Serving the Diocese of San Angelo, Texas Volume XXXVI, No ... · expresó bellamente: “La indicación de la puerta recuerda la responsabilidad de cada creyente de cruzar su umbral

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Serving the Diocese of San Angelo, TexasVolume XXXVI, No. 11 NOVEMBER 2016

Knights of Columbus process to the Doors of Mercyat The Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Midland.The Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy draws to aclose on November 20, 2016. (Photo by Karen J.Patterson). Related stories, photos, Pgs. 2, 11, 12-13.

Page 2 NOVEMBER 2016 The Angelus

The Inside Front

West Texas Angelus

ABILENE — The Sacred Heart ParishCommunity celebrated a big anniversary onSunday, Sept. 18. In a commemoration of 125years, members gathered for food, dancing,music, a historical talk and the sharing of mem-ories.

The parish was created in September 1891 butthe presence of Catholics in West Texas goesback to the 1500s and early Spanish adventurersand settlers. By the 1880s there were enoughCatholics around Abilene that a priest wouldcome in on a regular basis for Mass and thesacraments. The Bishop of Galveston, NicholasGallagher, came on a pastoral visit in 1885 andreligious sisters from San Antonio came to fundraise in 1886.

(Please See SACRED HEART/22)

Sacred Heart celebrates 125 years

125 and Counting

Msgr. Bob Bush, above, with a parishioner, and at top, Fr.

Innocent Eziefule, center (Courtesy photos).

300 attend conference day, see diocese’s diversity first handBy Becca Nelson Sankey

SAN ANGELO — One of the SanAngelo Catholic Diocese’s manystrengths is that it is diverse, said Sr.Adelina Garcia, associate director ofEvangelization and Catechesis. Withthis blessing, however, comes theresponsibility of examination.

Nearly 300 Catholics fromthroughout the diocese attended the

annual Diocesan Conference Day onOct. 15 at the McNease ConventionCenter. This year’s theme,“Catechesis & Culture: EmbracingOur Diversity,” addressed multicul-turalism within the Church.

“We’re in the process of theEncuentro, (a meeting that focuseson) how we’re addressing the grow-ing population of Hispanics in ourcountry,” Garcia said. “We are such

a diverse diocese, so we wanted tofocus on the gift we have in our cul-ture and how that makes us astronger Church.”

The local diocese is known for itsmyriad educational opportunities, ofparticular importance because thereisn’t a Catholic university within thediocese.

(Please See CONFERENCE/20)

Bethany

Brunell, left,

and Nik Ruiz,

share their

experiences

from World

Youth Day

2016, in

Krakow.

(Photo by

Becca Sankey

Nelson).

Church must do better

accompanying young

couples, being married

examples, cardinal saysBy Jimmy Patterson

Editor / The Angelus

AUSTIN — Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, of theArchdiocese of Galveston-Houston, told diocesan dele-gates gathered in Austin in October that while theChurch does an admirable job recogniz-ing couples that have been marriedmany years, it must do more to accom-pany young couples in preparation forthe Sacrament of Marriage, as well asduring the couple’s early years of mar-riage. It is then, he said, that most cou-ples are most in need of help from thosewho can be examples.

“We’re not doing much for couples inthe first seven years,” he said, speaking at the TexasConference of Catholic Bishops’ legislative agenda ses-sion.

He challenged couples to find at least one other cou-ple who could benefit from being accompanied. “Try towitness to just one young couple,” he said.

DiNardo also suggested that although the Church hasgood and resourceful marriage preparation available, itneeds to start instructing on the Sacrament of Matrimonyas early as the second grade.

“We start too late,” he said. “We need to start in thesecond grade. You build a repertoire in young people.Even if their homes are not ideal, you begin to showthem what the sacrament of marriage and family life islike at that young age.”

DiNardo focused on Pope Francis’ Amoris Laetitia,which, he said, was a writing meant to be read slowly.DiNardo said the document is like a rhapsody, withthemes, variations and synchronizations, and less like asymphony, where the path of the music is clearly defined.

The cardinal also encouraged those in attendance tofocus on Chapters 4 and 5 of Amoris Laetitia.

Obispo Michael J. Sis

El Año Jubilar Extraordinario de laMisericordia concluirá por todo el mundoen la Solemnidad de Cristo Rey el 20 denoviembre de 2016. En ese día el PapaFrancisco cerrará laPuerta Santa en laBasílica de SanPedro en Roma. Entodas las demásdiócesis por todo elmundo, incluyendoSan Ángelo, lasPuertas Santas secerrarán el domingo,13 de noviembre.

Al comienzo delAño Santo designé cuatro Puertas Santasde Misericordia en la Diócesis de SanÁngelo:• Catedral del Sagrado Corazón, SanÁngelo• Santuario al aire libre a la Parroquia deNuestra Señora de Guadalupe, Midland• Capilla Eucarística de la Parroquia delSagrado Corazón, Abilene

• Iglesia de Santa María, OdessaDurante el último año, miles de per-

sonas han hecho peregrinaciones a estoscuatro lugares especiales y han pasadopor estas puertas. ¿Qué significa espiri-tualmente el pasar por una Puerta Santa?Cuando San Juan Pablo II declaró el últi-mo Año Santo Jubilar en el 2000, loexpresó bellamente: “La indicación de lapuerta recuerda la responsabilidad decada creyente de cruzar su umbral. Pasarpor aquella puerta significa confesar queCristo Jesús es el Señor, fortaleciendo lafe en Él para vivir la vida nueva que nosha dado.” (Incarnationis Mysterium, 8)

El Papa Francisco pidió que, en esteAño Santo Jubilar 2016, dejemos que lapuerta sea un símbolo de Cristo, quien esla puerta al Padre y la puerta al Reino delos Cielos. Jesús proclama en elEvangelio de Juan: “Yo soy la puerta. Elque por mi entre, será salvo, y entrará ysaldrá y hallará pastos....he venido paraque tengan vida, y para que la tengan enabundancia.” (Juan 10:9, 10b)

Después del 13 de noviembre de 2016,las cuatro Puertas Santas en la Diócesis

de San Ángelo ya no tendrán esa desi-gnación. Esto significa que el tiempo escorto para tener la oportunidad de recibirla indulgencia plenaria especial asociadacon el pasar por una Puerta Santa duranteel Año Jubilar Extraordinario de laMisericordia. Una indulgencia plenaria seconcede a los fieles quienes pasan poruna Puerta Santa durante el Año Jubilar ysatisfacen las condiciones requeridas parauna indulgencia plenaria.

¿Cuáles son esas condiciones? Segúnla enseñanza de la Iglesia, son las sigu-ientes: (1) arrepentirnos verdaderamentede nuestro pecado y dejar ir nuestroapego al pecado; (2) una Confesiónsacramental; (3) recibir la Eucaristía; y(4) orar por las intenciones del Papa. Unmiembro de la Iglesia que ha cumplidocon esas cuatro condiciones puedeadquirir una indulgencia plenaria porhaber llevado a cabo cualquiera de lasdiversas acciones particulares que laIglesia ha designado para indulgenciasplenarias.

(Mira OBISPO/21)

The Angelus NOVEMBER 2016 Page 3

From The Bishop’s Desk

By Bishop Michael J. Sis

The Extraordinary Jubilee Year ofMercy will conclude worldwide on theSolemnity of Christ the King onNovember 20, 2016.On that day PopeFrancis will closethe Holy Door at St.Peter’s Basilica inRome. In all otherdioceses around theworld, includingSan Angelo, theHoly Doors will beclosing on Sunday,November 13.

At the beginning of the Holy Year, Idesignated four Holy Doors of Mercy inthe Diocese of San Angelo:• Sacred Heart Cathedral, San Angelo• Outdoor Shrine of Our Lady ofGuadalupe, Midland• Eucharistic Chapel of Sacred HeartParish, Abilene• St. Mary Church, Odessa

Over the past year, thousands of peo-ple have made pilgrimages to these fourspecial places and walked through thesedoors. What does it mean spiritually topass through a Holy Door? When Saint

John Paul II declared the last JubileeHoly Year in 2000, he expressed itbeautifully: “To focus on the door is torecall the responsibility of every believ-er to cross its threshold. To passthrough that door means to confess thatJesus Christ is Lord; it is to strengthenfaith in him in order to live the new lifewhich he has given us.” (IncarnationisMysterium, 8)

Pope Francis asked that, in thisJubilee Holy Year 2016, we let the doorbe a symbol of Christ, who is the doorto the Father and the door to theKingdom of Heaven. Jesus proclaimsin the Gospel of John, “I am the door.If anyone enters by me, he will besaved, and will go in and out and findpasture … I came that they may havelife, and have it abundantly.” (John10:9, 10b)

After November 13, 2016, the fourHoly Doors in the Diocese of SanAngelo will no longer bear that designa-tion. This means the time is short totake the opportunity to receive the spe-cial plenary indulgence associated withpassing through a Holy Door during theExtraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy. Aplenary indulgence is granted to thefaithful who pass through a Holy Door

during a Jubilee Year and fulfill the pre-scribed conditions for a plenary indul-gence.

What are those conditions?According to Church teaching, they arethe following: (1) truly repenting of oursin and letting go of our attachment tosin; (2) sacramental Confession; (3)reception of the Eucharist; and (4) pray-ing for the intentions of the Pope. Amember of the Church who has fulfilledthose four conditions may acquire a ple-nary indulgence by carrying out any ofthe various particular actions which theChurch has designated for plenaryindulgences.

An indulgence can be obtained foroneself or for someone who is deceased,but it cannot be applied to other personsliving on earth. In order to gain anindulgence, one must be in the state ofgrace at least at the time the indul-genced action is completed.

While there are just a few more daysto gain a plenary indulgence associatedwith passing through a Holy Door, thereis no need to be anxious. This isbecause plenary indulgences may be obtained at any time by carrying out the

(Please See BISHOP/18)

Bishop Sis

Obispo Sis

CALENDARSBISHOP MICHAELSIS’ SCHEDULE

NOVEMBER9-10 — CORPUS

CHRISTI, KenedyFoundation BoardMeeting

11 — AUSTIN, JohnPaul II Life CenterBanquet at 6:00 p.m.

12-18 BALTIMORE,USCCB GeneralAssembly

20 — HOUSTON, St.Mary’s Seminary, Mass ofthe Institution of Acolytesat 9:30 a.m.

21 — LUBBOCK, Christthe King Cathedral,Ordination andInstallation of BishopRobert Coerver at 2:00p.m.

22 — ABILENE, HolyFamily, RCIA presentationat 6:30 p.m.

29 — BELTON,Cedarbrake RetreatCenter, Advent Day ofPrayer presentations

DECEMBER2 — SAN ANGELO,

Diocesan PastoralCenter, Diocesan FinanceCouncil and PresbyteralCouncil Joint Meeting at11:00 a.m., PresbyteralCouncil Meeting at 2:00p.m.

2 — SAN ANGELO,Christ the King RetreatCenter, Advent Party forPriests, Religious,Deacons and Wives at5:00 p.m.

4 — ODESSA, St.Anthony, English Mass at10:00 a.m. and SpanishMass at 12 noon

4 — SAN ANGELO,Angelo State UniversityNewman Center Mass at6:30 p.m.

6 — SAN ANGELO,Diocesan PastoralCenter, Vocation TeamMeeting at 2:00 p.m.

7 — SAN ANGELO,First United MethodistChurch, Advent Service at12:05 p.m.

7 — WALL, St.Ambrose, Mass of 75thAnniversary of the Parishat 6:00 p.m.

8 — MIDLAND, St.Ann, Mass at 8:30 a.m.

9 — SAN ANGELO,Christ the King RetreatCenter, Advent Party forPastoral Center andChrist the King RetreatCenter’s Staff at 6 p.m.

10 — COLEMAN,Sacred Heart, Mass at10:00 a.m.

12 — SAN ANGELO,Procession for Feast ofOur Lady of Guadalupe at4:00 p.m., Mass at St.Mary’s Parish at 6:00p.m.

13 — SAN ANGELO,Diocesan PastoralCenter, LiturgicalCommission Meeting at 10:00 a.m.

14 — SAN ANGELO,Christ the King RetreatCenter, Advent Staff Dayof Reflection at 9:00 a.m.

17 — SAN ANGELO,Diocesan Mission CouncilMeeting at 9:30 a.m.

18-20 — SAN ANGE-LO, SeminarianGathering

21— EDEN, Mass atPrison at 1:00 p.m.

21 — SAN ANGELO,Sacred Heart Cathedral,Mass at 6:00 p.m.

24 — SAN ANGELO,Tom Green County Jail,Mass at 9:15 a.m. and10:15 a.m.

24 — SAN ANGELO,County Juvenile Facility,Visit to youth at 11:30a.m.

CHRIST THE KINGRETREAT CENTER

NOVEMBER

11-13 — Deacon

Formation

11-13— Beginning

Experience

14 — Heart of Mercy

Prayer Group


Prayer Group

24-25 — CRKC Office

Closed in Observance

of Thanksgiving


Prayer Group

DECEMBER

2 — Bishop Sis Advent

Party for Clergy and

Religious


Prayer Group

8 — CKRC Office

Closed in Observance of

the Feast of the

Immaculate Conception

9 — Bishop Sis Staff

Advent Party

10 — Deacon

Formation


Prayer Group

15 — DOSA Staff

Mass/Lunch (Continued on Pg. 20)

Misericordia después del Año Santo

With Holy Doors closing, where will we find mercy?


DIOCESAN BRIEFS

PRAY FOR OUR SEMINARIANS

A Harvest of Blessings: Rowena’s 94th annual fall festival, Nov. 13

10:30 a.m. - Flag and Raising and Balloon Release to honor allVeterans

11 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. — Turkey and Dressing with all trimmingsalong with Rowena Style German Sausage. Plate for Adults andPlates to Go $10.00; children (10 & under) $5.00. Plates-to-Go-are available at Drive Thru or Walk-Up windows.

11:30 a.m.-3 p.m. — Bingo and Children's games and activities1 p.m. — Live Auction of donated merchandise begins. Cotton

auction begins at 2:00 p.m.4:30 p.m. — Sausage Sandwich Supper $4.00 - includes tea

and dessertParishioners will be preparing 9,000 lbs. of sausage. Uncooked

sausage will be sold @ $5.00 while supply lasts. A Country Store,featuring needle work items, baked and canned goods and plants,will be open throughout the day. Handicapped parking and assis-tance during the meal will be available. All activities take place onchurch grounds.

