Cardinal O’Malley: Gosnell convictions draw attention to tragedy of abortion
May 15, 2013
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WASHINGTON—The chairman of the Committee on Pro-Life Activities of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops called for reflection, greater respect for human life and healing in the wake of the May 13 convictions of Dr. Kermit Gosnell of Philadelphia.

“Dr. Gosnell’s trial brought much-needed attention to the tragedy of abortion,” said Cardinal Seán O’Malley, OFM Cap., of Boston. “His murder convictions of newly delivered infants have caused many people to reexamine their positions on abortion.”

Among Gosnell’s 237 convictions were three counts of first-degree murder of infants born alive during attempted late-term abortions, one count of infanticide, and the involuntary manslaughter of a patient who died from complications of anesthesia administered by an unlicensed nurse at his abortion clinic. He was also found guilty of conspiracy, performing abortions beyond the legal limit in Pennsylvania, and 208 violations of the state’s informed consent law. On May 14, Gosnell was sentenced to life in prison.

“In addition to the violence against defenseless unborn and newborn children, women’s lives were endangered by his unethical practices. I hope and pray that Dr. Gosnell will come to regret and repent for his many crimes,” Cardinal O’Malley said. “Our nation needs great healing from the culture of death, of which this sad story is only one example. Let us pray for the children who have been lost and the many mothers and families who silently grieve their loss. Our Lord longs to heal every person affected by the tragedy of abortion and other violence.”

More information on the Catholic Church’s pastoral response to those who have been involved in abortion is available at HopeAfterAbortion.com. More information on nationwide efforts of prayer and fasting are available at www.usccb.org/fast.

Green eggs and fun
May 16, 2013
Posted in Local News Share

STAMFORD—“Seussical Jr.,” a laugh-filled production by Trinity Catholic Middle School and the Sabers Players will be presented in the Trinity Catholic High School auditorium on Thursday, May 16th  and Friday, May 17th at 7pm. Tickets are $8 in advance and $10 at the door. For tickets and for more information, call 203.322.7383.

Fairfield Prep’s Mark Giannini is Gates Millennium Scholar
May 16, 2013
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For his leadership, community service and academic achievement, Mark H. Giannini, Fairfield Prep Class of 2013, has been chosen as a Gates Millennium Scholar. The Gates Millennium Scholars Program is the nation’s largest minority scholarship program and is funded by a $1.6 billion grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

From the largest and most competitive group of candidates in the program’s history, Mark was one of 1,000 chosen from a nationwide pool of 54,000 applicants. GMS scholarships are awarded to undergraduate students of diversity across the country who demonstrate academic excellence and strong leadership skills. Scholarships assist students in meeting the cost of attendance at the college or university of their choice. GMS scholars who choose to pursue graduate studies in the areas of computer science, education, engineering, library science, mathematics, public health and science are eligible to receive continued funding. The program also provides leadership development opportunities to ensure that scholars graduate prepared to become strong leaders in their professions and in their communities. Mark plans to attend the University of Notre Dame and pursue studies in applied mathematics and chemistry.

Mark has explored his talents and interests through academics, service, campus ministry and involvement in a number of clubs and organizations. He has participated in Fairfield Prep's Kairos retreat program, Campus Ministry Student Board, Debate Society and Political Awareness Club. Mark has embraced diversity at Prep by his involvement in the SEED program (Students for Educational Excellence through Diversity). Academically he achieves with the best in his class, maintaining a 3.8 grade point average while taking the strongest available course of studies offered. He has also shared his academic success through involvement in the Peer Tutor program, and has helped support the school community by his commitment to the Cardinal Key Society. His involvement in service goes beyond the Fairfield Prep campus as Mark has both experienced "Urban Plunge" and served as a leader of the urban immersion service program. Stepping outside the region, Mark traveled to Tierra Blanca, El Salvador, to participate in Prep’s service mission there. Mark understands the life changing potential of being selected as a Gates Millennium Scholar, and looks forward to exercising his leadership and continuing his journey of growth at the University of Notre Dame. Mark is the son of Mark and Valerie Giannini of Monroe.

Recognizing responsibility
May 15, 2013
Posted in Local News Share

STAMFORD—Students from Trinity Catholic Middle School responded with enthusiasm to an essay contest on "The Responsibility of Being Catholic in a Free Society" sponsored by the Knights of Columbus.

In April, the Knights awarded the winners (l-r): First Place, Kyle McArthur; Second Place, Jennifer Garcia; Third Place, Zachary Lockwood. On hand for the presentation were contest chair and past Grand Knight, Carmine J. Vaccaro; Principal of Trinity Catholic Middle School, Richard Fox; and current Grand Knight, Mike Tassone.

Bill Newbauer wins Tuition Raffle at Prep
May 15, 2013
Posted in Local News Share

FAIRFIELD—Fairfield Prep is pleased to announce Bill Newbauer, Class of '85 alumnus and father of Liam Newbauer (Class of ’16), is the winner of the annual $25,000 Tuition Raffle.

The winning ticket was pulled by Fr. John Hanwell, S.J., Prep's president, at the Spring Dinner and Auction on May 4, 2013. The prize can be used for any K-12 schools, colleges or universities, located and accredited in the U.S. Proceeds from the raffle benefit the scholarship and student enrichment programs at Fairfield Prep. Congratulations to Bill and his family!

Production provides antidote to bullying
May 15, 2013
Posted in Local News Share

DANBURY—St. Joseph School has taken on a very serious approach to their Anti-Bullying Campaign. Music Director, Jennifer Doherty has written and directed the school’s annual spring play: “Suddenly Saints”.

The play depicts a new student, Agnus Day, as a young lady who is bullied because she cannot afford to buy a stylish pair of shoes and is forced to wear work boots from a second hand shop because that is what her family can afford.  She takes much criticism from her peers, but remains confident in herself throughout the story.  Her school officials see her problem as a uniform violation and Agnus must serve daily detention for not wearing the proper shoes to school.  It is Miss Day’s job to share her life with her superiors and peers so that they may see what the situation is like from her perspective.  She does so through an original song written for the play called “Mile in My Shoes”.

In all 103 students, ranging in age from 6 through 14, have worked on this heartwarming production. All performances , held May 17 – 19 were SOLD OUT!

May Crowning
May 15, 2013
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STRATFORD—St. Mark School in Stratford recently celebrated both a May Crowing and Grandparents and Special Friends Day. Students in grades 2 and 8 professed their devotion to our Holy Mother with flowers.

The ceremony was followed by a special tribute to grandparents. Second graders wore their First Communion attire and eighth graders were dressed in their traditional white gowns and suits.

St. Mark School is a private elementary (PreK-grade 8) Roman Catholic School in Stratford, Connecticut. St. Mark School is a nationally recognized Blue Ribbon School. We provide a faith based excellent primary education. St. Mark School is Stratford's only Blue Ribbon School. It's located at 500 Wigwam Lane in Stratford. For information, call  203-375-4291

2013 Trinity Catholic Legacy Gala: An Unforgettable Event

May 10, 2013
Posted in Local News Share

306 alumni, parents, clergy, and friends of Trinity Catholic High School experienced an unforgettable evening on May 4th at Water’s Edge at Giovanni’s where the energy was so high, the dance floor was packed before dinner!

The chock-full room felt like a reunion, or a wedding, with attendees reuniting with each other, and Trinity Catholic High School student photos and honoree storyboards around the room and on plasma screens.

Trinity Catholic’s first-ever Legacy Gala was designed to celebrate and formally honor members of the Trinity Catholic High School community who have each demonstrated a lifelong commitment to Catholic education and the students of Trinity Catholic High School. The event did just that, and in doing so, energized the entire community around the school’s bright future.

The presenting sponsor of the gala was St. Rose of Lima Parish in Newtown. Cacace Tusch Santagata, Attorneys at Law, was the supporting sponsor while  Landmark Print sponsored all associated printing.  Gold patrons were Mr. & Mrs. Nicholas Mercede P'68,'71, GP '00,'03,'15, and Silver patrons were: Mr. & Mrs. William Arnone '64, P'91, '93, '98, '00, Mr. & Mrs. James Daine P’16, ‘17, and Mrs. & Mrs. RJ Vassiliou P’16.  

“The generosity shown here is wonderful. It's all about the mission of the school”, said Kimberly Harris ’85 Maloney P’15, who chaired the event and also serves as a member of the Advisory Board. “Trinity Catholic students are being given an excellent educational experience—and they are making the most of it.”

The gala commemorated five who have left significant legacies, each with their own indelible imprint on the fabric of the school. The Walsh Family for their 27 children and grandchildren among Trinity Catholic/Stamford Catholic’s alumni; The Romano Family for their commitment to Trinity Catholic with three generations of students; Red ’74 and Mary Ann O’Leary  P'03, '04, '06, '08, '10, '13 for their tireless and selfless support of Trinity Catholic’s mission and students; Msgr. Robert Weiss for the impact he made as spiritual director at Stamford Catholic during the 1980s; and, the William H. Pitt Foundation for its legacy of philanthropy to the school. All have demonstrated a lifelong commitment to Catholic education and to Trinity Catholic’s students. “The school has reached its exceptional level of achievement because of generous partnerships in advancing the school’s mission. It is most fitting we celebrate that legacy”, said Tony Pavia ’72, Principal – himself a beloved star of the evening. Each honoree received a crystal award, and a City of Stamford Mayoral proclamation from Mayor Michael Pavia ’66.

In addition to recognizing some of the great legacies at the school, the gala and associated cash raffle raised more than $165,000 for academic programs, faculty development, and classroom technology. The evening included a silent and live auction, cash raffle drawing, and a paddle raise for classroom technology. Bobby Valentine served as the dynamic emcee and led a rousing auction that included a Yankees Suite experience and Super Bowl tickets.  

The electric atmosphere in support of Trinity Catholic was palpable.  Everyone in the room was there to help advance the mission of the school. One of the most memorable moments occurred when Kelly Romano ’82 Northrop P'07, '10, '15 was named the 2nd place winner of the cash raffle, winning $2500. “I’d like to donate it back to the school”, she said.  Amidst cheers, the school’s spiritual director, Fr. Peter Towsley, pulled the name of Mrs. Emily Haggerty P’72, ’76, ’81 as the 1st prize $5,000 winner.  “I’d like to give it back as well”, Mrs. Haggerty said.  All were moved by their spontaneous generosity. “That’s so wonderful, and shows the kind of people Trinity is blessed to have in the family”, said Betsy Alipranti ’68 Mercede P’00, ’03, who served as the event manager and is also Vice President of the Advisory Board, “I have tears in my eyes”, she exclaimed.

“This has been an absolutely memorable evening,” said Board Chair Roger Fox P’94, ’96, ’00, as he looked out over the room of enthusiastic alumni, faculty, parents, and benefactors. “It is a privilege to honor loyal friends of the school and our mission.” said Fox, who noted that plans are already being made for the next Legacy Gala.

In summarizing why Trinity Catholic High School is such a special school and community, honoree Mary Ann O’Leary P'03, '04, '06, '08, '10, '13 urged all present to “Stay connected. Our experience as parents and coaches has resulted in so many blessings. You cannot help but give back to Trinity Catholic, for it is a great community to be a part of.  We look forward to returning next year to honor the many others who deserve to be recognized for their legacies.”

The Trinity Catholic High School Legacy Gala was designed to commemorate legacies.  Unexpectedly, the event created a legacy of its own, and created an impression on all present that will not soon be forgotten.

Pictures from the event can be viewed at www.trinitycatholic.org

Summary:

The Trinity Catholic High School Legacy Gala celebrated the legacy of those who are committed to our school and our mission, in particular:

A Legacy of Commitment: The Walsh Family
A Legacy family with 27 children and grandchildren among our alumni, and a significant history of philanthropy and involvement.

A Legacy of Love: The Romano Family
The Romanos represent three generations of proud Catholic High students, and a scholarship so that others may follow in their footsteps.

A Legacy of Encouragement: Red ‘74 and Mary Ann O’Leary
The O’Leary’s serve, coach, volunteer, and give.  They lift others up and bring the mission of TCHS to all they meet.

A Legacy of Purpose: Msgr. Bob Weiss
Msgr. Weiss recognizes that our faith calls us to use our strengths and talents for purposes beyond ourselves.  He has led many to commit to making their lives about something much bigger.

A Legacy of Excellence: William H Pitt Foundation
The William Pitt Foundation is committed to Trinity’s mission through the gift of endowment for tuition assistance now, and in the future.

More than 300 attended the event, which raised more than $165,000 in support of Trinity Catholic High School’s academic programs, faculty, and classroom technology.

Our sacred tradition marks us
May 07, 2013 • by Matthew Hennessey
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Generosity brightens a spring day
May 06, 2013
Posted in Local News Share

NORWALK—The Brother Knights of St. Matthew Council #14360 Knights of Columbus recent spent a Saturday Morning doing landscaping and yard cleanup work at the Notre Dame Convalescent Home in Norwalk for Sister Marie Lucie Monast, S.S.T.V. and the Sisters of Saint Thomas of Villanova.

About a dozen Brothers met at the center and performed various tasks such as weeding, planting flowers, spreading mulch, and power washing. The Brothers also had the opportunity to interact with some of the residents while there, brightening an already sunny day. Special Thanks goes to Brother Knight and local landscaper AJ Cossuto, who not only donated his time but also his expertise to the event, aided by some members of his landscaping team. It was truly a successful and rewarding day for all those in attendance.

Homefront Project Volunteers
May 06, 2013
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Volunteers from the St. John Men's Group of Darien and teens from the St. John Youth Group helped repaint a home in Norwalk Saturday, May 4, as part of The Homefront Project.

Homefront is a community-based, volunteer-driven home repair program that provides FREE repairs to low-income homeowners, thus enabling them
to remain in their homes with an improved quality-of-life.  

The group from St. John's is part of Homefront which currently serves Fairfield, Hartford and New Haven counties in Connecticut and Westchester County, New York.

This project is one of 80 Homefront projects helping to repair or refurbish houses this year in the CT/NY area, 20 of whom were damaged in
Superstorm Sandy as Homefront Project celebrates 25 years of service to local communities.
 
For more information, call Homefront Project at 800-887-4673 or visit their website http://homefrontprogram.org/

Forensic Scientist Dr. Henry C. Lee Visits Lauralton Hall
May 06, 2013
Posted in Local News Share

MILFORD—On April 24th Lauralton Hall’s forensic students had an exciting visit from a world renowned guest speaker, Dr. Henry Lee.

The legendary forensic scientist gave an inspiring presentation that expanded their interest in the world of forensics, regaling them with stories from several of his cases including, war crimes in Bosnia and Croatia, the suicide of President Clinton's former White House attorney, Vince Foster and the JFK assassination.

“Dr. Lee was incredible,” said forensic science teacher Jennifer Shea.  “His talk ranged from motivational anecdotes to comprehensive descriptions of actual criminal cases.  He incorporated details such as DNA analysis techniques and he illuminated “real world” forensics in a way that was humorous, informative and inspiring.”

Outlining why it’s important for high school students to study Forensics, Dr. Lee said, “Forensics helps students see the practical use of sciences. Abstract formulas can be difficult for young people to grasp and get excited about, but when they can see real life applications such as understanding how the trajectory of a bullet can help us solve a crime and help bring families resolution, it makes the science more meaningful to them. I encourage students to pursue a career in forensics because it is not only an exciting career path with many options, it is a field where you can prevent further crimes—where you truly can make a huge difference.”  

Lauralton senior Shea Dolan agrees. “I think forensics is a cool field to study because it combines all of the sciences and it helps bring justice to the world.  My grandfather worked with Dr. Lee on several cases and has travelled with him to China.  Dr. Lee is not only an amazing scientist, but he knows how to explain forensics in a way that teens can relate to, so I was very excited when he agreed to come speak at Lauralton.  I love watching shows like CSI, but Dr. Lee helped us realize that real forensics isn’t as easy as they make it seem on TV (he told us never to wear tight pants like they do on CSI—too impractical!)   CSI makes forensics look glamorous, but in reality it involves doing a lot of grudge work like sorting through the trash. I hope to pursue a degree in forensic nursing which is a cross between anatomy and biology.”

For over 40 years, Dr. Lee has investigated more than 8,000 cases—even solving a murder without a body.  He was pivotal in establishing a modern state police communication system, the community based police services sex offender and DNA databank, major crime investigation concepts and he created the Forensic Sciences program at the University of New Haven. Dr. Lee’s testimony figured prominently in the O. J. Simpson, Jason Williams, Peterson, and Kennedy Smith Trials; and in convictions of the “Woodchipper” murderer. He was also a consultant for more than 800 law enforcement agencies.
 
Ms. Shea concluded, “It was an absolute pleasure and honor to have Dr. Lee visit Lauralton. We hope he will return again soon.”

For more information, please contact Jennifer Shea at 203-877-2786 or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

Biomedical students head to Pittsburgh
May 06, 2013 • by By PAT HENNESSY
Posted in Local News Share

This semester, John Cook, deputy superintendent for the Diocese of Bridgeport, took 16 students from the five diocesan high schools to the University of Pittsburgh for an intense weekend of biomedical engineering.

Students in diocesan high schools have the opportunity to study engineering both in their own schools and at the High School Engineering Academy held weekends at Fairfield University.

Regenerative medicine was the focus of the Connecticut High School Scholar Challenge at the Pittsburgh Tissue Engineering Institute (PTEI), a center for research, education, and commercial development of tissue-related medical therapies.

During their time at PTEI, the teens from this diocese had the chance for in-depth, hands-on work with regenerative engineering. They cultured cells, explored different growth mediums, implanted cells into a tissue scaffold, incubated them and analyzed the results of their procedures. They performed heart surgery, using the heart of a pig, measuring the strength its aorta and considering alternatives from synthetic material—actually making and testing synthetic arteries and charting the results.

“Their research was extraordinary, and the kids loved it,” says Cook. “Using these techniques, you could actually grow organs like a liver, or heart.” He and other adult chaperones, science teachers and coordinators at their schools, had the chance to take part in the experiments.
Students met and worked with their near-contemporaries, PhD bioengineering candidates at the University of Pittsburgh. They took part in a discussion of the bioethics of human trials, stem cell research and organ transplant waiting lists, and considered the factors in making ethical decisions.

“It definitely went beyond just learning things,” says Diler Haji, a senior at Kolbe-Cathedral High School in Bridgeport. “It was one of the best experiences of my life.”

The trip included a visit to the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh, where tissue regeneration is already being used in wound healing therapies, most notably with wounded war veterans, and regeneration of organs.

“The trip definitely impacted my future career aspirations,” says Jonathan Highland, a senior at St. Joseph High School in Trumbull. Interested in studying biology and doing pre-med in college, he is now planning to study bio-engineering. “It coincides perfectly with my personal interests.”

Annual Bishop’s Appeal—“On the go” for charity
May 06, 2013
Posted in Annual Bishop's Appeal Share

BRIDGEPORT—Fran Andrade is one of the familiar faces in this year’s Annual Bishop’s Appeal brochure, where she is seen handing out a turkey last Thanksgiving as part of her volunteer work in the Blessed Sacrament food pantry.

The 80-year-old retired office worker dresses warmly each year and goes out in the cold to heft the 20-pound birds. It’s a labor of love for her. “People are whole-heartedly grateful. Some are old, ill, and on fixed incomes. Others have lost their jobs and the food makes a big difference to them,” she says.

Fr. Reggie Norman, pastor of Blessed Sacrament Parish, says that Fran’s charity is rooted in her love for the neighborhood and her love for the Church.

“Mrs. Fran is the salt of the earth and an example of what our parish is all about. She knows that it’s the little things you do that make a difference in the neighborhood and the Church. It doesn’t matter what you ask, she never says, no. She wants to make everyone happy, and her efforts show the young kids that they need to be involved. It’s a blessing to have her.”

Fr. Reggie says that members of his parish are quick to volunteer and also are proud to give to the Annual Appeal. The parish of 480 families is already at 66% of its $10,000 goal, and he’s confident that they’ll make it.

“Our game plan is many small donations, because we don’t have people who can make a large gift. For some people, just to give $25 is a lot because they need it for food. Everyone gives a little,” says Fr. Reggie, who is grateful for Fran’s commitment to the Church.

Helping out is a family tradition for the Andrades, who have lived in the East End for 40 years. Fran’s nephews and nieces and their children volunteer for the food drives and other parish activities. Her daughter, Donna, is well known to many as the academic dean and assistant principal of Fairfield Prep.

“We all pitch in and have fun, and I like to think that someone would help me if I needed it,” says Fran, who lives with her 90-year-old husband, Clifton.

Fran retired in 1997 from her work in the Chief’s Office at the Bridgeport Police Department. She had also spent many years working in the business office of the Dinan Memorial Center. She grew up in St. Patrick Parish, graduated from Central High School and Butler Business School and later moved to the East side when her brother bought a two-family house.

Fran says that, like her, parish and community volunteers are grateful for the Annual Bishop’s Appeal because they’ve seen the impact it has on the lives of so many people through the programs and services it supports.

She says that even though many people in her parish are poor, they give what they can to help others. Fran credits her deep faith to her parents, Cape Verde natives who inspired a love for the Church and her concern for others.

“Serving others is very gratifying, and I would encourage everyone to give to the Appeal and volunteer in parishes. It’s very important to support the Church and help so many people.”

Pope: Unemployment, slave labor go against God's plan, human dignity
May 02, 2013 • by By Carol Glatz Catholic News Service
Posted in World News Share

VATICAN CITY (CNS)—Pope Francis called for an end to slave labor and human trafficking as well as greater efforts to create dignified work for more people.
 

The problem of unemployment is "very often caused by a purely economic view of society, which seeks self-centered profit, outside the bounds of social justice," he said, marking the May 1 feast of St. Joseph the Worker during his weekly general audience.

"I wish to extend an invitation to everyone to greater solidarity and to encourage those in public office to spare no effort to give new impetus to employment," he said. "This means caring for the dignity of the person."

The pope touched on the same theme during the homily at his early morning Mass, before a congregation of unwed teenage mothers and their children in the chapel of the Domus Sanctae Marthae, where he lives.

In his homily, the pope said unemployment "is a burden on our conscience" because when society is organized in such a way that it cannot offer people an opportunity to work, "there is something wrong with that society: It is not right!"

"It goes against God himself, who wanted our dignity to begin with (work)."

"Power, money, culture do not give us dignity," he said. "Work, honest work, gives us dignity."

However, he said, "today many social, political and economic systems have chosen to exploit the human person" in the workplace, by "not paying a just (wage), not offering work, focusing solely on the balance sheets, the company's balance sheets, only looking at how much I can profit. This goes against God!"

"People are less important than the things that give profit to those who have political, social, economic power. What point have we come to?" he asked.

The pope recalled a recent "tragedy" in Bangladesh, where more than 400 garment workers were killed when the building they were working in collapsed. The workers reportedly earned just $38 a month.

"This is what you call slave labor," the pope said.

Today, "we can no longer say what St. Paul said, 'Who will not work, should not eat,' but we have to say, 'He who does not work has lost his dignity' because he cannot find any opportunities for work."

A society that cannot offer a person the possibility of work is a society that "has stripped this person of dignity," he said.

Later in the day, Pope Francis returned to the theme of work and dignity during his weekly general audience.

More than 70,000 people turned out in St. Peter's Square, many of them Italian families and children enjoying the May 1 Worker's Day public holiday in Italy and many other countries.

After a long tour around the square in the popemobile, the pope dedicated his catechesis to May 1 as both the celebration of St. Joseph the Worker and the beginning of the month devoted to Mary.

He said the two saints represent two key facets of life: work and prayer.

Work is part of God's loving plan for humanity, who is called to participate in his act of creation, the pope said.

When, in the Book of Genesis, the Lord told Adam and Eve to "fill the earth and subdue it," the pope said that "didn't mean to exploit it, but cultivate it, safeguard it, take care of his work."

"Work is part of God's loving plan; we are called to cultivate and safeguard all of creation's resources and this is how we participate in the act of creation," he said.

Work gives people dignity by allowing them to participate in God's creation, support themselves and their families and contribute to the growth of their nation, he said.

While he called for more solidarity toward the unemployed and greater efforts by government officials to reinvigorate employment opportunities, the pope also called on people, especially the young, not to give up hope.

"There is always light on the horizon," he said.

The pope made a special appeal against slave labor and human trafficking.

"How many people worldwide are victims of this type of slavery, in which the person is at the service of his or her work," he said. "Work should offer a service to people so they may have dignity."

The pope also urged his listeners to remember the importance of prayer as the silent contemplation of Jesus and conversation with God.

The month of May, the pope said, recalls the beauty of praying the rosary, which helps people keep Jesus "at the center of our thoughts, our attention and our actions."

"It would be wonderful if, especially this month of May, (the rosary) were recited together as a family, with friends, in parishes," he said.

After greeting pilgrims from Poland, Pope Francis recalled the second anniversary of the May 1 beatification of Blessed Pope John Paul II. He asked the Polish seminarians and teachers present that their lives "be permeated by the faith, charity and apostolic courage of John Paul II."

- - -

A video of the pope's general audience will be available at the Catholic News Service YouTube channel www.youtube.com/user/CatholicNewsService.

The text of the popes audience remarks in English is available online at www.vatican.va/holy_father/francesco/audiences/2013/documents/papa-francesco_20130501_udienza-generale_en.html.

Protect Conscience Rights and Religious Liberty: Urge Congressional Support for H.R. 940 
May 02, 2013
Posted in World News Share

The Obama Administration's contraceptive/ abortifacient/sterilization mandate will begin to be enforced against nonprofit religious schools, charities and health care providers on August 1.

