Carrying red flowers representing the 389 workers arrested in a 2008 immigration raid on an Iowa plant, hundreds of people participate in a Walk for Justice and interfaith prayer service May 10 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The participants were commemorating t he fifth anniversary of the raid on the Agriprocessors Plant in Postville, which continues to have an impact far beyond the small town in a rural corner of the Dubuque Archdiocese. (CNS photo/Dan Russo, The Witness)

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (CNS) — Carrying red flowers representing the 389 workers arrested during a 2008 raid, hundreds of people participated in a Walk for Justice and interfaith prayer service to commemorate the fifth anniversary of the immigration raid on the Agriprocessors Plant in Postville.

The event continues to have an impact far beyond the small town in a rural corner of the Dubuque Archdiocese.

On a day full of speeches by spiritual leaders, political figures, advocates for immigrants, and immigrants themselves, a student’s words stood out. Pedro Arturo Lopez’s address earned a standing ovation from the crowd that packed Immaculate Conception Church in Cedar Rapids May 10.

“My reflection today is not about the past, but more about the future and what we can do,” said Lopez. “Today, I’m asking on behalf of my generation of immigrants to be given a chance to help shape the future of this nation. My parents left what was familiar to them and came 2,000 miles so that I would have more opportunities. They wanted to break the cycle of injustice that framed our lives.”

The teenager, who was to graduate from Postville High School May 19, felt the fear and uncertainty of the May 12, 2008, raid as much as anyone when he was separated from his mother, who was later deported, while he stayed in Iowa.

“When I walk across the stage for my graduation next week, I want to feel a part of my class, my community, and, in my heart, what I feel to be my nation, the United States of America, not just another wasted potential,” Lopez said.

Lopez used the day’s events, like many other speakers, to bring attention to the need for reform.

The walk began about noon in front of the federal courthouse in Cedar Rapids and ended at the church. Pastor David Vasquez, campus minister at Luther College in Decorah, and Father Greg Bahl, pastor of St. Bridget’s Parish in Postville, stood on a grass lawn above the marchers, as they waived signs and banners.

Before setting out for the mile long trek, Vasquez, who was among a coalition of Protestant, Catholic, and Jewish leaders that helped the immigrants in the aftermath of the largest workplace immigration raid in the nation’s history, gave a few last-minute instructions in English and Spanish before calling for a moment of silence.

“Many of those who were detained in the raid are not able to be with us,” he said. “They have been deported. Their lives have been broken and separated from their families in many ways …we bow our heads and promise and commit to work for justice and change. Postville is a microcosm of much of what has happened around the country.”

During the opening blessing to the prayer service, recently retired Dubuque Archbishop Jerome G. Hanus of Dubuque, who visited Postville shortly after the raid in 2008, alluded to how the event tore apart families and devastated the community of about 2,000 residents.

“We seek to reconcile with the United States Department of Justice and to join with all institutions working to reframe national policies affecting the lives of immigrants,” said the archbishop.

The Postville raid garnered international headlines in 2008. Agriprocessors, the largest kosher slaughterhouse and meat packing facility in the country at the time, had been operating since 1987 under the ownership of Aaron Rubashkin and his family. In the years leading up to the raid, the plant had been breaking health, safety and labor laws, a fact highlighted in the documentary “AbUSed,” by filmmaker Luis Argueta.

In 2004, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals released videos taken undercover, which show horrible conditions for employees and animals. In 2006, the business was fined $600,000 for pollution caused by releasing untreated slaughterhouse wastewater into the Postville sewer system.

Dozens of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents executed a criminal search warrant May 12, 2008, and collected evidence showing violations of child and other labor laws, safety rules infractions, sexual abuse of female workers, and document fraud.

They took the arrested immigrants for mass processing at the National Cattle Congress in Waterloo. A majority were charged with identity theft but pleaded guilty to lesser charges as part of a plea bargain. Most did not understand the charges against them and were not, in many cases, given adequate access to legal counsel.

Many served about five months in prison and were then deported to their home countries of Guatemala, Mexico, Israel and Ukraine. Many female workers were permitted to stay in Iowa to care for children, but were required to wear ankle monitoring bracelets and could not work for up to two years while waiting for a long judicial process to unfold.

Fermin Loyes, 32, was one of the hundreds separated from his daughters and wife. After being granted a U visa to re-enter the country, he was re-united with his family and participated in the events May 10.

“A reform would lead to the opportunity for many families to be together,” said Loyes in Spanish.

Sister Mary McCauley, pastoral administrator at St. Bridget’s Parish during the Postville raid, was among those on the frontline in the immediate aftermath. The parish rectory became a hub of activity during that time, but, she said, the work is not done.

