NEWS BRIEFS February-25-2010

By Catholic News Service

U.S.

Thousands join priest's campaign to delay changes to Mass prayers

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- A Seattle pastor who was present in St. Peter's Square as a seminarian in 1963 when Pope Paul VI presented the Second Vatican Council's liturgical document, "Sacrosanctum Concilium," is leading a campaign to delay implementation of the latest English translation of the Roman Missal. Father Michael G. Ryan, pastor of St. James Cathedral in Seattle since 1988, has gathered more than 17,000 signatures from English-speaking Catholics around the world asking that the new translations of the prayers used at Mass be tested through a pilot program at selected parishes for a year before their full implementation. "It is ironic, to say the least, that we spend hours of consultation when planning to renovate a church building or parish hall, but little or none when 'renovating' the very language of the liturgy," Father Ryan wrote in America magazine late last year. As of Feb. 24, his Web site at www.whatifwejustsaidwait.org had registered 17,305 signatures from people who identified themselves as Catholic priests, deacons, religious or laypeople from England, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the U.S. and other English-speaking countries. "We are convinced that adopting translations that are highly controversial, and which leaders among our bishops as well as many highly respected liturgists and linguists consider to be seriously flawed, will be a grave mistake," says a "statement of concern" endorsed by the signers. But Bishop Arthur J. Serratelli of Paterson, N.J., chairman of the U.S. bishops' Committee on Divine Worship, said in an article for the March 1 edition of America magazine that "the translation process has involved linguistic, biblical and liturgical scholars from each of the 11 English-speaking countries" that belong to the International Commission on English in the Liturgy. "The texts may be unfamiliar now, but the more one understands their meaning, the more meaningful their use will be in the liturgy," he added.

Maryland bishops oppose recognizing same-sex unions from other states

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (CNS) -- Maryland's Catholic bishops took "strong exception" to a Feb. 24 opinion by Maryland's attorney general stating that state agencies should recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states. "We trust our legislature and the people of Maryland will also object, and will act accordingly to counteract this opinion," said a joint statement released Feb. 24 signed by Archbishop Edwin F. O'Brien of Baltimore, Archbishop Donald W. Wuerl of Washington and Bishop W. Francis Malooly of Wilmington, Del., whose dioceses all include parts of Maryland. The statement was released by the Maryland Catholic Conference, the public policy arm of the state's bishops, based in Annapolis. Attorney General Douglas Gansler issued the opinion on same-sex marriage in response to a legislator's request he look into a question some say in unclear in state law. Maryland is one of 41 states with a statute that defines marriage as only between a man and a woman. Measures to allow same-sex marriages in Maryland have failed, although the state's lawmakers have extended some benefits to same-sex couples. Although it will not change state law, Gansler's opinion can guide Maryland officials. The attorney general's office, for example, can defend a state agency in court for recognizing a same-sex marriage from another state.

CARA commissioned to conduct landmark study of US Catholic parishes

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Researchers are working on an in-depth study of Catholic parish life in the United States. The study is being conducted by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate, based at Georgetown University in Washington, on behalf of the Emerging Models of Pastoral Leadership Project. "This research will provide the U.S. church with the most comprehensive and accurate picture of parish life" since a Notre Dame study of parishes was conducted in the 1980s, said Mercy Sister Mary Bendyna, CARA's executive director and senior research associate. "Among other things," she said the study will "examine the new models and new structures for parish ministry that are emerging as parishes are reorganized and the people they serve are more diverse." The first phase of the research -- currently under way -- involves a series of surveys that have been sent to representative samples of Catholic parishes in the United States. The initial surveys will be followed by an in-depth study of parish leaders and parishioners at approximately 60 parishes, including a sample of 35 parishes that reflects the diversity of geographic region, demography, and size of U.S. parishes. The study also will examine parishes that do not have pastors because of a lack of priests as well as multicultural parishes and parishes using multiple-parish ministry.

Bishops, other Catholics urge bipartisan action on health care reform

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- As Democratic and Republican leaders gathered in Washington for a health care summit convened by President Barack Obama, the U.S. bishops and other Catholic leaders urged all parties to commit themselves to health care reform that is affordable, accessible and protects the life and dignity of every person. In a Feb. 24 letter to congressional leadership, the chairmen of three committees of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops asked for "genuine health care reform that will protect the life, dignity, consciences and health of all." Similar messages came from the president of Catholic Charities USA and from a coalition of Christian, Muslim, Buddhist and Jewish leaders, including many Catholics. The bishops' letter, released a day before the summit, reiterated many of the points made in earlier USCCB messages about health care reform, calling for a prohibition on federal funding of abortion, protection of conscience rights and guarantees that immigrants will have access to the reformed health care system. The letter was signed by Bishops William F. Murphy of Rockville Centre, N.Y., and John C. Wester of Salt Lake City and Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo of Galveston-Houston. They chair the USCCB committees on Domestic Justice and Human Development, on Migration and on Pro-Life Activities, respectively. "It is time to set aside partisan divisions and special-interest pressures to find ways to enact genuine reform," the bishops said. "We encourage the administration and Congress to work in a bipartisan manner marked by political courage, vision and leadership."

