Juez de Texas bloquea intento de Paxton de cerrar Casa Anunciación

Por Por Kate Scanlon
(OSV News) – Un juez estatal bloqueó temporalmente el 11 de marzo las demandas del fiscal general de Texas de obtener los registros de la Casa Anunciación (Annunciation House), citando preocupaciones de que el estado tenía un motivo “predeterminado” para cerrar la organización católica sin fines de lucro que presta servicios a inmigrantes.
El juez de distrito Francisco Domínguez en El Paso emitió una orden bloqueando la citación del fiscal general de Texas, Ken Paxton, a Casa Anunciación, indicando que el esfuerzo de Paxton parecía motivado políticamente y que debía pasar por el debido proceso en el sistema judicial estatal.
“Los esfuerzos del Fiscal General para pisotear la Casa Anunciación, sin tener en cuenta el debido proceso o el juego limpio, ponen en duda la verdadera motivación del intento del Fiscal General de impedir que la Casa Anunciación brinde los servicios humanitarios y sociales que brinda”, escribió Domínguez.
En febrero, Paxton presentó una demanda en un intento de cerrar la Casa Anunciación, acusándola de “contrabando de personas”, en una medida denunciada por defensores católicos de la inmigración, incluido el obispo de El Paso, Mark J. Seitz.

El obispo de El Paso, Texas, Mark J. Seitz, y el fiscal general de Texas, Ken Paxton, aparecen en una foto combinada. La Casa de la Anunciación (Annunciation House) organizó una conferencia de prensa el 23 de febrero de 2024 para abordar su postura en respuesta a los esfuerzos de Paxton por cerrarla y poner fin a su ministerio con los migrantes. (Foto OSV News/Tyler Orsburn/Elizabeth Frantz, Reuters)


En una declaración, Texas RioGrande Legal Aid, que representa a la Casa Anunciación, dijo que el tribunal decidió “que se seguiría un proceso ordenado para decidir qué documentos se deben presentar al procurador general según la ley, y el procurador general no podría hacer cumplir su citación sin supervisión judicial”.
Jerome Wesevich, abogado principal de TRLA en el caso, dijo: “Estamos muy satisfechos con el fallo de la corte con respecto a Annunciation House”.
“La corte exige que se sigan los procedimientos civiles estándar, lo que significará un proceso justo y ordenado para determinar qué documentos la ley permite ver al fiscal general”, dijo.
“Annunciation House necesita recopilar información confidencial, incluida información de salud, sobre sus huéspedes, y es imperativo para la seguridad y el bienestar de la comunidad que la divulgación de esta información confidencial se maneje con cuidado y teniendo en cuenta la ley”.
Rubén García, director de la Casa Anunciación, dijo a los periodistas en una conferencia de prensa el 23 de febrero que la organización sin fines de lucro ha estado proporcionando recursos básicos como alimentos, refugio y agua a los migrantes y refugiados que llegan a la frontera durante casi 50 años en consulta con la Oficina de la Patrulla Fronteriza de los Estados Unidos.
“Hay individuos que han decidido que eso debe ser ilegal”, dijo.

(Kate Scanlon es reportera nacional de OSV News que cubre Washington.)

National Eucharistic Pilgrimage to include shrines, secular landmarks, diocesan events

By Maria Wiering
(OSV News) – On May 18-19, groups of eight young adults will leave San Francisco; New Haven, Connecticut; San Juan, Texas; and Itasca State Park in Minnesota.

For eight weeks they’ll travel, mostly on foot, along four routes through major U.S. cities, small towns and countryside toward Indianapolis, where they’re expected to arrive July 16, the day before the opening of the National Eucharistic Congress.

Together, they’ll cover more than 6,500 miles over 27 states and 65 dioceses. With them every step of the way will be the Eucharist, held in a specially designed monstrance, or reserved in a support vehicle’s tabernacle.

This is an updated map showing the four routes of the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage to the National Eucharistic Congress in 2024. Pilgrims traveling in “Eucharistic caravans” on all four routes will begin their journeys with Pentecost weekend celebrations May 17-18, 2024, leaving May 19. They will all converge on Indianapolis July 16, 2024, the day before the five-day Congress opens. (OSV News illustration/courtesy National Eucharistic Congress)

The National Eucharistic Pilgrimage is a major prelude to the National Eucharistic Congress, which expects to bring together tens of thousands of Catholics July 17-21 in Indianapolis’ Lucas Oil Stadium for worship, speakers and Eucharist-centered events. The pilgrimage and the congress are part of the National Eucharistic Revival, a three-year initiative of the U.S. Catholic bishops that began in 2022 with the aim of deepening Catholics’ love for the Eucharist.

“A cross-country pilgrimage of this scale has never been attempted before,” said Tim Glemkowski, CEO of the Denver-based National Eucharistic Congress, Inc., in a Feb. 22 media release announcing updated routes and related events. “It will be a tremendously powerful action of witness and intercession as it interacts with local parish communities at stops all along the way.”

The pilgrimage’s four groups of Perpetual Pilgrims are young adults ages 19-29 selected in an application process to travel the full length of each route. Their names will be announced March 11.

People who wish to travel as a “day pilgrim” or attend a pilgrimage-related event along the routes may register online at www.eucharisticpilgrimage.org. Day pilgrims must make their own arrangements for meals, transportation and lodging, as needed.

Each route passes religious and secular landmarks, including Folsom State Prison in California, Ellis Island in New York, the campuses of the University of Notre Dame in Indiana and Benedictine College in Kansas, and the shrines of Our Lady of Champion in Wisconsin, the Most Blessed Sacrament in Alabama, and St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in Maryland.

Dioceses that the routes cross through have planned special events to welcome the pilgrims. Detailed event information for these events and each of the routes – the St. Junipero Serra Route from the West, St. Juan Diego Route from the South, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Route from the East and Marian Route from the North – will be posted at www.eucharisticpilgrimage.org.

Pilgrimage events will include Masses, Eucharistic adoration and prayer, as well as service projects. All public events are free.

Supporting the Perpetual Pilgrims spiritually will be a “rotating cadre” of 30 Franciscan Friars of the Renewal. Father Roger Landry of the Diocese of Fall River, Massachusetts, plans to accompany the Seton Route pilgrims for the entire route.

“Following Jesus and praying through cities and rural towns is going to be life changing for the church across America,” Glemkowski said. “I personally cannot wait to participate in this pilgrimage!”

(Maria Wiering is senior writer for OSV News.)

NOTES: For details on the Southern route of the Eucharistic Pilgrimage traveling through the Diocese of Biloxi, visit https://biloxidiocese.org/eucharist.

