Counting to Ten

Without a doubt, the Ten Commandments form a solid foundation for civilization. But to hear some people today, those same Ten Commandments are under attack.

By the time you read this, the 5,000-pound monument of God’s laws to Moses that stood in the rotunda of the Alabama Supreme Court building is likely gone, removed under a federal court order that angered loads of people. Alabama’s chief justice, Judge Roy Moore, made quite a stand against the removal, and he was joined, in person and in spirit, by many.

It can be argued, perhaps persuasively, that a nation which prints “In God We Trust” on its money should be able to put up with a monument acknowledging God in a public building.

Problem is, acknowledging God on our money doesn’t seem to have done much for society—except for people wanting more money. And I doubt that has anything to do with God. I’m not sure how a monument to the Ten Commandments in a public building will improve society.

The Alabama controversy has at least as much (and maybe more) to do with that old issue called states’ right as it does with faith.

Moore is right, though: the Ten Commandments are central to our faith. Several of those commandments speak to how we should conduct ourselves as civilized people. Or rather, mostly the things we ought NOT do. For my money, I think Jesus’ beatitudes are as good a blueprint. They, at least, tell us HOW to act.

Now, if Moore has a plan for getting the commandments and the beatitudes into homes and hearts instead of public buildings, I’m ready to help. After all, that’s a role for faith communities. And it’s a program that would do more to build society than any monument in the courthouse.

I’m not exactly sure what was happening 100 years ago, but there sure were a lot of parishes started.

With 375 parishes in the Archdiocese of Chicago, The Catholic New World has long had a policy of only being able to acknowledge the celebratory events of parishes reaching the century mark and over. This year, even that’s going to be quite a challenge. It’s a busy season: Assumption BVM (2434 S. California), 100 years Aug. 10; Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Melrose Park, 100 years Sept. 7; Santa Maria Addolorata (528 N. Ada), 100 years Sept. 14; St. Francis of Assisi (813 W. Roosevelt) celebrates 150 years Sept. 27; St. George (9546 S. Ewing) 100 years Sept. 28; St. Anthony (11533 S. Prairie), 100 years Oct. 3; St. Ann Church and school (1840 S. Leavitt), 100 years Oct. 4; Immaculate Conception (7211 W. Talcott), 100 years Oct. 26

Nor is that all. Our Lady of Lourdes Grade School (4640 N. Ashland) marks 100 years with several events this fall, starting with an open house before the 11:30 a.m. Mass Sept. 7. St. Alphonsus School (1439 W. Wellington) will celebrate its 100th year Sept. 13 by renaming itself St. Alphonsus Academy and Center for the Arts. The Paulist Fathers celebrate 100 years of service to Old St. Mary Nov. 15.

From the “this could be the start of something big” department:

St. Thecla Parish’s religious education staff is partnering with The Catholic New World in its mission to educate, inform and evangelize Catholics. It is the first to become part of a program to provide newspaper subscriptions for parents of children enrolled in religious education.

That means that, starting this fall, along with the classes their children take, parents will be able to read Cardinal George’s column, get Scripture insights from Father Marcel Pasciak, inspiring words from Oblate Father Ron Rolheiser and news from the Universal Church around the world.

That’s a great partnership.

For information on the subscription program, contact Lea Dacanay at TCNW: (312) 382-3346, or [email protected].

Tom Sheridan
Editor and General Manager

Send your comments to Tom

Top

---