Podcasts about theological institute

Episode Notes For over five years now, Sunday Edition has been the news magazine show for members of our community to share their thoughts… And engage in deep and heartfelt conversations… This week we welcome three incredible community members: So bring your thoughts to Sunday Edition! As the world around us seems to spin faster into chaos and uncertainty, how do we keep the light of our faith strong and steady? How can our beliefs embolden our spirits, inspire our advocacy, and guide our self-care and service to others? Join us this Sunday at 1 PM Eastern for a soul-stirring conversation exploring: What it truly means to be a person of faith How to apply the promises and tenets of our spiritual traditions to modern challenges And, in Anthony's words, why “Christians—or any persons of faith—who claim to speak for the higher power are the ones that scare me the most.” Meet our incredible panel of faithful voices: Mark Richert is widely known in the blindness and low vision community for his decades of public policy work and currently leads international development at the Overbrook School for the Blind. But beyond advocacy, Mark is a lifelong Lutheran whose deep commitment to his historical Christian faith is matched by his hunger for big, transformative questions. His passion for justice, mercy, and prophetic witness guides his belief in a faith that welcomes the stranger, uplifts the oppressed, and challenges each of us to carry our cross daily. Doug AKA DJ Hansard, affectionately known as Reverend DJ, is a beloved contributor to Sunday Edition. A lifelong man of faith, DJ is revered across the blind and vision loss community for his unwavering message of inspiration, hope, and spiritual strength. He's never afraid to share his light—and he's just as comfortable offering a listening ear as he is delivering a sermon. In his own words: > “Bible prophecy predicted many years ago that the times we're currently living would take place. > Our ‘FAITH IN GOD' tells us to ‘BELIEVE' and ‘TRUST' that WE'RE GONNA BE TAKEN CARE OF.” DJ will expand on this message of divine trust and guidance, live on Sunday Edition. Lorna DesRoses (pronounced Derose) is a Catholic lay minister committed to building bridges across cultures and creating spaces of belonging within the Church. With a background in ESL education and a Master of Arts in Ministry from the Theological Institute at St. John's Seminary, Lorna advocates fiercely for disability inclusion in faith spaces. She has spoken at the National Black Catholic Congress and on national panels for the National Catholic Partnership on Disability. She is also the host of Voices from the Pews, a podcast uplifting the stories of Catholics of color. Based in Boston with her husband Robert and her guide dog Aster, Lorna's joy-filled witness to the love of Christ inspires all who meet her. We'll also be answering questions from our amazing audience! Tune in LIVE at 1 PM Eastern on 20/20 The Beacon! Sunday Edition with Anthony Corona can also be found wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts. Join the conversation in our Above the Fold Facebook group and stay connected by subscribing to the Sunday Edition News Email List. To subscribe, send a blank email to: SundayEditionNews+subscribe@groups.io Want to join the conversation live? Sunday Edition uses the same Zoom information every Sunday! Subscribe to the email list or send an email to SundayEditionAC@gmail.com for the link to chat with us. P.S. Got a burning question for Ask Emily and Garth, our advice column with bestselling author Barbara Hinske? Or have a comment, idea, or suggestion for Sunday Edition? Reach out anytime: SundayEditionAC@gmail.com And don't forget… Monday, May 5 at 8 PM Eastern — Join us for An Intimate Evening with Tim Cumings, a soulful night of song, stories, and conversation you won't want to miss! Would you like this formatted as a Word doc or plain text file for easier sharing?

On February 18, 1867, just two years after the Civil War ended, Rev. William Jefferson White, a Baptist minister, founded the Augusta Theological Institute in the basement of Springfield Baptist Church in Augusta, Georgia. The school's mission was to educate young Black men for teaching and ministry. The institution relocated multiple times before settling in Atlanta's West End in 1885, where it remains today as Morehouse College. In 1913, the school was renamed in honor of Henry L. Morehouse, a key figure in the Northern Baptist Home Mission Society. Under its first African American president, Dr. John Hope, Morehouse expanded its academic programs and attracted top scholars to its faculty. Today, Morehouse College stands as a beacon of excellence and leadership in Black higher education. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

fWotD Episode 2697: Qalaherriaq Welcome to Featured Wiki of the Day, your daily dose of knowledge from Wikipedia’s finest articles.The featured article for Sunday, 22 September 2024 is Qalaherriaq.Qalaherriaq (Inuktun pronunciation: [qalahəχːiɑq], c. 1834 – June 14, 1856), baptized as Erasmus Augustine Kallihirua, was an Inughuit hunter from Cape York, Greenland. He was recruited in 1850 as an interpreter by the crew of the British survey barque HMS Assistance during the search for John Franklin's lost Arctic expedition. He guided the ship to Wolstenholme Fjord to investigate rumors of a massacre of Franklin's crew, but only found the corpses of local Inughuit and crew from an unrelated British vessel. He was alleged to have produced an extremely accurate map of his homeland, but was almost certainly aided by the crew of the vessel. Although the Assistance initially planned to return him to his family after the expedition, poor sea conditions made landing at Cape York impossible, and he was taken to England and placed under the care of the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge (SPCK). Enrolled at St Augustine's College in Canterbury, England, Qalaherriaq studied English and Christianity for several years. He was appointed by the Bishop of Newfoundland Edward Feild to accompany him on religious missions to the Inuit of Labrador. He arrived at St. John's in October 1855, and began studying at the Theological Institute. Plagued by illness since his time aboard the Assistance, he died from complications of long-term tuberculosis in June 1856, shortly before he was scheduled to travel to Labrador. A posthumous biography, Kalli, the Esquimaux Christian, was published by the SPCK shortly after his death. Inughuit oral histories, collected by Knud Rasmussen in the early 20th century, describe him as the victim of an abduction by the British, and relate that his mother mourned him without learning of his fate.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 00:36 UTC on Sunday, 22 September 2024.For the full current version of the article, see Qalaherriaq on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm standard Nicole.

In episode #26, we are joined by Pastor Phil Henderson and Pastor Andre Bay to discuss the importance of solid biblical training and introduce the new Trinity Theology Institute. Guest Links: Andre Bay: https://shorebaptist.org.nz/ Phil Henderson: https://www.onekawabiblechurch.org.nz/ Trinity Theological Institute: https://www.trinity.org.nz/ Connect with us online: Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/nolastingcitypodcast/⁠ Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/NoLastingCity_⁠ Riverbend Bible Church Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://riverbend.org.nz/⁠

Deb has been part of the leather community for 23 years, known she was gay forever and came out with a vengeance 45 years ago. She is an adoring Ma'am, a wee bit bossy, genuinely tries to be nice, and ids as a Dominant. She has taught classes for the Leather Leadership Conference (San Francisco and Los Angeles), The Citadel, Northwest Leather Celebration, The Exiles San Francisco, EvoRev3, and The Big Pink House. She proudly served as Folsom Street Events as the Bootblack Concierge for Dore Alley and Folsom Street for many years with Boy Jean. Deb has an undergraduate degree in theology and a Masters in Theology and Social Work. Professionally, she retired from social work in 1999. She was a college instructor for the University of Minnesota and the Women's Theological Institute teaching Leadership, Development Pedagogy, and Spirituality. She was a favorite presenter for many years at the National Social Worker Association teaching “Thank You For Being A Pain: Getting Along With Difficult People”. In the 1970's Deborah was appointed by the Governor of Minnesota to be the first open lesbian on the MN Department of Corrections Advisory Board. She was awarded a National Community Service Medal for her work in building collaborations and her 30years of work with homeless families, domestic violence, and sexual assault survivors. Deborah was a columnist for Lavender Press (MPLS/ST. Paul) and Of A Like Mind (Madison, WI) and writes op/ed for Leatherati.com. She is Co-Author of Partners in Change: Building Collaborations.  

#catholic author Jim Sano joins me to talk about #faith and his great book titled "The Father's Son". It is book one of as trilogy in the #catholicfiction genre that is filled with great apologetics and evangelization content. Jim discusses how the book came about, his research, how the story developed, and the amazing feedback that he has received. Learn more about Jim by visiting his website at www.jimsano.com. Check out the book at https://www.amazon.com/Fathers-Son-Jim-Sano/dp/1987970128/ref=sr_1_4?dchild=1&keywords=the%20father%27%20s%20son&qid=1607534338&sr=8-4 About Jim: Jim Sano grew up in an Irish/Italian family in Massachusetts. Jim is a husband, father, life-long Catholic and has worked as a teacher, consultant, and businessman. He has degrees from Boston College and Bentley University and is currently attending Franciscan University for a Master's degree in Catechetics and Evangelization. He has also attended certificate programs at The Theological Institute for the New Evangelization at St. John's Seminary and the Apologetics Academy. Jim is a member of the Catholic Writer's Guild and has enjoyed growing in his faith and now sharing it through writing novels. The Father's Son (released August 15, 2019) is Jim's first novel and is the recipient of the Catholic Writers Guild's Seal of Approval Award for editorial integrity and faithfulness to Catholic teaching. Gus Busbi is Jim's second novel and was released on December 8, 2020 and Stolen Blessing will be his third novel was released on March 25, 2021. Jim resides in Medfield, Massachusetts with his wife, Joanne, and has two daughters, Emily and Megan.

The Rev. Dr. Rudolph Blank, former LCMS missionary in Venezuela for more than 40 years and founder and former director of the Juan de Frías Theological Institute, joins Andy and Sarah to talk about this history of Juan de Frías, why his story is important in Latin American Lutheran history, how the Reformation came to Latin America, and the legacy of his work and the work of others in our Lutheran churches today. Read Dr. Blank's article in the LCMS Reporter at reporter.lcms.org/2021/juan-de-frias-lutheran-martyr-of-venezuela.

June 7, 2021 CHARLES STOLFUS, Associate Pastor, Director of the Theological Institute, & coordinator & teacher in the Young Guns Program (an intensive men's discipleship program) @ Denton Bible Church of Denton, Texas, who will address: “WOKENESS: Philosophy, Sociology or SPIRITUAL WARFARE?: How Satan Uses this Movement to Undermine & Destroy the True Mission of […]

Dr. Quintin Robertson, Instructor & Director of the Urban Theological Institute & Black Church Studies Program at United Lutheran Seminary, reflects on the 40th Anniversary of the Urban Theological Institute at United Lutheran Seminary. He shares a historical overview of the Institute focusing in on the unique features of the program. Robertson also describes the changes that have taken place in the Institute including increased endowment, online courses, and the Black Church concentration.

Jim Sano grew up in an Irish/Italian family in Massachusetts. Jim is a husband, father, life-long Catholic and has worked as a teacher, consultant, and businessman. He has degrees from Boston College and Bentley University and is currently attending Franciscan University for a Master's degree in Catechetics and Evangelization. He has also attended certificate programs at The Theological Institute for the New Evangelization at St. John's Seminary and the Apologetics Academy. Jim is a member of the Catholic Writer's Guild and has enjoyed growing in his faith and now sharing it through writing novels. The Father's Son (released August 15, 2019) is Jim's first novel and is the recipient of the Catholic Writers Guild's Seal of Approval Award for editorial integrity and faithfulness to Catholic teaching.Jim resides in Medfield, Massachusetts with his wife, Joanne, and has two daughters, Emily and Megan.

Interview with Reverend Jerry Lawson; Pastor Lawson and his wife Patty serve the Lord through The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) in Russia. In this role, Jerry teaches courses in Lutheran theology at the Theological Institute of the Evangelical...

Today on the BreakPoint Podcast, Dr. Angela Franks joins John Stonestreet to discuss the disturbing, intertwined history of abortion, eugenics, racism, and the war against female fertility. Angela Franks is a theologian, speaker, writer, and mother of six. She serves as Professor of Theology at the Theological Institute for the New Evangelization at St. John's Seminary in Boston.

  It’s a red, white, and ‘couv edition of the big show, as we journey across the Columbia River to Vancouver! Andrew Steele, President of the Theological Institute of St. […] The post Episode 46 – Andrew Steele / Ed Brands appeared first on Mater Dei Radio.

Talking life, ministry and God with Bill!

Hanging out with Jay, Bill and Jeff from YTI!!

Skip Hall and Yellowstone Theological Institute are in studio! Here Skip's testimony and and discussion of Joe Gibb's Boise visit. Yellowstone gives great inspiration and discusses their Boise class offerings!

Dr. Scott Hamilton from Yellowstone Theological Institute joins Mark Renick and Doug to talk addiction. This is a great resource for anyone battling this sin issue!

Today's topics: Pope Francis in the Holy Land; Ordination; TINE Graduation; New Priestly Assignments Summary of today's show: Our Thursday panel of Scot Landry, Susan Abbot, Gregory Tracy, and Dom Bettinelli considered the headlines of the week, including Pope Francis historic visit to the Holy Land where he worked toward Catholic-Orthodox unity, supported the Christian community, and called for prayer between Israelis and Palestinians; Pope Francis' press conference on his flight to Rome in which he made news on several fronts; the ordination Mass at Holy Cross Cathedral for the biggest class of priests in many years; graduation at the Theological Institute for the New Evangelization; and the announcement of new assignments for more than 70 priests of the Archdiocese. 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, and Domenico Bettinelli 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.

We discuss how the Eastern and Western lungs of the Church meet at the Theological Institute in Trumau, Austria with special guest, Anastasia Northrup of TOBIA, the Theology of the Body Alliance.

February 19, 2014 This week’s episode: “Blessed are They”: St Mary of Cerevellon “Among Women” Guest: Angela Franks, PhD This week we look at the Catholic Church’s teaching on contraception in detail with a moral theologian, Angela Franks, PhD. Dr Franks is a wife, mother, author, and professor at the Theological Institute of the New Evangelization at St John’s Seminary in the Archdiocese of Boston. Dr Franks’ expertise and advice on this important subject is both pastoral and consoling. Her teaching is grounded in the truth that God really does want us to be happy, and that the moral life is always possible for us — with God’s grace! I’ll also be looking at the life of St Mary of Cerevellon, a 13th century native of Barcelona, Spain and her ministry among slaves and others, earning her the nickname, “Mary of Help.” Links for this episode: Pat Gohn’s events page Dr Franks blog Contraception and Catholicism by Angela Franks, PhD Theological Institute for the New Evangelization (TINE) at St John Seminary, Brighton, MA Christian Witness – TV show on Catholic TV with Dr. David and Angela Franks Other shows of related interest:  AW 158: Meet Theologian Mom –  A previous episode with Angela Franks AW 46:  An episode about Natural Family Planning (Billings method) AW 42: An episode about Natural Family Planning (Creighton method) Reminders: Participant in an upcoming special edition of Among Women to celebrate the anniversary of Pope Francis’ election! Send your comments regarding “What you love about Pope Francis?” Or “What have you learned from Pope Francis?” to Pat Gohn at amongwomenpodcast@me.com, or to the Among Women podcast facebook page. Or record your feedback at the AW voicemail line created for this show at 206-339-8834. More details here.  USE IN THE EXCERPT

Today's topics: Dr. Aldona Lingertat and the Master of Arts in Ministry program at the Theological Institute for the New Evangelization Summary of today's show: Priests and religious perform the most visible pastoral work in the Church, but today there are many “co-workers in the vineyard”, lay people being trained with graduate degrees and pastoral experience to join them in ministries in parishes and dioceses. Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O'Connor are joined on location at St. John Seminary by Dr. Aldona Lingertat, the director of the Master of Arts in Ministry program at the Theological Institute for the New Evangelization at the seminary, to discuss Listen to the show: Today's host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O'Connor Today's guest(s): Dr. Aldona Lingertat Links from today's show: Register for the 2014 Conference at the website

Today's topics: Cardinal George's Lumen Gentium Talk at St. John's Seminary's new Presentation Hall Summary of today's show: Msgr. James Moroney of St. John's Seminary joins Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O'Connor to discuss the seminary's new Presentation Hall and Library in the former Our Lady of the Presentation church in Brighton's Oak Square, as part of a new strategy to expand the seminary's presence in the community that also includes new social media tools and the Theological Institute for the New Evangelization. The first major event for the new Presentation Hall will be a talk by Chicago's Cardinal Francis George on “Lumen Gentium and Episcopal Governance” as part of a Year of Faith series commemorating the 50th anniversary of Vatican II, and our panel discusses the significance of the document today, epecially as Listen to the show: Today's host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O'Connor Today's guest(s): Msgr. James Moroney, rector of St. John's Seminary Links from today's show: Information on Cardinal George's lecture: Saint John's Seminary Forum for the YEAR OF FAITH and 50th Anniversary of Vatican II welcomes Francis Cardinal George, OMI who will present on “Lumen Gentium and Episcopal Governance” on Tuesday, 15 October 2013, 7pm, at Our Lady of the Presentation Lecture Hall, Oak Square, Brighton, MA 02135. Please call 617-746-5423 for Information There is no admission fee and no RSVP is required.

Today's topics: Theological Institute Certificate Programs and Mass. Citizens for Life Summary of today's show: The Certificate Programs of the Theological Institute for the New Evangelization provide a graduate-level education in the Catholic faith in a format designed for every Catholic in the pew. Dr. David Franks joins Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O'Connor to discuss the new semester at TINE and the expanded opportunities to take the courses. They also discuss David's volunteer role at Massachusetts Citizens for Life and its upcoming annual banquet at which they will honor noted pro-life activist Lila Rose. Listen to the show: Today's host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O'Connor Today's guest(s): Dr. David Franks of the Theological Institute for the New Evangelization Links from today's show:

Summary of today's show: Boston's elite college, Harvard, for the first time this year had four college-age missionaries from the Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS) on campus, which was already on 74 other college campuses around the country. Scot Landry talked to the four member team and campus minister Fr. Matt Westcott about the value that the missionaries add to campus life through the existing Catholic campus ministry and how they are forming genuine friendships and encouraging students to intentional discipleship in a relationship with Jesus Christ. Listen to the show: Watch the show via live video streaming or a recording later: Today's host(s): Scot Landry Today's guest(s): Fr Matt Westcott, Michael Selenski, Tricia Lester, Elizabeth Hofer, Jennifer Stenzel, Daniel Paris Links from today's show: Today's topics: FOCUS missionaries at Harvard 1st segment: Scot Landry welcomed everyone to the show. On today's broadcast, for the first year at Harvard there are five FOCUS missionaries working with Fr. Matt Westcott. Fr. Matt is in his second-year in campus ministry there. He said he is seeing a real difference in the students through this outreach in a new and unique way. Young people abotu the same age as missionaries can go places and say things a priest might not be able to. FOCUS is the Fellowship of Catholic University Students. Daniel Paris said being a missionary is a calling. They move across the country, they fundraise their own salaries. They go on a dating fast for a year. It's not just a normal post-college job. Daniel said he went on a FOCUS conference a year after graduation. He felt a call at that time for further study so he went to grad school in Denver for two years. Scot asked him about the Augustine Institute where he studied. Daniel compared it to the Theological Institute for the New Evangelization in Boston. It's vision is to form lay leaders for evangelization and many will end up working for the Church in various pastoral ministries. Daniel said his year has been a challenge and fruitful. The students keep him on his toes. Tricia Lester attended Mount St. Mary's in Maryland and is from Philadelphia. She's a second-year FOCUS missionary. She was at University of Connecticut last year. She has committed to a third year because she loves it so much. She said she is always asked why she does this and what difference it makes. She said it improves her relationship with Jesus grow because she's asked to share it every day. Tricia said every missionary's week is different, but she leads a couple of Bible studies each week, has mentorships with a few students who lead their own Bible studies, meets with students who are curious wherever they are. Tricia said she has about 15 students total in her Bible studies. She has three students in discipleship she's praying with and then there's 10 to 15 more students she's meeting with regularly to see if they're interested in getting involved. Daniel said discipleship is the next step after a Bible study. It's an intentional friendship where they are striding side-by-side toward Christ and the missionary i a mentor. They help them cultivate sobriety, chastity, and excellence, the big three virtues. Scot asked Tricia what an intentional friendship is. She said all friendships should be intentional, oriented toward getting toward heaven. She went to a girl's rugby game this past weekend to show her she supports her in all she's doing. Those interactions help build trust so the girl can come to her when she has questions. Scot asked about the three virtues Daniel mentioned. He asked if they are the only group on campus preaching sobriety and excellence. Daniel said there's a hug drinking culture on campuses across the US. They model responsible drinking by going out with students who are of age and having only a couple of drinks. Tricia said excellence is interesting at Harvard. It's about where you want to have your success? It's about using your God-given gifts to the fullest. Daniel talked about the fundraising aspects in which the missionaries get together with people one on one, tell them why they are doing this with their life, share the mission of FOCUS, and invite them to join the mission. Daniel said he got into a conversation with his dentist who was filling his cavity. She said she was a nominal Catholic and as she talked to him, she talked herself into going back to church and going to confession. Daniel felt called to get her the book “Rediscover Catholicism” by Matthew Kelly. She was so moved that she chose to help him. Daniel said it's so cool being the first missionaries at Harvard. He had one student he met whose sister won a gold medal at the Olympics. And they also get to lay the ground work for all future missionaries at Harvard. Tricia compared being at UConn, where she inherited the work others had started, where at Harvard they were starting from scratch. Fr. Matt said the people of the Archdiocese should be glad not just that the missionaries are Harvard, BU, and MIT, but that the quality of the missionaries are so high. The students on these campuses are thirty for what they have to offer. 2nd segment: Scot welcomed Michael Selenski, who leads the FOCUS team. He said he studied business entrepreneurship in college and this opportunity to start a new mission at Harvard is a great challenge. He is a third-year missionary and was at Drake in Iowa previously. He noted that there are 74 different campuses where FOCUS works and he was one of the team directors. He had expressed interest in going East and so he was sent to Harvard. Michael said he never expected there to be as many Catholics on campus as there are and he was shocked by the numbers of students at Mass on Sunday. He said the big challenge is to draw them into a deeper relationship with Christ. Michael said he renewed his commitment to FOCUS because he just can't walk away, even though he's thinking about grad school and misses his family in Minnesota. Every time he asks God where he wants him to be, he just can't walk away. He feels like he's become a new man over the past three years. Scot welcomed ELizabeth Hofer, who's from South Dakota and is a graduate of Franciscan University of Steubenville. She's a first-year missionary. Scot asked her what the adjustment has been like for her. She said she was scared to go to Cambridge because she misses the Black Hills of South Dakota, but her heart was well prepared. When asked what she loved best about Harvard and she thought of how the students thirst for Christ, and felt put to shame by them. Scot asked her to explain what's so great about the Black Hills. She said it's so beautiful and it's unique. It's not majestic like the Rockies, but it's home and welcoming. Mount Rushmore is within the Black Hills. ELizabeth said last year at this time she wouldn't even consider being a FOCUS missionary. She thought they were great but it was the last thing she wanted to do. She was planning on going to law school. Then she went to a holy hour, she found she could say yes to applying to become a missionary. She never thought she'd be hired. Then she was terrified they would. Even after she was hired, she kind of hoped her spiritual director would say she shouldn't. But the greatest joy for her was seeing how Christ cares for us and loves us. It's been a difficult year, but there's such a joy and a peace. She said, Be careful. If you give Christ your heart, he'll take advantage of it. She said you'll set the world on fire and you'll know Christians by the terror in their eyes. Being transformed and sanctified is terrifying and amazing. Scot welcomed Jennifer Stenzel to the show. She joined the missionary team at mid-year. She's a first-year missionary. She had some unique challenges in that everyone else had already established themselves and their ministries, but she also had four people to look up to see what they were doing. She said that at the end of her freshman year at George Mason University, she thought about being a missionary. She'd come to college very far from her faith, but the missionaries reached out to her and helped her faith grow. So by the end of her junior year she was sure because of the beautiful and genuine relationships. She talked about mentoring other girls and leading Bible studies while an undergraduate. Michael said the traditional or standard FOCUS team is four people and a handful of schools have a larger program. Scot said a parish evangelization best practice is forming small groups. He asked Michael what he's learned about leading small groups and faith-sharing groups that says they're a wonderful way to build faith. Michael said there's a lack of genuine brotherhood among men, especially on college campuses. He said so many students have drinking buddies, video game buddies, sports buddies, but they don't have people in their lives asking them how they're praying, what they're living for, how they're becoming stronger men of God. In the context of a small-group Bible study exploring Scripture together is transformational. He said after two years at Drake many of the men would say that he was their best friend. It's so easy to wear a mask and act like everything's ok, but in a small group they open up and are genuine with each other. Michael said the ideal small group is anywhere from 6 to 8 for a small-group Bible study. Over ten people loses the sense of openness and trust and people can hide in the crowd. Six to eight helps long-lasting friendships grow. Scot asked Elizabeth about the structure of the Bible studies. She said FOCUS provides many resources that are available at . They also sell many Bible studies as well. But on other occasions, they just study the Scripture of the day like on Ash Wednesday, perhaps through the lectio divina method. Scot said he thinks most Catholics have never opened the Bible other than Mass readings. He asked how difficult is it to get Catholics to join the Bible study? Elizabeth said she once advertised her Bible study without saying it was a Bible study, but an opportunity to pray and talk about Christ in their lives and some who said they couldn't make a Bible study said they wanted to come. Scot asked Jennifer about the training they receive. She said they have five weeks during the study. It's one third boot camp, one third retreat, and one third grad school. From 8am to 10pm is structured every day with Mass and holy hours, and then classes in speaking, apologetics, fundraising and more. Plus opportunities for fellowship. They also have many resources online for continued study throughout the year. Michael said time and again he's reminded of how important prayer is to their work. He said with the challenges of Harvard he's often reminded of how important prayer is, not just by them, but from others supporting them in prayer. He added that they all fundraise their own salaries and need financial support to take students out for coffee or dinner, to throw parties, and even to go on missionary trips outside the country. If anyone is interested in learning more email

March 16, 2013 This week’s episode: “Blessed are They”: St Mary Major “Among Women” Guest: Angela Franks We conclude this history-making week with a podcast that looks back on the election of our new pope, Francis, formerly known as Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio from Argentina. Plus in our first segment I discuss the significance of the Pope’s early morning visit on day one to pray before Our Blessed Mother at her basilica in Rome, St Mary Major. I also give some of the history of Mary and that basilica as I discuss some of its interior treasures in our first segment. Salus Populi Romani – a much venerated icon of Our Lady with the Child Jesus (found in St Mary Major) In our second segment, I’m happy to introduce Angela Franks, PhD, theology professor and moral theologian — whose twitter handle is “@theologianmom”. Together we talk about some of Angela’s professional interests regarding the eugenic legacy of Margaret Sanger and its harmful longterm impact on our culture, as well as our attitudes toward our bodies, sexuality, contraception, and good health. We also explore the Catholic Church’s position on a new feminism that speaks of the beauty of the human person, and of women in particular. We cover why the Church continues to oppose contraception and upholds NFP (methods for natural family planning), and why our personal trust in God is key to fuller Christian life. Links for this episode: Fr Roderick’s You Tube Video: “Habamus Papam” SQPN giving campaign — please donate! Pope Francis’ message to the Cardinals Pat Gohn’s blog post: “Pope Francis Day One – Among Women-style – The gifts of Mary, womanhood, and the new evangelization.” St Mary Major’s website — many photos and other interactive information Catholic Mom’s Lenten initiative for bring A Catholic Mother’s Companion to Pregnancy by Sarah Reinhard to pregnancy care centers around the USA. Angela and David Frank’s blog Theological Institute for the New Evangelization (TINE), Archdiocese of Boston Margaret Sanger’s Eugenic Legacy: The Control of Feminine Fertility by Angela Franks Women, Sex, and the Church by Erika Bachiochi Blessed, Beautiful, and Bodacious: Celebrating the Gift of Catholic Womanhood  by Pat Gohn — is now available! Other shows of related interest: AW 98: “Women, Sex, and the Church” with Erika Bachiochi    

Summary of today's show: Vocations are everyone's business and Fr. Dan Hennessey joins Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O'Connor to talk about vocations to the priesthood, including the many opportunities coming up for men to discern their call and for the people of God to pray for more vocations. Plus three steps every parish can take to increase the number of vocations from their community. 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. Dan Hennessey, Vocations Director for the Archdiocese of Boston Links from today's show: Today's topics: Vocations to the Priesthood 1st segment: Scot Landry welcomed everyone to the show and noted that there are less than two full days left of Pope Benedict's papacy. Fr. Chris O'Connor said it's an amazing time and he's waiting to see what's going to happen, like the rest of the world. Whoever is chosen tells us what the cardinals think the Church needs in the days and weeks ahead. Both Scot and Fr. Chris will be in Rome during this time. Fr. Chris is going with a pilgrimage from St. John Seminary and the Theological Institute to go to Krakow, Poland, and Rome. He noted that during the conclave, the Sistine Chapel and the Vatican Museums will be closed, but being in Rome for a conclave is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. They also discussed how Pope Benedict changed the rules for how the conclave will work, including letting the cardinals choose to begin earlier. Scot said he thinks that the conclave will start on March 8 or 9, but it could be as early as March 6 and as late as March 11. Fr. Chris said he was intrigued by the pope's choice of 8pm to end his papacy and it turns out that it's when the Holy Father goes to supper at the end of the day. He's very humble. We also found out that the Holy Father will retain the title of pope, as pope emeritus and he will continue to wear the white cassock. Scot said The Good Catholic Life will provide coverage. Beginning on Thursday, Greg Tracy will be posting blogs on our website with video and audio interviews of pilgrims. It will be different from what you might get from TV networks giving the bigger picture, while TGCL will give a faith-based perspective from a Bostonian point of view. Fr. Chris reminded everyone to pray for the Holy Spirit to enlighten the hearts and minds of the cardinals and to pray for whoever the next pope will be because his life will change forever. He said right off from the Sistine Chapel is the Room of Tears, where the new pope vests, referring to the weight of the world that will descend on him. Scot asked today's guest, Fr. Dan Hennessey, to reflect on this transition and on the effects of Pope Benedict and Pope John Paul as the supreme vocations directors in the Church. He said that he remembered hearing about the pope resigning and how long it took to sink in. It's an exciting time and a grace-filled time, but also a sad time in losing the Holy Father. Scot asked the impact of the massive focus of the world on Rome during the papal transition. Fr. Dan said it does lead to more men entering the process of entering seminary because it brings the events to the forefront of the mind. In 2005, many men were caused to reflect on his love, his witness to the priesthood, and his love for the youth. Many priests and seminarians called themselves of the John Paul II Generation. Fr. Chris said in Pastores Dabo Vobis, Pope John Paul II set out the vision of how the Church identifies seminarians and the identity of the priest. He added that World youth Days have had a profound effect on men when they're in their teens. Scot compared the long papacy of John Paul II and how he was pope for the entire life of some seminarians to the eight-year papacy of Pope Benedict. Fr. Dan said Pope Benedict has had many beautiful nuggets of reflection directed right at seminarians and priests about the priesthood. Fr. Chris spoke of the apostolic visitation of all American seminaries under the pontificate of Benedict XVI, which was a big reform. Scot said another contribution will be his emphasis on the reform of the liturgy. Also, his nonstop reminder of how secular our culture has become in the dictatorship of relativism, and the need for our priests to be formed in good thinking with good philosophy. Fr. Chris said in John Paul's papacy there was a lot of talk of what is right and what is wrong, especially with the culture of life. We needed to hear that. With Pope Benedict, the emphasis has been on the beauty of the Church and the personal encounter with Christ. 2nd segment: Scot noted that in the middle of the events going on in Rome, Fr. Dan is going to have a big vocations retreat, which had already been postponed from the recent blizzard. Fr. Dan said he trusted in God's providence when he had to re-schedule and now it might occur in the midst of the conclave or right after. It will be on March 15, 16, 17. They had to request all priests to send in the names of men who had been invited to the old date so they can be re-invited. They had 65 men signed up for the last retreat, but now they had over 80 invited to this new one. The retreats follow two tracks based on age of the men. Men 18-40 are going to be on the retreat at the Betania II Retreat House in Medway. Transportation from St. John Seminary will be provided. It goes from Friday evening to Sunday morning when they drive back to St. John's for the Sunday morning Mass. For men 40 and older they go on retreat at Blessed John XXIII National Seminary in Weston from Friday morning to Sunday afternoon where they enter into the life of the seminarians. The talks in Medway will be done by Msgr. Jim Moroney, rector of St. John's. On Saturday afternoon, they will have a seminarian panel of 4 to 8 men to talk about their lives. They will also learn about how to apply to the seminary, how to discern a vocation, and the four pillars of formation. There will also be a time for recreation. They also will have more time this year for individual time with the vocation directors. Fr. Dan said the cardinal is planning, if he isn't in conclave, to Skype/FaceTime in to the retreat. Scot related how Cardinal Sean was the first person to FaceTime him on his new iPhone and how he told him that it was way better than Skype. He said it will be very exciting to hear from Cardinal Seán when there's a new pope. Fr. Chris said the best advertising for St. John's Seminary are the seminarians they already have. Scot said on March 19, the Feast of St. Joseph, will be another St. Andrew's Dinner, which is for high school boys who come with their priests or campus ministers to St. John's Seminary to join the seminarians for Vespers and then dinner in which they mingle with seminarians. They then pack them into classrooms for vocations witness talks. They are focusing this time on Catholic schools. He said also in March the Pope John Paul II Vocations Monstrance will be in Boston and over 9 days there will be Eucharistic Adoration with it in 9 different schools, religious communities and parishes, each of those each day. Fr. Chris said prayer works and these parishes will produce vocations. He said the most productive parishes for vocations have Eucharistic adoration. Fr. Chris also talked about a program at St. Andrew's in Billerica in which they have a vocations cross that passes from family to family, which they then pray with. The parish even has a vocations committee. Fr. Dan talks about how just the existence of the committee raises awareness and elicits a response from young men. Fr. Dan said there are a number of different ways a parish can focus on vocations: Praying for vocations from that parish at the Sunday Mass in the Prayers of the Faithful; Eucharistic adoration; Holy Hours for vocations; praying Cardinal Seán's prayer for vocations at the end of each daily Mass. He said the reason why we pray so much about it, is because the prayer changes us and our attitude toward vocations. Scot asked Fr. Dan how people should invite young men to consider the priesthood. He said the priests above all should be first to invite young men to consider the life he is already living. But everybody has a role in inviting. Scot said he was in the seminary for two years. The reason he was there was that after having just moved to Norwalk, Connecticut, a local DRE saw him in church and asked him to teach religious education. Over the next couple of months, five people he didn't know asked him if he'd thought about the priesthood. It was after the fifth invitation that he began the discernment process. Fr. Chris talked about a similar experience. Fr. Chris said about 75% of men who enter the seminary today make it to ordination. They tend to be a little older and are leaving lucrative careers so they've done the gut check already. Discernment is done by the person, the Church, and God. The Church isn't just the seminary or the bishop but all the people of God who they've encountered in their formation who assent to their ordination. Fr. Dan said anyone interested in being part of a vocation team should ask their pastor first if there is one or to contact Fr. Dan to help them establish one. He noted that there has been an increase in interest among younger men for the priesthood. So on Sat. March 23, at the cathedral, they will gather together with interested high school boys and continue to meet after.

