POPULARITY
21 episodes with mary parish
15 episodes with mary parish
6 episodes with mary parish
2 episodes with mary parish
2 episodes with mary parish
2 episodes with mary parish
On this episode of Catholic Forum, after a news update from The Dialog, Bob Krebs talks with Phillip Campbell, a history teacher for Homeschool Connections and the author of many books on Catholic history, most notably the Story of Civilization series from TAN Books. Phillip will be giving two presentations at Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish, 4701 Weldin Road in Wilmington, Delaware on September 27, 2024. 6:00 p.m. : Homeschooling History at Each Grade Level, 7:30 p.m. : The Continuing Legacy of the Reformation in the United States. Both programs are free. You can see a video of this interview on the Diocese of Wilmington's YouTube Channel - Youtube.con/DioceseofWilm.
Fr. Roger J. Landry Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish Scarsdale, New York May 23, 2024 To listen to an audio recording of this meditation, please click below: https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/catholicpreaching/5.23.24_IHM_Scarsdale.mp3 The post The Eucharistic Heart of Mary, Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish, Scarsdale New York, May 23, 2024 appeared first on Catholic Preaching.
Join the St. Mary Parish community for a concert by pianist BoKyung Cecilia Lee, who has performed as a soloist and chamber musician throughout Asia and the USA. The event will include pieces by Beethoven, Chopin, and Vietnamese composer Đặng Hữu Phúc. Sarah Kuenzi get all the details from Dr. Lee.Subscribe to the Morning Blend on your favorite podcast platform.Find this show on the free Hail Mary Media App, along with a radio live-stream, prayers, news, and more.Look through past episodes or support this podcast.The Morning Blend is a production of Mater Dei Radio in Portland, Oregon.
Early voting in St. Mary Parish starts Sept 30th and ends Oct 7th, with the exception of Sunday Oct 1st. Plan your vote! Oct 14th is Homecoming for Southern & Grambling, LSU takes on Auburn, and the Saints are in Houston on Oct 15th.
FRANKLIN - AUG 23, 2023 THE ST MARY PARISH REGISTRAR OF VOTERS IS KICKING OFF A SERIES OF REGISTER-TO-VOTE OPPORTUNITIES THROUGHOUT ST MARY PARISH, BEGINNING MONDAY, AUG 28, 2023. THE REGISTER -TO -VOTE OPPORTUNITY DAYS AT THESE LOCATIONS: ON MONDAY, AUGUST 28TH, FROM 9AM TO 11AM, PERSONS CAN REGISTER TO VOTE AT THE BERWICK LIBRARY, LOCATED AT 3512 FIFTH STREET.. ALSO ON MONDAY AFTERNOON FROM 2;30 TO 4:30, PERSONS CAN REGISTER TO VOTE AT THE BALDWIN COMMUNITY CENTER, AT 305-LA HWY 83... ON TUESDAY, AUGUST 29TH, FRANKLIN RESIDENTS CAN REGISTER TO VOTE AT THE FRANKLIN LIBRARY, 206 IBERIA STREET.... ON WEDNESDAY FROM 9AM TO 11AM PERSONS CAN REGISTER AT THE CENTERVILLE LIBRARY, 9340 HIGHWAY 182 IN CENTERVILLE... ON THURSDAY, AUG 31, PERSONS CAN REGISTER AT THE PATTERSON LIBRARY FROM 9AM TO 11AM AT 321 CATHERINE STREET..... ON THURSDAY, AUG 31, PERSONS CAN REGISTER IN AMELIA FROM 2:30 TO 4:30 AT THE AMELIA LIBRARY, 625 LAKE PALOURDE RD IN AMELIA.. AND ON FRIDAY, SEPT 1ST, PERSONS CAN REGISTER AT THE BAYOU VISTA LIBRARY FROM 9AM TO 11AM, AT 1325 BELLEVIEW DRIVE ...
KBZE 105.9FM & OUR COMMUNITY SPONSOR Teche Action Clinics of Southeast Louisiana, www.tabhealth.org , wish to congratulate these 2023 100 Black Men of St. Mary Parish College Scholarship Winners. Each student won $1,000: TIA HAWKINS - WEST ST MARY SCHOOL LAYLA GRAY - FRANKLIN HIGH SCHOOL EUGENE FOULCARD JR - HANSON HIGH SCHOOL DESTIN SMITH - PATTERSON HIGH SCHOOL JAYDEN MILTON - BERWICK HIGH SCHOL SARAI RICHARDSON - MORGAN CITY HIGH SCHOOL AND DAMONDRICK BLACKBURN - CENTRAL CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL
Matthew Garvey of Spirit Filled Hearts Ministry works with the ministry's Dunamis group, with a special focus on young adult ministry. The Journey is a show that focuses on the world Young Adult Catholic's face and the powerful testimonies young adults have living a faithful life following Jesus. In this episode, Matthew talks with Abraham Cruz, young adult catechist at Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in Santa Ana, about his conversion story.The Journey airs on Spirit Filled Radio 1:30AM Weekdays, Pacific Time.Listen to the live airing here or the podcast episode at https://www.spiritfilledevents.com/the-journey
How a rotating warming shelter is more than a service for Royal Oak's homeless; it's a blessing for guests and volunteers alike (0:02) Laura Mills, a volunteer at the rotating warming shelter at St. Mary Parish in Royal Oak, talks about “Santa Claus,” one of the shelter's longtime guests, who was able to find housing and rehabilitate after a lifetime of addiction. Mills says his “feel good story” is emblematic of the work the shelter has done to provide homeless and struggling individuals a lifeline for decades. (3:07) Coordinator Heather Croy describes the work of the shelter, which, for a few weeks each winter, provides a respite from the bitter Michigan cold for dozens of guests with nowhere else to turn. The parish's gym is transformed with beds, fresh coffee is provided, and meals are served. It's a chance for guests to feel human again, she says. (6:12) Croy talks about how the effort got started more than 40 years ago after a homeless man froze to death outside the Royal Oak library. Dismayed, St. Mary's pastor at the time organized a temporary shelter in the evenings, just somewhere those down on their luck could crash for the night. Soon, other churches took notice, and eventually six area congregations decided to open their doors to the homeless as well. Today, each church takes two weeks each winter. (7:48) Despite Royal Oak's upscale atmosphere, Croy says, the need is very real for the city's homeless population. Croy talks about the changes since COVID-19, including the necessity to scale back the number of guests for safety reasons. It's been difficult, she says. (12:03) Far from simply providing a meal and a warm bed, Croy says it's important that volunteers take time to greet guests on a personal level. Every guest at St. Mary's knows her by name, and she knows them. It's how Jesus would want it, she says. (14:34) A guest at the shelter, who chose to remain anonymous, talks about how the shelter's volunteers made her and her daughter feel at home, and the circumstances that led her to seek help. “They are praying for me,” she says. “They're wonderful women.” (16:38) Another guest, Kevin Brown, found himself homeless after his wife died of COVID-19 last year. He's been working to secure housing as a job transfer materializes, but the shelter has been a needed stopgap. (19:35) Croy talks about how the shelter's guests aren't the only ones who feel the impact. Volunteers love the opportunity to put God's gifts to work for others, and in turn are blessed by the guests who arrive at St. Mary's. Croy cites Matthew 25 as an impetus for the shelter's work. Reporting by Gabriella Patti; narration and script by Casey McCorry; voice dubbing by Leah Butalid; production by Ron Pangborn This episode of Detroit Stories is brought to you by Weingartz … everything from Lawn to Snow. Over the years, Weingartz has grown to offer an unbeatable selection of outdoor power equipment, and their experienced service technicians and unmatched parts inventory keep your equipment running like new. Visit www.weingartz.com to shop for your lawn & garden needs and find a convenient location near you. Listen to ‘Detroit Stories' on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or Fireside. Podcasts also will be posted biweekly on DetroitCatholic.com.
Joy Lang is the Youth Minster at Little Flower Parish in Mobile, AL. She grew up at Heart of Mary Parish and attended McGill. She really encountered the Lord in a new and life changing way a couple years back when she took her youth group to ACYC. Learn how the Lord brought Joy to this moment and how it has affected her entire life moving forward. Dig In Further:1. Do the teens in your youth group have somebody to minister to them who “looks like them?” If not, might there be ways of inviting speakers, guests from other parishes, leaders of other ministries to come and visit your youth group from time to time? As Joy shared, listening to another Black Catholic preach at ACYC was a decisive moment in diving deeper into her Catholic faith, realizing her was capable of diving all the way in. 2. What is one of the more profound encounters with Christ that you have ever had? What was involved in that moment? What were the aspects of the environment and the setting that the Lord used to “lower your defenses” and allow him more clearly touch your heart?3. How might your parish be able to collaborate with other parishes nearby to enhance your teens' experience of faith formation? Are there ways you can have youth group together? Go on retreats together? Service projects? Mission trips? Adoration nights? Shared speakers? Shared fun activities?
Mary Webb is a former newspaper reporter and current high school English teacher, who lives in Patterson, LA. Mary Webb has written for The San Antonio Express-News, The (New Orleans) Times-Picayune, The (Monroe, LA) News-Star, The (Memphis) Commercial Appeal, The Associated Press' Denver Bureau, The (Houma, LA) Courier, and The Denton Record-Chronicle. Currently, she teaches English and Speech at Westgate High School in Iberia Parish. Previously, she also taught English I at Patterson High School in St. Mary Parish, as well as in Morgan City, LA and in Dallas, TX. She lives in Patterson, LA with her husband Corwin and their two children, Quentin and Jory, the subjects of The Summer of Superheroes and the Making of Iron Boy. This is her first published novel. Mary is a graduate of Xavier University of Louisiana where she received a bachelor of arts in Mass Communication with a concentration in print journalism. - www.createspace.com/3458326******************************************************************To listen to all our XZBN shows, with our compliments go to: https://www.spreaker.com/user/xzoneradiotv*** AND NOW ***The ‘X' Zone TV Channel on SimulTV - www.simultv.comThe ‘X' Chronicles Newspaper - www.xchroniclesnewspaper.com ******************************************************************
SONS OF MELCHIZEDEK –On this episode of Sons of Melchizedek, a show highlighting priests in the Diocese of Lafayette-in-Indiana and the Archdiocese of Indianapolis, we talk with Father Bob Simms of Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish, Indianapolis.
Casa Catalina, on Ashland Avenue started in 1984 as a Food Pantry for the parishioners of Holy Cross, Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish. Over the years, it has become a vital Catholic Charities service site. Join Phil Zepeda and Katie Bredemann as they welcome Michelle Ramirez, Casa Catalina Program Coordinate to discuss how this vibrant community center continues to serve the needs of individual clients and the entire neighborhood in an extremely organized, efficient way.
Todays guest is Ben Hansen from Fact or Faked: Paranormal Files, Ghosts of Morgan City and UFO Witness. You may have also seen Ben on documentaries and series on networks such as Smithsonian, Destination America, CW, and several appearances on the Travel Channel. Outside of the U.S., he's appeared on Comedy Central UK, ProSieben in Germany, Fuji TV in Japan, Canada History, and the Yesterday Channel in the UK. In June of 2019, Travel Channel began airing the 8 episode series Ghosts of Morgan City where Ben joined a team of two other paranormal investigators that assisted local law enforcement and city agencies in the small community of St. Mary Parish, Louisiana. Apart from filming TV shows and documentaries, Ben often provides analysis for photos and videos for the Huffington Post Weird News column and updates on celebrity interest in UFOs on shows like Entertainment Tonight and Access Hollywood. Breaking-down captured media of alleged Bigfoot, UFO, and ghost events, Ben provides his expert opinion on some of the most viral stories in the current press. So much to talk to Ben about plus we have Lisa Morton with with an all new Ghost Report, this week on Ghost Magnet with Bridget Marquardt. #Paranormal #UFOWItness #FactorFake #MorganCity#GravityHill
Join Dina Marie as she speaks with Lucille Hadden of Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in Kelso, WA on the upcoming series of Jesus Heals events hosted by Shalom Media USA. Many are burdened and depressed by sicknesses and ailments. Jesus Heals offers a unique opportunity to gather and seek healing of mind and body and soul. The program features Healing Mass, Preaching, Praise and Worship, and Eucharistic Adoration. For more information: https://www.shalommedia.org/events/ (https://www.shalommedia.org/events/), https://www.stroselongview.com/ (https://www.stroselongview.com/). https://the-morning-blend.captivate.fm/ (Subscribe to the Morning Blend) on your favorite podcast platform. Find this show on the free https://materdeiradio.com/hail-mary-media-app/ (Hail Mary Media App), along with a radio live-stream, prayers, news, and more. Look through https://materdeiradio.com/category/morning-drive/ (past episodes) or https://forms.ministryforms.net/viewForm.aspx?formId=f861df13-50f6-4182-8712-b794ec287dfb (support this podcast). The Morning Blend is a production of https://materdeiradio.com/ (Mater Dei Radio) in Portland, Oregon.
To mark the weekend of Nick's ordination we have a special guest speaker, Mary Parish, who is Nick's mum. Her talk is based on the readings from 2 Corinthians 3:4-6 & 4:5-11 and focuses on the jars of clay.
Jun 14, 2022 - Fr. Edward Looney was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Green Bay June 6, 2015, and currently serves as Pastor of St. Francis and St. Mary Parish, Brussels and St. Peter/St. Hubert Parish, Lincoln/Rosiere. His latest book: “How They Love Mary” is a 30-day devotional to help you invigorate your love for Our Lady by exploring the many ways in which 28 saints venerated Mary throughout time. Fr Edward Looney: https://www.edwardlooney.com Links to download the Veritas app: https://www.veritascatholic.com/listen
“Can I really be happy doing this?” Join hosts Fr. Craig Giera and Fr. David Pellican as they welcome Bishop Donald Hanchon, a Detroit native brimming with wisdom for vocational discernment. His Excellency shares his story of feeling called to the priesthood in grade school, attending high school seminary, and the questions and fears he faced along the way. A significant health concern in college seminary threatened his studies and brought him before Jesus in the Eucharist, a moment in which the Lord confirmed his vocation, “From your mother's womb, I have called you.” Bishop Hanchon reminds us that God's call for our life will bring us joy and satisfaction. (00:26) Fr. Craig Giera welcomes Fr. David Pellican and our audience to this episode reviewing the last one with Monsignor Tim Hogan and his experience as a Navy chaplain. This month's guest is Bishop Donald Hanchon, who is an auxiliary bishop here in the Archdiocese of Detroit. He shares a blessing about writing a talk recently for a Day of Prayer for the Family of Parishes' Central Region. Together they discuss a busy May with seniors graduating from high school, a chapel altar construction project, and artwork. (07:40) Fr. Craig shares a memory from his first year in the seminary, visiting Most Holy Redeemer parish, where the then-Monsignor Hanchon was pastor for many years. “I remember thinking, this guy is a cool guy.” His Excellency shares his passion for collecting memorabilia from his travels to the Holy Land and Mexico. Fr. Craig mentions his excitement over the upcoming Year of Prayer for Priestly Vocations, which starts with a Holy Hour with the Archbishop on the Vigil of Pentecost, June 4. (11:40) “When did you start thinking about being a priest?” Bishop Hanchon shares his experience of growing up with excellent models of the priesthood; he first thought of becoming a priest in grade school at St. Mary Parish in Wayne. He was invited to take the entrance exam at the high school seminary, which he did. During one of his interviews for admission, he remembers being asked, “Why do you want to be a priest?” He recalls sharing his response and the priest adding, “and to save your soul.” (19:50) College seminary: After a severe stomach ulcer that left him hospitalized, Bishop Hanchon feared he would be deemed unfit for the priesthood. Afraid, he went before the Lord in the Blessed Sacrament, and crying before God, he felt his vocation was confirmed from Him quoting Jeremiah 1:5: “From your mother's womb, I have called you.” (23:23) “God has a sense of humor.” Bishop Hanchon served as the Director of Priestly Vocations for the Archdiocese of Detroit. He shares: “A real vocation is something God gives you and that you respond to. If you think you have a vocation, talk to someone who knows more about vocations than you.” His Excellency feels God wanted him to discover the importance of friendship. This moved him to establish a priestly fraternity group, which has been going strong since 1975, allowing for the priests to hold each other accountable and trust one another with their blessings and difficulties. (39:45) Common fears: “Can I really be happy doing this?” Or “Can my son really be happy doing this?” Bishop Hanchon shares about the role of desire when it comes to discerning the priesthood. “Do you think God would call you against your will? That hasn't been my experience of God…. I don't think God wants you to be a priest if you don't want to be a priest.” Fr. David reminds us that His plan for each man is one of happiness and salvation. Fr. Craig details the challenges of the priesthood but explains how the sacrifice required is worth it. (53:00) Advice for men considering the priesthood: Bishop Hanchon explains his criteria: “Is this person generous with his time and patience?” Further, he shares that a man should also be “in the habit of prayer … and be open where God is leading you.” Bishop Hanchon closes the episode with encouragement and prayer.