“This anniversary gives us an opportunity to reach out to our government, to our employers who through greed and unscrupulous behavior took advantage of our undocumented workers, to our neighbors who fear the stranger, to our legislators who have been slow to re-write our broken and inhumane laws and to call for reconciliation and reform,” said Sister McCauley, a Sister of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Postville City Councilwoman Dawn Hernandez, whose mother-in-law was deported after the raid, said the town is still not back to normal, but it’s getting there.

“It’s recuperating,” she said. “The vast majority of families are now re-united.”

The plant was re-opened after being purchased by a new owner, Agri Star Meat & Poultry. Some workers from the time of the raid have returned, but many workers are refugees from Somalia, according to Hernandez.

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— By Dan Russo, staff writer at The Witness, newspaper of the Archdiocese of Dubuque, Iowa.

Dr. Kermit Gosnell is shown in a courtroom artist sketch during his sentencing at Philadelphia Common Pleas Court in Philadelphia May 15. Gosnell was sent to prison to serve three life terms without parole for murdering babies during late-term abortions and for other crimes at his squalid clinic. In a deal that spared him from the death penalty, Gosnell faced a judge in a two-day sentencing after waiving his right to appeal his conviction on three counts of first-degree murder. (CNS/Reuters)

MADISON, Wis. (CNS) — Father Frank Pavone, national director of Priests for Life, predicted “the end of abortion in our lifetime” in a recent talk he gave in Madison sponsored by Wisconsin Right to Life.

The trial of abortionist Dr. Kermit Gosnell in Philadelphia exposed the grisly truths about the abortion industry, the priest said.

“I was at much of the trial myself,” Father Pavone said in an impassioned speech May 7. “I sat right behind him (Gosnell). He smiled during much of the trial.”

After a six-week trial and 10 days of deliberations, a Philadelphia jury May 13 found Gosnell guilty of murder in the deaths of three babies born alive during abortions and acquitted him of a fourth similar charge. He also was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in the death by a drug overdose of a patient who had an abortion.

Late May 14, prosecutors said the doctor agreed to give up his right to an appeal so he would not get the death penalty. The judge then gave him two consecutive life sentences with no chance for parole on two of three first-degree murder convictions.

At a May 15 sentence hearing, Gosnell received a third life sentence for the third murder conviction and another two and a half to five years in prison for involuntary manslaughter. Those sentences also are consecutive. He also was convicted of hundreds of violations of Pennsylvania abortion regulations.

“Witnesses testified that they heard the babies cry and breathe,” said Father Pavone, noting that the word “baby” was used in the trial, even by the defense.

The priest said Gosnell is not the exception. “He’s the norm,” he said. “The entire abortion industry is on trial here. We have to expose them.”

He pointed to testimony at the trial, which said that the abortion clinic where Gosnell worked had untrained staff (including a 15-year-old who was performing ultrasounds), corroded wires, old equipment, expired medications and reused materials.

“It was horrifying to hear the testimony in court, but none of it was anything we hadn’t heard before,” said Father Pavone.

The case against Gosnell took shape after a team of health inspectors and investigators looking into drug trade raided Gosnell’s clinic in February 2010.

A grand jury report that followed reported on filth throughout, including blood on the floor, cat feces on the stairs and surgical rooms that resembled a “bad gas station restroom.” The investigators gathered the remains of 45 fetuses stored in bags, milk jugs, juice cartons and cat food containers.

Father Pavone said he requested of the judge and the medical examiner that Priests for Life take possession of the remains discovered in the clinic so the group can “have a funeral for them.”

“We’re going to let people honor these children,” he said.

On May 9, the feast of the Ascension, Father Pavone held a prayer service in New York City to bestow names on these babies.

“These babies are people,” he said. “They are our brothers and sisters. The Lord has given us responsibility for them.”

In September, Priests for Life is planning to have a National Day of Remembrance at burial places all over the country where aborted babies are buried.

“We want to remind people that life is beautiful. We have a powerful message. We’ve got to shock the consciences of people into a state of alertness.”

Father Pavone said that “the truth is coming out. We have to shine a brighter light on it.”

He encouraged people to “pray every day for an end to abortion.”

“Keep doing the things that you’re doing,” he told his audience. “Encourage each other in the ongoing fight for life.”

He especially commended the young people in attendance. “You are not simply future leaders. You are leaders now. Join your hands to ours. Together we’ll go over the finish line.”

In her remarks, Barbara Lyons, executive director of Wisconsin Right to Life, said Wisconsin has much lower numbers of abortions than its neighboring states.

She said the efforts of the right-to-life organization’s 55 county chapters statewide have helped the number of abortions drop from 17,318 in 1987 to 7,249 in 2011.

By contrast, in 2011 neighboring states had the following number of abortions: Minnesota, 11,071; Michigan, 23,366; and Illinois, 41,366.

