Issue of May 23, 2004

UPDATE:

O’Malley sad at same-sex vows

Archbishop Sean P. O’Malley of Boston greeted the arrival of legalized same-sex marriages in Massachusetts with “deep sadness” but reminded Catholics that “our sadness at what has happened should not lead us into anger against or vilification of any group of people, especially our homosexual brothers and sisters.”

Hundreds of same-sex couples went to courthouses throughout Massachusetts to get marriage licenses May 17, the day the Supreme Judicial Court ruled the state had to begin granting the licenses to same-sex couples because it found the ban on same-sex marriages unconstitutional.

“The Catholic Church remains committed to the truth that marriage is a unique bond between a wife and a husband, ... the bedrock and foundation of our families and society,” the archbishop said May 13.

 

People in news

Father John Cusick, archdiocesan director of Young Adult Ministry, has been appointed by Gov. Blagojevich to the Executive Ethics Commission, which is to review allegations of wrongdoing by state employees. ... Vincentian Father Dennis H. Holtschneider has been named the 11th president of DePaul University. He will assume his new responsibilities in July. He was named May 20 to succeed Vincentian Father John P. Minogue, president since 1993.

 

 

NEWS:

Mass of healing for abuse

Bishop Gorman, Burke at Winnetka parish

When National Review Board leader Anne Burke and Auxiliary Bishop John Gorman visited Ss. Faith, Hope and Charity Parish for a special Mass of Healing and Renewal in Winnetka May 16, it had special resonance for members of the parish.

Former pastor Father Robert Kealy was among the first archdiocesan priests to be removed from ministry because of alleged sexual abuse during the crisis that began early in 2002. The Mass was followed by an informal reception in the church courtyard hosted by Voice of the Faithful, an independent lay group whose demand to be heard has caused controversy in some dioceses.

 

Bishops, review board agree on plans for audit

The U.S. bishops’ Ad Hoc Committee on Sexual Abuse and the National Review Board have agreed on proposals for conducting a second diocesan audit of child sex abuse prevention policies and on doing a study of the causes and context of the crisis.

The proposals will be discussed by the U.S. bishops during their June 14-19 meeting in Denver, said Mercy Sister Mary Ann Walsh, spokeswoman for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in Washington.

 

Cardinal draws attention

to health insurance crisis

Victor Guzman had worked for the same company for 37 years, operating a machine that made Dunkin’ Donuts bags, when complications from his diabetes caused ulcers to form on his legs. He went on disability and started a series of surgeries that have left him on crutches more than a year later.

Now that he has Medicaid, Guzman is no longer one of the 1.8 million Illinois residents who lack health insurance, and thus access to basic health care services. He was one of several people who attended a press conference May 14, part of “Cover the Uninsured Week,” at St. Anthony Hospital.

His story is far too common, said Kathleen DeVine, president and CEO of St. Anthony Hospital. Normal primary and preventive care for a diabetic patient costs an average of $2,300 a year, she said. But if that is denied, the costs of treating the complications—loss of vision, or of a toe or foot—skyrocket.

 

Honors for Father Tolton, first black U.S. priest

Catholic pilgrims and parishioners gathered at Holy Rosary Church in Monroe City April 24 to celebrate the memory of Father Augustine Tolton, the first full-blooded African-American to be ordained a Catholic priest.

Tolton, who lived in downstate Quincy, Ill., has deep Illinois roots. He died in 1897 ministering to Chicago’s black Catholics. Born in a Catholic slave family in Missouri in 1854, Tolton entered the seminary and went on to be ordained despite “insufferable obstacles,” said Jesuit Father J. Glenn Murray, homilist at a Mass celebrating the 150th anniversary of the pioneer priest’s birth.

 

Bishops’ official urges renewal of commitment to just schools

On the 50th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s Brown vs. Board of Education desegregation ruling, the U.S. Catholic bishops’ education secretary said the Supreme Court decision should “renew our commitment to a just educational system.”

“Without the Brown decision, it is hard to imagine any serious efforts to improve education for all children in the United States,” said Dominican Sister Glenn Anne McPhee, education secretary for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, in a May 17 statement.

