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Moving beyond mistakes and weaknesses

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IN EXILE
By Father Ron Rolheiser, OMI
The excusable doesn’t need to be excused and the inexcusable cannot be excused.
Michael Buckley wrote those words and they contain an important challenge. We’re forever trying to make excuses for things we need not make excuses for and are forever trying to excuse the inexcusable. Neither is necessary. Or helpful.

Father Ron Rolheiser, OMI

We can learn a lesson from how Jesus dealt with those who betrayed him. A prime example is the apostle Peter, specially chosen and named the very rock of the apostolic community. Peter was an honest man with a childlike sincerity, a deep faith, and he, more than most others, grasped the deeper meaning of who Jesus was and what his teaching meant. Indeed, it was he who in response to Jesus’ question (Who do you say I am?) replied, “You are the Christ, the son of the Living God.” Yet minutes after that confession Jesus had to correct Peter’s false conception of what that meant and then rebuke him for trying to deflect him from his very mission. More seriously, it was Peter who, within hours of an arrogant boast that though all others would betray Jesus, he alone would remain faithful, betrayed Jesus three times, and this in Jesus’ most needy hour.
Later we are privy to the conversation Jesus has with Peter vis-à-vis those betrayals. What’s significant is that he doesn’t ask Peter to explain himself, doesn’t excuse Peter, and doesn’t say things like: “You weren’t really yourself! I can understand how anyone might be very frightened in that situation! I can empathize, I know what fear can do to you!” None of that. The excusable doesn’t need to be excused and the inexcusable cannot be excused. In Peter’s betrayal, as in our own betrayals, there’s invariably some of both, the excusable and the inexcusable.
So what does Jesus do with Peter? He doesn’t ask for an explanation, doesn’t ask for an apology, doesn’t tell Peter that it is okay, doesn’t offer excuses for Peter, and doesn’t even tell Peter that he loves him. Instead he asks Peter: “Do you love me?” Peter answers yes – and everything moves forward from there.
Everything moves forward from there. Everything can move forward following a confession of love, not least an honest confession of love in the wake of a betrayal. Apologies are necessary (because that’s taking ownership of the fault and the weakness so as to lift it completely off the soul of the one who was betrayed) but excuses are not helpful. If the action was not a betrayal, no excuse is necessary; if it was, no excuse absolves it. An excuse or an attempt at one serves two purposes, neither of them good. First, it serves to rationalize and justify, none of which is helpful to the betrayed or the betrayer. Second, it weakens the apology and makes it less than clean and full, thus not lifting the betrayal completely off the soul of the one who has been betrayed; and, because of that, is not as helpful an expression of love as is a clear, honest acknowledgement of our betrayal and an apology which attempts no excuse for its weakness and betrayal.
What love asks of us when we are weak is an honest, non-rationalized, admission of our weakness along with a statement from the heart: “I love you!” Things can move forward from there. The past and our betrayal are not expunged, nor excused; but, in love, we can live beyond them. To expunge, excuse, or rationalize is to not live in the truth; it is unfair to the one betrayed since he or she bears the consequences and scars.
Only love can move us beyond weakness and betrayal and this is an important principle not just for those instances in life when we betray and hurt a loved one, but for our understanding of life in general. We’re human, not divine, and as such are beset, congenitally, body and mind, with weaknesses and inadequacies of every sort. None of us, as St. Paul graphically says in his Epistle to the Romans, ever quite measure up. The good we want to do, we end up not doing, and the evil we want to avoid, we habitually end up doing. Some of this, of course, is understandable, excusable, just as some of it is inexcusable, save for the fact that we’re humans and partially a mystery to ourselves. Either way, at the end of the day, no justification or excuses are asked for (or helpful).
We don’t move forward in relationship by telling either God or someone we have hurt: “You have to understand! In that situation, what else was I to do too? I didn’t mean to hurt you, I was just too weak to resist!” That’s neither helpful, nor called for. Things move forward when we, without excuses, admit weakness, and apologize for betrayal. Like Peter when asked three times by Jesus: “Do you love me?” from our hearts we need to say: “You know everything, you know that I love you.”

(Oblate Father Ron Rolheiser, theologian, teacher and award-winning author, is President of the Oblate School of Theology in San Antonio, Texas. He can be contacted through his website www.ronrolheiser.com.)

Following Jesus requires action

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“While you are proclaiming peace with your lips, be careful to have it even more fully
in your heart.”

St. Francis of Assisi

Kneading Faith
By Fran Lavelle
We are amid a very divisive and heated political election cycle. The flames of division are stoked daily by news outlets, social media, family dinner tables, and yes, even the church. We seek validation of our political agendas by quoting people we respect, often political and religious leaders. I have threatened for years that I am going to write a book entitled, “If we are all right, who’s left?” That is to say that we cannot all be right, all the time. I believe that having deeply held beliefs is a good thing. What we cannot afford to do is judge and dismiss those who think differently than we do. Or worse yet alienate people because we do not see the issues through the same lens, especially those who are members of our family.

We just celebrated the Feast Day of St. Francis of Assisi a few days ago. Imagery of St. Francis evokes a sense of serenity and peace. He is often featured with deer and forest creatures in painted works and in carvings and statutes there is often a bird on his shoulder or in his hand. He is the patron of animals, merchants and the environment. But he is also well known for a prayer he wrote simply known as the St. Francis prayer. In 1967 the prayer was adapted by Third Order Franciscan and South African songwriter Sebastian Temple. The song is literally part of the soundtrack of my Catholic upbringing. I am certain some of you are humming the familiar tune now. Perhaps the familiarity of the prayer and song has overtime cheapened the message. It begins, “Make me an instrument of your peace … where there is hatred let me sow love.” Notice, St. Francis used the word “instrument.” Miriam Webster defines instrument as a means whereby something is achieved, performed, or furthered. When we pray this prayer, we are asking God to use us to fight the agency of hatred, injury, doubt, despair, darkness and sadness. Further we are asking God to replace them with acts of love, forgiveness, faith, hope, light and joy. If I offer myself as an instrument of His peace, I need to mean it.