Retirement Fund For Religious Collection to be

taken in diocese, Dec., 10-11WASHINGTON—The annual Retirement Fund for Religious col-

lection will be Dec. 10-11 throughout the Diocese of San Angelo.In its 29th year, the collection is coordinated by the NationalReligious Retirement Office, and benefits nearly 33,000 elderlyCatholic sisters, brothers and religious order priests whose reli-gious communities lack adequate retirement funding.

The appeal raised $30.7 million in 2015, the sixth highest total inits history. As a result, the NRRO distributed $25 million to 401 reli-gious communities across the county. Communities utilize theassistance to bolster retirement savings and subsidize such day-to-day expenses as prescription medications and nursing care.Throughout the year, additional funding is allocated for religiouscongregations with the greatest needs. A portion of the proceedsalso supports education in retirement planning and eldercare deliv-ery.

The U.S. bishops initiated the Retirement Fund for Religious in1988 to address the significant lack of retirement funding among reli-gious communities in the U.S. Proceeds are distributed to eligiblecommunities to help underwrite retirement and health-care expenses.

Freddy Perez3rd Year Theology Assumption Seminary Birthday: March 30, 1986From: San Angelo Favorite Food: Home-cooked FoodLikes learning random facts!

Thomas Shows2nd year TheologySt. Mary’s Seminary, HoustonBirthday: July 12, 1989From: AbileneFavorite Food: Indian food and Rosa’s

CaféLikes playing video games, running,

making model miniatures, and practicing the harmonica

Bishop Michael J. Sis

delivers his homily at

Holy Family’s 40th

anniversary Mass,

October 8 (Photo by

Brandon McAuliffe).

Bishop helps Abilene’s Holy Family

celebrate 40th anniversary as parishBy Brandon McAuliffeSpecial to the Angelus

ABILENE — The year 2016has marked a monumental timefor Holy Family in Abilene as theparish commemorated the 40thanniversary of its founding with aspecial Mass and reception,October 8.

The anniversary Mass waspresided over by Bishop MichaelSis, and concelebrated by HolyFamily’s priests Rev. Msgr.Frederick Nawarskas and Fr.Adam Droll.

All four of Holy Family’s dea-cons – Dr. Daniel Vaughn,Gerald Schwalb, Gary Rhodesand Chuck Lambert – as well asseminarians Thomas Shows andKevin Lenius were involved inthe Mass as well.

In its 40 years, you can counton one hand the number ofpriests that have been in chargeof Holy Family – if you don’tinclude the parochial vicars.Msgr. Nawarskas has been prob-ably the longest tenured of anyof them as he came to HolyFamily in July 1996.

“It’s a pleasure getting to learnas many people’s names as pos-sible and being a part of theirfamilies and watching their chil-dren growing up,” he said.

“Some of the people that I bap-tized here are getting ready toget married and that’s very nice.”

Besides Fr. Droll, otherparochial vicars assigned to HolyFamily by Bishop Sis, andretired Bishop Michael Pfeiferduring Msgr. Nawarskas’ time atHoly Family are Fr. RubenCovos, Fr. Sam Matthiesen, Fr.Innocent Eziefule and Fr. TonyFranco.

Fr. Covos is currently beingloaned by the diocese to theUnited States Air Force and isstationed in Dover, Delawarewhile Fr. Matthieson is now inBig Spring.

“They are all very nice andI’ve enjoyed them,” Msgr.Nawarskas said. “They allbrought something through theirhomilies and reflections that theyshared with the congregation.Each one was unique and had adifferent prospective on thedivine revelation.”

Adrienne and Gerry McAuliffewere founding members of thechurch prior to moving to Maine28 years ago. The couple donat-ed one of the pews in the churchthat were replaced within thepast year as Holy Family under-went renovations that includedgetting a new sound system thissummer.

Mrs. McAuliffe shared one ofher fond memories from theearly days of the church after itopened on the south side oftown.

“We would go to Adoration at5 a.m. and then Fr. Kelly wouldhave us come over for coffeeafterwards,” she said. “(HolyFamily) was something thatevolved and kept getting betterand before you knew it, we werea part of the town.”

Joan and Bernie Taylor werealso founding members of HolyFamily, and Joan beamed withpride at the reception as shelooked back on the past fourdecades.

“It has been absolutely won-derful to see the number of fami-lies that have come to join HolyFamily,” she said. “It hasreached out to so many differentpeople from refugees to peoplein Abilene to those stationed atDyess Air Force Base. We justlove it.”

Holy Family has also seengrowth that makes it the largestchurch in the Abilene deanery –something that Taylor saidnobody ever envisioned.

“It’s been through the grace ofGod and a lot of prayer and work

(Please See HOLY FAMILY/21)

By Becca Nelson SankeyThe Angelus

Strength is born from struggle and,sometimes, in darkness, there is a divinegift not easily discernible. Such was themessage delivered by Sally Robb at the2016 Catholic Women’s Conference atthe Clarion Hotel, Oct. 21 -22. Robb wasone of four women who spoke at the con-ference, which was the Heart of Jesus,Mary and Joseph Foundation’s first inSan Angelo.

Robb, who has a master’s degree inTheology and hosts the radio showThread of Grace, discussed in detail herown personal plights, including thecountless seizures, 10-month coma, sur-gery and subsequent brain damage one ofher six children endured. The gift, Robbsaid, is that her daughter is now able tosee the beauty in everyone. “She is theimage of love, so radiant, so beautiful,”Robb said. “It is an honor to have her asmy daughter.”

Her daughter also sees God’s gifts indifficult times, having once said inprayer, “Right now it’s too dark for me tosee it is mercy, but I know that it mustbe. And I thank you.”

“Annunciation leads to Assumption,”Robb said. “Her saying ‘yes’ leads to aunion with God that if you knew her youwould see.”

So many times, though, we distanceourselves from God, Robb said.

“They are so filled with shame andcondemnation,” Robb said.

On a board next to Robb, covering aphoto of the Virgin Mary cradling aninfant Jesus, were black clouds scrawledwith words such as “abortion,” “criticalspirit” and “judgment.”

“Jesus wants to put his hand on top ofyours, and He wants to wipe away thedarkness so you can begin to see howbeautiful you are to Him, how infinitelyHe desires you, that none of this sepa-rates you from Him,” she said, pluckingeach cloud from the board one by one.

“Everything that comes to us is a giftHe’s giving us. The beloved uses everysingle thing that happens to us as a possi-bility to draw us closer to Him.”

(Please See WOMEN/19)


The Dignity and Nature of Women

Answer to our anxieties lies within ourselves, our homes, our families(Editor’s Note: Part 1 in our series of 4.)

By Lisa Martinez

As America seethes with anxiety, angerand confusion about the state of ourcountry and those who will lead, it iseasy to assume that ourbest days are behind us.How can we ever turnthings around? Whatcan lead us to a bettertomorrow?

I would submit thatour rescue will notcome from the govern-ment or from the pri-vate sector, but fromour own homes, workplaces, schools andchurches. We, the people of America, arethe only ones who can restore it. Each ofus doing what we can, when we can. By

being honest and trustworthy with thosearound us, by showing up and workinghard. By caring for our families, helpingout a friend, giving to a neighbor in need.By choosing to do the right thing timeafter time after time.

But in order to be that kind of person,we need those who can show us how to bethat kind of person. A teacher, a mentor, amodel…for St. John Paul II, that would bewomen! His vast teaching on women isrich in its potential to empower and totransform. Indeed, the influence andimpact of St. John Paul on various areas ofour society and culture are only now beingfully recognized and appreciated.

In this series of articles, we will surveyhis teaching about women and his beliefthat women recognizing and living fromtheir true vocation, will have a significantimpact on all relationships — be it asmother, wife, sister, daughter, friend or

colleague. In this way, women will lead aconversion of society and culture, whichis part of the mission in God’s plan.

At the heart of the matter, John Paulsays that “woman is first and foremost amother,” both physical and spiritual. “Youare called to bear witness to the meaningof genuine love, of that gift of self and ofacceptance of others, which ought also tobe at the heart of every interpersonal rela-tionship. Motherhood involves a uniquecontact with the new human being devel-oping within that gives rise to an attitudetowards human beings; not only towardsher own child, but every human being,which profoundly marks the woman's per-sonality.” All women have this capacity,whether they are physical mothers or not.

Women will lead a cultural changeJohn Paul believed that physical and

spiritual motherhood lived authentically

would bring about a lasting change insociety. This type of womanly influencemay be most effective in the family, butis also needed through her participation atall levels of society. How does a womanlive her physical and spiritual mother-hood in an authentic way? By becomingaware of, and acting on, the mission thatGod has specifically given to her. Godhas given her the feminine traits of self-gift, empathy and entrustment of thehuman person, and these are meant to beused at the service of the Church andsociety, especially within the family.Indeed, this is one of the main ways inwhich God acts, and can transform, theworld.

John Paul says that women first learnand then teach others that human rela-tions are authentic if they are open to

(Please See DIGNITY/21)

Adversity can keep us from — and eventually lead us to — God

Sally Robb, left, uses

a volunteer from the

audience to demon-

strate how not forgiv-

ing one's own sins

creates distance

between themselves

and God. (Photo by

Becca Nelson Sankey)

Martinez


Living Rosary

Each year, to observe October as the

Month of the Holy Rosary, parish-

ioners at St. Joseph's in Rowena cele-

brate with the Living Rosary. The tra-

dition was begun in 1983. This year,

Father Ariel Lagunilla, pastor, was on

hand to begin the devotion. CCD stu-

dents and representatives of parish

organizations gathered at the

Stepping Stone Rosary on October 5

to pray especially for the safety of the

unborn and for our country.

A smile on the faceof God can lead usfrom our darkness

By Jimmy PattersonEditorWest Texas Angelus

Wow. What a month. In fact, what a year. Such vitriol in seeminglyevery corner of our daily existence, the banner of inelegance and thetorch of bitterness carried by the very ones who would seek to lead us.

It’s no wonder studies show we are more irritable,depressed, and angry these days. Heaven help us.

Many have lost friends — both real and virtual —over this election, a cycle that has proved to us onceand for all to never discuss religion and politics if youhave any hope of keeping the peace.

The election cycle conditioned many to hate, and wehave been led to believe that hate is OK, especiallywhen it is necessary to advance your political ideolo-gies for “the good of America.” After all, our veryfutures rely on our leaders, and if you don’t believe

me, well then, you know what you can do with it.Unfortunately for us all, the one we are being called to follow is not

God. If it were, we wouldn’t be having these troubled times, nor wouldwe be involved in this divisive speech. If we placed our trust solely onGod, perhaps we wouldn’t have fallen so far, so hard, so fast.

But here we are.I guess we could all let forth with a big, friendly smile, right? Trite, you say? Yet, is it not the absence of a pleasant outward

demeanor that has landed us all here in the first place? We all owe our-selves a few days of smiles after what we have just been through. Andthose who especially need one — both on the receiving and giving end— are those who have been so misled to believe that all of what ails usis solvable through the election of one flawed human being, regardlessof who that person is.

Our collective national psyche is now more in tune with Nat KingCole’s “Smile, though your heart is breaking,” rather than FrankSinatra’s, “When you’re smilin’, the whole world smiles with you.”

My father taught me to smile always. At strangers, at work, especial-ly at home, to neighbors and to strangers. He never sat me down andtold me, smile always even though you may not feel like it. He just didit. It is often better to learn by example rather than mere words. Thelessons last longer.

We can overcome the nastiness of the last several months. In fact, thesimple fact that the election is over will hopefully provide the pathback to a better collective mood of joy ... if, that is, it is the path uponwhich we follow Christ and his teachings. As a friend on Facebookposted recently, “Now that the voting is over, maybe we can all goback to posting pictures of our food.”

I certainly don’t mean to minimize the seriousness of the issues atstake. They are critical to all of us and should be thoughtfully studiedand considered. While the issues are of the highest importance, the pre-sentations of those who would lead us resembled more a playgroundfight between two bullies. There is nothing to be gained other than to,well, learn from it and make sure it doesn’t happen again.

(Please See PATTERSON/15)

Patterson


By Fr. Knick and Sandie Knickerbocker

"Fr. Bob, what are we to do? The country is fallingapart; we hear conflicting Church teachings; the dailynews reports injustice, immorality, and violence. Idon't know what to think or pray anymore."

"Just praise the Lord," Fr. Bob replied. "Praise the Lord? I don't

understand. What is there topraise"?

" As the Lord tells us throughthe Psalmist, 'He that offerspraise as a sacrifice glorifies me'" (50:23 NAB).

So what are we praising whenwe praise the Lord? Are wepraising the dire condition of ourworld; or our weakness, willful-ness, and sin; or the tragedies wesee and experience? No, whenwe offer God the sacrifice of

praise, we acknowledge that God is God, worthy to bepraised and glorified, not for "what he does, but sim-ply because HE IS. ...By praise, the Spirit is joined toour spirits to bear witness that we are children of God[Rom 8:16]. Praise embraces the other forms of prayerand carries them toward him who is its source andgoal; the 'one God, the Father, from whom are allthings and for whom we exist' " [I Cor. 8:6] CCC2639.

In praising the Lord, we sacrifice our desire tounderstand and to control other people and the circum-stances in which we live. The writer of the Letter tothe Hebrews reminds us that "...here we have no last-ing city, but we seek the one that is to come. Throughhim [Jesus] let us continually offer God a sacrifice ofpraise, that is, the fruit of lips that confess his name(13:14-16).

How are we to praise the Lord? The Eucharist is theultimate sacrifice of praise. "It is 'the pure offering' ofthe whole Body of Christ to the glory of God's name"(CCC 2643). The liturgical expressions of praise to theHoly Trinity, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit,known as doxologies, have been used in theEucharistic celebration and in other liturgies andprayers since the early centuries of the Church.(‘Doxology’ is an oral expression of praise and glorifi-cation). We praise the Lord in every aspect of theMass: in our decision to participate fully in the Liturgyof the Word and Sacrament through attentiveness,prayer, and "in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs,singing and making melody to the Lord with all [our]heart..." (Eph 5:19 RSVCE).

(Please See KNICKERBOCKERS/20)

Abilene Pro-Life Work

Carmen Elizabeth Castillo, at right, daughter of Ignacio& Melissa Castillo, all of St. Vincent Pallotti Church inAbilene, presented checks totaling $636 to Dr. JimSulliman, Chair of the Catholic Pro-Life Committee ofthe Abilene Deanery, at the Committee's September2016 meeting, for the benefit of the Crossroads Pro-LifeWalks Across America organization. The checks werecollected at Carmen's Quinceñera Mass on August 13,2016 at St. Vincent, and it was Carmen's request that thecollection taken up at that Mass be donated to theCrossroads Pro-Life Walks Across America organiza-tion, after she was inspired by the Pro-Life witness ofthe Crossroads Pro-Life Walkers who stopped inAbilene this past summer on their Walk from LosAngeles to Washington.

