Ministry reaches out to inmates 'God loves these men' - The ...

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August 19, 2016 Vol. 54, No. 14 S E R V I N G T H E D I O C E S E O F B A T O N R O U G E S I N C E 1 9 6 3 thecatholiccommentator.org

BAR NONEBy Debbie Shelley

The Catholic Commentator

On Friday nights, the chapel at Dix-on Correctional Institute in Jackson is a hub for exploring the Catholic faith for inmates. There are cradle Catho-lics “brushing the dust off” lessons they learned through the Catechism, sharpening their skills to defend the faith through apologetics, curious ob-servers wanting to know more about Catholicism and those preparing to enter the church through the RCIA program. There’s small groups, in-cluding a Hispanic one, discussing the upcoming Sunday readings, talk-ing about personal faith journeys or “checking it out” by watching Bishop Robert Barron’s Catholicism series.

The ministry began with Jeanne and Ray Grenchik, of St. Aloysius Church Parish in Baton Rouge, travel-ing to Dixon each Friday night to meet with a handful of inmates. Through the watering and nurturing of that seed by inmates and committed vol-unteers, more than 60 inmates gather to learn about and share their faith. There are currently three inmates scheduled to be confirmed and seven inmates to join the church through the RCIA program in September.

Inmate Matthew Pineda, who is in-volved in many aspects of the Catholic ministry in Dixon and was instrumen-

tal in getting the Catholicism series started, said inmate ministry leaders and volunteers work together to pro-vide resources and train facilitators for groups. They try to offer materials that are both living and historical sources of the church to show how “Catholi-cism is the rock and roundtable of the Earth.”

Books about the saints and the church fathers are a favorite of some par-ticipants.

Pineda said he is fascinated by St. Te-resa, who wrote about the “interior castle,” inspired by her vi-sion of the soul as a diamond in the shape of a castle containing seven mansions, which she interpreted as the journey of faith through seven stages, ending with union with God. She was misunderstood, misjudged, opposed in call for conversion and re-form.

“It is so inspiring that someone who found herself in the situations – the persecutions – that she did and still had the faith,” said Pineda. “For such a young person to have such faith is incredible.”

Other acquisitions included of Fa-ther Henry Nouwen’s book, “The Re-

Ministry reaches out to inmates

SEE DIXON PAGE 20

By Rachele SmithThe Catholic Commentator

When Jay Jackson was first asked by a friend to be part of prison min-istry, his initial response was well, blunt.

“I told him, not just, ‘No, but hell no,” he said.

Jackson explained his response wasn’t a reflection on the prisoners, rather it was just that he felt he didn’t have anything to of-fer.

He reasoned, fa-cetiously, of course, that with no medical training whatsoever, he would be better at

performing surgery on someone than ministering to prisoners.

Today, however, Jackson only smiles when he thinks of that mem-ory. As the lay Catholic minister at the Louisiana State Penitentiary in Angola, Jackson has come full circle in his view of prison ministry and is fully aware that he is living out a call-ing from God, one that began almost 17 years ago following a personal dis-cernment.

“I told my friend (Bill Gibson) I would pray about joining the ministry while I was at Manresa on retreat,”

said Jackson, who explained that at some point during his weekend re-treat, while he was engaged in quiet prayer, he felt God telling him, “That wasn’t Bill asking you; it was me.”

“I learned God does speak to you through others,” Jackson said.

In the beginning, Jackson decided to just try it out. He planned to go to the prison two or three times and then give a final answer. But his initial ex-perience changed everything.

“From that first day, I felt so much appreciation and gratitude (from the prisoners),” said Jackson.

“I used to teach religion classes, but I learned (through prison ministry) that academic knowledge about your faith and living your faith are some-times miles apart,” he added.

During his visits with prisoners, people who have been convicted of crimes, which include some of the most offensive acts against others, Jackson is reminded of God’s uncon-ditional love.

“We are commanded to love one an-other, and that means I am to love all people, even those who have caused so much pain and hurt in other people’s lives. I never really understood that concept before,” said Jackson, who not-ed the moment his academic and prac-tical sides connected, he was able to realize the beauty of his Catholic faith.

‘God loves these men’

SEE MINISTRY PAGE 19

Merciful Like theFather

YEAR OF MERCY

COMFORTING EVACUEES – Bishop Rob-ert W. Muench visited three evacuation shelters on Aug. 14 comforting evacu-ees. He visited the F.G. Clark Center at Southern University, the Leo S. Butler Center and the Celtic Center. Thousands of people in the Diocese of Baton Rouge have been displaced because of extreme flooding in the area caused by a tropical system that dumped record levels of rain in the area. Several rivers crested at re-cord levels. Churches and schools also took on water. The Catholic Commenta-tor will have a complete roundup of the flooding in the Sept. 2 issue. Photos by Father Paul Yi | Chancellor, Diocese of Baton Rouge

2 The Catholic Commentator August 19, 2016

| DID YOU KNOW

The Lighter Side of FAI Ht

The Catholic Commentator (ISSN 07460511; USPS 093-680)Published bi-weekly (every other week) by the Catholic Diocese of Baton Rouge,1800 South Acadian Thruway, Baton Rouge, LA 70808; 225-387-0983 or 225-387-0561. Periodical Postage Paid at Baton Rouge, LA. Copy must reach the above address by Wednesday for use in the next week’s paper. Sub-scription rate: $14.00 per year. POSTMASTER, send address changes to The Catholic Commentator, P.O. Box 14746, Baton Rouge, LA 70898-4746.

Bishop Robert W. Muench PublisherFather Tom Ranzino Assistant Publisher

Richard Meek EditorDebbie Shelley Assistant Editor

Wanda L. Koch Advertising ManagerPenny G. Saia Production ManagerLisa Disney Secretary/Circulation

Rachele Smith Staff Writer

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| PICTURES FROM THE PAST

| TREASURES FROM THE DIOCESE

Admit it, we all have our own patron saints, our go-to heavenly inspiration when life becomes overwhelming, and we are trailing in the rat race of life.

Perhaps we turn to St. Jude, the saint of lost causes whose intercessions could fill volumes. And who trav-els without a St. Christopher medal in their car, since he is the patron saint of, among other things, accidents and travelers?

Can one ever really sell a house without the assistance of planting a small statue of St. Joseph in the front yard? We all know the statue must, for some unknown rea-son, be planted upside down, but does any-one remember if St. Joseph must be facing the house or the street?

Patron saints are deeply embedded in Catholic history, dating to the third or fourth centu-ry and rooted in the Ro-man practice of patron-age, whereby someone of wealth and influence extended protection and support to less influential and wealthy clients. Ap-parently, that patronage carried over to the saints as well.

How patron saints were determined is a matter of Catholic folklore, but what is known is that at one point there were more than 40,000 religious groups in England, each with its own patron.

Guidelines for patron saints were es-tablished in 1630 by Pope Urban VIII. He mandated the individual must be a can-onized saint, chosen by the clergy with the approval of the bishop, and the Sacred Congregation of Rites must confirm the choice.

Those regulations were later included in the 1917 code of Canon Law and though they have undergone some tweaking, the concept has been consistent. Under the latest guidelines, confirmation is required from the Congregation of Divine Worship.

The list of patron saints offers something for everyone. For exam-ple, St. Francis de Sales is the patron saint of editors, journalists and even the Catholic press. Given the current state of the media, is it pure coincidence that St. Francis is also the pa-tron saint of animals?

One of the more popu-lar saints in south Louisi-ana has to be St. Andrew, the patron of fishermen.

When walking in to the dreaded an-nual visit with the dentist or even when a tooth is causing undue pain, it might be a good idea to pray to St. Appolonia, the pa-tron saint of dentists and toothaches. But it’s also wise to keep her on speed-prayer, because she is also the patron saint of lightning.

Hunters can call upon St. Eustace and grooms, who should be praying anyway on their wedding day, might wish to pray to St. Louis IX of France, the patron saint of grooms.

There are even pa-tron saints for head-aches (St. Acaius), snakebites (St. Paul and St. Vitus), cooks (St.

Martha) grocers (St. Monica) and come-dians (St. Genesius).

And let’s not forget St. Anthony, the pa-tron saint of things lost. Who among us has not gone to church to light a candle to St. Anthony, hoping what was lost will be returned. He seldom fails us.

In our current culture of trying to squeeze 30 hours into a 24-hour day, one of the busiest saints might be St. Walter of Portnoise, the patron of stress.

Praying to saints for intercession is a popular and long standing tradition among Catholics. It is spiritually benefi-cial and uplifting, but what is more im-portant is praying in times of need, no matter to whom the prayer is directed.

A saint for all causes

St. Anthony

When walking in to ... visit the dentist or a

tooth is causing pain, it might be a good idea to pray to St.

Appolonia...

Students throughout the Diocese of Baton Rouge recently returned to school, similar to students at St. Agnes School in Baton Rouge in 1960. Quite obvious is school uniforms were much different then compared to the more comfortable look in modern times. Many former female students likely recall wearing beanies and the little ties. For the guys, it was khakis and a tie, which, given the August start date for schools today, would prove to be quite uncomfortable, especially at recess in the heat. Photo provided by the Archives Department | The Diocese of Baton Rouge

Midway toward the altar at St. Gerard Majella Church in Baton Rouge, on the left side, is a beautiful memorial to the Redemptorist priests who founded the church parish in 1944. The memorial contains relics from Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos and St. Andre Bessette as well as portraits of several Redemptorist brothers, including St. Alphonsus. Initially, the memorials were on both sides of the church but that changed when St. Charles Borromeo Parish was established in the southeastern part of the church parish in 1964. Not long after, the memorial for the Redemptorists was moved to the left side of the church and a memorial for St. Charles, which still stands, was created on the right side. The memorials sit where confessionals were once situated. At one time, St. Gerard had six confessionals, where the brothers housed at the rectory heard confessions. Confessions were so popular back then that even with six priests not everyone was able to go to confession before the vigil Mass began. Photo by Richard Meek | The Catholic Commentator

See page 5 for several events that are scheduled at St. Agnes Church to celebrate the canonization of

Blessed Teresa of Calcutta

August 19, 2016 The Catholic Commentator 3

By Richard MeekThe Catholic Commentator

A summer of financial discord in the Louisiana Legislature took a bite out of Catholic education funding, but the future is likely to be much more mercurial, ac-cording to the lobbyist for the state bishops.

Rob Tasman, executive direc-tor of the Louisiana Conference of Catholic Bishops, said Cath-olic schools absorbed a nearly $6-million slash in state funding for required services by the time an unprecedented three sessions adjourned in June. But Tasman admitted other funding, includ-ing the state scholarship program, may be on the financial chopping block as lawmakers continue to grapple with potentially signifi-cant fiscal shortfalls, despite a tax hike approved during the spring.

Earlier this year, freshly mint-ed Gov. John Bel Edwards, who traded his legislative seat for the governor’s mansion, called two special sessions sandwiched around the regular session.

“I’m very concerned with any type of non-public assistance in general,” Tasman said. “That was the preeminent fight for us rang-ing from the first special session until the end.”

Most concerning is a rath-er portentous statement Jay Dardenne made before a Senate fiscal committee late in the second session. Dardenne, the former Lt. Governor who is now Edwards’ chief budget officer, told commit-tee members they should shift every dollar currently allocated to non-public schools to fund public schools, which would amount to a $60-million cut for Catholic and private schools, Tasman said.

He added the three areas that could potentially be devastated include school food salary sup-plements, required services and the voucher system.

“That caused me great con-cern to hear that,” Tasman said. “I had never heard anything like that, especially publicly, where you take all of the money that the state funds for non-public schools and you (transfer it) to (public schools).

“The only one of the three (pro-grams that are currently being funded) that I think might force closure of schools is the scholar-ship program. If that goes away, I think some schools could close.”

The voucher system appeared to be on life support late in the fi-

nal session but lawmakers agreed to fund the program at $42 mil-lion for fiscal year 2016-17, which amounted to a $2 million cut. However, the annual 5.5 percent increase allotted for existing scholarship students was axed, forcing individual schools to make up the difference.

Elimination of the school lunch salary supplement could potentially drive lunches up from the $3 to $4 range to $8 to $12 or possibly to the point where schools would be unable to serve lunches. That supplement was also in jeopardy earlier this year and, according to sources, came close to succumbing to the budget axe. Of the $7 million the non-public schools receive statewide, the Diocese of Baton Rouge re-ceives approximately $1 million.

“It does help to supplement salaries of workers in the cafe-teria, but because the money is being used that way, programs and providers are able to keep the food costs so low,” Tasman said. “If you don’t get that supplement you are going to skyrocket the cost of meals.”

He said compromises were reached so that the supplement was about $400,000 short, which providers said they could work with.

“But in order to do that, we had to take a much deeper cut in the required services program,” Tasman said. “And so we took a $5.5-million cut.

“It came down to a discussion (among state bishops) where are the priorities? That is one of the reasons we structured funding to be able to get (the salary supple-ments) so kids could get food.”

Although challenging, Tas-man said there were many pos-itives to be gleaned from the five consecutive months of legisla-tors meeting, including the pas-sage of several new pro-life laws. Even those, however, faced some difficulty in the traditionally right to life legislature.

