Shift: Diocese will allow boy with Down Syndrome to receive communion

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Diary of a Wimpy Catholic

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A Concord Pastor Comments

A Deacon’s Wife

Deacon Scott Dodge

Deacons Today: Dalmatics and Beyond

In All Things (America Magazine)

Whispers in the Loggia

ONE-TO-ONE: The Blog of CNEWA

Now I’ve seen everything

The Anchoress

Diary of a Wimpy Catholic

Aggie Catholics

Daily Homilies

A Concord Pastor Comments

A Deacon’s Wife

Deacon Scott Dodge

Deacons Today: Dalmatics and Beyond

In All Things (America Magazine)

Whispers in the Loggia

ONE-TO-ONE: The Blog of CNEWA

Celebrating faith in sign language at Catholic DeaFest

News –

Latest News

Written by Kate Slosar

Kate Slosar, far right, stands with Deaf Ministry pastoral workers from five New Jersey dioceses at Catholic DeaFest at St. John Neumann Conference Center in Piscataway on Saturday, March 24.

Two years ago, at the New Jersey Deaf Pastoral Workers meeting, we wanted a way to connect our Deaf and Hard of Hearing Communities across the State of New Jersey. We came up with the idea of hosting a Catholic DeaFest and letting people come and celebrate their faith.

On Saturday, March 24, our second annual event took place at St. John Neumann Conference Center in Piscataway. This event was sponsored by five Deaf Ministries Offices/dioceses in the State of New Jersey.

We had at least 215 participants who came from all over the state of New Jersey and some from the New York and Philadelphia areas. It was wonderful, and our communities became alive and hungry for information.

Deaf Catholics are often “alone” in their home parishes or in their community and the Catholic DeaFest is a way for us to celebrate our Catholic faith together as one community.

Often Deaf people will gather together at their social events and not realize that they made friends with other Deaf Catholics in a public place.

When a Deaf person goes to the Catholic DeaFest, they are surprised that their friends are also Catholics. It serves like a “coming home” event for our Deaf Catholic Community.

Our keynote speaker, Jean Cox, International Catholic Deaf Association US-Section President, talked about our community gifts and how we can help the church by sharing our talents and gifts.

Cox had four volunteers come up on the stage. She told one person to act like “Arm,” another person to act like “Leg,” another person to act like “Hand” and another person to act like “Feet.” Cox asked the volunteers, can you move alone?

The volunteers responded, “No, I cannot without the other part.”

Cox made the point that we cannot do things alone but with Christ we can do it in a community.

Later in the afternoon, we had two workshops presented by Clara Smit, an attorney, on “Your Rights.”

Msgr. Joe Curry from Diocese of Metuchen and I had a question-and-answer session that gave participants the opportunity to ask a priest and lay minister questions about their faith journey.

Bob Yuhas, a Deaf participant from the Diocese of Trenton, was asked to do a reading at our closing Mass in ASL. Bob has a talent that he can share with other members of the Catholic Church, Deaf or hearing.

We closed the day with a Mass.

Gathering together in Jesus’ name is what we did that day. This enabled us to discuss our faith in ASL.

Kate Slosar is co-director, Ministry With the Deaf, Diocese of Camden.

Crowning the queen of heaven

In the current edition

State’s last black Catholic school to close

Bishop Taylor urges Catholics to understand religious liberty

New website to explain possible sale of Mercy Hospital Hot Springs

Crowning the queen of heaven

Catholics join Fort Smith community in rally against child abuse

Sam Maranto sees no limits in his parish job

Also in Arkansas Catholic’s May 12 issue

What the Church can do to reach fallen-away

Summer deadlines are early for news, ads in Arkansas Catholic

Georgetown, the pope would like a word with you

The Anchoress

Diary of a Wimpy Catholic

Aggie Catholics

Daily Homilies

A Concord Pastor Comments

A Deacon’s Wife

Deacon Scott Dodge

Deacons Today: Dalmatics and Beyond

In All Things (America Magazine)

Whispers in the Loggia

ONE-TO-ONE: The Blog of CNEWA

Help a Sister out: In defense of US nuns

I’ve been in awe of Catholic nuns from a very young age. As my family likes to remind me, I even wanted to be one. (I’ve heard this is common for young Catholic girls about to make their First Communion.) But as I’ve gotten older, that awe has turned into respect and affection.

