30 September 2014

Pope Francis calls Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI "grandfather of grandfathers"

PHOTO: Reuters
On Sunday, His Holiness Pope Francis welcomed His Holiness Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI to the encounter with grandparents and the elderly, saying, "I have said many times that it gives me great pleasure that he lives here in the Vatican, because it is like having a wise grandfather at home. Thank you!” He went so far as to refer his predecessor as the "grandfather of grandfathers."

I heard these words with great delight, but others found them a little strange:
Admittedly, it is a little curious, but I, for one, am always happy to hear Pope Francis refer to Benedict XVI as a grandfather, because that is precisely how I have always perceived him to be; he simply seems to be embody everything grandfathers represent (or should). Pope Francis I do not view as a grandfather, but Benedict I do.

What is the difference? I do not precisely know, nor can I say with any great clarity. There is, though, something about the clarity and precision with which Benedict XVI speaks and spoke, something about his quiet and unassuming demeanor, something about the beauty of his smile, something about his commitment to a continuity with the past even while looking forward, that always reminds me of a grandfather. Seen in this light, it isn't so strange for Pope Francis to refer to him as a grandfather, even if he is only nine years older.

Card. George: Opening Tolton's Cause "one of the most important - if not the most important - events" in my time as Archbishop of Chicago



His Eminence Francis Cardinal George, O.M.I., Archbishop of Chicago said yesterday that opening the Cause for the Beatification and Canonization of the Servant ofGod Father Augustus Tolton is “one of the most important - if not the most important – events” of his seventeen years as the chief shepherd of the Windy City.


He made his remarks in the St. James Chapel of The Quigley Center in downtown Chicago during a ceremony Monday afternoon in which the various documents pertaining to the research into the life and virtues of the first black priest in the United States of America were bound and sealed with the official seal of the Archdiocese of Chicago.


The official sealing of the documents by the Cardinal Archbishop testifies to the Holy See that the dossier contains, as Bishop Perry explained, “authentic and exact copies of the original documents.” The seals on each package will not be broken until done so by officials in the Congregation for the Causes of Saints.

Today’s closing ceremony, as it were, brings to completion the Diocesan phase of the investigation first begun on February 24, 2011. The dossier will soon be sent to the Apostolic Nuncio who will dispatch it to the Congregation in Rome in diplomatic pouch. Naturally, I offered to take the dossier myself to the Congregation; my offer was not accepted because the Nuncio is expecting it. Fair enough.

Father Tolton’s Cause will soon rest with the Postulator in Rome, who will have the task of compiling a positio on the life and virtues of Father Tolton to be presented to the Holy Father. Should the His Holiness be convinced that Father Tolton lived a life of “heroic virtue,” he will issue a letter declaring Father Tolton “Venerable” by reason of his heroic virtue. If he so decides, we will then await the recognition of a miracle before he can be beatified by Mother Church.

A spirit of great joy filled the chapel as clergy, religious, and lay faithful began filling the chapel. When I arrived thirty minutes prior to the beginning of the ceremony, I was pleased to see the chapel already 1/3 filled and surprised that Bishop Perry reserved a seat for me in the first pew, right on the aisle.

PHOTO: C. Vanessa White
The ceremony, which took place within the context of Midday Prayer of the Feast of the Archangels, Saints Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, began with the singing of“Ye Watchers and Ye Holy Ones,” the final verse of which was sung with deep emotion and audible gratitude:
O friends, in gladness, let us sing,
Supernal anthems echoing,
Alleluia, alleluia!
To God the Father, God the Son,
And God the Spirit, Three in One,
Alleluia, alleluia!
Following the reading from the Book of the Prophet Daniel, Cardinal George thanked His Excellency the Most Reverend Joseph N. Perry, Auxiliary Bishop of Chicago, for his “thorough, quiet, and very effective” work as Diocesan Postulator of the Cause.


Bishop Perry referred to Father Gus as a “shining example of perseverance” who “showed us how to handle setbacks … with our love intact.” By looking to the example of this “humble but courageous” priest, the local churches of Chicago, Springfield, and Jefferson City, he said, “have been brought closer to holiness.”


The simple ceremony was, of itself, not much to see, but the symbolism of the what the act of binding and sealing represented was deeply moving and filled my heart with joy and gratitude for the gift of such an example of priestly life.

His Eminence and some of the officials of the Cause had a few final documents to sign to finalize the Diocesan investigation.