He said some normally pro-life legislators wondered wheth-er those pieces of legislation should be passed, questioning if they could withstand a potential court challenge, which they will be forced to face in the upcoming months.

Another positive, he said, was the passing of the so-called “ban the box” law, which carried the endorsement of the bishops. Es-sentially, the law eliminates the box on a job application that asks if the applicant has ever been convicted of a crime.

Tasman said that by elimi-

nating that box, applicants can hopefully get to an interview and meet face to face with employers and, if they were convicted of a crime they will be able to explain the circumstances during the in-terview process.

“Really the bishops are looking at this from the perspective of try-ing to aid and strengthen families, especially those families affected by incarceration,” he said. “So when someone comes out of pris-on, if they can get employment they then have the means to be able to pursue the right path and support their families financially.”

The law applies to state jobs only.

One of the casualties of the focus on finances was the lack of attention on social policy issues.

“That was a microcosm of what all of the legislators were dealing with throughout the three ses-sions,” Tasman said. “What used to be simple policy questions in the past, whether they be pro-life or justice reform, immigration and social issues, the conver-sation always circled around to finances. That was because of the situation all of the legislators were facing in regard with trying to bridge a gap of the major deficit and balance the budget.

“From a practical standpoint

I can understand that because they need to fix the bigger prob-lem to be able to address the pol-icy issues. It tended to be a lost year on policy issues because of the focus on finance.

“In Louisiana, we need ev-ery year to try to move forward, even if it’s just incremental steps, where we can make lives easier for families, where we can make lives easier for those who are im-pacted by incarceration. Those types of things were not allowed to be discussed because so much emphases was put on the financ-es.”

Tasman, however, praised the governor in his maiden legisla-tive voyage for accessibility, as well as being respectful and un-derstanding of the LCCB issues. He said he believes the governor, who is Catholic, “wanted to be an ally as much as he could.”

Tasman noted a compromise on Edwards’ executive order barring state government from discriminating against trans-gender people in employment practices and offering state ser-vices and benefits. Tasman said the governor “worked with us to come up with the exclusion for our faith-based entities and in-stitutions. We are comfortable with what it is.”

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Catholic education feels the pinch of state’s fiscal cutting measures



A veteran educator with more than 30 years of experience on the high school and college lev-els has been appointed to lead St. Thomas Aquinas Region-al School in Hammond for the

2016-17 school year. Ashley Chitwood, who has

spent the past 16 years at Del-gado Community College on the north shore in a number of roles, will serve as interim principal at STA, Dr. Melanie Verges, super-intendent of Catholic schools for the Diocese of Baton Rouge, an-

nounced Aug. 4.Chitwood is replacing Jose

Becerra, who announced his resignation shortly before the beginning of the school year af-ter serving for more than two decades at St. Thomas.

“(Chitwood) brings a breadth of understanding of organiza-

tional structure and service in education,” Verges said, adding that Chitwood also has experi-ence in strategic planning, ad-visory board development, com-munication with stakeholders, school improvement process, grant writing and faculty de-velopment as an administrator. “With such dedicated service and a variety of experiences, (Chitwood) enjoys connection with students and their families and appreciates the work of the staff and board members in ful-filling the mission of the school.”

Chitwood, who has lived most of her life in Covington, said she believes “God has put (this op-portunity) in front of me.”

“I’m excited about it,” she added. “They have an excellent administrative team (at STA) and the school is one of the best kept secrets in Tangipahoa (civil) Parish. My job is to let everybody else know.”

Chitwood earned a bachelor’s degree in international trade and finance from LSU in 1993 and her master’s in finance one year later, also from LSU. Since 2002 she has served in several leadership roles at Delgado Community Col-lege’s two north shore campuses, including dean, assistant dean and program coordinator. Her responsibilities included strate-gic leadership and all aspects of campus management.

She also taught mathematics and physical education on the high school level in the Archdiocese of New Orleans as well as teaching personal finance and career suc-cess skills on the college level.

Chitwood said her first goal is to get to know the staff through

individual meetings with teach-ers as well as a group. She admit-ted the challenge of coming into a new community and culture but said she is energized by the mission of educating young peo-ple and “giving them a strong foundation in Catholic beliefs.”

“I enjoy meeting people, get-ting to know people,” she said. “I think I am approachable.”

Verges said following inter-view meetings with members of the school’s advisory board and administration team, the recommendation for Chitwood was unanimous. Verges said the search for a permanent princi-pal will begin in the fall, with the goal of appointing a fulltime principal in April.

Chitwood indicated she has been invited to apply and when asked if she viewed the interim position as potentially a year long interview, she said, “I think that is a fair thing to say. I am ap-proaching it like that.”

“I think this gives me an op-portunity to learn what is going on, get to know people, give us some time to create a strategy of where the school needs to go,” Chitwood said. “And then we de-cide from there.”

For now, however, her focus is on the upcoming school year, familiarizing herself with the students and faculty as well as ingratiating herself into a new community.

She said there are many posi-tive things happening at STA and her goal is to spread the message throughout the community and “remind them that St. Thomas Aquinas is here and how won-derful we are.”

Welcome to the 2016-2017 school year! The Diocese of Baton Rouge Child Nutrition Program staff is looking for-ward to serving your children nutritious, great-tasting meals that support their achievements in school and promote healthy lifestyles. Healthy for Life is our commitment to cre-ate healthier environments and communities, by providing comprehensive nutrition and wellness education. This year we will continue to expand the program with more freshly prepared meals to better serve our students and their fam-ilies; and this year as part of this expansion, we have up-dated the program design to better reflect the sophisticated tastes of today’s students. For your students, we offer a variety of meal choices with one goal in mind: to provide outstanding service and high quality “child-friendly” meals that meet or exceed the latest federal and state requirements. Our School menus are de-signed to ensure that students receive a balanced meal, consisting of foods from all major food groups in the right proportions to meet calorie and other nutrient needs. The products and the cooking methods we use conserve food quality and nutrients, while limiting the addition of fats. So although you may see popular items like pizza and chick-en smackers on our menus, be assured that your child’s school meal selections contain healthy grains and are low-er in fat and salt than what you find in grocery stores or restaurants. We will also be offering some different foods that your child may not have tried before: Asian chicken, Fresh Fried Louisiana Catfish, Lasagna, Roasted Chicken, and Gumbo, just to name a few; so please encourage your child to taste these items. They just might become a new favorite! Also, we invite you to have lunch with your child so you can try these tasty new menu items too. • Many of the bread and grain products served for break-fast and lunch will be freshly made, ensuring plenty of fiber and other essential nutrients. Added trans fats have been eliminated from all foods; and menus are planned to limit sodium to meet the new standards set by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) for school meals. • The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) will con-tinue to have age-appropriate calorie limits; offer more servings of fruits and plenty of vegetables, with a focus on nutrient-dense dark green, red/orange and legume vegeta-ble selections; and offer a wide variety of grain and protein items. • The National School Breakfast Program (NSBP) will also have age-appropriate calorie limits for 3 grade groups (K-5, 6-8, and 9-12). Schools must now offer even more fruit and/or vegetables every day, and students will have to take at least ½ cup of fruit with each breakfast meal. In addition, we are Involved in a Farm to School Program, with locally grown foods. We are reaching out to local grow-ers to use Louisiana fruits and vegetables. We are proud to serve your child and encourage you to support our ongoing efforts to improve student health and well-being by participating in our Child Nutrition Program. For more information about our menus and programs, please visit www.cnpbr.org and to learn more about healthy school meals visit http://www.fns.usda.gov or www.my-healthyforlife.com We hope that you and your child have a great year! Please feel free to call us at 225-387-6421 with any ques-tions or comments.Sincerely,Ms. Lynda Carville CNP Director

School Meals - Frequently Asked Questions CanIprepayformychild’sbreakfast,lunchandex-tras? Absolutely! It will be easier for you, your child, and the cafeteria staff if you prepay for your child’s meals. Our on-

line payment system allows parents to prepay by deposit-ing money into a child’s individual account. You may pay for meals in advance by the week or month at www.myschool-bucks.com. Register and setup an account for your child. You still have the option of sending a check or money order in an envelope to school. Please have your child’s name and grade written on the envelope and on the check. What is the price of school meals for students? Breakfast: Lunch:All Students $1.80 Elem/Middle (Pk-8) $2.90Reduced Students $0.30 High (9-12)/Satellite $3.10 Reduced Students $0.40 Can teachers or other school personnel restrict what a child selects from food offered in the cafeteria? Decisions about selection of food are made by the stu-dent and parent within the USDA lunch program guidelines. Restrictions by school personnel will not be made concern-ing such selections. May school lunchbeheldor restricted as a disci-pline method? The National School Lunch Act and the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 prohibits school food authorities from denying a meal or milk to any eligible child as a disciplinary measure. Any instance of this activity should be immediately report-ed to the school Principal and Child Nutrition Director. HowdoIgetmealsubstitutionsorspecialnutritionalneeds met for my child? You may obtain a Diet Order Form for food allergies from the CNP website www.cnpbr.org or your cafeteria manager. The Diet Order Form must be completed by your child’s doctor each year and returned to the school cafeteria man-ager. Upon receiving the form, the cafeteria manager will consult with the Child Nutrition Director and enter the infor-mation into the child’s meal account to ensure that the diet order is fulfilled. Who can get free or reduced price meals? For more information on the Free and Reduced Price Meals program, please visit the Child Nutrition Program website (www.cnpbr.org Link: Parent Info). Non-discriminationStatement:Thisexplainswhattodoifyoubelieveyouhavebeentreatedunfairly. In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. De-partment of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its Agencies, offices, and employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA pro-grams are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, sex, disability, age, or reprisal or retal-iation for prior civil rights activity in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g. Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.), should contact the Agency (State or local) where they applied for benefits. Individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing or have speech disabilities may contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339. Additionally, program in-formation may be made available in languages other than English. To file a program complaint of discrimination, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, (AD-3027) found online at: http://www.ascr.usda.gov/com-plaint_filing_cust.html and at any USDA office, or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the information requested in the form. To request a copy of the complaint form, call (866) 632-9992. Submit your complet-ed form or letter to USDA by: Mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of the Assis-tant Secretary for Civil Rights, 400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; Fax: (202) 690-7442; mail: [email protected] This institution is an equal opportunity provider.

Child Nutrition ProgramDiocese of Baton Rouge

3300 Hundred Oaks Ave., Baton Rouge, LA 70808Phone: 225-387-6421 • Fax: 225-387-1413

Email: [email protected] • Website: www.cnpbr.org

St. Thomas Aquinas appoints veteran educator as interim principal

Ashley Chitwood



As Pope Francis prepares to canonize Mother Teresa at the Vatican on Sept. 4, several events are being planned at St. Agnes Church in Baton Rouge to honor the Catholic nun and missionary most remembered for her selfless charity and acts of kindness.

Bishop Robert W. Muench will celebrate a Mass at St. Ag-nes Church on Sunday, Sept. 4 at 3 p.m. to commemorate Blessed Teresa of Calcutta’s canoniza-tion.

The local Mass serves as the culmination of several activities, which are set to begin three days before with prayer.

On Thursday, Sept. 1, the first day of prayer, a rosary will be recited at 5:30 p.m. at St. Ag-nes Church followed by Mass at 6 p.m. Msgr. Robert Berggreen, pastor at St. Mary of False Riv-er Church in New Roads, will be the homilist and discuss the life of Mother Teresa.

Msgr. Berggreen is also the spiritual director of the sisters of the Missionaries of Charity, the worldwide order founded by Mother Teresa in 1950 and es-tablished 35 years later in Baton Rouge.

Father Jeff Bayhi, pastor of St. John the Baptist Church in Zachary, will be the homilist during the second day of prayer on Friday, Sept. 2. Father Bay-hi, who traveled to India and worked alongside Mother Tere-sa caring for the poorest of the poor, will talk about his encoun-ter with Mother Teresa at the 6 p.m. Mass, which will be pre-ceded by recitation of the rosary at 5:30 p.m.

The third day of prayer in honor of Mother Teresa’s can-onization will begin at 3:30 p.m. with the rosary followed by Mass at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 3.

As the homilist at this Mass, Msgr. Berggreen will discuss the spirituality and mission of Mother Teresa.

Sister Christa, one of four Missionaries of Charity sisters living in Baton Rouge and serv-ing in the Queen of Peace Home and Soup Kitchen behind St. Agnes, said all of the events are open to the public.

“We’re hoping people will come and learn about the life of Mother Teresa,” Sister Christa said, adding, she and the other

sisters are “very happy” about the upcoming canonization, which falls on the eve of the 19th anniversary of Mother Teresa’s death.

Sister Christa noted that many Missionaries of Charity sisters are planning to be at the Vatican on Sept. 4 and will wit-

ness the historical moment when their founder is declared a saint by the pope.

All 52 worldwide regional superiors of the order will be in attendance as well as one other sister from each region selected from a random drawing. A Mis-sionaries of Charity sister living in Lafayette was selected in the drawing to represent the local region.

