Saints’ relics ‘remind us of a world beyond our own’

CNY photo by Mary DiBiase Blaich

Father Eugene J. Carella tells Claudia McDonnell of Catholic New York that he became fascinated with saints as a small boy in Brooklyn, accompanying his great-grandmother to see shrines at their parish church. Today the Staten Island priest has a huge collection of statues and relics.

Relics “remind us of a world beyond our own” and “connect us to the communion of saints,” said the pastor of St. Adalbert’s Parish in the New York Archdiocese.

Relics  also are a reminder that saints “were people like us, struggling to live a good life,a Christ-like life, and in the end they won the battle,” he added.

South Sudan’s jubilation a model for Africa

Father Christopher Townsend, a first-rate Catholic journalist and the secretary for communications of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference, was in Juba, the capital of the world’s newest nation, South Sudan, for the independence ceremonies. It was an emotional time for him and for all Africans. He sent this dispatch this morning, sharing his thoughts about the new nation and a time when his own country had to come to terms with its past and walk brightly to a new future.

“On the eve of independence in South Sudan, I was sitting under trees with a small community of neighbours in an area called ‘High Jerusalem’ The afternoon leading to the evening had an atmosphere I can only describe as high point South African — the sort of feeling we had during our own transition in 1994 and the feeling of the World Cup 2010. I had even heard vuvuzelas. Flags everywhere.

“Sitting near the Nile, in the insect dark, we were celebrating a meal. The South Sudanese had decided on this night of liberation that there would be a type of passover seder. Stories of pain, oppression and slavery were followed by stories of hope. Bread was shared, songs and the new national anthem was sung, candles were lit and there was dancing — the quiet, eager dignity of a people set free.

“I couldn’t help thinking that this is what we should have done in 1994 — encouraging neighbours to take their time to share stories. But maybe we weren’t ready, with our apartheid living and apartheid minds. Maybe it is something that we can imitate though — a chance to tell stories and listen, not to public hearings, but the personal TRCs among neighbours.

“On the day, sitting under the shade reserved for the not quite VVIPs (thankfully so — we didn’t get as burnt as they did) with a press of bodies around us constantly streaming forward to see this new day, was an experience in humility. For while we were there as guests, friends, donors, supporters, this was not our day.

“The Jubilation of seeing the flag raised, the quiet confidence of a new constitution and country was only outdone, for me, by the ‘hand of god’ moment when the power failed before [President Omar] al Bashir could start speaking. When he eventually finished, the crowd gave him a very polite, almost English, clap and then spontaneously stood up and waved him off. Priceless. An unmistakable sign.

“Al Bashir and his policies of Islamicization and Arabification are the latest in the long timeline of the former Sudan’s struggle with identity and centralization. Even before the coup that bought this particular latest calculating genocidal barbarian to power (these words are carefully chosen and used), the dynamic in Sudan had been Khartoum directed. Almost all post-colonial leadership has come from four small ethnic groups — Arab, Islamic, northern.

“Powerfully, South Sudan has committed to reverse these tendencies of centralization, coercive religious compliance and a single Arab identity by publicly committing to a multicultural, diverse and secular state.

“The Republic of South Sudan has a long way to go — the lack of development and infrastructure is chronic. Many Southerners who were in the North have fled south to few schools and less opportunity.

“But arriving at the very little Airport of Juba, six months after departing after the referendum, clearly shows how great the energy is for explosive growth — South Sudan is a country of enormous potential.

“As the Catholic Archbishop of Juba, Paulinus Loro, said on welcoming his guests to a certain chaos before the celebrations, we have never been a country before.”

For more on the independence of South Sudan, check out the stories on the CNS homepage. Also read CNS Rome correspondent Cindy Wooden’s post earlier today about the visit of Pope John Paul 11 to Sudan in 1993.

Catholic press ‘relic’ visits with communicators in Pittsburgh

PITTSBURGH — U.S. Cardinal John P. Foley, always in fine humor, visited with Catholic communications professionals in his first trip since returning to Philadelphia from the Vatican in February.

The cardinal, who has leukemia, joined the gala at the Carnegie Museums as the Catholic Press Association of the United States and Canada celebrated its 100th anniversary. The cardinal sat in a chair to deliver his remarks after a glowing introduction by former CPA President Bob Zyskowski.

“It’s nice to be canonized without the inconvenience of dying,” the archbishop said, adding, “Pardon me for sitting, but I’m usually in bed by this time.”

The cardinal, who served as head of the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Social Communications for more than 23 years, first worked at The Catholic Standard and Times in Philadelphia in the 1960s and served as its editor 1970-84, when he was called to the Vatican. He told the gathering he had been involved in the CPA for 51 of its 100 years.