A daily news briefing from Catholic News Agency, powered by artificial intelligence. Ask your smart speaker to play “Catholic News,” or listen every morning wherever you get podcasts. www.catholicnewsagency.com - Pope Francis used a wheelchair during a public meeting on Thursday, the first time he has done so publicly since leaving the hospital after colon surgery in July 2021. The 85-year-old pope has had difficulty walking due to a painful torn ligament in his knee. During his recent public appearances, he has apologized for being unable to stand and walk to greet participants. Pope Francis said in an interview this week that he would be undergoing a small medical procedure to provide some relief. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/251148/pope-francis-uses-wheelchair-in-public-for-first-time-since-colon-surgery A Catholic parish church in Boulder, Colorado was defaced with pro-abortion slogans the evening of May 3, marking the second time in less than a year that the parish has been targeted with pro-abortion graffiti. The incident at Sacred Heart of Mary Parish coincides with the revelation May 2 of a leaked draft opinion from the U.S. Supreme Court, suggesting that the court is poised to overturn Roe v. Wade, which would allow states to curtail or outlaw abortion. The Boulder County sheriff's office was called to investigate the incident. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/251145/colorado-parish-defaced-with-pro-abortion-graffiti-for-second-time-in-seven-months Pro-life activists offered a $25,000 reward Wednesday to anyone who comes forward with information about illegal activity by Washington, DC, abortionist Dr. Cesare Santangelo. The offer comes a month after activists associated with the anti-abortion group Progressive Anti-Abortion Uprising claimed that they discovered the remains of 115 aborted babies outside the clinic that Santangelo operates. Five of the babies, who appear to be of late-term gestation, were located by the Metropolitan Police Department on March 30. PAAU says it arranged for the DC police to collect and examine the babies, fearing that the babies' injuries could be evidence of illegal abortions. But DC Mayor Muriel Bowser has given no indication that the city intends to autopsy the remains. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/251146/pro-life-activists-offer-dollar-25k-for-information-about-dc-abortion-doctor Today the Church celebrates Blessed Edmund Rice, an Irish businessman who was so moved by the plight of children in the port city where he worked that he founded schools and eventually a religious order to serve them. The Church also celebrates Saint Hilary of Arles, a fifth-century bishop who gave up wealth and privilege in favor of austerity and sacrifice for the sake of the Church. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/blessed-edmund-rice-467 https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/st-hilary-of-arles-701
Blessed Good Friday. This Way of the Cross prayer is a kind of pilgrimage, a way of connecting the suffering of Jesus with the suffering brought about by injustice in our day. If you're joining the pilgrimage in person in downtown Cincinnati, you can use this podcast to pray as you go. You'll need the written program as a guide along the way to know which stop along the Cincinnati Bell Connector to use. If you're not local or not free to come and pray at the time of the prayer, that's fine too. You can use the podcast to pray along and move through the pilgrimage wherever you are. You can follow along with a written program here or you're welcome to just listen. We appreciate your support, and if you'd like to support the Way of the Cross for Justice financially, you can send a text message and receive a text back with the donation link. Just text “cross” to 844-403-2211 to receive a link to our donation page. Thank you in advance for your support. If you'd like to connect with this event and support it in the future or help to plan it, you can contact Sister Leslie at Godspace@godspacecommuity.com or Allison Reynolds-Berry at allison@ijpccincinnati.org and we can talk more about how you'd like to connect. Thank you to our partners: Bellarmine Chapel, Christ Church Cathedral, Clifton United Methodist Church, Congregation of Divine Providence, God Space Community, Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish, Intercommunity Justice and Peace Center (IJPC), and Renting Partnerships.
Jacob Mouton, the proprietor of Crawfish Jake, joined Discover Lafayette to discuss his career in crawfish and farming. A young man only 25 years of age, he is a hard-working entrepreneur offering a service in high demand. Jacob has made a name for himself by offering high-quality prepared crawfish, crab, and shrimp for personal and corporate events, as well as orders available via drive-thru for pickup at Crawfish Jake located at 106 Roselawn Blvd in Lafayette. An Agriculture graduate of UL-Lafayette, Jacob Mouton got his start in catering crawfish while a Freshman at UL-Lafayette. His KA friends at LSU asked him to cater their crawfish boil and word soon spread he began getting college and corporate events booked. Since he was a young boy in elementary school, Jake has helped out on the rice and crawfish farm in Mowata owned by his Uncle Jimbo and Aunt Kathy (Hundley). Having learned the crawfish trade from his family, Jake explained how rice and crawfish farming go hand in hand; farmers will rotate growing the two between their acreage to ensure a bountiful harvest. When the rice is cut, the farmer will flood the field, leaving the stalk for the crawfish to eat. Then when the field is drained, the crawfish bury themselves into the ground as they mature to be harvested the next season. On March 29, 2022, Jacob was busy planting rice at the farm, readying for the upcoming season. "We always bring extra when catering. You never want to be that guy that runs out of food. If you want to ensure a riot, then run out of food. No one cares if the DJ doesn't show up, but if the food runs out, somebody's going to get hurt!" Jacob sources his fresh crawfish from the Hundley farm in Mowata, LA. He explained that most of the crawfish in the world come out of the 25-mile area surrounding Mowata, which is located north of Crowley. Visit https://www.facebook.com/CrawfishJake1 for the latest menu and to check out their weekly specials. Along with boiled crawfish, Crawfish Jake also offers boiled blue point crab (St. Mary Parish-based), King Crab (Alaskan-based), and shrimp fresh from Delcambre, along with the usual sides and sauce. "Everything is boiled. No fried food. I think I'm the only restaurant in America where I cook everything in three pots! Catering has become a big part of Jacob's business. He has a boil scheduled in Washington DC in May, has done events in Houston and Orange Beach, and recently returned from South Carolina. Lafayette-based people around the country love their crawfish! Crawfish Jake has an in-demand catering business and has served crawfish lovers across the country.....including the Governor of Louisiana. The live crawfish are transported in refrigerated trucks to ensure a safe product. Jacob employs four people at his on-site location at 106 Roselawn and has 15 to 16 people working for him during his busiest times of catering. Most of the employees are college kids and his friends who understand his business. Labor and fuel costs have risen dramatically in the past couple of years and as with all other consumer goods, have affected the retail cost. When asked about advice he would share with other entrepreneurs, he encourages people to "just go for it. If you enjoy something and think you can make a living doing it, just do it." He further explained, "I've found out in life that serving people is what makes me happy. Bringing them fishing, bringing them hunting, and serving crawfish is fun for me." Always one to enjoy being outdoors, he is also Coast Guard certified as a captain. He has the best of all worlds, farming, catering, and during the summers, running a boat for a construction company based out of Baton Rouge. For more information, visit https://www.crawfishjake.com/ or contact Jacob Mouton at (337) 288-8241 or crawfishjakela@gmail.com
Friends of the Rosary: Today's Joyful Mysteries of Holy Rosary took place at St. Mary Parish in Greenwich, Connecticut. Our intention was to do a walking Rosary from this place to St. Catherine of Sienna, in Riverside. But due to the intense rain, we gladly stayed at St. Mary. His Pastor, Fr. Murray, graciously opened the doors of the Church for our local community of the Rosary Network and posted an announcement on the website. It was an inspirational prayer for the Ukrainian victims and refugees, led by Fr. Miguel A. Bernal and Mikel A., founder of the Rosary Network. We invoked the Blessed Virgin Mary to convert the hearts of the leaders on the world stage. We prayed for they will choose for all people's lives and be inspired by the wisdom and courage of Christ. [Please see at the website the prayer for Ukraine.] Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York — • March 12, 2021, Today's Holy Rosary in YouTube — Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET • Audio Podcast of this Rosary Available Here Now! • In Memoriam of Maria Blanca: Testimonials
Daily Mass Readings and reflection for 03/12/22 from Deacon Will Yoho from Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio.
Daily Mass Readings and reflection for 03/11/22 from Deacon Will Yoho from Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio.
Daily Mass Readings and reflection for 03/10/22 from Deacon Will Yoho from Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio.
Daily Mass Readings and reflection for 03/08/22 from Deacon Will Yoho from Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio.
Daily Mass Readings and reflection for 03/08/22 from Deacon Will Yoho from Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio.
Daily Mass Readings and reflection for 03/07/22 from Deacon Will Yoho from Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio.
Daily Mass Readings and reflection for 03/06/22 from Deacon Will Yoho from Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio.
THE ST MARY PARISH COMMUNITY ACTION AGENCY IS HOSTING A COORDINATED ENROLLMENT EVENT SPONSORED BY THE ST MARY PARISH READY START NETWORK.... THE ST MARY COMMUNITY ACTION AGENCY KNOWS PARENTS ARE BUSY, SO WE ARE MAKING IT EASIER FOR YOU TO REGISTER YOUR 3 OR 4 YEAR OLD CHILDREN FOR HEAD START... FEBRUARY 21ST AND FEBRUARY 22ND -- SOMEONE WILL COME TO YOUR CAR AND GET YOUR NAME, AND YOUR CHILD OR CHILDREN'S NAME, WITH YOUR PHONE NUMBER....AND THEY'LL CALL YOU BACK TO MAKE AN APPOINTMENT WITH YOU AT A LATER TIME.... HOWEVER, IF YOU CAN TAKE A MOMENT TO VISIT WITH THEM INSIDE THEIR CENTER, THEY WILL BE HAPPY TO MEET WITH YOU....
Kevin Bates sm is the Parish Priest of Holy Name of Mary Parish in Hunters Hill in Sydney. He was born in Geelong, Victoria and was ordained as a Marist priest in Melbourne in 1972. Over the years he has been involved in a broad and exciting range of ministries. He has been a lecturer, a facilitator, a retreat leader and was the Director of the Marist Centre in Toongabbie and later the Aquinas Centre in Sydney. In the early 1990's he lived in community at Holy Spirit in Bellambi (Wollongong) and travelled extensively around Australia and beyond conducting retreats for primary and secondary school students, staff groups and parish-based groups. Over these years Kevin has also composed, published and recorded beautiful music which has been shared at countless Masses, Weddings and Funerals. Throughout the years Kevin's ability to walk with others, to listen to their pain and to empower them to use their gifts has been so clearly evident. It is a story which reflects the power of offering others a loving and encouraging presence. "We need to have a listening heart together." Kevin Bates sm
Retired Nicholls State University librarian and historian, Fran Middleton, is writing a new history on the 1927 murder of James LeBoeuf, which was the crime of the century for St. Mary Parish. A jury in 1929 found Ada LeBoeuf and her alleged lover, Dr. Thomas Dreher, guilty of the crime and as a result they were both executed. Ada LeBoeuf was the first woman hanged in Louisiana history. Despite receiving a life sentence for shooting the murder victim, local trapper and handyman, Jim Beadle, was released from Angola Prison in the 1940s. Fran Middleton provides new information on the case, while highlighting the media's age-old pattern in vilifying and sexualizing women in crime stories. We also learn more about Mrs. Dreher and the infamous "woman beyond the tracks," as well as Ada LeBoeuf as a person Beyond the Frocks and Gallows.
Meet Tammie Moore, newly appointed Interim School Board Member for District 2
Consecrate yourself to Mary. St. Louis de Montfort's Consecration to Mary (click HERE).
Daily Mass Readings and reflection for 08/21/21 from Deacon Will Yoho from Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio
Daily Mass Readings and reflection for 08/20/21 from Deacon Will Yoho from Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio
Daily Mass Readings and reflection for 08/19/21 from Deacon Will Yoho from Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio
Daily Mass Readings and reflection for 08/18/21 from Deacon Will Yoho from Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio
Daily Mass Readings and reflection for 08/17/21 from Deacon Will Yoho from Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio
Daily Mass Readings and reflection for 08/16/21 from Deacon Will Yoho from Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio
Daily Mass Readings and reflection for 08/15/21 from Deacon Will Yoho from Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio
Mary Webb is a former newspaper reporter and current high school English teacher, who lives in Patterson, LA. Mary Webb has written for The San Antonio Express-News, The (New Orleans) Times-Picayune, The (Monroe, LA) News-Star, The (Memphis) Commercial Appeal, The Associated Press' Denver Bureau, The (Houma, LA) Courier, and The Denton Record-Chronicle. Currently, she teaches English and Speech at Westgate High School in Iberia Parish. Previously, she also taught English I at Patterson High School in St. Mary Parish, as well as in Morgan City, LA and in Dallas, TX. She lives in Patterson, LA with her husband Corwin and their two children, Quentin and Jory, the subjects of The Summer of Superheroes and the Making of Iron Boy. This is her first published novel. Mary is a graduate of Xavier University of Louisiana where she received a bachelor of arts in Mass Communication with a concentration in print journalism. - www.createspace.com/3458326******************************************************************To listen to all our XZBN shows, with our compliments go to: https://www.spreaker.com/user/xzoneradiotv*** AND NOW ***The ‘X' Zone TV Channel on SimulTV - www.simultv.comThe ‘X' Chronicles Newspaper - www.xchroniclesnewspaper.com ******************************************************************
Daily Mass Readings and reflection for 06/26/21 from Fr. Scott Goodfellow from St. Mary Parish in Hudson, Ohio
Daily Mass Readings and reflection for 06/25/21 from Fr. Scott Goodfellow from St. Mary Parish in Hudson, Ohio
Daily Mass Readings and reflection for 06/24/21 from Fr. Scott Goodfellow from St. Mary Parish in Hudson, Ohio
Daily Mass Readings and reflection for 06/23/21 from Fr. Scott Goodfellow from St. Mary Parish in Hudson, Ohio
Daily Mass Readings and reflection for 06/22/21 from Fr. Scott Goodfellow from St. Mary Parish in Hudson, Ohio
Daily Mass Readings and reflection for 06/21/21 from Fr. Scott Goodfellow from St. Mary Parish in Hudson, Ohio
Daily Mass Readings and reflection for 06/20/21 from Fr. Scott Goodfellow from St. Mary Parish in Hudson, Ohio
From St. Mary Parish in Woolmarket. Sacrament of Confirmation and Installation of Father Martin Gillespie as pastor. July 26, 2020.
On prayer. Given Monday night at the Lenten Mission at St. Margaret Mary Parish, Hamilton.
Today's topics: The Pilgrim Lifestyle Summary of today's show: The Vatican has an official organization, Opera Romana Pellegrinaggi, for the support of pilgrims, not just to Rome but around the world, and Kairos Pilgrimages is the official distributor for OPR in the US and Canada. Patrizia Brown of Kairos and Fr. Leo LeBlanc of Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in Wnchendon join Scot Landry and Fr. Matt Williams to talk about the pilgrimages of OPR and Kairos as well as the pilgrim lifestyle that every Christian can follow, regardless of whether they leave their hometown. Listen to the show: Today's host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Matt Williams Today's guest(s): Patrizia Brown of Kairos Pilgrimages and Fr. Leo LeBlanc Links from today's show: To find out more about the pilgrimage to the Holy Land being led by Fr. LeBlanc this November, visit the page at the .
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
Today's topics: Ugandan Catholics in Boston and Uganda Summary of today's show: The community of native Ugandans living in the Boston area is said to be the third largest after Uganda and London and most of them are living in and around Waltham. Scot Landry and Fr. Mark O'Connell welcome Fr. Michael Nolan, Pastor of St. Mary Parish in Waltham and Bishop Charles Wamika of Jinja, Uganda, to talk about the Catholic faith in Uganda, which grew from the martyrdom of St. Charles Lwanga and companions; and the life of faith of Ugandans at St. Mary's. Bishop Wamika came to Waltham to celebrate the feast of St. Charles Lwanga and companions with the community on June 3. Listen to the show: Today's host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Mark O'Connell Today's guest(s): Bishop Charles Wamika of Jinja, Uganda, and Fr. Michael Nolan, pastor of St. Mary Parish, Waltham Links from today's show: Gospel for the 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time, June 30, 2013 (Luke 9:51-62): When the days for Jesus' being taken up were fulfilled, he resolutely determined to journey to Jerusalem, and he sent messengers ahead of him. On the way they entered a Samaritan village to prepare for his reception there, but they would not welcome him because the destination of his journey was Jerusalem. When the disciples James and John saw this they asked, “Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to consume them?” Jesus turned and rebuked them, and they journeyed to another village. As they were proceeding on their journey someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus answered him, “Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head.” And to another he said, “Follow me.” But he replied, “Lord, let me go first and bury my father.” But he answered him, “Let the dead bury their dead. But you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” And another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but first let me say farewell to my family at home.” To him Jesus said, “No one who sets a hand to the plow and looks to what was left behind is fit for the kingdom of God.”