When I was in college, a nun named Sister Carola helped me through a rough patch with my health and gave me a rides to the emergency room when I was too sick to drive. Her presence was a huge comfort in a difficult time.

Sister Christina, a nun in my current parish, was a tremendous source of strength when I was laid off from my job a few years ago. Her encouragement never failed to give me hope.

A couple months ago, I interviewed a nun from Indiana who fought a state nursing home moratorium in order to build a new facility for Medicaid recipients. In addition to wrangling funding for her project, she played a crucial role in the design process, researching the household model and working hand-in-hand with the architect. She’s also the founder of an organization that provides healthcare to low-income families, children and older adults. Her commitment to taking care of the elderly and disabled in her community should be an inspiration to anyone in long-term care.

Last week, the Jesuit priest the Rev. James Martin launched a Twitter campaign to remind Catholics — and non-Catholics — of just how much hard work nuns do in this country. Martin’s #WhatSistersMeanToMe project is an effort to respond to a recent Vatican investigation into the activities of American nuns, a group accused of having “serious doctrinal problems” and of promoting “radical feminist themes.” These concerns were outlined in the Vatican’s Doctrinal Assessment of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious.

Their crimes, according to Vatican documents, include defending contraception and homosexuality and focusing too much on social justice issues and poverty. To keep them in line, the Vatican appointed a bishop to oversee the activities of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR), an organization that represents most of the 57,000 nuns in the United States.

American nuns are a particular source of criticism for the Vatican because several Catholic health organizations, often headed up by nuns, have openly supported the Affordable Care Act and the Obama administration’s compromise on the contraception mandate provision. Those groups include the LCWR, Network (a Catholic social services lobby) and the Catholic Health Association.

In expressing their support for the legislation, the sisters parted ways with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, which has been a vocal opponent of healthcare reform and the contraception mandate. Bishops, according to the Vatican, are “the Church’s authentic teachers of faith and morals.”

I don’t intend to disrespect the cardinals and bishops who oppose the law, and as a Catholic, I respect their right to disagree. But it’s hard to deny that bishops and cardinals are not the healthcare providers who will have to execute the ACA’s reforms — or deal with the scenario that will play out if the law is overturned.

It is the nuns who run hospitals, nursing schools and nursing homes that will feel the direct impact of the law, so it might behoove the bishops to listen to these women. With more than 500 Catholic nursing homes in the United States, nuns surely see the impact of Medicare and Medicaid cuts in their facilities, so why in the world would the bishops attempt to silence them?  Would they scold Mother Teresa, too?

I can only imagine how discouraging it must feel to have dedicated one’s whole life to serving the poor and the sick, only to be criticized for advocating on their behalf. But if the nuns running hospitals and nursing homes are anything like the sisters I know, they still serve with a smile, grace, unceasing energy and great compassion. Their faith and determination will carry them — and the residents they serve — regardless of what comes of the law. That’s their job.

So if you can, thank a nun today. Tell her how much you appreciate her help and her expertise in your facility, and in your life. And by all means, Tweet about them using the hashtag #WhatSistersMeanToMe.