“I’m a relic,” he quipped.

The cardinal interspersed his prepared remarks with anecdotes from his career, sending Catholic communicators from the U.S., Canada, South Africa and even Australia into fits of laughter. But between the one-liners and tales of near-disasters on live radio and cafeteria duty for 800 high-school boys, the cardinal said he believed “the Catholic press continues to have a very important role to play in the work of the church in North America today.”

“Like the crucifix above the bed in every Catholic home, a Catholic publication in the living room or the family room is a continuing reminder of our identity as Catholics,” he said.

He added that “the Catholic press continues to have an important role in the work of information, formation, inspiration and continuing Catholic education.”

The cardinal also saluted the work of Catholic News Service.

“I continue to think that it is the best and most complete source of Catholic information in the world today,” he said seriously, then added, “I’ve accepted no payment for that statement.”

Canada’s Novalis celebrates 75th anniversary

Our friends at Novalis, Canada’s premier publisher of religious books, resources and periodicals, are celebrating the company’s 75th anniversary this year.

A visit to the company’s website reveals books, magazines and resources for parishes and schools, but also “for people who are on their own spiritual journey,” points out is publishing director, Joseph Sinasac.

He said the Toronto-based publishing house grew out of a movement in ’30s, ’40s and ’50s for the development of lay Catholics. Its first product was a missalette for people in the pews to follow along with the Latin Mass. Today, he said, Novalis helps lay Catholics “understand how their own faith can guide and enrich their lives, whether at home, or in the workplace, or simply as citizens in the world.”

Novalis is planning a series of events around Canada to mark its anniversary. Keep track by following it on its Facebook page.

Capturing the lives of monks in British Columbia

“This Side of Eden,” which premiered Palm Sunday on Canada’s Salt + Light Television, has gotten great reviews, and viewers around the world have more chances to watch the documentary about the monks of Westminster Abbey in British Columbia. News flash: Not all of the monks are old!

Father Raymond J. de Souza, writing in Toronto’s The Catholic Register, called it “another Salt + Light gem” and said, “The producers have captured more than just what the monks do, but something of who they are.”

Also in The Catholic Register, writer Michael Swan said, “Filmmakers wanted people to feel the connection between liturgy and life at the abbey.”

Here is the schedule for “This Side of Eden” on Salt + Light, EWTN and Boston’s Catholic TV. In addition to the following viewing times (all Eastern time), the broadcasts will be streamed live through each carrier’s website.

Salt + Light: April 20, 8 p.m. Note that Salt + Light is available through SHAW Channel 160, BellTV channel 654, Telus channel 159.

EWTN: April 19, 5:30 p.m.; April 23, 11:30 p.m.

Catholic TV: April 20, 3:30 p.m.; April 22, 8 a.m.; April 23, 1:30 p.m.; April 24, 5:30 a.m.

Confirmand raises bar for re-gifting

First communicants (CNS photo)

First communicants and confirmandi are often given the gift of cash from well-meaning (but gift-giving-challenged)  friends and family members.

The recipients can then buy something for themselves — or they could follow the example of  Brianna Montecalvo   and donate the cash to a worthy cause.

As the Rhode Island Catholic reports, Brianna recently gave $800 from her confirmation gifts to the Alzheimer’s Association in memory of her grandmother who suffered from Alzheimer’s disease and died four years ago.

The 16-year-old student from La Salle Academy in Providence told the diocesan newspaper she was happy to make the contribution and felt her grandmother would be proud of her. She also said she hoped the donation would help her mature.

She only wished she had done something like this before. She noted, rather maturely, that some people need the money more than she does.

Japanese survivors recount hardships

Evacuees stand in Tokyo park March 11 after massive earthquake in Japan. (CNS photo from Reuters)

 

As Japan copes with its triple disaster — earthquake, tsunami and nuclear crisis — communication between family members in Japan and other countries has been sketchy at best. Many family members in the United States waited several days before getting word of their loved ones.

Myra Holmes, a parishioner at St. Matthew Church in Hillsboro, Wash., waited one day before hearing news about her adult son and his family in Sendai, Japan — the epicenter of the earthquake. The day’s wait,  while expecting the worse, was almost unbearable as the Catholic Sentinel story reports.

Holmes said she was able to occasionally get her mind off the tragedy thanks to her parish ministry work  that kept her busy. On March 12 she learned of her son’s safety amid the vast wreckage in his city and days later she found out that his family was able to find refuge in the Phillipines where they plan to stay for another month before returning home.

“We are just praying that God will guide them in their decision, and they will know the Lord’s will,” Holmes said.

