Corpus Christi Procession - Diocese of San Angelo

DIOCESE OF SAN ANGELO

PO BOX 1829

SAN ANGELO TX 76902-1829

NONPROFIT ORG.

US POSTAGE PAID

SAN ANGELO, TX

PERMIT NO. 44

Serving the Diocese of San Angelo, TexasVolume XXXVI, No. 7 JULY 2016

Corpus Christi ProcessionMay 15, 2016

Sacred Heart Church, AbileneStory, photos, Pg. 7

JULY 2016 The Angelus

The Inside Front

Members of The Way Retreat

Center Board of Directors push a

cross into the ground, where the

retreat center’s chapel will be

built, during groundbreaking cer-

emonies, June 29, 2016 in

Midland. (Photos by Karen J.

Patterson)

Midland retreat center breaks groundWest Texas Angelus

MIDLAND — Almost 100 guests helped celebrategroundbreaking ceremonies for Midland’s first Christianretreat center on a crisp, springlike day in West Texas.

Symbolic shovels clutched by board members, volun-teers and donors were driven into the dirt for The WayRetreat Center, a 20-acre facility that will accomodate 80overnight visitors and have meeting space for 100 whenthe historic facility opens. The projected date of openingis December 2017.

The Way will be an $11 million project, and organizershave raised $7.7 million through June, thanks to majordonors such as the Excelsior Foundation, the HenryFoundation, the J.E. and L.E. Mabee Foundation, thePermian Basin Area Foundation and literally hundredswho have given generously through the years.

Retreat center organizers have recently been issued achallenge grant from the Mabee Foundation which statesthat if they can raise $2.3 million before April 2017, theMabee Foundation will donate an additional $1 million.

“We’ve had hundreds who have offered their supportwith their pocketbooks and with their hands,” boardmember Mike Canon said at the groundbreaking. “I donthave to tell you how Midland and West Texas is special,and it is most especially because of our faith communi-ties. One by-product of the strong faith communities hasbeen the retreat programs that have flourished: Walk toEmmaus, Cursillo, ACTS, and the many teen retreatsevery year. These programs are invaluable in helpingmany Midlanders in their faith walks, and on their pathsto the Lord.”

A Mass at the site on which the facility will be builtwas concelebrated June 28 by Fr. Patrick Akpanobong,San Miguel-Midland; Msgr. Larry Droll, St. Ann-Midland; Fr. Bala Govindu, St. Stephen-Midland, and Fr.Prem Thumma, St. Margaret-Big Lake.

In addition to spiritual retreats, The Way will also hostcorporate retreats, wedding receptions, Quinceñeras,family reunions and other events.

If you would like to help, visit The Way web site atthewayrc.com, or call 432-230-0138.

Young adult ministries

can often invigorate

parish communities

By Jimmy Patterson

Editor

One of the objectives of the increased emphasisbeing placed on World Youth Day-USA San Angelo,on July 30, 2016 is to breathe new life into the criticalarea of young adult min-istries and their importanceto the life and future of theChurch itself. In fact,Bishop Michael J. Sis wrotein the June 2016 West TexasAngelus that the WYDevent in San Angelo, “will provide a springboard tolaunch a new era of vibrant young adult ministry inWest Texas.”

The importance of active, involved young adultministries in churches cannot be overstated and oftenleads to an increased energy in the parish. The ideasand helpful skill sets brought by the newly involvedcan often help propel a parish’s ongoing programs fora new generation of parishioners.

“Young adults bring skills for social communica-tions, social media and creativity that help us in ourparishes to make a greater impact in the world aroundus,” Bishop Sis said. “These young adults know howto connect with our culture in ways that some of usmiddle age or older adults do not. They can helpspread the message of the Gospel more effectively.”

At St. Mary’s in College Station, where Bishop Sisserved in the early years of his priesthood, a numberof young adults who were studying or had recentlycompleted their college educations in finance,accounting or banking, were always included as mem-bers of the church’s finance council.

“Young adults can often bring their professional training to our parish councils that help other adults seemore effective ways of doing things,” Bishop Sis said.

(Please See YOUNG ADULT/21)

Bishop: ‘Religious freedom a fundamental right that comes straight from God’By Loretta FultonSpecial to The Angelus

Historic Sacred Heart CatholicChurch in Abilene was filled withsplendor, majesty, beautiful musicand stirring words on June 22 whenBishop Michael Sis conducted theannual Fortnight for Freedom Mass.

The Knights of Columbus, dressedin full regalia, a choir with red and

white clothes, and clergy from sever-al parishes set the stage for a memo-rable evening.

The Mass was solemn but joy-filled. As everyone was leaving thechurch, Sis playfully swapped "caps"with Jose Rodriguez, a sophomore atAbilene Cooper High School. Sisdonned Jose's ball cap and Jose gotto wear the bishop's zucchetto, asmall head covering. The Italian

word means "little pumpkin" and thecap resembles the top part of a smallgourd.

As the two posed for photos, Josewas all smiles.

"I was kind of surprised," he said,when the bishop suggested the swap.

Sacred Heart proved to be the per-fect setting for the occasion, as

(Please See FREEDOM/21)

From left to right,

Knights of

Columbus Jose

Rodriquez

(Council 2163),

Tom Murphy

(2163), Riques

Martinez (2163),

Dick Spiegel

(2163), Jim Utasi

(2163), Margarito

Sanchez (14050)

and Victor

Salinas (2163).

(Courtesy photo)

Msgr. James

Bridges, left,

of St.

Stephen’s

Church,

offers the

benediction.

Not pictured,

Steve

Schorr, pas-

tor of

Midland’s

First

Presbyterian

Church,

delivered the

invocation.

Obispo Michael J. Sis

En la mayoría deciudades por todo elestado, hemos creci-do acostumbrados aver una gran canti-dad de negocios queofrecen préstamos dedía de pago y por tit-ulo de automóviles.Para aquellos que seencuentran en proble-mas financieros repentinos y sin buencrédito, sacando uno de estos préstamosa menudo parece ser la única solución.Algunos de estos prestatarios soncapaces de pagar el préstamo y seguiradelante con éxito.

Sin embargo, la experiencia hademostrado que demasiadas personasson atrapadas en un ciclo de crecimien-to de deuda imposible debido a la

forma en que estos préstamos estánestructurados. En Texas, el promedio deinterés y cuotas para los préstamos detítulo de automóvil es 567% TAE (tasade porcentaje anual).

Los prestamistas ganan la mayorparte de su margen de beneficio de losprestatarios que se ven atrapados en unciclo de deuda, sacando préstamo traspréstamo, sólo para hacer el pago deinterés mínimo, antes de que se paguealgo del principal. Debido a las altastasas de interés y honorarios, es comúnque un préstamo a corto plazo de $500le cueste al prestatario un total de$3,200 para repagar.

Como este modelo de negocio deja ala gente en la miseria bajo el pretextode brindar un servicio, la gente sevuelve más y más dependiente de laayuda de las iglesias y otras agenciasde asistencia social. Mientras que nues-tras agencias de caridad no son capaces

de mantenerse al día con este patrón deaumento de la devastación financiera,los políticos permiten que esta prácticapredatoria continúe.

Por supuesto, las personas necesitantener acceso a préstamos. Sin embargo,cuando las prácticas de préstamosinducen a los pobres a endeudarse másallá de sus medios y atraparlos endeuda imposible, hay que hacer algo.

La cuestión de la carga de interesesde un préstamo ha sido un problemasocial importante a lo largo de la histo-ria. En el mundo antiguo, la palabra“usura” correspondía a lo que en elmundo moderno se llama “interés.” Enel uso actual, la “usura” se refiere a lastasas de interés que son exorbitante-mente altos y superan los límitesestablecidos por la ley. Datando desdeel Código de Hammurabi en la antigua

(Mira OBISPO/11)

The Angelus JULY 2016

From The Bishop’s Desk

By Bishop Michael J. Sis

In most cities around the state, wehave grown accustomed to seeing anabundance of businesses offering pay-day and auto titleloans. To thosewho find them-selves in suddenfinancial troublewithout good credit,taking out one ofthese loans oftenseems like the onlysolution. Some ofthese borrowers areable to pay off theloan and move on successfully.

However, experience has shown thatfar too many people are getting trappedin an impossible cycle of growing debtbecause of the way these loans arestructured. In Texas, the average inter-est and fees for auto title loans is 567%APR.

Payday lenders earn most of theirprofit margin from borrowers who getcaught up in a cycle of debt, taking outloan after loan, just to make the mini-mum interest payment, before they everpay off any of the principal. Due to

high interest rates and fees, it is com-mon for a short-term loan of $500 tocost the borrower $3,200 to repay.

As this business model leaves peopledestitute under the pretext of providinga service, people become more andmore dependent on the help of churchesand other social assistance agencies.While our charitable agencies areunable to keep up with this pattern ofincreased financial devastation, politi-cians allow this predatory practice tocontinue.

Of course, people need access toloans. However, when lending prac-tices induce the poor to borrow beyondtheir means and trap them in impossibledebt, something must be done.

The question of charging interest on aloan has been an important social issuethroughout history. In the ancientworld, the word “usury” correspondedto what in the modern world is called“interest.” In today’s usage, “usury”refers to interest rates that are exorbi-tantly high and exceed the limits estab-lished by law. Dating back to the Codeof Hammurabi in ancient Mesopotamia,laws were created to regulate the ratesof interest. In ancient Babylonia,Assyria, Egypt, Greece, and Rome,

governments restrained moneylendersand creditors in order to protect vulner-able people from abusive practices.

In the Old Testament, Jews were per-mitted to lend money at interest to for-eigners, but not to fellow Jews(Deuteronomy 23:19-20). Psalm 15:5teaches that the path of moral integrityincludes not putting out money at inter-est.

There is very little on the subject ofcharging interest in the New Testament.In the Parable of the Talents, Jesustakes for granted the current businesspractice of investing money withbankers and gaining interest (Matthew25:27). However, in his Sermon on thePlain, Jesus tells his followers to “lend,expecting nothing in return” (Luke6:35). Over the centuries, this particu-lar text has been cited frequently as jus-tifying a total prohibition of takinginterest on loans.

In the early centuries of Christianity,the Patristic writers identify two waysthat the taking of interest can be sinful. One is when the lender acts out of a sin-ful attitude of greed. The other is whenthe poor are harmed and exploited.

(Please See BISHOP/20)

Bishop Sis

Obispo Sis

CALENDARSBISHOP MICHAEL SIS’

SCHEDULE

JULY8 — ODESSA, St.

Elizabeth Ann Seton,Payday Loan Road Showwith Texas CatholicConference at 11:00 a.m.

8 — BALLINGER, St.Mary, Star of the Sea,Retirement Mass for Fr.Hugh Wade at 5:00 p.m.

9 — ODESSA, St.Elizabeth Ann Seton,Mass at 5:00 p.m. fol-lowed by Groundbreakingfor Church Expansion

10 — ODESSA, HolyRedeemer, Rite ofInstallation of Pastor,Rev. Fernando Bonilla, at8:30 a.m.

10 — SAN ANGELO,Blessing of Habitat forHumanity House at 2 pm

12 — SAN ANGELO,Diocesan PastoralCenter, Vocation TeamMeeting at 2:00 p.m.

13 — MIDLAND,Meeting of Holy CrossCatholic High SchoolBoard of Directors at 4:30p.m.

14 — MIDLAND,Meeting of Holy CrossCatholic High SchoolBoard of Directors at 9:00a.m.

15 — SAN ANGELO,Diocesan PastoralCenter, LiturgicalCommission Meeting at10:00 a.m.

16 — BROWNWOOD,St Mary, Queen ofPeace, ConfirmationMass at 5:30 p.m.

17 — MENARD,Sacred Heart,Confirmation Mass, 9 a.m.

20 — SAN ANGELO,Christ the King RetreatCenter, Parish StaffDevelopment Day from9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.

28 — HOUSTON,Speaker at the AnnualArchdiocesan PrayerBreakfast at 7:30 a.m.

30 — SAN ANGELO,McNease ConventionCenter, DiocesanCelebration of WorldYouth Day with YoungAdults from 10:00 a.m. to5:00 p.m.

31 — MIDLAND, SanMiguel Arcangel, Rite ofInstallation of Pastor,Rev. Patrick Akpanobong,at 10:30 a.m.

AUGUST4 — EDEN, St.

Charles, Rite ofInstallation of Pastor,Rev. Mamachan Joseph

7 — BALLINGER, St.Mary, Star of the Sea,Rite of Installation ofPastor, Rev. YesuMulakaleti, at 11:15 a.m.

9 — SAN ANGELO,Christ the King RetreatCenter, HermanamientoAssembly

10 — SAN ANGELO,Sacred Heart Cathedral,Mass for HermanamientoRenewal at 6:00 p.m.

11 — ABILENE, HolyFamily, Mass at 11am

12-14 — SAN ANGE-LO, Christ the KingRetreat Center,Seminarian Convocation

14 — ABILENE, WylieSoftball Field, Kickballwith the Clerics at 4 pm16 — SAN ANGELO,Diocesan PastoralCenter, PresbyteralCouncil Meeting, 11 a.m.

20 — SAN ANGELO,Sacred Heart Cathedral,Mass for 40th Anni-versary of PermanentDeacons at 11:00 a.m.

21 — SAN ANGELO,Sacred Heart Cathedral,Mass at 10:00 a.m.

23-25 — SAN ANGE-LO, Christ the KingRetreat Center,International PriestsWorkshop

27 — EDEN, Mass atthe Eden DetentionCenter at 1:00 p.m.

CHRIST THE KINGRETREAT CENTER

JULY18 Heart of Mercy

Prayer Group20 Parish Staff

Development Day21-24 Boys Chrysalis25 Heart of Mercy 28-31 Women’s Walk

to Emmaus

AUGUST1 Heart of Mercy

Prayer Group5-6 Engaged

Encounter6 Natural Family

Planning 8-12 Honduras

Committee Meeting12-14 Deacon

Formation15 Heart of Mercy18-21 Men’s Walk to

Emmaus22 Heart of Mercy23-25 International

Priests Workshop29 Heart of Mercy30-1 Episcopal

Women’s Retreat

Préstamos de Día de Pago inducen a las personas más allá

Payday lending induces people beyond their means


DIOCESAN BRIEFS PARISH FESTIVAL SCHEDULE

Payday and Auto-Title Lending:Community Action & Alternatives

The Texas Catholic Conference, in association withlocal partners, will conduct a two-day Payday LendingRoadshow in San Angelo and Odessa on July 7 and 8.We invite community leaders, charitable providers, andelected officials to a community forum and strategy dia-log concerning payday and auto-title loans in our com-munities. We will identify the impacts of payday lending,explore lending alternatives, and discuss how SanAngelo and Odessa can best engage on this issue in thecoming months.