“We’re very happy for her,” said Sister Christa.

Kitty Blanchard, a member of the Lay Missionaries of Charity, is excited about the upcoming canonization.

Blanchard, who was in forma-tion for two years before joining the lay order and who also works at St. Agnes as a bookkeeper, said she had the “great privilege” to see and hear Mother Teresa when the nun, who was honored with the 1979 Nobel Peace Prize, visited Baton Rouge.

“She (Mother Teresa) could look at everyone and see Jesus in them,” said Blanchard, who added that while Mother Teresa served as an example of a living saint. “She said all of us were called to be saints, too.”

Blanchard noted that Moth-er Teresa once said, “Do small things with great love.”

It is a message that can still be applied today.

“When we love, we bring Je-sus’ love to others. It’s not our love, but his love. It can be a simple touch or words of encour-agement,” she said, adding that no matter if the action is big or small, “That’s Jesus’ love.”

General Statement of Duties This position, in conjunction with the Director and Associate Director of Evangelization & Catechesis, develops, plans, coordinates and implements catechetical and educational programsforthepurposeofreligiousformationandcertification in the Catholic Diocese of Baton Rouge. This position oversees themaintenanceofthecertificationrecordspertinenttothe contractualrequirementsoftheCatholicSchoolsOfficeand diocesancertificationguidelines.

Education and Experience Requirements –Master’sdegreeinTheologyandtwoyearsrelatedprofession- al level experience required. –Competencyandexperienceinteachingadultfaithformation –MusthaveknowledgeoftheRomanCatholicChurchstruc- ture, and demonstrate knowledge of the role of evangelization and catechesis in the mission of the Church. –Duetothenatureofthisposition,itisrequiredthattheincum- bent be a practicing Roman Catholic who is registered and activeinaparochialorreligiouscommunity.

Other Requirements –Abilitytojudgecoursecontentasdoctrinallyorthodox. –Capabilitytoleaddevelopment,assessmentandexpansion ofcertificationcourses. –Highlevelofcompetencyincomputerproficiency,including masteryincoursemanagementsystem,abilitytodevelop and edit presentations using multiple software platforms (Moodle,PowerPointorKeynote,AdobeSuiteandVideo Editing),aswellasabilityandinteresttoquicklylearnnewor unfamiliar programs. – Able to recruit and collaborate with local instructors for the purpose of teaching courses and course development. –Self-directedwiththeabilitytoexerciseindependentjudgment anddiscretion,andmaintainstrictconfidentialityinhandling difficultorsensitivesituations. – Strong organizational skills, attention to details, and able to manage projects and multiple priorities. – Experience in developing, designing, and publishing brochures,fliers,andadvertisements. – Effective verbal and written communication skills; strong professional and interpersonal skills. –Abilitytoworkcollaborativelywithotherdepartmentstomeet the needs of the position. –Abilitytolearnand/ordevelopskillsrelatedtotheministries servedbytheoffice.

Please submit letter of interest, resume, and references to [email protected].

Application Deadline Thursday, September 1, 2016.

Catholic Diocese of Baton RougeDiocesan Office of

Evangelization & Catechesis

Coordinator of Catechesis & Certification

Local events set to honor Mother Teresa

Several events are scheduled at St. Agnes Catholic Church to celebrate the canonization of Blessed Teresa of Calcutta:

Thursday, Sept. 15:30 p.m. Rosary6 p.m. Mass – (Homilist Msgr. Berggreen)“Life of Mother Teresa”

Friday, Sept. 25:30 p.m. Rosary6 p.m. Mass – (Homilist Father Jeff Bayhi)“My Encounter with Mother Teresa”

Saturday, Sept. 33:30 p.m. Rosary4 p.m. Mass – (Homilist Msgr. Berggreen)“Spirituality and Mission of Mother Teresa”

Sunday, Sept. 43 p.m. Holy Mass in honor of the canonization of Mother Teresa celebrated by Bishop Robert W. Muench

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Q I was baptized and confirmed in the Catholic Church. When I was younger, I served as an altar boy

for several years. About 12 years ago, I got married in a Methodist church. I never had the marriage “convalidated” in the Catholic Church since my wife was against involving another member of the clergy.

Over the years, I found that my wife was actually an atheist; she would speak negatively about faith in general and especially about the Catholic Church. We have two children. Due to her infidelity and to her unwillingness to work on our marriage, we are now divorced.

I went to Catholic Masses throughout our marriage. My question is this: If I were to marry again, would I be able to get married in the Catholic Church? I have been living with a wonderful woman who shares my religious beliefs and was also confirmed in the Catholic faith. We attend Sunday Masses together. (Richmond, Virginia)

A Since you evidently did not receive the Catholic Church’s permission to be married in an

other-than-Catholic ceremony – you could have, especially if your bride was

Methodist and that was her parish – and since you did not subsequently have the marriage bless-ed (“convalidated”) by a Catholic priest or dea-con, your first marriage was not recognized by the Catholic Church.

You would be free to marry now in a Catholic ceremony.

What you would need to do is to meet with a priest and provide some information about that first marriage; the priest would then submit that paperwork to the diocese for what is generally called a “Declara-tion of Nullity Due to Lack of Canonical Form.” There is usually a fairly quick turnaround, requiring no more than a few weeks.

I do feel the need, though based on your question to make two further points. First, you say that you are now living with the woman you may marry.

I’m sure you know that this is in clear violation of Catholic moral teaching; the long-held and consistent view of the

church (actually, of many religions) is that a couple should not be living together until there has been a lifelong commit-ment ratified by a civil and religious ceremony.

Also, the story of your first marriage highlights the need for a couple to take the time during courtship to examine each other’s deepest values; foremost among them, in my mind, are religious values since those affect greatly how a person will think and behave. Thus, the wis-

dom of pre-Cana programs, which can help prospective spouses do just that.

Q We have a new pastor who sev-eral times already has brought up the notion of tithing. He says

that, as Catholics, we are called to give 10 percent of our annual gross income to charity, and he promises us that “God will not be outdone in generosity.”

Can you explain the church’s teaching on tithing: Is it really a requirement, like Sunday Mass attendance, that Catholics tithe? The Catechism of the Catholic Church simply says that the faithful “have the duty of providing for the mate-rial needs of the church, each according to his abilities” (No. 2043). I agree, but

we also have to balance that against our responsibility to provide for the material needs of our children. (Minneapolis)

A The practice of tithing was for-mally established in the Torah, the Jewish law of the Old Testament.

A person offered to God, by giving to the Temple, one-tenth of the harvest of grain of the fields or the produce of fruit of the trees. That practice carried over into the early centuries of the church’s history, and in the eighth century Charlemagne made tithing to the church a civil law.

Today there is no obligation for Cath-olics to donate a specific fraction of their income – only, as you mention, the general obligation that all Catholics should, to the extent of their abilities, contribute to the material support of the church.

In addition to the passage you cite from the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the church’s Code of Canon Law says that “the Christian faithful are obliged to assist with the needs of the church so that the church has what is necessary for divine worship, for the works of the apostolate and of char-ity” (Canon 222.1).

Studies have shown that Catholics typi-cally give between 1 percent and 2 percent of their income to local parishes, but to that figure must be added the considerable donations made to religious orders as well as to Catholic hospitals and Catholic char-ities, which make up the largest private network of health care and social service agencies in America.

Question Corner Father Kenneth Doyle

Free to marry?/Catholics and tithing

CT H E C A T H O L I C

S E R V I N G T H E D I O C E S E O F B A T O N R O U G E S I N C E 1 9 6 2

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Gonzales, Donaldsonville, Hammond, Plaquemine, Prairieville and Zachary

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Walker✔ Our Lady of the Lake Physician

Group, offices with locations throughout the Diocese✔ Reeve’s Supermarket, Baton Rouge✔ St. Elizabeth Hospital, Gonzales✔ St. Mary’s Books & Gifts, Baton Rouge✔ St. Vincent dePaul Stores throughout

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PAGE 5

Supreme Courtto hear healthmandate casesCommentatorT H E C A T H O L I C

November 13, 2015 Vol. 53, No. 20 S E R V I N G T H E D I O C E S E O F B A T O N R O U G E S I N C E 1 9 6 3 thecatholiccommentator.org

‘SAINT IN THE HOUSE’

By Debbie Shelley


The bells peeled during the noon

hour at Our Lady of Mercy Church in

Baton Rouge on Oct. 31. As the Knights

of Columbus color guard proceeded in,

the crowd’s reverent excitement silently

spoke two words: She’s here!

St. Maria Goretti, whose body/major

relics were released from the Vatican to

the United States for a tour, was placed

by the Knights in front of the altar, where

people reportedly stopped by through-

out the night to peer in, kneel, bow, shed

tears or kiss her prayer card in their hand

before placing it on the glass-sided casket

which holds a wax statue containing her

skeletal remains. Clergy opened this oc-

casion by saying, “A saint is in the house.”

Before the veneration began, Father

Carlos Martins CC, director of Trea- Thousands of people venerated St. Maria Goretti at Our Lady of Mercy Church in Baton Rouge, Oct. 31 – Nov. 1. Photo by Debbie Shel-

ley | The Catholic Commentator

Thousands visitSt. Maria’s relics

SEE GORETTI PAGE 19

MILESTONE ANNIVERSARY – St. Elizabeth Church in Paincourtville is

celebrating its 175th anniversary during the 4 p.m. Mass on Saturday,

Nov. 14. One of the many beautiful features of the church is the altar,

above, which was built in Italy, shipped and erected by Italian artisans

in 1953, shortly before the retirement of Father John Mergue. See the

story and more photos on pages 10-11. Photo by Rachele Smith | The Catholic Com-

mentator

By Debbie Shelley


The eggshells given to sisters Lucy Mae

“Lou” Landry Alleman, Mary Landry and

Polly Landry Johnson of Paincourtville held

stories as well as yoke that were poured out

before they were given away. Some eggs were

used in cakes and other goodies to celebrate

birthday parties, family gatherings, wel-

coming a new neighbor or wishing someone

“good luck” in their new journey in life. Oth-

ers were used to comfort and console people

suffering a trial – such as the deaths of loved

ones. Others were simply scrambled, fried

or poached for breakfast.

Whatever their former use, the Landry

sisters fill the shells with confetti to provide

fun and support for the church and school

community they grew up in, live on the same

block as and love. They collect eggshells and

make confetti eggs year-round for the St.

Elizabeth Church Harvest Festival in the fall

and St. Elizabeth School Fair in the spring.

The Landry sisters, all widows, are three

of seven siblings, five girls and two boys.

The two brothers passed away, leaving five

sisters. “It was a large family. All of us went to

Catholic schools,” said Mary Landry. Be-

cause of the expense, the siblings attend-

ed elementary and high school in public

schools. When they were old enough to at-

tend St. Elizabeth, they went there. Their

original family home, which is also on the

same block as St. Elizabeth School, has

stayed in the family. The family, though

large, was tight-knit.“It was a very chaste house, my mother

never said a curse word,” said Mary Landry.

“We had spats, like siblings do, but we had

St. Elizabeth sisters use eggshells to

hatch fund-raising idea

SEE EGGSHELLS PAGE 8

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August 19, 2016 FAITH JOURNEY The Catholic Commentator 7

By Debbie ShelleyThe Catholic Commentator

Scriptures are the “first and final word” one can confidently stand on in uncertain times, according to Dr. Timothy Gray, who spoke to the Baton Rouge Chapter of Legatus and Our Lady of Mercy Church in Baton Rouge’s “Called By Faith” Bible study group on July 28.

Referring to the recent police shoot-ings in Baton Rouge and across the nation and other violence in the world, Gray told the Called by Faith group, “It’s really time for a world that’s losing its peace to turn back to Christ, the source of all peace as Scriptures tell us,” said Gray, the presi-dent of the Augustine Institute, professor of Sacred Scripture at St. John Vianney Theological Seminary and executive di-rector of the Denver Catholic Biblical and Catechetical Schools.

He noted that in John 14:27, Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.”

After leading a prayer for peace, Gray said, “I believe when you read the signs of the times, Scriptures play a key role in the way the church responds.”

He pointed out that of the four major documents of Vatican II, one of them, Dei Verbum, is about the word of God.

Gray said the document urges Catho-lics to not be afraid of Scriptures.

Catholics’ fears of reading Scriptures dates to the Protestant Reformation, which 500th anniversary will be marked next year, Gray said.

“The church needed reform, Luther was right on that score,” said Gray, noting however, that the fears led to overreac-tion.

Especially in the predominately Prot-estant United States, Catholics avoided reading the Bible because they feared those who read the Bible would convert to Protestantism and they saw the frac-turing of Protestant denominations, said Gray. He added Catholic schools were de-veloped out of fear public school students, who at that time read from the Bible at school, would become Protestant.

In an effort to counter these fears, Gray said the church told Catholics during Vat-ican II Protestantism is not a threat and to not be afraid of Scriptures. Gray stat-ed that, in essence, the church said, “let’s heal” in light of the Western world becom-ing secular.

“Catholics revere the sacraments, what Vatican II is saying is to equally reverence the word of God,” said Gray. He said Cath-olics are encouraged to revere the word of God on the altar with the word made flesh.