In the days to come, Congress must decide whether to address this problem through must-pass legislation before that deadline.

Members of the House should be urged to include the Health Care Conscience Rights Act (H.R. 940) in the next bill needed to keep the federal government operating.

Materials on the need for better conscience protection are available at www.usccb.org/conscience.

Resources include new fact sheets and four "voices of conscience"—video testimonies of women who spoke at the House of Representatives press conference last month about the need to enact H.R. 940.

Please act today to protect conscience rights and religious liberty!

Recommended Actions:

Send an e-mail to your Representative through the USCCB's Action Center.

Call your Representative. Contact the U.S. Capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121, or call your Representative's local office.
Additional info may be found on Representatives' web sites at www.house.gov.

Learn even more on this printer-friendly version of the alert.

Suggested Message: "Please include the Health Care Conscience Rights Act (H.R. 940) in upcoming 'must-pass' legislation. Government must not force Americans to violate their religious and moral beliefs on respect for life when they provide health care or purchase health coverage."

Appeal Update: $4.5 million mark
May 02, 2013
Posted in Annual Bishop's Appeal Share

The Annual Bishop’s Appeal has reached the $4.5 million mark with the contributions of almost 10,000 donors to date in support of diocesan programs and ministries.

“The Appeal is one important opportunity for us to present a vibrant faith community to our new bishop when he arrives,” says Msgr. Jerald A. Doyle, diocesan administrator.

Msgr. Doyle says that even as we await a new bishop, people should be reassured the work of the diocese has gone on both at diocesan and parish level through the many services supported by the Appeal.

“The commitment of my brother priests, deacons, and sisters to serve the many ministries across the diocese is particularly heartwarming to me. Their dedication to building strong parishes, providing pastoral care to the ill in local hospitals and nursing homes, and reaching out to our retired priests proclaims the living gospel to us all,” he says.

This year’s “Beacon of Hope” campaign once again highlights diocesan schools, soup kitchens, formation of seminarians, and care for retired priests.

Among the highlights of services are the 1.3 million meals to the poor and homeless, 36,000 children who participate in religious education programs, 3,500 prisoners who receive spiritual counseling, 11,000 students in diocesan elementary and high schools, 22,000 patients receiving pastoral care in health facilities, and 600 couples who attended weekend retreats as they prepared for marriage.    

(Checks may be made payable to the Annual Bishop’s Appeal, and a credit card gift may be payable online or by pledge card. All gifts will be acknowledged by the diocese and are tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law. For more information go to www.2013ABA.com, or to make your gift early, please pledge by emailing: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).)

A universal appeal
May 02, 2013 • by By Brian D. Wallace
Posted in Annual Bishop's Appeal Share

With the Annual Bishop’s Appeal well underway, we can take new inspiration and hope from the words of Pope Francis, who began his papacy with a resounding call to protect human dignity and reach out to the vulnerable.

“To protect creation, to protect every man and every woman, to look upon them with tenderness and love is to open up a horizon of hope,” said Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Square, teaching us that Gospel values involve everyone in the work of charity.

How moved we’ve been by the images of the Pope embracing and blessing paralyzed adults and children, and stooping to wash the feet of men and women who seemed overwhelmed by his act of humility.

He has plunged into the papacy at the deepest level of Christ-like compassion for the poor and marginalized, and he has urged us to care for “the whole of humanity, especially the poorest, the weakest, the least important.”   

It is not easy for many people to give to the Bishop’s Appeal each year because rising expenses at home, job loss, and other challenges have created an uncertainty about the future. Yet they give because they feel blessed and they are aware that others have even greater need.

Pope Francis compels us toward charity when he says that renewing the Church is “going to require an engagement with the person of Christ, to follow Christ poor and humble.” When we participate in the Bishop’s Appeal, we answer that universal call in our own diocese. Now is the time to become a “Beacon of Hope” for the poor and vulnerable, and all those served by the Appeal.

Lowering age limit for single-dose emergency contraception irresponsible, a disappointment, says Bishops’ Pro-Life spokesperson
May 01, 2013
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WASHINGTON—The April 30 move by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to approve over-the-counter sale of “Plan B One-Step” to minors 15 years and older is a “disappointment,” said a spokesperson for the Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).

“The FDA has acted irresponsibly by approving sales of the powerful drug, single-dose Plan B, for those 15 and older,” said Deirdre McQuade, assistant director of policy and communications in the Pro-Life Secretariat. “The rule change subjects girls to risks of STDs and manipulation by others, a risk that is compounded by allowing males to purchase the drug even for girls under the age of 15.”

“Many studies have shown that wider access to so-called ‘emergency contraception’ reduces neither pregnancy nor abortion rates, but can contribute to higher rates of sexually transmitted disease, especially among young people,” McQuade said, “No public health consideration justifies the unsupervised sale of such drugs to young teens.”

McQuade added, “While the FDA is failing here in its responsibility to protect children, we continue to hope it will appeal the April 5 decision by one federal judge insisting that this drug be made readily available without any age limit at all.”

“Plan B One-Step” is a large dose of the hormonal drug levonorgestrel. It is available only by prescription when used either in two doses (in Plan B and its generic versions), or in smaller doses for ongoing contraception.

What does St. Scholastica have to do with Shakespeare? That is the Question!
April 30, 2013 • by By PATRICIA PEARSON
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BROOKFIELD—To find out the answer, just ask any of St. Scholastica’s Shakespearean Players, who will be performing Much Ado About Nothing as part of a parish fundraiser for St. Marguerite Bourgeoys Parish in Brookfield on June 1 (rain date June 8).

This group of young children, who range in age from 4-15, have a Mass celebrated for them on her Feast Day, pray a litany to St. Scholastica, and begin each practice with a prayer, asking for her intercession for a successful performance and for good weather, since she is the patron saint against storms and rain.

Since St. Scholastica’s Shakespearean Players usually perform outdoors, in a “Shakespeare in the Park” production, they pray for sun all year long! This year they will be performing outdoors on the grounds of St. Marguerite Bourgeoys Parish, along with St. Marguerite’s very own clergy!

“This is the closest I'll ever come to being a Franciscan; the brown habit itches!” laughs Fr. Shawn Cutler, parochial vicar at St. Marguerite’s, who plays the part of Friar Francis. On a more serious note, he commented, “it has been a pleasure working with such a dedicated group of kids who take their parts seriously.  When you consider all of the lines that they have memorized and the acting direction that they have learned since the fall, we are all looking forward to a quality production for our family, friends, and parishioners. We hope that everyone enjoys watching our production as much as we enjoyed getting ready for it!"  Fr. Cutler is especially grateful to Fr. George Sankoorikal, St. Marguerite’s pastor, and all the parishioners who have been so supportive of this play.  

One very special cast member is Raechel Tricarico, the youngest cast member in the play.  Raechel is 4 years old, and she will be a Lady in Waiting in Queen Elizabeth’s procession, which opens the play.  Another excited cast member is Elizabeth Booth, a 12 year old, who plays the lead role of Beatrice.  Elizabeth describes her character as “a strong, funny, and outspoken woman.”

This is Elizabeth’s fourth year in St. Scholastica’s Shakespearean Players, and she credits the group for “her love of Shakespeare, his plays, and acting.”  Another lead, John Paul Baughman, a 14 year old, who plays Benedick, describes his character as a “sacrastic man who thinks he will never marry but then winds up marrying his rival.” John Paul likes being in Shakespeare, “not only for acting, but because it is a great way to learn Shakespearean language. The practices are always interactive, fun, and educational.”  Emma Baughman, his 11-year-old sister, loves the fact that she gets to faint on stage!

June Lentini and Samantha Booth have directed and co-chaired Shakespeare Plays and Shakespearean Festivals in Ridgefield and Brookfield for almost a decade. They explain that these productions are “about fostering a love for Shakespeare and literature; the acting is secondary. To truly appreciate and comprehend Shakespeare’s plays, they should be performed.”  

All of the Shakespearean Players hope that St. Scholastica has heard their prayers and that their performance will be a success and take place on a sunny day!  

(For tickets to this performance, which will be followed by an English Low Tea with sandwiches, desserts, and beverages, call 203.521.2390 or email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). Cost: Adults $15; Seniors $10; Children $7 ages 6-12; Children 5 & under free. $35 maximum charge per family. Tickets must be purchased in advance; they will not be sold at the door. Festivities will begin at 11 am on Sat., June 1 (rain date June 8) at St. Marguerite Bourgeoys Parish, 138 Candlewood Lake Rd. Brookfield.)

Msgr. Nagle, 89
April 29, 2013
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STAMFORD—
Monsignor William A. Nagle, former pastor of St. John the Evangelist Parish in Stamford, entered into eternal rest on April 25, 2013 at the age of 89.
 

Msgr. Nagle retired in 1998 after serving for 25 years as pastor of St John the Evangelist Parish in Stamford.  He is remembered as a kind, humble and brilliant man who taught the faith by his grasp of tradition and personal example.
     
While each of Msgr. Nagle’s assignments was near and dear to his heart, his last two assignments at St. Bridget and St. John the Evangelist parishes in Stamford  were particularly meaningful as these were both parishes that his parents belonged to. His parents joined St. John in 1926 and moved to St. Bridget where the parish was created. He also loved his work in service of the Ancient Order of Hibernians.
     
Calling hours will be held at The Basilica of St. John the Evangelist 279 Atlantic St Stamford, CT on Tuesday April 30, 2013 from 2:30 PM to 6:30 PM. Wake service will begin at 6:30 PM followed by Holy Mass at 7 PM. A Mass of Christian Burial will be at Basilica of St John on Wednesday May 1, 2013 at 10 AM and interment will follow at St. John's Cemetery in Darien.

Bill, as he was known to his large family of relatives and friends, was born in Hartford, Connecticut on June 1, 1923. He entered St. Thomas Seminary at the age of 13. He completed his high school education and continued for his first two years of college at St Thomas. He won a scholarship to attend Catholic University in Washington D.C where he was a Theodore Basselin scholar graduating in 1945 with a Bachelors Degree and two Masters Degrees. His masters degrees were in Philosophy and Theology ( STL). He returned to St. Thomas Seminary in Bloomfield where he served as deacon Prefect before his ordination. 

     
Msgr. Nagle was ordained by Bishop Henry J O'Brien in Hartford CT on May 26, 1949. His assignments included St. Bernard in Sharon, Holy Family in Fairfield, St. Joseph in Shelton, Sacred Heart in Georgetown, St. Joseph in Norwalk, and St. John in Noroton. He served as Parochial Vicar for the Diocese of Bridgeport and resided at St. Aloysius in New Canaan before receiving his last two assignments at St. Bridget of Ireland and St. John the Evangelist in Stamford, CT.
     
While at St. Bernard his friendship with Mrs. Buckley led to a lifelong friendship with her son William F. Buckley, Jr. Msgr. Nagle was the quintessential Catholic priest who loved God and his family.  
    
While each of Bill's assignments was near and dear to his heart, his last two assignments at St. Bridget and St. John were particularly meaningful as these were both parishes that his parents belonged to. His parents joined St. John in 1926 and moved to St. Bridget where the parish was created. 

     
Msgr. Nagle also served in as a Chaplain to many organizations that included the Ancient Order of Hibernian, the Knights of Columbus (where he was a 4th Degree Knight), Stamford and Darien Police Department, Stamford and Darien Fire Department, and the Stamford Yacht Club. He was the AOH Grand Marshall of the St. Patrick's Day Parade on several occasions. 

     
Following his retirement in 1998, Msgr. Bill became one of the first residents to live at Catherine Keefe Queen of the Clergy Retirement Home for Priests. He continued to serve as a visiting priest in neighboring parishes for many years. 

     
Monsignor Nagle was predeceased by his parents Harold E. Nagle and Anne Lowe Nagle, and his great nephew, Special Warfare Operator (SEAL) Brian R Bill. 
He is survived by his brother John A. Nagle, MD and his wife Mary, his sister Betty Nagle Hardiman, 12 nephews and nieces, Patricia Parry (Michael), Anne Goebel (Jim), Sharon Davis, Rev. Deacon Thomas Davis (Joanne), Maureen Davis, Mary Sikes (John), Jeffrey Davis, John A. Nagle, Jr. (Debbie), Jeffrey Nagle (Kelly), Brian Nagle (Kathleen), Kathleen Coffey (Michael), Kerry Nagle, 27 great nieces and nephews, and 3 great grandnieces. 

     
Calling hours will be held at The Basilica of St. John the Evangelist 279 Atlantic St Stamford, CT on Tuesday April 30, 2013 from 2:30 PM to 6:30 PM. Wake service will begin at 6:30 PM followed by Holy Mass at 7 PM. A Mass of Christian Burial will be at Basilica of St John on Wednesday May 1, 2013 at 10 AM and interment will follow at St. John's Cemetery in Darien. 


In lieu of flowers, memorial Donations can be made in Msgr. Nagle's memory to St. John the Evangelist Church, 279 Atlantic Street, Stamford, CT (www. stjohnsstamford.com) or to a non-profit organization founded in memory of his great nephew Navy SEAL Brain R. Bill called The Little Warriors A Brian Bill Project (www.navyseallittlewarriors.org). Arrangements entrusted to Leo P. Gallagher & Son Funeral Home, Stamford. www.leopgallagherstamford.com

Senior Citizen Prom 2013
April 29, 2013 • by Mikayla Konecny | Sister Gaby
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The experience one faces, at Saint Joseph’s Manor for the senior citizen prom, is moving.

The seniors look forward to the prom all year long, and are beyond appreciative of the students who spend their day with them. The feeling of giving your undivided attention and time to people who are so welcoming, is indescribable. All they want is somebody to talk too, considering most of the elder’s spouses have passed, or the living family members rarely visit them.

My encounter with the prom and citizens was only positive. They were all eager to tell their life stories. A gentleman I was speaking with, known as Walter, told me everything there is to know about his life, from his family, to being a veteran, to getting spinal surgery. He was one of the happiest, healthiest 94 year olds I have ever met. He was so glad to talk to me, and in return he went into his suit jacket pocket and took out a Milky Way candy bar. Walter told me he “wants me to keep it” and then went into explaining how the world has changed from when he was my age, 78 years ago. His stories and advice are things that I am going to keep with me for the rest of my life. At the prom, I learned many life lessons from the aged men and women because they have lived through everything that you can imagine.

Further into the afternoon, we distributed lunch to the elders. When they finished eating, we cleaned the tables and gave them dessert. After that was complete, the music began playing throughout the hall.

I approached a lady, Ella Miller, who is 90 years old. I have met her before; therefore I brought her a stuffed teddy bear, because she had told me about all of her stuffed animals. I talked with her for a while then we went and danced. Although she is in a wheelchair, she was ecstatic to be bouncing in her chair to the beat of the music with all of her friends. We danced for about 15 minutes then went back to her table and talked. She has a poor memory ergo, she repeated a lot of her stories she was telling me. Also, because she does not get many visitors she was nervous that she was annoying me, so she kept saying, “am I driving you crazy”. Even though she has been trapped in the manor for a few years, she is still very alive and happy. She also has one of those smiles that light up a room instantly.

The prom makes you open your eyes and be appreciative for what you have. It’s the simple things such as having healthy grandparents, or the capability to visit the seniors at Saint Joseph’s manor. The people make you want to strive to be a better person. I would recommend anyone that has never gone to go, because it is not a drag, on the contrary, you actually have a great time with the older men and women. It is also a great feeling to give your time, and not expect anything physically back, but it is emotionally fulfilling.

One cannot follow Jesus, love Jesus without the church, pope says
April 26, 2013 • by By Cindy Wooden, Catholic News Service
Posted in World News Share

VATICAN CITY (CNS)—Following Jesus means belonging to the church, the community that gives Christians their identity, Pope Francis said.
 

"It is not possible to find Jesus outside the church," he said in his Mass homily April 23. "The great Paul VI said it is 'an absurd dichotomy' to want to live with Jesus without the church, to follow Jesus outside the church, to love Jesus without the church."

Dozens of cardinals living in Rome or visiting the Vatican joined the pope in the Pauline Chapel of the Apostolic Palace for the Mass on the feast of St. George, the martyr. The feast is the pope's name day; he was born Jorge Mario Bergoglio.

Cardinal Angelo Sodano, dean of the College of Cardinals, told the pope the cardinals had wanted to join him for the Mass "to thank our Father in heaven for the gifts he has given you thus far and to request abundant graces upon your Petrine ministry."

The cardinal asked God to give them and the pope "the strength with which the Holy Spirit infused St. George and the martyrs of every age" to face difficulties, serve the poor and spread the Gospel.

Adding to the festivities, after the Mass, in the courtyard of the Apostolic Palace, the Swiss Guard band played for the pope and the cardinals.

In his homily, Pope Francis spoke about the persecution of the first Christian communities and how opposition did not stop them from sharing their faith in Christ, but went hand in hand with even greater missionary activity.

"Precisely at the moment persecution erupted, the missionary activity of the church erupted as well," the pope said.

When the first Christians began sharing the Gospel with "the Greeks," and not just other Jews, it was something completely new and made some of the Apostles "a bit nervous," the pope said. They sent Barnabas to Antioch to check on the situation, a kind of "apostolic visitation," he said. "With a bit of a sense of humor, we can say this was the theological beginning of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith."

Barnabas saw that the church was growing, he said. The church was becoming "the mother of more and more children," a mother that not only generates sons and daughters, but gives them faith and an identity.

Christian identity is not a bureaucratic status, it is "belonging to the church ... the mother church, because it is not possible to find Jesus outside the church," Pope Francis said. "It is the mother church who gives us Jesus, gives us identity."

Pope Francis said that when Barnabas witnessed the crowds of new believers he rejoiced with "the joy of an evangelizer."

The growth of the church, the pope said, "begins with persecution—a great sadness—and ends with joy. This is how the church moves forward—as I saint, I don't recall which right now, said -- between the persecution of the world and the consolation of the Lord. The life of the church is this way."

"If we want to take the path of the mundane, negotiating with the world," the pope said, "we will never have the consolation of the Lord. If we seek only consolation, it will be superficial."

The life of the church is a path that always alternates between "persecution and consolation, between the Cross and the Resurrection," he said.

Pope Francis asked the cardinals to join him in praying that they, too, would have the "fervor to move forward—as brothers, all of us—forward, forward, carrying the name of Jesus in the heart of holy mother church, which is—as St. Ignatius said—hierarchical and catholic."

One of the actions of the Holy Spirit
April 25, 2013 • by Thomas H. Hicks
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“Richer than I, you can never be; I had a mother who read to me” (Anonymous)

“Even now I like reading a book more than I like looking after my children” (Anna Quindlen)

In these pages last issue, I lamented the erosion of reading among today’s college students.

I think this erosion goes beyond that. There is something in the American character that is even hostile to the act of reading, a certain hale and heartiness that is suspicious of reading. Americans prize sociability and community; this is true even of Catholic parishes. Any turning away from human contact is suspect. Reading has fallen upon hard times.

I suppose reading can take on the aspects of a vice. But there’s something the Roman Senator Cicero wrote (well before the birth of Christ): “Why, then, should anyone reproach me… that I allow myself so much time to spend on reading? Some spend quite as much time on their business, or on games, on other amusements, or on the repose of their bodies and minds. Others waste time on long banquets, games of dice, and ball playing” (In Defense of Archias).

Here’s something else by Cicero one can wish our priesthomilists would ponder: “Do you imagine that persons like me could find material for weekly speeches if I did not cultivate the intellect by reading? I am devoted to this pursuit… out of it grows my skill as an orator” (In Defense of Archias).

As already mentioned, I essentially came to a deeper understanding of the faith by way of literature. One way I’ve come to understand the Holy Spirit is as the One who puts a particular volume in one’s hand at a particular time. When I think back about books that came at the right moment and influenced me deeply, I think of works by Flannery O’Connor that made God and the reality of grace believable. I learned from her that Catholic teaching increases rather than decreases one’s vision. It is an instrument for penetrating reality. As O’Connor put it: “The Catholic writer lives in a larger universe.”
 
O’Connor’s novel Wise Blood was for me an influential and memorable book, some brilliant writing in which the author expressed her scorn for anticerebral religion, for feel-good Christians on chummy terms with God.

A novel that left its mark upon me was Barabbas by Pare Lagerkvist. It tells a deceptively simple imaginative tale about what happened to Barabbas after the
crowd chose to crucify Jesus and spare his life. The book is about the Redemption, the idea that Christ died for our sins and about the universal agony of spiritual torment and disbelief. The book is clearly about modern people.

The poetry of Gerard Manley Hopkins made an indelible impression on my mind. Many of his verses are irrevocably imprinted in my soul. Hopkins heightened my ability to respond to reality, to see the beauty in ordinary things, to come alive to the sacred dimensions of life all around me. I met a “Christ that plays in ten thousand places,” and a “world that is charged with the grandeur of God.” Hopkins was among the writers who helped me see that the Supernatural completes the picture, gives reality its true flavor.

Outside of literature in the strict sense, when I search for books that changed me, I think of writings by Jacques Maritain, Gerald Vann, Frank Sheed, Therese of Lisieux, Soren Kierkegaard.

Enough! So much of modern literature is lacking in a sense of spiritual purpose. Where there is no belief, there is very little drama. Today, the books that make best-selling lists are as ephemeral as mayflies.

How I love reading a book on a porch as rain beats down on the porch roof. And it is a real treat to settle down with a good book on a wintry evening. It’s like the perfect end of a day and the best way to welcome the night. Reading and prayer are both acts of worship to me.

Books, like good music and art, can attune the soul to God. They can give us new eyes. A book can change one’s life. A life lived in the company of books is richer and fuller than life spent in their absence. It still seems to me that books are the unique decoration of a room.

Contrasts
April 24, 2013 • by Archbishop William E. Lori
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On Monday afternoon, April 15, I was working at home when I learned the news of the violent attack against those taking part in the Boston Marathon. The same sinking feeling came over me as when I learned of the Newtown shootings last December. So, too, the same unanswerable questions: “Why do people do things like that? What is in their minds and hearts?”

My reaction to this tragic news was hardly unique. Like all such heartbreaking events, this one too was brought instantly into our homes and offices by the media. I watched some of the news coverage and listened to the stories of eyewitnesses. I heard them asking the same questions that were going through my mind. A friend from Connecticut also called to talk. For him it brought to life again the sadness of Newtown.

Events such as the Boston Marathon attack and others make us wonder what the world is coming to. We want to know how our lives could have become so vulnerable by the violent machinations of a few. We wonder what produces people capable of random acts of hatred aimed at innocent men, women and children. And we may be tempted to ask if the good guys will prevail, if violence and death, in the end, don’t have the upper hand.

I must confess those thoughts were in my mind and heart as I drove up North Charles Street listening to a newscast. My destination was Notre Dame of Maryland University. I was keeping a long-standing appointment to have dinner with the young people involved in something called “Operation Teach.”

As I drove up to the Noyes Alumni House on campus, a young man, Roberto, was waiting for me. Sharon Derr, who directs the program, warmly greeted me as did Dr. Jim Conneely, the newly inaugurated president of the university, as well as School Sisters of Notre Dame. Dr. Barbara Edmondson, superintendent of schools for the archdiocese, was inside with about 15 student teachers whom I was about to meet.

Operation Teach has been around since 2001. It is a joint project of the University and the Archdiocese of Baltimore’s Department of Catholic Schools that attracts excellent young people from around the country to teach in our schools. It is a two-year service program for college graduates who agree to serve in a Baltimore-area Catholic elementary or secondary school while earning a master’s in teaching from Notre Dame of Maryland.

They learn the art of living in community, hone their teaching skills, and grow in their lives of faith. These student teachers told me where they came from, what schools they are teaching in, and how they love our Catholic schools and their students. Some had questions about the church and wanted to know about my ministry as archbishop. There was an easy spirit of give and take, not to mention a very nice meal.

All of us prayed for the victims of the Boston Marathon attack, as well as for the young people which these student teachers are serving. We prayed for an end to violence and we prayed that the students in our schools would grow to become the people God meant them to be and to understand and live according to their God-given dignity.

The evening went by quickly and soon it was time to leave. After all, teachers have tests to grade and lesson plans to prepare ... and archbishops have columns to write.

On the way home I reflected on the young people I had just met ... on their talents as well as their spirit of faith and service. They helped me put into context the terrible news I had heard just before leaving my home to have dinner with them. They reminded me that the upside-down world of the irrationally angry is not the last word. The Lord continues to raise up new generations of leaders endowed with talents and blessed with a spirit of service.

The source of our hope is none other than the Risen Christ. By dying he destroyed our death and by rising restored our life. Through the sacraments, he still walks among us and dwells in our hearts. He even calls us his friends. How blessed I was to spend an evening with the Lord’s special friends. Without even trying, they bore witness to the Risen Lord.

Cardinal O’Malley: Without Love, There’s No Civilization At All
April 24, 2013 • by BY JUSTIN BELL
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BOSTON—In a Mass for the repose of the souls of the Boston Marathon bombing and all victims of violence, the archbishop of Boston calls believers to ‘draw people into Christ’s community.’
 

Cardinal Seán O’Malley delivered a strong message during a Mass April 21 for the victims of the Boston Marathon terrorist bombing and its aftermath.

Pointing to the resurrected Christ and addressing the pain of the past week, and calling on a civilization of love, the archbishop of Boston gave an impassioned plea on Good Shepherd Sunday to build and sustain a culture of life.

