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News Briefs
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NEWS BRIEFS Jun-18-2008
By Catholic News Service
U.S.
Boy Scouts remembered for helping others, loving life
OMAHA, Neb. (CNS) -- Amid a crowd of friends, family, Boy Scouts and Boy Scout leaders, Bryan and Arnell Petrzilka leaned over and kissed their 13-year-old son, Ben, whose body lay in a casket at Mary Our Queen Church in Omaha. An overflow crowd filled the church for the June 17 funeral of the teen, who attended Mary Our Queen School and who loved outdoor sports, Scouting and his Catholic faith. Ben Petrzilka and three other Boy Scouts lost their lives when a major tornado ripped through the Little Sioux Scout Ranch near Onawa, Iowa, June 11. The storm also injured 42 people who were huddled inside a cabin on the north side of the camp's 1,800 acres. One day after the tragedy, a candlelight vigil service for the survivors and victims took place at the Boy Scouts' Mid-America Council offices in Omaha. At least 200 people attended the event, including Jesuit Father John Schlegel, an Eagle Scout and president of Creighton University in Omaha, who led the prayer service. Funeral services for the four teenage victims took place the week of June 16 in Omaha and West Point. In addition to Ben, the victims were Aaron Eilerts, 14; Josh Fennen, 13; and Sam Thomsen, 13. Aaron also was Catholic, and hundreds gathered to attend his funeral June 16 at St. Mary Church in West Point, Neb.
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Researcher says days of Catholics who 'pay, pray and obey' are gone
MIAMI (CNS) -- The days of Catholics who "pay, pray and obey" are gone and likely never coming back, according to a sociologist who has studied the beliefs and practices of American Catholics for more than two decades. As a result, the church must find ways to reach new generations of Catholics who "don't think church leaders are any wiser or any holier than they are," said Purdue University's James Davidson, who spoke at the opening session of the annual gathering of the Catholic Theological Society of America. Davidson has conducted research on four generations of American Catholics, divided in relation to the 1962-65 Second Vatican Council: pre-Vatican II, those born in 1940 or earlier; Vatican II, born 1941-1960; post-Vatican II, born 1961-1982; and millennial, born since 1983. His findings set the tone for the June 5-8 conference, the theme of which was "Generations." Today's Catholics are generally better off financially, better educated and more integrated into mainstream American culture than their pre-Vatican II counterparts, Davidson said. They are no longer outsiders or victims of discrimination for whom the church was a refuge. They also grew up in a church where the emphasis shifted from the hierarchy to the people of God, from the ordained to the baptized. "These formative experiences have lasting effects on the way Catholics think and act," more so than age or any other factor, Davidson said.
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Twelve-year-old finds Gallup Diocese's missing bishop's crosier
GALLUP, N.M. (CNS) -- The Gallup Diocese has a 12-year-old boy to thank for finding a "symbolic piece of the diocese's heritage" that went missing sometime in early June, the diocese said June 13. The "piece" was the bishop's crosier, which has been in the diocese since its first bishop was ordained and installed in 1940. A crosier is one of the bishop's symbols of office. It disappeared sometime between June 1 and June 4 from Deacon Jim Hoy's truck. The deacon, who is the diocese's financial director, filed a police report after discovering his truck had been broken into and that the crosier and a bag he had in the truck had been taken. The crosier was returned in its black case the afternoon of June 12 to St. Francis Parish in Gallup. Inside the case was a note that read: "The staff was found by my 12-year-old cousin while riding his bike in the hills near Gallup Catholic (School) on Monday (June 9)." Neither the youngster who found the crosier nor his cousin were identified. The crosier's estimated value is between $3,000 and $5,000.
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Liturgical texts not subject to 'individual tastes,' bishop says
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- While the liturgical translations recently debated by the U.S. bishops were "not dummied down to the most common denominator," they remain "readily accessible to anyone," according to the chairman of the bishops' Committee on Divine Worship. Writing in the June 19 edition of his diocesan newspaper, The Beacon, Bishop Arthur J. Serratelli of Paterson, N.J., said "there is something more at stake than pleasing individual tastes and preferences in the new liturgical translations." "Certainly, some sentences could be translated to mimic our common speech. But they are not. And with good reason," he added. A 700-page translation of the second of 12 sections of the Roman Missal that will come before the bishops until at least 2010 prompted a lively and lengthy debate June 13 at the spring general assembly of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in Orlando, Fla. The vote on the translation of the proper prayers for Sundays and feast days during the liturgical year was inconclusive at the Orlando meeting.