San AngeloJuly 7, 20165:30 PM to 7:00 PMSouthland Baptist Church4300 Meadow Creek TrailSan Angelo, TX 76904

Including remarks by:Bishop Michael SisDr. Taylor SandlinRev. Tim Davenport-HerbstRSVP to Becky Ethington, 325-949-9633

OdessaJuly 8, 201611:00 AM to 12:30 PMSt. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church7601 North Grandview AvenueOdessa, TX 79765

RSVP to Valerie Longoria-Bueno,[email protected]

Immigration office relocationThe Diocese of San Angelo Immigration Services Officein San Angelo has moved to St. Joseph Parish, 301 W.17th St., and is open Mondays and Tuesdays from 9:00AM to 4:00 PM.

Collection for Honduras, July 16-17A special collection for the benefit of the Honduras dio-

ceses of La Ceiba and San Pedro Sula will be taken upat parishes in the Diocese of San Angelo July 16 and 17.

This year the partnership (Hermanamiento) among thedioceses of Tyler, La Ceiba, San Pedro Sula and SanAngelo, celebrates its 15th anniversary. The collection toassist our fellow Catholics in the Honduran dioceses andparishes goes back even further, when it began as ameans of providing relief from Hurricane Mitch. The col-lection is used now by partner parishes and dioceses topromote evangelization, provide basic education andextend assistance to the disadvantaged of the community.

The collection is divided between the two Honduran dio-ceses. In situations in which parishes from the Diocese ofSan Angelo are partnered with parishes in Honduras,what is collected benefits the partner parish directly.

Thank you in advance for your generosity! May Godreward you!

Pictured in above photo: Radio is one of the best waysto reach Catholics in rural areas of Honduras. LeonorSpencer of Midland, left; Clementine Urista of SanAngelo, and Diana Madero of Odessa visit the Catholicstation in La Ceiba on a recent mission trip.

Festival information neededPlease email information and dates for fall festivals andfamily fairs to [email protected] so newsof your event can be published the West Texas Angelus

August 27ST. JOSEPH-LORAINE

St. Joseph's Church in Loraine will have its Fall Festival on August 27 from10 am-11 pm. All are welcomed.

September 3-4ST. MARY-SAN ANGELO

Brisket Cook Off Sept. 3, 2016 St. Mary's Jamaica 2016 Sept. 4, 2016

September 18ST. THERESE-CARLSBAD

Annual Fall FestivalCelebrated at the Knights of Columbus Hall

3636 N. Bryant, San AngeloSt. Therese Catholic Church of Carlsbad will hold its annual festival on

Sunday, September 18, at the Knights of Columbus Hall, 3636 N. Bryant, inSan Angelo. A meal featuring barbecued pulled pork, homemade Germansausage, homemade potato salad, pinto beans, coleslaw, dessert, andtea/coffee will be served from 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. Plates for adults, chil-dren and Drive-Thru To-Go plates will be available. Adult and To-Go platesare $10; Children plates for age 10 and under: $6. Cooked/Uncookedsausage may be purchased in the afternoon. An auction featuring donationsfrom various merchants and parishioners will begin at 1:15 p.m. A CountryStore, Silent Auction, Bingo and other games will be available throughout theafternoon. For more information, call St. Therese at 1-325-465-8062. Thepublic is invited to attend.

September 22-25ST. ANN'S-MIDLAND

Thursday, September 22 from 18:00 – 22:00 – Carnival Friday, September 23 from 18:00 – 22:00 – Carnival Saturday, September 24 from 10:00 – 22:00 main fair is open and from

10:00 – midnight Carnival is openSunday, September 25 from 13:00 – 18:00 – Carnival

September 30-October 1ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI-ABILENE

The St Francis Annual Grand Jamaica will be held September 30 - Oct 1ston the church festival grounds, 826 Cottonwood St. This year we have a newpavilion for a bigger and greater event. Festivities begin Friday, September 30at 5:00 PM with the blessing of the animals. Saturday activities begin at 11:00am and conclude at 11:00 pm. Come listen to live music and family fun. Therewill be lots of food to enjoy, including brisket sandwiches, funnel cakes, ham-burgers, tamales, tortas, turkey legs, corn on the cob and more! We will havegames for everyone: Loteria, cake walks, children’s bingo, air castles andmuch more. Raffle tickets are on sale now for our raffle drawing that will takeplace on Saturday evening. The grand prize is a 2015 Ford F150 Pickup.Tickets are $100 each…ONLY 500 TICKETS WILL BE SOLD. For more infor-mation, contact the parish at (325) 672-6695.

October 2ST. LAWRENCE CATHOLIC CHURCH-ST. LAWRENCE

60th Annual St. Lawrence Fall Festival, Sunday, October. 2, on the groundsof St Lawrence Catholic Church, south of Garden City.

October 16SACRED HEART CHURCH-COLEMAN

Father Lawrence Cyr Parish Hall, 201 San Saba11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Authentic Mexican Meal served from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Concession StandHamburgers and drinks, all afternoon. Games. Horse-shoe & WasherTournaments. Cow Pattie Bingo! Cake walk, Bingo, Country Store, & SilentAuction, and Much More! Buy Raffle tickets for WONDERFUL Prizes!Come join us in the fun! Everyone is welcome! For information contact theParish Office at (325) 625-5773.

October 29ST. STEPHEN'S-MIDLAND

The women's organization is organizing the Parish Fall Festival on October29 from 6-9 PM in the Parish Hall. For questions, please contact ElaineNguyen at 432-230-5062 or Gladys at the Parish office 432-520-7394.

November 13ST. JOSEPH-ROWENA

Mass at 9:00AM, Lunch begins serving at 11 AM (turkey, Rowena sausage,dressing, sides and homemade desserts), Live Auction beginning at 1:00PM,games, inflatable fun for kids and bingo!


Above, Kathy Hammons, at left, talks about the new fountain in the new Garden of Grace at Holy Angels Church in

San Angelo as Sharon Flippin and Kye Franke, right, look on. Below, Bishop Michael J. Sis blesses the church’s foun-

tain. (Photos by Becca Sankey Nelson).

Bishop blesses Holy Angels fountainSubmitted by Holy Angels Church

Holy Angels Catholic Church is proud to add a newaddition to our church, Garden of Grace. The projectbegan with plans to commemorate Tom Berscheidtwho gave many years of dedication, leadership, andguidance to the youth of our parish. What was once aplan for a small fountain, developed into a beautifulplaza adjacent to the columbarium. A unique, one-of-kind fountain and mosaic became the centerpiece ofthe garden. A committee of eight members beganplanning in the spring of 2014. With the collaborationof the committee and many hours of work by expertsin various fields, the unveiling and dedication tookplace on Thursday, June 9, 2016 with Bishop MichaelSis and Father Charles Greenwell.

The following is a description of the fountain andmosaic:

Three interlocking crosses contain the living watersof the Garden of Grace. “The Church standing tall,”exemplifies God’s miraculous creation of man andchild coming together as one in Christ. The mosaicilluminates God’s infinite love and gift of grace sus-taining us through life’s journey. Vibrant abundantflora encompasses our path as angels keep watch.The unity of the Holy Trinity, Father, Son, and HolySpirit, flow as rivers of faith, hope, and love. Andfinally, every eye is fixed on heaven, our eternalhome, bringing endless joy and peace.

“And if I go and prepare a place for you, I willcome again and take you to myself, that where I am,there you may be also.” John 14:3

This beautiful sacred space is for inurnment servic-es, prayer, and meditation.

Special thanks to all who worked on the project andfor numerous monetary gifts from Holy Angels’church family, friends and family of Tom Berscheidt,and our community.

Msgr. Droll steps

down as diocesan

vicar general; will

focus on parish By Jimmy Patterson

Editor

After 36 years of active involvement in diocesan admin-istration, Monsignor Larry Droll is stepping down from hisduties as vicar general for the Diocese of San Angelo. Themove will allow Msgr. Droll to focus hisattention on his service as a parish priestat St. Ann’s in Midland, where he hasbeen assigned for 12 years.

Fr. Santiago Udayar, former pastor atSt. Mary’s Church in Odessa, who hasspent the last three years working on hisCanon Law degree in Canada will becomethe diocese’s new vicar general effectiveJuly 25.

Msgr. Droll began his administrativerole under former San Angelo BishopJoseph Fiorenza in 1980, when he wasappointed diocesan chancellor. His firsttask, as instructed by Bishop Fiorenza,was to locate property in San Angelo for a retreat center.That property would be located at the end of Van ZandtStreet in east central San Angelo and would come to behome to both Christ the King Retreat Center and the dioce-san Pastoral Center.

“With the help of a good Catholic layman in SanAngelo, we found the retreat center site, and I think it’sbeen a great blessing for the diocese over the years,” Msgr.Droll said.

Shortly after the groundwork for the retreat center hadbeen laid, Msgr. Droll was next put in charge of adminis-tering the annual diocesan appeal to raise money for theretreat center. Although a professional fundraising compa-ny directed the effort, Msgr. Droll served as the liaisonbetween the bishop and that company.

The most labor-intensive part of Msgr. Droll’s adminis-trative work has been his service on the priest personnelboard, a body of priests that advise the bishop as to wherepriests should be assigned. Msgr. Droll, chairman of thatcommittee, said there is a real challenge to consider wherepriests in the diocese could best serve as a need arises.

Msgr. Droll was also chiefly responsible for the creationof the diocese’s “20-year Plan.”

The document, finalized in 1990, looked at staffing issues as it became apparent the diocese would have far fewer priests to serve in the coming years. Solutions to deal with the clergy shortage have included church consolida-tions; parishes in Big Spring, Sweetwater and Fort Stockton

(Please See DROLL/20)

Msgr. Droll


New Evangelizations in the Diocese of San Angelo

Diocese’s history reflects a ‘church always on a mission’Editor’s Note: The following history willbe presented by Msgr. Larry Droll duringthe diocese’s Hermanamiento meeting,August 8-12 in San Angelo.

By Msgr. Larry J. Droll

The term “new evangelization” waspopularized by Saint Pope John Paul IIto encourage Catholics to spread thegospel message and invite people intothe community of the Catholic Church.For example, he wrote in The Churchin America (1999) about a new evange-lization—“new in ardor, methods andexpression” (#6). He urged anencounter with the Risen Christ, presentin the life of the Church and callingpeople to conversion, communion andsolidarity (#3).

There have been “new evangeliza-tions” in this sense, in what is now theterritory of the Diocese of San Angelo,in every century since Christians setfoot in this area.

The 1500sIn 1528, Cabeza de Vaca and three

men were shipwrecked near Matagordoon the Gulf Coast of Texas. Theywalked across what is now Texas to getto Mexico. Historians have shown twopossible routes that would have broughtthem into the area now known as theDiocese of San Angelo. One route fol-lows the Colorado River north fromMatagordo until it intersects with theConcho River, extending west into theMiddle Concho tributary. At one timethe Colorado River was known as “SanClemente” and the Concho River wasknown as “Rio de Nueces” (Pecans).

The other route shows Cabeza deVaca traveling through what are nowPecos and Terrell counties.

There are stories of Cabeza de Vacaand his companions praying with theIndians they met along the way. Somepeople were healed through theirprayers. Cabeza de Vaca reported, “Ourmethod…was to bless the sick, breatheupon them, recite a Pater Noster andAve Maria, and pray earnestly to Godour Lord for their recovery. When weconcluded with the Sign of the Cross,He willed that our patients woulddirectly spread the news that they hadbeen restored to health.”

In 1541, the conquistador Coronado

may have traveled through the SanAngelo or Big Spring areas in hissearch for the “Cities of Gold.” Hisadvance party was led by Franciscanfriar Marcos de Niza and there mayhave been other padres involved in thelarge expedition.

The 1600sIn the next century, the new evange-

lization began with the appearance of a“Lady in Blue” bringing the good newsof Christ and the Church to the JumanoIndians at the confluence of the threebranches of the Concho River. She wasSor María de Jesús de Ágreda of Spain,whose habit included a blue mantle.On the basis of her testimony and thereports of the Jumanos, it is believedthat she bi-located in prayer to the NewWorld during the 1620s. She spoke ofevangelizing the native people anddescribed them accurately. She saidshe communicated to them in Spanish,but they understood her in their ownlanguage (like the Pentecost miracle).

Sor María instructed the Jumanos tofind the Franciscan friars and invitethem to come to the Concho Valley tobaptize those who had heard the GoodNews. And so it was that someJumanos went to Ysleta Pueblo (nearAlbuquerque, New Mexico) to makethe request. In 1629, Fray Juan Salasand Fray Diego Lopez and three sol-

diers came to the campgrounds at theconfluence of the Conchos and met2,000 Jumanos. They baptized many inthe short time they were there.

In 1630, Fray Alonso de Benavides,overseer of the missions in NewMexico, journeyed to Spain and inter-viewed Sor María de Jesús de Ágreda.Her visits to the New World are men-tioned in his Memorial.

Just ten years after her death, SorMaría de Jesús de Ágreda was declared“venerable” by Pope Clement X, inhonor of her heroic life of virtue. Thecause of her beatification of is currentlyunderway in Rome. Her incorrupt bodylies in a chapel of the Conceptionistsconvent in Ágreda, Spain, where sheserved as abbess for many years. Shewrote many books, the most importantof which is The Mystical City of God.

In 1631 Fray Juan Salas and FrayJuan de Ortega spent six months on theConcho River. A historical markercommemorating their missionary activi-ty is found in San Angelo on RioConcho Drive just west of Bell Street.

