Physician of our souls

The commentary for this Sunday's Gospel reading in the new Navarre New Testament Expanded Edition includes the following text from the Catechism:

"The Lord Jesus Christ, physician of our souls and bodies, who forgave the sins of the paralytic and restored him to bodily health, has willed that his Church continue, in the power of the Holy Spirit, his work of healing and salvation, even among her own members. This is the purpose of the two sacraments of healing: the sacrament of Penance and the sacrament of Anointing of the Sick" (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1421).

Have I mentioned how much I'm enjoying this book? Read my review here.

Gem creation needed

Fr. Z has a post up describing what's needed to prevent parish closures. As Rochester faces wave after wave of such closures, one would like to think the sort of creativity he recommends could be brought to bear. (Ditto for Cincinnati and other places.)

I have a sinking feeling that many places wouldn’t necessary have to be closed if some creativity was applied. I am thinking of the fantastic work done by Fr. Philips at St. John Cantius in Chicago. He turned a dying disaster into a world famous gem. How did he do it? He stuck to the Church’s doctrine in his preaching, the texts and rubrics in worship, and used both the older and the newer forms of Mass. He stress the Polish heritage of the parish and made sure there was always something going on.

One of the commenters cites the late Fr. Al Lauer's work at Cincinnati's Old St. Mary as a shining example. As Fr. Corapi has said, "Give me the emptiest parish in the worst part of town and I'll make it thrive in a year simply by doing what the Church asks."

To be bold

Cincinnati Enquirer religion reporter Karen Vance brings us news of a couple of promising events this weekend:

Hundreds of area teens and young adults will gather Sunday to discover what it means to be bold in their Catholic faith.

The "Cast Your Nets" program draws on the call from Jesus Christ to be "fishers of men" and is designed to help young people find their calling as Christians and Catholics.

"We're hoping that they'll get out of it a new excitement for the Catholic faith," said Wayne Topp, associate vocations director for the archdiocese. "A lot of students go through the motions. We hope they'll be re-energized and be excited about living their Catholic faith in their daily lives and be bold."

The featured speaker will be Mother Seraphina of the Franciscan Daughters of Mary, an order or sisters in Covington.

The event is 5:30 to 9 p.m. Sunday at Good Shepherd Catholic Church, 8815 Kemper Road, Symmes Township. The program is the first of three. The others will be in Dayton and northern Ohio.

The event is free and open to the public. For more information and to download a required release form, visit www.catholiccincinnati.org/youthmin/cyn.

Across the river, more than 4,000 people - junior high students and their parents and youth group leaders - will crowd into the Bank of Kentucky Center on the campus of Northern Kentucky University for "Believe."

The program is aimed specifically at junior high school students, sixth through eighth grades, from seven nearby states. It begins at 7:30 p.m. today and continues at 8:30 a.m. Saturday at the center, 500 Nunn Drive, Highland Heights.

Registration for Believe begins at 4:30 p.m. today. Walk-ins are welcome. Junior high school students should be accompanied by an adult, and the conference recommends a minimum one-adult-to-four-student ratio. The first talk is at 7:30 p.m.

Cost is $69. For more information, visit www.ciy.com/believe.

You can read about Fr. Rob Jack's Lenten talks at the Holy Spirit Center further in the story.

When tragedy turns to farce

If any of the handful of people trying to fill my comment boxes with anonymous personal attacks against me and my family over the situation on Erie Avenue will send me a signed email, I will respond. Thanks in advance.

Attention would-be Latinists

This spring you have a chance to go from "would-be" to "budding":

I will be coordinating another group working through John F. Collins' "A Primer of Ecclesiastical Latin," with a beginning date of March 17, 2009. The goal of the Collins' text "... is to give the student--within a year of study--the ability to read Ecclesiastical Latin." It isn't the easiest beginners text out there, but if you prefer your Latin with an ecclesiastical or medieval flavor, it's the book for you. Get full details at our web site, http://mysite.verizon.net/joepye1/collins2009.htm

Feel free to forward this announcement to anybody you think might be interested.

My kind of chaplain

As if he didn't have a busy enough calendar, Cincinnati vocations director Fr. Kyle Schnippel has picked up an additional assignment:

ARCHDIOCESE — Father Kyle Schnippel, director of the archdiocesan Vocations Office, has been appointed chaplain for the Catholic Committee on Scouting. Archbishop Daniel E. Pilarczyk named Father Schnippel to the position last fall.