Lyons pointed to life-saving legislation in Wisconsin, education efforts among young people, and pro-life television ads as some of the reasons why Wisconsin’s abortion rate has dropped.

Wisconsin Right to Life is also backing several pro-life bills in the current state legislative session including a prohibition on using abortion as a method of sex selection and a proposal to prohibit the use of public funds to pay a physician, surgeon, or hospital, clinic or other medical facility for the performance of an abortion except in certain cases specified in current law.

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— By Mary C. Uhler, editor of the Catholic Herald, newspaper of the Madison Diocese.

Penitents wait in line to receive the sacrament of reconciliation at Sts. Philip and James Church in St. James, N.Y., March 25. Sts. Philip and James and all other parishes in the Dioceses of Rockville Centre, N.Y, and Brooklyn, N.Y., and the Archdiocese of New York participate annually in Reconciliation Monday, which falls during Holy Week and offers the opportunity for confession from midafternoon into the evening. (CNS photo/Gregory A. Shemitz)

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The key problem in everyone’s relationship with God is not that they sin, but that they are not ashamed of their sin and don’t ask forgiveness, Pope Francis said.

In a homily about St. Peter’s relationship with Jesus, Pope Francis said Peter thought he was a good disciple, but ended up denying he even knew Jesus — three times.

Later, when Jesus asks him three times “Do you love me?” Peter is hurt by the question and ashamed of his sin, the pope said May 17 during the homily at a Mass in the chapel of the Domus Sanctae Marthae.

“I once knew a priest, a good pastor who worked well; he was named a bishop and felt shame because he didn’t think he was worthy, he was spiritually tormented,” the pope said. The priest went to his confessor, who listened to him and told him, “‘Don’t be afraid. If with the whopper Peter committed he was still made pope, you keep going.’”

Pope Francis said that a relationship with Jesus usually follows a pattern; it matures as one is called, recognizes his sin, is forgiven and moves on.

“We are all sinners,” the pope said. “The problem isn’t being a sinner. The problem is not repenting of our sins, not being ashamed of what we have done. That’s the problem.”

The pope asked those attending the Mass, including employees of the Vatican Museums, to pray for the grace to encounter the Lord and be purified by him.

“He always seeks us out; he always is near to us,” the pope said. “But many times we look the other way because we don’t want to talk with the Lord or encounter him.”

— By Cindy Wooden, Catholic News Service 

Abortionist Kermit Barron Gosnell is pictured in an undated mug shot from the Philadelphia Police Department. Gosnell was sent to prison to serve three life terms without parole for murdering babies during late-term abortions and for other crimes at his squalid clinic. In a deal that spared him from the death penalty, Gosnell faced a judge in a two-day sentencing after waiving his right to appeal his conviction on three counts of first-degree murder. (CNS photo/handout Philadelphia Police Department)

ALBANY, N.Y. (CNS) — If New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo pushes to have “a right to an abortion” codified in state law, he will face “vociferous” and “rigorous” opposition from Catholic and other pro-lifers, said Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York.

But the cardinal hopes it doesn’t come to that because Cuomo, he said, has told him “he wants to work hard on alternatives to abortion,” such as expanding adoption, having “greater latitude” in maternity leave and better assisting pregnant women in need and those with small children.

The cardinal made the comments in a May 14 telephone interview with radio host Fred Dicker, whose show is broadcast on Talk 1300 AM from the state Capitol in Albany. Dicker is a political analyst and is state editor for the New York Post daily newspaper.

“The governor and I have worked closely on other issues,” Cardinal Dolan said, listing immigration, gun control, a call to civic responsibility and the recovery of some money owed to Catholic schools in the form of reimbursements for state-mandated measures such as standardized testing.

“We’ve been with him and we’ve appreciated what he’s done. I want to believe he means it when he tells me he’s not going to expand what is already a terrible liberal abortion culture,” Cardinal Dolan said, but added that Cuomo has yet to release the details of the measure, called the Women’s Equality Act.

It is an “extreme oxymoron that abortion is seen as helping women’s health, especially if half the babies aborted” are female, the cardinal said. “So how does this help them?”

Besides abortion, the provisions of Cuomo’s proposed 10-point Women’s Equality Act address pay equity; sexual harassment in the workplace; human trafficking; income, housing, family-status and pregnancy discrimination; stronger order-of-protection laws for victims of domestic violence; and recovery of attorney fees in employment and credit/lending cases.

“We’re in his corner on most of them — nine out of 10,” Cardinal Dolan said. “But just this one about expansion of abortion that causes us pause. … Please, this is the last thing this state needs.”

New York decriminalized abortion in 1970, before the Roe v. Wade decision made abortion legal virtually on demand across the country.