To learn more about the National Eucharistic Revival, Congress and Pilgrimage visit: https://www.eucharisticcongress.org. Scholarships are available to the National Eucharistic Congress, visit https://www.eucharisticcongress.org/solidarity-fund for more information.

Briefs

NATION
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (OSV News) – Alabama lawmakers in both the state’s House and Senate Feb. 29 passed similar bills to implement legal protections to in vitro fertilization clinics following a ruling by that state’s Supreme Court that frozen embryos qualify as children under the state law’s wrongful death law. IVF is a form of fertility treatment opposed by the Catholic Church on the grounds that it often involves the destruction of human embryos, among other concerns. Both chambers passed similar bills, but they must reconcile their pieces of legislation before sending one to the governor’s desk. Republican Gov. Kay Ivey has signaled her support for protecting IVF in law. The ruling by the Alabama Supreme Court found that embryos are children under the state’s Wrongful Death of a Minor Act, a statute that allows parents of a deceased child to recover punitive damages for their child’s death. That ruling came in response to appeals brought by couples whose embryos were destroyed in 2020, when a hospital patient improperly removed frozen embryos from storage equipment, which they argued constituted a wrongful death. The judges found that under the law, parents’ ability to sue over the wrongful death of a minor child applies to unborn children, without an exception for “extrauterine children.” Though limited in scope, the ruling has created complex legal questions about what it entailed for IVF treatments in the state.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (OSV News) – A candidate for sainthood is inspiring Catholic Scouts in Illinois to earn a new patch while deepening their relationship with Christ in the Eucharist. The Catholic Committee on Scouting in the Diocese of Springfield has announced the creation of the Venerable Father Augustine Tolton Activity Patch, which honors the first recognized Black priest in the U.S. Requirements for the patch include learning about Tolton’s life, visiting a seminary or religious community to better understand vocational discernment, modeling Father Tolton’s patient disposition and engaging in prayer. Kyle Holtgrave, the diocese’s director for catechesis, said the inspiration for the Tolton patch came from the upcoming National Eucharistic Congress, set to take place in Indianapolis July 17-21 as the culmination of the three-year National Eucharistic Revival, a grassroots effort by the U.S. bishops to rekindle devotion to the Real Presence. Father Tolton, who persisted in his faith despite systemic racism and rejection, exemplified a love for the Eucharist – one that speaks to a new generation, said Holtgrave.

WASHINGTON (OSV News) – The ability of Catholic and other faith-based groups to “meet migrants’ basic human needs” at the U.S.-Mexico border is a religious liberty issue and must be defended, U.S. bishops said in recent statements. In a Feb. 26 statement issued in response to a lawsuit filed by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in an attempt to shut down Annunciation House, a Catholic nonprofit in El Paso serving migrants, Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades of Fort Wayne-South Bend, Indiana, chair of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee for Religious Liberty, expressed solidarity with faith-driven ministries to migrants. He noted the “strong tradition of religious liberty” in the U.S. “allows us to live out our faith in full,” and said that as “the tragic situation along our border with Mexico increasingly poses challenges for American communities and vulnerable persons alike, we must especially preserve the freedom of Catholics and other people of faith to assist their communities and meet migrants’ basic human needs.” Paxton’s suit targeting El Paso’s Annunciation House comes as some Republicans have grown increasingly hostile toward nongovernmental organizations, particularly Catholic ones, that provide resources such as food and shelter to migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border. Bishop Rhoades’ statement followed the Texas bishops’ Feb. 23 statement, which he praised for “expressing solidarity with those seeking simply to fulfill the fundamental biblical call: ‘whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.’”

An image taken with the near-infrared camera from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope shows the Ring Nebula Aug. 21, 2023. (CNS photo/courtesy ESA/Webb, NASA, CSA, M. Barlow, N. Cox, R. Wesson)

VATICAN
VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Orbiting the sun nearly 1 million miles from Earth, the James Webb Space Telescope is reshaping the way scientists understand the universe and its origins, a number of astronomers said at a Vatican-sponsored meeting. “The telescope is able to see things that prior telescopes just could not see,” Jonathan Lunine, a professor of astronomy and department chair at Cornell University, told Catholic News Service Feb. 28. It has such unprecedented power in terms of its sensitivity, wavelength range and image sharpness that it is “doing revolutionary things” and leading to exciting new discoveries in multiple fields, he said. Lunine, who is a planetary scientist and physicist, was one of nearly 50 experts in the field of astronomy attending a Feb. 27-29 workshop organized by the Pontifical Academy of Sciences to discuss the newest results from the Webb telescope. Launched Dec. 25, 2021, NASA’s latest space science observatory is the largest and most powerful space telescope ever built. It began sending full-color images and data back to Earth after it became fully operational in July 2022. NASA said on its Webb.nasa.gov page, “Telescopes show us how things were – not how they are right now,” which helps humanity “understand the origins of the universe.” “Webb is so sensitive it could theoretically detect the heat signature of a bumblebee at the distance of the Moon,” it said.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Crying out to God and demanding answers when one’s child dies is anything but a sign of a lack of faith, Pope Francis told a group of grieving Italian parents. “There is nothing worse than silencing pain, putting a silencer on suffering, removing traumas without facing them, as our world often encourages in its rush and numbness,” the pope said in a speech written for members of the “Talità Kum” Association from Vicenza, Italy. While the pope had an aide read his speech March 2 because he was suffering from bronchitis, he personally greeted each member of the group. In the text, the pope said he wanted to “offer a caress to your heart, broken and pierced like that of Jesus on the cross: a heart that is bleeding, a heart bathed in tears and torn apart by a heavy sense of emptiness.” The loss of a child is “an experience that defies theoretical descriptions and rejects the triviality of religious or sentimental words” or “sterile encouragements,” the text said. Recognizing that too often the pious phrases Christians offer to grieving parents do nothing to help and may just add to the pain, the pope said that the best response is “to imitate the emotion and compassion of Jesus in the face of pain,” not trying to minimize it, but to share it.

WORLD
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (OSV News) – As the wave of violence torments gang-decimated Haiti, six male religious, a lay teacher and a priest were kidnapped in two separate incidents Feb. 23 in Port-au-Prince, Haiti’s capital. The six members of the Congregation of the Brothers of the Sacred Heart were abducted on their way to the John XXIII School, which is run by the order. A teacher who was with them was also taken, the pontifical charity Aid to the Church in Need confirmed. “In view of this painful event, the John XXIII institution is closing its doors until further notice. The other institutions of the Brothers of the Sacred Heart throughout the country will continue the work of raising awareness among the new generation of the values of living together in harmony, with a view to the emergence of a new society that is more humane, more caring, and more united,” said the congregation in a statement sent to ACN. Only a few hours later, a priest was also kidnapped in Port-au-Prince. He was taken from his parish church, alongside some of the faithful, soon after celebrating morning Mass. Despite the tireless work of the church, clergy and religious have not been spared the violence of armed gangs.

