Podcasts about immaculate conception parish

On the second Sunday of Advent at Immaculate Conception Parish, Archbishop Aquilla celebrates mass in honor of the Parish feast day. In his homily, Archbishop Aquilla highlights the message of John the Baptist and how we are called, even and especially today, to clear a path for Jesus.

On this episode of Catholic Forum, after a news update from The Dialog, we learn about the Called By Name vocations program being implimented in the Diocese of Wilmington. Father John Enemou, associate pastor of St. Mary of the Assumption Parish in Hockessin, Delaware and Father James Gebhart, associate pastor of Immaculate Conception Parish in Elkton, Maryland and the St. Thomas More Oratory/Newman Center at the University of Delaware, will tell us how this program works to empower parishioners to nominate young men and women who may have a vocation to the priesthood or religious life. You can see a video of this interview on the Diocese of Wilmington's YouTube channel - YouTube.com/DioceseofWilm. 

We've come to Holy Week, the most unique and opportunity-laden time period on the Catholic calendar. Jen and Mike sat down with Fr. Stephen Robbins, Parochial Vicar of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception Parish in Camden to discuss many of the nuances of the Holy Week Masses and services. It's a really great conversation with Fr. Robbins dropping golden nuggets of information and wisdom throughout the episode! Listen to Talking Catholic everywhere podcasts can be found, at https://talking.catholicstarherald.org/talking-catholic, or catch us on Domestic Church Media radio Sundays at 11 AM or Mondays at 4 PM domesticchurchmedia.org.   Follow us on... Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TalkingCatholic Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/talkingcatholic X: https://twitter.com/talkingcatholic

Preaching for the 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Casey Stanton invites us to say "yes" to the invitation to the feast of synodality: "To say yes to walk the synodal way is be part of God's work, reknitting the fabric of our belonging – to God, to one another, to creation – as Christ's living body in the world." Casey Stanton is the co-director of Discerning Deacons, a project serving the Church by engaging Catholics in the active discernment around women and the diaconate. She most recently served as Adult Faith Formation minister at Immaculate Conception Parish in Durham, North Carolina. She holds a BA from the University of Notre Dame, and a Masters of Divinity from Duke Divinity School where she graduated with a certificate in prison studies. Visit www.catholicwomenpreach.org/preaching/10152023 to learn more about Casey, to read her text, and for more preaching from Catholic women.

Fr. Roger J. Landry Immaculate Conception Parish, Washington, DC Parish Day of Recollection: “Extraordinary Help for a Holy Lent: The Eucharistic Revival and Jesus' Call to Pray, Fast and Give Alms” March 3-4, 2023 (There was a problem with the recorder and hence there’s a little static on the recording). https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/catholicpreaching/3.4.23_Eucharistic_Apostolate_1.mp3 The post God Appealing Through Us As Ambassadors of the Eucharistic Christ: Our Eucharistic Apostolate, Lenten Mini-Retreat for Immaculate Conception Parish, Washington, DC, March 3-4, 2023 appeared first on Catholic Preaching.

Fr. Roger J. Landry Immaculate Conception Parish, Washington, DC Parish Day of Recollection: “Extraordinary Help for a Holy Lent: The Eucharistic Revival and Jesus' Call to Pray, Fast and Give Alms” March 3-4, 2023 (There was a problem with the recorder and hence there’s a little static on the recording). https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/catholicpreaching/3.4.23_Charity_1.mp3   The post Eucharistic-Driven Almsgiving: Making our Charity a Commentary on the Words of Consecration, Lenten Mini-Retreat for Immaculate Conception Parish, Washington, DC, March 3-4, 2023 appeared first on Catholic Preaching.

Fr. Roger J. Landry Immaculate Conception Parish, Washington, DC Parish Day of Recollection: “Extraordinary Help for a Holy Lent: The Eucharistic Revival and Jesus' Call to Pray, Fast and Give Alms” March 3-4, 2023 (There was a problem with the recorder and hence there’s a little static on the recording).   https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/catholicpreaching/3.4.23_Going_to_the_Desert_to_Adore_1.mp3 The post Going with Jesus into the Desert: Adoring God Alone, Lenten Mini-Retreat for Immaculate Conception Parish, Washington, DC, March 3-4, 2023 appeared first on Catholic Preaching.

Fr. Roger J. Landry Immaculate Conception Parish, Washington, DC Parish Day of Recollection: “Extraordinary Help for a Holy Lent: The Eucharistic Revival and Jesus' Call to Pray, Fast and Give Alms” March 3-4, 2023 (There was a problem with the recorder and hence there’s a little static on the recording). https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/catholicpreaching/3.3.23_Hungering_for_the_Feast_of_Faith_1.mp3 The post Hungering for What Jesus Hungers: Fasting for the Feast of Faith, Lenten Mini-Retreat for Immaculate Conception Parish, Washington, DC, March 3-4, 2023 appeared first on Catholic Preaching.

If you're enjoying the content, please like, subscribe, and comment! Please consider supporting the show! https://anchor.fm/worldxppodcast/support He was born in Arlington to Chris and Lambie Renner, the last of their four children. At Bishop O'Connell High School, he participated in soccer, track, the video production club, the pro-life club and the nap club, which he founded. He graduated from the University of Mary Washington and is graduated from Mount St. Mary's Seminary with a Masters of Divinity and a Masters of Moral Theology. He is currently the parochial vicar of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception Parish in Fredericksburg. ______________________ Follow us! @worldxppodcast Instagram - https://bit.ly/3eoBwyr @worldxppodcast Twitter - https://bit.ly/2Oa7Bzm Spotify - http://spoti.fi/3sZAUTG Apple Podcasts - http://apple.co/30uGTny Google Podcasts - http://bit.ly/3v8CF2U Anchor - http://bit.ly/3qGeaH7 YouTube - http://bit.ly/3rxDvUL #catholic #catholicism #seminary #priest #theology #philosophy #life #motivation #meaning #wxpp #podcast #podcastersofinstagram #podcastlife #podcastshow #longformpodcast #longformpodcast #podcasts #podcaster #newpodcast #podcastshow #podcasting #newshow #worldxppodcast --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/worldxppodcast/support

On this episode of Catholic Forum, after news headlines from The Dialog, we will talk with Deacon Ben Feril from Immaculate Conception Parish in Elkton, Maryland. Ben has had an impressive career as an officer in the United States Navy, and holds national positions with the Boy Scouts of America. We will meet him and learn about his calling to the Diaconate on this episode or Catholic Forum. 

Prayer and the Sacrament of Penance are important parts of a loving relationship with the Lord.As disciples of the Lord, we are called to evangelize. Bishop Gruss discussed the importance of these issues during his most recent First Friday presentation. On Friday, local faithful gathered with Bishop Gruss at the Cathedral of Mary of the Assumption in Saginaw for the monthly First Friday gathering. The day began with Mass and was followed by lunch and an informal talk. Rather than the focusing on a particular teaching, Bishop Gruss opened the floor to questions. Many questions were asked and several topics covered. One of the first questions was about prayer. Prayer and silence“The Lord speaks loudest to us in silence,” said Bishop Gruss. He then mentioned how we can be tempted to spend hours watching television and listening to the radio, while neglecting time for silence and prayer before the Lord.Bishop Gruss also talked about how love should be our motivation for prayer.“We should pray not out of obligation, but because we love the Lord,” said Bishop Gruss.   “I liked how Bishop Gruss talked about how prayer is about talking with the one you love,” said Amy Beckman, a parishioner of Mary of the Immaculate Conception Parish in St. Charles. Beckman also found it beneficial to listen to... READ MORE: https://saginaw.org/news/bishop-gruss-emphasizes-importance-prayer-confession-and-evangelization-during-most-recent#story

Fr. Matthew Newcomb has been a consistent, priestly presence in my life since I was a teenager, and I am honored to now be able to call him my brother priest! Fr. Newcomb, now the Pastor of Immaculate Conception Parish in Port Jervis, NY, shares his vocation story, his love of the priesthood, and his words of wisdom.

This week we wanted to bring you a podcast all about Advent, instead it become a smorgasbord of seasonal topics that also included the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, the Solemnity of Our Lady of Guadalupe, and some discussion of a few American saints in waiting. Joining us in this chat is a fan favorite - who has been absent from the podcast for far too long - the beloved Fr. Vince Guest, now pastor of Sacred Heart Parish in Camden. He joins our hosts Jen Mauro and Mike Walsh to talk about all of this and more! We also highlight a combined Advent initiative between his parish and the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception Parish focused on the themes of Hope, Peace, Love & Joy that takes place every Thursday at 7 PM. To learn more go to: https://www.sacredheartcamden.net. Listen to Talking Catholic on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Play, Stitcher, SoundCloud, Amazon podcasts, Audible, Alexa or at https://talking.catholicstarherald.org/show/talking-catholic. You can also catch us on Domestic Church Media radio Sundays at 11 AM or Mondays at 4 PM https://domesticchurchmedia.org. Follow us on... Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TalkingCatholic Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/talkingcatholic Twitter: https://twitter.com/talkingcatholic

Joining Keith this week live in the studio is Fr. Aaron Junge from Immaculate Conception Parish in Cedar Rapids, IA. Lots of incredible questions were discussed from Indulgences, praying to saints, struggles with things the Pope says and much much more.

The Immaculate Conception Parish, known as Wexford Church is located right along the Great River Road – long the Driftless Area Scenic Byway and the Great River Road National Scenic Byway – in between Harpers Ferry and Lansing. While the history itself is incredible, what's even more amazing is how great of shape it is in and how well-utilized it still is today. When you're traveling the byway, be sure to stop in, but until then listen in to hear the history of how this incredible historic location came to Allamakee County. Immaculate Conception Wexford Church Holy Family of the Bluffs Immaculate Conception Wexford Church Facebook Holy Family of the Bluffs Facebook Driftless Area Scenic Byway Northeast Iowa RC&D RC&D Facebook RC&D Twitter Iowa Scenic Byway Passport Program Travel Iowa --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/bluffsbrooksbyways/message

This week Tara and Jerry sit down with Megan Vantslot, who was recently appointed the new diocesan director of Youth and Young Adult Evangelization and ministry.  Megan Vantlost is a parishioner at Immaculate Conception Parish in Annandale.   

On this episode of Catholic Forum, after an introduction, the Gospel for the 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, and a song from Beth Neilsen Chapman's "Hymns" CD, we will chat with two young men in priestly formation for the Diocese of Wilmington. Peter Schirmer is 24 and is from St. Benedict Parish in Ridgely, Maryland. Gabriel Ortez Jimenez is 18 and is from Immaculate Conception Parish in Elkton, Maryland. Both are enrolled in college seminary. We will also learn about another Modern Day Witness from Father Rich Jasper. You can see a video of the interviews with Pete & Gabriel at www.YouTube.com/DioceseOfWilm. 

Casey Stanton preaches for the Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, offering a reflection on acknowleding and channeling our anger and grief: "Come turn that hot anger into fuel that sustains your love of creation and the people of God entrusted to your care. Come and be changed, be renewed, be fed -- by the same one who promises that no creature will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus, but that in him we conquer overwhelmingly." Casey Stanton, M.Div., is the Minister of Social Action and Discipleship at Immaculate Conception Parish in Durham, North Carolina. She holds a BA from the University of Notre Dame, and a Masters of Divinity from Duke Divinity School where she graduated with a certificate in prison studies. Casey spent a decade working in the field of faith-based and labor organizing where she witnessed the power of collective action to bend decision makers towards justice. Visit www.catholicwomenpreach.org/preaching/08022020 to learn more about Casey, to read her text, and for more preaching from Catholic women.

Father Sean Donovan joins us to talk about the relationship between the winged hussars, croissants, Islam, 9/11, and our Lady. This episode on the winged hussars is sponsored by https://www.covenanteyes.com/ (Covenant Eyes). Use promo code “catholicman” to get a 30-day free trial in protecting you and your family from the dangers of the internet. http://www.patreon.com/thecatholicmanshow (Do you benefit from our show? Want to help see it continue to grow? Would you like to see more guests in studio? If so, please consider joining us on Patreon). As little as $4/mo makes a big difference. Many hands make light work. About our drink: Winged Hussar Red Wine by The Catholic Man Show. An exquisite cabernet aged in Buffalo Trace Bourbon Barrels.   About the gear: N/A About our topic: Who are the winged hussars? Why do they matter? What does 9/11/2011 have in connection to what happened hundreds of years ago? Where did the croissant come from? And how does Mary our Mother play a role in all this? We answer these questions and more in this week’s episode. About our guest: Fr. Sean Donovan was ordained June 30th, 2012 in the https://dioceseoftulsa.org (Diocese of Tulsa and Eastern Oklahoma). He is currently pastor of Immaculate Conception Parish in Pawhuska, OK. Resources mentioned on the show: https://www.amazon.com/Enemy-Gate-Habsburgs-Ottomans-Battle/dp/046502081X/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=The+Enemy+at+the+Gate+by+Andrew+Wheatcroft&qid=1567779219&s=books&sr=1-1 (The Enemy at the Gate by Andrew Wheatcroft) https://www.amazon.com/Hungary-Containing-Particular-Relation-Transactions/dp/138552460X/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?keywords=An+Account+of+the+Turks+Wars+with+Poland%2C+Muscovy%2C+and+Hungary.+Containing+a+Very+Particular+Relation+of+Several+Material+Transactions+by+De+La+Criox&qid=1567779201&s=books&sr=1-1-fkmr0 (An Account of the Turks Wars with Poland, Muscovy, and Hungary. Containing a Very Particular Relation of Several Material Transactions by De La Criox) https://www.amazon.com/Islam-At-Gates-Christendom-Defeated/dp/1933184256/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=Islam+at+the+Gates%3A+How+Christendom+Defeated+the+Ottoman+Turks+by+Diane+Moczar&qid=1567779185&s=books&sr=1-1 (Islam at the Gates: How Christendom Defeated the Ottoman Turks by Diane Moczar) https://www.amazon.com/Sword-Scimitar-Fourteen-Centuries-between/dp/0306825554/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=Sword+and+Scimitar+by+Raymond+Ibrahim&qid=1567779166&s=books&sr=1-1 (Sword and Scimitar by Raymond Ibrahim) https://www.amazon.com/Siege-Vienna-Great-Between-Crescent/dp/1933648635 (The Siege of Vienna by John Stoye)   Drinking: N/A Gear: N/A Discussing the cycles of the Christian life If this is your first time listening to The Catholic Man Show, we do 3 things almost every episode: TIME CODES: 1.) Open, review, and enjoy a man beverage – Minutes 1-12. 2.) Highlight a man gear – Minutes 12-24. 3.) Have a manly conversation – Minutes 24-48. If you haven't listened to The Catholic Man Show before, check out our previous episodes https://thecatholicmanshow.com/episodes/ (here). Subscribe to our https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5MhmMZZhEnrapVYUIkFHLg?view_as=subscriber ( YouTube channel) to watch past episodes. Want to help The Catholic Man Show? By giving us a rating on https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-catholic-man-show/id1128843873?mt=2 (iTunes, it helps others find the show.) Want to say up with The Catholic Man Show? Sign up for our mailing list: http://www.thecatholicmanshow.com/manly (Click Here) Looking for a prayer to pray with your wife? https://thecatholicmanshow.com/blog/looking-for-a-prayer-to-pray-with-your-wife-print-this-off-and-start-praying/ (Check this blog out.) Are you getting our emails? Sign up for our (almost) monthly newsletter where we give you all bacon content – never spam.  http://thecatholicmanshow.com/manly/ (SIGN UP HERE:)... Support this podcast