“Unfortunately we’re known as ‘the abortion capital of the world,’” the cardinal told Dicker. “We have the highest rate in the country — in New York City 40 percent of babies are aborted; and among Latinos and African-Americans, it’s up to 60 percent.”

Cardinal Dolan said he hoped the gruesome details of how now-convicted Philadelphia abortionist Dr. Kermit Gosnell ran his abortion clinic and the late-term abortions he performed “will unmask some of the horror that is now obvious in this unfettered abortion-on-demand culture that’ we’ve got.”

He added, “My heart goes out in compassion to the women and babies … terribly affected and scarred by (Gosnell).”

Gosnell’s first-degree murder convictions in the deaths of three babies born alive during abortions “should make all of us pause. … Even so-called ‘pro-choice’ people never wanted it to come to this. Now we’re learning what went on in Philadelphia tragically is not an exception. … These (abortion clinics) are pretty clandestine operations that are not open to scrutiny.”

Dicker asked Cardinal Dolan whether Cuomo is in “good standing” as a Catholic, since the governor disagrees with the church “so fundamentally” on the issue of abortion.

“He and I have very grave differences and this is one of them,” the cardinal said. “But I do appreciate his company, always welcome his visits.” He said he “talks turkey” with Cuomo about the abortion issue, but noted “a lot of Catholics like to talk to me privately about their struggles with conscience.”

As a pastor, Cardinal Dolan said, he could not say anything more about Cuomo’s standing in the church.

The cardinal said he has a lot of respect for the current governor and for his father, former Gov. Mario Cuomo, but he also said that he believes that the elder Cuomo made “a tragic mistake” in his 1984 speech at the University of Notre Dame when he famously said there are times when a Catholic officeholder who is morally opposed to abortion can opt not to promote laws prohibiting abortion.

“I think that was a rupture in the whole united Catholic front against abortion,” he explained.

To say “‘I can’t impose my personal religious beliefs upon the rest of the country’ … is illogical,” Cardinal Dolan said. “We do that all the time.” Slavery would not have been outlawed, he said, if its opponents had not brought their opposition to it — based on “deep beliefs, conscience and religion” — to the public square.

Christine Accurso, executive director of 1st Way Pregnancy Center, addresses local media May 17 after accepting a check from the Knights of Columbus for a new ultrasound unit. (J.D. Long-Garcia/CATHOLIC SUN)

Women considering an abortion will soon have a new window into the womb that could change their mind, thanks to the Knights of Columbus.

Nine months ago, five local Knights of Columbus councils began fund raising efforts in order to help 1st Way Pregnancy Center purchase a 4-D ultrasound machine.

Christine Accurso, executive director of 1st Way, explained the crucial role that ultrasound technology plays in helping a woman decide to choose life for their unborn baby.

“With the amazing detail that the new 4D ultrasound provides, it will be a window to the truth of the growing life inside the womb and allow women to be more informed as they make decisions about their lives and the life of their unborn babies,” Accurso said.

The fund raising effort was led by Grand Knight Richard Kulok of St. Mary Magdalene Council #13779 and featured Knights distributing empty baby bottles to parishioners at their parishes. The bottles were later returned filled with coins, bills and checks.

The Knights also sold raffle tickets, with parishioners paying $10 for the chance to win 80 pounds of beef. In all, the five councils raised more than $49,000 toward the $79,850 price tag on General Electric’s Voluson E8 Expert BT12 ultrasound machine.

The Knights of Columbus International Ultrasound Program then matched the local fund raising effort. Since its inception in 2009, the program has provided more than $8.5 million in matching funds toward the purchase of more than 334 ultrasound machines. In Arizona, the grants have helped place two other imaging devices in Tucson and Flagstaff.

“I’m so grateful for the Knights of Columbus and their commitment to pro-life efforts,” Accurso said, “This collaborative effort will really make inroads in the culture of life in Phoenix.”

The Knights presented a check for $39,925 to Accurso May 17 at their 106th annual state convention held at the Sheraton Crescent.

“Ultrasound technology opens a window into the womb and dramatically shows the humanity of the unborn, even to the doubting eyes of those who may not have previously shared our regard for the sanctity of unborn human life,” Said Carl Anderson, leader of the Knights of Columbus Supreme Council, his letter to Accurso.

The Knights of Columbus is the world’s largest Catholic family fraternal service organization with 1.8 million members worldwide and 15,000 in Arizona.

“I am deeply grateful to the Knights of Columbus for their strong commitment to the Gospel of Life and for the concrete ways that they put it into practice,” said Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted. “The generous donation for the High-Tech Ultrasound Machine at First Way will save many of our unborn brothers and sisters from death and assist their mothers to choose life.”