Workshops scheduled to train priests, diocesan leaders on new missal

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Registration is now open for a series of workshops to help prepare priests and diocesan leaders for implementation of the revised Roman Missal. The 22 workshops will take place in each of the nation's 15 regions beginning in April and continuing into November. They are sponsored by the U.S. bishops' Committee on Divine Worship and the Federation of Diocesan Liturgical Commissions, in cooperation with the National Organization for Continuing Education of Roman Catholic Clergy and the National Association of Pastoral Musicians. Each seminar will be staffed by either Msgr. Anthony Sherman, executive director of the divine worship secretariat, or Father Richard Hilgartner, associate director. A second speaker will be either Brian Reynolds, chancellor and chief administrator of the Archdiocese of Louisville, Ky.; Dolly Sokol, director of development of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe, N.M.; or Peter Zografos, director of campus ministry and an adjunct faculty member at Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio. Registration information is available at www.usccb.org/romanmissal. Topics to be covered include the historical and theological context of the new missal; the role of the priest celebrant in both proclaiming and singing the texts; the impact of change on both priests and laypeople; and suggested strategies for implementing the missal locally. According to an announcement at the Vatican in late January, the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments is pulling together the final version of the English translation of the missal. Because bishops' conferences approved the Roman Missal in sections over a period of years, a final review and minor edits were needed to ensure consistency, said a congregation official. Most English-speaking bishops' conferences are preparing materials to introduce and explain the new translation with the hope that people will begin using it in parishes at the beginning of Advent 2011.

WORLD

Pope expresses sorrow over murder of Christians in Iraq

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Benedict XVI has expressed his deep concern and sorrow over the continuing wave of violence against Christians in Mosul, Iraq. Vatican Radio and the Vatican newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano, reported Feb. 24 that although the pope is on retreat and not speaking publicly, he expressed his sorrow that "in the area of Mosul, the killing of Christians continues." Earlier that day, funerals were celebrated for the murdered father and two brothers of a Syrian Catholic priest, Father Mazen Ishoa, who himself had been kidnapped and released in 2007. Murdered in their home Feb. 23, the three deaths brought to seven the number of Christians murdered in Mosul in a 10-day period. Publishing the pope's reaction to the murders, the Vatican newspaper also published for the first time a letter sent in January to Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki by Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, Vatican secretary of state. The cardinal told the prime minister that the pope had asked him to write and express his "sincere solidarity" with al-Maliki and other leaders after a series of attacks on government buildings and on places of worship, both Muslim and Christian.

Legionaries of Christ official apologizes for actions of Father Maciel

MEXICO CITY (CNS) -- The general secretary of the Legionaries of Christ asked for forgiveness from the people who were harmed by the "immoral actions" of the order's founder, Father Marcial Maciel. "We ask forgiveness because we are sincerely sorry for what the church and people have suffered," Father Evaristo Sada told an audience during the Youth and Family Encounter in the Mexican capital Feb. 20. The comments were the most recent in an effort by the order to overcome allegations of sexual abuse of young seminarians by Father Maciel and the subsequent revelation that the Mexican priest fathered at least one child. Father Maciel died Jan. 30, 2008, at the age of 87. In May 2006 after its own investigation, the Vatican decided against conducting a canonical trial, but ordered the then-frail Father Maciel to withdraw to a life of prayer and penance. The Vatican has since ordered an apostolic visitation of the Legionaries. As part of the visitation, Archbishop Charles J. Chaput of Denver is visiting Legionaries seminaries and religious houses in the U.S. In his presentation, Father Sada, 48, compared the difficulties facing the order with those of person in a small boat facing an immense storm.

New regional group of nations welcomed by Mexican church leaders

MEXICO CITY (CNS) -- Catholic leaders in Mexico have welcomed the creation of a new regional group of Latin American and Caribbean nations that excludes the participation of the United States and Canada. Christened the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States and unveiled at a Feb. 22-23 summit of regional leaders in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, the new group embraces Cuba, aims to dampen flare-ups between regional rivals and seeks to deepen economic and political cooperation. "It's a dream and a demand that the Catholic Church in the subcontinent has encouraged," said Bishop Felipe Arizmendi Esquivel of San Cristobal de las Casas, Mexico, in a Feb. 24 letter released by the Mexican bishops' conference. "Therefore, we welcome this decision with hope." His letter endorsed the new group's exclusion of the United States and Canada, saying, "There are considerable distances with the two countries of the North, and their political and economic interests don't permit the just growth of the rest of the countries on the continent." Bishop Arizmendi said the summit's goals of integration and cooperation revived the hopes first articulated in 1979 at the Third General Conference of the Latin American and Caribbean Bishops' Conference. At the time, the bishops called for countries in the region to cast aside differences and recognize common "values, necessities, difficulties and hopes." Similar calls were made at conferences held in 1992 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, and in 2007 in Aparecida, Brazil.