Fr. Donovan joins us to discuss https://www.glendronachdistillery.com/en-us/our-whisky/original-aged-12-years/ (scotch), https://grillblazer.com/ (grill guns), and the ihttps://www.barnesandnoble.com/p/incorruptibles-joan-carroll-cruz/1110871555/2660523153843?st=PLA&sid=BNB_New+Marketplace+Shopping+Books&sourceId=PLAGoNA&dpid=tdtve346c&2sid=Google_c&gclid=CjwKCAiAwojkBRBbEiwAeRcJZBnCaz5JPqn8wW4ntxTbHSqUCMmFEEqC-7ZQC4c0sGDyhhb4nfsTlhoCBF8QAvD_BwE (ncorruptible saints). This episode is sponsored by the Council of Man. Want to support the show and be introduced to hundreds of men who want to live virtuously? Join us on http://www.patreon.com/thecatholicmanshow (Patreon) Fr. Donovan is a priest of the https://www.dioceseoftulsa.org/ (Diocese of Tulsa and Eastern Oklahoma). He is the pastor of http://icccpawhuska.org/ (Immaculate Conception Parish) in Pawhuska, OK.  You can watch an interview with Fr. Donovan on his beautiful parish http://discoveroklahomatv.com/stories/2019/cathedral-of-the-osage?fbclid=IwAR3iqzTESqtk83m2bhw9kJnZWAiY8XGJf6pggrSC6aD-8fvidFZ-LVjpeNk (here.) Our man gear was one of our favorites of all time…. https://grillblazer.com/ (The Grill Gun)! They are going to be starting a kickstarter campaign soon but they need the support before they get it going. How do you support? Easy. https://grillblazer.com/get-yours-now/ (Just add your email to their list to let them know you are interested in buying one. ) The inventor of this masterpiece is a practicing Catholic who has one son that is a transitional deacon. Show some support! (it’s not hard… who wouldn’t want one? LOL) https://www.glendronachdistillery.com/en-us/our-whisky/original-aged-12-years/ (Drinking: Glendronach 12 year) https://grillblazer.com/get-yours-now/ (Gear: The Grill Gun) Discussing incorruptible saints If this is your first time listening to The Catholic Man Show, we do 3 things almost every episode: 1.) Open, review, and enjoy a man beverage – Minutes 1-12. 2.) Highlight a man gear – Minutes 12-24. 3.) Have a manly conversation – Minutes 24-48. If you haven't listened to The Catholic Man Show before, check out our previous episodes https://thecatholicmanshow.com/episodes/ (here). Subscribe to our https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5MhmMZZhEnrapVYUIkFHLg?view_as=subscriber ( YouTube channel) to watch past episodes. Want to help The Catholic Man Show? By giving us a rating on https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-catholic-man-show/id1128843873?mt=2 (iTunes, it helps others find the show.) Support this podcast

Yadira Vieyra Alvarez preaches for Christmas, offering a reflection on living Christmas joy, even in difficult times: "We must remember, however, that receiving this child is a decision. If we do not accept and embrace the presence of Jesus in our daily lives, of what use is his peaceful dominion? If we do not have peace in our families, our homes, our marriages, our communities, of what use is God’s offering to us?" Yadira Vieyra Alvarez was appointed as an auditor at the 2018 Synod of Bishops on Young People, the Faith, and Vocational Discernment and represented the immigrant community in the United States. Yadira Vieyra Alvarez is Research Specialist at the School of Social Service Administration at The University of Chicago, where she works on evaluating the effectiveness of doula home visiting services being provided to adolescent mothers. Yadira is also collaborating with the University of Chicago at Illinois and Immaculate Conception Parish in Brighton Park through “Fortaleciendo mi familia” – a series of sessions aimed at bringing low-intensity cognitive behavioral therapy and psychosocial support to Mexican immigrant families experiencing distress, anxiety, and depression due to exposure to community violence, financial challenges, and migration-related worries. She attended Cristo Rey Jesuit High School and later moved to Washington D.C. where she completed her bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Theology from Georgetown University. She received her Masters of Science from Erikson Institute in Chicago, a premier graduate school in early child development. As part of her commitment to urban Catholic Education, Yadira has also served in a variety of ministerial and catechetical roles including the Leadership Advisory Council at Cristo Rey Jesuit High School. Visit www.catholicwomenpreach.org/preaching/12252018 to read Yadira's text, and for more preaching from Catholic women.

Homily for Divine Mercy Sunday given in Yuma Arizona at Immaculate Conception Parish. Please listen and share. To Jesus Through Mary, Fr Zach

Today's topics: Cheverus Awards; US bishops meeting; American cardinals; HHS mandate; Philippines typhoon Summary of today's show: Our Thursday panel of Scot Landry, Susan Abbott, and Gregory Tracy look at the headlines of the week, including the announcement of awardees of the 2013 Cheverus Awards in the Archdiocese of Boston—among whom is our own Susan Abbott; the election of a new leader of the US bishops conference and decisions on a statement on pornography and on the HHS mandate; and the local Catholic response to the typhoon in the Philippines. Listen to the show: Today's host(s): Scot Landry and Susan Abbott Today's guest(s): Gregory Tracy, managing editor of the Pilot, the newspaper of the Archdiocese of Boston Links from today's show: 2013 Cheverus Award winners Susan Abbott, St. Theresa of Avila Parish, West Roxbury Laura Albaladejo, St. Patick Parish, Brockton Josephine and Charles Anastasia, St. John Chrysostom Parish, West Roxbury Ruth Andrews, St. Katherine Drexel Parish, Boston Mother Teresa Benedicta, OCD, North Region William Bibeau, St. John the Baptist Parish, Haverhill Madelyn Brown, The Catholic TV Network, Watertown (2012) Judy Burton, St. Mary/St. Catherine of Siena Parish, Charlestown Jacquelyn Butterfield, St. Anne Parish, Littleton James Buxton, Holy Trinity Parish, Lowell John Carter, Sacred Heart Parish, Waltham Everett Casey, Sacred Heart Parish, Middleborough John Cheboryot and Mercy Anampiu, St. Michael Parish, Lowell, Kenyan Apostolate Antonio Jr. and Gracita Chiefe, St. Mary Parish, Randolph, Filipino Apostolate Deacon Charles Clough, West Region William Corrigan, St. Anthony Parish, Allston Marileia Costa, St. Anthony Parish, Everett, Brazilian Apostolate Paul Daly, Sacred Heart Parish, Quincy Joan DeGuglielmo, St. Francis Parish, Cambridge Sister Thomasita Delaney, RMS, Merrimack Region Samuel E. DeMerit, St. Paul Parish, Cambridge Jose DePina, St. Peter Parish, Dorchester Barbara Devita, St. Thomas of Villanova Parish, Wilmington Linda Devoll, St. John the Evangelist Parish, Canton Rose DiMare, Immaculate Conception Parish, Revere Anne Doherty, St. Camillus Parish, Arlington M.J. Doherty, Archdiocese of Boston Kevin Dolan, Sts. Martha and Mary Parish, Lakeville Thomas Dwyer, Esq., Archdiocese of Boston Joanne Eagan, Sacred Heart Parish, Lynn Stephen Fair, St. Mary of the Assumption Parish, Brookline Walter Faria, St. Mary of the Nativity Parish, Scituate George and Linda Furtado, Immaculate Conception Parish, Everett Rosa Garcia, St. James Parish, Haverhill Deacon Alfred Geneus, St. John the Evangelist Parish, Cambridge, Haitian Apostolate Deacon Thomas Hanlon, South Region Anne Hanning, St. Charles Borromeo Parish, Waltham John Hennigan, St. Dennis Parish, Westwood Sister Magdalene Ikeda, PDDM, Regina Cleri, Boston, Japanese Apostolate George Jackson, St. Francis of Assisi Parish, Braintree Marie Jutkiewicz, St. Tarcisius Parish, Framingham Sonete Kammer, St. Tarcisus Parish, Framingham, Brazilian Apostolate Anne B. Kelly, St. Francis de Sales Parish, Charlestown Mary Kiesinger, St. Dorothy Parish, Wilmington Richard Kimball, St. Cecilia Parish, Boston J. Timothy Looney, St. Joseph Parish, Wakefield Dr. Aloysius Lugira, St. Mary Parish, Waltham, Ugandan Community (2012) Eleanor Mackin, St. Mary Parish, Lynn Judie Mahan, St. Gerard Majella Parish, Canton Constance Malloy, Our Lady of Sorrows Parish, Sharon Deacon Leo Martin, St. John the Baptist Parish, Peabody Jeanne Masterman, St. Catherine of Alexandria Parish, Westford Janice Mathias, St. Mary Parish, Billerica Robert Matson, St. Joseph Parish, Holbrook Elinor McFarland, St. Ann by the Sea Parish, Marshfield Darice McIntire, Sacred Heart Parish, Manchester Altagracia Mena, St. Patrick Parish, Lowell Helen Monteiro, St. Patrick Parish, Roxbury Deacon Pablo Morel, North Region Kevin Muldoon, Immaculate Conception Parish, Weymouth Sheila Murphy, St. Andrew Parish, North Billerica Sylvia Murphy, St. Helen Parish, Norwell Joseph R. Nolan, St. Francis Chapel, Boston (Prudential Center) Roberta Oles, St. Mary Parish, Wrentham John Olquist, Holy Family Parish, Dorchester Lawrence and Sally O'Maley, St. John the Baptist Parish, Essex Sister Mary O'Rourke, CSJ, West Region Eduardo Pascua, Holy Trinity Parish, Quincy Mary Peck, St. Margaret Parish, Burlington Michael Pietkiewicz, St. Stanislaus Parish, Chelsea Rita Pizzi, St. Blaise Parish, Bellingham Nancy Pouliot, Holy Family Parish, Amesbury Brother Thomas Puccio, C.F.X., North Region Lucille Ratte, Star of the Sea Parish, Salisbury Pat Riley, St. Michael Parish, North Andover Martha Roberts, St. Malchy Parish, Burlington Sister Florita Rodman, CDP, South Region Ellen Greene Romikitis, Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta Parish, Dorchester John Scanlon, Sacred Heart Parish Margaret Scollins, Our Lady of the Assumption Parish, Green Harbor Patricia Shafto, St. Christine Parish, Marshfield Deacon Richard Siebert, Merrimack Region Joan Silta, St. Pius X Parish, Milton Stella Simione, St. John the Evangelist Parish, Winthrop Celia Sirois, Archdiocese of Boston Marguerite Small, St. Mary of the Annunciation Parish, Melrose Jean Soucy, St. Magdalen Parish, Tyngsborough Antonio and Delminda Sousa, Our Lady of Fatima Parish, Peabody Claudia Suarez, Madonna Queen Shrine, East Boston M. Doris Thompson, St. John the Evangelist Parish, East Bridgewater Joseph Tuan Thong, St. Bernadette Parish, Randolph, Vietnamese Apostolate Paule Verdet, Sacred Heart Parish, Newton Judy Vivien, St. Mary of the Assumption/St. Ann Parish, Hull Ann C. White, St. Ann Parish, Quincy Magda E. Zabala, Holy Family Parish, Dorchester