May 17-19

Wall raising honoring Missie D’Aunoy — 9 a.m. May 18 at Hillcrest Village (roughly 127th Ave. and Florence Street) in Avondale. Habitat for Humanity, an organization which the late Missie D’Aunoy was involved with before working in the Stewardship Office for the Diocese of Phoenix, is building a home in D’Aunoy’s memory. Re-read her obituary. The wall raising ceremony allows those present a chance to sign the stud framing of the home. Info and directions.

Unity Mass — 1 p.m. May 19 at St. Pius X Church (7th Avenue south of Grant Street). Attend the regular Sunday liturgy hosted the third Sunday of each month by the Office of Black Catholic Ministry. Info.

Thrift store sales — 9:30a-6 p.m. May 17 at St. Vincent de Paul’s Bell Road location: 50 percent off selected items.
May 17 at St. Vincent de Paul’s Apache Junction location: $1 each on orange tag clothing and 50 percent off exercise equipment plus buy-one-get-one half off all other items.
At Maggie’s Thrift: VHS movies are 50 cents May 17 and toys are half off May 18.

Parish talent show — 7 p.m. May 17 at Blessed Sacrament in Scottsdale (map). This all-age event will feature a surprise lineup of talents. Proceeds benefit the parish’s emergency fund to help parishioners. Tickets: $5 each or $15 per family. Info. (Keep in mind the dinner portion is sold out)

Fare Thee Well — 6 p.m. May 17 at St. John Bosco in Ahwatukee (map). Farewell sendoff for Fr. Gary Regula, who has been pastor of the school and St. Benedict, the parish next door, for seven years. He has been reassigned to St. Jerome Parish and School effective July 1. RSVP to ensure enough food.

Senior/Underclassmen All-Star Basketball games — 3:30 and 6:15 p.m. May 18 at Mesa Community College (map). The seniors play first in this game selected by the Arizona Basketball Coaches Association (game schedule). Catholic school players making the roster include:

• On the Division I-II girls seniors team: Katie Werner from Xavier College Preparatory and from St. Mary’s Chole Johnson and alternate Brandi Walton.
• On the Division I-II North Team: Sam Engelbert, a senior at Seton Catholic Preparatory High School in Chandler, who averaged more than 10 points per game this season and represents everything Seton stands for on the court and in the classroom, according to Seton Boys Basketball Head Coach Commander King. The coach often found Engelbert helping and motivating teammates and underclassmen.
• On the Boys Underclasmen East Team: Jake Reuter, one of two freshman selected for the game. He will be an alternate. The Seton athlete played at varsity level for the Sentinels. Coach King complimented Reuter’s character and maturity as well as concern for team, not personal success. King will coach Reuter’s all-star team.

“These student-athletes are outstanding examples of the well-rounded, responsible student we’re nurturing here at Seton every day,” said Patricia Collins, Seton Catholic Preparatory principal. “They are to be commended for their achievements in the classroom and on the court.”

ON TV

TV Mass/Beyond Words — 9 a.m. May 5 on AZTV7/Cable 13 or online. Can’t make it to Mass? Want to hear a different homily on the same readings you heard at Mass? Virtually join the parishioners of Ss. Simon and Jude Cathedral for the sixth  Sunday of Easter liturgy followed by a three-minute reflection from Life Teen’s Mark Hart on the gospel in Beyond Words.

Click here to view the embedded video.

“Solemn Mass of Pentecost from Rome” — 9-11 a.m. May 18 on EWTN and online. Pope Francis celebrates the vigil Mass for of Pentecost, followed by the Angelus, live from Vatican City. The pope will also celebrate a Mass on the feast of Pentecost followed by the Angelus 12:30-3:30 a.m. May 19 with a rerun 8-11 a.m.

“Sounder” — 11 a.m.-1 p.m. May 19 on TCM. This appealing story portrays a black family of Louisiana sharecroppers struggling to survive against natural and human odds during the early days of the Depression. When the father (Paul Winfield) is jailed for stealing food, his wife (Cicely Tyson) and three children (Kevin Hooks is the eldest) are left to crop the sugar cane on their own. The boy’s subsequent odyssey to find the labor camp where his father is being held provides additional drama. Produced by Robert B. Radnitz and directed by Martin Ritt, it captures the humanity of the characters and a fine, distanced sense of its sleepy Southern locale. The 1972 movie earns a deep emotional response from its audience because its story and characters are believable. Not only a valid examination of the black experience in America, it is also a fine family experience. The Catholic News Service classification of the theatrical version was A-I — general patronage. The Motion Picture Association of America rating was G — general audiences. All ages admitted.