“As believers, one of our tasks is to build community, to value people more than money or things, to recognize in each person a child of God, made in the image and likeness of his Creator,” said Cardinal O’Malley.

The 11:30am Mass at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross drew much less attention than Thursday’s interfaith service with faith and government leaders — including President Obama — but it allowed the cardinal more space to comfort, teach, admonish and, ultimately, to bring the real presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist to the faithful and a hurting city.

In the front of the sanctuary, offset toward the left, a poignant shrine was erected, with candles and pictures of the four victims: Martin Richard, Krystle Campbell, Lu Lingzi and MIT police officer Sean Collier. Richard, Campbell and Collier were Catholic.

Those injured during the week and first responders were also remembered at the Mass, along with a special invitation to medical personnel.

Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis, a central figure in the law enforcement effort after Monday’s attack, was in attendance. He, along with two police officers, brought the bread and wine up at the Offertory.

During his approximately 15-minute homily, Cardinal O’Malley drew on the Resurrection account and referenced, among others, the words of Servant of God Dorothy Day and Blessed John Paul II to drive home his themes.
 
Sustaining Community
Cardinal O’Malley said that, though Catholics put a large emphasis on Lent, the Easter season is of far greater importance. He said Christ returned on Easter to gather the disciples who had been scattered, and he listed common sources of life’s pains. He then brought this theme to the incident of April 15.

“This week, we are all scattered in the pain and horror of the senseless violence perpetrated on Patriots Day,” said the cardinal.

He mentioned that the rector of the cathedral, Father Kevin O’Leary, had given a blessing to marathon participants a week prior and that some of those injured were in attendance.

“But everyone has been profoundly affected by this wanton violence and destruction inflicted upon our community by two young men unknown to all of us,” said the cardinal.

Never referring to Tamerlan and Dzhokar Tsarnaev by name, the cardinal remarked that nobody knew much about their lives. Later, he added that one of the brothers said he had no American friends, and the other’s ambitions were said to be focused on money and his career.

“It’s very difficult to understand what was going on in their heads, what demons were operative, what ideologies or politics or the perversion of their religion,” said Cardinal O’Malley.

He added, “It was amazing to witness, however, how much goodness and generosity were evidenced in our community as a result of this tragedy.”

He recalled Dorothy Day’s autobiography, where, as a young girl, she was “amazed and delighted” at the response of neighbors helping each other following an earthquake in California. However, she saw that, a couple weeks later, “people retreated into their former individualism and indifference.” He said that Day spent the rest of her life “looking to recapture that same spirit of community.”

The cardinal noted the response of civic awareness, sense of community and sometimes heroic response after the Boston Marathon bombings.

“Our challenge is to keep this spirit of community alive going forward. As people of faith, we must commit ourselves to the task of community building,” said Cardinal O’Malley.

He recalled Christ’s teachings in the Gospel to care for the most vulnerable.

“We must be a people of reconciliation, not revenge. The crimes of the two young men must not be justification for prejudice against Muslims or against immigrants,” said the cardinal.

He said the Gospel is the “antidote to the eye-for-an-eye-and-tooth-for-a-tooth mentality,” recalling the power of the Good Samaritan, whose action “cuts through centuries of antipathy.”
 
Loving Response to the Culture of Death
After calling on the need to build a community that values people over objects and recognizing everyone is a child of God made in his image, the cardinal listed some specific signs of the culture of death, which he said was “spawned” by “the individualism and alienation of our age.”

“Over a million abortions a year is just one indication of how human life has been devalued,” said Cardinal O’Malley.

“Entertainment, films and video games have coarsened us and made us more insensitive to the pain and suffering of others.”

He contrasted this with Blessed John Paul II’s words in 2003 at World Youth Day in Madrid, Spain, where the Pope had told young people, “Respond to the blind violence and inhuman hatred with the fascinating power of love.”

The cardinal said, “We all know that evil has its fascination and attraction, but too often we lose sight of the fact that love and goodness also have the power to attract and that virtue is winsome. Passing on the faith means helping people to lead a good life, a moral life, a just life.”

He referred to the letters of Holocaust survivor Haim Ginott, who highlighted that medical workers, scientists and soldiers had contributed to the carnage, “showing that knowledge is not virtue, and often science and technology have been put at the service of evil.”

“It is only a culture of life and an ethic of love that can rescue us from the senseless violence that inflicts so much suffering on our society,” said Cardinal O’Malley.
 
Hopeful Conclusion
Toward the end of his remarks, the cardinal called the faithful to gather people into Christ’s community like the Good Shepherd himself, reminding those gathered that the Gospel provides answers to life’s questions, and in it “we find the challenging ideals that are part of discipleship: mercy, forgiveness, self-sacrifice, service, justice.”

Cardinal O’Malley mentioned that faith goes far beyond the optimism of John Lennon’s words, “Everything will be okay in the end. If it’s not okay, it’s not the end.’”

“We are going to live forever in the Resurrection [that] Christ won for us on the cross,” said the cardinal, and he then mentioned the four victims by name who died in the last week.

He called them “innocent” and said that they would live in eternity. He recalled the words of Martin Luther King, who said death is a comma rather than a period.

In closing, even though the culture of death “looms large,” Cardinal O’Malley said, “our Good Shepherd rose from the grave on Easter” and has returned.

“His light can expel the darkness and illuminate for us the path that leads to life, to a civilization of solidarity and love,” said the cardinal.

“I hope that the events of this past week have taught us all how high the stakes are. We must build a civilization of love or there will be no civilization at all.”

Register correspondent Justin Bell writes from the Boston area.

Read more: http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/cardinal-omalley-without-civilization-of-love-theres-no-civilization-at-all/#ixzz2RNyCYiZi

St. Joseph, Danbury, Youth Group spends Week of Service
April 23, 2013
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DANBURY—The week of April 15-21, St. Joseph Parish’s Youth Ministry Group went to the St. Vincent de Paul Center in Germantown, PA, to work.

The students from St Joseph’s gave up their spring break to come and work with the poor and marginalized in the Vincentian Family in Germantown.
The students began the day early with prayer, then went off to service for the day. Their variety of service included St. John’s soup kitchen in Philadelphia; Whosoever Gospel Mission/Thrift Store; Mercy Neighborhood Ministries; DePaul Catholic School; and Inn Dwelling, a Habitat-type building work in Germantown run by Brother Al Smith.

After their morning service the students came home for a Holy Hour and then off to afternoon working with the children at the school and aftercare programs!

The teens’ week consisted of prayer, work, community, visiting the priests at St Catherine’s and St Vincent’s Seminary, touring our Miraculous Medal Shrine, plus getting to try some local cheesesteaks, philly pretzels, and water ice!

So if you are wondering what our young people are doing… we can tell you… SERVING!!

Hairless for a cause
April 23, 2013
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STAMFORD—On the morning of April 20, Holy Spirit School preschooler, three-year-old Ryan Sasser, and his brother, pre-school alum five-year-old Michael, had long hair.

But now all that remains is stubble after they shaved their heads for a St. Baldrick’s Foundation event at the New Canaan Firehouse.

Holy Spirit School is proud of their enterprise. Ryan raised $1,825 for the foundation, which raises money for childhood cancer research. The St. Baldrick’s event held by the Fire Department raised $15,250, according to its page on the foundation’s website. Thank you to all who donated on behalf of our children to help others.

Pelley focuses on “hidden America” at NCH breakfast
April 23, 2013
Posted in Local News Share

DARIEN—CBS news anchor Scott Pelley said that childhood poverty “is a ticking time bomb in our lives, and now is the time to do something about it,” at the New Covenant House of Hospitality Celebrity Breakfast held at Woodway Country Club.

The Stamford-based soup kitchen, sponsored by Catholic Charities, served 675,000 meals last year through its soup kitchen, food pantry and after-school programs. It is open 365 days a year.

Speaking to a gathering of almost 300 men and women, Pelley said that the United States ranks fourth behind Mexico, Chile andTurkey for child poverty rates in the developed world.

“That is the company we are in,” said Pelley, who added that nearly 25% of the children in American now live below the poverty line, which translates into children going hungry each night and living in inadequate housing.

At 18%, Connecticut’s child poverty rate is lower than the rest of the nation but it is unacceptable “in a state as affluent as ours,” Pelley said.

Pelley said that he and his news producers at CBS look for stories that show the “hidden America,” which is often hidden in plain sight.

“We’re busy people rushing through out lives and we miss the hidden America, particularly children living in poverty around us but we don’t see them,” he said.

During his talk Pelly played two video excerpts from a 60 Minutes report on children in poverty.  In one interview at Casselberry School n Orlando, Florida, just outside of Disney World, many of the children reported going to bed hungry because there parents did not have money for food.  

In the second segment, a young family was living in a truck that father also used to search for work.

The veteran newsman, who has covered human rights issues including hunger across the globe,  said many families are struggling with the fallout of the recession that has left more lingering unemployment than any time since the Great Depression.

Pelley said that many people may not be brave enough to respond to tragedies like the Boston Marathon bombings, but we can “save lives” by supporting organizations that feed hungry children and empower the poor.

“The fact that you’re here says that you know this truth and that you want to help,” he said.

Catholic Charities Chief Executive Officer, Al Barber, said that many of the children served in the after school nutrition program at New Covenant House are like the children in the  CBS video.

“We serve dinner daily to 300 and 400 meals daily. They were eating junk food before we started, now they get a quality meal. It’s one way we can help face the consistent challenge of needing to make sure our children right here in Connecticut are well fed.”

Brian Jenkins, Executive Director of New Covenant House of Hospitality said the ultimate goal for the soup kitchen is to empower individuals and families by giving them the skills to move away for poverty and survival mode.

New Covenant House of Hospitality has been serving lower Fairfield County since 1978.  Its guests include the homeless; working poor; elderly; mentally ill; HIV/AIDS clients; the disabled and immigrants. It is located at 90 Fairfield Avenue in Stamford.   Phone: (203) 964-8228 or visit www.nchstamford.org

Shrine has “Angel” in Appeal effort
April 22, 2013 • by Brian D. Wallace
Posted in Annual Bishop's Appeal Share

When you give to the Annual Bishop’s Appeal, you’re following in the footsteps of the apostles, says Angelo Cocco, who directs the appeal at St. Margaret’s Shrine in Bridgeport.

 

Scott Pelley to speak at NCH Breakfast
April 22, 2013
Posted in Local News Share

STAMFORD—CBS News anchor Scott Pelley will be the featured speaker at the 9th Annual Breakfast Fund Raiser for New Covenant House of Hospitality on April 23, from 7:30-9:30 am at Woodway Country Club in Darien.

“We’re honored that Scott Pelley has chosen to recognize our work through his appearance. In numerous stories all over the world, he has reported on human
rights issues including hunger, whether in the Third World or our own cities in Fairfield County,” says Al Barber, chief executive officer of Catholic Charities.

Barber says that New Covenant House served 675,000 meals last year through its soup kitchen, food pantry and afterschool programs.

Scott Pelley, one of the most experienced reporters in broadcast journalism, was named anchor and managing editor of the CBS Evening News in May 2011. In its first season, “The CBS Evening News with Scott Pelley” won a Peabody award and was the only network evening news broadcast to grow its audience.\

Few journalists have made as wide and as deep a mark on a news organization as Pelley has at CBS News, where he’s covered everything from breaking national news stories to politics to wars and has served as the network’s chief White House correspondent. Since he brought that experience to “60 Minutes” in 2004, half of all the major awards won by the broadcast have been for stories reported by Pelley. In addition to his daily anchor role as the network’s chief reporter, Pelley continues to provide many stories to “60 Minutes.”

Pelley joined CBS News as a reporter based in New York in 1989.

Prior to his time at CBS News, Pelley was a producer/ reporter for WFAA-TV Dallas/ Fort Worth (1982-89), KXASTV Dallas/Fort Worth (1978-81)
and KSEL-TV Lubbock, Texas (1975-78). He began his journalism career at the age of 15 as a copyboy at the Lubbock Avalanche- Journal newspaper.

Pelley serves on the board of directors of the International Rescue Committee, a refugee relief agency headquartered in New York City. He is co-chair of the IRC’s Board of Overseers.

Scott Pelley was born in San Antonio, Texas, and attended journalism school at Texas Tech University. He and his wife, Jane Boone Pelley, have a son and a daughter.

New Covenant House of Hospitality has been serving lower Fairfield County since
1978 by feeding the hungry in a welcoming and safe environment that helps to restore dignity and empower people who are struggling. Its guests are the poor
and disadvantaged including the homeless; working poor; elderly; mentally ill; HIV/AIDS clients; the disabled and immigrants, both with and without citizenship
documentation.

(To make a breakfast reservation, contact Besty Lopez 203.964.8228 or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). Online registration at www.nchstamford.org.)

Cabaret Day delights parishioners
April 18, 2013
Posted in Local News Share

FAIRFIELD—An eclectic array of music highlighted the first-ever “Luncheon and Cabaret Day” held at St. Emery Parish on April 14.

Selections by soprano Krista Adams Santilli opened the cabaret, followed by a Hungarian choir performing popular ethnic songs. The St. Emery Festival Choir concluded the program with a rousing Gospel-style composition. The parish’s music director, Anthony Procaccini, served as emcee and piano accompanist. Proceeds from the cabaret benefitted the parish. Given the popular response, St. Emery’s hopes to run the event every six months.  

Shown in this photo,  Anthony Procaccini at the microphone with members of the St. Emery Festival choir (l-r) back row: Bob Rouse, Gary Disco, Marie Warren, Barbara Fencil; front row: Veronica Disco, Krista Adams Santilli, Claudette Apple, and Louise Miller.

They know their way around the world
April 17, 2013
Posted in Local News Share

DANBURY—The Knights of Columbus McGivney Council #29 in Danbury held its third annual Catholic Geography Bee March 9 at St. Joseph School in Danbury.

Fifteen fourth through eighth graders from six parochial schools in the northern portion of the Diocese of Bridgeport answered questions about world, the U.S., and Connecticut geography, including Catholic content.

Boston cardinal says all feel 'deep sorrow' for victims of explosions
April 16, 2013 • by By Christopher S. Pineo, Catholic News Service
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BOSTON (CNS)—Within hours of two explosions taking place near the finish line of the Boston Marathon April 15, Cardinal Sean P. O'Malley sent a message of prayer and support for those injured, their loved ones and those who experienced the trauma of the tragedy.
 

"The Archdiocese of Boston joins all people of good will in expressing deep sorrow following the senseless acts of violence perpetrated at the Boston Marathon today," he said.

Close to 3 p.m. the Boston Police Department reported that officers had responded to two large explosions along the Boston Marathon route that left three people dead, including an 8-year-old boy, and more than 140 wounded.

"The citizens of the city of Boston and the commonwealth of Massachusetts are blessed by the bravery and heroism of many, particularly the men and women of the police and fire departments and emergency services who responded within moments of these tragic events," the cardinal said.

Many expressed fear the explosions, which were seconds apart, were carried out by terrorists, and AP reported that federal officials were treating the bombings as an act of terrorism.

As of early April 16, no one had yet stepped forward to claim responsibility for the act, which took place on Patriot's Day, a civic holiday in Massachusetts that commemorates the first battles of the American Revolution.

Cardinal O'Malley commended the leadership efforts of Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick, Boston Mayor Thomas Menino and the city's police commissioner, Ed Davis.

"(They) are providing the leadership that will see us through this most difficult time and ensure that proper procedures are followed to protect the public safety," Cardinal O'Malley said.

The cardinal also commended those who rushed to help at the scene of the tragedy.

"In the midst of the darkness of this tragedy we turn to the light of Jesus Christ, the light that was evident in the lives of people who immediately turned to help those in need today," he said.

Cardinal O'Malley promised the Catholic Church's support for other faith communities, promoting a message of hope in response to the tragedy.

"We stand in solidarity with our ecumenical and interfaith colleagues in the commitment to witness the greater power of good in our society and to work together for healing," the cardinal said.

New York Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York, as president of the U.S. bishops' conference, urged all "to pray for the souls of those killed, the healing of those injured and the restoration of peace for all of us unsettled by the bombings at a world renowned sporting event."

"Our special prayers are with the Archdiocese of Boston and the people there who are working in the aftermath of this crisis to address those wounded in so many ways by these events," he added in a statement issued a few hours after the explosions.

The "tragic end" to the marathon "reminds us all that evil exists and that life is fragile," Cardinal Dolan said.

"The growing culture of violence in our world and even in our country calls for both wise security measures by government officials and an examination by all of us to see what we can personally do to enhance peace and respect for one another in our world," he said.

In a press briefing President Barack Obama offered the nation's condolences to the victims and their families, saying he was confident residents of the "resilient town" that Boston is would pull together to take care of one another.

"And as they do, the American people will be with them every single step of the way," he said.

Obama urged people not to "jump to conclusions" as to the reason for the bombings and said a full investigation was well under way. "We will get to the bottom of this. ... Any responsible individuals, any responsible groups will feel the full weight of justice," the president said.

In Boston, archdiocesan spokesman Terrence C. Donilon said the pastor at Our Lady Comforter of the Afflicted Parish, Father James DiPerri, was to offer a special eucharistic Holy Hour with the rosary for the Boston bombing victims at Our Lady's Parish in Waltham.

Massachusetts' governor also called for prayer in a statement issued after the explosions.

"This is a horrific day in Boston. My thoughts and prayers are with those who have been injured," Patrick said.


Pineo is a reporter at The Pilot, newspaper of the Boston Archdiocese.

Lauralton Night at Sound Tigers Game
April 15, 2013
Posted in Local News Share

MILFORD—On Saturday, April 6th nearly 200 parents, students, faculty, staff, alumnae, family and friends came out to support Lauralton Hall and watch the Sound Tigers vs. Connecticut Whale ice hockey game.

 Lauralton Hall athletes and the Advanced Vocal Ensemble were part of the opening ceremonies, proudly holding the American flag during the National Anthem and during the moment of silence for Sandy Hook.

USCCB weighs in on gun legislation
April 15, 2013 • by CWN
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Bishop Stephen Blaire of Stockton, the chairman of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, has weighed in on the Safe Communities, Safe Schools Act of 2013, which is under consideration in the Senate.

“We ask you to support policies that: require effective and enforceable universal background checks for all gun purchases; and, establish a vigorous law that makes gun-trafficking a federal crime,” he said in an April 8 letter to senators. “Support provisions that: limit civilian access to high-capacity ammunition magazines; ban assault weapons.”

“I also urge you to resist amendments that would expand the use of minimum mandatory sentences as punishment for gun violations,” he continued.

Bishop Blaire’s letter mirrors the language of an “action alert” issued on April 2 by the USCCB’s Department of Justice, Peace and Human Development.

Additional sources for this story
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Bishop Blaire Urges Senate To Support Policies That Reduce Gun Violence, Build Culture Of Life (USCCB)

Full text of letter (USCCB)

USCCB: lobby senators on behalf of assault-weapon ban, universal background checks (CWN, 4/3)

Pope John XXIII’s prophetic ‘Peace on Earth’ turns 50
April 15, 2013 • by Tony Magliano
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Just over 50 years ago, the earth as we know it came dangerously close to being engulfed in a nuclear fireball.

In October of 1962, the United States demanded that the Soviet Union’s nuclear missile sites in Cuba be dismantled and removed.  After the Soviet Union refused, the U.S. established a Cuban naval blockade.

With the situation quickly escalating towards nuclear war, Pope John XXIII issued an urgent appeal for peace.           
   
In a letter to American President John F. Kennedy and Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev, Blessed Pope John XXIII pleaded, “We beg all governments not to remain deaf to this cry of humanity. That they do all that is in their power to save peace. They will thus spare the world from the horrors of a war whose terrifying consequences no one can predict. …”
    
A few days later, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the missiles. 
    
The Cuban missile crisis had ended, but it had a profound effect upon Good Pope John.
    
Just months later in April of 1963 he issued his prophetic landmark encyclical letter Pacem in Terris (“Peace on Earth”).
    
Mindful of humanity’s recent close brush with nuclear war, and the devastation conventional war causes, he wrote “Justice, then, right reason and consideration for human dignity and life urgently demand that the arms race should cease, that the stockpiles which exist in various countries should be reduced equally and simultaneously by the parties concerned, that nuclear weapons should be banned, and finally that all come to an agreement on a fitting program of disarmament, employing mutual and effective controls.”
    
Tragically, Blessed Pope John’s appeal to justice, right reason, and consideration for human dignity and life is largely ignored when it comes to ending the arms race, banning nuclear weapons and moving toward verifiable multilateral disarmament of all weapons.
    
Big money is a gigantic obstacle here. War making and war preparation is an extremely lucrative business.
According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, worldwide annual military spending is approximately $1.7 trillion. The U.S. spends about 41 percent of that amount.

In Pacem in Terris Blessed Pope John astutely observed if one country is equipped with nuclear weapons, certain other countries feel they must produce their own – “equally destructive” weapons.
    
Nations possessing nuclear weapons need to set a good and credible example by moving toward the elimination of their stockpiles as specified by the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Visit www.globalzero.org to learn how you can help.
    
Without this good-faith effort on the part of the nuclear powers, more non-nuclear countries will seek, as Pope John observed, their own “equally destructive” nuclear weapons.
    
North Korea is a clear example of this dangerous cycle.
As I write, North Korea’s military posturing could lead to war – nuclear war! But tough talk and muscle-flexing from South Korea and its U.S. ally only fuels the tension.

Instead, as Pope John wrote “… Disagreements must be settled, not by force … but rather in the only manner which is worthy of the dignity of man, that is, by a mutual assessment of the reasons on both sides of the dispute, by a mature and objective investigation of the situation, and by an equitable reconciliation of differences of opinion.”
    
And as Good Pope John wisely counseled, solid and true peace will be born when human rights are universally respected, and when equality of arms is replaced with “mutual trust alone.”

Tony Magliano is an internationally syndicated social justice and peace columnist.

George Valentine Schreyer, Oldest Connecticut Knight
April 11, 2013
Posted in Local News Share

FAIRFIELD—George Valentine Schreyer passed away on March 30, 2013 at Cambridge Manor in Fairfield.

Born in Bethany, CT, he was the son of the late George Carl Schreyer and Frances Alice Strong. He was 101.

A Mass of Christian Burial was held at St. Aloysius R.C. Church, in  New Canaan. He was buried at Spring Grove Cemetery in Darien.
   
Mr. Schreyer had been a member of the Knights of Columbus since 1939. He was a fourth degree knight with the Bishop Fenwick Assembly 100 of Norwalk as well as a member of Father John Stapleton Council #2287 in New Canaan. He was a former Grand Knight and also served as financial secretary. He was a member of the Color Guard group and a member of the degree team for many years. He enjoyed gardening and woodworking. He was a 4-H leader in the 1950's and 1960's.
    
When interviewed in 2001 at the time of his 90th birthday, Ms. Schreyer told writer Dee Maggiori that "I have been a member of the council for 62 years and I really enjoy it. I like the way the Knights help people and the charitable work they do. It's a great organization."
    
He was predeceased by his wife Veronica Ruth Schreyer in 2009. They were married for 73 years. He lived in New Canaan prior to moving to Trumbull.
    
He graduated from Norwalk High School in 1928. He worked as a printer for the Hat Corporation of America. He retiredfrom Machlett Laboratories (Raytheon) in 1976. After retirement he worked for Norwalk Container Corporation and Joseph Coupe Packaging. He was an active member of the Society of Packaging and Handling Engineers.
   
He is survived by his two daughters Gloria S. Murphy of Trumbull, CT and Victoria S. Marbacher (Bruno) of Stratham, NH; and two sons Donald G. Schreyer (Sheila) of Knoxville, TN and William M. Schreyer (Deborah) of Monroe, CT. He is also survived by two sisters Josephine Barlow of Vermont and Jane Ells of Wantagh, NY. Also surviving are thirteengrandchildren, sixteen great grandchildren and many nieces and nephews.

With Pope Francis, the 'great continental mission' goes global
April 11, 2013 • by Barbara J. Fraser Catholic News Service
Posted in World News Share

LIMA, Peru (CNS)—In his first weeks as head of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis has echoed many of the concerns that he and fellow prelates raised in a conference of Latin American bishops six years ago.

Evangelization, ministry to the poor and disenfranchised, the seduction of the global marketplace, cultural changes and the environment were among the issues addressed at the Fifth General Conference of the Bishops of Latin America and the Caribbean in Aparecida, Brazil, in 2007.

Then-Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Buenos Aires, Argentina, headed the commission that drafted the final conference document -- more than 160 pages.

"He gave everyone a chance to speak and gathered the most important points, developing the road map we were going to follow," said Archbishop Ricardo Tobon Restrepo of Medellin, Colombia, who served on the commission with the man who is now pope. "We saw him as a serene man, solid, serious in his work, a man who went to the heart of the matter."

Archbishop Ricardo Ezzati Andrello of Santiago, Chile, who also served on the drafting commission, recalled "the feeling and conviction of coming face to face with a 'man of God.' With few words, he invited us to work in an atmosphere of faith and deep spirituality. He called us to trust in God, to discover the action of the Holy Spirit in our work," he told Catholic News Service in an email message.

"I was struck by the great trust he placed in his collaborators. He ably wove together the contributions from the various study commissions and the work of the members of the drafting commission," Archbishop Ezzati added. "I found him to be excellent at drawing things together and a great architect of dialogue and consensus."

When the conference began, Cardinal Bergoglio was the runaway choice to head the drafting commission, said Archbishop Pedro Barreto Jimeno of Huancayo, Peru, who served on a subcommission that worked on the section of the final document about the environment.