In thinking about St. Francis and his feast day, I asked myself how I am doing with the challenge of this prayer. I joke that I am Jesuit trained but hold a deep Franciscan spirituality much like another Francis (wink). There is a great gift in the blending of these two powerful spiritualities.

St. Francis offers a reminder that we are to be instruments, that is we are to be used to make peace. St. Ignatius offers a tool to help us assess how we are doing. In Ignatian spirituality one is asked to perform a daily examen, a review of one’s day if you will. The examen utilizes time set aside for reflection on where God is in your everyday life. There are five steps: offer thanks to God, ask the Holy Spirit for light to see what God is revealing to us, review the day, face your shortcomings, and look toward the day to come. For sure, I fall short. Sometimes my ego gets in the way. Sometimes it is my pride. But as in all growth, awareness is the first step to change.

The spirituality of St. Francis and St. Ignatius both offer great resources to help us navigate an increasingly divisive culture. Following Jesus is not merely an intellectual pursuit. Following Jesus requires action.

While none of us are perfect in this pursuit we are called to live out our faith in word and deed. That brings me back to the contentious political environment we are living in. How do we communicate that we are a Christians? Do our conversations and posts on social media reflect Jesus and his teachings? Our words matter. Are we instruments of love, forgiveness, faith, hope, light and joy? If not, are we adding to the hatred, injury, doubt, despair, darkness and sadness that the world already possesses too much of? I am reminded of a story and quote that I first heard in a homily. It is a fitting reminder that our words matter.

In 1977, Frank Outlaw the president of the Bi-Lo stores is attributed in a Texas newspaper to having said, “Watch your thoughts, they become words. Watch your words, they become actions. Watch your actions, they become habits. Watch your habits, they become character. Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.”

Let your words and your light shine that you may illuminate a path for others to follow that they too may reflect Christ. Be kind to one another, after all we belong to the same Father.

(Fran Lavelle is the Director of Faith Formation for the Diocese of Jackson)

The Gospel of Life in Ordinary Times

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ON ORDINARY TIMES
By Lucia A. Silecchia

Respect Life Month is an annual October opportunity to recommit to respecting the unique dignity of each human being, made in the likeness of God and created with an irreplaceable part in the human family that no other will ever fill. This year’s theme, “Living the Gospel of Life,” invites a thank you note to all those who live this “Gospel of Life” in their ordinary times by welcoming the most vulnerable. So …

Lucia A. Silecchia

Thank you to the elderly couple with full hearts and an overflowing basement bursting with the cribs, strollers, clothes, diapers, formula and toys they collect for expectant mothers in need. They know what may seem small never is.

Thank you to the man who sits in a quiet bar while his friend confides that his wife is pregnant with their fifth child and he just lost his job. Hearing this despair and knowing the desperate thoughts that fill the fearful father’s mind, this loyal friend pledges his support. He means it. This friendship means the world and can save a life – or two.

Thank you to the high school teacher with the picture-perfect family life who consoles a student facing an unexpected pregnancy and fearing her bright future is lost. After the standard words of encouragement fail, this teacher takes a deep breath and confides in her student what she has always kept private: “I was once there too.”

Thank you to the woman who carries her child for months, knowing she will place her greatest treasure into the heart and home of another family. She also knows this great act of love will exhaust her body and break her heart in ways few will understand.

Thank you to the parents with full hearts and empty arms who adopt children and raise them with a love that, in turn, inspires others to see the beautiful gift of adoption and continue this circle of selfless, aching love.

Thank you to friends who console a mother who miscarries her child. They understand this grief is deep and raw because a life has ended. So, they do not blithely say “it’s better this way” or “you’ll have another” because they know far more than a dream or a hope died within.

Thank you to those who speak kindly and with respect for women who give birth to and raise children in less than perfect circumstances. The children in their lives will overhear them – and remember their words more than anyone will ever know.

Thank you to all who dedicate their lives to caring for, teaching, employing and advocating for those who live with disabilities. In the opportunities you provide, families facing an unexpected pre-natal diagnosis might just see a glimpse of a promising future for their child. They may desperately need your witness to resist the pressures they are so likely to face as they wait to welcome their child.

Thank you to the parents of boys who teach their sons to respect the dignity of women, the sacredness of sex, and the obligation to support the children they father in every way they can. Thank you to those same parents who care for the mother of their son’s children – regardless of whether she is a beloved daughter-in-law whose pregnancy answers years of family prayer or a frightened teenage girlfriend whose name they do not even know.

Thank you to the religious sisters who, in so many ways, live the radical hospitality that welcomes women in need and their children by offering the love and material support that our busy world pays lip service to say but too often neglects to do. Thank you to the priests who hear the pain-filled confessions of those who carry heavy burdens and lifetimes of regrets. Through the ministry of the church they grant the pardon and peace that frees so many who are so broken to become some of the best protectors of life I have ever met.

