The record snowfall in the nation’s capital left Arizonans attending the March for Life — including students from Bourgade and St. Mary’s catholic high schools plus Ss. Simon and Jude Cathedral leadership — stranded in the city. (Video by Lauren Clark/Cronkite News)
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Post Snow no go: Arizonans stranded by blizzard cope with cabin fever
Arizonans brave D.C. blizzard to join thousands in annual March for Life
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When: Feb. 16-19
Where: Ss. Simon and Jude Cathedral, 6351 N. 27th Ave., Phoenix
Info: (602) 242-1300 or click here
Download a flier here.
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CEBU, Philippines (CNS) — Los Angeles Auxiliary Bishop Robert Barron said popular culture’s message of individuals being “infinitely right” is “repugnant to (Catholics’) Eucharistic faith.” But he also said Christianity is “running on fumes” as it tries to counter the trend of people leaving the Church or staying away from the Eucharist.
“To stretch out like someone dying of hunger is the right attitude toward the Eucharist,” Bishop Barron said at the 51st International Eucharistic Congress. “What’s sad today is so many in the Catholic world have become blasé about the Eucharist.”
The bishop said only 30 percent of Catholics in the United States actually receive Communion, calling this a “disaster.”
At a news briefing after his presentation at the congress, he said that, unlike the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche’s ideology of self-invention, Catholic faithful “did not invent (their) own story, we belong to a story” and that is “God’s drama.”
Bishop Barron — author of numerous books and a longtime faculty member, then president of Mundelein Seminary, major seminary of the Archdiocese of Chicago — said the call of the Church today is to retain Catholics and attract new ones.
“If the Church can’t find a way to tell that story in a theo-dramatic way, people will drift away to this easy self-invention philosophy,” he said. “So it is a real challenge to the Church. … We’ve got to be bold. We’ve got to be confident. We’ve got to be smart.”
Patrician Brother Peter John Hayes of Ballyfin, Ireland, was in the crowd of about 12,000 who listened, took notes and clicked cameras as the bishop drove home the message of the Eucharist as a meal, a sacrifice and “the real presence” of Christ.
Br. Peter told Catholic News Service the problem of dwindling numbers of those taking the Eucharist has been on his mind.
“When you wonder, ‘What do we have to do? What can we do? What can I do? … At an event like this … we get it that some of us are on the same road, anyway,” said Br. Peter.
The bishop used a reading from the Gospel of St. Luke as an example of the two disciples who did not realize that the risen Lord was right next to them on Easter.
Bishop Barron said they were “walking the wrong way,” turning away from God as everyone does, since people are all sinners. And that made it hard to recognize Jesus in their midst. But once they heard His words and were compelled by the power of His life, then begged him to stay, He shared a meal with them and gave the same command He had given the night before He died, “Do this in memory of me.”
People ignore Jesus’ commands all the time, said Bishop Barron, but “over the centuries that one dominical command has been massively obeyed.” That revelation of the pattern of Jesus’ life in the Breaking of the Bread is the moment the faithful “get it” and are no longer walking the wrong way, he added.
The bishop highlighted the Eucharist as a sacrifice, a theme that he said was the least-known and least-developed.
Bishop Barron emphasized that God does not need the sacrifices of the faithful because He “doesn’t need anything,” but by returning something to God, they “are united to him.”
“The little we bring, if offered to God in the right spirit, breaks against the rock of the divine self-sufficiency and comes back elevated and multiplied for our benefit,” he said.
Julius Maquiling, an extraordinary minister of Holy Communion for 25 years from the Cagayan de Oro Archdiocese in the southern Philippines, said he was struck by this concept of sacrifice.
He also told CNS he was touched to be reminded “that the bread is the true bread, Jesus Christ.”
In the talk, Bishop Barron said, “Wealth, pleasure, honor, power … we sinners, we go lusting after them all time, but they won’t satisfy us. Look for eternal things, eternal bread.”
When Jesus says His Body and Blood are given up for everyone, the bishop said: “If He’s the word of God, [then] what He says is. What He says reaches into the very roots of something and changes it. Really, truly and substantially present, yes.”
