Servant and Steward

It is not uncommon for a visitor to Rome to bump into someone he or she knows while wandering the streets of the Eternal City because, after all, all roads to Rome. Since being in Rome, I have had the pleasure of meeting with a woman who grew up in the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois and who now anchors a weekly news program on Shalom World TV, Voice of the Vatican.

Last week I sat down with Mrs. Ashley Noronha to discuss the life and example of the Servant of God Father Augustus Tolton. Parts of my interview aired on yesterday's broadcast, beginning at 14:28 and ending at 18:28 (though you should watch the entire program to get a sense of what's happening in the universal Church):

I am grateful to Ashley for the invitation to speak with her about Father Tolton and ask you to continue to pray for a swift conclusion to the cause for his beatification and canonization.

07 May 2016

Islamic State in West Africa (formerly Boko Haram) Ongoing Updates - May 2016

UPDATE (05-29-16): Boko Haram Razes Five Borno Villages

11 May 2016

UPDATE (05-12-16): Nigerian troops intercept another Boko Haram suicide bomber

9 May 2016

UPDATE (05-10-16): Half a million Nigerians displaced by Boko Haram will get an $80 'token' to help start over

7 May 2016

UPDATE (05-08-16): Troops retake 7 more villages from Boko Haram

6 May 2016

UPDATE (05-07-16): U.S. seeks to approve attack aircraft for Nigeria in Boko Haram fight

5 May 2016

UPDATE (05-07-16): Nigerian army: 400 hostages freed from Boko Haram
UPDATE (05-07-16): Nigeria Claims to Rescue over 11,000 Boko Haram Hostages
Christians in Nigeria are essentially 'target practice' - here's one bishop's response

2 May 2016

Nigeria Arrests 'Two Women and a Baby' in Boko Haram Suicide Raid

1 May 2016

UPDATE (05-02-16): Nigerian troops foil Boko Haram attack, kill 9 terrorists - Spokesperson
Nigerian troops discover Boko Haram bomb factory - Official

05 May 2016

Today is the historical date of the Ascension of Jesus

From the former St. John the Baptist church
Quincy, Illinois

Historically, this sixth Thursday after Easter has been celebrated as the day on which Holy Mother Church has observed the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord. This liturgical day was chosen because of what Saint Luke tells us in his Acts of the Apostles, namely that Jesus "presented himself alive to them by many proofs after he had suffered, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God" (Acts 1:3). It was, then, on the fortieth day after his Resurrection that ascended to the right hand of the Father (cf. Acts 1:9).

Today, however, the Ascension of the Lord is rarely celebrated on Ascension Thursday - which I think is most unfortunate, and especially so this year - and is instead celebrated on the seventh Sunday of Easter, in keeping with a provision of canon 1246 of the Code of Canon Law. In the United States of America, only the dioceses in the provinces of Boston, Hartford, New York, Newark, Omaha, and Philadelphia celebrate the Lord's Ascension today. Here in Rome, the Ascension of the Lord is celebrated on Sunday, though it is observed today in the Vatican City State.

While the Church is certainly free to celebrate liturgical solemnities as she sees fit in virtue of the power of the keys, it seems something of an unnecessary departure from the scriptures to celebrate the Lord's Ascension 43 days after his Resurrection.

Jesus is said to have ascended from here on Mount Zion

The ancient Christians said the actual date on which the Lord Jesus died upon the Cross was March 25th. In our claim to greater knowledge and enlightenment than those closer to the events than ourselves, we say they cannot have known with any certainty and therefore doubt this claim. Frankly, I doubt our logic and trust more in the claims of the earliest Christians and those closer to the lives of the Apostles, such as Saint Augustine of Hippo (d. 430), who wrote:

He is believed to have been conceived on the 25th of March, upon which day also he suffered; so the womb of the Virgin, in which he was conceived, where no one of mortals was begotten, corresponds to the new grave in which he was buried, wherein was never man laid, neither before him nor since (On the Trinity, IV.5).

We celebrated Good Friday this year on March 25th, on the historical date on which the Lord shed his blood for his, a coincidence of dates that will not occur again in any of our lifetimes (not until 2157, to be exact). Accordingly, this means that today is the historical date on which the Lord Jesus "was lifted up, and a cloud took him from their sight" (Acts 1:9).

When Saint Bonaventure reflected on this profound significance of this sacred day, he wrote movingly:

While the angels sang and the saints rejoiced, the God and Lord of angels and men ascended above the heaven of heavens [cf. Psalm 67:34], and he soared on the wings of the wind [cf. Psalm 17:11] with the marvelous agility of his power and sat at the right hand of the Father, having become so much superior to the angels as he inherited a more excellent name than they, and there he appeared before the face of the most benign Father to intercede for us [Hebrews 1:4; 9:24]. For it was fitting that we should have such a High Priest, holy, innocent, undefiled, set apart form sinners and become higher than the heavens [Hebrews 7:26], so that, seated as the right hand of Majesty, he might show to the glorious face of his Father the scars of his wounds which he suffered for us (The Tree of Life, 38).