Thank you to the friends of a frightened young woman, abandoned by her boyfriend, who accompany her home when she fears telling her family she is pregnant. Thank you to the friends of an overwhelmed father-to-be when they have the courage to tell him that fathers support both their children and the women carrying those children – and then help him to do this. Extra thanks if those friends also have the courage to tell him that, popular opinion notwithstanding, saying “I will support you in whatever you decide” is not support at all.

Thank you to the friendly Mass-goer who gives a wink and a smile to a crying infant rather than a cold stare and a judgmental glare. The harried parents trying to keep their children corralled in their pew will appreciate this and be grateful that those who celebrate the sanctity of life are not curmudgeons when they see the beauty of that life in the house of God.

Thank you to the knitters and quilters in retirement homes who make baby blankets for infants they will never know and donate them to pregnancy centers. They hold the loving hope that an exhausted mother may derive the strength to carry on just knowing a handmade gift was specially prepared for her unborn child.

Thank you, most of all, to parents who welcome children into the world in so many situations that are unexpected, unsupported, and unappreciated. What you do is sacred – not only on day one, but each and every day.

To all of you, and so many others, my “thank you” seems so small. May God bless you all for all the ways you live the Gospel of Life in all the days of your ordinary times.

(Lucia A. Silecchia is a Professor of Law at the Catholic University of America. “On Ordinary Times” is a biweekly column reflecting on the ways to find the sacred in the simple. Email her at silecchia@cua.edu.)

Pope to U.N.: Respect for each human life is essential for peace, equality

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By Cindy Wooden
VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Pope Francis asked members of the United Nations how they think they can respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and build a more peaceful, more just world when many of their countries spend billions on military weapons and when their treatment of the unborn, of refugees and of women shows so little respect for human life.
“We must ask ourselves if the principal threats to peace and security – poverty, epidemics, terrorism and so many others – can be effectively countered when the arms race, including nuclear weapons, continues to squander precious resources that could better be used to benefit the integral development of peoples and protect the natural environment,” the pope said in his video address, which was broadcast Sept. 25.
On the fifth anniversary of his visit to the U.N. in New York, Pope Francis returned to themes he has repeated since the COVID-19 pandemic began: Humanity faces a choice between trying to go back to an often unjust “normal” or taking the opportunity to rethink economic and political policies, putting the good of all people and the environment ahead of concern for maintaining the lifestyles of wealthy individuals and nations.
He drew particular attention to the pandemic’s impact on children, “including unaccompanied young migrants and refugees,” as well as to reports that “violence against children, including the horrible scourge of child abuse and pornography, has also dramatically increased.”
With millions of children still out of school, he said, there is a risk of “an increase in child labor, exploitation, abuse and malnutrition.”

Pope Francis delivers a prerecorded address to the 75th session of the U.N. General Assembly; the recording from the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace was aired Sept. 25, 2020. (CNS screenshot/Chaz Muth)

“Sad to say, some countries and international institutions are also promoting abortion as one of the so-called ‘essential services’ provided in the humanitarian response to the pandemic,” he said. “It is troubling to see how simple and convenient it has become for some to deny the existence of a human life as a solution to problems that can and must be solved for both the mother and her unborn child.”
Pope Francis insisted that addressing the pandemic and building a more just and equitable world involves looking at every aspect of national and international life.
The pandemic “can represent a concrete opportunity for conversion, for transformation, for rethinking our way of life and our economic and social systems, which are widening the gap between rich and poor based on an unjust distribution of resources,” he said. Or “the pandemic can be the occasion for a ‘defensive retreat’ into greater individualism and elitism.”
The latter path, he said, “emphasizes self-sufficiency, nationalism, protectionism, individualism and isolation; it excludes the poor, the vulnerable and those dwelling on the peripheries of life. That path would certainly be detrimental to the whole community, causing self-inflicted wounds on everyone. It must not prevail.”
When companies, including those being assisted by government handouts during the pandemic, focus more on profits than on job creation, they contribute to the “throwaway culture,” which treats people as less important than wealth, he said.
“At the origin of this throwaway culture is a gross lack of respect for human dignity, the promotion of ideologies with reductive understandings of the human person, a denial of the universality of fundamental human rights, and a craving for absolute power and control that is widespread in today’s society,” he said. “Let us name this for what it is: an attack against humanity itself.”
The pope called on countries to work together to fulfill the ideals upon which the U.N. was founded 75 years ago, particular in peacemaking, defending human rights and caring for the world’s poorest and most disadvantaged.
“It is in fact painful to see the number of fundamental human rights that in our day continue to be violated with impunity,” he said, speaking of a “frightening picture of a humanity abused, wounded, deprived of dignity, freedom and hope for the future.”
“Religious believers continue to endure every kind of persecution, including genocide, because of their beliefs,” he said. “We Christians, too, are victims of this: how many of our brothers and sisters throughout the world are suffering, forced at times to flee from their ancestral lands, cut off from their rich history and culture.”
But the pope also drew special attention to situation of refugees, migrants and the internally displaced fleeing conflict, persecution and extreme poverty.
In an apparent reference to the situation in the Mediterranean, he denounced how “thousands are intercepted at sea and forcibly returned to detention camps, where they meet with torture and abuse. Many of these become victims of human trafficking, sexual slavery or forced labor, exploited in degrading jobs and denied a just wage. This is intolerable, yet intentionally ignored by many!”
Nations have entered into regional and international agreements to assist migrants and refugees, but often are lacking the political support at home to make them a reality or the countries just “shirk their responsibilities and commitments,” he said.
“The pandemic has shown us that we cannot live without one another, or worse still, (be) pitted against one another,” Pope Francis insisted. “The United Nations was established to bring nations together, to be a bridge between peoples. Let us make good use of this institution in order to transform the challenge that lies before us into an opportunity to build together, once more, the future we all desire.”