― By Simone Orendain, Catholic News Service
In recognition of the Jubilee Year of Mercy declared by Pope Francis, every month The Catholic Sun will feature a “Missionary of Mercy” who exemplifies one of the corporal or spiritual works of mercy.
Practical ways to comfort the afflicted
- Listen. Then listen some more.
- Try to understand the pain. Don’t judge.
- Know that grief has no time limit.
- Pray for the person.
- Validate the person’s feelings; let them cry.
- Never say, “I know how you feel.”
Source: Amy Florian, grief expert, corgenius.com
Patty Chesebrough gazes inside the darkened church and stares up at a portrait of the late Fr. John Hanley, the priest who showed her God’s mercy in her darkest hour. It was 1990 and Chesebrough’s husband was pressuring her to have an abortion. She called her parish, St. Theresa at the time, and asked to speak with a priest.
“He tried very hard, but by the time I met with him, like so many women, I really couldn’t hear what he had to say because I was draped in death. I had that sensation that nothing could save me,” Chesebrough said. “I was terrorized, is the word I use.”
She went ahead with the abortion in a bid to save a marriage that later crumbled. “I think the hardest phone call I ever had to make was after, to tell him what I had done,” Chesebrough said. For the next 18 months, she met with the priest regularly to work through the pain.
“I also went to a psychologist because I didn’t want to live after I did what I did. I stopped eating and lost an enormous amount of weight,” Chesebrough said. “Fr. John helped give me my faith back, helped me understand God’s mercy.”
At first, all she could do was cry. After a year of meeting with the priest, he wondered aloud if one day she might use the pain she’d experienced to help other women. At first, she couldn’t fathom it, but six months later, she was ready. Although both Fr. Hanley and the psychologist had been tremendously helpful, neither one could ever really know what it was like to have an abortion.
Chesebrough’s group, Tears Speak but Spirits Soar, was founded in 1992 at Holy Spirit Parish in Tempe. Over the years, hundreds of women have poured out their hearts in the monthly, confidential meetings, now held at Mount Claret Retreat Center on the second Tuesday of the month.
“The pain is real. I understand it — I’ve lived through it,” Chesebrough said. The group provides a safe environment to express that pain, to cry and not to be judged. Chesebrough facilitates, offering her insights and explaining ways women can find strength and healing.
“There were so many times in counseling and in visiting with Fr. Hanley that I couldn’t do anything but cry and my tears had to speak the language of my pain. So that’s why ‘Tears Speak’ resonated with me,” Chesebrough said. “‘Spirits Soar’ because both of them helped me become whole again. I could live again. I could experience joy and Fr. Hanley helped me understand that in God’s eyes, my life had value, the same as my child’s, and that God had forgiven me.”
Tears Speak, Spirits Sour
- When: 7-8 p.m., the second Tuesday of the month
- Where: Mount Claret Retreat Center’s Pope Paul II Center, 4633 N. 54th St.
- Info: Call Patty at (480) 838-7474 for confidential discussion
Understanding God’s mercy was key.
“The hardest job for any woman is forgiving herself. I had to believe that God would forgive me before I could forgive myself,” Chesebrough said. Twenty-five years after the abortion, her eyes still fill with tears at the memory.
“The pain of that loss — you still feel it. You don’t forget, but it doesn’t hold you in bondage. You can enjoy life and be whole again,” Chesebrough said.
The road to wholeness was an uphill climb through post-traumatic stress: the depression, the anger, the guilt, the extreme startle reaction. Through it all, Fr. Hanley was the face of God’s mercy. A big supporter of Tears Speak, he promoted it at the pulpit and publicized its efforts to help women recover from the pain of abortion.
“He wrapped his arms around countless women as an expression of God’s mercy and love because so many of us don’t believe we should go to church anymore, don’t think we’re forgiven by God,” Chesebrough said. “He would hold them and reassure them and give them the sacrament of reconciliation.”
Three weeks after Fr. Hanley retired and took up residence at Mount Claret, he suffered a stroke. Chesebrough became his caregiver. “He was there for me when I needed him. How could I not be there for him?”
She’s there in much the same way for the women at Tears Speak, telling them they can call her any time of day or night to talk things over. One woman, who belonged to the group 18 years ago but has since moved to the East Coast, still checks in regularly.