DORI, Burkina Faso (OSV News) – At least 15 people were killed in an attack by gunmen on Catholics gathered for Sunday Mass in a Burkina Faso village Feb. 25, according to multiple news reports. Twelve Catholics were dead at the scene in the village of Essakane, with another three dying while being treated at a health center, and two others wounded, according to a statement from Bishop Laurent Birfuoré Dabiré of the Diocese of Dori in Northern Burkina Faso, which includes Essakane. “In these painful circumstances, we invite you to pray for the eternal rest of those who have died in the faith, for the healing of the wounded and for the consolation of sorrowful hearts,” the bishop said in the statement. “We also pray for the conversion of those who continue to sow death and desolation in our country. May our efforts of penance and prayer during this period of Lent bring peace and security to our country, Burkina Faso,” the bishop said. According to AP, no group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but jihadis who have perpetuated similar violence are suspected of carrying it out. Christians in Burkina Faso have been increasingly targeted in recent years by terrorist groups amid political and social upheaval.

Catholics must have religious liberty to ‘meet migrants’ basic human needs,’ bishops say

By Kate Scanlon , OSV News

WASHINGTON (OSV News) — The ability of Catholic and other faith-based groups to “meet migrants’ basic human needs” at the U.S.-Mexico border is a religious liberty issue and must be defended, U.S. bishops said in recent statements.

In a Feb. 26 statement issued in response to a lawsuit filed by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in an attempt to shut down Annunciation House, a Catholic nonprofit in El Paso serving migrants, Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades of Fort Wayne-South Bend, Indiana, chair of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee for Religious Liberty, expressed solidarity with faith-driven ministries to migrants.

Ruben Garcia, director of Annunciation House, attends a march to demand an end to the immigration policy called “Title 42” and to support the rights of migrants coming to the border in downtown El Paso, Texas, Jan. 7, 2023. (OSV News photo/Paul Ratje, Reuters)

“It is hard to imagine what our country would look like without the good works that people of faith carry out in the public square,” Bishop Rhoades said. “For this, we can thank our strong tradition of religious liberty, which allows us to live out our faith in full.”

Paxton’s suit targeting El Paso’s Annunciation House comes as some Republicans have grown increasingly hostile toward nongovernmental organizations, particularly Catholic ones, that provide resources such as food and shelter to migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border.

Bishop Rhoades said that as “the tragic situation along our border with Mexico increasingly poses challenges for American communities and vulnerable persons alike, we must especially preserve the freedom of Catholics and other people of faith to assist their communities and meet migrants’ basic human needs.”

Paxton’s office alleged Annunciation House’s efforts amount to “facilitating illegal entry to the United States” and “human smuggling.”

“The chaos at the southern border has created an environment where NGOs, funded with taxpayer money from the Biden Administration, facilitate astonishing horrors including human smuggling,” Paxton said in a statement. “While the federal government perpetuates the lawlessness destroying this country, my office works day in and day out to hold these organizations responsible for worsening illegal immigration.”

Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades of Fort Wayne-South Bend, Ind., is pictured during World Youth Day in Lisbon, Portugal, Aug. 2, 2023. Bishop Rhoades, chair of the U.S. bishops’ religious liberty committee, joined in solidarity with Texas’ bishops in support for Catholic and other faith-driven ministries whose religious liberty to serve migrants in obedience to the Gospel is under increasing attack. (OSV News photo/Bob Roller)

Catholic and local leaders in El Paso condemned that effort, including the city’s Bishop Mark J. Seitz, who pledged his diocese and the wider church will “vigorously defend the freedom of people of faith and goodwill to put deeply held religious convictions into practice” and “will not be intimidated in our work to serve Jesus Christ in our sisters and brothers fleeing danger and seeking to keep their families together.”

The Texas Catholic Conference of Bishops said in a Feb. 23 statement that the state’s bishops “join Bishop Mark Seitz of El Paso in expressing solidarity with ministry volunteers and people of faith who seek only to serve vulnerable migrants as our nation and state continue to pursue failed migration and border security policies.”

“Our border ministries are intended to be a stabilizing presence that protects both citizens and migrants,” their statement said. “The Catholic Church in Texas remains committed to praying and working for a secure border, to protect the vulnerable and for just immigration solutions to protect all human life.”

Bishop Rhoades commended the Texas bishops for “expressing solidarity with those seeking simply to fulfill the fundamental biblical call: ‘whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.'”

(Kate Scanlon is a national reporter for OSV News covering Washington. Follow her on X (formerly Twitter) @kgscanlon.)

Mundo en Fotos

La hermana Basiliana Lucia Murashko, que sirve a civiles ucranianos cerca de las líneas del frente de batalla con las fuerzas de ocupación rusas, es vista en la presentación del Premio Lumen Christi, de Catholic Extension el 22 de febrero de 2024, a las Hermanas Basilianas durante una ceremonia en Jenkintown, Pensilvania. (Noticias OSV/Gina Christian)
Un perro espera a que su dueño emita su voto en un colegio electoral en Charleston durante las primarias presidenciales republicanas de Carolina del Sur el 24 de febrero de 2024. (Foto de OSV News/Evelyn Hockstein, Reuters)
Esta iglesia parroquial en Nalweyo, Uganda, fue reemplazada por una iglesia de ladrillo y mortero con capacidad para 800 personas, inaugurada el 20 de junio de 2004. Una fotografía de esta cabaña de palos y barro, compartida en 2001 por una hermana religiosa ugandesa que enseñaba en la escuela de Blessed Trinity Parish Ocala, Florida, impulsó a los estudiantes a recaudar fondos para construir una “iglesia real” para la aldea de las hermanas. Tres años más tarde, la nueva iglesia se completó con $185,000 de la parroquia de Florida y el trabajo de los feligreses , que se convirtió en la Parroquia Blessed Trinity en Nalweyo. (Foto de OSV News/cortesía de la hermana Juliet Ateenyi Nakalema)
Una mujer recién casada apoya su cabeza en el hombro del Papa Francisco mientras saluda a la pareja al final de su audiencia general semanal en el Salón de Audiencias Pablo VI del Vaticano el 28 de febrero de 2024. (Foto CNS/Vatican Media)
Flores de un árbol afuera de una casa en Chesapeake Beach, Maryland, 30 de marzo de 2022. (Foto de OSV News/Bob Roller)

Más detalles de lo que se vivirá este Julio, en el Congreso Nacional Eucarístico

Por Maria Wiering, OSV News

(OSV News) — Las decenas de miles de católicos que planean asistir al 10º Congreso Eucarístico Nacional de cinco días en Indianápolis en julio experimentarán liturgias a gran escala, oradores dinámicos y oportunidades para orar en silencio y compartir la fe, con seis diferentes “sesiones de impacto” adaptadas a sus diferentes grupos o a su camino de fe.

