symbolically
ends an epoch.” Poland’s oldest bishop died Oct. 16 at the
age of 93 in Rome’s Gemelli hospital during a pilgrimage.
He recently had celebrated 70 years as a priest. Announcing 23 new cardinals Oct. 17, Pope Benedict XVI said he
had planned to honor the “well-deserving prelate,” but had
been prevented from doing so by his death.
St. Vincent de Paul
8617 Teal Street, Juneau, AK 99801, 907-789-5535
The holiday season is fast
approaching and it is a time
when families and individuals
are deciding on the best way
to share their gifts and make a
difference in the lives of people
who may not be as fortunate.
The Christmas season is a
time of commemorating the
great gift of God’s son to all
humanity and reflecting back
this gift to others.
The Board of St. Vincent de
Paul in Juneau wants to provide current information to the
Catholic parishes of Juneau on
what St. Vincent de Paul does
and to ask for your continued
support.
What is the Society of St.
Vincent de Paul?
The founder of the Society
was Fredric Ozanam who
accepted a challenge from a
fellow student who said, “We
agree that at one time, your
Church was a great Church and
was a great source of good.
But what is your Church doing now? What is she doing for
the poor? Show us your works
and we will believe you.”
This occurred in 1833. By
1845 Fredric Ozanam’s St.
Vincent de Paul Society had
spread to the United States.
The mission of the Society
of St. Vincent de Paul involves
lay people growing “spiritually
by offering person-to personservice to those who are needy
and suffering.” The dignity of
the human person is central to
the work of Vincentians.
What does the Juneau
Chapter of St. Vincent de
Paul do for the poor in Juneau?
One of the great needs the
Board of St. Vincent de Paul
has recognized in Juneau has
been affordable housing. The
following are some of the
projects that address the Juneau
housing needs.
• Smith Hall provides 25 senior households. It is located
within the St. Vincent de
Paul complex on the corner
of Teal and Alpine Streets.
• Channel View Apartments have 22 apartments
restricted to low-income
households.
• Paul’s Place are the apartments developed in the
former Thrift Store space.
There are18 apartments
serving those with disabilities.
• The Family Center provides 15 transitional housing apartments for homeless
families with children.
• The above facilities were
developed, sponsored and
built by St. Vincent de Paul.
Today they also manage
these facilities.
• The Thrift Store offers
affordable clothing and
household items. Profits
from the store support St.
Vincent de Paul’s outreach
programs.
• Direct Financial Aid to the
Needy involves monthly
rent assistance, help with
utilities, general emergency
one-time assistance, $25
cards for food assistance,
and clothing vouchers.
The staff also works with
The Glory Hole and The
Salvation Army to provide
holiday food baskets.
• St. Vincent de Paul Childcare Center offers day care
services for 16 low-income
or homeless children.
How does St. Vincent de
Paul finance their operations?
St. Vincent de Paul building
projects have in part been financed through AHFC (Alaska
Housing Finance Corporation),
U.S. Dept. of Housing and
Urban Development (HUD)
as well as pass-through grants
from the City.
Management fees, fees for
service and rents offset expenses. Income from the Thrift
Store and grants support the
programs and operations.
A very important source of
income is through donations
from our community. This
involves volunteering time,
goods and donations.
How can you support
the work of St. Vincent de
Paul?
Prayers are always important. Remember the staff and
volunteers as they try to support their clients in life transitions that brings them in for
assistance.
Volunteers are needed to
work in the Thrift Store.
There is always a need for financial donations. Each month
people are denied assistance
because the budgeted amount
for the month is exhausted by
the 15th.
With the approach of winter perhaps you could plow
snow. Any money saved from
operational expenses can be
Please see ST. VINCENT page 15
THE INSIDE PASSAGE
ST. VINCENT
Continued from page 14
redirected to client services.
A major goal of the St. Vincent de
Paul Board is to build a new thrift
store. First of all it is a safety matter.
With housing in the same building,
we would like to minimize traffic in
the area for the safety of the children.