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Georgetown lawyers give tips on how to hold media firms accountable
MINNEAPOLIS (CNS) -- A little bit of savvy Web surfing, combined with some diligent research, can keep media companies on their toes and accountable to the public they serve, according to Georgetown University law professor Angela Campbell. "Broadcasters are supposed to serve the public," said Campbell, who heads up the Citizens Communications Center Project for the Institute for Public Representation at Georgetown Law School in Washington. "Some take their responsibilities seriously, but many do not." When broadcasters pay little heed to Federal Communications Commission regulations, their broadcast licenses can be subject to challenge, said Campbell. She and other lawyers spoke during a June 8 forum, "Are You Being Served? Holding Local Broadcast Stations Accountable at the FCC," which was part of the fourth National Media Reform Conference in Minneapolis. Campbell said that when broadcast license terms were extended from three years to five years in 1981, and extended still further to eight years in 1996, it created a disincentive for community groups to keep broadcasters' feet to the fire. "What if in the second year (of the term) there's a really important local election and you get zero coverage on it, are you going to wait that long to challenge the license (renewal)?" she asked.
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New collection of 'Letters of St. Paul' published
BOSTON (CNS) -- To mark the special jubilee year dedicated to St. Paul, which Pope Benedict XVI formally opens June 28, Pauline Books & Media has published a new collection of the "Letters of St. Paul." The pocket-size, 290-page book also includes prayers related to St. Paul's letters, a study guide and an index of topics discussed by the saint. In a foreword, Pauline Father Jeffrey Mickler calls St. Paul "one of the most influential figures in human history" and said he has special messages for students, working men and women, sailors, athletes and communicators. "Most of all, however, people striving to be great lovers of God and neighbor will find in these letters soul-shaping wisdom and practical ways of sharing the Gospel with the world," Father Mickler said. "Savoring these letters as a whole will embed them in our hearts and minds, expand our capacity to love, and deepen our faith."
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WORLD
Australian bishops ask forgiveness, urge lapsed Catholics to return
PERTH, Australia (CNS) -- The Australian bishops have undertaken a nationwide newspaper advertising blitz, inviting lapsed Catholics to return and asking for forgiveness for any hurt the church caused individuals in the past. In the ad, run June 14-15, the bishops said they want to welcome people who have drifted away from the church "for whatever reason or people who have never really been a part of it." "The church is God's family and, like any family, has its differences," the bishops said in the ad. The campaign cost $20,000 (US$18,800). "Sometimes people are hurt by other family members. We ask your forgiveness if you have been hurt in some way through the church," the bishops said. In the past, church leaders have asked forgiveness for their failures in dealing with such issues as church unity, care for Aborigines and sex abuse.
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Opponents say bullet train threatens famous Spanish basilica
BARCELONA, Spain (CNS) -- Planned construction of an underground bullet train threatens to destroy one of Spain's most spectacular tributes to God, say opponents of the train. The Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Familia (Expiatory Temple of the Holy Family), Antoni Gaudi's unfinished masterpiece, stands just seven feet from the proposed construction site. This has prompted numerous public appeals to protect the basilica, a UNESCO World Heritage site that attracts an estimated 10,000 visitors a day. The plan for the bullet train -- approved last year by Barcelona Mayor Jordi Hereu, Catalan Premier Jose Montilla and the public works ministry -- aims to link the city to the Spanish capital of Madrid and to France. But opposition to the excavation, which some reports indicate could begin this summer, is strong. Opponents argue that construction activity so close to the famous church and vibrations from the moving train could destabilize the building's foundation and eventually cause it to crumble. Head architect Jordi Bonet, who has spent more than 40 years working on the basilica, has said publicly that any damage would be irreparable.