Este es un mapa actualizado que muestra las cuatro rutas de la Peregrinación Eucarística Nacional al Congreso Eucarístico Nacional 2024. Los peregrinos que viajen en “caravanas eucarísticas” en las cuatro rutas comenzarán sus viajes con las celebraciones del fin de semana de Pentecostés el 17 y 18 de mayo de 2024, saliendo el 19 de mayo. Todos se darán el encuentro en Indianápolis el 16 de julio de 2024, la víspera de la inauguración del Congreso, que durará cinco días. (Ilustración de OSV News illustration/cortesía de National Eucharistic Congress)

Los líderes esperan que los asistentes se conviertan en “una levadura para la Iglesia en los Estados Unidos como misioneros eucarísticos que regresan a sus parroquias, pero también en una especie de reunión de personas que están de pie en la brecha, o en representación, para toda la Iglesia a través de los Estados Unidos, invitando a ese nuevo Pentecostés, y ese nuevo envío (de) sanación y vida plena”, dijo Tim Glemkowski, CEO del Congreso Eucarístico Nacional Inc., en una reunión con los medios de comunicación en enero.

El evento es la cumbre del Avivamiento Eucarístico Nacional, una iniciativa de tres años de los obispos estadounidenses para inspirar un amor más profundo por Jesús en la Eucaristía que comenzó en 2022. El avivamiento se centró su primer año en las diócesis, el segundo y el actual en las parroquias, y el último año, que comenzará después del congreso, en “salir en misión”.

Los líderes católicos describen al Congreso Eucarístico Nacional como potencialmente transformador para la Iglesia católica en Estados Unidos.

“Creo que este evento y la Peregrinación Eucarística Nacional que lo precede tendrán un impacto generacional en nuestro país”, escribió el obispo Andrew H. Cozzens de Crookston, Minnesota, y presidente del consejo del Congreso Eucarístico Nacional, en un comentario publicado por OSV News en enero.

El congreso se celebrará en el Lucas Oil Stadium, sede de los Indianapolis Colts, y en el Indianapolis Convention Center. El congreso se distingue de otras conferencias católicas porque “invita a toda la Iglesia a venir a rezar juntos por el avivamiento”, dijo Joel Stepanek, vicepresidente de programación y administración del Congreso Eucarístico Nacional.

“Vamos a reunirnos con los ahí presentes para rezar para que el Espíritu Santo caiga sobre nosotros, para rezar por el avivamiento de la Iglesia en Estados Unidos, para rezar por la sanación de nuestras propias vidas para que podamos ser misioneros eucarísticos, y lo haremos a través de poderosas experiencias de oración y con el aliento de unos maravillosos oradores principales”, dijo Stepanek.

La inscripción está abierta para todo el evento y para pases de un solo día en eucharisticcongress.org/register.

El tema del congreso se centra en el pasaje de Lucas 24, que describe el encuentro de Jesús con dos discípulos en el camino de Emaús tras su muerte y resurrección. Los discípulos no le reconocieron al principio, pero le escucharon explicar las Escrituras, para darse cuenta más tarde de que su compañero era Jesús durante la cena “al partir el pan”. Regresaron corriendo a Jerusalén para contar a los demás lo que habían visto.

El primer día, el miércoles 17 de julio, tiene por tema “Desde las cuatro esquinas”. Está previsto que el congreso comience a las 7 p.m. con una ceremonia de apertura en el Lucas Oil Stadium. Entre los oradores de la tarde figuran el obispo Cozzens, el cardenal Christophe Pierre, nuncio apostólico en Estados Unidos, y la hermana Bethany Madonna, Hermana de la Vida, superiora local y coordinadora de misiones de la fundación de las religiosas en Phoenix.

La segunda jornada, el jueves 18 de julio, tiene por tema: “La mayor historia de amor”. El programa de la mañana comienza con la Misa de las 8:30 a.m., con opciones para participar en inglés o español, y una Misa adicional para jóvenes.

A la Misa le siguen las sesiones de impacto, en las que los asistentes pueden elegir entre seis opciones con “predicación dinámica y música adaptada a su estado de vida y misión”, según la página web del congreso. Tras el almuerzo hay sesiones de trabajo y “experiencias especiales” adaptadas a grupos o intereses específicos.

La velada incluye una “sesión de avivamiento” de tres horas con el padre Francis “padre Rocky” Hoffman, CEO y director ejecutivo de Relevant Radio, que dirigirá un Rosario Familiar por América en directo desde el Lucas Oil Stadium. También intervendrá el padre Michael Schmitz, presentador del popular podcast “The Bible in a Year” (“La Biblia en un año”).

El tercer día, el viernes 19 de julio, tiene por tema “En Getsemaní”. El programa del viernes es idéntico al del jueves, con Misa por la mañana y sesiones de impacto, sesiones de trabajo por la tarde y una sesión de avivamiento por la noche con la oradora principal del Rosario en Familia por América, la hermana Josephine Garrett, de las Hermanas de la Sagrada Familia de Nazaret.

El cuarto día, el sábado 20 de julio, tiene como tema “Este es mi cuerpo”. El programa del sábado por la mañana y a primera hora de la tarde sigue el orden de los días anteriores. A media tarde, los asistentes formarán una gran procesión eucarística en el centro de Indianápolis, que Stepanek describió como “una experiencia profundamente impactante”.

Los visitantes aparecen en una fotografía de archivo mirando “La Última Cena” de Leonardo da Vinci en la pared del refectorio de la iglesia de Santa Maria delle Grazie en Milán, Italia. (Foto de OSV News/Stefano Rellandini, Reuters)

“Mucha gente que estará un sábado por la tarde en el centro de Indianápolis se encontrará con el Señor y recibirá el testimonio que tenemos, como comunidad católica, de oración y alegría en esa ciudad”, dijo. “Es realmente una de las mayores piezas de aspecto externo del congreso”.

La velada incluye una sesión de avivamiento en la que participarán el Rosario en Familia por América y los oradores mons. Robert E. Barron, obispo de Winona-Rochester, Minnesota; la madre Adela Galindo, fundadora de la orden religiosa Siervas de los Corazones Traspasados de Jesús y María y Apóstoles laicos de los Corazones Traspasados; y Gloria Purvis, presentadora de “The Gloria Purvis Podcast”. El músico Matt Maher dirigirá los momentos de culto.