Summary of today's show: The Chrism Mass on Tuesday of Holy Week each year is one of the biggest single gatherings of the priests of the Archdiocese of Boston each year and in it Cardinal Seán often gives a very strong homily to encourage his priests. Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O'Connor were joined today by Fr. Bill Kelly and Fr. Joe Scorzello to talk about the importance of the Mass to the priests and Cardinal Seán's reflections on the conclave and comparing it to the openness required of priests who give themselves over to the Holy Spirit. Also, Scot talks to the boys from the Archdiocesan Choir School about their experience singing at the Mass. Listen to the show: Watch the show via live video streaming or a recording later: Today's host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O'Connor Today's guest(s): Fr. Bill Kelly and Fr. Joe Scorzello Links from today's show: Today's topics: The Chrism Mass, the Choir School, and Cardinal Seán's homily 1st segment: Scot Landry welcomed everyone to the show from the Cathedral of the Holy Cross where Cardinal Seán celebrated the annual Chrism Mass with the priests of the Archdiocese. the Cardinal gives a significant homily to the priests and consecrates new holy oils for all the parishes. Scot said this year many Catholic schools were invited to attend the Mass, including The Archdiocesan Choir School. 2nd segment: Scot welcomed the boys from the choir school and music director John Robinson. He asked John where the boys have been singing in this their 50th anniversary year. He said they sing a range of events, including Christmas concerts in Salem, Norwell, Newport, Rhode Island, and even Carnegie Hall. Today the choir school was to sing the Gloria, an Ave Verum Corpus and another, alongside the Cathedral Festival Choir. Christian Landry, Scot's son who is part of the choir, said it was a great honor to sing for the cardinal's Mass. He said singing for all the priests of the archdiocese is a little bit of a nerve=wracking experience but will prepare them to sing for large audiences later in life. Christian said he loves the teachers and students. Another student, Thomas Potts, said the teachers push them to succeed and learn. Scot asked John about what it's like to be the only Catholic choir school in the country. John said it's an amazing responsibility because they're training the future tenors and cantors and even boys who will become priests. It's a model that Europe has shown to work over many centuries. They're showing it works by the way the boys sing and are being educated. Scot said the school's annual gala will be June 1. John said it's a very important evening financially for the school, but it's great fun as well because the boys are singing in a light jazzy style as well. John said having come into the Church with his wife as an adult, the Chrism Mass is very special for him and especially this year with the Cardinal having come back to us in Boston. 3rd segment: Scot welcomed Fr. Chris O'Connor to the show. Fr. Chris said it was a beautiful Mass that showed the unity of priests, bishops and laity. Scot welcomed Fr. Joe Scorzello who said it's one of the largest Chrism Masses he can remember with many older and younger priests gathered together in a sign of unity and a boost for morale. Fr. Bill Kelly, pastor of St. Mary Parish in Dedham, was welcomed by Scot. Fr. Bill said the Cardinal was at the front door greeting each priest as they came in and it was moving for many of them who haven't been able to see him since the conclave. Fr. Bill said this year the anointing of the oil of the sick was moving for him this year as he recalled all the sick he goes to in hospital and nursing homes, including his own father recently. He said they probably use the anointings more than 100 times per year, including more and more recently to people's homes. Fr. Chris said in this Mass all of the oils used for all of the sacraments throughout the Archdiocese this year were consecrated today. The men to be ordained in May carried the oils up to Cardinal Seán. All of the catechumens to be welcomed into the Church on Saturday and all the babies to be baptized will have those oils used to anoint them. Another moving moment was when Bishop Robert Deeley read the names of all the priests who died this year, reminding that the bonds of the priesthood never die. The unity among them exists not just among the priests, but among the parishes too. This is a Mass about unity between all and their bishop. All of the priests also renew their vows and stay committed to their promise to remain faithful to the Lord and faithful to the bishop. Fr. Scorzello said the lists of names take even greater meaning as he gets older. He's known many of them for years and some he was even an altar server for. He said the Mass is usually celebrated on Holy Thursday and by exception on another day and is focused on the presbyterate as Holy Thursday is as well. Scot said outside of ordinations, it's the largest gathering of priests. Fr. Bill said the Mass and the renewal of vows recalls for him his original vows at his ordination. Like any promise, you don't know how living those promises will be lived out and so saying it again makes him reflect. He said the closing hymn, “Oh Good Beyond All Praising” talks of all the joys and challenges we have as Christians and has the great line, “yet strive to follow still.” He said he finds it consoling knowing that he will die and is being asked to live his life serving as a priest. Scot said having all the Catholic school kids there made it much like the whole church from young to old and he thought of all the young boys who may one day be priests and one of them may one day be reading the name of Fr. Bill or Fr. Chris or Fr. Joe. Fr. Chris said he was struck by the young woman who did an incredible job proclaiming the Second Reading at Mass. Fr. Bill said the faces on the kids reflected all the hundreds of priests and how they realized that the Catholic Church is so much bigger than they imagined. Fr. Chris said as he saw all the priests and all the young people gathered, he was struck by the Psalm “Forever I will sing of the goodness of the Lord”, particularly for priests to be reminded to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ and to tell people even in their darkest hour of the goodness of God. Scot said Cardinal Seán might work on this homily as much as he does on any homily all year. He said Cardinal Seán started with some humor reflecting on the conclave: The whole pre-Conclave atmosphere where I was leading in the Italian polls was quite surrealistic. I thought of St. Patrick who was of a Roman family living in Britain. Patrick was an Irish wanabee, he was actually an Italian kidnapped by Irish pirates. I was worried that the Italians were trying to get even. Actually, I was very touched by the Italian people's enthusiasm for your Archbishop. Needless to say, I am very happy and relieved to be back home in Boston. The whole experience of the Conclave was extraordinary. I felt very close to all of you. I knew that we were united in prayer, praying that the Holy Spirit guide our Church in this important decision. Like the first Christians praying intensely before choosing St. Matthias to be an apostle, to fill the vacancy and to pass on the office of Apostle. Scot said it's Cardinal Seán's first mention of the enthusiasm for him in Italy. He said his own experience in Rome was that the regular folk were all for him. Scot noted that Cardinal Seán told reporters he was most looking forward to going home to celebrate the Chrism Mass. Fr. Scorzello said the theme of the Cardinal's homily was one of continuity, whether it was the continuity of the papacy or the continuity of the Church in Boston. He also spoke of the continuity of the formation and growth of the priest throughout his life. He said Metropolitan Methodius' words at the end of Mass was the fulfillment of that continuity. Scot said the Greek Orthodox Metropolitan expressed his hope for unity between West and East. Here in Boston, we must see ourselves as the continuation of the Church of the Acts of the Apostles, with so many dramatic challenges, we must cultivate a deep trust in the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit to guide and unite us. As we work to implement the Pastoral Plan, it cannot be just about strategy or techniques, but about our own deep awareness of God's loving presence in our Church. All of our discussions and planning, like the work of the pre-Conclave Congregations and the Conclave itself, needs to take place in that atmosphere of prayer and trust in God's love for us. Scot said as he was hearing that, he thought that he wants the awareness of the palpable presence of the Holy Spirit to be part of everything we do in the Archdiocese of Boston. Fr. Bill said when you're coming to the work of the Gospel from a sense of poverty, you're depending wholly on the Holy Spirit. It's easy to get caught up in the mechanics of pastoral planning, but this homily brings us back to the sense of hope and trust and if we do commit ourselves to where the Holy Spirit leads, these other things will get worked out. There's a deeper power to what the Church has to do. Scot said Cardinal Seán reflected on the uncertainty facing priests with the pastoral plan compared to the uncertainty of the cardinals entering the conclave. As my brother Cardinals and I entered the Conclave, we did not know what the outcome would be or what the future would hold. We were called to make ourselves available for the mission of the Church. Our pastors in the first phase of pastoral planning have likewise been called to make themselves available for mission, without knowing what the outcome would be as once again they responded, “adsum”. The Archdiocese is greatly blessed by their dedication, commitment and example of selfless service as we embark on the journey of rebuilding our parishes and welcoming the faithful back to active participation in the life of our Church. We want our Pastoral Planning, like the Conclave in Rome, to be a Pentecost moment in this Year of Faith. Scot said we like to know that our leader knows what it's like to walk in our shoes and the cardinal knows that uncertainty. Fr. Chris said the Chrism Mass is usually on Holy Thursday because it's the day that Christ instituted not only the Eucharist but also the priesthood. When the man to be ordained to the priesthood lies prostrate on the cathedral floor, he is giving himself completely to whatever the Church needs of him, whether parish priest or pope. Scot said it's tough sometimes for priests to focus on what they know they need to do, but have difficulty finding time to do. Fr. Joe said it's easy to get busy in the parish, but there has to be time set aside each day for prayer, reflection of Sacred Scripture and study of the sacred sciences. That's continuing formation that makes them receptive to the Holy Spirit and receptive to receive the will of God as spoken through the Church's needs. A thing is received according to the ability of the recipient to receive them. Fr. Bill assisted Cardinal Seán in ongoing formation of priests before becoming pastor of St. Mary's. Scot asked what parishioners can do to help priests work on their ongoing formation. Fr. Bill said encouragement is key. The parishioners who work closest with the pastor who recognize the need of the priest to step back. People need to be understanding of the need of the pastor not to be responsive at every moment. He said he knows a priest who every year those closest to him tell him that he needs to go on retreat. Working in a parish can give you tunnel vision and you need someone to help you see what you need to make time for. Scot said he'll remember the analogy made by Cardinal Seán between a husband kissing his wife each day with a priest kissing the altar each day, as in celebrating the Mass. Fr. Chris said it brings home to the layman the commitment of the priest to the Church. He liked as well that he referenced the fact that not only is kissing the altar is a public reality, but it's also a very private reality. The Eucharist should be the fire, zeal, energy for the priest to go out and do his ministry. Once a priest, you're always a priest. The most important thing a priest can do is reverence the altar and begin the celebration of the Mass. Scot said Cardinal Seán also talked about the priest being a model of the Church's preferential option for the poor. Fr. Joe said concern for the poor is an Evangelical virtue. It comes out of the celebration of the Eucharist and what it means, the giving over of oneself for everyone. Looking back on the election of Pope Francis and the Italians' love of St. Francis, what was Francis' focus but the love of the poor and God's love of the poor. Francis reminded us of the poverty that Christ accepted when he accepted human nature. We can poor both materially and spiritually. Christ came to save the human person, body and soul. We have to be attentive to all aspects of the person, body and soul. Cardinal ended by imploring all the priests to be unified, not to mention the call for unity with Metropolitan Methodius. We need to continually state the need for unity. Fr. Bill said the Gospel of John reminds us of Jesus' prayer that we all may be one. That's not just for ecumenical work, but also within the Church. The idea of the priestly life flowing from the altar holds everything together. Love is unitive. Scot asked what else happens after the Chrism Mass. Fr. Chris said there's the reality of seeing all their brother priests, working in all places, in all sizes, shapes, colors, and ages, but all called with their unique gifts to serve Christ as priests. Fr. Scorzello spoke of this mother who is 93 years old and he carries the oils of anointing with him all the time because he never knows when she might need him to anoint her. There's a unity in the sacraments of the Church through these oils. Fr. Bill said he's a choir school graduate and the song they sang after Communion was the song he was singing when he received his call to the priesthood, “Greater Love” by John Ireland. Fr. Chris said Holy Week is the best week every year.
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: Fasting is one of the three pillars of Lent and of the whole Christian life, including prayer and almsgiving. Scot Landry and Fr. Mark O'Connell talk with Andy LaVallee of LiveTheFast.com and Msgr. Charles Murphy, author of the book “The Spirituality of Fasting”, to talk about rediscovering the practice, the spiritual fruits it provides, the practical aspects of fasting, and a one-day retreat this weekend open to all. Listen to the show: Watch the show via live video streaming or a recording later: Today's host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Mark O'Connell Today's guest(s): Msgr. Charles Murphy, Andy LaVallee Links from today's show: Today's topics: Rediscovering spirituality of fasting 1st segment: Scot Landry welcomed Fr. Mark O'Connell to the show. He said it was a big day at the Pastoral Center where Cardinal Seán celebrated the Mass for the Feast of the Chair of St. Peter to reflect on the ministry of Pope Benedict and of all popes and to reflect on his own ministry. The homily from the Mass will be posted on tonight after 9pm. Cardinal Seán said we'll be learning from Pope Benedict's speeches and writings for lifetimes to come. Fr. Mark said he knows that the attention placed on Cardinal Seán weighs on him and embarrasses him. Scot noted that every Boston media outlet was present for the Mass today. Scot said there will be 116 cardinal-electors in the conclave, where one Indonesian cardinal is too ill to travel to Rome to participate. 2nd segment: Scot welcomed Andy LaVallee and Msgr. Charles Murphy, from the Diocese of Portland, Maine, to the show. Msgr. Murphy had formerly been rector of the Pontifical North American College in Rome. They talked about how Pope John Paul II visited the college on this date many years ago after he was first elected pope. Msgr. Murphy talked about how the pope stayed for dinner and he was instructed to serve on bread and soup for Lent. He talked about their conversation over dinner. Among other things they discussed why fasting and abstinence has gone away. Since that time, Msgr. Murphy has written a book on the topic . The short answer to the change was that before Vatican II, fasting came under canon law and moral law and was connected to the idea missing the fast as a sin. Pope Paul VI tried to make it more positive and connected it to charity, but that ended up losing the sense of its importance. On the types of fast, Msgr. Murphy said there is total fast and partial fast. We used to fast from all food and drink from midnight before Sunday Mass to totally empty ourselves to prepare to receive the Lord. Jews fast like this for Yom Kippur. Partial fasting is abstaining from some food and drinks for a more extended period. This has to do with having our sins forgiven in confession, but having the effects remaining in us. Fasting counteracts the selfishness and other effects of sin in us. Andy didn't appreciate the power of spiritual fasting until a few years ago and since then he founded LiveTheFast.com to promote fasting. He said fasting is the remedy we want for our society, whether it be addictions or abortion or what's happening to our family. The website promotes the prayer of fasting together through nutritional breads and a spirit of community. Fasting is something that happens in all faiths, but in the Catholic Church fasting has become a lost art. On the website they promote books about fasting and send out emails every Wednesday and Friday to help people. They now send books and bread to 28 different states. Scot talked about the decline in Catholic identity and culture which correlates with the decline in fasting. Msgr. Murphy has been asking how do we bring this back in the Church. Pope Benedict has been strong on fasting and integrating body, mind, and experience as all parts of our existence. Families need to make a decision to do this together or a parish or even a whole diocese can call people to practice fasting. He doesn't think it will happen in the whole Church through canon law. Andy said people are telling him that for the first time ever they can fast without feeling ill because of the nutritional fasting bread. They even had one man who ran the Boston Marathon while fasting on bread and water on Wednesdays and Fridays. Scot said he's heard fasting described as praying intensely with your whole body. Andy said you should always start in prayer and then always have an intention you're praying for. He also said one should drink plenty of water while on a fast. He said you can't drink enough water. And it's always easier to do this when being done with others. Msgr. Murphy said in his book's sixth chapter he uses the Eastern Church's model of fasting. Two Sundays before Lent, they give up meat for all of Lent and the Sunday before they add dairy. Wednesday is a fasting day because it's the day that Judas betrayed the Lord and Friday because it's the day of the crucifixion. Andy said there aren't enough modern teachings on fasting and the Church's need for it. He often hears questions from people who are looking for recipes or who have questions related to health issues, like diabetes. He recommends people talk to their doctor and spiritual director. Msgr. Murphy said the biggest obstacle is that people's lives are in disorder. People aren't sharing meals together like they used to, so he asks people to eat a family meal together at least one night per week. Eating has to become a thoughtful exercise. Andy said when one eats fasting bread it's important to chew for 60 seconds or more to get the fullest effect of the nutrition in the bread. Andy said a fast day starts with prayer, a roll in the morning, plenty of water, go to Mass. He has two or three more rolls or 6 to 8 ounces of bread total in a 24 hour fast. Msgr. Murphy said families can fast together by designating Wednesday and Friday as days to fast together. They can do it together as a mutual commitment. He thinks fasting has to be a whole regime of putting order in life. Fr. Mark asked what age should one start fasting. Andy said one can fast from other things like giving up TV or something else until they're old enough to fast from food. They talked about kids fasting from things they really enjoy and offer it up to God. Andy said fasting is all about sacrifice and controlling our desires. Msgr. Murphy said prayer, fasting, and charity are three pillars of our faith that comes to us from Judaism and talked about by Jesus on the Sermon on the Mount. He thinks it leads to a mystical experience of God. Andy said through his fasting he became a daily Mass communicant, started praying the rosary and was able to have what he calls a maximum re-conversion. Tomorrow, they are having a retreat called Equip for the Wilderness at St. Mary Parish in Waltham. Andy said they ran a similar retreat in Advent. It's about bringing back awareness of prayer and fasting through four speakers. The speakers are Msgr. Murphy, Fr. Michael Sevigny, and Mother Olga Yaqob. Find a link to the retreat at the top of this page. Andy said you won't be forced to fast. LaVallee's Bakery is providing cookies and special croissants among other things. He talked about how the first retreat had only a few people had fasted before, but at the end of the retreat they signed up 60 people with fasting kits. Msgr. Murphy related how he met some Buddhist monks who were trying to encourage the Japanese people to bring their faith into their homes. They started a skip-a-meal program in which they pick a day to skip a meal, to spend the time praying, and to give the money saved to charity. Andy said you get so much joy from fasting that you start to look forward to the next fast day. Scot asked Msgr. Murphy about his many encounters with Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger in his work on the Catechism of the Catholic Church before he was elected pope and asked him about his thoughts on the recent news. He recalled seeing the Holy Father a few years ago and told him how proud he was to have worked with the Holy Father on the project. the Holy Father became very animated and said he was proud of that work too. Scot asked what he will be remembered most for. Msgr. Murphy said it will be his first encyclical, God is Love (Deus Caritas Est). Its message was that our faith is a positive message, not condemnatory. Andy said the Pope's 2009 Lenten message is an incredible message on fasting in which he said fasting is a great aid in avoiding sin. Andy said the second encyclical “Charity in Truth” is also great for Catholic businessman especially. 3rd segment: Now as we do every week at this time, we will consider the Mass readings for this Sunday, specifically the Gospel reading. First Reading for the Second Sunday of Lent (Genesis 15:5-12, 17-18) The Lord God took Abram outside and said, “Look up at the sky and count the stars, if you can. Just so,” he added, “shall your descendants be.” Abram put his faith in the LORD, who credited it to him as an act of righteousness. He then said to him, “I am the LORD who brought you from Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land as a possession.” “O Lord GOD,” he asked, “how am I to know that I shall possess it?” He answered him, “Bring me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old she-goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.” Abram brought him all these, split them in two, and placed each half opposite the other; but the birds he did not cut up. Birds of prey swooped down on the carcasses, but Abram stayed with them. As the sun was about to set, a trance fell upon Abram, and a deep, terrifying darkness enveloped him. When the sun had set and it was dark, there appeared a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch, which passed between those pieces. It was on that occasion that the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying: “To your descendants I give this land, from the Wadi of Egypt to the Great River, the Euphrates.” Gospel for the Second Sunday of Lent (Luke 9:28b-36) Jesus took Peter, John, and James and went up the mountain to pray. While he was praying his face changed in appearance and his clothing became dazzling white. And behold, two men were conversing with him, Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of his exodus that he was going to accomplish in Jerusalem. Peter and his companions had been overcome by sleep, but becoming fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men standing with him. As they were about to part from him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good that we are here; let us make three tents, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” But he did not know what he was saying. While he was still speaking, a cloud came and cast a shadow over them, and they became frightened when they entered the cloud. Then from the cloud came a voice that said, “This is my chosen Son; listen to him.” After the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. They fell silent and did not at that time tell anyone what they had seen. Scot said the moment of the transfiguration was important for the Apostles to experience even if they didn't understand it at the time so they would know who Jesus was. Msgr. Murphy talked about being at Mount Tabor on a pilgrimage, sleeping on the mountaintop and experiencing a cloud that covered the mountain like in the Gospel. The goal of the Christian life is to be transformed. In eastern spirituality, it's divinization in which we take on God's divinity. That's the goal of prayer, fasting, and charity. That transformation of Christ is something that should happen in our lives as well. While Jesus predicts the Passion, he also reassures them by showing them what will happen on the other side of the Passion. Scot said you can sum up Christian discipleship by repeating, “Listen to Him.” Andy said we need to put down the phones, get in silence, and listen to Him. He recalled the Wedding Feast at Cana where our Lady says, Do as He tells you. Fr. Mark said the readings have journeys that aren't easy that lead to a powerful experience of God, which goes well with the discussion on fasting.