Gray said Vatican II emphasized that without Scriptures, Catholics are deprived of a source of spiritual nourishment.

The speaker further noted how St. John Paul II called for a “new evangeliza-tion.” But that evangelization cannot ef-

fectively happen if people do not know the Scriptures. He noted that the pope loved Lectio Divina or “divine reading” of Scrip-ture and talked about “seeing the face of God in the word of God.”

Pope Benedict XVI also called for a return to Scripture, as evidenced by his apostolic exhortation “Verbum Domini” (“The Word of the Lord”), which dealt with how the Catholic Church should ap-

proach the Bible. The pope said Lectio Divina would bring a “new springtime to the church.”

Scriptures were valuable to the saints, Gray said. He noted St. Ignatius urged people to deepen their spirituality by reading the Scriptures and placing them-selves in the scenes portrayed in them. He stated St. Teresa of Avila believed she was a “mediocre nun” until she read the “Con-fessions of St. Augustine,” which quotes “thousands of Scripture passages,” said Gray.

Praying well involves two things ac-cording to Gray: listening to the word of God and responding to it.

“Just as the Samaritan woman con-versed with Jesus, how are we conversing with Jesus?” asked Gray.

The book of Hebrews warns about the deceitful nature of sin that causes a hard-ening of the heart, said Gray.

“ ‘I’ll get a gun,’ someone may think when angry,” Gray said.

But reading Scriptures “thrusts the re-ality of God speaking to you” in front of people, he stated.

Getting over the fear of reading Scrip-tures releases people from fears, Gray said.

“It reassures us when we fear violence and evil. God’s word is where we have hope,” said Gray.

“With the decline in culture, I’m grate-ful that I have an unshakable faith in God. That (heaven) is where my citizenship is,” said Gray.

Spirituality For Today

Father John Catoir

Dr. Timothy Gray talks to the “Called by Faith” Bible study group at Our Lady of Mercy Church in Baton Rouge about the importance of being secure in and through the word of God. Gray also spoke to the Ba-ton Rouge Chapter of Legatus in Baton Rouge that evening. Photo by Debbie Shelley | The Catholic Commentator

Scriptures provide peace in an increasingly violent world

A woman confided to me that she was terribly afraid for her grandchil-

dren to grow up in a world like ours. I conceded that the dan-gers are real, but I reminded her of the words of Jesus: “In the world you will have trouble, but take courage, I have con-quered the world” (Jn 16:33).

Granted there is much to worry about, but we all have to try to keep calm and avoid be-coming joyless Christians. Try to overcome your fears as best you can with sound information. For instance, it’s important to understand that a monumental split exists between the vast majority of peace-loving Mus-lims and the radical militant minority.

People such as the late Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the former self-proclaimed “emir” of al-Qa-ida in Iraq, said, “Killing the infidels is our religion ... until they convert to Islam, or pay us tribute.”

Good Muslims reject this kind

of rhetoric as evil. The Quran states, “There is no compulsion in religion” (Surah 2, 256). Salam Al-Marayati, the executive direc-tor of the Muslim Public Affairs Council speaks of religious liberty as “an Islamic principle.” Unjust jihadi attacks that have taken place in many places in the world are not a result of authen-

tic Islamic theology. In my home diocese, in the

city of Paterson, New Jersey, and in many other American cities, Muslim children are attending Catholic grammar schools. Their parents pre-fer sending them to Catholic schools rather than to the public schools, chiefly for reasons of safety. One would think that the abhorrence of any other religion would not allow such a thing.

Granted there are many con-cerns about the violence toward Christians in many Muslim countries, which we vigorously denounce. No one has the right to represent Allah or God as one who demands the slaughter of innocent people or commands their conversion.

In his address to the U.S. Congress, Pope Francis stated that “no religion is immune from forms of individual delu-sion or ideological extremism.” He went on to say that special attention must be given to fun-damentalism, religious or not.

Sayyid M. Sayeed, national director of the Islamic Society of North America’s Office for Interfaith and Community Alliances, writes that “all faiths are striving to promote those divine values enshrined in our sacred texts and Scriptures so that those who exploit them for reinforcing hate, extremism, violence and instability are iden-tified as enemies of all faiths.”

He refers to a “new mil-lennium of alliance building for common values of mutual respect and recognition.” The Second Vatican Council’s doc-

ument “Nostra Aetate” calls for dialogue and collaboration with other religions, and recogniz-es the church’s “esteem” for Muslims.

I am hopeful that children will one day soon live in a peaceful world.

The fact that a small minority of radical Muslims have tried to hijack the religion of Islam to promote their own agenda should not make us cower in fear.

We will fight this evil every step of the way and peace will prevail.

The fear of extremism and violence

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With a snip of oversized scis-sors and a sprinkling of holy water, a new era in education debuted in the Diocese of Baton Rouge on Aug. 5

Under a broiling summer sun, and with Bishop Robert W. Muench sharing the honors, Cristo Rey Baton Rouge Francis-can High School was opened to an inaugural class of nearly 80 freshmen.

“I’m definitely excited about starting,” Bria Coleman said fol-lowing the opening ceremonies in the cool comfort of the former Redemptorist High School, which has undergone extensive renova-tion to house the fledgling school. “I’m excited about the opportuni-ty to learn work experience early.”

Nearby, Dr. James Llorens was beaming a smile of a proud

papa. Llorens, who shared the ribbon cutting with Bishop Muench and who will serve as the inaugural president, has been involved in the school’s development since the idea was first floated two years ago.

“It’s emotional for me,” Llorens admitted. “It’s been a long two years. But to see it come to fruition and see the young people (in student workshops) these past few weeks, it has been enjoyable.”

The day began with a Mass celebrated by Bishop Muench at nearby St. Gerard Majella Church, with local politicians and members of the business community in attendance.

“What a great sight you are,” Bishop Muench enthusiastical-ly said as he welcomed the stu-dents. “You are the reason we are all gathered here.”

During his homily, the bish-

op used the heat in the church created by a malfunctioning air conditioning system to deliver a message of encouragement to the students, many of who were using programs to fan themselves.

“You have a lot of fans,” he said with a smile. “And I am go-ing to be one of the biggest fans of you and for you. We are so de-lighted that you are participating in Cristo Rey. You have a lot of

people pulling for you.”He asked the young people “to

feel excited, to feel motivated, to feel inspired, to feel pride. We want you to succeed now and in the future.”

“We want you to consider (the school) your home away from home,” Bishop Muench added. “You are being asked to work hard, to do your best, give it your best.”

He encouraged the students to hold themselves accountable and to “try and take the right road, not necessarily the easy road. Make the most of this opportunity.”

Baton Rouge Mayor-Presi-dent Kip Holden told students that attending Cristo Rey is an “opportunity to be the best you can be. Everything is geared to-ward you.”

The school is unique in that students attend class four days a week and work in a professional office at a local business one day a week, thereby combining edu-cation with practical real work experience such as filing and an-swering phones. School officials were encouraged by the first enrollment of 79 freshmen, and the plan is to add a grade level in each of the next three years.

Even before classes began students were required to at-tend business etiquette training during the summer that included how to shake hands, presenting themselves professionally and how to address others. Destiny McNulty said the lessons were helpful, and she has already used what she has learned profession-ally and in her personal life.

“I feel like I have a great op-portunity,” agreed Carlisha Shy. “It’s an introduction in the real world, and I’m really looking for-ward to it.”

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SERVING PEOPLE OF ALL FAITHS

Ribbon-cutting, Mass celebrate debut of innovative Cristo Rey school

Community and business leaders gathered for the ribbon-cutting ceremony at Cristo Rey Baton Rouge Francsican High School in Baton Rouge on Aug. 5. Bishop W. Robert Muench, center, flanked by Dr. James Llorens, cut the ribbon. Bishop Muench also celebrated Mass at St. Gerard Majella Church preceding the ceremony and blessed the building after the ribbon cutting. Photos by Richard Meek | The Catholic Commentator


A recently formed bishops task force whose focus will be to promote peace will have a decidedly Louisiana flavor.

Bishop Robert W. Muench has ac-cepted an invitation to serve as bish-op-consultant to the Special Task Force to Promote Peace in Our Communities formed by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) last month in the wake of racially-charged shoot-

ings in Baton Rouge, Minneapolis and Dallas.

Task force members already include a pair of New Roads natives, Bishop Sheldon J. Fabre of the Diocese of Hou-ma-Thibodaux and Bishop Emeritus John H. Ricard of the Diocese of Pensac-ola-Tallahassee, Florida. They are joined on the task force by Archbishop Thomas G. Wenski of Miami and Bishop Jamie Soto of the Diocese of Sacramento, Cal-ifornia.

Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory of the

Diocese of Atlanta will lead the task force, which was formed by USCCB president Joseph E. Kurtz, Archbishop of Louisville, as the first of two national peace-keeping initiatives.

The second initiative is a Day of Prayer for Peace in communities Sept. 9, the Feast of St. Peter Claver, a 16th cen-tury Spanish Jesuit priest and patron of the missions to African Americans and human rights defenders.

Bishop Fabre is chairman of the US-CCB’s Subcommittee for African-Amer-

ican Affairs; Bishop Ricard is a member of the Subcommittee for African-Amer-ican Affairs, and member of the board of the National Black Catholic Congress. Bishop Wenski is chairman of the Com-mittee on Domestic Social Development and Bishop Soto is chairman of the Sub-committee on the Catholic Campaign for Human Development.

Archbishop Kurtz indicated addition-al bishop-consultants may be added to the task force.

USCCB’s task force to promote peace spiced with Louisiana flavor



• Student opportunities for more 3D printing and the so-called “Maker World”

• Teaching plans that use augmented reality and wear-ables (such as smart glasses and e-textiles)

• Curriculums that stress competency-based instruction

• Classrooms that know, using the Internet of Everything (IoE), which students are absent

These are just some of the “trendier trends” Gregory Dhuyvetter, superintendent of schools for the Diocese of Orange, California, told hundreds of local Catholic school teachers and ad-ministrators to expect in the near future.

As the keynote speaker for the 2016 Catholic Educators Gather-ing, an annual event held this year on Aug. 2, only days before the start of the new school year, Dhuyvetter also discussed other technology trends that he said will change education.

His top-10 list included a con-tinued push for “1:1” or a tech-nology device for each student, web-based instruction and as-sessment, a true paperless class-room and a move away from tra-ditional textbooks.

“It’s a matter of economics,” Dhuyvetter said as he explained the end of traditional textbooks.

“Publishers simply can’t con-tinue to fund two ways (print and electronic) of producing textbooks,” he noted, adding that eventually a universal reader will be designed eliminating the use of different platforms.

Dhuyvetter said electronic textbooks offer more benefits to students.

Not only do these books contain traditional words and

pictures, but they also offer sounds, web-based links to oth-er sources, and through var-ious response tools, they can even determine what a student doesn’t understand then offer adapted readings or additional instruction for better clarity, he added.

However, Dhuyvetter was quick to maintain that educators are vital in the classroom, noting that only the tools they use to teach are changing.

In addition to Dhuyvetter’s keynote, which also included an afternoon address on using Gospel values for technology instruction and social media, teachers and administrators at-tending the day-long event at the Baton Rouge River Center had the opportunity to pray togeth-er, collaborate with each other and develop new professional knowledge. This year’s gathering highlighted more than two doz-en workshop opportunities for educators featuring topics from best practices in early childhood education and faith formation to using Louisiana Young Readers’ choice novels in literature circles to online simulations in STEM classes.

“We come together to be inspired, encouraged and en-ergized,” Bishop Robert W. Muench told educators following a morning prayer service.

Calling each Catholic school a “living community of faith” where students find a home away from home and ultimate-ly a family, Bishop Muench also told teachers and administrators that they have a special calling to “share Jesus Christ” with all of their students, something he said was especially import-ant now that our community has come “under some special stress” following police shoot-

ings last month. In addition to the morning

prayer service, Bishop Muench also led educators in a commis-sioning ceremony where they affirmed their commitment to fulfilling the vision of Catholic education in the diocese.

Dr. Melanie Verges, super-intendent of Catholic schools, welcomed teachers and adminis-trators to a new school year and encouraged educators to contin-ue their commitment to the min-istry of educating children and living out the event’s 2016 theme of “Growing Seeds of Mercy.”

Verges noted her attendance at the World Congress on Cath-olic Education, which was called by Pope Francis to discuss the state of Catholic education and its future, and said Catholic schools are part of the solution to the universal education emer-gency.

In particular, Verges said the efforts of Catholic schools in the Diocese of Baton Rouge are “right on track” and applaud-ed the leadership of Bishop Muench. She also congratulated the efforts of local Catholic edu-cators citing their hard work and pledge to professional develop-ment.

“Research is clear that teach-er development directly affects student learning,” said Verges, adding that data collected by the Catholic Schools Office this summer revealed educators in the Diocese of Baton Rouge have completed 13,000 hours of pro-fessional development.

“We ask God to bless our min-istry in Catholic education,” said Verges, who offered appreciation to teachers and administrators for the work they do.