"More than 130 bishops from Latin America and the Caribbean trusted him," he said. "That trust reflected his simplicity, his lack of desire to stand out. Those things drew everyone's attention."

The cardinal repaid that trust by working long into the night, encouraging his colleagues who were drafting various chapters of the document and urging them to keep two things in mind -- "Christ, the Good Shepherd ... and the people who were awaiting a word of enlightenment that responded to their needs," Archbishop Barreto said.

Three themes at the heart of the Aparecida conference, which Pope Francis has echoed in his early homilies, were "the personal encounter with Christ, the option for the poor and stewardship of creation," the archbishop said.

At his installation Mass March 19, the pope called for people of faith to be "protectors," respecting "each of God's creatures and respecting the environment in which we live."

Before his election in March, Pope Francis told his fellow cardinals that the church needed to reach people on the periphery. While he may have been speaking metaphorically, that expression resonates in Latin America, where slums and shantytowns of substandard housing, without sewers or running water, ring the cities.

Ministry in large urban areas like Mexico City, Sao Paulo or Lima poses particular challenges that the bishops discussed in Aparecida, and which the pope will have to address.

Jesuit Father Matthew Garr, former head of the Peruvian bishops' Social Action Commission, has seen parish ministry change radically at Our Lady of Nazareth -- a large, Jesuit-run parish in a hilly, dusty, low-income area of Lima -- since it was founded in the 1960s.

"The parish grew up in relationship to the social situation," Father Garr said. It responded to parishioners' problems with programs like soup kitchens and ministry to gang members. Over time, the parish developed a social service area staffed by psychologists, social workers and volunteers and became known as a place where people could find help, whether or not they were active Catholics.

That style was also embraced by Pope Francis, who urged priests in his archdiocese to live in Buenos Aires' shantytowns.

The Argentine pope "is demonstrating a pastoral style and a vision of the church that is inspired by the experience in Latin America," Archbishop Tobon said. "At a time when we are experiencing a profound cultural change, the church must re-encounter its mission and vision and reach out in a new way in society."

If Blessed John Paul II was a pilgrim pope and retired Pope Benedict XVI an intellectual pope, "Pope Francis is a pastoral pope," Archbishop Barreto said. "He has already said that a pastor has to smell of sheep. That's not a very diplomatic thing to say, but it is very evangelical. It expresses a church that is close to the people, which does not exclude anyone, but which emphasizes what Christ emphasized -- the poor, the sick, the excluded."

Pastoral work in modern megacities, however, is fraught with challenges. Of the 100,000 or so people who live within the boundaries of Our Lady of Nazareth Parish, only 5,000 or 6,000 use the parish's services each year, and even fewer are active in the main church or its neighborhood chapels.

"People don't make the connection between (the social services the parish provides) and the faith community," Father Garr said. "I don't think we've reached the insight about how to evangelize the unchurched."

Archbishop Tobon believes Pope Francis' simple style will draw some people back to the church.

"I think the style of Pope Francis, who goes out to the people, blesses children and lives simply is becoming a sign for many people who have distanced themselves from the church or are indifferent," he said. "But reaching out to and assisting the indifferent and the distant requires a church that is very holy, very strong and very missionary. And that is not going to happen overnight."

Such outreach was a recurring theme at Aparecida, where the bishops launched what they called the "great continental mission," which has become "a permanent mission," Archbishop Tobon said.

Following the bishops' call, the church in Medellin has formed small ecclesial communities that remain closely tied to parishes and the archdiocese, he said. In Lima, at Our Lady of Nazareth, such small communities date back to the Latin American bishops' 1979 meeting in Puebla, Mexico. But community members are middle-aged now.

"The great challenge is how to work with young people," Father Garr said.

Another challenge is how to support parishes. As missionary societies age and international aid dwindles, foreign missionaries are discovering what diocesan priests have known all along -- that the Sunday collection in a parish like Our Lady of Nazareth barely covers basic expenses, much less services like the ones Father Garr's parish has provided for years.

Those are just a few of the challenges that Pope Francis will face, not just in his homeland, but in developing countries around the world.

Bringing Faith to Life!
April 10, 2013
Posted in Local News Share

BRIDGEPORT— “Chastity” is the subject of three presentations in May for teens and parents by Chris Stefanic, a nationally celebrated speaker,  columnist and youth minister.

Stefanic is widely recognized for his ability to engage youth with apresentation that is a lively mix of humor, music and Catholic teaching.

Teens are invited to “No Imitations, a Chastity Presentation” set for May 1, 7 pm at St. Joseph Parish in Danbury, and May 3, 7 pm at St. Andrew Parish in Bridgeport.  

Stefanick will also speak to parents “Raising Kids in  Postmodern World” on May 2, 7 pm at the Catholic Center 238 Jewett Avenue in Bridgeport.

The presentations are sponsored by the Youth Ministry office of diocesan Pastoral Services.    

Chris Stefanick speaks to over 50,000 teens, young adults, and parents every year.  He has spoken at hundreds of high school assemblies and parish events, colleges (including Annapolis, Penn State and the US Air Force Academy) and both national and international events including the Steubenville Youth Conferences, National Catholic Youth Convention, the Knock, Ireland Youth Festival, and FOCUS (Fellowship of Catholic University Students) National Conference.

He is a syndicated columnist and a regular in Catholic radio and TV. He has authored or co-authored, “Do I Have to Go?” (about the Mass),“Raising Pure Teens,” and “Absolute Relativism.”

The young but veteran Youth Minister has served at a parish in the East LA area, as Director of Youth and Young Adult Ministry for the Diocese of Lacrosse, and as Director of Youth, Young Adult and Campus Ministry for theArchdiocese of Denver and is on the board of Directors for the Dead Theologians Society. He currently works for the Augustine Institute as Director of Youth Outreach for YDisciple. Most of all he is proud to be a husband and father to six beautiful children.

For more information, contact Sr. Florencia, Director of Youth Ministry, Catholic Center, 203-416-1449 or email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Catechism begins at home
April 10, 2013 • by Matthew Hennessey
Posted in Local News Share

The Pope’s retirement distresses me. All things equal, I’d prefer the secular world didn’t spend time analyzing and opining on the inner workings of the Catholic Church.

But I am glad of it for at least two reasons. For one thing, we will be blessed with a new Pope, and that is exciting. For another, it provides an unprecedented teaching moment for the kids. This kind of thing happens twice, maybe three times, in a lifetime. We have to make the most of it.

Of course, Mr. and Mrs. Hennessey do their best to raise their children in the faith even when papal succession is not leading the news, but it’s not always easy to know how we’re doing. Things occasionally fall through the cracks.

For example, Paddy turned to his mother recently and, with the shock of revelation in his eyes, said, “You mean, Jesus… is a boy!?” The child is only four, so certain gaps in his understanding are to be expected. But I couldn’t have guessed that the gender of the son of God would have been among them.

It only goes to show how attentive we have to be about instructing the next generation. There was a time when being a Catholic meant you could acquire certain cultural and theological information by osmosis. Those days are gone. Now it takes a little work.

I was poorly catechized myself. My parents gave up on the Church when I was a teenager, so I was forced to fill in a lot of the basic facts when I returned to it on my own as an adult. There were—and are—some holes in my vocabulary.

For instance, I don’t think I ever heard the word “transubstantiation” once in 10 years of religious education. The Magisterium? Not sure what that is. The College of Cardinals? Isn’t that the really good school out in California? What’s it called—Stamford?

My wife was brought up in a solidly Catholic home and went to a solidly Catholic high school. Nevertheless, she, too, had her blind spots. Like all Mets fans of a certain age, she loved slugger Dave Kingman. For the best part of her childhood, she says, she recited the relevant passage in the Lord’s Prayer, “Thy Kingman come, thy will be done.”

I find there is a generation gap at work here. Older Catholics often can’t fathom how us younger folks don’t know what we don’t know. They marinated in this stuff as kids, and they presumed we’d become Catholics the way they did: by proximity.

But the world changed in the ‘70s and ‘80s. The “traditional” cultural Catholicism that produced our parents and grandparents— the Pat O’Brien priests and the Ingrid Bergman nuns—fell victim to some of the same cultural forces that swept through the larger culture. Be yourself. Follow your bliss. Live your truth.

Now, some will say, “Good. Catholicism needed some fresh air. It wasn’t all The Bells of St. Mary’s.” Which is fine, but I can’t help but think that the baby was thrown out with the bathwater.

As a young adult, I overheard a conversation between my father and an aunt in which one of them made mention of the Paraclete. I thought for sure I had heard them wrong.

“You mean parakeet, right?”

“No,” they said. “The Paraclete, the Holy Spirit.” They were bewildered by my ignorance. How could I not know what the Paraclete was? This was something they had learned as kids. It was as familiar to them as the air they breathed.

Their shock was legitimate, but it was misdirected. It wasn’t my fault that I didn’t know what the Paraclete was. It was theirs.

You see this kind of thing almost everywhere. Older people are prone to complaining about the state of the world—specifically what they think young people have done with it. But if things ain’t what they used to be, it’s usually because someone dropped the ball. Someone failed to keep faith with tradition. Centuries’ worth of hard-won cultural information doesn’t just pass itself along. It requires active stewardship.

All is not lost. We can revive tradition and educate ourselves. The dedicated catechists of this diocese and the larger Church who volunteer their time and energy to prepare the young people to receive the sacraments are truly inspiring.

A true catechism, however, must begin in the home.

From Trash to Tunes
April 09, 2013
Posted in Local News Share

GREENWICH—Greenwich Catholic School students were recently entertained by Dennis Waring from Young Audiences Arts for Learning. 

Waring uses a wide array of instruments, indigenous and homemade, and weaves fun, fascinating tales of the origin of music and how through time all cultures utilized their natural environments for making fantastic sound-making devices.

The assembly was a demonstration and performance of almost fifty handmade and homemade musical instruments based on ideas and inspirations from around the world.  Interesting signs, sounds and stories provided the audience with a new awareness into folklore, music, craft, and science.

Fourth graders Luke Lori, Paul Davey, Joe Hanson, Peyton Hackett and Valeria Barbaglio give an impromptu concert at the end of the presentation with instruments made from recycled materials.

Dennis Waring demonstrates one of his instruments made from a garden hose and a funnel.

(Photos by Cheryl Moss)

Bishop Blaire Urges Senate To Support Policies That Reduce Gun Violence, Build Culture Of Life
April 09, 2013
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WASHINGTON—The chairman of the U.S. bishops' Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development urged the U.S. Senate to promote policies that "reduce gun violence and save people's lives in homes and communities throughout our nation."

In an April 8 letter, Bishop Stephen E. Blaire of Stockton, California, addressed provisions in S. 649, the Safe Communities, Safe Schools Act of 2013,including the expansion of background checks for all gun purchases and strengthening of gun trafficking provisions, which the bishops deem "a positive step in the right direction." He also urged Senators to support an assault weapons ban and limits on access to high-capacity ammunition magazines as they consider amendments to the bill.

Bishop Blaire cited the U.S. bishops' 2000 pastoral statement on criminal justice, which voiced support for "measures that control the sale and use of firearms and make them safer." The bishops especially supported efforts to keep guns out of the hands of children or anyone other than the owner.
Bishop Blaire asked the Senate not to expand minimum mandatory sentences as punishment for gun violations, calling it a cause of rising incarceration rates. "One-size-fits-all policies are counterproductive, inadequate and replace judges' assessments with rigid formulations. Punishment for its own sake is never justified," he said.

The full text of Bishop Blaire's letter is available online: www.usccb.org/about/domestic-social-development/upload/2013-April-8-Letter-to-Senate-on-Gun-Violence-from-Bishop-Blaire.pdf

Religious Liberty Chair Backs Litigants Opposing Hhs Mandate
April 08, 2013
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WASHINGTON—A statement by Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore, chairman of the U.S. Bishops’ Ad Hoc Committee for Religious Liberty, expressed “deep gratitude” and “solidarity and appreciation” for litigants challenging the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) mandate, which forces employers to pay for contraceptive services even over their religious and moral objections. The statement was issued April 8.

Archbishop Lori issued his statement as dozens of lawsuits against the mandate are being considered nationwide. Among litigants are Catholic dioceses, Catholic and other religious non-profit organizations and for-profit companies that operate according to the religious principles of their owners.

In voicing his support for bishops and other Catholic entities, he noted that “Their goal is nothing less than securing the freedom of the Church to continue to obey the Lord’s command—and, in turn, to serve the common good—by providing charitable ministries in health care, education, and service to the poor, all without compromising Catholic beliefs.” He also expressed “deep gratitude to the scores of people and organizations—from various denominations and walks of life—who have challenged the HHS mandate in federal courts around our country over the last year.

“We continue to pray for the success of all of these lawsuits,” he said.
Archbishop Lori added that “in our Catholic tradition, the right to religious freedom proceeds from the inherent dignity of each and every human person. Accordingly, our concern for religious freedom extends well beyond our own ministries of service.”

He singled out for special praise “those in the business sector who have courageously challenged the HHS mandate in court.”
“Their actions have been a source of encouragement, particularly because of their high rate of success in obtaining early injunctions to block the mandate,” Archbishop Lori said.

He acknowledged the recent move by the government to clarify the definition of a “religious employer”—which would receive a full exemption from the mandate. He said that “this small, incremental step is welcomed,” but added that “most of the serious problems with the definition and mandate remain, and so we will continue our vigorous efforts to correct those remaining flaws.”

Archbishop Lori said that “Catholics in America have long been advocates for religious liberty, and we continue to affirm this basic right today.  
“We have consistently supported the rights of individuals not to act against their religious beliefs or moral convictions, especially when individuals seek to protect the dignity of human life,” he said. “As Chairman of the Ad Hoc Committee, I would like to urge all people of good will to pray that our leaders, and all people of this great country, will promote and protect religious liberty and its fundamental place in society.”

The full statement can be found at www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/religious-liberty/upload/religious-liberty-statement-supporting-litigants-lori-2013-04-08.pdf

USCCB statement on over-the-counter sale of contraceptives to minors
April 05, 2013
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A federal district judge in New York has ordered the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to lift all age limits on over-the-counter access to the so-called 'emergency contraceptive' drug Plan B and its generic versions. 

Fr. David Howell, former pastor of St. Joseph
April 05, 2013
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Fr. David W. Howell, former pastor of St. Joseph Parish in South Norwalk, died on April 4 in Stamford Hospital.

He was 73 years old.

Fr. Howell’s body will be received into St. Joseph Church on Sunday, April 7 at 4 pm. The Parish Vigil Mass will take place at 7 pm. Fr. Gilbert D’Souza, current pastor of St. Joseph’s, will be the celebrant. Fr. John Baron, pastor of St. Anthony of Padua Parish in Fairfield who served as a parochial vicar under Fr. Howell, will be the homilist. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated for Fr. Howell on Monday, April 8, at 10:30 am. Msgr. Jerald A. Doyle, diocesan administrator, will be the principal celebrant. Msgr. Scheyd will deliver the homily.

After a brief reception, burial will follow in the family plot in St. Michael Cemetery, Stratford.

Survivors include his sister; Donna Kelly and her husband, Jay, of Bluefield, Virginia; two nieces: Kyle Thomas and her husband, Richard, of Max Meadows, VA; and Elizabeth Branner and her husband, Rod, of Harrisonburg, VA; Donna’s grandchildren: Kelly Thomas, Coleman Thomas, Brooke Branner and Abigail Branner; and Fr. Howell’s life-long friend, Msgr. William J. Scheyd. He was predeceased by his parents: William and Jeanette Kondrat Howell.

Condolences may be sent to Fr. Howell’s sister, Donna Kelly, 644 Sedgewren Street, Bluefield, VA 24605. Memorial contributions are requested to Queen of Clergy Residence, 274 Strawberry hill Avenue, Stamford, CT 06902. Please visit www.collinsfuneral.com to leave a condolence.

For more on Fr. Howell

A native of Bridgeport, he graduated from St. Ann School in the Black Rock section of Bridgeport and Fairfield Prep. Fr. Howell credits his vocation to the priesthood both to the priests he knew at St. Ann’s, where he was an altar boy, and the Jesuits at Prep. He attended the Jesuit-run Holy Cross College in Worchester, MA, and completed his theological studies at St. Mary Seminary in Baltimore, MD. He was ordained on May 22, 1965 at St. Augustine Cathedral by Bishop Walter W. Curtis.

His first assignment was as parochial vicar of St. Stephen Parish in Trumbull. While there, he was also a member of the faculty of St. Joseph High School in Trumbull. He served at St. Mary Parish, Greenwich; St. Joseph Parish, Shelton; and St. Cecilia Parish in Stamford before coming to St. Joseph’s as a parochial vicar. He was named temporary administrator in 1979. He served as a territorial vicar, was member of the Diocesan Priests’ Council from 1982-83, and was appointed as auditor-instructor in the diocesan tribunal in 1983.

Always interested in aircraft, Fr. Howell became chaplain of the Civil Air Patrol in 1967. He became chaplain of the International Order of Characters (IOC), an organization dedicated to improving the fields of aviation and aerospace, in 1975. Following his appointment to St. Joseph’s, he also became a chaplain to the Norwalk Fire Department and was on the Norwalk Catholic Charities board.

Fr. Howell was appointed pastor of St. Joseph’s on June 25, 1986. He remained at the parish until failing health necessitated his retirement in 2008.

He lived at the Catherine Dennis Keefe Queen of the Clergy Residence Stamford from his retirement until the time of his death.

Pope says women's love makes them privileged witnesses of Christ
April 04, 2013 • by By Francis X. Rocca, Catholic News Service
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VATICAN CITY (CNS)—Women have a privileged role in the church because of their ability to pass on the faith through love, Pope Francis said.

"Women have had and still have a special role in opening doors to the Lord, in following him and communicating his face, because the eyes of faith always need the simple and profound look of love," the pope told an estimated 50,000 people in St. Peter's Square April 3.

"This is the mission of women, of mothers and women, to give witness to their children and grandchildren that Christ is risen," he said. "Faith is professed with the mouth and heart, with the word and love."

In the second weekly public audience of his pontificate, Pope Francis resumed a series of catechetical talks on the creed begun by Pope Benedict XVI in January.

Commenting on the words, "rose again on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures," the pope noted that the New Testament gives women a "primary, fundamental role" as witnesses of Jesus' resurrection. He cited the passage in Mark Chapter 16 in which women find an empty tomb and an angel who tells them that Jesus is alive.

"Here we can see an argument in favor of the historical truth of the resurrection," Pope Francis said. "If it had been an invention, in the context of that time it would not have been linked to the testimony of women," since the Jewish law of period did not consider women or children as "reliable, credible witnesses."

"This tells us that God does not choose according to human criteria," the pope said. "The first witnesses of the birth of Jesus are the shepherds, simple and humble people, and the first witnesses of the resurrection are women."

Jesus' male apostles and disciples "find it harder to believe in the risen Christ," the pope said. "Peter runs to the tomb, but stops before the empty tomb. Thomas has to touch the wounds of the body of Jesus with his own hands."

By contrast, the "women are driven by love and they know to accept this proclamation (of the resurrection) with faith," the pope said. "They believe and immediately transmit it; they do not keep it for themselves."

"Let us also have the courage to go out to bring this joy and light to all the places of our lives," the pope said, eliciting cheers from the crowd, as at several other moments in his talk. "The resurrection of Christ is our greatest certainty, it is our most precious treasure. How can we not share this treasure, this beautiful certainty with others?"

"Unfortunately, there have often been attempts to obscure faith in the resurrection of Jesus, and doubts have crept in even among believers themselves," Pope Francis said, lamenting what he called a "rosewater"-like faith, diluted by superficiality, indifference, other priorities or a "purely horizontal vision of life."

Hope in the resurrection, he said, enables Christians to "live everyday realities with more confidence, to face them with courage and commitment."

Following the audience, the pope spent about 45 minutes personally greeting prelates and other dignitaries, as well as members of the general public, including many small children and disabled people in wheelchairs.

In what has already become a common sight during his young papacy, a number of pilgrims, including a group of Jesuit deacons studying in Rome, broke Vatican protocol by embracing Pope Francis and kissing him on both cheeks.

Here comes everybody: divorced, gays, sinners, a couple saints
April 03, 2013 • by Sr. Mary Ann Walsh
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It amazes me when basic church teaching is received as if it were something brand new. This morning's New York Times brought the latest example with the headline: "Dolan Says the Catholic Church Should Be More Welcoming to Gay People." A glance at other media outlets finds similar news accounts. From the NBC website: "Cardinal Dolan: Church Must Embrace Gays, Lesbians." Then from the NY Daily News: "'Jesus died on the cross for them as much as He did for me’: Cardinal Dolan says church should not push away gays."

 

Proud of their champions
April 02, 2013
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NEWTOWN—The St. Rose of Lima Girls’ Varsity Basketball team made school history as being the first team to win the league championship banner and to also win first place in the end of the year tournament for the Greater Danbury Parochial Basketball League.

Team members include:  Muriel Daccache, Marcella Daily, Lauren Cirone, Bridget Walsh, Isabella Luciano, Colleen McCarthy, Diana Kirkman, Anna Brubaker, Caroline Beal, Madeline Meier, Ashling Sugarman, Grace Herrick

Diocese of Bridgeport—Statement on Msgr. Wallin
April 02, 2013
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When a priest falls, it wounds the entire Church. As a family of faith, we are sorry for those who have been hurt by Msgr. Wallin's actions, and we also remember that that he did much good work in his ministry.
   Msgr. Wallin's guilty plea represents an important step in his coming to terms with his own actions and their impact on others. It is a difficult moment for all of us but we hope it is also the first step in rebuilding his life. We pray that he moves toward healing and wholeness.

Bringing Faith to Life!
April 01, 2013
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BRIDGEPORT— “Chastity” is the subject of three presentations in May for teens and parents by Chris Stefanic, a nationally celebrated speaker,  columnist and youth minister.

Visit Reallifecatholic.com to watch Chris Stefanic speaking.Stefanic is widely recognized for his ability to engage youth with apresentation that is a lively mix of humor, music and Catholic teaching.

Teens are invited to “No Imitations, a Chastity Presentation” set for May 1, 7 pm at St. Joseph Parish in Danbury, and May 3, 7 pm at St. Andrew Parish in Bridgeport.  

Stefanick will also speak to parents “Raising Kids in  Postmodern World” on May 2, 7 pm at the Catholic Center 238 Jewett Avenue in Bridgeport.

The presentations are sponsored by the Youth Ministry office of diocesan Pastoral Services.    

Chris Stefanick speaks to over 50,000 teens, young adults, and parents every year.  He has spoken at hundreds of high school assemblies and parish events, colleges (including Annapolis, Penn State and the US Air Force Academy) and both national and international events including the Steubenville Youth Conferences, National Catholic Youth Convention, the Knock, Ireland Youth Festival, and FOCUS (Fellowship of Catholic University Students) National Conference.

He is a syndicated columnist and a regular in Catholic radio and TV. He has authored or co-authored, “Do I Have to Go?” (about the Mass),“Raising Pure Teens,” and “Absolute Relativism.”

The young but veteran Youth Minister has served at a parish in the East LA area, as Director of Youth and Young Adult Ministry for the Diocese of Lacrosse, and as Director of Youth, Young Adult and Campus Ministry for theArchdiocese of Denver and is on the board of Directors for the Dead Theologians Society. He currently works for the Augustine Institute as Director of Youth Outreach for YDisciple. Most of all he is proud to be a husband and father to six beautiful children.

For more information, contact Sr. Florencia, Director of Youth Ministry, Catholic Center, 203-416-1449 or email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

At Easter pope calls Christians to be channels of mercy, justice, peace
April 01, 2013 • by Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service
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VATICAN CITY (CNS)—With Jesus' resurrection "love has triumphed, mercy has been victorious," Pope Francis said in his first Easter message "urbi et orbi" (to the city and the world)

"Let us become agents of this mercy, channels through which God can water the earth, protect all creation and make justice and peace flourish," the pope said after celebrating Easter morning Mass March 31.

Pope Francis offered special prayers for peace in Syria and the rest of the Middle East, for an end to violence in Africa -- especially in Mali, Nigeria, Congo and the Central African Republic -- and in Asia, particularly on the Korean peninsula.

He prayed for "peace in the whole world, still divided by greed looking for easy gain, wounded by selfishness which threatens human life and the family, selfishness that continues in human trafficking, the most extensive form of slavery in this 21st century."

Pope Francis said he would like to bring the good news of Christ's resurrection to each person on earth, "to every house and every family, especially where suffering is greatest: in hospitals, in prisons."

Easter, he said, "means that the love of God is stronger than evil and death itself; it means that the love of God can transform our lives and let those desert places in our hearts bloom."

Easter dawned with blue skies and sunshine in Rome, but as the crowds gathered in St. Peter's Square, dark clouds began gathering overhead. Still, some 250,000 people gathered for the Mass, and thousands more arrived for the pope's "urbi et orbi" blessing.

The steps leading to St. Peter's Basilica and to the altar were decorated with thousands of flowers, trees and bushes. The Dutch flower growers' association provided 20,000 tulips, 10,000 daffodils and 3,000 white roses in addition to small birch, maple and mulberry trees.

Like his predecessors, Pope Francis did not give a homily during the morning Mass, but spoke during his "urbi et orbi" address about the significance of the Resurrection for individuals and for the world.

But unlike his predecessors, Pope Francis did not read quick Easter greetings in dozens of languages, although the brief phrases had been prepared for him.

