A devoted priest - Archdiocese of Indianapolis

Funk, a member of Our Lady of GraceMonastery in Beech Grove, has partici-pated in many interreligious dialoguesover the years sponsored both by theHoly See and the U.S. bishops.

She thinks that an effective way toovercome the kind of interreligious tensions evidenced in the current contro-versy about the pope’s lecture is through

education. This wouldinclude learning aboutthe Church’s acknowl-edgement that Muslimsworship the same Godthat Christians and Jewsdo.

“We have to be edu-cated ourselves as towhat is Islam,” saidSister Mary Margaret,who authored a book on

Islam titled Islam Is. “They want to beseen as [having] a pure religion, with itsown integrity and their own beliefs.”

One Muslim whom Sister MaryMargaret has entered into dialogue withis Dr. Sayyid M. Sayeed, the founder andpast general secretary of the Plainfield-based Islamic Society of North America.

By Sean Gallagher

The Sept. 12 lecture delivered byPope Benedict XVI at the University ofRegensburg in Germany—and the sharpMuslim reaction to it in many parts ofthe world—should not have a negativeimpact upon Catholic-Muslim relationsin central and southern Indiana, accord-ing to participants in interreligious dialogues.

Pope Benedict said on Sept. 17 that hewas “deeply sorry” thatMuslims were offendedby his reference to ahistorical criticism ofIslam from a 14th cen-tury Byzantine emperor,which he said does notreflect his own opinion.

“I am deeply sorryfor the reactions insome countries to a fewpassages of my addressat the University of

Regensburg, which were consideredoffensive to the sensibility of Muslims,”the pope said.

Benedictine Sister Mary Margaret

By Sean Gallagher

From the time he was a first-grade student atSt. Patrick School in Terre Haute in 1955, FatherRichard Eldred has had a special devotion to BlessedMother Theodore Guérin.

He grew up in Terre Haute, not far from Saint Mary-of-the-Woods where Blessed Mother Theodore foundedthe Sisters of Providence in 1840. Members of that reli-gious community taught him both in his parish schooland later at Paul Schulte High School.

Father Eldred, now pastor of St. Vincent de PaulParish in Bedford and St. Mary Parish in Mitchell, continued to live and worship in his hometown duringhis college years at Indiana State University and as ayoung adult working in his family’s business based inTerre Haute.

So there was always a close connection between him,the Sisters of Providence and theirfoundress.

But this relationship took on agreater depth in 1994 when Father

Eldred was discerning a possi-ble call to the priesthood.

He had started the applica-tion process to become a semi-narian in early July.

Several weeks later, hereceived a phone call from

Sacred Heart School of Theology inHales Corners, Wis.

“They called me at 11:30 a.m. on Aug. 22, telling methat I had been accepted, and that they wanted me therethat day,” Father Eldred said. “And that’s when I said,‘I’ve got a house. I’ve got a business.’ I was caught offguard.”

But like Abraham, who responded immediately toGod’s call to leave the land of his fathers for thePromised Land, Father Eldred packed his bags and leftTerre Haute behind that day, arriving at the seminary at9 p.m.

Dropping everything at a moment’s notice to pursuea different path was a momentous choice for FatherEldred.

At the time, he was the treasurer of his family’s business that involved five trucking companies, a ware-house firm and an industrial packaging outfit.

See DIALOGUE, page 8

See DEVOTION, page 2

CriterionCriterionOnline.com September 22, 2006 Vol. XLVI, No. 49 75¢

Serving the Church in Central and Southern Indiana Since 1960

Witnessesto love

Phot

o co

urte

sy o

f L’O

sser

vato

re R

oman

o

A devoted priestFather Eldred joins love of Eucharist, devotion to Blessed Mother Theodore

Pope John Paul II gives Communion to Deacon Richard Eldred of the Archdiocese of Indianapolis during the Oct. 25, 1998, beatificationMass of Blessed Mother Theodore Guérin.

Four years later, Father Eldred received another phonecall that had another tremendous impact on his life.

“I can remember sitting in my seminary room andFather [Joseph] Moriarty [the then archdiocesan vocationsdirector] being there, and he had received a call at mydesk, and then hung up and then the phone rang again,”Father Eldred said. “And he told me, ‘This is for you.’And so I took the call and I won’t forget it. That’s whenthey said, ‘You’ve been selected to go to the Vatican andbe the deacon and represent the Sisters of Providence.’ ”

The religious community had been given the opportunity to invite a deacon from the archdiocese toserve at Blessed Mother Theodore’s beatification Massin Rome.

For Providence Sister Marie Kevin Tighe, vice-pos-tulator of the canonization cause, the fact that FatherEldred, with his close connection to her community andtheir foundress, was the only archdiocesan deacon atthe time was fitting.

Dialogue partners see hope for future of Catholic-Muslim relationsMore on Pope Benedict XVI’strip to Germany, page 10.

Jubilarians honored atGoldenWeddingAnniversaryMass, page 9.

Sr. MaryMargaret Funk,O.S.B.

Dr. Sayyid M.Sayeed

He currently serves in Washington, D.C.,as the organization’s national director.

Sayeed, who described Catholic-Muslim relations in Indiana as “very cordial [and] warm,” said that dialoguesbetween the two communities have beenfruitful.

“For both communities, it has helpedus to build bridges and to have certaincommon causes and to have joint confer-ences … at every level—national, local,parish and dioceses,” he said.

Msgr. Joseph F. Schaedel, archdioce-san vicar general, has participated inCatholic-Muslim interchanges, althoughin a more limited way than Sister MaryMargaret and Sayeed.

Referring to an analysis of relationsbetween Christians, Jews and Muslimsmade by Australian Cardinal George Pellof Sydney, Msgr. Schaedel said it isimportant to protect and continue tostrengthen these bridges for the futureharmony of societies around the world.

“Jews, Catholics and Muslims all worship the same God,” Msgr. Schaedelsaid. “Now we may have different viewsof that God. But there’s only one God,

The Criterion Friday, September 22, 2006Page 2 The Criterion Friday, September 22, 2006

Moving?We’ll be there waiting if you give us two weeks’advance notice!

Name ______________________________________________________

New Address ________________________________________________

City ________________________________________________________

State/Zip ____________________________________________________

New Parish __________________________________________________

Effective Date ________________________________________________

Note: If you are receiving duplicate copies please send both labels.

The Criterion • P.O. Box 1717 • Indianapolis, IN 46206-1717

9/22/06

The Criterion (ISSN 0574-4350) is published weeklyexcept the last week ofDecember and the firstweek of January.

1400 N. Meridian St.P.O. Box 1717 Indianapolis, IN 46206-1717317-236-1570800-382-9836 ext. [email protected]

Periodical postage paid atIndianapolis, IN. Copyright © 2006 CriterionPress Inc.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to:Criterion Press Inc.1400 N. Meridian St.Box 1717Indianapolis, IN 46206-1717

DEVOTIONcontinued from page 1

Phone Numbers:Main office: ...........................317-236-1570Advertising ............................317-236-1572Toll free:............1-800-382-9836, ext. 1570 Circulation: ............................317-236-1425 Toll free:............1-800-382-9836, ext. 1425

Price: $22.00 per year, 75 cents per copy

Postmaster:Send address changes to The Criterion,P.O. Box 1717, Indianapolis, IN 46206

Web site : www.CriterionOnline.com

E-mail: [email protected]

Published weekly except the last week of December and the first week of January. Mailingaddress: 1400 N. Meridian St., P.O. Box 1717, Indianapolis, IN 46206-1717. Periodical postagepaid at Indianapolis, IN. Copyright © 2006 Criterion Press Inc. ISSN 0574-4350.

Staff:Editor: Mike KrokosAssistant Editor: John ShaughnessySenior Reporter: Mary Ann WyandReporter: Sean GallagherOnline Editor: Brandon A. EvansBusiness Manager: Ron MasseyAdministrative Assistant: Dana DanberrySenior Account Executive: Barbara BrinkmanSenior Account Executive: Kelly GreenArt Director: Ann SternbergGraphics Specialist: Dave SechristGraphics Specialist: Jerry Boucher

CriterionCCrriitteerriioonnTheCriterionCCrriitteerriioonnThe

“Well, I thought that was typical of Mother Theodore toarrange for one of our own young men to be a deacon atthat particular moment in our history,” she said.

At the actual Mass, Father Eldred was with Pope JohnPaul II when he received the offertory gifts. He receivedthe sign of peace and Communion from the pope and laterpurified his chalice.

Serving so close to the pope was a powerful experiencefor Father Eldred.

“Looking back, I didn’t compre-hend it,” he said.

Father Moriarty, now associatedirector of spiritual formation atSaint Meinrad School of Theology inSt. Meinrad, said the devotion thatFather Eldred had shown to BlessedMother Theodore throughout his yearsof priestly formation was an “excellentexample” for his fellow seminarians.

“I think that [his] trust … inProvidence was something that he

relied on and something that he experienced through pray-ing through her intercession,” said Father Moriarty, who isalso administrator of Our Lady of the Springs Parish inFrench Lick and Our Lord Jesus Christ the King Parish inPaoli. “I think he was doing that all along.”

Father Eldred’s devotion to Blessed Mother Theodorecontinued after his ordination to the priesthood in 1999.

Wherever he has served in the archdiocese—fromRichmond to Indianapolis to Mooresville to Bedford andMitchell—he has encouraged peo-ple to learn from MotherTheodore’s example, and to prayfor her interecession. He has alsogiven out hundreds of her holycards that contain third-class relicsof Indiana’s first saint.

But it is at St. Thomas MoreParish in Mooresville where FatherEldred’s devotion to BlessedMother Theodore has made thelargest impact.

Shortly after he become administrator there in 2001, heapproached parishionersRose Warthen and Vi Jerin about“a little job” he had for them, Warthen recalled.

The parish had been having monthly periods of

adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. Father Eldred wantedthem to help establish and coordinate a perpetual adorationchapel.

Warthen initially wasn’t soldon the idea.

“When he said we were goingto go perpetual, I looked at himand I do believe I said, ‘You’renuts,’ ” she said.

But the chapel, which wasnamed after Blessed MotherTheodore, was inaugurated just afew months after Father Eldredbegan his ministry there.Eucharistic adoration continuesthere to this day.

Having the chapel named afterMother Theodore was special forWarthen, who had “developed a

relationship with her” when her husband was ill in 1995.She also assisted Father Eldred in encouraging

Nancy Lasiter, a member of St. Thomas More Parish in Mooresville, prays on Sept. 18 before the Blessed Sacrament in th’[perpetual adora-tion chapel. The chapel is named after Blessed Mother Theodore Guérin and was established in 2001 by Father Rick Eldred, then adminis-trator of the parish.

Fr. Richard Eldred

Phot

o by

Sea

n G

alla

gher

devotion to Mother Theodore.“When Father Rick would get a batch of holy cards

with the third-class relics, I made sure that special peoplethat I came in contact with or somebody that was hurting[would get them],” she said. “He always encouraged devo-tion, first to the Eucharist and then to Mother Theodore.”

For Father Eldred, encouraging devotion to the Eucharistand to Blessed Mother Theodore are intimately connected.

“Her love for the Eucharist is what I’ve always seen asher true charism,” he said. “When she first arrived here,she and her companions … never said a word to anybodyuntil after they went before the Eucharist and prayed.Then after putting their trust in the Lord in the Eucharist,they began their work.”

Father Eldred is now looking forward to showing hislove for Blessed Mother Theodore Guérin at the celebra-tion of the Eucharist on Oct. 15 in Rome, where PopeBenedict XVI will declare her a saint.

“It’s sort of like going back and concluding the longprocess that started when I was in the first grade,” hesaid. “And so from that standpoint, it’s very exciting.” †

‘Her love for the Eucharist iswhat I’ve always seen as hertrue charism. When she firstarrived here, she and her com-panions … never said a wordto anybody until after they wentbefore the Eucharist andprayed.’

— Fr. Richard Eldred

ECKSTEIN 620 MAIN ST., BEECH GROVE, IN

317-786-7086

SHOESTORE

TUES.-FRI. 9-6, SAT. 9-4CLOSED SUN. & MON.

Mens and WomensNew BalanceMade in widths 2A to 4E

AARP,Senior Promise,and AAA Travel

Discounts

Chicken or Roast Beef DinnersServing from 10:30 AM - 4:30 PM

Evening Meal 4:30–6:30 PM

Carry-outs availableTurtle Soup, Beer Garden, Sandwiches,

Snacks & Drinks, Home-made Ice Cream,MONEY Raffle, Quilts & Variety Raffle,Baskets Galore Booth, Silent Auction,

Games, Country StoreQuaint German Town Surroundings

and Hometown HospitalityJust 3 miles off I-74 at Batesville-Oldenburg Exit

Holy Family Church FestivalOldenburg, Indiana

Festival License 2006 - 107579

Sunday, October 1, 2006

The Criterion Friday, September 22, 2006

By John Shaughnessy

As soon as he saw the police car, Robert Kitchinstarted to worry—especially when the ram in the frontpassenger seat next to Kitchin raised its head and lookedin the direction of the police car.

Kitchin wondered how he was going to explain to thepolice officer that the live ram—named Rambunctious—was a high school mascot, and he was giving it a ride toa football game.

Kitchin noticed that the officer returned the ram’slook, did a double-take and drove away, apparentlydeciding not to ask any questions.

In a peculiar way, that moment typifies the briefhistory of Bishop Chartrand High School in Indianapolisfrom 1962 through 1969. Before it was merged intoRoncalli High School, Chartrand was a place wherethere was rarely a dull moment. It was also a placewhere the stories of supporting Catholic educationthrough faith, family and unusual fundraisers—including selling toothbrushes and even holding acircus—were common.

The stories, the joy and the memories of those yearswill undoubtedly be recalled when the 1966, ’67, ’68and ‘69 graduates of Chartrand—the school’s only fourgraduating classes—will hold a reunion on Oct. 7 atRoncalli. The reunion will start with a Mass at5:30 p.m. and include a dinner at 8 p.m.

“It was sort of a small school,” recalls Kitchin, theonly principal Chartrand had. “We were trying to givethem what the Lord intended—basically just charity forothers. What we couldn’t give them, we made up withcare and devotion to them. They were good kids. You’dtell them what needed to be done and they’d do it. Therewere a number of parents interested in the place, too.”

Kitchin put an unusual question to some of thoseparents when he wanted to find a mascot to representthe school’s nickname, the Rams.

“I said, ‘Do you know where I can get a sheep ramwith big ram horns?’ ” Kitchin recalls. “One guy said hewould go to the stockyards. He came back with one.

Boy, was he filthy. Icleaned him up andput a big dog harnesson him. We put himout where he couldgraze. We had toteach him to butt.When he was realgood at that, we tookhim to Beech Grovefor a football game.Everyone left, so Iput him in the frontseat of the car and

started to drive to Beech Grove.”That’s when Kitchin saw the police car and cringed.

Still, it all turned out for the best, which is also howmany of the school’s graduates remember Chartrand.

“Because Chartrand only existed for four graduatingyears, I have always had to explain to people where Iwent to school,” says Donna Guy Woodman, a 1966

graduate. “They usually say, ‘Don’t you mean Chatard?’I have to explain that we opened our little building in1962 in the name of Bishop Joseph Chartrand, notChatard.”