If at times no one shows up for the meeting, Chesebrough said she sits in the garden at Mount Claret that she dedicated to Fr. Hanley and prays.
“I’ll sit there and say the rosary for the women that couldn’t come, for all the women that have come and pray that no one will have an abortion the next day,” Chesebrough said.
Tony Rizzo felt puzzled while watching the young man walk out the door and down the busy street.
The two had just met. There was a one-way exchange of information, love and understanding for the father-to-be. The latter left angry and sarcastic.
Stunned, Rizzo, men’s program manager for First Way Pregnancy Center, knew that he had done all he could to help this single, expectant father try to cope with his girlfriend’s pregnancy, but he wasn’t able to reach him.
“A month later, he came back, shook my hand and said to me, ‘I wasn’t very nice to you. I am sorry about that,’” said Rizzo. “That was huge and amazing that he came back. I believe it was because we refused to let go of the guy. We treated him with love throughout, even when he wasn’t loving back. That sticks. That is the breach and that is the way it works.”
In his Apostolic Exhortation to Catholic Men, “Into the Breach,” Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted called to his brothers in Christ: “Men, do not hesitate to engage in the battle that is raging around you, the battle that is wounding our children and families, the battle that is distorting the dignity of both women and men.”
He spoke of the spiritual battle that is systematically killing the remaining Christian ethos in homes, society and the world and encouraged men to step into the breach to make a difference.
When Rizzo heard the bishop’s exhortation, it hit home. Four years ago, he suggested to First Way Executive Director Christine Accurso that he begin a men’s program. He has labored in the breach, among the often silent men who either lose children to abortion, or suddenly find themselves with a baby on the way.
“Some guys, their hearts are hard when they leave here,” Rizzo said. “We do the best we can with the help of God. … When I talk with these guys, I ask them if there is anyone else in their lives who talks to them like this and they say no. We need more men to stand up and help these men, many of whom do not have fathers in the picture.”
Rizzo and his wife, Linda, have two children and two grandchildren and are members of St. Joan of Arc Parish where they are involved in the respect life ministry. Rizzo has also served on the parish council and worked with the Arizona Attorney General’s Office developing initiatives to prevent elder abuse and financial exploitation.
When Rizzo retired from his career as management consultant in the finance and technology field, he was looking to expand his work in the pro-life ministry to reach out to underserved fathers.
“While my wife and I were members of a respect life group and were pro-life, I wasn’t that conversive and really wanted to become more involved, especially for the men, where there is a big gap,” he said.
“I heard that First Way might be starting a men’s program and I asked to be part of it. There were many services for women and post-abortive men, but nothing for the men coming in the door with a big decision facing him. They are afraid, nervous, upset, questioning, sometimes happy, but mostly worried about this unplanned pregnancy and sitting in the waiting room, not knowing what is going on.”
First Way offers a Saturday education program for men as well as one-on-one counseling sessions. Through their participation in the weekly discussions, men can earn Baby Bucks, which go toward items such as diapers, diaper bags and clothing. The classes help men learn to be the head of a household and what they can do to create a happy home. With facilitators like Rizzo, men discuss a variety of topics such as parenting, being a husband and the dangers of pornography.
“I also discuss their understanding of parenting, the needs of a child and their vision of being a father, and their support system,” said Rizzo. “We are careful not to assume anything, but to always ask them about their feelings.”
In speaking to men about life, when it begins, having them hold models of babies at various stages of development and allowing them to see their unborn babies with their two on-site ultrasound machines, Rizzo is educating men on fatherhood and family, explained Accurso.
“Through telling them about the program, this is introducing the breach in our whole culture,” she said. “Tony has been awesome by helping other pregnancy centers to get their men’s programs started. God wrote on his heart and now he has formed many other men to do the same thing. A lot of men who were in our program are volunteers here now. I think that is pretty incredible.”
At a time when the gift of human sexuality is often misunderstood, there’s a place in the Diocese of Phoenix that shines a bright light in the darkness.
The John Paul II Resource Center for Theology of the Body and Culture will mark its 10th anniversary Jan. 30 with an evening of inspiration at the Xavier College Preparatory Performing Arts Center.