Young people cheer during a concert at the Seek 2013 Convention in early January in Orlando, Fla. Each year the Fellowship of Catholic University Students, known as FOCUS, holds the annual conference to bring together thousands of its campus missionaries and college students from across the nation. FOCUS has about 361 missionaries now serving on 74 campuses across the country and has hired a 160 new missionaries this year. (CNS photo/Jason Siegel, courtesy of FOCUS)

FAIRFAX, Va. (CNS) — A diverse group of young college women lounged on couches at the entrance of the George Mason University Student Union on a recent afternoon.

Ninoska Moratin, a campus missionary with the Fellowship of Catholic University Students, better known as FOCUS, entreated the students to review their week as she began the Bible study.

“(A) bud is something you’re looking forward to and thorns are … bad (things) that happen,” Moratin she told them.

The daughter of a Nicaraguan mother and a Dominican Republic father, she has devoted almost two years of her life to serving God within the many different cultural communities at George Mason University in Fairfax. On Tuesdays, she attends a weekly Salsa Club, where she dances and talks with students.

“I explain to them (that) in my heart I know (the faith is) important and that I love it,” she told Catholic News Service.

Chris Rothschild, FOCUS team director at the University of Maryland in College Park, has put his career as a biochemist on hold for three years “to share the meaning my life,” he told CNS. He wants to show students that “I was in your shoes and thought the same thing, but was wrong. Here’s the meaning in my life (now).”

A convert to the Catholic faith, Rothschild joined the fellowship immediately following his senior year of college.

“I recognized the great brokenness we have in our own culture,” he said.

Moratin, who grew up in a Catholic family, was curious about the organization and decided to apply to be a missionary after spending time as a student leader.

“I love my job,” she said, explaining that she and her fellow FOCUS missionaries promote the virtues of chastity, sobriety and excellence as a way to address what many describe as three main vices confronting students in college — the hookup culture, drunkenness and procrastination.

Rothschild, who grew up not knowing his father, has spent the last three years of his life as a missionary to “lead the next generation of fathers, husbands and businessmen (toward Christ),” he said.

“Our staff members are … often found eating in the cafeterias on campus, playing intramural sports, staying up late in coffee shops … throwing spontaneous BBQs,” said a statement on the website, www.focus.org. FOCUS missionaries meet students where they are at through one-on-one “Discipleship,” group Bible studies, and many other events. Because FOCUS sees each campus as unique, the missionaries tailor their outreach to best meet the needs of students on the campus they are serving.

In January 2013, more than 6,000 college students and missionaries from across America attended a five-day FOCUS conference in Orlando, Fla.

“Many have not personally encountered Jesus Christ. We need to reach the entire world and the way to do it is to reach American university students,” said Curtis Martin, president of FOCUS, which has its headquarters in Genesee, Colo.

“The majority of the (future) world leaders are in U.S. colleges,” explained Moratin, who majored in materials science engineering at Maryland in College Park. As a missionary, she said she feels she can have an impact on young people and help develop the morality, ethics and integrity of the next generation.

According to Jeremy Rivera, national director of marketing and communications at FOCUS, the organization has about 361 missionaries serving 74 campuses across the country and has hired 160 new missionaries this year.

“At the heart of Catholicism is not a set of rules and regulations,” Martin, who was appointed by Pope Benedict XVI in 2011 as a consultor to the Pontifical Council for Promoting New Evangelization, told a group of more than 2,000 educators, catechists and other Catholics at the 2007 Living the Catholic Faith Conference in Denver. “At the heart of Catholicism, there’s a relationship,” he said.

Rothschild told CNS that he tries to “pursue holy relationships with others … to launch college students into lifelong mission,” because college students live in such an individualistic world.

“Faith is shared in community,” he said.

“We can tell them many things,” Moratin said, “but it’s through a relationship that we help them come deeper into a relationship with Christ.”

Donors known as “mission partners” take an active role in the life of every missionary by funding their salary, which averages $25,000 to $30,000, a year, according to the website. In addition to their daily activities of evangelizing college students, FOCUS missionaries spend time developing a relationship with those donors.

“Whatever fits in my car is all I keep,” Rothschild said. “The Lord is good. He provides all I need,” he said, explaining that he feels an additional calling to poverty as a missionary.

“We’re all seeking to fulfill some mission, but (we are) all unique in how we use tools,” he said, noting that every missionary goes about their call to evangelization in a different way.

Moratin challenges her peers to “ask questions and discover Christ.”

“Don’t be so open-minded that your brain falls out,” Moratin tells them, paraphrasing G.K. Chesterton.

“When we make our own plans,” they are limited, said Rothschild, who urges students to trust in the Lord. “Do something. Don’t just sit there and complain about it,” he added. “Be the difference you want to see in the world.”

In a 2008 address, Martin told participants at the National Student Leadership Conference in Grapevine, Texas: “You are an anointed generation. You were made for a very specific purpose. You were made for greatness.”

