Issue of September 3, 2006

The following items are condensed. For the complete article, please read the print edition of The Catholic New World. To subscribe, call (312) 655-7777.

NewsUpdate

Mary’s on tour

Our Lady of the New Millennium, the 33-foot-tall stainless steel statue of Mary, will be at St. Rocco Oratory, 315 E. 22nd St., Chicago Heights, Sept. 2-16.

The statue will then journey to St. Damien Parish, 5300 W. 155th St., Oak Forest, Sept. 17-30. Prayer services are scheduled at both locations during the statue’s visit.



Black Catholics gather, worship

The archdiocese’s Black Catholic Community will hold “No Ways Tired: Celebrating our Heritage … Creating Our Future” for three nights of praise and worship Sept 26-28 at Old St. Mary’s Parish.

The church, at 1500 S. Michigan Ave., was where African-Americans first worshipped in Chicago.

Speakers include Jesuit Father Joseph Brown of Carbondale, Ill., Sept. 26; Father Tony Ricard of New Orleans Sept. 27 and Franciscan Father James Goode Sept. 29. The revival also will include several choirs, gospel singers and dancers. The event is offered in collaboration with Mission Chicago.

For information, call (312) 751-8376.



Faith and terrorism in a post-9/11 world

Religion can be both cause and cure

Religious leaders trying to be a moderating force against terrorism since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks have had less apparent success than those who use religion to mobilize extremists in support of terrorism.

Along with other factors, the success of religious ideologues in recruiting followers has made the risk of terrorist attacks greater today than five years ago, said people ranging from the head of the Arab American Institute to the director of policy studies at Notre Dame’s Joan B. Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies.



Consecrating her life to Christ

Lourdes Ramirez Valle consecrated her life as a virgin Aug. 16 at St. John Bosco Church. Ramirez, the director of religious education at the parish, will continue to be responsible to support herself, but she also must pray for her diocese and clergy and pray the Divine Office. Ramirez, 34, was born in Guadalajara, Mexico and came to Chicago in 1999 as a Missionary Daughter of St. Pius X. A year later, she decided that she did not have a vocation to a religious institute and began to pursue consecration as a virgin living in the world. Five years ago, she made a private vow of chastity to Auxiliary Bishop John Manz, who officiated at her consecration. Since then, she has begun studying for a master’s degree in pastoral studies and formation as a lay ecclesial minister. She is one of four women consecrated as virgins in the archdiocese since 2001.



Common Ground anniversary revives church’s call to listen

Listening has to be an essential ingredient in relationships within the church, just as it must be in all healthy relationships, said the keynote speaker at an Aug. 11 event at Loyola University in Chicago marking the 10th anniversary of the Catholic Common Ground Initiative.

Bishop Ricardo Ramirez of Las Cruces, N.M., said that 10 years of seeking common ground within the church has only reinforced the idea of the initiative’s founders, that seeking communion in Christ requires seeking communion with one another.



Pastors ask, parishioners respond by doubling 2006 appeal pledges

The news is good for the 2006 Annual Catholic Appeal, according to archdiocesan stewardship and development officials.

About six months into the appeal process, Catholics in the archdiocese have committed $12.3 million to the work of the archdiocese, said Barbara Shea Collins, director of development services. Gifts have come from about 82,000 households, nearly double the number that contributed last year.



Over-the-counter Plan B sales called ‘unacceptable’

The Food and Drug Administration’s Aug. 24 decision, with the apparent support of President George W. Bush, to allow over-the-counter sales of Plan B, the “morning-after pill,” to women 18 and older defies common sense and is “completely unacceptable,” according to a pro-life official of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Deirdre McQuade, director of planning and information for the bishops’ Secretariat for Pro-Life Activities, urged pharmacists “not to confuse FDA approval with a right to access” and said they should “refuse to stock this potent drug for distribution on demand.”



Pro-life director offered one year, spent 40 at office

When Gail Quinn came to Washington in 1966 to help establish an office devoted to family and pro-life matters at the Catholic bishops’ conference, she didn’t expect to stay more than a year.

She never dreamed that, more than 40 years later, she would be sitting in her office as executive director of the Secretariat for Pro-Life Activities of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops as the U.S. Senate debated whether more federal funds should go to research that kills embryos.



Vatican gives its OK to new program for U.S. seminaries

A new Program of Priestly Formation has been issued for use in all U.S. Catholic seminaries.

It places more emphasis on the human formation of seminarians, and especially on formation for celibacy, than did the fourth edition of the program, which had been in effect since 1992.



Miracles on display at gala

Chicago’s annual Gala of the Arts, a fundraiser for Catholic Charities’ Emergency Services, offers something new each year to its guests.

This year, it will be the premiere exhibit of the Vatican’s Eucharistic Miracles. The exhibit will include descriptions and depictions of 20 of the most awe-inspiring miracles in Christian history, including pictures and in-depth historical descriptions. The exhibit debuted in Rome and traveled throughout Europe.



Was Hitler possessed?

Exorcist believes it likely

An Italian exorcist said demonic influence is strong in today’s world, affecting individuals and sometimes entire societies.

While it is very rare for a person to be possessed by a demon, history reveals some likely examples—including Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin, said Pauline Father Gabriele Amorth.



Benedict: Working too hard is never a good thing

In the middle of his summer break, Pope Benedict XVI said working too hard was never a good thing—not even for a pope.

Speaking at a noon blessing at his summer residence outside Rome Aug. 20, the pope reflected on the 12th-century writings of St. Bernard of Clairvaux, who warned against “the dangers of excessive activity, whatever the condition or office held, because many occupations lead to a ‘hardening of the heart’ and suffering of the spirit.”