Whether we celebrate the Ascension of the Lord today or on Sunday, let us pray the Lord Jesus to draw us ever closer to himself and lift us up into his presence there to marvel at his scars and to glory before the Father's face.

Bishop Paprocki: "There is nothing in Amoris Laetitia that changes, amends or repeals" the discipline of Holy Communion for the divorced and civilly remarried

Writing in his column in the current issue of Catholic Times, His Excellency the Most Reverend Thomas John Paprocki, Bishop of Springfield in Illinois, addresses some of the controversy that surrounded the release of Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Amoris Laetitia of His Holiness Pope Francis.

Several commentators suggested - as they insisted would be the case for nearly two years - that the there was a change regarding the doctrine and discipline of the Church concerned Catholics living in invalid marriages and their reception of the Holy Eucharist in Amoris Laetitia.

Following the release of Amoris Laetitia, Bishop Paprocki issued a statement welcoming its publication in which he said, "There are no changes to canon law or church doctrine introduced in this document."

Having had the opportunity to give a more careful reading to the exhortation, Bishop Paprocki maintains what he says and offers a sound reasoning for it:

The starting point for interpreting papal statements and ecclesiastical documents is to remember that they do not all carry the same authoritative weight. They bear different names because they carry varying levels of importance and authority. They are grouped, for example, on the Vatican website (www.vatican.va) under different categories with a variety of titles, including: apostolic constitutions, encyclicals, motu proprios, apostolic exhortations, apostolic letters, audiences, homilies, letters, messages, speeches, prayers and daily meditations. At the top of this hierarchy in terms of importance and authority are apostolic constitutions, highest in significance because they constitute papal legislation defining laws and doctrines. Among the lowest levels of authority would be extemporaneous answers given in response to impromptu questions during an in-flight press conference on an airplane. Footnotes in an apostolic exhortation would also rank low in significance, particularly since apostolic exhortations themselves simply exhort, encourage and urge the faithful to follow existing church laws and teachings. Apostolic exhortations by their very nature are not vehicles for introducing or amending legislative texts or making dogmatic pronouncements.

Thus, it is important to note that the Catechism of the Catholic Church was promulgated on October 11, 1992, by Pope St. John Paul II by means of an Apostolic Constitution, Fidei Depositum, the highest level of papal authority. In that document, the sainted Holy Father wrote: “The Catechism of the Catholic Church, which I approved 25 June last and the publication of which I today order by virtue of my Apostolic Authority, is a statement of the Church’s faith and of catholic doctrine, attested to or illumined by Sacred Scripture, the Apostolic Tradition and the Church’s Magisterium. I declare it to be a sure norm for teaching the faith and thus a valid and legitimate instrument for ecclesial communion.”

With regard to the question of Holy Communion for the divorced and remarried, the Catechism says clearly in paragraph 1665, “The remarriage of persons divorced from a living, lawful spouse contravenes the plan and law of God as taught by Christ. They are not separated from the Church, but they cannot receive Eucharistic communion. They will lead Christian lives especially by educating their children in the faith.” There is nothing in Amoris Laetitia that changes, amends or repeals this doctrine.

He's right, of course. Those who say otherwise are simply reading much more - either their hopes or their fears - into the text of Amoris Laetitia than what is there. Be sure to give Bishop Paprocki's entire text a read or a listen.

03 May 2016

Discovering Damien on EWTN

The Little J Production Company has produced "Discovering Damien: Saint of Moloka'i," a program in which Father Nathan Cromly, C.S.J. and twenty college students set out to encounter the Leper Priest:

At one point, the Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN) was going to air the hour-long program on May 10th, his feast day, but I do not now see it on the programming schedule for May 10th. It is, however, scheduled to air on Sunday, May 15th.

Be sure to check your local listings for the time of the broadcast!

6th grade student wins Tolton essay contest

The Black Catholic Initiative recently held an essay contest in the Catholic schools of the Archdiocese of Chicago in which students were asked to address this topic: "Why I think or believe Father Augustus Tolton should be a saint."

The winner of the essay contest - Andre Sherley, a sixth grade student at Augustus Tolton Catholic Academy - received a tablet computer on which he can continue to write.

The Catholic New World - the newspaper of the Archdiocese of Chicago - printed Andre's excellent essay, the conclusion of which reads as follows:

Andre Sherley

A saint is a person who helps people and continues to do God’s work — even if people try to do things to stop him. Father Tolton went through a lot of suffering during his lifetime.

He displayed patience, courage and humility while trying to live his life’s dream of becoming a priest. He is someone we can be proud of.

As an African-American Catholic, I am very proud to say he is someone I can look up to. Father Tolton was devoted to his dream and to the dream of the church. Even though it was hard, even though it was difficult, Father Tolton completed his task and continued doing the plan that God had for him.

Clearly, Andre has learned well from Father Tolton!