Summary of today's show: Father Joseph Mazzone became pastor of St. Mary Parish in Hull just four years out of the seminary. Scot Landry and Father Mark O'Connell sit down with Father Joe to talk about life as a parish priest on “the peninsula”, Hull, a close-knit seaside community, as well as his path to the priesthood from Providence to Notre Dame to Prague and then to Boston, where he entered Blessed John XXIII Seminary, which forms men who have “late” vocations. Listen to the show: Today's host(s): Scot Landry and Father Mark O'Connell Today's guest(s): Father Joseph Mazzone Links from today's show: Today's topics: Pastor Profile: Father Joseph Mazzone 1st segment: Scot Landry welcomed Father Mark O'Connell back to the show and they discussed a news story this week about an article in the Economist magazine about church finances in the US. Father Mark said in his previous work, he was in charge of the Clergy Fund. During that time, they found out through audits that there was trouble in the clergy fund. He had to go to the priests of the Archdiocese to tell them that there was trouble and one of the slides in his presentation was misinterpreted that seemed to show that contributions from the mid-80s to the mid-90s were not given to the Clergy Funds. Scot said the information was misinterpreted and that money was used for the medical care of the retired and active clergy. So the money was going to a different fund within the Clergy Funds, but the all the money was spent on the purposes for which it was intended, the care of the priests. Father Mark said that particular slide was written so poorly that the priests became angry and demanded an outside audit to determine if money was stolen from the Clergy Funds. The outside audit explained that this was a legitimate use of the money and recommended some changes. Today, the Clergy Funds is almost in the black, if not already in the black today. The Economist article's author simply lifted the previous erroneous information and repeated it. The misleading information is repeated over and over. Today's guest is Father Joseph Mazzone, pastor of St. Mary of Assumption Parish in Hull. Father Joe was ordained in 2008 after attending Blessed John XXIII Seminary. Before seminary, he worked in human services mostly in Boston. He's not from Boston, but from Providence. He said both Sacred Heart, Weymouth, his first parish, and St. Mary's have had patient and kind people who pray for him. He was named a pastor on February 1, 2011. He hadn't even been a priest for three years. Scot noted back in the day, it would take 25 or 30 years before a priest would become pastor. Father Mark said when he was ordained he was told it would be 12 years before he became a pastor, although Father Mark has never been. Father Mark said he was ordained at 25 years old, but Father Joe comes with a lot more experience. Father Joe said he was surprised at being asked to become pastor already. The people at St. Mary's were warm and inviting and it made the transition easier. The people had been praying for whomever their new pastor would be and it made a huge difference. Scot said Hull is off the beaten path as a peninsula and people have to intentionally go there. Father Joe said Hull is tight-knit with 11,000 people and has a strong sense of identity. It's physically beautiful and you're never more than 3 blocks from the water. Sunrise in the morning is a beautiful opportunity to pray. Within pastoral planning, they are connected with St. Anthony in Cohasset which is a little over seven miles. Father Joe said three of his four grandparents grew up on islands, Sicily and Madeira. He grew up on and around the water. In the summer, there are a lot of visitors. Father Joe said the Mass attendance goes up 15 to 20%. Scot said Sacred Heart in Weymouth stands out to him in his experience as warm and welcoming. He asked what makes St. Mary in Hull stand out. Father Joe said they have a great commitment to the poor and social justice, including through St. Vincent de Paul. It's not a wealthy community, but is fairly middle class and extremely generous proportionally. He recalled that when Sacred Heart's church burned down a few years ago, people attended Mass in the school hall and the Mass attendance drop at all. In the same way, the Church in Hull has had its challenges too. Hull used to have three parishes plus a chapel on Peddock's Island. Two of the parishes merged into the third at St. Ann's Church. Nevertheless, the community remained tight and committed to their faith. 2nd segment: Scot asked Father Joe what age he first started to think about the priesthood. He said he was very young. His parents were great models of faith and he loved going to church. He remembers one Mass with his father very early on a Sunday. He remembers looking into the sanctuary at the priest celebrating Mass and knew that something different and beautiful and holy was happening and that never left him. His mom had saved a picture he drew as a kid of what he wanted to be when he grew up and it was a priest. Father Mark said Father Joe took a long route to the priesthood. Father Joe said he graduated the University of Notre Dame in 1987. He had been thinking during his time there whether to become a diocesan priest or a member of the Congregation of the Holy Cross. He said it was a very Catholic experience. Each dorm had a daily Mass and spirituality is woven into the life of every student. There's a high rate of Mass attendance among students. Scot, Father Mark, and Father Joe discussed their experiences of being at or visiting Notre Dame and seeing the faith lived out by the students. After college, Father Joe went to New Orleans for a two-year service project and then came back to the Northeast. Then he got an opportunity to work in Prague in the Czech Republic to write for the English-language newspaper there. He said responding to the call to the priesthood is different for each man. Every time he wanted to apply the seminary, he kept getting the sense that it wasn't the right time. It eventually happened one year to the day after his father died. He said the three biggest influences on his priesthood were his parents, his parish priests, and Karl Malden. He played a priest in the movie On the Waterfront and Father Joe remembers seeing Malden as a great model of the priest, brave and courageous. Growing up as Sicilian and Portuguese, everything in their family lives revolved around the parish. They were at the church during the week all the time. He saw his parents live out their faith, not just in all they volunteered to do, but that their motivation for being kind and non-judgmental was their faith in JEsus Christ. They prayed the rosary every day, but they also prayed in little ways in everything they did. When he applied to the seminary, he was at work at the time. He was going back and forth whether to apply. He reached into a pile of articles on his desk and pulled out a magazine article with a prominent quote on it in which a nun said, “My father said, go into the convent and if you change your mind come home. That was 58 years ago.” And he took that as inspiration to apply. Father Mark asked why Father Joe chose Boston instead of Providence. Father joe said he'd lived and worked in Boston for a decade before applying and he'd made friends with a lot of Boston priests. Scot asked Father Joe about formation at Blessed John XXIII Seminary in Weston. Father Joe said it's a national seminary. There were 17 men in his class, only 4 of whom were from Boston. Many of the men had also had careers before seminary and they brought all kinds of life experiences, like being a physician or carpet-layer or video store owner. He said they had great models of priesthood in the faculty who were very patient with all these middle-aged men who had been set in their ways. They went from being in charge of their own lives and then had to give it over to the seminary and give up so much autonomy. In addition, most of them hadn't been involved in a college setting for decades in some cases. Father Joe said what he loves most as a priest is celebrating Mass. He celebrates Mass quite a lot in his parish and he loves it so much he never feels like it's too much. Scot asked how much Father Joe prepares for Mass. He said he tries to pray over the Scriptures early in the week. He tries to stay current on events in the world. He doesn't want his homilies to be political, but they should be topical. He loves to weave historical events into his homilies when they're relevant. A wise priest once told him that if he hasn't hit oil in seven minutes stop drilling and he tries to keep his homilies that length. Scot asked him about the challenge of preparing a homily to address all the different kinds of people who will hear it. Father Joe said some people want more catechesis, others want life experiences, others want a story they can tell, and others just want the Scriptures explained more. He tries to balance as much as he can, but you have to be yourself and you have to respond to how Christ is calling you to preach today. On the Feast of the Assumption, he talked about the encyclical of Pope Pius XII in 1950 on the doctrine of the Assumption and the people seemed moved by the Pope's words. Scot said Father Joe serves on the committee that helps implement the Light Is On For You confession initiative in Advent and Lent. Father Joe said being a confessor is great because he knows what it's like to be a penitent on the other side. He sees people who are transformed by confession. When he talks to people who have fallen away from the faith, when penance comes up that's when the person gets very interested and it piques their interest on even an emotional level. Even when he talks to people at social events, they approach him in a very confessional way. One thing Father Joe has brought to Hull is the tradition of processions. The first year they did they had a statue of the Blessed Mother that they brought on board a boat, and then to a dock and then down streets with 350 people. He said people really turn out for the processions. Father Joe said people want to be public and and are proud of their Catholic faith. With very little publicity, hundreds of people turned out and the numbers keep going up each year. 3rd segment: Now as we do every week at this time, we will consider the Mass readings for this Sunday, specifically the Gospel reading. Joshua gathered together all the tribes of Israel at Shechem, summoning their elders, their leaders, their judges, and their officers. When they stood in ranks before God, Joshua addressed all the people: “If it does not please you to serve the LORD, decide today whom you will serve, the gods your fathers served beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites in whose country you are now dwelling. As for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.” But the people answered, “Far be it from us to forsake the LORD for the service of other gods. For it was the LORD, our God, who brought us and our fathers up out of the land of Egypt, out of a state of slavery. He performed those great miracles before our very eyes and protected us along our entire journey and among the peoples through whom we passed. Therefore we also will serve the LORD, for he is our God.” Gospel for the 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time, August 26, 2012 (John 6:60-69) Many of Jesus' disciples who were listening said, “This saying is hard; who can accept it?” Since Jesus knew that his disciples were murmuring about this, he said to them, “Does this shock you? What if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? It is the spirit that gives life, while the flesh is of no avail. The words I have spoken to you are Spirit and life. But there are some of you who do not believe.” Jesus knew from the beginning the ones who would not believe and the one who would betray him. And he said, “For this reason I have told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by my Father.” As a result of this, many of his disciples returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied him. Jesus then said to the Twelve, “Do you also want to leave?” Simon Peter answered him, “Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God.” Father Joe talked about how often people have trouble wrapping their heads around the mysteries of our faith. We live in a culture that is not comfortable with the idea of mystery and not knowing something completely. Scot said when he hears a message that is hard to receive, he looks to the messenger and if he is trustworthy then to trust his message. Father Mark said when he looks at his previous homilies on these readings during the difficult years nine years and six years ago, these powerful lines stand out, especially Joshua saying he and his house will serve the Lord and Jesus knowing people will leave despite what he says. We have to make s stand and choose faith for ourselves. Scot said St. Peter's response of faith is simple. Who else can we go to? Father Joe said when he talks with people who have drifted from the faith or those who haven't but have great doubt and struggle, he tells them that even in our doubt we can never be disconnected from God, we always remain connected to him.
Summary of today's show: Our Thursday panel of Scot Landry, Susan Abbott, Fr. Roger Landry, and Antonio Enrique look at the news headlines of the week, including Cardinal Dolan's declaration of the US as a mission territory; a survey that shows falling confidence in the Church and all organized religion; a slew of new priest assignments; a ministry that cares for ailing priests; new leadership for the Sisters of St. Joseph; and vocations retreats and pro-life boot camps in the Fall River diocese. Listen to the show: Today's host(s): Scot Landry and Susan Abbott Today's guest(s): Antonio Enrique, 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: US mission territory; low confidence in religion; ministry to priests; pro-life boot camp 1st segment: Scot Landry and Susan Abbott caught up on their week. Scot noted that his young sons, Christian and Dominic, are in the studio today. Dominic is six years old today. The Pilot has returned from its two-week hiatus and there's a lot of news to catch up on plus a provocative piece by Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York. 2nd segment: Scot and Susan welcomed Fr. Roger and Antonio to the show. Scot said Cardinal Dolan wrote a column that called the Archdiocese of New York and all of the United States is a mission territory. “I was raised – as were most of you – to think of the missions as ‘way far away' – and, to be sure, we can never forget our sacred duty to the foreign missions,” the New York archbishop wrote on his “Gospel in the Digital Age” blog. “But, we are a mission territory, too. Every diocese is. And every committed Catholic is a missionary. This is at the heart of what Blessed John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI call the New Evangelization.” Susan said she was reminded of a conversation with an Irish Holy Ghost Father 15 years ago who had just come from Africa. He told her that the US is a mission country needing a second evangelization, which is harder than the first. Susan noted how Cardinal Dolan spoke from the heart and warned that we've taken our Catholic faith for granted. He said we all need the Year of Faith. Cardinal Dolan was referencing a speech by Archbishop Charles Chaput of Philadelphia that his archdiocese is a mission territory. Antonio said many Catholics live their faith as if they just happen to be Catholic. He said the religious understanding of life doesn't go very deep anymore and hopefully we renew our focus on passing the faith onto the next generation. Scot quoted from the Cardinal's blog: Because, guess where we're at: We're with the apostles on Pentecost Sunday as we embrace the New Evangelization. No more taking our Catholic faith for granted! No more relaxing in the great things the church has accomplished in the past! Cynicism is replaced by confidence … Hand-wringing by hand-folding … Dullness by dare … Waiting for people to come back replaced by going out to get them … Presuming that people know the richness of their Catholic faith replaced by a realistic admission that they do not … From taking the Church for granted as a “big corporation,” to a tender care for a Church as small and fragile as a tiny mustard seed Jesus spoke about… Keeping our faith to ourselves to letting it shine to others! This is the New Evangelization! The Archdiocese of New York is a mission territory! The whole Church is! Our parishes are! Culture is! The world is! You and I are missionaries! No longer can we coast on the former fame, clout, buildings, numbers, size, money, and accomplishments of the past. As a matter of fact, all of this may have dulled us into taking our faith for granted. No more! We are missionaries. And, it starts inside. Fr. Roger said at the same time as there will be a Synod of Bishops from around the world on the new evangelization in the Vatican in October we'll be launching the Year of Faith for us to re-examine our own faith and re-found it in Christ in our daily life. He said he often talks about the New Evangelization in retreats and talks about the methods of the New Evangelization. Pope Benedict said in a Jubilee Year address that the first method of the New Evangelization is prayer. We need to be praying far more for people to come and experience the fullness of the Lord's love as we have in our own lives. Then we need to be docile to the Holy Spirit, who makes the converts to the faith. We must become more and more united to God. Pope Benedict is asking us to reflect more on our faith. Scot said the Holy Father has called the Year of Faith because of a crisis of faith in the West, as seen in a recent Gallup survey that shows a low in confidence in the Church by Catholics and in organized religion in general. Forty-six percent of Catholics express “a great deal or quite a lot of confidence” in the church and organized religion, compared to 56 percent of Protestants. Overall, 44 percent of Americans expressed that same level of confidence in church/organized religion. The percentage is slightly lower than what Gallup has found in recent years; in 2002, it was 45 percent and in 2007, 46 percent. “This follows a long-term decline in Americans' confidence in religion since the 1970s,” Gallup said. In 1973, 66 percent said they had a high level of confidence in religion. Antonio said it's not very surprising, given all the social unrest in the Sixties and movements to separate people from organized religion. He said maybe it's time to start the New Evangelization because we can see the effects of the last four decades which haven't been fulfilling to people. All the societal decline goes together with this decline in religion and so we can go out and announce the beauty of Christianity and the fulfillment found in God. Scot said a related finding is that American's confidence in other important societal institutions is also at an all-time low, so it's not just the church, but all institutions. Susan said it seems the whole country is in a funk. She said Scripture tells us we must always be ready to give reasons for our hope. (1 Peter 3:15) If we have no hope, where do we go? How do we more forward? The whole spiritual/not religious dichotomy shows the emptiness and loneliness when their is faith without community. She said we see it in our own Archdiocese when the pastoral planning proposal was made and was met by fear and suspicion. Scot said Cardinal Dolan said that cynicism needs to be replaced by confidence. Scot said when he sees that 46% of American Catholics have great confidence in the Church, he would have expected it to be a lot less. Fr. Roger said that number is about double weekly Mass attendance, so we have great reason to hope that there are a lot of people who could be ready to be invited back to Mass. He also noted that many institutions are much lower than the Church (like Congress which was in single digits), even though we really do want 100% to have total confidence in the Church. We are living in an anti-institutional, anti-authoritarian age. Confidence from top to bottom: military, small business, police, church/organized religion, banks, US Supreme Court, public schools, medical system, presidency, television news, newspapers, criminal justice system, organized labor, big business, HMOs, and Congress at the bottom. 3rd segment: This week's benefactor card raffle winner is Fr. Thomas Bouton of Dorchester, MA He wins a “Praying for our Priests” 3 Pack: “Praying for Our Priests” - A Book of prayers for the priesthood An audio CD of the Stations of the Cross and Divine Mercy Chaplet with meditations on the priesthood An audio CD of the Rosary with meditations on the priesthood 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: Scot announced all the recent priestly assignments made in recent weeks: Cardinal Sean P. O'Malley, OFM Cap., has announced the appointment of Father Rodney J. Copp from pastor at St. Charles Borromeo Parish in Waltham, to pastor at St. Gerard Majella Parish in Canton. The effective date of this action is Aug. 28, 2012. Cardinal Sean P. O'Malley, OFM Cap., has accepted the request of Father Robert R. Kennedy to resign as pastor at St. Monica-St. Augustine Parish in South Boston. The cardinal has also granted Father Kennedy senior pries/retirement status. The effective date of these actions is July 31,2012. Cardinal Sean P. O'Malley, OFM Cap., has announced the appointment of Father Thomas J. Powers as pastor at Our Lady of the Assumption Parish in Lynnfield. This appointment is in addition to Father Powers' assignment as pastor at St. Maria Goretti Parish in Lynnfield. The effective date of this action is Aug. 1,2012. Cardinal Sean P. O'Malley, OFM Cap., has announced the appointment of Father George C. Hines from pastor at St. Mary Parish in Wrentham and from pastor at St. Martha Parish in Plainville, to pastor at St. Joseph Parish in Medford. The effective date of this action is Aug. 1, 2012. Cardinal Sean P. O'Malley, OFM Cap., has announced the appointment of Father Frank J. Silva from pastor at Corpus Christi-St. Bernard Parish in Newton, to pastor at St. Margaret Parish in Burlington. The effective date of this action is Sept. 4, 2012. Cardinal Sean P. O'Malley, OFM Cap., has announced the appointment of Father Robert J. Carr from pastor at St. Benedict Parish in Somerville, to pastor at Holy Trinity Parish in Quincy. The effective date of this action is Oct. 1,2012. Cardinal Sean P. O'Malley, OFM Cap., has announced the appointment of Very Reverend Thomas F. Nestor, V.F., from pastor at St. Eulalia Parish in Winchester, to pastor at St. Paul Parish in Hingham. The effective date of this action is Aug. 26, 2012. Scot, Susan, and Antonio discussed the priests they know and the affect it will have. Fr. Roger said anytime there's a change in pastors, it's a time for people in those parishes to bond themselves even more to Christ who sends the priests to serve in His name. Scot noted an article in the Pilot this week profiling Fr. Jim Flavin, a priest of the Archdiocese, who has been sent by Cardinal Seán to work at the St. John Vianney Center in Pennsylvania that provides pastoral care to priests and others in religious ministry who require spiritual and psychological care. He said the work he undertakes can restore a priest or a nun to ministry serving thousands of others in some cases. “If I get a priest healthy, that's a thousand people that get a priest, get the Eucharist, and get God in their lives. So, it's good work,” he said. Antonio liked Fr. Flavin's quote on the foolishness of youth which is also the gift of youth, that is that they think they can change the world. Scot thinks another quote relates to pastoral planning in the archdiocese: “We are getting to a point where we just give priests more work. Where there was one parish with four or five priests, now we are giving one priest four or five parishes,” he said. Scot mentioned Fr. Flavin's relationship with Dorchester native and movie actor Mark Wahlberg. Fr. Roger said the work of the Vianney Center is important because of the work they do for clergy who receive unique stresses in their work. How can a priest deal with the stress of hearing upsetting things in confession when they can't reveal it. So having a talented priest can minister to his brother priests, he can understand better than anyone else who isn't a priest. Fr. Roger said there are several centers like St. John Vianney Center around the country. Also in the Pilot is the 20th anniversary of the Archdiocese of Boston Black Catholic Choir. They had a Mass and gala dinner on June 30 at Boston College High School. Susan said it was pointed out in the article that their work is really a ministry of prayer. Scot said it can be difficult to start ministries but it's even harder to keep them going year after year. He said the choir does more than just sing in some churches, but travel all over to sing at conferences and other events as well. The Diocese of Fall River had its Quo Vadis high school vocation retreats days for young men to consider the call to the priesthood or to just be better formed as Catholic men whatever their vocation. They've had one of their largest gatherings this year and already some of the men entering the seminary now have been on previous Quo Vadis Days. Scot referred to another local story about the Sisters of St. Joseph, a local religious order, who have elected a new leadership team. Susan said Sr. Margaret Sullivan, one of the new leaders, used to work in the Pastoral Center and misses her terribly but wishes her well. In her reflections at the end of the liturgy, Sister Rosemary Brennan said, “Each transition of leadership dares us to dream we can co-create a future which ‘moves always towards profound love of God and love of neighbor without distinction.' The passion and enthusiasm we have for being Sisters of St. Joseph and Associates is what impels us to live - knowing that relationship is always at the heart of who we are; and when we find ourselves in situations which test our relationships we will always seek to live in and through our charism - a charism that is our unique gift to our Church and our world.” Also in the Anchor this week is a story about the pro-life boot camp taking place on the campus of Stonehill College in Easton. Fr. Roger said it was founded last year to help young pro-life Catholics to receive real training to be effective agents in the culture of life. Several years ago some members of the youth group wanted to set up a training program for them so they could then train others. The diocesan pro-life apostolate took on the program, sent a couple of young people to a boot camp in Texas, and then set up the first sold-out boot camp in Easton last year. Fr. Roger said he will be participating and a number of other pro-life leaders will be coming from around the country to help. Scot said Jaymie Wolfe has a great column on what she learned from her time serving three months on a grand jury, especially 16 particular findings.