“We are sowing seeds that will grow many young lives reaching far into the future,” she added.

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10 The Catholic Commentator | August 19, 2016 August 19, 2016 | The Catholic Commentator 11

Welcome Back

Edwinda Jackson, second-grade teacher at St. Francis Xavier School in Baton Rouge, greets her students on the first day of class. Photo provided by Paula Fabre | St. Francis Xavier School

Father Michael Alello, pastor at St. Louis King of France Church in Baton Rouge, blows bubbles

with SLKF students on the first day of class. The bubbles were being used to explain the vari-

ous components of STREAM, the educational model which will be used at the school for the

first time this year, according to first-year principal Paula Johnson. Photo by Richard Meek | The Catholic

Commentator

Catholic Elementary

School of Pointe Coupee

students spend a few

minutes sharing summer

stories before shifting

inside and being wel-

comed on the first day

of school by principal

Melissa Cline. Photo by

Richard Meek | The Catholic

Commentator

Students at Sacred

Heart of Jesus

School in Baton

Rouge gather for

morning prayer

on the first day of

school on Aug. 4.

Photo provided by Lisa

Cosse | Sacred Heart of

Jesus School

St. Aloysius School in Baton Rouge students

were eager to be back on their first

day of school on Aug. 4. Photo provided

by Tiffany Meek | St. Aloysius School

Father Matthew Graham, pastor of St. Elizabeth

Church in Paincourtville and St. Jules Church in Belle Rose, greets, from left, Ander-son, Aiden and Austen Paine on their first day back to school at St. Elizabeth on Aug. 3. Photo provided by Paula

Simoneaux | St. Elizabeth School

Pre-kindergarteners in Carrie Matassa’s class, Presley Falcon, left, and Harper Kinchen,

learn how to walk quietly in the hallways at St. John Primary School in Prairieville on the

first day of school. Photo provided by Janis Ament | St. John Primary School

Much to the delight of parents and students, teachers at Redemptorist St. Gerard School in Baton

Rouge, from left, Dr. Lisa Babin, Velma Brooks, Katrina Jefferson, Karisha Brown, Catherel Barber, Cas-

sandra Will and Delores McClaythey, show how to have some fun on the first day of school. The teachers

formed a Soul Train line and danced into the school gym as principal Lynn Carmouche introduced them

during morning assembly. Photo by Laurie Hardison

Taylor Cuccia, left, and Blake

Brignac are all smiles as they start

their first day of seventh grade at St. Theresa Middle

School in Gonzales. Photo provided by Teresa Landry | St. Theresa Middle School

Students

at Most

Blessed Sacrament

School in Baton Rouge, from left, Kharsyn

Campagna, Zara Crawford and Ashley

Aubin, enjoy time on the playground during

their first day back at school. Photo provided by

Cheri Gioe | Most Blessed Sacrament School


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By Debbie ShelleyThe Catholic Commentator

“We found out that Ameri-cans aren’t the loudest,” said Kathleen Lee about the vibrant joy expressed by more than 1.5 million people from around the world descending upon Krakow, Poland for International World Youth Day July 26-31.

Resembling the spirit of Pen-tecost, many voices spoke differ-ent languages, but there was a communal sharing of faith that didn’t need translation, accord-ing to Lee.

“You didn’t necessarily have to speak to the person next to you to know that you were a brother or sister in Christ,” said Lee, who co-hosts “Catholic Under-ground” for Catholic Community Radio with Father Chris Decker, pastor of Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Maringouin, St. Frances Xavier Cabrini Church in Livonia and St. Joseph Church in Grosse Tete.

There were spontaneous mo-

ments of sharing each other’s cul-tures. Lee talked about when the youth gathered around a land-mark at Krakow.

Representatives from one na-tion would climb atop the land-mark, sing their national anthem and invite the rest to sing with them. Representatives from oth-er nations would follow and do the same. While it was thought Americans are “loud,” she said people from the Italian, African, Latin American and other na-tions sang with gusto as well.

“It was so cool to see so many people standing on the monu-ment praying and praising,” Lee, a member of St. Thomas More Church in Baton Rouge, said.

Erin Welther, also a mem-ber of St. Thomas More, agreed. “There was lots of joy. People were high-fiving each other as they passed each other on the street,” she said.

Since the population of Kra-kow, a treasure trove of history and the home of saints such as St. John Paul II and St. Faustina,

essentially swelled with the in-flux of youth, that vibrancy car-ried over into the city, said Lee.

“The people of Poland were incredible. They were very ex-cited to have the people there,”

she said.There was also the excitement

of seeing the pope.“We were always a day ahead

of him at the places we went to see on the schedule,” mused Lee.

The youth also showed their commitment to quiet, contempla-tive prayer, however, at eucharistic adoration on Saturday night.

“It was so quiet and beautiful. We had 1.5 million candles lit up in this old rock quarry,” said Lee.

Welther and Lee said it was also inspiring to see youth from countries, such as the Middle East, where Christians are being persecuted, celebrate their faith and the support they received from other WYD attendees. Wel-ther for example, saw a group of youth from Portugal who had “Peace is possible in Syria” writ-ten on their T-shirts.

Lee and Welther acknowl-edged the challenges of the event. They had to walk miles in the heat to go to eucharistic ado-ration.

Even such challenges were a reminder of the difficulties that refugees face, said Donna Bryant, a board member of the young adult group at St. George Church in Baton Rouge.

Young people vocal in their support of Pope Francis at WYD

Young people from the Diocese of Baton Rouge joined in with the more than 1.5 million youth who attended World Youth Day in Krakow, Poland July 26-31. Photo provided by Kathleen Lee

SEE WYD PAGE 13


“We currently have been hearing a lot about refugees in the news and political debates. We hear so much about them and why they are leaving their home-land, but do we really get to hear about them as individuals and the experiences they have try-ing to find a better place to live?” asked Bryant. “At World Youth Day, Pope Francis specifically talked about Syrian refugees and how we as Christians should treat and think about them. It really hit home when we partici-pated in the vigil Saturday. All World Youth Day participants had to walk 6-plus miles to a large field area to gather Satur-day afternoon, sleep there that night, and then have Mass Sun-day morning. We had to carry all of our belongings that we needed to have for the evening and jour-ney together to the final destina-tion. While it sounds very easy, it was not.

“The journey that should have taken three hours ended up tak-ing close to seven due to multi-ple bottlenecks caused by many people trying to move through small spaces, people on the road needed to squeeze together to make room for ambulances to pick up others who suffered from dehydration along the journey, and just from the shear amount of people traveling together. We were experiencing a snapshot of what being a refugee entails.”

She continued, “The experi-ence continued through the night as we all slept in close quarters on tarps and into the morning

as we shielded each other with umbrellas to keep people from getting too hot through morning Mass. I am an avid backpacker and have done many strenuous hikes around the United States.That hike to the vigil was one of the hardest walks I have ever done, mostly due to the shear number of people trying to make their way to one place. I now have a small perspective on what a refugee must go through and have gained a large amount of respect for them.”

The pilgrims accepted the difficulties through prayer and God’s grace.

“As hot as it got, people were inspired to celebrate the faith,” Lee said.

Helping them were messages from Pope Francis, who chal-lenged them to put their faith in action and not “look for the com-fortable couch.”

Now that the celebration is over, the young people are chal-lenged to incorporate the many divine moments of WYD into their daily lives.

“Some of my best memories have been talking with some of the other pilgrims about their faith journeys. I am so glad that I went on this pilgrimage; the ex-periences I had and people that I met have changed me and will bring me further down my own faith journey,” said Bryant.

“I’m going back into my every-day life and unwrapping the trea-sures of the experiences,” said Welther.

“You have to go back and that be part of your concrete plan,” Lee said. “What are you going to resolve to do?”

BEARING THE FIRST DAY – Students from Catholic High School in Baton Rouge gather in the gym on the first day of school. Father Trey Nelson, pastor of St. Jude the Apostle Church in Baton Rouge and co-chaplain at Catholic High, celebrated Mass. Photo provided by Richard Baugh | Catholic High School

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Spending time with the Pope Francis, in eucharistic adoration and Mass, was the highlight for many pilgrims attending World Youth Day in Krakow, Poland. Photo provided by Erin Welther

WYDFrom page 12

14 The Catholic Commentator ENTERTAINMENT August 19, 2016

USCCB Office for Film & Broadcastingclassifications:A-I – General patronageA-II – Adults and adolescentsA-III – AdultsA-IV – Adults, with reservationsL – Limited adult audienceO – Morally offensive

Motion Picture Association of America ratings:G – General audiences; all ages admittedPG – Parental guidance suggested; some material may not be suitable for childrenPG-13 – Parents are strongly cautioned to give special guidance for attendance of children under 13; some material may be inappropriate for young childrenR – Restricted; under 17 requires accom-panying parent or adult guardianNC-17 – No one under 17 admitted

MOVIE REVIEWS

Jason BourneUniversal

Matt Damon returns in the fifth big-screen outing for the memory-damaged and monosyllabic government agent who first appeared in the novels of Robert Ludlum. Director Robert Greengrass, who co-scripted with Christopher Rouse, bookends the story with extended car and motorcycle chases, with the result that ve-hicle casualties considerably outnumber the body count from weapons. Although the number of shootings does necessitate an adult rating, the film’s lack of gore and relatively mild language makes this pos-sibly acceptable for older adolescents es-pecially those who understand that the longer the car chase, the thinner the plot. Frequent gun and physical violence, fleet-

ing profanities. A-III; PG-13

IndignationSummit

Challenging drama, set in the early 1950s, in which a young Jewish man (Lo-gan Lerman) wins a scholarship to an elite college where he forms an unusual bond with an emotionally troubled fellow student (Sarah Gadon) and butts heads with the school’s traditionally minded dean (Tracy Letts). While writer-direc-tor James Schamus’ adaptation of Philip Roth’s 2008 novel is not for the casual moviegoer, neither the promiscuity en-gaged in by the unbalanced coed nor the philosophical atheism professed by the excessively intense protagonist are to be taken at face value. Grown and well-

grounded viewers will recognize the sub-tleties calibrating the story and its mes-sage. Mature themes, including suicide and an ambivalent treatment of religion, brief violence with slight gore, discreetly portrayed but aberrant premarital sexual activity, fleeting irreverence, a couple of uses of profanity, at least one rough term, several crude expressions. L; R

Suicide SquadWarner Bros.

A lurid atmosphere marks this initially stylish but ultimately ridiculous and cha-otic DC comics-based adventure. A hard-bitten intelligence agent (Viola Davis) as-sembles a team of violent villains (most prominently Will Smith and Margot Rob-bie), places them under the command of the military’s leading special ops warrior (Joel Kinnaman), and compels them to take on an evil specter whose campaign of destruction has forced the evacuation of an entire city. As if to complicate a murky plot still further, Batman’s (Ben Affleck) long-standing adversary, the Joker (Jared Leto), gets added to the mix, pursuing an agenda of his own. Writer-director David Ayer film is barely passable while the action is chugging along, but scenes attempting to give moral shading to the characters Smith’s career hitman loves his young daughter (Shailyn Pierre-Dix-on), for instance – and bonding them as a pseudo-family misfire completely. Per-vasive action violence but with minimal gore, scenes of debased sensuality, a cou-ple of uses of profanity, much crude and crass language. L; PG-13

NerveLionsgate

This teen-geared drama starts with an intriguing premise: an online game in which viewers pay to watch players ful-fill real-life dares in exchange for signifi-cant sums of money. Yet, as a straitlaced New York City high school senior (Emma Roberts) tries to shake her reputation for conformity by participating, directors Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman’s adap-tation of Jeanne Ryan’s 2012 novel dissi-pates its energy trying to check too many boxes. Social commentary competes with romance Dave Franco delivers a charis-matic performance as a fellow contestant with whom Roberts’ character teams up until, with the stunts accelerating from the merely embarrassing to the truly dan-gerous, thrills take center stage. While the film can also be considered a cautionary tale, parents may be concerned that it will unintentionally inspire imitation. They’ll further note the presence of visual and verbal elements that make this unfit fare even for mature adolescents. Potentially disturbing scenes of life-threatening per-

il, rear female nudity, nongraphic casual sexual activity, some scatological humor, several uses each of crude and crass lan-guage, an obscene gesture. A-III; PG-13

Cafe SocietyLionsgate

Writer-director Woody Allen’s serio-comic look at romance follows a Depres-sion-era Bronx lad (Jesse Eisenberg) to Los Angeles, where he gets a job with his uncle (Steve Carell), a powerful Hollywood agent. But when his relationship with the agent’s lissome secretary (Kristen Stewart) leads to disillusionment, he returns to New York to manage a new nightclub owned by his gangster brother (Corey Stoll). There a whirl of glamorous nightlife culminates in his marriage to a shimmering blond heir-ess (Blake Lively). The characters on offer in this nostalgic tale are all one-dimen-sional archetypes. Sincerity, moreover, gives way to the Allen’s one-liners, and no one becomes any wiser for their experienc-es. Lost amid the trademark humor is any sustained, serious engagement with top-ics like marital fidelity. Bloodless gun vio-lence, mature themes, including adultery and prostitution, a drug reference, several uses of profanity, at least one crude term. A-III; PG-13

Sausage PartyColumbia

Animated food items push an athe-ist agenda and glorify the basest forms of carnality in this disgusting spitball of a comedy from directors Conrad Vernon and Greg Tiernan. The inhabitants of a suburban supermarket -- most promi-nently a sausage (voice of Seth Rogen) and his girlfriend, a bun (voice of Kristen Wiig) -- believe that a joyful existence awaits them in “the Great Beyond” once human shoppers, whom they worship as gods, choose them from the shelves and take them home. But when a returned jar of honey mustard (voiced by Danny Mc-Bride) reveals how people actually treat their edibles, it launches the sausage on a quest for the truth. An insult to believers of every stripe, this libido idolizing film, whose cast also includes Michael Cera, Jonah Hill and Salma Hayek, portrays all religion as a con job that leads to violent divisiveness and sexual repression. Thus the eventual overthrow of the store’s pre-vailing mythology is celebrated by a mass orgy that’s supposed to count as a happy ending. Pervasive blasphemy, a debased view of human sexuality, including a frivolous attitude toward perverse acts, graphic obscene images, benignly viewed drug use, about a half-dozen instances of profanity, relentless rough and crude lan-guage. O; R

For more Movie Reviews, visit thecatholiccommentator.org

and look under ENTERTAINMENT.