On October 15, 2016, Dr. JimSulliman, left, in photo at left,and Doug Eichorst joined othermembers of West Texans for Lifeand the Catholic Pro-LifeCommittee of the AbileneDeanery in a 100-Minute PrayerVigil in front of the FederalBuilding and U.S. Post Office indowntown Abilene to protest the100th Anniversary of PlannedParenthood.

Second from left in photo at left,Keelan O'Connell, LT, MC, USN,PG-1, of the National CapitalConsortium of Psychiatry,Walter Reed National MilitaryMedical Center, daughter ofDennis & Janelle O'Connell ofHoly Family Catholic Church inAbilene and an alumnus of theCrossroads Pro-Life WalksAcross America organization,took time from their busyschedules as a Medical Studentin the Washington, D.C. area tohand-deliver donations totaling$636 collected at theQuinceñera Mass of CarmenElizabeth Castillo, a member ofSt. Vincent Pallotti Church inAbilene, to representatives ofthe Crossroads Pro-Life WalksAcross American organizationL-R, Sydney Dunavin, director;O'Connell, Jim Nolan, president,and Cliff Hearn, director.(Related photo, bottom of page).

In these times oftrouble, rememberto praise the Lord


Texas Conference of Catholic Bishops

Each year during October the Church observesRespect Life Month. During this time, we pray andreflect on the precious gift of life and recommit our-selves to working toward a culture that truly wel-comes and protects human life in our society, fromconception to natural death. Catholic teaching onabortion and euthanasia is very clear, as is our com-mitment to the ongoing work of improving livingconditions, education, and health-care access for all,especially the poor and those without resources.

This year we bishops draw particular attention toour consistent call for the abolition of the deathpenalty in Texas, as we recognize this is undeniablya pro-life issue.

Catholic Social Teaching is a distinct body ofChurch doctrine and an essential part of Catholic faith(Sharing Catholic Social Teaching, Challenges &Directions, United States Conference of CatholicBishops). Rooted in the Scriptures, our Church’steaching develops over centuries as the Churchencounters new social realities and challenges. Thesame Holy Spirit who inspired the Scriptures is withthe Church as we “read the signs of the times” ineach new culture and age (Gaudium et Spes, no. 4).Today, the Catechism of the Catholic Church pro-vides a comprehensive summary of Catholic doctrine.

Catholic teaching unequivocally states that “ifnon-lethal means are sufficient to defend and protectpeople’s safety from the aggressor, authority willlimit itself to such means ...” (Catechism of theCatholic Church, no. 2267). This simply means ifalternatives to the death penalty exist that serve toprotect society from violent criminals, society “mustlimit itself” to these other means. There can be nodoubt such means exist today in the United States,including in the State of Texas.

Pope Saint John Paul II wrote that conditions sug-gesting the legitimate use of capital punishment are“very rare, if not practically non-existent”(Evangelium Vitae, no. 56). Pope Francis has statedthat “it is impossible to imagine that states todaycannot make use of another means than capital pun-ishment to defend people’s lives from an unjust

aggressor” (Address to Delegates of theInternational Association of Penal Law, Vatican City,October 24, 2014).

In the Catechism of the Catholic Church, theChurch teaches that these non-violent ways of pre-serving public order “are more in keeping with theconcrete conditions of the common good and morein conformity with the dignity of the human person"(no. 2267). In fact, in our country and in the State ofTexas the death penalty not only does not corre-spond to the common good, it actually does greatharm to it.

First, the death penalty is disproportionately usedon the poor, racial minorities and the vulnerable.The death penalty in and of itself perpetuates thenotion that life is in some instances disposable, orcan be judged of no worth. It is well documentedthat those who can least afford a defense are mostlikely to receive a death penalty; more than 90% ofthose on death row cannot afford an attorney. In1990, the U.S. General Accounting Office reported“a pattern of evidence indicating racial disparities incharging, sentencing and imposition of the deathpenalty.” Furthermore, the death penalty has beenapplied to persons of limited mental capacity. Theserealities contribute to a callous disregard for the dig-nity of human life. The death penalty negativelyinfluences our children’s moral formation and ourculture as it fails to allow for mercy and redemption.

Secondly, scarce public resources are devoted tothe death penalty, thus injuring the common good.The cost of housing and feeding a prisoner for a lifesentence is three times lower than the court costsincurred by a lengthy appeals process for a prisoneron death row (Death Penalty Information Center,deathpenaltyinfo.org).

Thirdly, innocent people are killed by the govern-ment on our behalf. There are at least 23 document-ed cases of innocent people who were executed inthe United States in this century for capital crimes.The American Bar Association has concluded thatadministration of the death penalty is “a haphazardmaze of unfair practices with no internal consisten-cy” and has called for a moratorium on executions.

The Catechism does not recognize the prospect of

deterrence as justification for the death penalty. Buteven if it did, states without the death penalty haveeither similar or lower crime rates than Texas (DeathPenalty Information Center). The notion that the deathpenalty deters crime is false. It also feeds into the falsebelief that violence is the only remedy for violence.

As a Church we accompany our brothers and sis-ters, children,parents and loved ones as we see themsuffer from the heinous and violent actions of oth-ers. Only God can console them, yet we offer whatcomfort we can with our presence and prayer. Thehealing that comes from forgiveness has been apowerful force in the lives of many families whohave experienced violence. Through our varied min-istries, we offer counseling, personal support, andthe grace of the sacraments to assist in the healingprocess. Our ministry of healing and forgiveness isrooted in Jesus’ command to “be merciful, just asyour Father is merciful” (Luke 6:36).

Our call to abolish the death penalty is not a callto deny justice. On the contrary, it is a call to thewhole community to recognize that the death penal-ty does not fulfill justice, nor does it console theinconsolable. Rather than seeking vengeance, for-giveness offers a victim’s family and the accusedtrue healing that comes through restorative justice

Capital punishment vitiates our hearts’ capacityfor mercy and love. Due process for the accused, theincarceration of the guilty, and the protection of thecommunity serve justice and mercy. As a Church,we strive to walk with those who have time torepent. As Scripture says, God “takes no pleasure inthe death of the wicked, but rather that they turnfrom their ways and live” (Ezekiel 33:11). Ourprison ministries are founded on the mission givento us by the Lord to offer a call to repentance tothose who have lost hope, or whom the world hasgiven up for lost.

May God give us the grace to witness to the digni-ty of human life. May the Lord console the suffer-ing, protect our community, and grant conversion tothose responsible for the inflicting of death and vio-lence upon others. In this Year of Mercy, may we bestewards of mercy to all.


Protecting Human LifeMade in the image of God, all of our social obliga-

tions and rights flow from the inherent value ofhuman life. The Catholic Church teaches that humanlife is intrinsically valuable and should be protectedfrom conception to natural death; including the callsto end abortion, prevent euthanasia, stop the destruc-tion of human embryos, and oppose cloning.• Support state funding to abortion alternativeproviders.• Support ban on research using fetal tissue acquiredfrom abortion.• Oppose all public funding to abortion providers,including funds for contraceptives.• Support the protection and improvement of air, land,and water quality in Texas.• Support efforts to reform the statute governing end-of-life care to involve patients, families and physi-cians in protecting life and dignity, while preservingethical standards of care.• Support programs to encourage adoption and toassist families with parenting support.

Children and FamiliesThe Church supports legislation that promotes

strong, stable and healthy families. The CatholicChurch recognizes parents as the primary educatorsof their children and supports the freedom of parentsto choose a school for their children with a safe, pro-ductive learning environment, and rejects the notionthat a parent’s address and income level should deter-mine a child’s educational or child care opportunities.• Promote the permanency of marriage between oneman and one woman.• Support abstinence-only education in Texas schools.

• Support conscience protection legislation to ensurethat charities have the religious liberty protection tofulfill their mission without violating deeply held reli-gious beliefs related to the life and dignity of thehuman person and traditional family structures. • Support school choice tax credit scholarships to pro-vide educational choices for families. • Support Texas public school students’ receipt of in-state college tuition and financial aid.• Support foster care system improvements, especial-ly related to children aging out of foster care.• Support increased recruitment, formation, and sup-port for foster care families. • Support quality, affordable before- and after-schoolcare for public and private students.

Health and Human ServicesHealth care is essential for the proper development

of life. Justice demands that medical and behavioralhealth care be easily available for all. Particular caremust be offered to those who have special needsbecause of age, addiction, physical or mental disabili-ty.• Support improvements to Texas’ critical publichealth safety net, especially expanding opportunitiesfor acquiring health insurance, including expandingMedicaid and the Children's Health InsuranceProgram. • Support access to basic and preventative health carefor low income uninsured women, as well as prenataland pediatric care for children. • Support care for persons who are aging, live withdisabilities, or need mental health services.

Justice for Immigrants

Catholics derive our special concern for the immi-grant from the many biblical accounts of immigra-tion. The Catholic Church supports immigrationreform that is merciful, charitable, and compassionateto those here simply working for a better life, whilealso recognizing the legitimate responsibility of thefederal government to maintain control of ournation’s borders. • Support comprehensive immigration reform includ-ing a pathway to citizenship.• Oppose efforts to compel local and state agencies toenforce federal immigration laws.• Oppose efforts to reduce access to education andhealthcare for immigrants.• Oppose efforts that hinder immigrants’ ability to getTexas drivers’ licenses and IDs or birth certificatesfor immigrants’ citizen children.• Support care for unaccompanied minors and reunitefamilies separated by migration.• Support alternatives to family detention of migrantsand refugees.• Support continued state and federal cooperationwith refugee resettlement.

Protecting The Poor and VulnerableThe Catholic Church has always served the poor

and the vulnerable by providing services and advocat-ing for the public good. In difficult economic times,those unable to help themselves are in particular needof society’s compassion. We call on state leaders tocraft a balanced approach to addressing the social andeconomic needs, including adequately funding essen-tial public services.

(Please See TCCB/21)

The Texas

Conference of

Catholic Bishops’

Agenda for the

85th Texas


By Mary Lou Gibson

St. Hugh of Lincoln was one of the bright lights of the MiddleAges. In 1186, he became abbot of the first Carthusian

monastery in England built by King Henry IIas part of his penance for the murder ofThomas Becket some years earlier. Hughrestored the monastery of Witham Abbey inSomerset and revitalized the Diocese ofLincoln. This was the largest diocese inEngland and had not had a bishop in 18 years.Tom Cowan writes in The Way of the Saintsthat it was to the king's advantage to keepbishoprics vacant, because the revenues fromthe land and estates went to the crown.

Hugh had been born at Avalon Castle,Burgundy in 1140 and made his profession inthe Augustinian order when he was 15 and

was ordained a deacon at 19. He became a Carthusian when hewas 23 and had a reputation as a fine preacher.

When Hugh arrived at the site of the monastery at Witham, hefound no building started and a dilapidated charter house. Hesoon became a “hands-on bishop.” He ordered the cathedral tobe repaired and he personally carried stone, cut it, and workedwith the masons and builders. Hugh became known for his wis-dom and justice and his reputation for holiness and sanctityspread all over England. His interest in education brought newlife to schools in Lincoln and made them as good as those inParis. Paul Burns writes in Butler's Lives of the Saints thatHugh was reputed to be the most learned monk in England.Several popes recognized his wisdom and made him judge dele-gate for some of the most important cases of his time.

Hugh was an incredibly busy bishop. He traveled constantlyto consecrate churches, confirm children and bury the dead. Inone of his sermons on the care for the dead, he said, “Laity whopracticed charity in the heart, truth on the lips, and chastity inthe body would have an equal reward in heaven with monks andnuns.”According to Cowan, Hugh defied social customs byworking directly with the leper colony, people who wereshunned by the vast majority of healthy people in the MiddleAges.

He was one of the leaders in denouncing the persecution ofJews that swept England in 1190-1191. When Jewish communi-ties in the diocese were attacked by anti-Semitic mobs, Hughplaced himself physically between the rioters and the Jews

In addition, Hugh was not timid in his dealings with royaltyand was both a friend and a critic of several kings. John

(Please See SAINTS/19)

Speaking of SaintsHugh of Lincoln: A busy

bishop but never toobusy for children — and

his beloved pet swan

Gibson

From left, Fr. Michael Udegbunam, pastor of St. Ann's in Colorado City; San Angelo Bishop Michael J. Sis; Joe Le

Blanc, Holy Family-Abilene; Matthew Dane, Holy Family-Abilene; Msgr. Fred Nawarskas, pastor, Holy Family-

Abilene; Dick Spiegel, Holy Family-Abilene, and Doug Eichorst, Holy Family-Abilene. (Photo by Loretta Fulton).

Abilene cautioned about payday lendingBy Loretta FultonSpecial to The Angelus

ABILENE — Bishop MichaelSis didn't mince words when he leda forum in Abilene Oct. 28 on theevils of the payday and auto titleloan industry.

He told of a Texas-based paydaylending company that was fined$14 million by the federal govern-ment because its training manualtaught employees how to ensurethat borrowers are unable to repaythe loans in a short amount of time,making it necessary for them tocontinually renew loans at highcost in interest and fees.

"That's not free market," Sis said,"that's exploitation and manipula-tion."

Other words like "usury" and"abuse" left no mistake that thebishop of the Diocese of SanAngelo is strongly in favor of cities

in Texas passing ordinances to par-tially regulate the payday loanindustry. The reason city ordi-nances are needed in Texas is thatthe state Legislature has continual-ly refused to pass laws regulatingthe business.

Sis served as vicar general underBishop Joe Vasquez in the Dioceseof Austin before becoming bishopin San Angelo.

Vasquez has testified before thestate legislature in trying to getstate regulations passed.

The influence of Vasquez, plushearing stories of abuse from hisown flock in the Diocese of SanAngelo, led Sis to be a vocal leaderin getting cities in Texas to passordinances.

"That's what fuels it for me," Sissaid.

His efforts were successful whenthe San Angelo City Council unan-imously approved on first reading a

vote to reign in payday lenders dur-ing a Nov. 1 vote. A second readingof the proposed ordinance and itsadoption are scheduled for Nov. 15.

People who seek loans from pay-day lenders typically cannot getloans from traditional sources likebanks. Many are poor, making thehigh interest rates even harder torepay.

Clients served by Catholic socialservice ministries in the diocesefrequently tell of abusive practicesof the lenders, Sis said, callingthose practices a "clear example ofusury."