In 1684, Fray Juan Dominguez deMendoza and Fray Nicolas Lopez camefrom the pueblo near El Paso, alsocalled “Ysleta,” to establish MissionSan Clemente, near the place where theConcho River joins the Colorado River.The Colorado was called the SanClemente River at the time. The mis-

sion was founded at the request of theJumano Indians, who desiredChristianity and the friendship of theSpanish. The building was probablyconstructed of logs, its lower storyserving as a chapel and its upper storyas a lookout post. Though they stayedonly briefly, the padres baptized severalthousand Indian allies. Finally, beingattacked by hostile Apaches, Mendozaand his men returned to El Paso, aboutsix months after they had left there.

This Mission San Clemente is proba-bly the one recorded on the rock cliffsalong the Concho River, near presentday Paint Rock. The pictographs depictmen in robes, Indians, a church, and sixand a half moons (months).

The 1700sThe new evangelization in the 1700s

came with the establishment of theMission Santa Cruz de San Sabá inwhat is now Menard County. TheSpanish built a presidio there and in1757 the Franciscans established themission to serve the Lipan Apaches.They began their evangelization andcelebration of the sacraments, as wellas gathering the Apaches in communityaround the mission.

On March 16, 1758, the ComancheIndians, enemies of the Apaches,attacked the mission and burned itdown. Two Franciscan priests werekilled, Fray Alonso Giraldo de Terrerosand Fray Jose Santiesteban. The thirdpriest, Fray Miguel de Molina, waswounded but escaped. A number ofmission Indians were massacred aswell. Not long after, a painting wasdone to commemorate the MissionSanta Cruz de San Sabá and the mas-sacre.

The priests who died are popularlyacclaimed as martyrs for the Christian cause, having given witness to Christby their very lives.

The 1800sFollowing Texas Independence from

Mexico in 1836, the economy and settlement of Texas began to develop rap-idly. By 1857, the Butterfield OverlandTrail came from Kansas City, throughAbilene, Robert Lee (FortChadbourne), across the Concho River

(Please See EVANGELIZATION/19)


Participants, above, in this year’s Corpus Christi procession at Sacred Heart Church, at right. (Courtesy photos)

Sacred Heart observes 17th-annual processionBy Kathy Hennessey and Erin Stamey

ABILENE — On Sunday, May 15, 2016 SacredHeart Church in Abilene celebrated its 17th-annualCorpus Christi Procession and Coronation of OurLady.

Rainy weather moved out and a wonderful coolevening greeted hundreds of Abilene parishionersas they processed through the Church grounds andsurrounding streets, singing song, praying andadoring our Lord Jesus together.

The Knights of Columbus escorted the BlessedSacrament, leading a procession of Altar Servers,flag bearers, angels, Queen’s Court as well asLegion of Mary, Guadalupañas, Cursillistas and thepeople from each of the Abilene parishes. Threealtars were set up around the block. When the pro-cession approached each altar, all listened to thescriptures, heard a homily, adored the BlessedSacrament and received Benediction. Because thisbeing the Jubilee Year of Mercy, the Knights alsocarried a large image of the Divine Mercy. TheQueen’s Court also escorted a large image of OurLady of Guadalupe. The procession culminated atSacred Heart Church, where the Coronation cere-mony took place. A final scripture reading with ahomily began the ceremony itself, followed by adance mostly by First Communicants dressed aswhite angels. Then as all sang songs in honor ofOur Lady, all brought forward flower offerings toOur Lady, followed by the Coronation of an imageof Our Lady as Queen of heaven and earth, accom-

panied by the Queen’s Court, a full court of youngladies in their colorful dresses.

Msgr. Robert Bush offered the Benediction ofthe Blessed Sacrament which was followed by areception dinner was served in the parish hall.

The event took place as if Sacred Heart Churchhad become Heaven, with the Real Presence ofOur Lord in the Blessed Sacrament and HisMother at His side with all the choirs singingpraises and honoring them.

Corpus Christi Procession-Abilene

By Mary Lou Gibson

Giovanni di Fidanza was four years old when he became seri-ously ill. According to legend, his parents took him to see St.Francis of Assisi for a possible healing. According to editorBernard Bangley writing in Butler's Lives of the Saints, when the

boy's health returned, Francis exclaimed“Buona ventura” (good fortune). So whenGiovanni entered the Franciscan Order in 1243,he took the name of Bonaventure.

This was an interesting choice for Giovanni,who chose not to be a medical doctor like hisfather. Writer Tessa Paul says in The CompleteIllustrated Encyclopedia of Saints that theFranciscan order at that time discouraged intel-lectual pursuits. St. Francis of Assisi wasdetached from formal learning and there were

no books in the monasteries.But Bonaventure saw that if the friars were to be effective as

teachers, they needed to be educated. When he was elected minis-ter general of the still-new Order in 1257, he inherited a situationof conflict revolving over how strictly to observe Francis' teach-ings on poverty. Paul Burns writes in Butler's Lives of the Saintsthat there were two groups in the Order: the Spirituals who insist-ed that poverty had to be the absolute mark of the Order and theConventuals who argued that the huge growth in numbersrequired more organization, communal living and places in whichto live.

Bonaventure sought a middle way. According to Burns, he sup-ported specialist Franciscan houses in university towns at whichfriars would be prepared to become preachers and spiritual direc-tors. This led him into a new controversy with the lay professorswho saw the new order of mendicant friars as intruders in theteaching professors. Pope Alexander IV ordered the professors tocease their attacks in 1256 against the new teachers.

While studying theology in Paris, Bonaventure became intimatefriends with Thomas Aquinas. They both received their doctoratein theology in 1257. Bonaventure became known for his intellec-tual and mystical qualities. He wrote the life of St. Francis and isrecognized as the “Second Founder” of the Franciscans. As minis-ter general of the Friars Minor, Bonaventure formed a set of con-stitutions on the rule which had a profound and lasting effect onthe Order. Tim Noone and R.E. Houser, writing in SaintBonaventure, stated that Bonaventure steered the Franciscans on amoderate and intellectual course that made them the most promi-nent order in the Catholic Church until the coming of the Jesuits.

Bonaventure left a legacy of important theology and philosophi-cal works. The most famous is his Commentary on the Sentencesof Peter Lombard which covers the whole field of

(Please See SAINTS/22)

Speaking of Saints

Bonaventure leftimportant legacy of

theology, philosophy

Gibson


Pilgrim Cross

Fr. Bernard Getigan, left, welcomes the Diocese of San Angelo Pilgrim Cross to

Good Shepherd Church in Sheffield June 6, 2016. The Pilgrim Cross has been mak-

ing its way to parishes throughout the diocese since March. The journey will culmi-

nate July 30, 2016, in San Angelo for World Youth Day USA-San Angelo, a daylong

event for young adults from around the diocese. The San Angelo Diocese is one of

several dioceses in the United States to be celebrating a World Youth Day event

simultaneous to when the World Youth Day event is happening in Krakow, Poland.

(Courtesy Photo)

World Youth Day breaks you down and builds you up for GodBy Nik Ruiz

World Youth Day is an experienceunlike any other. It is not only a faith-ful-filling journey that notonly strengthens yourlove for God but is also apilgrimage that breaksyou down to the centercore of what being aCatholic really means.

I was blessed withbeing able to attendWYD 2011 in Madrid,Spain. The beauty ofbeing surrounded by millions of my broth-ers and sisters in Christ overwhelmed mewith joy, passion and happiness. I had

never seen our faith so massive.Every Sunday you sit in church with

people who know you and whom youknow, certainly a valuable piece of any-one’s spiritual journey. WYD opensdoors that pilgrims might not otherwisehave opened for them.

Priests often explain the global Churchand how large it is, but you never reallygrasp that it’s not just huge, it is massiveand it is ever growing.

The moment I walked into the WYDMass, all I could do was smile; Iabsolutely could not grasp what seemedlike hundreds of miles of Catholics whohad all come together to celebrate theBody and Blood of Christ. Then and onlythen did I truly realize how big of a

Church we really are; how beautiful, howgrand and how glorious we as Catholicsare. And how universal. I wanted to fallon my knees and cry at the amount oflove we all share with our God.

As a soldier of Christ you would expectto be put through some sort of warfareagainst evil, whether it be personal orthrough some other means. But before weare soldiers we have to be trained, andwe have to go through tests. For meWYD, and smaller pilgrimages like it,break you down to the core of your spiri-tual well-being in order to build you backup to become the soldier God needs youto be for him. This is what I am lookingforward to when I go to Krakow. In mypersonal life as well as my spiritual life I

feel the need to be broken down again,the need to be rebuilt so I can be astronger soldier for Christ, filled with theHoly Spirit. It’s a hard journey but it iswell worth it. I hope to bring back what Ilearn from this epic journey with Christand to be able to share with all of youthis beautiful experience. Something Ihope will reach the hearts of many whostrive to be rebuilt, and who long for astronger relationship with God.

As my journey begins, I pray for allwho read this that your spiritual journeywill begin as well.

Nik Ruiz, is a young adult member ofHoly Redeemer in Odessa, will travel toKrakow, Poland, with 10 others from thediocese for WYD later this month.

Ruiz


Steubenville Lone Star

St. Mary’s

San Angelo


Bishop’s Note: In addition to his duties as editor of the Wext TexasAngelus, Jimmy Patterson is the author of numerous children’s andnon-fiction books.

By Jimmy Patterson

MIDLAND — The events surrounding the release of the new“Adventures of Willy Nilly & Thumper” book series in May wereoverwhelming. The numbers of books that are in the hands of chil-dren in Midland and other cities is nice, we believeover a thousand. The director of Midland’sCentennial Library, told us that the 2,229 people whocame through the digital turnstiles May 14 representthe fourth-largest crowd in the library’s history.

Judging by the smiles splashed across the faces ofhundreds of children, my faith in the love of readingwas restored. Just when it seemed like every kid'sface on the planet is aglow with a blue light 24 hoursa day, they turn out in droves to pick up good old-fashioned adventure stories. It was a great sight towitness. Reading — and books — are not dead yet.

With all the lines, all the kids, all the laughs and all the sore signinghands, there was one moment during the weekend that was, for me atleast, a moment I won’t soon forget.

Late the next day, it was a late Sunday afternoon at Barnes &Noble. We were at the end of our four-day release. The line haddwindled down to nothing and we began to wrap things up when anolder woman walked into the children’s department and up to oursigning table. Dressed humbly with a slight hitch in her step, shepushed several strands of hair behind her ear and nudged up herglasses with a knuckle. She held out a copy of both Willy Nilly &Thumper books she had purchased at the store to be signed.

She said her name was Carla and I asked her if she liked to read.She told me she did, but said she wasn’t very good at it.

“I only started when I was 60,” she said, a contrite, toothless smilespreading across her face. She later admitted she was 72.“I’m old but not as old as you are,” Carla said as she smiled her

sweet grin at Jim Henry, the books’ creator and co-author who hadearlier made public that he was a first-time writer at 81. Jim laughed.

Carla told us how much she especially loved to read children’s sto-ries. She said she was looking for a copy of the Velveteen Rabbit,although she was excited to read our books, too.

She had driven all the way from Odessa. To most people, that’s notfar at all. But it is to Carla.“I drive on the service road. I don’t like the highway,” she said.We chatted a little more as our illustrator, Marjorie Van Heerden, to

freehand an illustration inside the front cover of her books.“We’ll have a third book out in November,” I told Carla, “so, I

hope to see you here.”She said she would try, if she could.And then she told us she was going blind.“I hope I can make it then,” she said. “I’m trying to read as many

books as I can before I can’t anymore.”Some days you wonder if what you do makes a difference. And some days you get your answer.

From the Editor

The last person inline makes effort,day worthwhile

Patterson

Chipo Chung, second from left, portrayed Mary Magdalene in a scene from the 2016 TV miniseries, "A.D.: The

Bible Continues.” (CNS Photo).

By Junno Arocho Esteves Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY — Recognizing St. MaryMagdalene's role as the first to witness Christ's res-urrection and as a "true and authentic evangelizer,"Pope Francis raised the July 22 memorial of St.Mary Magdalene to a feast on the church's liturgi-cal calendar, the Vatican announced.

A decree formalizing the decision was publishedby the Congregation for Divine Worship June 10along with an article explaining its significance.

Both the decree and the article were titled"Apostolorum Apostola" ("Apostle of theApostles").

In the article for the Vatican newspaper,Archbishop Arthur Roche, secretary of the congre-gation, wrote that in celebrating "an evangelist whoproclaims the central joyous message of Easter," St.Mary Magdalene's feast day is a call for allChristians to "reflect more deeply on the dignity ofwomen, the new evangelization and the greatnessof the mystery of divine mercy."

"Pope Francis has taken this decision precisely inthe context of the Jubilee of Mercy to highlight therelevance of this woman who showed great love forChrist and was much loved by Christ," ArchbishopRoche wrote.

While most liturgical celebrations of individual

saints during the year are known formally asmemorials, those classified as feasts are reservedfor important events in Christian history and forsaints of particular significance, such as the TwelveApostles.

In his apostolic letter "Dies Domini" ("The Lord'sDay"), St. John Paul II explained that the "com-memoration of the saints does not obscure the cen-trality of Christ, but on the contrary extols it,demonstrating as it does the power of the redemp-tion wrought by him."

Preaching about St. Mary Magdalene, PopeFrancis highlighted Christ's mercy toward a womanwho was "exploited and despised by those whobelieved they were righteous," but she was lovedand forgiven by him.

Her tears at Christ's empty tomb are a reminderthat "sometimes in our lives, tears are the lenses weneed to see Jesus," the pope said April 2, 2013,during Mass in his residence, the Domus SanctaeMarthae.

(Please See MAGDALENE/23)

Pope Francis elevates memorial of

Saint Mary Magdalene to feast day4Read the full decree from the

Congregation for Divine Worship and the

Discipline of the Sacraments at

sanangelodiocese.org.


Rev. W.E. and Sandie Knickerbocker

An unexpected knock on the doorBy Fr. Knick and SandieKnickerbocker

The knock on the door in themiddle of the afternoon wasunusual in our apartment complexin Bartlett,Tennessee, asuburb ofMemphis.Most of us inthe apartmentcomplexworked duringthe day. I washome because Istopped to pickup a book Ineeded on myway back to my office at thePresbyterian seminary where Itaught Church history.

