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News Briefs
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NEWS BRIEFS Jan-3-2006
By Catholic News Service
U.S.
Up to 28 more U.S. bishops could retire for age reasons in 2006
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Following the Jan. 3 retirement of Ukrainian Bishop Basil H. Losten of Stamford, Conn., up to 28 other U.S. bishops, including five cardinals, could retire because of age this year. There are 14 still-active U.S. bishops, including three cardinals, who have already turned 75. Fourteen more, including two cardinals, will celebrate their 75th birthday in 2006. At age 75 bishops are requested to submit their resignation to the pope. Bishop Losten turned 75 last May 11. Cardinal Edmund C. Szoka, 78, who has been in Vatican service since 1990, has been the oldest active U.S. cardinal since July 2003. The former bishop of Gaylord, Mich., and former archbishop of Detroit turned 75 Sept. 14, 2002. In Vatican service since 1990, he is president of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State. In 2005 Cardinals Adam J. Maida of Detroit and Theodore E. McCarrick of Washington turned 75. Cardinal William H. Keeler of Baltimore will be 75 March 4, 2006. Cardinal Bernard F. Law, archpriest of St. Mary Major Basilica in Rome, will be 75 Nov. 4, 2006.
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Bishop offers prayers for trapped miners and their families
WHEELING, W.Va. (CNS) -- After learning of the explosion at the Sago Coal Mine in Upshur County near Buckhannon that left 13 coal miners trapped Jan. 2, Bishop Michael J. Bransfield of Wheeling-Charleston expressed his deep concern for the miners and said he is praying for them and for their families. Rescue efforts were under way for the miners who were trapped 260 feet below ground as their families waited at the nearby Sago Baptist Church. Bishop Bransfield pledged the prayers and support of the people of his diocese during this time. "As the coal miners and their families struggle through this unimaginable tragedy, I join with the people of the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston and all West Virginians in praying for them and that they will soon be reunited," Bishop Bransfield said. "This tragedy is being felt at all ends of our state and this is a time when we must come together as one in prayer," he added.
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Judge rules Portland Archdiocese owns all its parishes
PORTLAND, Ore. (CNS) -- A federal judge ruled Dec. 30 that it is the Catholic Archdiocese of Portland, not its individual parishes, that owns all parish properties. In a statement released by spokesman Bud Bunce, the archdiocese expressed disappointment. "We feel strongly that this decision is not supported by the facts or the law and believe it infringes on the archdiocese's right and the parishioners' rights to freely exercise their religion," the statement said. At stake in the decision is the property of 124 parishes, including 40 parish elementary schools and three archdiocesan high schools, whose combined worth up may be as much as half a billion dollars. About 130 claimants seeking damages for alleged sexual abuse by priests in the Portland Archdiocese have asked to have the parish and school properties included among archdiocesan assets available for settling their claims. The archdiocese has argued that under church law each parish owns its own property and the archdiocese only holds those properties in trust for the parishes.
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New Orleans archbishop urges Catholics to recognize God's presence
NEW ORLEANS (CNS) -- Archbishop Alfred C. Hughes of New Orleans urged Catholics in his archdiocese to recognize God's presence "in the midst of tragedy, loss and anguish." "God is already shining light on our darkness," he wrote in his Christmas column that appeared in the Dec. 24 edition of the Clarion Herald, archdiocesan newspaper. "In this post-Katrina time we are encountering a terribly dark period in our history. So much devastation still seems to overshadow the recovery and restoration. Significant sections of our city still lie in darkness," he wrote. In this context, he noted that the words of the prophet Isaiah -- about the people who have walked in darkness and seen a great light -- take on new meaning. "In the midst of tragedy, loss and anguish, God is indeed present," the archbishop wrote. "He is enlightening and strengthening us to engage in the challenging work of recovery, restoration and rebuilding."
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Denver parishioners witness ongoing impact of Hurricane Katrina
DENVER (CNS) -- When Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast and levees collapsed in New Orleans, flooding homes and businesses, people all over the country wanted to know how they could help. Parishioners at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Northglenn, just outside Denver, were no exception. Their first hurdle, according to Dave Pipp, director of evangelization for the Denver Archdiocese, wasn't what to do, but getting in contact with those in the affected area. He said parishioners searched on the Internet and found an Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in one of the most heavily damaged sections of New Orleans. "That's where we began," Pipp told the Denver Catholic Register, archdiocesan newspaper. So Immaculate Heart of Mary in Northglenn "adopted" the similarly named parish in New Orleans with the intent of getting its sister parish back on its feet. In December, a group of Northglenn parishioners, led by pastor Father Gregory Ames, traveled to New Orleans to present a $50,000 check. Long-range plans call for a busload of volunteers to go to New Orleans in 2006 to help with the cleanup and to continue to collect donations for the church.