Summary of today's show: Our usual Thursday panel of Scot Landry, Susan Abbott, Fr. Roger Landry, and Gregory Tracy consider the news headlines of the week, including the latest examples of humility and simplicity from Pope Francis; how he chose his papal name; his decision to celebrate Holy Thursday in a juvenile prison; the appointment of five more pastors for pastoral collaboratives as part of the Disciples in Mission pastoral plan; the obituaries of two senior priests; and remarkable pro-life essays from grade school contest winners. Listen to the show: Watch the show via live video streaming or a recording later: Today's host(s): Scot Landry and Susan Abbott Today's guest(s): Gregory Tracy, managing editor of the Pilot, the newspaper of the Archdiocese of Boston, and Fr. Roger Landry, pastor of St. Bernadette Parish in Fall River Links from today's show: Some of the stories discussed on this show will be available on The Pilot's and The Anchor's websites on Friday morning. Please check those sites for the latest links. Today's topics: Pope Francis' humility; choosing his name; new pastors for pastoral collaboratives 1st segment: Scot Landry caught up with Susan Abbott after not being together on the show for three weeks. Scot asked Susan how she watched the events here at the Pastoral Center. Susan said the days all blur together because every day there's a new story about Pope Francis that captures our attention. She said it was a busy time for everyone in the building on Disciples in Mission and Lent, but when the white smoke came out, there were yells in the halls and everyone stood around a computer watching a webcam of St. Peter's Square. Everyone gathered in the lobby of the Pastoral Center to watch it on TV. Scot said there's been a lot to cover since the election a week ago last Wednesday. The Pilot this week has a lot in a special issue this week. Gregory Tracy said they had a 16-page special edition in the center of the Pilot, which makes it almost two papers this week. The focus of the special edition is giving a perspective on Pope Francis and re-capping his first days. Greg said he learned a lot about Pope Francis because Cardinal Bergoglio wasn't among the most talked-about names. His impression is of his humility and that he is a bit of a free spirit. Scot welcomed Fr. Roger Landry and said his column in the Anchor this week gives his first impressions. Fr. Roger said he's a pastor more than a professor. He's obviously intelligent, but brings his experience of being archbishop of Buenos Aires for so many years. One thing that touched Fr. Roger was seeing a boy in the Vatican choir school singing the responsory psalm during the inauguration Mass, which shows how young the Church is. He also notes how serious Pope Francis is in begging for our prayers. At the end of every talk, he asks for our prayers. He shows us what type of reform he's planning for the Church. When you hear all the talk of reform in the Vatican, people meant administrative and finance and governance issues, but Pope Francis is launching a reform at the root of who he is as a disciple and apostle. He's set an example of the reform of the priesthood to go out and meet the people where they're at. He's going to challenge us by his actions even more than John Paul and Benedict. Scot said he recalled yesterday's show about the book “Rebuilt” about a parish that went looking for the lost sheep. It's been clear to Scot that Pope Francis thinks about going out seeking the lost. Scot said it's clear to him that many people are taking a new look at the Church because of Pope Francis and he's reaching a much broader audience. Greg said it's obvious Pope Francis is one who feels the need to reach out and be with the people. He recalled a story in Argentina where he told his parish priests to go out and find those who weren't coming to church, maybe even opening storefront chapels. His priority is finding souls, not necessarily following all the ways that things have been done. He's much more concerned with practicality. We had this flow from John Paul, with a great media presence, to Benedict, a great theologian, to Francis who isn't as great with media or as great a theologian, but is good with both and with bringing those things to the people. Scot said Pope Francis is about making a Church that prays for one another. Susan said that first moment when the Pope came on the balcony and just stood there. But once he got started, he captivated the entire square of 100,000 people and they fell silent. He reminds us to whom we pray and for whom we pray. Scot asked Fr. Roger what he's learned reading about Pope Francis in Spanish materials. Fr. Roger said he sees how intelligent he is, able to talk about many different issues with deeply Catholic vision. He also struggled with his celibacy in the seminary, falling in love with a girl and deciding to that he loved God more. It's a beautiful and sincere admission and it allows him to relate to a lot of young people. In another interview, he gives a very strong statement on dealing with priests who abuse children, saying that such priests should be removed because they can't be reformed and you can't take chances. As for failures with men or women or alcohol, he is very firm that you can't serve two masters. His embrace of poverty shows how committed he is personally to this vision even when it was inconvenient. He not only wanted to relate to the poor in material poverty, but also show it's not an obstacle to following the Lord. While many are focusing on Pope Francis' tenderness to the overlooked of society, it is a fruit of a lifetime of love for the least, but at the same time he is able to teach with great clarity and firmness. Scot noted in Dwight Duncan's column in the Pilot in which he related that when Cardinal Bergoglio was named a cardinal, he didn't want to pay the usual $6,000 for the complete set of vestments, so he bought cheap cloth and asked a religious sister to sew them. Greg said at the conclave he had been telling other cardinals about how much of a deal he got on his airfare and then told Argentinians not to come to his inauguration, but instead to the give the money to the poor. It's his legitimate way of being, not putting on airs of false humility. People like this, that he's not so attached to the material things of the world. It's not a media strategy, but it has a great effect on people. So much of the western world measures us by what we can buy and what we can consume. We trade our dignity for our consumer goods. But this is a sign that you can be the Supreme Pontiff and yet you can be simple. Scot said he's proven himself to be a pope of gestures. Today it was announced that on Holy Thursday, rather than in St. Peter's, the Mass of the Lord's Supper will be held at a youth prison where he will wash the feet of inmates. It was Cardinal Bergoglio's custom to celebrate Holy Thursday in hospitals and prisons. Susan said she celebrated with Deacon Jim Greer, head of hospital and chaplain ministries, at the symbolism of this act. She said Pope Francis has also called the owner of the newsstand in Buenos Aires where he used to get his daily paper to thank him for his prayers and tell him he won't be coming. But Susan said what disturbs her is when this is used to compare him to what came before. This is not either-or, but both-and. Fr. Roger said yesterday it was said announced he had given out 3,000 tickets for the poor of Rome to come to the Holy Thursday Chrism Mass at St. Peter's Basilica earlier in the day and then going to the prison later. Pope Francis is shining a laser beam on this subset of people of whom Jesus said “I was in prison and you visited me.” There are millions across the globe who will not have Mass on Holy Thursday and this is an extraordinary gesture to them. Scot said on Saturday in the meeting with journalists, Pope Francis revealed how he picked the name Francis. Scot said he had assumed most cardinals went into the conclave with a name in the back of their minds. He was surprised that Pope Francis only picked the name at the last minute. Greg said he had asked Cardinal Seán that very question, comparing it to young couples who marry thinking about names for their children. Cardinal Seán said he's never given it any thought. Greg finds it reassuring that they didn't go with a name picked. Scot said before there was a lot of buzz about Cardinal Seán, he joked with Cardinal Seán that there was a pool about whether he would pick Pope Patrick or Pope Francis. He thinks it unfathomable that it wouldn't come up at all somewhere in the back of your mind. This is a name that will define him for eternity and he picked a momentous one. Susan claims that she had predicted the next pope would be Pope Francis, although she had a different cardinal in mind. Scot said a number of cardinals have talked about their awareness of the Holy Spirit's presence with them as they voted. Fr. Roger said Cardinal O'Brien was on EWTN with him the day after and admitted he'd never really known Cardinal Bergoglio before the conclave and what was remarkable how everyone in the conclave came to know that this was the pope for the Church at this time. Many cardinals said it's very much like a retreat and they're not kibbitzing between votes. 2nd segment: This week's benefactor card raffle winner is Patricia Noone from Stow, MA She wins the booklet “Way of the Cross at the National Shrine of Divine Mercy” and the audio CD “The Seven Pillars of Catholic Spirituality” by Matthew Kelly. If you would like to be eligible to win in an upcoming week, please visit . For a one-time $30 donation, you'll receive the Station of the Cross benefactor card and key tag, making you eligible for WQOM's weekly raffle of books, DVDs, CDs and religious items. We'll be announcing the winner each Wednesday during “The Good Catholic Life” program. 3rd segment: Scot said locally in the archdiocese, five appointments are announced in today's Pilot of priests being appointed pastors of new pastoral collaboratives as part of Disciples in Mission Phase one. Fr. Paul E. Ritt has been appointed Pastor of Our Lady of the Assumption Parish and St. Maria Goretti Parish in Lynnfield, effective June 4. He was Pastor of St. John the Evangelist, Chelmsford. Fr. Thomas A. Mahoney has been appointed Pastor of St. Joseph Parish and St. Luke Parish in Belmont, effective June 4. He was Pastor of St. Joseph Parish in Belmont. Fr. Daniel L. Riley has been appointed as Pastor of Immaculate Conception Parish, St. Anne Parish, St. James Parish, and St. John the Baptist Parish, all in Salem, effective June 4. He was Pastor of Sacred Heart Parish in Weymouth. Fr. John E. Sheridan has been appointed Pastor of Sacred Heart Parish in Middleboro-Rochester and Pastor of Sts. Martha and Mary Parish in Lakeville, effective June 4. He was Pastor of St. James Parish in Salem. Fr. Brian L. Flynn has been appointed Pastor of Sacred Heart Parish and St. Mary Parish in Lynn, effective June 4. He was previously Pastor of St. Mary in Lynn. Three more appointments related to Phase 1 are still to be made. Greg said we're in the initial stages and this is exactly what the archdiocese said would happen: In some cases the pastors would come from within the collaborative and others from outside. Scot said one of the patterns is that a priest who's been in the parish only a couple years, they will stay, whereas pastors who've been there a long time will be moved to new assignments. Susan said everyone in the Pastoral Center are working daily to support the new pastors and their collaboratives. Greg said when you're connecting parishes that are near each other, people in recent years have tended to gravitate to the parish they prefer based on how they like the pastor or the music or religious education. When you have someone who's been in the parish for many years, people become used to him and his style. Meanwhile someone who is new to the area is able to adjust himself to the needs of the area and how they do things. Scot said it can be difficult on a human level to say goodbye to parishioners when you don't know what your next assignment will be. Fr. Roger said every priest is supposed to be a missionary at heart. At the same time, canon law gives pastors rights in that they don't have to move except in extreme circumstances, so it shows great obedience and openness to the needs of the Church in offering their resignations. Fr. Roger noted that people wanted to keep Jesus for themselves, but he told them that he needed to go out and preach to others as well. Also in the Pilot are the obituaries of two 90-year-old priests, Fr. Joseph Lukas and Fr. William B. O'Connor. In the Anchor this week were the 2013 Pro-Life Essay Content winners, themed “Faith opens our eyes to human life in all its grandeur and beauty”. The contest is open to all students enrolled in diocesan schools and religious education programs. There are winners in the high school and junior high school categories and they are read aloud at the annual diocesan Pro-Life Mass and printed in the Anchor. Susan said the high school is extraordinary. Scot said a week from today it won't be Lent and so Scot asked everyone how they did on their Lenten resolutions.