I opened the door, and a youngMuslim woman was standingthere. She and her husband, wholived across the street, were med-ical doctors from Pakistan. Hewas doing his residency at theUniversity of Tennessee Collegefor the Health Sciences inMemphis, and she had taken timeoff from her medical practice tobe a stay-at-home mom for theirtwo pre-school boys. She asked ifshe could use our phone to reportthat their phone was not working.I explained that I would step outon the front deck while sheentered our apartment to use thephone. As I waited on the deck, Ithought about the friendship wehad developed with this youngMuslim family.

When 9/11 occurred, we wereas shocked as most Americans.We had seen this young Muslimfamily go in and out of theirapartment across the street buthad never had occasion to meetthem. The day after the twin tow-ers fell, we noticed that their vannow had a large American flag oneach side. Sandie and I decidedwe would seek an opportunity tomeet this couple. A day or solater, they arrived in the parkinglot the same time we did, and weintroduced ourselves. I shook

hands with him, and when Imoved to shake hands with her,she said apologetically that shewas not allowed to touch anotherman. I said I understood andapologized for causing them anydiscomfort. They smiled and saidnot to worry and that it was goodto meet us. Sandie and this youngMuslim wife and mother becamefriends. They both liked to cook,and they would exchange recipesand even cook things for eachother. Sandie visited her and theirboys in their apartment.

As I stood outside that daywhile she used our phone, I beganto reflect on what I had learnedover the years about Islam. I amstill learning about this religionthat is such a concern now forChristians as well as people ofother religions. In a collegecourse on Medieval History I hadlearned that Pope Leo III, in theyear 800, crowned Charlemagnethe Emperor of the Holy RomanEmpire in an attempt to create apolitical Catholicism to opposepolitical Islam. By that timeMuslim armies had swept acrossNorth Africa, through Spain, andinto southern France, where theywere defeated by the FrankishChristian army at the Battle ofTours (732). Muslims remainedin Spain until 1492. TheCrusades were an attempt toretake Christian holy places thathad been conquered by Islam andprotect Christian pilgrims, but itwas too little too late. In the east,Muslim armies capturedConstantinople, capital of theByzantine Empire, in 1453. Inthe west, Muslim armies contin-ued to threaten Europe, andCatholic forces defeated them atLepanto (1571) and Vienna(1683). However, sporadic war-fare against the west andChristianity continued. The attackthat occurred on 9/11 was simplya continuation of the long warfareof Islam against the west andspecifically against Christianity.

And yet, here were somefriendly Muslim neighbors. How

was I to reconcile our friendlyrelationship with what I knowabout Islam? I decided I need tobe very clear about the differencesin our two religions. How wouldI describe those differences in afew words?

As the Catechism of theCatholic Church teaches, "Themystery of the Most Holy Trinityis the central mystery of Christianfaith and life. It is the mystery ofGod in Himself. It is thereforethe source of all the other myster-ies of faith...." (#234).

God, in His inner life, is a rela-tionship of Persons. This relation-ship is one of perfect love as TwoPersons love a Third Persontogether in this circle of love. Itis the nature of this perfect love tooverflow in fecund creativity. Itis also the nature of this perfectlove to rescue His creation whenit falls away from Him. TheWord of the Father, the Only-Begotten Son, through whom allcreation is made, becomesIncarnate as one of us, lives, dies,and rises from the dead. He takesus into death with Him, leaves oursin in the grave, and raises us withHim in new life and through usredeems all creation. In theEucharist, the source and summitof the Christian life (CCC# 324),we die and rise with Him as wetake into ourselves His Body,Blood, Soul, and Divinity. As wetake Him into us, we are too smallto hold Him, so He takes us intoHimself to redeem us that we maybecome the persons He created usto be. This truth is known to usby revelation through Scriptureand Tradition.

In the act of creation, God cre-ates us in His own image throughHis Word, the Wisdom of God.We reflect the Word of God in ourreason and conscience, which area participation in the Wisdom ofGod. All persons have these giftsof reason and conscience. This iswhy St. Paul teaches that Gentileshave the law written on their

(See KNICKERBOCKER/22)

OBISPO(Para 3)

Mesopotamia, se crearon leyes para regular las tasas de interés. Enla antigua Babilonia, Asiria, Egipto, Grecia y Roma, los gobiernosrestringieron a prestamistas y acreedores con el fin de proteger alas personas vulnerables de las prácticas abusivas.

En el Antiguo Testamento, a los Judíos se les permitió el prestardinero con interés a los extranjeros, pero no a sus mismos com-pañeros Judíos (Deuteronomio 23:19-20). Salmo 15:5 enseña queel camino de la integridad moral no incluye prestar dinero coninterés.

Hay muy poco sobre el tema del cobro de intereses en el NuevoTestamento. En la Parábola de los Talentos, Jesús toma por senta-do la práctica comercial actual de invertir el dinero con los ban-queros y ganar interés (Mateo 25:27). Sin embargo, en el Sermónde la Llanura, Jesús dice a sus seguidores que “presten sin esperarnada a cambio” (Lucas 6:35). A través de los siglos, este textoparticular ha sido citado con frecuencia como para justificar unaprohibición total de tomar intereses de los préstamos.

En los primeros siglos del Cristianismo, los escritoresPatrísticos identifican dos formas en las cuales el tomar interéspuede ser pecaminoso. Una de ellas es cuando el prestamista actúacon una actitud pecaminosa de la codicia. La otra es cuando lospobres se ven perjudicados y explotados.

Por muchos siglos, los consejos de la Iglesia prohibieron lapráctica de tomar interés en un préstamo. Por ejemplo, el Consejode Cartago en 345 lo prohibió con el fin de combatir “la rapacidadinsaciable de los usureros.” El Consejo de Vienne en 1311 decretóque cualquiera que enseñaba que la usura no es pecado debe sercastigado de la misma manera como hereje. Sin embargo, a travésde todas estas declaraciones, nunca se afirmó que el interés en símismo y bajo todas condiciones es una violación de la justicia.

Con el desarrollo de grandes sistemas económicos y unaeconomía monetaria, se hizo más posible el prestar dinero coninterés de una manera que no es explotador. A finales del siglo 16,los teólogos enseñaban que un prestamista tiene derecho a cobraruna tasa moderada de interés para compensar el riesgo de la inver-sión. Debido a los cambios de condiciones históricos, el Vaticanoen el siglo 19 hizo varias declaraciones que la gente puede prestardinero con interés, siempre y cuando las tasas son equitativas.

En resumen, la práctica de cobrar intereses por un préstamo noes, en sí mismo, pecaminosa. Sin embargo, cada vez que seenraíza en la codicia o cobra tasas de interés de explotación, es elpecado de la usura. Este pecado social es espiritualmente dañinopara el prestamista, y hiere la dignidad humana del prestatario.Reduce la capacidad de los pobres para recuperar la autosuficien-cia.

¿Qué se puede hacer para cambiar nuestra situación actual de laindustria de préstamos de día de pago desenfrenada que ha atrapa-do a quince millones de estadounidenses en un atolladero de ladeuda? Creo que la solución incluye tres elementos.

El primer elemento es la educación del consumidor. Todosnosotros deberíamos encontrar maneras de enseñar los principiosbásicos responsables del manejo de dinero personal por medio de las escuelas, las iglesias, y las familias. Pastores y otras guías

(Mira PRESTAMOS/23)

JULY 2016 The Angelus The Angelus JULY 2016 Page 13

The Diaconal Ordination of Timothy HayterJune 25, 2016 * Our Lady of Guadalupe Church * Fort Stockton

At right, with his family seated

behind him, Deacon Timothy Hayter

listens as Bishop Michael J. Sis

speaks to him during Hayter’s ordi-

nation as a transitional deacon, June

25, 2016 in Fort Stockton. Below

right, Bishop Sis presents the

Gospels to Hayter; below center,

Bishop Sis lays hands on the new

deacon, and below left, Deacon

Timothy, prostrate, during the Litany

of Saints. In photo of Deacon

Hayter’s family, pictured are, from

right to left, Hayter’s father, Bob

Hayter, and mother, Nancy Hayter,

niece Kyra Balyeat, and sister

Heather Balyeat. (Photos by Jimmy

Patterson / West Texas Angelus)

The 25th Anniversary of the Dedication of

Mount Carmel Hermitage

Clockwise from top, clergy from throughout the Diocese of

San Angelo were among the 250 to help celebrate the her-

mitage’s 25th anniversary; Most Rev. Fernando Millan

Romeral, O. Carm., Prior General of the Carmelite Order;

Father Fabian Maria Rosette, O. Carm, Prior of the Mount

Carmel Hermitage; Fr. Fabian’s mother, Rosita Bernal, cen-

ter, with Carmelite sisters from the neighboring Our Lady

of Grace Carmelite Monastery; a bagpiper greets the cler-

gy and faithul at the conclusion of the anniversary Mass;

Bishop Michael J. Sis, with Deacon Freddy Medina.

Story, additional photos in the August West TexasAngelus. (Photos by Jimmy Patterson / West TexasAngelus)


By Fr. Tad Pacholczyk

On rare occasions, babies can be bornwith ambiguous genitalia, and parents andphysicians may be uncertain about whethera newborn is a little boy or a little girl.While testing for sex chromosomes isinvariably part of figuringout these cases, the genet-ics alone may not alwaystell the whole story.

Both genes and physio-logical factors like hor-monal conditions in thewomb can contribute to ourprimary and secondary sexcharacteristics and, unsur-prisingly, disorders in ourgenes or our in utero hor-monal milieu can contribute to deflectingthe development of our maleness or female-ness.

For the most part, our genetic sex (XXfemale or XY male) serves as the best guideto the true sex of an individual, though inrare situations, even the sex chromosomesthemselves can have anomalies. For exam-ple, when somebody is born with KlinefelterSyndrome (XXY) they develop not only as amale due to the presence of the Y chromo-some and its testosterone-producing influ-ence, but also as a “feminized” malebecause of the influences of the additional Xchromosome.

When strong hormonal influences are atplay, as in another disorder calledCongenital Androgenital Syndrome, a genet-ically normal XX female can have increasedtestosterone production by her adrenalglands, resulting in the development ofexternal male-like genitalia, even though shealso has ovaries, a vagina, and a uterus.

While the term “intersex” is sometimesused to describe situations where an individ-ual has non-standard genital anatomy, it typ-ically has a broader range of meanings.Some have argued that a person has to beborn with both ovarian and testicular tissueto count as being intersex, but “intersex” isan imprecise term that can describe a rangeof situations in which a person is born withan internal reproductive anatomy or anexternal sexual anatomy that is not in accordwith the typical expectations for femalenessor maleness.

Sometimes the suggestion is made thatintersex individuals are, in fact, neither malenor female, but fluid, malleable or “bisexu-al,” with sexual identity residing somewhere

between male and female. This kind ofexplanation is untenable.

Human beings, along with most othermembers of the animal kingdom, are markedby an ineradicable sexual “dimorphism,” or“two-forms,” namely, male and female.When problems arise in the development ofone of these forms, this does not make for anew “third form,” or worse, for an infinitespectrum of different sexual forms.

Instead, intersex situations represent casesin which a person is either male or female,but has confounding physiological factorsthat make them appear or feel as if theywere of the opposite sex, or maybe evenboth sexes. In other words, the underlyingsex remains, even though the psychology orgender they experience may be discordant.Put another way, intersex individuals may be"drawn away" from their intrinsic male orfemale sexual constitution by variousanatomical differences in their bodies, andby opposing interior physiological drivesand forces.

This can be further complicated becauseof strong cultural forces that contribute tothe confusion by sanctioning a paradigm ofcomplete malleability in human sexualbehaviors that militates against an under-standing of sex-based "hard-wiring."

Even though it may not be popular toaffirm the fact, people suffer from sexualdevelopment disorders in much the sameway that they suffer from other kinds ofdevelopmental disorders, whether of the car-diac/circulatory system, of the nervous/intel-lectual system or others. No one, of course,should be subjected to bias or mistreatmentdue to a bodily disorder they may have beenborn with, but in treating such persons, wealways strive to return their cardiac or intel-lectual functions to their proper baseline,rather than inventing a new abnormal as thenorm and defining that as a “treatment,” assome are tempted to do with sexual develop-ment disorders.

While a newborn’s "intrinsic maleness" or“intrinsic femaleness” may be difficult toassess in certain more complicated intersexcases, the point remains that there is an"intrinsic" or "underlying" sexual constitu-tion that we must do our best to recognize,respect, and act in accord with. We mustcarefully acknowledge, nurture and acceptour given embodied sexual nature as male orfemale. Willfully denying or acting againstthat given nature will constitute little more

(Please See BIOETHICS/22)

Seeing through the intersex confusionMaking Sense of Bioethics

Pacholczyk

By Maria-Pia Negro Chin

Summer is almost upon us and sois graduation season.Marked by cere-monies, memoriesand speeches, thistime of the year clos-es a chapter in stu-dents' lives and sig-nals new beginnings.

This can be excitingand terrifying for anew graduate — or anybody aboutto start something new. Commence-ment speeches can remind gradu-ates, and students just behind them,that just as one door closes, Godopens another one leading to a newpath.

At my college graduation fromLoyola University Maryland, myclassmates and I were reminded oflife's ultimate goal: to witness God'slove by being "men and women forothers."

Jesuit Father Brian F. Linnane, ourcollege president, said that he hopedour education and experiences gaveus the tools to have a commitment

and connection to something largerthan ourselves. This, he said, wouldserve the betterment of the worldand also take us closer to our pur-pose in life.

His parting words were "God blessyou" and "be happy." But, what doesultimate happiness look like to youand your loved ones? There does notseem to be a single answer.

That's because "the keys to happi-ness take different forms for each ofus, because each of us has differentways of finding meaning, a differentcombination of values and prioritiesthat guide us," Father Linnane saidback then.

He later cited a study of whatmade individuals happy. And eventhough happiness can look differentfor each person, there were someconstants. Leading a healthylifestyle, spiritual connectedness andlasting human relationships weremain elements in the lives of thosewho were happy.