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Tennessee parish bridges Spanish-English language gap
MANCHESTER, Tenn. (CNS) -- The 2005 Manchester Christmas parade included a very special float that reflected a growing closeness of the English- and Spanish-speaking communities at St. Mark Church. The float, prepared by the children in the parish's religious education program, featured a Nativity scene with Spanish- and English-speaking children and music in Spanish and English. Last year for the first time St. Mark combined the religious education program for Spanish-speaking and English-speaking children, rather than having separate, language-based programs. Diana Salsbury, coordinator of faith formation for the English-speaking children of her parish, decided earlier last year to include Hispanic children, who had previously attended separate religious education classes. The children "were so happy that they were all included and we knew it was going to work then," said Salsbury. Maria Rodriguez, coordinator for the Hispanic community, said, "I feel very good about it. ... The kids seem to be happier and more interested in what they are learning."
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WORLD
When people recognize truth, they become peacemakers, says pope
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- When people recognize the truth that they are all children of God and that moral law exists for the benefit of all, they become peacemakers, Pope Benedict XVI said. "Peace -- this great aspiration in the heart of every man and woman -- is built day by day with the support of everyone," the pope said Jan. 1 as he celebrated Mass for the feast of Mary, Mother of God and for World Peace Day. The Mass in St. Peter's Basilica and the recitation of the Angelus afterward in St. Peter's Square featured people from around the world dressed in their native costumes. Many carried peace banners. During the Mass, the offertory gifts were given to Pope Benedict by two boys and a girl from Germany dressed as the Magi and participants from Mexico, Peru, Pakistan, Vietnam and Democratic Republic of Congo.
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Remember poor, abandoned, needy, pope says at thanksgiving liturgy
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Benedict XVI rang out 2005 with prayers of thanks and a call to remember the poor and needy of the world. The pope, presiding at an annual "Te Deum" liturgy of thanksgiving in St. Peter's Basilica Dec. 31, said the church needs to share the pain of those who suffer. "I want to remember in a special way those who are in difficulty: the poor and the abandoned, those who have lost hope in finding the sense of their own existence, or those who are unwilling victims of selfish interests," he said. "We ask the Lord to soothe with his grace the pain provoked by evil," he said.
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Vatican news agency reports 26 missionaries murdered in 2005
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Although many of them were killed during robbery attempts, the 26 Catholic missionaries murdered in 2005 each died spreading the Gospel and serving the poor and victims of violence, a Vatican news agency said. Fides, the news agency of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, published its annual list of murdered church personnel Dec. 30. The agency said its tally, twice as many as were killed in 2004, showed that one bishop, 20 priests, two religious brothers, two nuns and one lay missionary died violently in 2005. In the 2005 list, Fides included a priest killed in Russia and one killed in Belgium. Although they were not working in mission territories, the Belgian, Father Robert De Leener, was included because of his work with immigrants; Slovakian Father Jan Hermanovski was included because of his work with the homeless in Russia. "The list includes not only missionaries in the strict sense, but all church personnel killed in a violent way or who sacrificed their lives aware of the risks they ran by not abandoning their commitment," the agency said.
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Vatican announces papal liturgies, including communal penance service
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Benedict XVI's schedule of public liturgies through April includes a Lenten communal penitential service -- a papal first -- but no canonization or beatification ceremonies. Releasing the pope's January-April liturgical calendar Dec. 31, the Vatican announced the pope will preside over a communal penance service followed by private confessions and individual absolution April 11, the Tuesday of Holy Week. The schedule did not say whether the pope would be among the priests hearing confessions during the celebration in St. Peter's Basilica. Pope John Paul II made a tradition of hearing confessions on Good Friday at the basilica. Much of the four-month schedule involves presiding over liturgies traditionally led by the pope: for example, closing the Jan. 18-25 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity with an evening prayer service at the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls and celebrating Mass and distributing ashes March 1 in the Basilica of Santa Sabina.
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Scottish cardinal: Urge politicians to support Christian marriage
LONDON (CNS) -- A Scottish cardinal urged Catholics to encourage their politicians to support the model of Christian marriage. Cardinal Keith O'Brien of St. Andrews and Edinburgh, Scotland, criticized what he saw as trends in media, entertainment, law and politics eroding the traditional family. He said marriage is no longer seen as a social institution which is "uniquely capable of providing stability, producing children and providing the complementary roles of mother and father" but is reinterpreted merely as one of a number of private relationships. "It is true that divorce is widespread, sexual relationships outside of marriage and cohabitation are also widespread; they have become the social norms with many damaging consequences," he said in a New Year's Day Mass homily at St. Mary's Cathedral in Edinburgh.