The undiscovered Africa: land of hurt and hope

AIDS. Poverty. Famine. Civil war. Genocide.

In his 10 years working for Catholic Relief Services in East Africa, Jean Marie Adrian has seen them all.

“When it wasn’t drought in Ethiopia, it was conflict in southern Sudan,” he said. “When it wasn’t conflict in southern Sudan, it was conflict between Ethiopia and Eritrea.”

Adrian, CRS’ regional director for East Africa for the last four years, is moving to a similar position in West Africa this month. But on a visit to the United States between assignments, he talked about the challenges of not only working in Africa, but spreading the message that Africa has a great deal to offer.



Bishop: Suit against USCCB harms sex abuse prevention

A suit brought against the U.S. Catholic bishops by relatives of a man believed to have been killed by a priest “will only hurt the positive progress we have made” to end clergy sex abuse of minors, said Bishop Raphael M. Fliss of Superior.

The suit was filed in a Wisconsin court Aug. 8 against the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and against its member bishops as individuals. It does not ask for monetary damages.



Catholic, secular Web sites unite Catholic couples

The use of Catholic singles’ Web sites has risen dramatically since the genesis of such sites in the late 1990s, helping many who are looking for friendship, a date, marriage or even support with religious discernment.

Catholic singles who become members of these sites create profiles and can elect to meet potential partners or friends in a specific area or age range or according to other defining characteristics. They may also meet people of like interest in religion-related chat rooms; they can build a network of Catholic singles around the globe.



Teaching teachers

Dioceses offer support with mentoring

Teresa Olsen was a college student tutoring inner-city children in a homeless shelter when she realized what she was called to do—teach.

“Seeing how far behind they were just broke my heart,” she said. “I can’t plead ignorance to the problems of the educational system in America anymore, and so I feel a duty to help these kids out in any way I can.”



Media literacy leader passes torch on to new generation

Sister Elizabeth Thoman, a member of the Congregation of the Humility of Mary, has toiled in the field of media literacy for nearly 30 years.

In 1977, when she founded the Center for Media Literacy in Los Angeles, Betamax videocassettes were the big technological advance. Betamax was supplanted by VHS tapes, which in turn have been reduced to minority status by DVDs, which themselves are being crowded out by video-on-demand and Internet downloads into computers and cell phones.



Seeking spirituality? Try the science fiction aisle



Walking up and down the aisles of the local bookstore, most Catholics are not likely to head to the science fiction section when looking for spiritual fulfillment. What do science fiction stories about extraterrestrials, far away planets, intergalactic wars, and future technologies have to do with religion? Probably nothing, but maybe, if we stretch our minds and imaginations—which is what science fiction is all about—we may be able to see some similarities.

Steve Gruenwald, a science fiction reader, sees a general similarity between science fiction and religion. “Both are, in part, mechanisms that people use to exercise their curiosity about the universe,” he said.



Setting their sights high

Congregations of Our Lady of Sion Sister Stephanie Schmidts had no idea the impact she would make when accepting a job as outreach minister at St. Joseph’s parish (Orleans) in 1991. Fifteen years later, two nonprofit organizations—Insight and HighSight—are helping hundreds of children find academic and social success as a result of her initial efforts.

“I was attracted to St. Joseph because of its tutoring program that was begun a couple years before my arrival,” said Schmidts.

“Young adults from Chicago’s Gold Coast were helping children from nearby Cabrini Green. About 15 students were in the one-on-one tutoring venture. I saw this as an opportunity to further develop a program whereby children and families in the public housing complex and young adult professionals could come together and get to know and understand each other better.”



A labor of love

Sister of the Resurrection Rosemary Gira, a first-grade teacher at St. Mary of the Angels recently tallied 50 years doing what she loves best—teaching. She has spent 20 of them at the school.

She is continuing a tradition at St. Mary’s started by her community more than 100 years ago. She now is the only one in her congregation who still teaches in an elementary school.

“I always wanted to be a teacher,” said Sister Rosemary. “I especially love teaching first graders. They are so enthusiastic, want to learn and love doing homework.”

She particularly enjoys teaching religion.

“I love teaching the little children about Jesus and how He loves them,” Sister Rosemary added. “This is a true Catholic school. We live up to our mission. We have weekly Mass. A priest comes to teach the children once a week. It’s the way it should be.”



Catechists to be recognized Sept. 17

November conference offers training, formation



Catechists who share the faith in Catholic schools and religious education programs will be honored Sept. 17, Catechetical Sunday.

Across the country and here in the Archdiocese of Chicago, parishes will recognize and affirm their catechists and teachers. They will be blessed and commissioned to continue to their good work.

The theme of this year’s celebration is “Who Do You Say That I Am?” This question, taken from the readings of the day, the Gospel of Mark, is what Jesus asked his disciples. Like the disciples, each of us of Jesus must answer this question for ourselves and reflect on our personal relationship with Jesus.



Scripture School

Reading between the lines at CCSS

When Deacon Phil Bertolani finished the diaconate program, he knew he needed to learn more about the Bible to prepare homilies for St. Benedict Parish in Chicago.

Carole O’Neill knew that as a lector at St. James parish in Arlington Heights, she needed to learn more about the big picture of the Bible, the “before and after” of the readings she proclaimed each weekend.

Kathy Dodaro, an eighth-grade catechist at St. Louise De Marillac in LaGrange Park, knew that in her spiritual journey she needed more than a parish Bible study group to understand Scripture in a deeper way.



New U.S. catechism highlights American stories of faith

It is not unusual for families to explore their histories, their ethnic and religious inheritances, to better understand their present lives. That’s one reason the U.S. bishops chose a series of Catholics as examples for the new U.S. Catholic Catechism for Adults.