El quinto día, domingo 21 de julio, tiene por tema “Hasta los confines del mundo”. El programa de la mañana comienza con una sesión de avivamiento con el conferenciante y autor Chris Stefanick, fundador y presidente de Real Life Catholic, seguida de la liturgia de clausura del avivamiento celebrada por un delegado papal, con la Orquesta Sinfónica de Indianápolis.

“Este es nuestro gran encargo como comunidad católica, en el que seguiremos adelante y llevaremos lo que se nos ha confiado como parte de esta experiencia de vuelta a nuestros hogares, nuestras comunidades, nuestras escuelas, nuestras parroquias y nuestras familias para ser realmente esa sal y levadura en el mundo que está necesitado de la alegría que vamos a llevar”, dijo Stepanek.

Los actos principales del congreso serán presentados por Montse Alvarado, presidenta y directora de operaciones de EWTN News; la hermana Miriam James Heidland, de la Sociedad de Nuestra Señora de la Santísima Trinidad; y el padre Josh Johnson, conferenciante, autor y sacerdote de la Diócesis de Baton Rouge, Luisiana. Dave Moore, cofundador de Catholic Music Initiative, pondrá música durante todo el congreso.

Las sesiones matinales de impacto previstas para los días 2 a 4 están organizadas en seis temas: Encounter, Encuentro, Empower, Renewal, Cultivate y Awaken. (Habrá sistemas de interpretación instantánea en varios idiomas, según los organizadores.)

“Encounter” es el conjunto de sesiones generales celebradas en el Lucas Oil Stadium. Con un enfoque en la profundización de la relación de una persona con Jesús en la Eucaristía, contará con oradores como Katie Prejean McGrady, la hermana Mary Grace Langrell, Mary Healy, Edward Sri y el Diácono Harold Burke-Sivers.

Las sesiones del Encuentro son en español, con ponentes como el obispo Daniel E. Flores de Brownsville, Texas; el arzobispo Gustavo García-Siller de San Antonio; Andrés Arango; Mabel Suárez; Kathia Arango; y Dora Tobar.

Las sesiones “Empower” están diseñadas para ser más pequeñas y “más íntimas”, con un enfoque en herramientas prácticas para convertirse en un “misionero eucarístico” en la propia comunidad. Entre los ponentes figuran el diácono Larry y Andi Oney, el padre John Burns, Chika Anyanwu, el obispo auxiliar de Nueva York Joseph A. Espaillat, Meg Hunter-Kilmer y Paul Albert.

Las sesiones de “Renewal” están dirigidas a personas que trabajan o son voluntarias en una parroquia, diócesis u otro ministerio “para explorar posibilidades nuevas y creativas de acompañamiento, evangelización y catequesis”, según la página web del congreso. Entre los ponentes figuran Damon Owens, Sarah Kaczmarek, Julianne Stanz y Curtis Martin.

Las sesiones “Cultivate” están pensadas para que las familias asistan juntas, con ponentes como el Padre Leo Patalinghug y Ennie y Cana Hickman. Las sesiones “Awaken” están pensadas para jóvenes de secundaria, con sesiones en gran grupo por las mañanas y sesiones más reducidas por las tardes. Entre los oradores figuran Oscar Rivera, Brian Greenfield y Jackie Francois Angel. Los adolescentes que asistan a las sesiones deben formar parte de un grupo de jóvenes o ir acompañados por uno de sus padres o un tutor.

El congreso también incluirá una sala de exposiciones y una muestra de una réplica de la Sábana Santa de Turín (el Santo Sudario), exposiciones de arte, oportunidades para la confesión y la adoración, y actuaciones musicales.

Se ve una vista detallada de la Sábana Santa de Turín en la Catedral de San Juan Bautista en Turín, Italia. En una conferencia de prensa celebrada el 8 de febrero de 2024 en la Exposición Nacional de la Sábana Santa de Turín en Washington, David Rolfe, un productor de documentales británico, anunció un premio de desafío de 1 millón de dólares para cualquiera que pueda recrear la Sábana Santa de Turín utilizando únicamente herramientas y técnicas. del siglo XIV. (Foto CNS/Paul Haring)

Antes de que la gente se de cita en este congreso, tendrá lugar la Peregrinación Eucarística Nacional, una peregrinación de dos meses que comenzará en cuatro puntos distintos de EE.UU. y en la que grupos de peregrinos se dirigirán principalmente a Indianápolis con la Eucaristía en una custodia. El acto de apertura del congreso incluirá a peregrinos de las cuatro rutas que convergerán en una procesión hasta el estadio.

Glemkowski dijo que el congreso comparte el objetivo del avivamiento: “la idea de que necesitamos un movimiento espiritual de Dios en nuestra Iglesia para llevar a cabo el avivamiento en este tiempo”.

“Los obispos han inaugurado proféticamente o invitado a la Iglesia a este tiempo de encuentro con Jesús, un encuentro profundizado con Jesús en la Eucaristía, que tiene todo que ver con la creencia y la relación y lo que … (San) John Henry Newman llamaría ‘asentimiento real’ — un don sacrificial de tu corazón a Jesús en la Eucaristía que da frutos para la vida del mundo”.

Los congresos eucarísticos a gran escala han formado parte del tejido de la devoción en la Iglesia Católica durante casi 150 años, y siguen convocándose regularmente por las diócesis de Estados Unidos y en otros países. El 10º Congreso Eucarístico Nacional es el primer congreso eucarístico que se celebra en Estados Unidos desde hace 83 años, ya que el congreso nacional más reciente tuvo lugar en St. Paul, Minnesota, en 1941.

El primer congreso eucarístico nacional de Estados Unidos se celebró en 1895 en Washington, y los siguientes congresos han tenido lugar en San Luis, Nueva York, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Omaha, Cleveland y Nueva Orleans.
Estados Unidos acogió también dos Congresos Eucarísticos Internacionales, en 1926 en Chicago y en 1976 en Filadelfia. El congreso de Filadelfia atrajo a 1,5 millones de personas, entre ellas figuras católicas fundamentales como Santa Teresa de Calcuta, Dorothy Day y un futuro Papa, San Juan Pablo II. Quito, Ecuador, acogerá en septiembre el 53º Congreso Eucarístico Internacional.

El entonces Papa Juan Pablo II firma su nueva encíclica, “Ecclesia de Eucharistia”, instando a los católicos a observar estrictamente la importancia tradicional del sacramento de la Eucaristía. El pontífice firmó la carta al comienzo del servicio vespertino del Jueves Santo en la Basílica de San Pedro el 17 de abril de 2003. (Foto de OSV News/Max Rossi, Reuters)

Maria Wiering es escritora sénior de OSV News.