Cassreino named one of top three broadcast journalism teachers

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By Tricia Harris
MADISON – The Journalism Education Association at Kansas State University has named St. Joseph Catholic School teacher Terry Cassreino one of the nation’s top three high school broadcast journalism advisers for 2020.
The JEA named Cassreino a Special Recognition Advisor – part of the organization’s annual Broadcast Adviser of the Year Awards. The JEA, founded in 1924, is a national organization for high school print and broadcast journalism teachers.
“I can’t begin to say how honored I am that a successful high school journalism program at a small Catholic school in Mississippi has received this important national recognition,” Cassreino said. “This award reflects well on St. Joseph Catholic School as well as the hard-working, dedicated high school journalism students I have been lucky to teach over the years – some of whom have gone on to study journalism, accounting and law in college.”

Cassreino was one of three journalism teachers JEA honored. Jim McCarthy of Joseph A. Gregori High School in Modesto, Calif., was named Broadcast Advisor of the Year and Christina Insua of Christopher Columbus High School in Miami was named Distinguished Broadcast Adviser.
Journalism is one of several electives available for St. Joe students. Those who take the class publish a yearbook every fall, The Shield; maintain, write and edit stories for a news website, The Bear Facts; and produce a weekly video newscast, Bruin News Now.
Students also produce a weekly radio show and podcast, “The Bruin Buzz Live,” and produce live radio broadcasts and live video streaming coverage of Bruin sports. Radio productions air on WJXC Jackson, Mississippi Catholic Radio, 107.9, whose studio is in Cassreino’s classroom.
Cassreino’s students and their work have received state, national and even international recognition. Students have been named the state’s high school journalist of the year and received the prestigious Orley Hood Award for Excellence in High School Sports Journalism six of the seven years it has been given.
Bruin News Now has been named Mississippi’s best high school newscast twice and been a finalist three other times. This year, Quill & Scroll International Honor Society for High School Journalists awarded BNN second place in an international competition for best news show.
Cassreino is a four-time Mississippi high school journalism adviser of the year and has been recognized twice by the Dow Jones News Fund as one of the nation’s top print journalism teachers.
Cassreino is a former longtime journalist with more than 25 years of experience as a reporter, political columnist and editor at Mississippi newspapers. He is married to the former Pam Vance of Canton; they have two children and are members of St. Joseph Catholic Gluckstadt.
“We are so proud of Terry Cassreino’s work with students here at St. Joe,” Principal Dena Kinsey said. “Our journalism students are excited about what they do and work tirelessly to produce high-quality work.”

Program spotlight: Catholic Charities Born Free/New Beginnings

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JACKSON – Whether it’s on the phone, through our social media page, from referral sources, family, friends, or from the woman herself; not a day goes by that Kelli Leo, program director of Born Free Primary Residential and New Beginnings Transititional Residential of Catholic Charities, doesn’t hear about someone in desperate need of treatment. Also, not just any treatment, but treatment specifically designed for pregnant and parenting women with substance use disorders. This unique place exists on the outskirts of Jackson in a beautiful wooded, secluded area where anyone visiting can feel the peace and serenity as soon as they step out of their vehicle. Born Free and New Beginnings, were the first programs designed in the state of Mississippi for pregnant and parenting women identifying with a substance use disorder. Born Free has identified its mission to provide a safe place and service for pregnant women to give birth and for parenting women to reunite and bond with their children as a way to interrupt the cycle of trauma and addiction. Born Free/New Beginnings strives to assist pregnant and parenting women in developing coping skills that will enable them to envelop a healthier lifestyle free of substance use for themselves and their children.

Courtesy of Bigstock

Addiction places two lives in jeopardy when a woman is pregnant – the mother and her baby. What would it be like for a pregnant woman to have access to a treatment facility made just for her and baby? A place where she is safe and protected and is able to get access to prenatal care? Born Free is that place developed specifically for her designed to help meet her needs and lower birth risks. Since the birth of Born Free in 1994, over 100 babies have been born substance free while their mothers received treatment. Another innovative aspect of Born Free/New Beginnings is that a young child can reside at the facility while his mother undergoes treatment which in turn, strengthens family bonding. Most mothers who complete the treatment program regain custody of their children which has resulted in the unification of families across the state.
Established in 1996, New Beginnings, is a long term transitional treatment program for women who are at least 18 years old, identified as chemically dependent, pregnant and/or parenting females bringing up to two small children under the age of five with them into the program. Many women in recovery are concerned about their ability to gain employment, find a suitable and safe place to live, identify child-care resources and many other obstacles when they are attempting to get back onto their feet. The focus of New Beginnings is to provide transitional treatment services to pregnant and parenting women who have successfully completed a 30 day primary treatment program. The transitional services include: group and individual counseling, recovery support, referral for employment services, educational /vocational referral, housing referrals, parenting education, life skills training, aftercare planning, and family counseling.
For additional information, please contact Kelli Leo, program director at 601-922-0026. To complete an intake, call 601-922-0026 and speak to any person answering the phone.