August 19, 2016 ENTERTAINMENT The Catholic Commentator 15

Ruth B’s “Lost Boy” seems to be a retelling of the Peter Pan story. However, her

comments show that the song has a much broader and important point:

“I made sure that it wasn’t just about Peter Pan, fairies and pixie dust. ... I wanted to make sure it had a message, something that people could take away from it. Everyone gets lonely and every-one needs a friend. You’re bound to feel lost at some point in your life. It’s a universal feeling.”

Ruth B (real name Ruth Ber-he) is right. Figuring out where we belong and moving beyond feeling lost is a challenge that all of us are likely to face. For the song’s character, this meant recognizing that “there was a time when I was alone, nowhere to go and no place to call home.”

Her pain is magically transformed when Peter Pan appears, “sprinkled me in pixie dust and told me to believe.” She discovers that “Neverland” can be her true home, and she meets the fairy tale’s whole cast of individuals.

However, we don’t live inside fairy tales. Feel-ing lost and alone is a common feeling that tran-scends age, race or national identity. In fact, we know that millions in God’s family are displaced and face a very uncertain future. Our beloved Pope Francis has spoken eloquently about the need to welcome those who struggle with having no place to belong.

The challenge for us, today’s disciples of Jesus, is to create connections of belonging for those we can reach with our concern and love. That starts right in our own schools, parishes and communi-ties.

For example, are there peers in your school who are displaced, speak a language other than English or have had their lives affected by vio-lence and suffering? If so, it is time to make sure they have a friend in you.

Smiles, handshakes and laughter overcome

language barriers. Your friendliness is the first sign to them that they belong regardless of background.

Not everyone who feels alone in your school comes from another country. Some are those you have known for a long time, perhaps have been your friends. However, you don’t know what they face in their own homes. At times, addiction, emotional abuse and disrespect occur in families unbeknown to others.

This was my own story as I tried to navigate my teen years. I didn’t know how to tell my peers the truth, even those who were my friends.

This is when you need to develop keen observation. Another’s feelings

of loneliness and hurt cannot be totally hidden. If you find that you have concern about a peer’s well-being, care enough to tell the other what you are noticing.

Let him or her know that you want to under-stand. If your peer doesn’t want to share, respect that boundary but gently try again another time. Trust grows slowly and it may take some time be-fore another can share more of what is going on.

As disciples of Jesus, we are charged with actualizing what Jesus taught, namely, that we all belong to God and we all belong to each other. The bridge to whomever God brings before us is our friendship and caring.

Many times, we can’t change the circumstanc-es around why someone feels lost and alone, but we can offer him or her a new beginning. Your heart is a much bigger place than any “Nev-erland” and your caring is more magical than “pixie dust.” Make sure that others know they belong in the home of your friendship.

MARTIN is an Indiana pastoral associate who re-views current music for Catholic News Service. Your comments are always welcome. Write to: [email protected], or to; 7125 West CR 200 South, Rockport, IN 47635; or on Facebook at “Charlie Martin’s Today’s Music Columns.”

There was a time when I was aloneNowhere to go and no place to call homeMy only friend was the man in the moonAnd even sometimes he would go away too Then one night as I close my eyesI saw a shadow flying highHe came to me with the sweetest smileTold me he wanted to talk for a whileHe said Peter Pan that’s what they call meI promise that you’ll never be lonelyAnd ever since that day Refrain: I am a lost boy from Neverland

Usually hanging out with Peter PanAnd when we’re bored we play in the woodsAlways on the run from Captain Hook Run, run Lost Boy, they say to meAway from all of realityNeverland is home to lost boys like meAnd lost boys like me are free He sprinkled me in pixie dust and told me to believeBelieve in him and believe in meTogether we will fly away in a cloud of greenTo your beautiful destiny As we soared above the town that never loved me

I realized I finally had a familySoon enough we reached NeverlandPeacefully my feet hit the sand and ever since that day (Repeat refrain.) Peter Pan, Tinker Bell, Wendy darlingEven Captain Hook you are my perfect story bookNeverland I love you so, you are now my home sweet homeForever a Lost Boy at lastAnd for always I will say (Repeat refrain.) Neverland is home to lost boys like meAnd lost boys like me are free

Lost Boy

Sung by Ruth B | Copyright © 2016, Columbia Records

No need for Neverland

ACROSS1 Baptismal basin5 Picture holder10 “How will it end for those who

___ to obey the gospel of God?” (1 Pet 4:17)

14 Peek-___15 Long and short grain16 Roundish projection17 Vein-like deposit18 ___-garde19 Scottish Gaelic20 Diminished22 Most solemn Christian feast24 Old TV movie player25 Biblical city26 Scottish sheep dog30 Soprano Gluck31 Penske rival32___ginfizz33 Ruin37Cozy38 Genesis event39 Limburger feature40 Scuttles41 One of God’s promises to Abra-

ham (Gen 12:7)42Symbolonthepapalflag43 David or Solomon44 The Good Thief45 Sign on Peter’s door, “Gone

___ for men.”???49Craze50 Empty the truck51 Apers56 June 6, 194457 Grandson of Adam59 Leave out60Lollobrigidaoffilms61 Rite in the Catholic Church62 Roused63 “Whoever ___ this bread will

live forever” (Jn 6:51)64 Fine fur65 Glide on surface

DOWN1 Story of original sin (with “The”)2 Musical instrument

3 Visual assents4 Digits5 St. Joan of Arc is a patron of

this country6 Jesuswasbaptizedinone7 Preparatory sch.8 “For us ___, and for our salva-

tion…”9 Prestigious10 “…bone of my bones and

___…” (Gen 2:23)11 Main artery12 Norwegian dramatist13 Wary21“Sufficientforadayisitsown

___” (Mt 6:34)23 ___ loss for words25 The wine, after the consecration26 Moses married a woman from

here27 “Mercy!”28 Extol29 Drags30 Beside32 Jargon33 French wood34 Genesis man35 Screenwriter Ephron36 Periods of history38 Fragments42 Orderly43 Rio automaker44 Nymph of Greek myth45 Soft candy46 Our Lady of the Assumption is

this country’s patron47 Slope48 Nickname for a Catholic uni-

versity49 Certain point51 Decorative hair accessory52 Amos compared the women of

Bashan to these animals (Am 4:1)

53 A way to run54 Polynesian carved image55 Stalk58 “…___ thousand times…”

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 01 11 21 31

41 51 61

71 81 91

02 12 22 32

42 52

62 72 82 92 03

13 23 33 43 53 63

73 83 93

04 14 24

34 44

54 64 74 84 94

05 15 25 35 45 55

65 75 85 95

06 16 26

36 46 56

moc.scilohtacrofsemagdrow.www

Solution on page 18

On The Record Charlie Martin

16 The Catholic Commentator VIEWPOINT August 19, 2016

The title of this column is taken from a headline, “Facing Islamic terror, only good religion can de-

feat bad,” in a long reflection by Father Damian Howard SJ published online in Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse. It rang true to me and may be applied analo-gously to the recent violence in our city and elsewhere in our nation.

Father Howard’s point is that “in the wake of the latest terrorist attack in Nice, it’s tempting once again to blame Islam, and the fact is that Islam is be-ing corroded from within. The answer however, is neither military force nor political isolation, but a revival of the best religious instincts among Muslims themselves.”

The reflection is too long for this col-umn, so I will do my best to summarize it. (Any quotes are Father Howard’s ex-act wording.) When we suffer violence, we feel powerless and demand quick and simple solutions. We are tempted to scapegoat Muslims. Indeed, some politi-cians seeking popularity call for their expulsion. Isn’t it the purpose of ISIS to create a radical Islamic state based on Shia law and expand that as far as they can by whatever violence necessary? The words and the actions of ISIS prove this true. It doesn’t help to pretend that this extremism has nothing to do with Islam and mosques. “When, following Nice, the vice-president of the Confer-ence of Imams of France resigned out of exasperation at the denial of French mosques about extremism in their ranks, Hocine Drouiche nailed a failure among Muslim leaders that is repeated across Europe.”

Yes, religion can be used for evil as well as good. It just depends on which texts in your Scriptures you choose to

use. Pope Francis has often pointed out that Islam most of the time has been “a reli-gion of values and of peace.” And while we blame Islam, we can so easily forget that Christians in our southern states once used the Bible to prove that slavery was good. And Catholic Spain used Jesus’ command to go and make disciples of all nations to justify the forced conversions of natives in the new world.

The problem is not, as modern atheists claim, with religion itself. The horrors of Nazism and Stalinism were committed by atheists who first did away with religion and re-placed it with the god of their own power and ideology. “On all evidence, religion is the greatest force for peace available to humanity.”

ISIS provides the ideology of hate and violence. The question is why young Muslims, well educated in the West, are so susceptible to it. The suicide bombers, shooters and drivers in the U.S., Belgium and France are not like Nazi thugs. They are well educated, radicalized young men and women. There actions tell us very little about true Islam but much about young Muslims’ vulnerability to “what (Pope) Francis in Laudato Si calls the technocratic paradigm. The technocratic paradigm sees other people (and nature itself) as instruments and objects, rather than deserving of our veneration and respect.” They think that with advances in technology they can bend nature and human society to whatever abstractions they worship.

This is just the opposite of true religion, Christian or Muslim, that believes in a God who is sovereign and has given us life as a gift to be thankfully cherished and respected in ourselves and in all others. We are not called to dominate others but to serve them by imitating God’s mercy.

“Despite its medieval ideology, (ISIS) is a product of western technocracy; it is run by engineers and jurists (lawyers) ... It is wholly at home with social media and contempo-rary technology, and its adherents are frustrated

lower middle-class young people college-educated in technical subjects.” But many are unemployed, angry and adrift. The killer in Nice boasted that people would talk about him. For him, ISIS represent-ed an Islam of power. It inspired him to help ISIS provoke a war.

Father Howard says that we need intelligence, sound security measures and good defenses. In the end, ISIS will die of its own internal contradictions. He doesn’t think that we can defeat it by power alone.

“That doesn’t mean helplessness; but it does mean understanding the temptations that come with refusing to be helpless.” We have to remember the path indicated by Pope Francis in this Year of Mercy. Only good religion can defeat bad religion. “The only ultimate response is to mourn the dead, forgive the perpetrators and to dissolve the divisions in humanity through concrete acts of mercy.”

What appealed to me most in this reflection was the French Imam’s resig-nation because his own Muslim leaders would not refute calls for violence in their mosques. That has to be done in France, here and everywhere. Without leadership, the people go astray especial-ly young people. It was impressive that the family of Alton Sterling, killed by one of our policemen, called for non-violent protest.

The analogy to our own problems of violence in Baton Rouge is also found in leadership. Precisely because our law enforcement officers risk their lives every day to protect us, there must be rigorous training in the proper use of force. Our police chief, our sheriff and our head of state police have to demand of their offi-cers proper use of force. I am sure that is their goal, but the death of Alton Sterling highlights the need of such training and oversight. And maybe more black officers should be recruited and trained to an-swer calls of violence in zip codes where there is mistrust of law enforcement. Providing understanding of the people we serve is an act of mercy.

There is also need for political and legislative leadership when it comes to the question of gun laws. In our state, like many others, there is no legal prohi-bition of the open carrying of weapons. But Alton Sterling and three of our law enforcement officers would (possibly) be alive today if he had never carried that gun. An arms-carrying society is not by that fact a peaceful and safe society.

FATHER CARVILLE is a retired priest in the Diocese of Baton Rouge and writes on current topics for The Catholic Commen-tator. He can be reached at johnnycar [email protected].

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Another Perspective

Father John Carville

Mission StatementThe mission of The Catholic Commentator is to provide news, information and commentary to the people of the Diocese of Baton Rouge, Catholics and their neighbors alike. In doing so, The Catholic Commentator strives to

further the wider mission of the Church: to evangelize, to communicate, to educate and to give the Catholic viewpoint on important issues of the present day.