Summary of today's show: From his school days at the Archdiocesan Choir School as a child, Fr. Bill Kelly has heard the Lord calling him to the priesthood. He just never thought it would take such interesting turns. In his 20+ years as a priest, Fr. Bill has studied in Rome, received a doctorate in theology, taught at the seminary, led the ongoing formation and support of priests, been a pastor, and co-hosted a movie review show on CatholicTV. Fr. Bill joins Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O'Connor to talk about his vocation and his priesthood. Listen to the show: Today's host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O'Connor Today's guest(s): Fr. Bill Kelly Links from today's show: Today's topics: Pastor Profile: Fr. Bill Kelly 1st segment: Scot and Fr. Chris talked about the busy seminary schedule interviewing prospective seminarians for next year. Fr. Chris said this could be the largest class in years, with close to 25 new men applying. He said he's going on vacation next week so he's hoping to wrap up the process this week. Scot noted that early in Cardinal Seán's tenure there was a total of 25 men at the seminary and there was talking about closing it. Now it's filled to capacity with 79 men in residence. Fr. Chris said it's the wisdom of the Church that men are brought together to be formed together. Today's guest is Fr. Bill Kelly, who has served in the archdiocese as head of the office that deals with ongoing clergy formation, as well as teaching at the seminary. Now he's pastor at St. Mary Parish in Dedham. 2nd segment: Scot and Fr. Chris welcome Fr. Bill Kelly. Fr. Chris recalled that Fr. Bill taught him how to drink wine in Rome. Fr. Bill said Fr. Chris didn't have a lot of experience with wine. On the other hand, Fr. Bill was introduced to gin and tonic by Fr. Chris and his family. Fr. Bill grew up in Sacred Heart in North Quincy. He said his parents still live there. The pastor who was there for most of his life exuded the life of the priest. Sadly, he died suddenly in 1996 and a book of essays about this priest by his brother priests was produced and Fr. Bill uses that as an example of the life of the diocesan priest. He was a gentle soul and a tremendous preacher. At his funeral, there were 250 priests and 15 bishops. Six thousand people came to his wake. Out of Sacred Heart, they've had 7 or 8 men who've gone on to priesthood. Fr. Bill said he is the oldest of six, two brothers and three sisters. They are a very musical family. His dad is a drummer and his mother sings. His grandmother had a radio show on which she played piano. They grew up singing around the piano. Fr. Bill attended the Archdiocesan Choir School in Cambridge which elevated his natural interest in music and was the seedbed of his vocation. Fr. Chris said Seiji Ozawa once threw Fr. Bill out of Symphony Hall. Fr. Bill said he was a sixth grader in the choir in a rehearsal and was chitchatting a bit with a friend. Ozawa lost his temper and threw him out. Scot asked why the school was the seedbed of his vocation. Fr. Bill said the first time he thought of the priesthood was in the fourth grade and remembered the priest going to the tabernacle and being in awe of that. Later at the choir school, Ted Marier, the founder and original headmaster was not just a great musician, but Fr. Bill also believes he authentically a saint. The faith of the headmaster and his wife was expressed in the work they did. The choir sang at Mass every day and on Sunday. It was by his devotion to the Church that came pouring out of him through his musical genius. He remembers that the entire school was confirmed every four years, all the kids in the school and the Mariers were the sponsors of all the boys. It was during the singing of one hymn that the ides of a vocation came to him most clearly. Fr. Bill attended Boston College High School. While some of the Jesuits encouraged him to consider the order, he was very interested in diocesan priesthood. He went right into the college seminary, which he loved, not least because they didn't have take any math courses. From there he went to the North American College in Rome for five years. When he left home, his youngest sister was in seventh grade and when came she was a senior in high school. He was home for three years and then returned for doctoral studies. His first assignment was Sacred Heart in East Boston for just three or four months. Then he went to St. Paul's in Hingham. He went to Rome for a doctoral degree in dogma with the plan that he would come back to be spiritual director at the seminary. He was there from 1995 to 2005. Every seminarian has to have a spiritual director. They would meet every two weeks to help him grow in sensitivity and understanding to how God was at work in their lives. It always comes back to how it fits in with how it helps him discern whether God is asking him to be a priest. At the seminary, he had 15 to 25 directees. He also directed a number of religious sisters and laypeople. He also helped design the spiritual life component of the Masters of Arts in Ministry program. All told, he was seeing about 40 people per year in spiritual direction. Scot asked what it's like to see many of the men he directed as priests now. Fr. Bill said it's great to see them later. Fr. Chris was one of the seminarians at the time. He recalls finding Fr. Chris doing an impression of Fr. Bill giving a lecture. Fr. Bill said his priesthood was transformed by the students, seeing their love for the Lord and their priesthood. Fr. Bill said his closest friends in the presbyterate are men who were students when he was there. After St. John's, he was put in charge of ongoing formation for priests. Fr. Bill said it was a natural transition in some ways. He did have to help priests of varying experiences from newly ordained to ordained for decades. It was just a few years after the abuse crisis began so there was a lot of need for providing support for the priests, including just having men come together. Fr. Bill said he is convinced the conversion of the priesthood will come through intellectual formation. Scot said one of the programs Fr. Bill brought to the archdiocese was Good Leaders, GoodShepherds from Catholic LEadership Institute. Fr. Bill said it's a program that helps priests look at leadership skills, especially for priests feeling burdened by administrative tasks. It's not just a time management course, but it truly was centered in the Church's teachings. It weds the best practices of leadership in the corporate world with Church teaching. More than 100 priests in Boston have gone through the program. Scot asked what it was like to travel a lot around the country, speaking and giving retreats for priests. Fr. Bill said he enjoyed speaking to varied groups. He loved to bring communities together in a different way. He's been fortunate in his life. He once lived with the great spiritual writer Henri Nouwen. He met Mother Teresa a number of times. He met Pope John Paul II and Cardinal Ratzinger. He's been able to bring those experiences to his various talks. 3rd segment: Fr. Bill has been at St. Mary's in Dedham for two years. He was a priest for 20 year before becoming a pastor. He'd been living at Holy Family in Rockland for 15 years, helping out on the weekends. He was happy to get the new assignment. It was a significant change. It's phenomenal parish with wonderful leadership. Fr. Matt Williams and Fr. Bill Lohan were there as parochial vicars. Bishop Dooher was pastor there before becoming a bishop. Fr. Bill said their active youth group has a bunch of them in Nicaragua this week. Those who couldn't go have committed to going to the 7am daily Mass to pray for those who went. Fr. Chris asked what makes St. Mary's unique. Fr. Bill said it has a long and beautiful devotional tradition of care for the Blessed Sacrament. They have all-day/all-night adoration on Fridays. They have active prayer groups. The Mass is well attended and they have long and well-established music program. He remembers his first weekend singing with the choir. More recently, Life Teen is perhaps it's most well-known program. Fr. Chris Hickey created this program from almost nothing. Five men with connections to St. Mary's in the seminary with three more going next year. That's the fruit of LifeTeen and of the prayer of the parish for vocations. They also have wonderful participation in the Sacrament of Confession. Fr. Bill said they renovated the confessional and made it very beautiful. It's now a very large space with a great stained glass window. All the ancient traditional symbols of reconciliation have been incorporated into the confessional. They're hoping to increase the amount of time devoted to confession and he said you can't walk across the parking lot without being asked to hear a confession. It's a spirit-filled parish. Fr. Bill said LIft Ministries was founded by two parishioners. Scot said he first heard about St. Mary's because of the LifeTeen program. Scot said you don't see many parishes that have all the generations so active in parish life. Fr. Bill said a priest friend visited last summer and on a Thursday night it was so busy that his friend asked him if he realized how lucky he is. Fr. Bill said at least six groups meet regularly on Thursday nights. Scot asked what the root causes of this active parish are in addition to good priests and prayer. Fr. Bill said it's both the town of Dedham, which is the kind of place where people put down roots and always come home. It's also the families. Because they don't have a school, there is a little bit of a struggle to bring in young families, but they are seeing young families grow again and they are starting to see a growth of ethnic families in the area. Fr. Chris said each priest preaches one basic homily with variations. He asked what it is for Fr. Bill. He said because of his years as a spiritual director he thinks he's mostly attuned to people's friendship with Christ and their relationship with God. Then how does that get lived out. How is it that the Church is the surest way to grow in our relationship with Christ? The Church is the most abundant way that one's spiritual life is able to grow. He said he thinks he needs to ramp up on some of the issues of the day in his preaching. Scot said Fr. Bill also co-hosts a show on CatholicTV called Spotlight along with Fr. Chip Hines. Fr. Bill said he and Fr. Chip were at some gathering for priests and got into a conversation about movies. They got into such an intense discussion that somebody told them they should have their own show. Somehow Fr. Bob Reed heard about it and asked them to do the show. They just finished their third year and have reviewed over 300 movies. They approach it from the point of view of whether it's a good movie on a technical level, but also on what themes can be drawn from it on the basis of our Catholic faith. They will be upfront with people about the content if it's morally objectionable. He said they often hear from cloistered nuns who watch movies based on their reviews. They take a currently running movie and build a theme on it, whether topic or theme or the like. He said the funny thing is when people come up to him at a wedding in the Communion line and look at him with recognition. For the summer, he recommends the quirky movie Moonrise Kingdom. He did just see the Spiderman movie and thought it was terrific. He does agree with critics who said the action scenes are not as exciting as in the other Spiderman movies. He's very interested in seeing Woody Allen's To Rome With Love. The biggest movie of the summer will be The Dark Knight Rises. He thinks the previous installment in the Batman series is one of the best movies ever. He said he knows some seminary professors use it in their moral theology classes. At the top of his list would be the Lord of the Rings trilogy; the Wizard of Oz; Ordinary People because he loves family dramas and because it's when he fell in love with the movies. Scot asked Fr. Bill where he would recommend people look for family-appropriate movies. He said the Boston Globe has a family-friendly guide or search online. Fr. Bill said the old DIsney movies are great for kids. For children's movies, don't take them to the dumbed down movies. There are good movies with good messages and substantial messages. He recommended The Secret World of Arrietty.
Summary of today's show: With regular Tuesday co-host Fr. Chris O'Connor celebrating his 40th birthday today, it had to be time to do a priest profile of Fr. Chris. Scot Landry talks with Fr. Chris about his childhood growing up in Dorchester's St. Margaret Parish, attending parochial schools and then Boston College High; going to seminary, including a year in Rome at the Pontifical North American College; and after ordination being selected for further studies and a ministry forming other men for the priesthood at St. John Seminary. Listen to the show: Today's host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O'Connor Today's topics: Priest Profile: Fr. Chris O'Connor 1st segment: Scot said today is Fr. Chris's 40th birthday, Scot will never forget it because he was born on the exact same day as Scot's wife, Ximena. Fr. Chris was born at St. Margaret's Hospital in Dorchester, which was also located in his parish of St. Margaret's, which is now Blessed Mother Teresa Parish. Fr. Chris talked about going back as a priest to help in the maternity ward of St. Margaret's after his ordination. Fr. Chris is the oldest of three with a sister and a brother. He grew up in St. Margaret's and Fr. Peter Uglietto, now Bishop Uglietto, was the pastor. Fr. Tom Conway and Fr. Joe Hennessey were also there during his childhood. Fr. Chris said the parish is the central identity of people from Dorchester. When you asked someone they were from Dorchester, you were automatically asked what parish. He said their sports rival was St. Peter's Parish, although they also competed to see how many priests and religious they would produce. Fr. Chris remembers that Fr. Conway had brought Mother Teresa to his parish where she prayed for vocations and within a year Fr. Chris was in the college seminary. They also recalled stories of Fr. Chris' childhood in the parochial school. He believes part of the decline in the vocations to the priesthood is connected to decline in the number of religious because the sisters in the schools promoted vocations very strongly. Some of the sisters who taught him in school would share stories of heroic priests, would tell boys that they should consider the priesthood. They also taught the faith in ways not seen today: learning the Psalms by heart, for instance. They also taught the importance of the Eucharist. They also had customs like May processions, which formed an important part of the faith. Fr. Chris said the parish was mainly Irish and Polish, which happened to be his background. There is a whole Polish enclave in Dorchester, with Our Lady of Czestochowa parish in the neighborhood. When he was coming into his adulthood, he also started to see the first influx of families from southeast Asia. 2nd segment: Fr. Chris said both his parents were graduates of Catholic schools and they wanted him to go to Boston College High School. He had many good Jesuits etchers who formed him. Meanwhile, they had moved to Quincy and Sacred Heart Parish, which also produced so many vocations. Fr. Chris said he was helped to graduate by the underhanded tactics of his teachers in giving him a leg up on tests and the like in their tutoring. He graduated from BC High in 1990 and it was still primarily a Jesuit faculty. He recalls so many characters among the priests there. Being around so many priests throughout his youth and adolescence made the abuse crisis especially painful because he had so how hard the priests worked and how they were smeared by association with those who faltered. Unfortunately, now priests are far removed from young men these days because of the fallout from the scandal. Getting to know priests as real men helps boys picture themselves in that life, while only seeing them from afar makes them seem like other. Fr. Chris didn't become a Jesuit because he didn't want to end up in a classroom for his whole priesthood, but ironically he ended up teaching at the seminary. He went to the college seminary and he said there were many pivotal moments of formation there. He was in seminary for 8 or 9 years total. He attended the Pontifical North American College in Rome and at the time it was much more difficult to stay in touch with family and friends back home. Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York was the rector of the seminary at the time, and even then he radiated the joy of the Church. Cardinal Law did allow Fr. Chris to return to Boston to finish his seminary training and he was ordained in 1998. He had asked to serve in an inner-city parish with a school when he was asked for his preferences. He wound up at St. Mary Parish in Chelmsford, which was not inner city nor had a school, but it was a very large and active parish. It was so far from Dorchester, it was like being back in Rome. He served there for three years and he helped form a junior youth ministry program to complement the regular youth ministry that had been so successful. After Chelmsford, he was selected for further studies in philosophy at Catholic University of America in Washington, DC. He earned a Licentiate in philosophy in three years. He lived in an active suburban parish there while studying. He'd studied philosophy in the minor seminary and he was fairly successful in returning to it. He was happy to have had several years of parish experience seeing questions and wonder in people's lives so he could explore those questions in the classroom through a philosophical lens. Scot asked what it was like to study at Catholic University in DC, where there are so many religious orders, the US bishops conference, the National Basilica, and more. Fr. Chris said there were many prominent scholars at CUA, plus elected Catholic officials who would come to speak very often. They would have visiting priests come in to lecture as well as prestigious professors. Fr. Chris said very often the secular study of philosophy attacks the faith, but at Catholic University, faith and reason are presented as compatible. He said young people going to study philosophy need to make sure their school is open to the honest pursuit of truth. Speaking of favorite philosophers, Fr. Chris said St. Augustine is at the top of his list. His thesis, however, was on the philosopher John Rawls. He examined Rawls' assertion that people of faith should not bring that faith into their actions in the public square. Scot said the last four years in seminary is major seminary where you get a Master's in theology. Before that they need a bachelor's degree and study pre-theology. This course includes metaphysics, which considers the big questions of life. They also study ethics, epistemology (study of how we know), ecclesiology (the study of the Church). He also teaches that at the Theological Institute for the New Evangelization, which forms lay people. Fr. Chris has become vice-rector at the seminary, which added administrative responsibilities to his workload. The request that Fr. Chris study theology, especially ecclesiology, came from the current rector, Bishop Arthur Kennedy. Scot and Fr. Chris discussed what ecclesiology is. Fr. Chris is working toward his doctorate in theology. He is thinking of writing his dissertation on the role of the bishop as the principle of communion in the diocese. On the topic, he talked about how the coming pastoral collaborative in the Archdiocese will affect our understanding of what a parish is and the nature of the Church. Scot said Fr. Chris's favorite questions for guests is who are their favorite saints. Fr. Chris said one of his favorites is St. Maximilian Kolbe. In the Franciscan church where Kolbe was a priest before being deported to Auschwitz is a painting of the saint. Nearby is a plaque that says Pope John Paul II prayed there often when he was archbishop of Krakow. Scot asked Fr. Chris was the 40th birthday means to him. Fr. Chris said he has reflected on his own mortality, which good Catholics should do on occasion. In another sense, it's just another day. He considers that as wonderful as this life is, there is a greater life to come in heaven. He said people worry that priesthood is a lonely life, but he's never been lonely. He's open to the many people that Christ brings into his life. Fr. Chris gives thanks to God for his family, who love him at his highest moments and weakest moments. He gives thanks for so many good lay friends, who challenge and encourage him. He appreciates the seminary faculty, nine solid priests who are all on the same page and supportive. He's thankful for the seminarians. He wishes he had been as good as a seminarian as they are today. He wishes they could all be serving in parishes today as priests. He is also thankful for The Good Catholic Life, although he had at first been hesitant to take on another responsibility. Fr. Chris said one of his favorite shows was when they interviewed Fr. Joseph Fessio on Pope Benedict's book last Lent. It was very cerebral and exhilarating. Fr. Fessio gave insight into how then-Fr. Ratzinger was like as a professor.