Summary of today's show: Today is the 40th March for Life in Washington, DC, and Scot Landry in our Braintree studios connects with Fr. Matt Williams in DC and a series of guests from among the 500 pilgrims who have traveled there to give witness to life. From teens on their first march to veterans of decades, from students to priests, our guests talk about why they go to the March, what their witness provides, and how it will change their lives. Listen to the show: Watch the show via live video streaming or a recording later: Today's host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Matt Williams Today's guest(s): Jane Richards, Jackie Nader, Larisa Bogolomov, Fr. Jason Worthley, Fr. Michael Sheehan FPO, Fr. John Currie, Fr. Michael Harrington, Tanya Skypeck, Victoria Spayda Links from today's show: Today's topics: The 40th annual March for Life 1st segment: Scot Landry is joined remotely by his co-host, Fr. Matt Williams, who is at the Shrine of the Sacred Heart in Washington, DC, ahead of the March for Life for this pre-recorded episode of the The Good Catholic Life. To see photos from the March, go to and for live video from within the March go to . Scot said one of the signature events of the March for Life is the Vigil Mass at the National Shrine of the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, and this year Cardinal Seán was the principal celebrant and homilist. He delivered a wonderful homily, perhaps one of his best that Scot has heard. We played some clips from the homily. This year we are saddened that Nellie Gray is not with us, as she has been for 40 years. I call her the Joan of Arc of the Gospel of Life. As a young priest working here at the Spanish Catholic Center in Washington, I heard about Nellie, who had left her career as a lawyer, like the Apostles leaving their boats and nets, to embrace a special vocation to work on behalf of pre-born children. It was my privilege to help her organize those first marches, and I have come to every march since the beginning. Nellie Gray has been an inspiration to me and countless others. Surely she continues to pray for us from her place in eternity. … The Gospel of Life is an imperative for Christ's disciples. Christ through His Church is urging us to be defenders of life in the midst of the culture of death. The term culture of death, coined by John Paul II, is an accurate description of the drift of Western culture. Just last week, January 16, 2013, the newspapers reported a case of euthanasia in Belgium. Twin brothers Marc and Eddie Verbessem, who were born deaf, were recently diagnosed with glaucoma which could eventually lead to blindness. Judging their future to be too burdensome, they presented themselves at the University Hospital of Bruxelles and the forty-five year old brothers were both given a lethal injection. We recently managed to defeat a ballot initiative in Massachusetts that would have legalized physician assisted suicide. The initial polls had us losing 70% to 30%, but thanks to much prayer, hard work and alliances with a broad collation of hospice, health care workers, faith groups, disabilities people, Catholic colleges, and the hard work of our Knights of Columbus councils and our priests and parishioners, along with aggressive advertising, we actually won. … There is no doubt however that the next major assault on the Gospel of Life will come from those pushing physician assisted suicide and euthanasia. A society that allows parents to kill their children will allow children to kill their parents. During the past forty years, pro-life Americans have felt the frustration of being disenfranchised by an activist Supreme Court which has denied us the right to vote about abortion policy. Nevertheless, pro-life activists have not ceased to wage a campaign of moral suasion on campuses, workplaces and neighborhoods. It is amazing to think of the tens of thousands of volunteers working in the some 3,000 pregnancy help centers that provide over 2.3 million women in difficult pregnancies with invaluable help; medical, material and spiritual. Forty years ago when the Supreme Court handed down a second Dred Scott decision that renders unborn children, like people of African-American descent in the days of slavery, unprotected by the Constitution of the United States. Since 1973 there have been 55 million abortions – that is how many people there are in Italy, the United Kingdom or France. That translates into abortions for a quarter of all pregnancies. However, a study in New York City from last year shows that the abortion rate in New York City is actually over 40% and over 60% of black children are aborted. The same study showed a solid consensus that voters were shocked by the number of abortions, opposed tax payers funding of abortion and favored parental consent laws, waiting periods and accurate information about the abortion procedure and options. The same poll also indicated that 70% of the New Yorkers favored conscience rights for health care workers. I believe that this poll reflects the pulse of the majority of Americans. Sadly, the government is not listening to the people. … [T]o change the public attitudes of support for “abortion as a necessary evil” will require educating Americans about abortion's impact on women and changing attitudes toward adoption. Too many Americans see abortion as a necessary evil. We need to educate the public on the damage done to women by abortion and show that abortion is not a necessary evil, but is simply evil. 2nd segment: Scot welcomed to the show from Washington, DC, Jane Richard of Presentation of Mary Academy, Larisa Bogolomov, and Jackie Nader from Ursuline Academy. Fr. Matt said he took them away from a rally, but he hopes that they can provide a flavor of the pilgrimage. He asked Jackie why she wanted to come. She said she's wanted to come since she was in seventh grade. She wanted to do something so much bigger than her and to come see the hope and to see how inspiring it all is. She's been the basilica before, but not as full and maybe no one has ever seen it as full as it was yesterday. She said you could feel the Holy Spirit in the thousands of people united for a purpose. Larisa is a freshman at St. Mary in Lynn. She said she first started hearing about the March during the first week of classes and people have been talking about it ever since. As she learned more, she knew it was an issue she cared about and wanted to come and do something about it. Fr. Matt noted that Larisa also took part in a special event regarding physician-assisted suicide. He asked her about her impressions of the basilica. She said she's never seen a church so full in her life, especially full of young people. Fr. Matt asked Larisa what she has found challenging about the pilgrimage. She said it's been challenging to wake up so early each day and riding buses for so long. But they were prepared to offer it all up. Fr. Matt asked Jane about her Marches and she said it's her fourth March. He asked what inspires her to come year after year. Jane said she's always wanted to do this as a mom and she loves that it's her job description. She loves to see the change in the students, how their faith goes from their heads to their hearts. Scot asked Jackie why the March brings her so much hope. She said seeing people from all over the US in one place is so inspiring, t hat they're all here to pray for life, to bring dignity and respect to women and children. Scot asked Larisa how she would respond to people who say pro-woman is pro-abortion. Larisa said in the March, she's making a small difference for women. Fr. Matt said Cardinal Seán said we're called to change hearts, starting with ourselves. We need to help people come to know Jesus, which then helps them to see the dignity of human life. Jackie said she's learned in school that to know someone you have to love them. By knowing and loving other people you realize the good in other people and you're able to do good for others. Scot asked Jackie about the experience of the long bus ride. He said his trip to the March was almost 20 years ago and what stands out for him was how fun it was to take the long bus ride. Jackie said she was happy to share this experience with friends and it didn't seem like eight hours. They also did icebreaker activities with girls from other Catholic schools. They also watched videos that helped them understand what they were doing. Scot said this is the first time that the founder of the March, Nellie Gray, isn't there. Scot asked Jane how it's different from others for her. She remembered being in high school when abortion became legal. Jane said to be here now is to see a whole generational turnaround. She's amazed to see that so many students don't even know what Roe v. Wade and don't know anything about abortion beyond the termination of a pregnancy. It's significant for her to be able pass on the truth. She also noted how the Cardinal is expanding the message to marriage, the gift of fertility. Fr. Matt asked them to give practical tips for how to encourage kids to get involved in the pro-life movement. Jackie said the girls on the bus got pins that show the babies' feet at eleven weeks and they were amazed. She encouraged others to use the concrete visual reminders. Larisa said in her school they've watched videos and had speakers come in and the students even started to have conversations on their own at lunchtime. Scot said with Catholic Schools Week next week and the girls representing Catholic education so well, he asked what they would say to those who wonder if Catholic high school is worth the investment. Jackie said it's definitely worth it. There's so much love and joy among them and they can practice their faith freely. She said it helps you find your faith in an open environment where people share the faith with you. Jane said as a parent it's well worth the sacrifice. she said Catholic school faculty go above and beyond in their teaching with an integrated approach of heart, mind and soul. Fr. Matt said these guests inspired him and the Holy Spirit must have led them to the show. 3rd segment: Scot now welcomed to the show Fr. Jason Worthley serving three parishes in Somerville, Fr. Michael Sheehan of the Franciscans of the Primitive Observance, and Fr. John Currie of St. Joseph, Holbrook. Scot said he was able to watch Fr. Currie praying the rosary with the pilgrims on the bus during on of the live video broadcasts. He asked Fr. John how many Marches for Life he's been on. Fr. John said it's his third in DC and he's been to a number in Boston. He said being with the kids was awesome. The joy and hope of the 13 and 14 year older is contagious. They're so open and their hearts and minds are receptive. The conversations lead them to deeply cherish the moments they have to be on pilgrimage. Scot asked Fr. Jason how often he has come on the March. He said it's his first March and he felt a need to come and witness to life. It's been a great source of joy and inspiration. Scot asked what he will bring back to Somerville. Fr. Jason said it will be the tremendous gift of the unity he's seen. All those who've come have endured great sacrifice to be there. Fr. Matt said Fr. Jason was telling him how awesome the experience was to be at the Mass. Fr. Michael said this is his ninth or tenth March, but his first as a priest. He said it was a joy to concelebrate the Mass with Cardinal Seán especially to see how the crowd reacted to what Cardinal Seán said. As a priest, he finds himself even more pastorally sensitive to the pilgrims. Some of them don't even know at first what abortion is, and then to guide them after they have decided to want to help people in this area. Scot asked what they have heard from the pilgrims last night being in an overwhelming crowd and hearing Cardinal Seán's awesome homily. Fr. Jason said there are many inconveniences in a pilgrimage but among all the pilgrims he talked to none of the inconveniences bothered them. They have joy at serving a cause beyond themselves. Fr. Matt said on his bus he focused with his pilgrims that the Mass last night would involve sacrifice with the heat, crowds, and long lines. There must have been 20,000 people present. They teach them that when they offer up a sacrifice that they're sharing in what Jesus did on the Cross and God can never be outdone in generosity. One pilgrim told him that she felt a sense of peace as she offered up her sacrifice. Scot said Fr. John said on his bus that a pilgrimage can change you. Fr. John said a vacationer uses a place, a city or town to benefit their own interests: hotel room, amusement park rides, etc. A pilgrim goes to be transformed by a place, the people, the history, and the prayer. He encouraged the kids to know they were being transformed by the pro-life movement and in their own way would leave a mark on our society and they would do it with sincerity. Fr. John said a number of kids asked him later to explain it once again. He said our world doesn't understand that the face of the March for Life has changed over the years and how it has become so young. Young people are standing up for life. Scot asked Fr. Jason what he wants listeners to know and see for themselves. Fr. Jason said most of those there at the March were born after Roe v. Wade and they realize that at one point our government said they did not have a right to exist and to have life. It's a matter of justice. Scot asked the same question of Fr. Michael. He said an 18-year-old girl and 13-year-old boy going to confession, having come on the March thinking it was going to be a vacation, but later realizing that this movement won't just take my time, but will take my conversion. He hoped that everyone who hasn't gone to the March yet will see that same need. Fr. Matt said it's wonderful that the pro-life movement has become so young. He can't help but think of the mutual giving of gifts between the young people and the priests. The priests give a gift of a witness to radical self-giving to a greater cause and he can't imagine how many have a vocation to religious life born out of this. 4th segment: Scot welcomed Fr. Mike Harrington from the Office of Cultural Diversity, Tanya Skypeck from St. Clements Young Adult Ministry, and Victoria Spayda from Norwood, now attending St. Joseph College in Maine. Fr. Matt said they have three tracks on the pilgrimage: Middle School, High School, and Young Adults. Tanya and Victoria represent that young adult track. Tanya said it's her second March. She does it because of the witness in the world in the cultural of death. It's moving to her to explain to her co-workers about why she's going for these two days. By being here and explaining to people why she's going, she's participating in a battle for souls. Fr. Matt said her witness here in DC is an open door to witness back home at work. Fr. Matt said Victoria is a freshman and went on her first March with Fontbonne Academy last year. She is the sole representative from St. Joseph and is missing two days of school. She said last year was a incredible experience to hear the witness talks from the women who regret their abortions and to be with thousands of people. Fr. Mike said he's been coming for 20 years. Fr. Matt asked how he's seen it change. Fr. Mike said the March has grown significantly and there are more and more young people. Every year there's another rally and another vigil because so many are filling up.He said it's like being at a World Youth Day with so many young people everywhere. Fr. Matt said the fact that Boston has its own rally now is because so many other rallies have been sold out in past years. Now the Shrine of the Sacred Heart seats 700 people and was standing room only and so their rally is filling up too. Scot asked Tanya what led her to say last year that she has to go back this year. She said last year it was a fun pilgrimage with great people and she enjoyed most the Boston rally and to be together with them, people from home in a completely different city. She wanted to be here also because of the significance of the 40th anniversary and as a young woman to say publicly that abortion is harmful to women. Scot said the schedule of the pilgrimage is pretty busy. He asked Victoria what's the most moving aspect. She said most moving for her was hearing all the people at the Mass last night singing together and praying together. Scot asked Fr. Mike why it's so important in his own witness, not just as a priest, but as a Catholic to be there every year. Fr. Mike said the issues they are walking for touch us all personally. He's noticed on his bus that the prayer has been beautiful. The issues they're talking about has affected everyone personally, that everyone knows someone who had to face tough decisions and struggles in life. The prayer intentions have been so personal and meaningful. He added that he's proud of Cardinal Seán, watching him lead the celebration with power and witness and emotion. He was very moved by seeing him there. Scot said Tanya said something she enjoys is sharing her experience with her co-workers. He asks how she shares with people who might be hostile to her for it. Tanya said she forms herself through reading the Church's teachings, going to Mass and being particularly attentive, and doing anything she can to engage her brain. She's been taking classes at the Theological Institute for the New Evangelization, which have helped her to be able to respond to the mindless rhetoric people spout at her. Study helps her prepare ahead of time to recognize those things when she hears them and to know how to respond. It's also been a gradual process to become more and more bold and be able to speak up. Fr. Matt asked Victoria how she's kept her faith alive. Victoria said before she got to school she applied to work with campus ministry and that's kept her very active there. The community she had in high school has built her up to prepare her faith to be strong as she ventures out. Scot asked Victoria what she hopes for her witness to fellow classmates that might lead them to come next year. She's going to push hard to get a group to go. She's going to work with the campus minister to get him enthusiastic about it.

(August 28, 2012) Drs Angela and David Franks appear with Scott Landry on the radio show "The Good Catholic Life" to discuss Pope John Paul II's "Theology of the Body." The Franks teach at the Theological Institute for the New Evangelization at St. John's Seminary. "The Good Catholic Life" is also on Facebook--check them out.

(July 28, 2012) Dr. Angela Franks, Director of Theology Programs for the Theological Institute for the New Evangelization at St. John’s Seminary in Massachusetts, spoke at our annual student conference "It Takes a Family to Raise a Village." Her talk is entitled "Margaret Sanger and the Dark Origins of the Sexual Revolution." "It Takes a Family to Raise a Village" is a scholarship-based three-day event in San Diego where students and people of all ages gather for seminars and inspiration on the meaning and value of marriage. It's held every year at the end of July--for information on past and future conferences, check out www.ruthinstitute.org.

Summary of today's show: Fr. Joseph Scorzello has been a priest-secretary for two cardinals, a parochial vicar, a pastor, and now a seminary professor. He joins Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O'Connor to talk about attending seminary in Rome just after the Second Vatican Council closed; serving in several of Boston's Italian parishes; being asked to become a priest-secretary by Cardinal Humberto Medeiros and his successor, Cardinal Bernard Law; and ultimately ending up at St. John's Seminary where he teaches philosophy and imparts his decades of pastoral experience upon the young men who will follow him into the priesthood. Listen to the show: Today's host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O'Connor Today's guest(s): Fr. Joseph Scorzello Links from today's show: Today's topics: Priest Profile: Fr. Joseph Scorzello 1st segment: Scot Landry welcomed Fr. Chris O'Connor back to the show and notes that they are recording today at St. John Seminary. He noted that the seminary is called the heart of the Church and asked Fr. Chris what that means. Fr. Chris said this place and its purpose serves as the lifeblood of any diocese. As Cardinal Seán has said, without priests, there is no Eucharist and the Eucharist is at the heart of our Catholic existence. The seminary provides priests and those who will minister throughout the Archdiocese. While the principal purpose is to form priests, they also offer all sorts of programs to the laity as well, in order to shape and form them to be co-workers with the priests. The parish is only as good as the pastor who empowers the people around him to assist him in running the parish and in evangelization. Evangelization is a big part of our agenda. It involves every man, woman, and child in a parish so they offer programs to educate the laity in such a way that they know him in a deep and profound way and transmit that to others. Scot said The Theological Institute for the New Evangelization and St. John Seminary are able to do this work because of the great work of the faculty, including Fr. Joseph Scorzello. He asked Fr. Chris to tell listeners about Fr. Scorzello. Fr. Chris described Fr. Joe as a great mentor to him. He said he's a man of deep prayer and is always present in the seminary and values the work of seminary formation. He said when bishops from others dioceses ask why they should send their seminarians to St. John's, Fr. Chris notes it's a regional seminary forming men from around New England and building those relationships among the priests and it has a great faculty, who are all united on the right stuff and who value and treasure the priesthood. 2nd segment: Scot and Fr. Chris welcomed Fr. Joseph Scorzello. Scot said Fr. Joe has had an interesting priestly life. He asked him about his background. Fr. Joe said he was born and lived for 10 years in East Boston and attended Most Holy Redeemer Church. They moved to Hyde Park and went to Most Precious Blood Parish and attended St. Raphael's school. From there he went to Christopher Coilumbus High School in the North End and graduated from there in 1962 and entered Cardinal O'Connell college seminary in Jamaica Plain. After two years there, he came to St. John Seminary and studied Philosophy at St. Clement's Hall. After two years there, he received a bachelor's degree and was appointed by Cardinal Cushing to theological studies at the North American College in Rome and the Gregorian University. He was there for four years until 1970 and was ordained in Rome on December 19, 1969. They were ordained at the end of the first semester of the fourth year of theology which was unusual, but which was allowed for seminarians at the Gregorian University. He was ordained by Bishop Hickey, who became the cardinal archbishop of Washington, DC. Scot asked what it was like to be studying in Rome during Vatican II. He said it was exciting academically speaking. Many of the faculty were members of the commissions that put together the draft documents for the Council. Fr. Joe said it was all part of the course material he was studying. They would refer to the documents in their courses on Scripture and fundamental theology and more. He was there just a couple of years after the close of the council. Bishops came to visit who were members of the council. In 1968, Pope Paul VI wrote the important encyclical Humanae Vitae. Scot asked about the change in the liturgy and whether Fr. Joe was trained in both the old and new rites. Fr. Joe said at his ordination they had the new English translation of the Mass in a binder on the altar because it was so new. He also offered Mass in Italian. His first Christmas Eve Mass was in Italian with the workers at the North American College. Fr. Chris said there are two basic systems for seminary formation, the French system and the Italian system. St. John's follows the French system, having been founded by the Sulpician order, where the faculty live with the men. Fr. Joe explained the Italian system, in which the college is a living space. At the NAC, all the Americans from all over the states would live together, eat together, pray together, and do some formation together. Their intellectual formation was done at a university. Most went to the Gregorian University, but there were others as well, including the Angelicum. after ordination, during the second semester, the new priests celebrated Mass at the college, and during Lent they went out to the hospitals in Rome to hear confessions. Next to the college is a hospital for children, where the sickest children are sent. Many of them die there. He would go over to pray with the family at the death of their children. He never wanted to hear the phone ring. Scot asked whether the change in the liturgy was controversial among the seminarians or were they in favor of the change to vernacular. Fr. Joe said most of the men were happy to see the vernacular, but there was tension as well and its true in himself. It's difficult to leave what you were brought up with and familiar with. Now there was a new way of doing something. His concern, even now with teaching the Tridentine rite, we have to celebrate the Eucharist and it has to be prayerful. If we're doing it in a language we're not familiar with, it may not be as prayerful as it could be, especially as the priest-celebrant leading it. As the president of the assembly, the priest has to lead the assembly in prayer. He said some of the men in his class didn't have as much Latin as others and were happy to go into the vernacular. Certainly Gregorian chant was irreplaceable. Overall, everyone was happy with the change, if perhaps not as happy with all the translations. He said the new translation is a bit more reverent and using a language that is a bit different from regular day-to-day language so it lends itself to a prayerful environment. Scot noted that it often takes several generations after a Council for the Church to appropriate all aspects of it. Fr. Joe said he returned home to Boston in July 1970 and celebrated his first Mass here on July 19. His first assignment was St. Mary's Italian Church in Salem, which had a small Italian community. The monsignor who was there was a wonderful first pastor. He was very respectful of Fr. Joe. At one point, he was in charge of religious education and when concerns came up about the textbook, he accepted Fr. Joe's decisions on the matter. He was prayerful and concerned about his people as well. He was then assigned to Our Lady Help of Christians in Newton. They also had a large Italian community there. There were four priests there at the time. They had a grammar school and a high school, where he taught for a year. He also visited the grammar school often as well. He also taught religious education. He celebrated funerals and weddings in Italian and heard confessions in Italian and had Communion calls in Italian, about 20 or 30 per month. He was also on call at the hospital for the occasional Italian patient who didn't speak English well. After eight years he moved again to St. Anthony's in Revere, another strongly Italian parish. St. Anthony's had four priests as well. This was about 10 or 11 years in the priesthood for Fr. Joe so he was the senior curate in the house, that is the most senior of the priests not the pastor. Fr. Joe was put in charge of the parish band even though he's neither a musician or singer. He was there for about 2–1/2 years and one day got a call from Bishop Thomas Daily who asked him to come in. Cardinal Medeiros wanted him to come in and meet on Friday. The whole week from Monday to Friday he wondered what it was about. On Friday, the cardinal told him he wanted to appoint him as his secretary. Fr. Scorzello thought it was a mistake at first, but the cardinal insisted that it would be a good fit. The Cardinal asked if he needed time to think about it, but Fr. Joe said that if it was the wish of the archbishop then he didn't have to think about it. He was asked not to talk about it until he got the official appointment, except for his pastor. The next week, Fr. Joe got a call from the cardinal himself who told him to call his parents and tell them first. Scot said he can't recall any personal memories of Cardinal Medeiros. Fr. Joe said he's known many priests and bishops and says from his own judgment that he was a bishop who was holy, intelligent, and perceptive. He had them to a higher degree than anyone else he's known. He knew the diocese well, he loved the people and priests, he was intellectually acute. At the time, Fr. Joe was studying for his comprehensive exams in philosophy, and the cardinal was hospitalized for a week and every night the cardinal quizzed him on the work. Scot asked what the cardinal's legacy is in the Archdiocese. Fr. Joe said he stabilized the archdiocese's finances certainly, but his legacy is really his gentleness, his love of his priests, and the lasting memory of him among the people. He said the funeral Mass for the Cardinal was incredible. They celebrated memorial Masses for him all week and the cathedral was filled for all of those Masses. Fr. Chris said one of his earliest memories is of standing in the huge line at the cathedral for the wake. The line went out the cathedral doors and they had to wait more than an hour and a half to go by. He remembers the reverence and love and outpouring of the people. Bishop Daily was appointed administrator and then out of the blue a bishop from Missouri was being sent to Boston. Fr. Joe said Bishop Bernard Law was named in January 1984 and came up for the news conference and met with the auxiliary bishops of Boston, the secretaries, and the bishops of the metropolitan region. He asked Fr. Joe to return to Springfield-Cape Girardeau to help him transition to Boston. He stayed there for six weeks. Fr. Chris noted it was only supposed to be 10 days originally. When he was told he needed to stay for six weeks, Fr. Joe told Bishop Law that he'd have to make a few phone calls, to Bishop Daily, of course, but more importantly to his mother so she wouldn't worry. Fr. Joe said his mother was delighted to hear from him. Much later, after Cardinal Law had retired to Rome, after the death of Fr. Joe's sister, he called Fr. Joe's mother to extend his own sympathies to her. Scot said he has heard from many, many people about Cardinal Law that when somebody was ill or in the hospital or somebody had died that was close to one of his priests or to somebody that worked in the chancery, that the cardinal was tremendous in those moments. Scot said that for the archbishop, there is so much administration and so much ceremony that there isn't a lot of time for simple pastoral ministry of a priest. Fr. Joe said while he was with the cardinal as his secretary,one time as they traveled from Worcester, the cardinal wanted to go to Ipswich because there was a nun there who was dying that he wanted to visit. It was already after 8pm and the house was secluded and once they were there the cardinal gave the anointing and visited for a while and they didn't get home until after 11pm. The Cardinal came to Fr. Joe's dad's wake and funeral too. He continued the tradition set by Cardinal Medeiros. They both had a great deal of affection for the priests and the people. After his time as priest-secretary, Cardinal Law asked him to become administrator of Most Precious Blood in Hyde Park. Bishop Riley was the pastor there and was getting on in years so he had very much on his plate as auxiliary bishop and pastor of parish and school. This was after the cardinal's first year in Boston. It worked out for Fr. Joe very well to go back to his home parish. While Fr. Joe was there was when his own father got sick and died so it was a blessing to be close to home. After 5–1/2 years, he asked not to become pastor and asked for sabbatical for six months to write his dissertation. He went up to St. Anselms College abbey to live with the monks and wrote a rough draft of his dissertation. After that he was assigned to St. Mary's in Brookline with Fr. Jack Ahern and Fr. Richard Lennon, now the bishop of Cleveland, and Fr. Joseph Trainor, He taught school there again and religious education. He continued working on his doctoral dissertation and celebrated his 25th anniversary of his priesthood while there. He took his mother and sister to Rome to celebrate. They visited with friends in the city every night and had a wonderful time. Cardinal Law got them very good audience tickets to greet Pope John Paul II. The Friday of the week, December 17, he got a call from the Vatican inviting them to celebrate Mass in the private chapel with Pope John Paul on the following morning. They went to the early Mass with the Pope and met him afterward. He was at St. Mary's for another after that and then he was appointed Pastor of St. Francis of Assisi in Medford. Scot noted that you can see it from Route 93. After six years there, Fr. Joe was asked whether he wanted to stay or apply to another position. He wasn't happy with all the administrative work of the pastor so he asked to be made a parochial vicar. The cardinal asked him to come in and talk about it. The cardinal said he would respect his decision given that Fr. Joe had always been obedient and said yes to the bishop's requests. So he appointed him as parochial vicar at Our Lady of Lourdes in Brockton. after a couple of years, he got a call from Fr. John Farren, a Dominican priest he didn't know. Fr. Farren asked Fr. Joe to come and teach at the seminary. Fr. Joe said the first year, he came from Brockton twice per week to teach, which was a bit difficult. At the end of the year, he said he couldn't keep it up any longer at 60 years old doing two jobs. Fr. Joe asked Cardinal Seán to appoint him full-time to the seminary or to the parish. That was 7 years ago. Fr. joe said the great gift of working at the seminary is the priestly fraternity with the faculty. Most priests live alone in their rectories or with one other priest, but in the seminary there are many more priests. Then the young men in the seminary are very courageous and inspiring to dedicate themselves to Christ and His Church. Fr. Joe said he's always enjoyed being a priest, but the seminary is a very special assignment. Scot said it's unusual for a priest serving many years in parishes to come onto the seminary faculty as a professor late in life. Fr. Joe said that was one of the reasons Fr. Farren asked him to come to the seminary. He wanted him because of his pastoral experience. Most of the priest-faculty have only spent a limited amount of time in the parish, so in classes and at meals, the students are intent on talking about his pastoral experiences. Fr. Chris said Fr. Joe really shines in those lunches in which he imparts his wisdom in both the good and bad, the dangers and what to look out for and watch for as a priest.

Summary of today's show: Michael Lavigne has worked in Catholic ministry for two decades, including the last four years leading faith formation efforts for all ages in the Diocese of Portland, Maine. Now he's come to the Archdiocese of Boston to assist the office of the new Episcopal Vicar for the New Evangelization as we prepare for the Year of Faith. Scot Landry and Fr. Matt Williams talk to Michael about his years in parish ministry with young people, teaching high school theology, and then working at the diocesan level. Also, Jim Wright of the Station of the Cross stops by discuss the latest WQOM news including big updates to their smartphone apps. Listen to the show: Today's host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Matt Williams Today's guest(s): Michael Lavigne and Jim Wright Links from today's show: Today's topics: Michael Lavigne and the New Evangelization 1st segment: Scot Landry welcomed everyone to the show and noted today is the Feast of St. James the Greater. Fr. Matt Williams said he is the greater because he was martyred first, because he was present with Jesus at moments that 9 of the apostles wasn't, because of his authority in Jerusalem; or because he was just taller than the other James. Fr. Matt is very busy this week. Tomorrow begins their middle school leadership retreat called Witness to Hope. Tonight he's going to be at the Espousal Center for praise and worship, Mass, and a Holy Spirit empowerment primarily for young people. They will pray for a deeper receptivity to the Holy Spirit. It's geared to all the young people who have gone through the programs of the Office for the New Evangelization of Youth and Young Adults and to receive peer support. They announced it at the Steubenville East conference this past weekend in front of 2,700 young people. Scot noted the is in Waltham. Speaking of Steubenville East, Fr. Matt said it was a phenomenal time with dynamic and gifted speakers. The theme was The Eighth Day, which is the day of the Resurrection. It's held now at the University of Rhode Island. Monday night is a the high school harbor cruise. There's still room for participants. Sign up at the website. 2nd segment: Scot welcomed Jim Wright, the owner and founder of the Station of the Cross radio network and WQOM. Jim said he's in town for some business and stopped by. They're looking for office space for the local studio. Scot said he often hears from people how appreciative they are that Catholic radio came to Boston. Jim thanked all the listeners supporting the Station of the Cross and asked them to continue. The work is intended to bring the people back to the parishes. Scot said Jim has been in the Catholic radio ministry for more than a decade. He said Catholic radio grows by listeners recommending it and introducing to others. Jim suggested approaching your family first. Jim said August 15 will make 13 years for the Station of the Cross being on the air. Jim said the same day is also the anniversary for EWTN. Scot said the new iPhone and Android apps are just recently updated with new capabilities. Jim said you can get all of the stations of the network and a Spanish feed as well. It has podcasts as well. They're planning more features too. To find it in iTunes or an Android marketplace, search for iCatholicFM or iCatholicRadio. Scot said Cardinal Seán would love to see even more content for Spanish-speaking people. Jim asked people to pray for a dedicated Spanish Catholic radio station. 3rd segment: Scot and Fr. Matt welcomed Michael Lavigne to the show. He is senior associate to the episcopal vicar for the New Evangelization. Scot said Michael used to work for the Diocese of Portland, Maine, and they launched three Catholic radio stations there. Michael said the Presence Radio network began a year after the Office of Lifelong Faith Formation was formed. They were overjoyed at being able to collaborate with the radio stations. Scot said Bishop Malone had wanted to raise funds for Catholic radio as a primary effort of the New Evangelization in Maine. Scot asked Michael where he comes from. Michael is originally from Woonsocket, Rhode Island. He married his wife Lori and lived in Providence for four years. They moved to Maine for four years and now moved to Boston. He began working for the Church two decades ago when called by a priest. He was the pastor of his parish when he was a junior in college and active in youth ministry. The pastor asked him to be youth minister and has worked for the Church ever since. At the parish level, Michael moved from the old model of CCD and CYO to a new comprehensive youth ministry vision for the parish. They developed a task force in the parish. They realized that young people were dealing with more and more difficult issues they hadn't seen prominently before. The task force looked to change things up and ensure that everything was Christocentric, steeped in sacraments and prayer. In the past, everything they did in youth ministry, whether athletics or prayer, had been of equal focus. So they introduced them to Eucharistic adoration which brought them to regular Mass attendance. Michael said the world we live in is so busy and so fast with so much competing for our attention. For some young people, 20 minutes in adoration was an eternity. But once they experienced it, they wanted more of it. The kids said they loved being silent, sitting there letting Christ love them, knowing they were being prayed for. Fr. Matt said for a long time we were afraid to offer the sacraments or adoration because we thought they would be bored and we thought everything had to be fun. It might be because we aped so much of Protestant youth ministry, which doesn't do the sacraments. Some thought this meant that sacraments wouldn't interest them. But because of Pope John Paul II and World Youth Days, we learned they wanted to be taught. Many young people, when you teach them, have an epiphany and love what they learn. When you explain and invite, they respond. Michael said he realized early on that they also needed to reach the parents. If the kids went home to parents who extinguished the enthusiasm for the faith, they wouldn't grow in faith. They used the teens to challenge the parents to grow in faith. They created a clear message starting from the pastor that the parents are always welcome in any youth ministry program. They prepared for everything, including bringing in their kids to register and how they would welcome them and be open to them. Michael told a story of a women who thought she couldn't register her kids because her husband had left her. Not only did they register the kids, they got her an appointment with the pastor. Michael also taught theology in high school and coordinated confirmation. Michael said in school he had them every single day. At first it was a trial to have enough material to cover and to ensure that he would be real to them, to challenge them. His job was to witness to the Church's teaching and why it teaches it and then show it in his own life. He said every Catholic who encounters young people has to step up and show we have a relationship with Christ that we are truly living. When they see us, they need to see someone who is proud to be Catholic with their spouse, their kids, their co-workers, their sports teams, etc. He believes he was able to make headway with these young people. After parish work, Michael moved to the Diocese of Portland and led the Office of Lifelong Faith Formation. When his situation at the high school changed, he sent out resumes. When Portland called, there were a series of events that led them to move there. There had been an office for teaching kids and and office for teens and office for young adults and some others, but they felt it was time to make the point that faith formation was for all ages and lifelong. They were strong in youth ministry but weak in formation of adults. They improved marriage preparation and RCIA. They offered something new for parents when they brought their kids for sacraments. First of all, they served the parish leaders and then offer diocesan-wide training for young people and adults to evangelize in their own lives. Scot compared the size of Providence to the size of Boston and the geographical size of Portland, Maine. He asked how they serve such a large area. Michael said it's always been the obstacle for serving the northernmost parishes. So they used technology, like web conferencing, Skype, high-def TV, websites, email, social media and the like. They found they were able to send a lot more information in a more timely manner. If someone was having a problem in a remote parish, they could talk face-to-face via Skype and make that personal connection. It's impossible to drive the state of Maine even once per year. They reached as many places as they could. Parishes responded to this.They were able to save money which they used to offer more scholarships and programs. Scot said Portland had a major pastoral planning process over the past five years in which parishes were grouped in clusters to shepherd personnel resources. He asked what they learned there that could help Boston. Michael said he came in after they'd gone through the most difficult parts of the process, like determining parish closings and mergings and the like. When he came in, he was able to say that now they'd done the hard part, it was time for the good stuff. Michael said one of the keys to their work was the catechetical certificate program from the Theological Institute for the New Evangelization at St. John Seminary. They partnered together and had offered it for two years before he left, and the fruit was visible immediately. Parish leaders who'd gone through it said they'd learned more than they ever thought. Some homeschooling parents said they would be more effective teachers of their children. Also catechists, deacons, and others who began to realize that we all need to continue to learn and grow. They also developed the New Evangelization Week. They taught young people the basics of the riches of the prayers of the Church, taught them how to use a Catechism, basics of the faith, how to defend the faith. Bishop Malone called it a Catholic boot camp. They examined what it means to be a son or daughter of God, how to relate to brothers and sisters in the faith–brother to brother and brother-to-sister. All of it was steeped in the Mass every day, Reconciliation, and more. In their second year, a priest came out of Confessions one night to say that the kids who had come the last year were telling him that they had gone to confession within the past week or month. He heard them wrestling with growing as disciples of Jesus Christ. 4th segment: This week's benefactor card raffle winner is Nancy Moan from Newton Center She wins the books and . 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. 5th segment: Fr. Matt asked Michael how he went about creating a new system so that when young people are being formed that when they get to the confirmation age, they are more receptive. Michael said in Portland, they have the restored order of the sacraments, in which 2nd graders receive confirmation along with first communion and confession. They have been doing it since 1997. Scot asked the main reason to have confirmation earlier. Michael said the general concept is that they realized they were losing so many young people after confirmation as teens or not even getting confirmed so they weren't even getting the sacrament. So at an earlier age, more young people receive the grace of the sacrament. They did a 10-year study ending in 2007 and they found it didn't do anything for retaining kids in grades 3 through 8. So they tackled the 6 through 8 first, bringing the Edge program from Life Teen, jumpstarting middle school youth ministry. In high school, they still had relatively high numbers, but there was still the same question of how to keep people coming to the Church. The answer is about putting witnesses to our faith, passionately in love with the Lord, in front of everyone. When people are in love with the Lord, there is joy. Fr. Matt said where the Holy Spirit is, there is life and joy. Scot said Cardinal Sean appointed Bishop Arthur Kennedy as Episcopal Vicar for the New Evangelization and created this new office to provide more resources for the New Evangelization. Michael said in the next 12 months the focus will be twofold. First, helping the Archdiocese to focus on the Year of Faith, including a celebration to kick it off and compiling recommendations for parishes to mark the Year of Faith. Second, they want to be part of all the conversations connected to Pastoral Planning to ensure that it will really be about conversion and the New Evangelization. We need to give the leaders in the parishes to grow in Christ and in turn help them to bring that to the people in the parishes. Michael said the New Evangelization is ongoing conversion of Catholics to conform our lives to the faith, to have a deeper conversion and strive to holiness. So many of our fellow Catholics have walked away from the faith. There are even people still in our pews who don't have a relationship with Christ yet. They haven't had that conversion experience to make it their own. Scot said he got a letter from a weekly Mass-goer that he didn't really get his faith until he listened to Catholic radio and was led to take his faith more seriously.