“We want to form as many Catholic Christian young men as we can,” Father Schnippel said. “Right now the focus is on the sacraments and to bolster the faith of kids. Part of the (role of the) chaplain is to oversee the Religious Emblem Awards and make sure there is a religious tone to what scouting does so things aren’t contrary to the faith.”

As chaplain, Father Schnippel will celebrate Mass at the annual Boy Scouts retreat Aug. 7-9 at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary of the West. During the retreat, geared toward boys ages 10-13, he’ll discuss religious life as a way to create and attract interest into the priesthood when they become adults. Last year 125 boys attended the retreat, where they camped on the seminary grounds.

The archdiocesan Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry coordinates local religious recognitions for Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts and American Heritage Girls. The Religious Emblem Awards, for example, recognize a child’s faith that has grown and how he lives his Catholic faith.

“As a younger priest, Father Kyle can connect to younger people,” said Tim Colbert, regional director of youth and young adult ministry in Dayton and the northern part of the archdiocese. “He has a great vision.”

Sean Reynolds, director of youth and young adult ministry for the archdiocese, has worked with Father Schnippel at previous Boy Scout retreats. He said Father Schnippel is part of a key team of the ministry along with Colbert and Joe Schneider, who is chairman of the committee.

“I really enjoy working with him because he is fun and a down-to-earth person who doesn’t take himself too seriously,” Reynolds said. “We’re hoping his being involved with Boy Scouts will increase the number of vocations and (number of boys who) will listen to the call to the priesthood.”

I love the fact that the aspiration for priestly vocations is stated clearly.

Does anyone have data on scouting and vocations?

Penitential practices

This week's Catholic Telegraph of Cincinnati announces the 40 Days for Life campaign; note Coadjutor Archbishop Dennis M. Schnurr's participation.

The 40 Days for Life pro-life campaign begins again on Feb. 25, lasting until April 5. The campaign is made up of three components: prayer and fasting, peaceful vigil at abortion clinics and community outreach.

Among the activities in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, Coadjutor Archbishop Dennis M. Schnurr will lead the rosary outside the Women’s Medical Center at 1401 East Stroop Rd., Kettering, on Wednesday, March 4, at 1:30 p.m. 

It's worth pointing out that Archbishop Pilarczyk has similarly participated in pro-life vigils and other events. I haven't agreed with some of his policy-oriented decisions, but his personal commitment to this issue is not in doubt.

"His Holiness wasn't buying it"

George Weigel on the meeting between the Pope and Pelosi:

He told Pelosi, politely but unmistakably, that her relentlessly pro-abortion politics put her in serious difficulties as a Catholic, which was his obligation as a pastor. He also underscored — for Pelosi, Joe Biden, Ted Kennedy, John Kerry, Barbara Mikulski, Rose DeLauro, Kathleen Sebelius, and everyone else — that the Church’s opposition to the taking of innocent human life, at any stage of the human journey, is not some weird Catholic hocus-pocus; it’s a first principle of justice than can be known by reason. It is a “requirement of the natural moral law” — that is, the moral truths we can know by thinking about what is right and what is wrong — to defend the inviolability of innocent human life. You don’t have to believe in papal primacy to know that; you don’t have do believe in seven sacraments, or the episcopal structure of the Church, or the divinity of Christ, to know that. You don’t even have to believe in God to know that. You only have to be a morally serious human being, willing to work through a moral argument — which, of course, means being the kind of person who understands that moral truth cannot be reduced to questions of feminist political correctness or partisan political advantage.

Faithful = affordable

Here's some news that gives comfort to a father of five on the eve of becoming a father of six:

A new independent report on college costs published by The Center for the Study of Catholic Higher Education—the research division of The Cardinal Newman Society—reveals that some of the most faithful Catholic colleges and universities in the United States also offer students significant cost savings.

The Center commissioned this report in response to the economic recession as a way of helping parents and students as they consider various options for colleges. The study compares the faithfully Catholic colleges recommended in The Newman Guide to Choosing a Catholic College: What to Look for and Where to Find with other Catholic colleges and other private colleges on issues such as tuition, institutional aid, student debt and overall affordability.

Among the study’s key findings:

· Average tuition for students at the recommended faithful Catholic colleges is about $3,000 less than at other Catholic colleges and about $1,000 less than the average private college.

· The Newman Guide colleges provide students a larger portion of institutional aid (39%) than the average private college (29%).

· Students at the recommended Catholic colleges graduate with fewer loans and less debt—on average, about $2,000 less than at private colleges and $1,400 less than other Catholic colleges.