— By Joseph Austin Catholic News Service 

STATEWIDE FOOD DRIVE:  Everyone is asked to bring non-perishable food items for a statewide food drive. At the close of the convention all food donations will go to the local chapter of the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul, well known for helping people in distress.

STATEWIDE BABY SHOWER FOR CRISIS PREGNANCY CENTERS: The public is also asked to help the Knights assist local crisis pregnancy centers by donating baby clothing and materials for a statewide baby shower to be held during the Noon hour on Saturday, May 18, 2013. Knights of Columbus Family members will hold a statewide baby shower and will donate all baby shower gifts to local crisis pregnancy centers.

MEMORIAL MASS AND VIGIL FOR PENTECOST MOST. REV. THOMAS J. OLMSTED, PRESIDER: Catholics and families are invited to join the Knights of Columbus and their families for a special Memorial Mass to honor all Knights who were called to the Lord during the past year. Mass will be held in the Sheraton Hotel’s Crescent Ballroom Saturday, May 17 at 5 p.m. Seating is limited. This Mass on the Vigil for Pentecost will be celebrated by Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted.

PRO-LIFE PRAYER SERVICE: On Sunday morning at 8 a.m. the public is welcome to join the Knights and their families for a prayer service for an end to abortion and to protect the sanctity of life. The service will be held in front of Planned Parenthood, 5771 W. Eugie in Glendale, AZ, 85304.

For more information, contact John Garcia, Public Relations Director at telephone (602) 525-4424, or visit the website at www.azknightsofcolumbus.com.

The number of reported credible allegations of sexual abuse by Catholic clergy in the U.S. fell below 500 for the first time since 2004, when the U.S. bishops began collecting such data. (CNS graphic/Nancy Phelan Wiechec)

WASHINGTON (CNS) — The annual audit of diocesan compliance with the U.S. Catholic Church’s “Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People” found a drop in the number of allegations, number of victims and number of offenders reported in 2012.

Georgetown University-based Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate, which gathered data for the report, found “the fewest allegations and victims reported since the data collection for the annual reports began in 2004.”

Most allegations reported last year were from the 1970s and 1980s with many of the alleged offenders already deceased or removed from active ministry.

StoneBridge Business Partners, which conducts the audits, said law enforcement found six credible cases among 34 allegations of abuse of minors in 2012. The credibility of 15 of the allegations was still under investigation. Law enforcement officials found 12 allegations to be unfounded or unable to be proven, and one was a boundary violation.

Almost all dioceses were found compliant with the audit. Three dioceses were found to be noncompliant with one article of the charter. The Diocese of Lake Charles, La., was cited since its review board had not met in several years. The Diocese of Tulsa, Okla., was listed because auditors could not determine if parishes provided safe environment training to religious education students and volunteer teachers. The Diocese of Baker, Ore., also was cited because students did not receive safe environment training while a new program was being developed, but the training has now resumed.

The annual report has two parts. The first is the compliance report of StoneBridge — based in Rochester, N.Y. — which conducted on-site audits of 71 dioceses and eparchies and reviewed documentation submitted by 118 others. The Diocese of Lincoln, Neb., and five Eastern-rite dioceses, known as eparchies, refused to be audited, as they had in past years. Under canon law, dioceses and eparchies cannot be required to participate in the audit, but it is strongly recommended.

Al Notzon III, chairman of the National Review Board, which oversees the audits, said in the introduction to the report that it is his understanding “all of the dioceses will be included in next year’s audit.”

“We need to work with each of the eparchies to see how they can be included in the audit so that there will be 100 percent compliance with the audit process,” he added. “For the sake of our young people, their well-being, their safety, and their faith, we can do no less.”

The second part of the report is the “2012 Survey of Allegations and Costs,” conducted by CARA. The Lincoln Diocese refused to cooperate with the survey, and the Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon of Los Angeles did not respond by the cut-off date.

The audit reported that more than 99 percent of clergy members and 96 percent of employees and volunteers have been trained in safe environment programs. It also noted that more than 4.6 million children received safe environment training. Background evaluations were conducted on more than 99 percent of clergy; 98 percent of educators; 96 percent of employees; and 96 percent of volunteers.

The audit cited limitations, including “the unwillingness of most dioceses and eparchies to allow us to conduct parish audits during their on-site audits.” It said that “the auditors must rely solely on the information provided by the diocese or eparchy, instead of observing the program firsthand.”

It said another limitation is staff turnover in diocesan child abuse prevention programs which causes records to be lost and successors to be placed in key roles without formal orientation.

Notzon echoed these concerns in a letter to Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, stressing the importance of good record-keeping and the significance of involving parishes in the audit process.