To preach the Gospel, consider the Beatific Vision

He preaches the Gospel of the kingdom to every creature, who in the secrecy of his heart considers how great will be the glory of standing before the Creator's face, with the blessed spirits; with them to praise him without end, and with him who is Life ever to live, and continuously rejoice with an inexpressible joy.

- Saint Anthony of Padua, Sermon on the Ascension of the Lord, 5

02 May 2016

Called and Sent: Missionary Discipleship Training

When I served as Associate Director of the Office for Vocations of the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois, the Office for Vocations took over, for lack of a better phrase, the Catholic Leadership Institute, which had previously been the Christian Leadership Institute. We made various changes to CLI and discerned more changes were needed to better help high school-aged Catholics grow deeper in their faith.

With this in mind, Father Brian Alford, Director of the Office for Vocations, together with Mrs. Becky Bauerle and Mrs. Missy Mark, reformatted the Catholic Leadership Institute into Called and Sent: Missionary Discipleship Training and incorporated various aspects from Bishop Thomas John Paprocki's pastoral letter Ars crescendi in Dei gratia on building a culture of growth in the Church.

A promotional video for Called and Sent was released just a few days and is worth a few minutes of your time:

Called and Sent will be held this coming July 10-15 at the Villa Maria Catholic Life Center in Springfield, Illinois, for which you can download a brochure here.

01 May 2016

What can we do?

His Eminence Donald Cardinal Wuerl, Archbishop of Washington, recently published a book titled, To the Martyrs: A Reflection on the Supreme Christian Witness. I have not yet read this book, but I am looking to reading it when I find it (ordering things to be sent to Rome isn't always worth the frustration and delay that comes with it).

That said, Patti Armstrong has read the book and wrote a review of it in the National Catholic Register. The part of her review that most interests me concerns what we can do to assist those members of the Body of Christ suffering for the name of Jesus:

“When atrocities happen, there are many guilty parties,” Wuerl stated. “There are perpetrators, and there are those whom Thomas Merton called “guilty bystanders.”

He reminds us that St. Paul taught: “If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together. Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it” (Corinthians 12:26-27).

Rather than feeling powerless, Cardinal Wuerl’s book has inspired me to do more. He offers suggestions on how every Christian can act on behalf of the suffering members of the body of Christ.

Pray for them Daily. “This is the most pressing need. Are we praying that persecuted Christians will remain strong in the face of unimaginable pressures to abandon the Faith?”

Write Legislators and media. Where are the voices of parliaments, congresses, campuses, business networks, community leaders talk show hosts, news programs, editorial columns, etc.? “Each of us simply needs to use whatever forum available to make our voices heard.”

Contribute financially. Give to one of the many organizations that help Christians in persecuted lands.

Seek out refugees in our cities and help them settle in their new home.

Pray for the persecutors.

Leave no spiritual stone unturned. Light a candle, have Masses said, have a group rosary, offer up your own suffering, and pray the Chaplet of Mercy. These latter suggestions are my own, but the point is, that we can pour our spiritual energy into supporting persecuted Christians.

Good recommendations, all. For your financial contributions, I recommend Aid to the Church in Need, the Catholic Near East Welfare Association, the Franciscan Foundation for the Holy Land, and the Knights of Columbus.

Please, do not forget our brothers and sisters!

More people signed a petition against Target than against the persecution of Christians

The Catholic News Agency reported yesterday that a petition with more than 400,000 signatures was presented on Friday to the office of Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations. CNA quotes the president of CitizenGO, Ignacio Arsuaga, who said the petition implores the United Nations "to declare what’s happening right now with ISIS in Syria and Iraq a genocide."

Now, you might think that such a petition with so many signatures should be a sign of hope that something may actually soon be done to stem the growing tide of persecution against Christians throughout the world. You might thank that people's hearts might finally be feeling compassion for the more than 200 million Christians enduring persecution throughout the world.

However, if you consider that more than 700,000 people signed a petition against Target for its decision to allow customers to use the restroom of their choice, one has to wonder if Christians - at least in the United States - have actually embraced the teaching of the Apostle Saint Paul that "if one member suffers, all suffer together" (I Corinthians 12:26). How can it be that more 300,000 people signed a petition against Target than signed one against the global persecution of Christians?

N.B.: I am not suggesting here that people's concerns about public restrooms is unwarranted; I think it is justified and I share some of these same concerns. However, I do not think this issue more important or of greater significance the persecution happening before our very eyes. The images and the stories are not all difficult to find, some of which the Catholic News Agency shared two days ago.

For more than two years now I've been trying not to think that the majority of people simple do not care about what is happening throughout the world. I can't understand how people could be more concerned about which celebrity is dating whom more than they care about Christians - and others - being crucified, drowned, beheaded, starved, and driven from their homes. But this seems to be the sad reality of the day, as demonstrated in one simple picture I took Friday night while the Bishop of Aleppo spoke at the Fontana di Trevi of the terrible plight of his flock:

What occupies the concerns of modern man? Himself. What will it take before our we hearts away from ourselves toward others? May it please God to so touch our hearts that our apathy turns to true compassion!

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