"Reject this comment"

Comment moderation is now a permanent feature of this site.

I lack the time and patience to police my comment boxes for the childish behavior from anonymous posters on display in recent days.

The constant source

In the latest installment of his continuing catechesis on great writers of the Church in the East and West, Pope Benedict today addressed Venerable Bede. Since late last year, I've been working my way through the Gospel of Mark, primarily using the Navarre series as a guide. Bede's commentary on Mark, a gospel rarely examined by Church fathers, is referenced throughout.

Sacred Scriptures were the constant source of Bede's theological reflection. Having made a careful critical study of the text (we have a copy of the monumental Codex Amiatinus of the Vulgate, on which Bede worked), he commented on the Bible, reading it in a Christological vein, namely, re-uniting two things: On one hand, he listened to what the text was saying exactly, he really wanted to listen and understand the text itself; on the other hand, he was convinced that the key to understanding sacred Scripture as the unique Word of God is Christ and with Christ, in his light, one understands the Old and the New Testament as "a" sacred Scripture.

The events of the Old and New Testament go together, they are together the path toward Christ, though expressed in different signs and institutions (it is what he calls "concordia sacramentorum"). For example, the tent of the covenant that Moses raised in the desert and the first and second temple of Jerusalem are images of the Church, new temple built on Christ and the Apostles with living stones, cemented by the charity of the Spirit. And, as was the case for the construction of the ancient temple of Jerusalem, even pagan people contributed, making available valuable materials and the technical experience of their master builders, thus apostles and masters not only from ancient Hebrew, Greek and Latin stock contributed to the building of the Church, but also new peoples, among which Bede is pleased to enumerate the Iro-Celts and the Anglo-Saxons. St. Bede witnessed the universality of the Church grow, which is not restricted to a certain culture, but is made up of all the cultures of the world which must open themselves to Christ and find in him their point of arrival.

Another topic loved by Bede is the history of the Church. After having taken interest in the period described in the Acts of the Apostles, he reviewed the history of the Fathers of the Church and the councils, convinced that the work of the Holy Spirit continues in history. In the "Cronica Maiora," Bede traces a chronology that would become the basis of the universal calendar "ab incarnatione Domini." Up to then, time was calculated from the foundation of the city of Rome. Bede, seeing that the true point of reference, the center of history is the birth of Christ, gave us this calendar that reads history beginning with the Lord's Incarnation. He registered the first six ecumenical councils and their development, presenting faithfully the Christian, Mariological and Soteriological doctrine, and denouncing the Monophysite and Monothelite, iconoclastic and neo-Pelagian heresies. Finally, he wrote with documentary rigor and literary expertise the already mentioned "Ecclesiastical History of the English People," for which he is recognized as "the father of English historiography." The characteristic traits of the Church that Bede loved to evidence are: a) its catholicity, as fidelity to tradition together with openness to historical developments, and as the pursuit of unity in multiplicity, in the diversity of history and cultures, according to the directives that Pope Gregory the Great gave to the apostle of England, Augustine of Canterbury; b) its apostolicity and Romanness: In this regard he considers of primary importance to convince the whole Iro-Celtic Churches and that of the Picts to celebrate Easter uniformly according to the Roman calendar. The calculation elaborated scientifically by him to establish the exact date of the Easter celebration, and thus of the entire cycle of the liturgical year, became the text of reference for the whole Catholic Church.

A sea of uniforms

Earlier today, Our Lady of Victory/St. Joseph, a place I'm proud to call my Rochester parish, was host to a Mass for a wounded police officer:

Law enforcement from across the region came together at a prayer service today for Rochester Police officer Anthony DiPonzio. Officer DiPonzio was shot in the head two weeks ago and is recovering at St. Mary's Hospital.

Today it was standing room only at Our Lady of Victory Church downtown as mounted patrol officers lined up outside, police officers packed inside to show support and pray for their brother.

It was a sea of uniforms from state police to the Monroe County Sheriff's Office to just about every town and village police chief. The district attorney and his staff, fire fighters and local attorneys were also in attendance, holding the belief that prayer does work.

Webster Police Chief Gerald Pickering said, “I've been fortunate that in 31 years I've never been shot but here's a young guy just starting out and he gets shot from behind. It's a tragedy but certainly a miracle his recovery thus far and I can't help but think it's in great part due to the prayers of his brothers.”

Sean Noonan said, “I'm a retired Monroe County Sheriff’s sergeant and I just came to pray for the officer and his family.”