Most of Chartrand’s trophies and memorabilia werecast aside when the school merged into Roncalli, butone major tradition continues in a slightly alteredform—the school’s fight song.

“A few words in the song have been changed and thecatch phrase of ‘Chartrand Rams’ has been replaced by‘Roncalli Rebels,’ ” Woodman says. “We Chartrandgraduates still sing the original words softly when wehear it played at ball games. We are proud of whatRoncalli has become in the 40 years since ourfoundation blocks of the building were set.

“You can ask any of these graduates from those fourgraduating years, and they will agree that we shared aspecial bond and friendship that is difficult to explain.”

Bob Tully saw that special bond as one of theoriginal teachers and coaches at Chartrand. He has alsoseen that spirit evolve and grow as a teacher and a coachat Roncalli ever since it opened.

“Those Chartrand years were some greatexperiences,” Tully says. “They made me fall in lovewith the south side. Everything about it was great. Superkids supported by super families. It hasn’t changedsince.”

Bernie Weimer remembers the positive atmospherethat pervaded the school.

“We were all young, fresh out of school, and wewanted to do good,” says Weimer, one of Chartrand’soriginal teachers and its band director. “Kitch had avision of how to get things done and get the funds tomake things go. I walked in there, and Kitch said weneeded a band. When we had our first meeting, 35 kidsshowed up and 25 played guitar. We had to start fromscratch and order all the equipment. The philosophywas, ‘This is going to happen and this is what willcome.’ ”

That philosophy led to the creation of a football fieldfrom the dirt that was dug to make the school’sbasement. That philosophy also influenced the unusualfundraisers the school had.

“Selling toothbrushes is very memorable with all myclassmates,” Woodman says. “I’m sure someone had tohave donated them. They gave us a dozen. My parentssaid, ‘You’re not going around door to door sellingtoothbrushes!’ They bought them all.”

Kitchin still hasn’t forgotten the circus fundraiser—nomatter how hard he tries.

“That was a dreadful experience,” he recalls. “I knewa little girl whose family traveled with the circus. Shecalled up and asked if we could have the circus at ourschool. The circus wasn’t too good and they left a mess,too.”

Yet, people still remember it as one of the specialmemories that made Chartrand distinctive, just like havinga live ram for a mascot.

“Rambunctious loved to crack people,” Kitchin recalls.“He tried to give one of the referees a shot. He diedfinally, but he ate a lot of archdiocesan shrubbery whilewe had him.”

At 84, Kitchin laughs at the memories. He also looksforward to the reunion.

“I remember an awful lot of the kids,” he says. “I’ll justbe glad to see how they’re doing. They’re fine kids, andthey’ve done well. We did our best for them. It was fun.”

(For more information about the reunion, contact DonnaGuy Woodman at 317-787-4770.) †

A special bondJoys, memories to highlight Bishop Chartrand High School r eunion

A page from the 1965 yearbook of Bishop Chartrand High Schoolshows some of the members of the class of 1966.

Rambunctious II served as one of thecolorful, live mascots for the BishopChartrand Rams.

WOOD, TUOHY, GLEASON,MERCER & HERRIN, PC

AA TT TT OO RR NN EE YY SS AA TT LL AA WW

LitigationMortgage LawAdoption Business and CorporateChurch LawReal EstateEmployment LawEstate Planning NonprofitsWills & TrustsPowers of AttorneyAccidents and InjuriesInsurance Zoning

3400 Bank One Center TowerP.O. Box 44942Indianapolis, IN 46244-0942Phone: 317-636-3551Fax: 317-636-6680www.indylegal.comEmail: [email protected]

SSeerrvviinngg IInnddiiaannaa FFaammiilliieess aannddbbuussiinneesssseess ssiinnccee 11992288,,

tthhee IInnddiiaannaa CCaatthhoolliicc CCoonnffeerreenncceessiinnccee 11996699 aanndd tthhee

AArrcchhddiioocceessee ssiinnccee 11997755..General Practice in All Courts.

John S. (Jay) Mercer,Todd H. Belanger,

Jennifer D. McNair,Stephen M. Koers,

Jennifer R. Fitzwater,Daniel S. Tomson

OF COUNSEL

William J. Wood,Ronald J. Cole

John L. Mercer,John Q. Herrin,

Sue Tuohy MacGill

RETIRED

James L. Tuohy,Charles T. Gleason,

Eugene E. Henn

��

�� !��

"��

�� !��"#� $�%�&��'''�"(�!��)*

��#��$��

Help the Society of St. Vincent de Paul help thepoor who don’t have a bed to sleep on or a sto veto cook their meals on. They need clothing andwashers and dryers.

Fall Festivalat Our Lady of Lourdes

5333 E. Washington St. • Indianapolis, IN

Friday, September 29 – 5 p.m. – 11 p.m.

Saturday, September 30 – 5 p.m. – 11 p.m.

Sunday, October 1st – noon – 5 p.m.

$5,000 FFIIRRSSTT PPRRIIZZEE

$1,000 22nndd PPRRIIZZEE • $500 33rrdd && 44tthh PPRRIIZZEE

MONTE CARLO • TEXAS HOLD ’EMFriday & Saturday

Flu shots Saturday 4:30–6:30 p.m.

• Games for the kids ages 3–83• Amusement Rides

• Great Food• Silent Auction

Wine & Cheese served at Sister’s LoungeKaraoke at Sister’s Lounge

License #108675


Letters to the Editor

Imagine my surprise to read inThe Criterion about Father Michael Placeand his nuances.

Father Place is no stranger to Chicagoand the pro-life movement. I found hischoice of words (cited in an editorial andchallenged soon thereafter in a letter to theeditor) interesting.

Father Place states Terri Schiavo died inFlorida two weeks after her nutrition andhydration were removed. I would say shewas euthanized by starvation anddehydration.

In reading what was presented in yourpublication, Father Place is building hisperspective on end-of-life issues by usingconsensus and nuance.

Moral absolutes are just that; they arenot dependent on a consensus oftheologians.

Nuance, in my dictionary, means a slightdifference, a variation, a fog (similar to thepenumbra on the 14th Amendment thatJustice Harry Blackman used to legalizeabortion).

I believe Father Place has nuancedPope John Paul II’s teaching on the moralimperative of providing food and water tothe sick person in a vegetative stateawaiting recovery or death.

In the minds of many theologians,consensus has replaced moral absolutes.The sacredness of human life is theparamount moral absolute upon which allof the others depend.

If I were not educated on end-of-lifeissues, I would have to say after readingwhat Father Place said that a fog hadenveloped my mind, not allowing me toclearly understand that the provision ofnutrition and hydration are morallyobligatory in all cases.

It seems as if consensus has replacedcatechesis. I urge Catholic readers to readthe papal address on food and water by thelate Pope John Paul II on March 20, 2004.Bonnie Quirke, R.N.Vice President, Illinois Federation forRight to LifeLibertyville, Ill.

Those of us who greatly admireArchbishop Fulton J. Sheen have to bepleased that two cases of alleged miraclesthrough his intercession have been sent toRome as part of the promotion of hissainthood cause.

I’m surprised, though, that in the articlein the Sept. 8 issue of The Criterion, Cath-olic News Service had the wrong date forhis death. It said he died on Oct. 3, 1979.

Archbishop Sheen always said that hewanted to die on a feast of the BlessedVirgin while in front of the BlessedSacrament. He died on Dec. 9, 1979, oneday after the feast of the ImmaculateConception.

He did, though, die in front of theBlessed Sacrament, in his private chapel.John F. Fink, IndianapolisEditor Emeritus, The Criterion

Rev. Msgr. Raymond T. Bosler, Founding Editor, 1915 - 1994

Most Rev. Daniel M. Buechlein, O.S.B., Publisher Greg A. Otolski, Associate PublisherMike Krokos, Editor John F. Fink, Editor Emeritus

OPINION

What are we to make of thecontroversy sparked by Pope

Benedict XVI’s use of a quote from a14th-century Byzantine emperor whowas critical of the teaching ofMohammed?

What do the condemnations byMuslim leaders, the burning-in-effigyby crowds of demonstrators and theviolence against individual westernerssignify? Is there any correlationbetween what the Holy Father intended(or actually said) in his address at theUniversity of Regensberg, and theoutrageous response it has provoked?

The Vatican Press Office respondedto the initial wave of protest with anattempt to clarify (and put in context)what the pope sought to accomplish inhis address.

Pope Benedict was using historicalsources to illustrate the long historyand depth of feeling of the divisionsbetween Christians and Muslims. Hisintent was to argue against violence inthe name of religion—and to promote“a genuine dialogue of cultures andreligions so urgently needed today.”

Muslims leaders (and members ofthe news media) said it was not enoughto “clarify”what the pope meant. Theydemanded an apology.

When the Holy Father later said hewas “deeply sorry” for the pain causedby his use of this quotation—and whenhe made it clear that “these werequotations from a medieval text that inno way express my personalopinions”—his critics were still notsatisfied. The pope’s expression ofsorrow “does not represent a clear andexplicit apology,” they said. Evidently,“deep sorrow” is not enough. The popeis being challenged to admit that hedeliberately (or at least callously)maligned the prophet and his followersand then to beg their forgiveness.

What’s going on here? Is there anyreality here—any real connectionbetween what the pope said and whatmembers of the Muslim communityheard? Is there any proportionalitybetween the offense committed (ifindeed the pope was insensitive orinjudicious in his remarks)?

What does all this tell us about theprospects for dialogue between

cultures and religions? About violencecommitted in the name of religion?About the role of the news media inreporting (or should we say“encouraging”) controversies such asthese?

Pope Benedict is no stranger tocontroversy. His years of service asPope John Paul II’s Prefect for theDoctrine of the Faith often placed himin the midst of angry debate—mostoften, but not exclusively, amongmembers of the Roman CatholicChurch. Often, his motives werequestioned as well as his theology.Sadly, and for those who knew him,inexplicably, this gentle and deeplysensitive man was portrayed in themedia as an uncaring, authoritarianChurchman (“God’s Rotweiller”) whorelished his role as the pope’s enforcer.

The Holy Father is right to call fordialogue. He correctly admonishes us(Jews, Christians and Muslims—sistersand brothers in faith who worship theGod of Abraham) to forsake all claimsto violence based on religiousprinciples.

But, as the latest controversy clearlyshows, dialogue will not be easilyaccomplished and violence will remaina fact of life, a deeply rootedconsequence of our human sinfulness.

Perhaps the questions raised in thiseditorial about the pope’s lecture andthe reaction to it would be a goodsubject of Catholic-Muslim dialogue—at the personal, local, national andinternational levels.

This controversy, like the uproarcreated by a series of Danish cartoonsthat satirized the prophet Mohammed,shows that the wounds of division arevery deep. Healing is needed, as wellas dialogue, and both require mutualrespect, tolerance and the willingnessto forgive and forget past offenses andinjuries on all sides.

May the God of Abraham look withmercy on his children. May he grant usmutual understanding, patience,persistence and profound peace. Mayhis kingdom come—his will be done—here on earth as it is heaven. Now andforever. Amen.

— Daniel Conway

Editorial

The pope and the latestMuslim controversy

CN

S ph

oto/

Mus

tafa

Abu

Day

eh, R

eute

rs

LLeetttteerrss PPoolliiccyyLetters from readers are published in

The Criterion as part of the newspaper’scommitment to “the responsible exchangeof freely-held and expressed opinionamong the People of God” (Communio etProgressio, #116).

Letters from readers are welcome andevery effort will be made to include lettersfrom as many people and representing asmany viewpoints as possible. Letters shouldbe informed, relevant, well-expressed andtemperate in tone. They must reflect a basicsense of courtesy and respect.

The editors reserve the right to selectthe letters that will be published and toedit letters from readers as necessarybased on space limitations, pastoralsensitivity and content (including spellingand grammar). In order to encourageopinions from a variety of readers,frequent writers will ordinarily be limitedto one letter every three months.

Send letters to “Letters to the Editor,”The Criterion, P.O. Box 1717, Indianapolis,IN 46206-1717.

Readers with access to e-mail may sendletters to [email protected].

Gospel compels us to moveout of our comfort zone

Be Our Guest/Anthony Basso

A Palestinian boy looks at the damage following an attack on a Catholic church in theWest Bank town of Tulkarm on Sept. 17. Palestinians attacked churches in the WestBank on Sept. 17, apparently in reaction to a quotation that Pope Benedict XVI used ina recent speech that referred to Islam.

How very sad that a recent reader feltthe need to call upon the magisterium ofthe Church to “reprioritize” its agenda(The Criterion, Sept. 15 issue).

This hardly seems the prerogative of alay person. That the Holy See continuesto revise the vernacular translations of theorder of the Mass does not, in any way,indicate that helping the poor, the ill andthe suffering is a low priority for thehierarchy.

The reader, in fact, points out that therevision of the texts is the work of theCongregation for Divine Worship andDiscipline of the Sacraments, whosepurpose is, as its name indicates, to tendto the worship and sacraments thatprovide for the spiritual needs of ourbroken world.

The letter writer obviously hasoverlooked the existence and efforts of somany pontifical councils within theRoman curia dedicated to meeting theworld’s physical needs.

Furthermore, that our world is full ofill and suffering souls is no excuse for usto not have a sublime liturgy usingreverent language. The poor, Christ tellsus, will always be with us. That shouldnot keep us from celebrating thesacrament of our salvation with greatdignity. Rather than complaining of thestrong fragrance or high cost of such“precious oil,” we should focus ourattention on the commemoration of

Christ’s sacrifice. (See Jn 12:1-8.)Concerning the translation in

question—“Lord, I am not worthy toreceive you under my roof … ”—this isby no means an innovation, but rather amore accurate translation of the Latin ofthe Novus Ordo propagated by theSecond Vatican Council.

The argument goes on to suggest that anew translation might not be relevant tothe Catholic population of the “globalsouth,” a point of no validity since thisline is a direct quote from Scripture,which is relevant in any hemisphere.

Might it be an uncomfortabletransition to the revised translation? Yes.But does that mean we should allowourselves to perpetuate that which isinaccurate simply for the sake of beingcomfortable? Absolutely not! The Gospelcompels us to move out of our comfortzone, to pick up our cross and followChrist daily.

This same reader laments the lack oflay input in the text revisions. OurMother the Church is not, and has notever been, a democracy, but rather amonarchy, ruled by Christ—the king ofkings and entrusted to the stewardshipof the Roman pontiff and episcopalcollege.

(Anthony Basso is a member of Our Ladyof the Most Holy Rosary Parish inIndianapolis.) †

Sacredness of human life isthe paramount moral absolute

Story cites wrong date forArchbishop Sheen’s death

La intención del Arzobispo Buechlein para vocaciones en septiembreMaestros/Directores de Educación Religiosa : ¡que ellos puedan contar con la fuer za ydirección del Espíritu Santo cuando pasen la fe Católica a los jóvenes y les den ánimo aellos a considerar las vocaciones al sacerdocio y la vida religiosa!


Does truth matter? Recently, aChristian leader said that weneed to get away from

theological squabble and feed thehungry.

Of course, we need to feed thehungry as a vital service. We do notneed theological squabble, but we needtheology. If social service is divorcedfrom the unique truth of Christianity,the seeds of disintegration unfold.