Summary of today's show: There are many laity who serve in various roles in the Church, but some are called to a specific role as lay ecclesial ministers. These laypeople are specifically formed, authorized, and commissioned into professional ministry in parishes, schools, and the diocese. Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O'Connor are joined by Dr. Aldona Lingertat of the Theological Institute for the New Evangelization and Patty O'Connor, a parish lay ecclesial minister to talk about the phenomenon and how we can support them in their efforts to build up the Church and evangelize their communities. Listen to the show: Today's host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O'Connor Today's guest(s): Dr. Aldona Lingertat and Patty O'Connor Links from today's show: Today's topics: The Calling of the Lay Ecclesial Minister 1st segment: Scot Landry pointed out that a big part of Fr. Chris O'Connor's job, when he's not co-hosting The Good Catholic Life, is helping forming laypeople for evangelization though the Theological Institute for the New Evangelization. Fr. Chris said there's lots of planning going on for the new school year starting in September. TINE is part of St. John's Seminary and is located on the old St. Gabriel's property in Brighton near the old St. Elizabeth's hospital. Fr. Chris said they're just putting the finishing touches on their new chapel. The numbers at St. John's in both priests and laypeople means they're bursting at the seams and need more space. Fr. Chris said Aldona Lingertat has been with the Master of Arts in Ministry program since it's start and now under TINE has been paired with a Master of Arts in Theological Studies as well as the certificate program. They're also gearing up for something new, but he's not yet prepared to announce what it is yet. This is all to mark the Year of Faith. Scot said today's show is about the calling of the lay ecclesial minister in serving the Church as a lay person. He said among other things they will discuss the US bishops' document of a few years ago called Co-Workers in the Vineyard of the Lord, which Fr. Chris pointed out is the same name as the conference they produce every Spring from Aldona's office, which is always about lay ecclesial ministry. Our other guest is Patty O'Connor, a lay ecclesial minister and DRE from St. Mary's in Randolph. 2nd segment: Scot and Fr. Chris welcomed Aldona and Patty to the show. Scot asked Aldona about the MAM program. She said the MAM just graduated 10 students, many of whom are already working in Catholic parishes and schools, including campus ministry, directors of religious education, and general pastoral associates. Now, they're interviewing the incoming class. Scot asked what a typical class looks like. Aldona said they hope to have 20 incoming students each year. They pace themselves. The students can take one or 2 courses per semester or go full-time. If they go full-time and take summer courses, it can take two years. If they take one or 2 courses, it can take 4 to 5 years. Scot said Patty O'Connor has been director of religious education at St. Mary's. She said she grew up at the parish and went to school there. After graduation from college, she went back to teach in Catholic school as a 1st grade teacher. When the school closed she stayed on as director of religious education. She said it's one of the most diverse parishes in the Archdiocese. Scot said Randolph is a diverse town, that every language spoken in the Archdiocese of Boston is spoken there. Scot asked Aldona about the vocation of the laity in building up the Church. She said our life in Christ starts in baptism and we are called to bring Christ to the world. Through our baptism we share in that life and bring it to our families and society. Scot noted most laypeople live that calling in the secular world wherever we might work. Patty said we're called to be leaven in the world in every community that we're in and that starts with the people we see every day. Fr. Chris said in the Co-Workers document, it says: The secular nature of their calling refers to the fact that God “has handed over the world to women and men, so that they may participate in the work of creation, free creation from the influence of sin and sanctify themselves in marriage or the celibate life, in a family, in a profession and in the various activities of society.” This task is itself a participation in the mission of the Church. He said the baptismal call that we are all sent to sanctify ourselves and be active in the world. Scot said there are many roles in the Church that used to be just for priests or religious: Today in parishes, schools, Church institutions, and diocesan agencies, laity serve in various “ministries, offices and roles” that do not require sacramental ordination but rather “find their foundation in the Sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation, indeed, for a good many of them, in the Sacrament of Matrimony.” Some of those roles are under the title of lay ecclesial minister. Some choose to build up the Church by working inside the Church. It's an important development of the Church and the transformation we hope to have in the Church will have a lot of lay involvement. Aldona points out that in Luke's Gospel Jesus sends out 72 disciples to proclaim ahead of him that the kingdom of the Lord is at hand. This is what a lay person does. Scot said people involved in volunteer ministry are not lay ecclesial ministers, but they are still vital to the work of evangelization and the life of the Church. Patty said the baptismal call is one that people in the pews still hear loud and clear, and despite their busy lives still step forward. Fr. Chris said a priest friend preaches that the Church isn't a country club or 7-11. It's not a place to get goods and leave. It's a place to be a member of a community. Each of us is called to contribute to the life of the parish. The word “parish” comes from a word meaning “to draw near” to both Christ and to the Body of Christ, all the members of the parish. Aldona said when she first talks to someone considering a degree program, they express a call to know more about their faith and be of service to their parish and the Church, but aren't sure how yet. She sees the work of the Holy Spirit in their lives as they are open to that sense of a call to serve. Scot said when it's a call to work full-time for the Church, there's a sense of community and duty. As more laypeople began to work in leadership roles, the US bishops wanted to outline what those roles might be and give guidance on how to form them. So they outline four characteristics on what makes a lay ecclesial minister: Authorization of the hierarchy to serve publicly in the local church Leadership in a particular area of ministry Close mutual collaboration with the pastoral ministry of bishops, priests, and deacons Preparation and formation appropriate to the level of responsibilities that are assigned to them So they are authorized by the bishop and announced publicly. Aldona said this is key. Many people feel called, but there's always two parts to a calling: You discern your gift and where you will give that gift. Not everyone is suited for leadership in religious education, but may be great in hospice work, for example. Scot said it also provides some confidence in what this person is teaching to make sure it's in line with the Church's teachings. Fr. Chris said the bishop is number one, he's the overseer, the conservator of the faith as the successor of the apostles. Historically, the bishop has sought out collaborators to help his ministry. The bishop is the source of unity within the diocese and with the Church as a whole. Aldona noted that their formation is human, spiritual, pastoral, and academic. In the second year of formation, they form ministerial identity. The goal is the candidate for ministry learns that the role they will play in the future is on behalf of the Church. The second characteristic is the call to leadership. It's not just anybody who works for a parish or diocese. They have a lot of delegation of authority to carry on that ministry.Patty said you grow into leadership positions and it's important to have good mentors to form you. The third is close, mutual collaboration with the ministry of bishops, priests, and deacons. You can be a lay ecclesial minister off on your own. Aldona said you're part of a body. Fr. Chris said Christ prayed that they all might be one. When there's division or separation, that creates scandal. True collaboration is the work of Christianity. The parishes that are vital are the ones where the pastor is collaborating. The fourth is preparation and formation. Aldona said the Co-Workers document gives a guideline of formation and what courses to cover. The diocese can determine who is certified after the formation program. There are also national certifications as well. Aldona is currently president of Association of Graduate Programs in Ministry. It brings together the programs for lay ecclesial ministry in the US. Scot said the preparation and formation four pillars is the same as that for the formation of priests: human, spiritual, pastoral, and academic. Fr. Chris said we do this with our seminarians on a separate track. It's also a whole person formation. They develop leadership and communications and relationship skills. The minister is to be a bridge, not an obstacle, to Christ. The spiritual formation means we have that connection to Christ that we're trying to convey. Scot talked about the lay ecclesial ministry roles most often associated with it as the lay pastoral associate, who often assists a pastor in a variety of different roles; director of religious education, director of youth ministry, director of worship/pastoral musician, school principal. At a non-parish level, there's a health-care chaplain or campus minister and other diocesan leaders. Scot has heard debate over whether a business manager is a lay ecclesial minister. He said they may not get all four pillars of the formation. Aldona said at one point there was a training program that did try to include all four pillars and there is a move toward that direction. Fr. Chris asked Patty about her responsibilities as a pastoral associate in her parish. She said she's coordinated the Arise program and the Why Catholic program. She trains and forms liturgical ministers, teach on the new Roman Missal, work with RCIA, led Catholics Come Home for her parish. Her current role came out of a discussion with the pastor four years ago when they listed the duties she wanted to take on. Scot asked if parish secretaries are lay ecclesial ministers. Patty said that in a loosely defined way, a lay person working in the church is a lay ecclesial minister in a way. She said there are circumstances in which a business manager is a lay ecclesial minister. Scot said in thinking about a secretary, he thinks it might be conditioned on how formation they have and how much leadership they have. Fr. Chris said this is a developing situation in how we define particular roles. He said the important thing is that the parish secretary is doing incredible work at the front door. In many ways she's the voice of the Church. When we are the voice of the Church, we have to be aware how we communicate Christ's love. Anyone involved in the parish is in some way a lay ecclesial minister. Aldona said there's another term that may more accurately describe the role as lay minister as opposed to lay ecclesial minister. The lay ecclesial minister is the one in leadership. Scot said as lay ministry becomes more formalized we have these kinds of discussions about the differences in different roles. Maybe we need to say these other roles do need all the formation because they are someone who represents the Church in many places. Even lay ministers don't just enter the ministry, but are approved by the pastor and trained to do the work. Scot said the standards we hold clergy too are now being created for lay ministers. Aldona said there is a national movement to develop a certification that will be portable between dioceses. The US bishops have accepted the guidelines that have been proposed and for the first time lay ecclesial ministers are requesting national certification. Scot asked Aldona on the numbers of lay ecclesial ministers and their growth. In 2005, the most recent survey, there were about 30,000 lay ecclesial ministers, defined as working at least 20 hours per week in paid positions in parishes. This year, it's up to 31,000. Patty said in the Archdiocese, there are 435 parish catechetical leaders and of them 85 are DREs and certified with graduate degrees. There are also about 100 pastoral associates, 125 Catholic school principals. Fr. Chris said he would include the teachers in the Catholic schools. Fr. Chris said he thinks Scot is a lay ecclesial minister, but Scot asks if he's received the formation he should have for that designation. He said there are many jobs in the Pastoral Center that would qualify as lay ecclesial ministry. Aldona said the 2005 survey found that the lay ecclesial ministers were raised up from inside their parishes. She encouraged anyone listening to talk to their pastor if they feel like they are called and then seek out a formation program. Patty said a former pastor continually invited her to continue her education as her children grew older. It was in 2002 that she discerned that call into the Master of Arts in Ministry program. She said the four pillars gave her a confidence and maturity. Fr. Chris said we have to address the financial situation of parishes. This is where the money in the basket goes. Pastors want to hire these lay ecclesial ministers and the ministers are due a decent salary. So the offertory in part goes to paying these ecclesial ministers' salaries. Scot said looking forward at the recommendations in the pastoral planning for pastoral service teams to serve more than one parish in most cases, it seems as more effective to group these ministerial activities in parishes together under certain leaders, probably lay ecclesial ministry. He asked Aldona her hopes for the growth of lay ecclesial ministry. She said she hopes the collaboration of these teams would go well and the transitions would go smoothly. It's a challenge to grow to serve a couple of parishes at a time. Patty said her hope with the pastoral service teams is that they be able to entice young lay ecclesial ministers, who are unable to take the jobs because of finances. If the Church can bring the resources together, that may be possible. Patty said certification calls for one to have a graduate degree appropriate for the job and letters of recommendation from the bishop and pastors, and the sending it into the pastoral planning office. There is a committee that will review them and make a recommendation. Most of the time the applicant has already done much of the work of the lay ecclesial minister. Scot said TINE offers two degrees and there are about 90 people in the MAM program. Aldona said many of the deacons have options for getting degree credit for their work. Fr. Chris noted that many of the wives take the classes with their husbands. Scot suggested a young person start working in a parish while working toward certification. Fr. Chris said Catholic school teachers receive 50% off their tuition when they apply at TINE. Patty is on the Pastoral Planning Commission. Scot said the real goal is to allow us to be better at evangelization. Pattyy said she joined in February to represent catechetical leadership. She thinks the committee has worked hard at the goal of strengthening parishes. It's now turning its focus to the other four elements focused on evangelization.

Summary of today's show: On our Thursday show, Scot Landry, Susan Abbott, Gregory Tracy, and Fr. Roger Landry consider the new headlines of the week, including the Supreme Court's ruling on the Affordable Care Act; Cardinal Seán's Fortnight for Freedom town hall; last Saturday's ordination Mass; the Redemptoris Mater Seminary gala dinner honoring Rabbi David Rosen; the Catholic Appeal passing a milestone; and Catholic Press awards for the Pilot. 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, 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: Supreme Court ruling; Fortnight for Freedom town hall; Ordination Mass; Redemptoris Mater dinner; Catholic Appeal; Catholic Press Awards 1st segment: Scot said big tech news from Susan. She finally got an iPhone and is turning to producer Rick Heil for help in learning how to use it. She has already added the ICatholicRadio app. It's been a busy week between the ordinations, the Fortnight4Freedom live,interactive town hall, the Redmeptoris Mater Seminary. They brought in Gregory Tracy and Fr. Roger Landry, who has just completed his move to St. Bernadette Parish. Scot said the live town hall was the first of its kind to his memory. Susan said she was impressed by the production values as well as the guests, Jim Garvey, president of Catholic University of America; Kim Daniel of CatholicVoices USA; and Angela Franks of Theological Institute for the New Evangelization. Greg said he liked it very much especially toward the end with the question and answer period. He liked the give and take among the panelists. Scot said that for those who hadn't been up to speed on these issues this town hall provided a lot of good background. Fr. Roger said he was also very impressed by the Q and A. He thought President Garvey looked like Christopher Plummer and speaks like a movie star. Angela Franks was incredibly powerful on how this isn't a war on women. Fr. Roger also thinks this is the kind of thing we should do more often, not just when we're in crisis. It's a great opportunity to learn a lot in one hour. Scot said Cardinal Seán very much liked it too and he thinks the cardinal would like to do similar things on other issues, like the Year of Faith this fall on what it's about and what he's asking Catholics in the Archdiocese to do. Scot said the Pilot article did a good job on getting quotes from the panelists, including Angela Franks: “You may have heard some in the secular media advance certain myths about the HHS mandate, which is the latest infringement on our religious liberty. For example, you might have heard that this issue is about access to contraception, or that this is just a Catholic issue, or that the Church is imposing her values on the rest of society. You might have heard that the Church is waging a war on women,” she said. “All are false, blatantly false. Clearly this issue cannot be about access to contraception, which is inexpensive and broadly available. If a person can afford a cell phone or even three lattes a month, she can quite likely afford to pay for contraception. Instead this issue is about forcing Church organizations and every Catholic to provide contraception and abortion-causing drugs and subsidize them, which are actions against public teaching,” she said. Susan said the comparison to phones and coffee grounds it in reality. Angela was succinct and refuted the major points we keep hearing in the popular press one by one. Susan also liked Angela's comment that it's up to the laity to take the lead on the front lines at the water cooler. Scot also quoted John Garvey's third point: “The framers of our constitution and the Bill of Rights protected the free exercise of religion because they thought it was important for human flourishing and happiness, but our society will not care about protecting religious freedom for long if it doesn't care about God. That is where we must begin to reform. We won't have and we probably won't need religious exemptions for nurses, doctors, teachers, social workers, if no one is practicing their religion. The best way to protect religious freedom might be to remind people that they should love God,” Garvey said. Scot said when we look at the Church as a family, many of our family members have stopped practicing their faith and we have to look in the mirror and see if we are still practicing our faith as strongly. If we don't care about our faith, then why should it be protected? Greg said the ambivalence of some Catholics was one of the arguments used against our religious liberty. Fr. Roger said the point illustrates how we got here. As for the how to move in the future, we have to grow in the importance of religion not just to society, but to each of us individually as well, which is why the Year of Faith is so important. Moving to other news, the ordination Mass took place at Holy Cross Cathedral last Saturday. The new priests are Fathers Eric M. Bennett, 31; Eric F. Cadin, 31; Felipe de Jesus Gonzalez, 34; John J. Healey, 62; Adrian A. Milik, 30; and Michael F. Sheehan FPO, 31. Father Michael Sheehan, a member of the Franciscans of the Primitive Observance, a religious community in the archdiocese, described the feeling of finally becoming a priest after completing his studies. “It is awesome. It is awesome in all of the senses of that word. On the one hand, there is the joyful thrill of knowing that you will be acting as Christ for people, and then on the other hand, there is the chilling responsibility that you will be acting as Christ for people,” he said. Father Sheehan's parents said their son felt the call to the priesthood from an early age. “I am extremely proud of Michael and all his accomplishments. It all culminates today in his ordination. We are very pleased and excited for him,” the new priest's father Gary Sheehan, 59, said. His mother Diane Sheehan, 57, said she knew her son would find success in his pursuits. “Michael has been a leader his whole life. We knew in second grade that he was going to do well whatever he did. God bless him. It has been a long time coming to this day,” she said. His grandmother, Anne P. Shannon, 83, said she knew her grandson had a calling since he was young. “I was attending the quarter of seven Mass every morning. He was with me, so I always knew that Michael was special, and that he indeed had a calling — and I was right,” she said. Scot said the ordination is the highlight for all the families, not just the new priests. Susan said she didn't attend the Mass, but watched it on TV and found herself compelled to watch the whole thing. She said she took notes on Cardinal Seán's homily in which he talked about St. Peter's denial, which he said wasn't made to a soldier with a knife, but to a waitress with an attitude. She talked about the images of the imposition of hands and how the CatholicTV coverage allowed for the sacred silence that occurred at several times during the Mass. Fr. Roger said the words of the sacrament are a continuing call to conversion 13 years after his own ordination. He looks at his hands differently now because of the sacraments he now performs with them. His hands are an extension of his body as he is an extension of Christ's Body. Fr. Roger talked about how as a priest he is now on call 24/7. He recalled a conversation with actor Jim Caviezel who played Jesus in the Passion of the Christ about the pressure that's on him all the time now to live up to that image and how he wondered how priests lived up to that their whole lives. Greg said he thought how fortunate he's been able to go to the last 10 out of 11 ordination Masses. What he recalls is the sense of emotion among the ordinands both before and after the Mass. One of his favorite moments was when the Cardinal blesses the hands of the new priests and then kisses them. The six men are starting their new assignments today. Breaking news this morning is that Archbishop Fulton Sheen has been declared Venerable, which is the second big step toward canonization. Fr. Roger said when he was in the diocese of Peoria, he'd heard about a miracle attributed to Sheen, which could advance him to the next step of beatification. He also called attention to the cause of Servant of God Alvaro del Portillo y Diez de Sollano, who was also declared Venerable, and was a major contributor to Vatican II as well as a close collaborator with Pope John Paul II. from on . Also in the Pilot this week is a story about the Redemptoris Mater Seminary gala dinner last Sunday. Susan said her first close-up experience of the NeoCatechumenal Way and the seminary was the big concert this past May at Symphony Hall and so she wanted to come to this dinner. She said it was a great dinner, honoring Rabbi David Rosen, the International Director of Interreligious Affairs of the American Jewish Committee and Director of its Heilbrunn Institute for International Interreligious Understanding. He is also the former Chief Rabbi of Ireland. He is a past chairman of the International Jewish Committee on Interreligious Consultations and is also Honorary Advisor on Interfaith Relations to the Chief Rabbinate of Israel. He serves on its Commission for Interreligious Dialogue, and represents the Chief Rabbinate on the Council of Religious Institutions of the Holy Land. Susan said he spoke about the struggle of the Jewish people for survival as well as the teaching of the Church in the Second Vatican Council on our Jewish elder brothers in faith. He also spoke about Pope John Paul II's friendship with the Jewish people. After the rabbi spoke, the seminarians of Redemptoris Mater sang “Shema Israel,” a song based on one of the most important Jewish prayers, to honor the speaker and the message. … The archdiocesan liaison to the Jewish community, Father David C. Michael gave his thoughts on the speaker and the meaning of the night for Catholic and Jewish communities in Boston. “Reaching out in love and understanding to one another, that is an important place to begin. Then we have to deepen that relationship, that's where the hard work begins. The hard work begins in the deepening,” he said. “I think that his quote of John Paul II was absolutely on target where the pope says before we can be a blessing to the nations we have to be a blessing to one another,” Father Michael said. Greg said Rosen is very significant in terms of Catholic-Jewish relations. When the Holy Father calls inter-religious meetings, it's Rosen who is called to stand next to the Pope as a representative of the Jewish faith. The audio of Rosen's speech will be on the Pilot's website on Friday. Scot said June 30 is a milestone date for the Catholic Appeal, because it's the end of the fiscal year and the end of the parish campaign. Scot said they are within $100,000 of making their fiscal year goal of $14 million but still have a long way to go to make the calendar year goal of $14 million in 2012. Scot also noted that the Pilot won seven Catholic Press Awards among 64 total awards given. Greg won an award for a photo he took to illustrate a story on the new Roman Missal. They also won an award for their editorial on the Maria Talks website as well as another on the Defense of Marriage Act. The Anchor also won an award for the columns written by Fr. Timothy Goldrick. The award was given by the Society for the Propagation for the Faith. Scot also profiled the obituary of Fr. Joseph Moynihan who was a pastor for 22 years in Westwood. 3rd segment: cot said the Supreme Court decision this morning was surprising, that Chief Justice Roberts sided with the so-called liberal wing. Scot read from : Today the United States Supreme Court issued a decision upholding as a tax the provision of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) that requires individuals to purchase a health plan—the so-called “individual mandate.” For nearly a century, the Catholic bishops of the United States have been and continue to be consistent advocates for comprehensive health care reform to ensure access to life-affirming health care for all, especially the poorest and the most vulnerable.Although the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) did not participate in these cases and took no position on the specific questions presented to the Court, USCCB's position on health care reform generally and on ACA particularly is a matter of public record.The bishops ultimately opposed final passage of ACA for several reasons. First, ACA allows use of federal funds to pay for elective abortions and for plans that cover such abortions, contradicting longstanding federal policy.The risk we identified in this area has already materialized, particularly in the initial approval by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) of “high risk” insurance pools that would have covered abortion. Second, the Act fails to include necessary language to provide essential conscience protection, both within and beyond the abortion context.We have provided extensive analyses of ACA's defects with respect to both abortion and conscience.The lack of statutory conscience protections applicable to ACA's new mandates has been illustrated in dramatic fashion by HHS's “preventive services” mandate, which forces religious and other employers to cover sterilization and contraception, including abortifacient drugs. Third, ACA fails to treat immigrant workers and their families fairly. ACA leaves them worse off by not allowing them to purchase health coverage in the new exchanges created under the law, even if they use their own money.This undermines the Act's stated goal of promoting access to basic life-affirming health care for everyone, especially for those most in need. Following enactment of ACA, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has not joined in efforts to repeal the law in its entirety, and we do not do so today.The decision of the Supreme Court neither diminishes the moral imperative to ensure decent health care for all, nor eliminates the need to correct the fundamental flaws described above.We therefore continue to urge Congress to pass, and the Administration to sign, legislation to fix those flaws. Scot said it seems a measured statement. If the whole act had been struck down, the 50-plus lawsuits filed against the HHS mandate wouldn't have been needed, but today we're in the same position we were in yesterday. Greg noted that the justices in the minority would have struck down the whole law. He said the bishops were always in favor of expanding healthcare for the poor, just in a way that doesn't violate consciences. Scot said these lawsuits filed Catholic institutions continue and it is another constitutional issue about religious liberty. Today's decision was on the government's authority to enact an individual mandate. Scot said his analysis is that this clearly expands federal power, even if it's a tax on those who won't buy federal healthcare. Roberts said you can't force someone to buy healthcare, but you can tax someone for almost anything. Greg said Roberts also said he wasn't saying that this tax is a good idea. He's essentially saying that we need to respect the will of the people through their elected officials in passing a law if it's constitutional. It may not be a good law, but it's constitutional. It also means it can be repealed by the representatives as well. Scot said this is the second biggest court decision in his lifetime, second only to Bush v. Gore. Greg noted that this is different from Roe v. Wade when it invented something that didn't exist before. In this case, the court was only giving deference was being given to the elected representatives.

Summary of today's show: On our Thursday show, Scot Landry, Susan Abbott, Fr. Roger Landry, and Gregory Tracy considered the news headlines of the week, including the start of the Fortnight for Freedom; the end of Fr. Roger Landry's tenure as editor of The Anchor; the deadline looming for Choose Life license plates; and the Vatican gaining control of the .catholic internet domain. Listen to the show: Today's host(s): Scot Landry and Susan Abbott Today's guest(s): Fr. Roger Landry, executive editor of The Anchor, the newspaper of the Fall River diocese; and Gregory Tracy, managing editor of The Pilot, the newspaper of the Boston archdiocese 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: Fortnight for Freedom; Changes at The Anchor; Choose Life license plates; Dot-Catholic 1st segment: Scot welcomed everyone to the show. Susan and Scot talked about how work in the religious education office doesn't slow down in summer because religious educators in parishes now have more time for planning and preparations for the next year. Susan and her office also met with the Anti-Defamation League, who they work with regularly on joint educational programs. Scot said today begins the two-week Fortnight for Freedom, in which the bishops have asked everyone to pray more, study more, and act more to defend religious liberty. 2nd segment: Scot and Susan welcomed Greg and Fr. Roger to show. The first topic is the Fortnight for Freedom and Scot played the audio of a new video from Cardinal Seán for the Fortnight for Freedom, in which he asked everyone to tune in to the live, interactive town hall meeting he will lead on Monday, June 25 on CatholicTV. Scot said the Cardinal's message is basically that we should not take for granted our religious liberty and we need to preserve it for future generations. Fr. Roger's editorial this week is on the same topic and it takes readers through the main prayer for the Fortnight produced by the US Bishops conference. O God our Creator, Through the power and working of your Holy Spirit, you call us to live out our faith in the midst of the world, bringing the light and the saving truth of the Gospel to every corner of society. We ask you to bless us in our vigilance for the gift of religious liberty. Give us the strength of mind and heart to readily defend our freedoms when they are threatened; give us courage in making our voices heard on behalf of the rights of your Church and the freedom of conscience of all people of faith. Grant, we pray, O heavenly Father, a clear and united voice to all your sons and daughters gathered in your Church in this decisive hour in the history of our nation, so that, with every trial withstood and every danger overcome— for the sake of our children, our grandchildren, and all who come after us— this great land will always be “one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.” We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. The prayer begins by turning the first words of the Declaration of Independence into words of praise and thanksgiving, “O God our Creator, from Your provident hand we have received our right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” Then it describes how those rights correspond to religious duties that society must respect: “You have called us as Your people and given us the right and the duty to worship You, the only true God, and Your Son, Jesus Christ. Through the power and working of Your Holy Spirit, You call us to live out our faith in the midst of the world, bringing the light and the saving truth of the Gospel to every corner of society.” Next, it turns to prayers of petition that we might act in accordance with our God-given rights and gifts and that God will fortify us during this Fortnight to protect and promote true freedom. “We ask You to bless us in our vigilance for the gift of religious liberty. Give us the strength of mind and heart readily to defend our freedoms when they are threatened; give us courage in making our voices heard on behalf of the rights of Your Church and the freedom of conscience of all people of faith.” Then it prays for the gift of unity in the Church. Some joke that the only time the Church stands together is at the Alleluia before the Gospel. It's now a time in which the Church needs the gift of true communion to overcome division in order to give a united witness to liberty, and turn back the threats of liberty not merely for ourselves but for all those who will come after us. “Grant, we pray, O heavenly Father, a clear and united voice to all Your sons and daughters gathered in Your Church in this decisive hour in the history of our nation, so that, with every trial withstood and every danger overcome - for the sake of our children, our grandchildren, and all who come after us - this great land will always be ‘one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.'” Fr. Roger said they've been praying this prayer in his own parish already and encourages every listener to download the prayer and to pray it at home and at church. Scot said on Monday, Cardinal Seán and four religious liberty experts will give brief presentations stake questions from the studio audience and those who are listening. Susan said the ingredients of good catechesis are here: prayer, study, and action. She said the town hall meeting will allow people to send in questions via Twitter and Facebook. She thinks it's the first time this has ever happened before. She did point out that it will also be available in re-broadcasts. Scot asked Greg for his opinion of the town hall meeting as a veteran journalist. He said it is covering all forms of media: TV, radio, new media, print. Scot said the Diocese of Anchorage, Alaska, has organized a town hall meeting to bring people together to watch this town hall meeting on CatholicTV. Several parishes are also organizing gatherings to watch it as well. He said the other panelists include Dr. John Garvey, president of the Catholic University of America; Carl Anderson, Supreme Knight of the Knights of Columbus; Kim Daniels of CatholicVoices USA, and Dr. Angela Franks of the Theological Institute of the New Evangelization. Scot also mentioned that there is a great column by Dwight Duncan in both the Anchor and the Pilot this week called “Religious Freedom: Use It or Lose It.” If we won't fight to preserve our liberties, we shouldn't be surprised if they are eroded. What does Ihis mean? It doesn't mean that in this country you have just the right to believe whatever you want to believe. Even in North Korea they have that right, because as a practical matter no one can force you to believe or not believe something. ‘The free exercise of religion means the ability to act on those beliefs. To practice your religion in private or in public. To proclaim your religion to others, if you wish. To spend your money in furtherance of your own religion, and not in furtherance of anyone else's. To promote what you think is moral, and to not promote anything you think is immoral. These are all necessary consequences of the idea of religious freedom. Fr. Roger was struck how Dwight recalled Paul Revere and Rosa Parks. It's a bit of a Paul Revere moment. Only this time it's not the British that are coming. It's Big Brother. Or, if you prefer, think of Rosa Parks. We can go along and sit quietly in the back of the bus, or we can stand up for human dignity and Ihe rights of conscience. When it comes to our precious heritage of religious freedom, we must either use it or lose it. Scot said this isn't just about contraception coverage under universal health care. Just a few years ago, in the Archdiocese of Boston Catholic Charities was forced out of adoption because a new law was passed that prevented them from doing so and abiding by their conscience. Greg said on some level we say to ourselves that they wouldn't really allow the Church to close hospitals and schools. It shows that the other side will go to almost any length to impose their beliefs. Scot said once the freedom is lost, it's tough to regain it. The best strategy is to defend it while you still have it. Susan said she loves all of the history that Duncan covers. She particularly enjoyed this part: Of course, we want to render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's. But we must also render to God the things that are God's. Conscience, as the voice of God within, is distinctly a resident of Our Father's house. The top story in the Anchor this week is a story about the transition of the editorship from Fr. Roger, who has been editor of the newspaper for the past 7 years. Fr. Roger said he took over in the summer of 2005, three years after the clergy sex abuse scandals broke. There were a lot of beleaguered Catholics and lot of bad coverage of the Church in the secular media, so he wanted to pull the bushel baskets off all the very good work being done in parishes across the diocese. He wanted to show that the good news was ongoing. He also wanted to specialize in local news. He wanted to cover the whole diocese. He also replaced all the national columnists with local columnists to give the newspaper a diocesan paper. Fr. Roger said he will miss the newspaper team and the pulpit in front of 29,000 people. He won't miss the extra 30 hours per week he spent on the newspaper. He plans to write some books and continue to be a pastor in his new parish. Fr. Roger said he already started working on research for a book about Pope John Paul II and young people. No matter how young we are, he thinks John Paul's teaching to young people will buttress our faith. Many of his retreats are being converted into books by Catholic publishers. A book on the prayer of Pope Benedict is coming out. Fr. Roger has been asked to continue to write a column in the Anchor each week, which will be easier as a columnist than as the editor and official voice of the diocese. His successor, Fr. Rich Wilson, is a native of Quincy who worked on the Quincy Patriot Ledger. Greg said working on the Pilot was difficult for him when he first started there. He came from a marketing firm where he was used to more regular hours. He realized that it could suck up every minute of your day. People at secular newspapers keep asking how he produces a newspaper with the small staff he has. Greg said the staff is very dedicated to what they do. Susan said she still values the tactile sense of reading an actual newspaper in print, as much as she reads news online. Scot encouraged everyone to subscribe to the Pilot or Anchor to support their work. Even if you read it online, please got to their websites and make a donation. In the Pilot this week is a special edition for the ordination Mass this weekend, which includes profiles of the six men to be ordained, but also lots of information about the men celebrating their jubilees. The six men being ordained are Eric Bennett, Eric Cadin, Felipe Gonzalez, John Healey, Br. Michael Sheehan, and Adrian Milic. Scot identified them, their backgrounds, and where they will celebrate their first Masses. Scot asked Fr. Roger to point out a few things viewers should look for. Fr. Roger said the candidates laying on the floor is often very striking to observers. It symbolizes that the old man is dying so that a new man can rise in this candidate for the priesthood. It's always very moving as all kneel and chant the litany of saints, begging for their help for the men and for all of us. It's always important when the man's hands are drenched in sacred oil and a special towel. For Fr. Roger one of the most powerful moments is hearing the newly ordained priest recite his part of the Eucharistic Prayer for the very first time. We will hear Christ in their voice continue the prayer of the Church. No matter how many ordinations he goes to, he never gets tired of them. Watch the Mass on CatholicTV, Saturday at 9 am. Also in the Pilot, the June 30 deadline looms for the Choose Life license plates. They need to have people sign up by the end of the month in order for them not to lose their bond. Another story is that the Internet controlling authority has expended internet domains beyond .com and .org. The Vatican has stepped forward to put up the money and request control over .catholic and other versions of the word in Cyrillic, Arabic, and Chinese. In a few years, anything with the .Catholic domain extension will be known as an official organization or entity of the Church. Susan said that the problem of reviewing the authenticity of websites that claim to be Catholic. So this will be for any organization that is officially listed in the Kenedy Directory in the US or other official organizations elsewhere in the world. Greg said it comes at a significant cost, $185,000 each, and $25,000 per year. He said we probably won't see these until 2013. Fr. Roger can't wait for TheGoodCatholicLife.catholic web site. Greg suggests people read the story in the Pilot about three parishes in Salem working together to form a pro-life committee. Fr. Roger suggested the article on the Fortnight for Freedom activities in parishes through the diocese of Fall River.