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Pontifical council says Holy Spirit is theme of next three youth days
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- While choosing themes for the next three celebrations of World Youth Day, Pope Benedict XVI asked young Catholics to reflect on how the Holy Spirit leads people to encounter Christ, to love others and to go out to the world to spread the Gospel, said the Pontifical Council for the Laity. The council, which coordinates the local annual celebration of World Youth Day and organizes the international gatherings of young people with the pope, published the list of themes for 2006-2008. The next international gathering, the council said Jan. 3, will be held July 15-20, 2008, in Sydney, Australia. The theme for the 2008 event is "You Will Receive Power When the Holy Spirit Has Come Upon You; and You Will Be My Witnesses." The quotation is taken from the first chapter of the Acts of the Apostles. "Your Word Is a Lamp to My Feet and a Light to My Path" is the theme chosen by Pope Benedict for the 2006 celebrations, which will be held on the diocesan level, the council said. In 2007, also on the diocesan level, young people will focus on the theme "Just as I Have Loved You, You Also Should Love One Another."
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Professor says Palestinian nonviolence not yet at grass-roots level
BETHLEHEM, West Bank (CNS) -- Although Palestinian nonviolence movements are growing, there is still work to be done to bring the concept to a grass-roots level, said a U.S.-based university professor. Mohammed Abu-Nimer, a professor at American University in Washington, spoke at a three-day conference on nonviolence sponsored by the Holy Land Trust, a Palestinian group dedicated to strengthening the Palestinian community, and Nonviolence International, which promotes nonviolent actions around the world. Some 350 Americans, Europeans, Palestinians and Israelis took part in the conference, which was hosted at the Terra Sancta College near Manger Square in Bethlehem Dec. 27-30. On three separate occasions during the conference, when meeting with nonparticipants, Abu-Nimer quoted an old Arabic adage, "That which is taken by force can be taken back by force." He said many Palestinians see nonviolence as a form of co-opting, when it is exactly the opposite. Abu-Nimer, originally from Israel, is an associate professor of international peace and conflict resolution at the American University School of International Service.
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PEOPLE
U.S. Ukrainian bishop retires; successor, Philly auxiliary named
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Benedict XVI has accepted the resignation of Bishop Basil H. Losten of the Ukrainian Diocese of Stamford, Conn., and named as his successor Canadian-born Bishop Paul P. Chomnycky, who since 2002 has been apostolic exarch for Ukrainian-rite Catholics living in Great Britain. The pope also named Msgr. John Bura, pastor of St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Parish in Wilmington, Del., to be auxiliary bishop of the Ukrainian Archdiocese of Philadelphia. The appointments were announced at the Vatican Jan. 3. Bishop Losten, who turned 75 last May, has headed the Stamford Diocese since 1977. A staunch advocate of the Eastern Catholic Church in Ukraine, which was harshly suppressed for many decades under Soviet rule, Bishop Losten frequently spoke out for the rights of Ukrainian Catholics and after the fall of communism was involved in the efforts of the U.S. bishops to help restore and rebuild the church in Ukraine.
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Teen inventors hope to ease water carriers' burden in Third World
ST. LOUIS (CNS) -- Who says there's nothing new under the sun? Not the 10 seniors at Nerinx Hall High School in St. Louis who came up with an idea that earned them a grant from Lemelson-MIT InvenTeams program. "It's a water transport/treatment apparatus" that would make hauling and purifying water easier for people in undeveloped countries, said Julie Sutfin, physics teacher at Nerinx Hall, an all-girls school sponsored by the Sisters of Loretto. The students' proposal resulted in a $7,800 grant from the Lemelson-MIT InvenTeams program to support development of the project. Nerinx was one of only 18 schools in the country awarded a grant. Some of the students working on the InvenTeams project plan to major in science in college, but others are interested in political science, international business, accounting and languages, said Sutfin. "But they're all highly creative and motivated and smart in many different ways," she said. "It's really fun to work with them."
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Catholic school teacher uses athletic ability to bridge cultures
MORRIS PLAINS, N.J. (CNS) -- In many ways, Diesa Seidel, physical education teacher at St. Virgil School in Morris Plains and a former basketball star, is a real "globe-trotter." And she has years of frequent-flier miles to prove it. The 25-year-old Seidel, a St. Virgil's teacher since September 2004, has coached in an interreligious basketball league in South Korea, played professional women's basketball in France and Italy, built Habitat for Humanity homes in Guyana and helped spruce up a poor neighborhood in Trinidad and Tobago. In high school and college, the 6-foot-3 Seidel lit up the scoreboards with her considerable basketball talents. Today, she loves lighting up the faces of the St. Virgil's students she teaches, encouraging them to eat right and exercise regularly. On her international service trips, she loved trading smiles -- and making friends -- with the many warm and colorful people of various cultures and religions she met. Siedel's interest in international outreach comes naturally. Born in Toronto with French and Canadian citizenship, she was raised in Red Hook, N.Y.
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Copyright (c) 2006 Catholic News Service/USCCB. All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed.
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