These last documents were then inserted into the acts of the Cause:


The two packages of documents were then bound in red ribbon and stamped with the seal of the Archdiocese:




After the two packages were stamped with the seal, Bishop Perry held one up for the view of the faithful, who applauded with great happiness and hope for a swift beatification and canonization of Quincy's first citizen.


Once the final documents were signed and the all of the documents sealed, we prayed the official prayer for Father Tolton’s Cause:
O God,
we give you thanks for your servant and priest,
Father Augustus Tolton,
who labored among us in times of contradiction,
times that were both beautiful and paradoxical.
His ministry helped lay the foundation
for a truly Catholic gathering in faith in our time.
We stand in the shadow of his ministry.
May his life continue to inspire us
and imbue us with that confidence and hope
that will forge a new evangelization for the Church we love.

Father in heaven,
Father Tolton’s suffering service sheds light upon our sorrows;
we see them through the prism of your Son’s passion and death.
If it be your will, O God,
glorify your servant, Father Tolton,
by granting the favor I now request through his intercession

(pause here to mention your need in silence)

so that all may know the goodness of this priest
whose memory looms large in the Church he loved.

Complete what you have begun in us
that we might work for the fulfillment of your kingdom.
Not to us the glory,
but glory to you, O God, through Jesus Christ your Son and our Lord;
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
you are our God, living and reigning forever and ever. Amen.

We then concluded the ceremony with Father Tolton’s favorite hymn, “Holy God, We Praise Thy Name.”

After all is said and done, I can honestly say that I am very glad I decided to attend yesterday's ceremony, brief and simple though it was.

Tomorrow I will return to Rome and then return to Assisi to celebrate the Holy Mass and Friday and Saturday morning for a group of American pilgrims. My classes at the Pontifical Gregorian University begin on Monday.

28 September 2014

The Acts of Tolton's Life to be Sealed Tomorrow and Sent to the Holy See

The historical and theological inquiries into the life and writings of the Servant of God Father Augustus Tolton having been completed and the testimony of witnesses having now been heard, His Eminence Francis Cardinal George, O.M.I., Archbishop of Chicago, will preside over "the sealing and binding of the dossier to be dispatched to the Vatican Congregation for the Causes of Saints" tomorrow.

Tomorrow's ceremony is part of the Final Acts of the Diocesan Inquiry in the Causes of Saints before the acts of the Diocesan Inquiry are presented to the Holy See. These Final Acts are described in Sanctorum Mater, the Instruction of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, as follows:
Art. 146 - § 1. The packages containing the Transcript and the Public Copy are to be closed and stamped with the seal of the Bishop of the diocese or eparchy. In this way, the effective closing of the packages is guaranteed and the impossibility of tampering with the acts is assured.

§ 2. On each package the Bishop or his Delegate is to place the external inscription, or sheet of paper, that contains a declaration describing the contents of the package and attesting to its secure and definitive closing. 

§ 3. The Bishop or his Delegate and the Notary of the Inquiry, who is to affix his seal, must sign the declaration.
Chapter II

Art. 147 - § 1. The one who has presided over the Inquiry (the Bishop or his Delegate) is to hand over to the Carrier, together with the packages, a closed and sealed envelope containing the letter addressed to the Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints.

§ 2. In the letter he must express his opinion about the trustworthiness of the witnesses and the legitimacy of the acts of the Inquiry (189).

§ 3. He is to formulate any observations and insights that he considers useful for the study of the cause in the Roman phase.

Art. 148 - It would be useful for the study of the cause in the Roman phase if the Promotor of Justice were also to send to the Prefect a letter in which he formulates his own observations. This letter should be attached to that of the Bishop or his Delegate (190).

Art. 149 - In the case of an Inquiry on an allegedly miraculous healing, it is suggested that the Medical Expert prepare his own report on the course of the questioning of the medical witnesses of the Inquiry that is to be attached to the other letters (191).

Chapter III

Art. 150 - The Instrument of Closing, which is a declaration on letterhead stationery of the Bishop with which he certifies the contents of the packages and declares that they have been sealed, is also to be put into the envelope with the letters.

In what may be one of the more foolish things I have done, I have returned to Chicago to witness tomorrow's ceremony, though there will not likely be much to see. I have this week free of obligations and a tug at my heart kept telling me that I should attend.


 In addition, I was present for the Opening Session of the Inquiry more than three years ago and it seems fitting I should be present for this important step toward the possible beatification of Quincy's first citizen.

I know myself well enough to know that if I chose not attend it would be a decision I would regret thirty years from now (presuming I'm still alive then).