Vatican reaffirms, clarifies church teachings on end-of-life care

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By Carol Glatz
VATICAN CITY (CNS) – With the legalization of assisted suicide and euthanasia in many countries, and questions concerning what is morally permissible regarding end-of-life care, the Vatican’s doctrinal office released a 25-page letter offering “a moral and practical clarification” on the care of vulnerable patients.
“The church is convinced of the necessity to reaffirm as definitive teaching that euthanasia is a crime against human life because, in this act, one chooses directly to cause the death of another innocent human being,” the document said.
Titled, “’Samaritanus bonus,’ on the Care of Persons in the Critical and Terminal Phases of Life,” the letter by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith was approved by Pope Francis in June, and released to the public Sept. 22.
A new, “systematic pronouncement by the Holy See” was deemed necessary given a growing, global trend in legalizing euthanasia and assisted suicide, and changing attitudes and rules that harm the dignity of vulnerable patients, Cardinal Luis Ladaria, congregation prefect, said at a Vatican news conference Sept. 22.
It was also necessary to reaffirm church teaching regarding the administration of the sacraments to and pastoral care of patients who expressly request a medical end to their life, he said.

A patient is pictured in a file photo chatting with a nun at Rosary Hill Home, a Dominican-run facility in Hawthorne, N.Y., that provides palliative care to people with incurable cancer and have financial need. (CNS photo/Gregory A. Shemitz)

“In order to receive absolution in the sacrament of penance, as well as with the anointing of the sick and the viaticum,” he said, the patients must demonstrate their intention to reverse their decision to end their life and to cancel their registration with any group appointed to grant their desire for euthanasia or assisted suicide.
In the letter’s section on “Pastoral discernment toward those who request euthanasia or assisted suicide,” it said a “priest could administer the sacraments to an unconscious person ‘sub condicione’ if, on the basis of some signal given by the patient beforehand, he can presume his or her repentance.”
The church’s ministers can still accompany patients who have made these end-of-life directives, it added, by showing “a willingness to listen and to help, together with a deeper explanation of the nature of the sacrament, in order to provide the opportunity to desire and choose the sacrament up to the last moment.”
It is important to carefully look for “adequate signs of conversion, so that the faithful can reasonably ask for the reception of the sacraments. To delay absolution is a medicinal act of the church, intended not to condemn, but to lead the sinner to conversion,” it said.
However, it added, “those who spiritually assist these persons should avoid any gesture, such as remaining until the euthanasia is performed, that could be interpreted as approval of this action.”
Chaplains, too, must show care “in the health care systems where euthanasia is practiced, for they must not give scandal by behaving in a manner that makes them complicit in the termination of human life,” the letter said.
Another warning in the letter regarded medical end-of-life protocols, such as “do not resuscitate orders” or “physician orders for life-sustaining treatment” and any of their variations.
These protocols “were initially thought of as instruments to avoid aggressive medical treatment in the terminal phases of life. Today, these protocols cause serious problems regarding the duty to protect the life of patients in the most critical stages of sickness,” it said.
On the one hand, it said, “medical staff feel increasingly bound by the self-determination expressed in patient declarations that deprive physicians of their freedom and duty to safeguard life even where they could do so.”
“On the other hand, in some health care settings, concerns have recently arisen about the widely reported abuse of such protocols viewed in a euthanistic perspective with the result that neither patients nor families are consulted in final decisions about care,” it said.
“This happens above all in the countries where, with the legalization of euthanasia, wide margins of ambiguity are left open in end-of-life law regarding the meaning of obligations to provide care.”
The church, however, “is obliged to intervene in order to exclude once again all ambiguity in the teaching of the magisterium concerning euthanasia and assisted suicide, even where these practices have been legalized,” it said.
Euthanasia involves “an action or an omission which of itself or by intention causes death, in order that all pain may in this way be eliminated.”
Its definition depends on “the intention of the will and in the methods used,” it added.
The letter reaffirmed that “any formal or immediate material cooperation in such an act is a grave sin against human life,” making euthanasia “an act of homicide that no end can justify and that does not tolerate any form of complicity or active or passive collaboration.”
For that reason, “those who approve laws of euthanasia and assisted suicide, therefore, become accomplices of a grave sin that others will execute. They are also guilty of scandal because by such laws they contribute to the distortion of conscience, even among the faithful.”
The letter also underlined a patient’s right to decline aggressive medical treatment and “die with the greatest possible serenity and with one’s proper human and Christian dignity intact” when approaching the natural end of life.
“The renunciation of treatments that would only provide a precarious and painful prolongation of life can also mean respect for the will of the dying person as expressed in advanced directives for treatment, excluding however every act of a euthanistic or suicidal nature,” it said.
However, it also underlined the rights of physicians as never being “a mere executor of the will of patients or their legal representatives, but retains the right and obligation to withdraw at will from any course of action contrary to the moral good discerned by conscience.”
Other aspects of end-of-life care the letter detailed included: the obligation to provide basic care of nutrition and hydration; the need for holistic palliative care; support for families and hospice care; the required accompaniment and care for unborn and newly-born children diagnosed with a terminal disease; the use of “deep palliative sedation”; obligation of care for patients in a “vegetative state” or with minimal consciousness; and conscientious objection by health care workers.

‘Together Strong: Life Unites’ is theme of March for Life set for Jan. 29

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By Kurt Jensen
The Sept. 10 announcement of the theme for the March for Life – “Together Strong: Life Unites” – made it clear the annual national event, in some form, will proceed next Jan. 29.
But details of how the march, rally and pro-life conference, which together have drawn as many as 100,000 participants in past years, will cope with COVID-19 self-quarantine restrictions in the District of Columbia were not part of the announcement.
Asked on EWTN’s “Pro-Life Weekly” program that evening about whether people should start making plans, Jeanne Mancini, president of the March for Life Education and Defense Fund, said: “You know, everybody has to make that decision on their own. You know, considering their own situations, et cetera.”