Sis was the opening speaker forthe forum in Abilene. Other speak-ers were from the Baptist GeneralConvention of Texas and TexasAppleseed, a social justice law cen-ter based in Austin. Many in theaudience were from Catholic

(Please See PAYDAY/18)


A Walk though The Doors

Above, Fr. Steve Hicks, third from right, with Fr. Ryan Rojo, parochial vicar at the Sacred Heart Cathedral,

third from left, and with Fr. Fabian Maria of Jesus Crucified, center, Brother Joseph Mary, second from right,

and other brothers from the Mt. Carmel Hermitage, after the hermits entered the cathedral through the Holy

Doors of Mercy, at right. Above, the hermits walking through the Doors of Mercy. (Courtesy photos).

Page 12 NOVEMBER 2016 The Angelus The Angelus NOVEMBER 2016 Page 13

“You are a section in the pipeline of God’s mercy,with a valve at each end. The abundant supply willnever end. The question is whether you will keep thosevalves open for inflow and outflow. Will you keepyourself open to receiving the mercy of God, and willyou continue to pass it on?”

— Bishop Michael J. Sis

Photos by Karen J. Patterson

Related Stories, Photos:Bishop Sis’ column on the closing of the Year of Mercy, Pg. 3

A Walk through The Doors, Pg 11

Selected scenes from the St. Ann’s Church walk through the Doors of Mercy at the

Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Midland, Sunday, October 9, 2016.

Doors may close,but mercy remains By Effie Caldarola

Catholic News Service

It was all over Facebook when Ichecked my posts the other day.

There was Pope Francis, clad in thetypical hospital green scrubs, with amask as well, visiting the newborn sec-tion of an Italian hospital, including theintensive care unit where five little ones

struggled for survivaldue to early births orother complications.

Facebook loves storiesabout babies, dogs andcats. If you can get allthree in one story,Facebook really eats itup. But if instead youbring in a smiling popedressed in hospitalscrubs holding a baby,that's a winner as well.

What I loved about thePope Francis story wasthat it was just one morechapter in the pontiff's"Mercy Friday" visits. Iwish all of his monthlyFridays had attracted asmuch attention.

On a recent Friday, hevisited 20 former prosti-tutes at a charity thatassists women who havebeen trafficked. Theseparticular women werefrom Africa, Italy andEastern Europe, and thepope's visit not onlycomforted them on theirdifficult journey, it alsocalled attention to one ofthe great problems of ourage: human trafficking.

We are still in theExtraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy,which Pope Francis proclaimed fromDec. 8, 2015, until Nov. 20, 2016. ThisYear of Mercy is called "extraordinary"because it fell out of the normal 25-yearrotation for jubilee years. It's a bonusyear, one might say, and when it wasannounced, it garnered all kinds of atten-tion in church bulletins and in the

Catholic press.But you know how it goes with the

news cycle. Something else comes alongand our attention is diverted. Before youknow it, Nov. 20 will be here and we'llask ourselves, Just what did I do in theYear of Mercy?

Sometimes, I think our efforts arestymied by the thought that we have todo something big to make it count. Sothen we procrastinate and do nothing.

During the Year of Mercy, the U.S.Catholic bishops' website has had sug-gestions for performing acts of mercy,and here's one of them: Eat lunch withsomeone who may be lonesome. Now,really, how tough is that?

Do you work in an office or in a schoolwhere, at lunchtime, some people seemalways to be alone? How much effortdoes it take to join them?

Or do you have an elderly relative whomight love a chatty phone call today?Hey, that's mercy, too.

A good place to start would be toreread the corporal and spiritual works ofmercy, our Christian road map to com-passionate action.

Kerry Weber actually beat PopeFrancis to the punch on mercy by writinga great little book a few years ago called"Mercy in the City." It recounts herefforts during Lent to perform each cor-poral work of mercy. It's entertaining andinspiring to see her moving around NewYork City endeavoring to visit a prisonor spend the night in a homeless shelter.

Weber's book would make a great textfor a faith formation class, and it's a greatidea as well.

What if we kept a mercy journal as wetry to delve into practices of mercy? Justa simple little notebook in which wechronicle each effort, and its outcomemight focus our attention on mercy.

Some of Pope Francis' other venturesincluded a Friday visit to sick childrenduring a trip to Poland and a visit to eld-erly priests. He spent one Friday withdevelopmentally disabled patients at aL'Arche community.Great leaders lead by example. Pope

Francis has set the course. What will wedo?

Follow Pope Francis’example of ‘Mercy Fridays’

By Maria-Pia Negro Chin Catholic News Service

This Year of Mercy, young people have been rediscovering the mean-ing of our mission to be signs and instruments of God's loving mercy.

From mercy-filled events in parishes, to teenagers' initia-tives, to the emphasis on "apostles of mercy" such as St.John Paul II and St. Faustina Kowalska, this jubilee hasoffered the world's youth opportunities to experience andshare mercy.

In the United States, young people have heeded the callto practice works of mercy. In the Diocese of Arlington,Virginia, about 830 young people participated in 160service projects while reflecting on the corporal works of

mercy at the diocese's annual summer work-camp.During the year, the diocesan youth ministry office encouraged youth

"to recognize mercy shown to us through the love and goodness ofChrist ... (which) commands that we share that mercy with others."

In New York, high schoolers said they participated in the Year ofMercy by incorporating patience and reflection into their daily lives,which led them to be more helpful to others, ask for forgiveness and bemore forgiving.

The beautiful opportunity of this Year of Mercy was that it gave usassurance of God's welcoming love while calling us to get out of our-selves to serve others.

Pope Francis recently said that to genuinely try to imitate God'smercy, one can practice "giving" and "forgiving."Students from the campus ministry at Rowan University in New

(Please See CHIN/23)


By Fr. Tad Pacholczyk

Sometimes when there is infertility in marriage,couples make the decision to seek out the servicesof a surrogate in order to have a child. A surro-gate is a woman who agrees to be implanted withan embryo produced by in vitro fertilization(IVF) and to hand over thenewborn baby to the coupleupon completion of the ges-tation and birth. In recentyears, gestational surrogacyhas become a multi-milliondollar industry, attracting abroad clientele ranging frommarried couples to singlewomen, gay couples to any-one else with the desire for ababy and the ability tofinance the undertaking. Surrogacy raises gravemoral concerns, and powerfully undermines thedignity of human procreation, particularly when itcomes to the women and children involved in theprocess.

One of the significant moral concerns aroundsurrogacy is that it introduces fractures into par-enthood by multiplying parental roles. Surrogacycoerces children into situations where they aresubjected to the unhealthy stresses of ambiguousor split origins, perhaps being conceived fromone woman’s egg, gestated by another woman,raised by a third, and maybe even dissociatedfrom their father by anonymous sperm donation.Such practices end up being profoundly unfairand dehumanizing for the children caught in theweb of the process. One woman, who was herselfconceived by anonymous sperm donation,describes her experience this way: “My existenceowed almost nothing to the serendipitous natureof normal human reproduction, where babies arethe natural progression of mutually fulfilling adultrelationships, but rather represented a verbal con-tract, a financial transaction and a cold, clinicalharnessing of medical technology.” Moreover,women who sign up as surrogates often feeldeeply conflicted about giving up the baby atbirth and tearing asunder an important 9 monthconnection and relationship that had been careful-ly developed and nurtured.

There can be no doubt that the hawkers andpromoters of surrogacy exploit vulnerable, finan-cially challenged women, often in overseas set-tings, to undergo the risks of drug-induced artifi-cial pregnancy. While the proponents of the pro-cedure will often portray these women as moti-vated primarily by a desire to help others, surro-gates themselves will privately note how they doit for the money, and in the absence of substantialpayments, wouldn’t be willing to move aheadwith the arduous procedure. Alex Kuczynski,

describing her own experience of engaging a sur-rogate in a 2008 New York Times interview,speaks frankly: “We encountered the wink-nodrule: Surrogates would never say they were moti-vated to carry a child for another couple just formoney; they were all motivated by altruism. Thisgentle hypocrisy allows surrogacy to take place.Without it, both sides would have to acknowledgethe deep cultural revulsion against attaching adollar figure to the creation of a human life.”

Indeed, surrogacy involves turning human lifeinto a commodity on multiple levels, as KathleenSloan recently described in testimony given to aMinnesota state commission studying the issue. Aseemingly unlikely opponent of the procedure,Sloan works as a pro-abortion feminist and direc-tor of the National Organization for Women inConnecticut. On gestational surrogacy, however,she agrees with pro-life criticisms, noting how itinvolves “children intentionally severed fromgenetic and biological sources of identity, humanrights be damned. In essence, it is the ultimatemanifestation of the neoliberal project of capital-ist commodification of all life to create profit andfulfill the narcissistic desires of an entitled elite.”

Those narcissistic desires are readily catered toby an IVF industry that generates offspring in thelaboratory for clients. In this process, extraembryonic humans are produced, stored andoftentimes orphaned in freezers, or even discard-ed outright by throwing them away as “biomed-ical waste.” In fact, the process of IVF, central tothe practice of surrogacy, generally ends upkilling more babies than it delivers. Coupled withthe fact that contracting couples can pressure thesurrogate mother to undergo an abortion if the in-utero child appears to be “imperfect,” or to elimi-nate a twin through “selective reduction” in amultiple pregnancy, it can hardly be disputed thatchildren are pawns in the merciless endgame ofsatisfying parental and customer desires and cor-porate profit motives.

A woman’s reproductive powers and her God-given fecundity should never be reduced to thestatus of a “gestator for hire” or a “breeder” asthey are sometimes called by industry insiders,nor should women be exploited by allowing pay-ment for harvesting their eggs. A woman’s pro-creative powers ought to be shared uniquelythrough marital acts with her husband, so that allthe children born of her are genetically and other-wise her own. All children merit and deserve thisloving consideration and assurance of protectionat the point of their fragile and sacred beginnings.

Rev. Tadeusz Pacholczyk, Ph.D. earned his doctoratein neuroscience from Yale and did post-doctoral workat Harvard. He is a priest of the diocese of Fall River,MA, and serves as the Director of Education at TheNational Catholic Bioethics Center in Philadelphia.

The many problems with surrogacyMaking Sense of Bioethics

Pacholczyk

By Maria-Pia Negro Chin Catholic News Service

Este Año de la Misericordia, los jóvenes han estado redescubriendoel sentido de nuestra misión de ser signo e instrumento de la amorosamisericordia de Dios.

Participando en eventos parroquiales enfocados en la misericordia,mediante iniciativas de los adolescentes, y mostrando énfasis en los"apóstoles de la misericordia" como San Juan Pablo II y Santa FaustinaKowalska, este jubileo ha ofrecido oportunidades para los jóvenes delmundo para experimentar y compartir esta misericordia.

En los Estados Unidos, los jóvenes respondieron al llamado de prac-ticar las obras de misericordia. En la Diócesis de Arlington, Virginia,unos 830 jóvenes participaron en 160 proyectos de servicio mientrasprofundizaban en las obras de misericordia corporales durante "workcamp", el campamento anual de verano de la diócesis.

Durante el año, la oficina de pastoral juvenil diocesana animó a losjóvenes "a reconocer la misericordia mostrada a nosotros a través delamor y la bondad de Cristo ... (la cual) nos motiva a compartirla conlos demás".

En Nueva York, estudiantes de secundaria dijeron que participaron enel Año de la Misericordia mediante la incorporación de la paciencia yla reflexión diaria, lo que les llevó a ser más serviciales con los demás,

(Mira JOVENES/23)

Chin

Youth banish indifferencewith concrete, little steps

Jóvenes destierran la indiferenciacon pequeños pasos concretos


By Effie CaldarolaCatholic News Service

I am settling into my cramped seat in a small aircraftwhen I smell it: the nauseating odor offried food in close quarters. I turn,ready to glare, when I see that the cul-prit, a middle-aged man, is bowed inprayer over his meal, hands folded,eyes closed.

All is forgiven. I am a pushover forreligious witness. As a person of faith,I welcome the expressions of others ontheir faith journey, whether my owntradition or another. I like to see peopleseeking God.

On a recent drive home, it was a Jewish man and his

young son I spotted walking from the synagogue,dressed in matching black pants, jackets and black hats,sporting the traditional Jewish side curls.

Another day, it is my friends who work in a refugeeresettlement, who are converts to Islam, wearing theirtight-fitting head coverings.

I love Ash Wednesday's dark smudges, Good Friday'spublic processions.

However, in our pluralistic society, some take offenseat outward signs of faith.

What is offensive to others?The writer Leah Libresco was curious about that so

she commissioned a survey of two groups, one Christianand the other agnostic and atheist. She asked theChristian group if they would expect someone to beuncomfortable by certain actions, and she asked the non-believers if they are uncomfortable by those actions.

For example, "pray with physical object." I envisionsomeone silently praying with her rosary.

Of the Christian group, 23 percent thought this mightmake others uncomfortable, but only 12 percent of theagnostics and atheists replied they would be uncomfort-able. Good news so far.

Likewise, only 5 percent of nonbelievers reported dis-comfort if you decline food or beverage for religiousreasons while 15 percent of Christians expected theymight be uncomfortable. So maybe saying no to thathamburger because it's a Lenten Friday isn't offensive.

But here's a kicker: What made the nonbelieversuncomfortable, way more than the Christians expected,was someone saying, "I'll pray for you," or asking topray with you.

(Please See CALDAROLA/23)

Why are outward signs of faith considered offensive?Catholic Voices

Caldarola

Cartoon Corner(From 6)

The first time the word ‘smile’appears in the Bible is in Genesis33. It comes when Jacob and hisbrother Esau make peace withone another. The two had a long-running contentious relationship,and after having been separatedfor several years, they see eachother again. First they embraceand weep. Then they attempt toexchange peace offerings in theform of livestock, a custom at thetime. But Esau turns downJacob’s offering, insisting he hasplenty of sheep and cattle. ButJacob insists. Finally, a look ofjoy comes across both and theyforget their differences, choosinginstead to remember the love thathad always been there.

“What a relief to see yourfriendly smile,” Jacob tells hisbrother. "It is like seeing the faceof God.”

What beauty is contained inthose words.

Your friendly smile is like seeingthe face of God!

That would be the finest com-pliment anyone could ever payme.

Every time my wife goes to thegrocery store, she goes with a listand a mission. If she comes upona cashier and finds he is having abad day or is otherwise noticeablyirritated or grumpy, she makes ither personal goal to make that

person smile.On many more occasions than

not, she succeeds. Before shewalks away, bags in hand, thecashier is not just smiling, but ishaving a conversation with her.Other times, the smile is fleeting,but at least it was there for amoment and took the place of alonelier, unhappy expression.