In his encyclical “God is Love,”Pope Benedict XVI reminds us that weneed to contemplate the truth of Christin the Gospel if we are truly to servethose in need with “the eyes of theheart, with the eyes of Jesus.” Hereminds us that without this contem-plation, we succumb to a secularactivism that is not truly of Christ.

The egalitarian influence of ourculture affects the realm of ideas andopinion as much as any other aspect oflife. A modern tendency to give equalweight to all ideas and opinions has asubtle but devastating effect on theChristian life because it seduces us intothinking that there is no such thing asabsolute truth.

If we think there is no such thing asabsolute truth, we will never trulybelieve that Jesus is Son of God andsavior of the world. As a friend of mineremarked, “In line with modern habits,we might judge Christian teaching to be

acceptable, reasonable, or evenappealing—but that’s a far cry fromactually being Christian.”

We need to be careful about thenature of our believing. The mission ofGod’s son was not to teach aphilosophy, but to reveal the truth so wemight be saved. He himself is the truth,the absolute truth. He is God’s completerevelation of himself. The revelation oftruth in Jesus came to its climax in hiscomplete outpouring of himself in hisdeath, resurrection, ascension and thesending of the Holy Spirit.

In a culture that questions anythingof faith, it is not difficult to hang on toopinions and to espouse glaring discrep-ancies from the fundamental truths ofthe mystery of Christ. It is easy toconsider our view of the faith as if froma superior position and to leave honestself-examination to another day. It is asif we are saying, “Jesus said, but I tendto disagree … .” It seems unthinkablethat a Christian would say such a thing,but perhaps we do just that, and moreoften than we might like to admit.

It is not easy to be a disciple of Jesusand to embrace all that he taught as ithas been handed on to us in the Bibleand in Tradition. Yet, it is not really socomplicated if we recognize that ourfaith calls for conversion, notconvincing. When you get down to it,we are called to a humble surrender of

Adult catechism is faithful aid for our r esponse to conversion

Acaso importa la verdad? Recien-temente un líder cristiano dijoque teníamos que apartarnos de

la disputa teológica y alimentar a loshambrientos.

Por supuesto que debemos alimentar alos hambrientos como un servicio vital.No necesitamos una disputa teológica,pero necesitamos la teología. Si elservicio social se encuentra disociado dela verdad única del cristianismo,germinarán las semillas de la desinte-gración.

En su encíclica “Dios es amor,” elPapa Benedicto XVI nos recuerda quedebemos contemplar la verdad de Cristoen el Evangelio si deseamos servirverdaderamente a aquellos que seencuentran necesitados con “los ojos delcorazón, con los ojos de Jesús.” Nosrecuerda que sin su contemplaciónsucumbimos ante el activismo laico queno perteneces verdaderamente a Cristo.

La influencia igualitaria de nuestracultura ejerce su efecto en el reino de lasideas y opiniones al igual que encualquier otro aspecto de la vida. Latendencia moderna a otorgar igual peso atodas las ideas y opiniones acarreaefectos sutiles pero ciertamentedevastadores sobre la vida cristiana yaque nos seduce a pensar que no existeuna verdad absoluta como tal.

Si pensamos que no existe una verdadabsoluta nunca creeremos realmente queJesús sea el Hijo de Dios y el salvadordel mundo. Como resaltaba un amigo:“De acuerdo a los hábitos modernos

podríamos juzgar las enseñanzascristianas como aceptables, razonables, oincluso deseables, pero esto dista muchode ser realmente cristiano.”

Debemos observar la naturaleza denuestra fe. La misión del Hijo de Diosno fue enseñar filosofía sino revelar laverdad para que pudiéramos ser salvos.Él mismo es la verdad, la verdadabsoluta. Él es la revelación completadel propio Dios. La revelación de laverdad en Jesús alcanzó su máximoapogeo en su completa entrega pormedio de su muerte, resurrección,ascensión, y el envío del Espíritu Santo.

En una cultura que cuestionacualquier aspecto relativo a la fe noresulta difícil aferrarse a opiniones ydefender claras discrepancias en lasverdades fundamentales del misterio deCristo. Resulta muy fácil considerarnuestra perspectiva de la fe como siestuviéramos en una posición superior ydejar el auto-examen sincero para otrodía. Es como si dijéramos: “Jesús dijo,pero yo no estoy de acuerdo...” Pareceimpensable que un cristiano pueda deciralgo así, pero quizás hagamosexactamente eso y mucho más a menudode lo que deseamos admitir.

No es fácil ser un discípulo de Jesús yaceptar todas sus enseñanzas según noshan sido presentadas en la Biblia y en laTradición. Sin embargo, no resulta tancomplicado si reconocemos que nuestrafe nos llama a la conversión, no aconvencernos. En esencia se nos llama aentregar humildemente nuestras vidas a

El catecismo para adultos es un auxilio fiel a nuestra r espuesta a la conversión

Traducido por: Language Training Center,Indianapolis

our lives to Jesus Christ. That is not tosay that we do not or should not need todevelop our understanding of what thissurrender means.

Recently, the U.S. Conference ofCatholic Bishops published the UnitedStates Catholic Catechism for Adults.This catechism is a user-friendly presen-tation of the truths of our Catholic faithin the context of the contemporaryculture in our country.

In a straightforward manner, thisbook addresses what we believe in theface of current questions, issues andobstacles engaged by our faith. Thepattern or format of this catechism isbased on the Catechism of the CatholicChurch and faithfully presents the truthof our faith as contained in it.

The structure of the adult catechismis such that it draws the reader into ateaching about a particular doctrine ofthe faith. First, there is an introductorystory of an important Catholic man orwoman whose life illustrates thedoctrine being taught. The teachingfollows. There is a presentation ofcultural issues that seem to contradict or

Jesucristo. Esto no significa que nopodamos y no debamos quererdesarrollar un entendimiento delsignificado de dicha entrega.

Recientemente la Conferencia deObispos Católicos de EE.UU. publicó Elcatecismo católico de Estados Unidospara adultos. Este catecismo es unaexposición sencilla de las verdades denuestra fe católica en el contexto de lacultura contemporánea de nuestro país.

Este libro aborda de manera directalo que consideramos como problemas yobstáculos presentados por nuestra fe, ala luz de la situación actual. Laestructura o el formato de estecatecismo está basado en el Catecismode la Iglesia Católica y presenta acabalidad la verdad de nuestra fecontenida en él.

La estructura del catecismo paraadultos está diseñada de forma tal quelleva al lector a una enseñanza sobre unadoctrina particular de la fe.Primeramente hay una historiaintroductoria sobre un hombre o unamujer católica importante, cuya vidailustra la doctrina a enseñar. Le sigue lalección. Se presentan cuestionesculturales que parecen contradecir oconfrontar la verdad de la fe.

confront the truth of faith.Brief relevant excerpts from the

Catechism of the Catholic Church areprovided. There is a spiritual meditationpertaining to the doctrinal teaching.Questions for discussion are alsoprovided. This is the pattern for eachtopical chapter.

One can read the adult catechismstraight through from beginning to end,but it is not necessary to do so. Adetailed index by subject allows forresearch of specific doctrines of theChurch.

I recommend the United StatesCatholic Catechism for Adults for adultreligious education and formation. Irecommend it as a fine resource for theRite of Christian Initiation of Adults. Ialso recommend it for use by youngadults who are hungering for knowledgeabout what we believe and why ourCatholic faith and practices matter.

Faith in God demands that wehumbly surrender our lives to him whoalone is truth. The adult catechism is afaithful aid for our response toconversion. †

Se proporcionan pasajes relevantesbreves extraídos del Catecismo de laIglesia Católica. Hay una meditaciónespiritual relativa a la enseñanzadoctrinal. Asimismo se ofrecenpreguntas para la discusión. Esta es laestructura que sigue cada uno de loscapítulos.

El catecismo para adultos se puede leerpor completo, de principio a fin, pero noes necesario hacerlo. Un índice detalladopor materia le permite investigar doctrinasespecíficas de la Iglesia.

Recomiendo el Catecismo católico deEstados Unidos para adultos para laformación y educación religiosa deadultos. También lo recomiendo como unbuen recurso para RCIA. Asimismo,recomiendo su uso a los jóvenes adultosque están ávidos de conocimientos sobrenuestras creencias y el por qué de laimportancia de nuestra fe y prácticascatólicas.

La fe en Dios exige que entreguemoshumildemente nuestras vidas a Él quienes la única verdad. El catecismo paraadultos es un auxilio fiel a nuestrarespuesta a la conversión. †

SEEKING THEFACE OF THE LORD

BUSCANDO LACARA DEL SEÑOR

ARCHBISHOP/ARZOBISPO DANIEL M. BUECHLEIN, O.S.B.

c

s

n

Archbishop Buechlein’s intention for vocations for SeptemberTeachers/Religious Education Directors: that they may rely on the strength andguidance of the Holy Spirit as they hand on the Catholic faith to our youth andencourage them to consider vocations to the priesthood and religious life.

¿


Information: 812-944-8283.

Cordiafonte House of Prayer,3650 E. 46th St., Indianapolis.“Silent Prayer Day,” 9 a.m.-2:30 p.m., brown bag lunch,free-will offering. Registration:317-543-0154.

Knights of Columbus Hall,2100 E. 71st St., Indianapolis.Birthline Guild, Luncheonand Fashion Show, 11:30 a.m.,$25 per person. Information:317-251-7111.

Saint Meinrad Archabbey andSchool of Theology, St. BedeTheater, 200 Hill Drive,St. Meinrad. Celtic Quartet,7 p.m. Guest House, Celticmeal, 5:30 p.m., $7 per person,reservations required. Informa-tion: 812-357-6403 or [email protected].

St. Francis Hospital, Indianapo-lis Cancer Center, 8111 S.Emerson Ave., Indianapolis.Free prostate cancer screen-ing, 9 a.m.-noon. Information:317-782-4422.

September 24Our Lady of the Most HolyRosary Parish, 520 Stevens St.,Indianapolis. Faith FormationTeam, “Apologetics fromA-Z,” sessions for adults,“Spirituality for Children,”4 years and older, 11:15 a.m.-11:55 a.m. Information: 317-636-4478.

Annunciation Parish, 19 N.

Alabama St., Brazil. “DeaconFormation Program,” infor-mation session for those inter-ested in becoming deacons,2-4 p.m. Information: 800-382-9836, ext. 1491, or 317-236-1491 or e-mail [email protected].

St. Christopher Parish, 5301 W.16th St., Indianapolis. Euchreparty, 1 p.m., $3 per person.Information: 317-241-6314, ext.100.

St. Michael Parish, 11400Farmers Lane, Bradford. Parishpicnic and festival, 10:30 a.m.-5 p.m., chicken dinner, silentauction. Information: 812-364-6646.

Fayette County 4-H Fair-grounds, Expo Hall, Conners-ville. St. Gabriel Parish, “FallFestival,” 11 a.m.-4 p.m., friedchicken dinner, games. Infor-mation: 765-825-8578.

St. Mark Parish, 5377 AcornRoad, Tell City. Parish picnic,11 a.m.-6 p.m., shooting match,food, games. Information: 812-836-2481.

Holy Family Parish, ThirdStreet and Church Ave., Jasper,Ind. Parish picnic, chicken androast beef dinners served10:30 a.m.-5 p.m., games, craftitems, baked goods. Informa-tion: 812-634-9232.

Knights of St. John, 312 S.Wilder St., Greensburg.

St. Lawrence Auxiliary,turkey or beef dinners, 11a.m.-2 p.m., adults, $7.50, chil-dren 5-10, $3, children 4 andunder, free.

MKVS and DM Center, Rex-ville (located on 925 South,.8 mile east of 421 South,12 miles south of Versailles).Mass, 3:30 p.m., with FatherElmer Burwinkel, pitch-in din-ner following Mass, MarianWay is under construction.Information: 812-689-3551 ore-mail [email protected] log on to Schoenstatt Website at www.seidata.com/~frburwink.

September 25Our Lady of Perpetual HelpParish, 415 E. Eighth St., NewAlbany. “Catholics ReturningHome” series, six sessions,7:30 p.m. Information: 812-945-3112 or www.olphna.org.

September 26St. Francis Hospital, Moores-ville Cancer Center, 1215Hadley Road, Suite 105,Mooresville. Free prostatecancer screening, 6-9 p.m.Information: 317-782-4422.

September 26-December 5St. Elizabeth Seton Parish,10655 Haverstick Road,Carmel, Ind. (Diocese ofLafayette). “Vatican II inPlain English,” an introductionto the Second Vatican Council,six sessions, 7:30 p.m., FatherMel Bennett and Jason Adams,presenters. Information:

317-846-3850, ext. 17, [email protected].

September 27Persimmon Festival, 7th St.,and Main St., Mitchell.St. Mary Parish, food tent,Italian dinner, 11 a.m.-7 p.m.Information: 812-849-3570.

September 28Heartland Crossing Golf Links,State Road 67 and HeartlandBlvd., Indianapolis. CatholicBusiness Exchange golf out-ing, 1 p.m. shotgun start, socialhour and steak dinner after golf,$320 per foursome. Informa-tion: 317-313-1982 [email protected].

St. Athanasius the Great Byzan-tine Church, St. Mary Hall,1117 Blaine Ave., Indianapolis.Catholic CharismaticRenewal of Central Indiana,praise, worship and healingprayers, 7:15-8:45 p.m. Infor-mation: 317-592-1992,www.inholyspirit.org or [email protected].

September 29Thomas Carr Howe HighSchool, E. Washington St.,Indianapolis. Scecina MemorialHigh School, “Fool for Christ:The Story of Dorothy Day,”one-woman play, 7:30 p.m.,complimentary tickets avail-able. Information: 317-351-5976, ext. 3.

September 29-30Our Lady of Lourdes Parish,

5333 E. Washington St., Indi-anapolis. “Fall Festival,” Fri.5 p.m.-1 a.m., Sat. 3 p.m.-1 a.m., Sun. noon-4 p.m., food,rides, games, entertainment.Information: 317-356-7291.

September 30St. Andrew the Apostle Parish,4052 E. 38th St., Indianapolis.Alumni homecoming gather-ing, fundraiser, tour of schooland parish, 3:30 p.m., candle-light dinner, memory lane,Mass, 4:30 p.m., activities,5:30-9 p.m. Information: 317-546-1571.

St. Thomas the Apostle Parish,523 S. Merrill St., Fortville.Rummage sale to benefit4-year-old Peter Dudley’smedical expenses, sponsoredby the Women’s Club, 8 a.m-3:30 p.m. Information: 317-485-5212.

Benedict Inn Retreat and Con-ference Center, Shop Inn, 1402Southern Ave., Beech Grove.Open house, Sara Wuthnow,jewelry designer, featuredartist, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Informa-tion: 317-788-7581.

St. Francis Hospital and HealthCenter, 8111 S. Emerson Ave.,Indianapolis. Free screeningfor peripheral vascular dis-ease, persons over 50 years old.Registration: 317-782-4422 or877-888-1777. †

September 22William S. Rea Park, golfcourse, Terre Haute. Sisters ofProvidence, “Hole-y-One GolfScramble,” registration,11 a.m., $300 per team. Infor-mation: 812-535-2802 or [email protected].

