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The Catholic New World
The Cardinal's Column
October 9, 2005

A visit with a purpose

Social visits are part of family and community life; but some visits are more serious than others. Visits that are part of Church government are called “visitations,” and they are more like audits than a social call. The word “audit” comes from the Latin word meaning to listen or to hear. A financial audit of a company, for example, includes not only the examination of the account books but also the interviewing of personnel to determine that the company is doing what it says it’s doing. Accreditation teams visit universities and colleges to “audit” the program and the personnel.

In New Testament Greek, the word “bishop” means overseer, one responsible for visiting clergy and parishes and institutions of the Church in order to correct and encourage disciples of the Lord in their life and mission. Pope John Paul II described the bishop’s visitation as “an invitation to hope.” In my experience, a parish visitation is an encouragement for priests and people, a stimulus in teaching and living the faith. In this Archdiocese, my visits to parishes are usually celebratory occasions, and I ask the auxiliary bishops, along with the Deans, to do the more formal visitations.

Other ecclesiastical institutions, such as universities and hospitals, also have had a tradition of episcopal “audits” or visitations. In England, in the late Middle Ages, when the colleges were Church foundations, Audit Day was marked by the brewing of an ale of special quality. Now secularized, some of the Oxford and Cambridge colleges still offer Audit Ale, a case now of beer without the bishop’s visit!

Seminaries are regularly visited by the bishop or religious superior responsible for them; but special teams of visitors also come from time to time, to monitor either the academic program or the formation program, or both. All the seminaries of the United States were last formally visited at the initiative of the Holy See’s Congregation for Universities and Seminaries in the mid 1980’s. The ecclesiastical “audit” at that time did much to regularize seminary life after a period of post-Vatican II experimentation. Now, during this month of October, another visitation of all 229 seminaries in the United States will begin under the auspices of the Holy See.

At Mundelein Seminary, the team of visitors will be led by Archbishop Elden Curtis of Omaha. Archbishop Curtis was once the president-rector of Mt. Angel Seminary in the Archdiocese of Portland, Oregon. Forming the “audit” team with him will be a dozen resource people, including priests, deacons, religious and lay people.

This visitation is part of the ongoing life of our seminaries, but it is also a response to a new moment. First of all, the Program for Priestly Formation has just been renewed, with considerable input from Father Lou Cameli of our Archdiocese. Secondly, the proposal for this visitation comes immediately from a meeting in April, 2002, between Pope John Paul II and the Cardinals of the Roman Curia with the Cardinals from this country. This meeting took place in order to discuss the scandal of the sexual abuse of some minors by some priests in this country over many decades. During this meeting, the question of seminary formation was rightly raised, although it was also clear that seminary formation was by no means the only factor in tracing the causes of abuse.

In the document explaining the purpose of this visitation of the seminaries, the Holy See wrote that the visit “aims at ensuring that U.S. seminaries and houses of priestly formation are functioning correctly and that they are responding properly to present day needs.” The intellectual formation of seminarians and their fidelity to the magisterium of the Church will be looked at. In particular, attention will be directed to the field of moral theology. Equally, attention will be focused on the criteria of personal and spiritual formation used to discern vocations and to foster maturity in Christian virtue. Of special concern will be an examination of the means used for the formation of seminarians in celibate chastity for the sake of priestly ministry. The “culture” of the seminary community itself will be examined to be sure that it is morally healthy and free of any sexual acting out. This is only one concern among several, but it is the one that has occasioned the most comment in recent months.

Many people will be heard by the visitation team: the faculty and administration and staff, the present seminarians and those ordained in the last several years, members of the seminary Board and myself. I would invite all of you to join me in prayer that this visitation will be a significant and effective moment in the life of our Archdiocesan Major Seminary. I pray that the visit’s purpose will be achieved and that Mundelein Seminary will be strengthened in its mission of formingArchbishop of Chicago good and holy priests for the service of Christ’s people in his body, the Church. God bless you. Sincerely s Ca font>

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October 9-22, 2005
Sunday, Oct. 9:
8:30 a.m., Sunday Mass and welcoming of Oblate Sisters of Jesus the Priest, Our Lady of Loretto Parish, Hometown; 1 p.m., Groundbreaking for SSJ-TOSF Clare Oaks Retirement Community, Bartlett.

Monday, Oct. 10:
6:30 p.m., Dinner speaker, McCormick Tribune Foundation, Riva Restaurant, Navy Pier.

Tuesday, Oct. 11:
10:30 a.m., Priests’ luncheon and meeting, White Eagle Banquets, Niles; 6 p.m., Interfaith Iftar, Islamic Foundation North, Waukegan.

Thursday, Oct. 13:
1:30 p.m., Mass and blessing of Missionaries of Charity Maternity Home, Chicago; 7 p.m., Post-World Youth Day Gathering for Vicariates V and VI, St. Julie Billiart, Tinley Park.

Friday, Oct. 14:
6 p.m., Catholic Charities Gala of the Arts, Soldier Field.
Saturday, Oct. 15: 8:30 a.m., Opening Mass and Address, Eucharist of the Saints Conference, University of Chicago Divinity School; 5:15 p.m., Mass, Holy Name Cathedral.

Sunday, Oct. 16:
10:30 a.m., Sunday Mass, Sacred Heart Parish, Winnetka; 4 p.m., Solemn Vespers and Benediction closing the Year of the Eucharist, Holy Name Cathedral.

Monday, Oct. 17:
10 a.m., Episcopal Council meeting, Residence.

Tuesday, Oct. 18:
12 p.m., Mid-Day Club luncheon talk, Bank One Plaza; 5:30 p.m., The Catholic Church Extension Society centennial reception, Residence.

Friday, Oct. 21:
5 p.m., Vespers and talk, Albertus Magnus Institute, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind.

Saturday, Oct. 22:
7:45 a.m., Parish Leadership Day, Gordon Tech High School, Chicago.



His Eminence, Francis Cardinal George announces the following appointment:

Pastors

Rev. Jan F. Kaplan,
from associate pastor of Transfiguration Parish, Wauconda, to be pastor of St. Ladislaus Parish, West Roscoe, effective Oct. 4, 2005.

Rev. James P. Kehoe,
from sabbatical to be the administrator of St. Ferdinand Parish, West Barry, effective immediately.
Rev. Eugene J. Nowak, from sabbatical to be pastor of St. Gilbert Parish in Grayslake, effective Oct. 9, 2005.

Administrator

Rev. Nestor Saenz,
from associate pastor of St. Bernardine Parish, Forest Park, to be administrator of Our Lady of Fatima Parish, West 38th Place, effective immediately.

Associate Pastors

Rev. Michael J. Shanahan,
from resident of Resurrection Parish, North Francisco, to be associate pastor of St. Josaphat Parish, North Southport, effective immediately.

Rev. Daniel M. Tomich,
from sabbatical, to be associate pastor of St. Alexander Parish, Palos Heights, effective immediately.

Chaplain

Rev. Henry C. Kricek,
to be the chaplain of the Catholic Physicians Guild of Chicago while retaining his duties as associate pastor of St. Edward Parish, West Sunnyside, effective immediately.


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