UPDATE:

Cardinal George has scheduled several meetings with parishioners in various parts of the archdiocese during Lent.

The gatherings will be an opportunity for the cardinal to speak about the efforts of the archdiocese to evangelize Catholics and others and then dialogue with those attending. The meetings are public—for parishioners, staff and evangelization team members.

The schedule, which is not yet complete, includes:March 3, 7 p.m. at St. Philip Neri, 2132 E. 72nd St., Chicago; April 1, 7 p.m. at St. Isaac Jogues, 8149 W. Golf Rd., Niles, and April 5, 7 p.m. at St. Denis, 8301 S. St. Louis Ave., Chicago.

Catholic texts explore Judaism

The U.S. bishops’ Committee on Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs has published a compilation of Catholic teaching since the Second Vatican Council on the church’s relationship with Jews and Judaism.

Titled “The Bible, the Jews, and the Death of Jesus: A Collection of Catholic Documents,” the book includes excerpts from the Vatican II document on relations with non-Christian religions, “Nostra Aetate,” which condemned all forms of anti-Semitism and affirms the continuing validity of God’s covenant with the Jews.

It also contains “Criteria for the Evaluation of Dramatizations of the Passion,” a 1988 document from the Committee on Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs. The book was to be officially released Feb. 23, two days before the Ash Wednesday theatrical premiere of Mel Gibson’s “The Passion of the Christ,” which some Catholic scholars and U.S. Jewish leaders have said could foster anti-Semitism.

“The Bible, the Jews, and the Death of Jesus: A Collection of Catholic Documents” can be ordered for $11.95 per copy by calling: (800) 235-8722.

NEWS:

Bishop says Catholics must be ‘salt for world’

If the 1.07 billion Catholics in the world took seriously the scriptural call to be salt for the earth, they could address social injustice at all levels in all cultures and nations, a Ghanaian bishop told a Washington gathering of social justice ministers.

Bishop Charles G. Palmer-Buckle of Koforidua, Ghana, said U.S. Catholics in particular must guard against “becoming too salty” by refusing to blend their flavors with the rest of the world at a time when the national inclination after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks seems to be to “close in on yourselves.”

Appeals court to revisit landmark abortion case

The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, based in New Orleans, will hear arguments March 2 in a case brought by the original “Jane Roe” seeking to overturn Roe vs. Wade, the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court decision that removed most state restrictions on abortion.

Norma McCorvey of Dallas, who in 1980 revealed that she was the “Jane Roe” of the case and has since become a strong opponent of abortion, said in an affidavit that Roe vs. Wade “was wrongfully decided and has caused great harm to the women and children of our nation.”

Hunger for fasting

Reinventing a tradition

Speak of fasting today and word is likely to be coupled with the word “remember”: “Remember the Friday fish-fry?” “Remember agonizing over a broken promise to give up sweets for Lent?”

When the Friday fast was declared no longer obligatory there seemed to be an initial whoop of joy, like children being let out of school for summer. Later, the questions came: was it all so unenlightened as to be irrelevant? Maybe we needed to fast from the fasts, clean out what clogged our understanding. But these practices were ancient and contained beauty, an aesthetic as much as an ascetic way, that serves to open us up to the world around us in new ways.

Grassroots life network grows

When Illinois legislators prepared to vote on a new law that would ban human cloning in late February, some Catholics from the Archdiocese of Chicago were ready to support them.

Working in partnership with the Catholic Conference of Illinois, the archdiocesan Respect Life Office spent several evenings early in February organizing a vicariate-by-vicariate grassroots legislative action network to generate telephone calls to state representatives and senators every time legislation with an impact on life issues comes up for a vote.

Vatican calls in abuse experts

In confronting the clerical sex abuse crisis, the Catholic Church needs to work more closely with scientific experts to identify potential perpetrators and make sure they cannot harm the young, a soon-to-be-published Vatican report says.