Obispos: Los católicos deben tener libertad religiosa para ‘satisfacer las necesidades humanas básicas de los migrantes’

Por Kate Scanlon, OSV News

WASHINGTON (OSV News) — La capacidad de los grupos católicos y otros grupos religiosos para “satisfacer las necesidades humanas básicas de los migrantes” en la frontera entre EE.UU. y México es una cuestión de libertad religiosa y debe ser defendida, dijeron obispos de EE.UU. en declaraciones recientes.

En una declaración emitida el 26 de febrero en respuesta a una demanda presentada por el fiscal general de Texas, Ken Paxton, en un intento de cerrar Annunciation House (Casa Anunciación), una organización católica sin ánimo de lucro de El Paso que presta servicios a los inmigrantes, el obispo Kevin C. Rhoades de Fort Wayne-South Bend, Indiana, presidente del Comité de Libertad Religiosa de la Conferencia de los Obispos Católicos de EE.UU., expresó su solidaridad con los ministerios religiosos que ayudan a los inmigrantes.

“Es difícil imaginar cómo sería nuestro país sin las buenas obras que las personas de fe llevan a cabo en la plaza pública”, dijo el obispo Rhoades. “Por ello, podemos dar las gracias a nuestra sólida tradición de libertad religiosa, que nos permite vivir nuestra fe en plenitud”.

La demanda de Paxton contra la Casa de la Anunciación de El Paso se produce cuando algunos republicanos se han vuelto cada vez más hostiles hacia las organizaciones no gubernamentales, en particular algunas organizaciones católicas, que proporcionan recursos como alimentos y refugio a los migrantes en la frontera entre Estados Unidos y México.

Rubén García, director de la Casa de la Anunciación, asiste a una marcha para exigir el fin de la política de inmigración llamada “Título 42” y apoyar los derechos de los migrantes que llegan a la frontera en el centro de El Paso, Texas, el 7 de enero de 2023. (OSV Foto de noticias/Paul Ratje, Reuters)

El obispo Rhoades dijo que a medida que “la trágica situación a lo largo de nuestra frontera con México plantea cada vez más desafíos para las comunidades estadounidenses y las personas vulnerables por igual, debemos preservar especialmente la libertad de los católicos y otras personas de fe para ayudar a sus comunidades y satisfacer las necesidades humanas básicas de los migrantes”.

La oficina de Paxton alegó que los esfuerzos de Annunciation House equivalen a “facilitar la entrada ilegal en Estados Unidos” y al “contrabando de personas”.

“El caos en la frontera sur ha creado un entorno en el que las ONG, financiadas con dinero de los contribuyentes de la Administración Biden, facilitan horrores asombrosos, incluido el contrabando de personas”, dijo Paxton en un comunicado. “Mientras el Gobierno federal perpetúa la anarquía que destruye este país, mi oficina trabaja día tras día para responsabilizar a estas organizaciones del empeoramiento de la inmigración ilegal”.

Líderes católicos y locales de El Paso condenaron ese esfuerzo, incluido el obispo de la ciudad, el obispo Mark J. Seitz, quien prometió que su diócesis y la Iglesia en general “defenderán enérgicamente la libertad de las personas de fe y buena voluntad para poner en práctica convicciones religiosas profundamente arraigadas” y “no nos dejaremos intimidar en nuestra labor de servir a Jesucristo en nuestras hermanas y hermanos que huyen del peligro y buscan mantener unidas a sus familias”.

Una joven activista participa en una vigilia contra presuntos abusos cometidos por la Patrulla Fronteriza de EE. UU. afuera del refugio para migrantes Annunciation House en El Paso, Texas, el 22 de febrero de 2020. Sostiene un cartel en español que se traduce al inglés como “No somos una carga pública.” (Foto de OSV News/José Luis González, Reuters)

La Conferencia de Obispos Católicos de Texas dijo en una declaración del 23 de febrero que los obispos del estado “se unen al obispo Mark Seitz de El Paso para expresar su solidaridad con los voluntarios del ministerio y las personas de fe que sólo buscan servir a los migrantes vulnerables mientras nuestra nación y nuestro estado continúan persiguiendo políticas migratorias y de seguridad fronteriza fallidas”.

“Nuestros ministerios fronterizos pretenden ser una presencia estabilizadora que proteja tanto a los ciudadanos como a los migrantes”, dice su declaración. “La Iglesia católica en Texas sigue comprometida a rezar y trabajar por una frontera segura, para proteger a los vulnerables y por soluciones migratorias justas que protejan toda vida humana”.

El pbispo Rhoades elogió a los obispos de Texas por “expresar solidaridad con aquellos que buscan simplemente cumplir con el llamado bíblico fundamental: cuanto hicisteis a unos de estos hermanos míos más pequeños, a mí me lo hicisteis'”.

Por su parte, la Dimensión Episcopal de la Pastoral de Movilidad Humana de Conferencia del Episcopado Mexicano, expresó su solidaridad con Casa Anunciación, e invitó al fiscal a retirar la demanda y a comprometerse en “la defensa de los derechos de las personas migrantes que son víctimas de redes criminales que operan impunemente en el estado de Texas”.

“Criminalizar instituciones como la Casa Anunciación acusándola de tráfico de personas sienta precedentes lamentablemente peligrosos, para condenar las obras de caridad realizadas por cualquier persona u organización, impidiendo mediante argumentos judiciales a las personas poder obrar el bien”, dijo la comisión en su declaración, publicada en X.


Why the ‘Passion’? What’s Tenebrae? And why does Easter’s date change? A short Holy Week FAQ

By Lorene Hanley Duquin

(OSV News) — Sometimes the words we use in Holy Week and Easter feel so familiar we don’t consider their origins. Same for the date of Easter, which changes from year to year. The following is a quick FAQ guide to Catholics’ Holy Week vocabulary and key history.

Q. Why do we use the word “Passion” to describe the suffering of Jesus?

A. The word “Passion” comes from the Latin word for suffering. When referring to the events leading up to the death of Jesus, we often capitalize the word “Passion” to differentiate from the modern meaning of the word with its romantic overtones.

Q. Why do some parishes cover the cross and statues during Holy Week?

A. Before 1970 it was customary to cover crosses and statues during the last two weeks of Lent. After 1970, the practice was left up to the discretion of each diocese. In 1995, the U.S. bishops’ liturgy committee gave individual parishes permission to reinstate the practice on their own.