September 23Indiana Convention Center, 100S. Capitol Ave., Indianapolis.“Lions Breathing Fire: WhyBe Catholic?” first annualIndiana Catholic Men’s Con-ference, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.,$35 per person. Information:317-924-3982, 317-888-0873 orwww.indianacatholicmen.com.

St. Therese of the Infant Jesus(Little Flower) Parish, 1400 N.Bosart St., Indianapolis. Neigh-borhood cook-out, noon-4 p.m., no charge. Information:317-357-8352.

St. Lawrence Parish, 6950 E.46th St., Indianapolis. Healthfair, 10 a.m.-1 p.m., no charge.Information: 317-546-4065.

St. Lawrence Parish, 6950 E.46th St., Indianapolis.“Oktoberfest,” ministry fair,11 a.m.-4 p.m. food, games.Information: 317-546-4065.

Holy Family Parish, 129 W.Daisy Lane, New Albany. “InHeaven’s Eyes,” communityoutreach ministry, sixthannual spaghetti dinner,6-8 p.m., $5 per person, $3children 12 and under.

Retreats and Programs

September 22Our Lady of Fatima Retreat House, 5353 E.56th St., Indianapolis. Event for women, “TheImmaculate Conception and the Dignity ofMan,” Tim Staples, presenter, 7 p.m. Informa-tion: 317-545-7681 or e-mailwww.archindy.org/fatima.

September 22-24Mount Saint Francis Center for Spirituality,101 St. Anthony Drive, Mount St. Francis.“Women’s Retreat.” Information: 812-923-8817.

September 23Indiana Convention Center, 100 S. Capitol Ave.,Indianapolis. “Lions Breathing Fire: Why BeCatholic?” first annual Indiana CatholicMen’s Conference, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Informa-tion: 317-924-3982, 317-888-0873 orwww.indianacatholicmen.com.

September 26Oldenburg Franciscan Center, Oldenburg. “ThePower of the Universe,” session one of four,$20 series, Franciscan Sister Claire Whalen,facilitator, 7-8:45 p.m. Information: 812-933-6437 or e-mail [email protected].

September 19-October 10Oldenburg Franciscan Center, Oldenburg.“Watercolor 101” for adults, age 16 and up,session two of four, Deb Ward, instructor,6-9 p.m., $95 for series, $20 supplies. Informa-tion: 812-933-6437 or e-mail [email protected].

September 27-October 4Oldenburg Franciscan Center, Oldenburg.“Bible Basics,” $35 series, Franciscan FatherCarl Hawver, facilitator, 2-3:30 p.m. Informa-tion: 812-933-6437 or e-mail [email protected].

October 1Michaela Farm, Oldenburg. “Francis Fest,”1-4 p.m. Information: 812-933-0661 or [email protected].

October 1-5Saint Meinrad Archabbey, 200 Hill Drive,St. Meinrad. “Radical Christianity,” Benedic-tine Father Denis Robinson, presenter. Informa-tion: 812-357-6611 or e-mail [email protected].

October 2-October 30Our Lady of Fatima Retreat House, 5353 E.56th St., Indianapolis. “Come Away forAwhile,” Monday evenings in October,Dominican Sister Romona Nowak, presenter,

7-9 p.m., $50 series. Information: 317-545-7681or www.archindy.org/fatima.

October 3Kordes Retreat Center, 841 E. 14th St., Ferdi-nand, Ind. “Finding Joy and Peace: Caregiv-ing Without Guilt,” 8:30 a.m.-1 p.m., $10 perperson. Information: 812-367-2777, 800-880-2777 or [email protected].

Kordes Retreat Center, 841 E. 14th St., Ferdi-nand, Ind. “Vegetarian Cooking: Making theShift toward a Plant-Based Diet.” Informa-tion: 812-367-2777, 800-880-2777 [email protected].

Our Lady of Fatima Retreat House, 5353 E.56th St., Indianapolis. “Morning for Moms:Blessed or Stressed,” Franciscan Sister PattyCampbell, presenter, 8:30 a.m.-1 p.m., $25 perperson. Information: 317-545-7681 orwww.archindy.org/fatima.

October 3-17Oldenburg Franciscan Center, Oldenburg. “ThePower of the Universe,” session two of four,$20 series, Franciscan Sister Claire Whalen,facilitator, 7-8:45 p.m. Information: 812-933-6437 or e-mail [email protected].

October 5-26Oldenburg Franciscan Center, Oldenburg.“Images of the Mystics,” Franciscan SisterBarbara Leonhard, presenter, four sessions,7-8:30 p.m., $10 per session. Information: 812-933-6437 or e-mail [email protected].

October 6-7Our Lady of Fatima Retreat House, 5353 E.56th St., Indianapolis. “Simplicity: DiscoveringYour Heart’s Desire,” Father Mike McKinney,presenter. Information: 317-545-7681 orwww.archindy.org/fatima.

October 6-8Oldenburg Franciscan Center, Oldenburg.“God’s Plan for a Joy-Filled Marriage,” The-ology of the Body based marriage preparationsupplement, facilitator training. Information:317-236-1595 or e-mail [email protected].

Saint Meinrad Archabbey, 200 Hill Drive,St. Meinrad. “God Filling Our Heart andMind: Prayer and Holy Reading,” Benedic-tine Brother Paul Nord, presenter. Information:812-357-6611 or e-mail [email protected].

Mount Saint Francis Center for Spirituality, 101St. Anthony Drive, Mount St. Francis. Retreatfor men and women, “Friends of Francis.”Information: 812-923-8817.

October 7Kordes Retreat Center, 841 E. 14th St.,

Ferdinand, Ind. “Finding Joy and Peace:Caregiving Without Guilt,” 8:30 a.m.-1 p.m.,$10 per person. Information: 812-367-2777,800-880-2777 or [email protected].

St. Gertrude Church, 630 Shawnee Run Road,Cincinnati, Ohio. Catholic Women’s Confer-ence, Dr. Ray Guarendi and Steve Ray, presen-ters, 7:30 a.m.-4 p.m., $35 per person. Informa-tion: 513-561-8021 or www.stgertrude.org.

October 7-8Michaela Farm, Oldenburg. “Fall Farm Tour,”1-5 p.m. Information: 812-933-0661 or [email protected].

October 8Our Lady of Fatima Retreat House, 5353 E.56th St., Indianapolis. “Retreats 101,” FatherJim Farrell, presenter, 7-9:15 p.m., $10 per per-son, $25 per family. Information: 317-545-7681or www.archindy.org/fatima.

October 13-15Archdiocese of Indianapolis, “Rachel’s Vine-yard Retreat,” post-abortion ministry. Infor-mation: 812-327-3712 or 317-236-1521. Allcalls are completely confidential.

October 14Kordes Retreat Center, 841 E. 14th St., Ferdi-nand, Ind. “Praying Without Words: AnIntroduction to Centering Prayer,” 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m., $55 per person. Information: 812-367-2777, 800-880-2777 [email protected].

October 14-15Michaela Farm, Oldenburg. “Fall Farm Tour,”1-5 p.m. Information: 812-933-0661 or [email protected].

October 14-21Oldenburg Franciscan Center, Oldenburg.“Watercolor 101” for adults, age 16 and up,two sessions, Deb Ward, instructor, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., bring brown bag lunch, $95 for series,$20 supplies. Information: 812-933-6437 ore-mail [email protected].

October 17Oldenburg Franciscan Center, Oldenburg.“Leaning into God: A Day of Reflection,”Franciscan Sister Patty Campbell, presenter,9 a.m.-3 p.m., $45 includes lunch. Information:812-933-6437 or [email protected].

October 19Oldenburg Franciscan Center, Oldenburg. “Inthe Spirit, Signs of Life,” Franciscan FatherCarl Hawver, presenter, 9-10:45 a.m. Informa-tion: 812-933-6437 or e-mail [email protected]. †

Events Calendar

VIPsJoe and Mary Frances (Myers) Dugan,

members of St. Therese of the Infant Jesus(Little Flower)Parish in Indi-anapolis, cele-brated their50th weddinganniversary onSept. 2 with aMass and recep-tion at their parish.The couple wasmarried onSept. 1, 1956, at

St. Philip Neri Church in Indianapolis. Theyhave four children: Patty Hegarty, EileenSkinner, Mary Ann and Martin Dugan. Theyalso have five grandchildren.

Robert and Betty (Miller) Guthier, mem-bers of St. Christopher Parish in Indianapolis,

will celebrate their65th weddinganniversary onSept. 26. The cou-ple was marriedon Sept. 26, 1941,in Huntington,Ind. They havethree children:Patricia Hummel,Julie and SteveGuthier. Theyhave five grand-children and six

great-grandchildren.

William and Janette (Dierckman)Munchel, members of Holy Family Parish in

Oldenburg, willcelebrate their60th weddinganniversary onSept. 24 with anopen house forfamily membersand friends from1 p.m. until4 p.m. at HolyFamily School inOldenburg. Thecouple was mar-ried on Sept. 25,1946, at

St. Anthony of Padua Church in Morris.They have four children: Elaine Nobbe,Charlene Whittaker, Darrell and VernonMunchel. They also have 16 grandchildrenand 18 great-grandchildren. †


WASHINGTON(CNS)—As people aroundthe world joined peacerallies, concerts, prayervigils and even a“yogathon” to press foraction to bring peace toDarfur in Sudan, the headof the U.S. bishops’international policycommittee and otherspleaded for more efforts to“end the killings, rape andwanton destruction.”

Events in dozens ofcities drew tens ofthousands of people on oraround Sept. 17, which wasdesignated by peace groupsas Global Day for Darfur.

Bishop Thomas G.Wenski of Orlando, Fla.,the committee head, saiddespite hopeful signs of apeace agreement in thespring the conflict has beenmounting among rebelgroups, the Sudanesemilitary and its proxymilitias, known as theJanjaweed.

The offensive “hastrapped innocent and

protection from maraudingraiders.

Although thegovernment and the mainrebel group signed a peaceagreement in May, neitherside has respected it, FatherMichael said.

In recent months, thegovernment has progres-sively blocked internationalaid agencies from deliveringfood and medical supplies tocivilians who have beenforcibly displaced byhelicopter gunships, bomberplanes and military forces.Rebel groups also havecommitted atrocities and notrespected cease-fireagreements, he said.

At one of the Sept. 16-17weekend’s many Darfurevents, Cardinal CormacMurphy-O’Connor ofWestminster, president ofthe Bishops’ Conference ofEngland and Wales, said at aLondon rally that thesituation in Darfur is“catastrophic in terms of theviolence, the murders, thedisplacement of people.” †

African Union, and theappointment of a specialenvoy to focus diplomaticattention on a lastingsolution.

In New York, FranciscanFather Michael Perry,consultant on Africa forFranciscans International,urged people to callmembers of Congress,write letters to the WhiteHouse, pray and educateothers about the situation inDarfur.

In a letter to Franciscanfriars and “partners inministry,” Father Michaelexplained that more than400,000 people have diedin Darfur and another300,000 face the immediateprospects of hunger andstarvation.

“Darfur is the size ofFrance and has apopulation of over6 million,” he wrote. Thewar began in 2002 as alocal revolt by farmers andothers against the govern-ment’s abuse of rights andits failure to provide

defenseless civilians in themiddle of the fighting,”Bishop Wenski wrote in astatement released onSept. 15 in Washington.And with the deterioratingsituation, it has become “adeadly challenge” to deliverhumanitarian aid to the2.5 million people whohave fled their homes andanother million who are atrisk of starvation, he said.A dozen aid workers havebeen killed since June.

He warned that the cycleof violence in Darfurthreatens to spiralcompletely out of control.

“With more people beingdisplaced, an alreadyalarming state of insecuritythat has hampered efforts todeliver humanitarian aidmay degeneratecompletely,” he said.

Bishop Wenski said theU.S. bishops support aresolution authorizing theUnited Nations to take overan inadequately equippedand understaffed peace-keeping effort by the

Church leaders join pleas for action to save Dar fur population

Supporters hold signs at the Save Darfur rally in New York’s CentralPark on Sept. 17. Thousands of people attended the event, whichcoincided with similar peace rallies in countries around the world.Speaking on behalf of the U.S. bishops, Bishop Thomas G. Wenskiof Orlando, Fla., chairman of their Committee on InternationalPolicy, has urged President George W. Bush and Congress to workharder for lasting peace in Darfur and to support a United Nationsresolution on peacekeepers.

CN

S ph

oto/

Can

dace

Fei

t, R

eute

rs

Lilly Endowement Inc.is again funding its ClergyRenewal Program forIndiana congregations in2007.

Through the program,the endowment offerscongregations up to40 grants of up to $45,000each to support a renewalprogram for their pastors.Up to $15,000 of thatamount may be used tohelp the congregationfulfill pastoral dutiesduring the pastor’s absenceand/or to support renewalactivities for the congre-gation itself.

Pastors use the time totravel to various parts ofthe world, renew ties withfamily and friends, explorea new interest or developan old one, read and write,and study other Churchesand missions.

The program is open toall Indiana congregationsthat have an ordainedpastor.

Applications must bepostmarked by Jan. 30,2007, and recipients will benotified by late May 2007.

An information meetingabout the program forIndiana pastors and congre-gational representatives willbe held Sept. 28 from 1 to4 p.m. at North UnitedMethodist Church, 3808 N.Meridian St., Indianapolis.Those who would like toattend should fill out theinvitation card thataccompanies the application(or that is available on theendowment’s Web site) andreturn it to the endowment.

For more information,log on towww.lillyendowment.organd click on Religion; call317-916-7350; [email protected]; or writeJean M. Smith, programdirector, Lilly Endowment,2801 N. Meridian St.,Indianapolis, IN 46208. †

Lilly Endowmentannounces clergyrenewal program

StFrancisHospitals.org

We are leading the way

With the foresight to

advance cardiology

The courage to listen and anticipateConsistently improving our services and facilities, including a

$40 million expansion currently under way in Mooresville.

Rebuild and restoreTop 5% in the nation for overall orthopaedic care.

With machines, medicine and faithA philosophy of healing that incorporates our Franciscan values of

compassionate concern, joyful service and respect for life.

5-star rated by HealthGrades® in treating heart attacks in 2005.

The heart to

achieveexcellence

With three convenient hospital campuses, a medical staff of more

than 700 doctors and 4,000 employees to serve your needs.

I N D I A N A PO L I S

B E EC H G R O V E

M O O R E S V I L L E

Awarded the 2004 and 2005 HealthGrades Distinguished

Hospital Awards for Clinical Excellence.™

SFH061342_8.625x10.indd 1 7/28/06 2:40:59 PM

and we all seek to worship the same God.And we need to build from that.

“If we don’t buildfrom that, then we’regoing to get into allkinds of ideological andeven political agendasand strife, and divisionsare going to result. Idon’t think anybodywants that.”

For Sister MaryMargaret, buildingbridges between

Catholic-Muslim relations should notremain strong in Indiana in the monthsand years to come.

“This unfortunate incident should haveno effect on that because this does notmean the reversal of the policy that theVatican has adopted 40 years ago wherethey declared [at the Second VaticanCouncil] they hold the religion of Islam inhigh esteem,” he said.

Sayeed also expressed his belief thatrelations between Catholics and Muslimsin Indiana and across the country willonly continue to be deepened in themonths and years to come.

