The Catholic New World: News Digest & Church Clips 2/13/05

Issue of February 13, 2005

Ailing pope improves amid prayers and wishes of many
As The Catholic New World went to press Feb. 8, Vatican officials said Pope John Paul II continued to improve, but his doctors planned to keep him in the hospital for a few more days as a precaution.

Hospital visit prompts talk of resignation
When a top Vatican official said papal resignation should be left to the “conscience” of Pope John Paul II, it reignited a debate that has been smoldering for many years.

UPDATE

Chaplain resigns Father Michael Yakaitis resigned Feb. 8 as chaplain of Calvert House at the University of Chicago. The resignation followed admission of sexual activity 15 years ago with an adult seminarian. Yakaitis was appointed chaplain at Calvert House, the Catholic presence on the university’s campus, July 1, 2001. He was ordained in 1978. He said in a statement that following the incident he “sought and received counseling and residential treatment (for) several months. This enabled me to renew my commitment to celibacy and a life of priestly ministry. … I have remained celibate and chaste since.”
Father Willard Jabusch, who retired as chaplain in 2001, will temporarily assume the post.

Tribunals get new instructions Vatican officials said new instructions issued Feb. 8 for church marriage tribunals are designed to ensure church law is followed, to defend the sacrament of marriage and to ensure the efficiency that justice requires. The new handbook for Latin-rite diocesan and interdiocesan tribunals, “Dignitas Connubii,” (“The Dignity of Marriage”), provided step-by-step procedures for accepting, investigating, judging and appealing marriage cases. The instruction, while encouraging tribunals to work efficiently and not unduly prolong judgment, insists that no shortcuts be taken in determining the validity of a marriage. It reaffirmed existing church law that an initial declaration of nullity issued by a diocesan court must be reviewed by a second court. Officials said it would not necessarily decrease the number of decrees of nullity the church grants.

News: Annual appeal asks Catholics to ‘bear their share’ of costs “Beloved: Bear your share of hardship for the Gospel with the strength that comes from God.” (2 Timothy 1:8b)
Those are the opening words of the second reading Feb. 20, and archdiocesan officials hope Catholics take them to heart. That day, the second Sunday of Lent, will be this year’s “commitment Sunday,” when Catholics are asked to make their pledge to the Annual Catholic Appeal, said Tim Dockery, director of development services for the Office of Stewardship and Development.

Finding life’s path Passionist Father Robin Ryan has a mission: to reach out to young adults considering a life of service. Ryan is leading “Catholics on Call,” a Catholic Theological Union program with its partner religious communities to help young adults find their vocations. The program, funded by a $2 million grant from the Lilly Endowment, will get under way over the next few years, Ryan said.
Catholics, Jews and culture Cardinal George will offer the 10th annual Joseph Cardinal Bernardin Jerusalem Lecture, “Catholics, Jews and American Culture” at 7 p.m. Feb. 21 at Anshe Emet Synagogue, 3751 N. Broadway. The annual lecture sponsored by the archdiocese and the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago, the American Jewish Committee, the Chicago Board of Rabbis and Spertus Institute of Jewish studied has become a fixture on the interfaith calendar.
Experts say immigration system needs a major fix It’s no longer a question of whether we should have stepped-up immigration or globalization. Like it or not, both are now facts of life, two leading immigration lawyers agreed. The only question is how to handle it in the least damaging ways, Don Kerwin and Susan Gzech told a Jan. 26 forum on “diversity, immigration and social justice in a time of terrorism and globalization” at Dominican University in River Forest. Current immigration policies aren’t in keeping with the country’s labor needs. And ethically, they’re a disaster that splits families, promotes exploitation, and even hurts unionized American workers, said Kerwin, head of the Washington D.C.-based Catholic Legal Immigration Network. Immigration doesn’t just begin on our side of the border, the speakers said.
Priest finds premature newborn at church door When Father Paul Kalchik peered behind the vestibule door at St. Michael Parish (South Shore) before the 9:30 a.m. Mass Feb. 6, he saw a bundle wrapped in a blue terrycloth towel. It wasn’t until he unwrapped the cloth that the tiny baby inside started to cry, and Kalchik’s training as a nurse (a degree he studied for but never completed) and as a priest kicked in. “I was thinking, ‘Little baby. Cold little baby. Get the baby warm. Get the baby safe,’” Kalchik said from his office at Archbishop Quigley Preparatory Seminary the next day.
When Ron Durham and Liz Deligio report to federal penitentiaries this spring, they will join a long list of activists who have traded months of their lives for the opportunity to stand against human rights abuses. Durham, 24, and Deligio, 28, both of Chicago, were among 14 people—including two high school students—sentenced for trespassing at Fort Benning, Ga., Nov. 21, part of the annual protest against the former School of the Americas on the base which has been accused of training Latin American police and military in torture. The protest was organized by the not-for-profit SOA Watch, founded in response to the 1989 massacre of six Jesuit priests, their housekeeper and her teenage daughter in El Salvador.
A new order, old truths Thinking about the early days of a religious order may conjure up images of medieval times. But in reality, more than 900 communities have begun since the Second Vatican Council. Resurrection Father Frank Phillips should know. He is founded the Society of St. John Cantius in 1998. “At every age of the church, certain charisms are needed to lead people to God,” Phillips said. The charism of the Society of St. John Cantius is to preserve the traditions of the church, through a parish life that is built on these traditions. “Our purpose is the restoration of the sacred, and by doing so, to connect the altar at church to the altar at home.”

Seminarians praying to win? No, playing to win By Raymond Cleaveland Contributor Fast breaks, three-pointers and Roman collars were part of the action during the Fifth Annual Seminary Shootout held the last weekend in January at the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary. The 10-team basketball tournament brought together 108 players from nine Midwest seminaries, some coming from as far away as Minneapolis-St. Paul and Conception, Ind. “It’s a great spirit of fellowship” said Deacon Jim Hearn, 25, of Chicago, tournament director. “The guys really look forward to meeting the men from other seminaries, staying at Mundelein, and playing basketball.”