His letter and a letter from Deacon Bernie Nojadera, head of the U.S. bishops’ Secretariat of Child and Youth Protection, also acknowledged recent setbacks in the church’s efforts to stop abuse. Notzon cited current “disturbing news in the media” and Deacon Nojadera said “recent high-profile failings” have undermined the bishops’ efforts.

Recent news includes the May 2 resignation from active ministry of Father Michael Fugee, a Newark, N.J., archdiocesan priest, after reports surfaced of his being with minors in an apparent violation of a court’s memorandum of understanding forbidding him from having contact with underage individuals.

In February, records were released from the Archdiocese of Los Angeles suggesting that now-retired Los Angeles Cardinal Roger M. Mahony and Los Angeles Auxiliary Bishop Thomas J. Curry, who was the archdiocese’s vicar of clergy and chief adviser on sexual abuse cases, worked to protect priests from criminal investigation beginning in the 1980s.

In a statement when the records were made public, the archdiocese noted that Cardinal Mahony “has expressed his sorrow for his failure to fully protect young people entrusted to his care” and “stated time and time again” he made mistakes, “especially in the mid-1980s.” Bishop Curry, it said, also has “publicly apologized for his decisions while serving as vicar for clergy.”

Notzon in his letter noted that church officials need to recognize “that protecting children from sexual abuse is a race without a finish and more rather than less effort is necessary to keep this sacred responsibility front and center.”

In a preface to the report, Cardinal Dolan stressed the importance of protecting children and young people in the church and continuing to work “to promote healing and reconciliation for those harmed in the past.”

In gathering data from dioceses, CARA noted there were 397 allegations, most of them from decades past, against 313 priests or deacons, by 390 individuals. About 84 percent of the victims were male. Half were between 10 and 14 when the abuse began. An estimated 17 percent were between 15 and17, and 19 percent were under age 10.

Dioceses and eparchies that responded to the survey reported costs related to allegations at $112,966,427 in 2012. Expenses covered settlements, attorney fees, therapy for victims and support for offenders. The total amount expended for dioceses, eparchies and religious orders was $148,338,437. Dioceses and religious orders also spent $26,583,087 for child protection programs.

The number of reported credible allegations of sexual abuse by Catholic clergy in the U.S. fell below 500 for the first time since 2004, when the U.S. bishops began collecting such data. (CNS graphic/Nancy Phelan Wiechec)

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The report can be found at www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/child-and-youth-protection/upload/annual-report-on-the-implementation-of-the-charter-for-the-protection-of-children-and-young-people-2012.pdf.

A Free Syrian Army fighter throws an improvised hand grenade toward forces loyal to Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad in Deir al-Zor May 15. Archbishop Francis A. Chullikatt, papal nuncio to the United Nations, conveyed to the U.N. General Assembly May 1 5 Pope Francis’ “grave concern” about the “unceasing spiral of violence” in Syria and expressed hope the international community can facilitate a process to bring peace to that nation and secure the release of victims of kidnapping, including a Greek Or thodox bishop and a Syriac Orthodox bishop. (CNS photo/Khalil Ashawi, Reuters)

UNITED NATIONS (CNS) — World leaders must step up to call for an end to the escalating violence in war-torn Syria to stop the killing of innocent people and halt human rights violations, said the Vatican’s permanent observer to the United Nations.

Archbishop Francis A. Chullikatt told the world body May 15 that the Vatican continues to be gravely concerned by the situation in Syria and called upon the country’s factions to remember their obligations under international humanitarian law to guarantee safe passage for humanitarian workers and the safety of health care institutions.

The archbishop also appealed to the international community to help secure the release of kidnap victims, including Syriac Orthodox Metropolitan Gregorios Yohanna of Aleppo and Greek Orthodox Metropolitan Paul of Aleppo, who were abducted April 22 in northern Syria while on a humanitarian mission.

His comments came as the U.N. continued discussing a resolution to address the armed conflict in Syria.

“It is a priority that those in a position to exercise influence over the parties to the conflict call upon them to halt immediately the blood bath and the continual violations of human rights that only open the door to further retaliation and recrimination,” Archbishop Chullikatt said. “If we wish to reconstitute a peaceable society and avoid the abandonment of the Syrian people to a violent and uncertain future, a clear change of course is needed.”

Peace will come to Syria only when all of the country’s political parties and members of civil society, including representatives of religious groups, gather together to chart a course for the future, he said.

The rebuilding of Syria must be based on “the principles of human rights and fundamental freedoms, the rule of law and good governance of public affairs, together with respect for the diverse ethnic and religious identities,” he said.

“Before the judgment of history and of anyone of good will, it behooves all individuals and state or international institutions to facilitate the closure of this painful chapter of Syrian history once and for all, and to find a lasting solution worthy of the dignity of the people of that great nation,” the archbishop added.