More space would offer more storage and easier shopping. Perhaps
you would prefer to donate to this
project.
DONATIONS MAY BE SENT TO:
St. Vincent de Paul
8617 Teal Street
Juneau, AK 998901
789-5535 ext. 4
Credit card donations can be made
through the Thrift Store at 789-5141.
You can also do this in person. The
store hours are Monday through
Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Donations can also be designated
through the United Way campaign
pay roll deductions.
In appreciation for all your past
and current support, we are grateful.
Please contact Dan Austin, Executive Director, or any of our Board
members for more information or
suggestions.
Tom Slagle - president
Mary Ann Welp – secretary
Bob Rehfeld
Gloria Bodren
Ida Barnack
Mary Fitterer
Benny Cruz
Jean Messing
Paul Paradis
Alan Rogers
Harold Heidersdorf
(Quotes taken from the Manual of the Society of
St. Vincent de Paul in the United States)
Donations in
any amount are
appreciated
$25 will buy a
food card
$50 supports a holiday
food basket
$100 buys heating oil
PAGE 15
October 26, 2007
Shrine of
St. Therese
www.shrineofsainttherese.org
NEWS
November 2nd
All Souls Day
Noon Liturgy at
Shrine Chapel: All
Souls Day is a special day that
we specifically designate as a
time when we remember those
loved ones—those souls—who
have passed before us from this
earthly world. And we pray for
them that they may have eternal
life in heaven with our Lord.
Please join with Catholics and
non-Catholics as they gather at
the Shrine Chapel on Friday the
2nd of November to pray for their
loved ones. Following the Mass,
Bishop Michael Warfel will invite
attendees to journey to the Shrine
Columbarium to pray for the
loved ones whose cremains are
interred at this sacred place.
Pamphlets Available
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Juneau
deplores the abuse of children and is
committed to fully investigating any allegations
of abuse by church personnel.
Protecting Our Children: Recognizing the Signs of Sexual Predators
These pamphlets, available from the Chancery Office, explain “What a Sexual Predator Looks
Like” and “10 Common Charactoristics of a Predator.”
Contact Roberta Izzard, Child Protection
Officer / Victim Assistance Coordinator 907-5862227 x25 to request these pamphlets. As Victim
Assistance Coordinator, Ms Izzard is also available
to receive reports if you believe that you have been
harmed in this way. If you suspect child abuse contact the Dept. of Health and Social Service’s 24-hr
HOTLINE at 907-465-1650.
Chancery Office Phone Extensions
Dial (907) 586-2227
You may also leave a voice mail message.
Bishop Michael W. Warfel......................... [email protected]
Diocese E-mail [email protected]
Diocese website..................................www.dioceseofjuneau.org
FAX number................................................................. 463-3237
Most Reverend Michael W. Warfel............................................ ext.25
Ms. Robbie Izzard, Administrative Support and
Victim’s Assistance Coordinator................................................ ext. 25
Mr. James M. Donaghey, Business Manager............................. ext. 27
Fr. Scott Settimo, OCDS, Dir., Off. of Missions & Ministries.. ext. 29
Deacon Charles Rohrbacher, Diocesan Commissions Coord.... ext. 23
Ms. Denise Grant, Accounting Office........................................ ext. 30
Mrs. Karla Donaghey, The Inside Passage . ............................. ext. 32
Mr. Neal Arnold, Information Tech/Maintenance Support........ ext. 34
Deacon Gary Horton, Archives/Special Projects....................... ext. 36
Fr. Patrick J. Travers, Tribunal Office (Ketchikan).........(907) 225-2570
Sr. Josephine Aloralrea, OSU (Yakutat)..........................(907) 784-3406
Fr. Edmund J. Penisten, Vocations (Haines)...................(907) 766-2241
Sr. Barbara Kelley, OP (Ketchikan)................................(907) 225-2570
Sr. Mary Kay Moran, OP (Ketchikan)............................(907) 225-2570
PAGE 16
October 26, 2007
GUIDANCE: “As Catholics, we should be guided more by our moral
convictions than by our attachment to a political party or interest group.”
by our attachment to a political party
or interest group,” the draft document
says. “When necessary, our participation should help transform the party
to which we belong; we should not let
the party transform us in such a way
that we neglect or deny fundamental
moral truths.”