I'm very much looking forward to tomorrow's and ask your continued prayers for a favorable outcome in Father Tolton's Cause.

A News Round Up - 28 September 2014

  • As part of his Illinois Jobs Now! campaign, Governor Pat Quinn (D-Chicago) announced a gift of $1.5 million to Quincy University, my alma mater. I'm sure the university will put this money to good use, but the Governor will still not receive my vote in the November election.
  • Rush Limbaugh tipped a waitress $1,000 on two separate occasions. You'd think the waitress would be extremely grateful for such a generous tip, but she saw the money as "blood money." Knowing she couldn't keep blood money, she donated a 'sizable chunk' of it to an abortion clinic. Apparently she doesn't know what an abortion actually is.
  • From the "You Can't Make This Up" file comes this bizarre story of an atheist giving the invocation at a city council meeting in Huntsville, Alabama. This simply shows the utter anti-logic of many atheists. The word "invocation" means to call upon a deity and the atheist concluding what he claims was not a prayer with "let it be so," which is the meaning of the word "Amen." For what wasn't a prayer, it certainly resembles one.
  • A new study published by Harvard University suggests that, "from a climatological point of view, in many ways the climate then [the first millennium] may have been more closely comparable to the twentieth century than the intervening period." The study suggests that the warmest temperatures in the western hemisphere over the past 2,000 years occurred between the years 800 and 900 (with the sole exception of the last few recent decades, which are now cooling).

26 September 2014

Muslim man beheads woman in Oklahoma

A few moments ago a friend shared on Facebook the terrible news of the beheading of Colleen Hufford by Alton Alexander Nolen in Moore, Oklahoma.

Before I read the text of the article, given that the only beheadings of which I am aware are committed by Muslims, I wondered if Nolen is a Muslim. It turns out he is:
Nolen recently had been trying to convert co-workers to Islam, Lewis added during a Friday press conference. "After conducting interviews with co-workers of Nolen's, information was obtained that he recently started trying to convert some of his coworkers to the Muslim religion."
At this time, police "said there were [sic] no indication the attack was linked to terrorism."

It may well be that no ties to terrorism will be found - I certainly hope not - but, still, the question must be asked: What is it about certain currents of Islam that produce beheadings?

UPDATE: Reports not yet confirmed by police indicate that Nolen used a photo of jihadists as his cover photo on his Facebook page and wrote that "Sharia law is coming!", among other such militant Islamic things.

UPDATE: The mosque at which Nolen worshiped was led by an imam connected to the Boston mosque at which the Boston Bombers worshiped, the same mosque which is connected to the Islamic State

Is the Islamic State right about Islam?

Writing recently in Crisis Magazine, Father James V. Schall, S.J. has written, in my opinion, the best, clearest, and most direct assessment of the Islamic State and of the other Islamic militant groups presenting growing in both numbers and strength throughout the world.

"It is easy," he says, "to write this movement off as fanatical and ruthless, which it is. To the outside world, it sounds horrific, but I suspect not to those who believe its truth and see the current revival of Islam with relief." This is why he takes a look at the Islamic State - and other such groups - looking, as it were, through their own lenses (with my emphases):
This comment is an apologia, as it were, for the Islamic State at least in the sense that it accepts its sincerity and religious purpose. It understands how, in its own terms, the philosophic background that enhances its view does, in its own terms, justify its actions, including the violent ones.
The Islamic State and the broader jihadist movements throughout the world that agree with it are, I think, correct in their basic understanding of Islam. Plenty of evidence is found, both in the long history of early Muslim military expansion and in its theoretical interpretation of the Qur’an itself, to conclude that the Islamic State and its sympathizers have it basically right. The purpose of Islam, with the often violent means it can and does use to accomplish it, is to extend its rule, in the name of Allah, to all the world. The world cannot be at “peace” until it is all Muslim. The “terror” we see does not primarily arise from modern totalitarian theories, nationalism, or from anywhere else but what is considered, on objective evidence, to be a faithful reading of a mission assigned by Allah to the Islamic world, which has been itself largely procrastinating about fulfilling its assigned mission.
To look elsewhere for an explanation is simply not to see what the Islamic State and its friends are telling us about why they act as they do. The tendency among pragmatic Western thinkers, locked into their own narrow views, is to exclude any such motivation as an excuse of raw power. This view shows the intellectual shortcomings of Western leaders and the narrowness of much Western thought.
Jihadism, as it were, is a religious movement before it is anything else. Allah does grant violence a significant place. It is over the truth of this position, or better the inability to disprove it, that the real controversy lies.