The 220-page report, “Sexual Abuse in the Catholic Church: Scientific and Legal Perspectives,” represents the Vatican’s first comprehensive effort to examine recent research into the psychological causes and types of abuse, screening procedures, recidivism rates, effects on child victims and the possibility of successful therapy for abusers.

John Paul II to canonize six new saints May 16

Pope has made 483 canonizations during pontificate

Pope John Paul II formally paved the way for the canonization of four men and two women, the majority of whom are founders of religious congregations from the 19th century.

The six will be elevated to sainthood during a Mass May 16 in St. Peter’s Square, the Vatican announced Feb. 19.

Organization aims to think ‘Seven Generations Ahead’

Projects link feeding the hungry, caring for the earth

Gary Cuneen’s oldest son, Nicholas, was about four when Cuneen started thinking seriously about the future.

Not so much about the boy’s education, or how he was going to pay for it, or whether he would grow up to be a prize-winning scientist or president of the United States.

The Oak Park resident’s concerns were more basic: what air would he breathe? What water would he drink? What would he eat?

“I asked myself, ‘What if my son, when he gets to the age of 40 or so, looks at me and asks, “Did you see any of this environmental mess coming, and what did you do about it?”’”

It took a few years to come up with the answer, but Cuneen now serves as executive director of Seven Generations Ahead, an Oak Park-based not-for-profit that works to help people form sustainable communities-communities that live lightly on the earth, giving back to the environment so that it will support future generations. Food is a key component, said Cuneen, who now has three children. His oldest son is 14.

Diversity, history, renewal challenge pastor, parish

At parishes throughout the Archdiocese of Chicago, pastors come and go. The people, however, remain. So, while a pastor has to adjust to his new turf, so do parishioners have to adjust to a new pastor. Quite often, the story becomes a learning experience on both sides. This is one of those stories.

St. James on Wabash Avenue is a one of Chicago’s oldest parishes, built in 1855. Since then, the area has seen boom and bust, boom and bust. Once an elegant corner of the city, 29th and Wabash fell into hard times. But today the parish is on the edge of a renewal, with neighborhoods rebuilding all around.

And while Benedictine Father Edward Linton and his parishioners may not yet always agree on approach, they share common goals of diversity and the survival of their parish.

“Diversity doesn’t just happen; you have to work at it,” said Linton, who was assigned last year as pastor. “At St. James it is valued as a priority.”

Director uses Judas’ betrayal to tell story of faith

When producers of a made-for-TV movie about Judas approached Charles Carner to direct the film, the Beverly neighborhood native had some concerns.

He didn’t want to be part of a project that would attempt to give “some kind of revisionist, neo-modern look at Jesus, a la ‘The Last Temptation of Christ,’” Carner said in a telephone interview from Los Angeles.

Because while a movie about the man who became the world’s best-known traitor held some interest, Carner had no intention of betraying his Catholic faith in the making of it.

On his own terms

Author offers advice on developing character

Mawi Asgedom’s full first name—Salamawi—means peace, and that was one of the messages he brought to students from the Near West Side’s Children of Peace School and Winnetka’s Ss. Faith, Hope and Charity School.

Asgedom, a young motivational speaker and author, offered students from both schools a little bit of his inspirational life story, and a dose of advice on how they could be as successful as he is.

Bishop criticizes Notre Dame’s ‘Monologues’

The bishop of Fort Wayne-South Bend said the University of Notre Dame should not have allowed the production of “The Vagina Monologues” to take place on campus because the play is “offensive to women” and “antithetical to Catholic teaching on the beautiful gift of human sexuality.”

“The play violates the truth about women, the truth about sexuality, the truth about male and female and the truth about the human body. It is in opposition to the highest understanding of academic freedom,” Bishop John M. D’Arcy said.

Christophers announce awards

Two dozen movies, television programs and books were chosen to receive Christopher Awards this year.

Among the winners are the movies “Seabiscuit” and “Whale Rider,” the TV series “Joan of Arcadia” and the best-selling book “Triangle: The Fire That Changed America.”