“It will be further strengthenedbecause, day by day, more and more inter-action clears away misunderstandings and


DIALOGUEcontinued from page 1

REGENSBURG, Germany (CNS)—Ina lecture at the German university wherehe once taught theology, Pope BenedictXVI used a historical critique of Islamicviolence to introduce a reflection on thecrisis of faith and reason in the West.

The pope began his address on Sept. 12by highlighting a 600-year-old discussionon Islamic “jihad” or holy war, quoting atlength a Christian emperor who con-demned Islam for spreading the faith“by the sword.”

But instead of critically assessingIslam, the pope focused his attention onwhat he said was the West’s centuries-oldtendency to “exclude the question of God”from the realm of reason.

This tendency to devalue religiousthought, he said, makes it more difficultfor the West to engage in the urgentlyneeded dialogue of cultures and religions.

“A reason which is deaf to the divineand which relegates religion to the realmof subcultures is incapable of entering intothe dialogue of cultures,” he said.

The pope looked happy and relaxed ashe returned to the University ofRegensburg, where he taught dogmatictheology from 1969 to 1977. About 1,500of Germany’s leading academics greetedthe pontiff with warm applause as hewalked through the university’s great halland took his place on a gilded chair in thecenter of the stage.

To introduce the theme of his lecture,the pope quoted from an account of a dia-logue between the Byzantine EmperorManuel II Paleologus and an unnamedMuslim scholar, sometime near the end ofthe 14th century. The pope said theaccount was marginal to his theme, butthat he found it interesting—particularlywhen the emperor touched upon the subject of Islamic holy war.

The pope cited what the emperor toldthe Islamic scholar: “Show me just whatMohammed brought that was new, andthere you will find things only evil andinhuman, such as his command to spreadby the sword the faith he preached.”

Twice, the pope emphasized that hewas quoting someone else’s words.

The pope said the emperor must have

known of the early Islamic teaching that“there is no compulsion in religion,” butwas no doubt also aware of later instruc-tions in the Koran about holy war.

In the account, the emperor goes on toexplain why spreading the faith throughviolence is unreasonable because violenceis incompatible with God and with thenature of the soul.

The pope then pointed to a key questionabout Islam that is raised by the narrative:whether God is absolutely transcendent for Muslims, and therefore not bound upwith “any of our categories, even that ofrationality.”

The pope did not offer an answer to thatquestion. Instead, he went on to explore, ingreat detail, why Christian theology hascome to affirm that faith is indeed basedon reason and that acting unreasonablycontradicts God’s nature.

Asked by reporters about the papal text,Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, theVatican spokesman, said the pope had nointention of giving “an interpretation ofIslam as violent.”

“I think everyone understands that eveninside Islam there are many different posi-tions, and there are many positions that arenot violent,” Father Lombardi said. Henoted that the pope’s speech was primarilya historical analysis.

The pope’s main point, developed in anacademic style, was that in the Westernworld the growing separation between faithand reason has resulted in a “dangerousstate of affairs for humanity,” in whichsociety tries to construct a system of ethicswithout taking religion seriously and indi-viduals try to make moral choices basedsolely on the subjective conscience.

He said this was partly the result of along process of “de-Hellenization” ofChristian theology, in stages marked by anoveremphasis on Scripture, a reduction ofthe Gospel to a “humanitarian moral message” and the creation of a gulfbetween theology and scientific empiri-cism.

The pope said his broad-brush “critiqueof modern reason” did not aim to turn backthe clock or ignore the progress made andthe new possibilities opened for humanity.

Msgr. Joseph F.Schaedel

stereotypes that might have accumulatedover hundreds of years,” he said.

Msgr. Schaedel said that this interactioncan happen in a fruitful way at the mostbasic level—person to person.

“If you have any Muslim neighbors inyour neighborhood, seize the opportunityto talk with them,” he said. “Maybe thisstatement on the part of the pope and thereaction to it is, as we say at the EasterVigil, a ‘happy fault’ because it now givesus something to talk about.”

(For more information about Islam, goonline to read Sister Mary Margaret’sCatholic Update pamphlet on the religionat www.americancatholic.org/Newsletters/CU/ac0405.asp.) †

Catholics and Muslims here in Indianawas especially important after theSept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

And it was through meetings with herMuslim dialogue partners after theattacks that they went from official dia-logue participants to becoming friends.

“We just put down our texts and talkedto each other as persons,” Sister MaryMargaret said. “From there, we becamefriends.”

More than just benefiting herself,Sister Mary Margaret said that Catholic-Muslim interchange at the parish level inthe archdiocese increased greatly afterSept. 11.

Sayeed said that, despite the currentcontroversy, there is no reason why

In scholarly lecture, pope reflects on crisis of faith and reason

But the Church also sees dangers, he said,and believes they can be overcome “only ifreason and faith come together in a newway.”

When the West invites others to a “dialogue of cultures,” it should do sowith the understanding that religion is anessential part of its own culture, he said.But in fact, he said, it is widely held inthe Western world that the only authenticknowledge is scientific knowledge, andthat religion is a purely subjective experience.

“The world’s most profoundly religiouscultures see this exclusion of the divine fromthe universality of reason as an attack ontheir most profound convictions,” he said.

The pope said the West needs to recoverthe rightful place of philosophy and theol-ogy, so that it can say—like the Byzantineemperor who debated the Muslimscholar—that “not to act reasonably … iscontrary to the nature of God.”

The Vatican underlined the academiccharacter of the pope’s address by notingon the text handed out to journalists that a

later version would be issued, completewith footnotes.

Shortly after the pope returned to Romeon Sept. 14, Father Federico Lombardi,papal spokesman, issued a statement say-ing it was very important to the pope thatthere be a “clear and radical refusal ofreligious motivation of violence.”

But he said the pope was not presentingan in-depth assessment of the concept ofjihad or Islamic thinking about holy war,and it was certainly not the pope’s inten-tion to “offend the sensibilities of Muslimbelievers.”

Father Lombardi noted that, on thecontrary, the pope’s talk was primarilyabout the religious shortcomings of theWest. He said the pope had spoken atlength about the reluctance of other cultures to accept a Western “exclusion ofthe divine.”

“Therefore, it is clear the pope wants to cultivate an attitude of respect and dialogue toward other religions and cul-tures, obviously also toward Islam,” theVatican spokesman said. †

Pope Benedict XVI lectures on faith and reason at the University of Regensburg in Germany onSept. 12. A quotation from a Byzantine emperor that the pope used in this talk has provoked outrage inthe Muslim world. The pope said on Sept. 17 that he is “deeply sorry” that Muslims were offended bythe quotation he used. Alf Zimmer, head of the University of Regensburg, is also pictured in this photo.

CN

S ph

oto/

Cat

holic

Pre

ss P

hoto

, L'O

sser

vato

re R

oman

o

Your comfort is our first priority.We provide 24 hour care, live-in if necessary,

hygiene assistance, meals, respite care, errands,light housekeeping, transportation, medication

reminders, and joyful companionship. Our caregivers are thoroughly screened.

(Insured and Bonded)

TOLL FREE

888-733-0617

Now Your ParentsCan Live At Home! TRI-COUNTY

ASPHALTPaving Indiana Since 1948

CALL FOR YOUR FREE ESTIMATES

• ASPHALT DRIVEWAYS• SEALCOATING

Discounts for Senior Citizensand non-profit organizations

CALL: 317-849-9901317-356-1334317-862-2967

LICENSED & BONDED BY THE CITY OF INDIANAPOLIS


By Mary Ann Wyand

“Created, Loved, Redeemed by God” is the theme forthe Church’s national observance of Respect Life Sundayon Oct. 1 in dioceses throughout the country.

The archdiocesan observance begins at 1 p.m. with thebilingual Respect Life Mass at SS. Peter and PaulCathedral in Indianapolis and continues at 2:30 p.m. withparticipation in Life Chains in Indianapolis and five othercities in central and southern Indiana.

Father Scott Nobbe, who was ordained on June 24, isthe celebrant for the pro-life Mass. He serves as executiveassistant to Archbishop Daniel M. Buechlein and liaisonfor Hispanic ministry in the archdiocese.

At the conclusion of the Mass, Msgr. Joseph F.Schaedel, vicar general, will present the ArchbishopEdward T. O’Meara Respect Life Award and the OurLady of Guadalupe Pro-Life Youth Award for

distinguished service to the cause of life.Servants of the Gospel of Life Sister Diane Carollo,

director of the archdiocesan Office for Pro-Life Ministry,said Father Nobbe will celebrate the Mass in English andSpanish.

“Hopefully, many of our Hispanic brothers and sisterswill join us at this liturgy,” Sister Diane said. “It willinclude Spanish readings and music.”

She hopes Catholics from many parishes in central andsouthern Indiana will participate in the archdiocesanobservance at the cathedral.

“Respect Life Sunday launches the yearlong [pro-life education] program among the faithful in thearchdiocese,” she said. “The message that human life issacred from the moment of conception until natural deathcannot be proclaimed from the pulpit one Sunday of theyear. The message must be revisited and proclaimedthroughout the entire year.”

Sister Diane said the U.S. Conference of CatholicBishops has made this clear by adopting the Respect LifeProgram, which includes educational materials, liturgicalguides and other resources for use in parishes andschools.

Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary parishionerRose Kehoe of Indianapolis is coordinating theecumenical Central Indiana Life Chain this year alongNorth Meridian Street.

“Life Chain has been a part of Indianapolis’ RespectLife Sunday since 1991,” Kehoe said. “We’re alwayshoping for greater participation.”

In the archdiocese, Life Chains also are scheduled inColumbus, Connersville, Greencastle, Greenfield andTerre Haute.

(For more information about the Central Indiana LifeChain, call Rose Kehoe at 317-926-2123.) †

By Mary Ann Wyand

Sixty-eight years ago, Chester and Cecelia Hublar ofNew Albany promised God that they would love andcherish each other all the days of their lives.

Nearly seven decades later, the Hublars celebratedtheir promise by renewing their marriage vows in thepresence of Archbishop Daniel M. Buechlein during thearchdiocesan Golden Wedding Anniversary Mass onSept. 17 at SS. Peter and Paul Cathedral in Indianapolis.

“Just take each day at a time and do the best you can,”Cecelia Hublar explained after the Mass, in order to have along and happy marriage.

“Be truthful with each other and sincere, and alwaysrespect your partner’s views,” Chester Hublar added. “Talkthings over.”

They were married on Aug. 24, 1938, at the St. MaryParish rectory in New Albany. Later, he joined the Churchand they raised three children—Dwan Hublar, RobertHublar and Theresia Ordner—in the Catholic faith.

Attending Mass together “makes you realize thateverything is based on God,” he said, “so you have to baseyour marriage on that, too.”

The Hublars, now members of Holy Family Parish inNew Albany, were the longest married couple in attendanceat the archdiocesan Mass that honors jubilarians married50 years or longer.

They were among 177 married couples from central andsouthern Indiana who participated in the Mass with theirfamilies.

“All together, they represent 9,454 years of marriage,”Daniel Sarell, director of the archdiocesan Office of FamilyMinistries, told the archbishop and assembly.

“In total, they have 780 children, 1,645 grandchildrenand 363 great-grandchildren … and counting,” Sarell said.“Twenty-one couples present have been married for60 years or longer.”

During his homily, Archbishop Buechlein thanked thecouples for their faithful love and commitment to thesacrament of marriage.

“How blessed you are to have this time together in yourgolden years, even if in sickness,” he said. “And more thanwe, your children, can ever tell you, your lives touch usprofoundly. You show us how to live in an imperfect world.”

Recalling his parents’ long and happy marriage,Archbishop Buechlein said, “No matter how ravaged wemay be physically because of illness … , no matter howweak and sick we may sometimes feel spiritually, in God’seyes we are beautiful.

“The real, down-to-earth love of wife and husbandmirrors God’s unconditional love for us,” he said. “In thatsense, a faithful marriage is indeed a sacrament of God’slove for us. Even in sickness and suffering from the effectsof aging, more than you folks will ever know, youjubilarians are a wonderful witness to us.”

The archbishop asked the jubilarians “to continue to bean example of a couple that prays together.”

He also asked them to “pray for our archdiocese, prayfor our priests, pray for all those folks who help carry onGod’s work, pray for vocations to the priesthood andreligious life.”

After the Mass, St. Mary parishioners John and EleanorWeisbach of Greensburg reflected on their 66-yearmarriage.

They were married on Aug. 28, 1940, at St. ThomasAquinas Church in Cincinnati, Ohio, and have onedaughter, Shirley Niese, also a St. Mary’s parishioner, aswell as two grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

“You’ve got to love one another,” John Weisbachexplained, “and don’t argue too much.”

Eleanor Weisbach agreed, noting that it’s important to“try to do the best you can and get along with each other.”

St. Michael the Archangel parishioners Frederick andMarcella Marshall of Indianapolis have been married for

60 years and are charter members of their parish. Theyshared a kiss during the Mass after renewing theirmarriage vows.

The Marshalls were married on Dec. 28, 1946, atSt. Mark Church in St. Paul, Minn. They have sevenchildren—Mary Margaret Foreman, Suzanne Elble,Frederick Marshall III, Rita Delessert, Jane Marshall,Tim Marshall and Maureen Marshall-Doss—as well as16 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

After the liturgy, Marcella Marshall said she thanks Godfor bringing them together. A native of Detroit, he wasattending graduate school in Iowa, working on his Ph.D. inchemistry. She was studying to be an elementary educationteacher, hundreds of miles away in Minnesota, when herfriend introduced them during a weekend visit.

“This is the way God works,” she said. “When he wasgrowing up, he lived on a street called Campbell. When Iwas growing up, I lived on a street named Marshall.Campbell is my maiden name. We got together so it’s like itwas meant to be.”

Smiling, Frederick Marshall said, “I tell the fellas thatthe secret to a long and happy marriage is ‘Yes, dear.’ ”

Love and respect are key ingredients for a successfulmarriage, he added. “You have to be willing to help eachother and place your spouse first above everybody else.”

“That’s what he has always done and what I’ve tried todo,” she said. “It’s been a great marriage. I have been luckyto be married to a fella who is just wonderful. We alwaystalk everything over and come to decisions together. Wehave been partners forever and best friends always.” †

Witnesses to loveJubilarians honored at Golden Wedding Anniversary Mass

Phot

os b

y M

ary

Ann

Wya

nd

Archbishop Daniel M. Buechlein congratulates Holy Family parishioners Chester and Cecelia Hublar of New Albany on 68 years ofmarriage during the Golden Wedding Anniversary Mass on Sept. 17 at SS. Peter and Paul Cathedral in Indianapolis. St. Mary parishionersJohn and Eleanor Weisbach of Greensburg, who have been married 66 years, are seated behind the Hublars.

Above, left, St. Christopher parishioners Katrine and Kenneth Carter of Indianapolis were among 21 couples married 60 years or longerwho participated in the Golden Wedding Anniversary Mass. Above, right, SS. Francis and Clare parishioners Raymond and RosemaryAtzhorn of Greenwood, who have been married 60 years, renew their marriage vows.

Bilingual Mass, Life Chains to highlight Respect Life Sunday events


Pope meets with crowd, neighbors as he visits home in PentlingPENTLING, Germany (CNS)—

Barriers holding back crowds of well-wishers in front of Pope Benedict XVI’sPentling home opened upon orders givenfrom inside the pope’s house.