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Church-supported schools changing life for displaced Chadians
KOUKOU ANGARANA, Chad (CNS) -- Tens of thousands of Chadian children have been displaced from their home villages in the last two years by fighting among a variety of rebel groups, government armies and ethnic militias. The youngsters are crowded with their families into sweltering camps managed by the United Nations. Yet Catholic educators say there's an upside for the uprooted kids: They get to go to school. "The huge majority of the displaced had no schools in their villages of origin. They didn't know what a school was, because their villages were so poor and little," said Jesuit Father Maurice Joyeux, who directs the Jesuit Refugee Service teacher training program in this small desert town that sits amid three camps for displaced Chadians and Sudanese refugees. "This region had been abandoned. People are just now discovering what a school is, and it portends a significant historical change for the region's people," said the French priest. Since 2006 UNICEF has sponsored work by JRS and other nongovernmental organizations to establish an education system for displaced children in eastern Chad. JRS supports schools at 12 sites. The schools officially are run by the Chadian government, but JRS provides teacher training and salaries as well as some building construction and other support.
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Christians must balance prayer, action, pope says at audience
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Christians must strike a fruitful balance in their lives by including both prayer and action, Pope Benedict XVI said. People of faith can "run the risk of reducing themselves to being one-dimensional" either by retreating from the world to dedicate themselves to God and prayer or by totally immersing themselves in the world to help others, the pope said during his June 18 general audience in St. Peter's Square. Instead, believers must look for "a middle ground" by imitating Christ, whose life was dedicated to contemplation and action, he said. The pope's remarks were part of his catechesis in which he highlighted the life and teachings of St. Isidore of Seville, a prolific writer and bishop who lived in the sixth and seventh centuries. The pope said the Spanish saint was always torn between his love of study and prayer and his responsibilities as bishop, especially in helping the poor and needy.
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Lebanese priest's dream for spreading holiness becoming a reality
BEIRUT, Lebanon (CNS) -- Father Antonio el Feghali is realizing a dream. Working only with donated funds and the intercession of Mary and a Capuchin Franciscan priest who will be beatified June 22, Father el Feghali is transforming a mountain in the Chouf region near Beirut into a place of prayer and conversion. The money has come from many small donors and a few large contributors after he sought the help of Mary and Father Jacques Haddad, the Capuchin Franciscan who will be beatified in ceremonies in Martyr Square in the Lebanese capital. The project involves the restoration of a small building in the village of Deir el-Kamar, where a 60-foot-high cross was erected by Father Haddad in 1932. The cross towers above the summit of the 3,000-foot mountain. Since January 2008 Father el Feghali, a Maronite priest who is assistant pastor of Our Lady of the Hill Parish in Deir el-Kamar, felt "a great call from Father Yaacoub" to transform the building into the first church in the world dedicated to the Lebanese Capuchin.
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Church workers help former child soldiers in Chad adjust to new life
ABECHE, Chad (CNS) -- In this gritty desert outpost in eastern Chad, the streets are filled with stolen Toyota pickup trucks laden with rocket-propelled grenades and combatants whose camouflage turbans protect their faces from the swirling dust. Some are Chadian soldiers; some are members of Sudanese rebel groups that easily mingle among local inhabitants. Not far away, Chadian rebels maneuver in the desert, preparing their next attack. In this gun-oriented culture, many of the protagonists are children. Some carry guns as large as they are. Against this backdrop of almost constant war, where child soldiers become fodder for all armies, a handful of volunteers from Jesuit Refugee Service struggle to help former child combatants leave the violence behind and return to their families. JRS manages the Transit and Orientation Center, a place for children to begin their recovery from the trauma of war while waiting for their families to be located. One of three such centers in the country and the one closest to the fighting, the center opened in June 2007. It is funded by UNICEF. "Some of these children are very violent," said Catherine Lemare, a French social worker who founded the center and now coordinates the Catholic organization's program of reuniting children with their families. "We have a lot of problems with children smuggling in knives, with fighting between kids, especially between kids of different ethnic groups."