Summary of today's show: Our usual Thursday panel of Scot Landry, Susan Abbott, Gregory Tracy and Fr. Roger Landry consider the headlines of the week, including Pope Benedict's first tweets on Twitter; the Roman symposium marking the 15th anniversary of the Ecclesia in America synod; the Supreme Court taking up two cases on same-sex marriage; concerns over a possible elimination of the charitable tax deduction; and Christmas gift giving that makes a real impact. Listen to the show: Watch the show via live video streaming or a recording later: Today's host(s): Scot Landry and Susan Abbott Today's guest(s): Gregory Tracy, managing editor of the Pilot, the newspaper of the Archdiocese of Boston, and Fr. Roger Landry, pastor of St. Bernadette Parish in Fall River Links from today's show: Some of the stories discussed on this show will be available on The Pilot's and The Anchor's websites on Friday morning. Please check those sites for the latest links. Today's topics: Papal tweets; Ecclesia in America; Supreme Court consider same-sex marriage; charitable deductions; Christmas gift giving 1st segment: Scot welcomed everyone to the show and talked with Susan Abbott about the visit of her children and grandchildren over the week, including a massive family portrait. Scot said he was able to go to part of the God of This City tour in Wakefield last night. The photos are available at . Tonight, they will be continuing at Immaculate Conception Parish in Stoughton, 7-9pm, and at Cathedral of the Holy Cross tomorrow, 7-10pm. 2nd segment: Scot and Susan welcomed Gregory Tracy and Fr. Roger Landry back to the show. Scot said this week Pope Benedict launched his new Twitter feed and as opf this morning he has 1.6 million followers already. Fr. Roger said the questions the pope responded to where about what Fr. Roger expected. He's not surprised that Pope Benedict is so good at being profound in 140 characters because this was already his nature. He hopes that this doesn't become so routine that we take these tweets for granted. Scot read one of the questions and response: “How can faith in Jesus be lived in a world without hope?” “We can be certain that a believer is never alone. God is the solid rock upon which we build our lives and his love is always faithful” Susan said she isn't surprised either and there's a lot to meditate on. Another pair was: “Any suggestions on how to be more prayerful when we are so busy with the demands of work, families and the world?” “Offer everything you do to the Lord, ask his help in all the circumstances of daily life and remember that he is always beside you” Greg said this is another great pearl of wisdom and he often finds himself struggling to work in some prayer time. He admits he didn't think Twitter would be a great medium for the Pope. He used to be able to find 150 words in the speeches of Pope John Paul II that is one coherent thought, but it was difficult to find that in Pope Benedict's writings. Scot said he was interviewed by Ira Kantor of the Boston Herald yesterday and he was asked why the Holy Father isn't following back the people following him. Scot said it's too difficult to follow everyone and the hashtag #askpontifex is the answer to the dialogue. Scot said the reporter also asked if Cardinal Seán would be communicating directly with the Pope on Twitter. Scot said the Church has developed lines of communications over the centuries and this type of communication isn't necessary. Fr. Roger said the launch of the initiative on the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe is significant, that invoking Mary who brought to the world, Pope Benedict wanted to do the same thing. And because she is patroness of the Americas and the Americas is where Twitter was born and is especially active. Scot pointed out that you don't have to have a Twitter account to read the Pope's tweets. Just go to the webpage linked above. Also going on in Rome this week was a symposium to discuss the 15th anniversary of the post-synodal exhortation Ecclesia in America. Scot said Cardinal Sean gave a speech in Spanish that has been reviewed as being fabulous. Greg said the synod was an effort to bring unity of effort in the Churches throughout the Western Hemisphere, which are dealing with many similar issues. Scot said the eyes of the Church worldwide often look to where we are as the Church in the Americas. He said he was astounded to learn that the apparition of Guadalupe occurred at exactly the center of the Americas on Tepeyac Hill outside Mexico City. Susan said the Holy Father's comments were insightful as he started with an encounter with the living Christ and formation with fidelity to the truths of the Church. She notices in document after document is the emphasis on love. When you take a step back, you see such hateful dialogue and conflict and the Pope is calling us back to love. Fr. Roger described his front-row seat as a seminarian in Rome for the Synod for the Americas that this was the anniversary of. He said that Pope John Paul II insisted that Our Lady of Guadalupe is patroness of America, not the Americas, to emphasize that unity. He said the recommendations of the synod and document have been virtually unimplemented and so this symposium is an attempt to look at them again to revisit them. Fr. Roger said he hopes that Cardinal Seán's speech is posted on his blog in both Spanish and English to show Cardinal Seán's facility with the language and the passion with with he preaches and speaks in Spanish. Scot said Cardinal Seán says that he never said a Mass in English until he was made a bishop. Greg said the speech was 45 minutes long so it might be difficult to get into the blog. He noted that the language in which you're speaking affects the way you say it and the passion with which you preach. Scot said Cardinal Seán is so good with Spanish that the keyboard on his own computer is a Spanish keyboard. 3rd segment: Scot said the Supreme Court has agreed to hear two cases related to same-sex marriage. One case challenges the 1996 federal Defense of Marriage Act. The other case is a challenge to Proposition 8 in California. Both cases allege that the laws have unconstitutional bans on marriage between of the same sex. Greg recounted the history of the Defense of Marriage Act and how it was a response to concerns about the full faith and credit clause of the constitution. He noted it only concerns federal law in relation to marriage, not state law. The Obama administration recently said it won't defend the Defense of Marriage Act in court. He said the Supreme Court may decided to rule on the full constitutionality of same-sex marriage, which is an all or nothing situation, which is a bit unnerving. Scot said this decision could be as big as the Obamacare decision last June. Fr. Roger said the two cases cover both state and federal levels and he said he can't believe that the Court would agree with the Obama administration that bans are unconstitutional discrimination against gay and lesbians, but he also doesn't think they will say that same-sex marriage itself is unconstitutional. Instead they will leave it to the states to pass laws through referendum or the legislative process to define marriage. He thinks the decision will be tight. Greg agreed with Fr. Roger's assessment. The current Court has generally been ruling in terms of strict constructionism. Scot said many charitable organizations are making their case in Washington DC this month as we face the fiscal cliff that their futures are in peril if it results in the loss of charitable deductions. Many charities are struggling today, especially smaller church organizations that rely on small donations. There are also two articles in the Pilot this week about some of the year-end appeals that occur in the Archdiocese. Joe D'Arrigo talked about the Christmas collection as the primary source for the care of our retired priests. Scot focused on Christmas gifts that make an impact. We often spend money on things we end up not even liking. He talked about how much he dislikes the tradition of Yankee Swap in his family and how a gift to anonymous homeless man from his parish's giving tree prompted him to consider the true gift of giving gifts that make an impact. He also included an appeal for the Pilot, for people to support the newspaper because subscriptions and advertising no longer support the cost of running the newspaper. Susan said the column shows we sometimes sell kids short, that they are not necessarily consumed with getting more things, but that they can be motivated on their own to want to sacrifice for another. Scot said Fr. Roger wrote this week that we should “give the Giver” meaning Jesus. Fr. Roger said in this Year of Faith, that should affect the gifts we give at Christmas. Especially for kids, we often give them gifts that foment their idolatries instead of getting them gifts that emphasize Christ in their life. He made specific suggestions in the column on the gifts that would be appropriate. Scot read a list of the ten prayers for the Year of Faith offered by Bishop Ricken of Green Bay. The Nicene Creed. The Lord's Prayer. The Hail Mary. The Glory Be. The Magnificat. The Canticle of Zechariah. The Memorare. The Acts of Contrition, Faith, Hope and Love. The Angel prayers. Prayer for the New Evangelization. Fr. Roger would have added the rosary and substituted the Athanasian creed instead of the Nicene creed. Scot asked for listeners to submit their own top 10 lists of prayers with the reason why to LIVE@thegoodcatholiclife.com for consideration in a later show.

Summary of today's show: For the past four years, Lift Ministries has taken a week in Advent for the God of This City Tour, traveling to five different churches in five towns to bring contemporary and original praise music, powerful speakers, and Eucharistic adoration to the five regions of the Archdiocese, each year ending in our mother church, the Cathedral of the Holy Cross. Next week, they do it again with their 2012 edition. Scot Landry and Fr. Matt Williams are joined in studio by Jon Niven, Heather Flynn, and Brett St. Gelais to discuss the history of the event, its powerful effect on those of all ages who attend, and what people can expect to experience if they come to one or more nights next week. Listen to the show: Watch the show via live video streaming or a recording later: Today's host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Matt Williams Today's guest(s): Jon Niven, Heather Flynn, Brett St. Gelais Links from today's show: Today's topics: God of This City Tour 2012 1st segment: Scot Landry welcomed everyone to the show. He noted that one year ago today was a priests' convocation that kicked off the big pastoral planning initiative. Scot said the Office for the New Evangelization of Youth and Young Adults is now publicizing registration for the Pilgrimage for Life in January. Fr. Matt said this year Cardinal Seán will be celebrating the Mass in Washington, DC, ahead of the March for Life. He added that the cardinal has never missed a March for Life and has always made it a priority to invite young people to go with him. There will be three distinct tracks for the pilgrimage for Middle School, High School, and Young Adults. Scot said this is something every Catholic should do once in their lifetime and this year will be the fortieth anniversary. The pilgrimage is January 24-26. For more information go to . Fr. Matt talked about empowerment in the Holy Spirit. He said he has often preached to youth about the importance of praying to the Holy Spirit. This past weekend, they had a special night on empowerment in the Holy Spirit at Immaculate Conception Parish in Salem. They concelebrated Mass and then prayed with the young people, laying hands on them, asking God's power to come upon them. He's still hearing stories from the kids about how they experienced the power of God's Spirit. He said he just found out there was a young woman who was there who has suffered from scoliosis for years and has worn a back brace 24/7 the whole time. She had a doctor's appointment today, they took the brace off, and it appears she has been healed. 2nd segment: Scot welcomed Jon Niven and Heather Flynn back to the show. He said this year if the fourth God of this City tour. It's five nights in five parts of the Archdiocese. Jon said they started Lift six years ago and for the majority of the time have been located at Fontbonne Academy in Milton, so they wanted to make it more accessible. They also wanted to connect the five regions of the archdiocese. He said it's almost a revival of sorts. The culmination of these five nights is at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross, the whole archdiocese praying together. On Monday, December 10, at St. George, Framingham, with Fr. Matt as speaker; Tuesday, St. Ann, Marshfield, with Jason Deramo; Wednesday, St. Joseph, Wakefield with Fr. Rick Martignetti; Thursday, Immaculate Conception, Stoughton with Fr. Paul Houlis; and Friday, Cathedral of the Holy Cross with Mother Olga Yaqob. Friday night ends an hour later than the others at 10pm. Heather said the night begins at 7 with about 1/2 hour of music, a speaker for 25 minutes or so, 45 minutes of Eucharistic adoration and then closing with more music and then announcements. The adoration is punctuated by silence, music, and prayer reflection by Fr. Matt. Jon is the music leader. Scot asked Jon what people should expect from the music. He said part of the goal is for people to have an encounter with Christ, that they would be a vehicle, that they would connect with someone in the church on a deeper level. Heather said this event was originally targeted at young adults, although they never said it explicitly, and it has become something that everyone of all ages comes to. She said the music and staging are geared toward a younger audience, they get everyone coming. Scot asked Fr. Matt if there's a connection to Advent in the timing. Fr. Matt recounted the thinking of the original idea in getting the Lift events out to a greater audience. He said they wanted to tie it to a liturgical season. Lent is difficult because there's already so much going on in parishes and they're so busy. So they looked at Advent as an opportunity to bring some more of the focus that is made on Lent to Advent. Fr. Matt said the locations are chosen through an application process. They ask parishes to apply because they want to know that the parish really wants it and will really work for it and advocate for it so it's as good as it can be. Heather said they have a questionnaire they ask parishes to submit and they ensure that all the regions are represented. Heather said there's definitely a handful of people who come to all five nights. There are more who go on another night and then go to the cathedral on Friday. Scot asked how much variety there is each night. Jon said each night's music is different. The band has added 8 to 10 new songs they've never done before, which is a lot. They also have their staples. If you come on Monday and on Friday, you won't hear all the same music. Each night has a different speaker too with a different theme. On Monday, Fr. Matt will speaking about God revealing himself. Tuesday is God calling us for life. Wednesday is God stretching us. Thursday is God accomplishing great things. Friday is us responding to His call (cf. Isaiah 61). Jason Deramo is speaking on Tuesday. He was a youth minister in St. Mary in Dedham at the same time Fr. Matt was a parochial vicar there. Jason now teaches at Cardinal Spellman in Brockton. Fr. Rick Martignetti is a Franciscan who lives at St. Leonard's in the North End. He is a frequent speaker at Steubenville conferences. Fr. Paul Houlis is from Newark and was ordained in 2011. Heather said they met him at a SoulFest concert in New Hampshire. Scot noted that Fr. Paul's biography says: When Fr. Paul graduated from high school, he immediately started acting and doing stand-up comedy in New York City. He thought fame was coming his way and that's all he wanted. However, after the attacks on our nation on September 11th, 2001, Fr. Paul's life, like thousands others, was changed forever. Scot said it's unusual to hear of a priest who was a stand-up comic. On Friday, Mother Olga is speaking and she's spoken every year in the Tour. Fr. Matt said Cardinal Seán will also be joining them for a short time on Friday evening to welcome the people and offer some words of encouragement and give a blessing. 3rd segment: This week's benefactor card raffle winner is Tomas Lichauco from Belmont, MA He wins the prayer book “Oratio: Rhythms of Prayer from the Heart of Christendom,” available at If you would like to be eligible to win in an upcoming week, please visit . For a one-time $30 donation, you'll receive the Station of the Cross benefactor card and key tag, making you eligible for WQOM's weekly raffle of books, DVDs, CDs and religious items. We'll be announcing the winner each Wednesday during “The Good Catholic Life” program. 4th segment: Heather told a story about a night they had in Franklin two years ago about a man who came to the night, who was struggling with family issues. He came to the night and decided to return to his family and try to make it work out. Jon said over the course of four years in 20 parishes, they've set off fire alarms half a dozen times. Most of the time it was due to incense. They end up having to rush out of the church during adoration. He said it's amazing how when people come back, their demeanor often changes. They come back more determined to adore even more. Fr. Matt said it tends to happen in newer churches which have sensitive smoke detectors while the older churches have heat detectors. Heather said one time Jon brought his guitar with him and played outside until they could return. Fr. Matt said what makes him blessed and humble each year is the dedication of the team and their servant hearts. They're all volunteers with their own full-time jobs and they make great sacrifices all week. By Thursday they're exhausted and they persevere. Second, the priests who come out in the midst of busy schedules to hear confessions. Confession is very important during these nights because the attendees are often moved to the point of wanting confession. He's also heard some very powerful confessions during the tour as people are drawn by God's mercy and called. Scot said he's often struck at Catholic events, that they're so fruitful to the point of encouraging people to go back to confession after a long time away. Fr. Matt said they invite people throughout the night to come. At the cathedral last year, they could have used twice the number of confessors because the lines were so long. Brett St. Gelais just joined the show. He said one of his favorite moments was in Franklin when he was a speaker. Other years, he produces the technical aspects of the tour. He loves the moment of people not sure what to expect from lights and speakers and electric guitars in a church and then to experience the power of adoration. He said those who have been going to Lift, they know what the expect. But first-timers see who the Holy Spirit guides them. The team allows the Spirit to guide them and they often don't know exactly how everything will go. And all these elements provide an experience that people have never seen. Scot said he always hears people at events say they weren't planning to come, but the Spirit led them there. But Scot always ask why they were thinking of not coming. Jon said it's the same for the tour. A lot of times people have misconceptions about what it will be like. Sometimes people associate a guitar with something that can't be worshipful. Jon said their goal isn't to put on a show, but to reflect the light of Christ. Heather said to people who are worried about coming solo that it's not a clique and they are always very welcoming. Every month at Lift they have new people coming. For many people it's become a monthly meeting place where they don't see each other at other times. Brett said if people aren't sure they're going to be comfortable, that's good. We should step out of our comfort zones to experience God in new ways. Scot said part of allowing God to stretch us is to say God I trust iun you. Fr. Matt said this past Sunday marked the one year anniversary of the new translation of the Roman Missal. Ever since he's been struck by the new line that God has chosen us worthy to stand in his presence and minister to Him. It's a work of service and a gift of self to the Lord. As we minister to Him, He in turn showers down the gift upon us, He sanctifies His people. Lift is not the Mass, but it is para-litugical. It is based in the biblical imagery of the Psalms. Heather said that Jon and the Lift Ministry band put out an album called Glory Road, which is available on iTunes.

