Monthly Archives: July 2011

General interest

The Magnificent Seven

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I thought I would end a busy week with this uplifting post from the Catholic Sentinel in Portland, Oregon. It’s about what Archbishop John Vlazny of Portland called “The Magnificent Seven“–the seven men ordained for the archdiocese in 2009. This was their largest ordination class since the 1970s.

The article checks in on them, two years later.

All of the new priests seem to be thriving, despite the many personal and pastoral challenges, and happy in their vocation.

One of the priests, Fr. David Jaspers, has already performed more than 620 baptisms, which amounts to one every 28 hours. Not bad!

Another of the priests, Fr. Theodore Lange, beautifully summed up his call to ministry this way: “My joy comes from surrending to God’s will and allowing the vocation to form my life.”

“Magnificent” might be a bit much, but the “Seven” are good and faithful servants who are already making a difference in the Pacific Northwest. God bless them!

General interest

The Harvest is Abundant

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Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan of New York gave a stirring homily last month at the massive, sixteenth annual Atlanta Eucharistic Congress, which this year was devoted to vocations. Here are some of his comments, as reported by the Georgia Bulletin:

Archbishop Dolan said, “The harvest is abundant and vocations come from the Eucharist.”

“When we gather before the Eucharist we are in a posture of discipleship,” he said, like Mary, the model of attentiveness to God’s word and acceptance of God’s will.

“Once again we can picture ourselves walking on the shores of the Sea of Galilee and hear Jesus say, ‘Follow me.’ Once again we can watch in awe as he raises the son of the widow of Naim . . . and feeds the 5,000. . . . As we gather in front of the Eucharist, we are in a posture of discipleship, and from that there is a great harvest.”

At the Eucharist, he added, it is “dramatically evident” that  “Jesus and His Church are one.”

When Saul, who had persecuted Christians, was knocked off his horse, he heard Jesus say, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” Archbishop Dolan pointed out. “Christ identifies Himself with His Church. Jesus and His Church are inseparable.”

“Today, we have people who say, ‘I want Christ without the Church,’” he said. “We say, ‘Impossible.’”

“Jesus brings baggage and that baggage is His Church,” he added. “We call the Church the bride of Christ . . . the mystical body of Christ. . . . The bride is not always beautiful. The body is not always sleek. . . . Yes, there is something wrong with us. That is why we need Jesus, that is why we have a (Church) family.”

“Love for Jesus and His Church must be the passion for your lives,” he said.

News

American Nun’s Cause Moving Forward

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Last May we noted in this blog that the relics of Blessed Marianne Cope were  being returned to Hawaii. Shortly before St. Damian of Molokai’s death, Mother Marianne and other Franciscan Sisters of Syracuse came to carry on St. Damien’s amazing work in the leper colony toward the end of the nineteenth century.

Now Catholic News Service reports that the alleged miracle in support of Mother Marianne’s canonization was approved by a Vatican medical board, an important step toward her becoming recognized as a saint. Read more about it here.

Reflection

Recognizing the Kingship of Christ

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I encourage our readers to check out this article by Msgr. John Esseff over at Catholic Lane on the enthronement of the Sacred Heart of Jesus as the antidote to the culture of death.

Interestingly, Msgr. Esseff is a retired exorcist and was a retreat director for Blessed Teresa of Calcutta and many of her sisters around the world.

Msgr. Esseff offers an engaging summary of the history of devotion to the Sacred Heart, including the origins of the concept and practice of “enthronement,” which clearly has implications for vocations. After all, when we acknowledge Christ as Lord of all, vocations happen.

Monsignor’s article contains a beautiful reflection on the call to love and serve the Lord with an undivided heart, and the consequences of settling for less:

“When we choose something less, we become broken. When my heart does not choose the more for which it was made, it is not satisfied; there is always something lacking. The words of St. Augustine explain this: ‘Our hearts are made for you, oh Lord, and they shall not rest until they rest in you.’  Every human heart was made for Jesus and his civilization of love.”

For more on devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, including information on the first Sacred Heart World Congress this October, click here.

General interest

Fr. Z on Tomorrow’s Priests

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Fr. Z took time out from his Fourth of July holiday to grace his readers with the following top ten list of qualities of prospective priests today:

1. Prospective priests (Religious or Diocesan) are not looking primarily for community life, as we live it. They are looking for a Church-related mission that they believe in.