Two things happen for surewhen my wife carries out her mis-sion at the store: It makes her feelbetter that someone’s day wasbrightened. And it makes the per-son on the receiving end feel bet-ter. Maybe, for whatever reason,he or she hadn’t felt that in awhile, or maybe the smile spreadsbecause someone took the time tomake a difference. Or maybeboth.

So smile. Though your heartmay be breaking. As GeorgeWeigel recently wrote, our countrywill survive this, too. If it doesn’t,we’re already beyond repair.

The only way it will not surviveis if we turn from God — and stayturned away from each other.

So smile. As Job said, “I willforget my complaints. I willchange my expression. And I willsmile.”

If Job can do it, so can we.Trite? Ridiculous? Consider St.

Teresa of Calcutta’s words: “Peacebegins with a smile.”

And that is just what is neededand what we can make happen.

PATTERSON


By Fr. Ron Rolheiser

My youth had both its strengths and itsweaknesses. I grew up on a farm in heart ofthe Canadian prairies, a second-generationimmigrant. Our familywas a large one and thesmall farm we lived ongave us enough to live on,though just enough. Therewere never any extras. Wewere never hungry or gen-uinely poor, but we livedin a conscriptive frugality.You were given what youneeded, but rarely any-thing extra. You got just oneportion of the main course at a meal and onedessert because these had to be measured outin a way that left enough for everyone. And Ilived happily inside that, taking for grantedthat this was the way life was meant to be,assuming that all resources are limited andyou shouldn’t ever be asking for or takingmore than what’s necessary.

And such a background has its strengths:You grow into adulthood with the sense thatthere’s no free lunch, you need to earn whatyou eat. You know too that you shouldn’t betaking more than your share because thegoods of this world are limited and meant tobe shared with everyone. If you take more

than your share, than there won’t be enoughfor everyone. Resources are limited, so ifanyone gets too much, someone gets too lit-tle.

But such an upbringing also has its down-side: When everything has to be measured-out to ensure that there’s enough for every-one and you live with the underlying fearthat there might not be enough, you can easi-ly end-up with a sense of scarcity rather thanof abundance and an inclination towardsstinginess rather than generosity.

A mindset of scarcity rather than of abun-dance debilitates us in several ways: First, ittends to leave us standing before life’s abun-dance too timid to celebrate life with anyexuberance. Life is too equated with frugali-ty and you are forever haunted by guilt in theface of life’s goodness and especially beforeany experience of luxury, not unlike the dis-comfort felt by Jesus’ disciples when theyare face to face with a prodigal woman lav-ishly anointing Jesus’ feet with expensiveperfume. Inside a mindset of scarcity there’sthe perennial temptation to falsely idealizesuffering and poverty and have them replacegrace and abundance as God’s real gift to us.More crippling still is the fact that a sense ofscarcity too often gives us a concept of aGod who is limited and who is frugal ratherthan prodigal. But that isn’t the God of Jesus.

Allow me just one, rather pointed, illustra-

tion: A seminary professor whom I knowshares this story. He’s been teaching semi-narians for many years and in recent years,when teaching about the sacrament ofpenance, is frequently asked this question,often as the first question in the class:“When can I refuse absolution? When do Inot grant forgiveness?” The anxietyexpressed here is not, I believe, triggered bya need for power but by a very sincere fearthat we have to be rather scrupulous in hand-ing out God’s mercy, that we shouldn’t behanding out cheap grace. And, undergirdingthat fear, I believe, is the unconscious notionthat God, too, works out of a sense of scarci-ty rather than of abundance, and that God’smercies, like our own resources, are limitedand need to be measured out very sparingly.

But that’s not the God whom Jesus incar-nated and revealed. The Gospels, rather,reveal a God who is prodigal beyond all ourstandards and beyond our imagination. TheGod of the Gospels is the Sower who,because he has unlimited seeds, scattersthose seeds everywhere without discrimina-tion: on the road, in the ditches, in the thornbushes, in bad soil, and in good soil.Moreover that prodigal Sower is also theGod of creation, that is, the God who hascreated and continues to create hundreds ofbillions of galaxies and billions and billionsof human beings. And this prodigal God

gives us this perennial invitation: Come tothe waters, come without money, come with-out merit because God’s gift is as plentiful,available, and as free as the air we breathe.

The Gospel of Luke recounts an incidentwhere Peter, just after he had spent an entirenight fishing and had caught nothing, is toldto cast out his net one more time and, thistime, Peter’s net catches so many fish thatthe weight of the catch threatens to sink twoboats. Peter reacts by falling on his kneesand confessing his sinfulness. But, as the textmakes clear, that’s not the proper reaction inthe face of over-abundance. Peter is wronglyfearful, in effect, wanting that over-abun-dance to go away; when what Jesus wantsfrom him in the face of that over-abundanceis to go out to the world and share with oth-ers that unimaginable grace.

What God’s over-abundance is meant toteach us is that, in the face of limitless grace,we may never refuse anyone absolution.

———Ronald Rolheiser, a Roman Catholic priest

and member of the Missionary Oblates ofMary Immaculate, is president of the OblateSchool of Theology in San Antonio, Texas.He is a community-builder, lecturer andwriter. His books are popular throughout theEnglish-speaking world and his weekly col-umn is carried by more than seventy news-papers worldwide.

Catholic Voices

Fr. Rolheiser

By Most Rev. Robert BarronAuxiliary Bishop of Los Angeles

Two recent films, Deepwater Horizonwith Mark Wahlberg and Sully starringTom Hanks, representsomething of a breathof fresh air, for bothmovies feature menwho are intelligent,virtuous, and quietlyheroic. If this strikesyou as a banal obser-vation, that just meansyou haven’t been fol-lowing much of thepopular culture for thepast twenty years.

One of the distinctive marks of filmsand television programs the last couple ofdecades has been the HomerSimpsonization of men. Don’t get mewrong: I’m a big fan of the TheSimpsons and laugh at Homer’s antics as

much as the next guy. But the father ofthe Simpson family is stupid, boorish,drunk most of the time, irresponsible,comically incompetent, and childish. Inthe cartoon world, he is echoed, ofcourse, by Family Guy’s Peter Griffin,who is similarly buffoonish. In bothcases, the wives—Marge in TheSimpsons and Lois in Family Guy—havethe brains, the competence, and the moralresponsibility. And in The Simpsons,Homer is imitated by his son Bart, who issneaky, stupid, and unmotivated, andMarge by daughter Lisa, who is hyper-smart, uber-competent, and morally alert.In one memorable episode, Lisa is wor-ried that she has inherited her father’s ter-rible qualities but is relieved to discover,by the show’s end, that the “stupid gene”is communicated only to the males in theSimpson line. In another of my favoriteSimpsons scenes, Homer is told, at amoment of moral crisis, to consult that“little voice that tells you right from

wrong,” and he responds, “You meanLisa?”

If you think this male-bashing isrestricted to cartoons, think again. RayRomano’s character in Everyone LovesRaymond, Ed O’Neill’s hopeless father inMarried With Children, and Ty Burrell'shapless goofball in Modern Family—allare variations on the Homer Simpsontheme. Add to all this the presentation offathers as not just inept, but horrific inGame of Thrones, and the absent, indif-ferent fathers of Stranger Things.

And I wonder whether you’ve noticed acharacter that can be found in practicallyevery movie made today? I call her the“all conquering female.” Almost withoutexception, she is underestimated by menand then proves herself more intelligent,cleverer, more courageous, and moreskilled than any man. Whether we’retalking about a romantic comedy, anoffice-drama, or an adventure movie, theall conquering female will almost

inevitably show up. And she has to showher worth in a domineering way, that is tosay, over and against the men. For her toappear strong, they have to appear weak.For a particularly good case in point,watch the most recent Star Wars film.

Now I perfectly understand the legiti-macy of feminist concerns regarding theportrayal of women in the media as con-sistently demure, retiring, and subservientto men. I grant that, in most of theaction/adventure movies that I saw grow-ing up, women would typically twist anankle or get captured and then requirerescuing by the swashbuckling malehero—and I realize how galling this musthave been to generations of women. Andtherefore, a certain correction wasundoubtedly in order. But what is prob-lematic now is the Nietzschean quality ofthe reaction, by which I mean, the insis-tence that female power has to be assert

(Please See BARRON/23)

Bishop Barron

The problem with our ‘You go girl’ culture

Our timidity in the face of God’s abundance


By Fr. Kenneth DoyleCatholic News Service

Q. My Dad is almost 89 years old. In1987, he had a double bypass. Rightnow he has slow-growing prostate can-cer, diabetes and highblood pressure. He isalso suffering fromdepression (my mompassed away in 2010),and he looks forwardto dying.

He found out recent-ly that he has only 35percent kidney func-tion. If dialysis is pre-scribed, from a Catholic point of view,would he have to undergo it? (Knox,Indiana)

A. The short and simple answer is "No."In your father's circumstances, he wouldbe under no ethical obligation to startdialysis. Catholic moral teaching does notrequire us to use every possible treatmentto preserve and prolong life.

Dialysis, in this case, could surely bejudged an "extraordinary" or "dispropor-tionate" means in terms of the benefit itmight offer.

This moral principle is most clearlyexpressed in the "Ethical and ReligiousDirectives for Catholic Health CareServices" published in 2009 by the U.S.Conference of Catholic Bishops, whichstates: "A person may forgo extraordinaryor disproportionate means of preservinglife. Disproportionate means are those thatin the patient's judgment do not offer a

reasonable hope of benefit or entail anexcessive burden, or impose excessiveexpense on the family or the community"(No. 57).

Your father can legitimately opt insteadfor what is sometimes termed "medicalmanagement without dialysis," involvingpalliative care to keep him as comfortableas possible.

Any moral decision depends, of course,on the attendant circumstances. If, on theother hand, your father were 30 yearsyounger, with no life-threatening diseases,and dialysis were likely to offer him manymore years of life -- and if, while in thethroes of depression, he were motivatedchiefly by a desire to end his life -- thenthe moral calculus might well produce adifferent result, and dialysis would be theproper moral choice.

I'm looking at your father's situationfrom afar and based on the informationsupplied. For your father's peace of mind,he might want to discuss his individualsituation with a priest, Catholic ethicist orchaplain -- who, I am confident, wouldoffer him this same comforting advice.

Q. A couple of weeks ago, a clean butscruffy fellow came into Mass and saton the floor in the back of our church.When it came time for the sign ofpeace, he came forward to shake handsand people were a little put off. Then,when Communion came, heapproached the altar before anyone elsehad left their pews.

A church usher quickly got behindhim, gave him a "look" and then fol-lowed him to the back of the church. I

thought this was un-Christian and feltsorry about the treatment he received.What if it were Jesus? (Wisconsin)

A. Within any group setting, there is anatural awkwardness when someone'sappearance or behavior departs from theordinary. As you rightly indicate, though,the Christian community is not aboutappearances. The man should not havebeen judged for his "scruffiness," andwhen he came up for the sign of peace, heshould have been greeted warmly andwith acceptance.

But the fact that he sat on the floor andthat he approached the altar prematurelydid create a natural concern. Perhaps theusher feared that the man posed a threat tothe priest-celebrant -- although the "look"was clearly out of place.

The response of the worshipping com-munity was, I hope, generally one of sym-pathy for the man with a desire to offerhim assistance should he need it. I hope,too, that the usher, having followed theman to the back of church, engaged him inconversation to help determine his needsand to assure him that he was welcome.

Q. My wife passed away three yearsago, and I miss her very much. Wewere married for 63 years. What arethe church's thoughts on the hereafter?Will we still be man and wife?(Milford, Iowa)

A. Your question is one frequentlyasked by those who are mourning deeplythe death of a spouse. The responseshould bring you some comfort.

In one Gospel story (Mark 12:18-27), aquestion is posed to Jesus by the

Sadducees, who did not believe in an after-life; they wanted to know about a womanwho had had seven spouses successively,and which man would be her husband inheaven. Jesus explained that "when theyrise from the dead, they neither marry norare given in marriage, but they are like theangels in heaven" (Mk 12:25).

Some have interpreted these words --erroneously -- to mean that there will beno continuing and special relationship inheaven between earthly spouses. Instead,what Christ simply meant was that theinstitution of marriage, as we have knownit on earth, will be unnecessary in heaven.There will be no need for procreationbecause no one will ever die; human com-panionship will not be required to satisfyour loneliness because the desire for inti-macy will be fulfilled by knowing theLord personally.

Still, though, the church does believethat the relationships we have enjoyed onearth will be transformed and enhanced asthey continue in heaven. A prayer fre-quently used at the end of funeral Masseshas the priest saying, "Before we go ourseparate ways, let us take leave of ourbrother/sister. May our farewell expressour affection for him/her; may it ease oursadness and strengthen our hope. One daywe shall joyfully greet him/her againwhen the love of Christ, which conquersall things, destroys even death itself."

Questions may be sent to FatherKenneth Doyle at [email protected] and 30 Columbia Circle Dr.Albany, New York 12203.

By Fr. William J. Byron, SJ

Holy Cross Father Edward A. "Monk" Malloyhas just produced Volume 3 of his three-partmemoir "Monk's Tale." This book is a chronologi-cal tour of his 18-year presidency of theUniversity of Notre Dame. The first two volumestraced his life from birth through schooling on toseminary and ordination up to his presidentialyears.

There are 18 chapters in Volume 3; they enablethe reader to get inside the mind of this man aswell as enjoy an over-the-shoulder look at the lifeof a peripatetic university president. It is not myintention to review the book here; I simply wantto underscore a few of the things that FatherMalloy sees as important in maintaining the

momentum that makes a university great.His immediate predecessor in the presidency of

Notre Dame was the legendary Holy Cross FatherTheodore M. Hesburgh, who occupied that officefor 35 years. Father Hesburgh was the best-knownCatholic priest in the U.S. and the best-knownuniversity president -- public or private -- in thenation. He could be succeeded, people thought,but never replaced.

Father Malloy stepped into the job and up to thechallenge by being himself, surrounding himselfwith able administrators, staying in touch withfaculty and students (living in a dorm and teach-ing a class).

He listened full circle — to trustees, faculty,staff, students, parents, alumni, as well as to civic,church, national and international leaders. His

ears were not merely ornamental.There is a chapter in this book for each of the

18 years of the Malloy presidency. Accordingly,we get an introduction to every commencementspeaker and honorary degree recipient, althoughwe get only the title, not the content, of the manytalks and formal addresses given by the presidenteach year.