Be sure to read the rest.

21 September 2014

77th Anniversary of The Hobbit

The popular imagination changed dramatically seventy-seven years ago today when Stanley Unwin published a curious little book the likes of which nobody had seen before. Of this book that would make Unwin famous, it's its author wrote:
All I remember of the start of The Hobbit is sitting correcting School Certificate papers in the everlasting weariness of that annual task forced on impecunious academics with children. On a blank leaf I scrawled: 'In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit.' I did not and do not know why. I did nothing about it, for a long time, and for some years I got no further than the production of Thror's Map. But it became The Hobbit in the early 1930s, and was eventually published not because of my own children's enthusiasm (though they liked it well enough), but because I lent it to the then Rev. Mother of Cherwell Edge when she had flu, and it was seen by a former student who was at that time in the office of Allen and Unwin. It was I believe tried on Rayner Unwin [Stanley Unwin's son]; but for whom when grown up I think I should never have got the Trilogy published (Letter to W. H. Auden, 7 June 1955).

At the age of ten, little Rayner Unwin provided his father with this review of The Hobbit:
Bilbo Baggins was a Hobbit who lived in his Hobbit hole and never went for adventures, at last Gandalf the wizard and his Dwarves persuaded him to go. He had a very exiting (sic) time fighting goblins and wargs. At last they get to the lonely mountain; Smaug, the dragon who guards it is killed and after a terrific battle with the goblins he returned home — rich!

This book, with the help of maps, does not need any illustrations it is good and should appeal to all children between the ages of 5 and 9.
A simple review, to be sure, but sufficient enough for his father to decide to publish the book. The rest, as they say, is history.
  • Black Friday has taken on a new meaning in Benghazi where the Islamist army Ansar al-Sharia staged an unprecedented killing of ten civil rights workers, including two teenagers. Meanwhile, in other parts of Libya, the Islamist militant the Dawn of Libya, continues to gain power.
  • A zuchetto worn by His Holiness Pope Francis is being auctioned on EBay to help raise funds for to combat infant mortality in the Democratic Republic of Congo. When last I heard, the bidding exceeding $130,000.
  • A Catholic family in Florida may soon have to remove statues of Jesus and Mary from its front lawn because, according to the Oaks Homeowners Association, Inc., the statues are not "harmonious with the surrounding properties." Lawyers for the association wrote to the family demanding the family “ provide the Association in writing the stated religion, the religious significance of the statues, and why these statues cannot be relocated to a different location on the Lot or enclosed behind a fence out of street view." If you think there isn't a growing move to force religion from the public square, think again.

Is the cause of ADHD simply spending too much time not moving?

Almost a year ago I posted some thoughts on the increasing diagnosis of children and young adults in which I asked, "Is ADHD real?" Naturally enough, the post was liked by many and disliked by many.

Within the post, I shared an experience I had with one of my former students:
When I was teaching, I had one student who really lacked the discipline to sit still for more than five minutes at a time (anywhere); he was a very active young man and many of the teachers had a difficult time with him.  I understood him, and told him he could pace back and forth at the back of the classroom, so long as he paid attention and participated in class.  He found it helpful and didn't disturb my class, as he did in those where he [was] forced to remain in the chair at a desk (I don't like staying at a desk for more than 30 minutes at a time, either, and often take brief wander breaks to refocus, but I can stay in a comfortable chair with a good book for hours on end).
In the end, I suggested, "It's really a matter of preference."

It turns out I might have been correct all along. Writing in the Washington Post, Angela Hanscom, a pediatric occupational therapist, suggests a principle reason so many children are now being diagnosed with ADHD is simply because schools require to spend too much time sitting at their desks:
Over the past decade, more and more children are being coded as having attention issues and possibly ADHD. A local elementary teacher tells me that at least eight of her twenty-two students have trouble paying attention on a good day. At the same time, children are expected to sit for longer periods of time. In fact, even kindergarteners are being asked to sit for thirty minutes during circle time at some schools.

The problem: children are constantly in an upright position these days. It is rare to find children rolling down hills, climbing trees, and spinning in circles just for fun. Merry-go-rounds and teeter-totters are a thing of the past. Recess times have shortened due to increasing educational demands, and children rarely play outdoors due to parental fears, liability issues, and the hectic schedules of modern-day society. Lets face it: Children are not nearly moving enough, and it is really starting to become a problem.
What is more, spending so much time sitting is actually bad for the children's physical health because "many children are walking around with an underdeveloped vestibular (balance) system today–due to restricted movement."

