Issue of July 23, 2006

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NewsUpdate

Mideast erupts; leaders pray for peace, dialogue

Catholic leaders prayed for peace and dialogue as Mideast violence escalated, and churches and local government buildings opened their doors to the displaced.

Father Michael McGarry, rector of the Tantur Ecumenical Institute for Theological Studies in Jerusalem, said he did not know why the radical Shiite militia Hezbollah kidnapped two Israeli soldiers and was firing rockets on Israel, but he said the force of Israel’s retaliation was “not appropriate.”



Indiana’s first saint

Pope to canonize Mother Guerin Oct. 15

Blessed Mother Theodore Guerin will become Indiana’s first saint Oct. 15 when Pope Benedict XVI celebrates a canonization Mass for her along with a 20th-century Mexican bishop and two Italian religious founders.

The 19th-centrury French-born woman was foundress of the Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Ind., religious order and numerous schools in Indiana.



Catholic AIDS ministers ask, ‘Are we one Body?’

The nearly 150 people who gathered July 12-16 for the National Catholic HIV/AIDS Ministry Conference considered a question: “Are We One Body?”

The theme, taken from I Corinthians, was intended to spark reflection and discussion among people who minister to people with HIV, a virus that was first noticed in the United States among gay men and now disproportionately affects the developing world, women, people of color and the poor.

Elsie Miranda, a conference co-chair, said the question has no easy answers.



Network honors HIV/AIDS partners


The National Catholic AIDS Ministry Network went away from its tradition of presenting the annual Lumina Award to an individual and instead honored three organizations.

Representatives of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Leadership Campaign on AIDS and the U.S. Council of Catholic Bishops’ secretariats for African-American Catholics and Hispanic Affairs accepted the awards at the Lumina Dinner July 14 during NCAN’s annual conference at Loyola University Chicago.

Lago reappointed chancellor

Cardinal George has renewed the appointment of Jimmy Lago as Chancellor of the Archdiocese of Chicago.

Lago, a veteran administrator with expertise in child welfare, became the archdiocese’s first lay chancellor in 2000. As chancellor, Lago directs the staffs of the Pastoral Center’s many departments, agencies and ministries.



Vatican rebukes ‘married’ Zambian prelate on celibacy

Zambian Archbishop Emmanuel Milingo, whose 2001 marriage to a Korean acupuncturist capped a long series of controversial actions, announced July 12 in Washington that he wants to change the Roman Catholic discipline on celibacy and “reconcile” an estimated 150,000 married priests worldwide with the church to allow them to resume priestly ministry.

Archbishop Milingo’s announcement drew a sharp rebuke from church officials on both sides of the Atlantic.



Marriage referendum backers appeal ballot ruling

Supporters of a referendum on marriage are still hoping to have a question on the November ballot asking voters if the Illinois Constitution should define marriage as between one man and one woman, despite a ruling from the State Board of Elections that petitions submitted for the referendum fell short of the required number of valid signatures.



Ministry extends ‘family’ for Waukegan deacon

Twenty-six years ago, Ed Scarbalis lost his wife after 25 years of marriage. With his children mostly grown and heading into their own lives, he wanted to add to his family.

“I thought becoming a deacon would be a good way to expand my family,” said Scarbalis, who recently celebrated 20 years as a deacon.

It took some time to convince his daughter, Barbara, who, grieving the loss of her mother, was reluctant to have her father take on this responsibility. A few years later, they agreed it was time. “When I was ordained, she escorted me down the aisle,” Scarbalis said.



Maronite Catholic patriarch visits Chicago

The Maronite Catholic patriarch, visiting from Lebanon to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the first Maronite diocese in the United States, thanked the United States for its efforts to support Lebanon and urged American Maronites to “be shining examples in the darkness of the world.”

Cardinal Nasrallah Pierre Sfeir, patriarch of the Maronite Catholic Church, was a special guest at the July 2-9 convention of the National Apostolate of Maronites in Chicago, attended by more than 2,000 Maronites from around the United States.



Restoration brings Madonna paintings back to life

Dorothy DeSpain has always loved art. Her father was an artist, so she grew up around art, majoring in art education in college and later working as an artist.

When DeSpain was thinking about a way to assist her alma mater, Rosary College (now Dominican University in River Forest), she decided to fund the restoration of several of the university’s religious paintings.

She remembered these paintings from when she was a student at Rosary in the 1950s and wanted others to appreciate the true beauty of the works. “The paintings needed some work,” DeSpain said. “It was like the paintings were beckoning me.”