Rather, in his message, he told people, "Jesus is risen, there is hope for you; you are no longer in the power of sin, evil."

Easter, the pope said, "is the exodus, the passage of human beings from slavery to sin and evil to the freedom of love and goodness."

However, he said, that passage must be renewed in every age and in every human heart.

"How many deserts, even today, do humans beings need to cross -- above all, the desert within, when we have no love for God or neighbor, when we fail to realize that we are guardians of all that the Creator has given us and continues to give us," Pope Francis said.

"God's mercy can make even the driest land become a garden, can restore life to dry bones," he said.

Pope Francis urged people to join him in praying to be transformed by the power of God's love and mercy and to help "change hatred into love, vengeance into forgiveness, war into peace."

The morning Mass began less than 12 hours after Pope Francis had finished presiding over the nighttime Easter Vigil, lighting the Easter candle and processing into a St. Peter's Basilica lit mainly by the flashes of the cameras that people had been asked not to use.

During the Mass, he welcomed into the Catholic Church four men between the ages of 17 and 30. The men from Albania, Italy, Russia and the United States were baptized, confirmed and received their first Communion at the Mass. The 17-year-old from the United States was identified as Anthony Dinh Tran.

In his homily for the vigil, Pope Francis spoke about how the women had gone to Jesus' tomb with sorrow and love to anoint his body.

But, he said, "something completely new and unexpected happens."

They find the tomb empty, and they are confused and afraid, the pope said.

"Doesn't the same thing also happen to us when something completely new occurs in our everyday life? We stop short, we don't understand, we don't know what to do," he said. "Newness often makes us fearful, including the newness which God brings us, the newness which God asks of us."

Like the women at the tomb, he said, often "we are afraid of God's surprises," yet, "he always surprises us."

"Dear brothers and sisters," he said, "let us not be closed to the newness that God wants to bring into our lives. Are we often weary, disheartened and sad? Do we feel weighed down by our sins? Do we think that we won't be able to cope? Let us not close our hearts, let us not lose confidence, let us never give up."

The risen Jesus is risen for all time, he said, meaning that his is forever victorious "over everything that crushes life and makes it seem less human."

Pope Francis said he knows there are many times in life when it is difficult to believe in the power of God to bring forth new life. It's easier, he said, to be like the women in the Gospel and "look for the living among the dead."

The women in the Gospel are told to remember their life with Jesus and the things he had said and done. Only then do they conquer their fear and share the news of the Resurrection with the other disciples.

"To remember what God has done and continues to do for me, for us, to remember the road we have traveled; this is what opens our hearts to hope for the future," he said. "May we learn to remember everything that God has done in our lives."

 - - -

Editors: The text of Pope Francis' message "urbi et orbi" may be found at http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/francesco/messages/urbi/documents/papa-francesco_20130331_urbi-et-orbi-pasqua_en.html.

Pope leads Good Friday liturgy, begins rite in silent prayer, adoration
March 31, 2013 • by Carol Glatz Catholic News Service
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VATICAN CITY (CNS)—Lying prostrate on the floor before the main altar of St. Peter's Basilica, Pope Francis celebrated the Liturgy of the Lord's Passion.

The pope presided at the service March 29 to commemorate Christ's death on the cross.

He began the rite after a silent procession down the central nave under dim lighting, which underlined the solemnity of the ceremony. Then he rested his forehead on a red pillow while lying face down in front of the altar in silent prayer, in a sign of adoration and penance.

Living the Passion in the Cove
March 31, 2013 • by Eve Sullivan
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Living the Passion in the Cove - CTpost.com

Stations of th Cross - NewsTimes.com

Christians mark good Friday - CTpost.com

Living the Passion in the Cove - StamfordAdvocate.com

Self-absorption is root of evils within church, future pope said
March 28, 2013 • by By Carol Glatz — Catholic News Service
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VATICAN CITY (CNS)—Evils within the church are caused by a self-centeredness and "theological narcissism" that forget to share Christ with people outside of the church, Pope Francis said in the days before his election.

"When the church is self-referential, inadvertently, she believes she has her own light," he said in a summary of a speech he gave to the College of Cardinals before the start of the conclave that ended in his election.

When the church ceases to be "the mysterium lunae," that is, to depend on Christ for receiving and reflecting his -- not its own -- light, the church then "gives way to that very serious evil, spiritual worldliness, which according to (Jesuit Cardinal Henri-Marie) De Lubac, is the worst evil that can befall the church," said then-Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio.

The church then "lives to give glory only to one another" and not the rest of the world, he said.

The Vatican newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano, and Vatican Radio published March 27 the future pope's comments, which were in the handwritten outline of the speech he gave during the pre-conclave meetings, called general congregations. The meetings, which ran March 4-11, gave the cardinals a chance to discuss the main challenges facing the church.

Cuban Cardinal Jaime Ortega Alamino of Havana "had been so impressed" by then-Cardinal Bergoglio's speech that he asked for a copy of it, according to Vatican Radio. The radio said Cardinal Ortega received the pope's permission to share the contents of the speech's outline.

The outline said evangelization presupposes that the church does not want to be locked up inside herself, but wants to go "to the peripheries, not only geographically, but also the existential peripheries: the mystery of sin, of pain, of injustice, of ignorance and indifference to religion, of intellectual currents, and of all misery."

"When the church does not come out of herself to evangelize, she becomes self-referential and then gets sick," he wrote, adding a note of reference to St. Luke's Gospel account of Jesus curing the crippled woman on the Sabbath.

In the passage, Jesus is criticized for healing on the Sabbath, the day dedicated to rest. Jesus calls his critics hypocrites, asking why they can interpret the law to allow them to untie and release their animals on the Sabbath and not let a woman be unleashed from the binds of the devil who caused her illness.

The future pope wrote, "The evils that, over time, happen in ecclesial institutions have their root in self-referentiality and a kind of theological narcissism."

"In Revelation, Jesus says that he is at the door and knocks. Obviously, the text refers to his knocking from the outside in order to enter, but I think about the times in which Jesus knocks from within so that we will let him come out," he wrote.

"The self-referential church keeps Jesus Christ within herself and does not let him out," he added.

The pope wrote, "Put simply, there are two images of the church: a church which evangelizes and comes out of herself" by hearing the word of God with reverence and proclaiming it with faith; and "the worldly church, living within herself, of herself, for herself."

"This should shed light on the possible changes and reforms which must be done for the salvation of souls," he wrote.

Then-Cardinal Bergoglio told the College of Cardinals that the next pope "must be a man who, from the contemplation and adoration of Jesus Christ, helps the church to go out to the existential peripheries, that helps her to be the fruitful mother, who gains life from 'the sweet and comforting joy of evangelizing.'"

The College of Cardinals elected Pope Francis, reportedly beyond the two-thirds required, on March 13, on the fifth round of conclave voting.

Oppose Physician-Assisted Suicide
March 28, 2013
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The Public Health Committee of the state legislature has raised a bill that would legalize physician-assisted suicide in Connecticut.

The bill number is HB 6645. The Bishops of Connecticut, along with members of the health care community and those representing the elderly and disabled, strongly oppose this legislation.

The Connecticut Catholic Public Affairs Conference is asking you to sign the petition below to urge the members of the Public Health Committee to reject any legislation authorizing physician-assuited suicide (PAS) in Connecticut.

The facts on PAS can be found on the Connecticut Catholic Public Affairs Conference's website at  www.ctcatholic.org/Assisted-Suicide.php
       
Note: The Connecticut Catholic Public Affairs Conference will provide you with further information as the bill progresses through the legislature. We look forward to your assistance in defeating the effort to legalize physician- assisted suicide in our state.  

Archbishop Mansell celebrates “wonder of the priesthood”
March 27, 2013
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BRIDGEPORT—“Thank you for the wonderful ways you respond to God’s love,”  Hartford Archbishop Henry J. Mansell said to priests of the Diocese of Bridgeport at Chrism Mass held today at St. Augustine Cathedral in downtown Bridgeport.

At the yearly Chrism Mass, priests renew their priestly vows and the Bishop blesses the sacramental oils that are used throughout the year in parishes.

“Are you resolved to renew, in the presence of God’s holy people, the promise you once made?” Archbishop Mansell asked the 200 priests who stood for the renewal of their vows.
   
“I am,” replied the priests in unison to prolonged applause.
    
In a joyful and upbeat talk, Archbishop Mansell thanked all those in attendance, and reminded them that 1.2 billion Catholics across the globe are affirmed and strengthened by the sacramental oils that are blessed in Churches during the Lenten season.
    
When Archbishop Mansell asked the children in attendance if they knew the name of the new Pope, hands began to wave with the name, “Francis” on their lips.
    
The Archbishop said that Catholics have been inspired by the Pope’s humility and simplicity.
   
“He has taught us that we are in service to the world,” said Archbishop Mansell, who noted that Catholics are grateful to priests for their availability and their presence in the lives of those who are suffering or in need.
    
He singled our Msgr. Robert Weiss, pastor of St. Rose of Lima Church in Newtown, for his compassionate leadership after the shooting death of 26 children and adults at Sandy Hook School.
   
“People across the country saw how he was there through the days and nights, and how he continues to be there for the families. He is an example of what it means to be a priest.”
    
At the conclusion of the service, diocesan administrator Msgr. Jerald A. Doyle, who concelebrated Mass with Archbishop Mansell, extended his personal gratitude to the Archbishop and also thanked his brother priests for their efforts and support since  Bishop Lori left to become Archbishop of Baltimore.
   
He joked about the frequent questions he receives concerning when a new Bishop will be named. He said that the diocese will welcome the unity and leadership that comes with a new bishop but that the work of the local church has gone on and “things have run smoothly because of the work done everyday in parishes by you, my brother priests.”
     
Following the Pontifical Blessing, the priests processed out into the crisp air and brilliant sunshine to be greeted by Archbishop Mansell. Many requested his blessing and took photos with the leader of the Church in Connecticut.
    
After Mass, the holy oils that were consecrated on the altar were distributed to priests who will use them in their parishes when blessing the sick and in the sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation.

From death penalty to resurrection
March 27, 2013 • by Tony Magliano
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“We are Easter people and alleluia is our song!” 

But the cross always comes first. In this imperfect life suffering comes to everyone. But Christ does not cause our suffering. So much of human suffering is caused by human sin.

Pope Francis to live in Vatican guesthouse, not papal apartments
March 26, 2013 • by by Cindy Wooden, Catholic News Service
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VATICAN CITY—Pope Francis has decided not to move into the papal apartments in the Apostolic Palace, but to live in a suite in the Vatican guesthouse where he has been since the beginning of the conclave that elected him, said Jesuit Fr. Federico Lombardi, Vatican spokesman.

"He is experimenting with this type of living arrangement, which is simple," but allows him "to live in community with others," both the permanent residents—priests and bishops who work at the Vatican—as well as guests coming to the Vatican for meetings and conferences, Lombardi said Tuesday.

The spokesman said Pope Francis has moved out of the room he drew by lot before the conclave and into Suite 201, a room that has slightly more elegant furnishings and a larger living room where he can receive guests.

The Domus Sanctae Marthae, the official name of the guesthouse, was built in 1996 specifically to house cardinals during a conclave.

Celebrating Mass on Tuesday with the residents and guests, Pope Francis told them he intended to stay, Lombardi said. The permanent residents, who had to move out during the conclave, had just returned to their old rooms.

Pope Francis has been there since his election March 13, taking his meals in the common dining room downstairs and celebrating a 7 a.m. Mass with Vatican employees in the main chapel of the residence.

He will be the first pope in 110 years not to live in the papal apartments on the third floor of the Apostolic Palace.

In 1903, St. Pius X became the first pope to live in the apartments overlooking St. Peter's Square. The apartments were completely remodeled by Pope Paul VI in 1964 and have undergone smaller modifications by each pope since, according to "Mondo Vaticano," a Vatican-published mini-encyclopedia about Vatican buildings, offices and tradition.

The large living room or salon of the apartment is located directly above the papal library where official audiences with visiting bishops and heads of state are held.

Pope Francis will continue to use the library for official audiences and to recite the Angelus prayer on Sundays and holy days from the apartment window overlooking St. Peter's Square, Lombardi said.

The apartments contain a chapel, an office for the pope and a separate office for his secretaries, the pope's bedroom, a dining room, kitchen and rooms for two secretaries and for the household staff.

When Pope Francis returned to the guesthouse after his election, Lombardi had said the move was intended to be short-term while a few small work projects were completed in the papal apartments. He said Tuesday that all the work had been completed, but at least for the foreseeable future, Pope Francis would not move in.

The Domus Sanctae Marthae, named after St. Martha, is a five-story building on the edge of Vatican City.

While offering relative comfort, the residence is not a luxury hotel. The building has 105 two-room suites and 26 singles; about half of the rooms are occupied by the permanent residents. Each suite has a sitting room with a desk, three chairs, a cabinet and large closet; a bedroom with dresser, night table and clothes stand; and a private bathroom with a shower.

The rooms all have telephones and access to an international satellite television system.

The building also has a large meeting room and a variety of small sitting rooms. In addition to the dining room and the main chapel, it also has four private chapels, located at the end of hallways on the third and fifth floors of each of the building's two wings.

Students compete in Blue Division of the WordMasters Challenge
March 26, 2013 • by By Trumbull Times
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A Saint Catherine of Siena School student recently received a perfect score in the first of three meets for this year’s WordMasters Challenge, a national vocabulary competition involving nearly 150,000 students annually.

The WordMasters Challenge is an exercise in critical thinking that first encourages students to become familiar with a set of interesting new words and then challenges them to use those words to complete analogies expressing various kinds of logical relationships.

Competing in the Blue Division of the WordMasters Challenge, eighth grader Bridget Murphy earned a perfect score of 20 in the December meet. Nationally, only 27 eighth graders achieved a perfect score.

Other students at Saint Catherine of Siena who achieved outstanding results in the meet include 8th graders Thomas Montelli, Abigail Kelly, Frances Morrisey, Julia Bacarella, Jillian Hurley, and Mary Grace Held.

Archbishop: U.S. risks losing soul by ignoring immigrants' humanity
March 26, 2013 • by By Catholic News Service
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LOS ANGELES (CNS)—The archbishop of Los Angeles called upon the United States to remember the humanity of men, women and children in the country illegally or risk losing its soul.

Addressing the city's Jewish community March 19, Archbishop Jose H. Gomez said the time has come for the U.S. to adopt comprehensive immigration to provide undocumented immigrants with a path to citizenship.

He also urged U.S. officials to end the practice of breaking up families through deportation.

The chairman of the U.S. bishops' Committee on Migration called immigration reform "the most urgent civil rights question of our time."

Archbishop Gomez, a native of Monterey, Mexico, recalled being an immigrant himself and how he became a naturalized citizen as a young adult in explaining the church's support for comprehensive immigration reform.

He suggested to the audience at Sephardic Temple Tifereth Israel that immigration reform would be better addressed by Christian and Jewish leaders by invoking religious and moral terms and by recalling the religious principles upon which the U.S. was founded.

"One of the problems we have today is that we've lost our ability to talk about issues in religious and moral terms," he said. "We are becoming a more and more secular society. And that makes it hard to talk about the values and commitments we find in America's founding documents."

Archbishop Gomez said the social justice movements that ended slavery in the 19th century, led to major civil rights gains in the 1960s and gave rise to today's culture of life campaign are grounded in the nation's Judeo-Christian heritage.

It's time, the archbishop said, to return God to the debate on immigration and other concerns facing the country.

"We have lost the sense of the humanity of the men and women and children who are living in this country illegally," Archbishop Gomez said. "That worries me as a pastor. I'm worried we are losing something of our national soul."

Describing the U.S. as a great nation that readily turns to aiding people in need around the world, he questioned its treatment of undocumented immigrants.

"Yet this great nation finds itself today reduced to addressing this major issue in our public life through name-calling and discrimination, criminal profiling based on race, random identity checks, violent raids of workplaces and homes, arbitrary detentions and deportations," he said.

Citing the deportation of 1.5 million people in recent years, Archbishop Gomez called for compassion.

"I am a pastor, not a politician. And to talk as a pastor, these are not statistics. These are souls. Human beings. We're talking about fathers and husbands who, with no warning, won't be coming home for dinner tonight and who may not see their families again for a decade at least. We are talking about a government policy that punishes children for the crimes of their parents.

"We are a better people than this. America has always been a nation of justice and law. But we are also a people of compassion and common sense. What we're doing right now betrays our values and makes our country weaker and more vulnerable," he said.

Thanking Jewish leaders for their leadership through the L.A. Council of Religious Leaders in seeking a just solution to the country's burning immigration questions, Archbishop Gomez cited the words of Pope Francis who earlier in the day during his inaugural Mass called people to the vocation of "protector" by showing love and concern for every human being.

In thinking about immigration reform, the archbishop said his mind turns to the words of Moses during the exodus from Egypt in which he reminds the Jewish people not to oppress a stranger because they too were strangers in a foreign land.

"That's what our society needs to hear right now," Archbishop Gomez said. "Our society needs the heart of a stranger. This is our task. To be that beating heart. The heart of a stranger. We need to help our brothers and sisters to remember the founding vision of America. The vision of the Bible. The vision of the Gospel.

"We need to communicate this vision to our neighbors," he continued. "This vision of God and this vision of the human person who is made in the image of God. Our society needs us to be the people of conscience. The people who remember and believe that in God's eyes we're all his beloved sons and daughters, and not one is a stranger to any of us."

Pope on Palm Sunday: Christ's passion leads to joy
March 25, 2013 • by Francis X. Rocca Catholic News Service
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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Francis celebrated his first Palm Sunday Mass as pope March 24, telling an overflow crowd in St. Peter's Square that Christ's death on the cross is a source of eternal consolation and joy.

"A Christian can never be sad. Never give way to discouragement," the pope said in his homily, assuring listeners that with Jesus, "We are never alone, even at difficult moments, even at difficult moments when our life's journey comes up against problems and obstacles that seem insurmountable, and there are so many of them."

As he has done with striking frequency since his election March 13, Pope Francis warned against the action of the devil, who he said comes to discourage believers in times of trouble, "often disguised as an angel who insidiously tells us his word. Do not listen to him."

Recalling Jesus' triumphant arrival in Jerusalem, acclaimed as a king only days before his crucifixion, the pope stressed the otherworldly nature of Christ's reign.

"Jesus does not enter the Holy City to receive the honors reserved to earthly kings, to the powerful, to rulers; he enters to be scourged, insulted and abused," Pope Francis said. "His royal throne is the wood of the cross."

"Jesus takes upon himself the evil, the filth, the sin of the world, including our own sin," the pope said, "and he cleanses it, he cleanses it with his blood, with the mercy and the love of God.""Christ's cross embraced with love does not lead to sadness, but to joy," he said.

Pope Francis characteristically strayed from his prepared text in a personal aside when deploring the sin of greed, adding that money is something "no one can bring with him. My grandmother would say to us children, 'No shroud has pockets.'"

Noting that "for 28 years Palm Sunday has been World Youth Day," the pope told young people in the congregation that "you bring us the joy of faith, and you tell us that we must live the faith with a young heart, always, even at the age of 70 or 80."

Pope Francis confirmed that he would attend the July 2013 World Youth Day celebrations in Rio de Janeiro, saying, "I will see you in that great city in Brazil." Though the announcement was widely expected, it drew applause from the crowd in the square and the avenue beyond.

Before the Mass, young people carrying woven palm fronds led a procession that included bishops, cardinals and Pope Francis in the popemobile. They processed to the ancient Egyptian obelisk in the center of the square, where the pope blessed palm and olive branches held up by members of the congregation.

After Mass, before praying the Angelus from the altar set up in front of the basilica, the pope made special mention of "people afflicted with tuberculosis, as today is the world day against this disease."

Students portray the Way of the Cross
March 22, 2013
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GREENWICH—Making their own interpretation of Jesus’ final sacrifice, students in Marianne Licare’s third grade religion class at Greenwich Catholic School recently completed their Stations of the Cross.

The entire class worked on the project. Students were allowed to pick a Station of the Cross and choose to do their work as a black and white sketch, a drawing, a model with clay, a painting or a collage. As an alternative to art work, they could respond by writing a poem or a prayer.

Prep Robotics Club competes in Tech Challenge 2013
March 22, 2013
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For a third year, the Fairfield Prep Robotics Club, moderated by math teacher Mr. Jaques, competed in the FIRST Tech Challenge ­—an international robotics competition founded by inventor Dean Kamen.

This year’s competition, called “Ring It Up!” involved competing in a “vertical tic-tac-toe style” game with three other teams, from area high schools, to score points. Twenty-six teams competed against each other in tournament style matchups. The Northeast Utilities Foundation’s Connecticut FIRST Tech Challenge took place on February 16 at Greens Farms Academy in Westport, CT.

The Fairfield Prep team competed very well, relative to the competition. Sophomore Gavin Granath said, “This year’s competition was very competitive compared to the last two years in New Hampshire. However, I think it is less about winning, and more about the skills we’ve gained here.” Staples High School came in first place at Greens Farms and will move on to the National Championship in St. Louis, Missouri in April.

In addition to competing, the team had a special chance to meet with Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy and Senator Richard Blumenthal, who came to speak about STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) opportunities in high school. Sophomore Dylan Hawkes recalls, “Governor Malloy came over to our table and talked with the team. He said he was very familiar with Fairfield Prep because of his Jesuit connections at Boston College.”

Cathedral principals named
March 22, 2013
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BRIDGEPORT—The Diocese of Bridgeport has announced the principals who will lead the two campuses of its new Cathedral Academy in downtown Bridgeport.

Sr. Deborah Lopez will serve as the principal of the St. Raphael Campus for students from Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 3. Lawrence DiPalma will serve as the principal of the St. Augustine Campus for students from Grades 4-8.

“As we continue to plan for the opening of the new Cathedral Academy for the 2013-14 academic year, we welcome two principals who bring extensive educational experience, leadership and a commitment to Catholic education to this new initiative,” says Sr. Mary Grace Walsh, interim superintendent of schools.

The new campus principals will coordinate with Jo-Anne Jakab, president of the Cathedral Academy, for the smooth transition from four buildings to two campuses. Jakab will continue to serve as principal of Kolbe-Cathedral High School.

Sr. Deborah Lopez has been the principal of St. Raphael’s since March 2011. Prior to that she was an elementary principal in New York City; Middlesex, NJ; and St. Louis, MO. She also served two terms as provincial superior of the Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Under Sr. Deborah’s leadership, St. Raphael School moved ahead with a strong program emphasizing mastery in reading, writing and mathematics, and faculty collaboration on literacy and math plans. St. Raphael’s is equipped with laptop computers, as well as networked classroom computers and a fully-equipped science lab. Beyond the academic subjects, students enjoy classes in art, music, computer, physical education and Spanish.

Lawrence DiPalma of West Haven will serve as the principal of the St. Augustine Campus for students from Grades 4-8. Early in his career, he served as principal of the former Sacred Heart/St. Anthony School in Bridgeport and St. Bernadette School in New Haven. He was a middle school math teacher for nine years before becoming a director of curriculum and instruction and then principal of Highville Charter School in Hamden.

He was later the restructuring principal of Prendergast School in Ansonia. In 2011 he received the CT Elementary Principal of the Year Award and the National Distinguished Principal Award. For the past year he has been at Notre Dame High School in Fairfield as a math teacher and director of the Teaching and Learning Center.

Local Student Wins Prestigious Essay Contest
March 21, 2013
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STAMFORD—Veronica Fahs, a fifth grade student at Holy Spirit School in Stamford, has been awarded first place in the Daughters of the American (D.A.R.) Revolution Essay Contest, Stamford Chapter, Fifth Grade Division.

She recently presented her essay at the D.A.R. Awards Ceremony on March 2. As the winner of the Stamford Division, Veronica’s essay goes on to be judged at the state level.

The D.A.R.’s American History Essay Contest was established to encourage young people to think creatively about our nation's past and learn about history in a new light.  This year’s essay theme was, “Forgotten patriots who supported the American struggle for independence.”  Veronica’s essay highlighted Phillis Wheatley, who was the first African-American poet and first African-American woman to publish a book.

Beverly Jordan-Murphy, Veronica’s English teacher at Holy Spirit School, says she is proud of Veronica and notes the strong emphasis put on writing at the school.  Jordan-Murphy says, “Veronica’s essay exemplifies the work we do every day with students at Holy Spirit to create effective writers.”

Holy Spirit School is a PreK3 thru 5th grade school located in Stamford, CT.  With a low student-teacher ratio, Veronica and the other students at Holy Spirit School are exposed to a refreshing and open attitude toward new ideas and teaching methods emphasizing academic excellence in a faith-based environment.

About Daughters of the American Revolution National Society
The DAR, founded in 1890 and headquartered in Washington, D.C., is a non-profit, non-political volunteer women's service organization dedicated to promoting patriotism, preserving American history, and securing America's future through better education for children.

Pope Francis changes Holy Thursday plans to celebrate Mass in prison
March 21, 2013 • by By Carol Glatz — Catholic News Service
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VATICAN CITY (CNS)—Pope Francis has decided to celebrate the Holy Thursday Mass of the Lord's Supper in a Rome juvenile detention facility and wash the feet of some of the young detainees.

It marks a change in venue of the previously scheduled March 28 Holy Week event from St. Peter's Basilica to Rome's Casal del Marmo prison for minors.

While the practice of his predecessors has included washing the feet of priests or laypeople, the ceremony was normally held in either St. Peter's Basilica or the Basilica of St. John Lateran.