Summary of today's show: One of the newest faculty members at St. John Seminary is Sr. Jeanne Gribaudo, CSJ. As a member of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Boston, her roots in the area grow deep and she has served the people of the area as a parochial school teacher, a youth minister, a college professor, and even an advisor to the Mayor of Boston. Sr. Jeanne talks with Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O'Connor about growing up in Roslindale, her vocation among the Sisters of St. Joseph, her ministry, and the final homestretch toward her PhD. Listen to the show: Today's host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O'Connor Today's guest(s): Sr. Jeanne Gribaudo, CSJ Links from today's show: Today's topics: Sr. Jeanne Gribaudo, CSJ 1st segment: Scot Landry welcomed Fr. Chris to the show. They are taping from St. John Seminary. The guest is Sr. Jeanne Gribaudo is a new member of the faculty at the seminary and the Theological Institute for the New Evangelization. Fr. Chris said they are planning for the ordination on June 23. Fr. Chris has been asked to be the vesting priest for Deacon Eric Bennett. They also discussed the other seminarians being ordained as well. 2nd segment: Scot and Fr. Chris welcome Sr. Jeanne to the show. She said said she grew up in Sacred Heart parish in Roslindale. They had the Sisters of St. Joseph at the school and they had a very positive influence on her life. In the sixth grade she transferred to public school, but she still had the feeling that she wanted to be a religious. When she graduated from high school she met with a vocation director. She went to Stonehill College and after 4 years there, she entered the Sisters of St. Joseph. She said the Sisters at Sacred Heart so obviously enjoyed each other. She recalled how the Sisters joked with each other and needled each other. They had a care and concern and deep faith. She saw them in church all the time. Sr. Jeanne said the charism of the Sisters of St. Joseph is unity and reconciliation. They are built on an Ignatian-Salesian spirituality. For years, they taught in the archdiocese, but they expanded to social work, outreach to immigrants, and especially human trafficking. Fr. Chris asked her to expand on that. Sr. Jeanne said the spirituality is ad extra, as opposed to ad intra. Their community life is concerned with love of neighbor and being diocesan. The order belongs to the Archdiocese in a special way. Scot said so many religious orders are worldwide, but the Sisters of St. Joseph are locally based. Sr. Jeanne said so many of the priests and laypeople approach the CSJ and ask them about other CSJ they have known. Scot said it's similar to diocesan priests in that the CSJ stay local frost of their lives. Sr. Jeanne said there is an exception. She recalled that Cardinal Cushing sent some of the Sisters to Peru to assist with the St. James Society. On her home parish, she recalled the pastors of her childhood. She said they had six or seven priests in the rectory and they would say that the parish ran the priests, not the other way around. The parish was divided into six regions and each priest was assigned to that area. That's how big it was. Everything in the area revolved around the church. Fr. Chris said growing up people's parish identity was part of their whole identity. When asked, where are you from, people responded with their parish name. Sr. Jeanne said she was the youngest of four. Her brothers were altar boys and her sister was in May processions. She said we need to bring that back and that's why the New Evangelization is so important. People need those moments to hold onto. Scot asked if it was uncommon for someone to leave parochial school to go to public school. Sr. Jeanne said her mother didn't want to let her go to Boston Latin School, but one of the sisters convinced her. When she told her parents she was thinking of religious life, her family was supportive but wary, especially since vocations had started to go down. Extended family wasn't as supportive in the time after Vatican II. There were some impulses in the Church that needed to have the kinks worked out. Fr. Chris noted that much of the confusion has abated, which works better for the men in the seminary. On the other hand, many major societal questions have cropped up, like assisted suicide and the like, topics they would never have worried about 15 years ago. Sr. Jeanne said when she first entered the order in 1988 as a postulant. She was there 1-1/2 years and taught English at the high school level at St. Columbkille's in Brighton. From there she went to the novitiate at Sacred Heart in Watertown for two years. There were two novices at the time. during the first year, she entered community programs and the second year she volunteered 4 days a week somewhere. She went to Msgr. Charles Bourque and they started a Jamaica Plain CYO with all kinds of sports teams. She did all kinds of fundraising and credited Doyle's in JP for donating tons of pizza to the kids, including every Friday during the summer. She said those are the memories the kids will remember. She began to work with local political leaders to get the gyms open for the kids. She recalled working with the then-City Council president and then acting Mayor, Tom Menino. She pestered him so much he called her Sister Relentless. Afterward, he asked her to be his city youth advisor and offered her a job. But she got advice that it wouldn't be good to take a salary but to do it for $1 per year. She helped streamline the youth programs. She helped start the mayor's youth council, which is juniors and seniors who represent their section of the city who meet with the mayor every 4 to 6 weeks. Scot asked what it was like to work in a political environment as a sister. Sr. Jeanne said you'd be surprised how many sisters get involved with politics at some level to get assistance for programs they're running. She said because she wasn't taking a salary, she felt free to speak her mind about things. It can be heady wine, she said, being invited to go to the White House to meet the president, for example. That can all be seductive and she tried to balance it with her life in Christ. Sr. Jeanne said it was a privileged place to be in, in order to speak to the mayor about matters of concern to the Church and vice versa. So often between the religious world and political world, everything is passed secondhand and thirdhand. She told a story about teaching college students and when they realize how important it is to not implicitly trust the media reporting, but to go to the original sources and find out for themselves. In addition to those assignments, Sr. Jeanne has worked at Stonehill College as assistant to the president. Since she'd been a student there before, it was fun to go back there. She's also done a lot of fundraising. She's very proud that she worked with Ron Burton, former New England Patriot, to start a scholarship for two students per year at the Ron Burton Training Village to go to Stonehill. They have two students from Eritrea who are freshman and junior this year at Stonehill. Scot asked about the courses she was teaching at Fairfield University and Sacred Heart in Connecticut. Sr. Jeanne said she talked to the chairs of the departments who were having her teaching courses at the colleges in which they talked about the tough ethical issues, like euthanasia, abortion, exploitation of persons. She said it's a scary time and the students were often horrified about the way the dignity of human life is trampled today and became more and more enamored of the Church's teachings in these areas. 3rd segment: Scot asked Sr. Jeanne about her doctorate program. Sr. Jeanne said she remembers when she first started and was told by her advisor that he couldn't explain what it would be like, but after she would understand. Fr. Chris said he was breaking into a sweat listening to her. She discussed how much work was completed to get to her dissertation. She's just got back the first chapter of her dissertation from one of three readers giving her feedback. She's writing on the holiness and sinfulness of the Church. She's focusing on six theologians who had a lot of influence on Vatican II's document, Lumen Gentium, and how that affected John Paul II's millennial apology. She said it was prophetic. The apology means that there are times when the members of the Church all sin and the Church composed of sinners asks for forgiveness. She said Pope John Paul II relied a lot on one of those theologians, Hans Urs von Balthasar, with a profound understanding of humanity on a journey toward God. Fr. Chris said she has to finish writing and then has to do a two-hour defense. Sr. Jeanne said hopefully it will be late fall or early spring. Scot asked what led her to study ecclessiology, the theology of the Church. Sr. Jeanne said she's often hear people say: Jesus, yes; the Church, no. But Pope Paul VI said we can't live that way.You can't have one and not the other. It's a both/and. You have to have the Church in order to have Jesus. You can't write 260 pages without having a passion for the topic. Sr. Jeanne said we sometimes throw out the word “Church” without defining our terms. She said you can't say the “Church is sinful” because then you are saying Christ is sinful. So we have to be very careful. Scot asked what Sr. Jeanne will be doing at St. John Seminary and the TINE program. She has started by teaching an ecclesiology course. She said the class is an evening seminar from 6-9pm with 9 students from all walks of life studying for the Master of Arts in Ministry.She's also been asked to work on some parish outreach for the New Evangelization, helping to bring it to the parishes in a user-friendly way. Scot said the New Evangelization needs to take up a programmatic format in the parishes. Sr. Jeanne hopes that young people in the archdiocese will be involved in some contests to do something for the new evangelization. She wants to get young people excited. They discussed the Year of Faith and how it integrates the New Evangelization. One idea is to bring young people to see what the seminary is all about, not just those who might be discerning priesthood. Sr. Jeanne said we don't talk enough about the vocation of family life and marriage. Her favorite line in the Catechism is that parents are first and best teachers of the faith. One of her great joys is when former students come to see her and tell her that they have stay involved in their faith. She also hears from current students who haven't been practicing their faith who have started. Fr. Chris asked who her favorite saint is. She said John Henry Newman, especially his poem “One Kindly Light”. Also, St. Peter Canisius, because he did so much with religious education. With regard to parents who thinks the children are lost to the faith, Sr. Jeanne advises they don't give up on them. Look for the right program, even if your parish doesn't have it and you have to go to another. Look at outreach programs. Encourage your college student to do an alternative Spring Break or a year of service. Scot asked why students connect with the faith on a service project. Sr. Jeanne said it's because they see their faith in action, helping real people. It's not just talk, but it makes a difference. Scot asked how our families and parishes overcome sinfulness and strive toward holiness. Sr. Jeanne said her mother always used to say, There but for the grace of God, go I. There's enough blame and judgment to go around, but we could ask what if we were in the other's shoes. The sacraments do not depend on the holiness of any of us. That grace comes from God. We can forget the rudimentary teachings about God. Often people leave the Church because they don't understand the teachings of the Church. Don't get your understanding of the Church from the media. Try to read the original documents, like the Catechism of the Catholic Church or the, which is a version of the Catechism for young adults. They talked examples of people misunderstanding their status with regard to the Church, like with divorce or other matters. Don't be afraid to find out more and talk to a priest. Fr. Chris asked the most important fact to know about the Church. Sr. Jeanne said that it is Christ present on earth. The Church makes mistakes, but it's our way to Christ and it's our home. Even if you've been away forever, you can always go home.

Summary of today's show: On our Thursday show, Scot Landry, Fr. Roger Landry, and Gregory Tracy considered the news headlines of the week as they appear in The Pilot and The Anchor newspapers, including the upcoming Fortnight 4 Freedom, including a televised town hall with Cardinal Seán; A celebration of marriage anniversaries at Holy Cross Cathedral; honoring decades of service by two priests; Dozens receiving catechetical certificates from the Theological Institute for the New Evangelization; Major reassignments of pastors in Fall River; and the World Meeting of Families in Milan last week and the next one in Philadelphia in 2015. Listen to the show: Today's host(s): Scot Landry Today's guest(s): Fr. Roger Landry, executive editor of The Anchor, the newspaper of the Fall River diocese; and Gregory Tracy, managing editor of The Pilot, the newspaper of the Boston archdiocese 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: Fortnight 4 Freedom; Renewal of marriage vows; Theological certificates; Priest assignments in Fall River; World Meeting of Families 1st segment: Scot welcomed Fr. Roger and Gregory to the show. Susan is not available today. Scot said they're taping the show on Thursday morning because this afternoon is the annual convocation of all the priests of the Archdiocese with Cardinal Seán. Greg said Cardinal Seán always genuinely seeks feedback fom his priests on his priorities and initiatives. Scot said Bishop Richard Malone, most recently of Portland, Maine, and recently reassigned to Buffalo, NY, will speak at the convocation. He recently went through major pastoral reorganization of his diocese in Maine and will offer insights. Scot said the first topic is that Cardinal Seán will host a televised town hall meeting for the Fortnight for Freedom on June 25 at 8pm on CatholicTV. Scot and Dr. Angela Franks will appear on the panel. Greg said it will be very interesting to see how people will be able to pose questions to Cardinal Seán and the panel. Questions will be submitted via Facebook, Twitter, and email. [CatholicTV](http://www.catholictv.com] Fr. Roger said the US bishops are trying to accomplish what they learned from Pope John Paul II: It's not enough just to talk about something, but we have to add prayer to education. In Poland, their fight for freedom from Communism, including much public prayer in addition to other kinds of civil action. Pope John Paul II continued that in his papacy, narrowly focusing the attention of the Church on something important through prayer. The US bishops hope for an intense two-week period of liturgical prayer that includes some great saints related to the idea of religious freedom. He said we shouldn't have to choose between being a good Catholic and a good American. Scot said this is definitely appointment television or radio. People can watch it on CatholicTV on cable or online on CatholicTV's website or listen live on WQOM. Also in the Pilot this week is a story about 175 couple who were celebrating their 25th or 50th wedding anniversaries this past weekend at Holy Cross Cathedral during a Mass with Bishop Dooher. Greg said this is a great sign of the gift of Christian marriage. He said the cathedral was filled with many families and they showed the gift of life that these marriages created. Fr. Roger said it's a reminder of the vows these couples have made to one another in their sacrament strengthens us all in our fidelity to our faith. He said long-lived couples give him the advice on how they stayed together so long. He recalled one couple who said the secret was that they really trusted each other. Another story is about the certificate program at the Theological Institute for the New Evangelization and the graduation of 115 people who spent many, many weekends studying their faith either for personal enrichment or to become catechists in their parishes. Greg said this is related to the Master of Arts in Ministry program that we talked about last week. That is a degree program, while this is a certificate. Only about 10 people per year graduate from MAM, but the certificates bring dozens of more people into parishes with this formation. Angela Franks described the coursework of the certificate programs. “The certificates are designed to provide an affordable yet intensive experience of the fullness of the faith. They cover the entire catechism and provide this essential foundation for further growth in the faith.” she said. Angela Franks said the focus on the catechism is critical to the program. She said the catechism provides definitive source for learning the teachings of the Church. “What we find is that a lot of students have been relying on other people relying them what the Church reaches, which is fine, but when you access the catechism you really have it from the horse's mouth. You have the explanation of the Catholic faith from the Catholic Church itself. Our students, after they go through the course, I felt very empowered.” she said. Fr. Roger said this is what Pope Benedict XVI intends for the Year of Faith. Dioceses have been encouraged to set up these kinds of institutes of instruction and formation. He said the Archdiocese is setting a standard for what should be occurring everywhere. The Pope has said that religious freedom depends on an engaged, articulate laity bringing the truths of the faith to the public square. Fr. Roger said it would be worth any sacrifice for listeners because knowing your faith is the most important part of our lives. Also in the Pilot, are two profiles of priests who provided many deuces of service. Msgr. William Roche, 90, served 30 years at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross, was a paratrooper in US Army and the OSS, the predecessor of the CIA, during World War II. Fr. Patrick McLaughlin has recently accepted senior priest/retirement status after 51 years of service. He's served in Peabody and Brockton and in Bolivia in the St. James Society. He's been at St. Joseph's in Medford since 1976. In the Anchor, lots of stories about priestly assignments this week. In Boston, assignments of priests are done on a rolling basis. In other dioceses, including Fall River, they do them all at once around the first of July. Fr. Roger has received a new assignment. He aid this is an unprecedented number of moves, including 21 pastors being reassigned in some way, because 5 pastors are retiring, with 5 taking their places, and then musical chairs to cover everything. On June 27, Fr. Roger is moving from St. Anthony in New Bedford to become pastor of a new parish in Fall River, St. Bernadette, which is made up of the merger of two previous parishes, Immaculate Conception and Notre Dame. Fr. Roger said he's disappointed it's happening at the same time as the Fortnight 4 Freedom, which makes it more difficult to concentrate on this event at the same time they're moving. Scot said it can be compared to leaving an old job and going to a new job, but it's also the move of a physical residence. But these aren't just co-wrokers, they are people whose souls Fr. Roger has cared for. Fr. Roger said the Lord is calling him to preach the Gospel in another place, which is like when Jesus told the people of Capernaum that he had to go and preach to others. He aid he will very much miss the people of St. Anthony's, especially the kids for whom he's been the only pastor they've ever known. But if a priest is good at his task, he will have prepared people to focus not on himself, but on Jesus. Priests will come and go, but Jesus Christ is working through every priest. Fr. Roger said there are 90 parishes in Fall River and over one quarter of the pastors are moving. Next week, they will publish the changes in parochial vicars and they will have almost no parochial vicars left in parishes as they become pastors and hospital chaplains. Scot noted that there is an ordination Saturday at St. Mary's Cathedral in Fall River. Jason Brilhante will be ordained. He discerned his vocation while he was in college. He prepared for the priesthood at St. John Seminary. Fr. Roger said during their interview Jason couldn't contain the joy he felt at his imminent ordination. Fr. Roger said the ordination of a priest is a shot in the arm to all priests who are laboring in the vineyard. He said another priest will be coming back from Rome after finishing up an advanced degree there so Fall River will be getting two reinforcements. Scot said the ordination will be broadcast on CatholicTV. Scot said the World Meeting of Families took place in Milan last week, which included one million people at the final Mass. At the end of the event, Pope Benedict announced that the next meeting will take place in 2015 in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. Greg said he's planning to go with his family. It will be a great sign for this country of hope for marriage and family. Scot said Philadelphia has many challenges. The situation in the Church there is like what it was in Boston in 2004. They're undergoing a trial of a prominent priest in connection to the sex abuse crisis, plus all the pastoral reorganization they're undergoing. Scot said he was surprised that they were chosen at this time. Fr. Roger said the Pope is going because of the struggles in Philadelphia, to support Archbishop Chaput, and because of the place of Philadelphia in American history, including the Declaration and Constitution, which outlines our religious liberties. Fr. Roger thinks it's going to be enormous, maybe not 1 million people, but people will be trying to get there like in 2008 when the Pope came tot he US last. Fr. Roger said he was surprised too. He's really praying that the Holy Father can make it to 2017 as a German on the throne of St. Peter on the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation so he can explain how the differences of that time can be understood as misunderstandings of the Catholic faith. Fr. Roger asked the listeners of The Good Catholic Life to pray for the Holy Father's health and vigor. Scot said the Holy Father will be 88 in 2015 and a multi-city schedule on that trip would be difficult to plan for at this time. Fr. Roger said unlike John Paul II, they've been trying to conserve Pope Benedict's energies while he's traveling so the odds are slim he'll go any other place. Greg speculates that it would be someplace close to Philadelphia, like New York or DC. Also in the Anchor this week is a story about a defeat of a bill to ban sex-selection abortions on May 30. Scot said it's ironically shocking to him that women's organizations are okay with sex-selection abortion that predominately affects unborn girls. Fr. Roger shows the hypocrisy that they're not standing up for women's rights by not standing up for the young women being executed simply for being women. He noted that the only Massachusetts representative who voted in favor of this bill was Rep. Stephen Lynch. He said every listener should ask themselves if their representative thinks it's okay to kill little girls for being girls, do they actually represent our interests and the good of the human race? The real War on Women is being waged by the abortion business. “For most of us ‘it's a girl' is cause for enormous joy, happiness, and celebration,” said Rep, Chris Smith (R-NJ.). “But in many countries, including our own, it can be a death sentence.” Scot noted the US is one of the only developed countries that hasn't banned this practice. Greg said when it comes to issues of abortion that things that would make sense in any other context, like parental consent for medical procedures, when it has to do with abortion, anything goes. Scot said studies show that sex-selection abortion is indeed happening in the United States. Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) argued thaI the bill is necessary to “give baby girls the same chance at life as baby boys.” She said that it is “hypocrisy” to call oneself “pro-woman” while supporting the abortion of a girl based on her gender. “Since when did America subscribe to the idea that males are worth more than females?” she asked.

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): Miriam Marston Links from today's show: Today's topics: Catholic musician Miriam Marston Summary of today's show: Miriam Marston has been singing and playing music since she was a young girl and now uses her gift along with what she has learned in her theological studies to express the beauty of the Catholic faith through beautiful music. Scot Landry and Fr. Matt Williams listen to the music and discuss with Miriam the meaning of her music and how she was inspired to write it. 1st segment: Scot and Fr. Matt talked about how Fr. Matt and his colleague Steve Colella made a presentation to a committee at the US Bishops' Conference on the topic of the New Evangelization and the bishops' document on the topic. 2nd segment: Scot welcomed Miriam Marston to the show. He said he's worked with her in her capacity in her job at the Theological Institute for the New Evangelization. Miriam said she assists with the day to day administrative duties for the Master of Arts in Theology and non-degree certificate programs. Miriam grew up in Alexandria, Virginia, and attended the College of William and Mary. She ended up in Boston by way of England. She had moved there after college for a couple of years and her sister asked her to move near her in Boston. She arrived in Boston on St. Patrick's Day. Her sister was temping for Fr. Mark O'Connell and that's how she ended up working at the Archdiocese. It was Boston's weather that initially had worried her about moving here, but the charms of the city overcame that. she worked for two years in the Office of Canonical Affairs and then left to study for her Master's degree at Boston College. Miriam's parents met in a choir in France. Her mother was a professional singer of Renaissance music. She learned to play the piano as a girl and wrote her first song when she was 10. The second song she ever wrote was called Nostalgia, but at 10 years old she's not sure what she was nostalgic about. She went to Catholic school until going to college and her music gave her a way to ask deeper questions. Music allowed her a way to unpack these questions that connected to her faith. When she was 19, Miriam recorded an all-piano CD and then recorded a second CD about 18 months ago, “The Luggage of an Optimist”. She's also released a new song in January called “Juliette.” It was the quickest she'd ever written a song, at all once in one sitting at the piano. The name of the song came first. It refers to an unborn child. It's written from the perspective of the child in the womb and then at the end switches to the perspective of a womb who's had an abortion wondering how to fill the void in her life. The storm of the song is meant to convey the pain of abortion. Juliette The sound of water always lulled her to sleep, like the gentlest waves you could imagine. And she dreamed all of the purest dreams untouched by the madness outside her. And one day when the storm broke, the ocean spoke no more. And all the dreams ended there, inside where, alas there was a dreamer alive there. The sound of conversation stirred her awake, with all the comfort of a long awaited embrace. But they were only words deciding her fate without her thoughts and her perspective. And one day when the storm broke the ocean spoke no more. And all the dreams ended there inside where, alas there was a dreamer alive there. And one day when the storm ends our knees will bend for the unnamed. And is it freedom on display as some say, or gone astray, replacing the day with evening. “With all the emptiness locked inside maybe this thing will satisfy. With all the unwritten lullabies, maybe this love will sanctify.” Scot, Fr. Matt, and Miriam discussed the lyrics. Miriam said she loves the ocean as a calming, beautiful place. The storm breaking over the ocean represents something going wrong. The dreamer points to the potential of the unborn child who never had a chance. Miriam said the image of the baby sleeping in the mother's womb conveys the sweetness and security of being able to sleep there in a safe place. Then it turns to the daydreams of the child's potential future. Then she is awakened with the hope of comfort, but instead hearing words deciding her fate. Miriam said this is the most tragic line. The baby can't understand what is said, so these words about killing her were comfort for her because she didn't know. Fr. Matt recalled Cardinal Seán's words that the womb is the most dangerous place in America today. Miriam said she doesn't use the word abortion, in part because the child has no category to process it. They would only have images, the word would be unthinkable. Then the third verse switches to the mother's perspective. The mother says the baby is unnamed, but Juliette is named in eternity. “Our knees bend” is also a call to all of us that we have a responsibility as well. The next line discusses the so-called freedom of choice, but is it a true freedom to kill someone? It is a freedom gone astray. Miriam said the reaction to the song has been overwhelming positive. The song made the rounds on Facebook and people have had very thoughtful responses, sometimes very unexpected. 3rd segment: It's time to announce this week's winner of the WQOM Benefactor Raffle. Our prizes this week are the books, by Michael S. Rose, and “The Leadership of Jesus”, by MSGT Michael M. Cutone, US Army Special Forces. This week's benefactor card raffle winner is Fr. James DiPerri, from Waltham, MA. Congratulations, Fr. DiPerri! 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 Miriam about her last album's title, “Luggage of an Optimist”. It's the second chapter title of G.K. Chesterton's book “Man Alive”. It's more about hope than it is pie-eyed optimism. Postcard See how every notion takes on new life under the moon, And the silence stands at my shoulder, keeps me frozen in this room. And lifted up from deeper thoughts, I am waiting for His move. But on the other side He smiles, as He waits for me to choose. Because I haven't learned His name, or maybe haven't learned it right, But I hear He's got a thing or two To say about this fight. Because I haven't felt the same, and I think I would have liked All the things He said I could have had If I'd let Him in my life. See how everyone points to all the sad times they never choose. What their memory doesn't tell them, They make up to fit their mood. And woken up from bitter ways, I am calm but still unsure. And focused on those better days, I am standing at this door. Because there's no one left to blame, And I'm pushing past the lies, And I see that this is far beyond anything that just sounds nice. And the truth is never tame, and I really think it's time That I turned to face the Word I ran away from at the first sign. And He said He so loved the world, And He said He so loved the world… That He came to stay here. And I believed what He said when He said that He'd descend In my life, in my mess, as my best friend. And I believed what He said when He said that He would send All His love like a postcard from my best friend. Miriam said she doesn't want to trivialize the love of Christ by connecting it to a postcard, but she's trying to show that it is so very personal for each of us. She was inspired to write the song while meditating on John 3:16. Scot asked Miriam how she writes songs. She said it's almost always at the piano with a notebook. She scribbles furiously as the inspiration comes quickly and she tries to capture the ideas. She does it by ear, not writing the music. Another song off the album is about the prophet Simeon who saw Jesus at a few weeks old as he was brought to the temple by Mary and Joseph. Simeon There was a man in the city and everyone thought him just a little odd. They passed him on his knees, his arms outstretched, As if waiting for a consolation. But on the edge of something new, he sensed that he had things to do And so lived a life of anticipation. Here is the moment he's been waiting for All of his life; Rushing and wishing and racing towards A graceful moment when he'd finally see what faith becomes. He saw them enter by the front door, and he didn't need any more proof that it was time To take the child in his arms, and looking up to heaven, Thanked his God for this chance. He told the mother of the days that would come and any other Would have turned away to run. But she kept in her heart all the words that she'd heard Because she had hope and all those good things in her son. So he was free to go, To go in peace with what he'd seen there. And with his last breath he thought How we were in the best of hands, and at that he smiled. Miriam sees Simeon as a model of faith and that's why she brings us into it at the end. He's been waiting all his life and we've been waiting all our lives. We have the responsibility of testifying to Jesus the way Simeon did. She said Simeon also had a sense of gratitude for this gift. We cant take the gift of faith for granted. Scot said he pictures Simeon having the grace of a happy death, knowing that all that he'd believed was true and could now see the Father's face. Fr. Matt said Simeon is a man who trusts in God's unconditional fidelity. Simeon is a man of hope and a beautiful testimony. Miriam said it's also not passive, living in the spirit of hope.

Today's host(s): Today's host(s): Scot Landry and Susan Abbott Today's guest(s): Fr. Roger Landry, executive editor of The Anchor, the newspaper of the Fall River diocese; and Gregory Tracy, managing editor of The Pilot, the newspaper of the Boston archdiocese 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: New Vicar for New Evangelization, new rector for seminary; global abortion genocide of girls; Supreme Court ruling favors religious freedom; local baker puts charity first Summary of today's show: Scot Landry and Susan Abbott review the headlines of the week with Fr. Roger Landry and Gregory Tracy, including the big news that Cardinal Seán has asked Bishop Arthur Kennedy to be the new Episcopal Vicar for the New Evangelization and Msgr. James Moroney to be the new rector of St. John's Seminary; also this week Fr. Roger's hard-hitting editorial on the global genocide of girls, the Supreme Court's ruling upholding the ministerial exception, and a local baker who puts Catholic charity first and foremost by providing bread for the poor in a unique way. 1st segment: Scot welcomed Susan back to the show and noted she had car trouble this morning. They discussed how we often fail to appreciate the miracle of our cars that help us in our commute. Susan said this week the religious education office is working with new catechetical leaders to see how they're doing in their first year. They're also doing some pastoral planning sessions. Scot said there are three rounds of consultations going on and religious education teachers went through round 1 this past week. Scot said this week, priests are getting a glimpse at draft groups of parish clusters. He emphasized that the materials shared at those consultations become available the afternoon of the meetings at . He encouraged listeners to go the documents and also repeated that everything is in draft stage right now, just to get feedback. Susan also asked everyone to keep this process in prayer. Scot said today Cardinal Seán is announcing a new vicar for the New Evangelization and a new rector for St. John's Seminary and that's our first story after the break. 2nd segment: Scot and Susan welcome Fr. Roger and Gregory back to the show. Scot said this week's Pilot has a big headline. Bishop Arthur Kennedy has been appointed Episcopal Vicar for the New Evangelization as of July 1 and Msgr. James Moroney has been named to replace him as rector of St. John Seminary. Scot said Bishop Kennedy was ordained a bishop for Boston on September 14, 2010. At the time it was expected a replacement as rector would be named. He's done a great job expanding enrollment at the seminary bringing it from 25 seminarians to a full-enrollment of more than 100. It's not clear yet what Bishop Kennedy will do, but Scot's sense is that he will oversee a lot of the Year of Faith activities and oversee efforts to strengthen evangelization efforts in parishes. Susan said this is great news and pointed out that he is also a native son of West Roxbury. She said she has worked with Bishop Kennedy with her work at the Master of Arts in Ministry program and Theological Institute for the New Evangelization at St. John's. As sad as she might be to see him leave the seminary, the appointment of Msgr. Moroney takes away the sadness. Scot said one Bishop Kennedy's responsibilities will be to oversee expansion of TINE. Fr. Roger said Bishop Kennedy has done an extraordinary job in just five years. Cardinal Sean, who has placed a premium on seminarian formation, has taken a spectacular rector and put him in a place to lead formation of the laity and shows how important this task is to Cardinal Sean. It underscores the priority that Cardinal Seán is giving to this initiative for new evangelization. Fr. Roger said if Cardinal Seán had done a nationwide search for a replacement rector, everyone would have picked Msgr. Moroney. He said everyone expected Msgr. Moroney would be a bishop by now, but thanks to the bishop of Worcester, where he's a priest, for giving him to the archdiocese for this task. Msgr. Moroney has been traveling the world educating priests and laity on the new translation of the Mass. He said bishops of other dioceses will be willing to send their seminarians to St. John's based on Msgr. Moroney's leadership because they will be happy to have their new priests be like Msgr. Moroney. Fr. Roger said this bolsters Cardinal Seán's hope that St. John's will be a regional seminary. Scot clarified Msgr. Moroney is a priest of the neighboring diocese of Worcester. He said Msgr. Moroney had been serving as a professor at St. John's for liturgy. He's served on a many international commissions and has run the US bishops' conference's secretariat for liturgy for a dozen years. Susan said she is thrilled and echoes everything Fr. Roger said. She added that he's brilliant, humorous, and self-deprecating and often has people at conferences and talks enthralled. Scot recommended listeners go to CatholicTV.com and watch Msgr. Moroney's program called “New and Eternal Word” on the new translation and then each week he has short reflections of each Sunday's prayers of the Mass. 3rd segment: Scot said in this week's Anchor, looking toward the 39th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision, Fr. Roger wrote an editorial on the pro-choice genocide of baby girls. On Sunday, we mark the 39th anniversary of the Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade decision that with its companion Doe v. Bolton made abortion legal in the United States for all nine months of pregnancy. These revolutionary decisions have since been celebrated by radical feminist groups as a milestone advance in the cause of women's freedom and rights, not just in the United States but internationally. The decisions, they argued, give women control over their destiny by giving them control over their bodies and whatever was in their bodies. They saved women's lives, they maintained, by preventing deaths in the ubiquitous “back alleys” by coat-hanger-wielding pseudo-doctors. The euphemisms they employed tried to claim that what was growing in them wasn't human life: at worst, the ‘fetus' was akin to a parasite or a wart; at most it was merely “potential” human life. The whole moniker of “freedom of choice” always scrupulously avoided mentioning a direct object to specify and morally qualify what one was actually choosing. Over the course of the last four decades, however, the various pro-choice mendacities, exaggerations, and euphemisms have all been exposed. Dr. Bernard Nathanson, once one of the most notorious abortion doctors in the country before his conversion from the grisly practice and to Catholicism, testified how wildly the pro-choice movement inflated and outright invented claims of maternal deaths in botched back alley abortions. “Jane Roe” herself, whose real name is Norma McCorvey, testified that her whole case was based on the lie that she had been raped and couldn't receive an abortion. Advances in embryology and in technology have made abundantly clear that what grows within a woman is clearly a human being at the very stages of existence all adult human beings have traversed. And as the discipline of demography has gotten more advanced and the pro-choice mentality has metastasized, the direct object of the “fiction of choice” has become increasingly apparent. Not only has it been exposed that the choice of abortion is the decision to end the life of a developing human being, but increasing numbers across the globe, the choice has resulted in a disproportionate slaughter of baby girls. Scot said Fr. Roger then goes on to provide some of the stats on gender-selection abortions and pre-implantation genetic diagnosis abortions. Fr. Roger said it's become apparent that pro-choice is the slaughter of young women, as opposed to be ing pro-women as pro-choicers claim. Across the world, there is a gap of 160 million girls across the world. Based on the statistical averages and biology, there should be 160 million more girls in the world today, which is mainly attributable to abortion. In China, rather than there being an expected 106 girls to every 100 boys, there are 120 boys for every 100 girls and in Beijing it's more than 200 boys for every 100 girls. There are 21 countries with unnatural levels of boys in their populations. What will happen in the future when these boys can't get married as adults. Violence will rise, sexual trafficking and exploitation, pornography will all increase. Even in the US, lawmakers have introduced a bill to ban testing in the womb to determine sex or race in order to perform abortion in order to protect unborn girls, but the so-called pro-woman pro-choice groups have come out in opposition to the law. Scot said abortion is more important than protecting women for these groups. Susan said as a member of Feminists for Life, this is the biggest lie that has ever been sold to women. they have bought the lie that abortion is a right and this is for their good. Scientifically, no one doubts whether this is human life. Now the question is whose life takes precedence and that's the slippery slope. She remembers before legalization of abortion people claimed that there would be no slippery slope to sex selection abortions or the like. Scot said science is on the side of the pro-life community. It reveals the lies and it clearly says abortion is business in this country and those behind it will do anything to protect it. Scot said to Greg that people will object to the editorial for using words like genocide and feticide. Greg said to call it anything less would fall into the trap of euphemisms and softening the truth. He points out that this isn't us imposing our personal choice or morality on others. He noted that the CIA had a report a few years ago that one of the biggest problems facing the world in the future is the imbalance of men. This isn't a moral statement, but a national security judgment. Scot said to Fr. Roger that he ends his editorial by warning that eugenics is coming to the US through pre-implantation genetic diagnosis in which people can select for certain traits in their children including gender. What happens is that they manufacture human beings in the laboratory then examine the embryos for their genes and discard, i.e. kill or freeze the rest. Couples are flying in from all over the world to do this in the United States because it's already illegal in other countries. This is the pro-choice mentality taken to the extreme, that we should be able to choose everything about our children and if we don't like them we can throw them out like so much wasted food. Pro-lifers have long described the many ways the pro-choice movement hurts individual women as well as the cause of women overall. It's now becoming clear that the pro-choice mentality is disproportionately snuffing out the future of hundreds of millions of women more than the carnage of men, creating a global disparity in sex ratio that leads sober analysts to predict that the surplus of unmarried males in sexually unbalanced societies will hurt women in various other ways: through augmenting the demand for prostitution, kidnapping and female trafficking. When are those who claim to speak for the good of women going to recognize that abortion is bad for women, bad for baby girls, and bad for all of society? Scot said also before the Supreme Court recently was a case that challenged the ministerial exception, a principle in law which allows religious groups to hire and fire based on religious beliefs. Bishop William E. Lori of Bridgeport, Conn., chairman of the U.S. bishops' Ad Hoc Committee for Religious Liberty, called it “a great day for the First Amendment.” In a statement issued by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Bishop Lori said the ruling makes clear “the historical and constitutional importance of keeping internal church affairs off limits to the government — because whoever chooses the minister chooses the message.” Greg said the case doesn't directly affect the other methods of infringement of religious liberty that have been in the news lately, like regulations requiring health insurance plans to cover contraceptives. But the Court did say that religious groups have freedom in employment by saying that government can't mandate how people of faith practice that faith. Had they ruled otherwise, the government could have said the Church must ordain women because the current policy is discriminatory and other similar complaints. This case involved a Michigan Lutheran school teacher who was fired after she threatened to sue the school under a disabilities law. The school said she should have used the Lutheran synod's internal appeals process. Fr. Roger said any Catholic who wants religious freedom needs to sit up and pay attention to the Obama administration's infringements on that freedom. It is no longer just intolerant of us, but is actively trying to shut down our ability to police what we do and follow our internal policies. He noted that this was a unanimous decision, including the four justices appointed by Clinton and Obama who agreed that the administrations efforts in this case were ludicrous. 4th segment: Scot said this Saturday there will be a transitional deacon ordained in the Diocese of Fall River and six men will be ordained at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross at 10am. Fr. Roger said they will be deacons until they are ordained priests. In Boston this year the priestly ordination is the end of June and Fall River's Jason Brilhante will be ordained in early June. He said that it is significant that they are ordained deacons in that they will always remain deacons even after being ordained priests. Also in the Anchor this week is a story about LaVallee's Bakery Distributors in Waltham that provides free bread to the needy. CEO Andy LaVallee said: “We run our company on two real basic values that came out of Pope Benedict's encyclical, ‘Charity in Truth', and that is stewardship is a gift from God and that it's something we're only in possession of, so what we do with it is important,” LaVallee said. “We feel like it's a real moral responsibility as a Catholic to do certain things for the community. So we need to take care of some of the Catholic-based food pantries and charities in the area.” Susan said just the fact that he is aware of and familiar with the encyclical is remarkable. The story notes that as you walk into the facility is that there is a painting of Pope Benedict prominently displayed. they also point out that they don't give away stale bread. “If you go to the St. Francis House in Boston, they have a very small kitchen area but they manage to feed about 1,200 people a day,” he said. “If you walk out the back door of the kitchen, it's adjacent to a well-known five-star hotel. On Thanksgiving Day if you went to this particular hotel you would have seen breads from LaVallee's set up on all the tables from every country around the world. Just next door inside St. Francis House, the homeless were being served the same exact breads. There's a symbol here: we could just as well give St. Francis House our stale bread, but that wouldn't be showing respect and dignity for all people. To me, it's important to give of the same resources and the same products.” Greg said it has struck him and wants to reprint it in the Pilot. He noted a quote at the end of the article: “We've succeeded ever since we embraced these two strong biblical truths: stewardship and servant leadership,” he said. “If you're going to continue to manage your company based on spreadsheets and not developing and helping people around you - your employees, your customers and the community - then you're going to go through life with an accumulation of wealth, but what good is it? The real goodness is what you can do for other people because it's more Christ-like, it's what God did for us.” Fr. Roger said he met him at a Christmas party at a mutual friend's home and they talked about his program and how other businesses are joining him. From there he asked if they would be able to get some of that charity at his parish, St. Anthony of Padua in New Bedford. Greg also pointed out the front-page Pilot story on the Martin Luther King, Jr., Day commemoration at St. Katharine Drexel in Boston and recommended listeners read it.