Father Malloy is famous for speaking withoutscript or notes, so the ideas in his homilies andformal speeches, not to mention off-the-cuffremarks, are not carried in full in the pages of thisbook. Meetings — an endless stream, it seems —are mentioned but agendas are, for the most part,not given.

(Please See BYRON/22)

Doyle

‘Monk’s Tale’: A story of a successful university presidency

Is dialysis required? / Scruffy character in church

Byron


(From 3)

four conditions listed above and com-pleting any of the holy actions throughwhich the Church grants a plenary indul-gence. Some of the more common ofthese actions are the following:• Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament forat least one half hour• The pious exercise of the Way of theCross• Praying the Rosary with others• The devout reading or listening to theSacred Scriptures for at least one halfhour• Spending at least three entire days in thespiritual exercises of a retreat

After the Jubilee Year of Mercy is over,don’t forget that we are all still called tobe merciful. As Pope Francis wrote,“Wherever there are Christians, everyoneshould find an oasis of mercy.”(Misericordiae Vultus, 12) This is true inany year.

The most basic way to be merciful is topractice the corporal and spiritual worksof mercy. The seven corporal works ofmercy are these: feed the hungry, givedrink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, wel-come the stranger, heal the sick, visit theimprisoned, and bury the dead. Theseven spiritual works of mercy are these:

counsel the doubtful, instruct the igno-rant, admonish sinners, comfort theafflicted, forgive offenses, bear patientlythose who do us ill, and pray for the liv-ing and the dead. I encourage all believ-ers to continue practicing these mercifulactions often, no matter what year it is.

Where do we find mercy for ourselvesafter the Jubilee Year of Mercy is over?The mercy of God is still available to usin many ways, for his mercy is everlast-ing. We should pray the Our Father everyday, and that prayer includes the words,“forgive us our trespasses as we forgivethose who trespass against us.” That is adaily reminder both to open our hearts toreceive mercy and to extend mercy tothose around us.

Christ also gave us the profound experi-ence of receiving mercy through theSacrament of Penance. We don’t have towait until another Jubilee Year to go toConfession. Our priests make this beauti-ful sacrament available to us so that wemay be reconciled with God through thesaving power of Jesus Christ on a regularbasis. Going to Confession is an act ofhope. It is a reminder that we are worksof art in progress, and God is the artist.God is the sculptor, and we are the clay.He works out the imperfections. Hemolds us and shapes us lovingly.

Another way to experience God’smercy after the closing of the Jubilee Yearof Mercy is through the Jesus Prayer. Irecommend the regular use of the JesusPrayer as a simple way to keep in touchwith the mercy of God throughout ourlives. The typical formulation of theJesus Prayer is this: “Lord Jesus Christ,Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”This has been a very popular prayer sincethe first few centuries of Christianity. Itis especially used in the spirituality ofEastern Orthodox Christians, but alsoamong Catholics around the world.

The Jesus Prayer is often used as a toolfor focusing our hearts in prayer. Theway it is typically practiced is very sim-ple. You relax and let go of distractions.Lead your mind from your head to yourheart. Say the Jesus Prayer slowly andreverently, either mentally or quietly withyour lips: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God,have mercy on me, a sinner.” Repeat theprayer peacefully and patiently, withattention to God’s presence. The JesusPrayer keeps the name of Jesus in ourheart and reminds us to admit that eachone of us is in need of God’s mercy.

One of the most popular prayers ofmercy among Roman Catholics is theChaplet of Divine Mercy. This chaplet istypically prayed on Rosary beads, but it

can also be prayed without beads, usingthe fingers to count the prayers. It can beprayed at any time, but many people prayit at 3:00 p.m. on Fridays, which is theHour of Mercy. The Divine MercyChaplet is based on the apparitions ofJesus to Saint Faustina Kowalska, thePolish religious sister who is known as"the Apostle of Mercy." The particularprayers of the Chaplet of Divine Mercyare easy to find in many places online,such as www.thedivinemercy.org

As we say goodbye to the ExtraordinaryJubilee Year of Mercy, we give thanks forso many graces poured out by God in thisyear. We then look forward and commitourselves to giving and receiving mercyall the days of our lives.

A visual image from West Texas canserve to illustrate where we go from hereafter the closing of the Year of Mercy:You are a section in the pipeline of God’smercy, with a valve at each end. Theabundant supply will never end. Thequestion is whether you will keep thosevalves open for inflow and outflow. Willyou keep yourself open to receiving themercy of God, and will you continue topass it on?

BISHOP

PAYDAY

(From 10)

congregations in Abilene, including FatherFred Nawarskas and Father Adam Droll ofHoly Family Catholic Church, and severalmembers of Holy Family and St. Franciscongregations. Michael Barba, associatedirector of public policy for the TexasCatholic Conference of Bishops, alsospoke.

Mary Cooksey. program director for theAbilene office of 211 Texas: A Call forHelp, said in an interview that usury, thepractice of charging exorbitant interestrates, making it virtually impossible to getout of debt, strips people of their dignity.

"Victimizing anyone in any way is notright," Cooksey said. "Social justice is avery important thing to me. That's who Iam."

Cooksey’s agency coordinates with 40charities, she said, and many of the clientsare victims of payday loan practices.

The meeting in Abilene was held in

Logsdon Chapel on the campus of Baptist-affiliated Hardin-Simmons University. Anumber of local Baptists were present forthe forum, as well as people from otherdenominations.

Several people came from HighlandChurch of Christ, which also is leading aneffort to get cities to pass ordinances thatwould regulate the payday loan practices.

Bishop Sis, in opening the forum, notedthe diversity of people present and said thateven though he was involved and that theforum was being held at a Baptist institu-tion, the issue has touched people of allfaiths.

"It has to do with the well-being of ourcitizens," he said.

A similar forum was held in San Angelo,with the Nov. 1 vote coming as a result.The same thing can happen in Abilene, hesaid, if enough people get behind the move-ment.

"It doesn't take long to get it going," Sissaid.

Cities must take the lead, speakers said,until — or unless — the state legislaturesteps up to pass statewide regulations. Sofar, efforts have died in committee withoutgetting to the voting stage.

Rep. Tom Craddick, Republican fromMidland, and former state Rep. WendyDavis of Fort first introduced a joint bill in2011. It did not make it out of committee,and has suffered the same fate since.

However, in 2011, the city of Dallasbecame the first in Texas to pass an ordi-nance partially regulating the industry.Today, 37 cities have passed ordinances, allusing a model prepared by the TexasMunicipal League.

The reason payday loans are not regulat-ed by current state law in Texas is that thebusinesses obtain credit for a consumerfrom an independent third-party lender,according to the Texas Office of ConsumerCredit Commissioner. In Texas, the third-party lender is not licensed, according tothe commissioner's website. The payday

loan business charges a fee to the consumerfor obtaining the loan from the non-licensed third party.

Facts and figures distributed on handoutsat the forum were startling. The datashowed that the cost to repay a $500 loancan reach over $3,000 due to the loan berenewed continually because the borrowercan not make payments. The average annu-al percentage rate for payday and auto titleloans in Texas in 2015 ranged from 216 to567 percent.

Speakers like Brett M. Merfish, an attor-ney with Texas Appleseed, said those statis-tics represent some of the most vulnerablecitizens, people who are in desperate finan-cial situations and don’t see any other wayout.

“When you’re desperate,” Merfish said,“you don’t always make the best deci-sions.”


(Para 3)

Una indulgencia se puede obtener para símismo o para alguien que ha fallecido,pero no se puede aplicar a otras personasque aun están vivas en la tierra. Para poder obtener una indulgencia, uno debe estar enestado de gracia por lo menos en elmomento en que se complete la acción deindulgencia.

Aunque hay sólo unos pocos días máspara obtener una indulgencia plenaria aso-ciada con el pasar por una Puerta Santa, nohay necesidad de estar ansioso. Esto esporque las indulgencias plenarias se puedenobtener en cualquier momento siempre ycuando se lleven a cabo las cuatro condi-ciones mencionadas anteriormente y com-pletando cualquiera de las acciones santaspor las cuales la Iglesia concede una indul-gencia plenaria. Algunas de las máscomunes de estas acciones son las sigu-ientes:• Adoración del Santísimo Sacramento porlo menos media hora• El ejercicio piadoso del Vía Crucis• Rezar el Rosario con otros• Leer o escuchar la Sagrada Escritura porlo menos media hora• Pasar al menos tres días enteros en ejerci-cios espirituales de un retiro

Después que se termine el Año Jubilar dela Misericordia, no olvidemos que aún esta-mos llamados a ser misericordiosos. ElPapa Francisco escribió que, “Dondequieraque haya cristianos, cualquiera deberíapoder encontrar un oasis de misericordia.”(Misericordiae Vultus, 12) Esto es cierto encualquier año.

La forma más básica de ser misericor-dioso es practicar las obras corporales yespirituales de misericordia. Las siete obrasde misericordia corporales son estas: ali-mentar al hambriento, dar de beber al sedi-ento, vestir al desnudo, dar la bienvenida alforastero, sanar a los enfermos, visitar a losencarcelados, y enterrar a los muertos. Lassiete obras de misericordia espirituales sonestas: aconsejar al dudoso, instruir a losignorantes, amonestar a los pecadores, con-solar a los afligidos, perdonar las ofensas,soportar pacientemente a los que nos hacenmal, y rezar por los vivos y los muertos.Animo a todos los creyentes a seguir prac-ticando estas acciones misericordiosas amenudo, no importa qué año sea.

¿Dónde encontramos la misericordia paranosotros mismos después de que el AñoJubilar de la Misericordia haya terminado?La misericordia de Dios todavía estádisponible para nosotros en muchos aspec-tos, siendo que su misericordia es eterna.Debemos orar el Padre Nuestro todos losdías, cuya oración incluye las palabras,“perdona nuestras ofensas, como tambiénnosotros perdonamos a los que nos ofend-en.” Ese es un recordatorio diario tantopara abrir nuestros corazones para recibir lamisericordia, como extender misericordia alos que nos rodean.

Cristo también nos dio la profunda expe-riencia de recibir la misericordia a travésdel Sacramento de la Penitencia. No ten-emos que esperar hasta otro Año Jubilarpara ir a Confesión. Nuestros sacerdoteshacen disponible este hermoso sacramentopara que podamos ser reconciliados conDios por medio de la fuerza salvadora de

Jesucristo regularmente. El ir a laConfesión es un acto de esperanza. Es unrecordatorio de que somos obras de arte encurso, y Dios es el artista. Dios es el escul-tor, y nosotros somos el barro. Él componelas imperfecciones. Él nos moldea y nosforma con amor.

Otra manera de experimentar la miseri-cordia de Dios después de la clausura delAño Jubilar de la Misericordia es a travésde la Oración a Jesús. Recomiendo el usoregular de la Oración a Jesús como unaforma sencilla de mantenernos en contactocon la misericordia de Dios durante todasnuestras vidas. La formulación típica de laOración a Jesús es la siguiente: “SeñorJesucristo, Hijo de Dios, ten misericordiade mí, un pecador.” Esta ha sido unaoración muy popular desde los primerossiglos del Cristianismo. Se utiliza sobretodo en la espiritualidad de los CristianosOrtodoxos Orientales, pero también entrelos Católicos por todo el mundo.

La Oración a Jesús a menudo se utilizacomo una herramienta para enfocar nue-stros corazones en la oración. La forma enque normalmente se practica es muy sim-ple. Relájese y deje ir las distracciones.Dirija la mente desde la cabeza hasta elcorazón. Diga la Oración a Jesús lenta-mente y con reverencia, ya sea mental-mente o en silencio con los labios: “SeñorJesucristo, Hijo de Dios, ten misericordiade mí, un pecador.” Repita la oración contranquilidad y paciencia, con atención a lapresencia de Dios. La Oración a Jesúsmantiene el nombre de Jesús en nuestrocorazón y nos recuerda admitir que cadauno de nosotros necesita de la misericordia

de Dios.Una de las oraciones más populares de

misericordia entre los Católicos Romanoses la Coronilla de la Divina Misericordia.Esta coronilla típicamente se reza utilizan-do un rosario, pero también se puede rezarsin perlas, usando los dedos para contar lasoraciones. Se puede rezar en cualquiermomento, pero muchas personas la rezanlos viernes a las 3:00 p.m., siendo que es laHora de la Misericordia. La Coronilla sebasa en las apariciones de Jesús a SantaFaustina Kowalska, la religiosa Polacaquien es conocida como “el Apóstol de laMisericordia.” Las oraciones particularesde la Coronilla de la Divina Misericordiason fáciles de encontrar en muchos lugaresen línea, tales como www.ladivinamiseri-cordia.org

Al decirle adiós al Año JubilarExtraordinario de la Misericordia, damosgracias por las tantas bendiciones derra-madas por Dios en este año. A contin-uación, esperamos y nos comprometemos adar y recibir misericordia todos los días denuestras vidas.

Una imagen visual desde el Oeste deTexas puede servir para ilustrar a dóndevamos hoy en adelante después de laclausura del Año de la Misericordia: Somosuna sección en la tubería de la misericordiade Dios, con una válvula en cada extremo.El suministro abundante no tendrá fin. Lapregunta es, ¿Mantendremos esas válvulasabiertas para la entrada y la salida de esesuministro, o no? ¿Nos mantendremosabiertos a recibir la misericordia de Dios, ycontinuaremos a trasmitirla a otros?

(From 5)

Following Robb’s presentation and a raffle prize drawing, women congre-gated in the hotel’s lobby to wait for the next speaker. One attendee, DeborahMontano, said she was impressed by the crowd. “It’s just terrific,” she said.“The speakers were so excellent, starting with Dr. Margarett Schlientz.”

Montano said she identified most, however, with Robb because the two areboth mothers whose children have been seriously ill; Montano’s grown son hadcancer when he was 7 years old. “Coming to something like this and listeningto the experiences (of others) helps our young mothers,” Montano said.

“These ladies have such a heart and joy for Jesus,” added YevonneBuckner, of San Angelo. “I’m just grateful they came to share with all of us.”

Events such as the Catholic Women’s Conference reignite one’s faith,Buckner said. “It’s like breathing life into your spirit,” she said. “We’re setback on fire and go back out into the world to share it with others.”For Diana Gutierrez, also of San Angelo, the biggest take-away from the

conference was the sense of hope she felt.“When you come to things like this, I don’t want to say we’re looking for

something, but consequently you find something,” Gutierrez said. “I got (thefeeling) that there’s still hope to be had.”

WOMEN SAINTS(From 10)

Delaney writes in The Dictionary of Saintsthat he had differences with Henry II over theappointment of seculars to ecclesiastical posi-tions. He also refused to contribute to KingRichard I's war chest to finance foreign warsin 1197 and when he defied King John onseveral occasions, Hugh earned the nickname“Hammerking.”