Father Ronald Antinarelli encouraged the congregation to pray for all of the men and women in uniform. “I think this whole thing has come to teach the people the police officers are human beings and that they are helping us, they're risking their lives each day.”

Father Antinarella encouraged the congregation to pray for DiPonzio's parents who were not at the mass and all men and women in uniform.

An old act of kindness

Rick Barr of the wonderful Catholic Telegraph Photography Project blog has a fascinating post up about a letter from Cincinnati's Archbishop Purcell to President Lincoln about releasing a prisoner of war. The letter was written at the behest of Lincoln's own sister-in-law, who was most likely staying in Cincinnati with her sister. As you may know, this month marks the 200th anniversary of Lincoln's birth.

Want to know what makes the Mass "sacred and great"?

Consult Fr. Tim Finigan's 37-page booklet, which takes readers on a tour of the history of the Mass, the development of the Roman rite, the reforms of Vatican II, and the importance of placing tradition at the heart of a parish.

Read about why he wrote and released it here.

Blogworthy

Eric Sammons, a frequent and erudite commenter on this site, has started a blog of his own. Called "The Divine Life," it focuses on catechesis and spiritual health. His latest entry concerns Pope Benedict's call for a rediscovery of the sacrament of Confession, a salutary idea as Lent approaches.

My daughter recently received the sacrament of confession for the first time, and it reminded me of the beauty of this gift given to us by Jesus. I am very fortunate to belong to a parish which emphasizes the importance of confession; the sacrament is available here every day and twice on Saturday, and our pastor never tires of emphasizing the value of this great means of repentance and reconciliation.

Yesterday, the Pope urged us all to frequent this sacrament, noting how our sins separate us from God like leprosy separated one from his community in Jesus’ time. And as yesterday’s readings showed, it just took the touch of Jesus to heal this man and restore him to fellowship with others.

You can read the text of Pope Benedict's confession-themed Angelus address from yesterday here.

Define:abrogate

Gene at Rochester Catholic has put up an interesting post about lay preaching in the Diocese of Rochester:

According to the minutes of a recent parish council meeting at St. Thomas More, Father Joseph Hart (Vicar General of the DOR), was asked why he stands near the layperson who is speaking at Mass during the time reserved for the homily. Father Hart replied that he stood there because the layperson is speaking only in the role of someone who is having a dialogue with the presiding priest. He further stated that his standing there is designed to prevent the congregation from perceiving that the layperson has been delegated the role of homilist.

Father Hart’s response raises a number of questions. First of all, is it a DOR requirement that the presiding priest stand near the apparent lay homilist during this time of sharing? I have been to many Masses where I have witnessed “lay preaching”, and I have yet to see the priest standing close by during this “dialogue”.

Father Hart cites the 1997 Vatican document, On Certain Questions Regarding the collaboration of the Non-Ordained Faithful in the Sacred Ministry of the Priest (hereafter, “OCQ”), in support of the DOR’s use of laypeople during the homily. Father Hart states that this document allows the presiding priest to utilize a layperson during the homily as long as its is part of a “dialogue”.

Let's pretend that the '97 document says what Fr. Hart and other diocesan officials claim it says. 2004's Redemptionis Sacramentum, a Vatican instruction which bans this sort of preaching outright, abrogates all earlier guidelines or norms. Is it possible at this late date that Fr. Hart hasn't seen it? You can read the pertinent paragraphs from RS at the attached link.

Translating moonbat

Frequent commenter (and blogger in her own right) Maureen translates the string of angry -- and loopy -- non sequiturs that accompanies Sr. Marge Kloos's signature to a petition sponsored by the Women's Ordination Conference. Sister Marge is one of the featured speakers at St. Mary of Hyde Park's "Lenten Series 2009."

"Participating fully in God's grace is hardly able to be controlled, manipulated or stopped through disingenuous or punitive reactions against another—even and perhaps especially when done in the name of God."

You're not the boss of me, bishop! You don't have any apostolic power of binding and loosing, unless you're doing what I say.

"Spirit burrows well beneath the vision of the “surface viewer,” the one who only sees the distinct threat Her positive, spontaneous energy presents to the viewer’s perceived identity of importance, authority and order."

I don't believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the Giver of Life. I believe in the Annoying Spirit, the Rebel, the Leech off Less Important Life.

"Women must bear the scars of institutional oppression, long-designed by other humans to keep women in paralyzing positions of subserviency."

Women are kept down by the Man!

"Adding to the struggle, women must also bear as burden the responsibility for transforming this oppression."

You always make me clean up your messes, so I'm doubly a martyr.