Damon Owens, executive director of the Theology of the Body Institute in Philadelphia, will give the keynote. In the wake of Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted’s recent apostolic exhortation to men, “Into the Breach,” Owens will pick up the thread with his presentation, “The radical demands of love for men — and what women need to know about how men love.”
Katrina Zeno, coordinator of the John Paul II Resource Center, said the anniversary celebration would be an inspiring evening geared toward both men and women.
“Damon Owens is a dynamic and very polished speaker who reaches into the heart and the daily life of people’s experience,” Zeno said. “This is a man who has rich, personal experience both of first rejecting Church teaching and then coming to receive and live it in an abundant way.”
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When: 7-9:30 p.m. Jan. 30
Where: Xavier College Preparatory, 4710 N 5th St.
Tickets: $10
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The event serves as the annual fundraiser for the center, which trains both laity and clergy on the fundamentals of Pope St. John Paul’s Theology of the Body. Fr. Charlie Goraieb, who helped found the center, lauded its work.
“In the past 10 years, the JPII Resource Center, under the direction of Katrina Zeno, has brought the life-changing teachings of Pope St. John Paul II to tens of hundreds of eager Catholics in our diocese. Having someone like Katrina dedicated to teaching the Theology of the Body in our diocese is a great blessing,” Fr. Goraieb said. “To know why we were made male and female, and that we were created to make a total gift of ourselves, is the divine perspective needed to counter the many distortions that our culture promotes regarding human sexual love.”
The legacy of Pope St. John Paul’s Theology of the Body lives on through the resource center and Zeno is hoping for a strong turnout at the Jan. 30 event.
“I really think it’s the responsibility of the John Paul II generation to financially support the resource center, to make sure that the generations that come after us are able to receive the treasures that St. John Paul II left us,” Zeno said.
The Drama Department at Seton Catholic Preparatory in Chandler is gearing up to perform the School Edition — a family-friendly version — of “Grease,” the story of 1950s youth exuberance.
Danny, Sandy, Rizzo, the Pink Ladies and T-Birds of the famed, fictitious Rydell High take the stage Feb. 5-7 and Feb. 12-13. More than 60 Seton students—including cast, crew and dancers—will bring the beloved musical to the Valley days after FOX’s “Greaase Live!” airs.
The School Edition, considered to be G-rated, is for the whole family. It eliminates references to cigarettes, alcohol, bad language and lyrics, as well as some plots lines such as Rizzo’s pregnancy. It keeps well-known song and dance numbers such as “Summer Nights,” “We Go Together” and “Born to Hand-Jive.”
Seton seniors Jason Morse of Mesa and Sarah Kunz of Gilbert are cast as Danny and Sandy with seniors Jade Panlener of Chandler and Weston Boardman of Gilbert as Rizzo and Kenickie.
When: 7 p.m. Feb. 5-6 and Feb. 12-13
3 p.m. Feb. 13
Where: Fine Arts Theatre at Seton College Preparatory in Chandler
Ticket sales begin Jan. 25
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Produced by Paramount Pictures in 1978, Grease is a romantic musical film directed by Randal Kleiser and based on a 1971 musical of the same name about two love-struck teens in a 1950s high school. The film stars John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John; the original motion picture soundtrack topped the charts with No. 1 singles “You’re the One That I Want” and “Grease.”
In a twist of serendipitous nostalgia, FOX will air Grease Live at 7 p.m. Jan. 3, the same day that dress rehearsals begin for the school edition at Seton. Billed as “America’s Favorite Musical” with “Today’s Hottest Stars,” the FOX rendition stars Aaron Tveit and Julianne Hough as Danny and Sandy with Vanessa Hudgens as Rizzo.
“It’s always wonderful to see a revival of Grease,” said Drama Director Bridget O’Neill, Seton English Department Chair. “There is high energy and excitement around this production at Seton, and the airing of Grease Live during our dress rehearsal week adds to the staying power of this timeless, fun-loving musical.”
It’s never too early to begin marching for life or understanding that God is the only one who can give life and take it away.