Suddenly, everyone was allowed onthe street just outside the pope’s house,and only minutes later Pope Benedictemerged, thanking the crowd for comingand waiting for him on Sept. 13.

“May God bless you all,” he said,adding the Bavarian phrase “Vergelt’sGott,” which means “May God repayyou for your kindness.”

“I want to thank you for your goodneighborhood spirit; in our thoughts wewill always remain connected,” he said.

Then he walked out among thecrowd, separated from the people onlyby a thin plastic band.

“We do what he asks us to do, andthis is what was being asked for, that hispeople could get really close to him,” apolice officer told Catholic NewsService.

Pope Benedict also met privately withhis immediate neighbors.

Farsad Samitt, a pharmacist, and hiswife, Anita Penzenstadler, have beenliving next door to Pope Benedict’shouse for 16 years. Penzenstadler saidPope Benedict took a lot of time tospeak with them and asked about theirbaby.

“Our daughter, Sara, is now 11 monthsold, and he wanted to meet her. He wasever so happy when I showed her to him,congratulated us on our wonderful childand blessed her,” she told CNS.

“Then he took my hands into his andjust looked at me intently,” she said. “Itwas as though he did not look at me, helooked right through me and into myheart. ... He has really blessed me, and thefaith that went forth from his kind eyeswas enormous.”

Another neighbor, Therese Hofbauer,said when the pope walked into hisgarden he profusely thanked her andher husband, Rupert, for how well theykept it.

The Hofbauers gave the pope honeyfrom bees that live in his garden.

“The fountain was decorated withsunflowers, and at the side stood the jarswith honey from his own bees and fromhis own garden,” said Therese Hofbauer.“He saw that little surprise gift we hadprepared for him and was so happy aboutit. When he left, he took it with him.”

She said when she spoke with PopeBenedict she asked him to pray for afriend who was there on a stretcher; whenshe told the pope how sick her friend was,“he immediately went up to her, and heblessed her.”

Carmelite Sister Emmanuel Hofbauerof St. Joseph Carmelite Monastery inShoreline, Wash., a German-born nunwho had traveled to Pentling especially tomeet Pope Benedict and who had beenstaying with the Hofbauers at their home,said she was overjoyed at seeing the pope.Sister Emmanuel is not related to thepope’s neighbors.

Sister Emmanuel, who for two decadeshas corresponded with the pope and hisbrother, Msgr. Georg Ratzinger, said,“When he saw me, he came up and said,‘Ah, the sister is here to visit, welcome.’ ”

Sister Emmanuel told CNS that shespoke to Msgr. Ratzinger after PopeBenedict left.

“They [the pope and his brother]spent hours together in the house, justthe two of them,” she said. “He[Msgr. Ratzinger] was so happy that ithad worked out for them to walk aroundtheir house and in the garden together asthey had always done in the past. Hewas just so full of joy, and my heartreally went out to him.

CN

S ph

oto/

Mic

hael

a R

ehle

, Reu

tersPope Benedict XVI greets children outside his

house in the Bavarian town of Pentling,Germany, on Sept. 13.

Pope Benedict XVI and his brother, Msgr. GeorgRatzinger, take a walk through the garden of thepope’s house in Pentling, Germany, on Sept. 13.The pope and his brother also visited thegraves of their parents and sister in Pentling.

“When I saw them walking aroundthe garden, I could see the joy on boththeir faces; they were really, reallyhappy,” she said.

“If this had been a movie, this wouldhave been the part where I would havebroken out in tears, at the sight of thesetwo old brothers being reunited andwalking around the house. It was animmensely moving moment that Icannot put into words,” added SisterEmmanuel. †

CN

S ph

oto/

Wol

fgan

g R

atke

, Poo

l via

Reu

ters

Sagamore,®

owned by Midwestern Catholic health organizations, has established a private health network that provides

hundreds of thousands of members with more choices in health care. Over the years we’ve introduced a number of innovative

ideas for both members and employers, including budget-minded plans, web-based health information and maternity programs.

But our biggest asset is our mission, which is to treat our members with respect, dignity, honesty and compassion. Sagamore

has always been – and will always be – a health network that wants to make everyone we serve…feel good.

sagamorechoices.com 800.521.6139

a mission to help you feel good!

S I M P L Y T H E B E T T E R C H O I C E

FaithAlive!A supplement to Catholic newspaperspublished by Catholic News Service,3211 Fourth Street, N.E., Washington,D.C. 20017-1100. All contents arecopyrighted © 2006 by Catholic NewsService.

Discussion Point

This Week’s Question

How does the Sunday Eucharist shape your life duringthe week?

“I like to pick up one thing out of the readings to getme through the week.” (Mary Ernestine Lohr,Cumberland, Md.)

“I recently enrolled in hospice, and when I can’t go toMass my wife brings me the Eucharist. It is aremarkable part of my faith and prayer life, and mywife bringing it to me makes it even more special.”(Will Rich, Kailua, Hawaii)

“It brings you into a closer relationship with Jesus andhelps you stay more focused on him during the week.”(Tom Porter, Natchitoches, La.)

Eucharist unites the lives of the faithful to Christ

The Eucharist shapes daily life“My husband, Chuck, and I are retired, and we try togo to Mass on Monday, Wednesday and Friday as wellas Sunday. We share the idea that the Eucharist isvital. ... It’s [Jesus’] nourishment coming into us thathelps us to be his servants. Others can see him in us.”(Elizabeth White, Pewaukee, Wis.)

Lend Us Your Voice

Do you think you have anything in common in termsof faith with Muslims or Buddhists, for example?

To respond for possible publication in anupcoming edition, send your response [email protected] or write to Faith Alive! at3211 Fourth St. N.E., Washington, D.C. 20017-1100. †

CN

S ph

oto/

Nan

cy W

iech

ec

By Sr. Janet Baxendale, S.C.

How do we name the infinite, theeternal, the inexhaustible, that which isessentially mystery to us—the Eucharist?

Down through the ages, under the HolySpirit’s guidance, the Church has minedGod’s word to find appropriate ways toexpress the riches in the inestimable giftthat the Eucharist is for humanity.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church(#1328-#1349) tells us that the Eucharist isnamed the Lord’s Supper, the Breaking ofthe Bread, the eucharistic assembly, theMemorial of the Lord’s Passion andResurrection, the Holy Sacrifice, the holyand divine liturgy, Holy Communion andthe holy Mass.

This sacramental action is about praiseand thanksgiving to God, which is whatthe word “Eucharist” means.

Because the ultimate act of praise andthanksgiving was the sacrifice of Christthrough the Passion and Resurrection, theEucharist is known as the memorial of thissaving action and the Holy Sacrifice.

This reminds us that just as bread andwine are changed into Christ’s body andblood in the celebration of Mass so, in thiscelebration, the Lord’s Passion, death,resurrection and ascension become reallypresent in our midst. In Pope John PaulII’s words, it is “as if we had been presentthere” (“Ecclesia de Eucharistia,” #11).

The title “eucharistic assembly”highlights that this is a body calledtogether by Christ to join in his perfectpraise of the Father through the power ofthe Holy Spirit. We come together underthe leadership of the ordained priest, actingin the person of Christ, to participate inChrist’s perfect worship. We are called tojoin Christ in offering his sacrifice to theFather and join to that the offering ofourselves.

Every life, and every aspect of life apartfrom sin, has meaning.

“In the Eucharist, the sacrifice of Christbecomes also the sacrifice of the membersof his body. The lives of the faithful ... areunited with ... Christ and with his totaloffering, and so acquire a new value. Thisis especially evident in the Sundaygathering, which makes it possible to bringto the altar the week that has passed withall its human burdens” (“The Day of theLord,” Pope John Paul II, #43).

Our offering is imperfect; we are allsinners. But enfolded in Christ’s offering,our self-offering becomes perfect praise ofthe Father. Nothing in our lives—our pain,

joy, efforts, failures, frustrations, losses,triumphs—is without meaning. All can betransformed into praise and thanksgivingto the Father through the offering of Christin the power of the Holy Spirit.

The titles “Breaking of the Bread,”“holy Communion” and “Lord’s Supper”signify that the Eucharist is food, a holymeal, our source of spiritual nourishment.It draws attention to the unity shared bythe many who participate in the Mass,unity with one another and with Christ,head of the Mystical Body.

As the one bread, which is the Lord, isbroken into many pieces and given to us asspiritual food, so we—united to Christ andto one another in baptism—now have thatunity strengthened and reinforced.

Eucharistic Prayer III reads, “Grantthat we who are nourished by his bodyand blood may be filled with his HolySpirit, and become one body, one spiritin Christ.”

The Eucharist is “the Holy and DivineLiturgy.” Christ shared our humanity andcomes to us under the guise of ordinaryfood and drink, and we are by thiscelebration allowed to participate in a holyaction, one bringing us into intimatecontact with divinity, with God the Father,God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.

The title “holy Mass” is derived from“missa,” the Latin word used for sendingforth the faithful at the conclusion of theMass to share what we have received andspread the good news of our salvation.

(Charity Sister Janet Baxendale is adjunctprofessor of liturgy at St. Joseph Seminaryin Yonkers, N.Y., and an adviser to theU.S. bishops’ liturgy committee.) †

The Eucharist demonstrates true loveBy Allan F. Wright

When it comes to love, we want thereal thing, not a cheap imitation.

The Eucharist is the real thing. It isJesus, and he is love personified.

It can be a challenge to talk toteenagers about what the Eucharist meansin the life of the Church and in ourpersonal lives. The goal is tocommunicate all that the Eucharist is toallow teens to comprehend the truth aboutthe Eucharist and experience personallythe love of God through Jesus’ realpresence.

Love and community are two concepts

that teenagers are in tune with daily.Every young person longs to love andbe loved. For them, being in love meansbelonging to a loving community.

We are designed for love at our verycore, yet what our culture recognizes aslove is far from the biblical truth aboutlove from a Christian perspective.

With this in mind, we can begin to talkabout the gift of God in Jesus and Jesus’gift, the Eucharist. True love is total, free,faithful and fruitful. Love is personifiedin Jesus. If we want to love as God loves,we look to Jesus, who commanded us tocelebrate the sacrament of the Eucharist,which is ultimately a mystery that we

CN

S ph

oto/

Nan

cy W

iech

ec

Father Francisco Tovar celebrates the eucharistic liturgy at St. Martin of Tour Church in Gaithersburg, Md.The Eucharist is the holy and divine liturgy.This title is a clear sign that by this celebration we areallowed to participate in a holy action, one bringing us into intimate contact with divinity.

enter into rather than completelyunderstand, just like love.

In the Eucharist, Jesus gives his wholeself to us in love. That love bears fruit inour hearts and overflows into the world.

The Eucharist demonstrates what truelove is—giving oneself for the other. The“real presence” of Jesus in the Eucharistshould also be present in the community.

Together, we celebrate God’s love forus and his call to bring that love to aworld that desperately needs our witness.

(Allan F. Wright wrote Silent Witnesses inthe Gospels, published by St. AnthonyMessenger Press in Cincinnati.) †


(Third of five columns)

Sister St. Theodore Guérin and five otherSisters of Providence arrived in New York

on Sept. 4, 1840.The next day, a

priest took them toBrooklyn, where theystayed with a womanaccustomed to caringfor missionaries whenthey first arrived in theUnited States.

A man who spokeFrench then

accompanied them to Philadelphia, wherethey stayed with the Sisters of Charity.There, they met a French priest who wasgoing to Vincennes, Ind., and said they werewelcome to accompany him.

They traveled by train, stagecoach andsteamboat, and finally reached Madison.There, they met Bishop Celestine de laHailandière, who told them that they wereto be settled near Terre Haute. Anothersteamboat took them to Evansville, Ind.,then a stagecoach carried them toVincennes.

From there, a Father Buteux, assigned as

chaplain for the sisters, accompanied themon non-existent roads through forests and

across the Wabash Riverto Terre Haute, and thenon to Saint Mary-of-the-Woods. At one point onthe journey, theirstagecoach overturned ina mud hole.

On Oct. 22, 1840, asSister St. Theodore was to record later, “Wecontinued to advance into the thick woodsuntil suddenly Father Buteux stopped thecarriage and said, ‘Come down, Sisters, wehave arrived.’ What was our astonishment tofind ourselves still in the midst of the forest,no village, not even a house in sight.”

They were led down into a ravine fromwhich they could see a frame house andsome sheds on the other side. This was tobe their home, deep in the woods. SisterSt. Theodore could only wonder how itwould ever be possible to establish anovitiate and a school in this remote forest.

There were four postulants waiting forthe sisters, so the community now consistedof 10 women. On the instructions of Bishopde la Hailandière, the sisters began callingSister St. Theodore “Mother Theodore,” the

From the Editor Emeritus/John F. Fink

Remember Bambi, the cute little fawn inthe Disney film? In fact, despite an

undercurrent ofsadness in Bambi’smother’s death and theintrusions of humanhunters, the moviedepends on “cute” forits success: the feistybunny namedThumper, the sweetbaby skunk namedFlower, etc.

Most of us know “Bambi” only fromthis film, so we might be surprised to learnthat the original version by the Viennesewriter Felix Salten is not cute at all. In fact,it’s a rather dark and scary tale.

According to a recent article by DavidRakoff in the Nextbook Reader, Saltenwrote the book in 1923 after taking avacation in the Swiss Alps. He was smittenwith the natural beauty and wildlife of thatarea and decided to write “the life story of ayoung faun [fawn] in the woods.” Hedevised the name “Bambi” by shorteningthe Italian word for “baby,” i.e. “bambino.”

Rakoff wrote that Salten’s story is “anastonishment” because of the depth of its

wisdom. In one example, he quotes achapter about “the final moments of the lasttwo surviving leaves on an oak tree aswinter approaches,” calling it a “wonder ofcompression and a rumination on old ageand impending death as poignant as KurtWeill’s ‘September Song.’ ”

In another passage, an exhausted,bleeding fox “stumbles into a clearing,pursued by a hunter’s hound. The fox firstpleads with the hound, one canine toanother. Then, understanding theinevitability of his approaching end, hesuddenly sits erect and speaks in a voicebitter as gall: ‘Aren’t you ashamed, youtraitor?’ ” The other animals take up the cry,and the forest rings with their denunciationsof the turncoat hound.

Still, Rakoff explained, there’s “not atrace of anthropomorphized cuteness” in thebook. Unlike the Disney version, thecharacters are not animals coyly displayinghuman characteristics.

Rather, “Bambi’s forest is peopled[creatured?] with characters by turnsarrogant, venal, gossipy and engaging—asflawed and varied as the cosmopolitanfauna Salten must have encountered daily inhis life in Vienna.”

Bambi, seen through a glass darkly

Our Turn/Therese Borchard

Nothing ruins a good friendship like amarriage.

Most 20-somethings graduate fromcollege with a half dozen or more close

friendships that theyvow will last forever.Especially in thistechnologicallyadvanced world—withe-mail and instantmessenger andcell phones—there isn’ta good excuse forslacking off on

communication. Except when you meetyour partner-to-be, and suddenly lunchhours and happy hours and weekendsevaporate into the new relationship that willbecome the nucleus of your own family.

You still value your friendships fromcollege, but your spare time gets used up onmeeting your boyfriend’s family andfriends. When you do manage to gettogether with your best girlfriend, theconversation seems forced, like somethingor someone is standing between the two ofyou.