The Tablet, a Catholic newspaper in England, highlights a detailed personal account of Japan’s disasters from a student studying Japanese Catholicism at Jesuit-run Sophia University in Tokyo.  The college student not only recounts his experience on the day of earthquake but also the constant worry and tension in recent days caused by fears of aftershocks.

Taking a shine to Martin Sheen

The first time I met Martin Sheen was in the summer of 1999, a couple of months before “The West Wing” premiered. NBC was hosting a garden party for TV writers with much of its on- and off-screen talent present. I had worked arduously with an NBC publicist to get some interview time with Sheen during the party. And just as I was getting started, actor Robert Davi (he was on the drama “Profiler” at the time) interrupted, as he just had to confer with Sheen about some miraculous occurrence in Davi’s life.

By the time I got to my “exclusive” interview with Sheen, it became far less exclusive. Other writers started hovering around us, eventually planting their cassette recorders on the table in front of Sheen. (By comparison, nobody but me seemed interested in actor Mike O’Malley.) By and large, the other writers weren’t even asking questions. They just wanted to hear Sheen rhapsodize about what was on his mind.

Martin Sheen and son Emilio Estevez talk about "The Way" at Georgetown University in Washington. (CNS photo/Bob Roller)

When I recounted this to Sheen Feb. 18 at Georgetown University, he retorted, “Oh, so I was a windbag!” Maybe, but his recorded comments were parlayed into a couple of articles, including one that won me a prize from the Catholic Press Association for best personality profile.

Following a post-interview hiatus, I returned to Georgetown to take in a screening of “The Way,” which stars Sheen and is directed by his son, Emilio Estevez. Sheen plays a doctor who impulsively makes the 500-mile pilgrimage from the French Pyrenees to Santiago de Compostela, Spain, in the place of his son, who dies in a storm on the first day of the journey.

I sat in the back row, which was reserved for media types, sitting dead center so that others would not have to scooch past me. After a litany of pre-screening welcomes, including a joint thank-you from Sheen and Estevez, the lights dimmed. As the film began, there was a figure trying to climb over the back of the empty seat next to me. It was Sheen! I offer him my hand so he could clamber over a little more gracefully. Joe Cosgrove, Sheen’s attorney and friend (and a sometimes “West Wing” bit player), was sitting on the other side of that empty seat. “This is Mark,” Sheen told Cosgrove in a hoarse whisper. “He’s a journalist.”

I tried to observe Sheen’s reactions to a movie he’s undoubtedly already seen plenty of times. But it’s hard to read what you’ve written in a dark movie theater. Personally, I found it amazing that he laughed, chuckled or winced at all, given the repeated in-person screenings of ”The Way” he has attended, with countless more still to come while he promotes the film for an April 15 opening in England, Ireland and Malta, and a Sept. 30 opening in the United States.

After the movie was over, Sheen had to get back to the auditorium floor to join Estevez in taking questions from the audience. I stood up and leaned back against my chair to give Sheen room to make his way past the others in our row. Instead, he went out the way he came in — climbing over the seat back to get to some carpeted terra firma.

Confronting sex abuse rage: a priest’s story

Sexual abuse among members of the clergy and other church leaders has raised its head again in recent stories. It’s seldom out of the news these days, it seems, just some days more than others.

Too often the media is so busy trying to cover how the church is responding to the crisis, how courts and legislatures are prosecuting and how victims are trying to cope and recover, we can overlook or under-report the toll it takes on church leaders — and the rank and file — who reel almost daily from the onslaught.

Father Doyle

Father Kenneth J. Doyle wrote recently in the Feb. 11 issue of the Times Union of Albany, N.Y., about his own feelings of anger and frustration with a former priest whose trial for raping two young boys just concluded.

“Why am I ashamed since nothing I did myself led to this tragedy?” he asked. “I am ashamed because someone in my own family of faith — a brother priest, no less — would commit these acts of cruelty. And I am deeply saddened because this whole sordid saga has damaged the family of faith, the Catholic Church that I love.”

Father Doyle is the pastor of Mater Christi parish in Albany, and chancellor for public information of the Diocese of Albany. He also is no stranger to reporting. Father Doyle is the former Rome bureau chief for Catholic News Service. He blogged for CNS during the 2009-2010 Year for Priests.

Pope Benedict XVI has spoken repeatedly during his pontificate on the toll the sexual abuse crisis has taken on all of the faithful — clergy and laity alike — and that no matter how painful it is, we have to move to a point of healing, Father Doyle piece heart-achingly echoes that lament, but ends in a resolve that he, as a priest, has to “keep on doing what [he was] called to do.”