WASHINGTON – Pictured left to right, Cole Turner, Isabelle Comfort, Maggie Henderson and Alexia Balderas of the Catholic Campus Ministry of Mississippi State at the 2020 March for Life event. March for Life is set to take place on Jan. 29, 2021 with the theme ‘Together Strong: Life Unites.’ (Photo courtesy of Meg Ferguson)

She added, “But I certainly would be (making plans), and I obviously will be there this year. I think that standing for life and standing for inherent human dignity of every life from conception to natural death is all the more important this year when there is so much unrest, so much division in our country. We need to show that we are stronger together and that love and life unite us. They make us stronger.”
In July, Mancini had said “we will continue to discern throughout this year what steps should be taken,” regarding pandemic restrictions.
Social distancing and masks aren’t the issue. Washington health authorities require a 14-day self-quarantine for visitors “participating in nonessential travel” from high-risk areas. The quarantine is adjusted every two weeks, and as of Sept. 8, was extended to visitors from 30 states.
That’s a particular obstacle for the many high school and college groups who arrive on long-distance bus rides which have, over the decades, become the pulse of the event.
“If D.C. is still requiring a two-week quarantine for out-of-state travelers, I don’t see a way for us to attend,” said Ed Konieczka, assistant director of university ministry at the University of Mary in Bismarck, North Dakota. “We are taking care of the details that we can, and recognizing which things are out of our control.”
The university typically sends around 200 students and staff members to the march, and in 2018, some 20 students flanked President Donald Trump in the Rose Garden at the White House when he addressed the Mall rally on a video link. This past January, Trump addressed the rally in person, becoming the first president to do so.
The alternative to a Washington trip, Konieczka said, will be a rally that day in Bismarck. “We have been approached by the Diocese of Bismarck with a request to coordinate efforts to have the biggest March for Life event ever at our state capital. We have a shared vision for a large event, where any of our students unable to travel to D.C. will join with members of the diocese.”
Planners of state marches face the same uncertainty. “Right now with COVID and the restrictions, we are playing it by ear in Chicago,” said Denise Zabor, office manager for Illinois Right to Life.
March for Life has taken place in Washington every January since 1974. It’s always held on a date near the anniversary of the Supreme Court’s 1973 rulings, Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton, which legalized abortion on demand.

Pro-life advocates gather outside the U.S. Supreme Court Jan. 27, 2017, during the annual March for Life in Washington. Officials with the March for Life organization in Washington announced Sept. 10, 2020, the theme for the 2021 national rally and march marking the Roe anniversary will be “Together Strong: Life Unites.” The event will take place in some form Jan. 29. (CNS photo/Leslie E. Kossoff)

“I believe it’s the rallying point for all of pro-life America,” said Dave Bereit, the founder of 40 Days for Life, who co-hosted the theme announcement with Mancini.
The announcement video included a cameo from Vice President Mike Pence, a longtime supporter of the March for Life, who said: “Stand for life. Because life is winning.”
On Sept. 3, the Trump campaign, in a letter to a coalition calling itself “Pro-Life Voices for Trump,” cited how the president has been “transforming the federal judiciary” by appointing federal judges and Supreme Court justices “who would not legislate an abortion agenda from the bench.”
The letter also promised to work for the passage of what’s called the “pain-capable” abortion ban, which has criminal penalties for abortions performed when an unborn child is in at least the 20th week of gestation; supporters of the measure cite scientific research showing a fetus at that stage can feel pain. Passage has been blocked by House Democrats and the threat of a Democratic filibuster in the Senate.
Trump also expressed support for the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act sponsored by Mississippi Republican Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Mississippi, which would codify an end to federal funding for abortion such as that received by Planned Parenthood.

(Editor’s Note: The March for Life website, https://marchforlife.org, provides visitors to the site a way to sign up for updates on the Jan. 29 event.)

U.S. dioceses press ahead with ‘Moms in need’ initiative during pandemic

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By Ann Rodgers
LOS ANGELES – Jada Fortunato was single, 19 and working her way through college when she became pregnant.
Statistically, that scenario often ends in abortion. Fortunato expected to sacrifice college to support her child. She didn’t have to make that choice, however, because a family friend told her about Mercy House, a support center for struggling families in the Archdiocese of Newark.
“Everyone was welcoming there,” said Fortunato, now 21, of North Arlington, New Jersey, as 2-year-old Giovanni babbled in the background. “When I was pregnant, I received assistance with food. And once I had the baby, I received a lot of help. I was getting formula, I was getting diapers, wipes, a car seat and one of those bouncy seats. I would definitely have struggled without their assistance.”

This logo is included in the materials for “Walking With Moms in Need: A Year of Service” from March 25, 2020, through March 25, 2021. The U.S. bishops are inviting the parishes in their dioceses to join in this national initiative, which Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann of Kansas City, Kansas, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities, said intensifies the church’s long-standing pastoral response to “the needs of women facing pregnancies in challenging circumstances.” (CNS photo/USCCB)