In a recent Washington Post article,journalist Suz Redfearn discussed a fewstudies exploring the dynamics offriendships in the young-adult years. Onestudy by Robert Milardo, professor ofhuman development and family relationshipat the University of Maine, found that aspeople get closer to a primary partner, theywithdraw from their network selectively.

“They spend less time with acquain-tances and intermediate friends, butcontinue relationships with best friends andclose friends—though even those may bemuted as the relationship intensified,” saidMilardo.

College friendships are hard to maintainbecause they form in a context. When youtake away that context and place graduatesin different environments, it takes a greatdeal of commitment and effort to keep therelationship going. Add to the formula anew significant, primary relationship, andyou can begin to understand why so manyfriends drift apart after commencement.

I remember all too well the year or twoof awkward conversations I had with mybest friend from college around the time Imet my husband. She felt hurt, betrayed,like I had replaced her with a boyfriend.

I was frustrated, needing the space togrow a new relationship, but wanting tohold on to the closeness between us thatgelled in our dorm rooms and at the dininghall.

It’s not unusual for a friend to be jealousof the new relationship, said sociologist JanYager, author of Friendshifts: The Power ofFriendship and How It Shapes Our Lives.

“Often, it’s not just a matter of beingjealous of the time the married friend isspending with their new spouse, but, rather,feeling jealous that the married one isgaining something that the single one maynever have and feeling that, simultaneously,they are losing something: a friend,” saidYager.

My best friend and I regained ourintimacy only after she met her husband-to-be. By then, she could appreciate thedelicate balance I was trying to keep withtwo very important relationships in my life.Thankfully, we had children at the sametime because that is yet another testingphase of college friendships. After diaperchanges and play dates, you have even lesstime to give to friends.

But close friendships with college palsare worth the effort. Yager and other expertsrecommend that 20- and 30-somethingspractice a little patience and flexibility withnewlywed friends, who are adjusting to anew life with different demands.

It helps if friends focus on similarities,as does reducing expectations and seekingout new activities (if you are in the samearea). Moreover, commitment to therelationship is the key ingredient to makingit last your lifetime.

(Therese Borchard writes for CatholicNews Service.) †

During the past few weeks, wecommemorated the tragedies of the terrorist

attacks on Sept. 11,2001, as well asnatural disasters causedby hurricanes Katrinaand Rita a year ago.

As I prayed forthose who perished orsurvived the disasters, Ithought about thepowerful fear theymust have experienced.

Fear can bring us to our knees—in moreways than one—but it can also motivatecourage.

One day, while musing over this, Ipicked up my as yet unread Aug. 10 issueof The New York Review. Imagine mysurprise when I came across the followingnotice from Professor Gyan Prakash,director of the Shelby Cullom Davis Centerfor Historical Studies at PrincetonUniversity in New Jersey:

“During the academic year [the abovecenter], will focus on the study of fear inhistory. We invite students from alldisciplines to examine fear as an historical

experience, its generative, productive aswell as negative and destructive roles inhistory, and the processes by which itoperates, spreads, dissipates and iscountered.

“As in the past, we hope to addresstopics and problems from a wide variety ofperiods and places, from prehistory to thepresent, and from all parts of the world.”

What are the chances of me runninginto this notice as I pondered fear? Withadded interest, I read topics that could becovered, including but not limited to thefollowing:

• the emotional and psychic texture offear in historical situations,

• the mode of fear’s operation,circulation and dissolution,

• people’s fear of the state and thestate’s fears as reflected in its generationof documentation and archives,

• fear of disease, war, empire andimperial dissolution,

• fear of racial, religious, political,ideological and sexual contamination,

• fear of disorder or the imposition oforder,

• fear of change and fear of stasis,

Musing over the myriad faces of fear

Is three a crowd?The Sisters of Providence arrive in Indianatitle she would keep the rest of her life. Thesisters began studying English, and MotherTheodore instructed the postulants in theway of religious life.

On Christmas night of 1840, MotherTheodore became critically ill, sufferingfrom fever, severe headaches and periods ofunconsciousness. The illness continued foralmost two months, and she continued tohave poor health the rest of her life.

After she recovered to some extent,Mother Theodore began to plan heracademy for girls. By the end of July 1841,10 young women were studying atSaint Mary-of-the-Woods. The followingMarch, the sisters opened a school inJasper, Ind., and, in October 1842, twosisters were sent to St. Francisville, Ill.

During the years that followed, thesisters had numerous trials of all kinds.They suffered from hunger, sometimesgoing without food for days. Theyexperienced the heat and humidity, andmosquitoes of Indiana summers, and thecold and heavy snow of the winters. Theyplanted crops and raised hogs and otheranimals on their farm, and were beginningto have a bit more to eat when a firedestroyed their barn and harvest. †

The novel was popular with all ages. Inan interesting side note, we learn that itsEnglish translator in 1929 was “WhittakerChambers, who took the job to supplementthe paltry salary he earned as editor of theCommunist newspaper The Daily Worker.”

Salten was a nominal Jew whonevertheless served as an altar boy at somepoint, perhaps to survive in anti-SemiticVienna. He became an obituary writer and,before writing Bambi, he wrote apornographic novel called The Memoirs ofJosephine. To say the least, he did not seemto be destined to write a spiritual book.

Still, Christian sensibility may haverubbed off on Salten during his days as analtar boy. Rakoff writes, “Ultimately, agrown Bambi realizes that ‘there is Anotherwho is over us all, over us and over Him[man],’ a force of unquantifiable strength,but one also imbued with the attributes ofmercy and loving kindness.”

Thus, we have the insightful moralitytale called Bambi. God does indeed work inmysterious ways.

(Cynthia Dewes, a member of St. Paul theApostle Parish in Greencastle, is a regularcolumnist for The Criterion.) †

• fear of technology and the projectionof alternatives,

My primary personal fears are relatedto physical or spiritual well-being. Someof the latter comes when honestlyanswering questions, such as: Do Iunderstand the will of God? Do I letbiblical and Church teachings educate andguide me? Do I keep an open heart andmind when interacting with others,especially those who don’t think as I do?Am I living Christ’s love? If not, I’mafraid.

The center at Princeton offers “alimited number of research fellowshipsdesigned for highly recommendedyounger scholars who have finished theirdissertations on fear” by a Dec. 1application deadline.

For more information, log on tohttp://dav.princeton.edu/program/e13/application.html or write the Center at129 Dickinson Hall, Princeton University,Princeton, NJ 08544-1017.

(Shirley Vogler Meister, a member ofChrist the King Parish in Indianapolis, isa regular columnist for The Criterion.) †

Perspectives

Faithful Lines/Shirley Vogler Meister

Cornucopia/Cynthia Dewes


The Sunday ReadingsSunday, Sept. 24, 2006• Wisdom 2:12, 17-20• James 3:16-4:3• Mark 9:30-37

The Book of Wisdom furnishes the firstreading for this weekend.

This book waswritten in an effort tosay that being faithfulto God andworshipping theOne God of Israelrepresent the greatesthuman wisdom.

To be convincing,the book obviously hadto face the fact that evil

exists in the world because humans turnaway from God and succumb to evil.

In this reading, the book describesintrigue. The evil conspire against the good.The evil in the world especially detestanyone who devoutly obeys God. Ifnothing else, the devout challengeevildoers. The devout prove that holiness ispossible.

Christians often assume that thisScripture passage—and other readingssimilar to it in the Old Testament—directlyrefer to Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God.

From the theological point of view, fromthe standpoint of a broader message indivine Revelation, this passage and othersprefigure the identity and mission of Jesus.However, when Wisdom was composed,centuries before Jesus, the Incarnation hadnot yet occurred.

Nevertheless, all the details apply. Jesuswas not without enemies. He personallywas disliked. His Gospel was scorned.However, he was victorious.

For the second reading, the Church thisweekend turns to the Epistle of James.

This epistle never gives the name of itsauthor. Because four persons with the nameof James appear in the New Testament, andpossibly others by this name existed in thecircle around Jesus, biblical scholars areunwilling to say who exactly wrote thiswork of Scripture.

This fact is unimportant. The test ofinspiration does not, in the last analysis,rest on the identity of the writer alone, but

rather on how the Christian communitylong, long ago accepted the writing, andhow the Church officially has regarded it.The Church teaches, and has taught, thatJames is a divinely inspired work.

The reading is clear and practical. It toorefers to wisdom. True wisdom shares inand reflects the divine knowledge.Therefore, true wisdom is innocent becauseGod is innocent of all malice. It seeks toresolve conflicts. It seeks to respect others.It seeks truth.

St. Mark’s Gospel supplies the lastreading.

This reading actually has two points.The first is that essential to the personalmission of Jesus was a confrontation withevil in which the most powerful of earthlyrealities, namely death itself, came to Jesus.Then Jesus overcame death and all humanevil. He is the victor. He lives.

Although the Apostles were the Lord’sspecial students, human ambition andshortsightedness trapped them. Theyaccepted that the kingdom would come, asJesus taught, but they wanted to rank highwhen the kingdom and its glory arrived.

Jesus warned them that life in thekingdom would not be automatic. It surelywould not be thrust upon them. They wouldhave to deserve the kingdom byresembling, in every sense in their lives, thelife and sacrifice of the Master.

ReflectionTragedies—personal ones, such as

illnesses, or those involving societies, suchas hurricanes or wars—remind us thathuman nature is flawed, that humans arevulnerable and that evil people can, andterrifyingly do, work their will in the world.

None of this happens because “Godallows it.” God gives us the freedom toobey the divine will. When we disobey,disaster follows. Even the flaws of humannature, pain and death itself developedbecause of voluntary human sin.

These readings remind us of these facts.We defeat evil, and survive magnificentlydespite our human limitations, when wemodel our lives on the life of Jesus. Thisseems very attractive until we realize thatliving in the example of Jesus meansconfronting evil, rebuking evil and then ofbeing victorious. †

Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time/Msgr. Owen F. Campion

Daily ReadingsMonday, Sept. 25Proverbs 3:27-34Psalm 15:2-5Luke 8:16-18

Tuesday, Sept. 26Cosmas, martyrDamian, martyrProverbs 21:1-6, 10-13Psalm 119:1, 27, 30, 34-35, 44Luke 8:19-21

Wednesday, Sept. 27Vincent de Paul, priestProverbs 30:5-9Psalm 119:29, 72, 89, 101, 104,

163Luke 9:1-6

Thursday, Sept. 28Wenceslaus, martyrLawrence Ruiz, martyrand his companions, martyrsEcclesiastes 1:2-11Psalm 90:3-6, 12-14, 17

Luke 9:7-9

Friday, Sept. 29Michael, Gabriel and Raphael,

archangelsDaniel 7:9-10, 13-14or Revelations 12:7-12aPsalm 138:1-5John 1:47-51

Saturday, Sept. 30Jerome, priest and doctor of the

ChurchEcclesiastes 11:9-12:8Psalm 90:3-6, 12-14, 17Luke 9:43b-45

Sunday, Oct. 1Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary

TimeNumbers 11:25-29Psalm 19:8, 10, 12-14James 5:1-6Mark 9:39-43, 45, 47-48

My Journey to God

It takes a lot of courageTo face who I am.I must quiet my soulAnd enter into another realm.

It takes a lot of courageTo admit that I’ve been wrong,To face another personAnd turn my sin into a love song.

It takes a lot of courageTo ask God on bended kneeTo forgive all my sinfulnessAnd shed his grace on me.

It takes a lot of courageTo get up and start anew,But God’s mercy and forgivenessGive me a different view.

I cherish the love I’m given.It is grace to battle on.As long as I live in this world,Through courage, the battle is won.

By Sandy Bierly

Courage

QIs there a list of historical books orwritings which confirm the

existence of Jesus,written by other thanmembers of theChristian religion?

If there are suchdocuments, wheremay they beobtained? (Illinois)

AI assume you areasking about

historical writings of the early Christianera, around the time that theNew Testament was being formed orshortly after.

There is no such list, to myknowledge, at least one that would bereadily available. One reason is thatreferences to Jesus actually would bevery few, at best.

We Christians believe that the comingof Jesus to our earth was the pivotalpoint in human history. It’s difficult forus to imagine how little interest hearoused in the rest of the world,including the Roman Empire, apart fromhis own initial small community offollowers.

From any viewpoint other than faith,Jesus was, after all, merely the leader ofa tiny offshoot of Jews in a spectacularlyinsignificant corner of the RomanEmpire. He was for many decades apolitical, social and religious “nobody.”

Outside the circle of Christians, thefirst mention of Jesus in a historicaldocument was by Flavius Josephus, aJewish historian who eventually becamea close friend of Emperor Vespasian andother Roman emperors.

His writings, especially TheAntiquities of the Jews, completed aboutthe year 94, were highly prized fonts ofinformation about the earliest Christians.

Centuries later, St. Jerome and otherearly Church fathers used him as amajor resource for their studies.

Toward the end of the book, Josephusdescribes how, under the procuratorAlbinus, there was brought before agroup of judges “the brother of Jesus,who was called Christ, whose name wasJames” (Book XX, 9.1).

This would have been James theApostle, one of the three disciples

closest to our Lord, who died a martyrin the year 44. Another mention of Jesusin The Antiquities as a miracle workerwho rose three days after dying isalmost certainly a gloss, an insertion inthe text added later by a Christian“copy editor.”

The first mention of Jesus by a paganwriter was apparently by the Romanhistorian Tacitus about 110 A.D. Hespeaks of Christians, “whose founder,one Christus, was put to death by theprocurator Pontius Pilate when Tiberiuswas emperor” (Annals XV, 44).

About 120 A.D., Gaius Suetonius, inhis Life of [Emperor] Claudius, writes,“Since the Jews made continual distur-bances at the instigation of Chrestus, he[Claudius] expelled them from Rome.”

This passage is generally accepted asreferring to early Christian converts fromJudaism and to Jesus Christ, though thetiming may be somewhat faulty. Claudiuswas emperor some years after Christ.

Much information on these historiansand Jesus is available on the Internet byGoogling their names with that of Jesus.

QMay the deacon who presides at amarriage without Mass give the

nuptial blessing and also bless thecongregation? (Wisconsin)

AWhen a deacon is celebrant for awedding, he follows the same

Roman ritual for that ceremony as apriest would, including the nuptial andclosing blessings.

This is generally true for all ritualscelebrated by a deacon. The Church’sofficial Book of Blessings, for example,indicates that the rite for blessingrosaries, statues and other sacramentals“may be used by a priest or deacon”(Chapters 44 and 45). A deacon woulduse the same words and actions as apriest.

(Catholic Q & A: Answers to the MostCommon Questions About Catholicismis a 530-page collection of columns byFather John Dietzen. It is published byCrossroad Publishing Company inNew York and costs $17.95. Questionsmay be sent to Father Dietzen at Box5515, Peoria, IL 61612 or by e-mail incare of [email protected].) †

(Sandy Bierly is a member of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish in New Albany. Thismosaic crucifix hangs on the exterior of the Calvary Cemetery Mausoleum Chapel inIndianapolis.)