Q. What is Tenebrae?

Mary and St. John stand at the foot of cross in this depiction of Christ’s crucifixion at Holy Family Church in Ramallah, West Bank. (OSV News photo/Debbie Hill)

A. The word “tenebrae” comes from the Latin word meaning “shadows” or “darkness.” It was originally the name given to somber parts of the Liturgy of the Hours that are chanted in monasteries on the last three days of Holy Week. The tone of the prayers is filled with sorrow and desolation. At various points during a Tenebrae service, candles are extinguished and there is a cacophony of noise, which evokes feelings of betrayal, abandonment, pain, sadness, and darkness associated with the crucifixion and death of Jesus. Parishes sometimes offer Tenebrae services during Holy Week.

Q. Why do we call it “Good Friday”?

A. In the English language the term “Good Friday” probably evolved from “God’s Friday” in the same way that “goodbye” evolved from “God be with you.”

Q. Why do some parishes celebrate the Good Friday liturgy in the afternoon and others in the evening?

A. Ideally, the liturgy should take place at 3 p.m. However, in order to encourage more people to attend, the liturgy can take place later in the evening, but never after 9 p.m.

Q. What is Pascha?

A. The word “Pascha,” or “Pasch,” comes from the Greek word for the Passover. The early Christians used the word to describe the resurrection of Jesus as the Christian Passover. Today, we sometimes refer to the death and resurrection of Jesus as the Paschal Mystery, which is derived from the word Pasch. Orthodox Christians still use the word Pascha when referring to Easter.

Q. Who decides the date of Easter?

A. In 325, the Council of Nicaea decreed that Easter would be celebrated on the Sunday following the first full moon after the spring equinox. It can occur as early as March 22 or as late as April 25.

(Lorene Hanley Duquin is a Catholic author and lecturer who has worked in parishes and on a diocesan level.)

The definitive guide to Holy Week

By Lorene Hanley Duquin

(OSV News) — What are you doing for Holy Week?

It’s OK if your Holy Week list includes coloring eggs, cleaning and baking for Easter, shopping for new outfits, traveling to a relative’s home or going on a spring vacation. There’s nothing wrong with secular Easter activities.

But it’s important to keep in mind that there is also a profound spiritual basis for the holiday celebration.

Holy Week begins with Palm Sunday and ends at sundown on Easter Sunday.

Our remembrance of the events surrounding the death and resurrection of Jesus makes Holy Week the most sacred time of the year for Catholics.

How will you balance the sacred part of Holy Week with all of the other things you will be doing? All of it is important in your life and in the lives of your family members. But keeping a balance between the spiritual and the secular will require a little planning on your part.

Start by making a list of everything that needs to be done during Holy Week. Then block out time in your busy calendar for attending Holy Week liturgies. Be sure to set aside specific times every day during the week for Lenten devotions, quiet prayer, Scripture reading and meditation.

Your greatest temptation will be scrimping on your spiritual needs because there is so much going on! If you let that happen, your Easter celebration may look perfect on the surface, but will feel spiritually unsatisfying.

— Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion

Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion, the Sixth Sunday of Lent, marks the beginning of Holy Week. The Mass on this day commemorates the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem when people waved palm branches and shouted “Hosanna.”

Before Mass begins, palms are blessed, and there is a procession that symbolizes the beginning of the spiritual journey into the Paschal Mystery that will unfold throughout Holy Week.

During the Mass, the full Gospel account of the passion and death of Jesus is read. The priest usually takes the lines attributed to Jesus. Several lectors take other parts. The people in the pews read the lines attributed to the crowd.

The Mass continues with the celebration of the Eucharist.

People are encouraged to take the blessed palm branches home where they can be fashioned into crosses or placed behind a crucifix.

The blessed palms that are left in the church are burned and used for ashes the following year on Ash Wednesday.

— Monday of Holy Week

The Gospel reading this day, John 12:1-11, recalls the woman who anointed Jesus with oil.

— Tuesday of Holy Week

Today’s Gospel — John 13:21-33, 36-38 — offers a hint of the events to come as Jesus predicts the betrayal of Judas and the denial of Peter.

— Wednesday of Holy Week

This day is traditionally referred to as “Spy Wednesday” because it recalls the decision of Judas to betray Jesus for 30 pieces of silver.

— The chrism Mass

During Holy Week, bishops bless sacred oils in the diocesan cathedral at a special liturgy known as the chrism Mass.

The oil of chrism is used during baptisms, confirmation, ordination and the consecration of altars. The oil of catechumens is used at the Easter Vigil. The oil of the sick is used to anoint people during the sacrament of the anointing of the sick.

The oils are then distributed to the parishes for sacramental celebrations throughout the year.

As part of the liturgical reforms of Vatican II, the renewal of priestly promises was incorporated into the chrism Mass.

The chrism Mass is an ancient celebration that traditionally takes place on Holy Thursday morning. But in recent years, many dioceses celebrate the chrism Mass on an evening earlier in Holy Week so that more people can attend.

— Holy Thursday Mass of the Lord’s Supper

The Mass of the Lord’s Supper commemorates the Passover meal that Jesus shared in the Upper Room with the apostles on the night before he died. Before the meal, he washed their feet to impress upon them the call to serve others. The church recognizes the Last Supper as the institution of the Sacrament of Holy Orders.

During the meal, Jesus also instituted the Eucharist by transforming bread and wine into his own body and blood.

After the meal, Jesus went to Gethsemane where he suffered the agony in the garden, the betrayal of Judas and the brutality of being arrested.

The Mass of the Last Supper is a dramatic liturgy with the priest washing the feet of 12 parishioners.

After Communion, the altar and sanctuary are stripped and there is a procession with the Blessed Sacrament, which is taken to a separate altar of repose, usually located on a side altar or in a chapel. There is no dismissal or final blessing. It is the last time the Eucharist will be celebrated until the Easter Vigil.

People leave in silence, but continue to keep a vigil with Jesus in their hearts in anticipation of the events that will take place on the next day.

— Good Friday

The Celebration of the Lord’s Passion on Good Friday is a somber service that commemorates the crucifixion, death and burial of Jesus. Because it is considered a continuation from the night before, the liturgy begins in silence. The priest enters and lies prostrate at the foot of the altar.

The service begins with the Liturgy of the Word, which includes a reading about the suffering servant in Isaiah, a psalm, a reading from the book of Hebrews, and the account of the passion and death of Jesus from the Gospel of John. During this part of the liturgy there are special prayers for all the people in the world.

The second part of the liturgy is the veneration of the cross, an ancient practice that allows each person to touch or kiss the instrument of torture that leads to salvation.

The third part of the liturgy is a Communion service with hosts that were consecrated the night before. Afterward, the tabernacle is left empty and open. The lamp or candle usually situated next to the tabernacle, denoting the presence of Christ, is extinguished.

People leave the church in silence, but continue to keep a vigil with Jesus, who has entered the tomb and will rise on the third day.