He also criticized the Forest Laws, whichallowed royal foresters to punish the poorwho hunted in and collected firewood fromthe king's forests and even excommunicatedsome foresters. Cowan writes that Hugh usedhis power of excommunication rather thanmonetary fines, so that the punishment wouldfall equally on the rich and the poor. Hugh was also fond of children and animals

and reportedly kept a wild swan as a pet.Sean Kelly and Rosemary Rogers write inThe Saint-a-Day Guide that the bird followedhim everywhere, attacking anyone whoapproached, and would “bury its head andlong neck in Hugh's wide sleeves.” When Hugh returned from a diplomatic mis-sion to France for King John in 1199, he fellill and after several months, died onNovember 16, 1200. The kings of Englandand Scotland accompanied his body on itsreturn to Lincoln. He was canonized by PopeHonorius III in 1220, the first Carthusian tobe so honored. His feast day is November 17.His shrine in Lincoln Cathedral was a placeof major pilgrimage until the Reformation,when it was dismantled and his remains havenever since been found.

OBISPO


(From 2)

“Our formation program tries to do that,”Garcia said. “We have to be creative.”

Diocesan Conference Day is one sucheducational opportunity, she said. Thisyear, the conference brought in speakersincluding Carol Ann Hunt of Midland,who presented “The Joy of Love: PopeFrancis’ Apostolic Exhortation on theFamily”; Ansel Augustine, who discussed“Young Adults: Energy Boost of theChurch”; Marcos Martinez, presenter of“Culture of Encounter”; and BethanyBrunell and Nik Ruiz, who shared “WYD:A Bird’s Eye View of the Global Church,”about their experiences attending WorldYouth Day last summer in Krakow,Poland.

Approximately 30 people attended thefirst breakout session of the latter work-shop, including Sammy Vasquez, whoattends St. Margaret’s Parish in SanAngelo. “Father sent me down here,”Vasquez said with a laugh, referring to hispastor at St. Margaret’s.

Vasquez has been a Catholic his wholelife but only recently began taking advan-tage of the diocese’s educational offerings.“It’s good so I can learn something andtake back to church what I’ve learnedtoday,” he said. “I’m enjoying it now.”

Vasquez pointed to the notebook in hislap, where he had written the word “cate-

chesis.” “I didn’t even know what thisword meant until today,” he said.

Kelly Butler and Maria Ayala, of St.Ann’s in Midland, also sat in on the WorldYouth Day breakout session.

“They do have good workshops here,”Butler said. “They always do a really goodpresentation. Last year it was (about) glob-alization as well. This is my third year, andI think it’s the most impressive one I’vebeen to, I think because of the verve of thespeakers.”

“You think you know what they’re goingto say, but it’s always something different,”added Ayala, who also attended the confer-ence for the third consecutive year. “Youalways learn a little more about your dio-cese, what they’re doing outside theChurch.”

For several young people who attendedWorld Youth Day, “outside the church”was nearly 6,000 miles and another conti-nent away, in Krakow, Poland.

“There were people from Italy, of courseus from America, some from France,Australia, Brazil, Portugal and Spain,” saidBrunell.

Though the backgrounds of those inattendance were diverse and varied, “Westill celebrated one common thing: theEucharist and Body and Blood of Christ,”Ruiz said. “For us to be at World YouthDay and see such amazing cultural differ-ences but come together and share one

beauty, it’s incredible.”Ruiz told those gathered how, at one

point during World Youth Day, the streetswere packed with groups of people proud-ly waving their respective country’s flag,chanting in different languages.

“It looked like a battlefield. …but thiswas all about love and faith,” Ruiz said.

At one point a group of Italians and aseparate group of French converged on thestreet, he said.

“The Italians yelled something at theFrench, and the French yelled somethingback, then they paused and ran to eachother” and embraced and waved eachother’s flags, Ruiz said.

Sometimes common ground is difficultto find, Brunell said. She related how sheand her mother had walked for miles in thestifling heat to attend Mass with the pope.When it became clear that wasn’t going tohappen, the two tried to find water butwere denied. Tearful and discouraged,Brunell and her mother asked for direc-tions from an ambulance driver, who wascheerful, kind – and spoke perfect English.

“We’re going through a lot of difficultiesin our country right now,” Ruiz said. “Wehave our boxes we put people in becausethey’re different. It opens your eyes to seethat when you go to World Youth Day, itdoesn’t matter the color of your skinbecause we’re all brothers and sisters.”

CONFERENCE

KNICKERBOCKERS

(From 7)

We praise the Lord in our faithfulness toHim in season and out, in adversity, need,sorrow, disappointment, loss, temptation: "Iwill bless the Lord at all times; his praiseshall continually be in my mouth. My soulmakes its boast in the Lord; let the afflictedhear and be glad. O magnify the Lord withme, and let us exalt his name together! Isought the Lord, and he answered me, anddelivered me from all my fears" (Ps 34:1-4)."Bless our God, you peoples, loudly soundhis praise; He has given life to our souls, andhas not let our feet slip" (Ps 66:8 NAB).

We praise the Lord in our desire for holi-ness: "And it is my prayer that your lovemay abound more and more in knowledgeand all discernment, so you may approvewhat is excellent, and may be pure andblameless for the day of Christ, filled withthe fruits of righteousness which comethrough Jesus Christ, to the glory and praiseof God" (Phil 1:9-11 RSVCE). "In him,according to the purpose of him who accom-plishes all things according to the counsel of

his will, we who first hoped in Christ havebeen destined and appointed to live for thepraise of his glory" (Eph 1: 11). In theRevelation to John 19:5, we read, "From thethrone came a voice crying, 'Praise our God,all you his servants, you who fear him smalland great.' "

We praise the Lord as we use the spiritualgifts He has given us to build up the Body ofChrist, the Church. The CharismaticRenewal in the Church is a recognition thatthe Holy Spirit wants to fan the flames of ourbaptism to enable us to be fully who He cre-ated us to be--His sons and daughters whocontinually praise Him in the use of our spir-itual gifts. "Upon thee I have leaned from mybirth; thou art he who took me from mymother's womb. My praise is continually ofthee" (Ps 71:6).

Praise routs Satan! God dwells in themidst of our praise. "Yet thou art holy,enthroned on the praises of Israel" (Ps 22:3).When we praise the Lord, there is no spacefor Satan. The grace and power of God inpraise is victorious over all evil forces. Inpraise God strengthens our will against temp-

tations of thought, word, attitude, and action.He focuses our minds and hearts on Him.The Holy Spirit shines through theChristian’s life that is filled with praise ofJesus whose "light shines in the darkness,and the darkness has not overcome it" (Jn1:5).

We praise the Lord with all of His creation:"Praise the Lord from the heavens, praisehim in the heights; praise him, all you hisangels...all you his hosts...sun andmoon...you shining stars...you highest heav-ens...you waters above the heavens. Letthem praise the name of the Lord, for hecommanded and they were created...." (Ps.148:1-5). "Praise the Lord! Praise God in hissanctuary, praise him in his mighty firma-ment! Praise him for his mighty deeds, praisehim according to his exceeding greatness!Let everything that breathes praise the Lord!Praise the Lord! (Ps 150).

St. Augustine speaks to us profoundly ofthe relationship of praise to mercy and love:"O Lord, my God, let my soul praise Youthat it may love You. Let it recount to YouYour mercies that it may praise You for them

all" (Confessions 5, 1). The Holy Spiritenables us to recognize God's mercies, whichleads us to praise Him in all circumstances;praising God engenders love for Him.

PraiseIn everything we say and do,We praise the Lord who guides our way;Despite our life that is askew,We praise the Lord through all our days. Amid the toils and trials of lifeOur voices with His praise we sing.His words through us bring all His light —Dispels the darkness round us rings.And when our days on earth are done,We'll join the angels in their praiseOf Him who for us victory won:In life anew with Him we're raised

— W. E. Knickerbocker

RETREAT CENTER (cont’d),

ORDINATIONS, NECROLOGY

CHRIST THE KING RETREATCENTER

DECEMBER (cont’d from 3)

15 — Catholic Daughters’ Christmas Party

18-21 — Seminarian Winter Gathering

23-26 — CKRC Office Closed in

Observance of Christmas

26 — Heart of Mercy Prayer Group

JANUARY 2017


8-13 — Holy Trinity Silent Retreat

13-15 — Deacon Formation


20-22 — Engaged Encounter

22 — Natural Family Planning


23 — Deacon Quarterly

26 — DOSA Staff Mass/Lunch

29 — CKRC Confirmation Retreat


NECROLOGY

NOVEMBER

10-Rev. James Coleman (2002)

19-Rev. Frank Zimmermann, C.M. (1999)

23-Rev. Colm Mulligan MSC (2003)

27-Rev. Michael Dwyer MSC (1997)

DECEMBER

1-Rev. John A. Pierce (1979)

5-Rev. Angel Vizcarra, O.P. (2004)

12-Deacon Nestor Perez (1993)

12-Rev. James Aaron, (1999)

20-Rev. John Waldron (1995)

28-Rev. Nicholas Femenia, C.M. (1999)

29-Rev. Msgr. Louis Moeller (2008)

30-Rev. John Hoorman, C.PP.S.(1995)

(From 9)

• Support access to safe and affordablehousing, water, and power for low-income Texans.• Support regulatory standards for paydayand auto-title lending to curb usuriouslending practices and prevent a cycle ofconsumer debt.• Support safe and dignified workingconditions, adequate training, and faircompensation for workers.• Support policies to alleviate food inse-curity and hunger, including expandedaccess to summer nutrition programs,school breakfast projects, and nutritionalawareness.• Support efforts to end human traffickingand provide care for victims

Criminal Justice Ours should be a just and compassionatesociety committed to ensuring the safetyand protection of our communities whileencouraging the merciful forgiveness andrehabilitation of criminal offenders. Wesupport reform to the state’s criminal jus-tice system that ends the death penalty,provides for the compassionate treatment

of prisoners, and encourages rehabilita-tion and forgiveness for those re-enteringsociety.• Oppose the use of the death penalty inTexas.• Support efforts to improve access tomedical care for the incarcerated inTexas.• Support reintegrating parolees into soci-ety.• Support efforts to improve the trainingand supervision of correctional officers indealing with incarcerated offenders. • Support revision of capital jury sentenc-ing instructions to prevent concealmentof jurors’ individual capacity to impose asentence less than death.

About the Texas CatholicConference

The Texas Catholic Conference advo-cates on behalf of the Roman CatholicBishops of Texas for policies and pro-grams that support the life and dignity ofevery human person from conceptionthrough natural death.

This Legislative Agenda is the result ofa rigorous process of reflection and con-sultation. Under the guidance of the

Texas Bishops, TCC staff conducts policyassessments—with the input of diocesandepartments, ministries, and agencies—toassess public policy needs and opportuni-ties across the state. The Bishops exten-sively review and discuss the proposalsbefore setting the legislative priorities forthe upcoming session. Because of that,our public policy positions are based inCatholic social and moral teaching touphold the sanctity of life, help the poorand vulnerable, and promote the commongood.

The Texas Catholic Network is a grass-roots program that enables the more than7 million Catholics from across Texas toeffectively communicate with each otherand the members of the TexasLegislature. This work is carried outthrough Texas Catholic Network“Archangels” Program, a network of vol-unteers who help inform parishionersabout the legislative agenda and encour-age them to communicate with lawmak-ers about legislation that supports ourfaith and Catholic social teaching. As a member of the Texas CatholicNetwork, you can:

• Act as a source of information and pro-mote participation in the grassroots net-work to congregations in their parishes.• Activate, coordinate, and monitor thegrassroots responses to Texas CatholicConference action alerts.• Voice the Texas Catholic Bishop's con-cerns and positions on public issues andlegislation to local state legislativeoffices.• Attend public education and informa-tional meetings on the Texas CatholicConference's behalf.To join the Texas Catholic Network, orfor more information, visitwww.TXcatholic.org.


(From 4)

“We are very fortunate and have a lot ofpeople that we don’t know about that areCatholic,” said Msgr. Nawarskas. “It’s avery nice parish and as the bishop pointedout, it’s very culturally diverse.

“The fact that they can pray together isvery inspiring.”

HOLY FAMILY

TCCB

DIGNITY(From 5)

accepting the other person: a person whois recognized and loved because of thedignity which comes from being a per-son and not from other considerations,such as usefulness, strength, intelligence,beauty or health. He believes that this isthe fundamental contribution that theChurch and humanity can expect fromwomen and that it is the basic require-ment for an authentic cultural change.

He sees women contributing in threeareas: the first we will explore isthrough her “gift of self” as made inGod’s image and likeness.

Gift of self: made in God’simage and likeness

John Paul sees a woman’s mainsource of dignity coming from beingcreated equally, with man, in the imageand likeness of God. The Trinity isabout relationships — the Father lovesthe Son, the Son returns that love andthis love is so powerful and palpablethat it is itself a Person, the Holy Spirit.Man cannot exist “alone” (cf. Gen2:18); he can only exist as a “unity ofthe two,” and therefore in relation toanother human person. Man and woman

are called to live in a communion oflove, and in this way to mirror in theworld the communion of love that is inGod, through which the Three Personslove each other in the intimate mysteryof the one divine life. For no humanbeing, male or female, created in theimage and likeness of God, can in anyway attain fulfilment apart from thisimage and likeness.

John Paul states, “To say that manand woman are created in the imageand likeness of God means that they arecalled to exist ‘for’ others, to become agift. This likeness reveals that thehuman person, who is the only creatureon earth which God willed for its ownsake, cannot fully find himself except ina sincere gift of self.” This is a funda-mental point in his thought, because itis through this gift of self that womenmust put to the service of rebuilding theculture. This self-gift is the definition ofthe person, corresponding to the funda-mental biblical truth about man andwoman, created in the image and like-ness of God. It is not an interpretationor abstract definition, because it indi-cates what it means to be human, whileemphasizing the value of the gift ofself, the gift of the person.

A woman’s dignity is closely connect-ed with the love that she receives by thevery reason of her femininity; it is like-wise connected with the love that shegives in return. Woman can only findherself by giving love to others. Thisrefers not only to the spousal relationshipof marriage. It means something moreuniversal, based on the very fact of herbeing a woman within all the interper-sonal relationships which shape societyand the interactions between all persons.This concerns each and every woman,independently of the cultural context inwhich she lives, and independently ofher spiritual, psychological and physicalcharacteristics, as for example, age, edu-cation, health, work, and whether she ismarried or single. All women can bemade aware of, and so be able to act,from this call to love others.