She was fortunate that someone in her circle told her where to find help. Because that connection is missing for many women with crisis pregnancies, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) created “Walking with Moms in Need: A Year of Service.”
The initiative calls for parishes to inventory local resources for pregnant women and young families, reach out in friendship to those who are marginalized, identify unmet needs, create solutions, and make sure parishioners know where to direct women and families in need.
“It’s the sort of thing everyone can get behind because it’s something that unites us,” said Kat Talalas, assistant director of pro-life communications at the bishops’ conference. “We love all people, we care for the vulnerable. It brings people together and helps us focus on something really important, regardless of where you fall on the spectrum of personal ideology.”
“Walking with Moms” was slated to launch March 25, the 25th anniversary of St. Pope John Paul II’s pro-life encyclical, “Evangelium Vitae” (“The Gospel of Life”).
The timing, it seems, could not have been worse. That month, much of the country went into lockdown due to the coronavirus. Parish activities shut down.
Some dioceses forged ahead, gathering information remotely. Others modified the initiative and many have suspended it until parishes are ready to move forward.
That’s all fine, because “Walking with Moms” was always intended to adapt to local situations, Talalas said. The secretariat of Pro-Life Activities has continued offering support, such as a COVID-related implementation webinar.
In the Diocese of Grand Rapids, Bishop David Walkowiak had just launched Walking with Moms when COVID struck.
“He sent the letter encouraging the priests to get involved and then everything — well, there was no follow up,” said D.J. Florian, director of the diocesan Office of Pastoral Services.
Next month, the diocese plans to pick up where it left off.
“October is a great time, with Respect Life Month already on the books,” he said.
For Charlene Bearden, coordinator of the Office of Family Ministry in the Diocese of Jackson, Mississippi, “Walking with Moms” answered her prayer for a ministry that would protect unborn children while supporting their mothers and families. A former corporate project manager with information technology skills, by February she had mapped a plan out for the diocese, customizable for each parish. Bishop Joseph Kopacz provided strong leadership.
“He is involved every step of the way. It makes a grand difference,” she said.
When COVID struck, Bearden worked from home on “Walking with Moms.” She sought intercession from Servant of God Sister Thea Bowman, a champion of social justice who Bearden had known, and compiled a 76-page resource on available social services.
She is updating it and will soon survey all parishes about their ability to move forward.
“I was never tempted not to continue with this project,” she said. “I just had this passion that it was something that had to be done and it was more necessary now than ever. What is a pregnant woman thinking now, when a lot of pregnancy care places suspended their services? They are really in need and where can they go?”
In the Diocese of Pittsburgh, where Catholic Charities runs “Walking with Moms,” information-gathering also continued during lockdown, with help from a summer intern. Volunteers will continue the work.
“It meets a great need,” said Marion Ahlers, director of marketing and communications.
“It’s not difficult work and the payout — this may sound cliché, but the payout is eternal. It’s 15 minutes on the phone to understand what’s available, what services can be provided. It’s about getting information to people when they need it. And that’s huge.”
In addition to helping women and families, the inventory is helping Catholic Charities to identify unmet needs across the six-county diocese. “There isn’t a complete or consistent breadth of services across our region. We want to understand where the deficits are,” she said.
It is also strengthening the bond between Catholic Charities and parishes as parish leaders learn about the wide array of services the agency provides to anyone in need, she said.
In the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, Gina Vides, the parish engagement strategist for the Office of Life, Justice and Peace, has seen the need for grassroots networking.
A few years ago, Vides discovered that a large parish with a robust pro-life ministry was unaware of a stellar crisis-pregnancy center just down the road. The parish had been so busy with its own activities that it took no notice.
“Networking is so important and ‘Moms in Need’ pushes for it,” she said.
After pursuing networking in Los Angeles for years, she has advice for others.
While the inventory of social services must be far broader than crisis-pregnancy centers, it’s essential to listen to the directors of those centers. Their insights are so valuable that the Office for Life, Justice and Peace meets with them quarterly, Vides said. The pregnancy center directors emphasize that pregnancy itself usually isn’t the main problem.
For instance, the majority of women who have abortions in California already have children. Their biggest concern is how to care for them.
“Some women are afraid to lose their jobs,” she said. “Single women with children have one or two jobs and you’re afraid to tell your boss that you’re pregnant. You need to understand that you have rights in the workplace.”
A woman with a crisis pregnancy “needs more than counseling. She needs wrap-around services for herself, her unborn child, and any other children that she has,” Vides said.
Many programs that help pregnant women don’t carry the “pro-life” label, she said. The St. Vincent de Paul Society, which is active in many parishes, is a prime example.
“If you think of ‘Moms in Need’ and you’re not thinking of St. Vincent de Paul, then let’s promote them,” Vides said. “They regularly assist families with rent, clothes, shoes, beds, cribs. If you need diapers or milk, you call St. Vincent de Paul.”
In the Archdiocese of Newark, where Fortunato received help through Mercy House, Cheryl Riley had just taken a call from a woman who was contemplating an abortion due to economic stress.
“That’s why Mercy House was founded. Finances should never be an excuse for an abortion in the Archdiocese of Newark,” said Riley, director of the archdiocesan Respect Life Office.
“They’re scared,” she said of the women who call. “How will I feed my baby? How will I get diapers? Sometimes they just need a package of wipes. That’s what we do.”
Mercy House will also step in with rental assistance and utilities. It provides bags of food, giving away 50 one day last week alone. If someone can’t get to Mercy House, Mercy House will send help to them. The staff also encourages parents — who typically aren’t married — to engage with a parish and have their babies baptized.
“Every parish knows that, if there is someone in need, they send them to us.”
Even as the lockdown lifts, Riley sees greater needs ahead. “We are going to see a lot of COVID babies,” she said.
While “Walking with Moms” is on pause in many dioceses, “COVID-19 has highlighted the great challenges for moms in need,” said Talalas, at the U.S. bishops’ conference.
“In many cases their situation got worse with the pandemic, at the same time that many agencies had to reduce services. There is an increase in demand for help and a greater need for parishes to coalesce around helping pregnant and parenting moms. We encourage parishes and dioceses and individuals to pick up the mantle for ‘Walking with Moms’ and make it a priority.”