Those are key messages that children ages 5 to 14 learned during their school’s first March for Life Jan. 22. Most Holy Trinity’s student trek from the church to the hall across the street featured joyful singing and handmade posters — largely on light pink or blue papers and featuring tiny footprints — proclaiming the value of life from the moment of conception.
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Students hung larger banners around the church hall upon their arrival. Smaller posters rested in front of the respective artist while Collette Byrne, a Most Holy Trinity parishioner, led everyone in an age-appropriate discussion about an array of life issues. One of her sons, who is adopted, turned 33 that day.
In essence, it was a scaled down version of what pro-life advocates experienced the same day in Washington D.C. — minus the low temperatures. It also served as an early preview of what others could expect at the Arizona Life Rally that got rolling an hour later in downtown Phoenix. It was that rally that inspired the one at Most Holy Trinity.
School leaders planned to take its older students to the Arizona Life Rally. Students from several area Catholic high schools and St. Agnes Catholic Elementary School did attend. Most Holy Trinity students wanted a way to engage all of its students in the Church’s day of prayer and penance for legal protection of the unborn.
The result: a mini March for Life at the Sunnyslope school, which since it was removed from the interfaith event in downtown Phoenix, also included a group-wide rosary. Students prayed the Joyful Mysteries with guided meditations following each Hail Mary so the school’s earliest learners could follow along.
The Blessed Mother’s actions following her unplanned pregnancy was not lost on students like Bella Rabago. The sixth-grader knows too well the dangers of abortion.
“When I was in my mother’s womb, she went to the doctor who said, ‘It might be better if you have an abortion,’” Rabago, who has two older brothers who are adopted, told The Catholic Sun following the march.
She was happy to be a part of such a life-giving cause.
“I just wanted to give hope and happiness to the mothers that are thinking about that,” Rabago said, referring to abortion.
The poster she made with a small group directly spoke to mothers who find themselves pregnant and worried. It read, “Mary said yes, so follow in her footsteps and give a baby life and love.”
Most Holy Trinity students will keep the unborn at the forefront of their minds too. Each student spiritually adopted an unborn baby to pray for throughout the next nine weeks. They even took a moment of silence to allow the Holy Spirit to whisper that child’s name. The prayerful journey will lead students right through Lent and end with a baby shower for a nearby pregnancy resource center.
Cristian Garcia, a seventh-grader, remembered to also pray during the school’s march for the 1.21 million babies who are aborted each year since the option was made legal in 1973. His group poster, carried largely by teen-aged boys, featured a drawing of an unborn baby holding a cross. A red heart formed the shape of the womb around the fetus.
Maggie MacCleary, principal, hoped students left the march with a better understanding of the will of God and simple ideas of how to care for those in need when it comes to life issues. She hoped “they have clarity in what their role in life is. It’s not theirs. It’s God’s,” MacCleary said.
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton had a close community to help her open the first U.S. Catholic school. Today, it takes countless more to sustain each campus.
Those who have taught, volunteered or served at a Catholic school will join current students, alumni and parents plus private supporters and those in the state legislature for an array of Catholic Schools Week celebrations Jan. 31-Feb. 6. The annual nationwide observance marks a time to focus on the value Catholic education provides and the impact it has on local churches and communities.
It’s also a time schools extend invitations via open houses to encourage new students to register. Some 14,575 students attend one of seven preschools, 28 elementary and six high schools in the Diocese of Phoenix but empty seats remain.
“Students new to Catholic schools should be proud that they are able to attend a Catholic school and learn about Jesus and the gospels,” said MaryBeth Mueller, superintendent. “They should know how important their education is and that learning their faith is first, becoming disciples of Christ and serving one another.”
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Catholic Schools Week#CSW16 Jan. 31-Feb. 6
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To that end, the nationwide theme for Catholic Schools Week is “Catholic Schools: Communities of Faith, Knowledge and Service.” Each day offers a sub-theme helping Catholic schools celebrate their impact on or partnership with the parish, community, students, the nation, vocations, faculty, staff, volunteers and families.
Each Wednesday of Catholic Schools Week, celebrated Feb. 3 this year, is National Appreciation Day for Catholic Schools. Mueller said the theme allows local students, staff, educators and donors to gather with similar groups from the dioceses of Tucson and Gallup at the Arizona State Capitol. The state’s bishops will meet with key lawmakers that morning and some from both groups will briefly address students during a noontime rally at Wesley Bolin Plaza.