‘Helped’ into the faith

By Tanya Connor

WORCESTER – Family, friends and “Father” are bringing people of other religions to the Catholic Church, people at Our Lady of Vilna Parish say.
At Saturday’s Easter Vigil, the pastor – Father Peter Tam M. Bui – baptized seven people. All received their first Communion and all but the 12-year-old were confirmed.
“As a pastor, I thank God for that,” Father Bui said. He said he thinks God is working on their community.
“I don’t ask them to become Catholics,” he said. “I just help them. I help anybody.”
That help included getting a funeral home to lower costs for a Buddhist’s burial, he said. And non-Christians are welcome at church – even just to sit in the sacristy, stand at the back or help with meals. At special Masses he tells them that, although they do not share the Catholic faith, he wishes them the blessing of the Risen Christ, the peace of Christmas, etc.
Four or five years ago Long Tran, who’d been baptized Catholic, came back to the Church, Father Bui said. A couple years ago he started bringing his sons – Bill, now 16,  and Bush, now 12 – to church with him. At first he let them sit in the sacristy to observe Mass. Later, he got them to join in the activities of the Vietnamese Eucharistic Youth and sit with them at Mass. Now every Saturday he brings his boys to help him clean the church.
Mr. Tran also brought his Buddhist wife to church to help with weekly food preparation, Father Bui said.
“The Catholic women treat her like a friend – very warmly,” he said. “Me too.”
She sat in the sacristy with her sacristan husband for Christmas Mass in 2010, and he explained what was going on, the pastor said. Several times since then she sat in the pews, he said, and she watched attentively as he baptized Bill and Bush Saturday.
“I’m kind of nervous, I’m kind of excited, but I’m happy about it,” Bill said shortly before receiving the sacraments.
He said he learned about God at Abby Kelley Foster Charter Public School, where they studied different religions in history class. His father brought him to church, and he wanted to keep coming, he said.
“I just wanted to learn more about God and Jesus and be closer to him and to be happy in life,” he said.
“I’m looking forward to getting closer to God,” Bush echoed. “My Dad asked me if I wanted to do classes, and I said, ‘Ya.’ I feel happy because I’m going to be a member of the Church.”
Joining the Church was quite an occasion for Ngoclien Pham, 62, also baptized Saturday. And for her 72-year-old godmother, Annette Nguyen, her elementary school teacher in Vietnam, who helped translate and tell Ms. Pham’s story for The Catholic Free Press.
Ms. Nguyen said her former student is the first person from her village to become a Christian, though they both live in the United States now.
When Ms. Pham asked her to be her godmother and sponsor, “It touched me,” she said. “I said, ‘I cannot resist.’” So she came to the Easter Vigil from Chicago, where her husband is a deacon.
Ms. Nguyen said the faith of Ms. Pham’s children brought her to God.
“My grandchildren too,” added Ms. Pham.
Ms. Pham’s grandchildren kept saying, “We are praying for you, Grandma,” Ms. Nguyen said. Her son in Connecticut married a Catholic woman and they became very religious.
Ms. Pham was a Buddhist in Vietnam, and continued to practice here, but was afraid to go close to the Buddhist altar, her godmother said. But when she saw the altar in the Catholic Church, it touched her. Whenever she looked at Jesus, present in the Eucharist, she felt something special, which she couldn’t describe.
Ms. Nguyen was also godmother and sponsor for Ms. Pham’s friend My Ly.
She said Ms. Ly belonged to the Cao Dai religion, officially established in Vietnam in 1926, which mixes elements of Christianity, Buddhism and other philosophies. She married a Catholic man in Vietnam and their children became Catholics, but she never wanted to be a Christian herself. But now she feels she has faith and joy.
My Phuong Quach, the other woman baptized Saturday, said she was Buddhist and left  Vietnam for Worcester at age 8.
“My family wasn’t really religious,” she said. “So this (becoming a Catholic) gives me a chance to practice.”
She said at first she explored becoming Catholic for the family of her fiancé, Toan Do, but as she learned more she saw it was for herself.
“Now I know more about God and Jesus,” she said. “It opened up my mind.”
Father Bui said Ms. Quach’s Buddhist parents came from Connecticut for the Easter Vigil, and called it a wonderful celebration.
“Gradually we will invite them to come to the Church,” he said.
Luan Pham came in gradually – and was baptized Saturday. Father Bui said Father Phuong Van Nguyen, the priest who formerly served the local Vietnamese Catholic community, had baptized Mr. Pham’s sister and parents, who were not-very-involved adherants of ancestor worship. When the young man moved here from Vietnam a couple years ago, his parents invited him to church. His father told him how God had helped them and explained the Catholic faith, but did not push him.
“He usually stood at the back of the church” at first, Father Bui said. “Maybe through my words, God touched his heart.” He said a homily he preached made sense to the young man, who asked to attend classes and voluntarily mows the church lawn.
Hai T. Nguyen, who is from a non-practicing Buddhist family, was brought to the Church by his employers, faithful Catholics who treat him nicely, Father Bui said.
The pastor said he told the eight members of this initiation class, one of whom wasn’t baptized yet, that nobody was pushing them.
“If you become Catholic for somebody else, your faith will not be strong,” he said. “You make your own decision.”
For those still seeking, another class is starting.

