Advertisements ad

News Digest

Issue of November 8 – November 21, 2009The following items are condensed. For the complete articles, please read the print edition of The Catholic New World. To subscribe, call (312) 534-7777.

News Update

Deaf Catholics head to Vatican

Several representatives from the Archdiocese of Chicago will be among the participants in a Vaticanorganized conference focusing on the role of deaf people in the church.

The Pontifical Council for Health Care Ministry decided to dedicate its annual international conference this year to the condition, needs and experiences of deaf people, including deaf religious and laypeople and their families. The theme of the Nov. 19- 21 Vatican gathering, "Ephphatha: Deaf People in the Life of the Church," recalls the Aramaic word meaning "be opened" that Jesus used to heal a deaf man.

Father Joseph Mulcrone of the archdiocese's Office for the Deaf will travel to the conference with about 10 deaf and hearing-impaired people.

Pro-life retreat planned

Pro-life ministers and laity are invited to a Dec. 4-6 pro-life retreat at Cardinal Stritch Retreat House in Mundelein. Father James Heyd, Cardinal George's delegate for prolife ministry, and Katrina Zeno, who co-hosted a 13-part series on theology of the body for EWTN, will be the featured presenters.

Titled "A Challenge for Our Day: Building a Culture of Life and Love," the weekend retreat will include Mass on Dec. 5-6 and a schedule that includes sufficient free time for participants to enjoy the grounds of University of St. Mary of the Lake.

Cost of $145/person includes snacks, meals and complete use of the premises. Call Cardinal Stritch Retreat House at (847) 566-6060 or contact Deacon Chick O'Leary at (773) 775-6659 for information.

News Digest

Pope establishes structure for Anglicans uniting with Rome

Pope Benedict XVI has established a special structure for Anglicans who want to be in full communion with the Roman Catholic Church while preserving aspects of their Anglican spiritual and liturgical heritage, said U.S. Cardinal William Levada.

The cardinal, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, said a new apostolic constitution would establish "personal ordinariates" - similar to dioceses - to oversee the pastoral care of those who want to bring elements of their Anglican identity into the Catholic Church with them.

Vatican says Anglican document delay not due to married priests

The Vatican has denied that the delay in publishing the apostolic constitution on Anglicans seeking admission to the Catholic Church has been caused by an internal Vatican debate over admitting married priests.

The Vatican spokesman, Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, said Oct. 31 that Pope Benedict XVI's document detailing the new plan was expected to be released during the first week in November.

Vatican laicizes former priest of archdiocese

John Calicott, 62, former pastor of Holy Angels Parish, 607 Oakwood Blvd., has been laicized by the Holy See, archdiocesan officials confirmed Oct. 27.

Calicott's case was decided by the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith in the Vatican.

Calicott, ordained in 1974, was first placed on administrative leave from Holy Angels in 1994, after allegations of misconduct dating from 1976, when he was assigned to St. Ailbe Parish.

DePaul University community mourns loss of student slain while attending Halloween party

The DePaul University community is mourning the death of a student slain in the early morning hours of Nov. 1 after attending a party in Chicago's Northwest Side.

Francisco "Frankie" Valencia, 21, died from a gunshot wound. He was a senior majoring in political science.

Local news media reported at press time that Chicago police were still searching for the shooter.

Kicanas: Heading border diocese 'a powerful learning experience'

Being the bishop of a border diocese has proven "a powerful learning experience," said Bishop Gerald Kicanas of Tucson, Ariz.

Although, during his time in Chicago as a priest and auxiliary bishop, he had awareness of and contact with immigrant populations, being on the border has given Bishop Kicanas the opportunity to see "the struggle of migrants to realize their dreams, to be aware of their fears, their aspirations," he said.

Joliet diocese gets a new 'native son' auxiliary bishop

Pope Benedict XVI has appointed Father Joseph M. Siegel, a pastor in Elmhurst, to be an auxiliary bishop for the Diocese of Joliet.

The appointment was announced in Washington Oct. 28 by Archbishop Pietro Sambi, apostolic nuncio to the United States.

Bishops to weigh test-tube to deathbed issues, finish work on missal at upcoming fall meeting

Cardinal George will deliver his last presidential address

Life issues from the test tube to the deathbed are on the agenda for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' fall general assembly.

The Nov. 16-19 meeting in Baltimore also will include what the bishops hope will be their final consideration of action items related to the Roman Missal and debate and vote on a lengthy document offering support to married couples and affirming that true marriage can only involve a man and a woman.

Dolan appointed moderator of Jewish affairs for USCCB

Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York has been named moderator of Jewish affairs for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, succeeding Cardinal William Keeler, retired archbishop of Baltimore, in that role. Cardinal George, USCCB president, made the appointment, which is effective Nov. 11 and is for five years.

Key post: U.S. archbishop will help shape the world's episcopate

Pope Benedict XVI's naming of U.S. Archbishop Raymond Burke to the Congregation for Bishops was a small but significant appointment that could have an impact on the wider church for many years to come.

The congregation's members generally meet every two weeks to review candidates for vacant dioceses and make their recommendations to the pope - recommendations that carry a lot of weight. Precisely for that reason, the Congregation for Bishops is known as one of the most important Roman Curia agencies. Membership on the congregation is a five-year appointment, which could be renewed until a prelate's 80th birthday. It would not be an exaggeration to say that Archbishop Burke, 61, will be helping to shape the episcopate, not only in the United States but also around the world. Formerly the archbishop of St. Louis, Archbishop Burke was named in 2008 as head of the Vatican's highest tribunal, known as the Supreme Court of the Apostolic Signature.