The draft is part of a series of documents that have been issued before
every presidential election for more
than 30 years.
But the 2007 version underwent a
wider consultation at the committee
level and is the first to come before
the full body of bishops. In past years,
the documents were approved by the
Administrative Committee, made up of
the executive officers of the USCCB,
elected committee chairmen and elected
regional representatives.
Although the draft document outlines
a wide variety of policy positions taken
by the bishops on domestic and international issues, it makes clear that not all
issues carry equal importance.
“There are some things we must
never do, as individuals or as a society,
because they are always incompatible
with love of God and neighbor,” the
document says, citing in particular abortion, euthanasia, human cloning, stemcell research involving the destruction
of human embryos and “violations of
human dignity such as racism, torture,
genocide and the targeting of noncombatants in acts of terror or war.”
The bishops warn against “two temptations in public life (that) can distort
the church’s defense of human life and
dignity.”
“The first is a moral equivalence that
makes no ethical distinctions between
different kinds of issues involving human life and dignity,” they say. “The
direct and intentional destruction of
innocent human life is ... not just one
issue among many.”
But it is also wrong to misuse “these
necessary moral distinctions as a way
of dismissing or ignoring other serious
threats to human life and dignity,” the
draft document says.
Although there might be “principled
debate” about the best approach on issues such as health care, racism, unjust
war, the death penalty and immigration,
“this does not make them optional concerns or permit Catholics to dismiss or
ignore church teaching on these important issues,” the bishops say.
The draft document does not address
a topic raised during the 2004 presidential campaign -- giving Communion to
Catholic politicians who support keeping abortion legal. Archbishop Raymond L. Burke of St. Louis already has
said he would not give Communion to
former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani,
a Catholic and the leading Republican
candidate for president, because of
Giuliani’s support for abortion.
The document says that “those who
knowingly, willingly and directly
support public policies or legislation
that undermine fundamental moral
principles cooperate with evil.”
“If a Catholic were to vote for a candidate who supports a policy involving
intrinsic evil, such as abortion, precisely
because of that position, the Catholic
would be guilty of formal cooperation
in evil,” it adds. “In some cases, if a
Catholic who fully accepts fundamental principles such as the right to life
were to vote for a candidate despite
the candidate’s opposing position but
because of other proportionate reasons, their vote would be considered
‘remote material cooperation’ and can
be permitted only if there are indeed
proportionate reasons.”
All Catholics “have a responsibility to discern carefully which public
policies are morally sound,” the draft
document says.
“Catholics may choose different
ways to respond to compelling social
problems, but we cannot differ on our
moral obligation to help build a more
just and peaceful world through morally acceptable means, so that the weak
and vulnerable are protected and human rights and dignity are defended,”
it adds.
The draft will be presented to the
bishops on behalf of seven committees
-- domestic policy, international policy,
pro-life activities, communications,
doctrine, education and migration.
THE INSIDE PASSAGE
All Creation
Glorifies God
Jesus Christ renewed not
only humanity, but transformed all creation as well.
The Incarnation made all a
new creation, so that all created things are brought into
our worship, giving them a
richer and more significant
dimension when brought
into the kingdom by the
prayer of the Church.
This whole dimension of
our Church’s life is culminated in the Divine Liturgy,
our foretaste of “the Kingdom of the Father and of
the Son and of the Holy
Spirit.” This is the basis for
the Church’s commitment
to praise God in paint and
song, gesture and poetry,
aroma and light,
bread and wine.
The classic setting for the
Divine Liturgy is the church
building itself, which the
Eastern Christian Churches
remind us, is an icon of
the Kingdom of God. The
church building and all
it contains manifest visually this kingdom, which
the liturgy makes present
mystically. What the West
calls the representation of
the “Last Supper,” the East
more appropriately names
the “Mystical Supper.”