The Vatican said that, as archbishop of Buenos Aires, Pope Francis used to celebrate the Mass of the Lord's Supper -- which reflects on the call to imitate Christ by serving one another -- in prisons, hospitals or shelters for the poor and marginalized.

"With the celebration at Casal del Marmo, Pope Francis will continue that practice, which must be carried out in a context characterized by simplicity," the Vatican said in a March 21 statement.

The Mass of the Lord's Supper highlights "the commandment of love" and service through the ritual of washing the feet of others, the statement said.

The other Holy Week and Easter events and celebrations were expected to remain as previously scheduled, the Vatican said, including the pope celebrating the morning chrism Mass on Holy Thursday in St. Peter's Basilica, in which the chrism and the oils used in the sacraments of baptism, confirmation, ordination and the anointing of the sick are blessed.

At the start of his pontificate, Pope Benedict XVI reversed a 20-year Vatican tradition of washing the feet of priests during the Holy Thursday evening Mass. In 2006 and 2007, he returned to a practice in effect before 1985, when he washed the feet of 12 laymen from the Diocese of Rome during the evening Mass.

From 2008 onward, Pope Benedict switched back to washing the feet of 12 priests from the Rome diocese.

From 1985 to 2001, Blessed John Paul II washed the feet of 12 priests each year during the Holy Thursday Mass. Beginning in 2002, because of his weakened physical condition and his inability to walk, the pope had cardinals perform the foot-washing ritual, but always washing the feet of 12 priests.

However, in the first six years of his pontificate, Pope John Paul continued Pope Paul VI's practice of washing the feet of laypeople.

For several years, Pope John Paul washed the feet of elderly laymen, including a group of homeless men living at a shelter run by the Missionaries of Charity in 1980. In 1983, he washed the feet of 12 young men from Italy's Boys Town, and in 1984 the 12 were representatives of Rome parish youth groups.

In 1974, Pope Paul washed the feet of 12 boys undergoing therapy for the effects of polio. In 1977, he washed the feet of 12 boys, ages 12-14, who were students at the Rome Diocese's minor seminary.

Pope Benedict visited the Casal del Marmo prison in 2007, meeting with the young detainees in a gym and celebrating Mass with them in the prison chapel.

Prep hockey team state champion again
March 20, 2013 • by by Michael Fornabaio
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NEW HAVEN—The referee's arm went up to send Kevin Brown to the penalty box in the third period of a tie game in the CIAC Division I final.

The feeling, Fairfield Prep coach Matt Sather said, was "bittersweet" in a way.

"As a coach, you've been through it a lot," Sather said, "you say 'this isn't good, but at the same time, if we kill it, the momentum shift will be big.'"

The shift was huge, and the Jesuits are state champions in boys hockey for the 15th time, the 14th in Division I.

The Jesuits killed the penalty, and on a rebound 11 seconds later, Matt Wikman scored the winner in a 3-2 victory Tuesday over Notre Dame-West Haven.

Jesuits junior Dean Lockery pulled a puck out of the slot in his own zone just before the penalty expired, starting the rush. Senior captain David White, who finished his four years with 150 points, carried the puck into the zone and beat a couple of defenders as Lockery went to the right post.

"Dave did his thing, dangling," said Wikman, a junior. "He put one out front for Dean, he hit the post, and it came right out to me."

With 6:26 left, the goal sent half of sold-out Ingalls Rink into hysterics and left the other half subdued. Though the Green Knights' Paul Sliwinski made big save after big save, so did Fairfield Prep's Matt Beck to preserve the lead.

"God bless 'em," Notre Dame coach Bill Gerosa said. "They beat us four times this year, they deserve to win. I really enjoyed this game, the whole game. It was a terrific game. The crowd was into it."

Fairfield Prep (23-1) won its eighth state title since 2000 (four of them over Notre Dame in the final), going 18-0 against Connecticut opponents this year. The 2006-07 Jesuits went 17-0-1 (the tie at Hamden) in-state on the way to a championship.

Sather credited this one to his senior defensemen, Sean Henry, Brown, Andrew Hatton and Billy D'Amore.

"To log that time, they were awesome," Sather said.

The defending champions finished 18-6-1.

"We lost four or five good players, but we were able to regroup," Gerosa said. "We just came up a goal short today. I'm very, very proud of my boys."

The Green Knights took a 2-0 lead on goals 83 seconds apart in the first period, junior defenseman Lou Iannotti from above the left circle at 7:34, then Billy Vizzo at 8:57, coming out from Beck's right into the left circle and snapping a shot inside the left post.

Wikman said the team was confident in the adjustments it made. He began the comeback, deflecting in Henry's point shot on the power play with 2:29 left in the period.

"Being able to come back is a tribute to good teams," Gerosa said. "Fairfield Prep is a good team."

Jesuits sophomore Mike Ventricelli tied the game on a two-on-one at 3:02 of the second. That set up an intense, instant-classic third period between the state's two best teams, decided by a penalty kill and its aftermath.

"For (the players), it's something they'll always remember," Sather said.

"A lot of guys sacrificed a lot. They bought into a school and a program."

That school hasn't graduated a class without at least one state hockey championship since 1990. That streak will continue until at least 2017.

Catholic Youth Congress Highlights Friendship With Christ
March 20, 2013 • by by KEVIN JONES AND KATE VEIK/CNA
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BRIDGEPORT—Hundreds of high-school students attended the 2013 Convivio Youth Congress in Connecticut March 8-10 to talk about the Christian faith, grow spiritually and consider the meaning of friendship today.

Florencia Silva, youth-ministry director for the Diocese of Bridgeport, said the event is intended “to help kids encounter Christ and grow in their friendship with him.”

Friendship, she noted, is “a very important topic” for teenagers, since contemporary culture “doesn’t help people form real relationships.”

“Many times, the young people feel very isolated and alone, and it’s very hard for them to find relationships,” she added.

Even social media “sometimes makes them feel more connected, but also more isolated.”

The 2013 congress’ theme was taken from the words of Jesus to the disciples in the Gospel of John: “I have called you friends.” The congress aimed to explore common misconceptions about friendship, the problem of loneliness and the longing for genuine relationship. It intended to explore the qualities of true friendship, with the goal of helping others reach eternal life.

Stephen Kawulicz, a two-time Convivio attendee from Brookfield, Conn., said he loved the congress’ talks. “They’re all very thought-provoking and make me look at things in a new light,” he told Catholic News Agency.

“I think that a friendship with Christ and a friendship with God should be both the center of our lives and the center of our friendships with other people. Because that’s what makes everything last,” he said.

“God’s love is eternal and perfect, while our love falls short.”

The Convivio gathering was held at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Conn., with help from about 100 adult volunteers and 80 student leaders.

Warm Welcome

At the congress’ opening, dozens of teens waited at the doors to greet their friends and classmates, help with registration and make introductions. Besides talks, small-group discussion and a concert, the congress featured chances for prayer, Eucharistic adoration and Sunday Mass.

The three-day youth congress was introduced to the U.S. in 2010 by the Marian Community of Reconciliation, a community of lay consecrated women whose ministry focuses on youth outreach.

Silva, who is a member of the Marian Community of Reconciliation, said Convivio is unique because it is youth-run. High school and college students help in the planning and organization of the congress. They invite other young people to attend through giving speeches at their parishes and schools, putting up posters and posting Facebook statuses. The students lead the groups and give the talks and witnesses. The event leads youth through a question-and-answer process.

“They’re not here to be told. We help them encounter the answers themselves,” Silva told CNA, noting that the small-group format also helps promote one-on-one engagement.

The event is open to youths who question their faith or are looking for answers, along with those who are excited about their faith, Silva said.

Convivio delegations came from Massachusetts, Texas and Colorado. Maria Salazar, a high-school freshman from Denver, said that she attended because she wanted to grow stronger in her faith.

“I honestly thought it was going to be one of those normal retreats and not a lot of fun, but after the first day, I had so much joy I couldn’t contain it,” she said. “I wanted to stay there and grow closer in friendship with Christ and the people around me.”

Salazar said Eucharistic adoration and singing together with other retreat attendees were her favorite parts of the congress.

Silva said her favorite part of Convivio is witnessing young people change from Friday to Sunday. “On Friday, they are insecure, and they don’t want to step out of their comfort zone,” she said. Attendees become more self-giving and appear “completely transformed” by Sunday.

Past Convivio participants say they have formed long and lasting friendships over the weekend, rooted in their common love for Jesus Christ.

Sacred Heart University students launch the Last Straw Campaign for gun control awareness
March 20, 2013
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FAIRFIELD—Amid a widespread gun control controversy sweeping the country, a group of Sacred Heart University students have come up with an innovative way to create awareness on their own.

Students from Professor Steven Michels’ Intro to American Government class have developed the Last Straw Campaign. Their goal is to collect 100,000 straws to represent the 100,000 gun victims in the United States each year.

Professor Michels’ original project was a group assignment to create a simulated public event in an area representing gun control, education, transportation, energy, health care or the environment. The group that took on gun control – sophomores Lea DeRosa, Meaghan Garrigal and freshmen Kyle Martin, Anthony Tartaglia and Stefani Wren – decided they could turn their idea into more than just a classroom project. “My classmates and I really hope that this project will expand to other schools, other towns and even other states,” Wren said.

The group came up with the idea of creating a Facebook group and Twitter account to take advantage of the widespread use of social media in the world today. Michels not only liked their idea, but wanted them to take it a step further. “What the group came up with was so simple and clever that I thought we had to actually do it. It would have been a shame not to do it, and the group was thrilled when I suggested that they go ahead with it. While everyone else was away for spring break, we spent our time sending e-mails back and forth to get our game plan in order,” he said.

The class assignment has blossomed into a campus-wide campaign headed by the five group members. “I was talking about how the Sandy Hook tragedy should have been the last straw, and then it hit us. We decided we should start a campaign called The Last Straw,” Wren said.

With the accumulation of “likes” on the Facebook page, following the Twitter account and having individuals send in their own straws, the group hopes to demonstrate their support for restrictions on gun ownership. “We hope to expand this campaign and become known, so that hopefully we can make a difference and really try to put an end to it. I, along with my group members and the rest of the class, are working toward getting our campaign known not only locally, but trying to expand to other places as well,” Wren added.

The group hopes to have 100,000 straws by December 14, 2013, which will be the first anniversary of the Sandy Hook school shootings. The Facebook page was established on February 25, and already has more than 300 “likes.” The campaign also has already begun receiving straws. Once they have reached their deadline, the students intend to take their awareness one step further. “We want to deliver the straws to Congress in Washington D.C., on the one-year anniversary of the Sandy Hook tragedy. We want to end instances such as Sandy Hook, Columbine, Aurora and so many more from happening by making a change and taking a stand. Make your straw the last straw,” said Tartaglia.

Michels continues to be impressed with the work and dedication of all his students. “The class is learning about American government from the perspective of what it means to be an active and responsible citizen—engaged in the real work on communities: learning about issues, having their voices heard and, hopefully, making a difference. It’s been a great deal of work, and we haven’t even really started counting yet. But it’s also one of the most rewarding experiences I’ve had as a teacher. I think this is college education at its best,” he said.

Donated straws can be sent to the Sacred Heart mailroom at Sacred Heart University, 5151 Park Avenue, Fairfield, CT 06825.

Watch Inaugural Mass of the Pontificate Live!
March 19, 2013
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Courtesy of the Vatican on Youtube

Read: Sts. Ignatius and Francis of Assisi, a bond highlighted by Pope Francis

Read: Statement of Msgr. Jerald A. Doyle, Diocesan Administrator

Read: Jesuits surprised that first of their brethren is elected pope

Read: Busy Schedule Ahead for Pope Francis

Read: Pope Francis changes Holy Thursday plans to celebrate Mass in prison

Advising Pope Francis
March 18, 2013 • by Tony Magliano
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Imagine getting a call from Pope Francis explaining that he would like your advice concerning the most important issues facing the Catholic Church and the world.

If he asked you, “What kind of pope does the church and world need at this moment in history?” What would you say to him?

Well, if our new Holy Father asked me that question, I would first of all suggest that he deeply reflect on the challenge given to him by Cardinal Angelo Sodano, dean of the cardinals.

In his homily during the Mass before the election of a new pope, Cardinal Sodano said in light of Christ’s teachings to love and serve the church and all of humanity, “the last popes have been builders of so many good initiatives for people and for the international community, tirelessly promoting justice and peace.”

He then added this challenge: “Let us pray that the future pope may continue this unceasing work on the world level.”
My sentiments exactly!

Throughout much of the world, where ongoing war has become the norm, and where even nuclear war is not only thinkable but a real possibility – consider North Korea’s recent threats to strike the United States and South Korea with nuclear weapons, and U.S. counter threats – having a pope who is deeply committed to “tirelessly promoting justice and peace” is an absolute necessity!

In addition to the inhumanity of war, Pope Francis faces a whole host of serious threats to human life and dignity.

In response to the catastrophic assaults and cold-hearted indifference experienced by countless persons who are unborn, poor, hungry, homeless, jobless, medically uninsured, undocumented, and on death row, our new pope needs to ceaselessly and courageously stand up and proclaim “No!” to all of this cruel injustice.

And I would ask him to urge all the clergy to do the same with their preaching and example.

Also, I would request that the Holy Father mandate that all seminarians be given a much expanded exposure to Catholic social teaching. And that they be required to spend one year of their formation ministering to, and being ministered by, the poor in economically underdeveloped nations, as well as in their own country. This immersion experience would go a long way in deepening the sensitivity of clergy and laity alike to the many injustices suffered by the poor.

Additionally, I would urge Pope Francis to take to heart, further develop, and strongly attempt to infuse into the everyday life of the Catholic Church the prophetic social justice and peace teachings of his recent predecessors.  

Here would be an excellent place to start: Following the 1991 Persian Gulf War, Blessed Pope John Paul II declared, “No, never again, war, which destroys the lives of innocent people, teaches how to kill, throws into upheaval even the lives of those who do the killing and leaves behind a trail of resentment and hatred, thus making it all the more difficult to find a just solution to the very problems which provoked the war.”

Here Blessed John Paul contributed to the development of recent papal teaching that is steadily shifting the Catholic Church away from the just-war theory towards nonviolent solutions based on justice and love.  

I would urge Pope Francis to take the final remaining step here, and declare that war is never just, and is always to be condemned as a curse upon humanity!
 
Tony Magliano is an internationally syndicated social justice and peace columnist.

Father Bob Remains Source Of Comfort In Newtown
March 18, 2013 • by Dave Altimari, .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) The Hartford Courant
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NEWTOWN—As he stood near the front door of the Sandy Hook Elementary School on the morning of Dec. 14, shattered glass near his feet, Monsignor Robert Weiss knew he was as close to evil as he would ever get.

Newtown police officers had asked the pastor of nearby St. Rose of Lima church to go into the school and bless the bodies of the 26 people, including 20 children, massacred only moments earlier by Adam Lanza.

Weiss, known as Father Bob to almost everyone in the tight-knit community, was the first religious person on the scene. He said he felt an obligation to the souls lost inside until he got close enough to see heavily armed police officers still running into the school.

"Some of the officers had told me that I didn't want to see what was in those classrooms,'' Weiss said. "I didn't think there was a need to go into the school.''
Weiss said a prayer for the dead near the front entrance and then went back up to the nearby firehouse. It was then that he began to realize the enormity of the tragedy facing the families of the dead and the town itself.

The monsignor stayed at the firehouse all day and then went back to his church, located not more than a mile from the school, to help lead an impromptu memorial service that drew more than 1,000 people.

"I really wasn't sure what I was going to say, but I kept thinking love has to be here," Weiss said recently during an interview at the church rectory.

Weiss told the crowd, which included the Gov, Dannel P. Malloy, that "evil visited us but we have to get through it and find some good."

It became a theme for the town. Variations of what Weiss said that night about "choosing good" are now on bumper stickers, signs and logos.

Nearly three months since the massacre, Weiss remains a central figure — as a confidant for families still struggling with losing their children, and as a calming influence by town officials who have asked him to serve as one of five committee members who will determine how to distribute the more than $10 million collected through the United Way after the tragedy.

Weiss gets invited to events every day. He passed up a chance to meet the Boston Bruins to sit with The Courant. He has been interviewed by Katie Couric and British newspapers.

The attention has left the 66-year-old, who has been at St. Rose for 13 years and is celebrating his 40th anniversary in the priesthood this year, more than a little overwhelmed and uncomfortable — particularly since he still is having a hard time processing what happened at the Sandy Hook school.

"The whole thing is unreal to me," Weiss said fighting back tears. "Many times I've thought, 'How in God's name could this happen?' We all have horrible things to deal with in our lives but nothing this horrible."

Then The Phone Rang

The morning of Dec. 14 started like almost every other for Weiss. He went to the Sandy Hook Diner and had a plate of his favorite French toast. With no parish Mass planned that Friday morning, the priest was looking forward to a quiet morning in the rectory "wrapping Christmas presents."

Then the phone rang.

It was the Newtown Police Department, ordering him to lockdown the St. Rose School because there had been a report of a shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary. As it happened, all 359 students at the Catholic K-8 school were in the church for their weekly Mass when Weiss walked in and told school administrators to put students in lockdown.

Weiss then drove toward Sandy Hook Elementary, stopping at the firehouse when he saw teachers trying to organize students by grade after bringing them down from the school.

"I had several kids that knew me come up and give me a hug. There was one little girl who grabbed me by a belt loop in back and wouldn't let go. They were looking for comfort," Weiss said.

Weiss then ran down to the elementary school parking lot, where he found "organized chaos." Emergency medical personnel were waiting for victims that never came. Officers were still arriving and running in and out of the school, parents were looking for their children.

When he went back to the firehouse, Weiss saw one group of parents being led to a separate room. Many were still hopeful their children were alive.

Copyright © 2013, The Hartford Courant

Sts. Ignatius and Francis of Assisi, a bond highlighted by Pope Francis
March 18, 2013 • by Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service
Posted in World News Share

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Francis is "a Jesuit's Jesuit" who understands the importance of St. Francis of Assisi in the life of St. Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Society of Jesus, said the Jesuits' secretary for the promotion of the faith.

U.S. Jesuit Father Gerald Blaszczak told Catholic News Service March 15 that while most Jesuits were shocked that a Jesuit was elected pope, "any Jesuit worth his salt" would not be surprised that the pope took the name of St. Francis of Assisi.

Pope Francis, the former Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Buenos Aires, Argentina, entered the Jesuit novitiate in 1958 and was ordained to the priesthood in 1969. He had been novice master and, from 1973 to 1979, was the Jesuit provincial for Argentina.

Father Blaszczak said Pope Francis' training and priesthood as a Jesuit "tell you that he's been steeped in Ignatian spirituality," has had "a top-notch secular education" and that "his formation has always put him in touch with real people in real-life situations," which he then has reflected upon in an effort to identify the ways God was present.

"That he chose the name Francis signals to us where he's from, what he's about and what he believes the reform of the church is going to require: It's not going to require moral muscle, it's not going to require just philosophical analysis; it's going to require an engagement with the person of Christ," particularly through the Scriptures, he said. "But it's going to be the Christ poor and humble."

While some people thought maybe Pope Francis took his name thinking also of the great Jesuit St. Francis Xavier, Father Blaszczak said Jesuits know just how important the life, example and spirituality of St. Francis of Assisi was in the conversion of their founder, St. Ignatius, and in the development of what has come to be known as Ignatian spirituality.

St. Ignatius, who lived 1491-1556, was from a Spanish noble family. After being wounded in battle, he began reviewing his life and thinking about his future. Father Blaszczak said he saw his choices as life and a career in the royal court or a life spent imitating St. Francis of Assisi.

"For Ignatius, Francis is the alternative to the life of the world. Francis, with his itinerant ministry and his intense devotion to the life of Christ and his ascetical lifestyle," is the counterbalance to the worldly life in the court, the Jesuit said.

"Ignatius, as he admits himself, was given to womanizing, gambling and feats of arms," but at the time of his conversion, "to his great surprise," Ignatius finds himself "much more attracted, much more consoled, enlivened and given joy when he thinks about imitating the life of St. Francis," the founder of the Franciscans, who died in 1226.

Father Blaszczak said Catholics already have a good hint of how Ignatian and Franciscan spirituality might impact the way Pope Francis exercises his ministry "in the way he engaged the people of Rome" when he first stepped out onto the balcony as their bishop and pope March 13 "with great simplicity, with minimal pomp and circumstance."

The Jesuit said he expected Pope Francis to continue as much as possible to live as he did while cardinal and archbishop of Buenos Aires, with "simplicity and austerity in conformity with the life of Ignatius and Francis, in conformity with his intention to follow Christ poor and humble."

The focus of St. Ignatius, St. Francis and "historically of our new pope" when he was bishop was to be closest to the poor and those on the margins of society, he said.

The modern papacy, however, has included a certain style dictated by protocol and respect for the pope.

Father Blaszczak said he did not think that would frustrate Pope Francis.

"From the conversations I've had with my Latin American Jesuit colleagues, this is a man who knows his own mind. This is a man who is not afraid of choosing and marking his own direction," he said.

He also said he did not think the life of the Society of Jesus would change much with a Jesuit in the Apostolic Palace, because "we are bound to the service of the church through our connection and availability to the Holy Father, and that doesn't change" no matter who is pope.

The Jesuits promise not to seek high offices in the church, which explains in part why there has never been a Jesuit pope before. However, Father Blaszczak said, that Jesuit promise is secondary to their promise to always be available for whatever mission the church needs them to take on.

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!
March 17, 2013
Posted in Local News Share

A PARADE DAY—The Diocesan celebration of St. Patrick's Day began with celebration of Mass by Msgr. Jerald A. Doyle on Friday March 15, at St.Augustine Cathedral in downtown Bridgeport.
 

After Mass, students from diocesan Catholic schools marched in Bridgeport's St. Patrick's Day Parade. This year, under the leadership of Robert O'Keefe of Trumbull, the parade introduce a new Catholic Schools Division. Students proudly displayed the new banner as they marched. Sister Mary Grace Walsh, new diocesan superintendent of schools, joined Mr. O'Keefe in the division car to wave to people along the parade route and enjoy the day.

Deacon Joseph Farley, 87
March 17, 2013
Posted in Local News Share

Deacon Joseph Farley, retired Deacon of St. Leo Parish in Stamford, and former Director of the Diocesan Immigration Office, passed away on March 16.

He is remembered fondly by many as a man of good heart, positive spirit, and strong commitment to others.  Upon his retirement in 2005, Bishop William E. Lori praised Deacon Farley, "As a servant after the mind and heart of Christ, you have helped us, as a family of faith, to welcome strangers with compassion and love. You have assisted the Diocese also in welcoming priests and religious who serve our diverse Catholic population. All this has required of you hard and patient work and a detailed knowledge of immigration law and practice. In thanking you, Joe, I echo the gratitude of the many lives your special ministry has touched."

 Calling Hours, Monday, March 18 from 4:00 P.M. - 8:00 P.M., at Cognetta Funeral Home, 104 Myrtle Avenue, Stamford
 
* Mass of Christian Burial, Tuesday, March 19, 10:00 A.M. at St. Leo Church, 24 Roxbury road, Stamford.
 
* Burial will follow the Mass, at Gate of Heaven Cemetery, Hawthorne, NY.

Read Full Obituary

Statement of Msgr. Jerald A. Doyle, Diocesan Administrator on the selection of the new Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio who has taken the name Francis.
March 13, 2013
Posted in World News Share

On behalf of the faithful of the Diocese of Bridgeport, Msgr. Jerald A. Doyle has expressed joy that a new Pope has been elected, Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio who has taken the name Francis.  

Today, the Catholics of Fairfield County join with the 1.2 billion Catholics in celebrating the announcement and asking the Lord’s blessing on him.

This is an historic and exciting moment in that Francis is the first Pope from the Americas. We look forward to his leadership as he represents the faith and aspirations of people across the globe.

It is reported that he is a man of deep humility, commitment to the poor, and passion for evangelization. He is also known to his brother Bishops for his extraordinary intellectual and cultural strengths in the Jesuit tradition, and as a man who will not only provide great personal witness but also be avoice for justice, peace and human dignity.

We pray for his well- being and for the blessings of the Holy Spirit on his leadership as the Church faces the many challenges and opportunities ahead.

Jesuits surprised that first of their brethren is elected pope
March 13, 2013 • by Patricia Zapor Catholic News Service
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WASHINGTON (CNS) -- The Jesuit brethren of the new Pope Francis I were as surprised as anyone when Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Buenos Aires, Argentina, was announced March 13 as the first Jesuit to be elected pope.

Jesuit Father Gerard Stockhausen, executive secretary of the Jesuit Conference USA, told Catholic News Service that when Cardinal Bergoglio's name was announced from the Vatican balcony, he didn't realize immediately that it was a fellow member of the Society of Jesus, the religious order founded by St. Ignatius Loyola in 1534.

Jesuits generally don't seek higher offices in the church, Father Stockhausen said. "There are relatively few who are bishops even. We don't ordinarily take on those posts."

Even the Vatican spokesman, Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, told reporters: "Personally, I'm a bit shocked to have a Jesuit pope. Jesuits think of themselves as servants, not authorities in church."

"Jesuits resist being named bishop or cardinal. To be named pope -- wow," Father Lombardi said. "Must have been result of strong call."

In Dajabon, Dominican Republic, Jesuit Father Regino Martinez, called it "a moment of great hope and opportunity for the church."

He said Pope Francis as the first Latin American pope also offers "an opportunity to support the work being done in the Latin American church and a show of support for Latin Americans."