Today's host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Matt Williams Today's guest(s): Fr. Brian Flynn, Pastor of St. Mary Parish, Lynn; Carl DiMaiti, Principal of St. Mary High School; Andrea Alberti and Chris Carmody, campus ministers and religious education teachers; Helio Neto, Cristian Abarca, Megan Stacey, and Amy Donovan, students Links from today's show: Today's topics: St. Mary High School, Lynn, and the March for Life Summary of today's show: The annual March for Life in Washington, DC, is coming up this week and again the Archdiocese is sending busloads of pilgrims, including more than 100 from St. Mary High School in Lynn. Scot Landry and Fr. Matt Williams talk to the pastor, Fr. Brian Flynn; the principal, Carl DiMaiti; religion teachers Andrea Alberti and Chris Carmody; and four students, Helio Neto, Cristian Abarca, Megan Stacey, and Amy Donovan, about their experience of the March, how those experiences affect their school, how they prepare for months—including before-school meetings each week—for the March, and how they petitioned the local media to give at least as much attention to 400,000 people from all walks of life Marching for Life in DC as they do to a few dozen Occupying Boston's Dewey Square. 1st segment: Scot said Fr. Matt must be the Catholic Church's expert on Tim Tebow. Last week, he gave a few interviews on the Patriots vs. the Broncos football game and Bronco's quarterback Tim Tebow, with his very public witness of faith. They discussed how we all have the responsibility for handing on the witness of the faith. Fr. Matt said he can be an example of living the witness of your faith. They discussed LIFT on Tuesday night, which included Trent Horn, Respect Life director for the Diocese of Phoenix. They've been discussing the dignity of the human person. This month's topic was abortion and next month is physician-assisted suicide. Scot said next week will be 39 years since the Roe v. Wade decision and many people gather in Washington, DC, to mark that occasion. Fr. Matt said he's attended for many years now and the Office for the New Evangelization organizes pilgrimages of youth to attend. It is one of the most powerful and inspiring things that they do each year, to watch what happens to them in this experience, including a deepening of their life in Christ and wanting to witnesses to that. Fr. Matt said St. Mary, Lynn, is bringing 103 people to the March. 2nd segment: Scot welcomed Fr. Flynn, Carl DiMaiti, and Andrea Alberti in a remote studio in Lynn. He asked Carl how many people are coming from St. Mary's High School in Lynn and why it's such a big deal in Lynn. Carl said it starts with the leadership of the school, including the head of school, the pastor, and the campus ministers. He said they take great pride in being the top high school in the archdiocese. Scot asked Fr. Flynn what the March for Life means to him. He said it's great to participate with so many students. Last year was his first at St. Mary's and when he saw how many students were going and how important it was for them that he go, he went. The school and especially the pro-life aspect is the part of the parish assignment that makes him so happy and blessed to be at St. Mary's. Fr. Matt said he's had the privilege of being a priest-chaplain on their bus and he's found the teens to be well-prepared and understanding how this is a pilgrimage which includes sacrifice. He asked Andrea how they help the students prepare. She said Chris Carmody coordinates the pilgrimage and they start preparation three months ahead. The students commit to two meetings a week, at 7:15 am for one and after school for another. They pray and then have a theme, which this year was martyrdom and dying to self. They are also talking about being called by name, as John Paul II said, and that each pilgrim matters. Scot asked Carl who does the recruiting of the students for the March. He said Andrea and Chris play a key role and the faculty is on board and supporting it. The teachers have to arrange for the kids to be out of school for three days. When the teens come back and share their experience, it ignites and enthusiasm for next year. It's one of the biggest events of the year. Fr. Brian said this March is a big piece of what goes on St. Mary's but it's only a piece of it. What leads to going to the March is what happens the rest of the year in the four years they attend the high school. They have a foundation created for them in their faith. Scot asked how many students go each of their years at the school. Andrea said about 90% of the students who go, go every year. When they ask the teens what they loved the most, it's always those opportunities for adoration or other experiences of Christ's presence. Their experience of being a unique unrepeatable soul with a mission and a purpose who is loved is the biggest benefit of the pilgrimage. She said last year's homily at a Mass after the pilgrimage by Fr. Brian gave them new energy and excitement. Fr. Brian said last year he was struck by the small blurbs in the newspapers and other media about the March, when he'd seen 400,000 people, including so many teens, take part. So during the Mass, he passed out his newspapers in the church to show the kids that nothing was in them about it. He asked them how they felt about it and they decided that their voices were not being heard. He said this was a challenge to them, in their voices not being heard in so many ways because they are counter-cultural. Andrea said they could write to the media and ask them to give better coverage in the future. Carl said it's a great way to combine various academic lessons, including persuasive writing skills. Fr. Matt said to Fr. Brian that a number of young men from the school have attended St. Andrew Dinners with Cardinal Seán, to check out the seminary, and asked if this was connected to this pilgrimage. Fr. Brian said it is because it leads them to think about things they might not have thought about otherwise, including what else God might be calling them to do. 3rd segment: It's time to announce this week's winner of the WQOM Benefactor Raffle. Our prizes this week are 2 books by Danny Abramowicz, Peter Herbeck, Curtis Martin, and Brian Patrick: and . This week's benefactor card raffle winner is Geraldine DiBenedetto from Malden, MA. Congratulation, Geraldine! 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: Scot asked Helio about his letter he wrote to local media. He read the letter on air, in which he talked about how 400,000 people should media coverage, comparing that to the Occupy movement, which got so much more coverage. A person will get on the front-page for murder, but the millions of murders of innocents and the protests by people against get ignored. Scot said he liked how he compared what happens at the March to the Occupy movement. Helio said he hasn't received a response yet and he's hoping the media will cover the March. Amy Donovan then read her letter. She said her aim is to save lives lost in abortion and to help the mothers who make this choice. She said it's not about changing people's minds, but about standing up what they believe. She asked the media not to ignore the 400,000 voices. Fr. Matt said he liked how she noted 500 young people who stand up for what they believe in and that's what's newsworthy, even if the media disagree with what they believe. He asked her how many times she's been. Amy said she went last year and it was a great experience. The March was breathtaking, seeing all the people together marching for the same principle. Fr. Matt said it's a beautiful realization when you realize you are not alone in your belief, not to mention seeing how big the Church is, you realize what it is to realize what it's like to be One Body in Christ. Fr. Matt asked Chris's reaction reading these letters. He said it's rewarding to know the students realize that this isn't an excuse to get out of school, but that they see the purpose of the trip and value the unrepeatable souls that are lost in abortion. He said it's great to read the letters and see the students react. It's easy to get caught up in the logistics of the trip, so the letters help to remind him of the true purpose of the trip. Helio said he went on last year's trip and the highlight was seeing the hundreds of thousands of people, when you can't see a beginning or end to the crowd. Fr. Matt asked Amy what the preparation for this trip was like compared to last year. Since it's her second trip, she's taken a leadership role to help those who are going for the first time to prepare and knowing what to expect has gotten her very excited for this trip. Fr. Matt mentioned Tim Tebow and how his open faith draws positive and negative reactions. He asked them what it's like for them in their relationships with everyone in their circles for them to stand up for life. Amy said while others may think she's wasting her time, but she feels supported by the St. Mary's community. Sometimes people are shocked because she is pro-life and she just repeats to them that everyone should be given a chance to live and stands firm in that. Scot asked Helio about reactions he gets to going on the March. He said most people he know are pro-life but even those who don't agree, respect him for it. 5th segment: Scot welcomed Meghan and Cristian to the show. He asked Meghan to read her letter. She wrote about her inalienable rights and how those rights have been infringed by being denied to certain groups. She stands pro-life to fight such injustices. As participant in the March for Life, her presence and voice have been ignored. Scot complimented her on how she infused her patriotism with her pro-life stance. she said as an American and a Catholic that those should go together. Fr. Matt asked Meghan how this year's March for Life will be different from her first one last year. Meghan said with each year she changes a lot and she knows that while it's the same message and same basic action, it will be an entirely different experience and effect on her. Scot asked her how she shares that voice she speaks of with friends and others. Meghan said even within her family, she had to educate them about abortion or the Gospel of Life that the Church teaches and by getting involved with it more herself, it's helped them to understand it's importance for them and for others at her school. Even with her friends, when she's not specifically talking about her beliefs, she makes it apparent through her actions. Scot asked Cristian to read his letter. Cristian wrote that he thought the March was too big to go unnoticed, but when he came back he was disappointed to see how little coverage it got. The medias more attention to 20,000 watching a basketball game, but not to 400,000 marching in Washington, DC. Scot said he was struck by Cristian's words about how he is walking not just for himself, but for all those who have no one to speak for themselves. Andrea said she sees the students come to understanding of why God made them and how God loves them. Scot asked Cristian about how Andrea recognizes how much he has grown and changed. Cristian gave credit to Andrea and Chris for their teaching and leading in classes. Andrea said participating in the Thirty Hour Famine that they do during the Easter Triduum helped her to focus on her faith and on trying to become a saint. 6th segments: Scot asked Chris about the New Evangelization and how he sees these students as the protagonists of it. Chris said he sees them bringing the message of Christ to everyone, including faculty and staff and families. They even bring some of their parents back to the Church. Scot asked Andrea what they're doing in the religion department that makes the students want to live their faith. Andrea remembered in her job interview that the principal said “We are uncompromisingly Catholic.” That's a big part of it. In the religion department, they took on the new framework from the US Bishops' Conference which focuses on a relationship with Christ. Fr. Matt said Andrea and Chris mentor young people in the life of the faith. He said Fr. Brian's comment that the pilgrimage is part of a whole framework of what they do to form young people and asked how they do that. Chris said it's not just the religion department but the whole faculty. They build them up in every area, through relationships, and that allows them to witness to them. They witness to them in sports and other extracurricular activity. Andrea said every Tuesday at 7:15am there are 50 to 100 students gather for prayer before school, which inspires the teachers. Scot asked what leadership responsibilities they ask of students who have been on the March. Chris said they ask them to be mentors and witnesses to the younger students. They get up and give a witness before all the others to help prepare others for each step on the pilgrimage. Chris said when they come back from the pilgrimage you see a new desire for Christ and a new interest in doing their best in all areas of their life.
**Today's host(s):** Scot Landry and Fr. Matt Williams **Today's guest(s):** Fr. Chip Hines, Pastor of St. Mary Parish, Wrentham, and co-host of CatholicTV's "Spotlight" * [St. Thomas More](http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14689c.htm) * [St. John Fisher](http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08462b.htm) **Today's topics:** St. Thomas More and St. John Fisher **Summary of today's show:** Scot, Fr. Matt, and Fr. Chip Hines commemorate the feast day of St. Thomas More and St. John Fisher by discussing their martyrdom, especially in light of the movie of More's life, "A Man for All Seasons." They also discuss how More shows Catholics today how to be authentic witness with regard to politics and public life. **1st segment:** Scot welcomes Fr. Matt back to the show. Fr. Matt is preparing a young adult retreat this weekend at St. Thecla's in Billerica called "Life is Good in the Holy Spirit." The young adults always come back strengthened in their faith. There are specific talks that build up to praying for the release of the Holy Spirit in a new way in their life. They also have Adoration, Mass, Confession, small group discussion, and plenty of fellowship. There are about 12 different team members running the weekend. On today's show, this is the feast of St. Thomas More and St. John Fisher, Catholics who were beheaded for standing up for the Catholic faith against King Henry VIII, who was leading the Church of England away from the Church. Thomas More is one of Scot's favorite saints. Fr. Matt said they help us to understand what it's like to live as a Catholic in this world. Scot said the 1966 movie "A Man for All Seasons" is a good way to enter into the life of St. Thomas More. **2nd segment:** Scot welcomes Fr. Chip back to the show. He's been very busy at St. Mary in Wrentham with preparations for parish activities throughout the summer. With regard to the movie "A Man for All Seasons", Fr. Chip said that it's in his top-five movies of all time. It's a classic and there's nothing bad you can say about this movie. It's engaging with great performances. Scot said St. Thomas More was being pressured by King Henry VIII to accede to his wishes, to say that he was the supreme head of the church in England, and not the Pope. Many other leaders in England knuckled under to the pressure, but St. Thomas More resisted because of his faith. He is a model of courage under adversity. Fr. Chip said if you want to show this value to somebody, this movie is a perfect example. Thomas More did not waver in the end. Fr. Chip said he did not become heroic overnight, but throughout his whole life, while this movie gives a snippet of that. It's a great image of what it means to be a Catholic in public life.. The movie starts a few years before he became chancellor of England. He was a tremendous intellect and a lawyer. Fr. Matt said he loved his family and was a devoted father. He was deeply faith-filled and wasn't afraid to let that affect his professional life. He was a judge who had a reputation for efficiency in adjudicating cases. Fr. Chip said he was known for his honesty as well. He couldn't be bribed. Leading a heroic Catholic life, you need to be true to yourself and your faith and to God. He was a prolific writer as well. Fr. Chip said being a good father figure was important to him. He even insisted that his daughters receive a good classical education. He was born in 1477 and died on July 6, 1535, beheaded at the order of King Henry VIII. St. John Fisher was martyred on June 22, 1535. He was a bishop, the only one who did not sign the oath that King Henry VIII was demanding. They were beatified on the same day and canonized on the same day. They are heroes for standing up for their faith in the face of intense pressure. **3rd segment:** Scot said "A Man for All Seasons" was one of the first movies on virtue and courage he'd seen. Fr. Chip said the movie opens with a scene of a message being brought to St. Thomas More. It's beautifully filmed so the viewer feels like they're on the river. It sets the scene for what's coming up. When you think about our lives today with instant communication, this was like the instant message of the 14th century. Fr. Chip said it's a fun movie as well as having a great message. It won Best Movie and Best Actor at the Oscars in 1966. In this first scene, Thomas More is asked to visit with Cardinal Wolsey, the chancellor of England at the time. Wolsey wanted to ask More how he can help the king have an heir. The king had already had a dispensation from the Pope to marry his cousin, but she did not produce a son so he wanted to divorce her to marry another woman. The cardinal was presented with the problem of trying to satisfy the king's demand which was in conflict with Church teaching. Thomas More was clear that this wasn't their business, but was up to the Holy Father. There is a character called Richard Rich, a young man who wanted desperately to receive a position in the law with Thomas More. He eventually succeeded Thomas More as chancellor. Fr. Matt said the character is fascinating. More can see his strengths and weaknesses, how he could be tempted in greed or lust for power and seduced by his own intellect. More tried to encourage him into a field where he could be safe from such temptations and where he could live virtuously. Ultimately, Rich ends up joining More's nemesis, Cromwell, and tells the lie that becomes the false evidence that convicts More of being disloyal to the throne. Scot said More sensed Rich's potential as well as the danger of keeping him around, yet he still tried to mentor him and help him find his true vocation. Scot compared it to how Jesus knew Judas would betray him, yet kept him close and tried to form him so He could forgive him. More loved Rich loved him like a second father to the young man. Fr. Chip said in the actor's performance you can see More's love and respect for Rich and how he saw the danger in his path. You see people like this in your own life, people who are traveling on a bad path and won't respond to your prompting to go another direction. Fr. Matt said More was really being a friend to him. So often we hear that people will go along with what someone wants to do because that's being their friend, when friendship considers what's really good for him. It invites us to consider how important it is to be a good friend and to mentor, especially young people, in the faith, to help them discover the gifts that they have and encourage them in that direction. And not to be afraid to say that we don't think this is not a good direction, speaking in love. Fast-forwarding in the movie, upon Wolsey's death, the king appoints Thomas More as his new chancellor. The heat on the chancellor to find a way for the king to divorce his wife and re-marry is turned up on Thomas. He tries to stay as distant from it as possible, until Henry comes to visit him. Fr. Chip said Henry is trying to use his friendship with More to convince him of the need to accede to the king's desire. That unwavering faith in what the Church says is pretty adamant and strong in his personality and shown well through the actor's performance. It becomes a battle of the wills and More isn't the one to blink. He's very careful not to say something that will result him in being beheaded. King Henry knows that in all of England, Thomas More is respected for his integrity and honesty. And it's because of that reputation that the king wants More's support so that the people will be have confidence that the king is doing the right thing. The queen, Catherine, is not unpopular so the king wanted to win their support first. More was between an all-powerful king as well as his well-meaning family who did not understand his strong stance, on the one hand, and his unwavering commitment to truth, integrity, and his faith on the other. All these years later, More retains the respect of people and is known for his honesty. Fr. Matt said he is authentic which happens when the outward appearance matches up with the who I am in the interior life. Catholics are called to be witnesses by the way we live our lives with authenticity and integrity. You can take away many things from a man, but you can't take away his witness. He can give it away, however. It takes great courage to live that witness. **4th segment:** It's time to announce the winner of the weekly **WQOM Benefactor Raffle**. Our prize this week is a copy of the 2 audio CD set [How Mary & the Rosary Can Change Your Life](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1932927131/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=pilo0e-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=1932927131), by Marcellino D'Ambrosio. This week's winner is **Brian & Marcia Kean from West Roxbury, Mass**. Congratulations Brian and Marcia! 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 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. **5th segment:** Scot said More talks in the movie about the important role of conscience: When leaders forsake their private conscience in their public duties, they lead their countries on a short route to chaos. Fr. Matt said the conscience is the place where the Lord speaks to the soul and the Lord informs the conscience to make decisions in light of God's plan for how He made the world to be. We need to have informed consciences when it comes to moral issues. It's not just our conscience, but an informed conscience. The Church's teachings are formed in rationality. Fr. Chip said people in public life today will say, I'm personally opposed, but I can't impose my conscience on someone else. But they're not imposing. The conscience is informed by the truth, so why wouldn't you spread the truth as opposed to spreading a lie. Scot said the Holy Father has said that if your conscience rooted in the truth is not heeded, then someone else's conscience is being imposed on you. Private conscience is rooted and based on principles. St. Thomas More is saying that a government official needs to have a well-rooted private conscience in order to lead and do their public duties. If they're not rooted and instead put their fingers in the wind to do what's popular, he says they are leading their country by a short route to chaos. Public officials aren't elected just to vote on what the majority of their constituents want, but are elected because of their proper judgment and formation. We elect them in order to trust them to get into the details that we can't in the rest of society and apply their good judgment, virtue, and values. Fr. Chip said our system of government has turned into a system of polls and where people want us to go this day. To find corruption, all you have to see is three speakers of the House in the Mass. Legislature in a row convicted of felonies. What's wrong with this picture? We keep sending the same sorts of people back to office and get the same result. Scot said we, as voters, have allowed our system of government to be dumbed down. Politicians legislate by polls, because we as voters have allowed them to. There is a lot less expected of candidates in races, probably because we're a soundbite media and because the voters have stopped demanding substance. Voters need to reward people for taking ethical stands, even if we disagree with them because we want people of true value and principle in office even if we agree with them only 80% or 90% of the time. Fr. Matt said it reflects the lack of appreciation by voters for virtuous leadership. Politicians are a reflection of ourselves as a country. If you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything. It takes courage to consistently stand for something. Thomas More was a man of authenticity. The king went to Thomas More because the people were watching him and saw him as a man if integrity. His lack of support hindered the king's goals. Fr. Chip said voters have to decide if the current system is what we want for the future. He'd rather stand with someone who stood for something rather than someone wavering in the wind. Scot said More had a discussion with his future son-in-law, who pleaded with More to circumvent the law in order to fix the ills he saw in society. More asked him if he would cut down every law in England to get at the "devil" and the son-in-law said he would. And More said, And when the last law is cut down and the devil turns on you at last, where will you hide? This country is planted thick with laws and if you cut them down, do you think you'd stand upright in the winds that would buffet you? "Yes, I'd give the devil the benefit of the law for my own safety's sake." Scot said most elected officials respect that we have a system of laws and if you don't like the way things are, you change the law through the legislature and normal protocols. But recent examples of the undermining of the law include same-sex marriage in Massachusetts where the law was not changed legislatively, but through the courts and the voters weren't given a chance to vote on it. Also, when Mass. voters have passed tax reforms in referenda, they were ignored. And when the Defense of Marriage Act was passed nationally, President Obama instructed the Justice Department not to advocate to defend the law. There might be times when we're on the side where the law doesn't benefit us and if we encourage people on our side to ignore the rule of law, it's to our own peril. It's troubling when laws get circumvented either through the judiciary overstepping their bounds or the executive not enforcing the laws. Fr. Chip said it's also troubling when those in power change the rules to stay in power and people who wish to serve can't beat them in elections so keep having the same people over and over again. We have a judiciary that constantly oversteps its bounds and the Founding Fathers put the checks and balances in place for a reason. We see those checks and balances break down in the past decade and cowardice in the legislature, where they wouldn't stand up and let the people be heard. Thomas More would not have stood for that. Fr. Matt said it also speaks of the need for a new evangelization. The Church has to continue to find ways to help people whose hearts have grown cold in the faith. People are being more evangelized by the gospel of the culture than the Gospel of the Jesus Christ. It calls for the Church to reclaim her prophetic role of teaching, preaching, witnessing and evangelizing. Scot said in the state of New York the legalization of gay marriage is before the state legislature and Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York has spoken up on the Church's views and many folks have been attacking him from all sides. He has spoken the truth with courage and joviality and certainly it can't be comfortable for anyone to read headlines calling him a bigot. Scot said there's no one better at articulating the Church's teachings in the public sphere with the right tone and emphasis. Yet he still takes a beating in the press. **6th segment:** In the end, Thomas More is martyred. Fr. Matt said the word comes from Greek and it means "witness." They are witnesses by the shedding of their blood. They are willing to die for their belief in Christ. More was willing to die rather than compromise his faith in the Lord or be a false witness. Fr. Matt said it shows that faith is messy. St. Paul was a real men dealing with persecution, but we can forget that with a cursory reading of his letters. It's not easy to live for Christ in the world. Fr. Chip said we have a sanitized idea of Christianity. We see saints with halos in pictures and think everything is great, but we forget that they struggled heroically for the faith. Maybe we don't talk about it enough. People who show heroic witness need to be exalted. Scot said Americans of today don't often encounter persecution for our faith, but there are martyrs around the world all the time. Just this year, there have been martyrs in Pakistan, Ivory Coast, Iraq, Egypt, Indonesia, and more. Fr. Chip he hears people say they couldn't make it to Mass because the parking lot was full, yet people in Latin America will walk miles to go to Sunday Mass, even if they can once per month. Previous generations of American Catholics have suffered white martyrdom, which is suffering for the faith, but not physical violence. Fr. Matt said we endure martyrdom because we love Jesus, He's worth dying for or even just losing our reputations. We need to pray for courage to live our faith intentionally. And my witness has an overflowing effect on other people because others see us living our faith. Scot said St. Thomas was able to have this courage because he was a man of prayer. Fr. Chip said Thomas' final words were, "I was the king's good servant, but God's first." We need to remember that in our own lives. To be in service to God first. More even forgave the executioner and told him to do his duty.