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Church remains sanctified through Eucharist, Argentine cardinal says
QUEBEC CITY (CNS) -- Humans may be fallible but the Catholic Church as an institution remains sanctified through the Eucharist, said Argentine Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio. As a sanctified institution, the church always deserves defending, even if its individual members err, the archbishop of Buenos Aires and primate of Argentina explained in a large catechetical session June 18 at the 49th International Eucharistic Congress. "The assurance of sanctity of the life of the church is not a question of personal or social privilege," he said. "It is ordained for service." Cardinal Bergoglio acknowledged that the "world really has the impression the church is always trying to defend its own power." However, he defended the church, saying that while individuals have abused their power, the sanctity of the church -- through the gift of God in the Eucharist -- remains intact. The cardinal's talk was one of five major lectures being presented at the June 15-22 congress. In it, he explained that the Eucharist is a gift that transforms those who receive it. It is both "sanctified and sanctifying," he said. He used the analogy of the marriage ceremony, with its anticipation of a lifelong commitment in love, as a parallel to the Eucharist. The church, in this sense, he said, is the bride, and reception of God's gift allows the church "to share the life the Lord has given to her for the life of the world."
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PEOPLE
Obama, McCain among mourners at Washington funeral Mass for Russert
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- The presumptive Democratic and Republican presidential nominees were among the scores of mourners at the June 18 private funeral Mass for NBC News Washington bureau chief and "Meet the Press" moderator Tim Russert, who died June 13 at the age of 58. In his homily, Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick, retired archbishop of Washington, said the presence of both Democratic Sen. Barack Obama and Republican Sen. John McCain was not only a special tribute to Russert, but to the U.S., speaking to the country's "values of respect and to those fundamental virtues which ultimately are more important even than politics and the shifting sands of public life." Before his unexpected death, Russert expressed his excitement about the 2008 presidential race and was eager to see the Obama-McCain race through to November. "It is not easy to preach a homily for Tim and to communicate the feelings we all share concerning this remarkable man, for he was surely one of the great communicators in American society," the cardinal told family and friends who gathered for the Mass.
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Auxiliary Bishop Quinn retires in Cleveland after 25 years as bishop
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Pope Benedict XVI has accepted the resignation of Auxiliary Bishop A. James Quinn, 76, of Cleveland. The resignation was announced in Washington June 14 by Archbishop Pietro Sambi, apostolic nuncio to the United States. Canon law requires bishops to turn their resignation in to the pope when they reach 75, but the pope may or may not accept it at that time. The son of a Cleveland grocer and a nurse, Bishop Quinn was ordained as a bishop Dec. 5, 1983, and served in the diocese's western region. He was ordained to the priesthood in 1958. "I'm grateful to God for the opportunities I have had in the priesthood to study abroad (and) to work with people on a professional level," Bishop Quinn said. In retirement, he said, "I'll be glad to help out as best I can with parishes with Mass and confession. I feel that's where my best talents would lie."
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More Catholic theologians today are laypeople, says new CTSA head
MIAMI (CNS) -- The Catholic Theological Society of America dates back to 1946, when nearly all of its members were priests. In the intervening years, more women religious began studying theology, as did lay men and women after the Second Vatican Council. "I'm a layperson through and through," said Terrence Tilley, incoming president of the society, which now includes many more women and people of color, including Hispanics and African-Americans. It members also include theologians born in Africa. Tilley made the comments to The Florida Catholic, Miami's archdiocesan newspaper, during the CTSA's annual gathering June 5-8 in Miami. "Many more of us are laypeople. Many more of us teach in colleges and universities and fewer of us in seminaries," Tilley said. "We don't have the order supporting us. Our scholarships are from 'Mr.' and 'Mrs.' not 'S.J.' (the Jesuits) and 'R.S.M.' (Sisters of Mercy)."
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Eucharist's power of healing leads to conversion, Swiss priest says
QUEBEC CITY (CNS) -- Nicolas Buttet's life looked bright. He was the youngest member of the Swiss Parliament and he was in a position to shape the country's future. And then he quit. It was 1988. The social problems and human suffering he encountered as a legislator begged for authentic solutions, ones he could not offer as a politician. His journey led him to discover the Eucharist as a source of healing and conversion. He's now a priest, devoting his life to eucharistic adoration and service to others. Father Buttet, now 47, eventually founded a religious community, Fraternite Eucharistein, dedicated to eucharistic adoration. He told his story June 17 during a plenary session of the June 15-22 International Eucharistic Congress.
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