Today's host(s): Scot Landry Today's guest(s): Recipients of the 2011 Cheverus Awards Joan Fawls, St Mary of the Hills, Milton Frances X. Hogan, Massachusetts Catholic Conference Frank McCarthy, St Rita, Lowell Chester & Patricia Morrill, St Richard, Danvers Benoit Thibault, St Augustine, Andover Brother Daniel Walters, OSB, Glastonbury Abbey Ann Casey, St Marguerite d'Youville, Dracut Linda Newell, Our Lady, Star of the Sea, Marblehead Mary Therese Ferraris, St Jude, Norfolk Deacon Michael J. Markham, Our Lady of Grace, Pepperell, along with Fr. Paul Ring Eileen Simmons, Our Lady of Grace, Pepperell Deacon A.J. Constantino, Sacred Heart, East Boston Thomas Maloney, St. Ann, West Bridgewater Today's topics: 2011 Cheverus Awards Summary of today's show: The Good Catholic Life was live at Holy Cross Cathedral on Sunday to bring you 13 stories of some of the 97 unsung heroes of the parishes of the Archdiocese who received the Cheverus Award from Cardinal Seán. What's remarkable about them is how unremarkable the stories are in one way: These humble people acknowledged that there are many more just like them in their parishes, doing the same work of living out the Gospel in the world. They are the Body of Christ in the world and on this Solemnity of Christ the King, they emerged from the shadows for a brief moment of recognition on behalf of all those they represent. 1st segment: Scot said yesterday at Holy Cross Cathedral was a special ceremony in which Cardinal Seán awarded 96 Cheverus Medals to recipients who were recognized for their service to the Catholic community. Established in 2008, in conjunction with the archdiocese's bicentennial celebration, the Cheverus Award is named after the first Bishop of Boston, Jean-Louis Lefebvre de Cheverus. Bishop Cheverus led the diocese from 1808 until his return to his native France in 1824. The award is given to lay people, deacons and religious in parishes and other archdiocesan ministries for their service to the Church and the people of God. Recipients are nominated by pastors, regional bishops and the central ministries of the archdiocese. Cardinal O'Malley also chooses some of the recipients personally. Scot and Rick interviewed 13 of the recipients at the end the ceremony and those recordings will be played.. Scot welcomes Joan Fawls of St. Mary of the Hills, Milton. Her children all attended the parish school and she become involved through the PTO. She's also involved in a food program that brings desserts to residents of a homeless shelter. She's been running it for about 7 years. She was humbled to be selected from among so many who work so hard. She said it's an easy program to run, she has the gift of organization. She loves running it. This was Joan's first time to the cathedral and she said it was very lovely. Scot welcomes Fran Hogan, a Boston attorney and volunteer who has served the pro-life committee of the Mass. Catholic Conference. She said she was shocked to be given the award. She chairs the pro-life and family life subcommittee and she's dealing with many issues in the public arena, including assisted suicide. She said there are many euphemisms in use. For example, the Hemlock Society has changed its name to Compassion in Choice. Massachusetts is seen as a testbed because of its large medical community. She is a member of Immaculate Conception Parish in Everett. In her day job, she is a real estate attorney. Scot said the Cheverus Awards work by having each diocese nominating one person every three years. Scot said St. Rita's in Lowell nominated Frank McCarthy. Frank has been a member his entire life, being baptized there and getting married there. His main involvement is in religious education and RCIA. The ministry has helped his own faith. He said he learns more by preparing to teach it. He said he couldn't understand why he was chosen for the award because so many are deserving of it. Scot asked why St. Rita's is a shrine. The church was originally St. Columba, but because of a number of miracles attributed to St. Rita's the name was changed in 1924. He's experienced healing through the intercession of St. Rita. In 1987, he was sick and his wife attended a healing service where she prayed for him and at the same moment he was healed. Scot said of the 97 recipients were two couples, including Chester and Patricia Morrell of St. Richard, Danvers. Patricia said it's wonderful to win with her husband. Patricia said her husband was on active duty for 30 years, but together they were lectors, eucharistic ministers, they cleaned the church, took kids on retreats for many years. Someone needed to do it, so they just did it. The moved to Danvers from Lynn in 1973. They are celebrating 61 years married this year. Patricia said she missed the original announcement of their award an only found out they were getting it two weeks ago. Scot and Rick talked about the importance of unsung heroes in the parish like Chester and Patricia. Rick said it's nice that yesterday was a day to thank the people who don't often get thanked. Scot welcomed Benoit Thibault from St. Augustine, Andover. He's been a member of the parish for 21 years. He's originally from Montreal. He's involved with Franciscan brothers, Lazarus House, Cor Unum, Pregnancy Care, men's ministry, and religious education. He's retired and so he has time to do these things. Scot said the Gospel readings were about the corporal works of mercy and that is a list that matches those works of mercy. Every Tuesday, he goes to Cor Unum to feed the homeless. There are many more from the parish who are involved in the ministries of the parish. Scot said pastors tell him how difficult it is to select one person to nominate. Scot said he met Benoit in Legatus, a society for Catholic businessmen. Benoit worked his whole career in the lumber business. Scot said most of the awards were given to lay men and women, but each of the five auxiliary bishops were able to nominate a religious brother or sister and a deacon. Scot now interviews Br. Daniel Walters from Glastonbury Abbey. He's been there since 1973. The abbey is a Benedictine monastery. They first came to Hingham in 1954 from Wisconsin. There is a retreat house, conference center, and bookstore. They also do some outreach in the community, including local parishes and soup kitchens. There are only nine monks now so there are a lot of laypeople involved. He's from Quincy and after reading Thomas Merton, he became interested in the monastic life. Scot said Benedictines are known for liturgy and this is a big week in the liturgy with the change in the missal. They've been helping people prepare for the changes. The abbey offers retreats for individuals or groups, for many different themes and other faith traditions. Rick said the theme we see in the interviews is that these people at the cathedral are taking to heart the words of this past Sunday's Gospel, the corporal and spiritual works of mercy. They are out there literally feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting the imprisoned and more. Two of the 13 interviewees told Scot they know his mom, including Ann Casey of St Marguerite d'Youville, Dracut. Ann said she works one day a week in the parish office recording sacraments. She's also in charge of bereavement luncheons, CORI checks, bulletin inserts, and other administrative work. She's been a part of the parish since about 1974. Scot said when he was young it was called St. Theresa's church. Scot said it was originally combined with St. Francis in Dracut and now shares a pastor with St. Rita in Lowell. Scot has many positive memories of the parish from growing up. Scot is joined by Linda Newell, Our Lady, Star of the Sea in Marblehead. She's been a parishioner there for about 32 years. She coordinates the Christian service programs, both outreach and within the parish. She also helps with communion ministry and she's a lector. They are currently doing a giving tree which provides Christmas gifts for those who would not otherwise have them. They will gather about 1,000 gifts. She found out she was getting the ward from Fr. Steele. She was surprised and humbled and the award made her think of all the wonderful people of the parish who do so much. Scot said that is a common reaction among recipients because they recognize how many are involved in building up the parishes. Scot said this was the first-time they had used the new mobile studio for remote recording and he was worried that the choir practicing before the ceremony would drown out the interviews, but it turned out to be a nice backdrop for them. Scot welcomed Mary Therese Ferraris, St Jude, Norfolk, immediately after the ceremony. She was surprised to be notified she was getting the award. She's receiving it on behalf of a lot of people. She was director of religious education for 26 years in that parish. She's now educating the children of some of her first students. She said it's wonderful to be recognized by Cardinal Seán for helping to build up the Church. Scot said many recipients are involved in religious education for young people. She said she does it for the children. Seeing those happy faces each year makes it worth it. Scot welcomed Deacon Michael J. Markham, Our Lady of Grace, Pepperell, along with Fr. Paul Ring. Michael said it's an opportunity to remember all the people who have influenced his faith over the years, from his first religious education teacher to his family to his pastors and to his wife. Scot said to Fr. Ring that it must be agonizing to be able to send in one or two names to be recognized. Fr. Ring said Fr. Arthur Coyle submitted Deacon Mike's name, but for the lay leadership of the parish it took a lot of time to finally settle on Eileen Simmons. Scot welcomed Eileen Simmons. She taught second grade CCD for many years, preparing them for First Communion. She also worked in Legion of Mary and was a Eucharistic Minister for 25 years. In the Legion, they would go out to visit people's homes and pray the rosary with them. She said she knew Scot's mom very well. She said it's nice to run into children of the people she taught when they were in second grade. She said she was very nervous to receive the honor from Cardinal Seán. She said said the whole parish is so supportive and she's received many congratulations from parishioners. Many of her friends and family members were present. She has 7 daughters, 19 grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren. In the studio, Scot said it was very moving to be in the presence of a woman who has done so much for the Church over decades. Scot welcomed Deacon A.J. Constantino from Sacred Heart Parish, East Boston. Scot said it's a very diverse parish. They celebrate Mass in English, Italian, and Vietnamese. Each community is actually growing. It's a very active parish school family. The Vietnamese youth are thriving. They merged with Our Lady of Mt. Carmel in East Boston and the Italian community has become a vibrant part of the parish. His wife, Betty, also a recipient of the Cheverus Award. He said part of the diaconate is that it's a husband and wife ministry. His wife and daughter are as active in the parish as he is. Betty is the parish youth minister and is involved in the daily activities of the parish. He grew up in a family where the family life centered around the parish life and when he dated, he looked for someone who's family life was like his, so it's natural to be part of a parish community. The deacons are selected by the regional bishops and he was selected by Bishop Hennessey. Deacon Constantino said he loves being a deacon. Scot welcomed Thomas Maloney of St. Ann, West Bridgewater. Thomas has been a parishioner for 16 years. He's on the finance council, is a eucharistic minister, and helps with eucharistic adoration. He often goes to the Pastoral Center for noon Mass on his vacations. He was honored to receive the letter from the Cardinal's office and he was caught off-guard by it. He never expected it. He was awed by being in the cathedral and then walking up to receive the award from the cardinal was amazing. Thomas said we need to give back to the church what God has given to us. Pastors are often alone and need the help of many to help the parish thrive. He said the CCD program offer the biggest bang for the buck, the highest return on the investment. For those who don't think they know enough about their faith to teach, they can start by being a teacher's aide, get some training and eventually end up teaching. Scot said it's a wonderful way to learn the faith. Scot read the complete of those who received the award, available at the . Scot said it was wonderful to see all the priests who were also there, overjoyed to celebrate the hard work of their parishioners.