Korean church leaders regret high court's backing of death penalty

SEOUL, South Korea (CNS) -- The Constitutional Court has ruled that the death penalty is constitutional, dashing church hopes for an early repeal of capital punishment in South Korea. "The court's decision is behind the times and world trends," John Kim Hyoung-tae, an attorney and chairman of the executive committee of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea's Committee for the Abolition of Capital Punishment, told the Asian church news agency UCA News after the Feb. 25 ruling. "Currently, 139 countries abolished the punishment in law or in practice and more countries are joining. The death penalty is the fundamental infringement of life and I don't understand how the justices ruled so," he said. Capital punishment opponents immediately turned to the National Assembly to push for abolishing the death penalty. Five of the nine Constitutional Court justices upheld the death penalty while the other four said that it is unconstitutional. Six votes are needed before a law is ruled unconstitutional. "The death penalty is one of the punishments expected in the criminal law," the majority judgment said.

PEOPLE

Canadians proud that one of their own will be canonized a saint

MONTREAL (CNS) -- Just 73 years after his death, Brother Andre Bessette will become the first Canadian-born man elevated to sainthood. The news of the Holy Cross brother's Oct. 17 canonization, one of six announced by Pope Benedict XVI Feb. 19, was met with elation by the members of the church in Montreal. "The announcement of the canonization of Brother Andre is the best thing that could have happened this year for the church of Montreal," Cardinal Jean-Claude Turcotte said in a statement. "I have always been impressed by this man, both a humble man and a visionary, a man of deep faith, an example of determination still relevant today in 2010. "For us, he is a symbol of victory. It is like winning a gold medal at the Olympics," the cardinal said later. "His sainthood is important not only for Catholics, but for all people who believe in God and who come to his basilica to find peace, even if they don't use the same name for God as we do." Born Alfred Bessette, Brother Andre was the founder of St. Joseph's Oratory in Montreal, the largest shrine dedicated to St. Joseph in the world. The shrine sits atop Mount Royal overlooking the northern half of the city. Two days after Pope Benedict's announcement the oratory had no lack of pilgrims filing past Brother Andre's tomb.

Former executive director of National Black Catholic Congress dies

BALTIMORE (CNS) -- Hilbert Dennis Stanley, former executive director of the National Black Catholic Congress and a prominent educator, died Feb. 12 of complications from dementia at a retirement community in suburban Baltimore. He was 78. A memorial Mass was planned Feb. 26 at St. Bernardine Church in Baltimore, where he had been a parishioner for 35 years. "His enthusiasm that he brought to gatherings of black Catholic ministry was considerable," said Msgr. Edward M. Miller, pastor of St. Bernardine. "He also arranged tremendous resources for continuing education. He just sparkled there every year. He would bring in speakers, authorities from other fields." Therese Wilson Favors, director of the Office of African American Catholic Ministries for the Archdiocese of Baltimore, had known Stanley for some 25 years and described him as "very involved." "He was always a very dedicated worker in so far as trying to make the church be seen in a positive light, a place where black people could feel welcome and at home," she told The Catholic Review, Baltimore's archdiocesan newspaper. "In that respect he often challenged policies where he saw racism rear its ugly head." Stanley grew up in Easton and graduated from Robert Moton High School at the top of his 11th-grade class, which at the time was the highest grade black students could complete.

Priest finds calling in bringing Christ's presence to wounded soldiers

PALO ALTO, Calif. (CNS) -- To watch Capuchin Father James Stump at work is to see a Christ-centered "ministry of presence" in action as a daily routine. A chaplain at the Department of Veterans Affairs hospital in Palo Alto, Father Stump makes his rounds with one purpose in mind: to invite sick and wounded veterans to encounter the living Christ. Father Stump is quick in his step and quick with a joke as he goes about his work. Accompanied by a reporter on one of his recent rounds, he joked to a Marine on the move down the hallway in a wheelchair to "watch the speed limit." They chatted about the Marine's spinal reconstruction surgery. But in a moment, without a break in the informality, the priest prayed over the patient and asked that Jesus "show his face to you, have mercy on you." And as the two parted, the priest simply said: "Heal up." Father Stump does all he can to put the veterans at ease and in a good mood. He creates an environment where Christ's presence can become a part of almost any encounter he initiates. "Just the way we enter a room is important: being a little upbeat, wanting to be there," Father Stump told Catholic San Francisco, the archdiocesan newspaper.