**Today's host(s):** Scot Landry and Fr. Chip Hines, pastor of St. Mary Parish, Wrentham **Today's guest(s):** Sister Terry Rickard, President of Renew International, Janet Benestad, Secretary for Faith Formation and Evangelization for the Archdiocese of Boston, and Mary Ann McLaughlin, Co-Director of the Office of Worship and Spiritual Life and Director of Arise: Together in Christ * [Renew International](http://www.renewintl.org/) * ["Our Hearts Were Burning Within Us": A Pastoral Plan for Adult Faith Formation in the United States](http://www.nccbuscc.org/education/ourhearts.htm) * [Arise: Together in Christ](http://www.bostoncatholic.org/ARISE.aspx?pid=464) * [Why Catholic?: Journey Through the Catechism](http://www.bostoncatholic.org/whycatholic.aspx?pid=464) **Today's topics:** Adult faith formation and the new program called Why Catholic? **A summary of today's show:** Scot and Fr. Chip talk with Sr. Terry Rickard, Janet Benestad, and Mary Ann McLaughlin about adult faith formation and the new program in the Archdiocese of Boston called "Why Catholic?" that will take parishioners through the Catechism. **1st segment:** Scot welcomes Fr. Chip as a substitute co-host for Fr. Matt Williams who is traveling. He has been pastor at St. Mary's for three years as of May 1. He's working hard to try some new things, bringing people closer together and bring people back to God. He also co-hosts the movie review show Spotlight with Fr. Bill Kelly on CatholicTV. He's been a big fan of movies as long as he can remember. They've completed their second season of the show. Scot said they'll be speaking today about the centrality of adult faith formation in the Archdiocese of Boston and specifically about the new program following on Arise and Catholics Come Home called Why Catholic? Fr. Chip said he's excited to hear about these programs coming from the archdiocese because not every parish has the resources to do it all on their own and re-inventing the wheel. **2nd segment:** Scot welcomes Sr. Terry and Janet to the show. Scot said most of what Renew does is helping dioceses and parishes with adult faith formation. Renew came out of the renewal of the Second Vatican Council and focuses on the methodology of small groups. They have worked in 24 countries and 160 dioceses in the US over the past 30 years. Currently they are working in 51 dioceses. Scot said there are about 176 dioceses in the US. Scot said to Janet that the US bishops wrote in a document about 10 years ago that adult faith formation is central to the mission of the Church. Janet said Bl. John Paul wrote in [Catechesi Tradendae](http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/apost_exhortations/documents/hf_jp-ii_exh_16101979_catechesi-tradendae_en.html) about this centrality for the first time. Our parishes do a good job educating and forming children, but we haven't done as well at ongoing formation for adults. Scot said he was surprised to read in the US bishops' document: >The Church wisely and repeatedly insists that adult faith formation is "essential to who we are and what we do as Church" and must be "situated not at the periphery of the Church's educational mission but at its center." While most Catholic parishes place a high priority on the faith formation of children and youth, far fewer [Catholic parishes] treat adult faith formation as a priority. Fr. Chip said it's important that we do it, but we're not doing it. We're so focused with our limited resources on forming children that we let parents and other adults slip through the cracks. He did a formation series last fall on Church history and it was sporadically attended. But that can't be discouraging because people do tell him they want such formation. We just have to find what works for them. The US bishops said well-formed adults are our next generation of catechists and other volunteers within the parish. Sr. Terry said such programs are not just informational transferral, but information for transformation of the person. At Renew they start where people are at and as people gather in the small groups, they start with prayer, then read the Word of God, and then apply it to their lives. Fr. Chip asked Sr. Terry how do you involve young parents, with everything that they have going on in their lives? She said you can't do adult faith formation without evangelization and you need evangelization strategies. The strategies of inviting are important. Part of Renew's success is that the groups can meet at any time, any day. You can have many groups with a variety of times. Scot said the US bishops' document talks about the characteristics of a spiritually mature faith: frequent reading of the word of God, sacred writings of our tradition, and the official documents of the Church; involvement in the community life and mission of the Church; personal prayer; participation in the works of justice and service to the poor; and the fulfillment of our human obligations in family and society through the active practice of love for God and neighbor. It goes on: >A living faith is a searching faith-—it "seeks understanding." Adults need to question, probe, and critically reflect on the meaning of God's revelation in their unique lives in order to grow closer to God. A searching faith leads to deepening conversion. Janet said so much of the confusion about the faith is that when people hear what the Church says about a controversial issue, they just shut down rather than to study and learn and understand. Taking seriously the practice of faith within the community and taking seriously the formation of conscience are fundamental to faith. Adult faith formation takes seriously the obligation to give answers or help people seek answers. The Church wants you to question what she says, but not to just stop there. Find the truth and be open to the truth wherever it is found. Doing this in a group is a way to help each other find their way.Sr. Terry said the methodology of the small groups is to see, judge (based on the truth of Scripture and Tradition, applying it to our lives), and then turn it into action. Scot said research tells us that those who are most engaged in the parish are those who have one of their best friends in the parish and so faith-sharing groups can nurture acquaintances into friendships and deepen friendships even more. **3rd segment:** Scot said the Bishops' document talked about six dimensions that good adult faith formations programs would include: knowledge of the faith, liturgical life, moral formation, prayer, communal life, and missionary spirit. The idea is to pick one or two at a time and grow a little bit in the different seasons of our lives. Fr. Chip said missionary spirit and communal life often get left behind. People pretty much know how to pray and people come to Mass, but when he talks about going out and proclaiming faith in what they say and what they do, they balk at that. People like to keep their faith in a box on a shelf and take it out for a time on Sundays. The Church tells us you can't do that. He talks about community all the time to stress that Church is a place to come any time. Scot said there are 5 different places for learning: in families, large groups, individual and self-study, and individual activities. Scot would add programs of the various Catholic media. Scot asked Sr. Terry why small group faith formation has proven to be so successful. Sr. Terry said when Renew was founded in New Jersey, the two priests who began it had been active in the Catholic family movement and the RCIA and both of those had been successful with small groups. If we're bringing in people through RCIA, then we want the parishes to have that same experience of small group faith-sharing. Scot said that in his professional experience as a manager, he's found that people have different learning styles and he's had to adapt to other learning styles. Sr. Terry said small-group learning is so good because our faith is communal and is essentially lived together. Renew is also exploring new media, just starting podcasts and webinars and creating a [Facebook page](http://www.facebook.com/RENEWIntl). Scot asked Janet about her hopes for Why Catholic? This will be the opportunity to get the Catechism into the hands of thousands of Catholics in the Archdiocese and the small faith-sharing groups will help people overcome their discomfort at approaching a new document. Why Catholic? begins with the last section of the Catechism on Prayer because they've found it to be most effective. Fr. Chip said the new [YouCat](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1586175165/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=pilo0e-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399349&creativeASIN=1586175165) youth catechism would be effective for adults as well as youth. Janet agreed because it gives a beautiful treatment of the topics covered by the universal Catechism. She said the new [US Catechism for Adults](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1574554506/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=pilo0e-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399349&creativeASIN=1574554506) would be suitable as well. YouCat is in a question and answer format that works well for some people. Janet said Pope Benedict wrote the introduction for YouCat and it's an explicit invitation to those who may have been away from the Church. **4th segment:** Scot welcomes Mary Ann McLaughlin to the show. Mary Ann led ARise and now leads the Why Catholic? program. Why is it a good followup to Arise. She said small groups has proven to be an essential experience to the life of the Church. She said Cardinal Sean confirms that one needs to be immersed in the community when learning the language of faith, just like immersion helps one learn a foreign language. The small community in faith-sharing gives us a place to learn that language of faith. Of course, the Church has always had small groups: Cursillo, prayer groups, Bible studies. Gathering in community is the nature of the Church. Scot asked Sr. Terry for an overview of Why Catholic? They are starting this week with informational sessions on the program for pastors and parish leaders. Similar to Arise, parishes will have teams of 8-12 people to prepare and get the word out. In October, there will be a training on implementing Why Catholic? In January, there will be a small community leader training on the first book, Prayer, which is actually the fourth pillar of the Catechism. They've found that people are open to learning about prayer and an deepening the relationship with God opens them to more. They will do six weeks in the spring and then another six weeks in the fall. In the second year, they will study the Creed. The third year, the sacramental life of the Church. The fourth year, the moral life of the Church. Scot said each of the semesters is structured as six lessons. Mary Ann said the lessons start with an opening prayer, then a reflection of a human experience, then a Scripture, then questions to jumpstart faith-sharing, then an invitation to act. The invitation to act has worked to cause people to think about what has just been prayed and taught and to ask how it works in their life. What starts individually often ends up becoming the groups asking what they can do together. Sr. Terry said each small group has about 8-12 people meeting in someone's home. There is a one trained leader. The sessions are 90 minutes. Some people do a lectionary-based prayer in between the six-week sessions. **5th segment:** Welcome back. It's time to announce the winner of the weekly WQOM Benefactor Raffle. Our prize this week is a copy of the book “[Synergy: Science Reasons with Atheists](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1601040342/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=pilo0e-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399349&creativeASIN=1601040342),” from BrideGroomPress.com. Historian and theologian Steven Kellmeyer has assembled over 50 of the most common questions about science and faith in order to lay out the clear, concise answers you have been looking for. This week's winner is **Ann Bouchard of Nashua, New Hampshire**. Congratulations Ann! If you would like to be eligible to win in an upcoming week, please visit 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. **6th segment:** Scot said Cardinal Sean has sent a letter to all pastors about Why Catholic? and encouraging them to take part. Scot said that Renew working with an archdiocese is able to take a good program and make it available to every parish and in many different languages for many different cultures. In Boston, for the first time they'll make the materials available in Chinese for Why Catholic? Scot asked her what the group leaders do and how they can let their pastors know they're interested. The pastor works with the pastoral council to come up with the names of people who would be willing to be leaders. The parish leader then goes to training sessions where they receive tools and support from the archdiocesan office and Renew directly. The small group leaders also go to regional training sessions. Fr. Chip asked if it's beneficial for a parish to have a professional staff be the local leader? Sr. Terry said most of the time the leaders are volunteers, but if a parish has a staff member like that, then they should be at least on the team. They don't want to overburden religious ed directors. Mary Ann said people can learn about Why Catholic by calling 617-779-3640 or by going to the website of BostonCatholic or Renew International (see above). That will conclude today's presentation of The Good Catholic Life. For recordings and photos of today's show and all previous shows, please visit our website: TheGoodCatholicLife.com. You can also download the app for your iPhone or Android device at WQOM.org to listen to the show wherever you may be. We thank our guests, Sister Terry Rickard, Mary Ann McLaughlin, and Janet Benestad. For our co-host, Father Chip Hines, our Production team of Rick Heil, Anna Johnson, Justin Bell, Dom Bettinelli, and George Martell, this is Scot Landry saying thank YOU for listening, God bless you and have a wonderful evening!