Only good religion can defeat bad

Please pray for the priests, deacons and religious women and men in the Baton Rouge Diocese. | PRAY FOR THOSE WHO PRAY FOR US

Aug. 24 Rev. Eric V. Gyan Dcn. Daniel S. Borné Br. Marcus Turcotte SCAug. 25 Rev. Robert Halter Dcn. Claude H. Bourgeois Jr. Sr. Vernola Lyons FMOLAug. 26 Rev. Patrick Healy SSJ Dcn. Eugene F. Brady Br. Xavier Werneth SCAug. 27 Rev. J. Clifton Hill CSSp Dcn. Jerry W. Braud Sr. Joan Manual CSJAug. 28 Rev. Gordion O. Iwuji MSP Dcn. Patrick J. Broussard Jr. Br. Renzo Alvarado MCM

Aug. 29 Rev. Charbel Jamhoury Dcn. Barry G. Campeaux Sr. Ann Maria Mathew HSMAug. 30 Rev. Joshua D. Johson Dcn. Michael T. Chiapetta Br. Cesar A. Munoz Arias MCMAug. 31 Rev. Rafael Juantorene Dcn. Randall A. Clement Sr. Evelyn Mee CSJSept. 1 Rev. Juel Kandulna Dcn. Samuel C. Collura Br. James BurnsSept. 2 Rev. Jon C. Koehler Dcn. David L. Dawson III Sr. Anne Meridier CSJ

Sept. 3 Rev. Leonard Kraus SJ Dcn. Guy E. Decker Br. William Cawley SCSept. 4 Rev. Sanjay Kunnasseril IMS Dcn. Benjamin J. Dunbar Jr. Sr. Elizabeth Navya CMCSept. 5 Rev. Johnson Kuriappilly Dcn. W. Brent Duplessis Br. Eldon Crifasi SCSept. 6 Rev. J. Joel LaBauve Dcn. Jeff R. Easley Sr. Ann Catherine Nguyen FMOL

August 19, 2016 VIEWPOINT The Catholic Commentator 17

Unless you are already a full saint or a mystic, you will always live in some fear of death and the afterlife. That’s simply part of being human.

But we can, and must, move beyond our fear of God. As a child, I lived with a lot of fear. I had a very ac-

tive imagination and too-frequently imagined murder-ers under my bed, poisonous snakes slithering up my leg, deadly germs in my food, playground bullies look-ing for a victim, a hundred ways in which I could meet an accidental death and threats of every kind lurking in the dark. As a child, I was often afraid: afraid of the dark, afraid of death, afraid of the afterlife and afraid of God.

As I matured, so too did my imagination; it no longer pictured snakes hiding everywhere or murderers under my bed. I began to feel strong, in control, imagining the unknown, with its dark corners, more as opportunity for growth than as threat to life. But it was one thing to block out fear of snakes, murderers and the dark. Not so easily did I overcome my fear of death, fear of the af-terlife and fear of God. These fears are the last demons to be exorcised, and that exorcism is never final, never completely done with. Jesus, himself, trembled in fear before death, before the unknown that faces us in death. But he didn’t tremble in fear before God, the opposite in fact. As he faced death and the unknown, he was able to give himself over to God, in childlike trust, like a child clinging to a loving parent, and that gave him the strength and courage to undergo an anonymous, lonely and misunderstood death with dignity, grace and forgiveness.

We need never be afraid of God. God can be trusted. But trust in God does include a healthy fear of God because one particular fear is part of the anatomy of love itself. Scripture says: The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. But that fear, healthy fear, must

be understood as a rever-ence, a loving awe, a love that fears disappoint-ing. Healthy fear is love’s fear, a fear of betraying, of not being faithful to what love asks of us in return for its gratuity. We aren’t afraid of someone we trust, fearing that he or she will suddenly turn arbitrary, unfair, cruel, incomprehensible, vicious, unloving. Rather we are afraid about our own being worthy of the trust that’s given us, not least from God.

But we must trust that God understands our human-ity: God doesn’t demand that we give him our con-scious attention all of the time. God accepts the natural wanderings of our hearts. God accepts our tiredness and fatigue. God accepts our need for distraction and escape. God accepts that we usually find it easier to immerse ourselves in entertainment than to pray. And God even accepts our resistances to him and our need to assert, with pride, our own independence. Like a loving mother embracing a child that’s kicking and screaming but needs to be picked up and held, God can handle our anger, self-pity and resistance. God understands our humanity, but we struggle to understand what it means to be human before God.

For many years, I feared that I was too immersed in the things of this world to consider myself a spiritual person, always fearing that God wanted more from me. I felt that I should be spending more time in prayer,

but, too often, I’d end up too tired to pray, more inter-ested in watching a sports event on television or more interested in sitting around with family, colleagues or friends, talking about everything except spiritual things. For years, I feared that God wanted me to be more explicitly spiritual. He probably did! But, as I’ve aged, I’ve come to realize that being with God in prayer and being with God in heart is like being with a trusted friend. In an easeful friendship, friends don’t spend most of their time talking about their mutual friendship. Rather they talk about everything: local gossip, the weather, their work, their children, their headaches, their heartaches, their tiredness, what they saw on television the night before, their favorite sports teams, what’s happening in politics and the jokes they’ve heard recently – though they occasionally lament that they should ideally be talking more about deeper things. Should they?

St. John of the Cross teaches that, in any longer-term friendship, eventually the important things begin to happen under the surface, and surface conversation becomes secondary. Togetherness, ease with each other, comfort, and the sense of being at home, is what we give each other then.

That’s also true for our relationship with God. God made us to be human and God wants us, with all of our wandering weaknesses, to be in his presence, with ease, with comfort and with the feeling that we are at home. Our fear of God can be reverence or timidity; the former is healthy, the latter is neurotic.

OBLATE FATHER ROLHEISER, theologian, teacher and award-winning author, is president of the Oblate School of Theology in San Antonio, Texas. He can be contacted through his website ronrolheiser.com, or facebook.com/ronrolheiser.

In ExileFather Ron Rolheiser

Moving beyond our fear of God

In 2006, I wrote a column called “The Health Benefits of Going to Church.” In it,

I reviewed two studies that examined whether attendance at religious services could be beneficial for overall health.

Now comes another study with an intriguing finding. An evaluation of data from the Nurses’ Health Study con-cluded: “In the cohort of U.S. women, frequent religious ser-vice attendance was associated with a significantly lower rate of suicide.”

Catholic women who at-tended religious services once or more per week had a lower rate of suicide than churchgoers of other denominations among the study cohort. Catholic women who attended daily had no inci-dence of suicide at all.

The study, published in the medical journal “Psychiatry” in June 2016, is a meeting of two important aspects of the lead re-searcher’s life: faith and science.

Tyler VanderWeele PhD,

professor of epidemiology at Harvard T.H. Chang School of Public Health, grew up in a Protestant family and was re-ceived into the Catholic Church four years ago.

“I’ve been a person of faith my entire life,” says Vander-Weele. “Professionally, the ques-tion: ‘Is there any intersection between faith, health and public health?’ comes naturally.”

Far from relying on an-ecdotes to explore the issue, VanderWeele’s quantitative approach uses respected data from sources such as the Nurses’ Health Study to take an objective, scientific look at those aspects of religious belief and practice that are important to individuals’ health and to public health.

Colleagues have been “quite supportive of the research,” says VanderWeele. “The meth-odology is rigorous. I haven’t really gotten pushback. There is interest, maybe a little surprise. The associations are as strong as what one would find with studies on gender, race and economics.”

Further work might reveal the mechanisms that can be at-tributed to these strong associ-ations. Attendance at religious services in general provides social support, a vital compo-nent in coping with one or more life challenges. But this alone might not be the only reason

why religious attendance seems to have a powerful correlation with the low risk of suicide.

“I don’t think we know exactly what it is about the con-tent of the service that has this effect. I do think that probably the social support one has at re-ligious services has some role,” says VanderWeele. “But there is also the moral belief that suicide is wrong, which could be another mechanism. Also, the feeling of being close to God and in communion with God.

“With regard to Catholicism in particular, the belief in re-spect for life from the moment of conception to natural death has an effect on the perception of what suicide is and that it is wrong. This is not an abstract belief, but it’s reinforced on a weekly basis.”

VanderWeele hopes his work finds a use in clinical settings, such as psychological counsel-ing.

“It’s understood that some-one’s decisions are based on

values, evidence, upbringing, relationships and so on. But for a patient who already identi-fies as religious, it’s reasonable to suggest: ‘Have you thought about attending a service that is reflective of your beliefs?’”

Our lives are witnesses to the power of faith, but some-times we might be at a loss for words to explain the benefits of our faith to others. Vander-Weele also hopes his work might help individuals and church communities make the case for religious attendance.

“There are increasing trends for people self-identifying as spiritual but not religious,” he says. “This kind of study suggests they might be miss-ing out on a very important spiritual experience. Churches could make use of this study to encourage people to come back to church.”

PRATT is a playwright, journal-ist and author, as well as a speaker and patient advocate.

More good news for churchgoing women

Living WellMaureen Pratt

18 The Catholic Commentator COMING EVENTS August 19, 2016

Reflection on Mercy – Father Jeffrey A. Mentz, pro-fessor of spirituality at Notre Dame Seminary in New Or-leans, will present an afternoon of reflection, “Mercy,” on Saturday, Aug. 20, noon – 3:30 p.m., at the St. Margaret Room of the Hall of Saints at St. Margaret Queen of Scot-land Church, Hwy. 43 South at Interstate 1-12, Albany. For more information, call 225-567-3573.

Quilt Raffle – St. John Primary School in Prairieville and St. Theresa Middle School in Gonzales will raffle a quilt at its annual Festival of Friends Friday, Sept. 30 – Sunday, Oct. 2. The quilt will be on display and tickets will be sold after the weekend Masses at the following church-es: Aug. 20– 21, St. Joseph Church, 15710 Hwy. 16, French Settlement and St. Stephen the Martyr Church, 22502 Highway 22, Maurepas; Aug. 27 – 28, St. Gabriel Church, 3625 Hwy. 75, St. Gabriel; Sept. 3 – 4, St. Anthony Church, 37311 Hwy. 22 Darrow and St. Anne Church, 7348 Main Street, Sorrento; and St. Theresa of Avila Church, 1022 N. Burnside Ave., Gonzales. The quilt will also be on display at the Festival of Friends.

40 Days for Life Meeting – Baton Rouge’s sixth 40 Days for Life Campaign will run from Wednesday, Sept. 28 – Sunday, Nov. 6. There will be an informational meeting on Wednesday, Aug. 23, 7 p.m., in Room 104 of the Bishop Robert E. Tracy Center, 1800 S. Acadian Thwy., Baton Rouge. Help is needed with event planning, communica-tions, outreach and site coordination. For more informa-tion, email [email protected] or call Daniell Van Haute at 225-242-1064.

Financial Education With Biblical Principles – Two churches in the diocese will present financial educa-tion based on biblical principle. St. Thomas More Church, 11441 Goodwood Blvd., Baton Rouge, will offer the course on Thursdays, 6:30 p.m., beginning Sept. 15 in the par-ish activity center. There will be an informational meet-ing on Tuesday, Aug. 23, 7 p.m. To register and for more information, call 225-275-3940 or visit stmchurch.org. Immaculate Conception Church, 865 Hatchell Lane, Den-ham Springs, will have the course starting Tuesday, Sept. 13, 7 p.m. For information or to register, visit icc-msh.org or daveramsey.com/fpu/classes/1021402.

Women in Spirit Meeting – Tina Holland, presi-dent, Our Lady of the Lake College, will speak about her faith journey to the Catholic Church at the Women in Spir-it Meeting on Thursday, Aug. 25, noon, at St. Joseph Ca-thedral, Fourth and Main streets, Baton Rouge. Women in Spirit is an interfaith program for women of various eth-nic and religious affiliations to network. To RSVP email [email protected] or call the cathedral office at 225-387-5928.

Secular Order of Discalced Carmelites – The Sec-ular Order of Discalced Carmelites welcomes all who are interested in developing their prayer life according to the Carmelite saints. The next meeting will be Sunday, Sept. 11, 1:30 p.m., at Our Lady of Mercy Parish Activity Center in St. Gabriel’s Room, 444 Marquette Ave., Baton Rouge. For more information, call 225-343-3181 or 225-803-3391, or email [email protected].

Parenting Seminar – Family psychologist John Rosemond will speak on “Parenting With Love and Lead-ership,” on Monday, Sept. 12, 6:30 – 8:30 p.m., at St. Aloy-sius Church, 2025 Stuart Ave., Baton Rouge. For more in-formation, call 225-931-8582.

Blue Mass – St. John the Baptist Church, 402 S. Kirk-land Dr., Brusly, will celebrate a Blue Mass honoring law enforcement personnel on Sunday, Sept. 25, 9 a.m. For more information, call 225-749-2189.