Catholic Anger! (Web Version)

Can you say anything about the Catholic faith without other Catholics taking offense? No matter how benign, no comment on the web about Catholicism goes unchallenged. Moreover, the idea of trying to understand a person by reading carefully what they’re actually saying, or giving them the benefit of the doubt, is fading quickly from Catholic discourse. No matter what you write, there are Catholics ready to take immediate offense, to explode in righteous anger, to threaten to report you to the proper authorities or, most of all, to correct. The most common responses are: 1.) Your soul is in danger. 2.) You’re uneducated and need to be schooled. 3.) I hate the church and so I hate you. 4.) You’re an unthinking tool of the Vatican. 5.) You’re disobedient and must be reported.

Here is a not-so-farfetched exchange, based on some very, very real experiences.

Me: I love Jesus.

Father Martin, with all due respect, I don’t mean to be critical, but I am compelled to point out that in your most recent post, you didn’t say “Jesus Christ.” As you know, Christ, from the Greek word Christos, meaning the Anointed One, is the nomenclature that Holy Mother Church uses to signify Our Lord’s divinity. Father, do you somehow not believe in the divinity of Our Blessed Lord? I am terrified to conclude that you are also denying the Resurrection here. Father, I will fervently pray that you are not dwelling in error. I pray every evening for gravely misled people like you, Father, and I must say this: my conscience obliges me to correct your errors. Do you fear for your soul?

Me: You’re misunderstanding me. Of course I believe in the divinity of Christ. And the Resurrection.

Father, forgive me for pointing this out, but I couldn’t help noticing in your last comment that you said you believed in the divinity of Christ. What about his humanity? As you surely know that several ecumenical councils spoke definitively about his humanity (The Council of Ephesus, in 431 A.D. for example). I trust that you understand what that means, Father. This means that Jesus was a flesh-and-blood human being (Catechism of the Catholic Church No. 464). Do you believe him to be divine but not human? That is a heresy, as you know, Father, and I greatly fear for the church if priests are permitted spread such serious theological errors. It is the heresy of Docetism, (Catechism No. 465) where Jesus was not seen as a human being, but God simply “playacting at being human. Surely you’re not suggesting that, are you? Please send me your email address and I will forward you all the references to the councils so that you may read them. I will do you the favor of awaiting an answer before I begin any formal canonical action against you.

Me: Look, I believe in both the divinity and humanity of Christ. I was only saying that I love Jesus. Can we perhaps move on?

I haven’t followed this thread and I don’t know what you posted about, but did you REALLY say that in your last comment? Move on??? Do you realize what it MEANS for a priest to tell a layperson like me to “move on”? Do you know how sick and TIRED we are of priests like you telling me what to do? I’ll move on when I want to move on. It’s this kind of clerical ARROGANCE that gave rise to the sexual abuse scandal. Is that what you want, Martin, a return to sexual abuse? And what’s with the “Look,” at the beginning of your snotty comeback? What’s THAT supposed to mean? Frankly I find that incredibly insulting. I don’t think you can ever fathom the anger that people like me have for priests like you. LOOK–as you might say to me–I studied theology too, am a lifelong Catholic and don’t need to be told to “look” at anything. By ANY priest!!! I see what the church is up to. Read the papers!!! It’s all about squashing the laity. Have you ever even HEARD of Vatican II???? For those of you as angry as I am, and SICK of being treated like dirt by the clergy, write to Martin’s superiors. Friend me on Facebook and I’ll give you all the addresses, which I got online at www.ImDisgustedwiththeChurch.com.

Me: I’m sorry I said “Look.” To clarify: I believe that Jesus Christ is fully human and fully divine. I simply wanted to avoid debating something about my personal spiritual life.