Today's host(s): Scot Landry and Susan Abbott Today's guest(s): Fr. Roger Landry, executive editor of The Anchor, the newspaper of the Fall River diocese; and Antonio Enrique, editor of The Pilot, the newspaper of the Boston archdiocese. Some of the stories discussed on this show will be available on The Pilot's and The Anchor's websites on Friday morning. Please check those sites for the latest links. Today's topics: US bishops' meeting; Ordinariate for Anglicans; Cardinal Seán's pastoral letter Summary of today's show: Scot Landry and Susan Abbott were joined by Fr. Roger Landry and Antonio Enrique to discuss the news of the week, including Cardinal Seán has issued a pastoral letter asking for more participation in Sunday Mass; the US bishops met this week and religious freedom was a major topic; big developments for Anglicans and Episcopalians wishing to enter the Church en masse; a clarion call from Archbishop Dolan for bishops to model passionate love for Christ; the Marian Medal awards in Fall River; and other local stories 1st segment: Scot welcomed Susan back to the show. She said last night she was in Brighton for a workshop at the catechetical certificate course with parish catechists. She also did a workshop at Sacred Heart in Kingston this morning with catechists on the South Shore. 2nd segment: Scot and Susan welcome Antonio Enrique and Fr. Roger Landry back to the show. Scot said the US bishops have two annual gatherings, one in June and a second in November and the latter is in Baltimore. One of the main addresses this year was by Bishop Lori who is the chair of a new ad-hoc committee on religious liberty. Fr. Roger said the US bishops have prioritized religious freedom. Bishop Lori gave a clarion call for why this is important to everything Catholic. There is a notion among secularists is that they're doing us a favor by allowing us to practice our faith in our churches on Sunday and object to us when we want to live our faith in public. Not only have they worked in the courts to force us to take up their notion of marriage, for instance, and then force Catholic adoption agencies to give children to same-sex couples and force Catholic public clerks to give out marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Bishop Lori put it all in one document why this is important. It all happens through the courts and legislatures and executive offices of our government and we all have to understand duty to object to this curtailing of our religious freedom. Secularists are saying freedom of religion is freedom to worship as opposed to freedom to live your faith in the public square. What they want to allow is a militant secularism. Bishop Lori named 10 bishops to his ad-hoc committee and ten others as well, including John Garvey, president of Catholic University of America, and Mary Ann Glendon of Harvard Law and former US ambassador to the Vatican. Scot said one-third of committee chairs of the USCCB are elected each year and Cardinal Seán was elected to be chairman of the bishops; Pro-Life Committee, one of the most important committees. Antonio said the pro-life cause is very near and dear to Cardinal Seán. It is great news for Boston and great news for him. The new chairmen-elect will become chairs of those committee next year and will spend this year preparing for leadership. The bishop elected to head this committee is usually one of the American cardinals, which gives greater prominence to the office and the work they're doing. Cardinals will also get more headlines in the secular media. Fr. Roger is excited about this appointment because Cardinal Seán is a great homilist and will be the celebrant at the annual Mass at the March for Life in Washington, DC, each year. Also this coincides with the push for legalizing euthanasia in Massachusetts. Also announced was a new Ordinariate, which is essentially a national diocese for Anglicans who want to become Catholic as complete communities. The only other ordinariate in the US is the Archdiocese for Military Services. There is a an Ordinariate for Anglicans in the United Kingdom which just began. Susan said her own parish has a priest who is a former Episcopal priest who came into the Church as an individual. Fr. Roger said it shows Pope Benedict's desire for Christian unity and creating a bridge for reunification who separated along with Henry VIII in the 16th century. Many Anglicans recognize that as the Anglican Communion has gotten further from Scripture and orthodox Christianity, they recognize that there was no longer any hope of bringing the Anglican structure back to the Church, so they are coming back on their own. Anglican faithful, priests, and bishops desire unity and recognize that the whole Anglican communion won't be coming back. Cardinal Wuerl said we will welcome Episcopalian and Anglican brothers and sisters back into the Church with open arms. The Ordinariate will be erected on January 12. Whoever is named to lead the Ordinariate will be named at that point as well as the see or central city where it will be located. Antonio said in the case of this ordinariate does not have to be a bishop. It can be a priest, either one who is already Catholic or who came from the Anglican Communion several years ago. He said many Catholics look at this development with joy and hope because it helps to fulfill Christ's prayer that all will be one. Scot said there were three keynote addresses at the bishops' meeting, that by Bishop Lori, another by Bishop Rhoades on defending marriage, and by Archbishop Timothy Dolan as the new leader of the bishops' conference. Archbishop Dolan gave a clarion call to renew our evangelization and be passionately in love with Christ. Susan said the archbishop said we need prophets, not programs. Jesus prefers saints, not solutions. This is similar to what Pope John Paul II said in . Susan said the opening of the article was impressive where the Archbishop said the Church has wounds like Christ did from the scandals of the past few years. Scot said the archbishop was blunt about an effort from within the Church from Catholics who want to separate Christ from the Church. That's people who want to be spiritual, not religious. They want faith on their terms, not those from Jesus. Dolan talks about the chilling statistics from the people in the Church who prefer a Christ without the Church, the King without the kingdom, the Father with children as long as I am the only child. Dolan said if this doesn't causes bishops to shudder, he doesn't know what will. Antonio said the Church is trying to address this by trying to recreate the way we pass the faith on to the next generation. How do we educate our children? How do families live their faith? It will take more than one generation to reverse the situation we're in today. Antonio's own experience readying parents for the baptism of their children finds their knowledge of their faith to be abysmal. He challenged his brother bishops whether people would say that they themselves are passionately in love with Christ. Bishops are under a microscope with regard to the condition of the Church and the bishops need to model the behaviors they want to see in their people. He gave a talk to energize the bishops and through them all of us in the Church. Squabbles and fighting can be a negative influence on people thinking about coming into the Church. 3rd segment: , a pastoral letter from Cardinal Sean Scot said this isa compelling title because Jesus is eager to see us there. The primary Jesus asked us to praise and worship him is to come together in the Eucharist. Fr. Roger said the expression “eager desire” comes from St. Luke's account of the Last Supper where he said he eagerly desired that moment for them to be together. Fr. Roger said many can say they love God, but love means sacrificing for the one we love. It's Jesus who asks us to come to Mass, not just the Church or our mothers. He wants us at Mass more than all the mothers in the world want their children to be with them at Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner. That's the overall theme of the pastoral letter. Scot said it's a 9,300 word letter and very comprehensive. Susan said the beginning of the letter where the Cardinal relates it to Thanksgiving touched her. There are also practical suggestions about families bringing children to Mass. Susan said the US bishops have a website with similar suggestions at . Susan said the whole topic of attending Mass came up at her workshop last night and people were saying there's nothing wrong with having an obligation to come to Mass. Scot said the Cardinal shares an anecdote: Imagine if a wife, celebrating an anniversary dinner with her husband, told him that she accepted the dinner invitation only to “fulfill an obligation.” How would you feel to be on the receiving end of that message? In the same way, Christ loves us and wants us to come not just out of obligation, but also out of love. Better to come out of obligation than not come at all, but it's best to come out of love. Antonio said he was very happy to see the flow of the letter, which is very pastoral. It's not a theological treatise. He was also touched by the section which talks about passing on the faith to children. Recently I attended a dinner at which the principal of one of our local Catholic high schools was being honored. In his remarks he said: “I grew up in a family where going to Mass on Sunday was about as optional as breathing.” Many of us in the audience could identify with those words — it was not a matter of authoritarian parents or social pressure, but rather a sense of how important the Sunday Eucharist was for our family identity and survival. To miss Mass is to stop breathing; it is the sure path to a spiritual asphyxiation. Antonio said if we don't have this experience of the love of God creates a vacuum in our lives. Mass helps us to live our life in its fullness. Fr. Roger said the letter is broken into two parts. The first is our desire to meet with the Lord's own desire to meet us. The cardinal is trying to fire up our love for the Lord to meet his great love. The section has nine different ways we can respond to the Lord's letter. The second part has practical ways that all of us can take this eager desire of Jesus and try to bring us all back together. The practical insights in this part will be read by the faithful throughout the world. Compared to Pope Benedict's , which is very theological, this is full of practical ways to spread the gift of the Eucharist. He particularly liked the call to priests to have more explanatory Masses that explain how and why we do what we do at Mass. 4th segment: In the Anchor this week is an article about the 43rd annual Marian Medal awards in the Diocese of Fall River. One of the people who was to receive the award and was interviewed for an article in the newspaper later died. He will still receive the medal, but Fr. Roger said his comments were a great summation of those who receive these awards which honor and reward those who are devoted to service of the Church. Scot said the Cheverus awards for the Archdiocese of Boston to be given out this coming Sunday at the cathedral were inspired the Marian Medals. Another story is that the Vatican has upheld the sale of St. Jeremiah Church in Framingham to the Syro-Malabar Catholic Diocese in the US, which effectively ends the vigil by members of the former parish. The people who had been fighting to keep the parish have decided to give up their fight after the final Vatican appeal. Scot said Immaculate Conception Parish in Weymouth has been producing a TV show on local cable access for 19 years. Susan said she will appear on the show very soon. In the Anchor, there is an explanation of the funeral rite. Janet Benestad writes a column in this week's Pilot about how people are being misled to sign a petition which is in favor of physician-assisted suicide. Scot called to the attention listeners the death of Fr. Kenneth McAskill who was a pastor for 18 years in Somerville and then 18 years in Medford in addition to a number of other priests. There's also a profile in the Pilot continuing to look at the bishops of Boston and this week it's on Cardinal Humberto Medeiros. Fr. Roger summarized his editorial in this week's Anchor on Archbishop Charles Chaput's address in Worcester last week, which looks at how religious freedom has eroded in our country mainly because Christians have been lukewarm in their faith and not living it to the fullest. The response to it needs to be a new flame of faith in love. He wanted Church leaders to help the young to get to know their faith by people who are on fire in their parishes and families and form them to take the fire of their love out into the public square.

Today's host(s): Scot Landry and Susan Abbott Today's guest(s): Fr. Roger Landry, Executive Editor of the Anchor, the newspaper of the Diocese of Fall River Today's topics: Assisted suicide, 7 billion people, WQOM and Station of the Cross fund drive Summary of today's show: Birth, death, and birth were the watchwords today as Scot Landry, Susan Abbott, and Fr. Roger Landry—live in the studio for the first time—discussed the news of the day, including the birth of Susan's newest grandson, November as religious education month, Cardinal Seán's strong call to leadership against physician-assisted suicide by medical professionals at the annual White Mass; and the implications of the 7 billionth child born in the world (not Susan's grandson as far as we know). 1st segment: Scot welcomed Susan back to the show. She was away last week visiting her newest grandson in California. Last night she was at Immaculate Conception Parish in Weymouth which has a Catholics Come Home committee continuing the work of the program. She spoke on reconciliation. Scot said it's also the first time that Fr. Roger Landry is live in the studio after eight months coming via Skype. Scot said this week in the Pilot there is a special section on religious education. Susan wrote an article on November as religious education month. In order to read all the parish programs which may meet weekly or biweekly, they have a whole month dedicated to celebrating the good work done in parishes. Susan said religious education encompasses everything from baptism through adult faith formation. Scot said there are 400 parish religious education leaders, 12,000 catechists, and over 115,000 children in religious education. Fr. Roger said Jesus once said the greatest in the kingdom of heaven are those who keep his commandments and teach others to do the same. Our catechists are the greatest in the Church because of the example they set and the leadership they provide. The seeds they plant are seeds that will change the world. Scot said he was a substitute catechist in his own parish this past week. Susan said faith begins in the home, but it can be daunting to parents whose own formation is not as solid as they want it to be. But the first step is just being at Mass with the children, even if the parents have to split going to Mass if an infant must stay at home. The best thing you can do for your kids is to give them a relationship with Jesus Christ rooted in the sacraments of the Church. Scot said those parents who don't have a strong faith formation can supplement it by listening to Catholic radio. Break for Fund Drive Appeal. To support the work of WQOM and The Station of the Cross, which brings programming like The Good Catholic Life, please go to 2nd segment: Scot said Cardinal Seán had strong words about physician-assisted suicide when addressing doctors and other healthcare workers last weekend at the White Mass at Holy Cross Cathedral. Fr. Roger said the Cardinal is looking to medical personnel to take the lead in rejecting efforts to legalize assisted suicide. The Cardinal cited many scary statistics from Oregon, where it was legalized. It's not just those who are terminally ill who are affected. When society says some suicide is okay, we start to see a rise in teen suicides and suicides by people who are not terminally ill. Scot said the cardinal understands the treasure of the vocation of the physician. He's calling them to be both Catholic and physicians and calling them to honor their Hyppocratic oath which says “first, do no harm.” Susan said assisted suicide is a false compassion. She said advocates want depression to be re-defined so it would not be an obstacle to prescription of lethal drugs. Scot added that there is an effort to rename suicide to “aid in dying”. Scot said the petitioners are asking people to sign a petition to “help elderly people who are sick”. It's dishonest and manipulative. Scot said it's important to have Catholic radio to be able to disseminate this information. Scot said even if you sign your name to the petition under false pretenses you can't have your name removed. It's permanent. Fr. Roger said there are people who don't understand the meaning of suffering or death and so when they see someone suffering from terminal illness they have no means to understand what good can come of it. Break for Fund Drive Appeal. 3rd segment: Scot said another new story this week is the birth of the 7 billionth person. he said the real story is that half of the countries in the world aren't even having enough children to replace themselves and that population is soon going to go into a precipitous decline. Fr. Roger said this story is a litmus test for us. If we responded with horror, those people are looking at life as a leech sucking up resources as opposed to a joy to be celebrated. He said that Vladimir Putin has set a holiday in Russia for couples to stay home and conceive children because that country's population rate is slow. Fr. Roger said the sustainable population rate is 2.1 children per family. He highlighted how 18 European countries are reporting more deaths than births, how in a generation people will not know brothers, sisters, aunts, or uncles because of so many only children. Many European countries will become predominantly Muslim because Christians aren't having children. Break for Fund Drive Appeal. It's time to announce this week's winner of the WQOM Benefactor Raffle. Our prize this week is by Fr. James Martin, SJ, and Read Me or Rue It by Fr. Paul O'Sullivan, OP. This week's benefactor card raffle winner is Ruth Casey from Roslindale, MA. Congratulation, Ruth! If you would like to be eligible to win in an upcoming week, please visit . For a one-time $30 donation, you'll receive the Station of the Cross benefactor card and key tag, making you eligible for WQOM's weekly raffle of books, DVDs, CDs and religious items. We'll be announcing the winner each Wednesday during “The Good Catholic Life” program.