2. Prospective priests want to know what the Pope teaches, not what the U.N. teaches.

3. Prospective priests do not want to sit around with older “veterans” and listen to the latter whine about the Pope, Rome and the bishops.

4. Prospective priests are not in favor of women’s ordination. Period.

5. Prospective priests do not want to attend Masses that resemble hootenannies, Quaker meetings, or Presbyterian services.

6. Prospective priests are not ashamed of the Pro-life movement, they’re for it.

7. Prospective priests do not want to hear their brothers mock the Pope and gripe about liturgical norms.

8. Prospective priests do not want to study at theological unions/seminaries that are embarrassed by Catholic teaching.

9. Prospective priests know that Vatican II was not the only, or even the most important, Ecumenical Council.

10. Prospective priests are not embarrassed by Marian devotion, and are seen praying the Rosary.

I think this list is pretty accurate. I would say with respect to point one that prospective priests today tend to be inspired by the call for a “new evangelization.” Some feel a greater need for community life than others. Others who may not have thought much about it before seminary come to recognize the value of some form of community life, even as a diocesan priest.

What do you think of Fr. Z’s list?

Resources

When God Asks for an Undivided Heart

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For those looking for answers to many practical questions about celibacy, we heartily recommend When God Asks for an Undivided Heart, by Fr. Andrew Apostoli,  CFR.

With clear, insightful reflections, Fr. Apostoli provides a penetrating look at consecrated celibacy based on his 40 years as a priest, spiritual director, and seminary teacher. Several bishops have already made this highly acclaimed work required reading for their seminarians.

Fr. Apostoli masterfully discusses a range of issues, including: 

  • Why so many people reject celibacy without truly knowing why
  • Celibacy in Scripture and Church history
  • Why clerical sex abuse is not caused by celibacy
  • How celibacy is a perfect expression of Christian love
  • The many fruits and gifts that come from celibacy, including lasting happiness and joy

The book is also a great resource for parents who are struggling to understand and accept their child’s vocation.

The following is from the foreword by Fr. Benedict Groeschel, CFR:

“Celibacy is one of God s greatest gifts to the world . . . and also one of the most misunderstood.  . . . Whether you are a young adult exploring a religious vocation, are already ordained, or are a member of the laity who wants to understand what the Church teaches and why, this is an important book for every Catholic to have. When God Asks for an Undivided Heart provides a sensitive, insightful look at the gift of consecrated celibacy. With his many years of experience in formation work and spiritual direction, Fr. Apostoli writes convincingly on this topic for the young adult considering the call to priesthood or religious life. . . . The concept of an undivided heart as the best road to a happy and productive celibate life is one that needs to be reaffirmed, as Fr. Andrew has done.”

General interest

The Catechism on “Vocation”

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The Catechism of the Catholic Church is often touted as an excellent resource for Scripture study because of the extensive biblical references. I find that the Catechism is also good for word studies as well.

For example, the index at the back under “vocation” has well over 30 listings, so that this rich concept may be examined from many perspectives. Another helpful tool is the glossary, which provides a concise definition along with the best Catechism references for additional study. Take, for example, the following glossary entry for “vocation” (the numbers in parentheses refer to paragraphs in the Catechism):

“The calling or destiny we have in this life and hereafter. God has created the human person to love and serve him; the fulfillment of this vocation is eternal happiness (1, 358, 1700). Christ calls the faithful to the perfection of holiness (825). The vocation of the laity consists in seeking the Kingdom of God by engaging in temporal affairs and directing them according to God’s will (898). Priestly and religious vocations are dedicated to the service of the Church as the universal sacrament of salvation (cf. 873; 931).”

Those wanting to learn more about vocations to the consecrated life are then quickly referred to Catechism, no. 931, which provides as follows, quoting canon 783 of the Code of Canon Law:

“Already dedicated to him through Baptism, the person who surrenders himself to the God he loves above all else thereby consecrates himself more intimately to God’s service and to the good of the Church. By this state of life consecrated to God, the Church manifests Christ and shows us how the Holy Spirit acts so wonderfully in her. And so the first mission of those who profess the evangelical counsels is to live out their consecration. Moreover, ‘since members of institutes of consecrated life dedicate themselves through their consecration to the service of the Church they are obliged in a special manner to engage in missionary work, in accord with the character of the institute.'”

There are many ways to study the Catechism, but be sure to take advantage of the references, indices, and glossary!