Just got a Google alert about “debating” and “Catholic” and came to this site. I didn’t read your original post but I couldn’t believe your last comment. I had to read it twice. You’re kidding, right, James? You want to ‘avoid debate”? I guess that’s just what the Vatican wants priests to do…stifle any legitimate discussion of anything remotely controversial…stop people from thinking! That’s the kind of narrow-minded, anti-intellectual, soul-destroying attitude that I had thought (falsely) died with the Inquisition. (Which I just read about in an eye-opening book called The Church is Your Enemy, which you’re probably not allowed to read.) Jesuits take your marching orders from the pope anyway, don’t you? I’ve read all about your secret fourth vow, your “vow of blind obedience” to the pope, and how you’re not allowed to think on your own…what rot. It goes without saying that you parrot anything, no matter how offensive or ridiculous or oppressive, that the Vatican or your superiors tell you. Part of that is, as I can see from your comment…no debate. No wonder people are forced to leave the church…you don’t let them think! I bet you hate women, too.

Me: I don’t mean to stifle debate. By the way, our fourth vow is obedience to the pope “with regard to the missions.” It has to do more with Jesuits being available to places the pope wants to send us.

I saw a link to this comment on www.WeAloneAreTheTrueChurch.com. Are you saying that you’re not obedient to the Holy Father? How can you still be considered a priest in good standing? I’ll wager you that the Prefect of the Congregation for Religious would like to know about your inane idea of “obedience.” Am I correct in stating that you believe that Jesuits pick and choose those doctrines to which you are obedient? Give me a good, old-fashioned Jesuit, the real Jesuits, of the kind that did not quail to speak the Truth, the kind that taught real Roman Catholicism, not the hippy-dippy liberal, wishy-washy, Cafeteria Catholics which your last comment reveals that you are. Are you not deeply ashamed of yourself? Why don’t you hang up your Roman collar? I’ve been reading about your order on wwwww.IReallyHateLiberalJesuits.com. And I read somewhere that your vocations are plummeting. I cannot say that I’m in the least bit surprised. It is thanks to “priests” like you who have forgotten what it means to be fully obedient to the Magisterium. For my part, I devoutly thank God on my knees every night that there are still a few real religious orders left which are obedient to the Roman Catholic Church. Rest assured that the Congregation will be receiving a letter quoting your last appalling comment.

Me: I’m not sure how a simple comment degenerated into argument. Can we give one another the benefit of the doubt?

Father I just saw your last comment when I stumbled upon this page. I didn’t read your original post since I’m too busy, but I just want to say this: That’s what people say when they are afraid of the facts. “Give people the benefit of the doubt.” That’s the kind of squishy, feel-good, namby-pamby drivel that people say when they’re frightened of being proven wrong. So what are you afraid of?

Me: I’m not afraid of anything.

Then why aren’t you ready to attack and judge and condemn your fellow human beings?

Me: I love Jesus.

This essay is adapted from a longer post that originally ran on In All Things.

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Forum: Health plan can be consistent with Catholic faith

There has been a lot of discussion and much written in the past few months about the Obama health care plan. We are given the impression that “the Church” and therefore all Catholics oppose it because contraception is included as a mandatory part of health care. The issue of birth control should be no more divisive than the issue of whether to provide Viagra, lest a rapist use it to enable his crimes.

Many thinking people in the Catholic Church regard the guarantee of health care as the fulfillment of Catholic social teaching, in which all are to be cared for. In the Gospels, Jesus healed the sick. No mention is made of whether the person was worthy, whether there was a pre-existing condition or whether the person was employed, or too rich, too poor, too young or too old to be healed. In this spirit Catholic hospitals and clinics, as well as other religions, have provided medical care for the sick in accordance with their beliefs.

A national plan for health care could enable all Americans to have health care with dignity according to their consciences. The difference between a productive life of health and hope and a life disabled by pain and hopelessness is whether one can afford the cost of treatment. It is a shame that fulfillment of this ideal will be held hostage to a refusal to work on any compromise.

Who can say what Jesus would do?

Martha J. Willi, M.D.

Peoria

Local Catholics reenact Passion of the Christ

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