— Good Friday fasting regulations

Only one full meal is permitted on Good Friday for Catholics between 18 and 59. Two smaller meals are allowed, but they should not equal a second full meal. Drinking coffee, tea and water between meals is allowed, but eating snacks between meals is not.

All Catholics who have reached the age of 14 must abstain from meat on Good Friday.

— Easter Vigil

In the first century, the early Christians celebrated every Sunday in commemoration of the resurrection of Jesus. By the second century, they established a particular day for the celebration of the resurrection, which was connected to the Jewish Passover.

Their observance began at sundown on Saturday evening. They called it the Night of the Great Vigil, a time of remembrance and expectation that lasted throughout the night so they could sing “alleluia” at dawn on Easter morning. It was during the Night of the Great Vigil that new Christians were received into the church.

By the fourth century, it became customary for people to make pilgrimages to Jerusalem to celebrate what was called the “Great Week,” which included Holy Thursday, Good Friday, the Easter Vigil and Easter Sunday. The diary of a woman named Egeria in 381 contains the first accounts of the special rites, prayers and devotions that took place in Jerusalem during the Great Week.

Over time, the practice of observing Holy Week spread throughout the Christian world, with prayers, historical re-enactments and special liturgies. During the Middle Ages, the celebration of the Easter Vigil gradually fell out of practice. The important days of the week were Palm Sunday, Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday.

In 1955, the Vatican reestablished the Easter Vigil as an important part of Holy Week observances.

During the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965), the bishops called for the restoration of the early Christian rituals for receiving new Christians into the church at the Easter Vigil. In 1988, the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults was issued.

Today, the Easter Vigil begins the Easter fire, the lighting of the paschal candle, the reading of salvation history, the celebration of the sacraments of initiation for catechumens and renewal of baptismal promises for the faithful is once again an integral part of Holy Week celebrations.

As with Good Friday, the celebration begins in silence with people waiting in darkness.

The first part of the Vigil is the Light Service, which begins outdoors with the Easter fire and the lighting of the paschal candle. The candle is carried into the dark church as a symbol of the Light of Christ, a powerful reminder that Jesus is light in the darkness.

The individual candles, held by people in the pews, are lit from the paschal candle. By the time the procession reaches the altar, the church is bathed in candlelight.

The Exultet, an ancient song of proclamation that gives thanks and praise to God, is sung.
During the Liturgy of the Word, Scripture readings and psalms help people reflect on all of the wonderful things God has done throughout salvation history.

Then the baptismal water is blessed, the candidates and catechumens receive the sacraments of initiation, and the congregation renews baptismal vows.

During the Liturgy of the Eucharist, people share in the body and blood of Christ.

The mystery and ritual of the Easter Vigil touch the deepest part of people’s souls with elements of darkness, light, silence, music, fire, water and oil, along with bread and wine that become the body and blood of the risen Lord. They are reminded that new life in Christ can never be overcome by darkness or death.

— Easter Sunday

For the early Christians, the celebration of Masses on Easter morning developed as a way to accommodate people who were unable to attend the Easter Vigil.

Today, Easter Sunday Masses are joy-filled celebrations of the risen Lord with the singing of the Gloria and alleluias, the renewal of baptismal vows, and a sprinkling with Easter water. After sharing in the Eucharist, people go forth strengthened in faith to serve the Lord and one another.

Easter Sunday marks the beginning of the Easter season, which will last the next 50 days and include the celebration of Jesus’ ascension and the descent of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost.

(Lorene Hanley Duquin is a Catholic author and lecturer who has worked in parishes and on a diocesan level.)

Give alms and financially fast this Lent

By Phil Lenahan , OSV News

(OSV News) — In word and deed, Pope Francis continues to encourage Catholics to reach out to the poor and not succumb to a consumerist mentality where what we have is deemed more important than who we are. The season of Lent provides a special opportunity to take the Holy Father’s words to heart and live them out more fully.

Lent is a time to meditate more deeply on the life of Christ, especially on his passion and crucifixion. By better understanding and appreciating the love he has for us, the more able we are to respond to him with love.

U.S. dollars are seen in this illustration photo. (OSV News photo/Yuriko Nakao, Reuters)

The church provides traditional Lenten practices that help us focus on our relationship with Christ. “The seasons and days of penance in the course of the liturgical year (Lent, and each Friday in memory of the death of the Lord) are intense moments of the church’s penitential practice,” according to the Catechism of the Catholic Church. “These times are particularly appropriate for spiritual exercises, penitential liturgies, pilgrimages as signs of penance, voluntary self-denial such as fasting and almsgiving, and fraternal sharing (charitable and missionary works)” (No. 1438).

While the primary emphasis of these practices are spiritual, you will be surprised at how much they enhance your ability to fulfill your daily responsibilities as well — not just during Lent but throughout the year. Since my focus is on personal finances, I’d like to discuss how two of these practices can assist you in becoming a better steward of providence.

The first is fasting. One of the most common difficulties Americans have with their finances is living beyond their means. This tendency is linked to our fallen nature. The catechism describes it this way: “Our thirst for another’s goods is immense, infinite, never quenched” (No. 2536).

The ramifications of our overspending are great and are apparent at the national, state, local and personal levels. Overspending leads to a failure to save, leaving future obligations unfunded. It also leads to unproductive debt, which creates major obstacles to having a successful financial future.

Fasting provides a discipline that helps us corral this tendency to overspend. It promotes temperance, which “is the moral virtue that moderates the attraction of pleasures and provides balance in the use of created goods. It ensures the will’s mastery over instincts and keeps desires within the limits of what is honorable” (CCC, No. 1809).

While the church requires fasting on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, many faithful practice it on a more regular basis. They recognize how it builds their character not only in the virtue of temperance, but in other virtues as well.

The second Lenten practice I want to touch on is almsgiving. Generosity is a key part of our Christian journey, having a direct impact on our relationship with God and neighbor. With American Catholics giving about 1% of their income to charity, it’s clear that our practice is to give from what’s left over rather than following the Scriptural principle of giving from our first fruits (Prv 3:9).

Renewing our commitment to almsgiving in a special way during Lent stretches our ability to love. Tobit 12:8-9 says, “It is better to give alms than to store up gold, for almsgiving saves from death, and purges all sin.”

Just as fasting strengthens the virtue of temperance, almsgiving builds the virtue of charity. I encourage you to make both of these practices part of your Lenten plan in a meaningful way. Most importantly, they will lead to spiritual closeness with our Lord. Secondarily, they will help you become a more effective manager of your finances and a better steward of providence. Those are benefits worth pursuing throughout the year!

(Phil Lenahan is chief financial officer and treasurer of Catholic Answers.)