**Today's host(s):** Scot Landry and Fr. Chip Hines, pastor of St. Mary Parish, Wrentham **Today's guest(s):** Sister Terry Rickard, President of Renew International, Janet Benestad, Secretary for Faith Formation and Evangelization for the Archdiocese of Boston, and Mary Ann McLaughlin, Co-Director of the Office of Worship and Spiritual Life and Director of Arise: Together in Christ * [Renew International](http://www.renewintl.org/) * ["Our Hearts Were Burning Within Us": A Pastoral Plan for Adult Faith Formation in the United States](http://www.nccbuscc.org/education/ourhearts.htm) * [Arise: Together in Christ](http://www.bostoncatholic.org/ARISE.aspx?pid=464) * [Why Catholic?: Journey Through the Catechism](http://www.bostoncatholic.org/whycatholic.aspx?pid=464) **Today's topics:** Adult faith formation and the new program called Why Catholic? **A summary of today's show:** Scot and Fr. Chip talk with Sr. Terry Rickard, Janet Benestad, and Mary Ann McLaughlin about adult faith formation and the new program in the Archdiocese of Boston called "Why Catholic?" that will take parishioners through the Catechism. **1st segment:** Scot welcomes Fr. Chip as a substitute co-host for Fr. Matt Williams who is traveling. He has been pastor at St. Mary's for three years as of May 1. He's working hard to try some new things, bringing people closer together and bring people back to God. He also co-hosts the movie review show Spotlight with Fr. Bill Kelly on CatholicTV. He's been a big fan of movies as long as he can remember. They've completed their second season of the show. Scot said they'll be speaking today about the centrality of adult faith formation in the Archdiocese of Boston and specifically about the new program following on Arise and Catholics Come Home called Why Catholic? Fr. Chip said he's excited to hear about these programs coming from the archdiocese because not every parish has the resources to do it all on their own and re-inventing the wheel. **2nd segment:** Scot welcomes Sr. Terry and Janet to the show. Scot said most of what Renew does is helping dioceses and parishes with adult faith formation. Renew came out of the renewal of the Second Vatican Council and focuses on the methodology of small groups. They have worked in 24 countries and 160 dioceses in the US over the past 30 years. Currently they are working in 51 dioceses. Scot said there are about 176 dioceses in the US. Scot said to Janet that the US bishops wrote in a document about 10 years ago that adult faith formation is central to the mission of the Church. Janet said Bl. John Paul wrote in [Catechesi Tradendae](http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/apost_exhortations/documents/hf_jp-ii_exh_16101979_catechesi-tradendae_en.html) about this centrality for the first time. Our parishes do a good job educating and forming children, but we haven't done as well at ongoing formation for adults. Scot said he was surprised to read in the US bishops' document: >The Church wisely and repeatedly insists that adult faith formation is "essential to who we are and what we do as Church" and must be "situated not at the periphery of the Church's educational mission but at its center." While most Catholic parishes place a high priority on the faith formation of children and youth, far fewer [Catholic parishes] treat adult faith formation as a priority. Fr. Chip said it's important that we do it, but we're not doing it. We're so focused with our limited resources on forming children that we let parents and other adults slip through the cracks. He did a formation series last fall on Church history and it was sporadically attended. But that can't be discouraging because people do tell him they want such formation. We just have to find what works for them. The US bishops said well-formed adults are our next generation of catechists and other volunteers within the parish. Sr. Terry said such programs are not just informational transferral, but information for transformation of the person. At Renew they start where people are at and as people gather in the small groups, they start with prayer, then read the Word of God, and then apply it to their lives. Fr. Chip asked Sr. Terry how do you involve young parents, with everything that they have going on in their lives? She said you can't do adult faith formation without evangelization and you need evangelization strategies. The strategies of inviting are important. Part of Renew's success is that the groups can meet at any time, any day. You can have many groups with a variety of times. Scot said the US bishops' document talks about the characteristics of a spiritually mature faith: frequent reading of the word of God, sacred writings of our tradition, and the official documents of the Church; involvement in the community life and mission of the Church; personal prayer; participation in the works of justice and service to the poor; and the fulfillment of our human obligations in family and society through the active practice of love for God and neighbor. It goes on: >A living faith is a searching faith-—it "seeks understanding." Adults need to question, probe, and critically reflect on the meaning of God's revelation in their unique lives in order to grow closer to God. A searching faith leads to deepening conversion. Janet said so much of the confusion about the faith is that when people hear what the Church says about a controversial issue, they just shut down rather than to study and learn and understand. Taking seriously the practice of faith within the community and taking seriously the formation of conscience are fundamental to faith. Adult faith formation takes seriously the obligation to give answers or help people seek answers. The Church wants you to question what she says, but not to just stop there. Find the truth and be open to the truth wherever it is found. Doing this in a group is a way to help each other find their way.Sr. Terry said the methodology of the small groups is to see, judge (based on the truth of Scripture and Tradition, applying it to our lives), and then turn it into action. Scot said research tells us that those who are most engaged in the parish are those who have one of their best friends in the parish and so faith-sharing groups can nurture acquaintances into friendships and deepen friendships even more. **3rd segment:** Scot said the Bishops' document talked about six dimensions that good adult faith formations programs would include: knowledge of the faith, liturgical life, moral formation, prayer, communal life, and missionary spirit. The idea is to pick one or two at a time and grow a little bit in the different seasons of our lives. Fr. Chip said missionary spirit and communal life often get left behind. People pretty much know how to pray and people come to Mass, but when he talks about going out and proclaiming faith in what they say and what they do, they balk at that. People like to keep their faith in a box on a shelf and take it out for a time on Sundays. The Church tells us you can't do that. He talks about community all the time to stress that Church is a place to come any time. Scot said there are 5 different places for learning: in families, large groups, individual and self-study, and individual activities. Scot would add programs of the various Catholic media. Scot asked Sr. Terry why small group faith formation has proven to be so successful. Sr. Terry said when Renew was founded in New Jersey, the two priests who began it had been active in the Catholic family movement and the RCIA and both of those had been successful with small groups. If we're bringing in people through RCIA, then we want the parishes to have that same experience of small group faith-sharing. Scot said that in his professional experience as a manager, he's found that people have different learning styles and he's had to adapt to other learning styles. Sr. Terry said small-group learning is so good because our faith is communal and is essentially lived together. Renew is also exploring new media, just starting podcasts and webinars and creating a [Facebook page](http://www.facebook.com/RENEWIntl). Scot asked Janet about her hopes for Why Catholic? This will be the opportunity to get the Catechism into the hands of thousands of Catholics in the Archdiocese and the small faith-sharing groups will help people overcome their discomfort at approaching a new document. Why Catholic? begins with the last section of the Catechism on Prayer because they've found it to be most effective. Fr. Chip said the new [YouCat](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1586175165/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=pilo0e-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399349&creativeASIN=1586175165) youth catechism would be effective for adults as well as youth. Janet agreed because it gives a beautiful treatment of the topics covered by the universal Catechism. She said the new [US Catechism for Adults](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1574554506/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=pilo0e-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399349&creativeASIN=1574554506) would be suitable as well. YouCat is in a question and answer format that works well for some people. Janet said Pope Benedict wrote the introduction for YouCat and it's an explicit invitation to those who may have been away from the Church. **4th segment:** Scot welcomes Mary Ann McLaughlin to the show. Mary Ann led ARise and now leads the Why Catholic? program. Why is it a good followup to Arise. She said small groups has proven to be an essential experience to the life of the Church. She said Cardinal Sean confirms that one needs to be immersed in the community when learning the language of faith, just like immersion helps one learn a foreign language. The small community in faith-sharing gives us a place to learn that language of faith. Of course, the Church has always had small groups: Cursillo, prayer groups, Bible studies. Gathering in community is the nature of the Church. Scot asked Sr. Terry for an overview of Why Catholic? They are starting this week with informational sessions on the program for pastors and parish leaders. Similar to Arise, parishes will have teams of 8-12 people to prepare and get the word out. In October, there will be a training on implementing Why Catholic? In January, there will be a small community leader training on the first book, Prayer, which is actually the fourth pillar of the Catechism. They've found that people are open to learning about prayer and an deepening the relationship with God opens them to more. They will do six weeks in the spring and then another six weeks in the fall. In the second year, they will study the Creed. The third year, the sacramental life of the Church. The fourth year, the moral life of the Church. Scot said each of the semesters is structured as six lessons. Mary Ann said the lessons start with an opening prayer, then a reflection of a human experience, then a Scripture, then questions to jumpstart faith-sharing, then an invitation to act. The invitation to act has worked to cause people to think about what has just been prayed and taught and to ask how it works in their life. What starts individually often ends up becoming the groups asking what they can do together. Sr. Terry said each small group has about 8-12 people meeting in someone's home. There is a one trained leader. The sessions are 90 minutes. Some people do a lectionary-based prayer in between the six-week sessions. **5th segment:** Welcome back. It's time to announce the winner of the weekly WQOM Benefactor Raffle. Our prize this week is a copy of the book “[Synergy: Science Reasons with Atheists](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1601040342/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=pilo0e-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399349&creativeASIN=1601040342),” from BrideGroomPress.com. Historian and theologian Steven Kellmeyer has assembled over 50 of the most common questions about science and faith in order to lay out the clear, concise answers you have been looking for. This week's winner is **Ann Bouchard of Nashua, New Hampshire**. Congratulations Ann! If you would like to be eligible to win in an upcoming week, please visit 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. **6th segment:** Scot said Cardinal Sean has sent a letter to all pastors about Why Catholic? and encouraging them to take part. Scot said that Renew working with an archdiocese is able to take a good program and make it available to every parish and in many different languages for many different cultures. In Boston, for the first time they'll make the materials available in Chinese for Why Catholic? Scot asked her what the group leaders do and how they can let their pastors know they're interested. The pastor works with the pastoral council to come up with the names of people who would be willing to be leaders. The parish leader then goes to training sessions where they receive tools and support from the archdiocesan office and Renew directly. The small group leaders also go to regional training sessions. Fr. Chip asked if it's beneficial for a parish to have a professional staff be the local leader? Sr. Terry said most of the time the leaders are volunteers, but if a parish has a staff member like that, then they should be at least on the team. They don't want to overburden religious ed directors. Mary Ann said people can learn about Why Catholic by calling 617-779-3640 or by going to the website of BostonCatholic or Renew International (see above). That will conclude today's presentation of The Good Catholic Life. For recordings and photos of today's show and all previous shows, please visit our website: TheGoodCatholicLife.com. You can also download the app for your iPhone or Android device at WQOM.org to listen to the show wherever you may be. We thank our guests, Sister Terry Rickard, Mary Ann McLaughlin, and Janet Benestad. For our co-host, Father Chip Hines, our Production team of Rick Heil, Anna Johnson, Justin Bell, Dom Bettinelli, and George Martell, this is Scot Landry saying thank YOU for listening, God bless you and have a wonderful evening!
**Today's host(s):** Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O'Connor**Today's guest(s):** Rev. Mr. Ryan Rooney and Rev. Mr. Michael Wood, transitional deacons at St. John's Seminary* [Diocese of Springfield Vocations Office](http://www.myvocation.com/)* [Rev. Mr. Ryan Rooney's biography](http://www.myvocation.com/sems/rooney.html)* [Rev. Mr. Michael Wood's biography](http://www.myvocation.com/sems/wood.html)* [St. John's Seminary](http://www.sjs.edu)* [Survey of the Ordinands](http://www.usccb.org/vocations/classof2011/ordination-class-2011-report.pdf)**Today's topics:** Meeting deacons preparing the priesthood; Mary in seminarians' lives; statistics on 2011 ordinands**A summary of today's show:** Deacons Ryan Rooney and Michael Wood share their journeys to the priesthood, through challenges and triumphs. Ryan sings the Ave Maria and they discuss the importance of Mary in the lives of seminarians; finally, a look at the statistics of priests to be ordained throughout the US in 2011.**1st segment:** Scot welcomes Fr. Chris and says it must be a joy to see the transitional deacons prepare for ordination. He said the two happiest days in the seminary are when new men arrive and when they ordain men for service in the Church. They are holding their annual deacons' night when they say farewell to men being ordained. They are also holding candidacy, for men entering their First Year of theology at the seminary. Thirteen men were honored at deacons' night and about 13 entering candidacy. About half are Vietnamese and being prepared at St. John's for priesthood in Vietnam. Fr. Chris said many men got up early to watch the beatification ceremonies and the rector played a video of John Paul praying the beatitudes. They also had a May crowning of the statue of the Blessed Mother.The two transitional deacons today are for the Diocese of Springfield and will be ordained at the beginning of June. St. John's has men from Providence, Springfield, Fall River, Worcester, Manchester, as well as a Boston. Scot said it will be great for men from all the different dioceses having relationships among one another. Fr. Chris said he always reminds the seminarians to make friends in the seminary in order to have priest friends down the road.**2nd segment:** Scot and Fr. Chris are joined by transitional deacon Ryan Rooney. He got his call after his first year of high school. He'd taken a religious studies class and was shocked by the atheism of his peers. On a retreat that summer, he was prayed over and felt the power of the Holy Spirit. He felt a calling to evangelize his peers. He takes that as the moment he was called to the priesthood.His pastor and a mentor nurtured his call. They took him on other retreats, including trips to New York for Mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral. Fr. Chris said he often sees Ryan being very involved in pro-life work, including praying in front of abortion clinics and going to the March for Life in DC every year. He thinks its an important witness for the seminarians to be visible there.In his junior year in high school, he went to the Dominican Republic for social service projects, so he worked at a reformatory for boys, teaching English, alongside about 12 priests from throughout Latin America. Scot said Ryan has had a lot of suffering in his life: a disabling injury to his knee and a diagnosis of Hodgkin's disease, all in his senior year in high school. He said to God that if He had been preparing Ryan for the priesthood that everything would be okay.For ordination, he looks forward to being called Father as a spiritual father, to grow in that vocation, to be able to administer the sacraments.Right now, he's working as a deacon at St. Mary Parish in Westfield. Along with the Mass duties, he's helped form the RCIA, preached in both Spanish and English, working with Spanish prayer groups. Then there's the other more mundane duties around the parish, like shoveling snow, etc. For his First Mass, he's invited his spiritual director, Fr. Bill Kelly from St. Mary, Dedham, to preach the homily. There will also be a lot of music because he's very musical. Later in the show, he will sing the Ave Maria for us.Fr. Chris asked Ryan if there's a saint that's been a significant influence in his life. He said St. Anthony of Padua is. Like St. Anthony, Ryan's mother was at first opposed to him becoming a priest. Anthony is also his father's middle name. And Ryan went to [Franciscan University of Steubenville](http://www.franciscan.edu). He was part of the priestly discernment program called the Pre-Theologate. It had the structure of seminary life on a co-ed campus. He found his fellow students to be very supportive of his discernment.* [St. Anthony of Padua](http://www.americancatholic.org/features/anthony/)From the seminary, he's most going to miss the immediate brotherhood they've had and now they will have to make it work over long distances. His moral theology professor, Fr. Romanus Cessario, grabs your attention through his teaching style and it's been very helpful for him.**3rd segment:** Scot and Fr. Chris welcome Michael Wood. His first inkling of being a priest came about the age of 2 when he went to his cousin's confirmation. Seeing the bishop is his interesting clothes, but also his very engaging smile and demeanor, made an impression. He didn't know who he was but just that he seemed happy to be doing what he's doing. After Mass, the bishop talked to him and asked him if he wanted to be a priest. At two years old!At home, he would play act at the Mass, reading the Bible, giving his parents bread and wine, and bless them, which all these years later he realizes is the essentials of priesthood. While he later looked at other paths in his life, he came back to the priesthood in 7th grade. In the summer after sixth grade, he was diagnosed with a non-cancerous tumor in his leg. They had to take most of his hipbone to rebuild his ankle. After surgery, he was angry at God at first and spent a lot of time talking to Him. He eventually came to understand God's love. He learned to pray.Fr. Chris asked Ryan about his favorite saints. Ryan said Bl. John Paul has been a big influence, having read [George Weigel's biography](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0060732032/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=pilo0e-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399349&creativeASIN=0060732032) and going to World Youth Days. He also has a devotion to St. Gianna Molla, a doctor who was diagnosed with cancer. She was told she should abort the child, but she refused in order to protect the child and eventually died from the cancer. What fascinates him most is that St. Gianna's day to day life embraced holiness leading up to that act of holy courage.* [St. Gianna](http://www.saintgianna.org/)Scot asked him about influences. His pastor at about 3rd grade asked him before Mass one day if he'd ever considered becoming a priest. Michael said No, because he wanted to have a family and kids. The priest told him that as a priest you can have many spiritual children.He looks forward after ordination to embracing the sacramental life, but also just entering into people's lives, from the joyous to the sad moments and bringing Christ into those moments, also seeing Christ working in those people.Right now, he's working in Blessed Sacrament Parish in Holyoke, Mass. What he'll miss most from St. John's is the community of seminarians, seeing the example of others, being together day in and day out to bounce ideas off one another.**4th segment:** Now discussing the role of the Blessed Mother in the life of seminarians, especially in May, the month of Mary. Deacon Ryan sang the Ave Maria.Scot said he hoped his pastor had him sing the Exsultet, and Ryan said he did. He said he's been in choirs since 2nd grade and he's kept it up through school.Scot asked him how his devotion to the Blessed Mother helped him discern. When he was in the Dominican Republic, he remembered a big mural of Our Lady of Sorrows, which affected him deeply. When he'd gone through his illnesses and got to Franciscan University, the chapel right next to his dorm room was Our Lady of Sorrows chapel. He also participated in the Total Consecration of St. Louis de Montfort like many Steubenville graduates.Fr. Chris said the seminary architecture attests to the importance of Mary to the seminarians. Someone pointed out that the Sulpicians who built the seminary placed [a statue of Mary just outside the chapel](http://sjs.edu/About/architecture.html), to show that it is through Mary we come to Christ. The image is of Mary, Regina Cleri, Queen of the Clergy. Mary was with the apostles in the upper room, with them as the Holy Spirit came upon them. Scot asked Michael how prayer to the Blessed Mother is part of the life of the seminary. Each man in the house expresses his devotion to Mary individually. Whether it's the communal Liturgy of the Hours, where Night Prayer ends with a Hymn to Our Lady, or an individual Rosary. Fr. Chris said when Pope John Paul II was shot in St. Peter's Square, he began to pray the Hail Mary and looked for an image of Mary in the square. Because h couldn't find one, he later had an image of Our Lady placed high on a wall of the apostolic palace.Scot said people will ask why we need to believe in the Blessed Mother if we believe in Jesus. Ryan said Jesus came to us through Mary. Everything of Jesus' human nature came through Mary. She was part of His life and should be part of our life. Fr. Chris said in the Sistine Chapel's Last Judgment, in the image of the Lord judging the living and the dead, Mary is right there with her hand in Jesus' hand, interceding for us at the hour of our death, like in the Hail Mary.Scot asked Michael how much the Rosary should be part of a prayer life, in addition to all the other kinds of prayer. He said the rosary leads us to Jesus, helps us to know Him better, to experience the mysteries of His life in the life of Our Lady. Everyone needs a mother, and where some may not have a biological mother they can turn, they have a spiritual mother in Mary.Scot said typically every Saturday is dedicated to Mary as are May and October. Why has the Church dedicated two months to Mary? Fr. Chris said the Church is teaching us what's essential and important. If you desire holiness, then you must desire a friendship with the Blessed Mother. He recalls being at St. Margaret's in Dorchester as a child with the nuns practicing the Rosary with them for weeks before the May crowning, honoring Mary. She is the perfect image for the Church, faithful, in prayer, in pilgrimage to heaven. She shows us how our lives should be.**5th segment:** The Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate recently came out with a survey of priests about to be ordained to the priesthood. Some interesting statistics: 45% are ages 25-29, 27% are 30-34. In religious life, many more are in the older age bracket. Fr. Chris said this correlates with St. John's Seminary. He said Blessed John XXIII Seminary in Weston works primarily with men who are coming to the priesthood as a "second career" and later in life. The youngest priest to be ordained in the US this year is 25 and the oldest is 63.* [The Ordination Class of 2011](http://www.usccb.org/vocations/classof2011/)* [Survey of the Ordinands](http://www.usccb.org/vocations/classof2011/ordination-class-2011-report.pdf)Ryan said that at St. John's they have a seminarian in his 50s and he's a key part of the seminary life. Scot said he expects it will be helpful for vocations to have younger priests talking to young men.Scot said 70% of ordinands are born in the US and 30% outside. The biggest countries are Colombia, Mexico, Poland, Vietnam, and Philippines.Fr. Chris said there are seminarians at St. John's are from 5 continents, only Australia is missing. At the seminary every year they have an international food night to share their individual cultures. They have become amazingly ethnically diverse, even since Fr. Chris was ordained in 1998.96% of those to be ordained have at least one sibling. They are evenly distributed between oldest, middle, and youngest in birth order.The study also showed the lists of those who are most likely to encourage as well as discouragement from the priesthood. Michael said he was interested to find that non-Catholics were more supportive of the priesthood than fellow Catholics. Also 46% were discouraged from the priesthood by someone who was close to them; 51% by a parent of family member.Fr. Chris said the Cardinal says vocations is everyone's business and this is telling. Pope John Paul said it best: No priests, no Eucharist. That will conclude today's presentation of The Good Catholic Life. For recordings and photos of today's show and all previous shows, please visit our website: TheGoodCatholicLife.com. You can also download the app for your iPhone or Android device at WQOM.org to listen to the show wherever you may be. We thank our guests, Deacons Ryan Rooney and Michael Wood from St. John's Seminary. For our co-host, Father Chris O'Connor, our Production team of Rick Heil, Anna Johnson, Justin Bell, Dom Bettinelli, and George Martell, this is Scot Landry saying thank YOU for listening, God bless you and have a wonderful evening!
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