Today's host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O'Connor Links from today's show: Today's topics: The Year of Faith Summary of today's show: Pope Benedict XVI has declared a Year of Faith to begin in October that will encourage all Catholics to a greater understanding of what they believe and what the Catholic faith teaches. Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O'Connor prepare for the Year of Faith by reviewing the Holy Father's apostolic letter Porta Fidei, introducing the Year, as well as the recommendations from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith on how dioceses, parishes, and religious communities can make the Year of Faith a great success and make it spiritually fruitful for the entire Church. They include the Top Ten list of suggestions for both parishes and dioceses. 1st segment: Scot welcomed Fr. Chris back to the show. On Saturday, many of the 4th year seminarians will be ordained to the transitional diaconate at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross. Some from other dioceses will be ordained in their cathedrals as well. They will serve as deacons in their parishes until the end of June. The ordination to the priesthood is later this year because Deacon Eric Bennett will be coming back from Rome then to join his classmates for ordination. They also have the St. Andrew Dinners as well, which brings young men, mostly high school age, to the seminary for a holy hour, dinner, and some talks to give the young men an experience of the seminary and to see that the seminarians are normal guys like them. Scot and Fr. Chris discussed the football playoffs and the prospects for the Patriots this weekend. Fr. Chris also talked about the upcoming March for Life coming up next Monday. Many seminarians go down for them. Scot said we will have a special show tomorrow, traveling up to St. Mary High School in Lynn, which is sending about 100 students, to interview some of the students and adult leaders. Today's topic is the Year of Faith that Pope Benedict has declared for the year beginning in October 2012. 2nd segment: Scot said they would be discussing the Pope's document Porta Fidei, a letter issued last October 11, which begins: The “door of faith” (Acts 14:27) is always open for us, ushering us into the life of communion with God and offering entry into his Church. It is possible to cross that threshold when the word of God is proclaimed and the heart allows itself to be shaped by transforming grace. To enter through that door is to set out on a journey that lasts a lifetime. It begins with baptism (cf. Rom 6:4), through which we can address God as Father, and it ends with the passage through death to eternal life, fruit of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, whose will it was, by the gift of the Holy Spirit, to draw those who believe in him into his own glory (cf. Jn 17:22). To profess faith in the Trinity – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – is to believe in one God who is Love (cf. 1 Jn 4:8): the Father, who in the fullness of time sent his Son for our salvation; Jesus Christ, who in the mystery of his death and resurrection redeemed the world; the Holy Spirit, who leads the Church across the centuries as we await the Lord's glorious return. Ever since the start of my ministry as Successor of Peter, I have spoken of the need to rediscover the journey of faith so as to shed ever clearer light on the joy and renewed enthusiasm of the encounter with Christ. During the homily at the Mass marking the inauguration of my pontificate I said: “The Church as a whole and all her Pastors, like Christ, must set out to lead people out of the desert, towards the place of life, towards friendship with the Son of God, towards the One who gives us life, and life in abundance.”[1] It often happens that Christians are more concerned for the social, cultural and political consequences of their commitment, continuing to think of the faith as a self-evident presupposition for life in society. In reality, not only can this presupposition no longer be taken for granted, but it is often openly denied.[2] Whereas in the past it was possible to recognize a unitary cultural matrix, broadly accepted in its appeal to the content of the faith and the values inspired by it, today this no longer seems to be the case in large swathes of society, because of a profound crisis of faith that has affected many people. We cannot accept that salt should become tasteless or the light be kept hidden (cf. Mt 5:13-16). The people of today can still experience the need to go to the well, like the Samaritan woman, in order to hear Jesus, who invites us to believe in him and to draw upon the source of living water welling up within him (cf. Jn 4:14). We must rediscover a taste for feeding ourselves on the word of God, faithfully handed down by the Church, and on the bread of life, offered as sustenance for his disciples (cf. Jn 6:51). Indeed, the teaching of Jesus still resounds in our day with the same power: “Do not labour for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life” (Jn 6:27). The question posed by his listeners is the same that we ask today: “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” (Jn 6:28). We know Jesus' reply: “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent” (Jn 6:29). Belief in Jesus Christ, then, is the way to arrive definitively at salvation. In the light of all this, I have decided to announce a Year of Faith. It will begin on 11 October 2012, the fiftieth anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council, and it will end on the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Universal King, on 24 November 2013. The starting date of 11 October 2012 also marks the twentieth anniversary of the publication of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, a text promulgated by my Predecessor, Blessed John Paul II,[3] with a view to illustrating for all the faithful the power and beauty of the faith. This document, an authentic fruit of the Second Vatican Council, was requested by the Extraordinary Synod of Bishops in 1985 as an instrument at the service of catechesis[4] and it was produced in collaboration with all the bishops of the Catholic Church. Moreover, the theme of the General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops that I have convoked for October 2012 is “The New Evangelization for the Transmission of the Christian Faith”. This will be a good opportunity to usher the whole Church into a time of particular reflection and rediscovery of the faith. It is not the first time that the Church has been called to celebrate a Year of Faith. My venerable Predecessor the Servant of God Paul VI announced one in 1967, to commemorate the martyrdom of Saints Peter and Paul on the 19th centenary of their supreme act of witness. He thought of it as a solemn moment for the whole Church to make “an authentic and sincere profession of the same faith”; moreover, he wanted this to be confirmed in a way that was “individual and collective, free and conscious, inward and outward, humble and frank”.[5] He thought that in this way the whole Church could reappropriate “exact knowledge of the faith, so as to reinvigorate it, purify it, confirm it, and confess it”.[6] The great upheavals of that year made even more evident the need for a celebration of this kind. It concluded with the Credo of the People of God,[7] intended to show how much the essential content that for centuries has formed the heritage of all believers needs to be confirmed, understood and explored ever anew, so as to bear consistent witness in historical circumstances very different from those of the past. The name Porta Fideo comes from the first few words of the document in Latin, “the door of faith” We need to let people know that the door of faith is always open and invite them to walk through. Fr. Chris said he was brought back to Rome in the four major basilicas, each of which has a Holy Door, which is opened every 25 years during the Jubilee Years. There are blessings that come through walking through those Holy Doors, but there is also blessings and richness that come from walking through the doors of our church. We come to faith but asking the Lord to give us faith, by using what we have allowing it to prosper and grow in our lives. Scot said the Year of Faith's timing is the anniversary of Vatican II and the introduction of the Catechism. Pope Benedict says of this timing: It seemed to me that timing the launch of the Year of Faith to coincide with the fiftieth anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council would provide a good opportunity to help people understand that the texts bequeathed by the Council Fathers, in the words of Blessed John Paul II, “have lost nothing of their value or brilliance. They need to be read correctly, to be widely known and taken to heart as important and normative texts of the Magisterium, within the Church's Tradition … I feel more than ever in duty bound to point to the Council as the great grace bestowed on the Church in the twentieth century: there we find a sure compass by which to take our bearings in the century now beginning.” Scot said the Holy Father is emphasizing that Vatican II is underappreciated now just 50 years on, that councils aren't fully appreciated until decades or a century or more have passed. Fr. Chris said he loves to teach the course on ecclesiology because students appreciate learning about what saints, theologians, bishops and more have taught about the Church. He suggested one of the best Vatican II documents is Lumen Gentium, which deals specifically with the Church. He notes also that the Holy Father specifically mentions the Catechism of the Catholic Church, because there is the basic teachings of our faith, along with the beauty and goodness of our faith, and ultimately Christ. Scot said the holy Father wants us to encounter Christ through the Vatican II documents and the Catechism. We can prepare for the Year of Faith by reading those, in small doses, a few pages at a time, perhaps some of the Scripture referenced in what you read as well. Fr. Chris said the Catechism is a rich resource. It's like a dessert, you don't have too much of a rich things. Take it in small doses. Start with a topic you're interested in: marriage and family, confession, or the life of prayer. Scot said the holy Father promises: Today as in the past, he sends us through the highways of the world to proclaim his Gospel to all the peoples of the earth (cf. Mt 28:19). Through his love, Jesus Christ attracts to himself the people of every generation: in every age he convokes the Church, entrusting her with the proclamation of the Gospel by a mandate that is ever new. Today too, there is a need for stronger ecclesial commitment to new evangelization in order to rediscover the joy of believing and the enthusiasm for communicating the faith. In rediscovering his love day by day, the missionary commitment of believers attains force and vigour that can never fade away. Faith grows when it is lived as an experience of love received and when it is communicated as an experience of grace and joy. It makes us fruitful, because it expands our hearts in hope and enables us to bear life-giving witness: indeed, it opens the hearts and minds of those who listen to respond to the Lord's invitation to adhere to his word and become his disciples. Believers, so Saint Augustine tells us, “strengthen themselves by believing”. Fr. Chris said this is exercising the muscle of faith in order to have it grow and bear fruit. Faith without charity bears no fruit, while charity without faith would be a sentiment constantly at the mercy of doubt. Faith and charity each require the other, in such a way that each allows the other to set out along its respective path. Indeed, many Christians dedicate their lives with love to those who are lonely, marginalized or excluded, as to those who are the first with a claim on our attention and the most important for us to support, because it is in them that the reflection of Christ's own face is seen. Through faith, we can recognize the face of the risen Lord in those who ask for our love. “As you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me” (Mt 25:40). These words are a warning that must not be forgotten and a perennial invitation to return the love by which he takes care of us. It is faith that enables us to recognize Christ and it is his love that impels us to assist him whenever he becomes our neighbour along the journey of life. Supported by faith, let us look with hope at our commitment in the world, as we await “new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells” (2 Pet 3:13; cf. Rev 21:1). Scot said the work of the Church is to know Jesus Christ and love him back, and to be able to practice our acts of charity and love the way Jesus wants us to. Christian charity and secular charity might look the same, but in the hearts of those who practice them, they are not the same. Fr. Chris said when we recognize who Christ is, that he is a gift, it can only prompt us to make a gift of our life to Christ as a mom, dad, priest, etc. 3rd segment: Scot said the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith also issued recommendations on the implementation of the Year of Faith at three levels: the Universal Church, bishops' conferences and dioceses, and parishes and families. The list includes 10 items. The first is to read and meditate upon Pope Benedict's letter Porta Fidei. Fr. Chris noted listeners today are doing that. It helps readers to consider how they can grow in faith. The second recommendation is to intensify the celebration of the faith in the liturgy, especially in the Eucharist. The Holy Faith wants to ensure that the liturgy is prayed in the way that people live it. Fr. Chris said maybe arrive to Mass a little early to prepare yourself and quiet self before Mass. Maybe don't leave before the closing prayer and give self completely to the liturgy. Bring to the Eucharist those things things affecting us, including the blessings and sufferings of the week, and say, Lord, I am giving these to you. And make ourselves attentive to the Lord's Word being proclaimed. Scot added that we should understand we're not passive spectators at church, but respond to prayer with vigor. Also think through how your children and others are watching what we do, so do everything with intention, like receiving Communion. Third, priests should devote greater attention to the study of the documents of Vatican Council II and the Catechism of the Catholic Church, drawing from them resources for the pastoral care of their parishes – catechesis, preaching, Sacramental preparation. Fr. Chris said it reminds priests that they have a sacred role as teacher and if they're going to teach the faith, then they need to be able to articulate. Fr. Chris said every time he looks at the documents of Vatican II, something new catches his attention. Just because you've read it before doesn't mean the Holy Spirit isn't going to inspire you with something new. Fourth, Catechists should hold more firmly to the doctrinal richness of the Catechism of the Catholic Church and, under the direction of their pastors. Scot said all good catechesis starts with the Catechism. Put all lessons in the proper context of the teaching of the Church. Have a fresh reading of the Catechism in order to be able to respond to questions about the faith. Fr. Chris said the Theological Institute for the New Evangelization offers a whole certificate program that focuses primarily on the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Fifth, It is hoped that there will be a renewed commitment in parishes to the distribution of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, and of other resources appropriate for families, which are true domestic churches and the primary setting for the transmission of the faith. This can be done appropriately during home blessings, baptisms, confirmations, and marriages. It emphasizes that families shouldn't be outsourcing the faith formation to religious education classes. Fr. Chris said most of the catechism is readily accessible to the average reader and it helps unpack the truth, beauty, and goodness of our faith. He has a friend who said the Catechism certificate revolutionized how he practices his faith. Sixth, The promotion of missions and other popular programs in parishes and in the workplace can help the faithful to rediscover the gift of Baptismal faith and the task of giving witness, knowing that the Christian vocation “by its very nature is also a vocation to the apostolate.” Scot said parish missions used to be a very big deal in parishes and it would be a good for parishes to make a commitment of three or four nights in a row. Fr. Chris called it a parish retreat and opportunity to grow in the faith and to remind us of our faith and reenergize us. He encouraged listeners to approach their pastors to ask for them. Seven addresses religious communities to work toward the new evangelization; Eight, contemplative communities, during the Year of Faith, should pray specifically for the renewal of the faith among the People of God and for a new impulse for its transmission to the young; and Nine, Associations and Ecclesial Movements are invited to promote specific initiatives which, through the contribution of their proper charism and in collaboration with their local Pastors, will contribute to the wider experience of the Year of Faith. Tenth, All of the faithful, called to renew the gift of faith, should try to communicate their own experience of faith and charity[35] to their brothers and sisters of other religions, with those who do not believe, and with those who are just indifferent. In this way, it is hoped that the entire Christian people will begin a kind of mission toward those with whom they live and work, knowing that they “have welcomed the news of salvation which is meant for every man.” Fr. Chris said faith is never lived in a vacuum, but is instead shared and offered to others. He said Cardinal Christoph Schoenborn's book says that from the first sin of Adam and Eve to the present day, wherever sin is, it's a result of a lack of faith. Where faith abounds, sin decreases. 4th segment: Scot mentioned the diocesan recommendations, starting with “It is hoped that each particular Church would have a celebration of the opening of the Year of Faith and a solemn conclusion to it, in which to “profess our faith in the Risen Lord in our cathedrals and in the churches of the whole world.”” Fr. Chris said it calls the people of the diocese together. Every diocese in the world is asked to do this, which showcases our universal nature. We're all connected together in this beautiful faith, rooted in the Eucharist. Second, each diocese would organize a study day on the Catechism of the Catholic Church. How many people have read the Catechism substantially? And if so, how many have done so recently? Fr. Chris said the Daughters of St. Paul edition includes the Scripture passages referenced connected to the Catechism. It helps priests preparing for Mass to reference the Catechism. Third, it encourages each bishop to write a pastoral letter on the topic of faith, reminding them of the importance of the Second Vatican Council and the Catechism. Scot said Cardinal Seán will probably write one of his own. Fr. Chris said it helps the Church in Boston to reflect on what we should all be considering together. Fourth, it is hoped that in each Diocese, under the leadership of the Bishop, catechetical events will be organized, especially for the youth and those searching for a sense of life, helping them to discover the beauty of ecclesial faith, promoting encounters with meaningful witnesses to the faith. Scot said do a youth event with a goal of teaching what the Church believes through witnesses. Fr. Chris said the Church is again saying the young people are the future of our Church. We need to help them encounter Christ because once you encounter Him there is no turning back. Fifth, each diocese should review the reception of Vatican II and the Catechism in its own life and mission, particularly in the realm of catechesis. Fr. Chris said so many people want to quote Vatican II until you ask them to show you where it is in the text. The more we can all look at what the documents actually teach, the better off we'll all be. When we teach the truth, it's attractive. Anything less isn't worth hanging your soul on. If we can proclaim it convincingly, there'd be no stopping us. Scot said he guess less than 5,000 people in this diocese have read the Catechism or documents of Vatican II. his hope is that number would multiply by several times so that most people who are passionate about their faith will be able to pass it on to others. Fr. Chris said faith is an investment. The more fully you give yourself to it, the more fully you will reap the rewards. Sixth, The continuing education of the clergy can be focused during this Year of Faith on the documents of Vatican Council II and on the Catechism of the Catholic Church, treating such themes as “the proclamation of the Risen Christ”, “the Church - sacrament of salvation”, “the mission of evangelization in the world today”, “faith and disbelief”, “faith, ecumenism and inter-religious dialogue”, “faith and eternal life”, “the hermeneutic of reform in continuity” and “the Catechism in ordinary pastoral care.” Seventh, Bishops are invited to organize penitential celebrations, particularly during Lent like The Light Is On For You, in which all can ask for God's forgiveness, especially for sins against faith. This Year also provides an appropriate occasion in which all can approach the Sacrament of Penance with greater faith and more frequently. Fr. Chris said sins against the faith could include just saying I don't believe anymore. Faith is not an emotion. It's a choice we have to make. There is also a sin of presumption, that presumes on God's mercy that we will get to heaven no matter what. Eight encourages a renewed creative dialogue between faith and reason in the academic and artistic communities. Nine promotes encounters with those persons who, “while not claiming to have the gift of faith, are nevertheless sincerely searching for the ultimate meaning and definitive truth of their lives and of the world”. Ten encourages greater attention to Catholic schools, especially through the Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church and the YouCat.

Today's host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O'Connor Today's guest(s): Bishop Arthur Kennedy, Auxiliary Bishop of Boston and Rector of St. John Seminary Links from today's show: Today's topics: Bishop Profile: Bishop Arthur Kennedy Summary of today's show: Bishop Arthur Kennedy, rector of St. John Seminary, just celebrated 45 years in the priesthood. Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O'Connor discuss with Bishop Kennedy his recent ad limina visit with Pope Benedict in Rome; his childhood in West Roxbury; his formation and ordination in Rome in 1966; and the many years he spent in academia, teaching the Catholic faith to university students. They also talk about bishop Kennedy's favorite author, Flannery O'Connor, and his assessment of the young people he's confirmed throughout the Archdiocese since his ordination as bishop last year. 1st segment: Scot asked Fr. Chris how he celebrates Christmas now that the seminary is not in session. Fr. Chris said he will be helping out at St. John in Winthrop and Sacred Heart in East Boston, which are close together but unique. St. John is a typical suburban parish and Sacred Heart is a melting pot of the city with several ethnic groups living there. He will celebrate the 4pm and 6pm Christmas Eve Masses. On Christmas, he will spend it with his family at his sister's home in Stoughton. Scot said his family will travel to New Bedford where his brother Roger is pastor of St. Anthony Parish. They will attend 4pm Mass and then have a dinner after in the rectory. On Christmas Day they go to the 9am at St. Agnes in Arlington, where his daughter sings in the children's choir. They will gather with both sides of his family afterward. Fr. Chris said it's easier on pastors when Christmas is on a Sunday because they don't have to double up on Masses. He said he hopes people who come back for Christmas for the first time since the new translation came into effect will find it edifying. Also, this Wednesday, all the church and chapels of the Archdiocese will have confessions available from 6pm to 8:30pm as part of . You can find a church at . 2nd segment: Scot welcomed Bishop Kennedy to the show. Scot said he was ordained to the priesthood on December 17, 1966 and is celebrating 45 years in the priesthood. Bishop Kennedy thanked Scot and said it's a good time to be rector because it shows the young men the life of the priesthood can be remarkably rewarding and filled with the mystery of God. What God does in us is what we really celebrate in this 45th anniversary. On September 14, 2010, Bishop Kennedy and Bishop Peter Uglietto were ordained bishops for Boston. They recently met with all the bishops of New England with Pope Benedict for his first ad limina visit. It's a pilgrimage to the tombs of the apostles, first of all, so they celebrated Mass at the tombs of St. Peter and St. Paul as well as Bl. John Paul II. They also met with the Holy Father for about 40 minutes and they each spoke to him about some aspect of the work of the new Evangelization. Bishop Kennedy talked about the Theological Institute for the New Evangelization that they have undertaken at St. John Seminary. The Holy Father emphasized how all evangelization begins with catechesis. They then met with various Vatican offices, including the new council for the New Evangelization, where they were very excited about TINE for their work. He also met with the Congregation for Education ad Seminaries. They talked about the New Evangelization too, especially how they train and form lay people and how that relationship affects how they form and train seminarians. They also talked about getting permission to have a pontifical degree at St. John' Seminary. Scot asked what is a pontifical degree. Bishop Kennedy said it is based on a system worked out by the Vatican on what is required for coursework. It includes a special ordering of coursework and provides the opportunity for a seminarian being able to go for further study to have a leg up than he otherwise might. Scot said it seems like the holy Father is particularly interested in talking about the New Evangelization in these meetings with bishops. Bishop Kennedy noted the Holy Father is dedicated to seeing this become a major dimension of his papacy because this was his focus for many years in his own academic work. New Evangelization re-opens the light that is so dangerously closed off by many of the dark elements in modern culture. Scot asked how the Pope seems to be doing as a man in his mid-80s. Bishop Kennedy said he looked quite frail when he saw him in September. He'd been told by his doctors to lose weight and he'd obviously done so. He looked tired; this was after World Youth Day in Spain and just before his trip to Germany. He was more invigorated when they saw him November, but still quite frail. Fr. Chris asked what else he sees as his legacy in his papacy. Bishop Kennedy said the way he's been able to bring into the life of the Church that its development is always organic. It doesn't bounce around by rejecting things of the past, but integrates new things in to the structure of the life of the Church. The way he was able to bring in an understanding of the Second Vatican Council as a continuation of the Church's life. Scot said he's often viewed Pope Benedict's heart is tied to the renewal of the Liturgy because how we pray informs our faith. Bishop Kennedy said he guided the development of the new translation into English. 3rd segment: Scot said Bishop Kennedy grew up here in Boston and asked him how he first heard the call to the priesthood. Bishop Kennedy said he grew up in West Roxbury and Holy Name was his home parish. Msgr. Charles Finn was the pastor and four more priests lived there. He said the laypeople were very involved in the parish. The laity were the ones who made all the details of life go: Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, bands, choirs, athletic teams, etc. There was a culture and form within that culture he had a sense of vocation. The unity between the priests and laity was extraordinary. He saw how holy laypeople could be and dedicated to prayer and prayed not just for themselves but for others. They had many vocations from that parish when he was growing up. The Archdiocese had a program—which he's reinstating—called the St. Botolph Guild. St. Botolph's name is the origin of the name Boston: St. Botolph's Town. He's the patron saint of the city of Boston. The guild were boys and young men interested in the priesthood who went once a month to the seminary for a holy hour, reflection, and meeting the seminarians. They learned the seminarians were just like themselves. His family was very close to the Church as well. He went to Boston Latin School for high school where he studied Latin, Greek, French and German as well as other subjects so he had a very good engagement entry into a broad world of interests. Scot asked him about not attending a Catholic high school. Bishop Kennedy said there was no Catholic high school near them at the time. He studied for seminary at St. John Seminary and then at the Pontifical North American College, and was ordained in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. At the time, they had one telephone call per year back home on Christmas Day, so all communications were by letter. Thus the planning for the ordination was complicated as 34 people came with his family. The ordination took place at the Altar of the Chair, which is the altar behind the main high altar in the center of the basilica. He celebrated his first Mass at the Basilica of St. Clements, which had been under the care of Cardinal O'Connell. Holy Name parish's apse had been copied from the basilica so the artwork and design was quite familiar to him. He served in several parishes and then went for further studies after which he has spent the bulk of his time in academic work. He worked at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota. He said it was a very Catholic place, but even those who were not Catholic were still very devout. He spent eight years helping at one parish and 22 years in another parish in downtown St. Paul. The academic world was something he'd begun to enjoy even when he was in high school. He was interested in theology and how it helps us understand all of the dimensions of the mystery of Christ. So he taught theology to undergraduate students. Many of them came from small farm towns and were the first in their families to go to college. There was a greater sense of nature from students who grew up on farms. He said when you're sitting on a tractor all day, there's a lot of time for contemplation of the universe and one's place in it. He started courses that linked theology to other social sciences, like literature and philosopher and more. They created a Catholic studies program, which has become very successful. It links the Catholic life of prayer, service to the Church, and a life of charity. It's amazing how many vocations have come from students in that program. It was the first program of its type in the country and became the model for many others. Fr. Chris said Bishop Kennedy is known for his love of Flannery O'Connor, the souther Catholic writer. He said she had an amazing vision from the time she was about 18. She saw the great difficulty between faith and culture. In her world the Christians were principally not Catholic. She had a great sense that the grace of God works by allowing all of those who are informed by the Gospel to be able to recognize their place and their dignity and be drawn closer and closer to understanding the darkness of the world and their need for redemption. Her stories are always about redemption, how people resist redemption or find it only after great suffering. She is completely unsentimental. She recognizes that grace is a very difficult reality because it faces difficult things. Sometimes you show the reality of grace by showing what life is like when it is absent. She had a sense of the darkness that was coming, even back in the 50s when every thought things were fine. She saw the decline of education. She had a great spiritual sense of self. At 19, she wrote in a spiritual journal: “Go must be in everything I write.” As far as he can see, she fulfilled that command right until her early death at the age of 39 from Lupus. He would recommend people who want to start reading her books to start with the collection of her short stories called “”. Scot said Bishop Kennedy earlier said the Catholic studies program he started tried to link Catholicism with other disciplines and there were a number of vocations that came from it. Does he think that those two are related? Bishop Kennedy thinks it opens one's imagination to possibilities that might be closed off by the culture. It's a terrific entire sense of the human community and the mystical Body of the Church. It's exactly the way the Church was engaged in education for centuries. It's only in the last decades that we've divided up these areas of education. The integrity allows young people to see how faith takes nothing away, but gives them a whole new way of being human. Scot asked how he implements it at St. John's. Bishop Kennedy said they've established a summer reading program, including for example, books on economics so they can relate to people's concerns; history books like those of the Catholic historian Christopher Dawson. Bishop Kennedy said Dawson made him realize that when faith is lived by Catholic people in society, they transform everything else. They change economics and education, for example. Dawson said we hadn't linked our knowledge of theology with our knowledge of history. For example, the great churches are prayers in stone. It's part of what they do at St. John's. They do it through human formation and spiritual formation. 4th segment: Scot noted that Bishop Kennedy in June 2010, Cardinal Sean invited then-Fr. Kennedy and then-Fr. Uglietto to a meeting and told them that the Holy Father wanted to make them bishops. What was it like? Bishop Kennedy said at the time Cardinal Sean was heading to the US bishops meeting in Washington, DC, and they'd been talking about talking to bishops there about the seminary. So he got a phone call asking him to come meet the cardinal The Cardinal said there's good news and Bishop Kennedy asked, “Oh, do you have some bishops who are going to send some men to St. John's Seminary.” The cardinal said, “Oh no, the holy Father has named you an auxiliary bishop of Boston.” He replied, “What?” So Bishop Kennedy wasn't able to tell anyone for a long time and then had to write a letter—you have to make a formal response to the Holy Father's request—which he did after much prayer and fasting. The ordination Mass saw many bishops come from around the country on the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross. After the ordination, you walk down through the Church and give your blessing to all the people and he saw the enthusiasm of the people in the full cathedral. They don't know him, but the enthusiasm is that the Church continues to have those offices and places and people who will continue to carry on the mission of the Church. the enthusiasm is about the Church and that was the most wonderful part for him. Fr. Chris said Bishop Kennedy travels around the diocese and performs many confirmations. What has he learned about the youth of the archdiocese? Bishop Kennedy has them write to him before he goes to the confirmations. He asks them to tell him the name they've chosen for confirmation; the sponsor and why they chose that person—many of the young people say the sponsor is a model of Christian fidelity; and what do they understand by the Mass. From those questions that he gives his reflections from the homily. He quotes from the letters and talks to the family members about what their children are saying. He then talks about how the young people have to become models themselves. He's been impressed by the catechetical preparation in many parishes. In some parishes, it's been so good that the young people ask to be able to continue to meet as a class with the pastor and catechists. It's important because it can seem that confirmation is a graduation from Church, but it's really the exact opposite case. So he talks to them about Pope Benedict's talk to the students in England and Wales. He said it's unusual for anyone to talk to all of the children in England, Scotland, and Wales, never mind the Pope. He told them that he was there for the beatification of Bl. Newman. He told them that they all have to consider becoming saints so they need to think about what a saint is how they would become one. Confirmation is one of the steps to becoming a saint. Scot said when he hears bishops talk about confirmation, there is a lot of variety. Cardinal Sean likes to talk about marriage, not knowing for how many of them this will be their last homily before they approach their pastor to get married in the church. He tries to help prepare them for their next sacrament. Scot said he loves Bishop Kennedy makes them reflect before coming forward for the sacrament. Scot said he's always been fascinated that bishops get to pick on quote from Scripture and make it their episcopal motto. He's often thought if he tried to boil down his life to one phrase, what would it be? Bishop Kennedy picked, “Ut cognoscant te”, which translates as “That they may know you.” Cardinal Cushing had the same motto. It's from John 17:3. Bishop Kennedy picked it because it's first in the Book of Wisdom in the Old Testament. It is the way he's spent his life as a pastor and a teacher, helping people to know Christ. It also gives an historical link back to Boston. Scot said Cardinal Cushing built so many churches and schools, that this motto is in about a third of the buildings in the Archdiocese on his coat of arms. Scot asked if there's anything in his first 15 months as a bishop that has surprised him. Bishop Kennedy said he's been amazed by how many letters he's received from former students who recall something he's taught them or his presence at some event and the gratitude that comes back to him. It reminds him of the way in which when you live your life according to charity and sacrifice, that God's work is taking place in others and you have no idea. It's the hiddenness of God's redemption. Fr. Chris said on behalf of St. John Seminary how blessed they are to have Bishop Kennedy lead them and impressed by his kindness and generosity and intellect. Bishop Kennedy said for a long time he's tried to link faith to culture and he's trying to help the seminarians do that by giving them a greater sense of the faith they'll see in the young people they'll be serving in the parishes. People are waiting for these men to come be faithful spiritual fathers in the future. Scot noted that St. John Seminary is now full like it wasn't before he came. He thanked Bishop Kennedy for the work that benefits all of us.

Today's host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Mark O'Connell Today's guest(s): Sr. Olga Yaqob and Susan Horne Today's topics: Mary, A Woman of Advent Summary of today's show: For the Mother of Christ, Advent was not a time of Christmas shopping and baking, but the difficult last month of pregnancy made more difficult by a donkey-back ride through hard lands to a strange town to give birth in a stable to the Son of God. How can Mary's experience of Advent enrich our own experience now? Scot Landry and Fr. Mark O'Connell are joined by Sr. Olga Yaqob and Susan Horne to consider Mary as the Woman of Advent in joyful expectation and anticipation with “immensity cloistered in thy dear womb”, as the poet John Donne said. 1st segment: Fr. Mark talked about his experience of the new translation of the Mass. He said it takes him back to when he was first ordained when he had to very carefully read every word and pay attention to pages. He said it also surprised him the first time he heard “And with your spirit”. He doesn't feel that he's praying the Mass yet. He's achieving validity, but it will take some time to get comfortable enough to enter into deep prayer. 2nd segment: Scot and Fr. Mark welcomed back Sr. Olga and Susan Horne. Sr. Olga said the Holy Family and Nazareth in Christmas are close to her heart as one of the new community of women, the Daughters of Mary of Nazareth. Susan is a director of religious education at St. Joseph, Needham. She's also a student in the Masters of Arts in Ministry program at the Theological Institute for the New Evangelization and a student of Fr. Mark. Susan is new in her job as DRE and Scot asked her what it's like to be DRE at one of the largest parishes in the Archdiocese. She's surprised by the variety of tasks she has to do and the variety of people she encounters and has gotten to know in the parish. These are about 900 students in religious education students in the parish. Scot said Sr. Olga has a special devotion to the Blessed Mother and St. Joseph. Her new community os Daughters of Mary of Nazareth and her new convent is St. Joseph's Convent. It was her idea to enter into the season of Advent by examining it through Mary's eyes and later this month, through St. Joseph's eyes. Sr. Olga said we have seen Christmas as a season of joy and celebration, even a season of adoration, like the Magi coming to adore the Christ Child. We get a glimpse of what Mary and Joseph truly lived in their experience. As a woman, knowing many women who have had babies, she wonders how Mary lived those last few weeks before giving birth to the Son of God, praying and anticipating and thinking of her son as the hope of her people, Israel. She felt a sense of responsibility. Sr. Olga said there is so much too learn from her in these last weeks of Advent. Susan said in pregnancy, in the last month, you begin nesting, preparing the home and the nursery. Susan thinks of Mary having to leave the nest and go someplace foreign to her to have the baby. Scot said each of his three children came after their due date like 705 of firstborns. In that time after the due date, there is the expectant hope for the child. “Come on already.” At the same time, the Israelites waited a thousand years for their Messiah, like expectant parents themselves. Sr. Olga said with her own mother, she learned from her how to receive Communion with the motherly desire waiting to hold her child. With a young woman she was with who gave birth, as soon as the baby was born, the woman wanted to hold the baby and just to touch his skin. When she goes to Communion, she longs to touch Christ and to receive him. Mary helps her to remain in Communion with Christ. She asks Mary to help her receive Jesus through Mary's Immaculate Heart. Fr. Mark recalled a quote from John Donne: : Nativity Immensity cloistered in thy dear womb, Now leaves His well-belov'd imprisonment, There He hath made Himself to His intent Weak enough, now into the world to come; But O, for thee, for Him, hath the inn no room? Yet lay Him in this stall, and from the Orient, Stars and wise men will travel to prevent The effect of Herod's jealous general doom. Seest thou, my soul, with thy faith's eyes, how He Which fills all place, yet none holds Him, doth lie? Was not His pity towards thee wondrous high, That would have need to be pitied by thee? Kiss Him, and with Him into Egypt go, With His kind mother, who partakes thy woe. Susan thought of expectant wonder. What will this baby bring? As the baby grows within, the mother wonders, what will this person become like? Fr. Mark always enjoys the first Sunday after First Communion to see how the children continue to receive Christ with such wonder and reverence. 3rd segment: Fr. Mark began the segment by reading the John Donne poem. He loves the first line, but the last line gives him pause to think of how it must have hurt her to know Herod pursued her son and how other children were dying by Herod's hand. Sr. Olga said what was the feeling of Mary that right after the experience of the Annunciatiomn, the angel departed from her and never appeared to her again. Instead the angel only appeared to Joseph, telling him to marry Mary, to take her and Jesus to Egypt, then to come back to Israel. She said Mary never questioned Joseph, to ask why the angel only appeared to him. She was obedient. then think of her traveling nine months pregnant through a desert to Bethlehem. She suffered and continued to suffer through Christ's passion. Scot said the preparations for your first child are out of control. He went to the hospital a month before the birth and meet all the possible doctors who will be on call, you practice the route, you pack the go bag, you know the phone tree you will call. But here's the Blessed Mother who doesn't know where she will give birth.She and Joseph were just looking for a place to lay down after a long journey. Susan said we don't often think of the day to day elements of Mary's journeys that help women live their lives as Christian women even better. Meditating on Mary's life helps her to deal with difficult situations. As a mother, the last thing you want is for your child to be endangered or suffering. She would take the place of her child on the cross. So Mary must have held this pain inside her, knowing this was God's plan for her family. Fr. Mark told a story of a parish's Christmas pageant. One boy wanted to be Joseph, but was made innkeeper #2 instead and that made him upset. So when Mary and Joseph came to him, he said, “Sure we have room, come on in.” Connecting to the idea of having no place to give birth while carrying the Son of God, that must have been awful for Mary and Joseph. Scot said Advent helps us to prepare for Christ's coming in our lives and to prepare for His Second Coming, buy it also teaches us how to deal with waiting for something in our lives. 4th segment: Scot asked Sr. Olga how we can become a living Nativity. She said that we need to be that “inn” for Mary and Jesus. We see people around us who need help, a smile, a word of encouragement, or other simple things. Those little gestures are like making an inn for Jesus, making room for Mary. She is present in every person and we are called to see him in one another. You don't need to study theology or be a leader in the Church. We are all called to be that living Nativity in the world in those daily simple acts of kindness and charity and sincere love. There are further actions we can do: There are people who cannot afford to celebrate Christmas, or a father or mother are serving overseas, or a parent is in the hospital and can't do Christmas shopping. We can become that living Nativity to people around us. Sr. Olga said a lot of it is being that living example. susan said one thing that helps her is trying to see another person or situation the way God sees it because we don't know what's in the heart of someone. It's easy to judge. We need to see and hear with the eyes and ears of God. Scot said Archbishop Timothy Dolan wrote a book of Advent reflections, . Scot read a passage from the book, relating people in waiting in anticipation of a difficult situation, that this is Advent for them. Sr. Olga said the book has helped her to pray with Mary and live her ministry through Mary in the service to the people around her. He rexample is in her docile willingness, her belief, and her faith. It's amazing she went through that. From the moment of the Annunciation to the first miracle of Cana was almost 30 years and almost her whole life was Advent, waiting for the Messiah to come into His own. Susan said in the midst of all the stress and work of preparing for Christmas we should recall the Blessed Mother's example in turning over all her stress and worries to God. We can offer up those tasks, the extra things were doing above and beyond normal life, to God as an Advent sacrifice. Scot said he often prays for the gift of patience. It's so easy to grow impatient and how we respond to it is through God's grace. Sr. Olga said she learned from Mary that patience is the fruit of trust in God. If I trust in God, I will remember that God gave his only begotten Son to us, When we worry, we have to remember to trust in his plan that what is meant for you will come to you. Do we think that the one who gave us his only begotten Son will hold anything back from us? 5th segment: Now as we do every week at this time, we will consider the Mass readings for this Sunday, specifically the Gospel reading. Comfort, give comfort to my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her service is at an end, her guilt is expiated; indeed, she has received from the hand of the LORD double for all her sins. A voice cries out: In the desert prepare the way of the LORD! Make straight in the wasteland a highway for our God! Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill shall be made low; the rugged land shall be made a plain, the rough country, a broad valley. Then the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all people shall see it together; for the mouth of the LORD has spoken. Go up on to a high mountain, Zion, herald of glad tidings; cry out at the top of your voice, Jerusalem, herald of good news! Fear not to cry out and say to the cities of Judah: Here is your God! Here comes with power the Lord GOD, who rules by his strong arm; here is his reward with him, his recompense before him. Like a shepherd he feeds his flock; in his arms he gathers the lambs, carrying them in his bosom, and leading the ewes with care. The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ the Son of God. As it is written in Isaiah the prophet: Behold, I am sending my messenger ahead of you; he will prepare your way. A voice of one crying out in the desert: “Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.” John the Baptist appeared in the desert proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. People of the whole Judean countryside and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the Jordan River as they acknowledged their sins. John was clothed in camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist. He fed on locusts and wild honey. And this is what he proclaimed: “One mightier than I is coming after me. I am not worthy to stoop and loosen the thongs of his sandals. I have baptized you with water; he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” Scot said so much of the spiritual is being “all in” for God and here John the Baptist is all in for God. You couldn't help but notice the messenger sent ahead of his Son. Sr. Olga said what she likes about St. John here is knowing his mission in preparing the way. Often in ministry, we can say, it's my mission, but John knows he's just here to lead others to Jesus. He's full of fiery zeal, but also profound humility. Susan said he also does it with great joy, right from the moment in Elizabeth's womb when he leaped at hearing Mary's greeting. Fr. Mark talked about the two aspects of God in the image of his arm. It's a strong arm, but it also holds the lamb. St. John is a bit crazy, but he's incredibly strong and bold. He's completely committed. He hasn't forgotten what Isaiah's time was like and how the people lived by Isaiah's promise. He wants to proclaim it to the world until Christ comes, then he steps back and lets Christ take the center stage. Scot asked how we make straight the paths to prepare for the coming of Christ into our own hearts. As John the Baptist was baptizing people in the Jordan, they were acknowledging their sins. So we make straight the way for Jesus into our hearts, we go to Confession. Sr. Olga asks Mary to help her prepare the way and her heart to bring Christ in. During Advent, Sr. Olga also tries to console Mary in the week's before giving birth, for her what she went through in the last weeks. Offer sacrifices, prayer, and fasting to console the heart of Mary. Susan said John the Baptist and Mary didn't feel worthy to receive Christ, but we welcome him. Scot mentioned the Pilot article about the new community Cardinal Seán asked Sr. Olga to found and the Mass coming up next week at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross. She extends an invitation to everyone in the Archdiocese to come, because she like John the Baptist she has a fiery zeal for Christ in her heart and wants to prepare the way for the people of our Archdiocese to know how alive the Church is in our youth.