“The rally is our time to thank the governor and lawmakers for the tax credit,” Mueller said.
It allows donors, parents and corporations to get a dollar-for-dollar credit on taxes — up to certain maximums depending on one’s filing status — for donating to a school tuition organization.
“This is a huge help in allowing parents to choose Catholic schools for their children even if they don’t have the resources to be able to pay the tuition,” Mueller said.
Private funding efforts such as the annual Night of Hope benefit also helps. The gala last fall netted $120,000 for immediate scholarships and $18,000 for the “Today’s Children Tomorrow’s Leaders Endowment Fund.”
Students from various Catholic high schools across Arizona will lead the rally’s crowd in cheers, showcase musical talent and share testimonies about their Catholic school experience. Even if students aren’t Catholic, some families choose such a learning environment due to its high academic standards that integrates values, culture and life plus teacher and parent dedication to help all students succeed.
Mueller said gathering more than 1,000 students in one place for the rally “speaks volumes of just what we are about as Catholic schools and what we believe.”
Students will fill Ss. Simon and Jude Cathedral just before the rally to pray as a statewide Catholic school community during Mass. They will spend the remainder of Catholic Schools Week honoring those who make their individual campus a thriving family atmosphere via special breakfasts, friendly contests, service projects and guest speakers.
Lawyers, judges, lawmakers and elected officials will gather at St. Mary’s Basilica Jan. 26 for the annual Red Mass. Attorneys in attendance renew their oath of admission to the Arizona State Bar at the conclusion of the liturgy.
Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted will preside at the Mass, which marks the opening of the legislative session and is held to invoke the guidance of the Holy Spirit for those in the legal and legislative communities.
At Bishop Olmsted’s invitation, Bishop Daniel E. Flores of Brownsville, Texas, will preach at this year’s Red Mass. Appointed by Pope Emeritus Benedict and installed in 2010, Bishop Flores holds a doctoral degree in theology from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome.
In 2014, Bishop Flores made headlines when he penned a poignant letter to U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry regarding the immigration crisis, telling Kerry that many of those who sought refuge in the U.S. did so because of escalating violence in their homeland.
“I hear from kidnapping survivors, often missing fingers as a sign of their ordeal. I hear from aged grandmothers who ask for my prayers for grandsons in northern Mexico who have not been heard from in months. They are kidnapped and presumed dead, but grandmothers are the last to lose hope,” the letter read in part.
When: 5:30 p.m. Jan. 26
Where: St. Mary’s Basilica,
231 N. Third St., Phoenix,
followed by a reception at the Diocesan Pastoral Center.
Info.
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Ron Johnson, executive director of the Arizona Catholic Conference, the public policy arm for the state’s Catholic bishops, said he was looking forward to the Mass.
“Every year we have been blessed by outstanding homilists, and I am sure Bishop Flores will be no exception,” Johnson said. “I would strongly encourage anyone who has ever thought of attending to do so at least once.”
Christina Estes-Werther, general counsel for the League of Arizona Cities and Towns, is president of the St. Thomas More Society, a Catholic organization of lawyers in the Diocese of Phoenix that helps organize the Red Mass each year.
“It’s a way to really start off the new legislative year and to create fellowship for legislators and the legal community as well as for anybody that’s involved in the capitol area,” Estes-Werther said. “It’s just a really wonderful opportunity to spend time together but perhaps not in an antagonistic sort of way.”
Bishop Flores, she said, “has been involved in the immigration issue and that’s something that’s certainly important here in Arizona, to sort of convey what our message is as Catholics, that we’re all a community and we’re supposed to be serving each other regardless of country affiliation.”
The Red Mass was first celebrated in France during the Middle Ages. Clergy wear red vestments to symbolize the fire of the Holy Spirit they pray will guide lawyers, judges and lawmakers.
This is the first person account of a woman, raised in a middle class home and in Catholic schools who made all kinds of choices throughout her life: childbirth followed by adoption, childbirth followed by motherhood and conception followed by abortion.