Phot

o by

Mar

y An

n W

yand

Question Corner/Fr. John Dietzen

Internet search locatesreferences to Christ’s life


Please submit in writing to ouroffice by 10 a.m. Thursdaybefore the week of publication;be sure to state date of death.Obituaries of archdiocesanpriests serving our archdioceseare listed elsewhere in TheCriterion. Order priests andreligious sisters and brothersare included here, unless theyare natives of the archdioceseor have other connections to it;those are separate obituarieson this page.

ABEL, Julia, 90, St. Vincentde Paul, Bedford, Sept. 1. Motherof Tom Abel. Grandmother ofthree. Great-grandmother of one.

BENEDICK, Frieda, 96, SacredHeart of Jesus, Indianapolis,Sept. 5. Mother of MargaretDonahue and John Benedick.Grandmother of eight. Great-grandmother of 14.

BYRD, Clara Marie Patricia(Idzi), 76, St. Pius X, Indian-apolis, Sept. 3. Wife of CharlesByrd. Mother of Julie AnnErnest, Eric and Dr. RichardByrd. Grandmother of six.

COFFMAN, Robert Joseph,68, Holy Cross, Indianapolis,Aug. 28. Husband of AngelaCoffman. Father of Helen, Jean,Matt, Mike and Robert Coffman.Brother of Joyce Allen, Janice

Wilson, Dave, Ed and JamesCoffman.

DAY, Mary Jane, 65, St. Martinof Tours, Martinsville, Sept. 2.Wife of David Day. Mother ofJennifer Hicks, Tammy Scholl,Gary, Richard, Steve and TimVan Skyke. Sister of PatriciaWalker and Michael Connelly.Grandmother of 21. Great-grandmother of nine.

DOWNER, Harry E., 97, OurLady of Lourdes, Indianapolis,Sept. 7. Father of Dalene Banyar,Margaret Carlson, Kathy Heinze,Gregory, Michael and PatrickDowner. Grandmother of 14.Great-grandmother of four.

EDWARDS, Dolores M., 80,Holy Name of Jesus, BeechGrove, Sept. 2. Sister ofCatherine Carr, Cecile Duncan,Marie LaShorne, Peggy Porterand Michael Ryan.

GEHRING, Martha I., 84,Holy Name of Jesus, BeechGrove, Sept. 7. Mother of Roseand Henry Gehring. Sister ofRosemary Wurtz, Leo andThomas Merkel. Grandmother ofthree.

GOFFINET, Opal F., 82,St. Paul, Tell City, Sept. 2.Mother of Angie Garrett andGary Goffinet. Sister of JeanPaulin. Grandmother of five.Great-grandmother of seven.

GOLISH, Ann C. (WHITE),76, Holy Spirit, Indianapolis,Aug. 26. Mother of Cecilia,Brian, Galen, Timothy andVincent Golish. Sister of AliceCooper, Ruth Monroe, David andJimmy White. Grandmother ofsix. Great-grandmother of one.

HORLANDER, Millicent V.,97, St. Anthony of Padua, Clarks-ville, Aug. 30. Mother of Jimmy,Richard and Robert Horlander.Grandmother of eight. Great-grandmother of four. Great-great-grandmother of one. †

Providence Sister CecileMorse died on Sept. 2 atMother Theodore Hall atSaint Mary-of-the-Woods. Shewas 97.

The Mass of ChristianBurial was celebrated onSept. 7 at the Church of theImmaculate Conception at themotherhouse. Burial followedat the sisters’ cemetery.

The former Mary LouiseMorse was born on Sept. 6,1908, in Lexington, Ky.

She entered the congre-gation of the Sisters ofProvidence on July 14, 1935,professed first vows onAug. 15, 1937, and professedfinal vows on Jan. 23, 1943.

She taught juniorate classesat Saint Mary-of-the-Woodsfrom 1937-38. From 1938-69and 1970-80, Sister Cecileministered as a printer atSaint Mary-of-the-Woods.

In 1969-70, she served asthe convent bookkeeper and in

maintenance at the formerLadywood High School inIndianapolis.

She served as a clericalassistant at the ProvidenceRetirement Home in NewAlbany from 1983-84 and asreceptionist from 1984-86.

From 1986-89, SisterCecile ministered as abookkeeper at Our Lady ofthe Greenwood Parish inGreenwood.

At Saint Mary-of-the-Woods,she served as a receptionistfrom 1989-91 then assisted inhealth care and residentialservices from 1991-2000. Sheretired and began a prayerministry in 2000.

Surviving are several niecesand nephews.

Memorial contributionsmay be sent to the Sisters ofProvidence, Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, St. Mary-of-the-Woods, IN 47876. †

Rest in peaceProvidence Sister Cecile Morse served as teacher, printer, bookkeeper

back by popular demand!

“Morning for Moms”Our 2006-2007 schedule includes (8:30 a.m.–1:00 p.m. each date):October 3, 2006 “Blessed or Stressed” Sr. Patty CampbellFebruary 1, 2007 “Moms and Prayer” Fr. Jim FarrellApril 12, 2007 “Live, Laugh & Be Blessed” Sr. Anne Smollin“Morning for Moms” gives mothers of young children an opportunity tospend the morning with other moms, knowing their children arereceiving the supervision and care they need right downstairs. They areable to enjoy the speaker and the program, dialog with other moms, andparticipate in an uninterrupted continental breakfast, mass and lunchwithout worry —- rest and renewal at a reasonable price.

Cost is just $25.00 per person and includes childcare!To register, call (317) 545-7681 or e-ma il [email protected]

Our Lady of Fatima Retreat House5353 E. 56th Street

Indianapolis, IN 46226(317) 545-7681

www.archindy.org/fatima

Our Lady of Fatima Retreat House

Catholic Radio 89.1 FMNOW BETTER THAN EVER!

Our programming couldn’t get any better. We have the Word of God on the air 24 hours a day.

But, we’ve added some new equipment so our signal is stronger.

Check it out at 89.1 on your FM radio.

If you live outside of our coverage area,you can listen to Catholic Radio by visiting

www.catholicradioindy.org

John & Kara TraubOwners

28 years of Catholic education

317-639-1111“INDY’S OLDEST

HEATING & COOLING COMPANY”

SERVICE CALL$5995

Expires 10/22/06Coupons must be

presented at time ofpurchase. Cannot becombined with any

other offer!639-1111

SAVE$2000

*Flue liner, Taxes, Permits, Misc. Material Not Included

50,000 BTUUPFLOW

123rd ANNIVERSARY SALE

Furnaces as low as$99900*

www.callthiele.comSERVICE & REPLACEMENT SPECIALISTS

Physicians of Indiana

PLUM CREEKFAMILY MEDICINE1303 N. Arlington Ave., Suite 5

Indianapolis, IN 46219

(317) 355-2800

Plum CreekFamily Medicine

WelcomesSunita Premkumar, M.D.Now Accepting New Patients

Please call 355-2600 toschedule your appointment

Most Insurance Plans Accepted

BEACHFRONT CONDO, MaderiaBeach, Fl., 2BR/2BA, pool & 25ftbalcony overlooking the Gulf ofMexico. Meet Indpls. owner. Seephotos, maps. Call Scooter at 317-257-2431

NEW SMYRNA Beach, FLA.Oceanview condo, fully furn. 2BR/2BA., 2 pools & tennis. VisitDisney, Epcot, NASA, & enjoy thebeach, too! Phone 386-427-5376

FT. MYERS, Florida, on thebeach. Great view. $475/wk. 317-823-9880.

PANAMA CITY Beach townhouse,sleeps 6. Beach pool, mini-golf,tennis, patio w/ grill. 502-836-1909

INDIAN ROCKS Beach, FL. Pri-vate 2BR/2BA condo facing beach,on Intercostal, gorgeous pool,secure bldg., covered parking.$650 wk/ $2400 month. 317-258-9370


Classified Directory For information about rates for classified advertising, call (317) 236-1572.

KELLY’SGUTTER SERVICE

Gutter Cleaning Free Estimates • Minor Repair

862-9377

Vacation Rentals . . . . . . . . .

Classified Coupon2 Lines, 1 Week for $13.00 • $2.00 for each additional line

Write your classified ad on this coupon and send it to us with payment.This coupon DOES NOT APPLY to Commercial Business ads. Commercialadvertisers may call (317) 236-1572, for commercial rates. Write your adbelow with ONE WORD PER SPACE, including the phone number youwant in your ad.Ad: (four words per line) Classification: (for sale, etc.)

_____________ _____________ _____________ _____________

_____________ _____________ _____________ _____________$13.00

_____________ _____________ _____________ _____________$15.00

_____________ _____________ _____________ _____________$17.00

_____________ _____________ _____________ _____________$19.00

_____________ _____________ _____________ _____________$21.00

Deadline: Wednesday, noon, 8 days in advance of Friday publication date.

Name

Address

Phone

Mail this coupon with payment to:Classified Ads, The CriterionP.O. 1717 Indianapolis, IN 46206-1717

Or charge my: ❏VISA ❏MasterCard

Card # _________________________ Exp. Date __________

Signature _____________________________

Needs

Call or Email Dana For yourClassified

236-1575 [email protected]

STEGEMOLLER PAINTINGInterior or Exterior painting

InsuredSatisfaction Guaranteed

Call 317-450-3234

DD && SS RROOOOFFIINNGG24-hour service!

Rubber, torch downs, hot tar roofs,reroof and tearoffs.

• Any large or small repairs• Wind or hail damage repairsCall Dale for free estimates!

317-357-4341Licensed • Bonded • Insured

25 years experience • References available

Roofing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

RROOWWEE PPAAVVIINNGG CCOO..• Residential Driveways

• Commercial Parking Lots

Call 852-0102 or 898-3373

Asphalt Paving . . . . . . . . . .

Home Improvement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Ed’s Construction(Parishioner of Little Flower)

All Types of Construction & MasonryBrick Chimneys • Concrete • Roofing • Fencing

40 years experienceFamily owned & operatedEd Warren • 317-356-2884

Holden’sPainting

FREE Estimates20 Years Exp. 317-273-9459

Interior/Exterior Ask for JEFF

Home Improvement . . . . . .

Mortgages . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

GUARANTEEDLOWEST RATES WITH

SAME DAY APPROVALSAll types of mortgages available

Brice Scobell–owner30 YR. Fixed at 6.375%

866-557-9910Indiana Federal Finance LLC

Prayers Answered . . . . . . . .

CERTIFIED BUDGET REMODELERS

GOT HAIL DAMAGE NewROOFS TODAY...hoosier roofer?

Free Quotes 317-255-3377• Most roofs done in one day!!!!

• Siding • Gutters

• Windows • Soffit & Fascia

• Lics. Fully Insd • Free Inspection

We work directly with Insurance Co.

Bonded & Insured

317-255-3377

Gutter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Living and Workingin your Community

Realty Mart

317-507-5883

Steve J. SergiBroker/Owner

Business Available . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Patronize Our Advertisers

Patronize Our Advertisers

THANK YOU St. Jude, BlessedMother and Jesus for prayersanswered. C.

Vacation Rentals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Serenity Ridge Cabinin beautiful Brown County. Built in 1860, a short drive from

historic Nashville, IN. Quiet, peaceful, great for familyvacations, couples weekends or personal retreat. Sleeps 8,2BA, full kitchen, den w/ fireplace, scenic porch with grill,

outdoor fire pit, large party deck on 300 acre lake. Lake access, fish, swim, paddle boat, hiking trails.

Awesome!www.steiner4.com/cabin. Call 317-697-0981

or email [email protected] now for fall & winter getaways.

Reduced weekday rates available.

ATTENTION!Established Business Owner seeks partner

seeks partner or buyer for promisingfranchise. This is an established at-home

non-medical Health Care Business.Call for details

317-773-3822

Young adult/junior high youth coordinator

Our Lady of Mt Carmel Church, Carmel, IN isseeking an energetic, self-directed, and organizedindividual to assist in the coordination of theFrassati Society of Young Adult Catholics (ages19-35). This person will also be responsible forcoordinating a catechetical program for the juniorhigh school aged youth of our parish.The successful candidate must be a practicingCatholic who is knowledgeable of their faith. Atheology degree and past experience is preferred.Please submit your résumé to:

Fr. Richard Doerr14598 Oak Ridge Rd.Carmel, IN 46032

or [email protected] October 15, 2006.

St. Vincent de PaulExecutive Director

The Dayton District Council of the St. Vincentde Paul Society is seeking its next ExecutiveDirector. This longstanding District Council minis-ters to the human needs of people in the greater-Dayton community by providing central services,such as, an emergency overnight shelter, transi-tional housing programs, a thrift store and otheractivities, in addition to neighborhood assistanceto struggling families serviced by 30 parish-basedconferences. The Executive Director is the publicface of the organization in the community, itsfund-raising catalyst and its internal leader. More information on this position and on theDistrict Council can be obtained viawww.stvincentdayton.org. Interested individualsshould visit the web site regarding how to for-ward cover letters and résumés.

CCoolluummbbuuss,, IINN aarreeaa

JJaann SSttoonnee,, GGRRII,, CCRRSSBroker Associate

Business: 812-378-7950Fax: 812-378-1706

[email protected]

Breeden Realtors®

Serving OurCommunity for over

20 years!

RE/MAX at the Crossing((331177)) 559955--11990000

www.indyhomeonline.comTom Mattingly Tom Williams

Cindy Sylvester Peggy Verdun

Jan CampbellRealtor/Broker

30+ yearsexperience

MARINA AT GEISTERACampbell Group, Inc.Looking for experienced, licensed Real Estateagents who can motivate themselves andhave enthusiasm to work with sellers, buyersand are ready to work with a great team!

We have all the tools needed to reach yourpotential!

Please call Jan at:

OFFICE (317) 576-0700FAX: (317) 576-0660CELL (317) 339-0613

Dental . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

State of the Art Dentures & PartialsSomething to smile about...

12 S. BUTLER (IRVINGTON) • 375-0766

SAVE $200PERSET

Call for more details (Limited time)

Lab on PremisesWe visit Homes & Nursing Homes

Advanced Denture Institute

WeilhammerPlumbing(317)784-1870

We sell & installWater Heaters

Water SoftenersToilets/Faucets

Garbage DisposalsFREE ESTIMATES

Since 1901

Plumbing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

PART-TIME POSITIONS INEVANGELIZATION. AccountManager Positions; Catholic CDs.No experience necessary; freetraining provided. Flexible hours;great pay. Re-energize parishesand bring fallen-away Catholicsback home. Call Annie at 716-297-8310 or go to www.lighthousecatholicmedia.com.

Part-time MarketerLooking for 4 Representatives to

visit Insurance Agencies to marketour firm. Ideal person is friendly,well acquainted with the Metro

Indianapolis area, and likes to forgenew relationships. Possible to workin your home area. 20 hours perweek. Hourly rate plus mileage.

Perfect for retirees.Email all correspondences to

[email protected] Positions Available . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Positions Available . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Sell nearly anything

Call or e-mail Dana 236-1575 or [email protected]

with a Criterion classified ad

Make $$$ off of allthat stuff that is

cluttering up yourgarage or attic.

Real Estate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Stick with the Best!

Advertise TodayCall 317-236-1572

Indiana’s Largest Weekly Newspaper72,000 subscribers • 39 counties

CCrriitteerriioonnThe

A devoted priest - Archdiocese of Indianapolis

Documents

Transcript of A devoted priest - Archdiocese of Indianapolis