**Today's host(s):** Scot Landry **Today's guest(s):** Antonio Enrique, Editor of the Pilot newspaper, and Fr. Carlos Flor, parochial vicar at Immaculate Conception Parish, Revere. * [Neocatechumenal Way](http://www.camminoneocatecumenale.it/new/default.asp?lang=en) * [Address of His Holiness Benedict XVI to the members of the Neocatehumenal Way, January 2011](http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/speeches/2011/january/documents/hf_ben-xvi_spe_20110117_cammino-neocatec_en.html) * [Address of His Holiness Benedict XVI to the members of the Neocatehumenal Way, January 2006](http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/speeches/2006/january/documents/hf_ben-xvi_spe_20060112_neocatecumenali_en.html) **Today's topics:** The Neocatechumenal Way **Summary of today's show:** Fr. Carlos Flor and Antonio Enrique shared with Scot their experience of life in the Neocatechumenal Way, a new movement in the Church that allows people to find the love of God in the midst of their busy lives and to become part of a loving community. **1st segment:** Scot said in Cardinal Seán's pastoral letter on Pentecost on evangelization, he addressed the topic of new communities. * [Cardinal's Seán's pastoral letter on A New Pentecost](http://bostoncatholic.org/pentecostletter) >After the Second Vatican Council, the Church has witnessed an outpouring of the Holy Spirit through the blossoming of new movements and ecclesial communities. They bring great vitality to the life of the Church. They are a sign of great hope for the Church in the new millennium. >The Church in every generation is both old and new. Throughout the centuries we have seen the great blessing of so many new religious orders, reform movements and lay associations that responded to the needs of a particular era.  Today, many of the new movements and communities are showing great success in communicating a deep spirituality to their members in the context of small, close-knit communities. They energize their people to be evangelizers who bring the Good News they have received to those around them. Without those forces of renewal, the Church can sometimes become too focused on maintenance and the internal aspects of pastoral work. >Many of these small groups and communities are already present in the archdiocese: Cursillo, Charismatic Renewal, Communion and Liberation, Opus Dei, Focolare, Communities of Saint Egidio, The Neocatechumenal Way, ARISE, The Legion of Mary and others. Throughout the years I have known them and experienced firsthand the fruits of Christian life that sprout from their activity, including strengthening of family life, openness to life, and vocations to the priesthood and religious life. Scot welcomed Fr. Carlos Flor, who attended a Redemptoris Mater seminary and is now a priest in the archdiocese, and Antonio Enrique, who came from Spain as a missionary family of the Neocatechumenal Way and is now the editor of The Pilot. He gave a brief history of the Way. * [DECREE OF THE PONTIFICAL COUNCIL FOR THE LAITY: APPROVAL OF THE STATUTES OF NEOCATECHUMENAL WAY "AD EXPERIMENTUM"](http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/laity/documents/rc_pc_laity_doc_20020701_cammino-neocatecumenale_en.html) >The Neocatechumenal Way began in 1964 in the slums of Palomeras Altas, Madrid, through the work of Mr Francisco (Kiko) Argüello and Ms Carmen Hernández who, at the request of the poor with whom they were living, began to proclaim to them the Gospel of Jesus Christ. As time passed, this kerygma was embodied in a catechetical synthesis, founded on the tripod:  "Word of God-Liturgy-Community", that seeks to lead people to fraternal communion and mature faith. This new catechetical experience, born in the wake of the renewal inspired by the Second Vatican Council, attracted the keen interest of Archbishop Casimiro Morcillo, then Archbishop of Madrid, who encouraged the initiators of the Way to spread it to the parishes who asked for it. This experience of evangelization thus spread gradually through the Archdiocese of Madrid and to other Spanish dioceses. In 1968, the initiators of the Neocatechumenal Way arrived in Rome and settled in the Borghetto Latino. With the permission of Cardinal Angelo Dell'Acqua, then Vicar General of His Holiness for the city and district of Rome, the first catechesis began in the parish of Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament and the Canadian Martyrs. Since then, the Way has continued to spread to dioceses around the world and even to mission countries. Scot asked Antonio how he first encountered the Neocatechumenal Way. He encountered them in his last year of high school when he had experienced a crisis of faith. He had decided that the Church was not for him, that the Church was imposing on people to prevent them from living a happy life. Also, in Spain, it was common for people to think that the Church was the reason for political problems. But he also recalls being very lonely at the time. A priest invited him to a catechesis. The priest said, If you are happy don't come, but if you feel a need or emptiness in your life, please come and see. Fr. Carlos said his parents found the Neocatechumenal Way when he was 9. His parents were going through a crisis in their marriage and the pastor invited them to the catechesis that was offered in the parish. The parents got involved and it helped them very much and their marriage was saved. In his teen years, he had his personal struggles and he worked hard because he wanted to be a doctor. He was living very much in the world, going to the disco, involved in sports, trying to have fun. But he found himself insecure and unhappy and rebellious. He was preparing to enter medical school but was unhappy. So he entered the Way through a catechesis, and he received a gift from God in realizing that the Church is his Mother and a community, not just someone who wants him to feel bad, when he wants to feel good. Then he was invited to attend the first World Youth Day in Rome in 1984. He discovered the beauty of being Catholic and of the Church and what the Lord was doing in other people's lives. He played the guitar in the community and that kept him involved because he liked the attention. But little by little, the Lord began to open his eyes to his own sin and his potential. He learned that his failings didn't come from others, like his family or others, but from within. After 7 years in the Way and another World Youth Day, this one in Czestechowa, Poland, in 1991 he felt the call to enter the seminary. Scot said Cardinal Pell at World Youth Day in 2008 estimated that about one-third of those attending were part of the Neocatechumenal Way. At World Youth Days, the Way has vocational meetings where thousands of young people come forward to respond to a vocational call. That was Fr. Carlos' experience and almost all the young men who stood up with him in Poland are still priests today. Fr. Carlos said his vocation is not just his personal decision, but the result of 7 years walking with his community, struggling with faith and accepting the grace of God. Seeing so many people in need of an experience of the Neocatechumenal Way touched him because he wanted to serve the Church out of gratitude for saving his life and for how his parents' marriage was saved. Scot said there are 87 Redemptoris Mater seminaries in the Church that are the fruit of the Neocatechumenal Way. Seminarians from the Way put themselves in the hands of the Way to be sent to any of the seminaries anywhere in the world. The community has vocation centers for young men who are interested in the priesthood to help the discernment process then they go to the vocational meetings where they accept to be trained in any place in the world and to say they have a desire to serve in the Church anywhere in the world. The names are chosen by lottery and Fr. Carlos was sent to Newark. The bishop of that diocese has authority over the priest and can assign the priest in his own diocese or can release him to missionary service. Fr. Carlos was released to service in Boston. He now can be re-assigned to another place anywhere in the world. **2nd segment:** Scot asked Antonio about the catechesis of the Neocatechumenal Way. He said the catechesis is a time when the Church presents the faith to anyone who will listen. Nothing is expected. Anyone can go, especially those who are far away from the Church. It is a place in the parish where people who are estranged from the Church can come back. It is a period in which the Word of God is presented to the people and people are encouraged to relate to the love of God and are told that whatever has happened in their lives, God has a plan for them, a beautiful plan. God wants to work for them in their lives. At the center is the kerygma, the announcement of the Good News. That Good News is that Christ came to save us. Antonio said because of temptation we are constantly being pulled away from God, but the catechesis says God wants to bring us back to him. God never forces anyone to love him. If we accept his love we become free, but if we reject God we become slaves to sin. This announcement of the Good News makes people realize that there may be a different way of living. The fact of difficulties in life suddenly is on a different level because if you put the kingdom of God first, everything else will be given you, as Jesus says in the Sermon on the Mount. Not that problems will go away, but that you will be happy in all situations of life. Antonio said he always grew up trying to be good so that God would love him. But he realized that he couldn't be good, that he kept sinning. But in the catechesis he heard that God loves you the way you are, not that he wants you to stay the way you are. The Neocatechumenal Way is a space where the grace of God can be heard in the midst of so much noise which makes it difficult to hear God. The catechesis makes a space of silence to hear God. They bring the good news that God loves you the way you. Scot asked Fr. Carlos why they call it the Neocatechumenal Way, as a post-baptismal or adult catechesis. Fr. Carlos said it is an itinerary of Christian formation so that people who are called to belong to a community in this way will enter into a process that will be a number of years in the form of a catechumenate of the Church. It is a way to rediscover the riches of our baptism. In the early Church when adults would approach the Christian community and ask to be received into the Church, the Church would invite these people to enter t he catechumenate, a special time for them to discover the love of God, to know themselves, and to have conversion. If at the end of this time, there were signs of real conversion, then that person was brought to baptism. Today, when many people are already baptized, but they are living as if they are pagan, the catechumenate is a new catechumenate. They follow the same steps as the RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults) as they do in parishes, but the difference while RCIA is done over a small period of time (in order to bring them to baptism rapidly), the neo-catechumenate is done over a much longer time. Scot noted that many people notice that many new converts through RCIA know the faith better than those who have been Catholic all their life. It is a gift to have this path of adult catechumenate. Antonio said Pope Paul VI is the one who named the Neocatechumanal Way. There were questions at the time whether there could be a catechumenate for those who are already baptized. Paul VI said it's not important when the catechemunate occurs, before or after baptism. It just needs to be done. Antonio said 50 years the culture of society would help you maintain the faith, but today those walls of society have come down. We are surrounded by a society that tells us to reject the elements of the Christian culture that we used to have around us. So we need to rebuild the Catholic culture to help us to live the realities of the Church. It's very difficult to do this in very big groups in the Church. If you can create an environment where people can get to know each other very well in all their strengths and weaknesses, then you are supported and growth can happen. The Neocatechumenal Way creates a space where people can grow in the faith, can be welcomed, where no questions are asked, where people must be good before they can enter. If you allow God's grace to happen, then it will change you. Scot noted a Gallup poll said that one of the best indicators of whether someone remains strongly rooted in their church is whether they have close friends there. **3rd segment:** Scot quoted Pope Benedict's comments on the Neocatechumenal Way earlier this year. * ["Pope sends 200 Neo-Catechumenal Families out on Mission" (1/17/11)](http://visnews-en.blogspot.com/2011/01/pope-sends-200-neo-catechumenal.html) >"For more than forty years the Neo-Catechumenal Way has been contributing to the revitalisation and consolidation of Christian initiation in dioceses and parishes, favouring a gradual but radical rediscovery of the riches of Baptism, helping people to savour divine life, the heavenly life which the Lord inaugurated with His incarnation, when He came among us and was born like one of us". >"Over the last few years the process of drawing up the Statues of the Neo-Catechumenal Way has reached a fruitful conclusion and, following an appropriate experimental period, they received definitive approval in June 2008. Another important step was made in recent days with the approval, by the competent dicasteries of the Holy See, of the 'Catechetical Directory of the Neo-Catechumenal Way'. >"With these seals of ecclesial approval", the Pope added, "the Lord today confirms this precious tool which is the Way and again entrusts it to you so that, in filial obedience to the Holy See and the pastors of the Church, you may contribute with renewed energy and ardour to the radical and joyful rediscovery of the gift of Baptism, and offer your own original contribution to the cause of new evangelisation. The Church has recognised in the Neo-Catechumenal Way a particular gift created by the Holy Spirit. As such it naturally tends to insert itself into the harmony of the ecclesial Body. In this light I exhort you always to seek profound communion with pastors, and with all members of the particular Churches, and of the very different ecclesial contexts in which you are called to work. Fraternal communion between the disciples of Jesus is, in fact, the first and greatest witness to the name of Jesus Christ". Scot asked Fr. Carlos how these small groups form in parishes. Fr. Carlos said a pastor sees the need of the lost sheep, especially those who are far from the Church, and so he forms a catechesis, which starts with a team from the Neocatechumenal Way from another parish. There are 15 talks that include a strong call to conversion and a proclamation of the kerygma. They include the message that God loves you, that Christ wants to give you his Spirit to know that your life is not a mistake and that God has a plan for you. The catechesis slowly leads people to the conviction that they want the Spirit of Christ in them to create hope in them and bring them to eternal life. Gradually the desire to the deepen the faith grows and then they invite them on a weekend retreat, which teaches them the fundamental importance of the Eucharist and show them the Way, which is the Sermon on the Mount. The people are invited to participate in a community of the Neocatechumenal Way, which forms in the parish, led by the pastor and in communion with the catechists entrusted the pastoral care of the community. The community works on a tripod: celebration of the Word of God celebrated on Wednesday, the Eucharist celebrated by the community on Saturday, and then a monthly meeting to share experience and life together. In the community, people learn to read Scripture and to read it in light of their life, they learn the importance of the roles of community, and the Eucharist becomes the heart of the community. Fr. Carlos said for him what helped him the most was the brothers and sisters of the community, who helped realize he was not alone on the journey. In the beginning, there re many walls between people, but over the years the barriers between people come down and they share more and more of their lives. Scot said the Way is in 87 countries, there are 750 communities in the US, and in the Archdiocese there are 15-20. Scot asked Antonio how he and his family came to the US. They were members of the Neocatechumenal Way in Spain and families can enter the missions where they are sent out to dioceses where they are welcomed and take part in the creation of new communities. Antonio said this was the idea of Pope John Paul II in his call for a new evangelization of Europe. Originally they were sent to northern Europe where it was Christian but not very Catholic. The first families were sent to northern Norway. Antonio said the Neocatechumenal Way would not be here today without the work and advocacy of Blessed John Paul II. He said he met his wife in the community, they got married, and started having children. They learned in the community that if you let God lead your life, you will experience God's eternal life and the love of God. At a certain point they heard a call to present themselves for the mission and let others discern whether they were truly being called. They offered for four consecutive years and nothing happened so they bought a house. At that point they entered in the lottery and they were sent to Boston. Cardinal Law had requested two families for the Archdiocese. They had 7 children at the time and have had 4 more since then. Scot said Cardinal Law didn't call him to be the editor of the Pilot. Just wanted them to be a presence of living the faith in East Boston. There was no job waiting for him here and he wasn't an employee of the Archdiocese. He left his job as a manager at General Electric in Spain and came here. When they first arrived, they lived in a closed convent. He didn't have a job for several months and eventually got work for the state. From there, after several other stops, he eventually became editor of the Pilot. Fr. Carlos said people who want to know more can contact him at Immaculate Conception Church in Revere and he will help people find a community. A pastor who is interested in founding a community in his parish can also talk to Fr. Carlos. Antonio said any parish with a community can see the amazing fruits of these communities in the parish.