Lisa Martinez is the founder and exec-utive director of The Greenhouse forWomen, a Catholic women’s ministrybased on the teaching of St. John PaulII. This center for women will belaunching next year in the Diocese ofSan Angelo. Further information can befound at www.thegreenhousefor-women.org.

EDICTAL SUMMONSOctober 3, 2016

CASE: OZONA (MATA) -- GARCIANO.: SO/16/45

The Tribunal Office of the Catholic Dioceseof San Angelo is seeking Saul Garcia.

You are hereby summoned to appearbefore the Tribunal of the Catholic Diocese ofSan Angelo, at 804 Ford Street, San Angelo,Texas 76905, on or before the 30th day ofNovember 2016, to answer to the Petition ofJuanita Ozuna (Mata ), now introducedbefore the Diocesan Tribunal in an actionstyled, “Juanita Mata and Saul Garcia,Petition for Declaration of Invalidity ofMarriage.” Said Petition is identified as Case:OZONA (MATA) -- GARCIA; Protocol No.:SO/16/45, on the Tribunal Docket of theDiocese of San Angelo.

You may communicate with the Tribunal inperson or in writing. Failure to communicatewithin the prescribed period of time will beconsidered your consent for the Tribunal tocontinue its proceedings in the above-namedcase.

Given at the Tribunal of the Diocese of SanAngelo on the 4th day of October 2016.

Reverend Tom BarleyMSW, MBA, M. Div.,JCL

Judicial Vicar


SACRED HEART

(From 17)

Clashes with faculty are alluded to, butnot described in detail. He had only oneserious difference with Father Hesburgh,but that is simply acknowledged, not dis-closed in any way. His one disagreementwith his successor, Holy Cross FatherJohn Jenkins (over the firing of footballcoach Ty Willingham), is mentionedalong with an acknowledgment thatalthough Father Malloy was still presi-dent, Father Jenkins had the right tomake the decision.

By any measure, the Father Malloy

presidency was a very successful one.There is much in this book worth pon-dering by anyone responsible for theadvancement of any Catholic college oruniversity — trustees, administrators orfaculty.4 Permeate the place with internationalmindedness, Father Malloy would rec-ommend. 4 Pay special attention to alumni, includ-ing giving preferential admissions, withinlimits, for alumni sons and daughters.4 Work a service orientation into theundergraduate student experience as wellas alumni activities.

4 Tighten up the town and gown rela-tionship as happened in the case of NotreDame's Center for the Homeless in thecity of South Bend.4 Cultivate the Catholic character andemphasize ethics -- personal and social --in all that the university does.

Notre Dame is a great Catholic univer-sity. Monk Malloy helped to make iteven greater. His book will help youunderstand the how and why.

Jesuit Father William J. Byron is pro-fessor of business and society at St.Joseph's University, Philadelphia. Email:[email protected].

BYRON

(From 2)

With a growing Catholic communitywhose needs demanded a permanentparish and priest, land was purchased anda building constructed. The first pastor,Fr. Henry Brickley from Illinois, tendedto a flock of Mexican, Irish and Germanimmigrants. Among the early parish-ioners were Gus Ackerman, who ran thelocal saloon and the police and fire chief,J.J. Clinton. The first church building was26 feet wide by 50 feet long and wasvery hot in the summer and cold in thewinter. But it had an organ and crucifixand cracks in the floor that mystified theyoung children. It was paid for throughdonations from Catholics and Protestantsin town as well as bazaars and oystersuppers.

The pastors stationed in Abilene had totend to both a local congregation andCatholics in the surrounding areas.Missions were established in Clyde,Merkel, Baird, Putnam, Hamlin,Aspermont, Spur, Dickens, Jayton,Colorado City, Big Spring, Goldwaithe,Ballinger, Winters as well as other places.A priest in the early days spent much ofhis time on the road. Given the poor con-ditions of those roads and occasional badweather, mass was frequently cancelleddue to the lack of availability of a priest.But the willingness of a priest to travel allover this mission territory, and the under-standing of the Abilene community totheir pastor’s frequent trips led to therecognition of Sacred Heart as “theMother Church of Catholicism in the BigCountry.”

The parish grew during World War Iand the Roaring Twenties and the needfor a new parish became evident. A newparish priest, Fr. Henry Knufer, a German

immigrant and a dentist in his pre-clericallife, began to fund raise in earnest. Withpledges from both Catholics andProtestants totaling more than $18,000,the bishop of Dallas gave permission tobuy land and build a new church. But theGreat Depression hit, money tightened,and the plans for the church were forcedto be modified.

The pastor was an accomplishedbuilder so he and members of the parishjoined in the construction. When Fr.Knufer wasn’t laying concrete or someother building trade, he was cooking forthe workers or out looking for money.When first finished, the new churchlacked plumbing, wiring, pews, and aconfessional. It was in a rectangularshape rather than the originally conceivedcruciform. There was a cry room in theback so that mothers and children couldsee the Mass but there was no real sac-risty for vesting. But the parish had a newand much needed church, a sacred spacewhich continues to serve the people ofSacred Heart today.

The parish priests always focused onreligious education whether in the mannerof formal classroom instruction for chil-dren on Sundays or citywide invitationsfor formal lectures on topics of interest toProtestants and Catholics alike.

In a town where Catholics were aminority, religious prejudice was a prob-lem. While many Protestants helped fundSacred Heart’s buildings, the Ku KluxKlan was also a fact of life before WorldWar II. After tarring and feathering apriest in Sweetwater, Abilene churchmenjoined the Knights of Columbus to rideshotgun for Fr. Knufer when he went onlate night pastoral visits.

The arrival of troops stationed at CampBarkeley outside of town led to a surge in

communicants at Sacred Heart. The pewswere filled, many weddings were held,the debt was paid off, and money setaside so that during the 1950s and 1960sserious renovation of the church buildingcould occur. Air conditioning and heatingwere installed, stained glass windowsadded, the basement, which today servesas the parish hall, was renovated. By the1980s new educational facilities werebuilt, a sacristy was added and the park-ing lot finished. Of course, modificationsto the sanctuary dictated by VaticanCouncil II were implemented as well.

The current pastor of Sacred Heart,Msgr. Robert Bush, arrived in 1996. Histwenty year tenure is the longest a priesthas ever been assigned to Sacred Heart.The original immigrants from Mexico,Ireland, and Germany have been joinedby new immigrants from Nigeria,Vietnam, and the Philippines. The focusremains as it was in 1891 with worship,celebration of the sacraments and reli-gious education. The development of thechurch property continues with fund rais-ing going on for a new parish hall.

Although oyster suppers have givenway to BBQ dinners as a profitable wayto make money, the old stand-by churchbazaars continue. The priests and peopleof Sacred Heart continue to serve theLord as they look forward to what thenext 125 years will bring.

Special thanks must go to Fr. MarkWoodruff, former pastor of Sacred Heartwho wrote “A History of Sacred HeartParish” in 1991 for the 100th anniver-sary and to Edward Schroeder, whoseHardin Simmons University master thesis“Sacred Heart and the Catholic Churchin Abilene” published in 1973 wereinstrumental in the researching of thishistorical remembrance.


(From 14)

Jersey pursued both. They cleaned up aplayground in Camden during the MotherTeresa Diocesan Day of Service. Theyalso focused on the spiritual works ofmercy by attending a talk on forgiveness,said a campus ministry coordinator.

With extra opportunities to partake inthe sacrament of reconciliation at someparishes, the jubilee also was a chance toreflect on a simple fact: We are called to

show mercy to all those we encounter, butwe cannot do this if we do not first knowmercy ourselves.

"As you can see, mercy does not justimply being a 'good person' nor is it meresentimentality. It is the measure of ourauthenticity," Pope Francis said when heinvited the youth to join him for WorldYouth Day.

Mercy also involves banishing indiffer-ence with concrete, little steps. Twohome-schooled students from the Diocese

of Portland did this by collecting towelsfor homeless families, according to TheCatholic Sentinel, the diocesan newspaper.The eighth-graders set up a mini-founda-tion called "Friends of St. Francis" andreached out to parishes, which yielded 520donated towels.

When I read about these two schoolgirls, the words of Pope Francis duringWorld Youth Day echoed in my head: "Tosay the word 'mercy' along with you is tospeak of opportunity, future, commitment,

trust, openness, hospitality, compassionand dreams."

With the Year of Mercy heading to anend, young people continue to find oppor-tunities to be merciful to others. Thisjubilee gave us the chance to realize that,as the pope says, to be "merciful like theFather" is not just "a catchphrase, but alife commitment."

- - -Maria-Pia Negro Chin is bilingual asso-

ciate editor at Maryknoll Magazine.

(Para 14)

pedir perdón y ser más tolerantes.Este Año de la Misericordia nos brindó

la hermosa oportunidad de reafirmar elamor de Dios mientras que nos llamaba asalir de nosotros mismos para servir a losdemás.

El papa Francisco dijo recientemente quepara tratar de imitar la misericordia deDios se puede practicar el "dar" y "per-donar".

Los estudiantes de la pastoral universi-taria de la Universidad de Rowan enNueva Jersey siguieron ambas prácticas.Limpiaron un parque infantil en Camdendurante el Día de Servicio Diocesano

Madre Teresa y también se centraron enlas obras de misericordia espirituales,asistiendo a una charla sobre el perdón,dijo una coordinadora de la pastoral uni-versitaria.

El jubileo fue también una oportunidadpara para participar en el sacramento de lareconciliación en algunas parroquias, yadicionalmente reflexionar sobre un hechosimple: Estamos llamados a mostrar mis-ericordia a todas las personas con las quenos encontramos, pero no podemos hacer-lo si antes nosotros no conocemos la mis-ericordia.

"Como ven, la misericordia no es'buenismo', ni un mero sentimentalismo.Aquí se demuestra la autenticidad de nue-

stro ser discípulos de Jesús", dijo el papacuando invitó a los jóvenes a unírsele a laJornada Mundial de la Juventud.

El don de la misericordia también impli-ca desterrar la indiferencia con pequeñospasos concretos. Como ejemplo se puedemencionar a dos estudiantes de la Diócesisde Portland que hicieron esto mediante larecopilación de toallas para familias sinhogar, según menciona The CatholicSentinel, el periódico diocesano. Las estu-diantes de octavo grado crearon una minifundación llamada "Amigos de SanFrancisco" y pidieron donativos en parro-quias, recolectando 520 toallas.

Cuando leí acerca de estas dos estudi-antes, las palabras del papa durante la

Jornada Mundial de la Juventud resonabanen mi cabeza: "Decir misericordia junto austedes, es decir oportunidad, es decirmañana, es decir compromiso, es decirconfianza, es decir apertura, hospitalidad,compasión, es decir sueños".

Con el Año de la Misericordia a puntode concluir, los jóvenes siguen encontran-do oportunidades para ser misericordiososcon los demás. Este jubileo nos dio laoportunidad de darnos cuenta de que,como dice el Papa, para ser "misericor-diosos como el Padre" no es sólo "un lemade impacto, sino de un compromiso devida".

CHIN

CALDAROLA BARRON

JOVENES

(From 15)

I thought of ChristopherHitchens, the brilliant writer andoutspoken atheist. When he wasdying of cancer, he was offendedby those who told him they werepraying for him.

I didn't blame him, even though Iprayed for him myself. But writingto him and waving that in his face?That's like saying, "I know what'sbest for you, like it or not."

Truly, that's not the purpose ofprayer.

We offer to pray for people whoshare our convictions regardingprayer. But to impose my prayerverbally upon another who may notbelieve in prayer is wielding mycertainty of truth like a bludgeon.That's not kindness, but a smugexpression of rightness.

So, in this era of political correct-ness, where do you stand on theissue of offensiveness?

If someone is uncomfortable withmy Lenten ashes, too bad. I don't

want to give offense, but I feelassured that the majority of peoplewill see my actions as my privatewitness. I'm not trying to be "inyour face." I'm trying to be in soli-darity with people of faith, andthat's my right.

But if I cross that line that sepa-rates my behavior from an attemptto change others' behavior, I maybecome legitimately offensive.

But aren't we supposed to evan-gelize?

St. Francis of Assisi is thought tohave said, "Preach the Gospelalways; if necessary, use words."

The most effective witness wegive is our lives, lives of mercy andcompassion. That makes any out-ward sign of our faith impressiveand legitimate. That kind of evan-gelization is rarely offensive andoften powerful.

- - -Find Libresco survey at fivethir-tyeight.com/features/when-does-praying-in-public-make-others-uncomfortable/.

(From 16)

ed over and against males, that there is aneither/or, zero-sum conflict between men andwomen. It is not enough, in a word, to showwomen as intelligent, savvy, and good; youhave to portray men as stupid, witless, andirresponsible. That this savage contrast is hav-ing an effect especially on younger men isbecoming increasingly apparent.

In the midst of a “you-go-girl” feminist cul-ture, many boys and young men feel adrift,afraid that any expression of their own goodqualities will be construed as aggressive orinsensitive. If you want concrete proof of this,take a look at the statistics contrasting femaleand male success at the university level. Andyou can see the phenomenon in films such asFight Club and The Intern. In the former, theBrad Pitt character turns to his friend andlaments, “we’re thirty year old boys;” and inthe latter, Robert De Niro’s classic male typetries to whip into shape a number of twenty-something male colleagues who are rumpled,unsure of themselves, without ambition—andof course under the dominance of an all con-

quering female. It might be the case that, in regard to

money, power, and honor, a zero-sum dynam-ic obtains, but it decidedly does not obtain inregard to real virtue. The truly courageousperson is not threatened by another person’scourage; the truly temperate man is not intimi-dated by the temperance of someone else; thetruly just person is not put off by the justice ofa countryman; and authentic love positivelyrejoices in the love shown by another. Andtherefore, it should be altogether possible tohold up the virtue of a woman without deny-ing virtue to a man. In point of fact, if weconsult the “all conquering female” charactersin films and TV, we see that they often exem-plify the very worst of the traditional malequalities: aggression, suspicion, hyper-sensi-tivity, cruelty, etc. This is what happens whena Nietzschean framework has replaced a clas-sical one.

My point is that it is altogether possible—and eminently desirable—to say “you go boy”with as much vigor as “you go girl.” And boththe boys and the girls will be better for it.


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Holy Family-Abilene turns 40

Scenes from Holy Family’s CelebrationOctober 8, 2016

Documents

Serving the Diocese of San Angelo, Texas Volume XXXVI, No ... · expresó bellamente: “La indicación de la puerta recuerda la responsabilidad de cada creyente de cruzar su umbral