Calendar of events

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SPIRITUAL ENRICHMENT

METAIRIE, La. Healing Mini-Conference, Nov. 13-14 at St. Angela Merici Church. Presenter: Sister Briege McKenna and is well-known for her ministry of praying for healing. She has authored a book entitled Miracles Do Happen, giving accounts of extraordinary healings she was witnessed. There will be three sessions: Friday night from 7-9:30 p.m.; Saturday morning 9:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. and Saturday night from 7-9:30 p.m. Cost: Adults – $15 per person per session; Youths (under 18) – $5 per person per session. Pre-registration is required. Because of social distancing, seating is limited to approximately 300. Details: www.ccrno.org, info@ccrno.org or (504) 828-1368.
NEW ORLEANS Our Lady of the Cenacle Retreat Center, Women’s Retreat, “Jesus the Christ: Wisdom, Beauty and Love in the Storm,” Oct. 23-25. The retreat begins with check-in from 3-6 p.m. on Friday and concludes after lunch on Sunday. Presenter: Sister Janet Franklin, a Sister of St. Joseph. She has been engaged in spirituality ministry for over 40 years. Cost: $350. Because of the special circumstances due to COVID-19, no deposit is required to register. Full payment will be collected upon arrival at the retreat center. Details: to register, contact Susan Halligan at (504) 267-9604 or https://www.neworleansretreats.org/retreats. If you need financial assistance, contact Kim Gandolfi at (504) 887-1420.
Our Lady of the Cenacle Retreat Center, Men’s Retreat – “Relying on Faith in Times of Struggle,” Oct. 30 – Nov. 1. The retreat begins with check-in at 3pm on Friday and concludes after lunch on Sunday. Presenters: Dr. Paul Ceasar and Darryl Ducote on finding hope and direction through insights from psychology and our beliefs. Because of the special circumstances due to COVID-19, no deposit is required to register. Full payment will be collected upon arrival at the retreat center. Details: to register, contact Susan Halligan at (504) 267-9604 or https://www.neworleansretreats.org/retreats. If you need financial assistance, contact Kim Gandolfi at (504) 887-1420.

PARISH, SCHOOL AND FAMILY EVENTS

CLARKSDALE St. Elizabeth, Trunk or Treat and Canned Food Drive, Sunday, Oct. 25 at 5 p.m. in the parking lot. All are welcome. Come dressed in your fun costumes and bring some canned food for the Clarksdale Care Station. Details: (662) 624-4301.
JACKSON St. Richard, Coffee & Creed meets on Sunday mornings at 9:15 a.m. in Glynn Hall. They are currently doing a retreat series from Archbishop Fulton Sheen. Please remember to wear a mask. Details: church office (601) 366-2335.
MERIDIAN Catholic Community of St. Joseph and St. Patrick, Due to COVID-19 and current safety guidelines, St. Joseph’s October fest is cancelled. We look forward to seeing everyone next year on the first Saturday of Oct. in 2021. Details: (662) 693-1321.
NATCHEZ St. Mary Basilica, to mark both Respect Life Month and to honor Mary’s request, Rosary for Life will be in the Basilica Prayer Garden across from the Family Life Center, Tuesday, Oct. 13 at 5:15 p.m. We will pray the rosary with special prayer intentions for the protection of life. In case of inclement weather, the rosary will be held in the Basilica. Details: church office (601) 445-5616.
St. Mary Basilica, Period of Inquiry: Getting Acquainted. They will meet on Thursdays, Oct. 15: Jesus Christ: True God and True Man; Oct. 22: Jesus Christ: Redeemer and Savior; Oct. 29 – The Holy Spirit; and Nov. 5 – Church: Nature and Mission. Individuals who seek to know more about the church are called inquirers. In many cases, they have been attracted to the church by a Catholic friend or spouse whose life has witnessed to the love, generosity and peace of Jesus. Details: church office (601) 445-5616.

YOUTH BRIEFS

GREENVILLE St. Joseph, Catechesis of the Good Shepherd is back Sundays 9:15-10:15 a.m. in the CGS room in the parish hall. Class is for children 3-6 years old. Details: (662) 335-5251.
JACKSON Sister Thea Bowman School, 14th Annual Draw Down (done virtually), Saturday, Oct. 24 at 6:30 p.m. Cost: $100 and optional second chance insurance for $20 per ticket. Grand prize: $5000. Proceeds will be used for instructional materials and operational expenses. Details: contact Shae Goodman-Robinson at (601) 352-5441 or principal@theabowmanschool.com for more information or to purchase a ticket.
MERIDIAN St. Patrick, the Youth Group (6th-12th Grades) meets every 2nd and 4th Sunday at 4 p.m. in the Family Life Center. Details: Angela Dove at (601) 693-1321 Ext 8 or angela@catholicmeridian.org.
St. Patrick School, The Parent School Association (PSA) is sponsoring a raffle and will be giving away a $250 Walmart gift card. Cost: tickets are $2 each. It is a great fundraiser to help the school. Drawing will be Friday, Oct. 16. You can purchase tickets from students, PSA members and the school or church office. Details: school office (601) 482-6044.

COVID-19 REMINDER

All over the age of two are required to wear a mask at Mass.
The obligation to attend Mass continues to be dispensed by Bishop Joseph R. Kopacz, so if you do not feel safe attending, or have an underlying health condition, or feel sick, please stay home. Be safe and stay vigilant!