Today's host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O'Connor Today's guest(s): Janet Benestad, Secretary for Faith Formation and Evangelization of the Archdiocese of Boston Today's topics: Cardinal Seán's Pastoral Letter on Sunday Mass participation Summary of today's show: Cardinal Seán O'Malley has issued a major pastoral letter on the importance of Sunday Mass participation. Scot Landry, Fr. Chris O'Connor, and Janet Benestad devote an hour to discussing this very personal message from the Cardinal's heart, which is also filled with intimate pastoral advice and practical suggestions for priests, parish staff, and parents, such the revival of monthly coffee hours after Mass and a link to a Mass times website for travelers. 1st segment: Scot said St. John's Seminary had their big seminary dinner last night, giving thanks for everyone who is a part of that family. The seminarians were heading out to be with family and friends for the holiday. The Master's in Ministry Formation and TINE had a concert over the weekend to pray for deceased loved ones and people sponsor particular songs in memory of the deceased. He said Bishop Hennessey told them that one of the things happening in the Archdiocese that Pope Benedict particularly wanted to know about during their ad limina visit earlier this month was the work of the Theological Institute for the New Evangelization. He asked for them to send materials to Rome to learn more about it. Fr. Chris and Scot talked about the transition to the new translation of the Mass coming up on Sunday. Priests will have to get used to reading the prayers from the books just as much as the parishioners. Next Monday will discuss how the first Sunday goes. 2nd segment: Scot and Fr. Chris welcomed Janet Benestad to the show. Scot said the Pastoral Letter is the Cardinal's second this year. The first was on the Feast of Pentecost and this version is longer than the first by far. Scot said the letter begins by referring to the Thanksgiving holiday and what we put up with to attend that family celebration. Janet said it's a very personal letter where the Cardinal reminisces about his own childhood and events of his life. She said we work very hard to come together, even if the food isn't as great as we want it to be or the conversation won't be as great as it could be. But we do it because it would be unthinkable to be apart from these people. The same is true of the Mass. When we're away from the Mass, we start to feel disconnected from the Church, our parish, and the Eucharist. Scot said it's not the same when a member of the family isn't there on Thanksgiving, and it's the same when our brothers and sisters in Christ aren't present at the Eucharist, a Greek word which means Thanksgiving. Fr. Chris said St. Paul speaks of this; when a member of the Body of Christ is missing, the Body is lacking. The next section is called “Jesus' Eager Desire— Do This in Remembrance of Me”. The Thanksgiving meal of our Catholic family occurs every Sunday. The word Eucharist comes from the Greek word εὐχαριστία (eucharistia), which literally means “thanksgiving.” Jesus Himself instituted this family tradition on the night before He died. When He gathered the disciples in the Upper Room for the Last Supper, He told them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover meal with you.”1 He taught them the importance of humble service through washing their feet.2 Then He took bread, blessed it, broke it, and through His divine power transformed it into His own body, blood, soul and divinity. He told them, “Whoever eats this bread and drinks this blood will have eternal life.” 3 He then instructed them to, “Do this in memory of me.” 4 Since that day almost 2,000 years ago, the Church has carried out Jesus' command. As Catholics, we pray in so many ways, but Jesus told us to pray this way. This is the prayer he most wants from us. Janet said all the grace we receive flows through the Eucharist. All the grace of the work we do flows toward the Eucharist. In that section, Cardinal Seán speaks to those who might feel disconnected. If you feel spiritual, not religious, then this is for you: You recognize your hunger for God, you feel your need for the Eucharist. Please know God hungers for you. Fr. Chris the Catechism tells us the Eucharist is the apex of prayer. He is truck when Christ asks the apostles, do you believe? And they reply, where else can we go? He recalls Elizabeth Ann Seton, who converted from Episcopalian. She would pray in an Episcopal church, but would be physically oriented toward the Catholic Church where the tabernacle lamp was burning. Scot the Cardinal goes on to talk about the unhealthy individualism in the practice of Catholic faith. But Christian discipleship is never a solo flight; it is a lifelong family pilgrimage. At the heart of that adventure is the Eucharistic banquet where the Last Supper and Calvary become present. … Some people say, “Mass is boring” or “I don't get anything out of it” or “I pray in my own way.” Consider for a moment how parents would feel if their children said similar things about the family celebration of Thanksgiving or a birthday party. “I don't get anything out of the celebration” or “it's boring” or “I'll celebrate your birthday in my own way.” We would feel disappointed, incomplete, and certainly hopeful that the family would be fully reunited at the next gathering. Similarly, Jesus' eager desire is to have us all present each Sunday for His thanksgiving meal. Scot said when asks his parents what they want for birthdays or holidays, they tell him all they want is for everyone to be together. It reminds him how deeply how much his parents love their kids and grandkids. Janet said in her family, they always manage to get together, but one of her children last year was in Iraq for all major holidays and they all miss him when he's not there. St. Therese said she learned to love the Mass from watching her father's face at Mass. She loves to take her grandkids to Mass and see them experience the beauty of the Eucharist. These gifts are the most important gift we give to our children. Fr. Chris said a father was telling him that he brought his 4-year-old to Mass and after seeing the father genuflect before entering the pew, insisted that they both do the same thing together. Fr. Chris likes the words the Cardinal chose: Do this in remembrance in memory of me. On Veteran's Day we remembered the men and women who have sacrificed for the sake of freedom. How much more has Christ sacrificed for us and how much more we should remember it. Speaking of freedom, the Cardinal asks us not to take for granted the gift of the Sunday Mass. Scot once calculated that within 15 miles of his home in Belmont, there are more than 100 Catholic churches and more than 500 Masses every Sunday. Cardinal Seán recalls Roman martyrs who risked death to go to Mass and who said, “Without Sunday, we cannot live.” He then recounts the people throughout the world today who risk their lives to go to Mass on Sunday. Fr. Chris said St. Augustine said, the sacraments signify what they effect. It means that what we see happening is actually happening. When we receive the Body and Blood of Christ, it is the Lord nourishing and sustaining us. Without God, nothing happens. With God, all things are possible. The Cardinal ends this section thus: Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta often spoke about how precious each Mass is. Frequently she would instruct newly ordained priests to “celebrate each Mass as if it is your first Mass, your last Mass and your only Mass.” In other words, she implored priests never to take the celebration of the Mass for granted and let it become routine. I ask the same of every Catholic in the archdiocese. Just as we should be grateful for each day God grants us, let us anticipate and participate in each Mass as if it could be our last or our only Mass. Let us never take for granted the wonder that is the encounter we have with God each Sunday that we celebrate the Eucharist together. Scot said this is one of his favorite paragraphs in the letter. It's like a splash of cold water in the face. There have been times he's attended Mass when it wasn't like the first or last Mass he's ever participated in. Janet said she thought about it last Sunday, asking herself how that would affect how she participated. In the Eucharist, Christ is closer to us than we are to ourselves. Fr. Chris said Christ thirsts for souls. Through the Eucharist, Christ communes with us: “We have received and we have been received” in the Eucharist. 3rd segment: In the next section of the letter, the Cardinal explains the nine reasons Catholic give for coming to Mass: We desire to respond to God's love “God so loved the world that He sent His only son so that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.”9 Jesus' love for us led Him to offer Himself on the cross for our salvation. The same saving love of Jesus leads Him to continue to give Himself through the gift of the Eucharist. The word “love” in English, particularly today, has been stripped of much of its beauty and meaning. It often is reduced to a “feeling.” In Greek, there are seven words for love and the word for the love God has for us, agape, connotes action, a self-gift. The love we want to have for God is a self-gift in return, of our time, energy, worries, hopes and joy. The Mass is the best place to thank God for the gifts besides Himself that He gives us — especially life, family, friends, faith and love. Scot said we come to Mass because we desire to respond to the love God has had for us. Janet said when we look at the story of the 10 commandments, God says to do these things because “I love you.” This notion of agape as the highest form of love is what we respond to. We desire to encounter Christ in the most profound way possible The Second Vatican Council's Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy explains that Christ is present to us in four ways during the celebration of Mass: (1) in the community celebrating; (2) in the Word proclaimed; (3) in the priest presiding; and (4) in the Eucharist. Fr. Chris said Jesus says he is the vine and we are the branches. We graft ourselves to the vine. We pray in the Mass for forgiveness and to be brought together in Christ. In the second way, Fr. Chris encourages people to pray before the Mass to ask God to bring us deeper into his mystery through his Word that is preached. Then recognizing that when the priest celebrates the liturgy, he is in the person of Christ. This is why he says, “Do this in memory of me.” When the priest says that he is reciting the words of Christ, but he is also giving up his own life for the community, leading them closer to God. Finally, he notes that tabernacles often have images of the pelican piercing its breast to feed the young, based on an ancient myth. Christ becomes the Bread of Life that nourishes us. By encountering Jesus in these four ways, there is no more profound way to encounter God. Scot said there is a hunger ingrained in us to meet God in heaven, but the best way short of heaven is meeting him in the Mass. With regard to Christ being present in the community, it means God is present in everyone. Fr. Chris we talk about the Church on a journey to heaven. It is both human and divine. Some people reject the Church because of scandal or the sins of individuals, but just as the cross is a stumbling block for many (how could the Lord die on the cross?), the fact that Christ dwells in the community and we are called to be his hands, feet, and mouth. Scandal overshadows Christ's indwelling. We desire to gather and pray with our parish family The celebration of Mass has horizontal and vertical dimensions. We desire to strengthen our particular family We desire to witness to our faith and provide a living legacy to our children and grandchildren Janet said Cardinal Sean makes the observation that he didn't need to bring the apostles all together for the Last Supper. Our presence to each other is the fullest expression of our Christian identity. He reminds parents that they are to be the first and best teachers in the faith for our children. Janet said she liked the story of the teacher who said she grew up in a family where going to Mass together was as optional as breathing. It wasn't imposed. It just was. “To miss Mass is to stop breathing; it is the sure path to a spiritual asphyxiation.” Children are always watching their parents and grandparents. We form our young people by the way we participate in the Mass. Children who see that their parents get to Church early to pray before Mass will want to imitate them. Children who observe parents and other adults reverently receive the Eucharist will more readily realize that the Eucharist truly is the Body and Blood of Christ. The example of parents is an essential part of preparation for receiving First Holy Communion. Children who hear from their parents how much, and why, they love Mass will be less inclined to compare Mass to television and consider it “boring.” Scot thinks that last is a very strong line. It strikes him as his kids love to watch TV and play video games. Without trying to differentiate Mass, sometimes we come to Mass expecting to be entertained. Fr. Chris said God is worthy of praise and thanksgiving. Everything we see is total gift from God and we remind our children to be thankful for his blessings. Similarly, for families to stop throughout the week, bringing their sadnesses and hopes and prayers to the eucharist and energize them and bring them together, what more could we do? At the end of the day, God will only ask us how great a Christian were we? We desire to be transformed by Christ's sacramental grace We desire to participate in Jesus' victory over death and the salvation of the world We desire a foretaste of Heaven Sports fans in Boston over the past decade have had the good fortune to celebrate many championships. Our victory parades have been incredible gatherings. No sports fan in the nation would deny that Boston knows how to celebrate victory. Wouldn't it be great if others said that about us for the way that we celebrated the biggest victory of all — Jesus' victory over death? Janet said she happened to be at Fenway Park on Father's Day when the Bruins came to celebrate the Stanley Cup with the Red Sox and she said if we could celebrate the Mass with the same energy and enthusiasm as she saw that day, how wonderful would it be? We desire to follow God's loving guidance and to commit to deepening our relationship with God Cardinal Sean talks here about honoring the third commandment to honor the Sabbath. Fr. Chris said the commandments are not suggestions. This is God's word: Keep holy the Sabbath and remember the need to rest and give God praise. The Eucharist allows is to thank the most important person in our life and give gratitude to him for the blessings he bestows on us. 4th segment: The next section of the letter is addressed to particular groups. The first is to Catholics who've been away from Mass. My dear brothers and sisters: please know that we miss you, we love you, and we hope you will rejoin our Catholic family for our Sunday Mass. Some of you have drifted away from the Church and have been waiting for a good time to return. I pray that you will consider this the time to join us on our faith journey toward Heaven. … Some of you have made a choice to stop coming to Church because you have been hurt by the actions of someone in the Church or because of a difficulty with a Church teaching. From my first day as Archbishop of Boston and perhaps for the rest of my days, I will always be asking the forgiveness of all those who have been hurt by the actions, or inaction, of people and leaders in the Church. Please do not let those experiences and memories separate you from the love of Christ and of our Catholic family and prevent you from receiving the grace of the sacraments. Scot said this comes from the deepest recesses of Cardinal Seán's heart. Janet recalled that during the launch of Catholics Come Home that Cardinal Seán said that if people aren't in the Church, he can't have conversations with them about that which hurt them or that which they disagreed with. It's a better conversation when we are receiving the Eucharist together because it brings us into communion. He addresses priests and then parish staffs and parish councils. He's very practical, asking them to put MassTimes.org in the parish bulletin in the summer for those traveling on vacation to take Christ with us. Please make lists of those we want to invite. Parish record books and censuses can be helpful. We certainly want to reach out to people who have baptized their children, brought them for First Communion and Confirmation, enrolled children in religious education, been recently married, attended funeral liturgies, and those who in the past used offertory envelopes. Please plan a major neighborhood outreach, perhaps as a prelude to a parish mission, day of recollection, or evening of prayer. … Please discuss with your receptionists, greeters, ushers, volunteers, ministry leaders and parish staff members the best practices of hospitality toward newcomers and the skills needed to invite, engage and involve parishioners in your parish life. … Ride-sharing programs can become a more important ministry at most parishes. There are many Catholics who would be grateful for a ride to and from Mass and for the company of a friendly fellow parishioner. … Coffee receptions after Masses at least monthly, weekly if possible, have been shown to deepen the sense of community. Fr. Chris said it's best practices being put forward by the Cardinal Seán. It's not just 10,000-foot theology, but boots-on-the-ground practice. It shows it's not just the priest's responsibility, but each of us has a role and a part to play. When the body is healthy and vibrant, it can't help but attract people to it. Janet said the Cardinal also speaks very directly to parents. Your good example of faithfulness to Sunday Mass, prayer and moral decency preaches more eloquently than the homily of any priest. When children see that their parents love Sunday Mass they likewise will grow to love it too. Too often parents “come for the kids” and kids come because “Mom and Dad brought me.” Articulate to your children your love for Jesus, why you attend Sunday Mass as a family and why their instruction in the faith in school or at CCD is one of the most important gifts you can give them. I ask that you live Sunday as the Lord's Day, a day that includes Holy Mass, religious instruction, leisure activities, a family meal, spiritual readings, and acts of charity. She said it's a beautiful passage and encouragement, especially for young families. Cardinal Seán is calling us back to remember Sunday as the Lord's day. The Cardinal concludes with the story of the disciples on the Road to Emmaus who rushed to tell the world that Jesus had been risen. Let us all do what those two disciples on the road to Emmaus did. Let us rush to tell the world that Christ is alive and eagerly desires our family to gather at the Lord's Table to experience God's love, to discover our identity as Catholics and to fulfill our mission together. Let us proclaim that we desire to live each Sunday with the Lord and with each other in the supreme prayer of the Church, the Eucharist, our Thanksgiving celebration.

(October 17, 2011) Dr J hosts "From the Front Lines of the Culture War" on Catholic Radio of San Diego. Today she's interviewing Dr. Angela Franks, director of Theology Programs for the Theological Institute for the New Evangelization at St. John's seminary in Massachusetts. They're discussing the work of Margaret Sanger, the eugenics movement, and contraception. Concerning the book Dr J mentions: if you'd like, you can order it at Pauline.org or Amazon.com.

Today's host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O'Connor Today's guest(s): Kathy Greenlar Sexton and Fr. Peter Gori from St. Augustine Parish, Andover, Mass. Today's topics: Memorial Mass for Miscarried Children and their Families Summary of today's show: Scot and Fr. Chris talk with Kathy Greenlar Sexton and Fr. Peter Gori about the difficult topic of miscarried and stillborn children; the anger and spiritual questions that many parents experience; and the unique ministry that St. Augustine Parish in Andover offers through an annual Memorial Mass for Miscarried Children and their Families. During the show, Kathy discusses her five miscarriages and the pain and anger she felt even when she didn't know where to turn for spiritual consolation and when the healthcare professionals didn't have any to offer. Fr. Peter also offers words of hope in what the Church truly teaches about the children who die during pregnancy and the healing offered to the grieving. 1st segment: Scot welcomed Fr. Chris back to the show. The sad news is that St. John's Seminary's softball team lost their game versus Blessed John XXIII National Seminary in Weston. They compared the loss to the collapse of the Boston Red Sox. Fr. Chris will have to report the loss to the alumni during their annual dinner on Friday night. It's a wonderful night for the priests who serve throughout New England to come back to be examples for the seminarians and who leave encouraged by the future prospects for the Church. Scot said the seminary has been open since 1884. Fr. Chris estimated that there have been more than 900 priests who are currently alumni and they are expecting 100 to come to the dinner. Fr. Chris mentioned this evening that the Theological Institute for the New Evangelization at St. John Seminary is having an open house this evening at St. Gabriel Church across from St. Elizabeth's hospital in Brighton. This is for anyone thinking of taking a degree program to learn and grow in their faith. Scot said today's show topic is the Church's response and our response for those who lose a child to miscarriage. One in 5 people experience this sad situation themselves. This year for the second time, St. Augustine Parish is offering a Memorial Mass for Miscarried Children and their Families on Saturday, November 5, 9:30am. 2nd segment: Scot and Fr. Chris welcomed Fr. Peter Gori, pastor of St. Augustine in Andover, and Kathy Greenlar Sexton, a parishioner, to the show. Scot said Fr. Peter was an associate pastor at St. Augustine in the 1980s. He was there from 1988 to 1993 after his doctoral studies in Rome. He also serves on the Metropolitan Tribunal as a canon lawyer. Kathy said she and her husband Sean grew up in the area. And after living in Chicago for a number of years they returned to the area, specifically the Merrimack Valley where many of their family live. Fr. Peter said it's a big and busy parish, especially with the number of children. They have 1,200 children in religious education and 440 in the parochial school. Kathy started in broadcast television and worked with high-tech companies in marketing. She was part of the founding team of the Altavista search engine. She has worked with top websites since then to help them grow their businesses on the web. Kathy said it was a lot of fun working at the beginning of the Web. Kathy has suffered through five miscarriages. When she came to St. Augustine, she asked Fr. Peter to start a public remembrance. Scot asked her how she began this apostolate. She said when they moved to Chicago, she was pregnant, but they were devastated when they lost that child. They've had five pregnancies and five miscarriages. Their experience is not unlike others in the same situation with the extreme grieving process and issues of anger, resentment, and loss. With each miscarriage those feelings deepened along with the physical issues that went along with and the emotional issues of depression. It was difficult dealing with Mother's Day and the question about whether she had children. Then there were the spiritual issues of where are her children and being angry at God. She researched these questions online and asked questions of her priest and found no consistent answers. She found a lot of pain and questions from other women like herself who didn't know where to turn. She went to a healing service at St. Marie's in Manchester, NH, and one woman praying over stopped mid-prayer and told her the Lord wanted her to name her children. That process was cathartic. It turned the child from something abstract into a human being. and then the last miscarriage, her parish priest invited them to come down on a Saturday morning and remember those children. Fr. Michael Hobson, then at St. Agnes in Middleton, had a Mass in remembrance of those five children for Kathy and her family and it was very cathartic. Once she went through the healing process, she could feel the healing and being lifted up. When they moved to St. Augustine parish, she asked how she could bring that healing experience to others. She also through that it was a great way to show people who we respect life from conception. So she figured out who is the woman in the parish who gets everything done. She reached out to her and they brought the idea to Fr. Peter. They had the first Mass last year and the conversations with people has convinced her to try to get the word out about this. People are challenged spiritually and emotionally by this experience and people could benefit from this healing. Scot said he sees how they were experiencing a lot of emotion, but not connected to the liturgical life of the Church. Losing a child five times without the liturgical rites of the Church to help us grieve along with the love of our community and family is a challenge. Scot said he is also struck by the question of “where is my baby” and the theological questions. The power of naming the baby is key to personalizing him. Scot asked Fr. Peter what is the Church's teaching on where the child is after miscarriage. He said the Church teaches life begins at conception and everyone of these entities is a human being whatever the medical terms are applied to him or her at each stage of development. If they die prematurely through miscarriage or being stillborn, we believe that person is enveloped completely in God's love. God welcomes each and everyone of these children into the fullness of his life in heaven. Scot said it's appropriate to pray to the children, believing that they are present before God just like the saints. Fr. Peter said they collect cards during the Mass with the names of the children and bring them to a convent of Poor Clare nuns who pray for them during November. One woman said they should pray to the children, asking for their prayers. Scot asked about the Mass itself. Fr. Peter said they invite people in and give them a copy of the program and let them sit where they are comfortable. The lighting is subdued with gentle music in order to create a prayerful atmosphere. Fr. Peter then explains how the Mass will unfold. It will begin in the usual way. After the Liturgy of the Word and the homily, they invite those present to bring forward a card with the child's name or to give the child a name if they haven't done so yet. They bring it up during the Presentation of the Gifts and place it in the hands of one of the priests. The priests place it in a basket. Then the Mass continues as usual. Scot said since Roe v. Wade there's been a devaluation of human life in the womb, creating euphemisms for the baby. He asked Kathy when she did the naming of the children and what advice she might have for moms and dads who lost children or even just found out they're pregnant, the benefits of naming the child. Kathy said during the medical procedures, they refer to the baby as a fetus and they use very technical terms. She was rushed through the medical process and didn't have time to think about the spiritual implications. She was still thinking about her child dying and didn't have time to think about the spiritual questions. Only later did she start second0-guessing herself. The process of naming the children personalized each one of them and gave her someone to think about. The medical process de-personalizes and the naming process humanizes. It allowed her to envelop all the emotions at a human level. Scot said one of the comparisons is to losing a mom or dad in the hospital, but then you get a chaplain brought to you to help you deal with it. But with a miscarriage, there isn't the same care to bring in the deeper connections of our relationship with God. Kathy said her first two miscarriages while she was working with an obstetrician who was very much into her emotional well-being, but the medical personnel weren't believers and seemed cold. She asked for a priest, but was told no one was available and they said they would pray over the remains. The third and fourth miscarriage, she was seeing a specialist for high-rick pregnancy and felt there was more care for her. Yet even here, they were still very cold. She woke up in the middle of the procedure and saw everything. They didn't bring her a priest despite her request and the child was going to the pathology lab whatever her wishes. The questions that haunt her about her decisions and actions are similar to those of other women who've experienced it. Another woman told her that she had a miscarriage 25 years ago and was so angry at God that she never went back to church. That motivated Kathy to help people and provide honor to the children and healing to the families. Fr. Chris asked Kathy about the dad's experience in all this. She said that her husband Sean feels loss, but it's different than her own. But he had the hopes and dreams of those children too. His arms are as empty and aching on Father's Day as hers is on Mother's Day. Dads suffer too. The Mass of Remembrance is for mothers and fathers and families. One man came to the Mass last year to honor a brother who died many years ago. Fr. Chris said in dealing with teens and working with youth groups, sometimes it comes up that they want to talk about a brother or sister, either stillborn or miscarriage. It's often a teen who will relate a story of great sadness where you had no sense that this is a cross the whole family has been carrying. Kathy said she's unusual in her desire to talk about this. Most people won't talk about it. You're expected to get on with your life. People have said it to her, but she has felt deep loss through the loss of a child. You can't just forget. Scot said you can trick your body, we need to grieve physiologically. Society has a fear of talking about death. 3rd segment: Scot asked if its possible or appropriate to ask the healthcare provider to receive the remains to bury the child. Kathy said in hindsight it's absolutely appropriate. She thinks they should bring in the pastor to help this process. There's a lot of confusion and there's a challenge in that the medical community is programmed to follow particular procedures and when we express our faith in particular not everyone will be supportive of that. It's okay to get help from the pastor. You also don't need to do something right away, but take time to figure out what's best for you and your family. Fr. Peter said it is appropriate to ask for a funeral Mass for a miscarried or stillborn child. His experience is most people want a more private ceremony. Sometimes, the remains are not available due to the medical staff not taking steps to ensure they are. Fr. Peter said every pastor needs to want to be able to provide pastoral support in this area, but needs to do so with a lot of gentleness. As a celibate male, he can't know exactly what this is like for the mother or father. He needs to reverence the whole experience and tread softly, whether it was recent or long ago. Scot asked if it's appropriate to have the memorial Masses. Fr. Peter said it can be good for some, but the communal aspect of this Memorial Mass they're planning does more by bringing people together. That experience of being understood is a big part of why it contributes to the healing of people. It is not shameful or secret or lonely. You need to bring the painfulness of this together to help people in the healing process. Fr. Chris said each couple is so unique and different. As newly ordained priest, he was present with a couple as they buried twin daughters. It was difficult to explain this sad mystery to them, but they anted and need the Church. The Church needs to be a part of this. This mother visited regularly the cemetery and asked the children to pray for her. Fr. Peter said in many Catholic cemeteries there is a specially designated place for the interment of children, especially the stillborn. The traditional arrangements of a funeral could be an added burden, so special accommodations are often made. Scot said too often it's difficult to talk about this experience with people who have not experienced it. He asked Kathy what people who live too far from Andover to attend this Mass can do in their own parish. She said the most effort is to call the pastor and get on his schedule. She said Fr. Peter really thought through the liturgy and the service is very moving. Anyone who feels they want a similar service in their parish should call their own pastor. She's sure their pastor will bring the same love and caring into a Mass of Remembrance for them. But if anyone can make the trek to Andover, they will be welcomed with open arms and they could perhaps take some of what they're doing back to their own parish. Scot made clear that this Mass is open to everyone. Anyone who is at a point in their healing to attend a Mass in remembrance of the children should come. Fr. Chris made sure to note that no one would be put on the spot. They are coming to be consoled. Fr. Peter pointed out that presenting the names to the Poor Clares extends the prayerful support of the Catholic community so that it is ongoing. It shows how the Poor Clares continue to pray for all of us. Scot asked Kathy for advice to those who are angry at God. She said anger is a natural part of the healing process. It shows that you have a relationship with God; just don't stay stuck there. Once she thought of it that way, she felt the healing that helped her move forward. Fr. Peter said for someone to admit they are angry with God is an important step. It's good to know that no matter how big my anger, God's love is bigger. Fr. Chris said saying “I'm angry” is 90% of the healing process and the other 10% is inviting the Lord in with his healing and consolation. The Blessed Mother is another person to turn to for her intercession. She saw her own Son suffer so terribly and stayed at the foot of the cross. She is a wonderful intercessor and advocate. Kathy said moms and dads need to forgive themselves for any decisions they made that they might regret even if it wasn't a mistake in itself. The Lord will take care of us and our children. Pray for the healing and forgive yourself. Scot said one of the main objectives of the Mass is to honor and provide healing. Kathy also honors her children by hanging Christmas stockings for them, by remembering them on Mother's Day and Father's Day. She said she still feels the loss and it's natural to continue to feel loss and experience sadness. Kathy and Sean are now the proud parents of a 6-week-old adopted son, Declan Joseph.

Today's host(s): Scot Landry and Susan Abbott Today's guest(s): Fr. Roger Landry, executive editor of The Anchor, the newspaper of the Fall River diocese; and Gregory Tracy, managing editor of The Pilot, the newspaper of the Boston archdiocese Some of the stories discussed on this show will be available on The Pilot's and The Anchor's websites on Friday morning. Please check those sites for the latest links. Today's topics: Beacon Hill's casino deal; Singing the New Mass translation; Ambassadors of Peace; new policy on altar girls in Phoenix Summary of today's show: Scot and Susan talk with Fr. Roger and Greg about the news of the week including the arrival of the new vicar general, Msgr. Robert Deeley; the societal costs of the casino bill proposed by Beacon Hill; singing the new Mass translation; a new religious order for Boston; and controversy over a new policy for altar girls in Phoenix. 1st segment: Scot welcomed everyone to the show and said to Susan that September 1 snuck up on his this year. Susan said she was sad to see August go. August is the shortest month of the year and February is the longest. Scot said at the Pastoral Center the last week of August is usually slow, but this summer he's been involved in the Catechetical Certificate of the Theological Institute for the New Evangelization, there's been various events saying goodbye to Fr. Rich Erikson, the outgoing vicar general, and events welcoming Msgr. Robert Deeley as the new vicar general. Susan said she was moved by the ceremony in which Msgr. Deeley took the Oath of Fidelity and the Profession of Faith, two rituals of the Church for those who hold certain offices in the Church. Scot welcomed Fr. Roger Landry and Gregory Tracy to the show. He asked Greg about his experience of the ceremony. Msgr. Deeley had talked about how when he went to theVatican he had three minutes to read all these documents in Latin before signing them, but in this instance he preferred the time to do it right and involve everyone in the Pastoral Center. Fr. Roger said transitional deacons and priests take the oath and profession, as well as pastors and other major responsibilities in the Church. The Church wants to make sure that the person is going to hand on the teaching of the Church, but also to reassure him that he will receive supernatural grace to live up to the demands of the oath and profession. Scot said Msgr. Deeley has been working Rome at the Vatican since 2003, including at the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Cardinal Seán invited Msgr. Deeley to come serve as vicar general in April. He met with the Cardinal's cabinet this morning, then sent an email to all employees of the Archdiocese throughout eastern Massachusetts, celebrated noon Mass with the Pastoral Center community, and then had this afternoon's ceremony. Scot read the following quote from Msgr. Deeley's email: These past years of work in Rome have given me a unique opportunity to be near His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI. I could not help but note that, whatever the difficulty he encounters, or the problem that arises, he is always confident in the grace of Christ. The word that most captures the spirit of Benedict XVI is “joy”. He teaches us to place our hope in Jesus Christ, who is our joy, as well as the truth of our lives. Accepting this call is fundamental to our mission as Church. We need to come to know that grace ourselves and then, in accord with the call of our Baptism, to share it with others. As I begin this new assignment I ask for your prayers, and promise a remembrance in mine. Together may we bring the joy of Christ's love to our corner of the world here in the Church in Boston. May Mary, Mother of the Church, Our Lady of Hope, intercede for God's abundant blessings on our Archdiocese. Scot said it was very clear how closely Msgr. Deeley has worked with Pope Benedict and how well he knows him. Susan said joy is not just a silly feeling, but it is a gift of God. 2nd segment: In both the Anchor and Pilot there is an article called “Fierce response to Beacon Hill leadership's deal on Casino bill.” Scot ran down the details of the new bill put up on August 23. While they project $400 million in tax revenue, the Mass. Catholic Conference says that won't outweigh the social costs. Greg said people often ask how the Church can oppose casino gambling while allowing parish bingo. He points out that the Church says small-stakes gambling can be a legitimate form of recreation, while casino gambling often preys on the poor and those most unable to afford. In order for there to be $400 million in tax revenue, people have to lose more than $1 billion. These won't be high-roller casinos like those in Monte Carlo and Las Vegas. This will attract those least able to afford to lose. Slot machines are particularly pernicious because while each individual play is only a quarter or a dollar, they can become addictive. Scot quotes the story which says that studies show how five years after a casino opens, the neighborhood sees a radical increase in crime and addition to gambling doubles within a 50-mile radius. With the three new proposed casinos, nearly every part of the state would be within 50 miles of the casino. Susan pointed out that even if we poured every dime in tax revenue into schools and the like, the ends don't justify the means. She noted that casinos aren't built in wealthy suburbs, but in our poorer areas. Scot said you don't have to be Catholic to know that this isn't a good idea. Who's going to be paying for the societal ills? How much would we pay to decrease crimes by the same amounts they are going to rise? Fr. Roger wrote on this issue a year ago. He said he thinks along the same lines. This gamble on casinos is a terrible bet. You can't make a living off going to a place where the house always wins. The state is gambling its future on the backs of slot parlors and casinos. We have to stand up in our Commonwealth and say that this is a bad bet in which we'll lose more than we win over the long term. Stop Predatory Gambling, the Mass. Family Institute and United to Stop the Slots are other organizations involved in opposing this bill.They encourage people to call the Governor's office and elected representatives and tell them that this is a reckless gamble for Massachusetts. 3rd segment: Scot noted that we've talked about the coming launch of the new Roman Missal on the first Sunday of Advent, but starting this weekend at the the option of the pastor, parishes can start singing certain parts of the Mass in the new translation. Fr. Roger said the parts of the Mass we typically sing have new translations, including the Gloria; the Holy, Holy, Holy; and the Creed. The US Bishops said bishops could authorize their pastors to introduce the sung Mass parts in the beginning of September to help people get ready for the changes coming in Advent. They realize that in Advent we don't sing many of these parts so they wanted to give three months of practice so that on Christmas morning the Gloria will be done in the most beautiful way possible. Susan said she loves the title of the editorial: “Singing the Mass.” We sing the Mass, not just sing at Mass. Scot said Fr. Jonathan Gaspar will be with us on Tuesday to talk about the new Mass translations. He said in Fr. Roger's editorial he refers to the Vatican II document Musicam Sacram which differentiates three different levels of music in the Mass and we've inverted the priority of the different kinds of music at Mass. The first priority for singing are the dialogue parts between the priest and the people: the Sign of the Cross, for example. The other Mass parts of the second priority: the Kyrie, Gloria, Lamb of God, the Creed, and Prayer of the Faithful. Of lowest priority are the entrance, offertory, and communion hymns as well as the Psalm, the Alleulia, and the readings. 4th segment: Scot said Cardinal Sean in recent months has been working to help form three diocesan religious orders. This week the Pilot profiles the Ambassadors of Peace. It was founded by Fr. Michael Sevigny, a Capuchin Franciscan for over 40 years. It will be a contemplative and active community helping member in a quest for inner peace and to bring peace to the world. The community will be based in Weymouth at a former convent at Immaculate Conception in Weymouth. the other two order are the Daughters of Mary of Nazareth led by Sister Olga Yaqob and the Franciscan Tertiary Handmaids of the Immaculate. He said the Lord raises up new orders when the Church particularly needs them and they have specific charisms for the needs of the day. On September 16-18, the Apostles will be holding a discernment weekend for women, and seven of the eight spots are filled already. Fr. Roger often leads retreats for new religious communities. They often succeed with God giving a particular charism to the founder or foundress, but there's also a real sense of communal love among the members. They also need very good formation with a very clear path to holiness that involves fraternal correction and real education in the faith. Moving to a new story, the rector of the Cathedral in Phoenix has changed his policy on altar servers so that only boys would be altar servers, while the girls would be trained as sacristans. The story has received a lot of coverage in the Catholic blogosphere. The rector said the issue can't be approached from just and emotional standpoint, but serving at the altar is not a right. He wants both boys and girls to be involved in service, but he's found that when there are altar girls, there's often not any altar boys. Greg said he agrees with his assessment that when young girls are involved in something, the young boys choose not to be involved. He's also seen that girls of that age are more comfortable being in front of people, while boys are not. It's also valuable to have the boys brought closer to the liturgy because it does engender more vocations to the priesthood. It's not about power or whether girls are valuable. It's just a matter of formation. Susan says she's a traditionalist in such things, but she's not sure whether it's true that having girls as servers is itself a reason for more boys not being servers. She's also not sure whether being a server ultimately makes a difference for whether boys become priests. Fr. Roger's parish has both boys and girls. To preserve a balance, he actively recruits boys and about two-thirds of his servers are boys, which makes it easier for boys to come. When there's a super-majority are girls, it becomes a girl thing to do. If the real urgency in the Church is for priestly vocations, then we need to have a small seminary within the parish. 70% of priests today were altar servers when they were younger.