Trying to be healthier, more faith-ful to God and caring with our loved

(Please See CHIN/23)

Chin

Opening new paths akey to joyful living

Abriendo caminos nuevosBy Maria-Pia Negro Chin

El verano ya casi está aquí y con élverano viene la temporada de grad-uaciones. Marcada por ceremonias,memorias y discursos, en esta épocadel año se cierra un capítulo en lavida de los estudiantes y se marcannuevos comienzos.

Esto puede ser emocionante y ater-rador para un estudiante recien grad-uado – y para cualquiera a punto decomenzar algo nuevo. Los discursosde graduación les pueden recordar alos graduados que así como unapuerta se cierra detrás de ellos, Diosles abre otra puerta que conduce a unnuevo camino.

En mi graduación de laUniversidad de Loyola de Maryland,los discursos nos recordaron cual esla meta final de la vida: dar testimo-nio del amor de Dios y ser "hombresy mujeres para los demás".

El padre jesuita Brian F. Linnane,

el presidente de la universidad, dijoque esperaba que nuestra educacióny experiencias nos hayan dado lasherramientas para tener un compro-miso y conexión con algo másgrande que nosotros mismos. Esto,nos dijo el padre, nos ayudaría ahacer del mundo un lugar mejor ytambién nos acercaría a nuestro obje-tivo en la vida.

Sus palabras de despedida fueron:"Dios los bendiga" y "sean felices".Pero, ¿Qué es la mayor felicidadpara ti y tus seres queridos? No hayuna sola respuesta. Esto se debe aque "las claves de la felicidad tomandiferentes formas para cada uno denosotros, porque cada uno denosotros tiene diferentes maneras deencontrar el significado, una combi-nación diferente de valores y priori-dades que nos guían" dijo el padreLinnane en aquel entonces.

(Mira CAMINOS/23)

The Angelus JULY 2016 Page 15

By Fr. Eugene HemrickCatholic News Service

Agitated over all the bizarre happenings in today'slife? How about reducing them to satire and enjoyingthe ironies they produce.

Consider that even though we have time-saving airtravel and super fast automobiles, we find ourselvesfrequently in endless lines and in stop-and-go trafficwith cranky horns. Ironically, our so-called speedy lifemore often than not is filled by idling and a hurry-and-wait existence.

Smartphones should be called superphones becausethey help save lives, keep us in contact with dearfriends, and in many cases save money. Ironically,they also often turn loved ones into strangers eventhough they may be nearby.

Even if people walk side by side, they might as wellbe miles apart because people are glued to the phonesinstead of being glued to the person next to them.

Smartphones are the latest addiction with whichcompulsive chatterers need to fill their day. Theirmelodious rings may be music to the ear of some, butthey don't sound so sweet to those who have to endurethe ill-timed annoying sounds coming from them.

A while ago, what some called home "entertainmentcenters" were truly an enjoyable form of entertain-ment. The bad side of them was that they produced anarmy of couch potatoes. Generations grew up seden-tary, only knowing how to glare at screens.

Also consider that some feel we've reached theheights of freedom of speech because anyone is ableto post on the internet whatever comes to mind. Butnot everything that is posted has worth and in many

cases, it may not be true. It also may be used for evilpurposes.

Music is intelligence in that it mimics speech and itsultimate purpose is raising the nobility of the humanspirit. Yet much of today's speech, unfortunately, iscacophony. It is an affront to intelligence and especial-ly to dignity.

Championing human rights, multiculturalism andsolidarity offer amazing promise for the future.Ironically, we still face their age-old opponents ofself-righteousness, racism, intolerance, bigotry andnarrow-mindedness. These are death blows toprogress.

These are enjoyable ways to understand the absurdand it reminds us that, as the Book of Ecclesiastessays, there is a time to laugh.

By Fr. John CatoirCatholic News Service

Cellphone obsession has become a serious epi-demic and one that threatens our spiritual well-being.

Please give me a minute toexplain. A neighbor gave her 14-year-old daughter a birthday party,and noticed how quiet the girl'sfriends were, until she went intothe room and found them all ontheir cellphones.

She was shocked and immedi-ately reacted, "Put down thosephones right now, this is supposedto be a party. Have some fun."Later, after her daughter's initial embarrassment,they all became normally boisterous and had ahappy time.

Then there's the recent practice some of us havewitnessed, of zoning out during family meals.Focusing on the cellphone instead of on people inthe room is discourteous and unacceptable.

Dinner is family time. It should be a lovingexchange of ideas, and a sharing of feelings.Today, the family meal is treated by some as a pitstop. Youngsters have more important things ontheir minds than family unity.

I argue that there should be a rule in everyhome: no cellphones for one hour during the fami-ly meal. Family comes first and courtesy shouldbe extended to all its members. Courtesy is polite-ness. It is having an attitude of respect toward oth-ers. This implies good manners, civility andrespect.

But there are also other reasons to put the phonedown. One of the more serious repercussions of

cellphone obsession involves automobile acci-dents. Some throw caution out when driving anddecide to text while on the road.

Texting while driving is taking a needless risk,and we are not just risking our lives when we doit, but the life of others. In this sense, it is a sin.We have always been taught not to put ourselvesin the occasion of sin. To do so makes us vulnera-ble to possible disaster.

Some may question my use of the word sin inthis context, but all sin involves actions that aredispleasing to God. However, God loves you, andsin is doing something that hurts the one Godloves. But there are things we can do to stop this.To start, parents who have allowed their childrento have cellphones need to assert their authority.They have to insist upon courtesy in all things,which means the following: No cellphones duringthe dinner hour.

The rest of us have to pay attention to our ownbehavior. We don't want to become like the type ofpeople we sometimes encounter at the doctor'soffice — focused more on record keeping than onthe patient.

I've had the experience (several times) of havinga medical professional open up a laptop, or click afew times on a computer mouse, type in some sta-tistics, and while still looking at the screen, ask afew questions without looking up. Eventually theysay a few words, but before you know it, the visitis over.

I wonder how we've gotten to this point? We arediminishing our sensitivity to the feelings of oth-ers. We may not be able to control the behavior ofothers in the world but we can begin to change thebehavior of those at home. And we can also exam-ine our past actions in this matter and then beginto change ourselves.

Technology not always as friendly as we’d like it to be

Putting down the phone so we can answer the call to civility

Catholic Voices

Fr. Hemrick

Catoir

Cartoon Corner


By Fr. Ron Rolheiser

Perspective is everything. When it’s lost,headaches and heartaches set in, take rootand begin to dominate our lives.

When we lose perspec-tive everything isreduced—the wide hori-zon, the depth of ourminds, the compassion ofour hearts, the enjoymentof our lives, and the con-solation of our God.When perspective is lost,the world turns upsidedown; contentment givesway to restlessness, humil-ity to ambition, and patience to a hopelesspursuit of a consummation, renown andimmortality that this life can never give.

I know. It’s happened to me, countlesstimes; in fact it happens to me most all ofthe time. In my life, forever it seems, I keeplosing perspective and becoming obsessedwith a love l cannot have, with hurts that Icannot let go of, and with an ambition thatleaves me too preoccupied, too self-absorbed and too hurried to fully noticewhat’s around me.

Like most everyone else, I spend toomany hours waiting for a special phone callthat doesn’t come, for a special letter thatdoesn’t arrive, for a special glance of affec-tion that isn’t given and for a special day-dream to turn into reality. Like most every-

one else who’s lost perspective, I spend toomany hours stewing about hurts, replayingagain and again the real and imagined rejec-tions, insults and misunderstandings thathave come my way, and dwelling on whereI’ve been cheated, where life is unfair, andwhere others have been given what I don’thave.

Like most everyone else, I am driven,restless, ambitious and I live a pressuredlife, a life too hurried and demanding to befully enjoyed. Like most everyone else, Idwell too much upon my own emotional,sexual, and moral loneliness and this preoc-cupation robs me of most of the simple, anddeepest, joys of life.

And, like most everyone I know, for me,it won’t be easy to die, to let go, to return,with grace and gratitude, to the dust ofearth, content enough with the astoundingfact that I have lived, felt life, walked theearth, been loved, and have been andremain part of the Body of Christ.

But to have perspective, I must be pray-ing, mystically feeling the other world, andcontent enough in my anonymity to takemy place, but no more that, among others,as one small but integral member of the bil-lions of men and women who have walked,and will walk the earth and will, one day, bepresented by Christ to his Father. It is noteasy to keep perspective and to claim nomore, and no less, than my true place in his-tory.

When my own prayer and mysticism is

too weak for me to properly do this, one ofthe things I can still do is to stay in touchwith those who have kept things in perspec-tive. One of the persons who has helped mein this is Pierre Teilhard de Chardin—theFrench scientist-priest-mystic-philosopherwho died on Easter Sunday in 1955.

Like the rest of us, his life too had itsshare of hurts, ambitions, cold lonely sea-sons and obsessions. He spent most of hislife unsure that anyone really understoodhim. But, and this is where he is rare, heinvariably was able to put things into per-spective, to regain the wide horizon and tosee things, no matter how bad theyappeared on the surface, as making sense inChrist.

Because of this, this perspective, he was agifted man, gifted not just with extraordi-nary insight, but also with exceptional joy.He could see God in a stone. A chip of rockin the desert or an opera in Paris or NewYork, both held equal potential for delight.The simple pleasures of life, the elementaryact of looking at the world and feeling itselements—the weather, the soil, the sun, thevery dust—could give him a joy borderingon ecstasy.

It didn’t matter whether he was with hisloved ones, at home in France, or awayfrom his loved ones (and loved land), inexile in China, every kind of everydayexperience could leave him feeling deeplygrateful just for the fact of living, for theprivilege of being part of what God is doing

on this earth.He could love deeply and he could also

let go—and this letting go was what savedhim from the always-present fear, ambitionand loneliness that so often asphyxiates me.He was able to keep things in perspectiveand so he didn’t need to dwell on past hurts,on present loneliness and on future fears.Thus, for example:

At age 35, in 1916, he found himself inthe front lines, as a stretcher-bearer, in theFirst World War. Before the battle to recap-ture Douaumont, fearing that he might bekilled, he wrote the following: “I tell youthis: I shall go into this engagement in areligious spirit, with all my soul, borne onby a single great impetus in which I amunable to distinguish where human emo-tions end and adoration begins. And if I amdestined not to return from those heights Iwould like my body to remain there, mold-ed into the clay of the fortifications, like aliving cement thrown by God into thestone work of the New City” (Hymns of theUniverse, London, Fontana, 1970, p.51).

Humbling words, noble words, from arare person with a rare faith. We all need toread and write words like this—and then,perhaps, we won’t live in restlessness andambition, waiting for that special somethingthat never comes.

Fr. Rolheiser, a Roman Catholic priestand member of the Missionary Oblates ofMary Immaculate, is president of the OblateSchool of Theology in San Antonio.

By Bishop Robert BarronArchdiocese of Los Angeles

With his latest film, Last Days in theDesert, RodrigoGarcia has accom-plished somethingtruly remarkable. Hehas taken a portion ofthe life of the singlemost compelling per-son who has everlived and turned itinto a colossally bor-ing movie. As Iwatched Last Days inthe Desert, I was reminded of many filmsthat I saw in Paris as a doctoral student:lots of uninterrupted shots of naturalscenes, many views of people walkingaround and saying nothing, endless close-ups of serious faces looking blankly intothe middle distance. At times I thought

that all of this meditative build-up wouldresult in a spectacular payoff, but no—just more walking around and looking.

What made the film so tedious, howev-er, was not simply its cinematic style. Itwas the fact that, like dozens of similarmovies over the past fifty years, it por-trayed Jesus simply as a human being,one spiritual searcher among many. I willconfess to being amused by the breathlessadvertising around Last Days in theDesert, announcing that this movie is“reckless” and “daring” in its presenta-tion of a more human Christ. Give me abreak! What would be truly dramatic andeye-opening would be a film that com-pellingly shows that the carpenter fromNazareth is also God. In EwanMcGregor’s characterization, we seeJesus as a good, decent, honest man whois earnestly seeking his path. There isnothing miraculous, distinctive, or partic-ularly supernatural about him. He is like

any other religious founder, indeed likeany spiritually alert person you might runinto at church. Fine, but so what? Why,one wonders, should we pay any attentionto him? Why would this figure beremembered after 2,000 years? Whywould much of Western civilization begrounded in him?

Now please don’t misunderstand me: aclear affirmation of the humanity of Jesusis part and parcel of Christian orthodoxy.In the language of the council ofChalcedon, Christ is “truly human andtruly divine,” the two natures inhering inthe unity of one person and comingtogether “without mixing, mingling, orconfusion.” According to the Church,Jesus is not quasi-divine and quasi-human, in the manner of Achilles orHercules, but rather completely humanand completely divine. There has beenindeed, throughout Christian history, thetemptation toward a monophysite read-

ing, according to which Jesus has onlyone nature, namely divine. On this inter-pretation, the Lord’s humanity is a simu-lacrum of a real human nature, as thoughGod were merely donning the appearanceof a human being. The orthodox Christiantradition has always stood athwart such aview. In fact, during the eighth centurymonothelite (one will) controversy, theChurch held that Jesus has a fully-consti-tuted human nature, endowed with ahuman mind and human will. Therefore,it is perfectly permissible to speak of realdevelopment within Jesus’ human nature,as does the Gospel of Luke: “and Jesusadvanced in wisdom and age and favorbefore God and man.” It is even appropri-ate to speak, as the letter to the Hebrewsdoes, of Jesus being “tempted in everyway that we are.” Thus Last Days in theDesert is certainly justified in portraying

(Please See BARRON/23)

Catholic Voices

Fr. Rolheiser

Bishop Barron

Why the movie ‘Last Days in the Desert’ is so boring

Self-obsession robs us of the joy God intends for us


By Fr. Kenneth DoyleCatholic News Service

Q. I read in a recent National Geographic therewere only two countries in the world which do notallow women to vote. One was Saudi Arabia, whichfor centuries treated women assecond-class citizens -- not permit-ting them to be seen in public, forexample, except for their eyes, andprohibiting them from drivingcars. The other place was VaticanCity. Since that article appeared,Saudi Arabia has now extendedvoting rights to women, leavingthe Vatican City State as the onlyexception. How do you explain that?(Ballston Lake, New York)

A. Your question is a legitimate one, but a bit mislead-ing. In fact, the only election held at the Vatican is theone to choose a new pope, and since the 11th centuryonly cardinals of the church have been eligible to vote.So if you're one of the 800 citizens of Vatican CityState, you don't get to vote even if you're a man --unless you happen to be one of the cardinal electors.