Cloistered life

Record-Setting Nun

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She entered the Cistercian Buenafuente del Sistal Convent the day that Joseph Ratzinger (now Benedict XVI) was born, and today Sister Teresa is 103 years old and the world’s record holder for having lived the longest as a cloistered nun. 

After 84 years as a cloistered nun, Sister Teresa says that the greatest gift she has received has been prayer: “Without it, one cannot sustain oneself. I never cease repeating: ‘Thank you, forgive. Thank you, forgive.'”

The nun is one of 10 cloistered nuns profiled in the Spanish-language book “¿Qué hace una chica como tú en un sitio como éste?” (What’s a Girl Like You Doing in a Place Like This?). In the book, author Jesús Garcia brings to light the secluded world of cloistered nuns by getting to know what life is like behind the grail, and what inspired them to join.

Sister Teresa’s story began as young girl living in Alava, Spain. She was known then as Valeria, and she was happy with her life on the family farm.  “We were in the field from morning ’til night, working, but we were happy,” she said. 

The eldest of seven children, her father saw how hard Valeria and her younger sister worked and he wanted a different life for them.  “Thinking nuns didn’t work, [my father] would say to my sister and me: ‘Wouldn’t you like to be nuns?'” she recalls.

“I didn’t like nuns,” she continued, “given how comfortable I was at home, [but] to please my father, [I] prayed to the patroness of Vitoria and asked her to give me a vocation. And did she give me one!”

Upon entering the Cistercian convent in Guadalajara, Spain, Valeria took the name Teresa.  “I was afraid to enter, but the Lord helped me,” she said. The sister said that she prayed to both God and St. Teresa for the courage to be committed to her new vocation.

Though Sister Teresa says that there was a time when she wondered about her contribution to society from behind the convent walls, her worries were soon put to rest: “Once, I was tempted to imagine how my life would be outside [the convent] because I felt I wasn’t contributing anything by being here.” 

She adds that it is a concern of many cloistered nuns.  After consulting a priest about her feelings, Sister Teresa says “He told me I had a very beautiful vocation; that it’s worthwhile.”

Sister Teresa says that she is very happy and does not desire anything from the outside world.  “It’s a grace from God,” she says. “I know that many won’t understand my way of living, but I don’t understand any other.”

 Courtesy of Zenit.org, the world seen from Rome.

 

General interest

Show of Faith

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photo by Peter van Agtmael for The New York Times

I never thought when my daughter Mary Kate entered a Dominican community last August that within a year she would be on Oprah and have her picture in The New York Times, but I guess stranger things have happened!

I especially like the photo of Sr. Mary Kate, which is how she has looked at prayer for many, many years. God has always blessed her with a deep desire and gift for contemplative prayer.

When Sr. Mary Kate was here for a home visit last month, she mentioned the interview and expressed doubt that they would publish any of the interview, as it didn’t seem to be quite what they were looking for. They chose to publish a few comments on prayer, and particularly when it comes to dealing with distractions in prayer–something common to the experience of everyone who has sought to grow closer to the Lord.

For that reason, I thought it might be helpful to add the Catechism’s treatment on distraction in paragraph no. 2729:

“The habitual difficulty in prayer is distraction. It can affect words and their meaning in vocal prayer; it can concern, more profoundly, him to whom we are praying, in vocal prayer (liturgical or personal), meditation, and contemplative prayer. To set about hunting down distractions would be to fall into their trap, when all that is necessary is to turn back to our heart: for a distraction reveals to us what we are attached to, and this humble awareness before the Lord should awaken our preferential love for him and lead us resolutely to offer him our heart to be purified. Therein lies the battle, the choice of which master to serve.”

General interest

Expanding Our Hearts

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Let’s once again unite our prayers this month with those of Pope Benedict XVI. Here are the Holy Father’s intentions for July 2011, as published by the Apostleship of Prayer:

  • Those Suffering with AIDS.  That Christians may ease the physical and spiritual sufferings of those who are sick with AIDS, especially in the poorest countries.
  • Religious Missionary Women.  That religious women in mission territories may be witnesses of the joy in the Gospel and living signs of the love of Christ.

One beautiful consequence of praying for the Holy Father’s intentions is that it causes us to expand our horizons, to pray for people we might not otherwise think about, because they are so far removed from our own limited experience.

So let us pray for the relief and missionary efforts identifed above, and in the process ask the Lord to make our hearts like unto His.