Metairie Retreat Center Events – The Archdiocese of New Orleans Retreat Center, 5500 St. Mary St., Metai-rie, has several upcoming events. It will host a spiritual legacy letter series, Wednesdays, 5:30 p.m. – 7 p.m., August 31, Sept. 7 and Sept. 14. On Tuesday, Sept. 13, 7 p.m., Archbishop Albert Hughes will present “Local Holy Men and Women of Mercy.” A formation series on the intercession will be held Wednesdays, 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m., starting Sept. 14. Father David Caron OP will lead a day of prayer, “Mercy Me: Living the Year of Mercy,” on Tuesday, Sept. 27 at the Archdiocese of New Orleans Retreat Center, 5500 St. Mary St., Metairie. To register and for more information, visit retreats.arch-no.org, call 886-937-9170, or email [email protected].

Day of Prayer – Sister Rose Bowen OP will present a day of prayer, “The Francis Effect,” on Wednesday, Sept. 21 at Rosaryville Spirit Life Center, 39003 Rosaryville Road, Ponchatoula. The cost of the day is $35. To RSVP and for more information, call 225-294-5039.

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“When I look through those bars (at the prisoners), I realize that our God loves these men just as much as he loves me,” he added.

As the full-time lay minister at An-gola, a post he has held since January when Father Bernard Papania was called back to his home diocese in Biloxi, Mis-sissippi, Jackson visits with the prisoners on a regular basis, offering words of faith, hope and sometimes just friendship. “I have experienced tremendous growth (through prison ministry work),” said Jackson. “I often tell the men (in prison) that God is sending me here to speak to me as much as I’m here to speak to you.”

But Jackson’s faith is not the only change he has witnessed through prison ministry. His family has also noticed how, through the years, his experiences have made him a better husband and father, even sparking a desire for the ministry in his youngest son.

“He is now a prison minister, too. He said he wanted to have what it (prison ministry) gave me,” said Jackson.

Joan Chapman, a parishioner at St. Gabriel Church in St. Gabriel, also under-stands the desire to minister to prisoners.

Like Jackson, Chapman never seri-ously considered it, even though she was repeatedly asked.

“I just thought I would pray for them (the prisoners); that was going to be my thing,” said Chapman.

But eventually, she was asked one more time, and when she saw the need at Elayn Hunt Correctional Center, which was in her community, she agreed to help set up a faith sharing group.

“I convinced another lady to come with me and (on the night of the first group meeting) none of the prisoners showed

up,” she said.But the night wasn’t

a waste because one in-mate noticed them wait-ing. When he discovered what they were hoping to do, he told the two women to come back the following week.

“He said, ‘If y’all come back, I’ll have people here,” she said. “And he did.”

Since that time, the Thursday night group has flourished, with 20 to 30, some-times more, prisoners coming together with volunteers to share their faith. The volunteers also plan special events out-side of weekly group meetings, including retreat days and a special home-cooked dinner at Christmas.

“It (the faith group) is inspirational. We get as much out of it as the men,” said Lynn Blanchard, who, in addition to serv-ing as a Eucharist minister at Hunt pris-on, ministers on Thursday nights along with his wife, Brenda.

“I love going,” said Brenda Blanchard, a parishioner at St. Gabriel Church, who noted that they are committed to the pro-gram.

“Our kids say, ‘It’s Thursday night. We can’t go to Mama’s,’ ” she laughed.

During the two-hour group meeting, Chapman explained, prisoners read the Sunday Scriptures for the upcoming week and discuss various questions. And, she added, it’s this time that can be especially faith enriching.

“I remember when I was going through some things with a family member,” Chapman noted, adding discussions that night, while planned around another theme, just happened to turn to what she needed to hear. As she listened to the pris-oners share their thoughts, she was able to see her own issues in another light.

“We started talking about forgiveness, and they said forgiveness is not a one time thing; sometimes you have to forgive over and over and over again,” she said.

For Curt Soilleau, an-other regular volunteer on Thursday nights and someone who has spent

decades as a prison minister serving at Angola as well as at Hunt prisons, faith sharing is just one part of the bigger pic-ture.

“Christ calls us to live the corporal works of mercy. To me there is no differ-ence from going to St. Vincent de Paul and feeding the homeless to going to a prison,” the St. Gabriel Church parishioner said, adding that by helping someone else, you are also helping yourself.

“You get repaid back one hundred fold what you put in,” he said.

Minos Ponville, a deacon candidate in the Diocese of Baton Rouge, is new to prison ministry, having just completed the required training as mandated for all prison volunteers by the state Depart-ment of Corrections.

“My challenge when I went for the first time was to see Christ in each person. You have to realize this is a child of God, and Christ resides in that person. I wasn’t sure

I could see that, but it soon became clear, that yes, there is that spark of Christ, and when you reach out to that spark, good things happen,” he said.

Father Charlie Landry, pastor of St. Gabriel, sees good things happening through prison ministry all of the time.

He first began ministering to inmates when he was pastor at Our Lady of Mt. Car-mel in St. Francisville, which is near Ango-la, years ago. Now, as the pastor of a church parish where both Hunt and Louisiana Cor-rectional Institute for Women (LCIW) are located, Father Landry visits the prisoners and, along with at least six other priests in the diocese, rotates celebrating the weekly Mass at Hunt every Friday.

“Once you go, you realize these prison-ers are fellow human beings who made mistakes being human, just like I make mistakes being human,” said Father Landry, emphasizing that by showing mercy to others, we are able to fully live out and grow within our own faith.

The Catholic Commentator will con-tinue its focus on prison ministry in fu-ture issues.

If interested in volunteering as a pris-on minister or would like more informa-tion about prison ministry, contact Linda Fjeldsjo, coordinator of the prison min-istry office and Joseph Homes through Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Baton Rouge at [email protected].

MINISTRY From page 1

A PATRIOTIC START – Teachers at Ascension Catholic School in Donaldsonville greeted students in the Olympic spirit, donning umbrella hats sporting our na-tion’s colors. Back row, pictured left to right, are Father Joseph Vu, parochial vicar at Ascension of Our Lord Church and St. Francis of Assisi Church, both in Donald-sonville; teacher Dee Lemann, school librarian Barbara Thibaut and Father Paul Yi, pastor at Ascension Catholic and St. Francis and chancellor for the Diocese of Baton Rouge. Lemann and Thibaut traditionally conjure up creative ways to wel-come students on the first day of school. Photo provided by Dana Schexnayder | Ascension Catholic School

CORPORAL WORKS OF MERCY

To feed the hungryTo give drink to the thirstyTo clothe the nakedTo harbour the harbourlessTo visit the sickTo ransom the captiveTo bury the dead


Pineda said he is fascinated by St. Teresa, who wrote about the “interior castle,” inspired by her vision of the soul as a diamond in the shape of a castle contain-ing seven mansions, which she interpreted as the journey of faith through seven stages, end-ing with union with God. She was misunderstood, misjudged, opposed for her call for conver-sion and reform.

“It is so inspiring that someone who found herself in the situations – the persecutions – that she did and still had the faith,” said Pine-da. “For such a young person to have such faith is incredible.”

Other acquisitions included of Father Henry Nouwen’s book, “The Return of the Prodigal Son.” The offices of Marriage and Family Life and Evangelization and Catechesis of the Diocese of Baton Rouge made a joint effort in bringing the books and study guides, which were also used

in a Lenten reflection for study groups, families and individuals, to the prisons of the diocese.

Mark Carpenter entered the Catholic faith with Pineda through the RCIA program.

“I didn’t choose RCIA, RCIA chose me,” Carpenter said, stat-ing he had studied the Protestant, Greek Orthodox and many other traditions before “coming to the truths of the Catholic faith.”

He now teaches a class on apologetics.

“I try to open their eyes from all the misinformation (about the Catholic faith) they may have,” said Carpenter. “We have facts and we also provide docu-mentation.”

Apologetics is also a favor-ite subject of inmate Anthony Scamardo, who helped facilitate groups in the RCIA program, and has played a big part in get-ting books and teaching materi-als for the Catholic ministry.

Scarmado pointed out that Catholicism strives to be a “faith in action.”

“You can study as much as you want, but if you don’t put it into action, you’ve got nothing,” said Scarmado, pointing to the state-ment from James 2:14-17 that “faith without works is dead.” He highlighted the works done by Dorothy Day and others who work for social justice.

“Working is putting others before yourself,” said Scarmado.

He, Pineda and Carpenter said the work they do, however, is not theirs alone, but the efforts of other inmates and volunteers as well. One of the highlights of the year is when volunteers take food to DCI to celebrate Mass and dinner with the inmates.

Inmates expressed their ap-preciation for the volunteers.

“They give us a sense that we’re not ignored,” said inmate Gary Sanchez. “Working together makes us a success. You work as a unit as we are called to do – not only for yourself, but for the church as well, in order to educate and al-low Catholics to explain their faith in an intelligent manner.”

The inmates also explained they are challenged by what they learn and share on Friday nights to go out and share with the rest of the Dixon population.

“It’s not always easy,” said Sanchez. “We have a lot of things to deal with. They can be very stressful and ugly. In order to do that, we have to have some kind of communication on how to structure our lives for the future.”

“There’s no amount of money that can be put on this, I love ev-ery one of them,” said Sanchez.

Linda Fjeldso, coordinator of the prison ministry office and Joseph Homes for the Diocese of Baton Rouge, said many of the

inmates do not have people who visit them in prison, and the vol-unteers “fill that void.”

Fjeldsjo said she is happy when she hears about the chang-ing of hearts that happens when inmates and volunteers dialogue.

“Because the inmates know every Friday night they are go-ing to have a force of volunteers coming out they are more com-mitted,” said Fjeldsjo.

The volunteers said they are drawn to the ministry because they are blessed through their work with the prisoners.

Thomas Telhiard, of St. Aloy-sius Church in Baton Rouge, said he was a little anxious when go-ing to his first visit to Dixon. “The idea of going into a gated area and into the prison was a little un-nerving,” said Telhiard. “Now I’m in a confined area with them.”

But when the inmates told him, “I cannot believe you are coming out here on a Friday night when you could be going to dinner or out after work,” he knew he was in the right place.

He said the way the inmates and volunteers respond to each other shows that the essential difference between them is “they are incarcerated and we are not … the solidarity of humanity.”

“Although I came to this min-istry with certain biases and pre-conceived ideas, I now know that those can be set aside temporar-ily and that powerful blessings can be both given and received by anyone who chooses to volun-teer for this ministry,” said Da-vid Bondy, also of St. Aloysius, who is in the ministry with his wife, Jeanie. “Before committing to this ministry I can remember wondering whether the time I

would put in would yield results.“That question has been

powerfully answered numerous times: We know of one inmate who was released and has a full time ministry of his own. An-other has taught himself to paint and through encouragement of our volunteers has become an excellent artist. In addition to these tangible results, we believe that there are many more seeds sown that will bear fruit we may never know about.”

Michelle Carrier, who coor-dinates the ministry along with the Bondys, said she had a “You did the crime, you do the time,” mentality and struggled when the prison ministry heading “jumped off the page” when she looked over ministry options at St. Aloysius. She said, fortunate-ly, the Holy Spirit’s “Yes” over-rode her “No.”

“It didn’t take long for me to see that (locking them up and throwing away the key) mentality wasn’t right,” said Carrier. “I saw there was so much talent wasted in that prison. God showed me that people make mistakes and that we need to do a better job of rehabilitation.”

Noting that this is the Year of Mercy, Carrier said the pas-sage from Matthew 25, comes to mind, in which Jesus said, “whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.”

“We really need to listen to God’s call,” said Carrier. “In this case, being obedient has been such a huge blessing to me. If I had been disobedient and fol-lowed my own selfish desires, I would have missed out on expe-riences I cherish.”

DIXON From page 1

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Our Lady of the Lake College, the only Catholic Franciscan in-stitution of higher education in the southeastern United States, recently received a $446,692 award from Lilly Endowment Inc. to develop a summer pro-gram for youth centered on Franciscan theology, ethics and vocational discernment.

Young people often have a good sense of what Christians believe. But many do not know how those beliefs took shape and why and how they endure. This new summer program, entitled “The Franciscan Experience” (TFE), will meet a need felt by high school-aged students seek-ing deeper engagement in the Christian tradition.

Young people often find St. Francis of Assisi because of his radical love of God and empha-sis on service appealing, but few of them have studied the deeper reasons behind his love of the poor.

“We find that when students engage in the why questions, especially when posed in rela-tion to their own experiences, they engage with the material in a more substantive and perma-nent way,” said David Whidden PhD, the lead investigator on the grant.

As part of the week-long program, instructors will draw upon the college’s nationally-recognized program in service-learning to challenge students

to more actively address the ethical and theological ques-tions posed in the classroom through service in the commu-nity.

Participants in the program will have the opportunity to serve in a soup kitchen and a shelter for women and children. TFE will challenge students to reflect on questions related to ethics, social justice, and how each of us is called to care for the poorest in our community.

Designed for students look-ing for more intellectual, spiri-tual, experiential and ethical formation, TFE will also en-courage high school students to think about their own calling in life.

OLOL College awarded Lilly Endowment grant

Ministry reaches out to inmates 'God loves these men' - The ...

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