The good news, though, is that the number of womenworking at the Vatican has nearly doubled in the last 10years, according to a recent study conducted by VaticanRadio. In 2012, a laywoman was named to the position

of undersecretary of the Pontifical Council for Justiceand Peace, the first laywoman to hold such a high-rank-ing post in the curial leadership.

Recently, Pope Francis has appointed several womento the International Theological Commission, whichassists the Vatican in reviewing doctrinal issues, and, inMay of 2016, the pope announced his intention to set upa commission to study the matter of women deacons.

Q. I lost my firstborn son five years ago. Now Ihave another child, and I have been trying for a yearto find a priest to baptize him. In addition to the lin-gering grief which comes from losing a child, I haveboth mental and physical illnesses which make it dif-ficult for me to get to church every Sunday.

In fact, I have not been back to church since mychild died, but I do pray, and I look forward toteaching my new little boy to pray and to knowabout God. I believe that my son will not be able toget into heaven unless he is baptized, and I worryabout that every day.

My parish said that I would have to attend churchfor three months before having my child baptized,but I never know how I will feel on a particularSunday so I can't guarantee that I will be there. Idon't think it's fair to my child to deprive him ofbaptism, of God's protection and of the chance forheaven just because I am sick. Please tell me what Ican do. (City of origin withheld)

A. Normally, to baptize a child a priest needs reason-able assurance that the child will be raised in theCatholic faith. When neither parent has been going tochurch, your parish has evidently chosen to requirethree months of regular attendance as a sign of yourgood intentions.

The parish may be unaware of your personal circum-stances and the illnesses that make attendance difficultfor you. You might make an appointment with your pas-tor and discuss your situation.

What you might also do is arrange for anotherCatholic adult -- logically, one of your son's godparents-to-be -- to bring the boy to church as he grows up and tosee to his religious education. Comforted by that, yourparish may change its mind and schedule the baptism. Ifnot, you might look for a more sympathetic Catholicpastor nearby or write to your bishop and explain thecircumstances.

You probably need not worry about your son'schances for heaven while you seek to work this out. TheCatechism of the Catholic Church (in No. 1261) saysthat "the great mercy of God … and Jesus' tendernesstoward children … allow us to hope that there is a wayof salvation for children who have died without bap-tism."

Questions may be sent to Father Kenneth Doyle [email protected] and 40 Hopewell St. Albany,N.Y. 12208.

By Carolyn WooCatholic News Service

I recently had the privilege to delivercommencement speech-es at a few Catholic uni-versities and colleges.Humbled by the factthat few people remem-ber what their com-mencement speakersintoned at these cere-monies, I tried to keepthe message simple and,hopefully, partially mem-orable.

This year, I focused on the unforgettablestarting points for all of our learning jour-neys: our ABCs. Do you remember howyour mom told you when you startedschool to pay attention to your teachers?Let me revisit this concept.

To start, the A in the ABCs stands forattentiveness, particularly attentiveness to

people. Lost in an environment with a lotof stimuli and tethered to devices that con-stantly beep for our response, how well dowe pay attention to people?

Working on the assumption that we canmultitask well, which science hasdebunked, we sandwich the conversationwith a grandparent between snaps, tweets,texts, alerts.

We may be hearing her update on thecancer treatment, but with eyes scanningincoming messages and thoughts wander-ing about whom we want to hang out with.We may miss the frailty, loneliness andspirit of the person who just said "every-thing is fine."

Interactions are the birthplaces of under-standing, love, loyalty and intimacy. Theycall for and deserve what is within each ofus to give: undivided attention. And if wecannot pay proper attention to people, howdo we pay attention to God? How do weplace ourselves in the presence of God?

When we were young, to step into that

new school, we had to be brave. So let theB stand for bravery, which we evoke fornew scary endeavors. Will I succeed? WillI belong? Will I matter? What if I make acompete fool of myself?

We can only find and shape theseanswers by doing, trying, learning and get-ting up. It takes courage to admit that weare not always right, that we can hurt oth-ers' feelings, that we can let people down.

It takes honesty to recognize the burdenwe place on others and grace to apologize.Be ready to pay for doing the right thing,honoring our integrity and protecting oursoul. The good news is that we do not relyon ourselves alone.

It is God's power that we draw from,God's bounty that we rely on and the HolySpirit who helps us become what Godintends for each of us.

In the daily echoes of the playgroundmonitor's urging to play nice, I find theseeds of my C-word: compassion. Playingnice is the drill in our practice to make

room for others, to have a sense of others,to know how to be with others.

It is indispensable training for our jour-ney of success. Authentic leadershiprequires us to advance others to a betterplace, and we can seldom do that withoutempathy. People are not machines.

Jesus taught us that the sum of our effortswill be judged by how we treat others, par-ticularly those who cross our paths and lackthe essentials of a dignified existence.

Success is therefore not what we accu-mulate, but what we give away; not howhigh we climb, but how low we bend toheal those broken down by life; not whatwe do for our good, but what we do for thecommon good.

As the ABCs of our childhood haveunlocked the world of knowledge for us,may these reframed ABCs give us newcapacities for knowing: knowing the other,knowing life and knowing God.

Woo is president and CEO of CatholicRelief Services.

Doyle

Woo

A different kind of ABCs at this year’s commencements

Women and Vatican vote / Plea for baptism


EDICTAL SUMMONS

June 23, 2016

CASE: GARCIA (GONZALEZ) -- LUERA

NO.: SO/14/50

The Tribunal Office of the Catholic Diocese

of San Angelo is seeking David Hernandez

Luera.

You are hereby summoned to appear

before the Tribunal of the Catholic Diocese of

San Angelo, at 804 Ford Street, San Angelo,

Texas 76905, on or before the 31st day of

July 2016, to answer to the Petition of

Veronica Gonzales Garcia (Gonzalez), now

introduced before the Diocesan Tribunal in

an action styled, “Veronica Gonzalez and

David Luera, Petition for Declaration of

Invalidity of Marriage.” Said Petition is identi-

fied as Case: GARCIA (GONZALEZ) --

LUERA; Protocol No.: SO/14/50, on the

Tribunal Docket of the Diocese of San

Angelo.

You may communicate with the Tribunal in

person or in writing. Failure to communicate

within the prescribed period of time will be

considered your consent for the Tribunal to

continue its proceedings in the above-named

case.

Given at the Tribunal of the Diocese of San

Angelo on the 23rd day of June 2016.

Reverend Tom Barley,

MSW, MBA, M. Div.,JCL

Judicial Vicar

ORDINATIONS, NECROLOGYPRIESTLY ORDINATIONS

AUGUST

2 — Fr. Francis Njoku (1997)

4 — Fr. Isidore Ochiabuto (2001)

4 — Fr. Michael Rodriguez (1990)

6 — Fr. Bhaskar Mendem (2004)

12 — Fr. David Herrera (1989)

13 — Fr. Lionel Fernando (1987)

15 — Fr. Fabian Rosette (1980)

22 — Fr. Charles Okonkwo (1992)

NECROLOGY

AUGUST

7 — Rev. Andrew DeMuth (1969)

10 — Rev. Michael Barbarossa,OFM (1981)

12 — Rev. Ted McNulty (2006)

14 — Rev. Bernard Binversie (1992)

15 — Rev. Sam Homsey, C.PP.S. (2004)

19 — Rev. Msgr. Arnold A. Boeding (1989)

21 — Deacon William Callan (1988)

21 — Deacon Enemencio Samaniego (2008)

22 — Rev. Charles Larue (2005)

23 — Rev. Raymond Gallagher (2010)

23 — Rev. Charles A. Knapp (1978)

23 — Deacon Eufracio Hernandez (1998)

28 — Deacon Mario Calderon (1998)


(From 6)

to the Horsehead Crossing on the PecosRiver. The Civil War was fought 1861-1865, with Fort Concho in San Angelobeing founded in 1867. Ranching wasbeginning as a local industry and BenFicklin was established as the Tom GreenCounty seat.

The new evangelization began inearnest. The first baptisms at FortConcho are recorded in 1872 and 1873.

In 1871, the deed for St. JosephChurch in Fort Stockton was prepared forthe Bishop Claude M. Dubois, Bishop ofGalveston, whose diocese covered all ofTexas then. Priests began to visit there in1872. It took until 1875 to complete theformalities of the deed; that year isknown as the beginning of the parish.

In 1874, Fr. Mathurin Pairier began tovisit the San Angelo area. Developer BartJ. DeWitt deeded to Fr. Pairier the“Catholic Block” on September 22, 1874;this is now the site of Sacred HeartCathedral. Fr. Pairier baptized FredericoJacquez on May 31, 1881.

On February 9, 1880, property wasobtained for a Catholic church in BenFicklin, although that community wasdestroyed by flood in 1882 and no churchwas ever built there.

The “Catholic Block” in San Angelobegan to be developed with the construc-tion of the Church of the ImmaculateConception in 1884, at the corner ofChadbourne and Beauregard Streets.

The Sisters of Charity of the IncarnateWord from San Antonio arrived in 1887 tostart the Catholic School “ImmaculateConception Academy” on the CatholicBlock.

Meanwhile in other parts of what is nowthe Diocese of San Angelo, parishes werebeginning to spring up, as new efforts ofevangelization continued. The extensionof the railroad made much of the follow-ing activity possible.

In 1881, Fathers Anastatius Peters andBoniface Peters arrived at Grelton (laterknown as Marienfeld, then as Stanton) andestablished St. Joseph’s Parish. TheSisters of Divine Providence came toStanton to provide Catholic education dur-ing 1884; they were replaced by Sisters ofMercy from San Francisco in 1894. Theschool operated until 1938, when it wasdestroyed by a tornado.

The first Mass in Midland was held in1882 and the cornerstone of St. Ann’sChurch was laid in 1896.

Big Spring’s first recorded baptism tookplace in 1883.

Sanderson’s missionary activity beganin 1860, although the first churchwouldn’t be built until 45 years later.

The first Catholic wedding was held inAbilene in 1884 and Sacred Heart wasestablished as the first parish in 1891.

The 1900sMany parishes and missions were estab-

lished in the new century throughout thearea now known as the Diocese of SanAngelo.

Fire destroyed the wooden ImmaculateConception Church in San Angelo, lead-ing to the 1906 construction of a red brickchurch on the corner of Beauregard andOakes Streets; it was named Sacred Heart.

More Sisters of Charity of the IncarnateWord of San Antonio arrived in 1910 tostart St. John’s Hospital in San Angelo.Abilene also had a Catholic Hospitalopening in 1940, operated by the Sistersof Divine Providence of San Antonio.

A big event for Catholic evangelizationtook place on October 11, 1961, when theDiocese of San Angelo was established bySaint Pope John XXIII. The thirty-fourcounty diocese was comprised of territorytaken mostly from what by that time hadbecome the Diocese of Amarillo, but alsosome counties from the Dallas-Fort Worth,El Paso, and Austin dioceses.

The red brick Sacred Heart Church hadjust been replaced by a larger modernchurch and it became Sacred HeartCathedral. Most Rev. Thomas Drury wasthe first bishop and Bishop ThomasTschoepe, the second bishop.

During the time of the third bishop,Most Rev. Stephen Leven, the dioceseexpanded its clergy by training andordaining a large class of permanent dea-cons, whose role is proclaiming the gospeland being of service to those in need.

A new effort at evangelization tookplace during the ministry of the fourthbishop of San Angelo, Most Rev. JosephFiorenza, with the dedication of Christ the

King Retreat Center in San Angelo in1983, a place of spiritual renewal andgrowth. It was during this time that theDiocese of San Angelo ceded five coun-ties to the new Diocese of Lubbock.

Several movements have flourishedwhich have given new impetus to evange-lization in the Diocese of San Angelo.Probably beginning in the 1950s, theCursillo, a weekend renewal of Churchteaching in Spanish, originally fromSpain, was offered in the Diocese of SanAngelo. The first Cursillo presented inEnglish in the United States took place atSt. Joseph Parish in San Angelo in 1961.The Cursillo continues to be offered inboth languages to this day.

The SEARCH program, a weekend pro-gram of evangelization for teenagers, wasfirst offered at St. Joseph’s Parish inOdessa, April 10-12, 1970. This programhas become diocesan-wide and continuesto this day.

The Catholic Charismatic Renewalbegan to provide a deepened experience ofGod through the Holy Spirit, beginning inMidland about 1968 and moving through-out the diocese.

The fifth bishop of the diocese wasMost Rev. Michael Pfeifer, OMI, servingfrom 1985 to 2013. As with many areasin the USA, the number of priests, bothdiocesan and those from religious orders,was falling. In order to continue evange-lization and pastoral ministry to the peopleof the diocese, long range plans for copingwith this crisis were made: re-structuringparishes, welcoming international clergy,offering various options for professionaldevelopment of laity in theology and pas-toral care, and naming a full-time vocationdirector. Bishop Pfeifer brought Renew, amovement that forms small faith commu-nities at the parish level to foster spiritualrenewal and evangelization. During histenure, the evangelization outreach to pris-ons was expanded, including St. DismasRetreats and the Ministry of the Third

Cross. He will always be remembered forhis passionate proclamation of the “gospelof life.”

The 2000sResponding to Saint Pope John Paul II’s

call for a new evangelization in TheChurch in America, a partnership (“her-manamiento”) began in 2001 between dio-ceses of Texas and Honduras. The part-nership started with a response toHurricane Mitch; but it progressed rapidlyinto developing enduring relationshipsamong the dioceses and participants. TheDioceses of San Angelo and Tyler inTexas are now in a partnership with theDioceses of San Pedro Sula and La Ceiba.The pope’s letter called for “developingbonds of communion with the localChurches in other areas of Americathrough education, the exchange of infor-mation, fraternal ties between parishes anddioceses, and projects involving coopera-tion and joint intervention in questions ofgreater importance, especially thoseaffecting the poor” (#37). In theencounter with one another, said SaintJohn Paul II, we encounter Christ.