 

The RCIA journey: Choosing to be Catholic

Hundreds in archdiocese will celebrate Pentecost in new faith

Matt Spink should never have to answer the question, “Daddy, why don’t you come to Communion with us?” With a 6-month-old and 2-year-old, Spink could have dodged this question for another four years. Instead, he took a leap of faith and joined the RCIA program at St. Joseph’s Parish in Libertyville in June 2003.

Spink, previously a Baptist who said he was taught at a young age that “Catholics were wrong,” always felt there was something within Catholicism, but it was the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) program at St. Joseph’s that brought it to the surface.

 

New residents of St. Gelasius look for hope and Providence

Msgr. Michael R. Schmitz sees the hand of God in the way the Institute of Christ the King, Sovereign Priest, came to take over the now-closed St. Gelasius Church in Woodlawn.

Now he is counting on the same Providence to bring forward enough donors to allow the church to be restored.

 

Bishops weigh in on politicians

Catholic bishops in Colorado, Nebraska, Florida, North Dakota, Oregon and the District of Columbia were the latest prelates to issue statements about whether certain politicians should be barred from receiving Communion.

Common to all of the statements were instructions about the church’s teaching on the sanctity of life and how it applies to Catholic politicians whose public actions are in conflict with church teaching. Several talked about church guidance in making political decisions. Beyond that, they offered a wide range of conclusions about how those teachings should be applied.

 

Pope names six to sainthood

Pope John Paul II elevated four men and two women to sainthood, including a mother who gave up her life to save the life of her unborn child.

The pope said “this holy mother,” St. Gianna Beretta Molla, followed Christ’s example of loving one’s “own in the world and loving them to the end.”

St. Gianna and five religious were canonized May 16 in St. Peter’s Square as 40,000 pilgrims from all over the world watched and waved flags and banners.

 

Office honors catechists for passing on the faith

Parish leaders and catechists were honored May 13 for their efforts in passing along the faith at the Catechetical Ministries Awards Banquet.

Approximately 50 catechists, parish ministers, administrative/support staff and catechetical leaders were recognized as Parish Recipients by Cardinal George and the auxiliary bishops. Nine individuals received the highest award as those “who best exemplify the standards of catechetical excellence.”

 

Getting ready for college:

Brother Rice starts early

Brother Rice, like other Catholic high schools, is serious about helping parents and students walk through the process of selecting a college. The school is so adamant about making higher education possible that it starts the process rolling during students’ freshman year.

“We have a program that begins freshman year and continues until students graduate,” said Ed Zabrocki, director of counseling. “Parents and students cannot afford to wait until the junior or senior year. They must develop a path for themselves and follow it through.”

 

Unique donation for St. Xav

St. Xavier University students, staff and alumni will soon have a university-sponsored option if they want to enjoy an Irish ale or stop for a casual meal.

University officials announced May 11 that Chicago businessman and philanthropist Richard H. Driehaus had committed to donating property across the street from the Chicago campus to the university—property that includes Gilhooley’s Grande Saloon, an Irish-themed restaurant and pub, along with five other businesses.

 

Catholic school leadership gets a boost

Catholic school administrators and other leaders have a lot in common with their public school counterparts, but they also have many concerns of their own, from maintaining a school’s Catholic identity to the ongoing challenge of raising enough money to keep a school afloat.

They can get some help this summer at the inaugural session of the Bishop Gorman Institute for Leadership in Catholic School Education on St. Xavier University’s Orland Park Campus.

 

Cultural harmony:

Vietnamese priest sets St. Francis of Assisi to music

When Franciscan Father Thao Nguyen arrived at Roosevelt University Chicago two years ago, he had a clear goal: complete his master’s degree in music composition by finishing a cantata based on St. Francis of Assisi’s “Canticle of the Creatures.”

Nguyen, 57, accomplished both goals and graduated May 15.

“He was extremely devoted, and he had such a clear goal,” said Stacey Garrop, the assistant professor of composition who worked most closely with Nguyen. “He worked so hard. I’m not sure how much he slept the last two years.”

 

Book: Poland shaped papacy

In a new book about his 20 years as a bishop in Poland, Pope John Paul II identified the roots of some of his practices as pope, presenting his papal style as an adaptation of what he felt worked successfully in Krakow.

An effective bishop, he said, must know personally as many members of his flock as possible; he must see where and how they live; and he must read voraciously and meet frequently with scholars and scientists in order to bring Gospel values to bear on new problems.

 

 

 

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