**Today's host(s):** Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O'Connor **Today's guest(s):** Chris Carmody, Religion Teacher at St. Mary High School, Lynn, and Youth Minister Coordinator at Immaculate Conception Church, Salem * [Dogmatic Constitution on the Church Lumen Gentium](http://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_const_19641121_lumen-gentium_en.html) **Today's topics:** Vatican II document Lumen Gentium **Summary of today's show:** Chris Carmody joins Scot and Fr. Chris to discuss the 2nd Vatican Council's Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, Lumen Gentium, and its groundbreaking look inward that helped the Church address the modern world in new ways and opened up a new understanding of the laity's role in the Church. **1st segment:** Scot welcomed Fr. Chris back to the show and said they've been planning to discuss the various documents of the Second Vatican Council and today they will be discussing Lumen Gentium, the dogmatic constitution on the Church in the World. Fr. Chris said this is the constitution for the Church and Pope John Paul and OPope Benedict have always referred to this document on a regular basis. Unlike all the other councils in the Church, this was the first that wasn't called to address a heresy or combat a schism. It was called to take a look at where the Church has been and where it is heading. Pope John XXIII said, "Let's open the windows and let in the fresh air." There was no other agenda. Scot said there were 21 coun cils in the history of the Church and the previous one was Vatican I in the 1870s. Fr. Chris said the Vatican Council was a continuity and a renewal. It was designed to capture who we are and what we are about. He also noted that Pope John Paul and Pope Benedict were young scholars at the Second Vatican Council and had key roles in shaping the council. Fr. Chris said the Church has occasionally called all the bishops of the world together in ecumenical council. He said some scholars said this may have been the first truly ecumenical council with bishops from all over the world contributing for the first time. More than 2,600 bishops were at the council, as well as other experts and observers from other Christian denominations. Scot noted that most of the meetings took place inside St. Peter's Square with all the thousands of attendees during all these meetings. **2nd segment:** Scot welcomed Chris back to the show. Before Easter, he was on the show to talk about the Hunger for Justice pilgrimage for youth on Good Friday and Holy Saturday. He's been studying in the Masters of Arts in Ministry and will be transferring to the Masters of Arts in Theological Studies at the Theological Institute for the New Evangelization. He has always loved studying theology from his days as an undergrad at Franciscan University of Steubenville. He found the course on Vatican II to be valuable because he'd never had a chance to read through the documents themselves. Scot asked about the context of Vatican II. Fr. Chris said Pope John XXIII was originally seen as a bridge between popes and a quiet keeper of the Vatican. But he said he felt moved by the Holy Spirit to call this council. He sent out to all of the bishops of the world a blank slate and asked what they should be talking about. From that came all of these documents which began discussions at the Vatican lasting many years addressing important issues. Scot said 16 documents were the product of Vatican II. It opened in 1962 and closed in 1965 with four separate sessions. Four documents were constitutions: divine revelation, on the Church, on the Church in the modern world, and on the sacred liturgy. There were 9 decrees and three declarations on various topics. Fr. Chris said the constitution is the backbone that sets the scope for how we're going to proceed. The declaration makes a statement on a topic, what it is and why it's important. Lumen Gentium (Light of the World), on the Church, was the Church looking inward. Gaudium et Spes (Joy and Hope), the Church in the World, looks at the Church's interaction with the world. The former is dogmatic, t he latter is pastoral. Chris said before we can talk to anyone else, we need to look at who we are and that's why the Church looked internally before addressing our interaction externally. Fr. Chris said Lumen Gentium is the key document of Vatican II because it defines the Church. The other documents are in some way leading back to the Church, and so their root is in Lumen Gentium. Lumen Gentium is broken up into eight sections: the mystery of the Church, the People of God, on the hierarchical structure of the Church and in particular on the Episcopate, the Laity, the universal call to holiness, religious, the nature of the pilgrim church, and the Blessed Mother. **3rd segment:** Scot said Cardinal Cushing represented the Archdiocese of Boston at Vatican II. Fr. Chris said he was instrumental in the piece on ecumenism and interreligious dialogue. Scot said one of  the key themes is that of unity. Chris said it comes from the creed that we are one, holy, catholic, and apostolic. Within our unity, we show the unity of Christ to the world: bishops in union together and with the pope and the people in unity with their bishop. Fr. Chris said we are made in the image of God and Pope Benedict emphasizes that a key term of Vatican II is communion. God is three persons in one nature and we need to image that unity among each other. Scot recalls the image of Christianity as a team sport. We're not called to be individuals in the Church nor is the Church to be isolated from the world. We're called to be in relation, but we should be a sign of unity with each other in the kingdom of God on earth. Fr. Chris said the Mass is where we find God's Word, God's sacrament among us, and God's marching orders to us. Scot said Lumen Gentium tried to answer what is the Catholic Church in relation to the church that Jesus founded: Is it entirely the Church he founded? Chris said they concluded that we are the Church that Christ founded, but we're still working toward that goal in our unity. The document says the true Church of Christ subsists in the Catholic Church. Fr. Chris said because Christ has promised to never abandon the Church, we believe that the fullness of the Church as founded by Christ, resides in the Catholic Church, and that's where we will find holiness. Before Vatican II, some said there was no way to be saved without being a baptized and active Catholic. Fr. Chris said there are possibilities for people outside of the Church to be saved, but if you know the Church to be the fullness of salvation, then you have an obligation to give yourself to the Church and be part of the Church. Scot said the document tried to broaden the description of the Church beyond the visible and institutional. Vatican II said it also invisible. Chris said the Church is also the People of God and the Mystical Body of Christ. When we are out in the world, we are the Church, even when we are not inside the building. There is no one description that encompasses the fullness of the Church. Fr. Chris said when you look through a diamond, you see it through different prisms or angles. How do you describe a mountain to someone who's never seen one? The idea of the People of God shows that the Church is a pilgrim Church on the way to salvation. All of the members of the Church are sanctified and made holy. Scot said the document seems to endorse that there are many descriptions of the Church; that people can approach the Church with different ideas. Chris said Lumen Gentium talks about the Church as being pilgrim. The Church on earth is in communion with the Church in heaven. We are always with each other; we are not alone on the journey to heaven. **4th segment:** One of the goals of the document was to define the roles within the Church. One of those definitions looked at the relationship between the Pope and the bishops and the tension of the pope's authority versus the bishop's collegiality. Fr. Chris said the document reminds us that we're a hierarchical church. It starts with the the great reverence and respect for the Pope. He stands in the person of Christ in a primary way. He shares the teaching authority of the Church with the bishops. Vatican II recognized that each bishop has the fullness of the priesthood. A priest preaches because he shares in his bishop's ministry. Vatican II affirmed very carefully that if you're looking for the Church, look to the unity in the local diocese between bishop, priests, and laity. The parish is just a microcosm of the diocese. The bishops share a collegiality with the Pope. They are not the Pope's lieutenants. They have a primacy in their dioceses as the unifier and governor and teacher. Scot said the permanent diaconate was re-established after Vatican II and articulated in Lumen Gentium. Chris said he was surprised when he learned that there was a long period in Church history when the permanent diaconate was not part of the Church. The deacons are a great resource for the Church. Scot said Vatican II envisioned that it would be mission countries with priest shortages that would embrace this ministry, but it was Western nations that now have the most deacons. Their roles in the Church were outlined including preaching and administering certain sacraments. > It is the duty of the deacon, according as it shall have been assigned to him by competent authority, to administer baptism solemnly, to be custodian and dispenser of the Eucharist, to assist at and bless marriages in the name of the Church, to bring Viaticum to the dying, to read the Sacred Scripture to the faithful, to instruct and exhort the people, to preside over the worship and prayer of the faithful, to administer sacramentals, to officiate at funeral and burial services. Chris said one of his favorite parts is when the Church addresses the youth. The Church is ever-young despite being one of the oldest institutions in the world. >By the power of the Gospel He makes the Church keep the freshness of youth. Fr. Chris said the Church is often defined by oppositions: old and young, holy and sinful, priests and laity. No one term ever describes the Church, but must always encompass "both/and". Too many of us get into the mindset that the building is the church, but the Church is the People of God, from the Pope to the newest baptized person. Not just the laity or just the clergy, but all of us. Chris said Lumen Gentium says the "laity is here understood to mean all the faithful except those in holy orders and those in the state of religious life specially approved by the Church." They are those who live out the Christian life in the world. >[B]y their very vocation, seek the kingdom of God by engaging in temporal affairs and by ordering them according to the plan of God. They live in the world, that is, in each and in all of the secular professions and occupations. They live in the ordinary circumstances of family and social life, from which the very web of their existence is woven. They are called there by God that by exercising their proper function and led by the spirit of the Gospel they may work for the sanctification of the world from within as a leaven. In this way they may make Christ known to others, especially by the testimony of a life resplendent in faith, hope and charity. Therefore, since they are tightly bound up in all types of temporal affairs it is their special task to order and to throw light upon these affairs in such a way that they may come into being and then continually increase according to Christ to the praise of the Creator and the Redeemer. It is through baptism that all Christians share in the priesthood of Christ, in his role of prophet, and in his kingship. Scot said this priesthood means anyone who sacrifices on behalf of God. We are all called to preach, to teach, and to sanctify, in a certain way. The laity teach by witnessing in the world, they are sanctified by their prayers for one another. It's not just religious and clergy who are called to holiness, but all are. Scot said this section of Lumen Gentium was innovative and is what St. Josemaria Escriva preached. Chris said we are called to be "perfect as your Father is perfect." He finds it the hardest teaching. People believe that perfection is impossible. >In order that the faithful may reach this perfection, they must use their strength accordingly as they have received it, as a gift from Christ. They must follow in His footsteps and conform themselves to His image seeking the will of the Father in all things. They must devote themselves with all their being to the glory of God and the service of their neighbor. Fr. Chris said the Church is not a museum for saints, but a hospital for sinners. We're all on the road to holiness. But it is right that we're called to holiness because it is friendship with God and ultimate friendship with God is heaven where we gaze on the face of the Father. We say the Church is holy because Christ promised that he would never abandon the Church to make sure that what the Church teaches is true. If what the Church teaches isn't true, then Christ would be a liar. Fr. Chris emphasized the role of the Holy Spirit in the Church, animating the Church and convicting us in both our faith and in our sinfulness. The council fathers emphasized the Holy Spirit in each of our lives. **5th segment:** In this segment, we'll talk about the Blessed Mother. There was some discussion at the council about whether there should be a separate document on the Blessed Mother. Fr. Chris said we have to emphasize the role of Mary's life in each Catholic's life, but we can't overemphasize her above the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And since there was n't a document on the Persons of the Trinity, they didn't think there should be a separate one for her. Chris said the document says Mary is the perfection and model of the Church. She is what we are working toward and she is a sure source of our hope. Scot said the role of Mary was key in the discussions in ecumenism. Fr. Chris said the Church tells us we cannot compromise the truth to please someone else and Mary is an essential element of our faith. Mary is at the two moments of the institution of the Church: At the foot of the cross where the blood and water from Christ's side and Jesus gives Mary to John, representing us; and at Pentecost when the Holy Spirit descends on the apostles. Scot said the document clarifies that Mary is our intercessor who goes to her Son to mediate our prayers. Chris said when we honor Mary, she is making known the Son to us. Her mediation doesn't remove Christ's mediation on our behalf. Fr. Chris said she is a powerful intercessor. The mother goes to her Son and begs for us. We can count on our supernatural mother being with us and to guide us through life. Next year will be the 50th anniversary of the opening of Vatican II and we will continue to revisit the documents of Vatican II between now and then.

**Today's host(s):** Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O'Connor **Today's guest(s):** Fr. Derek Borek, spiritual director at St. John Seminary * [St. John Seminary](http://www.sjs.edu) * [Program of Priestly Formation, USCCB](http://www.usccb.org/vocations/ProgramforPriestlyFormation.pdf) * [Pastores Dabo Vobis](http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/apost_exhortations/documents/hf_jp-ii_exh_25031992_pastores-dabo-vobis_en.html) **Today's topics:** What is spiritual direction? Is it for everyone? **Summary of today's show:** Fr. Derek Borek joins Scot and Fr. Chris to talk about his work as spiritual director at St. John Seminary; to explain what spiritual direction is; how it is not just for priests and religious, but for all Christians seeking to deepen their relationship with the Lord; and how to go about finding a spiritual director. **1st segment:** Scot welcomed Fr. Chris back to the show and asked him how his Fourth of July weekend was. They had a Mass at the seminary and Fr. Chris discovered that there are particular prayers for Independence Day. The Church acknowledges the good and prays for areas of growth. The prayers talk more about the nation and the work of the Holy Spirit uniting us together. Fr. Chris noted how people of diverse backgrounds are brought together on Independence Day. Scot said it was amazing how diverse the crowd was at Walden Pond in Concord, people speaking 10 or more languages. Growing up in Lowell, Scot heard from his Cambodian and Loatian classmates how precious America is to them. Fr. Chris was able to watch the fireworks from the roof of the rectory at Sacred Heart in East Boston. Scot watched the fireworks from Cambridge. Fr. Chris is getting ready to celebrate a Mass for the Missionaries of Charity on Thursday. They run a day camp for 50 or 50 young people, teaching them about the faith and Mother Teresa. The sisters provide a set of eyes and ears for the kids during the summer while their parents are working. Scot noted that today is his parents' 42nd anniversary. **2nd segment:** Scot welcomed Fr. Borek to the show. He asked him how came to his vocation. He hadn't really thought about the priesthood growing up. In high school, he was greatly influenced by a Protestant friend with whom he discussed faith. He challenged Fr. Derek about what he really believed. So he questioned what he believed and it was in college that he started to sense God's calling to the priesthood. He had a friend die suddenly in an accident and that made him step back and take stock. He became attentive to God's presence in his life. At U. Mass Lowell, he got involved in campus ministry and the chaplains had a great influence on him. After graduating he went to the seminary. Fr. Derek grew up in Quincy and went to public school all his life. There is a diversity in the seminarians who come from public and Catholic schools. His decision to enter seminary was a practical decision. While he'd felt the call for 4 years, he had been resistant. He had no loans to pay off, had no girlfriend, didn't have a job, or grad school lined, so he decided to take the chance and explore the option. Over the next five years, he grew in relationship with the Lord. Like many seminarians, he did not know for sure he had a vocation to the priesthood, but he was willing to discern that in the seminary. Seminary formation helps a man come to a greater understanding of the life and responsibilities of the priest and the best place to learn that is in the seminary. Fr. Chris said the faculty's job is to help men figure out what God wants them to do. Discernment comes from God, from the men, and from the Church and if all three are saying that there is a call, then there is a clear indication. That's an important part of the whole process. The men don't sign their life away by walking in the door. Fr. Chris said a seminarian told him that he wished every Christian man could enter the seminary because even if they don't become a priest they are formed in Christian virtue and gain the tools that would make them great fathers and husbands if not priests. His background helps him remember that men in spiritual direction will have uncertainties and he shouldn't impose on them a sense that they need to have it all figured out. **3rd segment:** In talk about spiritual formation, there are two different fora: the external forum and internal forum. The internal forum contains spiritual direction and it allows confidentiality because it is just between the spiritual director and the seminarian. External forum deals with aspects of formation that would be manifested in his demeanor, public person, and academics. Spiritual directions concerns the inner man. It also pre-supposes a life of prayer. The spiritual director is the third person in a conversation the person is having with the Lord. It's not telling a man what to do, but primarily being attentive to the movement of the Spirit and helping understand more clearly what the Lord is saying to him, particularly the question of what is his vocation. Fr. Chris recalls having people come to spiritual direction, not knowing why they are there, and then as they talk revealing where the Lord is in their life. The spiritual director helps put the pieces on the table and discern where the Lord is active in their lives. It's not just for seminarians. As they are ordained, the men are encouraged to find a spiritual director to keep them honest and accountable and to help direct the prayer life. Fr. Derek said the spiritual director is for discussing the seminarian's relationship with the Lord in a deeper way than they might talk with a formation director. For example, on the issue of celibacy, as the man considers the reality of forgoing marriage and family life, it can have so many effects on the man as he copes with that idea. Or difficulties with academics or relationships with people around him that he feels discussing more confidentially. But first and foremost what's going on in his prayer life. The Sacrament of Reconciliation can be part of spiritual direction, but it's up to the seminarian. That would be ideal, because the relationship allows the director to advise in the most intimate details of life. But it's important that each seminarian be able to choose his confessor. There is training to become a spiritual director. Fr. Derek went to a three-week program at the Institute for Priestly Formation. There were lectures coupled with role-playing as both directee and director. He found it nerve-wracking when they had to role-play before the class. The spiritual director begins the session with prayer, either led by himself or the directee. The latter allows something to come up for discussion from the prayer. Then he allows the seminarian to bring up what he sees as needing to be discussed and then they go from there. If there's something from a past session that needs to be followed up, then Fr. Derek will bring it up. In some sense, it is really the Holy Spirit who directs. Scot said in Confession a priest can't bring up previous confessed sins and ask how the penitent is doing it. In spiritual direction they definitely can bring up issues that come up in spiritual direction. The confidentiality is not the same as the seal of the confessional. If it's working well, the seminarian will see improvement in his own life of grace. If he's committed to his life of prayer, he will grow in knowledge of God, in the life of charity and virtue. Fr. Chris said it is a privileged position for him to see the hand of God working in other's lives. Fr. Derek said when you can the Lord at work in another's life, it helps him to appreciate the ways the Lord works in his own life as well. This was his second year at St. John's. In his first year, he was the Dean of Men, working primarily in the external forum. In two years, he's seen the two difference fora. As a spiritual director, he's been able to get to know a number of the men even better. He's able to see in a more specific manner how the Lord is at work in the lives of these men. It's different than seeing it in the external aspects of their lives. It's another thing to see it at work in their hearts. He has been admitted to a mystery, which is an awesome experience. Fr. Chris said he can only see the external signs of the man's attitudes, but Fr. Derek can see what others cannot. Fr. Chris said the faculty votes on every man that goes through the seminary and make recommendations to their bishops. Fr. Derek does not vote and makes separate recommendations. Fr. Derek said he helps the men warm up to spiritual direction by helping them understand it's a safe environment to talk. He is himself very guarded and careful in opening up to people.  **4th segment:** Scot said spiritual direction isn't just for seminarians or priests, but it's a helpful tool for everyone to grow in holiness. Fr. Derek said spiritual direction in the seminary is focused first on discerning vocation to the priesthood and all other aspects that fall under that. But spiritual direction in general is helping someone to grow in intimacy with the Lord. It's for anyone seeking that deeper intimacy. It is a means of helping someone stay accountable to spending that time in prayer and being attentive to where God is active in their life. Fr. Derek began spiritual direction in college and his first spiritual director was a woman religious. In a sense, it's just like what seminarians: an extra pairs of ears to help you determine what the Lord is calling you to and to see the Lord's presence in your life. There priests and religious and even lay spiritual directors. It's about finding the person with whom you'd feel comfortable talking to about the movement in your heart. They should be a holy person who can help. The directee brings their experiences in prayer and receives in seeing God's hand in it. Fr. Chris has many lay people studying at the seminary in the Master of Arts in Ministry or the Theological Institute for the New Evangelization who are required to attend spiritual direction. These people will themselves be offering spiritual direction, even informally, when they return to their parishes, so it is important that they experience it themselves. It's also important for them to be sure they are doing what they're doing for the right reasons. People going through major life changes or struggles are prime candidates for spiritual direction. Fr. Derek said in the major moments of life, we can be more attentive. It's difficult in the ordinariness of life to realize we need to grow more and more in holiness and to be more attentive. They encourage seminarians every day to make an examination of conscience to recognize the blessings they've received and to see the ways God was active in their life and then to be attentive to ways that they were not open to His grace. Spiritual direction takes that one step further, and instead of one day looks at larger parts of their life. Fr. Chris said in his own spiritual direction, he feels like about 75% of the time it's more like coaching him where he needs to improve or reaffirm what he already knows. But there are other moments that are grace0filled where the spiritual director can open the eyes up to a whole new vista that he hadn't even considered. **5th segment:** Scot asked how someone would find a good spiritual director for themselves. Fr. Derek said they should look for someone who is themselves in tune with the Lord, with an active prayer life, and is growing in virtue as well. First, go to the pastor. HE might not be able to provide spiritual direction himself, but he would be a good resource to point you to someone who would be able to direct you. Or a religious community might be able to offer someone who can be a spiritual director. Fr. Chris noted the Oblates at the Shrine of St. Joseph in Lowell and the Franciscans at Arch Street in Boston. He said the person must be comfortable with the spiritual director and the relationship has to be based on trust and respect. Sometimes, you might need a new spiritual director to take you in the new directions you need to go. A good spiritual director will recognize it themselves and take that step first. Fr. Derek said the asks the directee to make a commitment of six meetings and at the end of those meeting they will reevaluate and determine whether this is something that is going to work from both perspectives. Each person needs to have a thick skin to recognize whether the direction is going to work. Scot said it sounds like the best way is to ask people in the faith you trust. Maybe you can take it to prayer and ask God to reveal where to go for a spiritual director.

**Today's host(s):** Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O'Connor**Today's guest(s):** Dr. David Franks, vice-president of mission for the Theological Institute for the New Evangelization at the [Theological Institute for the New Evangelization](http://www.tine.org) at St. John's Seminary* [Pope Benedict's Homily for the Easter Vigil, April 23, 2011](http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/homilies/2011/documents/hf_ben-xvi_hom_20110423_veglia-pasquale_en.html)* [Pope Benedict's "Urbi et Orbi" (the City and the World) message for Easter 2011](http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/messages/urbi/documents/hf_ben-xvi_mes_20110424_urbi-easter_en.html)* ["Pope contrasts Easter joy with suffering humanity," (Zenit)](http://www.zenit.org/article-32410?l=english)**Today's topics:** Pope Benedict's messages to the world on Easter; Pope John Paul II's influence**1st segment:**  Scot welcomes back Fr. Chris. Recalling the celebration of the Triduum, Fr. Chris said many different people come to the liturgies of the Triduum from outside the seminary. Scot was on the Dan Rea show on WBZ Radio last Friday to talk about Catholics Come Home and answer caller questions about the Church.At the seminary on Holy Thursday, they traditionally select the men in their 3rd year for the foot washing. On Saturday night, they had transitional deacon Quang Lee sing the Exsultet. Scot said they hope to have the transitional deacons on the shows leading up to the ordination next week.Scot said in this show, they plan to talk about the Holy Father's messages on Easter, the major ideas and themes. The messages are for everyone, not just those gathered in St. Peter's Square.**2nd segment:** Scot and Fr. Chris welcome Dr. David Franks back to the show. Last Saturday, the Holy Father's homily follows--as in every Easter Vigil Mass in the world--the service of light, the Exsultet, and the readings of Salvation History. He begins:>The liturgical celebration of the Easter Vigil makes use of two eloquent signs. First there is the fire that becomes light. As the procession makes its way through the church, shrouded in the darkness of the night, the light of the Paschal Candle becomes a wave of lights, and it speaks to us of Christ as the true morning star that never sets – the Risen Lord in whom light has conquered darkness. The second sign is water. On the one hand, it recalls the waters of the Red Sea, decline and death, the mystery of the Cross. But now it is presented to us as spring water, a life-giving element amid the dryness. Thus it becomes the image of the sacrament of baptism, through which we become sharers in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.Fr. Chris said it is a beautiful opening and it captures this image of light. "Lumen Christi, Deo gratias", "The Light of Christ, thanks be to God." You see not just the Paschal candle, but the lights of hundreds of followers. And then the image of water to welcome into the faith, new believers, to have it happen because Christ's side was pierced for them and us. It's also an image of the Church being born. The Church is more than just stone and mortar, it's living human souls.David said fire and water is also a symbol of the Holy Spirit. Fire and water can be lifegiving, but they can also be dangerous in the natural world. But in Jesus Christ, what can be destructive toward human good are lifted up and used for the good of humanity. Scot said they are basic elements of creation and capture our imagination.Scot said his 9- and 7-year-olds were struck by the third reading of Pharaoh's chariots being drowned in the Red Sea and asked if God was being mean. David said St. Paul points out to the Romans, we aren't talking about the eternal destination of the Egyptians, but the plan of liberation God has set in place. If we work with God then it is to our benefit, but if we array ourself against God, we should realize that no force of darkness can overcome the power of God's love.Fr. Chris said that as soon as the Paschal candle is illuminated, it shatters all darkness. It reminds us that the smallest candle can overcome all darkness. All Christians are called to be salt and light in the world. The light of Christ shatters sin and darkness once and for all.>The Church wishes to offer us a panoramic view of the whole trajectory of salvation history, starting with creation, passing through the election and the liberation of Israel to the testimony of the prophets by which this entire history is directed ever more clearly towards Jesus Christ. In the liturgical tradition all these readings were called prophecies. Even when they are not directly foretelling future events, they have a prophetic character, they show us the inner foundation and orientation of history. They cause creation and history to become transparent to what is essential. In this way they take us by the hand and lead us towards Christ, they show us the true Light.Fr. Chris said God is afoot, He is present in our world now. He is still calling us and unveiling His mystery to us. This past week, the Holy Father said there are three things if we want to be holy: the 10 commandments, the Sunday Mass, and daily prayer. Those 3 things coupled with God's grace can lead us to the path to sanctity. This unfolding of God's love for us continues for us today.David said God is on the move. This is what gives our lives a sense of mysterious promise. There is something powerful and good that is coming. Anytime we pray, God is on the move transforming our lives.Scot said he loves that he said the Church offers us in this reading a panoramic view of salvation history.  Jesus was the fulfillment of promises made over a period of thousands of years. Fr. Chris said we are all on a trajectory toward heaven. We need to remind ourselves what our final end is. Fr. Corapi said in a homily that if we had a natural end, then it would be enough to be good enough. But we have a supernatural end and we must be more.The Holy Father then says the Creation account is included because "The sweep of history established by God reaches back to the origins, back to creation." David said the other world views in our culture would have us believe we don't come from a loving God, but a result of randomness. Is it a matter of God's loving directed plan for our lives? That's the claim of the Church.Fr. Chris said in Christoph Schoenborn's book ["Loving the Church"](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0898706769/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=catholicnetrevie&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399349&creativeASIN=0898706769) where he refers to us as "creatures" which reminds us that we are God's creation. Ultimately, God does not need us, but He desires to share His love with us. There is one God who is worthy to be praised for the gift of life and creation. When you see a newborn child, you know there is nothing random about that at all.**3rd segment:** Continuing the Holy Father's homily. >The Sabbath is the seventh day of the week. After six days in which man in some sense participates in God's work of creation, the Sabbath is the day of rest. But something quite unprecedented happened in the nascent Church: the place of the Sabbath, the seventh day, was taken by the first day. As the day of the liturgical assembly, it is the day for encounter with God through Jesus Christ who as the Risen Lord encountered his followers on the first day, Sunday, after they had found the tomb empty. The structure of the week is overturned. No longer does it point towards the seventh day, as the time to participate in God's rest. It sets out from the first day as the day of encounter with the Risen Lord. This encounter happens afresh at every celebration of the Eucharist, when the Lord enters anew into the midst of his disciples and gives himself to them, allows himself, so to speak, to be touched by them, sits down at table with them. This change is utterly extraordinary, considering that the Sabbath, the seventh day seen as the day of encounter with God, is so profoundly rooted in the Old TestamentThe Holy Father is reminding us that because of what happened on Easter that Sunday becomes the central moment in our life as Christians. Every Sunday is a little Easter and we should be reminding ourselves that the centrality of our faith is rooted in Christ's death and resurrection.David said Pope Benedict is saying a radical shift should be noted here. There is nothing to account for such a radical change unless the resurrection is true. He's also saying that Christians don't exist on the same rhythm as the rest of the world. On the day of Christian rest, we don't lie down, but we get up to serve and love on another on a new level. Scot said we should be starting each week and each day in the presence of God. The wisdom of our Church is that we start the week this way and we should model our lives this way.Fr. Chris asked how we get out of bed in the morning and establish the rhythm of our day. And Sunday is the anchor for each person that establishes how we will live each week. When Pope Benedict talks about the centrality of the Sabbath becoming the first day, it shows the need to order our lives so that Sunday takes a priority for us. >We celebrate the definitive victory of the Creator and of his creation. We celebrate this day as the origin and the goal of our existence. We celebrate it because now, thanks to the risen Lord, it is definitively established that reason is stronger than unreason, truth stronger than lies, love stronger than death. We celebrate the first day because we know that the black line drawn across creation does not last for ever. We celebrate it because we know that those words from the end of the creation account have now been definitively fulfilled: “God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good” (Gen 1:31). Amen.Fr. Chris said Pope Benedict is reminding us that we have a lot to give and thanks and praise to the Lord for. We are sharing in the newness of life that only Easter can bring. If we die with Christ and live with Christ, we shall rise with Christ (St. Paul). David said the emphasis is on human suffering, that we remember that it is the Cross that Jesus has overcome. That "black line" has caused immense suffering the world. Pope Benedict said the suffering is real, but Jesus Christ has risen to today and everything is different. Scot said see how much good is brought out of love today because of Easter.**4th segment:** Now considering Pope Benedict's Urbi et Orbi message, delivered from the central window of St. Peter's Basilica overlooking St. Peter's Square. He does this once per year. Fr. Chris said it means "City and the World". It's a reminder that he is both Bishop of Rome, but also leader of the Catholic Church and speaking to every person of good will in the world. It's a powerful message. As soon as he finishes the Easter mass, he proclaims this message from the place where he was proclaimed as pope upon his election. He traditionally highlights his concerns and requests for prayer for the world. This location is only used for this purpose and for papal elections.>Right down to our own time – even in these days of advanced communications technology – the faith of Christians is based on that same news, on the testimony of those sisters and brothers who saw firstly the stone that had been rolled away from the empty tomb and then the mysterious messengers who testified that Jesus, the Crucified, was risen. And then Jesus himself, the Lord and Master, living and tangible, appeared to Mary Magdalene, to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus, and finally to all eleven, gathered in the Upper Room (cf. Mk 16:9-14).Fr. Chris said we do rely on the testimony of others that Christ has died and rise, but just as important is the witness of the martyrdom of those who died for preaching the Risen Christ. David said it is important that the Good News is passed on from one witness to another so that we are all taking part in God's plan of salvation. It is part of the plan of salvation that Christians testify to it and that it passed on from person to another.Scot said he loves that the Holy Father brought in modern communications, that witnessing can take place using all technologies and methods both old and new. We share the Good News in every way we communicate with others. Fr. Chris said that bringing children to Church, living the faith and sharing it with children, is part of that. All the technology doesn't matter if people aren't willing to tell others about the message of Christ.>The resurrection of Christ is not the fruit of speculation or mystical experience: it is an event which, while it surpasses history, nevertheless happens at a precise moment in history and leaves an indelible mark upon it. The light which dazzled the guards keeping watch over Jesus' tomb has traversed time and space. It is a different kind of light, a divine light, that has rent asunder the darkness of death and has brought to the world the splendour of God, the splendour of Truth and Goodness.David said that every time in our lives that something beautiful happens that is the light of Christ erupting into creation. That's what we want to communicate in a life of holiness. The more we love well, the more the light will enter the world.Fr. Chris said that because it is supernatural light, it permeates all darkness.Scot takes away from this the emphasis that this is a real historical event. Christ entered history, He really died, and He really rose from the dead.>“In your resurrection, O Christ, let heaven and earth rejoice.” To this summons to praise, which arises today from the heart of the Church, the “heavens” respond fully: the hosts of angels, saints and blessed souls join with one voice in our exultant song. In heaven all is peace and gladness. But alas, it is not so on earth! Here, in this world of ours, the Easter alleluia still contrasts with the cries and laments that arise from so many painful situations: deprivation, hunger, disease, war, violence. Yet it was for this that Christ died and rose again! He died on account of sin, including ours today, he rose for the redemption of history, including our own. So my message today is intended for everyone, and, as a prophetic proclamation, it is intended especially for peoples and communities who are undergoing a time of suffering, that the Risen Christ may open up for them the path of freedom, justice and peace.Fr. Chris said here you see the contrast of the pilgrim Church, that one day we will arrive at eternal life, but before we get there we still encounter suffering in the world. This is why Christ redeemed us, so that we could trust in the fact that one day all would be well.David said Christ explodes the depths of suffering from the inside. We think of the horrific victims today and in history when we consider the Victim on the Cross. It is the light of God and true love that will convert all things to life.Scot said the Holy Father mentions specific peoples in the Middle East and in Japan and others who are struggling. Regardless of what they're battling, Christi is their answer too, because he will lighten the load and carry the burden.Fr. Chris said faith takes on a context lived in the lives of people who are suffering. It's in our times of suffering and sadness that we go right to the Lord that He is our only hope in the midst of the human condition.>Dear brothers and sisters! The risen Christ is journeying ahead of us towards the new heavens and the new earth (cf. Rev 21:1), in which we shall all finally live as one family, as sons of the same Father. He is with us until the end of time. Let us walk behind him, in this wounded world, singing Alleluia. In our hearts there is joy and sorrow, on our faces there are smiles and tears. Such is our earthly reality. But Christ is risen, he is alive and he walks with us. For this reason we sing and we walk, faithfully carrying out our task in this world with our gaze fixed on heaven.  Happy Easter to all of you!David said this is so moving because Pope Benedict is reaching into all of our lives to say that there isn't a pain there that Christ hasn't touched and hasn't given a new purchase on a life of Divine Love. This is why we need to tell everyone we meet that Jesus Christ is alive and that changes everything.Fr. Chris said there is also the idea of finishing the race and running it well. Christ is the trailblazer before us and we follow behind him on this path to the Father. The Cross is the ladder to the heavens. We can't get there on our own. We need the gift of Jesus' cross.Scot said he loves what it says that we carry out our lives, walk behind Jesus with our gazes fixed on heaven. It gives us something to think about at our next hour of adoration.**5th segment:** Now considering the influence of Pope John Paul on the lives of the hosts and guest.Scot said he's never met someone who would become Blessed. He met him twice up front. Scot pointed out that Pope John Paul is being beatified for his virtues and holiness, not his papacy.David said he was raised a Baptist in Arkansas, and it was the presence of John Paul in the world that partly drew him to the Church eventually. There was an intense holiness that drew him in. His first-born son is John Paul and his second son is Benedict. He asks for prayers for his wife and their third son who is to be born next week.Fr. Chris said he has Polish heritage and growing up in a Polish section of Dorchester, he saw the excitement and joy of the Polish people at his election. He met Pope John Paul along with his Aunt Judy and it was an awesome experience of being in the presence of someone holy and who believed and drew close to Christ Jesus. He was also struck by his love for the Blessed Mother. John Paul lost his own mother at an early age and she became a real mother for him. John Paul was responsible for the image of Mary that was put up on the wall of the Apostolic Palace overlooking St. Peter's Square.John Paul's press spokesman said his great virtue was being truly present for each person who came before him. Scot and his brother were privileged to go to Mass in the pope's chapel in the apostolic palace. They were able to ask him to pray for their great aunt who was dying and he stopped them to pray for her right at that moment. He was able to tell her that Holy Father had prayed for her by name.Fr. Chris said he was often struck at World Youth Days by the young people who felt like the Holy Father had looked at them personally. He drew people in to himself and pointed them to Christ.David's favorite works of John Paul is the Theology of Body because it was so revolutionary to the way we talk about the faith in the modern world in the context of the sexual revolution especially. Scot said the way the Theology of the Body was taught in the weekly audiences was a way to teach this because some officials did not want him to write a book about sex. Thus it was "written into the record" as it was.Fr. Chris said the seminarians today are generally those who were inspired by Pope John Paul II, especially from World Youth Days. He also helped to revolutionize how seminary formation takes place.