ACTS retreats, weekends of evangeliza-tion, were brought to the Diocese of SanAngelo in March 2006, with the Women’sACTS retreat of St. Ann’s in Midland,held at Christ the King Retreat Center.This new method of evangelization hasspread to many parishes of the diocese.

Under the leadership of Bishop MichaelSis, consecrated on January 27, 2014,there has been a new emphasis given toevangelization in campus ministry andvocation promotion. A Diocesan MissionCouncil has been established to promotemissionary involvement, “across the seaand across the street.” He is calling fornew energy in young adult outreach, aswell, for those age 18-39.

ConclusionIn century after century, the Holy Spirit

of God has provided one “new evange-lization” after another, to attract people toChrist and to the Catholic Church. Inthis article we have traced many of theinstitutional developments and newefforts at evangelization in each age.

In the ministry of Pope Francis, wehear a call for Catholic individuals topersonally become “missionary disciples”to share The Joy of the Gospel. We cando so in thousands of ways, individuallyand as a part of dynamic groups andparishes. We are to be a “church alwayson mission.”

EVANGELIZATIONSThe Most

Reverend

Michael D.

Pfeifer served

as Bishop of

the San Angelo

Diocese from

1985 to 2013.


(From 3)

For many centuries, the councils of the Church prohibit-ed the practice of taking interest on a loan. For example,the Council of Carthage in 345 forbade it in order to com-bat “the insatiable rapacity of usurers.” The Council ofVienne in 1311 decreed that anyone who taught that usuryis not sinful should be punished in the same way as aheretic. However, through all of these declarations, it wasnever stated that interest in itself and under all conditions isa violation of justice.

With the development of large economic systems and amonetary economy, it became more possible to lendmoney at interest in a way that is not exploitative. By theend of the 16th century, theologians were teaching that alender is entitled to charge a moderate rate of interest tocompensate for the risk of the investment. Because ofchanging historical conditions, the Vatican in the 19th cen-tury issued several statements that people can lend moneyat interest, as long as the rates are equitable.

In summary, the practice of charging interest for a loan isnot, in itself, sinful. However, whenever it is rooted in

greed or charges exploitative rates of interest, it is the sinof usury. This social sin is spiritually harmful to thelender, and it wounds the human dignity of the borrower. Itreduces the capacity of the poor to regain self-sufficiency.

What can be done to change our current situation of anunbridled payday lending industry that has trapped 15 mil-lion Americans in a quagmire of debt? I believe that thesolution includes three elements.

The first element is consumer education. All of usshould find ways to teach basic principles of responsiblepersonal money management through schools, churches,and families. Pastors and other spiritual guides shouldseek to instill the virtues of self-control, budget planning,saving, and simplicity of lifestyle.

The second element of the solution is alternative lendingsources. Even those who practice good management oftheir personal finances can sometimes find themselves inmoments of unexpected hardship. Our society will bemore healthy and stable if we can set up a variety of lend-ing options such as credit unions, savings and loans, mutu-al lending, and emergency community assistance pro-grams. This will provide accessible alternatives to payday

or auto title loans.The third element of the solution is laws that limit

exploitative lending practices. On the state level, some ofour Texas legislators, such as Tom Craddick of Midland,have introduced bills that would protect our citizens byplacing fair and reasonable limits on the fees and interestrates for consumer loans. Unfortunately, these bills havebeen left pending in committee. On the federal level, theConsumer Financial Protection Bureau is considering poli-cies that would curb the worst abuses.

Finally, on a local level, many cities in Texas are steppingin and creating municipal ordinances to regulate the prac-tices of payday and auto title loan companies. Paymentsare made more manageable, principal is gradually reduced,and the fees and interest are kept at a reasonable level. Sofar, these ordinances have been passed in 35 Texas cities,including Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, El Paso, Temple,and Midland. It is my hope that more city governments inour area will take similar measures.

Through consumer education, alternative lendingsources, and good laws, we can put an end to the scourgeof usury that is afflicting our society.

BISHOP

(From 5)

have come together as one. Where there were once three parishes in Big Spring

and one mission in nearby Coahoma, there is now oneparish: Holy Trinity. In Sweetwater, where there wereformerly two parishes, is now served by one: HolySpirit. In Fort Stockton, St. Joseph and St. Agnes havemerged into one parish, Our Lady of Guadalupe, serv-ing all.

The 20-Year Plan also helped alleviate the priestshortage by bringing more international priests toWest Texas. What had been a small part of the origi-nal plan blossomed into a large-scale operation.

“So much so that now, half of our priests wereborn in other countries,” Msgr. Droll said. “Whenwe put the plan together it was not yet a big thingand it was just beginning to happen, but it has cer-tainly developed.”

Pastoral coordinators such as deacons, religious sis-ters and laypersons have also been placed in positionsof administering some small parishes while having apriest celebrate the Holy Eucharist and other sacra-ments.

The final piece of the 20-Year Plan was to developlaypersons to take pastoral and administrative posi-tions in the Church through their completion of theLIMEX program, a masters-level program offered byLoyola University that instructs people in pastoral the-ology.

Twenty-four years after his administrative responsi-bilities as diocesan chancellor began, Msgr. Droll wasnamed vicar general in 2004.

Assisting the bishop in so many varied ways hasrequired his presence not just in San Angelo, but alsothroughout the diocese at various functions, such as

ordinations, at individual parishes.Those duties behind him as of July 24, 2016, he will

be able to spend more time with his flock, and save afew dollars on oil changes and fuel, not to mention gen-eral wear and tear, both the automotive and personalvarieties.

“This will give me the opportunity to refocus myattention on the parish and, I believe, get a lot of stressout of my life,” Msgr. Droll said.

“The Diocese of San Angelo has produced manyfine priests, and one of the most outstanding is Msgr.Larry Droll,” Bishop Michael J. Sis said. “Over theyears, Msgr. Droll has been entrusted with many keyresponsibilities in the diocese, and he has served withdedication and professionalism.”

Hermanamiento to celebrate 15 years of partnership

Representatives from the dioceses of Tyler and SanAngelo will join their counterparts from the Hondurandioceses of San Pedro Sula and La Ceiba, August 8-12,2016, in San Angelo, to celebrate their 15-year partner-ship.

What was at first a critical need brought by the rav-ages of Hurricane Mitch became a longstanding part-nership, or ‘hermanamiento.’ Regular missions havebeen made in the years since.

A Mass celebrating the partnership’s renewal will becelebrated at 6 p.m., August 10, at Sacred HeartCathedral. The public is invited to attend.

“St. Pope John Paul urged dioceses to enter intorelationships across international boundaries, and pray,engage, and get to know one another, and that's whatweve been trying to do,” said Msgr. Larry Droll, whohas been an integral part of the program since itbegan.

Bishop Sis on Msgr. Droll

“In my experience as the new bishop here, I have

found Msgr. Droll to be a dependable source of wis-

dom and prudence. He knows the history, the local cul-

ture, the people, and the background on the issues. I

will be forever grateful to him for all the help he has

given me to get started in my ministry here. It is an

honor to serve in the same diocese with him.

“His service as a pastor brings out the best in peo-

ple, and the high level of functioning of St. Ann's Parish

and School gives evidence of that. The diocese has

entrusted him with the formation of many seminarians

and young priests, because we want them to learn

from him the effective pastoral practices and the

virtues of a healthy, faithful priest.

“The Hermanamiento partnership with the dioceses

of San Pedro Sula, La Ceiba, and Tyler would not have

been nearly as successful without his determined lead-

ership. He has been the source of inspiration that

keeps that team going.

“In the pews and youth groups of our parishes are

the Larry Drolls of the next generation -- young men

who come from our local families, with deep roots in

this culture, who are willing to give their whole life in

humble service to Jesus Christ as Catholic priests of

this diocese. I pray that those young men will say yes

to God's call, and enter into the great adventure of

priestly ministry.”

DROLL


(From 2)

Bishop Sis added bits of history to hissermon. The church, with its distinctiveSpanish Colonial Revival architecture,was completed in 1931 and is recognizedfor its significance by a Texas HistoricalMarker on the front lawn.

The bishop reminded the congregationthat religious freedom is under threattoday, just as it was 2,000 years ago whenSt. Paul wrote to Timothy about the suf-fering he was enduring because of hisfaith in Jesus Christ. Paul wrote that hehad been put in chains like a criminal,"but the word of God is NOT chained."Paul warned that "all who want to livereligiously in Christ Jesus will be perse-cuted." That is still true today, Sis said.The Fortnight of Freedom, an observancewhich began in 2012, begins two weeksbefore the Fourth of July or IndependenceDay.

"The reason we do this," the bishopsaid, "is because religious liberty is beingthreatened in many ways, where the pub-lic expression of religion and traditionalreligious values is increasingly unwel-

come."Freedom of Religion is guaranteed in

the First Amendment to the Constitution,Sis noted, "but many voices in our con-temporary culture tell us that religiousfaith has no right to affect how we dobusiness in the world."

People in this country have beencoerced by social and governmental pres-sures to comply with the social consen-sus, rather than conforming to their faith.But the Fortnight for Freedom serves as areminder, the bishop said.

"Religious freedom is not a right creat-ed by the state," he said, "It is a funda-mental human right to comes from God."

The theme for this year's Fortnight forFreedom is "Witnesses to Freedom." Thebishop reminded the congregation that onJune 22, the day of the Mass, the churchremembers two martyrs from England,St. Thomas More and St. John Fisher.Both men were convicted of treason andbeheaded for refusing to sign the Oath ofSupremacy that declared King Henry VIIIhad power over the English Christians.

"But they were not traitors," Sis said."They were, in fact, patriots. When the

law of the king came into conflict withthe law of Christ, they chose Christ."The two men bear witness to the fact thatno government can make a claim on aperson's soul, the bishop said. In 1935,400 years after their execution, the twomen were canonized by the Church.

Christians today still are being perse-cuted, even beheaded for their faith, thebishop warned. In 2015, the Islamic Statebeheaded 21 Egyptian Christians on thebeach in Libya.

"They refused to give up their faith,"Sis said. "They paid the ultimate price."Sis concluded his homily with wordsdelivered in September 2015 by PopeFrancis on the steps of Independence Hallin Philadelphia. Sis was there to hear thespeech.

The pope described the world we livein today as one where various forms oftyranny seek to suppress religious free-dom or try to reduce it to a subculturewithout a voice in the public square. PopeFrancis responded by urging everyone topreserve and cherish freedom of con-science, religious freedom, the freedomof each person, each family, each people.

"May you defend these rights," PopeFrancis said, "especially your religiousfreedom, for it has been given to you byGod himself."

Following the Fortnight For FreedomMass, many in the congregation stayed tovisit with Bishop Sis and have their pic-ture taken with him. He willingly obliged,smiling broadly as he stood side-by-sidewith parishioners.

Elizabeth Rodriguez, mother of Jose,said she and her son came to hear thebishop and to celebrate the special Mass."It's always a blessing to have him here,"she said.

Having the bishop come to town isalways cause for rejoicing, but the mes-sage he brought concerning religiousfreedom made this visit even more spe-cial.

"It is very important to us," Rodriguezsaid, "to be able to express our faith with-out being persecuted."

Loretta Fulton is a freelance writer inAbilene.

FREEDOM

(From 2)

The bishop cited a recent example inthe diocese, noting how three youngadult men in Abilene approached himabout beginning a program that theyfelt would benefit religious communi-ties. The idea was an application oftheir skills in Internet marketing.

The men, all of whom are newfathers, are, along with their wives,raising their families in the faith, lis-tening to Catholic radio and living outthe faith in their homes.

“It was their initiative, their skillsand their love for the Church thatallowed us to have that meeting,”Bishop Sis said. “I told them we needabout 10,000 more guys just like themin our diocese. They are studyingCatholic Theology in their spare time,marrying in the Church, and raisingtheir kids in the faith. That’s what hap-pens when you engage young adults.

The bishop added that not only arenew skill sets and ideas introducedthrough young adults, but new lifeitself.

“They bring life to parishes,” he said.

“They bring a whole new supply ofvolunteers for various ministries. Aparish that doesn’t include many youngadults at a certain point gets old andexhausted. Volunteers can get worn outand start to lose hope for the future oftheir ministries because they don’tknow who is going to take it over afterthem. When you have young adultsgetting active in the parish they areready to work — and they want to getinvolved and share their talents. Aparish whose volunteer leadership trulyunderstands this sees the future of theirvery ministries assured by this newlife.”

There are several dioceses in theU.S. who will hold similar diocesancelebrations of World Youth Day, butSan Angelo is one of only two diocesesin this country that are doing thePilgrim Cross project.

The WYD-USA event in San Angelobegins at 9:30 a.m. July 30 atMcNease Convention Center. A regis-tration form and more information areincluded on page 18.

Encouraging Young Adult Involvement in Parishes

Integrate young adults into existing parish ministries and structures.

Reserve places for young adults on the parish council and finance council, for the purpos-

es of mentoring them and drawing on their creativity.

Constantly be on the lookout for those with leadership potential and entrust them with

projects and various leadership roles.

Be open to the Holy Spirit’s action of bringing young adults with special gifts for some of

the projects your parish needs.

Train young adult Catholics to assume appropriate leadership and give them the feedback

and support they need to grow in their leadership skills.

Consider your time and energy invested in forming and teaching them to be an expres-

sion of your stewardship.

Have confidence in their abilities.

Find joy in their spontaneous joy and youthful energy.

Find ways to connect young adults with older adults.

— Bishop Michael J. Sis(previously published, June 2016 West Texas Angelus)

YOUNG ADULT


(From 11)

hearts. This is the Natural Law of HumanNature that enables us to know right andwrong, good and evil, truth and falsehood.Because of sin, our ability to know this isgreater than our ability to live the right, good,and true. Therefore, Jesus, the Word of God,enters human life to redeem what the Fathercreates through Him by the Holy Spirit.

What about Islam? The Muslim confes-sion of faith is "There is no god but Allah,and Muhammad is his prophet." Allah isabsolutely transcendent. There is no incar-nation of Allah in human life. Moreover, thedoctrine of the Trinity is offensive toMuslims. They accuse Christians of tri-the-ism. For Muslims, Allah is one.Knowledge of Allah comes throughMuhammad (c.570-632), the final prophetof Allah, and Muhammad received thewords of the Koran, the Muslim holy book,directly from Allah. The Koran contains allthe Muslim needs to know about his faith.