The fix, she suggests, is really quite simple:
Fidgeting is a real problem. It is a strong indicator that children are not getting enough movement throughout the day. We need to fix the underlying issue. Recess times need to be extended and kids should be playing outside as soon as they get home from school. Twenty minutes of movement a day is not enough! They need hours of play outdoors in order to establish a healthy sensory system and to support higher-level attention and learning in the classroom.
As a fidgeter, and one who has always been a fidgeter, I know she's correct; I don't fidget as much after I've gone for a long walk or a good hike in Hawaii.

Maybe it's time to re-think our current educational model.

Did the Pope snub the Greg?

As I understand it, the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome is supposed to have the flagship of canonical faculties throughout the world. For this reason, as I read - with some surprise - that the Holy Father Pope Francis established yesterday a Special Commission, as Vatican Radio reports, "to prepare a proposal of reform of the matrimonial process, with the objective of simplifying its procedure, making it more streamlined, and safeguarding the principle of the indissolubility of matrimony"

It was not the establishment of the Special Commission that surprised so much as the make-up of its members. For example, His Holiness appointed the Dean of the Faculty of Canon Law of the Pontifical University Antoniamum (which, as I understand it, is not especially known for its canonical faculty) and a former professor of Canon Law at the University of Pisa, but no one from the canonical faculty of the Pontifical Gregorian University. When I noticed this, I couldn't help but wonder, did the Pope snub the Greg? Whether he did or not, I do not know; I simply ask the question.

The task now entrusted to the Special Commission, according to media reports, was to be the principle work of the upcoming Third Extraordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops to be held from October 5-19. It could be, I suppose, that the Special Commission will present a few recommendations to the Extraordinary General Assembly, but how this could be done in such a short time I do not know. What will come of either the Special Commission or the Extraordinary General Assembly, no one really knows.

UPDATE:

Cardinal Coccopalmerio holds a doctorate in canon law from the Pontifical Gregorian University.

Archbishop Luis Francisco Ladaria Ferrer studied [dogmatic?] theology at has taught at the
Pontifical Gregorian University.

Bishop Dimitri Salachas has taught at the
Pontifical Gregorian University. 

20 September 2014

Pope Francis names Bishop Cupich Archbishop of Chicago


As first reported yesterday by the Associated Press, His Holiness Pope Francis named His Excellency the Most Reverend Blaise J. Cupich, until now Bishop of Spokane, as Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Chicago. The Archbishop-elect will succeed His Eminence Francis Cardinal George, O.M.I. who resignation was accepted upon his having reached the age limit.

From his installation as Bishop of Spokane
September 3, 2010

His Excellency will be installed as the fourteenth Archbishop of the Windy City on Tuesday, November 18th.

Please remember Cardinal George in your prayers, especially as his battle with cancer continues. Please also remember the Archbishop-elect as he prepares to assume the daunting responsibility of teaching, governing, and sanctifying the Church in Chicago.

US Bishops mark September 28th as Day of Prayer for Extraordinary Synod on the Family

The Third Extraordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops is scheduled to begin its discussions on The Pastoral Challenges of the Family in the Context of Evangelization on October 5th and will conclude on October 19th. Many are speculating about what the Synod will decide to do, but no one really knows.

As we approach this important moment in the life of the Church, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has set aside Sunday, September 28th, as a Day of Prayer for those who will take part in this ecclesial gathering.

In particular, the U.S. Bishops have invited the faithful to join together in praying a prayer for the Synod composed by His Holiness Pope Francis:
Detail, St. Anthony of Padua Church
Effingham, Illinois
Jesus, Mary and Joseph,
in you we contemplate
the splendor of true love,
to you we turn with trust.

Holy Family of Nazareth,
grant that our families too
may be places of communion and prayer,
authentic schools of the Gospel
and small domestic Churches.

Holy Family of Nazareth,
may families never again
experience violence, rejection and division:
may all who have been hurt or scandalized
find ready comfort and healing.

Holy Family of Nazareth,
may the approaching Synod of Bishops
make us once more mindful
of the sacredness and inviolability of the family,
and its beauty in God's plan.

Jesus, Mary and Joseph,
graciously hear our prayer.
The USCCB has also provided a draft version of the Universal Prayer which may be adapted to local circumstances.These petitions may also be included during Lauds and Vespers.

Additionally, the USSCB recommends the recitation of the rosary each day of the Extraordinary General Assembly.