Father Stockhausen said that even those Jesuits who do become cardinals "tend not to move in 'cardinal circles,' where they get to know each other. That's not our world."

He acknowledged that Jesuits are generally thought of as highly educated, and "men of the world."

There's a saying that goes "'Francis (of Assisi) loved the countryside, Dominic loved the countryside and Ignatius loved the cities,' we're 'worldly' in the good sense of the word," he said.

Jesuits also have a reputation for being careful decision-makers, particularly if they follow the spiritual exercises of St. Ignatius, said Father Stockhausen. The exercises lead one to make decisions not out of personal interests or attachments, he said, but out of where the Spirit is leading through prayer.

Busy Schedule Ahead for Pope Francis
March 13, 2013 • by Mauricio Artieda/CNA
Posted in World News Share

VATICAN CITY — The Vatican has announced Pope Francis’ schedule for the coming days, which will begin with Mass today in the Sistine Chapel together with the cardinals at 5pm.

It is expected that Pope Francis will pay a private visit to Santa Maria Maggiore today as well, asking for the Blessed Virgin’s protection and intercession during his pontificate.

On March 15 at 11am, he will officially welcome and address the cardinals, both those who elected him and those who are over 80.

On Saturday, March 16, Pope Francis will hold an audience for journalists and media representatives in the Paul VI hall. He will give an Angelus address on Sunday.

Pope Francis’ inauguration as Bishop of Rome will be held Tuesday, March 19, the feast day of St. Joseph. The inauguration Mass is to be held in St. Peter’s Square.

Read more on National Catholic Register's website

Live Coverage Papal Transition
March 13, 2013
Posted in World News Share

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Watch Live Coverage of the Papal Conclave
March 13, 2013
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Watch Pope Francis' Address at St. Peter's Square
March 13, 2013
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Video Courtesy of Salt and Light TV

Sts. Ignatius and Francis of Assisi, a bond highlighted by Pope Francis

Statement of Msgr. Jerald A. Doyle, Diocesan Administrator on the selection of the new Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio who has taken the name Francis.

Jesuits surprised that first of their brethren is elected pope

Busy Schedule Ahead for Pope Francis

Faith and Charity come together in 2013
March 12, 2013
Posted in Annual Bishop's Appeal Share

BRIDGEPORT—“We can change the world with just a little faith” is the powerful message on the brochure that kicks off the 2013 Diocese of Bridgeport Annual Bishop’s Appeal. It was written by a young parishioner of St. Mark Parish in Stratford.

Kathleen Politica submitted the poster last year as part of a diocesan contest that encouraged children to celebrate the work of the Church. “I wanted to show people that if one person can help someone, then maybe others will hear about it and help someone else. One person can cause great change. I hope that my poster shows that many people can help by supporting the ministries of the Annual Bishop’s Appeal,” says Kathleen.

“Faith and good works come together each year in the Annual Appeal,” said Msgr. Jerald A. Doyle, diocesan administrator. “They are at the core of our work as a diocese and our commitment to each other.”

Pope Benedict XVI echoed those words in his recent Lenten statement. He said that faith and charity can never be separated nor opposed to each other, just as faith by itself isn’t genuine without charity.

“Faith is knowing the truth and adhering to it; charity is ‘walking’ in the truth,” the Pope said in his annual message. “Faith is genuine only if crowned by charity.”

The “Beacon of Hope” theme will once again guide the 2013 Annual Bishop’s Appeal, that will be launched in parishes throughout the diocese on the weekend of February 26-27.

Funds raised are the major source of support for diocesan ministries and social programs that benefit families and individuals throughout Fairfield County. This year’s goal is $12 million.

Msgr. Doyle has encouraged everyone to donate early in order to help the diocese save on printing and postage costs.

Jeff Machi, chief development officer of the diocese, said parishioners in the 82 parishes across the diocese will begin to receive Appeal materials, including the new Beacon of Hope brochure that focuses on vocations, Catholic Charities and education.

“Having the resources and readiness to respond to needs across the diocese is an important ongoing goal,” adds Machi. “From the tragedy in Newtown to the dayto- day challenges of serving the poor and helping our children, we’ve seen people turn to faith communities when their lives are in crisis. The Appeal gives the resources to respond both in the short and long term.”

Machi points out that many of the programs and services provided by the diocese are available nowhere else. Their faith-based response makes them unique and powerful when people are in crisis.

Last year more than 1.3 million meals were served through Catholic Charities and food pantries throughout the diocese, including the major centers such as Merton Center in Bridgeport, New Covenant in Stamford and Morning Glory program based at Dorothy Day House in Danbury.

At a time when many individuals and families are under stress due to job loss or other problems, Catholic Charities has provided 15,000 counseling sessions related to its marriage and family therapy, medications management and other programs for at-risk children and families.

Gifts to the Appeal also make the presence of the diocese strongly felt in its outreach to the elderly. Last year, 22,000 visits to nursing homes residents and hospital patients were made by diocesan chaplains who provided spiritual care to the sick and their families.

Likewise, the Appeal helped support 48 retired priests, including 17 now in residence at the Catherine Dennis Keefe Queen of Clergy Residence in Stamford. Many of these priests were beloved pastors who continue to help out on weekends in parishes across the diocese.

Last year, the 38 Catholic schools throughout the diocese educated over 10,000 children in pre-K through high school through its faith-based approach and emphasis on academic excellence.

Through the Annual Appeal and gifts of individual donors, the diocese also was able to provide 1,323 financial scholarships, which made it possible for inner-city and low-income families to send their children to Catholic schools.

The Appeal also made it possible for 36 men who are discerning the priesthood to continue their studies at St. John Fisher Seminary in Stamford as well as at major seminaries.

Checks may be made payable to the Annual Bishop’s Appeal, and a credit card gift may be made online or by pledge card. All gifts will be acknowledged by the diocese and are tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law.

(For more information go to www.2013ABA.com, or to make your gift early, please pledge by emailing .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).)

Trumbull teens named Mr. and Miss Shamrock
March 11, 2013 • by By Trumbull Times
Posted in Local News Share

The Greater Bridgeport St. Patrick’s Day Parade Committee has chosen its Mr. and Miss Shamrock for this year’s parade to be held on Friday, March 15. Both Mr. and Miss Shamrock are Trumbull residents. Mr. Shamrock Liam Coyle is a senior at Fairfield Prep and Miss Shamrock Erin Puglia is a senior at Trumbull High School.

Liam plays football and lacrosse at Fairfield Prep and serves as president of Prep’s first Irish Cultural Club. He also performs community service at the ABCD Head Start program in Bridgeport.

Erin is a Trumbull Board of Education student representative, and is a member of the We the People team, Key Club, French Club and Red Cross Club. She also serves as a Bible Camp Counselor, St. Theresa’s Church Catechist Aide and St. Vincent’s Hospital Aide.

This year’s parade activities will begin with Mass at St. Augustine’s Cathedral at 8 a.m. followed by the Flag Raising at Bridgeport City Hall at 9:15. Breakfast will follow at the Holiday Inn at 10 a.m. The parade will kick off at noon from Harbor Yard followed by lunch at the Holiday Inn at 1:30 p.m. Among the many bands performing will be the Trumbull High School Golden Eagle Marching Band.

Tickets are available for breakfast at $20 each and lunch for $25 each, by calling Nancy at 203-268-9657. The deadline for tickets is March 11.

Youth Celebrate the Faith: Convivio 2013
March 11, 2013
Posted in Local News Share

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Breaking the Cycle at St Joseph High School
March 07, 2013
Posted in Local News Share

You might think getting shot would be a life-changing event. Not Hashim Garrett. And he would know: at fifteen, Garrett was shot six times in a gang-related incident.

That’s twelve holes, as he explains – six in and six back out – and none of them changed his life at all. For Garrett, the shooting was only a symptom of a much larger problem.

Picked on relentlessly and feeding a growing anger, Hashim joined a gang – facing violence with violence. In truth, his shooting was almost inevitable. He was destined to be on one side of the gun or the other.

But moving past Hashim’s shooting, his near death, and the dawning realization that he would forever be paralyzed, Hashim’s reality was this: Doctors could not fix him. They could fix the symptoms – they could close the wounds and make his body whole again. Yet no pill or procedure could make what was wrong, right. In an emotional talk Tuesday afternoon with the full student body of St Joseph High School, Garrett explained: “What changed my life was not getting shot. What changed my life, was forgiveness.”

Breaking the Cycle, an award-winning nonprofit organization now in its fifteenth year, works to bring an end to the cycle of violence through the very simple, yet never easy, process of forgiveness. The organization was invited to speak at St Joseph High School in recognition that we need to face violence head on. As St Joe’s Dean of Students Martin Dempsey said, “Newtown changed the way we look at everything. At children, at schools, at laws…every aspect of life as we know it, has changed. There is no better time to address these issues than now.” St Joseph High School's Spiritual Director, Father Michael Novajosky, in his opening prayer on Tuesday summed this up perfectly: “Let us hear the words that we so need to hear today.”

In addition to Garrett, speaker Charlie Williams, Deputy Commandant for the New York Military Academy, and veteran of the police department since 1985, addressed the students. Williams pointed out to the assembly, “Hashim and I are a lot alike. We both carried an anger inside. We both carried guns. And there was a time, when if we had met, we may have been pointing our guns at each other.” The Deputy Commandant then challenged the St Joseph students, “Don’t ever think that you know what your life is supposed to be. I may not understand what it's like to live here or go to school here in Trumbull, but I do understand hate and I do understand anger. Some wounds you can see but others you can't. Depression is anger turned inwards. The majority of my life I carried hate and anger...and I enjoyed it. For me I felt there was no other option. It took me 35 years to let go.”

But letting go was exactly what yesterday’s assembly was all about. Letting go of anger; forgiving others—and not just once, but time and again. Forgiveness is a way of life. Said Hashim: “You are going to have to embody forgiveness; because you are the future of this world. If you are going to have a successful life, you are going to have to learn how to forgive.”

As the presentation drew to a close, perhaps the most sobering question of all was asked of the students: “Be honest: who of you is angry right now—who is holding on to words that someone else has said to you—who is holding on to that hurt?” Hands went up…and not just a few, but hundreds. In the words of Robert Kennedy, ‘violence affects all of us no matter how old or young, white or black, male or female, rich or poor’.

To those raised hands, Garrett’s response was definitive: “You may be successful on paper but make sure you are successful in life. Have the courage to forgive and transform your life.”

 For more information on Breaking the Cycle please visit www.breakingthecycle.com

Recipe for a Pope: a Christlike Man Who Can Govern and Unite
March 07, 2013 • by by EDWARD PENTIN
Posted in World News Share

VATICAN CITY — Ask any Vatican official or leading Church figure in Rome what one of the most important characteristics of the new pope should be, and, chances are, they’ll say he must have an ability to govern.

Amid the many tributes being paid to Pope Benedict XVI, among the few criticisms is the observation that governance wasn’t the Holy Father’s strong point.

Although he has been widely praised for certain aspects of governance — namely his episcopal appointments, his efforts to crack down on clerical sex abuse and measures to make the Vatican’s finances more transparent — running the Roman Curia was his Achilles heel, made harder by his infirmity
and old age.

He appeared to allude to this in his letter of resignation, when he said he had “come to the certainty that my strengths, due to an advanced age, are no longer suited to an adequate exercise of the Petrine ministry” and that, “in order to govern the barque of St. Peter and proclaim the Gospel, both strength of mind and body are necessary.”

“Benedict XVI was an excellent theologian [and he] will leave us with a tremendous wealth in the field of the magisterium,” said Cardinal Ruben Salazar Gomez of Bogota, Colombia, according to a Feb. 18 report by the German Catholic news agency KNA. “But from the perspective of government, this was not a strong papacy.”

Since the Vatileaks scandal last year and the dysfunction it revealed, other cardinal electors are openly talking about the need for reform of the Roman Curia.

“It has to be attended to,” Cardinal Francis George of Chicago said, according to a Feb. 21 Associated Press article. And in a Feb. 20 interview with the Italian daily newspaper Corriere della Sera, Cardinal Walter Kasper, who retired in 2010 as prefect of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, called for “more coordination between the [dicasteries], more collegiality and communication.” He added, “Often, the right hand doesn’t know what the left hand is doing.”
 
‘Petty’ Squabbling
Opus Dei Father Robert Gahl, a professor of moral philosophy at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome, believes the next pope must be able to tackle the Curial factions “warring against one another” over “petty issues.” These factions are “not arguing over big theological issues,” he observed, but, instead, over “struggles to advance their own careers and reinforce their own power.”

“Those are all reasons why the kind of governance the next pope will have to deal with is reforming the Curia,” he continued, “and making sure that in the future the Curia acts in a spirit of service rather than one of personal ambition.” Currently, he added, parts of the Vatican are victims to a “feudal turf war.”

“The management style of the Vatican remains that of Italian feudalism, similar to that of 18th or even 17th-century Italian politics — way before the existence of the Italian republic,” he said. “And yet, clearly, there have been tremendous advancements in management theory, practice and technology, so there’s a need for reform of that governance model.”

The kind of governance being proposed is one that moves away from a rigidly hierarchical pyramid that management experts have long held to be a very inefficient and incompetent way of running an organization. Such a system of management leads to information only passing through a superior, while those officials at the same lower levels in different offices do not communicate with one another.

This overdue reform of Curial management is considered all the more important in today’s environment of rapid information flow, where there’s a need for information to be communicated through multiple channels.
 
Diocesan Experience
For these reasons, it’s likely the cardinal electors will be looking for someone with diocesan and pastoral experience who has a track record of good governance.

“I really don’t see them choosing someone who at least hasn’t had a foot in a diocese,” a veteran Vatican official told the Register. “Someone with Curia experience would also be helpful.”

Some argue that such a pope needs to be a reform-minded Italian; others disagree, believing that a non-Italian would be best, as he would be well outside the institutional infighting.

Whatever their nationality, the cardinal electors will be looking for someone with energy, who is media savvy and, most importantly, a man of deep faith. They will be looking for someone who can unite the Church — the key papal task — and, most importantly, someone of prayer, for whom the transcendent reality is a daily reality.

In short, the cardinal electors, led by the Holy Spirit, will be looking for someone with holiness and Christlike qualities — pastoral and with deep compassion for the poor, the suffering and the most vulnerable, especially the unborn.

“Among the cardinals, there are so many who are worthy and capable,” said Benedict XVI’s brother, Msgr. Georg Ratzinger, in a Feb. 21 interview with Corriere della Sera. “But I would say that the new pope should be a person deeply rooted in the faith and that faith must guide his life. It’s necessary to have a great respect for the weak.”

He added that another “indispensable quality is realism: to understand what is possible and what is impossible to do. He will have to have enormous energy, because it takes a lot to direct such a large community and to get the message across with strength. Perhaps they should choose a younger man.”

The ideal age of the new pope, according to many observers, would be around 65 and certainly below the age of 75. The average age of the cardinal electors is 72, and only 43 of the 116 voting cardinals are under the age of 70.
 
Many Challenges
Relative youth will be needed to confront an array of challenges, such as the growth of secularism and moral relativism in post-Christian Europe and North America and their effects; the emergence of radical Islam and an increasingly troubled Arab world; and the social fallout of debt-ridden, troubled economies. Ecumenism and interreligious dialogue will be added challenges.

It’s unclear whether the majority of the cardinal electors will choose a European or North American to tackle those areas where the Church is in greatest crisis or settle on someone from Asia or Africa, where the Church is growing fastest.

“Let’s be honest: The future of the Church is in Africa and Asia; it’s not in Europe or North America,” said the Vatican official. “It’s just not there. They’re dead [in terms of faith growth], and it would make more sense to go for a place that’s got life, liveliness and hope.”

But he said his view was not typical of the Italian-dominated Curia, which tends to believe that only Europeans should be pope.
 
An American Pope?
An American pope is also possible, though its superpower status could be an obstacle. Ever since the French Pope Clement V became a tool of the French monarchy (then the world’s most powerful nation) and transferred the entire papacy to Avignon in 1309, the Church has been reluctant to elect a pope from a ruling superpower.

Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York disagrees, however. In a Feb. 19 interview on Sirius XM satellite radio, he said that when he was growing up it was presumed the pope would be an Italian.

“We don’t even think that anymore, do we?” he said. “The pope is the earthly, universal pastor of the Church. To think that there might be a pope from North America, to think that there might be a pope from Latin America, a pope from Asia, a pope from Africa — I think that’s highly possible, don’t you?”

Father Gahl similarly thinks an American has a fair chance of being elected.

“Americans always bring up the difficulty of electing an American pope — no one else,” he noted. He believes this is a remnant from the Cold War and the Bush era of America being a hyper-superpower. Now that the Church is in “open contrast” with the White House, Father Gahl believes “it removes entirely that objection.”

Furthermore, some see Cardinal Dolan as having just the attributes needed, given his admired ability to unite the Church in support of religious freedom and yet remain separate from partisan politics. His personality, too, is suited to today’s media age. Some, of course, disagree.

Cardinal Dolan himself played down his own chances when asked in the Sirius interview if he could be elected. “I could be the next shortstop of the Yankees too,” he said. “Anything is possible!”

Edward Pentin is the Register’s Rome correspondent.

Notre Dame on NBC Connecticut Tonight
March 06, 2013
Posted in Local News Share

Notre Dame's 26 Acts of Kindness Campaign will be featured on NBC Connecticut's Making the Grade segment during their 6:00 pm newscast tonight. (The story will be re-shown during their Thursday morning broadcast.)

Be sure to tune in to check out a story about the good work our community completed during January and February in tribute to the victims of Newtown.

NBC Connecticut is channel 6 on Cablevision.

No conclave date, but cardinals develop 'profile' of new pope
March 06, 2013 • by By Cindy Wooden, Catholic News Service
Posted in World News Share

VATICAN CITY (CNS)—Although by March 6 the world's cardinals had not set a date to begin the conclave to elect a new pope, they had begun discussing "the profile" required of the next pope to meet the needs of the church, the Vatican spokesman said.

Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, like everyone in the hall for the cardinals' meetings, takes an oath of secrecy, although he is allowed to give the press an idea of the broad themes discussed.

During the March 6 session, he said, 18 cardinals spoke and the principal themes were: "The church in the world today and the needs for the new evangelization; the Holy See, the Roman Curia and their relationship with the bishops; the expectations for and a profile of the future pope that result from these expectations of the world and the needs for the good governing of the church."

All but two of the 115 cardinal electors expected to enter the conclave were present at the meeting, Father Lombardi said. Polish Cardinal Kazimierz Nycz of Warsaw was expected to arrive later that day, and Vietnamese Cardinal Jean-Baptiste Pham Minh Man of Ho Chi Minh City was expected March 7.

At a news briefing, Father Lombardi was asked repeatedly about the "delay" in setting and announcing a date, and whether it indicated divisions among the cardinals.

"One senses strongly within the College (of Cardinals) the desire for an adequate, serious, profound preparation, not hurried. So in this situation it still has not seemed opportune to put a date for the conclave to a vote," he said.

Moving too quickly to a vote, he said, "could seem to many like forcing" the issue, rather than "respecting the dynamic of reflection and maturation" of ideas on the part of the cardinals.

In addition, he said, all the electors will not be present until March 7, so it could be "more respectful and natural" to await their arrival before setting a date.

Father Lombardi was asked if the cardinals wanted more time in the general congregations to discuss the needs of the church in the hopes that the conclave itself would be shorter.

"It would be difficult to say there is a direct connection between the breadth of the preparation and the brevity of the conclave. That remains to be seen," he said.

But, he said, the cardinals have said they want a thorough preparation, "which will facilitate arriving at the decisive moment of the conclave with a clearer idea, a more mature process that will facilitate their commitment in voting. How much time the first and second phases will require, I have no idea," he said.

Father Lombardi told reporters that during the day's three-hour meeting, the cardinals were asked to limit their speeches in the hall to five minutes, although unlike at the Synod of Bishops' meetings, no one turns the microphone off if a cardinal goes over.

He also said another sign that the conclave's beginning is not just a day or two away is the fact that the cardinals still have not drawn lots for their suites or single bedrooms in the Domus Sanctae Marthae, the Vatican guesthouse where they will stay during the conclave.

Jesus: Walk to Calvary
March 06, 2013
Posted in Local News Share

Listen to this beautiful Lenten composition by Marlane Turbidy, Music Director of Notre Dame of Easton Parish.

Her original music, composed two years ago, opens the door to a deep and engaging contemplation that will walk you through the Stations of the Cross. Listen in its entirety or advance to each station to experience this prayerful reflection. For more information visit http://www.marlanetubridy.com

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Listen: Jesus Walk to Calvary (Contemporary Stations of the Cross) by Marlane Tubridy

Prayer and trembling: Cardinals recount experience of conclave
March 05, 2013 • by By Cindy Wooden, Catholic News Service
Posted in World News Share

VATICAN CITY (CNS)—Chanting the Litany of the Saints, asking a host of holy men and women to help them, the cardinals enter the Sistine Chapel in procession, aware of their enormous responsibility to elect a new pope.

Less than half of the 117 cardinals eligible to vote for a successor to Pope Benedict XVI were in the 2005 conclave that elected him.

Two of those that were -- Honduran Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga of Tegucigalpa and South African Cardinal Wilfrid Napier -- described the scene as being one of deep prayer and some trembling.

Cardinal Rodriguez Maradiaga told Catholic News Service that, during the conclave, the cardinals spend most of their time in the Sistine Chapel, even though they cast ballots only four times a day.

The time in the chapel includes prayer, writing names on ballots and counting them. But when casting each vote, each cardinal must stand and publicly swear, in Latin, that he is voting according to his conscience. With 115 cardinal-electors expected, that will take time.

"In front of the crucifix and in front of the 'Final Judgment' painting, we say, 'I call Jesus as a witness, and he will judge me that I have elected according to my conscience,' so you can imagine ... why it takes so long. And in the meantime, when everybody is casting their votes, we are praying, so it is like a big cenacle of prayer."

"This is beautiful," Cardinal Rodriguez Maradiaga said. "This is the most loving experience, how an election should be. I wish all the elections in the world could be like that: in an atmosphere of prayer."

Cardinal Napier told CNS that even the way the cardinals are dressed -- in choir dress like they dress for liturgies -- contributes to the atmosphere of prayer.

Although he has the experience of the 2005 conclave, he said, "It's probably going to be just as frightening, just as (much) anxiety" this time, especially because "I'd say there's a wider field of choices, there are younger cardinals who I believe have real qualities of leadership. At the same time perhaps we don't know each other that well, but we have to put a lot of faith in the presence and activity in the Holy Spirit."

Cardinal Napier said that when the cardinals arrive in the chapel, they make a formal vow of secrecy, then each cardinal goes up and puts a hand on the Bible, confirming his oath.

Once each cardinal sits down, he said, he thinks "this is it," and sees on his table the list of names of the cardinals, the ballot paper, the instructions and a small biography of each cardinal.

"Then you know you really are about to get down to business very soon," he said. There is "a sense of excitement, a sense of anxiety," wondering "how is it all going to work out?"

"But probably the most solemn, the most difficult, frightening (moment) is when you go with your ballot paper in your hand and hold it up in front of the altar and say, 'I call on the Lord Jesus, who will be my judge, to witness that I am voting for the one I believe to be worthy.'

"That's really a moment of intense emotion, faith, all these emotions come together at that point. If I'm voting for unworthy reasons I'm actually asking Jesus to judge me, to condemn me, so it's a very, very solemn moment," Cardinal Napier said.

After each cardinal casts his ballot, the papers are opened and read out, one by one, he said. Since each cardinal has a complete list of cardinals, "you're ticking off as the votes are being cast for one person or another and then totting it up at the end."

If no candidate has reached the two-thirds required for a valid election, the ballots and all the lists with their counts "are all gathered and taken to the back of the chapel to be burned. The smoke goes up black (for no pope). It's very touching," the South African cardinal said.

U.S. Cardinal J. Francis Stafford, who celebrated his 80th birthday last July and is ineligible to enter this conclave, told CNS, "The conclave is basically an extended liturgy," with prayer punctuating every moment of the day, including the voting.

"We are called to be silent, to be open to the mystery of God present to us in Christ and the Holy Spirit, and that silence begins with an interior silence ... so they can listen to the promptings of God's spirit because they are doing something very, very significant," he said.

The cardinals call "the Holy Spirit to help us in such a heavy burden -- I'm happy in a way that I am not being called to do it again; it's too heavy a burden, but it's less burdensome if we are not being pressed to violate" silence by journalists asking questions they've sworn not to answer, he said.

Pope Benedict, and Blessed John Paul before him, both publicly acknowledged the solemn awesomeness of the scene in the Sistine.

Less than a week after his election, Pope Benedict told German pilgrims that when the voting was showing him to be the clear favorite he prayed to God "to spare me." He said he told God, "You have candidates who are younger, better, stronger and have more elan than me."

"Evidently God did not listen to me," he said, describing as the votes neared the two-thirds necessary to elect him, it became evident that "the guillotine was coming closer and was meant for me."

Blessed John Paul, in his 2003 collection of poems, "Roman Triptych," described the frescoes of the Sistine Chapel and wrote, "It is here, at the feet of this marvelous Sistine profusion of color that the cardinals gather -- a community responsible for the legacy of the keys of the kingdom."

"'Con-clave': a joint concern for the legacy of the keys of the kingdom," he wrote. The cardinals "find themselves between the beginning and the end, between the day of creation and the day of judgment."

Michelangelo helps the cardinals in their deliberations, he wrote, praying that God would point out to the cardinals God's choice for the next pope.