  **Today's host(s):** Scot Landry and Fr. Mark O'Connell **Today's guest(s):** LeAnn Thieman, author of "Chicken Soup for the Soul: Living Catholic Faith", Fr. Bill Schmidt, pastor of St. Patrick Parish in Stoneham, and Mike Alex, founder of MyCatholicFaithDelivered.com, the Catholic online learning platform. * [MyCatholicFaithDelivered.com](http://www.mycatholicfaithdelivered.com) * [LeAnn Thieman's website](http://www.leannthieman.com/) * ["Chicken Soup for the Soul: Living Catholic Faith"](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1935096230/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=catholicnetrevie&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1935096230) * [St. Patrick Parish, Stoneham](http://www.catholic-church.org/st-patricks/) **Today's topics:** Lenten mission at St. Patrick Parish in Stoneham; MyCatholicFaithDelivered.com; A look at this Sunday's readings for Mass **A summary of today's show:** LeAnn Thieman, author of "Chicken Soup for Soul: Living Catholic Faith", and Fr. Bill Schmidt of St. Patrick Parish, Stoneham, discuss "the most unusual parish mission" you'll attend coming up next week at Fr. Schmidt's parish. Mike Alex tells Scot and Fr. Mark about  MyCatholicFaithDelivered.com, the most advanced online learning platform for Catholics. Finally, Scot, Fr. Mark, and Mike discuss this coming Sunday's Gospel reading for Mass on the woman at the well and the Living Water that Christ promises her. **1st segment:** Fr. Mark's week included a talk in Stoneham at Fr. Schmidt's parish on annulments. Also a cabinet meeting today at which Cardinal Sean announced that Chancellor Jim McDonough's term was renewed for another five years. Fr. Mark said the chancellor is also the finance officer for the archdiocese. The term that was renewed was actually for finance officer. Only two diocesan roles have terms that cannot be abridged except for grave reasons. The other is Fr. Mark's job as Judicial Vicar. **2nd segment:** Scot and Fr. Mark welcome LeAnn Thieman by phone from Colorado and Fr. Bill Schmidt by phone from Stoneham. LeAnn gave an overview of the sessions she'll be giving at the mission next week. She'll start by sharing her story, starting in 1975 with Operation Babylift, to bring 300 Vietnamese orphans out of the midst of the war in Vietnam with the approval of President Ford. On Tuesday, she'll speak on caring for ourselves as well as we care for others, caring for our bodies and our minds. She shares stories from her 12 Chicken Soup books she's written. One of the tools is the tool of forgiveness. On Wednesday, she'll talk about living the Catholic faith as the spiritual balance to the topic of the night before: What we can do to stand up for our faith and to take pride in it. She promises that attendees will march out proud of being Catholic and excited about sharing it. Fr. Schmidt said Lent is a privileged time during which busy people who don't often have time for prayer want to do something special. It's not easy to carve out three nights in a row, so it's a special opportunity. This is the sixth year they've had a parish mission in his 10 years as pastor. 800 people come at least once over the 3 nights. Fr. Mark asked what the Chicken Soup for the Soul books are. LeAnn explained that each has 101 true stories all on a particular topic, such as adoption, fathers and daughters, nurses. Part of LeAnn's own story during Operation Babylift is that she found a little boy who she then adopted as her own. It's amazing, she said, how she still gets emotional as she tells the story, even though she has told it so many times. * [Operation Babylift](http://www.adoptvietnam.org/adoption/babylift-index.htm) Fr. Schmidt said after the last mission, where they heard Fr. Tom Nestor, Bishop Hennessey, and Fr. Jonathan Morris, someone on the parish council asked if a woman could give the mission. Father had a friend in Colorado who had heard of LeAnn and her captivating and motivating story and his experience of her talk at a diocesan dinner in Pueblo, Colorado. Fr. Mark noted that St. Patrick's has undergone renovations and expansions. Six years ago, Cardinal Sean dedicated the renovated and enlarged church, which includes many elements from parishes that have closed. **3rd segment:** Continuing the discussion of the upcoming Lenten mission at St. Patrick's. Scot asked LeAnn for highlights of her talk on Wednesday, which will talk about all the good the Church does. LeAnn said the Church is at the forefront of medical care, helping the poor, educating children and she is awe of all the church does. At the end of her talk on Tuesday night addressing the need to care for ourselves, there is a call to the sacrament of reconciliation. Even when she talks to secular audiences, people thank her for giving them permission to forgive others and to forgive themselves. Fr. Mark asked how parish missions today differ from the fire-and-brimstone missions of old. Fr. Schmidt recalled the missions of his youth which include a confession talk describing hell in stark terms. Now the talks speak of God's love and mercy and forgiveness. He added that they are looking for more priest-confessors to accommodate everyone. LeAnn said it should be the most unusual mission people will have attended, because she intends to have lots of fun and to share how much she loves Christ and His Church and her faith. She hopes that anyone who comes will invite someone else. Fr. Mark said this sounds like it fits perfectly with the Catholics Come Home initiative. Fr. Schmidt said anyone who is interested is very welcome even if they're not members of the parish. LeAnn's books will be on sale at the mission and she will be autographing them. The parish is right at the intersection of Route 128 and 93 and is convenient to many people who will be commuting home from Boston. **4th segment:** Mike Alex joins the show, visiting from the Archdiocese of Kansas City, Kansas. He hopes to catch his Kansas University Jayhawks in the NCAA tournament if they win tonight in San Antonio and go on to the Elite 8. It is an act of providence that MyCatholicFaithDelivered.com came together. In 2002 he had been asked by his bishop to help build a new Catholic high school. As part of the mission he was given, then-Archbishop Keleher told Mike, "If we fail to pass on the faith from this generation to the next, we're failing in one of our most important missions as Church." To ensure the quality of instruction at the school, Mike created a relationship with a program called [School of Faith](http://www.schooloffaith.com/) to help train and form the faculty of the new high school. Many other schools in the region were interested in taking part but there wasn't enough space for them in the training classes. Meanwhile, he had a friend who was converting to Catholicism, and it turned out that this friend had an online platform and company that teaches 275,000 nurses across the country to pass their boards. He'd just sold the company and was looking for a new challenge. Mike proposed to take some of the Catholic content and create a new platform with a new way to catechize folks. At first, it was supposed to be local, but it was so robust that people sought out Mike's company to provide their content. National publishers started to see the innovation and interactivity of the program and now they have Ascension Press, Midwest Theological, Ignatius Press as partners, and many more who would like to get their content on the system. Catholic learning is moving online because of the convenience today. Scot notes that our own [CatholicTV](http://www.catholictv.com) has the best online on-demand Catholic TV programming in the world. MyCatholicFaithDelivered is so far ahead of everyone else with online learning, it's as if there isn't a second place. An advisory board of bishops oversee the content to ensure its fidelity to Church teaching. Every class has an imprimatur. All the publishers are considered orthodox. The Faith Foundations program received the first online imprimatur. An imprimatur is a statement, authorized by the bishop of a diocese, that a work is free of doctrinal error. Fr. Mark asked who the target audience is. Mike said the initial thrust is adult formation, catechist certification, and teacher certification. There are many adults, catechists, and teachers who may not be well-grounded in the faith and are in need of assistance. They also have a first through eighth grade series and a high school series for children, but the main thrust is in teaching adults. Scot said we've heard several times over the past week on The Good Catholic Life about the new Theological Institute for the New Evangelization at St. John's seminary and their very flexible classes and programs. But there are those who might not have the time even for the certificate program that is one Saturday per month for six months. Mike said his website offers learning that is available at any time and locations and includes a lot of interactivity. It offers the flexibility they might need. Mike said there are different costs for each course. Mike's friend paid the millions of dollars to create the system, so the current prices are just to keep the website self-sustaining. There are also free lessons available to try out the platform. The mission is to spread the teaching of the Church worldwide--they are in the middle of Spanish translations for their biggest programs. Mike met today with people from around the Archdiocese of Boston who have teaching that would make good content, as well as meeting with our own Catholic Media group who can help create the materials in partnership with MyCatholicFaithDelivered.com Mike said Boston has technical capabilities that other dioceses don't have, and he's excited to bring Boston's content to more people across the country. Scot points out that this is a well-crafted, high-quality video with quizzes and links that bring students to even more resources on the Internet. The programs are interactive and not static. People have responded that they find it meaningful and worthwhile. They've have 3 to 4,000 who have registered to date and another 3 to 4,000 from various dioceses that they are planning to bring online through next September. **5th segment:** As we do each Friday, we look at this coming Sunday's readings to help us prepare for Mass. * [This Sunday's readings for Mass](http://www.usccb.org/nab/032711.shtml) >*Gospel* (John 4:5-42) >Jesus came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of land that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob's well was there. Jesus, tired from his journey, sat down there at the well. It was about noon. >A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” His disciples had gone into the town to buy food. The Samaritan woman said to him, “How can you, a Jew, ask me, a Samaritan woman, for a drink?” —For Jews use nothing in common with Samaritans.— Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God and who is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink, ‘ you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” The woman said to him, “Sir, you do not even have a bucket and the cistern is deep; where then can you get this living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us this cistern and drank from it himself with his children and his flocks?” Jesus answered and said to her, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again; but whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst; the water I shall give will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I may not be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water.” >Jesus said to her, “Go call your husband and come back.” The woman answered and said to him, “I do not have a husband.” Jesus answered her, “You are right in saying, ‘I do not have a husband.' For you have had five husbands, and the one you have now is not your husband. What you have said is true.” The woman said to him, “Sir, I can see that you are a prophet. Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain; but you people say that the place to worship is in Jerusalem.” Jesus said to her, “Believe me, woman, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You people worship what you do not understand; we worship what we understand, because salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and truth; and indeed the Father seeks such people to worship him. God is Spirit, and those who worship him must worship in Spirit and truth.” The woman said to him, “I know that the Messiah is coming, the one called the Christ; when he comes, he will tell us everything.” Jesus said to her, “I am he, the one speaking with you.” >At that moment his disciples returned, and were amazed that he was talking with a woman, but still no one said, “What are you looking for?” or “Why are you talking with her?” The woman left her water jar and went into the town and said to the people, “Come see a man who told me everything I have done. Could he possibly be the Christ?” They went out of the town and came to him. Meanwhile, the disciples urged him, “Rabbi, eat.” But he said to them, “I have food to eat of which you do not know.” So the disciples said to one another, “Could someone have brought him something to eat?” Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of the one who sent me and to finish his work. Do you not say, ‘In four months the harvest will be here'? I tell you, look up and see the fields ripe for the harvest. The reaper is already receiving payment and gathering crops for eternal life, so that the sower and reaper can rejoice together. For here the saying is verified that ‘One sows and another reaps.' I sent you to reap what you have not worked for; others have done the work, and you are sharing the fruits of their work.” >Many of the Samaritans of that town began to believe in him because of the word of the woman who testified, “He told me everything I have done.” When the Samaritans came to him, they invited him to stay with them; and he stayed there two days. Many more began to believe in him because of his word, and they said to the woman, “We no longer believe because of your word; for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is truly the savior of the world.” Scot said it's a long reading but so worthwhile to read the long one. Living water is a theme and Christ calling people is another theme. Fr. Mark said at this time when we're asking people to look at the faith again in Catholics Come Home, it resonates with us. Fr. Mark sees a whole journey in there that goes hand in hand with Catholics Come Home. Scot noted that the woman went to the well at noon because she was ashamed to be around the others who went in the morning. Jesus knew why she was at the well at that time and chose her purposefully. People often doubt that Christ would choose them because they were so unworthy, but he chooses those the world would not choose. Mike noted how  the woman's perception of Jesus as she interacted with him became clearer. At first, He was just another Jewish man, then she saw him as a prophet, and finally she asked him if He is the Messiah. We can go through this same progression in our Lenten journey to continue to deepen out perception. Also, where the water in Jacob's well is so difficult to find and the Living Water of Jesus is easy at hand because He gives it to us freely. But, Scot said, we should thirst for the water. During Lent we ask ourselves if we thirst for everything God is waiting to give us? Do we ask for more than God has already given me? Fr. Mark said we need to remember who Christ is asking to bring his message, the most unlikely messenger: A woman, a Samaritan, an adulteress. But she was called to be an evangelist to the city. Scot said it was her notoriety that might have made her the best messenger to a particular people, that God would work through her. Fr. Mark noted that we should follow the bucket. She comes with the bucket, notes that Jesus doesn't have a bucket and leaves without it. She comes as a laborer and leaves as an evangelist. Mike noted that conversion comes through a process of interacting with Jesus, but it involves a longing and a desire to have a relationship with him. Often in Lent we think of Lent as a Good Friday experience, but the readings of the past two Sundays have been so hopeful and uplifting as a precursor sign of the hope of Easter. Scot noted that because today is the Solemnity of the Annunciation, people are not bound to Friday meatless abstinence although Scot and Fr. Mark recommend the abstinence as a way to remain penitential.  

**Today's host(s):** Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O'Connor **Today's guest(s):** Drs. David and Angela Franks and Dr. Aldona Lingertat of the Theological Institute for the New Evangelization at St. John's Seminary/ * [TINE](http://www.tineboston.org) * [St. John's Seminary](http://www.sjs.edu) * [TINE on Facebook](http://www.facebook.com/pages/Theological-Institute-for-the-New-Evangelization/173683042661394) * [Photos from press conference launching TINE on March 17](http://www.flickr.com/photos/bostoncatholic/sets/72157626161918993/) * [Co-Workers in the Vineyard Conference](http://sjs.edu/News/2011CWITV.html) **Today's topics:** The new Theological Institute for the New Evangelization at St. John's Seminary and a new degree and certificates for laity, deacons, and religious that join the existing Master of Arts in Ministry program. **A summary of today's show:** The Theological Institute for the New Evangelization at St. John's Seminary is preparing laypeople, deacons and religious to become energetic and knowledgable evangelists and missionaries within their own parishes and out in their homes, neighborhoods, and workplaces to bring about the new evangelization envisioned by Pope John Paul II and Cardinal Seán. **1st segment:** Is God calling you to serve the Church as a professional lay minister or catechist? Or is God calling you to receive strong adult faith formation to know, share and defend the faith? If so, than today's program is meant for you as we'll be discussing the exciting new Institute at St. John's Seminary for Adult Faith Formation. Fr. Chris said last week that they had the annual St. Patrick's Day dinner at St. John's Seminary, including Irish song, Irish cheer, and limericks that poked fun of the faculty. On St. Joseph Day, he had Mass with the Missionaries of Charity and lots of zeppoli throughout the day. It's an Italian pastry. Scot said his wife had her birthday this weekend, so he was able to break his Lenten diet as planned. He also wished a happy birthday today to Maria Bain, station manager for WQOM. **2nd segment:** Scot and Fr. Chris welcomed Aldona Lingertat and David and Angela Franks from TINE. David explained that St. John's has gathered immense resources to train men for the diocesan priesthood, so St. John's has made available these resources to laypeople who want to serve the Church. For the past decade that has been available through the Master's in Ministry and now the institute further expands the offerings of those resources. St. John's feels it's crucial to make these resources available to support the new evangelization. Angela said St. Patrick's feast day was chosen to launch because he was an evangelist and missionary to a hostile culture and we live in a society and culture that is hostile to our faith. Scot also pointed out that as St. Patrick is the patron of the archdiocese it ties the work to the archdiocese. Fr. Chris concurred and added that they hope it also offers resources for other dioceses in the region as well. A seminary is the heart of the diocese, he said. Aldona said the program students are all active in their parishes. The program makes sure the students are already active or asks them to become so first. They also offer a course in the basics of the Catholic faith as well. Scot noted that many Catholics, through no fault of their own, sometimes have not studied the faith as adults because formal religious instruction ended at confirmation. Angela said they found many people who come to their programs haven't read the Catechism. Scot said being part of a community while learning the faith is more fun and rewarding than studying alone. Aldona said there's an excitement in finding other people who care as much about the faith as you do. It helps grow and deepen your faith. Scot finds two significant aspects to the name. First, that it is an institute at the seminary and, second, that it is for the new evangelization. Fr. Chris said it responds to Pope John Paul II's call for a new evangelization marked by a newness in ardor, method and means. Pope Benedict has picked up on that theme and created a curial office dedicated to this work. It focuses not just on the missions abroad, but also on places where the Gospel has been proclaimed but the faith has been dimmed. Re-presenting the Gospel in ways accessible to today's culture. David said that calling it an institute means that the intention is to grow it larger. It is important that it is a theological institute, because a failure in theological work in recent years has led to a breakdown in communicating a straightforward belief in the divinity and resurrection of Christ and his mission in the world. The theological institute makes the riches of the faith available and says the seminary is here to empower the people to take hold of the means of theological communication, that you don't have to wait for some theologian to speak, but you can make the Gospel known in the world.   Aldona said it is beneficial to have laypeople and religious study side-by-side in many cases with seminarians because when the students go out in to parishes the priests know that they have received solid instruction and a foundation for ministry. **3rd segment:** Discussing the Master of Theological Studies for the New Evangelization program. Angela said it is different from the Master of Arts in Ministry, which is is a ministerial degree. Many students were asking for an academic degree. The whole-person formation of MTS is toward evangelizing the world, as opposed to parishes and the church sphere in MAM. She said it is an innovative degree, one of only a few programs of its type in the country. David said that Vatican II said it was up to laypeople to evangelize and transform the world. The MTS degree takes theological, human, and apostolic formation and empowers the students to go out into their homes, workplaces, the political arena, and the marketplace. The MAM program is better for those looking to work in the Church, while MTS is about going out into other professions. Angela said the whole-person formation goes beyond simply providing books and syllabi and instruction in the classroom. It acknowledges the need to nourish the vocation through spiritual formation and social formation and other ways that lead the person to the kind of depths they need to have the rich vocational role to play.  Fr. Chris made the distinction between education and formation. A typical university is concerned with the mind, but the institute is concerned with the mind and soul. Aldona added that they are teaching for belief. In most schools, people learn things, but not so they can believe. But TINE is educating for a believing community. David spoke of the Friday colloquia for the MTS. They get together once per month on a Friday night to discuss great works of literature, art, music, philosophy and more. There's a dynamism of ideas as the substance of the evening. They will engage these cultural treasures at a personal level. It's more relaxed than a classroom setting. Angela said the tasks of evangelization require practical experience in working with others and so literature can help one to gain life experience through understanding the insights that people before us have had. The MTS classes will meet evenings on Tues, Wed, Thurs, 5pm-9:30pm. Taking classes full-time, the program should take 2 years. It is intended to allow people who have regular jobs to take part. **4th segment:** Now discussing the Master of Arts in Ministry program, which has been in place in the archdiocese for more than 10 years. Fr. Chris said the people who enroll in MAM are moms, dads, people with full-time jobs committing to this additional work in order to serve the Church. Right now, in one class, he has a mechanic, a court stenographer, and a pastoral associate in a parish. Aldona said they are approaching their 100th graduate. After they graduate, students often go into professional positions in parishes that are open to laity, including director of religious education, Catholic school teacher, high school and college campus minister, pastoral associate, health care ministry and chaplaincy. Some continue in their regular jobs outside the ministry, but become involved part-time or volunteer in their parishes. Scot said pastoral planning surveys show there is a trend that parishes are going to need even more lay ministers in the future. Aldona said there's a new trend as well that shows a number of adults who are ready to retire, who are still young and healthy and energetic, who want to still study and serve their parishes. There are MAM students who go full-time, but most students take 3 or 4 years. There is no pressure on students to complete on a particular schedule. Scot said he has noticed a spirit in the MAM program and that the students are very close. Aldona said the classes have been built into a schedule that allows a lot of interaction. Classes take breaks at the same time, they have breaks for evening prayer. There are required monthly evenings where they have dinners and prayer together. Students stay in touch after graduation. She said the typical workload requires 4-6 hours per week of study outside of the 1-2 classes per semester. They also have scholarship money available for tuition. She encourages interested people not to let money be an obstacle. Fr. Chris said they are seeing pastors supporting pastoral ministers in the parishes by paying for tuition. There also audit options available for those who aren't interested in the degree. Aldona said she sees the auditors even doing all the papers. She believes auditing is mostly due to finances, not time commitment. This Thursday, March 24, at 149 Washington Street, Brighton, will be an open house, starting with evening prayer at 7pm and then a presentation afterward, a time for questions, and then meeting faculty and students. **5th segment:** In addition to the degree programs, there are 4 catechetical certificate programs, some meeting on evenings and some on Saturdays. This is the main avenue for reaching large numbers of laypeople. They are geared to those who want to get a formation in the faith, grounded in the Catechism, so that they are able to communicate the love of Jesus Christ to the world. They have had the program for about 2 years. One track has been for catechesis, teaching the faith, and apologetics, knowing and defending the faith. This fall, one Saturday per month for eight months, there will be two programs on catechetics and the basics of the Catholic faith. On the Saturdays they will have classes, small group sessions and the rest of the whole-person formation. They want Catholics to feel they can go out and talk about the truths of Jesus Christ and the Church without being defensive or nervous. Before and after the programs, they survey students about their comfort levels sharing their faith and afterward they always see students agree that they look forward to opportunities to evangelize in the world. Scot said these programs meet a real need to learn the faith at a low cost, $300 or less, and without a large time commitment. Fr. Chris said the seminary's goal is to help people to know the love of Christ and this helps people to come to know what the faith is all about. It acknowledges that the faith is attractive and the truth is attractive. The catechetical certificate is aimed at DREs and catechists by providing practical skills in addition to theological instruction. The Catholicism certificate is for people who just want to learn more about their faith with the same sort of theological content, but aimed at helping them share their faith with friends and family. Parents are encouraged to attend the catechetical certificate to educate their own children.   As Cardinal Sean advances initiatives like Catholics Come Home, he needs an army of Catholics who know their faith and are energized to evangelize. There will be a free Biblical study seminar on the Mondays of June, 7-9pm this year with Prof. Cecilia Sirois. This year the topic will be on the women of the Old and New Testament. They are planning a graduate certificate for teaching Scripture in parishes. Next spring, they will offer certificate on the New Evangelization. It is a more advanced level after the basic certificates. It will focus on explaining the tough issues that come up, including the hard teachings on sexuality, reservation of priesthood to men, and other controversial and misunderstood issues in the Church. Fr. Chris said the wonderful thing is that TINE will be going out to parishes around the archdiocese to bring the good news of TINE to the people in the pews. On April 8, TINE is holding the Co-workers in the Vineyard conference, whose topic is the parish of the future. It will include several keynote talks, breakout talks, and Mass with Cardinal Seán. On April 9, from 1-3pm, St. John's Medieros Classroom, chaplains from prison ministry will speak on the ministry and how one can support the ministry even for those who don't feel called to go into prisons. Fr. Chris said it is part of the corporal works of mercy.                                                                    

  **Today's host(s):** Scot Landry and Susan Abbott    **Today's guest(s):** Fr. Roger Landry, executive editor of The Anchor, the newspaper of the Fall River diocese; Gregory Tracy, managing editor of The Pilot, the newspaper of the Boston archdiocese; and Justin Bell of the Catholic Media Secretariat   * [The Anchor](http://www.anchornews.org/) * [The Boston Pilot](http://www.pilotcatholicnews.com)   **Today's topics:** Crisis in Japan and the Church's response; the Rite of Election; Massachusetts bishops on low-income energy heating policy; the real St. Patrick   **A summary of today's show:** Fr. Roger Landry and Gregory Tracy join Scot and Susan to discuss how the tragedy in Japan as a reminder for prayer and to consider God's mercy; they discuss the significance of the Rite of Election and the preparation to receive new members of the Church; the Massachusetts bishops ask Congress not to cut home heating oil assistance and how that affects the dignity of the person; and who is the real St. Patrick?    **1st segment:** Scot welcomes Susan to the show and they discuss St. Patrick's Day. Susan shared what she heard in the homily at Mass this morning at the Pastoral Center. Fr. Bob Oliver talked about the Breastplate of St. Patrick, and that if St. Patrick felt the need for armor in his ministry to protect him, then perhaps we shouldn't domesticate him too much.   Scot said that the theme song for The Good Catholic Life is "St. Patrick's Breastplate" by Martin Doman. He wrote it as the theme song for the 2007 Boston Catholic Men's Conference.   * [Martin Doman](http://www.martindoman.com/) * [St. Patrick's Breastplate](http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/legacy/id323621256) * [Boston Catholic Men's and Women's Conferences](http://catholicboston.com/)   **2nd segment:** Gregory Tracy and Fr. Landry join Susan and Scot. The situation in Japan is one of most significant tragedies and calamities of our lifetime. Greg reflected that so many are overwhelmed by the scenes, the videos of the tsunami devastating everything in their path. It recalls for him how powerless we are in the face of the forces of nature. It takes these disasters to remind us that man is not the ultimate force in the world. One of the Japanese bishops said that life is a gift of God and is in the hands of God.   Fr. Landry said it is difficult to watch every night to see so much suffering. It is hard to see other people like us to suffer so much. As a pastor, he tries to convert that sorrow into prayer. We know that this life isn't all that there is and even though we might die tragically, it doesn't mean that life is over. We pray for those who died and their loved ones. That is how we respond as Catholics. He is pleased that Cardinal Sean and Bishop Coleman in Fall River have authorized collections to provide for the physical and monetary needs in Japan. We can let them know that in the midst of charity they are not alone and that the love of people from across the world is stronger than a tsunami, that the radiation of Christian faith is stronger than nuclear radiation.   Most parishes will take up the collection either this Sunday or the next. Scot had no doubt that Catholics in the region will be as generous as they always are when such collections come up. Fr. Roger is always pleased that in his inner-city parish so much is raised for these collections.   Scot said that he's always felt that it is better to donate to a Catholic organization to show how we as a Church respond. Susan said that she remembers reading an assessment of relief organizations and Catholic Relief Services was highest rated as the one in which the most pennies per dollar reach the people on the ground.   People often ask, "How could God let this happen?" Fr. Landry said that such disasters are never positively willed by God, but the best explanation was *Salvifici Doloris*, in which John Paul II said suffering causes us to become Good Samaritans, it unleashes love. We can't stand on the sidelines. It forces us to become who we really are in sacrificing for others. If we believe in an afterlife with God, we can't absolutely say death is a tragedy. The Caritas director in Japan said there is now an opportunity to witness to the truths of Catholic faith and Catholic love.   Greg said in a country that's not necessarily a Catholic country, it shows that the Church is there witnessing to the value of all human life, that we're concerned for everyone, not just Catholics.   Susan said it also answers the question, "Lord, who is my neighbor?" In a global community, it is a person half a world away.   * [The Holy Father's calls for prayer for victims of disaster in Japan](http://www.pilotcatholicnews.com/article.asp?ID=13096) * [Cardinal Seán's announcement of a collection for Japan](http://www.bostoncatholic.org/Utility/News-And-Press/Content.aspx?id=19780) * [Catholic Relief Services](http://www.crs.org/japan/) * [Salvifici Doloris](http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/apost_letters/documents/hf_jp-ii_apl_11021984_salvifici-doloris_en.html)   **3rd segment:** On the front page of tomorrow's *Pilot* is last Sunday's Rite of Election at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross, in which those preparing to be received into the Church at Easter are welcomed by the Cardinal. On this past Sunday, there were two ceremonies in order to accommodate them all and their families. In Boston, there were 600 catechumens, nationally there are 150,000. Susan said this is the evidence of the universal Church. At the Rite of Election, you see people from every continent, of all ages.   Greg was there and shared what he saw as a photographer. He said it was beautiful to see the catechumens, those who are unbaptized, and the candidates, baptized Christians who are going to be received into full communion with the Church. The front-page photo of the *Pilot* is of a 10-year-old boy who signed his own name into the book of Election. There is a catechumen or a candidate and behind them always comes a family or someone else who is guiding them into the faith.   Fr. Roger described the preparation of the catechumens and candidates leading up to the Easter vigil. At the liturgies, they will receive scrutinies to help them determine their intentions and to stoke their desire to become not just Catholic, but good Catholics. Fr. Roger said at his parish that he's interviewing each person and continuing with their education in the faith.  He pointed out that we don't give 25 years of instruction in 3 months time, but give them the basic foundation to understand that we trust in Christ and trust in what Christ did and in His Church and what it confesses. These are intense times for them as they examine their own intent and bring up any questions for discussion with those helping them on their journey.   Susan said the renewal of baptismal vows on the Easter vigil by the whole Christian community is a very important participation in the ceremony of reception of catechumens and candidates into the Church. Of course, we reject Satan and his evil works, but the renewal asks us to reflect on what form those evils take in our lives. We ought not answer too glibly, but deliberately.    Scot quoted one of the candidates, Kelly Elpers, who attends St. Elizabeth of Hungary parish in Acton:   >"This is a 20-year journey for me -- something I've always wanted do." Elpers was raised in a non-religious household and never baptized. ... The only times Elpers attended Mass was if she went with friends, and before having a family of her own, the only time she attended was on Christmas and Easter. She said attending Mass without being able to fully participate was difficult for her, but she wanted to learn more abou the Mass. "I didn't understand what I was missing and what they were a part of," Elpers said. >Elpers said she even attended other Christian churches at times, but she was most drawn to the Catholic Church's history, tradition and Mass. "There was something so special about the Catholic Mass for me," she said. >Through raising her children Catholic she became more involved in the Church, ultimately deciding to be received into full communion. "Now that I'm part of something so big and so beautiful, words cannot describe the feeling."   We pray for all those preparing to come into full communion with the Church and those helping them to prepare.   **4th segment:** Discussing a letter sent this week by the bishops of the 4 dioceses in Massachusetts to congressional leaders on proposed cuts to the Low Income Energy Heating policy. It would cut heating assistance from $5.1 billion to $2.7 billion and would hurt the Northeast disproportionately.   Scot said the four Mass. bishops rarely put out a common letter and this shows this to be a significant issue for them. Greg said that the cuts are a drop in the bucket for the deficit. Meanwhile, heating oil is mainly used in the Northeast, while virtually everywhere else only natural gas is used for heating. Ten years ago, heating oil was 78 cents per gallon and this year it's up to $4 per gallon. The Church is always on the side of the most disadvantaged, the poor.   Fr. Landry said it difficult to balance fiscal responsibility with the need of the poor. The Church says we're supposed to love everyone and to have a real solicitude for the needy. This is the moral nucleus of what they wrote:    >Our plea is that, when considering how to navigate through this difficult budgeting process, Congress preserve a special place and regard for the most vulnerable of our citizens, particularly those whose precarious economic circumstances force them to choose between shelter and clothing or between heat and food.   There can be a vibrant debate over what form that care can take, whether it's through federal government or local government or a non-governmental solution, but there must always be a conscious regard for how those people will be taken care off. It is callous to say we're going to cut the budget by 50% without considering how the vulnerable are being left even more vulnerable.   Susan said the bishops remind the government how much the Church does in social services, but also say the Church can't do it alone. Also, twice in the letter they talk about the dignity of the human person.   * [Massachusetts bishops' letter on proposed cuts to Low Income Energy Heating policy](http://www.bostoncatholic.org/Utility/News-And-Press/Content.aspx?id=19736)   **5th segment:** Welcoming Justin Bell to have a conversation about St. Patrick. Justin has been speaking in various venues on "who is the real St. Patrick," after having produced a documentary on Ireland that included a look at St. Patrick's life in the life of the Irish people.   St. Patrick was a real person born about 373, his father was a deacon and his grandfather was a priest. He lived a comfortable life, was well-educated, and a Roman citizen. He was kidnapped by pirates at 16 years old and sold into slavery in Ireland. He was a captive for 6 years and had a huge conversion experience. At 21 he escaped and went to Europe where he studied and prayed. At the age of 30 he received a vision in which he received a letter entitled "the voice of the Irish" and he heard the people of Ireland asking him to return to walk among them. This became his sacred calling, to become an apostle to Ireland. He didn't go back right away, but spent 30 more years preparing for his mission.   Scot noted that even St. Patrick hadn't even done much by the age of 30 and this can be a lesson for young adults. Justin agreed that God prepares us in the present moment and young adults are too often looking ahead to something else rather than living in this moment.   Scot said devotion to St. Patrick can be intense, but is often missing from St. Patrick's Day celebration. St. Patrick is not about binge drinking and carousing. The way we should celebrate him is to learn more about his life and his mission for us.   Justin's idea for his documentary was to profile different Irish people's lives as an expression of Irish life and culture, but interwoven with the life of St. Patrick. The name of the documentary is "Seven Shades of Green." One of the people he interviewed is a Nigerian immigrant who had been elected as the first black mayor in Ireland.   The saints are alive today and they are interested in our lives and we can pray to them, Justin said of the lessons he's learned in his study of Patrick.   Susan said she marked St. Patrick's Day growing up, but it was very home-centered. Always starting with Mass, then a corned beef and cabbage meal, and wearing green, but her grandfather had come over in the famine and they were very much aware of the sacrifices of the Irish. Justin recalled the term the Green martyrdom, referring to so many Irish missionaries and priests who went out from Ireland, bringing Christ around the world, but never to return home.   Scot said one way to model oneself after St. Patrick is to be a missionary and even in the Boston area where so many are nominally Catholic, this is a place ripe for missionary activity. Scot said it was the Irish priests who came to Boston in the early years of the Church in this area that grew the Church so large and the Irish immigrants who laid the foundation. We can only claim St. Patrick as a patron to the extent that we are missionaries.   The documentary is showing at the Watertown Public Library next Tuesday. Justin said the reception to it has been very good because it engages the audience in real people's lives.   Scot then mentioned that Cardinal Sean and Bishop Arthur Kennedy announced the launch of the Theological Institute for the New Evangelization at St. John Seminary. They will be discussing the new institute next Tuesday on The Good Catholic Life when Fr. Chris O'Connor, who has been named president of the institute, will be co-hosting.   * [St. Patrick](http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11554a.htm) * [Seven Shades of Green](http://www.sevenshadesofgreen.net/) * [The Theological Institute for the New Evangelization](http://www,tineboston.org)   * [Subscribe to The Anchor](http://www.anchornews.org/subscribe.php) * [Subscribe to The Pilot](http://www.pilotcatholicnews.com/subscribe.asp)