**Today's host(s):** Scot Landry and Fr. Matt Williams**Today's guest(s):** Andrea Alberti, youth minister at St. Thomas Parish in Nahant and St. Mary High School, Lynn; and Chris Carmody, youth minister at Immaculate Conception in Salem and religion teacher at St. Mary High School, Lynn.* [Hunger for Justice on Facebook](http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_134715953259931)* [St. Mary High School, Lynn](http://www.smhlynn.org/)* [St. Thomas Parish, Nahant](http://www.stthomasnahant.com/)* [Immaculate Conception Parish, Salem](http://icsalem.org/)* [The Light Is On For You](http://www.thelightisonforyou.org)**Today's topics:** The Hunger for Justice retreat for 350 youths on Good Friday and Holy Saturday; and a special message from Bishop Robert Hennessey about the Sacrament of Confession**A summary of today's show:** Andrea Alberti and Chris Carmody share the amazing story of 350 youths on the Hunger for Justice Retreat fasting from Good Friday to the Easter Vigil, while serving the poor of their community, experiencing God's love and mercy in the sacraments, and raising tens of thousands of dollars for charity. Thousands of youths have experienced one of the 27 retreats and have borne much fruit in the Church.**1st segment:** Scot said that one of the things he hears so often working for the Church is the concern that we are not doing enough to engage young people in our Catholic faith. Behind this concern is the hope that we can figure out fresh ways to present our faith so that it connects with young people and sparks their interest to make a commitment to it as teenagers and adults.Today's broadcast of The Good Catholic Life will give us all hope. What Andrea Alberti and Chris Carmody are doing up on the North Shore really works.  The [Hunger for Justice](http://www.smhlynn.org/page.cfm?p=1083) retreat they organize on Good Friday and Holy Saturday attracts 350 students, who participate in carrying a cross through the town of Nahant, serving the homeless in Boston, and then experiencing together the joy of the Easter Vigil. Also today, we will hear a special message from Bishop Robert Hennessey about the Sacrament of Confession and its availability each Wednesday evening during The Light Is On For You campaign. **2nd segment:** Scot and Fr. Matt welcome Andrea Alberti and Chris Carmody to the program. This is the 27th time that Andrea and Chris have run the Hunger for Justice retreat. Andrea said it is now celebrated during the Triduum, but it started just as a service project with 6 confirmation students at Immaculate Conception Parish, Newburyport, who wanted to do something about the fact that children are denying every day. Chris was one of those students. They made a difference by fasting from food and any other kind of luxuries and got sponsors for each hour they did this, raising $7,000. Last Good Friday, they had 350 students who raised $25,000 that went to a hospital in Haiti.Scot asked Chris about what attracted him to do this as young person and who are the young people who take part in the Hunger for Justice retreat on Good Friday. Chris said it started when he was a freshman in high school and he remembers the adults in his parish who were so on fire with Christ and invited the kids to understand poverty, especially since they didn't see it growing up in Newburyport. As part of the retreat they walked miles for whatever water they needed because they had seen videos of poor women and children who walked for miles every morning and night for their water. The kids who come now see a need and feel a call from God in their hearts, knowing that they can make a difference, they can do something about it. They are God's hands and feet.What is the experience for the kids on the retreat? Andrea said they always try to begin everything around the sacraments, in an intimate relationship with Jesus. Their axiom is "Rules with Relationship = Rebellion." They could get students who have been in Catholic school for 11 years but can't relate what it means that Christ died on the cross on Good Friday and don't understand the basics of their faith. So on Good Friday, they get to carry the cross literally. They hear the Gospel message that Christ loves them so much He died for them. Fr. Matt last year preached for the kids on the beach during a prayer experience. There are sometimes kids who come because their parents make them because they got in trouble. One part of the experience is that they go into Boston to serve the homeless. Last year, they brought 2,500 pairs of socks into Boston and 2,000 sandwiches and the students were sent out to interact with the homeless. At one point they ran out of socks. This one boy who had been forced to go by his mother because he had got into trouble came up to Andrea to ask for more socks for a homeless man and when she said they didn't--on this freezing, cold Saturday--he gave away his own socks to the man who needed them. It is conversion on every level. Kids who are already in a relationship with Christ can go deeper on this retreat. Kids who have never met Christ can have an encounter with Him.Scot noted that the students fast from food for 35 hours and in the midst of the fast they hand out sandwiches. He remarked that it must be very difficult for them when they're hungry. Andrea noted that this is usually the first fasting experience for most of these students. She thinks that the retreat has grown so successful because the fuel that power it is prayer, fasting, and sacrifice. The kids are amazed that they can do this. When Chris did this, the kids worked in a soup kitchen cooking hot food and serving it. One year, the kids baked cookies and said, "Are you kidding me?" but the youth ministers encouraged them that they could do it. They see the power of fasting and the power of prayer.Scot asked Fr. Matt what it's like to see kids experience this retreat during the Triduum. Fr. Matt said he prays every day that God would raise up men and women who would not be afraid to mentor young men and women in the faith. What makes the Hunger for Justice experience powerful is that there is a core group of people who make young people a priority in their life and they are willing to pour out their lives for them. Kids respond to that. He remembers being on that beach on that Good Friday, just before noon, before the Way of the Cross to the Church for the Good Friday service, seeing those 350 kids and to have the opportunity to preach the Gospel to them.Fr. Matt asked how Chris and Andrea started off the retreat last year in a way that got the kids' attention. Andrea said they look for a way to make it interactive and dynamic, just like the sacraments. There were 400 people all together milling around on the beach. They had coordinated with the Nahant police to come down to the beach, to pull Fr. Matt aside to talk to him, and then the school principal, and then they had one of the dads start calling for his son. The son came out of the crowd and the police "arrested" him, put him in cuffs and in the police car. Another one of the students students stood on the giant cross they have and called out, "No, it wasn't him. It was me. Take me."All of the people present thought this whole drama was real. And then student's dad explained that this is what happened to Christ, that He was falsely accused and crucified on Good Friday. There was a beautiful moment of openness where they were receptive to hearing what Jesus Christ did for them. That's why they are able to fast. When the reality of Christ's sacrifice becomes real to them, they can then endure the 35 hours of fasting.**3rd segment:** Fr. Matt said that last week, they had [Bob Rice on the program](http://www.thegoodcatholiclife.com/2011/04/06/program-0021-for-wednesday-april-6-2011/) and he spoke of the importance of evangelizing young people in the classroom, that when we're catechizing them, we're not giving them dry facts, but we're witnessing to them and they experience Christ through us. He asked what makes Hunger for Justice so effective? What is it about their experience of the way the Gospel is presented that sets young people on fire? Andrea said it comes down to the sacraments of the Church. We often have such low expectations of young people, but really they want the truth. Their hearts are restless, until they rest in the Lord. They want to know about the One True Church and we shy away. This retreat is bold. The leaders of the retreat are challenged to daily Mass in preparation and say a daily Rosary. The kids are challenged to take their faith seriously and when they do their lives are changed. Amazing things happen.Fr. Matt reflects that so often when he celebrates Mass, he sees so few young people and those he sees look bored. But Andrea is saying something different, that when they are challenged and are exposed to the beauty of the Church something powerful happens. If we know of a teen who has an apathy toward the faith, what can a parent do to help them to know Jesus Christ? Andrea said you need to build a relationship with them, but first let your own faith grow. You can't give what you don't have. Your own life has to be rooted in Christ. You have to be a witness. We die to ourselves and Christ lives in us. All of our conversations on whatever topic, all our interactions, will have Christ at their heart. And when they say No to our first overtures, we should say Why not? The world pressures them to fall away from Christ, so we should persevere to give them what they are truly hungering for.Chris said Hunger for Justice makes Christ alive for them. They hear about Christ and they know facts about Him. But the retreat makes Christ a person to them. Like Mother Teresa would say she saw Jesus in the people she served, so too the kids see Jesus in the poor people they encounter on this retreat, as well as the adult leaders, during the Easter Vigil Mass, in the confessional where hundreds of kids all go to confession with 15 different priests.Scot brought the discussion back to the retreat itself. We know it starts on the beach with a moving and attention-grabbing beginning, followed by a procession of the cross to St. Thomas Parish in Nahant. Andrea said it takes 7 students at a time to carry the cross and they rotate in to help carry. Andrea grew up in the parish and last year she said she'd never seen the church more full and had never seen a more reverent congregation. They knew what was happening because they'd just heard the Gospel preached. They are an inspiration to the older people in the pews. They sat quietly for hour after hour.After that service, they head to St. Mary High School for a final meal and fast until Saturday after the Easter Vigil Mass. At the school, Chris said they eat the meal together and then get into small groups for group-building activities. They are not just serving the poor, but also serving one another. The kids come from many different parishes and this helps the teens to overcome shyness and awkwardness to relax and enjoy.Then they watch the movie "The Passion of the Christ". When they survey kids after the retreat on their favorite parts of the weekend they consistently say it is "The Passion of the Christ" and the Easter Vigil Mass. They take time to process what they saw and there is a time of prayer and healing. Taking up the retreat theme of "From Darkness into Light," they have a "glowstick" party and a time of fun. Then students sleep in cardboard "homes" where they sleep for the night. No pillows or anything. The girls are in the school cafeteria, the boys are in the gym.Chris said that on Saturday, they get up early and get on buses to go to Boston. They are broken up into three groups and they split up for three different locations: Boston Common, [St. Anthony's Shrine](http://www.stanthonyshrine.org/), and [Pine Street Inn](http://www.pinestreetinn.org/). They hand out whatever they have to the homeless. But the point is to stop and talk with the people they serve. The kids are amazed to have their preconceptions shaken up. Many of the homeless are educated or from good backgrounds who have fallen on hard times or just struggling. The kids are rotated by group through St. Anthony's Shrine where they hear a talk on God's mercy and confession. They have the opportunity for confession. Chris and Andrea said about 99% of the kids go to confession when given the opportunity, which Scot said it was positive peer pressure. Chris said about 10 or 12 priests available, including many of the Franciscans as well as pastors from the kids' parishes. The kids encourage each other to go to confession and talk about what it means for them.**4th segment:** Their work of service doesn't end here. They return to St. Mary's in Lynn and the leaders explain that after receiving absolution, they can now be filled with Christ to go out and evangelize and serve. They serve locally within Lynn in their small groups of 8 to 10 to homeless shelters, an orphanage, the local YMCA, the St. Vincent de Paul store. They do spring cleaning in every parish church available. Having fasted since the previous day, they continue to work hard with passion. It is rooted in what they see Christ did for them on Good Friday and now they serve others.Then they prepare to go the Easter Vigil Mass. Scot asked for how many is it their first Easter Vigil experience? Chris knows that is the first time for most of them because you can see it on their faces when they encounter the darkened church. They start on the Lynn common outside of St. Mary church for the candle-lighting ceremony and then process into the church singing. They get the kids as involved as possible, so they act as readers and servers. Last year, one of the youths was confirmed at the Vigil. While they're nervous at first at the unfamiliar Mass, they enjoy it immensely.Scot said it is the longest Mass of the year, but so moving. The [Exultet](http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?id=6341) that is sung in the darkness, with just the one candle, is a tremendously moving experience and song. Then it is followed by the 7 Old Testament readings that take us through salvation history, and the New Testament, and the Gospel and any rites of initiation. It's a catechesis of our whole faith in the one Mass. Fr. Matt said that over the previous 35 hours they've heard the Gospel, they've seen the suffering of the poor, they've been invited to give of themselves. There's something about the power of fasting that enables us to empty ourselves and make us think of others and the essentials of others. There's something about everything they experience that tills the heart so that they can experience the Mass anew. Without the relationship with Christ, Mass would be a boring routine, but after this weekend they have a new appreciation for the Mass.Andrea said she knows of three priests who heard their call to their vocation at an Easter Vigil Mass. They hear from some kids  every year how shocking it is to realize that having fasted for so long that the first meal they receive is the Eucharist, that they understand that is truly Jesus. they are empty and they receive Jesus, and they say that this is how they came to the retreat: Empty, but now filled with Christ. when that epiphany happens, it is a beautiful moment and they pray for their openness in that moment so that the Easter Vigil is the pinnacle event.Fr. Matt notes that in their normal lives they are so full--full schedules, they get pretty much anything they want--yet the seem so spiritually empty as well. Andrea said that they see that so many of them "have it all" and it doesn't bring happiness. All these things of the world do not bring contentment and teens will admit that quicker than many adults will. That emptiness that they feel is the heart's longing for God's love. When this is revealed, that hunger for love is obvious on their faces. This is the message that works.This is the 15th year of doing the Hunger for Justice retreat during the Triduum and the 27th overall. Fr. Matt said that he knows that there is a ton of work that goes into making it happen. Andrea said it takes a year of planning. They start meetings with adult leaders 2 months out. They train youth leaders. They start bulletin announcements 3 months early. They put a cross in the back of churches that are participating with requests for supplies such as cases of Gatorade or water or other goods for the poor. The whole parish participates in the evangelization efforts of the youth.Chris said there are many adults who are involved in all the details. For example, there's the cardboard needed for the kids to make their cardboard houses. They need huge piles of cardboard for all 350 kids. They also have to provide lots of juices and other drinks for the kids while they fast. They have a leadership track of 70 high school students who have been on the retreat before. They meet every Wednesday night to help plan the retreat. Last weekend, the peer leaders spent another weekend on retreat to prepare for the Triduum weekend. And as much work as the logistics is, prayer is even bigger need. They get all the adults and all the kids to stay in prayer.One of the many fruits is the 70 high school leaders. Andrea said 21 of the young men among them went to a St. Andrew's Dinner, which is an event held at St. John's Seminary for young men who might be discerning a vocation to the priesthood. These are kids who are going to go deeper in their faith, building on the experience of the retreat. They go out to evangelize their world. 75 of the kids went to the March for Life in Boston. Every Tuesday at 7:15 am, before school, at St. Mary's, they 50 or more kids who come to pray in their chapel. Anytime they have a reconciliation opportunity at the school, they have 99% who show up. Andrea said Chris himself is one of the fruits of the retreats and there are others like him who went on the retreats and who are now students at Franciscan University of Steubenville, and planning to become youth ministers themselves.The retreat is open to all high school-age students. First, check to see if your parish is one of the 12 currently participating as a group, but the St. Mary High School website also has registration information (see link above). There is also a Hunger for Justice group on Facebook (see link above).Chris said that in the week's before the retreat the kids ask family, friends, neighbors, and parishioners to pledge donations. They emphasize that they need to give everyone an opportunity to be generous of whatever amount they can afford. Last year, they sent the funds to [Hospital Albert Schweitzer](http://www.hashaiti.org/), just outside of the capital. It was one of the few hospitals still functioning months after the earthquake. A family from Nahant knew of the hospital and its need for basic medical supplies. This year they will be sending the money to Japan. Anyone who wants to donate can send a check to Andrea Alberti, St. Mary's High School, 35 Tremont Street, Lynn, MA 01905 and make the check payable to "St Mary High School" with "Hunger for Justice" in the memo line.**5th segment:** It's time to announce the winner of this week's **WQOM Benefactor Raffle**. Our prize this week is a copy of the book [“Seven Pillars of Catholic Spirituality,”](http://www.dynamiccatholic.org/index.php?page=seven_pillars) a great book by Catholic writer Matthew Kelly.  Kelly describes the pillars of Confession, Daily Prayer, The Mass, The Bible, Fasting, Spiritual Reading and the Rosary in a compelling way. This week's winner is **Theresa Rose Verhault from Stoneham, MA**. Congratulations to Theresa.  If you would like to be eligible to win in an upcoming week, please visit [WQOM.org](http://www.wqom.org). For a one-time $30 donation, you'll receive the Station of the Cross benefactor card and key tag, making you eligible for our weekly raffle of books, DVDs, CDs and religious items. We'll be announcing the winner each Wednesday during “The Good Catholic Life” program.And now a special message from Bishop Robert Hennessey on the Sacrament of Confession:

Aug 6, 2010: Transfiguration given at Immaculate Conception Parish 8:30AM

The following is a recording of the Farewell mass held on June 13, Sunday for Fr. Paul as he will be assigned to a new parish, Immaculate Conception Parish in Denham Springs. 

This was the homily from my farewell mass at Our Lady of Mercy as I will assume the new assignment as the associate pastor at the Immaculate Conception Parish in Denham Springs.