"Why? Justice is a core value not easily dismissed in the constellation of spiritual dynamics from which the mature seeker takes direction in discerning matters of the soul."

Whatever I want to decree is justice; whatever you want to decree is oppression.

"The story is so familiar and so ancient! With gracious humor flowing from deep oneness with Eternal Energy, women row against the tidal wave of patriarchy."

Men are always mean to us, but we just laugh at those mean meanies.
(And don't ask what happens if you "row against" a "tidal wave".)

Maureen's translations continue here.

Purifying the soul

And now it's the Enquirer's turn. Like many newspapers this month, the Cincinnati Enquirer has taken up the theme of indulgences this morning as a result of Pope Benedict's renewed emphasis on this ancient practice that fell out of favor in the chaos that followed Vatican II. But unlike most newspapers, the Enquirer's treatment of it under reporter Dan Horn is relatively free of canards and inaccuracies. He has done his homework. Here's a sample:

The confusion is understandable, considering the indulgence's checkered past and the failure of so many Catholics to regularly go to confession, a crucial component of an indulgence. A recent Georgetown University study found that almost half of adult Catholics never participate in the sacrament of Reconciliation, or confession.

"We're struggling just to get people to do that, or to go to Mass," Fernandes said. "So to get people to understand something this complicated is difficult."

While most lay Catholics will never master all the rules and history - church scholars actually have a "Handbook of Indulgences" to keep track of it all - the value of indulgences is clear to anyone who closely follows and believes the faith's teachings on the afterlife.

The shorthand version of the rules goes like this: Confession removes the "eternal punishment" of sin that can condemn a soul for all eternity, but a "temporal punishment" remains. This punishment is meted out in Purgatory, where Catholics must wait to be purified before moving on to heaven.

That's where indulgences come into play. They can shorten or eliminate the purification process, clearing the path to heaven.

"We must be purified, either here on Earth or after death in Purgatory," Fernandes said. "What an indulgence seeks to do is remit the temporal punishment."

There are different kinds of indulgences: Plenary indulgences eliminate all of the punishment while partial indulgences remit some of it. Catholics can get an indulgence for themselves or for someone else, as long as they go to confession, Mass and Communion and perform the required combination of prayers and good deeds.

"You don't get a certificate," said archdiocese spokesman Dan Andriacco. "You don't get a 'Get Out of Purgatory Free' card. It's a self-administered process."

If anyone is looking to take advantage of the opportunities for indulgences throughout the Church's liturgical year, I highly recommend Bridegroom Press's The Beauty of Grace. This very useful Catholic calendar highlights and explains different ways to win partial and plenary indulgences. It is also rich with catechetical material -- each month features a scriptural and historical defense of a particular doctrine. (Unfortunately for you, I picked up the last copy at The Catholic Shop in Madeira, but it's available online for 50 cents!)

Click to play

Fr. Kyle Schnippel, vocations director for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, has begun a series of interviews with local priests and made them available on his blog. Listen to his conversation with Fr. Tom Snodgrass here. You can also listen to a recording of Fr. Earl Fernandes's "Call to Greatness" address, recently delivered at the Call of the King conference in Piqua and at St. Cecelia parish in the Oakley suburb of Cincinnati. Last but not least, Fr. Schnippel has posted the text of his latest essay for the Catholic Telegraph of Cincinnati; the theme is personal worthiness and weakness and the call to the priesthood. Here's a snippet:

St. Peter’s moment of weakness during Jesus’ Passion was not his last. On the Via Appia Antiqua in Rome stands the little Quo Vadis? Church. As persecutions grew under Nero, St. Peter grew afraid for his life and left the city along the Appian Way to the south of Italy. As he traveled, he saw Jesus going the other way, back to the city, and asked him incredulously: “Lord, where are you going?” (“Quo Vadis?” in Latin) Jesus looked at Peter and simply replied: “I am going to Rome to be crucified again.” With this simple admonition, Peter returned to Rome to face his own crucifixion, upside down, for he did not feel worthy to die in the same manner that Jesus did.

The list of great saints who have struggled with their own sinfulness continues to our very day, and includes some of the greatest saints we venerate: Jerome, Augustine, Ignatius of Loyola, Maximillian Kolbe. It is important to recognize that Jesus does not call those who are worthy of the priesthood, for no one is truly worthy of this great gift. Rather, he equips those who are called to lay their own weaknesses at His feet, and He gives them the talents and abilities needed to fulfill the mission that Jesus has set before them.

Pray for priests -- those we have and those we need.