As Allah is portrayed in the Koran (andthe hadith, a collection of the sayings anddeeds of Muhammad), he is pure, unrestrict-ed will. There is no understanding of theNatural Law of Human Nature that teachesthat God gives reason and conscience toevery human being. Because of his absolutefreedom of the will, Allah can will one thingtoday and an opposite thing tomorrow. TheKoran reflects this with various contradicto-ry passages. The individual Muslim dependson the imam in the local mosque to interpretwhat the Koran says about the will of Allahin the present time. Muslim philosophershave developed the practice of "abrogation."An imam may say that one sura (verse)abrogates or makes non-binding another.

It can be difficult for Christians to under-stand the nature of a mosque. There is nosuch thing as the separation of Church andstate in Islam. The mosque is a center forreligious, social, economic, and politicallife. For the Muslim, it is the duty of thepolitical state to execute the will of Allah by

enforcing sharia law. What this meansdepends on the particular imam in a particu-lar mosque. The imam in one mosque mayselect the suras from the Koran that teachpeace while an imam in another mosquemay select those suras that teach waragainst all non-Muslims and that it is per-missible to lie to, steal from, cheat, and killthe infidel (non-Muslim).

Today there are Muslims and formerMuslims who are working for the reform ofIslam by attempting to incorporate theNatural Law of Human Nature with its rea-son and conscience into Islamic philosophy.Ayaan Hirsi Ali, in her book, Heretic: WhyIslam Needs a Reformation Now, says shebelieves that reason and conscience will tri-umph in the end (p.250). If this is success-ful, this would, in effect, permanently abro-gate those suras in the Koran that teach vio-lence against non-Muslims. We should sup-port those Muslims who are working forthis reform as well as proclaim to them theGospel of Jesus Christ. In the meantime,

we should remember that a teaching ofNatural Law is the Natural Right to self-defense. The Catechism teaches "Lovetoward oneself remains the fundamentalprinciple of morality. Someone whodefends his life is not guilty of murder evenif he is forced to deal his aggressor a lethalblow" (#2264). Moreover, parents have notonly the natural right but also the duty toprotect each other and their children. TheCatechism teaches that "Legitimate defensecan be not only a right but a grave duty forsomeone responsible for another's life, thecommon good of the family or of the state(#2265).

As I reflect on all this since we becamefriends with our Muslim neighbors in thatapartment complex, I remember St. Paul'sadmonition to speak the truth in love (Eph.4:15). I also remember Aristotle's statementthat we love both the truth and our friendsbut that we should love truth more. Indeed,if we really love our friends, we shouldalways live and teach the truth.

(From 7)

scholastic theology. He was known as the“Seraphic Doctor” for his intellectual andmystical qualities. Burns noted that hiswork, “On the Triple Way” became thebasis for virtually all future mysticalwriting.

He was nominated by Pope Clement IVin 1265 as archbishop of York, but he

declined the appointment. A few yearslater in 1273, Pope Gregory X nominatedhim as cardinal bishop of Albano andtold him he could not refuse the appoint-ment. There is a story about howBonaventure learned of his appointment.Tom Cowan writes in “The Way of theSaints” that he was washing dishes in thekitchen when the papal messengersarrived. He told them to hang the cardi-

nal's hat, a symbol of the office, on a treeuntil he had finished cleaning up thekitchen's clutter. His motto was “Docommon things well and be constantlyfaithful to small matters.”

In 1274, Bonaventure took a leadingpart in the Second Council of Lyons con-vened to heal the division between theChurches of East and West. He was suc-cessful in achieving the short-lived

reunion, but died on July 15, 1274 whilethe council was still in session. He wascanonized in 1482 by Pope Sixtus IV.

Kenneth Woodward writes in MakingSaints that St. Bonaventure was the firstpapally canonized saint whole life wasinvestigated according to three theologi-cal virtues: faith, hope and charity andthe four cardinal moral virtues: prudence,justice, fortitude and temperance.

KNICKERBOCKER

SAINTS

BIOETHICS

(From 14)

than a prescription for disillusionment and dishon-esty.

Pope Benedict, in a December 2013 address,echoed these concerns when he mentioned theerrors found in various new philosophies where“sex is no longer a given element of nature, thatman has to accept and personally make sense of...”

To live in an ordered way, with an ordered mas-culinity or femininity, is certainly one of the greatchallenges of our time, and we can only undertakethis important task by insisting on the correspon-dence of our minds to reality — especially to thedeeply inscribed reality of our unique embodimentas male or female.

Rev. Tadeusz Pacholczyk, Ph.D. earned his doc-torate in neuroscience from Yale and did post-doc-toral work at Harvard. He is a priest of the dioceseof Fall River, MA, and serves as the Director ofEducation at The National Catholic BioethicsCenter in Philadelphia. See www.ncbcenter.org

Installation of LectorsDeacon candidates above were installed as lectors as part of the group’s diaconal formation, Saturday, June 11, 2016 at

Holy Redeemer Church in Odessa. Top row, from left, Orlando Mendoza, Holy Redeemer; Jose Gallegos, Our Lady of

Lourdes; Ron Stegenga, Sacred Heart Church-Abilene; Andrew Davis, Holy Redeemer; Tommy Flores, St. Joseph-Stanton;

Tom Collier, St Ann's, Midland; Israel Tijerina, Holy Redeemer; Alan Pelzel, St. Joseph-Rowena; Bobby Wright, St. Mary's,

Odessa. Bottom Row, Dcn. David Workman; Jose Villagrana, Holy Trinity-Big Spring; Jesse Martinez, St Joseph-San Angelo;

John Rangel, St Joseph-San Angelo; Bishop Sis; Joel Gutierrez, St. Lawrence; David Mendez, Holy Spirit-Sweetwater; Floyd

Schwartz, St. Lawrence, and Dcn. Freddy Medina, Director of the Diaconate in the Diocese of San Angelo.


(From 14)

ones may seem simple, but to cultivatethese traits requires work and commit-ment. Nurturing a spiritual life and givingand receiving love are not endeavors thatyou can do by yourself. It requires you toget out of yourself and show your vulner-abilities and weaknesses.

Yet, the rewards of health, faith andlove make our sojourn enjoyable for oth-ers as well as for us.

I recently saw this while working withsenior high school students. By leadinglives that helped them to grow in health,faith and love, the graduates seemedhappy. They were hopeful for the futureand had the drive to reach their goals andchange the world.

One of them cited George Eliot: "Byloops and zigzags, we now and thenarrive just where we ought to be."

This bit of wisdom was a reminder thatthe path through the different stages of

life is seldom linear. But the journey takesus where God wants us to be. Certainchapters in life help us to grow. But eachmilestone has a purpose.

For God, every new door (or new chap-ter) eventually leads to his ultimate goalfor us: salvation. We can work on beinghappy and making others happy through-out the journey.

May we grow in health, faith and loveas we walk toward the next door.

CHIN

CAMINOS

BARRON MAGDALENE PRESTAMOS

(Para 14)

Más tarde, él citó un estudio que serealizó sobre individuos felices. A pesarde que la felicidad puede lucir diferentepara cada persona, hubo algunos factoresconstantes. El llevar una vida sana, unaconexión espiritual y las relacioneshumanas duraderas eran elementos princi-pales en la vida de aquellos que estabanfelices.

Tratar de ser más saludable, más fiel aDios y cariñoso con nuestros seres queri-dos puede parecer simple, pero para culti-var estos rasgos se requiere trabajo ycompromiso. El fomentar una vida espiri-tual, dar y recibir amor no son esfuerzos

que uno puede hacer por uno mismo. Serequiere salir de uno mismo y mostrar susvulnerabilidades y debilidades. Sinembargo, los beneficios de la salud, la fey el amor hacen que nuestra estancia seaagradable para los demás, así como paranosotros.

Hace poco vi esto mientras trabajabacon jóvenes a punto de graduarse de laescuela secundaria. Su forma de vivir leshabía ayudado a cultivar su salud, fe yamor, y los graduados parecían felices.Ellos tenían esperanza en el futuro, enalcanzar sus objetivos y cambiar elmundo.

Uno de ellos citó a George Eliot: "Pormedio de los círculos y zigzags, de vez en

cuando llegamos justo donde debemosestar".

Este fragmento de sabiduría es unrecordatorio de que el camino a través delas diferentes etapas de la vida rara vez eslineal. Pero el recorrido nos lleva dondeDios quiere que estemos. Ciertos capítulosde la vida nos ayudan a crecer. Pero cadahito tiene un propósito. Para Dios, cadanueva puerta (o nuevo capítulo) con eltiempo conduce a su objetivo final paranosotros: la salvación. Podemos trabajar enser feliz y hacer felices a los demás a lolargo del recorrido.

Ojalá que crezcamos en salud, fe yamor en camino hacia la siguiente puerta.

(From 16)

the Lord as subject to temptationand discouragement. So far, soorthodox.

But if Jesus is merely human, theheck with him. What makes himcompelling, fascinating, andstrange is the play between hishumanity and his very real divinity.In point of fact, all of the poetryand drama of Christianity—on dis-play in Chartres Cathedral, Dante’sDivine Comedy, Aquinas’s Summa,John Henry Newman’s sermons,Chesterton’s essays, the mysticismof Teresa of Avila, and the ministryof Mother Teresa—is a function ofthis juxtaposition. To reduce Jesusto the human level alone is to ren-der an altogether prosaic Jesus,which is precisely what we have inLast Days in the Desert.

There is a distinction between theBible and practically all other spiri-tualities, religions, and philosophiesof the world. Whereas those lastthree can articulate very well the

dynamics of our search for God, theformer is not primarily interested inthat story. It tells, rather, of God’ssearch for us. Mind you, that firststory is a darned good one, and it’stold over and again in spiritual liter-ature from the Epic of Gilgamesh toStar Wars. It has beguiled the mindsof some of the great figures inhuman history: Homer, Virgil,Cicero, Plato, Spinoza, Kant,Newton, and James Joyce. In a veryreal sense, the comparative mythol-ogist Joseph Campbell was right: inall of the cultures of the world, onegreat song is sung and one greatmonomyth is repeated. But theBible is not one more iteration ofthe monomyth. It is the deeply dis-orienting account of how the creatorof the universe hunts us down,finally coming after us personally inJesus of Nazareth. Jesus is not onemore man looking for God; he isGod in the flesh, searching for hispeople: “It is not you who havechosen me; it is I who have chosenyou.”

(From 10)

Pope Francis also mentions her specifically in theprayer he composed for the Year of Mercy: "Your lovinggaze freed Zacchaeus and Matthew from being enslavedby money; the adulteress and Magdalene from seekinghappiness only in created things; made Peter weep afterhis betrayal, and assured paradise to the repentant thief."

Archbishop Roche explained that in giving St. MaryMagdalene the honor of being the first person to see theempty tomb and the first to listen to the truth of the res-urrection, "Jesus has a special consideration and mercyfor this woman, who manifests her love for him, lookingfor him in the garden with anguish and suffering."

Drawing a comparison between Eve, who "spreaddeath where there was life," and St. Mary Magdalene,who "proclaimed life from the tomb, a place of death,"the archbishop said her feast day is a lesson for allChristians to trust in Christ who is "alive and risen."

"It is right that the liturgical celebration of this womanhas the same level of feast given to the celebration ofthe apostles in the general Roman calendar and high-lights the special mission of this woman who is anexample and model for every woman in the church."

(Para 11)

espirituales deben tratar de inculcar lasvirtudes del autocontrol de sí mismo, laplanificación del presupuesto, el ahor-ro, y la simplicidad de estilo de vida.

El segundo elemento de la soluciónes fuentes de préstamos alternativos.Hasta aquellos que practican el buenmanejo de sus finanzas personales aveces pueden encontrarse en momentosde dificultad inesperada. Nuestrasociedad será más sana y estable sipodemos configurar una variedad deopciones de préstamos, tales como lascooperativas de crédito, el ahorro ypréstamos, préstamos mutuos, y losprogramas de asistencia comunitaria deemergencia. Esto proporcionará alter-nativas accesibles a préstamos de díade pago o por titulo de automóviles.

El tercer elemento de la solución sonleyes que limitan las prácticas de prés-tamos de explotación. A nivel estatal,algunos de nuestros legisladores deTexas, tales como Tom Craddick deMidland, han presentado proyectos deley que protegen a los ciudadanos pormedio de colocar límites justos yrazonables sobre las tarifas y las tasasde interés para préstamos del consumi-dor. Por desgracia, estos proyectos deley se han quedado pendientes en elcomité. A nivel federal, la Oficina deProtección Financiera del Consumidorestá considerando políticas que permi-tan contener los peores abusos.

Por último, a nivel local, muchas ciu-dades de Texas están interviniendo yestán creando ordenanzas municipalespara regular las prácticas de las com-pañías de préstamos de día de pago ytitulo de automóviles. Los pagos sehacen más manejables, el principal sereduce gradualmente, y las tasas einterés se mantienen a un nivel razon-able. Hasta el momento, estas ordenan-zas han sido aprobadas en 35 ciudadesde Texas, incluyendo Dallas, Houston,San Antonio, El Paso, Temple, yMidland. Es mi esperanza de que másgobiernos de las ciudades de nuestraárea tomen medidas similares.

A través de la educación del consum-idor, fuentes de préstamos alternativos,y buenas leyes, podemos poner fin a laplaga de la usura que aflige nuestrasociedad.


Steubenville Lone Star

A group photo of all attendees fromthe Diocese of San Angelo whoattended Steubenville Lone Star inJune in Dallas, above, and at left,priests attending from the Diocese ofSan Angelo include, from left, Fr.Ryan Rojo, Fr. Rodney White, Fr.David Herrera, Fr. MichaelRodriguez and Fr. Felix Archibong.

More Steubenville Lone Star photos,

The West Texas AngelusOfficial Newspaper of the

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P.O. Box 1829SAN ANGELO, TX 76902-1829__________________________

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Corpus Christi Procession - Diocese of San Angelo

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Transcript of Corpus Christi Procession - Diocese of San Angelo