When the poems were released at the Vatican, then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger told reporters, "Since I was also present" at the 1978 conclaves, "I know well how we were exposed to those images in the hour of the important decisions, how they challenged us and how they instilled in our souls the greatness of our responsibility."

The pope's poem, which also invokes the "keys of Peter," the symbols of papal power and responsibility, Cardinal Ratzinger had said, is a call on the cardinals "to place these keys in the right hands."

Fairfield teacher honored at CAPP Breakfast
March 04, 2013
Posted in Local News Share

FAIRFIELD—Fairfield teacher and community volunteer Donna Spigarolo was presented the CAPP Educational Leadership Award at the Fifth Annual Educator's Communion Breakfast held recently at Sacred Heart University.

She was presented the award by William J. Fox, President of Centesimus Annus Pro Pontifice before a gathering of more than 200 educators at the University Commons. "As a Special Education teacher for 25 years and an active volunteer she has had a passionate commitment to serve her students and to recognize their dignity," Fox said.

Spigarolo said she accepted the award in honor of the six Newtown educators who were killed as they tried to protect the children from the mass shooting at Sandy Hook School.

"They taught kids not only their lesson but what it means to be a good citizen of the world. I accept this award in honor of them as teachers who went to school every day with love for the children."

She also spoke of her parents who "lived a life of service to their neighborhood" and taught her the meaning of sharing. She said her Mother was a nurse who cared for neighborhood children after work and her father was a bread truck driver who thought about others.

She said at the end of the day he would come home with left over boxes of bread and instead of storing it for use by her family insisted that the children share it with their neighbors.

Spigarolo who is an active member of St. Anthony of Padua Parish in Fairfield and a member of the Merton Center board, said the defining moment of her adult life was her decision to purse a masters degree in religion and religious education from Fordham University.

"The children I taught have been my greatest teachers," said Spigarolo, who served as director of religious education at St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in Fairfield and St. Rose of Lima Parish in Newtown, before beginning work as a special education teacher in 1988.

The Roger Ludlow Middle School teacher recalled a former student who was stricken were cerebral palsy and later passed away of the illness.

"I met her in 4th grade. She taught me to love more deeply, that you can communicate without words and that you can find joy in a body that didn't work though her mind was very bright. She loved others unconditionally."

In the keynote address following the award presentation, Michael James, Ph.D., a fellow at the Boston College Roche Center for Catholic Education, praised Spigarolo as a "thoughtful teacher who leads her life informed by faith and Catholic social teaching. She is an example of our belief that we are connected to one another in the Body of Christ." The morning began at the Chapel of the Holy Spirit with Mass celebrated by Msgr. Jerald Doyle, diocesan administrator and Fr. Rick Ryscavage, S.J., CAPP Chaplain and director of the Center for Faith and Public Life at Fairfield University.

In his homily, Msgr. Doyle said that biblical history is a story of how God reveals himself and makes himself fully known to people he calls to salvation.

"We're here not just to celebrate people who can teach Science of Math but to remember that every Catholic educator must see himself or herself as a revealer of the mystery of Jesus Christ in everything he does. Every Catholic who forms the mind and soul of another is faced with the same challenge: to reveal the promise of God in the life of everyone you teach," he said.

Centesimus Annual Pro Pontifice (CAPP) was founded in 1993 to encourage business people, academics and other professionals to study and promote Catholic social teaching. For information email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

With all our heart
March 04, 2013 • by Thomas H. Hicks
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A number of the ancient philosophers did not really believe in the gods of Greek and Roman mythology. They were able to figure out that this world, so filled with intelligibility and beauty, called for some single transhuman power. For example, Aristotle arrived at the conclusion that there was one God who made all things. He described this God as the Prime Mover and realized that this Mover had to be self-actualizing, eternal and immaterial.

Then Aristotle struggled with the question whether this Prime Mover was personal. He concluded that it was. Then there was the question, what was this person’s attitude to human beings? Aristotle concluded that this God was indifferent to us. As Aristotle saw it, for God to get involved with us would lessen God.

Many wise men of antiquity thought that God was unconcerned for us. Epicurus wrote: “It is absurd to think that God would concern himself with human affairs. These things would upset his serenity and peace. A first condition of happiness is the absence of worry. Thus God takes no interest in human affairs and is in no need of human worship.”

Aristotle stated explicitly that “God is self-sufficient and in no need of the service of others, nor of their affection… God cannot have any need of human friends, nor will he have any” (Eudemian Ethics, VII, 1244B).

The Judaeo-Christian Scriptures tell us that God is personal, and, contrary to the Greek philosophers, he is concerned with humanity; indeed, they tell us that God loves humanity, and this love is not only a general love, but it is addressed to each one personally. Then we are told that what God seeks from us is something more than submission and reverence. God wishes to be loved by us. He goes so far as to say he is to be loved above all else. “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might” (Deut.6:5; cf. Lk.10:27). What a commandment!—just our whole heart, our whole soul, just our whole strength.

Thus, we are told that this infinite act of self-existence, by whom all the rest is, makes human creatures whom he can love and be loved by them. Does God have a need for human love? Kierkegaard said that “It is God’s passion to love and to be loved, almost as though it were a weakness.”

Then we have to face the question: If God is good and loving, why is there so much ungood? If love is really at the heart of things, how can things like Auschwitz and Sandy Hook happen? What do such things mean? Why does a good young mother die of cancer in her prime while an old man who can’t remember his name or hold his water go on and on in a nursing home? Like everyone else, I find God disturbing and problematic. I don’t know what is happening and what it means.

Also, while it sounds judgmental, my experience would have me think that for the majority of Christians God’s job is reduced to doing what they ask for in prayer. And they often search for the right formula or practice that will turn the secret lock and release the answer. A writer named J.H. Leuba stated, “God is not known; he is not understood; he is used.”

How many of us can say our thoughts are those of the Psalmist? “O God, you are my God whom I seek; for you my flesh pines and my soul thirsts like the earth, parched, lifeless, and without water.”

As for myself, I’ve been on this earth a long time, and sometimes I feel that I don’t even know him, that I’ve not begun to understand him, to relate to him. But sometimes I think I do, a bit.

We have a history, he and I. I don’t think I’ve had an emotional connection with God that I would describe as having fallen in love with him. Sometimes I think of what Augustine said: “What am I to him that he wants my love?” (Confessions, Book One). I can accept that God might love me, but it is hard to believe that God could like me. It’s hard to believe that God could get excited about my company.

But a glance over my life shows me that over the years I’ve changed my image of God from that of a Scorekeeper and Enforcing Policeman, someone who was looking on approvingly or disapprovingly, to that of someone who kept trying to get my attention. I see him now as something of a relentless hunter.  I sense his persistent pursuit. He keeps coming. He is insistent. There is no thought of giving up the chase; he is patient. The interesting question now is not how do I find God, but how does God find me? I’ve come to think of Christianity as a religion of a God who seeks out people, and he finds ways to penetrate our defensive deafness.

I remember something “hitting” me on a night when I was hurrying home, alone, shivering under a downpour of rain or when I was on a train staring thoughtlessly out on a gray and overcast sky. Suddenly, there was something of a holy sadness, a beautiful yearning for the eternal.

I’m convinced I have experienced the effects of God’s love in my life. It often has been thoroughly disguised, but I do sense that so many things were as much Someone else’s doing as my own. God’s mercy knows many ways. Experience has given me a deepening trust in God, in the certainty of his care. He has given me proof of his love. Graham Greene was right. Gratitude is the way he gets us.

God cannot force us to love him. Love is free, not forced. If it is not free, it is not love. God can only elicit it from us. Hence I’ve come to think that the precept “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength” is less a command than a promise. Gradually, we may come at last to love him like this.

Today's cardinal-electors slightly older than group in 2005 conclave
March 01, 2013 • by By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service
Posted in World News Share

VATICAN CITY (CNS)—The group of cardinals preparing to enter a conclave to elect a new pope is slightly older—by four months—than the group that elected 78-year-old Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger in 2005.

Pope Benedict XVI, now 85, said his age and diminishing energy prompted him to resign for the good of the church, so some cardinals and many commentators expect attention to turn to younger members of the College of Cardinals.

Only cardinals under the age of 80 when the papacy becomes vacant can enter the conclave in the Sistine Chapel to elect a new pope. The cardinal-electors do not have to choose one of their own, but they usually do.

As of Feb. 28, the average age of the 117 eligible cardinal-electors was 71 years, 11 months. In 2005, there also were 117 cardinal-electors (although two did not participate because of illness) and their average age was 71 years, seven months.

The cardinals who elected 58-year-old Cardinal Karol Wojtyla -- Blessed John Paul II -- in 1978 had an average age of 67.

Of the cardinals eligible to elect a successor to Pope Benedict -- those under 80 Feb. 28 -- only five were in their 50s. Thirty-eight cardinals were in their 60s; 74 were in their 70s.

The oldest member of the conclave was expected to be Cardinal Walter Kasper. He was 79 when the Holy See became vacant Feb. 28, but was turning 80 March 5.

The youngest cardinal in the conclave was expected to be 53-year-old Indian Cardinal Baselios Cleemis Thottunkal, major archbishop of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church. Three other leaders of Eastern Catholic churches also were eligible to join the conclave.

Almost 43 percent of the cardinal-electors were created cardinals by Blessed John Paul and participated in the election of Pope Benedict almost eight years ago. The remaining 57 percent of the voters were named by Pope Benedict.

In the aftermath of the "VatiLeaks" scandal and amid loud cries for a reform of the Roman Curia, 35 percent of the cardinal-electors either work in the curia or have retired from posts at the Vatican.

Only 24 percent of the cardinals in the conclave that elected Pope Benedict were curia members or retirees.

Most of the cardinal-electors are heads of archdioceses around the world.

The 117 come from 50 countries -- fairly close to the 53 countries represented in the 2005 conclave.

The European dominance in the College of Cardinals is slightly stronger than it was eight years ago. Today, 52 percent of the cardinal-electors are European; in the last conclave, 49.5 percent were European.

There are 19 Latin American cardinal-electors, about 16 percent of the total; 14 from the U.S. and Canada, or about 12 percent; and 11 each from Africa and Asia, representing about 9 percent for each continent. Australia and the South Pacific -- "Oceania" in Vatican parlance -- have only one elector, Australian Cardinal George Pell of Sydney.

In the country-by-country breakdown, Italy is significantly stronger than it was eight years ago. Today the country has 28 voting-age cardinals, eight more than in 2005 and two more than in 1978.

Italians now represent almost 24 percent of the conclave voters, compared to 23 percent in 1978; in the conclaves of 1963 and 1958, the Italians made up more than 30 percent of the total number of voters.

The United States has 11 voters, as it did eight years ago; Germany has six; Spain, Brazil and India each have five. France and Poland each have four electors and Mexico and Canada each have three.

Among the voting-age cardinals, there are 19 members of religious orders, or 16 percent of the total, and they include four Salesians, three Franciscans and two Jesuits.

Copyright (c) 2013 Catholic News Service/U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops

Read: Archbishop Lori reflects on legacy of Pope Benedict XVI

Archbishop Lori reflects on legacy of Pope Benedict XVI
March 01, 2013 • by By Archbishop William E. Lori
Posted in Local News Share

The full import of the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI due to the frailty that comes with advancing years will emerge only with the passage of time.

Even now, however, two observations might be in order. The first is that Pope Benedict’s decision reveals that he has a pastor’s heart. He put the Church and her mission of evangelization first, before every other consideration. How we should admire his humility and his humanity.
 
The second is the changing manner in which the papacy is exercised. Papal trips, once thought to be an innovation, have become an important part of how the Holy Father’s universal ministry is carried out. Add to that his heavy schedule of writing, teaching, social communications, administration and meeting with people from around the world – it’s an amazingly challenging role and a heavy burden requiring an utter gift of self, made in and through the grace of God.

Inevitably commentary on Pope Benedict’s nearly eight years as our Holy Father abounds, but one or two things are hard to miss. First, is that Pope Benedict accepted his election in a spirit of sacrificial love and devoted his remaining strength and energy to teaching, sanctifying and guiding the Church throughout the world. He traveled far more than many predicted, including to World Youth Days, where he won the hearts of so many young people by his gentle demeanor and his words of faith-filled challenge. He drew large crowds at his weekly Wednesday audience where he unfolded the riches of the Church’s Tradition, and presided over a thorough updating of the Vatican’s communications.

Pope Benedict sought to address some of the most neuralgic problems the Church faces and was embroiled, as leaders often are from time to time, in more than few crises. He gave all he could to the papacy and now he will give us one more gift: a life of prayer for our Church, his successor and all of us.

There is another facet of Pope Benedict’s life that no one, not even his harshest critics, can miss: his devotion to the truth. Few people have sought knowledge and truth as avidly as Pope Benedict XVI. Even before his priestly ordination in 1951, his immense talents were recognized. As a young priest, he was immersed in the world of biblical and patristic studies and in the history of theology. In his fertile mind and heart, the renewal of theology in the middle of the 20th century found a home. He became a leading expert in the thought of St. Augustine and St. Bonaventure. He came to see how the voice of Tradition, when allowed to speak full-throated, resonates in the hearts of contemporary men and women in search of meaning and truth.

As a young priest, Father Joseph Ratzinger played an important role as an expert at the Second Vatican Council, contributing to his expertise to the development of several of its most important documents, including the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church and the Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation. He was among the world-class scholars who wrote landmark commentaries on these documents, commentaries which still serve as reliable guides to conciliar teaching. All the while he continued a very productive life of scholarship and teaching. His literary output is striking, not just for its volume, but its scholarship which is hardly narrow and specialized but rather broadly informed by his knowledge of art, music, history and modern scientific inquiry, coupled with his amazing knowledge of languages both ancient and modern.

Called to be Archbishop of Munich in 1977 and then Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in 1982, then-Cardinal Ratzinger had to grapple with difficult doctrinal and disciplinary questions. Although he was sometimes portrayed as a Vatican bureaucrat who aggressively sought to quell every inconvenient theological question, nothing is further from the truth. He engaged, explored and examined those questions with the same thoroughness and thoughtfulness ingrained in his character. In every case, he saw himself not as the master but rather as the servant of a Truth that is larger than every speculation and dissenting opinion – the Truth that is the person of Christ. Throughout his life as teacher and pastor, he explained the faith not as a set of abstract principles or as an ideology but as a relationship with the person of Christ who truly “reveals us to ourselves.”

Some have opined that Pope Benedict’s pontificate was merely a bridge between that of his predecessor and successor. I would suggest, however, that this pontificate has been transitional in a more profound sense: during these past eight years, Pope Benedict has moved the Church to focus as never before on the new evangelization, not as a temporary project, but as the Church’s deepest identity and mission. A fresh proclamation of the person of Christ, a deepened understanding of the faith, a more confident faith that is shared near and far – this is the authentic fruit of the Second Vatican Council and the way of the Church as she journeys full of hope into the future.

Let us pray for Pope Benedict XVI as he begins a life of prayer for all of us. And let us pray for the College of Cardinals, that the Holy Spirit may overshadow and guide its deliberations in electing the successor of Peter and the Vicar of Christ.

 Copyright (c) Feb. 22, 2013 CatholicReview.org

Making a Difference Pope Benedict’s contribution to Catholic social teaching
February 28, 2013 • by Tony Magliano
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Being pope is a tough job. If he’s liberal the conservatives will criticize him. If he’s conservative the liberals will be critical of him. And if he takes the middle ground, he’ll catch it from both sides.
    
But one area of Benedict’s papacy I especially hope both conservatives and liberals will agree on, and really take to heart, is the valuable contribution he made to the church’s social doctrine.

Let’s take a look at some of his most notable and challenging contributions here.
    
First off, more than any other pope he has taught and encouraged us to cherish and protect the environment. In fact, he has earned the unique distinction of being called “The Green Pope!”
    
In his 2010 World Day of Peace message titled “If You Want to Cultivate Peace, Protect Creation,” he boldly wrote, “Can we remain indifferent before the problems associated with such realities as climate change, desertification, the deterioration and loss of productivity in vast agricultural areas, the pollution of rivers and aquifers, the loss of biodiversity, the increase of natural catastrophes and the deforestation of equatorial and tropical regions?”
    
The radical environmental organization “Greenpeace” couldn’t have said it any better!
    
In this year’s World Day of Peace message titled “Blessed are the Peacemakers,” the former head of the Catholic Church wrote “It is alarming to see hotbeds of tension and conflict caused by growing instances of inequality between rich and poor, by the prevalence of a selfish and individualistic mindset which also finds expression in an unregulated financial capitalism.”

Here Benedict is firmly standing on the principle of Catholic social teaching which insists that the goods of the earth are meant to be shared by all – not selfishly hoarded by the wealthy few.

Benedict’s clear condemnation of an “unregulated financial capitalism,” should awaken the consciences of all those who selfishly promote the so-called free market, which overwhelmingly favors wealthy individuals and corporations at the expense of the poor and working class.
 
During the 2006 Israeli invasion of Lebanon, Pope Benedict boldly declared, “"In the name of God, I appeal to all those responsible for this spiral of violence, so that they immediately put down their arms on all sides.”

In light of all of the death and destruction, Benedict added, “These facts demonstrate clearly that you cannot re-establish justice, create a new order and build authentic peace when you resort to instruments of violence.”

Here Benedict further developed the Catholic Church’s growing condemnation of war – favoring nonviolent solutions.

In his compelling social justice and peace encyclical Caritas in Veritate (“Charity in Truth”), Benedict wrote, “Love – caritas – is an extraordinary force which leads people to opt for courageous and generous engagement in the field of justice and peace. … Charity is at the heart of the church’s social doctrine.”

Charity “is the principle not only of micro-relationships (with friends, with family members or within small groups) but also of macro-relationships (social, economic and political ones).”
 
Imagine how wonderful all of our relationships would be if we would allow love to govern them. Imagine how wonderful our world would be if we allowed love to govern our social, economic and political arenas.

Let’s make it happen!
 
Thank you, Pope Benedict XVI, for strengthening the social doctrine of the Catholic Church, and for being a holy father to us. May God fill your remaining time on earth with peace and joy.
       
Tony Magliano is an internationally syndicated social justice and peace columnist.

Pope delivers personal, emotional farewell address at audience
February 27, 2013 • by By Francis X. Rocca, Catholic News Service
Posted in World News Share

VATICAN CITY (CNS)—On his last full day as pope, Pope Benedict XVI delivered an unusually personal and emotional farewell address, thanking the faithful around the world for their support and assuring them that he would remain in their service even in retirement.

"I will continue to accompany the path of the church with prayer and reflection, with that dedication to the Lord and to his bride that I have tried to live every day till now and that I want to live always," the pope told a crowd in St. Peter's Square Feb. 27, the eve of his resignation.

Under a clear blue sky with temperatures in the low 40s, the pope arrived for his last public audience shortly after 10:30 a.m., standing and waving for almost 15 minutes as his white popemobile made a circuit through the square. Cheering pilgrims waved national flags and banners with slogans such as "always with the pope" and "you will never be alone."

The crowd spilled over into the adjacent Via della Conciliazione, which had been closed to motorized traffic, and the Vatican estimated turnout at 150,000.

Abandoning his usual practice of giving a catechetical talk on a devotional text or theme at public audiences, the pope spoke about his time as pope and his historic decision to resign. He looked tired but composed as he read his speech, and he smiled at the frequent interruptions by applause.

Pope Benedict recalled his almost eight-year pontificate as a time of "joy and light, but also difficult moments."

"The Lord has given us so many days of sun and light breeze, days in which the catch of fish has been abundant," he said, likening himself to St. Peter on the Sea of Galilee.

"There have also been moments in which the waters were turbulent and the wind contrary, as throughout the history of the church, and the Lord seemed to be asleep," he said. "But I have always known that the Lord is in that boat and that the boat of the church is not mine, it is not ours, but it is his and he does not let it sink."

The pope, who announced Feb. 11 that he would step down because his "strengths, due to an advanced age, are no longer suited to an adequate exercise of the Petrine ministry," told the crowd that he had made his decision "in full consciousness of its gravity and also novelty, but with profound serenity of soul."

Although he would be retiring to a life of prayer, meditation and study in a monastery inside Vatican City, he said, he would continue to serve and sacrifice for the church.

"Whoever assumes the Petrine ministry no longer has any privacy," he said. "He belongs always and totally to all, to the whole church.

"My decision to renounce the active exercise of the ministry does not revoke this," he said. "I am not returning to private life, a life of trips, meetings, receptions, conferences, etc. I am not abandoning the cross, but remain in a new way beside the crucified Lord. I no longer carry the power of office for the government of the church, but in the service of prayer I remain, so to speak, within St. Peter's precincts."

The pope thanked his collaborators in the Vatican, making special mention of Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, who as secretary of state is the highest Vatican official. Cardinal Bertone, who has drawn blame for the mismanagement sensationally documented in the 2012 "VatiLeaks" of confidential correspondence, "has accompanied me faithfully in these years," the pope said.

The pope thanked the cardinals, some 70 of whom sat near him in front of St. Peter's Basilica, and who are expected to begin meeting March 4 to plan the election of the next pope. Pope Benedict also voiced his gratitude to other members of the hierarchy, the Vatican diplomatic corps and "all those who work for good communication," a category presumably including the press.

Pope Benedict acknowledged messages he had received over the preceding two weeks from heads of state, religious leaders and other dignitaries. But he made special mention of letters from "simple people," who he said had written to him not as to a "prince or a great man whom they do not know," but as "brothers and sisters or sons and daughters." The pope called their expressions of affection and solidarity "reason for joy at a time when so many speak of the (church's) decline, but we see how the church is alive today."

The conclusion of the pope's talk set off a two-minute standing ovation, which he acknowledged by smiling broadly and standing with outstretched arms.

According to the Vatican spokesman, Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, the pope's speech was the last of his pontificate. No papal address was expected at his farewell meeting with cardinals scheduled for the next day.

The audience was also the last opportunity for large numbers of the public to see the pope in person before his resignation was to take effect at 8 p.m. Feb. 28. He was expected to greet several thousand people that evening in the small town square of Castel Gandolfo, 15 miles southeast of Rome, in front of the papal summer residence where he will live until the end of renovations at his permanent home in Vatican City.

Young people across globe thank Pope in video
February 27, 2013
Posted in World News Share

MADRID, Spain (CNA)—A group of young people from Madrid have posted a two-minute video online with international messages thanking Pope Benedict XVI for his service to the Church.
 

“We young people are with you,” the video emphasizes to the Pontiff, who will be retiring from his role as Pope at the end of February due to waning strength.

Entitled, “For the 85 year-old young man,” the video has already gone viral, receiving more than 50,000 views on YouTube in just five days.

In the video, young people from around the world thank Pope Benedict for his “teachings of reason, faith and humility,” as well as for showing them the “tenderness of Christ” and offering a sincere witness of hope, generosity and courage.

They reminded the Holy Father that they are praying for him.

Pablo Larrocha, one of the young people promoting the video, said he got the idea to make it after the Pope announced his resignation.

“I felt a silence in the Church that I didn’t like at all,” he said.

The silence was “in a certain sense normal because the news was unexpected,” he continued. “But I felt I had to do something so that people could see that the Pope is not alone.”

The Pope needed to know “that we young people are at his side, that we continue to be his sons and daughters and that we are going to love him to the end,” Larrocha said.

With the help of his friend Chechu Fuentes, he decided to record thirty young people in Madrid, but another friend suggested they also videoconference with young people in different countries.

“So we clearly realized that this had to be a worldwide expression of thanks,” Larrocha continued.

The video features young people from numerous countries including Germany, Romania, France, Peru, Chile, Venezuela, Argentina, Slovakia, Australia, Russia, the United States, New Zealand and China.

Read Pope's final speech: Pope delivers personal, emotional farewell address at audience

Chechu García, Miguel del Moral, Bruno Contreras, Iziar Francín, Pilar Muñoz-Elena and Javier Contreras all contributed to creating the video.

Three voices of faith inspired at Egan Chapel
February 27, 2013
Posted in Local News Share

FAIRFIELD—It was standing room only at the recent Age to Age, Generations of Faith concert held in the Egan Chapel of Fairfield University.

Three noted Catholic composers and musicians Dan Schutte, Steve Angrisano, and Curtis Stephan played solo numbers and as a group.

The trio received a standing ovation from the diverse audience that included parishioners, university students and people of all ages throughout Fairfield County.

“They offered two hours of music and prayer, creating a wonderful entry into the season of Lent,” said Fr. John Baran, Pastor of St. Anthony of Padua Parish, which co-sponsored the concert with Fairfield University.

“I was struck by the variety of people who were there. There were people who attend Mass in a parish on a daily basis, as well as those who have been away from a church community of late. Music has great power to bring us together,” he said.

Schutte is the composer of spiritual standards such as “Here I am Lord” and “Table of Plenty.”  Angrisano has been featured at six World Youth Days, and Stephan’s “Mass of Renewal” is played in many dioceses across the country.

“Under the roof of the beautiful Egan Chapel, a roof that draws your eye upward to the heavens, a people of God filled the seats and sang together in praise of all that is good and holy in life, in praise of the things that matter and will endure forever,” Fr. Baran said.

Read interview with composer Dan Schutte from this month’s Fairfield County Catholic.

Watch this video of the three composers discussing their work.

Watch this video of "Hear I Am Lord."

Age to Age: Generations of Faith
February 26, 2013
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A Concert with Steve Angrisano, Dan Schutte, and Curtis Stephan

 

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